#its okie if she walks out the door before answering of course!

[princessbxtch-rps]

It wasn't hard to pick up on the mood instantly changing, the way her laugh didn't sound all that genuine. It was like the air between them had thickened with tension, and Noelle sat up a bit straighter. Was it something she had said? Her and Soleil had always spoken of boys, from the ones they liked to the ones that fell over backwards for a chance with them. It has always been another way of them bonding, a shared dialogue. But it appeared this would become yet another thing in their Do Not Discuss column.

"I'm not saying we belong together, Soleil. I'm just saying he was fun to make-out with. It's probably not going to go anywhere." Her tone was snappy, but she was feeling judged, like she should be wearing a bright red A on her chest. She hadn't envisioned a future with Dixon, but why was it so wrong if she was enjoying him chasing her?

Noelle placed her feet on the ground as her friend got up, concern etched on her features. She rested her elbows on her thighs, leaning forward. "What? I don't hear anything." She stammered, her eyebrows knitting together. The only sound she could hear was the television, so was this another way of trying to get away from her? None of this was making any sense to her, and she wondered if this...odd behavior was why she had been MIA recently. Because she knew Noelle would instantly recognize it, and there was no ignoring what was going on right now.

"I'm sorry, but why the fuck are we suddenly back in the era of slut shaming? What is going on with you? Why are you treating me like this?"

Soleil's brain was overrun with thoughts. What, are you such a slut that you need every boy's attention in town? and Of course you had a drunken kiss with him, you two-cent ho! and Ugh, you're too good for any'a those boys. She was quite overstimulated by the news, her brows furrowing as she rode the emotions. Typically she would've maybe hit her with a pillow and even call her a slut, too, but she'd be lighter about it. Her mind, on the other hand, fully meant it.

It was coming from a part of her she never knew existed. Suddenly, she felt quite possessive over her best friend.

Fuck. She couldn't say any of it out loud for fear of starting another argument with the blonde beside her. She and Noelle just made up, and as much as their relationship was a roller coaster, its peaks and valleys weren't that quick.

Instead, she feigned happiness for the other, though it came out dripping in sarcasm. Even her laugh was mocking. "Heh heh heh. That's soooo friggin' funny, Noelle. You two belong together."

It was like learning the ebb and flow of PMS-ing all over again: Her emotions were ricocheting left and right. She stood up, thinking that maybe physically distancing herself from Noelle would calm her down. In the distance, out on the street, she heard the delivery driver park and step out of his car. She sniffed him too. Except, to a human set of ears, there was nothing but the background noise of the television.

"Sounds like our fried chicken man's downstairs. I'd better go get it," she said, heading to the door. "It was no biggie payin' for it, but maybe you can flash your tits at 'im instead of givin' 'im a tip."

[may-day-voice]

Prom Night Lights | The Middle

Shouto Todoroki Timeline | 172732014

please do not repost, but you have permission to reblog :)

• Watch/ Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7lymhRiqtrA

• Read on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1119594884-shouto-todoroki-pro-hero-au-172732014-prom-night

Seasons come and go - summer to winter, hot to cold, and we all adapt to the smallest changes. We strip off when the heat gets unbearable, and rug up when the chill bores to the bones. But every small change can affect us - past pains and injuries being the most sensitive to these things, and between these extremes, the smallest change could be the greatest and most powerful experience that could change you.

It could even break you.

A yawn escaped your lips while you stretched your arms up above your head, pulling at every fiber across your shoulders and chest. The graduation ceremony was long and arduous, despite you sitting in a chair for hours. Well, at least three hours, but who was counting?

You glanced around Heights Alliance, watching students walk to and fro. The atmosphere was a reminder of the hardships and the hard work put into your studies on and off campus. You recalled the training sessions, the Joint Training Exercise, the constant rivalry between the classes, which made you chuckle a little at the thought. And then there were the harder times - the War being one of a few. One that you could not assist, could not dive into the front lines, and especially, if not importantly, one that you couldn’t be beside-

“Can you believe we graduated?” piped Awase with a grin plastered on his face.

You wondered how he was doing now; what he must be thinking; how his family was going. You smiled while recalling the times you rendezvoused between dormitories worrying over the smallest things, mostly over studies. And then you remembered the radio silence when the War happened, including the slow days reconnecting with him again afterwards. It was a tough road paved with difficulties, only compounded by the fact that you were in a different class from him, constantly worrying and checking your phone.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Awase, concerned.

“Yeah, of course,” you piped, snapping out of your reverie. “Just wondering how 3-A must be doing.”

“So much has happened to them, huh?”

Yes, so much has happened, and you have been confused over the years. But you couldn’t tell if it was his aloofness or his sudden shift in behavior since the War, having to deal with the aftermath. Ever since the commencement of your second year in UA there was this tension in your gut; a heavy solid feeling that grew with anxiety outside of the times you had spent with him. On top of this, days leading up to graduation felt odd and a little strained. You had noticed a flock of students following him around campus, most likely those keen on inviting him as their date to the prom the academy decided to plan to celebrate the graduating year. The amount of students who fluttered around him left you hollow, feeling hapless to the hope of being his for the night.

You hoped he would have-

“Excuse me, hi!” Called a voice from behind you and Awase, finding another student walking up to you with an awkward smile. “You don’t know me but I wanted to ask, if you weren’t too busy that I could, I mean, I would like to take you out tonight, to the prom tonight.”

You stared, shocked at the proposal from a random student out of the blue. He looked a little rough around the edges, but you didn’t recognize him until you spotted his shoulders, his blazer adorned with buttons akin to the Support classes.

“They’d love to,” answered Awase, bringing you back to speed.

“What?” you exclaimed.

“That’s great, thanks,” piped the student with a beaming smile. “I’ll pick you up at six?”

“Six is perfect,” continued Awase with a smile of his own. “We’ll make sure they’re ready.”

The student smiled wider, happy to hear the answer before he walked away, returning back to his band of friends in the distance. All you did was stare at them before turning your eye onto Awase, still with that smile on his face.

“You’re welcome,” he said before continuing on his walk through Heights Alliance.

“Why did you do that?” You questioned while catching up to him. “I could answer for myself.”

“You stood there like a deer in headlights, so I stepped in as your proxy.”

You deeply sighed before you shoved Awase playfully by the shoulder, silent with your smile but still with a heavy weight on your own.

“Hey, Monoma’s been teasing you lately about not having a date for tonight,” explained Awase. “I just helped you secure no more embarrassment.”

“I don’t even know the guy, and besides, it’s easy for Monoma to say those things,” you muttered with a sceptical brow. “He’s got that fanatic that trails behind. Where are they from? General Studies?”

“Hey come on, not his fault there’s someone out there who tolerates him, let alone idolizes him.”

You still stared ahead with a distant look in your eye, your mind elsewhere. You had hoped otherwise. You hoped you would have heard from him about this special day, but after these weeks leading up to graduation, you hadn’t heard a word. Perhaps he wasn’t ready, still dealing with the War and his family, and having to deal with school on top of that. Conversations with him outside of it all were far and few between. Perhaps he already had a date, seeing those that flocked to him wanting to garner attention or his affection for the prom. Perhaps Awase intervening with that proposal out of the blue was a good thing.

“Look, now you have a date to the prom tonight,” he continued. “So you can’t go back against your word.”

“It’s not my word. You agreed to it,” you reiterated. “Maybe you can take him out, seems like a fair trade.”

Awase laughed at your retort, only causing you to smile in return. The plan was that Class 3-B was going as a whole group to the prom, date or no date, thanks to Monoma. He was extremely teasing towards you, knowing of your connections with Class 3-A and ignoring any other follies, such as Tetsutetsu and his bromance with Kirishima, or even Awase and his growing attachment with Yaoyoruzu. But you had not heard a word, and now with a proposed date to this prom, it would be unkind to reject it now. You rolled your eyes at the thought, recalling Monoma’s haughty tone and his ever-present need to show up Class 3-A, even after all of these years.

DING

Still, plans were made to go off the rails.

“Have you heard from any agencies?” Asked Awase, curious while his eye was on you. “Any takers?”

“No,” you trailed while you looked at your phone screen, replying back. “Have you?”

“A couple, but it’s still up in the air. Heard Class 3-A already have their responses.”

No surprise there, you thought. They were the leading class of Heroes to turnover in Musatafu, and gaining a reply from any agency was becoming a pipe dream. Hearing Awase already receiving offers only made your stomach drop a little. You’ve heard nothing, wondering if your Quirk was looking more like a liability than anything else.

As if by instinct, you began parting ways from Awase, your feet taking you away from your dormitories and onto another path, leaving him behind.

“Where are you going?” He called out as you parted ways.

“Off to see a friend,” you chirped while you pocketed your phone.

You ignored Awase’s few words behind you, something akin to Monoma’s plan for the prom before jogging across Heights Alliance towards Class 3-A’s dorms, now filled with its graduating class. Years of hopping between dorms had given you a reputation amongst your class, especially Monoma of all people. But the text message was undeniably from the one person you hoped to hear from:

Would you like to come over?

Graduation was officially over, at least the formalities, but hearing from Shouto Todoroki was a blessing in disguise. After all, you both agreed to see each other before the presumptuous prom of the night.

I’ll be there in a few minutes.

----

Reaching the large doors, you cautiously walked through to find a few of the students already relaxing in the lounge and foyer. A few were in mid-conversation, while others held up their phones in cheer. Awase was right to believe that the students of Class 3-A had already received offers to agencies once they stepped out into the world. You wouldn’t think anything less, seeing their smiles beam with joy, but your eyes glanced around with no luck locating Todoroki, until you spotted a certain brunette chiding away with friends in the foyer.

“Graduated at last, congratulations,” you chirped cheerfully while you walked your way towards Uraraka.

“You too,” she piped with a smile, turning to you. “Have you figured out what agency you’ll be placed in?”

“Not a word actually. I’m sure I’ll hear something.”

“Where have you applied?”

“Genius Office, Fat Gum, Fourth Kind, Oki Mariner…”

“Oh, that’s a good one! They could be taking their time. I only heard from a few five minutes ago.”

Well, there was hope yet if students were only receiving news just now, especially those from Class 3-A. A wash of relief swept through you, knowing that there was still time to hear any news of your residencies in Musatafu before you returned back to the task at hand.

“Have you seen Todoroki?” You asked, still looking around the foyer.

“I think he’s been cooped up in his dorm ever since we got back from Gym Gamma,” informed Uraraka thoughtfully. “He’s been awfully quiet. More than usual.”

Odd. For all you knew, Todoroki was becoming despondent over graduation, wondering if the event made him so. It was a big deal for everybody in UA, now stepping forward into another world, one that had transformed in and out of the school’s grounds.

“Thanks!” You quickly piped while you made your way towards the elevators. “See you tonight?”

Uraraka only smiled and waved, seeing you off before you entered the elevators. It was like every other day when you visited his dormitory. You recalled the floor and his door, even cringing at the thought when you arrived one too many times in the middle of the night, fretting over studies and non-existent practical exams. In fact, it was the only way to speak to him after all that he had been put through. And Todoroki had been nothing but supportive and attentive to your own worries.

A light tap on his door left you standing there by the hallways again, wondering what your response would be. It’s been a while since you actually talked with him, let alone heard any invitation to visit. You assumed the graduation was a big event for his family, always referring back to the War in your mind. Was it a good idea to visit him now that the official graduation ceremony was over? You hovered your hand above the door, wanting to knock again in case he missed the first time, but you began to wonder how he must be feeling. Already with a career in Hero Society paved for him, under his father’s name, in an established agency which by all accounts would be under question because of the family drama and his-

“This is stupid,” you mumbled, turning heel to leave before the click of his door caught your ear. You spotted him by the door, dressed casually and out of uniform, but not yet dressed for the night.

Of course, this prom was hours away.

“Oh, you made it,” he remarked, his aloof eyes staring at your almost-departed form.

“Of course, is everything okay?” You asked, returning back to his dorm door.

“I just wanted to say congratulations.”

“Oh no, all the congratulations goes to you, really.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.”

You smirked at him, a little embarrassed and a little nervous at his almost compliments, until you lightly punched him in the arm. “You asked me here to congratulate me?”

“I would be happy to meet you at your dorm if you wanted,” replied Todoroki before he stepped out from his door, shutting it behind him.

“Oh no, I would not hear the end of it from Monoma if you did.”

Todoroki chuckled while you spotted a sneaky smile from him. It was a pleasure to see him smile, even if it was brief. They were always hard to come by, and for a moment, you felt that only you could see them outside of everybody else. It made them special.

“So, have you heard from agencies?” You asked, catching Todoroki off guard. “I mean, it seems like everybody else has, and I was just curious.”

“I’m off to my father’s when I leave UA,” he replied bluntly.

“… oh.”

“And you?”

You gulped, a little paralyzed after realizing after the fact that he would ask the same question himself. “I’m… still waiting to hear back. I mean, everyone seemed to have received news not too long ago, so it shouldn’t be long now.”

“I hope so,” he replied with a smile. “You’ll do good out there.”

“You think so?”

All you saw was that smile, a larger one than the last unhidden from the world. It only made you feel warm inside, to know that he was in your corner, and open to express himself. It had been a long journey while he worked out what to do with his family and his future, tormented by the fact that-

“I asked you here because I wanted to ask you something,” he announced, catching your smiling eyes staring at him. “I know I’ve been quiet over the past few weeks. I needed to work some things out.”

“Oh, of course,” you replied. “Graduation is pretty big.”

“Yes, I needed to work out what I wanted to do and what my path was going to be once we all left here.”

He trailed a little, silent while he tried to put together the words he wanted to say. You saw it in his eyes, calculating what to do, as if he were training with you. Ever since being put together by your own choices to train one another, you had come to notice his little quirks, no pun intended. How he processed the situation, how he reacted, how he would assess his next move. It felt like that now, watching his eyes dart in thought, wondering what to say.

With all that was said, you wondered if he was trying to say farewell, even though the both of you would most likely see each other at this prom night for the graduating year. Yet he had clearly stated he wanted to ask you something on such a big occasion. And then it hit you, wondering if he was going to ask about the prom tonight. Just as he was deducing his next words, you tried to guess what they were.

Was he going to ask you-

“Would you like me to put in a word for you at my father’s agency?” He asked calmly.

“… what?”

“If you haven’t heard from any agencies by now, maybe you might not.”

That stung. You swallowed and processed his words, a little offended, but a little perplexed over the situation. Did he ask you to visit him so that he could-

“Are you offering me a place?” You asked back.

“Yes.”

“Out of pity?”

“No, I’m saying that I can get you a residency if other places don’t work out.”

“So I’ll do good but no other place would have me,” you stated, hurt.

“That’s not what I said.”

“It sounded like it.”

“I thought you’d be happy.”

“Yes, if I got in on my own merit, not because you’re able to pull some strings.”

It felt like there was a fire in your gut, the worst kind that seared so severely you felt nauseous with anger. You wanted nothing more than to leave, but something kept you here, still standing before Todoroki despite what he had called you over for. Did he truly believe that you weren’t ready or capable? Did those late study nights not prove how hard you wanted to put in the work? Or did he only see you for your faults all this time?

It was unfathomable.

“Todoroki, I appreciate your offer, I do, but you’re giving me something that I didn’t work for,” you explained, keeping calm and keeping your anger at bay.

“I wanted to say thank you for being there for me,” explained Todoroki, his eyes searching in yours. “You still reached out to me after everything that has happened, and I wanted to return the favor in any way I can. Please understand.”

Your mind trailed away for a moment, seeing the genuine look in Todoroki’s eyes. Despite his aloofness, you could see how much he saw in you, but the way he said it was-

“I can’t accept that,” you answered, looking into Todoroki’s eyes with sadness. “I can’t accept your offer. I'm sorry Todoroki.” You turned towards the elevator, leaving Todoroki behind before you realized the floor numbers were counting downwards.

“Where are you going?” Asked Todoroki, following after you.

“Back to my dorm to get ready for my date,” you informed him while you decided to head down the flight of stairs, despite being on the top floor of the dormitory. Todoroki stopped for a moment, ingesting your words in his head before he trailed after you, hopping down the stairs while he continued to question.

“You have a date?” he asked aloud.

“Yes, yes I do,” you immediately replied.

“Who are they?”

“He... is from Support.”

“What’s he like?”

“Nice guy? A little awkward.”

“So you don’t know him?”

You had only reached the fourth floor before turning to find Todoroki on your trail, his feet still on the stairs while he eyed you for an answer. You saw them searching, waiting for your breath, for you to speak.

“Why do you want to know?” You asked, part curious, part annoyed by his questioning.

The bell of the elevator took both of you out from the tension that grew in-between, finding Bakugou exiting the doors with a friend trailing behind him. It was a well-timed interruption, turning back onto Todoroki now calmer than he was moments ago.

“Nothing,” he answered in a low whisper.

“I’ll see you later,” you whispered to yourself, feeling eyes on you from the stairs other than his. All you were met with was a nod from Todoroki before you left him by the stairs, leaving with a bitter taste in your mouth.

Todoroki only stood by the stair railings, confused by your reaction, but more so his insistence. It was like a bout of energy surged through him all at once. Where did all of that come from? All of those questions interrogating you about a guy who asked you out as his date. It confounded him further about what he felt about you with somebody else. You were a friend, finding an affinity with each other despite you being in the other Hero class. But those nights studying and those days training were the closest he had ever grown to work with someone outside of his class. He even recalled how elated he felt when the classes could mix to find compatibility working together, having ever since worked alongside you.

Todoroki shook his head, wondering what this feeling was that was mixed in with his confusion until the sight of a familiar well-dressed student made their way to the elevators, immediately being able to board before they waved quickly towards him.

“See you tonight Todoroki,” they exclaimed before disappearing into the box.

He waved back, being met by a smile by the student and soon spotting Bakugou’s door still ajar to see how he was doing. A few words were exchanged between himself and the irate blond, noticing the frustrated look on his scowl, most likely from the student who had just left from his dorm. Todoroki knew too well of Bakugou’s dilemma for the past couple of years, only ever chatting in passing about the situation and also advising him.

“We all know he’s bad news. Nepotism at its best,” informed Todoroki.

“Look who’s talking Half-and-Half, son of the Number One,” spat Bakugou with disdain.

Todoroki felt the sting from his words, realizing his folly earlier. He should have realized how much of a hard-working person you were. It showed in your studies and your training, always pushing yourself to the best of your abilities despite the drawbacks, the flaws, and your failures. He loved that part of you. It left him perplexed after speaking with Bakugou, while he decided to make his way downstairs to where most of the class still spent their day.

Did he truly say something wrong? All he ever wanted was to help you in any way he could. And perhaps, after much reflection on the fact, he had only insulted you on an important day. Yet he thought he was giving you something you would have wanted. Or, was he wanting you instead?

——

Todoroki went about his day speaking to his classmates and hearing some good news between them all. Many of them were offered a residency into some fairly well-known agencies, either one or a few or a handful. And though they were primarily from their work studies, it was the best fit for many of them. Todoroki ignored some of the more exasperatedly whinier comments about his placement, but it was a given despite his own feelings about the situation. Soon, the entire class readied themselves for the night, including Todoroki who was interrogated a few times about being date-less for the prom. A simple shrug was all they received, explaining that he had declined all invitations, which almost broke Kaminari’s heart hearing that. Still, with the night early to begin the celebrations, Todoroki joined in with his classmates and friends alike, making their way to Gym Gamma.

He wondered about your date, this mysterious man who asked you out so suddenly. You had never been a liar, or at least you were a bad one for him to know. He deduced it must’ve been recent, no earlier than yesterday at least when you were asked. It still made him wonder why he chose you. Has he always admired you? Were you friends? Did you know more than you were letting him on? At the end, Todoroki began to wonder how different this man was to him.

Gym Gamma was in sight while all of his classmates made their way inside. Todoroki trailed behind until something caught his ear a distance away, drowned by the music that thumped against the walls of the auditorium. He strayed from the pack of students, walking along the side to find you with your wrist held tightly by a very inebriated man before the both of you disappeared around the auditorium. His feet suddenly flew, chasing after the both of you after spotting the concerned look on your face, even briefly around the corner. Todoroki soon laid eyes on your date, gripping your wrist with a wide grin on his face, drunkenly swaying with you and handling you carelessly while you tried to pull away.

“You’re my date, so let me be your date,” he cooed slovenly, his grip tightening on your wrist.

“Stop it, you’re drunk,” you yelled, pulling away from him, tugging at your wrist to no avail.

“I’m having fun,” he retorted, his grin wide and his breath lingering over your skin. “Don’t you want to have fun with me?”

“I’m not some toy, or some prize to show off to your friends, whoever they are!”

“They’re just teasing, come on.”

He pulled you in, closing the gap between the both of you before his breath washed onto your face, smelling the bitter and rancid smell of alcohol. You pushed against his chest, pulling your face away from his, his strength overwhelming until-

“No, let go of me!” you cried before you pulled back your hand, slapping his face hard. The slap pulled him out of his drunken reverie, but not without releasing you from his grip, finding a disdained look on his face, chuckling to himself from the assault before being refueled by rage.

“Who wants you anyway?!” he yelled back, pulling his own hand to return the favour.

Suddenly, his own wrist was gripped by another’s, pushing against a strength that overpowered his own. Todoroki stood beside you, his fingers gripping onto your date while he stared into his eyes, disapproving and venomous.

“I suggest you walk away,” he warned, watching your date flinch from the fractals of ice that began to frost across his skin and sleeve, prickling like needles. He pulled away violently, releasing his grip on you as well, walking away with a contempt scoff and affixing his attire before he stomped towards the auditorium. Todoroki kept an eye on him until he disappeared around the corner, most likely returning to the prom before he turned to you, standing there, ashamed and hurt.

The smell of alcohol still lingered, but now it no longer pervaded your senses while you fixed your own formal wear and hopped towards the wall of the auditorium outside, leaning against it, your eyes drawn towards the pavement. Throughout the mess of it all, you realised one of your shoes had fallen off, now missing part of the pair a short distance away. You felt Todoroki’s presence next to you, following after and standing by your side, leaning against the wall as well in an uncomfortable silence.

“Nice guy,” he commented.

“Shut up,” you retorted weakly, refusing to look him in the eye.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No.”

“Are you okay?”

A moment passed when it all fell silent, at least to you, still listening and feeling the vibrations of the music that echoed and reverberated through the walls. You felt like you drowned in it, washed in the overwhelming feeling of sadness that you couldn’t hold in. You breathed deeply, hoping that could staive the storm, but your tears burst from your eyes out of your volition.

“No, no I’m not,” you finally answered. “He’s right. No one wants me.”

Todoroki turned to you, watching your tears fall and holding in the hiccups that escaped your throat once or twice. He couldn’t explain it, but he hated that look on you.

“I’ve not heard back from anyone at all today. I don’t know why,” you continued, your mind elsewhere. “And, he only invited me to impress his friends, and we met up when he’s really drunk and, well, you saw what happened.”

With all that was going on for graduation, Todoroki watched and listened to your words, realising and processing his feelings over the matter. It wasn’t true. He wanted you, more than anything, comprehending his feelings and how he interpreted them all the same. Graduation was weighing on his mind just as much as any other student had all day, yet he realised now, in this moment despite what his future may hold, that this moment mattered. He eyed your shoe from afar, walking towards it to collect it from the ground until he stood before you, his eyes waiting for you to meet his.

“No, I don’t want to go inside. Not yet anyway,” you reasoned while you tried to wipe away the tears from your face, spotting the shoe in his hand.

“May I?” asked Todoroki as if he had ignored your request.

You turned to him with tear-stained eyes, only seeing him hold your shoe. It dawned on you that it was only the both of you outside the auditorium with no one else around.

“What about your date?” you asked, confused.

“They’re right here in front of me,” he stated calmly, straight-forward without flinching. “Please.”

He lifted your shoe once more, warranting a nod from you, permitting him to kneel and slip the shoe back onto your feet. He was gentle while he maneuvered it with ease, lifting himself close to you before he opened his hand, gesturing to take yours. With a calm breath, you accepted his hand before he led you into his arms, swaying to and fro despite the music that played inside Gym Gamma beside you. Underneath the stars, you began to waltz, glancing up into Todoroki’s eyes that only smiled down at you, that same smile that he expressed while you were with him.

“Thank you Todoroki,” you whispered. “I’m sorry-“

“No, I’m sorry,” he interrupted, still keeping to the rhythm of his feet. “I didn’t think about how strongly you felt about the career and the life you wanted. I was selfish.”

“You can be selfish. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you weren’t. Now I feel like an idiot.”

The thought of your former date moments ago sprung in your mind, despite it being a last ditch effort by a classmate, even if it was innocent at first. However, you felt Todoroki clutch onto your waist tighter, hugging you into his chest while his fingers intertwined with yours.

“This is where you should be,” he motioned, his head laying on yours. “You deserve a good night.”

For the first time since arriving at this prom, you smiled, nestling into his chest and hearing the calm heartbeat that thrummed in your ear. His warmth, that familiar heat you had come to love, pervaded on your skin and kept you safe, here in his arms.

The sound of your phone broke you out from the moment, catching both Todoroki and yourself a little unguarded before you broke away a little to check it immediately. Todoroki still held you, not wanting to release you from his grip before he watched your eyes scan the screen, soon lighting up with excitement.

“Oh my god!” you exclaimed. “I got in, I got in!” You hopped on the spot, still in his arms, bubbled with elation.

“Where?” he asked immediately, only to be met by a moment of spontaneity. A sudden kiss on his lips, pulled in by your hands while you deeply pressed onto him. The moment broke as you pulled away, realising what you had done within the moment and met by Todoroki’s perplexed stare.

“Oh god, I’m sorry-“

Your words were choked by Todoroki returning the favour, pulling you into him and kissing you instead. His arms held you close to him, feeling the waves of heat from his body and his kiss alone. A fire unlike any other filled you inside, not searing through with anger, but fueled by passion which was Todoroki. As he pulled away, you stared into his eyes, pools of silver and blue while you watched him smile, caressing your cheek tenderly. You smiled back warmly with words unspoken.

“I love every part of you, my Love,” he whispered close to your ear.

“I… I love you more,” you whispered back, growing more sure with your words.

“Exactly where did you get accepted?”

“Your father’s agency,” you quipped, suddenly taking him back by surprise. “What? You thought I never considered it a top priority?”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

“Because I hadn’t heard anything,” you reasoned while you fixed his suit. “It made me wonder how many applications your father’s manager had to go through today.”

A small chuckle escaped from Todoroki, soon turning into laughter along with you while he held you in his arms under the night sky. He felt like twirling you in the air, feeling you next to him and knowing you were beside him. With the prom already under way, he offered his arm with that ever-present smile, warm and inviting.

Seasons come and go - summer and winter, hot to cold. But despite the change in weather, you’ve learnt to adapt slowly over time and nurture something new through the faults. It only continues to grow from here, stronger than before.

[lovenhlboys]

From a Distance (E.Pettersson x Reader)

Chapter 5

Masterlist

Be added to series taglist

A/N: I have finally graduated!! now I have time so I can work on this until its finished, and trust me, it won't take too long, I'll release the other chapters on a faster, more regular basis since I don't have much else to do, and cause I've had the plan and ideas for the rest of this story for so long. I thank you for your patience with me and I hope y'all love it!! And as always Ash is my savior and I love her @imagines-r-s

change in POV is signalized by:

Y/N= regular ELIAS= italics

(any other info is on the masterlist)

Warnings: cursing, Mentions of Psych, baby & baby talk, loving of dogs, goalie being essentially psychic

Words: 3.3k

Summary: some reflecting on prior events happens.

Well, it has been quite the day for you. You never would have thought anything like this could have happened. “Freaking out” isn’t strong enough to describe your current state. You need to talk to someone, god you’re so happy right now. So you call Quinn.

“Hey, Quinny!”

“Sup Y/N/N?” he answers

“I’m picking up from work, and I'm about to head home, where you will be there too, with a bottle of our favorite wine and some take-out.”

“Got it, something important happened?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” you still couldn't stop smiling.

“Ok how important, expensive wine or REALLY expensive wine?”

“Uhhh in between,” you decided.

“Ahhh ok, can't wait. See you there, bye!!”

“Bye, Huggy”

You finish packing up and text Brock to tell him that you and Quinn are having a wine night, to make sure he knows to be somewhere else.

As you’re walking out, you call Holly.

“Hey, Babe!”

“Howdy!”

“God I always forget you interned in Dallas,” she says laughing.

“You pick that shit up quickly, I’m telling you. even the Fins were saying 'y'all'"

“So what’s up?” She asks.

“Are you free tonight, cause I have some very big news so it’s a wine night.”

“Umm, let me see if Bo wants to have the guys over and watch Gunnar” you hear her call her husband and ask him. “He said sure!”

“Okie Dokie! Text Quinn that you’re coming too, so he knows to get your usual from the take-out place” you tell her.

“Will do, and Y/N/N?" she says before you hang up.

“Yep?”

“Do you want me to grab ice cream?” She asks, already knowing your answer.

“Of course!”

“Ok, see you there” she hangs up.

You drive home jamming out to your music, as everyone should. You still can’t believe what happened today. It feels like it happened last week but it also feels like you never left that break room. Hopefully, Elias won’t mind that you’re telling Quinn and Holly. As long as you tell them not to say anything to the other guys, all should be well.

Once you get home, the dogs greet you at the door, “Oh hi! Hi sweeties! Oh yes, yes hi Coolieee, oh you’re such a cutie,” you drop your bags and get down on your knees to get on their level. When you get on your knees, Milo knows it means you want him to hug you, so he hops up and puts his paws on your shoulders. “Hi, hi, hi, oh thank you for the hugs. Oh yes auntie loves you soooooo much mmwwaaa”

Quinn is there and has everything set up and ready to go, so you change into your sweats and grab your blanket, and sit next to Quinn on the couch, grabbing your glass of wine and food before you sit down. Now you just have to wait for Holly

“Sooo, what’s the news?” Quinn asks you.

“Holly isn’t here yet, we have to wait.”

”Oh so it’s that good?” He raises his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” You question, taking a sip of your wine.

“Well, when the news isn’t that important you usually don’t care if she hears it after me, or I hear it after her. But when it’s super important news, you have the other one wait.”

“Hmm, well then yeah. It’s pretty fuckin’ great, I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling for like 5 hours.”

Just then Holly comes in the door with Gus under one arm and a grocery bag full of ice cream in her other hand, “hi puppies, yes I have your friend with me”

“Oh! Hi Burton!!” You say with your puppy voice.

“Ok, why do you call him Burton? I never understood that.”

“It’s from one of my favorite shows!” You exclaim

“Y/N/N I don’t know if you know this but you, your brother, and Quinn all have like 50 “favorite TV shows” I’m gonna need you to say more than that,” she says to you as she grabs her food from the counter, and heads to the couch. She sits on the side of you not occupied by Quinn.

“Ok, rude,” Quinn sassed.

“It’s from Psych. One of the main characters is called Gus, but his first name is Burton, and the police chief and one of the detectives calls him by his full name which is Burton Guster, so there.”

“Got it.”

“Ok, Holly no more distractions,” Quinn starts, sticking his tongue out at her, she returns the gesture. “So what’s the important news?”

“Oh, you didn’t tell him yet! So it’s really important!” she says.

“Hmm, I guess I do do that,” you realize, “I would actually like you guys to guess” you take a bite of your food, smugly. Knowing neither of them would even have an idea of what to guess.

“Hmmm,” Quinn hums, he looks like he has a mischievous grin “does it have to do with a certain Swede?”

“Wha-“ you choke on your bite of food, Quinn is giggling at your reaction, “the fuck? How’d you know that?”

“Well umm, a certain brother of yours may have asked me if he should do that plan.”

“Why would you do that?’ you whined, upset at your friends for teaming up on you. You couldn’t imagine what you would’ve done if that plan didn’t work out the way it did today.

“Did it work?” He asked with a grin.

“That’s not the point, asshole!”

“See but it worked! He doesn’t hate you anymore, now you can flirt your ass off and make him see you as more than a friend” he tells you.

You laugh, he has no idea what happened in that break room.

“Ok, I’m out of the loop here, what happened?” Holly interjects

“Ok, well my idiot brother and apparently my asshole best friend came up with this plan-“

“Actually Marky and Thatch knew about it too,” he stops you from interrupting, “AND, to be fair, you can’t blame Brock for going to us. I mean I’m your best friend, and the goalies are just good at planning and doing crazy things”

“WELL. Those dicks that I call my closest friends and family, decided it was a good idea to lock me in one of the Canucks break rooms with Elias fucking Pettersson because he hated me and they wanted us to get along”

Holly starts laughing, “oh my god, they did not” she continues to laugh and Quinn joins her. You roll your eyes at them both.

“Yes, they did. I was not a happy camper. But it worked out and he doesn’t hate me.”

“See, I knew it would work! And like I said, now you can work your moves and get him to like you as more than just a friend.” He grins again.

You grin “Oh, also that’s the other part.” You take a long sip of your wine, both Holly and Quinn stared at you wide-eyed, waiting for you to finish, “turns out he’s a great kisser”

“I’m sorry,” Quinn said softly, he took a breath “WHAT?”

“Yeah, would you like more details?”

“Fucking- yeah,” they said simultaneously.

You went on to explain the events that happened in that incredible breakroom

“How the fuck did he keep that a secret, and why?” Quinn exclaimed, clearly confused that he didn't know something so big about who he considers one of his best friends.

“I don't know, but both of you have to absolutely promise me that you won't tell literally anyone else, ok? Not Bo, not Brock, not Demer, Stech, Marky, nobody!”

“Yeah, yeah that's fine,” Holly said, waving her hand in dismissal, wanting to get past that and know more. “So how do you feel?”

“Like the luckiest girl in the world,” you said while giggling with a big smile.

“Y/N/N. I’m so happy for you.” Quinn says with a genuine smile.”

“Ok, enough about me. How were your days?”

“Not as interesting as yours, but Gunnar and I spent the whole day out and about with Bo, and now I’m having a great wine night with you guys so it’s been a pretty amazing day.”

“Yeah, well I spent the whole day waiting for Y/N to come to kill me cause I thought she’d find out I had something to do with that whole situation,” Quinn says.

“Well let me just tell you, Hughes, if it hadn’t ended up the way it did, I may have had a few words for you.”

“I know, that’s why I was panicking the whole day”

“OH MY GOD” Holly shouted as she looked at her phone

“What, what’s wrong?” You ask

“Umm, you are going to LOVE this shit, Y/N/N”

She thrusts her phone in your face. When you look down you see a picture of Elias holding Gunnar, with a toy you hadn’t seen before. Elias looks so happy, looking down at the baby Horvat. Then there’s another alert on Holly's phone, “ohmygod,” you mumble. The alert is another text from Bo, it’s a video this time. You press play. In the video Elias is playing with Gunnar, using a high-pitched baby voice “oh yes you love your new toy that the best uncle in the world got you! Yes, you do cause I’m your very favorite, yes I am. You are just so cute, so lucky you got your looks from your mama, yes you are.”

From behind the camera, you can hear Bo, “Hey, have you looked at him, he looks just like me”

“Daddy is crazy, isn’t he? Yeaaaaah” Elias says to the boy.

The video ends and you see what text Bo had sent along with the picture and video

Bowie 💙: Yes, he got him ANOTHER toy. If he keeps this up, we’re gonna need a bigger house just for the toys lias gets him

“This boy is going to be the death of me I swear to god,” you say, handing the phone to Quinn, and placing your head in your hand. That video was literally the cutest thing you’ve seen in about 5 years.

You continue to talk, you end up explaining what Elias had told you about not doing anything else yet, and what he had said regarding that. You all finish eating and eventually decide on watching some ’how i met your mother’.

After they leave, you spend the rest of the night replaying the events from the break room in your head. Imagining what will eventually happen with you two. You truly can’t believe it. You’ve never felt this way about anyone and you’ve only known he likes you for about 12 hours. Elias Pettersson is going to be a special, if not the most special person in your life. So you pull out your notebook and a pen that you always keep next to your bed and you write your thoughts down.

First, you write the date at the top then skip 2 lines

Elias Pettersson, I think I love you. I know it’s too early to say and we’ve only had one day together, but I need to write this down.

It looks ridiculous and cheesy now that I’m reading it but if my gut is right, which it normally is, I just had to write it down. I had to tell you. If not in real life, at least just in this notebook. As cliche as it sounds, maybe I can show you it one day. I mean I do love myself a hallmark movie, so maybe this can be like one of those.

You sign it at the bottom, close your notebook, and place it back in your drawer.

You’re such a hopeless romantic and you kinda want to make fun of yourself, like you would do if you found out any of the guys did this kind of thing. ( And if you’re being honest, you wouldn’t be surprised if your own brother would do something like this. Your parents kind of instilled a love of romcoms in you guys at a young age.)

So once your thoughts have settled, you close your eyes and drift off to sleep.

Elias’s night wasn’t that much different. He arrived at the Horvat residence with some snacks for the boys, and a new toy for Gunnar, as always. Every time he sees one he knows Gunnar will like, he buys it...it’s a problem.

“Petey!!” Stech shouts as he gets up to grab the snacks from him.

“So how was your daaaaay” Thatcher asks from the couch.

“I’m sure Brock has inform you of how my day went”

“‘Inform’ us he has. But OUR plan is what caused this. WE worked very hard on it” Thatcher says, chuckling.

“Wait, who all knew about it??”

“I didn’t!” Bo shouts from the kitchen!

“And neither did this little boy, he would never betray me,” Elias says, grabbing Gunnar from Brock on the couch and carrying him into the kitchen, the other guys follow. “And guess what Gunnar!!! I got you another toy, cause I’m the best uncle you have, yes I am.”

“Another toy Lias?? Really, I’m going to need to make a whole mother room for all of the toys you get him if you don’t stop”

“But why would I ever stop when he is the best boy ever! He deserves the world, yes he does,” Elias says, looking at Gunnar the whole time.

“Ok, now it’s time for him to have dinner,” Bo says, grabbing Gunnar from Elias.

“So… all of you knew?”

Stech, Brock, Demer, and Marky all nodded, with a guilty look.

“What about you? Elias said, looking at Nils. Nils looked guilty and nodded slowly “my own son? Really Hogs?”

“I’m sorry, I just wants to help you!!”

“We all just ‘wants’ to help you, Petey!” Marky said, mocking the youngest Swede’s mistake. All of them would do that to both of them, make fun of them when they messed up, they just wanted to help them, it’s all in good fun.

“Ok, I know but what if it didn’t work, what would you guys have done?”

“Elias my dear, the point is that it did work. And now Brock won’t have an aneurysm every time you and Y/N/N are in the same room together” Troy says, placing his arm around Elias’s shoulder.

“Yeah Petey, all we wanted was for you to like her as much as we do!” Thatcher said.

“Ok, I never hated her, I just-”, he paused trying to come up with what he was going to say next, “I don’t socialize well, it’s hard for me to talk to people, ok?”

“Which is exactly why we did this. Y/C/N/N is a sweet girl, we just needed to give you both a push since you’re essentially the same person” Marky said.

“LITERALLY” Brock shouted, “ I swear, the more and more I hang out with you, Petey, the more I realize you and my sister are the same. Like sure, she and Quinny are best friends. And like they’re both similar like they’re both shy, awkward, nice, and stuff but you two have the same humor, need for attention, sassy bite, etcétéra etcétéra.”

“Oh my god, you’re totally right! And their fake self confident-ness thingy!!” The other guys shouted assorted affirmations to Nils’s comment.

“What do you mean ‘fake self-confidence thing’?” Elias was confused.

“Both of you do a something where you say stuffs like “well I’m hot, so..” or “cause I’m the best” and my favorite “because the people likes me better than you” but neither of you feel that way far down. You both just like to act like you more confident than you are really.”

“Damn, he called you two out, and he’s so right” Bo chimed in with a chuckle. “Ok, well now that he’s done eating, Marky, can you and the baby Swede go out and pick up the pizza?”

“Yes sir, captain sir!” Marky said saluting Bo.

The rest of them talked while they waited for Gunnars stomach to settle.

“Hey Petey, wanna go grab drinks from the store with me,” Thatcher asks.

“I think we’re good actu-“ Bo starts

“Petey” Thatcher insists with a look that says that’s not exactly the reason why he wants Elias to come with him. And he knows better than to say no to a goalie who gives him that look.

“Yep,” he gets up and follows Demer out the door.

They get in the car and that’s when it starts “so,” Thatch says, “how long have you liked her?” He asks.

“I- uh what? What are you talking abou-”

“Oh save it blondy, I have a 6th sense about this shit.”

“Damn goalies. At least Marky doesn’t know,” Elias mumbles under his breath.

“Oh he definitely does, he just hasn’t said anything for some reason” he laughs.

“How do you know he just doesn’t know?”

“Cause I know this shit, bro. He may have even been messing with you since he and Y/N/N are cuddle buddies and shit. Just to get you to make a move or something”

“HE MADE ME DO THE OPPOSITE! I thought they were together for the longest time until she told me TODAY” That made Thatcher laugh, you know, Elias’s pain and suffering is just HILARIOUS.

Once he calmed down he continued to talk, “Ok, well you didn’t tell us the whole story of what happened in there, so spill” he said as they walked into the store.

“We may have talked”

“....bitch that’s not it, keep going”

“And we kissed a little,” Elias said, face turning red.

“That’s my boy!” Thatcher clapped him on the shoulder.

“You're only 3 years older than me”

“And you're only a year older than Nils, who you claim as your ‘son,’ so shhh” he retorted, “so I assume you two talked about it after, actually knowing you two, that may not have happened,” Thatcher said as they checked out.

“Ha ha ha, yes we talked about it Douglas,” Elias said with an eye roll. “I just told her that I can’t do anything till I do something” he said as they got into the car again.

“What’s that “something” you have to do?” The goalie questioned.

“Talk to her older brother that may just kill me if I tell him so, I’m not too pumped about that.”

“Have you forgotten how much Brock loves you? You’re each other’s work husbands, I think if you tell him he’ll be shocked, but he’d be ok with it.”

“But you didn’t hear what Brock had said about his friend chad in high school! He beat him up and cut him out, I don’t want that to happen to me”

“Petey, if you feel as strongly as I think you feel about YNN then I think you have to tell her, or that would be an extreme disservice to you, her, and honestly my mental health, so you have some work to do.” He said as they finally walked into the Horvat house again.

“Yeah, Petey you have to work on some stuff, like your hair!” Brock quipped.

“Shut up, frat boy, not all of us can have a luscious flow like you.” Elias jabbed back, “oh hi, how’s my favorite person here? Is your tummy settled now, can I finally give you your new toy?”

“Yes, you can,” Bo says, handing his child off to the blonde Swede.

Elias took Gunnar down to the floor, where his new toy was, and played with him while talking in his baby voice, at some point Bo took a video and sent it to Holly, and also his insta story. But that’s ok, he loved his little ‘nephew,’ and honestly, his day couldn’t have gone better.

Tagist: @calgarycanuck @suffering-canucks-fan @2manytabsopen @lovethepreds @callllumhood @mellany1997 @yourlocalgranolagirl54 @all-time-fanatic @Fitnessfreak498 @mysoftboybowen @peachyotps @kale-makar @kentjohnsons @iwantahockeyhimbo @aeyyy-ohhhh @peteysimp @nhlindblom @mitchsmullet @dolphinahabsfan @starswin @heunderwoo @hockeymockeryandlove @peteysimp

[efrmellifer]

A More Perfect Union

see also: A More Perfect Union in pictures

Borel Manor had been a quiet house. Had been, when it was functionally empty, with only the master of the house (fairly young when he had inherited it from his parents, and still not even middle aged), the mistress, their infant children, and sparse staff. Maybe an occasional guest, for a few nights at a time.

But now, for the first time in years, the house was closer to its capacity, several guest rooms full and the buzz of the occasion making the house practically glow.

The Domans had been the first to arrive, Hien coming back to Eorzea, but bringing his wife along this time (she too was returning, rather than visiting for the first time). But it wasn’t just the two of them that had come. No, Doma was left in the hands of some few advisors for a time while the prince, his wife, and one of his most trusted retainers came to Ishgard.

Of course Yugiri would be in attendance. How could she miss it?

Anyone who needed somewhere to stay in Ishgard for the wedding was welcome to a room if they preferred a house over Cloud Nine, so extra hands had been hired to make sure everywhere was in top shape, not a cobweb to be seen or a creaking floorboard to be heard.

Etien had contributed heavily, too, the same as she did for just about every project she ever got involved in, throwing her shoulder to the wheel. Of course, this time, it was to pick up a broom and tie a scarf around her nose and mouth so she could sweep out the years of dust, and (once they had been taken down for her) washing the beautiful blue curtains in all of the guest rooms.

So now the house was full and bustling during waking hours, conversations ringing off the walls in several languages, card games and rulesets from every corner of the world taking place around the tables, and a pot of tea (and coffee, naturally, even if Estinien had to brew it himself) was always sitting within arm’s reach. And when everyone slept, the house was heavy with the slow, deep breaths of so many.

Mid-day, with a few days left until the big day of the wedding, Aymeric and Etien stood on the stair landing to catch their breath, watching the blessed chaos on the floor below them.

“Are the children still asleep?” Aymeric asked.

“Surprisingly, yes,” Etien replied. “I set them in their cradles and they were out immediately.”

“This must be a lot for them.”

She sighed. “It would be a lot for anyone.”

He looked over at her, concern starting to color his expression. “Is it too much?”

She scanned the crowd again, looking at the last seven years of her life mapped in relationships, studying people she had never dared to hope might meet chatting away—sometimes with translators, sometimes just in shared tongues.

She smiled. “No. It’s not too much.”

***

Etien stood near the door of Saint Reymanaud’s, in front of a pane of stained glass, just thinking as the light pouring in tinted her dress and her skin blue. This, right here, was where she and Aymeric had had their first kiss. She’d been so nervous that day, scared to tell him how she felt—and that it was starting to feel like she had always felt this way about him.

Now, years later, several repetitions of this ceremony later, it still felt that way.

She played with the layers of her dress as she thought. The first time she had gone away, it had been after the first wedding. An elopement, a secret, just a quick consecration of the union so if the gods had been merciless and Etien had died, she wouldn’t be sent to Alder Springs. Not when she had a husband to receive her.

The second time had been after Ala Mhigo was freed, and it had been for Ishgard’s benefit, more than anything. It was time to make things official, and the church had been packed to the gills, but that was with the Scions and Ishgardian society. Much had been missing from what Etien wanted. And yet she had danced and feasted, because despite all that was absent, she was happy to say out loud that she and Aymeric were married.

The third time had been at the Sanctum of the Twelve, so that the Alliance had proof of a marriage (the paperwork had been lost during the disturbance caused by the loss of the Scions). It was a little more like the eternal bonding ceremonies of adventurers. She’d attended a few of those and always thought they were nice, so she had enjoyed having one of her own. This dress was from that wedding, actually. Etien liked it, too, though it had had to be altered, since last time she had worn it was before Betula and Landric were born.

This time was for… several things. It wouldn’t be long before points eastward once more called her—called them all—from the comfort of their lives to take up warriors’ mantles once more. But before it did, sh and Aymeric could celebrate once more the bond they shared—this time, with all their friends (and with their children) present. This time would more closely align with what Etien had wanted before.

“Etien? Is aught amiss?” Aymeric asked.

She turned from the window. “No—”

“Are you supposed to see the bride before the ceremony?”

He laughed, a bit surprised at Tataru’s hands-on-hips stance as she asked him.

“I thought it might be allowed, because this was simply a renewal. Though maybe I did want a sneaky first look before she came down the aisle.”

She smiled. “Come look, then.” She spread her arms as if summoning him for a hug. He came a little closer, taking her hands in his, so he could see the undersides of her sleeves, and then let her go.

“I suspect I had best get to my place, and Lord Edmont will be coming to bring you to yours soon.”

She nodded, wanting to ask for a kiss, but deciding that she could wait just a little bit longer. She folded her hands, coming away from the window to wait but remaining out of sight, standing tall (a ridiculous notion when she was about to have her diminutive stature emphasized). But as Aymeric had predicted, Edmont was at her side in a flash, the few bridesmaids and groomsmen standing nearby.

Estinien whispered in her ear, and got the back of her gloved hand to his stomach with a low “Estinien, shh,” before Edmont fixed the flowers at her ears, making sure her veil sat just right.

“Now, now, no fighting with the best man,” he tutted as he guided her hand to his elbow.

She sighed, settling.

“Nerves?”

She shook her head. “You?”

“Fortunately, no. This is not my first time walking you down the aisle, and after how well the last time went, what have I to be nervous about?”

They stood at the doors to the sanctuary, watching the guests starting to settle now that the doors had opened, the bridal party pairing up as they had to to make their entrances.

It was funny, this time there was genuinely a bride’s side and a groom’s side that ushers might have asked guests to choose to sit on.

Last time, had been different. Not worse, not better. Just different.

But now, to her right, there were knights, the members of the Houses of Lords and Commons, the Alliance leaders who had been indecisive about whom they were attending for but settled on sitting to the right, some dragonets sitting confusedly in the pews. To her left, there was a wide variety of people, all of whom she recognized—all of House Fortemps (including Toto, but not currently Edmont because he was with her), the Scions (Tataru had taken her seat again), R’hyli, Sorako, Oki, even Zenos looked fairly comfortable among the guests. And to cap it off, a single Pixie, sitting with their legs crossed, eyebrows lifted as they waited for their sapling.

Before her, she saw Taerin, Yugiri, and Dae being guided down the aisle and seated in the front row by Hien, Handeloup, and Estinien. When they were all in their places, Estinien turned around and lifted a roll of paper, rolling it out until it ran out at Etien’s feet.

She looked up, and he nodded, gesturing behind him toward Aymeric, then sat down.

Etien lifted her chin, and took her first step, her entrance announced with strings.

She laid her hands in Aymeric’s with the ease of practice when they finally met at the front of the church.

“You aren’t shaking this time. Good,” he whispered.

She just smiled as the priest began.

Artoirel and Lucia did readings, and when the time came for vows, Aymeric looked down at Etien, as if asking her what she was going to do.

“Don’t worry, darling. I know my lines this time.” She took a deep breath and began reciting his composition, the combination of poetry and scripture from when they had eloped.

“O Halone, observe my solemnity as I take this vow.

I am sick with love. My beloved is distinguished among ten thousand, and me has he chosen. So do I bind myself to him. He is without flaw. His locks are wavy, black as a raven. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me. When I found him whom my soul loves, I held him, and would not let him go. The winter is past; my beloved is mine, and I am his.”

Aymeric laughed lightly when she was finished, flattered and impressed she still remembered, but responded in kind when the priest turned to him.

“O Halone, observe my solemnity as I take this vow.

She is altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in her, and me has she chosen. So do I bind myself to her. Departed from the dens of dragons, the young women saw her and called her blessed; asked ‘Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?’

She has captivated my heart. When I found her whom my soul loves, I held her and I would not let her go. The time for singing has come. My beloved is mine, and I am hers.”

The priest spoke. “Do you, Etien Mellifer, reaffirm your pledge to love, comfort, honor, and keep Aymeric?”

“I do,” she replied, beaming.

“And do you, Aymeric de Borel, reaffirm your pledge to love and to cherish Etien as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” he answered.

The exchange of rings was as understated as it ever was with them, Etien’s a Borel heirloom, and Aymeric’s an engraved band. Simple, yes, but treasured.

Again, the priest chimed in. “Then let what the Fury has blessed remain blessed in Her eyes. Go now in peace.”

With his right hand on Etien’s back, and his left hand holding hers, Aymeric escorted her back up the aisle, and out the door.

They waited for the guests to follow before they went outside, where he dipped her and kissed her to seal their vows once more, this time to cheering and applause. There was no white chocobo for them to ride across to the Arc of the Venerable and home, but it was a beautiful day in Ishgard, so neither was going to mind the walk, least of all together and surrounded by family and friends.

[sweetiepie08]

RebelZ Chapter 8

Invader Zim fanfic

While analyzing Zim’s PAK for weaknesses, Tak discovers strange coding that sends her on a search for answers. The clues lead her to uncover a conspiracy that governs all of Irken society. When the truth sends her on the run, she has no choice but to return to the one place the Tallest would never willingly go: Urth.

Meanwhile, Dib has noticed odd changes in Zim’s behavior. Has the invader simply grown bored of his mission over the last few years, or is there something more interesting going on?

People who asked to be tagged: @incorrect-invader-zim , @messinwitheddie, @reblogstupids, @cate-r-gunn, @agentpinerulesall​

If anyone else would like to be added to the tag list feel free to message me. Also, if you’re on the tag list and you changed your name, please just let me know.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8.  Chapter 9.  Chapter 10.

[-]

The problem with back-seat space travel was, Dib decided, you couldn’t really tell where you were going. This was especially concerning with Zim at the helm. In fact, leaving Earth with Zim, having to rely on Zim to get home, was probably not the smartest move in the first place. But he did manage to get them to Ecore. The first leg of their mission was complete. All that was left was to go home. That should be the easy part.

However, Zim was concerningly quiet since the ship took off from Ecore. There was no scolding Gir, no boasting of his pilot skills, and not even a peep about whatever Kristlotch had said in the temple. Tak was able to explain the basics. Krislotch told them the secret history of the Control Brains, called rebellion hopeless, and insulted Zim multiple times. Perhaps Zim was just stewing over it. But, if that was all, why did he feel this crushing tension?

Something on the console beeped and Zim scrolled through a sea of Irken text, eyes darting between Dib and Tak. He hadn’t used the voice command system, which was especially odd. From what Dib learned operating Tak’s ship, voice commands was the standard for Irken tech. Zim had to have switched it off manually. The question was, why?

“Hey Zim,” Tak snapped, “that was Zorgad 16.”

Zim kept his eyes straight ahead. “So?”

“So we’re going the wrong way.”

“I know exactly where we’re going,” Zim countered.

“Clearly you don’t. Keep going this way and we’ll…” Her eyes grew wide as some horror dawned on her. “You scum!” she screamed, launching herself at him. “You traitor!”

“It is you who are the traitor!” Zim declared, barely holding her off.

Dib’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. “Zim, what did you do?”

“Gir!” Zim commanded. “Hide and seek! Now!”

“Okie Dokie!” Gir’s robot arms wrapped around Dib and Tak and threw them in the back of the ship with the cargo. “You hide!”

Before they could recover, a metal door slid down, blocking them off from the cockpit. On the other side, they heard Zim command Gir to count to 1 million.

Tak let out an enraged scream and pounded on the door. “Coward! Liar! Boot-licking little worm!”

Dib let his face drop into his hands. “I should have seen this coming. I’ve fallen for his schmoopy act before.”

“No, I should have.” Tak punched the door one more time before leaning her forehead against it. “When I discovered the truth, my first thought was of freeing my people. For that, I was branded traitor and my life clock went off. His never did. That is only possible if he was still loyal to the empire.”

“Can’t you blast through the door with your lasers?” Dib suggested.

A digital monocle popped out of the mechanism on her head and covered her eye. She examined the door for a moment before letting out a sigh. “If I set it powerful enough to penetrate the metal, it’ll also pass through the windshield, exposing us to vacuum space.” Defeated, she leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor.

“So,” Dib said, sitting down beside her, “what now?”

[-]

Some time later, the ship approached the Massive. They noticed the change in gravity as a tractor beam grabbed hold of the Voot and sucked the ship onboard. They heard voices talking outside. One was certainly Zim, but Dib couldn’t make out what was being said. A few minutes later, the doors to the cargo hold opened and Irken soldiers dragged them out.

Dib found himself surrounded by tech he could only dream of, though the situation left him little room to marvel. The hanger held space craft so strange, he couldn’t being to imagine how they worked. The soldiers held weapons he’d never seen before. And above them all loomed the Tallest, living up to their title.

“Hmm… Urth humans really are tall,” the Purple one observed. “Not as tall as us of course but…” Dib assumed the reason for this one’s perfect English was that it was, in a way, talking to him.

“Yes and, as reported, dumb,” Zim added, “as evidenced by the fact he fell for my cunning trap. And, of course, I brought the traitor, Tak, as promised.”

“Yes, these two truly must be dumb if they fell for your plans,” the Red one said. Dib waited for Zim to react, but nothing happened. Unbelievable. Did Zim really not notice the insult, or did he just not care?

“Good work, Zim,” the Red one went on. “We knew we could count on you to bring in the traitor.”

Zim nodded solemnly. “Yes, she tried to sway my loyalty with her treasonous lies, but I never bought them for a second.”

Tak let out a growl and jumped to her feet. “Zim, you know damn well I never-AH!” One of the guards struck her with an electrified weapon, sending her back to the floor.

“And still she persists. Tragic.” Zim tsked and shook his head. “Now, about my reward?”

“Oh yeah, right,” the red one said. “We’ve got a party set up for you in the main snack hall.

Seriously? “You sold us out for a party?” Dib seethed, moving to get up. “You egotistical son of a-AH!” He was also hit by the same weapon, forcing him back to his knees.

Zim snickered and stood above him. “Zim is son to no one but the empire, Dib-stink.”

“Alright then,” the Purple one chimed in. “Now that everything’s settles, let’s execute these prisoners and get this party over with.”

“Wait!” Zim shouted. Everyone stopped and looked at him while Dib raised an eyebrow. What was he doing? “My Tallest, I humbly request to keep these two prisoners alive as trophies for my party.”

“But then we execute them after?” The purple one asked.

Zim nodded. “Oh yes, sure, of course.”

The Red one shrugged. “Okay, fair enough. Stick those two in a cage in the main snack hall until after the party.”

“Excellent!” A wide grin appeared on Zim’s face. “Gir, come with me,” he said, starting down the hall. “We must begin preparing my special punch.”

[-]

In short order, Dib and Tak were placed in a cage and forced to watch as Irkens mingled amongst themselves. They all took to it with the enthusiasm of the scientists in Membrane Labs attending the annual, mandatory, holiday party. They wore forced, uncomfortable smiles and attempted small talk. Every one of them looked like they were counting the seconds until they could drop the charade and return to their normal lives.

Suddenly, Zim’s robot popped up in Dib’s field of vision. “Want some punch?!” Gir shrieked, shoving a cup of purple liquid in Dib’s face. “It’ll make you sick!”

Dib cringed as he looked in the cup. “Uh… no thanks.”

“Gir! Get away from there!” Zim shouted, stomping up toward them. He grabbed the cup out of the robot’s hands and began pushing him away. “Humans and traitors don’t get punch,” he tossed over his shoulder as they walked off.

Dib watching Zim head up to the high table at the front of the room and sit down with his Tallest. Much like his dad at those holiday parties, these two were likely the ones who least wanted to be there.

Dib gave the bars another pathetic shake before giving up and turning to Tak. “So, you got any ideas?”

“What’s the point?” she asked, laying flat on the ground.

“Uh, the point is, if we don’t get out of here, we both die.”

“Is dying a prisoner any worse than living as a mindless slave?” She sighed and turned her head to look at the crowd. “Look at them all, human. They don’t even know what they lack. Every one of them is going to die serving the empire and none of them will be thanked or even remembered. Hundreds will be sent to their deaths and hundreds more will take their place. The smeeteries will replace them as fast as they’re killed off. That thing doesn’t care about sacrificing its own food because it can always make more. Kristlotch was right. It is hopeless.”

“You know, sometimes I feel like my people are slaves too,” Dib said, sitting down next to her. “Not to a hive mind parasite, but to other things. The media, corporate greed…”

“I know. I specifically targeted that flaw in my first conquest plan.”

“Right…” Dib rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about how well that almost worked. “Anyway, sometimes I think Zim is right. Humans stink.”

Tak shrugged half-heartedly. “Eh, Irkens are particularly sensitive to smell. You probably smell fine for a human.”

“No, I meant metaphorically,” Dib went on. “Anyway, my point is, just because humans stink now, it doesn’t mean I should give upon them. It’s one of the reasons I want to prove aliens exist so bad. I want people to know what’s out there. I want them to be a little better, a little smarter. I want them to stop worrying about petty problems and work together to improve the world. If they do, who knows? Maybe we can actually join this greater universal stage.”

Tak’s face stayed impassive as she considered his words. “Dib…” she began, sitting up, “not all humans stink.”

He smiled. “And not all Irkens are mindless slaves.”

“No…” Her eyes narrowed and the Tak he knew returned. “And none should be. Dib,” she said, jumping to her feet, “we’re breaking out of here.”

“Great!” he said, jumping up as well. “What’s the plan?”

“I…” she paused and her enthusiasm melted away, “need to think about it.” She sat back down on the floor, but her schmoop was gone. She sat with her back straight and one hand on her chin, thinking, plotting.

They were interrupted by a clinking sound from the high table. They looked to see the Red Tallest flicking the side of his glass with one long finger. “Alright everyone, Zim wants to give a toast with his punch. Everyone get a glass so we can get this over with.”

Gir handed out cups of punch to every Irken in the room.

“Did everyone get one?” Zim asked accepting one cup from Gir. The robot nodded. “Excellent!”

Dib shook the bars and let out a groan. “If only I knew what he was saying.”

Tak sighed, tapped her PAK, and a small microchip floated into her hands. She then reached up and shoved it into Dib’s ear.

“Ow, what was that?” Dib said, rubbing his ear.

“Back-up universal translator,” she explained with a groan. “I’m speaking Irken. You hear better now?”

“Yeah, why didn’t you do that earlier?”

“You didn’t bring it up.”

Dib shrugged, conceding her point, and they turned their attention back to the crowd.

“Come on,” the Red Tallest sighed, impatiently tapping his cup. “Make your speech so we can end this party and get back to important things.”

“Right.” Zim cleared his throat. “Friends, I stand before you today proof of what a true Irken can accomplish. Genius, ingenuity, ambition, these are the things that make an Irken great. With these an Irken can become whatever they want and crush their enemies. To victory!”

“To victory!” the crowd answered back and drank.

Dib kept his eyes glued to Zim though the speech. When Zim lifted his cup to his lips, Dib’s eyes went wide.

“Tak did you see that?” he whispered.

“What?”

“It's Zim. He didn't drink?”

“How can you possibly know that from all the way over here?

“He didn't tip his cup back far and he didn't swallow.” Dib explained. “And look.”

Zim's eyes scanned the crowd and he quickly checked something on his wrist.

“Is he checking the time? Look at him. He's up to something.”

Tak only responded with a skeptical look.

Dib sighed. “Listen, if I can be considered an expert on anything, it's obsessing over Zim, and you may not guess it from the everything-about-him, but he can be cunning when he wants to be.”

Tak got up and joined him at the bars. Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Zim’s expression. “If you're right about this,” she mused, “then the question is, why does he want to be?”

The Irkens lowered their now empty cups, except for Zim who still held him onto his. “Yes, Irk is mighty and prosperous,” he went on, tapping a sharply clawed finger against his cup. “It's such a shame Spek couldn't share in our prosperity.”

“Spek?” Dib turn to Tak. “What's a Spek?”

Tak could only shrug. Dib looked back over at the crowd. They looked just as confused as he felt.

“Spek?” the Purple Tallest mumbled to the Red. “I don't remember any Spek.”

“Spek!” Zim shouted throwing, his cup down and jumping on the table. “The smeet who died in the Death Melee because of your attempt to have me killed! It wasn't your first attempt either. You sent me on my mission to Urth, hoping I’d get lost in the vastness of space.”

“Zim…” The Red Tallest said in a warning tone.

“You sent me to hobo 13 and bet on which drill would kill me.”

“Zim that's…”

“You lied to me about the true nature of the Death Melee so I would die for your entertainment. You gave me a smeet, one who hadn't even seen his first cycle yet, as my partner, just to lower my chances of survival. Do you deny it?”

“Enough, Zim!” the Red Tallest roared. “You can't speak to us like this!”

“I can! I am!”

“Remember you are speaking to your Tallest,” the Purple one shouted back.

“I have no tallest!” Zim declared proudly. “I don't take orders from you anymore, and I haven't since the Death Melee! For 0.3 cycles, I've dreamed of nothing but my vengeance and I shall have it!”

The Purple Tallest laughed. “Ha! Vengeance? Look around you. You're surrounded by the top tier of the Irken Armada. How exactly do you plan on getting past them?”

“Aww, too bad Zim,” the Red Tallest said with a mocking pout. “Looks like you failed, just like you always do. Your vengeance is over before it's even begun.”

Zim looked down on the device on his wrist. He smirked and looked up at his Tallest with the cold fury in his eyes. “My vengeance has already begun.”

At that moment, a General dropped to the floor and began convulsing. More and more Irkens followed him. Zim’s smirk grew with each new body that hit the floor. Finally, the Tallest started convulsing as well.

“You won't get away with this,” The Red one choked out before collapsing on the floor.

He flashed a wicked grin. “Oh, I think I just did.”

Zim’s pack legs deployed as he jumped off the table. He scuttled over to the cage and, after hitting a few buttons, freed Dib and Tak. “Follow me,” he yelled and led them out of the snacking hall.

[kalboykiyay]

Haven’t Come Up With A Title For This Yet Either

Okie, I made this as an experiment of sorts, so if it seems all over the place, that’s... part of the reason. For those who might stumble upon this in the future who haven’t read my posts, I’ve headcanoned Cowboy’s real name to be Harris Malkovich, so Harris=Cowboy. Hope you enjoy! Comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.

Harris looked up from his assignment. “It’s specially organised just for me. I know exactly where everything is. If I fix it now, it’ll throw off my muscle memory.”

-----

“Are you ever gonna organise this music shelf? It’s the only thing in your room that is never organised. Everything else? Neat and tidy, almost suspiciously so… then the music shelf sticks out like a sore thumb!” A.J. looked carefully at the vinyl collection.

“That’s… actually a fair point.” She moved away from his collection and grabbed her binder from her bag and grabbed the chair from his desk. She turned the chair to face him just as Harris's dad, Victor walked in.

"Alright, I'm heading to work. You two keep outta trouble!"

"Thanks for letting me stay, Mr. Malkovich." 

"Of course. Also, Harris? Did you still want to drop by the music store later tonight?" Victor asked him. "It's open later today, so I should be able to take you when I get home."

"Yeah, that would be cool," He replied. "But are you sure you can do that? Wouldn’t you be tired from work? We can wait to go on a day you're not working…"

"It's fine. You’ve been asking me to take you for what, a month? We'll go after I get off work, I promise," Victor said, confidently.

Harris's face lit up. His father wasn’t the type to make promises unless he intended to keep them. "Alright then. Let's go when you get home." 

"You two gonna be alright? You need anything else?"

"We're gonna be fine, but you might wanna hurry up! You're gonna be late for work! Go!"

"Alright alright, I'm going. Make sure she gets home safe when you two are done studying," He said, gesturing to A.J. before turning to leave. "See you when I get off!" 

"Bye!" The two replied in sync.

A.J. opened her binder to pull an assignment out when Harris spoke again.

"Hey, you feel like checking my chemistry work?"

She looked up at him. "Oh no, I'm no good at chemistry."

"Well, you're better at it than I am. It never hurts to have it looked over anyways. If all else fails, Elle can look at it when I see her." He shrugged.

"Problem solved then, yes?" 

"Please? I might not see her until after this is due!" He pleaded.

She sighed before holding her hand out. "Hand it over."

-----

The two were halfway finished with an assignment when there was a knock on the door. 

Harris made an annoyed expression before getting up to answer the door. "Come on," he said before running down the stairs, A.J. raising an eyebrow in confusion before putting her binder away.

He saw two people, a man and a woman. He unlocked the door and opened it. "Yes?" There was a bit more bite in his tone than he meant.

"Is this the residence of Victor Malkovich?"

"Yeah, he's not here though. What d'you want?"

"I'm Detective Roy from the Brooklyn Police Department. May we come in? We have an important matter to discuss," the woman said as she held up a badge.

He sighed before letting them in. He frowned internally at him and A.J. being interrupted but maybe it was a sign that they should take a break from their work.

"Can you tell me your name and relationship to Victor, please?"

"Well... I'm Harris. Victor's my dad."

A.J. came down the stairs quietly, unbeknownst to the detectives. Harris noticed her and beckoned her over.

"Hello, Miss. And who might you be?"

A.J. looked between the detectives and Harris. "I'm A.J... Eh, Harris, are you in trouble or something?"

"Could you please come to have a seat?" The woman asked.

A.J. came and sat down next to Harris.

"Harris, there was a traffic collision near the school. Nobody survived. We identified one of the bodies as a Victor Malkovich and found this to be his address, and we were told to inform his family as soon as possible. I'm sorry." 

Harris frowned. "... You can’t be serious… What kind of a sick joke is this...? I just saw him leave for work not even two hours ago. He was here... He can't be… He told me he would..." He did his best to keep his voice steady but it was getting more difficult by the second. He felt tears streaming down his face. 

As much as he didn’t want to believe it, he knew that it was true. Unless they had a sick sense of humour, why would they lie about this? In that case, what did that mean for him? His father didn’t have any family that could take him in and based on what Harris heard from him, his mother didn’t have any family either. Would he have to go into foster care or something like that? He didn’t like that idea much, but he likely didn’t have a choice in the matter.

"Harris."

"Please get out..." He told them, not looking up at them.

"I'm very sorry, Harris. Here's my card. Please try to contact me within the week, so we can help you figure out where to go from here or if you have any questions." Detective Roy put her card on the table before the pair left.

After the door shut, A.J. spoke up. "Would you like me to leave you as well?"

"Please don't." He leaned against her with a hug as he continued crying. She wrapped her arms around him. She felt tears of her own welling up. And every time she heard another cry force its way from his throat, she involuntarily winced. She felt his grip tighten around her, and he leaned his head on her shoulder. She felt warm droplets on her shoulder which made her rub Harris’s back instinctively. "I… I rushed him out of the house, so he wouldn't be late for work. Maybe if I hadn't…"

"Harris... blaming yourself for something you couldn't control isn't healthy or helpful to you. Take your time to grieve, then go from there. I'm here-"

The phone starts ringing. "Do you want me to answer the phone for you? It might be Nikola asking about me."

"Yeah, go ahead..."

She walked to the kitchen to answer the phone, "Malkovich Residence."

"A.J.? Are you still with Harris?" A deep voice questioned.

"Yeah, I'm still here." She looked at the couch, Harris resting his head on the arm. "Hey, Nik? Is it alright if I stay here? For the night?"

"What? Hell no!"

"Nikola, please. Something really bad has happened. I don't think Harris should be alone right now. He needs somebody here."

"What happened?"

"It's… it's not really my place to say… Please, Nik… I promise I'll explain everything when I see you tomorrow. You know I wouldn't ask something like this unless it was for something important." 

Nikola quieted for a moment then sighed, "Alright… Call me in the morning, please?"

"Of course. Love you."

"Love you, too."

She hung up the phone and went back to the couch, where Harris had apparently cried himself to sleep.

She grabbed a blanket from the closet and wrapped it around him. She was about to go sit in the armchair when he called her; his voice hoarse. "A.J.?"

"Yes?"

"Could you please stay here with me…? On the couch?"

She looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Sure, I can do that." She sat down next to where he was laying, her hands running through his hair. Soon, he was back asleep. A.J. sat her hat and glasses on the table before curling up on the couch and falling asleep as well.

-----

I’ll be frank; I wrote to make myself sad and think about how sad I can make these hooligans, though I don’t think the grief hits as hard as it could, so I might rewrite it I did not write this for accuracy. I dunno what happens when a person dies due to traffic collision, or how that goes. Also, the beginning of this was rather different (Was a bit more shippy ngl. Might post what I originally had another time.), but I changed it because one, I didn’t want Cowboy’s and A.J.’s relationship to be shoved down throats/I didn’t want to romanticise Cowboy’s grief, and two, I just don’t want them to have that sort of relationship. Though, I’ll probably upload fluffy stuffs for them if I feel like it. I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think!

[endless-array-of-tom]

better than any movie {marvel avengers x reader}

Pairing; Avengers x Avenger! Reader

Genre; Fluff / Comedy

Word Count; 2,169

Summary: What happens when the Avengers just can’t choose a movie and Thor suddenly arrives with Asgardian liquor? Along with Loki? 

Warning/s: Nothing besides the use and mention of alcohol, thank you... mostly involves loki x reader and natasha x reader. hope you enjoy it !! Slightly inspired by; @imaginethatalena ‘s post here

"Can we just make a decision? Please?" Natasha groaned, leaning against the armrest of the sofa as she stared at the group of males, refusing to pipe down.

"No. Not until this is over," Tony huffed out, turning to Steve. "As I was saying, tonight's movie should be--"

"Horror," Bucky intervened, walking out from the kitchen and taking a sip out of his hot cocoa. "I would love to watch something that involves a jumpscare--"

"Are you nuts? (Y/N) can't handle scary movies, you're going to give 'em a nightmare," Clint defended, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh yeah," Tony began, "Why are you even here? Last time I checked, you had a family on your own..."

You groaned as the group of men continued on, fighting over which movie to watch on your Sunday night.

"I swear, at this point, we won't even watch a movie," You whispered to Nat. "I'll be too out of it to even pay attention."

"They're all sucking the energy out of me, honestly," Nat replied with a small smile towards you, draping an arm around you, hugging tightly.

"They're just being idiots... all men are anyway," she joked, drawing a hearty laugh from you as you leaned back. Suddenly you were pulled from the ground, by a tall, masculine figure.

"The fun has finally arrived," Thor announced loudly, laying you back onto the couch a bit roughly, though you knew he didn't have exactly complete control over his strength. "And I've brought alcohol..." his eyes darted to the entire room staring him, down.

"For the grown-ups," Thor added, patting your head softly. "Sorry, Lady (Y/N), it seems you are still too young..."

"I'm eighteen, first-off. Secondly, I don't think I want whatever you have," you mumbled, before the seat next to you became occupied.

"You're absolutely correct," Loki began, before leaning in to whisper softly in your ear. "It's Asgardian liquor, and at least 20x stronger than their regular suit." A maniac laugh erupted from his throat, ruffling a hand through his hair as he stared at his brother pour Stark a drink.

"Whoever drinks that will probably be wasted with a sip..." Loki cackled, staring at both Nat and you. "Things might get heated, so I suggest that the three of us," he began, gesturing the three of you to come closer as he began to reveal his plan for the night.

"Oh my god, look at Tony!" You screamed as you began to laugh like no tomorrow, holding Nat's and Loki's hands to prevent you from falling out of your chair. The three of you watched as Tony stumbled throughout the kitchen, grabbing onto everything closest to him.

..

"Can I just say!?" Tony yelled at the top of his lungs, a finger raised as he stumbled over his words. "That Steve has one hell of an ass..." he finished, toppling over the couch as he fell to the ground, giggling to himself.

"I don't want it to come out the wrong way," Tony defended, slowly steadying himself up as he took another sip out of his glass. "But it's true... and I'm just amazed."

"Might want to stop while you're ahead, Tony," Banner sluggishly suggested, though, in reality, he had only taken a sip of the liquor Thor had brought along with him. Unlike Tony, who seemed to drown a bottle of it down before he began to feel the effects.

"I thank you, uh, really..." Steve replied, a bit uncomfortable as he was the only rational one who decided to just down a few beers, though he knew it had no effect on him at all. Thor was alright, though he also had the tendencies of falling here and there, stalking the kitchen as he searched for more food, or PopTarts.

Tony laughed again, cackling as he wrapped his arms around Thor.

"You have to bring more of this next time! Of course, when (Y/N) isn't around," he slurred, "We can't have them see how much of a bad influence we can be after all... I'm their father, after all!"

"You're (Y/N)'s father? Please..." Thor burped, hoisting himself up and away from Tony. "Everyone knows I'm their favorite, who else could it possibly be?"

An idea sparked in your eager mind as you grabbed both Loki and Nat's hands in yours, smirking.

"We're out of popcorn, whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors has to grab the refill..." Nat's lips tugged into a smug grin, her attention directed towards the Asgardian God.

"You're on," Loki challenged, his hand already extended out and ready, his gaze fierce and just as intimidating as Natasha's.

"It's settled then..." you smiled, joining your hand into the groups. "Rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT!" You screamed, all three of you staring at the set of hands in front of them.

"I win," Loki announced triumphant, leaning back against his chair.

"Loki..." you immediately clung onto desperately, knowing that you had lost. "I don't want to go down there and see them, it'll only stir up more trouble."

"Your point?" Loki questioned immediately, his eyebrow raised. "It'll only be more entertaining for the both of us--"

"What if I get hurt? They're being out of control and I don't know what'll happen--"

"You can fend for yourself," Loki interrupted, staring at you in disbelief. "If you think that your excuses will make me go you're wrong."

"I don't want to go. I don't want all of them to suddenly crowd me..." you dragged on, your arms subconsciously coming up to wrap around your chest as you glanced at the screen, seeing all of the men fight and scream about you.

"I don't want to upset them, nor answer their questions right now. I'm not afraid of them or what they'll do... it's just--"

Before you could finish the door to the security room had already shut, the popcorn bowl gone. You gasped as your eyes turned to the corner of the screen, seeing Loki's figure walk through the halls swiftly, making a beeline towards the kitchen; a smile made its way to your lips.

"You know, I don't exactly like him, or forgive him," Nat began, her eyes focused on you, as she slushed around the soda in her grasp. "But it seems he has an incredible soft spot for you, it's amazing..." You grinned up at her before turning to the screen, waiting for what was to unfold.

"And how are you (Y/N)'s favorite?" Tony spat, hands extended out though he could hardly get his eyes to focus. "You barely even see her--"

"She comes to my lab to talk sometimes," Banner countered, "I'll have you know that you're not exactly the best father figure... especially when some of the issues concerns you--"

"Like what? Huh? Name one," Tony demanded, coming closer to Banner as his adrenaline increased. "Both of you aren't ever fit of being the best father. I am!"

"Says the one who brought the alcohol, all you do is baby her," Bucky groaned, rolling his eyes. "And don't even get me started on the number of times--"

"You're not any better, Buck, you aren't even here a lot," Steve pointed out, making Bucky twist his head in anger. "Who's side are you on?"

"No ones," Steve answered plainly, downing another gulp of beer. "I think you all aren't perfect, and (Y/N) thinks of you all equally--"

"Of you all?" Clint cut short, "Does that mean you hold yourself above us all?"

"Now don't twist my words," Steve warned, "I didn't say anything like that."

"Didn't have to," Tony spoke again. "We all know you probably think you're all high-and-mighty--"

"Weren't you the one who was appreciating my ass about an hour ago?" Steve brought up. "Seems like the alcohol is getting to you--"

"Loki!" Thor's voice boomed, his footsteps loud and quick as he grabbed his brother, dragging him towards the room and away from the kitchen. Loki dropped the bowl on the counter as he was being dragged.

"What do you want?" He complained, "I have to make popcorn."

"Of course, brother, whatever you want..." Thor proclaimed, releasing his grip on Loki, who turned away.

"Thank--"

"After you answer my question!" He ended, turning Loki back around and pushed him forward into the mix, "Who do you think is the best father-figure to (Y/N)? I know you'll make the right choice!" Thor smiled.

"Tell them."

"He's biased," Banner retorted. "He's your brother--"

"Who's incredibly blunt," Thor added, walking around the room slowly. "Who will no doubt give his honest opinion, whether we like it or not. So I believe he's a credible source, he's seen us with (Y/N), has he not?"

"All right, Reindeer Games, who is it?" Tony asked, his hand twisting his glass over and over again as he sent him a glare. "Who's the best dad?"

Loki let out a choked laugh, hands raised in the air.

"I don't think I'm a reliable source. As Barnes said, I'm highly biased--"

"No, I'd like to hear what you'll say," Tony announced. "Give it to me, who's the better one? You obviously can't be it, you're more of a glorified uncle--"

"I don't want any part in this," Loki debated. "I have nothing to--"

"Funny how you're usually so talkative but now all you want to do is shut up," Clint taunted. "Why? And why can't we just ask (Y/N) about this? Where is (Y/N), anyway?"

The microwave suddenly beeped, making Loki grin awkwardly as he began to step backward. "Well, it was an absolute pleasure to see you all like this, really, you can't even imagine. But I have to return to the popcorn and then--"

"And then?" Thor quizzed, a frown settling on his face. "You don't think I'm the best fatherly figure to (Y/N), do you?"

"Brother... you know that's not true," Loki began coughing up a storm, his pace quickening as he made his way to the kitchen, before banging into a chest behind him.

Your heart lunged in your throat as you watched the scene unfold through the cameras, even Nat giving you a worried stare.

Loki turned around, face-to-face with Bucky and Tony. Gulping, a nervous laugh came over him once more, being completely surrounded.

"Gentlemen... I'm sure we can all handle this, in a civilized fashion..."

"Who's the best father? I don't think any of your tricks will work this time," Clint said. Loki turned to Steve, who only shrugged.

"I'm not drunk, but I'd genuinely want to hear your opinion."

"Well then..." Loki's voice dropped suddenly, starting everyone around him. "I think... you all fell for my... tricks, you like to call it, once again..." Loki snickered, before completely disappearing without a trace.

"Dammit!"

"Don't worry," a voice said from behind the men, making them turn. There, stood Loki, with his bowl of popcorn and other candies, grinning like a mad man.

"You all are equally incapable of being (Y/N)'s father..."

"LOKI!"

You laughed once more as all the Avengers began to chase after Loki, watching through the cameras as you recorded it all. The door swung open, sharply closing it afterward. Loki, walked in casually, his hand full of popcorn as he sat himself down, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Aren't you being chased down by them?"

"Oh yes, technically I am." Loki agreed, "It's almost sad how many times they fall for the same old illusion," he raised his head in the air, eyes moving back and forth as he metally did a calculation.

"Stark's been tricked at least a few dozen, along with the rest of them. You'd think they'd learn by now..." he judged, shaking his head before turning to you. "Just know, people are complete fools. They're blinded by anything you show them," he said as a matter-of-factly, drawing a loud laugh from Nat, as she took a handful of popcorn.

"I have to say, I slightly understand why you love to pick on them so much, it's entertaining."

"Oh, it could be more entertaining if you'd like, we have the cameras and me, after all. We could have them running all throughout the house until they just drop. Not dead, of course. What do you say? Care to join me?" He nudged your shoulder, giving Nat a glance too.

"Count me in," you said excitedly, grabbing Loki's hand and intertwining it with yours. Turning to Nat, you had your hand extended out, giving her a small pout.

"Fine," she caved in under her breath, "As long as no one dies."

"Perfect!" Loki declared. "Now, all we need is a new distraction, something to really bait them..." And just like that, the elevator had dung.

All three of you watched the elevator expectedly, anxious to see who was behind that door.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, everyone. I had to finish a project for school and Aunt May... hello? Is anyone home?" Peter said, looking around perplexed to see the main room vacant.

"Perfect," you and Loki said simultaneously.

That night was so much better than any movie...

[scullyy]

I Know A Place

Word Count: 2.2K Summary: On one fine spring afternoon, Clementine and Louis discuss the logistics of building a house. A/N: This is totally self-indulged just gimme them talking about their house pls ;-; and this is my 30th clouis oneshot?? What??? Doesn’t feel like it, but thank you to those who have been with me since the start. I’m very much in my feels :’) also pls listen to the song it was my inspo for this, it is such a beautiful song okie ily enjoy <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIqngAXHzTI

-

Louis let the dandelion twist within his fingers, focused on how its seeds flew away with the soft spring breeze. The warmth of the fresh sun relaxed every limb, his eyes fluttering each time the piercing rays danced through the leaves above. There was no need for a jacket today, which he took as a good sign. Overgrown grass pricked his arms as he lay at mercy to nature, he could easily fall into the green earth if given the chance. Swim in spring forever.

"Earth to Louis!" A quick and sudden hand wave in front of his face broke him away from his minds quiet slumber. He instinctively reached up and pulled it down to his chest, resting it above his heart. He smirked at the resulting groan. "Did you hear anything of what I just said?"

"One hundred per cent. You were going on about my dashing good looks."

She broke her hand free and prodded at his chest. "Ha, you wish." Clementine focused back on the task at hand...whatever it was remained a mystery to him. She refused to show Louis until it was done, it seemed to involve a lot of flowers though, as she had a small pile of yellow and purple flowers resting beside her.

"You were talking about having a balcony." He chimed in, letting the sunrays consume him once again.

Surprising her, Clementine looked back at him, letting the peaceful moment truly sink in. His soft face glowed beneath the afternoon sun, the desire to brush a loose dread from his face grew a little stronger, but she decided against it, letting him rest instead. "My friend at school had one and I thought it was the coolest thing ever."

Louis could totally tell she was watching him, smirking a small bit. "They are cool. My parents' bedroom had a balcony and when they weren't home I'd sit out there and people watch."

"You would watch...people?"

His eyes fluttered open, trying to decipher her emotions. Concern, perhaps? "Well, I would watch them and try to guess what their lives were like. So, a balcony it is! What else do you want?" He swiftly changed the subject in hopes it would get rid of the definite look of concern on Clementine's face. Luckily (and surprisingly) her lips softened back into a smile.

"You said you wanted a piano, so where do you want it to be?" She went back to the flowers in front of her, her fingers swirling in between the petals and stems. It had been a long time since she had done any sort of craft, let alone this task specifically.

"Hmmm, perhaps in front of the fireplace."

"Oh, so there's a fireplace now?"

Louis winked and gave her a finger gun with both hands. "Yes, on floor three hundred and twelve. That can be my music room, I'll have sheet music neatly filed away, different songs for different occasions. I'll have the piano leaning against a tall window, so I can look out at the world while I play." Reminiscent of his old house in a way. The family piano was on the second floor, propped against a wide window in the corner.

Clementine let that image soak in; Louis in clean clothes, jazzing up their home as the sun - bright as the one now above them - poured itself over his shiny, mahogany piano. Maybe she would sit beside him or just watch him from the door, either way, what bliss. "We're really doing all nine hundred and fourteen floors?"

"Hey, it was your idea."

She chuckled to herself as she ripped off a loose stem from her creation. "Hell yeah. You still wanna teach me how to play?"

"Damn right I do, you'll soon be able to play better than I can!" Whenever Clem sat beside his piano his heart skipped a few beats, she fit there so perfectly beside him. The bench was made for two, but he couldn't imagine anyone else taking up that space beside him. He didn't want to, it was always her.

"I'll never be able to play as good as you." She muttered, fiddling with the yellow petals of one of the smaller flowers. Her mind drifting away to his musical prowess, he was truly a king behind the keys.

The non-human sputtering noise Louis made almost put her to tears. "Puh-lease! You can shoot better than me, hunt better than me, run faster than me-" He began to count off his fingers on how she was practically perfect in every way.

"Not anymore, dummy." She wiggled her bandaged knee above them, showing off just how redundant his point was.

He waved it off, his head shaking rapidly. "That don't mean nothing! I've seen you zip around on those crutches, but just to make things easier, how does an elevator sound? Wait-no no! A massive staircase that can turn into a slide."

"You and your damn slides." Total dork. Her dork.

"What? They're fun!"

"This house is gonna look ridiculous from the outside." Nine hundred and fourteen floors, slides, windows reaching the roof and purple to top it all off. It seemed like a house that had 'Louis' written all over it.

Louis brushed it off with another dramatic wave of his hand. "Nah it'll be 'right, speaking of the outside, what do we want? A garden? Perhaps a jumping castle? A trampoline!?"

"As long as there's a treehouse I'm fine."

"Hell yeah! A woman of fine taste," Her giggles echoed all around him, he could live in that sound forever if it were possible. "Also, no roads around the house. I lived in a city, it's not fun waking up to morning traffic every day."

"No roads? How the hell are we gonna travel?"

He shrugged casually, seemingly having an answer for every question and rebuttal she threw his way. "We'll walk. Besides, given your luck with cars, it's probably the safest option."

Clementine scoffed, clutching at her chest. "Okay ouch. At least I know how to drive."

"Is that what you call it?"

She prodded at his ribs, bringing out a meek giggle from him. "If you're gonna bully me I'll leave."

"Okay, I'll stop," He held his hands up in defence, his grin growing wildly when she grabbed one and laced her fingers through it. "It'll be quiet. No guns or weapons, no walkers, no violence. We'll be able to forget every bad thing that happened." His thumb graced along her bumpy tattoo, rubbing away at the dried dirt that hid it away. Remembering the story behind it, he winced at the sordid ending

For Clementine, there was a lot she would like to forget. Somehow Louis made it all better, his superpower. Taking the bad and reminding her that they don't spoil the good and there were always more good memories than bad when it came to their intimate time together. "Can it be by the sea?"

"The sea, huh?" He purred, surprised at this revelation.

"Yeah. I always liked the beach. Maybe we'll get lucky and find an old beach shack, stay in there."

"The sea it is! I promise to remember the sunscreen," He was sure there would be a red tinge to his cheeks after today, but the risk of a painful burn was worth it to talk to Clementine. Weather like this was rare, it reminded him of how the world was before. He and Marlon used to play soccer beneath this sun, running back and forth on the grass till one eventually fell to the ground in defeat. "Y'know, I fall more in love with this house every day."

"Me too," They stayed in silence for a while, the only sounds being the raw Earth; chirping birds, a distant cricket. One could forget about what was happening beyond the walls of the school. "Okay, done!"

Louis opened one eye, trying to get a good peek at what was within her hands. "Whatcha got there?"

"Sit up!"

Her wish was his law, Louis pulled himself up beside her, their knees brushing against the other. His smile was totally goofy and lop-sided; a combination of drowsiness, warmth and love.

Within her hands lay two crowns, made with a bunch of yellow and purples flowers. "It's kinda messy but..." She gently placed one atop of his head, covering her shy smile at how it slightly drooped to one side. "Every king needs a crown."

Louis' fingertips pinched one of the vibrant petals, shivering at how soft it was. "You've been making this for me the whole time?"

Clementine threw on her own crown, grinning from ear to ear. "My babysitter taught me how to make them, haven't done it in a while." It balanced neatly on her curls, the petals bouncing in the breeze. A mighty fine matching pair they were, a king and queen of no land but they didn't mind one bit.

Louis shimmied in closer and pecked the tip of her nose. "I love them." He was truly the grandest king in all the land, with the most beautiful and charming queen with him.

Clem wasn't sure if the burning of her cheeks was from the sun or from her cheeky boyfriend. Most likely a combination. "I dunno about you but if I spend any longer out here I'll fry."

"Me too, wanna go find AJ?" He stretched his arms up to the sky, glancing around the courtyard. The only other kids he could see was Willy on the watchtower and Ruby and Violet by the greenhouse.

Clementine stretched her own leg, trying her best to conceal the oncoming cramp. A dull ache she was slowly getting used to as the days went by. "Yeah, I've left him alone for too long."

Her crutches were leaning against the picnic table, waiting diligently as ever. He passed them over to her, waiting till she was comfortable before taking off, his arms at the ready to grab her, just in case. "Maybe we can have a throne room."

It took Clementine a second to register what he had said. "Hold up, a throne room? Really?"

"Of course! We shall live like royalty, only the finest for us." He opened the hallway door for her, letting her go in first.

"Says the guy who grew up on expensive taste." She didn't even try to hide the sarcastic tone, having an ex-rich boyfriend provided ample jokes for her and by god, she was gonna take up the chance to use them.

"Okay, perhaps, but you have not experienced fine dinging until you have tried a Pâté-" He immediately stopped talking when he saw Clem's face drop. Following her stare, his face too fell at the sight before them.

Clem disturbed the silence by letting out an obvious and fake cough. "AJ, what are you doing?"

The tot dropped a paintbrush from his grasp, specks of purple paint splattering on the wooden floor. "Oh...hi Clem, hey Louis." He had the same innocent glare in his eyes that Louis gets whenever he fucked up, which was a face he had on the daily. Like a puppy caught eating away at a shoe.

Who? Me?

"Where did you find all of this paint?" Louis peered into the dirty tin bucket, his eyes bombarded with more purple paint than he had ever seen before. It was a bright lavender shade, reminding him of the plants in his mothers' garden.

AJ slowly rose to his feet, hands held tightly behind his back and eyes glued to the floor. Guilty. "It was in Tenns' old room. Please don't be mad."

Clem couldn't take her eyes off the door, who could? It was bright purple! She stuttered for a moment, trying to process what could possibly be going through AJ's mind. "I don't even know what you're doing." Is this the reaction her parents had when they found her drawing on her bedroom walls? Just pure confusion and a dumbfounded wonderment??

AJ looked up at her, his big brown eyes pleading his innocence. "Well, you and Louis always go on about your purple house but I don't have enough paint for the whole school, so I thought I'd paint your door."

The couple stood solemnly with both their jaws wide open, their eyes locked onto the wet paint, making their once simple brown door a pastel purple. They both had to admit, it was a lovely colour. Briefly sharing a knowing glance, Louis kneeled down to AJ first, shocking the young boy with his sudden and wide smile. "How could we ever be mad? This is awesome, kiddo."

Clem admired the smooth stroke of his handiwork, he had been practising his colouring a lot more than usual recently. He would be a natural talent in no time. "This is so nice of you, goofball," She motioned for him to come closer, giggling when he barreled his small body into hers. "Thank you, for giving us our purple home."

[gayforheadphonesgirl]

Falling Back Into You (Chapter 2)

(A/N): I’m back with Chapter 2 of SingleMom! Alex. Wanted to upload an update before I start my work week tomorrow. Sorry for any errors, especially when it comes to tenses lol. This isn’t proofread in any way. Hope you guys like it.

(Y/N) had gotten back to her loft after walking Alex and Mia home. She absentmindedly made her way to her couch and sat.

The retired soccer star put a hand on her heart and tried to still the pounding inside.

Did Alex Morgan just really walk back into her life after all these years?

She chuckled to herself at how much the forward affects her still. It's been what, 15 years since she developed a life-shattering crush on Alex?

Of course, her being married to Servando at the time and her being straight as a ruler meant that nothing ever really happened.

Just a useless lesbian (Y/N) secretly in love with one of her closest friends.

Her thoughts shift to Mia and how much she resembles her heart-strong mother.

An ear-splitting smile made its way to (Y/N)'s face as she replayed today's events.

Man, was she still whipped for Alex Morgan.

*flashback*

(Y/N) and the USWNT just won their second World Cup in a row after beating the Netherlands in France.

She was ecstatic as she broke down in tears in the middle of the pitch.

"(Y/N)! WE DID IT!" Alex called, she looked up and saw the forward running at full speed at her and she opens her arms.

Alex crashed into (Y/N) as they giggle madly, embracing down on the grass.

"We did! I'm so proud of you!" (Y/N) exclaimed, hugging Alex even tighter. She looked up at (Y/N) with a smile and (Y/N)'s world seemed to stop.

"I'm proud of you too" Alex replied. They were lost in their own world until Kelley comes up to join their hug.

"Oh my God guys! Back-to-back!" Kelley said, sandwiching herself between the two players.

The trio laughed and started making confetti angels around them.

Soon, after all the awards had been given out, it was finally time to celebrate with their family in the stands.

(Y/N) tried to ignore the sting of seeing Alex celebrate with her husband. But what was she supposed to do?

She jogs on over to her mother and sister who flew out all the way to France just to watch their daughter.

She jumps up and envelopes them into a wild embrace.

"You did well kiddo!" Her mom said, ruffling her hair. She chuckled and grinned widely.

"I suppose you did okay" Her sister retorted. The siblings looked at each other and laughed.

"Thank you guys for being here" (Y/N) said, tears in her eyes again.

"Of course. Anything for you, honey. Now go celebrate with your teammates" (Y/N)'s mother said, shooing her daughter away.

(Y/N) laughs and proceeds to jog back to her squad. She tries looking for Alex but she was still with Servando.

Her shoulders slump for a bit and sighed.

Noticing her bestfriend being a little beat down, Tobin approached (Y/N) with Christen and her niece.

"Why do you look miserable and not like someone who hasn't won their second consecutive world cup?" Tobin said playfully, (Y/N) laughs dryly and tries to make baby talk to baby Heath.

Tobin and Christen both glance in Alex's direction and looked back at (Y/N) worriedly.

"Even after four years, (Y/N)?" Christen asked with a sad smile. (Y/N) stops playing with baby Heath and looks at the Utah star.

"Well... I guess I can't help it" (Y/N) said quietly. Tobin and Christen could only nod at their bestfriend.

*end of flashback*

The thought of Servando once again riled up (Y/N). Why the fuck would he leave Alex when obviously she's the best thing that could ever happen to anyone?

And Mia? Come on, she's only known the kid for a day and she already wants to see the kid grow up as a proud Aunt.

"Straight men..." (Y/N) grumbled to herself as she stood up and started to work on her usual schedule.

---

It had been about two days since (Y/N) saw Alex and Mia. She was going about paperwork about her next product for her athleisure line when her phone rings.

(Y/N) stares at the unknown number on the screen but figures it may be something important about her social work.

She pushes the answer button and steels herself for a phone conversation. Hey, she can't help it if answering phone calls still gives her anxiety at 40.

"Hello?" (Y/N) said. She hears a sigh of relief and a chuckle she knows all too well.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you still have the same number after all these years" Alex breathed out on the other end.

"Alex?" (Y/N) said, immediately breaking into a smile.

"Yeah. Hi" Alex said. (Y/N) stood up and started walking around her room, trying to control the giddiness she's starting to feel.

"Hey. To what do I owe the pleasure?" (Y/N) said. There was a slight pause from Alex.

"I actually.... have a really big favor to ask. I mean I was really going out on a limb trying to call you on a phone number you gave more than a decade ago" Alex said, chuckling at herself.

"Sure, shoot" (Y/N) said. A bit nervous on what Alex was about to ask her.

But she knew that whatever it was she'd inevitably do it. She was whipped like that.

"Mia's classes got suspended because of some weird cold epidemic happening in her school... She's off early and I'm still stuck in traffic..." Alex trailed off, feeling a bit shy at having to ask (Y/N) of all people.

"And you need me to pick her up because you're afraid to let her wait too long?" (Y/N) offered, already moving to get her keys and wallet.

"Yes... I hope you're not busy" Alex said, biting her finger nervously. She was sitting in an Uber she took from the university she was coaching at.

"I'm not. Anything for Mia" (Y/N) said heartily. Alex feels her chest warm at (Y/N)'s words.

She caught herself feeling giddy and mentally scolds herself. Why was she feeling this way now?

"Damn, that girl has known you for a day and she's already got you wrapped around her finger" Alex joked, ignoring the beating of her heart.

"What can I say? She's charming like her mom" (Y/N) said. Heading out the door and walking to her car.

"Sweet talker" Alex retorted. The forward was thankful (Y/N) couldn't see the blush on her face.

Why was she blushing? She thought.

"I try. Text me the school address and I'm on my way" (Y/N) said.

"Alright. Thanks, I owe you one" Alex said, putting the phone on speaker so she could start typing Mia's school address.

"Cook me dinner and we'll call it even" (Y/N) replied without thinking. She mentally face-palmed herself, did she push too far?

After all, they haven't seen each other in years. (Y/N) didn't really know if Alex still considered her as a close friend.

"Sure. How does next week sound?" Alex said, already feeling nervous about having (Y/N) over.

"I might just take you up on that offer" (Y/N) replied, heaving a sigh of relief that she didn't scare off Alex with her brashness.

A notification dinged on (Y/N)'s phone.

"Already sent the address, (Y/N). Thanks again!" Alex said, truly grateful that (Y/N) was willing to do this for her.

"No biggie. I'll text you when I'm with Mia already. Do I drive her to your place or mine?" (Y/N) said, getting into her car and starting the engine.

"Mine please. There's a spare key under the doormat. I'll meet you there as soon as I can" Alex said.

"Gotcha. See you later, Al" (Y/N) said, pulling out of her driveway.

"Mia already knows you'll be picking her up. Drive safe, please" Alex said.

"Yeah, mom" (Y/N) joked.

"Shut up. See you!" Alex said, before finally hanging up.

(Y/N) chuckled and put in Mia's school address into her GPS. She shoved her phone into her pocket and went on her way.

Mia's school was pretty near, about a 15-minute drive from her place. (Y/N) parked her car and started walking towards the school entrance.

She found Mia up and about, her bag abandoned on the ground as she kicked around a soccer ball with her friends.

"Hey hotshot. Time to get home" (Y/N) called to the girl. Mia whipped her head around and grinned at her newest Auntie.

"Auntie (Y/N)!" Mia said, breaking into a run and hugging the older woman.

"Hey kiddo. You seem to be enjoying that class suspension huh? Your mom's stuck in traffic so you've got me for company in the meantime" (Y/N) said, carrying the girl and spinning her around in a hug.

"(Y/N)? As in (Y/N) (L/N), soccer legend?" One of Mia's friends said, staring at (Y/N).

"Yeah! She's my newest Auntie!" Mia said proudly, walking back to her friends and picking up her bag.

(Y/N) felt a bit flattered that a seven-year-old would know her name. She walked towards the kids and heard them giggling.

"Auntie (Y/N), my friend says she wants your autograph and a photo. Would that be okay?" Mia said.

(Y/N) chuckled and squatted down to the kids' height.

"Sure thing. What do you want me to sign?" (Y/N) said. Mia's friend gingerly picked up the ball they were playing with and handed it to (Y/N).

"Could you write it to Leah, please?" The girl named Leah said to (Y/N).

"Alrighty then" (Y/N) said, scribbling her signature on the ball.

Mia also took the liberty of volunteering to take the photo of (Y/N) and Leah.

By the time Mia and (Y/N) we're walking away, Leah was absolutely ecstatic.

"So kiddo, do you wanna stop by for food before heading home?" (Y/N) said, slinging Mia's bag over her shoulder.

"McDonald's please!" Mia said with a skip in her step after the promise of food after school.

"Gotcha. But I'll check with your mom if it's alright first" (Y/N) said. She opened her car's passenger side door and allowed Mia to take her seat shotgun.

"Okie dokie artichokie" Mia said, exploring the inside of (Y/N)'s car from the confines of her seat.

(Y/N) chuckled at the young girl's antics before putting Mia's bag in the backseat.

(Y/N) dialed Alex's number and got into the driver's seat. She connected her phone to her car's bluetooth so both she and Mia can hear the conversation.

"Hello?" Alex answered, (Y/N) couldn't help the smile that graces her features.

"Hey Al, I got Mia already. She has something she wants to ask permission for" (Y/N) said, winking at the girl.

Mia giggles.

"Hi Momma!" Mia said, practically jumping up and down in her seat.

"Hey Mia. What did you want to ask?" Alex said. (Y/N) started to pull out from the school parking lot, already heading to the nearest McDonald's.

"Can me and Auntie (Y/N) buy food from McDonald's before going home?" Mia said pleadingly.

"Hmmmmm..." Alex hummed on the other end.

"Puh-lease mom" Mia said, practically begging her mother.

"Yeah, please Alex" (Y/N) said playfully. Mia grinned at her, pleased that she was getting the support of an adult.

"You two are insufferable. Fine. Buy me something while you're at it" Alex said, laughing.

Both Mia and (Y/N) cheered, the McDonald's was already in sight when they finished talking with Alex.

(Y/N) bought food for Mia and herself, including a vegan option for Alex (A/N: Yes, McDonlad's will have vegan options in the future lmao).

(Y/N) pulled up to the Morgan household not long after. Mia quickly sprinted out the car with her food in hand.

The older woman chuckled at the young girl's energy, taking Mia's bag from the backseat as well as her and Alex's food.

"Slow down, champ" (Y/N) said, walking up to the front door. Mia crouched down and fished the spare key under their doormat and opened the front door.

"You should tell your mom it's not exactly safe to leave a spare key where anybody can get it" (Y/N) said, heading inside.

Mia shrugged and rushed to the living room, turning the television on and munching on her food.

"Hey, don't you have homework?" (Y/N) called, setting down Mia's bag in one of the seats in the living room.

"Nope. We just finished exams so the teachers are pretty chill right now" Mia said, half distracted by the soccer game that was currently on television.

"Alright then. I'll just put your mom and I's food in the kitchen" (Y/N) said heading out of the living room.

"Okie dokie Auntie (Y/N)" Mia said.

---

It took Alex about another hour before finally getting home. She could hear Mia laughing on the other side of the front door.

She fishes out her keys and opens the door. The sight that meets her immediately makes her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

(Y/N) and Mia are playing soccer inside their living room. A make-shift goal has been made from throw pillows.

Mia has the ball and is currently trying to get past faux-goalkeeper (Y/N) who is hilariously using oven mitts as keeper gloves.

Her daughter looks very focused on the ball and doesn't seem to notice her yet.

Mia blasts the ball and (Y/N) subtly lets it slide on her right and fakes a defeated sigh.

The young girl jumps up in celebration and pretends to sip tea.

"Ah, even you're celebrations are top notch I see" (Y/N) said, chuckling at Mia.

"Of course. She learns from the best" Alex finally said. The two whipped their heads in her direction.

"Mom!" Mia said, running towards her mother and enveloping her in a hug.

(Y/N) stood up and brushed off any dust she might've been covered in after their mini-soccer game and approached Alex.

"Seems you've been pretty busy" Alex commented, looking pointedly at her oven mitt covered hands.

(Y/N) blushes and quickly removed them. She scratches the back of her neck and chuckles shyly.

"Well, we got pretty bored without you here" (Y/N) said, grinning cheekily. Alex shakes her head but laughs at the pair regardless.

"I'll clean up in the living room. Your food's in the kitchen, Al" (Y/N) said, moving to put away their pillow goal.

"Thanks, (Y/N)" Alex said. She leads Mia into the kitchen and eats with her daughter telling her about her day.

"My friends even took a picture with Auntie (Y/N)!" Mia said enthusiastically, as if on cue, (Y/N) walks in.

"You seem to be pretty popular with seven-year-olds, huh?" Alex said playfully. (Y/N) blushed once again.

"Yeah, well I try" (Y/N) said, taking a seat next to Mia. She fishes her own food and starts to eat.

Alex and (Y/N) ate in silence as Mia continued on talking about her day in school.

But the peace was interrupted when Alex's phone dinged. She turns to read the message, it was from Kelley.

She's here? We should hang out and catch up soon! Is she free on Friday?

"Who's that?" Mia said, peering at her mother's phone.

"Just your Auntie Kelley" Alex said, typing in a reply.

I'll ask her now.

"I miss Auntie Kelley!" Mia exclaimed, her french fries lying forgotten on the table.

"Kelley? How's she been doing?" (Y/N) said, piqued by the mention of an old friend.

"She's doing great. She's happily married now" Alex said. (Y/N) looks at her surprised.

"Wow. That's amazing. I'm happy for her" (Y/N) said. She felt a little bit guilty of having missed out on a lot of important events in her friends' lives.

She was a pretty bad friend.

"Yeah. She wants to catch up with you, by the way. I told her you were back... if that's okay. I mean she was the first person I called to pick Mia up but she was busy" Alex said, rambling, fearing that (Y/N) might not have wanted other people know she was back in town.

"That sounds great. I miss her and the other girls" (Y/N) said, reaching out to touch Alex on the shoulder.

The forward almost sinks into the touch that sends electricity through her.

"We could invite them all over for drinks on Friday, if that'll work out for you" Alex said, fighting back a shiver with (Y/N)'s hand still on her.

She almost whines at the loss of contact when (Y/N) pulls back.

"Sure. That'll be perfect. God I miss them all" (Y/N) said, already looking forward to Friday night.

But she looks down at Mia worriedly.

"But what about Mia? Who'll look after the kiddo while we're out with the girls?" (Y/N) said, ruffling the girl's hair.

Mia giggles and reaches up to hold (Y/N)'s hand as she gets back to eating her fries with the other.

"I have a baby sitter. Don't worry" Alex said, grinning at (Y/N).

(Y/N) stays for about an hour more before finally checking her watch.

"As much as I love being in the company of you two... I'm afraid I have to go. I have an online meeting in 45 minutes" (Y/N) said, standing up and looking apologetically at Alex and Mia.

"Aw, but Auntie (Y/N)" Mia started to say. Alex pats her daughter on the head.

"Shh, Mia. Auntie (Y/N) has to get back now. But you'll see her soon again" Alex said. (Y/N) blushes at the promise of more time together with them.

"Yeah. I'll be back before you know it. I'll stop by here on Friday so I can hang out with you a bit before your mom and I go out" (Y/N) promises and pinches Mia's cheek.

Mia moves away from (Y/N) but grinned at the older woman's offer.

"Okay, Auntie!" Mia said.

Alex walks (Y/N) out the door while ignoring the slight sting in her heart to see the woman leave.

"Thanks again for today. Look at Mia, she's only known you two days and she already loves you" Alex said, opening the front door for (Y/N).

"Oh I can assure you it's reciprocated" (Y/N) said, smiling at Alex.

They hold each other's gaze a bit longer than necessary. (Y/N) shifts on her feet for a bit before finally stepping out.

"I look forward to Friday, Al" (Y/N) said, tipping an imaginary hat in Alex's way.

Alex giggled and leaned on the doorway.

"Me too" She said. (Y/N) shoots her a smile before walking to her car and pulling out of the Morgans' driveway.

Alex watches (Y/N) drive away, with the latter giving her a small wave before speeding.

She returns the wave before closing the door. She leans back and puts her hand on her heart, feeling the thump of her heartbeat.

She looks at Mia in the kitchen who was distracted with trying to use the McDonald's paper bag for origami.

Alex sighs before pulling out her phone and dialling Kelley's number.

"Kell, I think I have a tiny bit of a crush" Alex said.

To Be Continued

[shotosbabie]

Reverse quirk hcs||

Headcanon recipe: Kirishima and Todoroki gets hit by a age changing quirk that makes them into kids again!

Headcanon flavours: Kirishima Eijirou and Todoroki Shouto

Headcanon requester: Anon

Gif is not mine! I may or may not have made this too long ⊙~⊙

~•~

One scoop of Kirishima:

🦈Kirishima would be in the wrong place and in the wrong time as he had no time to react, the villain creating a purple like smoke surround Kirishima and fledding the scene

🦈Kirishima bursted in a fit of coughs before the clouds cleared up. He waved the smoke away as he saw his hands, they were tiny, the world became taller, he dashed his way to school

🦈He showed the gate guard his I.D, the guard looked down to see a child with red spiky hair, just like the picture, he was confused as to why he looked like a kid but waved it off and let him in

🦈The other kids were looking at Kirishima and whispering about why there was a kid version of Kirishima at school, Kirishima slid the door open, ushering his classmates voices, they look at the door but no one was standing there

🦈You were talking to Midoriya when the door opened, checking if it was Kirishima, you walked towards the door, confused, you went closer to what seem to be a smaller version of your boyfriend, going down to his size and asking him

🦈"Kirishima? What happened?" He looks up to you and wrapped his short arms around your neck, lifting him up, "A villian stopped me on the way to school and set out a cloud of purple smoke and all I knew I was turned small" he said in a small voice

🦈"We'll ask Aizawa about this later, but for now let's go sit you down", as of on cue, Aizawa tiredly comes in and everyone sat down, Iida raised his hand, "Yes, Iida?" Aizawa lazily said. "Kirishima got hit by villian's quirk this morning which resulted in him turning into a kid" he said in a 'matter of fact' voice, "We'll deal with this later, its too early in the morning, I'll take attendance and you will all go to All Might to train"

🦈After training with All Might, you led Kirishima to Aizawa as he asked, Aizawa asked "Do you remember the villian's face?" "Yes, he was wearing a navy tuxedo, a kitsune mask and a top hat, a pretty weird villian costume if you ask me" Kirishima answered, "We have a lead, but the effect wouldn't last long, maybe tomorrow you'll be back to normal but for now Y/N will take care of you" he said

🦈"Oh! I like that idea a lot!" Kirishima said, taking your hand and running out of the class, "What do you want to do?" You asked "Um maybe we can hang at the dorms? Im pretty beat" he said yawning and stretching his arms, "Okay let's go" as you walked back to the dorms

🦈You and Kirishima head to the common room, sitting on couch, Kirishima climbed up your chest, laying down on top of you. "You don't mind if I rest here for a bit right?" He asked cutely, "Of course not, you do this almost all the time even if you aren't kid sized. Kirishima was fast asleep as you slept soundly with him. After some hours passsd, you got woken up to the sound of a camera

🦈"Kaminari! You woke them up!" Jirou said, lightly slapping Kaminari's back, "I didn't know! They were so cute I had to!" He reasoned. "O-oh hey guys, back already?" You said, still slurred. Kirishima too began to wake up. "Mmm, Im hungry" he said, rubbing his eyes. "Come on let's get some food, noodles?" You said, "Sounds good!" He said, getting hyper and starts running around, playing with Kaminari

🦈"Kiri-bro, you look so cute when you're small" Kaminari ruffled his hair, "Ehh that's not manly at all! Don't touch my hairrr" he whined, Kaminari just chuckles. You place down the noodles and Kirishima comes up running to your side, climbing up the chair, getting ready to eat, as Kirishima was slurpping his noodles, you were staring at his face sweetly. "Is there something on my fwace?" He asked, his mouth still filled with noodles.

🦈"Hmm" you nodded, swiping your finger to wipe his face, "Is it gone?" "Yup"

🦈After he at, you let him stay in your dorm room, "Are we sleeping already?" He asked, "We can watch a movie if you want" you said, he nodded furiously, "Let's watch Coco!" "Alright"

🦈As you and Kiri were munching your chips, you felt something heavy fall onto your shoulder, gently looking to your side, seeing Kirishima, knocked out. "He just fell asleep like that?" You whispered, turning off the TV and snuggling little Kirishima closer to you

🦈Morning came and Kirishima was fortunately back to his teen self, he was still snuggled up against you just like he was yesterday. He stirred in his sleep, as he opened his eyes to connect with yours, his face becoming red by a minute, "Good morning Eiji" you gently said, kissing the top of his nose, he smiled as he buried his face in your neck "Good morning, and thank you for taking care of my kid self yesterday" "Anything for you"

With the topping of Todoroki:

🍧Your class had another encounter with LOV when your boyfriend got struck with the age reverse quirk, at first it was a handicap because he was one of the powerful people in the place right now but now your bf was a kid that can't control his fire side

🍧"I felt useless Y/N" he told you as the pro heroes bursted in action to take the other remaining villians down as the others have escaped, "Sho, don't be, it wasn't your fault" you reassured him

🍧"It was partially mine, if only I focused more and-" he kept rambling so you just set a hand on his face, "It's okay now Sho" you said, smiling at him, clearly making him settle down, he sighs as he looks down on his body, "How am I suppose to protect you now? My body's so small and I have no control of my fire quirk at all" he cutely complained

🍧"I guess I can protect you this time around" you proudly say, as Iida tells you and Todoroki to go in the bus so the pro heroes can clean the place up, as the bus ride back to school, Shouto felt his eyelids began to feel heavy, then he falls asleep, his head falling forwards but then you catch his head and place it on your shoulder and patted his head

🍧You all came back to school as you gave Todoroki a piggyback ride as he was still asleep, your female classmates doting about how cute he looked like, you continued the rest of the day normally, finally going back home, ready to sleep.

🍧"Y/N" Todoroki called out to you, you look at him. "Yes Sho?" You asked tiredly, "Do you have soba? Im hungry" he asked. "I don't think I do, but Kaminari and Sero are out, maybe I could text them to buy you soba" "Yes please" he said, as he sat on the couch.

🍧"Y/N" Todoroki called out to you again, "Yes?" "After eating are we going to sl-" Shouto got interupted by Mina's scream, she goes up to little Todoroki and pinches his cheeks. And repeated the phrase 'So cute' over and over again, mean while you texted Kaminari about Shouto's soba which he replied to with a 'Okie 👍👁👅👁'

🍧Then next Uraraka and Yaoyoruzu came out as well as Jirou and Hakagure. They all sat around Todoroki, Yaomomo made Todoroki toddler outfits like a prince outfit, a naruto cosplay, and a lot more clothes, he is not gonna need those in the morning.

🍧As the girls were talking to Todoroki, he leaped down and tapped you leg, making you look off your phone, you carried Todoroki as he layed his head on your shoulder "Your soba should be coming by no-" the door opened to Kaminari and Sero with plastic bags, Sero handed you the plastic bag with Todoroki's cold soba.

🍧"Thanks you guys" you said, "No prob" Kaminari said as he headed upstairs, Sero following behind him. "What's in the bag?" Mina asked, "Oh, food for Shouto" as you headed up to your dorm room with Shouto on one arm and the plastic bag on the other. The girls were talking to each other, probably playing would you rather.

🍧"We'll eat here" you said, closing the door with the foot, and setting Shouto down on your bed, giving him tne styrofoam bowl and chop sticks, he got some noodles and excitedly ate them

🍧You looked at him, he looks up. "Say ah" he said, bring the chopsticks with noodles close to your mouth. "Heh thanks" you said before opening your mouth and eating the noddles, y'all took turns eating.

🍧Throwing away the container, you made yourself comfortable on the bed with Shouto as he curled up next to you, "Good night Sho" "Night night"

🍧The morning rays hit your face as you woke up, you noticed Shouto came back to his normal size self, quite missing his kid version. He opened up his heterochromatic eyes to yours. "Good morning love" he said, with his raspy voice that melts you. "Hmm, good morning, had a nice sleep?" "The best one yet, maybe because I slept next to the one I love" he smoothly said. "Thanks for taking care me of me, I wouldn't know what to do without you" that was his way of saying 'I love you'.

~•~

Plus Ultra Peachie!

[1stunseeliefaelass]

Darksiders Arthurian Tales Revisited

Chapter 28: Round About the Cauldron Go

Aleyn looks at her a bit confused but says, "Let's...go with both."

"Ok. Being a lesbian, well for me at least, has had its ups and downs. On the one hand I still have to deal with morons who don't take no for answer, just gotta deal with it on both ends. On the other, the REALLY good ones can be very sweet. Course I've only ever had one time flings...that is before I met Zira. Granted we're still in the 'fling' phase of things...but there's definitely been more than one. She's a bit...extreme minded on some things but..damn is she amazing."

"How does she treat you, emotionally?"

"Well she is a Drow so, part of her culture is to be demeaning sometimes. If not all the time. However she's always quick to apologize for a mishap on her part from what I've noticed. She also makes sure that I get space and I give her some when needed too. Usually it's because her family is being asinine about things, but that's neither here nor there." C points out to him.

Aleyn cocks his head, "Hmm...interesting. Be mindful though, I've found most Drow to be very untrustworthy. Given that their culture was also built on lies and deceit towards each other and their neighboring races."

"So I've heard. I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself and I've been around the block a few times. Hell I've seen what it looks like when guys abuse girls. Can't imagine it's too different when a woman does so."

"There's more to abuse than just.... than just beating someone to the dirt you know. I certainly do, but that's not a story I'm comfortable telling." Aleyn expresses to her.

"Wait a minute what?" C asks him.

"Like I said, I'm not comfortable talking about it girl." Aleyn informs her.

Death then comes on by, having found Strife and War, "Ah Aleyn, still here I see. And...C what are you doing over here?"

"Oh Morgen asked me to see how he was doing. And to be sure he ate something at least."

"Ah ok then...well make sure everyone else is fed too."

"Already ahead of you on that curveball."

"Oh uh...my bad." Death says a bit unsure of what else to do now.

"If you need to talk to him privately just say so. No big deal to me." C points out.

"Ah right, yeah. That would indeed be the case C."

"Okie dokie, see ya guys later." C responds heading off.

Once she's out of earshot, Aleyn tells Death, "Perhaps you should keep a close eye on her. She mentioned a 'lover' who...concerns me a bit. Based on how C describes her."

"Hmm, I'll ask you about that later. Right now I have to ask you about some more important matters. Such as Morgen's current ailment, which I figured you may have something for."

"Hmm, an ailment you say? I'm going to have to check on her. Just to figure out what sort of ailment it is." Aleyn informs him.

"Sure, but I'll describe it on the way."

Death proceeds to do so as they walk on back to Morgen's room. Aleyn gains a truly surprised look before muttering, "That's not supposed to happen."

Death glances at him, "Pardon?"

"That shouldn't have happened, not with my blends. I'm always thorough with them."

"So this WAS from your tea?"

"Please don't go accusing me of anything yet. I meant no harm, I've taken it myself many times and had no issues. It's only ever helped me and a certain 'patient' of mine. Surely you will not disparage my name so easily over one incident?"

"Hmph, and has anyone else drank any of this tea?"

"Yes, others have indeed tried this same blend and got more positive results. Rarely did anyone suffer illness, even then it was barely troubling. Just minor at best. If you wish you can try it yourself." Aleyn affirms to him.

Death thinks on it and states, "Sure I'll try it, but I'm getting others in on it too."

From there he gathers Vortigern, Strife, Fury, and War all to test this out as Aleyn prepares more of the tea. This time using a teapot for the occasion. He gets them each a cup and plenty of cream alongside it, "You'll need it. As the tea by itself is among the most bitter in existence."

Death starts it off, trying without cream first. Naturally he gets more of a kick than expected, like getting something slammed into his gut. After that he retries it with the cream added in. Death's surprised by the decent enough taste after that, though he does prefer his own homemade blends. Strife, having learned VERY well from Death's mistake, chose to add a fairly heavy amount of cream into his cup. If anything the cream made it look more like a latte than anything else. It certainly tasted like one too, just with a bitter note to it. The smell however was by far the most annoying part for him. Strife never did like strong smelling tea, and was thankful Death remembered this much everytime he shared a cup with him. Fury however chose to ignore the mistake and ended up coughing badly for it. The bitterness was just that bad on her throat, and so she refused to try it further. War only added a bit of cream as Death did and tried it with some confusion. He wasn't too fond of the smell, which gave him a headache. But the bitterness, despite the cream, was by far the worst part for him personally. He wasn't sure how Aleyn could take this like it was nothing. Vortigern ultimately followed instructions straight off the bat and actually enjoyed it. He found the bitterness had a cooling effect on his own throat and the scent while strong was still oddly decent to him. Almost nostalgic in a way, but he couldn't see how.

Aleyn then asks each of them a bit nervously, "So...how was it?"

"Decent, although I think my teas are better suited to me than this." Death points out.

"This was AWFUL." Fury stated with a disgusted tone.

"That smell really took me out of it, but the taste wasn't THAT bad per say." Strife replies.

"Wasn't that bad? The smell may have given me a headache but the bitterness was way too much." War adamantly tells them.

"I guess you younger three don't normally drink tea then. As this really wasn't bad for me at all. On the contrary, I found it rather pleasant and...oddly nostalgic." Vortigern says.

Aleyn nods at him, "Ah. Glad that you somewhat liked the tea sir. As for the rest of you, I did warn you the cream was necessary."

They each all make various excuses before being surprised by Morgen walking into the room. She's rather sluggish in her movement, which leads Death to rush to her side.

"You shouldn't be up right now, go rest."

"Death I'm fine. Just a bit slow is all." Morgen assures him.

Death puts his hand to her head again, her temperature is lower now. But not enough to give him peace of mind yet. Certainly not enough to justify letting Morgen up and about. "You still have recovering to do. Now please, get back to bed."

"I swear to you I am fine."

"Get yourself back to bed before I start carrying you back. Who even let you out?" Death inquires of her.

"Nergal did, as I looked well enough in his eyes."

"He and I shall have words then. You on the other hand will be back in bed, one way or the other. Now up you go then." Death tells Morgen before scooping her up.

She sighs to herself but puts up with it, knowing he's just worried for her. Nergal however, does indeed have his own words for Death, "And just where are you going with her?"

"To bed, she needs to rest."

"She's doing well, can you not see?"

"I don't trust it." Death adamantly states.

"Of course you don't."

"Her fever, while lower, is still too high for me to trust her moving about by herself." Death tells him.

"How about this then? You stay by her side today so that she WON'T be alone. Sound like a fair trade?"

"And if she faints or gets worse?"

"Then I was clearly wrong and you'll get the satisfaction of being right, maybe." Nergal points out.

Death sighs heavily but finally puts Morgen down. She is a bit woozy at first but with Death's help she's able to steady herself. Aleyn then comes over, his walking cane giving him away. Aspen does so as well not too long after.

"Well then, now that I'm rested, how is everyone?" She asks warmly.

"Ah Aspen, uhm everyone's well. Aside from Morgen obviously." Death tells her chuckling.

"So I heard from Nergal. Now let's see what I can....." Aspen begins to say before glancing at Aleyn. In a split moment she goes from warm to cold, "YOU..."

Aleyn realizes he may be screwed but tries to play it safe, "Uhm Aspen I know our history is 'complicated' but I'm truly sorry about what happened with.."

"DO NOT EVEN SAY HER NAME!" Aspen suddenly shouts at him, her body forming wooden spikes and thorns.

Nergal however pays them no heed as his hand touches her shoulder, "Aspen, whatever happened between you two can wait. For now, my sister requires your aid."

Aspen quickly looks back at him, "WHATEVER SHE HAS HE PROBABLY CAUSED!"

"Aspen calm down, we already knew that much and he regrets it. He's even trying to help fix his mistake. Seriously I've not seen you go from calm to angry in such a short time." Death points out cautiously.

Aspen then turns to him, "KEEP YOUR SARCASM TO YOURSELF DEATH!"

"I wasn't being sarcastic! I was being serious Aspen, yikes." Death expresses in concern as he backs away with Morgen.

Nergal then pulls her into his arms, "Aspen, calm yourself. We can talk later about this. But for now please calm down. Before you explode completely and take the building with you."

Aleyn is slowly walking off in pure anxiety, "I should go...I'll be by later I just...need to get away..."

Death recognizes what's happening and quickly ensures Aspen can't watch him leave by sending a mental message to Nergal, "Aleyn's close to having a panic attack so he's leaving. Don't let Aspen notice this."

"I'll try my best." Nergal states with gritted teeth as the thorns and needles are now starting to be an issue.

With that he brings Aspen inside Morgen's room, with Death and Morgen following after them. Death shuts the door once everyone is in and hopes Aleyn will be alright. Although he does wonder if it has something to do with the Dryad from the night before. Aleyn meanwhile tries to get his heartrate down whilst his Father contacts him.

"Aleyn, you need to come home. Your heartrate is at an all time high. You're clearly not safe there."

"I have to remain...I just need help...calming down...hopefully...she comes again...I should be more hidden this time..." Aleyn says between each frantic breath.

"Aleyn...how many times must I tell you? That girl shouldn't mean a damn thing to you. She nearly got you killed. I doubt she could help you in ANY WAY."

"Enough...I'm calling her here...with or without your consent..."

"Don't try my patience boy."

Aleyn however finally shouts, "SAY ONE MORE WORD AGAINST HER! ONE MORE DAMN YOU!"

Then as he collapses to his knees, his vision growing fuzzy as his lungs grow tight, his Father tries a new approach. A far gentler one, "Aleyn, please remain calm. Take slow and deep breaths. I'll be there soon enough."

"No...no that won't...be necessary."

Death however rushes outside to see what Aleyn is shouting about. Only to find him on the verge of passing out, "Oh shit. Aleyn!"

Death tries to help him up, only for Aleyn to wince badly. As his hand is on his chest, "Don't...I'll be fine...I just...need to take care of something."

"Right." Death says with suspicion before trying to keep an eye on Aleyn. Once he's calm enough, he slowly gets up and moves away from Death.

Aleyn makes it to his room and locks the door behind him once inside. Death however isn't keen on this and tries finding another way to watch him. Finding Fuzzball coming over, he tells him, "Be as stealthy as possible. I know you don't know Aleyn that well yet, but you can try and meet him later. Understand?"

Fuzzball makes a calm yip of sorts before saluting Death and going into a castle vent. From there he moves along, trying not to alert Aleyn. He waits inside a pipe with a small opening and watches as Aleyn works on himself. Death meanwhile decides to head off and get a glass of water for Aleyn. That way he won't come off as the spy he's being right now. Through Fuzzball, Death sees Aleyn remove his clothing. But stopping at his underwear, sparing Death and Fuzzball the sight of a certain part. Fuzzball can only see above the waist to begin with, but it's still enough for Death to get an idea of what's happening. He notices Aleyn beginning to remove various bandages on his body before being shocked to hell and back. As underneath the bandages, lie several severe burns and lesions galore. Each looking more painful than last. Fuzzball has to hold back the urge to jump out of his hiding spot. As he remembers how painful those things are from watching Death treat himself in the past with similar injuries. He always let Fuzzball lick what he could since he knew the rodent only meant well. That and it was always helpful to have the mini, fluffy healer around. Death makes a mental note to comfort Fuzzball later so that he won't feel bad. Aleyn then grabs new bandages, and after cleaning himself with a wet rag, he begins to spread a strange paste around his body. His burns occasionally still smoke as well, as if he's continually being burned by something unseen. Aleyns keeps spreading the paste whilst prepping the bandages. He also searches through his medical bag for something. When he pulls it out, Fuzzball cringes at the scary looking jet injector. He then, much to poor Fuzzball's discomfort, injects himself six times. Once in both arms, once in both legs, one into his chest, the final into his neck. Six vials for six areas of the body. Death feels he's seen enough and tells Fuzzball to carefully vacate after discontinuing the spell he was using to see Aleyn. Aleyn then rebandages himself and gets his clothing back on. Fuzzball however goes around the room carefully in the meantime before finally running through pipes along the walls. To make it seem like something is chasing him through the vents. Even making distressed sounds on purpose to hide why he was really there. Aleyn is confused at the sudden fuss and finally hears Fuzzball fall down one pipe before hitting a bend near the floor. He hadn't meant to do that, and naturally was both surprised and unhappy at hurting himself. At least it was working to his advantage.

Aleyn looks around and grabs his cane before going to the pipe Fuzzball fell down. He opens it up and asks into it, "Uhm hello in there?"

Slowly Fuzzball makes his way out with a very much real limp. Naturally Aleyn feels a bit bad for him, and being reminded of his love, scooped him up. Gently he works to clean the soot off of the rodent and furiously rubs the spot on Fuzzball's head before realizing it's just brown fur.

Fuzzball just gives him an annoyed merph in response to that.

"Sorry little friend. Didn't realize you had a spot. Now let's see what happened to your leg."

He immediately flips Fuzzball upside down without warning, much to his worry. Fuzzball naturally starts freaking out, as he's never liked being upside down. Aleyn however just keeps trying to calm him down before being spooked at a sudden knocking. Which came from a now very concerned Death.

"Is everything alright in there?"

"Yes, a limt came down from one of my pipes. Accidentally injured himself. Just a moment." Aleyn informs him before unlocking the door.

Fuzzball is naturally shaking after the being upside down thing and makes a little distressed whimper towards Death. Death of course scoops him right up and checks him over. "Damn it Fuzzball, what did you do to yourself this time?"

"He injured his leg, I can help him out if you wish."

"Well I'm not a veterinarian so...I guess I'll trust you on this." Death says to him.

"Don't worry, I've had a few of these little balls of fluff as patients before. I'm sure he won't be much different. Although is that his real name?" Aleyn inquires.

"Yes it is. I know it's not creative but he wanted to keep it so it stuck." Death points out to him before gently scritching Fuzzball's head just on his spot. Which got him stamping his foot that wasn't injured luckily.

"Never would've expected a man like yourself to have such a tiny creature as a companion. Especially one that doesn't have much fighting capability." Aleyn muses.

"Very few people do, and I use that to my advantage whenever he is with me. He can deliver messages for me, serve as a decent distraction, and even heal me should I have need of it. I even figured out he can shoot rock bits from his mouth at the speed of the average bullet."

Aleyn's eyes widen briefly, "Interesting, anyway I'll fix his foot."

"Alrighty."

With that Aleyn gets a makeshift splint on the little guy and makes sure to give a few scritches to Fuzzball himself. Since the little tyke was able to be a little braver with Death around. "There, does that feel better then?"

Fuzzball gives a little bark in response as Death scoops him up carefully, "I'm guessing I should keep him on a cushion for now?"

"It'll definitely help."

"I'll do so then, thank you Aleyn. Sorry about Aspen, I honestly have no idea which of her branches went up her ass but oh well." Death casually states before walking off, then once he's out of earshot his whispers to Fuzzball, "Next time, please just do what you're told."

Aleyn eventually leaves his room, having gotten a little satisfaction from helping Fuzzball. From there he goes off to see how Morgen is doing, whilst hoping Aspen is calm enough to at least not want to yell at him. Luckily she's not in the room, only Death is as he places Fuzzball on the softest cushion in the room. One that Morgen pointed out to him, and of course she feels bad that Fuzzball got hurt. Even if the big fluffy baby got himself hurt. Aleyn naturally starts with her temperature, which has become annoying to her by now.

"Sorry Morgen, but I need to be sure."

"I know Aleyn, I know. Are you alright yourself though? I know how your anxiety can be at times." Morgen gently questions him.

"Oh I'll be fine Morgen, no need to worry for me. Although, it might help to know your symptoms."

"This morning I couldn't deal with brightness, although...I admittedly haven't tested if I can yet." Morgen explains embarrassed.

"No need for embarrassment, we'll just check now." Aleyn says before moving the blinds open a slight bit.

He winces alongside with Morgen, not being comfortable with bright lights normally. Eventually his eyes do adjust and he notices Morgen is handling it fairly well. She's just squinting slightly now. Naturally he asks her, "Just how bad was it this morning?"

"I couldn't see anything but white. Just white. It was honestly a bit frightening." Morgen admits as Death pulls up a chair close to her.

"So that's what it was? The harshness was just amped up for you?"

"Yes Death, you could say that. It was painful as well, as if my eyes were truly burning. Luckily they aren't like that so much now. But I don't think they're quite ready yet, still have a slight sting to them."

Death pulls her closer to him and shields her eyes as Aleyn closes the blinds back. Once that's done, Death sees her eyes still have a faint glow. He lets Aleyn see for himself, "This mean anything to you by chance? I've never seen this before."

"It has some baring. Morgen, I'm..going to have to do more tests involving you. And I'll have to ask more questions."

"In other words, a full on examination?" Morgen asks.

"Yes. Are you comfortable with that? As a doctor I must always ask this."

"So long as Death is nearby, yes."

"Fine by me, his help may be needed anyway. We'll see." Aleyn informs her before beginning things, whilst hoping Aspen doesn't show up during it.

He draws a bit of her blood for a sample, along with saliva, skin, hair, and then begins for 'intimate' and 'private' samples.

"Ok I'll need a sample from your....vagina..." Aleyn informs her as he turns bright red.

"Uhm....well...ok..." Morgen says shyly.

Aleyn then opens her legs slowly before quickly telling Death, "You're likely the person she's the most intimate with, if you'd be so kind..."

"I don't know what I'm doing. You're the doctor you do it." Death immediately tells him.

"I've heard you've done some field work."

"Yeah, as a Battle Medic. On battlefields, for soldiers. Most of which were men. I usually had someone else take over for women as I didn't trust myself with that due to a lack of knowledge." Death tells him highly embarrassed.

"Ugh fine. Sorry about this." Aleyn says before slowly inserting his hand into her. Death makes sure her legs don't close up and choke Aleyn as he's doing this. Although he's just embarrassed as Aleyn is, and it only gets worse as Aleyn realizes something. That Morgen had sex recently, and it resulted in semen residue being all around her interior, "So....how much did you...place in her?"

Death groans before holding back a shout as best he can, "I don't fucking know ok?! Why would I...even think about that during the moment...why would ANYONE think to remember that?"

Aleyn sighs, "Cause now we're going to have to 'clean her out' to get a clear sample."

Death gets a wild look in his eyes and is made all the more uncomfortable, "Oh Creator help me."

"Relax, please...you're not helping to keep me calm by freaking out."

"Why don't both of you just calm down already? Honestly is it really that uncomfortable? If so, just fetch Aspen or Mina."

"No!" Aleyn shouts to her.

"And no to Mina either, she'll skin me alive." Death tells her.

Eventually the two work together to get her cleared out, and her Dream Entity side kicks in and 'helps things along'. Both men are left throughly freaked out and finally Death calls up Nergal, "Please help us out here. We don't know what we're doing."

He shows up in a flash, or rather a portal, and has no reaction at all. That is to Morgen anyway. If anything, he laughs at Death and Aleyn being extremely embarrassed. "Seriously, I don't know what seems to be the problem."

"Uhhhhhh Morgen just...emptied herself of...my semen residue that was in her..." Death expresses in the most embarrassed tone he's ever had.

"Oh is that all? Well what if I told you that for our kind, that's normal?"

Death and Aleyn both appear to have a synchronized aneurysm before they both ask him, "HUH?!"

"I'm being honest, it is indeed a thing that happens for female Dream Entities." Nergal states frankly.

"Care to explain what else happens with a female Dream Entity?!" Death yells at him.

"Well for both sexes, Dream Entities are able to well...express a level of control over their genitals essentially. Normally on how it both looks or acts. Females' parts typically change how they feel whilst males' parts change their shape. But only to some degree." Death has a sudden realization, particularly regarding his origins and has to sit down. Fuzzball naturally makes a worried whimper before trying to head over to him. Course Morgen just uses her magic to put him and the cushion on Death's lap. Death doesn't seem to notice and Nergal actually looks concerned, "Uhm...I think I may have broken him. Oops."

Morgen would ask more about herself, but is more worried about Death, "Is he...alright?"

Nergal checks him over briefly in his mind, and finds Death having a mini freakout in there. "Seriously?"

"I just found out...that the idea for my dick...came from your race! Aaaaaaaaaah!"

"I don't know how, but the possibility is still there." Is all Nergal can really say.

"That doesn't help with anything gaaaaaah!" Death shouts with an undistinguishable emotion.

Nergal facepalms before vacating and telling Morgen, "He'll be like that for a while. He's currently contemplating his existence."

Morgen sighs before asking nervously, "Uhm...is there anything else you might be able to tell me? Anything I should know?"

Aleyn groans as Nergal explains further, "Yes. Uhm for your side of things you're able to control most of what goes on in there, during intercourse. Such as tightening, wetness, inner movement, and also able to somewhat form additives like tendrils or sharp spikes. If you're up for it and if it's within reason so to speak."

"Very well then......uhhhh...I think that'll be all for now on that....uhm....oh dear..." Morgen says in her own deep embarrassment as Death slowly starts coming down from his existential crisis.

Aleyn finally realizes a certain term he's missed through his embarrassment, "Wait...Dream Entity. Explain?"

Death does so as best as he can, hoping Aleyn will get it without too much trouble. Aleyn ultimately does, with some minor confusion to boot. However he figures that perhaps this all explains why Morgen's body seems to be reacting the way that it is. Luckily the sample he gets from Morgen's vagina is untainted this time, so he's finally able to remove his hands from inside her. From there he places his samples away in his medical bag for private study. After that he left them to continue his work to help Morgen. Death remained however, intent on ensuring her comfort. Gently, he lifts Morgen up and holds her close. Morgen in turn rests her head against his chest whilst Nergal leaves some of the dream fruit nearby for her. Death eventually begins to massage Morgen as well, as the whole process was likely painful. Morgen practically melts at his touch as she enjoys herself thoroughly. She soon falls asleep and Death is finally content to place her back down. From there he chooses to lay beside her, but upon grasping her hand, he hears Crom speak up.

"Yeah, real sweet isn't it? The feeling of love? Or could it be perhaps, that your instincts are just kicking in?"

"Enough."

"Merely just pointing out a possibility."

Death growls quietly, "What possibility?"

"Simple, that you're just reacting to your 'baser instincts', your most basic desires."

"I'll not hear another word of this." Death says to him.

"And the seeds of doubt, are thus sewn."

"I can just as easily reap them, now shut up!" Death shouts out loud.

Morgen stirs a bit, but doesn't wake up. Instead she rolls over to wrap her arms around him. This snaps Death out of it and calms him enough to settle back down. He does his best to keep the doubts at the back of his mind at bay. Hoping that for once, Crom will be wrong about him. A quiet voice in his head only affirms this notion to Crom.

"You're wrong about him."

"He knows I'm not, at least not entirely so." Then at realizing what going on, "How is it you've gotten in here? He's still awake?"

The voice gives no answer, it only continues to defend Death, "You know nothing of his heart or soul."

"Oh believe me girl, I do. So does he, despite what you think." Crom replies slyly before cocking his head in an all too familiar way, "I'll have to bare your trick in mind for later."

It's then that Death finally hears the voice properly and realizes it's Morgen's, "Leave him alone. He has nothing you want."

"Not true, even now he lives on in the exact shell I've been waiting on. But that's not a conversation for now, especially with him listening in. Which is again quite interesting, given what you've so graciously shown me. However I'd rather not be pestered by someone who's only just now is starting to put on the 'big girl britches', as it were."

With that Morgen snaps awake, having been shunted out by Crom. Death of course looks her over, "Are you alright? What were you thinking? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, believe me. I merely wished to ease your mind. I wasn't expecting Crom to be the cause of your discontent."

Death only sighs, "He's often bothersome, but he's only one of many things that bring me...discomfort..if anything."

"I see. Well perhaps you should relax for now? The day has been stressful for you I'm sure. And something tells me Crom is picking up on it."

"Mayhaps. Lunch is probably ready by now, so I'll go check with Mina on that. Make sure she brings you something." Death informs her whilst getting up.

"Ah of course, be easy on yourself today though. Please."

"Don't worry, I'll be mindful. For your sake at least."

Death then made his way out of the room. He finds Mina easily enough as she's making her way to the kitchen.

"Ah Mina, might you bring Morgen her lunch today? She's resting in bed as..."

"I'm aware of it, Vortigern told me. No need to worry Horseman. Off you go."

He leaves her be as requested and goes to head outside. Figuring maybe some training may get his mind off things. He found Sygr and Bardak working together to train Arn yet again. He did his best to follow both teachers. Listening to Bardak's advice to keep his inner beast calm whilst also trying to absorb Sygr's battle strategies that can avoid savagery but also channel it. Death chose to watch them for a time. Being curious about it as the group continued to train. Bardak soon noticed him however and flagged him over,

"Hey Death, get yourself over here will ya?"

"I'm fine just watching Bardak, I know precious little compared to you two." Death expresses to him.

"That's a fat load of shit right there. Ya know lunar magic right? Maybe ya got some opinions to share?" Bardak insists.

"A lunar mage? Huh, who'd have thought? A Necromancer using magic known to be used by healers." Sygr says.

"There's more to it than just healing magic. Lunar magic has many aspects to it, some simple, some complex. Depends on what you're looking for or need." Death tells him.

"Really? Prove it."

"Well then, observe." Death says before casually causing the axes currently in Sygr's hands to slip from his grasp.

As they float in midair, Sygr is agape. And Arn quickly exclaims, "How did you do that!?"

"Simple, Magnemancy. In other words, magic over magnetic fields." Death tells the youngster.

"What else can you do?" Arn asks amazed.

"Well I can actually calm down a feral werewolf, or one that's just having a moment of lunacy. So long as I have sufficient distance and time that is."

Arn actually hops upwards, "Awesome!....well if you're into magic anyway."

Death only chuckled, "Right. Although speaking of the moon, you've been tracking it right Bardak? You know when the full moon is?"

"The last time you asked me this, it was four days ago." Bardak states.

Death counts on his fingers for a moment before freezing, "Shit, we've only got three days! AND THAT'S A MAYBE!"

"You're not only one worried, I hate full moons." Arn tells him.

"Both of you take it easy, we'll manage. We have all day to prepare you Arn. Just stay calm, you'll be fine." Sygr promises him.

Arn can only nod as the elder wolf pats his back. Death meanwhile feels something bite his neck, it stings something fierce as well. "Argh Ah.....ssssss....what the hell?"

"Now that I have your attention, I need to return soon. Preferably within a day, as Morgen's condition worries me too much." Barrcus informs him through one of his spiders.

"Next time, just say something. That REALLY fucking stings." Death replies in annoyance.

Arn, Sygr, and Bardak all look up in time to see the spider wave at them, "Greetings everyone."

"Ok then that's a little creepy." Bardak immediately says backing away slowly.

"Uhhhh...why is the spider talking?" Arn asks nervously.

"Brave warriors, the both of you." Sygr says shaking his head.

"Hey! I know when to fear the small! And that my friend, is CREEPY!" Bardak affirms to him.

"I am Barrcus. Morgen's adoptive Father and 'bodyguard' as it were. I'm currently stuck within the arena and have only recently been able to find time to myself. Figured I'd use my current time now to plan ahead with you all. As you'll all be perfect for it. Two fresh former gladiators, one who has espionage experience within one according to stories, and a werebear Orc who is known for battle prowess."

"Get to the point Barrcus, you likely have little time." Death informs him.

"Indeed I do. So I shall be brief. You'll need to free me from the arena, preferably tonight if possible. I'll leave you to come up with a plan for that much." Barrcus tells them.

"Well there's a problem with that....ya see Barrcus...full moon's in three days. We kinda gotta make sure this here boy is prepared for it." Bardak points out.

"Yeah, so tonight isn't going to happen spider. Give us until after full moon to handle this." Sygr suggests.

"I cannot wait that long. My own power has slowly been draining. I could probably last a few more days with proper nutrition. But without it I will not last much longer. That and my worries for Morgen only make it harder for me to concentrate on 'recharging' myself." Barrcus informs them a bit frantically.

"I'll ask Mina if she can make a care package for you. From there one of us can deliver it to you. If you have a crystal still, we can send it that way." Death says.

"Unfortunately, I do not."

"Then I'll ask Morgen to try delivering it through your dreams tonight. I'm sure she'd happily do so, just need to be sure she's well enough tonight."

"If she is still ill, do not let her enter my dreams. I won't have her pushing herself during recovery. Honestly though I've no idea what she sees in that youth. He even worries me sometimes, given what I've sensed from him." Barrcus states.

"You mean Aleyn?" Death inquires.

"Oh yer talking about the string bean? The pale guy with the cane?" Bardak asks.

"Yes him." Death replies.

"Dunno why he could be creepy to anyone. He doesn't look so tough." Arn points out arrogantly.

"Don't be brash boy. Even the leanest of men can be extremely dangerous individuals. They always have ways to destroy you." Sygr warns him.

"Heheheheheheheh...words to live by Jotun. Words to live by indeed." Barrcus states in agreement.

Death then heads off to return to Morgen. Finding her is actually extremely easy given that Mina is trying to coax her outside. Morgen's ultimately a bit unsure but Death finally steps between them, "What's going on now?"

"I thought she might enjoy some fresh air. That it'd get her feelin well faster." Mina points out.

"Be gentle with her Mina, don't force it. Her eyes may still be recovering themselves. Let me be sure about it first." Death tells her before checking Morgen again. He sees the glow is extremely faint, fainter than earlier in fact. But he's still not convinced entirely and asks Mina, "Is there any parasols in there? Perhaps some shade would be best for her."

"Horseman, it's early winter. She'll not burn to death ya know." Mina protests.

"I know I know, but just trust me on this Mina. Please?"

Morgen sighs and finally steps out into the light to prove the point Death's trying to make. Of course she still squints a bit to Mina's confusion. "There....proof enough?"

"Uhm...Morgen..dearie..what's goin' on?" Mina inquires nervously.

"I'm recovering from illness Mina....I need shade for now. If I must be outside...please fetch me a parasol."

Mina finally grabs one from inside for her, and rushes to hand it over. Morgen has a bit of trouble opening it with her limited eye sight, but Death goes and aids her with that. Once it's open, the shade definitely helps Morgen out. Death then gently leads her out into the light while she's under the parasol. From there he asks her, "So, do you think you could send a care package to Barrcus through your dreams tonight? Provided you're well enough of course."

"I may be able to. Is he in need of extra help?"

Death only nods, "He'll need proper nutrition to keep up his strength for at least a few more days. Three to be exact."

"Why must he wait longer?"

"Arn's beginning to lose it, as the full moon will be upon us soon. For his sake we have to hold off. But Barrcus needs the help." Death tells her.

Morgen sighs and replies, "Well, Mina would know what he requires. But I can try and work on strengthening myself for tonight to be safe."

"Understood. Do you need any assistance with that?"

"I shouldn't, but should I have the need I'll inform you." Morgen explains.

"Very well."

Death then walked back inside to see about getting peace and quiet as Mina and Morgen have words with each other on the matter ahead. Once he returned to his room, Death began to set up some incense and a chalk circle. In a few key spots on the circle he placed a few black candles. As he began to meditate within the circle, he could hear something tapping his window. Before long, he could smell the culprits too. Death did his best to ignore it though. While Crom couldn't touch or harm him in this moment, he knew the mostly dead deity still had ways to get to him. Eventually he finally reached some semblance of serenity as the incense finally drowned the scent of the Styxian Roses. Crom meanwhile had finally gone quiet, allowing Death his moment of calm. Course after some time, Death finally exited the circle. As he began cleaning up and putting things away, Crom spoke up.

"Why do you keep doing this? Aside from the peace and quiet."

"It shuts you up for a while...usually. Why so talkative this soon after?" Death questions him.

"Just..felt like it. Although you might want to deal with those for a moment."

Death glanced at the mirror in the room to see his reflection pointing towards a window. Looking outside he found the roses he'd smelled during his meditation. "And I am to believe you didn't just force the roses up here why?"

"They are attracted to the dead Horseman, we both are very much a part of that. In one way or the other."

Death shook his head before using only a small bit of Crom's power to force the rose vines away from him. Afterwards he sat at a desk before looking through his inventory crystal. Eventually he found a small box with Orcish symbols on it. He hadn't opened it in so long, and Crom was instantly interested in it.

"Not getting any ideas are we?"

Death didn't answer straight away, instead he opened the box. Inside it was the broken pieces of a charm. He picked up one of the shards as Crom watched him keenly. As Death kept glancing at the shard, Crom finally released two shadow hands from inside the mirror. One gently wrapped around Death's shoulder, the other his neck. An obvious threat as far as Death could tell.

[psychosistr]

FOWL Facets- Chapter 4

Summary: While Loony remembers Liquidator’s time on the team fondly, Domino’s memories of the canine are far from pleasant...

Notes: More backstory in this one with a side of Domino and Gandra being snarky with each other x3

-First Chapter-

“We went on a bunch more missions together after that.” Loony finishes her story with a bright smile. “Liqui always had to go back to Blue Diamond afterwards, but anytime Dommy and Steely called him, he was happy to come play with us!”

“Then what happened?” Gandra asks from her spot on the floor across from Loony. “If you were all such good friends, then why’d he stop tagging along on missions and leave the crew?”

Loony’s smile falls, turning into a slight frown. “I….don’t know.” She looks away, chin propped against her crossed arms where they rest on her raised knees. ��We went on a couple of missions after he was done fighting in the gem war for Blue Diamond…but..he was different..”

“Different?” Gandra asks with a tilt of her head. “How?”

“He said he met someone on Earth. He was always in a rush to get back to homeworld after we were done- he didn’t want to hang out and play with us like he used to…” Loony’s frown deepens the more she speaks. “Then, one day, I went out to get supplies after a mission…when I got back, Liqui was gone, Steely looked different, and Dommy & Steely said Liqui wasn’t coming back again…” She wraps her arms around herself a few times. “They said they were okay with it, but I felt bad things from them for a while after he left…”

Before Gandra has the chance to ask for any more information, the door opens and Domino walks into the room. “We’re on course, but there’s still some time left before we reach the mile marker.” He looks between the two other gems and notices Loony’s posture and the expression on her face. “……” He walks over and kneels down next to her. “How about you take the next break, Loony? You can go sit in the control room, if you want- we’re over the ocean right now and the sun is setting, so the view is nice.”

Loony’s mood brightens instantly as she looks at Domino with an excited smile. “Really?”

He nods with a fond smile of his own. “Just don’t touch the controls- the autopilot’s already been set in the right direction. Come get us when it says we’ve reached 500 miles.”

“Okie dokie!” She jumps up and over him, stretching herself to the door and out of the room. “Thanks, Dommy!”

Once the door closes behind her, Domino summons a small oval-shaped white barrier on the ground below him and sits on it- the barrier having quite a bit of elasticity to it, letting it act as a cushion. “Depression doesn’t suit Loony at all.” He looks over to Gandra as she adjusts her legs to be more comfortable as well. “What were you two talking about?”

“Liquidator.” Gandra’s answer is straightforward, as expected of the star-sapphire. “I wanted to know what we were up against.” She glances at the door Loony left through a moment ago. “I didn’t know he was an old friend of y-”

“We weren’t friends.” Domino cuts her off before she can continue. “Loony may have seen him as a friend, but he was merely a coworker- and barely that.” He tries to sound calm and clinical, but the hardened look in his eyes and the way his hands clench from their crossed position in his lap doesn’t go unnoticed by his crew-member.

“Oh yeah?” Gandra gives him a skeptical look. “From what Loony told me, it sounds like you and Steelbeak liked having this Liquidator guy around as much as she did and now you’re bitter that he left all of you behind.”

“We are not ‘bitter’, we were just…inconvenienced.” Domino’s voice remains unchanged, but he doesn’t make eye contact with Gandra. “He was a useful tool to bring with us on missions to planets with large bodies of water- not having him around made certain jobs a bit more challenging.”

Gandra’s skeptical look doesn’t go away- if anything it turns a bit cocky with the smirk on her beak. “Really? That door down the hall tells a different story.”

He gives the star-sapphire an annoyed frown coupled with a mildly irritated glare. “I thought you were a star-sapphire, not a padparadscha.”

“I don’t need to see the past to understand the present.” She only smirks more from his glare, that look serving as all the proof she needs to know she’s right. “You guys gave him a room on the ship, and you don’t just GIVE those away.” She gestures towards herself as she speaks. “You didn’t bother giving ME a room until I’d been on the crew for at least two thousand years, so he must have been with you guys for a while.” She nods in the direction Loony left in. “Plus Loony said she felt ‘bad things’ from you two after he left.”

“Loony was just worrying too much.” Domino glances in the same direction. “As I said, we were inconvenienced and irritated, that’s it.”

“Alright, then why didn’t you just get rid of him?” She counters. “You two aren’t exactly known for your mercy and generosity. Just letting a gem that ‘irritated’ you walk away without a scratch- especially one that could be considered a potential threat to F.O.W.L.- is out of character for you AND Steelbeak.”

“Liquidator is an elite gem with a high-standing on homeworld- his disappearance would be hard to cover up.” Domino’s argument sounds logical enough, but the star-sapphire’s expression never falters.

“You two have done cover-ups before. Would he really be that different from the other elite gems you’ve made ‘disappear’?” She arches a brow at him with a smirk.

“He is stronger than most elites.” Domino tries to stand his ground, despite knowing that he’s losing this argument already.

“Too strong for you two to handle?” Gandra questions with mock-surprise. “Or do you just not want to fight him?”

“We haven’t had a REASON to fight him before.” Domino adjusts his legs, looking for something to stare at besides the cocky engineer across from him. “I already told you, his leaving was an inconvenience and an irritation- we had no reason to hold a grudge against him for his decision, so why bother?”

“Then what happened to the door?” Gandra grins confidently at the snowflake obsidian. “Because THAT looks like someone holding a grudge, to me.”

“Steelbeak lost his temper, nothing new.” He tries to wave off her argument, but she doesn’t budge.

“Funny. Last I checked, Steelbeak doesn’t use incendiary ammo.” She gives his gem, where he would normally draw his pistols, a poignant stare.

“……” Domino’s scowl slowly turns into a frown as he looks down at his empty hands, his fingers flexing as if they itched to hold his familiar weapons. Or maybe it was his light-construct body remembering the feeling of holding them…and how he’d hesitated four thousand years ago…

“OUT?” Steelbeak’s voice was incredulous as he stared at Liquidator, beak agape in disbelief. “Whattaya mean you want OUT?!”

Liquidator leaned against the wall of his room with a frustrated frown on his face. “I mean exactly what I said: I want out of the crew.”

Domino was calmer about the whole ordeal than his partner was, though he didn’t look any less put out by it. Before he could raise his voice again, the snowflake obsidian raised a hand to silence him. The melanite crossed his arms and glared at Liquidator, but did as his partner silently asked of him.

“This is about that sapphire you met, isn’t it?” Domino watched as the lapis lazuli’s expression softened at the mere mention of the odd little gem he’d met on Earth. “What happened this time?”

“……” Liquidator’s frown gradually changed from frustration to regret. “Some garnets tried to start a fight with him while I was gone..Megavolt scared them off, but he’s not enough…” He sighed, his frown only deepening. “I have to stay with him..I promised I’d look after him- he’s MY responsibility…”

“Oh, so you’re just gonna leave us high an’ dry ‘cause of some pretty little blue-eyed Earth rock?” Steelbeak had no trace of sympathy in his voice for the watery gem. He crossed the room over to Liquidator, looking down at him threateningly. “You ain’t walkin’ out on us that easy- not after all we did for you, not after all we’ve SEEN you do. Or don’t ya remember why you started taggin’ along with us in the first place?”

“He does have a point.” Domino moved to his partner’s side to talk with Liquidator, standing closer to eye-level with the canine. “What are you going to do if you leave? You joined us because you needed an outlet for your aggression- do you think that’s just going to go away on its own? What if you get built up again? Or worse: What if you let that side out in front of HIM?”

“……” Liquidator looked at the ground, his walls starting to come down as they always did when the pair of bird-gems preyed on his weaknesses.

“Dom’s right, Liq.” Steelbeak’s voice lacked its earlier aggression, trying to come across as sympathetic. “We’ve seen what happens when ya lose control. Do ya REALLY wanna snap like that in front of your sweet little sapphire? What if he got hurt? You know how you get after a few centuries dealin’ with Blue Diamond’s court..”

“……” Liquidator deflated more at the melanite’s words, his posture losing all traces of its previous defensiveness. “I know..but…he NEEDS me…”

His defenses were broken, they could see it in his eyes. After a couple thousand years of the same routine, they knew how to pick Liquidator apart. They knew what buttons to push and when to go in for the kill.

“ ‘Ey, we need ya too, Liq’s.” Steelbeak put an arm around the blue gem’s wet shoulders in a friendly gesture, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’re part of our crew, so we look out for each other. We wouldn’t want anything happenin’ to our friend, right?”

Ah, the classic routine: Remind him of his troubles and insecurities, drive the point home about how he needs them, then act sympathetic and friendly to take advantage of his loneliness. It worked like a charm every-

“ ‘FRIEND’?” Liquidator repeated the word back, a growl working its way into his voice. “You expect me to believe that we’re FRIENDS?”

Wait, he was starting to stand up straighter again. He was…was glaring at them? That wasn’t his usual reaction- he was supposed to cave in and do what they wanted like he always did! Where was this coming from?!

“Wha-?” Steelbeak looked down at the lapis lazuli in surprise when a chill went through the arm that was still around the aquatic gem’s shoulders. “O-Of course we’re friends, right, Deedee?”

“Right.” Domino nodded in agreement, though he kept a cautious eye on the other gem and his odd new behavior. “We’ve helped you out countless times since you joined us-”

“Oh, is THAT what you’re calling it now?” Liquidator growled, forcefully removing Steelbeak’s arm from his shoulders while glaring at Domino. “You call manipulating me helpful? You call using me helpful?” He subconsciously called the water from the pool over to him, the liquid adding to the size of his body to make him taller and more imposing- allowing him to look down on not only Domino, but Steelbeak as well. “Friends don’t use each other’s mental problems against them! Friends don’t think of you as a tool to make their jobs easier! Friends don’t LIE TO YOUR FACE!”

“Woah, woah, bud, calm down!” Steelbeak held his hands up in a placating gesture, trying to defuse the situation. “We ain’t-”

“Oh, save your lies for someone who will listen, because I am DONE!” Liquidator cut the melanite off, not allowing a single excuse to get past his beak. “You two must really think I’m stupid, huh? You think I didn’t figure out what scam you were selling me on? Well, guess what, I’m not as uninformed of a customer as you think because I KNOW.” He continued to loom over them threateningly, both in height and now in mass as he fully incorporated the water from the pool into his usual form. “The only thing you’ve ever cared about when it comes to me is my strength- you never once cared about ME!”

“That’s not true!” Domino frowned up at the now-taller gem, looking him in the eyes with what he hoped was a believable amount of sincerity. “We’ve only ever had your best interests in mind. What will it take to make you believe us?”

“Oh, so we’re bartering now, are we?” The extra liquid left the lapis lazuli’s body and returned to its proper place in the pool. He folded his arms over his chest, his posture less threatening now but his walls were back up and reinforced stronger than ever. Seriously, where was this newfound confidence and aggression even COMING from? “Alright, I’m a reasonable businessman, so let’s see if we can strike a deal.” He tapped his chin in thought, but the gesture was clearly just for show. “Oh, I know!” He even snapped his fingers to pretend the idea had suddenly come to him. “Just let me bring him along and there won’t be any problems.”

“You got sediment in your stone?!” Steelbeak’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Takin’ YOU along is already breakin’ protocol! We can’t-!” A white barrier appeared around the taller bird’s metallic beak, muffling his words.

“What he’s trying to say,” Domino ignored the side-eyed glare he got from his partner, dismissing the barrier once he was sure the other bird wouldn’t say anything else. “Is that we’re already risking a lot by bringing you with us. If High Command found out, we could at least justify bringing someone of your status and strength on missions. We can’t justify bringing a non-combative gem with us.”

“Funny, I didn’t think SPINELS were combative gems.” Liquidator’s glare from earlier returned.

Domino returned the look in kind, barely restraining himself from striking the other gem for his words. “Loony can fight and defend herself…unlike that sapphire of yours.”

“He’s still developing.” Liquidator growled. “He’s barely been out of the dirt for two centuries, he can get stronger- he can LEARN to fight.” He took a deep breath, trying to regain his earlier façade. “But..that sort of thing can take time. So, how about this limited-time offer: Give me a couple thousand years to train him and see if he can become a fighter. If he can, then he can come along, right?”

“So, what, we’re just supposed t’ leave you alone while you TRY t’ teach some puny sapphire to fight?” Steelbeak scoffed.

“I didn’t say you had to leave me alone.” Liquidator eyed the taller gem, anger still clear in his eyes despite his amicable tone. “After all, if we really ARE friends, then you’d still want to see me, even if it wasn’t for missions, right?”

“That’s unreasonable, and you know it.” Domino huffed, easily seeing through the blue gem’s baiting. “You know how much time we spend away from homeworld for traveling and assignments.”

“Then I guess we’ve reached an impasse.” Liquidator easily slipped between the darker gems and headed for the door. “Until I can bring my sapphire with me or he’s strong enough to look after himself, this is goodbye.”

“Hmph, that sapphire’s made ya soft, drippy.” Steelbeak rolled his eyes at the dog’s retreating figure. “Might be best for everyone if he ‘disappeared’…”

That last line was nothing more than a mumble. A thought that found its way to the melanite’s mouth before he had time to filter it. At most, it was an annoyed, off-handed comment meant only for his partner’s acknowledgement and nothing more.

But it was just loud enough that the lapis lazuli heard it.

He’d had his hand on the panel for the door, his exit already opened, when his ears perked up at the other gem’s words. “……” He was back on the other side of the room before any of them had even had time to blink, his arm extended as he picked the taller bird up off of the floor with ease. “Don’t you dare go ANYWHERE near my sapphire!”

“!!” Steelbeak tried to regain his footing, but chains of water rose out of the pool to restrain his hands and prevent any movement from them. He was pinned with no way to fight back- unable to grab his guns or even summon a platform to stand on.

“Steelbeak!” Domino summoned one of his pistols from his own gem and pointed it at Liquidator without hesitation. “Drop him now or I’ll-!”

“You won’t do anything.” Liquidator’s free arm warped into a deadly-sharp icicle that he pressed right against Steelbeak’s gemstone. “You won’t put your partner’s life on the line like that.” He turned his head, looking the snowflake obsidian over with a smirk that spoke of both the confidence and certainty he had in his words, as well as the dark, murderous intent he held within him in that moment. “After all, you wouldn’t want to lose another one, would you?”

“?!!” Domino’s red eyes widened and he froze in place at those words. “How..How did you-?!”

“I’ve been in your room before, remember? I’ve seen the pictures.” The liquid-bodied gem’s words were cold, full of bitterness and resentment that had undoubtedly been stewing within him for countless centuries. “All of these years you two spent learning how to manipulate me, did you really think I wouldn’t learn how to do the same to you?” His earlier glare returned as he redirected his attention back up towards Steelbeak, though he was clearly speaking to both of them. “I know how to pick you apart. I know what buttons to push to BREAK YOU.” He scratched the melanite’s stone with the tip of his frozen arm, his glare only growing more intense alongside the growl that steadily laced itself further into his voice. “I’ve spent my whole life doing what I’m told, going along with what everyone else expects from me…I thought you two were different…I thought you would understand me…but you’re just like Blue Diamond and all the other elites: You only want me around as long as I play the role you want to see and jump at your command. Now I’ve finally got a chance to be happy with someone who actually cares about me for who I am instead of what I can do for him, and I’m taking it.” He roughly dropped Steelbeak to the ground, but did not release his hands just yet. “Maybe you’re right..maybe I AM making a mistake by walking away from the best source of ‘stress relief’ I’ve had in ages…but, even if it’s the wrong one, it’s still my choice to make. I’m tired of being angry all the time…I want to try being happy for a change…” He turned his back on the melanite and snowflake obsidian. “Oh, and just in case you had any doubts about me being SERIOUS…”

Without even looking back at the pair, he gave a snap of his fingers and the watery chains wrapped around Steelbeak’s hands suddenly rumbled and burst with slender but sharp icicles that pierced his body in multiple locations.

“Friggin’ stars-!” Steelbeak swore with a hiss of pain right before his body disappeared with a poof, leaving behind nothing but his gemstone which was quickly becoming cold and frozen from the icicles still trying to pierce it.

“STEELBEAK!” Domino rushed over to his fallen partner’s stone and picked it up, a thick white barrier appearing around his hand like a glove to protect it from the sharpened ice. He held the black stone close to himself while turning to point his gun at the retreating gem’s back, instinctively trying to protect the melanite from further damage.

Liquidator showed no signs of fear at all in either his voice or his body language as he turned his head just enough to glance back at the loon over his shoulder. “That was a warning. Come anywhere near me or my sapphire and next time I will break him…and I’ll make you watch the whole thing.” And, with that, he finally walked out of the room.

If looks could kill, then the heated glare Domino gave Liquidator would have shattered him instantly. He held his partner’s gem tighter, his other hand still poised to shoot at the lapis lazuli. His finger rested on the trigger, the barrel of the gun glowing a subtle, light blue color. He had a clear shot…

……

…but he didn’t take it…

“Darn it…” With a frustrated scowl on his face, he pointed the gun off to the side and fired the loaded bullet at the small pool, instantly freezing the entire body of water with one shot.

He stood in place for a while, listening to the far off sounds of the exit hatch opening and closing. Once he was completely alone in the ship, the snowflake obsidian walked out into the hall, closing the door behind himself. He sat down on the floor outside of the room, making a small, round barrier-cushion to set Steelbeak’s gem on, but not bothering to make one for himself. The barrel of his gun turned orange and he used a small, controlled burst of fire from it to melt the frost off of the melanite beside him.

Aware of how much his partner hated to be kept waiting, Steelbeak was quick to regain his physical form. Only a few more minutes after thawing out the stone, Domino watched as the ball-cut gem rose up into the air. The stone glowed with a black aura around it that slowly spread out into the rooster’s familiar outline. After settling and making a few minor adjustments, the black light settled and Steelbeak stood beside Domino with sharper features, a longer and more jagged beak, and a darker bowtie then what he’d worn previously.

“That ungrateful CLOD!” Unsurprisingly, Steelbeak’s first act after reforming his body was to lash out in anger and punch the wall beside him. He began to pace up and down the hall in front of Domino, his hands moving as he vented his frustrations. “After everything we’ve done for that stupid drip-brain, he decides to just..just DITCH US for some dirt-covered, off-color sapphire?! Who does he think he is?!”

“……” Domino didn’t say a word, he simply got to his feet and walked down the hall so that he was standing in front of the door to the blue gem’s room instead of beside it.

“More than two thousand years we gave that ingrate a way to blow off some steam!” Unaware of his partner’s change in position, Steelbeak continued his pacing, throwing his hands up in the air or clenching them into fists now and then as he vented his frustrations. “We gave him a ROOM! We gave him a spot on the CREW! What more does he WANT?!” Finding himself back in front of the lapis lazuli’s door, he glares at the emblem on it and gives the offending door a kick. “If I see that loser again, I’m gonna-!”

“Move.” The one word command startled Steelbeak out of his rant, making him turn to see Domino standing behind him with his pistol pointed straight ahead.

“Woah!” He got out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding the powerful burst of flames from the snowflake obsidian’s gun. “Geez, Dom- give a guy a warnin’ next time!”

“I did.” Instead of looking at his partner, Domino brought out his other gun and both barrels turned black. He aimed the pistols at the door and opened fire on it with regular, solid bullets that pierced it and left several holes in the rock.

Steelbeak took a moment to merely stand there and watch his partner glare at and vandalize the door with the now-charred but still-visible lapis lazuli emblem. He saw something in those red eyes- something he knew and understood far too well after working with the other gem for more than three thousand years.

When Domino had to pause for a moment to change the type of ammo in his guns, he felt something tap him on the shoulder. Looking to the source, he saw his partner standing beside him with a knowing grin. The object that had touched him was the butt of the melanite’s tommy-gun, which Steelbeak held out to him in offering. “Think this’ll be a bit more satisfyin’ for ya, short fuse.”

Domino was caught momentarily off guard by the offer, but he soon recovered and took the machine gun with a brief but meaningful look into the other gem’s dark eyes. “You may have a point.”

It was bigger than the weaponry he was used to, but it wasn’t the first time he’d been allowed to shoot the larger bird’s gun. He easily compensated for the weight and kickback before opening fire on the door in a much more devastating- and satisfying- way than before.

He wasn’t alone in his destructive vandalism, either- Steelbeak summoned his own long-barreled pistol and joined him in putting as many holes in the offending rectangle as possible. They spent several hours soothing themselves with the senseless violence and destruction. Sometimes they would shoot together, sometimes they would take turns and make a game out of it. They would change tactics and use every weapon they had at their disposal, even tossing a bomb into the room itself for a controlled explosion. At one point Steelbeak even used his namesake to take bites out of the material, leaving several deep gouges in it.

By the time they were done, the pair of gems were exhausted but sated.

As they sat next to each other on the floor facing the ruined door, Steelbeak with one leg raised to prop his arm up on his knee while the other lay straight out in front of him and Domino to his left sitting with both legs out in front of him, the melanite finally spoke for the first time since they’d started.

“We made a rookie mistake.” He didn’t need to look at the other gem to know his partner was listening. “Got too close t’ the help- got too attached.” He closed his eyes for a moment, letting an annoyed sigh cross his beak. “That ain’t gonna happen again.” Opening his eyes once more, his dark gaze landed right on the desecrated emblem- only slivers of its once vibrant blue color visible between the holes and soot. “You, me, and Loony- from now on, those are the only gems on this ship that matter. Anyone else wants a ride, they’re disposable.” His left arm shifted from its previous spot on his lap, moving to lie between the two of them instead with his palm face-up.

Domino still didn’t look at the melanite. He didn’t need to. He could tell what expression the taller gem had on his face, just like he could tell that the other’s hand was now right next to him. “Agreed.” He closed his eyes, his own hand moving down next to the lighter-feathered one on the floor. “The three of us are more than enough.”

Domino is pulled from his reminiscing when the door to the room opens, Loony stretching over to him before the door is even half-way open. “The computer beeped, Dommy!”

“Thanks, Loony.” He rises to his feet, ignoring the curious look he receives from Gandra. Walking over to a panel on the wall, he dims the lights once again and gets into position in front of their prisoner. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath to calm himself, then opens his eyes again- his gaze as hardened as it was the first time they interrogated the impostor. “Wake him up.”

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: Sooo..the relationship between Liquidator and Domino & Steelbeak is a bit...complicated, to say the least. While they did end up seeing each other as friends by the time Liquidator left, it wasn’t exactly a healthy friendship:

Like Domino said, he and Steelbeak were essentially using Liquidator as a way to make their missions easier- he was a tool. They recognized that he was unhappy with his role in the Diamonds’ hierarchy and that he had a lot of deep-seated mental and emotional issues that they could exploit by “letting him” unleash take out his frustrations on whatever planet they were sent to conquer. They also capitalized on the feelings of isolation that came from his superior title by offering him companionship that he was VERY desperate to receive.

Like Liquidator said, though, he wasn’t an idiot- he knew logically that he was being used and he was using them in return as a way to release his pent up frustrations, but, deep down, a part of him really did want to believe that they also enjoyed his company and that they could still be friends. By the time the war ended, though, he’d not only met Bushroot, he’d also started developing a closer friendship with Megavolt and it gave him a clearer picture of what real friendship is like versus what he was getting from Steelbeak and Domino.

Domino and Steelbeak DID end up liking him enough to want to keep him around, and Liquidator didn’t mind coming with them for missions since it was great stress-relief, but a relationship built on a foundation of manipulation and lies is bound to crumble eventually.

[lexiy-dreyar]

baby bean birthday~ (prt1 maybe idk)

words: 1361

characters: ivey, el, amaniz, phe, vivi, sinwa, lexiy, star, void,nkita, monos, chara, ???

t/w:none

a/n:yeah sorry for posting this late i’ll add the art later

Amaniz hummed happily as she eats her breakfast as her mother did her hair, she looked to the side seeing the blue-haired bear walk-in “hey uncle nkita how are you today?!” she asked cheerily “eheh im doing well im gonna go visit void” and star tod-” he was cut off by his brother “star?! Your gonna visit her?” he asked excitingly “yeah you both wanna join?” nkita asked “hmmm can I mom?” she looked up at her mother “yeah sure we’ll all visit her” the blonde agrees “yay!” amaniz cheered running up to her room to get dressed 

“You ok lex?” nkita sat next to her “yeah im fine…..just….thinking” she sighs into her hands “have you slept?” he asked “no…” “have you eaten?” “...bearly…” “have you drunk water?” “...kinda?.....” nkita frowned at her answers “lexiy...you have to take care of yourself if not for your ideals but for amaniz” he sighed helping her into her wheelchair “I will just need to know a few things before im sure I can get back into the swing of things” she smiled “Ok let’s go!” amaniz smiled as she started pushing her mother’s wheelchair

They all walked to the sixth floor into the room “knock knock” Monos peaked in seeing a sleeping void and still under intensive care star. They walked in “hey uncle voiiiid wake up” amaniz harshly shook him pouting “hmmm….” he pulled amaniz onto him “soft..” he smiles softly making the small girl laugh “uncle it’s me! Time to go” she booped him “uh? WAIT-” he shot up flinging the young girl off the bed “oof!!” “wait it’s May 16?! I get to leave to celebrate her birthday yay!!” he cheered like a little kid “eheh has star woken up yet?” Monos asked “umm yes she did actually it wasn’t for long but she did laugh at one of my jokes-” Monos rushed over to stars sighed “you look like your getting better” he smiled softly as lexiy frowned “is something wrong?” amaniz asked her mother “yeahh... I know I was first to clock out then void but there were only two monsters left and when I clocked out I took down the second one and im sure void easily bet the last before he got flicked…...but star is as powerful as me so even she could have finished it off….and she took the least amount of damage...which means she was using her magic power for something else….presumably to keep me and void breathing before back up arrived….and yet” she was cut off by Monos “she’s still low on magic power which isn’t normal...if she had an anti-magic tumour they would have told us about it” he rubbed his chin 

“Looks like we got our selves a mission~” void smirked looking at lex making her smirk “yeah~” “Heyyyyy!!! It’s my birthday can we go to my party now?” amaniz whined “im sorry sweetie lets go~” lexiy cheered “hm” void was helped up by void “eheheheh i finally get to go outside again” (2021 mood) void smiled “you guys go on ahead I’ll stay here for a bit” Monos pulled up a chair “OKI! We’ll be at the beach house!” nkita called out as the group left the room.

“Woooow look at her big cousin what happened?” he heard the hellish voice of his little cousin “this is the love of my life sadly hurt because of my incompatibility to protect her” he mumbled “oh you fool its so obvious why this year was so tough,” she said annoyed “you d-” he looked behind him then noticed she was gone “damm...come on Monos use your brain,” he told himself before hearing the tv switch on “breaking news emergency request for guild wizards to help solve the recent town massacres. But with are powerful wizards out of commission we are calling out to any willing wizards to guard the following cities!” the news anchors voice rang through his ears “the wizard saints are out?...wait job season is for every wizard alive that’s in a guild or group which means…” his eye widen “you finally noticed with job season being impeccable hard for everyone so that mea-” he was cut off by his phone ringing “huh” he picked it up “Hello?” he answered “mono dude you’ve been at the hospital for almost an hour you good?” void asked his voice coming through his phone “oh I’ll be there soon hold on” he hung up. He looked back at star then looks back at the tv before picking up his bag and rushing out the hospital.

Amaniz gently hugged ivey “I am no regretting giving you those hug coupons” he groaned as she hugged him tighter “eheheh deal with it ivey” phe smirked as she had a slice of cake ‘you kids are so cute too bad’ they all looked at amaniz “did you say something?” el asked “hmm? What no I didint..did I??” she panicked sightly “no I dont think so” vivi mumbled “oh well movie time!!” amaniz cheered as the other kids joined her cheer before crowding around the tv.

Nkita smiled upon the seen thinking back to when something similar happened- flaaasshhhhhhhh back by like id years-

He slowly woke up to the soft snores of his brother and little cousin. He slowly sat up hearing the soft crackling of the fire “hmm..chara? What’s up?” he slowly crawled out sitting next to the white-haired demon “I dont know what to get for your cousin for her birthday….” she frowned making him laugh “ a flower would do fine..she loves them” he pat her shoulder “you sure?” she looked at him nervously “yeah of course” he smiled before shu hugged him “oh thank you nkita!” she smiled softly, the bluenette blushed before gently running his fingers through her Pure white hair, soft purrs slowly turning into soft snores. -~~~~- “Hey i called that snack” phe tried to grab ivey “too slow bitch” he taunted snapping nkita out his memories “eheh you kids have fun ok?” nkita yawned “where are you all going?” el asked “we have to go check on a few things you guys stay here ok?” lexiy ordered as they left.

…

“So do we sneak out”ivey sat up “negative” vivi glared at him “oh come ne were in the magic part of town! We should explore the forest” phe smirked using her creepy voice. Making el cling to the birthday girl “i-i dont think we s-” “only for an hour” amaniz slimed wanting a little danger for her birthday “ok so how do we get out” ivey said ignoring sinwas and el’s protests. “Follow me!” amaniz chimed as she walked upstairs the others right behind her “my mom’s room~” amaniz opened the door revealing the blonde dragonslayers bedroom “oh wow...less sluttier then i thought it’d b-” amaniz smacked him “shush you!” she glared “any way we can climb out her window, and get into the forest!” she explained to her boring magicless friends 

“I-i dont think we should i-it seems like a bad idea” el chimed in with vivi and sinwa nodding in agreement “you scaredy cats we’ll be back in an hour vivi time us ok?” phe pouted before climbing down the window the other following in suit.

Much to phe and Ivey’s disappointment there weren’t any magic monsters “g-guys I think we should-” “split up! Great idea” phe an ivey interrupted him making the young boy cry inside slightly “i dont know about splitting up this place could be a death trap for all I know” amaniz warned “pfftt you, big baby, you just dont know how to have fun” ivey smirked at her “well I thi-” crunch-, a loud crunch scared the group making them all jump “w-w--w-w-w-w--wwait was that,” el said in fear clinging to sinwa “oh its just this” ivey shoved amaniz out the way picking up a small necklace with the ying-yang on it “oooo pretty” phe smiled at it “we should return into its owner you cretens” vivi scowled as ivey mimicked her.  Amaniz slowly picked up the necklace…..

[video-killed-the-radio-host]

Father Dearest

With the help of the ever amazing @acealex-blueiguana , we wrote some angst about Cecil’s not very nice father.

TW: racism against Carlos, homophobia, deadnaming, misgendering

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Cecil puts the phone down, his face paler than usual. He leans on the counter and presses a hand over his mouth.

Carlos looks up from his work at the table. "Cecil? What is it?" He stands. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Cecil turns, burying his face in Carlos's shoulder.

"Love, I need you to talk to me." Carlos says softly, rubbing Cecil's back.

Cecil picks up his head. "My father is coming over for dinner." He whispers.

"I thought your father was dead?"

Cecil shakes his head but doesn't look up. "No. I wish I could say he was though."

"Maybe he wants to make amends?"

"You really think so?"

"We shouldn't rule it out."

Cecil nods but doesn't look convinced. He lets out a soft sigh and looks away. "Michael will be home soon."

"What are we going to tell your father?"

"It's none of his damn business!" Cecil snaps before taking a breath. "I'm sorry." He whispers. "I'm sorry."

"Hey." Carlos murmurs, cupping Cecil's face. "We'll figure it out. I promise." He turns as the door opens. Michael stands there for a moment, laughing and waving at presumably at Mika.

Michael walks into the house, shutting and locking the door behind him. "Home!" He calls out and carefully walks to the kitchen counter to lay his backpack down.

Carlos steps away from Cecil after giving him a soft kiss. "How was your day?" He asks,pulling open the fridge. "I'm thinking lasagna for dinner. What do you think?"

"There was a fight at school. Bet ya can guess at least one person involved." He smirks. "Whatever you make is always good. Still better than my house." The words come so easily. This is home to him now, but when did the change in his mind happen?

Carlos laughs. "Even Cecil's cooking is better than your house.'

"Hey! Rude. My cooking isn't that bad."

Carlos closes the fridge. "You made toast inedible."

"Maybe I like it burnt."

"Not even Khoshekh would eat it."

Cecil huffs a pout before looking at Michael. "Michael...um...my father is coming over tonight. I wanted to let you know."

The boy tilts his head, eyebrows furrowed. "Your father? How did he even find you?" He asks before shaking his head and twisting his sleeves. "Do- um- do you want me to stay someplace else while hes here then? I can stay at the station or see if Mika will let me crash with them- theyre normally down for it…"

"I have no idea…" Cecil shakes his head. "No. This is your home and if he doesn't like it, he can leave." As much as he didn't want to admit it, having Michael there would help to keep him grounded.

"Okie dokie." He pauses. "Um… if you change your mind, let me know. I can get Mika to pick me up if needed… I'm not really the greatest kid, and I dont wanna cause problems with your da- father."

"I'd rather have you here than him." Cecil says with a small smile.

Carlos puts the pasta dough and a jar of homemade sauce on the counter. "Do you know anything about your father?"

Cecil shakes his head with a sigh. "Never met him."

"Samesies." Michael says, trying to lighten the mood, before giving Cecil a hug. "We'll figure it out."

"Yes we will because that's what we do." Carlos smiles.

Cecil nods a little, wrapping his arms around Michael. "Yeah."

Unsure how to help right now, the boy changes topic to get Cecils mind on something else. "Mika was in the fight. They did good as usual. They also got suspended but promised they'd still walk me there and hang around until its time for us to go home."

"Who did they fight this time? And why?"

Carlos shakes his head with a laugh. "That kid is something else." He says as he starts to roll out the dough.

"One of the jocks on the football team. They threw food at Roger, so Mika threw a fist." He smiles. "Roger's okay. We checked on him before they got dragged to the office."

"Ah that means I'll be getting a phone call from a conflicted Earl later then." Cecil chuckles softly. "Oh well. I'm glad he had someone to stand up for him."

Carlos looks over his shoulder. "I don't condone fighting but i hope Mika kicked their ass."

"We both try to stand up for him, but Mika does a much better job." He nods. "They definitely kicked his ass. The dude didnt even know what was happening at first."

"I'm sure you won't have a problem with him anymore."

Carlos lets out a loud groan, making Cecil jump. "We are out of garlic!"

"Carlos it's not the end of the world."

"It's bad luck. My mama said that if you don't have garlic in your house when a stranger comes, bad things will happen."

"So get more garlic?" Michael offers. "Did you have garlic when I showed up?"

"Course we did. It wasn't fresh though…"

"I'll just run to the store and-" Cecil is cut off by the doorbell. He pales a little. "He's here." He whispers.

"Breathe, dad. We got this." The boy hugs Cecil tighter. "I'll get the door if ya want."

Cecil shakes his head. "No. I'll be alright."  He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders before crossing to the front door and opening it. He stared at the man on the other side of the door in shock. He looked just like Cecil, same deep eyes and platinum hair. He was lacking the winding tattoos though as far as Cecil could see. No wonder my mother hated looking at me. Cecil thinks.

Brian stands for a moment before crossing his arms. "You going to make your old man stand outside all night?"

Cecil quietly moves to the side, watching the man enter the house.

Michael grabs his bag off the countertop and slings one strap over his shoulder. "I'll- um- go put my stuff away…" he says to Carlos: his tone hinting at his growing anxiety. Visitors at his house always meant stricter parents than normal. After all, they have to save face and br the happy family the Richardsons claim they are.

He cautiously walks into the living room, doing his best to stay hidden and out of the way. He just has to make it to his room.

Carlos nods and puts a reassuring hand on Michael's shoulder before joining Cecil in the living room. "Hello Mr. Palmer. I'm-"

"Cecil you got yourself a maid?" Brian asks, looking impressed.

"I'm not-"

"Carlos is my husband." Cecil corrects.

"No. No son of mine is a fag."

Michael tenses at the word. "Not really your son." The kid, against his better judgement, mumbles under his breath as he's halfway across the room.

That catches Brian's attention and he studies the child. "You must be Michelle. The nice lady in yellow at the station told me about you."

"His name is Michael." Cecil says, shoulders tense. "And-"

Sensing that Cecil is about to ramble, Carlos speaks up. "Would you like a drink? Dinner is in the oven so we have about forty five minutes before we can eat."

"Got any whiskey?"

"We don't drink."

Brian cocks an eyebrow. "Since when? Last I heard you were a drunk and a whore." He snaps at Michael. "Get me a drink girl."

Of course she did. Lauren is just wonderful that way isnt she. Michael tries to brush off the sinking feeling in his stomach. He still has to put his bag away after all, so he ignores the request. Brian makes him feel similar to his Father, but Cecil and Carlos wouldnt let him hurt him. Right?

So Michael just grips his strap tighter and continues walking to the guest room. Theyve got forty five minutes to survive this "pleasant" conversation. He can manage that.

"Leave him alone. I'll get your drink." Cecil stands, grateful for the excuse to leave the room. He gets a glass of water but leans on the counter to collect himself. He hears his father call after him, something about not liking his attitude.

"Kids these days. To lazy to even listen." He looks at the Hispanic man he was left alone with. "It's bad enough my son is a fag but he settled for a mexican of all people?"

Carlos tightens his jaw and waits before answering. "I am not a Mexican. Not all Hispanics are from Mexico. I'm from Chile."

"I don't care what you are."

Michael flings his bag onto the bed. "People fucking suck." He says to himself. He doesnt want to go back out there, but he doubts Carlos or Cecil would be happy with him hiding away. So he snags his rubiks cube off the night stand and makes his way back to the living room.

"I'm not going to sit here and let you insult me."

"Well you're free to go back to the field you came from with-" Brian clicks his tongue. "Six bastard kids?"

"Here." Cecil interrupts before Carlos could answer. "All we have is water." That isn't the truth but his father didn't need to know about the bottle of wine stored away for a special day.

"Damn took you long enough. I see your mother didn't teach you anything about good manners."

"She was too busy raising two kids by herself."

"And what's your excuse with her?" He gestures at Michael.

Michael glances up at him before turning his attention back to the rubiks cube. It's the only way to keep himself from misbehaving. The click of the cube and the ability to keep his hands busy help his anxiety in a manner that doesnt destroy the sleeves of hoodies. Hes trying to swallow the growing pit of dysphoria, knowing that this evening will only make it worse.

"He's fine." Carlos sits down in a recliner as Cecil settles in the rocking chair. "You're hardly in a place to give parenting advice."

Cecil looks over, his face pale again. "Carlos…"

Brian shakes his hand and sets the glass down with a thud. "What you know about being a father? Besides the fact that you're supposed to throw sandals at them to shut them up."

The boy flinches at the cup and bites his tongue. He wants to say something. He wants to stand up for his dads, but hes scared. He doesnt know how Brian will react, and hes only just starting to heal again after being beaten by his own father.

"Is there a reason you're here or did you just come to insult my lifestyle?"

Looking away from Carlos, Brian looks at Cecil. "You'll do well to speak when spoken to boy."

"You'll do well to-"

"Why don't we change the subject?"

Michael keeps his head down, afraid of what might happen if he steps out of line. He's nearly done with solving the rubiks cube. Click. Click. Click. The sound near deafening when the conversation has silences.

"Fine. Straight to the chase then."

Cecil doesn't answer, pulling out his latest project and a set of knitting needles. He does look up when he feels eyes on him.

"Do you have any sense of manhood at all?"

"He could kill you with those needles." Carlos muses. "And I'd help."

Click. Click. Click. The boy smiles as he solves the cube. "Carlos?" He asks. Waving the cube at the scientist, he silently asks for him to shuffle before tossing it across the room to him.

Carlos catches the cube and looks at it for a moment before beginning to shuffle it. He turns it and shakes his head, shuffling it more before tossing it back. "There ya go."

"Some of us appreciate the beauty in art and take pride in what they make." He looks up at his father. "Even if it isn't what you want." He had a cold but sad look in his eyes.

"If it isn't good enough, toss it away and start over. That's common sense."

"The Chinese fix broken things with gold to show they are still beautiful despite being broken."

"Well last I check we are not Chinese. And we are to good for broken things. When something breaks, throw it away."

Michael scoffs at Brian's first words. That's what his birth parents did, but Cecil is different. "And you know all about common sense." He mutters as he works on the cube again. The kid knows he's not suppose to speak but cant help it. This dick is a moron, and hes lucky that Mika didnt stay for dinner like usual.

"Excuse me little girl?"

"You're good at throwing things away." Cecil whispers.

"You will not speak to your father that way."

"You cant call yourself that. You're just a deadbeat sperm donor." Michael snaps before he can catch himself.

"That is definitely out of line…" He mentally scolds himself. "Mika will find this amusing."

"You gave up the right to call yourself my father when you walked out before my mother and I even left the hospital." Cecil snaps, dropping his project to his lap.

"You haven't earned the right to have me be your father."

"You never even gave me the chance to try and be good enough for you!"

Carlos flinches at Cecil's words but tenses as Brian stands.

Panic and fear flood Michael's system when Brian stands, but the idea of him hurting Cecil forces himself to his feet. A giant on one end and a teen a little over five feet on the other. Brian is like his Father, but for some reason he doesnt feel as terrified standing up to him. "This is not your house. You do not get to talk to my dad like that." He growls.

Cecil keeps his eyes level with Brian as he stands, despite his heart pounding in his chest. Especially when Michael speaks.

Brian stops his track toward Cecil and turns on Michael. "You do not tell me how to deal with my son. I'm too late to make a decent man but I'm sure that can change."

Cecil stands and moves across the room, stopping in front of the older man. "I am not afraid of you, Brian Alexander Palmer."

Cecil barely flinches when a wide hand comes across his face.

"You do not get to address me like that. I am your father!"

"Abby was more of a father to me than you ever could have been."

Carlos manages to catch Brian's wrist before he can hit Cecil again. The motion causes Brian's sleeve to slip down a little.

Cecil's eyes fall on the marks on Brian's arms. The needle marks he knew all too well. I'm just like him….

Maybe Mika wasnt the best influence, or maybe they were the best one Michael could have.

As soon as Brian hit Cecil, Michael was reacting. He would gladly take pain if it kept Cecil safe. Rage immediately flooded the panic that was in his chest, and he throws the rubiks cube directly at Brian's head. "Asshole!" Michael yells. Hands clenched into fists; his body moving forward towards the bastard. Fight or flight. For once the boy chooses to fight.

Brian's head snapped to the side when it was struck by the plastic cube and he jerks his hand free from Carlos's grip. "You little bitch!" He brings his heel down on the cube, feeling it break under his foot. "I'll put you in your place since my worthless son can't seem to do that."

Cecil and Carlos react at the same time, rushing toward Brian as he lunges toward Michael.

Carlos manages to get ahold of the back of Brian's shirt but Cecil gets an elbow to the Face and stumbles back.

Too late to change my mind now. Michael's eyes dart to Cecil as he gets knocked back, but he stands his ground. Fists clenched, and eyes determined. He knows how to dodge and throw a punch. Hes not allowed to defend himself, but hes not defending himself right now. Hes defending Cecil. Hes defending his dad.

Carlos pulls Brian back towards him and away from Michael. "Not in my house."

Brian struggles against Carlos's hold. "The little brat needs to know her place."

Cecil picks himself up, nose bleeding a little but he didn't care. "You will not lay a hand on my son."

"My place is here. You do not get to talk to my dads like that." Murder in the boy's eyes.

"Where is your real family? Cause I sure as hell know this isn't it. Cecil's to dumb to keep anything alive more than a week."

"Out." Cecil says, voice shaking a little. "I want you out of my house."

"I came for dinner and we haven't eaten yet so I'm not leaving until I get what I came for."

Carlos brings his free and up to grasp the back of Brian's neck. "You heard him."

"This is my real family. But you havent met everyone." His eyes hold fire as he stares at the bastard. "Trevor! Can you help? Please!" The boy yells, making sure the sheriff's secret policeman can clearly hear. "Be lucky Mika didnt stay for dinner, or youd already be dead. You are nothing but worthless scum. So get out."

"Who the hell is Trevor?"

"If you bothered to stick around, you'd know." Cecil couldn't fight the smirk as the door was flung open.

"In my defense," Trevor says as he makes his way toward where Brian was struggling in Carlos's hold. "I would have intervened sooner but I didn't want to spook you. Also I found cool lizard in the bush." The Secret Policeman stops in front of Brian. "I was wondering if I'd ever see your face again Brian. I haven't missed it." He punches Brian in the nose, causing a satisfying crack. "That's for hitting an upstanding member of our town." He then thumbs Brian's forehead. "That's cause you're ugly."

"I appreciate it, Trevs." Michael smiles. "Did ya get any pictures of the lizard?"

"Hold em for me?" Trevor takes Michael's hand and puts down a blue gecko with orange spots. "It's not poisonous. I already checked. I'll take this" He takes ahold of Brian's arm. "And be back soon."

"You better take your hands off of me! I have rights!"

"Night Vale doesn't work like the outside world and I'm sure you'll find that out." Carlos calls with a wave before looking back at Cecil.

His nose had stopped bleeding which is good but he still was shaken up.

"Hey" Carlos says softly. "It's alright. He's gone now."

The boy cups his hands to keep the gecko in his hold. "I'm sorry for not behaving and staring a scene… I didnt mean for you to get hurt…" Michael whispers. He made it worse. Maybe he shouldve stayed with Mika.

Cecil shakes his head. "I was dumb to think he would be a nice guy." He sits down and puts his head in his hands. "I'm sorry I let him in here. I should have known better."

"There's no way you could have known…"

"I should have known! And what if I turn out just like him? I already am like him…." He groans. "I should have known."

Michael plays with the lizard as he walks over to Cecil. "Hey…" He gently taps Cecil with his foot. "You're not like him. I can prove it. Do ya want me t list all the ways I already know you're nothing like him?"

"He has my face and…" he leans down and rolls up his pant leg, revealing the needle scars. "It's easier to hide on my legs. I'm no better than he is."

The boy ignores Cecils attempt to argue. Hes not shocked by the scars; Em had told him about Cecil's past before. Still playing with the lizard, he sits on the floor.

"You dont drink. Ya dont misgender me- not accidentally and never intentionally unless it's to keep me safe from Mother and Father. You dont snap demands at me. You're not racist or sexist. Ya see good in broken things, and you dont see them as just trash to be thrown away. You havent walked out on your family." He lists. "Ya never broke my rubiks cube before." He gives a small smile. "You let me play with Tic Tac which I know he wouldnt ever allow if they belonged to him. You're a good dad."

"According to Abby so was he until I came along."

"And yet...you made the best you could with a shitty hand and you didn't let it beat you. Because you're stronger than he is. You are not your past. And you are not him. You are better than him."

"According to my case worker, Mother and Father were good people before I came along. Does it make it my fault that they're not good people now?" He asks wanting to prove a point.

Cecil opens his mouth to argue but whatever he was going to say was cut off by the over going off.

"See? Even the oven disagrees with you." Carlos chuckles. He stands and goes to the oven to pull dinner out.

"I know this shouldn't bother me as much as it does but it's a...chain isn't it? Hereditary?" He runs a hand through his hair. "I don't want to be like that."

"Theres no way you'll be like that. Carlos wouldnt let ya. You arent your father. Hes more of a sperm donor actually, and that doesnt determine how the kid will turn out. I dont know my birth parents, but I dont think I'm like them. I mean I wouldnt give up a defenseless kid and have them left in the snowy night only a couple hours of being alive. That's just a messed up thing to do." He pauses, taking one of Cecils hand and letting the gecko crawl onto it. "You already have shown that you're much better than Brian. You're a dad. Hes a deadbeat."

Cecil gives a small smile at the lizard before looking up at Michael. "It isn't often we switch roles." He says, his expression soft. "You're such a good kid."

"No, I'm a terrible child." He smiles. "Mika is so gonna have a field day when they find out I yelled and threw my rubiks cube at your sperm donor."

"I hope he's locked away when you tell them about how I let myself get slapped because they might go nuts."

"You didnt even flinch! I dont know how you did that! I flinched when he put his cup down too hard."

"I think I knew it was coming. I've spent enough time with pissing off Lauren to know when I'm about to get hit. Or stabbed. Or kicked. Or- yeah. I think you get the idea."

"I'm use to it too, but I still flinch. Even when m not gonna get hit, I still flinch. Its impressive."

"Tell ya a secret. I almost went into cardiac arrest. It's amazing I didn't."

"How about you stop talking about dying and come eat before this gets cold?" Carlos calls.

"I propose after dinner we watch a movie and try to salvage this evening. What do you think?"

"I couldve fought him. You and Carlos were quick to shutting that down though. Lame." He giggles and stands up, grabbing Cecils arm and trying to pull him up. "What movie?"

"I didn't want to risk you getting hurt. I can take more than you can." Cecil points out as he stands. "Coraline?"

"If I can knock you on your ass and slam Father into a wall with my ankle more sprained than usual, I think I could handle Brian." He huffs before smiling. "Okie dokie."

"I had never met him. I don't know what kind of damage he could do. I refused to risk your safety. And that's all I'm saying on it." Cecil says, hoisting Michael over his shoulder and depositing him at the kitchen table.

The boy squeaks when Cecil lifts him up and laughs when he gets dropped off at the table.

"Children. Settle down so we can eat." Carlos said,sitting the pan on the table. "Don't make me smack you both with a spoon."

"Uh rude."

"Oh hush and eat."

[thejackal64]

Pillars of Magic: Paradox | Chapter 2: Anomaly

It was a beautiful day in Mewni. As long as the flow of magic continued uninterrupted, every morning would remain the same. It might seem boring, but the people living there expected such perks. It wasn’t only about having money or possessions. It was also about life itself being marinated in luxury.

“Ugh!”

But while citizens of Mewni enjoyed being pampered by it, certain individuals who were just going through were appalled.

“There really wasn’t any other way to reach it?” The man asking the question was rather short, with a full beard covering his face. He had a peculiar expression, telling everyone around him that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and anything could set him off...

“It’s pretty in here.”

...or anyone.

“Can we buy some candies?”

Despite the rather odd request, the new question was asked by a massive man, always cheerful and smiling. His name was Kobi.

“Oh yeah, sure. And then I’ll shove them down your throat so I don't have to listen to your stupid questions!”

“Can it, you two.”

With a strong and authoritative voice, and without the need to raise it, the third man, Lucan, was keen to keep their presence under the radar.

“We are in public and even though these people generally mind their own business, we do not need to risk attracting their attention.”

"Then why in the hell did you bring this bastard along?"

“Because no one else can work with him. Furthemore, this mission might require brute force.”

Kasper didn’t like Lucan’s answer. “We could've taken a couple of explosives instead of this blubbering oaf."

“Do I really need to remind you that we are on a covert mission? We are to retrieve the object and return to the base without causing a commotion.”

“According to your doo-hickey, that thing is deep within the old tunnels of this place. How the hell would they know about us being down there?”

“It’s an unnecessary risk that needs to be avoided to the best of our ability. We do not know how far the secret police’s reach goes and we might end up finding ourselves in a dire situation. And down there no one would come to our rescue.”

“I hate when you’re right.”

“I expected nothing else.”

Lucan was going over the data in his head again and again, trying to make sure he would be ready to predict any and all possible problems along the way. But, as history had taught him, no amount of pre-planning could circumvent the consequences of working with his two colleagues: one a violent hothead and the other a behemoth with a child-like attitude. All he could do was to prepare his best with the limited knowledge he had at his disposal.

Anywhere else, their blue jumpsuits would raise at least a few eyebrows. Not here. The queen and authorities made sure that Mewmans were involved so deeply in their cushy lives that they were all but blinded by their hearts desires. Three dudes dressed like plumbers were absolutely none of their concern.

The three followed the steady flow of students into Paragon Academy. Thankfully, the main entrance wasn’t their goal, so a few meters before reaching it they turned right and crept along the side alley toward the back. Even just this little piece of Mewni that they saw before them was sparkling clean; it was truly a sight to behold, and the side alleys weren’t any different. To someone living in dirt, this scenery was utterly bizarre. Pieces of banners were floating above their heads as they reached their destination. They were mesmerizing to look at, something Kobi enjoyed to the fullest.

His sight-seeing was cut short as a mere minutes later they appeared in the school's backyard. The back door entrance they were looking for was a solid block of steel without any handles or windows, and it wasn’t exactly clean. Lucan hit it in a specific pattern: thug-thug-scratch-thug-scratch-pause-thug. For a while nothing was happening, but soon enough they heard the screeching sound of doors trying to be opened from the inside.

“Looks like our intelligence department was right,” noted Lucan silently.

“I’ll congratulate them for not fucking up their job like last time when we go back,” replied Kasper.

Lucan nodded in agreement.

Every place in the world had a certain reputation. When people visited them, they expected their lives to be enriched with unique, local experiences. Very few visitors were coming to Mewni, but they were expecting riches and comfort beyond their wildest dreams, not a fat greasy face looking at them with glass eyes.

“Yeaaahhh? *blurp*”

Of course, for someone living in the swamps, such sights were living standards for them.

Lucan brought up a piece of paper. “As requested by the school board, we are here to clean up the toilets.”

The man standing in front of them gave them an empty look. “Yeah? You have - ugh - any papers?”

Lucan was caught surprised. “There wasn’t a mention about papers.”

“Yeah, see, that is a problem, because-” He obviously had a hard time not only standing on his feet, but also collecting his thoughts. “I… uh, still need to see papers.”

“They didn’t say anything about papers. We were told this was already settled.”

“That’s your problem, bud.”

Diplomacy was always Lucan’s first choice when dealing with people, but if that failed, Kasper used his own methods. He pushed Lucan aside and raised his head to make sure the dude standing over him would understand him very clearly. “Listen here, you fat fuck! The higher ups decided we had to come here to clean up your shit. We are more than happy to start with the biggest shit standing right in front of my face. Or you can move your dick aside and let us in to do our job!”

The man was shocked by his reaction. “Whoa there, now listen up, you can’t talk to me like that!” His voice would certainly have sounded more threatening, if it wasn’t for the high level of alcohol in his blood.

“Oh no? Then let me introduce you to my friend over here.” He stepped aside so that the guard could see Kobi standing behind him. “His name is ‘I’m gonna break your limbs’.”

“Hello!” Kobi waved his hand.

“I don’t-” Some understanding was seeping into his alcohol marinated brain, but it wasn’t enough.

“Kobi, why don’t you shake his hand?”

“I’ll be happy to!”

“Show him how friendly we are.”

“Oki doke!”

Kobi’s face was constantly smiling at him, but there was something behind that smile that alarmed the guy, like a much needed wake up call, if only for a few seconds.

“Alright, alright! I- I’ll let you in! Just- Go… *blurp* do your job.”

“A wise decision.”

Lucan never liked Kasper’s aggressive attitude, but he couldn’t dismiss its efficacy in situations like this. He smiled at the guard, trying to ease the tension a bit. “Thank you for your cooperation, sir.”

“Just… Get out of my sight.”

With subtle disappointment in his eyes, he took his comrades into the bowels of the school’s ground floor.

The interior wasn’t that much different from what they were used to down in the suburbs, but there were some notable differences. The biggest one was in the generator room they were passing through. Since everything ran on magic, many magical creatures were used as conduits for the magical flow. In here they utilized fire-flies: flies that actually generated fire and heat. But since they only did that when provoked, Mewmen engineers pioneered a solution to force them to keep releasing the energy they need. The process involved what were known as Adium Crystals. These crystals were tiny, sharp and spiky shards that could easily be found laying around near the outskirts of the city. It seemed to exist as a byproduct of several magical wars. Any magical properties were harmless to Mewmens, being only a small walking hazard if stepped on, but forcing Fireflies to go nuts. So they threw a few of them into a generator together with a swarm and let them explode with anxiety until they died.

It wasn’t a pleasant view for any of them, but their goal wasn’t to enforce their opinions about the environment. They needed, and quickly, to find entry to what they expected to be an ancient tunnel running somewhere under the school. With this in their minds they calmly left the ground floor and, using steep stairs, they approached the floor above.

The school was full of students getting ready for the day, but they didn’t think it would be so… sterile. Regular schools were unremarkable in design to keep distractions to a minimum, but the ones in Mewni took that a step further. There were steady pure white lights illuminating dark purple walls, floor and roof, reaching to every corner. The doors were a plain dark wood with no windows. There were no pictures, no flyers, nothing that would catch the eye and get in the way.

“Fucking hell,” noted Kasper silently.

“I have to agree,” responded Lucan. “I can’t even find the proper words to describe it.”

“Did someone die here?” asked Kobi. His question caught them both by surprise.

“They may as well have. The sooner we find that entry point the better. I shudder to think how those poor kids must feel after spending several hours in here almost every day.”

Kasper was visibly repulsed by this remark. “These kids - as you call them - wouldn’t hesitate to smash our skulls into the nearest wall if they learned we’re from the Resistance.”

Lucan pondered the thought for a few seconds. “Indoctrination.”

“Yeah. Let’s go now.”

But before they could move on, one of the students dropped her notebook at Kobi’s feet.

“Excuse me,” said the girl.

And in that very moment Kobi felt a sensation like never before. The same was true for Kasper as well, although for a different reason.

He slowly turned to Lucan, trying not to raise any suspicion. "Of all the people, we stumbled upon a Woolett. A fucking Woolett!" he muttered toward his partner.

"Keep your cool and we'll be fine."

She bent down slightly to pick up her notebook which she’d dropped. Kobi was quick to snap it up before she could. It was ridiculous how fast he moved to make sure his huge hand reached it before her more slender one.

“Uhm, you dropped?” he questioned, despite the obvious answer.

“Yes, thank you.”

Kasper's desire to end this encounter as soon as possible was palpable. Unfortunately for him, so was Kobi's desire to prolong it. He was demonstrating this by refusing to return her notebook.

“Sorry,” he said, his cheeks flushing red. “Your book?”

“Yes, may I have it now, please?”

“The book… uhm, yes, it’s yours!” He stumbled on his own tongue.

“Yo, Kell, this dude don’t seem right,” said the voice coming out of her hair.

"Shit! There is another Woolett in her hair! Is she breeding them?!" Kasper barked beneath his breath.

"Lower your voice! She will hear you."

Her polite smile became increasingly more nervous, as she tried to pull the book harder from his grasp.

He finally loosened his grip and allowed the book to be taken back.

“I’m sorry,” he said, wiping his brow and trying to find some kind of words to fill the moment that was making his heart race. “Kobi.” He extended his hand her way.

The girl chuckled loosely and took his hand to shake.

“Kelly. And hey, thanks for picking it up. Sorry I bumped into you.”

“No trouble,” he smiled. “I like Kelly. I-I mean!” he bungled over his words again while trying rapidly to recover, scratching his head. “I like to meet you. T-that is-I mean, good to see your p-pretty face. Uh-I-uh!”

Kasper was growing angry, but he couldn’t risk making a scene. “Lucan,” he whispered, “do something before he blows our cover!”

“Right.” Lucan stepped in. “We don’t mean to be any trouble, he means to say, miss. Sorry we got in your way.”

Kelly shrugged her shoulders and slipped the notebook over her shoulder and into her backpack. “Not a problem,” she said as she finally saw her exit and headed away towards the cafeteria.

With the students on their way, Lucan tapped his elbow. “Let’s go, Kobi. We don’t have time to linger.”

They went in another direction. The expression on Kobi’s face was as if someone had stolen away his happiness. But Kasper wasn’t so tactful.

“The hell you doing?!” he cussed in the loudest whisper he could muster.

Trying not to risk a racket, they quickly went on, turning behind the corner to hide from the eyes of the students. The hall looked pretty much the same as the previous one, but it was less cramped.

“She was so pretty,” noted Kobi with sadness in his voice.

“Ain’t nothing pretty about the things I’ll do to you if you pull shit like that again!”

“Guys stop! Listen!” They all could hear a faint beeping coming from Lucan’s backpack. “It’s here.”

“What?” asked Kasper. “The artifact?”

“No! That would be ridiculous. It’s the entrance.”

“Your thingy is showing the way?”

“Of course not. Nothing can do that. My tool is… Er - the magic. With such a low intensity in Mewni, it tends to behave like a river and my tool simply points the way to the strongest nearby current.”

“Uhm. So where is it?”

“Let me check.” Lucan looked around to make sure that no one would spot him. The hallway was even more empty than before. “Huh. Interesting. I wonder where they-”

“Dude!”

“Righ, right.” He placed his backpack down on the ground and reached into it. After rustling through it for a few seconds he brought out a somewhat bulky piece of equipment. “So I was right. According to this, there is one magical current flowing through these halls. It’s quite interesting if you think of it.”

“I don’t give a fuck about how ‘fascinating’ or whatever it is! Just point us to it so we can get the hell out of here.”

“Checking.”

He kept turning around until the device made the strongest sound when pointing to a specific direction. “It appears that it is coming from there. From… the cafeteria, it seems. Hmm. This might be challenging. They might have some questions about our presence going in there.”

“I have an even better question for you: where the hell is Kobi?!”

They were both looking around. Spotting a huge man among young teenagers should have been easy, but their efforts were fruitless. Kobi was simply gone.

Kobi was smiling. He had every reason to. It didn’t happen every day he met a girl that took his breath away. Or any girl for that matter. To be fair, he could be rather easily amazed by a lot of stuff, people included. But this was different. Because she was different. And he felt that in every bone.

He went back to the spot where he met her, being sure she would still be there. He was determined to give her a present he was holding in his hands. He approached the place, completely ignoring all other students. In everyday business they were ignoring everything that didn’t concern them, just like every other Mewman; but seeing a funny looking dude in a jumpsuit just standing there with an idiotic smile did get their attention. Some of them even stopped walking and just kept watching him, wondering what he would do.

Kobi was so sure that Kelly would come back that he didn’t doubt himself even for a second. He was friendly, smiling wide because he had a pretty present for her. In his mind he did everything to make her want to stay with him. Alas, their reunion was not meant to be, which he started to painfully realize after his hands started to cramp. Reality crept into his mind, forcing him to reevaluate his short term plans.

With apparent sadness in his eyes, he decided to leave the package on the ground. Even though she didn’t come back to him he still hoped that she might like the present he’d picked for her. However flawed this logic was to everyone else around him, it made perfect sense to him, so he left it exactly where he had laid sight on her for the first time, and with great disappointment decided to return to his fellow agents.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Kasper.

“I’m afraid so. We must hurry before he runs into her a-”

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Kobi appeared from behind the corner.

Kasper was thrilled to see him. “Where the fuck you have been?!”

“I wanted to give Kelly a present, but I couldn’t find her, so I left it on the floor for her to find it when she comes back.”

“We didn’t come here to find you a date, you shitstain!”

“Wait,” Lucan stopped him. “Kobi, what kind of present did you have to give her?”

“Oh. I found a really good looking box in your backpack.”

“A bo-” When his eyes met with Kasper’s, he knew they were in deep trouble. “The Black Box!”

Kasper didn’t waste a second and hard slapped Kobi. “That was a weapon of mass destruction, you fucking retard! FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY!!!”

“But it looked so nice!”

“I’ll rip off your dick off and beat you with it!”

“Hurry! Maybe there is still time before someone ope-”

BOOOoooooom

A massive shock wave passed through building. The sound cut out and lights went off abruptly. Aside from a few sounds of crumbling rocks and the voices of shocked students, nothing else transpired after the explosion.

Lucan brought out his flashlight and shined it down the hallway. “Interesting.”

“Do you think it didn’t get out?” asked Kasper.

“In theory the inner casing could withstand the blast, but it is very unlikely. The weapon engineers were perfectionists and always made sure their creations would work.”

“So then where is all the yelling and panic?”

There were brief squeals and scramblings from students here and there, down the the distant corridors and rooms, as if panic would abruptly set in only to suddenly die away again. The space between the horrified sounds lengthened until everything went quiet for a fairly long while in the dark. The minutes stretched on, the trio scanning the darkness for signs of movement.

Kobi wrung his hands worriedly as Kasper gritted his teeth, looking to Lucan for direction.

Lucan held up a finger the other two could barely see. “Shh!”

They could hear a person sneaking out of the cafeteria. “C’mon, Kelly, let’s go this way.”

“Kelly…” gasped Kobi.

“Stay where you are!” Kasper commanded.

Lucan picked up his backpack. “We need to get out of here immediately.”

“Wise words,” agreed Kasper.

“But what about all those students in here?” asked Kobi with sadness in his voice.

“They’re doomed,” replied Lucan.

“B-But Kelly…”

Kasper gave him a pat on his shoulder. “That’s just your everyday’s shit. Now move your ass!”

AAaaaaaaaaAAA!!!!

The yelling forced all remaining students in the cafeteria to run away, leaving it completely empty.

“The timing is impeccable. Great work, dude!”

“Kasper, stop teasing him. He is sad as it is.”

“He should be! His stupidity caused all of this!”

“And we will deal with it after we return to HQ, but right now we need him focused on the mission. Kobi? Follow us.”

Without any enthusiasm he followed his teammates into the now empty room. The smell of coffee and various other drinks were still hanging in the air. It was as if the students had never really left the place. The scents combined with all of the screaming and echoed noises, creating a haunting atmosphere.

Lucan lead them into the kitchen in the back. Many things were still being cooked and some were even starting to get burned. But culinary secrets weren’t what they were after.

“Where is it?” asked Kasper.

“Near.”

“Is that supposed to help?”

“You have to realize that tracking down and following magical currents is a delicate work. This isn’t a river you can simply follow upstream to find the spring.”

“Huh. That’s a good point. But I feel compelled to note that we are in a building THAT IS BEING EATEN!”

“I suggest you lower your voice unless you want that thing to follow us here.”

“Just find the fucking entrance!”

“I told you it’s- there!” Lucan suddenly pointed at a massive rack filled with food and spices.

“It’s in… a black pepper jar?” Kapser smiled.

“Underneath the rack, obviously.”

“Yeah, obviously. Kobi, make yourself useful and get rid of it.”

Big fellow was still sad, but he didn’t wish to enrage Kasper even more, so he just did what was asked of him. Unfortunately his enthusiasm got the best of him, and with a flair of his own he threw it to the other side of the kitchen.

Kasper realized the mistake he made. “Well, if those things didn’t hear us before, they surely heard us this time.”

“Kasper…!” Seeing Lucan even subtly angry was rare and unpleasant enough even for Kasper.

“Alright, I fucked up, I’m sorry. But look! There is the entrance and it’s…” He was staring at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out if this was the punishment for his screw up. “Holy shit it’s small! I don’t think Kobi will even fit.”

The big fella didn’t like the prospect of being left behind. “What???”

“He’ll fit. Barely, but he’ll get through.” While ensuring Kobi of his survival, something got his attention. It was small, placed just above the entrance. A marker of some kind. “Hmm.”

Kasper noticed his interest in the object. “What is it?”

“Not sure.” While trying to inspect the item with intriguing markings, a fast-paced movement was heard coming from outside the cafeteria. And it was approaching. “That’s our cue. Move on.”

“But…”

“What is it this time, Kobi?”

“It stinks in there!”

Lucan looked over the hole to check its bottom. “Huh. It appears the kitchen staff discovered it and kept using it as a trash bin for spoiled food. Regardless, this is the path we need to take.”

“But I don’t wanna!”

Right on cue, Kasper stepped in. “KOBI, GET YOUR FUCKING ASS IN THERE OR I’LL RIP OFF BOTH OF YOUR LEGS AND SHOVE THEM UP INTO YOUR ASSHOLE!!!”

“Grrr!”

With complications, Kobi managed to get through and landed directly onto the pile of stinky old food.

“Eww!”

“You’ll live. Now, catch Kasper and then me. And hurry; whatever is following is getting close.”

They both promptly jumped into the hole, leaving the mess they caused behind them.

After a short while of slow walking in squats, they entered a bigger tunnel. To their amazement, it was still lit. Dusty, but otherwise undamaged.

“An access tunnel,” noted Lucan.

“Huh?” wondered Kasper.

“What we left behind has to be an access tunnel, which would make this one here a maintenance tunnel.”

“So you know where we are?”

“No. I’m just assuming.”

“Based on what exactly?”

“Educated guess.”

“And this helps us… how?”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Terrific.”

“It was worth mentioning because this kind of architecture was used only rarely, at least in lower Mewni. I only know about such structures existing over there, but still… this appears to be in an astonishingly well-preserved state.”

“That’s fascinating and all, but we didn’t come here for sightseeing. Left or right?”

“Indeed. Let’s see… Hmm, now this is interesting.”

“Enough of this bullshit! Just tell us where to go!”

“Right. The flow comes from the right.”

“Finally! Let’s move our asses before that thing decides to fuck ‘em.”

“Right, of course.

Leaving the cafeteria behind, they pressed forward. With the sheer importance of the mission on their minds, they were eager to reach their destination swiftly. Unfortunately, their intentions were getting harder to reach, which was becoming more and more apparent with every meter they traversed through the tunnel. It snaked left and right, stretching and bending without an apparent end in sight.

“Argh!” growled Kasper. “This tunnel goes on forever!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” objected Lucan, who, for lack of a better word, was enjoying the scenery, or lack thereof. “I’m confident that we will reach the end in no time.”

Kasper hated many people and many things, and reassuring pep talks were at the top of the list. Hearing his artificially soothing voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. “Oh yeah?” he replied as coldly as possible, “and how do you know, huh?” He was trying his best not to squish his face to cover up his idiotic smile. “Is one of your gadgets showing you something I don’t know?”

“Not at all.”

“Then how do you know where we are going?” The acoustics of the tunnel amplified his angry voice to new heights.

“This is not the time for you to unload your frustration. Logic dictates that eventually we will reach the end. Furthermore, this is unknown territory. Who knows what lies at the end of this tunnel. And now, thanks to your vocal performance, whatever might be there knows about us at this point.”

“So what?! We have mister muscle here!”

“Kobi isn’t invincible, which is why we always have to assess the situation. It’s the part of covert missions you keep failing to understand.”

“So after Kobi fucked up half of the school, you suddenly realized we have to be covert. That’s interesting. Let me just-” Kasper started to search his jacket for something.

“What is it?”

“Wait. I know it’s somewh- ah! Here it is.” He brought his hand up, presenting his closed fist as if he was holding something. But after opening his palm, there was nothing there.

“It’s empty,” noted Lucan.

“Yeah. I was searching in my jacket for my portable Fuck-O-Meter and this is the exact amount of fucks it gave me about your speech.”

Lucan raised his finger, preparing to fight back. Alas, he was interrupted by a sound that caught their attention and sent a shiver down their spines. Whatever made it, they could hear it coming down the tunnel, slowly, but surely approaching their position.

“Shit! It did follow us here!”

Something about the sound seemed chaotic; it was excessively unnatural. There was a mix of sounds, one distinctly weirder than the other. The noises meshed together, creating a hellish soundscape.

“How could that thing survive without a fresh host for so long?!”

“Your guess is as good as any.”

It didn’t take long for their stalker to appear in their sights. And it wasn’t pretty.

“Fuck me!”

“It appears to be some kind of head and is still alive even after several minutes of infection.”

Kasper squinted his eyes, trying to make out details of the host body. His discovery sent his mind into a spiral of deep fear. “A Woolett! That thing got ahold of that motherfucking WOOLETT!!!

“It appears to be confused. I don’t think its behaviour is by design. This is quite extraordinary.”

“Extraor- What do you think this is, a fucking zoo?!”

Before anyone could do anything, the Woolett boy, or rather what was left of him at that point, opened his mouth filled with goo and released a bunch of tentacles with their own little screeching mouths.

“Fuck!”

The creature screeched in agony.

“FUUUUCK!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

They didn't need much of a reason to start running for it, even though Lucan did wonder if that was the best thing they could do. “Maybe we should think this through.”

“Are you for real?! What the hell you wanna think about in the middle of running for our lives?!”

“That’s the issue. We don’t know what lies in front of us.”

“An escape!”

“Even if that is true and there is nothing else on the road ahead, we can’t say for certain when we’ll reach a safe haven.”

“We are running away from certain death! Is that logical enough for you?!”

“We can’t keep running forever! We need a plan and we need it soon!”

“The plan is to stay alive!”

“That is no- Wait, what’s that?”

“An imminent death, that’s what!”

But Lucan wasn’t paying attention to what was behind them, but rather what was standing in front of them. Against all odds, he saw a young blond girl, eagerly waving at him.

“That’s not possible…”

Even at their fast running pace, she was getting close real quick and he began to notice her grotesque dress and what appeared to be horns on her head. It all seemed surreal and he had trouble accepting it. “How…”

“What are you mumbling about??? That thing is getting closer!”

When death was breathing down one’s neck and the situation was spiraling out of control, one must take all the help he could get, even if it came from a girl that shouldn’t be there.

“All of you, into the room on your right!”

“What room?!”

The moment they were just a few meters away from it, the girl went inside, followed by Lucan holding Kasper’s shirt and Kobi with fear in his eyes.

“It’s right behind us!” Kobi squealed.

“Shove the door!” But Lucan knew that wouldn’t be enough.

He immediately started looking for something to barricade them. To his surprise the room was filled with old equipment of some kind. All that was left to do was to choose.

“That big heavy looking box! Lean it over the door so it can’t get inside!”

“Roger!”

Before they could all say “quickly” Kobi grabbed it, and with an incredible ease barricaded the door. Not two seconds after, the banging started; heavy, strong and loud, with a Woolite on the other side desperately trying to gain access to their safe haven.

“Not that I’m complaining,” said Kasper while trying to gasp for air, “but what the hell is this place? And most importantly, how we will get outside?”

“That… I’m not sure.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I was led her by a girl.”

In visible confusion, Kasper started to look around. All he could see was a mess covered by a thick layer of dust. “Not to ruin your parade, but there is no one in here.”

“I can see that, but I’m telling you that I saw her showing me to come here.”

“Oh that’s wonderful. A girl popped out of fucking nowhere, she points her sexy little fingers to this cute little room and you jump right in without thinking!”

“My decision saved our butts.”

“They’re called asses and maybe you didn’t notice, but this place is a FUCKING DEATHTRAP!!! There is no way out of here except for those doors and by the looks of it they won’t hold much longer! All you did was you handed our asses on a silver plate for that shit out there!”

“I refuse to think this was a mere accident. There must be a purpose to it!”

“I’m this close to giving my fist a purpose of meeting with your face up close and personal!”

Among all that noise, a new and different one started to come out from one of the walls. They didn’t hear at first, but in those short moments when the creature outside stopped smashing itself against the doors, they could hear it - the tinny sound of someone moving around in a shaft. Without saying a word, Kobi removed a tool shed of the wall and revealed an entry into the ventilation shaft.

“That’s our purpose.”

“Hmpf! Lucky guess.”

“Be that as it may, that’s our ticket out of here. Kobi, can you see if you will fit through?”

“Now this I want to see,” smiled Kasper.

Kobi bent over and went head-on inside, and to everyone’s surprise, with ease.

“Well I’ll be…”

“Excellent! Kasper, you follow him. I’ll be right behind you. And make it quick - the doors are starting to break down.”

“With pleasure!”

After Kasper disappeared in the shaft, Lucan looked at the door one last time. “For what it is worth: I’m sorry. I never intended any harm to any of you students. You didn’t deserve this.” With the guilt off his chest, he followed his teammates to escape the place.

“Kobi!” yelled Lucan from behind. “Can you see where it leads?”

“No! It’s dark in here. I’m scared.”

“It’s alright! Just keep on going until you reach the exit. Don’t be scared if there isn’t any light ahead either.”

“If there is an exit…”

“Kasper, shut it! We are all stressed as it is. There is no need to make it even worse.”

“But it makes me feel better.”

“You and I will have to have a talk about morale when we get back to HQ.”

“If we even get back…”

“Kasper!”

“Uhm, guys? There is something weird in here.”

Now they were both paying him attention.

“What kind of weird?” asked Lucan.

“I can feel the floor wobbling.”

“I can feel it too,” confirmed Kasper.

“This part of shaft might be suspended on the wall. Kobi! Keep on going, but do it slowly! Move one hand at the time and-”

CRAAAAACK!!!

They felt the entire shaft tilting forward and it showed no signs of slowing down. Soon after they all slid outside and started to fall. The new place they were in was completely dark, which only strengthened the anticipation of imminent death. Fortunately for them, the fall wasn’t too long. It was several more seconds before they would land, but first they hit something metallic, judging by the sound, followed shortly by a second clanging sound, which was their stop. Even though it didn’t take them long to hit the ground, the impact itself was unpleasant enough for them that they felt the need to check their bones.

“That… hurts,” noted Lucan. “Oh, my back.”

“Your back?” replied Kasper with sharp irony in his voice. “I can feel pain in bones I didn’t know I have!”

“Well, all things considered, I did save us, didn’t I?”

“If only you ‘saving’ us didn’t hurt this much.”

“Wait, I’ll use my flahlight. Here we go. Hmm.”

“Hmm? Don’t say hmm after the shit we just went through!”

“I’m just wondering where the girl went.”

“This again…”

“Whether you believe me or not is inconsequential. We survived because she intervened.”

“Have it your way. What is this place anyway? I don’t recognize a thing.”

“Yeah, this is…” Lucan’s mind was working on the question way before it was even asked, so even though he couldn’t name it just yet, the answer was already taking shape in his head. “This…” He touched the cold, rusty metallic pole. “This…” He then inspected the now mostly damaged seats on both sides. “This…”

“I swear, if you say ‘this’ one more time I will rip your tongue out and wear it like a tie! Just answer the fucking question: do you know what this is???”

Lucan looked into his eyes with a spark. “A railcar.”

“A what?”

“A railcar. This is an intact railcar.”

“I don’t know what a railcar is but…” Kasper looked around to inspect all the damage that took a bite out of the place. “I’d hardly call this intact.”

“Well, yes, of course, time is merciless to everything. Still, taking into account the age of this contraption, it is surprisingly well preserved.”

“Alright then. Let me rephrase the question: where the fuck are we?!”

“You really don’t know? Huh, come to think of it, it’s not really too surprising. You never really did pay attention to history lessons.”

“History doesn’t save your ass, bombs do. Now will you answer my damn question or what?!”

“Very well. Come with me.”

He proceeded to take them out of the carriage. They couldn’t move much even there, as there were multiple wagons all over the place, stacked close to each other. “This way.” Thankfully, the wagons weren’t derailed or otherwise damaged in such a way that might hinder their progress, so after a while of walking between them, they reached a spot where the tracks began to spread further apart from each other.

Kobi was fascinated by all of the new stuff he could explore, though he couldn't care less what it actually was; every new thing was a good thing. Kasper, however, never really enjoyed the whole exploration gig. He was only interested in blowing up the things they found.

Lucan turned around and raised his hands. “Gentlemen, welcome to the depot of Warnicorn Metro.”

“Wait, you mean to tell me that Warnicorn Metro is real?”

“Indeed it is, despite its almost legendary status, as you can see.”

“I thought it was just a rumor.”

“That’s because the Queen doesn’t like failures and she made sure to wipe its existence from public memory by simply killing everyone who dared to even acknowledge its existence. All the remaining physical evidence was destroyed.”

“Why not destroy the whole thing?”

“Because by the time she had a change of heart, the whole system was so complex that they couldn’t get rid of it without turning everything on top of it into debris. But they did lock it out from the reach of common folks by building additional tunnels and buildings around it.”

“How do you even know all this stuff?”

“Knowledge is power.”

The sound that came from above their heads made them look up, even thought they couldn't possibly see anything in the pitch black darkness. Still, the noise was distinct, and considering the recent events, it was obvious what was making it.

"You think it's that girl you saw?" asked Kasper.

"I hope so, though I somehow doubt it."

"Yeah."

The fact that they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the noise was making the whole situation worse. All they could do was continue staring into dark nothingness.

Kasper huffed. "Shouldn't we get out of here? I'm not exactly thrilled to face it again."

"But where to? We didn't have the chance to explore this place. We might end up wandering for hours, days even, and never finding a way out nor what we came here to find."

"Guys?" Kobi interrupted them. "I think the girl is showing us the way."

As a welcomed distraction from the imminent horror, they looked left and noticed a blond girl in the most unusual dress, holding a flashlight and waving at them to follow her.

"Holy shit."

"Now you believe me, Kasper?"

"I believe my eyes."

"Uhm, all right. We should move be-"

Before Lucan could finish his sentence, they could hear what sounded like something crashing into one of the boxcars not far away from their position. All three of them had the same thought; each of them had hoped that they were wrong. It wasn’t clear at first, as the thing that landed inside wasn’t make any noise; if it was moving, it was doing so with the utmost secrecy.

“Maybe it’s dead,” said Kasper with a nervous chuckle, trying to hide the growing fear inside him.

“Maybe.”

“Er, guys, the girl is still waving at us. Maybe we should go meet her instead of waiting for that thing to eat us?”

Now this sent shivers down their spines. It was one thing to feel fear when a horribly deformed mutant was chasing them, but hearing that fear in the voice of their big gun made them realize the gravity of the situation. They were keen not to die.

“You’re right Kobi,” agreed Lucan. “We should leave this place before-”

The silence that was giving them some hope of being safe dissipated like a morning fog the moment the car started to keel from one side to another. A noise like that of steel being ripped apart emanated from it. They wanted to run as far as possible, but their legs were locked in place by the crippling fear of aggravating the creature and, in turn, of accelerating their journey toward their own demise. All they could do was to watch with hearts beating like crazy.

The sound started to move from the point of impact along the car. It was clear that it was ripping its insides out, though the purpose of doing so was unclear to them. That was, until it came out and they could see the thing by their own eyes; and that sight was haunting them.

“MY HOLY DICK!!!”

“My dear!”

“I’m scared! Can we go home now?!”

It was Tad. Or rather what was left of him. The impact was so great that despite being covered by the goo creature, he broke all of his bones and even a small part of his skull. But the entity wasn’t ready to give him up, so it improvised: it took all the steel pipes it needed to replace the cracked bones and cover the exposed brain, which was already looking like a dry plum. The creature certainly didn’t cater to aesthetics, so the thing standing there in front of them looked like a pure eldritch horror snatched straight from the worst of nightmares. It wasn’t doing anything, save irregularly breathing through semi-broken nostrils, but it was enough for them to shit their pants.

“Lu-Lucan?” stuttered Kasper.

“Yes?” answered Lucan with shaking voice.

“Tell me you have a plan. For everything that’s holy to you, tell me that you know how to get us out of here in one piece.”

“W-Well, erm, I…”

“No. No no no no no!”

“Just let me think, all right? I need to… assess the situation.”

“What do you need to assess?! That: a deadly monster - us: dead meat!”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that?! But if we want to survive this encounter we need to think smart about our next step.” Standing there against the creature, Lucan began to calm enough for him to formulate a plan. After a while of stressful thinking, he said, “Poop bombs.”

“Excuse me???”

“Didn’t you hear me?! Poop bombs!”

“Wha- Ooooooooooh!!! Poop bombs!”

“Yes, poop bombs.”

“So does this mean I have your permission to make shit go boom?”

“Only that specific shit, nothing else. We still need to finish our mission.”

“Man, how can you still think about the stinking mission?”

“Training. Now do your thing.”

“Right, right.” Kasper was, within the limits of the current situation, happy. He could finally shine with his explosive personality against a worthy adversary! If only he could force himself to make a move.

“What are you waiting for?”

“It’s just that… It might recognize they are bombs and chop me into pieces before setting them off.”

“I don’t believe it will do that. At least not right away.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Its behavior. Just like a few minutes ago, it isn’t doing anything. Chasing us all the way down here, but not proceeding with killings.”

“Now that is weird.”

While the two could hide their fear for the most part, Kobi wasn’t so fortunate.

“Can you PLEEASEEE make it go away?!” There was a subtle hint of cry in his voice.

“Alright, alright! You’re acting as if we are about to die or something. Sheesh. OK then, I’m reaching for my belt, slowly!” And he was really slow, straining every muscle in his arm to keep its movements to an absolute minimum. A sloth standing next to him would appear as if doped on caffeine.

Lucan was watching him the whole time. “What are you doing?”

“Trying not to startle it.”

“Just pick those bombs and throw them at it already!”

“Pfft! OK, fine, have it your way!” He angrily reached into his pocket, picked a handful of small black balls, and threw them at it as if in tantrum. “There! Happy?!”

There were several scenarios they could have imagined once Kasper threw the bombs: a premature explosion, a late explosion, an explosion doing not nearly enough damage, an explosion that was misdirected… Basically every idea contained some form of explosion. What they got instead was something completely not expected: tiny, nasty tentacles reaching out from all over the hijacked body and eating those small bombs, not leaving a single mark after them. No flash, no sound, no smoke. Just gone.

“Well, that just happened, “ summarized Kasper. “I think it’s safe to say we are fucked.”

“Not just yet.”

“What do you mean not just yet? It ate them! They didn’t leave a dent on it! That’s an apt description of being fucked!”

“But it still isn’t doing anything. That’s a good sign.”

“It’s a sign of it playing with its food.”

“You and your pessimism.” “You still don’t believe me? Here, let me make this jump to end this fucking sharade.”

“Wait, what are you doing?!”

But it was too late. Kasper made a swift jump away from the monster to demonstrate just how wrong his leader was. And the monster did the most unusual thing he could think of: once again, absolutely nothing.

“What the- WHAT THE FUCK IS ITS PROBLEM?! First it chases us, then it stops, then it chases again and when it has us on a silver plate, it doesn’t do shit again! That thing is broken! Fuck it, let’s go!”

“No!”

“Oh fuck you Lucan! I had enough of your bullshit!”

“Just wait a second! I think I know what is happening here. And if I’m right…” He raised his foot and made a step back. Tad, as previously, did nothing.

“I give up,” Kasper threw up his arms.

“Just one more thing. Kobi, make one step back. Slowly.”

“But I’m scared.”

“I know you are. We all are. But I need you to do this one thing for me. Please? Just one slow step back, nothing more.”

“Uhm, erm, o-ok.” Kobi carefully lifted his leg and started to move it behind his back. That immediately triggered a growling in the monster. “Gah!” He quickly returned his leg back to where it was previously.

“Ha! So I was right after all!”

“I am so fucking happy for you, man. Like, I would give a hug and shit, but unfortunately this place kills the mood for it.”

“Yes, yes. Do you remember that encounter we had with the girl, the one with the book?”

“Her name was Kelly,” Kobi quickly corrected him, which awarded him an even nastier growl from the creature.

“Hush now, Kobi. Let me talk. So anyway, we heard another voice coming out of her hair. Head to be more precise. I now believe that was her boyfriend.”

“Even if so, how the hell is this supposed to help us?”

“Because now I can come up with some kind of plan to get us out of here in one piece while achieving our mission goal.”

“Do tell.”

“You see, when the goo attacked him, it went on with its business; sucking out all the brain energy and all that. But the substance wasn’t created with Woolites in mind. And there is a good reason for it: back then no Woolite was living in Mewni and they were considered extinct after the great Magical Wars with their people. My guess is that it couldn't fully merge with its host and when it was about to be done with this boy here, it wanted to jump to another victim, but at that very moment it tapped into his rage against Kobi. ”

“Because he was hitting on her!”

“Exactly! So now they are both locked in endless agony: the boy is alive just a split moment from death and the goo is dying of hunger, and both want the opposite things. Although at this point my guess would be he just wants to die.”

“Awesome mental work, dude! Now, let me ask you this: HOW THE FUCK IS THIS SUPPOSE TO HELP US?!”

“We can use Kobi here as bait.”

“What?! No! No bait! I don’t want to die!” Kobi objected.

“Don’t worry, I don’t want you dead either. We will just make sure it will follow you to a place where we can kill it. The boy deserves his peace and we deserve to live. Are you with me, Kobi?”

“So I won’t die?”

“Not if you will do exactly what I tell you to do.”

“O-OK.” Even though he agreed, he wasn’t convinced.

“This is all dandy and sweet and shit, but what is the actual plan?”

“I’m not exactly sure.”

“Say what?!”

Kobi lit up. “But the blond girl appears to know how to proceed.”

Kasper looked over his shoulder to the opening in the dark. “She was holding that flashlight this whole time? Damn she has to have a strong arm.”

“I believe it is safe to assume she wants us to follow her there. Which we’ll do.”

“Excellent idea boss, but it seems you forgot about one small, tiny, itsy-bitsy, but ever so crucial detail: we can’t move our asses out of here without turning Kobi’s ass into a ham!”

“Well it looks like the girl disagrees with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at her.”

“Why- I was just checking a minute ag- Oh.”

The girl was still holding her flashlight, but now she was pointing it at something above their heads. He looked up and saw a train car hanging on a steel rope, though he didn’t recognize the contraption holding it there.

“The fuck is that?”

“No clue. But that is unimportant right now. All we need to do is to make it fall down on that thing… that… is- Is it growling?”

“Yeah,” Kobi confirmed, “and I didn’t move from my place, like, at all. I even slowed down my breathing so I wouldn’t enrage it. It really hates me.”

“Yeah, who doesn’t? Lucan, while that thing hanging above our heads is certainly convenient, how do you want to get it down and break its skull with it?”

“Simple: with your help.”

“My help? I ain’t going up there!”

“I didn’t mean that, you simpleton. You’re a demolition expert. Don’t you have a means to shoot it down or something like that?”

“Oh that kind of help! Yeah, sure, I should have something tha- Oh, I know!” Kasper reached into his pocket again and this time he brought out something yellow and bright resting in his palm.

“A firefly.”

“Yes.”

Lucan looked at him with suspicion. “With all those explosives you have at your disposal and you picked a firefly.”

“Ah, but not just any firefly. A Blind Bandit.”

“I really hope that’s just a name.”

“Nope. It’s really blind.”

“Kasper, we don’t have time for this.”

“What?! This is the perfect solution to our problem. Look, these fireflies are rare and really hard to train.”

“You mean to tell me you trained this thing?”

“Of course! They are really dumb. Even dumber than Kobi here. But they also have what you would call an explosive personality - they make a lot of damage upon contact.”

“How come it didn’t explode in your hand?”

“Because it’s not flying, duh! So you want that thing to fall down, right? Then I’ll just point it at the rope keeping it there and BOOM!”

“How precise is it?”

Kasper was beginning to be annoyed. “It goes exactly where I show it to go. I could send it towards a moving hoving car and it would splash against it with a smile.”

“All right, I believe you. Kobi, are you ready?”

“Yes please!”

“Kasper, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Kasper aimed has hand at the illuminated rope and gently blew air at the little creature. As if being a leaf, it took off and started to fly in a straight line. “See? Easy.”

“Excellent. Now, both of you be ready to start running.”

“Running? Aren’t you exaggerating a little? We just need to move away.”

“That car won’t kill it.”

“What are you on about? Of course it will kill it!”

“A fall from 10 meters won’t end its life, so I doubt this will be successful in that regard.”

“You don’t know that!”

“Perhaps. But she does,” Lucan pointed at the girl still pointing her flashlight. “It’s apparent she wants to help and that she knows this place.”

“You think we can trust her?”

“Unclear, but we don’t have much of a choice.”

Kasper looked up. “Well, we will see soon enough. Ten seconds!”

“Kobi, we will all start running towards the girl on my mark.”

“OK!”

“Three, two, one, RUN!”

They all quickly turned around and started to run away from the creature. That enraged it and it immediately began to follow them, but it managed to make only a few steps before a loud explosion was heard above and the massive train car landed on top of it. None of them dared to look back, as they believed it would be pointless. When they were approaching the gal, she didn't wait for them and started to run as well.

“Hey, wait for us!” Lucan yelled towards her, but she didn’t pay any attention to him.

“Should we follow her?” asked Kasper.

Suddenly a loud and unnatural screech was heard from behind.

“There is no turning back. Keep running!”

The air inside the hallway they entered was stiff and old and kinda smelly. But all that was irrelevant to them. What mattered was the fact that they were being chased by a monster that now looked like a living nightmare. Kasper was the last one and he could hear it following them the best. It also meant he could just turn around and take a glimpse of it if he wanted.

Left, left, right, up the stairs.

The idea of seeing its current shape had made his mind so preoccupied that he didn’t notice the change of scenery. Instead of a plain tunnel they were now in a hallway with a lot of doors, and the further they went the wider the hallway got.

Right.

He didn’t want to turn back. The fact he could hear it more clearly with each step suggested it was getting closer. But his curiosity took hold of him and forced him to turn his head around, if only for a split second. That split second was more than enough to scare him to death.

“FUCK! That shit is really pissed we took its favorite chew toy and it wants it back! BADLY!”

“I can hear it too! It sounds extra motivated!”

“No shit! Do you still see the girl?”

“Yes! But I’m clueless as to where she is taking us!”

“We will find out in one minute!”

“Why one minute?”

“Because we will be dead in one minute!!!”

Up the stairs and through big doors.

Now the place had turned into a wide square full of shops and vending machines. There was also a weird, blueish flickering light coming from behind turnstile, which was exactly where the girl was leading them. This made Lucan suspicious and question his decision to trust her. Whatever the case, it was too late to change his mind, and all he could do was follow the whole situation through.

They turned right to the light. With full running speed they barged into an abandoned boarding platform with a huge hole in the middle of it. Lucan saw it at the last moment.

“KOBI, TURN RIGHT AND GRAB KASPER!” Even he had trouble steering his body to the side, so seeing Kobi steering his while grabbing Kasper along the way was truly something. They were safe from falling to their deaths, but not so much from being eaten.

Not five seconds later a massive black blob beyond recognition emerged out of the darkness from behind, covered by steel shrapnel and tentacles. The creature too had the problem of staying on their tails while going after them at full speed, but it managed to attach itself onto nearby pillars to keep itself from falling into the abyss. Still, a small part of its mass did lurk over it, and that small part was enough for it to sign its death warrant.

Out of the blue and without any prior indication of its presence, a huge, nasty looking reddish tentacle appeared from the sinkhole and wrapped itself around the black creature. The creature shrieked, trying to hold itself in place, but the fight was predestined to fail. It was being loud, attaching itself to various things around in total panic, but the sheer difference in size was simply too great for it to stand any chance. After a short horrifying theater they had to witness, the blob was snatched against its will down into the pitch black.

Lucan was pointing with his flashlight at the scenario the whole time and even after it was done he couldn’t force himself to move his hand away from the hole. The shock of it all took hold of his nerves, keeping him from doing anything at all.

“Well,” noted Kasper, “I believe the smaller problem is gone. Can we now panic over the bigger one?”

“I- uhm,” suttered Lucan.

“This place is fucked up, man. How anything with magic can exist in this place is beyond me.”

His mention of magic jump-started Lucan’s mind. He got back on his feet and started to search for the girl. She was the only thing he could focus on to regain his sanity after what he had just witnessed. Lucky for him, she wanted to be found. But this time she wasn't showing any sign of movement. In fact, she was standing across the chasm perfectly still, almost like a statue.

That wasn't the reassurance he was looking for.

“Uhm, OK, well, I- I think we should reach out to her here before that thing decides it needs a dessert. Kobi, are you feeling well?”

“No.” His voice was weak and silent.

But Kasper wasn't convinced by his plan. "Dude, that chick is giving me creepy vibes. And that says something, considering the shit we just went through."

"I can't deny feeling a degree of… uncertainty. I'm still shaken by these events, just like you. But that wasn't our mission."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me…"

"Without purpose we are lost. More so in this uncharted place."

"All the more reason to get the fuck out!"

"That is my goal as well, but first I need to know why she brought us here. Now, follow me around this pit. Surely a few extra steps wouldn't hurt you."

Kasper mumbled something inaudible but agreed to get a move on, quite reluctantly though, as the passage to the other side was narrow and the possibility of being eaten alive very much probable.

Kobi was shaken the most, almost to the point of not being able to move from his place; a place he grew to like over the last few minutes. It gave him a sense of security, even if it was false.

Lucan, who had some problem of coping with the situation himself, needed to muster every last drop of confidence he had left to comfort him. "Look, Kobi, the pretty girl is just over there. We just need to get to her and then we will be on our way."

"I don't like her."

Kasper felt the need to join the discussion. "At least something we can agree on."

But Lucan quickly shut him off with a look in his eyes. "We will just check what she wants, nothing more."

Kobi looked up with his sad puppy eyes. "And we go?"

"Of course."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

He looked over to the girl just standing there with an unnatural look on her face. "Well ok."

Lucan grabbed his hand, though thanks to his massive body it was a mere symbolic gesture. He then turned to Kasper. "Lead the way."

"Gee, thanks."

They were moving along the edge of the pit in one line making sure not to fall down. Only Lucan kept watching the girl, than his own footsteps. She didn't appear to show any signs of movement and the flickering blue light above her was giving her an almost eerie feeling. Just before he was behind a pillar, she suddenly turned her head his way and smiled. But it wasn't a smile of a girl; it was a smile of a winner.

And as if she wasn't really there, once they got past the pillar, she was gone. He quickly approached the spot he had seen her standing. The floor was dusty, but didn't have any footsteps. The creepy feelings intensified, as did Kobi's anxiety.

"Can we go now?"

"Not yet."

Kasper disagreed. "Oh come on, dude! Now you're just being an asshole. There is nothing here!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Think about it: we enter a centuries old piece of architecture, seemingly abandoned for the same length of time, and then this person appears out of nowhere and starts helping us, leading us to a specific place. This place."

"You're just making absurd connections that aren't there."

"I don't think they are. It's beginning to make perfect sense to me now."

"How convenient that your brain lit up in this place in particular."

"Your doubts are understandable. But I believe I can disperse the gloom looming over your head - with this."

"Your doohickey?"

"I'm convinced that if I'll turn it on here, it'll immediately light up."

"I want to see that."

And so Lucan flipped it on and to Kasper's surprise, and to Kobi's relief, it did just that.

"Well I'll be…"

"I believe that she wasn't just leading us out of harm's way. She was also leading us to the very thing we came here to search for."

"How's that even possible???"

"I have no idea, and just this once I'm fine with it."

"But what about the pretty girl?" asked Kobi.

Kasper nodded. "I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with him, but he has a point. She did help us after all."

"I don't think she wants to be found."

"What makes you think that?"

"Do you see her?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then we're leaving her where she wants to be. Now, let's see what we get here."

Kasper was somewhat shocked by his response, but taking into account what happened and the place they were in, he just shrugged it off.

"Well, even though we're here, wherever 'here' is, how the hell do we know what to look for? Do you know what the damn thing even looks like?"

"Not yet. Here, hold the flashlight. I'm going to find the source."

Lucan's apparatus was definitely going crazy, but still wasn't at its peak level. Aware of this fact, he began to search the place. He was glad when the signal weakened when he pointed it towards the pit. But when facing what appeared to be a glass wall, the readings hit the ceiling.

"In there! Kasper, shine some light into it."

The light rays revealed a curious sight: toys. A lot of them, being thrown around the place in random order.

Kasper was surprised. "A toy shop?"

On the other hand, Kobi was happy. "Yay! Toys! Can I take one?"

"We didn't come here to steal useless crap, you doofus! Now, which shit in there is the thing we're looking for?"

"I'm not sure. My equipment isn't that sensitive."

"Then you better make it sensitive enough, because I sure as hell ain't going in there to search for it!"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Go back a little. Yes, there! Do you see it?"

"See what exactly?"

"It's buried beneath all those toys, but I think I can see a small part of it peeking out."

"I see nothing."

"You will. Kobi, break the glass, please."

"Wee, toys!" Kobi broke it with quite the enthusiasm, resulting in glass shattering all over the place.

Kasper shielded himself from the spray of glass. "Not so hard, you fucking twat! You almost cut us!"

"Oopsie. Can I take toys now?"

"No! Lucan, tell me you see that damn thing."

"Indeed I do. Hold on."

He reached his hand into the pile of cushy toys. To his surprise they were in quite good condition for being hundreds of years old. But this realization went quickly away when he touched a very slick handle and felt a slight tingling sensation in his fingers.

"Got it."

And when he brought it out, they couldn't believe their own eyes.

Kobi’s pupils almost dilated with glee. "What a beautiful toy!!!" he gasped.

What was a mere toy to Kobi, was something entirely different to Kasper and Lucan. A wide range of new possibilities opened just before their eyes.

"No. Fucking. Way. It can't be!"

"But it is! Do you realize what this means? This changes everything! We can finally make a final move against the queen!"

They were silently staring at the object in Lucan's hand. The handle was smooth, with a spiral ornament and a small crystal at the bottom. On the other side it had a star shaped crystal surrounded by small hearts and embedded in half a sphere, which had two wings attached on both sides.

Lucan was ecstatic. "The ultimate source of magic in the whole world: a magical wand!"

"But I thought there is only one and it belongs to the queen."

"I'm holding the proof that we were wrong this entire time!"

But then Kasper noticed something weird about it. "Uhm, dude? Not to ruin your parade, but doesn't it look kinda weird to you? Because to me it looks dead. There are barely any colors, just shades of grey."

Lucan clearly didn't like Kasper's remark. "It is of no consequence. We have it. It is ours. We can use. We will use it."

"Yeah, sure, awesome stuff, except that we are still stuck in this hellhole. How the fuck do we get out?! We can’t go back the way we came in."

It was unclear if the wand actually heard his question, or that it could even understand his question; but the fact remained that for a few seconds it regained all of its colors and shined bright as a sun, followed by lights lighting up a hallway leading to a stairway. They kept staring at the possibly most convenient getaway that ever existed. After being tired by looking just one way, they carefully looked down at the wand, expecting it to talk to them or something similar. But it remained silent.

“That didn’t just happen, right?” asked Kasper, looking for moral support. “I mean, wands aren’t alive, right?”

“Sentient is the word you are looking for. And honestly I’m not sure about anything anymore, except that this thing is the key to our victory. So let’s just accept this offering of good faith and get back to base.”

“Spooky wand,” added Kobi.

They left the horrors of Warnicorn Metro behind and began to rise to the surface. The climb was quite long and exhausting, but after all they went through, this was a walk in the park. And truth to be told, they enjoyed it. After all, they had the most powerful, and most likely also the only known, weapon strong enough to defeat and kill the queen, Omnia Butterfly.

[sweetiepie08]

Rebel Z (Chapter 1)

Invader Zim fanfic

While analyzing Zim’s PAK for weaknesses, Tak discovers strange coding that sends her on a search for answers. The clues lead her to uncover a conspiracy that governs all of Irken society. When the truth sends her on the run, she has no choice but to return to the one place the Tallest would never willingly go: Urth.

Meanwhile, Dib has noticed odd changes in Zim’s behavior. Has the invader simply grown bored of his mission over the last few years, or is there something more interesting going on?

People who asked to be tagged: @incorrect-invader-zim , @messinwitheddie, @reblogstupids, @cate-r-gunn

If anyone else would like to be added to the tag list please let me know.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3.  Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6.  Chapter 7.  Chapter 8.  Chapter 9. 

[-]

Tak sat on the sidewalk, leaning against Zim’s fence and making sure she stayed out of sight from the security cameras. Her fingers tapped an impatient rhythm on the top of the gift box by her side. She kept her eyes trained on the street, waiting for the SIR unit to arrive home.

It’d been years since she first came to Urth and tried to snatch the planet out from under that undeserving worm. She told herself it was nothing personal. The Irken Elite didn’t get caught up in petty personal vendettas. It was about proving her herself worthy as an invader and proving Zim unfit for even a fake mission. She’d lied to herself then. Not anymore.

She made a few more attempts over the years. Each time Zim and those meddlesome humans thwarted her. Every failure ended with her going off-planet to regroup and examine where she went wrong. After so many defeats, she finally had to admit to herself this was personal. This was about Zim and her fatal flaw was underestimating him.

A whistled tune caught her antenna and she looked up to see Zim’s SIR unit, called GIR, walking toward the base. He was dressed in his dog costume and he carried a bag of groceries. She stood up and put on a fake smile as the robot skipped its way over.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice gratingly sweet. “Aren’t you Zim’s SIR unit?”

“Hellooo…” Gir sing-songed in reply.

“Listen, I know Zim and I haven’t had the best relationship and I wanted to make it up to him. I got him this present to say sorry for all the times I tried to ruin his mission. Could you make sure he gets it? There’s a jumbo bag of gummy bears in it for you.”

“Okie-dokie!” The head of GIR’s costume opened up and a claw arm flew out of his head. It snatched the gift box and drew it back inside his head’s storage compartment. He then gave her a little wave and scampered into the house.

Once he was inside, Tak got down and army-crawled to the base’s window, careful not to set off any motion sensors. As she peered inside, she could see Zim, sitting on the couch, looking over something on an Irken computing tablet.

“GIR, good, you’re home,” he said, not looking up from his work. “I’ve just finished drawing up the plans for-”

“I got a present for you!” GIR squealed as the gift box popped out of his head.

“Eh? A gift for Zim?”

GIR nodded vigorously.

“Huh.” Zim set aside the tablet and slid off the couch. “Well, thank you GIR,” he said, picking up the box. “Wait, this isn’t full of moldy tacos again, is it?”

GIR shrugged “I dunno.”

“You don’t know?”

GIR shook his head.

“This isn’t from you?”

GIR shook again.

Zim narrowed his eyes and examined the box. He gave it a light shake and placed an antenna on it to listen. Finally, he looked at the tag.

TAk smiled. She could imagine his heart dropping as he read the words.

“Night-night? Tak?” Zim threw the box on the ground. “Computer! Activate defensive maneuver number-”

Before he could finish, MiMi jumped out of the box holding an electrified shocking fork. She jabbed it into his neck. Electricity coursed through his body and he fell to the floor in a heap.

“Master?” GIR gave Zim a poke.

MiMi swept to the door and let Tak in. Once inside, she disabled her human disguise. “He’s napping,” she said, dropping a large bag of Urth candy at GIR’s feet. “Here’s your gummy bears. I’ll take him downstairs to rest.”

The SIR unit began gleefully digging through the bag as Tak grabbed Zim’s ankle and dragged him to the kitchen. MiMi followed close behind. They took the elevator down to the base’s main computer lab and walked over to the control panel. She stuck Zim’s body in the control seat and plugged in his PAK. The computer lit up, showing a log-in screen. She placed Zim’s hand on the identification pad and, just like that, she gained access to the computer network.

“MiMi, restrain him.”

Her SIR until gave a solute, then pulled a roll of duct tape out oh her head and taped Zim down.

Tak turned back to the computer and inserted a programing disc. She grinned as her coding filled the screen. It was her best work yet, a near perfect copy of the Control Brain’s PAK reading system. Only the Massive held such technology. She’d waited three Urth years for this moment. Three years of consorting with shady figures from the back alleys of space. Three years of making deals with backdoor hackers. Three years of trading favors to gain access to the technology she needed. It all lead up to this moment, the moment when she finally learned how to crush Zim once and for all.

MiMi tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned to look, MiMi pointed to Zim and made a slashing motion across her throat.

“No, Mimi, we can’t kill him yet.” It was true. She could easily kill him now while he was vulnerable, but it wouldn’t be satisfying. When she finally claimed her vengeance, she wanted his eyes to be wide open.

The computer dinged, alerting her that the program was ready to run. She turned back to the screen and looked into the wicked eyes of her own reflection. “Alright, let’s see what makes Zim, Zim.”

She swiped her hand across the control panel, opening a starting page. It outlined Zim’s basic information.

Name: Zim

Age: 16.6

Occupation: Food Service Drone

Assignment: Foodcourtia, Banishment.

So far, so good. Now she just had to run the error check simulation. She typed in the command and waited for the program to work its magic. When it finished, the alert sound blared and the word DEFECTIVE flashed across the screen in big, red letters.

“Hmmm… No surprise there, MiMi, but I need more. Let’s get more specific.”

She typed in a few more commands and the screen showed her a list of all of Zim’s defective areas broken down by category. The list was long, too long to go over before Zim woke. Two categories caught her eye: PAK Installations and Irken Traits. These two seemed curious. She opened the file for PAK Installations first. A list popped up.

PAK Installations

·        Perseverance: 89342/10

·        Loyalty: 324/10

·        Penchant for destruction: 352301/10

·        Susceptibility to propaganda: 134/10

Tak’s mouth turned downward as she read over the list. Every Irken knew the PAK boosted certain personality traits to ensure successful service to the Empire. However, only the highest-ranking PAK engineers knew what. Some of these were to be expected. Of course, an Irken must persevere in the face of opposition and remain loyal to the Empire. Those were obvious. And she supposed a soldier must be capable of a little destruction. But susceptibility to propaganda?

She switched off the PAK Installations and looked into Irken Traits. Surely this section would reveal enhancements made to the already superior race. Why else would the PAKs monitor their natural Irken inclinations?

Irken Traits

·        Creativity: 3342/0

·        Personal ambition: 3625/0

·        Need for companionship: 334/0

·        Need for affection: 3420/0

·        Sense of individuality: 4280/0

·        Survival instinct: 4406/2

Tak took a step back as she analyzed what this meant. Suspicion crept through her like a parasite and the truth glared down at her from a screen. Irken traits were meant to be blocked? This couldn’t be the norm. There had to be some mistake. Zim was a defective after all. Perhaps these blocks were just part of his defects. Or maybe his PAK was changed after the mess he made of Impending Doom I. Yes, that must be it. The Control Brains must have tried to take away certain skills to prevent further disasters. But if these blocks were deliberate, why didn’t the levels match up? Surely the Control Brain would have caught these errors during re-encoding. And could she even be certain that these blocks were unique to Zim? To be sure, she’d have to compare his results to those of a standard PAK.

Her hand unconsciously reached back and brushed the top of hers. It was the only PAK immediately available. She hadn’t tested the program on herself before. It would have been the smart thing to do, instead of coming all this way without testing it on a real PAK. She told herself that her ship wouldn’t have enough power to generate a full reading, but that wasn’t entirely true. She could have at least attempted a partial reading, just to make sure.  What stopped her?

She unplugged Zim’s PAK and plugged in her own. Her start page appeared on the screen.

                                                                   Name: Tak

                                                                   Age: 16.9

                                                                   Occupation: Janitorial Squad

                                                                   Assignment: Dirt (planet)

She scowled at her demeaning encoding. It should read “invader” or at the very least “Irken Elite.” She had everything they wanted. She excelled at every training. She passed every testing simulation she took. She made herself the best of the best. The final test should have been a mere formality. If not for the idiot taped to the chair behind her, she would be in her rightful place.

She typed in the command for the error check. Yet another formality as far as she was concerned. It was required to view her own stats. An error reading should be impossible. After all, she was everything the empire wanted her to be. She worked, and studied, and molded herself into the shape of a perfect Irken soldier. There was no way she could be…

DEFECTIVE

              The word flashed across the screen in glaring red letters. The alert sound shook her antenna and the light from the screen burned her eyes. Her mouth fell open and her body broke into a sweat. “No! It can’t be!” She must have gone wrong somewhere, made some mistake. It was the software. That was it.  That was the problem, not her PAK.

              You know that’s not true, her own sinister mind whispered back to her. It was right. The PAKs were designed to be completely secure from enemy tampering. A PAK could only be accessed with specific Irken equipment and software. If there was a flaw in her coding, it should not have connected to the PAK at all. The only way for her to even be seeing this word was if her software perfectly imitated that of the Control Brain’s programing.

              She pressed on, swiping straight to the PAK Installations.

PAK Installations

·        Perseverance: 1344/10

·        Loyalty: 10/10

·        Penchant for destruction: 10/10

·        Susceptibility to propaganda: 5/10

So, at least her errors were not as off as Zim’s. Her loyalty and penitent for destruction were at the ideal levels according to the reading. But her susceptibility to propaganda was too low? And perseverance too high? And these were considered errors? Were these not good qualities to have? There was something strange going on here, to be sure.

She swiped over the Irken traits.

Irken Traits

·        Creativity: 3542/0

·        Personal ambition: 5437/0

·        Need for companionship: 23/0

·        Need for affection: 10/0

·        Sense of individuality: 4281/0

·        Individual survival instinct: 4192/2

A smug smile came to her face when she realized her creativity and ambition outmatched Zim’s, but it quickly disappeared when she saw what her ideal levels were. Zeros all around, just like him. According to the reading, she should have no creativity, no ambition, no individuality… She barely even had a survival instinct. She should be nothing. Was this what the Empire really wanted? Just mindless drones?

This wasn’t right. Something deep down in her gut told her so. These characteristics were assets. They were what helped make the Irken race so great. But if Irkens were superior, why were their natural traits being blocked? Something was wrong, very wrong.

Perhaps the problem was in the encoding. She and Zim were technically assigned to menial occupations when they both had the training of the Irken Elite. Their jobs didn’t match their skill-level. Tak was clearly meant for something greater and Zim… Zim was an anomaly all his own.

But even if that was the case, these stats still didn’t make sense. Did a janitor or food service drone not have the right to see themselves as an individual? Did they not deserve the ambition to aspire to something greater? Or to be creative in their assigned professions? And what did a level 2 survival instinct entail, anyway? Just the wherewithal to get out of the way of a crashing ship? Or the ability to look before falling off a cliff? Nothing about this added up.

Still, she only had the data for 2 allegedly defective Irkens of low rank. If she wanted answers, she’d have to look at a PAK which bore a higher rank. Luckily, she knew just where to find one.

“MiMi,” she said, shutting down her program and removing the disc. “We’re leaving.”

MiMi cocked her head to the side and pointed at Zim.

“Leave him for now. Something more important has come up.”

MiMi nodded and followed Tak out of the room.

After a quick raid of Zim’s fuel stores, Tak and MiMi made their way out of the base. They went to the backyard where she parked her ship. She uncloaked it, revealing a grey, outdated, Vortian vessel. It was all she’d been able to acquire since she was forced to eject from her Spittle Runner. Yet another loss she could attribute to Zim. It wasn’t quite up to the standards of modern Irken vehicles, but she’d been able to modify it to run on an Irken operating system. At the very least, it allowed her to blend in both inside and out of Irken controlled space.

As MiMi added fuel to the tank’s ship, Tak climbed inside. “Computer,” she commanded, waking the ship’s A.I.

“Yes Master,” the robotic voice answered.

She’d never bothered to download her personality into the A.I. like she had on the Spittle Runner. It didn’t feel right. Her last ship was her pride and joy. She’d turned that thing from a pile of scrap metal to a vessel capable of outrunning even the latest creations of the Irken military engineers. That ship was worthy of her mark. What she wouldn’t give to have it back.

“Awaiting orders,” the computer reminded her.

MiMi finished fueling and hopped into the cockpit.

“Computer, bring up the coordinates of the last known location of Invader Skoodge.”