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mothmanismyuncle · 2 years ago

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Hey! For the hurt comfort prompt, how about "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you" or "How long did you think you could hide that?" Use it on whoever you like! Thanks! :D

so, i just saw this and i sincerely apologise that i hadn't answered it sooner.

however... i'm sort of glad i didn't, because i just started writing again for the third rewrite of my original werewolf novel and i actually just wrote this scene.

so i hope you like jack and orion! (:

tw: blood. lots of blood. graphic depictions of violence AND character death (temporary)

Jack’s flat was over a dance studio downtown. Apparently, he’d been allowed to rent the space for cheap because he did all of the photography work for all of the dancers below, from the little kids recitals to the professionals that worked in Pittsburgh.

Orion was… On edge. He hated being downtown for too long. The tangle of people and cars and lights, smells and sounds and too many colours. It was all overwhelming, even to somebody that had been a ‘wolf all his life.

Jack just seemed to ignore it all, one arm hooked through Orion’s to lead him up the cast-iron stairs to the gated archway of his front stoop.

“I know that you were raised by wolves and all, but the big fuck off boots have got to go at the door, brother,” Jack drawled, toeing off his sneakers and tossing his jacket on a chair by the door.

Orion quietly obliged, crouching down to untie his laces and peering around.

The living room was to the right, a cacophony of papers, canvas and paint, empty soda cans and mugs. The kitchen to the left, dishes still in the sink, coffee still in the pot. A door hung open to a bedroom and Orion spotted a canopy bed with green sheer drapes and an open window, mustard yellow curtains floating in the breeze.

The ceilings were high, ancient electric chandeliers dangling and buzzing at him, and the whole apartment carried Jack’s scent so heavily it lay on Orion’s tongue.

He kept his eyes downcast, knowing they were topaz and glinting bright in the dim light.

“So, Drew dove face-first into some of the werewolf lore he’s found, and he wanted to run it by you.” Jack said, going immediately to the coffee pot and sloshing around the remnants. “Would you judge me if I drank this before I made us new?”

“Go for it,” Orion said quietly, hovering awkwardly in the space between the living room and kitchen. “He wanted to run it by me, or he wanted you to run it by me?”

Jack grimaced while he chugged the cold coffee directly from the pot.

“Uh,”

“It’s fine. I scare him.”

Jack made to deny the fact, but Orion smirked at him and put his right hand over his chest, tapping it in time with Jack’s rapidly skipping heartrate before the lie can even fall from his lips. He knew the smirk didn’t reach his eyes by how guilty Jack looked while he washed out the coffee pot and started another round.

Jack seemed to be thinking hard about something as he turned back to the sinkful of dishes and started washing those, too, probably just needing something to do with his hands. Jack moved constantly, be it bouncing from one foot to the other or gesticulating wildly while he spoke.

Orion didn’t begrudge him his silence, if only because he didn’t know the right way to break it himself.

“He’s right to be afraid,” He finally said. “He knows what I am. Saw it first hand.”

“What we are.” Jack said, looking up at Orion sharply. “If he thinks you’re a monster, then I’m one too.”

Anger welled up inside of Orion, thick and cloying, and he only just pushed it down in favour of clearing his throat.

“Is that what he said?” He asked carefully, reaching over the kitchen counter to where Jack was well on his way to crushing a mug back to its base components. He put his hand over Jack’s soapy knuckles and tugged gently, taking the creaking ceramic from Jack and setting it on the counter.

“Not to my face. I overheard him talking to Eric,” Jack said, giving up on the dishes and drying his hands with a weary sigh. “For what it’s worth, Eric defended you.”

“Small victories,” Orion said with a wry but genuine smile. Eric, who fainted at blood, defender of the monsters. “Did he give you a list or something?”

“Did he give me a list,” Jack said, taking the opportunity to launch into dramatics. “He sent me an Excel sheet. With external references.”

Orion’s frown grew deeper as Jack lead him to the couch, swiping up all the empty soda cans and sheepishly dunking them into the nearby wastebasket.

“Well, let’s get started.’

There was no proper way to both look at a laptop without some part of their bodies touching, Orion found out quickly. Thighs, shoulders, hands when they both went for the keyboard at the same time. It was maddening. Every second that passed Orion was sure Jack would spring up from the couch and call him on the waves of desire that rolled off of him to cloud the room. He had to smell it, right? He had to know.

When he failed to jump when loud pop music started up downstairs, Orion began to worry.

“You can hear that, right?”

“Uh,” Jack blinked, nearly dropping the laptop onto the floor.

“The dance class?”

“Yeah,” Jack replied. He shot Orion a bit of a guilty look. “So, it’s kind of been a thing that I listen in some times? Like, have you ever seen Dance Moms? It’s like that, but just for me. I’ve been doing it since I moved in, I mean, they’re so loud when they talk shit about each other but now,” He swiped faux sweat from his brow. “I’ll tell you what, there’s some serious drama in that ballet class sometimes.”

“It doesn’t bother you?” Orion asked, mystified.

“The drama? Lord, no. I live for that shit,”

“No,” Orion couldn’t help but laugh. “How noisy and busy it is. Living here would drive me insane.”

“Like, living over a dance studio specifically, or just downtown in general?”

“Both,” Orion shrugged.

“I guess I’m used to it. You grew up literally in the wilderness. No wonder stuff like this drives you nuts.” Jack replied, pulling up the next pdf of whatever local legend Drew wanted him to vet.

Orion couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that wormed its way through his chest. How was a man that’d only been a werewolf for a week better at it than he was?

Maybe that’s why Orion didn’t hear them coming until it was too late.

His only warning was the sound of boots hitting the floor in Jack’s room and he jumped up from the couch to see two ‘wolves, claws and fangs out, creeping through the bedroom.

Orion pushed Jack’s head down and leapt over the back of the couch.

“Stay down!” He bellowed, crashing into the pair with an ugly snarl.

“What the fuck,” Jack cried, immediately ignoring Orion’s request and peering over the back of the couch. “Who the fuck are you?!”

The closest raked both hands down Orion’s chest, gouging deep, before grabbing the top of the doorframe and kicking both feet up into his wounded chest.

Orion hit the ground with a yelp, but that didn’t keep him down long. He rolled ass over teakettle and got back on his feet, launching himself at the one in the back and ripping his jaws into their jugular. They went down gurgling and he grabbed the other intruder by their waist, claws sinking in deep, before he ripped out their throat with one hand.

Jack watched, eyes wide and frozen, for only a second before the front door behind him pounded once, twice, rattling in the frame as though someone was ramming up against it.

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you,” Orion growled. He knew what he looked like. Blood on his hands, blood running down his face, down his sluggishly healing chest. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he strode back over the back of the couch and stood in the living room in front of Jack.

“I trust you.”

Splinters from the bashed-in door rained over them before Orion could answer, and three more spilled into the living room.

It was routine until it wasn’t. Tear out a throat, throw the body on the floor. Tear out a throat, throw the body on the floor. It was almost like they had no training at all, no instinct to protect their vital organs or anything. They didn’t even speak.

They only attacked, desperately clamoured to get around Orion and sink their claws into Jack.

Orion was ripping his arm out of the last one’s mouth when Jack screamed from behind him.

An intruder Orion hadn’t seen had crept in from the bedroom and straddled Jack’s hips on the couch, snarling as his jaws clamped down on Jack’s throat.

“No!’ He bellowed, making quick work of the task at hand and flipping the coffee table out of his way.

He was too late, he knew it; his vision pulsated red as he punched a hole through the fucker’s ribcage and tore out anything he could reach.

“Jack?” He took the attacker’s place, one hand clamped over the wound and one coming to rest on the gaping man’s cheek. “I’m— No, Jack. No, you have to— hang on, please,”

Jack’s hand came up to cover Orion’s, a shaking, pained smile reaching Jack’s lips. Wherever Orion touched, blood smeared; Jack’s, Orion’s, the intruder’s.

It made him sick.

Orion’s skin was stitching itself back together. He healed quicker than most of the ‘wolves he knew and he blamed it on the Alpha line. His heart throbbed with the effort and fear, and something else. Something he’d been trying to avoid this entire time.

He wondered, surrounded by bodies and the smell of salt and iron, why anyone would said love was felt in the heart. Sure, he felt it there, but he felt it everywhere. Where his throat constricted at the way Jack’s eyes were growing dim. Where his stomach roiled at the scent of Jack’s blood, thick in his nose. Every point of contact between Jack and Orion sent jolts of electricity down to the soles of his feet.

Every part of him ached as the only other heartbeat in the room slowed, slowed, then stopped.

It was love that welled up in his eyes and pattered onto the other man’s slack jaw, mixing with blood and streaming down Jack’s face. It was love that croaked Jack’s name, broken, over and over until it became nonsense words spilling from his lips.

Love that grew up like weeds through the tarmac. Love in all the ways Jack reminded him of Lin and in all the ways he didn’t. Love in the collapse of Orion’s limbs and his forehead pressed to Jack’s still, unbreathing chest.

Love in the way that Jack took a rattling, heaving breath and screamed, his heartbeat returning all at once. Love. That was it, Orion thought. That feeling coursing through his body, burning him up from the inside out. Love, kin with relief and buried in the casket with gratitude, as Jack’s eyes finally opened again and he blinked blearily up at Orion. It’d been love all along.

#tw: blood #tw: violence #prompt fill #jack and orion

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goron-king-darunia · 2 years ago

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Annon-Guy: In terms of an Actor Alternate Universe: Are Emil, Marta, Tenebrae, Richter, Aqua, Alice and Decus like their game counterparts in terms of personality and relationships (Emil X Marta and Alice X Decus on both and off the stage ❤)? Or is it a case of "Nice Character, Mean Actor" for Emil and Marta and "Mean Character, Nice Actor" for Richter, Alice and Decus?

Okay, so, these are just headcanons and thus you will probably get a different answer if you ask me again, but this is what I feel for today. Emil: He is not acting. He's just like that. The only acting part is the stutter and he does it when he forgets a line and they just leave it in because it fits the character.

Marta: Perpetually sleep-deprived understudy who got the part because the OG person cast for Marta got sick during production. She's nice enough when she isn't working, but if you mess up your lines and make her do the take more than 3 times she WILL cry and storm off to her trailer to chug inadvisable amounts of energy drinks and coffee and text all her besties about how being a starlet and getting her big break is hell.

Tenebrae: He's a Puppeteer with a green morph suit. He's from broadway and really hard-core into practical effects and he takes his puppeteering work very seriously. He built and articulated the Tenebrae puppet himself and also provides the voice. Kindly old grandpa on set but VERY SERIOUS.

Richter: Diva but the nice kind. Giggly and forgets his lines often but puts his entire soul into his performance. And then 90% of it gets cut because "Yeah, we decided not to put the whole Richter/Aster backstory into this movie." Richter spends the entire rest of filming in his trailer yelling back and forth with his agent and lawyers because "I was so good, how are they NOT going to use that footage?! This is my breakout performance! They hired me because I'm the only guy on this set that can actually cry on cue and they aren't using ANY of those juicy backstory scenes!" Friendly with the rest of the cast and brings in snacks when he's not on set. Venomous animosity with the director, though.

Aqua: Clueless and bubbly. Irritates the riggers by doing acrobatics in her aerial rig and getting things tangled before shooting starts and has a love-hate relationship with the makeup artist. "We are begging you to stop goofing off while waiting for your cue, we have to keep redoing everything." Hates the armature in her wig that makes the hair-tail move because it's itchy and the noise the joints make right behind her ears makes her skin crawl. Genuinely BFFs with Richter off set. She's responsible for half of the blooper reel. She thinks she has a great relationship with the rest of the cast and staff, but lots of people think she's an airhead because she doesn't take her job seriously, so the director and a lot of the crew kind of hate her. She's oblivious. This is clearly her first acting gig and she's the least professional.

Alice: Diva but the rude kind. Either perpetually hungover from partying and schmoozing with other celebrities or strung out on caffeine from working late. Makes everything someone else's problem. Routinely walks off set and refuses to perform if everyone else isn't ready on her schedule. Mortal Enemies with Tenebrae's actor who also created the Monster puppets because she keeps pulling the stitches out of Aramis because "It's itchy!" Genuinely trying her best but celebrity life is ruining her. Adores getting to be a ruthless villainess because she can let off steam

Decus: Genuinely well-adjusted and the most professional. Amicable with the cast and crew. Everyone genuinely loves him. He's just famous enough to have a small community of dedicated fans, but not famous enough that he can't slink into a crowd and disappear. Somehow has a good work-life balance and falls asleep instantly at any time of day so he's the only one on set that isn't tired all the time. Started a perfume line based on the character of Decus as a joke and had to stop as soon as it became popular because of copyright infringement.

As for relationships.

Everyone thinks Emil and Marta are dating and they change their answers every time they're interviewed. Genuinely nobody knows if they're dating or not but every Tabloid on the planet says they definitely are to the point that their friends and family are like "We think so? They have to be dating right? Otherwise why did we have holiday dinners together?" (The reality is probably that they're in an open relationship because they both know celebrity relationships tend not to last because the job is stressful and they won't always be cast together in movies so it's going to be so easy to catch feelings for their romantic counterparts in later movies that they just decide to enjoy whatever they have together without committing to anything. They enjoy confusing as many people as possible by not explaining their actual relationship status.)

Richter is dating Emil's brother, the stunt double who did all the choreography and also played Aster.

Tenebrae has been married for 40 years but no one has ever seen his wife. (She's camera shy and absolutely refuses to have her photo taken. They occasionally find gift baskets in the break room when the crew wraps that are supposedly from her but no one has EVER seen who leaves them, so no one knows if she's ever even been on set or if she just has someone deliver them.)

Aqua and Richter are BFFs, but Aqua's single. Richter regularly tries to wingman for her, but nothing ever seems to work out. Probably because Richter's gay as hell and doesn't understand straight people attraction.

Alice has a reputation for sleeping with everyone she shares a romantic role with, including the actor for Decus. She's always adamant that she's not even interested in dating and even Decus has stood up for her, but everyone refuses to believe that she isn't sleeping with every man on set.

Decus is basically Alice's only real, constant, celebrity friend because he's just genuinely nice to everyone and Alice doesn't make friends easily. He's actually single and on the dating market, but he knows from Alice how hard it can be to be a celebrity and how easily you can be defamed, so he's trying to date someone outside the movie industry without anyone finding out so he can spare his partner from all the paparazzi vultures and the Tabloid gossip mongers.

#headcanons #opinions #DotNW #Actor AU #Letters from Annon Guy

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crypticcodexcreations · 2 years ago

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Find the Word Tag!

@andromedatalksaboutstuff was so kind as to tag me for Find the Word! My words to find are WHISPER, SCREAM, GONE, HEART, & COLD Due to my knack for not having the right words, I do have one substitution.

Whisper Mumble

His stomach, on the other hand, was less impressed until he spotted a small cafe, its window filled with the most mouth watering looking desserts he had ever seen in his life. As he stared through the window, his stomach growled. "Ok, ok, I'm going..." He mumbled to himself. A small bell jingled overhead as William opened the door.

From Only Human

Scream

"Sorry, but I should go!" He stood, shoving his phone in his pocket and the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth before taking his coffee and hurrying out the door. Lillian stared after him, smiling slightly as he left. William, however, was nervously chugging his coffee. Had he upset her when he was so blunt? This was a small town. He was sure they would see each other again. What if she hated him? His mind raced as he just tried to put distance between himself and the cafe. His coffee was finished and cup discarded in the first can he found along the way. He wanted to scream.

From Only Human

Gone

Michael had said he would follow me either way. That likely included if he woke up to find me gone. As much as I barely knew these people and still wasn't completely sure I could trust them, I didn't want to cause them harm. Trying to find me in that forest would put Michael at even more risk. Besides that, I didn't have any way to defend myself and Mortimer had offered to let me take some sort of weapon with me. I stood, locking the door and making sure the window was locked as well, trying to push away the thought that they might have been lying to me about the monsters to allow that figure to catch up to me. Whoever that was had had enough time to catch up if that were the case.

From Cross Over.

Heart

I sighed, glancing out the window at the dark forest not too far away. For just a second, I thought I saw eyes staring back at me. Even as I was sure it was just my imagination, I closed the curtains anyways. I sat down on the bed, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm my pounding heart. I couldn't help but wonder if I was actually safe here though.

From Cross Over

Cold

In the end, William was gone just under two hours for dinner. He unlocked the door, putting his key back in his pocket and fumbling for the light switch in the entry hall. After a moment though, he froze as his brain caught up to his surroundings and processed a soft, warm glow coming from the living room doorway. The way it moved made his blood run cold. Fire. He rushed in, hoping it would be small enough for him to handle, only to stop dead in his tracks.

From Only Human

And now I'll be tagging @blind-the-winds @kyofsonder @sleepyowlwrites as well as leaving an open tag for those who'd like to participate. The words I'm giving you all are: Riveting, Important, Correct, Halt and Light

#tag games #Only Human #Cross Over

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heresathreebee · 4 years ago

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Strawberry Soda

Marvel's Ava Starr x Reader

Summary: the 'reformed' SHIELD assassin that's been visiting your favorite self help minimart is really cute.

Masterlist Next

Warning(s): +13 | no-snap AU, post-Ant Man and the Wasp. Flirt (?), gender neutral reader, Ava did nothing wrong and is therefore in no need of reformation/redemption.

Author's note: I tend to write with black, poc and afab characteristics in mind, but if the gender-neutral and racially-ambiguous boots fit, feel free to wear 'em! Absolutely no editing went into the making of this fic so please enjoy responsibly

She's been coming here for a month and you can't stop looking. Always with her hood up or a hat obscuring her face, but she could never truly hide eyes like that. All your life, you've never given weight to the world's obsession with light eyes. Maybe it was in small part jealousy as a result of your upbringing, but it was also that there was more to a person than their eyes. This woman just might have changed your mind.

Not the color of them necessarily (it was a jumble of not quite green and not quite grey, you think it changed with their surroundings). No, it was the sharpness, the intensity, like ice and fire in them. They had never landed on you, but everywhere they landed and every time they landed somewhat close to you, you felt panic sweep up your body from your toes to your stomach. And every time she turned away, you realized you were holding your breath and you hear that Art Garfunkel song playing in your head.

Yeah, you might have a slight crush on her.

Every time Bright Eyes comes in she does the same thing. She plucks a bag of sour gummy worms from the rack and pockets them. She goes to the back wall and assesses the many drink types and flavors in the fridges. Picks something, pays for it, then leaves.

You are by no means shy, and she's not the only person you've observed in this store. And yet you're still working up the nerve to say something to her (code for debating if you should even say something at all), and you've spent too much time observing and debating that you feel like a bit of a creep at this point.

Today (or tonight? It was still pretty early) she's actually in your way. Most people seem to steer clear of one another in here, never ever engaging another person unless absolutely necessary, and here you are, awkwardly watching her select her drink of the day. And she's in no rush either; you can see her bright eyes scanning lazily the rows of monster, budlight, snapple, and redbull. She's never seemed quite taken by sugary sodas, however–

"Here," you hear yourself say as you reach around her. You've been up all night and need a boost to keep you going just a little bit longer before you crash for the day. You pluck the strongest red bull you could see and an additional glass of pink liquid.

"This is strawberry soda," you advised, "it's not American so it's got less carbonation and sugar content in it,"

You rasp and press the cool glass of Ramune into her hand and your sleep addled brain cannot help but remark on how soft her skin is.

"Thank you." For a second you fear that you said that last part out loud, and you are momentarily distracted by her accent, and then when you part your lips to apologize, the drag of your skin alerts you that she was probably thank you for the drink.

You try to hum in acknowledgement but it comes out more like an embarrassing grunt (she is smiling at you at least). That's when you realize her eyes are on you. Bright Eyes is looking directly at you… and yet you feel none of the apprehension you felt from before.

"My pleasure." You walk with her to the self-help counter where she enters in the Ramune, the gummy worms, and the red bull. She locks eyes in a gentle glare as if to say 'don't you dare argue' so of course it sends a thrilling shiver through your body and you let her buy your drink for you.

There's this momentum going, it's your first conversation with her and you're not ready for it to end. Unconsciously, you crack open your red bull and chug it. Maybe the bitter tangy beverage will help you to think of something to say.

You're in luck when instead of starting to leave, Ava looked over the unusual instructions for opening ramune bottles. You watched her read, then examine the top, then read again and look to you with mild confusion.

"I know," you say sympathetically. "I can show you if you like?"

She hands you the drink and watches you with calculating coolness. You pop the center cap out, flip it and just for dramatic effect, slam a fist to pop the glass marble into the top chamber. "Violá," you sing.

Ava takes the glass and a small sip. You watch the marble roll at the opening, too large to escape and more of a hindrance to your notorious chugging method of consumption. You're rambling about it before you realize.

"I think it's supposed to keep it mixed, or possibly force you to drink it slower. You know, savor it a little bit. Not my style, but I do think the marble is fancy. I just wish it was easier to take out, I'd have a hundred."

Bright Eyes chuckled, nearly spitting out the pink drink and having to cover her mouth with her hand. "That so? Hmm."

She seemed exactly as reluctant to end this interaction as you were. You stepped out the door onto the sidewalk together (you hold the door open, of course). Neither of you quite knows how to move on and you're a little relieved to see your feelings reflected in her eyes.

You offer your name. "I come here all the time, nobody's ever offered to buy me a drink, so, thank you."

"I'm… Ava," she stutters. "I'll, uh, see you around then?"

"I sure hope so." You look up the street and find the city street beginning to come alive as people commute from home to work, and when you turn back, Ava presses something cold into your hand as she says goodbye. You don't look at it until she disappears into a sea of dog walkers. Your brow furrowed in confusion as you rolled the glass marble in between your fingers. "How did she…?"

Someday you'll have a glass jar full of them.

#ava starr #ava starr x reader #antman and the wasp #gender neutral reader insert #fluff #three bees writing #ava starr x female reader

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colemacgrathtkz · 4 years ago

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Crashed Course

Previously. Next.

Disclaimer: Another long one but be warned.

[Six days after "Ah, memories", Blight manor]

As previously discussed, Luz held a sort of human crash course for her friends. Before they could meet her mother, she wanted to share as much about the human realm as possible. Willow, Gus, and Amity learned all they would. From currency to anime, most days, it seemed more like an excuse to hang out. Once, Willow and Gus couldn't appear. In light of this, Amity suggested holding the session at the manor. Luz didn't see anything wrong with that. Today's topic, the acceptable way to dance to "Bette Davis eyes". It was mostly her waving her arms in the air. However, her green haired host snatched her beanie during the lesson. Amity offered her a "teacher" a trade. They would take a break, in exchange for the cap. After agreeing, Blight etiquette called for getting the guest a drink. While she was away, Luz's "partner" had something to say.

Empress Luz: "Are sure about this? She turned on you in seconds."

Luz: "She was afraid of you and doesn't remember it. We're fine now. Besides, what kind of teacher would I be if I gave up on my student?"

Empress Luz: "Your first date ended with us erasing her memory. This is basically your second chance. Don't bring up any nasty memories."

She tried to answer the voice in her head, but Amity walked in at that moment.

Amity: "Two glasses, just for us."

She sat down on the davenport(sofa), right besides Luz.

Something to notice was the actual new haircut. Her Blight amor returned to style from day one. Short, but without the ponytail on top. Luz was stuck between her accomplice and her inamorata. She looked for anything to ease the tension. A quick observation might distract her "suspicious mind"

Luz: "So, you got rid of all your plants. You and Willow have a fight, again?"

Amity: "You were tied to a chair, by Willow, with my house's greenery. I just figured you'd prefer not having anything to worry about in your class here. I don't want to trigger any nasty memories for my you. "

Empress Luz: "She knows! Check our drink!"

Luz: "What about that one?"

The moment Amity turned her head, Noceda slipped something into her own drink. After surviving on the streets and avoiding poisoning attempts on the Isles, she learned a thing or two about self preservation. She merely poured a harmless potion meant to detect any "unusual" ingredients. She kept some of her own concoction on her, at all times.

Amity: "That's a mirror. And that's you getting busted."

Busted.

Amity: "I promise, it's just sparkling apple blood. But if you don't want it, I could take it. I'll check it for poison or whatever you had in mind?"

The latina quickly swiped her glass back.

Luz: "It's OK! It's just this isn't what you usually do."

Amity: "Is that so bad?"

She scooched closer and placed on hand on Luz's. Almost startled by this, the human chugged her drink and tried to get some distance. Normally, this stuff wouldn't bother her. But she knew full well her "partner in crime" could switch gears with her, at any moment.

Luz: "Say, how bout I teach you, what makes a good anime opening? Guess class is still in session."

Both her hands were held in that moment and Amity brought her face up close and personal. This was, once again, a high class manor with just the two of them.

Amity: "Amity Blight? What do you think about that?"

Were her eyes always this big?

Luz: "Your name? What about it?"

Amity: "Do you like it?"

What was in that drink?!

Luz: "Sure, I like it. Listen, maybe you should..."

Amity: " What about 'Amity Noceda-Blight'? Do you like the sound of that?"

Luz felt her heart skip a beat. Which was funny, considering Amity's head was now buried in her chest. Things were baffling as they are.

Luz: "It's a little early to start talking about that, isn't it? I mean, we're still pretty young."

Amity: "You haven't thought about it?"

Luz: "...."

Amity: "I've thinking about what meeting your mom means. I'm amazed that you can be so open, at times. 'You done things I could never do.' And that was before all this... monster staff life. But you've really proven yourself. And I think the others will see that, too, someday. So, don't go lying to me now, ok?"

Luz: "I haven't lied to you, preciosa. You can breathe easy about that."

After heaving a sigh, Amity just let herself flop on top of Luz. She didn't lift her head up one bit. Being so... affectionate wasn't a usual habit of Amity's. And yet, there she was being oddly "cuddly". The human underneath only cared about one thing at that moment. Rubbing her girlfriend's back and hoping that moment wouldn't end.

It had been a while since she'd felt truly happy.

Unfortunately, Amity was sent flying by a shockwave of red energy. The manor's resident found herself pinned to the wall.

Empress Luz: "Luz Noceda, your lovesick otter pup. You can fool her, but not me!"

The Empress snatched control from Luz. Now, she could only watch.

Amity crushed something in her hand and smoke began to engulf the room. The black smoke screen disrupted her captor's concentration. Blinded by the haze, she focused on a new sensation on her hands. Something was beginning to grow on palms of her hands. A black orb engulf each finger until it looked like she had bowling balls for fists.

The Empress made a beeline for the door, from memory. She barged through and raced for the gates. But her escape was cut off by giant tree roots. While they rose from the ground, hooded interlopers surrounded their target. Agents kept running around her. Randomly changing directions and yet never crashing into each other. She tried counting but lost track at 28. Luz would take a few hits from ones that managed to get close. Most of them were just advanced illusions. However, she noticed the footprints in the dirt gave her an opportunity. Using her feet, she made makeshift glyphs. Ironically,a ring of fire gave her enough of breather to make a pillar of ice. The Empress used the pillar like an elevator. She immediately got to work on smashing her new "weights" against the icy floor. Just as they were about to crack, an abomination grabbed the one of her right hand. Amity's creation had hitched a ride up with her.

Empress Luz: "Let me go!"

She smashed her left restraint to pieces and wasted no time firing a fire blast. The abomination was destroyed. But the heat from the surrounding flames and her attack did her pillar in. It crumbled to pieces underneath her. She was sent tumbling down to her waiting captors. As she tried to get up, two of them struck her just behind her knees. Sending her falling right on top of two well placed plant glyphs. The roots entangled her legs. Just as she was about to use her free hand, thick vines swirled completely around her left arm. They had her fingers immobilized. The greenery sprouted flowers and blew their petals in her face. That had to be Willow under that hood. Attempting to free her other arm, another abomination gripped her right arm. Blinded by the petals, she couldn't see something fly straight for her face. Whatever it was, it pinched her nose and held on for dear life. It wasn't hard to figure out what they had in mind. She tried to shake it, but to no avail. She was about as trapped as a human could be. Despite shaking her head violently, she felt some land right on head.

King: "Take this, I command as your ruler! The king of demons!"

Luz: "King?!"

She slipped up the moment she heard her boo boo buddy's voice. King dove his paw into her mouth with the payload. A small squishy like ball was introduced. He wrapped himself behind her head. He had to make sure she didn't spit it out.

After a few moments, she swallowed it. Right on cue, everyone let go and regrouped. Finally, she could see the hand of her former mentor scurrying away. But before she could do anything, the marble burst and released a orange vapor. Every one watched her cough some of it up. She smashed her last restraint and tried to tear the roots on her legs. Unfortunately, the potion finally kicked in. Her vision became blurry and her head fogged up.

Luz: "Oh, goodbye muscle control..."

She flopped face first into the dirt.

Everyone cautiously approached her. Amity was the first to reach her. She lifted her girlfriend's softly snoring head and put it on her lap.

Amity: "She's out cold."

As she wiped dirt off Noceda's face, the illusions were undone and everyone removed their hoods.

Eda, Lilith, Willow, Gus, Emira and Edric. King returned to Eda's side.

Eda: "Nice job, honor roll. It looks like we can work together."

Tonight was a tough mission. But they only wanted people who they trusted to bring in Luz alive. The most of the damage was kept to the front of the estate. The Blights agreed to be the ones who moved Luz to their secret base. Emira and Edric didn't want to clean up the mess in the yard. Eda collected some drool in a green bottle.

Things were finally setting into motion.

[Bonus]

[The 2 nights before, convention center]

Amity had received a request for a meeting. The catch was she come alone, without telling Luz. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have bothered with this. But recognized the handwriting. Eda, the owl lady, was finally making an appearance.

Eda: "Yo, class rep! It's been a while."

Amity: "Hi, it's nice to see you again. But why the secrecy? I thought you would have wanted to see Luz? Did you heal your curse, yet?"

Right then, Eda activated a plant glyph under the "New Coven" leader. As Amity struggled to get free, the owl lady poked and prodded the young witch's face.

Eda: "Sorry about that, kiddo. I had to be sure. I couldn't fall for the same trick, like the other twerps."

Unsure of what she meant, Amity simply gave her elder the floor.

Eda: "I can't stay for long, so I'll be quick. You and her other friends got caught in your little scheme. My former student messed with your memories. I know you wouldn't believe me without them. But my guess is she only left the good stuff. Hate to break it to you kid, but no relationship's a honeymoon forever."

Amity: "What are you talking about?"

A small blue vial was presented to her.

Eda: "Want to see if I'm right? A little something to turn you into a living lie detector. Just take some of this and look for a pulse."

An unconvinced look of a Blight might have reminded someone of old times.

Eda: "Come here, class act. There's something I want to show you."

Author's note:

This one reminds me of a certain movie fight.

I meant to upload this one, last week. Oops

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marionettejonesdraws · 6 years ago

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Kacchako Positivity Week Day1: Fragile

Ah~ Finally got over my anxiety and finished this piece. Then I spent a few more hours writing a fic to explain the situation. I end up doing that for other pieces too I guess.

Do not repost

If you like my work, please buy me a ko-fi. I need to upgrade my laptop(so many bugs). And I do need a new scanner. I want to make big A3 pieces! Coz details!!! Also making a custom drawing table with lightbox. Extra funds would be really helpful with my restart on illustration. OuO/ Cheers

Introductions~ the ones not explained on the Roses piece anyway.

Todoroki as runaway dragon prince, will drink a bar dry. Aizawa's as fae clergyman under the Church of Ibara, might die if he manages to finish that mug. Kiri and Sero as human mercenaries. Jiro as fae bard. Mina fell asleep waiting for Ochako to come back after running off with a stranger. Toru as light fae bar maid, decorates the pies and everything else. Dabi as the missing dragon prince currently working for the Ones Cursed by the Sun. Toga as bloodsucking demon also working with Dabi. They like the food here.

Storytime~

If anyone would ask, some would say that nothing is as fragile as the Thorn Prince's ego. But they would be wrong. It hasn't been true for many years now. Some would say it is the Rose Princess since she's been confined to the castle all her life. That too is just a common guess. It is something not many would expect--a secret kept from the plebians, the knights, and even the nobles. That seemingly endless sky forms it's first crack, because of a chance meeting? What does the future hold for these two young lords, and how will they mold it?

This scene: (Sorry for the messy construction. I'm really sleepy.)

Katsuki and Ochako are just coming back to the tavern after spending quite a lot of time having fun finding out more about each other. Iida and Kirishima run in and abruptly grab hold of their respective lords to separate them. "I, Knight of Rose Tenya Iida, in response to your violence against the Princess, have a duty to imprison you. Surrender or face worse punishment!" Tenya declares while drawing his sword.

BK: Princess? Oy! You didn't tell me about that. What's the big deal? (taking a big step forward)

Kiri: Hey, stop. Where did you run off to anyway? You two have been gone for 4 hours. This guy kept threatening to run you through! And goddamn, he runs fast.

Ochako: I thought that if you knew, you'd treat me differently.

BK: Differently? What would YOU do if you found out that I am a demon prince?

Ochako: Eh?!

Kiri: He's no- (gets punched)

BK: Let go already! (Points thumb on self)I am Prince Katsuki Bakugou of the Thorns.

Ochako: (trying to get past Iida's arm) It doesn't matter to me, one bit. We were having so much fun swinging swords on the rooftops. I don't want to miss a chance to make friends with someone so skilled!

Iida: gasp* How dare you swing your sword at such a fragile girl?

Ochako/BK: I'm/She's not fragile!

Iida: Regardless, you shouldn't mingle with demons without charm markings. They're dangerously unpredictable. Don't you know how quickly they turn into beast at the slight smell of blood?

Kiri: That's nonsense! I've been living with demons for a few years now. I've bled from sword training, yet I have never been attacked.

Iida: Silence! It doesn't apply to you,dragon. (swinging his sword very close to Kiri's face and pulling it back to a defensive position)

BK: Point your sword at him again, and I'd cut that arm off!

Kiri: Hey, no harm done. Let's just go home. (turning to face BK, ready to fly him off)

Iida: Monsters like you just bring disquiet and adversity. Do you even know your place in this country, demon?

Ochako: Don't say such awful things! Those accusations are simply untrue. (Still trying to get past Iida) You can't keep being like this to them. It's just one demon who-

Iida: You, how many times have I told you to stay away from trouble! (Pulling her cloak and pushing her back a few feet) We will go back to the castle this instant.

Bakugou shoves Kiri aside not leaving his glare on the knight. "For someone so large, you sure carry a small sword."

Iida: It's so I can fight in narrow spaces to prote-

"I'm not talking about that metal stick, you self righteous brick." BK huffs, walking closer. "You smell of fear. Someone with as weak a heart as yours can't protect Ochako."

Kiri rushes between them, lines growing on his face as he prepared to match BK's strenght. "Calm down. Calm down! We don't want trouble. We're just going home, right?" Kiri turns to face Iida to apologize but was met with the tip of his blade. He jumped back, pushing BK behind him. Bakugou's eyes turned to slits, markings tearing out of his eyes and cheeks, "You really got on my nerves, but this is different. I'm going to fucking kill you!" Kirishima barely stopped BK from pulling his sword out, eyes enlarged as he struggles to hold down his friend.

The surge of demonic aura flung open Iida's shield. "Iida, put down your sword!" Ochako pleaded as she tried to pull down his arm. "I command you! Put down your sword!"

Iida: If it's my blood you want then come get it!

BK: I'm not just going for blood. I'm going to fucking devour you!!!

Mina rushes out of the tavern, woken up by BK's demonic aura. "What's happening here? It's dangerous to let your power loose. If Iida finds out."

Ochako: Mina! Help me stop Iida. He's going to get himself killed.

Kiri: Mina? What are you doing here?

Mina was startled to see both the princess and her childhood friend, but upon looking farther she froze. 'He's the prince. The Thorn Prince!' At that very moment her instincts forced her to grovel.

Iida was taken aback: Mina what are you doing. Get up!

Mina: Lord Bakugou, please spare my idiotic companion! He is just doing his duty.

BK: He pointed his sword at my friend. Twice!

Mina: He's just very verbal with his hands, my Lord.

BK: What does that even mean, pink hair? This guy has been running his mouth about us demons. Am I supposed to just let that go?

Iida: If there is a witness, then it is true isn't it?

Ochako: It was just one demon! Pleaaase, put down your sword.

Kiri legs are starting to tremble against BK's weight. "Stop, Bakugou! The sun is setting!!!"

BK: Not till I take his head!

Mina shouts even louder hoping that they'd acknowledge her. "Take mine instead! Both of you, take my horns. I can't let my Lord and my companion fight each other over such trivial things! If anyone should be punished it should be me. I let her out of the castle and left her to roam unaccompanied. It's my fault!!!"

BK can't stand being ordered around, but this demon was adamant in her plea. "Who is your master, pink hair?"

Mina: I am Princess Ochako's servant my Lord.

BK: And who is this obscenely judgemental man to you?

Mina: A work companion who is dearly beloved to the princess. He is like a brother to her.

BK looks over to Ochako, still pulling Iida's arm back in the verge of tears: Tsk... Kirishima we're going home.

Kirishima almost fell forward as the weight against him disappeared. "Thank goodness." He bends over to Mina to help her up. "Hey, I'm glad to see you again."

Mina wrapped her arms around him. "Wow, you really changed." Kiri hugs her back, "Yeah."

BK from high up shouting: Stop exchanging looks. The sun's almost gone. Mom's gonna kill me!

Kiri: What are you saying? Geez. See you later, Mina. You gonna be here tomorrow?(unfolding his wings)

Mina: I'll send you a bird.

Kiri: Aww yiss! Bye~

Mina and Ochako watched them fly off into the sunset as Iida sheathes his sword.

Ochako gave a sigh of relief, her hands still trembling in Mina's. Iida grabbed on to Ochako's arm. "It's about time we go too. Pick up your things." He tried saying it as softly as he can with his strained breath.

Mina threw a loud slap across Iida's face. "What was that? How dare you! You put our lady in danger because of your personal vendetta? You go to the barracks on your own! We'll take a carriage."

Ochako's tears started to flow. "Mina, please don't be mean to him. He was just trying to protect me."

"No. That was just him being a jerk. He must have unnecessarily provoked the Prince. You saw how nice that guy is."

"But... but... *hnnggg*" Ochako buried her face into Iida's chest. "I thought you were gonna die! Stop starting fights. I was so scared. What if you leave me too? What will I do? I'm not powerful enough to save you yet." Her legs finally gave in after a whole day of running about. Iida caught her and lifted her up. "Tenya, promise me you'd stay safe."

Her expression was too much for Iida. He can't bare looking at her so he hugged her tightly, his head resting on her shoulder. "I'll do my best to keep this promise."

Mina is annoyed, but her lady needed to be reassured. "Fine~ We'll all ride the carriage."

They already left~

Todoroki: Well that's unexpected.

Aizawa: Urgh What farce. To think they'd actually meet. This is going to be troublesome.

Todoroki chugging down another mug: The aura he released isn't even a portion of his real power.

Aizawa: With luck, the charms on his body will restrain him till he is able to control it.

Todo: I think I can handle him easily. For now~

Aizawa takes a sip: Have you noticed the darkness lingering about them while they went around town?

Todo: You mean, aside from you? (Aizawa looking a bit annoyed.) Not till just a while ago. They got drawn to him when he let loose.

Aizawa: sigh~ What was the queen thinking? Doing this so close to the ceremony?

Todo: She loves her son. (Raises hand to get another mug.

Aizawa: A bit too much.

Todo: Cheers (clunk)

Aizawa: For the blue sky.

Todo: And the blue sea.

#kacchakopositivityweek #kacchako #ochako uraraka #bakugou katsuki #bnha #mjdraws #kirishima eijiro #mina ashido #iida tenya #aizawa shota #todoroki shoto #dabi #toga himiko #hakagure toru #jiro kyoka #sero hanta #kaminari denki

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pvremichigan · 2 years ago

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Built like a brick shit house, looks like he could kill even Chuck Norris. Mixed race, actually big sweetheart who has no idea how to people. Immortal, has been hurt by life and loved ones, guards his heart. Scars and trauma for days, will share his own struggles and pain if you do to try and show he cares and can relate. Fights bears in forests if they are reasonably about to destroy or harm endangered or higher flora or fauna. Lives in bumfuck nowhere and likes it. Hates cities but will speak learnedly and earnestly about the architecture unless firmly and instantly dissuaded. Chugs his respect people juice, will either hold your flower while your kick ass or hold them while you punch depending on what you want. Big himbo energy even though he is smart. Has been known to cry over particularly small baby animals.

"Listen. You sound lovely, you sound amazing, but I highly doubt you'd actually be up to par face to face. I doubt you can put weight on these words when it comes down to it. You might be a fucking monster or alien or something and I'm definitely not interested in other beings like that. 'Respect people juice'? Oh please, respect is earned with me, not given. I can't agree with someone who will respect anyone they come across for the first time. I don't know, it all just sounds too good to be true. I doubt you, not your words. I can't put my faith in you, you seem like you'd treat everyone the same and I NEVER trust that type of person."

"I don't mean this disrespectfully in its entirety, but I just don't trust you. This is a lot of information to back up. Are you really up to the task?"

"Oh... And if proving it to me personally isn't in your interest, I suggest you move on. I don't care for people unwilling to prove themselves. I hope you can understand, I've come across too many people who talk themselves into a hole, unable to prove a single word. Those who walk away not needing to prove themselves to those who simply ask for it kindly is a cowardly thing to do. What have you to hide if you have your own word to prove?"

"This got deep. Shit. Uh, it's a no until proven otherwise."

It would've been a yes but trust issues are a killer problem.

"But..."

"I do relate to you on the loss. On the immortality. I appreciate that you feel that way because it makes me feel less alone. The more immortals I meet, though I loath most of the lot, the less alone the world feels."

#[[pull the trigger]];; ic #[[gun powder]];; mich

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forkanna · 7 years ago

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[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

Thanks for your reviews, I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying! Forkannukkah will keep chugging along!

WARNING: Themes of depression and underage drinking. Also, Naru is "Molly" for those who grew up with the old DiC dub. (Similarly, next chapter "Makoto" is "Lita" from the DiC dub. I probably don't have to tell you this but... better than help when not needed than not help when needed!)

Act 3. Naru: Moving On

"I'm really worried about her."

Usagi could scarcely spare Ami a glance as they walked along the pavement, their schoolbags clutched in front of their legs and bumping up and down with the rhythm of their steps. This had been something she was avoiding thinking about lately. How could she live with herself? Her friend had been out "sick" for nearly a week, and she had barely even tried to visit her twice. It was simply easier to mentally check out and avoid the entire situation.

The fact that Naru Osaka had lost someone very dear to her was a very large part of what complicated matters. Just because she had no idea Masato Sanjouin was the same person as Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom didn't mean it was easy for Usagi to let the matter go. How could she care for him as if he were a real man? How could he have been an agent of evil, frequently sending monsters after herself and Rei and Ami, her close friends and fellow Sailor Senshi, and Naru never see it, never question why he was so evasive when she would attempt to get closer to him? It boggled her bun-headed brain.

"Me, too," was all she wound up saying as they walked. Then she sighed. "Do you want to come to Crown with me today?"

"The Game Center or Fruits?"

"Either one. Just… to relax for a little while."

Ami didn't exactly look thrilled with the idea. The reason was revealed a second later when she said, "I'm taking an extracurricular math course, hoping to improve my high school placement scores. And I need to study for tomorrow's assignment. Sorry."

"Oh."

"Why don't you go and see her? I'm sure once you do, you'll probably feel a lot better."

Frowning down at her shoes, she sighed and said, "You're right. Just, like… it's hard. He was the Enemy! How are we supposed to forget about that?"

"Believe me, it's hard for me, as well. And for Rei. But I can appreciate that to Naru-san, Nephrite was a completely different person. And maybe… she's the one who was right about him."

"You think so? I mean… I know he seemed really different at the end there, but like, if he's not around to put his money where his mouth is…" She squirmed uncomfortably. It was hard, since she always wanted to see the best in people. But when it came to the enemies of the Moon Kingdom, they had done so much widespread damage to humanity that was it was a lot more of an uphill battle for her to give them any second chances. Even in memoriam.

Ami had stopped walking. Usagi was about to cross the street when she noticed, wobbled for a second, then went down like a tonne of bricks. Rolling her eyes, Ami paced over and helped her up.

"Try not to think of this as being about Nephrite. Think of it as… Naru lost a friend. One you didn't know — considering that none of us knew him the way she did, he may as well be a separate person. Focus on Naru and what she's going through."

Nodding, Usagi looked sufficiently chagrined as she brushed off her knees. "You're right, I guess. I'm… yeah, I'll go over there right now."

"Good. That's the spirit."

"Thanks for the pep talk!" Then she dashed toward a side street that would take her to Naru's apartment.

~ o ~

The room was dark when Usagi creaked open the door. Her mother had let her right in, hoping that she could help figure out why her daughter was "being unreasonable". Considering the only explanation Mrs. Osaka had was that she had an older friend who suddenly passed away and no more details than that, it wasn't that hard to understand why she had little empathy for her grieving daughter.

Second to the darkness, Usagi noticed the smell and her nose wrinkled. It was a little ripe in there. Not bad enough that she needed a gas mask, but she certainly couldn't see herself hanging around for very long. Unless her nose started to get used to it after a while.

"Naruuuu-chaaaan!" she called out cheerfully. This was one of the first times in her life she could remember having to do this as an act; normally, she really was in a good mood, but now she was feigning it for Naru's sake. "It's the weekend! Come play the new Sailor V at the Game Center!"

Her friend's matted red hair turned in her direction very slightly from where she sat curled in on herself, back against the headboard. The blanket was still draped over her knees, though it only looked as if she had sat up from where she was sleeping to put it there. The dark circles under her eyes told a very clear story of sleepless nights and crying. It only took a second for her face to turn away, back to the blinds drawn in front of the window.

"It's a gorgeous day!" Goose-stepping across the room, she pulled the blinds open, ignoring the slight grunt from the bed. Maybe it was a little selfish, but she also threw the window open so the wind could freshen the stale air.

"Ngh…"

Hopping back over to the bed, she sat on the edge of it and smiled at Naru. "Hey, I was also thinking — we're a little young, but maybe we if we went with Ami and Rei, we could all go to Okinawa or something! Wouldn't that be great? Beaches, stuffing ourselves with soba and tonkatsu, sightseeing?"

No response.

"Hmm… maybe we need to wait for the break; a weekend isn't long enough to really have fun. Well, what about going to the movies? Feels like forever since we saw a movie together."

Nothing. Her arms curled a little tighter around her knees, but her expression was just as dead and empty as it had been before. Usagi was trying not to let it affect her; she had sworn going in that her one mission was to cheer her up, and not to let the gloom spread in the other direction. That wasn't going to help anyone.

"Alright, we're going to the Game Center today, at least." No response, but she didn't expect one. So instead of trying to talk to her more, she started pulling her from the bed by the arm. "C'mon, let's go."

"Ugh…" Naru winced, and she was frowning, but she also wasn't fighting her.

Once down the hall, she pushed her into the bathroom and sat her on the toilet while she got the water running. Naru did get up and try to go back to her room once, but Usagi catching her arm was enough to get her to give up that fight instantly. Seemed that actually putting effort into something was even less desirable than being forced to bathe.

"You take care of this, and I'll go find some clean clothes," she ordered once the water was drawn. "And then we'll have a nice day out. Sound good?" No answer, of course. "Faaaabulous! Let's do it!"

Once she was out of the bathroom, having briefly stayed to watch Naru roll her eyes and start peeling off her shirt, Usagi could let her own smile drop. She felt awful. It was harder than she thought, maintaining a facade of cheeriness when all she wanted was to cry for her friend. Even if she didn't understand why she cared so much about the ex-villain, the last thing she wanted was for Naru to be in pain.

When she came back, she was at least satisfied to see her friend in the bath, though she didn't look any better otherwise. Usagi shoved her head underwater, which at least got her limbs flailing, then pulled her back up once her hair was good and damp.

"Usa-chan, what the HELL?!"

"Oh, so you don't have laryngitis?" Usagi laughed easily. "Good! Was kinda worried for a minute there." She received a grunt in response as she began to shampoo her, working the suds up into a lather.

"Shut up."

Shaking her head as she took a washbowl and collected some water, she said, "Sorry, I can't. If you won't say more than five words to me, then I gotta be the one to keep up the whole conversation." No reply, again, so she dumped the water over her head, rinsing away the shampoo. "Feels weird doing this in the tub instead of outside it. So Western."

"Sure."

"Naru… I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. Just didn't know what to say after you wouldn't talk to me last time." Silence. "Like, I wanted to think of something else to say, but…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay. Um… how have you been?" No reply as she handed her a washcloth. Naru only stared at it, so she put the bar of soap in the middle to help prompt her along. It worked; she sighed and started lathering it up. "Okay, um, I'm gonna get out of here. But if you take more than like, fifteen minutes, I'm coming back in to wash your butt for you."

"Usaaaa," she whined out in sheer frustration and annoyance. But finally, she looked over her shoulder at Usagi's expression for a few seconds before casting her teal eyes back down into the water. "Fine."

"Great! See you in a few!"

Once outside the bathroom, she moved off to the kitchen to dry off her arms. She hadn't wanted to hang around in there, since she could tell Naru was about at her wit's end with her.

"Were you able to get through to her?" Naru's mother asked when she followed her in there.

"Not really," Usagi sighed, leaning back against the counter. "But I got her to take a bath? Like, that's better than nothing, right?"

The woman sighed, and somehow even the sigh was elegant. Mayumi Osaka was a lot more glamorous than her daughter, wavy hair always short and sporty, yet perfectly crimped and soft-looking, wearing the jewellery pieces from her own shop that complemented her figure and features best. Usagi always wondered if that was why Naru kept her own sense of style rather simple; when your mother always looked almost too perfect, why try to compete?

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Yes, I understand this friend's death was a tragedy, but it's been a week now. She should at least be able to go back to school, come to dinner. I've had to leave her food at the door, and sometimes she doesn't even eat it…"

Usagi wasn't sure what to do. How does one go about comforting a grown-up? That was definitely nothing she had ever needed to do before. So she only shrugged and said, "Hey, she yelled at me when I dunked her head underwater to get it wet, so if she's strong enough to yell, I guess she's okay, right?'

"Suppose so. Anyway, thank you for trying." She flashed her a tight smile and moved off to check on her daughter.

~ o ~

Half an hour later, Naru was dressed and in her room, sitting on her desk chair. Usagi had to cajole and prod her a little more to get her ready to leave, but she did it with few vocal complaints. Then they were on their way to Game Center Crown. She thought Naru really looked sweet with her blue-and-white-striped top and her khaki shorts, but she didn't seem to care either way.

"So!" she burst out with a huge smile. "What about a movie later? Like, the newest one from Ghibli? We could… go see that after the Game Center!"

Still nothing, but she was at least putting one foot in front of the other. After a few seconds, Usagi reached over to take her hand and began swinging it back and forth. She was pretty worried that she would fling her arm away, or at least dig her nails in to cause her slight pain, but no such thing occurred. She simply accepted the reality that she was going to be hanging out with her today.

Even if she didn't seem to like it much.

When they got to Crown, they walked into the Game Center with vastly different expressions. Usagi's remained hopeful, but Naru looked dead inside. She was hoping no one else would notice. It didn't take long for her to spot Ami and Rei crowded around a Sailor V machine, and she started leading the both of them over to it.

"Hey!" Ami said immediately, smiling sweetly at Naru. "It's good to see you!" Rei remained focused on her gameplay, of course; she had been bound and determined to get as good at the game as Ami was without even trying. She was already almost as good as Usagi, despite having played it far less.

"Rrrrgh! These stupid monsters are really gonna get it now!" Obviously not improving much today.

"Naru was looking a little pale, so I thought maybe she needed to get out for a while!" Usagi provided, feeling stupid for having to make a weird excuse. But she hoped that would be less weird than if she didn't make one, and Naru just stayed silent.

"Of course, of course." Ami seemed hesitant to pat her arm, but she made herself do it. There wasn't much reaction. "Would she like to play? I've got plenty of spare change…"

"She can hear just fine," Naru sighed, though she didn't look like she wanted to be talking. Even Rei looked up at that, a little concern in her gaze. "Just… don't like talking much right now."

After a brief silence, a horrible noise came from Rei's machine of squealing death. She suddenly whipped around with a muttered "Damn!" and tried to save her last life.

"See? I'm already bringing everybody down just being here. Sorry…"

"What?" Ami gasped, blinking in shock. "Oh, don't worry, you aren't bringing-"

Naru left so fast that Usagi didn't have a chance to snag her first. Barely glancing back at her other friends, she had to dash out afterward and chase her a few blocks before she caught up to her. Plenty of passerby gave startled cries or had to leap out of the way, but she couldn't spare them any concern when all of hers was focused on one person.

"Let me go, Usagi!"

"Why are you running? Come on, Rei didn't really care that she lost that game! We all care a lot more about you than about Sailor V!"

"I don't know why! I'm just…" Her hands came up to pull at her freshly-brushed hair as her eyes screwed down shut. "I don't care about anything anymore! Masato's gone! I couldn't save him, I couldn't… Sailor Moon had to help me, and she couldn't save him, either! And why did I have to fall for him if he was a bad guy? He never was to me, b-but Zoisite said… he used to work with them! Whoever they are! What's wrong with me?!"

They were both quiet for a moment, Naru quivering with the effort of trying to hold in such a huge explosion of some emotion or another that neither of them was sure what it would be. Tears were already pricking at the corners of Usagi's eyes, but she was determined not to be the "big baby" everyone thought she was this time.

"Naru… it's not you, there's… nothing wrong with you, okay? Oh my God, I'm so sorry you thought…"

"There is," she whispered when Usagi didn't finish her sentence right away. "I fell for the wrong guy! Like you kept acting like going out with that Mamoru creep was the worst idea in the world, but Masato was an actual killer! Wasn't he? I m-mean, I know you wouldn't know, but like, if he was friends with those crazy monster people…"

Biting her tongue so she wouldn't give anything away about her secret identity, she slid her arm tightly around Naru's shoulders and pulled her in close. She tried to pull away — actually fought back against the hug, and she felt a few tears spill over at that.

"Naru, I'm not trying to hurt you! C'mon, it's me! We've known each other our whole lives, right? You can just… anything you need to say, or yell at me, o-or whatever, I'm not going anywhere! Okay?"

"But I don't want you to stay! Makes it too hard to… to punish myself f-for ignoring your warnings!"

That took Usagi aback. "Warnings? What do you mean, 'punish'? You don't have to-"

"I remember what you said," she growled through her teeth. "About him being bad, a-and I didn't wanna see it, didn't wanna know anything like that about him because he was so glamorous and strong, handsome, and he was paying attention to me! B-but he was probably just using me…"

"I'm sorry, Naru! I wasn't… I just wanted to protect you, but like, I didn't know for sure he'd turn out to be a jerk, it was just… I mean, an older guy wanting to date a girl our age? Kinda fishy… but that isn't saying you're not worth it! Don't be ridiculous, I know you are!"

"How am I worth it? Me, who's got nothing goin' for her but… well, nothing! Lame hair, lame clothes, decent grades that won't get me in anywhere besides a junior college!"

With a slight laugh, she squeezed Naru a little more. "Like I'll even get in there. Seriously, don't sweat all this right now, okay? We have years before that even happens." Naru pulled to get away from her again, and she let her go this time. But when she felt herself being released, the other girl turned with a bleak expression.

"I'm sorry, Usa-chan. I really am… it's just too soon. My head's not right." Shaking it out, she whispered, "Can I come by tomorrow, maybe? I'll… if I'm not…"

"Yeah," she told her, so that she wouldn't have to keep trying to finish her sentence. "Sure, tomorrow. And Naru?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you. I hope you know that."

The other girl's cheeks began to get back some of their colour as she forced a slight smile. "You're sweet. Lying, but it's sweet. See ya."

"Later."

Even though being accused of lying felt awful, she forced herself not to respond to it. Naru was right; her mental state was the lowest it had ever been. This wasn't the 'real' Naru talking, but it some ways, it was the realest version of her she'd ever seen; her grief was dissolving her tatemae, that public politeness that most people used to hide their honne — their true feelings. But she also knew that the grief was changing her honne, warping it from the way Naru would normally be, her feelings and hopes and dreams. It was literally a broken heart. Only time could heal that, not just Usagi trying to cheer her up.

"Usagi?" When she turned back, she saw Naru was waving from a little further along the street. "You're a great friend! Me, not so much, but you are for sure! Okay?"

"Okay!" she called back. She wanted to argue with her, but had a feeling that would go nowhere fast. Might as well leave it for tomorrow.

~ o ~

She didn't hear from Naru the next day. Luckily, their school was one of the ones that had a five-day schoolweek, so she didn't have to endure staring at Naru's empty seat again. Filling the day with manga-reading and hanging out with the Senshi helped distract her from worrying.

Sunday, she had just about given up on her, as well, but before dinner she heard the doorbell, and then her mother's voice calling for her. Sighing, she put down the Jump she had been flipping through without any true interest and clomped down the stairs to see if maybe Ami had dropped by to tutor her again.

Instead, it was Naru.

"Oh!" she found herself gasping. "What are you doing here?"

"Usagi, don't be rude," her mother muttered out the side of her mouth, one of her eyebrows twitching even as her polite smile remained in place.

"Thank you, Ikuko-san," Naru said with a very formal bow. Even though she was usually quite comfortable calling her "Auntie Ikuko" or "okaasan", since they grew up around each other so much, there was something different about her today. Usagi wasn't sure what it was, but she was wearing nice clothes and makeup, and her behaviour was very stiff. "I was wondering if I might borrow your daughter for the evening?"

The woman laughed, elbowing Usagi very gently. "Would you listen to Naru? She sounds like a boy asking you to dinner." That made Usagi grimace; she was definitely not looking forward to going through that in the future with her parents. Any mention of a boy sniffing around their daughter seemed to effortlessly send her dad into a frenzy.

"Well, I might not be a boy, but I am asking Usa-chan to dinner. To pay her back for trying to cheer me up Friday." Her smile was very shy, and she was still bowing a little, even if she had mostly straightened. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all! I'm just glad to hear that my daughter is doing something other than eating sweets and tormenting Shingo." At the words "doing something", Usagi was already turning to run upstairs and get her purse. That way, she could ignore any further teasing, and the laughter that followed.

Once away from the house, she asked Naru, "You really want to get me food? I mean, I'm not… y'know, I would have done that for you anytime, it's not something you need t-"

"I was a real wreck," she told her right away. "You put up with me, and I appreciate that. It wouldn't be right not to show you somehow instead of just saying 'thanks', so like… yeah, just let me?"

"Okay," she muttered, poking her index fingers into each other nervously. "Maybe just ice cream?"

"No way," she teased, holding up her hand to forestall her. "This is gonna be a big deal! Fancy dinner, then ice cream, and then maybe karaoke! Really wanna make up for lost time, y'know?"

"Cool! I mean, do you wanna go by a payphone and invite Ami? I know Rei would probably just drag us down-"

"Nah. This is about me and you, Usa-chan. Best friends forever."

Something about the way she said that made it feel more important than usual. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she looked at the smile on Naru's face, and felt one growing on her own. "Okay then, that's great, too! An 'old friends' day just for us."

"YES!" she shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Ain't nobody gonna stop us now!" Usagi giggled, and grabbed her arm so they could skip along down the road.

First, she took Usagi to a nice sushi restaurant. Not that Usagi liked sushi all that much, but she was flattered that Naru wanted to spend her pocket money on her like that. They talked about anime and manga, movies, boys; nothing of consequence. Basically, learning to be around each other again after a week of isolation. It was nice, even if a little strained in the beginning. They were just out of practice.

After that, Naru said they could head straight for the karaoke place and just order some sweets there, which was fine by Usagi. Really, anything her friend wanted at that point, she was more than willing to indulge her; maybe she needed the control. After losing her would-be boyfriend to circumstances she couldn't control, that made total sense.

"Let's go to that one," she said, pointing to a reasonably-priced place. "Their boxes are totally private; I'm not interested in anybody poking their nose in and making fun of my voice."

"But I like your voice!" Usagi reassured her. It earned her a wider smile. "But that's fine by me; I can't afford the higher-end places, either, and the cheap places are so scuzzy."

Giggling, she said, "Told you, I'm paying. Oh — you go in and book us the room." She handed her a decent-sized bill. "I'm gonna pop over there and get something."

Usagi followed her gaze and saw Naru meant a row of vending machines. It was true, there were high prices inside karaoke joints for everything, so if she got a drink or gum or whatever from those machines, it would help them save their money for desserts and more time in the room. "Roger! I won't fail you, sir!"

"You're a loon," she snorted as they split up.

Not long after, they were being shown to their box. Naru had been right, the door only had a small window in it with a curtain on the inside that could be drawn, instead of most of the door being frosted glass, or glass with a large emblem on it. Maybe she was afraid she would have another breakdown, and didn't want to risk the public display.

"Cozy," Usagi giggled as they looked around. For a few seconds, they just took in the room with its semi-comfortable orange couches, the cheerful white wallpaper with the multicoloured dots. Then Naru went to get some of the song catalogues from the tiny bookshelf so they could start flipping through to look for a song to choose.

"How about, um, 'Midnight Taxi'?" she suggested, pointing to the selection. "I love Miho's voice…"

"That one's so sad and gloomy," Usagi grumbled. Then hastily added, "O-oh, but if you want to sing it, I'm sure you'd sound great!"

Shaking her head, she said, "You're right, it's… gloomy. What about 'Mellow'? At least the music's a little more upbeat."

"Uh-huh! Yeah, sing 'Mellow'!"

So Naru did. Usagi wanted to order food, but she decided to just listen to her friend sing. No one would have faulted her for not wanting to do this where anyone else could witness it; her voice was sweet, but she definitely didn't have any kind of future as a pop idol. All the same, Usagi was content just to sit back and watch her friend lose herself in singing along with the lyrics on the screen. Way better that she do that than still be moping around.

Of course, the lyrics were just as lovelorn as those to "Midnight Taxi", but at least they went along with a happier beat. And she knew Naru probably needed the catharsis after everything she had been through with Nephrite.

After that, they discussed sweets, and Usagi sang the theme song to Yuyu Hakusho, which Naru teased her about but she didn't care. In fact, she continued to annoy her with the theme from Ranma ½, and was just about to move on to Hime-chan no Ribbon when Naru forcibly removed the microphone from her hands.

"Boooo!" she called out as she laughed and wrestled it away from her, stocking foot jammed into her neck to keep her away as she cradled the microphone against her chest. "Unfair, unfair! I just want to sing my songs!"

"All you like is stuff from anime!" They only struggled for another moment before Usagi gave up and flopped backward. Then they both had to take a few breaths, Naru giggling as she sat up. "Alright, you can sing it, but I want a turn first, okay?"

Pouting, she added, "Shouldn't have made fun of my songs if you wanted that!" But Naru was already flipping through one of the books, so she turned her attention to the menu. "Hmm… maybe just something small? Or we get this huge sundae, and split it!"

"Yeah, okay," Naru said absentmindedly. "I'm not that hungry after dinner, so whatever you want's fine."

"Or we could eat what you got from the machine. What was it, anyway?"

The smirk that came from Naru was a craftier one than she was expecting in response to a simple question like that. But she understood why when Naru reached into her purse and brought out…

"BEER?!"

"Shhh!" she hissed at her in warning, waving her other hand frantically. "Keep it down, willya?! It's just one!"

"But we're in junior high! I mean, I know nobody's gonna care that much, but I didn't think I'd try anything like that until high school!"

Already cracking open the can, coughing to cover the sound of the perforated metal seal being broken and the hiss of air, Naru set it down on the table and then fixed Usagi with an impatient stare. "Look. I've had a rough few days, and I'm tired of not experiencing anything. Just… don't be some kinda prude, okay? You don't have to have any, but if you rat me out-"

"I wasn't going to, geeze!" Though Usagi still had to keep glancing at the can. True, she had tried sake before once, at some party where her parents were having some, and that had been a few years ago. But it was only one sip; this was an entire can for Naru's little one-and-a-half meters. It seemed like a lot.

"Is this really going to make you uncomfortable?" She glanced at the can, frowning. "Crap, I already opened it…"

"N-no, it's fine," she assured her with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head. "Hey, maybe I'll try it! It's… something we can say we did today!"

After studying Usagi's face for a moment, making sure she was really going to be alright with this, Naru nodded. "Yeah. Just not to our parents." They shared a smile, and she knocked back a huge gulp. Then she made a face and set it down. "Ugh! Oh wow, that tastes weird!"

"Really?" She tried it, and made a similar face. "Eww, it's bitter! I thought it would taste more like Coca-Cola!"

"Why Coca-Cola?"

"Well, it's brown, isn't it?" Naru giggled, and Usagi smiled through her cheeks reddening. "Shut up!"

"Nope! Now all brown drinks are the same to Usagi! Beer is Coke, coffee is Coke!"

"HEY!"

Once they figured out what sweets to order, Naru suddenly had to figure out how to hide the beer. In the end, they just set it next to their bags and threw Naru's gauzy blue cardigan over the top of everything. The attendant who delivered their things never noticed. What they wound up getting was a large sundae, some french fries, a Pocari Sweat and, of course, a Coca-Cola. A little comparison verified that beer was definitely not anything like that.

"Oh, I'm so winded!" Naru breathed out as she flopped back on the couch. She was being a little silly; Usagi knew that it was because for every sip of the beer she'd taken, Naru took five or six. It was a touch disconcerting, but then again she didn't want to pass judgment. After all, she'd never lost a friend like this.

After a second's contemplation, she scooped up one of the last bites of sundae, already melting and gooey, and held the spoon up. "Hey, have some more of this."

"No thanks. I just wanna keep singing! Sing all night!"

"All night?! We didn't pay for that long!"

"So we'll pay more when the phone rings to tell us we gotta get out! C'mon!" She went up to punch in the numbers on the machine again, so she could belt out yet another old idol hit that Usagi barely knew. Even if it was a little annoying dealing with her like this, at least it was entertaining to watch.

After that song, Naru did at least munch on one of the cold fries while finishing off the can of beer. Apropos of nothing, she commented, "It's not so bad, once you get used to it."

"What? Oh, the beer?"

"Uh-huh." She let out a loud belch, then slapped both hands over her mouth, the beer can bouncing across the floor. By the time it came to a rest, she was completely red in the face. "Oh my GOD…"

To fill the following silence, Usagi laughed and patted her back. "It's alright, had to come out sometime!"

"Noooo, I sounded disgusting!" She bowed low, hair brushing Usagi's knee below the hem of her shorts. "Forgive me!"

"Oh, stop," she snorted, pushing at her shoulder. "It's not that big a deal."

Slowly, Naru slumped forward until her face was pushing into the knee below. "Mmm… your skin is so soft. Did you know about that? Well, of course — it's your skin! Just Naru being dumb again."

This left Usagi completely stunned. What the hell was she doing? Of course, she knew it wasn't completely Naru; it was the beer mixing with the grieving process. So eventually, she just petted over her hair and said, "My mom was right; you do act like a boy who wants to show me a good time. Now you're trying to get into my shorts."

"Oooh, somebody has a high opinion of herself," Naru joked, poking her in exactly the wrong spot due to Usagi having mentioned it. Its owner let out a puff of exasperated air. "Squishy!"

Both of her cheeks were blazing by now. "N-Naru, no! Stop that!" Another poke made her tingle all over, so she quickly snatched the wrist of the hand and held it away. "Why are you… I mean, do you need me to get you some water?"

"I'm fiiiiine."

"No, you're not. Like, if we weren't both girls, I'd think you were coming onto me."

One of Naru's shoulders shrugged. "So what if we're both girls?"

"NARU!"

That finally seemed to snap her out of her dazed, drunken rambling. Eyes widening, she sat back, blinking a few times before she stared up at Usagi. "Oh… oh no, that was probably weird, I didn't…" Both of her eyebrows knitted together. "What was I saying? What was I doing?"

"Y-you were getting a little handsy, yeah," she said, trying to laugh it off. Though she could still feel Naru's face against her leg. Not so much the finger going where no one else's finger had gone before; that was too brief and too bizarre for her to be able to hang onto it. Maybe her own mind was hazy from the few sips of beer in her own stomach.

"I'll go," Naru promised as she stood, then wobbled. "Ooh… oh, I'm…"

She began to tip to one side. Having to use her Sailor Moon instincts, Usagi snapped her arms out and managed to grasp Naru's body, then stood and rolled so that she effectively slung her friend into the seat she had just left, laying her across the sofa.

"AH!" she burst out.

"Are you alright?!" she demanded, leaning over her. "Let me get you some water! Yeah, that's-"

"Wait…" A hesitant hand reached up to brush over Usagi's neck. "I… I'm alright… thank you. You're saving me again. How do you do that? How do you always know just what I need?"

The colour rushed back into her cheeks, which must have looked so blotchy given how pale she was just before. Naru was acting even weirder than the "weird" she had already observed in her, but it was still better than a couple of days prior when she had been little better than a zombie. So all she whispered was, "I'm your best friend forever, right? It's my job to… do what I can."

"You'd probably make a great boyfriend. Too bad you ain't a boy."

"I thought you were the boy," she tried for with a slight smile. "Picking me up, wining and dining me. Getting me drunk and alone in a karaoke box."

"Stop it," she giggled softly, though it was still a touch more shy than usual. "I'm just trying to feel something again."

Heart breaking afresh, Usagi whispered, "I'm sorry, Naru. I want to help you feel, help your heart get better, I just… don't know how. But you can't give up, okay?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded that she had heard her. Then she breathed, "Help me feel…"

The kiss was almost a given in retrospect. Drunken and sloppy, and sweet, and frantic, and Usagi didn't know how to stop it. Her hands tried to push Naru back down, but the minute they wrapped around her shoulders, she couldn't do anything other than kiss back, to feel those soft lips sliding all around her own, the bitterness of beer lacing with the sweetness of ice cream. They both moaned at nearly the same moment, apparently deciding it wasn't yet time to break apart even though the voice in the back of Usagi's mind was screaming for her to consider the consequences. All she wanted was to let Naru do all the exploring she wanted.

Maybe they both wanted. Scary as that thought was.

By the time their mouths broke apart, they were on the floor between the sofa and the table, panting and flushed and bearing a light sheen of sweat. All concept of time was gone; it could have been seconds, or half an hour. Naru looked completely dazed, but definitely not displeased if the way her hands were clinging to her back was any indication.

"Usa-chan…" Her bottom lip trembled as their bodies slid over each other slightly, and Usagi felt a tingling that she'd only felt a handful of times before. This was a mistake. They weren't in the right state of mind to make wise decisions, and she was only going to make worse ones.

"Naru, I d-don't… I think we sh-"

"Usagi… m-move!"

Startled, Usagi jumped off of her just in time to stand back and let Naru rush to the trash can. It took her a moment, but she was able to stumble after her and pull back her hair so she could empty the contents of her stomach into the bin, feeling thoroughly chagrined. What she was worried might be a confession of love turned out to be impending vomit.

After they cleaned off Naru's mouth and she downed a little more Pocari to get rid of the taste, they got the call that their time was up. Rather than hanging around and dealing with the potential fallout of what they had just done, especially when they were still alone in a private space, they cleared out of the room, throwing the beer can away once outside. Then Usagi dragged her into a MOS Burger to get something quick and greasy that would hopefully help Naru feel less wobbly, based on advice she'd heard her father telling her little brother — even if it made her mother smack him on the shoulder for telling such a young boy things he shouldn't need to know for many more years.

"Thanks, Usagi-chan," she sighed as she walked, leaning on her shoulder while Usagi supported her around her waist. "I'm so embarrassed… I feel like the worst friend in the world."

"Don't be ridiculous. I know you've had… well, 'a rough week' is kind of an understatement."

"Yeah. But you were right, I gotta remember that I'm still here, and you guys are, too. And… and I'm gonna miss him for a long time, but that doesn't mean I quit living."

"Did I say all that?" she giggled. "Doesn't sound like me, sounds more like Ami or someone."

"You're a lot smarter than you act like you are," she teased, poking Usagi — this time in the stomach, thank goodness. "Anyway… I'm serious, thanks for trying to get me outta my funk."

Giggling, mostly from the poke, she said, "No problem. I mean, I'd say you moved on a little if you're already getting hammered and trying to make out with me!"

Though Usagi was laughing up a storm at that, Naru wasn't. Just smiling and clinging to her friend as they walked. Eventually, she breathed, "Yeah… pretty hilarious."

"Eh? I m-mean, um, not that the idea of it being you is hilarious! Just us, together… two girls, best friends… that's ridiculous. We'll both find men, won't we?"

"Maybe I'm done with men. Maybe now I just want an onee-sama to treat me right." When Usagi made a choking noise, she just squeezed her closer. "Okay, okay, you're right; that's stupid, calling you the older sister."

"Whew."

"I'm taller by a couple centimeters. Pretty sure that makes me the onee-sama."

And while Usagi was still trying to form any thoughts about that whatsoever, having been lulled into a false sense of relief and now trying to figure out where they actually stood, Naru stopped, leaned over and took her lips softly. But it was a much more chaste, brief, sober kiss than before… yet at the same time, even more flustering because it was planned, and purposeful, and patient. In the karaoke, she had been too shocked and slightly buzzed from the sips of beer to even know what to think, but now…

She didn't hate it.

"Anyway, thanks for a great first date," Naru whispered when she pulled away, eyes twinkling and voice rich with amusement. Was she kidding, or was she actually serious?

"I… I'm… we… I… Naru…"

"My thoughts exactly. Goodnight, imouto."

As Usagi watched her go dumbly, then made her own wandering way home, she couldn't help trying to figure out how she had gone from "best friend" to "little sister" in such a short period of time. Or how she had not only let Naru kiss her, but practically have been encouraging it by the end. And she wasn't sure whether or not this was an odd crush, a stupid grief-borne mistake, or something deeper. Something that was forbidden between two women, especially once they were older. A change in her relationship with her oldest friend that she couldn't have seen coming.

But one thing was for sure…

"No more beer!" she wound up telling Luna as she paced frantically around her room that night, watching the poor purple cat scamper out of the way so her tail wouldn't get stepped on. "Ever! Not even a drop, not for my whole life, I'm never having more beer again!"

THE END

[Next: Makoto!]

#through the moon prism #forkanna writes #sailor moon fanfiction #usagi x naru #sailor moon #forkanna the writer

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