#she was Desperate. she was scared. she wanted to be Seen. and Heard. and Understood. she wanted her own happy ending!

[shizuturnspages]

I liked the post you did about Genshin men being like “oh my god that’s a kid I had feelings for a minor guess I gotta wait”

could you do that but with fatui harbingers pls? Also I rly like your writing

Too Young to Love — Fatui Harbingers Edition

Pairings: Yandere Fatui Harbingers x Minor Reader [Aged-up later] Synopsis: They met you too early. Too soft. Too bright. Too young. And for once, even the Fatui knew restraint. They tucked their feelings away like knives hidden beneath silk—because obsession with a child was a line not even they could cross. But when you come of age, fully grown, smiling at them like nothing’s changed— Gods help them. Because everything has.

Dottore – The Unethical Experiment

He wasn’t even pretending. He just… didn’t care. Until you offhandedly mentioned your birth year.

He stared at you in silence for a full twenty seconds.

Then he closed his notebook and said, “Leave. Come back when you’re not illegal.”

You blinked. “W-What?”

“You heard me.”

He replaced you with a clone assistant immediately. Watched you grow from the cameras instead. And yet, he still left notes on your work. Still corrected your formulas anonymously. Still monitored your progress every single year.

Not because he didn’t want to see you. But because he did.

Too much.

“Affection is a distraction,” he said aloud one day while studying a blood sample. “But… reproducibility matters. If it’s real, it’ll last until they’re older.”

So when you returned—fully grown, lab coat on, eyes gleaming like his? He was already standing at your desk before you finished unpacking.

“You’ve matured,” he murmured, smirking. “Now let’s see if your intellect has caught up to mine… and if you can handle what you’ve been asking for all this time.”

Childe – Waiting Was the Hardest War

He didn’t realise it at first. You were fun. Cute. He liked teasing you. Then one day, you turned 18, and it hit him like a brick.

“Oh my god,” he whispered into his hands. “I was flirting with a minor. I’m disgusting. I need holy water. I need to—”

He vanished from your life for three whole months.

When he came back, you were furious.

“Why did you ghost me?!”

He looked at you like he was seeing the stars for the first time.

“Because I liked you. And I knew it wasn’t right.”

“And now?”

“Now you’re legal, and I’m mentally prepared. So.” Cue Childe dropping a bouquet of mora and calling it a date invitation.

Arlecchino — The Flame She Dared Not Touch

You called her “Miss Arlecchino” like it meant something. You tried to spar with her. She knocked you flat every time—but you always got up.

And she adored that.

Too much.

She noticed how your hands trembled when you were angry. How you wanted to be seen as strong. She understood the desperation behind your pride. Because she once had it, too.

And that’s what scared her.

So she kept you at arm’s length. Let others dote while she watched from the shadows. Not because you were too young to love her—but because you were too young to understand the kind of love she offered.

“It’s not fair to break you before you’ve even bloomed,” she murmured once, when you left a sparring match bleeding but grinning.

Now, standing across from her years later—taller, sharper, still that same defiant flame—

You challenge her again.

She smiles.

And this time, she doesn’t pull her punches.

Pantalone – A Fortune in Waiting

He noticed it when you first started working in one of his bank offices. You were brilliant. Quick. A little naive. Too young.

So he watched. Invested in you. Quietly manoeuvred your promotion. Offered mentorship—strictly professional. Always measured. Always distant. But behind every ledger page, he memorised the curve of your handwriting. Your smile. The way you tilted your head when confused.

Now? You're older. Sharper. Wealthier than most.

When you step into his private office, newly appointed as a junior diplomat, you flash him the same smile you did all those years ago.

And Pantalone feels everything he buried rise like heat in his throat.

“You’ve grown into something dangerous,” he murmurs, pouring you tea.

“You helped me grow,” you reply sweetly.

“Ah,” he smiles slowly, “then allow me to reap the interest.”

You don't realise it, but you've walked into a contract he’s waited years to finalise.

Pierro – The Watcher in the Cold

You were an orphan. Not even from Snezhnaya. Just a diplomatic favour he couldn’t say no to. Pierro never spoke much to you, just observed—curious about your resilience, your adaptability.

He never thought twice about another soul—until you smiled at him one day and thanked him for your safety.

He didn’t smile back. But his chest ached for a reason he couldn’t understand.

So he assigned guards. Made sure you were educated. Gave you the best. But always from afar.

And years later, you return as an adult, sharp-eyed and confident, standing at his war table with a report.

You call him “sir,” but your eyes are warm.

His are not.

They’re starving.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he says.

“I’ve earned my place.”

“You don’t know what you’ve walked into.”

“Then show me.”

His breath catches.

The jester has waited too long.

And now, he’s ready to claim the only thing he never let himself have.

Capitano – The Only Emotion He Never Buried

He realises it the moment you call him your hero.

The innocence in your voice breaks something inside him. He pulls away—physically, emotionally. He stations you far from his missions. Keeps guards on you not for your protection, but to protect himself from you.

And yet… you still run up to him. Hug him without fear. Bring him flowers.

He allows it. But never more.

“I am not what you think I am,” he murmurs once, voice rough with restraint. “You shouldn’t want to be near me.”

But you still do.

And when you’re grown, standing tall, looking him in the eyes with intent instead of wonder— He falls completely.

“You waited for me?”

“Always.”

[vsimp]

"glimpse of us"

pairing: zhongli x reader

genre: angst, no comfort

w/c: 850

summary: "glimpse of us" by joji, but you are not her

You have been through everything with him. Through the archon war, through the cataclysm, through the ongoing erosion, and through the “death” of Morax. You wanted to think that you were the closest person to him. You knew all of his likes and dislikes. You knew what all of his hobbies were. You knew how much he cared about his people, the people of Liyue. You understood him more than anyone.

“My dearest and oldest friend…” Zhongli’s deep voice rumbled through the plains of Liyue, like a gentle breeze that could soothe even the most unfortunate of souls. “My y/n… You have truly proved yourself to be my most loyal companion. I was once an archon, and now I am merely a man, yet you love me anyways, and it has taken me this long to realize that. Will you accompany this old soul for the rest of his modest life?”

When he had proposed to you, you felt like the happiest person in the world. The man who you had been in love with over the last thousands of years had finally realized your feelings, and you were ecstatic. But despite his whispers of love to you, despite all of the passionate feelings that he vocalized, there was always a lingering thought in the back of your mind. 

Indeed, you knew everything about Morax. Even his heartaches and troubles. Even his old love who he lost many, many millennials ago.

The death of Guizhong broke your heart as well. She was loved by many, that included the Geo Archon himself. You didn’t think your unrequited love would ever be returned, and yet, you still somehow felt guilty now that you’ve taken the place of your old friend, the one who used to stand by his side.

He had never once looked at you the way that he looked at her. He had never once smiled at you the way he did her. And even at night when he dreams, he dreams of her.

But you smiled on, hoping and wishing that Zhongli would be happy by your side. Minutes passed like hours, as you kissed his lips, and hours passed like seconds as you laughed by his side. But you knew that you were just her replacement. You knew that whenever he looked into your eyes, he was not looking at you, but instead at a glimpse of her. 

“I love you, Guizhong,” Zhongli had let out one day. Whatever you had in your hand had fallen to the ground at the time, leaving a loud thud amidst the silence. “No… No, I meant y/n. I love you, y/n.” Zhongli was flustered, which was unlike him, and also quick to correct his mistake, but it was too late. You had already found out about his true feelings.

He chased you outside as you ran straight into the rain, calling your name and asking you calmly to come back inside. You didn’t know how to feel. You didn’t know how to react. You just knew that you could no longer face him. The thunder roared loud in the sky as your heart ached.

Your fears were confirmed that night. You had never seen Zhongli look so desperate and scared before. It was like he knew what his true feelings were, but he just didn’t want to lose you. The damage, however, had already been done.

He held you in his arms tightly, catching you before you got too far, your back against his chest. 

“Y/n,” he pleaded, “please… come back inside. It’s raining and you’ll get sick.”

“It’s been thousands of years, Morax.” Zhongli’s grip tightened as he heard your firm voice, as if he was afraid he’d lose you like how he had lost everybody else in his life. “I’ve always been yours… but when will you ever be mine?”

“I apologize. I truly am sorry. It was a slip of the tongue.” But he couldn’t deny the truth. You had hoped he would say that you were the only one in his heart right now. That you are the only one he thought about. He remained uncharacteristically silent but still clinging onto you.

It was time you put yourself first for once. Everything you had done had been for him, the man you love. But his silence spoke louder than his actions in this case, and it cracked open your heart even further. 

“I think… we need a break. I’m sorry.”

There was a long pause before Zhongli let you go.

“Very well,” he said hesitantly and cautiously. “I cannot force you to stay. But remember this, I truly love you. And when you would like to speak again, I will be here waiting for you.”

“Unfortunately, I’m tired of doing the chasing,” you said simply. 

“The chasing…? Oh, my dear…” You couldn’t look at his expression, but you could tell he finally understood your feelings. Still, he hesitated to say what he truly wanted to say, a long pause between his words. “It appears I cannot convince you to stay…”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

Zhongli watched as you walked away. The light of his life had faded, and now, he truly was all alone.

[thejesterstears]

So I saw someone say this some time ago and I don’t think it’s a generally agreed upon opinion but it’s been on my mind, that some people apparently think Pomni acts like she’s the only one suffering because she’s trapped in the circus…? And it just made me think are we watching the same show because I did not ever once get that impression from Pomni and I think it discredits her character arc a bit to think that way.

Like, I’m analyzing her behavior in the pilot and ep2 because that’s when she was at her worst as far as struggling to adjust to her new life goes. In the pilot she was understandably terrified and panicking, not only being thrust into a ridiculous situation and finding out this was her new life but also being chased by a horrifying monster that could end up being her one day if she ever loses her head. In ep2 she’s starting to resign herself to her predicament but she’s understandably depressed and withdrawn, she’s still overwhelmed and she feels alone. But I didn’t think any of her behavior was especially self-pitying—think about how you would feel if you had your old life and your identity torn away from you, stuck in a strange new place with strange new people and being told you could never go back home, and struggling to process that this wasn’t just some bizarre nightmare. Of course you’d feel lost and scared and desperate for an escape, and at least at first you’d be thinking of yourself and the life you left behind because you haven’t had any time yet to adjust to the situation you were suddenly forced into unlike everyone else. I don’t think Pomni’s reactions were at all unwarranted or indicated that she was behaving selfishly for being upset that she couldn’t leave. We haven’t seen for ourselves how everyone else reacted to ending up in the circus but I can’t imagine it was all that much different from how Pomni reacted.

(I’ve already discussed at length before whether Pomni was acting selfishly by abandoning Ragatha in the pilot—my consensus is still that she was not committing a selfish act on purpose, she was scared and reacting on a fight-or-flight impulse while still trying to convince herself it was only a dream, but Ragatha wouldn’t be in the wrong to be upset by this either. It was a bad situation for all involved but I don’t think Pomni would have wanted her to be hurt and wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. So putting that aside for now.)

Also, and this isn’t to knock the other circus members, but everyone sort of had a very lackadaisical “oh look a new person trapped with us for eternity” response to Pomni’s arrival, because they were already so acclimated to the situation while Pomni very much wasn’t. They all behaved like nothing was weird or wrong about it so I kind of don’t blame Pomni for initially feeling very alone and closed off from everyone else, because it didn’t necessarily seemed like they cared. Ragatha was the only one who really made any attempt to help her adjust but even then it was more pacifying than helpful—again, not that Ragatha didn’t care, just that her method of coping didn’t align with Pomni’s needs when she just wanted to be heard and understood. Again this isn’t to say the other circus members purposely rebuffed her, just that they were so used to it that they didn’t really have much of a reaction or go out of their way to try helping her adjust, so Pomni ended up feeling isolated and alone in processing what was happening to her and questioning how the others could accept it as normal. I think I’d feel sort of hurt and alone too if I were in her shoes.

But Pomni has also proven that she isn’t only thinking of herself and wallowing in her own misery like?? She actually adjusted fairly well when you consider only maybe a week or so has passed since her arrival at this point in the series. She listens to others and cares about the people around her and responds emphatically to other people’s suffering, wanting genuinely to help them. That doesn’t sound like the behavior of someone who thinks they are the only one suffering in a situation. It makes me think of when people were complaining that “anxiety” was her only defining character trait, back when we only had the pilot to go off of—you need to give her time to adjust, and show what she’s really like. That’s not all there is to her character and you can’t base that assumption on the few episodes out so far where she’s still coming to terms with her new life.

TLDR I don’t understand when people assume Pomni is selfish or self-centered for being reasonably upset about her circumstances and when she’s shown to be a genuinely kind and caring person when she’s in the right headspace. In short, she’s human and will make mistakes and get fed up by her situation, but that doesn’t mean she thinks she’s the only one who has it bad here.

[teddymoon06]

Oneshot

Sweet Home: Yeong-hu x Y/N Fanfiction

The air inside the building was thick with tension. It had been weeks since they had taken refuge here, away from the relentless horrors that had transformed the world outside. Amid the chaos, though, Yeong-hu had managed to keep his group alive, protecting those under his command, including his wife, Y/N. They had been married long before the outbreak — a bond forged through love and tested by fire. In the apocalypse, it only grew stronger, and Yeong-hu had become fiercely protective of her, especially now when every step outside was a risk.

Y/N was the light in his life, the one thing that kept him grounded in the madness. As the leader of the group, Yeong-hu had to make tough decisions daily, and often those choices weighed heavy on him. But he always found comfort in knowing she was safe, always by his side.

It had been a long day when one of his men, Jin-soo, approached him. Jin-soo's girl, Min-ah, had been sick for days, the infection spreading fast. The situation was desperate. Jin-soo had come to Yeong-hu to beg for permission to go out and search for medicine.

"Captain, please. If we don’t get it… she won’t make it," Jin-soo pleaded, his voice shaking with fear and hope intertwined.

Yeong-hu ran a hand over his tired face, his jaw clenched as he weighed the options. The world outside was crawling with monsters, each more dangerous than the last. Sending Jin-soo out was dangerous enough. And yet, Yeong-hu couldn’t deny the man a chance to save the person he loved. He understood that feeling better than anyone.

“Fine,” Yeong-hu finally agreed, his voice firm. “But you’re not going alone. Take Dong-wook and Seung-ho with you. You’ll need backup.”

Jin-soo’s face brightened with gratitude. "Thank you, Captain."

Yeong-hu nodded. “Get in and out fast. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

Hours passed after the group had left. The tension in the building only grew with their absence. Y/N had been quiet most of the day, something that hadn't escaped Yeong-hu’s notice, though he figured it was the stress of their current reality. He kept a close eye on her, always making sure she was safe.

But then… she was gone.

It happened too fast. One moment, she was with him, and the next, she had disappeared without a word. Panic surged through Yeong-hu’s veins. He combed through the building, shouting her name, his voice growing raw with each call.

“Y/N! Y/N, where are you?!”

The other survivors exchanged worried glances as they heard his frantic cries. No one had seen her leave. His heart raced, dread settling in his gut like a stone. She had always been stubborn, always wanting to help, even when the world was normal. But this? Going outside? Alone?

Dong-wook, one of his men, rushed up to him, his face pale. "Captain, Jin-soo's girl said something before she passed out… She told Y/N about a safe route to the pharmacy. Y/N said she was going to help get the medicine."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

"No," Yeong-hu growled, his fists clenched. "No, no, no…"

Without wasting another second, Yeong-hu grabbed his gear, his eyes burning with anger and fear. "We’re going after her. Now."

His men moved quickly, understanding the gravity of the situation. They had seen Yeong-hu in action before, but this was different. This wasn’t just a leader protecting his people. This was a man desperate to protect the love of his life.

As they stepped out into the night, the silence was eerie. The streets were empty, but the threat of the monsters lurked in every shadow. Yeong-hu moved quickly, his instincts razor-sharp. His mind raced with images of Y/N — alone, scared, vulnerable.

If anything happened to her…

He couldn’t even finish the thought.

The pharmacy wasn’t far, but it felt like an eternity before they reached it. When they finally arrived, his heart stopped for a moment. The front door was slightly ajar, a sign that someone had been there.

He stormed in, gun raised, his breath ragged. "Y/N?!"

A weak cough echoed from behind the counter. Yeong-hu’s chest tightened as he rushed over, his heart pounding in his ears. There, huddled on the floor, was Y/N, pale and trembling. Beside her was Jin-soo, barely conscious, clutching a bag of medicine.

“Yeong-hu…” Y/N’s voice was weak, but she smiled when she saw him. “I… I got the medicine.”

Yeong-hu dropped to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as he touched her face, inspecting her for injuries. “You’re hurt,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “What were you thinking?”

“I couldn’t let Jin-soo go alone. Min-ah… she’s dying,” Y/N said, her breath shallow. “I had to help.”

Yeong-hu’s jaw tightened, his anger momentarily eclipsed by the overwhelming relief that she was alive. “You could’ve died out here. Don’t you understand that?” His voice cracked, his emotions getting the better of him. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, as if letting go would make her disappear.

“I’m sorry,” Y/N whispered, burying her face in his chest. “I didn’t want to scare you.”

"You scared the hell out of me," he muttered, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "You don’t ever do that again. Ever."

Before Y/N could respond, a low growl reverberated through the air. Yeong-hu's body tensed immediately. His grip on her tightened as he glanced at his men, signaling them to prepare for a fight. One of the creatures — the ones they had tried so hard to avoid — appeared at the pharmacy’s entrance, its grotesque form casting a long shadow over them.

The monster’s bloodshot eyes locked onto them, and in a split second, it charged. Yeong-hu barely had time to react, pushing Y/N behind him as he raised his gun, firing a shot at the creature’s head. It stumbled but didn’t go down, its gnarled limbs dragging it closer with terrifying speed.

"Get back!" Yeong-hu shouted, his body moving between Y/N and the monster.

His men sprang into action, firing in unison, trying to bring the creature down. The battle was quick but brutal, the sound of gunfire echoing through the deserted streets until finally, the monster lay still, a lifeless heap on the ground.

Yeong-hu stood there, panting, his heart still racing from the adrenaline. His first thought was Y/N. He turned to her, his eyes wide with concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked, cupping her face in his hands.

She nodded, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m fine, Yeong-hu. I’m sorry…”

But he didn’t let her finish. Instead, he pulled her into his arms again, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. His voice was raw with emotion. “You can’t do this to me, Y/N. I can’t lose you. Not in this world. Not ever.”

She rested her head against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart, a reminder that, despite everything, they were still here. Together.

“I promise,” she whispered. “I won’t leave your side again.”

Yeong-hu closed his eyes, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Good. Because wherever I go, you go. From now on."

The world outside might have fallen apart, but as long as they had each other, there was still hope.

[lyragrayson4ever]

Could you write a fanfic where Grayson is very tired, sad and doesn't want to go to a gala, but is afraid to tell Lyra, then she realizes what he feels, and decides to stay home and watch movies together? .Please

You and me (Lyra x Grayson)

The mirror reflected a stranger back at me.

Hair perfect. Suit perfect. Smile nowhere to be found.

My hands shook slightly as I tried — and failed — to tie my tie. I never struggled with things like this. I was Grayson Hawthorne. I was the one who had it together, the one people counted on. The one who didn’t break.

But tonight...

Tonight, even standing felt like too much.

I hadn’t told Lyra how badly I needed a break. I hadn't said a word.

Because how could I?

She’d been looking forward to this gala for weeks. She deserved a night where we dressed up and danced all night.

I couldn’t steal that from her.

Even if the thought of another night smiling for strangers made my chest feel like it was splintering apart.

I didn’t realize how long I had been standing there until I heard soft footsteps behind me. I caught her in the mirror — Lyra, in her oversized T-shirt, looking like something dreamt up out of my wildest, most desperate imaginings. Her hair falling around her shoulders, her eyes finding mine instantly.

She didn’t say anything.

Didn’t ask if I was okay.

Didn’t press.

She just... saw me.

In one simple moment, she understood all of it.

Everything I was too proud — too broken — to say.

Without a word, she crossed the room.

She reached for my tie, her fingers nimble and careful as she slid it from my hands. Tossed it onto the dresser like it didn’t matter — because it didn’t.

Then she took my hand and laced our fingers together.

Her touch was steady. Certain.

No hesitation. No performance.

Just Lyra.

Just the girl who had always seen me clearer than I saw myself.

She tugged gently, leading me out of the bedroom.

Through the hall.

Into the living room.

And I froze.

Completely and utterly froze.

The space was transformed.

The coffee table was pushed away, replaced by a sea of pillows and blankets. The TV screen glowed faintly, a movie waiting at the start menu. Popcorn sat on the couch. Two mugs of cocoa — my favorite, extra marshmallows — steamed quietly on the side table.

There was no grand announcement.

No "surprise!" or "are you okay?"

No pity.

Just... this.

Her hands. Her heart.

Creating a space for me to fall apart safely.

The dam inside me cracked so fast it scared me.

I had to blink up at the ceiling, swallow hard, shove the wave of emotion back down — but it clawed its way up anyway.

My chest ached with it.

This raw, burning love for her that I didn’t know how to hold onto without falling apart.

Lyra turned to face me then, barefoot, radiant, looking at me like I was the miracle.

And that’s when I knew:

I wasn’t just in love with her.

I was her.

Every heartbeat, every breath, belonged to her now.

I stepped forward like I was in a trance, cupping her face in both hands. She leaned into my touch without hesitation, her smile small and sure.

"You..." My voice broke embarrassingly, and I had to stop, clear my throat. "You have no idea what you just did for me."

Her eyes shone with something soft and infinite.

"I think I do," she whispered.

I kissed her forehead — fiercely, reverently — like I could somehow imprint how much I loved her into her skin.

"Stay with me," I murmured against her hair. "Just stay."

"Always," she breathed.

We sank into the mountain of pillows, pulling the blankets over us, cocooned in the warmth and the quiet and each other.

I didn’t even know what movie she put on.

I didn’t care.

She curled against me like she was made to fit there, her head tucked under my chin, her hand resting right over my heart.

Like she knew it was hers.

I held her tighter, closing my eyes.

For the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel like I had to hold it all together.

For the first time in forever, someone was holding me.

And it was her.

Of course it was her.

I opened my mouth to say something else — to tell her how desperately, stupidly, wildly I loved her — but the words stuck, thick in my throat.

So instead, I just pulled her closer and let the tears burn quietly behind my eyes.

She didn’t say anything.

She just held me through it.

Through the love and the exhaustion and the quiet breaking I hadn’t even realized I needed.

Lyra.

My heart.

My life

My home.

No galas.

No expectations.

No pretending.

Just us.

Just love.

And God —

God, I would spend the rest of my life trying to deserve her.

[littlemissvenom0]

It Was Always You - Thomas x Reader

POV: Reader Pairing: Thomas x Reader Setting: End of The Maze Runner, just after the Gladers escape the Maze Tone: Heart-shattering | Emotional | Heroic sacrifice | Found family pain

We were out—out—of the Maze. Out of the stone walls that had loomed over us every second of every day. Out of the blood, the sweat, the aching nights of wondering if we’d see the next dawn.

There were bodies. There was loss. But we had made it.

Newt’s hand found mine as we stood in the desert-scorched clearing outside the Maze, staring at the barely-held-together facility ahead. “You did good,” he said softly.

I looked over at Thomas. His face—streaked with blood, ash, and something raw—was tilted toward the horizon. He looked… tired. But more alive than ever.

He had gotten us out.

He had done it.

I felt something twist in my chest. Not romantic. Not exactly. Just deep. Deep and endless and threaded through every day we’d survived together.

I was about to say something—something stupid, probably like we’re really free—when the door behind us slammed open.

And then we heard the voice.

“None of this was supposed to happen.”

I turned, and time slowed.

Gally.

Stumbling through the doorway.

Gun in hand.

Eyes vacant.

Skin slick with sweat.

He was stung.

The weapon in his hand trembled, just a twitch. But I saw it. I knew.

My eyes cut to Thomas—his back turned, just now realizing.

And the gun lifted.

I didn’t think.

I moved.

Pain blooms different than you think it will.

It wasn’t fire. Not at first. It was more like pressure. A pop. A gasp.

Then burning.

Then nothing.

I staggered into Thomas’s chest, and his hands instinctively came up to steady me.

“Y/N?”

He looked down.

His voice died in his throat.

His face fell apart.

And I knew.

I felt my legs start to give out, and he caught me.

Cradled me to his chest, shaking.

“Y/N, no, no, no—no—”

I smiled, because that was all I could give him.

Newt was there in seconds. Dropping beside us. Hands on the wound, yelling for help. For anything. His face pale, eyes wild.

But I wasn’t scared.

Not anymore.

“You did it,” I whispered, voice thin. “You got them out.”

Thomas gripped my face. “Don’t talk like that—don’t—stay awake—stay with me.”

Newt's hands pressed down harder. “It’s not that bad, yeah? We’ve seen worse, you’ll be alright, you stubborn shank—”

I touched his arm gently, just once. “You always made me feel safe, Newt.”

His throat closed up. He ducked his head, trying to blink away tears.

Thomas leaned in, forehead pressed to mine, voice cracking. “I need you. Please—please don’t do this. I can’t—I can’t do this without you.”

“You have to,” I murmured. “They need you.”

“I need you.”

The words shattered something in both of us.

I wanted to tell him I loved him. That I had since the day he jumped into that box and changed everything. But I wasn’t sure I could form the words. My lips moved. Maybe he understood. Maybe he didn’t.

But I think he did.

Because his heart broke right there on his face.

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

The others were screaming. I think Frypan was trying to carry me. I think Teresa was yelling for help.

But everything was distant.

Until the sound of boots.

Of guns.

Of voices calling out commands.

The “rescue.”

Men in armor. Guns up. Shouting to secure the area.

And suddenly, hands were dragging Thomas away from me.

“No—no—I’m not leaving her!” he fought, kicked, screamed.

Newt was next. Desperation etched into every limb.

“She’s still alive, for bloody sake—just let me—LET ME—”

Their voices echoed.

Fading.

“Please!” Thomas was crying now. “Please, someone help her! Don’t leave her—don’t—Y/N!”

My name sounded like thunder in his voice.

But the figures got smaller.

And smaller.

And all I could do was smile one last time.

Because if this was how it ended—

At least it was for him.

[heyitsdrawey]

Is the world ready for my cabby/microphone brainrot yet…. is it…… are you guys ready……..

CABMIC/.MP3: A MULTI-SEASON ANALYSIS AND WHY THEY WOULD PAIR LIKE CHEESE AND CRACKERS!

LISTEN TO ME!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!!!! listen. pl ease.

TLDR AT THE END IF YOU DONT FEEL LIKE READING AN ESSAY XD

At first glance they’re very much the loud/bold x shy pairing, which is already great on its own, but it actually gets so much more complicated than that and even turns the trope around to swap their perceived roles! :3

To start it off, Mic isn’t the boldest all the time. She has self doubt that can be a severe hindrance to her potential to succeed, and her struggles with esteem and worth made her very vulnerable to anyone who would listen to her. Any perceived understanding, including, say, a former contestant in the woods, is something Mic is immediately drawn to (I will not get into Taco discourse here that shit SCARES ME). As a microphone, she amplified the voices of others, but her own is often dismissed and neglected until it’s too late for her to speak up. It’s what she needs, really—to be understood and valued for what she provides as she is, while given the space to express herself and be seen.

The thing is, Cabby, for a time, was very similar. Test Tube and Fan’s doubt of her files tore her down to such an extent, she struggled with the perception of herself for the entire rest of the season. It made her so insecure, she spent less time planning out a win strategy and more time planning out how to appear as docile and nonthreatening as possible, desperate for some sort of connection with anyone. And as shown with befriending Goo, Bot, and Yinyang…

She tends to find connection in the places she least expects it.

ENTER MICROPHONE. OHH BABY HERES WHERE SHIT GETS GOOD

This could go one of numerous ways:

Cabby’s a fucking nerd/aff. Her nerd nature is often dismissed over Fan and Test Tube’s (which I mean, they’ve been there longer and are fandom favorites, whatever x3), but she is definitely one as well. Microphone is one of the few objects with distinct abilities that directly affect others and the world around them. THIS IS GONNA BE INTERESTING TO HER!!! Not only just physically, but as she learns context of the previous seasons, Cabby’s probably going to take some interest in Mic and Taco’s whole situation (Once again, NOT getting into Taco discourse). She wants her perspective!! But there will probably need to be trust established before she can learn Mic’s true perspective. She wants this, and it’d spur an initiative to bond in CABBY. The one who seems more shy takes initiative!

Mic probably still yearns for some level of understanding. She almost had that moment with Soap before her elimination, where you can see how Mic bonds with people. Mic tends to connect with quirkier women just as a default (neurodivergent people know this one, don’t we XD). Learning Cabby has a file on her might be unnerving at first, especially if heard through the grapevine, but it would also spark some curiosity (bear with me here!). Mic knows how it feels to be written off as weird! She even helped Cheesy with similar issues, she has an intrinsic understanding of what that’s like, and will hear people out even despite their first impressions. Mic could get a chance at that understanding she’s craving. Better yet, she could give her own insights where normally people might not bother to listen! And that potential unease turns to excitement, as she realizes that not only is her perspective valued, but she’s actively helping Cabby as well BY GIVING THAT PERSPECTIVE TO HER!

Microphone and Cabby both have very nervous tendencies, for very similar reasons. Mic was often dismissed as simply being loud and annoying, costing her valuable social bonds, and making her almost hyper-aware of her gain. Furthermore, when working with Taco, Mic had to hide a LOT of herself and what she was doing, to prevent arousing suspicion. Cabby had to do this too, but with herself, as she was perceived as too threatening. Continuing to reach out how she was CLEARLY made her a threat (in her mind), so she had to lay low and be as friendly as possible, even to her own detriment, to prevent people from becoming wary again. THERES AN INTRINSIC UNDERSTANDING HERE!!! HAVING TO HIDE SO YOU DONT SCARE OTHERS!!! HAVING YOUR SELF WORTH UNDERMINED BY PEOPLE WHO DONT SEE THE FULL PICTURE!!! THEY BOTH KNOW THE FEELING!!! THEY CAN VALIDATE EACH OTHER AND UNDO THE HABITS THEY FORMED UNDER PRESSURE!!!! AAAHHH!!!!!

TLDR/IN CONCLUSION: Microphone and Cabby have a lot of frankly insane potential. They were both written off as weird by those who didn't see the full picture, when both of them were just trying to make connections. Microphone doesn't shy away from an ugly first impression. She's quite willing to hear people out and even help them if she can. Thus, she wouldn't be scared of Cabby's awkward social nature, and would welcome Cabby's interest in her with excitement at the chance to be heard for who she is.

With Cabby, Mic can feel valued and appreciated for what SHE brings to the table. With Microphone, Cabby can feel secure in herself, experience someone who's not only accepting of, but EXCITED about her tendencies, all the while knowing she's helping someone just like herself.

CABMIC IS GOOD. ITS REALLY AWESOME AND I THINK MORE PEOPLE SHOULD JOIN THE .MP3/AUDIOFILE LEGION. COME JOIN ME IN THE NEURODIVERGENT LESBIAN JOYS!!!!

Thank you to my lovely friend @frog-doctor for helping me proofread, format, and keep my facts straight about the earlier events, thank you @dreamy-okapi and @the-bow-zone for supporting me and this pairing before I was confident enough to make this post, and thank you YOU for reading and hearing me out!! :3

[valeisaslut]

I physically cannot blink, vale. I cannot process this chapter like i want to. I just don't know if I can..

I don't know if this is me being emotional but FUCK did I start crying about this. Something about just seeing her. Not just looking at her, but seeing her. Seeing the Ellie that wants help, that knows that she needs it. Knowing what Ellie needs is not shame for her actions but forgiveness,but the gentle knowing of it's okay. That he's there, finally there for her.

" I did this to myself" okay just by Radiohead. I think I got nauseous reading that line. Valentina, the fucking genius you are.

YOU are fucking evil for this, VALE. How could you include one of the most life/devastating things into this. Into Ellie's recovery. HOW COULD YOU MAKE ME CRY, cry about the pure desperate-ness to not forget y/n's eyes.

the way my heart DROPPED. I started at my screen. I was panicking myself, I was SCARED myself. I was HOPING ellie dialed wrong. I was AFRAID for ellie. I cried even harder at this.. Because what do you mean they lost contact (OBVIOUSLY) but I can't imagine how ellie must've felt trying to call y/n but getting nothing back. Including the fact that she couldn't just call y/n like she wanted to. Like before the mess of everything.

having her go to the grocery store by herself, when she finally feels ready to somewhat face the world, and then DESTROYING that confidence with the news of y/n dating Abby. I think that is so EVIL and CRUEL of you, VALE. My heart cried for her, it really did. I can't imagine her feeling her hope feel SQUASHED, as she watched those red-carpet moments of Abby and y/n: to throw up when she FINALLY got home. To blame joel for her heartbreak, when joel simply let her keep her peace and she knows that but I'd just SO heartbroken.

I giggled REALLY hard at this, vale. Like I was cackling my ass off for so long. Like I know it's so serious but seeing Ellie just get that spark back, the spark that's all about y/n and y/n only. The pure filfthy rage of Ellie just shitting on Abby😭especially thru the heartbreak.

You're an absolutely fucking GENIUS. When I tell you my heart DROPPED but then my ass started cackling. Abby getting all pissy (sorry but also not sorry abbby) about y/n still loving ellie when it's like BABE HAVE YOU BEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA OT SEEN HOW THEY WERE??? Like that's pure, unfiltered and RAW heartbreak on y/n's part. Her body and mind an pleasure is quite literally glued to ellie because of all those moments and nights spent together.

I also added the live version of lover, you should've come over to the list on my apple spottify and OH MY GOD. it quite literally feels like this on what I typed in discord. My heart hurts, and I'm imagining ellie in the studio just absolutely breaking down as she sings it. As she has to sing /broken down and hungry for your love with no way to feed it/. Can you just please fix my heart vale, I don't think I can handle this anymore.

LUA MY BELOVED.

you are WEEPING into my hands and i am holding your face like “shhh i know, i know, i know” because holy FUCK you felt this chapter in your bones. you saw ellie. not just ellie the icon. not ellie the ghost. but ellie the girl who finally said i need help—and meant it. ellie, the addict, the artist, the disaster, the person. god.

“i did this to myself” and you went Radiohead mode. yeah. yeah. you clocked it. you understood. that line was meant to hit like nausea. like reckoning. like grief curling up in the throat. and you let it. you didn’t look away. Just was literally added after it.

and THEN YOU STARTED PRAYING SHE DIALED WRONG. babe i was holding my breath with you. i was there. the panic. the denial. the “no no no no no.” because the silence that came after that line? the number you have dialed no longer exists?? that wasn’t just a sentence. that was a death. that was a door slamming shut in her soul. and you HEARD it. you felt it slam.

and THENNNNN you had the AUDACITY to mention how her first time outside, her first breath of hope, got RIPPED AWAY in the cereal aisle like a jump scare. and then you said “you’re cruel for that.” YES. YES I AM. and i would do it again. because she had to feel the floor give out. she had to see how far gone you were. because that’s when she breaks. and that’s when the story starts to heal.

also: your switch from crying to cackling at ellie raging… LMAO that’s EXACTLY what i wanted. like, yeah, she’s barely hanging on. yeah, she’s broken and starving and haunted. but she will ALWAYS come for abby and her linebacker jawline. girl had a mental breakdown on the mic and STILL managed to slut-shame a quarterback. that's talent.

and YOUR DISCORD COMMENT… the unreleased version of Lover, You Should’ve Come Over?? the one where she’s sobbing and she says your name??? yeah. it exists. in a hard drive. in a box. under her bed. she’ll never let anyone hear it. but she’ll listen to it on her birthday every year.

and now you’re listening to it. and your heart is breaking. and i’m holding your hand.

you don’t need to process all of it now. just know that you were seen. and it fucking matters that you wrote this message. i’m so glad you did. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

🖤 p.s. i will fix your heart in part three.…eventually. (probably.)

[handleb4rs]

[ isabela merced. cis woman. she/her. muse 22. ] welcome back to montclair university, sienna marie lopez ! according to your student file you’re a TWENTY ONE year old JUNIOR, studying FILM AND ANIMATION, and funny enough you were voted most artistic your senior year of high school back home in ATLANA, GA. i can totally see it with your outgoing, adaptable and short-tempered personality ! but enough about that — i heard you were lizzie harrington’s COUSIN. makes sense when you take into consideration your status as a legacy student… and the fact that you’re hiding ████ ████ ██ █ █████ ██ ████ ██████ ████ ███████ ███████. you’re often seen at the nexus lab, and you kind of embody journal pages full character designs, laughter that never fully meets the eyes, determination running coursing through her … not to mention people always seem to hum don’t smile by sabrina carpenter when you’re around, but you’ll always be known on campus as THE CHARMER who enjoys watching movies and creating and has 10k instagram followers… good luck this semester !

𝟎𝟎𝟏               𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎  .

name : sienna marie lopez.

nickname (s) : si, sisi, doesn't care about what she's called tbh.

age : twenty one.

birthday : october 15th.

gender & pronouns : cis woman + she / her.

orientation : pansexual.

birthplace : atlanta, georgia.

current major : film and animation.

𝟎𝟎𝟐               𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 .

your  mother  was  always  the  oddball  out.      at  least  when  it  came  to  the  family  she  married  into.    she  was  used  to  that  two  bedroom  apartment  you  guys  had    —    it  was  comfortable.    spacious  enough  for  the  both  of  you  because  that’s  all  the  space  you  guys  ever  really  needed.    for  the  longest  time,    it  was  always  you  and  your  mother.    two  peas  in  a  pod.    the  kind  of  parent  that  any  person  could  ever  dream  of.    she’s  your  rock,    your  light  in  human  form.    you  loved  her  dearly  and  always  thought  this  was  how  your  life  was  going  to  be.    it  was  never  going  to  change  and  you  liked  it  that  way.

but  then  it  did  change.    you  were  only  twelve  when  your  mother  fell  in  love  again  and  it  goes  without  saying,  but  you  were  happy  for  her.    how  could  you  not  be?    if  there  was  anyone  on  this  earth  who  deserved  it,    it  was  definitely  your  mom.    it’s  the  changes  that  scared  you.    everything  about  this  man  was  different.    the  way  he  dressed,    the  way  he  behaved,    how  he  lived.    a  sort  of  lifestyle  that  you  could  only  imagine,    see  on  tv.    when  they  got  married  and  you  moved  in,    you  couldn’t  help  but  to  compare.    your  mother’s  old  civic  compared  to  the  luxury  car  in  his  driveway.    how  your  apartment  was  the  size  of  his  kitchen  alone.    everything  was  different,    but  your  mother  assured  you  that  nothing  had  really  changed.    not  where  it  mattered.

your  step-father  was  always  nice  to  you,    treated  you  as  if  you  were  his  own,    but  that  didn’t  mean  the  same  for  those  who  surrounded  you.    you  switched  from  public  school  to  a  private  one  and  could  notice  the  way  other  kids  turned  their  nose  up  at  you.    as  if  you  were  from  another  planet.    and  just  like  your  mother,    you  understood  what  it  was  like  to  be  the  oddball  out.    thrusted  into  the  life  of  the  wealthy  and  feeling  like  you’d  never  fit  in.    

oh,  but  you  wanted  to.    desperately.    

so  much  so,    you  morphed  yourself  into  a  person  you  believed  they  wanted  you  to  be.    wanted  to  fit  in  badly  with  the  “popular”  crowd  that  you  let  them  walk  all  over  you.    no,    your  friends  weren’t  mean  to  you    (  at  least  not  directly  )    but  that  didn’t  mean  they  were  nice  to  anybody  else.    in  fact,    they  were  terrible  to  others  and  rather  than  doing  what  your  mother  would’ve  expected  of  you,    you  remained  silent.    to  all  of  it.    trying  to  make  up  for  it  behind  the  scenes,    being  nice  in  the  halls  whenever  you’d  see  one  of  them    —    not  that  it  ever  helped  much.

you  just  wanted  to  be  in  with  the  “cool”  kids.    have  a  place  to  fit  in  and  you  were  fitting  in    —    at  least  that’s  what  they  believed.    everything  changed  by  your  junior  year  of  high  school.    the  █████  ███  ██  ███  ████████  ███  ████  and  it  was  a  moment  that  would  never  leave  your  thoughts.    you  didn’t  even  want  to  be  there  and  with  every  rejection  came  push  back  until  you  were  in  that  car,    doing  what  you  always  did.    sit  in  the  back.    watching.    how  does  one  explain  the  feeling  of  your  heart  falling  into  your  stomach?    how  can  someone  █████  ██  ███  ███  ████████?    to  promise  to  keep  it  a  secret?

it’s  a  secret  that  you  agreed  to  keep,    but  that  didn’t  mean  you  were  the  same  person  afterward.    every  night  haunted  by  the  same  image  of  █████  ████  █████████  ████████  ██  ███  ████  ██  ███  ████.    you  live  with  that  image  every  day  and  strive  to  be  a  better  person  because  of  it.    gone  was  the  girl  so  desperate  to  fit  in  with  everyone  else  and  in  her  place  was  someone  who  just  wanted  to  be  themselves.    keep  out  of  trouble.    stop  associating  with  people  who  weren’t  good  for  her.    an  outlook  that  has  only  helped  you  thrive  even  more  once  you  reached  college.

you’re  doing  so  much  better  than  what  you  were,    but  despite  it,    the  secret  still  manages  to  leave  you  on  edge    —    wondering  if  it  would  ever  catch  up  to  you.

𝟎𝟎𝟑                𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐈𝐄 .

lizzie  was  someone  that  sienna  immediately  took  a  liking  to.    during  her  first  vacation  being  apart  of  this  new  family,    it  was  lizzie  who  made  her  feel  comfortable.    invited  her  into  their  circle  as  if  sisi  had  been  apart  of  it  all  along.    soon  sienna  felt  as  if  they  were  about  as  close  to  best  friends  as  any  family  member  could  get    —    talking  nearly  every  day,    attached  at  the  hip  whenever  they  were  together.    excitement  only  grew  when  sienna  learned  that  both  of  them  were  set  to  go  to  the  same  college.    not  exactly  together,    of  course,    but  soon  they  wouldn’t  have  miles  of  distance  separating  them.

unfortunately,    sienna  doesn’t  have  the  slightest  clue  on  who  her  cousin  really  was.    there’s  been  obvious  signs  that  sisi  remained  blind  to    —    and  still  does    —  and  doesn’t  understand  why  anyone  would  want  to  hurt  someone  as  sweet  as  lizzie.

𝟎𝟎𝟓                 𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒 .

built a lot more confident. towards the end of high school, sienna really became her own person. she stopped letting people walk all over her and decided to grow a backbone. which really gave her room to thrive when she got to college.

very charming .. hence the label. she's always been a sweetheart and isn't afraid to show it. always knows how to use being kind to her advantage when she needs to. whether it's for flirting or trying to get her way, sisi knows how to lay it on. batting her eyelashes, laying her accent on thick, you name it.

her instagram is about as chaotic as it can get. visually it may be appealing, but when looking at the contents, it's basically a little bit of everything. kind of like a digital diary. she posts a lot of her sketches and animation work — which is where most of her followers come from.

more to be added because she is very much a new muse. <3

𝟎𝟎𝟔                 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 .

will also add soon. :)

[pillowspace]

Pspsps tell me about your OCS 👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️

OKAY, SO SO SO, UHHH. Where is it. I'm about to go on the biggest ramble, you have no idea

THIS IS LUCA. There's also Carmen, who is Luca's older sibling / caregiver. Carmen is bigender, any pronouns. I don't have an official design yet, but Carmen has straighter, choppier hair and is years older.

In Luca's first life, he was just miserable. At a young age, he regarded his older brother Carmen (these were not their names at the time) as someone he greatly admired. Carmen wasn't the best brother, turned irritable after the grief of losing parents Luca never even had the chance to meet, but they still had their moments of fun and play. That was short-lived though, as Carmen quickly moved out, leaving Luca behind with only a glance. So at this point, Luca has already understood that he is not somebody worth saying goodbye to. Throughout this all, Carmen had been the closest Luca had to a friend.

After their grandparents who Luca had been living with passed, he was sent to live with his older brother at the age of thirteen. Carmen was cold and distant, always avoiding Luca, but always protecting him in all the wrong ways due to a sense of obligation. Luca was constantly sheltered away from other people while still not getting any actual attention within that shelter. It resulted in the brothers arguing, which resulted in an unhealthy realization: Luca would be looked at and talked to if he was causing trouble. So he began constantly acting out, and Carmen, who couldn't even realize why Luca was doing it, got more frustrated because of it.

Eventually Carmen got a wife. Luca, still only a teenager, would insult the wife to Carmen in private. But Luca actually adored her, so the insults were more just about Carmen's tastes, meanwhile she taught Luca archery. Those were the only times Luca could even remotely be himself.

It all just resulted in a downward spiral of Luca's mind, until he heard of a romantic legend from a neighbour he snuck out with one night. It was said that whoever performed it could remain with a lover through every lifetime, forever meant to be theirs. Forever to belong, with the memory of every life to cherish. Luca found it dumb, saying that immortality sounded more like a curse than anything. How could one bare the horrors and loss of every single life for all of eternity?

But it stuck with him. Until finally, at the age of seventeen, he reached a breaking point. He was convinced Carmen hated him, and Luca wanted nothing more than to be seen by his brother. So he took that ritual and twisted it into something terrible. It sounded like a curse, and so he would make it one. Luca attacked his brother, and performed it on both of them. It differed, in that Luca would intentionally fracture his own soul during it, so that Carmen would be the only one to remember, while Luca would never have to. For every life, Luca would find Carmen. Luca saw this in itself as a punishment, firm in the belief that he himself only served to make his brother miserable. For himself though, it was simultaneously a punishment on himself and a means to stay with his brother forever in his confused desperation. And for every life, they would die at the exact same age they died in their first.

For the first life after that, Carmen was scared of Luca. For the first few lives, she was avoidant and tried to flee. But it was true, that Luca was to always end up with Carmen. Luca was often only just a confused child who actually knew how to smile and laugh though, so he was always unsure why Carmen looked at him so strangely. It was as if these new lives of Luca were an entirely different person.

This progressed across lives until Carmen began to understand her brother. Avoidance turned to guilt, and guilt turned to horror for how misguided she had been in being both Luca's brother and caregiver. She had thought it enough to give him a home. She had thought it enough to shield him (though the joy she saw in Luca when he played with the other kids now filled her with doubt). And it was in the face of Luca so unfamiliarly happy that clicked in place how miserable he had actually been. Somehow, Luca's fighting had become no more than background noise. It had all just been background noise to Carmen, and he hated that he had allowed that to happen. What Luca did to him will always haunt Carmen, as he experiences loss after loss through every life. But that could co-exist with him still wanting to make up for his own wrongs.

So through every life, Carmen gives his brother the happiest life he can while trying to restore Luca's soul, so the curse can be broken on both of them. And after every death, Carmen sees the fractured soul of Luca's first life within the dark waiting room void between lives, and silently sits by it quietly muttering apology after apology, for he has grown to love Luca more than anything over their shared lives.

This is all a backstory though. There is a main story, and it's about a group of people who are all immortal through different means trying to find a way to lose their immortality. A reversal on people trying to find the secret to it. There are more OCs. Luca and Carmen (the actual names of this life, and Luca now has the design shown above ^) join in. Carmen does not tell Luca why they're there, but Luca has been... starting to wonder.

This is their second to last life before Luca's soul is finally restored. Before their story ends, in the black void once more, Luca (with all of his memories) makes one final request that he tearfully grants his brother the ability to refuse: one more life. Just one more life where they can both be happy, and neither have to remember the curse at all, living a final life that may only end in old age. Carmen agrees. And they have one more life.

In their final life, they live a happy childhood together. Luca finally grows past the age of 17 to become an adult. He becomes a florist, and there is both love but a healthy distance between him and his brother. Independence. The other immortals they had travelled with come to buy flowers from Luca only once, no longer remembered by him. They are happy for him, and leave both him and Carmen to live out the happiest lives they never thought they'd get to have.

And that, is Luca and Carmen's story.

[hqmillioncorn]

The sky was the limit, now the stars where we're livin'

"The art of the lance..." Babycorn had seen a weapon like it before, somewhere deep within her memories. Though no matter how much she dug nothing was coming up. "Bebe! Bebe" Cherrypit cried out, pulling her ahead. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Babycorn walked forward as she and her brother made their way to the conjurer's guild. Apparently they had taken a wrong turn somewhere and had finally been given the right directions. "Oh well..." It was probably best not to dwell on it for too long.

with @windupnamazu 's butter, oleo and cinnamon

lalapril day 3: azure??

on a cloudy day butter, oleo plus one cinnamon are busy making lunch!!! sorta!!! and then a babycorn appears and shes got a pointy stick!!!

watch out world!!!!!!!

A drop of water hit Butter right on the nose. 

It was a lot colder than the weather around them was, so cold that it made Butter shiver just a bit. It was pretty clear that a storm was on the way so the sooner he harvested his tomato plants the better. 

He wanted to use some of them for a caprese salad he was hoping to make later today. Though when he considered just how many people in the mansion didn’t like tomatoes he did start to have second thoughts. “But what if there’s someone there that really likes tomatoes?!” Butter kept repeatedly thinking to himself. 

He couldn’t possibly disappoint them! 

That was how and why Butter found himself outside picking tomatoes while wearing a raincoat. 

“I still don’t think this is worth it!” A small voice from inside one of the pockets of his coat shouted. “Don’t worry Cinnamon! I’m almost done!” Butter assured her. 

Cinnamon shivered from the safety of Butter’s coat. “Easy for you to say! You’re not the one who’s going to melt once it starts pouring water from the sky!!” Cinnamon wailed. It was one of the few negatives of being a sentient magical cookie fairy. 

You know, aside from probably being eaten by a certain eat-it-all girl. 

Just as more clouds seemed to be gathering, Butter's word came through and he had gathered all the tomatoes he needed.

With the help of his cool and awesome best friend Oleo. “All done!” It should be noted that Oleo had forgone wearing a raincoat in favor of wearing his usual varsity jacket. ‘What if some cool chicks walk past us and don’t see me wearing my cool threads?! I can’t have that happen Butter! I just can’t!’ Had been his explanation.  

Butter had his doubts that any girls for Oleo to woo would be walking in the Lavender Beds in this weather, but regardless he understood. 

“I agree with Momoka. This guy is a dweeb.” Cinnamon interjected. 

Just as Butter was about to make his way back inside he heard Oleo call out to him. “Huh?” He turned around and noticed Oleo desperately trying to draw Butter’s attention to something. 

Something just past the gate. Someone slowly dragging their feet towards the mansion. A certain familiar person that everyone around Butter knew had stolen his heart. 

“Oh!” Butter physically did an excited little hop and clasped his hands together as his heart skipped a beat.

Even from far away Babycorn still looked as cute as ever. From inside his coat Cinnamon rolled her eyes, she didn’t even have to take a peek outside to know what was happening. The tone of Butter’s exclamation of surprise had given it all away. 

Oleo scurried behind Butter and gently pushed him forward. “Come on dude! Now's your chance to sweep her off her feet!” He cheered his friend on. “H-Huh?!” Butter began to panic. How was he supposed to do that?! Was he just supposed to pick Babycorn up and carry her?! That sounded like it would scare her!

As Babycorn got closer, Butter’s face grew warmer. Until he noticed something, “Wait…” Butter dug his heels into the ground and froze in place. 

Something looked off about Babycorn, something was wrong.

Butter looked closer at her. Her eyes looked darker than usual and her gaze was locked onto the ground. Even the pom on her head looked sad, it was drooped down looking lifeless. Clearly something wasn’t right. 

All of a sudden Babycorn stopped in her tracks. She shuffled her feet around in the dirt, creating a small imprint before taking a deep breath in and out. “Bebe?” Cherrypit waddled next to her, tugging on her long ruffled skirt. There was no response from Babycorn even after Cherrypit had called out her name. 

Something was really really wrong.

Cinnamon, sensing Butter was about to do something dumb, popped her head out of his pocket. “I would leave her alone if I was you.” She shook her head disapprovingly, as if that was going to do anything. “Don’t you remember how mean and grumpy she always was? If you ask me you’re just asking to be yelled at if you walk over there!”

What Cinnamon had just said was true. There was no denying that Babycorn used to be mad and rude at absolutely anyone who even dared to get near her. 

But that was then and this is now. 

If there was anything that Butter could do to help Babycorn, with anything at all, he would! Especially right now-in this moment.

If something was making Babycorn sad then Butter would surely take care of it! If she wanted something then Butter would make sure to get it for her! Anything to make Babycorn happy again!

…Which was of course extremely normal feelings to have towards a person. Butter would like to remind you. 

Please believe him. 

Butter decided to risk it all and ran towards the mansion’s gate. “Yes! You got this dude!” Oleo cheered in a hushed voice.

Once Butter stepped outside of the yard he froze again, his mind drew a blank. ‘W-What do I say…?!’ He could just simply say something like Hello to her or maybe just ask her how her day was going but would that be enough? 

Butter looked up at Babycorn. It looked like neither her or Cherrypit had noticed him yet. Both siblings never did have the best spatial awareness of things around them.

That was when he noticed Babycorn bringing up her hands to her face, wiping something away from her eyes. 

Then the next few words had left Butter’s mouth before he had even realized what had happened. “Hi Babycorn! Welcome back!” Butter smiled, noticing that Babycorn turned her head to look right at him. 

In the span of the half a second that Babycorn locked eyes with Butter her face instantly lit up, her lips curved themselves into a huge smile as she turned to run right towards him. 

It felt like the gloominess of the day had cleared up alongside her. “Hihi! Butts!” She waved at him, screaming his name out in happiness like he wasn’t just a few ilms away from her. “It’s me! It’s Babycorn! And Cherry!” 

“And Cherry!” Cherrypit jumped up and down, giggling to himself. 

Butter half expected Babycorn to skid to a direct stop right in front of him or she would trip on thin air and end up face planting on the ground.

Never in a billion gazillion years would he have expected her to just run up to him, spread her arms out and embrace him in a tight hug.

“BaBa...Ba..????” 

His face turned a bright shade of pink as he felt himself being swept off his feet in Babycorn’s arms. 

Babycorn squeezed him as tight as she could, moving him from side to side in a hug. “I’m so glad to see you!” It had been a few days since she had come back to the mansion so she was starting to fill her empty little head with thoughts that something must have happened to everyone while she was gone. 

Cherrypit giggled, watching his sister laugh and smile for the first time in a few hours. But there was something strange. He looked around, confused as to what that small little noise tickling his ears was.

It sounded familiar. “Hewlo?” Cherrypit chewed on his finger and put his ear to the ground, trying to listen in. 

Then he heard it.

The telltale sound of a cookie fairy screaming for her life. “For the love of oatmeal raisin will you let go?!” Cherrypit knew that was Cinnamon’s voice and he knew now that it was coming from inside of Butter’s coat.

It was easy for him to understand, this was how his sister had hidden him for a long time from everyone. “Bebe!” Cherrypit yelled, tapping his sister’s leg. 

In contrast to earlier, this time Babycorn immediately noticed her brother trying to get her attention. “Hmm? Something up Cherry?” She let Butter go free as he dropped to the ground on his own two feet.

As she had ducked down to face Cherrypit face to face Babycorn didn’t even notice how flustered Butter looked. “Are you hungry? Cause I am!” Babycorn was always hungry. 

Cherrypit shook his head. “Butts kookie!” He bounced up and down and pointed right at Butter, more specifically one of his pockets. 

It didn't take long for a small cookie fairy to emerge from his pocket, “I knew she was trouble…” Though Cherrypit and Butter heard this loud and clear, to Babycorn it just sounded like a couple of bell chimes. 

That being said Babycorn was aware enough to understand what Cherrypit was telling her. “Omigosh!! I’m sorry I didn't know Cinnamon was in there!!” She brought her hands up to her mouth and began to apologize over and over and over. “I didn’t break her did I?!” It should be noted Babycorn had no idea that Cinnamon was a cookie fairy. 

As Cinnamon flapped her wings to uncrumple them she sighed, “Could you tell her I’m fine for me?” Honestly it was such a pain to only be understandable to a handful of people. “I don’t want her hovering over me and making sure I’m alive.” 

At this point Butter had regained some of his composure and was lucid enough to listen to what Cinnamon had asked him to do. “Y-Yeah-! Cinnamon’s okay don’t worry! She just got a little tossed around…” Butter was relieved to see Babycorn look a little calmer after his reassurance. 

“A little?! I was starting to feel more like a pancake than Pancake!!” 

Babycorn picked Cherrypit up from the ground and carried him in her arms. “Sorry about that again…I guess I just got a little excited to see you.” Though why exactly she acted like that was sort of a mystery to her. Something in her felt like it had piloted her to do exactly that.

If she was being honest, she never would have guessed she was strong enough to lift anyone but Cherrypit off the ground like that. 

“Hey, hey! It’s okay! Don’t worry about it!” It was way more than okay. Initial shock aside, Butter hadn’t minded it at all. He was mostly glad that Babycorn was far more full of life than she looked to be a few minutes ago. 

All of a sudden, a voice rang behind a few of the mansion’s bushes. “Hello? Hey? You know I’m here too. Right?” Oleo hopped over the mansion fence. It was very cool by the way. Cool enough for Cherrypit to clap and file away in his mind as something to try himself later.

“Hey Babycorn!” Oleo greeted her. 

Though he was still a little frightened of her after the whole blood incident, Oleo of course still wanted to be friends with her. 

Almost as if Cherrypit knew what was about to happen, he crawled up onto Babycorn’s head as she turned her head to look at where her friend was. “Oleo! Hi!” She skipped over and gave Oleo a hello and a hug.

Though it should be noted that Babycorn did not pick Oleo up from the ground and swing him around for thirty or so seconds.

Something that Oleo (the Noticer) quickly took note of. 

As Cherrypit crawled back into Babycorn’s arms Oleo decided to ask the million gil question. “So where have you been for the past few days?” Surely it was something Butter was also curious about but Oleo figured that his bro was just too shy to ask. 

Babycorn and Cherrypit looked at each other, confused. They both thought they remembered telling everyone where they were going?

Then again, maybe not everyone could understand the letter they left on the fridge on the day they left. Cherrypit knew he had used way too much red crayon, but how could he not when it was his favorite color? 

But anyway, Babycorn didn’t wanna worry anyone more than usual. “Me and Cherry were training at the Lancer’s guild!” Cherrypit nodded in approval, “Hwah! Hwah!” He made a couple of motions with his hands like he was holding something and stabbing at the air.

“My mama used to…” 

Babycorn stopped, looking at Cherrypit and his empty white eyes, before putting him back down on the ground. “...My mama is a lancer. So I wanted to try it too!”

She reached behind her back and pulled out a whole ass lance, holding it up towards the sky. 

The top of the lance shined and twinkled with the help of the sunlight. The lance in Babycorn’s hands was one-hundred percent real. “Woah…” Butter’s eyes followed the lance as Babycorn lowered it and spun it in her hands.

 “They taught us lotsa stuff! Like how to throw a lance and attack weak points!” Babycorn stabbed the air at her left and right, “My teacher said I was really good at it! And Cherrypit was even better!” During training Cherrypit had been given a toy lance of his own, as he was indeed still a baby. 

Babycorn laughed alongside her brother, sounding almost maniacal at times. “It was fun! A lot of fun!!” The lance in her hands swung in all sorts of different directions. Coming scarily close to hitting Butter and Oleo a few times.

It was just now that Butter also happened to notice the holes in Babycorn’s ruffled skirt and the red tint on the end of her lance.

It all looked very precarious. And dangerous. And deadly.

Oleo leaned in closer to Butter, “I think she’s going to kill us…” He whispered to him. 

“If she doesn’t kill herself first.” Cinnamon added. 

Scarily enough both were a very real possibility considering Babycorn’s reputation. 

It was pretty clear to Butter that by now that both Cinnamon and Oleo were looking to him for help.

It was probably only him or Cherrypit who could reel Babycorn back in when she got this excited about something. 

And right now Cherrypit was having a great time hanging off of the lance just by his teeth. 

Deep in his heart Butter knew that Babycorn would never hurt him or anyone she truly cared about so he was more worried about her hurting herself at this point. “Babycorn? Can I ask you something?” His voice was cheerful and his smile was gentle. “Do you want to go inside and eat a snack? I’ll make something for you! I-If you want!” By the end of his sentence Butter’s nervousness was starting to get the better of him but he still made it through. 

Babycorn froze mid-stab, “SNACK?!! I love snack!!” She put her lance away behind her back and swayed excitedly back and forth, her mind filling with all sorts of snack possibilities. 

But someone wouldn’t be satisfied with just a simple snack. A certain someone still wanted some answers and that certain someone had just recently figured out how to speak in sentences with more than three words. 

Before Babycorn could take even a single step, Cherrypit ran up to her and hugged her leg. “Huh? Cherry what’s-?” She looked down and was met with her own reflection coming from Cherrypit’s wide eyes. “Oh…” Babycorn knew what was coming. 

“Why Bebe was sad?” The border’s of Cherrypit’s eyes were shaking and his lip quivering.  

It was certainly unexpected.

Babycorn’s own brother decided to ask the uncomfortable question. Butter was still wondering just what did make Babycorn so sad earlier but he didn’t want to pry, or bring up any bad memories. 

But Butter knew, fully knew, how hard it was not to answer a younger sibling's question.

Babycorn nervously looked around at everyone else. As if they could somehow answer the question for her. Her mouth dried up as she quickly became quiet, her hands tightening around her lance. “Well…” This was a little awkward. Cherrypit had been almost right next to her when it happened.

Did he really not realize what had happened? It was a little worrying, as a big sister. 

“Don’t you remember?”

Cherrypit shook his head, raising his hand to mindlessly chew on it.

Babycorn sighed and gave in, “I sorta…fell. In front of a lot of people. From a really. Really. High place…” Just remembering the looks on the faces of her fellow guild members made her want to shrink down and hide somewhere no one would ever find her. 

“You…fell?” Butter started to get worried. Maybe Babycorn wasn’t sad, maybe she was in pain from an injury that she hadn’t told anyone about?! 

Babycorn silently nodded and sheepishly twirled her braid around her hand. “I fell and then…” She hesitated, for just a second before deciding to get it over with. “...I lost my grip on the spear as I fell and I guess I landed on it…” 

Oleo’s eyes widened. “Uhhhhh do you mean that you landed on it and broke the handle part?” 

If only. Babycorn wished it went that way. “No…I landed on the tippy sharp part and it stabbed right through me!” Babycorn pointed at where the spear went through. “Riiiight here! It was like half out this way and the other half behind me!” 

Babycorn would (and couldn’t) ever lie about something of this scale, this must have all really happened to an extent.

Which was very strange because Babycorn was standing right in front of them and she very much didn’t have a spear stabbed through the right side of her body. 

Not noticing the terrified looks on Oleo and Cinnamon’s faces, Butter stepped forward. “Did someone help you get it out?” He really hoped someone did. Gridania was home to a lot of conjurers, including Babycorn herself, so obviously one of them must have offered her some sort of assistance. 

Butter felt an odd sense of guilt when Babycorn shook her head. “No. I had to pull it out myself. But it’s okay, I'm used to it.” It was a weird thing to say, even weirder that it was entirely the truth. “I got lucky cause the spear went through my scar!” She turned her body and to her left and placed a hand on her hip. “Nothing hurts me when it just goes through there!” Babycorn’s tone was cheerful.

Much too cheerful for someone who had just gotten stabbed about an hour ago. 

Contrary to what Babycorn believed Cherrypit did remember this happening. What he didn’t really understand why it made Babycorn so sad. It just felt like the same old same old to him. 

Then again, Babycorn wasn’t quite finished yet.

“But I guess what really got me was…” She paused, “Just how scared everyone looked.” 

Maybe they were scared for her? That’s what Babycorn hoped was the case, but it made more sense to her that they were scared of her. After all that was always how it was. “I ran away after that so I hope they don’t think I’m dead or anything!” The very last thing Babycorn wanted to do was get people to think she was a zombie. 

Again... 

“I’m really sorry…” Butter hadn’t meant to say that, he’d said it without meaning to but that didn’t mean he meant it any less than he did. 

“Why?” Babycorn chuckled, “It’s not like you were the one who killed me Butts!” 

Oleo snapped right out of being frightened and went right back to trying to help his best friend score the girl of his dreams. “Yeah I doubt Butter here would ever do anything to hurt you. He’d probably kill the guy who killed you!” Not entirely a lie if we’re being honest. 

“N-No I wouldn’t!” 

“Dude you would. I’ve heard you talk about that Hildibrand guy and he doesn’t even want to kill her!”

Babycorn had no idea what those two were talking about. 

Instead she just had a great idea over what to do next. “Oh! Oh! Here let me show you what I was doing earlier! It was a really cool trick and a flip!” Babycorn took herself and her lance a few fulms away and started to do some squats in place. “Just give me a second to get ready!” 

It was incredibly obvious to almost everyone here that this was a very bad idea. Especially considering the story they had just heard. “W-Wait! Babycorn you don’t really have to show us! We can go inside and-!” Butter didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Babycorn was already off the ground. 

Oleo quickly covered his eyes and let out a scream in fear of the inevitable. 

But to everyone’s surprise Babycorn actually managed a flip and then even more surprising, a landing. 

Babycorn had landed on one foot, with the other up in the air and right on top of one of the Lavender Beds flower shaped lamps. The lance in her hand balanced on the palm of her hand.

Even more surprising was that her eyes were closed, it almost felt like someone with actual balance and talent had possessed Babycorn in those tense brief moments. 

“Woah…” Butter could hardly believe his eyes. 

Cinnamon was so furious she had completely forgotten her fear of the coming rain and flew out of Butter’s pocket in a fit of rage. “No fucking way she just did that!” Where the hell had that come from?! Oleo shared in Cinnamon’s confusion, just not her rage. In fact he was pretty impressed. 

Cherrypit was waiting. 

“Tada!” Babycorn opened her eyes and grinned, and then she began to tilt to the left. “Oh no not again.” Were the last words she said before she tumbled off the lamp and into the river below her. “AWK!” Babycorn let out a squeal as she hit the water but unlike last time her spear had not fallen alongside her. 

No, this time someone had caught it. 

The spear looked to be floating in mid-air. Everyone silently looked on as the spear began floating towards them, stopping and then falling into Cherrypit’s tiny hands. “Bebe safe! No more was sad! Okay?” If the spear wasn’t in his sister then she wouldn’t be sad again.

That’s what he figured. 

Cherrypit wasn’t sure what to do with the spear so he just kept holding on to it. Even if he didn’t like it. 

Butter knelt down and gave Cherrypit a pat on the head. “Good job Cherry.” It was clear that he had just wanted to help and this was his way of doing so. Cherrypit smiled wide and giggled, moving his head around Butter’s hand.

“Thanks you!” He squealed. Butter also offered to take the spear from Cherrypit which made Cherrypit even happier. 

“Don’t worry I’m okay!” Babycorn yelled from down in the river. 

Cinnamon could hardly believe it.

“Damn. It really makes you wonder how strong the guy it was that killed her because holy shit she’s really hard to kill.” 

‘Thank goodness…’ Butter thought to himself.

[helix-enterprises117]

Halo Reloaded: Raya Muse

---

Two months earlier...

John surveyed the latest Spartan-IV recruits assembled before him. The room had that new-car smell, only for soldiers: fresh paint on the walls, the subtle ozone tang of new tech. These weren’t kids scooped up from shattered lives like the Spartan-IIIs; these were pros. Academy hotshots and grizzled ODSTs stood in crisp lines, medals glinting under the sterile lights.

Raya Muse stepped forward, her gaze sharp. “Sir, I’ve read your file, seen your ops. I want to hit that standard. I’m here to learn.”

John gave a curt nod, eyes scanning the eager faces. “Training kicks off at 0600. Don’t be late.” His voice was flat, not unkind but stripped of warmth—a tool forged by necessity.

Present day...

Raya stared at the screen, the flickering ghosts of past miseries playing across her features. The grainy footage from an old security camera showed a young John—so small, so stubborn—lagging behind in a training exercise, his small form dwarfed by the obstacle course.

“Persistent, wasn’t he?” Lieutenant Dalmar’s voice cut through the hum of the archive room’s aging air conditioner.

She didn’t startle; had heard him come in. “Persistent, isolated, you name it. He was the squad's perennial underdog,” Raya replied, hitting pause. The frame froze, a moment in time: young John sitting alone, a plateless table before him while others ate.

“This... this is screwed up, right?” Dalmar leaned against the door frame, arms folded. “They pushed boundaries, didn't they? Morally, I mean.”

“It was a different time. Desperate,” Raya reasoned, but her tone suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced by her own words.

“They made machines out of them, Dalmar. Look at him.” They watched the silent, solitary figure of a boy who would become a legend.

“Ever brings this up, does he?” Dalmar asked, nodding towards the screen.

“Boss? Not a chance. He doesn’t dwell on the past. Doesn’t see the point,” she muttered, tapping her fingers against the desk.“

Might be his way of coping. Moving forward because looking back hurts too damn much,” Dalmar suggested, a rare slip of empathy breaking through his usually stoic demeanor.

“Maybe. Or maybe he’s scared he’ll find something in that past he can’t fight,” Raya added, her voice dropping to a whisper.

After another moment of silence between the two... Raya turns the holo-screen off.

---

The corridors of the medical facility resonated with the urgent clamor of alarms as Silver-Team burst through the sliding doors. Vannak-134, his broad shoulders straining against his armor, led the charge, his face a mask of contained fury and fear. Behind him, Kai-125 and Riz-028, equally grim, assisted in guiding the antigravity stretcher that bore the unmistakable, battered form of the Master Chief. His armor was dulled and scorched from a battle that had nearly claimed his life.

In the infirmary, Linda-058 perched on the edge of a cold, metal chair, her sniper-trained eyes fixed unblinkingly on John's unconscious figure. Her hands, normally steady and sure, fidgeted at her side—a sniper’s calm shattered by personal storm.

Raya Muse hesitated at the threshold, her heart hammering against her ribs. The sight of the Chief, so vulnerable, clashed violently with the invulnerable hero she had fought beside. Swallowing hard, she approached Linda. "Petty Officer, can I...?" Her voice cracked, thick with emotion.

Linda's eyes, icy blue and usually so guarded, softened as she met Raya's gaze. She saw in Raya not just a fellow soldier but a kindred spirit, someone who understood the weight of what John carried on his broad shoulders. "Yeah," she murmured, her voice low. "He'd want that... He’d want us here."

Thanking her with a nod, Raya moved closer to the bedside, her movements careful and reverent. She reached out and touched John's gauntlet, the cold metal stark beneath her fingertips. Drawing a shuddering breath, she leaned in, her embrace gentle as to not jostle his injuries.

Her whisper was a soft, desperate plea, a contrast to the clinical beeps and whispers of machines keeping him alive. "Come back to us, Boss. We're holding the line... just need you to hold on."

Silence enveloped the room, filled only with the soft beeps and the low, mournful hum of medical equipment. Outside the immediate circle of John's team, the medics moved quietly, respecting the solemn vigil.

Vannak-134 stood back, his usual stoic demeanor fractured by the scene before him. Kai and Riz exchanged glances, their faces shadowed by the same worry etching deep lines into their youthful features.

Linda finally broke her vigilance over John to acknowledge Raya’s gesture, her hand reaching out to squeeze Raya’s shoulder. Raya finally pulled back, her eyes moist as she searched John’s face for any flicker of awareness, any sign that her words had reached him. But his features remained impassive, the life support machines dictating the rhythm of his breath.

"Should have been there," Raya muttered, more to herself than to the others.

"Should've watched his back..."

[voidposter86]

BAD END : WILITNG ROSES

[SO! Hello, I wrote a little fic for Ib and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it. Do let me know what you think!]

She knew if she waited, she'd be able to see. Ib waited for the blur to leave her eyes.

What was that called again?



Ib shook the thought out of her head as the childish drawings that adorned the floor came into few. The only thing Ib was scared of right now were the other creations of the gallery and the idea that she may be alone.





I don't have my Red Rose...





And Garry's not here, either.





She slowly stood up and looked around, and Ib could feel her heart sink. The box was filled with drawings scribbled everywhere, as well as what made her stiffen- the headless statues, dolls, mannequin heads. They didn't seem to be moving right now, but she felt the absence of the rose in her hand. There was no sign of petals around her, so Garry was her first priority.

Taking her first steps, she walked slowly, watching the ornaments littered about the room- as if they were just dropped in, like her. Off a short distance, she caught sight of a familiar coat on the ground. She ran over to her friend as if her feet suddenly hit coals.



"Garry...!" Ib called out in a poorly hushed voice. After a light shake, he finally stirred.



"Oof.....Ow, I hit my head...." he mumbled as he got to his feet. When his eyes finally fixed on Ib, his face seemed to grow more concerned by the second, but he tried to match Ib's tiny bit of relief. "Ib....!! Are you alright?"



"I'm fine."



"....You look pale. Are you really alright?"





"I can't find my rose..."

"What?! You lost your rose!! That's not good, it's gotta be around here somewhere!"





Almost frantic, Garry stayed by Ib as they started to sweep the Toy Box for her rose. Garry understood the gravity of what was at stake if they couldn't find it and fast. He wasn't sure Ib did, at least entirely.





"Oh, the key..!" Ib knelt and grabbed the yellow key they had found the box for when they heard a voice behind them.





"Ooh, What's this? A present for me?"





Both turning, Garry felt panic settle in as he saw one of those horrid dolls hand over Ib's rose to Mary.





"Yaaay~! It's so pretty, can I have it? Oh, thank you!"





"No...that can't be..." Garry led Ib over by the wrist in disbelief; they were too late. "Mary....!!"





"Oh, Ib and Garry! Did you find what you were looking for?" Mary's almost sarcastic surprise cut him off. Garry was struck silent for a moment; Ib's life hung in the balance, and how he handled this was important. "Anyway, lookit! Isn't what I got so pretty?"





She showed off the rose with a single petal like a new toy.





"Mary...please, that rose...."





"Ahh, I knew I'd seen it somewhere before!"





"Please, give that back to Ib..." Garry tried his best to control the desperation in his voice; he couldn't risk any rash actions.





Ib silently watched the exchange unfold. She knew the roses were important, and it was really painful if a petal came off, but what happened after all of them were gone? She wasn't entirely sure. Garry was trying his best to save her; she knew that much, and it seemed tense.





"Ib, What would you do if only two of us could leave?"





Ib snapped back to the two when Mary addressed her specifically, "Ib, do you want this back?" Mary slightly gestured with her hand, clutching her rose.





Ib thought about it for just a moment. Mary and Garry, would they leave together? Garry had dismissed the idea of Mary having a motive not too long ago while talking in the artificial light. Had her parents been trapped here, too?





I could stay with them. I could stay here instead. It will be alright, won't it-





"Ib-" Garry didn't know what was happening in her head, but he couldn't let Ib entertain any ideas. Before he could say anything else, Ib gave her answer.





"I don't mind."





"Ib, what are you saying? That rose is your life here!" it sounded more angry than Garry had meant it to.





In her sweetest voice, Mary offered, "Okay, then how about this. I'll trade her red for your blue rose!" she looked Garry in the eyes, "I like red, but I like blue even more."





Garry had to stifle everything he felt: Angry, Scared, Worried. He couldn't refuse; that wasn't an option. He slowly stepped towards Mary, careful and ready to make the trade, when Ib grabbed his coat.





"Garry, don't, I said it was okay...!" Ib had to do something to stop them. Garry didn't deserve to go back to how she had found him, and she hadn't done as much for him as he had done for her. She locked eyes with Mary, "Leave!"





Garry looked exasperated while Mary suddenly filled with sorrow. Mary kept Ib's eye contact. "Is being with me that bad....?"





Ib shook her head furiously, "I can't choose....!"





Garry could feel his heart clutch as he heard her shaken voice, but it quickly bubbled up as anger- and through gritted teeth, "Mary....!"





Before he could take another step, Mary started to leave the Toy Box with heavy steps. "Fine, but I didn't want to go with him! If you don't want to go..!" The bite in her voice frightened Ib more than anything else Mary had done before.





Ib's hands began to shake as Garry tightly held her wrist as he tried to follow Mary, "WAIT!"





Oh, I've made a huge mistake.





Ib was finding it hard to breathe as fear took an even greater hold, and her knees gave in. Garry could feel her body sinking against his as she tried to stay up.





"Hey, hey! Ib? Take deep breaths. Stay with me now!" His voice softened as he talked to her, but there was no time. "Here, I'll carry you on my back. I have to catch up with her, okay?" He could fathom leaving her in this scribbled room by herself, and as soon as he felt her arms around his shoulders - trying not to think about how weak of a grip she was managing - he lifted her and briskly followed in Mary's footsteps before he felt a chill down his spine. It felt like the temperature dropped and the light dimmed.





"Not good, not good...!" He felt this feeling somewhere before, and he knew the danger was about to escalate. He couldn't die here. Taking a deep breath, "Come on, you can do this...."





The assorted creations started to move aggressively about the room, and he had to dodge them all. Trying his best to run, he heard Ib's shaking yelps as he made a beeline for the hallway ahead of them.





Praising Lady Luck or whoever was responsible, they made it into the dark hallway without getting attacked. A sigh of relief escaped Garry when he suddenly felt Ib's grip tighten.





"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...." she managed to choke out.





Hearing Ib's defeated voice made Garry's heart hurt in a way it never had before. "Hey now, it's alright, we'll just get your rose back from Mary. Okay...?" He tried his best to flash a smile back at her, but he felt her bury her face in his back. For a split moment, his eyes got hot, knowing she couldn't see his face right now.





Why, why is this happening?! Why can't I keep her safe...!





Garry continued down the hallway, trying to turn that inner chastising into whatever fight he had left. He took a deep breath and saw the turn of the hallway ahead. "We have to be close, right...?" quietly adding, "Ib, are you with me...?"

"I'm here..." she responded weakly.





"ᵂʰᵃᵗ ᵈᵒ ᴵ ᵈᵒ, ʷʰᵃᵗ ᵈᵒ ᴵ...ˀ"





Garry heard Mary's voice around the corner. "Hey Ib, do you think you can walk now....?" His voice strained. He didn't want to ask, but he couldn't do anything with both hands occupied.

"Can I lean on you...?"

Garry couldn't help but chuckle. She was smart and picked up fast. "Yes, but I'll need you to use the wall if we run into Mary, okay? Either that or sit by where we enter. I'll keep close, I promise."





He slowly bent down and let her shuffle off. He didn't like this idea, but any amount of apologizing wouldn't change the fact that he couldn't carry her much longer. Ib leaned against his left arm as they both continued around the corner. It was a staircase, and Garry made sure to keep an eye on her. She was pale but seemed to still be able to move around well enough. He guided her to his right and whispered, "Wait a few steps down here, okay..?"





As swiftly as she could, Ib moved against the wall and slid down as quietly as she could. The relief that ran across her face once she was down was heart-wrenching to Garry. He squatted to her level, "I'll get your rose back, okay?" He found he couldn't look her in the eye when he said that, instinctively closing his. The smile he managed to make was awkward, but he quickly shot back up and quietly peeked into the open room where Mary was standing.

"I don't want to go with him...I wonder if he got caught in the box...?" Mary curiously looked at the severely wilted rose before stepping towards the stairs.

Garry's breath caught in his throat. What would he do here? He can't confront Mary; that puts Ib's life at risk unless he puts forward his own again. His gaze drifting toward Ib. Both of them should be able to leave; a painting shouldn't take precedence. No matter how life-like she was, he found himself not caring anymore.

He looked up instead and listened for steps. It sounded like Mary had started pacing a bit. If she comes down the stairs, he would have to pray he can grab the rose before she can process what's happening, which is also extremely risky.

Mary's voice made him freeze, "Well if she doesn't want to go with me, she can be with him." Her sigh was full of disappointment; she hovered her fingers over the last petal.



Sheer panic caused Garry to turn the corner- no more time, his only option was to rush her- "WAIT, DON'T-" His voice escaped far louder than he intended.

"Aah......!" Mary's surprise caused her to flinch. Her fingers jerked, and it was all the force it took. A strange look came across Mary's face; it didn't look like regret or shock, mostly an imitation of the two at once. She took an apprehensive step toward the door behind her as her eyes shifted from the stem to Garry. His arm was out, frozen for a moment, before it limply dropped to his side. Garry said something, but she couldn't hear it. Absently, he walked towards Mary with uneven speed, and startled, she dropped everything stumbling backwards toward the door when she realized he wasn't even registering she was there. His eyes flicked back and forth between the stem and petal, before suddenly rushing toward the stairs and out of Mary's view.

"Ib, you dummy....it didn't have to turn out like this." She turned on her heel and made her way towards the exit of this fabricated world she hated so much, "I'll be fine on my own."

Garry nearly fell down the stairs to Ib; hearing Mary's steps fade was of no concern to him. Looking at Ib's state, though, almost made him break completely.

One arm draped on the stair above, towards where he was standing before. The other clutched both her shirt and bow, probably only having seconds to realize her heart had stopped. Almost afraid to look, he knelt down so he could see her face. Her eyes were still half open, and her jaw was slack. Without thinking, he closed her eyes.

She's really....

"...dead." Saying it out loud didn't seem real. He had to be having a nightmare, or this gallery was playing a trick on him again. It wasn't possible that in just one movement, this 9-year-old girl in front of him would never move again or experience the life she should have. His body dropped entirely to the floor.

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

"I'm here...This is the one!" In awe of the painting in front of her, Mary could barely contain herself. Not heading the warnings that followed her every move, she smiled as the frame vanished. "I can get out from here....I can finally go outside! I'll eat lots of candy, go all sorts of places, and make lots of friends!"

She jumped into the painting with no hesitation.

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

He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave Ib's body here.

Garry moved over to her and turned around, gently leaning her forward as he adjusted to carry her on his back again.

Just slightly heavier.

Listening only to the echoes of his steps, he made his way past the stem, not even daring to look at it or the crumpled petal next to it. The dark staircase ahead wasn't even an issue, nor was the paint he didn't even bother to read; the reception desk made him stop.

"Were we...really so close...?"

It was finally hitting him. Ib was dead, limp on his back, and they were just a staircase away from the way out. He felt the burn on his left cheek return, feeling undeserving of this girl's desperation to snap him back to reality. He unknowingly left a 9-year-old girl choosing who got to live. He knew he couldn't have done much differently, yet he couldn't forgive himself for it at the same time. Anger he had no real outlet for besides himself boiled up, and out of frustration, he continued up two sets of stairs to a painting in its own room. He was sure Ib was talking about this one when she explained her situation to him when they met.

The frame to it was already missing, giving it depth. Before Garry could take a step, he heard the familiar sound of paint writing a message. Looking to the ground, he read what it said, and it almost made him wish he could smash something, anything.



You can forget if you leave, Garry.

He made his way over to the painting, making sure to step on the message he was sure was mocking him now.

Forget? I might as well be spitting on Ib.

Looking at it, he sighed, trying to release some of his tension. He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing anymore. Maybe he wanted to try and send Ib back so she wouldn't have to be here. Any thoughts he might've had stopped when he noticed black paint started to ooze from the top.

"Ah, so we're stuck here. I thought...that if maybe..."

Garry didn't fight the tears that started to fall down his face. He just walked over to the wall on the right and carefully set Ib's body against it. He couldn't bear to look at her, keeping his eyes on the ceiling as he moved next to her. After feeling for it in the coat pocket, he pulled out his rose, bringing it to his felid's view. Healthy, a vibrant blue.

It disgusted him.

Garry brought his eye level back down towards his lap before tearing a petal without any pause. How many things had be promised her towards the end? Apologized for?



First, was that he'd get her rose back.

Second, he let Mary get away with her life.

Third, he said they would get out together

Forth, that he'd treat her to macrons.

Fifth, he apologized for worrying her in that awful room- letting himself fall victim in the first place.

Sixth, letting his nerves get the better of him.

"Hey, Ib? At the very least, you won't be alone..."

His body hurt, and he felt weak. Taking one last look at the girl he failed- he hadn't noticed slumped against his arm- he focused back on his "rose." Feeling nothing but the wetness on his cheeks, he muttered, "I'm so...so sorry. I couldn't...."



Seventh, he couldn't be who he needed to.

It was the last petal.







[sea-of-monster-s]

Sea Of Monster: The Crews Beguining

Chapter 3: You're Different… Too Different

We're now going to meet another creature, that is on the Envluck island, deep inside the forest. His name is Whisper, he's a crow griffin that got adopted by a small family of normal griffins. They found Whisper's egg in an abandoned nest, and decided to raise him as their own. When he grew up, he noticed that their nest was really near a human village. The curiosity got the best of him so he hung out near the village, soon he started to mimic them, teaching himself to walk on two legs and mimic human speech. Then he started stealing at night stuff from the streets and the trashcans to help his family a little bit. He then found an old worned out cloak that he used to hide himself and walk in the village when it was a day.

 This day wasn't as great as he imagined, his mother was sick. Yesterday she mistakenly got caught in a bear trap. Whisper got her unstick but the wond from it was starting to get infected. Whisper had no other choice but look for the medicine in the village

-mother- he said -i'm going to look for something, to ease your suffering-

-...- she didn't respond, she was too tired to do anything, even feed herself, Whisper didn't knew however that his mother is long gone, but he went in to the village anyway

 Making his way through the town looking at every building, wanting to find any information on how to treat his mother. Suddenly he overheard a tale of two villagers.

-im telling you- one of them mumbeted angrily -ive seen a griffin THIS big just outside of hire-

-but what are we going to do about it?-

-so we go to the mayor, we tell him and we burn them down-

-your right, evil must be dealt with fire-

 Whisper was unsure what they meant, but he felt uneasy by it. 

-MOMMY ,MOMMY!- a sudden yell from a little girl's mouth was heard from behind, the child started pulling on Whisper's cloak, wanting to get attention. Whisper was scared only a few tugs and his identity would be revealed, but then the two villagers started to talk loudly to the crowd.

-People of the village. We need to tell you about the evil that we found, a cursed being of eagle and lion is living right next our village-

The crowd started to listen closely, giving Whisper a chance to escape. He immediately went back to his nest.

-mother!- he yelled -we need to get out of here! humans found us!-

-...-

-mother?-

He moved his mother, and finally understood that she's long since gone, he was now all alone, his brothers left the nest and his father was slaughtered, now his mother died. Whisper heard the villagers approaching, when he turned around he noticed that they were carrying torches. In an act of desperation he exited the nest and stood right at the entrance, wanting to scare the villagers away. 

-LOOK ITS ONE OF THEM-

a villiger scream out, Whisper started screeching and doing weird hand movements but suddenly he felt something cold and heavy wrapped around him, it was a chain that the villagers also bringed along, they managed to make Whisper imobile and chained him for good, Whisper tried to break free, but he was too weak, they took him away, he looked back and saw that the tree was already ablaze. The villagers took him to the village, he was booed and got stuff thrown at him, then the villagers spoke

-we've captured the cursed monster that was roaming inside the forest-

The crowd cheered 

-but what can we do to get rid of it for good?-

-BURN IT- one of them said

-HANG IT- the second one said

-No- the one who captured it said- we need to lock it somewhere far away, somewhere where it will never witness true light again, and i just know a place-

 The villagers took Whisper height into the mountains, far away from his now burned down home, they then led him into a cave that originally belonged to a now long gone dragon. They tighten the chains on the old chain holders, and they just leave. 

 Whispers struggled, trying to break free, but that bringed nothing. He finally gave up after two days and layed, tired on the cold floor, lucky for him the bug population inside the cave kept him sustained to live another day

[mymarifae]

i feel like if you walk away from ddlc thinking of monika as a bad person you might have missed the point

[ghoul-bonez]

~Then There Was You~

(Tsireya x Fem! Sully! Reader)

Summary: Tsireya felt bad that the Sullys had to leave their home in the forest, she really did, but she was glad they were here. She had met her new best friend Lo’ak, and was enjoying teaching the Sully children how to live like she did, but something was bothering her, more like someone.

Word count: 2.5k

Author’s notes: First ever beta read fic 💪🏻 (thanks @inlovewithpandora 🥰) Enjoy!

~Masterlist~

Then There Was You

When Tsireya had heard a family of people from the Omatikaya clan were coming to live in Awa’atlu the first thing she felt was sympathy. She felt bad for them, having to leave their home. Having to leave their family that was left behind, and their ways of life. Even though she felt sorry for them, she couldn’t help but think about what they would be like.

From the moment the Sullys had landed in Awa’atlu Tsireya had found herself enamored with them. They were different, much different, and although most of her clan was hesitant because of this, it drew her in. She thought their deeper blue skin was beautiful, and their golden eyes matched them perfectly. From the moment she had seen the Omatikaya family they had drawn her in.

Tsireya remembers seeing you all the day your family had arrived in Awa’atlu. She had first seen Lo’ak, smiling at her and staring shily, blushing when she smiled back. Neteyam had laughed at him and she couldn’t help but giggle to herself too, the poor boy had no chance with her, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to break it to him.

Kiri was pretty, but odd. She looked more tawtute than the rest, five fingers, and her nose was a bit off, but Tsireya found it endearing, Little Tuk was adorable, and Tsireya felt awful for her, it must be so hard for her to process this big move.

Jake Sully, the Toruk Makto, was just as impressive in person. He held an air of confidence around him. However, Tsireya could tell he was unsure. He was determined though, he would get what he wanted, but he was determined to get this because he needed this. They need shelter. Neytiri also held confidence in her stance, more so than Jake at this moment. She wasn’t happy with this move, and she let it be obvious by her body language, but she held strong for their kids.

Then there was you.

You had always been different.

Then she saw you, hidden among your family. She remembers you being huddled in a brown woven shawl, you pulling it as tight around your shoulders as possible as if you were trying to hide in it.

She remembers you clinging to your mother, holding her arm desperately in your grasp, like she was your safety net and you were falling. She remembers looking from Neytiri to you, an almost complete copy of her, yet you were still undeniably you.

She remembers you looking so scared, eyes blown wide and ears twitching as you took everything in, the feeling uncomfortable drawn all over your face. She remembers thinking she would feel the same way.

Throughout all of that she thought you were beautiful. Tsireya imagined you had similarities to your clan members, but to her, someone who hadn’t been exposed to the Omatikaya people, you were completely unique.

Your skin was more vibrant to her eyes, your stripes standing out boldly. She admired your hair, put up in braids, with little beads throughout them. You didn’t have eyebrows like your dad or two of your siblings, but she didn't think that would take away from your facial expressions. She couldn’t wait to see you smile.

Once Tsireya’s mother arrived on scene she knew things were going to get more serious. Ronal went around judging and poking at the Sullys, berating them for things they couldn't change, but Tsireya understood why, she was scared, these were outsiders, and one of them had been a tawtute on top of that. Throughout all of this it was like she didn’t even notice you, avoiding you like a plague. Maybe it was because you looked more Na’vi, four fingers and toes, or maybe it was because she could sense you were scared.

Tsireya had quickly decided she wanted to learn more about the Sullys, about you, so she was ecstatic when her father had put her and her brother, Ao’nung, in charge of teaching the Sully children. Ao’nung had been the complete opposite of her, in fact he wanted nothing to do with them, but with time had come around to them.

Tsireya quickly discovered how different each of the Sullys were, and she enjoyed learning their small quirks.

Neteyam was a quick learner, and determined to be the best, determined to not let his father down.

Kiri was enamored by the life around her, taking to the water quickly, and loved simply watching as sea creatures went about their lives as she looked on.

Lo’ak was more or less interested in doing his own thing, learning at his own pace, and creating chaos when he could.

Tuk was adorable and innocent, she had befriended all of the ilus she had met, her air of kindness infecting everyone she met.

Then there was you.

You were the person Tsireya was most excited to get to know, but it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped it would be.

On the first day when she had gone to find your siblings to start their teachings in the Metkayina ways you hadn’t joined them. She had hoped you were just hesitant about the water, not wanting to jump in after them, but it became apparent that wasn’t the issue.

When she had asked Lo’ak, who she had grown quite close to, them becoming best friends quickly, if you were afraid of the water he had revealed you loved the water. After that she’d kept a closer eye on you, watching as you splashed around at the beach, and swam around on your own.

It wasn’t just the first day that you had avoided her lessons, and it quickly became every day. Ao’nung even questioned where you were once in a while, and Lo’ak would always answer “She’s off in her own world.” whereas Neteyam would correct him, “She’s with mom.”

When Tsireya would look around she found you were always with Neytiri, trailing her and helping her with whatever she needed. You seemed to stay close to her except when she was talking with other people and you would slink away.

You seemed to be closed off, on your own most of the time, other than when you were with your family. However, when you were with your siblings you seemed so open, and Tsireya often tried to use that to her advantage, trying to join in on conversation, but when she would make herself known you would quickly scuttle away.

One day as Tsireya and Lo’ak were sitting around after a lesson, simply chatting and existing, Tsireya couldn’t help but bring you up again, “Lo’ak, why does (Y/n) always avoid me?” She asked sadly.

Lo’ak was curious about why Tsireya was so interested in you, asking about you more frequently as time passed. He was oblivious to Tsireya’s real feelings, blinded by his own crush on the girl, “What do you mean?”

Tsireya sighed, “I feel like every time I try to join a conversation with you guys she always runs off.”

Lo’ak thought something clicked in his head when he had the thought that Tsireya wanted to be your friend, but unbeknownst she wanted so much more than that, “Oh, she does that with everyone. She likes to be on her own.”

Tsireya knew that was wrong, it had to be. Nobody likes to be on their own. You had to want friends, she wanted you to have friends. She wanted to be friends with you, to be seen by you. She wanted to help you open up and find yourself in friends, more than anything else, but no matter what she tried you wouldn’t let her in.

She tried inviting you to lessons personally, going up to you while you were on your own. She tried getting Lo’ak to tell you she needed to talk to you, instructing him to not pressure you, but to be firm. She tried, once again, to talk to you while your siblings were around again, but you still strayed from the group when she arrived. She tried calling out to you as you walked past with Neytiri, but only Neytiri’s head would turn to her before she would turn to you and say something.

“Why don’t you go talk to her?” She would ask you, trying to gently push you into making friends.

You would reply, “Maybe later.” but you had no plans on following through with that.

At this point Tsireya was growing frustrated, she had tried what seemed to be everything, and so she hunted down Lo’ak, “I need your help.” She spit out when she found him.

Lo’ak was slightly peeved, but wasn’t too upset with the girl who had dragged him away from Ao’nung and some of his new friends, “With?”

“Your sister!” Tsireya shouted, frustration showing through her tone, “(Y/n)...”

Lo’ak rolled his eyes, “What’s so special about her?” He had known you his whole life, and he loved you, but he couldn’t see what Tsireya saw in you.

Tsireya looked into the distance, thinking, “I do not know, I can not exactly figure it out. There is just so much going on with her, and I want to know everything.”

Lo’ak just sighed, “I don’t think she wants you bothering her. I don’t think she wants anyone bothering her.”

Tsireya went to talk again, to protest, “But-”

Lo’ak scoffed, “Why do you care so much?”

She sighed, thinking about how to word her next thoughts, carefully, “Lo’ak, I do not know how to tell you this. I want to see her. I want her to see me.”

Lo’ak’s jaw dropped before he quickly regained his composure, “Oh…”

Tsireya couldn’t help but feel bad for the boy, “I am sorry.”

Lo’ak quickly stopped her before she could say anything else, “No, no, I should’ve seen that. Neteyam has been trying to tell me you want nothing to do with me since the beginning.” He joked, “Okay, so, what you have to do is just talk to her. You have to corner her, give her no escape.”

Tsireya frowned, “I feel like that is mean. I think she should have the choice to leave if she wants to…”

Lo’ak rolled his eyes again, “Trust me, she will find a way to leave if she really wants to.”

“But why does she avoid me? There must be an answer.” Tsireya asked, desperate for any answer.

“She has anxiety.” Lo’ak answered, the foreign tawtute word sounding weird to her ears, “She gets nervous around new people.” He explained.

Tsireya immediately felt bad for you, “Well, I do not want to stress her out. I do not want to upset her.”

Lo’ak just shrugged his shoulders, “She’ll be upset no matter what. Just try it. She usually goes to the beach after meal time, so try to find her tonight.”

Tsireya gave in, if you would be upset no matter what then why not try, “Okay.”

The air was cool now, a gentle breeze rolling in off of the ocean. Eclipse was beginning and the sky was slowly darkening, shades of orange and red painting across the horizon, reflecting in the water. The fluffy clouds in the sky looked painted onto the background of warm colors of the sky. Tsireya basked in it all as she traced the beach, looking for you as she walked.

When she found you, you were sitting under a tree, and it looked like you were nearly asleep, a peaceful look resting on your face, opposed to the usual nervous and uncomfortable one Tsireya was used to. Your eyes were still open however, and you watched the waves of the ocean crash against the shore, the warm watercolor sky reflecting in your golden eyes.

Tsireya spoke quietly so as to not overwhelm you, “Hello?” she greeted you, but it sounded more like a question.

Your head shot up and your eyes widened at her, you looked unsure of what to do, whether to run or stay and try to converse.

You decided to stay, which meant you had to talk to her, so you spoke, and when you spoke to her your voice was so quiet, so weak, “Tsireya.” Was all you said, and the sound of her name on your tongue sent a shockwave through her body.

“(Y/n)” Tsireya mirrored you, before continuing, “Can I sit with you?”

You smiled a little, and Tsireya caught it, before you covered it with your hand, trying to hide yourself, “Sure.” you spoke.

Tsireya searched for something to say, thinking of how to start conversation, “Lo’ak told me I could find you here.”

“Lo’ak is an idiot. You shouldn't believe what he says.” You spoke simply, and Tsireya giggled at you before you continued, "I don't think he’d lie to you though, likes you too much for that.”

Tsireya couldn’t help but smile at you, clearly everyone was aware of Lo’ak’s little crush on her, “Yes, we are good friends. I want to be friends with you too.”

You sighed, “I’m not sure how great that would be for you.”

Tsireya nudged your side, “(Y/n), I am sure I want to be friends with you.” then she paused, “I want to be more.” She admitted.

“Oh.” Was all you could say.

Tsireya took a deep breath in, “I think you are so special. I want to know everything about you. I want you to know everything about me too. I want to see you. Let me in, so I can see you.”

“Okay.” Was all she needed to hear before she was off asking every question she could think of. She asked for your favorite color, your favorite food, your favorite game as a child, your favorite sibling, and she laughed when the answer wasn’t Lo’ak. It was Neteyam.

You spent the whole night talking, and eventually fell asleep on the beach, cuddled up together, leaning on each other for support. It was colder than usual, but neither of you felt the chill as your body heat radiated off to each other.

When morning came your parents were panicked when they woke up and you weren’t home, but when they found you and Tsireya they couldn’t help but smile. They knew she was special from what Lo’ak had told them, and the effort she had made many times to break down your walls. It appears she had finally succeeded.

When morning came and Tsireya woke up she found you already awake, looking down at her with appreciation in your eyes. Gentel good mornings were shared, and you couldn’t help but smile back at Tsireya who beamed at you. It was quiet, calm, and soothing, three things you needed, but especially at that moment. As you examine her features you begin to see, and you realize you were always meant to be with her, to be hers.

Tsireya had met many people so far in her life, some who had made no mark, and others who had helped form who she is as a person.

Then there was you.

You who made Tsireya feel unimaginable things. You who made butterflies in her stomach with the smallest gestures. You who was still learning to open up to her. You who she loved with all of her heart. You who loved her back with your whole soul. You who she sees. You who sees her back.

Word Bank:

Omatikaya (Forest Na’vi)

Awa’atlu (Metkayina village)

Tawtute (Sky people)

Toruk Makto (Rider of Last Shadow)

Ilu (Metkayina animal transportation)

Metkayina (Ocean Na’vi)