#scar on the other hand will have the same dress as cleos

[dailypearldoodles]

Day 207

Two Zombiecleo's on a server, what will they do

[tev-the-random]

I AM AN ABSOLUTE JUMBLED MESS, SO HAVE SOME OF MY MESSY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CROSSOVER TODAY, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

So far, we've got Tango in Gobland, Scar in Tumble Town, Pearl and Joe in Chromia, Cleo and Xisuma in Eversea, Keralis and Jevin in Sanctuary. Impulse and Grian are kind of making their own places. Did I miss anyone?

There are two kinds of emperors in this crossover: the ones who stick to the lore and claim they don't know the Hermits and the ones who drop everything and yell "MY RANCHER!".

Pix fits the second category, though a lot quieter.

Pearl fits the first, which is strange, considering her role as Literally God. At this point we really can't be sure of what exactly this means for Pearl or for Sausage. What is she?

Gem is her own category. There's something very sus going on with her.

Jimmy absolutely freaking out over seeing Tango again though-

I think at this point it's canon that either people have nametags floating above their heads or everyone is wearing an actual name tag and that's how they all know each other's names even though they never met.

Scott just got a magical flash grenade to the eye. How is this man seeing anything after the entire sky erupted in magic light-

Sausage. I'm not surprised. Not even disappointed. Xisuma most certainly is, though.

Is it a custom in Sanctuary to kiss people on the cheeks or is Sausage like... actively making out with newcomers? I know this is a very weird question, but it's Sausage we're talking about.

Joel adopted the one night armour stand joke lmao-

Tango freaking out over every little thing he sees.

Murder is canonically legal in Empires.

Grian is a force of chaos, as expected.

Rancher duo collabs again, pog? With horns and everything?

And Tango is now an engineer in Gobland, which means Fwhip might have some more to do other than poke the Sheriff. This crossover is a win all around for Jimmy, except for the toy jokes, which may increase, but I will thoroughly ignore that-

There's No Curse In Glimmer Grove.

Sausage keeping tabs on all the Hermits. That' either means that he's not as unsuspecting of them as he may seem or it implies that all Hermits are now their own empiresonas-

Grian's appearance in Tumble Town was so incredibly ominous, holy sh-

Shelby trying to be hospitable but at the same time being a witch inviting unsuspecting people into her hut in the cursed swamp after claiming the fog eats souls and pulling out a scythe. I'd be terrified.

Hats and mounts get passed all around. Is this a crime?

Why does only Pearl get an outfit change? I mean, I know why, but like, canonically speaking, why did it happen?

Still, I felt a bit teary-eyed upon seeing the Arena Duo together again, the Gilded Helianthia dress only made it better. I missed these guys interacting so much, and I don't know if I'm in denial like Sausage or if I'm just about to open a Word document to write an entire one shot about it-

Sausage had a vision of Gilded Helianthia, I'm not ok

Oh god, now we have both Joel and Scar yelling LORE in the same place, save us-

So convenient that E!False decided to travel far away right when HC!False shows up. Smart decision, yes, but at the same time, the fanfic writers must now assemble to make the two of them meet.

Ok, so apparently some people remember the Life series and some people don't. I guess that means that some of the characters, such as Jimmy, Joel and Scar, are the same characters from the Life series after they lost their third life. Other characters, such as Scott and Pearl, are not. But what does this mean?

Fwhip sounded so hurt for a moment when he thought Jimmy made Scar his new deputy. This man is not ok.

Soup Group? Soup Group.

Big ears Scar is cursed.

Sausage is too hospitable for his own good.

Scar's deputy and moral support arc. I'm happy for it, but at the same time, I don't trust it.

On one hand, I do think the wallpaper in Tumble Town looks very pretty and it would be so sad to destroy it. On the other hand, Jimmy deserves some dignity and shouldn't take this slander anymore, I swear to god-

Poor Impulse is so confused, why is this cat lady yelling at him, why are animals walking on two legs, where is he, he's having a crisis-

Stratos' class system gets called out, finally.

Just when Joel was so close to convincing the fandom that he's tall, the Empires' folk shut it down and confirm that they're only playing along and he is not, in fact, tall. Short king is back?

Katherine, when you go around telling everyone, including literal strangers your secret, I don't think it can be considered a secret anymore.

Fwhip encourages crime, such a good deputy of the law.

But then again, it's not stealing, it's borrowing-

Seeing the empires from the Hermits' perspectives is crazy, I hadn't realised just how massive these empires got.

The Hermits are staying for a while. I'm so happy this isn't going to be a one-episode thing, I'm dying to see where this goes!

(I'm trying to watch as many perspectives as I can. Some of them haven't come out yet, and I don't feel like watching Keralis' hour long episode. Can someone tell me what happens there?)

[rutellingmeashrimpfriedthisrice]

MCYT Yuri Week Day Four!

Prompt: Genderbend/Transgendered

Ship: Grian/Scar(GoodTimesWithScar) aka Ariana Griande/HotGal(Guy)

Series: Hermitcraft SMP

Word Count: 1,982

@mcyt-yuri-week

Ariana sighed as she adjusted her ponytail, frowning at her manager with a glare. "I can handle myself, I don't need a bodyguard." She said for at least the tenth time since Cleo told her about the arrangement they'd made for her.

"Sure you don't." Cleo shrugged, reading from their clipboard. "That's what you said last time, and you nearly got pulled off stage into the crowd."

"I got them too excited! I know better this time." Ariana huffed, crossing her arms as embarrassment burned her cheeks at the memory.

"Here! I'm here!" A voice called from the doorway as Ariana looked up to see a woman dressed like some sort of comic book character, long hair braided and resting beside a quiver full of sharp-looking arrows.

"HotGal, glad you could join us." Cleo greeted, shaking the woman's scarred hand.

"Glad to be here, I'm HotGal. Big fan, Miss Griande." She said, addressing Cleo then Ariana as the shorter woman felt her cheeks flush for the second time in the past five minutes.

"Nice to meet you." Ariana forced herself to say, shaking her hand as she forced herself to keep her gaze above the other woman's shoulders. Those arms could crush watermelons.

"Well, I guess I'll be in charge of your safety while you're in Hermitopolis! Nice to have you here, by the way." HotGal said, sourly reminding Ariana why she had been unhappy in the first place.

"Right." She muttered, retracting her hand to cross her arms again.

Awkward silence passed before Cleo broke it to pull HotGal aside with details of Ariana's schedule, all while the popstar glared daggers into her bodyguard's muscular back.

This was going to be a long week.

🎤🏹🎤

Ariana panted slightly as she finished running through her practice setlist, mentally reminding herself to correct her timing so she wouldn't step out too early at the show.

Cheers and applause pulled at her attention, scowling as she noticed her bodyguard sitting in the front row watching her with a grin.

"That was amazing! Best two hours of my life." HotGal said earnestly, standing and jumping to pull herself onto the tall stage one handed.

Show off.

"Thanks." Ariana muttered with a shrug, taking a slow sip from her water bottle to avoid speaking to the other woman as long as she could. "I thought you were supposed to be backstage while I'm performing?"

"Wouldn't it be easier to come to your aid if I'm out here in the crowd?" HotGal asked back.

Ariana just frowned, unable to come up with a good response for that line of logic.

HotGal grinned when Ariana said nothing. "Seriously, you were great! I can't wait to see the show for real, I've always wanted to go to one of your concerts."

Ariana flushed and turned her head to the side at the praise. "You'll have to watch the same set twice in show while I'm here, you know." She reminded.

"I know!" HotGal beamed.

"Won't that get boring?" Ariana asked, confused why her bodyguard seemed unfazed. "You have to watch me rehearse twice before each show, and there's two nights of that. You'll see me sing the same songs six times!"

HotGal seemed to vibrate with excitement. "Isn't that amazing? I get to watch my favorite singer perform six whole times!"

Ariana scoffed and sighed, shaking her head. "You're so weird." She said with a faint smile.

"And you're finally smiling around me." HotGal smirked.

Ariana froze, looking up at the taller woman in surprise. The only person she knew professionally who ever bantered with her was Cleo, and even then they'd known each other for years to form that sort of bond.

This was new. This was different.

Ariana kind of enjoyed it, if she were honest with herself.

🏹🎤🏹

Ariana waved to the audience before the spotlight switched off in time for her to step backstage, where she startled upon nearly running into none other than HotGal.

"You were absolutely incredible!" She cheered, holding up a bouquet of crumpled flowers, many of which were missing petals. HotGal must have just taken notice, because she cursed under her breath and rubbed her neck with a shy grin. "I had to push the crowd back a bit before I could get back here." She explained.

Ariana slowly reached out to take the flowers, one eyebrow raised as she kept her eyes locked on the other woman. "Thank you." She said after a beat of hesitation, finally glancing down as she plucked a petal from a poppy idly.

"You look beautiful." HotGal said through the silence. Ariana's eyes went wide as she looked up at the equally surprised-looking woman. "I mean, like, your makeup is so pretty! And your outfit! I love the bow." She said, gesturing vaguely to the comically large pink bow in the popstar's hair.

Ariana reached back with her free hand to brush her fingers against the glittery fabric and smiled nervously. "Oh, thanks. But you should be thanking my makeup team, they're the ones behind the magic." She said with a dismissive wave of her hand as her friends Gem and Mumbo peeked their heads out from the dressing room to wave.

HotGal waved back with a chuckle before shaking her head. "They're definitely talented, but I think you're what makes it look so good." She said, using her hand to gesture Ariana up and down. "You're just, naturally pretty."

"Oh, you're just saying that." Ariana giggled and rolled her eyes. She'd almost forgotten HotGal was just a fan.

"I mean it!" HotGal defended. "I don't have to see you out of makeup to know you'd still look good." She said before clamping a hand over her mouth, as if her brain had just caught up with her words.

Ariana eyed her for a moment, blush slowly creeping onto both of their cheeks before she looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I made things all weird." HotGal chuckled tensely.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm used to it." Ariana shook her head.

HotGal frowned. "Oh, I wasn't-" She paused, shaking her head. "I didn't mean that in like, a fangirl way." She stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I was serious."

Ariana flushed deeper, staring at HotGal with wide eyes. "Oh." She managed.

"Yeah." HotGal responded with the same stunned tone.

Ariana glanced around HotGal to see Cleo trying to wave her over and gratefully took the excuse to leave the conversation, even if it was just as awkward as continuing it.

🎤🏹🎤

Ariana managed to avoid HotGal up until her second and final performance in Hermitopolis, which wasn't an easy feat considering it was literally HotGal's job to be in Ariana's presence at all times.

"Great work out there." HotGal startled the popstar, causing Ariana to nearly choke on her water. She'd just finished her final rehearsal before the show, so she was surprised by how she hadn't seen HotGal coming when she had just been sitting in the front row moments earlier.

"Thanks." Ariana said without looking at her.

"Did I do something?" HotGal asked, the question enough to make Ariana finally look at her fully.

"What? No, of course not." Ariana answered with a shake of her head.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" HotGal asked, a deep-seated frown on her face, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I haven't-" Ariana stopped herself. She kind of had avoided the other woman. "Because we don't know each other." She said instead, and somehow the truthful statement made her chest ache.

HotGal staggered back half a step, as if the answer had completely taken her by surprise. "Then, what do you want to know about me?" She asked, staring at the singer is if in challenge.

"W- What?" Ariana blinked in confusion.

"You said we don't know each other, so tell me what you want to know about me." HotGal said, crossing her arms.

Ariana stared in disbelief a moment before responding. "What's your name? Your not-HotGal name." She asked slowly.

"It's Scarlett. Scar for short." She answered without skipping a beat.

Ariana blinked. "Scar." She repeated. "It suits you."

"Thanks. My turn?" Scar asked hopefully.

"Fine. What do you want to know? And I don't have to answer if I don't want to." She clarified.

"Deal." Scar tilted her head for a moment, thinking. "Why singing?" She asked, gesturing to the switched-off microphone still hanging limply in the artist's grip.

Ariana held the mic closer, examining it for a moment. "I don't know, it seemed fun at the time. I'm good at it." She said with a shrug.

"You are pretty good." Scar agreed with a smile.

They traded little facts about each other for the next hour, until Ariana had to start her preparations for the show. She went smiling back to her dressing room, in a better mood than she had been in a long time.

🏹🎤🏹

Ariana listened to the roar of the crowd, chanting her name like a mantra. Some held up signs with her name or face, some held pink or red light sticks, many wore red and pink face paint in her honor.

Ariana! Ariana!

One cheer in particular caught her attention more than others, a name she hadn't heard much since her rise to fame.

"Go Grian!" Scar shouted over the noise from the front row, surrounded by confused fans. Grian caught her gaze and winked, setting the crowd off into another screeching round of cheers and applause.

She thanked the crowd with a wave and turned to leave, crashing into Scar just moments after stepping backstage.

"You were so great!" Scar beamed, hand resting on the shorter woman's lower back to keep her from falling after their initial collision.

"Thanks." Grian chuckled, feeling flustered. She placed her hands lightly on Scar's upper chest, intending to push her away only for the bodyguard to pull her a bit closer. She glanced up to meet her eyes through HotGal's tinted sunglasses, her heart skipping a beat at the closeness of the other woman.

"Hard to believe we'll be leaving town tomorrow." Scar said softly.

"Yeah…" Grian mumbled, a hint of sadness in her voice she couldn't cover. Then, she blinked. "Wait, we?" She asked, brows pinching in confusion.

"Yup! Cleo helped me finalize the paperwork before the show. I'm coming with you! Surprise!" Scar grinned.

Grian stared up at Scar in surprise before a grin slowly took over her face as she rushed into the taller woman, throwing her arms around Scar's neck to hug her tightly.

Scar hugged back, chuckling as she picked Grian up with ease to twirl, ignoring the squawk of surprise from the popstar in her arms.

Grian looked down at her bodyguard before Scar tilted her head up to give her a chaste kiss.

Scar tensed, eyes wide as her grip tightened reflexively. "I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean- That was-" She stuttered.

Grian smiled fondly. "Scar?" She interrupted. She waited for Scar to stop talking before craning her neck down to capture the other woman's lips in a lasting, light kiss.

When they separated, they stared at each other for a bit before bursting out into a fit of giggles, cheeks flushed and all smiles.

"Cleo is going to murder us." Grian snickered.

"Us? It'll be me they kill over this." Scar corrected through laughter.

"What is this, exactly?" Grian wondered, still smiling even as nerves crept in.

Scar's laughter quieted, staring at Grian as if lost in thought before she shrugged slightly. "Whatever you want it to be. Public girlfriends, private girlfriends, boss who kisses her employee sometimes, I'm okay with anything if it means we can keep doing this." She responded, the earnest truthfulness of it sending Grian into another fit of giggles.

Grian grinned. "Girlfriends. I like the sound of that." She admitted.

"Me too." Scar agreed, kissing her again.

[atherix]

Soo, A few more characters description questions

In midnight what do Scott and Jimmy look like (like what do they normally wear)

And. What do the watcher gods look like or are they just kinda shadowy thjngs?

Also, could you give some character descriptions of Joe, lizzy, bdubs, doc and cleo, if you don't mind. And heights of the characters?

*I know I'm probably forgetting g someone and I need to reread midnight but I've been super busy

Hmmmmmmm this is a long post so I'll put it below the cut <3

Jimmy is "from a farm in Tumble Town" (supposedly) so likes to dress the part... though he does it, uh. Badly. Think button up, bluejean jacket and bluejeans that clash horribly, brown cowboy boots with the stirrups removed, a ten gallon hat that Scott is constantly hiding so he won't wear it in front of people, a red handkershief around his throat- he's an absolute mess, not a shred of fashion sense to him. Scott, on the other hand, is absolutely fabulous. He wears colorful clothes, semi-formal style. Think suit without the jacket in shades of purple, and black dress shoes that are always shined to perfection. He also has his pale blue hair (ofc, he's Scott Smajor <3) and heterochromia, with an amber eye and a blue eye. They have matching wedding rings, gold <3 Jimmy is, of course, short as most Avians are- he's a few inches taller than Grian, at least. Meanwhile, Scott is around the same height as Scar, maybe just slightly shorter than him.

Watcher gods are.... in a way they're shapeshifters. We haven't seen their true forms but we will one day, but there's a reason in Grian's POV I describe him as "feeling like his skin is turning to molten glass." Watcher gods typically wear purple cloaks that completely hide their features, and will often hide in a humanoid facade (just as Grian is doing now), but their true forms are... unfathomable. I actually described one in Midnight Alley as;

" He doesn’t really know what he’s seeing. It’s unexplainable- incomprehensible, even. It’s not human though it wears long, flowing robes, and its four, six, nine wings are made of feathers that are both fire and ice, sharp yet flickering. They drip like liquid- like ichor- and are black and white and gold and violet all at once yet not at all. Crowns, many crowns, dance around and eyes- eyes, so many eyes- stare back at him, so many eyes he can’t figure out where the eyes end and the being begins.

It has two, four, seven arms yet none, shifting and malleable as it moves closer. It reaches out a hand, slowly- a hand that melts into a human-like shape, like spun glass and flowing magma. "

Joe... how to even describe Joe. He's Joe. I mean- like. Yeah. Joe is Joe. I don't even know how to describe him. He's the most human human to have ever human'd while somehow being so completely not human. Like. He's just a Dude™ but like. To the left. He's pretty average height, a bit shorter than Scar I'd think- so about Scott's height.

Lizzie has a few different forms, as a shapeshifter, but her human form is just... Lizzie. She has pink hair and more often than not her ears are cat ears, hidden under her hair. She likes to experiment with her style, though she likes Cute styles. As a humanoid-cat she's a pink, black and white calico! Of course she's also a pink, black and white calico in straight-up cat form but still. She's also pretty short, being a cat shapeshifter, somewhere between Jimmy and Scott's height. Bonus Joel, Lizzie's changeling husband. He's tall. Like not quite Mumbo tall but pretty close. He's a button-up and dress pants type man, wanting to look good for his wife and all that. He sometimes has a beard, sometimes he shaves it off.

BDubs is, again... he's BDubs. His style changes day to day, shifting between traditional Elven and traditional Vampire and then sometimes he's a T-shirt and jeans type of guy, but he always- ALWAYS, no exceptions- has his moss-woven cloak. Oh! He also has semi-long hair, nowhere near as long as Scar's but definitely around his shoulders, but even so he generally keeps his hood up when not at home. He's short, which is EXTREMELY abnormal for an Elf. No one knows what happened (that's a lie, I know and Belle knows if they remember). BDubs is just as short as Grian, if not an inch or two shorter.

Doc is Doc! He's a creeper hybrid (I may also allow him to be a goat hybrid as well, so maybe a creeper-goat hybrid) with prosthetics. While he was in his coven he was forced to dress in traditional Vampire clothes- like basically mourning suit, pretty much. Once he's out of there and recovering (in Xisuma's Coven, btw) and finding his own style again, he experiments but is almost always found with an open lab coat. Because I love him for that. He's around the same height as Scott, I believe.

Cleo... Cleo my queen... she's a Zombie hybrid Vampire so she has her classic green skin and red eyes, with fiery red hair that may or may not change into snakes when her Vampire magic starts to take over and changes her into her less human, more monstrous form :) But they definitely have a super classy classic Vampire style; beautiful, stunning gowns (some ripped almost to shreds in very aesthetically pleasing locations, some sleek, all beautiful) and stunning, absolutely gender-envy-inducing suits.... I am love they. Also, they are tall. Like. I mean tall. They're taller than Mumbo, in fact. Not by much, mind you, she's maybe got two inches at best on him but by god I fucking love tall Cleo and y'all can pry them from my cold fingers <3

That is perfectly understandable, hope you get through everything you need to do!! <3

[erstwhilesparrow]

the papers from the bankers say they doubt you’re coming home

So Cleo wins. Of course they win.

—

Scott has a garden. He used to tend it with his own two hands. He doesn’t anymore, but the garden finds its ways of being self-sufficient. It’s not witchcraft; Cleo doesn’t care and Scott drags decay in his wake like a wedding dress train. Gave up, at some point, trying to keep it in check.

That there’s life at all in the garden is nothing short of miraculous, so Scott hauls himself upright and down the stairs every afternoon to see the miracle for himself again. His old lizard-like friend—reanimated after an accident, and then what might have been sabotage, and then what definitely was spite—doesn’t keep names very well these days, but he roams the garden, and seems comfortable enough that Scott finds himself relaxing in his presence.

“Hello,” Scott says, voice rusty from disuse. He doesn’t need to talk much these days—whatever he’s about to say, Cleo reacts just the same, as if they’ve already heard it. “How are you doing?”

His friend flicks his tongue in Scott’s face, and the smell of rot—always there to some degree—intensifies. Scott’s had time to practise, to study. But a dead thing brought back has already split its self with death. There are points past which there is no return.

It could be worse. Scott and death are old lovers these days.

He tells his friend, “I haven’t seen Cleo since… two days ago? Two days ago for me.” Scott coughs. He gets two sentences before his throat gets dry, and if he cared, he’d be sad that this is the improvement. For all her power, it’s no wonder the Supreme Witch had to die eventually.

“Maybe I’ll ask where she went,” Scott laughs.

He won’t. He hasn’t. Nothing touches them out here. Cleo always comes back, swaggering or exhausted or sweet or fearful. Scott and the garden and death stand guard. It has been a long time since she let him fold her into his arms, but maybe Scott’s too hopeful for his own good. Someone, somewhere, keeping watch for her. He can do that while he waits.

—

“Okay. We can try again.”

Scott stumbles into Cleo’s study—library, really; it has long outgrown being a study, but Scott calls it such out of habit and Cleo can adapt—carrying a stack of books, a bundle of charred sticks, and a satchel round with shapes that Cleo is certain are familiar.

“What’d you find this time?” they ask.

“Golden apples. Enchanted ones.” There’s an exhausted gleam to his eye, and fiercer than that, pride. It is uncomfortably recognizable.

Cleo makes mistakes, okay? If their reputation is what it is in this world, it’s only because they’ve had the experience from a hundred prior failures. They don’t catch themself in time.

“Scott—” Cleo starts.

Instantly, Scott’s expression crumples. He recovers fast enough, lips pressing shut and eyes narrowing, but this other half, this ghost he’s carrying around, is like an open wound, and he has none of a time witch’s ability to let things scar over.

“We haven’t even tried,” Scott hisses. “Don’t look at me like that! How—”

It’s only the second time Cleo has seen this turn of events, so it still pierces them, quiet, as precise as if aimed. They shake their head. “It doesn’t work. I—We tried.”

“You’ve done this before? This exact thing?”

“Yes,” Cleo says, and nothing more.

Scars can still ache, and Cleo still feels it, like the remnants of a bad cut tearing from their sternum down to their guts. Despite the scar tissue, she had hoped too. She had forgotten she could hope like that. She had watched Scott retch in the garden afterwards and decided it wasn’t worth it.

“That’s—” Scott drops the supplies with a growl, and in perfect unison, he and Cleo flick their hands to catch everything before it hits the floor. “Did you—”

“Nothing yet,” Cleo interrupts, then winces. If Scott’s magic keeps him sallow and starving-eyed, keeps him a half-dead thing cannibalizing itself, hers layers over her like thin coats of paint. It’s the loneliest thing in the world to watch Scott reach for the book she’d been annotating and know exactly how the motion goes. She flinched, the first couple of times. Now, some wild, living part of her breathes, Catch it. Hold him. Please.

But it’s not Scott Cleo’s after, and it’s not Cleo that Scott’s after.

“Okay,” he says. “Okay. We’ll… We’ll try something else.”

“Of course we will.”

Scott smiles as if that’s a new joke, and—Oh, it is, isn’t it? Cleo likes his smile, but it’s the same as being offered a handful of berries when what she wants is a feast.

Cleo has painted over their own past a hundred, a thousand times now. They wonder, quietly, privately, if they’ll know how to give up their time witch powers when this is all done, and worse, they wonder what they’ll be when they can’t.

—

“So,” Scott rasps. “We could test them out. Your new powers.”

They’ve had a total of one night’s sleep over the past four days, collapsed exhausted and shouting on Cleo’s couches as soon as the signal came through that she had won, that it had worked, that Scott’s death hadn’t needed to be permanent for a victor to be declared. 

The jubilation seems to have vanished with the sunrise. They’ve woken up too early and are standing in the kitchen in a facsimile of domesticity.

“We could,” Cleo says. Closes their eyes. Spits without looking into one of the buckets on the floor—blood and rotted meat and inky-purple residue. “We… Yes.”

“Does anything… feel different?” Scott keeps his arms crossed; can’t lean on the counter because there’s buckets of offal and basins shimmery with amethyst dust and ugly smears all over. Neither of them have eaten. Neither of them are eating.

“I think I’ve been here before,” Cleo says, quiet, confessional in a way they haven’t been until now. “I had—I have nightmares.”

Scott thinks about making a joke. Looks again at the buckets of blood, and the fact that he stopped going back to his house after a while. Cleo caught him sleeping on their couch the first time and only said, “It’s fine. You can take my bed here if I can take yours at your place.”

“I know,” Scott says. 

Cleo looks, briefly, surprised. It sparks some kind of surprise in Scott too. Maybe he shouldn’t be. There is no danger in being surprised once you’re untouchable.

“You too?” they ask.

Scott just nods.

They’re the same thing from two different angles—so they recognize each other, but can do no more than that. He’s thought about reaching over and wiping some of the rusty blood off their mouth. Can’t do it for the same reason he can’t go home yet.

Cleo’s hand comes up, hesitates, goes back to draw her wand and gesture with it. The buckets begin a slow, careful orbit around her. “Let’s clean up first? This place feels disgusting.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“Yours.” A wry grin and no hard feelings, just like that.

“The all-powerful Supreme Witch doesn’t have a spell for that?” Scott flutters his fingers. “What do you need me for?”

“It’s better when I’m with you,” Cleo says simply. 

They don’t elaborate. Scott doesn’t ask.

—

It’s the same thing from two different directions. Of course they help each other out. Doing favours, owing favours. 

Neither of them have named this thing, but each repaid debt has a little extra to it, a leash if you’re cynical, a promise if you’re too hopeful for your own good. They keep count, each separate, private ledger book a see-saw or a double pendulum, tracing out the shape of something others might think to call a type of love.

“That’s cheating,” Scott complains, when Cleo tells him how they’ve learned to loop time and get three times the amount of studying in.

“It’s winning,” Cleo corrects smugly.

Scott scoffs.

“Don’t be a sore loser,” they murmur, teasing-sweet.

“Can you cast it on me too?” he asks. The bags under his eyes have never been just for show.

A different Scott once asked the same question, and the same Cleo agreed until they could both spit curses with as much ease as most people breathed. 

The memory of sitting in the same room, up late poring over spell tomes and stepping out onto the balcony to attempt new hexes, is carved into Cleo’s memory.

Similarly carved, though they don’t like reaching for it, is the memory of how the two of them made themselves too dangerous too soon, how the other witches whispered behind their hands about them, how the two of them barricaded Kairos and settled in for a seige.

“They’re just meat,” Cleo had snarled, pacing the room.

Scott’s fingers had twitched. Each word heavy and sure in his mouth, he’d agreed, “They’re just meat.”

That’s the kind of philosophy that causes trouble, that gets you hunted, questioned, locked away. That’s the kind of philosophy that has no room for love.

The same thing from another direction, then.

“Time witches only,” Cleo sing-songs instead, in the here and now.

“I’ll curse you.”

“You won’t.”

The look Scott shoots them is so, so familiar. They’ll get to know that look, and then they’ll forget it. It’s a little scary, how sure they are of this.

“Fine, but can you help me with this? I can’t get it to go the direction I want it to…”

Cleo gets the funniest feeling suddenly, like they’re a child playing with dolls again.

—

Scott gets back home and shuts the front door behind him and puts away his materials all nice and neat in the too-big upstairs and that’s when it hits him.

A time witch. A time witch who hesitated a moment too long before dipping their head in some loose imitation of a bow. A time witch who was still picking glow lichen off their dress, but a time witch nonetheless.

Scott shuts his eyes and is suddenly, viciously glad he agreed to work with them. Fine. So maybe he doesn’t have to win this contest to get what he needs from it. His magic is already rot and horror; what’s a couple more pieces of himself for the meat grinder?

They seemed willing enough to extend a hand toward him. He gets the strangest feeling he would like them even without the competition, without the promise that they’ll help one another. Maybe he hadn’t realized how much he missed having company.

Absurd. Something about the way she looked at him like they already knew each other.

“Better study up on some curses,” Scott murmurs.

—

And so Cleo wins. Of course they do.

[ween-kitchens]

a party goes awry (in the best possible way)

TW: alcohol, suggestive (kind of, like there’s no sex or anything), making out

hey guess who learnt how to use ao3 links properly

anyway i’m mentally ill over flower ranchers and this took me a week so please reblog lmao

scott is lost in his thoughts again. it seems to be happening a lot recently, now everyone is back together. without the existential threat of permanent death looming over them, he has more time to actually think about things. 

and boy, are there a lot of things to think about.

the one he can’t seem to shake is the question that’s been bugging him for most of the past year and a half: feelings? he doesn’t quite know if he still likes jimmy— having your stomach do somersaults every time you see someone probably means you still like them, right? — but recently a new problem has arisen. tango.

jimmy and tango definitely like each other. and, maybe, scott has found himself watching tango for a little too long to be considered friendliness.

but he can hardly help it. everyone is in their server’s skins, not the life series’ ones now, and god . no one can blame him for staring, not when tango is in blue and black robes, a dark metal crown and black eyeliner and lipstick . and scott thought his own lipstick was cool.

scott is spending a lot of time alone now. not on purpose, but he just can’t find the energy needed to hide his feelings, and honestly, blushing and stammering all the time is just embarrassing.

on the third day, grian (the creator of the life servers) hosts a server-wide party, mainly to remind everyone of the funniest deaths and mishaps over the past 3 games.

nearly everyone looks very different than they did on the life games. of course, there are some people who dress the same no matter what, but for the most part, everyone is looking around at everyone else (mostly the empires members) with surprise.

scott has spent most of the party wandering around, carefully avoiding tango and jimmy, and taking pointed sips of his wine every time one of them looks up at him. until, that is, cleo grabs his wrist and pulls him into a corner, ignoring his yelp of shock.

“are you just gonna ignore them this whole time?” she asks. “because it’s starting to get painful to watch.”

“that- well, that was the plan .” scott says, greatly surprised that he hasn’t spilled his wine. “I avoid them, tango goes back to hermitcraft and I can go back to empires. jimmy lives, like, a thousand blocks away, i’ll be fine.”

cleo raises a disapproving eyebrow. “and you think that’s healthy ?” 

“it can’t end up too bad.” scott says.

“I think very much it can.” cleo says. “have you seen grian and scar?”

“shit, are they still not together?” scott asks.

“nope.” cleo says. “and that’s exactly what people will be saying about you-“ she jabs him in the chest. “-if you don’t get your crap together.”

“ they’re together, cleo.” scott says. he glances briefly at them, and regrets it immediately. they’re dancing together, jimmy’s arms around tango’s waist, tango’s head resting on jimmy’s shoulder. his heart plummets. 

“see.” he gestures towards them, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

“scott-“ cleo’s voice is gentler now.

“i’m gonna go get a drink.” scott says, putting his wine on the closet table. they’ve just kissed. “something stronger.”

as he reaches the bar, he finds grian there, bottle in hand and looking as bad as scott feels. his wings are massive compared to the fledgling size they usually are on the life servers.

“evening.” scott says. 

“hey.” grian’s voice is flat and he’s looking at something. scott follows his gaze at his eyes land on scar, talking animatedly to mumbo.

scott sits on the barstool next to grian. he orders a beer then says, “you too then, huh.”

“yep.” grian says. “who is it for you?”

“probably the two in the strongest relationship on this server.” scott says, nodding in thanks to the bartender and taking his drink.

“shit.” grian says sympathetically.

“doesn’t look like you have it much better.” scott says. 

grian gives a humourless laugh. “oh, definitely not. god, why do I fall for the most unattainable people.”

“i’ll drink to that.” scott raises his bottle. 

grian clanks his own bottle against scott’s. 

“this,” pearls voice says. “is a very, very sad sight.”

“oh, leave us be.” grian says as scott takes a gulp of beer. 

“let us wallow in self pity. as a treat.” scott says. his thoughts are starting to feel a bit fuzzy around the edges.

“hear, hear.” grian agrees, who, by the looks of it, is also starting to get a bit drunk. his eyes are slightly crossed.

scott watches as tango spins jimmy around. they’re both laughing, their eyes crinkled up, smiles wide. they’re everything.

“-cott? scott!” 

scott starts a little and looks up at pearl. “hi.”

“you were just zoned out.” pearl frowns. “did you hear anything I said?”

“no.” scott says.

“I said that if you two carry on drinking like this, you’ll not be able to remember the past year.” she says appraisingly.

“ good .” scott says and takes another drink. 

“you’re meant to be running an empire when you get back.” pearl says. 

“oh, I don’t care .” scott waves a hand clumsily. 

“yeah, let the man be sad in peace.” grian says. 

“you shouldn’t be drinking either.” pearl rounds on him. “remember what happened last time?”

“no one cares how many eyes I have.” grian says, slurring his words ever so slightly. “it was fine . everyone’s here, aren’t they?”

“honestly..” pearl mutters. “fine, you two drink yourselves to death, i’m going to the snack bar.”

scott shrugs and returns his gaze to jimmy and tango. the song has changed, and now they’re stood and talking to scar.

scott grins. “hey, they’re talking to each other.” he elbows grian.

“do you reckon we can make ‘em jealous by, like..” grian trails off, frowning. “what can we do?”

“we could dance together.” scott suggests. 

grian takes another drink and spills a bit on his jumper. “can you dance?”

“no.” scott scoffs. “who cares?”

“I like your style.” grian nods at him.

scott slides off his barstool with less grace than he’d prefer, leaving his drink on the bar. he offers grian his hand. “shall we?”

grian’s grin is lopsided. “we shall.”

what they quickly learn is that, whilst they’re bad at dancing at the best of times, they are abysmal when drunk. they stumble, and crash into each other, and grian has smacked scott with one of his wings at least 3 times, and it’s so much fun. 

them both being drunk definitely helps, but after a minute they’re nearly collapsing with laughter, their original purpose almost completely forgotten.

almost completely forgotten.

as the second song fades out, scott spots scar moving towards the bar, a very miserable expression on his face. 

scott leans in to grian. “call scar over to dance.” it’s not quite a whisper, but it was meant to be. 

grian turns around, his grin widening as he sees scar. 

“scar!” he waves, jumping up and down. “scar, come dance with us!” 

scar’s expression visibly changes to excitement in a second, and he quickly walks over, almost disregarding his cane.

“yay!” grian hugs scar once he reaches them. 

“oh, hello.” scar chuckles. when grian stands back again, scar surveys him. “you’re drunk?”

“very drunk.” grian giggles. “I missed you!”

“aww.” scott grins. “you two are the best couple.”

“we’re, uhm. not- not a couple.” scar’s face is bright red.

scott frowns. are they not? he definitely remembers something about them dating. or was it them liking each other? it’s a bit fuzzy. “really? you should be.”

“yeah we should.” grian nods. “you’re handsome.”

“I- you- um. what?” scar stammers.

“can I kiss you?” grian asks. 

scott doesn’t reckon he’s seen a man look more flustered than scar does right now.

“you’re- but you’re drunk, you might regret it.” scar manages.

“well that depends on if you love me too.” grian says. 

“I- god, you - really ?” scar says. 

“I need a yes or no.” grian says. “to both.”

“yes.” scar says. “yes, to- to both.”

grian doesn’t waste any time. he grabs the collar of scar’s shirt, pulls him down and kisses him. they kiss for just enough time for it to have embarrassed scott if he was sober, before grian pulls away.

“i’m gonna go now, plan worked.” grian tells scott.

scott grins. “oh yeah.” 

“plan- what?” scott hears scar say as grian and he walk off, towards the door.

scott moves back over to the bar. jimmy and tango are dancing again, so his part of the plan obviously didn’t work. ah well, one out of two ain’t bad. is that how the saying goes?

he orders another beer, starts to watch jimmy and tango again, and..

well, that’s where everything goes fuzzy. the alcohol starts to get the better of him, and he can’t seem to keep everything straight (ha). 

one minute he’s at the bar, the next he’s by jimmy and tango, and the next..

—-

scott’s skull has been smashed in with a hammer. it must have been — there’s no better explanation for how much it hurts. he registers the feeling of a duvet over him, and he’s definitely wearing less clothes than he last remembers. his shoes, hat and coat are gone, at least.

he opens his eyes, and luckily the room is dark enough for it not to make his headache worse. he still has to squint though. 

“christ alive.” he mutters. his throat is hoarse and scratchy when he speaks. “what even..” he turns over and nearly jumps out of his skin. 

next to him, is jimmy’s face, looking worriedly at him.

“jesus-!” scott scrambles back slightly, then winces as his head throbs in protest.

“sorry, sorry.” jimmy says, stepping backwards hurriedly. “um. how are you feeling?”

“like someone’s cracked my head open.” he groans, sitting up. “what even happened?”

“you don’t remember?”

the door opens and tango walks in, turning the light on. the sudden light makes scott’s head feel even worse, and he scrunches up his eyes in protest.

however, after a second, he realises that there is red and black lipstick smudged on jimmy’s face and neck. with dawning horror, he looks over at tango to see his own lipstick smeared, with the unmistakable red of scott’s accompanying it.

“oh no.” scott mutters.

“you were,” tango grins as he sees scott’s face. “ extremely drunk last night. not that i’m complaining.”

**

scott decides he’s spent too much time sitting around, as he finishes his 3rd beer. he stands up, stumbling, and walks determinedly over to tango and jimmy. 

“i’m gonna be honest here,” scott says, startling the two a little. “you are the most handsome people i’ve ever met.”

“you-“ jimmy’s face goes pink. “um. thank you.”

“you’re kind.” tango chuckles, blushing. “are you drunk?”

“mm.” scott grins.

his thoughts are all sloshing around in his mind, but the only one he can grasp is that he really wants to kiss these two people.

it all goes a little blurry, and scott isn’t quite sure how it happens, but the next thing he knows he’s backed up against the wall, kissing jimmy. they both have smears of black lipstick on their necks.

scott pulls back from the kiss to mouth down the side of jimmy’s throat. jimmy makes a noise that’s somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

suddenly, he’s kissing tango, and his brain feels like mush. his legs turn to jelly as tango’s teeth graze his bottom lip, and he has to lean against the wall for support.

both jimmy’s and tango’s lips are on his neck now, and scott might be about to die. this theory is proved when he feels teeth against his skin and he practically collapses, groaning.

***

“oh, god .” scott buries his face in his hands. “i’m never getting drunk again.”

“you’re a good kisser.” tango smirks. “jimmy’d said, but I never knew how good.”

“why did you get so drunk?” jimmy asks, briefly glaring at tango. “you never really did before.”

“it’s stupid.” scott looks up again. “i’d spent the past few days avoiding you because i didn’t want to make a fool of myself, and then there was the party and you were dancing together and kissing and- ugh, I was jealous.”

“aw, you were jealous?” tango says. “oh my god, wait, that’s why you were avoiding us?”

“yes.” scott blushes. “it’s embarrassing now .” 

“you’re adorable.” jimmy grins. “what was up with you and grian then?”

“a series of drunken decisions.” scott says. “grian was at the bar when I was there, and we both got equally drunk, and decided to dance together on the off-chance it made you guys and scar jealous.”

“you did that on purpose?” tango exclaims. 

“it worked on you?” scott asks, surprised. “I thought it was just scar.”

“yeah, well.” tango is blushing. “he was the first to go to the bar. we assumed there was nothing between you after grian kissed scar.”

“I still consider that my finest idea.” scott says. “just how long have we been waiting for them to get together?” 

“too long.” jimmy shakes his head solemnly. 

“so, um. what does that make us?” tango asks.

“well, i mean,” scott says, suddenly nervous. “i’d like to be.. well, more than friends. only- only if you guys-“

“I think we’re okay with it.” jimmy says, looking to tango.

“yeah. definitely okay with it.” tango nods.

“boyfriends?” scott asks, failing to disguise his excitement.

“boyfriends.” 

—-

word, it seems, has gotten ‘round, and in the afternoon everyone meets up to discuss the happenings of the night prior. a few people look a bit hungover, but no one as much as scott and grian.

grian looks both proud and incredibly embarrassed, and he keeps pulling up the collar of his jumper. scar is wearing a turtleneck, talking to mumbo.

scott grins and walks up to him. “so, you guys had fun last night?”

grian huffs. “yeah, well. we were.. a little tired of pining.” his eyes land on something on scott’s neck. “looks like you did too.” he smirks.

“oh, that’s just from the makeup wipes.” scott says, but when he holds a hand against his neck, his fingers press on a bruise, making him hiss with pain. 

“i don’t think that’s makeup wipes.” grian smirks.

scott’s face burns. “oh my god.” he mutters, trying to pull his coat’s collar higher on his neck. with increasing horror, he glances behind him at tango and jimmy, and realises that they have very similar bruises on their own necks. 

grian cackles. “oh my god, did you not know?”

“it was- they were covered with makeup!” scott says, hurriedly feeling for any more, and finding at least 2 more. “the wipes- it usually makes the area sting a bit, I just thought-“

he turns around and gestures urgently for jimmy and tango to join him. they do, and scott hurriedly tells them. it gives him some reassurance that they’re as panicked as he is. jimmy ties his bandanna higher on his neck, and tango pulls his hood around his.

“oh, hey guys.” scar says cheerily, walking to them. he slips his hand into grian’s, who in turn blushes. “aw, you keep doing that.” scar grins, looking down at him.

“leave me alone, this is new.” grian says.

“what do we say to scott for getting you together?” scott grins, thankful for the change in topic.

grian rolls his eyes. “thank you.” he drones. 

“I still can’t quite believe you’ve liked me this whole time.” scar says. “like, it’s been-“

“years.” scott, tango and jimmy finish in unison. 

“you all knew ?” grian exclaims.

“you think you were subtle?” tango says. “the only people who didn’t know were you guys.”

grian scoffs and looks up at scar. “can you believe this?”

scar shrugs. “yes. I didn’t realise you were my soulbound until the second time you dropped dripstone on my head.” he laughs as grian slaps his arm. “well you asked!”

“how did you guys get together then?” grian asks.

scott feels himself blush. “well. I don’t really remember how .”

“you came up to us, drunk as anything, and called us ‘the most handsome people’ you’d ever met.” tango grins.

“then you started talking about how much you wanted to kiss us.” jimmy adds. “it sounded more like you were just voicing your thoughts, actually.”

“oh, kill me now.” scott buries his face in his hands. 

“and then-“

“no, I remember that bit quite well.” scott says quickly.

grian laughs. “oh, i’m sure you do.”

“shut up.” scott says. “don’t think I didn’t notice scar’s turtleneck; you usually have to tell him to put his shirt on every ten seconds.”

“alright, alright, i’m sure both of you got a nice amount of hickeys.” cleo’s voice cuts through, embarrassingly loud. “you don’t have to compete, it’s okay.”

“ cleo .” grian hisses, pink again.

“oh, come on, you five are the topic of the server!” cleo grins. “i’ve won so much money since yesterday, it’s amazing. so please, keep talking incredibly obviously about you making out last night.” 

“I did tell you not to get so drunk.” 

scott yelps in shock, jumping sideways. pearl has just appeared next to him.

“jesus!” scott says.

pearl laughs. “it is not hard to overhear you.”

“i’d say it was worth it.” tango says to scott. 

“i’m just hoping you don’t have to be drunk to do that again.” jimmy smirks.

scott turns bright pink. “I can’t believe I fell for you two.”

“but you did~” jimmy singsongs. 

“oh, I really did.” scott smiles. he nudges jimmy. “I never knew you had a thing for ice wizards.”

“oh shut up.” jimmy blushes. “it’s a coincidence .”

“someone has a type~” tango teases, in the same tone as jimmy.

“I do not .” jimmy protests. 

“is it the blue hair?” scott says.

“I reckon it’s the blue hair.” tango nods. 

“you were blonde when I started dating you.” jimmy reminds him.

“yeah, and I wasn’t an ice wizard when you first dated me .” scott says. “it just happens.”

“hey, maybe jimmy doesn’t have a type, maybe he just bestows ice powers onto whoever he dates.” tango says.

“ooh, yeah!” scott says. “I already had the blue hair, maybe that just comes with the ice.”

“ guys .” jimmy says. “I don’t give people ice magic when I date them.” 

“aw, really?” tango whines. “but that’d be- mmph!”

jimmy has interrupted him by kissing him. “shush about the ice magic.” he says.

tango blushes. “yep, will do.” 

scott laughs. “i hope you do, though. maybe i’ll get the magic again, that was fun.”

jimmy makes an annoyed noise, before grabbing the collar of scott’s shirt and kissing him, hard. scott’s brain short-circuits, and now all he can think is how much he missed kissing jimmy.

“I think you’ve effectively shut both of them up.” grian’s voice says from a distant world that isn’t this kiss.

jimmy pulls back, grinning. 

“jesus.” scott mutters to himself.

“hear hear.” tango agrees.

grian bursts out laughing. “oh my god, you guys are made for each other.”

scott doesn’t know how he got so lucky.

[dmwrites]

A collection of hermit clothing: just a few notices.

———

Joe Hills wore whatever meandered over its way to him. Clothes that didn’t quite fit, but was kept in loving repair. Armor half enchanted, or just whatever he put his hands on first after various deaths. Clothes told a story, but one that was constantly evolving.

———

Impulse lived his life as a walking hug, and dressed acoordingly. He wore large furs and leather like his dwarven kin, which actually weren’t the worse smelling things in the world. He washed his clothes once a week, on a schedule. Despite that, his clothes always shimmered slightly with redstone dust and bits of stone. His armor was immaculate, netherite and fully enchanted. All named, all shiny, kept in perfect working order. As perfect as he could control.

———

In terms of elegance, none could surpass Scar. No matter what character he was playing, his eyes were on the money and the schmooze. That meant perfect hair, perfect clothes, a hat for every occasion. His elven robes were beautiful, hand-stitched with golden thread. He made sure it all smelled lovely- the robes were all treated to a lavender and pine tree perfume. He was beautiful, and he made sure that his appearance matched it. He hardly wore armor so he could show himself off. Plus, beauty dazzles the eyes and makes people buy more.

———

Bdubs smelled like moss and grass. He also kind of looked like he had just rolled around in the mud. Imagine like a wet cat who sounds like a grown man verbally keysmashing who looks like a bush. He wore armor that kind of resembled a physical keysmash- enchanted chainmail armor that he got his first week on the server, but just a bonnet and pants. He had his  fully enchanted boots, that’s all that mattered. There was a rumor that he dressed in moss. He wasn’t around too much, though, so no one was quite sure.

———

Gem had a very cute outfit for every occasion. A number of overalls, all in various states of disrepair, some cute elven outfits, and cloth to make something if she was in a hurry. She was rough and tumble, and a lot of her clothes were full of colorful patches. 

———

Beef lived off of borrowed armor and gear. He had his crisp white shirt and overalls from the first day on the server, which were constantly stained with colors and materials. His armor and gear were all gifts from others. He didn’t mind that, means he didn’t have to worry about it. But also he enjoyed knowing that others cared for him, like a warm hug, even though it was diamond armor.

———

Cleo stunk like death. She was dead, after all. She liked driving people off. She balanced this by looking as wonderful and enticing as possible. Elegant green velvet dress, with a long slit up the leg. People would approach her and then be too polite to tell her she stunk like several dead bodies sewn together, which she was. She liked to watch them squirm. But damn did she look good.

———

Mumbo had at least twenty of the same suit, all lined up perfectly, almost to a mathematical sense. Whenever Grian looked at Mumbo’s closet, he got a headache.

[votederpycausemufins]

next chapter of More Than One hahaha much angst in this chapter. at the very least i love angst with good endings!

@helleborusangel gets tagged for my writing, and yall can send asks if you want me to also tag you.

In the past day or so, Grum had done his best to research everything he needed. He had all his notes ready for what was still an unnamed war, but that’s normally how things started. Of course the hermits would choose sides, but based on what he knew about them so far, there were sides that were likely to form in similar ways to the mycelium war, with a few exceptions.

After that, he worked a bit more on his help for his daddy and catching him up on what he missed while sick. It didn’t take too long, as other hermits were able to do the same since he could move around, but Grum liked being able to help his daddy.

The other stuff didn’t need to be worked with too much, since if he compared everything to boxes or chests, that was mostly the junk chest. Or more likely miscellaneous. In other words, something that didn’t matter that much right now.

The last was everything with being a kid. Grum took his free time to research what kids normally did, see how Jrum acted, maybe read a few books on the topic, and he was pretty sure he had it down. Now today he was going to test out if he was right, and his first stop was in his Dad’s base.

Grum arrived at the basement of the mansion before taking the elevator upstairs, which was obviously the most fun option opposed to taking the stairs or flying, so he was off to a great start. The next stop was his dad’s closet, which was practically a room of it’s own. In researching, dress up was a common activity for kids, so this would be a perfect activity for him to do. Especially if it ended up in a mess that needed to be cleaned later. A mess he would need to refuse to clean at first of course. Jrum hated getting cleaned up after a redstone project, and other kids seemed to hate the job of cleaning up, or rather, the chore. Because kids got chores, not jobs.

For most of the clothes, they all better fit his dad, which made them too big on Grum, but that was supposed to add to the charm. He even started off with a well worn sweater that had been stretched a bit bigger than the others, really emphasizing the look. Once he put it on, the collar dipped a bit low, and the hem nearly reached his knees while the sleeves when unrolled draped over his hands. Looking in a nearby mirror, Grum couldn’t help but smile at how silly he looked.

Grum took the sweater off and went to hang it up before stopping himself and letting it lay on the floor, nodding in approval at the way the fabric lay on the ground in a messy fashion. His next choice was a black hoodie that was a similar side, but baggy near the bottom. Still, it didn’t quite feel right, so Grum tossed it aside.

He huffed a little while looking at all the clothes. While sure, he was smaller than his dad, the difference between him and his dad was much slimmer than him and his daddy, or Jrum and their dad. But then he spotted something that hung a bit lower on a hanger.

Walking over, Grum saw what was the same color as most of his dad’s sweaters, but more of a jacket or a robe. Putting it on, the fabric draped past his knees, and it was easy enough to wrap around him. Perfect. Reinvigorated by the nice find, Grum started going through the closet, putting the sweater jacket to the side and trying on a number of other outfits.

At first, Grum had been very methodical about the whole thing, but over the course of trying everything on, he sort of stopped treating it like a thing he had to do and actually just did it for fun. He was having so much fun in fact, he didn’t notice the clatter from outside, especially since nothing immediately came from it. But a few minutes later, he stopped when he heard someone speak.

“Jrum, is that you in there?” Grum heard his daddy ask, and couldn’t help but frown a little at the fact that it was assumed he was his brother.

“Nope. I’m Grum.”

“Oh. Well, what are you doing in there?”

“Playing dress up.” Grum replied, taking that as an opportunity to put on some shoes he found, which didn’t quite fit his feet, but it was fun to wear them anyway.

Mumbo said something a bit too quiet for Grum to hear, but then he stepped into the closet, trying not to step on any clothes. When he got close to Grum, the bot turned to look over at his Daddy with a smile, Mumbo chuckling a little at the way Grum was dressed. The bot had kept the cardigan sweater on, but underneath was a bright lime green tank top. Below that was a hot pink skirt that Mumbo recognized as belonging to ‘Ariana Griande’ and Grum was currently putting on the second in a pair of very woolly boots.

“Well, it certainly looks like you were having fun, but your dad was worried about you and I think you should let him know things are fine.”

Grum was a little disappointed, but reluctantly nodded. “Do I need to take everything off?”

“No, I think staying dressed up will help your case.”

.

.

.

It turned out staying in their outfit really did help Grum’s case. Grian was at first worried about something with robots and closets, but upon seeing Grum, the bot could barely explain themself before Grian lit up and cooed over how adorable Grum looked. He scrambled to get his comm out to take pictures while Grum smiled, their screen flickering a magenta color which neither of their dads managed to catch, and it was gone by the time Grian finally took some pictures.

From there, Grum was allowed to back in the closet and dress up a few more times, feeling themself smile more and more as their dads took pictures, and by the end, their dad offered to make some more outfits so they could have more to play with. Grum of course said yes, but then came the dreaded clean up, and they started work on that. They sighed when they started, and over time, Grum could feel it become less of a game and more of a chore for him, which was how it was planned, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

After everything was all cleaned up, he mentally checked that off his list and looked at what was next. He didn’t know what his brother was up to, but he was hoping that playing pretend would be okay on his own. The hermits certainly seemed to come up with stories on their own, so he could do the same. Since Jrum always used Scar’s village, Grum tried to think of a different place, eventually settling on Cleo and Keralis’ city.

When he arrived in the city, Grum put down a shulker box and unloaded all his items into it, then put the shulker into his inventory. His whole goal was to make a story while walking the streets, which would hopefully be helped by the presence of the armor stands littered around. He looked around, trying to figure out where exactly to start from, eventually noticing the main road ending near the ferris wheel and deciding to start from there. Ideas ranged from a kid out on their own for the first time or one who was separated from their family. Eventually he settled on the first idea, not wanting to figure out being a worried child.

Grum took a moment to mess with his ‘boxes’ and ‘files’, then he walked over to the outdoor bar area and took a seat, looking around. The place wasn’t that populated, the area down the street having all the armor stands, so it was up to Grum’s imagination. He stared, half glaring at the empty spaces, willing for something to appear to help him along. But nothing happened, making him imitate a sigh. Well, time to figure it out.

He had gotten off the Ferris wheel. And then he came to this… empty stall… no not empty. The… the owner just had to step away for a lunch break, because they can’t eat their own food all the time. It would hurt profits. But the food was a balance in taste, portion and price, so Grum was willing to wait.

He actually waited a bit too long, forgetting about playing pretend, then he reminded himself and was served an invisible bowl of redstone, which he ‘ate’, then he was off to explore more of the city. He didn’t get that far before joining a pair of armor stands, pretending they were the ones taking him to visit the city.

Thinking of them as parents didn’t fit right, especially since they were outfitted with masks of two other hermits, who were definitely not his dads, but technically, he wasn’t Grum right now he was… Well, Grum looked between the masks of Cub and Stress. Maybe Cress? That sounded like an okay name to pretend with. Yeah, Cress was a kid growing up in the city with their dads- er, parents. And they took a trip today to the ferris wheel and now… Grum looked around before spotting one of the armor stands set up to look like they were trapped in webs, and remembered the superheroes. That was perfect. They- Cress- was going to see the heroes and get enamored and run off. So they did that.

They pretended that they were at first watching the villains get beat up by Spider-Cleo, then suddenly the super villains game in to fight her, getting it to a one on two situation. Almost as soon as they had thought of that, Grum noticed the darker clouds rolling in and the rumbling of thunder. It was a perfect mood change.

As the bot went through the streets, they couldn’t help but giggle a little at a spider managing to spawn in a darker area. Of course a spider army was being summoned to help fight the bad guys. Grum still needed to fight it off, but it was fun either way. Simply a mind controlled spider that was being turned.

Grum made their way East at the end of the street, passing by some people spray painting a wall with some familiar faces. Then after a bit more, they went South through a bit of a tunnel. The street didn’t have much on it, but obviously everything was pretty dangerous right now, so Cress was going to have to go from building to building to hide from the fighting if they wanted to keep watching.

The first building wasn’t that exciting since Grum took one look at the elevator and decided he didn’t want to go up that high. The next building seemed like some sort of office space, but it had big windows, so ‘Cress’ was glad to use those to watch the ‘battle’. The last building Grum almost missed, not being as fancy as the others and having normal wooden doors as an entrance. They still noticed it of course, but failed to look at the logo on top of it, or rather, the face, being too caught up in the game they were playing.

So Grum walked into the building, and was instantly bombarded by leftover posters from the election. Specifically for the Get Gorgeous campaign. Grum stood there, frozen as he looked between everything around them in the room. They tried to keep from panicking, screen flickering pink, but it was too much, and they ran out the door, a zombie or something from within the nearby walls making a noise that spooked the bot.

They ran out of the building, the first thing they noticed being the jungle in the distance. Just wanting to go home, they ran in that direction, only to get stopped at the end of a pier, a wall in the water ahead stopping them from making any progress. With the mix of their panic and the darkness from the storm, Grum thought they saw something out of the corner of their eye and ran the other way, back into the city, now worse than before.

At first, they were running right back to the building they just left, but then they took a sharp left turn down an alley. They passed one armor stand before seeing another, backlit in a horrible way that when Grum crashed into it, they looked up and screamed, once again running away. They took another turn to go down the labeled ‘Crime Alley’ before crashing into someone else, this time being grabbed. “Grum, what’re you doin’ ‘ere? Where’s Grian ‘n Mumbo? Where’re yer dads?”

.

.

.

Cleo was able to call Doc over quickly enough, him already meeting with Keralis. Mumbo showed up next, Grian apparently retrieving Jrum. After that were Iskall and Stress, Iskall being the most helpful in explaining what exactly he had done when messing with Grum’s circuits the first time around.

At first, Grum felt pushed on the sidelines, everyone talking about him and not to him. But while Doc was busy talking with Mumbo and Iskall, meaning Stress was also in a similar position. Because of that, after a few minutes, the bot scooted over to Stress.

“How’re you doin’ luv?” Stress asked when she noticed Grum, trying to sound positive, but Grum could tell she was worried, probably about him.

“Okay.” Grum answered. “I just got spooked by monsters, that’s all. I don’t know why everyone’s worried.”

“Well, you are still young. I’m sure it’s jus’ when Cleo called yer dads, they might’ve panicked as much as you were.” Stress explained, comforting Grum.

“I guess. But it’s just frustrating cuz I was just playing and now I’ve been stopped for… it feels like nothing.” Grum pouted. “Jrum never has to deal with stuff like this when he’s playing.”

Stress frowned just a little. “Well after he went missing, everyun reacted the same way luv. If I remember correctly, he was sorta grounded a bit after runnin’ off like that.”

Grum sighed, but then nodded. “I guess. But I didn’t just run away! I said where I was gonna be! And I can’t control the weather but I did well.” The bot argued, and then Stress tried to calm him a bit, pulling him in a hug. “I just wanted to play… why is that so bad?”

“It’s not luv.” Stress answered, only briefly moving away from the hug to shoo Doc from getting closer and upsetting the bot even more.

“Can we just go home?” Grum then spoke up, making Stress look towards Mumbo to see what he thought. Then, before anyone could say more, Grum quickly spoke again, throwing everyone off. “Please Mum?”

.

.

.

Grum crept towards his dad’s room, hoping he could wake one of them up to cuddle with after his nightmare. Ever since the incident at the city followed by what happened with Stress, things had gotten seemingly worse. Doc was constantly over to talk with Grum’s dads. Stress too sometimes, though more infrequently. Etho also seemed to stop by here and there, conversing about redstone, specifically Grum’s internal workings.

All the events and talks and whatnot didn’t help Grum, the bot being kept in the dark to the point he started eavesdropping, wanting some clue on what was going on, why everyone was acting as scared as he felt. And the stress from that led to nightmares which ended up making things worse. So now he was hoping that maybe he could wake up one of his dads and have some way to calm down.

But instead it didn’t seem he would have to, as when Grum approached the door, he could hear them talking. It made him hesitate for a moment, not wanting to interrupt them, but this was sort of important. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t already started listening into conversations. Maybe what they were talking about would be enough to help. Or instead, as Grum started listening, it could make it worse.

“-what would you suppose we tell Jrum?” Though he was speaking quietly, Grum recognized his daddy’s voice as the one talking.

“I don’t know!” his dad replied, sounding upset, voice in a harsh whisper. “Maybe we just turn him off too!”

Turn him off? Too? Were Grum’s dads planning to… to shut him off for good? Is that what everyone kept visiting about?

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do! Grum’s already breaking, so it’s only a matter of time before the same happens with Jrum, and the end of the season is so close. No one would notice if we didn’t bring them along.”

Grum was frozen in place. Sure, things seemed like a mess to him, but… but he was a kid. It couldn’t actually be that bad. He was just overreacting and the Hermits would be able to help. Should be able to help. But instead they were going to, what? Get rid of the problem? And then get rid of Jrum as well? “Grian, you know the Hermits would notice.”

“Then we make an excuse. Maybe we just send them away instead so no one can find out.” And Grum just stared at the door. They didn’t want it. They were going to throw it out. Make it someone else’s problem. And even hearing all of this, it just felt numb, all the panic and worry gone and filled with… nothing.

Mumbo said more, but Grum didn’t listen any more. Just turned around and walked back. Past the bedroom and down the hall. If it wasn’t wanted. It would leave. Easy as that. It did gather simple supplies. An old diamond sword, some gold boots and a number of rockets to use with its replacements for elytra.

After a bit of hesitation, it also gathered a large amount of charged redstone. Grum didn’t need to eat, but it needed to stay charged, so with a lack of a mobile charger, the special redstone would work as a substitute. Plenty of supplies for a long journey.

The elevator down to the basement was too loud, so Grum simply walked outside and down the main steps. It went through the main portal there, and trekked to the main portion of the nether hub, reaching the section just below bedrock and starting on the East tunnel before heading North. The same direction that Jrum had a while ago on his adventure.

Using about a dozen rockets, Grum found itself in the upside down, the furthest in the nether it was aware that the hermits had gone, at least in terms of with created pathways. In the mirrored version of the mansion, a portal was already created, giving Grum access back to the overworld, and into a village on the other side.

It was still night of course, the villagers asleep and the iron golem of the place keeping the place protected. Grum stared at it for a moment, thinking about how it had much more use than itself, wondering if it would do better to stay and assist. But no. As long as Grum were defective, the Hermits might come looking for it, which they could while active. So if Grum was doing to decide one last thing, it would be when it shut down.

The robot looked at its supply of six remaining rockets. Those would dictate how far it would go. And then it would find a cave, and turn off for good. After using the first rocket to help take off, Grum started gliding, knowing that based on the conditions when flying, the boost of a single rocket could last virtually indefinitely. A few mountains as well as weather in the area changed the conditions for the worse, but Grum still got pretty far, going directly North for so much of the journey.

When down to two rockets, Grum suddenly went east, knowing that after such a long straight path, a sudden curve would be completely impossible to find. After that, it was just looking for a place to finally stop, Grum using the final rocket to reach a floating island with a single tree and two sheep.

Grum dug into the dirt under the tree, making a place to stay, even using its sword to chip at the stone to get deeper. Then Grum used the dirt to block up most of the way in, though still giving a way to view the landscape ahead. It checked the coordinates, seeing that they were North 22,936 blocks from the shopping district, where the center of the world stood. No way to be found as long as they were on. And so. Grumbot turned itself off.

.

.

.

Jrum woke up early, as if knowing was something was wrong to begin with. With everything that had been happening with his brother, he had had to be the more responsible one. Having to do that made him glad that he didn’t need to do it all the time, but also wonder if Grum had to deal with something so exhausting himself and that helped explain what was going on. It was probably something to bring up to their dads. Well, maybe later, because there was something a little more important right now.

Even though it was so early, Grum wasn’t in bed and connected to his charger. Jrum unplugged himself to check his brother’s charger, worried to see that it was cold from disuse. It wouldn’t be that cold if he had woken up early, so he either hadn’t used it last night or stopped in the middle of the night.

That fact wasn’t entirely concerning. Grum had already had night where a nightmare left him with their dads. So there was a good change that had simply happened again. But for some reason, Jrum couldn’t shake the thought that something was wrong, so instead of going back to bed, or finding a book to read to pass the time or something else, he got up and walked to their dads’ room and knocked on the door. And Jrum was very glad he did when the response from behind the door was ‘Who is it?’

“It’s Jrum. Is Grum in there? He’s not in bed.” The bot asked, and there was a moment of silence before frantic movement came from the other side of the door. Grian opened the door, having already thrown his sweater on while Mumbo was quickly buttoning his shirt.

“What do you mean Grum’s not in bed?” Grian asked as Jrum scanned the bedroom in case somehow his brother was there with no one realizing it.

“I mean he’s not in bed. His charger’s cold and everything. I thought he would be here because of that.”

Before Grian could ask anything more, Mumbo spoke up, communicator in hand and elytra on even though he hadn’t put in his blazer or tie. “Grum’s offline. He’s not even appearing on the world list. We need to go see Xisuma. I’ve already sent something in chat.”

“Wait but where was he last?” Grian asked, knowing the system they had on the bots should be helpful in a situation like this.

“It’s just giving an error, which is why I want to see X right away. Jrum, do you want to stay here or come with us?”

Jrum looked between his dads, quickly thinking it over. If the roles were flipped, what would Grum do? Well, he didn’t need to think too hard. It had already happened. And Grum had stayed at home in case he came back while their dads were looking. “I’m gonna stay here, just in case.”

Grian nodded and then gave Jrum a long tight hug until Mumbo was pulling him away to leave. It seemed a little odd to Jrum, assuming they were just worried about him. He didn’t know that both his dads had a very good idea of what might have happened and when Grum disappeared.

Mumbo and Grian were resting after plenty of searching. They had visited Xisuma and told him about what happened, at least what they knew of everything. He agreed to look into it while the pair joined the other hermits in looking for Grum, the admin confirming there was nothing that showed the bot had left the world.

The two had searched for a while until Grian managed to injure his wing. While he was still physically fine to fly, Mumbo could tell the same couldn’t be said for mentally, so they returned to Grian’s base to rest. Grian kept trying to go back out searching, eventually admitting he needed something to keep his mind away from the thought it was all his fault.

Mumbo did his best to comfort Grian, giving him reassurances, when there was a knock on the bedroom door. “Do either of you have a moment?” It was Xisuma’s voice, which made Mumbo smile slightly and look back at Grian.

“See, that didn’t take far too long. I’m sure he’s found Grum. You stay here while I talk with him and I’ll find out what’s going on.” And Mumbo gave one more comforting hug before leaving the room hopefully, before his expression fell at Xisuma’s. “What’s wrong? I’m assuming you found Grum. Is he hurt?”

The admin shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s the thing. I can’t find him. I’ve checked and… well, it’s something you should see for yourself.” and he took off his helmet, which surprised Mumbo, who knew the admin needed it to breathe.

Before the redstoner could say more, the helmet was put on his own head and Xisuma was pressing a button on the side of the helmet. The list of people in the world appeared, Grum’s name missing from the list, then another button and the screen projected on the inner visor flashed red. After reading the words a few times, Xisuma pulled the helmet back, but Mumbo was still left comprehending the text.

/search information Minecraft:player_name{Grumbot} Error: Player does not exist

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt9

hello!! welcome back :) thank you guys so much for reading this story, it really truly means the world to me! this is one of the chapters that i’ve been most excited to get to! this chapter is supposed to take place within the tales of ba sing se! 

pt 1

pt 8

pt 10

Still, she couldn’t just waltz into the tea shop without a plan. The last time she had seen Zuko, he had pushed her away. She tried to remind herself that he was probably just distraught over his uncle, but there was still a part of her heart that hurt every time she replayed the scene in her mind.

A lot had happened over the course of a few weeks. They had visited an ancient library, lost Appa, crossed the Serpent’s Pass, battled a literal war machine, and had finally arrived in Ba Sing Se just a few days ago. The officials that had once been so welcoming of their arrival now made the group feel wary. Ba Sing Se was a city full of secrets, but the group wasn’t sure if they wanted to discover all of them. 

While she enjoyed the company of her friends, (Y/N) was starting to feel trapped. The house they stayed in was absolutely lovely, but recently, when she lay down to fall asleep, her mind raced with thoughts of Zuko. The amount of time she wondered about what he was doing, how Iroh was, where they were now, and what she would say to him if they ever got the chance to be alone together seriously dug into her sleep schedule. She woke up each morning feeling sluggish and a little bit grumpy, but she tried her best not to make her friends aware of what was troubling her. She felt bad, constantly coming to them and talking about Zuko. She knew that it was different for them. They had always known Zuko as the enemy. And while he had started to become that for (Y/N) too, there was still a part of her that held on their past and hoped that he could change. She tried to be realistic about most things in life, but when it came to Zuko, she always hoped. 

She decided one day that enough was enough. She would take a day to herself to be alone and relax. She had heard people talking about a wonderful new tea shop that had come to the city, so she decided to go there and have a nice cup to take her mind off of things. 

When she arrived, she was shocked to find the very person she was trying to avoid working in the tea shop. She peered through the window of the tea shop and watched as Zuko and his uncle prepared orders for their customers. She had never imagined Zuko as a working boy and the very sight of it made her giggle. Still, she couldn’t just waltz into the tea shop without a plan. The last time she had seen Zuko, he had pushed her away. She tried to remind herself that he was probably just distraught over his uncle, but there was still a part of her heart that hurt every time she replayed the scene in her mind.

She decided to go home and lay awake again, but this time she would lie awake at night and devise a plan. She was going to have an actual conversation with Zuko, she just had to make sure it was perfect. 

She returned to the shop the next day, but still couldn’t find the courage to walk inside. The same thing happened the day after that. And the day after that. What was wrong with her? She could fight skilled benders twice her size, but she couldn’t walk into a tea shop? Pathetic! 

On the fifth day, she stood in front of the tea shop and wondered whether or not she should enter. But there was a reason she kept coming back, wasn’t there?

People trickled in and out of the shop happily, completely unaware that the men who were serving them were deemed traitors of the Fire Nation. She took a deep breath. She could do this. They were in public. They couldn’t turn her in to the Fire Nation without giving themselves away. She would be safe. 

She entered the tea shop and quickly sat down at an empty table. She reviewed the menu. She couldn’t quite remember the last time she had had a cup of Iroh’s tea, but she remembered how good it tasted. No wonder their shop was always busy. 

Her palms were sweaty as she waited to see who would come take her order: Iroh or Zuko? She wasn’t sure which one she would rather it be. She wiped her clammy hands on the new Earth Kingdom dress she had purchased the other day. Did she look nice? Why did she care about looking nice? 

When Iroh finally noticed her, she also noticed the big smile on his face. Quickly, but without drawing too much attention to himself, he came over to her table. 

“It’s very lovely to see you here,” he said. “What can I get you?” 

“I’ll have a Jasmine tea, please,” she said, her voice small. 

“Ah, Jasmine. A lovely tea. My nephew’s favorite.” She felt her face get hot. 

“So I’ve heard.” Iroh smiled again. 

“Lee!” He called to Zuko. “One Jasmine tea, please. And once you’ve finished, why don’t you take your break?” 

(Y/N) felt herself almost burst into laughter at the fake name Zuko had claimed for himself. The Fire Nation had a billion Lees. 

Zuko nodded at his uncle’s orders, not looking up from his kettle. Once her tea had been properly steeped, he move through the tables before finally reaching hers. Once their eyes met, his hands shook, knocking one of the teacups from his tray. (Y/N) quickly caught it in her hand and placed it on the table. 

“Hi,” She said. 

“Hi.” He set the kettle on her table and then untied his apron. He moved to leave, and she reached out to grab him before thinking better of it. She cleared her throat. 

“Why don’t you sit with me?” 

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her and then glanced at his uncle, who gave him a big thumbs-up. Unhappily, he pulled a chair out and sat. She poured two cups of tea in silence. 

“I’m not going to tell my friends that you’re here, if that’s what you’re thinking.” 

“Why should I believe you?” She shrugged. 

“If you’re trying to make a new life, I don’t want to ruin it for you.”

“If you’re not here to rat me out, then why are you here?” 

She took a sip of her tea. She had ran through her big speech to Zuko so many times before she arrived, but once she was actually facing him, the words slipped from her mind. 

“I...I haven’t gotten to actually speak to you for a while. And I’ve wanted to. Then I found your shop one day and I kept coming back.” 

“I haven’t seen you here.” 

“Well, I never really came in. I had to figure out what I wanted to say to you.” 

“And what would that be?” 

She gave him a small smile. “I don’t really know where I’m going with this, to be honest. Whenever I see you, my chest hurts. I get sad and happy and I want to hug you but also fight you at the same time. So, I don’t really know what I’m doing here. I just felt that maybe if we talked--” 

“What?” Zuko demanded. Her eyes met his. She looked at his scar and was brought back to the day of his Agni Kai against his father. 

“I don’t know. I wanted to let you know that I cared about you still. Despite everything.” 

This drew Zuko into a long silence. He stared at her, for a while. She was dressed in a green Earth Kingdom dress. It wasn’t the one she normally wore for her disguise. While he preferred her in red, he had to admit that she looked beautiful in any color she wore. Her (color) eyes shined with hope. Her (color) hair was loose against her back, while half of it was up in a top knot that hinted at her Fire Nation heritage. 

Before he had started hunting the Avatar, the last time he had really looked at (Y/N) was when she entered his chambers before he fought his father. She had looked so scared then. She didn’t look scared now. She looked ready to face anything.

He hadn’t meant to leave the Fire Nation without saying goodbye to her. After his duel with his father and his banishment, he hadn’t wanted to see her. He didn’t want to look in her eyes and see the disappointment he so desperately feared. So he had boarded his ship and sailed away. He thought it would be easier that way. He wanted to tell her that, but he couldn’t find the words. 

“I have thought about you every day for the past two years,” Zuko said quietly. She felt her eyes brimming with tears. 

“I have to go,” she said. She placed a few gold coins on the table. It was far too much for a cup of tea, but she didn’t care. She leaned in close to him, like they used to when they were children. “I miss you, Zuko.” 

Zuko closed his eyes. When he opened them, she was gone. 

---

thanks for reading!

Tag List! 

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[theotherace]

Fic Recs: Taang

I’ve made two or three rec lists over the past few months, but I thought I’d make a proper, comprehensive one that’s easy to add to in the future. Not all of these are exclusively Taang, but they all feature the ship to some degree. I will only recommend one or two stories per author, but some profiles are definitely worth checking out further. So! Here goes.

Multi-Chapter, Complete

Whisper Into the Sky by damagectrl – Toph has two choices: Go home and get married or have the family fortune and her inheritance given to a stranger. Her problem: She wants to keep her ties to her family, but is quite content traveling with Aang. Her solution: Fight her way through suitors for her freedom. Literally. | General 

The Slow Path by Tazmainian Devil – Eight years after the fall of Ozai, Aang returns to the friends he left behind. | T

A Matter of Honor by Adridere – Almost 4 years after the war. Aang is engaged to Katara and is up to Zuko to teach him the facts of life. Yep, the bees and the birds. Crazy kings, bananas and the ultimate contest for the hand of a reluctant maiden. | M

Roommates by breeeliss – An unlikely tale of two unlikely people being forced to live together under unlikely circumstances.| Modern AU | T

Fall of the White Lotus by Boo-82 – Three years after the war Zuko is living a life of duty while Katara reluctantly travels the world with Aang. So, when General Iroh orders them to find Zuko’s mother and save his Order they seize the opportunity with both hands. It’s the beginning of an adventurous journey of discovery, but as time runs out a rising threat puts their bond to the test. | T

Half Asleep by The Crushinator – Five years after the Hundred-Year War, Fire Lord Zuko is hit with an assassin’s dart, and falls into a coma from which he cannot wake. A week passes, and his prognosis is grim. But Katara could swear she hears him in her dreams… | T

Yaaburnee by aviatordame – Avatars aren't meant to belong – that's as much as Aang can fathom. | M

Getting Lucky by roca-dos – Crazy things happen in college every day. | Modern AU | T 

All Fall Down by DJNS  – Aang copes with a tragic loss and finds renewed hope in an unexpected place. | M | Warning for Major Character Death

The Princess & the Badger-Cat by panaili – In a land never torn apart by the Hundred Year War, the sixteen-year-old Avatar Aang is trying his best to keep the balance between the four nations, including the increasingly antagonistic Fire Nation, which, despite his friendship with the Crown Prince Zuko, refuses to acknowledge him. Elsewhere, Sokka and Katara have been separated on their quest to find their missing father, and Sokka, pursued by the same bandits who kidnapped his sister, finds himself on the balcony of some rich girl’s house in Gaoling. Oh, and a sorcerer has turned him into a badger-cat. It’s just one of those days. | Teen and Up

Reborn by Jakia – Life. Death. Rebirth. This is the cycle that all spirits must abide to, even the Avatar. Aang and Toph face death and the reincarnation cycle. | T

New Girl by tiffaniesblews – After coming home early from a business trip, all Katara wanted to do was surprise her boyfriend, Jet. Imagine her surprise when she got home and Jet was in bed with another woman. Not wanting to live with her ex, and unable to live with her best friend, Suki, Katara takes her brother Sokka's offer to move into his loft with his two roommates. Aang is perky and sweet, the owner of a st. Bernard and a cat, who's often confused about his direction in life. Zuko, on the other hand, is a closed-off bartender, who takes some time opening up to others.The four could not be more different, and yet? They work out perfectly. Even if Katara's feelings for Zuko get a bit more complicated as time goes on. | Modern AU | Mature 

The Ties That Bind series by LdyKirin – An exploration of the ties that bind for good and ill. Toph and Zuko are both shaped by the family they were born to and the family they choose. Lots of found family feels. | T

What Happens In Kyoshi by BlackVelvetBand – Prince Zuko, and the GAang take a vacation on Kyoshi Island. Flirting, fighting, and embarrasment ensue as Sokka takes it upon himself to defend Katara's virtue...in a dress? A short,chaptered fic featuring Zutara, Sokki, and Taang. | T

Under the Night Sky by mycomfortblanket – Aang hears the chattering of teeth during a cold night. Was an AU that I found on tumblr that I made fit into this story. Orginal prompt: "We have to go camping together and share a sleeping bag even though we are complete strangers | General

On The Precipice by JoyDragon – They’re just best friends. Or maybe they’re teetering on the edge of being something more. | General

Oneshots, Complete

Air and Stone by Wolvenfire86 – A few Taang stories munched together. My first submissions. I hope everyone likes them. Please review, it makes me feel special. | K+

Taang Week 2020 series by teabagginses | Teen and Up & Mature

Our Little Secret by IrisPlumeria – Toph and Aang, sat next to one another dressed in their finest under paper lanterns and surrounded by copious amounts of food and friends, cringed at the disgusting noises coming out of Sokka’s nostrils as he blew his nose into Suki’s handkerchief. “I can’t believe two of my best friends are finally married!” Sokka sobbed, earning a supportive pat on the back from Suki, who didn’t flinch at the snot coming out of his nose. “I’m so happy for you guys!” Toph and Aang's family are happy for their nuptials, but will they be able to survive their wedding party without letting slip a big secret?Written for Taang Week 2020 - Tradition. | General 

All Roads Lead To Ba Sing Se by irisbleufic – "I was thinking," [Mai] said, tucking her last remaining dagger into her belt as she strode to meet him, "that it's about time I let Fire Lord Zuko know that I quit." When Kuei smiled at her, she could see the sunshine at which she once cringed."Notice that's six years overdue is better than none at all." "Indeed," said the Earth Queen, and grinned at him. | Teen And Up

Lady Fu’s Fortune Telling by Lady Cleo – Katara and Toph visit the local fortuneteller to get their fortunes told. Added a part two with Zuko and Aang. | T

The Perfect Companion by Morna – Aang seeks comfort outside of the arms of his wife, Katara. Taang, slightly lemony. | T

Box by JoeMerl – Written for Taang Week, one-shot. Toph ticks off Bumi, but Aang is willing to fight his old friend tooth and nail to get her out of trouble. Humor, light romance. | K+

2 am by shmulia – Whoever set off the fire alarm at 2 in the morning is on Katara's shit list. Even if he is hot and shirtless. | Modern AU | K

And its sequel, 11:45 – House parties aren't Katara's thing. Sokka's drunk, Suki's on a mission to set her up, and Toph is... well, Toph. But for every cloud there's a silver lining, and for Katara it comes in the form of a second chance with her neighbour... | Modern AU | T 

Treat by PsychEmpress – She felt the corners of her own lips quirk as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Consider this my treat,” he said and Toph allowed a smile to break out. OR In which Toph is a stressed architecture student who gets a free cup of coffee from the handsome waiter after she helps his friend. Taang. Mentions of Sukka. | Modern AU | T

Sawaru by metacognitive – This love is simple. Non-Korra compliant. | K+

Newlyweds (and basically everything else) by PandaCookie – Everyone’s a bit hopeless right after they’ve been married. | K+

Rhythms by xcgirl08– For now, though, her child’s heartbeat was hers to contemplate. | K 

Tenderness by Adridere – He wanted to keep her, even though he was not supposed to. He promised her freedom, and she promised him sanity in his own household. She kept her part of the bargain, but he found a way not to keep his. | M

Holy Matrimony by Loopy – After their marriage, Zuko and Katara deal with conflicting religious beliefs, and look to the friends for advice. Between the Zutara and the religious satire, every single person who reads this should feel offended. | General

Blind Maiden’s Grace by Adara_Rose – You can learn a lot of things from a flower… | Not Rated (I’d say General) 

Etched in the Earth by Dance_Elle_Dance – She knows the feel of Aang’s footprints better than her own, and that reality scares her. | Teen and Up

No One Asks About The Scars by voleuse – Write about how you learned to curse in order not to be cursed. | General

When in Rome by dtmars – She wasn’t stupid. She knew what she was doing and what she was getting herself into. They both did. | Modern AU. | Explicit

Like Real People Do by DerAndere – The moon is full and bright when he falls out of bed, awake, asleep, inside a dream, and starts walking, driven by the feeling he does not understand, tugging on him relentlessly, and he is Aang, and he is not, and the world is cold. | General | Full Disclosure: This is my story.

Meet Me Under The Table by avatarfan16 – A story of how Toph and Aang find love, in the most unusual of places. TAANG | K+

Aftermath by Zaram'delar – In any celebration, there's always one or two people with a habit of disappearing. Taang drabbleish series. | T

I Choose Dare by for_darkness_shows_the_stars – An ode to how Aang, under the power of a mighty temptress, was forced to grow a beard. Oh, and the birth of his first child, too, he supposes. | General Audiences

Multi-Chapter, In Progress

Heartbeat by AngelicBee – Avatar Aang's soulmate probably died 100 years before, but he can't help but feel she's closer than he thinks. | Teen and Up

a mighty ocean (or a gentle kiss) by poweradequeen – no, the title doesn’t make sense but i don’t care. i couldn’t think of one so now you’re stuck with a cheesy line from two by sleeping at last.it’s a taang fine arts university au. because i said so. | Teen and Up

Neither is Love a Cage by cali-chan – Love is the freedom of flying accompanied. It is letting be without possessing. PG-13 (possibly M later on), drama/romance/angst, Zuko/Katara + Aang/Toph, post-finale but diverges before LoK canon.

Operation: Zutara (REVAMPED) by dtmars – Everyone could see that those two were in love with each other. Everyone except for them. So Toph takes the initiative and fills in for Cupid to give them a little push, while Aang just tags along for the ride. | Teen and Up

Taang One Shots by stitch1830 – A collection of short stories about Toph and Aang that I've had saved in my notes for a few months. Stories are in the ATLA/LOK universe (not canon compliant), and typically revolve around their relationship and family. | Teen and Up

[picassho-18]

Art of Fire (V)

 Zuko x Fem!Reader; Part 5; 1.6k words 

Series summary: The recently crowned Fire Lord Zuko meets a new friend of his Uncle’s, a special fire bender that quickly grabs his interest over a cup of tea and the discussion of the arts.

A/N: I am so sorry for how long this update took! Most likely the last part :) thanks for reading my dudes <3

CATCH UP HERE: Part 1   Part 2   Part 3    Part 4

As you stood in front of the closed tea shop, hand in hand, you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing as Zuko looked sheepishly down at you.

“How did neither of us realize that my Uncle wouldn’t be here because he was running the Capital instead of me today?”

You began to laugh louder, shocked that you hadn’t even thought about his Uncle not working at the tea shop, even though Zuko told you this very morning that Iroh was stepping in as temporary Fire Lord for the day.

“Well, I guess we aren’t getting tea today!” You managed to say in between laughs, wiping away a few tears as he began to chuckle softly.

Suddenly, he looked up again, as tugged at your joined hands, pulling you to the side of the shop.

“If memory serves me right, my Uncle usually forgets to close up the side windows…” he said, as he looked down the alley and saw the open window of the tea shop, “And my memory is immaculate” He said with a cocky wink.

“I promised you tea, and that is what you’ll be getting. You’ll just find out that I am just as good as my Uncle when it comes to making tea.”

Offering his hands, you leaped up into the windowsill, as his fingers gripped your hips, helping you up. Your breath caught a little at the contact, the warmth of his palms something still so shocking yet calming at the same time.

After you were straddling the windowsill safely, you offered Zuko your hand. He jumped up, hand clasped tightly to yours as he made it to the window. However, neither of you had thought it through, and now you were both tightly tightly cramped into the windowsill, faces very close to each other.

You giggled lightly, making eye contact with Zuko’s shining golden eyes, before you meanuvered your way through Zuko’s long legs and managed to land onto the familiar tea shop floor, Zuko right behind you.

Looking at the shop, it was very weird to see it not open and full of people, but Zuko quickie led you to the back, to the kitchen and storage room.

Still in your damp clothes from swimming in the lake, Zuko started to look into some of the many boxes in the back, and began muttering, “We usually keep some spare clothes in the back, and I can’t seem to find them… Oh. Found some!” 

You chuckled lightly, watching as he pulled out a pair of pants and some shirts. He lifted two shirts up, “Okay you got two opinions, a very oversized tan shirt that I’m pretty sure is my Uncle’s or the tea shop uniform.”

“Oh my, what a decision I have to make” you said with a smirk, “I may have to pick the huge shirt, even if it will be like a dress on me, simply because I have to see you in the uniform. Iroh has told me too many stories of you at the Jasmine Dragon for me to pass up this opportunity!”

“Oh you cruel wicked thing” Zuko teased, before handing you the shirt.

The pair of you stood there for a couple of seconds, just shyly looking at each other. Suddenly Zuko moved into action, “Oh, sorry yeah I’ll uh turn around so you can change first.”

You grinned at his awkward behavior, still stunned by how the shy man in front of you actually ruled the Fire Nation. “Thank you Zuko.”

You quickly peeled off your damp clothes, the cold air sending a shiver through your body as you peeked at Zuko’s back, as he stared firmly at the wall.

You shrugged on the large shirt, reaching your mid thigh, and very loose on you. Looking down, you realized you didn’t need the pants, it quite literally was a dress on you.

Zuko still had his back turned, so with a small surge of courage, you walked behind him quietly, and suddenly pressed a kiss to his check. He tensed at the contact, before a large smile graced his face as he turned around.

“What was that for?” he asked.

You pulled away, rocking on your heels, the shirt flowing around your legs. “Did I need a reason besides simply wanting to?”

The fiercest blush crept over his cheeks, before grabbing his own new set of clothes, “No. You don’t.”

It was your turn for your cheeks to heat up, and you looked away at the floor, a soft smile on your face. You turned around, and gave Zuko the privacy to change himself.

You heard the rustling of his clothes coming off and dropping on the floor, and you just hoped that he couldn’t hear how loud your heart was pounding. You were so focused on not freaking out at the situation you were in, or the fact that you were literally currently being courted by the Fire Lord, that you didn’t even notice Zuko creep up on you. At least until he wrapped his arms around your torso, and kissed your cheek. The warmth poured off him, even more noticeable now that you were both in dry clothes.

His lips hovered over your ear, “Just returning the favor. Because I wanted to.”

Your breath completely froze in your chest, as you slowly turned in Zuko’s arms, spinning to face him. 

Tenderly, you rested your hand on his face, just below his scarred eye, as his arms tightened around your waist, pulling you flush against him in a snug embrace. 

Quietly, as if your next words might shatter the moment, you asked, “What are we doing?”

Zuko’s eyebrows scrunched up as he replied, “We are going to make tea…?”

“No, I mean, like what are we doing? What’s going on between us?” As you began to talk, Zuko’s hands fell from your waist, withdrawing from you slowly. You continued, starting to ramble slightly, “It’s just… you’re the Fire Lord! And I’m some commoner and I just, and we only met a week ago, and we don’t really know each other, and somehow in the few conversations since first seeing you in this tea shop, I’ve started to really feel something for you, but I have no clue what I’m doing. I don’t know what we’re doing...”

Slowly, as if he didn’t want to scare you away, he rested both of his hands on the sides of your face. His thumbs slowly rubbed your cheeks, the warmth soaking into your face, settling your nerves slightly.

“Y/N.” He spoke quietly, his eyes peering deep into your own. He sucked in a breath, before letting it out and spoke. “I know we barely know each other, yet I have never met another person that has had an effect on me like you. Somehow in just a few days, you burrowed your way into my soul. And I know the Fire Lord thing complicates things, but we can figure that out later. For now, I just want to learn everything I can about you. I want to be around you, and I want to listen to you laugh, I want to be the cause of your laugh… And I want to kiss you whenever I possibly can.”

Your breath hitched at his words, but you couldn’t pull your eyes away from Zuko’s searing gaze. Your brain turned to mush as you tried to process his words, but you could only truly think about him, right now, in front of you, staring at you as if you were his entire world.

His golden eyes glanced down to your lips, before looking at your eyes again, “May I kiss you?”

Words couldn’t form from your mouth, so all you could do was nod.

Your eyes fluttered shut as he stepped closer to you, your body flush against his as he closed the gap and pressed his lips to yours. One of his hands slid to your neck, cradling it closer to him, as the other slid around your lower back, holding you tightly. Your arms settled around his neck as you arched into him, fingers finding his hair.

His mouth wandered away from your lips, and started to pepper kisses against your jaw and then your neck. Your head fell back, as a soft moan escaped from mouth at the tender feeling of his lips against the bare sensitive skin of your neck.

At the sound, Zuko’s arms tightened even more around you, and a rumble sound in his chest.

You pulled back suddenly, a laugh bubbling up in your chest, as you smirked at Zuko, “Was that a growl?!”

His eyes widened, and stared at you sheepishly, “Maybe…”

You laughed, pulling away from his embrace, but gripping his hand firmly, “Don’t worry. I found it very hot, but let’s not forget the real purpose of this trip.”

You glanced down at his tea shop uniform, appreciating the look of the new clothes on him, “You promised me tea, and I plan to drink some of your finest”

Zuko chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around your waist, then steering you towards the kitchen.

“Why of course. You deserve nothing less. Plus, my Uncle would be very disappointed in me if I didn’t make you the very best of tea.”

You laughed, smiling widely at Zuko, your heart warmed, filled to the brim with happiness. And excitement for a good cup of tea.

***

This was most likely the last part! Thank you for reading :)

Art of Fire Tag List: *now closed*

@haylaansmi @wasntpriscilla @justholdthesun @furblrwurblr @writers-thoughts09 @alrightberries @fitzsimmons-is-forever @katieisntcranky @ari-shipping-stuff @ayo-cowbelly @ctrl-alt-jeon @tardis-is-mine @catraismygf @celamoon @boom-bunny @silentwhispofhope @aphrodites-perfume @tranquillitea @eury-dice3 @silverdagger69 @fan-g0rl @1234567890nono @julixeric @randomness501 @todaynotseen @superblyspeedydragon @iwishiwasaginger @ivy-ros @mdgrdians @multifandomphenomena @todaynotseen @rustypotatospork @angxlicwanda @debajo-del-puente @multifandom-slytherin @ninipoo1 @ornate-ribcage @5sosxwinchester @kriswu46 @softpeteparker @richkookie @fairy-inthegarden @moonraysunlight @inlove-maze @thesilversnake666 @mochminnie @mixedfeeelings @lucyrocks86 @imcravingyou @11mb0 @niphredil-14 @chewymoustachio @silverclawz @cheapglitter​ @jada-cleo @akariblue @swagdaddycam @ilovespideyyy @bubblebars @queenofmankind @the-girl-in-the-box​ @yiyibetch @little-miss-sleep-deprived @cnchoebrie @ditu-m9 @queenofmankind @aangsupremacy @im-a-muggleborn @ijustwannabecanadian​

[hermits-that-craft]

Silver and Gold

This is a ship fic. DD:DNE

Scardubs shippers come get your ‘fancy party after Scar won the mayoral race’ juice!

Bdubs finishes buttoning up his golden vest, humming to himself as he picks up a black blazer with some gold trimming, a gift from Doc for winning the mayoral race. It’s not his win, even if he was the campaign captain for Scar. It’s Scar’s victory, though the man insists on sharing it with him. Bdubs doesn’t mind, a warm feeling glowing in his chest as he walks through the nether to get to the shopping district. Cleo joins him on his walk, dressed in a gown that flows like the ocean and is the same colour, her hair cascading down her shoulders.

“I thought you left the life of piracy behind last season?” Bdubs teases the reporter as they walk towards the shopping district portal.

“And I thought the only tuxedo you had was plain black. Where’d you get the gold from?” Cleo teases back, and Bdubs sticks his tongue out at her.

“Doc gave it to me for winning.”

“Well, you’ll certainly win a few hearts dressed up like that.” Cleo winks at him. “Now, tell me the scoop. Is it true that you’re after our newest mayor’s heart?”

Bdubs flushes, pushing Cleo away as he turns away, trying not to let the reporter know about how he feels for Scar. It isn’t fair, Scar’s too sweet to him. Cleo gasps, dropping her reporter act.

“No way. That rumour’s true?” She gasps. “Oh, Bdubs.”

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

“I won't, thought Stress and False already knew.” Cleo promises, holding out her hand as they stand in front of the shopping district portal. Bdubs takes it, following her through the portal.

The sun sets over the shopping district’s skyline, paper lanterns flickering as they light up the path to the small park in front of mount Scarmore, where Grian, Stress and False had redecorated to suit the celebratory party. Cleo drops his hands, walking up to False and Stress and whispering something to the two women. Stress looks up, waving Bdubs over to them.

Stress wears a magenta suit jacket over a white blouse that fades into a light pink ball gown, and False wears black suit pants, a white shirt with a gold tie, and a flame red blazer that almost glows as she moves. The two women smile at him as he approaches them, Stress beaming at him.

“So, when will you go and get your man?” She asks as he joins their circle, False giving him a glass of champagne as he arrives. “It’s clear he only has eyes for you, anyways.

“No way, he doesn’t like me that way.”

“How would you know if you don’t ask him?” False asks him quietly. “Oh, everyone act natural, the mayor is here.”

Bdubs spins around, barely hearing Joe announce that Scar has arrived. Scar stands at the entrance to the park, wearing a dark purple suit with a white shirt, though he doesn’t wear a tie. The suit looks like it’s been embroidered with starlight and silver. Scar laughs at something Cub tells him, and the laughter washes over Bdubs, sounding like chimes in his ears. Scar looks so happy, practically glowing in the moonlight.

Keralis laughs near him, and Bdubs jumps as the wide eyed man appears near him, his normal suit swapped out for a navy one. Xisuma is also there, his armour off and replaced with a plain black suit.

“You, my good sir, have it bad.” Xisuma smiles at Bdubs, his purple freckles glowing slightly. “Did you even notice that you were staring?”

“Shiswammy, leave him be! If I recall correctly, you did the same to me.” Keralis winks at Bdubs. “You should ask him for a dance when those start up, I saw how Joe made his suit.”

“I can’t do that-”

“Bdubs!” Scar calls him, and Bdubs turns to the man. Scar is blushing slightly, holding his hand out towards Bdubs. “May I have this dance?”

“Of course!” Bdubs agrees, handing his champagne over to Keralis without a second thought. Scar’s smile turns from nervous to joyus, taking Bdubs hand. Scar leads Bdubs to the dance floor, Cleo sending Bdubs a wink that turns his bright red.

“Oh, I nearly forgot.” Scar mumbles, fiddling with his suit jacket. “Spin me?”

“What?” Bdubs mumbles.

“Spin me around?”

“Okay.” Bdubs giggles, spinning the new mayor around, as though the music had already started.

Scar’s suit begins to change, the jacket elongating into a dress that looks like the night sky. Scar laughs as Bdubs spins, a lone violin playing in the distance. Scar drops Bdubs’ hands, and the mage wraps his arms around Bdubs neck, slowly leading Bdubs into a dance.

“I love you.” Bdubs says before he can stop himself. 

“I love you too.” Scar mumbles back to him, and Bdubs leans onto Scar’s chest, letting the other man lead the dance.

Scar glows silver in the pale moonlight, and Bdubs glows gold, their souls merging together to create the most beautiful potion. Bdubs looks up at Scar, and he wraps his arms around Scar’s neck, pulling the other man into a kiss. Sparks don’t fly like the books say they would, instead the stars burn brighter in the sky, gold and silver dancing in the sky above them quite literally as Scar and Bdubs’ magic merges together to create a portrait of love and devotion. 

[superior-in-every-way]

What if deuce walks in on them? 😂😂😂 Talk about awkward!! 😍

OOC:

Uhm… Are you requesting a story? 🤔Deuce kind of already walked in on them in a previous story. Like I said, I don’t think Cleo or he would ever actually walk in on them, but I got an idea anyway! Enjoy! 🤗

{I’m on mobile, so I can’t put a read more. Also, I’m sorry if there are more mistakes than usually or if the story is trashy. I’m tired af. xD)

NSFW:

Not wanting anyone to get in trouble like LAST time, Dedyet broke the silence in the egyptian themed room. “Ramses,” she told him carefully, “Deuce is staying over at our house today.”

Ramses looked up from his papers, an angry look on his face. “Who gave him permission?”

Dedyet tried to be brave this one time and answered, “Me.”

Ramses raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

The former queen nodded, still somehow hoping that he wouldn’t get angry at her, Cleo or Deuce.

“You know,” Ramses informed her again, “I don’t want that boy to be here. Actually, I don’t want him to be with our daughter at all, no matter where.”

“I know, but if he is here with her, you can keep an eye on them,” Dedyet answered, smiling weakly.

“No! I can’t! Do you have an idea where this boy will sleep??!”

“Wherever he wants to?”

“You would be okay with him sleeping with Cleo? In HER bed?”

Dedyet considered this. “If her bed is big enough… Sure.”

Ramses rolled his eyes. Sure, he loved his wife more than anything, but in situations like those he wouldn’t mind her to be a stricter parent. So the former pharaoh replied, “Do you know what will happen if we let them sleep together?”

“They will bond?”

“She will be scarred forever!”

“Oh!” Dedyet nodded slowly. “You think his snakes would bite her? They seemed rather friendly to me.”

Ramses rolled his eyes another time. “Have you ever imagined what would happen if - Ra forbid - this boy got her pregnant?”

Dedyet smiled brightly. “Aww..”

Ramses raised an eyebrow, looking less than happy.

“They’d have a baby!”

“Imagining that makes me sick.”

Dedyet pouted. “Awwn.”

It was then when they heard someone enter the palace. After that, a happy voice - Cleo’s voice. “Deuce!”

Ramses immediately looked bitter.

“Honey,” Dedyet mumbled. “How about we spend the evening together? And give Cleo and Deuce some free time?”

Surprisingly, Ramses’ face presented her a tiny smile. “Do you know what I’d rather do?” He asked, almost happily.

She smiled back at him. “No?”

“THROW THAT BOY RIGHT OUT!”

Dedyet pouted another time. However, she still tried to change his opinion. “How about we take a bubble bath? Just us two?”

“Hm. Fine. But I expect the servants to prepare it perfectly!”

Twenty minutes later, Dedyet found herself standing next to her husband in his private bathroom. In front of them was a perfectly prepared bubble bath, tealights were lit, the smell of roses filled the room. It was so romantic that Dedyet almost melted. Her heart did, at least.

“Get the champagne,” Ramses told the last servant in the bathroom in a very stern way.

He nodded, bowed and left.

Ramses looked at his wife, presenting her a smile. “Let’s get naked.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle. Dedyet slowly undressed - careful about leaving a few bandages on her upper arms - and watched her husband do the same.

They got inside the warm bath, sitting opposite of each other. Dedyet felt magnificient, feeling the warmth of the water all around her, and the servant was quick yet careful to get inside the room again.

He gave them both a glass of champagne, having the costly bottle still in his hand.

Ramses and Dedyet smiled at each other, clinged their glasses and started drinking, both in very different ways. Dedyet drank very slowly, tasting the liquid carefully, enjoying and appreciating the taste, while Ramses’ glass was empty within a second.

Dedyet’s eyes widened as she watched her husband getting his glass refilled. Well, he had always loved alcohol. The more, the better…

About an hour of luxurious bathing had passed when the servant bowed and left. What he brought outside with him were two completely empty bottles of champagne. (Dedyet had had two glasses and Ramses… Well, the complete rest).

As soon as he was gone, Ramses was drunk enough to lean forward and kiss Dedyet passionately. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, too, while touching the warm skin on his back with one of her hands.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ramses slurred out, obviously far from sober. “I wanna have sex with you.”

Dedyet blushed and chuckled nervously. “Oh, okay…”

Ramses stood up and got out (the fact that he didn’t fall was a miracle), followed by Dedyet, who managed to dry most of Ramses’ and her body with two towels.

As they heard voices in the halls, the two got dressed in two fancy bathrobes, just to be sure that no one would see them naked.

They walked into their bedroom - luckily without being seen by anyone. As soon as Dedyet closed the door behind them, Ramses let his bathrobe fall to the ground. She turned around only to feel his hands greedily remove hers, too.

They continued kissing and ended up on the huge bed, Ramses lying down, Dedyet sitting on top of him. She barely felt ready when he grabbed her hips and raised them up so that she was sitting on his boner.

Dedyet suddenly felt a sharp pain inside of her. “Ouch…”

Her rather drunk husband noticed this, doing very little to make her feel better. He placed his hands on her butt and slowly lifted her up and down.

Dedyet felt herself getting a little wetter, but the pain was still there. However, she didn’t want to stop, so she quickly moved her hips up and down until she felt aroused by it as well. It was a minute later when, while she had slowly started to enjoy it, the fun was over and Ramses cum.

Dedyet lifted her hips up and grabbed a tissue to wipe her genitals with. Once relatively clean, she lied down in Ramses’ arms. She looked over at him, wondering if he was still in the mood to keep it going, when she heard him snore.

The former queen cuddled closer to her sleeping husband, looking over at their bathrobes on the floor and the dirty tissue next to her. A huge feeling of tiredness overcame her, when she suddenly felt a lot of pressure on her bladder.

Trying to forget about how disappointing the sex had been and how she had been in pain during most of the act, Dedyet slowly stood up, managing not to wake up her husband. Actually, it was no wonder. Ramses was a heavy sleeper and once he was asleep, waking him up was an actual challenge.

Dedyet grabbed up her bathrobe from the ground, remembering again how Ramses had once warned her about not walking around naked in the house, put it on rather carelessly (she didn’t even bother to close it appropriately) and left the room to walk back into the bathroom.

The way to the bathroom was short, so it was rather surprising that Dedyet met Deuce in the halls who wore nothing but underwear and a t-shirt.

The gorgon boy blushed slightly, but his blush got deeper once Dedyet came nearer. Dedyet couldn’t see it, but behind the dark glasses, Deuce’s eyes were widening.

“Hello, Deuce,” Dedyet said with tired eyes and a friendly smile. Having no time for small talk, she kept on walking until she reached the bathroom and disappeared inside.

Deuce on the other hand, was still standing on the same spot he had seen her on. He looked after his girlfriend’s mother, his eyes still widening. The teenager tried to process what had just happened.

The first thing he realized was how much bigger Dedyet’s boobs were compared to Cleo’s. The second thing he realized was the fact that he had gotten a boner just from looking at her.