#made the mistake of listening to the snow white one involving a conversation with someone who deems herself a feminist

[fictionadventurer]

I think I have accidentally become very protective of the story of Snow White.

[sellina-skyfall]

Dream SMP - We don´t talk about it

Summary: It’s no secret that Tommy believes he’s the greatess person to exist, the ego on that child is bigger then everyone elses in the Dream smp combined. Even thou he can handle his own pretty well in battle, maybe he should think twice before picking fights with gods.

In other words, problem child tries to fight the literal goddess of chaos to try and prove to everyone else that he is strong.

Warning: This work is a work of fiction and in no way should be taken as gospel.This was done with entertainment proposes, and involves the Dream smp characters, and the characters only. It is not my intention to make anyone uncomfortable, or cross any bonderies.

This work contains, a fighting scene, mentions of child abandonment, bad parenting and some violence.

I apologize if there are any mistakes, or if there are some sentences that don’t make much sense. English is not my first language.

This can be read as an Xreader, or as an Xcharacter!

                                           ------------------------------

-I am not a kid!-

-Yes you are Tommy, I'm not teaching you how to murder someone just because you think you're a grown up-

-You're just afraid I'll beat you in a battle!-

I couldn't lie, it was hard not to listen to Techno's and Tommy's querrels. As loud and as annoying as they could get, the two always managed to light up everyones mood. Accuratly, this didn't always work, but for the most part, their little arguments were light hearted and fun. A change of scenery for the usually calm and honestly, quite boring winter empire.

-Ten minutes max until they are at eachothers throats-

The hushed comment made me snicker slightly, a small smile breaking out as I carefully adjusted the tea cup on my hands, making sure to not spill it over the beautifully decored table me and Philza were sitting by. The winged man gave me a knowing look, smile crooking slightly as he gestured back to the fighting pair with a simple nod of his head. My eyes immediatly snapped over, teeth suddently digging into my lips as I held back a laugh. Philza was more then right, those two would be at eachother sooner rather then later. Not that we were too worried, if anything escaled we would simply step in.

Like we always did.

The bird-hybrid more then me, I simply did not have the mental strenght to argue with both Tommy and Techno, they were already hot-headed when alone.

Oh but when they were toguether?

A living time-bomb that could go off over the smallest and dumbest things.

-It really does run in the family, uh Phil?-

It wasn't really a question, if anything, it was more of a little jab to the mans raising methodes. Not that I could really talk, it had been centurys since I had last held a baby, even longer since I had to take care of one. If I had been in Philzas place I would probably have been a worst parent then he ever was.

In response to my teasing, the bird-hybrid simply rolled his eyes, smile softening as he leaned somewhat closer to me. Immediatly catching onto his antics, I decided to play along, quietly suffling forward in my chair before bringging up the cup of tea up to my lips, the smile I had only widening as the childish behavior.

-Mighty words coming from someone who abandoned their child-

-I did no such thing, do you really believe I would be able to abandone a baby? Scar was a follower of mine-

-A very dedicate one if I might add-

Phil's sentence was abruptly interruted by Tommy's voice, the teenager had somehow approached us without any of us noticing. His hands slamed down onto the table, the impact making the glasses and plates shake slightly. It didn't take five seconds before the hybrid was scolding his youngest soon, eyes Sharp as he told Tommy to apolegize.

The teen, however had other plans. His Bright blue eyes were focused on me as his smile praticly occupied half of his face. His next words had be chocking on the tea I had been drinking.

-Well! If Techno won't teach me how to fight then Sellina will! Right!?-

I looked over to Philza in disbelief, eyes widened at the bluntness his child possessed. Tommy really had no manners in conversation, especially when it came to woman. The blond man simply stared back at me, his expression mirrowing mine as his mouth opened and closed several times. We were both at a lost for words. The silence that took over was quite unconfortable, and the intense stare Tommy kept giving me did nothing to make me feel better about the hole situation.

After breathing in slowly I found myself forcing a smile at the teen, hands coming down to rest the partly now spilled tea on the table.

-I don't think that's a good idea Tommy-

-What, you think I can't handle my own?! I'll have you known I'm the strongest in this house hole!-

Techno's snicker was loud enough to catch our attention, so much so that Tommy turned over in his direction to curse him out. Talk about na big ego.

Really, where were this childs manners...

-C'mon Sellina! I'm sure I can beat you in a fight!-

-I don't think so T, but the intention is what counts..-

-Well! If you are so sure of yourself why won't you fight me? At least teach me some cool moves so I can use them agaisnt Techno!-

-You'd have to have blue blood for that buddy. Maybe when you're older Tommy-

The frustation was evidente in Tommys face, his cheeks had redden up and his mouth had dropped into a frown. Without another word the teenager simply stormed off, bangging the door loudly behind him.

I couldn't help but feel slightly bad, a tired sigh escaping me as my shoulders dropped slightly at the teens mood swing.

Humans were way too emotional.

But in the end, there was nothing I could really do, teaching Tommy how to fight was out of the question, and fighting him was na even worst idea. I was not about to train a sixteen year old kid to be a soldier.

My train of thoughts was broken by Philza, who at this point had gotten up and was grabbing the dishes up from the table to put them in the kitchen's sink. Before he did so thou, he gave my shoulder a tight squeeze, eyes soft and understanding. The smile on lips lips was small, but welcoming all the same.

I found myself smilling back with ease.

                                            --------------------------

-Are you sure you don't need me to accompain you home Sellina?-

-With all the due respect dadza, I can take care of myself. You should be more worried for Techno, he seems...-

-I know. The fight with tommy lefy him in a sower mood. He'll be back to normal before you know it-

-If you say so... Alright, take care then. Give the boys kisses for me!-

Quietness.

That's the only real way I could describe the winter florest, apart from breathtaking and beautifull view. Honestly, the scenery looked like it had been straight out ripped from an old fairytail book, the kind of book kids swore held magic.

And maybe, they did.

The snowed covered trees almost touched eachother a the top, the casted shadows creating this welcoming sense of protection. Their frozen leafs shook slightly in the welcoming breeze of the night, even the animals seemed to have gone silent. I found myself slowly coming to a stop in the middle of it all, eyes locked onto the brightly illuminated moon. It had been hard to spot her, after all the threes were rather large, but the sight that welcomed me had made it all worth it.

Nights like this were what made me remember why I was so found of earth. So found of these people that slowly destryed everything they touched. So found of their interactions and relations.

It was never this peacefull and serene out there.

My shoulders relaxed quite quickly, and before I knew it I was calmly enjoying the presence of the cold winter spirt. The wind had started to pick up, but it didn't bother me in the slightless, in reality it made me smile harder.

The small moment of bliss was cut short by the sounds of foot steps fastly approching. For a moment I thought it might have been Techno or maybe even Philza but none of them had any reason to follow me into the florest. I forced myself to stay quiet, holding my breath in as a way to hear the steps better.

They had broken out onto a full blown sprint.

My reaction was pretty much immediate, right hand coming down fast to to summoning my battle axe. I turned on my feet as fast as I could, cape flowing behind me as my eyes fell on the tip of the sword that had barelly missed my face. Instinctively my arm came up, axe in hand as I swung it down with so much force that it sliced right through the dimond sword that once had been held up to me. A squeek left my attackers mouth, but before he could do anything I brought my left leg up, swiftly quicking his leg before swingging once again. The blade barelly missed his face as he fell to the ground with a muffled "thud", the snow aiding in his fall. His breathing was much faster then it should have been, teary blue eyes widened in shock and in terror as he stared up at me like I was some kind of monster. The gripo n my axe flaterred as soon as I recognized who was on the other side of my blade.

-Tommy?-

His name came out in a whisper, arms shaking as I realized how close I had just been to hurting the small teenager. The axe slipped past my fingers and onto the snow as I stared down at Tommy, the frightened look he had inprinting itself into my memory.

Calls of both our names echoed through out the florest, not that I could hear them clearly, everything had started to turn into white noise. That is until Techno stepped into view, rough hands carefully grasping at my face as he tried to gain my attention back. Still, my eyes stayed focussed on Tommy, even when Philza started scolding himw hile checking over for injuries.

-I could have killed him-

-Hey. Hey, c'mon it's it's not your fault. Tommy shouldn't have sneaked up on you-

-Oh my god I could have killed him. Techno I could have killed him-

-It's fine. It's going to be fine-

I don't remember exacly how that night ended, nor' how the next day started.

One thing had been certain thou, Tommy made sure to never ask me to fight him again.

[ijenoyou]

Bright eyes.

Chapter two.

werewolf!jeno x human!resder.

summary; jeno is ready (not at all) to tell you the truth.

warnings; one bad word ig(? lmao

notes; this part sucks ass lol anyways part 3 might be better haha also remember english isn’t my first language soooo if there’s any mistake just ignore it :p enjoy~

MASTERLIST.

——————————————————————————

Jeno has been trying to get closer to you but everytime he tried to talk to you, a annoying girl would plant herself in front of him to have a conversation. That girl is Kwon Eunbi, one of the most well known people in the whole school but Jeno couldn’t care less about her. He only wanted to see you.

“Will you sit with me today?” Eunbi asks while pouting.

“Oh.�� Jeno wanted to be nice and politely say no but he was under pressure since all of Eunbi’s friends were behind her looking at the both of them. “Sure.” He tried to give her a small smile and she jumped in excitement.

When he lifted his gaze from the tiny girl, he saw you already looking at him. He waved and you awkwardly returned it.

“Is that you?” Jeno asked and you nodded.

“Apparently.” You answered and stuffed the photo back into your bag. “I don’t remember having a pet at that age though.” You furrowed your eyebrows trying to understand why you just couldn’t remember anything that involved the animal.

“You don’t remember your childhood pet?” Jeno’s expression suddenly dropped making him look like a kicked puppy.

“Why does everybody ask that?!” You groaned.

“I mean, you don’t look very young in that picture so maybe people would think that you can remember something like that.” He tried to answer without being too pushy.

You sighed while letting your head fall to the desk you were sitting at. Jeno smiled and patted your back. “I think Moonie would be sad if he knew you can’t remember him.” He softly spoke and you turned your head to the side to look at him.

That made you laugh, just a bit. Enough for Jeno to feel warm inside him.

“It’s just a dog, and he’s probably dead by now.”

“You mean wolf.” He tried not to let your words hurt him, he was stupid for thinking that after all these yours you would remember him because as far as Jeno knows, you saw his human form multiple times when you were a kid.

“Why are so keen on about that stupid animal?” You suddenly asked making him bite his bottom lip trying not to speak again.

It’s a mess. He knows you want to talk to him but Jeno isn’t sure if he wants to hear the harsh words that are directed towards his wolf form. He just had to find a perfect time to tell you who he actually is and why he came back. But it was becoming harder to do so since he always sees you next to Mark, a guy who is very loud and likes to hit people when he does it.

It was driving you crazy. The way Jeno would search for you in a place full of people just to give you a smile which you usually returned but the very next moment you try to make a conversation with him, he would ignore you. It’s been almost three weeks since he told you Moonie was a wolf and yet, you wanted to know more because oddly enough, he seemed to know a lot about the white fluffy wolf. But Jeno has been avoiding that type of talk with you for a while now. 

“Looks like someone took a piss on your cereal.” Mark said while putting his food tray in front of you.

“Ha, very funny Lee.” You answered with a sour expression on your features.

He raised his left eyebrow questioning why you were acting like that. Before taking a bite of his frozen pizza he decided to speak again.

“Is it about that Jeno guy?” He asked and turned his head to the side to watch him talk to the ‘popular kids’ as any other student would call them.

You sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to talk to him but he always runs away.” You answered and started to poke your food with the plastic fork the school gave you for your meals. “He also started to hang out with Eunbi so.”

Jeno couldn’t help but to listen to the conversation you were having with Mark, it’s a good thing he has perfect hearing even when he’s at the other side of the room. He knew he had to become closer with you one way or another but he also knew he messed up. Jeno was forbidden to say anything about what happened years ago, a rule he himself made.

There was no one to stop him, he left the pack a long time ago. But he wasn’t ready to tell you everything.

“I mean, I could talk to him for you if you want to.” Mark said after finishing his pizza. “He joined the basketball team the other day, he’s really good— he’s very fast and wow, it’s impressive.”

“Are you sure you’re not in love with him?” You ask while laughing.

Jeno admired your smile. It’s been a very long time since he saw you and he still wanted to protect you from everything.

“So Jeno.” A voice next to him made stop looking at you. “Why did you move here?” Eunbi asked.

“I-I uh, I used to live here.” He tried to give her a casual answer.

“Ow, so you came back because you missed home?” She pouted trying to be appealing to him.

“Yeah, home.” He said and looked at you.

Eunbi followed his gaze. She wanted to scoff when she saw that Jeno was looking at the table you and Mark were sitting at. Eunbi wanted to think that maybe he was just looking at a random direction but when she saw Jeno smile while still watching all of your moves she started to feel heaviness on her chest.

She used to be a friend of yours, way before Mark, but jealousy took over her actions. No one knew about that friendship —not even Mark. But that’s a story for another day.

When lunch time was coming to an end, Jeno decided to make a plan, one that would help him control his feelings and talk to you, but he’s scared. Scared that when you found out about the whole deal he has with you, you might run away and never want to see him again.

Classes were almost over when Jeno decided to approach you. He was very nervous because he so badly wanted to hold you again and re-build the bond you and him had. A bond that was never meant to be broken.

“You’re not wearing your sunglasses.” Was all you said when he found you in front of your locker.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “My eyes tend to get sensible.” He told you and you nodded.

There was a weird silence. You really wanted to say something but you just couldn’t, it was a weird sensation, like something kept pulling your heart.

“I was wondering—“ Jeno began talking. “If you wanted to maybe, hang out one day.”

It was hard to come up with an answer right away, just a few days ago he was ignoring you with all his power and now he wants to talk. You didn’t even know why you were upset and Jeno could sense it. After all, he’s your soulmate and you are his.

“Uh sure.” You said without looking at him. “But— Why are you suddenly asking me out?” You asked him and he was now the one trying to avoid your gaze.

Well fuck. Jeno thinks to himself, he had to come up with a good lie since he just couldn’t say ‘hey! i’m your pet from childhood who actually is a werewolf and oh yeah! you’re my mate’

“You have all my attention.” Was all he said and smiled making his eyes form into crescent moons. “I want to know you better.”

You hummed trying to ignore what he said while hugging yourself. You forgot to bring another jacket since you woke up pretty late. “Are you cold?” Jeno asked in which you nodded. He took a step closer to you making your whole body freeze, when he was close enough you could sense the warmth of his body onto yours. Jeno placed his hands on sides of yours arms and pulled you closer, hugging you.

“Is this... is this okay?” He once again asked. You hugged him back, placing your arms on his waist and gripping his hoodie with your fists.

Why are you so suddenly at peace? Most important, why are you hugging someone who you just met a few weeks ago? There’s no explanation to the feeling you have in your whole body. The way your heart beats faster when you see him makes you feel dizzy, you sighed against his chest and pulled apart missing the warmth he provided you.

You also missed the way Eunbi was looking at both of your figures with anger in her eyes.

It’s finally the day in which the so called date would actually happen.

“Dude, I’m so excited!” You hear Mark say while he throws himself to the your bed. “You’re going on a date!”

You laugh and start looking for an outfit change. “Sounds like you’re the one going on it.”

Mark takes one of your pillows and throws it towards you, hitting the back of your head then falling to the ground. You roll your eyes and take the pillow he threw to start hitting your friend with it, he loudly laughs and takes both of yours wrists to stop you from attacking him.

“Anyways.” He says after you began to search for clothes again. “Where are you guys going?” Mark asks.

You were taking a shirt out of your closet. “It’s snowing outside, we’re staying here to have dinner.” You murmured while taking another shirt.

Mark whistles and crosses his arms on his chest. “Does your parents know that you’re bringing a boy?” He suddenly asks.

“No, and don’t say anything to them or i’ll beat your ass.”

You finish picking your outfit and decided to change in your bathroom since Mark wasn’t planing on leaving your room. When you finished changing Mark smiled and gave you a thumbs up.

“You have to leave.” You said and started to do a bit of makeup, not too much since you were too lazy to bother taking it off later.

“What?!” Mark shouted. “You’re gonna make me walk when it’s snowing?”

You groaned and turned around. “Fine, you can stay but please stay at the living room, Jeno and I will be here at my room.” You told him and he just smiled.

Mark was so happy you were starting to open up to other people. He’s been so worried about you being alone since he was leaving soon but you didn’t need to know that. Yet.

“Are you nervous?” He asked while sending a text to one of his team mates.

“Uh, yeah but I—“ You got interrupted when an upcoming call appeared on your phone screen, you held one of your fingers up telling Mark to wait for a few seconds. “Hello?”

“Hey! I’m outside your house.” Jeno’s voice came through the speaker of your phone. Mark’s eyes widened and got up from your bed, ran towards your door and left the room as fast as he could with you trailing behind him. Mark opened the door revealing a smiley Jeno — with a huge plastic bag of takeout— whose expression changed when he saw your best friend instead of you. “Oh! Hi Mark.” Jeno said while waiting for you to appear.

You pushed him to the side and gave Jeno a shy smile. “Come in!”

“Why is Mark here?” Jeno asked as soon as the both of you went into your room.

“He was bored so he just came to spend time with me, I told him to leave before you came but he was being whiny about me making him leave when it’s snowing outside.” You answered while scratching your palms since you were nervous to have Jeno in your room, alone.

He laughed. “It’s fine. I mean, it could be worse like your parents being here instead of him.” You cracked a smile and nodded.

Jeno left the takeout food on your desk and sat on your bed, you did the same. There was a weird silence, it wasn’t awkward at all. Jeno’s mind couldn’t think straight, he was too nervous to even say anything. He debated on tell you everything right of the bat or wait for another few days to gain your trust and make sure you won’t freak out.

He opted for the first option.

“So...” He trailed. “I have something to tell you.” After saying that he stood up from your bed and placed himself in front of you. You look up making your eyes look bigger, like a doe which almost made Jeno let a whimper out.

His wolf so badly wanted to come out.

“What is it?” You asked with worry since you could tell from his sour expression that it had to do with something very important.

“I—“ He stopped talking after he caught two different essences aside from yours and Mark’s.

He turned his head to the window you have in your room with view towards the backyard.

With the good vision he has, he easily found Taeyong’s yellow eyes, looking at him. Next to him Jeno saw the one person who hurted him the most in all his life, whose red eyes held sadness and anger mixed together. Doyoung —his older brother.

“Jeno, are you okay?” You stood up when you saw his eyes started to water out of nowhere. You took his face between your hands and made him look at your eyes. “You’re feeling very warm, are you feeling okay? Do you need some medicine or—“ You got cut off after he placed his lips on yours.

Kissing you is the only way to calm his wolf since seeing his brother and his ex pack leader made him angry.

You reacted very slowly, so when he was about to pull away you decided to chase his lips. The only sound that could be heard on your room was the sound of lips smacking together, Jeno decided to place both of his hands on your waist bringing you closer to his body. You played with the hair at the back of his neck trying to ease your nerves.

“Hey Y/N can I borrow your charger?” Mark opened the door without knocking first. “Oh shit!”

You pulled away and pushed Jeno making him fall backwards on your bed.

“Please don’t tell my parents.” You said while putting your hands together.

“Well, too late for that young lady.” Your father said.

Mark turned around with wide eyes.

“Living room. Now.” Your father spoke with seriousness in his voice.

Oh no. I’m in trouble. You thought.

[fanficsforheartandsoul]

Courtship | [Obi-Wan Kenobi x M!Reader] | Star Wars

Notes: This is inspired by @xmalereader​ Mandalorian x Dark Fey! Reader story. I absolutely adore his stories and the concept, therefore I wanted to write something similar, only with Obi-Wan. 

Although this is based off Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, I just mainly used the character designs, while deciding the culture of the Dark Fey myself. So it could be interpreted as an AU

Fandoms: Star Wars, The Clone Wars, Maleficent AU

Warnings: Heartbreak, Slight Fluff, Slight OOC, Obi-Wan Being Oblivious

Summary: Obi-Wan knows nothing about courtship and causes a huge misunderstanding.

Word Count: 7′455

Taglist: - 

If you want to be tagged in my stories send me a pm with the fandom/character name! Or comment on the fic :)

Masterlist

Reader is a Dark Fey!

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka had been on an undercover rescue mission when the transport ship that should have taken them back to the Core Worlds malfunctioned. 

That only worsened the mood because their mission target had died and Obi-Wan had gotten his lightsaber destroyed in the process.

Anakin, the great pilot he was, decided it was for the best to try and land on the nearest planet and get help. 

But none of them had expected that the small multicolored ball they had landed on only housed a few inhabitants - most of which had never seen a spaceship, or even a droid. 

Thankfully they found one of the more progressive tribes. 

They had a person who spoke Basic, and fortunately, C-3PO was with them for the rescue mission, so they had another way to communicate. Although, the language of the natives was only partly in his database. 

The alien race who lived on the small planet was a species they had never seen before. They were all winged, with feathers of different colors and lengths, and two large horns that were different for each individual. 

They called themselves Dark Fey, however the name didn't seem accurate. At least not for him. Dark wasn't a word Obi-Wan would have associated with them.

Especially not with the man who had taken them in. 

Y/N was the son of the tribe chief of the village, and his wings reminded the Jedi of a butterfly in one of the Jedi gardens. They were mainly orange, with a speck of white and black and some small blue dots. 

His father's wings were even more colorful, but Obi-Wan preferred the ones of the son because they were less shrill. 

And like the color of his wings, Y/N was kinder than his father. He wanted to help them find a way back to Coruscant.

"Father, we need to help them," argued the h/c-haired man, his eyes glistening with annoyance when his stubborn parent crossed his arms and flipped his wings. 

The three Jedi were currently in one of the giant tree trunks, in the forest where the Fey resided, in a room as big as the Jedi Archives. It seemed to be the tribe's meeting hall. 

Y/N's father Aster sat on a throne made out of small tree branches, his red and orange wings spread wide behind his back. 

"Don't act like that, please," groaned Y/N, and Anakin and Obi-Wan only watched with furrowed brows, not understanding what kind of conversation was going on between the two men. 

C-3PO informed them about the dispute between the son and the father, and they realized that the tribe chief did not want them here. 

Ahsoka happily munched on the fruits that one of the younger Fey had brought, oblivious or more likely ignorant of the tense atmosphere in the hall. 

Although the Fey appeared not to welcome them, they still provided them with some hospitality. The Togruta flashed a toothy grin at one of the kids, and they giggled. 

"You know exactly why I don't want to help them!" 

Y/N's father looked at the three Jedi with a stern expression, and the only person in the room who wanted to support them huffed in anger. 

"We'll be careful!" 

The tension suddenly rose, and Obi-Wan assumed it was because the younger's wings now rose too, his feathers ruffled. 

"May I say something?" he asked carefully, all eyes then turned to him. 

The five women next to Aster leaned forward to listen, they were probably the elders of the tribe. 

Y/N turned to him, his eyes held a hint of displeasure, and Obi-Wan gulped, now asking himself if he had just made a big mistake. 

"Speak, human," ordered the tribe chief, the Fey who spoke Basic translated, and he bowed slightly, then made eye contact with Y/N's father. 

"We are only looking for a spaceship that can take us off-planet. We don't want to burden you with our presence and neither wish to harm you, we can also camp outside your land if you wish us to." 

The pupils of Aster shrank considerably, the air turned cold, and Ahsoka stopped eating. Anakin gave him a worried glance, and the Jedi realized that he had said or done something wrong. 

He lowered his gaze, and Anakin mimicked his posture, his hand gripping his lightsaber inside his sleeve tighter. 

Silence reigned over them, and Obi-Wan tried to catch a glimpse of the tribe chief, but then Y/N stepped before him, obstructing his view. 

"Father...", he began, but Aster interrupted him, standing up from his throne, wings now spreading even further, showing his hostility. 

"You became a burden when you stepped foot on this planet!", he snarled and descended the stairway made out of the giant tree. 

His son held his ground and ruffled his feathers. A single feather touched Obi-Wan's cheek, and he flinched from the softness. 

He looked upwards, and the man before them looked like an unmovable stone, an unbeatable protector, who had descended from heaven to help them. 

"They did not know, Father! And they had no choice either!" 

Y/N's voice now sounded as agitated as his father's, and the situation was about to escalate - although the Jedi did not know into what - when a calm voice suddenly spoke: 

"Believe in your son, Aster." 

Everyone in the hall turned toward the gigantic entrance where a single Dark Fey had landed. 

It was a woman with snow-white wings and silky hair that reached her hips. The present Fey bowed, and the Jedi knew that the newcomer was a respected figure within the tribe. 

From the way Y/N smiled at her and how the woman opened her arms wide, she probably was related to him, although their features showed no real resemblances, besides maybe the eyebrows. Y/N hugged her without hesitation.

"You're back," stated Aster, and his wings slightly relaxed. 

The woman smiled and then turned to Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka. 

"I apologize that I could not greet you when you arrived here. I am Neela, and you're names are?" she spoke in Basic, and all three of them were surprised.

Although it probably shouldn't shock them that much, when they first met Y/N, he also spoke the language. 

The translator seemed to have taught it to the ones who wanted to learn it. 

Anakin introduced himself first, a brilliant smile on his lips. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes in his mind. His former padawan had probably realized that Neela seemed to be the only one who could tame the tribe chief to some extent. 

Ahsoka greeted the woman with a respectful bow, and Obi-Wan did the same when he said his name. 

He stole a glance towards Y/N who's lips now showed a triumphant grin. The man noticed his stare and winked at him. His expression was something along the lines of 'Don't worry, we got this'. 

It seemed like the arrival of the white-haired woman turned the tides in their favor. 

"I heard you are stranded. Your arrival here is of great significance for us. My husband knows that, and his caution is not unreasonable. We do not wish to get involved with the galactic conflicts that are waging right now, I hope you understand." 

So, she's Aster's wife... But Y/N truly doesn't resemble her. 

Obi-Wan was curious about the woman. She knew more about the galaxy than the rest of the Dark Fey, or so it seemed. 

He nodded, and Anakin replied: 

"We do. None of us wants to involve you in the war, we're just trying to return home. Our ship is badly damaged, therefore we wanted to find someone who can take us with them." 

While Neela asked about their transmitters, Aster's face darkened, the further the conversation continued, but he did not interrupt his wife. 

Ahsoka's eyes glistened with respect, and Obi-Wan could imagine what she was thinking. Aster may be the tribe chief, but Neela held the reins in their relationship, which influenced the whole tribe and important decisions. 

Anakin then informed them of the last SOS-signal they had sent before they breached the atmosphere of the planet. 

"Someone is probably already looking for us," added Obi-Wan, and Aster's eyes turned into slits. 

"They will come and force us to leave!" he growled, more towards his wife than the Jedi. 

Neela turned around to face her husband, and he visibly flinched. The woman spread her white wings, and her wingspan was even wider than her husband's and Y/N's. Her aura was way more intimidating than the tribe chief’s one.  

"They won't stay, I will make sure of that." 

She spoke in their native language, but C-3PO translated it, although reluctantly, and the underlying threat worried Obi-Wan. 

If no one arrives will they try to kill us?

But Aster relaxed, and he stepped towards his wife, their foreheads touched, and the tribe chief sighed. 

Neela's wings lowered, and she then turned around again, her hand on her husband's back. 

"You are welcome to stay until your friends arrive. We will make sure that they will find you." 

Their action before not only was a display of intimacy but also an opportunity for a silent conversation, where they had decided if they would help the Jedi or not. 

Relief washed over Obi-Wan, and Anakin's shoulders relaxed. 

As if on cue ran the Fey children from the one corner of the hall towards Ahsoka, and they laughed and fluttered their wings excitedly. They spoke a few words in broken Basic and twirled around her.

The Togruta blinked in surprise and then joined their happy laughs and followed them to their friends. 

Obi-Wan and his former padawan cautiously stood up. Anakin only watched when the small bird-like kids kidnapped the Togruta, his expression showing a hint of worry. 

"She will be fine," said a calm voice, and the Jedi knights’ heads turned towards Y/N, who had walked closer. 

"I'm worried she'll do something offensive," confessed Anakin, and the man laughed loudly. 

His head tilted back, showing a necklace with a long blue feather and his wings flapped wildly. 

"Not to be mean, but you already offended us greatly, another misstep won't matter." 

The Fey continued to laugh when he saw their upset expressions. 

"Don't fret it. it's already a miracle that your droid knows parts of our language. How would you know about our culture." 

Neela joined their talk. Her eyes focused on Anakin. 

"May I talk to you?" 

He shared a look with Obi-Wan and then shrugged his shoulders. 

"Sure," he responded, and they distanced themselves, Obi-Wan now being left alone with the chief's son. 

"Why..." he began, unsure whether he should ask or not. 

"She can feel he's special." 

He lifted an eyebrow. 

"Feel?" 

Y/N turned his in Neela's direction. 

"Mother is like you. She was chosen too." 

Obi-Wan could guess what Y/N meant, and it honestly didn't surprise him as much as it probably should have. The moment Neela had stepped into the hall, the force had changed around them. 

"What about you?" he asked curiously. 

Y/N's expression turned somewhat solemn. 

"No, I- I wasn't chosen. It's not possible." 

The Fey's hand grabbed his necklace, and his wings quivered. 

Obi-Wan realized he had touched a sore spot and decided not to pry further. 

"Come with me", said Y/N after a short while, and his smile returned to his lips. 

"I'll show you where you guys can stay." 

The Jedi followed him out of the hall, after glancing back one last time to see Anakin and Ahsoka standing surrounded by Fey.

-

Y/N lead him across the branches of the giant tree, which seemed to be the main living area of the tribe. 

Twice, they used a hoist to travel higher up, the Fey explaining that they had been built for their youngest who couldn't fly yet. 

The Jedi could stay in a room, hollowed out of the main branch. The room was sparsely decorated with wooden furniture, and instead of beds, there were three hammocks made out of thick green fabric that felt considerably softer than it looked. 

Obi-Wan put his small backpack he had taken from the ship on the table and then turned towards Y/N. 

"Thank you for everything." 

He smiled at the Fey, and the man's expression twitched. 

"It's fine", he responded curtly, and before Obi-Wan could ask if something was wrong, he had already passed through the leaf curtain that gave the room some privacy and jumped off the branch. 

Obi-Wan stayed behind with a somewhat worried expression. He remembered what the man had said before. “You already offended us greatly.” 

Hopefully they weren’t digging their own graves.

-

They stayed on the small planet, in the giant forest for about a month, and in the beginning, they held their respectable distance from the Dark Fey. 

They got invited to meals and attended them, but only Y/N, Neela, and the translator, who turned out to be a teacher and one of the only Fey who had left the planet before, really talked to them. 

If the children were excluded. 

They had a great time with Ahsoka, and she played with them and even found some friends in her age group, who were studying under Danosh, the translator. Thanks to him, most of the children could speak a few words in Basic, allowing Ahsoka to communicate with them.

Aster had instructed the tribe members to treat them with respect and give them everything they needed, but his hospitality ended there. 

He did not include them in any kind of activities the tribe performed besides the meals. 

The Dark Fey were a close-knitted species, and the tribe of Y/N did almost everything together. They ate together, hunted together, played together, and even slept together. 

They seemed very suspicious of strangers - at least the adults - and they mostly kept to themselves, only talking to the Jedi if necessary.

While Ahsoka got mostly occupied with the children, Anakin's attention got caught by Neela, with whom he even traveled to one of the Fey's sacred places for the Chosen. 

Obi-Wan got mostly accompanied by Y/N, but he did not mind that at all. 

He enjoyed the other's presence, and his open-hearted character and he talked with the man about all kinds of things. 

He told him stories about the Jedi, the beauty of the Jedi gardens on Coruscant, the vast ice tundras of Ilum, and the force. 

On the other hand, Y/N taught him about the Fey culture, the significance of one's first flight, the meaning of life according to the elders. 

He told Obi-Wan the story of the Batellia flower, that would soon bloom at a day the tribe celebrated. 

"The flower blooms for a very short time and then it dies, its roots forming a bond with another plant." 

Obi-Wan had asked the Fey why they celebrated that day then. 

"Batellia portrays the honest truth of our lives. We live, we die and then we join the Ancestors and the Phoenix Mother." 

Y/N also told the Jedi about the worst punishment a Fey could receive - losing one's wings, and the importance of death in their culture. 

But one thing he did not talk about because he thought Obi-Wan knew. 

For him, it was obvious; Something even the wingless humans should know about, but well... 

Maybe the Jedi were just too dumb.

-

"What's that?" asked Anakin, pointing at the shimmering blue stone on Obi-Wan's nightstand while drying his hair. 

He looked at the stone he was pointing at. 

"It's a present from Y/N. It's a "Soulstone" according to him. It glows in the dark." 

He smiled faintly, remembering when Y/N gave it to him. 

It's already been three weeks since they had stranded on the small planet, and the Fey had found them. And he and the chief’’s son had formed a close bond. 

They had traveled twice to their spaceship, Obi-Wan showing it to him and explaining the mechanisms while Y/N watched from a safe distance, seemingly too scared to approach the metal beast.

Y/N also accompanied him to highest tree they had, trying to send another SOS signal. He caught him, when he almost slipped and Obi-Wan clung to him like dear life, because they were so high up. 

The Fey had only laughed, his eyes glimmering with something Obi-Wan couldn’t quite place.

His former padawan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"And the one next to it? Also a present?" 

"All of them are presents, Anakin", said Ahsoka, who had suddenly appeared and now strut to her backpack, a new load of her favorite fruits in her arms. 

"What about me? I want a present from Y/N too." 

The Togruta eyed him strangely, then muttered something to herself and grinned. 

"They are just things he had found on his regular trips to the river," Obi-Wan said, trying to calm Anakin. 

Although he also questioned why he seemingly was the only one who regularly received gifts from Y/N. 

On the other hand, he felt a tingling sensation in his chest, somewhat proud that the Fey apparently viewed him as special.

"Did Neela not give you a present?" 

Anakin shook his head but then replied: "I don't really care, the things I've learned on our trips to their temples are more than enough. Did you know that the Chosen use the power of their emotions to strengthen their force abilities? They aren't unleashing them like the Sith, apparently, but I don't really understand the difference yet. Neela will tell me more tomorrow. She's busy with the preparations of today's feast." 

Anakin's voice was full of excitement while he talked, and Obi-Wan got reminded of his early padawan days when the boy had commented on every little thing with amazement. 

"What's different this time?" he asked, Ahsoka watching the both of them silently, her fruits now stored in her backpack for tomorrow when she would go on a trip with one of the Fey at her age. 

"They will perform dances after eating. It's going to be quite a spectacle, according to Neela. She wanted us to stay and witness it." 

Obi-Wan furrowed his brows, sitting up from his lying position in his hammock. 

"Is that really such a good idea? Aster still doesn't seem too keen on having us around." 

Anakin shook his head and pointed at him. 

"No, we must come. Especially you, the chief actually requested it." 

The Jedi's eyes widened. 

Aster personally demanded that he attended? Why? 

Obi-Wan wasn't delighted to see the dances after hearing that, and he went to the daily feast with a queasy gut feeling. 

-

The meal went like normal. 

The Fey sat in groups in the big hall, various bowls with different dishes on the ground, some of them vegetarian, some with fish, others with meat. 

The ages were mixed, and Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Anakin got accompanied by several small Fey who had played with the Togruta before. 

Normally, Y/N and Neela would be in their circle too, but this evening they were nowhere to be seen. 

"Probably still preparing", said Ahsoka, and Anakin nodded with a full mouth. 

They both anticipated the dances, while he was the only one who somehow couldn't. 

He just worried why Aster would want him to be there. 

Not having Y/N around made it worse. The man had acted as a calming presence in the last few weeks, and Obi-Wan had begun to like him a lot. 

The Fey was thirsty for knowledge, kind, and also understanding. He liked to listen and Obi-Wan always felt some sort of proudness, when he could guess Y/N’s thoughts or feelings correctly from the way his wings and feathers moved.

The Fey seemed to shine like a light, he was very popular with the others of his species, especially the female ones, and it was obvious that he would be the next chief. 

Although, he wasn't Neela's son. 

His mother, Aster's first wife, had died a long time ago, and his father had remarried. Neela gave birth to two other sons, but they both did not want to follow in their father's footsteps. 

Y/N didn't dislike his father for remarrying, he loved Neela like his own mother, and she loved him like he was her own son. 

Obi-Wan admired their strong bonds and Y/N's personality. 

He was comfortable around the other man, so comfortable that he had confessed the secret feelings he had harbored for Satine Kryze. 

Y/N had listened silently and then patted his shoulder to comfort him. He didn't say a word of judgment, silence was the only thing they shared at that moment, but Obi-Wan felt so much better after telling him. 

Everything went well, and although they had been here for three weeks and he knew that Cody and the High Council were probably dying from worry, he felt relaxed and content. 

When he swayed in his hammock in the evening, the stars visible through the carved out window at the ceiling, his hand holding the “Phoenix’s heart” - another stone Y/N had brought him that was always warm - he even dared to think that he wouldn't mind staying with the tribe forever. 

But now... 

Now the peacefulness seemed to be in danger. 

Obi-Wan barely ate anything, and when Aster finally stood up, the Jedi couldn't stop his whole body from tensing up. 

"Let us go to the Ancestors Realm!" the tribe chief shouted, and the present Fey joined in a cry of joy. 

"Come on!" squeaked one of the children and grabbed Anakin's arm. 

Another clung to Obi-Wan, and the young Fey pulled the three Jedi towards the hall entrance with surprising strength. 

The Ancestors Realm was a place at the crown of the giant tree. They had to use nine hoists so get up there and when they arrived, the air was considerably thinner. 

It was a flat plateau out of red lichen, the tufts at the border of the round area were glowing, and it did look like from another realm. In the middle of the plateau burned a bright fire, illuminating the faces of the arriving people.

The Fey sat at the edges, Ahsoka went to the new friends she had made, and Obi-Wan and Anakin joined Aster and Neela, the latter had shown up out of nowhere. 

The tribe chief greeted them with a smile, which surprised both of them, and he motioned for Obi-Wan to sit next to him. He hesitated for a second, but when the chief looked at him with true friendliness in his eyes he gave in.

The Jedi carefully sat next to Aster, avoiding the man's wings, which he had leisurely spread behind him, and then crossed his legs.

"Are you ready?" asked the leader, and Obi-Wan smiled weakly. 

"Yes...?" his answer sounded more like a question, and the man next to him laughed. 

"You'll like it, I'm sure." 

He could only nod, a big lump in his throat. 

He knew that Aster was watching him intently from the side, but he had no clue why. 

But before he could ponder over it, one of the elder Fey began to hum, and the rest of the Fey immediately joined. 

It was a tribal melody, and it resounded deep in Obi-Wan's chest. Aster started clapping in a rhythm, and the male Fey followed his lead, while Neela clapped another beat, and the women did the same. 

The humming was accompanied by the beating of a drum and a sudden cry caused the female Fey to shout. 

It was strange for the Jedi, but all three of them were mesmerized by the following scene. 

The shouts were a signal for the dancers, and seemingly out of nowhere appeared the few missing Fey. Among them was also Y/N, who Obi-Wan could only recognize because of his wings. 

The dancers were a group of males who wore masks that covered their entire faces, their bodies decorated with glowing paint. 

They flew a circle above the sitting Fey, and their wings spread, causing loose feathers to descend. 

Obi-Wan caught one, and it only took him a glance to know to whom it belonged.

Aster flashed a grin at him and motioned him to clap too. 

He put the feather carefully in his robe, worried that he damaged it, and then joined the clapping, feeling excited from the display of the dancers. 

They twisted and turned with surprising speed and elegance, and when they landed, the actual dance began, and the sound of various music instruments echoed in the tree crown. 

The young men all randomly picked a person in the crowd and started to perform in front of them. 

Their wings were the main attraction of the dance. They spread them and flapped, showing off their brilliant colors. 

Obi-Wan watched in amazement, not realizing that a certain person was staring at him intently. 

A light shove from Aster startled him, and he noticed the person who had gotten closer to him. 

Y/N's eyes glistened from behind the mask, and the glowing blue body paint gave him the appearance of an ethereal being. 

He twirled and then hid his lower face with his left wing. His e/c eyes pulling Obi-Wan's attention towards Y/N like magic. The Jedi felt like he was in a trance. 

The Fey looked beautiful, but at the same time powerful, his sturdy muscles visible thanks to the fire. 

A flame began to burn in his heart and it reminded him of something, however, he couldn’t figure out what. 

The feathers shook when the music quickened, and the Fey jumped from one foot to the other, his heels never touching the ground. 

The Jedi followed the man's every move, too enthralled to notice how Aster and Neela were staring at him with pleased smiles. 

Anakin looked at them with a wondering expression, not knowing what they were thinking. 

Obi-Wan's mind got filled with a thousand thoughts. His heartbeat had quickened, and the sudden wish of taking a holographic photo of Y/N dancing surged through his veins. 

He didn't expect the man to be able to move like this, like an elegant warrior. 

It was a traditional dance, the other men of the group performed the same routine, but Y/N's was somehow special. 

It felt sensual and, at the same time, like a plead. 

The man's wings stretched towards Obi-Wan. Had he leaned a little forward, his nose could have touched a feather. 

The music turned to a crescendo, and he knew the dance would be over soon, already a little disappointed. 

With a sudden move back, Y/N spread his arms, that had also reached out for the Jedi, to the side and his wings darted back and froze in a position similar to the Jedi order's symbol. 

The ending was improvised by him, the wings of the other dancers had stopped in a different pose. Obi-Wan’s heart jumped and he let out a shaky breath.

The  Fey for whom the other dancers had danced began to stand up and clap and howl wildly, their ardor audible in their voices, and Anakin and Obi-Wan joined in. 

The dancers walked up to the audience members they had chosen and they pressed their foreheads together. Obi-Wan watched their display of affection with a big smile. He loved the kindness the Fey held for each other. 

The tribe leader couple also stood up, he following their lead, when Aster suddenly pulled him closer with an arm around his neck, and the tribe chief asked him: 

"Did you like it?" 

And Obi-Wan could only exclaim with an excited tone: 

"Yes! It was wonderful!"

Y/N's father showed a very pleased expression and then let go of him. 

The Jedi wondered for a moment if that was the only thing he wanted to know, but his attention shifted when a glowing figure appeared in his peripheral vision. 

"Obi-Wan" uttered Y/N, while taking his mask off, his breathing was slightly heavy. 

"Y/N, you were amazing! The dance displayed so many emotions, I loved it!" 

The Fey stopped short in his track, and then his lips formed a breathtaking smile, which reminded him of the sunrise in the morning. 

"Thank you!" 

Obi-Wan's head got suddenly grabbed by the other man, and their foreheads touched in a swift motion. 

Y/N's skin felt hot from the dancing, and the Fey's breathing shook his shoulders, but Obi-Wan was solely focusing on the man's closed eyes. 

Their position felt almost too intimate, his heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears, but he did not move back, ignoring the sudden flutter in his chest, telling himself this was courtesy and showing his respect for Y/N. 

He expected the other to pull his head back, but the Fey did not move, until his father patted his shoulder and laughingly boomed: 

"That's enough, son. You'll have plenty of time for that later."  

Y/N finally pulled back, although not stepping far away, and he turned to his father, shooting him a glare. Obi-Wan stood somewhat dazed, blinking wildly, and wondering what Aster meant with later.

"I'm proud of you, Y/N!" said Neela, and she hugged the man. 

The Jedi smiled at the display of their feelings, and he distanced himself to give them some space and to calm his beating heart. 

Get it together. Your heart is acting as if you’re in love.

He turned to Anakin, who talked to Ahsoka, both their expressions still showing amazement. 

"That was soo cool!" squealed the Togruta, and his former padawan agreed. 

"I now feel the desire to have wings too," added Obi-Wan to the conversation, and they turned around to greet him. 

Ahsoka's eyebrows shot up, and she grinned somewhat disbelievingly. 

"So, you did it," she said, a matter of factly. 

"I did what?" he asked, not understanding what she meant. 

She gestured towards his face, and he tilted his head in confusion. 

"You got paint on your forehead." Anakin said while watching his padawan with questioning eyes, but the Togruta didn't say what she was hinting at. 

And he didn't find out until the end of the evening. 

After he had talked to the two other Jedi, Y/N had shown up again and told him that he had to attend a family meeting. 

He was apologetic, his expression showing clear annoyance and Obi-Wan felt bad for the Fey, although it wasn't such a big deal for him. 

They could talk about his performance tomorrow. 

So they said goodnight to each other, Y/N once again pressing his forehead to Obi-Wan's, who let it go without a word. 

Aster and Neela also left. 

They only waved at them, the tribe chief winking at Obi-Wan, leaving the Jedi once again puzzled about why the man had changed his behavior so suddenly.

Although the Fey poured out some delicious alcohol, the three Jedi decided to go back to their room. They were surprisingly tired from seeing the performance. 

When Obi-Wan had already laid down in his hammock, Ahsoka addressed him: 

"Congratulations, Master." 

He lifted his head to peek over the hammock's edge. 

"Congrats for what?" 

"You and Y/N." 

He didn't understand a word. 

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice sounding slightly worried. 

"Don't you know?" she said, now sitting up inside her hammock. 

He only blinked. Ahsoka's expression turned baffled. 

"The performance today got danced by courting Fey." 

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, then his eyes widened. 

"Are you saying... Y-Y/N..?", he finally squeezed through his lips, realisation slowly dawning on him. 

She mirrored his shocked expression. 

"You didn't know?! But you accepted!" 

He was panicking now. 

"Accepted what and when?!" 

Anakin walked into the room, unaware of the sudden revelation. 

"What's going o-" 

"The forehead touch!" 

Obi-Wan sank back into his hammock, his heartbeat thundering in his ear. He had gotten a confession and he didn’t even realize.

"Oh, what have I done?"

-

The next morning, Obi-Wan felt no motivation to stand up. 

He wasn't ready to clear up the misunderstanding that had happened yesterday.

 He hadn't known that the dance was about courtship, nor that the forehead was something only romantically involved Fey would do. 

He just thought it was something intimate that friends, partners, and family did. The other dancers had done it too, but now he knew the real reason. 

That’s why not all of them touched foreheads, they got rejected! 

But apparently, he was wrong. 

And now he had to take the consequences. 

"Come on, old man. Get up", said Anakin with a laugh, and he made his former master's hammock sway. 

"Why can't I just die right now of old age?" he sighed, feeling dreadful about what was about to come. 

Anakin snorted, and he finally sat up. 

He had to talk to Y/N before the whole thing escalated. 

But oooh, it already had.

-

"How did you not realize?!" shouted Y/N. 

The Fey was shaking Obi-Wan by the shoulder. 

"How should’ve I known?!" he shot back, now also agitated, after the other had told him his parents practically considered them being already married. 

"I brought you all these presents!" 

"Friends do that from where I come from!" 

"You kept my feather!" 

"I thought it would be a great memento!" 

"I let you touch my wings!!" 

"How should I know that's considered to be something intimate?!" 

Their voices got louder and louder, and their argument caught the attention of some unwanted spectators. 

A group of young Fey had begun to follow their conversation behind some branches, but Obi-Wan didn’t acknowledge them, too angry and panicked at the moment.

Y/N's wings had begun to flip in obvious anger, while Obi-Wan furrowed his brows in annoyance. 

"I literally danced for you at the courtship ceremony!" 

Obi-Wan gnashed his teeth in frustration. 

"How was I supposed to know it was about that?! Anakin only told me it was a dance performance!!" 

"But you-you said I danced amazing and you loved it!” 

The Jedi didn’t respond to that, only showing a guilty expression.

The Fey bit his lips when he finally realized how grave their misunderstanding was. 

"I didn't know...", muttered Obi-Wan, feeling helpless because he knew he had hurt the other. 

"Forget it," growled Y/N, then he turned in a swift motion and darted from the tree branch. His wings flapped with such a force that a few feathers fell. 

The Jedi only watched how they slowly descended, and they seemed to represent his heart. 

It sunk, and a sudden pain in his chest caused him to clench his jaw. 

How should I have known?

He told himself that he had had no idea, but deep in his chest whispered a voice that he did. Y/N’s feelings were obvious.

Maybe he just didn’t want to acknowledge them, knowing that nothing could come out of their relationship. 

Even if you do like me, Y/N, we can’t be together. 

-

A few days passed, and the atmosphere had turned awkward. 

Aster's sudden goodwill had as quickly disappeared as it had come. 

After the chief had learned of the misunderstanding, he had almost attacked Obi-Wan. Neela held him back successfully though. 

Anakin felt guilty for being partly at fault, and Ahsoka also apologized for not telling him what she had known about the courtship rules. 

They spent their days waiting for any kind of sign of the Republic, and they became restless. 

Obi-Wan felt genuinely guilty for misleading Y/N, and he grieved for their friendship, which seemed like it had already ended. 

The Fey hadn't shown himself to any of the Jedi, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry because neither Neela nor Aster had seen their son after he and the Jedi had argued. 

Then, one day, a Fey appeared in the great hall, informing Aster of the gigantic triangle that had appeared in the sky and the small flying objects that had landed somewhere close to the forest's border. 

Anakin shouted triumphantly, and Obi-Wan felt relief wash over him. 

But at the same time, he felt a pang in his chest. 

He didn't want to leave, not before he cleared the bad blood between him and Y/N. 

But Cody and Captain Rex found a scout of the tribe pretty soon, and they finally reunited only a week after the courtship ceremony. 

"Good to see you alive and well, general," said Cody, and Obi-Wan smiled weakly at him. 

"Good to see you too, commander." 

The clones got accompanied by Plo Koon, and Ahsoka was delighted to see the Jedi master again. 

While Anakin and his padawan were happy about their rescue, Obi-Wan couldn't stop himself from wishing they had come later. Now he wouldn’t get another chance to talk with Y/N.

He collected his belongings and hesitated when it came to Y/N's presents. The various crystals and shells on his nightstand. 

He contemplated whether to take them with him or not, but the thought of leaving them behind hurt him and he decided to bring them home. 

Although they had parted with sour feelings, he still appreciated the memories he had made with Y/N. And his heart honestly didn’t want to forget anything, not even the forehead, which apparently symbolized a kiss. 

They Fey did not publicly kiss, one of the things they didn’t display to others, Ahsoka had told him. 

When he heard about that, he couldn’t stop his brain from forming all kinds of thoughts and his ears had turned pink. 

He walked up to me and kissed me, figuratively!

The misunderstanding was really a disaster. 

He now also knew why the other Fey had treated him with more respect even though Aster seemed to hate him again. 

It was because he was the object of the future tribe leader’s affections - although he had rejected him.

He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts and left the room, Y/N’s presents stored in his backpack.

He bid farewell to Danosh and the other Fey who had treated him nicely and then joined Anakin and Ahsoka who waited with Cody, Captain Rex and some other clones next to Aster and Neela.  

The tribe leader couple accompanied them to the ground and their canon gun ships. 

Obi-Wan watched the ships from the border of the gigantic forest and his chest tightened. 

Y/N... 

He bit his lip, his heart now clenching from the idea of leaving and never coming back. 

They were half way there, when Aster and Neela stopped walking.

“We’re not going any further”, explained the white-haired woman and Anakin sighed. He said goodbye first. The chief only nodded at him, but Neela gave him a long hug and whispered something into his ear, while caressing his hair.

Obi-Wan could see that the woman somewhat appeared to be like a mother-figure for Anakin. He felt the pain of saying goodbye in Anakin’s force presence. 

Ahsoka also gave Neela a hug and she bowed at Aster who surprisingly patted her shoulder and said: 

“Stay sharp, little one.” 

The Togruta beamed and then it was Obi-Wan’s turn. He looked at the chief and behind the animosity in his eyes, he could see genuine regret. 

He didn’t know what to say and just awkwardly stood there, when Aster coughed and grumbled: 

“You would’ve been a splendid son-in-law.” 

The Jedi blinked and Anakin couldn’t stop a snort, laughing silently at the blush that swept across his former master’s cheeks. 

“Uh- thank you.”

“Obi-Wan,” said Neela and she opened her arms wide. He willingly walked into her embrace and she also caressed his hair, while hiding his embarrassment with her wings. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. If he couldn’t tell it Y/N personally, he would tell his mother.

“It’s alright. Y/N is a little hasty sometimes, especially when it comes to his feelings. I’m not trying to say he rushed into the idea of liking you...”

Obi-Wan’s cheeks heated up again, not knowing how to react when a woman, who was the mother of the man who liked him, openly talked about her son’s and his relationship.

“He’s genuine, but stubborn. He was born here and never set foot on another planet. You swept him off his feet and he got too excited, not registering that our manners and traditions are unknown to you.” 

He nodded into her shoulders and she let him go to look into his face. Her blue eyes glimmered with kindness.

“I’m glad you were his first love.”

He blinked and her sentence hit him right in the gut. Oh, wow, he really hurt the man, huh.

She traced the line his knitted eyebrows made and smiled.

“It’s not your fault, Obi-Wan.”

He wanted to reply something but he had a lump in his throat and could only nod.

She let go of him and he stepped back, his expression showing how sad he was about their departure. 

“Goodbye.”

The Jedi and clones turned and began to walk away. Every step physically hurt Obi-Wan and he breathed out shakily, face looking down to not see Anakin’s and Ahsoka’s possibly judging expressions. 

Suddenly, a shadow sped across the plain and before he could look up, a person landed right before his feet, causing him to make a step back. 

He tilted his head, startled, his eyes meeting e/c ones. Time seemed to stop.

"Obi-Wan," breathed Y/N and the Jedi's heart started to pound faster. 

"You came," he hesitantly said, his tone revealed his relief. 

"Yeah... I have to tell you something." 

Obi-Wan turned his head to Anakin and the others, they feigned ignorance and acted as if they weren't listening closely to their conversation, although they were. 

"O-Okay, but I want to tell you something t-"

"I fancy you."

Hearing that sentence directed at him caught Obi-Wan off guard. 

Not that he never had been confronted by similar words, but it had never been in such a blunt fashion. And also not from a person he secretly liked too. Satine had been a different case. 

A blush crept up his neck, cheeks and ears and he swallowed hard. 

He had expected Y/N to tell him an apology or a goodbye, but not a love confession. 

"I'm sorry. I projected my culture onto you and didn't consider your feelings." 

Obi-Wan was flustered and he checked his surroundings again, the clones and the two Jedi now blatantly listening without even trying to hide their interest. 

"I-I..." he began, not knowing what to say. 

He knew he had to reject the Fey but his fluttering heart absolutely didn't want him to. 

"I'm a Jedi, Y/N," he eventually said, his tone sounding pained, and Obi-Wan expected the other man's face to sadden, after all, he did tell him what that meant when it came to attachments, but the Fey's smile stayed on his lips. 

"I know. I just wanted to tell you properly." 

The smile was the same radiating one he had flashed him after the courtship dance. 

Obi-Wan clenched his jaw, contemplated for a second and then, without hesitation, he took a step forward and grabbed Y/N's face to bring their heads together. 

Their foreheads touched and the man's eyes widened. 

Obi-Wan locked his gaze with his and the Fey sighed, now pressing his head closer and putting his hand on both side’s of his neck.. 

"You're making this very hard," he muttered accusingly, while tracing Obi-Wan’s carotid artery. 

The Jedi laughed weakly, the pain in his chest swelling. 

"I know, I'm sorry." 

He closed his eyes and breathed in, the smell of damp soil, fruits and leather filled his nose and Obi-Wan tried to engrave the scent in his mind. 

"At one point we'll have to stop," whispered Y/N and he grumbled. 

"I'm just soaking you in", he replied, eyes still closed. 

I don’t want to let go. 

He heard the Fey breath out slowly. 

Then the man moved away. 

Obi-Wan opened his eyes in protest, then his hand got grabbed, and Y/N kissed him. 

The Jedi's eyes widened and he remembered that Anakin, Ahsoka and the clones were watching, but his reason got thrown out of the window by his heart and he returned the kiss. 

It was a short and bittersweet one. Just like their relationship. 

Like the Batellia flower, their love finished before it could even properly bloom. 

But Obi-Wan did not look back at these four weeks with regret. 

After he had returned to Coruscant and continued fighting in the war, he would often smile at random times, his hands buried in his robes, where he caressed a soft feather. 

And he could be damn sure that on a small planet in the Outer Rims, a Fey would trace the faint glow of a blue kyber crystal, he always had with him around his neck.

And who knows, maybe they’ll meet again.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #305

“you want me to be yours, well then you’ve got to be mine, & if you want a good girl, then goodbye”

Do you call the ice cream topping "jimmies" or "sprinkles"? They're "sprinkles" down here. What music are you listening to? Ha, I just turned on music before starting this. "Sex Metal Barbie" by In This Moment is on rn. If you go to school (HS or college) does your school have a rival? N/A Have you been baptized in any religious tradition? Yeah; I was born in a Roman Catholic family. My mom's mom would've probably had a heart attack if us kids weren't. At family gatherings, are you more likely to hang out with the younger or older relatives? I mean, I'd go for those my age or older, generally. I'd hang out with kids though if they wanted me to. Considering you current health, how long do you think you will live? With my CURRENT health, probably not even 80. Do you have anything in your room that would be 'weird' to others? Posters, yeah. Have you ever done geocaching? No, but it'd be cool if my body could actually handle taking a single goddamn step. What was the last game you won? Maybe Uno with my niece? I generally let her win, but occasionally I'm "lucky" to TRY to be more convincing, lol. I think she knows I let her, though. Do you know any deaf people? If so, is it easy or difficult to have conversations with them? No. Do you enjoy playing Monopoly? Why or why not? No, because I don't like board games, especially any that involve math. Is there a doorknocker on your front door? No. Do 'laugh tracks' on TV shows annoy you? They're so normal that I don't even notice them, really. Do people often mistake you for other ethnicities? If so, what do you usually get? No, I'm pretty obviously white. Has anyone famous ever attended your school? Who? I won't say his name for the sake of not connecting dots, but a well-known football player attended my high school. Have you ever had to attend an event that occurred on your birthday? Ha, my 16th birthday landed on the Super Bowl... I was at Jason's that night, and just to be "part of the family," we watched it with everyone else that came over. I was so bored and uninterested, but that's my own fault, really. I could have said something, but this was only a month into our relationship so I was too uncomfortable to speak up. What do you think makes a girl a slut? Do you believe that label is thrown around far more often than it should be? And finally, do you think it's unfair that mostly only women receive that label? I don't give a flying fuck how many people a girl is sexually involved with so long as she is safe and open and honest with her partners. I'm not a fan of the word and don't think anyone should be called it. Do you think it's bad to have sex at 15 or younger? I don't think it's smart, really. It's just too young to risk pregnancy. Yes, abortion is an option, but like... a 15 y/o girl should never be faced with that dilemma. I'ma be real tho, I don't think it's a "good" idea until you're at least 18, aaaand I don't know any non-virgin who waited that long. Just try your best to wait, ig. Favorite love song at the moment? Love songs never sit well with me anymore. I mean I can enjoy them, absolutely, I just... have a lot of bitterness. Trying to pick a favorite when you feel like that is like trying to pick the best-looking rotten apple of the bunch. Ever wondered what it would be like dating the same gender as you? I've done that already, and it was great but also scary in a massively homophobic state. Ever paid for sex? No. During thunderstorms, how does your pet react? Neither have a unique reaction; they're unfazed. What internet browser do you use? Google Chrome. Do you like eggnog? Noooo no no. How often do you see your mother? Every day, because I live with her. Do you like croutons in your salad? No, I really don't like the texture difference. Who did you last play truth or dare with? I don't know. Have you ever brewed your own mead, wine, beer or soda? No. Have you had to make any changes in your life lately? If so, what kind of changes? ugh What's the earliest popular thing you can remember from your childhood? Ummm. I mean, probably like Barney or Elmo? Do you prefer practicality or fashionability when it comes to clothes? Well, really neither. I'm the type that wears tank tops in snow, flipflops year-round, sweatpants in summer... so I don't really dress with practicality. I don't care what's "fashionable," so. Comfort pretty much reigns over my wardrobe. Which kinds of berries grow in the wild where you live? There are these little red ones that grow in little groups and somewhat resemble raspberries. I can't remember if they're edible, though... Oh, and muscadine grapes (I had to look up if they were berries lmao) can be found here, too. They're yummy. Beautyberries are another. Have you ever made an article of clothing yourself? If so, what was it? No. Do you go to arcades? If so, what's your go-to game at one? Even before Covid, I never really went to them. I enjoy them, though. I guess my favorite is maybe air hockey? When's the last time you had an alcoholic beverage? What was it? At the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday. It was some kind of sangria... Maybe strawberry and peach? Idr, but it was good. What has been the most enjoyable job you've had? You assume I've had a job I actually enjoyed. How about the least enjoyable job? Well, I barely lasted two hours in a dairy, soooo... When's the last time you had to carefully plan how you used your time? You're asking the wroooong person, 'cuz my life is never busy enough for that. Who do you usually say hello or good morning to first? My snake Venus, usually. Well, that is if her head is peeking out of her hide or is just fully out. Do you ever chat about your favorite video games with your friends? I don't really have gamer friends anymore, so not really. What do you hope you grow out of? Being so goddamn dependent. What movie made you cry the most? I can't say for sure considering it's easy for movies to make me cry, lmao. Maybe Titanic. What was one of the happiest moments of your childhood? Seeing a container of dog food in the far back behind the Christmas tree one year. It's how I learned I was finally gettinga dog (Teddy). What brings you the most joy in life? Probably my cat lmao. What's a hobby you would like to try out? I wanna get back into video editing, I just. Don't have the motivation for it anymore. As with most things. What sort of a kiss do you count as the first kiss? On the lips and with mutual intention. What was the last event you attended? Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's, ig. How about the last event you organized? Me? Organizing an event? What's the biggest insect you've ever seen? In the wild, probably like... a rhinocerous beetle or something. NO NO WAIT. I remember at least once in my life seeing a fucking GINORMOUS moth on the ground one morning. I don't know what kind it was, but jc it was huge. How about the biggest spider? Oh yikes, I'll never forget this: an orb weaver wandering across the floor of our childhood van and under the passenger's seat. Never saw it again. I was afraid to let my feet stay on the floor for a looong time, haha. What's something you'd never ever dare to ask another person? I'd never ask certain "why" questions, like "why did you get an abortion?" or something like that. I can think of valid situations to ask most things, even controversial matters, but no one should ever have to justify something like that. "Why don't you have kids?" is another. That one gets to me. Having children is not an advancement or milestone in everyone's life, and hell, you never know if the woman's had like five miscarriages or something. What's something you've always wanted to ask someone but haven't dared? Why Mom didn't raise her eldest daughter, at least for her whole life. Katie's childhood is a big mystery to me, and I want to know more, but I know the topic is very upsetting to Mom, so I'm not about to make her explain it. What's the worst/best thing you've done without your parents knowing? Saying "worst/best" makes this question confusing... but I'm guessing you mean the best thing to me that they wouldn't have approved of? I really didn't do a lot of things that would fit that description. I can only think of a certain intimate occasion where things happened where they probably shouldn't have. If you wear earrings, what does your favorite pair look like? Ugh, I don't because of the holes being too stretched out from wearing heavy earrings too long. I still haven't gotten to putting proper gauges in so it looks less stupid. Have you ever won any money from a scratch card? Maybe like, $10 or something. How about a slot machine? I've never played one. Do like playing bingo? Sure, it's all right. What small, everyday thing makes you really happy? Cuddling with my cat. Do you enjoy puzzle games? If so, which one's your favorite? Yeah, I do. I can't really pick a favorite, though... Is there a substance you avoid at all costs? If so, what is it and why? I think in a past survey I mentioned my aversion to beer because of the association it has with my dad. I'd never be able to get a sip down. Not that I really want to anyway though, it stinks. What you would you absolutely hate living next door to? Any really busy location or travel hubs, like a train station. My childhood home was near a railroad track, and it sucked, so I can only imagine a station. What would you love to live next door to? A waterfall, uggghhhh. In the woods too to hear plenty of frogs and toads and crickets... What gives you nostalgia? It is very easy to make me nostalgic. The littlest things can do it. Hearing about/seeing/playing childhood video games, like Spyro, is a biggie. Which reminds me how damn badly I wanna play the Reignited trilogy, fuck. I just don't have the proper console. Which language do you think is the most complicated to learn? Well English is supposedly the hardest objectively, but as a native English speaker, I can't say anything about that. In my experience, Latin was like fucking impossible. Is there a place that you might call your second home? I guess Dad's house, but it's not like I'm there a lot. I feel comfortable there, though. How do you imagine your later life to look like? I DO NOT want to think about this. I fucking dread the thought. What is a job you would never in a million years want to do? A butcher. There is absolutely no motherfucking way I ever could do it, even if it kept me off the streets. What's the weirdest building in your city? *shrug* How do you keep in touch with friends usually? Facebook. Do you recognize friends'/family's vehicles by sound? Not anymore. Dad had an old car that was very easy to recognize with its shitty muffler, but he hasn't had that car in years upon years. I used to be able to recognize Jason's old car too because of sound, but primarily because he drove way too fast down our path that when I heard a car zooming over rocks, I knew it was him. What's something new you've just recently learned? It was actually a topic of recent discussion that I may have high-functioning Asperger's. Very, very unusual to learn later in life, but apparently Mom's seen the warning signs in some things since childhood, like my extreme pickiness with textures, my tendency to knead and play with my hands in situations of discomfort, my social ineptitude, hyperfixations, it actually running in our family (which I didn't know beforehand), among a lot of other things. We're not really digging into it though because it just doesn't matter; there's obviously no magic treatment for autism, and me being in therapy and having a psychiatrist to handle my meds is enough. If you were in Harry Potter, which house would you be in? Apparently I'm on the Hufflepuff/Gryffindor line when I took a survey a long time ago. Are you nagged about being on the computer too much? Not anymore, at least on the average day. Mom's accepted it by now. Dad's joked about it before though and I know others have certain opinions about it. Based on your personality, what animal do you think you'd be? Maybe a deer. Shy, reclusive, and always on alert. Have you ever been in a hot tub? Yeah. What song is stuck in your head at the moment? I have "my boy" by Billie Eilish on right now because it's stuck in my head. What's your father's middle name? John. What's the last movie you saw in theaters? Yikes, good question. I think it was The Lion King remake. Have you ever vandalized? No. What's a pet you've always wanted? Most pets I want I've had at some point or another... I guess I'll say a ferret, though I've really only wanted one in concept. I could never keep up with their maintenance, but by god they are the cutest fucking things ever. Do you like mice? I love mice! What's your favorite t-shirt? My "equal in our bones" Cloak shirt. :''') The design is so beautiful and just my style in general, plus I live to support anything Fischfuck takes part in. Did you/will you get a car for your 16th birthday? I'm 25 and still have never had my own car lmaoooo. What's your favorite tomato variety? I generally don't like tomatoes themselves, but rather products made with them, like ketchup. If I'm in the mood though, I do like tomato sandwiches with mayo and bacon; I only ever enjoyed them though if they were fresh right from an old friend's garden. Which well-known person's death shocked you the most, if any? I think Chester Bennington's was the biggest surprise. Rest easy, you legend. What's the craziest color you'd dye your hair? More like what crazy color WOULDN'T I dye it... What was the longest train ride you've been on? I've never been on one. What's the coolest hobby one of your friends has? uhhhhh idk Have you ever played in a stack of hay bales? No. If you could learn any skill, which would you like to learn? Ha, cooking. How do you like your steak? Medium well.

[bigscaryyanderewriter]

Frosty Fear and the Fury of Flames (Dragonshifter! Shouto x Reader) Part 3

Part 2 ^

Hahaha, a part 3 for you??? It’s more likely than you’d think. This is actually kinda fun to write in parts, although it takes me a while. I have a few requests waiting to be answered still and that kinda bums me out still. Gonna be getting a lot more of Todoroki though. Haha… I like fire boys. Also, if you can’t tell. I really want to play dnd.

Tw: Yandere, Nightmares, Slight Gore

2.1k Words

“Bakugou, are you sure about this? I mean-” 

“Did I ask for your opinion, Shitty hair? Come on, get that damn wimp ready to go. We’re going to need to get out of here if we are going to get them away from that damn dragon.” The grimace on his face as deeper set than usual as you were forced to pack up with the others yet again.

They were going to abandon their mission, since there were other things they could do. That was what Bakugou told you at least, you had a feeling that none of the jobs in this tavern were worth half as much to the group as the one involving Shouto was. Still, you were grateful that they wanted you to stay and that you could be useful to them.

You couldn’t stop the sinking feeling though as you knew that getting farther away would be good, but also… They had to do something like give up the goal they had been working towards to assist you. 

The morning was still dark, no sun peaked on the horizon as the birds only just began singing their morning songs. The bags were packed and soon you were all ready to go by the time the sky began to lighten. You would be heading east and down the mountains a good ways until you got to the plains, travelling for about two weeks before stopping in another city called White Fields. Something was said about dangerous rock formations that would cause small landslides and magic folk you couldn't talk to. Not much rest would be allowed, wanting to get as far as possible from the mountains and desert. If luck was on their side, they would be out of reach by that point, since Shouto was still unable to travel that far from what you have learned. Something about territory disputes and bad blood.

That was the plan and you were praying to whatever would listen that it would work. 

"Are you ready, (Y/N)? We had better get going." Mina spoke from the doorway of the little room of the inn. Her face showed a bit of concerned and you realized you had been scratching a bit at your arm. You hurriedly covered the scratches and grabbed the sack with your more material belongings, the golden jewelry, things you had taken from the cave. Following her out to the boys, you all got moving as you walked out of town. 

The place where the sun rose was your destination. Going throughout the day. The further day the mountains, the darker the forests and the colder it was. It was a bit misty out with the morning still being new. The winter would hit quickly this year and you could tell. At least it would here. The cold air from last night seemed to be cradled here. Your arm hairs prickled as you all walked. 

It was as you pulled your arms closer to yourself that you heard Denki speaking, "Hey, you look… like you might want this." He pulled off the warm yellow cloak he had worn throughout the time you had seen him and offered to hand it to you.

"Oh- It's nothing. I'll be fine… The sun will warm me up soon enough. You know I'm not a princess though, so you probably shouldn't call me that." You said with a tiny fake smile. "I appreciate the offer though."

"Aw, maybe I shouldn't call you princess then. No princess holds a candle to you anyways! You have to be the product of some goddess of beauty." He laughed as you couldn't stop the heat rushing to your face, "Don't be so shy. I'm just teasing you. Though you do make a cute face when you're embarrassed. Still, you should take it. I'll be fine without it for a minute."

"Kaminari, I swear to all the gods that I will shove so many rocks into your mouth, if you don't stop flirting. You'll be shitting so many rocks that you could put it on a resume." Bakugo was throwing nonsense threats and this just resulted in some laughter as you had never heard a threat more ridiculous. It was like it was written by someone who didn't actually know how to properly threaten people or something. 

Ah yes. That is me. The narrator, who cannot narrate without getting sidetracked. Now, watching you and the group laugh… The tension of impending doom is nowhere to be found as you all walk the beginnings of the mountains' autumnal scenery. The yellow cloak draped on your shoulders as you continued and Denki at your side, chatting idly with you. His presence and the conversation taking the pressure of the situation away. It seemed he was an expert, being a bard. Something told you to be careful though. The stereotype with musicians and their unfaithfulness… 

There was more time to mull over the prospect later, but you also just found him so jolly. It was a real treat. Going through the day, nothing happened. It was painfully boring event-wise, tiring, but you made progress. You had begun to feel uneasy, despite Kaminari distracting. Something was lurking in the forests, in the trees. Everything seemed about as turned around for you as a spinning carnival mirror maze. 

Sero, Kiri, and Mina seemed to have had no problem as you were led by them. The group was much closer together now and the laughter began to cease. Night would come and the wish to leave these mountains was becoming louder within your head. It was eerie.

No one spoke much while the dark branches of nearly black barked pines hung above with their ruddy red leaves. The silver of the wood beneath was visibly upon some broken branches and on the stumps that you would sometimes pass on the thinning path. They looked unpleasantly rough to touch. Small barbs lining the branches and serving as more than a small warning to be careful around them. 

Soon the light would go, so Kiri found a spot around where some trees had fallen and sat up a fire for the night, while you picked up anything on the ground to make it less rocky. It was also handy for you to get more sticks for the fire. These trees burned infamously easy. A single mistake with a fire and it could go up in minutes, but it would burn for a long time. It was not usual for anyone to cut any down due to the inhabitants though and the consequences. You didn't know what they were and you weren't about to try to find out by harming the forest. 

Dinner was easy, still being able to have some good leftovers from the inn. You had to eat them all today, but it was still going to be fuel until the next time you went to eat fresh food, cooked by someone else at least.

Denki couldn't help lightening the mood as he pulled out his stringed instrument and started playing a lovely song… It was familiar, somehow. You struggled to think of what it was called, but you knew the words. It was peaceful and it definitely seemed to help Mina perk up again as she began talking with Sero. Bakugo seemed less irritable as he ate, the music must calm the beast. You couldn't help the smile that came on your face at that thought.

Singing along probably wouldn't keep him calm, but you oh so wanted to… It would be a little embarrassing, but others might join in.

So you did. It was time to have some fun.

You hummed along and started singing, 

"How much is love worth?

Yet, we're giving it for free.

Didn't cost a penny, but

I've gained everything.

I'd do anything to make her smile

My darling

My darling

Darling~

If only she would look out

Of that dreamy little world

She would then see

That while I am no prince

And will make her crazier than me

I would never quit to admit I'm wrong

I'd always get on her nerves,

She would hate the way I eat

And only then it's worse.

I'd complain about her mother

Even though she's quite alright

I won't stop til I see her blush

Red in the dead of night.

An immoral proposition

If not only for a tease

But I have some qualities

that put her mind at ease.

I love her more than the sea does a shore

As the sun does the horizon,

Unafraid to come back home

And get her blood arising 

Kiss her face and hold her hand

I'll never let her go.

I'm lucky that she loves it

Where I'd be without it, who would know

That she likes to feel the spite

That even though I mess around

I'm in her bed tonight 

Of my darling,

My darling

My darling

Darling

Not doing as the birds and bees 

But holding on her hand,

Kissing at her face

And saying things for show

Her pretty crimson blush

Cause when I see it, then I know

That the hand life dealt

Was a royal flush."

Denki sang with you as the others watch, some la's and humming as you got up with a spin. The swirl of your dress and body as you sang out each part with more confidence. Mina laughed when you would dance and Kirishima was keeping the beat.

After a while, the singing stopped and soon the group started to settle in. 

Bakugo took first watch with Kirishima, Sero and Denki. Then Mina and you. Only because of practicality. It was to be in three hour shifts. It was when you laid down on your bed roll and cover yourself with a blanket you had been given. The night would be cold, but the fire was big enough to warm you as you sleep. As soon as you eyes closed, you were out. A day of travelling made you more than ready to sleep. It was a wonderful thing to sleep with good dreams, but you seemed to lack any dreams lately.

Not tonight.

You woke up in an ashen forest. Smoke choked life as blue flames rose in the distance. It snowed. You could hardly distinguish the ash from the snow until it would either burn you or melt on your skin. Getting up was impossible, the burning branch crushed your legs.

The acrid smell of burnt hair and smoke. It stung your eyes as you tried to tears away while coughing. You just couldn't stop coughing. "Please! Please! Denki?! Mina!" 

You were crying and struggling. The wood was too heavy and you could see the blood on the snow. You were bleeding heavily. It hurt. It hurt.

"Somebody help me! Please! I don't want to die." You couldn't stop the tears as you thrashed about. Soon you stopped though. A growl sounding above you. Blue eyes and blackened scales, injuries beyond counting.

El diablo azul. The shivering continued as you looked up, nothing short of full blown trembling as he snorted hot air over you and knocked the branch away. Draconic was spoken to you as you scrambled back from him. It was deep and grumbling, not hissing or growling like the words spoken by Endeavor or Shouto. 

"I don't under- understand. Thank you though…" You couldn't look away from those blue eyes as they seemed to glint with amusement before the great black wings beat against the air. Smoke and snow getting caught up as he was off again and soaring over the burning forest. Lying in the snow though, you wouldn't be able to get up. Maybe he wanted to give you a chance to survive. So you pulled yourself up and began to walk through the blizzard, blood oozing from your thigh and ash caked on your skin. You weren't going to make that help mean nothing.

Though, you were confident. You looked up to see something far worse than the fire ahead. Red and white scales. Shouto was coming for you. 

Blinking your eyes open as you were shaken awake. Sweat coated your body while you panted, "Stop- Stop! Please."

It was as you jolted up, you saw Denki looking with fear at you. His hands had been shaking you awake and scrambled away. Out of breath as you looked around frantically. "Shshshh, You need to be quiet. You're attracting too much attention. You were screaming in your sleep. What in the world were you dreaming about…?"

"Nothing, it was nothing, Denki… Just a bad dream. I um, I'll take the rest of your shift if you want to go back to sleep. I don't think I can…" You murmurred. 

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One:  The Dark Curse

Chapter 205:  A Father’s Love

Regina was a tricky little devil. He was partly to blame for that, but he wasn't willing to excuse the fact that Cora was her mother or that she'd been brought up as a spoiled little girl by her father either. When he'd first met her, she'd been innocent and naïve. Now that she knew what the world around her was capable of, he knew there were times to excuse himself from her presence. After the fiasco with Count Edmund, for example, he found himself purposefully staying away from her to the extent that when she'd come to his castle one night, screaming his name, demanding to know what he'd done, he'd made himself invisible and stood in a corner, tolerating her destruction of his things, knowing full well that the important things were safe from her. It wasn't that he was scared of her, not by a long shot; no, he had more power than Regina ever would. But he recognized that from now on, he had a tricky role to play in her life. After what happened with the Count and Charlotte, he had appeared before her as an enemy, but he was ever aware that there was time she would need him to be her mentor, still, and other times that she'd need him to be her friend. He'd hidden from her that day because he knew that if she found him, that might be the end of it. When the Count hadn't shown up, and Snow and David continued to live, it hadn't taken her much to put two and two together, and she was so furious that if she got her hands on him, she would have severed their bond so that he would never have been able to appear before her as a friend again. By hiding and letting her take out her anger on his objects, he allowed her to vent her rage towards him at having failed, then go home to wallow in her despair, a place that he would still be able to reach her.

Soon enough, he'd sensed, probably from the Seer, she would let him into her world again. This time when he explained the loophole to the protection spell he'd placed on the Charmings, she would be receptive. She would listen. And the divide would be crossed once more. So he kept up his watching, kept himself fully tuned into the future in his head, and waited to be called to go to her. But he didn't expect it would happen as it had.

In the early morning on the day Snow and David were to be married, he received a summons, one he probably would have answered out of boredom even if the Seer hadn't pressed him to go, but it hadn't led him to Regina, at least not directly. Instead, it took him out into the courtyard where the former queen kept her apple tree, to a man he'd seen several times in his life, who practically had haunted him, and yet he'd never had a conversation with.

Henry.

Cora's husband.

Regina's father.

He wasn't ashamed of his past. He simply preferred not to acknowledge it. Everything he'd ever done, good or bad, was to get back to Baelfire. If he let himself wander too far from that truth, his past sins might kill him. But Henry…

Henry always made him uncomfortable. The idea of talking with him now, standing before him as he was, made his heart race, and he struggled to keep the mask of the Dark One in place before him. Sometimes he thought it might have been the old man's age. He'd already been well over one hundred by the time he'd pursued Cora, and he hardly ever felt his age or even felt like all those years had gone by as they had, but when he looked at Henry, he felt like he could feel every last year he'd ever lived. He was white-haired and wrinkled, a far cry from the handsome young Prince he'd once been in so many ways. When he looked at Henry, he felt like he should have been food for the worms, old and buried by now with his son next to him as his grandchildren brought them flowers for their graves. He'd tried, ever since his indiscretion with Cora, never to pay Henry much attention for that reason. Why he'd summoned him for a face to face meeting now, after all these years…it was a mystery to him.

"You?" he laughed, trying to pretend like he didn't care. "Well, there must be a mistake. Surely you wouldn't summon me. Your daughter could give you all you want!"

"It's not about what I want; it's about what she wants. What can you do for her?"

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Regina!" he stressed, stepping closer to him. There was an old weathered piece of paper in his hands. He kept running his fingers over it, pinching and releasing it, changing his grip on it over and over, nervously. What was it? "I know I don't look like much, but I'm smarter than I appear. I know about you and Cora, just as I know you've taught Regina to be as her mother," he admitted extending his hand so that he might take the paper.

Damn it. It was a letter, one that he'd written to Cora long ago. It had started with "My Love." He regretted those words now. Looking at them made him sick, especially when he thought of what he still felt for Belle. How could he ever have confused what he felt for Cora as love?

"I don't care who you've taught her to be. All I want is my daughter's happiness, for her to live in peace. If you can do something to help her, I'll gladly pay the price."

He believed that. Truly he did. But this wasn't something that involved him. At least not until it came time to cast the Curse.

"I've already done something to help her," he explained, folding the paper and sticking it into his pocket. "She wouldn't take my help."

"Then convince her!" Henry begged. "I fear for her if she doesn't find help. Cora belonged to you, no matter what she said-"

"-Cora belonged to her magic-"

"-but Regina is all I've ever had in this world," he stated, ignoring his correction. "She's all I ever wanted and all I've ever had to be proud of. I can't stand to see her in this state."

He smiled and took a step closer to dear Henry. It was ironic. He couldn't stand to see his daughter in this state. He didn't have much of a choice. If his vision of the future was right, his sacrifice was going to be what it took to get her out of this state.

"And…you would be willing to…die for her...if that were the cost of her happiness?"

Henry's eyes went wide as dinner plates, and he flinched, considering his words and what he'd just said. If he truly was smarter than he appeared, he would know what those words meant. But would he be willing?

Henry nodded. "If that is the cost," he vowed.

Poor old man.

He laughed and tapped his fingers together. "Well then…let's go see, Regina!" he declared.

With another nod, Henry turned to lead him to wherever Regina was.

Oh, he could see what he meant. When Henry walked into her chamber and proclaimed, "You have a visitor," he made quick work of the situation and appeared behind her so that by the time Regina snapped "who?" and her father turned to usher him in, he was already there, watching Regina stare into her mirror.

"You need to ask?" he questioned, drawing her attention away from the mirror. His appearance didn't change her mood, not that he'd really expected it to. It was a perfectly lovely day for a wedding. He doubted that she'd see it that way. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea. There was, after all, one little thing in his plan he didn't always account for. Whats and whos and whys were important, of course, but when manipulating a situation, when trying to force the hand of someone who didn't want to be forced, whens could also have their own power. "What other friends do you have, dearie?"

"You're no friend," Regina snarled as her father made his way out of the room. "Have you come to relish my suffering?"

"I thought you'd want someone to help raise your spirits. Especially on a day like today!"

"What's so special about today?" she questioned as he got to his feet. He beamed…as if she had no idea.

"Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding, of course. Didn't you get an invitation? Me neither." Which was sorely unfair considering how much of a hand he'd had in their union. He'd go so far as to say that without him, none of this would be happening. Such gratitude… "Still, nice to be able to see them declare their twoo love in front of their entire kingdom. A happy ending after all."

"And, because of you, there's nothing I can do to stop it," she spat back at him before heading to her vanity. "'No way to harm them in this land ever again!'"

He fought an urge to roll his eyes. She thought she was so brilliant, and yet she hadn't figured out the biggest loophole of all, the only chance that she had for revenge. She just had to be humble enough to follow the plot that he'd laid for her.

"Yes. Yes, I suppose that's true…in this land," he said carefully, emphasizing the last bit so that she would hear a hint of hope in his voice. He'd told her this before, he'd told her about taking them elsewhere…but she'd been stubborn then, filled with hope that the Count could do what she could not. He hoped she just needed reminding.

It worked. The Evil Queen stopped where she was and turned. "What?"

"The deal I made was explicit. You can never harm them in 'this' land. Now, were you to bring them to another land…well…" he smiled at her and watched as understanding finally perked her up. Her chin raised, she smiled, and a spark of light lit up the black behind her eyes. Amazing what the brain could forget when revenge ran wild, amazing how just one little reminder could bring it all back.

"Told you I was your friend," he muttered before disappearing. He had a wedding to watch after all…and Regina had a curse to usher in.

[lonelypond]

Tiger By The Tail, Ch. 3

NicoMaki, NozoEli, RinPana, KotoUmi, Love Live, 2K, 3/?

Summary: The plan to distract Nico begins...and our last Japanese tourist arrives.

Chapter Three

Nozomi read the email again. It sounded like Umi, polite, formal, composed, requesting Nozomi do some research on local possibilities for photo shoots, which Nozomi was planning anyway, until the last line, which read, “Please refrain from discussing this with Nico as I do not wish to undermine her confidence in Kotori’s designs” which if you had made a study of Umi’s habits, sounded like panic. Rin bounced behind Nozomi, shaking her head, drops of water flicking Nozomi, “What are we doing, boss?”

Nozomi considered how much to tell Rin, who was very very bad at not blurting out the very thing anyone was trying to keep out of the conversation. Just keep Rin focused on task, so that she didn’t give anything away to Nico, who was ALWAYS looking for what was going to go wrong.

“We’re going to drive around and check out locations, then I’ll meet Eli for dinner and see what she has to suggest.”

“Ooohh, Eli seems really cool. I bet she’ll have some great ideas for us.” Rin’s eyes gleamed. Nozomi was almost certain Eli had meant a private discussion but Nozomi couldn’t strand Rin; maybe Nico would want dinner company?

“Let’s head out and tell Nico what the plan is.” Nozomi tucked her phone away, response to Umi sent.

Rin saluted, grabbing a sweater from the top bunk, “You got it.”

###

Nico, under a stack of blankets, was scrolling through a playlist on the screen in the living room, frowning. “Nico should be on here.” She switched to search function, pulling up her latest video, watching it again, with a critical eye. They definitely needed a better lighting set up. Nozomi had talked about renting gear.

“Nico meets her biggest fan every morning in the mirror.” Nozomi pulled on the top blanket, as she leaned over the couch, to grab for the remote. Nico’s viewing choice was no surprise. It was barely worth the tease, but Nozomi was on task.

“If Nico doesn’t like it…” Nico began.

“No one will ever see it.” Rin interjected, batting an ornament on the Christmas tree to watch it spin. “But this cover’s great Nico. Why are you frowning at it?”

Before Nico could answer the front door banged open and Honoka came barrelling through the hall, hung a turn at the kitchen and nearly fell over the back of the couch Nico was sitting on.

“Nico!” Shouted. As if Nico weren’t two cushions away. “Umi says you have to come now. Kotori needs you to try on the clothes. Since there wasn’t a fitting.” Honoka bobbed up and down, arms on the couch, Nico staring at her. “It’s important.”

Nico huffed and turned off the screen, her English curt. “Nico might be busy.”

“But you’re not.” Nozomi poked Nico.

“And you’re here for the clothes, right. So they have to fit.” Honoka’s bright eyes were so wide and innocent that not even Nico could find a spark to start an argument.

Enjoying the stares of everyone in the room while she decided, Nico took a minute before levering herself off the couch. “Yes.”

“Yippee!!” More shouting. “I’ll text Umi we’re coming now.” Honoka jumped, pumping a fist. Nico instinctively went into cautious older sibling mode, not quite frowning, but squelching Honoka’s exuberance with delay.

“Nico needs clothes.” Nico was not meeting Umi’s stylish friend the designer for the first time in leggings and a sweatshirt. She had acquired a designer outfit specifically for this situation, so Kotori would know she was dealing with a real professional. “Nico will go soon.”

“Cool.” Honoka pulled out her phone, typing rapidly.

Nozomi and Rin had their coats on, “We’ll see you later, Nico.”

Nico flashed her signature gesture, “Nico Ni will knock you out.”

Honoka was ignoring the Japanese, continuing her text conversation with Umi, Nico guessed. Umi would be a proper audience. She never let Nico down.

###

Shut out everything else, Maki told herself as she locked the door behind her and approached the piano. A certain amount of ritual was involved in this moment, not quite approaching an altar or a lover levels of depth, but a gathering of emotions, a tension, a familiarity as Maki sat on the bench, rested a hand for a moment on the polished, warming wood of the fallboard, revealing the keys, the cool welcome against her fingertips, the demand for effort, for excellence, for passion...Maki leaned back, maybe a little more like a lover than a shrine, not that she’d had much experience with either. But the piano was a means, an ally, a key to a language that actually allowed Maki the freedom to express everything that bottled up in her throat and chest. Maybe her mouth wasn’t made for expressing the turmoil twisting itself out of expectation and others, but with her fingers, her arms, her body, she could shout for space, for, ironically, a moment of quiet, to just settle enough to know what it was she wanted. She wondered what it would be like to...Maki didn’t even know the words for it, it was an action, a feeling, a slam, a collision, into something that held, that would let her just be.

Maki didn’t know what she was playing, she had no space to listen, everything was being driven into the piano, to transform into the pieces of Maki that kept spinning away. Was there anyone here to listen, to hear?

###

The clothes were impressive. Just the pictures had gotten Nico on a plane, flying across a huge ocean. Umi had impeccable taste so Nico knew when Umi pitched the project it would be something spectacular. Nico had also not been unaware of Umi’s gloom since the very kind and decorative Kotori Minami had ended her internship at the atelier and returned home. Now, while Nico herself was an independent modern career woman, she didn’t fault anyone who managed to find someone to get sentimental about. Yes, she totally judged Tojo, who seemed to have mastered the casual weekend relationship. Nico would not have flown across an ocean if Nozomi had pitched the project. But for Umi, Nico shrugged, and smiled at Kotori, who was a whisper of steel and grace, answering all of Nico’s questions without hesitation. Nico couldn’t put the pieces down, the textures, the lightness, the way the light caught additional colors, none of that had been in the sketches and all of it was magical. Nico found herself getting excited as she imagined the photos, the camera turning her natural charisma up by 1000 when wrapped in these beautiful slices of artistry.

“Yazawa-san…” Kotori started.

“Nico.” Nico waved an invitation to intimacy as she put down a white blanket robe that seemed to contain in its threads the silver glimmer magic of first snow at midnight. Kotori was finishing that piece, she’d wanted to see it on Nico so that the painted on kanji could be placed in the proper locations. Umi had been confirming the order of strokes, offering to do the calligraphy herself, but Kotori seemed reluctant to put that responsibility on the other woman. Nico wondered if the seamstress realized how seriously Umi took the samurai’s mastery of both sword and brush.

Kotori reached for her chalk, “Nico...thank you, now that I’ve seen this, I can mark the locations.”

“Once again, Kotori, if you want me to, I would be more than happy…” Umi stepped forward.

“Oh, I couldn’t…” Kotori shrugged, demurring, “this is all of this fabric I have, any mistake...you’re very sweet, but...”

Nico couldn’t take the look on Umi’s face, like the damsel in distress had turned down the rescue and was slowly freezing in the ice tower. She coughed, drawing the focus back to Nico, “Maybe Umi could demonstrate her talents on another fabric, similar in texture.” Nico bowed, “Nico will cover the costs. For an original Sonoda.”

Umi blushed, Nico raised a hand to cover her own mouth, pretending modesty, but actually covering a broad grin at Umi’s embarrassment.

“Oh…” Kotori glanced from one to the other, giggling, “I’m sure Umi’s talents are more than up to the job, I just thought…”

Nico gave in and laughed at her friend’s grand gestures as Umi bowed, “I will not disappoint either of you.”

Now see, if there had been someone like Umi, serious and stunning and silly and too easy to tease, in Nico’s life, interested in more than friendship, the rising pop star might have made a little time for something that wasn’t her career.

###

Eli was surprised to find she had not a family standing in her office, but one client, a small, mousy, bundled up in layers woman by the name of Koizumi Hanayo, visiting New England with her parents, who had stayed in Boston. Eli had a good reputation among Japanese tourists, but solitary guests were unusual. Groups of co workers were more common. Not that Eli would let this throw her off stride. . “Hi, I’m Eli Ayase. Nice to meet you.” Eli offered a hand, Hanayo shaking it timidly while muttering something Eli couldn’t quite make out.

“Sorry,” Eli leaned down, “I couldn’t hear you.”

Hanayo leapt back, the earflaps on her hat a comedy short of their own, “Sorry.”

“Please take a seat.” Eli indicated the chair opposite hers and sat behind the computer, “Do you downhill or cross country ski?”

Another mutter.

Eli smiled broader, her voice encouraging. “You’ll have to speak up. I’m sorry.”

The young woman took a huge breath, her hands clasped in her lap, raised her head, blinking eyelashes over shy violet eyes, her Japanese rapid, “Neither, Ayase-san. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” Eli slouched a little, shoulders opening, trying every body language trick she could think of to be less intimidating. “Most of my clients just...already like the outdoors.”

Hanayo shook her head, “My parents hired you. They are worried that I’m…” Hanayo fidgeted, “neet.”

Eli was confused, “They think you’re too tidy?”

Hanayo sighed, “Do you know what otaku means?”

Eli typed it into her computer. “You’re an anime fan?”

“Idol.”

“Idol?”

“Singers. Pop stars.”

“Oh.” Eli had heard of that. “Like Babymetal?”

Hanayo’s eyes went wide as she squeaked, “You know them? Aren’t they amazing. I just love…”

“I’m not a huge fan.” Glad that she had finally gotten a reaction out of her charge, Eli didn’t want the young woman to slip back into embarrassment, “but my friends were talking about their last North American tour.” Eli turned away from her computer, “So your parents sent you here for some healthy outdoor activities. And hired me for the parts of the week I had available.”

Hanayo nodded, “They have business in Boston. They didn’t want to leave me in Japan alone over the holidays.”

“Where are you staying?”

“Hotel.”

“I have a friend with a B and B, maybe they’ll have a room. There’s a friendly group from Japan there right now.”

“Really?” Hanayo looked interested.

“Cute girls too.” Eli winked, expecting Hanayo to blush or be flustered...but her client had just leaned forward, a spark behind her glasses.

“And they might have a room?”

“I’ll have to ask Honoka. They might be booked. It’s…” Eli frowned, trying to remember the name of Nozomi’s client, she’d looked her up, “Yazawa Nico.”

“NICO NI!” Hanayo was on her feet instantly, shoving Eli’s desk back, demonstrating unexpected and impressive lung capacity, “NICO NI is here? I have to meet her.” Hanayo started for the door.

“Slow down.” Eli was on her feet, hand out, “First we have to find a winter sport for you. Your parents requested pictures. I can’t afford a refund.”

“Oh.” Hanayo collapsed in her chair.

“But after that, I’m meeting Nozomi and if you don’t have any plans, you can come along.” Eli suspected that even if Hanayo had already made plans, they would be quickly cancelled.

With a great deal of effort to not throw herself at Eli or the door, Hanayo spoke in a more normal tone. “Thank you, Ayase-san.”

“Just call me Eli,” Eli grinned, and pulled up her contact list, “Now what do you think about ice skating?”

[yrpspiritsintheshadows]

Old Wounds

Old Wounds

Dear Mr. Miyamoto,

It is with great fear I am reaching out to you. I don't know what to do. You're my last hope here with this. My name is Charlotte and I'm 18 years old, but I still live at home. I go to Geistville Community College.

I have this doll, it was given to me by a relative, whom I am not close with. I've enclosed a picture of the doll at the bottom. Ever since getting her, weird things have been happening. My name's been called when I'm the only one home, I've had nightmares where I can't breath and woke up with these weird bruises around my neck.

I brushed it off at first because my family thought I was nuts. It wasn't until the doll started moving off of its stand at night that I realized I'm NOT crazy and this is in fact happening.

First, it'd be on the floor. No big deal, I have a cat, Pearl, she knocks things off my shelves sometimes but this is a porcelain doll and Pearl sleeps in the living room in her cat cave. If Pearl knocked it over, it should've broken. Nope. Still intact.

Then, I swear I saw its eyes follow me when I was getting ready for school.

Last night, I had the nightmare about not being able to breathe and when I woke up, the doll was on top of me.

Please… Please help me. I'm scared it's going to kill me…

Eiji sighed heavily, reading over the letter for what felt like the hundredth time. It had been concerning when he received it initially.

Now, reading it over again, there was dread building up. He pulled up the photograph included.

The doll, to anyone else, looked normal. Snow white porcelain, dark, almost black brown eyes, she had a purple chiffon dress on, covered in ruffles and frills, her pale blonde hair in ringlets around her head.

If the doll wasn't involved in a haunting and didn't look so… otherworldly, Eiji would've called it "cute" and moved on.

He had to take it with a grain of salt, however… and he wasn't sure if this was something his team should handle.

The last time I dealt with a haunted doll case…

He looked at the picture he kept by the computer of when Ken was a newborn, the day they finally got to bring him home from the hospital.

I made one of the worst mistakes of my life.

Goddess, why did I bring that thing into the house?

Old guilt bubbled in his chest as he bit the nail of his index finger. Normally, he never hesitated… but this had an old wound attached.

"Eiji, I don't want that thing in my house."

"I know, I promise I'm burning it in the morning. It'll be destroyed and not be able to bug anyone again. I got the key. Just focus on resting. Don't want you or the baby getting stressed."

I'm gonna need to talk it over with Carmen. One thing is for sure, I am NEVER bringing that thing into the house.

Not where it could terrorize Ken or Hideki or Hikaru. Not…

He growled.

Not where it can touch Carmen.

Never again.

His heart went out to the girl. He knew what it was like to be terrorized by something you thought was innocent.

Something, that you thought would never get a chance to harm you.

Just hope her house doesn't have stairs.

I need to talk to Carmen… and maybe call Naomi. Because I don't know if I can take this case. I'd have to sell her on it and even then.

He gripped the arm of his chair tighter, eyes trailing from the doll's face to the photograph. Carmen, in the picture, looked exhausted but relieved, holding the tiny bundle that was their son. Safe and sound, home at last.

What am I gonna do? Eiji sighed heavily, getting up. He had to get out of the room for a bit.

He didn't want to have this conversation.

Deep down though, he knew in truth he wanted to help this girl. Free her of whatever was inside the doll.

I'm just scared that it'll bite me again. I usually forward this crap to Naomi.

He headed upstairs, going to Carmen's office. The pool room was nearby, the door was open a crack so she could listen if any of their kids were in the pool.

As it stood, no one was. The boys were in the family room, watching a movie of some sort. It was just them.

He peered inside, Carmen was sketching on her screen tablet, her eyes narrowed in focus.

Eiji swallowed hard, knocking on the doorway. Her eyes never left the tablet but her hand did pause in its movements.

"If this is a bad time, I can come back in an hour." He offered when she did look up.

Carmen narrowed her eyes, looking her husband over… In particular his eyes. He was nervous, shifting in place, hands tucked into his jean pockets.

"What's on your mind, Mi Amor?"

Eiji bit his lip. He really didn't want to have this discussion.

I could just make something up and run upstairs.

But that's lying.

I could say I turned it down and go upstairs and call Naomi.

But that's half lying.

I could…

Augh, I'm gonna have to do this, aren't I?

Eiji let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. Normally, they could talk about everything and anything.

Just. Say it.

"Carmen, I got a letter today from a client about a new case." He frowned, unease blooming within. "I… This is something I really need to talk to you about."

"What's going on?" She frowned, concern washing over her. "Is it involving something like what happened to Hideki and Hikaru?"

"No, no! We're not taking in more kids." He held up his hands. "It's not like that… but it does involve something that we both hate. See, she has this doll and-" Eiji cut himself off, at the stricken look Carmen had. "C-Carmen?"

Carmen narrowed her eyes, shaking her head.

"No. You know the rule." She got up, grabbing a water bottle out of the small fridge she kept in her office. "I don't want any creepy haunted objects in my house!"

"I wasn't going to bring it home." He explained, a pleading look coming to his eyes. "I swear, what happened back then won't happen EVER again."

Carmen stared at him, frustration coming to her eyes.

"I don't… Eiji, if something attaches itself to anything and comes after the kids or me, you'll never forgive yourself. You're STILL upset about what happened." She went up to him, cupping his cheek. He pressed it into her hand, closing his eyes. His shoulders were shaking a little.

"It was my fault." He murmured, his voice cracking a little. "Carmen, I thought…. I thought…"

"Shh… I know." She stroked his arm. "Mi Corazon, I think I know better than anyone… I was scared too."

"He was so tiny… and you were in so much pain… Carmen, I… I'm torn." He ran a hand through his hair, a haunted look in his eyes. "I want to help. I want to help this girl really badly but I don't want to risk you guys either… Especially you." He frowned, bringing his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. "Please…"

Carmen brought her arms around him, stroking his back. She didn't want to say anything, except dig her heels in and say no. In a perfect world, if she said "no" once, he would've never spoken of it again… But the idea of her Eiji even doing that unsettled her.

It still hurt.

While Ken, it seemed had no health issues after his rather unceremonious arrival, they had been terrified.

C-section, having a hard time getting out of bed to go to the NICU, Eiji being there every single moment, trying his best.

We went through heck back then because of a stupid doll…

And now there's another stupid doll out there.

She tightened her arms around him, burrowing her face into his chest.

"I love you." She leaned up, giving him a serious look. "I'm not gonna lie, I don't want you to do this. Not even in the slightest. I want you to give it up."

Eiji nodded, lowering his head a little.

"But… I'm not going to ask you to do that because I don't want someone else getting pushed down the stairs or killed because of some stupid little doll." Carmen tilted his chin up. "But I don't want it in my house. Not even for a night. Okay?"

"It won't go anywhere but a fire pit in some campground off the highway. I promise." Eiji vowed. "I'll cleanse myself before coming in the house too."

Carmen played with his necklace, kissing his chin. He kissed her, holding it for a moment.

She pulled back after a moment, touching her forehead to his.

"I love you." He breathed, relief washing over him like a wave. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She nuzzled him. "You big darn, hero."

"Just an investigator."

"Yeah, who if he brings that doll home, can kiss back rubs goodbye for six years."

"Sounds fair. More than fair." He kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

"Welcome." She wagged her finger at him. "Remember, I better not see it in my house."

"You won't." He grinned.

"Good."

oooooo

He didn't need to hold an entire meeting about this one. Just one message:

"It's a doll. After the investigation, we're burning it. No chance of it going after anyone. Got it?"

They all knew. They had investigated the first doll case and had been part of deflecting others until now.

"Eiji, are you sure about this?" Chase asked as he helped pack up the van, hefting another duffle bag into it. He also packed a gas can full of fuel for a fire. "We can reschedule."

"No."

"Eiji-"

"Chase. I promise, I'm gonna be fine." Eiji smiled a little, trying to hide the dread he was feeling. "I'm scared but I'm fine."

"You could stay home. We could drive down to Monstruo and grab Naomi-"

"Nope. She has kids too." Eiji walked past him. "Gonna go say goodnight to the kids."

Soon as he was gone, the team huddled together.

"Alright, we know this is gonna mess with him." Skyler spoke up, crossing her arms. "So, we have to put as much space between the doll and Eiji as possible."

"I'll be bait." Chase held up a hand.

"Of course you're bait." Lucian smirked, before it faded. "Eiji needs to handle nerve center. He'll be on monitor duty all night. No investigations outside of it."

"He's not gonna be okay with that."

"He will. Something tells me he will and if not." Lucian smirked. "That's what texting Carmen will do."

"... Lucian, you seriously scare me sometimes."

He shrugged.

"Either way. Eiji is not getting set off tonight. We're not letting him get near the darn thing unless it's attaching cameras to it."

"We got all of the spell tags in a box too. We'll stick 'em all around the nerve center."

The team nodded to one another.

No mistakes tonight.

Let's do this for our little ghost family.

oooooo

Charlotte's home was a modest three bedroom house. With white paint and a grey roof, it looked like your typical house.

"My parents are out of the house for the weekend and if I have to leave for the night I will too."

Eiji knocked on the door, leaning a bit to the side.

It wasn't long before a young woman opened it. She was pale, her blond hair hanging in ringlets around her face, the rest pulled into a short ponytail at the back of her head. She wore a bright red scarf around her neck as well.

"Hey there. Charlotte Monroe?"

"Y-Yes? And you're Eiji?"

He smiled reassuringly, offering her a hand as she shook it.

"I promise we're gonna get to the bottom of what's happening to you."

Charlotte relaxed a little, ushering them inside.

"I had my parents take the cat with them. Pearl won't be interfering with anything."

"That's good to know-" Eiji's words died on his lips as he saw what was sitting on the coffee table.

Unease washed over him like a tidal wave as his eyes met its soulless glass orbs.

"I… see we're getting right into it then? This is the doll?"

"Y-Yes." Charlotte shuddered. "I didn't want her in my room tonight. I'm sorry. Will that be a problem?"

"No, not at all."

Chase whistled as he looked it over.

"So, does her hair grow too or-"

"Chase!" Eiji hissed.

Charlotte blinked, confusion in her eyes.

"Hair growing? I… I don't think so. Is that a sign?"

"No, no." Eiji reassured, waving it off. "Just an old legend about another supposedly haunted doll." He gave Chase an annoyed look.

"Oh. Okay. Can I get you guys anything? Tea, soda, coffee?"

"Nah. We're fine, honestly. Shall we?"

She nodded, leading them to the dining room of the home.

"Sorry, I just… feel really uncomfortable talking in front of her."

Eiji gave her a reassuring look, taking out his notepad.

"No worries. Let's hear it."

Charlotte nodded, fumbling with her fingers.

"Okay, for one… I don't have a name for her. I just call her "that thing" since I've honestly always hated dolls. My favorite toys were stuffed animals. I hated it whenever anyone gave me a doll but for some reason I can't seem to get rid of it."

Eiji narrowed his eyes.

"How so?"

Charlotte closed her eyes tightly, exhaling sharply.

"I tried throwing it away when I messaged you. It came back."

"And you're parents wouldn't have brought it back in?"

"Never."

She glared down into the garbage can. She looked at the doll in her other hand, giving it a sneer.

"Meet your new resting place." She chucked it in hard enough that she heard a crack, the doll's neck broken in an awkward angle. She smiled, putting the lid on and heading back inside.

"Alright, time for some Leonideas-" She stopped short as she entered her room.

The doll was lying on her bed, perfectly repaired.

"I was out of the house for less than two minutes." She shivered.

Eiji finished jotting the information down. Internally, he was horrified at what he was hearing, but he was giving an outward appearance of calm. Just trying to do his best to be reassuring.

"I see… and do you still have bruises?" Eiji gave her a gentle look. "My colleague here, he's also a paramedic. It just helps to see for documentation."

Charlotte fidgeted before nodding, undoing the scarf.

As it fell away, the team gasped.

Her neck was covered in bruises, almost all in the same pattern, traveling entirely up her neck. Two on each side.

"Good gracious…" Lucian walked over to her. "Is it alright if I…?"

"You can." She murmured.

Lucian was gentle, tilting her head to the side as he examined the bruises. There was a distinct pattern. One he unfortunately was very familiar with.

"Yeah, these are finger prints." He concluded, stepping back. "They're miniature but these are distinctly human finger prints."

Charlotte replaced her scarf around her neck.

"So… she was choking me for sure?"

"It's possible. Which is why I think it would be in your best interest if you didn't stay the night while we're here." Eiji gave her a gentle look. "Is it possible for you to join your parents? We'll be gone by day break."

"I can go to my boyfriend's house. He lives down the street." She smiled a little. "Bill wouldn't let anyone hurt me."

"Then give him a call and pack up. We'll make sure the doll doesn't bug ya."

"Thank you."

It wasn't long before Charlotte left the house, hurrying down the street on her bike. Eiji closed the door behind her, sighing heavily.

"Alright, since the most activity happens when the doll is in her room, I'll go move it there and get the ghost box setup-"

"Nope." Lucian clamped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm doing that."

"Eh?" Eiji furrowed his brow. "Luce, I can handle this."

Lucian smiled, shoving him along.

"I know. But you've been active in our last two investigations while I had to babysit the cameras. You take a darn turn."

"Wait." Eiji turned around, giving him a suspicious look. "You're… volunteering. As ghost bait. You're actually volunteering!?"

"Yes. Problem?"

Eiji sighed heavily, a bit guilty for being relieved he didn't have to spend too much time in the same room as the doll.

"No."

Lucian grinned wickedly.

"Good. Now, get in the freakin nerve center."

Alright…

Let the night begin.

[darkhymns-fic]

Separate

As Lloyd starts on his journey to look for the Cores, he finds it much harder than he anticipated. He's not used to traveling alone, without her voice by his side.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairings: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3 Notes: It's Colloyd Day!! To celebrate, I wrote a collaborative fic with the wonderful writer, Lil-Samuu, with both of us writing different sides of the same story, hers from Colette's perspective and mine from Lloyd's. This was a fun idea for such a special day! 

For Lil-Samuu's Colette-focused story, please read it here. This is connected to Lloyd's story and works well when read together! @frayed-symphony also drew amazing art for both stories, be sure to check!

---

Lloyd had never been a very good writer.

That simple fact was told to him by Professor Sage whenever she had the chance to. Much of that was complimented by a frown, trying to read over an essay he turned in that very morning while he looked several different shades of guilty. Clearly littered with incomplete sentences, some of them including just the wrong words by nature, it was hard to parse whatever he was trying to say.

Not like he didn’t try, but his characters would get a little sloppy, or merge into one another and make little sense of the sentence he attempted. It wasn’t the same as drawing or making figurines. Those things interested him, feeling like he could create something out of nothing, or just try to mold an idea that he had been holding inside his head. Then it was easier, then it was interesting.

This, writing, just wasn’t interesting to him.

“Gah, why does this stupid stuff matter anyway?” Lloyd had argued, his temper getting the best of him. At 12, he couldn’t control the rawness of his frustration. Though he wouldn’t have much better luck a few years later. “If I want to talk about something, I should just be able to say it! Writing it down takes way longer.”

“There will be times when you can’t just say what’s on your mind at that moment,” his teacher had patiently explained. “It’s good to gather your thoughts and put them down for someone to read later. What if they can’t hear what you to say at that moment? What if it’s easier to say what you want on paper?”

“No way! If I have something to say, I’ll just say it!” Lloyd was proud of his stance on this, hands on his hips, head raised high. Not even his low marks for the day could drag his spirits down.

Until one night, when he had to write a letter for Colette.

Suddenly, he had a chaos of thoughts to say, but no way to say them out loud. And no more bravery to do so.

As he stayed up on the night he would leave her, Lloyd tried to write her a letter, until the picture was clear in his head.

---

Despite the strange warmth in the air, Lloyd had somehow still caught a cold.

“Ah-choo!” Lloyd sneezed a bit loudly. With a sigh, he wrapped his cloak around himself, trudging through the snows before finally seeing the city gates of Flanoir. The spires of its cathedral pierced through the dark night sky, which glittered with so many stars and the brightness of two moons.

“I’d count as many as I could before, when Kratos helped me. But now I can only count a few before my eyes get heavy. But it feels so nice to do so all the same.”

And she would say that with the brightest smile on her face – to be able to sleep again.

Lloyd had barely gotten a full night’s rest since he left Colette.

“Agh, don’t… think on that now. It’s not helping any.” He clamped down on his muttering, trying to keep his lips from getting chapped from the wind. Also, it was kinda weird talking to himself like this? He never used to do it this much, but it had always felt natural before to say whatever was on his mind, knowing someone was with him to hear it. Sometimes he’d listen to how Colette would do the same, pattering off the names of dogs she found, or talking about the shapes she saw up in the cloudy skies, and he’d drink in the sound of her voice.

Each night was quiet and empty without her.

Lloyd finally made it past Flanoir’s entrance, dimly annoyed at himself for landing his Rheiard a bit far off from the city. But it’d be dumb to just get the vehicle out from his wing pack, fly it for like a minute, and then get off again! Even though his walk had been an extra 15 minutes because of it, but Lloyd was stubborn like that.

He kept making dumb little mistakes like this lately. A wrong flight turn at Sybak, then leaving half of his Gald at one town accidentally… and now here at Flanoir…

Lloyd’s satchel that he carried over his shoulder was light; he’d gone through most of his food, sometimes snacking in the middle of the night when he could barely sleep. He kinda wished the blessing of Martel gave him better self-control… or the power to summon infinite food… or something else that was cool.

“The power to summon doggies! All kinds from around the world!”

“Heh, yeah. That would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it? Kinda like my Sorcerer’s Ring that one time!”

Lloyd blinked, stopping in the middle of the street when he realized. Oh, now he was making up conversations between them…

Martel had said her power would protect him from the mental effects of his mission, but he was clearly already losing it! Needing something to do with his hands, he looked through his satchel, trying to remember what he needed. More food definitely, maybe some mittens (he still had a few Penguinist’s Quills), a couple of Gels, but did he even have enough money…? He kept searching, assessing, his hand brushing against something familiar, making him stop.

He held out what he found, the sky feeling heavy, yet the weight in his palm so light. Red-dyed gloves imprinted against the white, the contrast so strong in his eyes still.

He was losing it, or… he just really, intensely missed Colette. He thought knowing that she was safe now would be enough but…

It had been only a week or so since Lloyd had left Colette – not bravely, not with an explanation of any sort even. The air had been familiar in that part of Sylvarant, just near Iselia. Maybe that was why he had chosen to go on that very night. Colette wouldn’t be far from the town; she’d go back to her home, to people that would be there for her, when he couldn’t be. She’d be able to have a normal life to herself again, one that was denied from her; from the world, and even from himself.

He had already involved her in one dangerous mission with him. He couldn’t put her in another. That was what he told himself – what he kept trying to tell himself.

Lloyd did wish he hadn’t left her completely alone though. He had tried sneaking away by himself, but Noishe, who had tagged along with them for most of the journey, soon caught wind of his movements. The only way to stop the dog’s whining was to take him along, at least far enough to Dirk’s home. Maybe Colette would stop by there…

Someone bumped against his shoulder, nearly making him trip. Oh. Yeah, he was still standing in the middle of the street like an idiot. Clearing his throat, he put back the weight he held into his satchel and moved away, the antiquated buildings – yet taller and sturdier than most buildings back in Sylvarant – giving him a nostalgic sense. The snow fell more gently here than outside the city walls, probably because those same walls buffered the wind, leaving more pleasant but still chilly weather.

…Actually, it was a bit warmer here too, even more than he expected. That’s weird… The cloak now felt a bit too suffocating this way. He had to loosen it from his neck, giving himself room to breathe.

Things in the world weren’t right, not completely. From changes in temperature to a certain taste in the air. That was why one night, Lloyd had heard Martel’s voice in his head, telling him what he needed to do. He was supposed to search for the Cores. But, in all honesty, Lloyd had no idea where to begin. He had just… somehow ended up here. In Flanoir.

That had been another mistake. Why did he travel to this place?

---

In the cozy warmth of his room, the metal fireplace insulating him well against the cold from outside, Lloyd had nearly fallen asleep on his feet until he heard a soft knocking on his door.

Usually, Lloyd would conk out like a log once entering an inn room. Just the sight of a bed invited him to just lay down and close his eyes right away. The pleasant heat of the entire inn already had him yawning and stretching, the snows from beyond the building muffling most sounds.

But this time he stayed up. He expected something. There had been so much in his head, the snow gently falling.

She didn’t even have to say anything until she opened the door, her hair so bright –

---

Lloyd found himself at the inn before he knew it.

“Oh,” he said aloud, looking around like a gaping fish. He had just completely blanked out on his walk to here. How’d that happen? He rubbed his scalp, thinking on it a bit too hard.

“Oh! You’re Lloyd Irving, aren’t you?”

Well, that got his attention. Lloyd turned to the front, finding a man around his age, waving to him.

“Yeah! I remember you! You and your friends would stay here all the time like a year back.”

“Uh! Y-yeah, hey!” Lloyd waved at him, walking to the front past some dining tables, his boots making the floorboards creak. He felt so bad not remembering this person’s name… He did recognize the face though. The guy had short cropped black hair, a ready smile on his face. He seemed pretty happy to see Lloyd?

“Are your friends going to come by too?”

“Hm? Oh, no, it’s just me this time around.” Saying that out loud suddenly felt weird, as if the reality of everything had just now sunk in. No, no, he had known that all along. He had just been trying to push it away in the back of his skull, that was all. “For a, uh… a quick visit!”

The man behind the counter continued to smile at him. So, was he the receptionist? The innkeeper? Maybe the cook that just happened to be out here while the real receptionist was on break? Colette would probably remember… At the least, she might have remembered his name. Having gone with Lloyd around the world to name every dog she met, she learned and memorized most people’s names they came across too.

And maybe she would remember this person, especially after her and Lloyd had been rejected by so many inns at so many places.

But she wasn’t here with him.

“I could tell it was you. No one else wears so much red around here!” The guy kept laughing and talking, but it was hard to pay attention. Things didn’t seem right, like Martel had told him. Things just weren’t right.

And it was up to him to fix it.

---

“Those with the blessing of Martel can weather the mental drain of the Cores. So only you can take this mission.”

Yuan had always been blunt and straight to the point. At least at this moment, Lloyd appreciated it. After some rough first impressions, both had started to trust one another. Especially with the presence of Martel binding them.

Still, he had to ask. “Why doesn’t that include Colette though?”

Yuan raised an eyebrow. It was strange not seeing him wear the dark cloak anymore, his clothes more casual, his eyes less hard and bitter. The tree behind him was still a small thing, a sapling with the first hint of greenery, leaves beginning to sprout forth. He couldn’t see Martel, but he could sense her – despite not knowing what exactly she thought of his question.

With Yuan, he could tell right away. “You’re thinking what I just asked was stupid, aren’t you?”

“Never said that.” Yuan frowned. “But why Colette specifically?”

“Because… she was with me when we both went to the tree. When we gave it a name!”

“When you gave it a name,” Yuan reiterated. “Remember?”

Lloyd sighed. “Okay… but we both promised we’d do anything to protect the tree from withering.”

“It was still you that made that promise. And Martel accepted that promise, along with the name you’ve chosen, as proof of the pact.” Yuan sighed. “Or should I go over the way such pact-formations work again?”

“I got it, I got it.” Lloyd held back another sigh. He had left Colette at a Church of Martel, her business with the priests allowing him time to visit this place with the World Tree.  Even though she had been here before, even though she had heard the name he gave… She had asked of him to give it a name…

“Are you just looking for an excuse to not do this?”

“No!” Lloyd said back. “I never said I wouldn’t do it. I’ll find the Cores and keep Ratatosk from awakening them. If only I can.”

“That’s right,” Yuan said, now appearing to be satisfied. “Only you.”

He felt Martel’s own satisfaction as well, but in there, a small tinge of understanding.

Lloyd still wished for a different outcome.

---

“Do you want a room? Hello?”

Again, he had been thinking too hard on things, losing track of everything. If Colette was here, she’d have nudged him for spacing out. Or talked with the innkeeper/receptionist/chef? Lloyd still wasn’t sure…

“S-sorry. Uh, what were you asking?”

“Just wanted to know if you needed a room. We can probably give you a discount after all your stays with us! Like… like 10 percent max though.”

Lloyd thought on it longer, much longer than he meant to. The inn’s rooms were warm, but the place was already so warm, warmer than it needed to be. Any other time, it would make him fall fast asleep, but like before, his mind kept turning over and over.

When Colette opened the door to his room, he had felt those thoughts settle. But, she wouldn’t do that now. Because he left her.

“Um, no. That’s okay. I’ll be leaving already.”

“Oh? Then… why did you come here?”

Lloyd paused just as he was turning away, the words completely lost to him. There was a weight in his chest that was hard to get rid of.

“I’m not sure,” he said out loud, then left through the inn door. He still didn’t learn that guy’s name.

---

When Lloyd had left with Noishe to his dad’s home, part of him had been calm. Something about seeing the two-story house there, the vines climbing up the walls, the sun’s rays slanting over the creek that ran around his house, had been relieving. The dog happy-whined at the sight, already wanting to run towards the home, his large ears flicking with excitement.

Lloyd honestly felt the same. But he stopped himself from just running forward. Moving further out of the forest, he saw Dirk watering the garden, probably having been up since dawn doing all the other chores in the house – including taking care of what had been Lloyd’s own chores.

He could barely hold back anymore, so with a shout, he called out to him. “Hey! Dad!”

The dwarf perked his head up, his beard somehow even bushier than before. Noishe had rushed past Lloyd, ambling up to Dirk to get promptly petted on his furry head. “Lloyd! Haven’t seen ya in a while. Still holding up?”

“Yeah!” Lloyd answered a bit quickly, waiting for his dad to make the connection. The space around him was too prominent, the lack of a voice too clear.

“I don’t see Colette with you today. Is she back in Iselia?”

Lying is the first step down the path of thievery. And even though Lloyd had definitely lied before, that vow felt so much more vital at this moment. She probably was in Iselia at this moment, maybe even looking for him…

“Someone needs my help,” Lloyd said, a little rushed, but still convinced he had to go through with it. “I can’t have Colette involved in it. So… we need to be separate from now on.”

He inwardly winced, seeing the gears in his father’s head work, assessing the truth of his words. That was one other reason why he didn’t lie often. His dad could always tell when he did anyway.

“How long will you be gone then?” Dirk finally asked, stopping his petting of Noishe to cross his thick arms over his chest.

“I’m not sure. It might be a while. I… really don’t have any idea.”

“Have you told Colette any of this?”

A pause. “I did.” This one wasn’t a lie still, but he held back. He had a feeling Dirk wouldn’t approve of the way he told Colette.

But sometimes things couldn’t be said right away at that moment. Sometimes one needed to wait and gather one’s thoughts, suddenly all so mixed up. And sometimes, it was easier.

Dirk continued to visibly ponder over Lloyd’s words, the sun still shining brightly, despite a small chill in the air. The weather had been strange lately, like the hint of snow back in Triet. Lloyd didn’t have much time to pause and wander around anymore. But still, he had to come here, he had to have some closure in something.

His father looked him straight in the eyes. It didn’t matter that he was a few feet shorter – Lloyd always felt smaller in his presence no matter what.

“You’re doing what you believe is right and true, are you?”

“Yeah!” This he knew for sure, even though the pain of leaving Colette was still fresh. “Of course!”

“And you won’t go making trouble for people out there?”

“No way! I swear!”

Then, that bushy beard revealed a white, shining grin. “Then what are ya waiting for? Get to completing your tasks so you and Colette can travel together again.”

Lloyd blinked, feeling out of sorts almost. “You’re not mad?”

“Lloyd, you’ve done nothing to make me angry. I trust you. Just as I know that Colette trusts you too. Just promise you’ll be careful.”

“Right! I will!” Back then, his burdens felt lifted, at least for a moment. Still, he had one thing to ask. “Hey, Dad? If, um, Colette comes by…”

He paused, wondering if he had a right to say this. He had given her a letter, but was that enough?

“Go on, Lloyd,” Dirk said, his voice gentler.

“Can you tell her…?”

---

Maybe camping out in the snows was his way of punishing himself.

But still, the outside was not nearly as cold as it should have been. Either way, Lloyd wore his cloak, and if he buried his hands underneath the snows, they’d go numb with the chill regardless. He made the campfire by rote, soon finding the flames eat up the kindling, already melting the snow underneath it. Snowflakes still drizzled down, if not as fiercely as they once did a year ago.

“Could we still make snowmen like this? Or do you think it would melt too fast?”

“We could try! Just gotta speed through it! Whoever makes the fastest snowman wins!”

“Oh! What do I win then?”

“Hey, why are you assuming you’d win already?”

Lloyd sat against a big snowdrift, half burying himself in it. Here he was, making up conversations again. What would his dad think of him now though? He no longer felt as confident as he should have been.

In his satchel, there was little food and money. He had forgotten to stock up, already leaving Flanoir before even staying there for more than an hour. It hadn’t felt right, being there without her. Traveling all this time with her, and then suddenly an emptiness around him.

His hand had brushed against the snowbunny she had given him earlier in the city, its shape fitting into his palm. It was the one thing he made sure to never forget to leave behind.

“And I get to stay by your side, right?”

Lloyd shut his eyes, overwhelmed by the memory, the guilt, the need to have her seated beside him. And then he was overwhelmed by the reality that she would not be with him for so long.

“I’m sorry,” he said out loud to the fire, seeing the way it flickered in the darkness. The fire seemed to cast long shadows, longer than they should.

Lloyd raised his head. The clouds finally cleared, giving him a clear view of the stars.

There were so many new ones ever since the worlds reunited. People of both worlds now shared the same sky, the same stars, and the same moons. Sometimes he wondered, back when Tethe’alla was separate, how different the sky must have looked compared to Sylvarant’s. Or maybe it was still so similar. But with them meshed together like this, that distinction no longer mattered. Everything was now under one sky.

Colette was under this sky too. She seemed to like counting the stars with him.

There was one particularly bright star. It flickered like a candle in the pitch-black expanse above him. Looking up at that star made his head feel a little clearer. The tension in his neck seemed to dissipate.

Under this same sky, maybe Colette was watching this star too? Thinking that, at least a little bit.

The air was warmer than it should have been, but still Lloyd wrapped his cloak around himself, the empty space around him much too wide, much too cold. He’d do better tomorrow, figure out what he needed to do, where he needed to go, to finish his mission and get back to Colette.

It was just hard to get used to.

“I’ll come back, okay?” he said out loud, watching that same bright star. No one would hear him, not for a long while. But someday, she would.

It was nice though, looking up at the sky, at that star…

---

Dear Colette,

By the time you read this, I’ll have already left on my own journey. Sounds familiar, right?

I think I understand why you wrote me that letter back then. It’s not easy to do this. You look really happy when you’re sleeping, and I don’t want to ruin that with this. Or maybe I’m too worried to do that anyway.

This will be familiar too… I care about you too deeply to get you involved. Sorry, I’m just stealing your words at this point. I’m not good at this!

Even though… I wish you could be involved? But I can’t ask that of you. I can’t ask that of anyone.

But I can promise you though that I’ll come back! I want to protect this world, this world with Colette in it. And I want to keep staying by your side, too.

But for now, I can’t.

I’m sorry.

I was happy traveling with you all this time. Just with you. And I wanted to keep that going.

I’m sorry for leaving, and for telling it you this way. I hope you can forgive me.

But I’ll always  I really feel like I I’ll miss you, Colette.

I’ll come back.

-Lloyd

[stormysurveys]

1

When did you last see someone you know in public? + -- Good question. I don’t remember. I think it was while grocery shopping and it was someone I used to work with.

Do you enjoy going to the dentist? + -- I’m not really sure anybody ENJOYS the dentist, but I’ve been wrong before.

When did you last eat something you didn’t like? + -- I’m not really sure.

Do you think you’d survive if zombies took over the world? + -- I think I’d last a little while, but I’m sure something would happen in the end, hah.

When did you last hang out with a bunch of friends at one time? + -- Unless you count online, I wouldn’t know. 

What kind of music is your least favorite? + -- Usually country or Christian rock. Nothing personal but after having it shoved down my throat for years because my parents refused to listen to anything else, it kind of makes me uncomfortable to hear it now.

Are you and your best friend complete opposites? + -- Nah. 

Would people around you say you’re regularly a mean person? + -- Not really. I don’t think so anyway.

Do you like the color yellow at all? + -- I don’t mind it.

If you were to write a novel, what would it be about? + -- I actually have a lot of story ideas, but I don’t know if they’d be anything people would want to read.

How many times have you logged in to Bzoink? (it has a counter) + -- I’m actually not in possession of a Bzoink account. I’ve considered it, but I’m wary of drama.

Are you currently pretending to be someone’s friend? + -- Why would I do that? 

Are you an impatient person? + -- I can be. It really depends on what. 

Are you afraid to watch movies that have sex scenes with your friends? + -- No, but I prefer watching movies where the sex scene makes sense? I’m a little hypocritical in that I will gladly watch SAW but two people making love would make me grimace. Yep. I’m -that- person.

Who sings the last song you listened to? + -- I don’t have that kind of memory.

Why do you think some actors dont want to see their movies/shows? + -- It can probably be a little awkward or just annoying. Maybe they don’t want to come across as egotistical or something, I don’t know.

Do you think fortune tellers are the devil’s messengers (haha)? + -- I don’t think that they’re “the devil’s messengers”, no. Some are scammers, others may not be. I’ve met people who were very sensitive to that sort of thing, but I wouldn’t just believe anyone who claimed to be a fortune teller.

Would you rather use napkins or paper towels? + -- Probably a paper towel. I don’t think I have any napkins.

Do you go to the pool in the summer time very often? + -- If it’s warm enough. It’s rarely warm enough here for me to want to swim.

Have you ever had a serious issue involving your eyes? + -- Nothing terribly serious, but I’ve been nearsighted since I was young. 

Have you ever watched South Park? Who’s your favorite character? + -- I actually love South Park. I don’t know if I had a favorite character.

Do you have sensitive teeth? + -- Not really. 

Do you enjoy or hate snow days? Why is this your choice? + -- When I was in school I did. Now I just find myself groaning because driving in snow is annoying and it becomes this brown, sludgy mess. 

Do you turn pale when you get sick? + -- I’m always pale, so I don’t know if there’s a change.

Does it bother you to get shots in the mouth? Does it hurt? + -- The last time I had a shot in the mouth the area was numbed and I barely felt it. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever panicked when in that position. 

When did you last talk seriously with one of your parents? + -- I don’t know. 

What is the day of the week currently? + -- It is Monday.

Is anything exciting coming up in the next three months? + -- Not for me? I don’t really like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Do you ever borrow money from someone? + -- Nope. 

Do you know anyone who tells every single thing you say? + -- Nope. 

When did you last kiss someone on the cheek? Who was it? + -- My husband. Probably ... the other day? 

Why do you think people like Lady Gaga so much? + -- I respect people who have the guts to actually be themselves in a world that tries to mold you into another clone.

Do you have a lot of enemies, or not so much? + -- I may have enemies, I may not. They can come to me.

Can you count backwards from 100 without a mistake? + -- Yes. 

Do you have any friends you’ve had since birth? + -- I don’t.

Do you care if your friends talk badly about you? + -- They are my friends, and I’d be very disappointed if they did. But I suppose if they did and they were serious, they wouldn’t be friends. I don’t have time to waste on people like that.

Would you rather drink out of a straw or just the cup alone? + -- I don’t drink out of straws as they tend to cut my mouth when I inevitably start chewing on them.

Does anyone ever say they miss you often? + -- No.

Would you rather become a wizard or a vampire, if you had the choice? + -- Why not a vampire wizard? I could study BLOOD MAGIC.

Is there anyone out there who has made you feel miserable? + -- Yes. 

Do you have a problem answering personal questions? + -- Not really.

What color is the vacuum-cleaner in your house? + -- White. 

Have you already moved out of your parents’ house? + -- I moved out a long time ago.

Are your parents divorced, married or seperated? + -- Divorced.

Have you ever thought you might just have obsessive compulsive disorder? + -- No. 

Do you think it’s rude to text someone else while on a date? + -- I think it’s usually pretty rude, yeah. But if you have something going on and you tell me beforehand that you might have to answer a call, I might be a little irritated but I would understand.

What is the funniest movie you’ve ever seen? + -- That is a good question.

What are your views on our current president? + -- Sigh. Honestly, I hate how half the news is “who said what on Twitter” and he’s usually at the forefront of it. It makes me want to bash my head into a wall.

Has one of your websites ever quit operating or shut down? Were you sad? + -- Oh yeah. I was pretty upset about it. 

Is it awkward to see your best friend’s parents out in public? + -- I wouldn’t care. 

Who is the person you talk to the most in your house? + -- My husband as he’s the only person I live with.

Is there a television show out there that you never miss? + -- I really don’t watch TV.

What movie have you seen too many times to be healthy? + -- Oh, probably something like All Dogs Go to Heaven. I used to watch it back to back.

What are the last two digits of your phone number? + -- 94. 

Does it creep you out to see people with mullets? + -- No. 

What is your biggest responsibility in your household? + -- Seeing as I am an adult, I share in all of them. 

How cold did it get where you live, last winter? + -- It might’ve dipped below zero once or twice. I don’t remember.

Do you ever wish you could go back in time to redo something? + -- I do, yes.

Ever accidentally pull out a filling from your tooth? + -- I’ve never had fillings.

Do you ever wonder what your exes are doing? + -- Sometimes. I don’t miss them but I do hope they’re doing better now.

Have you ever been caught in a huge lie with your parents? + -- I don’t believe so? I didn’t have any friends growing up so going out and getting into trouble never happened with me. 

Do you ever listen to the radio anymore? + -- Rarely.

Does it bother you to have personal conversations with people? + -- No. 

Ever ride in a limo? When did you last do so? + -- I’ve never ridden in a limo.

Do any of your body parts hurt at this moment in time? + -- Not currently. 

Are you sober at the time being? + -- Yes.

Do any of your friends constantly do things to annoy you? + -- No

When did you last eat a Starburst? What color was it? + -- That I don’t know.

Have you ever lied to someone & said they could sing when they couldn’t? + -- I don’t think so. 

Do you ever call backstabbers out on what they do? + -- It’s tempting, but I think I’d only call them out if it was a necessity.  

How many people in the world do you trust? + -- Very few. Less than four.

[broken-hearts-lives-among-us]

Pretending (Part 3) Jughead J. x Reader

Summary: Drama in Riverdale seems to never end, your home-life was a mess, your past was still hunting you, yet, breaking up with your boyfriend was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. How are you supposed to go through all the chaos that was coming? Are you going to keep pretending to be the normal nice girl? Or his your heart willing to reveal it’s true skin?

Part 1 Part 2

Pairing: Jughead Jones x reader

Words: 3048

Note: English isn’t my first language, I deeply apologize for any mistake.

The news of who killed Jason Blossom didn’t took long to get to your ears, having the pleasure of being notify by Sheriff Keller himself, the fact that Clifford Blossom murdered his own son was a sour event for the town with pep.

Although that wasn’t the end of the path and the suicide of the Blossom father didn’t made things easier, the responsible was no longer in this life to pay for his actions, and Riverdale’s Master of Justice wouldn’t be happy until someone got the check, that’s why FP was now facing a court about how many damn years it will take to pay the debt.

For you, things were just slightly better, after the video of the fatidic homicide was released to the forces involved, your lie wasn’t substantial enough to keep the image of being part of Jason’s death, but, you’re still being judge as an accomplice for giving a false statement at your confession and hiding the truth.

Yet, Kevin was keeping you updated about the information he eavesdropped from his father, he even heard Josie begging his mother to sneak a hand and help you not going to jail, that melted your heart away, you knew Josie was fond with you since you’ve always help the Pussycats with their outfits and stuff, but the fact that she was that worried about you was just the cutest thing ever.

Things seemed like they were just moving forward.

Maybe the sun was raising again in Riverdale

Maybe finally all this nightmare was ending.

Oh, how wrong you are.

“Hey.” Said that low-deep voice that still haunted you in your dreams.

“Hey.” You muttered without shifting your position, siting in the floor leaning your back against the cell bars, you felt him mirroring your position leaning his back against yours, the only thing forbidding the touch were those rusty iron bars.

Your heart started pounding at three hundred miles per second, this was the first conversation with Jughead since you practically told him to“Left you alone and fuck off” and lately all your talks ended up being a mess, the depth between you were just growing bigger and bigger.

“My father might be facing 20-40 years… They offered him a deal, he could spill out some names of the Serpents and that could low the sentence…”

“FP wouldn’t accept that. He’s just to stubborn and loyal…” you said closing your eyes, analyzing the new information cautiously.

“I know… I just, everything is so wrong you know…?” He sighed making your heart to swell, you slipped a hand between the bars to hold his, you squeezed it slightly as you two entangled fingers.

It was such and innocent and subtle touch, yet it made the whole world feel safe.

“How is your case?” he asked slowly, enjoying the little lazily whispering chats he has missed so much.

“I honestly don’t know… I had heard a lot of things I’m not sure what to believe, I think that in the best situation I’ll be set free with some community service job.”

“That’s great!” he cheered silently, a sincere smirk twitching at his face. “The social services were at Archie’s home today…” he added when you nodded.

“Oh, so you too.” You said quietly surprised, it wasn’t something you expected to happen, you thought that everything was okay with the Andrews taking care of him.

“What do you mean by “me too”? Did they come to see you?” he asked turning his head, facing your back.

“Oh no, no, no, they came for Tobias.” You said tightening the grip in his hand involuntary.

“Wait, what?” he said surprise turning his hole body to face you.

“Yeah, the day my house burned down.” You added casually, the more you said it out loud, the more realistic it became.

“Excuse me?” he said amused making you roll your eyes.

“Do I have to repeated it or what?”

“Actually, that would be pretty helpful, you’re welcomed to tell me everything from the beginning.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You grunted.

“No, that’s not the point, the point is why we haven’t talk about that? Why you didn’t come to me?” he sounded hurt, and truly concerned, maybe you were being a little too hard…

You shifted, locking eyes with him. “It happened the same day FP got arrested.” You sighed. “My aunt accidentally, well I want to believe it was an accident, she threw a lightning match onto the floor and I didn’t notice until the fire started, and then the police took her and then the social services came, and Tobias was gone and… and I basically lost my home and my family in a matter of hours.” You said as quickly and summarized as you could.

You never broke the eye contact as you admired his shocked features, even in awe he was so freaking handsome, like the way his iconic lock of hair in front of his eyes contrasted with the lovely blue-icy orbs, and his slightly parted lips looked so plumb and tempting.

“You should have told me all of this before.” You read his lips rather than listening to his voice.

“Why?” you asked raising your eyes to meet his. “I’m not your deal anymore, your charity cause is over, now you have a girlfriend to take care of.” There was resentment in your heart, yet not in your statement, the words you said just leaved your mouth cold and numb, as if it wasn’t meant to mean something.

He cut your staring contest, looking down at his clenching fits. “What I said that day… I didn’t really mean it, I didn’t want things to ended like it did.”

“But it did… And it hurt, and at some point, I truly believed you meant it, Jughead…” you broke the hold on his hand, missing the feeling of your finger intertwined. “You have Betty now… And she has you, and I believe everything is okay with that.”

“I don’t really know… Like, today she wrote an article defending the Southside, and she was called “Serpent Slut”. I don’t want to be a burden to her, she’s pretty awesome…” he confessed resting his face against the cell.

“Yeah, that’s pretty cool and reckless.” You comment looking out of the window.

‘I mean, I give an illegal false statement to give your family the chance to be together again, and I might be facing jail because I wanted to protect your father, but yeah, a news article it’s pretty cool too.’ You couldn’t help but think with jealously, rolling your eyes at him.

“What?” he said snapping you out of your world.

“What, what?”

“You just rolled your eyes at me.”

“No, I didn’t.” you said restraining a blush to creep from your cheeks.

Suddenly a smug smirk appeared in his face.

“What?” you said frowning, kind of anticipating his answer.

“Are you jealous, Y/N?”

You looked at him in disbelieve, did he really say that?

You stood up at the same time that him, ready to smack that idiotic beautiful smile out of his dumb face. Yet, Sheriff Keller appeared to save the situation, well, he just saved Jughead’s ass, maybe he came to cut your head off already.

“Y/N Y/L/N, it’s time for you to face the court.” He said opening the cell, you nodded silently locking eyes with Jug as you walked out of the cage.

Keller leaded the way and you followed him silently, sharing a last with Jughead before disappearing from his visual camp.

How was fate going to treat after all this years? Would it smile at you for once, or kick you in the guts again?

~

The white soft blanked of snow was embracing the path that the loner boy and the perfect next-door-girl were walking through as they talked, leaving their foot marks behind.

“I just said Betts, that it’s like if the whole universe was telling me I don’t belong here, that everything is better without me being here… Even you, the school idiots would let you alone and in peace if it wasn’t because of me…” he said to her thinking about the events of the day, the decision between staying and going was actually killing his mind.

“I don’t believe in that Juggy… Riverdale is your home as much as mine, and here you have us, we can take care of you… In the Southside you would be all by your own, and that worries me…” the blonde said hugging his boyfriend’s arm, he smirked at her caring speech, thinking all her words one by one.

“I would have Y/N.” he mentioned trying to cheer her up, yet, it felt like it had the reversed effect as she tensed up.

“Honestly Juggy… We don’t really know if she’s going to get free from what she did…” she stopped their tracks caressing his cheek.

“I’ve the feeling she will… She didn’t really do anything bad, I mean, she didn’t know she was defending Clifford Blossom, she just tried to help.”

“She lied to a cop, that’s illegal Juggy.” She argued with a sighed, insecurity traveling to her eyes.

“Hey…” The boy’s factions softened noticing the problem in the girl between his arms. “It doesn’t matter what happens… I’m sure it won’t change anything between us.” He assured her kissing her lips smoothly, trying to ease the problems from her mind, even though, deep inside of him he wasn’t completely sure about his words.

For the first time it was the loner boy who was being fight by two precious hearts, and it scared him like nothing more.

~

Jughead’s Pov.

At Riverdale you had the jogs, the nerds, the artists, the popular elite, and pretty much everything a normal cliché High School poses, the Southside wasn’t more different, aside from the fact that instead of dealing with bully jogs, we have the Ghoulies, who are drug dealers, yay.

The poor state of the building also leaves much to desire, and what about all the security protocol? Yeah sure, the reputation of the south was nothing near good, but I don’t really like to be check by a security guard every morning.

I was currently being dragged by this Toni Topaz Southside Serpent girl who was giving me the tour around the school’s hallways, sharing with me some facts, or more like, warnings about what to do or no to in order to survive.

As I spaced out vaguely hearing her words I couldn’t help but think about Y/N, I haven’t heard of her since Sheriff Keller took her that day, and besides that, how was she dealing with a place like this?

“Hey.” I said turning my face to Toni, apparently interrupting something she was saying. “Do you know Y/N?”

She laughed as soon as my words left my mouth. “Everybody knows her Jones, after what she did for your father… Woah, seriously she has like the massive respect from the Serpents now.”

I blinked twice, portraying her like this kind of Serpent Queen which made me feel something bittersweet.

“But I knew her even before that, I went to her house when it burnt, tragic day, I can still hear her cry in my mind.” She sighed, I could tell she was picturing the image in her eyes.

I didn’t say a think, feeling lost at his words, feeling sick at the picture of she crying, in front of the flames, seeing all her life crashing down, and, where was I? In some fancy dinner at the Cooper’s, in a ridiculous suit enjoying that sort of manipulated trap made by Alice?

I felt the regret and the impotence building up my chest, and it didn’t leave me through the rest of the lessons, apparently no one has listen from Y/N, I couldn’t concentrate as the doubts stared to ring in my mind.

What if I never saw her again?

What if she passes the rest of her young life in jail?

What if she feels alone?

And if her jail mates don’t treat her well?

What if she doesn’t like the food?

Oh god, what if she’s never able to try a burger from Pop’s again?

What if she managed to scape from the justice and now she’s a run-away criminal?

‘Okay Jughead, stop it. Overthinking is an asshole and you know that, screw it up already.’ I sigh trying to calm myself as I seated alone at the canteen ready to read my book and ignore everyone else.

Surprised was my faced when a bunch of people took a sit at my table, and they didn’t hit me, or mocked at me, they just talk to me.

They even laugh at my sardonic humor rather than see me as an emotionless human being.

It was kind of refreshing.

I smiled as I saw them laugh, but it didn’t distract me from the sudden presence behind me.

Y/N?

I turned, being welcomed by the awe, and the slightly disappointment, of being faced by Betty, Archie and Veronica. What the hell were they doing at the Southside?

I ended up with the crew at the outsiders of the high school, talking with Betty about my decision of voluntarily moving to the rotten side of the apple.

“Betty come on… This place, I feel like here were I got wanted, they seem to need and, and they respect me! I kind of fit in here…” I said caressing her arms, trying to explain her that I did feel some sort of comfortability at this the place.

“And what about us Jughead? What about me? I need you too.” She crossed her arms looking at me with concern? Disapproval? Confusion? I didn’t quite know, too many emotions.

Though I could feel her sad demeaner as I embraced her tightly. “I promise you I’ll be there for you, even if I’m here.” I soothed, catching with the glimpse of and eye the eager staring of a ginger haired as I kissed my girlfriend’s hands.

Yet our moment didn’t last longer as the raven-haired girl of the group read her message, whose words froze our blood as we ran to save Riverdale’s Blossom princess before she drowned in despair.

~

“The whole town is going crazy Dad, I mean, Cheryl just tried to committed suicide in the same place her twin died, it feels surreal…” the beanie boy whispered uneasy, facing the glowing moon through the jail’s window.

“That’s why I need to stick with the ones that have my back, Jughead. I’m not giving any names to Sheriff Keller or Major McCoy.” He looked at me, decision glowing at his eyes. “Just like Y/N did to protect me, it was a dumb decision, but I appreciated it.”

“I don’t know where she is, no one knows… Dad, what if we don’t see her again?”

“Do you care?” FP asked raising an eyebrow, yet he knew he knew the answer.

“Of course, I do, I miss her.” Jughead confessed. “I have missed her all this months and… I thought I could handle being without her because it was just temporally, until she was okay with me again, but if it’s permanent, if her absence becomes permanent… I don’t know what I’ll do…” Jughead confessed overwhelmed by everything that was happening in his life so suddenly.

“Why do you care for her so much son?”

“well, she’s Y/N… She has always been there, she’s important to me, my best friend!”

FP chuckled softly. “You’re brilliant Jug, except when it comes to women and love.”

“Oh, and you’re an expert dad? Wanna teach me something?”

“Oh no, son.” He smiled a me halfhearted. “You’re going to be okay…”

They shared a glance, a sort of confident, heartwarming son-father connection. “Yeah, I’m gonna be okay… A foster family is taking me away. They are nice.” he added rolling my eyes, a smile leaving my lips.

“What about Southside High?” FP stand up walking towards his son, never leaving his eyes.

“It’s a high school.” Jughead looked at his dad pointing the obvious. “It’s got the jocks, and the burnouts, and the nerds, and all of that.” He sighed. “I’ll survive.” He reassured, a cocky grin in his face.

FP chuckled at that. “You just might.” His demeanor went serious as he nodded. “Jughead, listen to me. I’m more innocent than I am guilty, but I’ve done some stupid things, some bad things, and come what may, I have to answer for my part of it, you understand? I don’t know what’s gonna happen when this goes to trial, but you need to be there for your mom, for Jellybean.”

“I’ll do my best.” The beanie boy promised.

“Not a doubt in my mind.” Said the Serpent’s boss as he watched at his son we a smile before the chat finished, before he walked away.

To go and meet his friends are the Jubilee.

So, they could go to Pop’s and have a lot of milkshakes.

And just like that, for a moment, the kids were just being kids.

The world, for a while, became safe again.

And then, overwhelmed by the situation, the beanie boy took his blonde girlfriend to his father’s trailer.

So, he could share with her the words his heart was willing to say.

The words that could bring light to his darkness.

“I love you, Betty Cooper.” He said with warm heart eyes, is lips parted slightly retaining some air as he waited for her answer.

A second of silence, yet it felt like years.

“Jughead Jones, I love you.” Said she with the sweetest smile.

That’s how a kiss turned into another.

The heat beginning to rise at their chest.

Passion overwhelming the room.

They moved.

She crashed against the cupboard as he lifts her up at the countertop.

Her shirt got missing at the floor.

His shirt went to find hers.

He kissed her hungrily, his hand caressing her neck possessive.

Kisses rolled lower.

She moaned.

A knock on the door popped their bubble.

They jumped scared.

“Oh, my God. Is that your mom?” he asked with widen white eyes.

“Who else would it be?” the girl huffed as she got off searching for her shirt.

He opened the door.

Yet, it wasn’t her mom.

It was his ex.

Hello~ it took me a little more to update because this days were crazy. Also, the amount of short is shorter than usual but I really wanted this part to end like it did!! Next part is on the making and it’ll be at least 4500 words.  

See you peaches! <3

Next part: Some sassy serpent reader struggling with Jughead at the Southside High, how will her change affect him?

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.

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Tag List:

@somethingweird168 @evanpeters3826 @trumpettay @oxoxo0 @superhalsteads @the-mad-girl-with-a-book @beforethebraces @agusdoti @zarinnaaaa @unaveragewriterfreak @k-n-e @letsdosciencekids  

[xox0britto]

a good ol myspace/quarantine survey :)

1. Last beverage: 

- white claw (lemon)

2. Last phone call:

- mommy

3. Last song you listened to:

- super trapper / future

4. Last time you cried:

probably when this lock down started :,)

5. Have you dated someone twice:

unfortunately. 

6. Have you ever been cheated on:

yes

7. Kissed someone & regretted it:

learning experiences.

8. Have you lost someone special:

unfortunately.

9. What are your three favorite colors:

pink, maroon and navy!

10. Met someone who changed you in the past month:

no one.

11. Kissed anyone on your friends list:

friends list? I don’t believe so..

12. How many kids do you want:

two.

13. Do you want any pets:

two kitties!

14. Do you want to change your name:

nah

15. What did you do for your last birthday:

went out on the down w/ frans

16. What time did you wake up today:

almost 1pm bc ya know..quarantine.

17. Name something you CANNOT wait for:

getting back to work and seeing my friends!

18. Last time you saw your mother:

two or three weeks ago?

19. Most visited webpage:

amazon.

20. Nicknames:

whitney, britt, b.

21. Relationship status:

sinnngle 

22. Zodiac sign:

virgo 

23. Male or female:

I’m a chick.

24. Height:

5′5

25. Do you have a crush on someone:

hmmmmm idk I don’t think so

26. Piercings:

the sound of my voice. jk. ears.

27. Tattoos:

6 of those bad boys.

28. Strong or Weak:

I would have to say I’m strong for the most part. 

FIRSTS

29. First surgery:

never had one! *knock on wood*

30. First best friend:

emmy!

31. First sport you joined:

0. wasn’t a fan of sports.

32. First vacation:

my cruise back in 2010.

33. First school:

applewood.

34. First pair of trainers:

uh

WHICH IS BETTER

35. Lips or eyes:

eyes.

36. Hugs or kisses:

both.

37. Shorter or taller:

taller.

38. Older or younger:

eh...idk it depends.

39. Romantic or spontaneous:

spontaneous.

40. Sensitive or loud:

sensitive.

41. Hook-up or relationship:

relationship.

42. Shy or outgoing:

both.

HAVE YOU EVER

43. Kissed a stranger:

no.

44. Gotten a speeding ticket:

yes :/

45. Lost glasses/contacts:

I don’t wear glasses or contacts but if I did I would prob lose them.

46. Sex on first date:

next question pls.

47. Broken someone's heart:

sadly yes.

48. Been arrested:

unfortunately.

49. Have you turned someone down:

yes.

50. Fallen for a friend:

when I was younger.

51. Moved out of town:

yes but not far.

BELIEVE IN

52. Miracles:

yes.

53. Love at first sight:

yes.

54. Heaven:

something like that.

55. Santa Claus:

no lol.

56. Kiss on the first date:

maybe.

57. Angels:

yes.

58. Yourself:

yes.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

59. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time:

negative.

60. Been in love with someone you couldn't be with?:

yes.

61. Ever cheated on somebody:

learning experiences. 

62. If you could go back in time, how far would you go?:

hmmm maybe 2 years ago. that was a chill time in my life.

63. Are you afraid of falling in love:

sometimes.

64. Was your last relationship a mistake?

again, learning experiences.

65. Do you miss your last relationship?

no.

66. Who did you last say “i love you” to?

mom.

67. Have you ever been depressed?

yes. 

68. Are you insecure?

at some aspects of life.

69. How do you want to die?

painlessly and old.

70. Do you bite your nails?

no.

71. When was your last physical fight?

a long time.

72. Do you have an attitude?

some would say yes.

73. Twirl or cut your spaghetti?

twirl.

74. Do you tan a lot?

in the summertime yes.

75. Ever eaten food in a car while someone or you are driving?

of course.

76. Ever made out in a bathroom?

mhm.

77. Would you take any of your exes back?

no.

78. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?

yes.

79. What are your plans for this weekend?

a big fat lovely amount of nothing important.

80. Do you type fast?

I do.

81. Can you spell well?

yes unless alcohol is involved.

82: What are you craving right now?

chips and salsa.

83. Have you ever been on a horse?

yes.

84. Would you live with someone without marrying them?

I have.

85. What’s irritating you right now?

I’m pretty stoned so nothing :)

86. Have you ever liked someone so much that it hurts?

no lol.

87. Does somebody love you?

I would like to think so. 

88. Have you ever changed clothes in a car?

yes. many times on car trips to OU or OSU lol

89. Milk chocolate or white chocolate?

milk.

90. Do you have trust issues?

unfortunately. 

91. Longest relationship?

4yrs.

92: Do you believe your most recent ex thinks about you?

idk.

93. Have you ever walked outside in your PJs?

oh yes.

94. Do you believe everything happens for a reason?

yes.

95. Did you have dream last night?

yes and it was absolutely bananas.  

96. Have you ever been out of state?

yes.

97. Do you play the Wii?

yes back when it was hot asf back in the day.

98. Do you like Chinese food?

love it!

99. Are you afraid of the dark?

yes. I’m a baby.

100. Is cheating ever okay?

no.

101. What year has been your best?

2012, 2014 & 2018

102. Do you believe in true love?

yes.

103. Favorite weather?

75 and sunny.

104. Do you like the snow?

for maybe a month then I’m over it.

105. Do you like the outside?

yes.

106. Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby?

I think so.

107. Have you ever made out for more than a half hour straight?

maybe back in the day.

108. What makes you happy?

friends, my room, candles, breakfast, my cats, weed and tequila. 

109. Ever been to Alaska?

no.

110. Ever been to Hawaii?

no but I would love to.

111. Do you watch the news?

I normally just apps on my phone. sometimes I’ll fall asleep to it though.

112. Do you love MTV?

they have some good shit from time to time.

113. Do you like subway?

yessss. 

114 Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?

no.

115. Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?

probably would be freaked out.

116. Why did you decide to do this quiz?

because i’m bored as fuck.

117. Have you ever seen someone you knew and purposely avoided them?

yes.

118. Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around?

yes.

119. Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to?

my cat spencer.

120. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

ariel I believe.

121. Ever bought condoms?

on a dare once when I was younger.

122. Ever gotten pregnant?

no.

123. Have you ever slipped on ice?

yes when I was drunk and I fractured my elbow for 2 weeks.

124 Have you ever missed the bus?

yes.

125. Have you left the house without money?

yes.

126. Have you ever smoked cigarettes?

currently do.

127. Have you ever smoked a cigar?

i’ve hit one and I have absolutely no idea how to smoke it. 

128. Did you ever drink alcohol?

yes.

129. Did you ever watch “The Breakfast Club”?

prob like 30 times.

130. Have you ever been overweight?

yes when I was 19 I wanna say??

131. Ever been to a wedding?

yes.

132. Ever been in a wedding?

my dads when I was little.

133. Have you ever been on the computer for 5 hours straight?

yes. good ol myspace days and AIM days.

134. Did you ever watch TV for 5 hours straight?

yes.

135. Ever kissed in the rain?

my first kiss was in the rain :’) ok bye

137. Did you ever fail a driver’s test?

yes right when I turned sixteen so I had to come back and take it when I was 17 then I got it.

138. Ever been outside your home country?

yes. Puerto Rico. 

139. Ever been on a road trip longer than 5 hours?

yes.

140. Ever been to a professional sports game?

yes. mostly cavs games and Indian games.

141. Have you ever broken a bone?

nope!

142. Did you ever win a trophy in your life?

no :/ lol

143. Ever get engaged?

nope.

144. Have you ever been on a diet?

not seriously.

145. Have you ever been on TV?

no.

146. Ever ridden in a taxi?

yes. not so much anymore since uber + lyft are a thing.

147. Ever been to prom?

yes.

148. Ever stayed up for 24 hours or more?

oh yes.

149 Have you ever been to a concert?

yes. i’ve been to jhene aiko, chris brown, wiz, waka, drake (x2), miguel, travis scott, kendrick lamar, g-eazy, schoolboy q and partynextdoor.

150. Have you ever had a crush on someone at work?

yes -_-

151. Have you ever been in a car accident?

thankfully I have never been in a serious one.

152. Ever had braces?

luckily no.

153. Did you ever learn another language?

spanish.

154. Do you wear make-up?

yes but since lock down idk the last time I even put on makeup.

155. Did you ever have your wisdom teeth taken out?

nope! 

157. Ever dyed your hair?

so many times over the years.

158. Did you ever wear someone else’s clothes?

oh yes. that’s the plus of having great girl friends, borrowing clothes.

159. Ever ridden in an ambulance?

no.

160. Ever ridden in a helicopter?

no.

161. Ever caught the stove on fire?

almost when I was 7th grade making bacon lol.

162. Ever meet someone famous?

I really don’t think so.

163. Ever been on an airplane?

yes.

164. Ever been on a boat?

yes. I loooove boats.

165. Ever broken something expensive?

yes. 

166. Did you ever kiss someone before you were 14?

no.

167. Did you ever find something valuable on the ground?

me and my friend went to boston market and found $350 on the ground and no one claimed it so it was our lucky day. (just me waited a hot min for someone to come back to say something to the co workers and no one did.)

[dachi-chan25]

If Jon is not playing Dany's pasty-white ass, then I'm just going to accept that he's a stupid dude with an unhealthy attraction to crazy, creepy, and psychotic women (Ygritte, Melisandre, and Dany). NO TASTE! LMAO

Anoooony, you are so right.But my hopes that Jon is playing Dorito hasn’t faded at all, It’s all in the subtext of their relationship (or lack of) even in 7x07:

-Dragonpit scene actually made me snort a lot, because isn’t this completely OOC for Jon “there is only one war that matters Snow to refuse to be neutral? He hasn’t bent the knee (“I would bend the knee but–”)not really, you know in the same way that Arya ‘who longed for her family ’ Stark was OOC threatening Sansa and shit when it was a ploy to kill LF. I meaaaan the idea of going to Cersei in the first place was to appease Danita, cuz she cared more about the throne that the WW, if she didn’t then why was this meeting necessary at all? To increase their numbers? Well yes, but Cersei’s army is not that big anymore thanks to someone *side eyeing D Tapioca* and Tyrion most of all knows they can’t trust Cersei (dude he has been outplayed by her this whole season) and so does Jon (or he should) he was warned by Sansa, for me it’s clear he is playing his Northern Fool persona this hard because Cersei? She is not really necessary, sure is nice to have more people but at the end of the day D keeps being the ally he absolutely *needs* to secure and you saw her face when he said the bullshit? She was orgasming right there (cool for her cuz boatfuck seemed boring af)

-That talk about the Dragonpit, and how the Targaryens stopped being speshul snowflakes without Dragons (god the anti-d@enerys people have been saying this all the time and It’s nice to get confirmation from the D herself) and omg how awful is to be like everyone else (yikes) duuuude cry me a fucking river! Her family was a clusterfuck that brought doom and lots of conflict to Westeros, she is delusional and an hypocrite, she also chained and kept her dragons under a fucking pyramid because it was the responsible thing to do after one of them actually killed someone cuz their tamer wasn’t shit. And Jon? He would never admire nor care for someone so entitled, he was raised by Ned Stark ffs! his deadass response was ‘you aren’t like everyone’ talk about being vague af (they’ll come to see you for what you are’) yeah good you say that Jonny boy but if Imma buy a romance you got to tell me/her Why? What is it that sets her apart from everyone in your mind? Cuz otherwise she is just filling the blanks in her self-important mind and oh! Would you look at that? It almost make sense.

-The baby talk reafirmed the one-sided nature of this relationship, D once again opens up and talks about a very sad and traumatic moment in her life and Jon?? He is not sympathetic, he doesn’t say he is sorry about it, he just straight up says a half assed 'maybe the witch was lying?’ and keeps being closed-off about himself.

-The meeting in DS, D is the worst ruler again when she listens the advice of the guy she wants to fuck instead of the man who went through hell and back with her, a man who has shared everything he is/has done with her, and who has proved his loyalty (and kinda creepy love obsession) to her. Rather listen to the dude she just met that Tyrion Lannister who straight up risked his life to get Cersei to agree to stop hostilities with them after the lil’ stunt said random dude pulled. And I am not surprised, lots of people in Meeren told her to re-open the fighting pits (that really is a complicated issue in itself) cuz they were an important tradition people liked but she listened until Daario (her boy toy) told her to, if anything Jon is playing her in the best way. kudos!

-the sex. I wasn’t dreading the scene so much as the wank that was sure to follow, and tbh I kinda wanted it to be hot (hey if I was gonna watch such stupid, fake tension set up for Targbowl it better be super hot) K1t and €milita are very attractive but dude, what a fucking let down! I was straight up laughing, I am mostly a functional adult involved in sex-ed and proud member of the bdsm comunity of Mexico City, I don’t laugh at sex, last time I laughed at sex was when reading the 50sog first sex scene (and if you’ve read it you’ll know why, also I was 15 at the time). Okay so, I am an actress I have done sex scenes in theater mostly, if this was got’s epic romance and J0n was really conflicted about the depth of his feelings vs. Duty to the North he wouldn’t be the one initiating it point blank, there would have been a set up (Missandei and Greyworm anyone?), a conversation, sexy undressing some kind of foreplay! Cunnilinguis! If this fandom agrees in something is in Jon Snow being the God of Oral Sex, yet we get 20 seconds of missionary possition humping? In a season that had not one but two oral sex scenes? Something smells rotten in this (the red herring) and don’t even get me started in the voice over or the wierd ass focus on Tyrion.

Now onto Jon’s past tyrst/love interests? He didn’t have much option with them did he?

I mean I really liked Ygritte (much more in the books that the show because this friggin show never portrayed the soft side that made Jon really fall for her in the books) but Jon was playing her in the beginnig, he literally had to fuck her or die, he was a horny self-repressed boy that ended up catching feelings, and let’s be honest she also warmed him up and made him understand the wildlings which was huge for Jon’s development, but at the end he chose his duty, honor and vows.

Melissandre, she can’t even be considered as a tyrst or love interest, she was feeling him up and undressed for him (de to her creepy ass sex magic) and Jon rejected her, oh yes he was tempted (Carice Van Houten is hot af and he hadn’t had sex in a long time) but he still said no and held his ground, duuuude he didn’t fuck her or show any interest after she brought him back from death)

So we have stablished a very clear pattern of Jon being true to his love for the North, even if he has to decieve, do less that honorable stuff and yes forfeit love for it. Plus all the warnings, literal textual evidence of Jon not making the same mistakes as the honorable man he admired and came before him.

But Then again this is just my opinion. Hope this cheered you up and help you keep faith on Jon.

[sj4iy]

Translation: “Noragami” Chapter 74 Translation Summary (SPOILERS!)

Here is the translation summary of Chapter 74.  Credit here for the early scans.  These started out as relatively short, but now they have gotten much longer these past five or so months.  There’s so much packed into these that it feels hard to leave much out, so…I didn’t.  As always, this was done as I read it, so there could be typos or mistakes.  And of course, spoilers.  Lots of spoilers.

The title is “The Gift”.  Hiyori is finishing up her supplemental lessons.  Her friends are concerned about her sleeping fits, but she says she’s used to them now.  Her friends go to leave, and they start talking to someone else. Apparently the flu is going around, and one of them asks if Fujisaki has it, too.  Hiyori thinks that it will soon be a year since she met Yato and Yukine as she looks in her planner.  She thinks that it was interrupted once (when she forgot about them), but that she has kept it going since.  That the time she spends with them is precious, and she doesn’t want to forget when she’s an adult.  And that this anniversary is something she wants to make unforgettable.

Yato thinks a surprise birthday party for Yukine is a great idea, and that he also wants to make it unforgettable (they are so alike in some ways, lol).  Hiyori agrees and asks what they should do.  Yato suggest…a flashmob.  Hiyori obviously thinks it’s a terrible idea, but Yato insists that everyone loves it.  Hiyori counters with the fact that Yukine has a very dry sense of humor, and that it would make her writhe around in pain to remember Yukine staring at them dancing around cheerfully.  Yato screams that he wants to do it, and that one time would be enough.  He says that Yukine would love it and that everyone would be excited for it.  Hiyori is like “you would involve everyone!?”  Yato says of course, if they asked, everyone would come for sure.  They would start by asking the skank (Bishamon), and Hiyori says “suddenly the degree of difficulty has gone up”.

Of course, Bishamon and Kazuma can’t come, so he starts naming off others (including Arahabaki and Shiigun, which Hiyori shoots down).  After they work it out, Yato says they will meet the next morning at Kamiido park.  Yukine is in the bath listening to them and looks questioningly.

The next morning, Hiyori is late.  But to her surprise, everyone is there.  Everyone seems pretty excited to do it, though.  The practice goes just as well as expected, though.  Yato tells Ebisu to run and fall, but Kunimi is worried about him getting hurt, so he takes over and instead of falling, Ebisu does a flip in the air (Hiyori says it doesn’t look natural, obviously).  Then Tomone (Mayu desu) is to ask if he’s okay, and that’s the signal…the two of them stand up dancing.  And then the rest of them go in their directions, Kofuku (in a very revealing outfit), Daikoku (looking like Michael Jackson), Tenjin (Phantom of the Opera) and “Standing in for the skank, Takemikazuchi” (dressed up in a Nou costume).  Turns out Takemikazuchi is participating because he still hasn’t given up on making Kiun into a hafuri vessel.  Hiyori thinks “Everyone wants to dance like that?  A flashmob…” and looks defeated as she sits down on a park bench.  Tenjin, Ebisu and Kofuku come her way.  Kofuku says that Ebisu is as uncoordinated as ever, even though he was so cool at the ukei.

Tenjin gets serious and says that even though heaven says everything is forgiven, there are many gods who think badly of them, and that Yato and Bishamon are in the wrong.  Surprisingly, Yato was called back to heaven after the ukei and asked many things by the three sacred treasures…about Bishamon and the sorcerer.  It could have been worse for Yato than just talking…because Ebisu was not allowed to when he was killed.  Heaven had waved the flag of righteousness at the “Sorcerer Ebisu” and sent out the army, but heaven had been proven wrong with the “Traitor Bishamonten”.  Heaven can’t keep face by punishing Yato and the others to prove its infallibility, and that it doesn’t want to ‘widen the wound’ any further.  Tenjin says it would be good if the sorcerer stayed quiet for a while, and Hiyori asks them how much Yato has told them about the sorcerer.  We then see Takemikazuchi taking a drink from a water bottle and overhearing their conversation.  Hiyori says she didn’t hear about it from Yato, but she figured it out herself, and Tenjin says it’s a problem because the god’s greatest secret is the one thing gods don’t want others to find out.  They wonder why Yato didn’t come out with it sooner, since the sorcerer had a weapon that could bring out the god’s greatest secret with a touch.  Kofuku says that she wants to be careful about Daikoku, but Yato only said ‘don’t go near the man with a monk’s staff’.  Ebisu says that Bishamon’s shinki (Tsuguha) was a victim of Chiki, and that to protect the other shinki, Yato had no choice but to keep quiet about it.  Tenjin figures out that was the reason Bishamon used the hafuri (burial vessel) instead of her hafuri (blessed vessel).  Ebisu says that he also shares the nora Chiki, and that she was a girl with white clothing and a bobbed haircut that went to Yomi.  Ebisu wonders if there is something he can do about her, but Tenjin tells him he can’t do anything by himself.  Kofuku adds that it would put Kunimi in danger.  Tenjin says that ultimately, while they know that the sorcerer is out there, they need to let sleeping dogs lie.

Yukine is back at home waiting on everyone.  They come in and he says they’re late and asks them what they were doing.  He then wonders why they are sweating, and they say it’s because it was so hot out (it’s actually cold, though).  Hiyori is on the roof, thinking that no one seems to know that the sorcerer is Yato’s lifeline, and that Yato is safe for now as long as Heaven doesn’t investigate further.

Time passes, and Yukine is looking for Yato and Kofuku.  He receives a message from the Coo-phone from Yato asking him to come (signed, in english, God of Happiness).  Yukine wonders why he’s getting such a letter “it’s scary”), and as he’s leaving, we see Nora beind the gate.  Just then Hiyori comes and asks what Yukine is doing and why he looks so scared.  He says he felt like he saw a bad person, and she asks him ‘bad person?’ and he says “…yes, a person I hate.  A person I hate a lot. …but, I also might have become like them” (while thinking of how he made Yato cut down Bishamon).  He then says that Yato was a god of disaster a long time ago, and how Nora killed, and that he hated killing and never wanted to be like that, but that he might have crossed that line recently.  Hiyori realizes he saw Nora, and Yukine says that someone is on the other side of that gate that has the same feelings of disgust for him.  Hiyori says that he and Nora are different, and drags him away with her.  He wonders where they are, and then he realizes that they are at the place where Yato first called him into a human after he first named him.  Ebisu comes running out and falls over (dramatically) to Yukine’s shock and everyone comes to help Ebisu.  Just then, they throw Ebisu up (with help from Kunimi) and everyone comes out clapping.  They start out, in English “Happy boy, happy birthday” (wow, does that come off sounding really bad), and Yukine realizes this is a birthday surprise.  We get some great ‘voice over’ as they are all dancing that says “It’s okay, don’t be afraid, the feelings that you express so perfectly, even if I stumble and lose my way, I’ll call your name, the name that was born one year ago today.  Because you love the things that are important to you more than any present, I’ll call you many times.  So stay here always.”

The dance is over, Hiyori is freaking out because flashmobs are fun because it’s unknown people suddenly dancing, but they all know Yukine, so from his point of view they were just his acquaintances who suddenly started dancing while sidling up to him.  Tenjin makes the cherry trees bloom with Shinki (Mayu’s instrument name), and as the flowers fall, (I’m tearing up right now at this) we see back to when Yato found him in the snow.  It’s overlaid with “Yukine-kun, we’re so glad you came” as Yato and Hiyori offer him presents (Hiyori is very embarassed).

Back at home, Hiyori is screaming and Yato asks her why she’s writhing in pain, and she says it’s because Yukine was making an ‘I don’t understand’ face, and that she didn’t explain it to him.  Yato says “It’s okay, I could tell by looking at his face”.  Outside, Yukine is looking at his presents, and starts crying.  “That a dead person like me would have a birthday…if Yato hadn’t found me…if Hiyori hadn’t scolded me…if I hadn’t met everyone…I wonder if I would have laughed this much a year later…I’m glad Yato named me…”  

Then we hear Nora. “I see…” “That’s good” “You love Yato”.  Yukine says “yeah, ahahaha” and thinks “I can’t get that weird dance out of my head”.  Nora then says “I also” “love” “Yato” and then she’s before Yukine and says “We are alike that way”.  She then KISSES HIM, and the chapter ends with her saying “I really like you”.

That’s all for now, but I will be writing a review soon as well as reporting any extras about Noragami when the magazine itself comes out.

[buckysdiary]

He Declared War (Pt. 1)

Pairings: Loki x Reader

Part 1 - You are here! Part 2 Part 3

Read this on DeviantArt!

Summary: You couldn’t be happier beside Loki, nor he with you. You’re perfect partners (in crime), you both understand each others’ weaknesses, and you love each other unconditionally. You would do anything to keep each other from harm. So it’s no surprise that, when Malekith takes you, mistaking you for the Aether, Loki is infuriated; to confirm your fears, there’s nothing he won’t do to get you back, even if it costs him his life.

Words: 1,343

Warnings: This is one of my older writings, so it may seem cheesy... I’m very sorry...

   You roamed aimlessly along the , deeply inhaling the spring air. It was early in the morning, and the red sun was just beginning to peer over the edge of the world. Watching the brilliant star gently wake up the realm of Asgard was one of your favorite things to do. You were entirely alone; you felt as if this was a privilege, a gift, something that was visible only to your eyes. The world was just awakening from another peaceful sleep, as you were fully alert enough to remember the luminous sunrise.    The shadow you cast stretched over the edge of the bridge. You stuck your hand out, which made a silhouette long enough to cover the ocean behind you. You wondered if you really felt happy alone, or if you were just used to it. You didn't like large groups of people surrounding you - actually, any more than three people was quite crowded. You never were a sociable person in the first place; you felt that often you just burdened the crowds. So you decided to befriend nature and associate with things that didn't need conversation.    Suddenly, you noticed that white flecks of snow began forming in the shadow of your arm. You quickly pulled it back, surprised. It continued to fall in the rest of your shadow, even as you backed away from it in shock. You weren't afraid that any danger was near; instead, you wondered who was near enough to pull a trick like that. You spun around, with the snow following your shadow, searching for anyone nearby.    "Searching for someone?"    A prick of fear hit your chest, but you slowly smiled when you remembered the face that belonged to the voice. You turned back to face your shadow, finding Loki standing amidst the snow. He smiled cunningly.    "Since when do you ever leave your room before sunrise?" You asked.    He waved his hand, making the snow disappear. "I saw you from my window; it's a shame to watch the dawn alone. That way, no one would get to see what you look like in the sunlight."    You tried your hardest not to blush, but to no avail. You smiled as the blood rushed through your cheeks, and he chuckled in victory.    You were fond of Loki. In the earlier years, you had lost your parents when they went to fight alongside King Odin. After that, you distanced yourself away from people, even if they were welcoming and open to listening to your sorrows. Everyone stopped trying to help you eventually, all except for Loki; he would show you small spells to make you smile. He could change what you saw: a boring, white room would suddenly turn into the universe. He gave you a miniature replica of the Asgard Star, one that you could hold, and that mimicked the star exactly. But most of all, he was there to listen. You would sit with him for hours, not wanting to speak, using all your might to keep your words inside. He was resilient to your anger for him, and eventually his patience paid off. You would tell him how you felt, how alone you were, how you wish there was something you could do to reverse the situation.    But that was when you both were younger. Now, your feelings had blossomed into a tree of passion, and thanks to those earlier years of time spent together, its roots were deep and strong. You were glad that he was yours, and you were his; it didn't matter that he was the son of the Allfather, nor that he was a god. You couldn't care less about the Frost Giant nature inside him. It mattered that he cared, and seemed to have sincere feelings towards no one but you. This held your bond with him, and you knew it was a bond that would last until the Ragnarok came.    Loki slowly walked closer to you, making the ascending sun reflect off of his raven-like hair. He hugged you from behind as you turned back to the sun, and rested his chin in the crook of your neck. You hummed happily in response to his cool skin and held onto his strong arms around your waist.    "What are you thinking about?" He asked you softly.    You sighed. "Painting."    "Painting what?"    You began to answer him, when you suddenly felt a bit mischievous. You smirked. "You'll have to wait and see."    For a while, it was silent; You felt the effects of your denial on him, and he eventually let out a long, warm breath. "You shouldn't make me wait for what I want, love."    You grinned wider. "Well, it's time you learn the value of patience."    Loki slowly released your waist and spun you to face him. You attempted to mute the excitement flowing through your veins, but your smile gave away any emotions you were trying to hide.    His crystal-blue eyes bore into your own with a playful threat dancing in his pupils. "Do you remember the last time you made me wait for what I desired? I seem to remember, it became a bit... nasty, if that's the proper term."    You blushed again, remembering the incidents of those memories, only weeks before. It was cruel when he played dirty like that, and he knew it; his face was gleaming at your reactions to the words he put in your head, making you re-fantasize the late night that had occurred between you two.    Finally, his gaze broke through your wise mind; you crashed your lips against his, burning with the desire. He smirked against your kiss, triumphant and proud. He pressed his hand firmly against your back, and you curved it and pressed against his chest. All you felt was the warmth of his breath, the vibrations his touch sent through your spine, the tingles of his fingers in your hair. The galaxy around you melted into nothing, and for a moment, you swore you were in Helgafjell*.    "Have you given up?" Loki asked, waiting to claim his victory.    You pulled your head back, still smiling. "No," you said, "I was just adverting your attention."    He stared at you, one eyebrow raised, and then sighed in defeat. "I guess you're not going to break this time."    "Loki."    You jumped at the unfamiliar voice, which suddenly broke the heavenly passion between you and Loki. Thor was standing at the edge of the BiFrost Bridge, in front of the courtyard.    "Thor." Loki said, rather sourly. You knew he felt resentment towards his brother ever since he discovered his adoption; as you knew, he didn't like secrets, unless he was involved in the knowledge of them. You gently held his arm in support.    Clearing his throat, the god of thunder tensed at your protective move towards his half-brother. It was no doubt that Thor was jealous of Loki, you could see the wrathful envy in his eyes. You knew he thought it unfair that what he classified as a 'monster' had a deeply rooted partner, while a 'rightful king' like himself had a weak romantic interest back on Midgard. Still, you were glad that he coveted in such a way; Loki never had much affection compared to him, and you were there to fill every hole in his life. Thor could learn to live with less than too much.    "Sif and the others," Thor began, "they're waiting for you in the combat arena. They want a rematch on account of yesterday."    Loki grinned. "They just can't accept that they're not part of nature's natural selection." he said.    Taking his words as acknowledgement, Thor turned swiftly on his heels and headed back to the arena. You felt content, stirring up the desire and sorrow in his heart; it was about time he knew what it felt like. To be alone, to think that there was only one other, lost soul in the universe who would share his load (who was galaxies away), or to listen to his feelings and thoughts. Rejection at its finest.