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admirationandromantics · 1 month ago

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Guilt and Grudges, Epilogue

Finally, the ending you've all been waiting for! (It's the dirty stuff you've been waiting for, let's be honest here). As I've said before, got a lot of exams coming up, so I'll not be as active in the next few weeks. I know that Michael is also a popular character, so let me know if you would like something like this for him as well <3 Enjoy the very last chapter of the Chris x reader game based story!

At the police interviews, they were slow to get us some medical attention. It took so long, that when the doctors took a look at Emily's infection, they had to rush her into surgery to stop it. Her parents even threatened to sue the police station.

There was no sign of either Joshua or Jessica there. We met Matt, who said he’d been down in the mines, and was continuously chased by this monster. Of course, no one believed him. When he explained it to us, we told him everything that had happened, and he was truly floored. I can only imagine how scared he must’ve been, being in those mines, all alone, thinking a murderer was after him, and then seeing that horrid creature.

Even after taking all our testimonies, the police didn’t take us seriously. The only thing they truly believed was that someone had died, and the suspects? We were them. I heard Sam through one of the rooms, begging them to check the mines. Both Emily, Chris, Mike and Matt told them to do the same. After relentless begging from all of us, they sent a search party. After all, the Washington family was doing the same, and after the bad investigation of their daughters, they refused to let them go lightly when they considered their son, their last child. No way was he going to get swallowed up by that mountain as well.

Chris begged them, after all, he wanted to see Josh again, to see if there was any chance he was still alive. Ten days went by, and we finally got results. Josh was found, starving and hallucinating down in the mines. They found the body of the old man, who he’s struggled to keep himself away from eating. This news made Chris as happy as I’ve ever seen him. Josh was sent to the hospital, and after that, a psychiatrist. He was put into a mental institution, and put on a new set of hardcore drugs. Even after half a year, he’s still there. Chris visits him regularly, and I think that’s what helps him the most on the path to recovery, having a safe person to confide in. He said that he tried talking to him about what happened, about the monsters, and the prank. The staff tells him that it’s all in his head, that it was all a part of his hallucinations. Chris tried to tell him otherwise, and he spiraled, fell deep in anxiety and depression yet again. His fearful stress demeanour, as well as survival instinct kicked in, and he lost control. We then decided not to tell Josh about all that happened, but that it was better for him to think that he made it up. Part of me hates it, and a part of me envies him. I wish I too could imagine none of it happened, that it was just a bad dream my head conjured up.

The worst part about everything? They found Jessica. Just like Mike had told them, she was dead. I heard some of the details of how. She was down deep, her jaw ripped off her body. They all assume she had some type of episode, and fell down the mines. The mineshaft was fucked up, and when she fell, some type of sharp metal rod must’ve punktured her, and ripped it off. They said she died almost instantly. For her sake, I hope it was true.

We all went to the funeral some days later. All except Josh and Emily, who both were still at the hospital. Sam had some bad burns on her back, but some gel and check-ups later, they said she would be recovering fine. Everyone of us was full of cuts and bleeds, so we all were put on antibiotics, just in case.

Now, a year later, the dreading feelings and stress is starting to make its way back to me. Luckily, both Sam and Chris have helped me a lot. Sam and I still go out for our coffees, now more than usual. It feels good to talk to someone who doesn’t think I’m crazy. Chris and I basically live with each other now, visiting, eating, sleeping together. I often try to invite Ashley out with us, but she rarely replies. I heard that she and Matthew have been hanging together a lot lately, which calms my nerves. At least she’s talking to someone, being with someone. Sam is also keeping in touch with Mike, while Emily has isolated herself from all of us. I understand why. In the interviews, she couldn’t stop talking about how Mike pointed a gun to her head, but considering everything else we said, they didn’t take it seriously, and he didn’t get into any trouble. Last thing I heard, she was getting back into her studies, and solely focusing on them.

At the anniversary, Chris and I went to Jessica's grave. There were already several fresh flowers there, some from Mike, Emily, and other family. I even found a small card addressed to her from Ashley, but I didn’t open it. That must’ve been between them two. After leaving a few pink tulips at her grave, Chris and I went to his place, and we had dinner, and watched some reality tv. We didn’t want to watch a movie, or something scary. All we wanted was a stress-free night. Both our families called to check on us, and during the night, Chris also called Josh’s institution to check on him. They were allowed a supervised call, which went on for two hours. I don’t think Josh handles this day very well, and I don’t blame him. I don’t blame anyone.

Just to be sure, I texted both Ashley and Emily. I asked how they were, and hoped they were fine. I told them how I find today difficult, and I get that they might too. I put a lot of sympathy and guilt in my message to Emily, trying to emphasise how sorry I was. I didn’t get much back, just a thumbs up and that things were fine. Ashley just told me she was trying to forget things.

Even though I lost contact with Emily and Mike, as well as a lot with Ashley, things started to get easier. We slowly went back to normal, and the heavy coffee-conversations with Sam turned to conversations about school, family, tasks, romance and daily life. We were all putting things behind us. I went back to university, doing my best to finish my degree. I sometimes see Emily in the halls, and I give her a small wave. They’ve slowly grown more friendly, and I’ve seen her with more and more people over time. It truly makes me happy.

***

“Chris!” I yell as I walk in the door, arms full of groceries. “Door, please, help!”

“Coming!” He yells back, jogging over and taking one of the bags out of my hand.

“Hey” He smiles, closing in and giving me a small peck on the lips.

“Hey you” I respond, cheeks heating up. He closes the door, and walks with me to the kitchen.

“I find it cute how you still blush when I kiss you” He comments, starting to pack out of the bag. He opens the fridge, putting some of the vegetables inside.

“Really, you like still having that effect on me?”

“I certainly do” He says in a goofy voice, and I shake my head, putting some oatmeal in the pantry.

“How were classes?” He asks, looking up at me, finishing up his bag.

“Ugh, boring. Felt like I got nothing out of today”

“So, not that productive?”

“Nope, feel like I’ve wasted a whole day of my life”

He smiles, walking over to me and putting his arms around my waist. He leans down, letting his head rest on my shoulder.

“Hey you” I ruffle his hair. “I still have groceries left, you need to let me put them back”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll- fuck!” I mutter, feeling his lips on my neck, one of his hands reaching up to move my hair out of the way.

“Chris…”

“Mhmmm?” he asks innocently, tongue and lips going off on my skin. I lean into him, putting the fruit I was holding down on the counter again. He starts sucking, leaving small red marks all over me, working up to my jaw, and back to my ear. He takes it in his mouth, biting down, making me let out a small moan. I feel him smirking against me, hands slowly wandering under my shirt and up to my chest.

“Fuck…”

“Quite a sound you let out there”

“I didn’t-”

“You didn’t mean to? I think you did” he whispers, his warm breath covering my ear, going down my neck. He continues to work with his mouth, tongue moving down to my shoulder, before biting down again, harder than before. I yelp, body jolting a little, but he keeps me in place, holding me tightly. His hands wander up, touching the edge of my bra. I sigh, leaning deeper into him, wanting him to touch me more. Just the thought alone gets me going.

“Wanna move this to the bedroom?” he asks, and I nod. Still, when I turn around, I can’t help myself. My arms fly around his neck, holding myself up on my toes as I connect our lips. I feel his tongue move into me, exploring all the corners of my mouth. He presses himself deeper into me, pulling my body against his as he starts moving backwards, forcing me to follow. His hands fall out of my top, now only touching me over it. I whine in protest, but he stops me with another kiss, almost choking me with his tongue.

“Feeling needy?”

“Yes” I admit, not fighting it at all.

“Wow, not even walking around the bush? You’re absolutely desperate” he whispers in my ear while slowly unlocking the door to the bedroom. I hum and nod, wanting him to get on with it already. He lets out a small laugh before pulling me in again, silencing me with another wet kiss. Slowly but surely, he drags my top off, leaving me in my bra. He pushes me down on the bed before going on top. I can already see the tent in his pants, which I know he struggles not to let out at once. Still, I want him now. I tug on his zipper, trying to get it down, but he stops me, taking both my hands and holding them over my head. His left hand holds both of my wrists down, making sure I can’t do anything.

“Oh, I think you’re a little too eager”

“Please, Chris…”

“And now you’re begging as well?”

“Please…”

He sighs, before using his right hand to slowly undo my pants. His head returns to my neck, sucking and biting, making me let out all sorts of sounds. I can’t help myself, moaning as my core turns warmer and wetter. I start rubbing my thighs together, desperate for some sort of friction.

“Fuck, you have no idea how turned on I get by seeing you like this…” he whispers, letting his fingers slowly slide under my panties. I whimper, wanting him inside me at once. My pants aren’t even pulled off, and he starts teasing me. His fingers ghost over my clit and folds, making me jolt my hips up to make contact.

“What do you say?” He asks, obvious teasing in his voice. He’s so smug, but I’m too turned on to be irritated by it.

“Touch me”

“Maybe I didn’t hear you right, what do you say?”

“Touch me, please”

“That’s right” He moves his fingers closer, but stops right over my skin.

“No, no, no” I cry out, frustrated.

“But who’s going to touch you?”

“You are, please!”

“I want you to say my name”

“C-Chris”

“And now, full sentence”

“N-no, just touch me” I try to get my hands free, desperate to feel something, but he’s strong, and holds them down, pinned to the mattress.

“Come on, you can do it”

I sigh, legs giving out as I take a breath.

“Please, Chris, I want you to touch me, please, please!”

“That’s a good girl, and a damn desperate one, don’t you think?”

I hum in response, feeling his fingers finally touch me. They glide over my soaking wet folds, and he snaps his tongue.

“God, how wet you are. And I just started touching you…”

I breathe out, finally feeling some type of stimulation. They move upwards, coated with my wetness, and slowly start rubbing my clit. I give a loud moan, friction filling my body as electric jolts rush through me. It doesn’t take long. He knows what makes me come fast, and especially when having been teased like this. The knot in my stomach tightens, and my body stiffens as I’m on the verge. I can’t stop moaning and whimpering, hands trying to break free so I can hold him. My mind gets foggy as I near the edge, shaking from the sensation. I shout his name, and take a small breather as pleasure runs through me, body already tired from the build-up it had. But he doesn’t stop. He keeps up the pace, making the knot in my stomach appear again.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I whimper, voice unrecognisable as I near the edge.

“Oh, you’re doing so well for me, darling” he purrs, keeping up his pace and touching me exactly where needed.

“Kiss me” he commands, and I lean my head to the side, finding his lips. I can’t help moaning into him, yet, he keeps it up. I feel my vibrations being sent down his throat, having to stop for air several times for how much noise I’m making.

“Chris, I’m gonna-”

“I know”

I come a second time, pleasure washing over me as the knot gives out. I breathe heavily, my underwear being completely soaked, and my core throbbing for more. He doesn’t stop, keeping up his pace and getting me worked up again.

“C-Chris!”

“Oh, come on, you can do it one more time”

“I’m so tired” I whimper, but I’m interrupted by a loud moan, my hips moving with his fingers, not getting enough.

“Yet, your body is begging for more”

I can’t answer him, my high reaching its end again, this time faster than before. I moan out his name again, and he stops, letting me ride this one out. I feel a surge of pleasure rush through me, making me tired, yet making me crave him more. I want him inside of me.

His fingers slowly move down to my folds again, feeling how wet I am. He lets out a small chuckle, toying with me, barely putting his fingers in me.

“You’re so wet. Your underwear is drenched”

“Mhmm”

“Oh, is it difficult to answer me already?”

I nod, looking up at him pleadingly. He smiles softly, leaning down and pressing a kiss against my forehead.

“Who would have thought you could handle so little? Maybe I should stop, and we should just go to bed?”

“N-no, please!” I urge, suddenly feeling a bit panicked.

“No? But you’re so tired? You seem exhausted”

“I-I’m not, please”

“Can you prove to me that you can handle one more time?”

“Yes, yes, yes”

He smiles, slowly inserting one of his long fingers in me. I moan, clenching around him as he presses into me. He’s moving my whole body with his rough thrusts, and I moan continuously, feeling him getting deeper and deeper each time. I feel another orgasm close in, and I whimper as I get closer. Suddenly, he stops.

“You sure you can handle it?”

I look up dumbfounded, seeing him struggling to hide a smirk. He knows what he’s doing, delaying me like that. It’s torture. I’m desperate, and I was so close, I can still be, if he just starts touching me again.

“I was so close, please, please, don’t stop touching me Chris!” I whine, trying to get my hands free to finish the job myself.

“Oh, see how much you’re struggling” He mocks, suddenly thrusting two of his fingers in me. I cry out, the sensation taking me by surprise. Now, he gets even deeper, and fills me up even more, and I quickly reach the edge again.

“Fuck, please don’t stop, don’t” I plead, my body shaking in anticipation.

“Then come for me”

With that, I do. I feel myself clench on his fingers, and coating them in my cum. My head is dizzy, and my body is softly vibrating from the aftermath. His hand is slowly removed from my heat, and he lets my hands go. He stands up, starting to remove his pants. He gets down to his boxers, and then drags off his shirt, letting me see his body in all its glory. I sit up, uncomfortable in my own wetness.

“Oh, don’t you like sitting in the mess you made?” I shake my head in response, looking up at him, hands already on his thighs.

“If you do a good job, I might let you take those wet clothes off, okay? We have a deal?”

I nod, fingers moving up to his boxers, eager to have something in my mouth. I drag the fabric down, revealing him. He’s very hard, his cock springing up from his boxers, straight in my face. I take him in my hand, then take a long lick over his length. He groans, hips buckling in my face. He’s struggling to hold his composure, which makes me feel all warm inside. His hands move down my neck, collecting my hair behind my head, before he positions himself. Slowly, I let him inside my mouth, and he sighs, starting to move. I don’t take his full length, instead only half, which is already filling my whole mouth. His free hand goes down to my chest and moves under my bra, starting to pinch my nipple. I whimper, sending vibrations down his length, making him groan again. Suddenly, he grabs my hair harder, forcing me down on him, taking him until I gag. Both my hands automatically go to his hips, trying to hold myself up.

“Oh? Is that a bit much for you, hun?”

I try to answer him, but I can only make unrecognisable sounds with his cock filling me up. He pinches my nipple again, making me moan, and opening my mouth even more. This gives him the chance to pounce into me again, filling me up until I gag again.

“Difficult to talk with my cock in your mouth?”

“You look so fucking good like this” He groans again, pulling me down on him again. He goes on a steady rhythm, and I do my best to stop my gag reflex, failing many times. I feel saliva run down the corner of my mouth, tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

He can’t take the waiting anymore, and he forces himself out of me, and lifts me up on my feet. My lips are captured in his, and he pulls down my pants and panties in one motion, then undoes my bra, letting it fall to the floor. Both his hands go to my breasts, kneading and pinching, making me moan into his mouth. He pushes me down on the bed again, now completely naked.

He can’t be slow anymore, now looking at me like a raging animal. His head goes down between my thighs, and he plants a long lick over my folds, soaking up how wet I got from sucking him off. He hums, sending hot vibrations over my clit, making me whimper with need. My hands go into his hair, holding tightly as his tongue starts working. One of his hands goes to my entrance, massaging and teasing, while his mouth and tongue starts sucking my clit off. I feel my orgasm approach quickly, stomach tightening as my thighs struggle to keep themselves open. In a quick motion, his fingers are inside me, his other hand kneading my thigh. The mix of sensation, his tongue against me, flicking as sucking on me. It’s too much. With another loud moan, I finish again, coating his mouth.

He lifts himself, getting on top of me and positioning himself on my entrance. I’m still riding out my high, and waits a bit for inserting himself, instead using the time to coat his length in my juices, rubbing up and down my folds.

“Are you good?” He asks, genuine concern in his voice.

“Yes, please, I want you inside me”

He doesn’t need more of an answer than that. He pushes himself inside, my wetness making it easy for him. Still, I’m tight from coming so many times, and we both moan simultaneously when our bodies hit each other. He goes deep, pressing himself all the way in, hitting my cervix in the process. I let out a whimper, the pain mixing with pleasure, making me even wetter. He leans down, kissing me while holding himself up. After a few seconds, we part, and he starts moving. He starts slow, but steadily he builds up a faster rhythm, still making sure to get all the way in me, hitting that stinging point every time, making me cry out.

“Fuck, you feel so good” He moans into my ear, upping his pace. I feel myself clench around him again, head getting foggy and dizzy as I reach the edge yet again.

“You’re doing so good for me” he whispers, sweating and groaning as he starts nearing his own finish. He keeps going, keeping up the pace and making that knot in my stomach tighten again. My hands fly around him, nails digging into his muscular back, earning another loud moan from him. My body tightens, and I clench around him as I come again, his own orgasm not far away. I keep panting and whimpering, feeling pleasure roll over me again, as he keeps going deep into me.

“Chris, I-I can’t”

“Yes you can, you’re doing so well for me”

With those words spoken, I clench again, coming all over his hard length. He doesn’t stop, instead, going faster as he starts groaning, nearing his own end. I can’t control myself anymore, the sensations are too much, and my body is tired and overstimulated. It takes almost nothing to make me finish yet again, which I do.

“My cock feels that good, huh?”

I come again, body warm and sweaty, head dizzy with overstimulation. I feel so needy and horny, still wanting more after nearly being destroyed by his fingers, tongue and cock. His moans grow deeper and more raw, and he buries himself deep inside me as he comes. I moan again as well, clenching and holding onto him for dear life.

Slowly, he moves out of me, both of us laying beside each other and breathing heavily, processing what just happened. My vision is still a bit foggy, and my legs have definitely stopped working. He turns, one hand going around my waist and pulling me into him.

“Sorry if I went too hard on you”

“Don’t be” I smile, giving a small laugh as I turn to him. He smiles, pulling me in and giving me a sweet kiss. I return it, feeling his soft lips on mine. He pulls back, looking me over.

“Want to take a bath?”

“I would love to”

Taglist: @porcelainbluedove @b3rryb3t @batteryacid404 @fordthegamelord819

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vctrvn-ls · 2 years ago

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Saturday •| Niko | •

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summary: you persuade Niko to go clubbing, but things don’t turn out so great

warnings: language, slight angst, alcohol use, kissing(?)

word count: 2.5k

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"The club!?" Niko's eyebrows expressed all his current emotions.

"Yes!" You bounce next to him with an excited grin "It'll be so fun! I used to go all the time!"

"All the time?" He quoted.

"Yess, we'll go together, it's gonna be so fun. Trust!" You beam at poor Niko who's heart rate was through the roof just thinking about clubbing.

"And the cocktails at Fabric are so good! Better than Rosé in a bottle."

"First of all what do you have against Rosé in a bottle?" He referred to your classic Saturday nights, when the two of you would order takeout and have a bottle of Rosé while watching an old horror movie.

"And second of all, FABRIC!?" His voice went high pitched. "The most famous club in England!?"

"Well it's London, and secondly we're turning old! We're only in our early twenties and already spending our great Saturday nights sitting at home." You spoke your mind.

Niko sighs, looking away and not knowing what to add.

"Niko," you purr, leaning onto his shoulder, trying to get him to ease up and approve your desires.

He glanced down at you. He could tell you really wanted to go.

"Fine." He selflessly agrees, making you squeal in excitement and place a chaste kiss onto his lips. He watched you run up the stairs to get ready with hooded eyes, contemplating his decision and wondering how badly it would turn out for him.

"I don't even know what to wear." He walks into your room, eyes meeting your body that was dressed in a black slip.

You turn around, smiling while putting your hair up in a messy bun "Hey." You chirp sweetly.

"Wow, you look," he takes a sharp breathe in as his eyes wonder all over you "Breathtaking."

You giggle shyly and twirl in front of him

"It's cute right?"

"Yeah, it is." He takes ahold of your waist as you spin right into his arms. His slender fingers smoothly glided up and down the fabric on your back, he leaned down to kiss you, hands traveling lower and lower.

"Niko." You say sternly as you break the kiss, feeling him on the small of your back.

He chuckles "Sorry, really can't resist."

You place another kiss on his lips before walking over to the mirror and continuing to fiddle with your hair.

He watched you with a dreamy expression, drowning in your charm, for a second even forgetting about how much he didn't want to go out, tired from the long week and endless days of shooting, but he didn't want to ruin your thrill by seeming boring or, as you mentioned earlier, old.

"A-are you going out like that?" Niko suddenly says in a rather surprised tone, noticing how thin the dress was.

You turn around "Yeah." You shrug "I mean it's Uber there and Uber back. It's warm outside."

You say with such simplicity that it worries Niko.

You slam the door as the car drives away right behind you.

"Kinda chilly." You comment as Niko walks up to you. He settled on a black turtleneck and had his blazer in his hand just in case. He looked so leng that you had to fight your want to get your hands all over him before leaving the house.

You take his arm and lead him to the entrance of the club that looked suspiciously empty.

A man dressed in a dark blue suit stopped you with his palm out "Sorry guys I just sent everyone away-"

You swiftly pull out your phone, showing him a QR code to which he replied with a "Welcome."

As you step inside the leading hallway, you could feel Niko's perplexed eyes on you.

You look up and raise a brow.

"What-Where did that come from?"

You smile proudly "Perks of being an ex-party machine."

"Party machine? When di-"

But his words were instantly cut off by deafening music as you opened the heavy metal door.

You felt a rush of adrenaline course through you as the loud melody boomed through the atmosphere, bass vibrating the floor. Purple and blue lights shimmered and shone all over the walls, crowd and ceiling. Your mouth fell open into a smile as you saw people dancing and energetically jumping up and down, drunk and carefree. Everything felt so nostalgically familiar that you even forgot that you hadn’t been to a place like this in almost a year.

Niko on the other hand was wincing from the wordless noise, he couldn't even think of it as music. People pushed him from left and right as he tried to catch up to you in a hurry.

He shielded his eyes from the annoyingly bright lights that kept coming from every direction, blurring his vision.

"Two Manhattans please!" You yell to the bartender, leaning on the counter and smiling.

He winked at you and nodded, knowing from experience that there was no point in shouting over the music.

"Two what?!" Niko's voice rung through your ear and you turned around.

"Manhattans?" You repeat.

"Isn't that a place?" Niko quizzed, to which you just laugh and turn back to the bar, leaving him in genuine confusion.

Where did this side of you even come from? He didn't know you even partied, let alone knew names of drinks he had never heard of in his life!

You turn around to him and hold up a glass.

Niko observed it, he had never held one of these in his hand before, it was like a usual glass but squished to the top, making it look funny.

'Very Wolf of Wall street' he thought as he saw red liquid with a single cherry floating inside.

"Wha-" Niko was about to ask you what was in it, but he paused in shock as he witnessed you finish your drink in one gulp.

You stick out your tongue and cough from the bitter taste of alcohol, before opening your eyes and turning back to the bar table to ask for another one.

Niko's eyes are as wide as plates at this point, watching you innocently look up at him, like that didn't just happen.

"Try it!" You shout to him with a wide grin on your face.

His looked at the drink in his hand.

"Cmon!" You urged him.

He brought the glass up to his lips and took the tiniest sip, eyes instantly screwing shut as he tasted the insanely strong whiskey that stung his mouth.

How did you just wash that down in an instant!?

You laugh at his cute reaction while taking your second glass from the counter.

"How is it?" You tiptoe so you wouldn't have to shout as loudly, but that didn't help the slightest, instead you felt the alcohol wash over your head, which made you lose your balance and slightly tip to the side.

"Aye!" Niko catches you with one arm, propping you up by the waist.

You laugh at your own clumsiness and begin to drink again.

"Hey maybe it's better-" Before he could finish you were already done, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

"Jesus." Niko mumbled as he watched you give away the empty glass back to the bartender.

"You done?" You ask, glancing at his drink.

He shakes his head, not really wanting it anymore.

"Cmon!" You gently push the glass up to his face so he would drink it.

Niko furrows his eyebrows and tightens his lips, shaking his head.

"Nikooo!" You whine, evidently disappointed, which was the last thing he wanted, so he hurried to finish at least half of it, forcing it down.

"Disgusting." He spits, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his turtleneck and putting the glass on the counter.

You smile with your teeth, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the dance floor, right into the crowd.

The music was so loud that Niko couldn't even recognize the song, while you jumped up and down in unison with the rest of the people around you. As you swayed your hands around you felt yourself bump into something, or rather someone, with your butt.

You turned around seeing an unfamiliar man instead of Niko standing behind you.

"Sorry!" You shouted with a friendly smile on your face.

"It's ok!" He smiled in response, his pearly white teeth glowing under the blue lights. "What's yo-"

But before you could hear the rest of the sentence you felt yourself being pulled away by your shoulders. Your head was spinning like crazy and when you finally opened your eyes you met Niko's displeased face staring at you from above.

You smile lightheartedly and take his hands to make him join your wave of fun, but he stiffens under your touch.

You're confused in your gone state, wondering what was stopping him from having as much fun as you were currently having.

You bring your hands up to his neck and pull him down for a kiss, sure that that'd ease him up. You move your mouth in a messy and, obviously, drunk manner, kissing him like you were touch starved your whole life. With the help of alcohol your feelings enhanced like crazy, lust overtaking as the kiss got hotter.

On the other side, Niko was bewildered by the state you were in. Your hot palms held onto the back of his neck, forbidding him to pull away.

You finally felt his hands on your shoulders and shuddered from the contact on your bare skin, thinking that your idea had worked and Niko finally lightened up. But those thoughts were quickly brushed away as you felt a forceful push. You stumbled backwards, struggling to hold balance, eyes opening in confusion.

"Let's go." Niko pronounces as he pulls on his blazer with an irritated expression painted on his face.

"What?" You laugh shaking your head in perplexity. But Niko wasn't laughing.

He wanted out. Now.

He grabbed ahold of your arm and pulled you after him, pushing past all the people.

You clutched onto his wrist as his grip tightened.

"Ow." You whined with a frown as you finally got outside into the empty and dimly lit street.

"What the fuck?!" You exclaim, rubbing the area, more hurt emotionally than physically, feeling the drunk-anger rise inside you.

Your look shot up at Niko, who’s eyes were darting around the street. But you didn't notice his concern, you were on the verge of being completely wasted and your desire to party was through the roof.

"Niko!" You shout angrily.

"What?" He turns to you.

You spread your arms out "What the hell was that?"

He took a pause before replying "It was time to go."

You raised your eyebrows and laughed dryly "We just got there."

"It was too loud." He pulled out his phone to check the time, clearly lying about his reason.

1am

"Oh my god." You roll your eyes "Are you that lazy? How boring do you have to be to leave as soon as it's 'too loud'?" You scoffed. You didn't mean any of it, you were intoxicated and the alcohol was talking for you, you couldn't control your boosted emotions, struggling to notice Niko's genuinely upset state.

"Hey I-"

"Why'd you always have to ruin everything." You narrow your eyes at him and tilt your head, leaving him stunned by your words.

"Why are you acting like this?" He asked softly, trying his best to not cause a scene.

"Me!?" You exclaim, enraged by how he accused you in response to your own question "You're the one who got me all excited by the fact that we were finally going out. Only to come here and leave in a fucking hour!"

Even though you were drunk, you still had a pretty good grasp on reality and you knew your words were coming off as hurtful and nasty, you just thought that Niko's actions were aimed at you. You though he didn't want you to have fun because you were enjoying yourself too much and he didn't like the way you were too active, especially after his surprised reaction to finding out about how you used to always go out.

"Why can't we just do something interesting for once!?" You huff and look up at him with fury sparkling in your eyes.

Niko scratched the back of his head and sighed, looking away "I just-" he began mumbling his response, but he was speaking too slow for your juiced brain.

"You what? What, Niko?"

"I was uncomfortable!" He raised his voice.

Your eyebrows dropped from the unexpected statement.

Niko? Uncomfortable?

He brought his hands up to his face as he let out a heavy sigh.

"You're drunk, I'm worried, then we also got all the other guys who want to get close to you." He referred to your previous encounter with the man at the dance floor.

"It's loud and everyone's either stoned or drunk. I don't care if you're mad at me. I'd rather you be mad, than me letting you go back in and risking whatever." He motions at the club entrance, with the guard awkwardly still standing there, watching both of you from afar, thankfully not hearing your conversation.

Realization hits you like a bus. You did over do it, you had gotten way too carried away. That realization was enough to make you sober up a little and walk over to Niko, hugging him tightly.

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Niko." You closed your eyes, pressing your cheek against his torso as his arms wrapped around your back, indicating that he wasn't mad.

"I didn't mean it." You squeezed him.

He nods to himself "I know you didn't." He replies softly. It was almost scary how easy it was to apologize to him, he never held grudges let alone reject an apology.

"You wanna get pizza?" You say suggestively, as you glance up at him with big guilty eyes.

"At 1am?"

You smile "Everyone knows that next to every night club there is a 24 hour restaurant."

"Clearly I'm not everyone."

"Come." You take his hand and lead him, not able to properly walk in a straight line making, Niko chuckle.

“Oh, not bad.” Niko nodded, chewing and looking at the pizza slice that was in his hand.

��Right?” You agree with your mouth full.

The pair of you were sitting outside a small pizza place, eating and enjoying the night atmosphere. It was quiet and the street lamps lit up the roads in warm tones. You sat in Niko’s blazer, practically sinking in its size, every time you moved you’d catch the smell of his cologne, powdery and not too strong.

You talked and talked, about everything, enjoying each others company.

“You know what?” You say, straightening your back and smiling.

“What?”

“We should eat out on Saturdays. That way it won’t be boring and not too crazy.”

Niko nods with a grin “Yeah.” He shrugs “Sounds good.”

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

requests r open <3

#beta squad #niko omilana #fanfic #ndl #nikoomilanafanfic #niko x you #niko x reader #niko omilana edit #youtube #chunkz #aj shabeel #king kenny #sharky

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mtap-comics · 22 days ago

Text

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Participating in the martial arts tournament while already covered in bruises was not Elenya's best idea. Especially not when she had to compete against Arlo.

Word count: 9,019

Prompt: Bruises

Author's note: It's once again been too long since the last time, but good news: This on is actually beta read by the dear @JanessaWolfSoul. Even though the only thing she knows about My Time at Portia are the things I told her about, she still combed through all 9000 words to fight against my run-on sentences.

Which also means, you should make sure you have enought time at hand before you start reading. So no reading right before bedtime! Sleep is important!

Warnings: Bruises, Broken Rib, Elenya making bad decisions

Read on AO3: Link

Beneath the Bruise

The first day of the Martial Arts Tournament went extremely well for Elenya. Granted, she also had Carol as an opponent, but the tailor was not to be underestimated. Her morning training sessions with Martha also had the benefit of keeping the mother of three fit. Plus, Elenya had quickly learned that the older woman had a pretty mean left hook.

Nevertheless, Elenya emerged victorious, which, frankly, surprised no one. Although this was only her second year in the tournament, her fighting skills had improved considerably since then. This is thanks in part to the help of the man she will face tomorrow. A fight that many were looking forward to.

Arlo.

The captain of the Portia Civil Corps.

The man who has also been her boyfriend for the past six months.

A dreamy smile tugged at her lips as she thought of the man who had made her life so much better in such a short time. They had only known each other for a year and a half, but she had never felt as safe and warm with anyone as she did with him. A lot had happened in that short time, both good and bad, and he was always by her side.

She was torn from her thoughts when her foot suddenly caught on her toolbox. The sudden jolt of movement startled her, causing the oil can she had just been using - to grease the bearings on the harbour crane - to fall out of her hand. The oil can tumbled straight down the stairs of her assembly station, leaving a trail of oil that glistened in all colors in the evening sun.

Elenya looked after the oil can with a tired, mildly frustrated sigh.

Some people might have wondered what she was doing at her assembly station after the fighting tournament. But it was such a beautiful, warm summer evening and she simply had to use the time to work on the aforementioned harbour crane. Arlo liked to call her a workaholic - not that he was any better - but she simply loved her work and couldn't put her tools down, even on holidays.

Unfortunately, this meant that she now had a staircase full of oil while the sun was just about to disappear behind the horizon. There was very little daylight left for her to take advantage of. Elenya chided herself inwardly for not having taken the time, even after months, to replace the sheet metal of the stairs with metal grating so that liquid could drain properly.

Resigning herself to her fate, she tried as best she could in the fading light to climb down the stairs past the oil puddles to fetch a rag and water. But despite her best efforts, she wasn't careful enough. Her left foot stepped directly into a puddle and she instantly lost her footing. Terrified, she tried to grab the railing on her right side to keep from falling all the way down the stairs, and she did.

Unfortunately, she also hit the railing so hard that the air was squeezed out of her chest and her right side blossomed with pain.

Oh God...

For several minutes she hung halfway over the railing, gasping as she tried to catch her breath and waited for the pain to subside. When Elenya was semi-able to breathe again, she carefully straightened up and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through her right side again and she wondered what she had gotten herself into again.

“Why does something like this always have to happen to me?”

Clutching the banister tightly with both hands, Elenya took the last few steps down the stairs and was relieved when she finally felt grass under her feet. She cast an accusatory glance at the oil can lying innocently at the bottom of the stairs - as if it were solely responsible for her pain. Her plan to clean up the oil would have to wait. Pain shot through her ribs with every breath and dread started to spread through her.

Please don't let anything be broken.

Taking careful steps, moving her right arm as little as possible, she went into her house to look at her side in the mirror. A large mirror stood in her bedroom and she lifted her shirt in front of it.

What she saw was not good at all.

After only this short time, the first deep blue and purple marks formed on her side. Carefully, she felt around her ribs and although the touch hurt, she was pretty sure that at least nothing was broken.

Small mercies.

But how was she going to take part in the tournament tomorrow? She had been looking forward to the fight with Arlo so much!

Biting her lip, she stepped away from the mirror and hobbled over to the bathroom where she kept her first aid kit. With practiced fingers, she dug through the cluttered drawer. It took a few moments, but she found the familiar jar of bruise cream. The same one Dr. Xu had given her months ago after noticing how clumsy she tended to be. He had called it "a little miracle in a jar".

It had helped with her minor bruises before, but Elenya had a feeling it might not do much this time.

Sitting carefully on the edge of her bed, she unscrewed the lid and the pungent, herbal scent filled the room. The cream was a strange shade of greenish-brown and looked a little like moss mixed with clay. But despite its appearance, it had worked for her - so far.

She dipped two fingers into the jar and hesitated for a moment before bringing it to her side. Just the thought of touching her ribs again made her wince.

"All right," she murmured to herself. "One breath. Just get it over with."

With a hiss through clenched teeth, she began to gently apply the cream to the bruised area. The ointment was cool, and for a fleeting second the cold was almost soothing. But the pressure, however light, made her vision blur with pain.

Her hand shook, but she continued, applying the cream in slow, gentle circles, trying not to press too hard. When she was done, she wiped her fingers on a cloth and lay back with a grunt, staring up at the ceiling.

The pain dulled to a low, steady throbbing. The cream might help with the swelling - maybe even the bruising if she was lucky. But it wouldn't fix the way her chest ached every time she moved.

The fateful oil can was still lying outside in the grass and her stairs were still full of oil, but she couldn't bring herself to go out again. Instead, she painstakingly got rid of her pants and tucked herself neatly into bed.

Maybe if she moved as little as possible until morning, it wouldn't be so bad tomorrow.

She could still hope.

~~~~~~

The next morning, a glance in the mirror revealed that her side had not improved at all. On the contrary, the bruise on her side had spread and was shimmering in deep blues and purples. Just looking at it hurt.

But there was no way she was going to miss the fight. After all, it was only a bruise. She'd just had to make sure Arlo didn't get to her right side.

So Elenya did what no normal person would do. She reapplied Dr. Xu's ointment to her ribs, took some painkillers and put an extra one in her bag, hoping to be able to take it unnoticed before the fight if necessary.

Arlo’s and her fight didn't start until noon; however, before that Remi and Russo would have a duel. An almost equally exciting fight even if she had the feeling that Paulie had no chance against Russo. As a former war veteran, the latter knew how to fight.

Although, Elenya wasn't even sure if Arlo would have a chance against him, when he would most likely have to face him in the end.

She carefully pulled her shirt back over her ribs, her breath hitching as the fabric grazed the edge of the bruise. The dull ache had turned into something more constant - less like a sharp pain and more like a warning: Don't push it.

Too bad she wasn��t going to listen.

Getting her sports gear on took twice as long as usual. She kept it as simple as possible. A red T-shirt and black shorts. Perfectly normal and nothing out of the ordinary. She didn't want anyone to notice that something was wrong.

Especially not Arlo, because he always noticed.

She spent the next ten minutes in front of the mirror practising how to move as normally as possible, without being held back by the pain. How to walk, how to stretch, how to breathe around the pain. The thought of why she was doing this to herself kept creeping in, but her resolve was too deep. She would fight Arlo.

After a light breakfast she took one last look in the mirror. Her hair was tied back - a very painful procedure - her expression calm, her posture straight. She looked like someone who knew what they were doing.

Not someone with a bruised rib and a terrible idea.

She took a shallow breath, ignoring the pain she felt as she did so, and whispered to her reflection, “You've got this."

And then she turned to the door, where the sun was already streaming in through the windows, and stepped out to face whatever the day had in store.

~~~~~~

To her surprise, Arlo was waiting outside her garden gate. Relaxed, he leaned against her fence and gazed up at the sky, a few fluffy clouds blocking out the blue. When he heard the door open, his eyes immediately turned to her, a happy smile on his lips.

And for the first time in her life, Elenya wasn't happy to see him. She would have liked to walk slowly to the east gate on her own, to give the painkiller a little more time to work. Every breath still sent a slight pain through her side, and she didn't want Arlo to notice.

Fighting the urge to disappear back into her house, she also put on a smile that was less forced than she had feared at first. Despite everything, she couldn't fight her heart, which leapt with joy when Arlo turned to face her and his warm blue eyes met hers.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" Arlo greeted her when she arrived in front of him. Without waiting for her to come out, he bent over the fence and leaned in to kiss her, and she happily returned the greeting.

For a moment the pain was forgotten. How much she would have loved to escape into his arms and tell him what had happened to her yesterday. He would make everything better. He would probably drag her off to Dr. Xu immediately and ban her from all strenuous activities. He would take care of her and help her.

It sounded very tempting - except for the work ban - but a voice in the back of her head insisted that she keep her injury a secret. She wanted to show him how much better she'd gotten at fighting, and that voice thought the martial arts tournament was the best place to do it.

So she buried her longing and said instead, "Good morning, Arlo. Yes, I did. I hope you're ready to get your butt kicked today." She looked up at him challengingly and her grin widened as his eyebrow raised in scepticism.

"Oh, is that so? Don't you think you've got something mixed up and mean your cute butt?”

Ignoring the blush on her cheeks at his flirtation, she countered, "You'd better watch out for that 'cute' butt. It could be your undoing."

Arlo's cheerful laugh echoed through the air shortly afterward. Feeling pleased with herself, Elenya finally stepped out of her garden gate and grabbed Arlo's right hand with her left. This way she could make sure that she moved her right side as little as possible.

They set off together at a leisurely pace towards the showground. Arlo's presence beside her was as warm and strong as ever, and sometimes she still couldn't believe that he had chosen to share his love with her. As if drawn by a magnet, she stepped a little closer to him and pressed herself lightly against his bare arm.

Arlo's tender gaze fixed on her told her that he enjoyed the contact as much as she did.

They walked half the way in silence, but then she could no longer contain her curiosity. "What do you think, does Remi stand a chance against Russo?" Curious, she looked up at Arlo.

He met her gaze thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't want to rule it out completely, but it would really surprise me. Russo hasn't been participating as much in recent years, but I don't think he's forgotten how to fight. It will definitely be exciting to watch him fight."

He paused for a moment and then gave her a teasing grin. "Though not as exciting as ours. I can't wait to see how much better you've become." His gaze turned soft and proud, and Elenya could feel the blush creeping back into her face.

Arlo's praise always made her blush, filling her with a warmth that spread through her like sunlight. It wasn't just the compliment - it was the way he looked at her, as if she were someone to be admired, someone strong. Coming from the Captain of the Civil Corps, her boyfriend, it meant even more.

She wanted to live up to his praise.

Her fingers tightened around his hand. Words had never been her strength, so she showed her love more through actions.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the site of the martial arts tournament. Almost the entire village was already standing around the small arena, all eagerly awaiting the fights to come.

It seemed that Arlo and she were the last to arrive, and they were greeted with cheers. Embarrassed, Elenya hid slightly behind Arlo, who squeezed her hand reassuringly.

She hated being the centre of attention.

The first match of the day - Remington vs. Russo - began shortly after their arrival. It was a fascinating match to watch. The two men engaged in a fierce exchange, with the crowd roaring at every hit, but it was clear from the start who had the upper hand.

While Remington had once fought on the border, Russo was still a bit more experienced than him. Add to that his knee injury, and Russo wasn't above taking advantage of it. Remington was outmatched, and it showed.

Elenya tried to watch, but her mind kept wandering. Her ribs throbbed in time with each impact in the ring, and though she smiled and cheered with the crowd, her stomach tingled. It would be her turn next.

There was no way she could let her guard down on her right side.

The first fight was over much quicker than she would have liked and Russo emerged victorious. While Arlo talked to Remi, she used the time to secretly take another vial of painkillers. The first one was still working, but she didn't want to risk it wearing off in the middle of the fight.

A glance at the clock next to the small arena told her that she still had half an hour before her fight, and she used the time to stretch and warm up. She didn't need a pulled muscle on top of her bruised rib.

Arlo joined her and together they went through their usual movements. They had stood next to each other like this so many times before, preparing for their combat training. This familiarity and the lack of pain finally allowed Elenya to relax a little and she looked forward to her fight again.

She would live up to her own expectations.

Five minutes before the fight was due to start, Gale waved to them and asked them to take their positions.

Arlo pulled her into another deep kiss that had the crowd cheering - especially Sam - and made her blush. Still, she couldn't escape him and enjoyed the kiss to the fullest.

Without pulling away completely, he breathed a "Let's give them a good show" against her lips and then walked confidently towards the arena.

Stunned, she looked after him but then noticed the fat grin Sam was giving her and covered her face in her hands in embarrassment.

He had just given the people a good show.

Wishing the blush away, she quickly pulled herself together and made her way to Arlo. She wasn't going to let something like that distract her.

Judging by Arlo's grin, he knew exactly what he had just done, but she couldn't be mad at him. His smile, no matter what form it took, always warmed her heart, so she simply smiled back. Immediately, his gaze softened and his blue eyes sparkled with love.

For a brief moment, she was lost in that beloved blue.

But at a signal from Gale, they both took up fighting positions and their faces turned serious. Time to concentrate. Ten seconds later, the whistle blew for the first round.

Immediately, they both began to move, their jabs and counters like a long-practiced dance. One step forward, two to the right, left arm up, defend, two steps back, left leg up, attack.

It was like their training and no one seemed to have the upper hand. As if through a mist, Elenya could hear the cheers of the villagers, but she was so focused on Arlo that she barely noticed them. Fighting with him always demanded her full attention.

He was fast, strong, experienced and almost ten inches taller than her. But she had her strengths, too. Her reflexes were almost as good as his, and her height gave her an advantage in some situations.

But today she had to stay more on the defensive. The whole time she tried not to let Arlo get to her right side, and she was successful.

By the end of the first round, she hadn't landed as many hits as he had - which meant this round went to him - but it wasn't just her who was panting, he was too. She had given him quite a hard time.

But in true Arlo style, his look was not triumphant, but proud. Proud of her and that she had done so well.

"I'm really starting to have to watch out for you. If I'm not careful, you'll beat me soon." His cheerful laughter echoed back to her, filling her with pride and warmth.

She bridged the few steps that separated them and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Don't worry, your position as Captain and Portia's best fighter will remain with you for a while yet. I have no intention of challenging you for that position."

"Oh, is that so? Something tells me the people here would like to see that." Arlo's grin widened, and for the first time since their fight began, Elenya looked at the crowd spread out around the arena.

Some were still cheering her on and she could hear her name being called from several directions. Sam in particular stood out again, and once more Elenya's eyes darted to the blonde in embarrassment.

Sam immediately raised her voice: "Go Elenya! That's how it's done! Kick his ass!"

Her friend's enthusiasm was touching, if a little embarrassing. But she knew that what Sam really wanted was to see her boss on the floor. Elenya getting the chance to do so was just the icing on the cake for her.

It was a pity that Elenya would not be able to fulfil her wish.

Now that she was standing still and the adrenaline had had a chance to leave her body, she felt a slight throbbing in her side. The quick movements had left their mark and she had to stop herself from pressing a hand protectively to the sore spot.

Arlo would be alerted immediately.

She would have to be even more defensive in the second round. It was certain that Arlo would win the second round as well - and with it the entire fight - but she wanted to at least make it to the end of the round.

That would be enough for her and the stupid voice in her head to have proven herself.

The sound of someone clearing their throat to her left snapped her out of her thoughts and she glanced over at Gale, who indicated that the next round was about to begin.

Elenya's eyes darted back to Arlo, who was studying her closely, and she quickly grinned and asked, "Ready for your demise?"

For a moment, his scrutinising gaze remained on her - had she given herself away? - but then seemed to abandon the thought and instead gave her a quick kiss. "I can't wait."

With sparkling eyes, he went back to his position and she did the same.

Everything would be fine.

The whistle sounded for the start and they both immediately set off again. It wasn't long before Elenya was so focused on the fight that she forgot about the pain in her side.

But she didn't forget to stay on the defensive. She deftly parried each of Arlo's blows, but hardly dared to land any of her own. Still, she couldn't resist striking back every now and then.

Especially when she saw an opening in Arlo's defence. Without thinking, she raised her right arm to strike his left shoulder, realising too late that he had lured her into a trap. Her right side was now completely open to him and of course he followed up with a punch.

His blow was no stronger than the others she had taken from him today, but it hit her exactly where the railing had hit her yesterday, and her world exploded in pain.

She didn't know if a scream escaped her, but what she did know was that she was suddenly on the ground, unable to breathe. The impact had squeezed all the air out of her and her chest refused to re-inflate.

Sharp pain shot through her right side as she gasped desperately for air. Someone fell to their knees on her left, but she didn't have time to care. Panic started to rise inside her.

Why couldn't she breathe? Her damn chest had to be working!

Blue eyes loomed over her, almost as full of panic as her own. The eyes' owner's lips moved, but she couldn't make out the words over the roaring in her ears. Black dots danced in her vision and her face began to tingle.

This was not good.

Suddenly an arm slid under her shoulders and her upper body was pulled upright. A new wave of pain shot through her side and she automatically sucked in her breath in shock.

As if a spell had been broken, her chest moved again. She sucked in air greedily, even though each breath sent a sting through her ribs. Now she finally recognised who was kneeling beside her, desperately trying to get her attention.

"Elenya! Elenya, sweetheart, come on. Talk to me! What's happened? Did I hurt you?"

His panicked voice finally reached her ears and she let her head fall against his shoulders, exhausted. The position he held her in caused more pain in her side and she tried to tell him, but she didn't have enough breath yet.

“Ribs...” was the only word she could choke out, but luckily it didn't take Arlo long to realize that he was currently causing her even more pain.

He carefully lowered her to the floor and, relieved, she was able to breathe a little deeper now that some of the pressure on her ribs was gone.

Arlo's face loomed over her again, his eyes full of panic and concern. He was about to speak again when another pair of knees hit the floor on her other side. Both of their eyes locked on the newcomer, revealing Dr. Xu.

The doctor's worried voice immediately rang out, "Arlo, Elenya, what happened?"

"I... I don't know. I don't think I hit her harder than usual. I... I don't know how this happened." Arlo's voice was dripping with panic and worry, and now guilt mixed in with everything else.

If she hadn't been in so much pain that she was speechless, she would have liked to reassure him that it wasn't his fault at all. She had only herself to thank for the whole situation.

"Where did you hit her?" Dr. Xu wanted to know urgently from Arlo and he must have pointed to a spot, because Dr. Xu's dark eyes then appeared directly above her, worry written deeply on his forehead.

"I'm going to lift your shirt, okay? I need to see what happened."

Panic struck her again. Not because he was going to lift her shirt in front of the whole town, but what their reaction would be when they saw what her side looked like.

There was no doubt that the doctor would see that the bruises couldn't be from today, and then she would have to tell them how terribly clumsy she'd been yesterday and that she'd decided to take part in the fight anyway.

She could already imagine Arlo's reaction.

A mixture of horror, concern and anger. Maybe even disappointment. Disappointed that she had risked her health like that and hadn't told him. And that was what she feared most.

"Elenya?" Arlo's face loomed over her again alongside Dr. Xu's, even more worried than before when she failed to give Dr. Xu an answer. His left hand gently cupped her cheek and turned her head towards him.

"Everything will be fine, okay? We just really need to look at your side. We... I need to know what's causing you so much pain." He held her gaze, his blue eyes full of love and concern, and she nodded slightly. There was no way around it anyway.

Arlo gave her an encouraging smile, but she knew it wouldn't last long.

Her side probably looked even worse after the blow than it had this morning.

She wasn't sure she wanted to know by how much.

The horrified sounds that escaped both of them as Dr. Xu pushed her shirt up to her chest told her all she needed to know.

"Oh God... Elenya... What?" Arlo's horrified voice reached her ears and she couldn't suppress her curiosity. She tried to lift her head to look at her side as well, but her breasts blocked her view.

What she could see, however, was Arlo's horrified face. His gaze was fixed on her side, his eyes wide open and a shocked "Was that me...?" escaped his lips.

Before she could reassure him, Dr. Xu spoke, examining her side closely, "No, most of this is at least a few hours old. But this," he placed his finger lightly on a particular spot, "looks newer and not good at all."

Elenya could immediately confirm his statement. Just that light touch sent a new wave of pain through her side, causing tears to well up in her eyes and a whimper to leave her throat.

That small sound seemed to finally bring Arlo out of his stupor, for he immediately turned to her and placed a comforting hand on her cheek. He gently brushed away the tears that were silently trickling down her cheeks and she leaned into his touch gratefully.

There was pure concern in his eyes again, and Elenya wondered if he had not yet realised that she had competed against him with a bruised rib. Why wasn't he angry? But she had no illusions. Once she was taken care of, the anger would surely come.

For now, though, he seemed solely concerned with making her feel more comfortable. He gently pressed a kiss to her temple and when Dr. Xu apologetically told her that he would have to examine the injured area, he took her left hand in his and bent low over her, holding her gaze.

"Please try to keep breathing as best you can, okay?" Dr. Xu instructed her and she nodded tensely. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Everything will be fine. I'm here," Arlo murmured to her, and she squeezed his hand gratefully. As always, he was there when she needed him.

Then the most painful minute of her life began. As careful as Xu was with her examination, every touch felt like a knife stabbing into her side. She was unable to comply with his request to keep breathing.

Holding her breath, she tried to fight the pain. Every muscle in her body tensed, her hand probably crushing Arlos. New tears streamed from her eyes, and desperate for comfort, she hid her face in Arlo's hand, which was still gently cupping her cheek. His warm voice reached her ears in a soothing way, but she couldn't make out the exact words.

Please let it be over quickly.

As if he had heard her plea, Dr. Xu finally moved away from her side and Elenya let out a sigh of relief. Breathing shallowly, she tried to get enough oxygen back into her blood while Arlo gently dried her tears. His face above her slowly came back into focus and was soon replaced by Dr. Xu's serious one.

With a sigh, he began to speak. "Elenya, I'm afraid your rib is broken. I suspect it wasn't broken yesterday, just cracked, but now it's definitely broken." He gave her a chastising look and she shrank back guiltily.

She wasn't too surprised that her rib was broken now. She had expected it, given the pain. But she hadn't expected it to have been fractured already yesterday.

Had she known, she would have cancelled the fight.

The choked sound that came from Arlo immediately confirmed her reasoning. The horror returned to his face and he asked in shock: "I... I broke her rib?"

Elenya felt terrible. She had never meant for Arlo to think that he had hurt her. His protective instincts and sense of justice often made him feel guilty for things he couldn't help, and now he thought he had hurt her.

But it was her own fault, and she was the one plagued by guilt.

Unfortunately, Arlo didn't seem to see it that way, and he unconsciously pulled away from her, as if afraid of hurting her again. His reaction broke her heart and without thinking, she tried to reach for him.

"Wait...!" She turned to her left side and immediately regretted it. A new wave of pain shot through her right side and with a soft cry she fell back onto her back. Arlo was at her side immediately. His need to help her greater than his fear of hurting her.

Her breath caught in her chest and she couldn't find a way to fill her lungs through the pain.

"Elenya! Damn it! You have to breathe!" Panicked, Arlo's hands hovered helplessly over her and she would have loved to laugh joylessly.

That was easier said than done.

"We have to get her upright," Dr. Xu interjected sharply, who had already adjusted his position next to her. “She needs to be supported.”

With practiced hands, he slid one arm behind her back and the other under her knees and gently moved her into a half-sitting position, leaning her against Arlo's chest. "Hold her like this," he commanded.

Arlo obeyed immediately, wrapping his arms around her protectively without touching her side. Elenya winced at the change, but slowly found it easier to take shallow, less painful breaths.

"That's better," Dr. Xu murmured, checking her vitals with a calm efficiency that contrasted with Arlo's frantic energy. "Sitting upright at a slight angle will reduce the pressure on your lungs. Just keep breathing like that, slowly and gently."

Elenya tried to follow as best she could. Arlo's familiar strong arms around her gave her support and she could feel his every breath. She tried to match his breathing, but in his lingering panic his breaths were too fast and uneven and she quickly felt lightheaded.

Arlo, however, seemed to realise what she was trying to do and immediately deepened his breathing. "That's it, sweetheart. Just follow my breaths."

For a while, Elenya leaned against Arlo's chest, enjoying the oxygen that finally filled her lungs a little more easily. Dr. Xu watched her carefully, his hand on the pulse point on her wrist, until he was satisfied and announced the next step.

"We need to take you to the clinic. I can tell from the palpation that at least one rib is broken, but I still need to make sure that no more are affected and that none have slipped out of place. Do you think you can walk?" Xu's eyes rested worriedly on her and Elenya's first reaction was to shake her head in the negative.

But then she changed her mind. She had already made a fool of herself in front of the whole town today, so she wanted to at least leave the martial arts tournament on her own two feet.

Gritting her teeth, she nodded instead. “I'll walk,” she said, though it came out more like a whisper.

Arlo hesitated. "Are you sure?"

She didn't answer, just braced her hand on his forearm and slowly pushed herself upright. Pain shot through her ribs like fire, but she managed to swing her legs under her.

Dr. Xu stood ready, a hand outstretched to support her. "Slowly. One step at a time."

She took one. Then another. Every step hurt, but she'd be damned if she didn't make it off the arena on her own two feet.

Elenya could hear the worried murmur of the crowd, could feel their eyes on her, but she didn't have the strength to say anything. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated on the path ahead of her, Arlo and Dr. Xu's arms the only thing keeping her upright. She made it past the town wall, but then she couldn't go any further. Her right knee gave way beneath her.

Arlo caught her before she hit the ground.

“That's enough,” he said in a low but firm voice. There was no anger in it, just deep concern and something else she didn't want to name.

She opened her mouth to protest, but the pain stifled her words before they could form.

"I've got you," he said. And then he lifted her into his arms with a gentleness that made her breath catch even more than the pain.

She stiffened at first, but Arlo instinctively adjusted his grip, keeping her upright and bent, careful not to press against her ribs.

“Better?” he asked softly.

Not daring to speak, she nodded, letting her head rest on his shoulder. His warmth was comforting, even if her pride now hurt more than her ribs.

Dr. Xu took the lead. "Let's get going. The sooner we stabilise her, the better."

The way up to the clinic was a slow one. Arlo walked carefully and slowly so that none of his steps jolted her. He even managed to carry her up the stairs without further pain.

She was so infinitely grateful to him for that.

The entire way, Elenya buried her face in Arlo's shoulder, breathing in his comforting scent and trying to calm her emotions. A tangle of guilt, pain, embarrassment, love and gratitude raged inside her, threatening to overwhelm her.

The growing dread at the thought of how Arlo would react when he finally found out what had happened yesterday almost brought tears to her eyes. She hoped he wouldn't be too angry with her.

Luckily, she'd had long enough to quell the chaos. It took them almost half an hour to get to the top of the clinic, and when they finally reached the inside, all that was left was pain and exhaustion. She hung limply in Arlo's arms, which wasn't good for her rib, but she didn't have the strength to do anything about it.

Arlo tried to counteract with his grip, but his options were limited. So she was glad when he was finally able to lower her onto one of the hospital beds - the head end of the bed angled so that she could breathe better.

While Dr. Xu hurried straight to his medicine cabinet, Arlo sat down on the chair beside the bed and gently took her hand in his. His eyes rested on her face, full of concern, and she gave him an exhausted smile. Hesitantly, he returned it.

"How are you holding up? Are you getting enough air?" He ran his free hand gently through her hair, and Elenya leaned into the touch with a sigh.

"Better. The pain isn't quite so bad anymore, but I'm quite exhausted." As proof, a slight chill ran through her body and goose bumps formed on her arms. The clinic was air conditioned to give patients relief from the summer heat, but it was too cold for her right now.

Arlo's eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully, but before he could do anything, Dr. Xu came to the bedside, a small vial and a jar of ointment in his hand. He indicated to Arlo that he needed the chair and, somewhat reluctantly, Arlo let go of her hand to make room for the doctor. He didn't back away completely, though, but stood next to her head and placed his hand reassuringly back in her hair.

Elenya knew she would need it.

"Okay, I'd start by giving you a strong painkiller. Broken ribs are very painful and unfortunately there's not much else one can do about them. Have you taken anything for the pain today?" Dr. Xu explained in a calm voice, his eyes fixed intently on her.

"Um, yes... I've taken two of your mild painkillers. After I got up and just before the fight."

"Hm, that's not quite ideal, but unfortunately it can't be helped now. It shouldn't be a problem this time, but it shouldn't become a habit. Even if the medicine we have available is purely herbal, that doesn't mean it's safe," explained Dr. Xu as he pressed the already opened vial into her left hand.

Elenya already knew that, but she nodded seriously and then emptied the medicine in one go. She already suspected that the taste would not be pleasant and the sooner she had it over with, the better. Apart from the fact that she really wanted to be free of pain.

The taste of bark, earth and something spicy hit her tongue and she swallowed in disgust. She would never get used to Dr. Xu's tinctures. But she had to give him one thing. After a short time, the throbbing in her side subsided and she relaxed a little more against the mattress.

A relieved sigh escaped her.

"Good, that should make the next examination a little more pleasant. Unfortunately, we don't have an x-ray machine here in Portia yet, so I can only determine the fracture by more precise palpation." Xu looked at her apologetically. Trying to lighten the mood, he added with a smile: "Maybe one day you'll find one in the ruins. We would benefit greatly from it. Especially you."

Elenya felt her cheeks warm. He was probably not far off the mark. Judging by the quiet laughter next to her, Arlo thought so too.

Unfortunately, the good mood didn't last long. Dr. Xu pushed her t-shirt up again and Arlo flinched at the sight of her side. This time Elenya could see part of her side and she too felt slightly nauseous at the sight. What had looked bad this morning was nothing compared to now.

Deep reds and blues adorned her side, while the outer edges were already shining in sickening greens and yellows. What stood out, however, was the one dark purple spot above her second lowest rib. Elenya guessed that was where the fracture was.

No wonder Arlo had looked so shocked earlier. Or rather, he still did. His hand had slipped from her head down to her left shoulder and was clinging to it. Elenya looked up at him in surprise, and this time it was her turn to be concerned.

His face had lost all colour and the horror was back in his eyes. In an attempt to calm him, she reached for his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly. That at least made him avert his gaze from her side and look at her with a stricken expression instead.

"How... How did this happen, Elenya? Why didn't you tell me?"

Dr. Xu, who was about to start his new examination, also looked up at the question.

It looked like she finally had to come clean with her story.

"I... um," ashamed, she avoided her gaze and focused on her feet instead. There was a small stain on her right shoe that looked rather interesting.

"It's possible I dropped an oil can at my assembly station last night and it tumbled down the stairs. I may have slipped on a puddle of oil while going down and caught myself with the help of the railing. With my ribs".

There was a moment of silence.

Then Dr. Xu let out a long sigh, revealing that this was far from the first time he had had to deal with one of Elenya's mishaps. “Of course you have,” he murmured quietly.

He said no more, but the look he gave her was one of weary understanding - equal parts resignation, mild irritation and reluctant affection. After all, she had made herself his most frequent patient.

Arlo, on the other hand, stared at her as if she'd just confessed to deliberately punching herself in the ribs. His mouth opened, then closed again. Then he opened it again.

"Oil?" he repeated in a low, incredulous voice. “You bruised a rib because you slipped on a puddle of oil?”

Elenya grimaced and didn't look at him. "Technically... Yes."

A strange sound escaped Arlo - something between a scoff and a sigh, tinged with incredulous laughter. He leaned back slightly, his hand leaving her shoulder, and shook his head. For a moment she didn't dare look up.

When she finally did, the look on his face was everything she had feared - and somehow more. His eyebrows were drawn together, his jaw tense, and in his eyes was the chaotic storm of emotions she had expected: anger, worry, disappointment ... and underneath it all, something softer. A warm pang of affection that he couldn't quite hide, no matter how frustrated he was.

“You're unbelievable,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face.

"I didn't mean to," she murmured, her cheeks burning.

"I know," he said, and this time there was no humour in his voice. Just quiet concern. "That's the problem. If I could, I'd protect you from all pain, but I can't very well protect you from yourself."

His gaze softened again at the words and his hand settled back on her shoulder, squeezing it gentl Elenya gave him a sheepish smile and reached for his hand, grateful that he wasn't angry with her - at least for now.

Their silent eye contact was interrupted when Dr. Xu cleared his throat to remind her that he still needed to examine her ribs. Immediately, the tension returned to Elenya.

Subconsciously, she tightened her grip on Arlo's hand, which was still gently squeezing her shoulder. Even though the painkiller had worked well, she didn't think it would completely relieve her of the pain to come.

And she was to be proved right. Dr. Xu probed her ribs, this time with a little more pressure than before, and it was only with difficulty that Elenya didn't shy away from the touch. Arlo tried to distract her by gently cupping her cheek with his free hand and holding her gaze, but it only helped so much.

A dull, throbbing pain shot through her side and she cursed her stubbornness once more. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble if only she hadn't listened to that voice in her head.

After a time unknown to Elenya, however, Dr. Xu was finished and all the tension drained from her body. The mixture of poor sleep, constant pain and the painkiller left her exhausted. Still, she tried to follow Dr. Xu's words.

"Well, the good news is that no other ribs are broken and nothing has slipped out of place. Unfortunately, there's not much one can do about broken ribs except take painkillers and let them heal. But that also means extreme caution. No sudden movements and, most importantly, no heavy work." He looked at her sharply. "For at least two weeks. The less stress you put on the rib, the faster the bone will heal. It's also very important that you try to take a deep breath at least once an hour, however uncomfortable it may be. Otherwise, the automatically shallower breathing could lead to pneumonia. All right?"

Elenya nodded reluctantly. Being excluded from work didn't suit her at all, but she knew he was right. Apart from the fact that she had only herself to blame.

Arlo nodded too, much more seriously than she did, and with a look that told her he would make sure she did everything the doctor said.

"Good. I'm going to put some more of the bruise ointment on the affected area so that at least the bruise will heal a little quicker. Do you still have enough at home? If not, I can give you some with the painkiller." Dr. Xu demonstratively held up the jar he had brought from his medicine cabinet and Elenya nodded.

"I should still have enough."

With that, the topic was closed and Dr. Xu opened the jar. Immediately, the familiar scent of herbs hit her nose and Dr. Xu took a generous portion of the ointment and gently spread it on her side. The ointment was cold and Elenya suddenly realised how cold she had been all this time.

Goose bumps spread all over her body and she couldn't help but shiver.

Dr. Xu paused at her reaction, then wordlessly reached for the thin blanket folded at the foot of the bed and gently pulled it over her legs.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice muffled by the sudden fatigue that was taking hold of her. "I didn't realise how cold I was."

"That's normal," he said, still focused on his task. "With the shock, the pain and the blood pooling under your skin, your body is working overtime to compensate. Rest is the best thing you can do right now."

He applied the ointment to the worst parts of the bruise, being careful not to apply too much pressure. Then he closed the jar and stood up, his eyes sweeping over her with a final, professional assessment.

"If the pain gets worse or your breathing changes, come back immediately. Don't wait." His tone brooked no argument - he'd clearly had this conversation with her before.

Elenya nodded tiredly, too exhausted to protest even if she wanted to.

Dr. Xu gave a short hum of agreement and then turned his attention to Arlo.

"She shouldn't be alone tonight," he said clearly. "Someone needs to watch her in case there are any complications."

Arlo didn't hesitate. "I'll stay with her."

Dr. Xu nodded in satisfaction and turned to his cabinets, saying, “I'll just get the painkiller.”

Elenya, her eyes barely open, turned her head slightly towards Arlo.

"I guess I'm your problem for the night," she whispered with a faint smile.

He smiled back and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You've been my problem for a while now, sweetheart. But I wouldn't have it any other way." His voice was soft and full of love, and yet Elenya still felt guilty.

She had put him through so much today that he didn't deserve. She really needed to apologise to him.

"I'll just get you a sweater to put on so you don't freeze on the way home, okay? I'll be right back." Arlo quickly kissed her goodbye and disappeared out the door.

In the few minutes he was gone, Dr. Xu brought her several bottles of the strong painkiller and she accepted them gratefully. He reminded her of what she needed to be aware of over the next few days and then Arlo returned.

To her delight, he had brought his soft grey sweater, which she loved to wear. With his help, she managed to put it on, which wasn't easy when she couldn't lift one arm above her head. She immediately felt warm. She didn't know how the fabric could still smell like him, even though he probably hadn't worn it for a long time at this time of year, but the familiar smell only added to the warming effect.

She snuggled happily into the soft fabric.

Arlo looked at her with a soft, affectionate chuckle and then said, "Let's get you home. You need to rest. Do you want me to carry you again?"

Elenya looked at her feet thoughtfully. It sounded tempting. Her eyelids kept threatening to close and every muscle in her body felt like lead, but she would have liked to walk home on her own two feet as well.

"I don't mind at all, if it makes you feel better." Judging by Arlo's sincere, eager look, the opposite seemed to be the case.

So Elenya gave in. Her self-esteem had already taken a beating today, so one more thing didn't matter. Apart from the fact that Arlo's strong arms were the safest and best place in the world.

Carefully, he lifted her back into his arms, making sure not to touch her right side. Safe in his arms, they said goodbye to Dr. Xu and slowly made their way to her workshop and home.

Completely exhausted, Elenya rested her head on Arlo's shoulder and closed her eyes. The gentle swaying of his steady footsteps lulled her into a light sleep, so she only dimly noticed them bumping into Remi, Sam, and Gale.

Arlo's soft voice hummed pleasantly in his chest, a sound that only lulled her deeper into sleep, and so she only came to when they were already in her house and Arlo was carefully laying her down on her bed.

With a soft murmur, she slowly opened her eyes and directly met Arlo's tender gaze. He had sat down next to her on the edge of the bed and was gently stroking her hair. With a happy sigh, she was about to close her eyes again when Arlo's gaze suddenly turned serious.

"I know you're tired and I'll let you sleep in a minute, but first I want to talk about what happened today."

Elenya was a lot more alert in an instant. She had known that this conversation would come later, and she really wanted to apologise, but her tiredness had made her forget for a moment. She tried to sit up, but before she could tense a muscle, Arlo gently placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her lightly into the pillows.

"Lie down, please. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Elenya hated having a conversation while lying down, but she didn't protest. The best way to show Arlo that she was sorry was to listen to him.

There was a moment of silence. Emotions were fighting in Arlo's eyes and he seemed to be struggling to put his feelings into words. From anger, to worry, to frustration, to disappointment and back to anger, it was all there. In the end, as she had feared, he ended up with disappointment. And, to make matters worse, sadness and a hint of guilt.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? And why on earth didn't you cancel our fight? I broke you a rib because of it! What if it had punctured your lung?" Anger took over for a moment and his voice grew louder towards the end, but then his energy seemed to leave him and his shoulders slumped.

"Don't you trust me?" He looked down at her, sad and uncertain, and Elenya felt terrible.

Her heart twisted at the look on his face.

"I do trust you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It wasn't about that. I just... I didn't want to worry you. And I didn't want to back out. Not after all the training we'd done. I wanted to prove myself."

Arlo let out a quiet, exasperated laugh - more breath than sound. He ran a hand through his hair.

"You didn't want to worry me? Elenya, I worry. All the time. You mean more to me than any training, any fight. You don't have to prove anything. Not to me, not to anyone. You're already enough."

His voice broke on the last word, and that cracked something in her. She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Really. I didn't think it would be this bad. I was wrong."

He looked at her then, blue meeting green, and whatever storm had been in his eyes began to calm.

"Next time," he said quietly, "just talk to me. Let me help you."

She nodded, too choked up to speak.

After a short silence, during which Elenya could barely keep her eyes open, Arlo squeezed her hand gently.

"Now rest, sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up.” He leaned down and captured her in a gentle kiss. His soft lips felt wonderful and soothing and Elenya was so grateful to have him by her side.

She had almost drifted off into dreamland when Arlo stood up, took off her shoes and tucked her in neatly. The last thing she knew was a soft, long kiss on her forehead and a whispered "I love you, my sweet clumsy builder".

#bad things happen bingo #bad things happen bingo: bruises #my time at portia #mtap #mtap arlo #my time at portia arlo #mtap female builder #mtap builder elenya #arlo my love #hurt/comfort #bruises

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hughjidiot · 11 months ago

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Total Drama Level Up Chapter Six Behind-the-Scenes

Time for another look at the writing process of TDLU, and I have a lot to say about chapter six.

For starters, this chapter was supposed to come much later on. For a while in my drafts I had the zombie apocalypse challenge in mind for episode six while the music challenge would take place post-merge. But then I decided the band challenge would work better for the team portion, so I swapped them.

Before the switch, I also envisioned this challenge as being more like karaoke, with Trent, Cody, Justin and Harold of the Drama Brothers as special guest stars playing the actual music. After making the switch I then thought I'd make them guest judges instead. But it was during this brainstorming that I came up with the idea to have past competitors guest star in the murder mystery challenge, so I scrapped any appearances here so as not to double-dip.

Speaking of which, I also initially planned to have Zee casually reveal that he's a metalhead, rather than simply having family into the metal scene, drawing humor from someone so chill being into hardcore metal. But I'd done a similar reveal just a chapter before revealing Zee to have a sudden interest in skateboarding, and I didn't wanna repeat of that. If I had made Zee a metalhead, I would've had a joke like this when someone expressed surprise that someone like him would be into metal: "Hey man, not all of us metalheads burn churches or practice devil worship or use a picture of our dead bandmate as a bootleg album cover." (looks directly at the nearest camera) "I'm not making that up by the way; that actually happened."

And yes, Zee really isn't making that up. I'm not giving you the album name obviously, but if you're morbidly curious, look into the history of the band Mayhem.

By far what gave me the most trouble was trying to figure out what everyone would sing. I went through so many choices, it's crazy.

For Millie I decided she'd be into oldies, since that felt like a good hit for her "Wow, my generation is messed up" attitude from season one. I went through a whole list of potential songs, almost going with "Message in a Bottle" by the Police before ending on "Walk Like an Egyptian."

For a while I thought to have Bowie singing David Bowie, but that felt a little too on-the-nose. I ultimately went with Elton John after hearing "The Bitch is Back" on the radio and deciding that would be perfect for Bowie.

For a while for Axel, I'd planned on having her sing an Iron Maiden song. I headcanoned her as a fan as metal makes for great workout music, and she'd appreciate the literary and historical references in a lot of their songs. It was a toss-up between "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus;" if I'd gone with the latter, the plan for the performance was to have Bowie in a winged harness like Greece's Pieces from World Tour, flying over the stage to a giant sun prop where he'd ignite the wings, detach himself and drop down. Obviously all of that changed when I decided a Guns n Roses song would better fit Axel's vocal range.

Side note: I really liked having Axel be the one to paint her team's backdrops here. I couldn't resist throwing in a nod to her artistic side, one of my favorite things we got from Axel for season two.

For Zee, once I'd headcanoned him as being a fan of soft rock, I almost instantly decided on "Brandy" by looking glass. Initially for his performance I was gonna put emphasis on Lauren admiring him as the beginning of her crush, but decided to save it for their dance during MK's number instead.

Lauren's performance of reenacting the murder of Paul Allen from American Psycho was one of the first things I came up with when finalizing this challenge. For the song itself, I actually had "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves picked out, which is also part of the movie's soundtrack. But in the end I decided to go with the actual song from that scene, "Hip to be Square" by Huey Lewis and the News.

MK, hoo boy. She easily went through the most songs, since I wanted to find something that felt like a good match for her scratchy voice and something semi-romantic for Zee and Lauren to dance to. For a while my choices were "Love Gun" by Kiss, "You Shook Me All Nite Long" or "Touch Too Much" by AC/DC, or "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns n Roses (before deciding to give Axel the GnR song.) I ultimately went with "Butterfly" by CrazyTown since I figured MK wouldn't be one for singing, so she'd rather rap.

#hugh jidiot rambles #total drama island #total drama fanfiction #total drama level up

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spookypete-94 · 2 years ago

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Beastie: Chapter #9 GhostxFem!reader

Slow burn, following MW2 storyline, eventually branching into my own. Warning for canon COD violence and language.

The sun was almost up when they arrived. If Y/N had to guess, Ghost had to of drove for a couple of hours, telling her she had fallen asleep at some point. All of them emerged from the vehicle stiff legged and sore.

"Where are we?" Soap asked.

"Alejandro's safehouse."

She stood back, looking around as the two men went towards the front of the doors. Standing back, she could tell that the sheets of metal in front of the main door were pressure plates to a bomb if anyone went inside. There was a window not too far off that you could tell was meant to be used.

"Alejandro rigged it, smart bastard."

"In the window there," she said, pointing to make them both look at her and then towards the window she was referring to. Instantly, Soap was up, pulling himself in and clearing the room he had dropped down into. Y/N was left on the ground while Ghost was up in the window.

"Don't move!" she heard him yell. He silently reached towards his vest and pulled a knife. Honestly, the movement was swift and quick. It should strike fear into her that he was so talented at it, but it just made her grateful he was on her side.

"Who is it?" She heard someone ask.

"Rodolfo?"

"Rudy!" she yelled glad he was ok.

Ghost then reached down to help pull herself up as she was not tall enough to reach the window. She was eager to see Rudy, as he was one of the first ones that was nice to her when she arrived here.

"You're ok!" She yelled, looking at him as she dropped into the safehouse.

Rudy pulled the knife out of the wooden post, bringing it back to Ghost.

"Took you long enough," his voice teased. "Glad to see you are all alive. What happened?"

"We were on the run."

"I was on the run. Ghost waited for me." Soap answered

"Of course, no?" Rudy said, making her realize that he would of done the same for Alejandro. That being the message he was trying to say.

"No." Soap answered, and was quickly shut up by Ghost saying "Yes."

"We're a team, all of us. This happened on my watch and I'll need help to fix it. No one fights alone."

Ghost feels responsible for this?

She listened to them talk but chose this to be the better time to look at Soap's arm. She found a box so he could sit, making the injury at her level height easier to look at.

"Sit," she said quietly, making him turn to look at her before he followed her instructions and sat down. She unwrapped it, slowly, careful not to pull any of the blood off that had turned to scabs, not wanting it to start bleeding again.

"Do we know why Graves turned?" Rudy asked

"We don't know."

"Las Almas can corrupt anyone."

"For now, General Shepherd, Laswell, and anyone else outside this room is considered a hostile." Ghost said, making her glance up at him, looking at him with her narrowed eyebrows.

"Laswell called me, gave Rudy and I a chance to get out."

"Until we can make contact with her, or find out what is going on, she is a threat."

"I work for her. Does that make me a threat?" her tone almost mocking, due to the thing he just said, being ludicrous to her.

"You came back for us. You are not a threat. But until we can find out truly what is going on, she is a risk as well. Are you going to follow my orders, or are you going to argue?"

Y/N was speechless, finding the question rhetorical she chose not to answer. How is it this man could be so back and forth? Kind to her one moment and a stone cold wall to her the next.

Ghost took her silence as her answer, and they all continued speaking, coming up with a plan to get the Vaqueros out involving their leader.

"Think we're past the point of stitching," she said to Soap, seeing the blood dried around the wound. She didn't want to break it open and risk it bleeding more from the amount of blood he lost earlier. "Gonna clean it back up and repack it." She said, wiping it down further antiseptic and then adding Neosporin to it.

"Thank you," was all he said to her as she began rewrapping it. This time, it was much more pericise, the lines of the gauze matching up.

"Always," she said lightly, trying to distract herself and him of the bad mood Ghost had just thrown her in.

The safehouse was well stalked, guns and ammo loaded away in a hidden arsenal. The armored vehicle that Rudy had gone back for, sitting in the area that would be the garage. They loaded items into the vehicle, preparing for the others that they would find in the prison. Y/N purposefully tried to steer clear of Ghost, finding his last words about Laswell being a threat to her hurtful... It almost made her feel like he didn't trust her, too. Without her realizing it, he was definitely taking notice of the given distance to him.

"You good?" He asked, trying to take a flat of ammo from her.

"Fine," she grumbled lowly sides stepping him heading to the truck where she dumped it off.

"Should be enough," Rudy said, looking at the amount in the truck. "Let's get moving." He climbed into the driver's seat, Y/N bravely climbed into the passenger seat, knowing if she did this, she wouldn't have to sit next to Ghost.

This.. This was the thing to make him realize she indeed was not fine. Black holes were forming in the back of her head from Ghost, staring at her through the seat. However, she paid no mind, her anger enough to keep her distracted and ready to break out Alejandro and his men.

"Everyone should try to rest before we get there. Y/N chose to lean against the window and at least attempt to get some sleep. This being the option to leave her out of any conversation she did not want to be a part of and maybe take Ghost's attention off of her. It never did leave, though.

Rudy got them all on scene of where they were going to enter, where the prison wall was at it's weakest. They chose to linger in the area until it got dark, that being their best cover. They all lingered outside the truck, Y/N sitting in the passenger seat with the door propped open her legs hanging out while the others had a cigarette trying to pass time.

Y/N chose to reply Ghost's words over and over in her mind, something that she did quite often. She looked up at the sun, seeing it finally starting to set, her watch reading 2030. Pulling her gear out one by one, she made sure she had every knife strapped, her pistol and rifle loaded, and any other frags attached to her vest. There were heavy footsteps behind her, she knew who they belonged to but she didn't say anything.

"Could you speak to me? Please?" she heard his voice behind her. The gruffness stronger from him pleading.

"And say what?" Do you really want me to say what I want to say?"

"Please." His voice urgent, despereate.

"That little voice in my head tells me that you think I'm a threat too, that you don't trust me."

"I trust you," he said, brown eyes looking down into hers. He had pushed her further into the truck, making her turn around to look at him against his vest. She had to crane her neck up high to look at him.

"I don't believe you. If you don't trust Laswell, you don't trust me."

"That's not true, I wouldn't let you be here if I did. I'd of been like Shepherd and Graves and told you that you couldn't come."

She looked up at him, still feeling defiant. He glanced over at Soap and Rudy, seeing them sit at a base of a tree, facing away. His hand slid up to her face.

"I trust you, Beastie. It's the others who are hunting us that I don't."

"Laswell isn't hunting us."

"We don't know that," his hand bracing the back of her head, allowing her to rest it against it as he looked down at her. "I'm not letting anyone that could be a threat near us... near you..." he grumbled.

Her heart fluttered, her eyes bouncing back and forth between his stunned by his words. His other hand came up next and stroked her cheek, making her eyes close at the sensation of the gloves on her face. Next, he lowered his head to her side of her face and took in a large inhale, smelling her.

She shuddered against his touch, eyes opening again due to the close contact.

"Why do you do that?" She asked her voice strained.

"Like how you smell," he said into her ear.

"I want to touch you," she admitted weakly.

He lifted her hand and placed it up by his face.

"Need you to stay alive for me."

"You think I wouldn't?"

"My fear is you won't... I haven't been afraid of somethin' so bad before."

She looked up at him, her hand rubbing his cheek through the mask again. Her eyes told him she wanted more. He leaned down, picking her up and placing her in the seat.

He grumbled in her ear again once more.

"Stay alive... and I'll give you what you want." His hand lowering down to her thigh, and then abruptly up it. He was gripping her at her core. It felt rough at first making her gasp, but as his hand lingered the shock from it seeming to arouse her instead now. She stifled a moan, making him chuckle.

"You hear me?"

"I hear you," her voice much softer this time, desperate.

"Get ready, gonna go get Rudy and Soap. And get in the backseat this time," his voice low, upset with that she sat in the passenger seat still. She locked eyes with him and nodded, doing as she was told.

"Good girl," he said stepping away, letting her move into the back of the truck, her heart now fluttering around in her ribcage.

She would stay alive to see this through.

#cod mw2 #ghost mw2 #simon ghost riley #mw2 #simon riley #call of duty #beastie #call of duty mw2 #ghost #ghost x reader

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duckprintspress · 2 years ago

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Duck Prints Press Summer 2023 Con Wrap!

We’ve now vended at our first two cons, and we wanted to take a few minutes to blog about it!

I (press owner Claire Houck/unforth) attended Fandom Fest in Schenectady, NY, and Albacon in Clifton Park, NY, and vended on behalf of the Press. Authors Nova Mason, Shea Sullivan, Catherine E. Green, and Tris Lawrence helped me out with manning the booth, handling transactions, participating in our first DPP panel, and more, so huge THANKS to them. (Also to Prof. Robert Heverly from Albany Law School, for contributing his expertise on copyright law to our Fandom Fest panel). I wrote about our Fandom Fest panel here, and about our events at Albacon here and here.

To be honest, we really had no idea how things would go, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that we far exceeded our expectations. Going into this, I’ll own I was very afraid – would people be interested in our Press? Would we make money? Or would we be that sad, lonely table that everyone walks quickly by? But things couldn’t have gone better – they went so well we’re already looking at more events to attend in the future.

From a fiscal standpoint, we made almost double what I anticipated and completely made up the expense of buying the supplies and equipment necessary for us to vend at these events and going forward. From a panel perspective, our events were nicely attended. From a “growing the business” standpoint, we added many names to our mailing lists and gained social media platforms. And, from a networking standpoint, we had a fantastic time and met a lot of awesome people – and that’s primarily what this post is about!

You already know about us; we’re here to shout-out some other folks we’re now very happy to know!

Top Row, Left Picture: The amazing Syrren (@syrren) and I bonded instantly over our shared love of the men of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu books and Stardew Valley romance options. I miiiight have ended up with some merch (though the Genshin Impact ones are gifts for a friend).

Top Row, Middle Picture: jiadoesart had many lovely things, and I picked out some stickers for my Ghibli-loving kids.

Top Row, Right Picture: The Consol Collection, sadly, has no website that I can find, but they had a lot of things such as this adorable Totoro sticker I got for my kids. And when the owner of Eclectic Arts approached me in an absolutely fabulous Hawaiian shirt featuring Pride-flag-colored twenty-sided dice, I instantly agreed to a sticker trade.

Bottom Row, Left Picture: According to the Fandom Fest organizers, it was 100% a coincidence that we ended up next to Duck and Cover, but we couldn’t have had a cooler or more appropriate neighbor. A con attendee felt it was so on-brand for Duck Prints Press that they actually bought us this one-of-a-kind hand-painted James Bond duckie! We also talked with Duck and Cover about maybe offering some of their custom ducks as campaign add-ons in the future, so be on the lookout…

Bottom Row, Right Picture: The owner of The Cogitation Zone, Lisa, is a long-time friend of Tris Lawrence, who commissioned us this custom Duck Prints Press business card holder that’ll be accompanying us to all our future cons! Lisa also had made a large number of adorable creatures, and I miiiight have traded a copy of one of our anthologies for an axolotl. Because. Axolotl.

Some Other Neat Folks We Met:

Pastel Prince Shop: lots of gorgeous queer art and merch; I’m hoping to get one of their asexual pride bracelets in the future (it got sold before I could grab it, sadly).

Bear and Bird Boutique: a local business that was vending at Fandom Fest, too, they have a lot of amazing bits and baubles, both fandom-related and original. We’ve bought everything from the Hilda graphic novel to a dragon puzzle at their store.

Picnocline: the only reason I didn’t buy things from Picnocline’s shop is that there were so many cute things that I literally couldn’t pick.

It’s Getting Dicey: dice, one of my true weaknesses! They have metal pride-flag dice sets, and lots of queer dice trays. I wish I could get them all…

Two-Penny Nerdlesque: a local burlesque troupe; they were very enthusiastic about And Seek (Not) to Alter Me and our queerifying of Much Ado About Nothing, and delighted told me about their own very queer versions of Shakespeare and other plays – I’m definitely going to have to check them out in the future.

(There are others too, but I didn’t grab everyone’s information, and I think this is plenty for one post. 😀 )

If any of you all are seeing this post, it was an absolute delight to meet you, and please don’t be a stranger!

Going forward, we’re looking forward to participating in more events and making more connections with other creators, especially other queer creators! Just today, we’ve applied to vend at A Big Gay Market, taking place in Washington Park in Albany on October 29th, 2023. We’ve also got a tentative schedule for 2024, and we’ll post more about where you’ll be able to find us as the dates grow closer and we find out if the juried shows have accepted our applications. We’re going to do our best to continue the success we’ve enjoyed at our first two conventions by pursuing vending as a way to meet potential readers and customers, grow relationships with other queer creators, and get the Duck Prints Press names out there for the benefit of all the authors, artists, and others we work with!

Got a con in New York State or Massachusetts that you love and think we should try to attend in 2024? Let us know in the comments or by dropping us an e-mail at info at duckprintspress dot com!

#duck prints press #fandom fest #albacon #convention #convention report

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yuriko-mukami · 2 years ago

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His Possession Dark 03

Chapter Selection

After tossing and turning for a couple of hours in her bed Yuriko sat up and sighed. It was a night between Saturday and Sunday, and she had no idea what time it was, but sleeping was impossible. The first weeks of school had been nothing but a nightmare ever since Ruki had taken an interest in her. The vampire took her blood whenever he wanted and if Yuriko’s father had spent time at home, he would have seen the results of that treatment.

But once again, Tsukino Keisuke was away from home even on a weekend. Once again, he was busy with his work. It was nothing new, yet the emptiness was deeper year by year.

Yuriko brushed the thoughts aside and rolled out from the bed. She changed into her training clothes and wandered to the entrance hall. Soon she was out and jogging towards the nearby park. In the middle of the night. Never had she done such a thing, but it seemed that entering the night school had changed her shaky sleeping schedule even worse than before.

As her feet beat the ground Yuriko ran through the park. The path continued to the forest she hadn’t visited earlier, and she let her legs carry her there. No matter how fast she ran, the squeezing feeling didn’t leave her heart and the thoughts of cold steel-blue eyes refused to depart from her mind.

I don’t want to think about Ruki. Weekends are my freedom he can’t ruin… This is my time, and I should enjoy this. Haah, but it feels like I’m not in as good shape as earlier… Why am I this tired?

Yuriko slowed down a little, her breathing dragging. Back in her former home, she used to go jogging three to five times a week but ever since she had started in this new school her last good habits had been distilled into the sewer. And now Yuriko felt lightheaded just from a little running.

Maybe it is because of blood loss…

Yuriko sighed as she continued jogging at a slower pace. A few drops of sweat slithered down her nape and assimilated in her hoodie. The night was silent and surprisingly pleasant. While the city was busy all around the clock this forest was different, as if Yuriko had entered another realm. Even the air felt distinct as she bounced further. She realized that the path had changed narrower and the trees around were taller than the ones closer to the park. Maybe it should have bothered her, but the strange tranquility was rooted within her.

The air felt peculiarly crisp for spring, but Yuriko kept going. This was better than lying on the bed unable to sleep. At least now her muscles had something to do, so maybe she would be tired enough when she would get back home.

Suddenly a metallic smell lingered on Yuriko’s nose. She stopped and sniffed around, her stomach curling. There had been a time she wouldn’t have recognized this smell instantly, but those days were far behind. Someone was bleeding, and not far from her. Yuriko looked around and tried to see behind the bushes. She left the path and wandered between trees, following her nose.

When Yuriko stepped further, she gasped. Someone was lying on the ground, his clothes stained with blood. Yuriko hurried towards him even though shivers went through her body. First the vampires, now this… or was this because of the vampires? Maybe one of them had attacked the young man who looked almost dead.

“Umh… are you… are you alright?” The words slipped from Yuriko’s lips, yet instantly she realized how stupid they were. Of course, the young man wasn’t alright; he must have been badly injured and barely breathing by the look of him. His jacket was full of bloodstains that were still growing.

Not caring what was on the ground, Yuriko crouched down and touched the sleeve of the young man’s jacket carefully. He had light spiky hair but the most peculiar thing about him was that he wore glasses and an eye pad. His only visible eye had a warm golden color, yet now it was glass-like and hazy, perhaps because of the pain.

Yuriko pushed her rising quivering aside and stroked his arm, asking: “Can… can I help you?”

“I - I don’t usually ask this but he-help me…” the young man muttered, and Yuriko couldn’t help noticing that even his lips were bloody.

“Oh my gosh! This looks really bad!” Yuriko blurted, instantly regretting her words. “Umh… I’ll help you. Please, talk to me. Where do you hurt the most?”

Yuriko raised her hand slowly and touched the young man’s forehead. It radiated cold against her palm.

He must have lost a lot of blood! Maybe he is even in shock! I… I don’t know anything about first aid, but I must do something!

“I should call an ambulance!” Yuriko said and fumbled in the pocket of her hoodie for her phone.

“H-hospital won’t help me... I am a Founder…” the young man muttered. “I know you know about vampires, just find a wolf, and bring him to me... I am too weak to call them.”

A founder? The term was unfamiliar to Yuriko, but a cold lump dropped into her stomach when the young man mentioned the vampires. Yet she pushed the feeling away and tried to understand what was expected from her. She blinked as she realized that the young man had asked for a wolf.

How am I supposed to ask a wolf to come with me… or even find one? Are there even wolves in this part of the country? she pondered. But the young man was serious. He had no reason to joke around, not in the state he was in.

“Take… this. Let the wolf smell it,” the founder said. A tearing sound reached Yuriko’s ear as he ripped a shred off his already torn shirt and held it out for her with a shaky hand.

“I… I’ll do my best,” Yuriko replied, taking the piece of fabric, as she stood up and looked around her before running back to the forest.

While running around, Yuriko's thoughts jumped wildly. Ruki was a vampire and this young man… a founder. A founder of what? And how come he knew that Yuriko knew about the vampires? She couldn’t recall ever seeing the male before, but he had looked young enough to be a student. Maybe he knew Ruki.

Yuriko almost tripped as she ran through the forest, her heart jumping at the pace of her busy legs. A wolf! She needed a wolf, and the mere thought was enough to raise goosebumps on her skin. It would have been easier to turn around and run back home, but Yuriko knew that she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she left someone bleeding in the forest. So, she ran, ran, and ran, looking around her hoping to see any kind of sign of wolves… though she didn’t have a clue what that sign could even be.

Suddenly Yuriko stepped into a small clearing. Her eyes were glued to the animal that stood in the middle of it, majestic and noble with its fur that danced slightly in the night wind. The eyes of the beast met hers as if they were penetrating her mind, seeing every thought that had ever crossed there.

"Umh… hello… wolf?" Yuriko whispered with a quailing voice between shallow breaths. I must do this; it is the right thing. "Eh… Please, come with me. There is a person… who needs you."

Yuriko stepped a little closer, pushing the fabric towards the wolf, her whole body shaking. Never had she approached a wild animal like this, and every nerve in her body told her to run. If only she could have but an image of a bleeding young man returned to her mind. She had no other option than try to make the wolf come with her.

I must be crazy… A normal person would have called for that ambulance, not gone looking for a wolf. What is wrong with me these days?

There was a slight movement in the golden eyes of the beast, almost an unnoticeable change. As the wind's direction shifted it pushed a musky, animalistic scent toward Yuriko’s face, raising the hair of her arms. Wolf threaded closer, sniffing the fabric. Yuriko started to back off slowly, now keeping her gaze down, not wanting to give a reason for the wolf to attack.

Walking backward, Yuriko left the clearing. It took a long time until she was brave enough to turn around and walk normally, and soon she heard the paws following her. Tickling went up and down her spine, yet she didn’t stop nor turn around but continued trailing her way back to the bleeding young man.

To Yuriko’s surprise, the wolf soon took the lead, and she didn’t need to do anything but follow it back to the young man, the founder. As the wolf reached him it howled. Yuriko froze in place, almost forgetting how to breathe as wolves started to gather everywhere, circling the founder and her.

"Thanks… I will never forget this," the founder said.

Yuriko was unable to even mutter any words out loud. Instead, she started to take tiny steps backward until she was so far away that she couldn’t see the founder or the wolves anymore. Only then did she turn around and begin to run again and she didn’t stop until she reached the front door of her home on the fourth floor of an apartment building.

This isn't a normal city. Vampires and founders… Is there something else too? And how am I supposed to survive in the middle of all this?

After getting back to bed Yuriko stared at the ceiling, mind still whirling from what had gone through in the forest. Has the founder survived? Should she have stayed? Now she had no way of knowing, and she hadn’t even asked his name.

Sighing, Yuriko turned to her side and grabbed the plush fox she kept on her bed. The founder had known her connection to the vampires, so he was probably from the school.

I should search him out and check if he is alright. But he was in such bad shape that he probably won’t be in school on Monday… at least I wouldn’t if that happened to me…

Turning again, Yuriko finally closed her eyes. She had so many questions and so few answers. In this short time, her life had taken a turnaround she hadn’t expected at all. Yet she didn’t want to go back to her earlier life. Was this better? Yuriko couldn’t tell but at least everything kept her mind busy, and her only bully was a vampire who craved her blood. It wasn’t something she had asked for herself but, to be honest, it beat being hated by everyone.

Maybe I can make sense of this eventually…

Yuriko started slowly to drift off, her eyelids finally closing and her muscles relaxing.

And soon Yuriko was back in the forest. A familiar scent of undergrowth hit her nose instantly; she sniffed the ground and smelled something else. The white one had been here. Even though Yuriko had gotten scared the last time she started to run, her paws hit the leaves on the forest floor at a fast pace.

Being so many times in this same forest, it didn’t take long for Yuriko to find her way to the cliff. The white one was sitting on the edge of it, gazing at the moonless sky but they turned around and stared straight at Yuriko with their golden eyes.

"So, you finally came back," they said. "I tried to draw here a couple of times but you… resisted. What's different now?"

"I… I guess… I got curious,” Yuriko replied, wondering why she had indeed found herself here now. Maybe she had gotten tired of avoiding her comfort place even though it had changed a bit now. Everything was shifting around her, it seemed.

"I could say the same. It's getting easier to talk with you. After all these years it's a bit odd."

Yuriko nodded. It was weird to be able to talk with a fox… even though she also was one in this dream.

"But you've been having other dreams lately. Do they have anything to do with reality?" the white one asked.

Yuriko stared down at the dark forest and at the river that curled behind the trees. She did not answer… but she couldn't push her thoughts away. Ruki seemed to be everywhere. She couldn't avoid him at school, and she couldn't avoid him in her dreams. It was either Ruki or this forest. And now that founder… but Yuriko couldn’t quite put her experience into words. It wasn’t something she was comfortable sharing with anyone.

"He's been sucking your blood, isn't he? The vampire."

The question made Yuriko jump. She looked at the white one who was glaring at her with piercing eyes.

"You have to get rid of him," the white one continued when Yuriko didn’t answer. "He will become addicted soon and then it's even harder to avoid him."

"Addicted?"

"To your blood. It’s addictive and intoxicating for vampires."

Yuriko stayed quiet. Ruki had told her that her blood was sweet. They hadn’t been talking much and mostly Yuriko had tried to keep her distance, not that it helped, especially now when she needed to do the literature project with him.

"I'm doing my best," she said. “But how do you know?”

“The right question is how you don’t know,” the white one said. “It’s important to know what you are up against. Be careful and avoid the vampires… and while you are at it, I would avoid any other kind of demons too. You don’t want them to notice you since you are living your comfortable life in the world of humans.”

Demons? Yuriko shifted and finally sat down next to the white one, curling her tail around her paws as if she wanted to keep them warm. Was this dream only her imagination? It had been so comforting but now the white one didn’t offer comfort but scary images.

“Who are you exactly?” Yuriko asked.

The white one looked at Yuriko sideways. It was impossible to read their face, impossible to know if they were being honest or not. But on the other hand, they were a fox that had kept her company for years now. Until recently they hadn’t been able to talk but now was Yuriko’s chance to get answers.

“That’s right,” the white one said. “You didn’t give me a chance to tell my name last time. I’m Yuuto.”

Yuriko nodded. So, the white one was a boy… or a man. It was impossible to tell his age only by looking at him. Yuriko sighed, wondering if she should only tell her first name or the last name too. Maybe foxes only had given names but with humans that was different.

“I know your name, Yuriko,” Yuuto said. He wagged his both tails as a smirk rose on his foxy face. “Don’t look at me like that. I can hear your every thought when we are here in the In-between. This is my dream realm I created just for us years ago.”

“But why?”

“Because I wanted to spend time with my little sister,” Yuuto replied.

Yuriko’s heart skipped a beat, and she darted to her paws, mouth hanging open for a moment.

“I… I don’t have a brother!”

Now it was Yuuto’s turn to sigh as he lay down on the ground. “Of course, they didn’t tell you… our parents. Ask Father. See if he lies to you or if he tells the truth.”

“He isn’t around that much. I barely see him…” Yuriko mumbled, staring at Yuuto. Was that a lie? “I’m sorry… This is… too much. I can’t take this right now. There have been so many things going on… I just… I can’t!”

Yuriko turned her tail and ran. Again, she left Yuuto alone on the edge of the cliff.

Beta read by @ruki-mukami-dl

#yuriko tsukino #yuriko's story

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ikkaku-of-heart · 2 months ago

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@heartmourne asked: the trouble with utilizing a submarine as their seafaring vessel, was that if something went wrong… well, the consequences were often a bit more dire than for those who sailed the seas on a ship, especially for a man like Law, who wielded a devil fruit and would sink faster than any anchor they could decide to drop. It was why he ran such a tight ship, choosing less to name a first mate and more to keep his fingers in every single pot of the Polar Tang’s day to day… from each engine check to his crew’s daily nutrition intake via meals. Some might call him micro-managey. Shachi and Penguin would declare him to have control issues. They were both right. Law was a smart man. He knew how to perform complex heart procedures by the tender age of thirteen. But that didn’t mean he knew everything - the ins and outs of his own ship’s submarine structure included. That was where Ikkaku came in, and not for the first time - the sleepless captain approached her in the wee hours of the morning, looking more like a ghoul than a man. “Ikkaku,” somber and serious as always, captain clutches Kikoku like a comfort, as if any social exertion demanded his cursed swords energy to muddle through ( he was far from a morning person ). “The stairwell next to the Captain’s quarters is making that horrible banging noise again.” It’s said as monotone as possible - not an order, certainly not a plea. Maybe closer to a question. It would explain why he looked extra exhausted though. “I checked, and I believe the hinge on the one metal doo-hickey is loose on that one thing.” At least he tried. Unprompted (Always Accepting!)

As far as Ikkaku was concerned, submarines were superior vessels when compared to most ships. Sure, they had their dangers and problems, but they circumvented many issues plaguing traditional ships. If there was a storm, the Polar Tang could sink beneath the waves into the calmer waters of the depths. They could hide from enemy ships and attack from below, keeping themselves safe and catching their opponents unawares.

Still, a submarine did have its dangers if not looked after carefully, which was why as the head engineer, Ikkaku took her job seriously. If anyone mentioned an odd sound or something not working as it should, she was on it instantly, checking thoroughly and making sure everything was working perfectly. Her crew wouldn't be harmed on her watch.

So while she was still a bit groggy herself, morning coffee having not quite hit her brain yet when Law approached, she immediately snapped to attention when her captain brought up his concerns. No, his language was far from technical, but she didn't expect him to know the name of every type of gear and piston any more than he'd expect her to name every bone in the body. And despite that, his description was helpful. Especially pointing out that it was a hinge that was loose. That narrowed things down significantly, so her diagnosis of the problem would go more quickly.

"Banging in the stairwell again, Captain? That can't be helping your sleep much," she said sympathetically. Rubbing her chin in thought, she considered what the issue could be. "Good news is that generally a loose hinge isn't something critical, so I don't think we'll need to surface. Still, I'll have a better idea once I've taken a look." Downing the rest of her coffee like a shot, she nodded. "Take me to the patient, Boss. I'll get that fixed up right away!"

#heartmourne #The Engine is the Heart of the Ship (canon)#Oh Captain My Captain (Law)#Join the Hearts: We Have Uniforms #(Ikkaku can't judge Law for using “doo-hickey” when she uses “thingamabob” to describe organs she can't identify)

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timetravelingpigeon · 6 months ago

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Find the Word Tag Game

Man been a hot minute since I've done one of these bad boys. Remember when I used to do tag games?

Tagged by: @artdecosupernova-writing My Words: front, back, side, up, down, around Tagging: Anyone who wants to participate! I've been away so long I have no idea how many of the writeblrs following me/I'm following are still active, lmao. Your Words: salt, bitter, spice, sweet

Just gonna pull from MBMP since it's been a long time since I worked on the OG (and haven't done much of anything more with it in the time after I went on hiatus here.)

Front

“Okay, okay, okay,” I said, catching my breath and winding down. “I’ve got one. What’s the most ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ way you’ve died?” Once more, they had to think on it. “I was orbiting the black hole at the center of Brittle Hollow — don’t ask how I got into that position in the first place — maneuvering so that I can get caught by a gravity elevator and lifted to safety, when this huge chunk of the crust breaks off in front of me. I didn’t have enough time or thrust to get out of its way, so I just…” They illustrated by smacking their palm against their other hand’s fist. “Killed me instantly, which I guess is better than dying either from internal bleeding or a cracked visor in a near-vacuum. You?”

Back

“So no turning around and heading back to the first area.” They held up their hand, first finger partially curled. “Not that we have a way to get back there.” First finger straightened. “Not that we want to go back there. Unless you want to finish reading that book you didn’t like.” “It’s not that I didn’t like it. I mean, I wrote it; I’d better like it. But the fact that they had it at all creeped me out.” “Yeah, I’m not sure how the third party got my ship log either.”

Side

“No offense, Morgan, but the fact that you didn’t smash your way in here like the Incredible Hulk leads me to believe these doors are indestructible even for you.” “You’re right, I wasn’t able to break through either one on the way here. But who knows,” he shrugged, positioning himself about a step away from his target, “could be that they’re only reinforced from one side.” “So you’re thinking it might work because it’s a— ” My sentence was cut off by a metallic bang! as Morgan karate-kicked the door straight off its hinges. And in half. “… ‘push’ door,” I finished.

They tilted their head slightly, “I don’t know how we’re any more lost than we were when we first met. Your suit’s also been keeping track of where we’ve been, right?” I gave a flat, “No.” “Oh. Does your HUD not have that feature?” “I don’t have a HUD, period.” Mentally, I groaned. Why did their space suit have all these fancy features when it looked like… well, that? Meanwhile, here I was, wearing the best humanity has to offer and coming up about as short as a toddler at a track meet. Freaking aliens, man.

Down

“So it’s not darkness but nothingness, then” “Seems like it,” they replied, then held down the launcher’s trigger. Apparently, that was supposed to do something, as they tried releasing and holding the trigger once more. When their third attempt likewise did nothing, they twisted a few things, pulled at some others, and detached the launcher from its shoulder mount. After giving it a look over, they delivered a couple of solid smacks near the base where the scout had initially been resting, then held the trigger again. “Is something wrong?” I asked. “Yeah, it’s not coming back,” they answered, giving the device a final shake for good measure. “Which is concerning given that I’ve recalled this thing from halfway across the solar system before.” “Oh, so it’s, like, gone gone.”

Around

Flicking their mic’s switch back on, they told me in a flat tone, “My time loop ends with our entire solar system being destroyed by our star going supernova. I’ve been trying to fix it for a while now.” Then, quietly, as if admitting it would be a betrayal, “I’m not sure I can fix it.” “Jesus,” I breathed. “Mine’s just some stupid thing that I don’t even know what it is but it sure as hell isn’t our whole planet getting annihilated. Man, screw these stupid suits,” I said, already feeling around for whatever mechanism kept my helmet on. (That was the first step in taking this suit off, right? Removing the helmet?) “You need a bigger hug than this thing allows.”

Thanks again for the tag @artdecosupernova-writing!

#tag game #find the word game #a mysterious buddy for a mysterious place

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forebodingprophet · 7 months ago

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Date Night (?) Part 2

Once they were both finished, Hikaze took a plain handkerchief out of a pocket in his hakama to wipe off their hands. Before Anastasios could even think about grabbing his own, Hikaze had his hands open and was gently wiping them free of the stray grease. The action felt… weirdly out of character for him and only served to confuse the man. He knew this wasn’t supposed to be a normal outing but Hikaze was putting in a bit too much effort.

“I have my own, you know,” Anastasios pointed out. That seemed to catch Hikaze off-guard, and he back-pedaled, fumbling for a response.

“Well… uhhh… I just figured we could use mine, y’know? You always keep nice ones, and street food can be messy,” he replied, not meeting Anastasios’ gaze. The Seer watched as threads of Ultrareality weaved their way around his body as the other man’s ability failed him in his nervousness. There was regret, frustration, and a touch of- And then it was gone again, Hikaze having gathered himself enough to turn his ability back on. “We-We can, y’know… use yours next time. Better to keep a clean one for if we get something truly messy, right?”

Anastasios decided to be magnanimous and not point out that he’d just contradicted not wanting to dirty Anastasios’ nice handkerchief. “Come on, you idiot, now that we have food in us, we need to start checking out everything else.” He gave Hikaze a shove on the back to urge him along, and that seemed to get him back in form because he instantly grabbed Anastasios to drag him off towards some other stall he was interested in.

Much of the day went on like that with them going about things as they normally would have except for Hikaze’s brazen intimacy. Things like holding his hand under the guise of not getting separated in the crowd, feeding each other instead of passing whatever street food they acquired back and forth, and Hikaze swiping stray crumbs off Anastasio’s face (he at least had the good sense to use his hands.) Most of the stalls were food and wares, though, and while they did converse about the wars, particularly the odd ones. Hikaze jokingly put on a ridiculous or scary-looking mask to joke around more than once, and Anastasios had to stifle his laughter and urge him to put them down each time while the stall attendant glared daggers at them. But their stomachs could only hold so much, even being the ravenous young men they were, and few of the wares actually interested them enough to buy. Except one. Stalls selling jewelry were hardly uncommon at festivals like these. The two had already walked by several, even having checked out a few, but Hikaze rarely wore accessories save for when he was accompanying Anastasios in an official capacity, and Anastasios’ taste was very particular. So it surprised Anastasios when Hikaze quite literally grabbed him and dragged him over to one by his entire arm and plucked something off the display.

“Stasi, try this!”

“Woah, what-” The two boys fumbled for a moment as Hikaze reached for Anastasios’ ears to attempt to gently remove the golden ear cuffs but ultimately struggled between having to deal with Anastasios trying to push him away and the cuffs being more firmly secured than he'd expected. “Will you stop?!” Anastasios snapped, finally managing to grab Hikaze’s hands. “You're gonna tear them off! Just let me! Mew Almighty.” Anastasios gingerly removed the cuffs from his ears for Hikaze to see that they were more wraps than cuffs. “Alright, now what did you want me to try on?”

“This.” Hikaze carefully worked a metal ornament onto Anastasios’ ears. Anastasios could already tell that it seemed to use less metal than the one he'd been wearing before, but it felt even heavier on his ears. “Oh, I have pretty good taste,” Hikaze noted, admiring his selection.

“Just hand me the mirror,” Anastasios sighed. Hikaze obliged, and Anastsios inspected the jewelry placed on him.

The ear wrap was a thin bronze wire that ran along the fold of his outer ear, clung tight to the edge of the shell, and blended in well with Anatsasios’ olive-brown skin. Enough that, unless you got right up to it, you couldn't even see it. However, the jewels attached were an entirely separate matter. The overall design of the wrap was very similar to the one Anastasios had put on originally, but now, instead of five flat, gold slips, there were three delicate drops of a bright nephrite. The cuff itself also had three nephrite cabochons set along the wire that, when combined with Anatsasios’ skin tone, made them look like piercings.

“You’re right: it does suit me rather well,” he admitted. “But your sense of taste had nothing to do with it, I look great in anything.”

“You’re not wrong,” Hikaze ground out, frustrated. “But you usually pick out jewelry made with gold, right?”

Anastasios nodded. “Of course. It's the color of my house.” The golden color of House Ofthalmós’ eyes and hair was a signifier of how much psychic ability they held, and the amber ring at the center of Anastasios’ irises indicated his existence as a Seer of the highest caliber. Gold wasn't the color of the house just because it suited them but because the members of House Ofthalmós had been likened to the precious metal countless times over the millennia.

“So, you never would have considered many other metals, would you?” Hikaze pointed out.

“True…” he replied with a grimace. It wasn't so much that other metals didn't look good on them, either. Copper wasn't particularly compatible with their olivine skin tone, and, as Hikaze had just demonstrated, bronze blended right in. Gunmetal could look good on them, but the alloy was difficult to make in the current era, making it a rarity, and their skin was often still dark enough that the contrast was minimal. Grey metals were both easy to obtain and could look nice, but, on Seers, their Eyes always stood out more than the jewelry.

Hikaze’s hand brushed over an ear, admiring how it looked before turning to the vendor. “We’ll take this pair, please,” he said happily, handing the vendor two gold coins.

“An excellent choice!” the vendor replied.

“Wait, what?” This wasn't some small knick-knack! Jewelry, especially the sort with gems, cost significantly more in this era. The fact that Hikaze had handed over gold was proof of that. “Hikaze, this isn't some little trinket!” Anastasios hissed.

“But it looks good on you,” Hikaze pointed out. “And besides, it's not like I don't have the money. I do earn a wage around the house, you know. It's not like I spend it on much besides food anyways.” Hikaze finished the transaction out and got a small box to put one off the ear wraps in. “Do you want to keep wearing those, or do you want to go back to the old pair?”

Anastasios answered him with an almost hilarious mix of embarrassment and grump. “You went to the trouble, so I might as well wear them. Arceus knows if I'll ever use them again,” he spat, snatching the box and delicately placing his golden accessories inside before stowing it in his pocket.

Hikaze whistled. “Careful there, tsundere levels that high might actually make it seem like you like them.” A brown hand reached up to claw-grip Hikaze's face, and Hikaze chuckled, black eyes peeling past olivine fingers to find red cheeks and ears. Anastasios was likely already thinking of what scenarios they'd be appropriate in. As far as Hikaze was concerned, the effort had been a success.

Anastasios excused himself to use a café’s restroom, promising to return with coffee for his insufferable companion. He didn't actually need the facility, but he did need a moment to calm down where Hikaze couldn't see how red his face was. Anastasios stood at the sink, eyes locked on the mirror, and his mouth upturned in a pout as one hand gently entwined its fingers with the green drops dangling from his ears. His grip on the sink tightened as his brows grew into an angry furrow. Even he thought he looked angry despite his flushed face. Why was he getting so damn flustered? He brought the hand at his ear down to stubbornly try to wipe the blush off his cheeks but only succeeded in adding more color to them.

For years now, the two of them had been flirting as a means of picking on one another- Hikaze hadn't intended anything the first time. It'd been a joke for the two of them that he’d mixed into a spectacle. But regardless of the intentions Anastasios knew the other man had, he'd reacted. His heart had fluttered for even the smallest instant, and that had ignited something in Hikaze because he kept doing it. In public and in private- serenading him with the cheesiest love songs that the Old World had to offer. He rarely got the reaction he was trying for, but it was fun for him regardless. Anastasios had started returning the favor out of frustration and continued when he'd seen that it got far more than the intended result. And things had just kept going like that until the flirting became real. Neither of them could be sure when that happened, but over the last year or so, a palpable tension had been building between them that all shattered last month. This date was likely Hikaze’s answer to that event.

Anastasios groaned and splashed some water on his face as he recalled the event, making his cheeks redden further. Only weeks ago, Hikaze had been walking on eggshells around Anastasios in the aftermath as both of them had become unsure of how to define this new relationship of theirs, but that quickly changed to another odd behavior entirely. It had started with light touching- a hug from behind as Hikaze looked over his shoulder at something, a guiding hand that lingered too long, a hand that, moments before had been ruining his hair but was now brushing it back behind his ear. Small, almost imperceptible things that, had they not crossed that line, Anastasios would have written off. But there was also a growing desire to his Ultrareality, when Hikaze's ability failed him at least, that was unmistakable. Gradually, his touches lingered longer, like he was testing the boundaries of what he was permitted. Then, one day, he gave Anastasios a kiss. It was on his head, through his hair, and, albeit brief and casual, it had happened, and Anastasios had allowed it. That was when Anastasios understood- Hikaze must have been waiting for Anastasios to draw a line. He’d been very calculated and systematic about it too, making sure they were alone or that no one was looking, that there was no reason Anastasios could give besides his own discomfort. He was only smart when it came to things like this, and it confounded Anastasios to no end why he could apply just a bit of that to his own education. But all that has escalated to this. It wasn't so much that Anastasios disliked this as he didn't know how to handle it. He was used to them being… rough. Getting into arguments that turned into fistfights, goading each other into stupid shit, and not having to worry about where they stood with one another no matter how they might screw up. Not… presents and doting and affection. Anastasios knew that things might change when he’d started adding straws to the Camerupt’s back, but experiencing it was a different issue. Anastasios always had to be in control and think things through before he committed. If things had been left entirely up to him, what was going on between them now wouldn't have been possible regardless of how much he actually wanted it. But when Hikaze was involved, all that went completely out the window. And that scared him. Being this flustered by his best friend and not having that control scared him. He was content to write Hikaze off as a bumbling fool the majority of the time, but, the reality of it was, the man was better at this than Anastasios, and he'd already made his decision and didn't feel that he needed to care about how to act. He was content to blunder and make mistakes as they found their new normal, and he'd been showing that all month. The handkerchief thing earlier had certainly been far too awkward- but he learned quickly from things like that. Whereas Anastasios was scared to even take that first step forward. He needed to be in control of himself, and it was one thing to not be in control with Hikaze… It was another to give that control over to Hikaze. Not because Hikaze was Hikaze, but because Anastasios was Anastasios. Or, more precisely, because he was still Esaias, somewhere underneath. But, unlike Esaias, he wouldn't run from something like this. Esaias would have.

Anastasios touched at the drops hanging from his ears one more time and felt the Butterfree in his chest blow away the anxiety. He brought another handful of water to his face again and hardened his resolve. If his partner was Hikaze, things would work out fine- of that Anastasios was certain.

At least until he walked back outside. When Anastasios returned, Hikaze was gone. Really? Had he just been ditched on a date? That Hikaze had asked him on no less? Could the man really not just stay in one place for more than a fraction of a moment? Just as Anastasios was about to wander off to go find him, he caught sight of Hikaze trotting back.

“Sorry ‘bout that. I saw something I was curious about, and figured I’d check it out while you were in the bathroom. Didn’t think it’d take as long as it did,” Hikaze tittered. But Anastasios was already mad.

“I thought we came here to look at stuff together. What happened to it ‘being twice as fun when I’m there’? Hmm? Or is it something you and I both know you shouldn’t be getting into? Why would you even pay attention to something that could land you in trouble like that?”

Hikaze restrained himself as the lecture went on, every single point an excellent one… had he actually done something that warranted the man’s ire. Hikaze let him go on for a bit, but quickly determined that Anastasios would lecture him half the day if he just waited for it to be over, so he reached into his pocket for something, carefully opening a bottle and pulling something out.

“What’s more, are you unable to sit still for even a-” Anastasios nearly choked as Hikaze’s fingers shoved something small and hard into his mouth. “Arsheus! You inshufferable idiot! You cann jush shove things into- Mmm...” Anastasios’ frustration pacified when the flavor finally hit his tongue. “Ish thish honey?”

“Yeah, sorry, I was over there buying this. I wanted it to be a surprise,” Hikaze said with an exasperated sigh as he held up a glass bottle filled with small, yellow orbs. “They actually made quite a few different kinds with different honeys. I thought it’d be quick, but there were more options than I expected, and there’s no way we could carry all of them, so I at least wanted to pick out three for you.” This seemed to abate Anastasios’ anger.

“Still, I would have liked to look too,” he muttered past the candy.

“You really wanna go over there right now?” Hikaze asked, jabbing in that direction with his thumb. The stall in question was absolutely packed. Anastasios could see why he took a long as he did and grimaced, his mouth turning into a long, flat line. “Yeah, thought so. I just saved you the trouble. I got a card too, so, if you like it, we can try to visit a shop some time.” He flicked a tag strung to the bottle of candy with a lavender ribbon.

“It’s acceptable,” Anastasios replied, covering his mouth. “Don’t tell Celia about these.”

“She’s already getting all my desserts for the next two weeks. Like hell I’m giving her any more.”

The two finally reached the center square where a dense crowd was gathered to watch a stage that no reasonable person in the outer perimeter could possibly make out. Anastasios, however, could tell this was the main event.

“Let’s go around. It’s nothing worth watching,” Anastasios said, urging Hikaze towards an alley that led to the next street over.

“Wait, you don’t wanna see what it is?” he asked.

“It’s just Damocles’ trial. Nothing to fuss over, even if it is the reason for the festival,” Anastasios answered.

“Oh, well come on now, aren’t you curious to see if someone will pull them out? Don’t you wanna try again yourself?” Hikaze asked.

Anastasios spun around to fix him with a firm stare. “No.”

“Why not? Damocles was Esaias’ ally, right? I know you turned it down before when nee-sama asked, but why are you so against it? And what if someone else pulls them?”

“Damocles is incredibly picky. There’s a reason no one’s drawn Damocles in the last 15 years, and that’s unlikely to change today. Do you know what the requirements are to wield Damocles?”

“Uhhhhh… no. Esaias never told me. Just that there were only specific situations that he could actually call on it in.”

“Damocles only makes contracts with those it views as having the potential to rise to power; future kings, leaders of rebellions, generals, you get the type. Esaias, for all his many, many flaws, had drive, charisma, and intelligence. He went on to, albeit inadvertently, found House Ofthalmós so that his children and any others born like us wouldn’t have to suffer the way he did. He was also rich and famous with fans all over the world. Damocles saw that potential and allowed a contract.”

“Even though you fit that criteria even more than Esaias did?” Hikaze teased with a quirked brow. “Mister ‘Prince of the Seers’ over here?”

“Quit it, you know I hate that nickname. Nobles only use it to patronize me anyways,” Anastasios spat. “If I succeeded in drawing Damocles, it’d feel like I hadn’t changed. All my progress in becoming a better person than Esaias is nothing in the face of Damocles’ approval. I hate that idea. Also, wielding Damocles will decrease your lifespan.” Hikaze felt his heart drop into his stomach. “What?” He’d always thought that Esaias had died from the complications of his abduction as a teenager. That was what they’d been told anyways.

“The price for Damocles’ power is vitality. Esaias added a stipulation to the contract that made it harder for him to use Damocles as a means of limiting them as an option, and they weren’t called upon often enough to be the cause of his death, so you don’t need to be worried about that. Esaias died at his proper time. And that was the most he ever wanted out of life- just the chance for a natural death.”

“That was hardly natural,” Hikaze spat.

Anastasios didn’t argue. Was Esaias’ death truly natural? Hardly. But he’d died quite satisfied. He’d lived significantly longer than he’d ever anticipated, hadn’t gone insane from his own powers, and had managed to have a family. It was more than he ever could have asked for. “Well, this time, I’m going to live even longer than you, that way you don’t get to try to brag that you’re older than me next time around,” Anastasios replied with a wide, toothy grin.

“Oh, no way am I letting that slide,” Hikaze cackled. “I’m gonna make sure to keep putting as many years between us as possible!”

“As if having even another century of life experience could make you have even a modicum of intelligence,” Anastasios taunted.

“I don’t want to hear that from the man who still gets so flustered getting a hug from his nee-sama that he can’t even function two lifetimes in,” Hikaze teased. Anastasios’ foot came down hard on the cobblestone where Hikaze’s had been moments before, and Hikaze met Anastasios’ frustrated glare with a cheeky grin. The man tried a few more times, but only succeeded in getting more frustrated with each failure until he huffed and stormed off into an alley to avoid having to move through the crowd to get to the next street over. Hikaze followed behind, cackling all the while and savoring his rare verbal victory.

#Return of the Progenitor || Sun!Verse #Anastasios #Hikaze #Shipping Drabble

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