#i've already tried the red bean

[lelair]

Strawberry Samanco

[mintjeru]

happy mid autumn festival!!

open for better quality | no reposts

[ckret2]

It's fic time. The Axolotl tries to persuade Bill to face what happened to his dimension while Bill tries to avoid that literally any way possible.

This is part 8 of a 9 part plot about the Axolotl meeting this friendly harmless innocent little triangle in the wake of the Euclidean Massacre and gradually learning he's literally the worst person ever. If you want to read and/or look at the pretty art on the other parts, here's one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven.

(WARNING in this one for nonspecific but pretty obvious suicidal ideation)

####

The triangle whirled around as a milky white void closed in around him. "Whoa whoa hey! What is this? How'd I get here?"

"Welcome to my office. You're in a time and space outside time and space," the Axolotl said. "Take a seat. I have a very comfortable bean bag chair."

The triangle did not take a seat. He pointed at the Axolotl like an angry arrow. "What did you do! If you don't put me back now—"

"Don't worry. When we leave this space, you will be where and when you were. Think of this like a dream."

Furiously, the triangle burst into a ball of bright blue flame. It reeked of burning hydrogen—the stench of the fabric of reality itself burning away to nothing. But he, himself, didn't burn. What was fueling his flames? "Yeah?! Well, dreams are my business!" A wave of blue flames surged toward the Axolotl.

And dissipated without touching him. The Axolotl's eyes glowed white. "THIS IS MY DREAM, TRIANGLE—NOT YOURS!"

The triangle shrank down. He squeaked, "Got it." He quietly perched one edge on the Axolotl's bean bag chair. He didn't look at the Axolotl. He was staring up around them at the Axolotl's tank.

The Axolotl's eyes dimmed again to black voids. He settled back, trying to look unthreatening now that the triangle wasn't fighting him. "Do you see something?"

The triangle laughed uneasily. "Not aside from a whole lot of white."

"You keep looking up," the Axolotl said.

"Up?" the triangle said, confused; then apparently figured out what the Axolotl meant and snapped his gaze down to meet his again. "I never—haven't been able to see the stars before," he said, trying not to sound self-conscious even as he slowly tinted red again. "I've never seen anything that could block them. Except you."

Except him. The guy who passed the wall every day on his way to work; the eclipse that blocked out the sun once a year. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize." The walls of the tank seemingly dissolved, letting the triangle see the scene beyond: the glittery cotton candy celestial clouds of his home.

"Hey, I wasn't complaining! You're the one who asked." But the triangle had already visibly relaxed. He still wasn't looking at the Axolotl; but now, he was staring around at the unfamiliar new constellations with wonder.

It was the most unguarded the Axolotl had ever seen him. They didn't have much spare time; but the Axolotl couldn't bring himself to interrupt this brief peace.

After a moment, the triangle gestured toward the sky and said, "So, you—call that direction 'up.'"

"Yes?" the Axolotl said. "Is that strange?"

"No! Nooo no no. Just seems like it might be confusing, trying to tell apart north-up from star-up."

How odd. "We don't usually call north 'up'."

"Oh," the triangle said, voice small and sheepish.

"Some planetbound mortals do. But usually only when they're—" Oh. "... looking at maps." The world printed on a paper 2D plane. Like the plane the triangle had come from.

For all his power, his charisma, his bravado—the triangle was still just a lost little refugee from a flat little world. He held a whole universe in his hand, and he didn't even know up from down. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to him.

"Listen to me," the Axolotl said. "You're in a lot of trouble. I'm sure you know that."

The triangle scoffed. "Tell me something new."

"How much of our discussion did you hear?"

"Just something about rebuilding the higher dimensions' foundations. Which is exactly what I told you to do! You mind your business, I'll mind mine!"

He suspected the triangle had heard more than that. "It's not that simple. They can't rebuild the foundation until the fires are out. So, as long as your actions keep setting new ones..."

"A-ha. So that's why you're here," the triangle said. "They sent you to intimidate me into letting 'em condemn my dimension."

"No." It was true enough that they had sent the Axolotl to try to talk the triangle down. And yes, he would if he could—he certainly didn't want to see all of reality destroyed—but he wasn't primarily here to help the other gods. "I'm here to help you."

The Axolotl had watched how this triangle puppeted corpses and terrified the barely-living into dancing along to his tune. He had seen the dying and dead melted together into oversized composite corpses at the triangle's party; and he'd seen how the triangle's unhappy victims tumbled down into his hell. He'd seen how blue flames flared around the triangle in his anger, and how his lines of fire warped, melted, and consumed whole universes, and how he burned mortals down to the soul with his mere gaze. He'd felt how all of Dimension Zero moved when the triangle moved.

This triangle, this poor child, was a monster.

The Axolotl wore many faces. He'd been a psychopomp, a god of death. He'd changed roles so he could help the dead he escorted reach better futures—now he was a god of rebirth, a god of second chances, a god of justice.

And in his capacity as a god of justice, he'd proudly defended the villains that no one else would defend. He did not believe in punishment. It was too late to save the villains' victims, and no amount of punishment would ever change that; but it was not too late to save the villains.

He was god of death, god of rebirth, god of second chances, god of justice—and also a god of monsters. And he'd decided this monster was under his protection.

Dubiously, the triangle said, "So they sent you as my legal counsel."

Oh, for— "No. I'm just trying to give you advice."

"Even better—pro bono legal counsel!" 

"You're not my client," the Axolotl said. "But I'll advise you as a friend. I can tell you your options as I see them. We can discuss them if you'd like. You may ask me one question, and no more."

"What? Why—" The triangle caught himself and struggled to rephrase. "That's a—stupid rule—that I want an explanation for!"

"Because I'm the Axolotl."

"What does that have t— I don't know what that has to do with anything!"

"I'm the only one who gets to ax a lotl questions."

The triangle stared at him. He burst out laughing. "I think I hate you!"

The Axolotl gave him a wide, gummy grin.

"St—stop that! It makes you even more ugly, ugh. I thought you were here to give me advice, not bad jokes." The triangle made a show of leaning back as though getting comfortable, although it was clear he was uneasy touching the bean bag chair. "So advise me, pink stuff."

"I preferred 'frills.'" Gently, the Axolotl said, "I think it's in your best interests to give yourself up to the divine authorities."

The triangle laughed in disbelief. "You're kidding. Hey, I heard your pals talking about how they can't fight me without knocking the multiverse down—"

"And once they've put up a fireproof foundation you can't burn your way through, there will no longer be any risk to the multiverse if they come after you."

"Sounds to me like a good reason to make sure they don't get that foundation in place!"

"For you to do enough damage to ensure they can't construct a foundation, you'd probably knock the multiverse down yourself," the Axolotl said. "And if that's the case, they'll have nothing to lose by trying to stop you anyway, and everything to lose by not trying."

The belligerence leeched out of the triangle's face by the word. "Oh. Yeah. I guess that's... yeah," he said.  "Okay." His expression was faraway for a moment, as he tried to wrap his mind around the magnitude of the situation. "Okay. That's okay, it's fine, it's fine." Could he feel the walls closing in on him? Did he see the stars being blocked out? "I've... got a way out of this."

"What?"

He didn't meet the Axolotl's gaze. He pulled off his hat to worry at it in his hands. "I have a way."

Bluffing. Or wishful thinking. "No. This is trouble you can't get out of. There's no greater crime against reality than the destruction of an entire dimension," the Axolotl said. "Right now, the gods think you're an active, divine threat to all of existence. That's what this is about. They're not after you because you broke a couple of rules—they're afraid of you." (The triangle lit up at that. Not quite the reaction the Axolotl had been going for, but at least he had his attention.) "And that means they won't stop until they're sure you're no longer a threat. As long as they're pursuing you, your best case scenario is getting buried alive beneath the multiverse's foundation where they can forget about you until your dream realm unravels."

"So what g—I don't see what good giving myself up would do! My best move is putting off the inevitable as long as possible! Just let 'em try to bury me!"

"But it's not inevitable," the Axolotl said. "They fear you as a divine threat. If you prove you're neither divine nor a threat—"

"No."

"Mortals can't be charged the same way as gods can. If we convince the court that you didn't have your current powers at the time of the inferno—"

"I don't know why you're so convinced I didn't have powers at the time!"

"I'm not. That doesn't mean I can't convince a judge," the Axolotl said, which surprised the triangle enough that he actually shut up for a moment. "If you're charged as a god, you face eternal imprisonment or oblivion. If you're charged as a mortal, you'll be sentenced to a regular afterlife. If you give up your power—I'm not sure where yours come from, but there are ways it can be done—" (the triangle was already raising a finger to protest) "—and it can be temporary! But if you don't have divine power when you're taken in, it will be that much easier to convince the judge that you didn't have any when your wall burned. On top of that, if you surrender yourself willingly and admit that destroying Dimension 2 Delta was an accident, that alone can knock off half your charges."

"Next you'll ask me to give up my eye! No!" He was clenching his fist around his hat so tightly that it shook; but that was the only sign of anxiety he betrayed. His gaze was as intense as the stare of a sun. "I told you: me, my power, and my people are a package deal. We stay together. We're staying right here. I don't care how much it inconveniences you."

"It's not about how much it inconveniences us," the Axolotl said. "I'm here for you—you and your people."

"They don't need you or any of your stupid 'gods.' I can take care of them!"

"Then take care of them," the Axolotl said. "You understand that, no matter how this ends, your dream realm will be destroyed and you'll have to leave or perish—don't you?"

"No." That stubborn little glitter fleck. "I can patch up this dump and repair the wall by myself. Once the wall's back, you don't have to worry about your stupid multiverse destabilizing, right?! I'll stabilize my realm before you get your stupid impenetrable foundation in place! Maybe I'll put a roof on top of it that you can't get through!"

"You haven't done it yet! What do you think you can do that you haven't already done?"

"You don't need to know," the triangle snarled.

He had to be mad, bluffing, or in denial. But he didn't look it—eye narrowed in determination, flames smoldering around his edges, fist clenched around his hat—

And then it clicked.

He hadn't said he would replace his wall. He said he'd repair it.��

The Time Giant had said there was no way the little speck of matter that the triangle kept in his hat could be all the matter from his universe; no mortal could handle it without its gravity crushing them, nor would they have the energy to move it.

But she'd also said that gravity was turned off in Dimension Zero. And the triangle had proven he did have the power to move an entire universe—so why should a universe the size of a grain of sand be any more difficult?

And anyway—what did restrictions like that mean in a place where dreams and reality overlap?

"The Time Giant was wrong, wasn't she," the Axolotl said. "You don't have a dark matter problem. You're carrying around the rubble of your universe. All of it. All the matter she sensed but couldn't find."

The triangle gave him a resentful look; but then sighed in defeat. He loosened his fist, reached into his hat, and plucked up the speck of what remained of his universe. The black pinprick of white light. "You're not as dumb as you look," he said wryly. "Yep. The whole thing's right here—all but a city or two. I figured out how to catch it pretty fast."

Catch it? "What... happened to your dimension?"

A faint uneasiness itched at the back of his mind; a sound, right at the edge of his hearing, that he couldn't quite identify but knew shouldn't be here.

"It doesn't matter," the triangle said. "It's about to un-happen."

"You're thinking about setting off a big bang, aren't you?"

The triangle said nothing. He just rolled his universe between his thumb and forefinger contemplatively. 

"You are," the Axolotl said. "You want to replace your universe."

Coolly, the triangle said, "You're sounding kinda scared, frills."

"I am," the Axolotl admitted. "Of all your options, that's the most dangerous thing you could possibly do."

"Hey, the dangerous choices have turned out pretty well for me so far!"

The Axolotl really didn't think they had. "You know you can't get your old universe back, don't you? It will only make a new universe."

The triangle didn't say anything—but he went still, holding the tiny glowing pearl between his fingers rather than rolling it back and forth.

"It will have similar physical properties—it will be 2D, gravity and light will probably work the same way, all the laws of physics will be what you expect... but it will be a new universe. New stars and worlds will form. New species will evolve. Your people will never return."

The triangle squeezed the pearl in his hand. "You don't know that," he said harshly. "Everything that ever existed is right in here." He shook his fist at the Axolotl. He could see the light shining out between the triangle's fingers. "It has to have some sort of memory! There's gotta be traces of it left in there!"

"It can't remember. It doesn't have a soul to remember with."

"I'm a soul!" The triangle pointed at himself with a hundred arms. "Me! I remember! The whole dimension remembers!"

There was the hiss. The ever-present hiss that the Axolotl heard any time he was inside Dimension Zero, the static in the speakers, the last gasp of a dying big bang, the whisper murmur scream battering against the walls. Fear shivered up his spine. How was it audible from within his tank?

He tried to push down his fear. "You're not the whole dimension."

The triangle laughed. It was a chilling sound.

"Just—consider how much more you'd lose if it doesn't work the way you want it to. What will you do if you can't fix your dimension?"

"I can," he said. "If I can't fix it, no one can."

Why did he think he was more capable than gods who'd maintained the multiverse for trillions of years? "What if you're wrong?"

"I will fix it," the triangle said stubbornly.

"TELL ME WHAT YOU'LL DO IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT!"

The triangle literally shrank back, growing smaller as he sank into the Axolotl's beanbag. "Keep doing what I'm doing now! Partying!" He let out a half hysterical giggle. "I'll party til I die!"

"Set off a big bang in an unstable pseudo-dimension, and you will die! The kind of death no one comes back from!"

"Great!"

They both froze. Neither one of them had expected him to say that.

"Kidding," the triangle croaked. "I just—I just—I'm trying to get under your skin, pinky, that's all. Is it working? Don't answer that, that wasn't my question, that was—rhetorical. I'm assuming that stuff you've got is skin, anyway." The prattle was hollow and meaningless. "The point is, I'm the dream realm's eternal party host, and I'm not stopping this party for anything, no matter what you say, and—and that's it. That's all there is to it!"

He must have witnessed so many horrors, in so little time—his universe incinerating, his people dying, Dimension Zero constantly collapsing even as he attempted to prop it up, the dimensions above him twisting and warping as their people fell into his nightmarish realm...

The Axolotl slowly flew closer to the triangle.

"Oh, come on— don't," the triangle whined. "Whatever little speech you're about to make, don't, I don't wanna hear it—"

Gently, the Axolotl said, "I know you've lost your home."

The word "home" struck a note with the triangle. He didn't flinch, his expression didn't change; but he went still. He looked down at the compacted ruin of what used to be his whole universe.

"But it's not too late for you to find a new home," the Axolotl said. "You can still move on and rebuild. There's a future for you. If you come out, I'll help you navigate the afterlife system. If you're stuck in this dimension, we'll find a way to free you."

The triangle's face darkened.

"You can be reincarnated, or resurrected, or—just set free to be an energy being if you want. You can settle down in a neighboring dimension, join a new people—"

"No. I'm not about to be a couch surfer in someone else's universe." He glowered up at the Axolotl. "Those people will join me. Everyone can either join me, or—or get out of my way! I finally made my kingdom, I'm not giving up my crown now!"

"If you keep your crown, you'll kill your kingdom! You know that if you stay here you'll destroy everything, I know you know it!"

"It's the best option I have! Better than your plan, anyway! Surrender to the cops and let my world fall apart?" He laughed harshly. "No way, Buster! I told my people I'd liberate them from our flat, oppressive little world and take them to a party paradise, and that's exactly what I'm gonna make for them!" He held out his little pearl of a universe again, the paradise-to-be.

Before, he'd said that the dream realm was his paradise. He'd also said that he'd remake his destroyed universe exactly as it had been. How could the "oppressive" world they'd left be their paradise? Nevermind the fact that none of "his people" were from his world. Which of the stories he'd invented was the truth? Which did the triangle think was the truth? Did he even know?

"If all of this is for your people—would you risk them? If trying to build a paradise kills the very people you made it for—"

"They'd never know."

The Axolotl's blood ran cold. It took a moment for him to find his voice. "What?"

"I can keep the party going until the end. They'd never find out what's coming. If the dream realm collapses, it'll be too fast for them to tell what's happening," the triangle said. "In their final moments, they'll still remember me as a hero."

The Axolotl hadn't realized until that moment just how cold the triangle's expression was.

His mind flashed to seeing VENDOR earlier that day, hustling the Apocalyptic Threat Task Force to clean up this mess faster because THEY didn't want the journalists to claim THEY had mishandled the situation during an election season.

Was that all the triangle was?

Another politician more concerned with how his constituents saw him than with what he could do for them?

"But," the Axolotl said weakly, "I've watched how you rescue the mortals from the fires. I've seen how you're struggling to keep this dimension from collapsing on them. I've seen how much you're suffering. You're running yourself ragged to protect them. You want so badly for them to be safe."

The triangle seemed to brighten at the Axolotl's words, as though he was soaking in the high praise. "Well, sure! And they love me for it! Would any god do less for his worshipers? Would you?" His voice took on a bitter tone. "But I don't know of any god who'd stick his corner out for a nonbeliever—and that's what they'll be if I don't deliver on the paradise I promised. I take my party hosting seriously. I'll give them their paradise if it kills me. Or them. Or everyone, if that's what it takes."

He was no hero. He never had been. He didn't care about the countless souls he'd collected, only their worship.

He didn't want his people to be safe; he just wanted to be his people's savior.

If I can't fix it, no one can. The triangle hadn't meant no one else was able to. He'd meant no one else was allowed to. He'd rather die than let someone else fix his mistakes.

And he would. This was a mass suicide.

No. Worse than that—it was a mass murder-suicide.

"You already lost your world once," the Axolotl said desperately, "don't you remember what that was like?"

The triangle flinched back like the Axolotl had slapped him. The tank rumbled around them; the hissing whispers grew louder. "That's... none of your business! Stop talking about my world, you don't know the first thing about it—"

"I know how much you must miss it. I know how deeply losing your people must hurt." It must have hurt, why would he have clung to what was left of his world if it didn't, why would he be so determined to rebuild it exactly as it had been?

"My—my people are fine." His voice was choked. He squeezed his eye shut. "They're... all out at the party. Waiting for me. Don't talk about—"

"The people at the party are shapes you kidnapped from other dimensions." He was so stubbornly loyal to his chosen delusions. "Your people are dead. You know they are!"

"No!"

His scream was answered by howls outside the Axolotl's tank. Through the static, the Axolotl could pick up a sound repeated over and over. A word. Murderer, murderer, murderer.

"No! They aren't dead! I saved them!" He curled in on himself, hands pressed to his sides like it could block out the sounds. "I liberated them from their shallow lives! I gave them their freedom—"

"Then give them their freedom now!"

The triangle's breath hitched.

"If you want to die, you can die. There are ways to break a soul. I can help. But do it alone," the Axolotl pled. "I know you care about these people!" He had to believe it, he had to believe it, he had to. In spite of the evidence to the contrary, he had to. "If you won't let us help you, at least let us help them go home. Please. You need to let them go."

He clenched his tiny hands into fists; he looked so pained the Axolotl thought he might shatter.

In another timeline, a better timeline, he whispered, "How?" The word he should have said echoed around them, blending into the static whispers. It would be so easy to say.

But in this timeline, he asked, "You're some kind of lawyer or something, right?"

The Axolotl paused uneasily. "By... way of metaphor," he said. "We have trials and courts, but not the way mortals understand—"

"There are no laws in my kingdom," the king growled. "Get out of here. Now."

"But—"

"I said OUT!"

A force crashed into the time and space between time and space, shattering the Axolotl's tank, the glittery cotton candy nebulas' pinks and blues disrupted by a twisted geyser of colors—raw frothing stuff somewhere between matter and energy—and it flung the Axolotl away from the triangle like a wave flinging a fish from the ocean. The anxious background static whispers grew to a buzzing roar, 1000 decibel white noise. He spun dizzily through the cosmic miasma.

The first time he'd come in here—the first time the triangle had chased him out—he'd felt instinctively that he'd been in danger. He'd felt flames licking at his heels.

He knew now that that had been a mere warning.

"I might be in your dream, but your dream is in MY dream realm!" The triangle seemed to get larger without his size changing. Maybe it was the universe around him that was contracting. "And you've overstayed your welcome, Axolotl!"

The Axolotl had tumbled into the nightmarish eternal dance party. Shrieking overlapping music drowned out the buzzing whispers. Thousands of eyes stared at him in horror and thousands of voices gasped in disgust; and he realized that as many times as he'd seen them, he had never been in their two-dimensional field of view.

For all the thousands that stared at him, millions of corpses never stopped dancing.

One last time, the Axolotl turned to the triangle and pled, "Just give the hostages the option to leave if they want!"

"My people aren't hostages!"

"Then give them a choice!" He could feel dead hands grabbing at his skin and fins. He wasn't sure if they were trying to restrain him for their Magister Mentium, or cling to him for escape. He wasn't even sure whether they were the dead who still had their own souls, or the triangle's corpse puppets. "Anyone who wants to stay with you can!"

"Shut up!" The triangle boomed louder and louder and he grew larger and larger, until his voice and his eye seemed to fill the universe. He was shuddering with rage (with regret?)—it threatened to shake him apart, and the universe with him. "All of this is your fault! I'm—sick because of you!" In another reality he said insane; but the realities where he didn't closed up around the word and crushed it into silence. "You made me like this! You infected me!"

"With what?" He'd only spoken to the triangle once before today. He hadn't even entered his dimension.

"This—idea!" He didn't say what idea, not in this reality; but the words echoed in from another reality where he did. He screamed to drown the echoes out. "I was fine until I met you and you ruined everything!" Regret spilled out of his eye so thick it was almost palpable, energy like a river. It threatened to fill the interdimensional in-between space and drown them all. The Axolotl could taste the idea that had poisoned the triangle: the idea that everyone mattered. That everyone was worthy of a god's attention. And now, everyone was gone.

Bewildered, the Axolotl said, "You're not 'sick' to think that. It's the sanest idea you could have—"

"Get out!" The shriek echoed through infinity. "Get out! The dream realm is my domain and I am its king! I told you last time, I won't let you threaten my people!"

"I would never—"

"GET OUT!" Blue flames exploded out of the triangle; some of his nearest prisoners were incinerated as easily as tissue paper.

The Axolotl tried to shield himself; the flames consumed one of his forelegs and ate away at his dorsal fin.

He tore himself free of the desperate grasping shapes and swam from the triangle as fast as he could.

The triangle chased him; and, to the Axolotl's despair, as the center of Dimension Zero followed the triangle, the edge of reality pulled ever further away.

His flames licked at the Axolotl's tail, consuming the fin; he swam slower and slower.

As the triangle pursued the Axolotl, his attacks further destabilized the volatile dimension; wormholes formed where the fabric of reality folded and bunched in on itself and was pierced through. Light shot through the holes like a million disembodied sunbeams. 

He saw one that led straight to the edge of Dimension Zero. He wriggled through.

"Where did you—?! HEY!" The dimension whirled dizzyingly as the triangle refocused on his evasive prey. "You think you can get away from me in my own realm?" 

"Do you want me to get out or not?!"

"I want you DEAD!"

The Axolotl shouldn't have asked.

With a roar, the triangle clawed at him. A thick, sucking wave of gravity as dense as a black hole tore through the unstable miasma toward him. The triangle laughed sadistically.

With one last surge of energy, he paddled his tail hard enough to outpace the triangle and burst free of the dimension.

The ragged edges of Dimension Zero ripped further under the triangle's attack, but it dissipated in the third dimension.

The Axolotl sighed in relief—then flinched when the triangle crashed into the invisible barrier holding the cosmic foam in the space-between-space where Dimension Zero should have been. Like a piece of glitter sticking to a bubble, if glitter sticking to a bubble were the most violent force in the universe. "Get back here! I'll skin your freakish hide and make a tent outta it—!" He strained toward the Axolotl, threatening to drag the bubble along with him, like a particularly determined sled dog trying to pull a trailer home.

The Axolotl hastily backed out of range as nauseating plumes of color stretched outside their bounds again. Blue fire danced over the thin membrane between dimensions like a burning oil spill on an ocean. The plumes twisted into shapes almost like arms, hundreds of them, reaching toward him—

And froze. The triangle was staring past the Axolotl.

The Axolotl turned to look.

It was the most sublimely awful sight he'd ever seen. An impenetrable wall made up of gods, angels, sentient forces of nature—there were things here so transcendentally powerful that the Axolotl couldn't even see them; he only knew they were present by the perimeters of the space he couldn't bring his eyes to gaze upon and the terrifying awe he felt when he tried.

They were all armed.

All their weapons were pointed at the triangle.

Apparently, the ATTF had called in reinforcements.

A god that looked like a hologram projection, the light of its projector shining down on it from a higher dimension like a halo, thundered, "ADVANCE ANY FURTHER INTO REALITY, AND WE WILL BE FORCED TO SUBDUE YOU."

"You can't afford to!" the triangle crowed. "You'll knock your own universes down!"

"NOT ANYMORE."

The triangle's eye widened. The thousand arms of raw reality seized the jagged edges of the dimensions bordering the hole left when Dimension 2 Delta burned down, trying to crush them—and nothing happened. He slammed Dimension Zero against the bordering dimension, trying to crack open a larger opening, and then trying to simply shove the bordering dimensions aside—and nothing happened. Dimension Zero burned; but the surrounding first and second dimensions remained still. There was no creak and crack of snapping lines and shattering planes as the triangle tried to squeeze his bloated universe free. There was no glowing line of fire on the distant horizon.

The neighboring dimensions burned and blackened under the thousand hands; but they didn't dissolve to ash. The cinders got caught between the layers together as the dimensions splintered into layers, then multiplied—splintered and multiplied—splintered and multiplied—thicker and denser and harder—

Parallel universes. Every time the triangle touched them, they split into more timelines, reinforcing themselves. The Time Giant already reformatted the universes most closely adjacent to Dimension Zero. Not every universe—but just enough to form a cage.

The triangle gave up with a grunt of pain. He laughed in disbelief—and then anger. "You were the distraction?"

"No! I was supposed to talk you into cooperating with building the fireproof foundation! We agreed to only call in reinforcements if I couldn't persuade you!" He looked around for the Time Giant, but couldn't find her—nor any of the other gods he'd spoken to while dealing with this mess. Everyone, apparently, had been cleared out of the vicinity to make way for the god militia.

The only civilian left on the 3D side of the missing wall was the Axolotl—once again, stuck in the middle of a situation he had no business being involved in.

The triangle's eye widened further, further, white hot with fury. "Nothing's ever your fault, is it, frills?! Every time you ruin my life, it's all a big misunderstanding! You just keep talking your way out of trouble!" His eye opened wider and wider still. His eyelid unhinged. His mandibles split open and at the back of his eye socket was an infinitely dark esophagus. Sprouting in a ring around the triangle's eye like the petals of a grisly flower, piercing the membrane between the zeroth dimension and the third, were millions and millions of—

—teeth. Teeth longer than the spaces between stars and sharp enough to split an atom.

The Axolotl only barely managed to paddle back out of their range before they snapped at where he had been. A couple of the higher gods caught him, holding his sides protectively. His skin sizzled with holy electricity.

The god militia drew back from the gnashing fangs, then readied their own weapons: spears, guns, swords, a wider array of divine and holy weaponry than the Axolotl had ever seen. The projection leading the militia called, "DON'T LET HIM MAKE IT PAST THE FIREPROOF BARRIER."

"Afraid I'll start breaking things again?" The fangs snapped tauntingly. "Hey—how fast do you think I can find the load-bearing dimensions?"

The Axolotl shook off the gods and swam back toward Dimension Zero. "Stop!"

"HOLD FIRE!" The projected god commanded, "OUT OF THE WAY, AXOLOTL. THE MULTIVERSE'S SAFETY IS WORTH MORE THAN YOUR LIFE."

He knew it was. The leader of the militia was so powerful that resisting a direct order made the Axolotl dizzy—but he did resist. He shouted at the triangle, "You can't fight off every god in the multiverse! This is suicide!" He realized too late that that probably wasn't as discouraging as he'd intended it to be.

"So what?! There's no way for me to win! Get executed for god crimes or get erased when the dimension collapses—"

"Those aren't your only choices!" The Axolotl could see the fangs slowly, slowly curling up in his peripheral vision, and pretended he didn't. "It's not too late for you to stand down—!"

"I can't!" A wave of fire blazed up the teeth of the Dream Realm. He held up a fist, and it was far too small for any of the gods, so mighty and large, to see what he held; but the Axolotl knew. "If I don't get a happy ending, why shouldn't I burn the rest of you down with me?! At least I'll accomplish one thing before I go!" His hand began glowing as energy began gathering around the tiny seed of a big bang.

"Do you want your worshipers to remember you as a monster in their last moments?!"

"Better a monster than a LOSER!" His laugh was a strained subsonic roar. "Are fame and infamy really that different?! At least they'll be thinking about me at the end!"

"It would make you a terrible party host!"

The Axolotl didn't know what had possessed him to say that. Apparently the triangle didn't know what to make of it either, because he froze, giving the Axolotl a wide-eyed blank stare.

But it worked. He snapped out of his rage. The light gathering around the remains of Dimension 2 Delta went dark. For a moment, he was frozen, giving the Axolotl a wide-eyed blank stare; and then he laughed again, just as strained, much weaker. The borders of Dimension Zero shuddered with his laughter. "Fair enough!" The appendages stretching out into the third dimension lost definition. "Fair enough." He glowered tiredly at the god militia—but raised his hands in surrender. Both his palms were empty.

The trembling fangs dissolved as they retracted. The whole paradoxical mass sagged sluggishly back into the crawlspace underneath reality.

One by one, the god militia slowly lowered their weapons.

The Axolotl's heart was still hammering in his chest; and only then did it register that he'd nearly been eaten by an entire dimension.

Where had his power come from? How had the triangle done all this—made his whole dimension vanish without a trace, shoved an entire plane inside a point, gained complete control over it all...

He really did have complete control over the entire universe that had formed inside Dimension Zero—didn't he?

And to control an entire universe, he needed to have an entire universe's worth of energy.

Dimension 2 Delta had been an entire universe. And now—all of its energy was in Dimension Zero.

With the triangle.

As he watched the triangle wincing in pain as the Dream Realm sank back into place, as though the triangle could feel the way the edges of the neighboring dimensions dug into the frothing chaos, the Axolotl whispered, "Oh, no. What have you done?"

His power had come from his own universe. He had devoured it. He'd made it part of him.

All that energy wasn't stored inside the triangle's body—but the Axolotl had been wrong to think that the triangle was the body in the first place. The triangle was only the face: the eye, the mouth, the mind. The part of the Dream Realm that could speak.

The Dream Realm was the anglerfish—and the triangle was its pretty golden glowing lure. They were all one monster.

The triangle was slumped in defeat, but still he shot the Axolotl a tired glare. The hissing static whispers rose up around him again, spilling out of the Dream Realm. (The whispers, too, were a part of the triangle.) "Who are you to judge," he muttered. "You weren't there."

No, he wasn't. He'd gotten here too late.

Behind the Axolotl, the god projection said curtly, "APPREHEND THE TRIANGLE WHILE HE'S COMPLIANT."

The Axolotl whirled around, eyes glowing with rage. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!" The gods who had started moving toward Dimension Zero froze again.

"HE'S A THREAT TO THE MULTIVERSE!"

"He stood down!" 

"HE'S PROVEN WILLING TO DESTROY REALITY. HE COULD EASILY CHOOSE TO AGAIN." The higher dimensional projector turned to project straight at the Axolotl, dazzling him even through his shut eyes, shining straight into his brain. "STAND. ASIDE."

"No." The Axolotl tensed his muscles against the compulsion to obey. "He was a threat to the multiverse. Once the last walls are closed over the crawlspace, he won't be anymore. If he doesn't make a move between now and then, you have no grounds to pursue him." It was a little easier the second time to resist the higher god's command. "So if you do follow him out of the third dimension to capture him, you're trespassing in a new god's sovereign territory to make an illegal arrest outside your jurisdiction!"

"HE'S MASSACRED TEN DIMENSIONS AND TRIED TO DESTROY MORE. THERE ISN'T A COURT IN REALITY THAT WOULD CONSIDER PURSUING HIM UNJUSTIFIED."

"I know a few."

"YOU'RE DEFENDING A DIVINE MENACE. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

He quietly kissed his career prospects goodbye as he watched himself do the stupidest thing he'd ever done. "I'm the Axolotl," said the Axolotl, "and I'm his lawyer!"

####

(Thanks for reading!! If the art lured you in and this is the first chapter you read, this is part 8 of a 9 part fic about the Axolotl in the immediate aftermath of the Euclidean Massacre. I'll be posting the last chapter next week, Fridays 5pm CST, so stick around if you wanna watch the Axolotl deal with having gotten his heart broken by this sweet little triangle who actually isn't sweet.

It's ALSO chapter 68 of an ongoing post-canon post-TBOB very-reluctantly-human Bill fic. So if you wanna read more of me writing Bill, check it out. If you're not sold on the idea of a human Bill fic, I've also got a one-shot about normal triangle Bill escaping the Theraprism if you wanna read that.

If this is NOT your first time here and you already knew all of the above: this was The Big One, gang. And now I expect for the next several months I'm gonna get comments from y'all rereading earlier chapters going HOLD ON WAS THIS LINE FORESHADOWING THAT LITERALLY THE ENTIRE NIGHTMARE REALM IS PART OF BILL? And the answer is: yes. yes it was. Looking forward to hearing y'all's thoughts!! 💕

also this was THE absolute hardest chapter to write, goddamn.)

[lucysarah-c]

"Alright, spill the beans," Erwin said as he sat down on the couch, opening a beer can and crossing his legs. He could hardly contain his smile. Mike and Hange stared intensely at the shorter man. Levi had told them he had something to "share," and he hardly ever shared anything. Therefore, all attention and the floor were his.

The group of friends grew more and more curious as Levi seemed unsure, almost shy. His finger tapped his beer can uneasily as he pressed his lips together. "Fine, but don't fucking laugh."

"I can't promise you that," Hange quickly confirmed, making the other two chuckle but also agree. Levi just sighed resigned.

"Y/N… Y/N found a thong that wasn't hers among her clothes."

Erwin, who was sipping his drink, spat it out in shock at how quickly the situation escalated.

"WHAT?!" Hange tilted forward as they heard what happened while the rest looked in shock, mouths open. "You CHEATED on your 9-year-long girlfriend?!"

"No!" Levi almost shouted back. "That's what I'm trying to explain!"

It was Monday night. We had dinner after coming home, the usual routine. I was doing the dishes after she got out of the shower, and I heard her steps going down the stairs very heavily. That was the first thing that caught my attention, and before I knew it was her, still freshly showered, looking at me and pulling out a red thong, stretching it between her hands. "Whose are these?" My mind went automatically blank. I saw her resting her hand on her hip and frowning back at me. "I-uh." "Because they are not mine," she insisted, her anger palpable. I swear I was trying to speak, but I could only mumble broken shit as she stared back at me as if she was searching for my soul. "Levi Ackerman, WHOSE ARE THESE?" "I- I don't know, I don't fucking know. I swear," I quickly replied as I blinked, trying to find a solution. My mind started to question everything. 'I'm Levi Ackerman… I'm conscious of my actions… I haven't cheated on my girlfriend,' yet I was sweating as if I had. I had no idea whose those were. It was obvious that they weren't hers, apparently, but I've not slept with another woman in years, so I didn't even know where they could have come from. I doubted my entire existence, I began to wonder if I had been drugged and perhaps did something that I didn't recall. The tears, when she began sobbing softly. I felt like the worst human being. "How could you? After all these years…" "No, no, I fucking swear," I said, growing anxious. I don't even own social media accounts; I don't have a password on my phone. I hate cheaters; I would never do something like that to her, to anyone. For a split second, I thought it would have been easier to lie and explain that it was mine somehow. In that moment, my phone started to ring with one of the numbers I have on priorities as she began to walk up stairs. I rushed to pick it up. "Call you later." "Bro, everything okay?" Isabel's voice came from the speakers as she had called me on FaceTime, as she usually does. Apparently, I forgot to hang up as I was walking behind Y/N. "Y/N, I swear on my mother that I don't know whose are those." I was trying to explain myself when Isabel's voice came from the phone again. "There they are! I was wondering where I left them!"

"Apparently, it was from one time they all came over to my house for the pool. I must have put it in the laundry and thought they were Y/N's," Levi finished the tale as the rest looked at him surprised and entertained.

"Didn't you think they could be Isabel's?" Erwin questioned back between chuckles.

"No! How was I supposed to know a red thong was Isabel's!" Levi commented as his cheeks got slightly red.

"Levi… Isabel is 23 already…" Mike said slowly as he tried to make his friend process the idea.

"Tch," Levi took a good sip from his beer as he processed the idea. "You've no idea how fucking scared I was, and when Isabel said they were hers… fucking shit, I never breathed more peacefully in my entire life."

"That happens to you because you do laundry. Since I never do laundry, I don't have those issues," Hange said entertained, but Levi looked back at the brunette dead in the eyes.

Tag list!: @nube55 @justkon @notgoodforlife @jimoonbeau @nmlkys @humanitys-strongest-bamf @quillinhand @thoreeo @darkstarlight82 @i-literally-cant-with-this @angelofthorr @aomio4 @levisbrat25 @fxnnyackerman @secretmoneybearvoid @trashblackrainbow @l3visthighs @hum4n-wr3ckag3 Wanna join my tag list? here!

[systlin]

People that are absolutely convinced anyone can be vegan/vegetarian baffle me. I eat meat fairly regularly and I am already courting a B12 deficiency (for anyone who doesn't know the easiest source of B12 that the human body likes to absorb is red meat, you can get it from other sources primarily leafy greens I believe but your not getting as much because it's not as easy for your body to absorb) my levels aren't low enough to be considered clinically deficient but it's a near thing so my doctor has told me to take 2 B12 vitamins every day. I'm hoping this fixes my levels because if it doesn't that's a sign of a much more serious problem where my digestive system is biologically struggling to absorb B12

Gods, I feel you

When I got my Chron's diagnosis, the gastroenterologist and I talked about diet. High fiber is my enemy. I'm mostly OK now thanks to maintenance medication, but even now I can't have more than a single handful of nuts or popcorn without Suffering after. Raw vegetables are iffy; I can eat a couple of radishes or carrot sticks, but celery sets it off and raw broccoli or cauliflower is misery. I can have ONE small bowl of salad a day, which sucks because I LOVE salad. I have to be careful to limit servings of raw fruit, which also sucks because I adore cherries and pears and peaches.

Cooked vegetables are mostly fine, though I still have to keep the broccoli and brussels sprouts servings small. Cooked fruit is fine too. Beans are iffy. I can have some, but not a lot, which sucks because I love beans. Tofu is OK, but during my flare it gave me worse gas.

During a flare, my safe foods were cheese, meat, eggs, milk, fruit juice, vegetable juice, white bread, and cream of wheat. It was a fucking nightmare to try and get all the nutrients into me that I need. You will note that most of these are in fact animal products. I was under literal medical orders to keep the hell away from non-juiced fruits and vegetables.

Of course, a bunch of people came out of the woodwork to tell me that I could heal myself by cutting out all dairy and wheat and going vegan/raw vegan. People still do this regularly. I've deleted ten out of my inbox since yesterday.

If I tried to go vegan, it would be very, very rough on my traitor-ass large intestine and would probably send me into a flare. If I tried to go RAW vegan, it would probably mean surgery and might kill me.

[ask-hws-america]

I went to a Vietnamese New Year Festival! They had these colorful dragon dudes walking around all bouncy-like, and one passed by while I was in the food court, so I said, "Hey! Can I take a picture?" and he came right up to me!! Like, right in my FACE!! 🤩🤩🤩

I tried to draw him, but he's REEEAAL detailed, so I dunno if I did him justice. Definitely cooler in real life.

You guys probably wanna know what I ate:

Sooo, I went for the sweets first, surprising absolutely no one, and found steamed tapioca layered cakes. They were kinda coconutty! Soft and chewy. Delicious!

Then I bought soy pudding with ginger. It was pretty good! I was glad for the warmth on a cool day.

After that, I started craving some meat and got sugarcane shrimp skewers – not just savory, but sweet, too! And SOOO good. I want more already. I could suck on that sugarcane all day. Mm! 😩 Vietnam was looking at me kinda weird, though. I may have been a LITTLE messy. Hey, don't judge! I cleaned up after myself!

Finally, I got some sesame balls with red bean paste! Man, I love that stuff. I've had it a million times before at Japan and China's houses and couldn't resist the chance to get it again.

[casuallyawkardd]

Hi! Can you do a Miguel x f!reader fic where they're dating? It's expensive to live in Nueva York and the reader overworks herself at a thankless job with a pervy boss but she can't find work anywhere else. She doesn't tell Miguel about her bosses advances because she doesn't want him to worry about her but the signs are getting harder to hide.

This request sparks joy, I enjoy all the fluff I've been writing lately, but deep down I'm just an angsty little bean who likes sprinkling trauma into my writing 😇

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x F!Reader

Warnings: MATURE THEMES MINORS DNI! Not explicit but noncon so deaddove?, sexual themes, Miguel does a no-no but it's an accident, angst, hurt/comfort

Everything had started out so promising. It was your first 'big girl' job. Well, technically not, but it was your first job in which your degree actually came in handy. It seemed like a dream come true when looking through rose colored glasses. A salary paying job at a respectable company, the annual income promising that you wouldn't have to be living paycheck to paycheck, the days of barely paying rent on time a distant memory.

The first month was the honeymoon phase, your new team being extremely helpful in showing you the ropes and helping you to establish a new routine. After being in a year-long rut, things finally seemed to be going your way. With the new job and a loving boyfriend, what could go wrong?

You didn't notice the red flags right away when you met your boss. In all honesty, he reminded you of Miguel, making you feel at ease around him. Like Miguel, he was tall and well built, tanned skin and dark hair. However, at the same time, the two had their differences. Your boss, though he had his own charms, wasn't as handsome as Miguel; he was also much more jovial than him. Everyone in the office seemed to like him, the young interns and some of the older office ladies gushing over him in secret. At the time, you had even joked that you'd shoot your shot with him if you weren't already in a happy relationship.

It was a gradual change. He had always been friendly with you, hell he was friendly with everyone, going out of his way to make conversation with you and bring you a cup of coffee when he came in in the morning. Then came the touching, his hand lingering longer than they should on your shoulders or resting on the small of your back to guide you closer to him. You thought it was weird, that feeling in your gut telling you something was wrong, but his casual nature and pearly whites would have you second guessing yourself. Maybe you were overthinking things?

Your answer came after a company dinner. It was late and he had offered to walk you home. Miguel was busy with work and the coworkers that were still there were people you didn't know very well, so you took him up on the offer. Everything seemed fine, the two of you walking side by side, keeping up friendly conversation and even sharing a few laughs. When you arrived at your apartment building, turning to say thank you and goodnight, that hand was at your waist once again. Pulling you to him, his head lowering to meet yours and your eyes widened in horror at what was clearly about to happen.

Quickly, you stiff armed him, creating much needed distance, the hand on your back seeming to hold on a little tighter. "I have a boyfriend," you reminded him, a fact you knew he was aware of.

He had just shrugged, "Who says he has to know?" your boss replies in that same, casual tone. When he doesn't see an inkling of humor cross your face, he backpedals, releasing you and holding his hands up in surrender. "Kidding, kidding, have a good night," the asshole tries to laugh it off, retreating back the way he had come. You return to the safety of your building, which doesn't feel as safe as it used to, now that he knew where you lived.

That was around the time your life at work started to go downhill as well. Your coworkers weren't as friendly, whispering behind their hands and throwing dirty looks in your direction. Your boss seemed to become more and more aggressive with his advances. Quite literally backing you into a corner when you're sitting at your desk or in the breakroom. He continuously asked you out, which you resorted to flat out telling him 'no' after multiple attempts of being polite about it. Everytime you reject him, it felt like he expected you to work later or show up earlier, scolding you when you don't comply.

It felt like it's you against the company. The work losing its enjoyment and the people who you thought were your friends now the bane of your existence. Why was this happening? What had you done wrong?

"Why don't you talk to HR?" your best friend suggests one night while you're venting.

"I did about some people, the ones who were real nasty at least," you reply with a heavy sigh, "but it feels like it's everyone. And my boss?" you groan woefully, "I get the feeling he'd just fire HR if they said someone reported him."

The frown on your friend's face deepens, a look of pity in their eye. "Well, what about your boyfriend? Does he know?"

You don't respond right away, pursing your lips a moment, "No, he doesn't."

"You should tell him!" your friend snaps at you, lightly slapping your shoulder, "He's scary right? I bet your boss would think twice about looking your way if he got his ass kicked."

"Yeah, maybe..." you don't doubt it. There had been times when you had thought about it, maybe even fantasized about Miguel showing up at your work and pummeling your boss in his stupid, charming face; and yet you haven't breathed a word about it to your other half. But, you already know why you haven't.

When Miguel and you had first started dating, he had been closed off. Understandably so, given the brief background he had told you about himself, it didn't surprise you that he had a hard time trusting people. Then one day, there was a shift, as if a switch had been flipped. He was happier around you, more affectionate. A soft smile on his face whenever you caught him staring at you, a gentle chuckle even if you weren't trying to be funny.

"Is everything...okay?" you ask him one night, the two of you lying in bed. Miguel has his head on your chest, a large arm lazily slung over your middle while you absentmindedly played with his hair.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he responds, lifting his head enough to glance up at you.

"You're just...different."

"Is it a good different?"

You smile at his change in expression. How he reminds you of a child worried they had done something wrong. "Yeah, it is good," you agree, bringing his face closer to kiss the spot between his brows. When you pull back, he moves closer. Shifting so he's above you, lips searching for yours. When they connect, it's electric. A buzz promising what's to come.

He pulls away enough to speak, "Works been a pain," he confesses, "between my duties as Spider-Man and maintaining the peace with the other universes, I can't seem to catch a break," there's a hint of annoyance in how he speaks that seems to grow the longer he thinks about it, but he catches himself. Taking a deep breath through his nose and letting out the same way, "But it's different with you. I feel like I can finally be at ease with you."

And there it is. The reason you've kept your mouth shut for months. The preservation of the little bubble Miguel and you have created. You were finally his safe space, someone he could relax around. Someone to provide a much needed calm to his already hectic life. It was something you had found in him months ago, but now the feeling was mutual, and you didn't want to ruin it.

It's not that bad, you told yourself, I can handle myself. That's what you tell yourself, after every lingering look from your boss and every snide comment your other coworkers give you. Miguel always said you were tough, joking that you'd have to be to date someone like him.

You didn't feel so tough tonight.

Work had been hard, with deadlines just around the corner, everyone was on edge. A little more venom behind their biting words, but that's not what led you to where you were now. Standing outside your apartment door, trembling as you fiddle with your keys and trying to hold back the tears until you were safely inside.

It was that asshole boss of yours again, only this time he had gone too far. Well, tried to at least. You had already come to terms with the fact he'd make you stay later than everyone else, working until the streetlights flicked on and even a little after. He had come over to your desk as you were putting your things in your bag, half paying attention to what he was saying. You were tired, ready to call it for the day, ready to go home and rest and-

Strong arms wrapped around you, making you stiffen in fear as what occurred a little over an hour ago replays in your head. The smell of takeout from your favorite Thai place brings you back and you're able to breathe a sigh of relief when you hear a familiar chuckle fill the air.

"Did I scare you, amor?" Miguel teases, releasing you and coming to stand at your side.

You crane your neck to look up at him, the look of fear now dissipated to one of surprise, "I thought we agreed to reschedule?" You had. While taking the train, clearly still shaken as you struggled to text him that your date would have to be another night. 'Had a rough day at work,' was your excuse. It wasn't a lie, just the truth with a few crucial details plucked out.

Miguel shrugged, taking your keys from your hand so he could pick out the right one for the front door. "I know," he explained, twisting the lock, "but I figured we could have a night in. Some takeout, maybe some episodes of that show you like-oh, baby you ripped your skirt," the small smile on his face drops as he spots the said rip, calloused fingers pinching the fabric before letting it go and heading inside the apartment.

It's your turn to look down at it, the urge to cry only growing at the sight, thinking it must have been torn by the metal desk in your struggles. This was your favorite skirt, Miguel's too from how he couldn't keep his hands off you when you wore it. You had planned on meeting up for your date right after work, so you had decided to wear your date night outfit to the office to save yourself a trip. It seemed like a harmless idea at first, but it turns out Miguel wasn't the only one who noticed you wearing it.

You followed at a slower pace, shutting and locking the door behind you. Including the deadbolt, something you did on occasion when you felt like you needed it. With a heavy sigh, you perked up as best you could and went to the living room; Miguel was already there on the couch waiting.

The evening went just as Miguel had suggested, your new show had a couple new episodes for you to catch up on, all while nibbling on the greasy food your partner had brought over. Under different circumstances, you would have considered tonight to be a perfect night in. A part of you felt bad, curled up on the opposite end of the couch from Miguel. Your appetite wasn't all there, only eating some of the steamed vegetables at the top of the box before setting it on the coffee table. Miguel had taken notice, of course he did, but as to why you were acting so strange he had no clue.

"Just been a long day," was all you said, forcing a smile to which he returned. When you had run out of episodes, you stood to take the leftovers to the fridge. Falling into routine gave you a sense of security, moving to start your evening chores next. Miguel called out, asking if you wanted help, but you turned him down. Wanting some time alone.

It turned out to be both a good thing and a bad one as well. The good being you were finally able to decompress, have some time to yourself where you didn't have to pretend to be okay. However, that meant you were left alone with your thoughts. The only ones in your head being about your boss. What he did...or rather tried to do.

You felt stuck, not sure if speaking up would make things worse. Your coworkers already hated you, talking bad about your 'perfect' boss would probably only make things worse. How could he even do that? To think you used to compare him to Miguel of all people. Miguel would never make you feel the way he did. Embarrass you, degrade you, hurt you-

The clinking of dishes brought you back to yourself, looking down at your shaking hands. You picked up the glass you had dropped in the sink, finishing up the last of the dishes and putting them aside to dry. Once done, you leaned against the counter, hands pressed into the hard edge of it. You blinked back the tears, trying to shake the dark thoughts from your mind. You weren't gonna cry, not again, not because of him.

"It feels like you've been in here forever, cariño," Miguel's baritone purrs in your ear out of the blue, a sort of warning as his arms wrap themselves around you again. And yet you still jumped, Miguel chuckling against your ear. "You're so jumpy tonight," he hummed, "I think you're letting work stress you out too much." Well that was an understatement.

"You're not one to talk," you reply, a bit more bite to your tone than intended, but Miguel seems too distracted to notice.

"Hmm, I think we both are due for some destressing," he murmured, fingers gliding your hair aside to plant some gentle kisses along your neck. It was a familiar dance with him, his lips trailing across your skin while his hands roamed elsewhere, alluding to what was to come. Normally, it was something you'd eagerly lean into, but today had been far from normal.

"Honey..." you tell him softly, trying to nudge him back with your shoulders, but it only seemed to make him want to be closer.

"Shh, I'll take care of you, mi amor," he soothed, planting a kiss on your cheek before coming down to resume nipping at your jawline.

"Miguel, come on," you tried to laugh it off, tried to keep your cool, but the tremor in your hands seemed to only worsen. It wasn't him, your feelings right now weren't because of him, but every touch brought you back to the office. Just tell him, the thought crosses your mind, but the stubborn part of you holds your tongue. Miguel hadn't done anything out of your usual comfort zone, even now he probably assumed you were playing coy like usual, not understanding the gravity of the situation. Why did he have to feel just like him? Firm body on your back pressing you into a hard surface, lips ghosting over your neck, teeth teasingly biting at the flesh, one hand untucking your shirt and sliding underneath the fabric to grope at your breast, the other hand gliding up your thigh, palming you from behind before migrating to the front, fingers inches closer to your center...

"Miguel, stop!" your mouth moves of its own accord. Adrenaline gives you the strength to push him back, the kitchen becoming almost deadly quiet. Your eyes are locked on the tile floor, not looking him in the eye. You couldn't look him in the eye, the thought alone of what face he was making causing your chest to tighten. The confusion, surprise, maybe even heartbreak.

The silence is broken as a sob rips from your throat, your hands covering your mouth to quiet the ones that follow. The tears are flowing freely now, wetting your cheeks and softly landing on the ground. "I...I'm sorry," Miguel's voice sounds so far away. "I didn't..I thought-"

"You didn't do anything," you speak and he goes quiet immediately. He's patient, waiting for you to continue. It's almost like an out of body experience, you lashing out seeming to open the flood gates. You tell him everything, how things at work had been going downhill for months after your boss tried to kiss you, your asshole coworkers turning on you and your even bigger asshole of a boss not taking no for an answer. The expectations of working longer hours than you were paid for. The stress, the frustration, the feeling of preservation so as not to ruin the dynamic you two had created. Your gibberish eventually leading into what had happened earlier that night.

"...I had to stay late, a-and my boss said he needed to talk and-and-"

"What did he do?" Miguel interjects and your mouth clamps shut. Tongue feeling too big to even get the words out, "Mi amor, look at me," he doesn't demand it, he pleads, the unexpectedness of it making you look up. When your eyes meet, something seems to click for him, realization flickering in his eyes. There's anger, the kind you never would want directed at you, but then they soften. As if realizing the fury he wanted to unleash wasn't meant for you. Never for you. "Y/N..."

"Don't touch me," you snap at him, regretting it immediately after. Miguel had only taken half a step, but stopped immediately at your command. It hurt him and you could tell, wanting to hold you and comfort you, but unable to. Not when his touch made the memories all the more fresh.

"Ay dios mío..." he mutters, hands going to his hips as he doesn't know what to do with them now. The kitchen goes quiet again, aside from your small sobs. Miguel sets his jaw, something he does when he has something to say, but doesn't know how to. "Did he..?"

"Miguel, please-"

"I know, amor, I know. I don't want to make you talk about it if you're not ready to, but-" he pauses, lips pressed in a fine line, pain etched into his expression. "I just-I have to know. The thought of you getting hurt and I wasn't there to stop it..baby please, for me. I feel like I'm being eaten up from the inside."

You believe him, every word. He was used to being the one to save the day, you couldn't imagine how he felt knowing he wasn't there for who he cared for most. You let out a deep breath to calm down, "No, he didn't," you answer and you can almost see the tension leave his body. At least some of it.

"What do you need? Anything. Let me help you, don't shut me out, please...You've been there for me when I needed you, please let me be there for you, please?" he almost tries to step closer to you, stopping himself like it's the hardest thing he's ever done.

You bite your lip in thought, contemplating what to suggest. Not just for you, but him as well. Miguel was always the one who knew what to do, so the feeling of being unsure was clearly foreign to him. "Honestly, I just want to take a bath."

"A bath? I can do that. Just..give me a minute," he's scrambling, it's a side of him you'd never seen. Miguel shuffling as he remembers how to move, practically running to the bathroom with unnecessary vigor, hissing out some Spanish curses when he clips himself in the side with the island counter. His eagerness has you laughing softly, momentary joy fluttering through you before the weight of your evening sets back in.

The sound of the tub filling, along with the sound of Miguel moving about the bathroom is endearing, the man himself returning to you quickly to let you know it was ready. The set up alone is a comforting sight, the scent of lavender coming from the water, one of your incense candles gently burning. The mirror was fogged up, letting you know that the water was just the right temperature. It was all so simple and yet just what you needed.

Miguel waits beside you with bated breath, the small smile you give him a sign of reassurance. He offers to wait in the living room, hoping you don't send him away to be alone like you had originally intended when you got home, but you stop him.

"I don't want to be alone."

It's contradictory, but he doesn't question it. Doesn't even furrow his brow in confusion like he usually would. The two of you don't speak, Miguel sitting on the floor, back resting against the side of the tub, all while you undress and slip into the welcoming water. You let out an audible sigh of relief, letting the suds surround you as you lie back. After a moment, you glance Miguel's way, seeing that his eyes are glued to the far wall. He's trying to be respectful, you acknowledge, trying to be there for you while also not making you feel even more uncomfortable.

His presence alone is a comfort, the image of an overprotective guard dog making you smile once more. It's a moment filled with comfortable silence, the kind you only ever seemed to find with him. You almost don't want it to end, but the cooling of the water and the pruning on your fingertips lets you know it's time to get out.

"Hey," you say, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and making him jerk slightly in surprise. He looks over at you expectantly, eyes averting to the side so he doesn't seem like he's staring. "I think calling it early for the night would be good. Put this shitty day behind me."

"Yeah, I agree," he nods slowly, getting to his feet and heading to the door. "I put some clothes on the counter for you, I'll give you some privacy," he points to the said folded clothes, your gaze following his finger.

"Thanks," you smiled at him and he hummed in response. Miguel was being distant, but you knew the intent was to be for your benefit. Give you the space you had asked for earlier and being there when requested. "I'll meet you in the bedroom." It's more of a way to clarify than anything, you were sure Miguel had already resolved to sleeping on the couch tonight. His wariness seems to lessen, stepping a little lighter as he leaves the bathroom.

You take your time with draining the tub, drying off with a towel and slipping into your pajamas. They're comfortable, baggy and soft on your skin. You fall back into your nightly routine of brushing your teeth, washing your face and even popping a melatonin gummy in your mouth just in case.

Miguel is sitting stiffly in your bed, propped up, under the covers and hands folded together in his lap. It's almost comical, how he looks like a teenage boy awaiting the moment he finally loses his V card, but you don't dare tease him about it. Not when he's been so understanding all evening.

Sliding in beside him, you scoot until your thigh touches his, "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier," you tell him, not sure what else to say.

He doesn't miss a beat, "You have nothing to be sorry for, cariño," he reassures you with ease, hesitantly placing a hand on your thigh over the sheets. When you don't flinch away, he gives it a comforting squeeze. "What're you thinking right now? I can practically hear the gears turning in that pretty head of yours," he attempts to lighten the mood, something you also appreciate.

You scoff, rolling your eyes tiredly, "I don't even know anymore. Everything feels so unreal," you run a hand through your hair, sighing. "I don't know what I'm going to do now. What I'm going to do now, how I'm going to even face him, what's gonna happen at work..."

"Don't worry about that right now," he interjects, "let's just go to bed, like you wanted to. Do you...want me to hold you?"

You nod, Miguel kissing your hairline as the two of you silently adjust until you're in your usual sleeping positions. Miguel on his back, while you slept on your side with one arm and one leg draped over him. One of his arms wrapped under you, a hand resting on your lower back so his thumb could trace small circles into the muscles there. As your body relaxed into his, fitting against his side like it was meant to be there, you felt at peace. At home even.

The firmness of him against your side didn't seem to trigger your traumas anymore, the idea that Miguel and your boss were similar now a distant memory. The fact you had thought of them as so alike seemed silly now. Your boss may be tall, tanned and well built like Miguel, but he wasn't warm like him. His hands had been cold when they violated you, something Miguel's never were. The kind of warmth that seemed to make everything else go away, even if for a moment. The kind that made you feel safe and loved, everything you needed and more. When you needed it most.

Tags: @prettylittlebrowngirl @khaleesihavilliard @leahnicole1219 @edgycatx @qiaipia @melovetitties @thedevax @erissco @leo-lvr@stqrlightrs

[thesupernaturalhouse]

Ooooookay! Hazbin Hotle redesigns....but not really? Honestly, it's just me drawing them in my style, but they could be considered redesigns, I guess, specifically Charlie

Uhhhh I guess we start form left to right sooo, Emily!

Right, so, Emily is obviously a fallen angle. Thiguht this isn't her fallen look, since we already kneo what she looks liek with wings and a halo I didn't think about making a 2nd version of her without the demon disguise- but maybe I should

Either way, I kinda kept her original dress, with the symbols and what not, I feel liek blue and purple really suit her so, indigo

I tried to add red to her, but it just didn't look good. It gave me an eye strain.though her till and horns have a sort of dark magenta color going on

I wanted to add more 'freckles' cause, thier cute, and I have a bunch of freckles ove rmy arms and legs and face and stuff so, added them to em, I put a few on her ears and tail and horns to

Gave her gold buttons and fishnets on her arms, i forget what their called cause they are cute, and I like Athnek(?) Posts about Emily and uh, goth Emily, I think, is pretty cool and so boom, fishnet glive things- I gitta look up what there called

Lso ehr shoes look liek dolphins, which I didn't mean to do but it happened and I've accepted it

Next is Charlie!!

Um. Obviously, Charlie is the most changed from her canon design, I relaly like her hooves and others redesigns of her looking more liek a goat

Originally, I was just gonna add gaot ears and stuff, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of her having fur soooo tadaaaaa~

I gave her a little red stripe between her eyes and fade on her legs and ears to match Razzle and dazzle, and since lucifer was a high angle a seraphm/archangels hoenstly I dotn see a difference. I gave her some white freckles as well to sorta, show that connection

Also, toe beans! If she has claws, she can have beans, I think that Emily would have a normal human hand while vaggie would have little soft spikes on her like moths do, tho that's not shown

I also drew charlies wings cause it's cnaon she has them, and I wanted to play around with the demon/angle wing/s she could have, my irl friend K helped me decide which one to choose

I also drew her leg so you can see the fade in full. Side note that her belly has the same cherry red fur

I also added some chest fluff because why not?

As for her horns, I kept them the same color but added rings like Lilith has to show a connection between them. She also has her mom's eyes and heart tail point. I wanted her to have some demon stuff out just cause, she is a demon, she should......also realizing just how long I made her tail-

Uhhh, oh, right, side note, which I'll have to make a separate post about, Lucifer/eve/lilith are all dating each other, and Chalrie is all 3s kid. Eve is where she got the goat aspect from, inckuding horn shape, her scaly tail, snake fangs, red cheeks and color scheme over all are from dad, and Lilith is where she got her eyes and horn rings and heart point from, and beans to I guess

Maybe I should make a gene sheet one day; I gave her Jean shorts, like how I usually wear just cause I didn't want to add too much red or black

Okay, vaggie time!

Vaggie is the least changed. The most I really change about her is how her wings look. Her hand snow has soft spikes like moths do, and her hair

I do think when she fell, she got more demon aspects, but since her wings were torn off, she doesn't have to many physically other than fangs and the spikes

I also made her hair shorter because please, nobody has their hair that long!! or if they do, then I've never seen them!

I know it's a show, but it was driving me crazy! I'm not that skilled at draw front view bodies yet, so if vaggie looks off I'm sorry:(

Play that should be it!-

Oh wait, hold on, right. The reason they have gold rings/objects on them is because in term software demon courting their all technically married, okay bye-

[crying-fantasies]

Communion

Masterlist

Most of the time you still think back on how you got here, a big and expressive alien for couple, a whole baby, an active military base as your family home.

You still aren't sure which one is the most crazy factor of this whole situation.

Some days are normal, as normal it is to wake up and see your alien metal boyfriend reading a datapad with his glasses on, a cup of steaming energon on servo, baby sleeping like an angel on her little basket inside his cockpit, sucking contently on her pacifier, Buster on his lap, asking for belly rubs.

Your new everyday life, lazy mornings and a smiling special other once he notices you're finally awake as he greets you, holding in his massive digits a mug of coffee, it's true that most humans consume coffee first thing in the morning, but you doubt everyone does it everyday, or that they consume like he thinks you do, pitch black, because he kind of relates it to his daily oil, and the sticky, hot oil is the better one in his own opinion, but you're sure this could give you a very bad result in the end.

But who can say no to that timid, expectant smile of his? One that only shines brighter in joy when you take a big sip out if the mug.

"Tasty?"

With a hardly covered migraine in the working and your taste buds crying for mercy you finally swallow the water with entire coffee beans in it, "delightful".

Thundercracker's little smile is worth it, "great, I've 5 Lt for you, so you can drink to your spark's content", just in cue he takes from his subspace one of his own cubes, just that in place of energon it is filled almost entirely of the black water with coffee beans, which you can see at the base of the cube, "humans are water based, so you must drink as much to be healthy".

You're about to tell him the truth, steading yourself for the fallen wings and have Buster as your intermediary man (dog?) between you and your soon to be moping alien robot boyfriend, but before you can say much than: "Well, TC, you see-"

He wiped his helm to the sky.

"Wait"

"... TC, let me explain-"

"Shh!"

You were surprised, and then felt indignant, "did you just shut me up?"

But there was something wrong, his wings were a little higher than usual and his red optics were frantically searching something that you couldn't, his glasses now in his subspace and one servo over his cockpit, just above Maxima who was still sleeping, oblivious of what was happening.

"Do you hear that?", you did a double take, was he really asking you? The organic whose ears hardly registered a laughable 7% of the things he could? But, in reality, you did notice that he was asking genuinely, like he wasn't sure of it, and a few minutes later you did hear something.

Buster started to bark, "I do", not really sure, as you weren't familiar with that strange sound, but one thing was for sure, it was getting closer, "is it static or something-"

Before you could even finish your words he already had his servo on you and Buster, holding you both like Barbie dolls, Thundercracker's voice was a rare mix of panic and urgency as he told you to "hold our girls and don't let go!" as next hing you knew is that you were inside his cockpit with the baby, trying to hold her basket with one arm and a barking Bister the best you could, Maxima's little face was starting to show her anger due to be abruptly awaken.

You tried to talk to him, ask him what was happening, but you couldn't even see right as Thundercracker put both of his servos over his cockpit, over all of you, and you aren't sure if you heard right or not but he sounded annoyed, pissed beyond himself as the giant metal door started to move, slowly, sharp clawed digits forcing open, ah, nothing can be totally peaceful, not in this line of work or in what you came into when he appeared with a baby he said was a gift for you both, or maybe it started when you got him out of the party to that kermes, giving him the worst impression of a human wedding, or, if you're being honest, maybe everything went horribly wrong when you started to talk with him, and that's proven more than once when all you can do is hold Max and Buster to you, scared of what is to come, not even thinking of putting on the seatbelt, or if he even has one, but he beats you to it, putting it around your body fast.

Your heart is pounding, scared, horrified, as the door finally open, and there is-

An exact copy of Thundercracker, but purple, really purple.

And all the commotion in him seems to pass.

They seem to be looking at one another, TC is still keeping you covered, you can barely see the new mech in a gap between his digits, the blood on your head doesn't let you understand what they are saying to one another, but this purple TC seems angry, your arms aren't enough to calm down Max but Buster seems to know this guy, as she is only growling now, lowly, barking only once when the purple one holds Thundercracker's helm without much care with a single servo, making him almost fall due to the force on it, TC doing what he can to make him let go.

This new 'con, now with free vision to you and Max as the only giant you know can't do much than say "stop, stop, stop, you're scaring them", as Maxima's cries start to reach a new level, maybe her newly opened eyes really do recognize TC over other bots, like he always boasted about, the new 'con, with an exasperated expression, just let's go of TC and goes to another corner of the place, which is big enough for both, he seems to be expecting something, it's too late to really understand what is happening as Thundercracker lowers himself, knee on the floor, you almost ask, shouting, what is he doing, but he opens his cockpit and puts his servo open for Buster to get out, telling her "good girl" as he puts her on the floor and goes to smell the newcomer, tilting her head in that adorable way she does as she looks at him, TC servo is once again in front of you now, but all you can do is hold Max to your chest, one hand on the back of her head and the other over her little body, her cries are doing irreparable damage to your eardrums and whatever but you can't stop looking at this new one that just opened the door of your house like it was an old can.

TC seems to understand, "it's okay", you're pressed to his seat, the seatbelt let's go but he needs to nudge you a little bit, "he isn't going to do anything, I swear, he is..." the time he needs to think about to say next makes feel confronted, just like the con in front, "nice".

Oh, he said it like a question at the end, now you really hold the baby.

Maybe it wasn't directed to you, as the mech seems to vent like a bored teenager would sigh, even with a tint of sass, taking seat on the floor and his wings follow him, "this is embarrassing" he growls, his red optics burning over you.

"Uhu, what were you thinking coming like that? you scared them", his digits try to separate one of your hands from Max and hold him instead, and you do, once the imminent danger seems to lower as now the bot seems less about to squish you and more like he is curious, he... looks awfully a lot like TC, but it's not the alt mode, it's the face, the same optics, almost the same olfactory ridge, the same derma that makes their lips-

"It's looking at me"

"This is both ways, remember? Both ways"

You don't exactly get what he means, but hold his digit anyway to help you get out, his open servo in front of you again, now you can see his faceplate, and he looks like a kid that wants candy.

So he wants to hold Max, you do as much, feeling that the only way to survive this is to have her with TC in case things do go badly with whatever is happening, he is better with her, after trial and error he puts her just to the side of his faceplate, holding her near to warm living metal as he does those strange purrs with his engines, getting the baby to calm her crying before her face gets another shade of red, you aren't the only one watching, the intruder seems to see it too, he seems annoyed, but the type that it's curious, his big optics looking at everything in front of him and- wait, is he purring too?

To your horror, he extended his servo to your boyfriend once Max stopped crying, "gimme".

Your horror only deepens when TC, going against what you believed, does give him the baby in her basket, "just be careful, okay?"

It wasn't okay, it definitely wasn't, "wait! WAIT!", call it instinct or whatever, you started to shout like a mad man, shouting "who is this?!" to Thundercracker and "who are you?!" to the purple mech, who only clicks his glossa at you, opening his own cockpit and letting fall unceremoniously an unknown man on one of his leg struts.

Your stress levels reach another peak of absurdity, "and who are you?!"

"What does it mean with who?", the man on the floor says a blasphemy and TC is fast to gasp and hold Max's head to his chest plate, the gears of the purple one seem to work as his optics narrow ominously over you and then your boyfriend, the baby soon with a startled face when she noticed the one in front of her wasn't her dad, "it doesn't know who I'm?"

The surprise on his voice is palpable, and then so is his anger, "It doesn't know who I'm?!"

"Don't talk to them like that!", it took a good time to calm him down again, mostly because Max seemed in the verge of tears again and the man that was brought here with him was about to suffer a concussion.

Oddly enough, he just needed a pack of ice gel and was good to talk, "so you're the one who's dating an alien that everyone was talking about!", he was... something indeed, especially when he noticed what was his current situation, or when he noticed he saw you, maybe, he isn't sure, but you're familiar with that "have I seen you before?" when you saw this very same man a week ago for the information of a case.

Your familiar with this, but it doesn't mean it stings any less, "yes, yes you did, agent Rock 'n roll.

"Nice", apparently there is no more to say, just watch the two mechs talk in vosian if you're not wrong, Buster got near the new stranger and started her own recognizance job, good ol' sniff, "what is this about?"

Thundercracker shows the baby on her basket once again to the new mech, who makes a clicking noise, like some kind of cooing that gets Max's bid brown eyes to open even more, "I was about to ask you the same".

Now you do know about this mech, he said his name is Skywarp and that he is, somehow, Thundercracker's brother.

"You've a brother?", was your immediate question, Buster's ears perked up at your tone.

"It didn't know you have two brothers?", asked back Skywarp.

TC's snarky reminder to his brother to call you for your name went to deaf ears, "you have TWO brothers?"

"You fleshies really are so slow", Skywarp, your apparent brother in law, smirked like he was making fun of you, "think you're the only ones with the concept of a group or a clan" maybe he was referring to a family as he let Max hold one of his digits above her without problem.

"I didn't mean-"

"It's nice that you got your friend here", as ever, Thundercracker tried to make it pleasant.

"Just a passenger, not a friend".

It took a moment, but just to be sure, the said friend asked, "is this... some kind of family reunion? Am I something like a close family friend?" he was looking at Skywarp for confirmation, and when his pretty red optics looked to the other side it was evident, "Awww, I love you too, buddy!"

"Don't make it strange, flesh bag!", his armor trembled with what you could say was disgust or embarrassment, "he had to show the protoform cycles ago! At least to me as I'm in this planet!" the gentle touch on her amazes to everyone except for your boyfriend who seems happy, Max is relaxed as he let's Skywarp search over her, the detail he is going over is one similar to a picky eater or an sculptor, "but no, not even come close because it's so frail and whatever", he seems to think of something that makes him mad, "if we were back in Vos the elders would have beaten you for taking so long to present the new spark, no, they would if they knew how you got an organic one to begin with and-" with a fast movement of his digits he is holding Max upside down, it makes you and agent RnR almost shout, Buster barked, indignant, "what is it? humans put a lot of importance in it, so what is it?"

"A femme, Sky, a tiny femme, don't hold her like that, her tummy will ache"

"The frag is a tummy?"

Somehow, it clicked, but you didn't have the courage to say it out loud, Rock 'n roll, for the other part, didn't have such reservations, "wait, is this the alien equivalent of that ferret showing off it's babies to the owner?"

"Don't you dare compare me with furballs!", not exactly ferrets, but pretty birds.

"Don't shout near her!", her cries were, again, started for all the ruckus, and TC took her away from Skywarp's servos with an angry expression, holding her to his cockpit and wings up to show his discomfort.

So, yeah, birds looking after the baby chick.

[kissorkill16]

Keeping Secrets: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: Sometimes, you just gotta spill the beans.

Finch was Quentin's assistant.

Last summer, the girl scout was looking for an after school activity. But she thought all of the ones being held at her school were all lame and not really her style.

Then she met Quentin.

He was just on his way to the copy store to get a few pictures developed, and he really needed an assistant to help him with journalist work. Finch was really into photography, so she politely took the offer.

The best part was that she even got her very own camera.

But during the following weeks, Finch had stopped showing up for work. Quentin tried calling her, but she never picked up the phone. He tried calling her dad, but he always said she was out with her friends.

He decided to confront her about it.

One day, he noticed Finch walking home and carrying a bag full of stuff, so he pulled over next to her and honked the horn.

"Hey, Finch! How've you been?", he asked. The girl scout jumped in surprise, but immediately relaxed when she saw that it was just Quentin. "Hey.", she said.

Quentin opened his van door and patted the passenger seat, "Come on in. We haven't seen each other in a while, we should catch up."

Finch hopped into the passenger seat, closing the door behind her.

As they drove off, Finch shamefully stared at her lap. "Look, Quentin. I'm sorry I've been so distant with you lately, I was just -"

Quentin put his hand up, "It's alright, Finch. I get it. You're a kid, and kids your age like to take a while off of responsibilities and hang out with friends.", he said. "I was like that too."

Finch sighed in relief, "So I'm forgiven?"

"Only if you tell me what exactly it is you've been doing with your friends."

That's when the girl scout felt all of the blood drain from her body. She tried to sound casual, but it came out more nervous than anything. "Oh, just lame kid stuff. You wouldn't be interested."

"Nonsense, kids are way more interesting than adults, I'd love to hear about your exciting adventures with your friends."

Finch crossed her arms and looked out the window, "Sorry, but I'm not saying a word."

Quentin internally groaned. Fine. If she wasn't going to tell him, then he'd just have to get it out of her himself. His eyes travelled to the bag that she had in her lap. "What's in the bag?", he asked.

"Just some pictures I developed a while ago.", replied Finch.

Quentin's eyes widened, then he sighed in exasperation. "Finch, don't tell me you're doing it again.", he complained. Finch looked at him like he just assaulted her grandmother.

"No! I'm not embarrassing innocent people anymore, I'd never risk another camera or my safety.", said the girl scout. "These are private pictures for my friends, I don't have to tell you anything."

Quentin rolled his eyes, "Fine then. I'll just guess."

As Quentin turned the corner, he started guessing what Finch has been up to.

"Are you and your friends forming a secret cult?", he asked.

"No, idiot. There's already a cult in this town, why would we try to start a new one and make this town more hellish than it already is?"

"Yeah, I know. That was a stupid question."

Then he had an even crazier realization.

"Is it about a boy?"

Finch's face turned red and her eyes widened in shock, "QUENTIN!", she squealed.

"Well it's the only explanation I can come up with.", said Quentin. "You've been ditching work to get closer to a boy you like.", he said as he rubbed under her chin, making her blush more. "I bet all of those pictures are of him, right?~"

Finch was about to answer, but then she looked back down at her shoes. "W-Well, there is one picture, and he's really - WAIT WHAT?!"

Quentin started laughing.

Finch punched him in the arm, "It's not about a boy!", she squealed. She was not about to tell her journalist partner about her secret crush. "And I haven't been skipping work to get closer to him!"

"Then tell me the real reason."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because Trinity told me to keep it a secret!"

Quentin's eyes widened again, "Trinity? Your friend? The one with the...the coin?", he asked. Finch nodded, still looking at her shoes. "Finch, what happened?"

The girl scout turned to look at her friend. "We've been investigating the Forest Protectors and Crowface even though you told us not to. Trinity couldn't handle all of the bad luck or stress or the thoughts of possible death, so that's why she's doing all of this. Quentin, please try to understand. Her life is in danger, her family is in danger, and as far as we know, the whole town is in danger.", she said. Then she pulled out the pictures from her bag and laid them out before her friend, "These are pictures of all of their hiding places and last known whereabouts."

Then she pointed to a particular picture of a boy, her face red and her eyes on the floor of the car. "And this one is of the guy I like."

Quentin stopped the car and turned to look at the girl scout. "Finch, I'm sorry to hear about your friend.", then he sighed. "I told you kids to stay away from them, now you've all got yourselves stuck in a rabbit hole.", he said. He pulled Finch close to him and gave her a hug.

"Quentin. Can you promise not to tell Trinity I told you?", she asked.

Quentin knew he wouldn't be able to keep that promise, but he needed to talk to Trinity. This girl had gotten herself and her friends in danger with the most dangerous cult in the world.

"I promise, Finch. Don't worry about anything for now."

[ajaxslibrary]

Foolish One - Gojo Satoru x Reader

a/n: this little piece popped into my head listening to Taylor Swift, and each bit is themed after the lyric that prefaces it

-

My cards are on the table, yours are in your hand

I've long given up hiding my affections for Satoru. Most people don't recognise my reactions and the ones that do won't be fooled by my faking. So, I give up.

I cut my eyes from my book to him when he walks in the room. I tilt my head when he speaks. I set aside what I'm working on when he tries for my attention.

Satoru though treats me the same as everyone else. Carefully guarded, a jokester, a tease.

Chances are tonight you've already got plans, and chances are I will talk myself to sleep again

Of course, Satoru is going out drinking with some of our co-workers. I should've known.

It's okay. At least I have my own company. That's all I'll ever truly need. Bound to always have only my own words, thoughts, and company. I've gotten used to it.

I'm okay on my own.

That's what I tell myself at least.

You give me just enough attention to keep my hopes too high

"(y/n)-san! Oi~! Wanna try this mochi? I got it from the new place in Shibuya!" Satoru jogs to catch up with me on my walk to the train station. "It's matcha with red bean filling."

"I- yeah, sure. I like mochi."

An understatement. Mochi is my favourite sweet. Satoru knows that. He never offers me anything else. Unless he takes me to ramen for a meeting.

He holds out a piece of mochi for me and I take it tentatively. I love mochi, I love red bean paste, but... I don't like matcha. I take a small bite.

"This isn't matcha."

"Is it not?"

I can tell from the small smirk that Satoru already knew. It was just sweet red bean mochi, my favourite, dyed a matcha green.

I can't help the way my heart starts to beat a little faster in my chest.

"Is it good? Is it good? I haven't tried it yet, does it have the mochi master seal of approval?"

I feel heat rise to my cheeks at the thought he wanted to know what I thought of the mochi before trying it himself.

"It's good. The last place was better, but this is really good."

"Score! Thanks, (y/n)-san!"

And the voices say "You are not the exception, you will never learn your lesson"

A little box is waiting on my desk. Tied up with a pretty bow, the tag of my favourite sweet shop on one of the tails. My heart starts pounding when I hear my phone go off with Satoru's text tone.

'You like your present?'

A giddy smile crosses my lips and I race to open the box. Three red bean mochi and three sesame mochi. He knows me too well.

I whip out my phone and type up a quick response, thanking God that the racing of my heart and the happiness overflowing from it can't carry over text.

'Yeah, thanks'

I know he doesn't love me the way I want him to. He's the strongest, surely he's above love.

But oh, I can hope.

Foolish one stop checkin' your mailbox for confessions of love that ain't never gonna come

It's a dance we do every day. I check my email, half-hoping to see a beautiful, melodramatic, wonderful love confession from Satoru, he swings by my office to say hi, I try to keep my caged heart from escaping through my throat as he smiles at me.

And oh what a smile.

It's a dance we do every day. I've long memorised its steps.

Because every day my half-hopes are disappointed. Every day he says hi and gives me a beautiful smile that makes my heart beat faster. And every day it takes everything in me to not profess my undying love to Gojo Satoru.

Don't know what to call this situation but I know I can't call you mine

I take a deep breath as the weight of Satoru almost presses into me. Contact undoubtedly prevented by infinity. I glance over to look at him and he grins.

"What are you working on?"

Satoru is draped over me, his lips right next to my ear. I'm hyper-aware of him now.

"Um, I'm working on, ah, working on a lesson plan for one of my students."

Satoru shifts as I talk so one arm is dropped down the front of my torso.

"(y/n)-san," I can hear the frown in Satoru's voice when he says my name. "Do you not trust me?"

I do. I trust you with my life. That frightens me.

"I trust you." Completely. Utterly. Wholly. Entirely. I trust you.

"Why did you get so tense the moment you knew I was here?"

I hadn't noticed. But I know why.

"Because if I let go then I will break. I will not be a burden."

He does not need to know how I love him. I know. And that is enough. That must be enough.

'Cause when my head is on your shoulder it starts thinkin' you'll come around

I lean my head onto Satoru's shoulder on the train. Well, almost. He laughs at me.

"Tired?"

I don't give a proper answer, just a quiet mumble. Then I feel a tingly warmth cover my body, and my face makes contact with soft, warm fabric.

"Sleep well."

I think I say thank you. It must have sounded strange, because Satoru chuckles before responding softly.

"You're welcome. Now rest, I can protect us both."

You will learn the hard way instead of just walking out

The dance stops abruptly. Satoru doesn't swing by my office to say hi. And he doesn't smile at me when we pass in the hall.

There's mochi on my desk though. From the new place in Shibuya. I take a tentative bite of one, and it's matcha with red bean filling. Maybe last time was an accident.

I can't stand matcha.

Satoru knows that.

When my phone goes off with his text tone, I glance down, ignoring the warning beats of my heart like an ominous drum.

'I'm sorry'

Oh you haven't written me or called but goodbye's screamin' in the silence

I break as soon as I'm home. I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to vomit. I want to cut my hair off. But more than anything else.

I want to die.

There aren't many things I hate in this world.

I hate matcha. I hate failing. I hate watching a student ignore my teachings. I hate feeling disregarded. I hate when people go back on their word.

But more than anything else, I hate goodbyes without words.

And there are many things I love in this world that cannot love me in return.

I love sweet red bean paste. I love mochi. I love ramen. I love pocky. I love coffee. I love seeing someone progress. I love being protected. I love protecting others.

And more than I love anything else, unfailingly, unswervingly, unconditionally.

I love Gojo Satoru.

[skrooy]

Sonic Crack Ships

So lately I've been going through a Sonic phase though its mostly a Tails phase if im being honest with myself. I've been trying to watch all the Sonic media and read all the Sonic comics that I can while playing a few Sonic games here and there. So my messed up brain came up with this stupid idea. What if I put every version of every canon Sonic characters from all Sonic media into multiple rounds of the hunger games simulator until only ones left. So I did that and even though I literally did it yesterday I already forgot who won I just remember it was something stupid. I also did it with all the diffrent canon and AU versions of Tails I could find and the winner was actually Tails from Sonic Boom. But anyways im getting off track where im going with this is that today while I was doing nothing lying in bed my brain came up with an even more messed up idea. What if I put all the Sonic characters not including the humans into a random wheel picker on Google to form a bunch of crack ships. So I did it for every character on the wheel. I now have a list. And I have decided to post this list because I find it funny. And I dare people to draw a couple from this list together or make a short cute crack story about one of these ships. And if you do please send a link to me. Ill die laughing if anyone does this. Sorry if I misspelled some names. P.S. I tried to put pictures on here for each character but I couldn't figure out how. I already have a part 2 for this in the works with even more characters.

Rosy the Rascal x Dark Doom

Scourge the Hedgehog x Trip the Sungazer

Mephiles the Dark x Silver Sonic

Ray the flying Squirrel x Rouge the Bat

Espio the Chameleon x Whisper the Wolf

Sage x Metal Amy

Storm Beard x Tumble the Skunk

Tiara Boobowski x Duck Bill Platypus

Cat (from Sonic Freedom Fighters) x Sonar the Fennec Fox

Hangry x Johnny Lightfoot

Gaia (Light, Dark, or both) x Megan Acorn

Tangle the Lemur x Silver the Hedgehog

Thrash the Tasmanian Devil x Sails

Thorn Rose x Vector the Crocodile

Monkey Khan x Fang the Jerboa

Jack x Tikal the Echidna

Prim x Chip

Werehog Sonic x Blaze the Cat

Nicole the Holo Lynx x Catfish

Knuckles the Dread x Sonic the Hedgehog

Zector the Zone Cop x Metal Tails

Wave the Swallow x Morian Blackthorn

Infinite the Jackal x Mighty the Armadillo

Vermin the Cybernik x Super Mecha Sonic

Porker Lewis x Zails the Zone Cop

Geoffrey St. John x Nazo the Hedgehog

Metal Sonic 3.0 x Manic the Hedgehog

Rocket the Sloth x Eclipse the Darkling

Marine the raccoon x Metal Scourge

Sonia the Hedgehog x Red

Black Rose x Dingo

Metal Knuckles x Nine

Charmy Bee x Neo Metal Sonic

Zknuckles the Zone Cop x Knuckles

Vanilla the Rabbit x Ebony the Cat

Rusty Rose x Perci

Mecha Sonic x Jet the Hawk

Bark the Polar Bear x Emperor Metallix

Mangy x Amy Rose

Sally Acorn x Griff

Fleetway Sonic x Tails the Fox

Bean the Dynamite x Zonic the Zone cop

Nasty Hyenas (the whole group) x Sticks the Badger

Metal Sonic x Stripes the Tiger

Batten x Storm the Albatross

Fiona the Fox x Cream the Rabbit

Anti Tails x Shade the Echidna

Bunnie Rabat x Shadow the Hedgehog

Antoine x Zooey the Fox

Sonic.exe x Jules (yes I know this is Sonics dad in the comics)

Ifrit x MinaMongoose

Rocket Metal Sonic x Tekno the Canary

Avatar x Big the Cat

Zantoine the Zone Cop x Gnarly

Chaos x Rotor the Walrus

Bunny Bones x Anti Sally

Zouge the Zone Cop x Zespio the Zone Cop

Denizen 1998 x Tails Doll

Mecha Knuckles x Honey the Cat

Rebel x Sleet

Knucks x Pseudo Sonic

Solaris x Zally

Nack the Weasel x Athair

Ball Hog x Carrotia

Grand Battle Kuku 15th x Lupe the wolf

Roxy the waiter x Lien-Da

Number 16 Speedy x Alicia Acorn

King Max Acorn x Bearenger

Lawrence x Burning Blaze

Elias Acorn x Fiest the Panda

Ari x Roller

Sallybot x Queen Aleena

Da Bearz (both of them) x Fockewulf

Julie-Su x Dr. Finitevus

Ms. Possum x Catty Carlisle

[kabybaali]

For Wen Ning's birthday event day 2, I made a Collab with my sweet friend uwu

Art made by me

Story made by @vahntares 💖

Wen Ning couldn't help but push the tray with the steaming red bean cakes away from the prying hands trying to steal them.

"Āiyā! I never imagined you could be so cold-hearted! You hide under those kind eyes and that beautiful smile!"

His cheeks tinged slightly, as he had never been accused of such things before, yet his hands remained firm and steady.

"The-they’re not ready y-y-yet!"

"Are you going to keep them away from me? I've never been able to taste one of these! A-Ning, please have mercy on this tormented soul, you're denying water to a man who spent years in the desert!"

More nonsense. Wen Ning could only hope that the heat in the kitchen was enough to explain the blushing heat on his face.

He stood his ground, as he had promised himself to give his best to the beaming young man in front of him, even if it cost him some teasing. Especially since, as he said, he had never tasted a red bean cake before and the experience had to be perfect. The young man pouted, yet Wen Ning already knew every single one of his false expressions inside out. So many months together were not in vain.

They met each other at a private event. Wen Ning's desserts were highly sought after and both his teachers and peers felt envy and admiration for his quick rise to fame. And that young man had been so fascinated by what he was eating that without a second thought he decided to spend the rest of the evening in the kitchen next to him.

After that it was hard to shake him off, although he never really tried. Something about his smile made it hard to refuse his company, not to say that all his remarks at the meal were very sharp and precise.

And all the requests he had were always gladly fulfilled once the cafeteria was closed.

It was a shared little space the two of them had build.

Wen Ning saw the red bean cakes and let out a big sigh.

"Fifteen minutes!"

Wei Ying shook his legs as he became increasingly impatient

"A-Ning! Don't you feel bad making me wait for SO long? Is this your customer service?"

Wen Ning thought it would be better not to answer. If Wei Ying ate the cakes at that moment he would most likely burn his tongue and all his effort would be thrown away.

''Good things come to those who wait'', he said to himself"

As if reading his mind, Wei Ying looked at him with such a plea in his eyes that it made Wen Ning's heart skip a beat.

"How about a milkshake!?"

Wen Ning yielded with a gentle smile.

Perhaps they both knew that if Wei Ying insisted again Wen Ning would eventually give in, but this was the game between them.

Request, bake or prepare, taste and please.

As long as Wei Ying had something in his mouth to taste he would be happy and as long as he was happy Wen Ning would be pleased as well.

Wen Ning began to take the ingredients out of the fridge. There was no use in asking about the flavor. Just as he knew all of his tricks, he also knew all the things he liked.

He looked up just long enough to make sure that Wei Ying's stubborn hands were away from the tray with the cakes.

And then he noticed something

Wei Ying looked different from the first time they met.

Wen Ning's hands began to mix the milk with the fresh fruits as his eyes continued to trail over him.

Wei Ying's face was not so sharply defined anymore, and the sharp lines had been replaced by something softer. His beauty was something that would hardly be overshadowed by the small cute rolls in his stomach as he sat up, perhaps that was why Wen Ning hadn't noticed it before.

When they first met, Wei Ying wasn't very aware of himself and in a certain light his skin would seem light, pressing against his bones. A very normal appearance by modern standards, standards Wen Ning did not approve of.

He added creamy vanilla ice cream and a dash of cinnamon to the milkshake.

Wei Ying, being totally honest, had more color in his cheeks and more energy in his movements. No one could blame Wen Ning if he refused to stop spoiling him with desserts.

Without being able to prevent it, his eyes met with the young man's. How long had Wei Ying been looking at him? Embarrassed, Wen Ning immediately lowered his head and continued to prepare the thick milkshake. He prayed that it hadn't been too obvious.

It was sheer agony to walk out of the kitchen and towards the table. His movements were stiff thanks to the embarrassment that kept flowing through his joints.

He held out the glass cup and a plate with some red bean cakes. He forced himself to act normal.

"H-here you go."

"But... You said it would take 15 minutes for the cakes to cool down..."

Obviously, if Wei Ying was told that the cakes would be ready in 15 minutes, he would wait 10 minutes at most. Wen Ning omitted this information and shyly shrugged his shoulders.

It was better to pretend that he made a mistake. 

Wei Ying didn't inquire further, he just let out one of his thunderous laughs and received everything.

Although there were neither customers nor critics, those kinds of moments were the ones that made Wen Ning really want to break out in a cold sweat. 

He had learned to take criticism and opinions about his work, but at the end of the day the only opinion that would matter to him would come from this outrageous young man.

He brought a cup of coffee with him to keep him company as he tasted the cakes.

When he reached the table, Wei Ying was already sipping the milkshake. Both of their hands tensed.

"Oh... damn... I blew it..."

The red bean cakes were supposed to be the main dish and Wei Ying had already sweetened his mouth with the milkshake. How could he properly savor one taste when his senses were coated with another, stronger one?

In a slightly desperate move, Wen Ning extended his cup of coffee that didn't yet have any sugar in it. Wei Ying joyfully accepted and took a good sip.

After that everything flowed as it was supposed to.

"They're not lying when they say the taste is addictive! So smooth! They're delicious! I'm so lucky to have A-Ning cook for me!"

Wei Ying kept heaping praise. It was a good thing, as a baker he was very confident in his taste and sincerity.

Wen Ning took a coffee sip.

His tongue grew warm, then his cheeks, and finally his heart.

"¡ !"

He began to cough uncontrollably.

"A-Ning!" 

Wen Ning waved as he tried to calm himself.

The rim of his coffee cup tasted like vanilla.

"I-I.. The coffee made me ch-ch-choke!"

"Your face is so red!"

Wen Ning squeezed his eyes tightly shut as if that could keep him from losing his mind.

He could barely endure mild feelings and this thing he was experiencing was taking his breath away.

He summoned up his courage and saw Wei Ying's worried eyes looking at him. There he was, plumper cheeks, lips with little crumbs.

His heart seemed to beat faster. Yes, Wei Ying had definitely gained some weight. It was a lovely sight, seeing spring blooming on his body.

Unable to control the train of thoughts, Wen Ning wondered where else the extra weight had gone.

He remembered when Wei Ying entered the cafeteria. His hips and waist now had a more inviting curve, enticing him to sink his fingers into the flesh and knead it.

And the backside... It already drew his attention before but now, and despite having such an innocent mind, it was hard not to want to look at it again.

The cough came back.

''Shouldn't be thinking about this!'' Wen Ning thought to himself.

"A-Ning..."

Wen Ning felt pats on his back.

It took him a few minutes to recover

"Āiyā..." Wei Ying saw the plate in front of him "they were so delicious that there's only one left."

Wen Ning had a placid smile "I made them for you."

It could be his imagination, but an adorable blush appeared on Wei Ying's face.

"At least eat this one, say ahhhh."

Ready to refuse, Wen Ning opened his mouth, but of course, instead of words coming out, a soft cake made its way in. He bit into a small piece and the dough fell apart like silk.

Wei Ying pushed the cake back in.

It was clear he wasn't going to give up so Wen Ning decided to finish it before his mind went off again. The last bite was bigger, and he miscalculated.

Wei Ying's fingers were trapped between his lips.

Wen Ning felt like he might die of embarrassment, but he couldn't cough again because Wei Ying's fingers dragged out slowly and carefully, forced to travel a twisting path to his chin.

Wei Ying's gaze seemed a little agitated, a little lost... a little hungry.

Even if the desserts, sweets and pastries whetted the appetite, a bigger craving was rising between the two of them. Something even sweeter and warmer.

Wen Ning doesn't quite remember who made the first move. Was it Wei Ying who sat on his lap or was it him who lured him in?

Who made the final step to close the distance?

The taste of red beans, vanilla and coffee blended into one. Wen Ning thought that combination was better than anything else that he had ever put in his mouth. Ever.

Their lips melted against each other, wanting to be tasted in full. Slowly he let himself go, guided by Wei Ying's playful nature, kissing in an ever-changing pace, sometimes long and soft, sometimes faster and full of hunger. Wei Ying couldn't make up his mind on how he wanted to keep going and Wen Ning wasn't going to stop him finding new ways to do it.

They ended up completely out of breath and put their foreheads together to give each other a break.

Unknown to them, they had both been watching each other silently, waiting to decipher what it was that was keeping them uneasy.

Wei Ying let out a light, hearty laugh.

"A-Ning" he said as he playfully kissed Wen Ning's cheek

"That was delicious."

[lisutarid-a]

[Gakuen K] Fushimi Saruhiko Route Translation

Simultaneous crackdown on students

LIST OF CHAPTERS

[Translation under the cut]

Neko: Bento, bento, I'm so happy~!

Saya: Whoa, your lunch box looks delicious also today. Is it Kuro-kun's homemade?

Kuroh: Yeah. It's a miso-flavored filet cutlet bento today.

Kuroh: The main dish of filet cutlet is served with an omelette and boiled green beans with dried bonito flakes to made it nutritional balance and colorful.

Saya: It's amazing that you make this kind of lunch boxes every day, Kuro-kun…! All I eat is a frozen food.

Kuroh: No, it's not a big deal.

Shiro: I'm so lucky to be able to eat Kuro's lovingly prepared lunch boxes every day…! (He said 愛妻弁当 (aisai bento) which means a lunch box, often prepared by a “loving wife”)

Kuroh: Oi, you. I'm gonna slice you.

Neko: Aisai lunch box is so tasty~!

Saya: (I think Neko-chan doesn't understand the meaning of “Aisai lunch box"…)

Fushimi: Oi, come to the club room in five minutes. We've been called.

Saya: Eh, in five minutes?!

Saya: (I-It's too sudden, what should I do…)

Choice: I'll be right there *

Saya: Understood. I'll be right there.

Neko: Are you leaving already, Gohan? What about lunch?

Saya: I'll eat when I get back.

Shiro: As always, the Blue club is busy.

Saya: Uhm. But it's a club that I chose myself. I'm off.

Neko: Bye~! If you don't get back soon, I'll eat your lunch!

Kuroh: What kind of person tries to eat other people's lunch!

Saya: (I hope there will be something left in my lunchbox…)

Fushimi: …You just have to get back quickly.

Saya: …! T-That's right.

Choice: Wait a little longer

Saya: Can you please wait a little longer? At least until I've had my croquettes…

Fushimi: Tsk…Then I'll go on ahead.

Saya: Eh!

Fushimi: See you layer.

Saya: Ah, wait, Fushimi-kun!

Saya: What a relief, it looks like we made it in time.

Saya: Hello, Akiyama-senpai. It's unusual to have a meeting during a lunch break.

Akiyama: Ah…You may be right.

Saya: What do you mean?

Akiyama: How can I say it, it's kind of a tradition.

Saya: Tradition…?

Munakata: It seems everyone is here. Let's get started.

Munakata: It's July and soon it will be summer vacation. It is easy for students to lose their temper during this period and many of them turn to delinquency.

Munakata: In order to remind them, we will have a simultaneous crackdown on students on after school today.

Munakata: Also, it is forbidden to talk about this to other students without cause. Please keep in mind that this will be done unannounced.

Munakata: That is all I have to tell you. Now then, dismiss.

Saya: (Akiyama-san said that a simultaneous crackdown is a tradition)

Saya: (…What exactly you do in a crackdown?)

Fushimi: Oi, didn't you say you were going back for lunch?

Saya: Ah, right! I'll hurry back!

Saya: (It's finally after school…)

Saya: Fushimi-kun, this is the Red club's clubroom, right? Isn't it dangerous…?

Fushimi: But it's also within the jurisdiction of the school. It is included in the Blue club's field of activities.

Saya: That may be true, but…

Fushimi: This is the place we were assigned, so we don't have a choice.

Yata: I'm sick of it every time! What we do after school is our business!

Akiyama: No. That's not how it works.

Saya: (Oh, Akiyama-senpai is here)

Akiyama: You have a precedent of not obeying…

Fushimi: I'll deal with this guy.

Akiyama: Fushimi-san!

Saya: (H-Huh! Fushimi-kun was next to me just a moment ago, but he's already over there…)

Yata: Heh…Saru, you're my opponent, you bastard? Great! I'll pay you back for swimming!

Yata: Aggh!!

Saya: (Flames are coming this way!)

Yata: ! Oi, Saru! D-Don't get the girl involved.

Saya: You can only say such things when you can talk to girls properly.

Yata: Damn it! Oi. You.

Saya: Eh, me?

Yata: Right. U-Um, it's dangerous, move out of the way…

Fushimi: You're all shaking. Oi, stay back a little bit.

Akiyama: I'll lead her away. Well, this way.

Saya: Sorry, thank you.

Yata: Kha!

Fushimi: Ha! Didn't you say you were gonna pay me back? Hey, Misaki?

Yata: You bastard!!

*bell rings*

Fushimi: Tsk…Time's up.

Yata: Heh. You're bad as ever, Saru.

Fushimi: Saying that in your tattered state doesn't sound very convincing at all.

Akiyama: Fushimi-san. I've took a record regarding Yata Musaki.

Fushimi: Ha. It won't change anything, he's probably still on the blacklist. We're going back.

Saya: Ah, okay!

Saya: Fushimi-kun's mood changes a little in front of Yata-kun.

Saya: I think he doesn't usually say things that provoke others.

Fushimi: It's none of your business.

Saya: Do you know anything about it, Akiyama-senpai?

Akiyama: Sorry, I don't know the details either.

Saya: I see…

Saya: (I wonder if he and Yata-kun have a cat and dog kind of relationship. Maybe it's like the more they fight, the better they get along)

Saya: (Maybe it was something he didn't like to be asked, so let's not get in too much into it.)

[Prev chapter][Next chapter]

[rustycopper4use]

It’s Always Been You (Re-write)

Pt 9

….

“Welcome!”

….

“What? You’ve never tried it?!” The twins loomed over Renge.

“Didn’t anyone tell you that it’s the preferred drink of the host club?”

“—And you are our manger, so you should drink it too!” 

Renge pulls out a handkerchief, shakily dabbing her nervous sweat,

"Um well I-i think i've heard of instant coffee before. Oh! That's right, isn't that when the coffee beans have already been ground for you?"

The twins responded by making an ‘X’ with their hands.

“That's just ground coffee. Instant is something completely different. I don't even think there're any coffee beans in instant coffee. You just mix this powder with hot water and then drink it! You don't have to brew it, it's pretty awesome." Hikaru looks over to his brother.

 "Now that you mention it, we just ran out of it didn't we?" They turned their heads towards Haruhi. Hikaru and Karou grabs Haruhi’s shoulders.

“Go buy us some more, Haruhi.” They spoke in unison.

“Why do I have to go get it?” She asked, the twins dusting off her uniform.

"Because you're the only commoner, no one else knows where to buy it!"

"We've even been serving it to our guests lately." They style her hair.

"And besides, it's part of your job." 

"But the cultural club exposition starts soon." Haruhi looks at the two,

"Yea but it's not mandatory, so if you're not interested you don't have to go~!" They push her out the door.

"And with that being said-"

"Be careful out there! Ha!" They both waved blue handkerchiefs, sending her off into the world outside.

Y/n chuckled to himself, trying to practice a different shuffling technique. The twins looked towards Y/n, sliding next to him.

“What’s got you in a good mood?” Karou leans over Y/n.

“Just thinking about how you two found someone else to drag you guys out of your comfort zone.” Y/n slides the deck of cards back into its boxing. “—And someone else to play dress-up with.” He places the deck on the table.

The twins poked at Y/n cheek,

“You’re getting soft on us, aren’t you?” Hikaru teased.

“—But while we’re on the topic….” Karou holds up a jester costume, staring at Y/n.

“The boss wants us to dress up extra special for the club exposition~”

The twins dragged Y/n by the scruff of his uniform jacket, akin to how a mother cat grabs her kids. They tossed him to the dressing room along with the costume.

…

Y/n buttoned the cuff of his bishop-like sleeve. To no surprise the costume fits perfectly, the red and black diamond pattern looks well-made, especially with the gold accents. Once he was satisfied he pushed back the curtain walking out to the main room. The rest of the hosts were wearing chivalry knight armour, each having their respective colouring.

“Why does everyone else get to be knights.” Y/n crossed his arms, the bells jingle with his movements.

“Because-“ Karou slides to Y/n’s left.

“It brings the medieval theme all together.” Hikaru slides to his right.

“Okay yeah, but why am I the jester.” Y/n places his gloved hand to his chest.

“You just don’t give off the knightly type.” The twins shrugged.

“That’s mean, but I have to respect the honesty.” Y/n sighed.

“That’s the spirit!” They both pushed him next to Kyoya’s side of the couch,

“Now let the host activity’s commence!” Tamaki smiles.

…

“This looks like the place.” A muffled voice spoke behind the door.

“Hmn,” They opened the door, 

“Welcome, ladies!”

They were three girls, all wearing a different uniform. Tamaki sauntered his way to the girls,

"Well well well, I see you ladies are from another school. I certainly hope we haven't startled you. We love first time guests." He bows before them.

"—I'm glad you've come, princesses. My darlings, even if the world were to be destroyed, I'd put my life on the line as your faithful knight and servant, I will protect you."

The girl with the longer blonde hair raised a condescending brow,

"Oh my, do you really think you'd be able to protect us, that's awfully arrogant of you, wouldn't you agree? You think that's what a woman wants to hear? Well you're wrong." 

Tamaki looks up, eyes widening.

A girl with a bob-cut lets out a giggle.

 "Come on, give him a break Sister Suzuran. Men are just lowly life forms who don't care about anything other than perpetuating their testosterone latent image. By 'protecting us' he's actually attempting to disguise the fact that he is weak and unable of even protecting himself."

"You're such a clever girl Hinagiku." The blonde girl praises.

Tamaki gets up, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh? Fine then, what do women like you want to hear?"

“Maybe something like—“ The tallest one grabs someone from the other side of the door.

“'I would never leave my lover alone.'" She spins Haruhi.

"'If we fight, it will be together. If we fail, we fail together. Even if I were to die, I promise you that I will never leave your side, my love.'" She kisses Haruhi’s hand. 

Tamaki jaw drops, freaking out.

"I just met her outside of the school. She may be dressed as a boy, but I knew the truth. She has such pretty maidenly eyes..." Benio strokes Haruhi’s face.

“Uh, thanks… I guess?” Haruhi looks off to the side.

"Wow, her skin is incredibly soft!" Hinako pushes up her sleeve.

"Isn't it though? I think this one is going to be a little diamond in the rough!" Chizuru does the same but with Haruhi’s leg.

“Hey, could you not touch—“ Y/n nearly gets run over by Tamaki, he was red in the face.

"Don't go touching my Haruhi without asking my permission!!!" 

Benio swiftly punches Tamaki, knocking him onto the floor.

“She punched me, so violent!” He scoots behind Y/n, using him as a shield.

“Aren’t you suppose to be the one protecting me?” Y/n looks down at him.

"Guess the rumors we heard are true." Benio walks closer to the hosts.

"You guys are just a bunch of weak little punks with no sense between you." 

“You touched a student without consent and punched another. How are we the ones with no sense.” Y/n raises a brow. 

 "Those uniforms. I assume you ladies are from the Lobelia Girls' Academy." Kyoya pushes up his glasses.

“That’s correct.” Benio rips off her uniform revealing and tacky costume underneath, the others following her lead.

“Lobelia~” The three harmonized.

"St. Lobelia Academy, high school 2nd year, Benio Amakusa." Benio holds a lily in her mouth.

‘Real subtle.’ Y/n thought.

"2nd year student, Chizuru Maihara!"  The girl poses.

 "1st year student, Hinako Tsuwabuki!"

"We are the members of the St. Lobelia Academy's White Lily League. Also known as-!" Benio tosses her hat, now in different clothes.

“The Zuka club.” All three said.

‘Zuka club?’

The twins hunched over each other, shaking with uncontrollable laughter,

"Oh man what a stupid name! The Zuka Club?! My stomach hurts!!" 

"The Zuka Club!? That's priceless! They had those getups on under their uniforms!" They began to laugh harder.

Gears grinds, sparks go flying.

“You shouldn't underestimate the Zuka Club!" Renge rises on a platform.

"I may not know much about instant coffee, but I'm fascinated with girls' schools." She takes a sip of instant coffee, then immediately spitting it out onto a napkin.

"St. Lobelia Academy! It is truly a woman's world there! The Zuka Club is a group of strong young maidens who consider women to be superior in every way. The club prides itself on its 30 year history. It's a society of maidens, by maidens, for maidens! Zuka Club activities include maiden tea parties, the maiden debate forum, and most importantly, musical reviews performed by the society's top members!" She explained, her eyes shining. She whipped her head around back to the host club, who changed back into their usual uniforms while she info-dumped.

"You sure have a vast world of knowledge Renge." Kyoya adjusted his tie. 

"Well I've always admired St. Lobelia's. I just couldn't go to school there though! What would I do without any boys?!" The platform underneath her sinks back into the floor.

 "A maiden's beauty. It means, possessing a spirit pure enough to not give in to power or to lust." Chizuru elegantly spoke.

"As a girl, you.. For a girl, you..! We've had quite enough of all your oppressive male contempt for woman kind." Hinako rants.

Y/n slowly scoots away, grabbing Haruhi’s grocery bag and begins looking through it.

"And our pride, comes from having meaningful relationships based on equality. Because with the same sex, and yes, that includes relationships of love." Benio bragged, pushing her short hair out of her eyes.

“Yeah you tell em’ Benio” Chizuru leans against the taller girl.

"You're awesome Benibara!" The other one leans against Benio too.

“Whatever we’re so over it.” Hikaru plays on his blue DS.

“Why don’t you girls scram.” Karou grabs the paper grocery bag from Y/n. Mori is in the background playing with his sword.

 "I find it hard to believe that you silly boys have nothing to say about our sublime female love." The girls giggled.

“What the hell is she talking about.” Hikaru rolls his eyes.

“Congratulations, you like the same sex, join the club.” Y/n looks back to Karou showing the instant coffee Haruhi got.

“I don’t think we’ve gotten this one before.” Y/n grabs the can from Karou.

"You should feel sorry for them Hinagiku, there patented host skills don't work on us. Now they're all flustered and they don't know what to do with themselves." Chizuru shakes her head.

"True, I must say I'm glad we decided to perform here. It was fun to sneak a peek at the notorious Ouran Host Club." Benio ripped off her fake moustache.

"Hey guys are we really notorious?" Honey looks up, holding Usa-chan.

“Yeah.” Mori flatly answered, looking at Honey.

"And to think they're dragging this sweet young girl down with them." Benio looks towards Haruhi.

"The host club's president may be a pretty little halfer. But, he shouldn't be using his looks to create a fictitious romance! Attempting to fool the heart of a pure young maiden is demeaning! Your so called 'club activities' are nothing more than debasing macho fantasies! I promise you, we will bring you guys down, the Ouran Host Club will be abolished!" 

“All hail Zuka club.” They did a military solute, and no other kind of solute.

"I see, I understand your concern. But do you think maybe we could finish this later?" Kyoya looks absently at the girls, pushing up his glasses.

“Are you saying you’re not gonna face us?” Benio turns her head.

“Not at all, it’s just our president is still bedridden from the initial culture shock.”

“You see Tama-chan is having his nappy time right now.” Honey gives a sweet smile.

“WAKE HIM UP!” Benio stomps her foot.

“-Inside.” Y/n mumbled with an amused expression.

Haruhi holds up a drink tray walking towards the guests, moving carefully as to not spill it.

"'Scuse me, I made some coffee. Would you ladies like to have some?" 

"Why yes, aren't you the sweetest thing." Benio and the others grab the coffee, taking a sip.

"You're a real pearl among swine." Chizuru smiled.

"You know, coffee made by a maiden always has a more fragrant aroma." Benio does a performative whiff of the coffee.

"But, this stuff's just instant."

“Dear god, they’re just like my mother.” Y/n pinches his eyebrows.

“Well she sounds like a wise mother.” Chizuru gives a closed eye smile.

“You can say that-…” Y/n sighed.

Tamaki swiftly gets up and runs over to the girls.

"You girls have it all wrong! Don't you see there's nothing to be gained in a romantic relationship between two women!? If that were the case, then why did God create Adam and Eve!?" 

“You can’t say that!” Y/n yelled, distracting Tamaki causing him to slip and accidentally placed his finger in the boiling drink.

“HOT!” Tamaki cradled his beet red finger.

“You gotta be more careful senpai." Haruhi grabbed Tamaki’s hand, wrapping his injured finger with bandages.

"Thanks Haruhi. Do you always carry bandages around with you?" Tamaki face turned red.

"Nah, the supermarket was giving them out with the purchase of instant coffee." She lets go of his hand, giving him a smile.

“—You always get free stuff at the supermarket."

“Free stuff?” Tamaki repeated.

"This little conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere." Benio brings Haruhi to her feet.

"Now that we know what's going on, we can't allow this maiden to stay here! We'll prepare her paperwork and have her transfered to Lobelia at once. And we'll welcome her into the Zuka Club!”

The hosts gasp.

"Hey, just wait a second will ya? There seems to have been some misunderstandings here. I mean, first of all you called senpai a halfer!" Haruhi pulls away from Benio.

“A gross term but he is one, half Japanese and half French.” Y/n motions towards Tamaki.

"Well uh anyway, I don't think it's fair for you to pick on the Host Club just because you don't think they have the same history as you do." Haruhi tries again.

 "We barely have any history, we were just founded two years ago." The twins slide behind Y/n.

"—Yea the boss created it whenever he started high school here."

"Be that as it may, saying their club activities are only held to satisfy their appetites is just wrong. I mean it's not like the host club is charging their guests or anything." She twirled her finger with a sigh.

 "Well I wouldn't call it a charge, we do have a point system. We offer priority services based on the winning bids of auctions that Y/n runs, held on our website. Check this out Haruhi, your used mechanical pencil? Just sold with a winning bid of 30,000 yen. Good for you." Kyoya spins his computer towards Haruhi. 

 "What?! But I thought I'd lost that pencil!? Why didn't you tell me about this before Kyoya-Senpai!? I had no idea you were collecting money!" Haruhi starts to freak out.

“Also, what did you think I was doing with my guests.” Y/n tilts his head.

“You were actually gambling?!” Haruhi whipped her head towards Y/n.

“Yeah why wouldn’t I?” Y/n shrugged.

"So you thought we were all just working here as volunteers? I mean it's not much because of the expensive organizing events, we happen to make a small profit from my online auctions." Y/n smiled.

 "You can't sell other people's things without asking permission, that's stealing!!" Haruhi clenched her fists.

“Is it really stealing if I have someone else do it?” Y/n gestures towards the twins.

"It wasn't stealing, you dropped that pencil on the floor." The twins spoke. Haruhi glares at Tamaki, if looks could kill hers would be considered a massacre.

"I'm sorry Haruhi! It's not like we were hiding it from you!! Here, you can have mine, it's got a cute teddy bear on it!!" Tamaki holds a pencil in Haruhi’s face

"Senpai I don't want your pencil." Haruhi’ eye twitched.

"Then to make it up to you, how about I do this! I'll tell you the secrets to my success and my fondest memories!" Tamaki eyes watered.

"Not to be rude Senpai, but I'm not really interested in that information."

Tamaki lets out a dreadful gasp, retreating to Y/n, who just gives him a half-hearted pat on the head.

"Oh you poor dear, I can't believe they've been deceiving you!" Chizuru exclaimed.

"Hey, why don't you just dump these losers and come with us?"

"Hold on Hinagiku. This young maiden has had quite a day. We'll give you some time to think about it. We'll come back for your answer tomorrow. Well then, adieu~" Benio and the others spin out the club doors.

“I’d better be going, I’ve got some thinking to do.” Haruhi leaves with a huff.

“Wow, I can’t believe Tamaki made the situation worse.” Y/n sarcastically said.

“I didn’t!” Tamaki grabbed Y/n shoulders.

“Why did you have to tell her the truth?! You just added fuel to the fire!!"

“She was gonna learn one way or another, might as well tell her the reality when she asks.” Y/n tries to shove Tamaki’s hands off his shoulders.

“She didn’t! You brought it up unprovoked.” He shakes Y/n.

“Maybe we should’ve asked before selling Haru-chan’s pencil.” Honey sadly mumbled, Tamaki turns his attention away, loosening his grip.

“For all we know it could’ve been a keepsake from her mother.” Karou adds.

“No it wasn’t, it’s a freebie from an electronics store.” Y/n takes a step back from Tamaki.

"Gentlemen, just think about it." Tamaki dramatically looks out a window, pondering.

 "Haruhi may be basically indifferent, but if she had to chose, we know that she tends to favor men's clothing, and besides, when she first joined the host club, didn't she tell us...?"

‘Being a host and getting fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be that bad.’

"Why didn't I realize this before? Perhaps they would be a better match for Haruhi. Maybe she'd be better off with the.. Zuka Club." Tamaki shoulders slumped.

“Yeah she’s perfect for a girls school.” Karou looks at the blonde.

"Haru-Chan is going to transfer away!" Honey starts to cry.

 "Haruhi's so smart, passing the Lobelia's scholarship tests would be a piece of cake!"

"And, Lobelia Academy has the money to pay off the 8 million yen debt she owes us." Kyoya looks up from his book.

"Calm down gentlemen, it'll be alright! Listen to what I have to say! I have a secret plan." Tamaki looks back to the club.

…

“How did I let Hikaru and Karou talk me in to this..” Y/n talked to himself, slipping his legs into the black nylon. 

….

(Flash back…)

Tamkai picked out a rose coloured dress with gold lining, with a matching red choker.

Honey picked out an adorable pink dress with white lace along the edges. The twins chose matching blue and yellow, off the shoulder dresses. Mori chose to not wear a dress, but instead wore a chivalrous blue suit with yellow accents. And last but not least Kyoya went with an elegant dark purple maid dress, with a magenta bow on the chest.

“Come on Y/n you’ve got to wear a dress!” The twins pleaded. “Why does Mori get to not wear a dress?” Y/n complained. “Just put this on.” The twins shoved a black dress on with some additional jewelry.

…

‘Right, that’s how.’

He rolled up till there was no slouch in the legs, next he grabbed the sleek black button up. He loosened the corset attached to it and puts on the top. 

The top was quite fitted, leaving barely anything to the imagination, It slouched at the upper part of his chest, definitely for a tease of cleavage, the sides of the skirt has slit starting at his upper thigh.

“Now for the harder part.” He reached behind him, grabbing the lace and took a deep inhale, holding his breath, he tightened the corset. Finally exhaling once he tied the knot.

Y/n looks in the mirror, turning to see the back of the outfit.

“Jesus, this corset did a great job.” Y/n sighed, grabbing the accessories the twins placed earlier in the day.

He picks up the black Lacey choker, wrapping it around his neck. Attached were red stones, meant to imitate blood dripping….

‘They just make me dress like a vampire.’ He rolled his eyes, next he grabbed the layer chains that are meant to go with it. When he puts it on the chain rests right in the centre of his sternum. 

‘And now for the final piece..’ Y/n grabs the black doll-like platform heels. Once on he was at least 3-4 inches taller.

He pushes the curtains to the side,

“I feel like I’m about to convince someone to let me bite their neck.” Y/n spoke walking out and before Y/n could protest, flashes of light came from the twins' camera.

“You look so pretty!~” The twins brought Y/n into a tight embrace, their dresses making a fluid movement with them.

“How much time do you think we have before Haruhi arrives?” Y/n spoke, smoothing the wrinkles the twins caused.

“Why do you ask?” Kyoya looks towards him, his posture faltering just a bit.

“Because it ruins the ‘surprise’ if she walks in on us while we’re still preparing.” 

“I believe we still have time.” Kyoya pushes up his glasses.

Y/n grabs Kyoya’s hand, kissing the back of his hand.

“You look wonderful, my dear~” Y/n lets go of his hand, now giving him a toothy grin.

Kyoya stares at Y/n, then he closes his eyes with a small smile,

“Thank you.” He gives a curtsy.

A door creaks open and everyone freezes. “Ladies! In position now!.” Tamaki commanded.

The door opens, and a spotlight shutters revealing the club in their new attire.

“Ouran Host club welcomes you!” The hosts spoke in a cheerful tone.

The Zuka club along with Haruhi turn pale white. “Oh Haruhi, welcome back.” Tamaki tried to make his voice more feminine.

“Look Haru-chan! I'm a princess now, aren’t I cute?” Honey spins around, his pink dress dancing along with him.

“What is the meaning of this! Are you trying to make fun of women?” Benio gasped at the mere thought.

“What? No, that’s not it at all. Everything’s going according to plan. Our strategy is guaranteed to even make a crying child smile. It’s a freebie campaign!” Tamaki giggles in a high pitch tone. “My dears, you ladies have all lived sheltered lives at Lobelia, so you might not know that commoners are weak. They have a weakness for free things.” Tamaki turns to look directly at Haruhi.

“Haruhi, you may be distracted by the Zuka club, but choose us! And you gain not only a host club full of brothers but sisters as well! See?

This way, you can experience feminine bonding while staying at the host club! Isn’t that a great idea? Aren’t I pretty?” Tamaki sparkles.

“We’re The Hitachiin sisters! Which one of us is prettier?” The twins spoke in a pitchy girl voice.

“I’m just teasing you!” Hikaru spoke as they giggled.

“Listen Haru-chan! You can call me big sis from now on!” Honey happily spoke. Kyoya waved an elegant floral black fan in front of his face.

“Why you-“ Benio gritted her teeth. “Do you idiots really you are gonna win her over like this! I’ve had enough of your fooling around!” Benio is red in the face. Haruhi starts breaking out in laughter barely containing herself.

“This is too much! I don’t even get what you’re trying to do! I knew you were a bunch of goofballs but geez!” She falls to the floor gasping for air. The twins glide towards her.

“Are we really that funny?” She begins laughing even harder, they could swear the rooms next to them could hear her. They began chasing Haruhi around the room. “Call me big sister! Come on, just do it! Just say it! Big sister! Say it please.”

“Come on, cut it out! What were you guys thinking, what’s gotten into you guys?” She spoke between laughs. “We did this because we don’t want you to leave the host club.” Hikaru truthfully spoke. She’s nothing but a smile and giggles now.

“Well Maiden, have you made your choice?” Benio cuts in. “I’m sorry but your club is not for me.” She gets up brushing herself off.

“I think the idea of a girls school is great. And your views are very unique and interesting. But I came to this school with a goal and plan for my future. So while I appreciate your offer, I really already knew that I wasn’t going to leave Ouran Academy.” She explained, causing Benio’s sidekick’s to gasp.

“Haruhi!” Tamaki cried out, before stopping suddenly. “Hold on, if you knew you weren’t gonna leave, why did you act so angry yesterday!” He points accusingly.

“How would you feel if I stole something of yours without asking! I really liked that mechanical pencil, it was easy to write with!” Haruhi explains.

“I’m sorry. But I offered my pencil and you didn’t want it!” Tamaki argued back. “Yeah and I still don't want it.”

“Um, Benio?” Chizuru worriedly spoked. “Yes, I know.” Benio narrowed her eyes at the bickering two. “We’re not gonna give you up fair Maiden! I swear to you this, we’ll come and free you from this place! And when we do we’ll abolish the host club!” They announced.

“Great, don't come back!” Y/n made his voice more feminine, happily flipped them off. “Y/n, manners.” Kyoya writes in his book. “Oh please, you love it.” Y/n teased.  “And anyways could you blame me, it’s just so hard to listen to you, when you look so drop dead gorgeous in that dress.” Y/n grinned, very obviously looking Kyoya up and down.

“Getting bold now, aren’t you?” Kyoya looks up from his book. “What can I say, you're just driving me crazy.” Y/n joked, ignoring his heart pounding out of his chest.

“Whatever you say.” He muttered, trying to focus back on his writing. As this exchange happened, everyone was too busy to pay any mind, however a certain set of twins took note of Y/n’s odd behavior, with a sly grin

[cornley-amateur-drama-society]

@ficwip's 2024 in Review Questions Answered!

This will be long since there're 30 questions, and we all know I have a tendency to talk a lot. Fear not! The first three questions will be above the cut, and the rest under the cut, so's to save your dashes, lmao. (Also, I hate how you can't just type “1.” at the beginning of a line without having it automatically turn into a Numbered List. I'm just now realizing as I type this that I could have done “1:” but I've already done the Roman numerals now, so we're just gonna roll with it I suppose.)

|/|\/|\/|\|

I. How many fics have you worked on since January?

An embarrassing amount, let's call it. Perhaps too many for me to have to remember to be counted.

II. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

Non-linear narratives. Most of the stuff I've written on my ao3 has been fairly linear with clearly defined flashbacks, but I've experimented a bit. I also tried my hand at drabbles again and have successfully done three so far, which I never thought would happen!

III. What piece of media inspired you the most? (This can be the fandom you wrote the most for, the one that spawned the most ideas, the one you thought about the most, etc.)

Unequivocally The Goes Wrong Show and its related plays Peter Pan Goes Wrong and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. I have not had creative brainrot this much in so long. Mischief Theatre really came up and fucking walloped me with a hockey stick and it shows.

IV. How many fandoms did you write for this year?

I wrote for a whopping twenty-five different fandoms this year! Very exciting.

[New Girl, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion, Derry Girls. Ready or Not (2019), Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, Miraculous Ladybug, Calvin & Hobbes, DC Comics, Pride and Prejudice, The Goes Wrong Show, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Witcher, Criminal Minds, Percy Jackson!verse, A Love So Beautiful, Professional Single, Mr. Bean, Wicked Little Letters (2023), Danny Phantom, Over the Garden Wall, Love O2O, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Red One (2024), and several k-pop and c-pop groups.]

V. What ships captured your heart?

So many, oh my god. But I think the strongest ones have been Chris Bean x Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway, Max Bennett x Vanessa, and though I didn't write anything, Ben Affleck x Matt Damon. The tag on my main blog is Full.

VI. What characters captured your heart?

Lydia Bennet, the entire cast of TGWS but esp Chris Bean and Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway.

VII. Did you write for any new fandoms or ships this year?

Five new fandoms: The Goes Wrong Show, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Mr. Bean, Wicked Little Letters (2023), and Red One (2024)

And so many ships, it's embarrassing if I cared.

VIII. What fic meant the most to you to write?

OUGH, what a question. I think maybe the ones I did for Calvin & Hobbes because I've adored the comic for so much of my life? I got to see some of Bill Watterson's original archived work in Columbus, Ohio at the comic book museum in the spring this year, which was fucking incredible.

IX. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Oh, I loved working on the main narrative of my this peace is fragile au, If equal affection cannot be, Let the more loving one be me. I had so much fun creating the cultures of both Kingdoms, and playing around with what the Cornley characters would be like in this situation. I just loved everything about it.

X. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

My Pride and Prejudice modern day AU I wrote for Whumptober 2024, Little Girl, You're in the Middle of the Ride. I really was so invested in what I was writing, and seeing it all come together at the end was so satisfying.

XI. What fic was the most difficult to write?

Oh, hands and above, the first prompt fill for Cornley Christmas Chaos. I can't even remember how many times I restarted the damn fic before throwing in the towel and just deciding to make it a drabble. Which was another added difficulty because I am so bad at keeping my thoughts short. I was successful in the end, though, and the amount of victory I felt was hilarious. (Read it here!)

XII. What fic was the easiest to write?

I think maybe When You Give a Robert A Spell Book… or The Golden Goose. I just remember banging them out in a surprisingly short amount of time.

XIII. What were your shortest and longest fics posted this year?

Longest: If equal affection cannot be, Let the more loving one be me with 11,650 words.

Shortest: Three drabbles this year. A PJO Pipeyna fic entitled a happiness not elusive; the infamous C Cubed Day One prompt fill in the blink of an eye; and a Love O2O fic entitled and i retrocede as if i was swimming, which is a friendship fic between Sīsī and Yìrán.

The difference between the shortest and longest fics are an incredible 11,550 words.

XIV. What were your go-to writing songs?

Whatever was on my Spotify On-Repeat playlist or my playlist “my emo phase pt. ii”. I wasn't super picky with the music this year.

XV. What was the hardest fic to title?

Probably my Ready or Not (2019) pre-canon into canon fic that focuses on Daniel Le Domas thinking about how he got to bleeding out on the floor towards the end of the movie. Nothing I came up with felt right for the longest time, which was annoying. I eventually settled on a dangerous, dangerous game, one that i am definitely losing.

XVI. What’s your favorite title of the year?

Oh, I can't choose just one aldjf;ds. I have a handful that I enjoyed so much.

Younger Family Members Meddling Offers Surprisingly Good Results (not clickbait)

TFW You Find Out You're Marrying Your Brother-in-Law

“Sorry” is a Five-Letter Word (and never does enough)

Hal Jordan Makes a Good Call, Bruce Wayne Found Shocked and in Disbelief

it's hard to speak with a sob in your throat

XVII. Share your favorite opening line.

It was stupid, he knew, to get distracted while one of his hands is inside a piano and the other is hitting keys.

From TFW You Tune Your Strings to the Sound of Her Voice

OR

Róng'ér watches with disbelief as her older sister once again misinterprets Bái-gē’s words and turns his invitation of a date for two to the movies that night into an invitation for their friend group to go out to the movies. Granted, “Would you like to go to the movies tonight?” is a pretty ambiguous statement on its own.

From Younger Family Members Meddling Offers Surprisingly Good Results (not clickbait)

XVIII. Share your favorite ending line.

There’s a streak of blood that almost looked like one of Mom’s arrows on the floor, by his stomach.

From a dangerous, dangerous game, one that i am definitely losing

OR

And if his solicitor couldn’t help… There is hell to pay, and Darce has always been good with money.

From Little Girl, You're in the Middle of the Ride

XIX. Share your favorite piece of dialogue.

“I don’t know,” he said, his tone a touch defensive.  “I told him that I was fine.  He just had to stick his nose into my business.  I was only telling him to buzz off.” Hobbes gave Calvin a dry look.  “By calling him a noodle-necked, muffin-brained, straw-for-arms, nosey jerk?” “… Maybe I was a little harsh,” Calvin admitted, magnanimous in demeanor. “You should apologize,” Hobbes said, ignoring Calvin’s faux humility.

From “Sorry” is a Five-Letter Word (and never does enough)

OR

“This just doesn’t make any sense,” Trevor said, “magic doesn’t exist.  Not really.” Jonathan gave him an unimpressed stare.  “Explain why I’m a metre tall, then.”

From When You Give a Robert a Spell Book…

OR

“I know,” she said, rolling her eyes, “but you’ve only seen him in his uniform.  He’s bound to look different in, say, trackies or something.” “If you’ve set me up with a secret chav, I might genuinely push you into the Thames.” “Isn’t that how Ed Gamble says he got his diabetes?”  Kitty asked, frowning as she tried to remember what his stand-up routine was. “I’m pretty sure Jacaster or Nish said that,” Lydia corrected, silently willing the path to the ring toss to get longer rather than shorter, as it was currently wont to do. “Never getting over the fact you call him Jacaster,” Kitty giggled, doing a poor job of not looking a little moon-eyed about her celebrity crush. “Never getting over the fact that you audibly squeaked when you saw him in that one Mock the Week episode,” Lydia fired back as only little sisters can. “Oh my god, shut up, I didn’t!” “Right,” Lydia pretended to agree, “and Jimmy Carr doesn’t whiten his teeth.”

From Don't Write Yourself Off Yet

XX. Share your funniest line.

Heresy and Elsie rolled their eyes at the same time.  “That’s because you have the unfortunate taste of being into older blond men.”  Heresy snarked over her shoulder as the quartet started to ascend the stairs.

From I demand euphoria

OR

“Your coworkers aren’t as bad as I feared,” Calvin said, turning to Hal. “You haven’t met all of them,” Hal said, smirking. “You haven’t met my Dad’s coworkers.  Talk about corporate zombies.  Yeesh!”

From Hal Jordan Makes a Good Call, Bruce Wayne Found Shocked and in Disbelief

XXI. What’s something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

I think for some of them it was that the fic suddenly kept getting longer and longer and I was surprised that I had so much to say. I think that i might've changed it in some of them, giving it greater emotoinal depth, but in others I think it was probably just unecessary descriptions. Well, not unnecessary, but perhaps superfluous in some cases.

XXII. What writing programs did you use? Did you write by hand?

I used the age old, ever important to the writing process tumblr drafts, along with my computer's notes program, and google docs. I think there was one that I started in docs, finished in ao3 then posted it, and then copy-paste it to the original doc, lmao.

XXIII. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Ohhhh... Maybe how I somehow wrote 11,650 words in one fic? It's my longest oneshot currently, and I didn't realize how much I had been writing.

XXIV. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

Not really. I post about it, and if I can be arsed to do it, I post the link. But for the most part, I just finish it and move on to the next thing.

XXV. How did you recharge between fics?

I got really into watching New York Ballet's videos about The Nutcracker, as well as watching a lot of British comedy stuff.

XXVI. Did you create fanworks other than fic?

I made some neko edits of several characters but nothing much other than that. One of my sideblogs orginally started out as a Danny Phantom x DC Comics crossover-specific blog, now with Over the Garden Wall and Calvin & Hobbes, and I made themed icons and headers for it.

XXVII. How many events did you take part in? (bangs, exchanges, ship weeks, zines, prompt memes, they all count!)

HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH so many

Fictober 2024, Whumptober 2024, Cornley Christmas Chaos 2024, 76 Kisses to Valentine's Day 2024-25, Arrowed AUs (a prompt meme list I found a few years ago with little arrows as the bullet points), and Ninette Week 2024.

XXVIII. If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

Definitely my friends and mutuals that I talk to a lot since they got to be witness to my writing process of screaming about how I have no idea what I'm doing. I also owe a lot to @baobeejun who helped "Britpick" my Pride and Prejudice modern day, half-Chinese Bennet daughters AU. Anna has been witness to my nonsense going on five years this spring, and I love her dearly.

XXIX. What’s left on your to-do list for 2024?

I am behind on so many things rn LMAOOOO It's a lot of writing challenges I'd started and not finished, haha. And seeing as I'm posting this on the first day of 2025, I feel like it's very on brand for me.

XXX. What would you like to write next year?

I have the rest of the 76 Kisses left to do, as well as catching up on the other challenges I'd not finished. I do have a prompt meme which I've decided to do this summer entitled "a summer of intimacy", but I'm leaving talking about it more to the early spring!