#she was such a sweetie!! so affectionate and even tried climbing on my shoulders while i was petting her | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

a-d-curtis · 4 years ago

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Chant

I just realized I never posted this here. It is the first chapter of my series “Memories in the Wind” (Chapters 2: Incense & 3: Artifacts have already been posted here. Good thing chronology doesn’t matter in these little stories =) Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Other works in this series:

Incense

Artifacts

…………….

“Be careful, Bumi!”

Katara pulled protectively at her toddling son as he leaned disconcertingly over the edge of Appa’s saddle to rub his chubby little hands in fistfuls of Appa’s fur.

Aang looked back over his shoulder from where he held the reins on Appa’s head and smiled.

“Oh let him have some fun, Katara! You know I’ve got him if he falls overboard.”

Katara’s grip on her son tightened as she sent an exasperated looked toward her carefree husband. “Aang, I just don’t think it’s safe for Bumi to think that every time he falls off of Appa he gets a ‘fun airbending ride with Daddy’ back up here to safety.”

“But I’ve got him, Katara. I don’t want him to be afraid of heights.”

Katara huffed. “But for those of us who don’t command Air, Sweetie, a dose of that kind of fear is not unhealthy.”

“You don’t know yet that Bumi doesn’t bend air,” Aang said casually. “He’s too young to tell.”

Aang smiled with a playful twinkle in his eye. “Or maybe he’ll be splashing his mom with waterbending before we know it! Wouldn’t that be great?”

Katara couldn’t help the smile that found its way to her mouth. She did like the idea of teaching waterbending to her son one day. At a year and a half Bumi hadn’t shown any signs of either waterbending or airbending, but he was young yet.

“Maybe he won’t bend at all,” Katara proposed thoughtfully.

Aang smirked cheekily, “As long as he doesn’t bend Fire or Earth, I think we are good.” He looked at her with mock-seriousness as he teased, “Because then you’d have some ‘splaining to do.”

Katara rolled her eyes at Aang dramatically, but couldn’t help but smile at him, shaking her head at the preposterousness of the idea. With Bumi’s open, carefree spirit and his ‘run before he walks’ and ‘leap before he looks’ tendencies, Katara wondered how anyone could ever doubt that Aang was his father. Personality wise, Bumi was undeniably Aang’s son.

Katara looked at her son as she held his torso with two hands, his fat little fingers still buried in Appa’s fur. Bumi laughed and babbled “Ap-pa, Ap-pa, Ap-pa” to himself as his dark hair blew wildly in the wind.

It had been a sore spot for Aang that Bumi had spoken the word “Appa” before “Daddy” -- a fact that Aang insisted his sky bison lorded over him constantly. “You don’t know what its like, Katara! I’ll catch a smug look in Appa’s eye and just know he’s laughing at me. How could my own son betray me this way?!” It was all in jest of course, but Katara suspected that any real feelings of hurt didn’t fully dissipate until Bumi started babbling “Da-da” at which point Aang seemed to forget the snub completely as he instead, glowed with pride. “Katara did you hear that?! He’s so smart!” Then continuing with a loving look at his wife, “A genius, just like his mom!”

The little family currently flew over a forested area in the northwestern Earth Kingdom. This part of the Earth Kingdom was pretty far north, the vegetation consisting of mostly evergreens and other tenacious plants that didn’t mind the rocky ground and the cold winters. But it was summer now, and the air was clear and cool, the breeze bringing the delightful scent of pine as Katara inhaled deeply.

Suddenly, Appa let out a groan and veered sharply down and to the right. Katara reflexively pulled Bumi protectively into her lap as she grabbed the saddle with one arm to steady herself, her innards giving that strange lurching feeling that felt like her stomach had jumped into her throat.

“Whoa boy!” Katara heard Aang say as he pulled the reins, trying to get his animal guide back on course. “What’s up, Buddy?” Appa groaned something at Aang as he leveled out again.

But a moment later he lurched again, this time turning them all the way around and descending toward the forest below.

Katara looked over the lip of the saddle to see Aang laying flat on his stomach on Appa’s head as he spoke to his bison. “Do you hear something, Buddy?”

Then sitting up, Aang called back to Katara. “Looks like Appa wants to land here for some reason, Sweetie. I guess we’re going down.”

As the giant bison landed six-footed onto the rocky ground amid the sparse but towering trees, Aang hopped back up into the saddle with his wife and son. Then taking hold of Katara around the waist as she held Bumi, Aang airbend-jumped all three of them down to the ground.

“Why did we stop, Aang?” Katara asked.

“I’m not sure. I have no idea why Appa wanted to stop here.” But Aang’s perplexed look quickly turned to an open smile that he turned to his wife. “Well, shall we have a look around then?” Katara could see that Aang’s disposition for adventure and his naturally flexible sense of ‘destination’ were taking over.

“I suppose so,” Katara said as she set Bumi down to let him walk around a bit, smiling affectionately at the way her son held his hands out for balance. “It is a lovely forest.”

They had not taken more than ten steps into the trees when Aang stopped Katara in her tracks. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

The sound was faint, but as Katara strained her ears she thought she could hear the sound of… what was that? The sound was long and solemn, resonating out a continuous melancholy whine. Katara didn’t know what would make a sound like that; certainly not an animal. Maybe some sort of instrument perhaps?

Aang seemed to have frozen, a wide-eyed look on his face.

Appa bellowed again and walked forward, nuzzling his head into Aang, snapping Aang out of his trance. Aang put his hand on Appa’s big head and affirmed with semi-stunned excitement, “Yeah, I hear it too, Appa!”

“Let’s go find it, Buddy!” Aang said enthusiastically to Appa as he scooped Bumi giggling up into his hands and grabbed Katara’s hand and pulled her back onto Appa’s back. Appa didn’t wait to hear “yip, yip” before he took off into the sky.

Katara still did not know what the sound was, but it clearly meant something to Aang and Appa. She wanted to ask her husband about it, but she didn’t want to interrupt the single-minded concentration Aang was giving to following the sound at this moment.

Appa flew low, the toes of his six legs often skimming the tops of the trees. Aang half straddled, half stood on Appa’s head, like a jockey standing up in the stirrups, all the while moving his arms in wide sweeping motions, as though he was pulling the air towards his chest. Katara knew that Aang was pulling at the surrounding air, willing the sound to come to him, amplifying it so they could follow it to its source.

It didn’t take long to follow the sound to a tiny settlement nestled among the trees. There were so few houses, and each spaced so far apart, that it couldn’t really even be called a town. Appa had to circle around the roof of the source of the sound a couple of times before needing to land a short distance away from it in the only clearing big enough for his large body.

The sound rang out clearly from inside a small log dwelling.

But even after Appa landed with a huff, Aang remained still, staring unmoving toward the dwelling just visible through the pines. He didn’t move from Appa’s head. Katara began to feel a little apprehensive as she observed the blue tattoo on Aang’s tense back.

“Sweetie?” Katara asked after another long frozen minute listening to the melancholy brass song through the trees. She placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Katara was unprepared for the intensity of emotion on Aang’s face when he turned toward her. His grey eyes were wide, almost haunted, some complicated set of emotions brewing behind them. Anticipation? Hope? Dread, perhaps?

Aang turned his gaze back towards the dwelling before climbing down slowly from Appa’s head. Something about his climb down seemed so strange. For one thing, Katara wasn’t sure if she had ever actually seen Aang climb down before, not like this anyway; he usually just jumped or floated down. But this movement seemed to be in slow motion, and as though his body was suddenly heavy, each step taking effort. Like he dreaded what lay before him.

Aang began to move toward the trees leading to the log house.

“Sweetie?” she tried again.

Aang turned back to her, the solemn sound ringing through the air around them. “It’s a singing bowl, Katara. An Air Nomad instrument. I haven’t heard one in…” his sentence drifted off absently as he turned back towards the sound.

But then he just stood there, not moving forward. Appa grunted and took a couple steps toward him -- exhausting the extent of space this clearing left for his big body to move -- and nudged Aang with his head as though pushing him toward the sound. Aang shook his head slightly, as if recovering from a trance, and reached out a hand to stroke his oldest friend’s furry cheek. Aang forced a fleeting smile and a “Thanks, Buddy”, before stepping into the forest toward the cabin.

Katara just watched the strait back of the last known air nomad walk away toward the small dwelling that vibrated with a sound both ancient and presumed extinct. For a moment Katara just sat there before she came to herself, and scooped Bumi (who had been uncharacteristically still, as though spellbound by the sound singing through the mountain air) onto her hip and scrambled down Appa’s side to hurry after Aang.

Katara, with Bumi in arms, wound her way through the fragrant evergreens, the light crunch of dried pine needles snapping under her soft boots as she followed after her husband. By the time she arrived at the small dwelling, Aang was nowhere to be seen.

“Aang?” she called as she ducked around the building to the open front door.

Katara stopped, her hand on the rough wood of the open doorframe. Aang stood a few steps inside the small home, his body unnaturally still. She couldn’t see his face, just the rigidity of his stance. The wailing sound vibrated full and long all around the small room.

Beyond Aang, sitting serenely on a mat on the floor was a very old, bald man. A young child at his side ran a wooden mallet around the edge of a brass bowl perched on a folded cloth on the ground in front of him. The ringing was clearly coming from the bowl. Eyes closed, the old man spoke softly – no chanted, almost like he was singing – words that Katara could not understand.

Katara boosted Bumi a little higher on her hip and took a few tentative steps forward inside the hut until she stood at Aang side. She touched his shoulder tentatively with the tips of her fingers. “Aang?”

Aang didn’t turn to look at her, but he exhaled as though it was long overdue, his eyes still staring at the old man.

The old man finished his mantra and then opened his eyes. His withered old hand reached over and gently stopped the circling hand of the child at his side, stopping the singing bowl’s effervescent wail. The sound seemed to echo in the small structure for a moment even after the vibrations had dissipated. The child looked up at them with bright grey eyes, expectant.

The old man brought his hand together with a fist and bowed his head slightly toward Aang. “Bhu-la”

Katara could see Aang’s adam’s apple bob once before he too brought his hands together and bowed respectfully, replying, “Jolak”.

The man motioned with his hand to the empty space on the floor across from him and Aang sat down in lotus, facing him. They both said nothing at first, but Katara could see that Aang’s throat bobbed again as if holding back great emotion.

“Bhu-la”, the old man addressed Aang again (Katara seemed to remember from her stilted efforts to learn Aang’s Air Nomad language that this meant “younger brother”), “I am honored to have you in my home. At first I thought my old eyes had deceived me. I never thought that I would again behold another Kushow La in my lifetime.”

Aang’s face fought valiantly against some strong emotion. “Jolak…” Aang addressed this elder brother and then paused, needing a moment to find his voice before he could continue. “Are you… are you a Kushow La? Are you also an Air Nomad monk?”

Katara’s eyes darted back to the old man in hopeful surprise, even though she saw no arrow tattoos on the old man’s forehead or hands.

The old man sighed, “Alas, I am not.”

Aang’s head bowed, his eyes clenched tightly as he fought to keep his obvious disappointment within. A moment later, Aang’s face became a stone wall. The same stone Katara saw whenever he was keeping some strong emotion to himself.

“I see,” Aang replied.

“I am not. But, young Bhu-la, my father was,” the old man said.

Aang’s eyes opened eagerly, his whole body leaning forward. “Your father? Was an Air Nomad monk??”

“Yes,” the old man chuckled at the eagerness of the tattooed young man before him. “My father was a Kushow La. Like you.”

“My father was not even yet twenty years old at the time of Sozin’s massacre.” The man took a long inhaled breath before continuing. “He told me that his bison had fallen ill, and he was tending to him, which is why he was late for the festival that would have taken him home to the Northern Air Temple at the time of Firelord Sozin’s first attacks. Having not been at the temple, he avoided the first wave of fire.” The old man looked somberly down to his lap. “But he and his kind were hunted afterward. His beloved bison was cut down before word of the slaughter had even made it to my father’s ears. My father only narrowly escaped that attack with his own life.”

The man looked knowingly at Aang, a well of sympathy behind his old eyes as he continued, “My father did not talk much of those many years of fleeing from the Fire Nation. But I know he saw great atrocities and his personal losses were great.”

Aang listened intently, nodding minutely in understanding, his face stone again (although Katara could see the pain behind his eyes).

“My Earth Kingdom grandfather’s family provided my father a temporary refuge for a time. While my father was staying with my grandfather, he and my mother fell in love. But when their union was opposed by my grandfather, the two fled together to these very forests. They built this home, far from civilization, with the hope that they could hide from those who sought to destroy them. I was born within these very walls.” The old man looked up at the small wooden structure, as though a lifetime’s worth of memories were written upon it.

“My mother and father and I lived here happily for many years. Until whispers of Airbender survivors began to circulate, even making it out here to our remote location. My father ignored them for a long time. Until one day he told my mother he had to go and see, to find one of these ‘havens’ in the mountains for himself. I was twelve at the time.”

The old man looked Aang strait in the face. “I never saw my father again. I never found out what happened to him.”

Aang winced, as if he understood more than he wanted to. Katara was not sure what “havens in the mountains” the man spoke of, but she did not have much trouble imagining the end fate of this man’s father.

Aang spoke, “I am so sorry for your loss, Jolak.”

“Thank you for your sympathy, Bhu-la. I accept your shared mourning.”

Aang turned his eyes toward the child and with a kind smile said, “Thank you for your music, Bhu-la. You play just like I remember it from when I was your age!”

The little boy’s face burst into a wide, charming smile. The old man smiled and patting the child’s leg with unobscured pride as he introduced, “This is my great-grandson, Aanpa. He is named after my father, the Kushow La.”

Aang’s eyes moistened, but he smiled at the boy again. “It’s a good name, Aanpa. I had a friend my age who shared your name too.” Aang bit his lip and looked down at his hands in his lap. “It’s a good name,” he repeated again.

At this point Bumi bucked in Katara’s arms, reaching for the floor. He wanted to get down. Katara knelt down on the ground as well, a step to the side of Aang as she pulled Bumi to sit on her lap. Aang looked towards her and introduced, “Jolak” then nodding to the little boy “and Buh-la, this is my wife, Katara, and our son, Bumi.”

The man palmed his fist and dipped his head towards Katara and Bumi. The man’s great-grandson just smiled bigger. Katara smiled back, dipping her head in respect as well.

Seeming to remember, Aang added, “Oh, and I’m Aang.”

The old man’s eyes twinkled, traveling once up to the blue tattoos on Aang’s arms and forehead. “I’m aware of who you are, Bhu-La Aang. Even way out here, we are aware.”

Aang opened his palms upward, motioning toward the singing bowl, “May I… join you? To chant the Time Mantra again?” Katara saw him swallow past his emotion. “It’s been a long time since…” but Aang’s voice seemed to fail him then.

The old man looked at him kindly; Katara seemed to see an Understanding in his old grey eyes. “Of course.”

The man nodded to his great-grandson and the little boy hit the brass bowl with his mallet, then rubbing the wooden handle around the bowl’s edge, the metal began to sing. Bumi bucked again, trying to get out of his mother’s arms to grab at the bowl, but Katara pulled him back to sit on her lap.

Aang and the old airbender’s son both closed their eyes and breathed deeply. Even as their eyes remained closed they both lifted their right hands up, palm facing forward, their left hands resting palm up on their folded knees. For a time they just sat this way, eyes closed, breathing deeply as the singing bowl rang out. Then without any signal that Katara could see, they both began to speak in unison.

Katara had heard Aang chant to himself frequently. And Aang had told her often of the daily chants and joint meditations of the monks. So she was familiar with the sing-song of the mantra. But she had never heard an Air Nomad chant in tandem before, and the sound of it, the way the words resonated through the little log house was incredible. It was like their voices were one layered voice, but somehow even more potent. The sound of it brought a catch in her throat. Even Bumi sat listening, watching his father’s face intently.

As the chant filled the small wooden dwelling, the chorus seeming to sink within her, Katara couldn’t help but imagine how this sound would have echoed gloriously in the great meditation halls of the Air Temples. With a hundred voices reciting the words together.

For the thousandth time Katara felt a great swell of compassion for all that Aang had lost. There was no accompanying anger this time, as there had often been in the past, just a great sense of loss, like a gaping hole opening in her abdomen.

Compassion stirred within her as she saw tears begin to stream down Aang’s face from under his closed dark lashes. Bumi’s little hand reached up to her face, and she realized that she was crying too. She looked down into her son’s wide perplexed eyes, and took his chubby little hand in hers and kissed it, reassuring him that everything was all right.

Katara could not understand the words of the chant, although she recognized the intonations as Aang’s native tongue, the long-lost Air Nomad dialect. She bit back regret that she had not learned more of his language, so that she could know the meaning of the chant. Silently she vowed to try harder to learn.

But knowing the meaning of the words or not, there was no doubting the sacredness of this moment:

Aang, eyes closed, tears streaming down his face, chanted in his own language a mantra of his youth with another living being for the first time in over a century.

…………..

Katara looked up from her place at the kitchen counter when she heard a knock on the front door. “Just a moment,” she called out as she quickly set the sliced lotus root she was preparing for dinner into a bowl of water to soak. Wiping her hands on her apron (that bulged comically over her rounded tummy) Katara walked toward the door of their home on Air Temple Island.

With an angry yell coming from Kya’s room, Bumi and one of his friends came barreling from the back of the house, bumping into Katara on their way to the door. “Sorry Mom!” he quipped with a charming crooked smile as the two of them jostled out the front door, nearly knocking the man standing outside it over in their haste.

Katara sighed in exasperation as she saw the door swing shut after them, muffling her son’s “oh, sorry!” to the man he nearly knocked over on the doorstep. She shook her head at her son, now verging on teenagehood, but still just as unwary and haphazard as when he was a toddler.

Opening the door again, Katara saw a young man with a light pack on his back and a parcel wrapped in a cloth in his hands, watching Bumi and his friend running pell-mell down the path towards the docks. As he turned his attention back towards her, she smiled. “Hello. Can I help you?”

The young man smiled nervously. “Um, hi. Are you Master Katara? I’m here to… to see your husband.”

Katara was not surprised by the man’s request – people frequently sought an audience with the Avatar – although she was surprised that he had not been stopped by one of the Acolytes before coming strait to her door. No worry, she would be happy to see what he wanted.

“Aang is in the sanctuary at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?”

The young man tapped the parcel in his hands idly and looked around. “Um, sure. I guess. You see, I’ve come to, um, to maybe join your, um, your Air Acolytes.” His eyes flicked unsurely to Katara for a moment.

Katara’s heart warmed as she smiled at the boy. She never ceased to be amazed at the generosity of those willing to give their lives to keep the Air Nomad’s culture and teachings alive. “Of course. Welcome to Air Temple Island… what did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t. But it’s Aanpa. My Great-great-grandfather was an Air Nomad. I don’t know if you remember, but I met you once, when I was very young. You and the Avatar came to my Great-grandfather’s house.”

Katara’s eyebrows lifted in pleasant surprise. “Oh yes! I remember that day well. Are you the little boy who played the singing bowl?!”

Aanpa smiled widely, and held up the parcel, unwrapping a corner to show her what was inside. “I have it with me now! I wanted to… to um, maybe give it to Avatar Aang. Since it belonged to his people…”

Katara ran her fingers delicately over the edge of the bowl, remembering that day. She remembered the sound of it, how it had called to Appa. How the sound had spiked in her husband a hope that pierced a hundred year of empty looking.

She knew how the hope had hurt Aang, how believing that ‘maybe’, only to be disappointed again, had left his heart raw and exposed. He had tried for days afterwards to build his walls ever higher in an attempt to hide his grief, even from her. But she could see through it. And she understood. And her unwavering embrace had said more than any words could have when he finally leaned into her for strength.

When he was ready, Aang admitted his disappointment. But also his joy to have found a descendant of his people. And how much it had meant to him to Chant with the Kushow La’s son. Despite the pain, Aang felt it was a blessing.

Katara was used to her husband’s ability to see Light. And how he accepted the shadows that, for him, so often accompanied it. Even Aang’s fondest memories carried shadows. But something that Katara loved most about Aang was that even though nothing would ever restore what he had lost, no one was more grateful than he was for every shard of Light to be found.

Katara gently folded the fabric back around the bowl and pushed it back towards Aanpa. “No. This belongs to yourpeople. It is a heritage you and Aang share. Aang will be touched that you would consider giving it to him, but I know he would want you to keep it.”

Then, setting aside her apron and stepping out onto the porch, Katara beckoned to Aanpa to follow her. “Come with me. Let’s go and find Aang.”

The pair could hear the chant carried on the pleasant spring breezes long before they reached the end of the upward winding path that led to the sanctuary. As they reached the entrance, the many-paneled doors swung wide open allowed for the sound to travel freely outward. Many voices spoke as one, the words singing out with the great brass bowl -- this one the size of a barrel -- that was rung carefully by an old Acolyte in saffron robes.

Aanpa stared at the group of Acolytes sitting on the temple’s mosaicked floor, their eyes closed tranquilly as the words of worship and unity spoke from their lips. Katara’s eyes found one blue arrowed brow amidst them, his face peaceful as he joined the chant.

The Acolytes knew many chants. But how fitting that today they would be speaking this one. The same chant that Aang had shared with Aanpa’s great-grandfather all those years ago.

While the pair watched and listened, Katara, supporting her heavily pregnant belly with one hand, leaned in towards the young man and asked, “Do you recognize it?”

Katara smiled compassionately as Aanpa turned to her with tears in his eyes. “This is the… it’s the same one my great-grandfather… used to…” Aanpa looked back into the sanctuary. “But I never understood it. I don’t know what it means.”

Katara looked back towards the worshippers, sunshine falling freely upon their brows as their many voices in unison resonated out.

“It’s called the Time Mantra. Let me translate it for you.”

Katara paused as she listened to the words as they rang out vibrantly. “Time is wind. No one can hold it. No one can stop its course,” she translated. “Time, like the wind, blows past, ever flowing, ever moving, stopping for not a soul.”

She paused listening for the next line, “See how it shapes the mountains. See how it moves the seas.”

Katara could see the young man swallow thickly as she continued. “How will I let it move me, what will I let Time bring?”

The last of the chant came to a pulsating stop as Katara’s voice spoke the last line in silence. “Now is the only chance, to rein what Time shapes in me.”

The two stood together, hearing the echo of the chant in the silence. Katara felt the baby kick within her. She watched to catch Aang’s eyes when they opened, a giant smile bursting on his face when he saw her standing there. He looked happy, a fullness of peace in his demeanor.

Katara turned to Aanpa and took his elbow kindly, moving him forward into the sanctuary. “Come, Bhu-la Aanpa. Let’s go in and say hi, shall we?”

…………

The Time Mantra

Time is wind. No one can hold it. No one can stop its course.

Time, like the wind, blows past, ever flowing, ever moving, stopping for not a soul.

See how it shapes the mountains. See how it moves the seas.

How will I let it move me? What will I let Time bring?

Now is the only chance, to rein what Time shapes in me.

………..

Incense

Artifacts

..............

To read this series on AO3:

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27159106">Memories in the Wind</a> (13682 words) by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADCurtis">ADCurtis</a> Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Avatar:%20The%20Last%20Airbender">Avatar: The Last Airbender</a> Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar) Characters: Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Bumi II (Avatar) Additional Tags: Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Air Nomads (Avatar), Air Nomad Genocide (Avatar), Aang (Avatar) Needs a Hug Summary: A sound carried on the winds lead Aang and Katara to hope for something seeming long lost.

#aang love #avatar aang #the last airbender #ALTA #kataang #cloud babies

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neerasrealm · 4 years ago

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The Slender Mansion Cats

Absolutely nobody asked for this post but my brother's cat decided to climb over me at 6 in the morning and keep me awake till I had school, so I had plenty of time to think about Slender and his army of stray cats. So here's some of the notable/recurring ones

Romeo

Slender's first cat. He's the favourite, and Slender dotes on him and treats him like a prince. Slender says he got his first cat back in the 50s, and nobody is quite sure if Romeo is 70+ years old or part of a long line of cats named Romeo. He is a white ragdoll cat and has a polite temperament. Unlike most of the other cats, he only meows when greeting someone or asking for food. (Romeo was made by @dragongirl2 !!)

Tybalt

LJ's cat. Tybalt is a ginger Bengal cat that hates everyone that isn't LJ. This includes other cats. LJ always laughs it off and lets Tybalt just rest on his chest or shoulder. Everyone hates Tybalt. Surprisingly LJ managed to train him to be nice to the birds and rodents he keeps in his room. How he did that is a mystery. (Tybalt was also created by @dragongirl2 )

Captain Pirate

Most often referred to as Sally’s cat, Captain Pirate (or just Captain for short), is a small grey tabby maine coon. He has one eye, which is how he got his name. Slender tried to rehome him, as he often does with strays, but nobody wanted him so the mansion kept him. He’s a very calm and snuggly little thing, and pretty much everyone spoils him. (Captain Pirate got his full name when I was talking with a mutual. I think it was either @acciopanziku or @rottingmolars)

Grinny

Grinny cat is not technically a mansion cat, rather he comes and goes pretty much everywhere. He stays at the mansion for random amounts of time, then disappears randomly for equally random amounts of time. He’s a hellcat, and nobody knows quite how he came into existence. Sometimes he shows up in Zalgo’s realm, sometimes he shows up in Greece or a pet shelter in Canada, and sometimes he even shows up at The Operator’s shack. Doby and Toby like seeing him and often feed and pet him as much as they can. Grinny is the only cat Smile dog doesn’t get along with.

Paintbrush

Paintbrush is a black egyptian mau with a very gentle temperment. She’s Helen’s cat, and likes being around him almost constantly. She enjoys lounging on his bed while he paints. She is very quiet and cuddly, and enjoys pets and the occasional treat. It’s not uncommon to see Helen walking around the house with Paintbrush riding on his shoulders. Helen likes to speak to her in Japanese after a long day, and she often meows back at him like she understands.

Brian, Alex & Jay

A trio of American shorthair cats Tim adopted as kittens. Brian is a chubby ginger cat who enjoys napping on chairs, Tim’s bed, and trying to steal snacks from people’s hands. Alex is a skinny grey cat that likes screaming for food and scratching anyone that answers his cries for affection, including Tim. Jay is also grey and skinny. He likes running away from people and staring at walls. Jay is a very nervous cat and it’s not uncommon to see Tim carrying (or chasing) him around looking tired. He acts like the cats get on his nerves but in reality he loves them all dearly.

Missile Launcher

Jokingly named after her love of leaping off things and at people, missile launcher is a black and white devon rex cat who enjoys running around for no apparent reason. She's constantly charging up and down hallways, leaping off shelves and trying to hitch rides on people's shoulders. Jeff and Ben were responsible for her name, and she refuses to answer to anything else, much to Slender's dismay.

Sweetie

Sweetie is a black and grey lykoi cat. Sweetie was the runt of his litter, but that didn't stop him from being immediately adopted the moment Jeff and Liu found him on the street. Sweetie is a very affectionate cat who likes to play with toys. Particularly things he can swat at with his claws. He also highly enjoys riding on shoulders and being held. Liu has a big soft spot for him and always gives him tons of scratches when he wanders into his room. Jeff and Liu share him. If you haven't seen a lykoi cat before please look it up they're literally my favorite cat breed 🥺

Death, Famine, War & Pestilence

Four siamese cats from the same litter. EJ names them after the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Why? He just thought it would be funny. Surprisingly the cats live up to their names. They are loud and will fight one another if left alone. Death and War are particularly aggressive with one another. Famine likes to screech for food when he just ate and Pestilence- actually pestilence doesn't do much of anything except sleep. The only time the four of them will get along is around EJ, in which case they will just crowd around his feet and meow loudly up at him.

I drafted this post like 3 weeks ago and I'm only getting to post it now smh. I might make a part two to this if I think of more possible cats HFJDHSHE. Just know there's a lot of them around. Like. A lot. Slender has a problem.

#creepypasta #creepypasta hcs #creepypasta hc #slenderman #slender mansion #slender mansion au #laughing jack #eyeless jack #tim wright

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angst-fairygodmother · 4 years ago

Text

Flowers ~ An Idiot (Affectionate) Story

A/N: I wanted to continue Ryne’s backstory, especially since my drabble really just raised more questions (and then y’all said you wanted it). Also, this is like super heavy topics, and I tried to tag them all, but please let me know if I missed any or need to make any tags clearer. Word Count: 1914 Rating: M - self-deprecation; discussion of: past emotional abuse, teacher/student (adult/minor) relationship; cheating; manipulation; canon-typical language

“Hey, can we talk?” Derek asked, leaning against her kitchen counter, folding his arms over his chest casually.

Ryne faltered, nearly dropping the bowl she’d been scrubbing. “About what?”

“...that guy. The one that had you sobbing a few days ago.” He flinched at his own bluntness, guilty but unsure how else to put it.

She sighed, setting down the soapy sponge and turning to him. “Yeah. I mean I guess, if you really want to know.”

“You haven't been you since. I’m worried.”

“What do you mean I haven’t been me?” she frowned, bewildered.

“You’ve been distracted, grumpy, passing up opportunities to insult me even when I leave myself wide open.” He shrugged. “I’ll believe you if you tell me it’s nothing. But I wanna help, if you’re hurting. And I wanna know you, the good and the bad. Please?”

He was asking, but he meant what he said that it was up to her, and she knew that. It was strange, to be that in control, and stranger still, that she wanted to open up.

She closed her eyes, taking a shuddering, steeling breath.

“Lucas was...a teacher, not like a teacher-teacher, just someone my uncle knew who he paid to tutor me or whatever, push me further than school could. He was really set on getting me ready to be that whole Ivy League, MBA, 9 to 5 in a three-piece suit, bust my ass to climb the corporate ladder but never actually make it to the top because I have a vagina but hey it looks good for him because he raised me, bullshit.”

“You and Sean really are related,” Derek mused, shaking his head and earning a glare before motioning for her to continue.

“Anyway. He tutored me, and he listened to me, and pretended to give a shit, and told me that I was brilliant and beautiful and special.” She spat the word like it was poison. “No one had ever bothered before. The first time he kissed me was when I got my SAT scores back. And I thought, it didn’t matter that I was...I guess I hadn’t quite turned seventeen yet, or that he was twice that, because I was stupid, and I thought he actually loved me.”

“Ryne…” Derek murmured as he stared, aghast and furious. He knew what she was saying, but couldn’t wrap his head around it. That someone would, or could do something like that, could take advantage and play someone like that, or that she had ever believed, been made to believe, she was less than incredible.

“Lucas?” she called as she opened the front door and poked her head inside. “He-llooo?”

When she was greeted by total silence in the apartment, she pouted. Sure, she was a little over an hour earlier than she expected to be getting to her boyfriend’s home, but that shouldn’t have been enough time that he wasn’t home. They hadn’t seen each other since the semester started so she had sort of expected him to meet her as soon as she walked in the door, or at least be waiting for her in the living room, but the place was empty.

“I’m just going to grab a quick shower,” she announced to the air, dropping her duffle bag on the couch to deal with later.

As she passed the bedroom, she heard a sound that made her heart drop into her stomach. Slowly pushing the door opened, she tried to prepare herself for what she knew was on the other side.

“Kathryn!” Lucas shouted, scrambling to sit up from where he lay tangled with two women in the sheets.

“I...Lucas...what...why?” she stammered.

“What was I supposed to do Kathryn?” he snapped, glaring. “You weren’t here. I have needs.”

“I was at school for a month...and you didn’t say anything.”

“I shouldn’t need to. If you really cared about me, you’d understand that. You’d have come home on the weekends, or sent me a video. Taken care of me, instead of being so selfish.”

“We should go,” one of the girls said to the other, awkwardly shuffling around with a sheet pulled over her chest to find their clothes.

The other leaned in, kissing Lucas on the cheek before realizing what she was doing. “I’ll...bye.”

Ryne stared with wide eyes at the scene unfolding before her. It was like something out of a bad dream. The first woman to have to have spoken patted her awkwardly on the shoulder as they scooted past.

“I had school. I needed to focus, and I...you cheated on me…?” she said, eyes welling with tears.

“No. Sweetie. It’s not cheating…” Lucas cooed, climbing out of bed and approaching her. “I swear it didn’t mean anything. I love you. I just needed a little relief. You understand don’t you? I’d so much rather it was you.”

He leaned down to kiss her and she turned her head away. Undeterred, his lips sought her neck and she found herself relaxing into his touch like she always did.

“I really thought it was my fault. Somehow I believed that if I had just given him more, it wouldn’t have happened.”

She laughed bitterly. Derek wanted to reach out and hold her, but something in her body language told him not to, not yet. It hurt him not to, but now that the floodgates had opened, he could see she needed to tell all of it, and that his comfort would just be getting in her way.

“I don’t even know how you give someone more than everything?” She looked at him, tears in her eyes and confusion on her face, like she was expecting an answer and he shook his head.

“He begged me to move in with him so we’d have more time together. I convinced myself that whatever I’d done wrong, I could...fix...it. But I couldn’t. And then he was just cheating on me right under my nose, and trying to get me to do things I didn’t want to do. And making me feel like dog shit under his heel was worth more. And somehow, like a moron, I still believed he loved me.” She shook her head in disparagement.

“Hey, don’t do that. Shit. The only one you should be saying anything bad about is this douchebag, not yourself.”

He decided to reach out anyway, taking her face gently between his hands and using his thumbs to brush away the tears running down her cheeks.

“Come ‘ere.”

He drew her in, and she gratefully stepped into the protective bubble he formed just by being there next to her. She leaned against him, breathing deeply and taking comfort in his solid warmth.

“So...you never said what brought you to Boston?” Ryne asked her aunt, tugging the sleeve of her winter coat down further over her wrists and palms.

“I came to see you,” Patty Falco responded flatly. “David told me where to find you. He said you dropped out of Brown?”

Ryne shrugged, staring out over the waterfront instead of meeting her eye. “I couldn’t handle it. I’ll go back…” It sounded unconvincing even to her own ears. “I just need to figure some stuff out first.”

“Stuff like that boyfriend of yours?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice how much older he was than you. Or his over-inflated self-importance. I was worried about you when you didn’t come out for Christmas. You haven’t missed it since you had the stomach flu when you were seven.”

“I know...Lucas didn’t want to go. He wasn’t ready to meet my whole family. We just stayed in and had a quiet holiday. I meant to call but…”

She looked down, fiddling with her fingers. She didn’t want to lie to her aunt. But how could she admit the truth? How could she say that it had been her idea not to fly out to Portland because she’d want to never come back, because she knew as soon as her family met him they’d pick up on the fact that Lucas didn’t make her happy, if anything he did the opposite.

“I’m not blind, Ryne.”

She turned her head sharply to look at Patty now, frowning.

“You’re miserable darling. You look exhausted and pale, and like you forgot what smiling is. You dropped out of school. I can list things til the cows come home, but I don’t need to when we both know it. Does he hit you?”

“Aunt Patty it’s not—”

“Don’t tell me it’s not that bad or not what I think. You know better than to lie to your elders. Answer the question.”

“No,” Ryne blinked back tears. “No. It’s all in my head. I’ve just been trying so hard...I...I just wanted him to love me again. If I change, if I do what he wants...”

“He’ll just keep pushing further. Men like that, people like that, aren’t happy until they’ve chipped away everything you are and reduced you to nothing, because it makes them feel powerful.”

“That’s all I’ve got left already.”

“No. It’s not. You have your family. He’s at work right now right?”

Ryne nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. He should have left about twenty minutes ago.”

“Good.” Patty stood up from the bench, holding a hand out for Ryne. “Let’s go.”

“I moved in with them, got my feet back under me, got a job. Reapplied to school, maxed out my summer classes to get back on track. I thought about giving up on higher education, but it just seemed like that was letting him take it all away, make everything pointless. I moved on, and I was...I was good. But seeing him again...it just...I thought I left that and him and everything behind. I haven’t been back, I barely talk to my uncle,” she sighed deeply, “and somehow that bastard still managed to...show up here, in my life.”

She sniffled and buried her face into his chest. He pressed a kiss to her temple and let her, both of them silent for a while.

“Does Sean know?” Derek asked eventually, hesitantly.

“No. He knows that something happened that fucked me up for a while, but not what. And he can’t. You know he gets all...protective or whatever. Even though there’s only a few months between us and I could probably take him in a fair fight.”

Derek laughed. “You don’t fight fair.”

“Yeah, but Sean does, and would believe me if I said I would too. That’s why I can take him.”

“I know some guys from the neighborhood, and we know where he lives now. If you want me to…”

“Derek, no. I just want to forget about it.”

“We could just go round and scare him a bit?”

“No.”

“Okay. Okay. What do you need then? What can I do?”

She shook her head softly, fondly. “You don’t even know how much you already do, do you?”

He gave her a puzzled look.

“I just need you to keep being you.”

“I don’t understand. But if that’s all you want, I think I can manage it,” he said with a half smile and a chuckle.

She tilted her head to look up at him. “And if I need a little more reassurance for a while...or say, more kisses…?”

He leaned down, not quite touching her. “I can definitely do that one.”

#infidelity tw #emotional abuse tw #Yes that's a deeply relevant Hadestown-reference title #I'm so sorry my baby #applications to fight a bitch may be sent c/o: Derek Sandoval 4855 Northwest Hamilton St Portland #Derek Sandoval x Ryne Cassidy #Idiot (Affectionate)#I am the Angst Fairy Godmother

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clairecrive · 5 years ago

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“Comfort”- Ron Kray x reader [Requested]

the lovely @onl-you sent a while ago the prompt “Stop being a fucking dick” and I’ve also got a few requests about the Krays. So here are the two combined! I’m not 100% happy with this but oh well, hope you like it <3

Tag list: @deaflikehawkeye, @mollybegger-blog, @br0ck-eddie, @of-love-and-of-the-sea, @evelynshelby, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @sopxhiea, @fuseburner, @shadow-of-wonder, @fandom--0verdose (let me know if you wanna be added or removed)

Warning: mainly angst but got fluff at the end.

"Y/n, I'm home. You've no idea what a day I've had." Ron's voice was heard loud and clear throughout the whole house that was usually quiet. Whenever it neared the time where Ron was about to get home, y/n would always get things started for dinner. Ron would probably have to head out again to go to the club while her work tired her out so that she could never wait for him. Dinner was the only time when they could enjoy each other with no rush or time pressure and since they got together they quickly learned to take advantage of that.

"Ron? What are you doing here?" Y/n's voice came from the sitting room where Ron found her. She looked confused, or rather startled. Like she was abruptly snapped out of a daydream. He knew she did that a lot.

"What do you mean, what am are you doing here? You invited me over for dinner, last week." Hanging his coat he looked to see her shaking her head.

"Oh dear, I'm so terribly sorry Ronnie but I'm afraid I completely forgot."

"'s okay," he mumbled taking a seat on his chair. Something was off, Ron could tell, even he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was. "Are you alright?" he asked her lighting a cigar.

"Of course, sweetie. Well, get yourself comfortable while I go and put something together for dinner."She offered and stood up to do exactly what she said. "Would you like a cup of tea, while you wait?" Her voice called for him from the kitchen after a while.

"Sure," he spoke out. However, there was no need because y/n was walking his way with a cup in her hands before he had finished talking.

"Here you go," she softly smiled at him after having sat down the cup on the table in front of him. Ron looked at the cup first, took it in his hands to inspect it and then moved his eyes over her. Y/n was already walking back into the kitchen, completely clueless. If before this Ron wasn't sure what was going on, this had proved that there was definitely something wrong.

"Honey..." he called for her while joining her in the kitchen so he could show her the water-filled cup.

"Yes?"

"There's only water in here," and to back up his statement he lifted the cup under her eyes.

"Oh goodness. I forgot to put the tea in it," her eyes widened at her mistake, her cheeks red with embarrassment, "I'm so so sorry, I've my head in the clouds today." She emptied the cup and put the kettle on to make tea. Before Ron could inquire about her strange behaviour, the phone rang and when she made no inclination to answer it, he did.

"Hello?" Annoyed for the interruption, he growled at whoever had called.

"Ron? Is that you mate?" Hearing his twin's voice made Ron furrow his eyebrows in confusion. He had just dropped him off, what could he possibly want now?

"Of course it is, who else would it be at y/n's home?" but Reggie completely ignored his brother's jealousy.

"What d'you called for?"

"Oh right, I called to check in on y/n. How is she?"

"Since when do you check up on my girl, mate?" If the fact alone that his brother was calling just after he had left him hadn't upset Ron enough when Reggie mentioned y/n, he really got angry.

"Would you stop being a dick, mate? Frances told me the news so I called. Y/n's family." Ron couldn't see him but he knew that Reggie was probably rolling his eyes at him and his behaviour. He couldn't care less though.

"What news?" This new piece of information made Ron push his anger aside for a moment. Apparently, his girl was keeping something from him.

"So she hasn't told you then?"

"No, but I figured that something was up. She's a mess, forgot that I was coming over and stuff," he mentioned to his twin to demonstrate that yes, he wasn't completely clueless.

"Yeah well, it would have upset me too. A lot actually, so be nice to her, alright?"

"I don't need to be reminded of being nice with my girl." Hearing his twin growl Reggie knew that his time had run short so he got straight to the point.

"Just don't be a dick like you usually are. I'll talk to you soon, bye Ron." The line went dead and Ron was stood there, phone in hand, head a mess.

Between the two, Ron was the one who was always quiet, he would only speak if he needed to. Or if he had something to say. Y/n was more chatty, granted she enjoyed her quiet time too otherwise Ron didn't think they'd work well together but she also came always to him whenever something was wrong. The fact that she hadn't and was acting weird, made Ronnie realise that this news had upset her a great deal.

Putting the phone down, Ronnie adjusted his glasses while he went looking for Y/n. Her house wasn't that big so Ronnie didn't think it such a hard task like it was proving to be. Where could she have gone? His call with Reggie had lasted a minute long, at most. Where could she have hidden in such a short amount of time? Calling out her name didn't help either so there was only a place she could be, Ronnie realized as he neared the ladder that led to the attic.

The squeaking of the wood and Ron's groans as he climbed and tried to fit his broad shoulders through the narrow opening were more than enough to alert y/n of his presence. However, as Ron spotted her near the window, she didn't move nor even flinched a little. Straightening his shirt, Ron walked up to her to join her in the sightseeing she was doing. Not that there were much to stare outside of the window but Ron knew from experience that looking at the lined up rooftops in the distance had a somewhat calming effect.

One of the other things that Ron and y/n had in common was that neither of them liked useless words. What was the point of saying things that one knew were ineffective just so that they could fill the silence? There was nothing wrong with being quiet. They both agree on that. And so, words of courtesy were never used between them when the other was feeling low for whatever reason. They simply stood by the other, letting them know that they were there and that whenever they were ready to speak, if they wanted to, they'd be all ears. So that's what Ron did.

Y/n had never told him but she had always found his presence comforting. He had something about him, maybe that stoic composed look he was always sporting did the trick. Y/n didn't really care for pointing out why it was, she just knew that he did and was very grateful for having him in her life. Resting her head on his arms, since she was too short to reach his shoulder, y/n tried to let her gratefulness slip to him. As his hand held her, y/n sighed knowing that she had to talk. Clumming up was a tendency she had, a rather toxic one and she had made a promise to herself to try and avoid it.

"I got bad news," she started quietly and continued when Ron grunted in support, "I... my mum is sick, Ron." y/n felt her throat constrict as she let the words out of her mouth. Feeling Ron's grip on her hand helped a little, but he knew that it was not nearly enough. y/n's relationship with her mother was really similar to the one Ron had with his. So he could perfectly understand what she was feeling and actually thought that she was handling it a lot better than he would.

"What did the doctor say?"

"They said she had cancer," only the word brought tears to her eyes, sniffling she pushed them back, " they don't know how serious it is but I mean it's cancer so it must be pretty serious right?" Now y/n turned to look at him, maybe she was hoping to hear him disagree with her, to assure her that it didn't necessarily mean that it was serious. But Ron couldn't know for sure, who the hell would he know, he was a schizophrenic gangster after all, he knew nothing about these things. What Ron could do though was offer some kind of comfort, a shoulder for her to cry on, gentle caresses and affection.

As everybody in London would say, he wasn't the affectionate type. If there was another thing that Ron loved more than silence was his personal space. However, contrary to popular belief and despite his mental problems, Ron wasn't incapable of love. Maybe the fact that he saw the world in a different way and the fact that he was a lot more sensitive than the average man, was what gives him the intel about love. y/n had never complained about this side of their relationship. Ron had a way to make very clear his emotions and feelings, even without using any words. She never felt dubious about his feelings for her for that very reason but also because whenever she would doubt herself or go through a hard time, Ron would always come through and face it all with her.

Meeting her eyes, Ron gently took her cheeks in his hands. Seeing the look of absolute despair and sadness, watching the tears that she failed to prevent from falling staining her beautiful face, he felt words failing him. What could he say to make her feel better? Absolute nothing, he knew. So he didn't bother. He gave her a soft peck and engulfed her in his arms in one of his rare bear hugs that y/n was always yearning for. The intimacy of this gesture was what made her break, though. Hugging him close to her, y/n couldn't stop herself from crying anymore.

The only thing that Ron whispered to her was that there was still hope, there was still a possibility that it wasn't that bad until the doctors didn't tell them otherwise. Maybe giving her hope wasn't the best thing to do but he felt like he had to remind her of this possibility. The warmth of his body and his gentle hands on her, after a while, succeeded in calming her. Pulling back a little so that he could look at her face, Ron saw that her tears had stopped too. Still with a soft voice, he offered to draw her a nice bath, he was even willing to join her if she wanted him too. His eyes softened when he saw a little smile tugging at her lips and felt incredibly proud of himself for that. Looking at her now, he realized that this is the only thing that he could do to help here: give her comfort.

#ron kray #ronnie kray #ron kray imagine #ron kray one shot #ron kray x reader #ronnie kray x reader #ronnie kray one shot #the krays #mobile legends #ron kray angst #tom hardy #tom hardy imagine #ron kray fic

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theshy1sout · 4 years ago

Text

Inseparable - Chapter 17

Tags: Broppy, Slow Burn Fluff, Trolls Mythology Au, Not rated

Ao3 is here

Notes: I’m not good at... “rating”. This chapter is slighly more mature than previous

____________________________________________

- Branch! Look!

- That's birds.

- They are singing!

- Like always at sunrise.

- No! I mean, yes, but look! They are dancing!

Branch glances at the tree Poppy is pointing at. The scream of those two colorful parrots is hearable enough to find them easily between birk's leaves. Indeed, they do something being able to call "dancing". They are stepping all across the limb, jumping and bouncing up and down, all together in sync, holding each other's beaks. They look like they have great fun. The god of the Night has never seen the critters being so happy.

- Aren't they the cutest birds? - Poppy grabs the Staff tightly with all of her excitement.

- Yeah - The god nods and in the very next moment he feels a hand pulling sharply his arm, forcing him to face pink sparkling cheeks.

- Let's dance! - The goddess squeals purely. She starts moving with a non-existing beat.

Branch can't stop his face from smiling widely at the pure, innocent Poppy's energy. He chuckles slightly, before he prevents this 'party' from getting started.

- Sweetie, there's no music to play...

- The birds are singing! - She beams, not stopping dancing. - That's enough for me.

The god crosses his arms on his chest and raises his eyebrow, giving the goddess a sight of disapproval. But Poppy can't take him seriously if he keeps smiling.

- Come on, kitty - She smirks playfully. - Show me your wild moves!

He shakes his head disapprovingly, smiling even wider.

- This 'song' is not even that lively - He notices at loud. - It's much calmer, my Sunshine.

She stops, raising her eyebrow with a genuine smirk. She takes his comment as a "pet-names" war challenge to a duel. She puts her hand on her hip.

- So what you wanna do, honey-bunny? - The goddess lifts her chin airily, looking down her nose at him.

But he has way different things in his mind. He drops his smile, starting pondering. His eyes shine as always when he is deep into his thoughts. One glance at parrots, one glance at the Staff, one glance at her. Poppy frowns.

- What are you thinking about? - She asks impatiently, jabbing the Staff at the ground with a quiet 'bonk'.

His only answer is shyly stepping a bit closer. Then he looks at the parrot once again.

- They are swinging together - Branch explains slowly, smiling slightly at her eyes filled with curiosity. - They are holding each other's beaks.

- Oh - Poppy beams immediately with brand-new enthusiasm. - So we should hold hands!

And at the very same moment, she grabs his hand with her free one and starts dancing again. But Branch's hand doesn't listen to her, forcing her to slow down along with the god's giggle in the background.

- No, sweetie, calm down - He chuckles. He grabs her other arm carefully, avoiding touching the Staff. His voice is so warm, sweet and smiling. - I told you, it's not that lively. It's calm, it's slow. Listen...

The goddess heaves an impatient sigh but stops and listens. The birds' song is so chaotic, ringing loudly in the whole birk forest with many melodies from many different species of feathered critters. But Branch is right, there is something calming in its sound. Poppy looks down, focusing on listening. The soft tones make her heartbeat quiet, make her stop thinking and jumping. She feels it. She feels its calmness.

- What if... - Branch starts quietly. - ... we are holding hands... - He carefully lays his hand on the top of her little hand clenched tightly on the Staff. - ...and hugging... - With those words he embraces her waist with his other hand and pulls her a bit closer. Her arm lands on his. - ...And dancing. - Their eyes meet. Poppy feels charmed by his wide tender smile and adoring eyes, so close that she can't see anything else but its mesmerising azure. - Dancing by swinging. - Branch continues, leading her to swing gently. His quiet, low voice sounds so warmly and musically as if he already starts humming. - Dancing by swinging... Swinging... Slowly... Unhurriedly... In the music of the sunrise...

The goddess smiles affectionately, still can not take her eyes off his. She lets him lead. He keeps them swinging gently, jamming out to the song he hums softly. Soon he gets his steps a bit faster, starting spinning around the woods. It’s calm, pleasant. A different kind of fun that charms her every time the god reveals this side of him. She can do nothing but gazing at him like enchanted.

- What are you humming? - She asks quietly, with a light shy smile.

- I don't know - Branch admits, shrugging slightly his shoulders. - I'm improvising.

- Could you sing?

The god blinks, surprised.

- Sing what? - He frowns a bit.

- Words - The goddess smiles wider. She moves her hand from his arm to his chest and touches his heart. - From your heart.

Branch smiles awkwardly, glancing away. He hesitates for a while.

- Only if you join me...

- Okay - She nods. - After a minute or two...

The god blows a raspberry, making her chuckle. He bites his lips, looking down, still leading them to swing gently with the forest music. After a calm while of pleasant and sound peace, Branch gets up his head and, taking a deep breath, meeting her eyes, he starts singing with low melody voice, shaking deep voice, he starts singing from his heart, and every word resonates with his feelings:

You're in my arms

And all the world is calm

The music playing on for only two

So close together

And when I'm with you

So close to feeling alive

His warm hand on her back pushes her a bit closer to him, when he starts spinning faster, smiling during singing:

A life goes by

Romantic dreams will stop

So I bid mine goodbye

And never knew

So close was waiting

Waiting here with you

And now, forever, I know

All that I wanted to hold you

So close

Branch spins beamishly with her, smiling so wide. He takes a breath staring deep into her eyes. His heart beats fast from the joy and effort of singing and dancing at once.

- You promised you would join - He tells her off playingly.

- In a moment - She purrs delightedly, raising her chin and looking at him mischievously. - You sing so... lovely.

The god frowns smiling. Poppy flutters her eyelashes at him, smirking. After a deep breath she sings clear, sound, and loud, giving the god of the Night another soft smile:

So close to reaching

That famous happy end

Almost believing

This one's not pretend

Now you're beside me

And look how far we've come

Branch blinks with his eyes open wide, impressed by her performance. She showed the best of her voice, but she hasn't finished yet. She moves even closer to him. Their noses almost touch. Her last words slowly and tenderly come from her lips.

So far

We are

So close...

The god takes a deep long blissful sigh, caressing gently her back. They look into each other's eyes for so long now, but he still has not enough of her look.

- You have such an amazing voice - He whispers dreamily.

- I love your voice, too

They share another sweet smile, slowing down their steps. For a one long moment they are just swinging gently to the great endless birds' song above them. It reminds Poppy of something.

- The birds have no arms - She notices out of nowhere, making Branch giggles. - They can't hold each other.

- So? - He frowns at her, amused.

- Their beaks are more like our noses - She points out. - So, as we tried to pretend their dance in the first place, we should do this.

And without any more warnings, she strokes his nose by hers, closing her eyes. He chuckles heartily, doing the same.

- It's cute - He admits, getting his head a bit back to look at her again. - But I don't think beaks are their noses.

Poppy purses her lips discontentedly.

- So what do you table, wise guy?

Branch chuckles slightly. His smile fades slowly while he's hesitating. He peeks down in silence. But finally, he decides to try. At least Poppy will call him a silly weirdo.

His hand reaches to her chin and lifts it a bit. He gets down and gently presses his mouth against her.

He thought it would be a quick peck. Just a try. And Poppy would laugh, calling him at the worst ‘disgusting’ and he would apologize for a bad joke and they would keep dancing...

But... Her lips... Oh, gods... They are much softer than he expected. So silken, so supple... And touching them with his sensitive mouth is so delightful. Branch feels a heat wave and that is his whole world for a moment.

He moves away unwillingly. He wants to come back, back to her lips, tasting them more and more till it's the only feeling he knows... But he stops himself. He doesn't want to force anything on Poppy. He still doesn't know what she thinks about it...

He raises his sight. The goddess's eyes, half-opened with bliss, are looking down, looking down he knows where, he feels where, and now he knows she likes it, and now he can't stop himself from looking down...

Their lips meet again. The sweetest meeting they've experienced. The sweet taste of soft, warm, sensitive mouth. Their lips start dancing, slow-dancing, moving tenderly, unhurriedly, passionately, slowly, so slowly, tasting every second...

They've never been that close. Branch's hand strokes along Poppy's spine, reaching her head, her silken hair, sinking deep into them, caressing her delicate head skin. And his other hand lands on her back, pulls her closer, closer, closer, until her chest is pressed tightly to his, until he feels her heartbeat as his. And Poppy's little warm hands, oh her loving touch on his shoulders, fondles his neck, waking up chill on his back and flames in his stomach, making his mind dizzy. And her other arm embraces his head, dug deep into his hair, clinched into them, stroking him affectionately. Oh, so much touch, so much closeness, so much passion, so much warmth. He even doesn't notice he is lifting her and she's on her toes, standing on his feet, climbing to his face...

He puts her down, he pushes her away, but only to look at the delight on her face, the bliss on her lips, the mess of her hair, the relishable rapture sparkling in her eyes. His heart is rushing, his body is burning, his mind is spinning. And Poppy, with her half-opened mouth, half-opened eyelids, red cheeks, her hair everywhere... She's never looked so appealingly gorgeous.

Branch wants to taste her more, but he feels like he starts losing control. He’s panting, he’s boiling, but he slows it down, cams it down, gets slower, takes the control back. He blinks, viewing her pink face, watching every detail. Oh, he loves that woman so much. And she is endlessly beautiful. Everything in her is so beautiful. His mouth slowly touches her beautiful strawberry nose, so round and smooth. He gets a bit up, to her forehead, and presses his lips there, with all of the adoration he has for her clever, bright mind. He hears her deep, shaking sigh. He comes to her soft, rosy cheek, sparkling with hundred tiny freckles. They amaze him so many times. He presses tenderly his mouth on it, then a second time and third, to taste all of her freckles. Poppy gets weak and soft in his arms, almost as if only his embrace keeps her standing. Branch whispers lovingly her name like a magic charm, like a sweet song, but she doesn’t answer. She just opens her eyes and shows him her deep pink eyes, the reflection of her elated soul. The god grabs the strands of her hair and puts it behind her ear, caressing it affectionately. His fingers slide down from the top of her ear, through the jawline, to her lips. He touches them, caresses, explores from one corner to the other, gazing at them adoringly. Finally, he leans closer and touches them with his lips again, exploding inwardly with the bliss.

- I love you endlessly - He whispers to her mouth, and her only answer is a long shaking sigh.

Poppy cuddles tighter to him, hiding her face into his neck. She nestles there, whispering soft "I love you so much...". He strokes her hair with his eyes closed, smiling gently. They've never been so close before. It is almost like a brand new side of happiness. The brand new flavor of love. His chest is calmly burning, his heart is rushing happily. He has to say he is so tired of it, so full, filled with that feeling like a vase, but also he is so flushed with pleasure.

There is nothing like Poppy in the entire universe.

But then, suddenly, the goddess grabs his shirt and hair much tighter, almost painfully. She freezes in his arms, her breath almost stops. Branch frowns slowly, waiting for her to say something.

- Poppy? - He asks shyly, nestling his nose into her hair. He hears her gulping quietly, but she still doesn't answer. The Silence is unbearably deep.

And it is the moment he realizes something around is wrong. He looks at two of his hands on Poppy. He feels two of her hands on him. Two. The sky is blank. The forest is so quiet. Oh my goodness...

- Branch... - She groans weakly. He already knows what she's going to say, but he doesn't interrupt her. He squeezes her slightly tighter when she speaks it out loud. - The Staff... I dropped It.

The Silence around is so unbearable.

What to say. What to do. He is too scared to let her go. They are doomed. They are doomed, oh, they are so doomed...

Poppy carefully pushes him away. She shows him her frightened eyes. She also is too scared to look for the Staff. What if it's broken... It is for sure broken. There is no way it isn't broken.

- Maybe it isn't broken - Branch tells her, hopelessly.

It is not far. In the grass. It is not far at all. The long wide crack is so visible. The Gold Sphere doesn't shine. Poppy touches It, but It doesn't react. She lifts It slowly. She gazes at It with tears in her eyes.

The loud rumble booms out. The sudden rain makes them both wet. The goddess of the Day and the god of the Night stare speechlessly at the long, grey limb with the dull ball on the top in little pink hands.

Birds are not singing anymore...

____________________

Index

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saharamae21 · 5 years ago

Text

Never Ran Smooth (Part 13)

Hey guys! Here is part 13! Hope you all enjoy it. I’m basically nocturnal now dur to writing... Part two for Hold Me While We Wait is also up! Please send in some more requests!

____________________________________________________

Moon take thy flight

The next morning came quickly and for a second it felt like we were all old friends. We agreed not to give the boys the satisfaction when they drove the boat up and rescued us. I smiled at Kie as she explained that we were all willing to work together. Sarah and I exchanged smirks and we all climbed onto the boat. JJ instantly pulled me into his arms, causing the boat to shift a little.

"Someone's affectionate today," I teased, poking a finger into his side. "Did you miss me?"

"No, of course not," JJ said, his cheeks the color of peach blossoms.

"C'mon," Pope rolled his eyes at us. "All we heard all night was, I hope Sav is doing alright."

"Oh, maybe I shouldn't have left Savannah out there. What if she's emotional distressed?" John B chirped in his best JJ impersonation. "God, when did this even officially happen?

JJ wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. Suddenly I was the one blushing with embarrassment. I glanced over at the side profile of his chiselled face. He took this as an opportunity to be cheeky and steal a quick kiss. I listened to Kie dry heavy dramatically next to me. If you told me a few weeks ago I would here right now, I wouldn't believe you. I wouldn't trade this for the world though.

The day passed and everything was perfect. The sun had set and we now stood in front of the Crain house. My heart was about to beat out of my chest when the motion sensor lights went off.

"We could, uh... move really slowly, maybe?" JJ asked and everyone groaned.

"Hey, sweetie? That's not how it works," I said with a small chuckle. He stared at me blankly as if he was trying to figure it out. I smiled at him and began to focus on the others again.

"What about the breaker? In the circuit box on the porch," Sarah said. "We used to play hide-and-seek here as kids. And if we were brave enough, we'd go all the way up to the porch. I've seen it."

"No, no. You're not going in the house alone," John protested quickly.

"I'll go with you," Kie said. I opened my mouth to offer to go with them, but Kie beat me to it. "Make sure the guys don't do anything stupid, okay?" I nodded and went with the boys into the cellar. It was even creepier at night. I was overwhelmed with fear as JJ and Pope set up the rope. I helped John B secure the end around him like a tether and then got into position. We gave John a moment to collect himself. JJ pulled me into his arms and stopped my shaking.

"Are you okay? Do you want to wait outside?" he asked me. I shook my head as he held me firmly against him. He placed a kiss on the top of my head, easing my nerves a little bit. "None of us will be upset if you're scared." "I'm okay," I said. His concerned filled me with happiness and joy, even while in this nightmarish situation. We took our positions and lowered John B into the well. My anxiety began to spike as he got lower and lower. What are we doing? This is so dangerous.

"Wait, hold on one second. I'm gonna get situated," JJ said. Pope and I tightened our grip on the rope and tried to stand firmly as JJ shifted ever so slightly. Something caused him to lose his balance and let go of the rope. Panic over took me and as I the rope began to fly and John began to plummet. My eyes teared up as the rope burned my skin. I then tighten my grip and was yanked forward harshly, slamming into the ground hard. I felt my shoulder arch in pain as JJ finally regained control. John B's screams rang out from the well as he was yanked to a stop. I got back on my feet as the boys reassured John that it was just technical difficulties. I couldn't grab the rope again though. My hands were raw from the rope burn and and my shoulder was killing me. I sniffled a little bit, trying to ignore the pain. I didn't want to make JJ feel bad either.

"Are you okay, princess?" JJ asked, noticing I wasn't helping anymore.

"Y-yeah. My hand's just hurt," I turned to face him and began to inspect his side that he fell on.

"I'm fine," he said and continued to feed the rope. "Take it easy okay? We can handle this."

I nodded and watched as they carefully lowered him to the bottom. I felt this small burst of confidence in the pit of my stomach as I walked around the creepy basement. I head movement upstairs and began to worry. I walked up to the stairs and contemplated going up until I heard shouting. John B was losing it down below us. He was screaming for us to pull him up. I ran back to the boys and began pulling as quickly as I could, ignoring all the pain I felt in my hands. I head footsteps racing down the steps and then the girls were with us.

"Mrs. Crain! She's up there! She tried to kill us with a fire poker," Kie yelled frantically. "We gotta go!"

Pope called down to John who was also yelling something none of us could understand. We knew we had to pull him up now. All five of us grabbed onto the rope and pulled.Then the rope came loose. John B was no longer on the other end. We all tumbled down and panicked. John quickly reattached himself and we took our positions once more. We had just began to start pulling when a gunshot echoed through the basement. I screamed in pure terror and hid behind some boxes. I peered around to try and spot JJ, who was securing the rope. He slide down next to me and enclosed me in his arms. I listened to Sarah mumble that she was blind and then JJ's voice whispered in my ear.

"After the next shot, you need to run," he said. I shook my head, terrified. As soon as the next shot went off he shoved me hard and I took off running. I followed the two girls out and we all ran for our lives. When we were a safe distance away, I turned around to see JJ and Pope not far behind us. Together, we climbed in the van and turned it on. JJ got in the driver seat and we took off. John B jumped into the moving vehicle, covered completely in mud. Everyone was freaking out and then in John B's hand was something we never thought we would see, a gold bar.

The rest of the night was celebrations and cheering. We got back to the chateau and I plopped down on the pullout couch, exhausted. As soon as my shoulder hit the bed, I winced in pain. The adrenaline was finally wearing off and pain arched through my side. I tried to lean back and fight through it, but nothing worked.

"Did you get hurt?" JJ asked, plopping down next to me. I nodded and rubbed my shoulder. He caught a glimpse of my hands and pulled them up to his face to get a better look. "Holy shit, Sav. Your hands are completely raw."

"I didn't have a firm hold on the rope when you slipped and it burned my hand. I'm okay," I said and cuddled into him, nuzzling my face into the crook of his neck. "I'm really fine. Don't worry."

"When I'm rich, I'm going to take care of you so well," he mumbled, placing a kiss on my head. I felt his arms tighten around me as we began to think about our future together. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about a future with JJ. I thought about it all the time and it filled me with merriment to know that he thought of it too. "We can get a nice house on the Figure Eight. Ignore all the kooks and just live our life the way we want too."

"That sounds nice," I muttered, starting to feel the exhaustion overtake me. As I slowly drifted off I heard him say one last thing.

“Savannah and JJ against the world, always.”

______________________________________________________

Tag List : @jjmaybangme @thebendslikebendover @justcallmesamsv @jellyfishbeansontoast

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delectablycoolscientist · 5 years ago

Text

False Vyper’s amazing texting storyline, the pool part

The False Vyper has this incredible LadyNoir texting comic on her IG and the most recent one was so adorable and emotional, I had to write the scene in my head out.

The Pool

“Girl, are you ok?”

Marinette was brought out of her reverie by Alya unceremoniously dropping onto the bench beside to her.

“I- I’m fine! I’m great! Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

“Uh, because Adrien frickin’ Agreste asked you to hand him a towel while dressed in nothing but the swim trunks from the latest Gabriel line and you just handed it to him without even looking up?”

She did?

Marinette glanced around, spotting the man in question climbing up on the diving board, and yeah, she could see Alya’s point. Adrien was hot to the point of spontaneous combustion, and Marinette hadn’t even noticed.

She turned back to her best friend.

“I’ve just… had a lot on my mind.”

Alya softened.

“I know, babe. I’ve seen it in your face for weeks. I wish you would talk to me about whatever’s going on with you.”

Marinette fought back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes.

“Hey! Hey girl, none of that! I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

Alya wrapped her arms around her, and Marinette took a deep steadying breath, feeling secure in her best friend’s embrace.

“Thanks, Alya,” she whispered. “I promise, if there were something you could do, I would tell you about it, but…”

“Ok, sweetie. I trust you. But you tell me if I can help. You know I just want you to be happy.”

“Thanks,” she said again, sitting back up and wiping her eyes. “I really appreciate it.”

“You gonna be ok?”

“Yeah. Thanks. I’m just… I’m gonna… I don’t know. But thanks.”

“Want me to stay?”

“No, go have fun with Nino. I’ll get myself together and come in a few minutes.”

“Don’t be too long or I’m coming back for you.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll be there soon.”

As Alya took off for the pool, Marinette sighed. Here she was on this long-awaited day out with her friends, and all she could do was moon about in the corner. Wrestling with her feelings versus her responsibilities was getting seriously old.

“Alya just wants me to be happy. I just want to be happy. Why can’t I just be happy?”

“Oh Marinette,” Tikki’s sweet voice piped up from her backpack on the table. “You can be happy, if you choose it.”

“But what about all the dangers?! None of that has gone away!”

“And they won’t. But you really can’t keep running yourself around like this, Marinette. It’s not fair to yourself, or to Chat.”

“I just… I want to be happy!”

Marinette sat up, squaring her shoulders. She took several calming breaths, trying to shut out the people around her.

She reached past Tikki for her phone, turned her back on the friends that were still at the water, and pulled up the messaging app with trembling fingers.

“Ok. Here goes nothing.”

- LB: Okay, I have an answer

She pushed send before she could change her mind again, and dropped her phone to her lap, willing her heart to calm down. He probably wouldn’t see the text right away anyway; it was a beautiful day, he was almost certain to be busy.

She jumped a mile and fumbled her phone when it buzzed in her hands.

- Silly Kitty: Ok wow, okay, we’re doing this now

- Silly Kitty: Okokok I can do this

Oh God he was freaking out. I mean, she was freaking out too, but she hadn’t meant to cause a spiral in HIM.

Before she could reply, he’d texted again.

- Silly Kitty: Is this like, going to be a really bad answer and that’s why you’re texting me instead of waiting for the next time we see each other?

She wrote back quickly, trying to put him at ease. But she supposed he did deserve an explanation as to why she was doing this over text.

- LB: I’m texting you because I can’t stop thinking about it

(And it’s affecting my every-day life, she didn’t say)

- Silly Kitty: Oh… What we talked about yesterday or… the kiss?

Marinette’s face flushed in a way that had nothing to do with the sun.

- LB: …both

- Silly Kitty: Oh

She put her phone down and took another deep breath. Ok, she could do this.

~~~

Adrien watched Alya walk away from Marinette with some concern. If Alya hadn’t been able to get Marinette to join them, something must be really wrong. She probably wouldn’t want to talk to him about it if she wasn’t talking to Alya, but he could still be supportive. He hauled himself out of the pool and made his way towards their group’s table, intent on just giving her a friendly greeting, to make sure she felt included, but as he approached, he heard his phone buzz in his bag.

Sighing, he pulled his gaze from the swoop of Marinette’s ponytail. Hoping desperately that it wasn’t Natalie about to tell him his father had scheduled a last-minute shoot that would ruin his day, he dried his hands with his towel and pulled out the device.

His whole demeanor immediately brightened seeing the app in his notifications, but then sunk as anxiety pooled in his gut, recalling the precarious state of their relationship. He sat down before opening it.

- My Lady: Okay, I have an answer

Oh God. It was happening. His life as he knew it was about to end right here at the pool. He tried to answer, but couldn’t stop himself from rambling into his keyboard.

Bless her, she tried to calm him down. But…

- My Lady: I can’t stop thinking about it

- My Lady: … both

Oh. That was the only thing he could come up with. Oh. Really eloquent, Adrien. But what did this MEAN? He stared at his phone desperately, willing it to chime again. After a moment, her three little dots popped up on the bottom of the screen.

- My Lady: I actually… I’ve realized that I’ve been thinking about us a lot recently… even before I kissed you

The dots came back. Adrien sucked in a breath through his teeth.

- My Lady: And I’ve already told you why this is such a bad idea and all the risks we’re taking if we do this but…

His heart went on a rollercoaster ride down to his stomach as he read the first part of the sentence, then swooped back up and lodged in his throat on that little ‘but…’ at the end. He gripped his phone so hard that it hurt.

- My Lady: I really like you, Chat. I want to see if us being in a relationship will actually work

Adrien choked as the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding forced its way past the obstruction in his throat. He tried to swallow it back, with limited success, as his emotions bubbled up from his stomach.

There it was. The words he’d waiting years to hear. Read. Whatever. It somehow didn’t seem possible.

- CN: Wait really?? Are you being serious right now? Are you sure?

- CN: This isn’t a joke is it? I’ll actually cry

- My Lady: Lol no, this isn’t a joke

Of course it wasn’t. Ladybug wasn’t cruel like that. She was kindness and softness and LOVE and she wanted to be with HIM. He blinked rapidly as tears pricked the corners of his eyes, chuffing a watery laugh.

- CN: Ok never mind, I’m still crying

- My Lady: Pffft you’re such a dork

Of course, she thought he was joking about crying. She didn’t seem to realize how much this meant to him. He would have to show her. Yes, he was a dork, but he didn’t give a damn how stupid he looked because LADYBUG wanted to give a RELATIONSHIP with HIM a chance! Adrien clapped a hand to his mouth to keep from actually crying out loud as he continued to stare at the beautiful words on his screen.

“I really like you, Chat. I want to see if us being in a relationship will actually work.”

The tears were coming back.

“Dude, are you OKAY?”

Adrien looked up to see Nino giving him a bemused, vaguely concerned look. He hastily turned his phone over.

“Yeah! Yeah I’m fine!”

“Are you CRYING?”

Adrien gave him a watery smile.

“I just got some REALLY good news, and I’m a little emotional about it.”

“Aww, bro! That’s awesome! What is it?”

Nino dropped onto the bench and put his arm around Adrien’s shoulder in a side hug. Adrien bumped his shoulder affectionately.

“I can’t say yet. I promise, as soon as I can, you’ll be the first to know.” Adrien wiped the moisture from his eyes.

“I’d better be. If it’s got you going like that, it must be really special.”

Adrien smiled, letting his gaze go distant over the pool, wondering where his Lady was right now, and if she was as happy as he was.

“It is,” he whispered.

She is, he thought.

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theinnsmouthgirl · 4 years ago

Text

Errands with Auntie Grande

It had been a while since Grande had gotten to see Gilda, but she was more than happy for the company while she did the shopping for the manor. Plus, Gilda’s mother was worried about her, so Grande was trying to see if she couldn’t set Gilda’s mind at ease. Grande had asked that Gilda pick her up at the manor so that she didn’t have to borrow one of Larxene’s cars and it could be just the two of them. Passing through the gates of the manor in her mother’s car and pulling up to the service door was by far the closest that Gilda had gotten to the strange manor. Before Gilda could get to any snooping, Grande came out of the door and let out a jolly laugh and she skipped over to Gilda.

“You’ve gotten so big since I’ve last seen you, Gilda. I haven’t seen you since you were a teenager.” Grande chimed cheerfully, giving Gilda an affectionate embrace, pulling the detective into her cleavage.

Gilda couldn’t help but blush from the feeling of her soft, full titties against her face, her arousal somewhat confused by seeing Grande as an aunt figure, but eventually Grande let her go.

“It’s great to see you too, Aunt Grande.” Gilda replied, shyly adjusting her hair and hat from the platonic motorboating. “Anyway, should we head out? You need to hit the farmer’s market, right?”

Grande nodded and climbed into the passenger’s seat while Gilda held the door for her, lifting up the hem of her casual dress. “Hehe, for what good it’ll do me. Mistress Larxene is so picky about her meals. And by that I mean she only eats sweets!” She joked as Gilda started the car and drove away from the manor that intrigued her so. Still, Grande was talking about the mysterious mistress of the estate, so maybe she could still learn something. Gilda tried to learn things about Miss Larxene Sauvageon, though Grande was able to turn the conversation when Gilds pressed too much. Playing twenty questions caused Gilda to lose focus on driving and get lost a few times (something that was surprisingly easy to do in Innsmouth) but eventually they arrived at the market.

Grande was busy getting the groceries for the manor, while also getting healthy ingredients for Gilda since she seemed to have some unhealthy eating habits herself. All manner of fruits and vegetables, as well as the sugar, eggs, and flour needed to feed Larxene’s sweet tooth. It was kind of a lot, and Gilda had to help her carry it all back to the car, but after nearly three hours, all of the bags were in the car.

With an exhausted huff, Grande and Gilda climbed back into the car, but before Gilda could start it, Grande spoke up. “Gilda sweetie, hold on for just a minute. We can rest a bit before heading back to the manor. You’re so tense dear! You need to learn to relax a little bit. Here, look at me for a moment.” As Gilda turned her head to look at Grande, the older woman locked eyes with her and gently smiled, staring into Gilda’s eyes unblinking for what felt like a long time. Strangely, Gilda wouldn’t be weirded out by this and actually felt some of the tension fall away from her shoulders as she stared back, everything but Grande’s beautiful grey eyes falling away. She would know that Grande said something, either unintelligible or her addled mind just didn’t process it, but it did the trick, making her absolutely relaxed.

From Grande’s point of view, now that she had Gilda hypnotized, she giggled and turned in her seat to try and get comfortable. “Good, good. Nice and relaxed. Now Gilda, you are feeling very horny right now.” She cooed, and Gilda’s body seemed to respond to the suggestion, her pussy beginning to twitch with desire and nipples stiffening underneath her clothes. “Are you feeling your pussy ache with need? Growing wet? You really need to show yourself some more love, dearest. Masturbating is a great way to relieve this stress of yours.” She cooed further, still maintaining eye contact as she planted ideas in the hypnotized girl’s head. “Now, I’m going to count to three, and once I get to three, just forget I’m here and take care of yourself, dear. I won’t even be here, and you’ll be in your room where you can masturbate freely. Then when you hear me snap my fingers, you’ll be back here in the car, okay. Ready? One, two, three~”

Just as Grande said, once she counted to three, Gilda recognized that she was in her room, seated at her desk, still thoroughly relaxed, but extremely horny. She needed to take care of that right now, so she began unbuttoning her shirt and pants, one hand groping herself while the other slipped into her panties and started teasing her pussy, which was already embarrassingly wet. It wasn’t long before Gilda mewled as she slipped two fingers into her aching sex, the wet sucking sound echoing through the room.

Still in the passenger seat of the car, Grande watched with a smile as the hypnotized Gilda fervently masturbated in the semi-public venue of the car, the girl not giving a care about the possible onlookers in her state. It was a slow day at the market, so thankfully few people were around and hardly anybody noticed Gilda’s open shirt and euphoric expression. Grande eventually recognized that she herself was getting wet from the lewd display of young virility, so while Gilda aggressively fingered herself, Grande went ahead and slipped a hand up her own dress to begin lightly toying with herself through her panties, using Gilda as a motivator.

Gilda, being sensitive and holding nothing back in the fantasy of being safe in her room, had her first orgasm quickly, but Grande hadn’t snapped her out of the fantasy yet, so even as she climaxed, she was uncontrollably horny and kept fingering herself just as hard. It wasn’t until she forced herself into a second orgasm, thrashing and wantonly mewling, that she heard the sound of fingers snapping and stopped masturbating as she realized that she was in the car with Grande.

Grande took a moment for both of them to calm down, Gilda still under hypnosis for now. Grande took the time to suck the glistening fluid of her own orgasm from her fingers while she watched Gilda twitch and pant as the hypnotized girl came down from her consecutive orgasms. “Gilda dear, we are in public. Go ahead and fix your clothing please.” Grande said with a snap of her fingers, Gilda responding by buttoning her shirt and pants. “Alright. Now, I’m going to snap my fingers one more time, and when I do, you will forget all of this and wake up.” She instructed, using the hypnosis to cover her tracks. Using hypnosis to make her forget wasn’t a sure thing; Gilda would sometimes get a dream or brief flash if something reminded her of it, but only for a few weeks and it was better than her openly remembering. With a snap of Grande’s fingers, Gilda woke up, sore but relaxed all of a sudden. “Oh dear, you must have exhausted yourself after carrying all of those heavy groceries for me. Sweet thing. Here, why don’t I drive back to the manor while you rest and get ready to help me carry them into the kitchen.” She offered, helping Gilda into the passenger seat before climbing into the driver’s seat.

Despite Gilda’s desire to see the inside of the manor, she didn’t actually get a chance to get inside. Once Grande pulled up to the service entrance, she hypnotized the girl again and had her masturbate more while the other maids helped Grande unload the groceries. The lie Grande told her was that she fell asleep and that she didn’t want to wake her. So, Gilda was sent home, exhausted from her fifth forgotten orgasm of the day and a kiss on the forehead, having no more clues about the mysterious Larxene.

Written by the ever lovely @nobodyofsparks

Involves a maid from the @sauvageonmaids

#nobodyofsparks #theinnsmouthgirl #submission #the mun may have enjoyed this as much as Gilda did #sauvageonmaids

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ngame989 · 5 years ago

Text

“Soul” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 9

Writing: @ngame989

Art: @toxicpsychox

Editing: @ubercelloczar, @toxicpsychox, @seddm

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: It's that time of the year for another Soulrise, and Tom throws Marco the birthday bash of a lifetime to celebrate, but Marco realizes that underneath all the joy and celebration Tom has a storm of emotions brewing inside. When Star gets dragged into some mysterious mission on the surface, it's up to Marco to realize just what's been bothering his demon friend.

Comic Page

Masterpost

And we're back with another chapter! Things are ramping up a bit, and we have plans for probably the next dozen chapters in the works already with a few special events in the mix. Thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more. Hope you enjoy!

“A little to the left.” Tom hovered above the door and moved a massive cloud of dark blue balloons slightly over in the wrong direction, glancing up at her to check. “My left, honey.” He nodded and shifted them back. A little more, a little more, and… “There. Nice work, Tommypoo,” Wrathmelior affectionately growled in her native tongue while reaching down to rustle her smiling son’s hair. When Tom suggested throwing a party for a friend she hadn’t met yet, the same boy who had been the subject of quite a few mother-son heart-to-hearts in years past, some old concerns had bubbled up in the back of her mind. But she couldn’t bear saying no for long, and it wasn’t long until she was more than happy to volunteer the Lucitor lake house for the occasion.

Tom’s enigmatic friend Janna popped her head out the front door with a sly grin that would put many of the devils Wrathmelior personally knew to shame. “Yo Tommypoo, can I get a hand at the snack table?”

All three of his eyes popped open and cast intense glares back and forth between Janna and Wrathmelior. “You even taught her that?” he groaned incredulously at the latter.

Wrathmelior smiled apologetically. “Sorry, sweetie. She’s quite persuasive.” Janna had been spending enough time in the Underworld that Wrathmelior had given her a few crash courses in conversational demonic, enough to get by on her own when she tagged along with whatever Tom was doing in the kingdom. Though she was still difficult to figure out, they got along swimmingly. So many humans seemed either too scared or concerningly excited about the lava, wings, and horns they might encounter down below, and Janna’s cool enthusiasm was refreshingly welcome.

“Guilty as charged.” Janna pointed finger guns at Tom as he walked through the door and they disappeared into the house.

Wrathmelior went into the more appropriately sized entrance into the kitchen, where by the time she arrived Tom and Janna were putting out plates and napkins. Her husband was there as well and had apparently been receiving a cooking lesson from Star for some time now, judging by the lecture she was giving him. “-can’t do this too early or the chips will get totally mushy and gross. Crunchy chips, molten cheese, crisp pico - all required elements for any Marco-approved nachos.” Star instructed before bending down to grab a tray full of chips out of the oven, setting it down on the counter next to the other supplies. “If you pour juuuuuust right, the cheese will get all in between the chips so you get a little with every bite.” Dave solemnly followed her work as the jumbo bowl was filled with a quantity of triangle chips, yellow goop, and vegetables that gave even the full-sized demon pause. “Voilà! Star’s Super Spectacular Nachos!” Everyone grabbed a sample chip, and just as she said, a little bit of everything seemed to work its way through the dish.

“Mmmmph,” Dave grunted. “These are good. Star, can you teach the castle staff how to make this marvelous thing?”

“Honestly, I’m not that good at it, Marco and I have just been cooking a ton lately. Campus food is both really expensive and really crummy.” Star stuck her tongue out in disgust. While the others, Wrathmelior included, tried and failed to stop eating, Star wandered through the living room and looked around at all the decorations and party games that had been set up, her grin only growing wider as she did.

Tom leaned against the stairs with his hands in the pockets of his teal shorts, smirked as he coolly observed the room. “We are preeeeetty good party planners, aren’t we?”

“Aww yeah we are!” Star skipped over and bumped shoulders with Tom. “But honestly this was mostly you. Marco’s gonna love it.”

“You think?” Tom’s cocky demeanor fell away to the earnestness underneath. “Ah, it was nothing. I mean, sure, we’ve got a private beachfront property, the most state of the art ping-pong tables in the world, a live Love Sentence cover band… I mean, who wouldn’t do this for their friend’s 17th birthday?”

Janna slurped the stretchy cheese off her last chip before chiming in from the kitchen. “You’ve been spending, like, every waking moment on it, dude. Feels like we haven’t even hung out in weeks, buuuut it is pretty cool. Remind me to call you when I’m in the mood to throw a grave rave.” He flashed a casual toothy smirk, but there was an extra glint in his eyes that caught Wrathmelior’s attention. Janna sauntered into the living room to join the others. “So what’s the special occasion, Tom?”

Whatever that look had meant, it was quickly replaced with sheer confusion. “Uh, Marco’s birthday? Did you get bit by a Hippocampotamus or something? Those things are nasty.”

The Earth girl rolled her eyes. “I mean why all the fuss? This is basically the one human teenage birthday that isn’t extra special.”

“Whatever. Just wanted to throw an ultra awesome party for one of my best friends because he’s a super cool guy.” He quickly averted his gaze, eyes drifting around the room until they stopped on the elegant family grandfather clock. “Probably about that time, ready for me to send you back?” he asked, glancing sideways at Star.

“Oooooone sec.” Star ruffled her hands through her hair, brushed sand out of her light blue blouse, and stuffed her sunhat and sunglasses into her purse. “Sand would blow my cover.” Pillars of fire erupted in the wide open area of the living room as Tom’s eyes glowed, and the familiar carriage he’d built himself once upon a time quickly spawned from the ground. “See you in a few!” Star climbed into the seat; one sizzling rush of air later and she was gone. The irony of Star using the vehicle Tom had delicately crafted once upon a time in the service of wooing her to pick up her human boyfriend wasn’t lost on Wrathmelior, but there was no point to harboring any negativity if Tom was happy with it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Wrathmelior saw a smug Janna sneaking up behind Tom. He lightly shrieked when she slapped him on the back. “Good job, Lucitor. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go set up the traditional Diaz prank. I’m pulling out all the stops this year.” When she opened her jacket, his eyes widened at the various weapons, gadgets, skulls, and animals hiding within. One of them stuck its furry head out. “I became the alpha possum just a few weeks ago. Scooter here can smell red hoodies through walls, isn’t that right?” She scratched the creature’s head before closing the olive jacket back up. “So, you want in?”

“Nah,” he scoffed, waving his hands dismissively. “You go ahead, do your thing. Wouldn’t want to get in the way of the master.”

“You flatter me. Suit yourself, see ya,” Janna shrugged and slinked off elsewhere in the cabin, leaving just the Lucitor family behind. Tom milled about the cabin making minute adjustments to the decorations and furniture, seemingly to kill time more than anything. What had him so worked up? There was no time for Wrathmelior to ponder this question, though, as a loud swoosh from the outside signalled the arrival of the carriage before she could even collect her thoughts.

Tom perked up and bolted out the door while Wrathmelior took the larger exit out the side. Just as the carriage doors opened, Tom snapped his fingers and summoned a black cloth, blinding the boy within whom she presumed to be Marco. “What the heck, man?” Marco curiously started the famous sword-hand dance, but Tom floated over and past him to peek into the chassis.

“Wait, where’s Star?”

“Moon needed her for a little bit, she said she’d be ready pretty soon but said I should go ahead. Can you get this thing off me?”

“Right, right, sorry,” he stuttered while fumbling with the knot until it came undone. “Anyway, welcome to the Lucitor family lake house!”

“Surprise!” The Lucitors spoke in unison, although Wrathmelior knew she wouldn’t be understood. “Happy birthday!”

His eyes widened in wonder at the massive quantity of balloons and the big sign that greeted him. “Wooooah, you guys, you didn’t have to!”

Tom put his arm around Marco’s shoulder and began walking him towards the door. “Don’t worry about it. Oh, Marco, meet my mom and dad, Queen and King Lucitor of the Underworld.”

“My pleasure, young man,” Dave warmly stated as he stepped forward to shake Marco’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Wrathmelior growled out with Dave translating.

Marco waved up at her, possessing the same unflinching assuredness that she’d noticed in Janna. “Tom’s told me a lot about you, thanks for having me. Just one question. Is there-”

“Ping-pong?” They said in unison, both their faces breaking into wide smiles before they’d even finished the word.

“If the brand-new Dropshot 720 DX model with real-time trajectory tracking and RGB paddles counts, sure.”

Marco excitedly grabbed Tom by the shoulders, shaking him back and forth. “With optional holographic crowd simulator?”

“Duh. Marco, please, I’m not an amateur.”

“What are we waiting for? The ping ain’t gonna pong itself.”

“We’ve got snacks and music and all sorts of other things, too. Ha, now I feel kinda silly, putting all this together and being the only one here when you show up. I totally understand if you want to go with Star instead, I’d never try to get in the way of, you know, the whole thing you two have.”

The human boy crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in response. “Tom, you’re one of my best friends and you’re throwing me a ping-pong birthday party. If you think I don’t want to kick your butt until we’ve broken every last ping-pong ball in the kingdom, you’ve got another thing coming, buddy.” Both glanced down when his stomach loudly rumbled. “...but maybe, um, we start with the snacks.”

Wrathmelior cooed at the exchange as Tom wrapped an arm around Marco’s shoulder and led him into the house. So much had changed in the past few years, both above and below ground. Even if her own home and kingdom had been affected to the same degree as those of the surface-dwellers though, none of it would compare in Wrathmelior’s eyes to what she’d seen out of her son. With the ample time she’d had to reflect since the state of the world settled down, she might even say that he’d been the more mature one between them. The last time she’d played doting demon mom over her son’s relationships had gone… regrettably, to say the least, and it had hurt like heaven when he broke the news of what had happened. Could anyone blame her for wanting things to work out with the girl he’d spent years chasing? Most shocking of all was that he hadn’t even talked to her about it beforehand. Before she could even realize it, he’d grown into a capable young Prince of the Underworld solving his problems all on his own.

“Surprise, Diaz!” The moment of solemn reflection was interrupted by Janna’s voice from inside the house followed by a series of crashes and girlish shrieks. “Go, Scooter, go!” As the chaos unfolded, she could hear Tom simultaneously laughing to the point of breathlessness and blasting fire to defend Marco.

While she still couldn’t help but worry that something seemed off with Tom today - a feeling compounded by how little experience she had not being the first one to know what might be going wrong in his life - it was surprisingly easy to push aside. With the friendships he had, she felt at ease knowing he could handle it.

***

“Lava snakes up above you, Tom!” Marco launched up into the sky with a flurry of sword strikes to stun the enemies while Tom floated over to cover. Tom’s mage dropped icicles from the ceiling to pin the first of the bosses to the ground for Marco to execute. “Thanks.”

Meanwhile, Janna’s character dropped a smokebomb and used the cover to sneak up and eliminate the ranged attackers with his shotgun. “These stupid alien crabs won’t stop spawning,” she growled.

“It’s fine, keep on them. Obsidian lizard to your right, Marco!”

One of Tom’s gifts to Marco had been Threat of Wet 2, the hit sequel to the original action game Threat of Wet. He initially hadn’t been sure if it would be his sort of game but it only took a few minutes of endless heart-pumping mob-slaughtering multiplayer action to be hooked. Even if he was having fun, he wasn’t great at it, judging by the amount of nervous sweat he had to wipe off his brow in a rare free moment between dodging deadly lasers and spikeballs. He used an uppercut to alley-oop the lizard into Tom’s laser blast before dashing and slashing through it for the kill.

“Little help?!?” Janna shouted, tossing a stun grenade at the ravenous pack of creepy jesters clawing at her and rolling under a fallen pillar to regroup with the team. The horde got distracted and chased after one of their mini fighter drones, giving the group a moment of respite.

“Last ones, I think,” Marco said with a grimace. “Not sure what the best move is here, they’ll obliterate me.”

Janna snapped a finger and pointed at Tom. “You think we can pull off Tamalebolge here?” Marco had no clue what she was talking about, but Tom’s mouth slowly widened into an eager grin as he apparently understood what she was trying to say. They nodded with conviction and turned back to the game.

“Set the smokescreens, I’ll get in position. Marco, just follow me.” He went along with it and hunkered his swordsman down between two clouds of smoke blocking their vision while Janna laid out more in a straight line with gaps in between. Janna maneuvered her character towards the spooky clowns and shot a single pellet at them to get their attention. Once they began charging over, Tom started unloading every spell he had while moving backwards in and out of smoke patches.

The clowns kept moving forward, but seemed to be stuttering in a way that prevented them from ever successfully landing a hit. In a moment of confusion while Marco tried to process it, he got bodyslammed into the ground and instantly killed. “You’re dead… that was embarrassing,” the game’s message on his corner of the massive screen in Tom’s media room taunted. What the heck were they up to, and why was it working?

“Almost… almost… no!” Tom’s thumb slipped on the controller and Marco could literally see the fire in his eyes at the mistake. At the last second Janna rolled under the legs of their enemies and stunned them just as they were about to slam, finishing them off and displaying a message to proceed to the next level. Their characters sauntered over to the exit and halted for a moment while Tom and Janna proudly hi-fived in celebration… and in the half-second they’d looked away, a thin blip of flame from a single floating wraith pierced through both, killing them instantly. “OH, COME ON!” Yep, this game certainly was unforgiving.

Janna busted out laughing and patted Tom on the shoulder. “Dude, take it easy, that was sick. You were right, this was pretty fun.”

“Told you.”

“I’m afraid to ask, but what the heck is Tamalebolge?”

“There’s this place called Tamalebolge on the outskirts of the Underworld, we stopped there for lunch one day after Mom sent me to give a big box of eyeballs to the mayor there. Dunno why a town needed 10000 preserved eyeballs, but whatever.”

On the other side of the couch, Janna scoffed resentfully. “Lucky town.”

“Anyway, they had this tamale that was a bunch of layers that got spicier as you bit in, and it hurts because each time you hit one layer you let your guard down for the next so you get that burning feeling a bunch of times in a row. In one of our trips to the Librarinth we got cornered by some Decimatals and had the idea to put up a bunch of walls of fire, since they could-”

“Could never adapt to the fire because it wasn’t steady,” Marco finished with a hint of awe as the pieces clicked into place. “Dang, that’s really smart.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Janna exclaimed in a monotone, not even looking up from her phone. “Alright, Marco, what did Star say she was doing exactly? She hasn’t even asked for any pictures yet.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. “Well, Moon said she needed to borrow Star for a bit, but that was a few hours ago so…” Suddenly the weirdness of Janna’s last statement - well, compared to the baseline he expected from her - struck him. “Wait, pictures?”

“Yeah, dude,” she coolly responded, leaning over Tom and showing him an album with… how many pictures of him was that exactly? 500? 1000? He looked away before any more could load to just stare in complete indignant shock at his friend. “Anytime we hang out without her, Star asks me to, like, take pictures of you and send them to her. You haven’t noticed by now? Damn, I’m just that good.” She smirked and twirled her phone around, blowing on it like a smoking gun before holstering it in her pocket.

Tom folded his arms and leaned forward to stare Janna down. “Really? Star asks you to do this?”

“Yes. Well, I started it first. And sent a new shot every few minutes for weeks. And now she’s so used to it that me not doing it makes her think we all got eaten by weresharks, so whenever I stop she always asks what’s wrong. So yeah, basically she asks for them.”

From Marco’s position reclined into one end of the sofa, Tom had to twist himself around to shoot Marco an incredulous look and nudge his attention towards Janna as if to beam “Are you really gonna just let that slide?“ directly into his brain. “Whatever, I’m used to it. The most surprising thing is that you actually, y’know, send them to Star."

Janna finally devoted her undivided attention on Marco for a few seconds, assessing him with her cold and enigmatic expression before sighing. “I already had them and Star’s madly in love with you for some reason so why not? What, Diaz, I’m not allowed to do nice things for my friends now?” Leave it to Janna to make being kind of normal and thoughtful still creepy and weird.

“You know what, I’m just gonna message her,” Marco said, walking out of the room to clear his head and pulling out his phone to check in on Star. She could certainly handle herself, especially with Moon there, but he was still curious what could be making her miss a lot of the celebration that she herself had helped set up. After he’d sent the first, he hastily added on a second asking if she needed him for anything. OK, so maybe a little worried. It surprisingly only took a second before his phone dinged with a response.

“Mina’s back. Long story, not what you think, we’re fine here 👍. Kinda crazy tho. 😵 Will tell you later. 😈 acting a bit strange, stay and try to see why? 🤔 Also have fun, it’s your party!!!!🎊🥳🎉🎈 Hopefully will be done soon, would never miss 👻rise with you 💕💞💏 Love you 😘🥰😻”

Mina? Every bone in his body wanted to leap into action, but Star knew her better than probably anyone; if she said there wasn’t a problem, he’d trust that. The fact that something was up with Tom, on the other hand, demanded attention. Was there something strange going on? It hadn’t occurred to him, but now that the idea had been planted in his head, Tom wasn’t the first person he’d have expected to go through all this trouble. He was a great and thoughtful guy, sure, but weeks of detail-oriented planning seemed... a bit out of place for him. Like Star said, though, he should still just enjoy the day and there’d be plenty of time to try and sleuth out whatever Star thought was going on.

“Hey, man,” Tom said as he poked his head around the corner. “We’re going surfing, wanna come with?”

“Sure Tom, just one tiny problem: the water here is lava-”

Tom only smiled wider in response. “Come on, you’ll see.” The two headed outside where Wrathmelior and Dave were sunba- uh, stalactitebathing, he supposed? Marco wasn’t sure what the point was underground but, hey, maybe it was a demon thing. Janna, too, had already made her way outside and stripped down to an outfit more suitable for a lava beach. She appeared to be rubbing some sort of neon red goop all over herself, which stupefied him so much that he barely noticed she was wearing a pair of hot pink shorts. What kind of bizarro world had he entered?

When she finally noticed him, he quickly averted his gaze to avoid any suspicion. “Yo, Diaz, liking the view?” Too late. She put a cap on the bottle of goo and nodded in the direction of the lake. What was she up to? As Marco warily followed, he saw Tom swimming around in the lava unfettered. All of a sudden, Janna started running with intent towards the lake.

“JANNA, NO!” Marco surged forward to try and stop her but she had a headstart and was surprisingly fast on her feet. When she kicked off the sand to hurl herself into the lava, Marco’s eyes instinctively squeezed shut and let out a whimper despite knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that she had to have some sort of plan.

When Marco opened his eyes, Janna was completely unharmed and lazily treading lava. She ducked under to sneak up on the lazily backstroking Tom, rising up to grab him by the horns and dunk him. He flailed for a minute before bobbing back up and taking a big gulp of air.

“Janna, what the here?!? Not cool...” he paddled to shore and shook the excess molten rock from his ears before standing with Marco, careful to keep his distance since he still had some residual slag on him. “Can you believe that?”

There was no other way Marco saw fit to respond to that than look of pure incredulity. “Yes? Always? So, anyway, how is she not dead right now?”

“Full cocktail of fire and heat resistance. Mostly Earth sunscreen with some demon incantations courtesy of my parents. Seeps in and affects your hair and innards and even any tight clothing for perfect safety. There’s enough for you too, if you want.”

As if today couldn’t get any crazier, disbelief morphed into fight or flight instinct as he tried to keep himself calm. “...so I’m just supposed to rub something Janna is giving me all over my body… and- and then jump into lava? Are you insane? What if it makes my tongue sentient, turns my legs into pudding, o-o-or worse? Oh my gosh, i-it’s gonna kill me-” Well, so much for calm, the sole bit of his mind hanging on to rationality offered.

“Woah, man, easy. Deep breaths. Just offering.” Tom gently patted his back until his breath steadied. He sighed and looked away. “For the record, Janna is a pretty good friend, you know. I’ve actually liked doing all the princely political crap when she’s here, and- and she does help. A lot, actually. I get that she likes messing with you, and honestly dude, it is pretty funny sometimes. If you don’t want to risk it, I totally respect that, but…” Marco followed his gaze out towards the lake where Janna was trying to befriend a wandering hellbat. “She really does care, in her own way.” There was an emotional conviction there that impacted Marco on a level he wasn’t prepared for, and even after a lifetime of wariness around Janna he found himself trusting more in Tom’s vote of confidence in the here and now… plus lava surfing did sound pretty awesome. Was this what Star had meant about his behavior today? He made a mental note before turning his focus back to the present dilemma. In all his time as an interdimensional adventurer he’d piloted dragoncycles, trained in combat with the sharpest swords he’d ever seen, and flipped a horse made of pure magic while floating on the back of one of his best friends. Why not go for this?

“Alright, let’s do this,” Marco said, marching over to the towel that had been laid out on the sand and cautiously picking up the bottle at arm’s length as though it was a radiation hazard, which he couldn’t even be sure it wasn’t.

The bottle floated up out of his hands on a puff of smoke guided by Tom’s magic. “Heads up, though, the souls of the damned mixed in there can bleach pretty badly, so maybe don’t wear anything you care about. Janna ruined my perfectly good ‘cold as ice’ shirt testing it,” Tom pouted. Marco stripped off his hoodie and goblin dog t-shirt, finding them far too valuable to damage.

I didn’t care about these swim trunks that much anyway, he internally grumbled while he snatched the bottle from Tom and gingerly applied it to his skin. After giving the first gentle dab on his arm a minute to verify he didn’t turn into a pig-goat, he reluctantly spread it around the rest of his body. He was surprised to find that it soaked in even easier than regular sunscreen despite its incredibly visible color. The even more daunting step was trusting it to protect his skin from literal lava. Tom held up a small flame in his hand. Marco instinctively recoiled but allowed Tom to bring it closer as a test, and sure enough even once it came in direct contact with his skin he felt nothing beyond a weird air current and a gentle warmth with no damage left behind. The only step left was taking the plunge. Now or never, Diaz, he chanted as he walked towards the edge of the sand.

“Aww, does Marco need floaties?” Janna goaded, having moved back into wading level to witness Marco’s entry. One toe went forward, very delicately. Almost, almooooooost… and it was in! It probably took about 10 minutes for Marco to fully immerse himself in the boiling liquid, mostly by choice, although its viscosity made the prospect of freely swimming around seem tiring regardless of magical protection.

Tom’s parents had approached the shore during that time and applauded Marco’s efforts. Wrathmelior made some deep rumbling sounds that caused Tom and Janna to both snicker. Tom noticed Marco’s frown and waved reassuringly. “She just said you’re moving slower than the lava itself, but don’t worry dude, you’re only the second human who’s even tried this. You’re doing great!” Tom motioned towards his parents before taking a running leap into the lake and paddling over to Marco, patting his back and inviting Marco to hop on. “Remember that move we practiced? The Screeching Bat?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Think we can use it here?” he asked, pointing to the beginnings of a massive wave forming in the distance.

Despite all his reservations about every step thus far, one thing he knew he could always trust was his and Tom’s teamwork. They’d had each others’ backs even when their friendship should have been shattered to pieces by guilt and heartache, and it had only improved from there. Deep breath, Diaz. “Let’s do this,” he confidently declared, climbing onto Tom’s lower back and bracing his legs under Tom’s arms while he assumed his usual four-limbed propulsion flight position. “Wait, where’s Janna?”

As the rippling sea started to form a recognizable wave, the pair saw a creature emerge to ride the peak with Janna on its back. “I’m QUEEEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD!” she screamed as the three-headed sea-turtle-esque animal carried her along.

Wrathmelior waved her giant camera in the air and made another comment that instantly left Tom with face a few shades redder than normal as he turned away. Being new to the whole “dipping skin in lava” experience, Marco’s focus was too scattered to trust his own judgment on whether or not Tom’s reaction was just a trick of the heat. He didn’t have time to dwell on it further before Tom jostled under him. “Whatever. C’mon, Marco, let’s just do this thing. Keep steady and don’t push down too hard, the heat doesn’t bother me but it’s still not fun having my face skid on molten rock at highway speeds.” Marco nodded and Tom lifted them off of the surface before flying over to the waves, picking up speed as they went.

They lost track of time as they did loop-de-loops and pushed their moves to the limits, swimming over and under and through the most insane ocean waves Marco had ever seen. At one point, as Janna rode closer to the ground, Tom followed the curve of a wave until he was upside-down under the crest of the wave as it crashed down behind them. Marco let go of Tom’s neck and felt his heart pounding as he straightened out, letting his body dip down in their signature trick that earned this flight pattern its name. Come to think of it, this was the first time they’d even made use of any of the awesome combat patterns they’d spent weeks naming and practicing in the last year, but they’d had enough fun goofing off in the sky that it was its own reward. When the largest wave yet approached, Tom veered straight for it and carved a hole in it with a fire blast at the last second. Marco tucked himself closely onto Tom’s back as they blasted through, and he was so high on adrenaline that he couldn’t help but sit straight up and holler in victory right afterwards.

As it approached an hour since they’d set out onto the lake, they all headed back at Tom’s suggestion that the potion’s effect wouldn’t last. They were greeted with another assortment of snacks and drinks from Tom’s parents, giving their swim trunks some time to… whatever the lava equivalent of “dry” was... in the comfort of the living room. Janna grabbed a glowing green glass bottle and took a huge swig. Marco’s wary gaze on its contents must have lasted a bit long because Janna took notice. “Chill, this is just Underworld cow’s milk. Tastes the same as ours.” If anything, that freaked him out more, but he’d had enough of these moments throughout the day that he could just put up with it at this point. As Tom approached with some sort of large bug shells on a plate - thank heavens the Underworld imported Earth snacks now - Janna silently looked him up and down a few times. “So, Lucitor, I didn’t know you had those moves. If I knew you could float upside-down so easily…” she trailed off with implications Marco didn’t feel like trying to unpack. Tom could only babble incoherently in response until he sprinted off deeper into the house. “Ooooor not,” Janna grumbled before sinking into the couch and taking a swig.

“Is everything OK with Tom?” Marco hesitantly asked.

“Beats me. Lately we’re just on mission after mission with no time to stop and catch our breath or even get a bite to eat in-between. Can’t believe one lousy year has already made him such a workaholic. Even Star only got like this when she thought, like, the entire kingdom would collapse or something.” She grabbed her phone as it buzzed, frowning at the screen. Suddenly, she took a photo of Marco and tapped her screen a bunch of times, standing up as she shoved it back in the back pocket of her shorts.

“What was that?”

“That was Star, she apparently needs me to bring a few of my more… let’s just say noxious potion blends, in case of some kind of emergency. But first she wanted to make sure the lava surfing didn’t damage your abs.” She faked a gag response and rolled her eyes. “And she also said, and I quote, ‘Tell Marco he doesn’t need to come because he should reeeeeally take care of the thing, and that I’m suuuuuper sorry for skipping out on you, and that we’re aaaaaalmooooost done here, and then we can cuddle up for the Soulrise.’ Normally I’d pry about ‘the thing’ but I’m too nauseous right now. Also, an ‘I love you’ filled with hearts until the character limit, so that settles it: me reading that is the next five years of birthday presents, minimum, for both of you. You’re welcome.” She punctuated with a snap of her fingers and a rumble grew louder until a chasm opened up in the ground and Tom’s carriage rolled up the side.

“Since when could you-”

Janna winked and hopped in the carriage door as it vanished in a column of flame, leaving only Marco behind. He had hundreds of questions and concerns about Star’s situation, but between her continued insistence on staying behind and what Janna had just said, his certainty was growing that something fishy was afoot with Tom. Where might his friend go if something was troubling him? This could take an hour, no, all day to crack the case, but Marco was ready to sleuth harder than ever to solve this mystery.

One guess and thirty seconds later, Marco found Tom sitting on the couch in another one of the lounge spaces in the lake house, manipulating two paddles to play ping-pong against each other. Leaning against the wall, Marco observed as the simulated crowd went wild in stark opposition to Tom’s joyless expression that alternated between the match and his own lap, never once noticing his friend to his side. After a few more minutes of this, the announcer enthusiastically cheered for the victor of the round.

When the system rebooted, Marco made his move. “Playing without me?”

Tom glanced up from the table. “Wuh? Oh, hey.”

“Wanna play?”

“Well, obviously I would, but, um, I just… gotta…”

“What’s wrong, Tom?”

“Wrong? Me? Nothing’s wrong, Marco! Why would anything be wrong?” A puff of smoke shot out of his nostrils and clearly forced grin on the last word.

“C’mon, man. We both know something’s up. You’ve been acting all strange today.”

He threw his hands up with a defeated scowl creasing his eyes and face. “OK, fine, you got me. I stubbed my toe on the beach earlier and it really stings-”

“Tom.” Neither budged as they stared each other down. So it’s gonna be like that, huh? If he cloaked himself in bravado, then Marco just needed to find a way to open up that shell and draw the inner turmoil out. “You, me, first one to 6. If I win, you talk.”

Tom crossed his arms suspiciously. “Dude, you’ve literally never beaten me.”

“Yeah, well, then it should be easy for you. Whaddya say?”

“What do I get when I win?”

Marco gestured at the table humility. “I will officially give up any hopes of ever beating you and you’ll forever be known as King Pong.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll play. You’re going down.”

“Game on.”

"Let's see, ‘enter nickname’... Tom the Bomb? Seriously, man? I-"

Marco was interrupted by the fake stadium’s booming audio as the commentators began. "Welcome everyone to the championship bout where we will determine who is the true king of the ping."

“Hey, that’s my joke,” Marco whined pointlessly, drowned out by a second female announcing voice that continued without pause.

“On the away team, we have the human, the underdog to win it all this year, Marco Diaaaaaaaz! He’s got wicked topspin sure to send heads spinning and he’s hungry for the title. Never count out the man in red! Now on the home team, you know him, you love him, it’s the man with a plan to slice and dice you to pieces, it’s Prince of the Underworld Tom Lucitoooooooooor!”

Marco pointed incredulously at… well, everything happening around them. “Seriously, dude, are you sure this is even a computer?” Tom shrugged nonchalantly in response.

“We have a lot we could say up here about this long-awaited grudge match, isn’t that right, Janet?”

“That we could, Derek, but I’m sure all the lovely AI fans here don’t want all this AI blabber. They want some good old-fashioned ping-pong. Now let’s watch while Tom readies up the serve…” Tom deeply inhaled and exhaled a few times, then got into position on his end of the table. He crouched over slightly with the ball in one hand and paddle in the other, then tossed it up into the air and smashed it with the paddle. Marco jumped backwards to avoid the searing speed of the projectile that was aimed at him with a disdain reminiscent of the first time they’d ever played the game. If he’s gonna amp up his game with demon powers, I’ll just need to be better.

“Wow, what a scorcher right down the diagonal! I sure wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that, it’d fry my processor to a crisp!” Marco didn’t find a chance to start a volley on the second point, nor did his possession of the serve change the outcome in the slightest. When Tom got the ball back, he didn’t even use his paddle as his powers drove the ball directly sideways after the initial impact in Marco’s court. Marco called a timeout and turned away from the table in thought, stumped for solutions. This game was his idea, after all... The AI announcers irritated Marco with their constant humiliation of his skills, but one sarcastic jab struck an unexpected chord: “If he wants to beat Tom, maybe he shouldn’t be playing ping-pong.” He’d gotten nowhere trying to break through with blunt questioning and was doing a worse job trying to get past his confidence at the sport. But if there was a deep insecurity underneath that facade of confidence, maybe he needed to work on building that up instead.

Turning back to the table, he placed his paddle flat on the table for a moment. “Look, Tom, I get it. I can’t beat you at this game. I-I just didn’t want my best friend acting so bummed at a party he threw, OK? If winning here would cheer you up a bit, it’s match point. I won’t stop you. And- and maybe I’m not even the one to deal with this, since I know you usually talk to your mom about this sort of thing, but-”

“Marco, I-” He paused, started again, stopped, and stuttered his way through another half-dozen attempts at a sentence before falling silent and gazing at the floor. “Look, I’m not upset, everything’s fine,” he angrily said through gritted teeth. Tom grabbed the paddle and gracelessly swatted at the ball. Marco flinched and shut his eyes, ready to hear the announcers celebrate the clean sweep… but nothing. “Huh?” he wondered aloud before seeing a ball way off to his left. Had Tom just flubbed the serve? Tom tried once more, much less methodical in his swing. Marco swatted it back over the net and in Tom’s haste to return he spiked it directly onto his own court.

“...and in a shocking turn of events, it’s now 5-1, Lucitor! Now is Marco’s chance to turn it around!”

The three eyes in front of him glowed at the edges in anger, but the expression within wasn’t one Marco feared was directed at him. Marco centered himself and performed a straightforward serve to the edge of Tom’s court, and Tom managed to return it for the first genuine volley of the match, but a steep drop shot gave Marco his second point of the match. Tom grunted in frustration as Marco set up for the next serve, and he immediately lashed out with demon telekinesis but put too much power into it and sent the ball flying with an animalistic growl that betrayed more pain than fury, as if he was squaring off against himself and not Marco.

Tom flopped four serves in a row, leaving the game tied at 5-5. “Whatever it is, Tom, we can talk about it. You’re worrying me a bit, dude.” Tom didn’t even bother to return Marco’s next serve, putting the game at match point, win by 2.

“Just off my game. I told you, nothing’s wrong, there’s not anything I need to talk about right now,” his voice trembled. “I can do this.” Marco raised an eyebrow in a challenge to Tom, then served the ball in the exact opposite direction of the table. Bluff called. Tom hesitated a split second before sending his paddle soaring through the air around Marco’s head to make contact with the ball and fruitlessly swat it to the ground, giving Marco the point as the crowd went wild with cheers and boos at the performance. But Tom ignored all of that to toss himself onto the couch and buried his head in his hands, and Marco immediately dropped next to him.

“Dude, just talk to me,” Marco offered sympathetically.

“I don’t know how much longer I can deal with this.”

“With what?”

With his face buried in a pillow, Marco didn’t catch anything more than “a-a” in response.

“What was that?”

“Janna,” he forced out as though the word caused physical grief.

He had been a bit weird around her specifically, but somehow Marco hadn’t come into this conversation quite expecting it. “Um, OK. Well, I get that… she gets on my nerves too, and since you’re spending so much time with her I totally get- oh.”

Tom sighed.

“Ooooooooh.” It was all Marco could say as his mind raced to process the new developments.

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t think you-”

“Neither did I, but here we are.” Marco placed an arm around Tom’s shoulders to try and comfort him, and Tom merely returned a lopsided smile, opting to sit in silence while Marco wracked his brain for an idea of how best to respond. “When I…” Tom hesitantly spoke up but immediately faltered, taking a moment to regroup mentally. “My whole thing with Star went for, like, two years, and looking back I kind of feel like I was an idiot every second of it. Every time I got caught up in that dumb crush it just messed things up more. Like, remember that big monster party she threw? I was too hung up on dancing to even worry about what my friends needed.”

“Look, Tom, we all did lots of dumb stuff back then-”

The half-demon sunk into the couch, shrugging Marco’s arm off of him and staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah, sure, but at least you and Star were only completely clueless about how much you guys love each other, and even that was at least a little bit my bad too! A year after Star and I broke up the first time, she came back to Mewni as this confident and charismatic person, and I didn’t even know how to do anything besides flounder around doing nothing when she wasn’t around. Ever since I put all that stuff behind me, it’s- things have been going great!” Tom paused for a second after his voice cracked sharply. “Janna’s clever, she’s actually really thoughtful sometimes, she’s the funniest person I know, and she helped me realize I actually kind of like doing all the stuff that a prince is probably supposed to be doing. And here I am, the buffoon with a crush yet again.”

Marco had a few differences of opinion on the details, to put it lightly, but the sentiment struck a chord. “It’s- it’s never easy. I mean, there was a part of me that felt like I couldn’t even be regular friends with Star anymore for a while ‘cause it just kinda sucked to keep getting reminded of those feelings.”

“Really? Never would have thought.”

“Yeah, well, me too. But that did get better after, well, the booth…”

“So I just have to find a photo goblin and kiss her then, got it.”

“Not my point, Tom,” he retorted with a light punch in the arm, both of them smirking; it was still a sensitive topic, but this seemed to be helping Tom shake off the worst of his anxieties at the very least. “You’re being too hard on yourself, man. Literal hours after we met, you tried to kill me for dancing with a girl you weren’t even dating, then you saved me from a rampaging monster who then proceeded to get turned into a baby.”

“Has that ever stopped being kinda messed up?” Tom quickly interjected.

“Not really, no. But even if all that stuff you said is true, which it isn’t, anyone would still be lucky to have a friend like you. If you think you’re not a good enough friend for Janna or whatever, you’re wrong, and if you think you might screw something up, maybe you will but that doesn’t mean you should just give up those feelings. Take that from me.”

With a giant huff of air, Tom ran a hand through his hair, body language still displaying loads of tension even if he was being more open about his problems. “I’m not- I don’t want to just walk away entirely, but… When I went on that trip by myself right before Earth and Mewni merged, when I was just chilling on a hill in some dimension out there looking up at a thousand stars disappearing behind the horizon, I finally realized that what I wanted most was to find someone I could share that sort of moment with, even if it’s not romantic. Someone I could just sit next to without saying a word and still feel like we were doing something special.”

“Yeah…” Even though Marco had a great respect for his friend, it never ceased to amaze him how potently reflective and sensitive he could be, especially for someone who’d once been every human’s worst stereotype of a rage-filled demon monster. The words made him think of Star, who he could spend every single day with doing absolutely nothing and never get bored. Who was always there to lift him out of his lowest times, celebrate his best, and everything in between. Who would always be his very best friend, so long as they both shall live. Tom deserved every bit of happiness that Marco had discovered came with that kind of relationship, and if he could find it with Janna then Marco would be behind him all the way. “These things can take time, it did for me and Star.”

“No offense dude, but did it? You were best friends, like, seventeen hours tops after you met, and I bet even when things were at their worst you knew it, too. I like Janna, a lot, but I don’t know if that’s the sort of thing we have in the first place. And if I’m not sure of that, then I might be risking a friendship for something I’m not even sure would be good for me.” All three of Tom’s eyes sparkled their plea as he finally turned to fully face Marco, who returned the favor. “What do I do?”

“...really, Tom, I’m not sure.” Jackie, and Kelly, and the Curse… he’d had a lot of doubt in what he wanted most, for sure, but Tom was right about one thing: even if he hadn’t realized it, that unshakeable certainty in Star’s friendship somewhere in the core of his being had gotten him through whatever life threw at him. Without that, he shuddered at the thought of what might have been. “If you think saying something is a bad idea right now, then don’t. Just promise me one thing, OK?”

“Mhmm?”

“If and when you do feel confident that saying something to her is what you want to do, don’t wait, OK? If she really is your best friend, don’t hide it from her. That’ll only hurt you both, and that is 100% Marco Diaz first hand advice.”

Tom pulled Marco into a tight hug, clapping him on the back a few times for emphasis. “Thanks.”

When they broke apart, Marco kept a hand extended to Tom’s shoulder. “You can always join me and Star for sunset-watching, too, if you want. They might not be the same as one thousand at once, but Earthni’s are pretty amazing.”

“Might take you up on that. Feeling a lot better already, to be honest. Don’t feel like I need to avoid being around Janna anymore.”

“I’m glad.” Marco felt his phone buzz and check

“Awwww, isn’t that heartwarming, folks? It just warms my neural net. With that healthy of an approach to love, I don’t think there’s a wrong play Tom could make here. He’s got a good spin on the ball to angle that shot exactly where he needs it to go. What do you think, Janet?”

“Right you are, Derek, this is a truly remarkable sight seeing these two guys talk about their feelings. Usually we see young players put all their focus into fast smashes without buckling down on the fundamentals and getting a good, clean drive. If he can just find someone to lob, I think he’ll be alright. What do you say, all you people watching out there?”

“JANTOM! STARCO! JANTOM! STARCO!” The crowd chanted in unison, some even holding up signs. Were those doodles of their faces?

Notice of the loud noise startled the boys. Had they been watching the whole time? “What the-” they both exclaimed in utter shock as they jumped up and struck defensive poses.

One spectator ran up to the edge of the holographic projection with a pair of fake horns. “I LOVE YOU TOM PLEASE MARRY MEeeeeeeeeeuuuuu...” Marco yelped as the control console exploded from one of Tom’s fire blasts, causing the shrieking voice to trail off into a deep robotic crackle. Both breathed heavily as their eyes, wide with fear, flickered all around the ping pong setup in search of any other hidden dangers. When his heart had stopped racing enough for him to feel any external sensations again, Marco felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“Oh, hey, Star’s ready for the Soulrise, which is in… forty minutes? Holy crap.”

“Sorry you spent so much of today dealing with my stuff.”

“Hey, anytime. I’ve always got your back.”

“C’mon, at least let me feel bad about this.” The pair each put an arm around the other’s shoulders and grinned at the warmth of friendship. Well, and the warmth of the flaming wreckage in front of them.

“I’ll get the carriage for them, but first, um, can you help me with one more thing?”

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That we should throw this thing into the lava ocean?”

“You read my mind.”

***

How long had it been since she’d last seen a Soulrise? Despite her lifespan as a demon, she had never understood the fuss. Last year Relicor had discovered that the merging of dimensions had shifted the surface geography enough to make the Soulrise visible from their lake house, and it was only the sheer convenience that kept her here. As the winged skeletons danced above the lake, Wrathmelior could certainly admit it was a charming display, but was it really that different than anything else one could find in the Underworld if they only looked around them? Still, it was nice to spend an evening on the sands of their own private beach with her husband and a pretty display of spirits. But where was Tom?

“Hey, Lady and Lord Lucitor, thanks for everything today.” She looked down at the sound of Marco’s voice and saw him escorting a half-asleep Star with mud caked onto her skirt.

“Why yes, Roy, I- zzzzzz - would like all fifty flavors of goblin dog, thankszzzzz,” Star mumbled as she drifted in and out of sleep. Her eyes slowly blinked open and stared at the boy’s face. “Oh hi, Mr. Pillowzzzzzz…” She was visibly drooling into Marco’s hoodie as she clutched his torso tightly.

Dave stood up and went around Wrathmelior’s legs to see what was going on. “What happened to her?”

“Had a really long day dealing with an old enemy, I think. Didn’t get too many details before she fell asleep on me. Can you send us home, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“No, you’re adorablezzzz… wait, home?” Blonde hair whipped around her face as she jolted awake with a mortified expression. “Ugh, Marco, nooooo, it’s your birthday and I said I’d be heeeere and I can totally stay…” She trailed off into a massive yawn and firmly pinched her cheeks. “...awake.” She hung her head shamefully, turning away from him but leaving his arm hooked around her waist that was keeping her upright.

Marco smiled and spun her around to face him. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You should rest, don’t force yourself to do this.”

“Nighty tightyzzzzzz...” Star hooked her arms around his neck and drifted off to a deeper sleep.

“I can summon the carriage, but I’m afraid I don’t know where you live,” Wrathmelior grumbled with her husband translating. Now that she had a glimpse, she could understand a bit better what Tom had meant when he said those two had something special.

“Oh, right, duh. Um, the Monster Temple then? We can stay there tonight.” He put an arm behind Star’s knees and lifted her up, using her unconscious grip on his neck for leverage.

Wrathmelior nodded and began to tap into her well of demon magic to yank Tom’s carriage from its usual den deep in their home when Dave spoke up, catching her attention. “Did you want to say goodbye to Tom, too? I don’t know where he ran off to.”

Something above her caught Marco’s eye, causing him to beam at the sight. “Nah, it’s fine, I’ll just call him tomorrow.” Wrathmelior craned her head to look behind her; Tom and Janna were sitting together on the roof, not saying a word. Even from a bit of a distance, it was plain to see that Janna was completely enraptured by the whirling vortex of shrieking ghouls while Tom was spending just as much time taking in her reaction as he was the event itself. If neither had noticed the commotion on the ground now, nothing in all the dimensions would do the trick.

“It’s just a Soulrise,” Wrath muttered, communicating through Dave.

After entering the carriage, Marco cast one long look at his friends. “Yeah, but they’ve earned this one.”

#starco #jantom #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #tgg svtfoe #wonder if we'll see how star's day went? ;)#fanfic

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asphodelsandpomegranates · 5 years ago

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The Runaway Bride (Pennywise x Reader x Pennywise)

“You're ours, darling, do you understand?”

“I've got no choice, papa. My dad's career is on the line and our whole family's reputation is at stake. My 'fiancée's' parents can do a lot of damage.”

“Then we'll slaughter them by one by one.”

“Murdering them won't solve anything. It won't save my family. Please, papa. Please, Penny. Just let me do this. Let me save my family. Forget about me.”

“No! We won't.”

“Oh, Penny. I know this hurts but I won't have you both mixed into this. I don't want the two beings I love get hurt...or worse.

“(Y/N)...”

You raised your hands to cup the older clown's jawline. “Please, Pennywise. Let me go.”

The older clown growled and threw yours hands off of him. “Fine. If that's how you want it to be. Then go to him. Marry the fucker. I'm passed caring, now.”

And he left you and the younger Pennywise alone, slamming the door of his trailer.

The younger clown looked to you, his yellow golden eyes soft and looked to be full of tears.

“Penny...I'm sorry but I—.”

“No, I understand. I think. I don't want to forget about you. You were always mine. You were always Papa's.”

“And I always will be. But right now, I don't have a choice.”

The younger clown trudged over to you and took you into his arms. The two of you held one another for what felt like years. Neither wanted to let you go but you had no choice.

“I love you both, Pennywise.”

“I love you, too, my little human.”

You drew back a little and lightly combed his bright red hair. “Look after our old man for me, will you?”

Pennywise nodded.

Six months later...

You opened the window of the hotel you were staying in and looked at your surroundings. There was no one around.

Good.

You were left alone in the hotel room by your request and your mother had ushered out herself and your bridesmaids. You had then taken this opportunity to check your surroundings and go AWOL.

You couldn't go through with the wedding. Not any more. You'd had enough. You couldn't take any more of your soon-to-be father-in-law's orders and commands.

You almost felt a little hypocritical doing this. You were proving Papa right by running out on your wedding like this and with you gone, your whole family would be in trouble. But at least you would be safe with both Papa and Penny, either in the sewers, in Neibolt or papa's trailer. It was better then being in the same room with a man whom you did not love.

You gathered your dress to one side and climbed up on to the window ledge.

“(Y/N), it's almost time—.”

You looked round to see your dad standing in the doorway of your room and staring at you in surprise. Guess you didn't hear him knock.

“(Y/N)?”

“...H-hey, dad.”

“Sweetie, what's going on? Are you running away?”

You clambered back down and smoothed your skirts out. “Would...would you hate me if I said 'yes'?”

Your father stared at you for a little while longer before closing the door behind him and you stepping more into the room.

“No. I wouldn't be mad. I wouldn't hate you.” he sighed. “In fact, I probably should have stopped this from day one.”

“But you would have been—.”

“You didn't, though. I've put you through you hell. And if you go through with this, then you might as well go out into the churchyard and dig your own grave.”

He moved towards you and placed his hands on your shoulders.

“Listen to me, my darling, run. Run as fast as you can. Get out while you still can. Leave Derry. In fact, leave the damn country and get a better life.”

“But, dad, he'll—.”

“I'll deal with him. Just run. Go, now.”

You didn't need to be told twice. You were going to run. But not out of Derry, but to the men, to the creatures that you never forgot and still loved. You would stay with them and maybe come back to your family once the smoke cleared.

You hugged your dad once last time, climbed over the window ledge and jumped.

You kicked off your heels, hiked up your skirt and ran as fast as you could to the woods. The forest floor cut at your bare feet as you ran, the shrubbery and nettles ripped at your dress. A few times it got caught and you had to tug hard to get it free. Once you did, you were back to running.

About ten minutes of running, you leaned against an oak tree and tried to figure out which direction Papa's trailer was.

Your feet were stinging and aching from running and you were panting for air.

Looking round, you found that you had clue as to where Papa's trailer would be. Not in this part of the woods.

“Shit.” you breathed.

You supposed that your next port of call would be the sewers and maybe find your way through to the Neibolt House and sleep on a mattress whether it was new or lush or old and worn. You didn't really care.

You needed to find a sewer's entrance and find your clowns.

Getting your breath back, you made your way through the woods, hoping that a sewer pipe would be close by.

*************

Penny was sitting in the sewers. He was on his stage of his circus wagon sulking. He didn't want to go to papa's trailer. There was no point. The two clowns had argued to the point of almost fighting in various forms including their true forms. Almost destroying most of the woods around them. Thankfully, it hadn't gone any further for the humans to witness.

Now, he wouldn't go near his own father again. And he was missing you. His perfect little human. Who was getting married to some other filthy, pathetic human. The eldritch clown growled lowly at the thought of you standing at the altar with another man putting a piece of jewellery on your finger. Pennywise had a right mind to go to the church, create a bloody scene and take you back to the sewers and hold you forever.

He pulled his legs off the edge of the stage and crawled towards the back. But before he did, there was a sound that made him falter.

Water splashing from one of the sewer pipes. He sniffed the air.

Human. But it seemed...familiar.

He looked around, his eyes focused on the sewer pipe. Whoever it was it seemed as though they were in pain, judging by the whimpers and the shuddering breath. He moved off the stage and crept closer.

The sounds of splashing water and footsteps grew closer and louder by the second. Then in fell...Penny watched as you flew from the sewers pipe and landing hard in the water. Pennywise stared, shocked by your arrival. He scampered over to you like lightning and snuffled at you, nuzzling your affectionately.

The white dress you wore was all covered in mud and foliage from the forest and now wet from the sewage water. The skirt and your skin was torn and scratched. Whilst you looked to be a mess, you still looked so pretty to the young clown.

What had happened to you?

He snuffed and whined at you like a dog. Your skin was cold and he shuffled closer to keep you warm. You gingerly turned over on to your back and opened your eyes.

“...Pennywise.”

“Little one.” the clown purred, nuzzling your cut cheek. “You're here.”

“...I'm...I'm sorry it took so long.”

“Ohhh, that doesn't matter now, little one. You escaped.” he then looked at you all over. “You look divine.”

You have out a breathless laugh before your eyes rolled into the back of your head.

And you passed out.

***************

Papa sat in his recliner, in his trailer with a cigar in his mouth and a newspaper in his hands. He wanted a distraction and all the bullshit that journalists reported might just help take his mind off of what today was.

He didn't want to think. He didn't want to let his mind wander over to what had been missing in his life for the past six months. His own offspring had deserted him, minutes after you'd stepped out of their lives and even had the gall to pick a fight with him. Neither one had backed down. They were the same species of different generations but were just as strong as the other.

Pennywise growled in frustration and focused on his attention on the newspaper.

So much for not thinking about today.

He finished off the last page and inhaled a large puff of his cigar when the door to the trailer went flying!

Literally went flying. Across the room to the kitchenette.

And in came his son, lumbering in like the idiot he was. He was carrying something limp in his arms.

“The fuck is the matter with you?” Papa growled. “You're fixing that when—.”

Then he noticed what was limp in his arms.

A beautiful girl with dishevelled (h/c) hair, smeared make-up, scratched and bloodied skin and a tattered, dirty wedding dress.

“The fuck?”

Penny glowered at him before carrying you towards the bedroom.

Throwing the paper and his cigar aside, he followed his son into the bedroom as he rested you gently on the bed.

“What happened to her?” Papa asked, panic seeping in his voice.

“She turned up at the sewers like this. She ran out on the wedding. She needs food and drink.”

Pennywise nodded and hurried into his kitchen to be ready for when you woke up.

***********

You weren't too sure how much time had passed but when you opened your eyes, it was dark outside. And you weren't in the sewers.

Looking around, you saw that you were in the familiar confines of Papa's bedroom.

You were safe! Thank god!

Letting out a sigh of relief, you tried to shift on the bed into a more comfortable position but found yourself pinned down.

You looked down and found the younger clown sleeping on your chest. His arms around your waist, his head on your stomach and he was purring.

You smiled. You couldn't believe how adorable he looked. You scratched under his chin and ran your fingers through his hair. The large, lanky, supernatural being shifted a little, whining sluggishly.

“Pennywise.” you cooed.

The clown's eyes flickered and then opened wide. He looked up and saw that you were awake.

“(Y/N)...”

“Hello, my gorgeous clown.”

The clown bounded up from where he lay and hugged you tight to his chest. His purring grew louder.

“Pennywise was so worried, yes he was.”

“I'm okay, now, Penny. I've missed you so much.”

“I've missed you, too.”

“I'm sorry that I had to leave you both. I just—.”

“No need to worry, little one. You're safe with us.”

You slipped from your hug and looked up at him, with soft eyes. You raised up your hands and curled your fingers into his red locks. You scratched and scraped at his scalp, making him purr again.

You loved it when he purred.

“I thought I heard both of your dulcet tones.”

Looking round, you saw Papa standing in the doorway. Well, more like leaning. He was smirking at you.

Slowly, you sat up on the and held your arms out to the older clown. He slid over to you and took you into his arms...and lap. You planted your face into his ruffles, taking in the scent of old and fresh blood, candyfloss and popcorn and cigarettes. A scent that always reminded you very much of him.

“Missed me that much, baby girl?”

“Shut up. You know I did.” You pulled back and rested your forehead against his. “I've missed you both.”

Papa chuckled. He then turned to his offspring. “Kid, go and make our doll face a little sandwich. She needs it. You know how to make one, right?”

Pennywise glared at his father and made a series of grumbling noises as he lumbered off the bed. He nuzzled into your neck before leaving the two of you alone.

It was best that he did. You and the older clown needed to patch things up and a lot of grovelling.

“So, you left him, huh? Took you long enough.”

“I had no choice, papa. I wanted out but...I was thinking of my family.”

“We're your family, as well, sweetheart.”

“Yes but I couldn't get you two involved. “

“Pumpkin, you were being married off to a fucking chump. Of course, we could get involved. Half of that church wouldn't be standing if both me and Pen walked in there. You are our mate, honey. As we are yours.”

“I know, Papa. I finally know that, now. I was only thinking of my family and my dad's reputation was on the line.”

“I know, sweetheart. I suppose I was being a little stubborn and over protective. I'm a little surprised Junior wasn't the one throwing a tantrum.”

“Like father like son? I don't think so, in some ways.”

Papa scoffed and pressed a kiss to your cheek. His eyes wandered over your beaten form and tattered dress. “You look good in that, by the way.”

“Thank you. And before we go any further, let me eat. Several meals.”

“Ha! All right, baby doll. You rest here and I'll see what the fuck is taking the little fucker so long.”

“Be nice, papa.” you scolded as you crawled off his lap and under the worn sheets and blankets.

“Fuck 'nice', sweetheart.” he growled as he left alone.

But safe and sound.

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loveforpreserumsteve · 4 years ago

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Those Who Fall: “APTF” Story (Modern Domestic Stucky AU)

Eleven:

Gently, Steve pressed a kiss to Ethan's temple. Usually he was able to tuck the little boy in, and briefly, he worried that Ethan would retreat into himself for Steve skipping it tonight. Steve hoped he wouldn't, but he had no say in if he did. After everything the little boy had been through in his short life, he was surprised he even managed to love as fiercely as he did. But he also knew that if his feelings were hurt, he retreated. He shut down. Just like he had earlier.

For good measure, Steve gave him another kiss.

Making sure that the night-light was on, Steve closed the door until it was cracked. Then, he quietly entered Jonas and Luke's room. On the top bunk, Luke was sound asleep. His mouth slightly open as quiet snores escaped. Steve reached up and covered Luke's exposed foot with the blue plaid comforter. When he spotted the thin, faded green baby blanket stretched along his chest and clutched in his hand, Steve smiled.

Although Luke was growing up, he would always be Steve's little man. And Steve could only find comfort in that. Sure, there was always that little voice in the back of his head that worried that once Luke could, he'd leave and never turn back. But Steve had to have faith. After all, Jonas and Katie didn't run off as soon as they could. Hell, they seemed to text Steve more now that they were living in dorms than they ever did living under his roof.

Noticing the abandoned clothes on the floor, Steve shook his head and picked them up. He didn't do it often, always wanting them to pick up after themselves, but his kids had a long, challenging day. So, Steve picked up the boxers, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and jeans. Going through the pockets on his way out of the room, Steve paused.

Grasping a folded up piece of paper, Steve removed it from the pocket. His curiosity getting the best of him, he flipped it open. Biting back his grin as he saw that it was a phone number. A Cassie's phone number. Steve wondered if that was the girl who had been driving.

Before he could leave with the note, he folded it back up and placed it on the desk. For a moment just looking over the room, making sure that there wasn't anything to trip over. Then, he exited the room and closed the door. Bundling the clothes into a ball, he carried them with him into Sophia's -- and now Wanda's -- room.

Heading for the laundry chute, he dumped the clothes while Bucky assured the teen, "If you need us, you come get us, okay? And if you can't make it downstairs, just go next door and say something into the baby monitor."

"Okay," Wanda tiredly sighed, resting her hands on her abdomen.

Bucky fixed the damp rag on her forehead and turned to leave the bedroom. Steve stepped up beside Sophia's bed, but took a moment to roll his eyes when Bucky winked at him.

Affectionately, Steve caressed the side of Sophia's face and leaned over to kiss her temple. Tiredly, her eyelids fluttered open and she glanced up at Steve. Sleep slurring her speech as she said, "Night, night, papa. Love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie," Steve said, tucking her hair behind her ear and giving her one more kiss.

Loosely tucking her comforter around her baby-chubby frame, Steve double checked that she had her bear. Not that she would've fallen asleep to begin with if she didn't, but Steve still liked to check.

On his way over to Wanda's bed, he pulled the average dish sponge from his back pocket and got down to his hands and knees. Sure enough, Barbie dozed on Luke's sponge. Steve shook his head, exasperated as he exchanged them. Using the empty middle bed to help push himself off the floor.

Finally reaching Wanda, he glanced at the bucket on the end table beside her bed and reminded her, "Don't be afraid if you need something, alright? Even if you just need to know how to work the TV."

Weakly, Wanda giggled and confirmed that she understood. Steve nodded at that and held back from giving her a kiss, like he did to his other kids. Giving her one more small smile, he turned and quietly left the room.

Joining Bucky in Holly's room, he found Bucky just watching her for a moment. Sitting on Katie's bed and just gazing adoringly at the ten month old. It made Steve's chest clench from being filled with so much love. It was moments with Ethan that afternoon, moments with Wanda, and moments like these, that reminded Steve how lucky he was. Reminded him why he wanted to do this to begin with.

Reaching into the crib, Steve caressed the round cheek and the red curls. Loving that baby so much that sometimes it hurt not having her right there with him. He tried to cherish every moment he could with her. Especially with him knowing just how fast kids grew.

Bucky stood from Katie's bed and wrapped his arms around Steve's waist. Pulling him flush to his front, Bucky pressed a sweet kiss to Steve's neck. Whispering, "C'mon. Let's go to bed."

Steve nodded and let Bucky lead him.

Once in their bedroom, the pair started stripping down to their boxers. Although Steve was exhausted from the day, he still dragged himself into the bathroom to go through his nightly routine. Bucky followed, and the pair settled in front of the double vanity.

Slipping the three rings on his left finger off, Steve placed them in the small ceramic pumpkin dish that Bucky made. As Steve grabbed his toothbrush, he watched Bucky's reflection as he pulled the circle pendant necklace over his neck. Their children's birthstones clinking around in the jostle. Easily visible as the colorful gems moved inside of the clear circle.

Brushing his teeth, he watched Bucky remove the black floral engraved wedding band from his finger and set both items of jewelry in the pumpkin. Grabbing his toothbrush, he took the toothpaste between the sinks and got to it. Occasionally, Bucky winked at Steve's reflection, and Steve rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the grin that was fighting to be seen despite him brushing his teeth.

After brushing his teeth, Steve grabbed the high school colors tie-dyed headband he permanently borrowed from Katie. Stretching the white, gray, and navy-blue elastic band around his head, he pulled it up so it pushed his hair off his face. Between the his and his sinks, Steve grabbed the cleanser for oily skin. Wetting his face, he rubbed the cream between his hands before bringing them up and lathering it on his face.

Sweetly, Bucky leaned over to press a kiss to the side of Steve's head before grabbing a headband himself to hold his own tousled hair back. As he grabbed the cleanser for sensitive skin, Steve asked, "How was work?"

Bucky sighed, focusing on washing his face, "Arnim has been riding my ass."

"Hot," Steve deadpanned, his reflection smirking when Bucky's looked over at him.

"He wants me to edit nine documents by Monday," Bucky sighed again, the corners of his lips tugging downward in a frown.

Bumping his hip along his husband's, Steve teased a smirk from him. But it wasn't enough. Steve hated when Bucky was stressed. The brunet deserved to always be smiling and filled with so much love that it came pouring out in sweet laughter. Not glaring at his reflection as he finished his nightly routine.

After rinsing and drying, and removing their headbands, the pair exited their bathroom. Pulling down the pastel-blue comforter, they climbed in with Bucky on the right and Steve to the left. Steve curled onto his side, facing the closet and bathroom. Behind him, Bucky leaned over and smothered the side of Steve's face with kisses until Steve laughed and pushed him off.

Luckily, Bucky didn't go too far because Steve pulled him back in for a loving kiss to his mouth. Around his lips, he told his husband, "I love you."

"Love you more," Bucky replied, giving him one more kiss before pulling back and laying on his side facing the curtained windows.

Getting comfortable, Steve laid there for a moment. Bucky's back was pressed against his, and Steve loved the warmth. But he couldn't fall asleep. Not with this heavy on his heart.

Worrying his lower lip, Steve quietly asked, "Buck?"

"Hmm," he tiredly hummed.

"Are you happy?"

"What?" Bucky rolled completely over to face Steve. Steve looked over his shoulder at his husband, and Bucky confirmed, "Of course, I'm happy. I've got the most caring and endearing and beaut--"

"I wasn't asking about if you're happy with me and the kids," Steve fondly rolled his eyes. Pushing himself up so he could press another kiss to Bucky's lips. Bucky's brows were furrowed and Steve clarified, "I meant, with your job. Are you happy with your career?"

Bucky shrugged, "When Arnim isn't such a pompous ass, I like it."

"And you're happy with it? You're happy being a specific writer --"

"Specifications writer," Bucky corrected.

"Whatever," Steve playfully rolled his eyes as he rolled onto his back. Bucky boxed Steve's head with his forearms and Steve stroked his hands down Bucky's naked sides, "But you're happy? Because I don't want you to feel like you have to work there? Me, the kids, we want you happy. And if that means going back to tutoring people and us moving into a studio apartment, we will."

"Oh geez," Bucky rolled his eyes at that, but dropped his forehead to Steve's. Making sure their gazes were locked, Bucky reassured, "I'm happy. I'm a very lucky man, and I couldn't be happier."

"Good," Steve smirked, "Now roll over, so I can cuddle you."

"So demanding," Bucky teased but climbed off Steve and laid down on his side. Steve didn't mind the joke though. Instead, he simply saddled up behind his husband and let the taller man be the little spoon. When they were settled, Bucky laced their hands together by their fingers, allowing them both to happily fall asleep.

#a place to fall #jump then fall #those who fall #bonus #stucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x bucky barnes #marvel #fanfic #wattpad #ao3 #modern au #domestic life #fluff #smut #otp

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pocket-luv101 · 5 years ago

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Summary: Licht’s daughter tries to hide that she’s scared. (LawLicht, Fem Licht)

“I want to go to that house next!” Lucy pointed to a house that was elaborately decorated for Halloween. Licht nodded and took her daughter’s hand to cross the street and go to the house. She thought her daughter made an adorable little fairy. Even when she wore a costume, her angelic light shone through in her smile.

Lucy held a large bag of candy in one hand and its weight made her walk slower. They offered to carry it for her several times but she stubbornly refused. Between Lucy’s short legs and the heavy bag, they made slow progress through the neighbourhood. He didn’t mind because he could see her happy. He lived for over a thousand years so he knew how quickly time passed. Hyde wanted to make a lot of memories with his family.

“After this house, we should empty your bag in the car.” Hyde suggested. When they reached the other side of the road, he realized that the building was actually a haunted house attraction. He stopped Lucy before she could run inside. “This house might be too scary for you, Luce. Let’s go to the next one.”

“But the candy! Big houses with lots of decorations like this has the best candy. I’m not scared, Dad. If Dad is too scared to go in, you can wait here while Lucy go with Mom.” She insisted and stomped her foot. Lucy was on a mission to collect as many chocolate as possible. “I know the decoration are fake so they don’t scare me. I can deduke like Sherlock.”

“It’s ‘deduce’, Lucy.” Licht said and Lucy repeated the word. She didn’t want to waste time with their disagreement when they could be trick-or-treating. She read the sign in front of the haunted house and said, “This says that the haunted house is for all ages so it can’t be that scary. How about you go in first? If you think she can handle it, we’ll go next. Lucy, let’s go to the house next door while Dad goes into the haunted house.”

“But Lucy is a brave angel.” While she pouted, she took her mother’s hand. She waved to her Dad as they walked to the house next door. Licht was glad they found a compromise and they could return to having a fun night. Then, Lucy let go of her hand and ran to Hyde before he entered the haunted house. He thought she would continue to argue but she took her bag to him.

He was confused but he took it for her. Lucy explained, “If there’s candy at the end of the haunted house, get a lot! Lucy will ask the neighbour to give extra candy for Dad.”

“What a smart angel you are, Luce.” He patted her head. “But I can’t take your bag or you won’t be able to carry the candy the neighbour gives you. Don’t worry, I’ll stuff my pockets full of candy for you. Go collect candy from the rest of the houses with Mom while I conquer this haunted house.”

Lucy nodded and skipped back to her mother. She stopped in front of a scarecrow that sat on a bench. He thought she was scared by the realistic decoration and walked towards her so he could comfort her. Suddenly, the scarecrow stood and Lucy screamed. Both Hyde and Licht raced to their daughter but he reached her first. He picked her up and held her protectively in his arms. Licht reached their side and stood in front of her family. She kicked the scarecrow and knocked him to the ground.

“What was that for? I was just pulling a prank.” The scarecrow took off his mask and she realized that he was merely a teenager. Licht didn’t feel guilty for kicking him though. She thought it was the appropriate punishment for scaring her daughter. She turned to Lucy to reassure her that she had purified the demon. In Hyde’s arms, Lucy swung her bag and struck the teenager.

“Bad demon!” Lucy yelled. “Scaring an angel when pretending to be decoration is cheating.”

“He learned his lesson, Lucy. Let’s get back to trick-or-treating.” He said and she nodded. Lucy pointed to a house across the street and they walked back.

“We’re here.” Gil’s voice woke Hyde. He groaned softly because his arm was asleep and it tingled slightly. Licht rested her head on his arm during the drive back to the house. Both of his angels were sleeping with relaxed expressions. He was careful not to wake them as he took off their seatbelts. Hyde moved Licht onto his back and then scooped Lucy into his arms.

He was glad that Gil opened the door for him as he carried his family out of the car. They were no longer Servamp and Subclass but the man stayed to support Hyde and the family he made. He would never tell him that he thought of him as a father figure but they both understood his feelings. Hyde whispered, “Thanks, Old Man. You can have a handful of the candy as payment.”

“Lucy will be mad that you’re giving away her candy.” Gil retorted.

“We have some candy in the fridge. Licht and I were thinking of giving out candy but that plan is cancelled now that she’s asleep. It was an eventful night. Can you get the door for us?” He asked. He couldn’t move well while he carried his family but he loved them. They spoke softly as they walked into the house. “Thanks, Gil. I can handle the rest by myself.”

Gil nodded and Hyde walked up the stairs to their bedroom. The house was dark but his hands weren’t free to turn on the lights. He knew the layout well and he only needed the moonlight streaming through the window. It amused him how Licht clung to him even as she slept on his back. He wished she would be as affectionate and honest when she was awake.

The floor creaked beneath his feet and roused Licht. He gently blew onto her bangs and chuckled at the irritated expression she made. “Good morning, Angel Cakes.”

“We’re home already?” Licht opened her eyes, expecting to be in the car. She glanced around the hallway and realized he must’ve carried them into their home. She climbed higher onto his back so she could look over his shoulder. Lucy slept peacefully in his arms and Licht smiled at the sight. She slid off his back and stood next to him with her arms spread.

He placed their daughter in her arms and she cradled her close. Licht took off the flower crown Lucy wore and kissed her forehead. “She’s out like a light. I thought she would be wide awake with a sugar rush since she ate so much chocolate in the car.”

“We’ll have to make her brush her teeth twice in the morning.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He didn’t let her go as he opened Lucy’s bedroom door. Licht laid her on the bed and stroked her blond hair. Hyde sat on the edge of the bed and whispered, “She stayed up past her bedtime. Should we let her sleep in tomorrow? It’s the weekend.”

“We spoil her so much,” Licht laughed softly. She was careful not to wake Lucy and spoke quietly. They started to leave but she realized that Lucy was clutching on her shirt. She looked back down at her and something about her expression worried her. While she didn’t have a worried expression, her brows were stiff. “What’s wrong, Lucy. Wake up.”

“Is she sick?” Hyde lightly patted her cheek to wake her up. He hadn’t noticed anything when he carried her inside. She appeared fine now as well. Lucy opened her eyes and Licht hugged her tightly. He leaned over them with a worried expression. “Are you feeling okay? Maybe you ate too much chocolate.”

“Were you having a nightmare, Sweetie?” Licht asked her softly. Her daughter didn’t respond but that was enough of an answer for her. She sat up and lifted Lucy onto her lap. Hyde sat next to them and stroked her hair tenderly. “Was it something you saw tonight? You can tell Mom if you’re scared, Lucy. Mom and Dad are here to protect you but you need to tell us what to look for.”

“Angels are brave.” She whispered and buried her face into Licht’s chest. “Scarecrow demon almost tricked me.”

“But he didn’t. You did a very good job purifying that bad man when you hit him. He couldn’t have followed us home so you don’t need to be scared here. There’s an angelic barrier that keeps demons out.” Hyde reassured her.

Licht turned on the nightlight next to her bed. “Angels are brave but that doesn’t mean that we don’t get scared. I get scared sometimes too. When I’m afraid, I lean on Dad and my friends. Do you want to sleep with us tonight?”

Lucy nodded and asked, “Can you check under the bed so he’s not hiding there?”

“Of course,” Hyde nodded.

They got ready for bed and soon Licht was humming them to sleep. Lucy slept between them and her snoring mixed together with the song Licht made. Hyde stroked her head to ease her to sleep. When he sighed, she looked up at him. He frowned and said, “Am I a terrible dad? I couldn’t tell that she was having a nightmare but you could.”

“You can’t tell easily because she doesn’t make a fuss or toss in bed. It’s small things like this furrow between the brows.” She reached up and poked his forehead. “You’re the same when you have nightmares. That’s how I could tell when I saw Lucy’s face.”

“It’s lucky that we have an angel to watch over us when we have nightmares.” He sat up and pressed a loving kiss onto her lips. “If you get scared or have nightmares, tell us and we’ll protect you.”

#servamp #lawlicht #greed pair #servamp hyde #licht jekylland todoroki #fanfiction #fem licht

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emotionally-imbruised · 6 years ago

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🎬, you know it.

Ok, I hate myself for this. I’m sorry idk where this came from, but here you are 😂 I also tried so hard to have this written and posted actually on Valentine’s Day, but it turned out way longer than I was expecting, so my baaaad.

Anywho, here’s my whack at a rom-com au (kinda) from this list of Valentine’s Day prompts

Greased Up Valentine’s Day

In which Harry and Y/N don’t have a regular movie night.

Word count: 12.2k OF NONSENSE

“Hurry up H, it’s starting,” you call to your boyfriend from where you’re sat on the couch. He mumbles an incoherent response from the kitchen where he’s finishing up popping a bag of popcorn, and you roll your eyes before focusing back on the animated intro of Grease that is starting to play on the TV. You hum to the sound of Frankie Valli’s voice as it booms from the television speakers while reaching for one of the chocolate-covered strawberries you picked up from a nearby grocery store to yours and Harry’s shared apartment and take a bite out of it; sighing pleasantly as the flavour envelops your taste buds.

The little old lady selling them at a stand near the grocery stores entrance earlier today lit right up as you approached her and was so excited to talk to you. She seemed very intrigued when you told her your Valentine’s Day plans consisted of a simple night in with the love of your life while watching some of your favourite movies, rather than making a big deal over the whole day. She frowned when you said that though and went into detail about the so-called magic that surrounds the day of love, and how you’ll understand that very soon. You listened to her spiel but didn’t really take any of it to heart as you mentioned you needed to get going so you could beat Harry home.

After stating you’d like to purchase some of the delicious-looking strawberries she was selling, she didn’t let you take one of the packages she had out on display, but rather rushed to the back of the stand where she reached into a cooler and pulled out a completely different container of the chocolate covered fruit to give to you – saying it was her special batch and could “make people fall even more in love by granting their wishes;” to which you couldn’t help but chuckle at. She insisted that you didn’t pay, but you refused to walk away without giving her something for them; so, when she waved goodbye and looked away, you set a ten-dollar bill onto her table before briskly walking away from the stand and blending yourself into the crowd of people headed into the grocery store.

Once you were done buying all the groceries for yours and Harrys dinner tonight, you went back outside half expecting to be sassed by the sweet, yet odd older woman for leaving her money; but to your surprise her and her stand were gone without a trace, as if they’d never been there in the first place. You glanced down at the strawberries you’d packed into one of the bags and shook your head, feeling as if you were going crazy as you made way to your car and called Harry to tell him about what had just happened as you drove home.

Fast forward a couple of hours to present time where you and Harry have already finished making and eating the pasta and salad you bought once he’d gotten home from the studio and are now ready to start your movie night.

“We’ve seen this movie, so many times love, I don’t think it’ll be the end of the world if I miss a bit of the beginning,” Harry’s voice snaps you out of your trance as he appears in front of the television.

You scowl at him as you finish chewing on the piece of strawberry that still fills your mouth, while he chuckles and tosses a piece of popcorn at you. “Hush, and get your butt over here.”

An hour or so later, the two of you are still curled up on the couch, and you find yourself feeling rather sleepy. You fight to keep your eyes open as Frankie Avalon’s presence takes over the screen while singing Beauty School Dropout to Frenchy and lean your head onto Harry’s shoulder, cuddling up against his warm body as you somehow become even more tired. He glances down at you affectionately and smiles to himself as he shifts to wrap his arm around you, pulling you in even closer before reaching for one of the remaining strawberries and taking a bite of it; humming to himself in satisfaction. “What is with these things? They’re so good.”

“Don’t gotta tell me,” you mumble with a small smile dancing across your lips, before allowing a loud yawn escapes your mouth. You snuggle into the blanket that’s wrapped around the two of you even more before abruptly sitting up straight a little bit so you can get a better look at Harry. “Ever wonder what it’d be like to be in the world of Grease?”

“What?” He asks you incredulously as he chuckles at your words. “You feeling alright there, bub?”

He reaches to place his palm against your forehead, but you swat it away; rolling your eyes as his laughs become louder. “Oh, shut up. Breaking out in songs like Summer Nights and We Go Together or having a love like Sandy and Danny would be unreal, and you know it. I wish we could experience it, I think it’d be cool.”

“Whatever you say Y/N,” he jokes and with another sarcastic eye-roll, you allow yourself to lean against him again to watch more of the movie, and soon enough your eyes begin fluttering shut. Soon enough, the two of you eventually pass right out while cuddled up on the couch together.

You’re not sure how much time has passed since you fell asleep, but when the noise of multiple voices surrounds you; you think that maybe it’s time to wake up. You slowly open your eyes and let out a loud gasp when you see you aren’t laying on the comfy couch of yours and Harry’s apartment, but rather in the backseat of a car with three girls you’ve never met before.

“Christ Y/N, what was that for?” The brunette with short curly hair in the driver’s seat speaks up as she glares at you in the rear-view mirror.

“She was probably busy daydreaming about seeing her beau Riz, cut her some slack,” the girl sat beside you with longer light brown hair speaks up as she stares at herself in a small compact mirror and finishes touching up her lipstick.

“W-what?” You trip over your words as all three girls look at you now is if you’ve grown a second head, and that’s when you notice it. These girls aren’t just any girls, they’re Rizzo, Marty, and Jan; better known as The Pink Ladies in Grease, and they’ve even got the matching pink jackets to prove it. A surprised breath leaves your mouth as you glance down to see that you’re wearing a similar ensemble to the other three with your pink jacket, soft pink tank top, black pencil skirt, and fancy pair of black flats. Alarmed, you reach over to grab the compact mirror out of Marty’s hand so you can look at yourself and are taken back when you see your reflection. Everything about your face is the same, but with the way your hair is pulled back into a high ponytail with a long pink ribbon wrapped around it, and the soft pink eyeshadow that covers your eyelids; it’s just so different from how you’d dress in real life and it’s throwing you right off. “Oh my god.”

“I wasn’t done with that,” Marty grumbles as she snatches the mirror back and glares at you.

“This, this isn’t real.”

“Real?” Jan questions as she looks over her shoulder and takes a bite of an Oreo she’s holding. “Life isn’t real sweetie.”

“Can it, Jan,” Rizzo snaps before glancing back at you. “And to think we thought you were a normal one of us, but French might have you beat now. What’s gotten into you?”

“I don’t know,” you whisper mainly to yourself as you glance out the window and a large building with a sign saying Rydell High School in front of it comes into view and can only think of one thing…Holy shit, you’re actually in Grease.

None of the girls say anything as Rizzo turns into the parking lot and pulls up to a vacant space. They each climb out of the pink car and start walking away as you take it all in. This is by far the weirdest dream you’ve ever had because it just seems so real, but before your thoughts can carry you too far away; you snap out of it and rush after The Pink Ladies.

You hear them talking about being seniors and instantly know what scene of the movie you’re in once you catch up to them, just as Marty reaches over to smack Jan and says, “Jan that is so adolescent!”

“We are adolescents,” Jan giggles as she continues nibbling on her Oreo.

“We don’t have to flaunt it,” Rizzo adds before looking back at you. She grabs your arm and gently pulls you between her and Jan to continue walking with them.

“This is going to be our year isn’t Y/N?” Marty asks from the other side of Rizzo.

“Uh, I guess…”

Rizzo just smirks in response to this before slinging the pink jacket she’s carrying over her shoulders, and looking at all of you before strutting forwards a little bit. “Okay girls, let’s go get ‘em.”

The four of you make way through the front doors of the school, earning gazes and particular looks as you all walk past everyone – looking as if you own the place. Everything about this feels so weird and you want nothing more than to just pinch yourself so you can wake up, but just as you consider doing that; an all too familiar British voice speaks up from down the hallway, and your eyes widen.

Leaning against some of the lockers is five boys all wearing different coloured leather jackets with a large T-Birds logo printed on the back. With them, standing awkwardly away from the lockers but looking fine as hell, is a sixth boy that you’d never seen in the movie before but are quick in recognizing to be your boyfriend of many years. You pause slightly and shake your head at the thought as you stare at his greased back curls and shiny leather jacket he wears, one that’s similar to what the other boys are wearing. The dimples that you’ve grown to love so much make themselves known as he smiles at something one of the guys have said, and you have to blink a couple of times to make sure its actually him you’re seeing. “Harry?”

At the sound of your voice, Harry snaps his gaze to yours and his striking green eyes widen once he sees you. Without even thinking, he steps away from the boys and makes way towards you; pushing through The Pink Ladies despite the whines and comments they make at him. The closer he gets, the more relieved you can tell he is to see you as he shakes his head and speaks up. “Y/N? What- you’re here to? I thought this was some weird-ass dream, but now I’m-.”

“Just as confused as I am,” you whisper, and glance at the group of people staring at you over Harry’s shoulder. You bite down on your bottom lip and slowly let your gaze fall back onto your boyfriend before letting out a huff. “Harry, what the hell is going on?”

“I wish I knew love, I just remember us watching the movie and now we’re in it? God, did we take some type of drugs or something?”

“Not that I’m aware of!” Your hushed voice rises as you continue taking in just how obscure all of this is. However, before anything else can be said; the bell rings to indicate that school has started. You look to Harry for an answer because there’s no way in hell that the two of you – two full ass grown adults are expected to go to a high school class; however as Marty marches her way over to you and starts pulling you down the hall and away from Harry; you don’t really get the chance to plan your escape to try and figure a way out of this all. You glance over your shoulder at Harry as he’s surrounded by the other guys, and he soon disappears out of sight as you turn around a corner. You look to Marty; who has now let go of your arm before starting to dig through her purse, and you shake your head again. “Where are we going?”

“Homeroom,” she states as if it should be a known fact and looks at you oddly. “Geez Y/N, are you sure you’re not sick? You’ve been acting really weird today.”

“Uh sorry, yeah I guess maybe I am.” Right? That’s the only logical explanation for all of this.

“Well I’d sure say so,” she mumbles as the two of you reach a door and she pushes it open to strut her way inside, you following right after. You both take a seat at one of the many long tables that fill the classroom and she isn’t long in speaking up again. “So, what’s with you and Styles, huh? I thought you were trying to patch things up with Danny.”

“Danny?” You ask skeptically and think back to how he was amongst the other T-Birds leaning against the lockers watching you and Harry moments ago. “There’s nothing between Danny and me, isn’t he with Sandy? Oh wait, he doesn’t know she’s here yet, does he?”

You feel as if you’re finally adapting to how this entire dream is going to work out and end up just like the movie. It has to, and ideally, by the end of it, you and Harry will be out of this weird alternate universe. As you think about how the entirety of the movie plays out, and how you and Harry are going to wake up from this as if nothing ever happened; you can’t help but sigh in relief until you look over at Marty to see her staring back at you with a confused expression. “Who is Sandy?”

“Danny’s girlfriend…”

“No, you’re Danny’s girlfriend.”

“Pardon?” You ask disbelievingly. “No, I’m not.” Danny isn’t real, you think to yourself, none of this is – but yet, everything else that has happened so far has proved you wrong; so you know it is brave of you to assume otherwise.

“Ok well maybe, not technically,” she agrees but isn’t long in justifying her argument. “But you’re the one who broke his heart at the beginning of summer, remember? I don’t know why though because literally, everyone wanted to have a relationship like the two of you had.”

“Marty, I actually have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Ok, then I’ll show you,” she responds before standing up from her seat and walking towards the back of the room. You watch as she goes up to one of the bookcases and grabs one of the many yearbooks that line the shelves. Once she finds the one she’s looking for, she takes it off the shelf and walks back towards you; tossing it on the table in front of you with a loud thud, before sitting back down. “There’s last semesters yearbook, take a look for yourself.”

You look at her skeptically before sliding the yearbook towards you and opening it up. Amongst the first couple of pages you see pictures of many familiar faces of the people you know as the main characters of this movie; however, pictured with them is you and Harry, and in almost all of them you’re cuddled up against Danny Zuko’s side while he has his arm draped around your shoulder. As you flip through the pages, there’s even more evidence of what Marty said to actually be true, and it’s freaking you the hell out. This dream you thought you were living is turning to be much more than what you bargained for, and with that; you start panicking. “There’s no way.”

Without another word, you slam the book shut and begin pinching yourself. Marty clearly seems to think you’ve gone crazy by the look that’s written across her face, and quickly reaches over to grab onto your wrist so she can stop your actions. “Y/N, what are you doing?”

“Trying to wake up,” you mutter as you move your free arm to start pinching your opposite shoulder again. “Maybe if I pinch hard enough, it’ll work.”

“Can you stop?” Marty hisses and grabs ahold of your other hand. “You’re not dreaming, this is all real and people are going to think you’ve damn near lost it.”

“Well, I pretty much am feeling as though I have Marty,” you snap, and she lets out a huff.

“Let’s just drop it then,” she states with a defeated sigh and moves away. “Class is starting, can you at least try to act normal? People are looking at us weird.”

You mimic her tone under your breath as more people file into the room, and Sonny — one of the T-Birds, makes his way to the two of you and strikes up a conversation. You unintentionally drown out his voice as morning announcements start sounding over the PA system, and glance down at the yearbook; deciding to flip through it once again.

The way you and Harry look so naturally positioned in the pictures with everyone else truly blows your mind. Some of the photos show the two of you at school events, him working in the school’s auto shop, you sitting at lunch with Rizzo, Marty, Jan and Frenchy, and even your class picture amongst everyone else that is apparently in your grade.

This is all becoming so confusing. With all the times you’ve watched Grease before — you know that with everything that’s happening, it doesn’t add up to how the actual movie goes, and that has you wondering. Before you know it, you’ve mindlessly reached the end of the yearbook and are on the pages where students would normally sign their autographs; but this one doesn’t have any. Instead, it’s has only one message scribbled across the whole page in very unique writing.

“An alternate universe is what you wished for, so an alternate universe is what you’ll get. But make sure the story ends the way it’s supposed to, or else it’ll be something that you soon regret. – A friend.”

You stare at the page blankly and silently read the message over and over again, until you soak it all in. Was this some kind of sick joke? When the hell did you wish for something like this to happen? There’s just something about the message that makes you think it was specifically written for you to read, and that thought alone makes you anxious.

Your mind starts thinking back to when you and Harry were cuddled up on the couch watching this movie and you said that being in this movie world would be unreal before technically wishing to be in it. Is that why you’re here now? But why? How? Clearly, this isn’t a dream, this is really happening; but how are you supposed to get back home? All of these thoughts are racing through your mind, but before you know it; the bell rings again to indicate that class is over and you are unable to dig much deeper into the thought of it.

Apparently, the majority of your morning classes are with Marty, but there’s also one you share with Jan, a couple of the T-Birds, but none with Harry. It seems like time is flashing by and you can’t keep track of it. Those classes however, come and go in a whirlwind and soon enough… it’s time for lunch.

You and Jan take a seat in the outdoor cafeteria as you wait for Marty and Rizzo, who are still waiting in line for their food. Jan immediately starts digging into her spaghetti, whereas you just push the noodles around your plate instead of eating any of it. After taking in all that has happened, food is the last thing you’re thinking about at the moment and you remain silent until two familiar voices start singing from a few feet away. You look over to see Rizzo and Marty approaching the table, shimmying as they both finish the little song they’re singing and take a seat next to you and Jan.

Without missing a beat, Jan looks at the two and is the first to say anything. “Hey, did you guys get a look at Zuko this morning? Looking pretty good this year, huh Riz?”

The way she moves the sunglasses that cover her face up and down suggestively makes you recognize the exact scene from the movie that you’re now in, and you know exactly what’s to come after.

“That’s ancient history,” Rizzo states before glancing at you. “That was before him, and Y/N were an item.”

“Well, history can repeat itself,” Marty pipes in and nudges you with her elbow. “Besides, Y/N wants nothing to do with Danny anymore, she’s already moved on.”

“With who?” A voice gasps and your gaze snaps up to that of a girl with dyed ginger hair, and a blonde-haired girl trailing right after her; who you instantly recognize as Frenchy and Sandy.

“Harry,” Marty states and all the girl’s ooh.

“Well that was fast,” French responds and motions for Sandy to sit down.

“It really wasn’t,” you grumble to yourself while thinking of how long you and Harry have been together in real life, which luckily no one hears.

Frenchy starts introducing the four of you to Sandy and going off about how she had just moved here from Australia, just like she does in the movie. You watch the scene unfold in front of you and are too shook to say anything as they all continue on their conversation word for word, all while you’re here living it with them. Everything down to Rizzo sassing Marty about her glasses, and Patty Simcox coming up to excitedly explain how she’s been nominated vice president is the same and you just can’t help but stare.

Patty invites herself to sit down next to Sandy and lets out a scream as she sits down on an apple left there by Jan, while the four other Pink Ladies huddle together and motion for you to join as Frenchy asks if you all think Sandy has what it takes to be a Pink Lady.

The entire scene has you wondering where in the hell Harry could be in all of this, but if your memory is correct – which it is; he has to be on the bleachers with the T-Birds eating lunch and… oh god, they’re going to break out in song any minute.

As if on cue, Frenchy speaks up again to ask Sandy what she did this past summer.

“Oh, I spent it on the beach, I met a boy there,” the blonde responds, and you press your fingers to your temples as it feels like your mind is about to explode.

“It’s happening,” you whisper as Rizzo makes a comment about Sandy being ridiculous for being so strung up on a guy she met on the beach, and Sandy dismissing her while stating how romantic it was. A distinctive guitar riff starts playing from God knows where and right after, Sandy starts singing her part of one of your favourite songs from this damn movie; Summer Nights.

In some type of crazy unnatural way, you can hear Danny’s voice in the distance as he sings his part of the song and you slowly stand from the table and back away as all the girls in the cafeteria join with Sandy for the musical number…

This is it. You’ve officially gone crazy and this dream world has become a nightmare. You watch in complete awe as the whole girl’s part of Summer Nights plays out in front of you, and only one thought plagues your mind; you need to find Harry and get the hell out of here now.

Without a second thought, you take off in a sprint away from the commotion just as Marty asks Sandy if this guy – who you know to be Danny, has a car before continuing on with the song. You shake your head as you struggle to run in the long pencil skirt you’re wearing and earn dirty looks from the people you rush by. It doesn’t take long for you to become confused as to why these people are so taken back by you running past them, but unfazed by the random song that just broke out and can seemingly be heard from wherever you are in this place? Bullshit, absolute bullshit.

You’re not really sure where you’re going seeing as you don’t know the layout of the school, but get a pretty good feeling that you’re going the right way as the boy’s voices grow louder, and the girls become a little quieter. A moment later, you turn around a corner and reach a part of the school that overlooks the track field, and sure enough, in the distance is Harry standing on the bleachers with all of the guys looking shocked and unsure of what to do.

With a quick breath, you try to make it down the stairs towards the field as fast as possible without falling, so you can get across the field to your boyfriend and try to figure something out. You watch as all the boys – minus Harry, move across the bleachers in a perfect sequence of one another, and think of how normally you’d appreciate this part of the movie; but right now, you’ve got more important things to worry about.

Some boys who are running on the track look at you oddly as you crash through the gate at the bottom of the steps and mumble a quiet ‘sorry’ as you weave through them. Someone… that you think to be Coach Calhoun yells at you in the distance to get off the track, but you ignore them as you get closer to the bleachers just as Rizzo’s voice sounds in the distance saying how the guy they’re singing about sounds like a drag, and the boys break out into the shoo-bop-bop part of the song while they start shuffling across the bleachers in unison.

You finally reach the bottom of the bleachers and think you’re close enough to get Harry’s attention now. Although you have to lean against the fencepost to catch your breath for a moment, you’re quick in calling out to your boyfriend so he can realize he’s not alone in all this craziness. “H! Harry, over here!”

His green eyes snap to yours instantly, and he wastes no time in rushing over to where you’re standing. A small sigh relief leaves your mouth as he reaches you and immediately pulls you into his chest for a tight hug, smiling as you melt into his touch while he starts muttering some words. “Fuck, I didn’t even know where to look for you in this place. All of them would look at me as if I was crazy for wondering where you were… m’just- I don’t know what to do in all of this Y/N, this is a lot to take in.”

“I know, but we’re going to figure this out together,” you tell him reassuringly as you move away slightly and grab ahold of his hands. You look over his shoulder as everyone on the bleachers keep dancing away, and start pulling him away from them. “Come with me.”

You lead him around the side of the bleachers and move underneath them so you two can talk in private without getting noticed by any of the T-Birds. Once you’re both out of sight, you turn around to face him just as he’s pushing a hand over his slicked curls. “Y/N, I feel crazy for even thinking about it, let alone saying it out loud but this movie… it’s the same, but different. Like there’s something completely off about it all, and I’m not talking about the part of how we both magically appeared here. It’s just not adding up and God, what the hell is all this?”

“I’m not sure, ok?!” You unintentionally yell at him; regretting your words as you feel the tears prick your eyes almost immediately, and start feeling bad for taking your frustrations out on the last person who deserves it. With a sigh of defeat, once you see the hurt expression that flashes across his features, you start looking anywhere but his eyes before speaking up again. “I-I’m sorry H, I just- I don’t know… But I’m more than positive that all of this is happening because of me – it’s all my fault.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Y/N- love, there’s no possible way this is your fault,” he tells you soothingly, but a choked sob still manages to escape your mouth. He watches as the tears begin streaming down your face before stepping towards you and wasting no time in lacing his hands with yours so he can gently pull you against his chest again. You instantly melt into his touch as he begins rubbing soft circles on the small of your back and can feel you yourself starting to calm down. “It’s insane that we ended up here yes, but it’s just the movie, right? Maybe all we have to do is make it to the end before being sent back to our real lives.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy H,” you tell him as you move away from his embrace.

“And why is that?”

“Well, like you said, the movie itself is the same… but it’s also different,” you begin to explain while he looks at you curiously. “We changed it by showing up here.”

“We couldn’t have changed it too much bub,” he states with a slight smirk. “Everything that has happened so far goes perfectly along with the movie, right down to the random breaking out in song during unnecessary times.”“Not everything is the same though Harry, and I think that’s our key in getting out of here.”

He looks at you skeptically before letting out a breath and running a hand over his grease slicked hair. “Alright, you’ve officially lost me.”

“When I was in class with Marty earlier, I found a note,” you explain, and he nods as if silently telling you to continue. “It was in the back of a yearbook and it basically said if the movie doesn’t end the way it’s supposed to, we’re gonna regret it.”

“Ok, but what does that mean love?” He asks with a slightly aggravated tone. “Like I said, the movie has been pretty on track so far… It mustn’t be too difficult to make it stay that way.”

“But that’s the thing H, it may not to stay on track and that’s what we have to worry about. We’ve altered everything just by being here, who are we to say more won’t change the longer we’re here? There might be setbacks we’ll have to face because of it.”

“What kind of setbacks?”

“Well…” You trail off slightly as you think back to what Marty said about you and Danny, as well as all those pictures to prove it. “Apparently I’m the ex-girlfriend of one of the main characters who broke his heart before summer, and now everyone is expecting us to get back together; including him.”

He doesn’t say anything as he stares back at you with complete and utter confusion until a small smile dances across his lips and he lets out a sarcastic laugh. “That’s funny.”

“It’s not meant to be a joke, Harry, I’m serious.”

“How can you be serious when none of this is real, Y/N?” He snaps, and you find yourself flinching at his tone. You stare at him with wide eyes and see how he already feels bad. “Wait, I didn’t mean to snap I-.”

“If none of this is real, then why are we still here, Harry?” You ask through gritted teeth. “Why aren’t we at home where we should be hmm? This isn’t how dreams work, this is actually happening, and I’m going to figure out how to get us out of here whether you help me or not.”

“Babe, you know I’m going to help you regardless. We’re in this together,” he reasons with you and reaches out to grab your hand. “I just- m’not a fan of hearing there’s this other guy that’s gonna try to take you away from me… Even if he isn’t real, it all still rubs me the wrong way.”

“There is nothing for you to worry about H, I’m all yours. Have been for a really long time now and even a young seventies sexy has hell John Travolta acting as one of my favourite characters in one of my favourite movies can change that, ok?”

“Ok,” he replies with a soft smile before leaning down to catch your lips in a sweet kiss. You melt into the feeling of his lips attached to yours, and hum in satisfaction. That’s always something you’ve loved Harry for being able to do. It doesn’t matter how crazy or stressful the situation is, he always knows what to do or say so that the two of you can keep a level head and not take it out on each other. After a moment he pulls away and smirks down at you before mumbling something else. “Just had to throw in young John Travolta being sexy didn’t yeh?”

“Well of course,” you tell him with a smirk before standing on your tip toes so you can peck his lips again. “But that’s beside the point because I haven’t gotten the chance to tell you how good you look in that leather jacket yet.”

Your boyfriend smirks and goes to respond, but before he can say anything else, someone clears their throat from nearby and both of you snap your attention towards them. You were both so caught up talking with each other that you didn’t realize the song had ended, and your bickering was more than likely to be heard; which just with your luck, has now attracted the attention of all the T-Birds as they have now made their way behind the bleachers to see what the commotion was all about. Harry gives you a sideways glance before straightening out his posture a little bit and speaking up with a nod. “Boys.”

“So, it is true,” Danny speaks first, causing you to cringe slightly as you can sense a bit of hostility in his tone. “The two of you really are a thing.”

“Geez Styles, you sure wasted no time in swooping in on that one,” Kenickie mutters as he puffs on a cigarette and leans his elbow onto Danny’s shoulder. “Thought you and Danny were going to work on things Y/N?”

You can’t help the sarcastic laugh that leaves your mouth at his comments and have to roll your eyes as all of them, except Harry, stares at you with rather dirty looks. “Oh, come on, you can’t seriously think I’m a bad guy in this situation. Danny you literally just sang a whole song about a different girl you wanted to bone all summer.”

“Bone?” Doody asks confused, and you mentally smack yourself because there’s no way these guys would know what that means.

“Wait, that wasn’t about Y/N?” Sonny chimes in.

“Well… no,” Danny responds sheepishly, and all you can think is – you fuckboy. “It was a girl I met on the beach, but it’s not like I’ll ever see her again.”

“Wouldn’t be so sure about that lad,” Harry mumbles from beside you, and you send him a warning glare as all of them look at you confusedly.

“What Harry is trying to say,” you start with a forced smile. “Is that anything could happen… even the craziest of things that you’d never expect in a million years to happen, like getting sucked into a movie; but you know, that’s life.”

“What?” All five boys ask in unison, and you grit your teeth for letting yourself rant about your current predicament like that.

“Nothing. But anyways, Danny what I’m trying to say is I moved on, and you should most definitely keep your options open and allow yourself to do so as well, maybe your dream girl is right around the corner.”

“Ooh well played,” Harry whispers loud enough for only you to hear.

“Doubtful,” Danny grumbles. “Doesn’t matter anyways, let’s go guys.”

All the boys start walking away and wave for Harry to join them. He looks at it hesitantly, but you just nod as a way to tell him you’ll be fine on your own. “Go with them and just make sure everything stays the way it’s supposed to, I’ll make sure nothing more changes with the girls either and we’ll be out of here before we know it… hopefully.”

“Ok,” he agrees softly and places a kiss to your temple before stepping away. He makes it a few steps before glancing over his shoulder and winking at you. “You look hot in fifties clothes by the way.”

“Get out of here,” you tell him with a broad smile before letting out a huff and making way back towards the school.

If there’s one thing you’ve managed to pick up on by being in this movie, it’s that time really doesn’t matter. Things that would normally consume a good amount of time in your reality passes by in a matter of seconds here, and it’s quite dizzying. That being said, after meeting up with all the girls after leaving Harry and the boys; the rest of the day flew right by.

It’s now the evening and you’re sat on the back of Rizzo’s car with her, Frenchy, Jan and Marty as you all watch Sandy cheer in the school’s pep rally. After spending the day with all of them, you’ve gotten to know the girls pretty well and find that it’s actually kind of fun experiencing the whole movie world with them – but you also know that this can’t last forever and yearn to be home even more with each passing minute.

You’re fully aware of the plans Rizzo has to take Sandy to where Danny is with Harry and all the other boys as a surprise, and you just can’t help but sit back and watch in awe as every little thing happens the exact same way; just with you part of it. Once Sandy joins the five of you, you all make way to where the T-Birds are. You think of exactly how the next few minutes are about to play out and are less than impressed by how Danny is a complete asshole to Sandy after realizing they are in the same place again, just like he is in the movie.

You watch with pursed lips behind the girls slightly as it all unfolds but snap out of your daze once Harry steps beside you and nudges your shoulder. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” you tell him just as Sandy storms away upset after being treated like trash by Danny and the boys start praising him for being a jerk. You look at Rizzo – who just smirks to herself for planning all of this, and you know it’s just part of the movie, but man does it sucks seeing someone get treated like that. So, you feel like you need to speak up about it. “Actually no, I’m not. Hey Danny?”

“Yeah,” he responds arrogantly and turns around to face you.

“You’re a real dick, you know that, right?” You snap on him, and everyone looks at you in surprise. Your gaze moves to all the boys standing behind him, and you start going off on them too. “You guys as well for feeding him on like that. Oh, and you too Riz, it’s pretty pathetic that you go out of your way to do something so mean to a person. Geez, grow up – you’re all high school seniors for fuck sake.”

They all stare at you blankly as you let out a huff and grab hold of Harry’s hand so you can storm away with him in tow. You make it a couple of feet before he lets go to rush in front of you; causing you to almost full-on crash into his chest because of how unfocused you were on him. “Woah, hey, that was… that was really brave of you to stand up to them like that Y/N. M’really glad to see you’re still the firecracker I fell in love with, even here.”

“Yeah, sorry for your loss.” You smirk as he wraps a hand around your waist and pulls you closer to him.

“What do you say we get out of here, hmm? Clear our minds up a little bit.”

“How do we plan on doing that?”

“Turns out I have an old cool car in this world too,” he tells you with a wink. You look up at him with a soft smile before nodding in agreement and allowing him to lead you towards a nice-looking black car waiting at the back of the lot. Some voices sound to your right and you can see Frenchy consoling Sandy a couple of feet away, smiling to yourself again when she tells Sandy she could use a girl’s night.

“You’re lucky, I love you. I’m missing out on seeing Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee and Hopelessly Devoted To You in person now because of you.”

“But I’m hopelessly devoted to you my love; and would much rather spend my night alone with you, isn’t that any consolation?”

“Yeah ok smartass,” you murmur jokingly and pull him in for a kiss, before climbing into his car and driving off. You and Harry spend the majority of the night sitting in the diner drinking milkshakes and just talking – mainly about how much you’re both missing your lives at home. It was nice spending time just the two of you, but neither of you knew exactly where to go afterwards seeing as you don’t actually live in this world; so you both settle on sleeping in Harry’s car on the oddly comfortable backseat. You start the night off cuddling but that soon escalates, and before you know it, you’re waking up to the sun beaming inside of the car. The rays dance over the small blanket that covers both of yours tangled legs, up to where Harry’s T-Bird jacket lays to keep from showing off too much of your exposed upper body and chest; causing you to groan to yourself slightly.

“Another quick round before school?” Harry asks suggestively from beside you with his deep sleep-filled voice. You scoff in response but with the way he starts peppering your neck with kisses – you’re not long in succumbing to his advances.

“As long as we find a place to shower afterward.”

About an hour and a half later, you and Harry walk out of gym locker room showers in at school while trying to act as normal and casual as can be without drawing too much to yourselves; before setting out the rest of the entire crew. You brush out some of the wrinkles of the new top and skirt you wear with your Pink Ladies jacket that you conveniently found in Harry’s trunk, just as everyone in your group seemingly comes bursting through the doors at once before whisking you and Harry away from one another.

Later in the day, you and Frenchy are walking to class together just as some familiar voices sound from down a hallway, and you pause to listen to them. Frenchy stops a few feet ahead of you after realizing you’re no longer beside her, and slowly shuffles back while looking at you curiously. “You ok there, Y/N?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” you tell her with a smile as you look between her and the hallway the voices continue coming from. “Hey French, what’s down there?”

“Oh, that’s the auto-shop. The boys are probably there now.”

“No way,” you exclaim as you know that the boys are about to start singing Greased Lightnin’, and you want nothing more to see Harry take part in that. Without a second thought, you grab hold of Frenchy’s hand and start dragging her towards the source of the noise.

“Where are we going?” She asks between some chuckles as you continue pulling her.

“Oh, you’ll see.”

The two of you reach the end of the hallway where you push open a door and walk to a railing that overlooks the whole auto-shop. Frenchy looks down at the boys and is about to say something, but you shush her just as the boys break out in song again.

You’re still unsure of where the hell the music comes from but brush it off as you and Frenchy watch in pure amusement while the guys dance around singing about what they’re going to do to Kenickie’s car; including Harry. Small laughs leave your mouth as you watch Harry dance alongside Putzie, Sonny and Doody to the entirety of the song; showing off the dance moves he knows just by how much you’ve made him watch Grease. Frenchy seems to be enjoying herself too as they finish up the song and you quickly start pulling her out of the shop before any of them realize that the two of you were there.

The next few days er-weeks in movie time are spent just letting the film play itself out. Although you’re starting to get tired of sleeping in the back of Harry’s car every night and using the school showers to clean yourselves off, you’ve slowly started adapting to this world and what it entails. You learned that every day without fail, a new outfit just magically appears in Harry’s trunk for you each to wear; and you’ve gotten to the point where you’ve stopped questioning everything and are now just letting it happen because you will probably go mad while thinking of how something like that is remotely possible.

You and Harry have agreed to just go with the flow of the movie and only stepping in to make sure things stay on track if need be. You’re both just sitting back and relaxing, watching everything unfold and being quite entertained by it all; especially after witnessing Danny’s attempts at picking up on a sport in order to win Sandy over again and get her to go to the school dance with him. You’ve both even become friends with all of the characters as well. Harry tells you about what he did that day with the guys each night, while you tell him how you’re really getting along with the girls and feel as if you’re able to confide in them; especially Frenchy.

Soon enough, it’s the night of said school dance; one of the best parts of the movie, and one of the most dramatic. Harry is pretty adamant on not dancing whatsoever, but you egg him on about it until he finally agrees to the two of you slow dancing together to the version of Those Magic Changes the band plays and taking part in the dance line to Tears On My Pillow alongside all of your friends.

As the song comes to an end, Principal McGee and Coach Calhoun make their way to the stage to discuss the expectations of the dance and how it’ll all be filmed on national television. Principal McGee explains how she will not be judging the dance competition that’s about to happen, but rather the infamous celebrity in the world of Grease; Vince Fontaine. Everyone erupts in excited cheers as they know they’re about to see this huge celebrity, and you casually glance up at Harry with a smile before elbowing him gently until he looks down at you. “Vince is the movie equivalent to you in real life.”

“Shut up.” He rolls his eyes at your comment, but you notice the arrogant smirk dancing across his lips.

Once the rules of the dance competition are explained and the television cameras start rolling in order to film it all, you drag Harry to the dance floor where he has no other choice but to dance along to Elvis’ Hound Dog with you. Despite his complaining, Harry is quick on matching the steps of the people around you and seems to actually be having fun.

You glance to your right to see Frenchy and Doody laughing while dancing together, and the same coming from Jan and Putzie to your left. Marty is to the side, ignoring Sonny, while Danny and Sandy dance their way next to you; sending wide smiles as they do so. Vince Fontaine goes on the stage and starts talking again before the band starts playing Born to Hand Jive, and you and Harry decide to sit this one out.

The two of you stand on the sidelines watching as your friends dance their hearts out to this particular song and can’t help but laugh a little with how offended some of them get by being eliminated from the competition. Harry smirks at you while you find yourself smiling and dancing to the music, however, a slight movement from the corner of your eye catches your attention and you quickly glance over your shoulder to see what it was. Standing behind the crowd observing everyone while dressed up like a janitor much to your surprise, is the old lady who was selling the chocolate covered strawberries outside the grocery store on Valentine’s Day.

“Who are you looking at?” Harry asks while turning to see what it is that’s grabbed your attention.

“That lady,” you tell him and shake your head disbelievingly. “The janitor, she’s the one who sold me those strawberries back home.”

“The one that said all those weird things about Valentine’s Day?” He questions and you nod frantically. As if being able to hear your conversation, the lady’s eyes widen once she sees you and Harry both staring at her before spinning around on one heel and disappearing down the corridor.

“C’mon let’s follow her,” you say before taking off after her; Harry right with you as you go. The two of you enter the hallway to see her shuffling away as fast as she can – watching as she jumps slightly when you call out to her. “Hey, wait!”

She slowly comes to a stop before turning around to face you, smiling as she does so. “Hello, dear.”

“You… all of this is happening because of you, isn’t it?” You question and cautiously step towards her. “It all makes sense now. The strawberries, the whole Valentine’s Day spiel, the being sucked into a freaking movie for fuck sake… it’s all because of you.”

She lets out a breath before nodding her head in agreement. “You caught on a lot sooner than I anticipated.”

“What- how can you even say that?” You snap and feel Harry places his hand on your back as a source of comfort. “You-you just stepped in and messed with my life. I didn’t ask for this, I don’t understand why-.”

“Do the two of you love each other?” She cuts you off, and you squint your eyes at her.

“What?”

“Do the two of you love each other?” She repeats and steps towards the two of you.

“Well yeah, of course, we do,” Harry speaks up. “I love Y/N more than she’ll ever know.”

“Good. And what about you, dear, do you love him?”

“More than anything,” you state as a smile dances across the lady’s mouth. “But why does that matter?”

“The two of you were just put through a major test that many people would be at each other’s throats about by now,” she explains. “The concept of being sucked into a fictional universe is so obscure and unrealistic that many would freak out at even the thought, but not you two. The both of you worked together to make the most out of hand you were dealt, adapting to something so surreal to you, but not letting it effect those who don’t know any different from what rights in front of them.”

She’s talking about your friends, and your heart drops at the thought of it. The T-Birds and Pink Ladies have been completely oblivious to any of this because this has become their reality, a reality that you and Harry are very much a part of now. You shake your head at the thought before looking back at the lady and letting out a chopped breath. “But why, why us?”

“I thought you could use some Valentine’s Day magic,” she responds before turning around and beginning to make way down the hallway again. You watch her make it a few steps before stepping forward yourself and speaking again.

“But how do we get home?”

“Make it to the end of the movie,” she states with a shrug. “Get the ending back on track.”

“It’s already on track,” Harry explains. “Nothing has happened that could possibly change the movies ending now.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” she replies before tilting her chin upwards to motion behind the two of you, before disappearing around a corner.

You and Harry glance at each other confused beyond belief of what to do next, but before you can even think up a plan; a soft familiar voice speaks up from behind you. “Guys?”

Your heart plummets into the pit of your stomach as you and Harry slowly turn around to face your friends staring back at you with hurt expressions.

“What do you mean home?” Doody asks first.

“You guys lied to us?” Jan adds in as well, and you feel your heart sinking even more. “Who are you two?”

“Jan we’re still us,” you desperately try to explain as you feel the tears pooling in your eyes. “We’re just not… we’re not the Harry and Y/N you think we are. We don’t belong here.”

“And where exactly is it that you belong then?” Sonny speaks up.

“Far from here,” Harry starts. “You would never believe us if we told you.”

“Try us,” Putzie challenges.

“W-we’re from a different universe,” you explain and feel even crazier as you do so. “This whole world we’re in isn’t our own. Harry and I live in a reality where this is a movie to all of us who live there.”

“So, you’re saying we don’t exist in your world?” Marty asks, still looking confused as ever.

“The actors that play you do, but this,” Harry says and gestures to your surroundings. “This is all part of the movie world.”

The six of your friends that stand in front of you start talking about how ridiculous that all is, and you feel a pressure building on your chest as you watch it all unfold and Sonny finally speaks up again. “Maybe you both should just go back to your little world then seeing as you care so little for ours.”

“That’s not true,” you plead with them and feel the tears streaming down your cheeks now. “You guys have become our friends. This whole thing has been bearable because of all of you, we wouldn’t have been able to figure anything out if it weren’t for you guys letting us in.”

“Well, you can figure the rest out on your own,” Putzie states. “Have a nice trip back to wherever you two are going.”

You watch with a heavy heart as they all send you one last hurt glance before turning around and going back towards the dancefloor; all except Frenchy. A soft sob leaves your mouth as the girl who you’ve become closest with looks back at you with watery eyes. You wipe a tear away before stepping towards her but cringe slightly as she steps back. “French, please let me explain.”

“What is there to explain Y/N?” She asks with a shaky voice. “You lied to us. What did you plan on doing when you reached the end of the movie, huh? Just disappear with no explanation of why? A real friend doesn’t do that if we were actually friends, maybe you would’ve asked us for help.”

“Frenchy, it really isn’t that simple-.”

“Save it Y/N. I hope you guys get back to wherever home is safe. It was nice knowing ya.” And with that, she sends you both a sad smile before disappearing around the corner with everyone else.

You stare at the now empty hallway for a moment before Harry pulls you into his chest and starts rubbing your back while choked sobs leave your mouth. “H, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know bub, but we’ll figure something out,” he tells you soothingly all while feeling rather shitty about this whole thing as well. “C’mon lets get out of here.”

You and Harry go the next few days/weeks… you’re not sure; without any communication from any of your friends. They all go out of their way ignore the both of you in the hallways, at the drive-in, everywhere and it becomes increasingly difficult to not be able to speak with those who helped you adapt to this world, but there isn’t much you can really do.

The day of the big race at Thunder Road; the race all the boys were fixing up Kenickie’s car for, comes up very fast and you can tell Harry is a little bummed he’s not going to be there to watch his friend win a race with the car he helped fix for it. You watch silently as he pushes around the food on his plate while the two of you are sat in the diner and let out a huff.

You both decided to skip school for the day to clear your minds about everything, and just with watching him quietly sulk to himself; you relate more to when he said comfortable silence is so overrated more than ever. You bite down on your lip as you start feeling sorry for him, before reaching across the table to lace your fingers with his. “H?”

He hums in response but doesn’t make eye contact before some loud, obnoxious voices speak up from a couple of tables away from yours. The two of you glance over at the guys sitting nearby discussing the race at Thunder Road, but these aren’t just any ordinary guys – they’re The Scorpions; the rivals of the T-Birds.

“When they show up, I’m gonna distract them,” the leader of the group tells the other guys. “And then when they’re not looking, I need one of you guys to cut the breaks on Kenickie’s car. Can’t have them winning on our own turf.”

“H, if they do that… Danny won’t win the race,” you whisper to your boyfriend, who gives you a knowing look. “If that happens, Danny could get hurt but-.”

“It also changes how the movies could end,” he finishes for you, and you bite down on your lip again. “Fuck Y/N, we need to warn them. Not only could this be our last chance at getting home, but that’s also our friends out there.”

“I know,” you tell him with a nod before standing up and pulling him with you. “Come on, before it’s too late.”

The two of you rush back to Rydell High, but much to your dismay; everyone has already left to get to Thunder Road. As you and Harry look at each other unsure of what to do next, you see Sandy talking to Rizzo and are surprised when Sandy lights up once she locks eyes with you. “Harry, Y/N, are you two going to Thunder Road by chance? I really need to talk to Danny.”

“Yeah,” you respond and earn an eye roll from Rizzo. “But we don’t know how to get there, Riz do you?”

“Why would I tell you? Haven’t the two of you done enough already? Also, why would you care, this isn’t even your world.”

“Actually Riz, we just overheard The Scorpions plan to cut the breaks on Kenickie’s car; so yeah, you may all hate us – but at least we’re trying to make sure no one is hurt,” you tell her firmly and in all the time you’ve spent in this movie; you see Rizzo speechless.

“Sandy knows how to get there,” she responds, and you nod. “You guys stay safe out there too.”

“Come on we don’t have much time,” Sandy speaks up and starts walking towards the parking lot.

Harry grabs onto your hand to lead you towards the car, but you pause slightly to look back at the leader of The Pink Ladies. “Thanks, Riz, also I know what people are saying about you around the school. Don’t take it too much to heart… you’ll know why soon enough.”

“I forgot about the whole everyone thinking she was pregnant part,” Harry mumbles into your ear as the two of you head after Sandy.

“Yeah,” you tell him softly. “Rizzo means well, as a friend… I don’t want her to beat herself up, you know?”

“I know,” he replies and places a soft peck to your temple before breaking away from you so the three of you can hop into his car and get to Thunder Road.

There’s already a good crowd of people gathered once you get there, and it’s clear that Kenickie and Danny are arguing with the Scorpions in the centre of it all. Away from the commotion, a lone Scorpion is sneaking around the back of Kenickie’s car with a pair of wire cutters in hand and you’ve never seen Harry floor it as hard as he does in that moment. The car skids to a stop once you’re closer to the group and the two of you are quick in climbing out of the vehicle in order to stop the guy. You’ve caught everyone’s attention at this point, but don’t let it faze you as you walk right up to the guy crouching on the ground, still out of sight from everyone else and snatch the wire cutter out of his hands.

“I’ll take those,” you state with a sarcastic grin as surprised gasps and voices sound from around you.

“That guy was going to cut the breaks,” Doody speaks up, and more chatter rises.

“Yeah, and I would have gotten away with it,” the Scorpion snaps, before standing up and glaring at you.

“Doesn’t matter,” Harry steps in, before looking him up and down. “Now step away from my girl and get out of my face.”

“Wow, these guys really are rubbing off on you huh,” you say to him quietly as the guy marches back over to his group.

“Whatever,” he replies with a laugh. Soon enough, the two of you are surrounded by your entire friend group; minus Sandy and Rizzo and they all stare at you with wide eyes.

“You two just saved Danny’s life,” Marty is the first to say something.

“Boy are we glad you guys decided to show up,” Putzie adds before gripping onto Harry’s hand and pulling him in for a bro hug.

You watch as all the guys huddle around Harry and smile to yourself fondly as they all greet him like an old friend. You’re about to step away and let them have their moment before Jan speaks up.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” She asks you with a raised eyebrow.

“Well I-,” you ramble as Marty grabs onto your hand and pulls you towards one of the many cars nearby.

“You’re gonna watch the race with all of us, right?” The brunette questions with a smile.

“Of course,” you respond as Jan and Frenchy join the two of you.

You look at your orange-haired friend before she sends you a broad smile, before giving you a sideways hug. “Glad to have you back, Y/N. The Pink Ladies felt empty without you.”

With a small smile to yourself and a knowing wink from Harry; you feel better than you have recently with everything that’s gone on. You didn’t really think of it all that much before, but you really are going to miss all these people when you have to leave… If you can leave.

Not much else is said as everyone gets into position, and the race starts. The race plays out just as it does in the movie with The Scorpion leader playing dirty, but Danny turning it around and beating him. Everyone rushes to Danny’s parked car to congratulate him for winning once it’s all done, but you and Harry find yourselves standing back from them.

“Looks like we’re going home soon now, huh?” Your boyfriend asks.

“I guess so,” you respond while scrunching up your face. “Kind of bittersweet.”

“I know, but this isn’t our life to be living in anymore.”

“Can you stop being right all the time?” You start dramatically while he just laughs. “It’s annoying.”

“Can’t, sorry,” he tells you with a shrug, and you swat his arm. “Let’s get out of here though, the carnival scene awaits.”

The next day you’re sitting in class with Marty as Principle McGee is giving her announcement over the PA system to the graduating class. It absolutely blows your mind how everything that has happened took place over eight months…. When really, it’s only been about an hour and thirty minutes in real-time. God, if you don’t get out of movie time soon, you swear that you’re going to get a whiplash or something.

After the announcement is over, all classes are dismissed; therefore, you and Marty start making way out to the football field to meet up with everyone else. The two of you reach the bottom of the stairs and part ways almost immediately. You find yourself wandering around for a few minutes alone before you almost run straight into Rizzo and Kenickie.

“So, you’re leaving after this, huh?” Rizzo asks and looks at you with an unreadable expression.

“Uh yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, this place is going to suck without you and Styles here to mess everything up,” Kenickie adds before him, and Rizzo pulls you in for a group hug.

“Are you two trying to make me cry?” You ask as you hug both of them back, letting out a sigh.

“Is it working?” They say in unison.

“Definitely.”

You pull away from the two, and they say their goodbyes before heading off in a different direction. Just as you’re about to start wandering around again, a strong pair of arms snake their way around your waist and pull you against them. There’s no point in guessing who it is because you’d recognize those ring clad fingers anywhere and have no time to comprehend anything before Harry’s spinning you around in his hold and crashing his lips against yours.

“Ready to finish this up and get home love?” He mumbles against your lips after a moment of making out.

“More than ready,” you tell him and start pulling him towards where you know the rest of your friends are.

You reach everyone just as they’re finishing up singing, You’re the One That I Want, feeling a sudden wave of sadness… You’re going to miss the ridiculously random breaking out in songs like this.

“Oh look, the whole gang’s back together,” Frenchy says as the two of you approach.

“We’re sure gonna you guys when you leave,” Doody chimes in, and everyone falls silent.

“Try not to forget about us when you go,” Jan adds in as well, and everyone mumbles sad ‘yeahs’ in agreement.

“Nah that’ll never happen,” Danny says while sending a wink your way as you nod in agreement.

“How do you know?” Sonny asks, getting in Danny’s face slightly.

“What do you mean, how do I know?” Danny challenges and pushes him backward. You watch as he falls back onto the high striker game all of you are standing beside and the weight reaches the top with an obnoxious ding. With a loud laugh, you place your hands over your eyes just as Danny says the opening line for the very last song of the movie. “Wop ba-ba lu-mop!”

“Wop bam boom!”

Everyone around your group breaks out in dance to the sound of We Go Together, and you can’t help the giant smile that stays plaster on your face. The fun and happiness radiating off of everyone around you is contagious, and the matching dimpled grin that stays on Harry’s face lets you know he feels the same way.

As much as you really don’t want to join in on the dance, you find yourself busting a move to the catchy tune just as you and Harry get dragged away from everyone by Sandy and Danny. The couple doesn’t say anything as they take you away from everyone to an awaiting car; but not just any car, the car Sandy and Danny fly off in at the end of the song.

The couple doesn’t say anything as they take you away from everyone to an awaiting car; but not just any car, the car Sandy and Danny fly off in at the end of the song.

“What’s this?” You ask them and send a sideways glance to Harry.

“Your way back home,” Danny states.

You feel your heart swell as they both pull you and Harry in for a quick hug and have to take a deep breath to keep yourself from crying. Once they pull away, Sandy looks at you and smiles gently. “Thank you for taking care of us all and making sure our story ends the way it’s supposed to.”

“It was my pleasure,” you tell her before getting pulled in for one last hug.

“Ready to go home, Y/N?” Harry asks softly as Sandy and Danny take off towards the others.

“You bet,” you tell him and pull him down for a quick kiss before climbing into the passenger seat of the car.

Harry gets into the driver’s side and revs the engine a little bit, wrapping his arm around your waist to pull you closer to him before inching forward. The crowd of students starts breaking away to create a path for the two of you to drive down, and you continue smiling like an idiot.

You reach the end of the crowd, and the car lifts off the ground, just like it does in the movie with Sandy and Danny. You glance at Harry; who just smiles, before turning around to wave at all of your friends – watching them disappear as you and Harry are consumed be an extremely bright light.

The annoyingly loud ringtone you have set on your phone awakes you from your deep slumber as you slowly blink your eyes open to the sunlight-filled room. The tone goes silent, but you couldn’t care less as you let out a loud groan and stretch out your very stiff body. You remove Harry’s arm from around your waist and slowly sit up on the couch, rubbing at your tired eyes as you glance at the date displayed on your phone; February 15th.

“Oh my god,” you gasp and look down at your still sleeping boyfriend. You start shaking him and chuckle as incoherent sleepy words leave his mouth. “H wake up, we’re home.”

“We’re what?” He asks before finally opening his eyes. Another soft laugh leaves your mouth as he sits right up and looks around your living room. “Holy shit, we are.”

He looks to you, and as soon as your eyes meet, you tackle him back onto the couch with a hug. “We did it!”

You lean down to connect your lips to his and moan when his hands start roaming your body in a new soft and intimate way; different from how he touched you in the movie while being worried about someone seeing the two of you in the back of his car. After a few moments of doing this, you find yourself breaking away from the kiss and chuckling slightly. “As much as you’ve already managed to turn me on, don’t you think this would be much better in our bed? I miss that thing.”

“You read my mind,” he replies with a laugh before gripping onto your ass tightly and sitting up straight so that you’re straddling him. He connects his lips to yours once again in a quick kiss, but it ends as fast as it started. “Weirdest dream ever, huh?”

“Fuck, don’t even call it a dream; it’ll mess with my head too much. That all seemed so real.”

“Oh, I know,” he tells you before glancing over at the few remaining strawberries that are still in the pack from being left out overnight when you two fell asleep on the couch. “Think Jeff will believe me if I told him what happened?”

“Hell no,” you state firmly.

“Ok, but what if we got Mitch or Gemma to eat the rest of those strawberries?”

“Nope,” you tell him as you scramble off of them and make a dive for the fruit before he can. “These are going in the garbage.”

“You’re no fun,” he whines as you walk over to the kitchen and toss out the container.

“Oh, grow up,” you sass as you walk back into the room. Just as you’re about to say another witty remark, you glance at the television screen where it’s paused on a picture of all eight of your friends from the movie. A smile dances its way across your lips as you look to Harry and gesture for him to look at the screen as well.

He stares at it for a second, before shaking his head and turning back to face you. “I actually miss them.”

“Me too,” you agree and send him a wink. “Guess we’ll have to watch it again so we can see them.

“I think the fuck, not Y/N. I don’t need any more Grease in my life for a long time.”

743 notes · View notes

starletwriting · 5 years ago

Text

Killervibe Fic Week Day Four: Free Day

Word Count: 5840

Notes: Based off of the popular headcanon that Lia (Nora’s best friend from the 5x18 flashforwards episode) is Killervibe’s adopted daughter, due to the fact that she parallels both Cisco and Caitlin in a lot of ways, has a similar personality to Cisco, and displays a lot of Cisco’s mannerisms, even in just the one episode she appears in. This is also a bit canon divergent, because Barry never disappears in this fic, and Nora gets her powers a lot sooner than she does on the show. This fic honestly ended up being a bit more centered around Lia than it is around Killervibe, but it’s still a Killervibe fic because Caitlin and Cisco are married and they’re raising a kid together.

Warnings: character death (albeit one that was shown in the actual show), mourning, brief mention of a funeral

Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath

~~~

Lia was five.

Cisco held her on his shoulders and walked around the kitchen humming a melody. Lia couldn’t stop giggling. Her dad bounced her around playfully and Lia would shriek with laughter every time. He would twirl around, and she would hold onto him and cheer happily.

“I have to put you down now, sweetie.”

“Aww!” Lia protested. “But this is fun!”

“I’m sorry.” Cisco said, setting her gently on the ground in front of him. “But I have to make dinner, and it’s hard to do that with you on my shoulders.”

“Then I wanna help!”

Cisco smiled. “You’re gonna help me make dinner?”

Lia nodded.

“Well, thank you, kiddo. I appreciate the help.” Cisco ruffled her hair affectionately. “We’re going to need the meat from the freezer. Can you go get that out?”

“Yeah!” She ran over to the fridge and pulled open the freezer door, then she climbed up on the door’s railing to get better leverage, and rummaged through the freezer until she found what she was looking for. She shut the freezer closed and hurried back over to her dad, proudly presenting the meat.

“Good job!”

Lia beamed.

Cisco got out the stuff that was too high for her to reach or too heavy for her to hold, but he let Lia get out everything she could. Before long, they had set out all the ingredients on the counter, and Cisco showed her how to prepare it.

“First, you cut the meat. I’m going to do this because I don’t want you to hurt yourself, but you can watch, and when you’re older you’ll know how to do it.”

“Okay!”

Cisco cut the meat into small sections and tossed them onto the pan to cook. Lia watched intently, sitting on the counter and dangling her legs as she did.

Fifty minutes later, the two of them had prepared a full meal.

Caitlin joined them, commenting on how good it smelled. Cisco made her a plate and Lia presented it to her, beaming with pride.

“Mommy! I helped make dinner!”

“Really? Look at you, being helpful!” Caitlin took a bite of her food and turned back to Lia. “Well, you did good, because it’s delicious.”

“Thank you!” Lia said. “Do you think I could be a chef one day?”

“You can be whatever you want to be, sweetheart.”

Caitlin kissed the top of Lia’s head. Lia grinned, and ran back to Cisco to get her own plate of food.

~~~

Lia was six.

It was Mother’s Day morning. Caitlin woke up to her husband and daughter greeting her with breakfast in bed, something they did for her every Mother’s Day. And, every year, she thanked them with the same amount of surprise she did the year before. There were eggs, bacon, toast, and a yogurt parfait, which was all Caitlin needed.

“Thank you, guys!” Caitlin said. “This looks great.”

Cisco sat on his side of the bed and hoisted Lia up on his lap. “Lia was really excited about helping prepare the eggs this year.”

Lia nodded, as if confirming Cisco’s words. “Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy!”

“Thanks, sweetheart!”

“Mommy, I have something for you!”

“Lia, I thought we were giving her the presents at lunch?” Cisco asked.

“I know, but I just can’t wait! I’m excited!”

“Alright,” Cisco chuckled. “Go bring her your gift.”

Lia hopped off the bed and ran into the other room to get it. When she returned, she was carrying a small pot of flowers and a single paper.

“Daddy took me to the store to pick out flowers for you!” Lia said, handing her the flowers. “He said these are your favorite.”

They were white lilies, placed in a beautiful decorative assortment with some light blue daisies for color. She had always loved lillies, and the white and blue color scheme fit well for her. She turned to Cisco with a warm, grateful smile.

“And then I drew this for you!”

Lia gave Caitlin the paper she had been holding. It was a drawing done in colored pencil, depicting a triangular slice of pie.

“I’m not good at drawing people, but then I remembered that time we made pie together and I drew that!” Lia said.

Caitlin couldn’t help the smile growing on her face. She hugged Lia tight and kissed her forehead.

“Thank you, sweetie. I love it.”

“You’re welcome!” Lia said. “Thanks for being the best Mommy ever.”

“Ever?” Caitlin laughed.

Lia nodded. “The best Mommy in the whole wide world!”

“Well, that’s all because I have the best daughter in the whole wide world.”

Lia giggled. “Thanks, Mommy.”

~~~

Lia was eight.

She groaned because Nora had won Mario Kart for the sixth time in the last hour.

“How are you so good at this?”

Nora shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of practice. I play against my dad a lot.”

“I never knew Uncle Barry was good at Mario Kart.”

“He’s not, really.” Nora leaned forwards and grabbed some chips off of the plate on the table. “I win against him all the time. Uncle Wally is really good, though. I play against him and Aunt Jesse whenever they come to visit. Sometimes Aunt Jenna will play with me, but she’s busy with homework and studying.”

“Let’s play one last round.” Lia said. “I’m bound to win at least one.”

“If you’re sure.” Nora picked up her controller again. “I’ll be Peach.”

Lia selected Rosalina for her character. “I get to pick the course this time. Which means absolutely no Rainbow Road.”

“We’ve done easier courses.” Nora said. “I still won.”

“No need to brag.” Lia scoffed. “Alright, let’s do Yoshi Circuit. I like that one.”

The race started, and Nora took off with the boost at the beginning. Lia sighed. She was already in first place.

Lia picked up every power-up that she could find in hopes of getting something that would help. At one point, she hit Nora with a red shell and pulled into first place, and she cheered at her victory. However, her cheer caused her to lose her place as Nora took the opportunity to hit Lia with a blue shell and reclaim her position.

Inevitably, Nora finished the race in first, and Lia pulled in third.

Lia sighed in resignation and turned the tv off.

“Fine, you win.”

“We can play something else if you want.”

Before Lia could reply to Nora’s offer, the sound of footsteps cut her off and caused the two of them to look at the source of the sound. Cisco walked downstairs, twirling his keys in his hand, and turned to the girls on his living room couch.

“I have a question for you two,” He said. “What would you say to going out and getting Big Belly Burger?”

Their response was simultaneous. “Yes!”

Cisco smiled. “I thought so. C’mon, let’s get in the car.”

Both girls ran into the garage and scrambled to climb into the backseat of Cisco’s car. Cisco followed behind and got in the driver’s seat. When he started the car, he put on the radio so the kids could listen to music.

The kids played rock-paper-scissors in the backseat until Cisco pulled into the drive-thru.

“Okay, tell me your orders one at a time.” Cisco said. “If I can’t hear you, then I can’t order anything for you.”

Lia told him her order, and then Nora. Cisco got the both of them the meals they wanted, and when the food came, he stretched backseat to hand them their food.

“Thanks, Dad!”

“Thanks, Uncle Cisco!”

Lia took a huge bite out of her burger. Nora dug into her fries first, saving her burger for later.

Cisco drove a bit further until he arrived at the park. They brought their food to a picnic table in the shade, and ate there. The kids traded their Happy Meals toys and shared fries, and drank the smoothies they had ordered until they got brain freeze.

“When you’re done with your food, then you can go play.” Cisco gestured towards the playground. “But you have to be done with your food first.”

“Okay!”

The kids wolfed down their food as fast as their eight-year-old mouths could chew. They threw away their trash only after Cisco reminded them to, then raced to the playground. Nora naturally won, which caused Lia to only sigh once more.

“One more time!” Lia insisted. “I’m going to win this time.”

Nora laughed. “If you say so.”

Cisco watched the kids play with a smile on his face, then turned back to his burger.

~~~

Lia was eleven.

She woke up to snow and the news that school had been canceled. For a sixth-grader, there’s no better thing.

Caitlin told her that if she bundled up in winter clothes, then she could go outside. Lia got dressed into her warmest winter coat and furry winter boots, and Caitlin put on a scarf, hat, and mittens.

Lia ran outside and twirled around in the snow until she got dizzy, then she laid on the ground and made snow angels.

Her parents invited the West-Allens over to enjoy their day off school. Barry and Iris stayed inside and talked with Caitlin and Cisco over a cup of hot coffee, while Lia and Nora played around in the snow. They got as much snow together as they could and tried to make a snowman, but it ended up just looking like a deformed pile of snow.

The kids ran inside and convinced their parents to come out and enjoy the weather with them, and eventually the parents gave in. They put on their coats and walked out into the snow, leaving footprints as they did so.

“We tried to make a snowman, but it didn’t work out so well.” Nora sighed.

“You just need to know how to properly make a snowman.” Cisco said. “My brother and I used to make snowmen all the time when we were kids. Here, I’ll show you.”

He began gathering a small round lump of snow and shaped it into a ball as if he was making a snowball. Then, he rolled it against the snow and watched it grow in size.

“You don’t just lump the snow together. There has to be a method to your madness.” He said. “You have to roll it out, like so.”

The two families all joined forces in rolling out the snow and forming it until it looked more like an actual snowman. Once they had the base, then they rolled out another ball of snow for the middle, then they made the head. Lia and Nora went searching for stones that they could use as buttons, and Caitlin went and got a carrot from inside for the nose.

“He’s missing a hat.” Lia said. “Snowmen in the movies all have hats.”

“Well, we don’t have any stereotypical top hats if that’s what you’re looking for.” Caitlin said.

“Mom, can you make one?” Lia asked. “Please?”

“Alright.” Caitlin said. “For you.”

She took her gloves off and handed them to Iris to hold. She concentrated for a second- it only took a second. Her eyes glowed a bright icy white, and her hair changed to match. Snow swirled from her fingertips and clumped together on the top of the snowman’s head to form a nice, perfectly shaped top hat like the one Lia wanted. The second she was done, her eyes reverted to their normal state, and her hair melted back to brown.

“Thank you!”

“There it is,” Nora looked at the snowman with the same pride a mother would look at her child. “Our perfect snowman.”

“He needs a name.” Barry said. “What’re we gonna name him?”

“Hm…” Lia pondered.

“What about Ronald?” Iris suggested. “He looks like a Ronald to me.”

“Ronald the Snowman.” Nora laughed.

“I like it.” Lia said. “Ronald the Snowman it is.”

No one saw it coming. It happened when everyone was distracted by the snowman. They only saw the aftermath.

Barry’s chest had a white puff of snow right in the center. He had felt the impact and looked up at Cisco, who was holding another snowball in his hand and snickering.

“Gotcha.”

“Oh yeah?” Barry smirked. He leaned down and picked up snow off the ground to form his own snowballs for payback. With his speed, he formed four snowballs in no time at all, and sent them all flying at Cisco. “How’s that for payback?”

Cisco brushed the snow off his jacket. “Oh, it’s on, Allen.”

Iris and Caitlin watched the two of them and laughed to themselves.

“I swear, even now they still act so much like kids sometimes.” Iris said.

“You wanna join them?” Caitlin asked.

“Oh, absolutely.” Iris nodded. “Let’s team up so we can win against them.”

“Deal.”

The kids were all too keen on the idea of a snowball fight. They grabbed as much snow as they could carry, and prepared to defend themselves against their parents.

Before long, their snowball fight was an all-out war… but all in good fun. Loyalties shifted throughout the game. Iris ended up allying herself with Barry, and Caitlin with Cisco. The kids joined their parents. Turns out the West-Allens are really good at making snowballs. Iris and Nora were tough competition to beat, but Lia and Cisco managed. With their powers, all bets were off. Caitlin could create new snowballs from thin air and pass them on to her husband and daughter. Cisco could open breaches and drop them on the West-Allens while he stayed a far ways away, safe from any snowballs they might throw in retaliation. Barry and Nora could use their speed to make a bunch of snowballs within seconds, and to attack their opponents before they knew what was happening.

At the end of the day, Caitlin’s endless supply of snowballs and Cisco’s breaches declared the more useful tactic. The Ramon family was declared the winners, and both families went inside for a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire.

Nora and Lia talked and laughed, sipping their hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows on top. The adults all chatted with each other and enjoyed their own beverages.

The West-Allens stayed for dinner as well. By the time they went home, Lia was sad to see them go. She hugged Nora tight, despite the fact that she’d see her at school the very next day.

Lia decided then and there that snow days were her favorite.

~~~

Lia was fourteen.

High school hit her hard. The workload was tons more than she was used to, the school was bigger, the teachers were new, and what’s more, Nora went to a different high school, so Lia was alone and friendless.

She found herself tapping her pencil against the kitchen table, trying to will her mind to focus but to no avail. The clock ticked as seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. She groaned and grabbed her hair in her fists, but nothing helped.

There was a math test tomorrow in first period, and yet she understood nothing. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the answers right, and she was doomed to fail.

“Honey?”

Lia looked up to see her mother, looking at her with an expression of concern.

“You okay?” She gently brushed Lia’s hair behind her ear. “Do you need help?”

As much as Lia’s pride urged her to deny the offer, her better judgement said otherwise.

“Yes.” She said. “Desperately.”

“I’ll help, then.” Caitlin pulled up a chair and sat down so that she could better look over Lia’s assignment. “You’re doing math?”

Lia nodded. “It’s confusing, and it’s hard, and I hate it.”

“If you approach it with that attitude, then you won’t learn.” Caitlin’s voice was gentle and guiding. “Here, let’s take it one step at a time.”

“I tried that, I don’t even know where to start!” Lia’s frustration got the better of her, and she snapped. “High school is so much harder than middle school. I wish I could go back to when things were easy, and simple, and I didn’t have to worry about stupid complicated math problems, or kids that think it’s weird that I’m adopted, because apparently that’s a bad thing, or- or-” Lia started to choke up a bit on her words. She felt a lump in her throat forming. As much as she hated it, tears started to well up in her eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. “Or having to feel alone at school because Nora’s going to some fancy charter school that I didn’t get into, and I have to face the fact that I’ve really only had one friend my whole life and that’s because you and Dad have been friends with the West-Allens since before I came along! Eating lunch at school sucks because I have to sit out in the hallway when I don’t know anyone and I just stare at the blank pages of a book I don’t really want to read, just so I look a little less awkward!” Her tears were streaming down her cheeks now, but she didn’t care. “And on top of that, I’m- I’m confused, and I wish I could talk to Nora about it but Nora’s always busy with homework, and I know it’s not her fault, and I’m not angry at her, I just… feel so alone, and lost, and… it’s so complicated.”

“Sweetie,” Caitlin wiped Lia’s tears from her face. “I’m sorry you’re feeling this way. If you were confused, you could’ve just talked to me.”

“No, that’s-” Lia shook her head. “You don’t get it.”

“Then help me understand.”

Lia stayed silent for a long moment. Caitlin wondered if she was ever gonna talk. Lia just cried into her hands, and sniffed, and blew her nose into a tissue. She was conflicted, fighting an inner battle between her emotions and her better judgment. She was pained, that much was clear. Something was troubling her, and she knew that it would hurt to speak it aloud, but she also knew that it was something she had to say.

“I… I think I like girls.” Lia muttered, finally. “And boys. I think? I don’t know. It’s all so confusing, and I just wish I could figure myself out already without all this contemplating nonsense.”

“Oh, honey.” Caitlin hugged her daughter. “There’s no rush to figure yourself out. That’s your journey, and there’s no beginning or end to it. Whoever you are, your dad and I will love you just the same. But you can’t force it. You have to figure yourself out at your own pace.”

Lia sniffed. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I’m sorry you feel alone at school. Would you want to join some clubs to try to meet new people?”

“That sounds scary.” Lia said. “New environment.”

“I get that.” Caitlin said. “Well, how about this? This weekend, you and Nora can go out shopping, see a movie, whatever you’d like, and you’d get to spend some quality time together. I can’t promise that Nora will be free every weekend, but maybe you girls could come up with a plan to get together and have a sleepover maybe once a month, just to catch up. And I’m sure your dad wouldn’t mind hosting dinners with the West-Allens more often.”

Lia smiled through her tears. “That sounds like fun.”

“But for now, let’s just focus on this math problem.” Caitlin said. “I promise, life will work itself out, but you have to take it one step at a time.”

“Okay.” She picked her pencil back up. “I’m ready to try.”

“That’s my girl.”

~~~

Lia was eighteen.

Various packing boxes sat before her. Her college dorm was a lot smaller than she had expected, but from what she heard, that was normal. By some hint of luck, both Lia and Nora had been accepted into Central City University, and their request to be roommates was approved. Nora had finished unpacking in mere seconds. Granted, she used her speed, and Lia unfortunately was left to unpack at a normal human pace.

“The worst part about being adopted,” Lia sighed. “Not inheriting powers.”

“Don’t worry. I gotcha.” In a flurry of yellow and purple lightning, Nora emptied out all of Lia’s boxes and arranged her posters, decorations, and other belongings along her space. She skidded to a halt, and turned to Lia. “How’s that? If you don’t like it, I can undo it.”

“That looks…” Lia looked at her newly decorated space in awe. “Wonderful. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Nora flopped down onto her bed. “Just one of the perks of having a speedster for a best friend.”

“Another perk is never letting said speedster best friend forget the time she sped-run right into a stop sign.” Lia gently shoved Nora’s shoulder in a friendly-teasing gesture.

Nora groaned at the memory. “That hurt like hell. I had a bruise on my face for three whole days.”

“Hey, three days is not a lot.” Lia sat down next to Nora. “Be glad you have speed-healing.”

“I’d be lost without it.” Nora said. “When I got my powers, the first thing Dad taught me was how to brake. Thank god for that.”

“And yet it only works if you’re paying attention to what’s in front of you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nora chuckled.

“Oh! I wanted to ask.” Lia spoke suddenly, as if it had just occurred to her. “Apparently some other freshman in a dorm not too far from ours are having a movie night tonight. Some girl passed me in the hallway earlier and asked if I’d want to go.”

“Do you wanna go?”

Lia shrugged. “I’ll go if you do. Otherwise, I’ll pass.”

“Well, how about we have a Netflix night tonight, just the two of us?” Nora said. “We can binge more classic tv shows from when our parents were in college, and even better, I’ll run to the store and get snacks. I’ll buy some chocolate for me and some licorice for you.”

“You know me so well.” Lia smiled. “That sounds great.”

“Hey, what’re best friends for?” Nora said. “You get Netflix pulled up. I’ll be back in a sec with snacks.”

She sped out the door, leaving a trail of purple and yellow lightning behind her.

~~~

Lia was twenty.

The steak was warm and well-cooked. Her mom had prepared green beans and mashed potatoes. The West-Allens had brought over some food as well. Barry had prepared it, seeing as how he’s always been better at Iris than cooking. No one would ever admit that to Iris, but they knew it was true. Too many times in Nora and Lia’s youth, Nora would complain that her mom was cooking that night because her dad was busy.

The Christmas tree was lit up and decorated with ornaments. They had decorated it together, both the Ramons and the West-Allens, just earlier that day. After all, Christmas Eve should be spent with family, and the West-Allens were exactly that.

Lia had spent the last few weeks shopping for both her parents, Nora, and Barry and Iris. As a college kid living off of frozen pizzas and ramen, she didn’t have too much to spend on gifts, but she was proud of what she ended up getting, and confident that they would like it.

“I hope the weather’s been treating you well.” Caitlin reached for the gravy.

“Actually, I got a pretty bad cold last week.” Lia said. “It sucked ass, but Nora made me hot tea, which was nice of her.”

Nora shrugged. “It was the least I could do.”

“Colds are the worst.” Caitlin sighed. “I’m glad you’re better now, though.”

“Actually, something exciting happened not too long ago.” Nora turned to Lia. “Tell them, Lia.”

“Oh! Right!” Lia smiled, and turned to everybody else at the table. “Nora and I went to our first pride about two weeks ago! It was Central City’s local pride parade. Nora had this huge lesbian flag that she was wearing as a cape, and I had face makeup with the bi pride colors.”

“That sounds like fun!” Cisco said.

Iris smiled. “I’m glad you girls got to go.”

“I already can’t wait for the next one.” Nora said. “We met all sorts of cool new people.”

“Y’know, Wally and Jesse went to a pride parade on Earth-2 not too long ago.” Barry said. “They had a bi pride flag and everything.”

“Oh, cool!” Lia turned to Nora. “I didn’t know your uncle was bi.”

Nora nodded. “Uncle Wally, Aunt Jesse, and Aunt Jenna. I have a lot of bi relatives.”

“How’s Jenna doing, by the way?”

“She’s doing good.” Nora said. “She loves her new job as a therapist. She says the empath powers really work well for her.”

“I can see why.” Lia said through a bit of mashed potatoes.

The friendly conversation continued until dinner was over. They talked in the living room and watched The Polar Express, one of Lia’s favorite movies from when she was a kid, and when the movie was over, they called it a night.

The next day was Christmas.

Lia didn’t wake up at 5am like she used to do every Christmas morning when she was a kid, but she did wake up when the others did, and the group ate breakfast and admired the Christmas lights. When they decided it was time, they passed around the presents from under the tree and opened them one at a time.

She bought Nora a new pair of sneakers, because she constantly wore down her old ones by speeding everywhere. They were cute, and matched Nora’s style perfectly. Even better, they fit perfectly.

“These are so cute!” Nora grinned. “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome!”

Lia had saved up her money to buy an old vintage movie set. They were the classics, from all the way back before her dad was born. She wrapped it carefully and handed it to her dad, and his face glowed up upon seeing it.

“Oh my god, sweetie, thank you!” Cisco squeezed his daughter tight. “This is amazing.”

“I was thinking sometime we could get Twizzlers and watch an old movie or two together.” Lia said. “Just you and me, like a father-daughter movie night.”

“Count me in.” Cisco grinned. “I can’t think of a better way to spend my afternoons.”

As for her mother, Lia had spent some time knitting her a scarf. It was white and blue, like Frost’s preferred color scheme, and it had little snowflakes across the rim.

“I’m not the best at knitting, but I’ve been learning.” Lia said. “And I figured you’re cold a lot with your powers, so I made that for you.”

Caitlin held it in her hands, rubbing the soft material and tracing the snowflakes with her fingers.

“It’s beautiful.” Caitlin exhaled softly, in awe. “Thank you. I couldn’t ask for a better gift.”

“You’re welcome, Mom.”

As the families talked and shared the holiday together, it started to snow ever so lightly outside. That White Christmas went down in Lia’s memory of one of her favorites.

As the day came to a close, Lia was reminded of exactly how wonderful her family is.

~~~

Lia was twenty-eight.

Twenty-eight short years fulled to the brim with happy memories, only to be cut short so abruptly.

No one expected it. No one could have predicted it.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Lia was supposed to live a long and fulfilling life. She was supposed to get married and give Cisco and Caitlin grandkids. She was supposed to be Aunt Lia to Nora’s kids, and vice versa. She was supposed to spend so many more holidays with her family. Her parents weren’t supposed to outlive her.

But fate had other plans.

On that ill-fated day, Lia interfered with the wrong evil speedster. On that day, Godspeed left her for dead. On that day, Lia Ramon’s life ended.

No more movie nights with her dad. No more pride parades with Nora. No more snow days with her mom.

Lia was gone.

Every sweet moment that she had shared with her loved ones was history. They lived on as memories, but that was all they had left of the girl they knew. The girl that Cisco and Caitlin had raised.

Nora was driven into a rage. It’s always easier to be angry than to be sad. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to yell, she wanted to scream. She wanted to track down Godspeed and make him pay. She wanted someone to blame this on, and she wanted justice.

Except… justice wouldn’t bring Lia back.

Godspeed was sent to jail, and Nora had lost her scapegoat for her anger. Instead, she was left with an emptiness. As if she had lost a part of herself, and now there was just a big hole in its place. She would’ve rather have lost her arm than have lost Lia.

Nora found herself falling into a depression.

Cisco and Caitlin didn’t know how to cope with it at first. They couldn’t go on with their lives like normal, but it hurt too much to face the truth. They left Lia’s stuff untouched, because they knew they couldn’t so much as see it without experiencing the pain that came with it.

Lia’s funeral felt dismal.

Cisco started crying during the eulogy. That’s when it really hit him that his daughter was gone. He sobbed into some tissues that Caitlin had brought, and leaned on Caitlin’s shoulder for support.

After the funeral, Cisco and Caitlin went home and finally mustered up the courage to go through Lia’s old childhood bedroom.

Everything in there was attached to some memory of their daughter, and it stung. It just added salt to the wound, but it needed to be done. They needed to pack up Lia’s stuff, they couldn’t leave it out in her room forever. Besides, Lia needed to be honored, not forgotten.

So, together, Cisco and Caitlin went through her room.

Both of them were crying. Their eyes were red and puffy, and their noses were sore. They had brought tissues along with them, and they were going through them quickly. And yet, they found the strength in them to smile despite their tears. They found sweet, treasured memories in the midst of their pain.

“This was her favorite stuffed animal when she was five.” Caitlin sniffed and held up an old, tattered stuffed animal in the shape of a bunny.

“Mr. Snuggles,” Cisco took it and held it in his hands, looking at it with a certain fondness, mixed with nostalgia, and regret, and pain. “She took it everywhere with her.”

“And then one time she lost it at a Target.”

“We had to search for it in every aisle.” Cisco recalled the memory with a sad smile. “Even some of the employees helped look for it.”

“We found it in the toy section,” Caitlin said. “Next to the Legos.”

Caitlin set the stuffed animal in a box.

“Oh, it’s the old cd player.” Cisco picked it up and dusted off the top. “She’d put cds in here and we’d listen to music and have dance parties to old songs.”

“I remember that.” The memory made Caitlin smile. “I used to love watching you two dancing like you didn’t have a care in the world.”

“There was that one time when I convinced you to join us, remember?” Cisco asked. “The three of us, just dancing together, like time didn’t exist and we were immortal.”

Caitlin nodded. “She was adorable, dancing as a toddler.”

“She was.”

Cisco set the cd player in a box.

“Look at this,” Caitlin held up a pink frilly dress and a matching toy wand. “She used to wear this around the house and say she wanted to be a princess when she grew up.”

“She must’ve been about five then,” Cisco rubbed the dress’s scratchy material in between his fingers. “She wanted to be everything. A princess, a chef, a ballerina, a wizard.”

“Remember when she wanted to go to space?”

Cisco nodded. “We always told her the same thing.”

“You can be anything you want to be.” Caitlin said. “As long as you set your mind to it.”

“When she got her job as a CSI, she made us the proudest parents in the multiverse.” Cisco smiled, thinking about the day he got an excited phone call from Lia telling him about the big news.

“Honey, we were already the proudest parents in the multiverse.”

“That is true.”

Caitlin set the dress in a box.

With each item, a new memory. Each happy memory came with a bittersweet aftertaste, each sad memory came with a twang of regret. But no matter what, they knew they weren’t alone.

Cisco grabbed Caitlin’s hand. He held it gently, rubbing her palm with his thumb comfortingly. He met her tear-stained eyes with a look of compassion, understanding, empathy.

“Hey, I know this is hard.” Cisco said. “It’s going to be hard. This isn’t something we can recover from easily. But… it’s going to be okay. Because we have each other.”

More tears streamed from the corners of Caitlin’s eyes. They followed the same path down her cheeks that her other tears did. She had been crying so much that they formed a visible trail down the sides of her face, but she didn’t care. The warmth in Cisco’s eyes was enough to remind her of how loved she was.

“We’re going to get through this, together.” Cisco wrapped his arms around Caitlin and pressed a kiss to her wet cheek. “One bit at a time. We’ll take things slow. And, with time, life will get better. I promise. I’ll be right here with you, every step of the way.”

“Thank you, Cisco.”

It took them a long time to recover from that loss. But life moves on. And, eventually, they healed. They counted on the other, and they provided the support that their partner needed. With time, they learned how to enjoy life again.

After all, it’s what Lia would have wanted.

#killervibeweek19 #killervibeweek #killervibe #lia nelson #lia ramon #cisco ramon #caitlin snow #nora west allen

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