#i understand that moths are harmless but when there are two of them on my computer screen at any moment

[freyafukunaga]

FUCKING HUGE moth appeared in my room after i've spent these past weeks at war with the moths, i feel like a boss has showed up after defeating too many of the minion forms

[limerlove]

nsfw content, eighteen+

content warning. fingering, squirting, munch o'clock, athlete!reader, two bitches that are obsessed with each other, cocky!vi, public sex, jealousy if you squint.

being nemeses with hockeyplayer!vi who couldn’t breathe right when she’s in your vicinity without steam puffing out through your ears. everything about her from the way she walks or when she cockily smiles when the precious puck vi believes she’s invented soars through the net. being captain of the undefeated team is all that anyone would talk about on campus — if it weren’t for you.

you on the other hand are known for being the star tennis player, a promising prodigy who turned down the big leagues to seek an education first before showcasing at your first wimbledon. violet can’t stand when she won the biggest match of her life, news of your first tournament appearance in professional tennis made headlines.

desperately vi tries to be ominous, observing from afar, her heart-shaped jaw clenching as she watches you beat the girl in front of you to the ground. with a serve that qualifies as a guaranteed ace and a backhand that has stephanie vazquez running on every end of the court — all of it is so trivial.

meaningless even, but your father who pleads that the matches matter have somehow coaxed you into it.

it’s simple the way you tear your opponents apart, overwhelming them with shots you’ve spent years perfecting. the women on campus didn’t stand a fucking chance and they knew it too.

from the first game, their fate sealed. as finite as the stars sparkling across the midnight sky.

a blissful heart and a cracked dignity is a win for your ego. ultimately, violet hates herself for understanding why there’s so many people who fawn over you. a white dove arising in the spring, the flowers blossoming with each stroke you hit.

the match point? a single ace that sends stephanie to crack her expensive racket on the clay. it’s infuriating to play you, that much you’ve been told, but you need to be this precise if you have a chance on the biggest stage in just a few weeks.

“mija, take ten and then we’ll send the next one.”

your father calls from the stands as you swiftly grab your water bottle before realizing it’s empty, excusing yourself to the locker room and past vi but you know she’ll chase you.

as you suspect, no more than thirty seconds and she’s invading your space like a moth who's been starved of a flame for months. violet can deny it all she wants but the spark she tries to hide behind the cool-oceanic blues reak of warmth when her attention sets on you.

“did you have to humiliate her like that? for what? so you could prove who—”

“i can’t be bothered to go easy on everyone you fuck, violet. might be the whole roster at this point.” once your canister is filled, you take a large swing of water as she stands there dumbfounded.

making sure to flex her bicep, she leans against the water filtration with her puppy eyes attempting to convince you violet is as harmless as she looks.

a bold-faced lie the devil himself couldn’t design as truth.

“do i need to remind you of last season? throwing your body into my ex-girlfriend so hard during the finals last year. her shoulder was fucking dislocated and her collarbone was fractured.”

“that’s not what—”

“uh huh, sure, violet.” you taunt as she dismisses you, shaking her head as you take a step closer.

violet wishes to dismiss you, act like you have no effect on her. then you’re here with your pearly-white pleated skirt and your thin long sleeve jacket that clings to your skin. even with the sweat lining your temple, you still smell of honey-soaked lemon. a hint of lavender radiating off your skin, vi nearly sinks her canines on the side of your neck just to see if she’s able to taste it.

would you be willing to bleed for satisfaction alone?

taste you through a yearning tongue that begs to touch an inch of the transgressions of her sins. iron-coated promise meant to be broken.

but then she’s reminded of just how cruel you can be. you’ll walk over anyone’s dead corpse if it means you’ll get your way.

“you get off on it, making people feel less than you, decimating them on the court until they have nothing left to give.”

“maybe but why are you still here instead of chasing your little girlfriend? she’s really upset but it seems the only one who wants to get off is you.”

“god, would just—” vi pulls at her hair, peeved at how painless it seems to be for you to bury each opponent six feet underground.

"would i just what, violet?"

self-restraint falls through fate, vi's hardened shell practically caves in on itself as her lips melt into yours, her scorching need lights brighter than ever when she feels your smooth lips glide against hers.

soft hints of cranberry and dark chocolate invades her mouth as her calloused fingertips crawl underneath your skirt to the compression shorts connected beneath. with a finger sliding along your slit, violet's delights in watching your back arch against the wall as you stabilize your body clinging onto her strong sculpted shoulders.

"be a good girl for me and take it." violet divulges, letting her skilled mouth prep you as your hips ride against her fuckable face. goddamn it, she’s too good. 

you hate her for it.

a sprinkle of love lavishes against the thin spandex as you watch the entry of the locker room. this should be a sin, how heavenly you smell, limerence coating her mind any time you’re near. never could she be anything but her sugar-coated infatuation. 

an impenetrable grind of someone soaking in more media attention than vi has never set well with her pride but up until now, violet couldn’t have known the rumbling ache pulling her towards you. hell be damned if anyone would get in her way. 

the tips of vi’s fingers glide against your thigh, as she enjoys the tremble your body makes, a magnetic force where vi’s body pulls at your body so easily. 

“so pent up, babygirl. who knew the only way to silence you is to get on my knees. are you always this needy or is this reserved for me?” 

"fucking hell, would you just take off my skirt already?" you whine out in defiance and vi gets the message — crystal clear. 

violet does more than take it off, she rips the thick material in half, eyes grinning as she has the pleasure of knowing how beautiful you are. even if after the two of you walk through those doors, you never acknowledge her again, you’ll never be able to take this away from her. 

in a fall from grace, violet worships her enemy, falling further into temptation. a hopeful message of deliverance place maliciously between your thighs.

with a shimmering touch, she guides your leg over her powerfully built shoulder, moaning as your stomach clenches against the tidal wave of her tongue. soft, gentle even, more accommodating than any of your past lovers had ever been with you. 

as much as you want to tell her to touch you differently, flatten her tongue more, or to critique her in any way that could knock her down a peg, you can’t. despite your best efforts, she does everything flawlessly and you hate her more for it. glowing, powder-blue eyes flickering up at you, watching as you fall apart. each limb becoming numb under touch. 

“yeah, not just a pretty face, angel.” 

“you’re so full of yourself. how do they never get tired of your weasley, impetulant, condescending—” 

“oh, i’m sorry? were you gonna say something or did you still wanna get fucked by my fingers?” vi slips another inside as her tongue gets lost in your pussy once again. 

all of it makes you wanna scream but you feel your voice carrying through the locker room. the rare vacancy surrounds you, moans leaving your lips echo back as she slurps every drop spilling out of you. with a vicious tongue, she won’t stop fucking your pretty little hole with her skilled muscle, thumb stroking your clit with divine purpose. 

“shitttt, oh fuck me, god i— i hate you, violet.” but it’s only because you feel the band slipping, the tightly wound knot read to snap if she doesn’t stop. violet doesn’t, in fact she slips another finger in your sickening, wet warmth as she curls her fingers just perfectly. 

hitting right where she needs to with a skilled flick of her wrist. 

“do that again— shit, just like, oh right there.” 

“c’mon prodigy, be a good girl and come for me, come all over my face and show me.” 

jesus, do you serve your worst. 

it felt like too much, too quickly, before you could even stop it there’s a squelching sound filling the room as you coat her scarred lip, her nose, those freckled cheeks in every ounce of cum. 

chants of her name roll off your tongue before you can stop them as she sucks over your sensitive nub, coaxing you through your high, waiting until you come down before she removes her fingers from your pussy. 

vi swears she hears your cunt whine her name the second she removed herself but maybe that was just you. 

“suck, babygirl.” 

giving into her command, you take the push of her fingers as they kiss the back of your throat, relaxing your jaw as your tongue swirls around the digits until they’re completely clean. 

sliding your leg off her shoulder as the loss of her support nearly causes you to stumble. 

“where do you have a spare? i know you have one, somewhere.” violet smirks, her tone anything but forgiving as she feels triumphant when it comes to you and your impending will. 

“that— over um, there, the first locker. number one.” 

you watch her as she puts in the combination you provide before she grabs one identical to your damaged one. lifting your leg to place you through the opening before you assist her by doing the other one yourself, sliding the material up your leg. 

you thought she was being kind but you feel the mess between your thugs push up against the thin spandex, and she does the pleasure of pushing against the material again, making contact with your pussy that simply can’t stop fluttering for more. 

“when you go out there, i want you to think about me. how good my fingers feels fucking you into oblivion. the way my tongue fucks that pretty hole of yours. every way you chanted my name, those hips unable to stop riding my goddamn face—” she leans down, lips pressed against your ear before she whispers, “remember that no one on this planet will ever fuck you the way i can.” 

a kiss to your cheek sears you as you're too stunned to speak, tragically slumped against the wall but quickly being led out as she guides you back through the front doors, onto the court. she wishes you luck, turning her back as she heads towards the exit. 

“oh, this is just the fucking beginning.”

violet smirks but holds up three fingers as she blows a kiss to you. 

the three she just fucked you with.

[selineram3421]

*has a little idea* I've gotta listen to brain commands.

First Day

Alastor and Child Reader

Warning! ⚠

⚠ implied murder, mention of kidnapping, mention of heart attack, shake of head=no, fake crying lol, italic red=Alastor's thoughts ⚠

Alastor didn't understand why some demons worried over the little children that ran amuck in Hell.

That is until he adopted one himself.

Small, wide eyed, and frail looking. Of course he'd worry after a glance. But after seeing the pile of dead bodies beneath their feet, it seemed like there wasn't too much to worry about.

So all he had to do was teach them how to make others fear them. Especially after the whole kidnapping fiasco with Valentino.

And what better timing than their first day of school.

.

You were playing around in the hotel.

Most of it was following Husk around and scaring the other hotel guests. But then Charlie told Alastor the number of complaints from guests about you and your pranks.

"They are absolutely harmless! What's a little scare going to do?", the deer demon said.

"Someone had a heart attack.", Vaggie piped in.

"Nuh-uh!", you popped up out of nowhere, making the two females jump in surprise. "That frog demon croaked! He's just mad that I made him make a funny sound."

The blonde sighs before holding out a flyer to the red dressed demon.

"Look, I know you're just having fun but not all demons think its funny.", she tells you before looking at Alastor. "There's a school for demon children not too far from the hotel, maybe they can meet demons their age and make friends?"

After dinner you and Alastor sat down on the couch in the hotel room and read through the flyer.

"I don't want to go.", you pouted.

"Don't worry my little terror, we'll think of something.", he booped your nose. "Perhaps we can use this as training!"

"Training?", you repeated.

"Yes! We'll use this as an opportunity!", Alastor said as he stood from the couch, turning to hold out a hand for you to take. "Come little one, there's much I have to teach you."

.

"Remember what I taught you little one!", Alastor says, fixing their coat. "Anything can be a weapon..."

"With enough force and creativity!", they said confidently.

"Correct!", his smile brightened. "Now, let's go show the ladies that you are a proper demon with manners so they feel bad for sending you out. Remember to look sad."

"Hmhmm!", the nod again before taking a deep breath, putting on their sad face and looking down at the floor.

"Perfect.", he approved before leading them by the hand down to the lobby.

Both of the girls were waiting by the entrance doors to say their goodbyes to the little demon.

"We are ready!", Alastor announces.

"Hey! We got them a-", Charlie starts before noticing the little demon's sad face. "..lunch box."

Vaggie squints at them but doesn't say anything.

Though the Radio Demon can see that his little one's sad face is affecting her as well, the moth demon clenching her fists.

"Now, what do we say mon petit?", the deer demon pats their back.

"I'm..", they say but don't look up yet. "I'm sorry for being bad and I'll go to school so..", finally they look up at the girls with little tears starting to well up. "Please don't be mad anymore."

Charlie is obviously affected the most and looks over at her partner, receiving a shake of the head from the white haired demon in response.

The princess takes a breath before handing over the lunch box to the little demon. "Its only for a little bit, alright?"

"Ok..", they say, still keeping up with the act before turning to face him. "Bye Alastor."

"It won't be for long, don't worry.", he 'reassures' them. "I'll pick you up when school is out."

They nod before hugging his side.

He pats them on the head before waving them goodbye as they walk out of the hotel and to the school bus.

Bidding the ladies adieu, Alastor lets his smile widen after turning away from the two, wondering how his little demon will cause chaos.

I can't wait to hear all about it~

*wipes away tears after typing out the fake crying* I was that child huh.

~Seline, the person.

Part 2

Taglist@

@willowaudreykeyes @kiraisastay @c4rved-pumpk1n @stolas-thebirb @scary-noodlesblog @naelys-the-aster @ducky-died-inside @biromanticboba @+?

ML for Alastor🎙

[wingedshadowfan]

the 'breaking expensive glassware' scene in ninth house is so important for darlington's character (it's essentially an extension of 'the moths' scene)

first of all. he's a man of knowledge and preparedness. he believes he knows all there is to know and that makes him prepared for it. alex easily challenges that belief, breaks his rules.

“It wasn’t the ritual.” “Was it the blood?” “No. One of them grabbed me. You didn’t say that was going to happen. I—” Darlington couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re saying one of them touched you?” “More than one. I—” “That isn’t possible. I mean …” He set down his wine, ran his hands through his hair. “Rarely. So rarely. Sometimes in the presence of blood or if the spirit is particularly moved. That’s why true hauntings are so rare.” Her voice was hard, distant. “It’s possible.” Maybe. Unless she was lying.

his very obvious disbelief and distrust toward her is understandable - not only is what she's saying so incredibly unlikely, but he's also read her file. he has some surface level knowledge of her life and the state she was in when sandow recruited her. she's an uneducated, untrained, unprepared, a juvenile, an addict with no prospects (he never stops to consider how she got to that point, deems it irrelevant) who somehow wound up the only survivor at a murder scene. what incentive does he have to trust her?

His Dante, the girl he would gift with the keys to a secret world, was a criminal, a drug user, a dropout who cared about none of the things he did.

she was fortunate enough to be born with what he considers a gift - the ability to see grays - something lethe took notice of and rewarded generously. that's the only reason she's here. she has no other redeeming qualities to him, unlike each of the thousands of lethe house candidates he was supposed to review and pick from, that opportunity, that honor ripped away from him. this would've never happened, if not for her.

“You need to be ready next time. You weren’t prepared—” “And whose fault is that?” Darlington sat up straighter. “I beg your pardon? I gave you two weeks to get up to speed. I sent you specific passages to read to keep it manageable.”

she doesn't mean him in particular, but he predictably misunderstands (and i'll explain why). he's confident he did the right thing, that he did enough. he readily gave her what was most dear to him in a silver platter - his knowledge, the key to this world of mystery. partially he did it for lethe, partially he did it because he felt for her (referencing he moth scene here). he doesn't take lightly to being accused of being wrong, of having done the wrong thing. especially by a seemingly ungrateful newcomer throwing a temper tantrum after fucking up and possibly even lying about why.

“And what about all of the years before that?” Alex stood and shoved her chair back. She paced into the breakfast room, her black hair reflecting the lamplight, energy sparking off her. The house gave a warning groan. She wasn’t sad or ashamed or worried. She was mad. “Where were you?” she demanded. “All you wise men of Lethe with your spells and your chalk and your books? Where were you when the dead were following me home? When they were barging into my classrooms? My bedroom? My damn bathtub? Sandow said you had been tracking me for years, since I was a kid. One of you couldn’t have told me how to get rid of them? That all it would take was a few magic words to send them away?”

“They’re harmless. It’s only the rituals that—”

Alex grabbed Darlington’s glass and threw it hard against the wall, sending glass and red wine flying. “They are not harmless. You talk as if you know, like you’re some kind of expert.” She struck her hands against the table, leaning toward him. “You have no idea what they can do.”

“Are you done or would you like another glass to break?”

his distrust also very reasonably drives her mad. she's sick of not being believed, not being trusted her whole life - even here at lethe, where magic is a widely accepted fact, people like him, who've never had to live a day in her life, with her ability, still think they know better. she's supposed to be safe, understood, helped here. she isn't. she's only being used for lethe's agenda. and darlington? he perpetuates that fact. he's her mentor, for fuck's sake. she'd barely began to trust him when he showed her magic, when he taught her to protect herself. she must've misjudged him. he did all that for lethe, not for her, just like how he covered up the almost butchered ritual from scroll and key.

“Why didn’t you help me?” said Alex, her voice nearly a growl.

“I did. You were about to be buried under a sea of Grays, if you recall.”

“Not you.” Alex waved her arm, indicating the house. “Sandow. Lethe. Someone.” She covered her face with her hands. “Take courage. No one is immortal. Do you know what it would have meant to me to know those words when I was a kid? It would have taken so little to change everything. But no one bothered. Not until I could be useful to you.”

this is why he misunderstands. she doesn't challenge him directly, she attacks lethe, but he's taken it upon himself to assert lethe's authority, to protect its credibility and integrity from such accusations. he's embodied lethe. it's a part of who he is now. he considers himself an extension of it, its golden boy, its gentleman. so this criticism, he takes personally. but it's not about him.

Darlington did not like to think he had behaved badly. He did not like to think that Lethe had behaved badly. We are the shepherds. And yet they’d left Alex to face the wolves. She was right. They hadn’t cared. She’d been someone for Lethe to study and observe from afar.

He’d told himself he was giving her a chance, being fair to this girl who had washed up on his shore. But he’d let himself think of her as someone who had made all of the wrong choices and stumbled down the wrong path. It hadn’t occurred to him that she was being chased.

he's not a fool. he pieces it all together. he realizes she's right, she isn't lying. his blind trust in lethe prevented him from seeing it all before. her records start making sense. her anger now and her fear earlier start making sense. but that doesn't mean he's equipped to help her, to comfort her, to deal with the weight of what it all means. i imagine her sudden depth and pain must've scared him. he was raised by his grandpa who thought the solution to everything was alcohol, ice and manners. only thing darlington seems to have added to that list is breaking things. and alex seems to already be well versed in that.

After a long moment, he said, “Would it help to break something else?” She was breathing hard. “Maybe.” Darlington rose and opened a cupboard, then another, and another, revealing shelf after shelf of Lenox, Waterford, Limoges—glassware, plates, pitchers, platters, butter dishes, gravy boats, thousands of dollars’ worth of crystal and china. He took down a glass, filled it with wine, and handed it to Alex. “Where would you like to start?”

[have-some-facts]

The biology teacher talked about camouflage and mimicry in animals yesterday.

I’m interested.

There are different types of camouflage. Mimicry is one of them. This is when an animal looks like another animals or something gross. Mimicry sometimes also is when an animal sounds like something else. For example, there is a moth that mimics the sound of a tiger moth because those are not really tasty.

You also have examples of moths that look like a broken twig, a caterpillar pretending to be a venomous snake and a butterfly looking like a leaf. Maybe you see a pattern here. It’s a lot of butterflies and moths. Other insects do it too! For example hover flies and stick bugs mantises. And we all know those smaller wasps, right? Well, those are the, completely harmless, hover flies! They use this to not get attacked by humans.

Octopi also use camouflage! (Only one species though, this species is called the mimicry octopus)When they swim over the ocean ground they let their tentacles free after them too look like some kind of flat fish. When they’re swimming normally/up the octopi also let their tentacles go free. They do this to look like a lion fish. When the octopi are resting or sleeping they bury themself under the sand. The octopi let their two of their tentacles go free to make it seem like a very venomous snake.

The hawk-moth caterpillars also ‘use’ batesian mimicry. They have adapted themselves to look like highly venomous snakes. They do this because well, they’re caterpillars- they’re quite big too.

The mimicry of octopi and other creatures looking like dangerous animals is called batesian mimicry.

There is also acoustic mimicry. This is when animals sound like another animal. I’ve talked about one moth sounding like another (tiger) moth, right? Well, other animals do this too.

Several species of spiders mimic ants. Though this is not as handy as you might think. They have a smaller waist and therefor can carry less egg sacs. They don’t reproduce as much as other spiders do.

Then we have Emsleyan mimicry. This is when a dangerous animal mimics a less or non dangerous animal. I actually cannot find or understand the explanation to this. So I apologise for that.

Now we’re going to my favourite type of mimicry. Aggressive mimicry. This is the wolf’s in sheep’s clothing approach where an animal looks like prey or has a limb that looks like prey.

Two of my favourite examples here are the alligator snapping turtle and the spider-tailed horned viper.

The alligator snapping turtle will hang out underwater and open it’s mouth. Snapping turtles have a tongue that they can move to represent a worm. The snapping turtles will just wait, unmovingly, for an animal to be stupid enough to try and eat the ‘worm’ in the mouth of the snapping turtle.

No thank you.

Now, onto the spider-tail horned viper. This snack or viper has a weird looking tail. The snake itself will hide/camouflage with some rocks and move its tail to mimic a moving spider. The first time I saw a video I was convinced it was a spider, till I saw something fly to it to try and eat the spider and I saw a snake jump out of there to grab it.

Unbelievable, right?

I already talked about how mantises can look like ants, right? (If not, they can)

There are mantises that look like flowers. Let’s take the orchid mantis as example for this. They use this as hunting camouflage. They climb up an orchid and sit next to the flower to then wait for a prey to come. It’s really cool and they are also very beautiful.

They of course are also different mantises. Some look like leafs and also dead leafs.

And that is all for now! Have a good day!

[justsomeectoplasm]

Timeline of the ori fae au

I feel like my lore for the au is all over the place so I decided to make a timeline to help tie the mese a bit better and add some more lore stuff. (And also to shake off some writers block)

Without further ado, here's the timeline

• The sky kingdom has been freed of darkness. Elders and spirits all join megabird in orbit. Except for skykids who remained left behind.

• Skykids start to investigate beyond the windwalls for answers. Moths being born are less frequent too, which caused worry among the sky folk.

• About 3 years later, a portal opened up to another world. Skykids enter the portal and return home, only to find that all 6 realms excluding eden has been replaced. Eden is still accessible but the dangers are gone and the place is growing back again. The realm is considered a resting ground for skykids who returned to orbit or a garden where the remaining light creatures reside in.

• Skykids make an appearance in the fantasy world after the portals were replaced. Reactions to yheir appearance were mixed. They were mistaken as human children with strange masks, until it was revealed their way of talking with the dead and their ability to fly.

• Magic organisation called for an investigation on them, thinking they were some sort of crratures created by a deity. After 6 months of investigation they were announced to be harmless and renamed as ori children or children of the past. The attention towards them grew after that.

• Church of Lavian, the goddes of light, has officially declared them as blessings after 5 years of their appearance. They spread the story that Lavian could not bear to see her souls lost and wandering the mortal planes forever, thus she created a blessing to help guide them towards her. (Reason being is that megabird and Lavian shared similarities with each other, thus the church concluded they were the same god.) The church started making small homes for skykids to help them on their travels.

• Church of Lavian approved of adoption of skykids after a year of their declaration, but only if the skykid is willing. However, in regions where the church is weaker, permission from them is not needed.

• Hunting for whales also became illegal 3 years later when the Church declared them as divine animals.

• Treasure hunters started to seek out skykids as guides, which in turn caused some skykids to be forced to guide adventurers to forbidden ruins. The magic organisation put an end towards it and pushed out a law to forbid any treasure hunters to use skykids as guides. Only historians have permission to use them and there are many procedures they have to go through. Skykids started to appear less in public due to treasure hunters and due to underground markets seeking them out.

• After 10 years since their appearance, skykids are now recognized beings, wondering the world as beings of light set to help the world.

(Everything under this is a culmination of two au ideas I decided to put in the timelines as a bonus. You can see this as canon or as non-canon.)

• Fast forward 100 years later, ships powered by magic take to the skies and seas. Humanity and other fantasy races have reconnected with the ori children and made peace between them. Older Ori children are slowly returning back to the cities.

• Over the course of these 100 years, the krill population increased significantly, their bodies mutating into more horrendous looks. They started attacking flying ships and towns and cities due to the light they emit. Heroes were called in to kill them, but it was later discovered that krill have edible meat, their organs can be used for medicine and their bones for painting. Heroes later turned into crews of krill hunters who set out the skies to hunt for krill. Skykids formed a sort of alliance where they help humans understand krill and help cure the meat and from darkness. However, nomadic groups in the Freidand mountains were already hunting krills when they first appeared 110 years ago, some forming their own techniques and using krill hides to create items. (More info will be provided if asked)

• After 310 years of krill hunting, it was officially banned when magic scholars figured out how to revert dark dragons back to light dragons. Krill hunters turned into krill capturers. You can still buy krill meat and organs, but they're less common than in the old days and they're bought from ethical organizations for high prices. Mantas were also put under this

• About 110 years later, the fantasy world progressed to the point where it looks like out mordern world. Ori children have decided to retreat to national parks and wildreness places due to the increase of the population. Sometimes they are in the cities and towns, reliving spirits that may wonder them, but they're now much more peaceful now then 530 years ago. The forgotten kingdom has still not yet been discovered and it's now a sort of town for ori children. (A/N: Ori children really just reinvented society in this place)

[kikis-writing-world]

Soulmate prompt for Frankie

“You have dreams of your soulmate as they were in a past life, giving you hints that lead you to them in present day”

:)

Thank you for the prompt! I have a few different requests for this AU, so I took this one of the two ways I can see it going: your soulmate’s past life acts almost as a guide. You can interact with them, but they only have so much knowledge they can share with you. I kept Frankie’s past life description a little vague, only due to my onw lack of historical knowledge, but I picture him as having fought in the Chilean War of Independence. I hope you like it! Soulmate AU prompt list here can be found here!

Frankie Morales x Reader TW: mentions of blood/injury. A tiny, harmless fender bender.

You were surrounded by darkness, but you were far from scared. So many of your dreams started like this. Dark, dense nothingness surrounded you, but you knew the light would come… and there it was. You walked towards the flickering fire, drawn to it like a moth. But no, it wasn’t the fire you were drawn to, it was the person you knew would be sitting fireside.

The closer you got to the flame, the more details were noticeable in the darkness. Trees. Tents. A familiar horse. It was always the same. The man, dressed in an unfamiliar uniform with his hat set on his knee, was waiting for you just as you knew he would be.

“There you are, dulzura.” The man greeted in his thick accent, smiling up at you as you reached the ring of light.

“You’ll have to tell me eventually what that means.” You teased, sitting on the log across from him. You wanted to get closer, wanted to feel him next to you, but you already knew he wasn’t real. Trying to touch him was like trying to grab a handful of mist.

“He will tell you when the time is right.” He answered cryptically.

“But… How long is that going to take?” You asked, frowning as you focused on the fire. “I’ve been looking so long.”

“Now, now, mi corazon. We both know these things happen when the time is right.” He tutted, his voice soft despite his appearance. You knew if you looked closely enough in the dim lighting, there was dirt and dried blood on his uniform, belonging to him and to others. Injuries littered his body, most noticeably a scrape on his left jaw and a stab wound below his right shoulder. The shoulder was what had ended this version of his life, you knew. He wasn’t able to tell you the significance of the injury to his jaw.

“Can’t you give me any more information?” You begged, leaning in closer to the light, to him.

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair, once coiffed but having become disheveled in battle. You didn’t know exactly how it worked, what information he could actually give you. You knew he wasn’t holding out on you for fun. It was almost like he didn’t have the answers either.

“Look to the cielo. The sky.” He explained before turning his eyes skyward. You followed his gaze, looking up at the twinkling stars. “I don’t understand but… he can fly.”

“Fly?” You wondered aloud. “Like, in a plane?”

“I don’t know, dulzura. Lo siento.” He sighed. “I’d tell you more if I could.”

You nodded. “I know. It’s okay.”

“Your time is coming, amor. It will be soon.” He promised.

“You always say that.” You rolled your eyes with a teasing smile.

He chuckled, the dimple on his right cheek showing through his boyish grin. “And every minute is a minute closer, so I’m not wrong.”

---

The newest hint from your dreams stuck in your mind for days. You wondered over and over what the man had meant when he said your soulmate could fly. You spent hours, lost in your own mind as you tried to think of ways man could fly. He could work in aviation, or be an astronaut. He could be a magician who levitates, but you really hoped that wasn’t the case. Knowing he was a soldier in a past life, you had to wonder if he had gone down that path in this life as well. Did he jump out of planes, parachuting down into enemy territory? Was he a fighter pilot? Was the man by the fire full of shit?

Stuck in traffic was probably not the place to get lost in these thoughts. Sure, it was slow moving, but keeping your eyes on the road was important. You knew this, but you couldn’t stop yourself. Hearing the helicopter overhead, reporting the traffic back to news stations, only made your mind wander more.

“He can fly.”

Your car lurched as you bumped into the truck ahead of you, not realizing it had stopped. Your seatbelt locked and you gripped the steering wheel, shocked from the sudden jolt.

“Shit! Fuck!” You cursed, rubbing your forehead. It was your own damn fault from keeping your head in the clouds instead of on the road. The truck put on it’s turn signal, signaling they were going to pull onto the shoulder of the road. You followed suit, knowing you had to take responsibility for you stupid mistake. 

It took a minute for the traffic to move enough that the two of you could make it all the way over. You put on your hazards before carefully stepping out of the car, being cautious of the moving traffic.

“Shit, I am so sorry-”

“Is everyone okay-”

The two of you started talking at the same time, but you both stopped short just as quickly. Your jaw dropped, as did his, as you locked eyes. It was him.

Same face, although maybe a bit older and scruffier. Same hair, stuffed under a ballcap. Same brown eyes, same strong nose. The beard was new, but that was likely due to the style changing over time. Still, the patch where his hair didn’t seem to grow was exactly where that scrape usually was.

“It’s you.” He breathed, breaking out of his stupor first. His slack-jawed look of shock gave way to a grin, that familiar dimple showing.

“Oh my god…” You gasped, slapping both hands over your mouth in shock. You felt tears welling up in your eyes as you looked him over. He was so familiar, yet so different.

“Are- are you okay?” He asked, remembering the accident that had you two meeting in the first place.

“I’ve never been better.” You admitted with a laugh.

He chuckled, taking a few long strides towards you. With his long legs, that’s all it took to close the gap between you. He held his hand out for you, introducing himself. “Francisco. Uh, most people call me Frankie.”

His hand was warm in yours, callused from hard work. It was jarring after years of trying to touch the man in your dreams, to finally feel his hand in yours. You were so in awe of the feeling that you almost forgot to give him your name in return.

A car honked nearby, reminding you that you were still parked on the shoulder of the highway. Frankie flushed, seemingly remembering himself as well.

“Can I take you to dinner?” He asked, gently ushering you closer to your vehicles and away from the traffic.

“Of course. When?” You agreed immediately.

“Um, are you busy now?” He grinned shyly.

You smiled, shaking your head. “No.”

“I think I know a place not too far. Did you want to follow me?” He suggested, gesturing to your car.

In all honesty, you wanted to say screw it and hop into his truck. You didn’t want to spend another second away from the man you’ve been searching your whole life for. The man from your dreams - Francisco, you supposed - words rang through your head. “Every minute is a minute closer.”

You nodded. “Drive fast.”

Tagging: @wickedfrsgrl​ @din-damn-djarin​ @seasonschange-butpeopledont @kesskirata @phoenixhalliwell @vonschweetz​ @insideafictionaluniverse​ @driedgreentomatoes​ @computeringturtle​ @spideysimpossiblegirl

[algernoninwonderland]

Hello, I was wondering how you feel about the "Cat Blanc" ML episode? It thought it strange for reasons I can't really articulate so I was hoping to read your thoughts. I am not that good at analysis but I love your episode reviews. They are very insightful and usual help me understand why I liked/didn't like a certain episode.

A belated review/analysis of Chat Blanc! Here we go!

So, Chat Blanc… It wasn't all that great, now, was it?

The good:

Gabriel's motives are made crystal clear once more, which makes his pushing them to their very limits all the more shocking. The Agreste family vault looks impressive, almost church-like, it's some pretty strong imagery. Not outstandingly original but pretty good stuff nevertheless.

Angry Rose is funny.

Marinette's “Know what I won't take for an answer?” and a smash cut to Nathalie's “No.” That's good comedy.

Ladybug goofing around in the Burrow. It's harmless, she's a kid, these different points in time look interesting.

Chat Blanc's future looks eery and white and blue and it really works, we rarely see post-apocalyptic landscapes like this one, usually it's all muddy and dark and this isn't the case here. I appreciate that. The first wide shot in which the camera spins around Montparnasse tower is great.

Chat Blanc's animation is really creepy and for the most part, it's intentional.

if you’re a sucker for mid 2000s evil sadboys aesthetics, you’ll love this.

Have a montage of Adrienette being sickeningly cute.

I’m watching this in French and let me tell you, Benjamin Bollen might have to work with terrible lines but he’s doing a damn fine job with them

That shot in which the debris and Ladybug break the water’s surface, the bubbles and all… It looks great. I don’t know who is in charge of this but it looked genuinely great.

Chat Noir’s akumatisation and his trying to control his power and not hurt anybody is pretty great, as a concept.

The final scene is a nice parallel to the one earlier in the episode. Repetition with variation is an easy way to make me like things and it works nicely.

The bad:

The Girl Squad bullying Marinette is… Eh.

Stalkerish obsessed Marinette is a joke that overstayed its welcome by that point. Had this been an early season 2 joke, it would have worked. It's a late season 3 joke, it's honestly a bit creepy at this point.

That reveal is fanfic-worthy. It feels really light, and not as big a deal as would have been the case if that episode had any consequences. You can already tell this'll be retconned by the end of the episode.

Bunnyx's burrow. It's unimpressive. It's neither bizarre enough nor flashy enough to really work for me. And that TARDIS joke made me roll my eyes.

If you hate mid 2000s evil sadboys aesthetics, you’ll hate this.

They re-use the same two cars for Ladybug to jump on and it’s pretty obvious. There are smart ways of recycling assets. This isn’t one of them.

Wow, that’s a terrible first kiss, the shot is… Pretty bad.

Gabriel being an asshole and breaking Adrienette up for the stupidest, most selfish reasons feels unfair and that’s the point… But also that scene at the bakery is pretty lame, it doesn’t flow very well, the characters are oddly static and not expressive enough for it to be striking, the lighting doesn’t work with the mood of the scene at all. It feels abrupt, yes, but also cheap.

“It was our love that did this to the world milady.” What a stupid, edgy line.

Bad low-res textures being stretched are clearly visible in quite an awful lot of shots.

Wow. Destroyed Paris is the exact same city as usual, just as empty, only this time they replaced the sky with a “water surface” animation loop. It’s… Underwhelming. You had a great concept and this is what you do with it?

Can you believe they made destruction on a cosmic scale look so bland? How do you mess up that bad?

That confrontation between Hawk Moth and our heroes. This should be season finale material. It’s considerably cheapened.

The ugly:

With the few exceptions listed above, the rendering is not good at all, the lighting is flat and inexpressive which could give everything a kind of otherworldly feel if only used in some sequences (and that would be clever!)… Only it's off, all of the time. Chat Blanc is the only character that looks okay in his timeline.

The animation is off when it shouldn't be, outside of the exception listed earlier. Everything is much too stiff, characters' expressions are off, the timing is off. It's a shame, really. The action sequences are decently boarded but look pretty bad.

“Just because I know her secret identity doesn't mean she has to know about mine.” That's a terrible line. And we're supposed to be rooting for that kid. That's not how healthy relationships work, the episode never addresses that because Adrien is perfect, he's just sad and understandably troubled by these revelations.

Do you remember when Gabriel was shown to care for his son, the complex character drama that could have arisen from that? Well it sure as hell ain’t there.

That Guy boarded that episode. He has a weird, err, fixation on a 14yo girl’s butt and makes sure to include a shot in which it is shoved at the viewers’ faces. Seriously? What is wrong with you? If you so badly want to sexualise characters, it’s not like there aren’t any adults in Miraculous.

Perfectly good ideas are skimmed over in a matter of seconds because this episode is only 22 minutes long. The audience is bombarded with pretty major turning points in a matter of seconds and can barely process any of them.

If the point of your episode is, “it’s better if it doesn’t exist” then you obviously shouldn’t be making this episode… Right? Seems pretty obvious to me, but apparently it isn’t since Chat Blanc exists.

That end card has Hawk Moth look like he’s rolling his eyes and so was I by the end of this episode. The overwhelming feeling of all of this for nothing but the reassertion that these two are “made for each other” which, yawn.

Perfectly good ideas wasted on an episode with mediocre writing and bad animation and rendering.

It's a pretty forgettable episode, funnily enough, I had to rewatch it to be able to write this review.

Hope this helped, Anon! Thanks for the compliment!

[x-tylerr]

you do realize you csnt like two people? They arent both going to be with you.

Bet they’re loving the fact that there is only a 50% chance of them ever being able to be anything with you

You're embarrassing yourself anon. Like fr.

First of all- poly is a thing. (They aren't into that but I'm just saying that you CAN date/like more than one person)

I'm not playing games with them. I'm honest about my relationship history and how I'm not completely ready. I'm single and enjoy their company. I'm not making promises. I'm not making them fight over me. I'm not trying to start any drama. Moth and Kitty mean a lot to me. I like their energy a lot. And what i/we do is none of your business.

I understand I post shit and share things with y'all but there is a limit and boundaries that anons like you need to respect. That's all I ask of you guys.

Stop trying to make this into something more when it's really harmless. They can block me if I fuck up or truly hurt their feelings. This is the internet. They can easily remove themselves from this situation and so can I.

[writing-gifts]

datura (moth!bruno x butterfly!reader)

—–

A/N: this fics 30k+ words now and im happy that ive stayed with it this long, but yea thats it lol

First Chapter || Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Reader is gender neutral!

-----

[Late Fall]

You didn't think you'd be meeting Abbacchio so soon--perhaps sometime after Winter. But one day you're taking shelter from the cold when Bruno comes to visit.

These days you never really know for sure when he'll show but this was definitely earlier than usual. Nevertheless, you're glad to have someone to cure your boredom...until you see there's someone else very familiar with him.

You hide partially behind your door trying to slow your racing heart. Was this excitement or fear? Maybe both?

“Er, you’re Abbacchio right?”

When the wasp nods but doesn’t further speak you look at Bruno, but he simply gives you an encouraging smile. You wanted to scold the moth for the nonexistent forewarning, but at the same time with a surprise visit you didn't have time to fret before the actual meeting.

You’ll have to go along with this either way so you put on a polite smile. “You guys want to come in?”

“No, I'd rather stay out here,” Abbacchio replies.

Your brows furrow and your smile becomes more forced. “Uh…”

But it's cold! What the hell, do you two not get cold or something!?

It takes you a moment but then you realize that the wasp was being sarcastic. Probably. But you’re not sure if it’s because he’s trying to be funny or if he doesn’t like you. Or maybe he was messing with you?

Bruno throws him a bemused look. "It would be more comfortable inside don't you think?”

The wasp stares at you in a way that makes you feel like you're being sized up but eventually relents. “Alright.”

You move so Abbacchio can walk in, but Bruno stops next to you.

"Don't be intimidated. He can be like that toward new people and he’s a little grumpy that he had to walk all the way over here," he whispers.

You look over at the wasp already sitting on the daybed remembering his lack of flight and nod. But you weren’t sure if you wanted to deal with a bitchy bug right now.

Bruno goes to sit, but you scuttle to your room with some quickly mumbled excuse so you can collect your thoughts.

What were you supposed to do? Entertain them both? You were far removed from having to actively entertain Bruno when he came over so you felt out of your element.

This meeting should have happened in Spring instead.

You must have been in your room for too long because Bruno shows up.

When he sees you sitting on your bed he raises a brow. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing really. I’m just unsure what to do so I'm hiding. Are we like hanging out?”

Bruno shakes his head. "I don't understand. You don't need to do anything."

"But I feel like I have to since Abbacchio is here though. And he really doesn't look like he wants to be here."

"Well, we aren't going to stay too long if that makes things better. He just wanted to see you. Of course he's too prideful to admit that though."

"Well…He could just be more polite though," you grumble.

"Then he wouldn't be Abbacchio…" Bruno sighs. "Don't worry I talked to him so it'll all work out."

You purse your lips. "...Hey next time just give me a heads up if you're bringing someone over, okay?"

If your unexpected guest was just a little amiable then you wouldn't have cared but that wasn't the case.

Bruno looks a bit surprised that you seem genuinely annoyed, but he gives you the affirmation you want. So even though you're still reluctant, you move off the bed.

“Okay we can go back.”

You walk ahead of Bruno and when you get to the main room you try to talk to the wasp again.

“Uh...Do you want anything to drink?”

"No thanks."

"...Okay."

Instead of sitting down you stand there. Bruno wouldn't lie to you but the wasp's behavior said otherwise. Your friend gently grabs your arm and leads you to the daybed to sit.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink ____?"

"...Sure? It can be whatever."

You realize too late that if he's getting drinks, he’s going to leave you alone with Abbacchio. You squint at Bruno as he exits the room. It shouldn't take long but you're sure Bruno's going to take as long as he sees fit.

So while he’s gone, you sit there quietly sneaking peeks at the wasp trying to figure out how to move things along. He sits, leg spread, looking at nothing in particular.

You had seen the occasional albino insect but this was the first wasp. Which isn’t surprising since you kept clear of any. Until now.

“What?”

You flinch from the sudden break in silence. “W-What?”

“You keep looking at me.”

You try to smile but it definitely comes off more as a grimace from the weird look you get in return.

Sighing, you frown. “I’m sorry. I’m going to be straight forward and say that I feel super awkward right now, and I don’t know what to say or do.”

The wasp crosses his arms. “...You don’t need to say anything. I actually prefer the silence.”

"Oh."

You continue to sit in silence that's slightly less awkward, but again the wasp breaks it.

“How’s your leg?”

Your eyes widen a bit from him trying to start a conversation. “Oh, it’s okay.”

You stretch out your leg, bending it a few times. There was no more pain but a bunch of scars were left behind around your thigh and calf.

“That's good.”

Since he was here you could show your gratitude in person. You hesitate for a moment but remember what Bruno had told you at the forest clearing. And you didn't want to let this possible conversation die.

“Hey, thank you for helping me that day. You really saved my life. And the fact you managed to open that lizard's mouth was pretty amazing!"

You see the stern expression on the wasps face slightly fall, and he gives you a nod. “It wasn't anything--I mean….You're welcome.”

You give your first genuine smile today and Abbacchio looks away looking a bit flushed.

A moment later and the moth finally returns.

"I’m back with your drink ____."

You turn towards Bruno as he walks towards the daybed.

“What the hell were exactly doing in there Bucciarati?” Abbacchio looks over, sounding unimpressed with Bruno's little plan.

"You're not slick Bruno," you add.

He raises a hand in surrender. “Okay you got me. But it worked didn't it?”

You look at Abbacchio.

“...I guess it’s a start,” Abbacchio says.

"I saw you blushing from the kitchen," Bruno says.

“I--Leave me alone.”

You hold back your laugh lest you want to be scowled at by the wasp next.

Bruno hands over your drink and you thank him and relax back into the daybed. Maybe it's okay if they decide to stay longer.

----

For the first time this season, you can't fly. Even after trying to warm yourself up with all your blankets, you'd only be able to stay off the ground for a short time before your wings would give up. And unless you were planning on climbing up the stems of the flowers near your home there was no way you were getting any nectar.

So over the next couple days, whenever you couldn’t fly, you were content with spending most of your time sewing, knitting or sleeping. Even the days where you could fly you'd find yourself spending most of the day inside anyways.

But after a while you start to feel confined in your home, and you suppose you need to do something different. So you finally gather the courage to venture a good distance from your home by yourself.

You decide to use this opportunity to visit a neighbor--a self-proclaimed “vegetarian” spider--so you can get started on Bruno's 2nd gift.

Before you were hesitant to go, even with the gift on the line, but after everything that's happened with Abbacchio you were more at ease with the idea.

Once you actually see the spider's small home, you notice there's no webs for you to get stuck in.

With the spider's help, you hope to learn how to create sheer cloth or lace as he called it. In return, you're willing to part with the rest of the honey you had sitting around.

There was the option to trade for already made lace but you were hellbent on making this gift all on your own. When you tell the spider, Ilyas, this he seems even more excited to share his passion.

“Rarely anyone likes to visit me!”

You smile feeling a bit sad for him. Now that you actually had met him properly you can tell the "rumors" about him being completely harmless were true. He only seemed to use his webs to make lace. How it wasn't sticky was a mystery to you though.

After trying for the first time, Ilyas tells you that you're a natural but that feels like an over-exaggeration. You decide to visit more often though because of his enthusiasm.

He encourages you to practice with small squares first before doing any complicated shapes, and to also experiment with different lace patterns.

When you try to practice on your own, you struggle with making the lace without the spider's help, and the strange tool they had to speed up the process. All you had was your needles, threads, and your inexperienced hands.

There were many times where you would miss a stitch and not notice until you had finished the square. It was frustrating but you would keep at it, trying to finish at least one square a day.

You stare at your most recent square. You didn’t miss a stitch this time so that was good, but you didn't really like the pattern the threads were forming.

You rest your head in your hand, absentmindedly tracing your scars as you study the intricate web-like lace.

The sleep schedule you had somewhat managed to fix at Abilene’s house had slowly drifted back to the way it was before. Along with the days becoming shorter, you felt like you spent a good chunk of the night wide awake. So even though it was pretty late, you weren’t tired at all.

You guess you could start another square with a new pattern but even with your lantern, making lace in the night was a strain on your eyes.

You pull the covers sitting around you on the ground over your shoulders and rest your head on the table.

I wonder if Bruno will show….

While you stare at the lace, you somehow manage to fall asleep. You're not sure how long, but you're woken up by a knock at the door.

Knowing it's Bruno, you quickly get up to answer.

He greets you with a smile. “Did you just wake up?”

“Yea, I didn’t even feel like going to bed at all so I don’t know how that happened."

“Too bad I woke you up then.” He pulls out 3 canisters. “I brought you nectar though.”

“I don't have any to trade though? I stayed in today."

"Don't you think we are past that point in our relationship? I’m just giving it to you as a friend."

"I guess you're right. I’m so used to trading...” you trail off and take the canisters.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You just seem down."

You open one of the canisters to see what's inside and avoid Bruno's analyzing gaze.

"Honestly, I guess I do feel strange? I want to go back to sleep but I don’t really want to at the same time. Maybe I slept weird…"

"I know you probably don't want to hear this right now but maybe you should go out. It might make you feel better."

You shrug. Other than walking to Ilyas's and sometimes getting nectar close by, you spend most of your day inside. Maybe your body wasn’t used to being inside this much. Even during Winter you'd try to go out when you really shouldn't.

“Maybe you're right.”

"Do you want to go to the lake, obviously not near it of course."

Bruno seemed to be trying to tread carefully with you. It was appreciated but at the same time you want him to treat you like usual.

You huff out a laugh. “I know that, but sure let's go.”

You were already dressed in a sweater but invite Bruno in so you can go find a scarf.

While wrapping one around your neck you remember the moth's sweater and see no better time to give it to him.

You grab it off the chair you left it on and walk into the main room.

"Bruno, I finished your sweater!"

You hold the off white sweater out to the moth and he gently takes it from you.

"You finished it that fast?"

You nod.

The moth unfolds it and holds it out. You made it so it would be on the baggier side so he wouldn't feel constricted.

You watch as he turns it around and pulls it over his head. Once he puts his arms through the sleeves he pats down his hair.

You watch as he fiddles with the buttons on one of his sleeves until it comes off allowing his forearm to be free.

"Feels comfortable?"

He nods as he rebuttons the sleeve. "Yes, thank you! I don't even want to take off the sleeves either."

You grin, pleased that he likes it that much. "That's great! Honestly this looks quite good on you..."

"You think so?" The moth strikes a subtle pose.

"O-Obviously! Honestly I think you'd be able to pull anything off."

This gives you even more motivation to make that lacy top for him.

"Okay, let's go before I say anything else embarrassing," you say.

You both head outside, but you find yourself struggling to get off the ground. Apparently the temperature had dropped slightly too low.

"Do you need help?"

"No, no I got it."

You flap your wings a couple times hoping for the blood to finish circulating and with a little more struggling you're off the ground.

“Oh this sucks!”

You couldn’t help being jealous that Bruno could still fly so easily.

"You really don't need to push yourself."

“It's fine. I just needed to stretch out my wings. You do the vibrating thing to warm up and fly right?"

"Yeah."

"So lucky,” you say with a sigh.

"Have you ever tried doing it yourself? It'll get you in the air quicker."

"Hmmm…"

You momentarily stop flying. Clenching your fists, you tense your whole body and try to vibrate, but it’s literally impossible for you to reach the speed Bruno is capable of.

You notice Bruno is covering his mouth as he watches your sorry attempt.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"I’m sorry, the look on your face was cute."

You open your mouth but actual words struggle to come out.

"You--! Don't….Let’s just go already."

While the two of you make the flight to the lake, the moth insists on holding your hand 'just in case your wings give out'. Even though flying so close to someone can be a pain, his hand kept yours quite warm so you don't complain.

The lake feels so much different when you arrive. Without all the insects around, singing, dancing and playing, it felt somewhat lifeless. Even the lilies from before were shut.

“It’s so quiet…”

“Yea but it can be nice like this too. Sometimes I prefer it.

You both sit at the same place you did last time. Even though the rock's surface is cold, you already feel better. You had been nervous stepping out to places that weren’t busy, but with Bruno that nervousness was almost nonexistent.

You wish you had taken the time to come out more often like this with the moth, because once Winter came you wouldn’t be able to see him. You look over at Bruno. He seems lost in his own thoughts.

“Are you ready for Winter?”

He glances at you. “I suppose so…I won’t be able to visit you anymore though. It’s going to feel quieter.”

You hum in agreement. "Why does Winter have to exist? It's like Fall's terrible older sibling."

That gets a chuckle out of the moth. "That's the first time I've heard some describe the season like that."

"Well it is…"

"I guess you could say that."

Silence settles between the both of you but you move slightly in your spot from the restlessness you were beginning to feel. An idea had come into your mind and you were nervous to try it.

Holding your breath, you lean against the moth, but keep your eyes focused on the lake too afraid to make eye contact. If your time with him was going to be limited then maybe you should send even more hints.

A tense moment passes before you feel him shift against you. Your heart jumps when you feel a hand brush against your hip.

"Is this okay?" Bruno’s voice is low and it makes the action feel more intimate.

Don’t panic. This is a good thing!

“Y-Yes.”

You take a moment to calm down and continue speaking. “Is the sweater still comfortable?”

"Definitely. I think you’ll be happy to hear that I don't want to take it off.”

There was a weird sense of pride within you from getting the moth to willingly wear clothes.

"Then my work here is done. Well I'm going to make you more stuff though.”

You cross your arms and snuggle more into Bruno’s side when a particularly cool wind blows through. The moth's hold on you becomes more secure as he brings another arm to your side.

“Too cold?”

“Definitely underestimated it.”

As much as you wanted to stay in this position, you didn't want to stay out here any longer.

“Let’s go back,” you say.

Bruno gives your side a gentle squeeze before removing his arms. He helps you to your feet, but he doesn’t let go of your hand.

With that you're ready to go. But when you try to take flight, you can’t, no matter how hard you try.

You look at Bruno unsure what to do.

"I can carry you, if that’s okay with you?”

You didn't exactly have another choice so you agree.

He places his arms on your back before he bends down to lift you behind your legs.

You immediately wrap your arms loosely around his neck as soon as he’s off the ground. This was the first time you had been in a situation like this before so you're kind of nervous.

The air passing by as he flys gives you chills. When you shove your face into the fur on his neck to protect your face, you feel him pull you just a little closer.

"You okay?"

"Cold!" The word comes out muffled. Your tolerance to the cold was almost nonexistent.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be much longer."

You pull your face away just an inch to peak up at the moth “I'm not making you uncomfortable am I?”

"Of course not. We should actually do this more often."

“Flying together?” you ask confused.

"No. Me holding you."

That has you sputtering and you shove your face back in his fur.

Was that...flirting?

It couldn't be anything else but you still try to convince yourself otherwise.

You try to think of other things but just end up thinking about Winter again. Soon you wouldn't be able to spend time with him like this so casually. You wouldn't get to see him for a whole season!

You frown and your arms tighten around his neck.

When you reach back home you feel reluctant to let go of Bruno. Partially because he's so warm.

"____? We’re back.”

The moth lowers your feet to the ground so you can stand but you still hold on.

"____?"

You finally pull away and look at him.

"It’s--Don't you think It’s gonna suck not being able to see each other everyday?” Your voice wobbles. “I don’t want to wait that long...”

Your only option during Winter was to walk but you’d be dead before you even reached Bruno’s home.

It wasn't forever but if you ever messed Abilene she was a short walk away. Maybe you just weren't used to this.

“What if you forget about me?”

“You’re exaggerating. I wouldn't forget you that easily and Winter will pass before you know it.”

"You say that but you’re frowning! What...What if I stayed with you?"

Any shame you had in your body was dwindling away the longer you stayed up apparently.

"I mean...Isn't it weird that you’ve visited me so many times and I’ve never been over to your home once?"

Bruno seems surprised by your sudden suggestion but not displeased.

"I'm not against this but are you sure you’ll be comfortable staying there all Winter? You won’t be able to come back for some time."

You haven't been away from your home for that long ever, but you can’t think of any heavy cons to being away other than not getting to see Abilene.

You sigh, Winter really was cruel.

“...I’m actually already looking forward to it. The next time the temperature increases I'd better fly over there! Or you could just carry me if that doesn't happen soon enough.”

Bruno is unconvinced though. "You don't look completely sure."

"Because I don't want to be seperated from Abby for that long either..."

You look at the moth hoping for him to solve your predicament for you. "What should I do?"

"I have no problem taking you with me, even if it might upset Abilene, so I don't feel right making this decision for you."

You groan. It was definitely a commendable answer but it still left you with a tough decision. But after some pacing you come to a conclusion.

If you're struggling this hard to just stay at home then it would be best to go….Right? And Bruno wants you there too...

You nod to yourself. "I'm going. I don't want to regret staying here. Even if I have to say goodbye to Abby for some time."

"Okay. I know it's selfish of me but I was actually hoping you would still want to come."

At least someone here wasn't conflicted.

You immediately start mentally making a list of the stuff you need to take over. The biggest hill would be your necta.

“Um Bruno…”

After you explain the situation and show him how many jars you have stored up Bruno looks a bit perplexed, but you both accept that you'll have to just start moving things now. So that night Bruno takes bags of your jars home with him.

The next time you’re able to fly, you make sure to head over to Abilene's to tell them where you plan to spend the Winter.

You expect them to be disappointed, and they are, but they mostly end up teasing you.

"What if you guys are dating by the end of Winter?" they ask with a smirk.

You shake your head at the ridiculous statement, but was it really that improbable? A hopeful part of you said no. Bruno obviously didn’t mind being close to you so maybe...

Abilene touches your arm taking you out of your thoughts. “But seriously, I’m happy for you.”

“But will you be okay by yourself?"

They put their hands on their hips. "It will definitely be more quiet but I'll be okay."

You purse your lips but nod. You wish that the distance between here and Bruno’s home wasn’t so far.

"Do you have your stuff already packed?"

"Actually I kind of need your help, if that’s okay. I need to move a good chunk of my nectar over to his home and it’s a lot."

Abilene shrugs. “Yea, sure.”

"I’ll definitely make it up to you!"

"You don't need to make it up, I want you to get to spend time with your little boyfriend."

You almost deny it but know that you’d be reacting just how they want. “Whatever, let’s just go and start moving everything!"

You, Abilene, and Bruno spend the next several days making multiple trips between you and the moth’s homes. With the help of Abilene, the work doesn’t take as long and helps make up for the days you can't fly.

However with Winter getting closer and closer you decide to leave some of your stash behind. You would just have to be extra careful with how much you drink. Bruno reassures you that he has extra nectar just in case though.

You also make sure to bring all your sewing, knitting and lace equipment, AND all your blankets and pillows!

By the time you finish your last day of moving, it's already night and you and Abilene had said goodbye way before the sun set. You were already planning on making them an extra sweater for all their help. Or maybe a hat?

When you finally get to properly take in Brunos home you already feel at home. It was embedded in a tree stump. And the surrounding area had way more trees than your own home. You could tell sunlight struggled to get through even on the hottest of days.

The thing that amazes you the most is that the inside of his home is lit with multiple lanterns.

Bruno drops the last of your blankets on his bed. "Since you’re diurnal we can just switch out sleeping here--well until it gets too cold."

“Where are you going to stay then?” You had already been reluctant to take up his bedroom but he insisted. Not sleeping in a proper place would start to affect you negatively so it was probably for the best.

"There’s space in Narancia’s room."

You nod before yawning, today was a long day and you wanted to put everything away quickly so you could get into bed.

“You're still up?”

At first you think that Bruno’s talking to you but then you see he’s looking behind you. You turn and see a very young insect walk into the room from behind the wall at the entrance.

Your eyes widen slightly. You had expected to see a squishy baby caterpillar when you first met Narancia but what you see instead is a bumblebee already growing out of grub stage. He was a long way from growing out his wings though.

He wasn’t the same as Bruno?

Still you see the messy, random tufts of yellow and black fur on his small body and can't deny how adorable he is.

“I was but ____,” he says.

The youngling then runs towards you and stops in front of you shifting from foot to foot. You smile down at the energetic little bee.

“Hello, Narancia!” His energy was almost infectious.

“Hi! Papa talks 'bout you. A lot!” His small hands raise out and above him.

You grin at the slightly embarrassed look on the moth's face. He was doing his best to hide it though.

So this whole time I wasn’t the only one.

"Narancia--"

“What type of stuff does he say?”

Bruno deadpans at your interruption.

The bee tries to explain but part of it comes off unintelligible. You nod along though to the stuff you can understand like 'nice' and 'flowers'. You think you catch something about your wings too.

“Narancia, it’s bedtime,” Bruno says after his son seems to run out of words.

“Why? I’m not sleepy."

“I know, but we need to fix your sleep schedule.”

Looks like you weren’t the only one struggling to sleep at the “proper” times either.

The bee huffs. "I wanna stay here..."

Bruno holds out a hand to him, which Narancia pouts at but grabs.

“I’m going to go put Narancia back to bed and I’ll come back to help.”

“Goodnigh’,” Narancia says to you.

“Night. We can play later, okay?”

The bee nods obviously still not wanting to leave.

Once he and Narancia leave you use this chance to properly look around his room. Other than the bed and the small table next to it, there's a small dresser (where he probably kept some of the clothes he never wore) a floor length mirror, and a shelf.

This room was also lacking in lanterns compared to the others. You take notice of one of the lanterns sitting on the shelf in between some books and get the feeling the moth put them in here for you.

Other than that, the room was quite neat and the furniture looked elegant and costly. It was definitely a bedroom that said ‘Bruno Bucciarati’.

You decide that's enough investigating and go back to organizing, and soon after Bruno returns to help.

The both of you work, talking about small unimportant things but you finally ask what has been at the back of your mind since you saw Narancia.

“Um...why is Narancia living with you?”

A bee usually lives within a community of other bees of their type their whole lives--kind of like ants or wasps--so you were curious, but almost not surprised since Bruno seemed to have a penchant for gathering deviant insects.

“...I found him alone in a dead hive and I took him in.”

Bruno seemed reluctant to go into it and honestly you didn’t think it was your place to intrude, so you accept that answer with an “Oh”.

Bruno stops stacking jars in his closet to look at you. "I should have told you he was a bee sooner, yea?"

"Hmm, not really. Does it really matter?"

"...I guess you're right,” Bruno says but he doesn’t sound too sure.

Maybe some insects told him it was weird.

“Well it’s great that you found and took in Narancia. Nature isn’t exactly patient with larvae.”

The moth nods. “That’s true. The only problem is our different sleep schedules and the feeding. Well it was until you told me about how honey can be watered down."

“So you gave the honey I gave you to Narancia?”

“Well I might have eaten some too.” He smiles a bit. “But I got more ‘straight from the source’ so it’s fine. And Narancia doesn't go through the supply as quickly anymore now that it's better quality.”

You feel pleased that you had managed to help the moth, even if it was unintentional.

By the time you, Bruno, and Narancia--who wouldn’t stay in bed--finish finding spots to put all your jars, it’s well into the night.

You lay in Bruno’s bed under numerous covers and among all your pillows. It smelt faintly of flowers, ones you would usually smell on the moth. It’s almost like you're shoving your face into his fluffy fur.

For once you’re ready to go to sleep the moment you’re in bed. You shut all the other lanterns in the room but kept yours open. At this point, sleeping with it was necessary for you.

As you feel yourself drifting off, a knock on the door pulls you back.

“Come in…” you say through a yawn.

Bruno slowly opens the door and walks in.

“Did I wake you up?”

“Not this time but you tend to show up when I am.”

“Sorry, I’m not doing it on purpose I swear.” Bruno comes over to sit on the edge of the bed.

You smile at him feeling even more relaxed under your covers.

“It’s okay, seeing you is better than sleeping, “ you say through a yawn. “Thanks again for letting me say. I’m really happy I'll get to see you everyday.”

"Me too. I know I tried to act like the Winter would go by quickly but...I was actually dreading it.”

You feel relief and almost happy that Bruno felt the same way.

"Why'd you come?" you ask.

"I...I just wanted to see you."

The both of you stare at each other in the dim light for a moment, you mostly confused. Then for some reason Bruno leans over closer to you, but you don’t move away.

"Can I kiss you?"

Maybe you're too tired to overthink but you feel surprisingly calm. You don't trust your voice though so you nod instead.

When he closes the space and his lips press against yours you’re unsure if you’re dreaming or not.

You feel his tongue brush against your bottom lip and you think he'll deepen it, but his hand caresses your cheek and he pulls back.

You stare into his faintly glowing eyes as you struggle to speak. "Was...was that a goodnight kiss?"

Bruno’s finger traces your bottom lip. “Do you want it to be?”

"I um--Maybe it can be more?"

His stare feels so intense and you struggle to keep eye contact but you don't want to look away either.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), the moth presses a soft kiss to your cheek before standing up.

“Goodnight ____."

“N-Night Bruno.”

Even though your body feels warmer, you pull the covers close. The fatigue you had was practically whooshed away. So you stare wide-eyed at the lantern--the only thing keeping you company.

-----

A/N: I made art for narancia! anyways im gonna make the next 3 chapters as fluffy/domestic as i possibly can (the next updates might be a little slow tho, kind of stressed with real life stuff so please bear with me)

[ichor-and-symbiosis]

All For Us - Part 1. (moth!Shigaraki/f!Reader; NSFW)

Tomura was up to something.

Usually, that meant something relatively harmless. But this time, he was crossing a line.

He was screwing with you, instead of just screwing you.

Every night, he would arrive right before you fell asleep, shoving away your comforter to blanket you with his body and graceful wings. It was a welcome feeling, and you were more than happy to hold him close to you and bask in his sweet kisses. And because you were simply intoxicated with each other, innocent pecks led to messy, drooling kisses, tongues twining and lips sucking as you carded your fingers through his hair and down to the soft fuzz gathered around his collar.

You pressed your hand to his chest and lightly beckoned him to move back. Tomura’s arousal dripped through the soft hair obscuring his sheath. You twined your finger through a wet curl and slowly dragged the tip along the glistening patch. Tomura gently grabbed hold of your wrist to stop you, ignoring your pout as he pushed you to lay back down on the bed. You wrapped your legs around his waist to keep him in place, and he chuckled as he pressed his full weight onto you and nipped your neck.

“Stay with me,” you whined, relishing the feeling of his arms worming their way beneath you to hug you to his chest.

He hummed in response. Something warm and firm prodded your entrance, and you canted your hips towards the source. Tomura slid his unsheathed cock through your folds, spreading your combined fluids all along your puffy cunt and stroking your clit. The steady pressure felt incredible, and your entrance clenched from the need to be filled.

Tomura rolled his hips in a steady rhythm as you held on to each other, busying himself with sucking on your neck as you moaned from overstimulation. You wondered when he intended to spear you with his cock and hammer into you as he usually did, but this slower pace was nice. Your clit throbbed from each swipe of his underside along the engorged bud, and you met his thrusts with vigor, breathy sighs steadily morphing into desperate whimpers as you climbed to your peak.

You would never reach it. Tomura released your neck with a wet pop as he keenly listened to your broken moans. Before you could succumb to pleasure, he finished off with one last thrust along your pussy before retracting his cock back into its sheath, wincing all the while.

You could only pant and stare at him in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head and gave you a pained smile, stroking the back of his fingers along your cheek. “I need to go,” he simply said, moving away from you with great difficulty. “Don’t touch yourself, or I’ll be angry.”

“Will you be back soon?” you asked as you sat up.

He merely smirked and leaned over to kiss your forehead. “Be a good girl for me.”

Oh hell no. That classic Tomura diversion would not suffice tonight.

You pouted and proceeded to slip two fingers into your cunt. Tomura narrowed his eyes and growled. "What did I just say?"

"I'm not buying it," you replied, leaning back into your sheets as you played with yourself. "Stop being obtuse and get back over here. My fingers aren't good enough."

"You have one second to stop what you're doing."

"I'm not stopping shit."

“Oh yeah?”

You nodded defiantly. Tomura merely smirked, grabbed the edge of your sheet, and proceeded to tear off a haphazard strip of cloth. You could only look on in dumfounded horror as he desecrated your bedding, mouth agape and choking on your anger.

“What the hell – “

You lunged for him. A miscalculation. Tomura had you on your back with your arms above your head in seconds, leering at your breasts as you struggled against his grip. The instant you felt the cloth around your wrists as the cold metal of the headboard rails touched your skin, you knew exactly what he was planning. “You better not leave me like this, Tomura. You better not be thinking of that.”

“Or what?” Tomura teased, busying himself with tying your wrists. He sat back on his haunches for a moment to admire his handiwork, cupping your breasts and rolling your nipples between his fingers.

You refused to take the bait – there were more important things to focus on. Namely, the urgency to arch your back invitingly as Tomura bent down to suckle on a nipple. Ire steadily brewed at the back of your mind, but you were too horny to care for the time being. Your heart raced as Tomura nudged your legs open and settled between them, sliding his cock between your sensitized folds once more.

”No,” you groaned, helplessly grinding your hips against him as he moved with you in sensual rhythmic motions. “This isn’t fair! This isn’t – this isn’t what I want!”

“And what do you want?” he growled, panting breaths escaping through his slightly opened mouth. “You want me to fuck you? To make you mine?”

You whimpered from the feeling of your hardened nipples being tickled by his fuzz as he leaned over you. His pace was steady and resolute, refusing to follow your desperate rocking. “Please,” you begged. “I need you, Tomura. I know you want this pussy, it’s all yours, please fuck me – “

He emitted a low rumble and moved away, gathering your legs together to cushion his cock between your thighs as he resumed his mindless rutting. The wanton moan you emitted was borderline embarrassing.

“Tell me more,” he huffed out.

You had to remember how to speak. With the head of his cock stroking your clit as his shaft collected your juices, you were steadily reaching your peak despite your cunt begging for relief. “T – Tomu – aaah, you feel so good, please, l – let me make you feel good too … “

At the edge of awareness, a sweet smell wafted through the air. Tomura flared his wings and dug his nails into your skin, gripping your hip in one hand as the other caressed your legs. “I need more than that,” he panted, slowing his grinding even as his eyes glazed over with a lustful gleam. “That isn’t what I want.”

That was new. Tomura was never one to deny dirty talk; he practically subsisted off of it. You blinked up at him in confusion. “I … What do you want me to say, baby?”

He frowned and looked away, flattening his antennae. Oh no, were you killing the mood?

Before you could continue wallowing in self-pity, Tomura rearranged your legs to wrap around his waist once more. He gathered you in his arms and kissed you, moving his hips away until the tip of his cock prodded at your entrance. You moaned in anticipation, digging your heels into his back to encourage him further. When his thin tongue sneaked past your lips to explore your mouth, you were sure the temptation to enter you would finally win – especially when you took the chance to lightly suck on the appendage.

Much to your frustration, his cock slid back into place. The slick sound of his length dragging through your wet lips sent electric tingles through your core. You tried to disconnect his mouth from yours to give him a piece of your mind, but he followed wherever you went, licking and sucking at your swollen lips until you relented and allowed him to continue his slow, deep kisses.

You could feel him all around you, his firm muscles pressed to your chest, his strong arms holding you close, the fuzz around his crotch entirely wet and coating the back of your thighs with your combined arousal, you felt him and you heard him and smelled him, and it was all just too damn much to handle. Those soft little sighs and groans as he devoured your mouth like a flower ripe with nectar, the dizzying sweetness wafting through the air that could only come from him, the steady vibrations of his wings shooting straight to your pussy, it was just unbearable.

Finally, finally he slowly retracted his tongue from the back of your throat to whisper against your lips, “Tell me you want to be together.”

Another confusing statement. You had just enough space between your mouths to answer, “You already have me.”

“Not like – not just fucking.” Tomura sucked in a shuttering breath as he moved a few inches back, his face still hovering over yours as he cradled the nape of your neck with one hand. His antennae were completely flattened across his head, and he had a deep blush dusting his cheeks. “Reallybe together. Forever.”

You blinked again. And your brain rebooted.

“Are you asking me – “

“Call it whatever you want,” he grumbled, thrusting against you in a punishing motion. You bit your lip as your pussy pulsed and drooled liquid arousal down your ass crack. “I need to know.”

His hips stilled when your attention frayed at the seams from pleasure. The hold on your nape moved your head towards him, and you looked up with bleary, lust-addled eyes. Tomura’s expression was so vulnerable, so unsure of himself. You yanked your hands in an attempt to touch him, inwardly despairing that your wrists were firmly tied down.

"Of course I want to be with you," you softly said. "I'll always want you, you know that."

Tomura hesitated. "I love you," he awkwardly replied.

"I love you, too."

A warm smile lit up his expression. He fell back onto you with an easygoing laugh, and you were too aroused and lovesick to understand why he had laughed at all. Your mouth was captured in a deep kiss, and you would do little else but lie there and take everything he gave you, the slow grinding of his hips or the fast jackhammering pace that left you both breathless and panting against each other's lips.

And then Tomura just ... stopped.

No resolution, no literal or proverbial climax. He simply flicked his antennae, paused, and hissed as he forced his cock back into its sheath. No amount of pleading for him to come back worked. Tomura merely left you with half-assed promises of returning later, and with one final heated look thrown your way, he opened your window and flew away.

He returned in the morning to remove the restraints. You were passed out when he had appeared, murmuring quietly in your sleep as he kissed you before leaving.

The following day, you were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. You made sure to put on a show just for him, legs spread wide open and fingers buried in your sopping wet cunt upon his arrival. Not that he deserved this after the stunt he pulled, but you were willing to let bygones be bygones.

He paused midstep and immediately unsheathed his hardened cock, climbing into bed and kneeling at your feet to watch you work yourself up for him. You did everything right – cooing at him with words of praise and adoration, stroking your foot along his fuzzy collar until his tongue darted out to lick the arch, momentarily removing your slick fingers to let him smell your scent – everything had been perfect.

And you believed it, fool that you are. He assumed his familiar position between your legs to rut his thick length along your glistening lips, and you were too excited by the prospect of being fucked senseless to notice that he had your wrists shackled to the headboard again. And again he had spent an inordinate amount of time rubbing his cock against you, sucking your bruised lovebites to deepen their color, and lavishing your breasts with teasing licks. He left you trembling and unbearably angry, ignoring your threats of celibacy as he flew out your window into the night sky.

The day after that, you were prepared. Broom in hand and a spray bottle in the other, you looked every bit the pissed off lover as Tomura circled around you, eyes honed in on you as though he were a bird of prey and not a damn moth.

He punished you good and proper for spraying him with water. You were teased to the brink of pain that night, wrists and ankles tied up as he shoved his cock into your mouth while he played with your pussy and pinched your nipples. His precum oozed down your throat as you struggled to breathe, ruefully attempting to please your lover by hollowing out your cheeks and lathering his shaft in saliva. The breathy moans you elicited from him were a small victory. His fingers dexterously slipped through your folds to gather your juices, dipping them in briefly to stroke your inner walls before returning to your clit, alternating between light touches and firm circular motions that had you shaking in need. You thought he would at least come in your mouth, but no, he doubled down on his self-imposed torture as he left you wet and wanting once more.

After that, you learned your lesson. Better to let him have his way with you than to rile him up any further. You were obediently waiting in bed for the following nights, allowing Tomura to restrain you before spreading your legs for him. He purred at your good behavior and nuzzled your throat, his wings fluttering over you. It was nice, all things considered – he kissed you like you were his favorite meal, caressed your skin, whispered his love for you. But it just was not enough. The ache in your pussy was unbearable.

On one particular night, you let your tears run free. The inevitable disappointment you were going to feel after Tomura left had been too much to handle.

Immediately sensing the taste of salt, he looked at you in alarm, halting his motions as he cradled your face and demanded to know why you were crying.

“I just don’t get why you’re doing this,” you miserably said, looking away. Your pussy was swollen and wet, and you were tired of feeling like this.

Tomura opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. To his credit, he looked absolutely embarrassed and ashamed of himself. That damn cock was still sliding between your folds, though. Even in the middle of an argument, your lover was insatiable.

He licked your tears and nuzzled the side of your face. “I’m doing this for us,” he whispered. “For our future.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

He stilled, pulled back, and solemnly trailed his gaze over you. You stared up at him with an air of defiance, or at least you tried to – your eyes couldn’t resist lingering on his broad chest, or to sneak a glance at the head of his cock peeking out from between your pussy lips. Tomura gripped the back of your thighs and wriggled backward to give him enough space to bring his head down to your cunt.

Oh god, thank fucking god he’s come to his senses –

You were jolted out of your thoughts when you felt the unmistakable puff of air tickling your skin. “Are you smelling me?”

The fuzz of his antennae trailed over your thighs and around your crotch. “Yes.” Tomura sucked in one final deep breath as his nose pressed into your throbbing entrance, and at this point, you were seconds away from grinding down onto him, propriety be damned. But you would not get that chance. He was hovering over you within moments, beaming down at you with a boyish smile. “I think you’re ready now. You smell so damn good, I can’t wait to taste you again.”

“So just do it, you – you moth – “

“Tomorrow.” Tomura kissed your stubbornly closed mouth, smiling all the while. “I’ll finally get to show you tomorrow.” He shivered against you. “I can’t fucking wait … “

You sighed. “I still don’t understand.”

“I know. But you will, I promise. Just give me time – I’ll give you your answers tomorrow.” He paused, then grinned. “That’s not the only thing I’ll be giving you.” His cock twitched for emphasis.

You believed him. That still didn’t mean you would be happy about this.

Sensing your lingering bitterness, Tomura sobered up and wrapped himself around you, peppering your neck with little kisses. “You’ve been so good for me,” he sighed, licking the shell of your ear. “I’m going to fuck you so hard tomorrow, you won’t be able to leave the nest for days.”

You hummed absentmindedly, too focused on the intoxicating feeling of his cock oozing precum onto your clit to register anything beyond hearing the words fuck you so hard tomorrow.

[lennydaisy]

EPIPHANY // OUTER BANKS

The Outer Banks. Paradise on earth. Well, it is if you can afford it.

Figure 8, home of the portentous and intitled. So detached from reality that you'd have to use their private jets to bring them back down to the ground. If they're not lounging around on their secluded beaches in front of their White House sized mansions, then they're at the country club complaining that their ice-cold lemonade isn't ice-cold enough. We call them Kooks. Guess where I don't live?

Next up, The Cut, neutral habitat of, drum roll please ladies and gentleman... The Pogues. Lowest members of the food chain. You see, it's one island divided in two. You either have two houses or two jobs. I have two jobs and will still never be able to afford one house, let alone two, but that's life I guess. The Pogues are like those kids your parents tell you to stay away from when you visit the park. Well, now the park has stretched to all aspects of life warranting us to be unwanted and neglected which isn't such a bad thing, that just means we get to do whatever we want, whenever we want.

Right now, however, this is the last place I want to be. Save-A-Lot. One of my two jobs. See how this all ties in?

The continuous, subtly, beeping of the scanner, the bright overhead lights that the same moth has been flying into for a week now, that one cart that you can hear before you see, and this frustratingly itchy, red polo shirt that I'm wearing because it's 'oh-so mandatory'.

It's been reported that a storm is going to hit us in a couple of days, so naturally, the stores been busier than usual, with both Kooks and Pogues. It's like sacred land, all differences get put aside in this very store unless there's a two for one deal at the seafood counter. In that case, no one's safe, not even me, the poor, little employee. I've been slapped with a Tuna Fish before. I don't want to talk about it.

"Can I interest you in some... What are they again? Sea salted chocolate with a crushed Macadamia nut shell and a rich creamy filling, homemade by Mrs Adams?" I squint at the packaging before smiling at the man before me who peered at me, head tilted slightly. Nodding instantly, already knowing the answer, "I don't blame you, I wouldn't trust anything made by that lady."

Smashing my fingers on the scratch invested, touch screen register, slapping the side of the machine until it eventually rings up the total, "That'll be $148.98 however, you get the extended family discount, so that makes it..." twirling my finger around the air, attempting the mental math, "10% off $148," I utter, closing my eyes as if that's going to help me find the answer quicker. 'I knew I should have joined the math team with Pope.'

"$134," the man affirms looking at me sympathetically, halting my search for my calculator that is normally taped to the till. I take the mans money, squinting at him, "Okay, I'll take your word for it man but if I get fired, I want a job at The Wreck," handing him his receipt.

"We'll see," he said putting his packed bags back into his cart, "I'll get through to you one day. You can't deny I'm your favourite" I state in a matter of fact, waving him off as he pushes his cart away from the checkout, "Bye Mason."

"I don't hear you denying it," I shout, watching him hurridly pushing his cart towards the door, "Okay bye Mr Carrera, tell Kie I said hi!"

Twirling around in my chair a couple of times, I came to a stop at the sight of a pink calculator, my pink calculator, taped to Mrs Adams till. That Bitch. I sit patiently for her to be done with her customers, waving at the elderly couple as they pass, "See you later Mr and Mrs Graham, have a nice day," I smile.

"Oh you too Mason, you should stop by again, you and your friends were such a delight the last time," Mrs Graham praises tapping her ringed fingers on my counter. Nodding at her request as her husband began to drag her away from me, claiming he 'Wants to be home today not tomorrow,' knowing his wife to be quite the blether.

"What a pleasant young lady. Wouldn't you agree, Marty?"

"Oh yes, very well mannered."

"Listen here, sticky fingers, I know you stole my calculator" My smile instantly dropping as I look upon the thief that I have the pleasure of calling my co-worker.

Mrs Adams is your typical grandma. Tonged hair, thick-rimmed glasses and filled with opinions that are always unwarranted. She has had it out for as long as I can remember, once locking me in the walk-in freezer claiming to not know I was in there despite being in there with me moments before. At least I only have to deal with her a few days a week, I couldn't handle any more than that.

"What calculator?" she questions innocently. Pointing my finger accusingly at her till where low and behold, sits my calculator, "Oh really, what's that then?"

Sparing a glance at my calculator, she shakes her head, nose pointed up, "That's an anniversary gift from my husband. I, by no means, stole your calculator."

I can't believe I'm having this conversation.

Laughing at her alibi, "Are you aware of how much bullsh-", the clearing of a throat interrupts my tangent and I suddenly became aware of where I am again. Mrs Adams raises her eyebrows at me, is she mocking me? Glaring at her one last time as to say 'this conversation isn't over', I timidly spun my chair back around, plastering a smile on my face, getting ready to greet my next customer.

Oh no.

"Hi, Mr Cameron," I greet the man, scratching behind my ear hoping he didn't overhear me. Beginning to scan his items, another figure catches my eye.

Rafe.

Here, ladies and gentlemen, I present the biggest dickhead on the entire island. He thinks everybody owes him something just because his daddy is well known throughout the OBX and has no problem expressing his distaste for anyone who doesn't fit his agenda. He's a cocky, arrogant snob who needs to be knocked off his podium a few inches, or feet.

"Hello, Mason, and how many times have I told you to call me Ward?"

"Clearly not enough for me to listen," I mutter under my breath, passing the already packed bags towards a very accepting Rafe, who snatched them with a scrawl printed on his face, "Your face will stay like that if the winds change" I advise innocently, waving my fingers around my forehead area, "Don't want to get any wrinkles, but if you need some anti-ageing cream, I'm sure Mrs Adams can recommend a few of her favourites,"

"Maybe even get you a coupon," I suggest finishing to scan the last of their items, "Isn't that right, Mrs Adams," I called to the lady over my shoulder how instantly peeped up at the chance to chat with the boy.

"Oh, yes. Come here deary, I'll show you my collection,"

It's no secret throughout the OBX that Mrs Adams is a bit of a renowned cougar, having no problem expressing herself towards any sort of male attention. Mrs Adam doesn't discriminate, so even assholes like Rafe can't escape the clutches of her fondness, but she's harmless... most of the time.

Ward nudges his son in the direction of the lady, who is eagerly waiting for the boy with her creams placed in an orderly fashion before her. Rafe's eyes practically begging for his dad to have some mercy on him only to earn a point in her direction.

"I hate you," he huffs at me, feet dragging towards the ladies till.

Fluttering my eyes with a cheesy smile, "I know," I say before turning to finish Mr Cameron's groceries.

"That's $236 please," I state ringing up his total as he slides his card into the swipe machine, "It'll take a minute, a caveman has better technology than this place." He shakes his head at me, waving his hand slightly, understanding.

"Sea salted chocolate, uh?" he wonders picking up the bar, as I mentally slap myself for forgetting to ask if he was interested, "Would you like to buy one?" I questioned despite already knowing his answer. It's the same one that I've heard all day.

Placing the packet back in its place he shakes his head, "No thank you, I wouldn't trust anything made by that lady."

"That's what I'm saying," ripping off his receipt before handing it to him, "Thank you, Mason," he laughs before turning towards his son, who is still listening to Mrs Adams ramble on about why she prefers Olay over Caudlíne.

About to bid farewell to the man, he turns and asks, "I hate to be a bother and I know it's short notice, but would you mind babysitting Wheezie for me on Saturday morning, I know you don't normally work weekends, it's just this storm's going to cause a run-in with my properties and-"

"Of course I will, Mr Cameron," I interrupted his ramble. He looks at me relieved, nodding his head, "See you later, Mason."

"Bye Ward," gross, I'm sticking with Mr Cameron.

Watching as the pair walk past my till I can't help but laugh as I see Rafe slouching away with a tub of Olay Anti-ageing cream. Turning around at the sound, he flips me off, "I'll get you back for this," earning a shoving on the shoulder from his dad, but I can't help but wave cheerily, "Oh, I'm sure you will."

Mr Ward Cameron, my other boss. A few years ago I put up flyers with a tear-off of my phone number offering a babysitting service. Safe to say, I got my fair share of prank calls and when I got a call from someone claiming to be Mr Cameron I assumed it was someone messing with me again, but it turns out it wasn't. He genuinely needed someone to watch his youngest daughter Wheezie and I needed cash, and he does pay generously, especially now considering recent circumstances.

Glancing at the clock that is nailed above the exit I see that it's 2:00 P.M, the best time of my day, getting out of here. Grabbing the key from my pocket, I lock up the till before heading toward the poor excuse of a staff room.

Glancing around the room blue painted room, making sure no one is still on their lunch, I quickly grab my bag and dash over to the fridge. I never, and mean never, condone stealing, that's why I don't call it that. I prefer 'borrowing and then 'forgetting' to give it back'. Sure, I never asked if I could 'borrow' the alcohol that I am currently stuffing in my bag but, that's neither here nor there.

I throw my bag, which I can already tell is going to cause my back hell, over my shoulder. I grab Kie longboard, which I did ask for permission to use, and begin to make my way past the checkouts.

Before leaving, I pivot around, "Hey, Mrs Adams," I called out just to see that she was already glaring in my direction, a bit creepy if you ask me, "Don't worry, you've only got like what, another 6 hours?" acting like I didn't know as I pointed at the clock.

"Oh, and before I forget," I rush over to her counter and rip my calculator off her till. Smiling sweetly at the older lady, saluting her as I leave, "See you next week, Mrs Adams," I laugh, running out the door, jumping onto the longboard.

Let the fun begin.

Now there is something about my friends that you should know. As cheesy as its sounds, we're a group of misfits who happen to fit perfectly together, well almost perfectly, but no matter what we've got each other backs.

Now, where do we start?

JJ Maybank. We've been best friends since the third grade after he got into a fight with some kids who were making fun of me for having a 'boys name', and I haven't been able to get rid of him since. He's the guy who jokingly pushed me off the HMS Pogue only to quickly find out that I couldn't swim. I insisted that it was fine but JJ doesn't take no for an answer and took it upon himself to personally teach me.

He's the most loyal guy I know, willing to drop anything to help his friends. I most definitely developed my kleptomaniac tendencies from him and despite how much I deny it, I have a soft spot for him.

Next, Kiara Carrera or Kie, my best and only girl friend. I met Kie during her first year at the Kook Academy, I had seen her around before, passing out leaflets about how 'we're killing our planet' and that 'the turtles deserve better'.

I was about to go fishing with my dad when I saw someone sitting at the dock, feet dangling in the water. Long story short: she was supposed to meet up with some of her 'friends' but they had sailed away leaving her behind. So, I asked if she would like to come fishing with us, half expecting her to say no, being partly a Kook and all, but she said yes. And now she's one of us, the Pogues. Not sure how her parents feel about that, but there is no denying I'm their favourite. Right?

There's Pope Heyward. I met Pope in the first grade. We were sitting beside each other at assembly and he dared to tell me that my singing voice sounded like cats dying, not that he was any better mind you. I had seen him around the cut a few times, helping his dad with deliveries and after seeing him struggle to carry four bags of groceries, I offered him some help. Of course, being a stubborn 6-year old boy, he delined saying 'I don't need your help, I'm super strong'. Safe to say, two seconds later I was carrying two bags and helped Pope and Mr Heyward with the rest of the deliveries that day.

I got an earful from my dad when I got home, but I didn't care, I'd made a friend that wasn't my brother. They didn't believe me when I said I had a friend called Pope, just brushing it off as one of my imaginary friends. Let's just say they got a fright when my 'imaginary friend, Pope' showed up at the Château.

Speaking of, up next, John Booker Routledge, John B. My twin, fraternal twin. Is 12 minutes older than me and will never let me forget it. My favourite memory with John B was when he fought to the death with our triplet in the womb. Okay, maybe that didn't happen, but you weren't there so, where's your evidence that it didn't?

He's my other half, not my better half because we all know I'm the better twin, and I couldn't live with him and his optimism. He can be irrational at times, but he always has plan A-Z mapped out in his head. I'm currently trying to convince him that we psychic powers, and by currently I'm mean from the day we were born. It's a weird sensation like there's a pit in the bottom of my stomach, and once I get that feeling I know that something's not right. And with a brother like John B, I get that feeling at least 3 times a day.

Might as well introduce myself whilst I'm at it. I'm Mason, Mason Routledge. The better twin. Yes, I too, have a middle name but I will never tell it to anyone because of how utterly embarrassing it is. I have managed to swear John B to secrecy, but I know it's just a matter of time before he blurts it out.

Now I know what you're probably thinking, 'Mason? That's a boys name.' Well yes, you'd be right but really what is a boys or girls name? The reason why I'm called Mason is simple, mom and dad were expecting twins. Twin boys. They had the names planned out as soon as they heard the news. One would be named John B after our dad, Big John, and the other would be named Mason, after our mom's dad. Makes sense, right?. Well, it was until I popped out, y' know not being a boy. But I love my name and I wouldn't change it for the world. My unspoken middle name, however, yes, I would rather that just not be associated with me.

I like to believe that I can hold my own, maybe it's because I grow up in a predominantly male household or the fact that I'm a Pogue, but I don't take peoples shit. My friends and I seem to always have the world against us, but without a doubt, I'd ride or die for them. They're my family.

Seeing the all too familiar hippie van parked at the side off the road brings me out of my autopilot state. Jumping off the longboard, I hurriedly shoved it into the back of the van. Fun fact about John B's van, he never locks it. There would be the fear about someone stealing it, but honestly, it's trashed and smells like weed, no thanks to JJ.

Quickly scaling the fence and as quietly as possible I tip-toed into the under-construction house and up the cement stairs, dodging the dangling wires and leftover pots of plaster.

'I can't believe they got rid of the turtles for this'

I'd know that voice anywhere. Peering around the corner, I spot Kie, hunched over a table reading what I'm assuming is maps for the house. Coming up with an idea, I slowly start to creep towards her, raising my hands just to clasp them down on her shoulders, "And what do you think you're doing?" I say in the deepest voice I can muster.

Jumping out her skin with a squeal, she spins around, hand over her heart, breathing heavily, "Macy, what the fuck? Don't do that," she exclaims, slapping my arm after she realises it was only me.

Unable to stop myself from laughing at her shock, "God, Kie, didn't know you had such a girly scream," I wheeze, arms wrapped around my stomach in an attempt to stop the ache.

Nodding her head pettily, "Yeah okay, you got me," clicking her tongue, but against her best efforts, a small smile dances across her face.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm my giggles, "Once you're done with sad girl hours, come out back, I've got beer," making my way towards the open glass doors.

"Caring about the turtles doesn't make me a sad girl," she exclaims as I nod my head understandingly, "You keep telling yourself that," I wave stepping outside, breathing in the fresh ocean breeze.

From under the scaffolding, I see a pair of dangling legs, "Afternoon, boys," I announce, jumping up in an attempt to smack the dangling feet that I now know belong to JJ

"Did you get the goods?" asks John B causing me to hold my hand on my heart, mocking insult, "Do you have no faith in me Johnny boy," tosing him a beer, "Of course, I got the goods."

Holding one out for Pope, even though I knew he would decline, proving my point as he shook his head, "And where did you get said goods?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

Grabbing two beers, I begin to climb up the scaffolding, plopping down next to JJ, handing him a beer which he greatly excepts, "Are you question my morals?" I ask, taking a big gulp of my beer instantly wincing at the lukewarm taste.

"No, no," I hear him say, turning around, occupying himself with the builder's tools.

It a pretty view from up here. The calm crashing of the waves. The way the cold ocean and the warm sky meet for a perfect kiss on the horizon. Imagine living here. Having no worries. Being full Kook.

Glancing at the boy beside me, I see that he was already looking at me. Lifting my eyebrows in question, "You look cute," he cheekily says, picking at the loose thread on my sleeve.

"Very funny JJ," I saying, looking back out at the water, "No, I'm serious. I love a woman in uniform," nudging his shoulder into mine and I nudge him right back, "Hey," he laughs, dramatically falling to his side, "Watch the sweet nectar," holding his can of beer dearly to his chest.

Shaking my head, I turn to see John B scaling the house, jumping up to the peak of the roof, "Hey, please be careful, Johnny B, we don't earn enough to cover a medical bill," I warn sitting my beer beside me, using my hands to block the blinding sun, staring questionably at the boy.

"Oh, but you'd catch me though, right?" he says, now taunting the idea of falling, balancing on one foot with outstretched arms, "And break your fall? Nope," I popped, reach over to grab my can only to grasp the air. Looking at where I know I placed it, my confusion vanishes when I hear the sounds of slurping beside me.

Blinking at the boy, who just peers back at me after tanning my can, crushing it, and letting out a pleasant burp which he so graciously blows in my direction, "Gross, JJ," attempting to swat away the smell. The boy just shrugs, "What were you not done with that?" faux concern covering his face but his eyes glistening with knowing mischief.

"Should I do it?"

"Yeah, jump. I'll shoot you on the way down," says Pope, aim a drill in my brother's direction, "You'll shoot me?" John B taunts, holding up a finger gun, "Pow," he laughs as Pope fall back onto the table pretending to be shot.

"They're going to have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," complains Kie, slugging her way onto the balcony, voicing her distaste for the future Kook's beach house.

"Didn't I tell you to come out when you were done being sad?", I direct, leaning my chin against the cold pole, feeling on top of the world as the fresh breeze blows through my hair.

That swiftly changes when Kie dashes towards my feet, tugging the laces on my converses loose as I hastily attempt to lift my feet away from her snapping fingers, "Go away!" I exclaim hugging my legs to my chest, tusking at her antics "God, you're annoying."

My comment doesn't affect her as she blows me a kiss which I can't help but catch, holding it to my heart sending a wink in her direction, "This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtle I guess?"

"Well, I did, but since you've-" I start, but the feeling of my shoe gets tighter distracts me, "...What are you doing?" I question as JJ finishes up my shoes, "You should double knot your laces," he comments, tapping his fingers in a random beat on the toe of my shoes.

Lightly, I begin to flick his hand away only for him to grab my wrist, fiddling with the silver ladybug charm on my bracelet, "Can I have this?" He has asked me this multiple times in the past and the answer has always been the same, "No."

"Can you please not kill yourself?" Kie squints up at my brother, "And don't spill that beer, you're not getting another one," JJ adds just as a sudden gust of wind brushed past causing John B to lose his balance and drop his beer.

Jinx.

"Oh, shit. No!" cries John B, making grabby hands at his fallen beer.

"Of course you did, like right when I told you."

"Smooth."

"Well done, dumbass!"

"Hey!"

The sound of a car pull up to the driveway halts our attack on John B, yelling being heard, "Hey, uh, securities here. Let's wrap it up," confirms Pope, making JJ and I raise to our feet as John B slides off the roof, "Boys are here early today."

Rushing over to grab my bag once my feet are back on the balcony, I lean over the railing squinting, "Gary? Is that you?" I asked, "You know it's me, Mason."

Turning around to look at friends, "It's Gary guys," I smile, "Gary, good to see you, man!" JJ adds and quickly pulls the back of my bag when he sees Gary climb up the stairs, "JJ!"

"You two, are asking for it," Kie laughs as we all rush back through the house, all of us laughing and cheering, running down the stairs, "Go, go!" I giggled as I Gary's attempts to grab me but I duck under his swinging arms, running out to the garden.

"Not much of a hugger man," JJs joke echoing off the empty wall of the house.

Running up beside Pope, I urge him up over the fence, "Come on, Pope, go, go, go," landing on the other side, watching as he lands flat on his face, "Graceful as always Pope," I giggle pulling him back on his feet.

"Come on Pope, Fatso's coming" JJ encourages, suddenly landing beside us just barely missing the hot-headed security who is dangling over the fence, "Come here, you little pricks!"

"Bus is leaving," John B pulls up the van honking the horn, Kie opening the door for us, laughing as we shove each other in. John B wastes no time hitting the gas, driving away from the angry security.

"Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise," Pope laughs as we watch a hopeless Gary chase after the van.

Having an idea, JJ unzips my bag and leans out of the open door, "Come on Gary," he taunts, waving the beer can in front of the man like you would a dog with a treat.

"You're going to give him a heart attack," Kie sympathises but still finds his actions amusing, "You're so close! You can do it. There you go," he tosses the can at the poor man who attempts to dodge it.

"God, they don't pay you enough, man" I laugh peering out the door, taking in the sight of Gray who is wheezing with his hands planted on his knees.

Seeing enough torture for one day, Kie tugs us back in, "That's enough," she says finally feeling sorry for the poor man, sliding the door close.

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," reasons JJ, plopping down in the back of the van, now finding interest fiddling with the blunt he pulled from his back pocket.

I lean my head on Kie's shoulder and sigh, "I love Gary," I confess, earning a flick on the head from Pope and a nudge on the leg from JJ

We're the Pogues, and our mission this summer is to have a good time, all the time.

Prologue: FIN!

What did you think?

I’m really excited to explore Mason’s character and her adventures with the Pogues. I have so much planned for her.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction <3

[hopeatermeetsgodzilla]

Chapter 20

Mothra crawled out of the hole, head upside down as she shook herself free of debris, hands and feet clinging to the ceiling as she crawled away from the tunnel. They had to use the tunnels that connected Styx’s temple to Dagon’s former nest to find their way here, after all. “Battra? Is everything alright?”

Battra groaned as he came out of the tunnel, holding himself upright with a pair of hands clutching at the ledge. His wings flapped a bit behind him. “I hate travelling underground in adult form, but beside that? I’m fine.”

“What the- WHAT IN METHUSELAH’S NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING UP THERE!?” Both Mothra and Battra bent their heads to look at the ground, a very confused Anguirus looking up at them from the bottom of the stairs that led up to the altar.

Both Mothra and Battra let go of their hold, flapping their wings as they neared the floor to cushion their fall. Mothra turned toward Anguirus. “Where is Godzilla!?” She asked with urgency in her tone. “We were at the Tapestry and his flower was all wilted and-”

“I- it’s alright, Mothra.” Anguirus started, making a gesture for Mothra to calm down. before pointing at the altar behind him. “Goji’s right there, and resting. He’s in a pretty bad state, but I was able to stabilize him.” He reassured her, a sigh of relief leaving the moth.

Battra pat her on the shoulder reassuringly, before looking up at Anguirus. “Do you know what caused his condition?”

Anguirus shook his head. “He doesn’t either. He said he was fighting Ghidorah, and then there was a bright light?...” He hissed through his teeth. “I can’t imagine what the surface looks like right now, with those three rampaging...”

“It’s fine, actually.” Battra started, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “The third member of your trio of idiots is somehow holding them outside of reality, and he shows no intention of letting go or dying anytime soon.”

Anguirus laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s Rodan for you! There’s always one of us up to make Ghidorah’s life as difficult as possible! And...” He frowned. “Do you guys know what hurt Goji like that? Because it can’t be Ghidorah. It happened underwater, and they’re pretty useless underwater.”

“Probably humans.” Battra hissed.

Mothra turned toward her brother with a frown, and Anguirus looked at him, confused. “Why- no, how would humans be able to do that?”

“I don’t know how, but I do know the why: to prove that they can and are above obeying the laws of nature.” Battra hissed, Anguirus raising an unconvinced eyebrow in response.

“They’re small and harmless and you’re just looking for an excuse to go an another rampage.”

“Well, unless you can name a Titan able to do that kind of damage, I’m going to assume that humans- who have regularly proven themselves to be more dangerous than anyone gives them credit for- are behidn this and- Mothra where are you going-”

“I’m going to go check on my mate while you two argue like petty childrens.” Mothra answered as started climbing up the stairs, leaving Anguirus and Battra behind as she made her way to Godzilla. Her mate was currently lying on the floor, eyes closed and dark hair lying around him in a puddle. A distressed thrill escaped her as she approached him, kneeling down and putting a hand on his back.

Godzilla opened his eyes, labored breathing picking up as he woke up. He frowned in confusion when he saw her. “Mothra?... Why are you...”

“Hush, my love. That’s not important.” She told him, taking a hold of his face as she came closer. “What’s important is that I need to heal you.”

Godzilla nodded, letting Mothra turn him on his back as she laid his head in her lap. As her wings started to rise behind her, patterns glowing a soft shade of green, he spoke up. “Wait.”

Mothra looked at him, concerned. “What is it?”

“Before I go back to sleep...” He smiled weakly. “Can I get a kiss?”

Mothra smiled, bending down and kissing her mate. “Of course. Now, rest, and do not worry about everything else, alright? We’ll take care of it.”

Godzilla smiled, before allowing himself to fall into a deep sleep, a soft blue light surrounding them.

-

Madison stared at the ceiling, wide awake at a far-too-early hour to be awake at. She groaned. No use trying to get back to sleep now... she got out of bed, slipping her feet into slippers to avoid the cold metal floor. She quietly got out of her room, and then the two-room-and-one-bathroom quarters she had shared with her parents since first arriving at Castle Bravo.

She quietly tip-toed around the living area until she reached a small dining area, surprised at seeing light streaming out of the door. Was someone already awake? She opened the door slowly, surprised to see Florès standing in front of a coffee machine, wearing . She slowly came into the room, sitting at a small, round table. “Uh. I didn’t take you for an early riser.”

Florès turned toward her, somehow looking unimpressed. “Me estoy preparando para la cama, Russellita.”

It took Madison a few seconds to translate what the older man had said. “You’re going to bed now? It’s like 5:30.”

“Sí, no vi pasar el tiempo. Pasa algunas veces.”

“... Okay, okay. Can you switch to English please? I can understand Spanish, but you’re speaking really fast, and your accent is making it hard to understand.”

“Que- mierda, I didn’t notice. Sorry, I tend to forget how to use English when I’m tired.” Florès explained.

“It’s fine, it’s just- my Spanish isn’t really good...” She started. “I’ve been learning it for a year at school now, but I only have the grasp of a five years old on it...”

“And how fucking long do you think it took the five years old?”

“... okay, fair.” She sat there for a moment, looking in front of her as she thought about her dream. She didn’t notice Florès walking up to her until he put a cup of something in front of her. “What’s that?”

“My nana’s chocolate caliente recipe. It’s good.” Madison nodded, taking a sip and feeling the drink warm her up from the inside out.

Florès sat down with his own cup. “Something bothering you and keeping you up, Russellita? Pesadillas?”

“... I didn’t learn that word...”

“Nightmares?” Madison shook her head.

“I mean, it is a dream, but... it’s not a bad one. Just weird. I don’t think you’d be interested, it concerns the Titans.”

“Fire away.” Florès said with resignation in his voice. “It’s not like I’m ever going to be able to avoid hearing about these monstruos as long as I’m in Monarch. At least, the way you talk about them doesn’t fill me with pavor existencial at each word.”

“Well... Mothra and Battra were underground, talking to Anguirus while Godzilla was laying not too far away. At some point, Mothra went to talk to him when Battra and Anguirus started arguing, and she started healing him, and... kissed him? Anyway, I think Godzilla might still be alive.” Madison looked hopefully at Florès, who’s expression was incomprehensible. “What do you think?”

“I think you should talk about the fact that you seem to have an enlace psíquico with the Titans to your Madre.” Florès deadpanned, before frowning in confusion. “Padre? No lo sé, tell your parents you probably have magic powers related to the Titans. Wouldn’t be the first time that happened, you could hear Ghidorah talk, after all.”

“... Okay, but...” She sighed. “So much stuff has already happened to me, I don’t- I don’t know how they would react. Mom’s scared of the Titans, and Dad doesn’t really like them either... I think he thinks we should kill them.”

“Tonto.” Florès muttered. “As if we could kill demons.”

Madison frowned. “The Titans aren’t demons!”

“Then what are they!?” Florès asked. “Because Gods wouldn’t destroy the world they created for no reasons. I don’t- I don’t actually think they’re demons, okay? I don’t think they’re evil  But... you have to understand that they’re not good either. They’re like us, people, just scaled up and with magical powers. They just woke up in an unfamiliar world, and they’re confused and scared but they could also raze us to the ground as an afterthought, and we should leave them alone instead of studying them like wild animals. I’m calling them demons because it’s the closest thing I can think of to describe them, not because I hate them.”

“I don’t believe they’re Gods either.” Madison started, surprising Florès. “I never said that. In fact, I agree with most of your points. But... they live here. It’s not their fault they’ve been hibernating since before written language became a thing. We should try to figure out how to communicate with them, help them, not... cower away and hope they won’t kill us. And there’s proof it happened before! Titans, and humans, co-existing. Why can’t we do it again now?”

“... Russellita.” Florès started, a tired frown on his face. “I respect the fact that you think the Titans should be treated as amnesiac old friends who just came out of a coma. Por favor, respect the fact that I think they should be left alone to figure their own shit out.” There was a pause as they both sipped from their hot chocolate. “If you want, I’ll help you talk about it to an adult in the morning, okay?”

“... Okay.”

[andorerso]

For the anon who asked for more of the bodyguard AU with angst and pining, here it is! It’s a follow-up to this fic but you don’t have to read that in order to understand this. Enjoy!

Cassian has never been a fan of these parties. They’re crowded, phony, and way too extravagant. A charity ball, they call it, but it’s just an excuse for the rich to flaunt their money and feel important while wearing gowns and tuxedos worth thousands of dollars. They act like dearest friends and exchange cheek kisses and politely wonder “how’s the family?” then turn around and gossip behind their backs the next minute. It’s not an effort for Cassian to play along, it’s in his blood – but he hates it with a passion.

That being said, Jyn does look magnificent in her gradient blue gown that leaves her shoulders bare and shows a little more cleavage than usual, even if she clearly hates wearing it. It’s more practical for her to blend in with the other upper-class guests than openly pose as his bodyguard and Cassian is a bit grateful for that. He likes her presence, he really does, but he occasionally he feels like a child in need of protecting from the big bad world. A break is nice, sometimes.

And if his eyes linger on her a little longer than it should, well. That’s both an advantage and a drawback. He really needs to get over this stupid crush he has on his bodyguard, but he can use that attraction and channel the pent-up frustration into flirting with this lovely woman in front of him who’s attainable and clearly willing. Unlike Jyn, who’s his bodyguard, so they can’t, and who doesn’t see him that way, so they can’t.

The woman’s name is Melanie, she’s an heiress, and she’s a lot more tolerable than most of the guests here combined. Will it go anywhere? No, but at least he can distract himself for one night, and since he and Jyn are not supposed to be interacting much, he has to make do with the next best thing. Melanie is smart and Cassian finds himself laughing at some of her jokes (even if they’re gentle and not the dry sarcastic wit he’s used to) and he doesn’t absolutely hate it when she strokes a finger up his arm and sends him a flirty smile.

Jyn, apparently, does.

Cassian could feel her eyes on him all night – it’s part of her job description – but since he began talking to Melanie, it’s been less a watchful gaze, and more a persistent glare. He’s been trying to ignore it; if you ask him, she’s way too paranoid for her own good. Last week, she shouted at the mailman for Heaven’s sake, and he was only bending down to tie his shoelaces. Cassian can imagine the scenarios she’s probably dreaming up in her head about the thousand ways Melanie could kill him.

It’s all a little too grave for him; he’s not going to get attacked every time he crosses the street. But Jyn takes her job very seriously, and he’s grateful, really, but he wishes she’d give him some breathing room sometimes. Like now, when all he’s trying to do is talk to a pretty lady who has no intentions of murdering him in a quiet corner.

Most likely.

The arm touching seems to be the last straw and Jyn marches over, setting down the glass of champagne that she’s been pretending to drink.

“Darling,” she begins, and Cassian’s eyes grow huge. Before he could react, she slips an arm into his. “There you are, I’ve been looking for you. My mother held me up on the phone but I’m all yours now. And you are?”

She asks it so politely that it almost feels like an insult.

Melanie watches them with raised eyebrows, sending an incredulous glare in Cassian’s direction when he turns to look at her. At the question in her eyes, he just sighs. There’s really no point in trying to salvage this anymore.

“Melanie,” she answers with a tight-lipped smile when he doesn’t say anything. “I was just leaving.”

The look, before she goes, is one that says she thinks Cassian is just like the others; lying and manipulative. He watches her walk away with a twinge of regret then rounds on Jyn when she’s out of earshot.

“What the hell?” he glowers, voice low enough that only Jyn would hear.

She shrugs, absolutely unapologetic. “She was getting way too handsy. Didn’t trust her.”

Cassian looks around, feeling too exposed out in the open with all the guests milling around. They’re not even supposed to be talking. Taking Jyn’s arm, he steers them to a quiet corner next to the balcony doors.

“You’re acting crazy.”

“I’m your bodyguard,” she says like she says it every time. Like it trumps everything. Cassian is a little sick of it. Granted, she’s never chased away attractive women before, but she’s certainly chased away people. Friendly harmless people. The mailman was replaced after the incident last week. “It’s my job to protect you.”

He gives her a glare, half-frustrated, half-incredulous. 

“She was flirting with me,” he tells her, keeping his voice low so they don’t draw attention to themselves. The anger is still clear in his tone. “She wasn’t trying to slit my throat.”

“You don’t know that,” she snaps, just as annoyed. Like she has any right to be, after pulling that stunt. “Seduction is a common tactic.”

“Oh, really?” he says, his voice disbelieving to his own ears.

Jyn’s eyes darken. She steps closer. “Oh, really. You want me to show you?”

“Please, do,” he says on instinct, too angry to back down. His voice is a challenge and Jyn quirks an eyebrow at him, almost pleased.

When she takes a step forward, he’s still glaring. Then she touches his hand like Melanie had, teasingly running her fingers up his arm, and it occurs to him that he didn’t really think this through. The look she turns his way is coy, playful, her eyes unnervingly dark and wanting.

What –

Cassian is surprised by the fierce intensity of her gaze. It barely registers that she’s pretending as she leans in towards him, her lips grazing his neck, her breath hot on his skin. A shudder runs through him. She smells so good. Jyn tilts her head and their lips almost meet, close enough that he can nearly taste her. Her eyes are on him and he can’t look away; like a moth drawn to a flame, he’s sucked in by her mere presence.

“You’re really handsome, you know that?” she says, voice low and captivating. He pretty much loses all train of thought.

And just when he thinks she’s about to kiss him –

She has a knife against his throat.

“You’re dead,” she says, her tone now matter-of-fact and cold.

Cassian swallows. For God’s sake.

“Put that thing away before someone sees it,” he manages to get out, though his voice is raspy and deep. He clears his throat.

Jyn obeys with a shrug. She gives him a look, the same intensity from before but without the heated lust. He wonders if he imagined it – or worse, if it really was just pretend.

“You believe me now?”

Cassian looks away, taking a second to compose himself. He doesn’t want her to see how affected he is, by her, by her touch, by her gaze, by her closeness. It goes beyond her simply trying to seduce him; it’s not a physical thing, not completely. He refuses to admit it, even to himself, how deep his feelings for her run.

And a part of him wants to argue, wants to tell her that not every woman who flirts with him is going to want to stab him in the back – doesn’t she have any faith in him attracting people just because they find him interesting? – but he can’t bring himself to it. Can’t be around her right now.

“You made your point,” he allows her instead, nodding, trying not to sound too curt. It doesn’t quite work. “I think I should go mingle,” he says, noting the way other guests are beginning to glance their way in curiosity. The last thing he wants is to give these people reason to gossip about him.

He leaves Jyn with only the briefest look and doesn’t notice the way she turns to stare after him wistfully.

Cassian throws the newspaper on the table with an angry huff. Jyn stares at him, her arms crossed, slightly defensive. He wishes he wasn’t about to ruin her day too.

They’ve barely talked in the past two days since the ball and now this. This is going to set them back for at least another week.

“It’s all over the magazines,” he says, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. “Who is Cassian Andor’s new secret girlfriend?”

He taps his finger against the picture taken of them. It’s far away, the zoom-in making the picture blurry, but Cassian’s face is still visible from this angle. Jyn has her back to the camera, practically wrapped around his body, deemed “the mysterious brunette” by tabloids. It’s likely one of the waiters noticed them snuggled up in the corner and took a quick snap with their phone, then contacted tabloids as soon as possible. Though it was taken out of context, Cassian has to admit they look quite cozy on the photo – the media is having a field day with it.

Jyn stares at the picture in horror, her arms falling from her chest as she leans closer to take a good look. Immediately, her defensive look is replaced by one of guilt.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” She shakes her head, looking up at him. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“I should have known better.” Cassian slumps down on the couch, rubbing a tired hand across his face. He’s silent for a second, trying to look on the bright side. He’s not sure there is any. “It’ll blow over in a while.”

Jyn shakes her head, lost in her own head.

“This isn’t like me,” she says, desperation sneaking into her voice. She seems to be talking to herself, rather than him. Cassian frowns, sitting up straighter as he sees her beginning to spiral.

“Will the agency be mad?” he asks, wondering if this puts her in trouble with her boss. Jyn doesn’t appear to hear him.

“This isn’t like me,” she repeats. Her eyes snap up to him and he sees fear and panic in her gaze. His stomach twists uncomfortably. “I can’t be your bodyguard anymore.”

“What?” Cassian cries, jumping up from his seat.

She stands too, taking a step backwards. “I’m sorry. I have to resign.”

“What are you talking about, why?”

“It’s for the best,” she says only, and before he knows it, she’s struggling in her hurry to put on her jacket. Cassian stares at her in horror and confusion.

“The hell it is – Jyn, you can’t seriously think that.”

He hears a twinge of anger creep into his voice, masking the fear squeezing at his heart. He has no idea what’s happening, why she’s acting this way, but he doesn’t particularly like the thought of her leaving. Leaving him. Without so much as an explanation.

Is this only because of the picture?

“Trust me, Cassian…” She finishes pulling on her jacket and stops to give him a look begging him to forgive her. “You don’t know what I really think. And that’s why I have to go.”

What?

“You’re not making any sense,” he says, voice rising in his desperation. She pays him no mind.

“I’m sorry,” she repeats, for the thousandth time, and are those tears shining in her eyes? Cassian is dumfounded. He’s never seen her cry, not once. The closest he thinks she got it was when he was shot and bleeding in her arms.

Somehow, that makes him feel a terror he’s never quite felt before. If she’s crying, it must really be bad. She really means this.

“I’ll make sure you get someone good,” she says, voice a whisper, before she turns around and heads for the door. Cassian has no time to wrap his head around it; he starts after her, driven by a primitive instinct to make her stay.

“Wait, Jyn.” He reaches out a hand but stops when she turns around, giving him a pleading look.

“Please, don’t follow me,” she says and Cassian stills. How could he disobey that? He can’t chase after her if she truly wants to go.

But his face remains pleading, one last look begging her to stay, before she turns around and walks out the door.

[determinationisnotcrash]

‘Like Gunbuster, but with Dudes’

I wanted to try and capture the passionate, energetic tone of a scene from one of my favourite OVAs in writing, so I attempted it with characters from the GB Discord I’m on.

Kit belongs to @topazshadowwolf

Impact belongs to me.

The scene this is a reference to is this one!

“I-I… I can’t go on…!”

“Impact!?”

The raptor’s jet abruptly halted, formation breaking as Kit unintentionally overtook him in this strange space. Hurriedly fumbling with the controls, the half-Blaster turned on the commlink to reveal his friend huddled in the cockpit, trembling.

Concern for the larger, yet younger skeleton welled up inside him. What had happened to make him break down all of a sudden…!?

Impact’s voice was usually either calm and controlled, or completely over-the-top and bursting with energy. But now… “I can’t do it anymore…! It’s useless… all useless…!”

Flashes of what the Papyrus described to him of his home timeline ran through his mind. It was likely that this wasn’t something sudden – rather, it had been festering inside him ever since he first mutated. “Impact…”

“Even if we succeed in our task, there’s no point to it all! The Ray Empire’s still choking the Earth! With the Emperor hoarding all the power for himself, he could easily rip away everything from us at any moment!”

The beast brought his misshapen forepaws in front of his face, clenching and unclenching them. At the stage he was at now, they could barely be called hands anymore. “I’m trapped in this disgusting body, which could give out and degenerate at any moment! And…!”

He slumped against the controls with a pathetic-sounding ‘thunk’. “There’s no one waiting for me back in my home world! My friends and family are all gone… and there’s nothing I can do about it. With neither past nor future… I may as well just die!”

Kit pressed his paw-like hand against the monitor, as if trying to physically reassure his friend. “Impact… please get yourself together. If this continues, we’re both done for!” As if to emphasise this, the massive aircraft violently rattled, like caught in turbulence. Their enemies had taken advantage of Impact’s hesitation, bombarding the two with relentless attacks.

Regardless of his growing panic, Kit continued, “While you may never be able to return to the past, you don’t know what the future holds yet. You could have the chance to experience more happiness than ever before… but if you can’t take that step forward, you won’t be able to even try!

Now the lights within the craft were starting to flicker. More and more nightmarish shapes were latching onto their vehicles, trying to crush them. “This conflict… it’s grown beyond the scope of a single world. If we let the demons from between dimensions devour any of our worlds… no one will have a future! The entire universe – reality itself – will be eaten up by the Void, and not even Determination will be able to bring it back!”

Impact’s sobbing ceased, his body having gone still. Hope starting to well up inside him, Kit pressed through with his encouragement. “Doc, Sabre, Hikaru, Red… all of them are counting on us to get through this! They chose us to be the ones who would venture through the gap, stop all the demons, and save everyone!

“If we fall here, everything that’s happened up ‘till now… everything that will happen… it’ll all be for nothing! For the sake of our world… for the sake of the people living within it… we need to go on!”

The half-Blaster voice cracked, putting every last drop of his emotion into his plea. “So please, Papyrus…! Fight!”

…

…

…

After what felt like an eternity… Impact rose up. His eyes were filled with resolve. “Kit… I understand. We fight together!”

“Impact…!” Despite the dire situation, the Sans couldn’t help but grin. Eagerly, almost as if on autopilot, his arm shot to the special ‘MODE’ lever. From ‘transport’ mode to ‘battle’ mode! “I’ll focus on the weaponry and energy output. You just do your thing with the controls. I’m behind you all the way, bro!”

Kit’s grin was contagious, a huge toothy smile spreading across the Papyrus raptor’s maw. “Alright…! LET’S DO IT!” With a burst of light, the demons clinging to the planes were blown away! The two vehicles drifted closer to each other, glowing as the fusion sequence started.

As the machines combined, Impact’s thoughts wandered back to his Sans and Undyne. Sans… Undyne… watch me, from wherever you are. I’ll see this battle through to the end. 

The planes underwent several shifts as they merged together, each movement far faster and more complex than the untrained eye could follow. After mere moments, the light disappeared to reveal a humanoid shape. Two flames had united to form an inferno! The True Dimension Knight, warrior of justice! Defender of the innocent! Saviour of all Earths… had finally arrived!

Like moths drawn to a flame, dozens- no, hundreds of skeletal dragon-like demons swarmed towards the steel titan, rushing through the interdimensional space like ravenous sharks in pursuit of their prey.

The Blasters’ response? “Impact, remember the plan. We just need to make it to the centre of the Dimensional Gap. That would be… right past these guys.”

“Kit, shall we use ‘that’?”

Kit let out a genuine chuckle. “Heh, I thought you’d never ask.”

“UUUUUUOOOOOOHHHH---!” A battle roar exploded out of the main pilot as he launched the machine up into the ‘air’.

Within the mechanical knight’s hands, a giant sword materialised! A glowing golden weapon, illuminating the darkest of nights and cleaving through evil!

“ULTIMATEEEE…”

“HEAVEN-MEETS-EARTH…”

“SWOOOOOORD!”

True to the second pilot’s philosophy, the strongest attack came first. The blade of light cleaved through the abominations effortlessly, leaving titanic explosions in its wake. It slowed down in time to reach a floating chunk of rock, using it as a temporary foothold.

Despite the sun’s rays being unable to pierce this space, it nevertheless glinted off the mech’s armour. Its arms folded, announcing to the entire battlefield, “Don’t assume that this Dimension Knight is some random machine! Everyone’s legacy, from the past…”

His brother’s companionship.

Undyne’s fiery passion.

Alphys’ enthusiasm.

Toriel’s and Asgore’s warmth.

The compassion Frisk showed him, even if it was fake.

“Everyone’s dreams, for the future…”

Sabre’s kindness.

Doc’s care.

Red’s support.

Hikaru’s hope.

“THEY ALL LIE WITHIN IIIIIIT!”

The draconic helmet of the suit parted, revealing a mechanical Blaster head. It looked and functioned just like the real thing! An immense beam surged forth from the maw, blowing apart the formless monstrosities in their path with searing, pure magical energy.

A beep on Kit’s monitor alerted him to more danger. “Heads up, Impact!”

“Ah…!” Following his friend’s warning, he turned the mech’s head upwards, the blast coming with it. When he could see the giant meteor-sized ribcage bearing down on him… he had already bisected it. But that wasn’t the end of the demons’ counterattack. This time, Impact’s monitor was the one that flashed with the warning sign. “Kit! Incoming from below!”

“You got it! Beam Spikes, scatter!” The tail of the draconic mech whipped around with a slash, firing out several spikes as it did! With a force rivalling the most powerful of mother nature’s storms, the leviathans rising up from below were rendered harmless pincushions.

All this was enough to even inspire Kit, filling him with the energy to utter another speech of his own. “No matter how thick or smothering the darkness choking this world threatens to become… our hearts will only shine brighter!”

Impact would have given him an affirming pat on the back if he could. “Couldn’t have put it better myself! No matter what gets in our way, we’ll break through!”

As if in response to this challenge, wall-like beasts, living shields approached… their intent to hit them like trucks… but Impact wouldn’t allow that. “ROTATION LASERRR!” In a slick, fluid motion, he threw his shield and fired a sword beam, diffracting it off the spinning shield to slice through them all like butter.

Eager to seize upon this opportunity, he retrieved his weapon and rushed forward… but perhaps, he was a bit too eager. “Impact, pull back! We’re going too fast!”

Hundreds of blasts, made of choking darkness and equal in intensity to their own, obliterated the spot where the Blasters’ mech… used to be. Kit’s warning let Impact pull back just in the nick of time, separating the Dimension Knight into its component aircraft and evading the attacks!

Kit kept watch over the readings on his screens. Dodging everything while setting up a counterattack was a hassle… but pushed onwards by his motivation for a bright future, he could do it. Keeping one eye on the enemies outside, while the other eye on the system inside, he yelled to Impact, “Doesn’t look like the concentrated fire will let up! You know what to do next.”

Within the other aircraft, Impact grinned. If the enemies wouldn’t give them a break… then they would just have to make one! The jets boosted forwards as they re-combined, the humanoid figure already in a battle-ready stance. “HOLY GREATSHIELD!”

The knight charged, thrusting its shield forward as it smashed through the demons like a living battering ram. From a zoomed-out view, it would be as if the off-white clusters of twisted bones and teeth made way before this golden meteor!

Another boast left the pilot’s maw. “You think that’ll be enough to deal with the likes of US!?” Lowering its shield to expose its mouth, another blast from the mech tore through the unholy creatures.

Kit took advantage of this break in the enemies to check his display. “We’re almost at our destination! Just a little more to- WHOA!”

He barely had a second to react before he found himself almost literally holding up the heavens. A titanic planet, covering his entire vision, quickly came down on him. As if the mindless enemies were crowing, ‘There’s more where that came from,’ another living planet of bones and spikes rushed up at the mechanical knight from below!

Even the 250m steel titan started to struggle from this, the joints of its limbs creaking ominously as the pressure intensified… However, in stark contrast, the pilots were more composed than ever. Impact lightly chuckled, carrying the same air as someone who saw mildly interesting sight on a roadtrip. “Who would’ve guessed? That they could even become celestial bodies.”

Kit winked at his co-pilot. “The power of these things is truly astronomical, eh?” The Sans casually pressed a button, producing a blast to hit the ground beneath the mech. It didn’t even scratch the vast object.

“Not bad.”

“However… our own power – that of righteous hearts – is not to be underestimated!” Impact briefly closed his eyes, steadying his breathing… before announcing the mech’s true ultimate technique. “LIMITLESS LIIIIIIIGHT!” The golden glow about the mech intensified further, to almost blinding levels! It even burned his own body, every inch of him sizzling with pain… but for how much Impact was hurting, it hurt their enemies hundreds of times more.

With one last surge of energy, everything in the Blaster duo’s nearby area violently shook, before exploding in a flash of light! When all the smoke and flames cleared… the True Dimension Knight was still standing.

However… so were their enemies. If even one demon was left alive, it could reproduce endlessly and create more spawn. That was why…

“We’ve made it to the core. You ready, Impact?”

“Yes!”

The mech was powered by Light itself. If they overloaded it here, at the centre of the demon’s spawning grounds, it would certainly spell the abominations’ ends.

Kit entered the code for the self-destruct sequence, and the change was almost instantaneous. Unlike the golden, passionate aura that the two pilots could make it exude, it now took on an almost ethereal glow, indicating it wasn’t much longer for this world.

As the glow engulfed its body, it also spread to the space around it. The ghastly, roiling purplish-black of the Void began to clear, peeling away to reveal a pleasant, gentle blue sky beneath.

Kit and Impact couldn’t stay to appreciate the sights, though – it was still unknown what the Light would do to normal creatures. A lone jet, much smaller than the massive crafts that formed the mech, emerged from the Dimension Knight’s chest and sped away.

The remaining hellbeasts shrieked and writhed as they fizzled away into nothingness, like ghouls that vanished with the coming of dawn.

Impact turned his head back, looking for one last time at the remains of the creation that helped carry them so far. “Thank you for everything, Dimension Knight. This is farewell…”

Flying back to the portal from which they entered, the warriors returned towards their world… towards where their friends were waiting.

[soundwavereporting]

title: the moth and the robot

fandom(s): Transformers IDW1, Godzilla Heisei series

characters: Cosmos (the robot), Mothra (the moth)

summary: set directly after the 1992 Godzilla vs Mothra movie. Intent on keeping her promise, Mothra heads to space to stop a planet-destroying comet.

notes: totally unbeta’d, feedback is always appreciated.

Yesterday, she had made her first friend in half a century.

Today, that friend was dead. Alone, she hurtled through space, lacking even the fairies. They had been left on her island to guard her egg--at some point between the airfield and now, she had resigned herself to the notion that she was destined to be alone.

Which was fine.

It wasn’t like she was lonely; the fairies were good company when they were around. Once he had seen the sense in working together, even Battra had accepted her offer of a tentative alliance to defeat a stronger enemy. Privately, she wondered if he had been lonelier than her, truly lacking any kin besides the planet itself. She wondered if anyone would have ever been able to understand him.

So, she was happy enough being alone.

Battra had not told her the exact location of the Gorath comet. He had not lived long enough to know how to navigate the stars and currents the way she had, but she could feel its presence, tingling in the back of her mind like a headache. And she could hear something else; a soft static just behind her eyes.

She suspected it was nothing more than a satellite. The humans had started sending them up into space some time ago, though she had not thought they would be so far from the earth. She made a mental note to ask her fairies to ask the humans about the satellites once she got back.

Ah.

There—slightly larger than she had expected, green and round—was the satellite. Mothra tucked in her wings as she approached, landing softly on the satellite. It smelled like alien metal. Beneath its core components, she could feel its circuitry humming, felt the engine pulse under her feet.

The satellite made an offended sputter. It jerked away from her, metamorphosing in a whirl of green and white and silver, until it had evolved completely, becoming a strange, two-legged creature with a blue eye screen that matched her own eyes, gawking up at her.

It chirped and chattered angrily. Mothra frowned, straining her ears as she tried to make sense of the little alien’s language. It was a little alien, wasn’t it? Surely the humans were not so advanced that they had learned to design mechanical beings such as this—surely they had some generations to learn and grow before repeating the mistakes of the Elias. If the humans could make little robots intelligent enough to travel so far, to chirp angrily at her, surely their technology was not so far from reaching the point where they would desire to control the earth’s climate.

Perhaps, Mothra realized despairingly, her friend had not been wrong to act so quickly.

“—¸.•..>?” The alien gestured to her with one hand, then to the vast expanse of space around them all.

Mothra blinked. It hadn’t run, nor had it tried to attack her.

She backed up, far enough to easily dodge the alien if needed, close enough that she didn’t think the little alien would think too badly of her.

“Mothra,” she said. “My name is Mothra.”

“Mothra!” The robot tapped his chest. “Thank Primus the translator picked up your language. You understand me?”

Mothra’s eyes had gone wide in awe. Fascinating. The alien—now, she was sure it was an alien—could understand her! “I understand you.”

The robot’s eye screen flashed. “Hi, uh, Mothra. I’m Cosmos.”

Mothra’s antennae twitched. An appropriate name. Were his species named after their functions? Mothra supposed she had named herself. Or perhaps the Elias had. It had been so long, she could no longer remember.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cosmos,” Mothra said. Now that she was paying closer attention, she could hear it: what she had believed to be the satellites’ circuitry humming was Cosmos’s voice, quiet and constant against the silence of space. “I believed I was alone.”

“Oh!” Cosmos tilted his head, eyes watching Mothra with an expression she wanted to label as curious. “I’m usually by myself out here. I mean, not totally alone, but, you know: lonely.”

Curious, Mothra tapped Cosmos’s arm with one leg. She could practically taste it, sharp and sour at the back of her throat. Wishing desperately for something out of reach.

She wondered if Cosmos could sense her loneliness.

“So.”

They had been floating in silence for perhaps a minute. Mothra was used to the silence, but apparently, Cosmos was not.

“I’ve never seen a ‘Mothra’ before,” Cosmos asked. “Are you just…out here for fun? For recon?”

“I made a promise,” Mothra said. “To a friend. There’s a comet—an asteroid, I think—that’s going to hit the planet we live on. I promised I would stop it.”

Cosmos nodded. “I’ve surveyed this quadrant for the last cycle looking for artificial weaponry, but I did collect data on a medium-sized comet that’s scheduled to enter the SOL-84 system within the next half-cycle.”

Cosmos pointed somewhere to his right. “I guess I can’t upload the exact coordinates into your processor, can I?”

“No.” Mothra blinked. “But I can sense its presence, just as I heard you.”

“Huh.” Cosmos dropped his hand and crossed his arms, looking away from Mothra. Then: “D’you need…help, stopping it?”

She hadn’t even considered asking. Surely Cosmos had his own missions to complete, his own promises to uphold, but if he was offering…

“Alright,” Mothra said. After all, Battra hadn’t told her how he planned to stop the thing. “Thank you.”

“I’m technically not supposed to have this,” Cosmos was saying. “But my boss, uh, well, I’m not sure where he got it, or who developed it, but it works!”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

Cosmos shrugged. “It’ll get the job done. We haven’t been able to study black holes in too much detail, but I think it’s safe to say that your comet won’t cause you any more trouble. Press the big button. Second from the left.”

Mothra tapped the button. It flashed yellow and she looked up, studying the deactivated sensor net.

She and Cosmos had spent the better part of a day planting tiny metal circles the size of Cosmos’s hand around an asteroid belt. According to Cosmos, once the comet entered the sensor’s range, a highly experimental (yet safe) black hole would be created. Once it had consumed the Gorath comet, Cosmos would activate another highly experimental (yet safe) device to render the black hole harmless.

Mother knew little of human (or robot) technology, and all of the more technical words Cosmos had used to explain had failed to translate into her language. From what little she understood, Cosmos planned to disrupt the inner workings of the black hole, destabilizing something in its orbit in order to dissipate its energy.

“After this,” Cosmos said, “Are you going back to earth?”

Thoughtfully, Mothra tapped her fingers against the metal controls. She hadn’t considered going anywhere but Earth, but the robot’s tone made it seem like there was another option. She could stay with him, perhaps. For a time. Yet, the seal she had placed on Godzilla would not last for long. She had a year—perhaps two—before he awakened. And when he did, Mothra was unsure if she would be able to stop him by herself.

“Yes.” Mothra turned to look at Cosmos. She couldn’t tell what the robot was thinking—without spending more time around him, it was nearly impossible to pick up any but the most urgent of his thoughts. Nor could she understand his body language: he had no discernible eyes, simply that shining blue plate of on his head. He didn’t even have wings. The robot watched impassively as she found her voice, and spoke:

“I am sworn to protect my planet,” Mothra said. “And I must return. However, I would welcome the help if you wanted to come with me.”

Cosmos had been slouching on an asteroid, but as she spoke, he straightened, as though he were startled.

“You’d want—you just met me!” Cosmos said. “What if I were a Decep—a bad guy, out to destroy your organic species?”

“There’s only one of me,” Mothra said, ignoring Cosmos’s half-uttered apology. “Besides, if you wanted to kill me, surely you would have done so already?”

“I guess.” Cosmos shrugged. “I mean, I’d love to. It sounds much nicer than staying in space all the time. Are there other people where you live?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Cosmos checked one of the screens on his wrist and turned in the direction of the comet’s approach. “And you were the only person they sent to stop this thing?”

“I was the only one who could do it.” Mothra frowned. “The only one alive, at least.”

Which was true. Though he could fly far faster than her, she doubted even Rodan would have the strength to travel this far with no air. Plus, if Rodan died in this airless, frigid place, he would never come back. Mothra would.

“Oh.” Cosmos looked back at her. “I know what you mean. I’ve been one of the few spacefaring bots who survived this long into the war, so I’m always posted out here. I mean, not here, specifically. Wherever Prowl or Skids need me.”

“What strange names you robots have.”

Cosmos snorted. “You’re literally a giant moth.”

“Fair point.” Just a few hours ago, it had been little more than annoyance—helpful, even, as she navigated the stars—but now, pressure in her head was reaching a crescendo. If the comet did not enter the asteroid belt soon, she would need to retreat before it got any more painful.

“Will you be alright?” Cosmos asked abruptly. “Going back to the earth alone?”

Mothra was quiet as she considered his words, scratching at the scales on her neck as she thought. She hadn’t taken the time to properly clean herself after the fight, and her fluff was still covered in the ash and debris of Godzilla’s radioactive breath. At least she hadn’t gotten any blood on her, Mothra thought morbidly.

Yes, she had realized in the last few hours: she was lonely, had been lonely for some time, and acquiring and losing a friend in the span of a few minutes had only forced her to realize that. Had that been why she had asked Cosmos to return to earth with her?

“I—“ The pressure in her head spiked, and Mothra looked up to see the comet, once little more than a speck on the horizon, now looming above them. “I think we’d better move back.”

“Agreed.”

Together, they flew to the furthest tip of the asteroids, as far from the comet as they could get before Cosmos lost the signal.

“You ready?”

Mothra nodded.

Cosmos pressed the button.

The light was strong enough that Mothra had to look away, and the blast that followed had her huddling beside Cosmos as rock and ash pelted their bodies.

It hadn't made a sound.

When Mothra looked up, there was no sign of the comet—hardly any sign of the asteroids themselves. What little remained floated aimlessly; some of the rocks had been split open, revealing shimmering crystals and dark obsidian. It was a beautiful sight, and Mothra wished Battra was here to see it.

“Thank you,” Mothra said. “I don’t know how I would have done it on my own.”

“Hey, anytime.”

Mothra imagined Cosmos was smiling. He had to have a mouth, didn’t he?  

“You know,” Cosmos said. “I know you’ve gotta go, but if you’re ever in the quadrant…”

Mothra moved to bump her head against Cosmos’s forehead. Among her species, it would be considered a fond gesture—one of respect and solidarity. But Cosmos leapt back, emitting a harsh, staticky yelp.

“Sorry!”

“Oh! No, no, it’s okay.” Cosmos hesitated, then patted Mothra’s forehead awkwardly. “Caught me by surprise is all.”

Collecting the equipment took far less time than setting it up. In no time at all, Cosmos had transformed back into his strange, circular form, and Mothra had reoriented herself to face Earth.

“Thank you,” Mothra said, again. “I do hope we will meet again one day.”

“Me too.”