#oh last note: rare Lined piece for once! i knew I wanted to add fun shading and w/o lines I tend to lose that aspect lol

[spotaus]

Hi!!! Ancha u drove me nuts with this one, so! Here's a gift piece for one of my favorite scenes in the oneshot!!

(I know you already saw the sketch but I figured I'd add the finished version onto here!)

Gifted Oneshot - NewAgeAU - The Mountain

I have been slow cooking and scheming a little something. That stopped being little a while ago.

Also as you notice. Not just a drabble. Straight up an oneshot.

On that note. Because of this I have also decided to upload it to my AO3. In case you prefer reading it there you can by clicking Here.

This is for my friendo @spotaus and their New Age AU, or ours as I am a bit of the co-writer at this point haha.

Fair warning. This installment is far into the future and after the main story line the main story will focus on. This is about the DustedAfterDeath relationship and how they went from toxic to reasonable.

Warnings: past toxic relationship. mentions of drugs. mentions of slave collars.

Also... Euh... it is 33000 words long. Yes you are reading that right. 33K words. Which is why i am terrified to see how Tumblr will react to that many words as I never tried to upload something that long here.

Anyway! Here we go!

*----------------*

Nightmare frowns as he looks back at the files left on his wartable before turning back to the cabinet with many different reports. The cabinet itself is a nice dark brown and made of sturdy wood. It had served him well over the last many years he had been a king.

It was one of many that he had both in the warroom as in his own office. This one specifically he had rolled into the warroom as it had all the detailed reports from the black market dismantling.

Reaper whistles as he leans on the table “I keep forgetting that you document everything.”

Nightmare gives a tiny shrug at his fellow king “It is a habit.” Before he used to keep track of everything because he had been a control freak and perfectionist who was paranoid. The magic of The Ritual had done a number on his mental health and Nightmare sometimes still wondered how he managed to get through that for 7 years before he turned thirteen again. Ccino is honestly a miracle worker.

Nightmare finally finds the reports he had been looking for and pulls them out with a tiny triumphed smile. He lays them across the table and reaper looks at it curiously.

Nightmare speaks “This.” he points at the files “Is everything I have about the dismantling.”

Reaper nods as he looks at the five reports “On the whole black market?”

Nightmare frowns “No? Everything about that is in the cabinet. Those are just about the main drugs rings.” The smaller ones Dust had managed to do in one afternoon at that point. Even with Dust having had to wear multiple magic dampers and without much training he had been scarily efficient at shutting it down. The biggest issue had been with the main branches which required more leg work and a more stealthy approach.

Nightmare just knows that Dust and Killer had returned covered in soot and Killer had looked so excited as he spoke about Nightmare having to hire Dust fulltime. Dust had just looked bored but had felt rather content and proud of himself back then.

Nightmare is pretty sure that is when those two actually started to become friends which would eventually become the almost twin bond the two shared. And Nightmare can know as actual twin.

Reaper looks shocked “That many reports? Why?” even as he asks it he pulls the first report over as he starts scanning the information for stuff he recognises from his own drugs problem.

Nightmare takes a seat and pulls over the information that Reaper had brought with him “With the magic my mind was busy and paranoid. The reports helped. Because each time my mind would think of another detail or something that could backfire I could pull the report open again and search it. Either to help calm my mind that there was nothing to worry about. Or to give me a starting point to make sure this new idea didn’t became a problem.” After he deaged back to his normal age he just kept the habit up of making the reports. Nightmare hadn’t looked at them much in the last 3 years but it was nice to have them.

Especially in situations like this.

Nightmare opens the file that Reaper brought and frowns. It is all about how a new drug has been making the circles in Reaper’s land. In the capital city no less. The effects are mostly concentrated on giving the monster or human taking it a large magical boost. Causing them to be able to perform magic for a short while and to feel energised. The healers and scientists however had found out that the drug does this at cost of soul energy. Meaning that the very magic you gain is taken directly from your soul. And unlike magic users the average soul is unable to perform these activities without consequences.

The most likely consequence is that the one who takes it gets soulburn. A dangerous illness where the soul starts to produce more energy which can cause the soul to burn a way out of the body. An even worse option is that the soul can collapse in on itself as it gives too much of the soul energy. Causing death.

All very serious concerns. Especially if you take into consideration that the drug is addictive. The monster or human taking it will the first few times feel amazing which leads to developing a craving for it. And then it is a slippery slope down towards the worst possible results.

Nightmare can understand why Reaper came here with their treaty to get more help.

It isn’t exactly a secret that Nightmare’s land used to be swarmed with crime. Nightmare knows. Even after ten long and hard years of working on these issues the rumours still remain. Nightmare knows it will take even longer before the bad image of his land is improved. Nightmare is very happy that his brother and Blue are working on that.

Reaper is frowning as he has by now three of the five reports open and seems to switch between the different folders to study the information.

Nightmare turns back to the information offered to him and skips passed the properties and the victims. Instead Nightmare focuses on the section of where it first appeared and if it appeared anywhere before reaching the capital.

Nightmare finds a few locations and goes towards his map table. He touches the side and focusses for a moment. The map in view changes to fit the layout of Reaper’s kingdom. Nightmare walks towards the side of the capital city and touches the map. A small marker appears where Nightmare touched the map. Nightmare refers back to the other location mentions and starts putting it down on the map as he looks at the direction.

Mmh. Strange. It started near the mountains.

Nightmare makes a few careful notes of all the locations and what the layout looks like before making the table show a more detailed map of the mountains themselves.

The mountains help protect Reaper’s territory. It makes his country hard to infiltrate. Not to forget the ocean guarding him on the other side and the small area where the ocean and mountain range don’t meet being the mangrove forest.

Nightmare frowns as he stares at the map. It seems impossible for whoever did this to have smuggled the drugs in from the outside.

Nightmare speaks slowly “It seems likely that they make the drugs in your kingdom itself. Instead of importing it. If it were imported you would have noticed and caught them in either the port area or when they stubbled in through the forest or mountains.” Reaper has his guard watch those areas like hawks. Had they been importing the drugs they would have been caught already.

Reaper frowns as he looks deeply unhappy “That is what I am afraid of. That just means they have settled somewhere in my lands but I have had my guards search the cities and towns. There is no sign of them having settled anywhere, just selling.”

Nightmare frowns as he concentrates back on the map. He zooms in on the Three Lakes “The lakes?”

Reaper shakes his skull “We searched it. And unlike in our own river we couldn’t find any traces of the drugs in the water there.” He sounds relieved. Nightmare understands of course. His main food source is those lakes together with fishing in the ocean.

Nightmare frowns as he looks at the mines “Are the mines still operational?”

Reaper looks up and frowns “Not all of them. We maintain them just in case as we don’t want landslides but some have been locked up and decommissioned.”

Nightmare keeps looking at him and Reaper frowns “The mountains are dangerous. Them settling there would be too big of a risk.”

Nightmare shrugs as he speaks “I thought the same about the gang settling in the old clocktower and below in the sewers.” Dust had looked so damn amused when Nightmare had said it seemed unlikely “But these people… they don’t care about anyone’s safety. Not even their own. If they can gain power and money they will risk everything. Because to them the reward far outweighs the possible risk.”

Reaper frowns as he taps the files and stares at the map “The problem is. The mine shaft. You can’t just reach it. There is a reason we keep a careful eye on those. They are hard to reach and even harder to get the supplies needed up there.” Reaper frowns “Travel can take anywhere from 2 days on foot to 2 weeks on horseback, all depending on which mine you go to.”

Nightmare looks back at the map “Which mine is most likely to hold them?”

Reaper frowns as he taps the map and stares at the different mountains being viewed.

Nightmare takes the files back and looks at the different clues they had found so far. Nightmare frowns “They most likely make it somewhere. So it has to be a place has the ability to make the drugs.” He looks back at Reaper.

Reaper studies the map and points to one “We set this one up to be decommissioned soon. We were planning on going up there in summer to shut it down to make sure there were no accidents as can take up to a full week worth of travel on horseback. Even if you go alone.” Reaper points at the area and the long distance from the main roads “You would have to travel through the kingdom itself before moving up the mountain. The paths are traitorous. Even in summer. Much less now. With it being early spring.”

Nightmare frowns as he stares at the map “How risky is it to wait? Until it is safe to travel the mountain?”

Reaper shakes his skull “We have found multiple people dead already. Soulburns and souls just giving out. More people are looking for this drug. If it starts to spread out of the capital towards the smaller areas.” He frowns “Not to forget if more of the water gets pollinated it will affect us through the drinking water.” He sighs “I need to put a stop to this right away.”

Nightmare nods as he thinks. Dust could make it up there. Dust has more skills with horses than anyone Nightmare knows. Not to forget that even if the weather takes a turn for the worse it will just power Dust enough to maybe even redirect the storm. Dust also has experience in taking down these type of things.

However. Dust works the best either alone or with a very small crew. Most of his knights do.

Nightmare looks back at Reaper “How do you picture this mission?”

Reaper taps the map as he speaks “It would have to be a small group. The paths will be dangerous and having a large group may cause the path to become unstable. But sending someone alone is just begging them to be lost in the mountains without backup.”

Nightmare nods as he speaks “I can send one of my knights.” Dust would be by far the best. But that means sending Dust out to Reaper’s country and… well… Nightmare may trust Reaper with stuff about his country, there is a reason Nightmare no longer needs Dream’s presence for these meetings. But Nightmare still doesn’t quite trust Reaper with Dust. Things have been getting better but… Nightmare is still worried.

Reaper smiles before looking a bit more nervous himself “I appreciate the help. And I appreciate you being willing to entrust one of their safeties to me. But before you say anything or agree to help in that way. I must say. The one I would send would be someone… Very knowledgeable and skilled in magic. The drug works magically. And as you said it is most likely being produced inside those very mountains. Meaning they have some kind of power source or set up. Most likely magical that needs to be shut down.” And Reaper waits.

Nightmare doesn’t like this. His mind spins as he considers what was said. The worst part is that Reaper is right. Nightmare can see the reasoning and the conclusion that was made because of that. Even the very information they have to work with is because of Geno. Geno had been the one who figured out it was a magical drug and how it affect those around them all. Geno was the only right pick.

Nightmare thinks long and hard. Killer would be fine with the actual dismantling but he isn’t the best horse rider. Horror is strong but magically not strong enough to most likely have to battle magically skilled people who are even making this substance. Not to forget that Horror needs one of the sturdier horses. And while they are trusty steeds they are not the best for mountain paths.

Cross is out of the question. Mostly because Cross will end up making Geno go missing. Cross would be fine with the actual fighting and riding the horse all the way to the end location but Cross is also still furious at both Reaper and Geno and doesn’t make it a secret.

Dust is the only option.

Nightmare speaks slowly “I… Dust is the only fit for this mission. He is unchallenged in his horse handling and our expert when it comes to shutting down these kind of operations.”

Reaper looks shocked but then looks to the side as he frowns at the map. Clearly thinking.

Nightmare knows he will make the same conclusion that Nightmare just made. Dust is the only option to send up that mountain. Especially in these dangerous circumstances. And Geno needs to go because he is the one who knows this magic and can shut it down effectively.

Reaper frowns as he looks at Nightmare “You really think Dust can make it up that mountain? Even in early spring? While guiding other horses?”

Nightmare thinks for a moment. If it was in his own territory Nightmare would feel comfortable sending all four of his knights. Knowing that Dust could lead those horses up any area that he knows. But that is the issue. This would be uncharted territory for Dust to lead horses up and around.

Nightmare nods “If it is in your territory? I know Dust can safely lead two horses up the mountain, the only reason I say two is because Dust doesn’t know that mountain. But I would have to request they use horses from my kingdom.”

Reaper looks curious “I am not saying no and will gladly accept that but why?”

Nightmare figured it was obvious but then again Reaper wouldn’t know “Dust trains the horses. Every horse in used by my guards and knights are trained by him.” Which also means that Dust has a bond with every horse in use by those in the castle and that even if someone else is riding it they will listen to Dust’s comments, directions and orders.

Reaper looks impressed before nodding “Of course.” A moment of silence “Are you sure this will be alright?”

Nightmare frowns as he looks to the side “I am not. But this is dangerous. It needs to be stopped as soon as possible.”

Reaper nods as he sighs “I will return home. Talk with Geno. We will remain in contact by letter and whenever works for you and Dust I will gladly welcome his visit and help.”

Nightmare nods “I will ask Dust myself.” If Dust says no Nightmare will have to reconsider who he can safely send. If that ends up the case he would most likely have to send both Horror and Cross. Cross to send up the mountain with the horses and to deal with the ring while Horror would go along to deal with Cross himself.

For now he will just ask Dust.

--

Nightmare watches nervously as Dust looks over the mission plans. His knight had frowned when he saw the location but he had schooled his expression quickly enough to read the mission set up and goal.

Dust nods and speaks “I agree. I am the best fit.” Factual and quiet. Nightmare always thought he could read his brother no problem but turns out that Dust could still hide things from him.

Nightmare doesn’t often miss the magic the Ritual gave him. But the one thing he does miss was the connection he had had with those close to him.

Nightmare misses being able to feel their joy and excitement. He misses being able to feel that connection to their magic and souls. The way he could feel them close in a way that he could never explain.

Being able to notice when they needed help.

It is why he watches Dust closely. Trying to see any signs of distress. Nightmare had promised himself he would not miss those signs again.

Dust nods as he looks up “I can do it. Lead two horses up to the mine shaft and help the mage coming along to shut it down.”

Now the hard part.

Nightmare takes a deep breath and speaks “There is only one option for which mage could be send along to fix this mess.” He waits a moment “Geno.”

Dust’s hand twitches before forming a fist before relaxing it again. Dust nods “Okay.”

Nightmare glares “No. Seriously. Are you okay with it? We can think of something else if it is too much.”

Dust gets this tiny fond smile on his face “You really want to trust Killer to lead two horses up that mountain?”

Nightmare looks to the side and mutters “I wouldn’t have trusted him to do that to begin with. Would have send Horror and Cross together.”

Dust pulls a face “Yeah I can see why you can’t send Cross alone.”

Nightmare looks pained “What did he do?”

Dust looks slightly embarrassed “He did not enjoy the fact that Geno now feels… brave enough to wave and say hello. I am not exactly sure what he said but Cross looked rather happy after the interaction so I assume nothing good.”

Nightmare gets it of course. As Cross had said once. Dust doesn’t move to protect or defend himself so as his fellow knights it is their job. And Cross takes his job as knight, and brother, very serious.

Nightmare is a bit curious about what Cross exactly said but he can try to ask him later. For now “Are you sure?”

Dust frowns as he thinks for a moment “It will be… unpleasant. But if he continues to behave and act as is now I do not see an issue with us doing this mission.”

Nightmare frowns before nodding. Dust seems honestly okay with it. Nightmare points towards the map “We need to move out as soon as possible. I want you to prepare your pack for travel and two horses for the track up the mountain. I will send Captain Rogers with you as escort to Reaper’s kingdom. He will remain there until you return and escort you back.”

Dust looks amused “I don’t need an escort.”

Nightmare doesn’t even bother as he just stares at Dust “Please.” Please. Please just let him do this. Please let him protect him in the tiny ways he can.

Dust gets that fond little smile again before sighing but nodding “Okay. Okay. I will travel with some of the guards. Restock my packs before we leave for the mountains.”

Nightmare smiles as he hands the mission brief over to Dust.

Dust reads it and hums “You may want to keep the others in the dark for a little while. At least until I am on my way there.”

Nightmare can’t help but laugh as he nods “Probably for the best.”

Dust nods and gives the little mock bow before he turns and leaves the warroom. Most likely to go and take care of the horses and get them ready for the long track.

Nightmare really hopes he didn’t make a mistake.

--

Geno feels like he is going to throw up. Even as he stares at his many charged crystals and some spell scrolls.

His soul pulses fast and he feels sick and excited.

How is he going to get through this?!

A soft chuckle and a hand takes his own “My love?”

Geno blinks out of his thinking before staring at Reaper “You are trying to kill me.”

Reaper looks so amused as he tilts his skull “Really? I should have removed my gloves if that was the case.” He joins him on the bed “Are you alright my love?”

Geno laughs and stares at Reaper “Yes? No? I am not sure? I am going to be alone with Dust! For weeks on end!” he stresses the words.

Reaper gives a slow nod as he frowns “You don’t want to anymore?”

Geno groans “No I want to! That is the issue! The problem is… I am not sure… How am I supposed to make it through this week without it ending with him hating me even more?!” the only reason there was the tiny peace was because of Error’s and Fresh’s situation. Dust still avoids them a lot and Geno had only been lucky enough to manage a wave or small hello.

Not at all the small conversations he craves and wants so badly. That connection he had had but lost because of his own stupid and idiotic behaviour.

If those things are already impossible how is he ever going to be able to manage a full week of travel? One on one travel?

Reaper looks so damn gentle and Geno hates how much he still craves that look. He should be fine without it. Yet here he is still craving that look. Same as the awe Reaper would show when Geno showed off his magic.

Reaper takes his hand and rubs the back of it. Carefully, even as he wears his gloves for safety, Geno never saw the deal with that. Not when it was just them. Geno knows Reaper would never hurt him. Geno knows Reaper enough to know that, Geno knows enough about magic to know that Reaper would never kill him with his Touch of Death ability.

Sadly Reaper doesn’t believe this.

Reaper speaks carefully “I don’t think he will hate you, or more as you say it.” he continues to hold his hand and rub the back of it with careful tiny circles. Reaper stares at him with that same love written all over his face.

Geno does not deserve it. But he is selfish and a bastard and can’t let go. He would never let go of this beautiful but terrifying thing. Not as long as Reaper is willing to give it.

It is why it hurts so bad to have lost what he and Dust had had, all because Geno couldn’t stop being selfish and greedy for one moment.

Reaper smiles softly still, probably aware of the mental turmoil Geno is having, and speaks again “You are respecting his boundaries… or most of them.” Reaper shoots the Seeing Crystals a look and yes Geno deserves that jab. Reaper doesn’t dwell on it for longer “You know what you did before was wrong. You are more aware of yourself and your habits. You can use this knowledge to make it through this trip alright. In a way you can see it as your chance to truly show Dust that you learned from your past mistakes.”

Geno is still unsure as he breaks their eye contact.

Reaper speaks softer “I can still ask for someone else to go? Another mage maybe-”

“No!” Geno is slightly embarrassed by his reaction but it is justified!! Geno has gone to a school with mages! He knows how they think and the biggest issue in his old school had been the many different mages all trying to figure out either love potions or love spells. Stupid hormones driven teens.

Geno is very aware he is being a hypocrite but at least he never sunk that low. He never tried to use his magic to force anyone to feel something for him that wasn’t there. He never committed that crime of break of consent. Geno still has the opinion that those spells and potions count as rape drugs and he will not take any arguments against that.

Reaper looks amused “So you will go?”

Geno grumbles as he looks to the side “Obviously! And just because I am obviously the only correct choice for this mission.” He turns back to his many spells and sighs “I am just…” worried scared terrified paranoid anxious “I don’t want to mess it all up again.”

Reaper had worked so damn hard to fix Geno’s mistake. The very treaty had been in danger and Geno had felt terrible. The fact they still didn’t trust Geno proved once again how badly he messed this whole thing up. Just because he can’t look at people like a normal person and has the stupid habit of turning everything in his mind into some weird scorecard or game or experiment or whatever his minds decides on for the day.

Reaper says it is Geno’s own trauma from being forced to be a parent to his younger brothers while having no stable income or secure housing.

Geno just thinks he is an ass.

Reaper hums as he keeps holding his hand and rubbing the back of it “And you won’t. I trust you.”

Geno laughs as he looks to the side “That went well the last time.”

Reaper hums “The past is in the past. You are trying to improve and better yourself. Why would I keep bringing up stuff you did before that you already regret and are trying to improve?” Reaper traces Geno’s cheek with the gentlest touch “Why would I want to hurt you like that? You learned. You are changing your behaviour and working hard to do right now. I think that is beautiful and shows who you really are as person. You just need the chance and time to improve.” He kisses the hand before smiling “I will ask you once more. Please be honest. Do you feel ready to go on this journey? And do you want to? Or do you need more time to grow and feel secure in interacting with him?” and he waits.

Geno thinks for a moment. He honestly feels fine with going up the mountain. To search the mines. He is just nervous about how Dust will react to him. But moreso, he is excited. Excited about the chance to just be near the other. Hear the other speak again. Speak to him again!

Geno nods “I want to go.” there is just one tiny issue “But horses?!” he stresses the word.

Reaper looks amused “Do you want to walk up the mountain?”

Geno glares “I can’t drive a horse Reaper!”

Reaper chuckles as he smiles “It is called riding love.”

Geno groans as he ignores the comment “I prefer walking over falling on my face every time the horse makes a turn.” There is a reason Geno had wanted to use his inexperience with horses to create a moment with Dust before and oh boy now that he thinks about that he sees the very clear red flag that situation is. Geno really is just red flag after red flag isn’t he?

Reaper smiles “I mean. It should be fine. Nightmare will be sending two horses along with Dust. And Dust apparently has good control over the horses and they listen to him. I am sure the horse will behave and make sure you don’t fall off if Dust asks.”

Geno knows of course. He had spied on a few of those horse trainings before he realised he was once again ignoring every boundary and just taking what he wanted. But the fact remains he had seen Dust work with the horses before. He is an amazing rider and knows what he is doing.

Which just makes the fear of falling off the stupid horse and down a cliff even worse. Geno doesn’t want to make a fool of himself like that.

Reaper smiles “Give it a chance. I am sure you will do amazing.”

Geno sighs and nods. It isn’t like he doesn’t want to do it. He wants to do it so badly. A long time alone with Dust? Getting the chance to talk to him and maybe finally be able to at least start to apologise for his own rude behaviour? The mission itself? Finding this magical substance that reacts to the very biology of both humans and monsters? Geno is so curious how it works and how they manufacture it!

Reaper kisses his hands before he gets up “I need to go check if everything is ready for our guests. I hope you will join me in the throne room soon.” Reaper smiles and gives a tiny bow before leaving.

Geno sighs as he stares at his pack stuffed full with crystals and other tools.

He hopes he can make this work. If only for a little bit.

Geno takes a deep breath before looking at his pack with focus. He opens it removes everything he put into it before taking much more careful note of what he will need.

The basic camping equipment will be taken care of by the maids and servants. Reaper called together a bunch of people who have been on that mountain before to handle the actual camp packing. Including rations. Meaning that Geno’s personal pack will just be for what Geno needs to take along.

He takes a deep breath and picks up a few crystals. These should siphon away any large magical energy. Reaper mentioned that Nightmare thought they will be making these drugs locally. Meaning that they will have to have a large magical powersource. Best to have these along.

Next he grabs his army knife. He enchanted it obviously by embedding some of his smaller crystals into it. It should work to cut anything, including metal cables or worse. He also has some lock picking tools in there. Geno isn’t the best with it which is why he enchanted those as well. But he has seen those slave collars making their way around the areas where the drug is also active and he just wants to make sure there is a way to get those off of anyone.

Geno looks at his many spells and feels a bit embarrassed once he notices he grabbed his most complex and powerful ones. Way to be obvious Geno. Way to make it clear you are desperate to show off. Geno pushes them around and ends up grabbing the one for levitation just in case. It is always good to have that one with you when you go to high places.

Some healing crystals are also a must and one of his more complex and powerful ones is the Calm Emotions. Meant to calm down any aggression. Geno never truly had a chance to test it but if it works as he thought it would it may be useful. Next he grabs his shield crystal and checks those.

He obviously can cast spells without his crystals. Geno is a skilled mage. The difference is that the crystals area already charged and ready to cast the spell without having to still take time to cast it and use his limited mana supply. Geno would just need to activate them.

Geno steps back and nods “That will do.” After that he took some extras of the same crystals and closed his pack. Finally packed.

Geno takes a moment to look at himself in the mirror. He closes his sockets for a moment and takes a deep breath “I can do this.” he opens his sockets and stares at himself “You can do this.” He makes sure to make it an order for himself “You will be normal. You will not make him feel uncomfortable. You will remain respectful of his boundaries and you will not ask pushy questions.” Or better said. Just be a decent person.

He can do this.

Geno puts his bag on his back and leaves his room to quickly join Reaper. A small prickle along his nervous and he feels a rush of excitement come over him.

Dust is here.

Geno grins and rushes to the throne room to get there in time.

Geno gets to the entrance hall and stops there. Takes a moment to calm down. And enters the hall. A glance around shows he is still on time and Reaper smiles at him from beside his throne.

The throne is still the same from when Life was the king of this land. It is a beautiful light brown with all kinds of animals engraved into it. It is as old as the kingdom itself. Geno knows that many other kings look down on it as it isn’t that large or imposing and it isn’t made of a rare material.

Geno thinks it is beautiful. There are spells woven into the throne to make sure it remains healthy and alive. Flowers grown unto the throne to fit the season.

Geno knows that no matter what anyone else says Reaper will never do away with any marks left by Life. When asked he says it is to show respect to the original king that made the save haven that is this land. Geno knows it is because Reaper misses his old friend.

Reaper takes his face between his hands and places a gentle kiss on his skull. Geno feels bashful at the obvious affection in the simple movement. Reaper looks amused “Ready love?”

Geno takes a deep breath and nods “I am.”

Reaper smiles brightly before pulling his hands away from him. Just in time it seems as the throne room doors open. Reaper and Geno look up together.

One of the castle guards bows deeply “The cavalcade of the country of Orchard has arrived.” Geno can’t stop the small snort at the way the guard says it while Reaper just shoots him an amused look.

Geno waits for a moment and feels his soul beat speed up when the group walks in. He immediately finds Dust. Dust is dressed in his knight gear. Completely covered and his mask on. He walks side by side with an older man. Geno studies the other and quickly finds the markings that show he is the captain of the castle guard. Yeah, Geno should have expected as much seeing as Nightmare is very protective of his knights.

Geno gets it. He has his own brothers are all.

The captain bows deeply “King Reaper and royal mage Geno. It is a honour to visit and be allowed to aid you in the name of our King Nightmare.” He stands up and puts his fist on his chest, one top of the royal mark on his armour. The sword with a tree branch and the two birds on either side “I am captain Rogers! Our king send my man and I along to support your troops in the lands to help find people who are causing harm while the Knight will help your royal mage to undo the source.”

Dust just nods as he remains quiet. He is always so quiet and mysterious and Geno just now realises just how good he looks in that armour...

Reaper gives a small nod to show he heard and listened “I welcome you in my land and home. My own guard will fill you in on the developments while my maids will show you where you will be resting for your stay.” Reaper nods towards some of his help and they move forwards quickly.

Most of the guard goes while Rogers and Dust remain. Rogers nods and bows again “We appreciate it.” he glances at Dust for a moment before continuing “Will our Knight and your royal mage move out today or tomorrow?”

Dust shrugs and mutters “Today is fine.”

Geno nods his own agreement as he stares at Reaper. Reaper sees it of course and speaks “If today is fine than today the Knight and my mage will go towards the start of the path up the mountain. To enable them to have an early start tomorrow.”

Dust nods “Sounds good. I will ready the horses.” He turns and leaves the hall. Geno watches him go as Captain Rogers says his own goodbyes before following some maids to meet up with his own guard forces.

Geno turns to Reaper “I am going to go… yeah.” He points over his shoulder with his thumb.

Reaper smiles and nods. “Of course. I will join you soon. I just need to check with what has been packed for you two and I will meet you at the gate.”

Geno nods and leaves the throne room. He rushes through the halls as he ignores the beautiful décor. It isn’t that he doesn’t appreciate the beauty. He used to spend his thinking hours staring at the masterfully crafter stained glass. He rushes towards the exit of the castle as the story told in the large ceiling high windows passes him backwards.

Geno knows the story of course. The story of how Life fled her own war-controlled homelands and husband. How she took likeminded people with her and got her most trusted friend to help guide her people. How she travelled for a long time before finding this paradise. Hidden between the mountains with no one there to challenge their will to stay. How Life made a land worth living in. How she made a paradise focussed on safety and healing. Becoming the original king of this land, throwing away the title of queen as she fled her home and became a king to the people who went with her.

Geno had teased Reaper a lot when he learned that Reaper had been Life’s trusted friend. That Reaper is old as dirt. Reaper had been a bit self-conscious about it. Asking Gen if it bothered him that Reaper was that much older.

Geno didn’t really mind. It wasn’t like he looked old. Quite honestly Reaper was hot for someone who was older than the country itself. Geno does worry that Dust may mind… They may have to ease Dust into that knowledge. Geno thinks Dust already knows because it isn’t a secret that Reaper has been king for a long time but even Geno hadn’t realised just how old he had been.

Then again… It had been Geno who ruined everything… Reaper had been an adult and responsible about everything.

Geno gets outside and blinks in the harsh light. He looks around and spots Dust by a group of horses.

One of the horses near him is leaning into his light touches with its eyes closed. The horse looks smaller than Geno is used to but he doesn’t know a lot about horses. The horses is a dark grey and has black feet… hooves? Area near the hooves. Black lower legs, a black snout and black mane and tail.

Geno slowly gets closer when he notices the horse having violet eyes. Is that even possible? Geno always thought horses to have either brown or black eyes.

The horse looks up and huffs as it seems to get more nervous. Dust just pets it over the snout and it calms down. Geno can barely hear him mutter “Easy Opal. Easy.” The horse, Opal apparently, sniffs and huffs but calms down.

Dust nods and turns to look at him. Geno tries to smile but doubts it looks as relaxed as he wants it to look “Hi… How are you Dust?”

Dust hums and shrugs “Fine.” A moment of silence “You?”

Geno grins “That is good. That you feel fine. I have been busy with this whole… drugs mess. Thanks so much you even want to help.”

Dust shrugs again as he focusses on the horse “Only option. Other option was Cross.” And he pets the horse.

Geno winces. Yeah…  yikes… that is a dodged bullet. Cross is still furious with him.

Geno takes a few steps closer “These are your horses?” he likes horses… maybe that will get him to talk? About anything? Maybe?

Dust nods and pets the horse before him “Opal.” He pulls a hand away and waves towards the second horse “Basalt.” Basalt is a dark brown horse. A bit bigger and has black eyes. Geno must admit that Basalt looks exactly like how Geno would picture a horse, a massive one at that.

Dust continues “You will be on Basalt. Basalt will also carry our stuff.” Which is when the door opens and Reaper walks out with one of the survivalist advisors following him.

Reaper introduces them as Cretic and Cretic immediately starts explaining what was packed and why.

Geno feels his soul speed up at the mention of just one tent. Cretic mentions how it is just not realistic to take two tents and expect to find an area big enough to set up camp for two tents. Not to forget how it would just cost more time to set up and break down two tents every night and morning. Furthermore it would make more sense to share the small space of the tent together because that could warm up the space better for them even if they didn’t share a bedroll. They huff and mention that sharing a bedroll would be much better for surviving the cold temperatures but that their king told them that would not be an option.

Geno is very thankful for Reaper for that. Already sharing a tent space with Dust will be a lot. A bedroll?! Geno would just die. Just end up as his soul pulses so hard it would pulse out of his ribcage. And seeing as it is a stupid tiny shard it would probably hurt like hell too.

Dust looks the pack over before nodding as he grabs the packs and walks over to basalt. Then he clicks it in place and pets Basalt’s head. Basalt nuzzles the hand before standing ready again.

Dust speaks softly as he pets the neck “Basalt will carry packs and let Geno ride him.” he walks over to Opal and pats her neck “Opal. My horse.”

Reaper nods as he looks excited at the horses “It is always a treat to see one of the many horses that walk Orchard.” But he remains back and doesn’t approach even as Geno knows Reaper wants to.

Dust checks the pack before looking at Geno and waiting. Right. Shit. Horse riding. Shit. He isn’t good at this horse riding thing at all.

Geno walks over and chuckles “So… eum… I am not good at this riding thing?” Wait!! Shit?! That came out wrong! “You know! Horse riding!” shoot him now.

Dust either doesn’t notice or care as he walks over and strokes Basalt’s neck “Basalt walks by himself. He doesn’t need to be lead.”

Oh. Well… okay then… Geno walks over and puts his foot in the little foot step thing on the saddle. Okay. Okay. He can do this. He hops on and it isn’t as elegant as he wanted but he is on.

And Basalt moves around a bit but he is on it. He is riding a horse.

Dust walks over to Opal and jumps on without looking bothered in anyway. Opal stands up on her back legs for a moment but then back to normal. Shaking her head around. Dust pets her and she calms down.

Reaper looks nervous at Geno “Will you be okay?” Geno nods. Reaper turns to Dust “Do you need anything else? And will you and the horses be okay?”

Dust nods “This is fine.” He tugs lightly on the reins and Opal turns quickly and Geno is convinced the horse was on her backlegs again. How flexible and quick is that horse?

Dust lets Opal walk a few steps and Basalt just follows. No need for Geno to direct it at all. So this is what Nightmare meant with Dust being able to easily guide up to three horses up the mountain.

And they leave the castle ground. They follow the path down from the castle to the main city and Geno watches in awe as Basalt just does it himself without any needed guidance from Geno. Hell probably through any wrong directions from Geno too.

They walk through the city around the castle and Geno can see people look on in awe. Geno gets it. Dust is like a knight in shining armour trope but instead of just being in shining silver armour on a perfect white horse. He is in dark leathers and dark colours with a cloak. A hood covering his skull and a beautiful panther mask on his face. The gloves and mask to fully hide his skeleton traits. On top of a mysterious rare horse which still seems slightly wild and uncontrolled yet it listens. Yeah… Geno gets why some girls sigh and stare wishfully.

They leave the city and trod on.

Geno can’t help but just watch the other. So in his element and controlled. Geno is happy to just stare as Basalt walks just a tiny bit behind Opal and Dust. Geno smiles as he speaks “You are unbelievable good with them…” Is that enough? “It is amazing.” Is he overdoing this? “You must spend a lot of time with them.”

Dust doesn’t look around as he shrugs “Just like the last two times you asked. I still train them.”

Geno can’t help but flinch and look away. Any nerves he had before return with a  vengeance. Right. Why did he think? Geno looks down and tries to find his voice “I… I know that… I just… I thought… Nevermind.” He thought maybe a compliment would go over well… But maybe it seemed like a dig instead? Like Geno hadn’t taken him seriously when he said he worked with the horses? Like Geno hadn’t believed he worked hard? Geno isn’t sure.

Dust remains quiet as they travel.

Most of the day is silent after that as Geno just lets familiar scenes pass him by. As it is still early spring the air is still cold and crisp and the ground is covered with snow. The mountains in the distance are covered with snow as well.

Geno glances down at the snowy ground. Seems like the horses are fine as they walk on. Geno looks up and glances to the side before he mutters “This… probably is a stupid question. How are the horses going through the snow without issue?”

Dust tilts his skull slightly. Geno notices because his hood moves a bit. But then Dust answers “Generally horses are completely fine in all kinds of weather. We did make sure to get their hooves checked before the trip.” And he looks ahead again “It is just west until we need to go north correct?”

Geno nods “Yeah. We need to go where there is a path between the two large mountains. We can go up there and start navigating towards the mine.” There will eventually be some markings near the roads to show the direction. A less travelled path to lead them there.

Dust is quiet for a moment before nodding “You will need to start either leading” oh please don’t let him ride in front and show Dust how terrible he is at this “or you will need to keep the map out and tell me the directions when we get near.”

Oh thank fuck an out “I can do the second one.” Geno will just die if he knows Dust is behind him judging him for how terrible he is with riding a horse. Well, Geno knows he is bad at this thing and Dust obviously know and is probably judging him already but no need to showcase just how bad he is at it!

It is okay. It is fine. You may not be able to ride a horse or anything but you can do magic! You will be able to show off your magic and how that is your element and Dust will think you are cool!

Geno tells himself at least. Fuck. He just doesn’t want him to hate him even more.

They keep going west as they travel in silence. Geno is playing with the reins as he keeps staring at the back of Dust. Trying to think of something to say which will actually start a conversation. As the time slowly goes by Geno becomes painfully aware that he isn’t sure what to talk about. Asking about Dust will just make him uncomfortable or annoyed because Geno just knows he will be repeating questions again. Asking about how his homelife is going will also just be met with suspicion because of Geno’s stupid past mistakes. Same for his fellow knights, family or hobbies. But Geno can’t just talk about what he likes. All he really cares about for hobbies is magic and that is also part of the whole start of the mess.

Geno honestly wishes he could go back in time and punch himself in the face and shake himself. If he had just been just not such an ass! If he had just been a normal person to Dust. All Geno had had to do was be a decent person.

Reaper had asked him if Geno had been okay with Reaper liking Dust and trying to see if it could go anywhere. He had been honest about his attraction and starting affection. Had asked Geno if Geno was okay with it or if Geno preferred for them to remain exclusive and for Reaper to take more distance from the other. Geno had said he was fine with it.

Geno had felt very secure in how Reaper felt about him and about their relationship. Which is part of the reason why Geno had said sure to begin with. The other reason was much more selfish and jerkish. Geno had been curious and fascinated about Dust’s magic. He had felt that power and energy and almost static in it. Geno is unsure how it could be and had been morbidly curious about how it worked.

They both had known that Dust had had a thing for them. A crush maybe, Killer’s meddling had made it obvious.

Geno isn’t proud of the fact that he used those very feelings. Both from Dust and Reaper to enable him to unravel secrets and mysteries that weren’t Geno’s to learn. Of better said, force Dust to speak about.

It just got worse when Geno realised his own feelings had changed. When it was no longer just a simple curiosity but actual interest.

Geno is honestly happy Dust ended up stopping him. Made him back off…

The magic had felt hurt and distressed. So very hurt and panicked.

Geno had… He wasn’t even sure what his plan had been after that. He backed up and just felt worse when it turned out that Dust had also cut off any contact with Reaper. But Geno had been too prideful and too much of a coward to admit to Reaper what he had done.

At least until Error knocked it out of him that is. Or knocked some sense into him.

Dust hadn’t even wanted to look at him…

“Geno?”

Geno snaps out of it and glances up. Dust is looking at him, from behind that mask, while being turned towards him “Is this the correct path?”

Geno turns to the way pointers and quickly grabs the map Dust mentioned before. He checks their location and is quickly able to figure out where they should be. He checks the distance and nods “This is the right spot. We go north from here. We will come by a little settlement, it isn’t on any official map but it is the settlement everyone who goes on tours to the mountains goes by.” It should be calm really. With it being early spring and so the touring season hasn’t started yet.

Dust nods and turns the way they are going. Geno can swear that Opal is looking unimpressed at him before huffing and walking the way her rider directs her.

Basalt calmly follows and Geno grabs the saddle tighter as he shakes for a moment. Okay. Okay. He is still on the horse.

They trot on.

Geno makes sure to keep the map open and folded in a way to make is easier to figure out where they are. Best do the thing he can actually help with.

With horse they make very quick time and Geno watches as they reach the settlement very quickly. Geno glances at their map before looking at the settlement “We got here very quick.”

Dust hums as he makes their horses keep moving “Not a surprise. We went straight towards this area over following the roads. We cut back on travel time.” He glances at the obvious very close by mountains before looking at him “We best try to make a start with the climb before it is time to set up camp.”

Geno nods “Indeed.” He tries not to remember what their camp includes. Sharing. A tent. Don’t think about it. Don’t.

The follow the path and soon walk through the valley between the two mountains. Geno glances down to reassure himself he still knows this part before speaking “The path will soon curve towards the right. We want to go off path there and stay left. Otherwise we will end up on the wrong side of the ravine.”

Geno glances up as he speaks and sees Dust nod “Got it. Left it is.” He tugs very lightly on Opal’s reins and Opal looks up and around as she walks.

Geno can see the curve in the path in the distance and looks around for the small markings of the other hidden path.

Reaper told him that in the past many people tried to climb the mountains without guidance and got hurt badly. To stop this Reaper got some explorers together to actually map out the mountain and find some nice trail options for the people. It started small but grew with time and became a nice and healthy income for the country and a nice economy boost.

Opal stops for a moment before making another sharp turn and walking straight through the foliage. Basalt follows without a moment of hesitation and Geno had to keep the plants out of his face as he keeps a tight hold on both the map and saddle.

It is unpleasant but they get through it and the area opens up a bit more. There are still trees and uneven ground but it is better than before.

Dust glances around and looks back at him. Geno checks the map and nods “We just need to keep going North for a while longer. Try to go up where we can. It isn’t until we are be the ravine that we need to look for another path.”

Dust hums as he turns his skull to look at that sky. He tilts his skull for a moment before nodding as he faces forwards “We can still keep going for a little. Try to make it to this ravine at least.” and they set off again.

Geno smiles as they follow. Making sure to keep a phalange on the map to mark where they are.

But in the end he can’t help but look around. Even with spring not quite having started it is gorgeous in the mountains. Geno hadn’t visited them often, completely his own fault of course, and it was great to get to experience them again.

The partly frozen dirt but the tiny tiny patches of grass peeking through. The trees all look bare with only some traces of snow but those tiny dots of green to signal the leaves are returning.

He takes a deep breath and sighs happily. The crisp clean air. It very light scent of the many plants and flowers.

“You like the mountain?”

Geno blinks before laughing “Yeah I do. You wouldn’t think it with how rarely I visit but I love it here.” He needs to visit more often. Maybe after Fresh fully moved all his animals Geno can convince him to go on a trip with him? Geno would also invite Error but Error seems very against leaving Nightmare’s side.

“Too busy?”

Geno blinks before shaking his skull “Not exactly. It is more that I keep myself too busy to go.” he laughs “Reaper wanted me to explore and get the chance to tour them the moment I set foot on land here…” Geno really need to go more often “Reaper did take me on a skiing and snowboarding trip once. To help me relax.” He can’t help but look hopeful at Dust’s back “Maybe… Once this whole thing is over… You can go on a mountain tour? See the nice parts? I am sure Reaper will be happy to get the best people for it. For you and everyone else too!” Make it less personal. Don’t single him out again.

Dust shrugs “Maybe summer.”

Geno nods as he tries to think quickly “Summer is great to visit the mountains! There will be many wild flowers and animals. I think Reaper told me there are a few species that other kingdoms thought to be extinct that live here still!” think think come on what else “Not to forget the many mountain rivers and waterfalls! There are also the Three Lakes of course but those are a bit out of the way. But there are also smaller lakes all around that create beautiful little spots where you can camp!”

Dust is quiet for a bit and Geno worries he pushed too far again. He is pushing his luck all over again isn’t he? Why can’t he just be normal when Dust is near?

Dust gives a soft hum as he speaks “The others will like that.”

Okay! Not ruined quite yet. Geno grins as he leans forwards before having to quickly right himself. Right. On a horse. Focus Geno. Don’t fall on your face “Winter is also great. Have you even been skiing or snowboarding before?”

Dust snorts for some reason as he shakes his skull “Winter and I don’t mix.”

Geno pauses and tilts his skull slightly confused “I mean. That is what winter coats and stuff are for. Don’t worry. We would make sure you are ready for the mountain and everything.” Wait! “I mean like all of you with you. Not just you. I mean if you came alone you would also be taken care of.” Which is when Geno decides now is time to just keep his mouth shut for a bit. Why is it that the only charismatic skills he has is about manipulating people and lying and not about honest feelings and basic conversations?

Dust is quiet for a bit again before speaking “Will keep that in mind.”

No. Please don’t keep Geno’s terrible conversation skills in mind.

Geno is trying to think of a distraction and sadly his mouth continues to speak instead “Then again. It is fine if winter isn’t for you. Summer is great! The sun will be warm and high and that makes it easier to go to the highest peaks without freezing quickly. People like to try to climb to the highest top in the summer but that is a few months track. They often start mid spring or late spring for those. I personally never really went further than just the main path and a few smaller paths. But the flowers are nice! They are about any colour, shape and scent you can think of! My favourite of the bunch actually grows in the winter but it will still remain in the summer in a smaller form. It is real cool. One of the scientists explained that the flower doesn’t actually use insects to pollinate but instead these very tiny mice that travel around. I know, also a shock that those aren’t in like hibernation or anything. Apparently They have very thick coats and are light enough that they hardly leave indents in the snow. Making them perfect to actually travel in the winter when things are calm without getting attention from predators.” Oh please someone shut him up. “So these mice eat like decaying stuff as well but use the living flowers as shelter when the predators are near. Camouflage and everything. And the flowers themselves mask their scent. Which in turn makes the mice covered in their pollen which they move to the next flowers and new places.”

Geno finishes his speal and is horrified to realise just how long he kept talking about stupid flowers and some random mice of which he doesn’t even remember the name. Why can’t he just?! Be normal?!

Dust hums before looking to the side “I hear water.”

Geno blinks and quickly looks at the map “I… I think it is either the water in the ravine if we are still low. Or one of the many smaller rivers and small waterfalls if we are higher.” He looks around to see if he notices any marks for either option. Geno hadn’t been paying attention to if they were climbing up or not.

Dust nods as he seems to consider their options before looking at the sky again “We need to camp.”

Geno’s soul starts to speed up. Fuck why is he such a mess? He was never this much of a mess with Reaper. Maybe it was because Reaper just makes everything easy and okay? He makes it feel safe. This is so stupid why can’t he just… Ugh!

Basalt moves and Geno is quick to grab onto the saddle to stay stable. That was a close one.

They keep moving for a bit longer. Geno must admit he is starting to feel nervous when the forest area around them starts to darken. Even with Geno knowing that they both as skeletons would be fine with their eye lights it still makes him uneasy. He doesn’t like being unprepared. And walking through the forest as it slowly gets darker without them having a set plan on where to set up camp? It makes Geno uneasy.

Still he remains quiet as he lets Dust lead them. He isn’t going to be difficult about being uncomfortable or nervous. It is nothing compared to what he put the other through. And this isn’t even with any real reason. It is just Geno being a control freak and perfectionist.

It is okay. It is okay.

The light around them is slowly changing towards a yellowish orange as it gets later and later when Dust finally stops them. It doesn’t look any different from any of the other areas they walked through but it must have something special about it.

Dust jumps off Opal and walks towards the packs by Geno and Basalt. Geno watches as Dust calmly unclicks the tent and walks towards the side. Dust doesn’t even look up at him “I will set up the tent. Can you do the fire?”

Fire. Yes! He can do the fire! Geno grins and nods “Of course!” He swings his leg over the horse as he saw Dust do and steps down. His left foot touches the ground and he grins. Easy. He moves to take his right foot out of the saddle and unto the ground only to not be able to do so. And then he loses his balance.

Ugh. That hurt. He blinks open his sockets and sees Basalt look at him with a tilted head. Clearly unsure what to do with Geno. Geno looks at his leg and sees that his boot got stuck on the footpiece of the saddle. Which is why he couldn’t pull free and why he ended up losing his balance.

Great.

“Are you hurt?”

Double great!!

“Just my pride. And my clothes probably.”

Dust hums “Should be fine. No mud in this area.”

That explains why the ground is so hard. Even so Geno manages to twist his boot free as he pushes himself up. He dusts himself off and is relieved to see that Dust was right. Just some dirt. No mud and no rips. That is good.

Geno walks over to where Dust is setting up camp as he sits on the ground. Geno draws a circle in the sand before laying a simple rock in the middle of it. He concentrates and thinks about the nature of fire. The way it can be created with flint and steel. A spark of energy created by the simple rock and metal. With that in mind his magic sparks and a red flame appears, seemingly burning form the rock itself. Not burning anything around it and remaining in the circle he drew in the sand.

“Mh.”

Geno jumps and turns quickly. Only to find Dust right behind him. Holy shit he is quiet!

Dust ignores his jump “Why magic?”

Geno blinks. He turns back to his newly made campfire. He just wanted to show off but now feels self-conscious about it. He thinks for a moment before speaking “I mean… We are still trying to be stealthy right? This fire will function as a normal fire. Just not leave any traces or create smoke. And aside from the little light for our area it won’t be obvious from further away.” And he also really wanted to show off that he could do stuff after the horse disaster.

Dust tilts his skull before nodding “Fair enough.” He walks over towards the horses as he starts removing the packs from Basalt. He lays them by Geno’s side and Geno makes himself useful by unpacking a few of their rations. It is to make sure their mana stays filled up in case of emergency.

Geno lets the fire warm up their food as he watches Dust undo the saddles and laying those over some tree branches. He undoes the reins and grabs a brush to brush out the parts that had been covered with either the saddle or the head piece of the reins.

Geno frowns “Don’t they need to be tied to a tree or something?”

Dust shrugs “Some do. I prefer them free to run if needed.”

Geno frowns more “Aren’t you… scared something will scare them off?” and leave them horseless with all their camping gear and the long track ahead?

Dust shrugs again “Even if they do. They will return.” He finishes brushing the horses before walking towards the fire side and sitting not quite across from Geno but also not next to him.

Geno hands him his food and they eat in silence.

Geno keeps his focus on his food but it is gone rather quickly. Then he just remains close to the fire. Staring at the magical flame. Trying to not be weird or a creep by staring at the other.

Oh fuck he should have just had Reaper send another mage instead of him. He can’t do this.

Some movement to his side. Dust speaks up “We will need to get moving early tomorrow. As soon as it is light out. We best go to bed.”

Oh fuck he can’t do this.

Dust continues speaking “Can you turn off the fire? The light may attract something and the tent is insulated anyway.”

Geno nods “Sure. No problem.” He clicks his phalanges and the fire turns off. He takes his time getting up as he hears Dust disappear into their tent.

Their. Tent.

Fuck how will he be normal about this? He can’t.

He moves towards the tent and pauses by the open flap before pushing it aside.

Oh god their bedrolls are side by side and the tent is so small he has to crawl.

Dust is already rolled up in his. Seems like he only took off his boots but further sleeps with everything on. Okay. Just. Just do the same thing. Even if it will be a bit uncomfortable.

He undoes his shoes and gets into his bedroll. It is still a bit cold but Geno can hardly feel it. Not when he can feel the slight warmth from Dust beside him.

The tent is dark and silent as Geno just stares at the ceiling of it. Trying to ignore the fact that Dust is laying right next to him.

It is so quiet. Geno isn’t breathing and he is sure Dust isn’t either. There is a tension in the air and between them or maybe that is just Geno being hopeful? He isn’t sure anymore.

Geno isn’t even sure if he can sleep like this. He is too aware of the other and Dust being so close and fuck why wasn’t it like this with Reaper? Why was it so much easier with Reaper? Was it because he was focussing on Error being missing? Because he had been more focussed on the fact he was the king and Geno himself was his royal mage? Is it because he already messed everything up once and is terrified of ruining things again?

His mind keeps spiralling even as his sockets grow heavier and heavier.

--

“Geno.”

Mmmh. No… he doesn’t want to wake up… The air outside of his little cocoon of blankets is cold and he does not like the cold.

“Geno.”

Just a bit longer.

A nudge to his shoulder and Geno goes to give whatever servant is waking him the stink eye. Reaper always lets him sleep in and-

That is Dust. Looking annoyed and shit he isn’t wearing his mask yet even if he can spot it on top of his hood.

Geno stares and searching for the words “What?” Just end him.

Dust just looks neutral. Downright bored if Geno didn’t know that was just his neutral face. Dust speaks again “We need to go soon. Can you warm up food while I clean up camp?” and he waits.

Geno blinks before remembering his excuse of the day before “Right! Of course. Right away.” He searches for his boots and finds them quickly enough and oh stars he really did sleep in his travel gear.

Geno never truly cared about how he looks or how others see him. Before he just didn’t care and with time it just wasn’t important. It wasn’t until he started to live in Reaper’s castle in Sanctuary. That is when he started to notice people paying attention to him and being disapproving.

Again, at first he didn’t care. He didn’t give a fuck what some snobby rich person thought of him and still doesn’t. But he quickly realised that how he holds himself and how he looks effects how people see and think about Reaper so he started to take a bit better care of himself and his appearance.

He leaves the tent and goes to the same spot as the night before. It is still dark out but luckily Geno has reasonable good darksight. He holds his hands together and focusses on the nonburn fire he wants to summon again.

It is as easy as breathing and a moment later the fire is burning and shining before him. Glistering like perfect gems. Geno checks their packs and is happy to note that Dust already removed those from their tent which makes it possible for Geno to just grab the food and warm it up easily.

As it warms up Geno shoots some glances over his shoulder. Watching as Dust is already rolling up the tent again before walking over to the already saddled up horses. Seems like Dust had already been awake for a while.

Geno frowns as he looks at the fire “You were awake for a while already?”

Dust pauses his movements before he continues “Not for long.” He tightens the rope around the packs on the saddle.

Geno frowns as he gets the food ready to eat before undoing his fire spell “Still… I know I… haven’t been the best person.” Which is putting it mildly “And I know stuff isn’t just forgiven. But while out here I want to help. We are on this mission together after all…”

Dust turns to stare at him. His face unreadable. Geno misses when Dust at least allowed him to see something beyond his careful neutral face. Dust turns back to the horses “Don’t mind.” and he puts the reins over Opal’s head and Opal shakes his head. Dust messes with his hood and mask and the mask is on his face “Ready?”

Geno nods before actually answering “Yeah. Food is heated.” He hands Dust his warmed food before looking with dread at Basalt. Basalt at least is nice enough to stand still as Geno struggles on top of the horse.

Getting on the horse on equal ground with two free hands it one thing, trying to climb on top of one in the forest on top of a mountain with food in one hand is a whole other situation. Geno ends up managing it and didn’t even need to use magic to aid him.

Geno looks up to see Dust already on Opal’s back. The place that had been their camp is cleaned of any traces of their stay. Dust turns Opal around and the two of them set off again.

It is still very early. Dawn only just broke and there is only the very starts of sunlight making it easier to see.

They follow up the winding path up the mountain. Geno nibbles the food and knows he is pulling a face. The heat made the food a bit better but it are still rations.

Geno glances at Dust and notices he is already done eating “You like rations?”

Dust tilts his skull and shrugs “Not the best but not the worst. Healthy.”

Right. He is used to missions and having to eat rations on the go “That is fair… Must admit that ever since I moved to Sanctuary I have been enjoying the food.” He sighs “The fish is fucking amazing. Then again it is the country’s export.” He nibbles on his food “Orchard was all about like… grains and stuff right?”

Dust shrugs as he mutters “Mostly for cattle. Used to be a lot about meat. When Nightmare took over the country switched to fruits and orchards. Now it is mostly fruits and stuff like it.”

Geno gives a slow nod “Right… the weather and climate changed after Nightmare took over right? None of those weather rituals.” The rituals that country used to do fascinated Geno endlessly. The strange way they used magic to do stuff and make large changes. Larger than most simple or complex spells should be capable of. Permanent drought is very intense and very hard as it forces the unguided and wild being of nature itself to bend to it. Things that are alive are always harder to work with magically. It is why Geno prefers the more direct and unchanging nature of rocks and gems.

Dust shrugs “Nightmare doesn’t like the rituals.”

Geno nods “I get it.” blood magic and sacrifice magics are always disliked. Fascinating but very harmful ways to practise magic. Though both are very strong and have many ways to even alter reality. Necromancy is a close one after those two but not quite on the same level of power. Necromancers just have the worst rep and bad PR.

They walk in silence as Geno looks around the area. It has been so long since he was last up here, he really needs to visit it more often.

The horses stop and Geno looks forwards only to freeze. Because that is a much larger and wild river than it should be.

Dust tilts his skull slightly “Did we make a wrong turn?”

Geno shakes his skull as he double checks their map “We shouldn’t have. I checked as we walked we are right where I thought we should be…” he frowns as he focusses on the map “There should just be a small river here with only a few stepping stones to get past it. Not this large and very much not this wild.”

Dust hums as he keeps looking at the river “Other way?”

Geno frowns “There is another path… but that means we have to go back to the main path and move to the other side of the ravine and follow it along until we find a way further down and back up on another side of this mountain. Instead of going west we would need to go much further up north before climbing the mountain up into the south west side you know?” he follows the map with his phalanges as he checks the routes.

Dust hums “Over the river it is.” Only for him to get off the horse and pet Opal before nudging her. And Opal just jumps over the river before looking back smugly.

Geno stares with his mouth open.

Dust walks over to him and Basalt and stops by the side “Scoot.”

Wait what?!

Geno blinks “What?” his voice sounds much higher than it should be.

Dust tilts his skull “Scoot. A bit back.”

Geno gives a slow nod as he moves a bit back. Dust then just jumps up and over the side and oh god he is right in front of him and where does Geno leave his hands.

Dust gets the reins in his hands and shoots him a look over his shoulder “Hold on.”

Where?!

Dust nudges the horse and Basalt starts to move and Geno holds unto around his waist. Especially when Dust makes Basalt speed up.

Geno tries to focus on just holding on and not on the fact of how warm Dust feels. He is thankful that Dust is wearing armour and leather as that makes it impossible to really feel the other and-

Oh shit they are jumping.

Geno holds on tightly and plasters himself against Dust’s back.

A moment later Basalt lands on the other side of the river and comes to a slow stop.

Dust hums “Up and over.”

Geno is not letting go as his whole body is tense “How did you know he would be able to make it? Why not jump over with Opal?”

Dust hums “Opal can jump alone…” and he shoots him a look.

Right, and Geno can’t. Great.

Shit he is still holding the other and following the barely there curve of his body and- Geno lets go and tries to scoot backwards. Trying to keep his emotions and magic calm when he starts to slide to the side. Dust quickly grabs his arms and tugs him back fully on Basalt as he himself gets off easily.

Geno can just fucking die. This fucking sucks. He is making stupid mistake after mistake and making blunder after blunder.

Dust doesn’t seem bothered as he is already walking over towards Opal and jumps on her back.

Geno frowns as he stares down. Not even sure what to say at this point. Sorry he is a mess? Both with anything horse related and Dust related? Geno is probably making this so much harder than it needs to be.

Geno glances back at the river and mutters “How did you know that Basalt could carry both of us and jump over?”

Dust answers easily “Is Horror’s horse. He is strong.”

Geno blinks and looks at the massive and muscled horse he is riding. Wow. That would explain as Horror is a big guy and carries large weapons. Geno looks up “And that is why you picked Basalt?”

Dust nods “Also easy to lead. I always lead Basalt.”

Geno frowns “Always? What if Horror is riding it?”

Dust sounds amused as he speaks “Horror can’t ride a horse. Worse than you.”

Geno blinks confused. Seriously? Horror is… worse somehow? Geno speaks up without thinking “I almost fell like three times already…”

Dust nods “Better than Horror. Basalt good at balance for a reason.”

Geno looks at Basalt and sees how the saddle he is on has many spots to grab on. Same for the reins now that he truly studies it. Horror having difficulty riding a horse… It would make sense to train a horse to be easy to ride for guests as they listen to someone else. Geno had notices that Basalt didn’t as much look around but just watches Opal and Dust.

Geno also only now realises that Dust messed with the reins and probably put them on like the lead setting over just for Geno to hold onto to balance. He only got them ready to lead the horse when Dust was the one riding it.

He…

Oh.

Huh.

Geno can’t help but smile a bit as his soul does a little flutter “Thanks… I appreciate it…”

A long silence follows that and that is okay. Geno doesn’t truly expect an answer.

“No problem… shared mission.” Dust’s answer is quiet.

Geno grins wider as he can’t help but get the feeling that Dust is being shy. He used to be shy a lot and Geno finds it adorable all over again. Even before his interest changed from just fascination in his magic to feelings for him he always found the other cute. Which probably says  a lot about him that he found a murderer and ex-smuggler and ex-crimelord adorable but Geno is just going to not bother thinking about that specifically.

They don’t come across any other rivers as they walk along the path around the mountain. They talk a bit more about the plan. Which is finding one of the lower mine entrances and entering through those before systematically searching the mine.

Which will be the most time costly part of the mission. As the mines are complex with many tunnels. Geno got the copies of the last made maps but they may not match up perfectly anymore as the mine system is older.

They get in a rhythm after that. They travel throughout the day and when dusk starts Dust sets up camp as Geno keeps an eye on the food rations and the path they must take.

They don’t come across any rough rivers again as they move along the mountain steadily. Geno is only a little sad about it but he keeps his mouth shut. He will just have to be thankful for the chance he got to be that close to the other.

It takes them a total of three days but they finally spot it in the distance. A quarry with a large landmarker that they used to mine, mostly for granite. As they needed that for the construction of the new cities. Geno is pretty sure some of the originally made buildings are still in the capital standing tall and strong. The mine and quarry both just got too unstable to continue to mining operations safely and Reaper had to discontinue the work at this location.

Dust looks around the area “Large mine…”

Geno looks over and nods “It is the oldest and largest in the country.” Which is also why there was a lot of pushback when Reaper closed it for safety reasons.

Geno knows that Reaper took the time to search for a new place to start mining to make sure that the many people working at this location didn’t lose their jobs. Reaper had spent a long time looking for a new location and as the people had to wait Reaper used money form the treasury to make sure no one lost their income.

Geno honestly wonders how some people could say that Reaper was a bad king.

Dust nods as he looks around. Geno wishes he could see his face to figure out what he feels or thinks. Now Geno just as to wait for Dust to speak, which he doesn’t do a lot. Guy is shy and quiet.

Dust turns to him “Where is the entrance?”

Geno frowns “I mean. It should be right there.” He turns and points only to blink. Why is it collapsed?!

Dust hums “By your face. It should be open.” He gets off of Opal and walks over to the opening into the mountain. He looks at the wood and the many many rocks filling up the opening.

Dust speaks up “Wood is cut through. Support beam and all. No marks of a natural rockslide.”

Geno frowns “Sabotage…” That is rough “Well… Good news, we found the mine they are located in.”

Dust hums “Bad news… Entrance is a no.” Dust looks at the entrance before looking back at Geno “Blast open?”

Geno frowns and shakes his skull “Can’t risk it. As I said before, the mine is instable and may collapse. Not to forget the mountain is at high risk of avalanches.”

Dust continues to looks at him “Alternative?”

Geno checks the map and nods “There are more entrances all over the mountain. They are just harder to reach.” He points at some of the minecart rails going out and around the mountain “Helps with the many carts. Most of the mountain is full of tunnels.”

Dust nods and walks back to Opal as he gets on “Where to?”

Geno looks at their map “A bit down again and then we need to follow a narrow path to get to the trail leading to the next possible entrance.”

Dust nods as he turns their horses back to the entrance of the quarry. “Okay.” and they are off again.

Geno directs them back the way they came before getting to the thin ledge they carefully walk over. Dust only asks him how long the track will be once, which Geno answers with it should be about half a day.

Geno just hopes that this one is actually open for them to use.

They follow the path and by the time the sun is starting to set they come to the second entrance, one near a river which leads all the way down the mountain.

Dust stops them and stares ahead. Geno follows his line of sight and- “Those motherfuckers.”

The second entrance is also locked off.

Dust nods “Apparently.” And he jumps off his horse.

Geno blinks “What are you doing?”

Dust doesn’t answer out loud instead he gets the pack for the tent. Geno nods “Fair enough. Camping time.” He gets off Basalt and he is proud that he hasn’t fallen while getting off the horse since day one.

Geno goes about his usual routine to get the fire going and to warm their food as Dust is quick about the tent and the horses. It is nice at this point. Both doing their thing in silence. Geno hands Dust his food before going into the tent to sleep, having set a timer on the magical fire for an hour.

Geno sighs as he gets comfortable in the bedroll. Ready to sleep as he is now much warmer in it. Honestly the magic woven into the bedroll is amazing. He will need to figure out how to do this. Maybe add it to Reaper’s weighted blanket. Reaper gets cold easily and the added warmth to his comfort blanket will be great.

His mind is already slowing down with sleep when he hears very soft shuffles. That is good. That is Dust then. Getting some sleep as well.

Geno lets out another yawn before he lets sleep claim him.

--

The plans ends up being to keep going up the winding paths up the mountain. Which is a rather high risk at the moment as they mountain is traitorous this time of spring. But Geno figures at this point that none of the entrances will be open.

Which leaves them going with the path going straight to the highest one instead of going one up at the time.

Geno grumbles as he has to hold on tightly to the saddle “Why did those idiots even lock everything up? Don’t they need stuff?”

Dust hums “Nah. Only times they go out is when they smuggle and trade. Otherwise lock away and preparing for next trade session.”

Geno blinks as he looks at the back of Dust “Really? How do you know that?”

Dust just shoots him a look over his shoulder. Geno is still unsure how Dust can be this expressive while still wearing his mask and not showing his face. Maybe Geno is just good at figuring out Dust at this point?

He likes that idea…

Dust shakes his skull but Geno thinks he heard a small snort before Dust answers “Used to smuggle. And do crimes. Never messed with drugs however. Too high risk.”

Right… Geno knew that. Because Reaper did a background check on all the Knights before he went to even speak with Nightmare about searching his country for Error. Years and years ago.

Geno can’t help but be intrigued “What was that like? I used to spend a lot of time on the streets but never spend much time in the black markets…” Too much risk for a kid with no adults to protect them. Children got abducted from the streets very often at his old home.

Dust is silent for a bit and Geno looks to the side “Sorry… pushy again?” Why can’t he just…

Dust shakes his skull “Not pushy… surprised…” he seems to think for a while “It was easy money.” And he leaves it at that.

Huh. Well. Geno gets it. Which he makes sure to mention. Dust shoots him another look and Geno shrugs “I used to be young before. No one would hire a child for a normal job and I only had so much time with full time school to actually get money. Shadier business gives better payout.”

Dust keeps looking at him before giving a short nod.

Geno smiles as he relaxes a bit. He thinks it is going well. Maybe Reaper was right. And he just needed to start some conversations and try to be calm and mindful of the boundaries Dust sets.

Geno at this point is honestly just enjoying the track. It is relaxing to be out in the open air. Conversations are going well. They got their little routine going and Geno has managed to get the other to at least let out a few amused snorts and gotten him to look back at him. Geno thinks it is going very well!

By the fifth day Geno is almost disappointed to see the mineshafts in the distance. Meaning that his time with Dust is starting to come to an end.

Dust hums as he looks at Geno. Geno forces a smile to his face and nods “That is the one.” Dust nods and leads their horses closer to the entrance before he pauses.

Geno frowns “Something wrong?”

Dust looks back at him before looking at Opal “Don’t want them to be hurt.”

Geno blinks as he looks at the horses “I mean… We don’t have to bring them all the way up there. We can leave them at a lower spot? Out of view and free to run if need be?” Geno doubts that of course. As Geno has no doubt that Dust and him will be able to take care of those drug dealers easily.

Dust seems to relax and nods. Then he directs the horses a bit closer to start the final climb.

They get to a small patch of trees a bit away from the last entrance. Dust gets off and gets to work on making sure the saddle and reins aren’t ready to be used to ride Opal. Geno gets off himself and Dust does the same with Basalt. He spends some time to check both horses before nudging them deeper into the hiding place. Opal looks very unamused as she tries to walk back over to Dust. Dust clicks his teeth and makes a motion with his hand. Opal huffs and snorts before holding her head high as she trots into the forest.

Geno crosses his arms “Can’t believe I am saying this but that horse is a diva.”

Dust just nods and shrugs as Geno laughs. They walk towards the mine entrance and Geno frowns. It is so quiet here… It gives him the creeps. Dust starts to walk slower and slower and Geno can see him glancing around.

Geno gets to the entrance when a hand grabs his shoulder and tugs lightly. Geno looks back at Dust. Dust just shakes his skull as he continues to stare at the entrance.

Geno frowns “I know it feels… off. But it is the only entrance that is still open.” Geno makes sure to keep his voice low and just above a whisper. They are still being stealthy after all.

Dust frowns before pointing towards one of the higher up rail systems for carts. That disappear into the mountain.

Geno frowns “We can just use this entrance.”

Dust points to himself and then to the new entrance he found. Then points at Geno and waits. Geno just points towards the entrance they are in front of. Dust sighs but nods. Then he turns and starts climbing the wall to reach the new entrance he found. And he disappears inside.

Okay.

Geno casts a simple light spell before going into the mine.

It is old and deserted. There is dust and dirt everywhere. Geno uses his little ball of light to shine out and get a feeling for the distance. The ground is uneven and the walls are all cut out roughly. The tunnel leads onwards with a small decline to it.

Geno follows it. As he walks he keeps looking around him and back. Having the feeling he is being watched.

Geno tries to remember the layout of the mine he studied. He never really studied the upper parts beyond the basics. If he remembers correctly it will open up to a larger area soon. The centre of the upper part where all the mined goods were collected and counted and noted down.

He feels a shiver go up his spine as he feels magic right behind him. He doesn’t think as he turns and makes the ball of light explode into a flash. A groan of someone else and Geno rushes deeper into the mine. Now running with just his natural nightvision to guide him.

Geno continues to run deeper into the mine as the footfall starts to follow him. Shit shit shit.

Dust was so right he should have gone with him. Why the hell did Geno think he knew this kinda stuff better than Dust who had actual experience with missions like this?!

Geno goes to turn a corner but feels the magic charge up and quickly dives to the side to dodge the incoming blast. Purple fire magic?

Before he can get up and continue running hands grab his shoulders and he feels something click around his neck.

“Stand up and stand still.”

His body moves without his permission as it follows the order. Shit. The slave collar. Shit shit shit shit shit.

Geno tries to force his body or magic to move and act but neither seem to be able to. He is forced to watch someone walk out of the shadows of one of the many tunnels. Human by the looks of it. A badly kept beard and very pale and thin skin. Large marks of too little sleep under those eyes. But the eyes are focussed and there is a grin on his face.

The man smirks “Well if this isn’t a treat! I know my people said I had guests wandering the mountain but I never expected it to be the royal mage himself!” he grins as he puts an arm around Geno’s shoulders.

Geno glares and tries to speak but his body just won’t move. Get your filthy limbs away from him.

The man smirks “I am Rover. The head and brains behind this operation. Come come! I will show you the whole place and give you a tour!” he looks downright excited as he moves.

Geno can’t stop his body from moving after the man. Following the order he had been given.

As soon as Geno can he is burning this man to a crisp. Serves him right for trying to control Geno.

Geno can’t even study the people behind him as he can barely move his eye lights as it is. He is stuck following Rover as Rover has a bounce in his step. Fucking freak.

They exit the tunnel into a large open space and this is the main operations of this mining outcrop he had been looking for. As expected it is the place to be. The elevators are operational as they carry boxes up and down into a lower area or up to the small office building near the top. People are walking around closing crates.

There is this strange machine that some people put some kind of powder in. At the bottom these tiny crystal shaped rocks tumble out. That is it. That is the drugs that are at large in the city.

But it isn’t just one large machine. Geno can already see seven of them all working.

Rover grins “Beautiful isn’t it? The small doses we distributed was just the test. Knowing that the drugs are as well received as they are means we can expand! It is a matter of time before everyone wants a bit of my supply!” he walks towards one of the machines and sticks his hand into a crate that is being filled up. He shows the handful off as if he is holding something precious instead of something deadly and dangerous.

Rover grins “Especially now.” he chuckles “The royal mage liking this stuff? That will boost sales so high. Especially as you will make sure the king doesn’t try to stop it anymore.”

Geno glares as he tries to make it obvious he will ever much not do that.

Rover grins “It is okay. You will just need a tiny taste test.” He drops most of it before walking over with one single piece.

Geno tries to pull free from the control keeping his body locked. He tries to blast the other. But nothing. He can’t even mentally activate one of his many crystals. All ready with potent magic to protect him.

Nothing he can do.

He slowly feels his fear increase. He has no idea how his magic and soul will react to the drug. His soul isn’t a full soul after all. Just a shard of one. Geno has a lot of magic already that his soul shard overproduces. He has no idea what will happen if he has to take this and his soul is pushed even further.

Rover holds out his hand “Take thi-AAAAH!” A knife hits his arm.

Geno feels a bit of relieve as the order doesn’t take effect. A dark shadow lands behind some of the people guarding Rover and Geno can see a sharp bone attack impale one of the guards with a crack of electricity.

The guard drops down. Rover turns and Geno can see him look panicked as he whispers “A Knight.”

Right. Rover is originally from Orchard. He would know the full meaning of the masks. Rover looks around panicked as Geno just watches Dust take out guard after guard. Moving fluent and with a grace he hadn’t had had the pleasure of seeing since that one fated training session.

Rover takes a few steps back and yells out “Hold an explosion spell to your own skull!! If he continues to attack you will shoot it!”

Geno feels his soul freeze as his magic starts to unwillingly form the spell. His arm aims at his skull and he can feel the energy behind the magic. He feels the unwillingness of his magic as he has to aim it at his own being. Dust freezes.

Rover pants as he looks around “Okay. Okay. Much better don’t we all agree?” He glares at some people “Get another collar. Now!”

One guard shakes “Boss we don’t… we don’t have more ready. We didn’t have the magical chips prepared to make more.”

Rover pants as he looks around “Then get the magic dampers!” He glares as he looks frantic “What a big show. Since when does the king of Orchard care about other countries?”

Dust just stares from behind his mask. Unbothered.

Rover glares “What?! Not going to speak?”

Dust doesn’t say a word again.

The guards rush back with some magic dampers. Rover considers it as he looks between Geno and Dust. Clearly thinking.

Rover points to Dust “Hands and arms out. Or the king of Sanctuary will have to look for a new royal mage!”

Dust frowns but gives a slow nod as he holds out his arms. Rover snaps his fingers and points at the guard holding the dampers before pointing at Dust.

No. No don’t do that.

The guard puts two dampers on Dust.

Rover sighs and grins “There isn’t that better?” he looks at Geno “Dispel that attack.” Geno’s magic does as told and Geno wants to spit in Rover’s face. Rover grins as he swagger walks over to Dust. He boldly removes the mask which he holds up proudly.

One of the guards looks nervous “Boss. Euh… You shouldn’t… the masks… The masks are important and…”

Rover shoots the guard a look “Yes I know. But I think I am owned it. After all! I outsmarted the Knight and the royal mage!”

Geno watches as Dust glares at Rover. Bloody murder so clear in those mismatched eyes. Geno feels so guilty. He should have just trusted Dust’s instincts and snuck in with him through the other entrance that he found. Why did Geno have to be stubborn? He thought he would have been able to handle this easily with his magic.

Dust snorts “Debatable.” Rover glares at him but Dust isn’t even looking at Rover anymore. He is just looking around the area. Looking bored and unimpressed. Like he has somewhere much more important to be.

Rover sputters and glares “I caught you both! I have this set up! I am on my way to be the greatest and most influential person in the world!”

Dust snorts “Country I guess… and for druggies…” and he shrugs again.

Rover glares and points at Geno “With the most powerful mage under my control it is a matter of time before I have all I deserve!”

Dust raises a brow. Glances at Geno. Then back at Rover. And shrugs again “Not as powerful as my king.”

Rover freezes for a moment as he worries the crate he is next to. Frown on his face “These drugs will get me people. Get me forces. I will be able to take all I want. Even… even Nim’s son won’t stand a chance against me.”

Geno never understood why they wouldn’t say Nightmare’s name.

Dust tilts his skull and has an unimpressed look on his face “You don’t even dare mutter his name. Why do you think you are strong enough to defeat someone with the power of a god?”

Geno frowns before connecting the dots. This man doesn’t know that Nightmare lost those powers already. Dust is counting on the fact that Rover has been out of the loop on the gossip inside of Orchard. Especially because the news that Nightmare is no longer powered by that ritual never left the inner circles until a little while ago.

Dust is counting on this man’s ignorance.

Rover shakes his skull “I will have more people. People who can end him.”

Dust tilts his skull “Only reason you caught me is because I let you.”

Rover freezes as he worries the crate. His eyes shooting between Geno and Dust. Then he gets a grin. He points to some man and snaps his fingers “Get the blockers on the mage.”

Geno blinks but soon he feels his magic be locked off. Rover than points to some guards and to Dust “Keep. Him. Still.” And he undoes the slave collar from Geno’s neck.

Geno feels his ability to move return and the first thing he does before he can even feel beyond the numb feeling is hit Rover right in his stupid ugly mug. Rover groans but guards grab Geno and hold him still as Rover rushes to Dust. And puts the collar on him.

Geno feels himself freeze as Dust just takes a deep breath. Now wearing two blockers and the collar.

Rover grins “There! Much better! Now! With you under my comment I will be unstoppable! Those fellow Knights of yours won’t want to attack you! Surely!”

Dust just stares ahead. Not a single emotion on his face. Rover turns to him and shudders as he looks around for a moment before looking back “Shit that is unnerving. Hey! Speak!”

Geno can spot it. The way that the corner of Dust’s mouth twitches slightly. Almost as if he would be grinning or smirking if he let himself. Instead Dust remains looking neutral as he stares at Rover “You don’t even know what I can do.”

Rover frowns as he worries the crate. Then he points to Dust and speaks “Do a spell and don’t aim it at any of us!”

Dust’s sockets and eye lights look so fucking amused. Geno can feel the static grow and grow and next thing that Geno knows there is a large blast of lightning originating from Dust that blasts outwards. Rover and the guards rush and dodge where they can.

Geno sees the fried circuits of the magic dampers and the slave collar drop to the ground when a hand grabs his hand and pulls him free from the guards who fell back with shock.

Dust and him are running into one of the many tunnels and Geno is trying to get the blocker off but he can’t.

Dust stops them in a tunnel and takes one of his hands “Can’t unlock yourself. It has fail safes.” He studies the bracelet and Geno can’t help but just stare at Dust. Dust must have known. Dust must have known from the start that his magic would be powerful enough to fry all of them at once.

Geno hadn’t know that Dust knows lightning spells! Those are hard to master and very powerful! That is insane to just have as a go to spell.

Geno focusses “On my hip is a knife. It should be able to cut through anything.” Dust doesn’t even check as his hand reaches the spot and finds the army knife Geno took along just in case.

A cut later and one of the blockers falls of. Geno feels his magic return to him and smiles. Dust gets to work on the match of it when they hear running. Which makes them both start to run again.

Geno follows after Dust as they get to a large cavern with an even larger drop. They run across the creaking and instable pathways as Dust glares “Why?”

Geno pants as he runs “I told you! This place is almost fully hollowed out. It is why it was closed! It is instable!”

They get to the end of the pathway only to find it a dead-end. Dust gets ready to turn only to see more of those people coming.

They spot a ledge by the cavern wall and Dust jumps from the pathway to the edge of it. He manages to land and Geno feels his nerves get even worse. What does he do? He can’t do that?

Dust turns to him and holds out a hand. Oh no. Geno looks back and sees the other people coming. He slowly climbs over the railing, having a dead grip on it still as he glances down. It is so dark and deep down there. Dropping in there would be his end. Easily.

Dust snaps his fingers and Geno looks up. Dust holds out a hand and looks calm. Everything about him says it clearly. He will catch him.

He will catch him.

He will catch him.

Geno lets go of the railing and sets off hard. His hand finds Dust’s and Dust pulls him right against the wall. Geno’s soul is pulsing wildly as he stands there. Dust tugs on his hand and starts shuffling along the ledge, away from those following them. Geno follows him even as he is starting to feel sick.

Geno never thought he had a fear of heights before but this feels different.

They are moving along the edge when Rover and his people start shooting at them. The ledge they stand on starts to crumble and suddenly they are both falling. Dust manages to grab unto the ledge with his hand and Geno can feel that Dust has a very tight grip on his hand.

Geno can see the pained look on Dust’s face and Geno is reminded of Dust’s weaker shoulder. Shit… this can’t be good for him.

They hang there and Geno can see Rover getting his guards and people to aim their magical attacks at them.

Geno looks down and the movement causes some of his crystals to be visible.

His crystals.

Oh duh!

He looks up at Dust “Dust! You need to let go!”

Dust looks at him like he is an idiot. Geno grins back “Let go of the ledge! We will be fine!” Dust is clearly unsure and Geno is trying to figure out how to explain it to him. But then… Dust lets go of the ledge.

There is no time to consider what exactly that means as suddenly they are falling.

They are falling and panic starts to fill him.

Geno pulls on Dust to make him closer and Geno pretty much warps as much around Dust as he can. Next he searches for the right crystal.

Please please please- There!

Geno grabs it and tugs it free from his hat.

He holds the crystal against both of them and prays it works as he focusses on the magic.

He feels it and tugs on it. The crystal turns to dust and Geno can feel himself, and Dust thank everything, start to slow in their descent.

They fall slowly in silence and darkness before they land on the ground without as much as a scratch.

They sit on the ground for a moment. Both breathing harshly as Geno lets the adrenaline slowly drain from his body.

That is when Geno suddenly becomes painfully aware that he is still holding unto Dust tightly and that they are pretty much in each other’s laps! Geno quickly pulls away from the other and makes room. Dust however isn’t looking at him at all as he keeps his hood pulled tightly over his face.

Dust gets up first, still not looking at him, as he rubs and rotates his fragile shoulder.

Geno frowns before getting up “Hey… It is totally okay if you don’t want to but… I do have healing magic?”

Dust is silent for a bit. He glances up for a moment before nodding “Fine.”

Geno smiles as he takes a seat. He thinks about using the crystals but decides this is better to do himself.

Dust sits before him and pauses his movements for a moment. But then he undoes his outer armour and puts it aside. Next he removes his hood from his being and Geno sees even more inner armour under the hood with an undershirt under that.

Dust removes the inner armour and frees only his hurt shoulder from the undershirt.

Geno can’t help but stare at the bones. Because he can see very tiny specks of grey on the white bones. But that can’t be what he thinks it is right? Because that is what happens to skeletons when they start dusting. Their bones turn a grey before falling apart in dust particles. Geno wants to touch those spots but he stops himself. Don’t be weird. Don’t be pushy. He hovers his hand above the shoulder and concentrates. Trying to feel what the injury is and what it needs.

Geno can feel the dull ache in his own shoulder. It seems like he overstretched the joints and that it had too much weight put on it. Geno can also feel it. The way the mana lines deep and hidden in the other still has tiny breaks in them. This must be why his shoulder is still hurt after that hit from Horror from a year ago at this point.

Geno stops himself from just pushing healing into those areas as he speaks “Your joints are overstretched and too much pressure was put on them as well. It is easy to heal… I… I also noticed that your mana lines have tiny cracks in them. I think this is what is causing you your weaker shoulder now… I can try to heal it a bit as well…” Only if he is okay with it.

Dust thinks it over before giving a short nod.

Geno feels excitement fill him as he concentrates on his magic. Help him. Heal him. Just make him feel better. Geno wants to be able to help him and make him feel better. Anything.

The soft ache he had been feeling in his own shoulder disappears with each tiny bit of magic he pushes into the old and new wounds. Dust’s shoulder easily accepts the magic. Even as Geno can feel static from Dust’s own magic. Clearly not as okay with this intruding magic as Dust’s body is.

Geno makes sure that his own magic remains calm. He just wants to help. That is all he wants. Please just let him.

The magic doesn’t cast him out luckily and the healing is finished much quicker than he thought it would. Geno pulls his hands back as he catches his breath “There… all done.” Casting spells on the fly always takes more energy than the carefully planned and crafted spells he has.

Dust rolls his shoulder and frowns as he touches it for a moment. He glances at him before quickly getting dressed again. Geno can’t help but feel anxious “Is something wrong?” he thought he had it all now. He thought he healed the other.

Dust pauses and mutters “Feels good…” and he tugs the hood on tighter, his hand reaching towards the spot he normally leaves his mask before frowning even more.

Geno grins and nudges their shoulders together “It is okay. We will get it back and show Rover he was a fucking idiot…” Talking about idiot “I am sorry… I should have listened before when you said we shouldn’t go through the main entrance… I got overconfident.” He messed up.

Dust shoots him a look and shrugs “Easy fix.” He sighs as he looks up “Don’t look forwards to the climb.”

Geno actually starts to smile as he holds up one of his crystals “Oh don’t worry. I got just the spell for that.” Dust looks intrigued at the crystal.

Geno searches the place before spotting an empty mine cart. That will do nicely. He jumps into it and looks at Dust, Dust tilts his skull but follows his lead.

Geno makes sure it isn’t stuck before he grabs the crystal that he has charged with levitation magic. He holds it near the cart and concentrates. The magic needs to be transferred to the holding place of the crystal into the cart itself. He imagines that the cart is magnetically charged and that this one matches the one around it. To make sure that the same pools push each other away.

The crystal falls apart and-

The cart rocks as it slowly starts to float. Dust remains very still as he holds unto the cart tightly. Geno grins as he looks up “Up we go!”

It is kind of like an elevator. They rise slowly up as they sit in silence. Geno sighs as he leans against the cart “What do we do?”

Dust hums as he keeps a tight hold on the cart. Clearly uncomfortable with this way of transportation. Geno blinks and gives him a softer smile “It is okay. The magic will make sure it remains stable and not swing or anything. We will be up in no time.” Dust shrugs as he keeps looking up.

Geno feels a bit bad for taking him on this ride without a warning. Geno sighs as he looks up. What do they do…

Dust speaks softly “We need to stop the production…”

Geno nods as the original plan returns “We need to stop the machines. I can stop them easily enough but the problem is Rover and his man.”

Dust shrugs “I can deal with them.” he frowns as he glances at Geno “But fighting and keeping an eye on you is… harder.”

Geno rolls his eyes. He doesn’t take it personally. “I know I know I am not a fighter. It is fine. I have a crystal to make a shield but I need time to set it up.”

Dust nods “Hiding place for you. I go in and end them. Then you lock up stuff.”

Geno laughs “Sounds a lot easier than it will probably be.” Dust doesn’t look bothered.

They get all the way back to the pathways they were on before and Geno is happy to note they see no one. Dust points further up “We can hide you there. Easy to get around.”

Geno nods and makes the cart fly even higher. They get to an upper cart rail and Dust gets out first. Geno goes after and parks the cart sideways. Just to make sure it doesn’t fall off.

Dust leads him through the upper rail system. They very quickly get back to the main area where they see Rover screaming at some of his workers. About them having to go down to make sure Geno and Dust are actually dead. The workers however clearly don’t want to as they quote the fact the whole area is unstable. Rover reminds them that he will end them if they don’t go. So they can pick taking their chances in the mines or take the certain end by Rover’s hands.

Dust hums as they watch “He is sampling his own produce.”

Geno nods “He is overcharged and his soul will implode soon enough if he keeps using it.”

Dust nods his agreement “Someone else would just take over. Best clean out the whole nest.” And he readies a sharp bone in his hand. He glances at Geno “Shield?”

Geno nods and holds up his needed crystal “Ready.” Dust gives him some space to work with and Geno has the shield up very quickly.

Dust nods before just jumping down and landing right on top of Rover who he stabs right through the chest without a second hesitation. Dust grabs his mask and puts it back on his face. The other stare in shock which Dust uses to attack.

Geno should probably be doing something other than just staring but can you blame him? Dust moves with a grace and confidence that rivals professional dancers. Dust is so comfortable and familiar with himself and his skills that he moves between the forces as if it is nothing.

It is not even a fight. It is a slaughter. A beautiful slaughter.

Dust finishes the last one and moves all the bodies into the same area before looking up at Geno. Geno grins as he undoes his shield “No worries. I got this.” some slow falling and he is on the ground without as much as a scratch.

Dust nods before looking at all the drugs and chemicals. Geno grins “Time to put everything in a crystal. Can you help me move everything into that tunnel start?” he points to one that hasn’t been dug out far yet “I will use that as the vault for now. Until we can send people up here to properly dispose of everything.”

Dust nods and the two of them set to work on moving everything into the tunnel. Aside from paperwork. All the paperwork Geno can find he puts on his person to get back to Reaper as proof.

It takes a long time to get everything to the right spot. Geno sits near the materials and machinery and can’t help but stare in wonder “This is so strange! These machines take the magic from found items and push it into smaller sugar cubes which gain those strange forms as the magic settles!” Geno can’t help but grin. “It is fascinating. So fascinating. I never even thought about taking the magical energy of non-edible stuff and binding it to sugar of all things!” The way the machine pulls the magic out, just leaving the empty husks of the minerals and plants they put in. The fact that made the sugar with chemicals to bind it easily to the magic. And then how the sugar itself almost crystalised and grew spikes to show this infused magic. The difference within the original form and the new form must make it possible for the machine to influence the intent! It is so weird that these people managed to find a way to get a machine to edit the magic as usually that is impossible because of the lack of intent or purpose.

Geno looks back with a grin but frowns at the way Dust is looking away with his arms crossed “We done?”

Geno nods “Yeah… we are done…” what… what is wrong? Maybe he is anxious to get back to his horses? Geno turns back to the small tunnel and gets to work on writing the sigils and symbols for the needed spell. Luckily he won’t need a lot for this.

He touches the stone and takes a deep breath. The rocks change shapes and forms right before his own sockets as the rock all start to grow crystals, Stalagmite and stalactites all to enclose the items hidden within. Geno infuses it with more magic and the new barrier crystalises and forms a stable seal, as Geno does this he pushes his crystal to drain magic into the barrier as well. If anyone were to open the barrier the spell will drain all the magic from everything in the tunnel. Making sure that no one can get to it unless they get a neutralising spell from Geno to stop that from happening.

Geno nods “All locked away. Let’s get out of here.” Dust nods and is already leading the way out. Huh…

Geno frowns as he goes after Dust. Feeling unsure about what went wrong.

They leave the mine but neither of them says a word. Geno is not sure what to say or what could be bothering the other. Maybe nothing is even bothering him and Geno is just assuming stuff.

The get to the horses and Dust is quick to get both ready. Geno stands by the side as he makes sure the proof they found is safely tugged away on his person.

Dust has Basalt ready first and Geno climbs up as Dust gets on Opal’s back.

Geno gets the map out of the pack and studies the route “We can take another path down. One that would be shorter than the original one we took. Mostly because we would be able to take the path straight down instead of going by every other entrance.”

Dust nods and follows the direction Geno points out.

They just get a bit down the path when a loud yell stops them.

Geno looks back confused as Dust just sighs annoyed “He doesn’t know when to die.”

Rover stands on top of the mine gate glaring. A gun in hand.

Geno hums as he toys with one of his crystals. Charging it quickly and getting the shield to activate within seconds “It is honestly quite sad.”

Dust tilts his skull curiously “How is he even alive?”

Geno rolls his eyes as he looks unbothered at Rover “You told me remember? He sampled his own supply. I can only assume it put his soul and magic into overdrive, which effected his human physic.” Geno shrugs “I am not a biologist. I am not sure.” Still, surviving a stab through the chest is impressive. Geno can see the blood covering his front form here.

Dust blinks and keeps staring at Rover “Didn’t know that was a thing.”

Geno shrugs again “Euh. It normally isn’t. It isn’t healthy for the soul.” Dust nods.

Rover glares at them and shoots the gun, the bullet hits the shield and turns to dust, “Stop ignoring me!”

Geno is about to make another comment when he hears it. A soft, very soft, rumble.

Dust noticed too as he looks around. Geno looks anxiously at Rover “No need to shout.”

Rover has a crazed smile on his face as he pulls out an explosive “That is the thing. If everything I did was for nothing. If all of it was for nothing. If this is my end.” He grins “I am taking you two fuckers with me.” And he throws the explosive back into the mine.

A loud explosion and the rumbling gets worse. Rover turns and throws out his arms “Now lets embrace the end!! A white! Cold! Embrace! Of death!”

Geno can see it on the mountain. The snow on the mountain shifting. He turns to Dust panicked “Avalanche.” Dust is already turning Opal around and pulling on Basalts reins.

Geno however yelps as he shifts and gets unstable. He holds unto the saddle but he does not feel secure at all.

Dust glances back at the snow and looks back at Geno “Shield?”

Geno shakes his skull “Not strong enough to hold off an avalanche.” At least. He doesn’t think so. They never had to test it! It is about blocking attacks! Not to withstand natural disasters.

Dust however nods as he jumps off of Opal. Next he goes to her side and cuts off the saddle and throws it off of her. Packs included. He does the same to the reins. Wait is that Geno’s knife?

Geno blinks confused as Dust just pushes him further up Basalt’s neck and out of the saddle. Doing the same with the saddle on Basalt’s back.

Next Dust pushes him back a bit and jumps on top of Basalt as well and takes the reins. He tugs on it lightly and Basalt starts to speed up, Opal following them without needing a comment.

“Hold on.”

Geno doesn’t even think as he locks his arms around Dust’s middle as he leans forwards.

Basalt is off like a bullet. Speeding down the mountain and jumping over and rushing past terrain. Geno isn’t sure what to do so all he does is lean closer to Dust and try to copy his movements. Just stay plastered against his back as he moves with him.

The snow is rushing after them as Opal runs by their side. Needing no rider to keep up and stay on course.

Basalt is a beast. And Geno means this with the upmost respect. Basalt goes over and past the terrain as if it is nothing. While Opal needs to make some small side jumps or multiple smaller jumps Basalt just sets off and clears any gap easily. They rush past the many pine trees but even with the lighter carry load Geno can still hear the snow starting to catch up.

The snow is much faster than they are. But unloading the packs and freeing up the horses to enable them more movement freedom may have bought them some precious minutes…

Opal is running ahead of them before she darts to the side. Dust doesn’t think as he leans to guide Basalt into the same direction. Geno leans with him and feels fear enter his soul as he sees why Opal changed directions. There is a huge cliff and ravine right where they had been going.

They are now not even running straight away from the coming snow anymore. Geno tugs himself closer to Dust. Feeling more panic reach him.

Dust frowns as he looks around for a moment before he just turns Basalt to be aimed at the avalanche!?

Geno looks at him panicked but he looks focussed and determined and Geno decides he will just shut up and trust the other. He pushes his face into the soft leather and scarf around Dust’s neck and shoulders and tries to keep his panic inside.

Opal is faster and jumps up and into the moving snow before she keeps trotting slowly forwards. Basalt can’t do the same as gracefully but does a similar move.

Geno feels the shock of the snow’s force and feels himself start to slide slightly. He just holds tighter unto Dust. Warm and stable Dust.

Dust keeps guiding Basalt using the reins. Managing to keep Basalt on track to not be swept away by the snow. Following the path that Opal leads them down.

Geno glances a look up away from the shoulder and spots what Dust is aiming for. A rocky outcrop. Standing out of the snow like a beacon.

Another rumble and Geno glances up to see another wave of snow start to come lose and barrel down the mountain straight towards them. His arms tighten around the other “Dust…”

“I know I know.” Dust keeps the horses on track and manages to get to the rock. Opal gets up easily and turns to bite some weird leather strap on Basalt’s reins and tugs on it. Helping Basalt up the rock.

The rumbling of rushing snow is louder than ever. Dust points towards Opal and makes a click sound. Opal gallops towards the edge of the rock and jumps!

Only to clear the ravine with ease and to turn around to wait for them.

Dust guides Basalt to look into the right direction. He pets the large horse and mutters “Just this Basalt. Then we can take a break.” Basalt lets out a huff of breathe before starting to run and gallop towards the edge.

Basalt jumps and seems to make it before the backside starts to slide off. Panic overtakes his soul again as he holds unto Dust. Fear gripping every part of his mind and soul.

Then Opal grabs the reins again and tugs as Basalt works hard to get back up the ledge.

And they are on it.

Moments later the second wave of snow comes over the ledge and falls into the ravine.

Geno remains frozen against Dust’s back as Dust pants “That… was close…” Geno just stares at the ruined landscape behind them. Trees had been pulled from the ground and are sticking out of the snow. If he had been in there he wouldn’t only have gotten buried but also risked getting hit by one of those trees or other stuff hidden in it. Only to be knocked out and to freeze under the snow.

If he wouldn’t have been dragged down that ravine for a long and painful fall only to be covered with snow if he even survived it.

“Geno?” Geno shoots Dust a look.

Dust isn’t looking at him. He is messing with the reins “You… euh… arms?”

Geno frowns as he turns to look over Dust’s shoulder that he had been pushing  his face against. He still has his arms in a dead grip around Dust.

Oh!

Geno pulls away only to yelp as he starts to fall off. Dust grabs him to keep him from falling. With Dust’s help he can actually get off of Basalt without the assist of the saddle.

As soon as he is on the ground his knees go weak and he falls to the ground fully. So thankful to be on solid ground again “Oh thank the stars… That took years off my life.” His soul is still beating and pulsing wildly from the stress. He may have to visit a healer once he is home to make sure he didn’t overstress his soul with this trip.

Dust lands next to him and pets both the horses before crouching down next to him “You okay?”

Geno laughs as he still sits there shaking “How are you this calm?! It feels like my soul was trying to escape my body while we were trying to escape… How did you stay that calm?”

Dust tilts his skull a tiny bit and mutters “Trained. Taught… Prepared.”

Geno blinks. Right… Dust is a Knight. He trained and practised responses and plans and everything for these kind of missions.

Geno laughs and looks down “Makes sense…” fucking hell he must look so useless to the other. Geno is just. He is just so out of his depth. This whole trip it was surprise after surprise and Geno never did anything like this. Sure He can do magic and knows magic but he never had to… this is not him. And he truly just made stuff more complicated.

Geno continues to sit in the snow as Dust walks over to Opal and pets and checks her over. He nods to himself before walking over to Basalt. Dust puts his and Basalt’s heads together and leans against the horse for a moment as he stares at him. Then Dust checks his neck and his back before checking the legs and freezing.

Dust crouches down and lightly touches a leg, only for Basalt to step away and moving a bit around before standing still.

Dust looks so sad. Geno frowns as he searches for the right words “Is… is something wrong?”

Dust looks to the side as he tugs on his scarf and hood “Basalt’s legs got hurt…”

Geno frowns. Isn’t that like very bad news for a horse? “Can… Can it heal?”

Dust shrugs “Not here.”

Geno frowns. Okay. That is bad. Because to get somewhere safe or even close to someone to help the horse they need to get down the whole mountain. And Geno doesn’t know a lot about animals. But thanks to Fresh he knows enough to know that climbing down a mountain with a wound on a pet’s leg is a very sure way to make them unable to recover fully.

Geno feels so bad… Basalt got them through an avalanche and now what? He can’t walk anymore? Something that is very important for horses?

Geno frowns at his hands as he pauses. Wait… He looks over and speaks up “If… if you are okay with it… I never healed horses before… But I can at least see what I can do and help? Make it a bit better so he can safely make it down the mountain and towards someone who can fully help him?”

Dust stares at him before giving a tiny nod. Geno pushes himself up from his spot on the ground as he walks over. He pauses by Basalt’s side and looks nervously at Dust “Make sure he doesn’t kick me?”

Dust gives another small nod.

Geno gets to Basalt’s side and holds one hand near a leg. He could have used one of the prepared crystals with some basic healing. But he may as well do it this way. This way the healing is much more powerful and he can feel what is wrong where.

He takes a deep breath and uses the familiar spell. He can feel his soul give an unhappy ping as he tries to heal again so shortly after the last time but he will be fine. It is just to give Basalt a boost. He quickly feels what is wrong, or he thinks he does. His joints feel overstretched and stressed. He also can’t really put weight on one of his legs which puts more pressure on the other to take over. He focusses on the pain in the bad leg first. He feels along the area and gets the feeling there is a break there. He finds it and pushes healing into that area. Promoting the energy and magic in the animal to locate towards that area and promote the area to heal much quicker than it naturally would heal. Mending the wound with new bone.

That is the worst wound by far. Next he focusses on actively relaxing the stretched joints. Which is easy to do, the only thing that complicates things is the fact that the horse has four legs compared to Geno’s two and Geno has to mentally estimate where the pain in his own arms would be relatively located to relax it.

But he does it and has to pull back after a moment. He is panting lightly “That should do it… Can’t do much more as I am afraid I will heal something wrong.”

Dust is by Basalt’s side and gentle touches the hurt spots of before after which he looks at him shocked. “You healed him?”

Geno rubs his neck as he shrugs “Yeah? Told you I could do it…” he glances at Basalt “Did I get everything?” Geno really doesn’t know animals and their anatomy well at all. Maybe the very basics if he is being generous with his knowledge.

Dust seems to just stare at him before looking away, Not really giving an answer as he pets Basalt. Geno frowns as he looks at him.

He feels exhausted. It has been such a long day and Geno still feels tired.

For now he just stares at the forest around them. Letting the cold air calm his racing soul as he listens to the forest settling after the disaster of snow. He can hear some trees creaking in the distance as the snow leans against it.

“Come.”

Geno blinks as he finally looks away from that ravine they had almost fallen into. He looks back at Dust and sees him next to both horses with Basalt’s reins in his hands.

Dust nods towards the forest “We need to get out of the open. Nights get cold.” And he waits.

Geno nods as he gets up, he sat down again? And goes over to the other. Dust leads the way and Geno follows after, making sure to use Dust’s footsteps in the snow to easily move through it. Opal seems to track ahead as she listens and tilts her head. Looking around before looking back to see if they are following her. Basalt walks slowly through the snow. Taking careful steps. Clearly trying to not push his own body too hard.

Geno gets it. He honestly wants to lay down and not move for a while. He is exhausted.

“This will work.”

Geno blinks and focusses again. They are in a very enclosed ring of trees. It is tight but the trees give a reasonable amount of cover. Geno looks at Dust. Dust however has already removed Basalt’s reins and hung those over a branch. Dust is walking around and shoving snow aside as the two horses walk to the side and stand together. Opal digging at the ground and seems to be unearthing roots and other stuff.

Dust stops as he studies the floor. Most the snow has been pushed aside and some of the dirt hidden beneath has been revealed. Dust is now moving some rocks into a circle and cleaning that part out of snow as well. Dust looks over at him and nods to the dirt patch.

Geno moves over to the spot and just sits down. He could have died… multiple times today he got within an inch of dying… He never would have seen Fresh or Error again. Or worse… The slave collar had been on him… He hadn’t been able to move his own body, his very magic hadn’t been responding to him and had been forced to listen to that… that… that freak!

Dust curses and Geno looks up to see him frowning at some flint and steel. He reaches for it again but some magical sparks fly of his hand as soon as he gets near the tool and he pulls his hand back with a flinch.

Right… He had to overuse his magic to fry the slave collar, the dampers and to get everyone to back off…

Geno scoots close to the ring of stones and places one in the middle of the circle. He spots a stone which will work and places it in the middle. He concentrates and his soul gives an unhappy pulse about him pushing his magic a lot with the stress he experienced but it works as a fire starts.

Geno takes a deep sigh as he relaxes near the warmth it gives up. Some movement and Dust is sitting by the fire as well. Staring at the flame.

Huh… He had removed his mask. Geno wonders when he did that but doesn’t ask as he just leans close to the non-burning flame that warms him until his core.

Neither of them speaks and that is okay. He wants to rest for a moment.

They sit there for quite some time and Geno lays his skull on his legs as he lets his core recover from the magic he used. He may be skilled and powerful but in the end he still only has a shard of a soul compared to normal monsters. He is limited with his magical stamina. And it fucking sucks. He wanted… nevermind.

Dust has gotten up and seems to be searching the direct area. He comes back with some long sticks and starts putting those together to make a makeshift tent thing. A tipi he believes. It is small and in a direct circle around him and the small flame. Dust comes back inside and sighs contently.

Geno continues to lean on his knee as he stares at him “Why did you make that?”

Dust looks at the tipi around them and answers “No stuff… Need a place to stay tonight… Small area warms up quicker.”

It is even smaller than their original tent had been.

Geno frowns “Shouldn’t we rush down the mountain?”

Dust shrugs “Why? Those people couldn’t have survived that avalanche. We aren’t stealthing anymore. Basalt can’t carry anyone with his legs and Opal won’t like you riding her. Best to take it slow and walk. Today we rest and recover from what happened.”

Geno nods as he stares at the fire. He is so happy. He needs a moment “Good thing the flame won’t burn us. It will be fine to leave it on throughout the night.” Geno can know as he once rolled into the fire in his sleep. It was quite the shock to wake up inside his own fire. Not as bad as Error having once climbed into the fireplace to sleep in the flame Geno left in there to warm their home. Geno was sure he would have had an actual soul-attack over that one.

Dust nods “Neat.”

Geno watches Dust for a moment. Happy to just watch the other warm his hands on his magical fire. Content. They are okay. They are okay. Geno can’t help but really study the other’s neck. He can’t quite see it and curses the fact he didn’t think about checking it before while he had been healing Dust. What if frying the collar hurt his neck? Or frying the dampers hurt his wrists? Geno didn’t notice anything but the worry is there.

Dust stretches out as he looks at Geno “We should sleep.”

Geno nods as he lays on his side of the fire. Dust lays on the other end and Geno looks at the back of Dust’s skull.

He will probably feel better after some rest. Even if he doubts that his sleep will come easily.

Still he closes his eyes. His mind slows down as he just listens to Dust moving and breathing. The horses outside move around as well and the by now familiar sounds relax him. He is okay.

He is save.

It…

It is late?

Geno isn’t sure how much he slept.

Or if he even truly slept.

It is cold.

He yawns and opens his sockets a little bit.

The fire is behind him now. Instead of in front. But Dust is still in front of him.

He is warm.

Geno sighs as he pushes his skull closer to the other.

He is so warm… Like on the horse earlier. Warm and stable.

Geno yawns and pushes his face into the back of his hoody. Mmh… this is nice.

So nice…

Geno feels his awareness slip away and surrenders to the darkness again.

--

Geno yawns as something delicious wakes him up. He sits up and rubs his eyes as he glances around confused.

He is in a wooden tent thing? He can spot his own magical flame right beside him. Giving him a nice source of heat on this cool morning.

His mind is hazy. What happened the day before?

They set camp to recover and… went to bed early?

Wait they skipped food all together? Probably why Dust is cooking.

Geno gets up and glances at his dirty clothes. Right. He slept right on top of dirt which was slightly muddy because of the snow it had been laying under before. Geno does a quick spell to clean himself up a bit. Make sure he is presentable.

The day before had been a mess but now they are free to travel home! No stress. No mission. Just getting home safely!

Geno feels a sort of excitement as he exits the small stick made tent and spots Dust outside. A normal fire by him which he is roasting some plants on. Huh.

Geno walks over and grins “What you cooking good l-” ABORT! “friend!!”

Dust doesn’t look in his direction. Seemingly very focused on what he is making “Roasting roots… nutritious.”

Geno smiles as he sits nearby “Smells good. When I cook stuff with magic it becomes edible but never quite good.”

Dust shrugs “Needs intent… Magic doesn’t give that?”

Geno nods “We make magic by infusing it with emotions. Same for intent. But magic can’t have intent. We can layer our own intent into a spell which we can feel but in the end magic can’t give intent. So… meh cooking.” He laughs and shrugs. He was always a terrible cook.

Dust nods and shoots him a glance “Always use magic? Easy stuff?” he nods towards the fire and the meal he is making.

Geno grins and shrugs “You can call it cheating. Maybe people do. I never saw it as cheating. I always liked to call it using the skills I have available to make stuff easier for my brothers and me.”

Dust nods and glances at him “Why cook if you can’t? Parents?”

Geno laughs and shakes his skull “Nah. They weren’t around.” And if he ever met his mother or any of those useless fathers ever again he would sooner hit them in the face with a fist.

Dust nods as he gets up “Food.” He hands over a stick with some slices roots and some plants and it smells delicious as he can smell some herbs he smelled before in the kitchen. He gets eating and hums happily.

“It is good.”

Dust looks amused “Basic.” Then he grins a tiny bit and mutters a bit softer “Should make basic food yourself more… taste difference between that and magical prepared food.” And he turns back to his meal.

Geno stares. Did… did Dust just… tease him? That didn’t sound mean. More of a joke? Geno grins as he eats his meal. It suddenly tasting many times sweeter.

They eat their meal before cleaning up. Dust puts the reins back on Basalt and keeps a tight hold of it as Geno uses his map to lead them down. Geno is so lucky that he had had the map on his person, some for the proof of the whole operation in the mountain.

They walk in mostly silence as they search for a path to follow.

They have to track through the forest for a while with a few near slips but they find an old path rather quickly with little difficulty.

Geno grins as he checks the map “This should be the one. We should just follow this south and we will be off this mountain eventually.” And even if they are on another path that one also just needs to be followed southwards until they get to the bottom.

Dust nods as he changes the reins on Basalt. Making it so he doesn’t need to be lead anymore. Trusting the horse to walk with them and to be able to safely make his way down now that they have a stable path to follow.

The horses walk behind them as Dust and Geno walk side by side. The forest is peaceful and beautiful. Geno thought he had seen dark clouds the day before when they were near the mine but seems like those had cleared up somewhere in the night.

Dust glances at him “Use magic a lot…”

Geno blinks and nods “Yeah. Magic is great I love using it.”

Dust nods but frowns “But got tired?”

Geno laughs and nods “That obvious?” Dust just shrugs and Geno doesn’t mind. Geno decides to tell him. Geno knows some weak spots of Dust, it is only fair he knows one of Geno “I don’t actually have a lot of mana available to me.”

Dust shoots him an disbelieving look. Geno grins and nods “It is the truth. I have horrendous magical stamina for a mage. It is why I make these.” He taps one of the crystals “I spend a few hours a day slowly infusing crystals and other rocks to make them hold my spells for me. Means I have a few always prepared and can use my mana for the actual emergencies.” There are other things that matter of course. The faster you cast a spell the more mana it takes. Same for stressful situations. It is because your soul is already stressed and your soul weaves the mana into a spell and magic to use.

Dust nods and glances back at his horses “Why… use mana instead of a crystal for healing?” he rubs his shoulder.

Geno shrugs as he feels a bit embarrassed. He doubts that because he wanted to show off is a good reason. He does for the second reason he did it “It is the same reason with the cooking. Magic can’t give intent. And some spells are depended on that. Sure I got some healing crystals but they aren’t specific or specialised. With your shoulder having already been hit before I didn’t want to risk it healing wrong with a crystal. The same implied for Basalt as I heard that a broken leg for a horse is fatale.”

Dust gives a slow nod and thinks for a moment. “Healing works better with intent?”

Geno nods “Much better! Of course I can put intent into the magic that I put in the crystal. And it will do what I want. But when I heal it directly I can kinda… sense out the injury? I feel like an echo of it in my own body, makes it easier to focus the healing into the spots that really need it instead of everything at once that the crystals do.”

Dust nods as he listens. Dust is a real good listener… Geno hadn’t really appreciated that before. Before when he just wanted information he just wanted to get Dust to start talking. But it is nice to have an active listener to talk to.

Not to forget! Dust is showing interest in magic! Geno finally can talk about all the stuff he knows about it! He will have to be careful to not try and focus on Dust’s magic to make sure Geno doesn’t overstep again but this will work! This can work!

They walk together as Dust hums “Didn’t know magic worked like that.”

Geno rubs his cheek “I mean. Magic works in many ways. It is dynamic and evolving in that way. That it changes when interacting with it. Like… I see it was crystals and minerals. Many different yet similar things that when interacting can make newer forms. When put under pressure can change from one to the other. It is something that endlessly fascinates me. I used to talk with people all the time. To learn how they saw magic. How they interacted with it.”

Dust looks at him “… You… want to understand magic.” he sounds as if he is in disbelieve.

Geno grins “Don’t you? It is everywhere around us. In the plants, in the rocks, in the earth itself, in the sky! It is in the static that fills the air. It is in the newly made technology even when it wasn’t used to make it! Magic gets everywhere and it changes to fit just fine. To belong. It is…” He had wanted to belong so badly. Fit in and belong. Get people to let him stay so he could make a stable home. “It seemed… nice.”

Dust frowns as he looks ahead. Thinking about it. “You know a lot about magic… much studying?”

Geno grins and nods “A lot. Used to be one of the things that came natural to me! Even with my weak mana the spells and magic itself? It just worked like I wanted! It made everything easier. From cooking to cleaning to actually getting jobs. Let me tell you no one will hire a teen for a full time job. Annoying as everything.”

Dust looks at him confused “Parents? Their job?”

Geno laughs and looks to the side “Well… My parents weren’t the best. Dad run out on my mom the moment she got pregnant. Honestly don’t get why she even decided to keep me. Apparently I was a very difficult pregnancy as she would not shut up about that. Maybe she thought getting me would make the guy come back? Either way. It was her and me for a while.” They had managed okay. Geno went to a local school and walked home alone. He had to help with the chores as his mom was out to search for jobs and work. And she couldn’t keep a job down for longer than a few days before switching jobs again.

“Then, when I was about 9ish, she came home with this guy. New guys she met that day, bringing he right home to her home address and young child.” Geno glares ahead.

Dust snorts “That is begging to be robbed.”

Geno waves his hands around “Right?! Anyway. That guy was a piece of work. He would glare and lock me in rooms. The joke is on him. I was already very magical and let me tell you there is no keeping someone inside when you can magically unlock doors or move furniture he placed in front of it.” He grins and laughs as he remembers the shocked look on the guys face when Geno would just appear back in the small kitchen, eating a snack just ten minutes after the guy tried to lock him out of the house. “Of course mother dear didn’t believe me at all. She just said it would take some getting used to him being my new dad and that I wanted her to be miserable and alone forever.” Geno rolls his eyes “I would have been more okay with the asshole if he wasn’t a deadbeat that couldn’t hold a job either.”

Dust hums “Charming. I can see why she liked him.”

Geno laughs at the absolute deadpan voice and unimpressed stone face. Geno nods “I know right? And then. Of course. My idiotic mother got herself pregnant. I think she was trying to baby trap the guy.”

Dust tilts his skull “Didn’t work with the first one. Why would it work with the second?”

Geno grins “Oh trust me. It gets worse. So. The guy. Obviously. Acted as if he was overjoyed. Said that he would finally have a child and a son or daughter to adore. Mom didn’t even bother to correct him when I was standing right there.” He sighs “The asshole kept up the illusion that he wanted this child and when she was in the process to actually get Fresh the guy stole the small amount of savings we had and ran off with it.” he sighs. His mother had blamed him. Said that Geno hadn’t been welcoming to her new love and his new dad. That his behaviour had been the reason why little Fresh would now grow up without a dad.

Geno shrugs “Said that Fresh would now grow up without a father because I didn’t welcome him. Which honestly. Seems more of an his issue if he couldn’t handle one sassy annoying child. Not that it mattered much as mom went back to her old habits of leaving the whole day to work or search for work while I took care of Fresh.” He looks at Dust “Let me tell you this. Catching an active baby and washing him and feeding him? A lot easier with magic and telekinesis spells.” He smiles at the memories of Fresh being the chaotic little baby he had been. Geno adores his wild brother.

Dust frowns “She made you take care of him?”

Geno shrugs “Made is a big word. She did stuff. Just not most of it. And I honestly didn’t trust her with my little brother.” Fresh was his. Same for Error. Those two are his little brothers and he will make sure people know that messing with them means messing with him. “And Fresh wasn’t hard to take care of. Bugger was chaotic and energetic but it was fun. Harder was still trying to get a side job to help with covering school costs as mom barely made enough to keep the house.”

Dust frowns “No covered education? I thought that was a thing in Sanctuary?”

Geno looks at Dust confused before grinning “I wasn’t born in Sanctuary.” Dust looks confused but waits. Geno nods “I am from Ironfields. You know. Across the water and inwards more? I was just lucky that Reaper had the funds to visit all the big magical academia to look for a royal mage. And I made the cut.” Reaper swore up and down that he had picked Geno for his skill. Yes he had liked Geno on a personal and attraction level as well but that was not what influenced his decision on making him royal mage. If Reaper had found someone more skilled he would have offered them the job and gone back to Geno to request a date with him.

Dust nods “But you did parttime stuff when younger?”

Geno nods “All the time. It helped cover the costs for school. Thought it kept me busy. Between school, work and taking care of Fresh and myself it was rather busy. It got easier when Fresh was old enough to go to school too. And Fresh was actually really good when near others so he would be quiet and behave while I worked. He just was a menace at school or at home.” He sighs “And then! My mom came home with ANOTHER guy when I was sixteen and Fresh was six!”

Dust whistles “She got some bad taste.”

Geno groans “The worst! He straight up tried to get her to abandon us. Which what a fucking jackass. She was about to do it too until I reminded her that at this point I was the one paying for the fucking house and that everyone knew she was our mom and it would be social suicide for her to abandon us and try to play happy wife with this man.” She had cursed him out. Told him that he was a fucking freak and demon and was the cause of her unhappiness. That she should have realised Geno was the problem the second the healers told her his soul wasn’t developing right. “She got annoying about it and I just reminded her that she was the one who decided to keep me. Not me. She got angrier about that little fact.” He sighs “And once again. She got a kid with this fucker as well. And as always. The guy noped out at the last moment and stole the savings she had.” Geno is sure the only reason he stayed as long as he had was because he had been looking for Geno’s savings and funds. But Geno isn’t an idiot. He hid anything he earned and only paid the people that needed paying directly. Like hell he was going to trust he deadbeat of a mother with his money. He earned that for himself and his brother, and later brother, not her.

Dust nods “Error?”

Geno nods “Error was born.” He had been seventeen and Fresh had been seven. Both of them had adored Error immediately. Geno and Fresh has both known things would get harder but little Error had been the cutest little thing. Fresh had held him and had stared at Geno with such determination when he declared he would be the best older brother. Geno had laughed and held his two little brothers. His brothers. His family.

Dust nods and crosses his arms “How long until the next guy?”

Geno sighs and shakes his head “She left. Left a whole note about how she couldn’t stay with us anymore. Something about how having three children from different man would hurt her chances at finding true love and happiness. As if we decided to be born over her being a fucking idiot and not terminating us when it turned out to be too rough.”

Dust hums “Idiot.”

Geno nods “She is the biggest idiot. But I hardly expected anything else at that point. In the end it didn’t even get harder. In matter of fact it got easier. No one wanted our old and crooked house and the bank didn’t care who lived in it as long as payments were made on time. They just changed her name to mine on the paperwork and we remained in our house. I took Error with me to class and work and Error was a quiet baby who slept a lot. It only started to get harder to take care of him when his magic developed.” Unlike Geno. Error has a very healthy soul which is very magical attuned. Error blasted their wall and made their house have an open concept kitchen instead of a room with a door. They were so lucky it wasn’t a load baring wall.

Dust nods as he stares ahead of them “Good brother.”

Geno feels flustered suddenly as he rubs his neck “Euh. It was a bit rough sometimes but all in all not that hard… I got lucky with my magic. It made everything easier and less hard. I could cheat and safe time on so many things with my skills. Not to forget that I got a full ride scholar ship to a pristine school for magic to get my actual schooling. I moved my brothers with me to be closer to that school so I could commute and be home in the evening for them.” Not to forget that the scholar ship was more than enough to cover their living costs if he didn’t use it to stay in the dorms as those are expensive.

Dust looks at him curiously “Then how did… Error end up with us?”

Geno sighs “It would take time to settle and move stuff to Reaper’s place. Get my workshop and rooms set up. Search for people to make sure that Error got the right education and Fresh got what he needed with his condition. I had just needed time to make everything perfect. The plan had been that I would go first. Get stuff ready and set up. And then Fresh and Error would both move in with me… Fresh was supposed to watch over Error on the weekends while Error stayed at the academy throughout the week.” He sighs sadly. It had all gone so wrong. And Geno hadn’t known until it was too late to fix it.

Dust frowns as he looks down. It is okay that he doesn’t know what to say, Geno doesn’t either.

They continue to walk in silence for a long time. Eventually Dust stops them saying they should set camp again.

Geno grins as he casts the right spells and copies the setup of the day before. A tent made of sticks and other stuff laying around. A fire both inside and outside of the tent. And all the snow that was on the ground pushed aside and this time the ground magically dried.

Dust looks shocked as Geno grins “See? Told you stuff gets easier with magic. I just didn’t have the mana yesterday.”

Dust looks at him with a tilted head before nodding. Huh. Seems like Dust hit his limit on socialising. That is okay.

They are quickly ready and comfortable in their now reasonably warm tent. Dust actually lays out he own coat to sleep on and Geno copies his actions. It makes the ground a bit softer to lay on.

Geno sighs and goes to sleep.

--

Geno doesn’t want to get up. He had been having a very nice dream. A dream where he had been on the horse with Dust. But his dream hadn’t focused on the terror of the snow following them. It had instead been focussed on the feeling of being that close to Dust. How he felt and how warm he had been. The feeling of Dust’s body against his. Even his scent had made it in.

Which now that he is awake? Holy shit he is being a creep.

Geno groans as he sits up. Finding himself in the tent laying on his coat and- oh… Dust had left his coat by him as a blanket. Geno hides his face in his hands and tries to contain his screaming. How can he deal with this? He can’t. His feelings feel like they will explode his soul and he is really trying to not overdo it or annoy Dust or worse make him feel uncomfortable again.

But… the fact that Dust is trying to make sure he is comfortable should mean that… Does that mean that Dust has forgiven him? Does this mean that they have at least a neutral standing now?

Geno joins Dust outside for another delicious breakfast, honestly how dust can find food is beyond Geno but he is thankful for it, before they continue down the mountain. Most of their morning is spend in silence as they walk together. Only a few comments about what path they should take and how to go about their descent of the mountain.

They do get turned around for a bit as the path they had been following seems to disappear for a bit. Geno and Dust consult the map and their compass to figure out how to get further down.

They make their own path through foliage and bare trees with the horses close by. Dust turns back a few times to help Basalt find his footing as Opal just walks with sidesteps past things.

Geno crosses his arms “Is Opal showing off?”

Dust nods as he doesn’t look away from Basalt “She does that.”

Geno snorts “Must have taken a lot of time to train her. She seems stubborn.”

Dust nods again as he checks that Basalt is still standing okay “She is. But she has energy and wants to learn. It was just a matter of giving her new things to learn and practise. She now knows too much.” He sighs and Geno laughs.

They have to carefully walk down a few more ledges but manage to find the path again. After consulting their map again they follow it eastwards as that should be down.

Dust starts to speak softly “I was wondering…” he glances at Geno “How do you… make your magic do all those things?”

Geno blinks and looks at Dust “I mean… intent matters a lot. But it is also what I have in mind as I craft the spell. Spell crafting, at least in my case, is about picturing what I want and how and how it relates to the parts and elements I mentally connect it to.”

Dust frowns “For you? Nightmare said… It is energy and alive.”

Geno tilts his skull as he thinks “I can see why he saw it as that… from what I know. Magic changes and shapes itself to fit whatever someone thinks about it. It gives different people the ability to do different thing.” He had mentioned the day before, Geno thinks so at least. The day before they spoke about a lot. Or well Geno spoke about it.

Dust nods “So. Alive?”

Geno rubs his neck “Kinda? I never saw it as alive. Just reactive. We push emotions and intent into it. The magic soaks it up and repeats it. In a way we give it feelings and wants. We make it want to do what we want. I think?” Geno grins at Dust “It is weird and complex because everyone thinks about it differently and interacts with it differently. Which means the magic reacts and behaves differently as well. When we first start learning magic or hearing about it people already have opinions that they tell us. It shapes how we see magic and what we think magic is capable of doing. Which sets limits.” Geno frowns “Why did you think your magic could break the collar? I didn’t think it was possible for my magic to go against it but yours did. How did it break free from the control?”

Dust seems to think for a moment. Frowning before muttering “I don’t… control it… guide at most.”

Geno blinks before gasping “The collar couldn’t make it listen… because you don’t believe anything can control it?” Dust shrugs and nods.

“Never saw it as… something I affect. It is a force of nature. It is lightning. Energy. Alive.”

Geno wants to ask so many questions. How Dust came to this conclusion. How he managed to direct it. How he manages his power to remain contained. But Geno swallows the many questions. He pushes it down. Instead he looks at Dust “And… because of that it was free to fight the collar?”

Dust shrugs before he seems to think for a while again. Then he mutters softly “I got… No real control. But I got power… When I first got… picked for being a Knight. I needed four bracelets to keep it down. Nightmare said it grew stronger.”

Four.

Four magic blockers?!

Geno wants to beg Dust to let him see the magic. See how it interacts. But he can’t because it makes Dust uncomfortable. Keep it in. Keep it in.

Geno focusses on what Dust mentioned before “That fits with how you see magic. You, and Nightmare I guess, see magic as something alive that grows and grows stronger. Something wild that can’t be contained much like a natural force. It makes sense than that this manmade collar couldn’t control it. Couldn’t keep it contained. You just… waited for your moment to act upon that…” Geno laughs and shakes his skull “Damn that is so fucking impressive. I couldn’t do that.”

Dust frowns and stares at him confused.

Geno laughs “The whole staying calm and waiting for the right moment to cast a spell. I was panicking as soon as the situation went south.”

Dust frowns and shakes his skull “Wasn’t that bad… Shield. And slow falling?”

Geno nods “That came after. After I had more time to think. Had we fallen before I had a chance to think of it? I doubt I would have been fast enough to cast the spell. It is just. I know I can do magic and it is easy to me. But doing it in moments of stress?” he shakes his skull “I never had to do that before. It showed.” He sighs.

Dust thinks for a moment “Not that bad. You thought of stuff and used magic when we needed it. I am used to missions. I am used to fighting. Before being a Knight I was used to the crime-ring and scenes. Lots of tension. Quick thinking.”

Geno nods as he pulls out a crystal “I know they work. I just. Always tested them in save areas with failsafes in mind. It was never a matter of life and death. At least not while I practised and tested them. I made sure they would work the way they were intended. Then gave the crystals to people actually going on missions…” The only reason he was on this one is because he was the only one who would have been able to magically shut down whatever this drug ring had been.

Dust nods before shrugging “Worked out okay.”

Geno stares in shock at Dust. He seems honest. Even if Geno messed up pretty much at every step but Dust seems to not think that. Or at least not having hard feelings about it.

Geno smiles a bit as he looks down “Thanks to you mostly. The way you just knew what to do and how and when, and how to move and attack. It was fucking amazing.” And that is downplaying it.

Dust looks to the side as he rubs his cheek “I guess… Just practise.”

Just practise. As if Geno hadn’t had a chance to see a bit of their usual training before. Geno laughs and shakes his skull.

They walk silently for a moment before Geno speaks “Thanks. For… being willing to talk about magic stuff… I know you don’t like it.”

Dust shrugs and mutters “Don’t mind magic… just don’t like… mine.” He shrugs again before looking at Geno “Why?”

Geno blinks and laughs “Sorry I have no idea what you are asking this time.”

Dust rolls his eyes and seems to consider his questions “Why… act like you did… before… to get answers… but back up now?”

Oh. Oh! That. That is a loaded one.

Geno looks away “Euh… The very short version of the answer? I am a bastard and asshole.” He looks at the ground in front of them “It is just. Foremost. Reaper and I knew about your… interest and crush for a while.” Dust immediately tugs the hood tighter around him. Geno looks to the side before smiling at him “It is okay! Reaper thought it was cute-” that was the wrong word as Dust lets out a long and quiet groan.

Geno shoots him a smile “If it helps… Reaper very quickly got interested? He was the one who wanted to see where it could maybe go? Lead?” he rubs his neck “Sorry I am not the best in this. Reaper is the emotionally available one honestly.”

Geno takes a deep breath “Reaper asked me if I was fine with it. Him exploring this feeling for you to see where it went. I was okay with it. I knew that Reaper would always love me and just because he started to like you it wouldn’t affect the love he held for me.” He sighs “And well… I must admit. I was fucking curious. Your magic? It is something I never seem, heard of or felt before. I wanted to know how it worked. I wanted to just understand how it could have become the way it was. And I figured… as Reaper and you grew closer I could just… Kinda… Tag along to get the answers I wanted?” He winces at the truth. “I know… I know it is bad. But I swear it was never supposed to get out of hand! I just… I just wanted some answers and figured you already liked me so maybe… just like… giving some attention and affection? Get some answers? And then once I got the answers I would be gentle about like… stopping it?” He is such a fucking asshole “And I figured it would be fine as Reaper was honest and really did like you! That maybe we could become more casual friends or acquaintances while both of us separately dated Reaper?” He sighs and looks away “I know. I am sorry. I am an asshole.”

Dust is silent. Taking it in maybe? Or maybe he is now going back to ignoring and not speaking to Geno again. He would deserve it.

“Then why… Kiss me? Or…” he isn’t looking at him “Tracing lower and stroking my leg?”

Geno feels himself grow mortified and horrified. Right! He did that! He 100% did that! Geno covers his face and chuckles “Because I am an asshole? It wasn’t… part of my plan… But I did end up really liking you. I fucking realised that while Reaper fell earlier I wasn’t far behind. I was a fucking mess. And then I figured… I had already been kinda faking courtship… What difference does it make to make it a real one? I figured… I figured it wouldn’t matter. I wasn’t planning on ever admitting that the whole thing started as a lie.” He looks away “I just… I got greedy I guess. Stuff that used to just be to keep the scheme going suddenly wasn’t enough. It felt good and I was greedy and wanted more.” Reaper never minded. Reaper had set the pace to a lot slower than Geno had wanted but Reaper had had no issue with slowing Geno down. “I figured… If I really overstepped… You would just tell me to quit it or something.”

“I hadn’t… considered the fact that there was a power disbalance between us. I never saw it as that. You were you and I was just me. I never thought of us as a Knight vs a Royal Mage. We were just two guys talking and hanging out… I know now I should have considered it. Maybe make it clear that I wouldn’t be mad or annoyed or ruin anything if you said no or asked me to back off. I hadn’t considered you felt like you couldn’t because of the whole treaty thing… I am sorry.” God. Why hadn’t Geno practised that more? Reaper had told him that if Dust ever gave him another chance to talk to him Geno would have to explain himself and apologise. Why hadn’t he considered better on what to say and how?

Dust frowns as he stares at the ground. Geno looks at him and waits but he doesn’t look up. Geno sighs as he looks away. He isn’t allowed to feel disappointed. He isn’t allowed to feel that way when he just admitted to Dust he had been right and that Geno had been lying and manipulating him to get something he wanted.

He deserves this.

The cold of the weather isn’t even as cold as the newfound tension between them.

They don’t speak as they set up camp.

They don’t interact as they both lay down to sleep for the night.

Geno feels like sleep evades him. He just stares at the top part of the tent as he listens. Dust’s breathing seems different than usual. Like he isn’t sleeping either.

Geno considers apologising again but if it before wasn’t enough what would make it now be good enough. Geno glares as he rolls up and turns towards the wooden tent, his back aimed towards Dust. Not allowing himself to look at the other.

What is done is done. He finally made good on being honest to Dust. Show him that he is a selfish asshole. Geno rolls up to safe some of the warmth as he closes his eyes. He will just have to accept that this little thing and maybe friendship is over. And Geno ruined it himself.

It seems like his sleeping mind and dreams didn’t get the memo.

Because he once again dreams about hugging Dust as they sit together. Maybe they are on one of the horses? Maybe not. Geno can’t focus on anything but how the other feels and the warmth he gives up.

Dust tries to leave in his dreams. Tries to get out of his embrace. Geno mumbles unhappily.

He can’t speak clearly in this stupid dream for some reason. Can’t explain.

“Please stay…” his mind is like cotton. He just wants to have this. Even if it is fake. “miss you…” and he snuggles his face deeper into the nice spot by his neck and shoulders.

Dust doesn’t move for a while. Then a sigh and the body returns to his embrace.

Geno sighs as he pushes close. His whole being purring as he snuggles closer. Trying to get as much out of this dream as he can.

The night goes on and his dream starts to fade out…

--

The next morning they are both still quiet. Geno had woken up by his magical fire with his own coat used as blanket this time. Getting outside explained why. It is freezing outside. But there are still no clouds in the sky. It is calm weather.

Which is honestly a miracle. The weather in the mountains are unpredictable and it is unheard of to have more than two days in a row with just sun. But they have been up here for a week now, the seventh day exactly, and it is still sunny with no wind!

It makes for cold nights and very cold mornings as there is no clouds in the evening either but honestly it is amazing to not have to be afraid for a sudden snowstorm.

No instead Geno can just be afraid and anxious about Dust truly hating him forever and how Geno is going to have to break it to Reaper that he ruined this a second time now and ruined his own second chance.

Geno is completely fine.

One long morning later and they are starting to see some spring flowers and some grass on the ground that the horses happily eat. Geno sighs in relieve. This should make getting down easier.

They follow the now clearly marked path and Geno finds his soul fully calm as he speaks “I think this is the path and mountain we thought it was. Meaning this one has easier paths to follow and some premade camp sites.”

Dust nods “Should make stuff easier at least.”

Geno grins but his grin falls as Dust still isn’t looking at him. Looking ahead of them. Geno puts his hands into his pockets as he kicks a rock once in a while. Feeling hurt and very rejected.

The silence makes the track long and awkward. Geno tries to keep himself distracted but he keeps looking back into Dust’s direction.

They do end up finding one of the camp sites and after considering the time they decide to make it an early night and walk the last part to the foot of the mountain the next day over trying to rush down and risking having to travel in the dark.

They find a nice cabin and set up camp there. Geno goes towards the supply box and raids it of blankets and some snacks hidden away. They are a bit expired but also these are dried snacks and Geno knows from experience they don’t truly go bad as much as go stale.

Geno returns outside to see Dust had set up their little cabin and a fire in the fire pit. Geno grins as he gives one of his found blankets to Dust before putting one down for himself and going inside to put the other two on the actual beds. Geno goes back outside and relaxes by the fire. He hands some of the snacks to Dust before getting comfy in his own blanket and snacks.

The sound of the fire is nice. The crackling gives it an extra layer of experience and Geno sighs as he just enjoys it. It feels peaceful and nice. Like the actual camping trips he had gone on with Reaper. He really needs to do this with his brothers. Enjoy the nature and mountain on his terms and peaceful environment.

“You were honest? Before?”

Geno blinks and looks over “what?”

Dust just stares at the fire “What you said before… Reaper… Reaper was really interested?”

Geno feels his soul pick up “Yes!” Wait! No! tune it down! “I mean. He still is. He honestly is. But Reaper is a lot better at this than I am and is actually able to read other people’s social cues and everything.” If Geno can’t… If Geno ruined this for himself he wants at least his mate to still get the chance for this.

Dust frowns as he keeps staring into the fire. Then he glances are Geno “You?”

Geno can’t look away. Dust’s eyes are mismatched with their colours. There is the tiniest ring of red around one and the other has the same but an even tinier ring of blue in the red ring. If you don’t stare at it the eye lights just appear white. Geno had seen both colours flash brightly when Dust used that lightning spell. So bright with energy and magic. Geno laughs as he looks away for a moment before looking back at Dust “I haven’t stopped falling if that helps? I am not good at this… whole emotion and relationship thing… Reaper did the hard work with our own relationship. But I know I like you. I like being near you and I was honestly happy to spend time with you. It… It hurts to know you hate me and that it is my own fault.” He snorts as he looks at the fire “I don’t know how to make it better… But I do like you. A lot. For a long time now.” Another thing Geno wished he had practised. Fucking hell he knew he had this mission to spend time with Dust he just… hadn’t thought they would have these conversations!

Dust hums as he stares at the fire before getting up “Going to bed.” He waits for a moment by the door and mutters “I don’t hate you. I just don’t get you…” and he goes inside.

Geno stares at the door. Unsure what just happened.

--

The next day travel was both better and worse. Geno felt better knowing the other didn’t hate him but there was a… tension in the air around them. Dust seems content to walk in silence as Geno just lets himself ramble without much thought.

Fuck just end him. Put him out of his misery and his failing at this.

Geno is just describing the process and thoughts behind crafting a new spell and how to balance the magic and mana properly to not make it go towards an already made spell.

“There goes so much more into it than just wishful thinking and putting mana into a spell!” Geno glares “Some mages call themselves masters of the arts when they can’t even properly manage a spell and the outwards force behind it! It is terrible! Not only is it dangerous but it also makes the reputation of actual master mages less trustworthy! And most people can’t just see the difference between an actual master mage and someone who just calls themselves that!”

Dust nods along “Ruins hard work and good name.”

Geno nods “Absolutely! It takes a long time to study magic and get familiar enough with it to craft actual well working spells that others can replicate! Just pushing some stuff together and hoping that it works with a lot of magic isn’t spell crafting!”

Dust snorts as he looks amused “What do you call my lightning? It just happens and can’t level it.”

Geno waves his hands “That is different! You are using a premade spell and editing it slightly to fit you and your magic and mana! You don’t say you crafted a new spell! You don’t act as if you have mastered magic! In matter of fact you treat it as something that makes its own decisions and works with you.” He glares ahead of him as he imagines breaking those fake mage fucker’s necks! “Those assholes however!! Acting as if they made powerful spells only to have those be instable and blasting people!” it is dangerous and a disgrace!

Dust hums and nods “Annoying.”

Geno nods “Very.” He takes a deep breath “Luckily. Reaper let me set tighter regulations for it in Sanctuary. You need an actual licence to perform as a mage there now and the mages are tested to make sure they don’t just have dangerous and instable spells.”

Dust nods “Good idea.”

Geno laughs “Thanks. I just. Magic is beautiful and fascinating but people need to stay watchful and respectful about it as it can be dangerous if used wrong.”

Dust nods along “Like the drugs and collars.”

Geno nods himself “Exactly!”

It is already early afternoon when they finally step out of the forest around the mountain and Geno stretches out “Awesome! Just a clear shot to town now.” hopefully they can send a message from there that they are fine as they get someone to get them back to the capital. Geno luckily is well known enough to be able to get a ride and promise payment once they arrived there.

Geno and Dust continue on and walk into town. Geno is already looking around to spot someone who can help them as Dust makes sure his mask is in place.

Geno spots someone with a big enough cart “Hello sir. I had a request-” Geno can’t even make his offer because as soon as the man he had been speaking against turns around he gasps and cheers.

Geno blinks confused as more people look their direction and more people cheer. Geno glances at Dust and Dust just looks at him. Geno shrugs as he looks back to the man “Is… something the matter?”

The man smiles brightly “Sir! People thought you disappeared on the mountain! And with the avalanche and as people know about the many storms and horrible weather. People feared the worst!”

Geno frowns as that information sinks in “I need to return to the castle in that case. And send a message to our king.” Reaper must be worried sick.

The man nods as he rushes to prepare the cart. Dust makes sure it works for Basalt to be carried as he gets new tools to saddle up Opal. Geno writes a message and sends it off with a carrier as Geno waits for the cart to be prepared.

People offer them food and new clothes to wear as Geno can admit they both look worse for wear. They only take some of the food and Geno can see Dust slipping gold coins and money into the pockets of the people who offered the stuff freely. It is painfully thoughtful and Geno feels his soul speed up.

How can he not be even more in love than he started as?

Geno gets in the by rider seat of the cart as Dust just climbs on top of his horse to ride Opal. Opal seems excited as she stands on her backlegs and whips her head around. She lands and starts running with Dust on her back. Dust easily makes her run in a circle to remain near the cart the whole time but Geno thinks he is having fun.

They need to actually follow the road but luckily this cart is being pulled by strong horses who don’t mind running. Making them make quick time over the calm walking pace of the journey to the mountain pace.

The man asks many questions and Geno remains vague about what he was doing up there. He keeps it as search and a study case which makes Dust snort. Geno isn’t sure why but the man buys the excuse.

Night is starting to fall when they finally reach the capital. By the gates Geno sees some of Reaper’s elite guards waiting and he thinks those are the forces of Nightmare’s kingdom.

The captain of Nightmare’s guard walks over “My Knight! I knew you would return to us safe and sound! Do you want us to take your horses to the stables?”

Dust nods as he gets off Opal before going to the cart. He opens it and carefully leads Basalt out “Watch his legs.” And he hands over the reins of both the horses to the captain, Rogers now that Geno thinks about it.

Rogers nods and leads the horses away.

Geno himself has gotten down from the cart and waves the worried guards away. Mentioning how he should discuss things with their king and rest.

Geno is quick to wave Dust with him as he escapes the spotlight.

Dust glances at him from behind his mask “Don’t like attention?”

Geno sighs “I don’t mind attention. The endless worrying however is unneeded. I am alright.” He pauses “Mostly thanks to you but we will tell Reaper about that as well.”

Dust tugs his skull deeper into the hood in a gesture that Geno by now can identify as shy and bashful. Reaper was right all that time ago. Dust is very cute.

They get to the study and find Reaper awake and looking stressed. He looks up and Geno can see the tension disappear from his form. Reaper is by his side and Geno is in his embrace within seconds. Reaper sounds thankful “You are alive. Thank you for returning to me.” He smiles at Dust “Both of you.”

Dust does the same shy and bashful reaction of tugging his skull deeper into the hood.

Geno hums as he enjoys the embrace “Mostly thanks to Dust. I will tell you everything.”

Reaper shakes his skull “Later. You both need a good meal, need to be checked in case of injuries. Time to clean up and rest. We can talk tomorrow about all you saw. For now let me just make sure you both are okay.” He glances at Dust “Please.”

Dust is quiet before giving a small nod “Message Nightmare.”

Reaper smiles and nods “I will send a message right away that you returned form the mountain.”

Dust nods again and Geno smiles. This is perfect! Now they can at least spoil and take care of him a little!

--

Dust is preparing his packs as the other forces of Nightmare’s guard gets ready behind him. Dust isn’t worried. Basalt is okay for the track and Opal is downright excited.

Geno is watching him getting ready to leave and seems anxious. Messing with some of those crystals of his. A nervous tick he has.

Dust nods to himself as he walks over to him and tilts his skull.

Geno rubs his neck and looks nervous. He looks much comfier in his normal clothes and cleaned up “You sure you will be fine?”

Dust nods as he crosses his arms “More stuff than I could use in four trips.” Reaper had been horrified to hear his mate had gotten collared. And had been so thankful and worried when he heard that Dust had managed to trick Rover into collaring him instead which he made backfire badly.

Dust isn’t worried. It isn’t the first time his storm decided to fry someone. Dust is more shocked that Rover survived the first and second attack he did against him.

Geno nods “Right! Euh… Reaper is just really thankful. And really worried you may have issues with the trip because of leftover injuries… That you got protecting me.” He winces and looks away.

Dust shrugs. It wasn’t that bad honestly. Sometimes it is better to take the hit yourself over letting someone more fragile or vulnerable having to take the hit. Dust may be physically weaker but he has mana to spare and magic strong enough to break most things not specifically designed to stop him.

And nothing is specifically designed to stop him.

Dust glances back “Time to go.”

Geno holds up a hand “Wait! I was… wondering… And you can say no I don’t mind. I just. Was wondering. If maybe… you could see a possibility of ever giving us a chance? For a date? Again?” he looks hopeful.

Dust thinks for a moment to consider all that happened the last two weeks. The way he actually understands Geno now. He makes sure no one is watching them before quickly leaning close. Geno freezes which is good as Dust needs him to stay still. Curse the fact that everyone is taller than him. He manages to reach him and whispers “I figured you out finally. You are a nerd.” And he kisses the cheek and pulls back as he replaces the mask “Cute one.” Geno stares in shock as Dust walks back towards the horses with a wave.

“Lets keep in contact. Next time no mountain missions though.” He gets to Opal and gets on her back with practised ease.

As he looks back he sees Geno grinning madly as he waves “You can count on it! Have a safe trip.”

Dust snorts and nods as he leads Opal to catch up with Rogers and the others.

Maybe this will end in heartbreak again but Dust thinks he got a much better read on them this time. And maybe it will be fine.

[magicrowiswritingstuff]

“Flirting” - Gabriel x female!reader

Summary: Gabriel likes to flirt with the reader who unfortunately is easily flustered in general but especially because of her feelings for him. The Problem? The reader can’t tell if he is sincere or only teasing and making fun of her reactions.

Warnings: suggestive themes, mild swearing (because Dean)

Category: mostly fluff (maybe a little sad at one point)

Words: about 12.000 (wow, I always get carried away… would you like long pieces spilt in two?)

Note: I just recently finished season 8 (so please no spoilers, I already managed to avoid them for so long) so I know that the timelines don’t really match but I didn’t want them to still be moving from motel to motel for this. Also, I know the bunker doesn’t really have a living room area but I decided to add one in the library anyway… Note 2: I miss this archangel way too much for only seeing him in like … four episodes? (I cried twice in the episode … I might have been drunk too though) Note 3: I wanted to focus on my final exams but I had this idea floating around in my head and ‘to get rid of it’ I just decided to write it down... so here my very first piece about a character from supernatural.

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“Flirting” - Gabriel x fem!reader

You had never been good with flirting, neither with starting it nor with responding to it. Sometimes you just didn't realize it was sincere flirting and not just teasing or you got too flustered to properly respond and avoided the situation of answering altogether. Or sometimes you just got angry because of it. How could people stay calm and then playfully respond when someone was flirting with them? Whenever someone tried his luck on you he would definitely not get lucky that night. Your responses would either be blubbering like an idiot or not speaking up at all. To be fair these reactions were far more pleasant for the one starting the flirty banter than for the first guy to ever try his luck on you. When that boy tried to hit on you, you hit him back… literally. Well, what did he expect when he used that horrendous pickup line on you. You couldn't remember the concrete context anymore, only that it happened on school grounds and that it was definitely not his time and place to use that line on you.

"How are you not cold? You’ve been naked in my mind this whole time."

You had been fifteen, maybe sixteen years old at that time and at first you had just blankly starred at the boy your age who looked pleased and proud of himself. However, he only had that expression on his face for a second before you had punched him in the nose in anger and embarrassment. You would have liked the story to end there but of course you had gotten in trouble for it. The boy's nose had started bleeding immediately and a teacher had intervened not a second later. You got escorted to the principal and the boy to the school nurse. Your mother was notified, you were forced to apologize and you even got suspended for a few days. But at the end it had been definitely worth it because after you told your mother why you had punched the boy she laughed heartily and bought ice-cream on the way home. "Some people just have it coming."

 Nowadays you don't react as violent to flirting but you still can't handle it normally and often resolve to running away. You just got flustered far too easily which embarrassed you greatly. The problem? You now were a skilled hunter with two hunter best friends who happened to know an archangel who couldn't stop flirting with you. Whatever situation you were in or regardless of the time you weren't able to escape his more often than not very dirty comments. It seemed like he declared it his mission to make you flustered at least once per day, often more than once. The problem? You really, sincerely and without a doubt liked him. Why? You had no clue since he enjoyed tormenting you so much but there was something about him that lured you in every time.

 Maybe it was his eyes. His brown eyes that weren't dark yet warm and with so much depth they dared you to look further and search for answers to questions you didn't even know. An enigma that didn't want to be resolved but egged you on to search for a resolution you would never find anyway. And even though they were brown it wasn't a solid color. Sometimes, when they caught the light just right, you swore you could see specks of green in them like the renewable leaves growing on the branches of an oak tree after a cold, unforgiving winter. But you often couldn’t look at them long enough to find those small specks. Their brown color itself was like a pot of golden honey illuminated by the beams of the rising spring sun that tricked your mind into a false sense of calmness. Because whenever you would look at them for a moment too long, when you would almost lose yourself in them he would notice and his calm demeanor would instantly change into a teasing glare with a smirk to match.

 Maybe it was the way he carried himself in such a carefree and confident way that made you jealous sometimes. Even though being reserved and careful weren't bad traits for a hunter you found it fascinating how easy-going Gabriel's attitude could be and you wished you could let lose more often too or just be surer of yourself like he was. Just a tiny bit. However, that confidence more often than not evolved into smugness that most of the time made you roll your eyes in annoyance. The smile that would form afterwards was always suppressed by you tightly pressing your lips together. His ego was big enough as it was.

 Maybe it was him supporting you and the Winchesters on hunts sometimes. He was quite skilled even without relying on his angle powers because wiping away a whole vampire nest with one finger clicking wasn't entertaining enough for him. No one complained because one set of hands more was always welcomed. (Okay, Dean sometimes complained.) Of course, if something wasn't going according to plan or someone was about to get hurt he would step in immediately. Or well, almost immediately because it seemed like it always took him a second longer to save Dean and Sam than when saving you.

 Maybe it was his sense of humor that made you snicker and laugh heartily when it wasn't dirty or suggestive. You liked his pranks he pulled on Dean and Sam. Mostly because of their reactions though. Whenever you heard Dean yell through the bunker in anger and frustration you could already guess who had crossed his path. Though sometimes you also became a victim of one of Gabriel's pranks but you rarely got mad because of them. If anything you had waited for the opportunity to have a reason to strike back at him for all the times he had made you flustered. However, your pranks weren't anything compared to what he could and would pull off.

 Maybe it was how approachable he could be sometimes. When you felt stressed or upset he would start a conversation with you to distract you and to set your mind at ease. He was surprisingly easy to talk to or at least whenever he wasn't in a flirty mood which unfortunately he was in often since the last couple of days. You would almost say he got more aggressive with his flirting, not even bothered when Dean or Sam would be present which made you even more flustered. You hated getting flustered over it. You were a hunter for crying out loud. You faced monsters no one would dare to even imagine but you couldn't handle a guy flirting with you? That was your pathetic weakness? But what was equally as embarrassing was whenever Sam tried to talk with you about it and how you should tell him about your feelings. At first you denied it, obviously, but Sam wouldn't butch and you gave in after a few awkward conversations.

 "Are you my mom or something? Asking me that question again and again until I finally answer?" Sam gave you a sour look but continued to stare at you with his arms crossed. "Uh, fine" you gave in and rolled your eyes. "You were right all along. Are you happy now?" "It is a first step" he replied and let his arms fall down to his sides. You shook your head and your arms before your chest immediately. "Nope, not happening." "You have to tell him eventually so why continuing to wait? You are a fierce hunter you can tell someone how you feel about them." You rolled your eyes and laid your head in your hands. Why couldn't Sam just let you be? You knew Gabriel's flirting wasn't well liked with the Winchesters but you were the one he targeted so it was your problem and not theirs. You looked up again with a warning glare. "Yeah right, Sam. I'll just walk up to him and have a serious conversation for once. You witnessed how aggressively flirty he is currently. I can't talk to him about it. He won't listen and I will only feel more stupid because of it. I'll just hope it goes away" you explained but let the last sentence be open for interpretation if you meant Gabriel's flirting or your feelings. It was a disaster. Why did you even feel that way about him? He makes you feel so confused and embarrassed all the time and you didn't like that at all. You furrowed your eyebrows, shrugged your shoulders and sighed in defeat.

 "Why the sour face, sugar?" a familiar voice asked that made you tense up immediately. You turned your head to the left and saw Gabriel leaning against the doorframe. Shit! Had he heard you? Your eyes darted back to Sam in question but he shook his head almost unnoticeable. So Gabriel wasn't standing there for long. A wave of relief washed over you. At least something good was happening to you. Glaring at Gabriel again you huffed. "It is none of your business" you replied defensively and crossed your arms before your chest. "Oh, come on. Now I'm really curious" he said and licked his lips which already made your cheeks slightly heat up. 'Traitor' you thought to yourself. "Just a rough day" you gave in with a small, polite smile, knowing that he wouldn't let you be if you didn't answer. By the sight of your smile his eyes seemed to lighten up before his grin grew almost sinister.

"I didn't think you'd like it rough." Your eyes widened in shock and if your face wasn’t red before it definitely was now. "That's not... wha- I didn't!" you began to stammer. Why would he even say that? Did it even make sense? With your nails digging into the flesh of your arms and wide eyes you stared at the smug archangel. Sam gave out an artificial cough of discomfort which made you look at him with one raised eyebrow. "That's what I was telling you about!" you tried to express over your eyes. He only stared right back at you, seemingly as caught off guard as you. You looked back at Gabriel who didn't even bit back his teasing smirk. "I have to go!" you choked out and squeezed through the door and by Gabriel without hesitation. You didn't care that he probably would be pleased by it, you just had to leave right now and he was standing in the only way out of the room. You needed a break from this. You needed some distance before your face would heat up enough to cook a three course meal on it. Luckily he didn't hold you back just followed your movement with his eyes and let you run away. When Sam coughed again his eyes snapped back to the taller Winchester with one eyebrow raised in question. "Really, Gabriel?" Sam asked annoyed. The archangel only shrugged with a grin and buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket before teleporting away.

 In the past you had handled Gabriel's flirty comments far better than nowadays. Maybe the reasons for that were that he didn't do it that often back than and maybe because you hadn't yet realized how much you really liked him. Now it felt like mockery to you. Was he teasing you so much because of it? Did he know? The problem you always had with flirting was that you could never tell if it was sincere or just a way to express friendly banter. Or in Gabriel's case: teasing you just for fun. Did he do it just for fun? Everything would be so much easier if you just knew what his deal was. You would know if you were making yourself false hopes or if you really had a change. But with the current situation you weren't ready to test the waters.

 _________________________________ 

  You groaned and let your head fall on the opened book on the table. Sam and Dean had gone out on a hunt a few days ago and you were left behind with research duty. You didn't hate researching for them or research in general but after a few hours of reading an old and complicated worded book while sitting in the same position the lines just got blurry and your body sore. Even with some sweets as "nerve food" you weren't able to get back to your concentrated state. With your arms draped over your head and your nose buried in the book you closed your eyes for a moment. You swore that next time you wouldn't let them leave you behind again. Especially since it was difficult enough to avoid Gabriel with them around to shield you if necessary but when they were gone you were an even easier target.

 "What's the problem, sweetcheeks? Can't concentrate?" You stifled the surprised yelp and after that the annoyed groan that threatened to spill over your lips. Speaking of the devil ... or well archangel. Now you really wouldn't be able to concentrate anymore.

 You looked up slightly to see Gabriel standing next to you, leaning his head down to take a close look at you. His face was so close to you that you could feel the faintest ghost of his breath on your lips. You tensed up immediately, not able to move away or break off the eye contact. His golden eyes held you captive. But there was something else then golden-brown too. Where those the green specks you sometimes thought you saw? You gulped, biting your lip as you saw his eyes wander down to them. You felt a push, a desire to- but you can’t. Not this way. Straightening up you were finally able to escape his eyes and looked to the other side, not wanting to be so close to his face anymore. He didn't even really do anything and you could feel your face heat up already. What were you? Twelve? Why couldn't you just for once control your body around him?

 "It's just painful sitting on this chair for hours" you said trying to have a normal conversation with him again but you should have known better. "Need a pillow to sit on? I can be yours if you want" he said without missing a beat. Your head whipped around to meet his gaze again. You wanted to be mad and lecture him but the moment you locked eyes with him you were unable to speak up properly. He still was only inches away from you and grinned wickedly, a mischievous glint in his light brown eyes. You wanted to look away, hide your eyes but you were unable to free yourself from his hypnotic gaze. These golden honey pots just lured you in every time. You wished you could drop threw a Scooby-Doo like trap in the floor right now just to escape this situation. Or maybe a monster could waltz in and threaten your life? At least that would be something you could handle. Instead you stammered something not even you could decipher, with your heart beating violently against your rips. How did he even know so many suggestive sayings? Clenching your fists, and digging your nails into the palms of your hands in the process, you leaned back to try and increase the distance between him and you. You had noticed that personal space wasn't necessarily something angels understood by being around Castiel a lot too. However, Gabriel sometimes took it to the extreme. Or maybe it just felt that way because every time he got close to you, your body burned up without him needing to say anything.

 You blinked rapidly while you could feel the blush creeping up your neck and face. The smirk on Gabriel's features only seemed to grow as you drove yourself further into embarrassment. Then he suddenly decided you were tortured enough and took a step back before sitting down on the opposite side of the table, still eyeing you to not miss the slightest bit of your reaction. "What was- don't you ever shut up?" you angrily spit, finally able to form a coherent sentence again. The archangel leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed behind his head. Clicking his tongue the smile vanished from his face as he seemed to think about it for a moment, looking up at the ceiling before directing his piercing glance back at you. His smirk already back on his features. "Only when my mouth is preoccupied with something sweet" he said and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Your face grew even hotter and before he could add anything else to it you grabbed one of the chocolate bars you had brought with you for your research session and threw it at him. He caught it with ease. "Here and now shut up!" you bellowed and shifted your focus back to the book. You swore that you wouldn't look up at him again and instead just ignore his antics. "Not what I meant but also not bad" Gabriel said pleased and unwrapped the candy. You of course knew what he had meant but you wouldn't let it happen. Not in that way.

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  The next morning you got a call from Dean, telling you that the hunt has been successful and that they would return now. Though that meant you would still be alone till the evening because the hunt had been far away. You sighed and clamped the phone between your head and shoulder so you could climb the kitchen counter to get a mug from one of the cupboards. It was far too early. Okay it was ten in the morning but you had been up almost all night, ready for any phone calls so you could help if needed. But then you had fallen asleep and Dean's phone call had startled you awake. You had jumped up, ready for any sort of bad news or him yelling a question about the monster through the speaker only to hear that the hunt was successful and finished. So know you needed some well-earned coffee.

 "Are you okay?" Dean asked but you mentally translated it to 'Is he bothering you?'. "No, everything's alright, don't worry" you answered after you stood safe on your feet again with the mug in your hand. You poured the hot, dark liquid into it and sat down at the table. "Does that mean he stopped?" the older Winchester questioned further. You bit back a laugh. "No, of course not. But yesterday wasn't as bad" you lied. Every single day seemed to get worse or at least Gabriel seemed to get even straighter forward with his dirty comments as the days went by. If that was even possible. "If you need an archangel blade just tell us" Dean joked but you could hear the slightest hint of sincerity in his tone too. "Will do, Deano" you laughed back and shook your head. "I'd say drive carefully but I know I would only waste my breath" you grinned and took a sip of your coffee. You could almost see Dean rolling his eyes at you through the phone. "We will be back in a few hours." After that the line went silent and you put your phone back into your pocket.

 You were able to drink about half of your coffee in peace when Gabriel decided to show up. He didn't say anything and if you wouldn't know it any better you would have said that he looked tired. Or hungover. He sat down in front of you, buried his head in his hands and closed his eyes, not speaking a single word. That was unusual. You raised one eyebrow at him. Something was up. You downed the rest of your coffee and stood up to refill your mug. Should you say something? You debated about it in your head but as always your friendly side won. Screw it.

 "Hey Gabriel, do you want some coffee too?" you asked, your back facing him because you were too afraid of seeing his smirk again. You were begging for a normal answer. "That would be great" he only said which made you breathe out in relief. "Coming right up." Knowing Gabriel's sweet tooth habits you poured in a not so healthy amount of sugar into his mug and stirred it before walking back to the table. You set the cup down in front of him and returned to your place, drinking your coffee in silence and avoiding his eyes. "Thanks, sugar" he said and for the first time you blushed but not because of you feeling overly embarrassed or being angry at him. "No problem."

 Then everything was quiet again but you were still debating on talking to him. He seemed really down which was not only unusual for the archangel but also quite alarming. It was also the longest time you two had spent together without him instantly using a flirty comment in a while. You thought about what Dean had said on the phone earlier. Did he stop? Maybe he didn't feel like annoying you anymore. Even more suspicious. Glancing up you observed him for a few moments. He didn't meet your eyes just stared into his coffee mug, his shoulders hanging low. Now that made all your alarm clocks inside your head ring and yell in worry. He would never let an opportunity pass to challenge you with his eyes. Normally he always felt your eyes on him and would meet your gaze almost instantly. You sat up straight. This wasn't normal.

 "Hey, Gabe?" you spoke up to get his attention which he gave you immediately. "Yeah, sugar?" he slightly grinned at you and you hesitated. Maybe he was only playing with you again. It wouldn't be too farfetched. You shook your worries away, your friendly side winning once again. "I just wanted to ask … is something wrong? You seem down" you said. Now a little unsure of yourself because of his grin you began to fidget with the cup between your hands. Maybe this has been a mistake. Maybe you should have just enjoyed the silence for once. "I'm just feeling a little off today" he answered, his smile vanished and he looked back down at his coffee. So your suspensions had been right. You took a sip of your coffee, ready to relax again and breathe out in relief when you caught the smallest glint of roguishness in his eyes. And before you knew it his typical smirk had returned as he looked up at you. "Would you like to turn me on?" Instantly you choked on the small sip of coffee and coughed it back into the mug as it burned your mouth. Now your face really grew hot out of embarrassment. Cursing yourself you tapped against your chest to stop the coughs from fighting their way up. You had to get out of here. "Forget that I said something" you wheezed and stood up with your cup in one hand and the other one pressed against your chest. You had to leave this room right now. "Oh, come on" Gabriel called after you with laughter in his voice. "That one was a real banger." You only groaned audibly and continued your way to your room.

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  You had barricaded yourself in your room for the next few hours. Luckily you had made it angel-prove after an incident that had involved Gabriel a few weeks ago.

 After a tiring hunt you had just wanted to bury your head in your pillows and sleep for 24 hours straight. But you couldn't even get as far as sitting down on your bed. You were only able to take one step inside your room before it happened. You saw Gabriel presenting himself on your bed, grinning at you and one second before it happened you realize what was about to go down. But at that point it was already too late for you to react and you were soaked in some kind of strange, gooey liquid. You couldn't force back the yell of surprise and disgust as the cold substance clung to your clothes and hair. "Gabriel!" you growled and wanted to jump forward, ready to strangle him. Normally you wouldn't get to mad at his pranks but your nerves had been on edge all day and this was the last straw. However, you weren't even able to take one step forward. It seemed like you were glued to the ground. Confused you looked down and tugged on one of your legs with all your might but it wouldn't really butch much. "What is this?" you grumbled and wiped off some of the slime that sticked to your face and hair. Only that it stretched a little but other than that it stayed tangled in your hair. You could hear the archangel snicker which made you look at him again.

 "Gum here often?" he asked with a smirk, holding his head up with one hand while lazily lying on his side. It would have been the perfect pose for a magazine cover wouldn't it be for- wait. What did he just say? "Gum?!" you yelled with your eyes wide in horror which only made him laugh even more. He poured liquid gum on you?! "Gabriel, get me out of here" you demanded while continuing to struggle against the gum. "What do you offer in return?" he talked back still in his model position. You groaned and stopped struggling because you only tangled yourself more in it anyway. Rolling your eyes you shrugged your shoulders in defeat, letting your arms fall down to your sides. "What do you want?" you asked annoyed. Gabriel shifted, now lying on his stomach to face you directly with his head in his hands.

 "What about a kiss?"

 You bit back an angry remark and instead thought of a loophole in his proposition. You needed to get out of here and maybe even get some revenge. But at first you needed some more time to think. "Really? Pulling of this dirty trick on me to get a kiss?" you asked with one raised eyebrow. "I know some more where that one was coming from" he responded with a wink. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms before your chest as far as possible. The familiar heat was already tinting your face red again while you grumbled to yourself. "Snap the gum away and you can get what you want" you grumbled and turned your head away from him. He jumped up immediately like a little kid who had heard Santa Claus leave the presents downstairs. "Your wish is my command" he said theatrically and snapped his fingers. The gum you were stuck in disappeared in an instant. Relieved you let the tension in your shoulders out and prepared yourself for what was about to happen. Gabriel walked a few steps towards you with a smug grin on his lips and his arms stretched out. "I'm waiting."

 Your eyes widened. He wanted you to do it? To start the kiss? You groaned internally and bit your lip so it wouldn't threaten to spill over them. "Fine" you growled and walked up to him. You had to make this quick without him noticing what you were planning to do. You stood before him and hesitated for a moment. You felt his eyed looking down on you but you were unable to meet his gaze just yet. Wasn't this something you had wanted? Yes, but not under these circumstances. And you refused to play under his rules. You had to concentrate now so you breathed in deeply before grabbing him by the collar of his jacket and bringing him down to you. You saw the confident glint in his eyes, the sureness of victory, as you pulled him down. He didn't even saw it coming. You took one last deep breath and mustered as much strength as you could in your tired state to headbutt him across the face. He let out a surprised yelp and groaned. You didn't think you would actually be able to hurt him with it you had just wanted to get back at him and his surprised face was all you wanted. After the headbutt you let go of him immediately and pushed him towards the door. "That wasn't a kiss" he complained as you tried to shove him out of your room. "Yes, it was" you hissed and pushed him over the ledge of the doorway and grabbed the door, ready to close it but you paused and looked up at him with a grin. "I hope you enjoyed my Liverpool Kiss!" you sing-songed in a sickly sweet manner before shooting him an angry glare and throwing the door in his face.

 After that you had decided to secure your room because even though you mostly enjoyed his pranks you didn't want them to happen in your room. Also, you didn't need him snooping around there. So if Gabriel really wanted to enter the room you would have to destroy the sigils you drew on your door and walls first. But he would have to give you a good reason to do so.

 Now it was almost four pm so you had spent a good six hours in your room. Dean and Sam still hadn't returned tough, probably because of a stopover at a diner. Your stomach growled at the thought of something to eat. However, that meant you had to leave the room and probably face Gabriel again. But you couldn't stay hungry in your room either. You groaned and stood up from your bed. When you remembered correctly there should be leftover pizza in the fridge. The thought of something to eat spurred you on so you tiptoed to the kitchen as fast as possible.

 It only took a few moments to heat the pizza pieces up again but it felt like an eternity to you. But now you sat at the table again and to ate your favorite pizza with your mouth watering. It was perfect. Only that it wasn't. "You've got a piece for me too?" You flinched and looked up from your plate to see Gabriel sitting in front of you. How did he get there without you noticing? "Ehm" you stammered and leaned back to increase your distance to him. You wanted to be cold and say 'No' but your good, friendly side won once more. "Of course." You shoved the plate in the middle of the table so you both could reach it. You two ate in silence which you appreciated greatly because you wouldn't have been able to handle his flirting right now. And even more surprisingly was that he was the one to put away the empty plate after you two finished the rest of the pizza. He didn't snap his fingers and made the plate disappear, no he stood up and grabbed it before you could and put it in the dishwasher. "What is happening?" you wondered but stayed quiet. Better not addressing it and provoking him to any sort of dirty comments again. You just raised one eyebrow at him as he came to a halt in front of you, looking down at you with a special glint in his eyes you couldn't quite sort into any category. You eyed him skeptically.

 "Want to join me in the library?" he asked and reached out a hand for you to take. Now you raised both eyebrows in confusion. What was he scheming? Tilting your head you glanced suspiciously at his hand and back up to his eyes but you couldn't find anything to support your worries which was the only evidence you needed to know that he really had something planned. "Why? What do you want to do?" you asked too curious for your own good. Even though your instincts told you not to trust his seemingly sincere demeanor you decided to grab his hand anyway. He clasped your hand and the glint in his eyes immediately shifted to something mischievous. But before you could speak up or withdraw your hand he pulled you up on your feet and against his chest, his other arm wrapped around your waist so you weren't able to escape. Your eyes widened as you unsuccessfully tried to push yourself away from him with your free hand. With your hand pressed against his chest and your whole body tense you looked up to meet his smug gaze. You wanted to narrow your eyes, hiss something, be mad or do anything but the moment you locked eyes with him you froze once again. Why was this always happening? But surprising you the most was that the tension in your shoulders released almost instantly. Under the warmth of his eyes you felt like melting, like ice-cream in the heat of the summer sun, with your cheeks growing hot too. His lips were dangerously close again, his breath tickling them in the most challenging way and the only thing you wanted was to accept it, to go along. But you couldn’t and you won’t. Not this way. Not under his rules. Shaking your head you broke the eye contact once again with great difficulties and cursed yourself for ignoring your instincts. You were a hunter! You were supposed to rely on instincts if everything else failed. Angry at yourself you bit your tongue to stifle any unholy outbreaks. Refusing to meet his eyes again you continued to stare at his chest with your free hand clenching into a tight fist and pressed against his jacket. Your emotions shifted in an instant and you suddenly felt the powerful urge to run away and hide but unfortunately for you, you couldn't. Gabriel leaned down to your ear, only slightly before he spoke up again.

 "Preferably you."

 Your body tensed up immediately and you were sure the archangel was well aware of that though he didn't react to it. Your eyes snapped up to meet his in fiery anger you used to conceal how flustered you really were and the familiar heat had already established itself on your cheeks again. You were able to feel his body pressed against yours before too but now after those two words you seemed to be painfully aware of everything. Oh, how you hated the way he had made you flustered with his comments right now. And you hated the fact that you sincerely liked him in that moment too. Your nostrils flared as you huffed, unable to speak up. Or rather you didn't trust your voice not to break right now. "But watching a movie would do it too" he added with a toothy grin and let go of you. Quickly you took a few steps back and tried to regain control over your body. You were so hot you probably could replace the heating system of the bunker. "So" he dragged the word and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Care to join me?"

 After the stunt he had pulled on you, you would have normally taken the first change to run back to your room as quick as possible. You were furious and embarrassed and furiously embarrassed. Still you decided to accompany him into the living room area. Why exactly were you doing this? You weren't able to answer yourself. Maybe because you missed hanging out with Gabriel without having to hear these comments all the time, wondering off they were sincere or not. So you sat down on the couch but as far away from the archangel as possible. You didn't want to fall even further into your pit of shame. Luckily he didn't make a single move to get any closer to you so you were able to enjoy most of the movie. However, after a while you got hungry again and decided to grab some snacks from your secret candy hideout in the kitchen. When you sat down again you thought Gabriel had moved a little closer to your spot. But by the way he lazily laid there you doubted that. Maybe your mind was only playing tricks on you. Though something you did notice, were the glances he threw your way. Eyeing him from the corner of your eyes you realized that he wasn't only looking at you but at the sweets on your lab too. You shoved another gummy bear in your mouth and thought for a moment. Should you offer him some? You mentally groaned. Why were you always so nice? Why couldn't you just ignore him? Battling with yourself you finally gave in, rolling your eyes at yourself and muttering curses under your breath. You were so going to regret this.

 "Hey" you said and turned towards him. His honey eyes immediately focused on you again. You groaned once more before you made your offer: "Do you want some sweets too?" What had you told yourself earlier? Ah, right: You would regret this. And by the tight-lipped smile on his face you now knew you definitely were about to. "You're the only candy I need." You stayed dead quiet, the bag of sweets still hold out for him. Narrowing your eyes at him you scowled. Even though you felt agitated you were far too tired to let it show except through the blush that crept up your neck. Actually pretty convenient or at least better than stammering like an idiot. You pursed your lips, a slight furrow between your brows as you stared pointedly at the archangel who seemed to grow uncomfortable with every second ticking by in which you didn't say anything. His smug grin turned into an unsure facade.

 "But I would take some of the gummy bears too."

 _________________________________ 

  "So how was the hunt?" you asked Dean and Sam when they finally arrived back at the bunker. It was around six or seven pm and you were still seated on the couch with Gabriel spread out on the other side. After your unresponsiveness about his latest comment he hadn't dared to speak up again. You didn't really care. In fact you were even a little proud at yourself for not ending up a totally blushing mess and stammering incoherent sentences but staying silent and stoic instead. Why couldn't you react that way every time he did that to you?

 "Fine" Dean mumbled and directed his attention away from you and to the small fridge to get his hard-earned bottle of beer. You only snickered and directed your eyes to Sam, crossing your arms on the back of the couch and placing your head on them while kneeling on the cushions. "Next time I want to join you two again" you said and made it sound slightly demanding. Sam chuckled and glanced at Gabriel who hadn't turned around, his eyes fixated on the TV screen. The taller Winchester nodded: "Alright." However, you shook your head at him and reached out your hand for him to grab. "Promise me." Sam eyed you confused with a small smile on his lips. His gaze darted back to the archangel and he let out a slight snicker when Dean joined them, handing his brother a bottle of beer. "So bad?" Sam asked while still looking at the archangel for a few seconds more before directing his gaze back to you. You huffed and pushed one strand of hair out of your face before reaching out your hand again which the younger brother finally accepted. "You have no idea."

 _________________________________ 

  Almost two weeks later and you still haven't found another hunt which meant that either the world was uncharacteristically peaceful or the monsters got better at disguising themselves. Anyway, that also meant that you had been trapped inside the bunker with Gabriel for two more weeks. And it slowly but surely got to a point where you weren't sure if you could go on like this. Neither did Gabriel's comments stop nor your feelings for him. Damn that honey-eyed archangel luring you into his trap every time. But at least he had been away for a few days now, giving you some peace at last. He said he had to sort something out and left immediately afterwards. You had to admit that you kind of missed him but at least he wasn't bugging you right now. Or not in person anyway because him leaving didn't make your thoughts stop circling around him. You needed a distraction. Your fingertips and mind ached for a new hunt.

 With a sigh you let yourself fall onto the couch in the library and closed your eyes. The bunker hadn't been this peaceful in a long time. It should have been pleasant so why did it irritate you instead? Did you really miss Gabriel's dirty comments? Did you really miss the feeling of embarrassment all day long? With a huff you draped your arms over your face. No, you missed seeing Gabriel's eyes sparkle with these refreshing specks of green. You missed having a normal conversation with him about a random topic one of you picked. You missed hanging out with him before he decided to flirt with you all the time. You missed him. You shook your head. Damn, you really were hopeless.

 "(Y/N)?" echoed Sam's voice through the bunker and to your ears, interrupting your thoughts. Groaning you opened your eyes and removed your arms from your face. "Yeah?" you yelled back and waited because you could already hear his and Dean's footsteps coming closer. You only sat up to face them when you could hear them enter the library. "Please tell me you found a hunt" you begged and leaned forward against the back of the couch. The two brothers shook their heads in unison. "No, we need your help" Sam started but got interrupted by Dean. "Or rather we need Gabriel's help" the older brother said. You raised one eyebrow in question. Why would they need Gabriel's help? You mustered their faces and noticed discomfort flashing over them for a split second. What were they plotting now? "For what?" you asked and tried to sound casual. You put your head in your hands to keep it upright and to not miss any signs that would tell you what they had planned. "That's not so important" Dean started which only made you even more suspicious. Why didn't they just tell you? Were they thinking about pranking Gabriel back? Or ask him about something for a hunt? But they told you they didn't have one. So what exactly were they up to? "The problem is that that son of a bitch won't answer our prayers" Dean finished and cursed angrily. You rolled your eyes. Typical for the archangel. It kind of became a prank in itself to ignore the Winchesters. "So we need you to try it" Sam added and looked at you with an apologetic smile on his lips. You groaned and leaned your head back. That couldn't be real right now, could it? Hadn't you just thought that you missed him? Well, yeah. But if you called him through a prayer he would tease you about it one-hundred percent. Because it is what he always did. "Do I have to?" you asked with a pleading look in your eyes and pouty lips. 'Oh please, just for once be on my side!' you thought not really directed to anyone specific. "Yeah, sorry. But he usually answers yours no matter what" Sam excused and rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. When he really felt so apologetic about you calling for Gabriel they probably had something serious to discuss with him. You really didn't want to do it, Gabriel would never let you live it down but apparently you had no choice. You groaned again. "Fine" you stretched the word before closing your eyes. They definitely owed you for that and whatever was about to happen.

 "Hey, Gabriel. I need you so could you please send your feathery ass over here? Thanks."

 You purposely didn't say that it wasn't you but the Winchesters who needed him because you had realized fairly quickly that he wouldn't come if you made it clear you were praying to him on behalf of Dean and Sam when he was ignoring them. Would he catch onto that then he wouldn't even answer your prayers. You breathed in deeply to prepare yourself for what was going to happen and then slowly opened your eyes again to meet the golden ones of a curtain archangel. Gabriel stood only a few inches in front of you with his typical grin on his lips. "Couldn’t live without me, sweetcheeks?" he asked and tilted his head to one side. Rolling your eyes you pointed behind him to Sam and Dean. "They need you, feather brain" you explained. You could see his demeanor change the moment he laid eyes on the two Winchesters. His carefree attitude vanished and was replaced by an annoyed glare he directed at the two brothers. You wondered how often they had tried to call him before coming to you to make him so displeased. "I know" he snarled which took you by surprise. Out of instinct you put your hand on his shoulder which made him turn to you again. The mischievous glint in his eyes and the smirk on his lips returned in an instant. "So you had been purposefully ignoring them?" you asked with your eyebrows narrowed. "Yep" he answered unmindful and shrugged his shoulders. His hand sneaked towards your face and before you knew it he had already cupped your cheek. Your body froze instantly and your mind exploded into uncontrollable chaos. What. Was. He. Doing? Your eyes widened and your breath got caught in your throat. Stifling the cough you turned away so his hand would leave your skin. Breathing in deeply you tried to control yourself again but when you heard Gabriel's chuckle you spun back around. Rolling your eyes at him you pushed him into the direction of Sam and Dean. "Be decent" you tried to say warningly but it came out more as a whisper. He groaned and rolled his head back dramatically but didn't say anything else, just walked to the Winchesters who gave you a thankful look. You glared at them, making sure they knew that they owed you one now. Then they turned around to leave the library with the archangel in tow. However, you still had one question to ask.

 "I have one question before you three leave" you said which made them stop and turn around to face you again. Straightened up a little and collecting yourself, you directed your gaze at Gabriel who instantly challenged your eyes. You huffed and tried to withstand his golden ones. You couldn't back down now. "Why do you only answer my prayers?" you asked genuinely confused and narrowed your eyes in question. Gabriel smirked at you and shoved his hands in his pockets while slightly leaning back. He let his gaze wander over your face while casually standing next to the Winchesters who threw warning glances at him. But he decided to ignore them. "Because, sugar" he started as his grin grew even more. You gulped, already knowing that this wouldn't end well for you.

 "You're prayers are the only ones I want to hear, though not necessarily with an audience" he finished with his head held proud and high.

 You choked on your spit and your face grew hot not a second later. Did he really just say that in front of Sam and Dean? You couldn't believe it. You turned your head away, not able to hold his piercing eyes. Your body immediately sunk into itself and you just wanted to hide in the darkest corner of the earth where no one would be able to find you. You just wanted to disappear right now because you felt utterly humiliated which was only worsened by your body's reactions. Your mouth was dry and your nails dug themselves into the flesh of your legs as your eyes darted back to Gabriel's. "What the, what the hell is your-" you stammered, not even sure what you were trying to say and achieve. Luckily the Winchester collected themselves fairly quickly and dragged Gabriel out of the room before you could embarrassed yourself in front of him even more or get even more embarrassed by him. You couldn't believe that you really had thought you missed the archangel. Unfortunately, you still did. You huffed and let yourself fall back onto the couch though you couldn't suppress the small smile from forming on your lips. You were a mess. Why did you like him again? But regardless of how often you would continue to ask yourself this it wouldn't change the fact that you had the biggest crush on him. And maybe, only maybe did you start to enjoy his attention even though you didn't like the type of attention and the way it made you flustered.

 You grumbled and pressed the palms of your hands against your closed eyes. You had to do something about it. Sam's lecture sprung back into your memories. Maybe you should tell him? But would he take it seriously? You turned to lie on your side and furrowed your eyebrows on wonder. Where you considering believing his flirting was sincere? Was it? Or did he do it because he liked to torture you and see your embarrassing reactions? You groaned, your thoughts torn. You couldn't tell him about your feelings as long as you weren't sure if he was sincere with his flirting or not. It was just oh so wonderful that you were incapable of noticing the difference.

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  After you had summoned him through your prayers and the Winchesters had a talk with him, even though you had no idea about what, Gabriel seemed to stick around again. At least he had stayed in the bunker for a few days now. However, you had ignored and avoided him as far as possible ever since. You had decided that when you couldn't tell if he was sincere with his flirty comments you had only one other option to stop all this: your feelings had to go away. And maybe it was childish thinking but if you didn't talk to him maybe they would magically disappear? You could wish right? The only problem was that avoiding an archangel wasn't that easy. And since the only angel-prove room was yours you had stayed in there for most of the week so far.

 At the moment you laid on your bed and stared up at the ceiling in a half asleep state when your stomach started to rumble. With a groan you straightened up, debating whether you should risk going to the kitchen to eat something or not. But obviously you couldn't just stay in your room forever which was why you tiptoed to your door and listened for anything unusual before opening it. On your way to the kitchen you noticed how uncharacteristically quiet the bunker was and you began to wonder where everyone was. So you took a detour to the library first. But surprisingly the room was empty. Narrowing your eyes in suspicion and confusion you turned around to continue your search in the other rooms only to yelp in surprise as you run into someone. Taking a step bad you cursed mentally. Of course it had to be him. "Who're you looking for, sweetcheeks?" Gabriel asked with his signature smirk on his lips. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed before his chest and his golden eyes looking down at you. You felt your cheeks heat up again but didn't let your body have the time to shut down in an embarrassing panic again. "Where are Dean and Sam?" you asked him. "You weren't looking for me? That hurts" he said and put his hand over his heart with a pained look you knew was only for show. Rolling your eyes you crossed your arms before your chest and glared at him with one raised eyebrow. The archangel only chuckled. "They went out on a hunt." Your eyes widened. "They what!?"

 Not wasting one second you pushed past him and ran to your room to get your phone. This had to be one of Gabriel's many pranks, right? After their last hunt they went on without you and after you had called Gabriel for them the owed you! They had sworn to take you with them again. They couldn't just have left you behind, right? Why would they leave you behind with Gabriel? They knew the reason for your little self-quarantine! Biting your lips you suppressed an angry yell of frustration. Did that mean you were trapped in the bunker with Gabriel again? You couldn't believe that. This had to be another prank. In your rush you didn't even notice the archangel following you only after you had grabbed the phone from your nightstand and turned around. He stood before your opened door, unable to come any closer which seemed to annoy him greatly by the look on his face. You couldn't suppress the grin from forming on your lips. Making your room angel-prove had to be one of your best decisions so far. Then you turned your attention back to the phone in your hands and dialed Dean's number.

 "(Y/N)? What's the matter?" he asked after a few seconds of the phone ringing. You huffed, instantly angry again. "What's the matter?" you bluffed and felt your eyes twitch. "You left for a hunt. Without me!" Dean winced at your outburst but you weren't done yet. The owed you, they had promised to take you with them again. You felt betrayed but also panicked. You had to stay alone in the bunker with Gabriel and his comments again? "You two had sworn to take me with you!" you yelled while pacing around in your room, very aware of Gabriel's eyes following you. "Well" Dean started but paused for a moment. "Things sometimes go differently than planned?" he tried to soothe your nerves. Unfortunate for him it didn't change anything. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You could have just told me that you had found another hunt and not just leave without a word" you continued. So they really had left you behind on purpose and it wasn't one of Gabriel's many pranks. You gritted your teeth. Now you really felt betrayed. "You two will turn around and take me with you" you demand, well aware that they probably wouldn't do so. "Sorry, (Y/N) but we are already a few hours away from the bunker. Next time we will take you with us again" Dean promised and even though he sounded sincere you couldn't bring yourself to believe him. "Yeah, right" you wanted to say more but got interrupted by another voice.

 "(Y/N)?" chimed Sam's voice out of the receiver now. He had probably snatched the phone from Dean's hand after hearing your angry outburst. "Sam" you growled warningly. Especially he knew why you wanted to leave the bunker so desperately and still he had decided to go without you. "Let me explain" the younger brother started. "Yes, Sam. Please enlighten me" you demanded and sat down on your bed, glancing at Gabriel from the corner of your eye. He hadn't moved an inch, mustering you. You couldn't read the expression on his face. "Talk to him" Sam said. Confused you furrowed your eyebrows and stared at the floor in front of you again. "What do you mean?" you asked slowly. Something was up. "You heard me" Sam only talked back. "This has to stop. Tell him." "I'm not the one who started this!" you spat. The reality slowly sat in. You were alone with Gabriel again. You couldn't escape those feelings no matter what you tried to do against it. "I don't care. This dancing around has to stop" Sam only said. "Are you serious? Sam, I swear-" you started but then only heard the peeping sounds of a disconnect call. Did he really just hang up on you? You looked down at the phone in your hands with wide eyes. You couldn't believe this. Perplexed you shook your head.

 "What did they say?" Gabriel asked and interrupted your thoughts in the process. Turning around to look at him you raised one eyebrow. "You couldn't tell?" you asked back sarcastically with the hint of a smile on your lips. "They left without me." You gulped, thinking about Sam's ultimatum. Gabriel only shrugged his shoulders which made you huff in annoyance. "You'd really rather be on a hunt right now?" he questioned. You huffed out a yes, still angry at the two brothers and then put the phone back on the nightstand with a little more force than needed. They better hoped that when they returned to the bunker that your mood had improved by then. "Oh, someone’s panties are in a twist. Want a hand untangling them?" the archangel smirked. You spun around to face him with an angry glare. The only problem was that your body once again betrayed you. Your cheeks and ears were getting hot and you crossed your arms to dig your nails in their flesh again. Your eyes grew wide again, not believing what you just heard. The archangel in front of you seemed very pleased by your reaction which led to you avoiding his gaze. Damn it, you were just too easily caught off guard and flustered. Since you couldn't come up with anything to say to that you grabbed the door and threw it shut. Gabriel's laugh was very audible through the wood as you walked back to your bed and sat down, hiding your face in your hands. You couldn't do this anymore. Your feelings wouldn't just magically disappear, what were you thinking? He needed to stop with the comments or...

 "I have to talk to him" you whispered. Groaning in defeat you let yourself fall backwards on the bed.

 _________________________________ 

  You decided that the only plausible solution was to talk to Gabriel, just like Sam had told you. Though that didn't have to be right now, right? So you waited. You had grabbed something to eat from the kitchen later that day and had sprinted back to your room immediately. Luckily you hadn't run into the archangel again. After that you had spent the rest of the day and the next one in your room, alone. When the third day arrived you couldn't avoid the topic no more. This had to end. You were just being difficult and stupid right now. You couldn't spend the rest of your life in this room, hoping to never run into the archangel again. You had to start talking. Pacing around in your room you told that yourself over and over again. But every time you had hyped yourself up enough to walk to the door you hesitated with grabbing the handle. You backed away every time. "This is ridiculous" you grumbled. You were behaving like a nervous teenager. You could hunt and kill monsters so you should be able to talk to people as well. But Gabriel wasn't an ordinary person. Groaning you hid your face in your hands and sat down at the edge of your bed. This had to stop. You knew you couldn't avoid it. But why was this so difficult? Why were you so difficult? There were only silly comments. He only wanted to toy with you a little, he had been the trickster after all. So why was this affecting you so much? Because you liked him. Grumbling at your own thoughts you had to agree with them.

 "This has to stop today" you mumbled to yourself and stood up again. "I know what to say, now I only have to walk up to him and-" your monolog got interrupted by a knock at your door. For a split second you caught yourself considering hiding somewhere. You knew who was standing in front of the door, unable to open it himself. But then you cleared your throat and walked to the door, your hand on the handle. "You can do this" you thought and opened the wooden door. Looking up you wanted to open your mouth to say the things you had practiced in your mind all day only to freeze on the spot. The moment you locked eyes with him all your thoughts seemed to take the emergency exit, leaving you empty without a clue what to do. Gabriel was standing in front of you, not leaning against the wall like usual. His hands were buried in the pockets of his jacket, a frown on his face that was normally decorated by a grin. What was the matter?

 "Gabriel?" you heard yourself ask before you registered that you had opened your mouth to speak. Biting your tongue you waited for an answer. Was he toying with you again? The archangel turned his gaze away from you for a second, looking at the floor before bringing his eyes back up. The gold in them seemed dull and you were unable to find any specks of green. It seemed like the green leaves had fallen from the branches. "Can we talk?" he asked. You narrowed your eyes in suspicion. The last time he had seemed down he just wanted to catch you off guard with one of his comments. And now you were unsure if you could trust the look on his face. But wasn't talking exactly what you had wanted to do? With a sigh you nodded but stayed on the safe side of the door. Just out of precaution. "Ehm, oka-" you wanted to agree but he interrupted you. "Well they say that kissing is a language of love, so want to start a conversation with me?" Your face grew hot the second he had finished the sentence. He had tricked you again. Your gaze fell to the ground as you just wanted to disappear right now. Grabbing the door to stable yourself you tried to think of something, anything to do or say. But if your head had been completely empty before, then it was crowed now. Your thoughts were running wild while you tried to process if he had really said what you thought you heard. Clenching your free hand into a fist you looked up again, meeting his golden eyes that still seemed rather dull even with the smirk on his lips. "Can't you just stop?" you had wanted to yell, sound annoyed and throw the door in his face but instead you stayed frozen in place and only a drained whisper left your lips. His grin didn't falter though you thought that you saw something shift in his eyes. Was that concern?

 "I'm not in the mood for your remarks" you continued. Why were you still standing there? You wanted to close the door so badly so why couldn't you move? "I could get you in the mood" Gabriel talked back, not missing a beat while your face turned even redder, you could feel it. You gasped and stared at him with your mouth wide open. Did he really just say that? Your embarrassment got mixed with rage as you squinted, furrowing your brows.

 "What's the matter with you?" you asked after you had finally found your voice again. Out of instinct you took one step forward, out of the safety of your room, with one finger accusingly pointed at him though he didn't back away. "Why are you doing this?" Your other hand let go of the door as you took another step forward. "Doing what, sugar? You have to be more specific" he said with a grin, challenging your eyes with a piercing glance. But you wouldn't back down, not today. "Why are you always dropping suggestive comments around me?" you asked more clearly. The archangel opened his mouth to answer: "They're only suggestive if you think they are." Your face fell, eyebrows raised in shock and with the heat returning to your cheeks you took one step back. You stammered something incoherent while positioning yourself in a defensive stance. No. Shaking your head you tried to compose yourself again. Not today. "That's exactly what I mean. Just stop it!" you growled. "And if I don't want to?" Gabriel challenged you further. You felt the unsureness creeping up your back. Maybe you should stop now before you embarrass yourself more. Your mind yelled at you to run, to flee but you couldn't. Your feet were glued to the floor just like during the prank that had driven you to make your room angel-prove. "Then at least tell me why you are doing this" you demanded with your voice slightly breaking. This hasn't evolved how you had wanted it to.

 Gabriel took one step forward and you wanted to counter with one backwards but before you could force your feet of the floor he had cupped one of your cheeks while grabbing your hand that was still pointed at him in an accusing manner. You were trapped and unable to move. Not that you could anyway. The archangel grinned down at you but the grin didn't reflect in his eyes. They were still dull and up close they even seemed tired to you. He pushed one stand of hair behind your ear in such a soft and caring manner that it left you breathless. What was happening? With your mouth slightly agape you tried to find words even though you weren't really sure what you wanted to say. "Maybe because I like to tease you" the archangel started. He slowly moved your hand closer to him until it was pressed against his chest. You could feel his heart beating beneath your fingers. Your eyes darted to your interlocked hands and then back to his golden eyes. "Maybe because I like to see you get flustered so easily" he continued and caressed the side of your face. A tingling feeling began to fight its way through your stomach and up to your chest, to your violently beating heart. What was happening? Why were you letting this happen? "Maybe because I like the way you blush. Maybe-"

 "Stop it" you said, pulled away from him and stepped back into your room. Your gaze was directed to the floor, you were unable to meet his eyes. You felt your heart beat against your rips, you felt your short breaths stutter over your lips. Your eyes were wide and pleading. They were pleading him to stop as you looked up again. "Just stop with your comments I can't continue like this" you couldn’t stop the words from flowing over your lips now. Looking up again you saw that expression in his eyes again, a expression you couldn't read. Maybe it really was concern. "I can't continue wondering if all this is a game to you or if you are sincere..."

  "You can't tell if I'm sincere?" he interrupted you. Was that hurt in his voice? You must have imagined that. You shook your head and choked out a "No". "So Dean and Sam had been right" he muttered more directed to himself than to you. Right? Right about what? You squinted in confusion. Gabriel on the other hand wanted to take one step forward but was stopped by the invisible barrier of the sigils. Cursing under his breath he took one step back and instead reached out a hand to you. Even more confused your eyes wandered between his golden ones and the outstretched hand. He didn't say anything, didn't request you to take his hand with words because what he didn't say out loud, what his eyes said in silence was enough for you to understand what he meant. With the slightest hint of hesitation you grabbed his hand and let him pull you out of the room again. Why were you doing this?

 The archangel looked down at you with questioning eyes, his free hand hesitating to move. You almost unnoticeably nodded. He cupped your cheek again, like before but it felt different though you couldn't put your finger on it. Almost intuitively you placed your free hand on top of his, tilting your head slightly to the side. Your thoughts were running wild again but it didn't feel as chaotic as before. A strange sense of calmness draped over you, let your loud thoughts disappear into the background. Was this a dream? Gabriel led your interlocked hand back to his chest, placed yours over his heart again that seemed to spike by your touch. Were you imagining things? Your own heart skipped a beat when he stepped closer, decreasing the distance between you two. Normally you would have stepped back, tried to escape but surprisingly you wanted to do the opposite. You wanted to get closer. The desire you had locked away for so long pulled you to him. He stroke over the skin of your cheek, let his hand wander through your hair and to the back of your head. This wasn't a game anymore. Has it ever been one? You let out a shaky breath as you found the confidence to get even closer, to press yourself against him as you watched his golden eyes. The dullness you had noticed before was long gone and the greens of the leaves have returned to their full, former glory. You only then realized how close you have gotten to him. So close that you could see the greens in his eyes clearly for the first time and feel the ghost of his breath on your lips. Your heart decided to skip a beat, the smell of him hypnotized you. You always thought that he would smell like candy. His lips parted only slightly, a small grin still present on them. However, it wasn't a teasing one, the grin was sweet, almost shy. The slight push of his hand behind your head was left unnoticed as you gave into your desire, closed your eyes and the space between your lips. You never felt so helpless and full of courage at the same time. So simultaneously out of control and powerful. But these feelings quickly washed away into nothingness. Only the kiss, only Gabriel mattered. Your hand that was pressed against his heart clung to the fabric of his shirt, keeping him close while the other one slowly found its place in his soft hair. It's nothing like you every experienced and nothing like how you imagined it. It was so much better, sweeter, more passionate. The taste of sweets on his lips lulled you in even more, driving you forward to deepen the kiss. The hand behind your head stroke through your hair, leaving behind a tingling sensation that made you gasp. His other hand slowly moved to your waist, caressing your side and pulling you even closer. You never felt so complete, so at peace. The kiss felt like cotton candy clouds, like him wrapping his wings protectively around you even though you had never seen them. You felt safe and protected and like every part of your body dissolved into his. You had wanted this for far too long.

 You parted, pulled away only slightly. Out of breath and with your face flushed, you opened your eyes in an instant. You haven't moved away from him, your knees far too weak to even hold you up on your own so you hold onto him instead. Short, choppy breaths left your lips, your chest heaving heavily. You let the hand behind his head fall down and he caught it immediately in his, interlocking your fingers while the other one was still placed on your waist. You didn't know what to think. You felt overwhelmed and at peace, confused and complete all at once. And without you wanting to you suddenly felt your eyes filling themselves with water and before you could stop it or do anything to prevent it the first tears were already trickling down your cheeks. Pressing your eyes closed you turned your head away and let out the sobs that had waited behind your lips all this time. "You were sincere."

 You freed yourself from his hands and instead clung to him, face pressed against his chest as the battle of your confusion and relief raged. You didn't care that your cheeks were hot and red in embarrassment or how you cried into the fabric of his shirt. He had wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close as you felt the muscles of your chin tremble and the tears shaking your body. And then it was over, and you hiccupped against his shirt as you tried to catch your breath. Pushing away slightly you glanced up at his eyes that shined done at you like the summer sun with a small grin on his lips which you returned. "I hate you." Gabriel's eyes widened in shock as you looked at him with a mischievous twinkle in your eyes. "Now hol- now hold on one second" he laughed out loud. "Not what you expected?" you asked with your smirk growing to the ends of your cheeks. The archangel shook his head, still chuckling slightly. "Now you know how I felt, you feathered dick!" He glanced down at you again, challenged the roguish glint in your eyes. "I guess I deserved that" he admitted and leaned back down to you. You only nodded, still smiling. Gabriel's lips ghosted over yours again, making your breath hitch and your body freeze in anticipation. But he smirked and moved to your ear instead. Your heart skipped a beat as you waited, wondering what he was up to. And then with a husky whisper he asked: "Want to move on to pound town now?"

 You pushed away from him and shot him an angry glare while he only looked down at you with a chuckle. "Moment ruined."

[kingstylesdaily]

Harry Styles’ “Adore You” Is Everything a Music Video Should Be (Including Underappreciated by The VMAs)

KSD NOTE: there is a mention of suicide in regards to the beginning of Adore You.

On November 18, 2019, a website promoting a mysterious place called Eroda (“No Land Quite Like It”) arrived on the internet. Two days later, the official Twitter account for this fictional frown-shaped island began teasing local seaside attractions. You may have missed it, depending on which corners of the internet you choose to lurk, but not if you were a Harry Styles fan, a group that went into pure overdrive trying to figure out what it all meant.

I, for one, missed it at the time. I was unaware this account was cryptically quote tweeting fans as they tried to piece together what was happening, what it meant, and what it could be connected to (Greek Mythology and Lost were a couple of theories posed in comments, Twitter threads, and Reddit). Meanwhile, the Columbia Records marketing department had been hard at work for months, devising this specific and highly-detailed campaign around the music video for Styles’ second single, “Adore You” from his second solo album, Fine Line, ever since he shot the video in Scotland in August 2019 (Eroda = Adore backwards — clever!).

But it was all leading up to the morning of Friday, December 6 when the video was released, one week before the full-length album arrived. Up until that point, I had never seen an entire Harry Styles music video, but what happened next was inevitable. Somehow, as a self-proclaimed boy band scholar, I had never paid much attention to One Direction. I kept a distant eye on Styles since they disbanded, intrigued by the decisions he was making in his solo career. But I hadn’t yet realized I’d been in the ring all throughout the fall of 2019, fighting to resist the inevitable fascination that awaited. First came the jab of Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stone profile, followed by the cross of “Lights Up”, a song that cracked my Top 20 most listened to songs of the year despite being released just two months before Spotify so thoughtfully compiled that personalized playlist. Then there was the hook of his SNL hosting stint in November (and bless you Bowen Yang for that Sara Lee sketch), which then leads us to the “Adore You” video, the uppercut and ultimate TKO. I surrendered in what felt like a near instant. I was now a Harry Styles fan. (If we’re following this analogy, I sat up to spit out some blood after seeing that cover of “Juice” before my head quickly hit the mat again with a loud thud).

Maybe it’s not quite remarkable that I took time out of a Friday morning to watch a music video, but that I sat at my desk, in an office, with other people around (back when we did those kinds of things) and proceeded to wipe away a few tiny tears from under my eyes by the end of it, was an experience I had not been through… maybe ever? In a world of lyric videos and TikToks, actual, thoughtful, impactful music videos with a full (and sweet!) story are about as rare as a glowing and growing fish these days.

Ultimately, “Adore You” does everything a music video should do. In nearly eight minutes, this video uses excellent visual effects in a cool and interesting way, tells a compelling and heartfelt story, is anchored by an irresistible leading man and an adorable sidekick, is backed up by the catchiest song you could ever dream of, and culminates with a touching and hopeful ending. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears and the soul. It’s innovative and the kind of thing that begs you to watch it more than once to catch all the details (and yes, I do tear up every time).

So one would think that an award show with the specific purpose of celebrating this type of creativity would be extra sure to nominate such a charming and effective clip, but alas, “Adore You” was overlooked in the MTV Video Music Awards main categories this year. Of course, some could argue that that fact only adds to the video’s credibility but I’ll do my best to not be that petty as I’m still rooting for it to win in the three technical categories where it picked up nominations: Best Visual Effects by Mathematic, Best Art Direction by Laura Ellis Cricks, and Best Direction by Dave Meyers, who remains one of the most inventive and influential directors of all time and whose videos with artists such as Missy Elliot, Pink, and Kendrick Lamar have been racking up nominations for nearly 20 years now. He also saw four other videos he directed get recognized this year: Normani’s “Motivation” (Best Chorography), Travis Scott’s “Highest in the Room” (Best Hop Hop and Best Visual Effects), Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” (Video For Good), and Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby’s “My Oh My” (Best Cinematography).

But I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

The extended version of the video starts with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction to the world of Eroda, narrated by Rosalia. This includes the “peculiar” people and their professions on the island, meeting The Boy (Styles) and his glowing smile that most people try to avoid, and the quirky superstitions these people continue to live by. “It all served a purpose,” Meyers said of the details. “The superstitions were a set up for how society generally reacts to different things. They fear change or oddity, even if it’s what’s best for them.”

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing phased them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

However, it’s likely that Mother Nature is also a Styles fan, as Meyers recalled, “I seem to remember going up on the hill for Harry’s picnic with the fish and being worried that it was so gloomy. By the time we came to shoot, the sun came out. And then the sun went away as soon as the scene was over. Similarly, we had the worst storm when Harry was contemplating suicide at the start. Pouring rain, drenching him. So I guess in that sense it was fun watching how Scotland provided a backdrop for the emotions we were after.”

And hey, at least they had the weather on their side to add to the mood while shooting the video, as one of their main characters, well, didn’t exist. “It was very odd shooting with no fish,” Meyers admitted. “But was quite rewarding later seeing it dropped in and making empathic sense to the story we were after.”

Of course, the main character they did have on hand is an awfully useful and appealing one at that. Fans became enamored with the moment Styles uses the back of his hand to check the temperature of a coffee pot before dumping the fish inside the water so it could stay alive. I asked Meyers about this particular moment and he said, “The problem we had was apparent when Harry ran in and threw the fish in the pot. We all sorta felt — well, what if it was hot? So I believe Harry improvised that as a solution and we felt it was perfect for the character’s sensitivity and consideration for this poor fish.” And that’s not the only nice thing he does for his fish friend — he also serves him a tiny taco! “The taco was a whimsical way to express friendship between Harry and the fish,” Meyers offered. It looked pretty tasty, too.

The entire video serves as a showcase for what Styles does best and what makes him such a unique artist: his music, his acting, and his charisma, which Meyers knew would offer him a lot to work with. “Harry is a leading man. I felt that from my first meeting and wanted to play with his wonderful range of emotions. So finding a story with a real character arc was part of my focus in building this world.” Meyers described working on “Adore You” as an “all-around memorable shoot: awesome location, lovely Harry, compelling story, great effects, and… it worked.”

It did. And it was a risk: a video this complex and detailed (and one has to assume, costly), attached to a marketing campaign that proved to be even more involved, still came with no guarantee that the fans wouldn’t shrug it off. But as Manos Xanthogeorgis, SVP of Digital Marketing & Media at Columbia Records told Billboard last year, “When you have a video and a piece of art at such a level, it’s an incredible challenge for the rest of the team to build a campaign at that same level of artistry and creativity.” Oh, and that was only step one, as the marketing team engaged in “real-time marketing” with fans online, ensuring they would continue to remain engaged by dropping clues and clips in the lead-up to the video premiere and subsequently the album. “This whole campaign was around mystery and sometimes mystery is more powerful than knowledge,” Xanthogeorgis said. The Twitter handle has remained active throughout 2020, used as a continual marketing tool for Styles’ next videos including the Meyers-directed “Falling” and this summer’s hit, “Watermelon Sugar.”

With that kind of fan engagement, “Adore You” seemed like a no-brainer for the fan-voted categories of the VMAs this year, as they surely would’ve turned out to vote just as feverishly for this video as they did when searching for clues (about a made-up island, at that!). But hey, maybe MTV was just not interested in massive fan engagement this year — after all, it’s not like everything Styles does, including growing freakin’ facial hair, has the internet in a tizzy for weeks. Ultimately, as the impact of music videos (and certainly the ceremony celebrating them) continues to lose relevance, the disregard of this specific project simply feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge a rare achievement in the art form.

While Meyers was sure to describe his inclusion in the VMA nominations this year as “lovely and flattering” (and he better have a moonperson in his possession this time next week, MTV!) it’s still puzzling why “Adore You” wouldn’t be included in the big categories, considering Styles is squarely within their demo, at the very least. That “Adore You” is also a technical and storytelling masterpiece, as well as a full moment that was used as inspiration both for the experience online and in-person at the Fine Line Spotify listening party last December, that also comes packed with one of the most enthusiastic groups of fans around, well, that should have had the entire network drooling.

Of course, some of this can simply be chalked up to a perfect storm. As far as his singles go, “Lights Up” was a nice appetizer, but “Adore You” remains the delicious entree (you already know what’s for dessert). “Adore You” is a perfect pop record if I’ve ever heard one (and I have) and deserved a special video. A Chris Isaak “Wicked Game” sexy vibe wasn’t going to work here. The song tells the story of such passionate, pure, and heartachingly naive and innocent love that it almost had to be directed toward a non-human being. Instead, Styles chose to inject those same carefree, sweaty, sticky, delicious, whimsical beach vibes into the “Watermelon Sugar” clip, which was the right choice, and not just for the summertime season (MTV has since added the Song of Summer category to the VMAs and included “Watermelon Sugar”).

But it’s “Adore You” that has melodies that bring a smile to the faces of babies, get your toes tapping even when you hear it in the dentist’s chair, and likely has my neighbors rolling their eyes when I sing along to it in the shower. The song is so simple it’s deep, a theme reflected in the video, as is the central reminder to help and care for others, a thoroughly 2020 message.

However, not all is lost. Both “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” continue to rack up major spins at radio with the latter hitting number one on the Billboard charts earlier this month. Grammy voting kicks off at the end of September and Academy members should take note. Not only is Fine Line more than worthy of being acknowledged, but having Styles on hand to potentially collect trophies and perform is in your best interest when it comes to viewers and online chatter. Do not wait to take him seriously. This is the album, this is the time. Prove that you aren’t a bunch of stodgy old white men who think he’s just for teen (and um, thirty-something) girls, but that you understand the music he enjoys, is inspired by, and subsequently makes, is the same rock music you appreciate as well. An artist like Styles can be both of those things at the same time, and really, the best of both worlds. Give the album a listen, and then one more to let it all sink in. If you have not yet succumbed to the force that is Harry Styles fandom, I truly can’t recommend it enough — and please know that it will get you eventually.

Source: Decider.com

[hlupdate]

On November 18, 2019, a website promoting a mysterious place called Eroda (“No Land Quite Like It”) arrived on the internet. Two days later, the official Twitter account for this fictional frown-shaped island began teasing local seaside attractions. You may have missed it, depending on which corners of the internet you choose to lurk, but not if you were a Harry Styles fan, a group that went into pure overdrive trying to figure out what it all meant.

I, for one, missed it at the time. I was unaware this account was cryptically quote tweeting fans as they tried to piece together what was happening, what it meant, and what it could be connected to (Greek Mythology and Lostwere a couple of theories posed in comments, Twitter threads, and Reddit). Meanwhile, the Columbia Records marketing department had been hard at work for months, devising this specific and highly-detailed campaign around the music video for Styles’ second single, “Adore You” from his second solo album, Fine Line, ever since he shot the video in Scotland in August 2019 (Eroda = Adore backwards — clever!).

But it was all leading up to the morning of Friday, December 6 when the video was released, one week before the full-length album arrived. Up until that point, I had never seen an entire Harry Styles music video, but what happened next was inevitable. Somehow, as a self-proclaimed boy band scholar, I had never paid much attention to One Direction. I kept a distant eye on Styles since they disbanded, intrigued by the decisions he was making in his solo career. But I hadn’t yet realized I’d been in the ring all throughout the fall of 2019, fighting to resist the inevitable fascination that awaited. First came the jab of Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stoneprofile, followed by the cross of “Lights Up”, a song that cracked my Top 20 most listened to songs of the year despite being released just two months before Spotify so thoughtfully compiled that personalized playlist. Then there was the hook of his SNL hosting stint in November (and bless you Bowen Yang for that Sara Lee sketch), which then leads us to the “Adore You” video, the uppercut and ultimate TKO. I surrendered in what felt like a near instant. I was now a Harry Styles fan. (If we’re following this analogy, I sat up to spit out some blood after seeing that cover of “Juice” before my head quickly hit the mat again with a loud thud).

Maybe it’s not quite remarkable that I took time out of a Friday morning to watch a music video, but that I sat at my desk, in an office, with other people around (back when we did those kinds of things) and proceeded to wipe away a few tiny tears from under my eyes by the end of it, was an experience I had not been through… maybe ever? In a world of lyric videos and TikToks, actual, thoughtful, impactful music videos with a full (and sweet!) story are about as rare as a glowing and growing fish these days.

Ultimately, “Adore You” does everything a music video should do. In nearly eight minutes, this video uses excellent visual effects in a cool and interesting way, tells a compelling and heartfelt story, is anchored by an irresistible leading man and an adorable sidekick, is backed up by the catchiest song you could ever dream of, and culminates with a touching and hopeful ending. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears and the soul. It’s innovative and the kind of thing that begs you to watch it more than once to catch all the details (and yes, I do tear up every time).

So one would think that an award show with the specific purpose of celebrating this type of creativity would be extra sure to nominate such a charming and effective clip, but alas, “Adore You” was overlooked in the MTV Video Music Awards main categories this year. Of course, some could argue that that fact only adds to the video’s credibility but I’ll do my best to not be that petty as I’m still rooting for it to win in the three technical categories where it picked up nominations: Best Visual Effects by Mathematic, Best Art Direction by Laura Ellis Cricks, and Best Direction by Dave Meyers, who remains one of the most inventive and influential directors of all time and whose videos with artists such as Missy Elliot, Pink, and Kendrick Lamar have been racking up nominations for nearly 20 years now. He also saw four other videos he directed get recognized this year: Normani’s “Motivation” (Best Chorography), Travis Scott’s “Highest in the Room” (Best Hop Hop and Best Visual Effects), Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” (Video For Good), and Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby’s “My Oh My” (Best Cinematography).

But I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

The extended version of the video starts with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction to the world of Eroda, narrated by Rosalia. This includes the “peculiar” people and their professions on the island, meeting The Boy (Styles) and his glowing smile that most people try to avoid, and the quirky superstitions these people continue to live by. “It all served a purpose,” Meyers said of the details. “The superstitions were a set up for how society generally reacts to different things. They fear change or oddity, even if it’s what’s best for them.”

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing fazed them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

However, it’s likely that Mother Nature is also a Styles fan, as Meyers recalled, “I seem to remember going up on the hill for Harry’s picnic with the fish and being worried that it was so gloomy. By the time we came to shoot, the sun came out. And then the sun went away as soon as the scene was over. Similarly, we had the worst storm when Harry was contemplating suicide at the start. Pouring rain, drenching him. So I guess in that sense it was fun watching how Scotland provided a backdrop for the emotions we were after.”

And hey, at least they had the weather on their side to add to the mood while shooting the video, as one of their main characters, well, didn’t exist. “It was very odd shooting with no fish,” Meyers admitted. “But was quite rewarding later seeing it dropped in and making empathic sense to the story we were after.”

Of course, the main character they did have on hand is an awfully useful and appealing one at that. Fans became enamored with the moment Styles uses the back of his hand to check the temperature of a coffee pot before dumping the fish inside the water so it could stay alive. I asked Meyers about this particular moment and he said, “The problem we had was apparent when Harry ran in and threw the fish in the pot. We all sorta felt — well, what if it was hot? So I believe Harry improvised that as a solution and we felt it was perfect for the character’s sensitivity and consideration for this poor fish.” And that’s not the only nice thing he does for his fish friend — he also serves him a tiny taco! “The taco was a whimsical way to express friendship between Harry and the fish,” Meyers offered. It looked pretty tasty, too.

The entire video serves as a showcase for what Styles does best and what makes him such a unique artist: his music, his acting, and his charisma, which Meyers knew would offer him a lot to work with. “Harry is a leading man. I felt that from my first meeting and wanted to play with his wonderful range of emotions. So finding a story with a real character arc was part of my focus in building this world.” Meyers described working on “Adore You” as an “all-around memorable shoot: awesome location, lovely Harry, compelling story, great effects, and… it worked.”

It did. And it was a risk: a video this complex and detailed (and one has to assume, costly), attached to a marketing campaign that proved to be even more involved, still came with no guarantee that the fans wouldn’t shrug it off. But as Manos Xanthogeorgis, SVP of Digital Marketing & Media at Columbia Records told Billboard last year, “When you have a video and a piece of art at such a level, it’s an incredible challenge for the rest of the team to build a campaign at that same level of artistry and creativity.” Oh, and that was only step one, as the marketing team engaged in “real-time marketing” with fans online, ensuring they would continue to remain engaged by dropping clues and clips in the lead-up to the video premiere and subsequently the album. “This whole campaign was around mystery and sometimes mystery is more powerful than knowledge,” Xanthogeorgis said. The Twitter handle has remained active throughout 2020, used as a continual marketing tool for Styles’ next videos including the Meyers-directed “Falling” and this summer’s hit, “Watermelon Sugar.”

With that kind of fan engagement, “Adore You” seemed like a no-brainer for the fan-voted categories of the VMAs this year, as they surely would’ve turned out to vote just as feverishly for this video as they did when searching for clues (about a made-up island, at that!). But hey, maybe MTV was just not interested in massive fan engagement this year — after all, it’s not like everything Styles does, including growing freakin’ facial hair, has the internet in a tizzy for weeks. Ultimately, as the impact of music videos (and certainly the ceremony celebrating them) continues to lose relevance, the disregard of this specific project simply feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge a rare achievement in the art form.

While Meyers was sure to describe his inclusion in the VMA nominations this year as “lovely and flattering” (and he better have a moonperson in his possession this time next week, MTV!) it’s still puzzling why “Adore You” wouldn’t be included in the big categories, considering Styles is squarely within their demo, at the very least. That “Adore You” is also a technical and storytelling masterpiece, as well as a full moment that was used as inspiration both for the experience online and in-person at the Fine Line Spotify listening party last December, that also comes packed with one of the most enthusiastic groups of fans around, well, that should have had the entire network drooling.

Of course, some of this can simply be chalked up to a perfect storm. As far as his singles go, “Lights Up” was a nice appetizer, but “Adore You” remains the delicious entree (you already know what’s for dessert). “Adore You” is a perfect pop record if I’ve ever heard one (and I have) and deserved a special video. A Chris Isaak “Wicked Game” sexy vibe wasn’t going to work here. The song tells the story of such passionate, pure, and heartachingly naive and innocent love that it almost had to be directed toward a non-human being. Instead, Styles chose to inject those same carefree, sweaty, sticky, delicious, whimsical beach vibes into the “Watermelon Sugar” clip, which was the right choice, and not just for the summertime season (MTV has since added the Song of Summer category to the VMAs and included “Watermelon Sugar”).

But it’s “Adore You” that has melodies that bring a smile to the faces of babies, get your toes tapping even when you hear it in the dentist’s chair, and likely has my neighbors rolling their eyes when I sing along to it in the shower. The song is so simple it’s deep, a theme reflected in the video, as is the central reminder to help and care for others, a thoroughly 2020 message.

However, not all is lost. Both “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” continue to rack up major spins at radio with the latter hitting number one on the Billboard charts earlier this month. Grammy voting kicks off at the end of September and Academy members should take note. Not only is Fine Line more than worthy of being acknowledged, but having Styles on hand to potentially collect trophies and perform is in your best interest when it comes to viewers and online chatter. Do not wait to take him seriously. This is the album, this is the time. Prove that you aren’t a bunch of stodgy old white men who think he’s just for teen (and um, thirty-something) girls, but that you understand the music he enjoys, is inspired by, and subsequently makes, is the same rock music you appreciate as well. An artist like Styles can be both of those things at the same time, and really, the best of both worlds. Give the album a listen, and then one more to let it all sink in. If you have not yet succumbed to the force that is Harry Styles fandom, I truly can’t recommend it enough — and please know that it will get you eventually.

[dissident-vedder]

- fame ( 𝐄.𝐕. )

ADD YOURSELF TO MY TAGLIST!

you are a famous child actor that eddie has had a crush on ever since he could remember. now that you are a young woman in your twenties filming for the movie 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑠, maybe it was fate that brought you two together.

A/N - layout by @adoresobs​!  i don’t know, this may suck.

acting had been your passion. ever since you were five years old, you graced the screens of many tvs and movie theaters, going from playing an artist’s daughter on sesame street in 1973 to one of the older orphaned teenagers on the musical annie to a lifeguard on baywatch. your character on the show was taken off due to filming conflicts; they had written her so she got an opportunity to go to college with a full-ride scholarship. all throughout your nineteen-year acting career, young eddie had watched every movie and show you were in, his crush on the [y/r] woman that glorified every monitor you were on.

when he was nine years old, he began rewatching sesame street just because you were on it. his friends at school made fun of him, but they just didn’t understand. they didn’t understand his need to see you on his tv screen, to hear you speak. he began watching baywatch when it came out in 1989 just because he heard you were on it. and he was mesmerized by the way your body fit into that swimsuit, the way you looked so perfect when you ran despite them always putting it in slow motion, the way your hair bounced everytime your foot made contact with the sand. he was in love with every inch of you.

in 1991, when he heard that you were no longer going to be on baywatch, he was disheartened. his favorite actress saving people after they did something he loved to do was addicting to him. he longed to be in their spot. but then he heard that it was due to filming conflicts, and knew immediately that it was because you had other things coming out. when he and his band released their debut album, ten, he hoped it got big enough for them have their names be heard around the world. he hoped you listened to their music, hoped that you loved his voice and the lyrics he wrote, loved the music videos.

close to his birthday in 1991, he heard that you had an interview with david letterman, and he was going to watch it. he had to. he flipped to the channel it was on and waited for you to come onstage. when you were introduced by letterman, the audience cheered as you walked out onstage in a black loose minidress with spaghetti straps, your hair done in the latest style as you waved to the camera, smiling widely as you got nearer to letterman and gave him a hug. it was short, quick, and you say down immediately once the two of you pulled away. the interview went on as usual, david asking you if you had any upcoming projects, you answering them vaguely, and you recounting stories from the photos he showed, laughing at the funny bits, blushing when you got to an embarrassing detail that involved you, and nodding to show you understood the question you were being asked. “have you been eyeing anybody as of now?” letterman asked. “you’ve been single since you debuted in acting back in 1973, and now you are a twenty-three year old woman, and no sign of a lover!” the audience chuckles at him.

“um. . .” you laugh a little. “i haven’t been seeing anybody, i’m a busy person, so i don’t have much time even for myself, let alone somebody else. but god. . .” you rubbed your elbow, a telltale sign you were a bit nervous. “eddie vedder from the band pearl jam is really cute. i wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

“that’s who your eyeing?” letterman asks. you nod, and eddie feels his heart swell in his chest. you knew who he was. you knew his band, you listened to him, watched his interviews. “yeah,” you defend, “i like energetic guys with blue eyes and long brown hair. he’s cute.” someone in the audience whistles and cheers, causing you to laugh. “he is! i’d love to meet him someday.” eddie’s palms begin to sweat, his eyes widen and he begins breathing heavily. he was your type. you liked him.

“have you listened to their album?”

“i’m sorry?” You turn your attention back to letterman.

“have you listened to pearl jam’s album?”

“yes, i have!” you nod. “it’s amazing!”

“what’s your favorite song?” letterman organizes the pile of notes in his hand, the rhythmic sound of the pat, pat, pat sounding loudly through eddie’s tv speaker. you click your tongue, leaning back in your chair, hands holding on to the armrests.

“oh, god, that’s hard,” you thought for a moment. “it’s a tie between oceans, garden, and black.” your hands tap against the rests three times — left, right, left. “it’s hard to choose, he’s got such a dreamy voice!” you chuckle, trying to calm yourself down as the small weepings of your crush begin to come out of you. they’ve done some interviews for their album and a few live shows, which you’ve watched as much as you could in order to see the frontman, loving the way he was so energetic and full of happiness.

the rest of the interview went by in a blur for you and eddie, and he went to bed, your face imprinted on the backs of his eyelids as he fell asleep.

a few short months had passed before eddie and the rest of the band were asked to come on-set to act out their very few scenes, not knowing who else, other than matt dillon and chris cornell, were going to be there. you were off-camera, readjusting your jean jacket sleeves as matt and the others were getting ready for the restaurant scene. eddie was sitting across from matt, on the edge of the seat, sharpie in hand as he listened to what jeff was reading about the fictional band, citizen dick. you noticed him, hair tucked behind his right ear as he said one of his only lines, “a compliment for us, is a compliment for you.”

cliff, matt’s character, begins to object, when you were given the clue to get on-set and sit next to matt, as you were playing his childhood friend, ruby. eddie’s face showed momentary shock as you sat on matt’s left thigh — as was scripted — and took a sip of the coffee from his cup. “i’m guessing you all read the news article about you, huh?” you restated the line you read over and over in your home and in the dressing room, your arms crossing in front of you and you begin leaning on them, forearms pressed against the wood.

“yeah,” matt placed his hand on your hip, sensing that you had gotten a little wobbly and was making sure you didn’t fall. “this negative energy just makes me stronger.” you chortle into the cup, “sure.”  the watch your character wore began beeping, alerting you to act as if you were rushing. “i have to go, see you all later!” a chorus of deep, male, “bye!” follows you as you walked over to the diner’s door and walk out. the director yelled out, “cut!” and all of you knocked out of character.

standing in line to grab a quick lunch, you eyed the crowd, in search of the frontman of the grunge band, quickly recognizing him by his bandmates, his blue eyes frantically looking around. once he spotted you looking at him, his cheeks flare up, heat rushing into them as he looked back to his friends. he wanted to come up to you and talk, but he was just too shy, too flustered to make any real conversation, let alone any small talk. if only he had the confidence one of his former classmates had, then he would make conversation, ask you out on a date and just overall be with you. noticing his hesitation, you planned to talk to him later when he was away from his bandmates just so he was at ease in some form and they weren’t around to make fun of him; you could at least do that much for him. 

“eddie!” you called out as he walked away from your direction, not noticing you sitting on one of the couches in the lounge area, standing up from the comfortable cushion to make your way over to him. he paused midstep, recognizing your voice instantly, heartrate picking up at the thought of you talking to him, hearing your footsteps coming closer to him. clenching his hands in his jacket pockets, he takes a deep breath before facing you, blue eyes wide as he eyes your figure coming closer to him, a reassuring smile sketched on your lips. “are you alright? you look a little nervous,” you stated, eyebrows furrowing as you noticed the somewhat deep breaths the frontman took.

“yeah,” he blushes deeper. “y-yeah, i’m fine.” he clears his throat. “what are you doing here?” 

“i work here,” you chuckle lowly, crossing your arms across your chest. “but are you okay, really? remember, i’m an actress. i can tell when someone is acting or not.”

so you saw through his lie, he noted. “um. . . i’m just nervous to be around you, that’s all.”

“why?”

“’cause he has a crush on you, that’s why!” mike’s voice calls out through the studio, causing eddie’s blush to become deeper and to spread across his ears, his head bowing to hide his face. 

“really?”

a nod. you took a step forward, reaching forward to take the cook county native’s face in your hands, moving it so it faced you, a small smile on your lips, reassuring and warm. “you want to take this somewhere your bandmates wouldn’t interfere?” 

another nod.

“okay, come on,” you took his hand in yours, leading him through the many corridors and crew members to what was your dressing room, a private place that was rare nowadays. “sit anywhere you’d like.” there was the makeup chairs you sat in every single day, multiple times a day, a sofa in the corner of the room, and a director’s chair with your last name stamped onto the back. he took the sofa, hearing you lock the door behind you, giving you and him more privacy. “i’m sorry your friend did that,” you said as you made your way to the makeup chair, one foot still on the floor while the other was resting on the crosshatched wood pieces between the legs of the chair. you did it to give him the space he possibly needed, but to eddie, it seemed like you were avoiding him. his heart broke even more. 

“i should’ve expected that, if i’m being honest,” he chuckled, trying to get rid of the embarassment that settled deep in his bones, but you still saw the blush that was slowly creeping away. 

“they still had no right to do that,” with this, you stand up, make your way across the room, and sit down next to him, taking his hand in yours. they were warm; rough at the fingertips at the many years of playing guitar. you could feel the small calluses that were healing, the small imprints of the guitar strings, telling you that he had been playing recently, locked away in some small room. you sighed, “today is your last day here on set. i didn’t get to spend enough time to know you, but i got to talk to your bandmates.”

he nods, “yeah, i guess time works in mysterious ways.”

“but it doesn’t have to. how about i take you out to dinner?”

shocked, his head snaps up, peering into your [y/e/c] eyes, round and hopeful. “really?” you nod, laughing when you see his smile widen. “yes, really.”

“i’d love to!”

TAGLIST:

@stateofloveandvedder​ @state-of-love-and-lust​ @honeysympathy​ @grossgold​ @sea-sxns​ @d-arknecessities

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

do you have any advice for plotting out stories? I never seem to know where to go and end up abandoning projects a lot

Okay, let's do this. Plot. You'd think as someone who's written almost two thousand one line excerpts, plot wouldn't be my strong point. But, in my serious work, there's actually nothing I like better than a horribly complex plot. Here's my advice for plotting in general, and, specifically, how *I* plot something a little more complex. Fair warning this answer is INCREDIBLY LONG SORRY

General Advice

First and foremost, don't expect any plotting process to go fast. Very rarely does anyone sit down and bang out an entire plot that A: makes sense, or B: functions at all. There will be issues  that can only be solved by sitting with them for a while. You can keep writing while you wait, and who knows, may write the solution without even trying. Write the easy parts first, whatever those happen to be for you. That's allowed.

Second, get a piece of paper and, if you can, physically write out any plot points you already have. Your own unofficial, scrap paper timeline. Its really helpful to be able to add things and cross them out without it feeling too "important." Add question marks. Write stupid notes. Doodle. Its fun. 

Third, I'm not saying this is always strictly necessary, but please, figure out at least VAGUELY how you would like it to end first. Maybe you change it later. That's fine. Its very difficult to write a functioning plot if you don't know what its actually heading towards. 

Further to this point, have a list of things that NEED to happen for the story work, and another of things you WANT to happen because they are cool, or they fit the mood, etc. You can edit these as you go, and drop them in and out of your scribbled plot timeline. I want to make it clear that I think both lists are equally important. "My MC needs to win the big battle so there can be a happy ending." Is just as important as: "I think it would be cool if someone, at some point, got poisoned." Your Need list creates a functioning plot, but you can use the list of stuff you Want to make the need elements happen in a way that makes the story... you know. Good.

My last general advice is: don't be afraid to make changes. This goes for every aspect of the story. Change is good, and I promise absolutely no one gets it 100% right the first time. You can save that draft. Mess it up, take out characters, cut chapters. You will know, even if you don't want to admit it, when something isn't working. Don't worry, you'll figure it out. 

Complex Plots

Complex plots. I'm talking red herrings, multiple plot bunnies, purposeful loose ends, (actually good) twist endings, puzzles, mysteries, etc. First, take everything I've already said and multiply it by ten. It's going to take a long long time. There will be problems that require time and space to think. You must make notes, write things down, and be very ready to cross them right out again. 

When you read a really good, tight plot, it can feel like the author wrote it down one point after another in a 12 pt font, bulleted, perfect set of pre-planned directions for how to write the story. Maybe some people do it this way. I can't.  Instead, I let the story tell itself, and importantly, I don't worry about the details until the end. 

Here is a real example of how I work through a big scary plot, from the second novel in a series (I'm currently querying the first. Send good vibes). Let's look at some examples from my Need and Want lists:

Need:- Characters A and B need to make it to the end of the book alive. Want:- I want Character A to heroically save Character B near the end.- I want to give Character C some character development, in the form of anxiety about their role as a teacher. 

These were all things I knew pretty much right away. They didn't connect, and I didn't try to make them connect at the time. Then, months later, I was writing (out of order) the scene where Character C talks about their anxiety surrounding teaching.  Me: Oh. Character A can try to make them feel better by asking to be taught a random skill. Character C can teach them that skill, which can be used to save Character B at the end. 

Bam. A random Want for Character C's development has become an integral part of the plot, tying right into the very climax of the novel. "But wait!" you say, "Random life saving skill? Isn't that too convenient?" Well, yes, at first. But I don't worry about that, because two months later, I'll realize there needs to be an early scene where someone ends up in mortal peril, to demonstrate just how dangerous the situation is. Standard adventure plot stuff.

Me: Oh, the person in mortal peril can be saved. Character A can see this and be impressed. Then later, when trying to think of something Character C can teach them, it only makes sense to remember that dangerous incident, and ask: "Can you teach me CPR?"

Now, I know I want that early, danger establishing scene to involve someone almost drowning, which means I know that they need to end up by a body of water. I know who needs to go in, and what needs to go wrong for that to happen, and which character needs to be there to save them, and before you know it I've got at least half a chapter.

That half a chapter is no longer just a random, danger establishing scene. It affects a scene in the middle, which in turn affects the climax, and in turn the end of the novel itself. It's part of the plot.

In this way, I let the story tell itself. I make one decision, and use it to affect the next one, and the previous one, and so forth. It's like doing a puzzle, but the pieces are all inside my brain, which is a black bag I'm just kind of groping around in. I take out a piece, I put it where i think it's probably going to end up, and fish around for the next one. Eventually, I promise, you WILL find those matching pieces, especially if you have a solid NEED and WANT list. And the further you get, the easier it becomes! Magic. 

Which isn't to say it's ever going to be easy. It's not. But it is, I think, less difficult than expecting yourself to just *bam!* come up with a functioning plot all at once. How many times did I say Bam! in this advice post? I'm Emeril Lagasse now, I don't know. Hope this was halfway coherent. Happy plotting.

[stylesnews]

On November 18, 2019, a website promoting a mysterious place called Eroda (“No Land Quite Like It”) arrived on the internet. Two days later, the official Twitter account for this fictional frown-shaped island began teasing local seaside attractions. You may have missed it, depending on which corners of the internet you choose to lurk, but not if you were a Harry Styles fan, a group that went into pure overdrive trying to figure out what it all meant.

I, for one, missed it at the time. I was unaware this account was cryptically quote tweeting fans as they tried to piece together what was happening, what it meant, and what it could be connected to (Greek Mythology and Lost were a couple of theories posed in comments, Twitter threads, and Reddit). Meanwhile, the Columbia Records marketing department had been hard at work for months, devising this specific and highly-detailed campaign around the music video for Styles’ second single, “Adore You” from his second solo album, Fine Line, ever since he shot the video in Scotland in August 2019 (Eroda = Adore backwards — clever!).

But it was all leading up to the morning of Friday, December 6 when the video was released, one week before the full-length album arrived. Up until that point, I had never seen an entire Harry Styles music video, but what happened next was inevitable. Somehow, as a self-proclaimed boy band scholar, I had never paid much attention to One Direction. I kept a distant eye on Styles since they disbanded, intrigued by the decisions he was making in his solo career. But I hadn’t yet realized I’d been in the ring all throughout the fall of 2019, fighting to resist the inevitable fascination that awaited. First came the jab of Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stone profile, followed by the cross of “Lights Up”, a song that cracked my Top 20 most listened to songs of the year despite being released just two months before Spotify so thoughtfully compiled that personalized playlist. Then there was the hook of his SNL hosting stint in November (and bless you Bowen Yang for that Sara Lee sketch), which then leads us to the “Adore You” video, the uppercut and ultimate TKO. I surrendered in what felt like a near instant. I was now a Harry Styles fan. (If we’re following this analogy, I sat up to spit out some blood after seeing that cover of “Juice” before my head quickly hit the mat again with a loud thud).

Maybe it’s not quite remarkable that I took time out of a Friday morning to watch a music video, but that I sat at my desk, in an office, with other people around (back when we did those kinds of things) and proceeded to wipe away a few tiny tears from under my eyes by the end of it, was an experience I had not been through… maybe ever? In a world of lyric videos and TikToks, actual, thoughtful, impactful music videos with a full (and sweet!) story are about as rare as a glowing and growing fish these days.

Ultimately, “Adore You” does everything a music video should do. In nearly eight minutes, this video uses excellent visual effects in a cool and interesting way, tells a compelling and heartfelt story, is anchored by an irresistible leading man and an adorable sidekick, is backed up by the catchiest song you could ever dream of, and culminates with a touching and hopeful ending. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears and the soul. It’s innovative and the kind of thing that begs you to watch it more than once to catch all the details (and yes, I do tear up every time).

So one would think that an award show with the specific purpose of celebrating this type of creativity would be extra sure to nominate such a charming and effective clip, but alas, “Adore You” was overlooked in the MTV Video Music Awards main categories this year. Of course, some could argue that that fact only adds to the video’s credibility but I’ll do my best to not be that petty as I’m still rooting for it to win in the three technical categories where it picked up nominations: Best Visual Effects by Mathematic, Best Art Direction by Laura Ellis Cricks, and Best Direction by Dave Meyers, who remains one of the most inventive and influential directors of all time and whose videos with artists such as Missy Elliot, Pink, and Kendrick Lamar have been racking up nominations for nearly 20 years now. He also saw four other videos he directed get recognized this year: Normani’s “Motivation” (Best Chorography), Travis Scott’s “Highest in the Room” (Best Hop Hop and Best Visual Effects), Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” (Video For Good), and Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby’s “My Oh My” (Best Cinematography).

But I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

The extended version of the video starts with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction to the world of Eroda, narrated by Rosalia. This includes the “peculiar” people and their professions on the island, meeting The Boy (Styles) and his glowing smile that most people try to avoid, and the quirky superstitions these people continue to live by. “It all served a purpose,” Meyers said of the details. “The superstitions were a set up for how society generally reacts to different things. They fear change or oddity, even if it’s what’s best for them.”

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing fazed them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

However, it’s likely that Mother Nature is also a Styles fan, as Meyers recalled, “I seem to remember going up on the hill for Harry’s picnic with the fish and being worried that it was so gloomy. By the time we came to shoot, the sun came out. And then the sun went away as soon as the scene was over. Similarly, we had the worst storm when Harry was contemplating suicide at the start. Pouring rain, drenching him. So I guess in that sense it was fun watching how Scotland provided a backdrop for the emotions we were after.”

And hey, at least they had the weather on their side to add to the mood while shooting the video, as one of their main characters, well, didn’t exist. “It was very odd shooting with no fish,” Meyers admitted. “But was quite rewarding later seeing it dropped in and making empathic sense to the story we were after.”

Of course, the main character they did have on hand is an awfully useful and appealing one at that. Fans became enamored with the moment Styles uses the back of his hand to check the temperature of a coffee pot before dumping the fish inside the water so it could stay alive. I asked Meyers about this particular moment and he said, “The problem we had was apparent when Harry ran in and threw the fish in the pot. We all sorta felt — well, what if it was hot? So I believe Harry improvised that as a solution and we felt it was perfect for the character’s sensitivity and consideration for this poor fish.” And that’s not the only nice thing he does for his fish friend — he also serves him a tiny taco! “The taco was a whimsical way to express friendship between Harry and the fish,” Meyers offered. It looked pretty tasty, too.

The entire video serves as a showcase for what Styles does best and what makes him such a unique artist: his music, his acting, and his charisma, which Meyers knew would offer him a lot to work with. “Harry is a leading man. I felt that from my first meeting and wanted to play with his wonderful range of emotions. So finding a story with a real character arc was part of my focus in building this world.” Meyers described working on “Adore You” as an “all-around memorable shoot: awesome location, lovely Harry, compelling story, great effects, and… it worked.”

It did. And it was a risk: a video this complex and detailed (and one has to assume, costly), attached to a marketing campaign that proved to be even more involved, still came with no guarantee that the fans wouldn’t shrug it off. But as Manos Xanthogeorgis, SVP of Digital Marketing & Media at Columbia Records told Billboard last year, “When you have a video and a piece of art at such a level, it’s an incredible challenge for the rest of the team to build a campaign at that same level of artistry and creativity.” Oh, and that was only step one, as the marketing team engaged in “real-time marketing” with fans online, ensuring they would continue to remain engaged by dropping clues and clips in the lead-up to the video premiere and subsequently the album. “This whole campaign was around mystery and sometimes mystery is more powerful than knowledge,” Xanthogeorgis said. The Twitter handle has remained active throughout 2020, used as a continual marketing tool for Styles’ next videos including the Meyers-directed “Falling” and this summer’s hit, “Watermelon Sugar.”

With that kind of fan engagement, “Adore You” seemed like a no-brainer for the fan-voted categories of the VMAs this year, as they surely would’ve turned out to vote just as feverishly for this video as they did when searching for clues (about a made-up island, at that!). But hey, maybe MTV was just not interested in massive fan engagement this year — after all, it’s not like everything Styles does, including growing freakin’ facial hair, has the internet in a tizzy for weeks. Ultimately, as the impact of music videos (and certainly the ceremony celebrating them) continues to lose relevance, the disregard of this specific project simply feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge a rare achievement in the art form.

While Meyers was sure to describe his inclusion in the VMA nominations this year as “lovely and flattering” (and he better have a moonperson in his possession this time next week, MTV!) it’s still puzzling why “Adore You” wouldn’t be included in the big categories, considering Styles is squarely within their demo, at the very least. That “Adore You” is also a technical and storytelling masterpiece, as well as a full moment that was used as inspiration both for the experience online and in-person at the Fine Line Spotify listening party last December, that also comes packed with one of the most enthusiastic groups of fans around, well, that should have had the entire network drooling.

Of course, some of this can simply be chalked up to a perfect storm. As far as his singles go, “Lights Up” was a nice appetizer, but “Adore You” remains the delicious entree (you already know what’s for dessert). “Adore You” is a perfect pop record if I’ve ever heard one (and I have) and deserved a special video. A Chris Isaak “Wicked Game” sexy vibe wasn’t going to work here. The song tells the story of such passionate, pure, and heartachingly naive and innocent love that it almost had to be directed toward a non-human being. Instead, Styles chose to inject those same carefree, sweaty, sticky, delicious, whimsical beach vibes into the “Watermelon Sugar” clip, which was the right choice, and not just for the summertime season (MTV has since added the Song of Summer category to the VMAs and included “Watermelon Sugar”).

But it’s “Adore You” that has melodies that bring a smile to the faces of babies, get your toes tapping even when you hear it in the dentist’s chair, and likely has my neighbors rolling their eyes when I sing along to it in the shower. The song is so simple it’s deep, a theme reflected in the video, as is the central reminder to help and care for others, a thoroughly 2020 message.

However, not all is lost. Both “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” continue to rack up major spins at radio with the latter hitting number one on the Billboard charts earlier this month. Grammy voting kicks off at the end of September and Academy members should take note. Not only is Fine Line more than worthy of being acknowledged, but having Styles on hand to potentially collect trophies and perform is in your best interest when it comes to viewers and online chatter. Do not wait to take him seriously. This is the album, this is the time. Prove that you aren’t a bunch of stodgy old white men who think he’s just for teen (and um, thirty-something) girls, but that you understand the music he enjoys, is inspired by, and subsequently makes, is the same rock music you appreciate as well. An artist like Styles can be both of those things at the same time, and really, the best of both worlds. Give the album a listen, and then one more to let it all sink in. If you have not yet succumbed to the force that is Harry Styles fandom, I truly can’t recommend it enough — and please know that it will get you eventually. 

[smolbeandrabbles]

For the fic game: B, F, G and L 💕

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

A lot of my stories can be inspired by situations I’ve been in, or conversations I’ve had or just personal things I would very much like to vent.  But in terms of like, a story that is 100% just me and personal experience given to a character? Diligence. And I can’t read it without hiding, thinking I went too hard and having to bail out.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

I’m gonna kinda cop out on this one - because I knew it was either going to be something soppy or romantic. Which I just love hitting people with - and when those lines come to me I’m always like “Take note Future S/O!” or it was going to be from My Baby™.

So, inevitably, I chose this snippet from Sway Pt.1 - 

“Well, apologies for not realising you owned a restaurant on the riviera.” – Damn, that confidence had come out of nowhere, maybe it was the adrenaline but you sure were glad of it. He was clearly amused; “You never exactly asked.” “Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly ask for your number either.” “Oh, you remembered I gave it to you, I haven’t seen you try calling it.” “You know girls like to leave guys waiting. Right?” “Not even on the cab ride home?” he shook his head “I thought Friday went down well.” “Would you call a guy that didn’t even give you his name?” “You didn’t seem all that interested in finding out.” You weren’t sure if you were riled or impressed that he was pushing this all back on you. “You seemed pretty good at saying mine.” Your friends switched from staring at him to staring wide eyed at you and you could see them bursting to ask the question. He almost took a physical step back; you were playing him at his own game. He liked you even more now. “Y/N. It’s a good name. I wouldn’t mind saying it more often…” His eyes flicked down the cut of your dress slowly – you’d already guessed that he wanted to pool this one on the floor of his little apartment too…

I think I’m particularly proud of this piece because for once I mixed dialogue and description in equal parts, sometimes I forget that and it’s just person A/person B/ Person A for sentence after sentence! Although they aren’t together at this point in time I wanted to get the banter, and the chemistry, and a sign of their relationship to come. Also when you look at these will they / won’t they conversations in context of the whole story I always feel proud of all the character growth.  It’s just the kinda snark I LOVE writing. And the fun feel of it - which I think kinda reflected my feeling at the time - I just wanted to write something fun that people would enjoy. And like, I can never take away from it that it’s the very first piece I ever posted here. ❤ Also, when you write something with a specific intention and someone gives you feeback like this -  I get the “see hot guy, wanna fuck him, let’s go to my place.” You started Sway like that and I really liked that. But there was a connection there. Both parties were interested and acted on it. How can you not feel proud that what you set out to do actually worked out? 😊🥰

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

OH! This is such a good question. It really depends on how I’m writing something. I can sit down and write something start to finish if I have time and am so inspired, and a lot of my shorter pieces are written in order. Usually if it’s something longer I will type out a framework and then write as scenes come to me. (For example, a lot of my series or over 10K projects are written this way - and I write all the connectors to the big scenes later) Sometimes inspiration may strike and i’ll write a completely random scene that I won’t know where it goes until much later (So could therefore be the beginning or end or whatever of a fic) I try to usually write from start to finish - even when writing my random scenes, I go “this is major scene one” “this is major scene two” and i’ll go back only to write connections.

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

😅😅😅😅😅😅 Okay. I rarely, if ever, ‘revise’ a story in terms of deleting scenes or changing anything significant. When I edit however, sometimes I do add quite a lot in to help story flow. In terms of “editing” a fic:

If it’s very short, usually just the once. 

If it’s longer, perhaps 2 or 3 times. But then it depends on how much time I have - sometimes I rush my editing (and I’m sure you can tell!!) and I’ll only give it a quick once over. Half of that is because I have a ‘schedule’ (Sunday/Wednesday) and I like keeping to that. I had a bad run last summer of finishing the fic the night of posting and hardly editing at all. I don’t ever want to do that again! Out Of Nowhere Girl part 2 will always be my darkest hour!

Having said that, some pieces will go through many more rounds of edits until I think they are perfect. Mostly because I had the time to background write them whilst working on other things.  However - A lot of my work needs to be posted before I can actually do my final edits. This may sound really weird. But when I travel to work the morning after I’ve posted a fic I will read it back, and usually I find one or two things that need correcting - that even when editing something again and again I never spotted. And then that evening I’ll go back and fix those corrections Disclaimer: these corrections aren’t always fixed and I need to get in the habit of taking the time to go and edit back all my works Sorry this is SUPER long-! 😅 I guess I really do like talking about my work if people wanna “listen”--!!

[raendown]

My piece for a private ShikaSaku exchange, prompt from @chinarai. I had a small panic a few days ago when I realized I had finished this and then promptly forgotten it for about a month. xD That’s what happens when you work on too many things at once!

Pairing: ShikamaruSakura Word count: 5582 Rated: T+ Summary: A retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth in which tales depicting the beauty of Spring have spread even to the underworld where they catch the attention of one who rules in the shadows.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Equinox Absconding

i.

He’s hiding up in the branches of an apple tree covered in reluctant blossoms when they meet for the first time. Sakura isn’t sure what it is about the blossoms on the tree that put her in mind of reluctance, perhaps the way most of the petals have only half opened with many trying to curl back in to slumber, but it seems appropriate considering the sulking expression on the young god looking down at her. The shadows at her feet twist and snap with the desire to reach for the trunk but she holds them back for fear of withering even such a sleepy tree.

“Abed at noon,” she notes. “Except you appear to have misplaced your bed.”

“It’s my garden, I can sleep wherever I want.” The young god watches her from one eye, allowing the other to fall shut as though he intends to take half a nap.

Sakura whispers to her shadows to soothe them as she tilts her chin up to get a better look at this young man’s face. The God of Spring if she isn’t mistaken. Rumors rarely make their way to her in the underworld where she reigns but this man, this young god with his beautiful face and lazy flowers growing in his hair, she has heard of him more than once. They say he is divine to behold and that much is true, she thinks. But they also say that he is lazy and Sakura thinks with no small amount of amusement that rumors are always grounded in at least some truth. Nothing she has heard of this man has proved unfounded.

Under the looseness of his muscles where he lays draped between the branches, however, the one half-lidded eye that watches her is sharp with an intelligence that doesn’t just pique her interest – it holds her captive in the most wonderful of ways. She’s always appreciated a man with a proper head on his shoulders.

Mortal men are always such predictable disappointments in that area, feeble minds saturated with undeserved pride and always falling prey to one vice or another.

“Have I your permission to enter this garden?” Sakura asks. Being polite is as foreign and awkward as any other social interaction after the long seasons of being sequestered away with only the dead for company but even she knows that manners will get her farther than demands or flexing her muscles. It’s a disappointment to see one of his eyebrows quirk ever so slightly in a forbidding manner.

“No. Entertaining company is bothersome and all I want to do right now is take a nice long nap. The gardens are closed today.” With that he closes his second eye with a deliberateness that speaks to dismissal and Sakura is left gaping up at him.

“As you wish,” she murmurs.

It’s more shock than anything else that he could deny her so easily and for such a flimsy reason that has her bowing and turning away. To disrespect a fellow god in their own territory where their powers are strongest would not be the wisest course of action. Sakura isn’t stupid by half and she knows the tactical advantages in a well-timed retreat, how to use that time given to regroup and make new plans.

 ii.

Only a month passes before Sakura finds herself once more standing at the entrance to the gardens brought forth by Yoshino, the Goddess of the Harvest and Fertility, to keep her son pleased and encourage him never to leave her side. Such strong maternal love isn’t something Sakura experienced for herself but she can imagine from the way the God of Spring gazes longingly in to the distance that it must be a heavy and suffocating burden to bear. Oh the things she would do to lift the burden from those drooping shoulders.

And the many more things she would do to keep those piercing eyes fixed on her and nothing else.

“I see that today is not a day for idling in the treetops,” she notes upon finding him spread out on a rock with his face tilted up to feel the sun’s warmth. Something in the languid lines of his body reminds her of a coiled spring. How fitting.

“Broke one of the branches,” he admits. “Mom was furious. She won’t let me back up there until the tree has healed and it’s way too troublesome to fight with her.”

“Are you often at odds with your matriarch?”

Instead of answering the young god sits up, sending a thrill down Sakura’s spine to have his full attention seemingly so easily, but then he frowns and cocks his head to one side in curiosity. “Your speech is ancient. No one talks like that anymore, you know that right? It makes you sound really stuffy.”

“You will find, I think, that I am not nearly so stuffy as you have judged me.”

Injured pride ripples through her and demands that she protest harder, prove herself to this young stripling that insults her so easily, but Sakura only breathes deeply and holds her temper with great effort. She can tell he’s aware of the blow he struck by the quirk of his lips. Anger aside, it is a triumph to have made him smile even if doing so was at her own expense. With his dark hair and all the secrets hiding behind that shadowed smile Sakura cannot help but think that he was born to follow her in to the underworld. Born or molded; it’s hard to tell with all the shenanigans that go on when the other members of the pantheon start mucking about with each other, a madness she prefers to stay well away from.

“Who said I was judging you? All I said was that it makes you sound stuffy. It was advice, just in case you make a regular habit of going around and chatting up whatever men you find stuck in trees.” He arches one eyebrow and Sakura can feel the still heart in her chest crash painfully against her ribs. His face is all angles and each one of them is more beautiful than the last.

“Have I your permission to enter this garden?” she asks, feeling much more confident of his good will this time. Which is what makes it such a shock to once more see him closing his eyes and laying back down with a shake of his head.

“Nope. I really do just want to nap. This place is so boring.”

Sakura thinks she could make any plane of any world less boring for him if only he would let her try but she is the queen of the dead; despite her temper she is well aware the benefits to be found in patience.

“As you wish,” is all she says as her shadows twist and reach – and she is gone from the gardens a moment later.

 iii.

They meet.

 iv.

And they meet.

 v.

And they meet again, always in the garden where he denies her entrance. By the third time she suspects that it is for no reason but his own amusement and by the fifth time she knows from the smile in his eyes as he catches sight of her yet again. Sakura thinks to herself that she would act all kinds of a fool to have that smile catch her in its light.

Today she is asked for no foolery but instead is greeted with a bit of laughter as the young god leans back against the branch he has settled himself on.

“You don’t give up, do you?” he calls down.

“I have been called tenacious by many,” she admits. Then with a teasing smile she adds, “Hardheaded by many others.”

“Troublesome.”

Laughter in his voice tells her that, although he may declare her troublesome, that does not mean he finds her unworthy of his company. As evidenced by the way he seems to pause and wait for the question she has asked him several times before. Sakura wonders why he appears eager to send her away so quickly this time but it is not for her to ask such things, only for her to say the words he so clearly expects.

“Have I your permissions to enter this garden?”

“Sure.”

Sakura blinks, a momentary pause that she recovers from quite nicely, in her opinion. Within seconds she is at his side as he heaves himself up like the effort will cost him a millennia of his life span and then they are walking. Each footstep touching upon the earth deliberate and slow. Sakura thrills to be so close to the one who has captured her interest so thoroughly.

“My name is Shikamaru,” he offers and it isn’t until he does that she first realizes she’s been avoiding using his name even in her thoughts.

“And mine is Sakura, queen of the damned, keeper of the gates to Tartarus and goddess of the underworld, tasked with guiding dead souls who have crossed the river Styx. It is my infinite pleasure to make your acquaintance.” For a moment she considers bowing but there is only one to whom she has ever bowed and, despite being the ruler of Olympus, Kakashi mostly doesn’t care for that sort of thing anyway.

“I already knew all that,” Shikamaru points out.

“Permit me this one chance to brag,” Sakura jests. “I so rarely meet any of the living that I haven’t before.”

For whatever reason her companion seems to find this incredibly amusing, poking gentle fun at her for being boring and a shut-in as they wander through the trees and the flowers that make up the garden where he spends his time. Sakura gives in after several minutes and points out that he counts as the same, no matter that his domain is infinitely prettier than her own. The brief wrinkling of his nose is enough to tell her that his stationary habits are less of his own desire and more due to outside restrictions.

She doesn’t think she is very far off the mark for guessing his mother as the cause.

Together they wander among the gardens, talking as easily as though they have known each other for eons, and Sakura makes careful note of every reaction to every mention of Yoshino. It wouldn’t do to act before she is sure – but by the time she leaves the garden she is more than sure.

And she is already making plans. It simply won’t do to allow Shikamaru to continue on in this stifled existence.

 vi.

With a knowing look on her face Sakura looks Shikamaru directly in the eye as she steps in to his garden without asking permission. He shakes his head and turns away but she catches sight of the smile on his face and that is all the confidence she needs to stride boldly forward where she now knows she is more than welcome. Shikamaru gives off a rather ostentatious sigh and mumbles just loud enough for her to hear about bothersome guests and all the trouble it would be to evict them.

Sakura draws her shadows in close as she bends to admire some of the flowers growing near her, wisteria of the softest purples she has ever seen, and does her best to project a casual air when she speaks.

“I have often thought that my domain could use such colors but alas, I’ve no talent for growing myself. The touch of Death affects all mortal things.” And oh how she is grateful not to have given her heart away to a mortal. Too many times she has greeted the victims of that chaos at the gates of the underworld to ever become embroiled in the same idiocies.

“Are you trying to be subtle?” Shikamaru asks. “Because it’s not working.”

“Has my lack of subtlety affected your answer in any way?”

“Well I feel a bit more like laughing at you.” He grins and reaches close to her to pluck a gardenia close to the blossoms she had been admiring. It twirls between his fingers like spring on spring, growth in the hands of growth, and Sakura admires the petals’ dance while picturing the two of them dancing the same.

How ethereal he would look with that long hair of his let down to flow around his shoulders, a crown of bones to match her own all woven through with the flowers and fruits he holds such a deep connection to. Even her own hair, an ironic pink that stands out so stark against the darkness of her domain, cannot hope to hold a candle to the delicate shades of red that splash over Shikamaru’s cheeks when he catches her watching him so closely, hanging on his every word with genuine interest. His mind is as beautiful as the solid lines of his body and his conversation is as riveting as the depths of his deep, dark eyes.

Sakura looks upon her chosen and thinks to herself that he has eyes that were made for the underworld.

“You are not happy here,” she guesses. Shikamaru huffs.

“Mother’s always on about ‘do this’ and ‘do that’ or ‘you’ll never make a proper god unless you work hard at it’. It’s all so boring.”

Daring to brush his fingers with her own, Sakura holds her palm just out of reach of the delicate flower in his grasp. “If you would allow me to, nothing would please me more than bringing you to a place where I believe you could be happy.”

“Sell me on it,” Shikamaru laughs.

“You need be nothing but what you already are – for who can improve upon perfection?” He laughs again when she winks playfully, one of her shadows coming up to tickle his chin. “A garden for your very own to make of it what you will, a palace of bone and fertile earth for you to grow and fill and call your home. A place at my side. Imagine, sweet Spring, the many eons you can spend dozing to your heart’s content in the warmth of the underworld with your head pillowed on my lap.” There are other things she has to give yet not many that she thinks might impress him. A greedy human, perhaps, might have been taken in by the endless riches she has collected over the millennia but Shikamaru is different from them – he possesses an actual brain in his head.

“Hm, is that all? I have a place to grow here, you know. Maybe not a palace but I make due.” He is only teasing, she can see that he has already been won over. Still she turns her body to face him and steps a little closer until her diminutive size demands that she tilt her chin to look up at him through her lashes.

“Books,” she whispers. “Entire civilizations that have risen only to fall, knowledge lost to all who walk the surface of the earth, tomes no mortal eyes have ever gazed upon. All of these I have read before and would be most happy to discuss with you once you have devoured them for yourself.”

No beast or creatures, no man or woman or god of any pantheon, none have ever looked at her quite like Shikamaru looks at her then, with joy in his eyes and the rapture of finding home.

Sakura finds that the feelings under her breast are so large that she cannot contain them without some form of expression. She delights in the look of wonder Shikamaru gives her as she turns and crashes her fist in to the earth, cracking it open until a great chasm stretches out before them. When she rights herself again she delicately brushes the dirt from her knuckles before turning to offer her hand to the god she is sure in the deepest reaches of her heart is meant for her and her alone.

“Come with me,” is her siren call.

His fingers slide in to hers with a mischievous smile and she is falling in love all over again.

 vii.

Shikamaru glows in the darkness of her lair. For all that his hair is as black as the earth around him Sakura cannot help but think that he brings light in to every room he wanders through, breathing life in to the afterworld in a way that leaves her desperate for more. Never in her memory has she craved the company of another quite like she does with Shikamaru.

His eyes are curious and for the first time since they met his body in anything but languorous as he wanders from one end of her palace to the other. His fingers test the soil where she has promised he may grow his garden and his pulse jumps in his throat to find the library, seemingly endless rows of priceless tomes, all of them just waiting for his eager mind. When he comes to a door that is plain and unremarkable he notes the anomaly and reaches to open it – only for Sakura to gently lay a hand over his and shake her head.

“Unless you wish to greet the souls of the dead I would advise another path.”

“Don’t want me to know every part of your life?” he asks. “And here I thought you trusted me.” The words are playful but the tone running under his voice is steel, coiled in a spring and ready to burst, ready to leave if he decides that she is not quite what he thought of her after all. The thought rankles and Sakura wrinkles her nose at him with little dignity.

“I thought only to spare you but if you are so determined to gaze in to the void then be it on your own head. Know, however, that if madness touches you it will be my head your godly mother seeks vengeance from.”

“Oh come on, she won’t hurt you. I mean she would try, obviously, but I don’t think she’d get much of a hit in on you.” Without so much as breaking expression his eyes drift down to openly admire her biceps. Sakura looks away and pretends not to be affected, hoping the warmth in her cheeks doesn’t show.

Completely contrary to what she expects, it turns out that she has worried herself over nothing. The door opens and Shikamaru steps through the door to see the truth of her rule stretching out before him, pits and towers and endless fields of eternal souls despairing and rejoicing and holding tightly to the memories of their transient lives, an intricate tableau of the mortal experience that no one but Sakura has ever truly appreciated before.

All it takes is one look at him face to know that Shikamaru appreciates it. There is a beauty to be found in such raw emotion and as his entire being lights up with wonder Sakura feels her chest swelling with pride, with joy, with so many emotions she cannot hope to name them all. Finally she is not alone. At last she is not the singular freak set apart from all the rest, the only one to see what the rest of the world refuses to even consider. So many humans have asked the question of life after death and yet the heroes that come pounding against her gates thinking themselves clever and brave look only once before recoiling and Sakura knows that they don’t see. They look upon death and think it an end.

Death is only the beginning.

Shikamaru’s fingers reach for hers as though unaware of their own movements and his flesh is warm when he gently guides her against him.

“I can say you’re not a liar,” he admits and Sakura tilts her head in question.

“While that is true I must admit that I do not see the relevance.”

“You said you would show me a place where I could be happy.” He turns to meet her eyes and the world itself falls away from her feet at the depth in those dark irises. “Well you were right. I could be very happy here.”

Daring to reach further, Sakura lifts her other hand to caress the side of his jaw. “Will you stay?”

She can see his answer in the way he bends down to meet her, the way he presses his body against her own. In his voice she finds the only nirvana she has ever thought to dream for.

“Yes,” he whispers. “I will stay.”

Happiness is having her very own dream come true press a kiss against her lips that tastes like freedom.

 viii.

“Will you be missed?” she asks him after several days have passed. Shikamaru gives a lazy shrug and buries his nose deeper within the book he’s been engrossed in for the past several hours.

“My mom’s probably looking for me.”

“Should I worry?” Sakura asks, her fingers in his hair and her mind’s eye fixed on visions of a future where she and Shikamaru languish side by side for all of eternity.

Turning another page, her companion shrugs again. “Dunno. If she never thinks to look for me here then we’ll be fine.”

“Ah. Good fortune, then, that I was careful never to visit with the threat of witnesses hanging about.”

Sakura smiles to herself with a smug air and plucks a grape from the plate at her side. After much taste-testing of her own she can vouch that they are juicy and ripe, perfect for temptingly pressing one against Shikamaru’s lips until they part with a smile to accept her gift.

The feeling of his lips lingering on her fingertips is enough of a distraction that the issue is put out of her mind then and there in favor of more interesting thoughts.

 ix.

“I don’t see what this has to do with me.”

Yoshino watches the god before her lift his proud chin and it takes everything in her not to snap, not to show this petty child the true meaning of rage. She needs the answers only he can give her and it simply won’t do to anger him. Not yet.

“You are the All-Seeing,” she says. “What boon you would have of me I will freely grant you in return for your wisdom. Turn your all seeing eyes to the earth, I beg you, oh God of the Sun. I seek no more than the location of my most beloved son.” Pretty words and a promise she has no intention of keeping but Yoshino will let worst pass her lips to find her missing child. Shikamaru belongs to her and her alone.

“Any favor at all?” Neji turns the offer over in his mind. His lavender eyes turn towards the earth but his expression is thoughtful still as though he has yet to decide.

“Whatever your heart desires.”

She does not expect him to snort derisively. “You have the power to grant nothing that my heart desires – but I would very much enjoy knowing that you owe me, petty Goddess of the Harvest.”

It takes almost more effort than she is capable of giving to grind her teeth and remain silent, bowing her head as though humble and willing to serve in whatever small way he asks. For Yoshino is certain that the god of the sun can think of only small things. Surely his mind cannot be anywhere near as sharp as her own and therefore must be small and dull in comparison. It truly is a shame that she, of all the gods, was graced with the most intelligence on top of the most beautiful child. What would the world be like if she weren’t so alone in all her glory?

Neji interrupts her musings with a flat look that makes her think he is more than aware of what occupies her mind.  

“Your son is not on earth.” When Yoshino protests he rolls his all-seeing eyes and interrupts her once more. “He is, by means unknown, currently deep in the underworld with the Goddess of Death at his side. And with that I have fulfilled my end of this bargain. Remember that you owe me a favor, which I will collect at my leisure.”

“How am I to remove him from the underworld!?” Yoshino demands. Anywhere on earth would have been preferable but the domain of the dead is not in her purview. Her flowers and vines and growing things cannot reach for Shikamaru there to pull him back to the place where he belongs and she knows very well that such a stubborn boy will need a good deal of pulling.

“That is not my problem,” Neji reminds her. Then the sun god turns away and snaps the reins of his chariot to continue on his journey across the sky.

Yoshino is left alone with a coldness in her chest she has never felt before and a realization. Always has she taken it for granted that her child will be with her, her perfect progeny, and always has she assumed that she knows what is best for his happiness. Shikamaru is her son. He is her flesh and blood. It has always seemed immutable to her that there can be no place where he is happier than by her side and the very thought that she may be wrong in as inconceivable as the notion that she, an immortal being, may one day see the ravages of aging.

It is with practiced ease that she dismisses such unwanted thoughts. They do not make her happy and thus she feels no need to think on them any further, not when there are many more important things to consider.

Such as how to lure her son away from that dark and dismal hole where the God of Spring can never belong.

 x.

Months have passed before the messenger of the gods appears to bring Sakura out of the haze of ecstasy that is Shikamaru. Long months filled with happiness no matter that she struggles to find a balance between attending to her duties and attending the one who captures her heart more and more with every day. Much as she is fond of Olympus’s messenger, Lee is still an unwelcome sight. He can only be here with purpose and whatever that purpose is by necessity must take her away from Shikamaru’s side.

Lee hasn’t even the grace to look ashamed of interrupting their calm revelry and so Sakura doesn’t bother to grant him the courtesy of rising from where she is lounging against her companion’s chest while he absently runs fingers through her hair, tracing the petals of a flower he invented specifically for her. The moonflower grows only in the garden she gifted to him.

“Who sent you?” she calls lazily across the room. Lee grants her a beaming smile, ever full of more energy than anyone else around him.

“Kakashi!” he cries. A favorite of all, Lee has never known formality in his life.

“And what news has the father of us all to share?”

“No news! A plea!” Clearing his throat, Lee strikes a pose. “The ruler of Olympus begs pardon for interrupting your leisure and beseeches you to please do something about the crazy goddess who set eternal winter upon the land!”

Both Sakura and Shikamaru are sitting upright in an instant with dual cries of “What!?”

“Yosh! The Goddess of the Harvest has declared eternal winter in the throes of agony at being separated from her beloved child! In his wisdom, Kakashi asks that you return Shikamaru to his rightful place!”

“His rightful place,” Sakura snarls, “is wherever he is most happy.”

Rather than argue with her, Lee strikes yet another pose and presents her with two thumbs up. “I have fulfilled my duty!”

With that he turns and races out of the building with a burst of inhuman speed. The divine couple watches him go with no small amount of exasperation and, despite her shock at the news just delivered, Sakura finds a moment to shake her head in mild disbelief.

“Gifted with winged sandals and still he insists on running everywhere.”

“I have to go back to the surface.”

Sakura’s head snaps around to stare at her companion with wide eyes. “You have to do nothing but that which pleases you!”

“And it would please me if the earth wasn’t dark with winter the whole year round.” With a sigh Shikamaru leans closer and touches his forehead to hers. “I want to stay here. You know I want nothing more than to stay here with you. But I am Spring and I can’t sit by knowing that she’s denying the purpose I was created for. I would survive but what kind of existence would it be to see my purpose fulfilled? What if you never guided another lost soul in to the afterlife?”

“Yes, I see your point,” she admits reluctantly. Her eyes close for a moment before she opens them again, greedy for one more chance to memorize his beloved features. “If you must go then know that I will think of you always.”

“Well I never said I was leaving forever.”

Shikamaru winks and Sakura realizes with weighty relief that he has a plan. Never has she been happier that she fell in love with one who carries more than two brain cells to rub together.

 ∞.

The garden is familiar yet not nearly as warm as she remembers, not with Yoshino’s eyes watching her with heavy suspicions. Sakura wonders whether her fellow goddess thinks herself unseen or if she believes her mere presence to be a deterrence against any untoward behavior. Thinking about her certainly gives Sakura a few untoward urges but this isn’t the time for that.

Shikamaru is steady and solid against her, arms wrapped about her shoulders to hold her close, a cocoon of belonging just for the two of them. His heartbeat thrums under her ear. Soft breathing ruffles the top of her hair. If she had her way in things this moment would stretch on in to eternity and they would never have to part but alas, Yoshino has outsmarted them both – surprising as that is. Perhaps Sakura needs to spend more time relearning the patterns of other living creatures if someone like Yoshino can outmaneuver her on the first try.

“It’s not forever,” Shikamaru murmurs, bending to whisper his words directly against the shell of her ear.

“Already it feels like forever has passed and you have not even left my arms.” Although Sakura is more than aware she is pouting she still does not appreciate the laughter that rumbles through her partner’s chest.

“You’ll see me again in the fall. Less than one year, that’s barely a blink for our kind.”

“Every moment without you is too long.”

Now Shikamaru is outright laughing, which she appreciates even less. “Quit being so dramatic. This is the only deal she would accept and if this is what it takes for us to be together”-he pulls away to meet her eyes-“then I will follow this agreement to the letter. Anything to go back to where I belong.”

From several feet away they can both hear the poorly hidden Yoshino grumbling to herself that this garden is where her son belongs but they ignore her easily.

“I love you,” Sakura whispers. Incredibly, Yoshino falls silent.

“I love you too. And I’ll miss you. I’d say you can visit but we should probably wait a few millennia before we ask for any concessions like that.”

Her pouting lip protrudes a little further but it does her no good. Shikamaru is still pulling away ever so gently and although she understands the necessity of it, understands the pain of having one’s very purpose suppressed across the entire world in punishment until the wayward son returns to his mother’s side, that makes it no easier to separate her from the other half of herself she has only just discovered. Shikamaru is the light she never knew she needed in her world of darkness until she saw him for the first time and her very heart itself lit up with joy. Leaning in close now she can taste a hint of that first joy on his lips.

“When the first leaves fall,” she warns him, “I will come for you.” Shikamaru does his best to look unaffected.

“Troublesome. I hate deadlines.”

“How fortuitous that I shall be the one watching the calendar go by, then.” As soon as Sakura leans forward to close the gap between them and steal a kiss they are pulled apart by insistent hands and Yoshino sends her a look filled with venom.

The Goddess of the Harvest and Fertility huffs as she draws her son against her own side instead and pretends not to see the rolling of his eyes. Entirely uncaring of her reaction Sakura blows the kiss she has been denied in Shikamaru’s direction and gathers her darkest shadows around her in preparation to leave this place. As per the agreement, she will stay in her domain until the winter comes and she may be reunited with her love once more.

“Until it is your turn to rest, oh beautiful Spring,” she calls.

And with that she is gone in a twist of darkness, to return for that which belongs to her when the time is right, and an endless cycle begins.

[cheswirls]

tether notes 2/3

pt. 3

i mentioned this in the last part, but i used muroran as basis for veilstone, not abashiri. actually, if you want my opinion, i think shari, hokkaido, is a better depiction of veilstone than abashiri. mostly, i used muroran bc i could find pictures there that were more than just boat-icebreaker-drift ice-boat. abashiri is cold. and full of drift ice. if you need context, it’s level with toronto, canada. a pretty cold place to live. muroran is further south, and it’s also a port city, so i jus used that.

shari looks nicer, but it’s more into the hook of hokkaido (that piece on sinnoh map that jutts out right below battle zone) and not nestled into the mountains, so. mostly it was out.

makino’s cafe/bar is based on the diner in veilstone. so, walk in, counter bar to your left, tables to your right, possibly a happiny underfoot carrying trays of food. 

but, compared to the more rustic and colored veilstone, i wanted to depict more of hokkaido city here. so, more rundown, rusted due to sea breeze, older things without much repair. passable, sure, for daily life. but new and extravagant? no. far from.

if makino is so close with luffy, how come she doesn’t know sabo?

simple. she’s not close with luffy. makino has a fulltime job running a diner in veilstone, sinnoh. luffy grew up on the sevii islands, kanto. when he was in sinnoh, he was training with shanks. yeah, sure, they would come by for food, and makino is good friends with shanks, so of course she and luffy have a relationship. but, also at this point where shanks began to bring luffy around, instead of teaching him out in nowhere, sevii islands, they began to keep things secret. luffy was here “just visiting” to anyone who asks, but they wouldn’t seen him much around, not in the isolation shanks trained him in. also also at this point, because i derailed that sentence completely, ace and sabo were already out traveling. it just never came up. makino is friendly with luffy, she knows luffy, but she doesn’t know him, not really.

pokemon hunters is another anime concept i wanted to use, again to make the story more gritty. no evil teams here with world-domination plots, just poachers. pretty standard. still awful, especially if they’re poaching people, now, but nothing as wide-scale as team galactic.

i had so much fun writing ship captain jinbe. i wished i got more of a chance to write his crew, too. at this point i think i had just caught up reading blackbird by milo, and i was hooked on the idea of biker fishman gang and leader jinbe, so i adapted it into ship crew here. praline is there, yes. she’s badass. i said so, you heard it here. 

i talked a lot with my big bang partner, and we eventually decided jinbe’s a mix of hoenn and sinnoh descent. so, darker skin, almost polynesian, from hoenn’s more pacific island vibe. dark, curly hair. i drew a picture once? oh, here it is. jus a little sketch. he probably actually comes from hoenn, but he does cargo runs throughout sinnoh now. [i should probably say around, since there arent rly canals thru sinnoh?]

regarding law’s map error, i really jus wanted to reference flower paradise. of course the map he got was a tourist version, so of course it’s gonna include the magical pathway connecting the sinnoh league to an island of flowers. but it doesn’t actually exist, or if it does, it’s not always there, since they sail through the space with ease. just another fun easter egg. 

the marsh scene was another i’ve known i wanted since the beginning. i had so much fun drawing the map for it. i actually based the scenes entirely off the map, so while i knew the general direction i wanted it to go in, and that they would run into sabo, the part about wandering into the rain and encountering volcarona spawned while marking the map. crazy how things work, huh?

i think i made the chase move a little too fast, so most of the time out of their 12 hr limit is spent after departing from the marsh, wandering thru route 212. don get me wrong, the marsh scene spans over the course of hours, but its still less time from leaving the ship to leaving sabo than it is to get back to the ship.

the aegislash scene is the first one i conceptualized, of the marsh scene series. introducing law’s team was strategic, especially once i revealed luffy only had four pokemon. it was always meant to be a readers gamble how many law had. at the end of part 3, it’s pretty easy to gauge how many, but still, the surprise of the sixth pokemon in pt 4 is something im still proud of c:

anyway, yes, the first sense of real danger. poachers have no qualms in using their pokemon to harm other people. they’re there for the money, which they get from capturing and caging rare pokemon. who cares if they hurt a few people along the way? who cares if they brutalize them to take a particular pokemon, a-la mr. cleffa sir? law reacts to this very quickly, in part because he’s used to it, as explained in tragic backstory number 2, right behind one-brother-dies-and-the-other-runs-away from protag #2. 

actually, i guess the first danger was the wild kadabra, but this is the one in which someone gets hurt! . . . or, worse-hurt, because law’s scratch doesn’t count. luffy’s gash in his shoulder? that’s a big injury. especially when they can’t just stop to treat it, especially when law still has blood on his face from it, especially when they have to go right back to running around the marsh.

and then sabo appears!! i lied, this was the first marsh scene. i drabble-wrote it in my series-of-drabbles-to-add-to-the-outline before i made pt 3′s outline, and then wrote it for real. the aegislash-being-badass-therefore-law-also-by-proxy was the second. one of the first sentences i ever wrote for tether was law realizing the face from luffy’s picture was right before his eyes. 

so why do the hunters ignore luffy calling for sabo while running away?

yes, why the no consequences? i realized at this point they were too far away to hear and law too out of it (its law’s pov, still) to figure what they were saying, to i had to play it off. it’s another scene where i almost wrote a few paragraphs from a different perspective [the other two were the tsuru-caesar confrontation and the mr. cleffa dude ft. sabo scene, both of which i had to expand upon by talking, instead of a flashback to show it. i rly went full soul-eater approach here, huh? explaining everything through present means. well. save for law’s backstory, but that’s about the only thing.] but decided not to in the end.

here’s how the scene plays out, full disclosure. law and luffy spot the two hunters. a third person, sabo comes into view. the hunters tell sabo the situation, that they were being chased. law recognizes sabo, luffy does too, and calls out to him, loudly. this causes the hunters to panic, and they tell sabo, there, there’s the people chasing after us. law figures sabo has some secret reason for posing as a hunter and pulls luffy again out of view, not wanting to give him away. all three hunters take off running in the opposite direction. luffy calls out for sabo again, and sabo turns to question the other two, asking which pokemon they stole that was named ‘sabo’. he has a fake name, obviously. they don’t know he’s sabo. before they can figure it out, he derails the topic. but then he slips crossed fingers behind his back at the same time, signaling silently to luffy, who stops calling out.

so, tldr, sabo’s not using his real name while with the hunters and is smart enough to cover his ass from luffy’s mistake.

i wanted law carrying luffy, on their way down the route, to the stormclouds, and i’m pretty sure the one reason i didnt go thru with it is because law’s backpack. and, y’know, luffy being caked in mud. 

okay, do. panic attack time. ptsd time. a mix of both, ig. whatever you wanna call it. originally, this scene was going to be a bit different, and happen way earlier in the story. it didnt bc of sinnoh’s lack of fire types [there are only 2 i think, 2 lines i mean, so like 5] and the fact that ace’s team featured none of them. and then i thought, oh, i’ll jus make the same thing happen w sabo, except none of sabo’s team were one of them as well.

originally, it was going to be that law/lu encounter a clan of a specific type of wild fire pokemon. i think for the longest time it was talonflame, not sure anymore. anyway, so it was gonna go that luffy recognizes ace’s former pokemon outta the bunch, and they recognize lu as well, and the two reunite and all that jazz, and meanwhile law has his attack bc the group they encounter are one of the pokemon that tormented him in alola.

and, nope, now i remember why it didnt happen. as much as i hate dof, i had to craft a team for him for plot purposes, and that ended up being a bug team to go w the whole string motif. the problem was i had this scene planned for a looooong time, and it needed to be w a fire type, one of ace’s pokemon. except there are like no fire/bug pokemon, except for volcarona, who wasn’t on ace’s already-planned team at this point. i debated for foreeeeever and finally decided to screw it, and i made it sabo’s unova pokemon. so, instead of getting a unova dragon, in the land of dragons unova, sabo gets a volcarona and ace a darmanitan. all for plot purposes. no sense here. none at all.

[not that it matters, since sabo morphs into a fire trainer anyway after ace dies]

so, after i decided it would be sabos pokemon, the point came back to how they would encounter it. no hordes of wild volcarona in sinnoh. i sadly had to scrap the idea. this is what i came up with instead: volcarona coming to luffy to deliver a letter, and scarring law in the process.

Law has a chocolate bar, because he’s ten and anxious and chocolate seemed good at the time.

-aka my favorite line of the whole entire story!!!

and then law’s backstory time. so!!! for the longest time i was torn between setting the story in sinnoh or alola. this was my big compromise. i wrote a draft-outline for law’s alola backstory before i wrote a real outline for tether as a whole. this was the first part of the story i really wrote. i was done with it before i started pt 1, because i wanted to outline before i started writing. 

the thing abt law is that his life is so much of a tragedy. oda writes it so well, to the point where you’re thinking this can’t get any worse and then it gets worse, every time. i wanted to mimic that here. i didn’t do it justice, but i at least tried.

law’s life is filled with mistrust. his whole village dies, he nearly does as well, and so he packs up and runs away, and hides his one pokemon abra because he’s not a registered trainer and he refuses to abandon abra so theres mistrust towards everyone who can turn him in, and everyone who didnt care enough to help with the water crisis. he’s done with sinnoh. so he spends a bit holed up in a library, and once he reads about alola, he’s sold. he’s so mistrustful it’s not a matter of ‘anywhere is better than sinnoh’, its a matter of ‘i can’t end up in another place just like this’. alola is the solution.

except, he’s still mistrustful. so he hides abra, and he hides his money, and he doesn’t speak with anyone, and he leaves the city as soon as he can. he doesn’t know the rules of this place, but abra is all he has. he can’t lose abra. and then things go wrong.

because he’s out of sinnoh, but alola is different. he’s ten, and he’s never had a real pokemon battle, and all the wild pokemon of alola are too eager. he’s ten, and a pangoro attacks and he loses all his supplies on his very first day, because abra’s too exhausted to teleport them away this time. [in hindsight, i did a really bad continuity error here, throughout the entire flashback. it’s thru law’s eyes, so i describe the pokemon he doesn’t know about, and yet sometimes i name the pokemon he really shouldn’t know about. my bad.]

he’s ten, and the only food he finds is being guarded by a giant sumo crab, so he crawls to the other side of the beach and falls asleep on the sand, hungry. he’s ten, and he’s living off berries because money is only so good when you can exchange it, and he’s far away from civilization. he’s ten, and he spends the very last of his money on money for abra, for his only pokemon and his only ally, because going to a pokemon center would mean being seen and asking for a license to verify and its too risky, he can’t risk it. 

he’s ten, and he’s hungry, and he has nothing but the abra clutched in his arms and his ripped clothes clinging to his body, and he witnesses a murder. and they catch him in the act, and then he’s stuck, because he shouldn’t have a pokemon so young, and he’s a witness to a crime, and too quickly he’s in a very bad position.

he’s ten, and to keep abra alive, he joins a gang in alola.

he’s ten, and he’s blackmailed into working or risking abra being taken away. he’s ten, and he has morals, and there’s some tasks he won’t do, but the family boss punishes him for it, harshly. he stops having morals. it wouldn’t do him good here. 

law turns eleven, and suddenly gang tasks involve pokemon battles. law’s eleven, and doflamingo trains law himself, beating the weakness out of him, burning him, scarring him, terrorizing him because he can, and because law can’t refuse. 

law’s eleven when he realizes his picture-perfect alola was nothing but an illusion, because the lack of monopolies and corporations and factories actually had nothing to do with how much the natives cared about their own, or cared at all, about anything. just because alola didn’t have a pokemon league didn’t mean it wasn’t a bad place to be.

he’s eleven when he meets corazon, and finally, finally, gets a breath of fresh air, gets a taste of a person who isn’t there to ridicule him or abuse him. he’s eleven when he meets his first real friend since his sister died, meets someone that finally treats him like a human being. and it doesnt matter that he’s doflamingo’s brother, because he’s kind to law.

law’s eleven and corazon works to repair the damage done by the gang, little by little. he gets law out on an island challenge, and he wanders through melemele and akala and meets kind people and has fun and experiences the real alola. and he realizes, somewhere along the way, that he never wants to go back to the family ever again.

law’s eleven when he realizes he has no choice. because he belongs to doflamingo, because he has to skip out on ula’ula to accomplish a task for the family, because corazon sits there and lets it happen. 

law’s eleven when he’s given a pokemon egg, and when he’s given hope.

corazon was going to take care of everything. he was going to get them out, safely. they were going to rescue a captive pokemon. law was going to be free. law was never going to be hurt by the family again.

except, that’s not how it goes. corazon dies. corazon’s pokemon are tortured in order to lure law out. corazon’s pokemon all die for him and law has no option left but to run with all his might, all the way from one tip of ula’ula to the other. and then, because he can’t trust anyone, anyone, law runs away into a desert with no supplies to speak of.

law’s eleven when he comes face to face with the most temperamental tapu in the alola region, and even with all he’s been through, it’s the most scared he’s even been in his entire life. and then, when he comes to, he finds himself stranded in the kalos region. he’s eleven. he goes through all of this and he’s not even a teenager yet.

so, backing up just a bit, you can see how seeing a volcarona is going to invoke some rather strong emotions in law. he panics. he passes out. luffy puts volcarona away, because me might be oblivious on a lot of things, but he can understand the pure terror in law’s eyes.

alright, what else. the letter. of course luffy disavows the letter, he’s luffy, he can’t follow a plan to save his life.

[carmenlire]

Higher than the Big Trees Ch. 20

read on ao3

Alec slips the cufflinks through his jacket, giving his sleeves a brief tug. Looking in the mirror, he likes what he sees.

It’s not an unusual sight-- fuck knows that Alec has an entire section dedicated to formal wear. Everything from tuxedos and more adventurous suits to slacks, blazers, and a dozen classic suits in black and similarly neutral colors.

His look today wouldn’t be amiss on Wall Street. His modern fit suit is hand tailored to perfection. His silk button down is in a snowy white, offering a beautiful contrast between the pitch black of the jacket and pants. His Tom Ford belt gleams subtly and his oxfords shine.

As Alec goes back into his walk in closet, he flips his collar up. He has a business meeting with one of his sponsors today, hence the extra effort, and truth be told he doesn’t really mind. There’s something to be said for his sweaters and jeans but Alec enjoys dressing up on occasion.

How fortunate for him that he picked a career where there’s always a gala or awards show or party.

His tie rack is teeming with bow ties and ties in a hundred different colors and patterns. Alec forgoes the more adventurous options-- there’s a light blue one with penguins on it that he usually wears at least once during the winter-- choosing instead a dark maroon tie.

He starts tying a Half Windsor Knot on autopilot as he moves out of his closet and back into his bedroom. His meeting is slated to start at nine and it’s half seven now.

With one last look in the mirror and a half-assed effort to tame his already messy hair, he grabs his phone, wallet, and keys and heads out into the penthouse. He takes the leather portfolio that has some reports and information his lawyer had put together with him.

He has the place to himself-- Jace is at work and Izzy wanted to spend the morning at Uptown Java, something about wanting to read one of her medical books.

As he walks to the elevator, he checks his phone. He sees a text message from Magnus and unconsciously starts to smile. It’s Wednesday morning and this will be the third day that Magnus is out of the country. While Alec had thought that things might fizzle out a little this week as the physical distance between them grew, he was pleasantly surprised to see that they talk just as much, if not more, than when they’re both in the same city.

While there are long periods between texts, they’ve kept up the same thread since yesterday afternoon. It’s something about the merits and pitfalls of public transportation and Alec chuckles in the elevator as he reads Magnus’s tale about accidentally shutting his jacket in a taxi door as he was being dropped off from a night out-- and not realizing until the driver started leaving.

Dave isn’t due to arrive for another half an hour and with that in mind, Alec walks a few blocks over to the closest Starbucks. The line is almost to the door and he messes around on his phone while he waits, unobtrusive.

It never fails to surprise him. Alec’s been in secluded boutiques and been mobbed but New York barely bats an eye most of the time. Oh, he still meets fans regularly wherever he goes, but he can also do normal things. He can stand in line at Starbucks and not worry that he’ll cause a scene.

As he thinks about how lucky he is to live in the city, he guiltily thinks about the internet snafu with Magnus a couple of days ago.

He didn’t have an excuse. While it was early as shit-- not even six in the morning yet-- Alec had been awake, training with Jace. They’d just finished their five mile race, Alec winning, when he’d walked over to his bag. Taking a few gulps of water, he’d heard his phone start vibrating. It’d been far too early for anyone to be calling him and as he’d seen Magnus’s name come up on the screen, he’d been curious. He knew that Magnus was flying out today but he hadn’t thought it was so early.

Jace had sent him a quizzical look as he’d picked up the phone, swiping to accept the call. Alec had mouthed Magnus and Jace had raised his brows, smirking.

Rolling his eyes, he’d turned away and talked to Magnus as he waited to board his flight. They'd talked for almost forty minutes and it had been chill. There’d been a few silent stretches where neither one had anything to say and hadn’t thought of a new topic yet and it hadn’t felt awkward.

Really, it made Alec content. They were both just happy to relax on the line with each other. Halfway through the phone call, though, Alec had been a little stunned to realize that he wasn’t following Magnus on anything. Especially since Magnus followed him, apparently.

He’d thrown the phone on speaker and Jace had been all ears at being the first to know what Alec’s new friend sounded like. Thankfully, Magnus had realized he was on speaker pretty quick and there hadn’t been any potential blackmail on the phone call for Jace to commit to memory.

Alec had went to Twitter first, following and liking a few tweets. His profile picture looked like it was taken in an office, dark wood walls serving as the background. He had a few thousand followers and Alec liked the mix of trivia, mundane observations, and photos.

Instagram was the same, though Alec couldn’t resist commenting on a few posts. When Magnus had told him that he regularly practiced yoga and was actually a certified instructor, Alec had almost swallowed his tongue. It was one thing just to be told that, however, and quite something else to see Magnus doing a One Handed Tree Pose (he looked it up) in nothing but form fitting black boxer briefs.

It was obvious that Magnus kept in shape but seeing him post a few workout videos not only got Alec a little hot under the collar, but genuinely made him interested in working out together. While he liked to work out alone, he also enjoyed having a partner. Alec thinks that there could be a little friendly competition going on between them and it’d be fun to see just how evenly matched they were.

Alec orders and pays with little fanfare, still marveling at how stupid he’d been. Or, not even stupid-- he’d just been oblivious for the first time in years.

Alec knows that his life is under a microscope, that the daily minutiae that is deeply uninteresting about everyone else is fascinating when it’s about him. He should’ve foreseen that his fans-- smart as hell and twice as tenacious-- would immediately noticed that he followed someone on not only one, but two platforms.

Alec might dedicate a lot of time to his fans but he’s also intensely private when it counts. He follows less than a thousand people and rarely adds to the number. His fans hadn’t wasted a minute.

After hanging up with Magnus, Alec had gone right back to working out with Jace who had mock scowled at him for taking so long. He’d just shrugged, a little helpless, and Jace had just shaken his head, clapping him on the back as they took their positions to spar a little.

When Jace had finally finished with him, he’d flopped down next to the mats and asked Jace to toss his phone over to him. Jace had gone over to their shit and in true brother fashion had unlocked his phone, scrolling through his notifications. He always acted like a kid, as if Alec wasn’t perfectly aware of what he signed up for when he asked Jace the favor but he just laid on the floor, catching his breath while Jace invaded his privacy.

After a minute or two Jace had handed the phone over, merely saying, “I never get used to how many notifications you have.”

Alec wasn’t in the mood to deal with it, so he’d just opened his messages, confirming lunch plans with Izzy and getting caught up on a few emails and calls.

He’d finally checked his phone in the early afternoon after lunch and had been surprised at the number of engagements. Even for him, it was high. When he’d tapped into the apps and seen the root of the damage, though, he’d wanted to kick himself.

He should’ve known.

He’d texted Magnus as soon as he put the pieces together, hoping that his few moments messing around on social media wouldn’t be the end of things between them. Alec’s very cognizant of the fact that his life isn’t for anyone and he’d promised Magnus discretion two weeks ago. This was the very definition of indiscreet.

He’d sweated it out, knowing that Magnus was still flying. He’d spent a couple of hours preoccupied, distracting himself with fine tuning the song he and Catarina had worked on. Thankfully, Magnus had understood and he’d ended up abandoning his song for almost an hour as he texted Magnus in a flurry.

Alec had taken the rest of the afternoon afterwards, messing around on his piano until the sun started fading and he was playing more by feel than sight. He’d finished the day cooking dinner for the three of them and Clary, retiring back to his bedroom by eight and falling asleep reading.

Alec’s pleased to realize that his writer’s block is officially over. All of those months of trying to string two sentences together, not finding the right chords or note runs and it seems to be a thing of the past. He’s not churning them out but he’s making steady progress. In addition to the collab with Cat and his song tentatively titled Angel, he has two or three others that are brewing in the back of his mind.

He’d really just been fucking around on his piano, a Steinway & Sons K-132. It had been one of his first large purchases and it’d been ages since he’d had time to play for fun, trying out chords and arrangements or playing some of his favorite pieces for pure, simple enjoyment.

The past few days had been quiet, especially without Magnus to potentially see. He’s spent that time writing half a dozen songs. While he wasn’t concentrating too much on the content-- really he was just writing whatever came to mind-- the tone was undeniable.

His last album had racked up the awards for being gritty, dark. He’d written about the price of fame, about one night stands and one city lovers and jaded ennui. There’d been one or two softer songs-- one he’d collaborated with another artist for, another that he’d written with Jace and Clary in mind-- but overall, An Arrow in the Dark had been cynical and cutting with an overlay of sensuality that the public had loved.

So far, this album looked to be forming as the total opposite. The songs were softer, sweeter, and Alec couldn’t help but notice that he was drawing on these burgeoning feelings inside him for source material. He thought of how easy things were with Magnus, how much he was enjoying making a new friend and learning about an incredibly interesting man. Then there were those fucking butterflies that wouldn’t leave him alone when they touched accidentally or he learned something else entirely endearing about Magnus.

He’d say Magnus was his muse but their arrangement was too platonic for that. You couldn’t write an entire album about a friend, after all. He refuses to look too closely at the fact that the only real thing that's changed to break his block is meeting Magnus. He doesn't think he could handle it-- not with everything else the man brings out in him.

As Alec walks back to the front of his building, he sees Dave pull up right on time. Dave gets out and heads to the rear door of the Lincoln town car, nodding as Alec approaches.

“Right on time, Alec. That’s what I like to see.”

Mock affronted, Alec holds out one of his coffee cups as he asks, “When am I ever not on time?”

Dave doesn’t respond, just hums as he accepts the drink and takes an appreciative sniff.

“Vanilla latte, my favorite.”

“You’ve been my driver for almost eight years. I would hope I’d have your order memorized by now,” he says, grinning.

Alec climbs into the back seat and spends a few minutes relaxing. The upcoming meeting wasn’t anything intense but his lawyer, Underhill, wanted to pin some numbers down and Alec wanted to brush up on the details before they walked into the boardroom.

He opens the portfolio, taking out a few handouts and skimming them as a refresher. He’d gone over everything when it was first sent but it never hurts to review things one more time.

Alec had a healthy relationship with sponsors. There were those for his tours but also a handful of companies that wanted his name and his face on their products. This morning’s meeting was to discuss a renewal of his Nike contract and Alec was looking forward to it. While the company might be sweating a little, Alec and Underhill had already talked things through and knew that they’d be walking out of the room partners for another two years regardless of Nike's offer today.

Traffic is brutal as ever in the early morning rush hour and Alec almost spills his coffee twelve times, taking ill-timed sips just when traffic slows to a stop. Still, Dave knows what he’s doing and they make it to the corporate offices with ten minutes to spare.

He gets out, without assistance, and waves Dave off with a mutual confirmation to return at two.

As he walks towards the glass and steel doors, he sees a familiar figure walking towards him.

“Hey, Alec,” Underhill says as he nears. His five thousand dollar suit looks impeccable and he look ready to do business.

“Morning, man. How’s Adrian,” Alec asks as the two move in for a handshake.

Underhill turns towards the doors, smiling and opening the one closest to him, gesturing for Alec to go through first as he answers.

“Adrian’s great. We have a vacation planned for next month in Aspen. He’s already got a dozen trails mapped out for us to try.”

“Yeah? Are you still going through with it?”

The two of them share a knowing look as the secretary calls for her boss.

Looking both giddy and unnerved, Underhill smiles. “Of course. I’ve had the ring for six damn months. I think it’s time that I actually used it.”

Alec claps him on the back just as one of Nike’s lawyers meets them in the reception area. There are a round of handshakes before they’re being guided to one of the conference rooms.

The room is utilitarian. Four walls of glass show a large conference table where six people are already sitting.

Underhill has shed his easy going demeanor. Instead, he looks serious, ready to do business and get Alec the best deal possible.

There are no pleasantries and as the three of them take their seats, Alec opens his notes up, face impassive.

He may not have gone to college, but he’s no slouch. He knows that Underhill has his best interests at heart-- has for four years now-- but you don’t get to be in Alec’s position without being screwed over a time or two, in both his personal and professional life. Alec spends not an inconsiderable time reading up on a variety of topics on a routine basis. Among those are music, business, and law. He may not be ready for his LSATS but he’s read through every piece of business that crosses him. The terms they’ve offered are a fair counterpoint to what Nike had initially given them and the next few hours promise to be lively if nothing else.

Underhill remains cool under pressure, no less intimidating for being one against six. While Underhill had his own firm with a range of junior partners, interns, and paralegals, he was always Alec's representative.

The room breaks after a few hours, reaching a bit of a stalemate. The opposing team offers it as an excuse for a quick bite to eat but when Alec’s and Underhill’s eyes meet, they know the truth.

They're going to the other partners to see if they can accept the new deal.

The two of them go to a close cafe where they each get a smoothie, drinking them as they walk around a park across the street. They return to the room when the thirty minutes are up.

Everyone sits down and it’s quiet for a minute before the partner in charge of this deal stands, buttoning his suit jacket, before reaching a hand out first to Alec and then Underhill.

“I’m pleased to say that the other partners agreed that the proffered terms are acceptable. We’ve reached an agreement and are pleased to announce that you’ll be partnered with our company for the next two years, continuing our contract without issue."

As he hears the words, Alec stands and there’s a few minutes as he and Underhill shake everyone’s hands. Alec is given a Montblanc pen and scrawls his signature a dozen times on a contract as thick as a book.

Just a few minutes later, they’re leaving. They wait until they reach the sidewalk before looking at each other and laughing, half relief and half pure amusement.

“Our terms were hard and I have to say that I’m a little surprised that Nike accepted them. You’re getting eighteen percent more up front with a two percent rise in your kickbacks. They must really like you.”

Alec shrugs, playing coy. Though really, he’s surprised at their luck, too.

“You know how much buzz they got for signing an openly gay man to represent their company. Those commercials went viral as soon as they were released. I am proud of you, though! They definitely thought we were going to back down first.”

Underhill shakes his head. “If only they knew that we would have accepted what they offered last week.”

Laughing, Alec says, “Another win for us.”

He takes a step back and looks at his watch, sees Underhill do the same.

Underhill waves his briefcase a little, saying, “I’ve got to head back to the office and file these. Plus, I think I’m going to try to meet Adrian for a late lunch. I’ll talk to you later but you should be good for the next few weeks on everything from my end.”

Alec nods, taking out his phone. “Sounds great man. Thanks for today-- you crushed it.”

The two of them smile at each other before heading off in opposite directions. Looking down at his phone, Alec sees that they let out about forty minutes early and he calls Dave to let him know that he’s not needed.

Alec takes the opportunity to do a little shopping. He’s not the most avid shopper but once in a while when he has some free time, he likes to kill some by poking into stores. He usually just ends up buying stuff for everyone else but it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon every six months.

He ends up buying a necklace for Izzy and phone case for Jace who insists on never using one despite the fact that he’s had to replace his iphone at least twice this year alone.

It’s calming, really. Alec spends most of his time with people, though he gets his fair share of time solo. There’s just something about walking around a city alone-- even his hometown-- that makes him feel like just Alec, anonymous. A free agent.

He’s walking down the street, heading towards the subway station, when he sees a cameraman headed his way. Sighing internally, he resolutely keeps walking.

“Hey man, it’s TMZ. How are you doing today?"

Alec smiles but it’s his public smile. Which isn’t to say that he doesn’t genuinely enjoy some interviews and promo. But sometimes there are certain reporters, or companies, that he’s not a fan of and so he has to use his public persona a bit more.

“I’m good, man. What about you,” he responds easily.

“Can’t complain. What do you have there?” He aims his camera at the few bags in Alec’s hand. There’s one from a jeweler’s, another from a small boutique, and a last bag from an independent bookstore around the corner.

Shrugging, Alec says, “Nothing much, just doing a little shopping.”

“Who are you shopping for, Lightwood? Do you have a special someone that you’re buying gifts for?”

Alec looks at him drolly. “My sister.”

TMZ guy nods along, still looking like he’s going to get the scoop. “We heard you followed someone on Instagram this week. What about him?”

Inside, Alec seethes but he keeps the bland expression pasted on his face as he continues walking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think his name is Magnus? He’s a professor?”

Hoping the camera doesn’t pick up on his clenching jaw, Alec returns, “He’s a friend I met a few weeks ago.”

“Oh? Is that all there is or should we be worried that the music scene’s most eligible bachelor is finally taken?”

Alec smiles, though it feels more like a grimace. “No, I’m still single and unattached. There’s nothing going on there except friendship.” No matter how much I might want that to change.

The reporter looks at him like he’s digging for more information before turning to another topic. “What about your music? With your tour wrapping up, do you already have plans for your next album?”

Here, Alec can relax. The tension eases out of him at the familiar question. This, he knows. He grins a little but still remains facing forward as he approaches a crosswalk.

“I’m just in the studio seeing what we have. Every album has a different vibe and I’m having fun coming up with the concept for number seven.”

“Can you tease anything?”

Alec thinks for a minute. The words are on the tip of his tongue but he bites them back as he thinks about possible repercussions. In the end though, he decides to go for it. Even if he ends up completely scrapping what he has so far, this is where he’s at right now. Plus, it’s never too early to start building buzz.

“I think this album will be the best I’ve ever written.”

“Yeah? Why is that?”

“I’m experiencing something new for the first time in ages and I can’t help but write about what I’m going through. I think this album will explore a source bank I’ve never tapped into before.”

“What’s new with you?”

Alec declines to answer as the reporter asks a few more leading questions. After a minute, the TMZ guy backs off, throwing out a goodbye.

Alec returns it and continues on his way home.

He makes it back to his apartment twenty minutes later. The sun is starting to dip in the sky and the penthouse is washed in golden light. He sees Izzy on her phone in the living room. She looks up as he enters.

“Hey, hermano.”

“Hey, Iz.”

He tosses one of the bags at her and she stills for a moment before sitting up and opening it. When she takes out the necklace, she studies it for a few minutes. It’s a double tiered piece. The top is a choker but the second layer falls down, several inches longer. It’s gold with different colored stones every few centimeters. It’s colorful and unique and perfectly his sister.

Izzy must agree because she’s grinning. As Alec nears her, she leans over and hugs his middle.

“Thanks, Alec. I love it and can’t wait to show it off. You didn’t have to, though, you know that right?”

Alec just looks at her. “That’s half the fun of shopping for me. You know that. I saw this in the storefront and felt like spending money. It works out for both of us.”

Alec sits on the other end of the couch and the two of them relax in the quiet for a little while, both on their phones. It’s a companionable silence and one that Alec misses when he’s on the road.

After a while, though, Izzy looks up, excited. “You know what we should do?”

Alec doesn’t answer, remaining engrossed on a game on his phone.

Izzy kicks him and he groans before asking, “What.”

“We should go out tonight!”

lec must not look enthused with the idea because she glares at him. “What? It’s been a month since you last went out-- when’s the last time that happened?”

Alec opens his mouth to argue but abruptly closes it, realizing that she’s right. Alec might like to stay home with his book or piano but he also likes having a good time and usually goes out at least once a week. There are periods when he’s parties for days on end, passing out just to go out again a few hours later. Huh. This is different.

As he thinks, Alec just pictures Magnus. They’d only hung out a few times but any time spent with him was valuable and there was no contest between talking to Magnus or going out to the latest club.

A friend shouldn’t affect him like this. A friend shouldn’t change his patterns so thoroughly and so gently that Alec doesn’t even notice-- doesn’t even care.

Decision made, Alec looks over at Izzy and nods. “Alright, then. We’ll go out. Is everyone going?”

Rolling her eyes, Izzy stands up. “What do you think I was doing on my phone? Clary has an art class that runs late tonight but Jace can go.” She smiles as she starts walking toward her bedroom. “It’ll just be the three of us, like old times. Now I have to go get ready. We’ll head out at ten?”

She doesn’t wait for confirmation, just goes to her room, shutting the door with a resounding click.

Alec finishes the text he was writing to Magnus, relaxing against the couch as he presses send.

It had been ages since just the three of them went out. There was always a date or Clary or friends or it was for a special occasion. While Alec hadn’t planned on going out tonight, the idea doesn’t sound hideous. He’ll go, have a few drinks, dance with a few people.

Maybe this is what he needs. He needs to shake Magnus. Maybe if he meets someone else, he won’t be so hung up on Magnus’s eyes and his intelligence and his everything. He needs a distraction.

Maybe if he gets laid Magnus won’t get under his skin so damn much.

Alec stands up, stretching his back.

If Magnus is just his friend then by God Alec will get this thing out of his system one way or another. Something's gotta give and Alec is a master at distraction when he needs to be.

That thought in mind, he heads to his room.

He needs to get ready.

[asocier]

( private verse ) not your baby; but he’s mine -- one. 

          “stop that.” and she flinches when her mother’s hand hits her own, a force that was just enough to push her hands down so that she would stop picking the polish off her nails. “you’ll ruin your nails if you do that.”

          “i can name like, ten things that are more important than how my nails look right now.” 

          “don’t give me that attitude in public. you’ll embarrass me.” 

          “maybe you shouldn’t have brought me here, then.” 

          it certainly wasn’t the first time she had voiced this; it was no secret that these parties were unbearable for her. even when she was younger, she didn’t enjoy all the fuss that went into attending these parties in their community. from formal dresses that were uncomfortable and much too long for her liking to being forced to socialize with the other community members, alison simply dreaded the atmosphere. in fact, for the past few years, she had tried getting out of attending these parties by scheduling other plans with friends on the same day at the same time. it had worked a handful of times -- at least until her mother began telling her the wrong date on purpose.

          “the least you can do is say hello to some of the people here. some of them haven’t seen you since you started high school.” as her mother spoke, a hand was extended out to smooth over alison’s curled hair, which, despite only being styled hours before, was already starting to frizz as it loosened and straighten back out. in silent protest, alison leaned away from her mother’s touch, her own hand raising instead to fix her appearance herself. “you say that like i actually know who they are.” 

          “you and that mouth. no wonder you haven’t been able to find someone.” 

          while alison couldn’t help but suck on her teeth out of mild annoyance in retort, she couldn’t disagree that perhaps there was some truth in that statement -- with an outwardly appearance that seemed to have suggested a docile, sweet, and obedient nature, her mannerisms were anything but that. and to the many unfortunate suitors who had the displeasure of interacting with her under the guise of potential matchmaking, her demeanor was off-putting to say the least. it certainly didn’t help either that her mother only paired her up with men.

         “this again... mom, i already told you, i don’t want to get married.”

          “you just haven’t found the right man, yet.”

          and for a second, in her moment of agitation, she thought about bringing up the taboo topic of her sexuality. it wasn’t like her mother didn’t know, after all-- it was perhaps more accurate to say that her mother chose to forget that her daughter was also interested in and had a preference for women. but before alison could even decide what route to take ( upset her mother further? or be civil for once in her life? ), she felt her mother suddenly take her hand, a gentle jerk pulling alison forward as her mother waved someone down. another women who was seated at a table by the food stood up and eventually made her way towards them, the mother-daughter duo walking hand-in-hand as her mother continued to drag her along. judging by the way her mother’s face had lit up, alison could tell that her mother was excited. 

          excitement wasn’t something alison commonly associated with her mother. always composed and calm, even in fits of anger, excitement was, quite frankly, rather unexpected and unpredictable. sometimes, her mother would get excited over a sale at the grocery store or a new dishwasher being installed. sometimes, it’d be over the fact her father actually did his own laundry. but it was never towards the fact that alison wanted to be an artist, that one of her pieces was accepted into an art show. excitement wasn’t reserved for the very few ( questionable ) significant others alison had brought home for her parents to meet, or the high school diploma that she eventually received after trudging along through school. excitement was rarely reserved for alison -- except when it came to the topic of marriage. 

          “ah, it’s good to see  you! it’s been so long, how are you?”

          hearing her mother speak in her native tongue was also a rarity. alison herself was unable to speak chinese, though she could understand bits and pieces. she would have liked to say that she once had the ability to speak it, perhaps when she was a child, but what she had known then was nothing more than basic greetings and short phrases. knowing that much chinese was hardly anything compared to her peers, who were either fluent or at the very least, fluent enough for conversation even at such a young age. now, entering her twenties, she barely retained what she knew as a child, and with neither of her parents speaking chinese at home growing up, it practically became the norm for her to not know chinese.

          as her mother spoke, she stood off to the side and looked around disinterestedly at the decorated gymnasium that was rented out for this particular party. it was decorated like a school dance -- there were cheap, colorful decorations on the walls and long tables with food lined up in the back. circular tables scattered about the gymnasium floor allowed guests a place to sit, chat, and rest their aching feet. as she studied and recognized some familiar faces, she suddenly felt her mother’s hand finally release hers so that it could instead rest on the small of her back.

          “this is my daughter, alison.” an expectant look was given to her, then, and like all the times before, alison uttered a soft greeting in chinese, a slight discomfort overtaking her features as the word left her painted lips.

          “she’s beautiful. very lovely.” 

          “thank you.” the first phrase of english that had been spoken since the conversation started, and with a nervous laugh, her mother adds, “she doesn’t speak very much chinese. maybe your son could teach her.” laughter is heard from the older women then, and alison swallows the urge to cheekily remind her mother that she could still understand some chinese. if there was one big favor she often did for her mother, however, it was holding her tongue to allow her mother to save face, so she eventually decides that it would be too much trouble to retort and instead turns her attention elsewhere.

          son. 

          her mother had mentioned the other woman’s son, and while alison didn’t take note of him initially due to him lingering back at the table ( perhaps to save their spots and watch his mother’s purse ), he had eventually joined his mother’s side once she had beckoned for him. like alison, he stayed quiet and only spoke when was spoken to, though very much unlike her, he could respond in chinese. her mother’s envy was rather obvious as she made subtle snides at her daughter’s own inability to speak chinese, her mother’s disappointment disguised with playful humor. this was nothing out of the ordinary when her mother became envious of friends whose children seemed to have become more successful than her own. at least alison’s brother had gotten into law school recently -- which her mother did not miss a beat to point out when it was revealed that the man standing before her had aspirations of going to medical school.

          what a nerd. 

          alison wasn’t surprised in the slightest by that. if it wasn’t a doctor, it was a lawyer. if it wasn’t a lawyer, it was an engineer. maybe a nurse. all “respectable professions” that held more financial security than what alison was doing currently as a freelanced artist. but these professions also required more schooling, which was the last thing alison wanted more of after high school. 

          as the conversation continued to revolve around her potential suitor ( even if that word wasn’t uttered once in this exchange, it was no surprise to her that this was her mother’s attempt at finding alison a husband ), she had come to learn a few things about him, some of which were just by her own observation and not necessarily from the conversation at hand. his name was eden, he was a few years older than her, and he was finishing up his undergraduate degree. he was at least six feet tall, was very cleaned up, and spoke very politely and maturely both to her mother and his own. a good boy -- it was almost amusing to know that her mother was pulling so many strings to hide the fact that alison was far from being his good girl counterpart. 

          “so are you still in school, alison?” and all eyes were suddenly on her as eden’s mother spoke to her directly. it was the first question directed at her, and the pause that occurred before alison could answer seemed tense as she and her mother raced for the chance to speak first. like hell she’d let her mother lie for her. “actually, i’m out of school. i’m currently working.” 

          “oh? what do you do?” 

          “i’m an artist.” 

          and the air seemed tense again as alison’s mother held her breath -- it was a taboo in it of itself to be an artist in this community, but what good would lying have done, anyway? “oh. i see. do you plan on going back to school eventually?” it was a question that seemed to have been asked under the assumption that alison was taking a small break from school.

          “no. i don’t enjoy school, so i don’t see any reason to go back.” a blunt response, one that seemed to have alarmed her own mother enough to interject suddenly. “alison, why don’t you and eden get to know each other? maybe go see what there is for food.”

          a hint of a smirk was hidden by a smile that masked alison’s amusement. side stepping so that she was no longer able to feel her mother’s touch on her back, alison begins to walk away. “sure. do you want me to get you anything?”

          “maybe later. i’m not hungry yet.” which was an answer alison expected; she was already making a mental note to prepare a plate for her mother anyway as she continued her way to where the food was laid out. there was little regard for eden as she made her way to grab two plates. it was only a matter of time before she felt another presence join her, and without looking up, before he could even speak to her, she starts, “you don’t have to look so nervous. i’m not interested in this sort of thing, anyway.” 

          she finally meets his gaze then, and it was the first time she noted what color his eyes were. an amber color -- much lighter than her own dark eyes. in the silence that ensues, she studies him for a bit longer as he processes what she had told him before adding, “i can already tell you, i don’t think we’d work out. you’re not my type, and i can guarantee you, i’m not yours, either.” perhaps like this, they could work out. perhaps if she was always modest, polite, and docile, they’d have a chance. but he had yet to see her be herself, and she could only imagine how horrified her mother would be if alison began to behave like her usual self in a place like this where so many of her mother’s friends and community elders were in attendance.

          “sorry to get your hopes up, if you had any. i don’t really want a boyfriend.” and she picks up a dinner roll with a pair of tongs and places it on her plate before taking the roll into her hand. she takes a bite then, taking a moment to chew before speaking once more with her mouth partially full. “good luck with med school, though. i heard that shit sucks.” 

[meganwontgotoheaven]

Ch 10: When The Monday Gossip Is Glorious

Fandom: Critical Role

Genre: High School AU

Rating: General 

Word Count: 1781

The second day of the festival set up was uneventful and soon enough the entire field went from an empty mid-autumn field to a winter wonderland. Eskil was released from the city jail after an “anonymous” tip came in about a white haired woman but the police were still keeping an eye on him for the rest of the investigation. The worst thing to happen that day was Vex finding out they were being paid in free fair vouchers and not actual cash. Her mood carried over to Monday morning.

“Next time I find an online advertisement for work, I’m checking the payment method first,” said Vex as her and Vax waited for the morning bell.

“Cool it stumpy,” said Vax working on his neglected weekend homework. “There will be other jobs.”

“Fine but when we help with the school Halloween fair in a few weeks things will be different,” she replied.

“Sure they will...wait since when are we helping with the fair,” asked Vax.

“Since I ran into Allura from the student council like ten minutes ago,” answered Vex.

Vax groaned. “That’s who you were talking to. Why do you need to get us involved with school stuff.”

“Well she was putting up fliers and she looked kind of upset,” said Vex. “So i started talking to her.”

“Is she okay,” asked Vax.

Vex leaned in close to her brother. “She’s worried about Uriel, the council president.”

“Didn’t someone try to throw a baseball at his head at the last assembly,” asked Vax.

Vex nodded. “That’s around when it started. Apparently he’s been acting weird. He’s been withdrawn, missing meetings, nobody’s been able to get in touch with him because he refuses to talk with them.”

“Sounds like the ol’ prez has got himself into some shady things if you get my drift,” said Vax tapping the side of his nose.

“No,” said Vex scandalized. “You don’t really think…”

Vax just shrugged as Pike and Grog walked into the room with a Percy in tow. The conversation was dropped for the moment.

~ ~ ~  

In another homeroom Keyleth was busily talking with Tiberius and Scanlan about her own future plans.

“So I already texted Vex and Percy about it but next week over by Crystalfen in the old part of town there's going to be an antiques and oddities market,” said Keyleth. “Want to come?”

“Thats sounds wonderful,” said Tiberius. “I’ll go with you.”

“That part of town smells like sewer refuse and antiques are for old people,” said Scanlan. “Why would we go there?”

“Because it’ll be fun! And it’s not just for old people,” said Keyleth. “I’m looking for fun things to upcycle.”

“And I have a list of rare vintage items I’ve been looking for to add to my collection,” add Tiberius.

“We were thinking of going after school next Friday,” said Keyleth.

“Me and Vax have plans that day,” said Scanlan.

“What type of plans,” asked Keyleth.

“Oh you know, just guy stuff,” said Scanlan evasively.

“That’s a really vague answer,” said Keyleth.

“It’s not,” said Scanlan.

“Is this something we should be concerned about,” asked Keyleth.

“Probably not,” he replied.

“Workes for me,” said Tiberius. “Now did you study for the history quiz? Because I have some last minute review questions.”

“Of course,” said Keyleth.

~ ~ ~  

History was boring, so Vax decided to go for a walk instead, making his usual rounds. First he looked in on his sister and the girls in gym class just in time to see Keyleth catch the football two seconds before being tackled by the entire opposing team. Next on his route was the vending machine with the good candy bars. And finally he was off to the front office where he knew he could look through the lost and found without being caught by a teacher.

Ignoring the things that had already been sitting there for weeks he found three new retainers, a Justin Timberlake folder, an ugly orange sweater, and a journal with the name “Gregory” written inside the cover. He decided the journal could keep him entertained in class until he could find its owner and return it.

After that it was back to history class.

~ ~ ~

Seventh period brought more news to the ears of Vox Machina. While Percy and Tiberius listened and took notes about symbolism in Wuthering Heights Scanlan was scrolling through local gossip blogs. One post caught his attention immediately and he elbowed Tiberius from across the aisle.

“Tiberius look at this,” he whispered.

Tiberius side glanced at the phone in Scanlan’s hand. On it was a headline reading “Dread Emperor: Little Emperor Day Camp Caught In Child Slavery Ring.” Tiberius’ eyes widened in realization.

“Oh my god we worked there,” Tiberius exclaimed under his breath.

“I know,” Scanlan whispered back with as much surprise.

“Whats going on,” asked Percy noticing his friends agitation. Scanlan turned the phone towards him.

“Over the summer we worked there for like a week,” Scanlan explained. “We quite because the owner was super sketchy. And because Keyleth dropped a kid but that���s a different story.”

“You know, Pike was talking about possibly looking into the owner’s background and maybe talking to someone about him,” said Tiberius.

“I think she did eventually tell the police about her suspicions,” said Scanlan. “Apparently she wasn’t the only concerned civilian.”

“Good god what is the world coming too,” mumbled Percy.

“I for one am glad we quite and the place is shut down,” said Tiberius.

The three boys nodded their heads in agreement and returned there attention to the lecture.

~ ~ ~                

    The twins had last period together just as they did first period. And much like first period Vex listened attentively and took notes while Vax only half paid attention. He was idly flipping through the journal he found in between listening about chemical bonds. He nudged his sister.

“Hey remember our conversation this morning,” he whispered.

“Sure. About Allura and Uriel,” she replied.    

“Well check this out,” he said sliding the journal in front of his sister. It was open to the last two entries which read:

“Sep. 9 First assembly of the year. Class representatives were announced and I am once again representing my class. Someone attempted to hit president Uriel while he was on stage. I have my suspicions on the culprit.

Sep. 8 Today I spoke with Krieg about the assembly incident. He said some interesting things but I think he knows more than he is letting on.”

“Where did you get this? Is this someone’s diary,” asked Vex.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Vax.

“Creep,” was Vex’s only reply.

“Takes one to know one,” he said. “But isn’t it weird we were just talking about this? We should find this Krieg kid.”

“Did you even look at your ballot for council elections,” asked Vex.

“Um, maybe,” he replied. Vex rolled her eyes.

“He’s our student council secretary,” said Vex. “He’s the really cute one.”

“Oh yeah, him,” said Vax putting the pieces together. “We should investigate him.”

“So, stop by the school store after class,” Vex suggested.

“Perfect,” Vax said.

~ ~ ~

“Oh, Percy,” called Vex as she slid up to his locker.

“Hello,” he said. “Are we ready to leave already?”

“Not quite,” Vex said. “Have you been to the school store yet?”

“I’ve passed it,” he replied.

“Well today you get to see it up close,” Vex said as she began to lead Percy down the hall.

The school store was originally nothing especially fancy. It was a small recess in the wall with a counter running across the front with items displayed under the counter glass and along the wall behind it. However it was clear that whoever was running the store had put a lot of time and care into the stores presentation. The display cases were lined with purple fabric and the wall hung with fabric and beads all done in a way meant to display the merchandise in the best possible way.

Outside the store Scanlan could be seen talking to a horrified looking Keyleth and Pike while Vax leaned on the counter and talked with the dark haired boy behind it.

“Percy, this is Gilmore. He runs the school store,” introduced Vex. “Gilmore, this is Percy.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” said Gilmore, extending his hand. “Vax has told me much about you.”  

“All good things I hope,” said Percy taking the offered hand.

“Don’t worry he hasn’t told me anything too scandalous,” said Gilmore. “Now, pleasantries aside I believe  you have business with me.”

“We do. Let’s start with what I ordered a few days ago,” said Vax. Gilmore crouched down behind the counter to retrieve something.

“Gilmore’s quite the businessman,” said Vex. “He sells much more than school supplies and merchandise.”

“That’s right. I can get you just about anything you need for a good price,” said Gilmore coming back up. “I’m even willing to procure some less than legal items just for VM.”

Gilmore gave Percy a sly smile and to Percy’s relief placed two bootleg video games on the counter in front of Vax. Vax slid them into his bag and replaced them with cash and a journal. By this time the rest of the group had gathered around them.  

“Gilmore, what can you tell us about this Gregory kid” asked Vax.

Gilmore picked up the journal and began scanning through the pages.

“Oh yes, I know who this is,” he said. “But if you were looking to talk with him you’re out of luck.”

“Why’s that,” asked Keyleth.

“Well because he’s mysteriously disappeared,” answered Gilmore. “He just stopped coming to school one day. According to the more credible rumors  some say he very suddenly transferred out but others say he was unfairly expelled.”

“Expelled for what,” asked Pike.

“That’s the mystery of it. According to everyone he was a good student--got straight A’s was involved in student government, never been in trouble,” answered Gilmore.

“Do you think he could have been framed for something by someone, like i don’t know, Krieg maybe,” said Vex.

“That’s a weird person to suggest,” said Gilmore. “But i agree that if he was expelled there was probably foul play involved.”

“But not by Krieg,” continued Vex. “Have you ever talked with Krieg?”

“I haven’t. He seems very charming from what I’ve seen but I haven’t heard much about him,” said Gilmore. “Is there anything else I can help with.

“Thanks Gilmore, but I think that’s it,” said Vax. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“Naturally,” Gilmore said with a small wave as the friends began the walk to the parking lot. They had some things to talk about and plans to make.

[martywurst]

My First and Worst Year: Producing A Show

I get caught up in the gossip. Shitting on comedians that I barely know. I'm trying to stop that. Early on, I was one those guys that would say something negative because I was trying to start a dialogue and reinforce any negative feelings I had about someone. Usually based in nothing; maybe one lousy first impression or through the grapevine on Facebook. Unfortunately, talking shit is a major way to bond with other inexperienced comics. A lot of miserable, sarcastic, unmotivated, boring comics. Or 10+ year comics that bitch about how unfair everything is. They can't talk to you for 30 seconds without shitting on something.

Now I know that's not me. I never feel good about it and it never helps.

The comics I look up to are modest, rarely say anything bad about anyone because they're just focused. They don't feed the fire. I'd rant about something and they wouldn't have anything to add to it. Maybe something along the lines of,

"Yeah, that can happen," kind of response.

I'd see the look on their face. I'm the problem.

I was the same way in Junior High. Picking on the popular kids and being obnoxious because I was so desperate to be a part of their circle. Afraid to be myself. Afraid to put in that kind of work.

I'll be obsessed with some idiot for hours on a Facebook thread, so tempted to participate in the attack, but where is it going to get me? Fuck, I could've written something. I should be writing jokes now, but I think I know something about blogging and comedy! I feel like I'm just regurgitating boring opinions that have been voiced on hundreds of podcasts already, I'll try to pepper this section up! Check out this sweet ass pimp kitty vest!

 I always want to prove myself to other comics. An audience of strangers is always amazing, but I do feel the pressure of an all-comic mic. It's way too important to me. I don't want to be written off, I know I can be funny. Maybe not the last 20 times you saw me, but I'll get there, don't write me off!

When I had a decent set in front of someone I respected, I felt like I could check that off. Okay, that person doesn't think I'm a piece of shit anymore. I proved myself. Getting closer to being an actual comic! Every good set is a stepping stone. My bad sets would just temporarily render me useless. Instead of doing my homework and adjusting, I would just write something new or beat a bad joke into the ground. Maybe it'll work the 27th time.

"The people that go to Burning Man only need these two words to communicate: Burning...man!"

*crickets slashing wrists*

I bombed in front of Sean Conroy and took it kind of hard. Intimidating dude, (like the Ron Perlman of improvisation) he was sitting in the front row at Echoes Under Sunset with his arms crossed, waiting for his set and just watching me hang myself. He'd probably seen a thousand variations of the heckler character I was doing. I picked on him in character, but he wouldn't roll with it. Why would he? It was more fun to watch me squirm.

Every time I asked him a question he would answer,

"Sure."

Which is sort of the "fuck you" version of "yes and,"  It's an improv thing.

I was berating the audience for being a bunch of hipsters. Yelling out,

"Well I got something for ALL OF YOU!"

Then I started handing out free coffee coupons from a local coffee shop. Sean politely declined.

I had my bombing routine where I would call up Claire afterwards and tell her I just ate shit. Or who I ate shit in front of. She would convince me that it was okay, everybody bombs, and remind me that I'd had good sets before. She would tell me that she loved me and make me feel better about what had happened. Oh, there is life after tomorrow, I forgot! Thanks, baby!

Claire understands the grind. She's a fan of a lot of the people I look up to and we listen to a lot of the same podcasts now. She got into Jen Kirkman and The Longshot Podcast early on and now she subscribes to more comedians than I do. We went to Power Violence and a number of shows at The Improv. Pete Holmes, Todd Glass, Ron Lynch, Eddie Pepitone, Maron, Sebastian, Ian Edwards, and Tig- we love Tig. She pushed me to go on the road. She encouraged me to stop using the train and take her car instead. She makes this all possible. It's unbelievable. She even made cookies when I produced my own show.

I'd done a couple of shows at The Lexington with Tony Bartolone where I did some character stuff. I played a wrestler, a heckler that takes on Mr. Goodnight and a squarish Steve Allen type talk show host. Anyway, the owner liked me enough and said if I ever wanted to use the space, hit him up.

Tony was nice enough to help me too, he ran sound for me. Uggh, I didn't even give him a fucking spot and he ran sound for me- that's how great a guy he is and how SELFISH I can be.

 I think the best thing in comedy after doing standup is booking your own show. Reaching for the stars, pulling in friends, what a great position to be in! Compiling a fantasy list of mostly male comics and shooting them a message on Facebook.

So if you're a new comic wondering, how the hell do I get booked on a show?

Well, a moron like me could accidentally see you at an open mic and then end up liking you! And I'm the guy who did a shitty set before you, remember? You never know who could be running shows.

Most people got back to me pretty quick. Comedians love a full calendar. 

I adored The Walsh Brothers. So original and twisted. They blew my mind at TigerLily and I finally met the guys through a mutual friend.

Brian Scolaro was someone I had talked to outside of The Comedy Store. He's one of the first comics to give me any kind of advice,

"Don't move To Long Beach."

I was a fanboy of Dean Delray. I heard Matty Goldberg on Danny Lobell's podcast and dug his book about his friendship with Angelo Bowers. Ron Babcock was one of the friendly guys on the scene, loved his standup. I'd worked on a webseries with Paul Danke. Just met a lot of the other comics at open mics. I worked with Jeanne Whitney at Arclight Hollywood and we started standup around the same time. I watched Timika Hall do her first set at Echoes Under Sunset and she was great! Ester Steinberg cracked me up at The Palace and then I wanted to book her after I saw this sketch. She just happened to be hanging out with Neel Nanda when I was booking him, so I got both of them right then and there.

Robert Vertrees was brand new like me, but I just dug his story.

I knew I'd never have to worry about Ken Garr.

Just read his awesome blog entry "One Year Later and Why I Should Quit"

I should've taken note and made my blog shorter! That dude is a complete professional and will never hesitate to give you his tour dates at the MGM in Las Vegas.

Jak Knight was edgy and exciting. Jon Durnell was the best thing about a bringer show I did at the Formosa. I didn't even know Lisa Landry, but Brian asked if she could be on. Same thing with Kevin James Moore, a buddy of Matty's.

  Maagic Collins is one of the kindest souls I've ever met. I love his standup. He would show up to my afternoon Tribal mic on Saturdays. Very supportive guy.

I think I saw Rick Wood at Power Violence and he just blew me away.

Anyway, you get the fucking point, this was just an excuse to drop everyone's links. Jesus Christ.

One time I made the amateur mistake of messaging too many people at once and then having to tell one comic I'd put them on the next show. I got a lot of grief for that and I was pulling my hair out. I was getting a guilt trip from the disappointed comic and now I didn't want to book him at all. It was totally my fault, but I was just getting through the learning curve. Book carefully, and wait for your damn responses.

Another recurring thing that kept coming up is a comic wanting to bring a friend for a guest spot. It's a good rule of thumb to keep a spot open for a possible drop-in. Or just book less comics Marty. Aren't you glad you paid $200 for this helpful comedy workshop tip?

I was also planning on doing all these wacky sketches and transitions that had nothing to do with the stand-up comedy. I wanted to make it an event. I asked Chris Walsh if we could have an extended dialogue where the Walsh Brothers get in an argument with me and then pretend to shoot me from the audience...so now I'm suddenly on the level of The Walsh Brothers! Proposing bits. Chris was really nice about it and declined in the best way possible. He made me realize that I should only work on the hosting- not all this extra dressing. I'd be stressed out enough. Plus, The Walsh Brothers have their own thing going on and it's hilarious.

Claire helped me with some basic PR stuff; shooting out emails to various websites with LA calendars of events. Lot of people check online for free entertainment. I hit up LA Weekly early enough to get this delightful blip:

Did I pay anyone? I paid Dean Delray. I paid Brian Scolaro. It seems a little unfair now, I had The Walsh Brothers, Ron Babcock, Paul Danke, and Matty Goldberg, who all have a shitload of experience.

I got this dumb idea that I should write thank you notes to everyone else. Looking back, I gave comedians false hope of money in those envelopes, only to find a badly scrawled "thank you" with some shitty stick figure doodles. At least there were cookies at the gig.

Brian mentioned the 50 bucks onstage and I was really embarrassed. It exposed the inner-workings of my inexperience and that I was holding out on everyone else. I think I would do it differently now, but it was a free show.

Tony watched me have a mini-meltdown. I was stressing out because there was a band that was booked on a show immediately after and it was clear that I was going to run over their time. I thought if I gave up my own set and kept bringing the next comic up, we'd finish on time without cutting anyone's sets down.

Tony explained to me that I shouldn't of worried about that, that it was worse to bring the comics up cold. It's better to keep the audience warmed up, but I was hopping back on stage saying,

"Give it up for Ron Babcock, and now let's keep it moving- Matty Goldberg!"

I didn't get it. I thought running over my time would fuck things up and I'd never get to do a show again. I shouldn't of booked so many comics anyway- Paul Danke was going on dead last, and he'd been waiting around so long, I felt horrible. I should buy his album.

So don't sacrifice your time for the sake of the next show- be a good host, Wurst.

But that first show had a great turnout, especially for The Lexington. The comics were kind of impressed. That extra leg work paid off.

I remember I wanted to bring Dean Delray up to a Led Zeppelin song and I kept bothering Tony about it when the order changed. Then when the music came up, Dean was clearly stoked and that little moment meant a lot to me.

On his way out he yelled,

"Congratulations on your 1st year of stand up!"

Speaking of which, I asked Melina Paez if I could be in her "DropTheSoapTV" series, where comics do stand-up in her shower. It was a fun way to cap off my first year.

Okay, that was rather manic. Just a couple steps away from Denis Leary- uggh. Anyway, I STOPPED doing that. Here's a message to myself as I time-travel back to the shower,

Horrible jokes, asshole! Your taint is hilarious by the way.

I just want to thank the people that encouraged me or gave me useful information when I started bumbling my way through open mics that first year (July 2013-2014)

Brett Gilbert, Ric Rosario, Matty Goldberg, Tony Bartolone, Jason Van Glass, Ron Babcock, Dean Delray, Chris Walsh, Matt Walsh, Danny Lobell, Mollie Gross, Melina Paez, Brian Scolaro, Jamie Flam, Jeremiah Watkins, Mike Celestino, Justin Alexio, Neel Nanda, Mikey de Lara, Paul Danke, Ari Mannis, Lydia Robinson, Ryan Doolittle, Maagic Collins, Don Barris, Elissa Rosenthal, Rob Antus, K-von, Jarrett and Emily Galante, Christiane Georgi, Hiro Matsunaga, Greg James, Carly Craig, Matthew Hilton, Sally Mullins, Matt Sauter, Matt Gamarra, Donald McKinney, Ryan Kain, Jeremy Fultz, Del Weston, Derick Armijo, Alisha Morine, Nicole Malina, Devon Schwartz, Andy Salamone, Barbara Gray, Sean Conroy, Myles Weber, Ricky Winston, Frankie Ma, Rishi Arya, Brandon Birckz, Sean K., Mike Menendez, Jamar Neighbors, Mr. Goodnight, Erica Rhodes, Matt Champagne, David Gerhardt, The Martin Duprass, John Silver, Ryan Pfeiffer, Kevin Anderson, Whitney Melton, Kym Kral, Jared Levin, Kenneth Lion, Alex Croll, Adam Carr, Trevor James, Deon Williams, Amber Brashear, Pat Regan, Brad Silnutzer, Rob Weissman, Marty, Graham Curan, Eddie Pepitone, Quincy Johnson, Blythe Metz, Willie Dynamite, Freddy Morales, Marcela Perdomo, Nick Kaufman, Atelston Fitgerald Holder The 1st, Bruce Boiman, Tom Allen, Melissa Villasenor, Maria Bamford, Todd Glass, Lou Perez, Allison Anders, Jeremy Bassett, Tony Alfieri, Laura Niles, Tamoy Sherman, Chaliss Robinson, Eddie Whitehead Jr, Brent Weinbach, Jill Maragos, Jodi Miller, Luz Pazos, Brianna Murphy, Sasha Kapustina, Alain Villenueve, Brad James, Lauren Kiang, Yoav, Ken Garr, David Gregorian, Jordan Leer, Stefano Della Pietra, Down Under Comedy Club, Mike Garrison, Brad and Sara Harris, Thomas Hussey, Harold, Chino, Tiffany Gomes, Simon Gibson, Joe Wagner, Scott Luhrs, Jay Weingarten, Joe Kardon, Pedro Salinas, Willie Dynamite, Robert Vertrees, Amber Kenny, Karah Britton, Alison Tafel, David Hill, Andy Kosec, Micah Lile, Chris Putro, Kris Rubio, Jade Thom, Brodie Reed, Ryan Talmo, Kevin Lee, Kellie Ann, Jeanne Whitney, Jake Kroeger, Nikki Riordan, Tim Mars, Christian Chavez, Jake Adams, Louise Hung, Michael Donato, my Geffen peeps, all my Arclight friends, Stella friends, childhood friends and family that came out to support.

Or if you're just generally nice to me thanks. You gave me the strength to go out and bomb one more time.

Shout out to Mike Celestino's great documentary "That's Not Funny".

and finally To Claire:

For every time I called you up to moan out my discontent, only to be dissuaded from my stubborn misery because of your constant light, love, and gentle reasoning.

For those open mics you'll never be able to unsee.

I love you more than open mic comedians love pussy jokes.

And as you know, that's a hell of a lot.

[itsworn]

Homemade, 50-Year-Old Fuel Motor Roars Back To Life

The Big Banger Theory

Fueler.

Improbable survival stories are standard equipment around here. HOT ROD Deluxe is known for telling resurrection tales that defy all odds and logic. Some of those story ideas surely would’ve been rejected outright by skeptical editors as borderline unbelievable, had photographic evidence not undeniably documented a journey from distant past to survivor. Forget “borderline”; this is one backyard project that’s been unreal from the very start, when a retired machinist began building his racing engine, literally—a gigantic four-banger that once again cackles with nitromethane—a half-century later.

If that already sounds unbelievable, prepare to suspend disbelief long enough to hear the rest of the story. The happy ending depicted by these current photos followed decades of neglect, disassembly, and even theft that could’ve, would’ve, and certainly should’ve written a far sadder story. The magical intervention of a young Springfield, Oregon, engine builder was the last link in a long chain of unlikely coincidences—or was it something else?

“I feel like Grandpa led me to him,” says Carol Stange, a since-retired meter reader for the Springfield Utility Board in Oregon whose monthly route included a joint named Tim’s Muscle Cars. She’d never met or even seen anyone on the grounds until the day she spied an old Lyndwood dragster chassis out front. As a lifelong gearhead from Long Beach, California, whose grandfather had exposed the whole family to nearby Lions Drag Strip, Carol couldn’t resist knocking on the office door. When nobody answered, she walked inside and to the back of the building, following male voices.

“A buddy and I were painting his GTO in my spray booth,” Tim Riel recalls. “We both had respirators on. I thought, ‘Wow, this lady has a lot of nerve, walking up to a couple of strangers wearing masks!’” Tim and Carol agree that their introductory conversation began something like this:

“Hi, I saw your dragster out front. My grandfather had one of those.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, in the mid-1960s. He built his own engine. Car Craft wrote about it.”

“Is your grandpa Byron Barnes?”

Imagine Carol’s shock, hearing a total stranger utter the name of her late grandfather. “I followed him up to the front office, where Tim had a big stack of magazines. He went right to the issue and pulled it out. I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the article.’ I couldn’t believe this was happening! Tim seemed intrigued that the chassis survived, was still in the family, and was here in Oregon.”

A magazine published seven years before Tim Riel was born just happened to be among several milk crates of “moldy, smelly, old paper” that he’d recently purchased from a swap-meet vendor. Tim and his machinist father, Rod Riel, had been going through the pile that very week. “We kept coming back to that Car Craft and that one article. We couldn’t get over how much work went into the engine. It still amazes me. This guy not only made his own engine parts; first, he had to design and build the tooling to make them. Everything had to be perfectly aligned for those pistons to go up and down. Even with today’s technology, not many people would—or even could—do what her grandpa did 50 years ago.”

So, as an engineering exercise, this project was pretty hard to beat; as a race car, not so much. In fact, it never got past the testing stage. When the late, great writer A.B. Shuman submitted his tech story around March 1967, Byron had run the rail twice. First time out, injected on nitro, netted “a quite respectable 120 mph in eleven seconds, shutting off at the halfway mark and coasting through the traps,” CC reported. Switching to dual Weber carbs and, presumably, gasoline for a second try, there was another half-pass of 129 mph but no e.t reported by Shuman. Gifford Barnes counts three trips to Lions Drag Strip with his dad, all plagued by bogging off the line: “He couldn’t get the fuel system right,” he explains. “After the car stumbled, it really charged, but Mickey [Okahara, the driver] couldn’t get away clean.” The wide variety of used parts visible in photos and recovered by Tim Riel point to additional experimentation, as does the only time slip left behind. On the back is scrawled, “50% nitro.” If, in fact, the indicated 8.74 and 164 were recorded by this car, it would’ve been one of the swiftest four-bangers of the era—but not competitive for the type of racing Byron initially envisioned.

Considering how many years one old guy, working alone, needed to bring this engine, particularly, plus a homebuilt chassis all the way from conception to completion—the crankshaft alone required 30 days, according to CC—it’s hardly surprising that classification rules would evolve. The article cites so-called “junior fuelers” for Byron’s inspiration. After Lions bowed out of the fuel ban in 1962, that unofficial term came to be loosely applied to single-engined, normally aspirated dragsters burning nitromethane and/or methanol, regardless of engine type or size. Those not quick enough to qualify for Top Fuel Eliminator might’ve run Top Gas or amongst themselves. Byron’s decision to make his sheetmetal cylinder block tall enough to displace either 353 or 392 ci hardly seems coincidental at a time when 354 and 392 Chryslers were fashionable. Some injected Chevys were poked ’n’ stroked to 358 and even 389 cubes.

By the time Byron was ready to go, Lions had banished fuel burners from Top Gas and created an official Junior Fuel category for unblown engines no larger than 310 cubes. Bigger motors moved into either C/Fuel Dragster (up to 350 ci) or B/FD (to 400 ci), both of which were dominated by small-inch, blown Hemis and Chevys. No wonder Byron lost interest in 1968 or ’69 and parked this car. Indeed, but for one old magazine article and however few firsthand witnesses remain, nearly nobody would know it ever existed.

Getting back to Tim’s Muscle Cars, the Springfield meter reader regularly returned to share leisurely lunch breaks and talk shop. “All I knew was that the bare chassis was hanging in her uncle’s barn,” Tim says. “Carol never got over there to take pictures. I told her that I’d be interested in buying whatever was left.”

“Oh, yeah, he bugged me for over a year,” Carol confirms, laughing. “He’d say, ‘Can I just go see it, please?’ I didn’t want to bug my uncle Giff just so someone could look up in his rafters. But my family always hoped to get Grandpa’s dragster running. My cousin Frank, Giff’s son, started on that about 20 years ago. He took the car apart, spread the parts out on the bench, but it never went back together. When I finally called to tell my uncle I’d met a young guy with his own engine shop who might want to buy the car, Giff said, ‘Nope, he can’t buy it. If you really think he’ll do something with it, tell him to come get it.'”

What Carol didn’t know at the time was that thieves had recently removed critical components from Giff’s unlocked boat barn and sold them for scrap. Luckily, her uncle and cousin noticed parts missing in time to track down the metals dealer before he got around to melting or reselling most, though the rare quick-change rearend was already gone. They went to court to recover what remained and prevailed, eventually.

“All I expected to get was a chassis, or part of one,” Tim says. “I planned to look for dragster parts at swap meets, maybe put in an early Hemi or small-block. Carol’s mom, uncle, aunt, cousin, brother, and sister were all there to say goodbye to Grandpa’s dragster. I walked into this big metal shed with a huge fishing boat on one side. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Byron’s short-block was sitting on a crate. Piles of parts were on the floor. Both M&H slicks were still mounted on Halibrands. The original parachute was hanging from the rafters. We found the complete clutch assembly and can, all the mag body panels, even a firesuit. After everything was laid out at home the next day, I was amazed by how complete the car was. I saw it as a giant erector set, minus the rearend and some small pieces that my dad and I could probably make. We were lucky to have the Car Craft for reference.

“I was worried that Byron’s two children wouldn’t be around long enough to see it get done,” he adds. “I’d made them a promise to try, but Giff’s health was not good. He and his sister, Carol’s mom, were in their eighties. This was important. I wanted that engine to run again, on nitro. I really got into it.”

He sure did, gradually assembling the erector set most nights and weekends for eight months, in between engine work for patient patrons of Tim’s Muscle Cars. When he proudly unveiled the sum of those parts, Byron’s descendants were there to witness the resurrection of a father and grandfather, along with an old dragster. “We were all in tears,” Tim admits.

“To me, it’s just amazing how things worked out,” says Carol Stange, the fearless meter reader whose knock on one door opened so many more. “It was fun, and I just felt like it was meant to be.”

The all-homemade engine was designed to displace either 353 or 392 ci, depending on crankshaft selection. To minimize weight, designer-builder Byron Barnes settled on four cylinders (versus eight), a sheetmetal crankcase (versus cast iron), and valves in the block (versus overhead). Note the 3-inch offset, to counteract torque.

Both the dragster and the former Romania Chevrolet store were operational in the 1960s. Despite its lengthy wheelbase of 152 inches and maze of suspension tubing, the car weighed just 710 pounds, wet.

Everything orange was powdercoated by McKenzie Chrome Plating (Springfield, Oregon). All four wheels and tires are original. After the original mag body was ruined by a careless sandblaster—and Tim Riel was quoted a price of $3,500 per magnesium sheet—buddy Les Schoonover (Springfield) replicated the cowl and side panels in aluminum.

Restorer-caretaker Tim Riel estimates that no fewer than 100 pieces of sheet steel were welded together to create the 116-pound bare block.

Byron Barnes obviously had his own ideas about weight transfer, probably influenced by his oval-track history. He formed the fuel tank by cutting and merging two military-surplus water kettles engraved with the words “U.S. Army.”

The aluminum cover contains the coolant sitting on top of four individual cylinder heads. Water enters through the open hole (which still lacks a pressure cap to replace the tiny original). Boiling water exits through the overflow tube. Mike Maher did the pinstriping and lettering. The rear-main seal is a small-block Chevy item.

The parachute, M&H 8.20-15 Racemasters, and magnesium Halibrand wheels are original. The Portland Swap Meet produced a virtual duplicate of the stolen rearend assembly, including Halibrand champ-car quick-change, that fit perfectly.

Rod Riel, Tim’s machinist dad, reproduced one of the Anglia-style spindles and some missing suspension pieces on his CNC machines. The shocks are Volkswagen. The aluminum fuel line is original.

The custom tri-drive system is a work of art. A spur gear on the crank runs the cam, which drives the Bendix Mini-Mag, Hilborn fuel pump, and a Ford six-cylinder oil pump at the bottom that fills a custom dry-sump pan. A piece of leather that seals the timing cover to the crankcase is the closet thing to a gasket in the entire engine. Byron even built his own injectors. The original velocity stacks and Hilborn barrel valve survived, but not the exhaust flange and headers, which Rod Riel replicated. Since our photo session, Tim has completed the complicated linkage and added a mini-starter to the front of the crank. Previously, he hand-operated the throttle with a long rod connecting the individual injectors and fired the engine on a stand, since none of the Riels can squeeze into the cockpit for push starting.

Since stumbling onto this photography location in Eugene, Oregon, we’ve learned that the former home of Lew Williams and, later, Joe Romania Chevrolet is infamous for 2000 and 2001 arson attacks by local “ecoterrorists” targeting gas guzzlers. In the first incident, three light trucks collectively valued at $28,000 were torched by activists who happened to be under surveillance by a terrorism task force that night. Nine months later, a different gang set fire to 35 new Suburbans and Tahoes worth $959,000. The Chevy store was sold shortly thereafter and ultimately closed in 2005 when the University of Oregon purchased the prime, four-and-a-half-acre property adjoining the campus for storage. The wooden panels were installed after rock-throwing vandals found the original glass irresistible.

Machinists’ Union

It took a father-son team of master machinists in Long Beach, California, to create this engine, and it took another to restore it to running condition, a half-century later and 900 miles north. The shared experience has tightly bonded the Barnes-Garwood and Riel families to this day.

Gifford Barnes, 86, machined the individual cylinder heads for his late dad’s engine. He inherited Byron’s last race car in 1981 and stored it for 34 years. The Barnes-Garwood family photo album produced a rare 1930s snapshot of father and son together.

Kay Barnes Garwood, 84, is Byron’s daughter. Nearly eight decades after posing with the family dog and midget at home in Long Beach, she lives with daughter Linda Garwood (left) in Port Orford, Oregon.

Tim and Jan Riel rescued and revived their rail with invaluable assistance from Rod Riel (left), a semiretired CNC machinist. Its new home is Tim’s Muscle Cars, a restoration and engine shop in Springfield, Oregon.

Social Media, Old School

For 400 years before digital devices connected us senders and receivers, magazines did that job. This one still does, albeit with a time delay measured in months or years, not nanoseconds. You know the drill: HOT ROD Deluxe publishes an article or column or photo caption that thrills/irritates you into sending love letters/hate mail. Correspondence deemed worthy of print shows up in stores and mailboxes two or three issues later to thrill/irritate fellow readers. See, just like Facebook posts, minus fake news.

Despite modern production technology, “slick” magazines still take forfriggin’ever to print, bind, and transport, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed. Our bimonthly infrequency automatically puts HRD another month behind the monthlies. If you’re reading this on the West Coast, add another week for trains and trucks to move the bundles all the way from the Midwest, where most of America’s ink gets spilled. Finally, your copy shows up in, say, Springfield, Oregon. Reading from front to back (as editors and the good Lord intended), you eventually get to a couple of 50-year-old, unpublished outtakes from a 1968 Car Craft story. The caption asks if any reader knows what happened to an obscure race car that vanished 15 years before you were born, a car that happens to be parked in your shop.

Reader Tim Riel responded almost as soon as his heart settled back into his chest. Editor Hardin couldn’t wait to print the letter and photos Tim sent of the restored rail. Meanwhile, though, another issue’s bimonthly production cycle came and went, delaying publication by one more edition. When the car reappeared in color in January 2016’s Scrapbook section, Mr. Ed. promised in print to send contributor Dave Wallace—who claimed a personal connection to its builder—to shoot a proper feature. In consideration of the Northwest’s notorious rainy season, we postponed that photo session until the late spring. Finally, the Byron Barnes rail returns to these pages, completing a print conversation started nearly two years ago—if not 50 years ago this December, when Petersen Publishing Company staffers Bob Swaim and A.B. Shuman visited the car both at home and at Lions Drag Strip.

Original Car Craft article, June 1968

From HRD’s “The Golden Age Of Drag Racing,” September 2015

From HRD’s letters section, January 2016

Shortly after Tim Riel’s letter and photos appeared in HRD, another stranger showed up at Tim’s Muscle Cars. He told Tim that, as a kid, he lived in Byron’s neighborhood and helped clean out the home shop after Mr. and Mrs. Barnes died weeks apart in 1981. He was given the blueprint as a souvenir. He thought it belonged with the race car. Sure enough, these cockpit measurements match. Byron evidently purchased a partial kit from little-known H&L Metals. Tim was so stunned by the gift that he never got a name. He’s hopeful that the generous mystery man will see this and identify himself to HRD—extending the series of old-school, ink-on-paper “posts” described above.

Lost And Found

On the snowy morning in January 2014 that Tim and Rod Riel dragged a trailer to the Oregon coast, a bare chassis was all they expected to find. Imagine their surprise!

For the first time, Tim Riel laid his hands—and eyes—on the remnants of a chassis he’d seen only in a Car Craft issue printed four years before he was born.

Carol Garwood Stange (right) is the retired Oregon meter reader who put Tim Riel (left) together with Grandpa’s slingshot. Her big sister, Linda Garwood, held up the nose while their uncle Giff supervised.

The rotating assembly stayed inside of Byron’s sheetmetal block since he last ran the car, circa 1968-69. Three types of steel were pressed together, then arc-welded with titanium-nickel rod, to form a hollow crankshaft with a 4.5-inch stroke.

Gifford Barnes machined the individual cylinder heads so precisely that they seal to the sheet-steel crankcase without gaskets. His dad used 40 capscrews made of aircraft-grade titanium, likely left over from one of Byron’s aerospace projects. All but a few of the original fasteners were located, cleaned up, and reinstalled by Tim Riel. Threaded tubes around the spark plugs prevent coolant from grounding out the plugs.

The camshaft is hollow. Byron fused individual lobes onto the tube, then had Iskenderian grind them to deliver 230 degrees of duration with 0.400-inch lift. “The cam wasn’t even in the engine, so I had no idea about where to degree it or set the lash,” Tim says. “The drive gear is slotted about 70 degrees where the bolt goes, for advance and retard. So I called and talked to Isky’s son, who remembered Ed playing cards with Byron. He said his dad would call after he got back from lunch. I thought, ‘Oh, sure, like Ed Iskenderian is gonna personally call some little engine builder in the middle of nowhere.’ That same afternoon, I answer the phone, and Mr. Isky says, ‘Old man Barnes still owes me 40 bucks from our weekly card game!’ He said he’d look around and let me know if he found anything. About two weeks later, I get a box with the original cam card with all of the specs, a new set of valvesprings, and a handwritten note: ‘Best wishes, Ed Iskenderian.'”

Jahns Pistons cast five of these aluminum, 5-inch-diameter monsters in the wooden mold. Byron finish-machined four to arrive at 10:1 compression. He also made five 4130 chrome-moly connecting rods, welding the ends to the tubular beams. This spare was never run.

The worn main bearings proved to be the most difficult replacement parts to find, plus the most expensive. Because all crank journals are identical, Tim had to spend $1,200 on five complete sets of obsolete aircraft bearings to get the five pieces. An old-timer at Federal-Mogul successfully cross-referenced the original part numbers by searching old paper catalogs. The valvetrain combines original, slipper-style lifters with Chrysler Hemi springs, retainers, and locks.

Everything here was formed from steel. First, though, Byron had to make wooden or cardboard templates for each piece, then construct a flame-cutting rig with a tracing stylus at one end and an oxy-acetylene cutting torch at the other. The intake and exhaust ports are two pieces of steel stampings, welded together. Also note the six water jackets per cylinder.

The original, giant 2-5/8-inch intake and exhaust valves are stainless heads on chrome-moly stems.

Half a century after this big banger first went together, it’s as good as new, plus much prettier. Of many missing parts reproduced by the Riels, the most difficult to design were the spur gears and shaft driving the magneto and fuel and oil pumps. In some old photos of the engine wearing Weber carbs, the two-hole bracket contained a different mag and a coil.

Who Was Byron Barnes?

This writer should know, having met him a few times in the mid-1970s. We even lived on the same Huntington Beach street for a while, yet I never really knew the man. Among my regrets is not spending more time in the large shop behind his house on Old Pirates Lane that held both the Hudson he’d customized and his fully assembled slingshot, covered in dusty plastic. I was introduced by my then-girlfriend as the editor of Drag News, but to him I was the longhair sleeping with his beloved granddaughter, Carol Garwood—now Carol Stange, the retired Oregon meter reader responsible for connecting his last race car to the young guy destined to rescue and restore it.

Byron’s family revealed that he was born in 1907 in Nebraska. In 1911, his parents moved to Long Beach. At age 16, Byron’s first homebuilt hot rod got him arrested and jailed. Since his dad was then running for city council, the folks shipped him offshore to herd goats on San Clemente Island until the election was over. He and a buddy later assembled an airplane that Byron flew before building and driving his first midget. When World War II halted auto racing, he worked for Douglas Aircraft Company as a mechanics’ instructor and design engineer developing tooling for the B-17 bomber. In the mid-1950s, Byron designed, built, and patented oil field equipment that enabled an early retirement. For the next 25 years, he indulged automotive passions ranging from the dragster and Hudson custom to off-road racing with local pals Bill Stroppe and Parnelli Jones.

Though Byron could likely afford any new car, I saw him driving Ford Pintos exclusively. Rather than bother changing fluids, he’d torture an engine until it rattled or smoked, swap motors in an afternoon, then perform an autopsy on the dead player. (The same boat shed that stored the dragster’s engine held another big surprise for Tim Riel: “There must’ve been 70 Pinto 2000- and 2300cc motors stacked up in there!”) Byron’s last daily driver was reportedly returning nearly 50 mpg when emphysema ended an incredible journey in April 1981, just shy of his 74th birthday.

Byron (right) was also a pilot. During the Depression, he earned money repairing and reselling crashed planes. Neither his son nor daughter recognized the other dapper dude.

The crowd at San Diego’s Balboa Stadium illustrates the huge popularity of midget racing before WWII and immediately after, until free competition from television kept people home on weekends. The fourth car back appears to be Byron’s.

This flathead is thought to be the first that Byron built from scratch, during the 1930s. It disappeared with a fast-talking salesman who promised to take it from track to track, nationwide, and write orders for production copies. Byron also constructed a DOHC prototype that might be the motor pictured in his wrecked racer. Historian Greg Sharp tells us that more than 100 different engine types powered midgets, all limited to 105 ci.

A page from Byron’s logbook documents eight events in five weeks at L.A.’s Gilmore and Atlantic Boulevard Stadium tracks during the summer of 1939.

Unlike most midgets of the era, Byron’s looked as good as they ran.

Gifford Barnes doesn’t know whether this could be his dad’s overhead cammer, but it’s the only DOHC engine shot in the family scrapbook.

Evidence that Byron’s hot rods attracted hot drivers includes this steamy shot of a guy recognized by historian Greg as Mel Hansen, “a big-name midget driver who qualified six times for the Indy 500, with a best finish of eighth.”

The forward-leaning positions of both drivers suggest this to be the moment of impact after Byron’s unknown shoe spun. We’re guessing that the background cars belonged to the two workers behind the wall.

The dragster’s finished block and crank are shown in the Long Beach shop where Byron handbuilt his last racing engine. The Barnes-Garwood family still owns the building on Signal Hill. Appropriately, it’s currently leased to a company making parts for Smart cars.

In the early 1970s, granddaughter Carol paid $100 for this Northern California barn find. It was original and complete except for a front seat. Once Carol got the engine running, her mom drove the 400-plus miles home to Long Beach sitting on a crate. Never content to follow a crowd, Grandpa Barnes hopped up the straight eight and built himself the only Hudson custom we’ve ever seen.

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