#large birds and sudden gusts of wind

[canisalbus]

So when you showed us crumpled napkin Machete I instantly was reminded of this (but then forgot because I am distractible).

.

[cozyfoxy]

Time is On Our Side part 1

Summary: In 2010, AmazingPhil decided to make a video trying to time travel. He ends up meeting his boyfriend Dan in the year 2023 as well as himself, and he has a lot of questions.

Genre: Time Travel au, 2010Phanx2023Phan

Warnings: Sexual tension/undertones

Read on AO3

“This is a stupid idea,” Phil laughed at himself as he collected everything that he needed for a spell. 

“My grandma was a psychic woman, and apparently, she passed the gift on to me. The last time I tried something magic was the tarot reading I did for myself, which you all think was about Danisnotonfire! Well, I thought I would try something more interesting today. My grandma used to tell me a story when I was a kid, about when she was trying to time-travel into the past, to see her husband as a teen. But, there was a mistake and she ended up in the future! She knew the exact date of my birth years before my mum was even pregnant with me. And I happen to have the same spell that she used!” Phil said in an animated voice to the camera. 

Phil grabbed three yellow candles and made a large triangle. He lit each candle carefully with a match before turning off his bedroom light. He heaved a sigh and sat in the middle of the triangle he had created, using salt to link each candle. 

“I’m going to try to take my camera with me into the future. I want to film all of it if it works. I think it would be fun to see my friends when they’re older. Or if I meet my older self! How awesome would that be?” Phil rambled, looking at the old piece of paper in his hand. 

Phil smiled at the camera, grabbing it in his hand. “Alright, here goes nothing.”

He looked carefully at the piece of paper, wanting to be sure that he said the spell correctly. After reading it three times, he felt no different than before. The flames of his candles didn’t move or change, nor did the salt that surrounded him.

“Well, that was a complete failure.” He giggled, shaking his head at himself. 

Phil sighed and went to turn his camera off, only to feel a sudden gust of cold wind. He shivered and looked around nervously. It was the middle of summer, there was no reason for the cold temperature. He swallowed nervously and focused on the candles, the flames growing larger and larger right before his eyes. Phil opened his mouth to scream, just before everything went completely black. 

~

The first thing that Phil became aware of was the cold drops of water hitting his back and the sound of cars racing by on the road. He swallowed thickly and whined, willing the cold feeling to stop. He breathed in deeply and smelled autumn leaves and something sugary.  An odd smell for the middle of summer, he decided. 

“You alright there lad?” A voice asked, someone touching Phil’s shoulder. 

Phil cringed at the feeling, whimpering pathetically as he was turned over onto his back. He blinked a few times against the rain before searching for the source of the voice. His stomach lurched a bit when his eyes met with another pair that made him think of hot chocolate. He felt almost like he might vomit, but his stomach was empty. 

“Am I dead?” Phil asked weakly, trying to sit up and failing miserably. 

The brown-eyed man’s laugh reminded Phil oddly of a hyena, but it was charming nonetheless. He looked the man up and down, taking in his curly hair, dripping from the rain. The man looked a bit familiar, his dimples making Phil’s heart flutter like the wings of a bird. 

“Nah mate, but you might be if you don’t get out of this rain.” The man scolded, holding out a hand to help Phil stand.

Phil took the hand thankfully and pushed his black fringe from his eyes. The man in front of him gasped suddenly and moved closer to Phil. Phil was surprised that the man was taller than him, not many people were. He raised an eyebrow confusedly at the oddly familiar stranger. 

“Wait… Phil?” the man asked, sounding worlds away.

Phil blinked and wrapped his arms around himself. He was still in just a T-shirt and black skinny jeans, not proper for this kind of weather. “How do you know my name?” He asked brokenly as his teeth chattered.

The man laughed again, shrugging out of his expensive-looking jacket and helping Phil put it on. It smelled amazing and it was comforting, familiar even. The arms were a little too long and they gave Phil sweater paws. He giggled and wrapped his hands with the loose sleeves, feeling warmer by the second.

“It’s me, Dan. I always thought you were insane when you talked about meeting me in the future. I wonder if my Phil is still here? Would he move into the past while you’re here? Or would he still be here? How does all of this work?” The man- Dan, rambled on while absentmindedly rubbing Phil’s arms to warm him up. 

Phil blushed darkly as he listened to Dan. It seemed like Dan still didn’t know how to stop yapping, even in the future. “Wait… the spell worked?! I did it as a joke, there’s no fucking way it worked!” Phil argued, reaching for the camera that he had tucked in his jeans pocket. Nothing was there…he had to be dreaming. 

“Your camera didn’t come with you. I remember you, well my Phil, telling me that. Here, follow me. I don’t want you to get sick. I’ll bring you to ours.” Dan offered, leading Phil away from where they were.

He somewhat recognized where they were, somewhere in London, definitely near a Starbucks as Dan had a still-hot cup in his hand. Phil looked longingly at the drink, wondering idly how far they had to walk. Dan noticed and smiled, showing off his dimples again. Wordlessly, he pressed the hot drink into Phil’s hands. 

Phil blushed again and took a sip, nearly moaning as sweet caramel coffee coated his tongue and throat, “a caramel macchiato, my favorite.”

“I know, you spoon. I got it for my Phil but I’m sure he’ll understand.” Dan shrugged, pulling a car key from his pocket and clicking it. 

Phil’s eyes widened in shock when the headlights of a suave-looking black car blinked on and off, “wait… We have a car in the future? I can drive?!” he asked eagerly. 

The older man laughed at Phil, shaking his head, “Yes we have a car. Most of the time we still take cabs or whatever, but we live on the outskirts of London so it’s sometimes good to have a car. And no, you don’t drive. You’re my passenger princess.” 

Dan opened the passenger door for Phil before hopping into the driver’s side and turning the heat up nearly all the way. Phil sat in awe of the touchscreen on the dashboard but didn’t ask any questions about it. He focused hard on trying to warm up while Dan drove them away from the city.

“What year is it?” Phil asked, nibbling on his thumbnail.

“It’s 2023, it’s the beginning of October. From the looks of you, you’re from sometime in 2010?” Dan questioned, driving carefully down the rainy streets of London.

Phil blushed deeply and nodded, “Uh… yeah, how’d you know?” 

Dan chuckled, “I’m Phil trash number one. I know you inside and out if you catch my drift.” 

“I…uh, well…” Phil rambled, trying to make sense of what was happening. He felt his cheeks burning and hid his face with his hands. 

“Sorry dear, I forgot how shy you used to be. Well, are. Do you have any more questions right now?” Dan asked, smirking a bit at Phil.

Phil pouted a bit at Dan’s teasing tone, “I’m not shy. I’m just not used to talking to someone like you. So, we’re… still together, right? You said we have a place on the outskirts, so we live together? We’re still together?” He asked softly, pushing his black fringe from his eyes nervously.

Dan smiled kindly, “You’ve always been intimidated by older men. And yeah, we’re still together. We built a career together on YouTube and we still have a pretty large audience. A few years ago we started having our house built.”

A rush of pride swept through Phil’s chest at Dan’s words. They made it through all the odds. Sexuality had always been a struggle for Dan and though Phil was as supportive as he could be, he knew all too well that the internet could cause issues when it came to secrets. He smiled to himself while he watched out the window. 

“So… are you out of the closet now? Am I?” He asked shyly, turning to look at Dan.

Dan chuckled, “I came out back in 2019, in a forty-five-minute long video. It was one of the scariest times of my life, but I knew it was time. Then, a couple of weeks after my video, you- well, my Phil, came out too. Wanted to give me time to take in all the love and support before he got involved too.” He smiled and blushed, winking at Phil.

Phil giggled at him, “Wow… that’s amazing. I’m proud of you bear.” 

“Oi, none of that. You’ll make me emotional.” Dan scolded lightly. 

The younger man giggled again and watched curiously as Dan drove towards a somewhat large house. He could tell it was relatively new because of the paint job. He felt cozy just looking at it, the house of his dreams truly. It looked similar to the house that he and his Dan had designed over Skype during one of their late-night conversations. It didn’t feel real.   

“Welcome to the phouse.” Dan chuckled, parking the car and climbing out. He shuffled around the car quickly, opening the door for Phil, “Let’s get you inside and out of those wet clothes.”

Phil climbed out of the car nervously. He gnawed on his lip automatically, his anxiety taking control of his actions. Dan linked their elbows and led him up the stairs leading to the front door. There were two pumpkins by the door, sitting on a simple wooden bench. Dan pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, leading Phil inside.

“Oh honey, I’m home!” Dan called, taking his shoes off and setting them to the side, “And you’ll never guess who I found out in the rain!” 

Phil copied Dan’s actions clumsily, setting his shoes by the older man’s. He realized quickly how fancy Dan’s shoes looked beside his own worn-down converses. It suddenly hit him just how successful he would be in the future and he felt overwhelmed, a slight dizziness blurring his vision slightly. 

The loud sound of heavy footsteps going downstairs filled the hallway, and Phil hid behind Dan. He nervously buried his face between Dan’s shoulder blades. Though he couldn’t understand why, seeing himself in the future felt terrifying. Would future him even recognize who he was? What if this Phil was mean? Could he ever be mean?

“Who’s hiding behind you bub?” A voice asked, making Phil attempt to appear smaller. 

Dan chuckled, “You know who it is love. You’ve told me for years that this was the day you traveled to in 2010. I never really believed you until now though.” he shrugged. 

“Come on out now. You’re me, you should know I’m not going to hurt you.” future Phil smiled, walking behind Dan. 

The younger Phil pulled away from Dan slowly and looked at his future self with a gasp, jumping back and stumbling in shock. He tried to catch himself against the wall but failed, falling towards the hardwood floor with his eyes clenched tightly shut. Dan caught him easily and steadied him again with a smile. 

“I… uh thank you, Dan” he whispered, looking into Dan’s brown eyes with a blush. 

Dan laughed and wrapped his arm around future Phil’s waist, “I’ve had years of practice. Unfortunately for both of us, you never stop being a clumsy oof.” 

Future Phil scowled and shoved him playfully, “You’re just as clumsy, we’re just too long! Anyway, it’s good to see you, Phil. I knew it would happen, Dan! He was right where I said too, wasn’t he?”

Dan groaned and nodded, “Yes Philip, he was. Now go get him some clothes before he freezes!” 

Older Phil rolled his eyes playfully before running back up the stairs, his footsteps loud and clumsy. He was clearly excited to have been right about the time travel. Younger Phil however, was very much on edge. He was in a strange place with the love of his life who was suddenly older than him, and the older version of himself that was so attractive, Phil couldn’t process it. Was that weird to think? 

Dan snickered beside him, pushing Phil’s black fringe from his eyes carefully, “You’ve always been gorgeous, but damn, your thirties make you look delicious, yeah?” He asked teasingly. 

Phil stuttered and turned his face, trying desperately to hide his blush, “I… no, well yeah… but no, that’s weird isn’t it? Like I can’t think things like that.” he rambled nervously. 

“You can think whatever you want Philly. Anyone with eyes can see how pretty you get, how pretty you’ve always been.” Dan whispered, leaning closer to the younger man. 

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from upstairs, and older Phil appeared, holding a hoodie and pajama pants in his hands, “Dan stop flirting with him and let him get changed.” He scolded playfully, handing the clothes to his younger self with a laugh. 

“Um… where can I change?” Phil asked quietly, trying to ignore the teasing between the men in front of him. 

Dan chuckled, “Well you can change here… it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, right bub?” 

Older Phil groaned dramatically and took his younger self’s hand, leading him to the downstairs bathroom, “Sorry about him. He’s always thinking with his cock, that never changes.” He chuckled, holding the door open for the younger Phill to walk through. 

“It’s okay. It’s just he’s so hot and older men… and fuck! Why am I telling you this? Sorry…” Younger Phil whimpered, shuffling into the bathroom. 

The older man laughed again, “It’s okay Philly, I am you. I know he’s hot but so are you. So are we I could say. And just so it doesn’t get confusing we’re going to call you Philly until you leave, sound good?”

Philly nodded slowly at that, “Yeah…that’s fine. Thank you.” 

Phil hummed and shut the door, “We’ll be on the couch in the lounge where we just were. Just come find us. I gotta make my adorable, loveable partner stop thinking with the wrong head, wish me luck.” 

Dan looked up when Phil walked back into the room, “I’m ordering some pizza for us all. You said he’ll be here until midnight, yeah? I’m sure he’s hungry.” 

“Oi, don’t distract me with food. You’re in trouble, mister! Stop flirting with the younger me! Do you remember how shy I used to be?” Phil scolded, laying on the sofa and resting his head in Dan’s lap. 

The brunette absentmindedly ran his fingers through his partner’s hair, smiling mischievously, “Yeah mate, I do. I also remember how horny you would get. But I’ll back off. You said nothing sexy would happen this time anyway. I’m not making you uncomfortable, right? Or him? I don’t want to be a creep.” 

Philly walked back into the room, the spare clothes hanging a bit loosely against his pale skin, “you’re not making me uncomfortable�� just flustered.” He explained, walking over to the two men. 

Dan smiled sheepishly, “Sorry about that. It’s just exciting to have two Phils around.” He explained, patting the space next to him on the couch.

“Yeah, I imagine I would be acting the same way if I had two Dans walking around.” Philly giggled, sitting down carefully. 

Phil and Dan snickered and looked at each other knowingly, “Trust me, you would act even worse.” Phil explained, sighing happily as Dan continued to play with his hair. 

Philly froze, “You say that like you know…” He whispered, staring at the older version of himself. He couldn’t help but admire how Phil’s shirt was rolled up just enough to show off his pale hips and part of his tummy. The light brown hair that moved from his belly button and down into his sweatpants made Philly nervous. Was he thirsting after himself?

“Well, yeah. You really think we only time travel once? Morbid curiosity tends to get the best of us, and of Dan.” Phil explained with a chuckle, nuzzling his cheek into Dan’s thigh. 

Dan shuddered, “don’t do that unless you plan on doing something about it bub.” He scolded, playfully pinching his partner’s cheek, “I just ordered some pizza for us all, should be here in like twenty minutes now.” 

Philly nodded thankfully, nervously letting himself get comfortable on the couch. The house was nice and warm, it smelled slightly of cinnamon and vanilla, a scented candle was clearly nearby. He looked around contentedly, trying not to miss his own Dan. They hadn’t seen each other since the YouTuber Jamacian holiday, which had been just a week ago. It felt like a few lifetimes for Phil. What if Dan was trying to call him now? 

“Hey, don’t stress about your Dan. He won’t even realize you were gone until you tell him. Time stopped passing in your realm and won’t start again until you go home.” Dan explained, squeezing Philly’s hand in reassurance. 

Philly smiled at the touch, “can you read my mind or something?” He asked halfheartedly. 

“Feels like it sometimes. I guess when you find a love like ours, you just learn how to read your partner like an open book. I can normally understand how Phil- well, how both of you, are feeling at any time just by the faces you guys make.” Dan explained with a shrug, turning his attention back to his Phil who had fallen asleep. 

Philly looked at his older self again, feeling warm, “Do I fall asleep like that a lot?”

Dan paused for a moment, turning to look at Philly again, “Only sometimes really. Yesterday was a bad migraine day, so he didn’t get much restful sleep. He only does this when he’s exhausted or just really comfy. It’s probably both this time. He’s been so excited for you to come, to prove that he wasn’t joking with me. I knew he wasn’t joking, but I still have a hard time believing in this magic bullshit.” 

“How else would I be here?” Philly asked quietly, frowning at the migraine comment. He had always gotten migraines here and there, but never so bad that he couldn’t sleep. The thought scared him .

Dan chuckled, “there isn’t any other way that I can think of actually, so I just accept it. Go on now, ask your questions. I can tell you have a ton.”

Philly blushed, not used to being so transparent with his thoughts and feelings, “um… was it hard? Being together I mean. I know you always struggled, especially as we got more popular. Seems like we get famous or something, so how hard was it to be… well, us?” He rambled, playing with Dan’s fingers anxiously.

“Oh dear, it was the scariest and most difficult thing of our lives. We always felt like we had to hide, not just because I didn’t want to be outed, but because what we have is so fucking important and special, we wanted it to be private. There were a lot of scares, a lot of anger between us and fights. We took a break but it didn’t last long, we couldn’t be just friends and we sure as hell couldn’t hate each other. Mistakes will happen to you soon, to both of us soon and it will be hard. It will feel like the end, I will turn into a dick for awhile and hurt you. And I’m sorry, even now. We will hurt each other, worry and hurt our fans and especially worry your family. But we always came back to each other. I don’t like to say soulmates, I don’t think souls exist. But I guess people would say that we are soulmates.” Dan rambled softly, squeezing Philly’s hand again.

Philly chewed his lip nervously, “you can tell me what happens and I can fix it you know? So we don’t have to go through that pain.” He suggested. 

Dan shook his head, “No. It was scary, and so fucking hard but it made us realize how much we needed each other. If I had to go back and relive it, I would. And I know one day you will feel the same way. No matter what we go through, how scary it gets, we always find out way back to each other. Back home. Don’t forget that, okay?”

“Oh… okay, I believe you. But I’m a little scared.” Philly whispered, “what if I’m not brave enough? Or strong enough to take care of my Dan when this happens?”

Dan paused and pulled his hand away from Philly’s, using it to cup the younger man’s cheek, “my best piece of advice is to remember that you don’t need to take care of him. You both need to take care of each other. It takes a lot of time, but you will learn to be doted on and taken care of.”

Philly leaned into the touch, closing his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks, “you promise?”

“Yes you spoon, I promise.” Dan smiled, gently moving his Phil’s head from his lap, “bubby, the pizza is here. I need to go grab it.”

Phil groaned and shuffled away from Dan, curling into a ball against the side of the couch. Dan stood up with a hum and ran to the front door, grabbing the pizzas with a thank you. 

“Wow. I didn’t expect him to get up and grab the food.” Philly laughed softly, making eye contact with his future self.

Phil smiled, “oh yeah, he spoils me. It’s nice to be his princess sometimes.”

Philly turned a deep red at Phil’s words, “don’t say stuff like that. I’m no one’s princess.”

Phil laughed and sat up completely while Dan shuffled around in the kitchen, the sounds of plates and glasses clattering and the smell of fresh pizza wafting into the lounge. Soon, Dan came walking in with three plates, three glasses and two bottles of Cola. 

“We have a meat lovers and a supreme, and some chips of course. I’ll bring the bbq sauce and ketchup in a minute. Lemme go grab the food and some kitchen roll. One Phil is messy, I can only imagine how messy two will be.” He teased, running back out of the room. 

Philly sat stiffly, shock painting his features, “Is he always like that?” 

“Yep. He spoils me just as much as I spoil him. He’s a bit extra though. Our fans love it though.” Phil smiled, seeming proud of himself. 

The three men ate quickly, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer playing on the tv as a way to keep Philly’s nerves at bay. It wasn’t long befor Philly found himself dozing off between the two older men. His head was buried against his future self’s neck and his legs were draped comfortably across Dan’s lap. Both men were holding his hands, thumbs moving across the skin soothingly. 

“Is it bad that I don’t want to leave yet?” Philly asked, sleep lacing his voice. 

Dan chuckled, “not at all. We like having you here too, but your Dan will miss you otherwise and you will miss him.” 

Phil nodded at Dan’s words, “besides, we’ll see you again. Sooner than you probably think too. Next time will be less scary. And you won’t have to worry about your Dan.” 

“Wait… Dan will come with me next time?” Philly asked shyly, his cheeks painted pink.

Phil laughed, “I think it’s next time, yeah. You’ll be back, I promise. Now, get some sleep. We’ll see you next time.”

Philly nodded sleepily, a floaty feeling overtaking him as he felt two kisses press against his cheek. Everything went black.

After what felt like hours, Phil woke up, back in the same circle that he had performed his spell in. He was wearing the same clothes that he had been before, not the clothes that he had borrowed from his future self. Everything was completely the same as before and he felt his excitement diminish. It was just a stupid dream. Of course the spell wouldn’t work.

He sighed and heaved himself up from the floor, stumbling a bit at the sudden movement. He put his hands into his pockets and frowned, feeling a folder up piece of paper. Phil pulled it out carefully and unfolded it, 

“It wasn’t a dream Philly, I promise you that, We will see you again soon. Next time, wear something warm. It’s close to Christmas when we see you again! Take care!”

“Love, Dan and Phil 2023”

“No fucking way!” 

[ishtadawnstar]

Reluctant Hero

The trail led Astarion to the edges of a lake, surrounded by high sandstone cliffs. The afternoon sun cast a soft, golden glow over the expansive sandy beach of the lake, where he stumbled upon a scene that managed to be both serene and deeply unsettling.

A young Tiefling child, with a thick mop of dark curly hair and small curved horns, stood at the water's edge. The deep crimson of his skin created a vivid contrast against the shimmering golden sands. He was gazing into the horizon, utterly captivated by something unseen.

Moved by curiosity, Astarion trotted down the sloping dunes to join the child. As he approached, the boy remained fixated on the water, whispering without turning, "Shh! Listen."

Astarion surveyed the scene with a furrowed brow, his gaze shifting from the child to the towering rock formation that loomed ominously ahead. He squinted, trying in vain to discern what had captured the boy's attention, and muttered, "I can't hear anything. You probably shouldn't be standing this close to the water's edge, though... unless you can swim. In which case, stand wherever the hells you want, I suppose."

"Don't you hear it? It's so peaceful," the child implored, turning his glazed-over eyes towards Astarion for the first time. The elf felt a sudden twinge of alarm and strained his ears, trying to pick up any trace of sound that had eluded him.

Suddenly, a faint, sweet melody wafted through the air, carried by a gentle breeze. The song pulsed with an enchanting magic, and Astarion's heart raced as he recognized the imminent danger - it was a Harpy's charm.

His head snapped upwards, eyes scanning the skies for any sign of the foul creatures known for their lethal allure. His sharp elven ears picked up the faint flap of wings. Whirling around, he spotted a dark shadow darting from behind the rock formation, its claws dangerously outstretched.

With a curse and a swift movement, Astarion grabbed the child by the shoulder and pulled him back just in time, as wickedly sharp talons sliced through the air where the boy's head had been mere seconds before.

A harsh, angry screech echoed across the water as Astarion bolted towards a nearby rocky outcrop, dragging the bewildered and reluctant Tiefling behind him.

They slid under the shelter of craggy stones just as two more Harpies descended, their talons scraping against the rocks in a fury of attempted strikes..

"Wha... what's going on"? the boy stammered, his voice quivering with confusion as he emerged from his charmed state, his eyes wide with terror.

"What's going on?" Astarion echoed, his tone sharp and laden with accusation as he glared at the frightened child. "Thanks to you, there's a very good chance I'm going to be killed and eaten by a Harpy!" His voice, thick with frustration and fear, bounced off the narrow stone walls enclosing them.

The child, overwhelmed by the sudden eruption of violence and the stern rebuke from his unexpected protector, began to sob, his tears catching the light and glittering like molten gold. The sight only fuelled Astarion's irritation as he turned back to face their attackers.

As the Harpies descended upon the beach, their horrifying visage became clear under the afternoon sun. These creatures bore the haunting features of women from the waist up, with wild, tangled hair framing their sharp, cruel faces.

Their eyes glinted with a predatory hunger as they advanced with a menacing grace. Below their waists, the transformation was stark - the lower half of their legs morphed into the powerful, scaled limbs of a bird of prey, ending in vicious, curved talons.

Their hands, though human in shape, were tipped with long, deadly claws that seemed perfectly designed to snatch and rend. Enormous wings, each feathered pinion strong enough to create gusts of wind with a mere flap, unfurled from their backs, casting large, ominous shadows on the sand.

Around their waists, they wore skirts that were a barbaric mix of rough leather and coarse feathers, which fluttered wildly in the breeze as they stepped closer.

The child's sobs escalated into panicked wails as he caught sight of the Harpies, his cries piercing the tense air.

Astarion gritted his teeth at the noise and rounded on the boy with a fierce whisper, "If you don't shut your mouth and stop crying this instant, I'm throwing you out there for the Harpies to feast on!"

However, his terrifying promise had the opposite effect than he intended, and the boy's wailing became even louder. "Wh... why are you s... so mean?" he sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Astarion stared at the child, and his expression softened ever so slightly. He turned away and muttered bitterly, under his breath, "Because being nice always ends up badly for me."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56114257

https://www.wattpad.com/user/IshtaDawnstar

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

Warrior Cats Suffixes- F

I had a WC Name Generator on Perchance that I made but I don't seem to have access anymore, so I'm remaking it here as just a simple list. The definitions used are the ones that Clan cats have for those things, and thus are the origins of the names. Definitions used are whatever I found when I googled it.

-fade: "[verb] gradually grow faint and disappear; [noun] the process of becoming less bright"

-fall: "[verb] move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level; [noun] an act of falling or collapsing; a sudden uncontrollable descent"

-fang: "[noun] a large sharp tooth, especially a canine tooth of a dog or wolf; [noun] the tooth of a venomous snake, by which poison is injected; [noun] the biting mouthpart of a spider"

-feather: "[noun] any of the flat appendages growing from a bird's skin and forming its plumage"

-fern: "[noun] a flowerless plant which has feathery or leafy fronds"

-field: "[noun] an area of open land, especially one planted with crops or pasture, typically bounded by hedges or fences"

-fin: "[noun] a flattened appendage on various parts of the body of many aquatic vertebrates and some invertebrates, including fish and cetaceans, used for propelling, steering, and balancing"

-fir: "[noun] an evergreen coniferous tree with upright cones and flat needle-shaped leaves, typically arranged in two rows"

-fire: "[noun] combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke"

-fish: "[noun] a limbless cold-blooded vertebrate animal with gills and fins and living wholly in water"

-flake: "[noun] a small, flat, thin piece of something, typically one that has broken away or been peeled off from a larger piece"

-flame: "[noun] a hot glowing body of ignited gas that is generated by something on fire"

-flash: "[verb] move or pass very quickly; [noun] a sudden brief burst of bright light or a sudden glint from a reflective surface"

-flax: "[noun] a blue-flowered herbaceous plant that is cultivated for its seed and for textile fiber made from its stalks"

-fleck: "[noun] a very small patch of color or light; [verb] mark or dot with small patches of color or particles of something"

-flick: "[noun] a sudden sharp movement"

-flicker: "[verb] make small, quick movements; flutter rapidly; [noun] an unsteady movement of a flame or light that causes rapid variations in brightness"

-flight: "[noun] the action or process of flying through the air; [noun] a flock or large body of birds or insects in the air, especially when migrating"

-flood: "[noun] an overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines, especially over what is normally dry land"

-flower: "[noun] the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored corolla (petals) and a green calyx"

-fluff: "[noun] soft fibers from things such as wool or cotton which accumulate in small light clumps"

-flurry: "[noun] a small swirling mass of something, especially snow or leaves, moved by sudden gusts of wind"

-flutter: "[verb] (of a bird or other winged creature) fly unsteadily or hover by flapping the wings quickly and lightly"

-foam: "[noun] a mass of small bubbles formed on or in liquid, typically by agitation or fermentation"

-fog: "[noun] a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface which obscures or restricts visibility"

-foot: "[noun] the lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person stands or walks"

-fox: "[noun] a carnivorous mammal of the dog family with a pointed muzzle and bushy tail, proverbial for its cunning"

-freckle: "[noun] a small patch of light brown color on the skin, often becoming more pronounced through exposure to the sun"

-frond: "[noun] the leaf or leaflike part of a palm, fern, or similar plant"

-frost: "[noun] a deposit of small white ice crystals formed on the ground or other surfaces when the temperature falls below freezing"

-fur: "[noun] the short, fine, soft hair of certain animals"

-fuzz: "[noun] a fluffy or frizzy mass of hair or fiber"

[medicus-mortem]

@chatcambrioleur liked [+] for an anatomy nerd starter.

Okay, now that noise isn't something he's ever heard before. High pitched and making goosebumps appear on his skin. It's almost keening, like the creature is sad. Law feels an excited smirk spread across his features, his fingers twitching with the knowledge that soon he is going to be wrist deep inside the guts of a creature he has never seen before.

A sudden gust of wind, a rustling of leaves comes from above them, that keening following. Law looks up, seeing a shadow fly by. He grins, hands moving to take Kikoku from where he had her tied over his shoulder, but instead of pulling her from her sheath, Law rests her against a large rock formation beside him.

"It's exactly like the stories," he says, excitement clear in his voice. Golden eyes dart about, watching the shifting shadows.

Since arriving on this island, Trafalgar Law has been doing his own thing. Got sick of the Straw Hat bullshit and decided to let them deal with their own resource needs. As he walked the small coastal town, he heard stories and tales of a winged monster living up here in the hills. A large terrifying bird that blocks out the sun and wails like a grieving mother. A monster known to pick up children and fly off with them. Law, of course, doesn't care about any of that. He just knows it's a new thing to study.

So, when Nami mentioned going out to do some surveying for her map Law was happy to tag along because of his own selfish wants. He turns that excited, unsettling joy to Nami, the woman clearly afraid.

"Stay low and close to the rock. I'll be right back," he says, hand opening to create his Room. "Hopefully with somethin' interesting to cut open."

[someweirdoreblogger]

I want Hades to send vague hints. Faint ghosts of himself, crawling shadows up to the surface, peering over from the Underworld to let me know he's silently watching me.

Strange phenomenon of unexplained occurrence, a dark ghost hiding in the shell of humanity's vision. Hades is always in plain sight but also invisible. The living and the dead hold limited interactions for several reasons, but Hades lets those who know realize.

I want young, immortal asphodels to spiral into a beautiful meadow around my feet, assorted so a large cluster of spikes and blooming thorns. Long as snakes radiating a hardy purity snow refection, freshest neath Apollo's ablessed veil when I'm sleeping, so people shall think twice on waking me up from my peaceful daze into dreamful nothingness.

I want to feel an overgrowing darkness, hugging me out from under what I consider down and deep. Fleshless yet whole, devoid but real.

Darkness so vast, so godly, so infectiously potent no soft whisper, rhyme, or meaning can be found by mere sight alone. Hades only reveals what he wants you to see, dreams beyond imagination behind the heavy cover of my eyes, in-between the ether and life itself, where feeble understandings are blind thanks to a timeless thread sticking worryless mere mortals to their rightful plane. A shadow of a dominant hand, a dab of cloud-like cotton, tender flutter of caressing invisible fingers across my cheek, a delicate silken-kiss. Wishing me 'good night', a silent promise of a nightmare-less wish after a long day of hard work and deep punches.

I want to see butterflies, wearing chiseled gold wings. Spirits in the most fragile form, pristine. A tiny glimpse of the unnatural, a unique flash of light to catch the attention of no one but me. Notice them more and more throughout my entire lifetime, scattering like stotic Poseidon's rapid ocean currents, peerless Moons of broken glass. Unpredictable patterns crowding me through soft gusts of free air; but, for whatever reason, I can not seem to mind them-as they are hazardless. It feels as if they never dare harm their chosen.

Learn these special little critters, the smallest miracles of nature seem attracted to my stories and opinions, my voice in gerenal like they somehow maintain human ears and understanding.

Even something as small as a whisper, a butterfly just so happens to pass; Prodryas persephone, supposedly extinct-perching like a bird on my shoulder listening on to my next offer for whistling winds of the world. I want to be overtaken by them, guided to safe shelters from sudden rainfall, rare medicines and happen upon a lake with a perfect veiw of the moon, all because I was struck hard enough with curiosity following a stray flight of precious insect beats. A tempting echo whispering a fast secret by my ear. Swarmed in colorful bugs aplenty long lost to human civilization, a harmless storm of fragile mighty bodies, just to bless me with a sight humans can only pray to see in such open variety.

[kingsnooz]

Chapter 2

Soft chirps could be heard as a family of Birdon dreamt in their nest. Soft trills subconsciously were made by the parents to soothe their young. A sudden gust of wind was cast into a chick’s face stirring it awake for a moment but eventually went back to its dozing state.

Skidding to a halt upon landing in the clearing, Meta Knight felt ashamed as his wings were tucked. The king was already there, along with the accessory adorned dee. Complication after complication happened on his ship. First he awoke behind schedule due to not setting his alarm (and collapsing from exhaustion), then the training between the newest recruits got out of hand and of course as their leader couldn’t allow such insolence to continue. But how could he break it to the king! The astral’s whole reputation may be ruined. He couldn’t even look at them.

He fell to his metaphorical knees in defeat.

“Your majesty, there is no way I can make up for my tardiness. I sincerely hope you could forgive me.”

A snore could be heard.

Oh… they were asleep.

Bandee stretched and nudged his king awake causing him to make a grumbling yawn.

“Finally decided to make an appearance eh masked man?”

“Sire allow me to apologize, I-." Meta started but was cut off.

"Eh don’t worry about it, just glad you got some rest. Now help us move these rocks. We already started but decided to take a nap since we had some extra time.”

Indeed some of the large boulders have been moved, others cleanly cracked apart.

After clearing away the rubble, the purple shard was thankfully still there… until it bursted apart. In a split second both Dedede and Bandee were covered by Meta Knight’s cape.

After returning… two masks were there.

Both a light grayish steel and slashes of gold. Although both crescents one had golden waves, reminiscent of a sun along with other small differences. All the while Galaxia began to vibrate.

“Galaxia, what’s wrong?!” The distressed knight cried out.

“I… I know of them my child. They’re no master crown but are somewhat similar to me. They choose who has their power. Only when true strength is proven can they willingly work with the host and even then the mask must have a connection to the holder in some way.”

This information was relayed with mixed results.

“I’m not so sure about this sir, we just recovered from the Jamba Heart situation.” Bandee noised.

“Well leave it to us then! Me and Meta have been itchin’ for a chance to let loose!” Dedede proudly announced.

“Wait, what?!” Bandee stated shocked.

“All you kiddies have been working too hard. Me and metal head can take care of whatever trials these things have for us. Go off and play with Kirbs or something. Tell the pink blob I said hi.” Dedede said matter of factly.

“B-but great king!”

“No cuts, no buts, no coconuts. Now get out there and have some fun!” The penguin laughed pushing the dee away.

“Yes sir! Oh and one last thing.”

With surprising strength the child pulled the astral towards him.

“You better keep him safe.” He whispered.

“Bye!”

“Your majesty, allow me to consu-“ But before that the royal had already approached the mask.

“Alright, me and my bat winged buddy would like to accept y’all’s challenge.” He proudly announced. Nothing happened.

“Díos mío mi rey, you must be more careful.”

Abruptly the earth began to shake as a tower rose and rose, breaching the clouds.

Behind the bird a sharp inhale could be heard. Dedede didn’t feel the need to turn around, already knowing the tone all too well.

“And I thought I was the rash one when we were younger.” Meta knight said, his glare piercing the monarch he could almost feel it.

Kirby heard a knock on his door and crawled out of bed, putting his night cap on its hanger.

The pink puff opened his door and his eyes immediately lit up.

“Hiya Kirby! I have some extra time today and wanted to ask if we could hang out today?” Bandee asked.

“Of course Bandee! But I just woke up so I’m kinda hungry…” Right on cue the literal bundle of joy’s endless stomach grumbled.

“We could make an apple pie!” Bandee announced as Kirby jumped up and down.

“Alright, I could use some more apples. We can stop by a shop for more supplies!”

So together the kids went off on the smaller than usual quest.

“Preparations must be made. It’s necessary to gather supplies depending on how long this could take. You bring the essentials and I’ll contact my crew.” The knight listed as the king gave him a thumbs up and once again the knight took to the skies.

Upon returning the knight saw… well this was his own fault.

Containers of various foods, cooking supplies, care products, at least some fully needed things and… was that a chess board?

“Before you say anything I already got it all planned out. Now c’mere.” The king stated and once again lifted Meta Knight and reaching for is cape. From then the supplies were thrown in.

“Why must you misuse my prized accessory?”

“It’s not misusing, it’s being smart.” Dedede pointed out.

“Remind me to teach you how to make your own… now are you ready?”

“You bet it!” The king smirked.

(Last chapter)

[gible-love-nibles-archive]

The Start of Team Soup (Pt. 1)

YIPPIE, PMD AU story time! I am just blasting y'all with stories rn huh. I hope you guys like this as much as I did writing it. PMD is always a good time for me.

Also here is the quiz if you want to read that

Word Count: 1.9K

Taglist: Taglist: @caracello @librarian-lover @halsdaisy @pvssinboots @gloomy-selfships [If you want to be added, click here!]

(Please reblog! I like reading tags :])

Next thing I knew, I was overlooking a small forest.  Bird Pokemon flew high in the sky, I could hear Bug types buzzing.  ...I also noticed I didn’t have wings of my own.

I shrieked as I felt myself plummet to the ground like a stone.  Luckily, I landed on a branch, which comically catapulted me away into another part of the forest.  And that’s how it went for a few minutes: getting flung around and battered by trees.  

Finally, I landed on solid ground in a little clearing.  Unfortunately, I was too tired and injured to try and stand up, so I just lay there, feeling the soft grass on my belly.  

…

Coincidentally in that same forest, a Squirtle with a red scarf was whistling a tune, looking around for berries.

“🎵I might trigger an alarm, but I’ll never come to harm… Ba-naa-nanananana, something about… my mom…🎵 I think?  ...Still needs work.”

Picking a particularly large Sitrus Berry, the Squirtle headed deeper into the wood and came upon a clearing.  With a battered Pokemon sitting in the middle of it.

They were of course alarmed by the discovery, letting out a noise of surprise.  Cautiously, they approached, picking up a stick and poking the unconscious Pokemon with it.

“Uh… you’re okay, right?  Not… dead?  C’mon, wake up!�� What the heck happened to you?”  Finally, the injured Pokemon opened up their eyes and stood up shakily.  “Whew!  That’s a relief!”

The other blinked to get used to the bright sun shining down on them, but at least the pain was getting weaker.  “Where… am I…?”

“This is Tiny Woods.  You were just passed out here.  Did you get into a fight or something?”

Finally, they noticed the Squirtle.  The talking Squirtle.  Talking to them.  ...They guessed they would just have to roll with it.

They tried to remember what had happened before, but all they ended up getting were waves of pain.  They rubbed their head to try and alleviate it.  The Squirtle flinched in what they hoped was sympathy.

“I… don’t really remember.”

“I guess you got conked pretty good, huh?”

“Yeah…”

The Squirtle suddenly had an epiphany.  “...Wait.  Who are you?  I’ve never seen you around here before.”

Well luckily, that was one thing they did remember.  “That’s because I’ve never been around here before.  I’m Clare, and I’m…” She bit her lip.  Would this Squirtle believe it?  It wouldn’t hurt to try.  “...a human,” she finished.

The Water-type stared blankly at her.  “But you’re a Chikorita.”

Clare hadn’t noticed earlier, but the “hand” she was using to rub her head was actually a small, pointy foot with a nail at the end.  Her body proportions felt all wrong; her head was too big compared to everything else.  And there were weird feeling lumps on her neck.  A sudden gust of wind blew behind her, sending a chill down her back and a giant leaf to smack her in the face.  A leaf that was definitely attached to her head.  

She was too hurt to have a giant reaction, but there was no denying it.  She was a Pokemon and definitely not a human.  But… why?

“Well… I was a human.  But now, for some reason, I’m not,” she said, blowing the leaf off her face.

The Squirtle “uh-huh”-ed with much suspicion.

The silence that ensued would have been uncomfortable, if not for the shout that came from behind.  “Somebody!  Please!  Help me!”  The two of them whirled around to see a Butterfree fluttering around madly with bruises on its body.

Clare hurried up to the Butterfree, injuries all forgotten.  “What happened?”

“It’s horrible!  My Caterpie fell into a cavern!  My poor baby!”

“Fell into a cavern?”  The Squirtle asked, quickly joining Clare’s side.

“A huge fissure opened in the ground, and my Caterpie fell in!” The Bug-Flying type explained.  “He’s too young to crawl out by himself!  When I went to get my baby, Pokemon suddenly attacked me!”

“You got attacked by other Pokemon?!”  The Water-type parroted with a twinge of nervousness.  A knot started to curl around in Clare’s stomach.  

“They must be enraged by the fissure… and out of control!  That’s what I think.  I’m not strong enough to fend off those wild Pokemon… What will become of my baby?”

Without another word, the Chikorita charged to where the Butterfree came from: into the cavern.

“H-Hey!  Where are you going?!”  The Squirtle’s question fell on deaf ears.  With a sigh, it hurried after the Grass-type.

...

Standing at the beginning of the dungeon, Clare started to plot a course when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

“Don’t you know mystery dungeons are dangerous?!”  The Squirtle chided her when they caught up.  “It’s full of angry Pokemon and the layouts are super confusing!  It’s easy to get lost and tired and-”

As they were talking, the entrance of the dungeon closed behind them.  The Water-type started to panic.  “Great!  Just GREAT!  Now I’m stuck in a mystery dungeon with angry Pokemon and a crazy Chikorita!”

“And if you don’t want to stay stuck in here, you’d better follow me,” Clare sassed as she walked away into one of the narrow corridors.  

Well, that left the turtle pressed for options.  They decided to follow.  

The two of them walked in silence for a bit, Clare in front, Squirtle behind.

“...Sooooo, you never told me your name,” the Grass-type said, trying to get a conversation rolling.

“Giovanni.”

“What were you doing out in the woods if you knew there was a dangerous ‘mystery dungeon’?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to go into the dungeon!  I was just trying to find some berries!”

“Oh.”

They continued for a little while in silence until Giovanni perked up.

“Hey… Why did you run into here?”

“...I dunno, I just… couldn’t bear thinking about that kid being lost in here with no one to help them.”

The Water type nodded.

They continued exploring the dungeon, fighting off wild Pokemon until they came to a dead end… and a Caterpie.  The poor kid was crying.  “Mommy… Where are you?”  The little one sniffled.

Clare approached the Caterpie carefully.  “Hey, we came to rescue you.��

The Bug type turned around with tears in his eyes.  “Huh?”

“Your mother’s waiting right outside here.  Let’s get you home.”

Instantly, that picked up his mood.  “Ok.”  He crawled onto Clare’s back, and within a few minutes, the three found an exit and brought the Caterpie back to his worried mother.

“My baby’s safe… I’m sorry, I don’t know how I could ever thank you properly…” The Butterfree sputtered.

“With praise and HPM-” Clare cut Giovanni off by whipping her leaf in his face.

“We don’t need anything, ma’am.  We’re just glad he’s ok.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course, that comes first,” Giovanni backtracked hurriedly.

“Please, could I at least have your names?”  The mother asked.

“Well, I’m Giovanni-” The Squirtle puffed out his chest before Clare could say a word.  “-and this cool kid is Clare.”

“...He thinks I’m a “cool kid” after I accidentally dragged him into a mystery dungeon?” Clare thought.

The little Caterpie stared at them with big shiny eyes.  “... … … Cool…”  Clare looked a bit embarrassed by the adoring look, while Giovanni lapped it up.  “Thank you!  Giovanni and Clare!”

“I know it really isn’t much, but this is a token of our thanks.  Please accept it.”  The Butterfree handed the Squirtle an Oran Berry, a Pecha Berry, and a Tiny Reviver Seed.  Giovanni put them in the basket he had been using to pick berries earlier.  “Thank you so much again.  Goodbye.”

“Bye!  Stay out of trouble, Caterpie!”  Clare bade them farewell as the mother and son went off, and it felt a fluffy feeling in the Grass-type’s chest.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?!”  Giovanni sprung the question once the two were gone.

“Huh?”

“You were just taking out those guys left and right!  It was AWESOME!”

“...Instinct?”

“Well, it’s good instinct then!  ...But what are you going to do now?  Do you have somewhere to go?” She did not!  And the look on her face confirmed it.  Giovanni hummed in thought.  “Well, if you don’t have a place to stay… then follow me!”

…

The house in front of the two of them looked like it had seen better days.  The grass out front was brown and wilted in big patches, and big bushes grew over nearly the entire perimeter.  The house itself looked like it had been battered by storms and had never been properly fixed with holes in the walls and roof.

“At least it’s pretty green…?” Giovanni weakly noted.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“Hey, I never said the place was going to be five-star!  The town was going to tear this place down!”

“But they lent it out to you?”

“Yeah… but…”

“But… what?”

“There was a condition.  I needed to make it a rescue team base.”

“A what?”

“You know that fissure Caterpie fell into?  Lots of disasters like that have been happening recently, and it’s been riling Pokemon up like crazy!  And a whole lot more are getting hurt, or worse.  With the high-ranking rescue teams being sent out to solve big problems, they need as many teams as they can get!”

“And you were going to be one of those teams?”

“Well… not, originally… I was just going to make it a place for me and my buddies to live, but… after seeing you jump into action to help that Butterfree, without thinking about yourself… It made me think.  Do I want to be the person who needs help, or gives it?  So… why not you and me make a rescue team together?  I mean, at the very least, if we do jobs, we can get money to fix the house.”

Clare stared down at the ground in deep thought.  She didn’t have a clue how she had gotten here.  She was a human-turned-Pokemon in a strange new world.  From how it sounded, rescue teams traveled the world, solving problems for others.  ...Maybe seeing the world would help her with her memory.  And helping people was never a bad thing, right?

“...I think you have yourself a deal, Giovanni.”

The Squirtle whooped and cheered.  “Alright!!!  As of today, we’re a rescue team!  We’re gonna take the world by storm!!!”

...The wind blew some stray leaves around.

“So… now what?”

“Oh.  Right.  Well, every rescue team has a name to differentiate each other.  We could be……… CG!  Clare + Giovanni!”  Clare shook her head.  “Yeah, mashing names together is pretty unoriginal.  Uh…… Something to do with our elements!  Leaf Water!  No, Tree-luge!  Maybeee-”

“Soup.”

“Soup?”

“Yeah, ‘cause there’s the broth— that’s the water— and then there’s the vegetables— that’s the grass-ish.  ...You know what soup is, right?”

“‘Course I know what soup is!  But… Do you really think Rescue Team Soup will be taken seriously?”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“....................No.”

“Then Rescue Team Soup it is!  It’s already rolling off the tongue for me!”

“It’s really going to have to grow on me.”  Giovanni suddenly perked up though.  “Oh, wait!  One more thing!”  He pulled out a yellow scarf that was lining his basket.  “Here!  We don’t have to match, but since I’m always wearing my scarf, it makes sense that you should wear one too.”  He wrapped it right above the buds around Clare’s neck, tying it in the front.  “Heyyy, not bad!  I was thinking, ‘We should probably both have red,’ but that yellow looks good on you!”

She looked down (as much as she could manage).  The colors worked together surprisingly well.

[cainluvr69]

Fantasia of the Bookstore Following Footsteps into the Future Chapter 7

Previous Chapter

Shylock: It's a bit early to be so grateful, don't you think? We still have one more volume to recover, after all.

Cain: That's true. As far as we've come, we still have one more to go. Let's see if we can find it before the day's over!

Rustica: Once we have collected all one hundred, shall we celebrate the occasion with a tea party? As they are such special books, I shall of course prepare equally special tea leaves for it.

Riquet: Then we should prepare some special sweets to go with it! Eating our favorite cakes is how one properly celebrates in my opinion.

Akira: …Where in the world could that last book be, though? It's the only one that none of you found in your searches…

Chloe: Maybe it flew really far away? Like, maybe it thought that its next owner wasn't anywhere in town, so it flew off to a different city to try and find them.

Rustica: Perhaps it is simply incredibly shy. Much like a timid butterfly hiding among a flower's petals, it may be concealing itself for some reason.

Hugo stared at the books we'd already collected and mumbled something.

Hugo: The last book we're missing is one that had been put into my care by a particularly strong wizard. The book itself can also use very potent magical power.

Arthur: A book that can use magic… I wonder where a book like that might have gone?

Murr: When it comes to things about strong magic, we should ask strong wizards! If Oz turned into a book, where would he go?

Oz: I am not turning into a book. However, those who carry strong power will naturally seek out places that hold similar strength. Moreso if they react to strong magic.

Cain: That makes sense. And if we're talking about the place closest to here with the strongest magic…

Shylock: Murr, wouldn't that be one of your favorite places to go?

Murr: Yippee!

✦✧☾✧✦

We headed to the Lunar Eclipse Hall. I've been here before with the Western wizards. Rather than searching for a book, we'd been searching for a missing Cock Robin. It was also where the Umbra Volans first took form, and where we first learned of the moon-summoning ritual.

Chloe: Last time we were here, things in the inner chamber got all messed up, if I'm remembering right?

Rustica: …Please take care, Chloe. I feel as though there will be another startling reception awaiting us inside.

Chloe & Akira: Huh?

Shylock: It certainly seems that way. Though I can't determine the precise reason why, I can still feel a swell of magic within the building.

Murr: And it sure doesn't feel like a good thing!

Arthur: Sounds like we'll need to be careful. But ignoring this place just because of a bit of danger would be neglectful on our parts.

Oz: …Stand back. I will open the doors.

✦✧☾✧✦

Oz opened the doors with his magic, and we were buffeted by a sudden gust of wind from within.

Hugo: Uwah…!

Chloe: Hey, look over there! There's something flying over here!

There was a massive bird within, with wings large enough to have caused that gust of wind all on its own. It flew straight out from the inner recesses of the hall right at us.

Riquet: That bird is so large…!

Rustica: <Amores Viesse>

The words of Rustica's spell blew into chains of wind, restraining the bird. Trying to wrest its way away from the wind, the bird rose up, towards the ceiling.

Akira: Th-that bird…

I looked up at the bird, trying to remember where I'd seen it before, and then felt my blood run cold.

Chloe: Huh…? D-doesn't that look like the Umbra Volans…?

Cain: What?!

Chloe: It's a little smaller than the first one, so maybe it's not, but… Since we're here, maybe it's…

Hugo: Oh no… B-but I thought you all as the Sage's wizards got rid of it when it attacked the capital…

It took only a moment for his confusion to spread to the rest of us. But then, as if to quiet us all, Oz's calm, deep voice cut through our murmurs.

Oz: Do not be deceived by outward appearances. This is not the creature that assailed the capital.

Arthur: It's something else? Then…

Shylock: Correct. This is the final book we've been searching for.

Chloe & Riquet & Akira: What?!

Arthur: But it certainly looks quite different from the other books we've seen so far…

Riquet: Is there still magic from the moon-summoning ritual here, even though it failed?

Shylock: You needn't worry your pretty little head about that. The Sage's wizards cleaned up every last little bit of that ritual.

Oz: Though it may appear as the Umbra Volans, it is merely a book cloaked in magic. As the book drew close to the perimeter of the Lunar Eclipse Hall, the building's memory resonated with its magic, leading it to take on a similar form.

Murr: The book's all cranky 'cause of the Calamity. It went from just a little strange to something really strange!

Rustica: That said, if it stays this wild, it's not out of the question for it to become as large as the Umbra Volans once was.

Chloe: Oh no…!

Cain: If that happens, there's no doubt it's going to damage the city. We have to make sure that doesn't happen at all costs.

Arthur: Yeah. But if we attack it, the book will probably get damaged. I'd prefer if we didn't do anything to tear even a single page, but…

Hugo: …

Riquet: Cain! The bird is coming this way!

Cain: …! Arthur, look out!

The book's massive beak was aimed straight for Arthur. It dived at him, faster than the wind itself.

Oz: <Vox Nox>

But just before the bird's attack could hit, Oz's incantation turned into white light, encircling us in a protective barrier. In the same moment the bird hit the barrier, it was blasted backwards.

Hugo: The book…! Um, L-Lord Oz. If you could use, err, gentler methods…

Oz: … It is difficult to adjust my strength.

Oz frowned, looking a bit troubled, but I could feel the barrier's strength weakening.

Hugo: …! Th…thank you so much.

Riquet: That's right! How about seeing if it'll react to the sound of Hugo's bell? Maybe it'll calm down if it hears a familiar sound.

Hugo: Oh, that's a good idea…! Let me try!

Hugo rang the bell, and he stepped forward to the very edge of Oz's barrier, as close to the bird as he could. He was desperately crying out to the bird that kept throwing itself against the barrier.

Hugo: It's okay, calm down…! These people aren't going to hurt you. You must be so upset… You worked so hard to escape the shelves, but you still couldn't find your owner. So please, come back to the shop so that we can wait for the right person for you together.

The clear ringing of the bell and Hugo's gentle, loving voice reverberated through the hall. His love for his books was on plain display. But no matter how he pleaded with it, the bird did not stop its attack.

Cain: Dammit, it's not getting through to it…! And doesn't it seem like this bird's been aiming for Arthur from the beginning of all of this?

Rustica: Yes. It seems a bit fixated on Lord Arthur.

Akira: Fixated…

I could still remember that night. Illuminated by the light of the moon, the Umbra Volans has locked its sights on Arthur.

Akira: (Could the reason they both targeted Arthur in particular really be because he's the crown prince of Central Country…?) (If there's still some leftover power from the moonstone, or even just something similar to it, maybe the book is being influenced by it…)

A chill ran up my spine, and I heard Oz murmur something, his deep voice quiet.

Oz: This is dangerous. As long as it remains within this building, it will only continue to grow. Destroying that book would end the danger immediately.

Arthur: But Lord Oz, that book is…

The ringing of the bell weakened, and then stopped entirely. Hugo bit his lip, staring at the floor.

Hugo: …I think you might have to. Since my voice can't reach it anymore. I'm sure the wizard who placed it in my care wouldn't want it to hurt someone… If one of my books were to bring someone sadness, I'd prefer to…get rid of it here and now.

It was obviously painful for him to force those words out. My chest felt tight, the bitter taste of the solution in my mouth. None of us could figure out what to say to his decision until Arthur began to speak.

Next Chapter

[moths-wc-aus]

Suffix Meanings - F

face - “The front part of a person or animal's head from the forehead to the chin.” An honest cat; An attractive cat; A noticeable face

fall - “Move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level.” A clumsy cat; An uncoordinated cat

fang - “A large sharp tooth, especially a canine tooth of a dog or wolf.” A skilled hunter; A skilled fighter; A sharp-tongued cat; A cat with distinctive teeth

feather - “Any of the flat appendages growing from a bird's skin and forming its plumage.” A gentle cat; An elegant cat; A graceful cat

fern - “A flowerless plant which has feathery or leafy fronds.” A friendly cat; A gentle cat; A parental cat; A cat with thick fur; A protective cat

field - “An area of open land, especially one planted with crops or pasture, typically bounded by hedges or fences.” A social cat; An open-minded cat; A swift cat

fin - “A flattened appendage on various parts of the body of many aquatic animals, used for propelling, steering, and balancing.” A skilled swimmer

fire / flame - “Combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.” A passionate cat; An intense cat; A bold cat; A destructive cat; A temperamental cat

fish - “A limbless cold-blooded vertebrate animal with gills and fins and living wholly in water.” A skilled swimmer; An agile cat; An attractive cat

flake - “A small, flat, thin piece of something, typically one that has broken away or been peeled off from a larger piece.” A fidgety cat; A nervous cat; A graceful cat

flare / flash - “A sudden brief burst of bright flame or light.” A bold cat; A swift cat; An impulsive cat; An energetic cat

fleck - “A very small patch of color or light.” A flecked cat

flicker - “Make small, quick movements; flutter rapidly.” A fidgety cat; A nervous cat; An energetic cat; A swift cat

flight - “The action or process of flying through the air.” A swift cat; A clever cat; A cat who is prone to wandering; A friendly cat; A skilled leaper

flood - “A large amount of water overflowing beyond its normal confines.” An aggressive cat; An intense cat; A skilled fighter

flower - “The seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs that are typically surrounded by brightly colored petals.” A delicate cat; A graceful cat; A friendly cat; An attractive cat

fluff / fuzz - “Soft fibers from fabrics such as wool or cotton which accumulate in small light clumps.” A thick-furred cat; A fluffy cat; A soft-furred cat; A parental cat

flurry - “A small swirling mass of something, especially snow or leaves, moved by sudden gusts of wind.” A swift cat; An impulsive cat; An energetic cat

flutter - “To fly unsteadily or hover by flapping the wings quickly and lightly.” A gentle cat; A kind cat; A nervous cat

foot - “The lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person stands or walks.” A swift cat; A quiet / stealthy cat; A cat with good balance; An agile cat; A skilled leaper; A skilled builder; A cat with distinctive paws

fox - “A carnivorous mammal of the dog family with a pointed muzzle and bushy tail.” An intelligent cat; A clever cat; An intimidating cat

freckle - “A small patch of color.” A cat with small spots

frond - “The leaf or leaflike part of a palm, fern, or similar plant.” A protective cat; A parental cat; A skilled caretaker

frost - “Small white ice crystals formed on surfaces when the temperature falls below freezing.” A sharp-tongued cat; An aloof cat; An attractive cat; A logical cat; A clever cat; A stealthy cat

fur - “The short, fine, soft hair of certain animals.” A cat with a distinctive fur pattern

[velvethana]

( — YELLOWJACKETS . ) CHAPTER ONE

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀“⠀⠀BIRDS OF A ⠀ FEATHER ⠀. ⠀”

warnings. ♱ (18+). lengthy series. gore. horror. cannibalism. cult activity. college au. swearing. vomit. humor. mildly suggestive. drug use. hallucinations and derealization. no smut. main character death. side character death.

chapter warnings. ♱ (18+) swearing. vomit mention. suggestive dialogue. drug use. slight derealization.

wk. 9.6k ♱

WILDERNESS (UNKNOWN)

The heart of winter beats still as the sound of hard breaths echo. Steady as he focuses, inhaling and exhaling to push himself to his limits.

The kind of darkness creeping that you only find thousands of miles from the warm, safe home you’re accustomed to. His eyes attempt to adjust as he’s hit repeatedly with the foliage he’s pushing through.

Light filters through boreal woods, giving him brief glimpses of the distance ahead.

Bare feet flying across snow-covered ground, branches lashing at filthy, blood-smeared arms and legs. A scream itches at the back of his throat but he lets nothing out.

Each gasp is a spectral apparition in the freezing air as screams of anguish and hunger echo through the woods.

Occasionally, a gust of wind sends a flurry of snowflakes against the crisp air and right into his face.

He bolts down an incline, when sudden he cries out, falling to his knees. A broken branch pierces his foot, nearly clean through to the other side.

Gritting his teeth, he rips it out and regains his footing, willing himself forward. Pushing through the pain.

Whatever you do— don’t let them catch you.

The woods abruptly give way to a large clearing surrounded by skeletal white birch. The boy halts to a stop at the edge of the glade, breath catching in his throat as he processes what he’s looking at.

Dozens of eyes carved into the surrounding trees. Around them, talismans hang from the branches, fashioned from bough and bone. Suddenly without warning, the overwhelming instinct to scream takes over as he lets out a strangled noise.

The air is filled with eerie, inhuman wails and as his own scream finally adds to the chorus of chaos— the woods fall completely silent.

Almost.

Somewhere behind him, a branch cracks, snapping him out of his terrified trance as he remembers where he is. Gritting his teeth and attempting to ignore the throbbing pain in his leg, he bolts.

And this time, they let him go.

His body pale in the fading light as he flies across the glade until suddenly— he disappears.

The snow-covered ground opening up beneath him, appearing to swallow him whole.

A figure in animal pelts emerges from the tree line, his face shrouded by the hood of his rough and matter coat. Breath haggard, he approaches the edge of the deep hole that was previously concealed by cover of snow.

A tiger trap.

As he kneels at the edge, peering down through the jagged maw of branches snapped by the runner’s fall, he stares down unmoving.

Splayed at the bottom of the pit. His limbs once swift were bent at terrible, unnatural angles, body imapled on thick wooden spikes.

The bloodied points protrude through his chest, his thigh, his face— now nothing but a gory mess from chin to brow. A small and familiar silver charm glints around her.

The hunter stands, seemingly satisfied. Then, as the furs of his coat part, revealing the tattered and torn soccer shirt.

INT. VICE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE (PRESENT)

“Would you say you were close with any of the students?”

The vice principal sits in front of Jongho, scribbling down on a journalists pad. The principal himself seems to be around his 60's, with a cultivated youthful zeal as he tents his fingers thoughtfully.

Jongho doesn’t believe in this fabricated cool in a second yet he allows him to ramble. “I would definitely not say that- not one of those kids gave a good goddamn about Trigonometry, I can tell you that much.”

“Do you keep in touch with any of the survivors?”

The man’s face shows a hint of sorrow— no it seems to lean closer towards the side of offense. “I mean, we're all survivors in a way, don't you think?”

Jongho raises an eyebrow, unmoving. The man must have sensed his distaste for that comment as he awkwardly shifts. “Then what do you think really happened out there?”

The vice principal frowns. “All I know is that what happened was a tragedy, a terrible tragedy.” He pauses for a moment, glancing at the closed door behind Jongho. A slip of vulnerability behind his eyes. Jongho flashes a coaxing smile.

“I probably shouldn't say this, but some of these kids? Eh, no big loss, if we're honest.” Jongho nods in understanding. He doesn’t understand in the slightest. “But those kids were special. They were champions.”

EXT. SKU HIGH FIELD (PAST)

The summer air is hot as the fields littered with various players: all curled lips and freckles with sweat swiped unthinkingly from cheeks and brows. Muscles tensed, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Suddenly there's a breakaway by the team in blue and gold.

The ball expertly moved upfield by their star mid-fielder Taehyun.

He negotiates one defender after another before sending the ball spinning in a long, perfectly-aimed pass.

The fullback and sweeper close in, desperate to intercept but it’s Yeonjun who connects instead, tapping the ball just past the goalie into the net.

Immediately, the other players erupt in high fives and childish butt slaps.

Yeonjun runs downfield and the other teammates give chase, grinning, before swarming him in ecstatic celebration.

Their hearts raced as the realization of the moment finally dawned on them— this was the moment that their team qualified for the National Championship.

Arms carelessly throw around each other, the group jumps up and down as a chorus of cheers rings out.

“BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!”

Team captain, coltish beauty and hero of the hour whether he deserves to be or not. Choi Yeonjun— 18 and right now, as always, he is a God and worshipped accordingly.

Yeonjun casually jogs back into position with a loose and triumphant joy.

EXT. YEONJUN’S HOME — NEXT MORNING

The city of Seoul is a concrete haven to those who lived there. A metropolis known for its vibrant blend of tradition and cutting-edge modernity. The heart of its’ country.

Living in the city is a mess of contradictions. Friends with lies bubbling just underneath the surface hidden with smiles.

Tiredly, Yeonjun stares at himself in the mirror. It’s early morning before he has to rush off back to school and he furiously brushes his teeth.

He spits and rinses, gaze unmoving.

His expression was impassive as he considers himself in the mirror, reaching up to absent-mindedly play with the delicate silver chain dangling just below the hollow of his throat.

Choi Soobin sits idle at the curb in his beat-to-shit Ford Festiva, quietly discontent as he scribbled in the journal in his lap.

He glances out the window at Yeonjun’s picturesque colonial. Red brick, shutters, perfectly manicured lawn. ‘The nice side of town’ it would be most accurately described as.

Out of the corner of his eye he spots movement and narrows his eyes, glancing over to Yeonjun’s window where he spots Chaewon climbing down from a second story window.

She hits the ground, glancing briefly in his direction like a deer in headlights before hopping the neighbor’s fence.

Finally, Yeonjun emerges from the front door, looking utterly perfect as usual. It’s almost irritating to Soobin in a way. Brushing the feeling aside, he quickly stashes the journal in his backpack as Yeonjun climbs in.

“We’re gonna be late.” Soobin says.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes as he kicks his feet on the dashboard as he’s done hundreds of times. “We’re gonna be fine, relax.”

Soobin gives him an annoyed look, glancing at his feet on the dash before deciding against arguing. When it came to Yeonjun, he found it was best to let him do what he wanted when it came to trivial matters.

Starting the car, Soobin pulls off of the curb and onto the empty residential street to make their way towards the school.

Glancing at Yeonjun, he mumbles.

“This is like the fifth time I'm missing homeroom this month...”

Yeonjun snickered. “Then I guess you better put the pedal to the metal. See what this shit-heap can really do.”

Soobin scoffs, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“This shit-heap has a name, thank you very much. And that name is Caruto.”

Yeonjun grins, dropping his feet to lean forward and pat the dash harsh and affectionately.

“Sorry, Uzumaki.”

On the stereo there’s a droll alto of a woman singing some rather boorish lyrics. Yeonjun wrinkles his nose and jabs the button, silencing it.

An off putting pop punk song suddenly blares from the speakers about instead. Innocently, off Soobin’s irritated facial expression Yeonjun’s lips form a pout of realization.

“Oh, were you listening to that?”

Soobin glanced over, a playful look in his eyes as he raised his eyebrows.

“No, it fell into the tape deck and accidentally pressed play.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes but doesn't put the tape back on and hums along to the new song.

“I saw Chaewon…” Soobin paused, voice growing a bit timid afterward.

“What happened to no distractions before Nationals? "Ripping off the band-aid" and all that?” Yeonjun shrugged, rolling down the window to lean on as he began flipping through radio stations again.

“I've decided showing up to college a virgin is a mistake. No offense.” Soobin glares at him from the corner of his eye but lets him continue.

“Plus at this point we've been together for so long. If we’re each other’s firsts then she thinks we’ll be ‘linked forever’. It’s like, poetic, or something.” Soobin scoffed. “Very romantic.”

Flashing him a grin, Yeonjun continued seamlessly. “Oh, that reminds me. I decided on a color palette for our room next year. Blue and red, not too American though. More like midnight campfire under the stars… or something along those lines.”

Soobin glances at Yeonjun, a little uneasy. Avoiding the particular subject of college, something Yeonjun’s been pushing for, he decided to focus on the other topic of conversation at hand.

“Chaewon’s a virgin?”

Not that it was his business or he even particularly seemed to care, Yeonjun gave him a confused look at the unusual pry for information.

“We've been together since freshman year.” Yeonjun rationalized. “It’s the 21st century, it doesn’t matter whether she is or not but I don’t have any reason to believe she’d lie to me.”

Soobin tapped his finger against the steering wheel impatiently. “Yeah, but. I mean, you guys have broken up like… ten thousand times.”

Yeonjun threw the same carefree grin towards Soobin that he always did when it came to his concerns about their relationship. “Never long enough to count.”

Soobin continued driving for a while in silence, Yeonjun looking out the window as he picked at his nail polish.

Suddenly a sign catches Yeonjun’s attention as he glances up as they pass Bonny’s Pizza Pub. He glares at the roadside marquee reading: “We’re proud of our Varsity Baseball Team!”

“The hell is this bullshit?” He asks, scoffing as he waved his hands out the window frantically.

“Those assholes were under .500 all season—“ he pointed directly at it as he swung over the drivers seat, hitting Soobin on the shoulder.

“Soobin, honk at that thing!”

Dragging himself out of his thoughts, Soobin had a clueless look of confusion on his face.

“Huh— Why?”

Yeonjun pouted, reaching across Soobin to do it himself. As the harsh sound of the horn aired, his pout was soon replaced with a cheeky grin.

“So they know they're bullshit!” Soobin laughs as Yeonjun lays on the horn again. “They're just going to think you're like, saluting mediocre baseball.” Soobin argued.

Yeonjun shook his head, “Oh, they'll know. Here, take over.”

Yeonjun leaned out as they drove by, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“Try undefeated, bitches! We're going to motherfucking NATIONALS!”

EXT. SCHOOL BACK ALLEYWAY

Beomgyu used all the muscles in his face in the moment trying hard to seem like he didn’t give a shit as he choked down a swig of something from a brown paper bag.

“Ugh.. What is that?”

His friends laugh as he pulls the bottle of Old Wren Scotch and inspects the label.

“And here I thought jocks were supposed to be able to party.” Yunjin teased. Beomgyu continued to cough as he passed her the bottle. “Eat me.”

As Yunjin takes a swig of her own, she enters a coughing fit and begins sputtering. “Oh— that is terrible.”

Heeseung rolls his eyes, “Okay, you know what? You can both go suck a dick.”

Yunjin laughs, hitting him on the shoulder as he defensively snatches the bottle away from her. “And just maybe we will.”

Heeseung is smiling too before his phone goes off. His eyes light up as he checks the number. “Oh shit, it's my cousin...” curiously, Beomgyu tilts his head as he leans against the wall behind him.

“Did he get us the stuff?”

“Yeah, ton—” Before Heeseung can finish, an all too familiar voice calls out. “Hey, burnout! Show us your tits!” Yunjin narrows her eyes at the douchebag leaning out the passenger window of his idling car.

Beomgyu glances uneasily at Yunjin and she looks down, flushing with embarrassment. It wasn’t that she had done anything for this torment— it was the unfortunate experience of being a high school girl.

“C’mon, don't be shy...” sensing her unease, Heeseung nudged her in a comforting motion before passing the bottle to Yunjin.

“I mean, shit! If you really wanna see em!”

Heeseung grips the hem of his shirt with one hand. The guys in the car laugh as he starts to do a ‘sexy’ dance.

Seemingly satisfied, they start up the car to drive away.

Yunjin bites the inside of her cheek, making a decision. She tightens her grip on the bottle and chucks it at the receding car with all his strength.

The car slams on the brakes as the bottle smashes against its rear window. Suddenly screeching in reverse, Heeseung narrows his eyes at Yunjin. “The fuck, Yunjin? They're gonna kick our ass, not yours!”

Yunjin shrugs, crossing her arms. “Only if they catch you. Show them how fast the Yellowjackets can run!”

All three share a look before hauling ass as fast as they can. Beomgyu can’t help the laughs that come out, causing his friends to laugh along with him sprinting down the alley.

EXT. SKU HIGH HALLWAY

As students make their way to first period in a preponderance of unisex flannel, there’s a teacher on hall-duty. She's doing her best to look authoritative. Her results are middling.

“Slow it down, Mr. Kim. There are rules against running in the hall. I assume. I haven't seen any official documentation, but the other teachers seem pretty against it, so...” her voice trails off as she turns a corner to find Assistant Coach Choi San.

Early graduate and alumni, he landed a job as Assistant coach fairly easily. His good looks seem to have an obvious impact on her as he gives a friendly smile.

“Hey, Arin! Did you talk to Coach?”

“Who?” Arin pauses, tapping her chin. “Oh, Baekho. Yeah.”

San tilts his head to the smile, smile unmoving. He has a kind and calming presence that leaves her feeling unguarded, an effect he seems to have on mostly everyone.

“So... are you in?”

Arin laughs nervously, “Well, it's like I said, I don't really know anything about soccer.” San opens his mouth to counter but she raises her hand to stop him. “Like at all.”

“C’mon think of it as a paid vacation… we’ll have fun. Besides, we already qualified for Nationals. I think we're good on the soccer front.”

As if suddenly realizing Arin’s lips separate with a sigh of air.

“Oh, you’re going too?”

San raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. The uniform he’s wearing doesn’t help to hide his muscles much at all. He continues as if it’s obvious. “I'm the assistant coach. Wait… why do you think I dress like this?”

This is new information to Arin but considering how good looking he is, she supposes it makes sense. Finally, she gives into his pushing with a small smile.

“Well, I guess if it would make the school board happy to have a girl there. I mean.. woman. I-I mean.. go Jackets! Haha..”

San grins, raising his fist up teasingly to bump it against her own. “Buzz, buzz, buzz! That's great, really. Welcome aboard.”

She’s unclear if he’s purposely flirting and hopes that it’s just in his nature to act this way. “Thanks. Maybe you could teach me some of the basics? I probably should know some stuff…”

San nodded, the creases by his eyes irritatingly adorable. “Yeah, sure. Can you come to practice this afternoon?”

Arin frowns. “I have a make-up bio lab. Myung Jaehyun, the whole Lyme’s disease situation. But we could grab a drink tonight?”

A look of surprised crossed San’s features before he nodded in agreement. Clapping her hands together, Arin hummed. “It's a date! I mean, not a date, date. It's a plan. A friendly agreement.”

INT. COED SOCCER TEAM LOCKER ROOM

The locker room was irritating to say the least as the sound of doors slamming shut and idle chatter rang about.

Leehan stares miserably at the mirror as Yeonjun paints a bee on his cheek. Around them, there's a flurry of activity as the rest of the team changes into uniforms and applies face paint.

“Leehan. You okay?” The boy nods and Yeonjun gives him a brotherly smile.

“It’s just a pep rally. All we have to do is run in and then stand there looking good. Honestly, I think the whole point is just to give freshman something to fantasize about later.” Leehan frowns, giving Yeonjun a haughty look as he snickers.

“I'm not nervous.” Leehan begins. Before he can continue, Y/N peeks her head in through the door. “Yeonjun?”

They look over to see her leaning in the doorway. “Coach wants to see you in his office.”

As Yeonjun passes off the brush to one of his teammates, he gives Y/N a friendly smile as he gently moves past her. Leehan pouts as Kai, his terminally cheerful teammate finishes painting his bee.

“I'm the only freshman who got asked, you know. And now it doesn't even matter. It's so unfair.”

Leehan pouts, scandalized by the sheer injustice. At the other end of the mirrors, Taehyun rolls his eyes with Beomgyu and Soobin.

“My suit was gonna be amazing. I mean— I even bought us matching accessories.” Kai gave him a smile, voice almost diplomatic as he tried to lend him some empathy their other teammates weren’t extending.

“Well, at least you can wear it next year.” Leehan gives him a withering look before speaking with total sincerity.

“You don’t get it Kai, because nobody asked you.”

Kai nods, trying to look sympathetic. “You’re done.” Despite his attempt, there was a hint of annoyance in his sweet tone.

Leehan looked in the mirror and smiled before walking off. Y/N pushed herself off of the doorway as he walked out past her, groaning as she looked into the mirror to touch up her makeup.

“Jesus Christ. Maybe someone should tell Prince Charming over there to worry less about prom and more about not fucking up at Nationals.” Taehyun crossed his arms, watching as she fixed up her hair.

“If he plays like he did at States...” As Taehyun assessed Leehan in his mind, he shook his head. “That’s not gonna happen. I’ll handle it.” Raising an eyebrow at him through the mirror, Y/N smiled as she widened her eyes dramatically. “Ooh, scary.”

INT. COACH SIM’S OFFICE

Trophies and equipment were riddled within cinderblock walls of the Coach’s office. It was much less picturesque compared to the rest of the school.

On the desk a photo sat of him, his wife and his two sons. To Yeonjun, everything looks like it smells like coffee and cigarettes.

Coach Sim gestures to the chair in front of his desk. Lighting a Marlboro, he glances up at Yeonjun.

“I'm going to talk to you like an adult. Is that okay with you?”

Yeonjun gets the sense that it's a favorite question of his by the tone he took. Cautiously, he nods.

“Do you know why I made you team captain this year?”

Yeonjun tries to project an air of mature humility as he goes to answer but is cut off. “Obviously it isn't because you're our best player.”

Even though he knew that he agreed deep down, he bit his tongue as he waited for him to finish.

“Soobin’s faster, Kai’s got you on footwork by a mile, and Taehyun, well, he could have a real future in the sport, maybe.”

Letting out a sigh he wasn’t aware he had been keeping in, Yeonjun decided to pry. “Is this... a pep talk?”

“Yeonjun, you possess something nobody else on this team has: influence. When it gets tough out there, these kids are going to be looking for someone to guide them. Can you handle that?”

There’s a beat as Yeonjun considers. It’s a heavy duty to take on but as the oldest of his team, he decides that it should be him to shoulder the burden.

Yeonjun nods, the picture of determination. “Don't worry, Coach. I've got this.”

EXT. SKU GYM

The boys baseball team stands lined up behind the vice principal at a podium on the gym floor. “Alright, let's hear it for the boys! Let's give them a hand.”

The bleachers are packed with students, exhibiting the various levels of enthusiasm you'd expect from a mandatory pep rally. Supportive shouts from the other jocks, eye rolls from the burnouts and everything in between.

The principal sighs, “Thanks, guys. You did your best.”

At the edge of the court, Coach Sim stands with Assistant Coach San and Sunoo, the team’s equipment manager. “Now, our next act needs no introduction. Let’s all make some noise for your Soccer Champions!”

As music starts to blare from the speakers, the crowd goes— well, not wild, exactly. It is high school soccer. But it’s okay, because Sunoo is fired enough for everybody. Pumping his fist, WOO-ing for all he’s worth to motivate his friends.

Coach San glances at him, amused, as the team jogs onto the court. Each member exhuding all confidence and grace. Like storming gladiators in a way, Sunoo’s enthusiasm seems contagious as the applause builds, feet rumbling against wooden bleachers.

“BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!”

EXT. WILDERNESS (UNKNOWN)

Pink strains of dawn are just starting to peek through the dark silhouette of trees. There’s the sound of rope, pulled taught against wood, a rasping creak.

The runner’s corpse now hanging upside down by the rope binding his ankles. Snowflakes drift through the early light as the hunter and a new figure, the butcher, work to hoist the body from a tree branch.

After a beat of silence, another figure— the overseer— joins them. There’s a moment, before they nod their approval.

There’s splashes of blood hitting the snow, ruining its’ delicate state as the butcher slits the runner’s throat with a hunting knife. Bleeding him out like a prize buck.

EXT. SKU HIGH COURTYARD

As Soobin exits the school, he approaches Beomgyu, Y/N and Taehyun who seemed to be conferring in hushed tones on their way to practice.

“This is what we've been working for all season. You really want to take that chance?” Taehyun asked, kicking at the ground.

Beomgyu scoffed, “Yeah. 'Cause I'm not a fucking asshole.” Doe eyes wide and alert, Soobin pulled on the strap of his backpack. “What are you guys talking about?”

They all glance towards Leehan, messing around playfully with some other freshmen on the other side of the courtyard.

“Leehan.” Y/N says simply. Soobin’s lips press into a frown, “What about him?”

“Did you black out at States? He totally choked.” Taehyun says. Beomgyu sighed. Taehyun’s competitive nature for sport was no secret but he still couldn’t help but find his annoyance harsh.

“He’s a freshman, Tyun.” Taehyun just frowned. “He’s a liability.” Soobin glances in Yeonjun’s direction uncertainly. Talking with Chaewon and her friends, he seems completely oblivious to his own teams’ conspiring.

“What do you want to do about it?” Soobin asked wearily. Beomgyu gives Taehyun a look. “Go ahead. Tell him.”

“He can't screw up if he doesn't get the ball.” He said simply. Soobin frowns. “You want to freeze him out?”

Beomgyu scoffs, “We'd basically be a man down. At Nationals.” Although he’s trying to rationalize, it just seems to add more tension to the situation.

“At least we'd know what we're working with.” Taehyun says. “I don't know, Tyun. He kinda sucks, but... it doesn't feel right.” Y/N says, crossing her arms as she looks over toward Leehan.

Beomgyu scoffed, expecting more defense from her. “That's because it's bullshit.” Taehyun scoffs this time. What he wants to say is fuck you but rather than that, he decides to bite his tongue. “Oh yeah? What's your plan, then?”

Beomgyu shook his head, “I dunno, play like a fucking team and win? It's worked so far.”

The tension in the group was clear, Y/N picking at her nails with her eyes cast downward. Soobin seemed to pick up on her anxiety and offered her a squeeze on the shoulder.

Taehyun and Beomgyu didn’t butt heads as often as the rest of them but when they did, it was obvious to stay clear.

“Everything works until it doesn't.” Taehyun argued. “And for the record, you smell like a wino. Get your shit together Gyu.”

Beomgyu takes a step towards him and glances at Y/N, then changes his mind. “You know what? Fuck this.” Beomgyu stalks off, shoulder checking Taehyun as he leaves. Soobin lingers back fully considering what Taehyun was proposing.

“Yeonjun’s not gonna like it.” He said. Taehyun huffed. “Then we probably shouldn't tell him.” Soobin hesitates before nodding.

EXT. SKU HIGH SOCCER FIELD (PAST)

Students in various athletic— soccer track— tread lightly as they head out to their respective fields.

Taehyun, Soobin and Y/N arrive just behind Beomgyu as Yeonjun finishes leading the rest of the team through a series of stretches.

Coach San clapped his hands together to get their attention. “Okay, circle up!” There's a short whistle blast as Coach San jogs onto the field.

“JV's gonna help us out with a little scrimmage today. Coach Sim had to take care of a family thing, so grab a pinny from Sunoo and let's get started.”

“Excuse me, Coach San? Shouldn't we say the lords’ prayer?” Jungwon’s voice asked gently and Niki groaned, leaning back on the field with a ‘thud’.

It wasn’t that Jungwon was particularly annoying or pushy about his religion, he was just certainly pert and could get on your last nerve. A few members of the team roll their eyes and glance over as Coach San expectantly who just chuckles.

“It's.. just a scrimmage, Jungwon.” Off his insistent look, he sighs and nods towards him. “..Sure. Knock yourself out.”

The team reluctantly forms a circle, heads bowed, hands joined as Jungwon recited the lords’ prayer.

Regardless of what anyone on the team thought, these circles had became a tradition at this point due to his sheer persistence and belief in them.

The scrimmage began shortly thereafter and as it progresses, Soobin dribbles upfield, easily maneuvering around the JV defender.

Leehan races open on his left but Soobin ignores him, opting for a trickier pass to Kai. When Beomgyu darts in and redirects the ball to Leehan who fumbles, then panicking as the defense closes in, sending a wild pass out of bounds.

As Coach San’s whistle blows, Beomgyu throws Soobin and Taehyun a defiant look of disappointment.

Soobin and Taehyun work together to keep Leehan out of the play throughout the game as Beomgyu undermines their efforts every chance he gets. Yeonjun shoots Soobin a look as to ask ‘what the fuck is going on?’

Taehyun gestures for a time out and jogs over to Coach San. As hard as he focused, Beomgyu couldn’t hear their conference, but he got the gist when Taehyun strips off his red pinny. He hands it over to the JV sweeper playing against Leehan, switching sides and sticks his tongue out teasingly at Beomgyu.

“C'mon, Varsity. Your own defense wants to see you step it up. And frankly, that makes two of us.” San clapped his hands together encouragingly, “Let's see some hustle!”

San blows the whistle and JV kicks off, this time with Taehyun playing for the other side. He’s all over Leehan: crowding, holding and talking shit per usual.

There’s another pass to Leehan, when Taehyun slide tackles him hard. As the ball rolls out of bounds, and the whistle blows foul Yeonjun finally voices his irritation.

Jogging up to Taehyun, he grabs his shoulder. “What's your problem? Are you- okay? Did something happen?” Playing dumb, Taehyun jerks his shoulder out of his grip. “What?”

Confused, Yeonjun pouts. “Just… ease up on the kid.” Soobin watches the interaction, then works his way closer to Taehyun as the players get ready for the inbound throw.

“C'mon, Tyun. This isn't helping.” Taehyun shrugs. “If we can't freeze him out, he’s gonna have to learn to play under pressure.” He rationalizes.

Before Soobin can respond, the coach’s whistle blows and play resumes. Taehyun’s strategy is set in action as he stays on Leehan taking a beating, frustrated. Only the harder Taehyun goes, the more the team realizes his strategy is working.

Leehan grimaces in concentration, negotiating the ball around Taehyun with a slick cruyff turn. In the corner, Leehan shoulders Taehyun hard to clear space for a pass and he chuckles in disbelief.

Leehan sprints to get open, Taehyun hot on his heels. Soobin fires a long lofted pass. Leehan and Taehyun are both vying for the ball as it arcs high in the air when Leehan jumps for a header and Taehyun instinctively juts his foot out, catching his ankle as he comes back down.

There's a sickening, audible snap as Leehan’s leg seemingly collapses. Buckling and breaking in a compound fracture that is a total peversion of the human form.

There's a beat of silence— an eerie stillness— as Leehan collapses on the field. Jagged bone puncturing the skin, blood spreading, soaking into the grass as he screams before all hell breaks loose.

Y/N screams as someone else begins to cry— Kai covers his mouth to try and swallow the nausea that arose. Taehyun backs away, stunned, horrified, as Coach San rushes to Leehan’s side.

Despite the fact he should keep his cool, he lets it slip out of sheer disbelief of the situation. “Holy fuck.” Trying to keep his shit together, he takes a deep breath. “Just— We need an ambulance. There's a phone in the coach’s office. Sunoo! Go.”

Sunoo nods, like a soldier in battle for some reason, before taking off. San watches for a beat before pulling himself back to reality. “Shit. Just— keep him calm! Don’t move him.”

He takes off after Sunoo as Soobin approaches Leehan, hyperventilating on the ground. He looks around, trying to find Yeonjun. He finds him pale, wide-eyed, frozen in place.

Knowing he should do something but hesitating, unsure of what to do. As if one wrong move could shake the entire balance of the team.

“Yeonjun.”

Soobin calls for him but he doesn’t move. His eyes are shot as he stares, seemingly in a bit of shock. Steeling himself, Soobin gets down on the ground, trying not to look at the leg and all the blood. Taking Leehan’s hand he tried to muster up a comforting smile, though his face was contorted in discomfort.

“Hey, look at me, Leehan. You're going to be fine. I'm right here.”

Beomgyu quickly joined him on the ground, dropping to his knees. “We're all right here. Okay?”

Soobin glances at him, grateful. As Leehan looks up at them and nods, shaky, he was clearly in shock.

INT. COED SOCCER TEAM LOCKER ROOM

There’s near silence as the team changes. Everyone is still a little shell shocked from what happened. An edgy feeling. Something combustible in the air.

Taehyun is sitting by himself. Everyone else is avoiding eye contact except Beomgyu, who's giving him a death glare.

Yeonjun looks around at his team before taking a deep breath.

“I know we're all worried about Leehan. But… I really think we need to focus on the positive right now! It might not be as bad as it looks.”

Beomgyu scoffs at Yeonjun’s blind optimism.

“You could see his fucking bones, Yeonjun. I'm pretty sure it's exactly as bad as it looks!”

Kai covered his mouth and turned away, “Oh god. I think I'm gonna puke again...” Beomgyu put his hand on his back gently.

Yeonjun glares at Beomgyu, unused to his authority being questioned. Trying to recover the situation, he sighs.

“I mean we’re still a team. And we still have each other, okay? And…” Jungwon swallowed. “We have faith.”

Y/N groaned, rolling onto her side as she pushed herself to sit up on the bench. “This wasn't exactly a big win for the power of prayer, Wonnie.”

Jungwon gave a nervous smile, “the world works in mysterious wa-” There’s a loud bang as Beomgyu slams his locker, giving Soobin a particularly nasty look as he storms out.

“Okay… guess he’s not up for a theological discussion.” Yeonjun shoots Y/N a look and she simply shrugs.

INT. SOOBIN'S HOUSE

Soobin and Yeonjun sat in a cramped attic room in a ramshackle house. Faded wallpaper, and soccer trophies littering the shelves.

“I don't know, it feels weird to just go like nothing happened...” Soobin said. Yeonjun sat putting on concealer at a small light-up vanity. Admiring his reflection, he made sure it was blended perfectly to cover anything up.

Satisfied, his attention shifts to the photos on the desk— him and Soobin at various ages. A talent show. The beach. Halloween.

“I mean, it's not like skipping the party is going to un-fuck Leehan’s leg. Plus, it's tradition. And we're already missing prom...”

Yeonjun sits back, fingering the chain around his neck. Then, bored, he starts opening vanity drawers. He pulls out an old prayer card of the Virgin Mary, turning it over.

“Oh my god, remember when you tried to get your mom to let you become Catholic? What did you call it?” Soobin, still shaken from the afternoon ruffles his hair in the mirror as he fixes his shirt over his jeans.

“My ‘spiritual awakening.’” Yeonjun snickers, “You were such a weird kid. What were you, like, nine?” Then, Soobin walks out into the room. “Eleven. I liked the saints. They were all so tragic.”

Yeonjun gives the basic outfit a once-over. Shaking his head no. As Soobin heads back into the closet, Yeonjun begins. “Lucky you had me to save you from yourself... You know, Kazuha’s going to be at the party tonight.”

Soobin gave Yeonjun a confused look, “Um, okay..” Yeonjun hums. “She asked Chaewon to ask me if you were gonna be there...” Soobin reemerges in the same jeans with a new white button up.

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow. “Definitely not.” Soobin crosses his arms. “Kazuha? Really?”

Yeonjun shrugs. “What? She’s basically Chaewon’s best friend. I just thought you might want to know she asked about you... plus she’s pretty quiet and respectable. Opposites attract or whatever.”

Soobin stares at himself in the mirror as Yeonjun begins to toss a stress ball up in the air, catching it and repeating. “So I’m not respectable?” Yeonjun snickers but Soobin just glares at himself in the mirror.

“I don’t need a girlfriend right now.” There’s a snap in his tone and Yeonjun looks over confused. “Jesus, I wasn’t saying you had to marry the girl.” Soobin doesn’t respond, trying to find another outfit that suites his friends’ standards.

“Whatever— are you ready, or what? C'mon, we're gonna be late...”

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT

Deep in the woods. Moving towards the glow of a fire, somewhere amongst the trees was a gathering of students. Hundreds, maybe.

A souped-up 4runner barrels in, a dented keg secured in the back. Teenage boys jump out to heave the keg to the ground as several other cars pull up alongside.

Soobin huffed as he realized they’re at a typical teenage hang-out spot. More specifically, the site of Kim Chaewon's famous annual kegger.

Moving through the crowd, Yeonjun and Soobin stood red solo cups in hand hanging with Chaewon and her friends. Yeonjun hits a bong as the girls laugh, Chaewon leaning into him to playfully mess up his hair.

There’s a few jealous stares from unknown sources as Yeonjun holds court, putting on a show. He turns away from Chaewon and grabs Soobin’s hand to insist he takes a hit.

Resistant, Soobin instead chugs his beer. Heeseung makes his way past the scene, finding Beomgyu and Yunjin. “You guys. My cousin hooked us up.”

Beomgyu’s eyes light up with a sparkle. “You got it?” Heeseung grins, holding out his hand to reveal several tiny squares of paper.

“I have six words, my friend. Lucy. In. The. Sky. With. Diamonds.” Yunjin rolled her eyes, laughing. “That is, like, literally the least efficient way to say that.” As Beomgyu snatches one of the tabs from his palm, Yunjin grabbed his hand.

“Dude. Don't you guys leave for the Olympics or whatever tomorrow?” Beomgyu paused, swallowing the lump in his throat as he thought about leaving. Taking a deep breath, he nodded.

“Yeah. We do.” He gave them both a look, daring either to say anything else. Yunjin shrugs as if it’s not her problem. Beomgyu takes the hit and Heeseung laughs.

Beomgyu closes his eyes for a moment, letting it dissolve as Heeseung’s arm finds a home on his shoulder.

“We are gonna ace that shit, my friend. We are champions.”

Somehow through the buzz of the party, Soobin found himself watching Yeonjun and Chaewon from a distance. A feeling of uneasiness and irritation at how easy it was for them to resume their relationship. His expression was unreadable.

Soobin rolls his eyes in disgust, then drains his cup. Heading for the keg to get another, he stumbles a bit only to find Taehyun already waiting for a beer.

Taehyun doesn’t notice him getting on line behind him at first but Soobin makes sure he does. “I admire your resilience, Tyun. It can't be easy knowing you fucking crippled someone today.”

Taehyun turned, eyes wide for a moment before realizing how completely shit-faced his friend was. Frowning for a moment, he hummed before giving him a forced smile.

“Cool. Good talk.” He starts to walk away, when Soobin shakes his head. “Just admit you did it on purpose.” Taehyun scoffs, turning toward him. “Excuse me?

Soobin pouted, stumbling to a halt as Taehyun walked back up to him. “You heard me.” Taehyun shook his head. “You know me, I wouldn’t have done that on purpose. I’m not heartless.”

Soobin threw his cup on the ground to emphasize his point. “You’re a fucking sociopath!” People started watching now, the argument garnering the attention of a few of their teammates as they head over.

Although the words hurt, Taehyun didn’t bother to argue back. The guilt lingering in him refused to let him defend himself. “You're wasted, Soobin.”

Kai makes his way over and puts a hand on Soobin’s shoulder, ready to lead him away. “Hey, Soobin, take it easy...” he shrugs it off.

“Good news, you guys. We don't have to worry about the Leehan problem anymore. Taehyun fixed it for us!” Jungwon’s eyes widened and he looked at Jay who shrugged, looking just as confused as he was.

“What's he talking about?”

Beomgyu walked over, jaw locked as he clenched his teeth. “He’s talking about Taehyun’s little plan.”

Taehyun scoffs, “Please. Since when do you give a shit anyway? Don't you have a bong to hit or a dick to suck, or something?”

Soobin jumped to Beomgyu’s defense. “Hey. Don't talk to him that way.” Beomgyu laughed. “Oh, fuck off, Soobin. I don't need you to defend me anymore. Last I checked, you were fine with the whole ‘freeze him out' strategy...”

Jungwon scratched his cheek, look of confusuon only worsening. “Seriously, what are you guys talking about?”

Soobin and Beomgyu’s voices boomed out in unison, “Shut the fuck up, Jungwon!”

Stepping forward, Niki chimed in. “Don’t talk to him like that, what the fuck?”

As the situation continues to escalate, Yeonjun finally seems to catch wind of the brewing fight. He frowns, heading off in the direction of the keg. Only to confront a full-on verbal barrage, everyone yelling at once.

Jungwon shot a glare at Kai. “Let me finish! LET ME-” Kai ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “You interrupted me!” Soobin leaned into Taehyun’s face, pointing at him. “Go ahead and say that again, dickhead.”

An even bigger crowd gathered and Kazuha twirled a strand of hair around her finger, Chaewon standing idly by her. “Boys are so catty, aren’t they?” She hummed. “So aggro…”

Yeonjun storms in, taking in the situation at hand. “That’s it.” Thrusting himself into the middle of the maelstrom and extending his hands between Soobin and Taehyun, he shouted.

“Enough!”

Everyone stops as Yeonjun crosses his arms, glaring. Then, turning on his heels he motions for them to follow.

“Yellowjackets, WITH ME. NOW.”

The rest of them watch as he stomps off into the woods beyond the bonfire. Clearly expecting them to follow suit. There’s a beat of silence, before one after one, they do.

Soobin is the last to hold out. As he reluctantly follows the rest of the team. Yeonjun is pacing in front of his teammates like a body-glittered Patton. Sizing them up. A few look a little drunk. All of them look fucking miserable. Beomgyu, in particular, looks unsteady, as the acid starts to kick in.

“I don't know what the fuck that was, but I do know that it's over. We're about to go to Nationals, you guys. Nationals. And based on what I'm looking at right now, we might as well not even bother getting on that plane.”

He thinks for a second. “Alright, everybody line up… I'm fucking serious. LINE UP.” Almost as a reflex to his tone, they do. Then, a small smile playing on his lips, he continues. “I'm going to talk to you like adults. Is that okay with you?”

A few smile as they recognize the coach’s catchphrase. “Coach is always telling us that you can't win without three things. Talent. Trust. And respect.” Yeonjun taps his foot impatiently.

“I mean, Coach also talks a lot of bullshit, but I'm pretty sure he's right about that. So here’s what we’re gonna do. I want each of you to go down this line and say one nice- true- thing about every other person on this team.”

The others exchange looks. “Is he fucking serious?” Niki asked.

Dragging his feet into line, Jay threw the rest of them a confused look after having missed a majority of the argument.

“What is this, fucking Boy Scouts?” Yeonjun ignored the comment with a slight tsk before continuing, “Who wants to go first?”

Nobody makes eye contact before finally. “I’ll go, Yeonjun.” Solemnly, Jungwon steps out and walks to the end of the line. Starting with Taehyun.

“Taehyun, you are beautiful in the eyes of the lord.” Taehyun lets out an exasperated exhale before Jungwon steps over to Kai who gave him a smug smile.

“Kai, you are beautiful in the-” Y/N groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. “Oh my god this kid…” Yeonjun sighed, clapping his hands together.

“He took one religious class for the grade point and they brainwashed him… free my man Jungwon.”

“Jungwon, fall back!” Jungwon falls back into line between Jay and Niki as Yeonjun puts his hands on his hips, foot tapping impatiently.

“Fuck. Fine, I'll go first.” He walks over to Taehyun and looks him directly in the eye. “Kang Taehyun, you have more fight in you than anyone I've ever known. I’m inspired by your determination and hard work.”

He then steps over to Kai.

“Huening Kai, your smile makes me feel happy, every time I see it. You’re the undeniable force that holds us all together.”

Next, Jungwon.

“Jungwon, I truly admire your faith and kindness. You’re insanely skilled for your age and I can’t wait to see you take over this team.”

Beomgyu bites the inside of his cheek, pulling at the skin inside anxiously as his head spins, the acid worsening the effects. “Beomgyu, I love that you don't care what anybody else thinks. You're more completely yourself than anyone else I know and you are incredibly warm, even if you don’t think so.”

Glancing down the line, Yeonjun’s heart swells. “Y/N. Your ambition inspires me. I have no doubt you're gonna take over the world some day.”

Kai snickered, “She's also deadly at beer pong.”

Yeonjun clapped his hands together, jumping excitedly at the comment. “Well, go ahead then. Tell her. C'mon, guys. If we do this one at a time, we'll be here all night...”

Rolling their eyes with affection, the members shyly start to turn to each other. Turning to Jungwon, Kai tapped his elbow with his finger. “Jungwon, you... have really shiny hair?” Raising an eyebrow, Jungwon gave him a confused smile.

Beomgyu swallowed down the dryness in his throat, clearing it quickly before looking Y/N in the eyes. “Y/N L/N, you never talk shit unless someone really deserves it.“ he paused for a moment, eyes traveling to the top of her head before he chuckled. “I… also really like your pilgrim hat.”

Y/N who was— definitely not wearing a hat— had a look of confusion before shaking her head, deciding to accept the strange compliments and move on. “Um… Okay..?”

Then, as Soobin approaches Taehyun, he takes a deep breath. “I'm sorry for what I said before. About you-”

Taehyun shakes his head, nudging Soobin. The two grew apart in recent months but there was still the remnants of a connection.

“I didn't, you know. Mean to hurt him.” Soobin isn’t sure if he believes him but he could tell that, if nothing else, Taehyun wanted it to be true.

Soobin nods when Yeonjun approaches. “Hey guys. Are we cool?” Soobin looks at him and shrugs. “I dunno. You still haven't said anything nice about me.”

Taehyun chuckles as he goes over to Kai who was waving him over. Yeonjun rolls his eyes, voice laced with sarcasm. “Choi Soobin, you're a fucking laugh riot.”

The smile on his face falters slightly at Soobin’s pout, shaking his head. “Okay, fine.” Yeonjun grabs Soobin’s hand.

“You're a clumsy dancer, you've got seriously questionable taste in music, and you can't hold your liquor for shit... but you’re also the smartest person I know and the only one who's always been there for me. You're the best friend I've ever had.”

His voice was laced with sincerity, “You know that, right?”

Quietly, Soobin agreed. “Yeah. I know.”

“And you should have told me about Taehyun and Leehan.” Soobin nods, he knows that too. Or at least, doesn't want to fight about it. The fight's gone out of him for now.

“Now, c'mon. Let's get you home.”

Yeonjun tugs on Soobin’s hand, wishing it felt better than it did. It felt off compared to any other time he had, it felt colder.

As the party winds down. Empty cups and beer cans remain, a few holdout couples still making out. The bonfire is burned down to embers now as Beomgyu continued tripping balls.

Looking around at his friends and classmates, their faces strange, distorted. Wrong. He turns away, afraid. Suddenly spotting Y/N standing alone amongst the trees, at the edge of darkness. Watching.

“Y/N?” His voice comes out hushed, confused.

Y/N’s face also begins to shift and warp. Beomgyu squeezes his eyes shut, regretting putting himself in a bad trip. When he reopens them, Y/N is gone off somewhere. He focuses his eyes onto the dying flames of the fire.

EXT. WILDERNESS (UNKNOWN)

Another bonfire, in another place, at another time. Meat is roasting over makeshift spit, fat hissing as it drips into the flames... a set of hands works on a hatchet and hunting knife over flesh and bone.

There’s the sound of faint humming, the person lost in the task at hand. High and clear.

A naggingly familiar, haunting melody.

'It seems no one can help me now, I'm in too deep, there's no way out. This time I have really lead myself astray...'

EXT. BACKSTREETS (PAST)

As Soobin rides in the front alone, Yeonjun sits with Chaewon in the back, leaning her forehead against the cool pane of the window. They ride in silence, as the radio plays.

“Turn on here, it's faster.” Soobin glances back in the rearview mirror, annoyed. “Chaewon’s house is on the way.” Yeonjun groaned, kicking the back of his seat. “C'mon. I'm past curfew.”

Chaewon chuckled. “I have a curfew too, you know.” Yeonjun gave her a sheepish smile, “Yeah, but. I mean, you know what my parents are like.”

Soobin sighs, there's no point in arguing. Yeonjun gets what Yeonjun wants. As Chaewon rolls down her window, letting the cool night air wash over her face, she sighs.

Soobin cuts the headlights and pulls quietly up to the curb, watching as Yeonjun and Chaewon climb out and exchange a quick hug before Chaewon gets in the front— an end of night ritual they've repeated countless times.

As they pull away, Chaewon gives a quick wave from the window flashing that patented, easy the-world-is-ours grin, for a moment, still and beautiful and perfect in the moonlight.

Soobin and Chaewon- now in front- drive alone down a dark two-lane road in a remote, wooded part of town.

“Pull over.” Chaewon says.

“Are you gonna puke? Don't puke in my car, Chaewon.” Soobin’s voice is laced with disgust and Chaewon rolls her eyes.

“Just pull over. Here.”

Soobin turns down an access road. As the car rolls to a stop, there’s a beat as the two both sit, staring out the windshield in silence.

“I thought we weren't doing this again.” Soobin said, breaking the silence. Chaewon frowns, “I’m not. Clearly.”

Soobin gives her a confused look and she rolls her eyes. “I just wanted to talk about it. It was a mistake. You know that right?”

Soobin scoffed at the insinuation that it— he was a mistake. “Yeah. Chaewon, I know.” She frowns. “I don’t want it to ruin our friendship— or yours. We both just slipped up, you know?”

Soobin shook his head, leaning into the palm of his hand. “We don’t need to talk about it.” He said, starting the car again.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS - NIGHT

Yeonjun folds his clothes peefectly, tucking them away into his suitcase.

Soobin holds a piece of paper, an official letterhead from his university of choice. Shaking his head, he stuffs the letter in a desk drawer. Then, picking up his suitcase, he takes one look at his childhood bedroom. As though sensing he’s leaving something— some part of him— behind.

Taehyun waits by himself as a taxi pulls into his driveway, struggling to load his own luggages.

Beomgyu sighs, smoking a joint out of the window of his cramped bedroom.

Kai finished packing away his clothes, his younger sister helping him zip up the suitcase. His older sister leaned against the door frame teasing him about having grown up.

Y/N sat staring at the table as her family maid served her breakfast. The chef’s kitchen was enormous her eyes trained on all marble and stainless steel. As the maid pointedly hands her a bottle of loxipene, she watches carefully like a hawk Y/N shakes out a pill and swallows it with juice.

Heeseung looks at himself in the mirror, pulling at his dilated eyes and snickering slightly before shaking his head. Suitcase all prepped and pre-ready, he flicks the bathroom light off.

Jay tiredly tosses his suitcase by his door, throwing himself down onto his bed with an exhausted heave.

Coach Sim loads the trunk of his station wagon with luggage as his two sons, Jake and Sunghoon climb in the back to go.

Sunoo sits at the edge of his pool, kicking his feet in the water with an impassive expression.

Jungwon sat on his knees, saying one last prayer to the small painting on his bedroom wall.

Niki goes into his living room to find his mom passed out on the couch, a bottle of scotch on the coffee table. Rolling his eyes, he grabs the car keys as she starts to awake.

INT. CHARTERED PLANE

The team are together now as they make their way onboard.

The students excitement is palpable as they take in the interior of the plane. It looks pretty much like any other plane except this time: it only belongs to them.

Beomgyu laughed in disbelief, “Wicked.”

Kai leaned toward Y/N excitedly, “I can't believe your Dad paid for a private plane!”

Y/N shrugged, “It's pretty much his only form of parenting, but I guess I'll take it.”

Jay and Heeseung chuckled before chiming in together in a sing-song tone. “Thank you, Mr. L/N!”

Coach Sim shakes his head, making his way down the aisle. “Alright, hustle up and take a seat. We've got a long flight.”

San stands helping Sunoo and Jungwon load their carry-ons into the overhead compartment. Assiduously pretending he doesn't see Arin approaching down the aisle, looking hungover. She gives him a sheepish smile before squeezing past and heading down the aisle.

A few rows back, Soobin and Yeonjun settled into adjoining seats. Soobin looked pale.

Yeonjun nudged him, eyes holding a look of concern. “You alright? They probably have a puke bag, if you need it.”

Soobin nodded, though he didn’t respond. He didn’t necessarily have a fear of flying but for some reason— this particular flight left him uneasy. He chalked it up to the tension building up to their game.

As he glances around the cabin nervously, Yeonjun smiles, rummages in his bag. Pulling out a balled-up tissue tucked deep into one of the inner pockets, he holds it out.

Soobin gives him a confused look.

“Remember when you came with my family to Jeju in second grade? You cried the whole flight.”

Soobin scoffed. “In my defense I was like 8, Yeonjun.”

Yeonjun opens the tissue, revealing two pale blue valium pills. “I swiped these from my mom's medicine cabinet. She didn’t even notice.”

Soobin didn’t answer as he gently took the pills in his hand. “I know, I’m the best. And here.”

Yeonjun takes off his chain, linking it around Soobin’s neck instead. “It's a good luck charm. Now nothing can touch you.”

Soobin shakes his head as he swallows the pills, giving Yeonjun a look of genuine appreciation.

The team continues laughing, gossiping and singing. They’re all too swept up in their excitement over the adventure ahead.

As the sound of the plane getting ready to take off gets louder, Soobin’s nails dig into the arm rest of his seat. Yeonjun glances at him, leaning his head on his shoulder in comfort.

There’s a few playful shrieks as the plane lifts off. Soobin’s eyes grow heavy as the sounds of his teammates begin to warp and fade, growing dim as the Valium kicks in.

EXT. WILDERNESS (UNKNOWN)

The fur-clad butcher carries a steaming wooden plank— a makeshift platter— towards the overseer and a ring of acolytes waiting silently in the moonlight.

The overseer turns towards a strange, masked and horned figure: the shaman. Some unspoken agreement passes between them.

The culmination of a strange ceremony begins to unfold. Then, as he gestures to the congregation— they descend, ravenous, coven-like, on the feast. Grease-smeared faces as their teeth hungrily begin to rip and tear meat from its’ bone.

The overseer of the feast pulls back his hood to reveal his face, eyes dim and exhausted. The wreckage of the plane is weathered by sun and rain, grown over with dead winter vines.

INT. CHARTERED PLANE (PAST)

Soobin gasps awake to find himself in a cabin now eerily dark. The engines strain, a deep, terrifying roar. Somewhere behind him, someone screams.

He can’t quite place who it is or what’s happening, all he does is turn to Yeonjun. He shaked him, heart racing. He doesn’t move. Across the aisle, Jungwon quietly mutters a desperate prayer.

Frantic, Soobin tries to get his bearings, to make sense of the nightmarish scene. Beside him, Yeonjun remains slumped, his unused oxygen mask dangling limply overhead from the initial loss of cabin pressure.

Soobin yanks up the window shade to see the silhouette of mountains, close and getting closer. The ground rushing up as they glide over a vast forest. Then— one final and deafening BANG!

[needmytea]

A breathtaking moment

There was a point in my life where I felt that my breath was truly taken away. It was not by a particular relative or friend, nor was it a fiery sunset that captured my eye, but it was by my dog, one that I genuinely poured my heart and soul into taking care of for the past 10 years. She was the loveliest partner I knew and ever had, always at my side during the moments where I felt down, and was my guiding light in the darkest of times. Amongst the beautiful memories we shared, one particular brief moment of time stood out to me, and it truly stole my breath away. It was during her last and final year with me, in the simplest of moments.  “I’m home,” I declared, as I unlocked the heavy wooden door of my small apartment. Just like any other day, I was greeted by my pet dog Luffy, tucked beside the sofa, where her resting basket was, lazily lifting up one dog ear as I stepped into the house to greet her. Luffy, in her big 10-year-old Labrador manner, rose up from her bed and pattered towards me slowly. I leashed her gently and we stepped out of the house to go on a walk together. 

It was a particularly gloomy day. The ominous clouds loomed over the houses, threatening to spill anytime. We went to our nearby residential park, which was completely vacant and silent, except for the occasional noisy rustling of leaves due to the gusts of cold wind. As we went along the trail, I was starting to feel the fatigue from being in school all day. All of a sudden, I was forced out of my reverie, as Luffy suddenly stopped in her tracks, making me almost trip over her body.

“What’s going on, Luffy?” I asked, as I noticed that Luffy was staring at this particular large tree in the center of the park for quite a while. The tree stood in its glory, in the most famous and notable part of the park, its massive trunk reaching out with tiny branches, grasping onto the lush green leaves, creating a massive green shelter akin to the shape of an umbrella. I remember overhearing from old residents that this tree has been here for nearly 100 years, but other than its long history in this country, this tree was nothing special to me. I was left thoroughly confused with Luffy’s silence and unblinking stare at the old tree.

All of a sudden, she started running towards it, barking as maniacally as possible, like a hungry buffalo. Caught off guard, I let go of my hold on the leash, and a wave of shock immediately overcame me.

“Luffy, wait!” I shouted, instantly chasing after her. Luffy never did act this way. She was usually a calm dog; nothing ever fazed her in her 10 years of living. Even during our daily walks in the same park, she never paid special attention to the big tree. That is why, the fact that she was overly enthusiastic today piqued my curiosity. 

She kept on barking, her voice reverberating through the quiet park. Scratching at the bark of the tree while desperately trying to stand on her two feet to get up, her once-neat coat ruffled was now messed up by her frenzy. 

Finally I caught up to Luffy, panting for air as I crouched down next to her. 

‘What is it that you’re looking at, Luffy?” I tiredly asked, as I watched my dog slowly soften her barks while still insistently glaring up the tree. I sighed.

Curiosity was like a devil, urging me to just take a quick peek up the tree to satisfy the burning question of “What is going on?” 

So, naturally, I raised my head up, and the cat was out of the bag.

Woah. 

A wide crowd of small crisp white birds, perched on top of the branches of the trees, were looking down at me and Luffy with a sharpness in their eyes, standing tall on their branches, as if we were just lowly servants to the king’s throne. Their pearly white feathers were brought out by the green of the leaves, and their beaks and eyes were a murky black. 

I was absolutely shell-shocked for a moment. Never have I thought to see a whole flock of Duarian Starlings occupying the entire space of a tree, let alone even see a bird perched on a tree nowadays! To a measly teenager like me, we could only ever see such birds through our science textbooks or at the bird park. Moreover, his urban environment was unsuitable for wildlife with the heavy traffic in the mornings and late evenings, with frequent loud horns audible everyday, so to see birds, let alone countless of them, was just insane to me. That moment left my mouth gaping wide open, and all of my wandering thoughts about my bed and food instantly vanished. It was a truly breathtaking moment, where I just stared at the mother birds feeding their chicks, and the birds lightly chirping as if they were having a conversation. I felt so at peace, looking at them.

Soon, soft thunder rumbled through the skies as raindrops slowly started to pelt down the pathment. With no umbrella and Luffy not budging from her spot, I was left with no choice but to sit under the tree and wait out the rain.

So, for the next 30 minutes or so, Luffy and I sat next to each other, dry and right under the tree, staring out at the downpour gushing down on the park and raindrops illuminated by tiny glimpses of the sun, with the flock of white birds, sharing this quiet solace together for a while.  In the end, the breathtaking and unusual view of the birds still have a special place in my heart after so long. That was one of my most memorable and favourite memories I shared with Luffy. Now, everytime I enter the same park, I sit at our same spot, reminiscing about this particular memory with Luffy. 

- written by yoon

mwacks

[berglietz]

Dissatisfaction worms its way into Caspar's heart in the space between the rounds of combat, the sudden end of a fight left unfinished. As the distant Oghma Mountains melt away, a small, treacherous voice mutters in the back of his mind about lost opportunities, dangerous allies, and untrustworthy knights—only to fade away with the scenery. He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head to dislodge any lingering unpleasant thoughts. When he opens them, his eyes are stung by sand blown high in the wind. A pegasus bobs its head beneath him, wings beating steadily to keep the both of them aloft. Another pair of wings—each easily twice as large as that of his mount—stirs the wind into sharper gusts as a great eagle swoops down and plucks Priscilla from the sand with its talons. "Wha—Hey! Let her go!" Even in the air, he's not fast enough to catch up with a master of the desert winds. The bird perches atop its caged prize, wings spread in preparation to take flight again. Oh no, you're not getting away that easy. With a sharp thrust, Caspar's spear arcs through the air and pierces the beast's body.

Caspar (10/10) hits Gofannon (10/10) with Gradivus at range [Roll: 17-6=11, -2HP, Gofannon 8/10] Gofannon (8/10) cannot counterattack

Another breath, and Caspar's mount collides with the bird. He grasps at the handle of his weapon in the tangle of hooves and feathers and yanks it free.

Gofannon (8/10) takes -2HP from Caspar’s Trample (Gofannon 6/10) Galeforce activates! Caspar (10/10) is granted an additional turn

"Got your attention now, huh?" No rest. No quarter. He will defeat this monster and will free Priscilla—in whichever order comes most easily. With beady avian eyes trained on his every movement, he focuses on the former. He drives his lance forward again, this time directly into the creature's breast. The monster recoils with an ear-splitting shriek and a hot spray of blood that burns at Caspar's skin where it lands. He gasps, yanking his arm back and away. His pegasus snorts and reels back to circle away from the onslaught, just as shocked by the sensation as its rider.

Caspar (10/10) crits Gofannon (6/10) with Gradivus at melee range [Roll: 18, -4 HP, Gofannon 2/10] Stun does not proc [Roll: 2] Caspar (10/10) takes -1HP from Poisonous Blood (Caspar 9/10)

Caspar twists around as his mount wheels through the air and watches the great bird plummet toward the ground. A great swirling wave of sand rises up when its body lands, engulfing the battlefield around it and obscuring Caspar's vision for a moment.

AERIAL WEAKNESS: -1HP to all non-flying units! Gofannon (2/10) is grounded and cannot counterattack!

"I…I did it?" His voice raises to a shout. "Guys, I think I—"

LAST RESORT: Gofannon (2/10) (4/4 BP) creates a barrier and is shielded from all damage! It will not attack or counterattack for one round!

An iridescent glow cuts through the sandy haze. As seconds pass, the geometric curves and lines of runic inscriptions flash brightly and fade into the sunbaked air. The hulking body of the eagle is still unmoving, but the opaline gleam around it suggests that the lack of movement might be a…temporary state. "I…I think it's put up some kind of shield!" He quickly amends. "I've got it on the ropes! Probably!"

@excalibris

gofannon's gay baby jail - team 13 gold round

[clouds-rambles]

Hi there! Can i request xiao, childe,zhongli where reader gets injured bad one time that they go into like a comatose or something? And at the end they wake up, thank you!! 🤗

Hi bestie! And ask and ye shall sufficiently be fed. I kept rambling on these so I hope you don’t mind <3

Pairings; (Separate) Xiao, Childe, Zhongli x reader

Warning(s); hurt/comfort, cursing, slight wound description

Keep reading under the cut!

Xiao

You didn’t actually plan to take on the Oceanid but you were in the area and you knew a friend needed a cleansing heart or two so why not?

The why not is the fact that the dumb water birds were ripping the shit out of you

Sufficiently happy that the Oceanid has given you a lesson enough, they disappear, leaving you pretty much in a heaped, shivering, bloody pile.

The yaksha hears his name being spoken with such a level of hurt, Xiao is moving before you’re able to mutter his name a second time

Despite his quick speeds and quicker panic, he hears your voice slowly lose breath. And as much as he doesn’t want to he has started preparing himself for the worst.

Maybe it’s his fault for loving a fleeting mortal?

When he reaches you, you’re unconscious. But breathing. Laboured, likely due to some broken ribs, but breathing none the less. A less panicked and worried Xiao would chastise him for holding onto something that could disappear.

Xiao isn’t going to let you die, not on his hands.

He takes your limp body back to the Wangshu Inn and within the hour there’s 3 doctors all bandaging your body and making sure your stable

Comatose isn’t a word that Xiao has much experience with. But to him it manifests into the worst weeks of his life

Where he isn’t sat beside you, he’s pacing in your room. And when he isn’t doing that he’s throwing himself so deep in slaying demons and once the supply of demons ran dry he started clearing out random hilichurl camps

He knows that things are starting to get better when you start muttering random things in your sleep, and reacting to whatever books Xiao reads to you

Nobody at the Inn says anything outwardly about how unusually soft Xiao is, but everyone’s notices. If you were awake Xiao could imagine you teasing him about it and giving him a kiss

Four weeks almost to the day you wake up. Xiao is sat in his normal place beside you, book in his hand reading to you

“I like that book, its my favourite” you tell the yaksha who hasn’t noticed your waking. Your voice struggles to make words, like when you talk first thing in the morning.

Xiao jumps a little at your voice, he was so engrossed in the book and barely noticed your gaze. 

Grinning is an understatement, Xiao smiles so wide and out of character that you almost jest about Xiao being a doppelganger 

But the moment he hugs you, careful of your bindings, the jest fizzles away

“I almost lost you” he tells you his face sufficiently buried in your neck to try and hide the growing tears that he’s been pushing back through the weeks 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily cutie” you reassure the yaksha as you embrace him as tight as your bandaged body can

-

Childe

The two of you love to expend your energy with random friendly fights be it wrestling around the house or finding the highest plains and having a great all out battle. You both find its a great way to release stress too

“I was thinking about eating out for dinner” you tell Childe as you parry his arrow

“That sounds like an idea. Loser pays” Childe responds with a grin

The fight is great, and dare you say it you’re winning

Until, by no joke, the biggest gust of wind pushes you off of the cliff and sends you flying

It would be funny if you couldn’t feel your bones breaking as you fall

Childe dives off the cliff the as soon as he can attempting to catch you

He does. But he’s a little too late to catch you conscious. You feel like a limp bag of potatoes. Your heartbeat being the only thing that’s currently grounding him and keeping him from committing various crimes

He doesn’t have the time to overthink until you’re safe and laying in your shared room

The three days that you’re unconscious Childe spends almost every waking moment sat on a chair beside your bed, laying on the bed beside you and actively avoiding as much work as he physically can. Even to the point a fatui agent comes to the house and lectures him about how he mustn’t keep avoiding his obligations.

He leaves for half a day on the third day and sits beside you the moment he gets back. He’s lazily telling you about his boring half day of work after he finishes he drops his head onto the bead

“I guess I’ll have to buy dinner though” you tell Childe your hand petting his hair 

You’ve never seen Childe sit up so fast and bury his head into your chest where you continue to pet his hair 

“Though you might have to go and get it, my bones hurt” you jest 

“You fell off a fucking cliff [name] I’m sure your bones do more than hurt” he smiles kissing your nose

You smile at the man and embrace him again “I’m sure you caught me though”

“Without hesitation” he grins, Childes worry's and the days before overthinking flutter away for the time being

-

Zhongli

Being the adventurer spirit that you are going to the reaches of Liyue and you’ve made it your personal goal of exploring every crevice of the country

On your way back to the Harbour after a month and a half being away. Though on the final stretch of your journey a mitachurl decided that you were a personal punching bag and threw you across the road

  Though in much pain from the fall you some how managed to make it back home and into the arms of your spouse

“I’ve got a present fo-” you pass out mid sentence, obviously your adrenaline from the mitachurl had finally ran out

Zhongli takes your sudden excess of deadweight and quickly lays you down onto your shared bed and checks you for any wounds

He quickly finds a large bruise from the mitachurl earlier. Zhongli changes you into some comfortable clothing while you’re already half undressed under his concerned gaze

Despite his quick thinking and generally unfazed expression the archon feels a unsettling pit at the bottom of his stomach

Baizhu is inside the house within the half hour and within the hour he has a diagnosis. A coma with no end date. 

Being acquainted with comas but thanks to his previous lifetimes Zhongli has never been so close to someone with such an ailment

Another month and a half Zhongli finds himself away from his spouse. Although trying to keep his schedule as consistent as possible his morning walks are changed to sitting at the bedside and dinner time was often spent sat to the table that was in the bedroom, but now moved closer to your bedside

Although very used to being alone for extended periods of time thanks for your love of exploration, he has never felt so far away from you despite you being so close to him

When you awoke it was actually close to midnight. Your brain takes a few moments to catch up with the world. You take into account that you’re in bed, and notably, your spouse was not

You feel the distinct pain of the hit you had taken, although you note that it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as it did when you came home

You sit on the edge of your bed and stand, a little wobbly at first, and you move about your home looking for your absent spouse

That’s until you find him asleep in the spare bedroom. Why is he there? You don’t remember having an explosive argument or kicking out of bed.

You enter the room and touch your spouses arm and you call his name. He wakes with a start almost surprised

“You’re awake” he informs you which causes you to chuckle at him

“You’re going to have to catch me up my love” you stroke his hair after he sits up in bed and urges you to sit atop his lap

“In the morning my dear, just for a moment let me be in your presence”

“Anything for you my love” you smile at him before pausing “Though I would love something to eat”

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Merging multiple species into society

( Don’t forget to come see my on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord )

Across the landing field the ground crews were in frantic motion. Landing pads that had been used as temporary supply dumps were cleared, refugees and civilians were moved up for transport off world, and for the first time in seven months the Galaxian base commander braided his face tentacles.

From his office overlooking the entire compound, Commander Zavar kept watch of the progress from the corner of his eye while his main focus was on the mirror in front of him. Carefully observing his reflection he intertwined the several dozen chest length tentacles that grew just beneath his jaw into elegant patterns.

He hadn’t bothered to for the last few months as the braiding of tentacles was meant to show a sign of respect. A Galaxian with unbraided tentacles was essentially stating that whomever they spoke with they held them in low regard. Zavar hadn’t braided them for some time as he felt no need to show signs of respect to anyone under his command.

It had been months since the landing base was established with the intent to use it as a jumping off point in new offensives. When Zavar had been given command he felt that he would be helping bring an end to this bloody conflict by maintaining such a crucial facility. Yet just as the offensive was about to begin their enemies decided to launch a massive counter offensive on an entirely different continent. In short order the manpower which had been set aside for the Galaxian offensive was pulled away to mount a rapid defense and halt this no enemy offensive.  

One by one troop ships stopped coming to his base and requested materials became increasingly diverted to other theaters of the war until finally this once crucial launching point became nothing more than a gas station for passing supply ships.

He grimaced as he made a wrong twist while braiding remembering his degrading morale and the effect it had on those under him. The drive that had once fueled Zavar was sapped away by months of repetitive supply transfers and paperwork, and this soon turned to ever laxening of base discipline among the work crews. When Zavar’s second in command came to him with information that several of the crews had taken an abandoned storage building and had turned it into an entertainment club of sorts, all he did at the time was put on his military cap and take a walk over to it for a drink himself.

That had all changed last night when in the middle of darkness moon Zavar had received an offworld communication from central command. After weeks of careful negotiation the human government they had agreed to join the war effort on the Galaxian side. A substantial force of at least four of their divisions had already arrived in system and would be sending down a battalion of 500 soldiers to further secure and expand Zavar’s base.

Within moment of the calls end Zavar had ordered all of his crews to standby and began issuing orders with renewed fire. As Zavar finished braiding his tentacles and looked out across his base he saw all of the landing pads had been cleared, and with moments to spare.

A loud rumbling could be heard and Zavar could feel the room slowly vibrating as he looked to the clouded skies.

Breaching through the murky grey clouds that had covered the sky for weeks Zavar saw a human landing craft. It was a bulky black mass of metal with a design reminiscent of an overweight bird Zavar thought as it slowly descended towards the base. He was slightly disappointed in the lacking design aesthetics of the human craft, but he had remembered that these transports were designed for carrying large amounts of troops to safe areas rather than enemy held landings. Zavar watched it for a few moments more before leaving his office and making for the landing pads.

It was a short ride from his office to landing pad three were Zavar met his second in command already waiting with a small detachment of honor guard. He exited the vehicle just as the landing craft set down sending gusts of wind out from the engines as they slowly died down.

As Zavar took his place at the head of the honor guard the loading door of the transport popped open with a loud thud and began to lower.

He had heard stories of humans before, how they were great warriors of the highest caliber, that their reflexes were heightened to such a level in the heat of battle they could see an enemy from miles away, that they could lose limbs and heal after a period of time only to forge new ones and return for more combat; truly these beings would bring a swift end to this war.

The ramp finally touched the surface of the landing pad and Zavar could finally see inside of the transport. What he saw rather surprised him however…..

At the top of the ramp stood several ranks of human soldiers dressed in combat gear, but at the head of them was a uniformed Kliptec; their serpent body draped across the decking of the craft.

Zavar cast a side long glance at his second who looked as dumb founded as Zavar was feeling before looking back at the Kliptec. Their upper body was humanoid in shape, yet they bore more hallmarks of a reptile. Scaled skin, slit like eyes, sharpened fingers, and in place of feet was a roughly six foot long tail.

As the Kliptec slithered down the ramp towards Zavar and the front ranks of humans followed Zavar was greeted by further confusion. Mixed in with the humans soldiers Zavar noted several other species not native to the human worlds.

A Draxic casually stomped forward with the ranks appearing to carry some form of heavy weapon casually over their shoulder, a Flinchestet with a communication device glided across the decking as if its limbs could not be bothered to touch the floor, a Valmorian with a red cross painted across their helmet stood alongside a Combra whose face had been ritually scared for the coming battles; but most surprising of all was the towering figure at the very back of the transport.

A hive warrior drone draped in the uniform of humanity. It held no weapon between its claws but Zavar was positive it would have no need of such a device to rip through the lot of them. Some of the honor guard made let out whimper of fear and one even went so far as to start to bring their weapon to bear.

With only a look Zavar’s second command was at the guard’s side and snatched the weapon from his hands in a single motion.

“Be. Calm.” Those two words were all he said to the guard before returning to his place next to Zavar, the weapon he had taken from the guard clutched at his side.

His men looked at their commander with silent awe as they saw Zavar look unphased at the sudden turn of events. Instead of humanity’s reinforcements they appeared to have been given a cavalcade of species that had once fought against humanity. In truth Zavar was deeply concerned about this development, but the one thing keeping him from panicking was his observations of the actual human soldiers present.

Their eyes lacked a sense of fear one would normally experience when coming upon something, or someone, so unnatural to themselves. They were alert and disciplined which was all that Zavar needed to know to reassure him that things were as they should be.

The Kliptec finally slithered in front of Zavar and gave a crisp salute which Zavar returned with a bow of comradery.

“Lt. Colonel Reginal Seth of the 17th Engineer battalion.” the Kliptec said.

“Base Commander Zavar Hatsval,” Zavar replied as he motion to his second, “and my second Xixvil Nog, of the Galaxian expeditionary force.”

“I must admit,” Zavar began as the column of forces began marching past the trio, “when I heard we were getting human reinforcements I was not expecting this.”

Reginal’s sighed and rolled his eyes as if he had heard that same statement a thousand times before.

“Our military allows anyone to enlist so long as they were born within our borders.” he stated as he turned to see his soldiers march by to the storage facilities. “It is an efficient system to use every natural resource available to your advantage, so why limit to a single species military?”

“We do not ask others to fight in our stead.” Xixvil spoke as he watched several humans walk by.

“And how has that turned out for you here?” Reginal said as his serpent mouth twisted to a half grin. “Because from where I am it looks like we’re here to fight in your stead.”

Xixvil’s mouth dropped open in shock before morphing into one of anger while Reginal continued smirking. Zavar thought he was about to see his second lash out when the hive drone he had seen before marched over to them.

It stood easily twice as high as a Galaxian and three times as high as the human soldiers around it. Its collection of eyes were constantly darting around randomly as if trying to observe everything at once while it hovered over the trio. It slowly opened its mouth to reveal rows of sharpened teeth as it surprised Zavar once again.  

“Dro…..go…..where?”

In all of his life in the Galaxian military he had never heard of a hive drone capable of speech. In the past the Galaxian’s had fought several wars with the Hive and at every encounter the drone warrior caste was found to be near mindless killing machines without a queen’s control. To hear one speak in a language he could understand, let alone in broken sentences was enough to end the careers of several Galaxian biologists.

“Report to Sgt Morris, Dro.” Reginal said as if the tower beast of flesh and chitin before him was just another average soldier.

The drone’s eyes stopped twitching for a moment as if concentrating before continuing “Morris…..yes…find…Morris….going….now…sir.” It tilted a blade like appendage which took a moment for Zavar to realize it was saluting Reginal which the Kliptec swiftly returned.

“Carry on Dro.”

With that the drone shambled off after the majority of humans who had left the landing zone leaving only a few behind to begin unloading the battalion’s equipment. Reginal turned to them and handed them a data pad. “Once our gear is unloaded we will begin expanding the landing fields by three additional pads. After that we’ll start reinforcing the outer perimeter walls and compound infrastructure.”

Zavar took the data pad and began going over the details while Xixvil continued to watch Dro walk away.

“I do not mean to be rude, but why did you call that drone “Dro”?” Xixvil asked once the drone was far enough away.

Reginal shrugged, an oddly human gesture for such an alien being, before answering “That’s his name; Dro Harris.”

“It was my understanding that hive drones lacked the capacity to develop individuality.” Xixvil continued as he watched the drone in the distance stop in front of a humanoid looking figure before following them into a storage bay.

“Normally they aren’t able to, but humans have this strange ability to impart personalities into beings should they stay around them long enough.”

Both Zavar and Xixvil looked at Reginal dumbfounded.

“Are you serious?” they asked, to which Reginal simply nodded.

“One of his parents fought in the human hive wars and took an egg back as a trophy. Turns out it hatched and they decided to raise him as their son.”

“I can’t imagine humans reacted well to a hive drone in their midst.”

To their surprised Reginal shook his head. “From what he’s told me he used to be a successful actor before he enlisted; he was popular in fast food commercials.”

“Now I know you are making things up.” Zavar cut in, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Humans do weird things like this all the time,” Reginal said, “they act distant at first but once they warm up to you the majority of them will welcome you with open arms and treat you like kin.”

He stretched out his arms so Zavar and Xixvil could get a good look at him.

“People assume humans are barbaric isolationist xenophiles, and while it is true there are some of them out there they do not make up the entirety of humanity.”

“There are humans that will sit down with complete strangers and within an hour be closer than brothers with them, humans that will drop everything to come help you even when there is no benefit to themselves, humans that will check up on you just to see if you are alright.”

“It’s weird but at times it’s almost as if humanity has been sick of just knowing only humans and will throw themselves at anything different just so they can experience something new, something exotic and exciting.”

Reginal looked at the two Galaxians as they took in what he had to say and shook his head. He gave a quick salute and then slithered after his men as the heavy equipment began rolling off the transport leaving the Galaxians in the dust.  

[sereinegemini]

Two Dark Princes ₊⋆ ☾

— Prologue

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader x Theodore Nott // Cedric Diggory x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Summary: Two years after Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord during the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts and most of the Wizarding World has returned to normal. But, F/n’s mundane life is flipped upside down after she learns that two of her best friends, Draco and Theo, are secretly in love with her. When this knowledge begins to affect her relationships, she is faced with difficult decisions, each one laced with promised heartache and the potential to awaken an unexpected darkness.

Warnings: cursing

Hogwarts

Saturday, April 12, 1997

Spring was finally waking from its months-long slumber. The sun was high in the sky, its warmth combating the still present winter chill and slowly thawing the frozen earth. A soft, warm breeze whispered through the trees, a gentle tune the birds sang along to. And like many of the other students, you were spending the day outside to enjoy the nice weather.

Stretched out next to the Black Lake, you were lounging on a large, dark green blanket with Draco, Theo, and Blaise. The initial plan was to catch up on homework, but Blaise was the only one doing so. The other two boys were sat back, their books purposefully forgotten somewhere around them. Theo was admiring the h/c-haired girl sound asleep with her head in his lap, and Draco was glaring at you two from the corner of his eye.

Irritation coursed through him at your casual decision to use Theo’s lap as a pillow, jealous of your constant excuses to touch each other. It seemed you were a little too friendly with Theo for someone who had a boyfriend. And yet, Draco knew he could continue telling himself that he was somehow the only one bothered with how close you were with your friends, but it would never be the true source of his anger.

He couldn’t care less about Cedric–fucking–Diggory and his feelings.

No, if he was truly honest with himself, he wanted to be the one who carried your bag when it was too heavy. To be the one you leaned on for comfort. The one who drew time-stopping laughs from you. Not Theo. His best friend, and the boy who conveniently seemed to be there every time you needed a prince on a white horse.

You had rushed into their dorm this morning eagerly urging them to get out of bed because it was a beautiful day and you wanted to spend it with them. And Draco had thought this was finally his chance to be with you in a place you couldn’t cuddle up to Theo. Where Theo couldn’t hog all your attention for himself like a touch-starved puppy.

He’d been wrong, of course. There you were, taking a nap with your head on Theo’s lap, the boy’s fingers tangled in your hair.

And Theo, unaware of his best friend’s shimmering rage beside him, was as content as he’d ever been. He’d had a crush on you since third year, but you were completely oblivious that every touch and smile sent butterflies to his stomach.

He adored every interaction you granted him, and tried his best to ignore that you were in love with Cedric.

Sure, whenever he saw how happy you two were together he felt bad, but then he’d remind himself a little flirting never hurt anyone. And when he wasn’t being reminded you weren’t his to have, he took advantage of every opportunity to touch you in hopes you felt the same electric reaction he did. Hoping one day you’d realize you loved him instead. Was he such a bad guy for wanting the girl he loved?

A sudden gust of wind swept by, carrying warm air and causing you to stir. Theo stiffened, worried he’d woke you. Taking a deep breath through your nose, you rolled onto your back and slit your eyes open to meet his.

“Mornin’, L/n.” he mocked how long you’d slept.

“Shut up, Nott.” you grumbled, taking another deep breath before stiffly sitting up. Groaning at your tense muscles and the slight ache behind your eyes, you reached down to take off your sweater.

“Oh, gonna strip for us? I won’t complain.” Theo joked and you sent him a glare, not up for his quips right now.

“No, isn’t it obvious, Theo? She’s goin’ for a swim.” Draco chimed.

You rolled your eyes at them, “‘m just hot, guys.”

“‘nyone could see that.” Theo stated, amusement shining in his eyes.

Ignoring them, you pulled the sweater over your head. With it gone, the breeze now felt nice flowing through your thin button-up, waking you a bit more. Then you stood, stretching to release your muscles and rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

Knowing the two boys were still watching your every move, you sent them a daring look as you took off your stockings, which were sticking to your legs with the humidity. They raised their brows, and you huffed, “Blaise, could you tell these gits to fuck off?”

Blaise, who’d been watching you three from the corner of his eye as if your bickering was a comedy skit, chuckled, “Y’know they won’t listen.”

The corners of your mouth begrudgingly twitched up, the regular delight of being around them beginning to win you over.

“Oh-ho-ho! We got ‘er.” Theo cheered at your smile, turning it into a grin.

“Shut up, Nott.” you whined, pushing his shoulder with a chuckle.

He feigned hurt and when your guard was down pulled you onto him, tickling your sides with a grin. Unbeknownst to you, Draco’s own smirk had vanished as he watched you two: your legs intertwined and Theo pulling giggles and gasps for mercy from you.

Only Blaise didn’t miss the way Draco’s face fell at the sight.

“‘ere comes your boyfriend, F/n.” Blaise stated when he noticed the caramel-headed Hufflepuff approaching. You looked up eagerly and Theo let you go, his heart heavy as you rushed up to Cedric. 

“Hey, babe.” he greeted as you jumped into his arms.

“Hi.” you breathed, nuzzling your face into his neck. It was days like these you wished you could spend with him, curled up by his side and reading a book. But he’d been dragged off to practice right after breakfast, leaving you to make your own plans for the day. Not that you minded, it gave you a chance to hang out with friends. But you’d still missed his presence.

You hugged him a little tighter and he chuckled, “Miss me?”

“‘lways.” you said, and he granted you a quick peck on the lips.

Blaise didn’t miss the way Theo clenched his jaw when Cedric kissed you.

“Hey, guys.” Cedric forced a smile at the three Slytherins. He’d never minded your friendship or how close you seemed to be, but it was clear even to him they’d never liked him much.

“Hey, Diggory.” Draco replied dryly, never much for playing nice.

“‘m stealing F/n. Hope y’don’t mind.” Cedric joked, hoping to ease the tension.

“‘Course we do, but there’s nothin’ we can do ‘bout it.” Theo said, making it sound like he was joking. The other boys knew he wasn’t.

Chuckling stiffly, Cedric linked his fingers with yours and looked to see if you were ready. You gave him a soft smile in thanks for trying, “Well, see y’guys later.”

“Try not t’miss us too much, L/n!” Theo called after you and you just shook your head in amusement.

Both Theo and Draco were still tense as they watched you leave with Cedric, and Blaise couldn’t help but chuckle.

They both quickly turned to look at him. “What’s so funny, Blaise?” Draco sneered.

“Nothin’, just amusin’ is all.”

“What?” Theo asked tightly.

“That y’two are so bloody in love with ‘er.”

Masterlist || Chapter One »

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