#like whoa guys I've never met him before what's up with this

[queer-as-used-by-tolkien]

A lot of things come naturally to me that I often downplay or don't discuss because it feels like bragging.

For example, spelling, grammar, and formatting are no trouble at all. My first drafts are in perfect sentences, paragraphs, perfectly punctuated, everything. I didn't have to 'learn' the rules for formatting chapters, etc. or how to italicize direct thoughts. I absorbed it all by osmosis from my voracious reading in early life. Most of what I've written I've done without even touching a grammar textbook.

It sometimes surprises me how bad people can be at spelling and grammar because I'm not aware of how hard it is for most people. I just read so much, so widely when I was younger that the many, many, many examples of how a word was spelled or how sentences were structured just - sank into my brain.

And also, I write down EVERYTHING how I want it to be, right off. It's not hard for me. It's not that I have the full scene in my head and I struggle to put it on paper - it's more that it only truly happens once it's on paper. I'm sitting here writing and I won't know what's going to happen more than two lines of dialogue from now (although of course I have a vague and far-off target I'm aiming for) and then I do another line and the next line comes into view and I'm shocked but SO smugly pleased with myself because it's an AMAZING line and sets up this that and the other down the road. It just came to me. And now it's in the story. Just like that. Two hours later I'm posting the finished chapter.

I didn't even know all this was weird until I actually started getting online. In fact, it made me feel self-conscious and like I couldn't relate to other writers because I never had the same struggles they did. I didn't even struggle with writer's block. I'd see things like 'you are not a real writer until X' and I'd never experienced X? Yet I'd posted four full-length novels on FFN in the space of a year?

But I'll tell you what I'm absolutely ABYSMAL at. Physical descriptions, setting the scene/stage/etc, and of course, worldbuilding (both in my head and weaving it into the story), since I'm scarily new to non-fanfic and have always assumed my readers knew the world of the fanfic they were reading. Character description especially is problematic since I don't visualize characters in my head unless they're making an expression. I just know where they're standing. It's fog-of-war in my head when reading or writing.

Patricia C. Wrede talks about how writers get certain skills “for free”. Certain techniques or elements of writing that come naturally to them, so they don’t have to think about them too much during the process. It can be a skill that doesn’t feel like a skill because you’ve never had to consciously develop it, or it can be a learned skill you’ve internalized so well that your writing process naturally flows along those lines.

Anyway, it’s got me wondering what, if anything, I get “for free”?

Some possibilities:

A semi-detached third-person-limited viewpoint. Something that lets me get inside a character’s head while remaining just far enough outside them to have a separate narrator voice.

Banter

The sound of prose. I’m very audio-oriented, and so I don’t tend to write things that are difficult to read aloud. My initial drafts might be clunky and wordy, but I can usually edit it down into something that flows.

Worldbuilding without info-dumping. Knowing how to weave in the info at the point we need to know it.

Ideas

These are very specific things. There are a lot of important things that I really have to work for. But it’s nice to consider that there are some aspects of writing that come naturally and help shape the kind of writer that I am.

[jammydodger3579]

Ice Cream and Shots

Summary: This was requested by the lovely @sugarplumz100. The reader has a mutation like Mileena from Mortal Kombat and believes she's an ugly monster.

A/N: the most fun I've had writing in a while. i loved this request so keep them coming !!!

Masterlist here Patreon here

18+ for mature audiences only.

2900 word count.

Warnings: smut, oral masc!receiving. cursing

She’s beautiful, truly- a sight to behold. She just didn’t know it. She thought she was a monster, a killer, an abomination that the lovely Francis made. It wasn’t true. No matter how many times her best friend Wade told her. He was amazing, getting her the apartment next door to his so they could always hang out. They’d met while getting tortured, and Wade had saved her from the explosion he caused. Together, they took down Francis, getting him back for making them into “monsters”. She was there when he and Vanessa broke up, and now she’s there for him as he tells her the story of how he saved the multiverse. Her head was spinning as he spoke. 

“And that's how Peanut here came to this universe,” he said. She nodded, still processing the whole “multiverse” bit. She stared at the man before her. He looked rough, his eyes were tired. He didn’t say a word, just nodding along with what Wade said. 

“You can call me Logan” he speaks! she thought to herself. 

“You can call me Y/N” she introduced herself. Her voice was slightly muffled from the mask she wore. Wade was kind enough to text her that someone new was coming home with him so she had enough time to prepare mentally. She just didn't know he would bring home someone so attractive. “So… You’re a mutant?” she asked cautiously. Logan nodded and made a fist. Three metal claws extended from his knuckles. She was intrigued. 

“My whole skeleton is metal. And I heal really fast like Wade here.” 

“Pookie here is an old fella, over 200 years old” Wade chimed in, patting Logan on the back. “Anyway, we gotta prepare, I’m hosting an “I’m Marvel Jesus” party and we need snacks! Would you guys like to come shopping or do you wanna stay home and decorate?” 

“Decorate,” Y/N and Logan said at the same time. Logan looked at her. 

“Okay lame, but fair enough. Stay home and get to know each other, I think you’ll make great friends!” Wade said getting up. He walked off into his room to get changed. Wade was way more optimistic about being friends with Logan than she was. She got along with Wade’s friends, but she still kept her guard up. She didn’t even like taking her mask off around them. But Wade was her best friend, so she decided to make an attempt at the very least.

—

Y/N was hanging up a sign that said “Marvel Jesus” over the window in Wade’s apartment. She and Logan worked in silence, both of them not knowing what to say to each other. The apartment was completely decorated, with lights and streamers hanging from the walls. She looked around, deciding that was enough decorating. 

“Can I ask… what’s with the mask?” Logan said, looking at her face. She shook her head. 

“My mutation… I’m horrible to look at so I cover it up” she spoke softly, avoiding Logan’s gaze. She sighed, “They made me into a monster, perfect for killing,” 

“Hey, don’t say that” Logan searched her face. He had a look in his eyes that Y/N just couldn’t place. The two stared at each other until the door opened. Wade walked in and put a bag of groceries on the table. 

“Honey! I’m home” he said, opening his arms for Mary Puppins to run into. He picked the dog up and looked at the two in his living room. “Whoa, did I walk in on something?” 

“No. Sorry Wade, but something came up and I can’t hang out tonight” She said, before grabbing her coat and leaving the apartment. She went to her home next door, taking her mask off as she entered. She sighed, taking a seat on the couch. She could hear talking on the other side of the wall, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

— 

She never got used to the new neighbour. It had been three weeks and they barely talked more than about how their day was going when they’d bump into each other in the hallway. She still hung out with Wade though, making for some very tense movie nights in his apartment. Y/N couldn’t help but feel drawn to Logan, yet that made her retreat more into herself. She was afraid of opening up to him and not being able to stop. Still, it had been a few weeks of knowing Logan and she still hadn’t shown him under the mask. Wade leaned over and handed her the popcorn, causing her to shake her head.

“Come on, I know you want some” Wade taunted the popcorn in front of her face. “You’re practically wasting away over there, I know you’re hungry”

“Popcorn isn’t really the food you eat when you’re hungry,” Logan said, leaning over Wade and grabbing a handful. “Stop pushing her, it’s fine” 

“No, it’s not fine! Y/N, bestie, I love you but you’ve got to take off the mask. Logan here doesn’t care what you look like. We’re all mutants so you shouldn’t feel like you have to hide” Wade spoke softly. She knew she didn’t have to hide, but it still felt like a security blanket. She decided to compromise instead. 

“Just this once, only because I want popcorn,” she said, taking her mask off. Logan stared at her. Her large smile extended ear to ear, her teeth were sharp canines. She got a handful of popcorn and ate it one by one. Her long tongue came out to lick her lips. Logan was mesmerised. He’d never seen a mutation so… beautiful. Blushing, Y/N lifted the mask back over her face, noticing Logan's stare. He averted his gaze, embarrassed that he stared for so long. 

“You don't… don’t feel like you have to hide,” Logan said, looking flustered. Y/N smiled lowering her mask. She met Logan's eyes and he smiled at her. “You don’t look like a monster to me”

“Aww you two are so cute together” Wade chimed in, ruining the moment. Not that there could've been a moment, since Wade was positioned between the two on the couch. Logan coughed and shifted in his seat, probably annoyed at Wade’s insinuation. Y/N sighed and leaned back into the couch. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Now that Logan knows what she looks like, maybe she can get to know him better too.

—

The next night, Y/N was in the building's laundry room, folding her freshly dried clothing. Logan walked in with an empty basket, starting to unload his dry washing. “Hey, how's your day going?” Y/N said. She still had her mask on, in case she bumped into a neighbour who isn’t chill with mutants. 

“Not bad, can’t complain. Wade and his mates went out for the night but I stayed back to have some peace from that man,” Y/N laughed.

“There’s no getting peace from Wade. On the odd occasion, I bring someone home with me from a date, Wade always has to pop in and check them out for himself. And once I’ve finally convinced my date that my neighbour is chill and no they’re not my jealous boyfriend, the night always turns sour for a different reason…” She gestured to her face. “So back to Wades I go for shots and ice cream because that’s the second date this week that doesn’t want to sleep with a crazy monster” She sighed, shaking her head. “Sorry Logan, I shouldn’t be venting to you, I’ve just had a rough day”

“Hey it’s okay, we all need to vent sometimes, and for the record, I don’t think you look like a monster. Those dates obviously don’t know what they’re missing out on.” Logan said, putting a new load of washing in the dryer and turning it on. 

“Do you... wanna have shots and ice cream?” She asked cautiously. Logan smiled. 

“Of course” The pair went up to their respective apartments, Logan slipping in just to put his washing on the couch and grab a bottle of tequila. He knocked on the door to Y/N’s apartment. 

“Come in!” she chimed. She had two bowls of ice cream set out on the kitchen island and a bunch of shot glasses lined up. She’d taken her mask off, so Logan could see her beaming smile as he walked into the living room. He smiled back, taking in the decor of her living room. Everything was pink or purple and had a dark, gothic aesthetic to it. Her shelves that displayed figurines were the shape of coffins. Logan chuckled. 

“Not quite the apartment I was expecting,” He said, looking around. He handed the tequila to Y/N and took a seat at the kitchen island. She poured twelve shots, pushing six of them closer to Logan. “Is there any particular way we do this or…?” She shook her head. 

“Wade and I would just do all six shots and then eat the ice cream,” she said, picking up a shot glass. 

“Cheers,” Logan said, picking one up as well. They did the shots in sync, Logan waiting for Y/N before moving on to the next one. She had a burning sensation in the back of her throat so she took a spoonful of ice cream as soon as she was done with the last shot. Logan chuckled. 

“Not a fan of tequila?” 

“Not a fan of how fast you were throwing them back,” She said, swallowing her ice cream. 

“I kept up with you” 

“You probably could’ve gone faster” She poured twelve more shots. “I wanna see how fast you really can throw these back.” she had a mischievous grin on her face. Logan smiled, not phased by the idea of getting drunk. 

“You’re on, princess” He picked up the first shot glass and started throwing them back one by one, not caring about the afterlast. Y/N smiled.

“Impressive” She picked one of her six shots and started drinking them, not as fast as Logan, however. She took her time, making sure each one won’t return on her. “Tell me something about your universe?” Logan’s face dropped. He didn’t talk about his universe. Y/N didn’t know why and until now, didn’t question it. She shook her head. “It’s fine if you don’t want to share” 

“No, I want to it, it just… well it’s not nice. Mutants aren’t safe there… the X-men are all dead. It’s not nice, you wouldn’t like it” 

“I’m glad you’re here then” 

“I’m glad I’m here too” Logan picked up his bowl of ice cream and started to eat it. Y/N moved around the kitchen island and went to the couch, patting the spot next to her for Logan. He took the hint and sat next to her. 

“So what else do you and Wade do when you’re having shots and ice cream?” 

“Mostly just complain about the dates I’ve just had” 

“Got anything to complain about?” 

“I can’t remember when I last had sex” Logan snorted on his ice cream. He wasn’t expecting Y/N to say that. “Sorry that was probably a bit too tmi… ah too much information” she corrected herself. 

“No it’s fine” Logan said chuckling, “I’m in the same boat” They looked at each other for a moment before Y/N turned away, blushing. She liked Logan and found him intriguing. She was opening up to him which surprised her even. She just wasn’t sure how to approach him. Their silence was interrupted by the sound of the door to Wade’s apartment opening with a bang. 

“Honey, I’m home!!” he yelled. Y/N knocked a tune on the wall connecting the two apartments, signalling for Wade to come over. It wasn’t long before he appeared in the door frame to Y/N’s apartment. She smiled at him. 

“Good night out?” she asked the man. He nodded and got the shot glasses and tequila off the kitchen island. 

“So much fun… though looks like you guys have been having more fun without me” 

“You can join us” Y/N said, looking at Logan. He nodded and Wade lined the shot glasses up on the coffee table before filling them up. He sat on the floor, taking shots. 

“Nes brought her stupid what’s his face boyfriend along and it was so annoying!” Wade cried after finishing three shots. He drank another when Logan spoke up. 

“Have you even talked to her about how you feel?”

“Oh no, Wade doesn’t do big feelings talks” Y/N said matter of factly. Logan nodded. 

“She said she’s still just casual with this guy and she doesn’t want to jump into anything serious but I think she’s just stalling him” Wade said. He looked bummed. “So anyway, what have you guys been talking about?”

“Nothing really,” Y/N said, looking at Logan. He nodded, probably not wanting to bring up their awkward sex conversation. 

“Ohh you guys were having another moment” Wade said in a singsongy voice. “Well don’t let me ruin it for you, I’ll be outta your hair in no time” Wade finished the twelfth shot and got off the floor. He patted his jacket pocket before chucking something at Y/N and then headed to the door. She looked, it was a wrapped condom. “Y’know, don’t want any mutant babies” He added before leaving. Logan sighed. 

“I don’t know what he thinks we were doing before he arrived but I’m pretty sure he got the wrong idea,” he said. 

“Did he get the wrong idea?” Y/N said, looking at Logan. He had that face, the one she couldn’t read. 

“...No, he didn’t” Logan pulled Y/N onto his lap and started kissing her. It was messy, rough. Both of them desperate for contact. She lifted his shirt over his head and threw it onto the floor. Logan started unbuttoning Y/N’s top and tossed it aside with his clothes. She was grinding her hips against Logan, feeling his growing need against his pants. He started kissing her neck, nibbling just below her ear. She fumbled with his belt before she managed to free his massive cock. She smiled before getting off his lap and positioning herself between his legs. She licked up his shelf, excited to hear Logan moan in pleasure. Her long tongue wrapped itself around him, stroking up and down. Logan threw his head back, hitting the wall as he did. His hips buckled up, and Y/N took this as a hint to go faster. She resisted the urge to touch herself, Logan’s moans making her pussy wet. She kept jacking him off with her tongue until he came all over her tongue. She lapped it up, licking her lips and swallowing. They made eye contact before Logan pulled her up onto his lap again. They kissed, and Logan could taste himself in her mouth. She started grinding against Logan when he winced. “Give me just a moment sweetheart and I’ll be ploughing into you like there’s no tomorrow” 

“Can’t wait,” she said, getting off Logan to take her pants and underwear off. She took her bra off and stood before Logan naked. He shook his pants off his legs to join her. He looked at her, full of lust and awe. 

“You’re so beautiful. Really, don’t let anyone tell you you’re not” he said, pulling her back onto his lap. She smiled, putting a hand around his cock and stroking it ever so slowly. It hardened in her hand as she went, causing Logan to moan again. “I need you”

“Oh thank god” she said, positioning herself on top of Logan. She took a minute to get used to the size before she started moving. She was sloppy, desperate to feel good. Logan cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumb over her nipples to tease her just that little bit further. She had her hands on the wall behind Logan, leaning against his chest so she could move faster. Logan’s hips moved to meet hers, desperate to feel some kind of control. He moved a hand down to find her clit, rubbing slowly to mess with her. She kissed Logan, her tongue dominating his mouth. He let her, enjoying being topped for once. They were a symphony of moaning as their bodies snapped together, each movement getting them closer and closer to release. ‘I-I’m getting-” 

“I know baby” Logan picked Y/N up and slammed her back into the couch so he was on top, a firm grip on her hips. He did as he said, ploughing her into the couch. She screamed his name, causing him to go faster. The couch kept hitting the wall loudly, with each thrust from Logan. Her legs wrapped around Logan’s waist as she came. Logan kept his speed up, his thrusts becoming sloppy and messy. Another wave of pleasure washed over her body as she felt Logan cum inside her. Her breathing was heavy as they rode out their high together. They pulled apart from each other, Logan taking a seat on the couch. Y/N leaned against his chest and he held her. “...I meant it, y’know, you’re very beautiful” He placed a kiss to her forehead.

[ckret2]

I'd been meaning to do this since I found your account but today I read through the entirety of your Goldielocks fic (or at least, what's available) and all I can say is WOW !!!!!

You're really fucking good at writing these characters, capturing the lighthearted-yet-somehow-serious tone of the show, and the stuff you make up for worldbuilding fits right in with canon stuff. As a lover of making things canon-compliant and in-spirit-of-canon, this fic is like a dream come true. You're an amazing author !

I really look forward to your post-TBOB edits of the eclipse arc and the flatworld arc, I can already kind of guess where you're gonna go with it, but it's still exciting to think about what direction you might take things.

I'm also wondering, are you planning on changing anything about the Death Valley girls, what with the info we got about ciphertology and the like ? Or keeping them relatively the same ?

(I stayed up till almost midnight reading this - I'm so glad I don't have to be anywhere early tomorrow)

Thank you!! I've discussed my TBOB edits of the eclipse arc already, you can see some of them here if you want.

For the flatworld arc, I actually think basically nothing's going to change. Spoilers, but: Bill's world was never gonna be like Flatworld. It was gonna be a big reveal late in the fic ("big" for the characters, not the readers lmao) that Bill's world was actually pretty okay—like yeah, a few flaws, but not "barely-exaggerated satire of Victorian-era ableism/sexism/classism" flaws—and everything the kids read in Flatworld that made them pity Bill was 100% bullshit. It was going to turn out that Bill's world is actually...

... pretty much fucking exactly like Euclydia ended up being in canon—up to and including baby Bill getting medical trauma over having a super-rare cool-ass eye mutation that lets him see the stars of the third dimension.

I was gonna have Bill go "oh yeah, that's why I drove the author insane, I was that pissed at him for making my home world look that bad. I didn't correct you guys because I thought it'd be useful if you pitied me."

I did this because, before TBOB came out, I knew that no matter what I wrote about Bill's home dimension, probably a good 20% of readers would just push it to the side and automatically assume that his dimension was exactly the same as Flatland—like, occasionally readers were making comments about my fic talking about how triangles ***ARE*** oppressed in his home dimension like it was a canonical fact and taking it as a given that I was writing that. For that 20%, it seemed to me like the best way to ensure it got through to them that whoa, this isn't Flatland would be to have the characters assume his dimension is exactly the same as Flatland so that I could say, in story, "no that's totally wrong."

Post-TBOB, a lot fewer readers are gonna make that assumption. But having the characters assume his dimension is a lot worse than it really is is still a part of the story—it ties into the narrative of them slowly growing to expect him to be something more sympathetic/heroic than he actually is, a la Dipper's assumption that the Axolotl poem is a prophecy about how Bill will help save them—so there's no reason for me to take it out.

So yeah, tl;dr: Flatworld doesn't need to change because it was always going to be wrong.

I'm only gonna change the Death Valley girls a little bit. Everything I've currently written about them stays the same; except I'm also gonna mention that, yes, they are a Ciphertology sect, and yes, all the girls in the cult are Cipherwives.

So now I also get to crack jokes about Bill being both flattered and a little creeped out that even after he mostly ditched the cult they just kept inducting new recruits as "cipherwives" whether he showed up or not, like wow, you're just gonna marry him off in absentia to some lady he's never met??? What if he doesn't wanna marry her? What if he doesn't like her haircut?? Every time he shows up he finds out he's got a new wife! He loves the attention, but jeez, girls! At least send him a letter with his new bride's picture and wait for him to mail back an "OK" or something!

[muniimyg]

𐙚₊˚⊹ best friend!jimin ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

series m.list // taglist request: closed

🏷️ permanent taglist: @joonsjuice @pamzn @defzcl @maryy1300 @whoa-jo @taetaecatboy @jksusawife @un06 @firesighgirl @rrosiitas @butterymin @parkinglot-nights @musicjournalsjdb @kissyfacekoo @jkslvsnella @vampcharxter @bloopkook @kekerrreke @somehowukook @bbystarcandykoo

jimin has always found you pretty.

the day you announced to be best friends with him, he quickly accepted his fate and pushed the idea of being with you aside. it didn't matter to him back then. he was just happy to be yours.

but it's different now.

after a long internship abroad, you've finally returned home. he picked you up from the airport and if he could live through the moment where your eyes met in the crowd again—he would.

it was the way your eyes lit up when he found yours.

it was the way he pushed through the crowd to reach for you again.

it was the way you smiled as he pulled you in by your waist, resting your chin on the crook of his neck, murmuring; "god, i missed you."

during the drive back to your place, he asks about your flight. to his dismay, you talk about something else.

someone else.

there's an unsure feeling that forms in the pit of his stomach. it could be jealousy. it probably is jealousy.

you tell jimin about the boy you met during your internship. how he treated you well in the beginning and even considered sleeping with him. how natural it was for you and the other guy to bond. jimin feels sick with every word about him that escapes your mouth. was he replaced? was that why you barely called? was that who you were with and posting in a soft-launch style? oh, his blood boils.

when you arrive at your place, jimin helps you carry your suitcases to your room. but before that, he greets everyone in your family. they waited for you too. they missed you too.

in your bedroom, you immediately fall to your bed. you take a deep breath and stare at the ceiling as jimin sets your suitcases aside. you pat the space beside you and jimin mimics your fall to join you. now, in the silence, you two let your thoughts consume you.

he should say he missed you. he should say he missed you more than you missed him. he should... say something, right? confess or whatever? he isn't sure. all he knows is that he's happy you're back and doesn't think he could do this again.

he can't be without you again.

"___, can i—"

"i think i'm over love," you sigh, turning to your side and facing him. you reach for his hair and play with a few strands. "he was so nice in the beginning. i thought i was going to bring him home and introduce you to him... but it didn't last. why doesn't it ever last?"

jimin's throat goes dry.

"feels like i went to hell and back with him," you admit. "was i always bound to be with guys like him? i've had enough. from here on out, i'm going to commit to the cat lady thing."

he laughs. "really, now? the cat thing? you're allergic."

you huff. "i'll replace you with yoongi. he's a cat. same shit."

jimin pouts.

you laugh and apologize.

"not all guys are like him, ___. you know that." he attempts to comfort you. "i'm not like that."

you smile and nod in agreement. "i know... it's just... what ever happened to love letters? to fresh flowers and picnics by the lake?"

jimin squints at you. "you hate the lake. you say the ground is too mushy and the ducks are scary."

you shrug. "i want to go on a row boat ride. like allie and noah from the notebook or something... you know? i want romance."

"knowing you... you'd fall into the water."

"well, then that's his cue to save me."

"what if he doesn't know how to swim?"

"then he's not the one."

a beat.

"i'm a good swimmer."

you blink at him.

before you can reply, jimin continues. "you seem to be flip-flopping between wanting to love and wanting to be loved. which is it, really?"

you think.

"both," you answer. "how romantic would it be if it was both?"

jimin doesn't answer you.

instead, he looks at you in a way you've never noticed he has. it makes your heart beat faster. it makes you forget to breathe in. you hiccup, he laughs, and suddenly you two feel at ease again.

then, he reaches for your hand.

gently, he intertwines your fingers together. you gulp, unsure if you should say something or move... you figure not to. instead, you lay there and stare at your ceiling. jimin does the same.

in a split moment, you hold your breath. you didn't expect this. neither did he. but it happens. he says something that changes everything between you two forever. from friends to lovers; in between is romance.

this moment is your in-between.

this is romance.

"to love and to be loved," jimin breathes, "... is to be with you."

[suseagull5914]

ok and prompt 2: body swap for RWRB firstprince plz 💚

Tackled this one first because I've read a LOT of fics like this this week that have it happen during the damage control weekend, so the prompt may have run away with me a little because I wanted to play with it happening at a different point... Enjoy!

There are so many things on his mind when he wakes up on New Year’s Eve. After all, it’s the night that he, Nora and June throw the party of the year. As far as Alex is concerned, this is the party people need to be talking about for at least the next two weeks, if not the whole year.

When he reaches out to grab his phone to check the time, he freezes. Instead of his usual T-shirt, he’s in some kind of pajamas. And what’s worse, his skin isn’t his usual copper, but white as snow.

What the heck is going on?

Before he can figure it out, though, there’s a knock on the door. “Sir, you need to get ready for your flight this afternoon.”

Alex’s jaw drops. His skin is like chalk and he knows that’s the voice of Shaan. Is he-?

He’s up in a flash, dashing to the closest mirror he can find. Sure enough, staring back at him is none other than the face of His Royal Highness Prince Henry of… Whatever.

What the-? He’s too stunned to even finish the expletive.

He’s got to fix this fast.

********

As he’s pulling one of Henry’s few colorful shirts over his head, his- or rather, Henry’s- phone rings, and it’s the guy the fact sheet told Alex was Henry’s best friend. Adopting what he thought was a suitably boring tone, he answered. “Hello?”

“Hazza, darling! Are you ready for our visit to our former colony?”

Pez was coming to the White House with him? Alex knew June and Nora had invited Henry on his behalf, but not Pez. That just made tonight even more complicated. “Maybe?”

“Don’t worry, darling, you have nothing to be worried about. One look at you, and your darling Alex will sweep you into his arms-”

“Whoa, what?” Alex sputters, his mind reeling from what Pez has just inadvertently revealed. “That can’t-”

“You never know, Hazza. For all you know, all this time you two have been calling and texting has led him to realize he’s fallen madly in love with you.”

“Um, Pez, I don’t think-”

“Just leave it to me. With Auntie Pezza’s coaching on the flight, you’ll be ready to sweep the First Son off his feet in no time.”

********

 Alex has never been so glad to be off of a plane. Sure, Pez is hysterical, but being “coached” on how to ask himself out is more than a little weird. 

It’s given him some insight into Henry, though, even more than he’s gotten in their texting and phone calls over these last few months. 

Now that they’re back on familiar turf, Alex feels like he can regroup, allow himself to process things he- and Pez’s incessant chatter- hadn’t given him time for- namely, the fact that according to Pez, Henry is in love with him, and has been since they first met. 

It’s… If he had found out this information even six months ago, Alex would have laughed and completely dismissed the idea, not given it any thought at all. Now, though… Every time Alex gets a text from Henry, he feels nothing but happiness and anticipation, wondering what his intelligent friend (smarter than him in some ways, but he'll never admit that out loud) will say next. 

But does he want what Pez is suggesting? He spent all that time staring at Henry's picture when they were kids, but that doesn't mean anything. He's straight. Isn't he? 

He'll have to interact with Henry again to find out. 

********

It's impossible to find his body in this crowd. If it was Alex inhabiting it, he'd be in the thick of things, impossible to see because he'd be busy being the life of the party.

From what he knows about Henry now, though, he's as far from these crowds as he can possibly be without being rude. Where, though, remains to be seen…

Alex finally finds him on the balcony, breathing heavily like he’s run a marathon. 

“Henry?” Alex asks hesitantly. 

Henry-as-Alex jumps about a foot in the air before turning toward him. “Alex, I presume?”

Alex nods, and rushes to tell him, “I have no idea how this happened. Have any of the multitude of books you've read prepared you for something like this?”

Henry laughed. “They might have tried, but nothing could ever truly have prepared me for pretending to be you, Alex.”

There's a softness in his expression Alex has never seen on his own face before, and it makes him want to run his fingers through Henry's hair. 

Wait. That must mean…

There was only one way to find out.

“How'd you fare in England?” Henry asked. 

Alex closes the gap between them slowly, giving Henry plenty of time to run if he wants to. “English breakfast is awful, and so is tea. I learned a few things thanks to Pez, though, and, well-” 

By now, he's so close that he can grab Henry's tie in his fist. “It made me wonder what it would feel like to do this.”

The sensation he feels the instant their lips touch is everything. 

The next time he opens his eyes, Alex knows he's in his own body again, looking up at Henry, who's staring down at him in disbelief. 

“What exactly did he say to you?” Henry asked in wonder. 

Alex grinned. “Come to my room and I'll tell you all about it. And maybe we can-”

Henry must have known what he was going for, because all of a sudden, he's kissing him again. “Of course, love. Lead the way.”

[revolxtionarygay]

I love the way our perspectives on fiction can change. Like, for example, I've always considered Akio a bad guy. He is a bad guy. I wouldn't want to ever meet the guy in real life; however, he's such an interesting character. And that's something I wouldn't have even thought about when I watched Utena the first time. Hell, I probably wouldn't have even thought about that a few years ago.

But recently, I've just been like, "Whoa." I mean, come on, the fall from Dios to Akio. The way the shadow play seems to posit Anthy as a villain for this, the idea that Akio himself blames Anthy for it, too. The way Dios looks sad but apathetic when we finally see what really happened that day when Utena met him. The constant shift in ages in that scene—is he young, is he still Dios? Is he Akio already? Can you teeter between the two? What does it mean to lock yourself in an unending cycle? And how can he ever go back to being the prince? He dresses up in that outfit, dresses his student council in uniforms clearly derived from the prince's clothes, molds them all in a specific image that they can never achieve because he can be that way again. And he influences them all to dehumanize Anthy in one way or another—Miki wanting her enough to not consider her, Juri hating her because she represents miracles, Saionji treating her like a possession, Touga outright treating her like a doll, and Utena seeing her as someone to be saved—just because of everything that happened in the past. Like, hello??? He leads them into these, albeit indirectly and through Anthy but god. He influences them to see her this way because those are all the different ways he sees her? (At least, that's how I'm currently interpretating it.)

Idk, these are probably all things that have interested people way before me, but wow, I'm just now thinking about it.

[criminalmindswhore]

Praying

This is definitely going to give off 2014 Wattpad vibes but sue me I guess.

Basically, Emily finds out you can sing during a random karaoke night with the team.

After the case you just had, hearing Morgan say, "Drinks when we land?" was music to your ears. You needed a whiskey as soon as possible to wash down the bad taste in your mouth. This case was full of bad fathers who spent years ignoring their mistakes. It made you sick and felt too close to home. Your own dad treated you awful your entire life just to act like nothing ever happened when you were an adult.

As soon as the plane landed you were en route to the bar, Rossi and Hotch being the designated drivers. In your work clothes still, you all filled into a booth at the bar closest to the BAU. Your blazer is long discarded into your go bag, sleeves rolled up on your button-up. Emily could sense your anger from a mile away, holding your hand under the table to let you know she knew. Emily knew about your relationship with your parents and from the second the case was presented it would mess with your head.

Penelope slid into the booth beside you as she met you guys there, "Guys, it's karaoke night!" She beamed with excitement as she filled out the slip to get in line. "Hey, Pen hand me one." You smiled at the blonde as her mouth hung open, "Y/n! You've never sung in front of us before!" She handed you a slip and a pink pen from her purse. Emily looked at you confused. You jotted your name down and song choice, "I can take both of ours up there Penny."

As Penny finished absolutely rocking a Brittany song, you heard your name be called to sing. A knot formed in your stomach knowing the reaction that was to come from your performance but, singing always helped you cope so it was worth it, you hoped. Praying by Kesha started playing and the entire team immediately turned towards you. Penny smiling so big at you, phone out to record, Morgan staring at you with concern, and Emily. Your sweet Emily had moved to sit directly in front of the stage. She smiled at you sweetly as you started.

Well, you almost had me fooled Told me that I was nothing without you Oh, but after everything you've done I can thank you for how strong I have become

Tears welled in your eyes as your anger brew. Everyone in the bar was gone in your mind and, all that you saw was your dad. Screaming at you the day of your graduation, "You are never going to amount to anything."

'Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell I had to learn how to fight for myself And we both know all the truth I could tell I'll just say this is "I wish you farewell"

JJ's mouth was wide open in awe. She knew you had theatre background but your voice was unexpected. Garcia reached over and grabbed Morgans's hand knowing the words were hitting him too.

I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin' I hope your soul is changin', changin' I hope you find your peace Falling on your knees, prayin'

At this point hot, angry tears were rolling down your cheeks, Emily's too. Emily with childhood trauma of her own, knew that yours was totally different and could not imagine treating a kid that way.

I'm proud of who I am No more monsters, I can breathe again And you said that I was done Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come 'Cause I can make it on my own, oh And I don't need you, I found a strength I've never known I'll bring thunder, I'll bring rain, oh When I'm finished, they won't even know your name

Your anger was peaking as you hit the note at the end of the bridge, not caring about the accuracy of the notes. It was never to sound good, or have a healthy belt but to get some sort of release. The voice of your dad ringing in your ears, "Again Y/N, hit the note. Now." The karaoke version skips part of the song sending you into overdrive to prep for the whistle note.

Ah sometimes, I pray for you at night, oh Someday, maybe you'll see the light Whoa oh, some say, in life, you're gonna get what you give

You felt your hands shaking with anger as you grabbed the mic, pulling it off the stand and taking in a deep breath. You wanted to hit this note so loud he could hear it back home. Remembering how he never saw any of your shows, it took you over the edge.

But some things only God can forgive

You hit the note perfectly, holding it as long as your lungs would allow you. A deep burning in your chest cut you off and you finally opened your eyes, making eye contact with Spencer from across the bar. His eyes were full of tears. The show of emotion from the regularly held-together genius made you cry harder,

Yeah! (I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin') I hope your soul is changin', changin' I hope you find your peace Falling on your knees, prayin'

The last line came out as a whisper and you put the mic back in the stand. Stepping off the stage, Emily wrapped her arms around you. She pulled your face into her chest to shield you from the crowd as you cried. People cheered, clapped, and some even awed. You let it all out on her chest, your shaky arms barely holding her back. Emily rubbed your head and whispered sweet nothings into your ear, "Let it all our sweet girl." After you finished crying, she wiped the tears off your face, blowing slightly to help your face dry. "You ready to go sit down and drink your whiskey?" You nodded and smiled at her, grateful for the woman you got.

Garcia was fast to stand up and engulf you in a hug, her phone still recording on the table, "Pen! You filmed me?" She smiled and wiped a tear away, "Well I tried but I got too emotional." Derek had a smug look on his face. You slid back into the booth now sandwiched between him and Emily. You took a swig from your glass letting the burning cold liquid soothe your now, sore throat. "What Morgan?" He chuckled and held his beer up to you, "I knew you had a secret talent Y/N, you were too boring." You scoffed at him as everyone laughed. Emily grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it, "Seriously honey, you have a wonderful voice." You smiled at her, nothing but love in your gaze.

Hotch finally spoke up, "We love you YN, you know that right?" He had a slight smile toying on his lips. You looked at him, "I do. You and Rossi have become the parts of a father I never got and I cannot thank you for it enough." He finally smiled fully and Rossi patted your back. Penelope finally broke the serious undertones of the conversation, "So Y/N I want to hear all about your past roles, right now." Side conversations started as you told Pen about every role, every show, and every mishap of rehearsals. Emily just stared at you, so glad you finally were sharing this side of you, even if it wasn't intentional.

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

WHOA I JUST READ YOUR BEN BECKMAN POV FIC and it got me thinking more about Buggy and Beckman- omg both names start with B huh? That's not my point AGJXF I'm thinking about how Buggy sees Shanks with Beckman at his side, Beckman who's known for being a genius, Buggy the Genius Clown is a whole thing, too. Do you think when Buggy got a ride from the Red Force, he saw them commanding the ship together and felt...almost wistful? FOR LIKE A SECOND, the Beckman and Buggy interactions are so compelling to me now, the would be first mate, and the one who is first mate. I only started thinking of this because of your I Know I've Kissed You Before Shuggy Fic btw IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT

*clasps your hand* friend, i spend so much time thinking about how these characters, who have never once interacted on the page or screen—but who we can be pretty confident met post-marineford, and knew (at least vaguely) about each other prior—perceive each other. thank you for joining me.

(the beckman pov snippet anon mentioned, for those who haven’t seen it)

beckman, i think, doesn’t have a great first impression of buggy, because of the way he left shanks and the way he left things with shanks—but in stories where shanks makes up with buggy, he tries to reserve judgment about buggy as a person. his captain’s happiness is important to him, as much as his captain’s stability. if buggy is necessary for that, then beckman will do what he can to help.

…that said, i don’t think beckman reserves his judgment about buggy as a theoretical first mate (or co-captain, if you go in for that theory) to shanks. a guy who’s all charisma and no substance? in a supporting role to shanks?? how did the two of you expect to live past the age of fifteen?!

and for buggy’s pov on beckman—as ever, i think his perception is very context-dependent.

multiple times in ikikyb, buggy looks at beckman and sees rayleigh. he’s grateful that shanks found a first mate like that, because god knows roger wouldn’t have survived long without rayleigh and buggy assumes the same is true of shanks. he’s not letting himself think about how, in another life, he could have filled that role—because buggy is avoiding Sad Thoughts in general, and that’s a particularly sad one—so he doesn’t ever think about beckman as a substitute for buggy himself.

in a different take on a post-marineford meeting, i can see buggy looking at beckman, at how well he works as shanks’ first officer, and feeling wistful for a moment, yeah, maybe even a little jealous… but ultimately going down a bit of a self-loathing spiral—but a kind of happy one?

because: see? buggy was right to leave. the first mate shanks needed was nothing like him. beckman’s serious, he’s no glory hog, he doesn’t have an impulsive personality… he avoids notice and does the work shanks needs done, discreetly. buggy could never do that, or be that. he made the right call.

[endlessnightlock]

8, 14, 20, or 25 (or any combo of) for fluffy dialogue prompts, please!

8. "who let you look so cute today?"

As I fidget with my tie in front of the mirror in our shared bathroom, Finnick slides up to me and starts fussing with his hair---finger-combing, fluffing, then smoothing it back down. He catches my eye in the reflection and gives me the job interview outfit I have on, slim-fit black slacks and a fitted button-up (along with the tie I'm two seconds away from yanking off and whipping across the room because it doesn't want to cooperate), a swift appraisal.

“Whoa, who let you look so cute today?” he asks, picking up the bottle of texture salt spray from the washstand and spritzing his hair. I watch him fiddle with his waves, which always lay messier than mine, but when he doesn't get an answer, Finnick prods me expectantly. "Well?"

"I'm not supposed to look cute. I'm supposed to look professional," I remind him, giving up on the tie. It looks fine, I know, I'm just nervous. Job interviews always make me feel like I'm gonna puke.

Finnick sits the bottle down and gives himself a nod of approval. "I didn't say you weren't professional. You can look like you know what you're about and still be cute."

"Yeah, yeah," I laugh.

Finnick gives his hair one last toss, satisfied with the finished style. "Trust me, from a guy whose face has opened more than one door in the past, looking good is never a bad thing."

KPKPKPKP

I'm whistling cheerfully as I let myself into our apartment that evening. Finnick glances up from an episode of The Great British Baking Show. "Well, well, well. Looks like someone knocked their interview out of the park."

"No, not exactly," I say, toeing off my shoes and putting them back into place on the caddy. "Pretty sure I didn't get it."

He frowns as I plop beside him on the couch. "Really. Why so chipper then?"

It's a struggle to keep the huge smile off my face I've been wearing all day. "I met someone."

Finnick slaps my arm. "No shit?"

"Technically, I rediscovered someone. An old friend from high school I was madly in love with. Katniss. Her interview was right before mine, and afterward, I went around the corner and had a drink with her at the bar. And then we went to dinner. And I'm seeing her tomorrow," I add as Finnick claps his hands in glee.

"I told you, man, looking cute works."

[dysaniadisorder]

[Transcript: Link: –Oh, man. Normal: Look, Hermie, I just, like... So, first of all, I'm still mad at you. And you're still my archrival and enemy now. Because I found out that you're a dirty Chaparral student. That said, we still care about you, and I just wanted to check in. It seemed to me like the vibes were good with your dad, but now you're saying they're bad? What's the deal? Hermie: You don't like me, you idiot. Normal: What? [Freddie laughs] What do you mean? Hermie: What you like is someone who withholds… validation. What you need is somebody who tells you that you're a good, good boy. And no one in your life believes that you're a good, good boy, so you looked at me as this one person who seemed to show any amount of affection towards you, platonic or otherwise, and you said, "Ah, that's the guy I'm going for!" You don't want me—  Link: Hey, we all think he's a good boy. Hermie: —you want to self-validate— Normal: W— Hermie: —and I can't do that for you.

Normal: I– Look, okay! All right! That's fair. Okay! Okay! Okay! You're kind of... Scary: Yeah, I mean, that seems… it seems pretty valid to me. Normal: You’re kind of melting my brain a little bit, but... Hermie: And my dad doesn't love me, my dad loves Goops and Jafery. Normal: Hermie! Hermie: I was a means to an end. Normal: That's what, but—  Hermie: [Darkly] And I'm gonna be the means to his end. [Freddie laughs]

Normal: No, okay, Hermie. Hermie. Yes, you are right. That's how I felt about you. But! Then I saw how much school spirit you have, and that you did all this stuff to, it’s like—. Do you know how long I've been looking for someone who cares about their school as much as I care about my school? I've never met— E-everyone thinks like, [mocking] "Oh, a mascot, so dumb! [mocking, wobbly noises] Who cares? [wobbly noises] Shut up, Normal, uh, you're stupid! Ugh!" Scary: [laughs] That's exactly what I think! Normal: [mocking] Yeah, I know, Scary! [wobbly noises]  Taylor: Wow, it's like there's two Scarys in here.  Normal: So, I jus—  Hermie: Which one do I shoot? [Beth chuckles]

Normal: It’s just, I feel like, you and I are like a lot alike! We got a lot in common, you know? You, you play all these different parts, I got my part that I play, and I just, y’know, I just like want to get to know you better! And yeah, y’know, it’s, we're young, and y’know….. it'd probably be like five years before we get married, but like, y’know. [Freddie laughs]  Hermie: Whoa…! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa—  Normal: What? Hermie: [rhythmic] –Whoa. Whoa, whoa-whoa, whoa. Link: Yeah, that's a long time to wait. [everyone laughs]  Hermie: Oh, my G-d. Normal: Look! I'm just saying I have real feelings for you, I think, so, y’know…!  I don't know where I was going with that, but there it is. And even th— and even though…! Taylor: Even though he betrayed you? Normal: Even especially though he betrayed me, cause it showed that he believes in something bigger than himself, [kinda out the side of his mouth] which is more than I can say for, uh, some of the people in this room. Link: [pause] Woah, hey buddy. Taylor: Wait, wait, what do you mean? Scary: Wait, yeah, why is that? Taylor: Yeah what happened.  Link: We're all in this together, man. Normal: I don't know. I kinda… maybe I threw that out there a little too quickly. Link: Oh okay.

Hermie: I didn't do what I did for the sake of the school, you buffoon, I don't have any school spirit. [Normal gasps] I'm like Scary, I make the “duh-d-duh-d-duh” noise when people talk about school spirit. [Normal gasps as Scary laughs] I did all this because my dad. My dad wanted a scam, and so a scam he shall get. Well I mean– I did it before I even knew that he was my dad, or that that's how you got to him. But I just always had this, this desire in me to scam, to pull off some big coup. And I did it and it was easy. It was, frankly...

Anthony: And he strokes your chin. He goes—

Hermie: You were an easy mark, my friend. And… I thought it would bring me... happiness! and I thought getting in his good graces would bring me everything I wanted. Like Succession. But then he didn't give it to me. Like Succession. [everyone laughs] And now I feel nothing, except for the desire to kill him. To get vengeance upon the man who stole my childhood away and stole my innocence.  Link: Well you have—  Hermie: And so now… you can be the instrument of that. So uhhhh… I'll go on a date with you, if you help me kill my dad. [Normal gives a big gasp and Freddie begins laughing]

[transformersimagines]

Unforeseen Consequences 

This is the second part to "To Be Decided" I would recommend reading that first so this makes sense.

The only reason this was even written at all is because of the likes and reblogs that have me re-reading my fics and get me inspired. Thank you for enjoying my mediocre writing of my favorite genre and fandom.

“You keep eyeing the clock, got a lady meeting you tonight?” The bartender, James, comments. I chuckle before downing the rest of my drink. 

“I wish, but it's all business tonight,” I pull my wallet out and tuck some cash under my now empty glass, “Keep the change.”

“Have a good night Sir.” James waves as I walk away. It should be a good night. It's been almost 10 hours since I poisoned the target. No one has ever lasted more than 4 days before they come running back for a cure. 

The cold, night air was a welcome contrast to the stuffy heat of the bar. The one drink did help with my nerves though, this client wasn't exactly the easiest.

I scan the streets and notice the red & white Porsche parked in an alleyway across the way. The client must have seen me since the headlights flashed on and off before the car reversed into the dark alley.

“Guess we are still doing the car thing,” I comment, checking for traffic before jogging across the street to the alley. This is the second time I've met the client face-to-face, kind of. He's never gotten out of his car. It didn't really matter anyway, this guy's money was good, and that's what was important. 

“This betta’ be good.” The client states flatly. God, he always sounded annoyed or pissed off whenever we spoke, even over the phone. I eye the windshield, trying to get a better view of him. Always imagined him as a big, tough boxer, probably retired. But, as always I can't even see a silhouette through the windshield, he must get pulled over a shit ton for that tint. 

“Your target finally showed themselves yesterday, after nearly 3 months of hiding. Thought you would want to know?” I lean against the alley wall, eyeing the sidewalk and street for any passer-byers. Wouldn’t want anyone to overhear our conversation.

“Ya’ have ‘em?” He sounded less annoyed. Good.

“Not right now, but soon. They ran away in a teal and black Lambo, but not before I tagged them. I’ve got their live location streaming to this device,” I wave my phone in front of me, the tracking app open and actively pinging their location.

“Useless.” The client's lights flash on, the engine revving. Damn, this guy's brights are intense!

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I got them with my inhalant. They won't last long in hiding under its effects. I’m the only one with a cure. You’ll have the target in less than a week, I guarantee it. Everything is under control.” I explain, pushing off the wall to stand up straighter. I needed to command more respect with this guy and leaning against a wall in a dirty alleyway wasn’t cutting it.

“Ya’ had one chance, and now ya’ve made things harda’ for me.”

Fuck. This guy sounds beyond pissed. “Hold on-” 

“Enough.” The car lights turned off, leaving me struggling to focus with the sudden darkness. The sound of grinding metal. Glowing red eyes. What was going on? Something cold grabs my center and my feet are no longer on the ground.

“You failed and I’m done dealin’ with a lower life form.” 

~

“I expected at least you two to understand why I have such strict restrictions in place with Y/N more than anybot else!” Megatron scolds.

“How were we supposed to know Optimus would get a human involved?! Did you expect that?” Sunstreak cuts into the rant, arms firmly crossed. 

I was sitting on the med-bay counter, Knockout towering over me while Megatron was berating the twins across the way. Knockout was able to cure me of whatever it was that guy made me breathe in. I wasn’t shaking and coughing anymore, but my chest and throat hurt like a bitch. I rub my chest as if it could smooth the pain.

“Anything change Y/N?” Knockout asks, noticing my movement.

I look up at him and shake my head, before turning back to look at the twins. I couldn't speak, it hurt so bad and made me sound like I’ve been smoking since birth. 

“That is exactly why we have the restrictions. There is no telling what Optimus Prime will-” An alert sounded from the med-bay computer that cut Megatron off.

“Megatron. I’m picking up an aircraft fast approaching from the southwest. Confirmed Autobot signature, though I can’t pinpoint who exactly.” Starscream reports. Megatron gives the twins one final side-eye before turning his full attention to the screen. 

“Just one signature?” Megatron questions, turning his attention to the computer's controls. Knockout moves out of Megatron's way, leaving me with an unobstructed view as the screen changes to an overview map, the Nemesis in the center with another dot quickly approaching. The tension in the room rises and falls as the dot zips right over and past the Nemesis. 

“Starscream?” 

“It appears they dropped something, let me see if I can get visuals,” Starscream reports. Before anyone could say anything the screen changed to a live view of the outside, not far from the Nemesis, an area I was familiar with.

Suddenly everyone was moving at the same time. Megatron scrambled with the computer controls and Knockout moved forward to stand in between the screen and me, but it was too late.

The man that had attacked me yesterday… his body was broken and twisted into a pile on the ground. So much red... were those bones sticking out? My stomach drops and the air leaves my lungs. Above his body there was a hologram that was displaying a short message:

“See you soon, Y/N”

[with-love-from-hell]

5 Sides of Human

{Part Twenty-Five}

Genre: Mixed WC: ~3.5k CW: mentions of blood, swearing, Storm has a stutter but I am not depicting it with written word consistently, prolly lots of typos lol, spoilers for season 1&2, I'm skipping over/changing some things I didn't like in the main story so it will be a bit different from canon! Series Masterlist

"Whattaya mean, like someone cast a protection spell on us or somethin'? Couldn't they have at least made it so we didn't turn inta this?" Mammon huffed in frustration.

Solomon grinned, casting another sly glance toward Storm. "Well, I don't think it would have been that easy. Besides, I'm sure you'll figure out who the kind soul who decided your lives were worth protecting is soon enough."

"Regardless, we should keep the idle chit-chat to a minimum and continue going through the levels." Lucifer sighed, looking around the room for another message.

The others shrugged, breaking off into groups to search the room they now found themselves in. Beel, Lucifer, Mammon, and Storm began wandering off to where the room began to narrow, while the others remained in the larger open area. It was eerily quiet for a moment, before Asmo broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Solomon, tell us more about the reaper. I mean, living in a place like this and coming up with all these rules...The longer we stay here, the more curious I am!"

"Hmm..." Solomon shrugged, turning from the bookshelf he had been analyzing closely. "Well, In a nutshell, I'd say that my reaper friend is a little on the unusual side."

"Even more than these idiots?" Vivi tilted her head in a gesture toward where a few of the brothers searched under some furniture.

"Hahaha! Well, we've known each other for over a thousand years now, but there's still so many things about them that I don't know."

"Whoa whoa...wait a minute..." Heart snapped his attention toward the sorcerer. "Did you just say a thousand??"

"Yeah, how old are you, Solomon?" Sarah asked pointedly, eyeing him up and down.

"Easy now, haha! Long ago, there was a time when I devoted myself to researching new forms of magic, but one day I made a...small error, I suppose. And as a result, I can never grow old or die naturally." Solomon shrugged. "So, I've lived for thousands of years looking exactly as I do now."

"Hold up, so you're actually just some crusty old man!?" Fern scrunched up their face. "What the fuck, dude!"

"An old man?!" Solomon winced, insulted by their words. "I'd like to think I keep myself appearing very young..."

"Well all of this isn't news to us. I mean, me and Solomon have known each other for so long now, You should have realized that he wasn't just some ordinary human!" Asmo giggled, strolling over to Solomon and gripping his arm tightly. "But I guess it makes sense why y'all didn't know all this stuff. You just met him a few weeks ago."

"I would say Solomon is more than just an unusual human." Belphie shrugged. "He's much different than any of you guys, or Storm. And he has so many pacts that he's probably closer to a demon than a human at this point."

"Hey now." Solomon's eye twitched in what appeared to be annoyance. "I'm just as human as any of them. I'm just...unique."

"Will you all quit fooling around?" Lucifer's sudden harsh tone caused nearly everyone to jump.

"Yeah, we found the doorway to the next level, so if y'all're done gabbin' ya can come this way!" Mammon added, crossing hims arm's triumphantly.

"Alright, alright. We're coming." Heart rolled their eyes, taking Asmo's hands and following Mammon out of the room. Vivi knelt down briefly, noticing her shoes had been unlaced during the ruckus of the previous rooms. As she finished tightly tying the strings, she noticed Solomon also lagging behind the others. Quickly, he grabbed a book off of the shelf he had been hovering near and stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket.

"Hey, what did you just take?" Vivi stood, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Who, me?" Solomon smiled, shaking his head. "I didn't take anything. Maybe it just looked like I did from where you were standing."

Vivi sighed. "Whatever it was, it better not get us into any more trouble, or I'll be joining your 'friend' in beating your ass."

Solomon chuckled, walking straight past Vivi to catch up with the others. Vivi scoffed, following behind him to get though to the next room. She bumped into Fern as she walked through the door, already annoyed at the congested pileup at the entrance.

In large letters on the wall, scrawled out in blood, read "NO TALKING." The group looked amongst each other uncertainly, not knowing what the challenge of this room to try to get them to talk would be. The place they found themselves now appeared to be a long hallway, lined with suits of armor. Each figure held a long pole axe, as if in warning to those entering. Many doors lined the hall, and it would take hours to try to figure which lead out of this level and into the next.

Storm narrowed her eyes, assessing each of the doors in her field of vision. Each of them had a mark on them that almost looked like a scratch. Each was unique in color, size, and angle, but they all shared the same semi-straight formation. Well, all but one. Storm's eyes zeroed in on the distinguished door- one that had no markings at all near the end of the hall of doors. After a moment of pause, Storm turned to the puzzled group, gesturing with a tilt of her head to follow. The others hesitated for a moment, but followed after her to see what it was she was confidently chasing after.

"You know, I've been thinking..." Satan wondered aloud, glancing up to the cathedral-like ceiling above them. Before he could continue his statement, Levi wrapped his tail around Satan's pudgy head, muffling his words against the thick scales of his tail. Annoyed, Satan bit down, causing Levi to yelp loudly in pain.

"You realize the three of us have already been punished for breaking the rules, right? Even if we break another, we wont be penalized any more than we already have."

"So...that means we can talk?" Levi squeaked the words out, glancing around to the suits of armor nervously.

"I've already done it and nothing happened, so...yes."

"WOOOHOOO!" Mammon screeched loudly, barreling down the hallway past Storm.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. They seem to never shut up, even under consequences like this.

Mammon grinned as he began walking backwards, now facing Storm. "I bet your jealous, huh?"

Storm raised an eyebrow before shaking her head.

"I mean, I'd rather have the option to be quiet and stay looking like I did before than be a little D." Levi sighed, prancing up next to Storm's side. "So, are you thinking you know the way to the next level?"

Storm nodded with a smile, pointing to the unmarked door she was heading toward.

"Nah, that's clearly wrong." Mammon shook his head, bounding to a door just a few feet away from them. "Look at this one! The mark on it is big and yellow and more scraggly than the others! Clearly this is the right way to go!"

Before Storm could react, Mammon pushed the door open aggressively, revealing a ginormous boutique-looking room, covered wall-to-wall in clothing, bags, and accessories.

Satan's eyes widened. "Hey! Someone cover Asmo's mouth before he-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEE! Look at all these cute clothes!" Asmo squealed, stars in his eyes as he looked around the room.

"...Looks like I was too late."

"Oh my gosh, there's so much here that I like!!!" Asmo squawked, immediately shoving past Vivi to get to the clothing, sending her careening toward the ground.

"Asmo, You're gonna pay for that!!" Vivi roared, immediately rolling to her feet and bolting toward him. Before she could get to him, a bright light flashed from where both of them stood, blinding everyone else.

"Uh..oh..." Mammon gulped, backing out of the room slowly as the light dimmed and the figures that used to be Asmo and Vivi came into focus.

"Oh, this dress is so adorable!" The small pudgy demon gleefully smoothed the fabric between his spindly fingers. "It would look so cute on- AGUGh!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you limb from limb, you narcissistic bimbo!" the small beast- who they all assumed to be Vivi- screamed, now having Asmo pinned against them in a headlock. Unlike the brothers, Vivi hadn't turned into a small, pudgy demon. Instead, they turned into a tiny purple and black sheep of the same size. Curled horns peaked out from her spongey coat, and the small muscles in her arms twitched as she tightened her hold on Asmo's neck.

"L-let go! My precious skin will be ruined if you sq-squeeze too tight!" Asmo choked, trying to wriggle his way out of her grip.

Satan pressed his lips together to try to stifle a laugh, but couldnt help the snort that released through his mouth. Vivi snapped her attention toward him, dropping Asmo to the ground instantly. She ran towards him, sliding backwards on the ground. With a buck of her back legs, she kicked him full-force with her hooves. Satan's tiny body flew out of the room with the force of her kick, causing the others to duck out of the way to avoid being hit.

Beel frowned, picking at his fingers nervously. As if able to hear his thoughts, Belphie came up beside him and patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. Vivi huffed, storming out of the room to diffuse her anger.

Storm glanced uncertainly toward Solomon, who covered his mouth to keep from laughing. She made a mental note to ask later about the cure for these curses, but now returned her focus to opening the correct door. The others followed as Lucifer attempted to wrangle Vivi, who was kicking around suits of armor and yelling at Satan.

As Storm predicted, the door lead to the next level. They all stepped into a hall with hundreds of stools sitting tucked under long tables. Another large message lined the walls above tapped barrels, which Storm assumed to be some sort of alcohol. The message was even larger than the last, and seemed to be more haphazardly scrawled out than the other messages they've seen:

DO NOT EAT.

"If we make it through level 4, we'll be at the chamber with the candles. Just a little further!"

Just as the words left Solomon's mouth, the room went dark. When the light to the room returned, the tables became lined with a plethora of different foods and drinks. It was as if the reaper was enticing the tired and hungry group to partake of the feast, though they all knew what the consequences of eating this food would be.

"Oh my lord...I can't believe we have to deal with this now!" Fern groaned as their stomach grumbled. "After we've come all this way!"

"Do not eat...it says Do not eat...that's what it says..." Beel stared between the message and the feast, drool forming heavily behind his lips.

"Beel...You can do this!" Storm tried to reassure him, rubbing his arm gently. He just stared on, completely transfixed on the buffet before him that he was being told to ignore.

"It's no use..." Belphie groaned.

"Hey, this reaper friend of yours...they don't have a cerberus-sized pet, right? I keep hearing this...growling?" Asmo glanced around, hopping to try to see over the tables.

"I'd say it sounds more like thunder." Heart looked toward the ceiling, trying to see if the chandeliers were shaking with the force of the noise.

"Nah, that's Beel's stomach growlin'..." Mammon shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "I have a bad feelin' about what's about to happen..."

Beel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. After a short moment, he opened his eyes and turned away from the food. "Lets go."

Belphie blinked in utter disbelief. "wha- huh?"

"We're almost to the chamber with the candles, right?" Beel swallowed his saliva, trying to quell the growing hunger pains in his stomach. "So...lets get moving."

"I...I don't believe it..." Belphie's eyes were wide as he stared at his twin. "Beel...Y-you're actually resisting the temptation to eat...How..."

"He probably cant resist it for long, so lets go already!" Mammon pushed past them, moving in the direction of an archway in the back of the room. The others followed behind quickly, each glancing toward Beel nervously as they walked through the winding dining halls- each one displaying a more elaborate feast than the last.

Beel mumbled to himself as they moved, listing off the various foods he saw displayed on the plates before him. Storm and Belphie stood on either side of him, squeezing his hands to reassure him they were here.

"We need to get his mind off the food." Belphie nervously glanced toward Beel's line of sight, seeing his second favorite dish piled on top of a serving platter. Droll pooled out of his mouth as Beel tried to breathe deeply, dripping down his chin and onto his shirt.

"Uh...I...I'm pretty sure Solomon made all this food, Beel!" Sarah shouted suddenly, causing Belphie to feel a shudder run up his spine.

"Yeah, and I betcha Fern helped!" Mammon added with a snort.

"Hey! Fuck you!" Fern knitted their brows together as they kicked Mammon hard, square in the ass. He yelped and ran toward Storm's legs. He turned and scowled at them as he held onto her pant leg, trying to stay as far away from Fern as possible.

"Hey, look! There's a door!" Heart pointed to the right, where a large double door was situated. A big red arrow was painted on the door, as if to signal they were headed in the right direction.

Belphie sighed in relief and ran toward the door. "I bet the candles are right through-"

His words died on his tongue when the doors creaked open, displaying another dining room. This time though, the tables were lined with various types of burgers- what they all knew to be Beel's favorite food. They all turned to the second youngest, nervous to see how he would respond.

"B-beel, the color has drained from your face..." Storm commented, squeezing his overly-sweating hand to try to get him to look at her. "Are you okay?"

Beel stayed silent, eyes wide and staring at the steaming plates before him.

"I don't think I've ever seen Beel fight off the urge to eat like this before..." Belphie shook his head, squeezing Beel's other hand. "I have no idea how he's able to do this..."

"Well, if ya ask me, it's about damn time he learned to keep that stomach of his in check." Mammon rolled his eyes. "I mean, he's always eatin'. Like a giant pig!"

"Shut up, Mammon." Vivi hissed, mimicking a punch of one fist to an open palm with her hooves. Mammon gulped, now skirting his way between Storm's legs for extra protection.

"Pig...pig...pig roast." Beel moaned, suddenly snatching Mammon up into his hands.

"Whoa...What- HEY! OW!!" Mammon yelled as Beelzebub bit into his back. "Quit bitin' me! I ain't food, dammit!"

"Beel! Stop trying to eat Mammon!" Storm gasped, moving to pry Mammon out of Beel's hands.

Lucifer's eyes widened in fear and he quickly snatched Storm's arms away, just before Beel snapped his jaws toward her. "Don't try to get your hands in there, Storm."

She nodded nervously, watching Mammon writhe in Beels hands.

"D'AAAH! He's gonn a eat me alive!!! Do something!" Mammon screamed

"Actually, he's just gnawing on him a little. As long as he doesn't bite off actual chunks, it should be okay." Belphie shrugged.

"And it might help keep his mind off of eating the food here." Sarah added, giggling as Beel bit down harder on Mammon's pudgy back.

"AHHH! IT'S NOT OKAY!!" Mammon shouted, finally freeing himself from Beel's grasp and leaping into Storm's arms. She caught him roughly, only being held up by Lucifer's support. She felt him stumble slightly as her body backed into his, thankful that he was there to keep her from falling. Lucifer grunted as he tried to straighten himself, clearly in pain from the impact.

"I can't take this anymore!" Beel whimpered, clutching his stomach hard. "If I try to hold back any more, I might hurt one of you!"

"Might!?" Mammon whined, rubbing the spots on his back where Beel's fangs punctured the skin. "We're already there, pal!"

Beel squeezed his eyes shut, growling loudly. "I'm sorry, I have to-"

Suddenly, a bright flash of light erupted from behind him, causing everyone to freeze in shock. After the light faded, a small little D with a spiney tail with fluff-like tip, curled ram horns, and glistening violet eyes blinked at them from a chair near one of the tables. In his hand, he held a half-eaten burger.

"Huh...so this is what it feels like to be a little D?" Belphie shrugged, tossing the burger aside. "You know, it's not really as bad as I thought."

"Exactly! Now you're one of us, Belphie!" Levi laughed.

Belphie scrunched up his face. "Ugh. No thanks. I don't mind being a little D, but I've got no interest in being 'one of you,' Levi."

Levi let out a yell, mimicking the action of a sword being thrust through his chest. "Belphie scores a critical hit, Leviathan takes 4500 damage!"

"Cringy." Heart giggled, shaking their head.

"Bel...Belphie?" Beel blinked back his surprise, his lips down-turned in an intense frown. "Wh...why would you...This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Beel." Belphie hopped down off of the chair, stretching his back.

"You only ate that because it looked like I was about to give into the temptation and eat it myself though."

"Yeah, well...I understand how hard that is...Believe me. Which is why I didn't want to watch you having to endure it. Like, if I had to stave off the urge to sleep, I'm sure I would have felt the same."

"You hung in really well, Beel." Storm smiled sympathetically, patting his arm.

"Plus, the reaper already has an axe to grind with you. If you were to break one of the rules, who knows what would happen to you?" Fern shuddered, not wanting to think of the other potential outcomes.

"So...It's no big deal at all if I turn into a little D. We can figure out a fix for this later." Belphie hugged Beel's leg, smiling up at him.

Beel sniffled as tears began running down his face. He snatched Belphie up, hugging him as tight as he physically could.

"Ack! Beel...I-I appreciate the hug, but not so t-tight! You're suffocating me!" Belphie choked, trying hard to wriggle his way loose to get some air into his lungs.

"Something wrong, Lucifer?" Solomon tilted his head at the oldest brother, who seemed to be holding his balance against one of the chairs. "You're looking...well, you're looking sort of pale?"

"It's..." Lucifer's eyes fluttered closed for a moment before he sighed. "My head hurts."

Storm turned to him, concern painted all over her face. She set Mammon down gently and reached up toward Lucifer's brow, carefully smoothing over his temple. "Another migraine? They seem to be getting worse lately."

"They're usually triggered by the stress of dealing with the problems your brothers though, right?" Solomon smirked as Lucifer ceased waving away Storm's concerned doting, glaring at the sorcerer.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, what do you expect?" Solomon chuckled. "When there's a demon I'm hoping to make a pact with, I make an point to observe him at all times."

Lucifer grimaced. "Well, stop it."

Solomon smirked in response to Lucifers annoyance as he again swatted Storm's hands away.

"In any case, yes...this headache seems to be worse than the ones I usually have...but it's nothing to be concerned about since we're almost at the fifth level. I will just rest when we get home and all will be well. Let's just keep going."

"Are you sure?" Storm stared at him, eyes shimmering with worry. "Maybe you should sit down for-"

"I said I'm fine." Lucifer snapped, shaking his head and moving past her.

"Well, the candle room will hopefully be right through that door." Solomon shrugged at Storm, though the look on his face seemed satisfied with Lucifer's current state. "Lets continue on, shall we?"

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Heart’s Choice - Chapter 26

*Warning Adult Content*

- Carlos -

Tree branches whip and scratch my hands and face as I slip and slide down the steep slope towards the bottom of the hill and the rendezvous point at the entrance to the gated community.

My heart races as much from adrenaline as from exertion and I'm already second-guessing my decision to flee.

Maybe I overreacted, maybe there was no reason to run.

John had promised he'd never hurt me, after all.

'He bit you', I remind myself, as I slip on a loose rock and catch myself against a young fir.

In turn, the tree coats my hands in sticky sap.

'That's Creepy Dave's whole point. John will hurt you whether he means to or not.'

At the bottom of the hill, I scramble across a drainage ditch and up the other side to the edge of the road.

Keeping low, concealed in the weeds in case Ian's truck isn't the first car to pass by, I wait, eyes and ears primed.

John's unmarked police sedan has the low purr of a powerful new engine, while Ian Foley's truck has the healthy rumble of a well-loved but aging, vehicle.

I crouch in the brush, barely daring to breathe, trembling like a scared rabbit as the sun sets and the world goes cold and dark.

To pass the time, I do some mental math.

If Ian left his house immediately and drove here without stopping, while obeying the speed limit the whole way, he'd arrive in about twenty minutes after the end of our call.

Right on time, I hear the welcome rumble I've been waiting for.

A pair of familiar headlights swing around the bend and a red pickup pulls to a stop before the fancy iron gate.

Breaking cover, I sprint across the pavement and knock on the passenger-side window.

Ian leans over and unlocks the door and I throw myself into the cab just as another engine roars to life somewhere on the hill above.

"Whoa. What happened, man?" he asks, appraising my scratched, pine-needled and sap-encrusted state. "Are you okay?"

I press myself against the back of the seat.

"I don't know yet. Just drive."

"You got it."

He shifts gears and steps on the gas, doing a u-turn and pealing away with a spray of gravel.

"Take it easy," I admonish breathlessly. "Don't attract attention. One of these guys is a cop."

"The fuck did you get yourself into?"

"I don't know. But I don't wanna drag you into it, too," I say, rethinking my initial plan to tell him and Sam everything. "Just, uh... drop me at the garage. I'll pick up some things and take it from there."

"Nah," Ian shakes his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "You're scared and you're not thinkin' straight."

"Do I ever?"

He coughs to hide a laugh.

"Maybe not in one sense, in the other, sometimes more, sometimes less. Regardless, I'm taking you home, to my home, that is. After you explain what's going on, then you can decide what your next move is. In the meantime, Sammy's making dinner. He's gotten really good at cooking," he adds proudly.

I hide a smile and hide the twinge of jealousy that threatens to turn it sour.

Ian and Sam met by pure, random chance.

They were nothing alike and they both had dark and complicated histories.

And yet they complemented one another perfectly.

They made each other laugh and they made each other whole.

They made each other better.

Was it too much to ask for my share of that?

"Yo, Carlos. You in there, bud?" Ian prompts and I realize he'd asked me a question.

"Sorry. What?"

"I just asked if you wanted to stop anywhere on the way or if you had everything you need?"

Everything I need?

An image of John flashes through my mind.

Then I shake my head at myself.

'Perfect guy?'

'The perfect guy doesn't keep telling you he's bad for you and that you shouldn't be together.'

'The perfect guy doesn't keep secrets and only come clean when you catch him red handed.'

'The perfect guy doesn't look at you the way a starving man looks at a full course meal.'

'The perfect guy...

'I stop myself.

Maybe John isn't the 'perfect guy.'

Then again, maybe there's no such thing.

Over a meal of baked potatoes stuffed with butter, sour cream, cheese, green onions and bacon bits, with a side of roast chicken and spinach salad topped with walnuts, chèvre, mandarin oranges and balsamic vinaigrette, I fill Ian and Sam in on the strange, twisted tale my life has become.

By the time I finish, I feel calmer, more grounded, a little ridiculous and incredibly full.

"Holy shit, Sam. Where you learn to cook like this?" I ask, wiping my mouth on a cloth napkin.

Sam ducks his head and blushes adorably.

"Just the internet."

"Didn't know you liked food so much."

"I don't really," he admits, taking a sip of water from his glass and setting it aside. "But engines need fuel, right?"

For a moment, I'm thoroughly confused, then as Ian's face flushes red, things slide into place.

Sam is unusual and probably the only one of his kind.

The result of a mad demonologist's quest for the perfect vessel, he's a synthesis of two beings, a human boy and an incubus.

He retains pieces of each, fused seamlessly into one but the incubus side is firmly bonded with Ian.

Sam replenishes his demonic energy through that bond and in turn...

Well, sometimes you gotta feed your man.

He seems to read my thoughts and shoots me a glare.

I laugh disarmingly and serve myself more salad.

"Too true," I say. "Anyway, this is delicious."

Scowling at me, Sam pushes the dressing across the table.

"So, Let's get this straight," he says, his dark eyes tracking my every move. "Twenty years ago, some murders happened that looked a lot like the Ritual of Feasts. Shortly thereafter, Lucille's son dies of a 'mysterious illness' which she blames on a botched exorcism performed by Toni and your mom. Then, according to Aunt Toni, your mom goes missing after a particularly bad possession, in search of something that will cure her of her tendency to get possessed."

"So far so good," I say.

"Okay, so fast forward twenty years. You move to Spring Lakes and happen to end up renting property from Lucille Peters, who insists you give a job to her deadbeat nephew, Kyle. Kyle gets murdered and it looks like the Ritual of Feast is on again. Enter a hot cop who turns out to be sort-of-but-not-really-a-vampire, who's totally into you but also might kill you if he fucks you again."

Sam clears his throat and consults the notes he took on his cell-phone, pushing his silky black hair behind his ear as he does.

When I first met him, he looked like a kid.

Now he looks like a man.

He's grown into himself and while he's still slender and petite, he has a strength and confidence that he lacked before.

Meanwhile, Ian is a little softer, a little more relaxed and comfortable in his own skin and I wonder at how the two are rubbing off on each other.

Besides in the usual way, that is.

I catch Sam's glare and wince like a student caught daydreaming when the teacher asks a question.

"Uh... yeah, pretty much."

He looks back at his notes.

"Right. Next, Toni disappears, this David guy shows up, your prime suspect has an alibi and you decide to run away from the hot not-quite-a-vampire dude to avoid getting brainwashed or kidnapped."

"Yeah." I sigh. "That about sums it up."

Sam glances at Ian.

"Right, so... How can we help?"

I look up and catch the flash of his grin and feel my spirits lift a little.

Sam and I haven't always seen eye to eye but in the end, I know he's got my back.

"Tonight's the night of the second Feast," I say. "The ritual's supposed to take place before dawn. I just... need a safe place to stay."

"We got you," Ian says. "We'll brew some coffee, get the PlayStation set up. We'll keep you safe and have some fun while we're at it. You played the new Gran Turismo yet?"

I shake my head.

I don't even know what that is.

"You're gonna love it," Ian assures me and motions for Sam to get the entertainment ready while he sees to the kitchen.

Six hours later, I've finally mastered the controller enough to beat Ian in a race, though I'm still a virtual mile behind Sam and I suspect Ian let me win.

I don't mind.

I feel safe here, with my friends, the only sure friends I have in the world.

At least until around 5 AM, when a familiar car parks on the street and the doorbell rings. 

[giggly-squiggily]

If it's okay, can I request Lee Noelle and Ler Vanessa? It can be headcanons, a fic, or drabble, whatever you want. Maybe Vanessa is teasing Noelle while they're shopping for clothes and she finds out she's ticklish? I just think their sisterly relationship is really cute (I've never really sent in a request before so I'm sorry if I did something wrong or left something out)

Eee, my girlies! I love their dynamic so much! I’ve gotcha covered, anon! :D I mixed in a bit of Noelle x Asta because they’re too cute not to include! :D I hope you like it!

Noelle was in quite the predicament.

The Black Bulls were throwing a party to celebrate recent events, and the resident Water mage had nothing to wear.

Digging through the chess in her room, she tossed bundles of silk and glitter over her shoulder in hopes of finding something fitting for the event. Back home, finding the right outfit was easy- her nobility gave her access to a wide variety of dresses and gems, allowing her to stand out just as brightly as the rest of her siblings.

Granted, she wasn’t a fan of those dresses. Heavy and thick, tied with old painful memories of her siblings mocking her, the eyes that cut through the unbreathable fabric as they judged her for her inability to control her magic.

When she came to the hideout, she made sure to only bring lightweight, breathable dresses and outfits. Still finery, but nothing like what she was forced to wear back then.

That is where we find her now- struggling in search of something fitting the evening. It wasn’t anything major- she doubted anyone would care if she showed up in her usual outfit. It wasn’t them she was trying to impress.

It was Asta.

Short, dorky, obnoxious Asta.

The guy her heart wanted more than anything else.

She couldn’t tell you exactly when she fell- maybe it was when they first met. Maybe it was the warm hand he offered her that day after saving her life, not an ounce of judgment in those green eyes as he smiled. Maybe it was how ambitious he was, despite his reckless behavior. Maybe…it was just him.

And now here she was struggling to find a dress- something not too flashy but with just enough of an effect to make him pause and really see her.

And maybe…

Grabbing a stray dress, she buried her face in it to muffle a scream, shaking her head rapidly. No! No! Don’t even let that thought enter your mind- he’s Dorksta! He’s loud! He’s annoying! He…might never see her as anything.

The thought made her depressed. She let out another sigh.

“Whoa. Clothes on the ground, you’re sighing- the water jug by your bed is shaking-” Vanessa’s sudden voice cut through Noelle’s internal monologue, startling her so badly said jug began to tip. Hadn’t it been for Vanessa’s threads, the floor would be soaked- adding to the already existing mess of Noelle’s life. “What’s wrong, honey?” 

“I’m-” There was no lying. Not with Vanessa. Looking up at the older girl, Noelle started to stand, going for some composure. “I…I’m trying to decide on what to wear. Everything's…not right.” 

Vanessa only hummed, looking around the room. With a flick of her wrist, all the clothes retreated back to the chess, folded neatly as the lid closed. “I see. Well- that makes two of us.” Noelle blinked, and Vanessa smiled. “I spilled wine on my favorite dress, and I don’t have time to get it clean. You’re in need of a new outfit to impress a boy.” She laughed at the blush spreading over Noelle’s cheeks. “Let’s go shopping!”

“Right now?” The water mage could barely get out before Vanessa took her hand, pulling her out of the room and into the ever changing hallways of the hideout.

“Yes, now! The party starts later tonight! We’ve got to hurry before we’re left to our usual getup.” Vanessa winked, something playful in her eyes as they waltzed out the front door, her broom hovering and ready to go. “Ready to fly?”

Noelle didn’t hesitate, heart swelling. “Yes!”

~~~

Dress shopping turned out harder than expected.

“I don’t know…it just…” Noelle turned to look at herself in the mirror, brows furrowing at the dark blue dress flowing around her knees. It fit perfectly, and the color was rich like the ocean at twilight. It made her hair look like moonlight as it fell loose against the back, but still…something about it felt off.

“That’s alright, we can always try a different one.” Vanessa smiled from her spot nearby, her own dress a deep velvety black that made her look like a dark queen. Noelle loved it on her the instant she stepped out, sealing the deal for the older one.

“I suppose…” Vanessa was too kind to say it, but Noelle’s eyes caught the various rejected dresses piling up beside them in their dressing room. This was the sixth, she guessed? No luck at all. “Maybe I’ll just wear something from home. I’m sorry Vanessa, I feel like I’ve wasted your time.”

“What? Nonsense. I’m having a great time!” Vanessa stood up, her smile dropping into a look of concern at the tears filling the younger girl’s eyes. “Oh Noelle, don’t cry. It’s alright- we’ll find you something to wear.”

“I’m sorry.” She wiped at her face, feeling like a child. It was just a dress- she shouldn’t be so hung up on this. “I don’t know what’s wrong- I just…” She shook her head, more tears falling down her cheeks.

“Oh sweetheart.” Vanessa came over, hugging the other close as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I know it’s stressful. Trying to find the one thing that will make you feel good but also impress someone you care about.” She reached down and took Noelle’s face in hand, making her look up. “The important thing is the former. If you feel your best, the rest will follow. If there’s anything a boy like Asta likes, it’s seeing a girl like you shining brightly.”

“But I…I don’t feel my best.” Noelle admitted, pinching at the skirt. “I don’t know why- I just don’t.”

“Maybe it’s not the dress or how you look.” Vanessa thought out loud, tapping her chin. “Both you and it are stunning. Hmm…Got it! You know what a good dress needs? A smile.” The witch grinned. “A bright one that helps accentuate the natural beauty within and makes the whole look that much better. Come on, give it a try!”

“A smile…well, okay.” Noelle tried, pulling her lips up in what she hoped to be a convincing smile. It felt tight and wrong- she immediately let it fall. “It didn’t work.”

“That’s because you need the right motivation.” Vanessa was behind her. Before she could react- ten fingers were dancing along her sides, making her jump and squeal. “Here we go- come on; give me a real smile this time.”

“Ah! Ahehahahhahaha! Vanehehehehehehsahahahha!” The water mage tried to bat her hands away, nearly falling to her knees as Vanessa’s nails scratched along her lower ribs, keeping their focus along her waist. “Dohoohohn’t tihihihickle mehehehehe heheheheheere!”

“Not here? Okay, what about here?” Vanessa kept one hand at her waist while the other shot up to her upper ribs, earning a high pitched shriek. “Oo, is this a bad tickle spot for you, hon? What about here?” Her other hand came around to tickle her belly, making Noelle double over. “Aren’t you a cutie.”

“Plehahahahhase, Vanehahhahhhahahasshahahahahha!” Noelle cried, cheeks red and eyes squeezed shut with mirth. Giving up on trying to remain standing, her knees hit the floor as she curled her arms around her torso, giggles and laughs bouncing off the walls around them. God, this was embarrassing- surely someone was going to hear them.

Yet, she really didn’t mind it. Nor did she mind being tickled- it felt rather nice.

“Aww, whatcha doing down there, cutie pie?” Vanessa teased, kneeling beside her with devilish eyes. “Oh, I see what you want now.” Without much warning, Vanessa gently pushed her, grabbing a now exposed leg. “If I recall, you’re rather ticklish along…here.”

“No, VanessAHAHHHHHA!” Noelle shrieked with mirth as the pink haired witch squeezed her calf, her other hand coming up to scribble beneath her knee. “WAHAHHAHAIT NOT THEHEHHEHERE!”

“You know- I’ve always wondered why you wore those leg warmers.” Vanessa spoke with a smile, her touch just light enough to drive the younger girl crazy. “Very cute with your outfit, and effective in hiding your worst tickle spots? Clever girl.” She gave the front of Noelle’s knee a squeeze, nearly getting a kick to the chest. “Whoa, careful now!”

“STAHAHHAHAP IT PLEHAHHAHAHAHHAHSE!” Noelle cried out, face flushed and eyes wet with fresh tears. Her laughter was fading in and out, going near silent when Vanessa dragged her nails down the back of her calf.

“Hehe, alright.” Eventually, the older girl let her be, giggling as Noelle curled in herself like a cat, gasping for breath as she guarded her legs. “Feeling better?”

Noelle tried to glare, but the smile on Vanessa’s lips killed any real annoyance. Her body felt exhausted, but she no longer felt stressed. If anything, she felt relaxed. “I do…alot better, actually.” She sat up, smoothing out her dress. “Is it weird to say thanks?”

“Pfft! Not at all!” Vanessa laughed, reaching out and hugging the other once more. “If anything, I’m just happy to see you smiling again.” Noelle hugged her back, eyes misting over. Vanessa felt like such an older sister to her at that moment.

“Now- shall we keep searching? I think I might have found something while you were trying on that one dress.” Vanessa stood with a smile, gesturing for her to wait as she went to retrieve said outfit. Noelle wiped her face, the smile on her face no longer tight. God, she loved this team.

“Tada!” Vanessa walked back in, presenting the dress. Noelle gasped, a hand to her heart as she took it all in. “Whatcha think? Wanna try it on?”

“Yes…I’d like that very much.” Noelle nodded, standing as she took the garment.

Before long, she had the perfect outfit for the party.

~~~

“There you two are! Took you long enough to show!” Magna greeted them at the door, opening it wide. Beside him, Finral took them in, eyes lingering on Vanessa in speechless awe.

“The best dressed always show up fashionably late.” Vanessa smiled, reaching out and closing Finral’s mouth on her way in. “I’ll take you like the new look, Finral?”

“Love it. You look amazing. Both of you do.” He smiled at them, cheeks dusted as he watched Vanessa head inside. Noelle began to wonder if a wine stain really was the reason why Vanessa wanted a new dress.

“Well, don’t be a stranger- you live here too! Come on- we’ve got cake.” Luck ran up and took Noelle’s hands, pulling her in while she protested.

“Wait! I can get in on my own! You don’t need to-whoa!” She yelped upon crashing into Asta, the other’s cheeks coated in crumbs. “W-Watch it, dorksta!”

“Hehe, sorry Noelle! Luck got to you?” He smiled as he gave her space, eyes widening some. “Oh wow…”

Her dress was a pale blue with soft purple accents, the shirt bellowing at the waist. It was shorter in the front, the panels embroidered with white whirls to look like water. The sleeves were lace, reaching to her elbows before bellowing out to mid forearm. They also had the soft water like design on them.  She had her hair down, the long silver locks reaching her lower back- some curling over her shoulder.

“What, did something get on me?” She stammered, cheeks heating.

“Not at all, it’s just…you look really pretty.” He smiled, making her face flush more. “I like your dress.”

Before she could- she didn’t know; swat at him, call him dorksta, faint- Magna threw an arm over his shoulder, dragging him away and back to the party. “Asta! We’ve got potatoes!”

Hage potatoes. Your friend brought them over earlier” Yami called, making the shorter boy speed up, nearly dragging Magna with him. “Hage Potatoes? No way! Oh, be right back Noelle!” Asta called before sprinting to the table.

Noelle pressed her hands to her heart, cheeks red and eyes shimmering. He called her pretty. PRETTY. And he liked her dress.

“Thank you, Vanessa.” She breathed, making a note to send the witch the best wine she could find.

I hope this was good!

[daxwritesstories]

College AU Part 28: Flowers

Scene 1: Modern Love

(Scene title by David Bowie)

INT. Cafeteria - Noon

Connor, Cyra, and Vir are sitting at a table together, eating lunch. Cyra nods at Connor.

CYRA: How come you're not method acting today?

Connor laughs.

CONNOR: You want me to keep cross-dressing until the play is done?

CYRA: Yes.

Vir laughs.

VIR: You're one of those people who look good in men's and women's clothing.

CONNOR: Thank you! You're one of those people too, Vir.

VIR: Mm... I don't know about that.

CONNOR: Are you kidding? I've seen you wear masculine clothing. It looks good.

Vir smiles and flicks her wrist.

VIR: Oh stop...

CYRA: It's true. Remember when we were in middle school and you had that phase where you only wore flannels and men's pants?

Vir laughs.

VIR: Of course I remember. How was I so much gayer back then?

Connor and Cyra laugh.

We cut to a shot of Leon walking through the cafeteria. He looks over at Cyra's table, hearing laughter. When he realizes who it is, he approaches them. Cyra notices him right away.

CYRA: Hey, Leon!

LEON: Hi Cyra. Mind if I sit with you guys?

VIR: Go ahead.

Leon grabs a chair and sits down.

CONNOR: Don't I know you from somewhere?

VIR: He was at Cyra's Halloween party.

CONNOR: Oh! You were dressed like a puppy.

Leon chuckles.

LEON: Yeah... Um, I'm also Jayce's roommate. I think you know him...?

Connor smiles and nods.

CONNOR: Mhm... Was he talking about me?

Connor's tone changes to something more flirtatious. Cyra immediately picks up on it.

CYRA: Wait, did you fuck Jayce?

Leon snickers.

CONNOR: What's it to you?

Cyra smacks Connor's arm.

CYRA: That's my ex-boyfriend, you whore!

CONNOR: Ex-boyfriend.

CYRA: Stop fucking my exes!

CONNOR: Hey, you didn't have a problem when you found Celia in my dorm.

CYRA: I was in a good mood that day.

VIR: Okay, stop it, you two.

Vir grabs Cyra's wrist and squeezes it to calm her down. Leon fiddles with his thumbs.

LEON: So, um... Are you, like, bi or...?

Connor smiles.

CONNOR: I like everyone. Why do you ask, cutie?

LEON: Uh... Are you all bi?

VIR: I'm gay.

CYRA: I'm like Connor, I like everything. Technically it's called pansexual but I grew up with the word bisexual so that's what I use.

CONNOR: Same. Not many people use the pansexual label in my country so I just say I'm bi.

LEON: Huh...

Leon makes a face like he's thinking hard. Cyra smiles at him.

CYRA: Learning a lot?

Leon laughs.

LEON: There weren't really any gay people in my hometown. At least, not that I knew of. So hanging out with Prince and Jayce has been pretty cool. I've never really thought about this stuff before.

CYRA: Oh! So I'm assuming Prince is the first non-binary person you've met?

LEON: Yeah.

Cyra leans forward and raises an eyebrow.

CYRA: They're hot, aren't they?

LEON: Uh, yeah. They are.

CONNOR: Oh, I see.

LEON: What?

CONNOR: You're attracted to Prince, who you've seen looking both feminine and masculine. So now you're questioning things about yourself.

Cyra nods. Leon laughs nervously and glances around to see if anyone's listening.

LEON: I guess I'm being more obvious about it than I thought.

CYRA: Prince has that effect on people. Same thing happened to Jayce.

VIR: Did you bring this up because you want our help?

Leon shrugs.

LEON: I don't know. Well... how did you all figure it out?

Cyra pokes Vir's shoulder.

CYRA: I knew because of this bitch.

Vir laughs.

CYRA: We were really close when we were kids and eventually I realized that I had feelings for her.

VIR: And for me it was a lot of different things. I was already questioning and then Cyra kinda brought it out more.

Leon nods and then looks at Connor.

LEON: What about you?

CONNOR: I had a threesome with a guy and a girl. I ended up liking the guy just as much as I liked the girl.

CYRA: Okay, that story's way more fun than mine.

VIR: Yeah, what the fuck?

CYRA: How old were you?

Connor furrows his brow, thinking.

CONNOR: 15?

CYRA: Whoa!

CONNOR: What? How old were you?

CYRA: I was 11 when we started dating. Vir was 12.

VIR: But we weren't, like, doing stuff.

CYRA: Yeah.

LEON: Does it usually happen when you're young?

Cyra shakes her head.

CYRA: Some people don't figure it out until they're older.

CONNOR: Much older.

LEON: Huh...

Leon thinks some more. Cyra and Connor exchange mischievous glances.

CYRA: Why don't you talk about it with Jayce more? You two seem pretty close.

LEON: Jayce doesn't wanna talk about it.

CYRA: Hm. I guess he still gets embarrassed about that kind of stuff.

CONNOR: He didn't seem very embarrassed when I was with him.

CYRA: I'm gonna kill you.

Vir starts laughing.

Scene 2: Man To Man

(Scene title by Dorian Electra)

EXT. Campus - Evening

Erik is leaning against one of the school buildings, smoking. The nearby doors slide open and Devin walks out. He notices Erik and casually walks over to him.

DEVIN: Hey, man. Are you alright?

Erik takes a drag of his cigarette and then looks at Devin. He points at his black eye.

ERIK: Do I look alright to you?

DEVIN: What happened?

ERIK: I got in a fight. I lost.

DEVIN: With who?

ERIK: It doesn't matter. I'm not gonna try it again.

Devin sighs and leans against the wall.

DEVIN: You've been in a pretty bad mood since the cast announcement.

Erik frowns but doesn't say anything, taking another drag instead.

DEVIN: Look, I get it. I auditioned on a dare. I didn't wanna be in the play either.

ERIK: Yeah, I figured it was something like that.

DEVIN: We should probably just make the best of it. Otherwise we're both gonna have a terrible time.

ERIK: I guess so...

The pair fall silent for a moment.

ERIK: What do you think of the music prof?

DEVIN: The one directing the play? He seems pretty cool.

ERIK: Hm.

DEVIN: I thought you two would get along. Since he used to be in a band.

ERIK: Apparently he was the frontman. Singers usually piss me off.

Devin laughs. Erik isn't amused though.

DEVIN: Why? Because they're bossy?

ERIK: They just think that everything is about them. They think they can do whatever they want.

DEVIN: Ah. I get you.

Erik stares off into space.

Scene 3: In Too Deep

(Scene title by Sum 41)

INT. Boys dorm hallway - Morning

Cyra is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She is staring forward blankly.

The door to Ace and Zayn's dorm opens and Zayn comes out. Cyra immediately scrambles to her feet.

CYRA: Zayn!

ZAYN: Uh, hey. What are you doing here?

CYRA: I wanted to talk to you but I wasn't sure if you were awake yet...

ZAYN: Oh. What did you wanna talk about?

Cyra looks like she's about to cry. She hesitates for a moment before rushing over to Zayn and wrapping her arms around him. When she speaks we can hear her crying.

CYRA: I'm so sorry!

Zayn hugs back, squeezing her around her waist.

ZAYN: What are you talking about?

CYRA: You got attacked because of me. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry I got you wrapped up in this mess.

Zayn sighs and lets go of Cyra. He puts his hands on her shoulders when he pulls away from her.

ZAYN: What gave you that idea?

CYRA: I know Phoenix was trying to get back at you and Ace for helping me.

Cyra slouches in shame.

CYRA: I lied to Axel. I told him that Phoenix never did anything to me. Maybe if I had told the truth then Phoenix would've just left us all alone.

Zayn's gaze wanders as he thinks of what to say.

ZAYN: Honestly I kind of doubt that.

CYRA: What?

ZAYN: You have nothing to apologize for, Cyra. Phoenix obviously has it out for all three of us. He was the one who attacked you. You had no control over that.

CYRA: But I let him into the dorm.

ZAYN: Because you thought he was friends with Ace, right?

Cyra looks a little surprised.

CYRA: Well... Yeah, I guess.

ZAYN: See? You didn't know. You couldn't have.

Cyra sighs, giving up arguing.

CYRA: I still feel bad...

Zayn thinks for a moment.

ZAYN: Do you have classes this afternoon?

CYRA: Um... I have rehearsal for the play, but that's not until later.

ZAYN: Could you help me with something then?

CYRA: Yeah. Anything.

Scene 4: Flowers

(Scene title by Miley Cyrus)

INT. Flower shop - Afternoon

Zayn and Cyra are walking around a flower shop together.

ZAYN: See, I thought his favorite color was pink, but he's always wearing purple.

CYRA: It has to be pink. Everything he owns is pink. I think he just wears purple a lot because it's edgier.

ZAYN: Are you sure?

CYRA: Um, well... not entirely.

Cyra thinks hard.

CYRA: He wanted the car I bought him to be pink. I had to pay extra for it.

Zayn laughs.

ZAYN: I guess that is a pretty big decision.

CYRA: And it only took him a second to decide.

ZAYN: Huh. I guess if he was that certain about it...

An employee approaches them.

EMPLOYEE: Hi there! Can I help you find anything?

Zayn and Cyra both turn around to face her. Zayn looks caught off guard.

ZAYN: Uh...

CYRA: Do you have any flowers that come in, like, hot pink?

EMPLOYEE: Certainly! Who are these for?

Cyra looks at Zayn, waiting for him to answer.

ZAYN: They're for my, um, boyfriend.

EMPLOYEE: Okay! Do you know if he has a type of flower he likes the best?

Zayn looks a little panicked so Cyra answers for him.

CYRA: He likes pretty, feminine things.

EMPLOYEE: Okay... I have a couple ideas then. Follow me, please.

Cyra and Zayn follow the employee to a different part of the shop.

We cut to a bit later. The employee is standing behind the counter, next to a few different wrapping papers.

EMPLOYEE: The azaleas will be perfect for him!

ZAYN: I hope so...

Cyra smiles at Zayn and gives him a reassuring nod.

EMPLOYEE: What kind of wrapping did we want today?

CYRA: Can we see the colors you have for ribbons?

EMPLOYEE: Sure. Ribbons cost extra. Is that alright?

CYRA: Yes.

The employee opens a drawer in the front of the desk so Cyra and Zayn can look. Cyra picks up the end of one, a hot pink one, and holds it up to compare to the wrapping. After looking closely at it, Cyra points to a clear wrapping with pink stripes.

CYRA: That matches this ribbon. And they both go with the flowers.

EMPLOYEE: Oh! Good eye! So will we take these?

CYRA: Yes, please.

The employee goes to wrap up the flowers. Zayn takes a step closer to Cyra to talk to her.

ZAYN: Did they have to match?

CYRA: Ace will notice if they don't. You've probably noticed that he has an eye for details. He notices things that other people don't.

ZAYN: That's... true.

CYRA: I'm sure he wouldn't really care if they didn't match but it's the little things that make a difference.

EXT. Street - Afternoon

Cyra and Zayn exit the flower shop together. Zayn is holding the wrapped flowers.

CYRA: So... is there, like, a special occasion?

ZAYN: Ace is taking an exam right now. With that and my injury, he's been really stressed out. I wanted to surprise him after he finished the exam.

Cyra sighs and looks down at the ground.

CYRA: That's really sweet. I had no idea he was so stressed.

ZAYN: He hides it well.

Cyra shakes her head.

CYRA: That's not it. He's been avoiding me since the other night...

ZAYN: Oh.

CYRA: I don't know if it's because he's mad at me or if he feels awkward. Did he tell you what happened when he drove us home from the hospital?

ZAYN: About you having sex in the car? Yeah, he told me.

CYRA: It was weird. He was, like, mad at me and he kept looking like he was gonna change his mind and stop.

Zayn glances at Cyra, worried.

ZAYN: How old are you again?

CYRA: 18.

Zayn sighs.

ZAYN: Emotions are weird like that sometimes. You're still a teenager so it might be hard to understand something like that.

Cyra smiles.

CYRA: I'm not a baby.

ZAYN: I know. I just don't want you to feel confused.

CYRA: I think that ship already sailed.

Zayn laughs.

ZAYN: Well, I can't say for sure how he feels about you. I just know that it's complicated.

CYRA: Yeah...

ZAYN: Why don't you come wait for him with me?

Cyra looks confused.

CYRA: But... this was your idea.

ZAYN: And you helped me a lot. It can be a gift from both of us.

Cyra thinks for a moment and then smiles.

Scene 5: If It Means A Lot To You

(Scene title by A Day To Remember)

INT. Exam room - Afternoon

Ace walks up to the desk at the front of the room and puts his exam in a small basket.

PROF: Think you did well, Ace?

ACE: I guarantee I'll get the highest score in the class.

The prof nods.

PROF: I hope you're right.

INT. Hallway - Afternoon

Ace leaves the exam room. Zayn and Cyra are waiting there for him with the flowers. Ace stops for a moment, smiling but looking confused.

ACE: What's this?

Zayn holds out the flowers and Ace takes them.

ZAYN: Just a little gift. To celebrate finishing your exams.

ACE: From... both of you?

CYRA: Nope. Just from Zayn.

ZAYN: Cyra helped me pick these out.

CYRA: No I didn't!

ZAYN: And she paid for them.

CYRA: Nuh-uh!

Ace giggles and examines the flowers. He notably runs the ribbon through his fingers.

ACE: Thank you. They're beautiful.

Ace wraps his free arm around Zayn and kisses him. Cyra watches with a conflicted expression.

When Ace pulls away, he turns to face Cyra, which seems to make her nervous. Ace gently holds her jaw, forcing her to look him in the eye.

ACE: Good job, pup.

Cyra melts from his words, staring up at him with wide eyes. Ace smiles and lets go of her.

ACE: Are you coming back to the dorm with us?

Cyra's face lights up, but it only lasts a second before her posture deflates and she sighs.

CYRA: I have to go to rehearsal. It's the last one before the winter break.

ACE: Oh. Well, that's unfortunate for you. I guess we'll see you later then.

Ace ruffles Cyra's hair and starts walking away. Zayn follows him and whispers to Cyra when he passes her.

ZAYN (whispering): Thank you.

Cyra nods and waves at the men as they leave. Once they are out of sight, she leans against the wall and lets out a frustrated noise.

[plumblossomcafe]

Ch.14: Wangshu(4/4)

After leaving Mt.Aocang, the trio headed to their final destination, Wangshu Inn, where they'll hopefully find the Yaksha

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Paimon: Oh, this seems to be Wangshu Inn. Compared to Jueyun Karst, this place seems basic. Are we really gonna find an adeptus here? Let's take a look. Paimon reckons he'll be on the balcony. Heh, doubt we're going to find him in the kitchen.

Y/n: You just want to go to the kitchen and eat, Paimon

Paimon: Hey!!! *stomps her foot*

Aether: *sighs*

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When they made it to the balcony, they couldn't find the Yaksha, but they decided to admire the scenery before them, and soon the Yaksha appeared

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Xiao: To the blind, everything may not be as it appears...

Aether/Paimon: !!!

Y/n: *happy* "Xiao!!!"

Xiao: *noticed Y/n* "Qingxin?" A Sigil of Permission? You came prepared. Though this only prevents me from hurting you myself. Doesn't stop you from getting hurt in other ways.

Paimon: Uhh... Paimon doesn't get it...

Xiao: Too much contact with our world is breaking the rules. Mortal souls are not as robust as those of adepti, nor can your blood carry this level of adeptal energy. It's for your own good. Leave. Now.

Y/n: "Right, How could I forget that, Xiao kept telling about this, Did D̴̨̡̛̥̺͓̤͖̗͎̩̳̠̦ͣ͌̉̋̽ͣ̍͌̅ͭ̈́͞_̸̣͓̜͉ͤ̔́̎͟͝o̢̡̦̟̹̮̩̦̜̟̪̞͐͒ͦ̒͊͂̓̋̆̄ͣ͌ͤ̆̉ͥ̉ͣ́͢͜͢͜͞ţ̵͓̞̜͉̤̯̟̟̪͉̗ͨ̐ͤ̿ͬ̃̓̇̈ͩͦ̐͞t̸̛͚̘̥̻̙̻̥̖̅̐̓́͛ͯͯͯ̌͐ͮ͒͘̕͢͟͝_̸̨̡̘̱̮̭́̑ͣ̏̚ǫ̡̧̛̫̼̗̻̟̗̰̰̜͖͎̜̹͗͗̍̎ͬͮ́̉ͩ̀ͯ̊̽ͤ̍ͬ̚r̴̢̢͔̤̫̭̮̗̺̺̹̤̜͉͚̻̐ͣ͌ͣ͐̀ͥ̐͑ͭ̈͐̔ͪ͋̆͊̅ͦ͆͆̑͘e̴̡̛̲̩̼͇͎͉̫̱̖̝̝ͮ̄̊́͑̀ͩͮͯͨͥ́̅̽ͯ̎ͥ̓ͮͪ̎̕͘͘͟͠͡ traumatize me so bad to the point where I can't remember anything but what he did?" *holding her heard while having a pained and sad expression*

Paimon: Wait a sec, we came here to...

Xiao: *disappeared*

Paimon: Argh! Paimon's... peeved! All he does is think about himself! Paimon wants to give him an ugly nickname... but if you tick off an adeptus, the only thing you'll probably ever find in treasure chests is cabbages! Bleurgh! Ugh... Guess we should go ask the boss lady of the inn about just how she manages to talk to adepti.

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At the front counter

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Y/n: Exuse me, could you please tell us about that adeptus?

Verr Goldet: Oh? You've already met Xiao? Not bad. Not often, he's in a good enough mood to agree to see people.

Paimon: That's his good mood?

Verr Goldet: Oh yes, the adepti are very hard to come by. Many people go their whole lives praying to them, never once actually getting to see one. When the Geo Archon built Liyue, he borrowed power from the adepti. But most of them only know how to protect Liyue by fighting. So for many millennia, it has instead been humans who have led Liyue, whilst the adepti have lived hidden away on the outskirts.

Paimon: You really know a lot, huh boss lady.

Verr Goldet: It's not "boss lady," it's just boss... Anyway, seen as you have the favor of the adepti, things should be a lot easier. Well... If you wanna know my opinion... If you keep Xiao in a good mood, things should be okay.

Paimon: Good mood? Can't really imagine what a "good mood" looks like for that "Vigilant Yaksha."

Verr Goldet: Haha! Will be interesting, won't it? "Come to think of it, I've never seen him smile either..." How 'bout this — you go see the chef for a bowl of Almond Tofu, and a plate of whatever it is you are best at making. Almond Tofu is one of the few human foods Xiao likes. The other dish is up to you.

Y/n: Ooh! I know! A Satisfying Salad would work. It's easy to prepare and it's nutritious at the same time

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Smiley Yanxiao: Can't you guys see I'm on break, kids? Scram.

Y/n: *intimidated by his appearance* E-excuse me, we'd like an Almond To—

Smiley Yanxiao: Scram!

Y/n: Eep!!! *hides behind Aether*

Paimon: Whoa, this chef guy's service is about as good as that Wagner guy's back in Mondstadt.

Aether: *serious and a little pissed off* It's for the boss, Goldet.

Smiley Yanxiao: ... I see. If it's for the boss, then guess I don't have a choice now, do I? But my heart's not really in it right now, not enough to make a dessert as painstaking as Almond Tofu.

Paimon: And why is that?

Smiley Yanxiao: A fencer's hand must be steady, so too must the hand of a chef. But my hands, I'm... they're not steady... Because ahh, a traveler once told me that this inn... is haunted.

Y/n: "H-haunted!?! Like those horror stories!?!" *scared*

Smiley Yanxiao: And then, just now — just now! In the kitchen... I saw something... something not right.

Paimon: "This chef looks so intimidating, but speak of ghosts, and he becomes weak."

Smiley Yanxiao: I keep thinking... even Wangshu Inn isn't safe. I—I can't keep a steady hand for something like Almond Tofu.

Paimon: Alright, Aether, Y/n. In the name of high-quality Almond Tofu, we need to go check this kitchen out.

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At the inn's kitchen

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Paimon: Doesn't seem to be anyth— ......

Aether: *sees the ghost of a girl running*

Paimon: #@&%*!

Y/n: *scared* Waaaaaah! *immediately runs out the kitchen*

Paimon: *quickly follows after her*

Aether: Uh....

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Smiley Yanxiao: What!? You saw it too! There really is a ghost! What... How can I...

Y/n: *holding onto Aether*

(Pretend it's you and Aether and ignore the Ayato on Thoma's back and the bug spray, I haven't been able to find the artist since I just saw the comic on YouTube, of you guys know, let me know so I could give credits)

Paimon: Okay, so he's useless now. What do we do? Forget it. Let's just go see the boss lady again.

Aether: Y/n, please get off so I could properly walk...

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Verr Goldet: Hehe... Scared of something so insignificant. Hard to believe he was once a notorious bandit.

Paimon: You don't seem that afraid of ghosts, boss lady.

Verr Goldet: Gods and ghosts, I've seen it all before.

Paimon: Come to think of it, others don't seem to know there's an adeptus here at the inn, except for the boss lady...

Verr Goldet: Shh! Say any more, and you'll be divulging my little secret. Right. Best you two be off. Go see to it that little ghost doesn't go scaring anybody else. Not that I'm ordering you around. It's like the adeptus said that mortal souls are not as robust as those of the adepti. So as to not be harmed when dealing with the adepti, you can start by practicing with that ghost.

Aether: *finally managed to pry Y/n off him* But how should we persuade the ghost?

Verr Goldet: There is a calligraphy painting in the inn known as the Witness Sigil. It's been in circulation for over a thousand years. Go take a look at it. Once you have, look for a place outside where you can see the exact same Witness Sigil formation.

Aether: Alright, but I think it's best if Y/n stays here and rest up

Y/n: Eh!?! Why? I'm fine

Paimon: Paimon agrees, Paimon notices that Y/n doesn't sleep well, and when she does, she immediately wakes up due to nightmares and even refuses to go back to sleep so lately you haven't been sleeping well Y/n

Y/n: But...

Verr Goldet: I can set up a room for you right now, I also noticed that detail, too, don't worry, once you hit the fluffy bed and pillows, you'll have a good rest

Aether: We'll wake you up once we finish with the problem

Y/n: ... *gets gently pushed by Verr Goldet in order to get guided to a room*

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After following the ghost around and defeating the ruin guard, she possed(Nah, I hated this part of the Archon quest😃)

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Dusky Ming: ♪ Silly-churl, billy-churl ♪...

Paimon: Phew... Finally caught you. Paimon's pooped.

Dusky Ming: ♪ Silly-billy hilichurl ♪ ...

Paimon: Haunting things isn't nice! Little girl, are you listening?

Dusky Ming: ♪ Chilly-churl, frilly-churl ♪ ...

Paimon: Now listen here, young lady!

Dusky Ming: ...Okay. Dusky Ming won't tease the travelers at the inn anymore. Next time, Aether can come play with Dusky Ming. If you don't come and play, Dusky Ming will come find you~

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Smiley Yanxiao: Wh-What... You really got the ghost to promise to stop haunting the inn? Wow... You really are something... I am in your debt. Please wait a moment. I'll make you the smoothest, silkiest bowl of Almond Tofu.

At the kitchen

Smiley Yanxiao: Haha, my hands are steadier than ever now that she's gone.

Paimon: Hey, let's go check up on Y/n

Aether: I was about to say the same thing

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(Pretend it's you)

Y/n: ...Aether? Paimon?...Xiao? Dad?...Papa? *scared*

Y/n was just all alone in this dark and empty void, and only the silence finally ended when screams of bloody murder, pain, and agony of people were heard

???: You...

***: You're the reason why we died

Y/n: *covering her ears* Who are you!?! What do you want with me!?!

Die

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We died because of you...

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It's your fault!!!!

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All: PAY THE PRICE WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!

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Soon, many black arms emerged from the void, all aiming twords Y/n with the goal of making her suffer like they did

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Y/n: No!!!

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Y/n: *immediately wakes up*

Aether: Y/n!!! You alright? *worried*

Paimon: You were crying in your sleep.... *worried

Y/n: eh? *wipes her tears away*

Aether: Was it a nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?

Y/n: ... *nods her head in "no"*

Aether: ...Alright, well, we just came to check on you, we finished with the ghost, so we're just waiting for Yanxiao to finish making the Almond Tofu

Paimon: Yeah!! We could get you a snack while we're at it. A snack will make you feel better

Y/n: Alright...

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When they returned to the balcony, Xiao was there, and it seemed that Xiao noticed them and was not that happy when they returned once more

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Xiao: ... You three again.

Paimon: Wait! Don't go disappearing again.

Y/n: Here... *hands the food to him*

Xiao: What's this?

Paimon: It's your favorite, Almond Tofu! As well as this distant traveler's best dish — a Satisfying Salad. Aether, Y/n! Quick! Tell him everything before he finishes eating!

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Fastforward the summary of recent events

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Xiao: Rex Lapis... How could this be? I... I can't imagine it. Though times have changed, I've never imagined a Liyue without him. The ruling Qixing... Just what role have they played in this? ... I will seek Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Cloud Retainer. It is time they, too, made their decisions.

Aether: Will the adepti take over his role in Liyue?

Xiao: Adepti do not turn on their responsibilities. I have my reasons to not want to be tainted by the mortal realm, but... responsibilities are responsibilities. Our god is the God of Contracts, after all.

Paimon: Wait! Paimon still has one last question.

Xiao: Hmm?

Paimon: That... Dusky Ming. She's...

Xiao: When conquering demons, on occasion, you can come across spirits who have never hurt anyone yet are also not yet able to be moved on. So I asked the innkeeper and the boss if they could keep her here for a time.

Paimon: So really, Wangshu Inn was looking after her! Really keeping a wide range of business going, huh!

Skit of what happened before Aether and Paimon went to check on Y/n:

Y/n: *sleeping peacefully*

Xiao: *sitting on the bed next to her* ...Qingxin... *tucks a strand of hair behind her ear*

(Pretend it's you and Xiao)

Xiao: "My Qingxin returned..."

Y/n: *starts to move uncomfortably in her sleep* No...*crying* I'm sorry...

Xiao: *places his hand on her head softly, caressing it* ....nightmares....*hears noises coming twords the room*

Paimon: Paimon wonders if Y/n is finally getting the rest she needs

Aether: We'll find out

Xiao: "Shit" *disappears*