#so there must be something. this is just me gettin my due.

[kindacreepy-kindaugly]

It never gets any fucking easier does it

[walkingintheheartbreaksatellite]

(They Long To Be) Close To You {1}

Harry Styles x fem!reader

Part 1- Sunflower Vol. 6

(No mention of pandemic.This starts as Harry writes Harry's house)Y/N lived a simple life. She worked and she loved what she did. She loved her family and she was happy. She didn't think she needed anything else. But one day, on a flight to a new adventure, she meets the one person she never expected to meet.

Fic warnings: mentions of past trauma, smut later, age gap (8 years), will leave warnings every chapter.

June 2020

It started in the early morning. 6:45 am to be precise. It was a chilly Gallup morning, and the balloons were going up, as they always did that early.

Leaving the house as soon as she could, starting the 20 minute drive to work like she did every day. Arriving at work with no problem, she was immediately called into her boss, Sofia's office.

"Y/N/N, could you come in here for a sec? And close the door?"

Y/N's pov

I slowly walked into Sofia's office, closing the door behind me and sitting down.

"Did I do something again?"

The older woman chuckles and shakes her head.

"No. But I wanted to talk to you. Do you remember when Alexander said we were expanding into Europe?"

I nod my head, briefly remembering the conversation.

"Well, they want you to go with a few drivers and go to London for a couple months to start up the first branch.Your position would be my current one. The company is paying for your living space and travel, you are responsible for anything else. Interested?"

Wow. That's... not what I thought she was gonna talk to me about.

"U-um yeah I'd love to! When do I leave?"

She smiles.

"At the end of the month. You'll be in charge of everything and everyone there. I know you'll do great."

I smile and thank her.

After that, the month flies fast. I pack what I need and it's shipped to my new flat and anything else goes into my mom's garage. On the day I leave, I meet the 2 drivers coming with me, Jackson and Adam, at the airport. At 4:30am.

It's already too early and I need coffee.

"You guys ready for this?"

The two men tiredly nod and we trek to our gate after checking our bags. After about 30 minutes we begin boarding our flight. The attendant scans my boarding pass and gives me a bright smile, definitely too bright for how early it is.m

"Miss, it seems you've been upgraded to first class due to availability. Enjoy your flight!"

Adam, Jackson and myself just share a look and proceed ahead. I find my seat and holy crap it's nice. They find theirs in economy and we part ways. I take my seat and pull out my iPad, briefly starting to get some work done. The plane takes off and soon we land in LAX.

The flight is a straight trip but I guess they had to pick up more people. I decide to put my work away and watch Demon Slayer instead. I pay no mind when I see from the corner of my eye, someone take the seat next to me. Jackson comes over to me to chat for a minute at that moment as well.

"Hey Y/N/N, do you have all the addresses for where we are staying? Ryan forgot to send it to us."

"Yeah. We're all in the same place, just separate units. We'll be fine."

He nods and then briefly looks at my screen.

"Really? Demon Slayer again?"

I flip him off and he laughs before he returns to his seat. After a couple minutes, the person next to me finally speaks up.

"Is it good? What you're watching?"

I take out my headphones and turn to the stranger, about to reply, when I see his face and my mouth drops.

"I-I um yeah, it is. I like it."

He smiles and holds out his hand to me.

" I'm Harry."

I smile and shake his hand.

I'm pretty sure he could tell I was shaking.

"I-I'm Y/N. I-It's nice to meet you!"

He laughs and I swear I could just die after hearing that sound.

"Y' must know who I am."

I nod and blush.

"I love your music. Always makes me feel better and brings a smile to my face."

He smiles.

" 'M glad to hear that. I love makin' music and gettin to share it. 'T means a lot t' me that it helps so many."

I nod and we talk for a bit.

I don't think I've ever actually had this meaningful of a conversation with anyone before.

"S'what are you watchin? Looks interesting."

"Oh, that? Oh it's just an anime that I like. I've seen it multiple times. I guess I just like watching it."

I giggle and he smiles, filling my stomach with butterflies.

"Would y'mind if I watched with you?"

I nod my head and hand off an AirPod to him, moving my iPad in the middle so we could both see and I hit play.

Somehow, through the flight, we finished season one and part of Mugen Train before we finally land. And I don't think I have ever been more disappointed. We both got up but before he walked away, Harry turned to me.

"I don't usually do this, but I want to see you again. Would y'want to maybe... exchange numbers? J-just as long as you promise not t'give it out...?"

Holy shit holy shit ho-ly shit.

"Y-yeah I'd love to! And I'd never do that! That's a betray of trust and that's one thing I refuse to do to anyone!"

He smiles and takes my phone, putting his number in it.

"Text me love. I would love t' get coffee with you sometime."

I smile and nod, waving him goodbye as I wait for Jackson and Adam to meet me up front. I see them come up and Jackson is grinning and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Shut it Miles. I don't want to hear it."

The two men laugh as we make our way out of the plane to baggage claim. I look around briefly for Harry and obviously I don't see him, causing disappointment to show on my face. I decide to pull out my phone and text him.

Y/N- Hi Harry! It's Y/N!😊

H-Couldn't wait, could you love?

Y/N-I could've! I'm just waiting at baggage claim and the two idiots I'm traveling with are teasing me!😒

H-Yeah? That's not nice. Should I come steal you away?

Y/N-Ha! As much as I would love that, I have to get the three of us settled in and dispatch them. Maybe coffee tomorrow?

H-Sounds great! I know a great place! I'll text you the address! See you tomorrow,love!

Y/N-See you tomorrow❤️

>>>————————————->

Waking up early the next morning sucked.

My alarm wakes me up at 6:30 as-per usual, but my jet lagged body did not agree with the new time zone. I had worked late, only getting to bed at about 2am, which would've been 9am my time.

I get up and take a shower, the hot water only soothing my aching bones for a short time. I dry myself off and make my way into the bedroom where my unpacked suitcases remain. I start to open them, only grabbing what I need.

I pull out a bright floral sundress, a pair of strapped sandals and the only other purse I packed.

I quickly get dressed before doing my hair and putting on just a little bit of makeup when I hear my phone ping. I look down at it to see a text from Harry and I smile.

H- Good morning, Y/N! I can't wait to see you!Meet me at the Abbey Road Cafe. I'll be there waiting! x

I blush and finish up before grabbing my bag and leaving. It's only about a 10 minute walk to the cafe and I manage to get there without getting lost. I head inside and find Harry in the back at a table. He smiles at me and stands up and he gives me a hug.

"You look beautiful! I'm feelin' a bit underdressed!"

Panic flashes in my eyes and he shakes his head with a small laugh.

"I'm only teasing! Really, you look amazing. Shall we get some coffee? Thought we might get some brekkie too before heading off."

I smile and follow him to the register.

"Order what you'd like. My treat!"

I frown and start to argue.

"Oh Harry, I couldn't ask you-."

He laughs and shakes his head once more.

"You didn't ask, I offered. Please?"

I sigh and nod and turn to the barista.

"May I please get a hazelnut espresso with oat milk? And.. a breakfast croissant?"

She nods and typed it in to her POS before turning to Harry, who smiles.

"A black coffee please. And a breakfast croissant as well."

She nods and he quickly pays and we stand off to the side to wait for our order.

"So, how was your first day in your office yesterday? Get settled in already?"

I sigh and only shrug.

"I suppose so. It's so nerve wracking. I was kind of thrown into this and while I'm grateful for the opportunity, it's a lot more responsibility than I had before."

He nods and gives me a small pat on the back.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quick, yeah? Y' seem pretty resourceful, like you catch on quick."

I plush and grip my bag in embarrassment. We get our order and sit down at the back table, talking as we eat. We finish quickly and dispose of our trash before heading out.

"So you haven't gotten a chance to see any of the sights yet, right?"

I shake my head with a frown.

"I'll be here for a couple months so I'll have time but I would definitely like to see them."

He smiles and nods.

"I had a thought- I know the big sites and exciting.. But would you like to see some of the hidden gems of London?"

My face lights up and I nod enthusiastically.

"Please! I'd love to!"

He smiles and holds a hand out to me. I blush and hesitantly take it, butterflies filling my stomach as he laces out fingers together. We take the tube down to Little Venice and my mouth drops at the view.

"I-I've never seen anything so beautiful before..."

Harry smiles and leads me down a pathway.

"I thought we could take a kayak ride. Is that something you'd want to do?"

I nod and smile. We head over to the dock and board one of the kayaks, sitting close together.

He holds tight onto my hand as we travel down the river, making small talk.

>>>———————————>

1 Month

The next time I'm able to see Harry in person, he's walking through the doors of my office building with a plastic bag in hand and a smile on his face. My eyes widen as he walks through the dark doors and into my small office, shooting up from my chair in surprise.

"Harry! What are you doing here? Did you not see my text about lunch?"

He smiles and nods as he sits down in the chair in front of my desk, dropping my bag on the mahogany surface.

"I did. You said you had too much to do. So, I brought it to you."

He opens the bag and begins to place containers on my desk before pulling out a few bottles of water, and to my surprise, a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

"Harry... Where did you go? This looks incredible!"

He laughs and shakes his head. He walks away for a moment, to the break room I imagine, before coming back with some napkins.

"I didn't actually. Went to Whole Foods and Sainsbury's and bought the ingredients. Took maybe 2 hours? Hope it tastes good, haven't made sushi in quite a while."

He hands me a pair of chopsticks and opens the containers, my mouth watering at the sight.

"California Rolls? How did you know?"

He chuckles and he takes a roll and dips it into the cup of soy sauce he brought.

"You mentioned it the other day that you were craving some. Thought I might make some. There's also some fresh fruit and veg. Some veggie pot stickers too. Oh, and how could I forget-."

He reaches into the bag and pulls out a small blue package. Oreos.

"Thought you could use these too."

He smiles and hands them to me with a smile and I blush.

"Are you a mind reader? I was just thinking last night how much I wanted some to go with my glass of milk! You are seriously amazing."

I'm not sure if I see correctly or not, but his cheeks tint as if he was blushing, and he lets out a small laugh. We continue to eat and chat until we finish. With a light kiss to my cheek, he leaves with plans to go to dinner later in the week.

4 Months

"Harry, really. Where are we going? It's 11:30! It's almost midnight!"

He laughs as he pulls me along the dark streets of London until he stops in front of a building.

"What is-."

I raise an eyebrow at him and he just shakes his head before opening the door and pulling me inside. He heads down a hallway and reaches a door, pushing it open before pulling me inside.

"A studio? Why are we here?"

He pulls me over to the grand piano in the corner and sits me down on the bench, before sitting down next to me.

"I just finished a song for the new album. I haven't played it for anyone outside of the band.. I wanted to play you some of it."

He turns to look at me and tears swell in my eyes.

"Really? You want to play it for me. I'd love to hear it."

He smiles and scooches up close to me before turning back to the piano. He positions his hands and begins to softly play and sing.

Holdin' me back

Gravity's holdin' me back

I want you to hold out the palm of your hand

Why don't we leave it at that?

Nothin' to say

When everything gets in the way

Seems you cannot be replaced

And I'm the one who will stay, oh

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

As it was, as it was

You know it's not the same

He removes his fingers from the keyboard and turns his head back to me, only for a look of fear to appear on his face.

"Why are you crying? Are you okay? Do you-."

I sniffle and shake my head before wiping away my tears with the sleeves of my cardigan.

"I-I'm fine. That was just-. That was amazing Harry. You really are so talented. That wasn't even the whole song and you already have me pulled in. It's gonna be an amazing album. Album of the year, I bet!"

He blushes and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

"That's definitely too soon to think about. But thank you love, I appreciate you saying so. Now, how about a late night snack? Then I'll take you home?"

I giggle and nod before standing up. I hold my hand out to Harry and he takes it with a smile. We walk out of the studio hand in hand in the dead of night, only our laughs echoing the streets.

7 Months

"A movie? You want to go to the cinema?"

I nod with a big smile.

"I haven't been since I left home! I thought it would be fun! Please!"

I pout and he sighs before giving me a small smile and nods. I squeal and jump into his arms, laughing as he catches me.

"What movie did you have in mind?"

I loop my arm through his as we begin to walk towards the nearest theater and I think for a minute.

"I was thinking like an action movie. Marvel if possible. Ooo! Black Widow! Black Widow is in theaters!"

Harry laughs and wraps and arm around my waist as we continue to walk.

"I guess that's the one. You really that into Marvel?"

I give him a look of shock and almost disgust.

"Sir! How many tattoos do I have?"

"16..."

"And how many of them are Marvel tattoos?"

"4..."

I give him a nod and he bursts out laughing, squeezing my waist as he pulls me along.

"You're too much Y/N M/N, you know that?"

I laugh and nod as we walk into the theater.

"Ohhh I'm so excited! I'm still sad over Natasha so if this doesn't save my fragile heart, I don't know what will."

He laughs and we walk in, taking our seats.

>>>——————————>

"Okay, I'll be honest, that was an amazing movie."

I leap in excitement, struggling to contain all my energy as Harry laughs at my child-like nature.

"Amazing?! More like the best movie of the year! Kick ass cast! Florence was 100% the comedic relief I needed! But ooo that scene at the end! She's going after Clint! That's crazy!"

He laughs and pulls me to his side as we walk through the night, laughing and enjoying our time together.

9 Months

It's been a couple months since I met Harry. And everyday with him is amazing. We both work quite a bit but still manage to see each other a couple times a week. Earlier in the week, I received a phone call from one of the corporate bosses.

I've been instructed to go home soon. With the hiring of more staff, I'm not needed and they want me back in my old position... And now I have to tell Harry.

I'm waiting for him at our usual spot and I see him come up to me. I stand up and meet him halfway, walking into his warm embrace.

"Missed you love."

"Missed you too."

He caresses my cheek and kisses my forehead. I can only force a small smile.

"You okay, love? You look a bit down."

"Y-yeah I'm fine. But we do need to talk."

He looks at me with concern as I lead him to our table to sit down.

"So you know how I've been telling you how well things have been going with setting up the new branch?"

He nods his head in acknowledgment.

"Well... it's done. There's new staffing and multiple drivers... so they want me back home."

We sit in silence for just a minute.

"When... When do you have to leave?"

"In 3 days...Look Harry... I don't want this to be the end of whatever this is between us. I like you. And these past couple months? You've made me feel so alive. I've never felt this way before...I know this sounds corny but I don't want this to be the end if you don't..."

He pauses for a minute before he bursts out laughing, leaving me in shock and confusion.

"How do you always seem to take the words out of my mouth?"

He pauses for another minute before continuing.

" Of course I still want to see you. I love spending time with you, Y/N. We'll work it out somehow."

He takes me out of my chair and hugs me tight. He pets my head and I start crying.

"Shhh. It's okay love. M'not letting you go that easily. You're stuck with me."

I begin to argue with him, tears falling down my cheeks as my vision blurs.

"But I'm gonna be in New Mexico! And you're still trying to write your album!"

He gives me a soft smile and shakes his head.

"You're forgetting about something though."

I just look at him in complete and utter confusion.

Those are the facts though... how could I be forgetting something?

"How often have you FaceTimed your mum just this week?"

"I don't know- probably like a good couple dozen- ohhhh! Duh!"

He laughs and hugs me tighter, resting his head against mine.

"I know it's not ideal, but we'll make it work. And I'll come visit you of course. Can't go long without my muse, now can I? I'll never get the album finished without you."

I blush and bury my head in his chest, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm know you would do an amazing job finishing it. You don't need me for inspiration Mr. 'I like to write songs about sex'."

He chuckles and lifts my head up, forcing me to look him in the eyes.

"Of course I do. I've written 2 songs already. Because of you. So I definitely need you. Stop thinking so little of yourself."

I nod, tearing up a little.

"Will you come see me off?"

He smiles and lifts me up.

"You really think I wouldn't? I'd never give up the chance to see you, even if it is goodbye."

He kisses my nose, making me smile.

"Let's go get you packed up, yeah?"

He grabs my bag and leaves a tip for the waiter.

"Wait, you're gonna help me pack?"

"Course I am. Gotta get my time with you while I have you. And besides, we need to finish Edens Zero, don't we?"

I chuckle and nod my head.

As excited as I am to go home to my family and my regular day to day life, I hate that I have to do it without Harry there with me. These past couple months have been amazing and he makes everything more fulfilling.

Heathrow Airport

I woke up early this morning and I'm not ready to leave. Harry came to see me off though. I take his hand and pull him off to the side.

"Something wrong love?"

I take a long deep breath.

"No... I just. I want to tell you something. I want to get it off my plate before I leave... Harry... I love you. And I know this is probably way too soon to say but- I just wanted to tell you. And I totally understand if you-."

Before I can finish, he grabs my face and kisses me. I close my eyes and focus on the feeling of his lips against mine. After a minute or so, he slowly lets go and he lets out a light chuckle.

"Sometimes... I swear... you talk so much that no one can get a word in."

I blush and bury my face in his chest until he pulls me out and places his finger under my chin, lifting my head up.

"I love you, Y/N. I mean it."

I start to tear up a little.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Dunno, because I am an angel."

He batts his eyes at me and flashes that smile that I love so much.

"Oh hush. I try to be cheesy and you decide to be cheeky."

He chuckles and hugs me, not letting don't let go until they call for boarding for my flight home. He kisses me once more and I let the tears fall down my face.

As soon as we let go, he wipes my tears with his thumb and smiles at me.

"Promise to text me when you're home?"

I nod my head and give him one last hug before I let go, letting the tears fall.

2 Weeks Later

Things have gone back to normal for the most part. I'm back to doing my old job. It hasn't been too bad. But I miss Harry like crazy. We FaceTime at least 3 times a day and talk on the phone almost every second.

He's been singing me to sleep recently and honestly I always wake up refreshed in the morning because of it.

Right now, I'm sitting at my desk, entering orders, when I see a name flash across my phone screen. I smile and answer.

Y/N- Well hello there, handsome!

H-Hi love! What are you doing later this week?

Y/N -Oh, you know, the usual. Working and going to my sisters this weekend, at least I think so. What are you up to?

H-Oh, you know, just planning a trip to go see my favorite girl this weekend.

My eyes go wide.

Y/N-REALLY?!

He laughs.

H-Really... Mum and Gemma wanna meet you. So... they were going to come with... if that's okay...

Y/N-I'd love to meet them! But isn't it too soon? I mean we haven't even made anything official...

H- That's what I said! But according to Gem, I refuse to shut up about you so they are insisting on meeting you.

I let out a little chuckle.

Y/N- I guess if I'm meeting them, you should meet my mom and my sisters..

H-We'll be in Thursday. I'm booking hotels for mum, Gem and Jeff.

Y/N-I'm sorry... are you expecting to stay with me?

H- I mean-

I let out a loud snort.

Y/N- I'm kidding. Of course you can stay with me. But it's only one bed so you can sleep with me or on the couch. I'll ask for Friday off and see if Sofia will approve it.

H-Don't worry bout that. We'll probably sleep Friday and explore later.

Y/N-Text me your flight details and I'll come get you Thursday after I get off. I can't wait to see you!

H- Me too love. I love you

Y/N-Love you too Harry.

We hang up and I get back to work, never letting the smile leave my face for the rest of the day.

>>>——————————->

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WC 4290

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[princesspastel8]

Chapter 43

Third POV

It's been hours, but to Jeff, it feels like years. Most of the proxies left due to missions or losing interest in the situation once they knew Jeff wouldn't try getting into the room again. BEN stayed behind, trying his best to comfort him.

"....nothings been determined yet Jeff. She might be -"

"The fucking machine flat lined dipshit just...just shut up..." he whispers, voice shaky.

He has lost all his strength to fight back, that was until he hears footsteps rushing down the hall. He glances up, seeing Hoodie, that gloomy girl, the witch, and Toby. The sight of Toby makes his blood boil. Jeff staggers to his feet. Without hesitation, he pushes past everyone and punches Toby in his cheek, knocking him back against the wall - goggles slipping down his face.

"You... you were supposed to be watching her!" He shouts.

Toby straightens himself back up. He looks at Luna, shaking his head. He didn't want her to intervene. Toby focuses his attention back to Jeff, spitting blood onto the ground.

"S-Something.....came up.." He mumbles, glancing at Luna again.

"What the fuck can possibly be more important than MY GIRL!?" Jeff shouts, trembling hands moving to grip his hair again. "Goddamnit! Why did I put trust in a ticking freak like you!? All you had to do was watch her you-"

"A-And all you had to do w-was get your sh-shit together. You didn't. I t-told you she was getting worse. D-Don't stand here and play victim. Y-You played the b-biggest role in all of this. The one at f-fault is you." Toby said, his tics getting worse.

Jeff, of course, didn't want to admit at Toby's right. Jeff said he wouldn't point fingers, but guess old habits die hard with him rather quickly than others. The guilt is becoming too much for the smiling killer to handle. It shouldn't be surprising. Jeff never felt guilt towards any of the things he's done. In his mind, he's always right - never wrong. Every decision, be it good or bad, is always justified no matter how twisted it may be.

"Must've seen it all then?" Jeff questions, moving away from Toby to lean against the opposite wall.

Toby nods, pulling his mask down to his neck. "I-It was fucked up. That v-video..." he glances at the door, sighing heavily. "I-I knew she would d-do something extreme. S-So I came back to regroup, make sure slenderman was gone. B-But as I said....something came up so-"

"You had Hoodie break me out. Yeah yeah...I get it." Jeff glances at Luna, "it was her, wasn't it?"

Toby doesn't respond, Jeff getting his answer once the gloomy girl breaks down into tears - Hoodie wrapping his arms around her for comfort. A heavy silence falls over them until Iris speaks.

"Sh-She called us...o-over and over again, but I-I...I..Its my f-"

"That wasn't you." Hoodie said sternly, pulling down his hood and taking off his mask. He places his hands on Iris cheeks, using his thumbs to wipe her tears. "That. Wasn't. You." He whispers more softly.

The sight is quite shocking. Jeff can't recall Hoodie speaking more than that. Jeff couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, shaking his head. He glances around everyone.

"Look at us. Killers gettin' all soft for bitches." He laughs, sighing afterwards. "And the ones we were supposed to kill no less."

"It was Zalgo, wasn't it?" BEN ask randomly, all heads turning to him. "Toby said something came up, that girl keeps trying to blame herself, and the witch is here - Slenderman must still be gone too."

"Something along those lines....yes." Luna admits.

Toby's eyes widen. "Luna y-you know you -"

"I already shouldn't be here, Toby. There is no harm in leaking a bit of information."

"But t-that'll-!"

"Toby....I told you it's fine."

It's not fine. Even Jeff can tell that much - but this shit isn't any of his business. He doesn't care about Zalgo, never had - though things could've gone much differently if he encountered him first before slenderman, just a random thought, though. Eboni is his main focus right now.

"It's my fault." Jeff said suddenly, everyone looking at him with widen eyes.

".....I think I'm hearing shit. Did you just....take accountability?" BEN questions, gasping dramatically.

The smiling killer shrugs, glancing at the door for what felt like the hundredth time. "What can I say? Got a soft spot for the bitch on that medical table."

For the first time in Jeff's life, he's taking responsibility - accountability for his actions, the ones he regrets. He should've never left to beat Masky. He could've done that at a later date and warned Eboni beforehand. He should've waited for Eboni to give out more information on the guy that hurt her. He shouldn't have fed into Masky's taunting nor pushed his buttons either. So many should've, could've, and would've - but these thoughts won't change nor erase what has been done. So all Jeff can do is wait for those three to finally deliver the bad news to him.

A new set of footsteps walks down the hall, approaching the group. The stranger has on a long navy trench coat that looks worn out and a striped scarf that seems perfectly stitched - yet this stranger as snitches edged all over their face.

"Never thought I'd hear my brother admit to being at fault of anything. What's the special occasion?", Liu Mason asks with a calming smile.

Jeff looks at his younger brother, his mood souring very quickly. He isn't the mood for this - not here, not now. So the smiling killer refuses to acknowledge his brother's presence, staring at the medical door.

"Wh-What are you doing here, Liu? Now I-Isn't a good time." Toby sighs, pitching the bridge of his nose. No one wants to deal with Sully.

"I've been hearing....a lot of things about my brother - things I just couldn't believe. Jeff, my brother, caring about another human being? Sounds impossible on this God forsaken earth. I thought it was a joke, a rumor that'll fade... but they disagreed, so here I am. And to say I'm surprised would be an understatement..." Liu said, his voice still an eerie calmness to it.

Jeff tenses, fist clenching in his pockets and jaw tight. He marches over to his brother, yanking him by his collar - carefully avoiding the scarf, their mother's scarf. "I swear on my fucking life if you touch her, harm her in any way I'll-"

"You seem to be doing a fantastic job of that already. Look where we are, and if I'm not mistaken, she's barely clinging to life." Liu hums smugly, holding his hands up defensively.

Being reminded of this again was enough to send Jeff over the edge. He brings his fist up to strike his brother, who's a few itches taller, but Toby quickly yanks Jeff away - pinning him against the wall to keep him in pace.

Liu's demeanor softens at the sight, a remorseful look taking his features. He rubs the back of his neck, sighing. "Oh...I see - You really do care. Wow Jeff...they were wrong, I'm s-"

Jeff knocks Toby off of him, moving to push his brother. "Shove your 'I'm sorry's' up your ass Liu! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" he shouts, moving to pull his hair again. "I know it's my fault! I know I fucked up! I know I should've stayed! I know she needed me! I know I'm just a selfish, narcissistic piece of shit! But...I needed to hurt him. I would've lost my fucking mind if I didn't let the anger out! Fuck...FUCK! DAMNIT! Those messages...she sent one every-fucking-day. My girl has gone through the worse hell of her life...all because I couldn't fight this...th-this... " Jeff places a hand over his chest, gripping his hoodie. He looks at his brother, tears in his eyes and woe filling his heart. ".....why does this shit hurt so damn bad?"

Liu is amazed yet startled by his brother's outburst. If anything, he's intrigued. What did this girl have that Liu didn't that makes his brother care so much? Why didn't Jeff hesitate in attempting to kill Liu but regrets aiding in this girl taking her life? What's the difference?

"....because you love her, Jeff. The only person you've ever cared about has always been yourself. Who knew you had the emotional capacity to feel for someone else....strange really..." his green eyes darken, becoming empty soundless sockets.

Love....?

Love...

Love-

No way in hell

That unspoken word between the two. Remaining in the air during all of their interactions. Sure, he has strong feelings for her, but love? Jeff isn't capable of that. He'll never be capable. He's been told this many times throughout his life - so much so that he believed them. Someone like Jeff, despite what others may say, doesn't have the heart to love - nothing will change his mind. And yet.....his stinging heart is crying out a different story - his body being torn in two, between the brain and heart.

"....this shit fucking burns."

"I know."

"I hate it."

"Mhm, I know."

"She's a weakness....its a weakness.."

"Ones that others can use against you - right?"

Jeff nods, aimless tears flowing. "A weakness. But..."

"But?" Liu hums, waiting for his brother to continue. He needs to know more.

"She should be enough...Eboni should be enough."

"But she'll never be. You can't let go of your need to kill. Your thirst for blood." Liu looks away from his brother briefly to glance around at the others. "None of us can. It's in our DNA. Programmed - as cliche as it sounds." He sighs, rolling his eyes. He pays his attention back to his brother. "But unlike them, you're struggling to come to terms with that fact that you still need this girl in your life. You love her, Jeff, whether you want to admit it or not. But the sooner you do - the less fuck ups you'll cause." Liu shrugs, struggling to come to terms with this himself.

His brother never cared about him. He only tolerated him. He killed their parents in cold blood without an ounce of regret because he never loved them. Most monsters are made, but Jeff is the few exceptions. Yet this girl somehow made a monster cry out to her - kind of reminds Liu of 'Beauty & The Beast'. He'll confirm his theory if he's able to get a glance at this mystery girl.

"Think about it, Jeff - if you don't love her, then think about all the reasons she's been worth keeping around."

Jeff did so unwillingly. He thinks of her bright smile, those sly grins when certain thoughts fill her mind. The smiling killer always found it funny how the girl thinks with her face. Doesn't matter how hard she tries to keep a straight face. That's how he's been able to read her so easily. Her voice wasn't annoying like most. It's calming, silky smooth to his ears. He wants to hear her sing again, preferably to him. Her laugh - he can listen to it for hours even if she believes she sounds like a dying donkey mixed with a hyena. He likes her honey brown eyes, how they seem to lighten or darken depending on her mood. The way she'd look at him, the look of admiration - adore and dare he say love? She makes him feel wanted, needed, and free to do what he wants with her since he has no control over his life. Freedom and control. Only Eboni has given him that....

"I don't fucking l..lo..lo- fuck you Liu!" Jeff shouts, drying his tears yet has a sad smile on his face.

Liu sighs, coming to a realization. The only way someone could keep his brother entertained long enough to avoid death is offering something in return. He knew how trapped his brother had been feeling lately after being forced to work under slenderman. Liu also was aware of how trapped and strained Jeff felt within their family. This girl somehow gives him the sense of freedom he's been longing for and the control to feel powerful. It's unfortunate that he'll most likely never get to meet her -

The door opens, revealing Eyeless Jack with a medical mask covering his mouth. He removes the mask, quick to close the door behind himself. Though eyeless, everyone can see how exhausted he feels. EJ looks at Jeff, body stiff as he finally delivers the news the smiling killer wanted so desperately to be good.

"She's stable."

[dinoburger]

But the Moment Just Slipped Through My Hands

submitting to the time honored tradition of Expiration Date fics - slightly Science Party flavoured. I just wanted to put it out there, ik maybe I could stand to sprinkle in more funny speech mannerisms for both Engie and Medic - maybe this will be for another day. I also wanted to illustrate more of it but I could save that for the Ao3 version...

2k words - more focused on Medic and Engie but there's a dash of HeavyMedic in there, not exactly shipping focused

(title is from Gone in an Instant - I hope nobody is keeping track of how many times I reference Black Dresses in various work bc I'm sure it's starting to add up)

-🍞-

The smell of bread had a tendency to float in the air in almost every corner of their current base of operations – fated to be their last, so they assumed – but was even thicker now in the already stuffy laboratory. Slightly more sour than usual too, due to the effects of the teleporter.

After they’d reported their findings to the rest of the team, the resident medic and engineer had hurried back to continue their work, hoping for more answers. It was natural, to both of them, but in the lulls between furiously experimenting, exchanging notes and prompting each other with questions about their respective areas of expertise, Dell found himself staring at the doctor with a pang of guilt.

The medic, as was usual when presented with cataclysmic disaster, confronted it with a mixture of stern determination and delighted morbid curiosity. Regardless, impending doom weighed heavy on the shorter’s shoulders.

“You don’t feel hard-done by, spending your last days cooped up in this here lab?” he scratched his neck, leaning back against the bench’s counter.

“If we had more time, maybe – but this is where I am needed most, ja?” the medic scribbled down several more notes, before he spared the engineer a glance. “What about you?”

“So long as I’m not gettin’ in your way.”

“Oh not at all, not at all.” he shook his head, “Really, it’s unfortunate I could not have gotten to know you better sooner – you have a brilliant mind, Herr Engineer.” the doctor’s lips quirked into a small, earnest smile, which caught Dell off guard.

“Aw shucks, Doc.” he retreated into himself a bit. “Just a shame I weren’t brilliant enough to figure out this whole teleporter mess m’self.”

“Ach, you couldn’t have known” Ludwig waved off, “and besides that, some of the greatest discoveries of our time have come at no small cost. What is it they say…? You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.”

It was true that medical science had it’s share of horrors, but even so, the doctor felt his optimism slip.

“I must confess, I might have been a touch… sloppy. You would think if something was wrong, the team doctor would be first to pick up on it." he scolded himself. "I am so grateful for the freedom of being out on the field, pushing the boundaries of science and medicine but I’m afraid I have gotten ahead of myself.”

“Heck, I’d say you’d done a dang good job keepin’ us alive so far - ‘spite some of our best efforts.” Dell grinned, which got a laugh out of Ludwig.

“M’ just wonderin’ if you didn’t have nobody special you wanted to see before you, y’know. Bit the dust, so to speak. I can keep things tickin’ over here just fine for a while.”

“Someone ‘special’…? Oh, don’t tell me.” Ludwig snorted. “Those silly rumours about my supposed ‘wife’ are still floating around.”

“I was a tad curious.”

“I might as well give the game up now, she’s not real – never was. I have no time for such things, but ach, some of our comrades are very nosy. It started off as a simple joke to keep them off my back, I didn’t think it would stick, so I never bothered to refute it.”

“I getcha, that makes a hell’ve a lot more sense.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” the man tensed, the amused glint in his eyes exchanged for something sharper and wary.

“Well, when the fellas get gossipin’ about the lady-folk, you never have a whole lot t’ say. Figured if you really did have a spouse waitin’ on ya you’d be more eager to brag.” Dell observed casually.

The doctor released a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. “Ah, is that all?”

“Y’know I’m not one to pry, doc. I respect ya too much.”

“Much appreciated.”

Dell paused, picking his next words more carefully. “More surprised you didn’t wanna say your goodbyes to that big fella – two of you seem mighty companionable.”

“Herr Heavy, I assume? We do work closely together, but... it’s hard to say we’re much more than colleagues.”

“You kiddin’? The man’s crazy ‘bout ya – you should see how he lights up the moment he lays eyes on ya. ‘S really somethin’ else.” Dell risked a smile and a sideways glance, the doctor’s face going soft with fondness.

“Well… I suppose I owe it to him to see if I can work this out in time.”

The engineer’s throat seized, his playful smile fading. He’d almost forgotten what the stakes were here.

For the next few minutes, Dell put his head down and worked in solemn silence, the guilt crushing his lungs and forbidding him to talk. He would only will himself to when the doctor had another question, they needed to deliberate their next course of action or sort out notes between each other.

When they’d worked into another lull in their rhythm, the taller of the two eyed up the other.

“...You didn’t have anyone you wanted to see before we expire?” The doctor returned the question.

The engineer shook his head, still half buried in a toolbox. “Nope. Wouldn’t’ve signed up t’ be a mercenary if I did, all part ‘n parcel." he took a breath, considering just biting his tongue again, but somehow leaving Ludwig in the dark felt worse. "Those Mann brothers found me through m’ grandpa, us Conaghers’ve been workin’ with ‘em for decades.”

“Really now?” Doctor Ludwig’s eyebrows twitched up, this was news to him.

Dell knew deep down he wasn’t supposed to talk about this, as mercenaries they were all on a need-to-know basis, but with how the situation was unfolding he found the words spilling out with ease.

“Uh-huh. Lotta his work was kept under lock and key though, up until I joined their employ. Though I can't say I agree with how they got 'em to begin with... it feels like I get ta take part in my heritage, going over his blueprints, studying his notes – like I’m really steppin’ into his shoes ‘n followin’ his footsteps.” the softer, reverent tone he’d taken petered out into a sigh. “I was hopin’ I’d be able t’ finish what he’d started, put an end to this gravel war. Looks like there’ll have to be another generation of recruits after us.”

“It’s still just a job, mein friend, you make of it what you can – and I would say you have gotten more out of it than most would.” the doctor added.

“It ain’t just a job to me.” Dell’s idle tinkering stopped, head hung. “I got all these ideas in my head that I could make it mean somethin', I'd shake things up, I'd make it count - buncha fanciful nonsense." his words took on a harsher edge as he wound himself up.

Doctor Ludwig found himself pausing too, observing the other’s hunched shoulders and arms stiffly gripping the bench.

“What kinda legacy am I leavin’? Maybe I’m just daydreaming, thinkin’ I’m half the man Radigan was. Would he really’ve made a mistake this darn stupid? Doomed all’a his men like this? The hell do I think I’m doin’ out here?” he spat, cursing himself.

Part of him had always known, every force was met with equal resistance, wins and losses balanced themselves out. The RED and BLU mercenaries were nothing but cogs in a much larger machine, to ends he couldn’t fathom.

He kept glaring down at the counter through his goggles, as if raising his head would reveal a great, dark vortex hanging above, deeper than he could possibly see, filled with terrible, grinding machinery. It would use them all up like fuel and spit them out into the ether.

“To hell with legacy.”

Doctor Ludwig broke the tangible silence that had fallen.

“To hell with the Mann brothers, to hell with your grandfather.”

The Conagher bristled and turned on him, mouth twisted into an offended snarl, posture like a coiled spring. “Beg yer pardon?”

“We cannot dictate what the tides of time will choose to spare.” the doctor’s expression was equally grave. “So I say to hell with them all. Your work is worthy, because your life is worthy.” he clamped his hands over either of the engineer’s shoulders, taking the man by surprise.

“I don’t care what kind of man this Radigan Conagher was, I am honoured to have spent this life with his grandson.”

That sent his head spinning.

Dell choked, not sure if he was about to cry or laugh, a shaky grin spread across his features and a wheeze escaped his teeth.

“’P-preciate it, Doc.” he sniffed, flushed with the threat of tears.

Ludwig gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze before he released him, the tension melting out of the room. “Of course, let’s get back to it, shall we?”

The engineer nodded, turning from him again to regain composure. He pried the goggles up from his eyes just enough to rub the haze from them before returning them to position.

-

Hours bled into a blur, the self-assurance of being able to power through it to the end was starting to crumble. Dell could hardly see straight, neither man had slept since their initial discovery. He’d been the first to give out, going from using the lab bench to prop himself up to sinking entirely onto the cold, concrete floor in a heap. He peeled back his goggles, feeling the grooves across his nose and cheeks from being stuck to his face for so long – no doubt angry red marks by now, he imagined.

The stink of sour bread was getting to him, suffocating, he wanted nothing more than to lay down and let his senses slip away into unconsciousness.

He vacantly stared up at the doctor, who he wasn’t sure was still engaged in their research or just playing with chunks of bread.

Without thinking, he watched the man bring the piece he was holding to his mouth and bit down. He spluttered and spat it back out at once.

“What was the point o’ that?” the engineer snickered.

Ludwig mumbled incoherently, before shrugging, too bleary to come up with a good excuse.

“Surprised you can even tolerate the stuff at this rate, it reeks in here.”

“Ja, well…” the doctor interrupted himself with a groan as he joined the engineer on the floor, joints protesting his descent. “I have smelt a lot worse – try working with corpses and animals for hours on end. Or animal corpses, for that matter.”

Dell shuddered. “No thanks, partner.”

At least Ludwig found his disgust amusing.

It was strange being able to see the other’s face unobscured, the medic had gotten used to thinking of Dell as something vaguely insectoid with those large dark lenses. There were in fact, some pretty impressive red indents on his skin where the googles had been and a tan line to match.

“I jus… need a moment…” he huffed, letting his lids fall closed.

Doctor Ludwig murmured a faint agreement, tucking his own glasses into the pocket of his coat and slumping back against the bench on his side of the laboratory.

“...Doc?”

“Mm?”

“Y’ain’t… scared of disappearin’? Being forgotten?”

“Terrified. But it’s out of my hands.” his lips stayed parted as he chewed it over, consciousness swaying. “I can’t control what I will be remembered for. I can hope that my work will mean something in the face of humanity… that it will not simply be discarded as madness, but I cannot know. At least I can say I never limited myself, that I always… always sought for answers.”

"'S like y' said... if they can't see what it's worth then maybe humanity don't deserve it."

The doctor only hummed in response.

There was something painfully human in his sprawled out form that Dell had never quite seen before, peering out between heavy eyelids. He traced Doctor Ludwig’s sunken cheekbones in his mind, the dark lashes of closed eyes, brow relaxed – neither forming the serious scowl he was used to nor contorted in manic glee, a view clear of the usual thin frames that adorned his nose. He was used to having to peer up at him, with his line of sight only reaching the doctor’s chest.

He wanted to take that image to the ends of the earth, for what time he had left and what consciousness his exhausted mind would allow him.

Glad that the light in the lab was already dim, the engineer shifted to lie down, hissing when his helmet smacked the concrete – he’d forgotten he’d still been wearing it. He fumbled to get it off, not noticing the doctor too shifting to slide out of his coat.

“Here, support your head with this.”

“Huh? Oh, thank ya kindly.” Dell absently took the folded fabric while propped up on his elbows, shimmying to position himself just right.

He also took the opportunity to unfasten his prosthetic to set aside, along with his belt.

“Hey Doc… lemme return the favour.”

Medic squinted.

“I got a pillow y’ can use.” the engineer patted his belly with his remaining hand. “C’mere.”

He didn’t need any further prompting, the taller crawled over and flopped back against him. “Oof, my back is going to hate me for this.” he grumbled. “If you wake first, wake me up too.”

Comfortable wasn’t the right word. Nothing about how the cold floor seeped through the back of his clothes and the skin of his arms was particularly comfortable, even the way the medic rested his weight on his stomach was a little stifling, but he wouldn’t have dared to move.

He could smell the doctor’s scent in the coat tucked under his head, feel the gentle rhythm of his breath, hear the way it stirred in his chest.

“Let’s just stay like this, until the end. Hold me until it’s all over.” Dell wanted to plead.

“Copy that.”

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Sebek Zigvolt New Year's Attire Personal Story: Part 3

"I'll fight strongly and beautifully!"

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[Beside Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Sebek: HUP!!

[CLANG!!]

Heartslabyul Student A: Alright, it's an easy-to-hit shot. Now's our chance, aim for the far right!

Heartslabyul Student B: I know. I need to aim towards the opposite of where Sebek's at… There!

[thock!]

Sebek: VIL-SENPAI!

Vil: I hear you. Leave it to me! Hah!

[whack!]

Heartslabyul Student B: Eh… Sebek let the shuttlecock go!?

Heartslabyul Student A: Oh shoot, we're totally out of position…! Just lob it back for now and get ready!

Vil: SEBEK! SWITCH!

Sebek: ROGER!

Sebek: Didn't I say I was a completely different person from before? This is my ultimate attack… If you think you can return it, then just try it!

Sebek: HAAAAAAARGGH!!

[SMASH!!]

Heartslabyul Student A: Urgh… Sebek just used his height to his advantage and just completely smashed that lobbed shuttlecock…

Heartslabyul Student B: Urrrgh, it's our loss. What's going on? They've completely changed from this morning and are now actually cooperating!

Vil: That was an easy win. Good job, Sebek. Both your breathing and your hair aren't out of place at all.

Sebek: Heh, that's no surprise.

Sebek: But you're the same, Vil-senpai. Not only is your hair still in place, but your sash is still perfectly around your waist.

Vil: Who do you think you're speaking to? Now come, we'll keep this pace going.

Sebek: RIGHT!!!!

Cater/Ruggie: …

Ruggie: Uhhh, does it seem to you like those two're suddenly super in sync?

Cater: Yeaaah. Up until a little bit ago, it really looked like Vil-kun was really having a hard time dealing with that runaway train Sebek-kun…

Cater: But now they're definitely in sync. Maybe they had a strategy session during their break?

Ruggie: I don't get why they're complimentin' each other's looks 'n not their play, though.

Ruggie: Hmmm… I wasn't really worried 'bout gettin' the special bonus nabbed by those two, but…

Ruggie: I might be a bit more worried now.

Cater: We should make a new plan of attack while we can during our break, too. We def can't lose to them.

Vil: HAH!!

[CLANK!!]

Pomefiore Student/Ignihyde Student: Urgh… We-We lost…

Sebek: Come challenge us again sometime. We'll take you on anytime.

Vil: That concludes our matches for today. Once we finish closing the shop, we'll be done.

Sebek: Right. Before we get to that, let me check my mirror again.

Sebek: Hm… My hair was set in place until the very end. Perfect!

Sebek: However, I must say I'm surprised. I completely believed that the secret to your hair staying in place was due to the way you carried yourself, but…

Sebek: I was not expecting there to be hair products geared towards sports!

Vil: Strictly speaking, it's just hair wax that isn't affected by sweat. Of course I use it for sports, but it also comes in handy when I find myself outside in the summer as well.

Vil: After setting your hair with this hair wax, use hair spray to finish it off, and…

Vil: It will end up looking soft. However, no matter how rigorously you move, it won't send your set hairstyle into disarray. Isn't it lovely?

Sebek: Indeed. It is much more effective than I believed it would be.

Sebek: I went ahead and already bought the hair product that you showed me, Vil-senpai. Next time, I'll be able to play ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ without worry about my hair.

Sebek: WITH THIS, REGARDLESS OF WHEN MALLEUS-SAMA COMES TO THE SHOP, I WILL BE PREPARED!

Vil: That being said, of course, there is also a limit to which the wax will be able to keep your hair in place…

Vil: The whole reason why your hair is not as out of place as it was before is all because you opened up to working together with me.

Sebek: So, essentially… not making any unnecessary movements helps to keep up a well-groomed appearance.

Sebek: That must be the reason why you were so adamantly nagging me about cooperating in the ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ battles together.

Sebek: I've learned something new today. My fortunes are indeed good to learn such a valuable lesson so quickly after the new year begins!

Vil: I wasn't saying all that just for you to learn about fixing your appearance, though…

Vil: Well, we're able to work together now that you've finally started listening to what I had been saying, so I suppose all's well that ends well.

Vil: Let us continue to cover for each other so as to not be forced to make unnecessary movements.

Sebek: Leave it to me. As expected of someone like me, I'll fight strongly and beautifully!

Sebek: Oh, right. If there is something you would like, let me know. I'll grant it to the best of my abilities.

Vil: Huh? What's with this complete change in attitude? You're so nice all of a sudden.

Sebek: I said it during the break as well, didn't I? I am always striving to be worthy of being the Young Master's attendant.

Sebek: If it weren't for being placed on the same team as you, I would have not even known of this hair product to exist.

Sebek: I hate to admit it, but I've attained a great gift. If I do not thank you properly, I would not be able to call myself Malleus-sama's attendant.

Vil: Oho. Then, I would like to have some plants native to Briar Valley to test as possible materials for my line of care products. Will you be able to procure them?

Sebek: Is that all? Leave it to me. It may take me some time, but I will gather them up for you.

Vil: Fufu, I got my hands on an unexpected reward. Although this is your way of thanking me for the information, perhaps I should be thanking you as well?

Vil: We'll have to keep this up to get the special bonus in the end, too. Come now, let us return to the shop already.

Sebek: …Humph. At first, I thought he was only a human who could do nothing but nag, but I feel we can see each other eye to eye now.

Sebek: And our ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ skills are only getting better.

Sebek: At this rate, for all our excellent effort, that special bonus is as good as ours.

Sebek: Please, watch me, Malleus-sama…! I, Sebek, will work hard so as to not bring shame as one of your retainers!

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[sonny-whorezik]

haiii ... like a week short of a month since i left everything.... i just wanted to use as Journal and catch up before i do Fully return to social media, gettin rid of the app after this post yet again:

has . been . rough. grief has been consistent the last month from my best friend and now ex leaving me, losing that new job due to being physically sick from grief and being unemployed an additional month, my best best friend my dog, sage, passed away last friday and although i left to drive to kansas i just didn't make it in time. She has wind chimes over her grave and passed listening to the sound of the wind chime my great grandma left for me. two days after her passing marked the First Full Year since my grandpa passed away, i had a dream the night before where we drove around looking at christmas lights with people no longer in my life and he just looked so so sad. i am consistently physically alone; i facetime a couple friends but i go outside alone, sleep/wake up alone, eat alone, this has been going on since i left arizona in november Most of my time is spent completely alone.

ive tried new habits. i meditate and stretch in the morning and night. i read a page a day of a stoicism book my dad got me last year with a propeller hat. i see a therapist weekly, wake up earlier, even floss now. The complete back to back to back grief has left me no choice but to just Do Something. while i would Love to share something with someone its best i reserve it to myself, yet here i am vacantly sharing my last month to who knows who...

my friend invited me to see stop making sense last night in a farther town, showed the original film not the remastered and general admission was all standing and everyone acted as if it was a real concert dancing and singing. this was my 6th time seeing it in a theater. did not cry once yet celebrated the experience i have had and although i will never have anything quite like i did with someone quite like them, at least i had it for a good portion of my life. had to devote this must be the place to myself, foreign. to be completely transparent, i do miss them every day. i do not cry like i used to, i dont let myself get consumed by thought and feeling, ive grown more desensitized as time has passed, but i still miss them of course. i consistently see things that remind me of them even when theyre not on my mind and when sage died i wanted to reach out so terribly; reminisce of the fort we built where she slept with us and i had no one to talk to but my mom who was with her til the end. i didnt. i havent reached out. it is not my place given they were the one to leave i just will not keep reaching out and chasing someone who sounded so blatantly apathetic on our last phone call. i tell myself it was just a form of self preservation to them but yknow. like. that's it, i have no choice but to experience grief with self compassion and continue on, wherever that goes.

i may be starting TMS treatment , having magnets zap my brain 5 days a week, 6 weeks. i see a cardiologist on the 30th since my chest frequently hurts and both ekgs have concerns in the pause between beats. my pulse at resting is consistently around 120 yet my blood pressure is fine; who knows. well i guess ill know actually in 10 days. im finishing a vape, got a full pack of cigarettes ive yet to touch yet plan to quit smoking here soon in hopes it helps. maybe after my pack to eliminate temptation yet not waste my money... i bought it an hour before sage passed. i barely drink coffee and dont use energy drinks anymore i do what i can for my heart now.

atticus still sleeps with me, most nights. sometimes he wanders the living room when i cant sleep. im almost halfway through galapagos. i washed my sheets for the first time since buying them in august. im very much alone and this is all fine i tell myself. the stoicism has encouraged me to alter my perspective on things more rationally as opposed to the wired self deprecating and depression-based "take everything personally" thought processes ive had for 18 years. im on my phone significantly less and i even wrote a piece on piano i may share after this post. ive been transposing it to cello, my grandma requested.

i have no interest in perusing anyone anytime soon still, whether its still too early or what i think i do just Need to do these things alone for a while. ive never found sole stability in others, i learned this at 6 with my dad, yet while outside aid would help, it is not a requirement to live however. forgive me for how long this is and for leaving once again there are a few of you i used to talk to daily and now ive just got a few contacts in my phone.

despite chronic mental illness, mourning, loneliness, you name it, ive never taken this approach before. i will typically have a suicide attempt yet here i am doing a pancake stretch and ommm-ing every morning. i keep as busy as i can, today i went through every single thing i own to sort donations and the day before i deep cleaned. there is a box wrapped in a blanket of some of the things that remind me of them. i went through it today and brought out some things like the books theyve given me, it doesnt hurt as much anymore to remember. im donating the mugs i never gave them and the one theyd use at my house when theyd come over. all their letters havent been reread yet sit in between the photo of us in the cave. it was nice to see. i am so honored they let me, of all people, share these experiences with them. i am more thankful it happened then miserable itll never happen again; at least i had it for a while. i say this yet if a year passes and i hear from them, i would love to reconnect: hear how their life has been, what they've been doing, how their family is and if they are doing better. if this has helped. while for 6 years i believed they were really it for me, whether we ever dated or not ive always considered them the only one who Really Knew who i was, how i worked, you name it. although im "moving on" by taking care of myself more, it is upsetting to admit if i ever have a chance again, id take it in a heartbeat. i say this yet still believe Even if i do never get a chance, that's okay too. While i would, i dont anticipate it, rely on it, sit in denial "theyll surely come back," its alright if they never do. i live each day as if they never will yet to my core do know that i would try again

a knee ways .. i hope you, whoever reads, is doing okay, that you feel alright and what not. you dont have to feel good every day, but at the least alright i hope ... not sure if/when ill come back maybe just once a month im unsure yet .was just in a solid enough state to do this for a moment . wish you all well ,

[msweebyness]

hey, same anon! so...how did it go on Darcy's end?

(Setting: Outside the Boogie Lair, On the Isle)

(Darcy stands outside the entrance to her papa’s lair, hesitating to knock due to what she plans to tell him. She is dating the son of Jack Skellington, after all… Of course, she knows her father loves her more than anything, but that still doesn’t mean he’ll take this news positively at all. Ah well, now or never…)

Darcy: (Takes a deep breath and pushes the doors to the lair, entering the vast space) Papa? You here?

(She smiles and laughs as her father enters the room and spins her around in a bear hug. She really had missed him!)

Oogie: There’s my lil nightmare! (Teasing) Finally decided to visit yer ol’ man, huh?

Darcy: (Laughs) I missed you too, papa! You ain’t stayed holed up down here with me gone, right?

Oogie: (Rolls his eyes) I’ve been gettin’ out of the house every once in a while! Ya know I’m a homebody, darlin’! (She lovingly shakes her head) So how are things over on the mainland?

Darcy: Full of suckers easier to scare than a blind mouse, just like you said. It’s been a hoot! I lost count of how many of those little ‘royals’ have shrieked their lungs out after I spooked ‘em! A few even pissed themselves!

(Her father lets out one of his big, booming laughs)

Oogie: That’s my girl!

(Darcy smiles, before remembering her purpose for coming here. Nervous, because she knows how overprotective her father can be when it comes to boys, she broaches the topic.)

Darcy: There, uh, there is something I should probably tell ya, papa. (Rubbing her arm with a pensive expression)

(The boogieman takes notice of the change in his daughter’s demeanor, becoming concerned.)

Oogie: What is it, Pun’Kin?

Darcy: I, um…(takes a breath) I met someone…in Auradon, papa. He and I…we’ve been going out…about three months now.

(Her father’s eyes narrow. Some dimwit little punk moving in on his baby girl is the furthest thing from welcome news.)

Oogie: (Crosses his arms) Is that right? And just who exactly is this gentleman friend of yours, darlin’?

Darcy: He’s a great guy, daddy! He is a gentleman, always respectful! He listens to me, and cares about what I think! He’s sweet, he’s smart and he makes me laugh, and he ain’t no goody-two-shoes, neither! He loves scarin’ folks, like we do! (Twiddling her fingers)

Oogie: He from Halloween Town, then? Most of them Auradon folk are too soft to spook anybody.

Darcy: Yeah…His name’s JJ…Jack Skellington Jr…

(The room goes deathly silent at this revelation.)

Oogie: …

Darcy: Papa?

Oogie: Y-Yer datin’…JACK’S BOY?! PUN’KIN, HAVE YA LOST YER EVERLOVIN’ MIND?! OF ALL THE FURSHLUGGINER HALFWIT BOYS YA COULDA CHOSEN IT HAD TO BE-

Darcy: DADDY, STOP! For the gods’ sake, just listen! (Takes a deep breath) Look, I know this is hard for you to process, I know the history between you and his dad…and I know how mad you must be...but I'm not gonna apologize for fallin’ for him, Skellington or not. Me and JJ...we aren't you and Jack, and we never will be! You always say that one’a the most important things to you is that I'm happy... well, prove it! JJ makes me REALLY happy! So I'm askin' you, for my sake, to accept us bein’ together, no matter how much you hate his parents. (Looks at him intensely) Please, Papa.

(The boogieman is silent for a moment.)

Oogie: I just…give me a minute, nightmare. (He leaves the room, Darcy letting out a heavy sigh)

(A few minutes later, her father returns, a pensive expression on his face.)

Oogie: Darcy, darlin’, I ain’t gonna lie and say I’m happy about this…but I know yer a smart girl and you wouldn’t fall for just anybody. And I guess if Jack’s little punk- (Darcy glares at him)…(sighs) his son makes ya happy…I can live with it. (Darcy smiles) I’m just havin’ a hard time trustin’ that this kid, the son of the man who hates me more than anybody…is goin’ in with good intentions with my little girl.

Darcy: (Sighs) I know, papa. But I promise, ya don’t have to worry. JJ’s not like that. He really cares about me…he loves me…and I love him.

Oogie: I guess…as yer papa, that’s all I can ask for. (He softens as Darcy hugs him)

Darcy: Thanks, daddy. I love you.

Oogie: Love you too, my little fright. (He gently ruffles her wild curls.)

Darcy: I will check you for weapons when ya meet him though! That goes for you three, too!

(Lock, Shock and Barrel give innocent “Who, us?” expressions…hiding blades behind their backs.)

@artzychic27 @imsparky2002

Larvae your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[twilightmalachite]

Raison d’être - The Nameless Girl 6

Author: Akira

Characters: Shu, Mika

Translator: Mika Enstars

"It is physiologically unbearable to me, but since it is your style, I should show understanding, shouldn’t I?"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Apartment in France

One week later. Paris, at the house Itsuki Shu is boarding at…

Shu: (Since then…)

(Things have not progressed like we had hoped.)

(There is no word from Mr. Raffaello, who had always been pestering us, and he doesn’t seem to be appearing in front of us any time soon.)

(It appears regretfully, Mr. Raffaello never made it to Paris, despite saying he’ll come to Paris one step ahead of us—Perhaps he’s nothing but a lying fraud after all?)

(No, by declaring him to be a “lying fraud”, the whole truth has come to light.)

(Both of those oddly-significant diaries are forgeries, fabricated by the dishonest Mr. Raffaello. They are not fact, but fictitious stories.)

(Grandfather never was unfaithful.)

(He never had an affair, and never betrayed Grandmother and the Itsuki family.)

(And of course, “MADEMOISELLE”, a woman with apparent eternal youth, cannot exist.)

(It all was nothing but fiction.)

(Perhaps the fraud, Mr. Raffaello, learnt about the Mademoiselle doll somewhere, and incorporated a woman who shared her appearance into the plot.)

(However, by fabricating a “story” with significance that appeals to me, it lost its sense of reality.)

(A woman who does not age, no matter how much time passes… Hmph, simply ridiculous.)

(“MADEMOISELLE” was but a fictional character, just as I thought.)

(All of it, a fabrication by an irreverent fraud claiming to be the son of this non-existent woman, in an attempt to snatch away Grandfather’s inheritance—)

(That’s what should be the case… but.)

Mika: … …

Shu: (Ever since I boasted that “truth” earlier, Kagehira has been acting strangely.)

(Why is that? He’s completely absent-minded, like a black cat that just has awoken from his nap.)

(It’s been too long for it to be jet lag… I wonder why, it’s like he’s brooding over something strangely.)

Mika: … …

Shu: Kagehira, are you listening to me? Hello~?

Mika: …Nnah? Ah, umm? I’ve… always wanted t’try the thing called foie gras!

Shu: Nobody here is talking about what to have for lunch! Although it is about that time.

Either way, Foie gras is currently banned in the modern day due to its unethical method of raising.[1]

Mika: I know that, but I’m still curious…♪

Shu: As always, you like your grotesque things. Indiscriminately arranging eyeballs and bones and the like…

It is physiologically unbearable to me, but since it is your style, I should show understanding, shouldn’t I?

Mika: Nnah~, it’d make me happy if ya liked what I liked, Oshi-san!

Foie gras, huh… Ehehe, jus’ talkin’ ‘bout it’s makin’ me wanna eat it.

Shu: Hm. By bringing up the disgusting dish that is foie gras, do you mean to implicitly ridicule me by saying the method I raised you was wrong?

Mika: No, no, there's no way I’d be so sarcastic in such a roundabout way?!

Shu: Then straighten yourself up.

Although it is a letdown that the mysterious phenomena surrounding Mr. Raffaello and the diaries are nothing but inflated exaggerations…

Mika: ……

Shu: What we have to do remains unchanged. To win the Funeral Contest, we must come up with the sort of funeral Grandfather desires.

Mika: Nnah~… That bein’ said, I feel we’re at a checkmate…

Shu: How many times do I have to tell you, that is a misuse of “checkmate”![2] Your memory is poor as always, you know!

Mika: (Nnah~, Oshi-san’s gettin’ irritated again.)

(When he was lookin’ into the diaries, his eyes were sparklin’ like a lil’ kid’s…)

(Nah, it’s inadequate ‘cause there's no dreams or fun in “Raffaello-san was a fraud”—I bet he’s dissatisfied with that conclusion.)

(In Oshi-san’s head, a “story” that was much more pleasant, exhilaratin’, and precious must’ve been unfoldin’.)

(So havin’ a splash of cold water over him while he was enjoyin’ himself lost in his fantasies might’ve dampened his spirits all at once.)

(And ‘cause of that—)

Shu: Perhaps we should have the funeral be a blend of Japanese and Western styles after all, as a combination of the Itsuki family’s traditions and Grandfather’s tastes. …Something like, a row of cross-shaped tombstones, how about that?

Mika: (What do you mean, “how about that?”~… This is bad~, Oshi-san’s way too dispirited and uninspired!)

(I-I think it’ll be tough winnin’ the Funeral Contest at this rate…)

[ ☆ ]

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This is because foie gras is harvested through massively overfeeding geese prior to butchering. Foie gras means “fatty liver”.

The expression Mika used here originally was 煮詰まって, lit. boiled down. It means “to reach a conclusion”, but is more commonly misused to mean “to reach an impasse”, which has quite the opposite meaning. I opted for “checkmate” as a checkmate implies the end of a game, yet it’s often used when “stalemate” would be more appropriate.

[kuma829]

Decorate♥Crimson Chocolat Festival Chapter Eleven (Ver. One)

THIS IS A ALTERED VERSION OF THIS STORY, for the Original click here.  Two versions exist due to insensitivity in the original chapter, this version was made for those who do not wish to deal with that. …That vampire bastard fell asleep and made a mistake with the number of chocolates we needed. I was busy makin’ chocolates until late last night, it was a real pain in the ass, yeah?

Cast: Adonis, Mitsuru, Arashi, Koga

Author: Yuuki Yoshino

Season: Winter

Adonis: (Anzu, there you go keeping your head down. She ended up refusing my help… I suppose, after all, she said she wants to give us our costumes directly)

(well, I can’t force myself to help her when she says there are also adjustments to be made. I suppose I’ll hurry to my own destination as well)

Mitsuru: Dashyuu, Dashyuu!! Let’s turn at the corner with another dashyuu—

Adonis: …?

(Just now, was that Tenma’s voice I heard?)

Arashi: Koga-chan, Adonis-chan~ Hey, hey, if you don’t mind, why don’t we practise together?

Koga: Hmph? Why do I gotta practise with you? Yer a Knights, so why don’t ya practise with Knights, huh?

Arashi: Because they’re all gone now… I’ve been practising by myself for a while, and I’m getting pretty lonely, y’kno?

Plus, since you don’t have all your members either, isn’t it fine?

Koga: Hey, Knight’s is gonna be on stage before us UNDEAD, so how could you be so sure it’s fine practising together like this?

The fans would be disappointed if they didn’t see Knights come together, hmph

Arashi: Ara, are you worried about us? Aww, Koga-chan, aren’t you kind.

Someone who looks devious at first glance, but is a real sweetheart underneath that rough exterior~

Ufufu, if I didn’t already know you didn’t have special someone in your life, I’d be shocked finding out ♪

Koga: It’s fine. Hmph, and anyway yer better suited to that situation than me. Even the chocolates ya guys give out are all made by yer own hand.

Arashi: Of course, we packed it with a lot of love, y’know? I heard UNDEAD left it for a contractor, but I don’t think that was a bad decision at all.

Everyone is still hard at work in the kitchen making sweets, right?

I would help too, but it’s almost time for Knights to perform, so I might be called up soon, hm?

I mean, the units performing in the morning should be over by now, so I thought I wouldn’t have to stand here any longer.

After all, there must be someone on stage. If someone is called up and is absent because they weren’t available at the time, what a disaster that would be.

I made these sweets by hand and practised a ton for this day, so I don’t want it all to go to waste too, y’kno?

Koga: Ah, so that’s why yer the only one here. I guess I get it too, since even with UNDEAD using contractors, we had our fair share of work put in too.

Arashi: Is that so?

Koga: …That vampire bastard fell asleep and made a mistake with the number of chocolates we needed. I was busy makin’ chocolates until late last night, it was a real pain in the ass, yeah?

Well, I was workin’ through this mornin’ too, so I guess I’m gettin’ tired too.

Arashi: It’s hard work to make sweets on top of practising, isn’t it?

Making treats is hard work, but I wonder if those who don’t have any experience with it think it’s easy.

It’s just food for thought, I suppose. Hey, Adonis-chan, what’s wrong with you?

You don’t look like you're concentrating on practice, perhaps you're feeling sick?

Koga: Eh, it’s Valentine's Day today, that’s probably why he’s like that.

Arashi: Huh? What do you mean by that? Is there something wrong with Valentine's Day, Adonis-chan?

Adonis: …You surprised me, Narukami. How long have you been here?

Arashi: Hm? Adonis-chan, you’re quite absent-minded. Or maybe it’s a love problem?

If that’s the issue, then maybe I can lend you my expertise ♪

Adonis: Right. Narukami, if you’ve seen Tenma recently, please let me know if you’ve noticed something off about him.

Arashi: Huh, Mitsuru-chan?

Adonis: Aah, yeah, Tenma.

Arashi: If you ask me about what’s different, I’d say…

Recently, I’ve been teaching Mitsuru-chan—or rather everyone in Ra*bits—how to make chocolates, but there wasn’t anything strange about it.

At first, Mitsuru-chan was horrible at making chocolates, but after receiving some help from Anzu-chan, he was able to do it flawlessly, so he seemed pretty happy because of that.

Aah, come to think of it… Mitsuru-chan and Anzu-chan were secretly plotting something together.

I was going in and out of the kitchen a lot, and even the other members were curious about it.

Ara? The afternoon unit’s have been called. Does that mean the last of the Ra*bits performances are done now?

Adonis: …

Arashi: Adonis-chan? Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going? UNDEAD starts in the afternoon, so you’ll be called soon, won’t you?

Adonis: Sorry, I just remembered something I had to do. I’ll be back before you know it.

Koga: Hey! Ugh, come on Adonis…! What’s going on with ya?

Arashi: Koga-chan, leave it to me I’ll chase him down for you. If it’s me, I know I can keep up pace with Adonis-chan’s running.

But for Adonis-chan to panic so much… What type of situation must he have landed himself into?

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[sweetscenes]

 It was soon to be extermination, but Millie wasn’t too worried. She’d just do the same thing she did every year, leave Imp City in the Pride Ring and head on home to Wrath, where she’d spend the time hanging out with her folks and siblings. 

 A sound came from her phone, and she picked it up. Looking at the caller ID, getting excited when she saw it was her parents. They rarely called, not liking to use much technology, so when they did it was always a big deal. 

 Answering, she gave no time for them to give a greeting. “Hi Mama, Daddy!” She exclaimed, beginning to walk around the apartment, because who could just sit there while on the phone. 

 “Well if it ain’t my deadly little pumpkin spice, how ya been?” Her dad replied, and Millie was so caught up in the excitement, she didn’t notice his tone of voice. 

 “Oh I’ve been good! Just workin’ at the company and spendin’ time with Mox. A lot of things are happenin’ in Pride. Speaking of Pride, are y’all gonna pick us up at the Hellevator or are we driving?” Millie asked. It was important to arrange these things ahead of time, travel times filled up fast when all the imps and hellborn were leaving Pride to go to one of the other rings. Only a small fraction escaped, the rest had to stay in Pride due to the limited number of spots. 

 “Actually, Mills, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about...” Came her Dad’s tone, and Millie frowned. It sounded downtrodden, and instantly she was worried. Did they want her to come earlier? Did something happen? Were her and Moxxie needed? 

 “Is everythin’ okay Daddy? Was there another firestorm?” Millie asked, not wanting to waste any more time with pleasantries when there could be lives at stake. 

 “Oh no, everythin’ is fine, your mama and I just needed to talk to ya about somethin’” Her dad said, and she could tell he put the phone on speakerphone due to hearing her mom clear her throat. 

 Millie felt relieved, instantly calming down. Although she was still on edge, it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. 

 “Oh, then what’s happenin’?” 

 Millie heard shuffling around at the other end, and then she heard her mom talking. She must have taken over. 

 “Well, your Daddy and I have some... concerns.” She said, and Millie frowned. It was the same tone she often took right before she began critiquing her lifestyle or her choice in husband. 

 Giving an annoyed sigh, she ran a hand through her hair. 

“I already told ya Ma, freelance doesn’t mean workin’ for free and Mox is the love of my life. I thought you were gettin’ along better.” Millie said, not wanting to entertain it any further. 

 “Don’t take that tone with me missy!” Came the sharp rebuke of her mom, like she was a little kid again who was arguing about her bed time. “We’ve got some very real things we need to address, so cool your jets.” 

 Millie, despite being an adult, felt properly chastised. She gave an apology, and listened. 

 “Millie, sweetheart, your thespian type husband is only one decision that we’ve been worried about. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t compounded with other things that have concerned us.” Her dad had taken over again, using more compassion than her mom, but still having a business tone to it. 

 Millie felt her blood begin to boil, but she pushed down her frustration to try and calm herself down so she wasn’t scolded again. “What are they? I thought we had everythin’ covered after the Harvest Jamboree?” Millie thought that they had a whole arc and everything. That it was over and done with. Apparently not. 

 “The Harvest Moon Festival opened our eyes. We got to thinkin’ and realized that you’ve been slippin’. You ain’t the girl we raised. We’re worried you’re losing your nerve, pumpkin.” Her dad said, as if that would soften the blow. 

 Millie’s eyes widened, not believing what she was hearing. How dare they say she was losing her touch? She was out there every day killing and maiming. 

 “I’m an assassin, I do more than y’all think. Why can’t y’all accept that?” Millie asked, sounding more hurt than she intended. 

 “If that’s true then why did Striker take ya down like that? He got rid of ya easy. He threatened ya partner and ya boss, and you couldn’t even gut him right! The Millie WE knew and raised would have killed him without breakin’ a sweat. You’ve changed.” Her mama critiqued, and Millie felt her heart begin to race. 

 Was that what this was all about? The Striker thing? He was difficult! She already said he was as slippery as they came. It took two highly skilled people to even get close to defeating him! 

 “We’ve been over this! He was a slippery little thing, no one would have been able to beat him in hand to hand! If I met him again I’d-” 

 “The Millie we raised wouldn’t have moved to Pride at all! She would have stayed in Wrath with her family just down the way, even if she married someone like that! She certainly wouldn’t be working for scraps, at the mercy of some feathered bitch!” Her mom yelled. 

 “Oh yeah? So I’m supposed to just be the same girl I was when I was younger? Is that what y’all would have preferred?” Millie yelled back, not afraid of being shut down this time. 

 “Millie, listen to me sweetie. We love you! We love you just the way you are. But the choices you’ve been makin’ just ain’t right! Frankly, you need to be taught a lesson, little lady. Remember your roots. You’ve been slippin’, there ain’t no other way to say this.” Her dad said, not yelling like her mom but his tone was firm. 

 Millie felt a pit open up in her stomach, knowing whatever was coming wasn’t good. 

 “What do ya want me to do? Have a timeout in my room? Ground me?” Millie asked sarcastically, not willing to show just how scared she was feeling. 

 “No. What you need is a refresher of exactly what and who you are. Which is why...” Her mama hesitated, and Millie held her breath, feeling her heart clench. 

 “You ain’t comin’ to Wrath for extermination. We won’t sponsor any trips to any other rings either. Ya wanted to move to Pride, ya wanted to make ya own choices, you gotta live with them sugarplum.” Her dad said bluntly, and Millie felt her entire world collapse. 

 She struggled to breathe, trying hard to speak. All she could do was let out a strangled, “Why?” 

 “Like we said, ya need a kick in the seat. You’ve gotten complacent, you lost your touch. If you remember all the things we’ve taught ya and returned to how you were before all this Moxxie and freelance things happened, you’ll survive just fine.” 

 Millie began to panic, not only worried for herself, but for Moxxie. How were they gonna survive? Imp City was notoriously shitty when it came to crime and security, it was a hotbed for exterminators and angels. Nobody opened up their safe havens for imps, as far as most sinners were concerned the more imps that were gone, the higher their chances were to survive. 

 “Mama, Daddy, these things ain’t like regular demons! They’re bloodthirsty killers who can take down overlords!” Millie got out, her voice uneven and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “Don’t ya love me? I’m gonna die!” Millie yelled, wanting to get the point across. 

 She heard her mother sniff, and her dad’s voice sounded like he was holding back his emotions. “Sweetie pie listen to me and listen good. It’s because we love you we are doin’ this. Once you survive this, you’ll survive anythin’. If you use all those skills you’ve left neglected, you’ll do just fine. We’ll have a big family dinner afterward, okay?” Her dad said, his voice breaking a little. 

 Millie didn’t want to hear it, she didn’t want to hear about how it’s for her own good. How she had this coming. How she was supposed to react. How can she when they knew damn well what they were doing? Millie couldn’t understand, she just couldn’t. How long has this been bubbling? 

 Millie’s tears finally came down, she began sobbing. She tried to control it, but she couldn’t help but let the tears come in thick streams. She felt the betrayal so deep, it made her sore. 

 She heard her family comforting her, but she ignored it. There was silence on the other end while she let it all out, but eventually she got herself to stop. 

 “Mama, Daddy.” Millie said, wiping off her still falling tears with the back of her hand. “I love y’all so much. But if ya can’t put your judgements aside about my choices to stop me from a death sentence, then I guess this is goodbye.” 

 Millie heard them try to reassure her more, but she ended the call. She threw her phone against the wall, hearing the crack. She didn’t really care, and instead sunk to her knees, curling up in a ball. 

 It wasn’t just the extermination that hurt. It was the fact that her parents still couldn’t respect her or her choices. They refused to see her growth, acknowledge she was happy. It broke her heart, that they didn’t seem to care about her. Only the idealized version of her they held. She was abandoned, let out to dry. They threw her into a survive or die situation, just because they thought they knew her better than she knew herself. It wasn’t just enough for her to not be invited home, they wouldn’t even add her name to the list of imps from Pride allowed in the Wrath ring. 

 And that’s where Millie stayed, curled up on the floor. Her tears still flowing as she eventually fell into a sorrow filled, uneasy slumber. 

[unseededtoast]

Turtle Doves | Joel Miller

Part Ten

Chapter Directory

Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart. (slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)

Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.

Also cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. Link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted!

We continue on our route, leaving the cursed town behind us.

The shelf scrapes the floor with a loud squeal as we move it out of the way. Thankfully there are no infected around, otherwise this would have drawn all of them right to us. My body still aches from yesterday, and it'll probably continue to get worse today. Once the shelf is out of the way enough for us to squeeze through, we begin back on our route.

The morning sun is just barely peeking up over the horizon, meaning the air is still cool. I know it won't last long, so I savor it now. If my thoughts are correct, we should be passing through the town marked with a star within an hour or two. Something inside me is wary of this location, but the optimistic part of me is hoping that we find something useful.

As usual, our journey begins with more silence. If we're going to be going to Omaha together, I might as well start trying to break the silence to hopefully make him more comfortable talking to me. However, I will give him credit where it's due, he was rather talkative yesterday. Twisting my neck side to side, it cracks and relieves some pressure; and I wish the rest of my bones would do the same.

"Not as young as I used to be." I say as I try to get my back to crack. After trying two more times I give up and just accept that I'm going to be in pain. Joel lets out what sounds like a small laugh.

"You're tellin' me." He turns to face me, a faint trail of humor shown on his features.

"Finding a car would be nice." I say with a huff, thinking about the luxury of even the most run-down car. Joel nods his head,

"I guess you want a night at a five-star hotel too?" His humor catches me off guard, and I laugh at his joke. He looks ahead once more, focusing on our route.

"Hey if the opportunity comes around I wouldn't say no." The two of us fall into a silence once more, but this one feels comfortable and not forced, I don't feel like this one needs to be broken.

As Joel walks I notice how his shoulders aren't as tense as they have been the past few days. He doesn't make an effort to stay several paces ahead of me either. Maybe he's warming up to me after all, or maybe it's just the exhaustion. Tearing my eyes away from his figure, I look ahead and see the faint silhouette of buildings. That must be the place we're looking for.

"Look." I say and point out the buildings. Joel's eyes squint to see what I'm pointing at before he nods.

"Gettin' close. We should try to scope it out before we walk on up." He says, thinking tactfully.

"There are some trees off to the right, we could take cover in those." I spot a small area of trees off the road a ways up. The town is still rural enough to where it's not all concrete, there's still some traces of nature, unlike the QZ. He nods his head and changes our course so that we head for the trees.

Once we reach the woods, we both crouch down to muffle our footsteps. At first glance the town seems to be empty, but my instincts are telling me there's more than meets the eye here. There are several buildings that people could be hiding out in, and we would never know from this vantage point. Joel's eyes stay intensely focused on the town as I try to pick up on anything that suggests life.

After fifteen minutes of silent surveillance, I still can't find anything. Nudging Joel with my arm, I silently ask if he wants to move forward. His face looks apprehensive, but he ends up nodding. We cautiously make our way to the conglomerate of buildings through the woods. Though I'm not sure if anyone is here, going in this way is still our smartest bet.

I get to the edge of the woods first and crouch down again to check the surroundings. It's like a ghost town. But then again, it's still early enough that the occupants of this place might still be sleeping. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just feels off. My head turns to Joel behind me,

"Something isn't right." My concerns come out as a whisper, and I wonder if he's picking up on the same thing. His eyes are narrowed, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Stay close, we go in quiet." He says and walks in front of me without another word. The curved knife finds its way in my grasp and I follow Joel out into the town, trying to keep my breathing calm and collected. We enter the town from the side, finding an alleyway to sneak down instead of taking the main road.

As we come to the end of the alleyway, my eyes land on a barrel sitting out in the middle of the main road. The black soot on the rim suggests to me that it might be a burn barrel. The windows of the buildings have all been boarded up, blocking our vision of any possible inhabitants. Carefully, Joel rounds the corner of the alley and we're out on the main road, sticking close to the front side of the building.

I see cars lined up at the end of the main street, almost like a makeshift barricade. Confirming my suspicions, I turn around and see a similar barrier on the other side of the main street. There's most definitely someone here. I tug on the back of Joel's shirt and point to the cars, seeing his face darken as he reaches the same conclusion as me.

Before we have time to duck back down the alley, a door opens across the street from us. Three men walk out lazily. My body freezes in place and I watch with wide eyes how the men turn left and go away from us. The men all look very unkempt. Their hair is long and stringy, their clothes tattered and worn. I'm willing to bet they've been out here a while.

Joel grabs my hand and pulls me into the building we're standing in front of. The space is dark, and I can barely see in front of me. But I do see a shadow move behind Joel. As my eyes adjust to the dim light, I swear I see something duck down behind the counter.

My grip on my knife gets tighter, and my elbow nudges Joel again. His head whips over to me, and I just silently point to the counter. From the looks of it, this place must have been some sort of diner. There are tables scattering the floorspace and an old menu board hangs crooked on the wall.

Keeping my footsteps silent is my top priority as we go towards the counter. Joel walks in front of me, his own knife secure in his palm. I try my best to listen for movement on the other side of the counter, but I hear nothing. However, Joel rounds the corner of the counter and I hear scurrying. Peeking around the corner, I see a man in the arms of Joel, being placed into a headlock. Too stunned to move, I watch as Joel chokes the man out until his body goes limp. Joel leaves the body and we continue our way to clear the rest of the building.

As we go deeper into the building I see several sleeping bags on the floor and supplies scattered on shelves. My hands grab what I can hold and shove the supplies into my bag. Luckily, it seems like nobody else is in this building. Unfortunately, that means they're probably all lurking out there somewhere. Once we're in the kitchen area of the diner, I whisper to Joel,

"What's the plan here?" I have a good idea of what the plan probably is, but if we're both certainly on the same page, then there's less of a chance that I make a wrong move.

"We take what we find and kill who we have to." He replies nonchalantly, like this is nothing new for him. And truthfully, this might be a regular occurrence for him. If that's the case, then I should be thankful he's here with me, and not against me. I nod my head and we continue moving.

Joel opens the back door to the diner so that we're in a back alley, not the main road. There's a door slamming across the street, followed by several voices. They all sound like men to me. I swallow my nerves and focus on the task at hand; surviving. I follow Joel closely as we move into another building, seeming to be some sort of old hobby store.

"Yeah man, he told me he was going on patrol today. Fucker keeps getting all the good shit." A voice loudly speaks as the front door opens. Joel ducks behind a shelf and I'm forced to take cover behind a display case.

"Would be a damn shame if he came back and all his shit was gone." Another gruff voice speaks. They're getting closer to us. The metal of the knife's hilt digs into my palm and I prepare myself for what has to happen. My eyes stay trained on Joel, waiting for his signal to move since he has the better vantage point.

Heavy footsteps fall just in front of the display case I'm behind, and a hand slams on the top of it, making me jump. The man's hand is large, dirty, and thicky callused.

"You know there would be hell to pay. Crazy bastard would kill us all to find his stuff and you know it." My breathing is shallow. Joel slowly motions for my to stay calm and I nod, showing him that I'm not going to do anything rash. He turns around and throws something, causing a clashing in the front of the store.

"The hell?" One of the men say, but only one of them moves to check it out. The hand on the display case stays put.

"What is it?" The man in front of me asks, his hand finally moving off the case.

There's no reply, they must be skeptical of something. Only the soft sound of footsteps can be heard, but I can't really tell where they're at. My breath catches in my throat as I see a leather boot step in front of me. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I make eye contact with the man, and he looks startled.

"There's a woman over here!" He yells out as I lunge forward with my knife. I catch the man's abdomen with the blade's curve and he cries out in pain, doubling over. My hand goes back to wind up another strike, but the injured man stands to his full height and grabs my arm. Thinking quickly, I drop the knife from my incapacitated hand and catch it with my free one, and I waste no time in slashing the man's arm, cutting it wide open with the sharp edge.

The man puts up a fight, but he's losing too much blood too quickly, and soon he falls over. There will be more coming after his tip off, and so I move towards Joel, who took down the second man without any issue. The two of us go to leave through the back of the hobby store, the way we came in, but there's something wrong with the door's lock and it won't budge.

"Shit." Joel grumbles as he tries to force the door open, but to no avail. In the front part of the store, the door opens and there's several people that come rushing in. They're all shouting incoherently and causing chaos in the small space. Joel and I split away once more, trying to hide the best we can.

Luckily I had reloaded my gun just outside of Boston, the night Joel found his stash in the store. So I know I have bullets if I need them. However, if I can use stealth to my advantage, I'm going to do that over wasting bullets on live people.

I try to tuck my body closely underneath the clerk's counter, but my bag is just a little too bulky for me to be able to fit all the way in. The approaching men round the corner and one of them spots me right off the bat. Two men come at me and before I can reach for my gun, they're on me.

Wildly, I slash my knife back and forth, trying to fend them off. They keep backing off quickly to dodge the blade, but one of them moves too fast. He tackles me to the ground, my knife falls from my hand. I reach for my gun in a last ditch effort, but my hands are pinned above me. Across the store I hear gunshots ring out and I can only hope they're Joel's.

I use my legs to try to throw the man off of me, but he's too big. His hips hold my torso down and he's got a sick grin on his face.

"Look what we got here boys!" He announces as I struggle to get free from him. I thrash and twist my body in any way that I can, but it's no use. Soon, another man's face hovers over top of me, his face full of curiosity and perverted thoughts. He licks his lips and smiles before he speaks to my captor.

"Oh she's a pretty one too. Whole team can have fun with her for weeks." He claps my captor on the back and my body is frozen to the ground, no longer able to put up a fight. Hot tears stream from my eyes and the man standing above me crouches down, his finger wiping the tears. Instinctually, my body flinches away from his touch.

"Awe don't cry now hun, we're gonna take care of you." He says sickly sweet before moving out of my field of vision. The gunshots on the other end of the store still ring out, and I hear what I think is a body hitting the floor. My chest heaves up and down in a panic as I feel someone's hands on my hips.

"She's armed to the teeth, look at all this." I feel my hunting knife being taken out of its holster and my gun is tossed from my thigh. My captor chuckles and looks down at me, his black eyes raking over my body while the other man disarms me. If he didn't have to keep my hands pinned to the ground, I fear to imagine what he'd be doing to me.

With no more weapons on me, the hands drift to the button of my jeans to undo it. I try to thrash and kick and fight back to get them off of me, but I think it only makes them more excited. My captor laughs as I sob, the man behind him trying to tug my jeans down.

Suddenly, the hands are gone from my hips and a shot rings in my ears. My captor whips around and I see a bullet go right between his eyes. The man's full body weight falls on top of me, making it even more difficult to breathe. Luckily, the weight is moved off of me and I go to hit whoever is coming for me next.

My swinging fists are caught and I'm looking into familiar brown eyes. It takes a moment to register that it's Joel looking back at me. His eyes are wide and there's blood splattered on his face.

"They're gone, they're gone. It's okay." His voice tries to soothe me but I can't stop the sobs that come through me. He lets go of my fists and I lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling as if my body had become permanently bonded to the linoleum underneath me.

After a few fleeting moments, my breathing has started to level out, though the tears continue to fall. I muster up all the strength I have and sit myself up, quickly redoing the button of my jeans with trembling fingers. My dirty hand wipes my nose and I gather my weapons, putting them all in the correct places.

Without another word I stand to my feet and stumble out of the store. I hear Joel behind me as I turn the corner of the store and get sick in the alleyway. My hands are on my knees to support me as my body ejects whatever was in my stomach. Ragged breaths shake me and I close my eyes, trying to calm myself.

When I find it within myself to open my eyes, I turn around and see Joel standing away from me, a concerned look on his face. I readjust the straps of my backpack and wipe my mouth on my shirt.

Though I would love nothing more than to get out of here, I still have to search these buildings and the corpses for anything useful.

I go building by building and search all that I can. Some buildings have canned goods, others are full of old shoes, old clothes, and other old items. It looks like they used these buildings for anything and everything, there's no organization to this chaos.

As I walk to the last building, I see Joel going through the corpses in the store we were just ambushed in. He's checking their pockets and taking their ammo. With quiet gratitude, I focus back on clearing this building so we can get out of here.

I open all the drawers and go through the shelves, only to find a deck of playing cards. There's nothing useful here. My hands grip the edge of the counter and I close my eyes in an attempt to keep my composure. If we went through all of that for nothing, there will be no words to describe my anger.

Joel comes back out to the street and I meet up with him, still sniffling. He offers me a small smile and tilts his head,

"Ready to get out of here?" He asks and I nod.

We continue on our route, leaving the cursed town behind us. The day is still young, so we have the rest of daylight to travel. Hopefully we get as far away from here as possible. My eyes stay trained on the road below me, and I count my steps to keep my mind occupied on anything except what just happened in that town. For once I'm thankful for Joel's silent nature.

Part Eleven

[pesterloglog]

Calliope, Roxy Lalonde

Act 6, page 5089-5094

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]

UU: i can't see yoU, bUt yoU mUst be back by now, yes?

TG: y

TG: and i am how haxxing up storm

TG: p stank by

TG: *stand

UU: haxxing? :u

TG: u dont even no

TG: my fingers are the mean lil beaks

TG: of furirus woodpeckers

TG: and my keyboard

TG: is a pitiful plank of cruddy wood

TG: guarding a trove of tasty bungs

TG: it is guarding them i might add

TG: moist fucking unsuccessfully

UU: u~u

TG: as my digits rain danger

TG: on this hapless lamptop

TG: the result of my tappy onslaught

TG: is line after wicked line

TG: of leetfilthy codes

TG: aka..

TG: the governments worst nightmare

UU: Um...........

TG: i will be in an out

TG: of the systerm

TG: before breakfast knows what ate it

TG: JACKPOP BABBY

TG: im am ur cryptogodress 8)

UU: roxy?

TG: it is womon verse machine

TG: a struggle old as stuff itself

TG: she will bring sburb to its knees

TG: and then turn

TG: with her shitwreckingest face

TG: and stare

TG: into the void

TG: and the void

TG: will wonk first

TG: ;3

UU: i don't Understand.

UU: yoU are typing some sort of compUter program?

TG: no

TG: that was all mostly a huge load

TG: all that noisy keyboard bangin i just mentioned

TG: was me just typing all that shit i said 2 u

TG: lol i did type it superfast tho

TG: just like they do in dumb fake movies about primo hackers who r THA BEST

TG: i guess i hacked into our conversation? w/ bs nstead of codez

UU: ^u^;

TG: but for real

TG: im just drag & dropin some game shit in to jakes place

TG: it is easy as a butt

TG: this kiddie game is a waste of my baller expertise

TG: * sexpertities

TG: / obligatory

TG: hey look

TG: a 'totem lathe'

TG: kay w/e

TG: BONK

TG: down it goes

TG: in that patch off dirt i guess

TG: daaang

TG: fits on that patch o dirt like

TG: a glass shitting slipper

TG: NEXT ??

UU: ah, i Understand. yoU're beginning then. good!

TG: yes im on a roll

TG: gettin my peeps outie

TG: splitting the ball b4 junk turns 2 pumpkins

TG: soooooooooo

TG: what were you going to give me back there? ;D

UU: right!

UU: it's a present i made for yoU.

TG: ooh!

UU: it coUld be...

UU: a farewell gift actUally.

TG: huh?

TG: are u leaving

UU: maybe.

UU: i am aboUt to go to sleep one last time before oUr schedUled entry.

UU: and there is a very real possibility that i will never wake Up.

TG: oh no!

TG: why!!!

UU: it is complicated.

UU: there is mUch to say aboUt it which i have never told yoU, dUe to my adherence to the rUles.

UU: some of which i am aboUt to break now, in order to give myself a fighting chance.

UU: bUt before i go down that serpentine path with yoU, here.

UU: one last bit of artwork from an admirer. something to remember me by, shoUld we never speak again.

UU: http://tinyurl.com/roxyisthisyoU

TG: !!!!!

TG: ssdlkjfs;lkfjdlskfj

TG: ohhhly SHIT

TG: *hooooooly

TG: holiest of shits

TG: the shit.....

TG: is down right

TG: SACROSANCT

TG: omgogmogmomog

TG: this owns

TG: my bones

UU: ^U^

TG: look at my outfit

TG: want 2 wear that outfit

TG: want 2 kiss + marry that outfist

TG: look

TG: at that lollipop

TG: that fuckin LOLLIPOP

TG: hehhe look at me goin in 4 a lick

TG: like im the queen of fuckall yall

TG: what is that in my hair

TG: is that

TG: COTTONE CANDY????

UU: indeed it is!

TG: say helloes to new phone wallpp

TG: sry baby eatin jake husband u r out

TG: /DIVORCE'D

TG: yes perfection

TG: more like

TG: perferection

TG: is what is givin me

TG: am getting the perfbonerz up in here

UU: i really enjoy drawing yoU. it is a treat.

UU: yoU are jUst so pretty. :u

TG: awwwwwwwwww

TG: <3<3<#<#<##

TG: hearts n hashes

UU: anyway, i am very pleased that yoU like my drawing. ~u~

TG: i love it

TG: i love U

TG: U x2 combot

UU: yoU do?

UU: really??

TG: yes

TG: fo rillies

UU: :U

UU: blimey.

UU: this comes as qUite a sUrprise.

TG: well i mean

TG: not like lets got get space married love

TG: more like ur the best and i like you a lot love

UU: oh.

UU: then the conciliatory type. i Understand.

TG: wait

TG: i didnt mean to jerk you around...

TG: did u feel that way about me

TG: aww shit im sorry :(

UU: no! don't be.

UU: trUst me, that is not how i feel aboUt yoU. or anyone.

UU: thoUgh i trUly wish i were capable of those feelings.

UU: perhaps the fact that i am not is why the topic fascinates me so.

UU: and why i have been prone do indUlge in sUch...

UU: fancifUl visUalizations.

UU: of yoUr people's lovely bright red relationships.

UU: they mUst be nice. u_u

TG: lol well its not like i would know either way

TG: but thats cool i didnt know that about you

TG: i dont know ANYTHING about u but i wish i did

TG: cant you at least tell me your name bfore you uh

TG: maybe go ways 4 ever? ;(

UU: yes, as a matter of fact.

UU: that is actUally the reason i am contacting yoU.

UU: it is one rUle i have decided to break.

TG: oh fuck!

TG: what is it!!!!!!!

UU: my name is calliope.

TG: :o

TG: .....

TG: ilike it :3

UU: it feels so strange to type that!

UU: bUt also good, actUally.

TG: well ty for finally confiding in me calilope

TG: *calliope sorrey

UU: yoU're welcome. it is good to get it off my chest.

UU: bUt i am primarily telling yoU this as a last resort, in hopes of saving myself.

UU: yoU see, this rUle between me and my brother is a kind of trUce.

UU: we have both agreed not to say oUr names to anyone so that things will not get oUt of hand, and so it became one of the rUles.

UU: if anyone were to say his name to me, i woUld immediately fall asleep, and he woUld wake Up.

UU: so yoU will Understand if i refrain from telling yoU his as well. ~_u

TG: so

TG: hes sleeping now?

UU: yes, fortUnately for both of Us.

UU: now, chronologically speaking, i have never contacted yoU after this moment.

UU: so if i never wake Up from my next nap, yoU will never hear from me again.

UU: if yoU do not hear from me later, i woUld very mUch appreciate it if yoU coUld message my brother, and say my name.

UU: it may be the only chance i have to wake Up again.

TG: fuuuck

TG: this is highly terrible and scary stuff youre saying

TG: but yes ill def do that

UU: splendid!

UU: <kisses>

TG: shit now i wish we had more time to talk

TG: quick what otter rules were you going 2 break

TG: spill it cali!!

UU: i want to!

UU: it is overwhelming, trying to be cavalier aboUt rUles i have respected all my life. i'm not sUre where to begin.

TG: well

TG: what i wonder is

TG: you said you couldnt have romantic feelings

TG: or "red relations" as you said in your trolly way

UU: oh, i can have romantic feelings.

UU: jUst not the flUshed kind, which hUmans describe as romantic love.

TG: ok but

TG: i didnt think that was alien to you

TG: not the way u made it sound

TG: like dont trolls have the 4 kinds and one kind is just staight up love feelins

UU: yes, that's right.

UU: bUt...

UU: oh bUgger. this is so embarrassing to have to admit.

UU: i am sorry for saying things which may have reasonably led yoU to believe this.

UU: probably way too many things. u_u;

UU: bUt i am not actUally a troll.

TG: o

TG: rrrrrelay

UU: i have never actUally claimed to be. bUt i'm sUre i have implied it, probably dUe to wishfUl thinking.

UU: i have spent so mUch time wishing i coUld be one.

UU: trolls are a remarkable and fascinating race.

UU: hUmans are too, please don't get me wrong!

UU: bUt i am oUt and oUt smitten with trolls and their history and ways.

UU: they have sUch amazing, coloUrfUl social dynamics that soUnd like so mUch fUn to be a part of.

UU: and they are so beaUtifUl.

UU: i wish i coUld be that pretty.

UU: UnfortUnately, i am not very attractive at all.

UU: sad to say, no one woUld kiss the corpse i will leave behind.

UU: even if there were someone aroUnd to revive me, i doUbt they woUld be inclined to bother.

UU: for, er... several reasons, actUally.

UU: bUt really, it was always for the best that i cannot have fUlly flUshed feelings.

UU: no one coUld ever love me.

TG: oh man no!!!

TG: that is not true

UU: it is.

UU: and it's for the best that no one has ever seen my face, aside from my brother.

TG: but i want 2 c u

TG: i proimise i wont think you look bad or judge you

UU: no.

UU: i am sorry.

TG: :(

TG: then what kinda alien are you

TG: wait dont tell me youre ACUTALLY from urnanus??

UU: heehee. no.

UU: that jUst happened to be a planet from yoUr system i thoUght was lovely.

UU: i was particUlarly strUck by its UniqUe rotation.

UU: it has very nice...

UU: bollocks, what's the word.

UU: the term that refers to a ball's topspin?

TG: ???

UU: it doesn't matter.

UU: bUt no, i'm not even from yoUr Universe, let alone a nearby planet.

UU: my species has never even had a home planet.

TG: what species are u

UU: i am a cherUb!

TG: omg

TG: that is

TG: amazing?

TG: like u have wings or such

UU: no!

UU: i doUbt i am what yoU're pictUring.

UU: bUt aside from a few sUperficial similarities, we are very different from trolls and hUmans.

UU: we are not a social race. we generally will not ever encoUnter another of oUr kind, Unless it is time to mate.

UU: and when that time comes, oUr coUrtship is nothing like it is for hUmans.

UU: it is highly confrontational and violent.

TG: sounds so lonely

TG: plus w/ hecks of tricky sex

UU: it is lonely.

UU: bUt that is in oUr natUre, to be alone. jUst as it is to find attraction throUgh contempt.

UU: now that i think aboUt it, i shoUld have known.

UU: i've been so foolish.

TG: known what

UU: aboUt the natUre of my game session.

UU: i believed he and i coUld play together, even Under oUr UniqUe biological circUmstances.

UU: i was so daft, i thoUght skaia had actUally made an exception for Us.

UU: and that we coUld overcome oUr conflicts, work together, and fUlfill the game's minimUm reqUirement of two players. one of space and the other of time.

UU: bUt i was always fooling myself.

UU: it is now clear only one of Us will sUrvive.

UU: my skaian visions have misled me.

UU: or i have blinded myself to their trUe meaning.

UU: this was always meant to be a session of one.

UU: and i am finally starting to Understand...

UU: the reality of that coUld have conseqUences more horrifying than we coUld begin to imagine.

TG: um

TG: how

UU: the thing is, yoU don't know him like i do.

UU: as hard as it may be to believe, he is even worse than yoU think.

UU: and it's all sUch a shame, not jUst becaUse of that.

UU: it is a shame that i won't be able to play, i gUess for selfish reasons.

UU: i was so looking forward to it.

UU: i really thoUght i was going to be someone special.

UU: that i coUld Use my abilities do something no one had ever done.

TG: hey you are being so defeatist stop that!

TG: you dont know you wont play we havent even tried the wakeup call yet remembr???

UU: yes. you're right.

UU: mUch like skaia, i've sUccUmbed to a gloomier outlook lately, due to recent setbacks.

TG: so whats going to be special bout your game?

TG: aside from that its just your fuckhead bro and you

UU: well, i was always led to believe i woUld be an extraordinary type of player.

UU: both of Us woUld be. we are both assigned extremely rare and powerfUl classes.

UU: they are the two master classes!

TG: oh yeh?

TG: what is urs

UU: mine is the most passive on the scale. a class designated for females only.

UU: i am the mUse of space. ^u^

TG: sounds p cool

TG: whats a muse do

UU: i'm not entirely sUre. i was hoping to discover that on my joUrney.

UU: anyway, his is the other master class.

UU: the most active class of all, reserved for male players.

TG: what is it

UU: Um...

UU: roxy.

UU: i think we may be getting a wee bit carried away with trivia here.

UU: we both have so mUch to do.

UU: yoU need to focUs on getting to safety, while i need to...

UU: prepare myself. for what i hope will be a short nap.

TG: ok

TG: you are right

TG: la siiiiiigh

TG: im worried 4 you

TG: but optimistic

TG: i will call ur name like a million times

TG: and shout it in 2 the void every chance i get

TG: til u come back :3

UU: you are a good friend, roxy.

UU: please take care.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]

[zarysa-of-zorcai]

Ch 4: Meeting The King

The endless concerto of bird song told Zia it was morning before the rising sun could get the chance. Her and Percy were exhausted given their sleepless night, and everyone else seemed to be hungover save for Scanlan. Despite that they needed to move. Their plan depended on arriving early to the kings court. The group groggily made their way to the palace and cursed every damned stair they had to climb to get there.

Zia didn't hate the long trek even if her legs were burning from the exertion. It gave her time to think about everything, mostly about what she was going to do when they made it to the top. She couldn't get Percy's words from last night out of her head. He'd sounded so sincere. She had no doubt that he'd meant every word of it.

Percy's truths echoed inside her mind. Though it wasn't only his voice playing on loop in her brain, but the memory of the kiss as well. Had it just been the wine Percy drank? Or did he really...could it be possible he really had feelings for her? Zia never dreamed anyone would like her that way. Least of all someone like Percy. He was handsome, brilliant, walked around all dignified, and she...She let herself slip so far into her thoughts and memories that her foot missed a stair.

"Woah." Vax caught Zia by the wrist, a hand settling on her waist to ensure she remained upright. "Easy there, Gemstone. Don't take a tumble. It's a long way back down."

Zia let out a laughless sigh. "Yeah, thanks, Vax. Sorry. I'll try to pay more attention. It's uh-it's early. Guess I'm still a little tired."

It wasn't a total lie. Her limbs felt heavy due to the lack of sleep.

"Don't apologize to me. You should say sorry to the stairs. They're the ones who would have got cracked under that pretty little chin of yours." Vax's fingers ghosted under her chin, but it felt different from the gentle caress that Percy's fingertips had left. The gesture felt empty.

"Must you." Percy glared, over his shoulder at the half-elf. His glasses glinted in the rising sun.

"Just trying to wake her up a little." Vax let go of Zia's wrist and allowed his hand to drop. He smirked at Percy. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"This early in the morning?" Percy's tone was clipped. He did not look amused. "Yes."

Something told Zia it had nothing to do with the time of day and everything to do with it having been her. She wasn't sure why that gave her this twisted fuzzy feeling that had her toes scrunching in her heeled boots. But it did.

"Move it you three!" Vex snapped at them almost nearing the top of many stair sets. They were only halfway. "These stairs don't move you up them themselves!"

"Everlight have mercy on our legs, are these stairs multiplying?" Pike struggled. "Or is that just me?"

"Nope, I'm with you." Scanlan complained. "Why does this Uriel guy need so many damn stairs to his castle anyways?"

"Tiny legs gettin tired, Scanlan?" Grog snickered.

"Oh, Shut up, Grog. You could just hug us all and get us to the top in three jumps." Scanlan huffed fed up with all the stairs.

"Oh gods, Scanlan don't give him ideas." Zia pleaded. "My hair looks bad enough from sleeping outside. Do you know what the wind would do to it?"

"Your hair is fine, Zia." Percy assured her. "A bit frizzy perhaps but other than-"

"Enough talk. All of you." Vex admonished hand on her hip pausing on the upper stair. "If you can move your mouth then you can move your legs faster if you'd shut up. Let's go."

"Yeesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the trashcans." Scanlan muttered.

"I heard that." Vex warned.

The sky was a rosey pink by the time Vox Machina made it to the top of the palace steps.

"We're really gonna see the sovereign looking like this?" Keyleth worried, she looked the worst out of everyone. She had remnants of throw up on the front of her dress.

"Keyleth's right. Maybe we should all take a moment, find a fountain...freshen up?" Zia tried, getting nervous now that they were before the giant door. She ran her fingers through her hair in a feeble attempt to rid her purple shimmering curls of knots and snarls.

"And climb down all those stairs again just to have to come back up?" Vex glared at the stone skinned woman. "Absolutely not. We go in as we are."

Vex took a step forwards only to be halted by the guards. They crossed their spears. Everyone frowned at them. Various are you kidding me looks across their faces. Vex'ahlia unfurled the wanted ad with a smile.

"Okay, we'll take you in, but the bear waits outside." The guards uncrossed their spears.

Trinket hung his head in dejected disappointment.

"It's okay, buddy. We'll be back soon." Vex promised the bear as the group ventured towards the doors. He looked awfully sad to be left outside. "But Zia, will keep you company! Won't you, Zia?"

"Oh, Uh, actually..." Zia straightened out her dress. "...I think I'm going to go in with you guys this time."

Keyleth almost dropped her staff in shock. "Oh my god your going in!? But you never go in!"

"I know, I just...I thought with how bad our jobs have been going...maybe I would- It would," She amended, eyes flicking to Percy for just a moment as she almost echoed his words. "help...us all being together."

"Seriously?" Vex looked at her incredulously.

"Mhmm." Zia laced her fingers together. "Who knows, maybe I'll distract them from how run down the rest of you look. Given my um...interesting complexion."

"Wow, uh that's real considerate of you, Zia." Pike smiled. "Thanks."

Grog sniffled, and Zia only had time to widen her eyes before she was being scooped up by the Goliath.

"I'm so proud of you, Zizi!" Grog hugged Zia to his chest, and spun her around like she was a rag doll. If her skin was not harder than the average humans then he most certainly would have crushed her bones.

"Yes, yes, this is a big moment for her conquering her weird little social fear." Vex waggled her fingers. "Whatever." Vex's hands rested on her hips. "We have a king to see. Some decorum please. Percy, would you tell them?"

"Vex is right." Percy's agreed but there was a certain mirth to his voice as he spoke. "We shouldn't delay."

Percy was careful with his words aware the guards were listening.

Grog set Zia down and she smoothed out her dress once more. They all ventured inside leaving trinket on the other side of the giant doors.

"See you in a bit Trinkie.." Zia waved at the bear before the doors closed behind them. Zia felt a bit guilty leaving trinket out by himself, and the closer she got to the throne room the more she felt the urge to sprint back down the large hall they were walking down.

This was such a nice castle. She shouldn't be here. Cursed as she was. This was a bad idea. Why did she think meeting the king was a good idea? Her friends were going to pay for her being here. No king or council ever reacted well to a cursed person like her. What if Percy was wrong? What if she was ridiculed? What if the king ordered the guards to get her out of his sight? She-

-felt a hand at the small of her back. She didn't need to look to know who it was. The hand was gentle, meant to guide rather than force. It did not push, it's owner merely applied a light pressure. An assurance of presence more than anything else.

She looked at Percy. He'd almost fallen into step with her. He walked just a bit behind.

"You're doing well." These words were only meant for her.  His voice kept low and barely audible. There was no chance of anyone else hearing him. "Whatever happens in there I'm with you. I promise. I won't leave your side."

Zia wasn't exactly sure what she did to deserve such a statement. From Percy no less, but it eased her worried mind and made her heart swell all the same.

When they arrived in the throne room the king was already having a discussion with his council. Keyleth attempted to be polite in getting his attention, twice, but they were persistently ignored. A small part of Zia hoped that they never would notice them.

Of course right when she wished that, Grog let out an echoing belch that gained the attention of everyone in the room.

Zia was immediately uncomfortable. Their stares held copious amounts of judgement and disdain. Especially when their gazes roamed over her. She wanted to slide over and hide behind Grog, but that meant removing herself from Percy's hidden tender touch. So she refrained. She endured their disapproving eyes.

The blonde man in the armor had a different look than the rest of those surrounding the king. His electric blue eyes, Zia could feel them on her and unlike the rest of the council whose eyes roamed over them all-his eyes remained glued to her. Zia did not know why. Only that she did not like the feel of his gaze. He was staring at her like Grog would the finest tankard of ale. It was a stare she was drastically unprepared for and not one she welcomed.

How she wished she could just whip out her swords and slash the tension from the air. Wait- Maybe she could though not with her swords but with words. Maybe if she was quick enough she could ease their foul tempers. She just had to get them on the right foot. First step, apologizing for Grog's deplorable manners.

"Uh, excuse him your majesty," Zia spoke up hoping that she didn't sound as nervous as she felt. "He had a bit too much ale last night."

"I didn't have too much." Grog protested. "I'd say I didn't have enough."

"Sure you didn't buddy." Pike tapped Grogs leg.

"I'm sorry," Lady Kima glared down at them. "Who the hell are you?"

"Vox Machina." Percy stepped forwards, his right arm lifting from behind Zia's back so he could point his finger. His other hand adjusting his glasses. "You see, it's actually a somewhat clever play on words..."

"Honestly, we don't care." Sir Fince was immediately dismissive. He turned to face the king. "Sire, I warned you the notices would attract the scum of Emon." His hand gestures towards the groups left where Zia was standing. "Just look at the accursed wretch they've brought."

The council pointedly stepped apart so the king could set eyes on them. Zia did her best not to flinch, but it was hard when the dark elf's words were so pointed at her. Fuck. She told Percy this would happen.

"Excuse you?" Vex demanded, an eyebrow raised as she glared.

"Oh, you did not just-!" Pike was ready to storm up there and break that dark elf's finger.

"Pike.." Zia's voice was barely above a whisper, any higher and hurt would be leaking into her tone. "It's fine."

"Like hell it is!" Pike denied, glare only deepening.

"I think Sir Fince means a foe this deadly requires more seasoned..."

"Krieg, don't bother with these drunken buffoons." Sir Fince denied. "Guards?"

The guards swarmed around them in an instant. Percy pushed Zia behind him, glaring at the guard with his arm raised in front to strike if he tried anything. Grog growled menacingly to scare him off.

Zia was back to back with Keyleth. The women exchanged nervous looks. This had been what Zia had been afraid of, well sort of. At least she was getting thrown out for being a drunk instead of a cursed wretch as the elf called her. That was better...right?

Percy stepped out of Zia's space so she wasn't as squished with Keyleth, but he had a glare on his face now. He was not pleased by the dark elf's order. Not at all. On the contrary, Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the third was quite pissed.

"Buffoons?" Scanlan had been particularly insulted by the word as well, and it seemed he had a plan to charm the king into giving them a chance. "Clearly you've never heard of the Legend of Vox Machina. Allow me to give you a proper introduction."

"Oh, gods, here we go." Vax groaned, as Scanlan pulled out his lute. He was much to hungover for this.

♪ Your Excellence tried the best fighters ♪ ♪ Who've adventured far and wide ♪ ♪ But I promise ♪ ♪ That you've never met a troop so qualified ♪

"Are we really gonna let him do this?" Zia whispered, wondering if they should shut him up before they really got tossed out on their asses. "

"I don't think we have a choice." Keyleth groaned feeling woozy.

Zia bit her lip, and rested a hand on her swords hilt as Scanlan's magic swirled around them in a purple cloud. When it disappeared it showed them all looking quite badass with their weapons of choice. Zia stood next to keyleth in the illusion. One of her twin swords raised high in the air, glinting in a lightning flash. The other tilted behind in a backwards grip.

♪ There's Grog our mighty giant. He's a simpleminded hulk, ♪

♪ And Percy's pepperbox can blow apart -Your fսck¡ng skull ♪

♪Zia's a cursed statuette with swords of fallen stars. ♪♪You'll never see her coming til she's already littered you with scars. ♪

♪Nature hath no fury ♪ ♪ Quite like Keyleth the Ashari ♪ ♪ Controlling plants and animals ♪ ♪ She's a magical safari ♪

♪ The twins Vex and Vax ♪ ♪ She shoots, he hides in the pitch ♪ ♪ They're stealthy and quite deadly ♪ ♪ But I forget which one is which ♪

"He's Vax." Vex tilted her head in annoyance.

"She's Vex." Vax's eyes flicked to the left completely done with Scanlan.

♪ Pike's divinity is pure ♪ ♪ Her hands can always heal ♪

♪ Oh, and did I mention we have a bear? ♪ ♪ Trinket, no big deal ♪

♪ And as for myself? My name is Scanlan ♪ ♪ The man with the phat purple hand ♪ ♪ My music's the jam, going ham, you can't stand it ♪ ♪ Get some water, hide your daughters ♪

King Uriel cleared his throat.

"Scanlan!" Zia hissed, kicking his leg lightly.

"Oh. Uh, sorry."he apologized getting back on track.

♪ Brave warriors are we and far more clever than a fox ♪ ♪ They'll tell tale of our exploits ♪ ♪ In the Legend ♪ ♪ Of Vox ♪

♪ Machina ♪♪

The illusions cloud disappeared. Scanlan knelt down doing Jazz hands as Keyleth retched behind him. Zia moved to rub the druids back and hold her hair. It was the most she could do.

"Uh, thank you very much." Scanlan smirked.

"Oh. Mm, okay. Uh... Uh..." the Council was unsure about what they just witnessed.

"Give the council a moment to discuss your curious group." The king spoke up and his advisors all circled around him.

They couldn't hear their conversation that well from down the stairs but the king looked quite contemplative. Scanlan waved as they looked down at them.

"Yeah, doubt it." Their circle broke because of Lady Kima. "Let's just call in Agar's Assassins again."

"Uh, Agar apparently had his hand chopped off in a barroom brawl." One of the guards informed.

"Oh, shit." Scanlan coughed into his hand.

"Doesn't gossip huh?" Zia hissed at him.

"How was I supposed to know he had chatty guards?" Scanlan hissed back.

"Urgh!" She would have kicked him again if not for the fact that keyleth was so unsteady.

"Come now. What's the harm in letting them give it a go?" The general leaned on the kings throne. "At least they've all got hands."

"Oh! Yes! Yes it's true! We do have hands! Spare ones even!" Scanlan made his purple hand appear.

"Very well." The King conceded. "You're hired, Vox Machina. Mainly because I like the bear. Lady Allura will accompany you to the Shale Steps, the village closest to the last attack."

"So, what exactly are we killing, and how much are we making?" Vax asked the question weighing on their minds.

"We don't know what you're killing, but once you kill it, all this is yours." The general pulled out a chest.

Vox Machina's faces lit up. That was a big box.

"Uh, one more question." Scanlan spoke up. "Yeah, how are we supposed to get there?"

"You will be taking my finest sky ship. The town is a mere jaunt in the vessel. You are to leave immediately." The king ordered. "There could be another attack at any time."

"Yes sire." Lady Allura bowed before she walked towards the doors. "Vox Machina if the members of your group would all follow me,"

The woman kept a straight a straight face as she passed.

"The ship will be equipped with showers." Lady Allura side eyed them. "Do use them."

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

And Here's Chapter 3!!!! Ahh this was so fun to write I love Zia so much! Next chapter will be out soon!!!!!! While you wait I'd appreciate it if you took a stab at these questions and gave me some feedback!

1. Thoughts on this chapter? What did you think of it? Are you liking this story so far? How's my writing? Any favorite moments? Be honest.

2. How are you feeling about Zia? Do you find her likeable or not really? Is she annoying, endearing like what are your thoughts on my oc so far? Again be honest.

3. Any guesses as to why Krieg was staring at Zia like he was?

4. Whose your favorite member of Vox?

5. What Characters would you like to see Zia interact with more?

6. What would you like to learn most about Zia?

7. Anything else you'd like to ask, rant, and or tell me!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

The Suitor to Suit Her

We didn’t get to see all of the boys attempt a proposal 😂 so here’s some quick dialogues I came up with, written in the style of a play script for the sake of simplicity; it’s sort of a “what if” each of the remaining guys, including the four in the final rescue squad, had a chance to woo the Ghost Bride.

I was able to make each proposal a little longer than the proposals shown to us in-game! It was really fun to write these, especially the side banter.

Please note: I do include Ortho in this, but he is NOT proposing. In Ortho’s scenario, he is volunteering to be the ring bearer or a flower boy so he can at sneak over and inform Idia of the plan and/or so Ortho can swap the ring out for the magical one to banish ghosts.

Another exception to the proposal prompt is Malleus. Since he can’t propose to some random ghost due to his own status as crown prince, his scenario is framed as something different.

Operation Propose, START!

Riddle: HOLD IT!!

Eliza, the Ghosts, and the “guests”: !!

Eliza: What’s this?! A fresh new squadron of suitors?

Ace: You’ve got that right!! If you think you’re gettin’ hitched, you’ve got another thing coming!

Ortho: That’s right! Hands off of Nii-san!

Idia: O-Ortho! You brought all the other normies...!

Eliza: Oh, there seems to be no end to you!

Ghost: Of course! You’re the most desirable bachelorette there is, princess!!

Eliza: Tee hee! Oh, you’re flattering me!

Eliza, to the group: Very well. Let’s start with you, the one in the smart crimson suit that matches your hair.

Riddle, with a polite smile: Ah-HEM! Good evening, princess. I do hope I’m not intruding on your time. I’m thankful that I’ve been granted this audience with you.

(Cater: Look, there it is! Riddle-kun’s surprisingly suave side!

Leona: Well, what do you know? It looks like the red young master’s able to hold his own.

Deuce: E-Eh, Rosehearts-senpai is doing so much better than I did… How cool!

Ace: HAH? Who’s a ‘refined gentleman’, ‘surprisingly suave’, and ‘cool’?! I don’t remember Riddle-ryocho ever being this nice to us! Definitely not to me!

Trey: Ahahahah… Well, Riddle did have manners drilled into him from a young age. It’s not surprising that he’s caught the ghost’s attention.

Ace: You have GOT to be kidding me!)

Riddle, bowing to the Ghost Bride: I am Riddle Rosehearts, dorm leader of Heartslabyul–and I would be honored if you would permit me to court you.

Eliza: Refined as you are, the prince that I seek is at least 180 cm tall! I’m afraid that you are a far cry from that.

Riddle, face tensing: Grrk…!

(Everyone: !!

Idia: Y-Yikes, Riddle-shi looks like he’s about to go berserk mode!!)

Riddle, sighing and relaxing: ……………… 

(Cater: Nice save! He came in clutch and managed to calm himself down!)

Riddle: I assure you that what I lack in height, I make up for with my talents and abilities. You may test me however you like. I am certain that I can provide the perfect response to any question.

(Ace: … Huh? Is it just me, or is he treating this like it’s a written exam with a short answer section?

Trey: Er, I think that’s exactly what he’s doing.)

Eliza: Very well, then tell me this: how do you plan to sweep me off my feet without that princely height I long for?

Riddle, smirking as he crosses his arms: Simple.

Riddle, a hand on his hip: We’ll have afternoon tea beginning at 3 o’clock on the dot and concluding at 4. No sooner and no later than that. After that light luncheon, we’ll take a 30 minute stroll in a rose garden to let the tea and finger foods digest.

Riddle, waving a hand: From 4:30 pm to 7 pm, we will exchange colloquial conversation so we are able to learn of one another. Dinner will be at 7, and I will return you safely to your place of residence at 9 pm.

Eliza: …………………….

Riddle: ... Well? Have you reached your decision? I’m in a hurry here. There is an important deadline that I must meet—

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Riddle: ?!

Eliza: You don’t have any sense for romance! Plans? Schedules? Routines? Love isn’t something so rigidly defined!!

Riddle: What?! Just how do you intend to get anything done if you don't...

Eliza: Surprise candlelit dinners! Spontaneous serenades by the moonlight! Getting so lost in my prince’s eyes that I lose track of time! These are the hallmarks of the ideal romance, and they’re all lost on you!!

Riddle, face turning red: YEEEARGH!!! You seriously expect to marry a man you’ve just met to go along with all of that nonsense?! Have you lost your mind?!

Eliza: I’ll not hear another word from you! Bring me the next suitor!

Eliza: Next up is you with the heart.

Ace: You called?

Ace, smiling: Heh, I see you looking at me from across the way. I know I’m hot stuff! You don’t need to be modest!

Eliza: Eh?! 

Ace, winking: Hey. Don’t even bother looking at any other guys, cuz I’m your man—and that’s that!

(Jack, Floyd, Vil: …

Vil, offended: … And just who does Potato #1 think he is, waltzing in with such swagger?

Riddle: That overwhelming cocksureness of his is rubbing me the wrong way.

Cater: Eeeh, it seems to be working though, doesn’t it? Ghostie’s got her eyes glued on Ace-chan!

Deuce: This somehow feels… wrong to watch.

Trey: I don’t know whether that says more about the groom or more about the bride.

Idia: H-How can you people watch this without cringing so hard you reincarnate into another world?!) 

Ace, smirking: How about it? Have I captured your heart with my wicked charm yet?

Eliza: You’re so bold! So forward! Tell me, how did you temper that confidence?

Ace: Oh, you know! I’ve got tricks up my sleeves.

Ace, looking smug: Unlike those guys, I’m not forever alone. This isn’t my first rodeo, either! I actually know how to talk to girls AND I’ve got mad game!

Ace: You’d be crazy NOT to choose me!

(Everyone: ………………..

Riddle, looking disappointed but not surprised: Fool.)

Ace: Huh? Why’s everyone glaring at me? Don’t get mad just cuz I’m spitting cold, hard facts!

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Ace: OW OW OW OW OWWWW!!

Ace: What was THAT for?!

Eliza: Shame on you! How dare you talk about other women in front of me!! The last I want to hear about is your EX!

Eliza: If you’re still lingering on her, then how can I expect you to be faithful to me?!

Ace: HAH?! I didn’t even SAY anything about my ex!!

Eliza: THERE! You just did!

Ace, wincing: Gack…!

(Deuce, sighing: … Should’ve known something like this would happen. When Ace runs his mouth for too long, trouble’s gonna brew.

Riddle, looking smug: Hmph. It serves him right!

Trey: Riddle, you’re looking a little too pleased there...)

Eliza: Next! You, with the big ears and the lopsided smile.

Ruggie, mumbling to himself, ears flattened: Sheesh, I can’t believe I got called away from making bacon to make goo-goo eyes at a ghost… Oh well, whatever’s gonna net me that bonus for saving Leona-san’s keister.

Ruggie: Hey, I’m Ruggie! Ruggie Bucchi.

Eliza: Hmm? Did you say something before that?

Ruggie, grinning with his hands behind his head: Nah, don’t sweat it! ‘S nothing.

Eliza: What a winsome smile you have! It’s a little rough around the edges, but it conveys a lot of heart.

Ruggie: Nishishishishi! Thanks. You’ve got a good smile on yourself too!

Eliza, blushing as she cradles her cheeks: Oh my! Such a flatterer!

Ruggie: And your voice makes me want to break out into laughter! It just puts me in the mood to sing, like the sun lighting up the whole savanna.

Eliza: Oh, you…!!

(Jack: Hoo, boy… Ruggie-senpai’s really laying it on thick.

Leona: Hmph. He’s just got a real knack for kissing up to people. Reminds me of a certain octopunk, actually.

Azul, with a passive-aggressive smile: Ah-hem, I can hear you loud and clear, Leona-san.

Leona, smirking: Oh, don’t worry. I know you can.

Idia: My life’s on the line here and you’re just going to sit around and make sarcastic quips?! This isn’t a high school anime romcom!!

Floyd and Jade: Hehehe/Fufufu…)

Eliza: Wait, what’s that sticking out of your pockets?

Ruggie: Huh? Oh, you mean these?

Ruggie, pulling out a bunch of dandelions: There’s tons of these things all over campus.

Eliza: To think that you’d go out of your way to prepare such a thoughtful gift for me… Yes, yes! I’ll happily accept this bouquet!

Ruggie, looking mildly annoyed: Huh? Bouquet?

(Leona: Argh, here we go again…

Jack: ?

Rook: Ah, could it be?!)

Ruggie, getting defensive: You’ve got it all wrong. This ain’t a bouquet, and this ain’t yours. This is MY dinner.

Eliza: It’s…your dinner?

Ruggie: Yeah. Dandelions are basically free food, so I pick’m and cook’m tons of different ways.

Ruggie: I was working my tail off all afternoon hunting these down. If you want your own, that’s on you. No way am I sharing MY food.

Ruggie: *MUNCHMUNCH*

(Jack: Ruggie-senpai just chowed down on all those dandelions!

Leona: *Sigh* His appetite knows no bounds.

Rook: Ahhh, Monsieur Dent-de-Lion consumes his meals with such fervor and gusto! Why, it looks as though he is savoring every last morsel of his supper!)

Ruggie, rubbing his belly: Phew! That sure hit the spo–

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Ruggie: BLEGH?!

Eliza: Unbelievable! I’ve never seen such selfishness!! What kind of prince not only denies his princess of a present, but then proceeds to take that present for himself!? Reflect on your overindulgence!

Ruggie: Aw, man… I was doing so well, too.

Ruggie: I should’ve stuck with ‘every hyena for himself’!

Eliza: Next—

Kalim, bursting into the venue on a massive elephant (plus all the bells and whistles, a la Prince Ali style): SORRY I’M LATE!!

(Everyone: ?!

Idia: Kalim-shi?!

Jamil, off to the side and looking disappointed but not surprised: ………………)

Kalim, descending on the magic carpet and hopping off: I didn’t miss anything important, did I?

Eliza: Who’s this sunny fellow in the gold earrings?

Kalim, smiling: I’m Kalim! Nice to meet’cha!

Eliza: YOU’RE LATE! It’s simply unacceptable to be running late for a meeting with your one true love! If you cannot be on time, how can I be certain that our love is true? Do you realize how many misunderstandings have occurred because of tardiness?!

Eliza: YOU’RE O–

Kalim: I’m sorry! You’re upset with me. It’s totally my bad.

(Everyone: !!)

Eliza: !!

Kalim, smiling: Meeting your special someone’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So I spent a long time getting ready… and I got so busy with that that I didn’t realize I was going to be late!!

Kalim: But I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you with all my heart, so I came as fast as I could!

Eliza: Oh my!

*Step, step*

Kalim, circling Eliza: I haven’t seen many ghosts before! It’s so cool that you can fly all on your own! I’m pretty much grounded without my magic carpet!

(Jade: Fufufu. Kalim-san’s sincerity shines through each and every one of his words.

Jamil: … We’re doomed. Absolutely, positively doomed.)

Eliza, following Kalim with her eyes as he circles her: …

Eliza, looking serious: *Spin, spin* Kalim, smiling: *Spin, spin* Eliza, starting to smile too: *Spin, spin*

(Jamil and Idia: ?!

Jamil: I don’t believe it, Kalim’s redeemed himself–and he’s…

Epel: … dancing with the ghost bride?!

Lilia: Kufufu, that’s Kalim for you: charming in the most unpredictable of ways.

Cater: Go, Kalim, go! Slay that dance floor!

Ruggie: He could’ve gotten her attention WAY after if he just showed off his fat wallet instead of his dance moves!!)

Kalim: You’re a great dancer! So light on your feet, it’s like we’re floating!

Kalim: We don’t have to worry about stepping on each other’s toes! Come to think of it, do ghosts even have feet to begin with? 

Kalim, smiling: Gahahah! You could have two left feet and I’d never know!

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Kalim: EEEEEH?!

Eliza: How rude!! My prince would never make such inconsiderate comments! He should be always cordial and sensitive to his princess’s feelings!! You sit there and repent for your careless words!

Kalim, surprised: Huh, did I say something wrong just now?!

{Jamil: The fact that you have no clue you said something wrong says it all!)

Jamil, stepping up: Please excuse Kalim.

Jamil, under his breath: ... He’s an idiot.

(Kalim, eyes sparkling: Jamil!! You’re coming to save everyone?)

Eliza: And just who are you with the intricate hair?

Jamil, with a small smile: I believe you’re referring to me? Jamil Viper, your majesty. I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance.

Jamil: I do not claim to possess nearly the same level of charm and talent that my peers do–but if you will have me, I would be happy to call you my own.

Jamil: If it appeals to you, I am quite skilled in matters of domestic work. Cooking, cleaning, and any kind of housework.

Jamil: I’m also a professionally trained bodyguard and I have extensive knowledge of first aid. I will be able to look after you and protect you well into your… golden years.

(Azul: My, it’s rare to see Jamil-san ‘let his hair down’ and be himself, as it were.

Idia: I-Is that really a good thing, I wonder...

Leona, scoffing: Real humble servant you got there, Kalim.

Kalim: Gahahah! Jamil’s just a modest kind of guy!

Floyd: Eeeeh, Sea Lion-senpai was totally just being sarcastic there.)

Eliza: What will you do to prove your love for me?

Jamil: Pardon?

Eliza: I said, ‘What will you do to prove your love for me?’ Would you scale a tower? Slay a mighty dragon? How far does your drive go?

Jamil: I will do whatever is asked of me.

Jamil, to himself: ... even if I don’t particularly care to.

Jamil, crossing his arms: If you request for me to scale a tower, then I will. If you say to slay a dragon, then I have no choice but to do so. My drive only ends where yours does.

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Jamil, wide-eyed and annoyed-looking: What did I do wrong?! I was certain that I’d gain the ghost’s favor if I went along with everything she asked of me!!

Eliza: Your devotion is extremely shallow!! Where is the emotion in your voice?! The enthusiasm?! Your eyes are deader than a ghost’s!! If you’re going to profess your love, DO IT WITH MORE CONVICTION!!

Eliza: How can you expect to win a princess’s heart with a deadpan expression like that and little meaning behind your words?! I can see right through your deception!!

(Kalim: Aww, you were really close, Jamil! If it makes you feel any better, I thought you looked really cool saying all that stuff!

Azul, smirking: Indeed! I very much enjoyed your heartfelt performance, Jamil-san.)

Jamil: You’re the LAST people I want to hear from!!

Rook: Bonjour, des fantômes!

Eliza and Ghosts: ?!

Eliza: Dear me, the one in the bob cut speaks in a tongue I have never heard before. What language might that be?

Rook, smiling: But of course, it is the language of…

Rook: LOVE! 

*insert explosion of sparkles here*

Rook: I, le Chasseur d’Amour, have been searching far and wide for the one to call my own, my beloved. I have chanced a perilous journey through blistering cold and scorching deserts, risking life and limb to find my other other half.

Rook: And now! Now, I have discovered you at long last! Oh, be still, my pounding heart!!

(Leona: Tch. You Pomefiore lot are all shine and no substance.

Vil: Ex-CUSE you? Take that back this instant, Leona. I won’t have you insulting me or my dorm when yours could use a good polish.

Leona: Fat chance.

Jack: … Is now really the time to be arguing about this?)

Rook, dropping to one knee and looking at Eliza tenderly: Mon amour, mon trésor. From the time I first laid my eyes on you… you’ve captured this huntsman’s heart!

Rook: Skin and lips the color of sapphire, supple lips pleading for a kiss, eyes that light up the night sky… You’re truly a vision in your white gown, a beauty to all that behold you!

Rook: For this life, and for every lifetime and every afterlifetime that comes, you shall always hold a ghostly grip over my heart! I will be eternally devoted to you, were you to embrace me as your groom.

Eliza: Ah…!! How romantic!

(Deuce: HUNT-SENPAI IS HAMMING IT UP!!?

Trey: Yup, I’m not surprised. That’s pretty much how he always is.

Deuce: H-Hunt-senpai’s power level is seriously amazing…

Idia: IT’S SERIOUSLY GONNA MAKE ME HURL FROM HOW AMAZINGLY CRINGE IT IS.)

Rook, to Deuce: Ohlala~ Monsieur Spade, your compliment has set my heart aflutter! Such surprise, delivered with such earnest… Oui, your naivete carries your unique brand of charm!

Rook, to Idia: Roi de Ta Chambre. Your intense emotion moves me! Quiet as you typically are, when you call out... oui, the mountains tremble! The world shifts in accordance with your cries. The fear that coats your melancholy voice... it is as though a God of Death has appeared before me, eager to stake a claim upon my soul.

(Deuce: Uh, thanks…? I think.

Idia: A-Are you NUTS?! You’ve seriously gotta be!!)

Eliza: ……………….

Rook: Mon amour, what is distressing you?

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Rook: !!

Eliza: How cruel can you be?! Letting your eyes wander, and when I’m RIGHT in front of you?! And even flirting with my own groom... I’ll bet that you spout those sweet words to everyone you meet!

Eliza: You’re not a prince! You’re nothing more than a cad, a conman, a playboy!! Get out of my sight! I won’t have you playing with my feelings!!

Rook: Fufu. It appears that I’ve been dealt a swift and harsh rejection!

(Vil, looking annoyed: And yet you’re still smiling without a care in the world...)

Eliza: You with the cute face and large doe eyes! You’re next.

Epel: … Nngh!

Epel, to himself: Calm, Epel. CALM. Don’t lose yer cool o’er the first thing! Ya gotta woo this chick and show Vil just how cool ‘n strong ya really are!!

Epel, smiling and with a hand to his mouth: Eheh. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Epel Felmier. I hope I can… have the chance to be your prince.

Eliza: Appled cheeks, with a blush like apple blossoms and a sweet complexion… You are befitting of your name!

Epel, looking disgusted: *Cringes*

(Deuce: Epel’s soul looks like its left his body…

Ruggie: Where’d he even learn this kinda stuff from?

Vil, glaring: …………………….

Rook, looking proud: Fufu. Monsieur Crab Apple has come a long way.)

Epel, forcing a smile: Thank you, princess. Your kind words humble me.

Epel, to himself: So far, so good…

Eliza: Winsome looks and a polite demeanor… I shall be gracious and overlook your petite stature.

Epel, awkwardly smiling but obviously mad deep down: …………………….

Eliza: But how would you protect me if some dastardly villain were to kidnap me? You appear to be smaller and more fragile than even I.

Epel: !!

Epel: HOLD UP, DID YA JUS’ CALL ME WEAK?!

(Idia, groaning: Aaaaaand there goes any shot at victory.)

Epel, angry: Heh. Ya’d all be eassy pickins!! Ah’ll beat the crap outta ya ‘n show ya what for!! Ain’t no way ya’d stand a chance against ME!!

Epel: I’ll take ya AND yer whole ghost army on!! 

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Epel: CONSARN ITTTT!!

Eliza: A prince would never speak in such an unrefined tone!! Your words blend together, and I can’t understand a lick of what you’re saying!!

Eliza: My prince must be able to clearly communicate his undying love and passion to me!

Eliza: And not only that! No prince would lose his temper at his princess! A prince is cool and mild-mannered at all times!!

Epel: Yer off yee rocker if ya think fancy talk ‘n temper got anythin’ ta do with it!!! 

Eliza: Silence! You are no more than a petulant child playing pretend.

Epel: NOT LIKE AH WANNA BE YER APPLE PICKIN’ PRINCE ANYWAYS!

(Vil: Goodness. I held my tongue knowing that chatter from the peanut gallery would throw Epel’s concentration off—but here you are, having lost your composure all on your own.

Vil, glaring: What were you thinking, challenging the bride and the entire army behind her?

Rook: Ohoh! It was an honest effort from Epel-kun! Beauté! 100 points!!)

Epel: DANGNABBIT!!! So close and yet so far…

Ortho: Excuse me, Ghost Bride-san!!

(Idia, shocked: ORTHO?!)

Eliza:  What is it now? Haven’t I already seen enough fake princes for 5 lifetimes over?

Eliza: Hmm? Oh, you… You look like my dear Idia-sama!

Ortho: Hehe. It’s only natural, since I’m Nii-san’s little brother!

Eliza: Little brother?! Idia-sama mentioned nothing of the sort to me!

(Trey: Er, that would probably be because he was too busy cowering in fear to bring it up.

Idia: Bingo...)

Eliza: But… you share too many features with my prince for it to just be mere coincidence. The luminous skin, the lustrous hair, the charming smile. Yes, I suppose you must be Idia-sama’s relative after all!

Ortho: Affirmative.

Eliza: So? What is it that you need?

Ortho: Requesting to participate in the wedding festivities!

(Idia: HUUUUUUH?!

Idia: O-Ortho, what’s with this insubordination, going to aid the enemy?! Th-This moment would for sure make its way up into a top 10 anime betrayals list!!

Ace: Ah, shuddap! We’ll explain everything to you later!!)

Eliza, giggling: You wish to join in the ceremony? As Idia-sama’s bride-to-be, I will allow it. It wouldn’t do to leave my dearest bridegroom’s little brother out of our matrimonial celebration.

(Everyone: She accepted it so easily?!

Vil: I’m… feeling faint.

Sebek: IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD A CHILD SUCCEED WHERE LILIA-SAMA’S CUTENESS COULD NOT?! THIS IS A TRAVESTY! A TRAVESTY, I TELL YOU!!

Lilia: Kufufu. Perhaps we should have sent in young Ortho from the getgo.)

Eliza: I think you’ll make for a very cute flower boy.

Ortho: !!

Ortho, with a sly, smug expression: I’d actually like to be the ringbearer. That way, I can hand off a very important item to my big brother.

Eliza: You already know what you want to be when you grow up! You’re a proactive little one.

Ortho: All I want is for Nii-san to be safe and happy.

Eliza: Awww! I’ll see to it that you have a proper place in the wedding.

Ghost: Princess, it might be a tight squeeze to make a last minute alteration…

Ortho: I can immediately run the necessary calculations to determine the most efficient way to incorporate an unanticipated guest into the logistics of this event. All I need to do is scan the venue and account for the wedding elements in my algorithms.

Eliza: What? I don’t understand anything that you’re saying.

Ortho: Hehe. You don’t need to! Nii-san says it’s a kind of ‘magic’ only I’m capable of. He’s amazing, right? He built this cool body of mine all by himself!

(Idia: Ortho...)

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Ortho: Uwah!!

(Everyone: ?!

Cater: Bride-chan’s not holding back!?

Trey: Such a quick change of heart too?!

Jade, sighing: Oya, how terribly cruel.

Floyd: Ehhhhh, Ghostie herself’s recoiling from hitting metal.

Idia: Ortho!! A-Are you okay?!)

Ortho: !!

Ortho: My circuits are locking up!! My commands to execute movement aren’t going through!

(Epel: So robots are affected by her touch?

Idia: Why’s this ghost so OP?)

Eliza: After 500 years of waiting... Today is meant to be MY special day! Mine and Idia-sama’s…!!

Eliza: I don’t want to compete with a relative for the spotlight, nor for Idia-sama’s love and attention!

(Idia: YOU NEVER HAD IT TO BEGIN WITH.)

Eliza, to Ortho: You’ll sit with the rest of them as our guests! I won’t have you anywhere near the altar!!

Ortho: No way… Mission failed?!

(Idia: N-Not even Ortho could stop this crazy woman... I-I’m doomed!! DOOMED, I TELL YOU!!)

*BAM!* (Doors to the wedding venue fly open on their own, and all the lights are snuffed out, then reignited with green flames.)

(Lilia and Sebek: !!

Idia: What? What’s this feeling? Why do I feel like there should be final boss music here?

Lilia: This magic is…

Sebek: OOOOOH! HE’S COME!

Sebek, to the others: DROP TO YOUR KNEES AND PROSTRATE YOURSELF BEFORE HIS GREATNESS!!

Leona, angrily: In your dreams and over MY dead body.

Ace, to Sebek: We couldn’t kneel even if we wanted to!)

Malleus, appearing in a flash of yellow-green lights (Silver is close behind): Well now, quite a glittering assemblage we have here.

Malleus, looking at the other failed grooms: Royalty, nobility, the gentry… how quaint. Even the rabble.

(Everyone except Lilia and Sebek: Grrr…

Lilia: Malleus, whatever are you doing here?)

Malleus: You could say I was ‘in the neighborhood’. Passing by, as it were. It occurred to me that I should make a stop to grant Shroud and his bride-to-be my blessing as his peer.

Silver: My apologies, Fa… Lilia-sama. I tried to stop him, but…

(Lilia: Kufufu. No apologies needed. This is shaping up to be quite the spectacle.)

Eliza: I don’t believe this! Yet another wave of intruders seeking my hand?

Malleus: What strange ideas you have. I had no such intentions.

Silver, putting out an arm to stop his prince from stepping up: Please leave this to me, Malleus-sama.

(Lilia: Ohoh, so it all comes down to this.

Sebek: GO GET THAT GHOST, SILVER! YOU MUST AVENGE LILIA-SAMA!!

Kalim: Oooh, are we cheering Silver on? Lemme help out!

Jamil: By the Seven, PLEASE don’t.

Azul, smiling: Kalim-san’s enthusiasm is something to behold!)

Malleus: … Very well. I entrust you to act on my behalf, Silver.

Silver, sighing: …

Eliza: I don’t have time to keep entertaining any more of these preposterous proposals! Please vacate the premises at once, or I will have no choice but to…

Silver: Please wait. I don’t want to fight you any more than you do. All I ask is that you remain open to peaceful negotiations.

Eliza: !!

Eliza: You have mesmerizing eyes. They’re like an aurora borealis!

Silver: My eyes…? 

Bird on his shoulder: *Chirp, chirp*

Silver, to the bird: I’m sorry, not now. This is important.

Eliza: … Speak, then. What makes you think you have anything worth offering when all the others before you have failed? They’ve only proved that Idia-sama is the only one in this world for me!

Silver, to Eliza: If it is a groom you seek, then I volunteer as tribute.

Silver: Truthfully, I don’t know whether I meet your standards, or how I compare to Idia-senpai, but… I know in my heart of hearts that I must do whatever it takes to defend to protect those who are not able to protect themselves.

Eliza: !!

Silver: If you must fight, I will be your sword. If you are in danger, I will run to you and be your shield.

Silver: If you were to choose me, I would ensure that you remain safe. I swear it on my life, and on my honor as a knight.

Silver: You have my word.

(Jade: My, Silver-san is honest to a fault.

Sebek, smugly: Of course he is!! Silver can charm the pants off of a snake!!

Lilia: That’s my boy~

Epel: Th-The ghost bride looks entranced… Is she seriously rethinking her decision?!)

Silver: …

Eliza: …

Silver: … Zzz…

(Lilia: Oh dear. What inopportune timing.

Jack: Oi, oi… This isn’t the time to be falling asleep!!

Floyd: I’m way more surprised that he’s able to sleep so soundly standing.

Idia: I’M ABOUT TO DIE, AND YOU’RE JUST GONNA SNOOZE?! Do any of you people have your priorities straight?!)

Eliza: ………………..

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Silver, snapping wide awake: ?!

His bird: *Nervous tweet as it flies away*

(Everyone: ?!)

Eliza: Never in my life… have I seen someone more princess-like than me!!

Eliza: Beauty, grace, and a noble heart… and even cute animal companions to boot!! You’re the dictionary definition of a fairy tale princess!! So much so that it hurts!!

Eliza: It hurts even more to watch you sleep!! You SLEEP prettier than me!!

(Everyone: HUUUUUH?!

Ace: What kind of a reason is THAT?!

Trey: She was so close to getting the point… before veering off to the completely wrong conclusion.)

Eliza: A sleeping prince and an alert princess… It’s all wrong!!

Eliza: It should be the prince that kisses the princess awake from her cursed slumber, not the other way around!! I won’t accept this kind of a role reversal!

(Riddle: In other words, she’s jealous.

Vil, sighing: Set to a certain script, it seems.)

Silver, to Diasomnia: I apologize for failing you, Malleus-sama. Lilia-sama. Sebek.

(Sebek: HOW?! How could a single ghost have bested us?! We’ve failed the young master...!!

Lilia: It’s quite alright. You tried your best, Silver, Sebek. We all did.)

Eliza: ENOUGH!! I’ve had enough of this charade. This nonsense of entertaining proposals ends here.

Eliza, giggling: Tonight, I’m going to be married to my one true love with you, my captive audience, as our witnesses!!

Ghosts: Idia-sama is almost ready to walk down the aisle with you, princess! Just a little longer until your fated happily ever after.

Eliza: Ooh, this is so exciting!!

Malleus: That is enough.

Ghost Bride: !!

Ghost Bride: This daunting, overwhelming presence… Just who are you, horned one?

Malleus, laughing a little: Oh dear, what an awkward situation. You must forgive me. I’m still feeling quite distressed at having not received an invitation to this momentous occasion.

Malleus: And quite miffed that you would so swiftly take out my retainers.

Malleus, raising a hand: Malleus Draconia. Crown prince to the Briar Valley. Charmed, I’m sure.

(Leona, annoyed: Oh, great. JUST what we needed, the lizard.

Sebek: QUIET, YOU CUR! You have no right to speak to Malleus-sama that way! You’re nothing more than a kitten paralyzed in fear before his magnanimous aura!!)

Malleus, to Sebek: Sebek.

(Sebek: YESSIR!)

Malleus: I believe I’ve already had this discussion with you on multiple occasions.

Malleus, smirking: See to it that you treat the… dignitaries of other countries with proper respect. Do not make me repeat myself again.

(Leona: Grrrr…

Sebek, looking crestfallen and conflicted, to Malleus: A-As you wish, young master…!!

Ace: Whoa, your lameness is so off the charts now…)

Eliza: !!

Eliza: My!! This is how a real prince SHOULD be!

(Everyone, including Malleus: ?!)

Eliza: Over 180 cm! An air of nonchalance! Luminous skin! Lidded eyes! A charming smile! Long lustrous hair! Lips that long for a kiss! Grace and poise beyond compare! Mindful and diplomatic, with a mysterious air about him!

Eliza: A real, genuine blue blood!

(Ace: Is it just me, or did she tack on MORE items to her list just now?!

Jade: It seems our Ghost Bride’s feelings may be just as fickle as yours, Floyd.

Floyd: Ehhhh, don’t compare me to her. It feels gross.)

Eliza, dramatically, with a hand to her head: A tall, dark, and handsome stranger disrupting the holy matrimony of my fated prince and I...

(Idia: D-Did that do it? Did Malleus-shi manage to win her over with the power of ‘the mysterious prince’ archetype?!)

Eliza: Oh, the sorrow of being ensnared by love on both sides! My beloved Idia-sama, faced with a sudden love rival! This is… THE FABLED “LOVE TRIANGLE”!!

Eliza: Oooh, having two suitors engage in combat for the right to a princess’s hand in marriage...!! It’s so romantic!

*Swoons*

(Everyone: WHAAAAAAT?!

Idia: S-Somehow the situation got even WORSE?!

Ortho: This is a scene straight out of one of Nii-san’s shoujo manga!!

Ortho: … But!! I have no doubt that he can overpower Malleus Draconia-san and claim victory!

Idia: P-Please! I’ve already been through enough today, I don’t need to be getting involved in any fights on top of that!!

Sebek: YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU SPEAK OF!! THE YOUNG MASTER COULD EASILY FLATTEN ANY FOE LIKE THE INSIGNIFICANT WORM THAT THEY ARE!

Jack: I don’t think the identity of the winner is the issue...)

Malleus, confused: … I beg your pardon?

Malleus: You are mistaken. I never came with the intention of proposing to a phantom.

Malleus, sarcastically: I would appreciate it if you did not assign arbitrary labels to me. I have only come to witness what I am sure will be the happiest of unions. I’m no home wrecker.

Malleus: In any case, did I hear correctly that you are a princess?

Eliza: …

(Deuce, wincing: Here it comes…! Please watch out, Draconia-senpai!

Idia: It’s the blue screen of death for me...)

Eliza: … Yes. I am a princess.

(Everyone: ?!)

Eliza: 500 years ago, my nation was attacked by a hostile neighbor. In my attempt to flee, I was…

Malleus: … I see. Yours is a story that ends in tragedy.

Eliza: I was never able to meet my one true love before passing. You understand as fellow nobility, don’t you? Isn’t that sad? Don’t I… Don’t I deserve happiness?

Malleus: ……………………… No, I disagree.

Eliza: !!

Malleus: The world does not owe anyone a happily ever after. Not you, nor I.

Malleus: Cruel as it is, it is the way of the world.

Malleus: And moreover… you are the sovereign of your country. It goes without saying that nobility must place the needs of the many over the wants and the feelings of one.

Malleus: Your duty is to your people and to your country, not to your heart.

Malleus, glancing around at the ghosts: A number of your attendants are with you. Have you given a thought as to how they may feel? What they may think?

Ghosts: Th-That’s not true! We... We just want our princess to be happy.

Ghosts: All this time, she smiled at us and told us “it’s fine”, when she was suffering deep down. Our lonely, tragic princess...

(Ace: AH GEEZ, HOW ENTITLED CAN YOU GET?!

Everyone: !!

Deuce: Oi, Ace! Are you looking for more trouble?!

Ace: What, you’re just gonna sit around and do nothing? Your mouths still work, don’t they? How about you actually DO something with them?

Ace: Listen up, lady! The perfect prince? He doesn’t exist!! And if you think he is, you’re only deluding yourself!!)

Eliza: !!

Malleus, to himself: Ohoh. That Trappola... Fufufu, quite the mouth on him.

Malleus, laughing: I came seeking a happy ceremony. Instead, I find shadows of the past, clinging on to desperate hopes and unfulfilled dreams.

Malleus, smirking: And a princess so vain as to put her own desires above those of her people, her guests, and even her bridegroom.

Malleus: Galivanting about, so blindly in pursuit of love that they cannot stop to think of how they are inconveniencing those around her.

Malleus: A sham wedding such as this is not worthy of receiving my blessing.

Eliza, looking sad: …

(Silver: Malleus-sama…

Sebek: Young master…!!

Lilia: Malleus…

Lilia, to himself: … You’re speaking from your own heart, hmm?)

Puffy Ghost: That’s enough!! You… How dare you barge in and begin lecturing the princess like this!

Puffy Ghost: You could never understand a maiden’s heart! You could never understand her!

*SMACK*

Puffy Ghost: !!

(Everyone: !!

Sebek: She… She just… slapped the young master…

Sebek: REJECTING LILIA-SAMA, SILVER, AND THEN MALLEUS-SAMA?! THIS ILL-TEMPERED BRIDE HAS TRASH TASTE IN MEN!

Leona: Oi, quit your shouting!! You’re going to blow out my ears!!

Vil: I hate to say this, but I agree with Leona.

Lilia, to himself: Malleus could have easily avoided that blow, but...)

*BOOM!* (Outside, lightning strikes.)

Malleus: ………………………………………..

Malleus, calm but cold: … Did that do anything to fill the hole in your heart?

Eliza: …

Eliza, to her attendants: Please take him away and seat him among the other guests--Idia-sama and I will proceed with the ceremony as planned!

Ghosts: Yes, princess!! (The Ghosts rush off for final preparations)

Malleus: To think that this is how I would be invited to an event... Hmph. How rude.

Eliza: I’ll show you…! I’ll show you the happiest of endings!!

Puffy Ghost, looking sad: …………………………………..

Eliza, to Idia: Idia-sama! Please don’t be shy! There’s no need for you to keep dodging my kisses. Let’s prove our love to all of these fake princes!

Eliza: Midnight and our happily ever after... they’re just a single peck away!

(Idia, looking defeated: ... Womp womp womp. Looks like it’s game over for me, no resets or extra lives or save scumming. Good-bye, cruel world. I leave my anime merch and manga collection to Ortho.

Ortho, distressed: Nooo, Nii-san!!

Ace, to the Ghosts: Hey, are you guys seriously gonna just move forward with this? You’re...

Ace: ...

Ace: ...?

Ace: Huh? I can move again? When did that happen...?

Malleus, quietly, as the ghosts cart him past Ace: ... I’ll entrust the course of this story to you, Trappola. Show me the truest of happy endings.

Ace: !!

Lilia, off to the side and to himself: ... My, so a youngster from Heartslabyul has been “blessed”.

Ace, grabbing his bouquet from the ground and smirking: Heh, looks like you’ve made a good choice~ I won’t let you down.

[From here, just picture Ace confronting Eliza again, Puffy buffing up, and basically the rest of the event playing out the same as it did in canon (maybe with some extra dialogue from the additional students, and Riddle/Epel/Rook still being frozen instead of mobile).]

 ***BONUS***

Grim: Step aside, ya chumps! The great Grim-sama’s here to woo the lady ghost!

(Everyone: ?!

Idia: Grim-shi?!)

Eliza: Who’s this… sassy lost tanuki?

Grim: I’M NOT A TANUKI!

Grim: I’m the great Grim-sama! Remember that name, cuz I’m gonna be the strongest magician in the world someday!! I’m gonna go down in the annals of magic history!

Grim: Check THIS out! *FWOOSH* (Grim breathes a plume of fire, just narrowly missing Ace and Deuce’s heads)

(Ace, angry: OI, WATCH IT!! I almost got roasted!

Deuce, sighing: I saw my life flash before my eyes for a second…)

Grim, crossing his arms: How’s that? Pretty impressive, huh?

Eliza: Be that as it may, I can’t marry a tanuki! My prince must be a human–or at the very least, something resembling a human!

Grim: What?! I’m WAY better than those saps! And how do ya know that I won’t turn into a handsome human when ya kiss me at the altar, huh?!

(Idia: E-Eh? But cats are just objectively better creatures overall than humans of any kind...)

Eliza: No chance, no way! I’d rather kiss a mucus-covered frog than a furry beast!

Grim, angry: Lady, you don’t know what you’re missing out on! The great Grim has more charisma in ONE paw than these sorry excuses for ‘princes’ have in their entire bodies!

Eliza: YOU’RE OUT.

*SMACK*

Grim: FNGHNYA!? THAT SLAP SMARTS!!

Eliza: A tanuki that talks back to its princess has no place being a prince! At best, you can be a cute talking animal companion or sidekick! I would invite you to come back when Idia-sama and I are seeking a pet, but we’re more of dog people than cat people!

(Idia: Th-That’s a lie!! Cats are obviously superior!!

Idia: ... Though she hasn’t been listening to a thing I’ve been saying all night anyway...)

Grim: YOU’VE GOTTA BE JOKING!!

(Ace: BAHAHAHAH! She got you good, Grim! Serves you right for almost boiling us alive.

Deuce: Oof, I guess the more, the merrier…)

[ameliaalvarez06]

The Look

Jack x reader

Summary: Jack gives you the look while performing his little dance during his grammy performance and you make sure to let him know it had an effect on you.

A/N: Haven’t written anything in a long ass time so this is ehh.

You walk into Jacks dressing room as Metta finished fixing up his suit for his performance. You hadn’t had the chance to see each other in about a week so you had promised to sneak your way backstage to have a minute with him before he went out to perform. He turned to you once he saw you leaning on the doorway admiring him.

“Hey baby” he said as he stepped away from Metta to go properly greet you.

“Hey” you says as you wrap your arms around his neck and lean in for a quick peck on the lips.

“Meet you out there in 10” Metta tells Jack as she waves you a goodbye and makes her way out to give you two a few minutes alone. You wave back then turn your attention back to Jack once she was out the door.

“You look good” you tell him as you look him up and down.

“Could say the same about you” he says as he steps aways to give you a spin stopping when your back was facing him. “Damn I’m one lucky fella” he say admiring your ass in your tight dress and giving it a quick squeeze.

“Stop” you say turning around, shoving your face into the crook of his neck. You feel his chest vibrate as he chuckles seeing you get all flustered over his gesture.

“You nervous?” you ask pulling away to look up at him.

“I’m not gonna lie I’m feeling the same way I did the first day I laid eyes on you and every other time I see you. Feel butterflies in my stomach… and my balls. I swear they drop a little every time ” he chuckles.

“You’re an idiot, I thought you where finally gonna say something sweet without adding some corny or dumb shit” you laugh.

“No but for real I am a little nervous but luckily imma have you front row, all I gotta do is keep my eyes on you” he says

“I better be the only one you’re looking at.. let me catch you with your eyes on someone else” you tell him jokingly in a stern tone.

Knock Knock

“Come in” Jack said.

“Sorry to interrupt Mr.Harlow but you’re on in 5, we should start making our way over. you ready?” one of the stage workers poked his head through the slightly opened door.

“As ready as could be” he gave the worker a grin.

“Alright good luck, baby. If you do good I’ll make sure to reward you tonight” you whisper the last part for only him to hear.

He gives you a smirk and a quick peck.

“Alright, I’ll see your little toxic ass out there” he tells you jokingly while making his way out the room.

——————

During the performance

“My track record so clean. They couldn't wait to just bash me. I must be gettin' too flashy. Y'all shouldn't have let the world gas me (woo)”

As soon as you heard Jacks voice, you eagerly looked for him on stage. You loved watching him perform, it came so naturally to him. It was honestly even a turn on seeing him up there. Once he reached the front of the stage he scanned the front row in search of you. Once he spotted you, his eyes locked on yours and a bigger grin appeared on his face.

“It's too late 'cause I'm here to stay. And these girls know that I'm nasty (mm). I sent her back to her boyfriend. With my handprint on her ass cheek”

Jack pretended to give back shots and that really did something to you; the fact that you hadn’t been with him in over a week due to his busy schedule was no help. You crossed your legs which didn’t go unnoticed by Jack; he sent you a smirk and his signature look, knowing it would send you. His performance was coming to an end and just when you thought he was gonna leave the stage; he turns around and joins Nas in another little dance. You knew Jack could dance but he rarely did so, seeing him up there with his moves just put you even more in the mood. You new it was going to be a long night since you wouldn’t be able to get him alone until tonight. Even then you knew it would probably be too late once you guys made it home, so your only chance would be to get him to leave the after party early.

—————

At the after party

Just like you had thought you hadn’t been able to have one moment alone with Jack since before his performance. Currently you sat at table with some coworkers discussing upcoming projects you guys had. You honestly weren’t paying much attention as you were distracted by Jack who stood across the room talking with Drake and some other colleagues. He had removed his jacket and his black button up now had a few buttons undone. Jack felt your hard stare on him so he looked up to send you a quick smile and a smirk, he knew how you were feeling and he enjoyed teasing you. You had finally had enough and you knew it was time to try to get him to go home.

you: fuckk you look fine af

jack: don’t play with me

you: i’m not you’re fr making me feel some type of way right now 😩

jack looks up at you from across the room looking you up and down as you cross you legs over and you give him the look

jack: can’t tell if you’re serious or you’re just fucking with me

you: i’m not playing and you know that, you’ve been teasing me this whole time.

jack: I really don’t know what you’re talking about

you: whatever act dumb but i’m not playing; I wanna go home! the things I would do to you right now if I could 🧎‍♀️

jack: ma i’m serious don’t mess with me like that

you: i’m serious too, I want nothing else than to be on my knees for you right now, that little dance you did when performing omfg 🤤

you: it just did something to me, can we just go home please.

You look up once more to continue giving jack the look since you knew he couldn’t resist it but he wouldn’t look your way.

you: look at me 😭

jack: no because imma get bricked up and I still can’t leave

you: pleaseeee

jack: love when you get all needy

you: you’re so annoying

jack: just give me an hour baby; swear i’m all yours after that. I’m sure you can wait an hour, right?

you: whatever take your time, i’m not even in the mood anymore (you lied)

An hour later…

“You ready to go, ma” Jack sneaks up behind you wrapping his arms around your waist.

“yeah” you say looking up at him forcing a smile as you were still annoyed and really frustrated.

You both go around saying your goodbyes. Once you guys made it into the car, Jack closed the partition and tried sitting you on his lap but you quickly slid off.

“I told you i’m not in the mood anymore J” you rolled your eyes.

“you sure” Jack moved his hand up and down you thigh.

“don’t act like you don’t want it” he hushed in your ear while gripping your thigh

you held in your moan as you moved his hand away once more. you were too petty to give in right away; you had to get back and tease him the way he had teased you.

“stop acting like a brat” he said.

“i’m not” you turn to him.

“yes you are” he leans to whisper in your ear “and it’s really turning me on” he says as he starts nipping on your neck trying to find your sweet spot. you couldn’t help but moan this time.

“uhh why do you have to be so fucking unresistible” you whine as you straddle his lap.

“I am?” he chuckles

“mhm” you say as you slam you lips on his. Jack grips your hips as you start to grind yourself on him. You pull away and you push yourself off, getting on your knees. You start kissing his bare chest making your way down as you unbutton the rest of his shirt. Once you reached the end you look up at him as you begin to balm him through his jeans and mess with his belt buckle. He grabs your face and proceeds to stick two fingers into your mouth. You slowly begin to suck on his fingers making sure to not break eye contact, he looks at you with hooded eyes and his breathing begins to speed up. You then stop what you’re doing and sit back in your seat.

“why’d you stop” Jack whined.

you ignored him and proceed to press the button that allowed you to speak to the driver.

“hello sir, would you be able to tell us our estimated time of arrival?” you asked.

“yes, it is about an hour right now” he said.

“sounds perfect, thank you”

“no problem” he replied.

“I think I want to wait till we get home; just to be more comfortable. I’m sure you can wait an hour, right?”

Jack turned to you with an annoyed yet amused look on his face.

“you’re gonna fucking get it when we get home” he said through gritted teeth.

“can’t wait!“ you smiled at him.

[soulmate-game]

Well, here is the stupid thing I was alluding to. It’s mostly a filler chapter, but yeah.

Harley’s Plea for Help, Chapter 3

“Well, that took a while,” a relatively deep female voice smoothly drawled. The plants placed right next to the window pulled away, no longer blocking the pathway inside. The two figures who were perched right outside the windowsill took the invitation and climbed inside, the shorter of the two looking at the woman who had spoken and smiling widely.

“Auntie Ivy!” Marinette happily exclaimed, making the redhead across from her grin back.

“That’s me. It sure is nice to actually see you in person, little Marigold,” she held out her arms for a hug, which Marinette instantly ran in to accept. “Video calls are never quite enough, are they? You’re so tiny! Are you sure you eat alright?”

“Auntie Ivyyyyyy,” Marinette whined, knowing full well that Ivy was just teasing her.

“So, what took you all so long?” Ivy asked Red Hood, even as she kept her arms wrapped around her soon-to-be daughter in law. “Usually you bats are all about getting back on the streets to punch people, we didn’t think you’d be bringing her in at almost one in the morning.”

Hood shrugged, thumbs hooked in his pockets. “Your little garden fairy nearly gave us the slip. Went straight out the back exit instead of doin’ anything showy like we half expected and we almost missed her.”

“I stopped as soon as I noticed who they were, I swear!” Marinette pulled away from Ivy, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t expect Momma to send them to babysit me before our first full day being in Gotham. In hindsight, though, I really should have.”

“Yeah, you should’ve,” Ivy agreed with a smirk, ruffling Marinette’s hair and making her pigtails go a little crooked. “And I know for a fact that you’ve done some stunts off your balcony back in Paris, so at least I know you can be responsible and hold yourself back from doing the same here. Must get that from me, because we both know it doesn’t come from Harley.”

Marinette and Hood both had to laugh at that. Being responsible was definitely not a trait that Marinette could have inherited from anybody in her family tree, that was for sure.

“Are ya makin’ fun of me in front of my daughter?” the comically scandalized voice announced the arrival of one Harley Quinn, who walked into the room in white onesie pajamas with a poker print on them. All of the “joker” cards were crossed out heavily with red sharpie, and a few of them had black-sharpie devil horns and handlebar mustaches vandalizing them. Marinette even caught one such card with a googly eye on it, the matching eye having fallen off and leaving only a small circle of since-dried hot glue where it used to be. “If you guys are gonna be that way, fine! Ivy dyes her hair!”

“No she doesn’t,” Marinette deadpanned, clearly fighting against a giant grin. The corners of her lips gave her away, they never stopped twitching with repressed mirth. “But you do. I got the pictures to prove—- aah!” Harley tackled her daughter to the ground, attacking her with tickles immediately.

“Take it back! My hair is naturally blond!”

“Yeah, naturally— hahahahaha! Sandy blonde! You— hahaha! Have just as much brown— stop I can’t breathe! hahahaha!— as yellow!”

“Hmph,” Harley finally backed off, crossing her eyes and looking away from Marinette with an exaggerated pout. “How dare you reveal my darkest secret?”

“I was a natural redhead even before I got my powers,” was all Ivy had to say, looking all too amused at this turn of events. “Your original costume completely covered your hair.”

“Don’t worry, Harley,” Red Hood butted in, reminding the three girls that he was still here. His tone suggested that he was definitely smiling under his helmet. “We found out about your hair dye years ago.”

“I just cover up the brown parts! It’s not like I’m changin’ much,” she argued before standing up again. “Thanks for gettin’ my cupcake back safely, little birdie. Oh, that's right! I made cupcakes! Hang on, lemme grab one for your trip back!” with that, she span on her heels and ran back further into the apartment. Marinette dashed over to Hood, immediately shoving him to the window.

“Quick, save yourself! Momma can’t bake for her life!” she whispered urgently. “I’ll say you were called away for an emergency, just hurry!”

“It’s not even a lie, getting away from Harley’s baking is an emergency,” Ivy agreed, waving as the vigilante took their advice and fled. It was only three seconds later that Harley slid back into the room, nearly falling due to the feet of her onesie having pretty much zero friction. Her face immediately fell when she saw that her victim was gone, leaving her standing there with a cupcake that was about twice as much frosting as actual cake, covered in sprinkles like a kid’s craft project that was smothered in glitter. The frosting was also shapeless, just heaped on the cake like a half-melted scoop of ice cream. She sighed in despair.

“There goes my chance of giving a bat diabetes. You guys warned him, didn’t ya?”

They both nodded shamelessly. “We’re not that cruel, Harley,” Ivy defended, getting up from her spot on her cushioned armchair and wrapping an arm around her fiance’s waist before she kissed the top of her head gently. “Hood got our little Marigold back safe and sound, and he’s even started a garden at his apartment. He doesn’t deserve to be poisoned by you.”

“I thought you said he got a single cactus at the flea market last month,” Harley deadpanned, making Ivy shrug.

“Might as well be a garden for him, and it’s something he’s not likely to kill so that’s a plus to me. He’s actually taking really good care of the little baby.”

“Speaking of garden!” Marinette gently took the sad excuse of a pastry away from her mom and sat it down on a side table before ushering both of them over to the living room and onto the sofa. “My garden back home is growing so big, I don’t think I can keep everything much longer. I barely have room to walk on the terrace, with all the vines and leaves and branches. Got any ideas of what I can do?”

“Of course! Do you have pictures, Marigold?”

—*—*—*—*—*

Slipping back through her hotel window at six in the morning was risky, since it involved climbing the wall and hoping nobody saw, but her classmates were so unpredictable that it was the only way she could be sure nobody would find out that she had violated curfew and snuck out. Of course, having Red Robin waiting outside her mom’s apartment’s terrace to escort her back helped. At least she knew that no street cams would record her comings or goings, and his grappling hook made the whole scale-the-hotel-wall business much more efficient.

Once she was inside, she sighed happily. “Thanks, now—“ her apology was cut off as Red Robin held up a finger to tell her to wait.

“Hold that thought, be right back. Don’t move.”

Thinking, rightfully, that something was wrong, Marinette obeyed. She watched Red Robin leap off of her hotel balcony and disappear into the streets. Immediately, she began a search to make sure her room had been left untampered— everything important had been packed in the backpack that she had taken to her mom’s place, but still. Could never be too careful. By the time she finished checking for bugs or any signs of snooping, Red Robin landed back on her balcony.

“Here we go.”

Turning to face him, Marinette opened her mouth to ask what the problem had been— only to tear up a little and walk over to the vigilante.

“Oh, my hero. Truly, my one and only savior. Knight in shining red Kevlar. I’m running on two hours of sleep and you have read my mind!” The pigtailed drama queen eagerly took the coffee that he offered her, and he sipped from a larger cup that looked like he had grabbed it from the same place. Marinette almost instantly sighed in gratitude when the hot drink lightly scalded her tongue. This. This was the elixir of life.

To his credit, Red Robin was able to restrain himself to merely an amused smirk. Probably because he was running on just as little sleep as she was. “Sorry it’s only a small, I figured it was best to have something you could finish quickly and easily hide the evidence for. If you need more caffeine, I happen to know that Wayne Enterprises has a very good coffee shop in their main hall. You’ll be touring there today, right?” He asked, taking another sip as he waited for the answer that he already knew.

Marinette nodded absently, drinking in the euphoria of her coffee as she tried to both savor it yet finish it as quickly as safely possible. When she came up for air, she said; “Yeah, that’s right. We’re touring Wayne Enterprises for most of the day, having lunch there, and leaving for dinner after the tour. Then we have a visit to the Gotham Museum of Fine Art, and we’ll stay there until about eight-thirty before heading back to the hotel.”

Red Robin nodded, then turned and looked out the window at the slowly rising sun. Sunrise was always a bit later in Gotham, partly because of the abundance of high-rises and partly because of the thick cloud cover and ever-present fog on the edges of the city making everything seem darker than it should have been. He had to be at work soon himself, which is why he had been chosen to escort her to the hotel in the first place, but that meant that he had to be heading off.

“Alright. We arranged for a bodyguard we trust to keep an eye on your class during the WE tour, but he doesn't know who you are or that we’re the ones who asked. We’re still in the process of arranging someone to shadow you after the tour, but we’ll tell you about that once it’s solidified. Until then, follow the usual self-defense procedures if you suspect anyone of following you. You have the panic button we gave you?”

Marinette nodded, gulping down the last of her coffee and carefully putting it in her room’s tiny trash can. “Got it. Thanks, again. Seriously,” she met his eyes— or, probably did since they were hidden behind that weird white film that the whole Batfam had covering the eyeholes of their masks. “I mean it. For listening to me, for listening to Mom. It means a lot. I’ll keep the panic button on me, and I’ll use it if I think I can’t handle a situation on my own. I’ll cooperate with the people you get to watch over the class, and I’ll do my best to not get into any trouble. No promises, but I’ll do my best,” she maintained eye contact until Red Robin nodded, hiding his expression behind his coffee cup. After a second, he cleared his throat.

“Well then. We’ll contact you once we have anything to say about your intel. Until then, I gotta go. And by the way?”

Marinette tilted her head curiously as Red Robin paused for just a moment on her balcony railing, aiming a smirk back at her. “Yeah?”

“Welcome to Gotham.”

And if she couldn’t help but smile widely as he grappled off into the fog-veiled sunrise? Well, only she had to know. She wasted no time closing and locking the glass balcony door, and pulling the curtains over it completely. Once that was done, she couldn’t help but do a little shimmy of Joy. She was caffeinated, she met Auntie Ivy in person for the first time, she got to sleep next to her momma— and she was in Gotham! Technically her hometown— or town she was conceived in? Didn’t matter. Point was, even with the chaos and dark energy clouding the very air, she couldn’t help but feel like she belonged in that city. Like that was where she was always meant to end up, where she could thrive and the environment that she was made to thrive in. The environment that she was born to start fixing.

She beamed at herself in her bathroom mirror as she gave herself one more once-over. Yeah, so far her visit to Gotham was going much better than she could have hoped. Now, she just had to make sure it stayed that way.

Three businesslike raps sounded against the door to her room, just in time for Marinette to feed Tikki one more cookie and straighten her purse on her shoulder. Madame Mendelieve’s voice called out from the other side of the door in her usual no-nonsense bark;

“Dupain-Cheng! Room check! It’s time to get up, we’re meeting down in the lobby in ten minutes.”

Marinette ran up to the door, not quite able to contain her energy, and swung it open with her trademark large, beaming smile.

“Way ahead of you, Madame Mendelieve!”

Her science teacher blinked, adjusting her glasses on her nose as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

“Ah. You’re already awake and ready?”

Marinette giggled and nodded. “Yup! I was so excited for the tour that I could barely sleep! Does the hotel breakfast include free coffee?”

—*—*—*—*—*

The hotel breakfast did, in fact, include coffee. What it did not include, however, was free coffee that Marinette could reasonably stomach. Especially after the heaven in a cup that Red Robin had gotten for her earlier, the watered down motor oil in the hotel lobby had been unbearable. She had barely managed two sips before regretfully throwing the rest away. Which is what brought her to stand in line at the very same coffee shop that Red Robin had mentioned was in the main hall of Wayne Enterprises, as the rest of her class mingled and waited for their teachers to check their tour group in and their tour guide to arrive.

“Hmm. Sorry, this is my first time ordering here,” she apologized when she reached the counter, gaining a slight lopsided grin from the barista at the register. “Um, I usually like strong coffee, with a lot of caffeine, but I also like something sweet. I don’t need anything too complicated though, do you have any recommendations?”

The barista gave her a customer service smile that seemed just a tad softer at the edges than usual. “Sure! So, we can add an extra shot or two of espresso to any of our drinks, to make it stronger and give it an extra kick. If you’re looking for good sweet flavors, the classics are our white chocolate or caramel. But we also have a seasonal syrup right now that I personally love, which is our cinnamon butterscotch. Did you wanna try that?”

Marinette smiled widely. “That sounds delicious! Then, if I could have your largest size café latte, hot, with… two extra shots and that syrup? Does that sound good?”

The barista actually let loose a soft laugh, already keying in the order. “If you’re a coffee lover and a sweet tooth at the same time, then you’ll love it. If not, come back during your tour’s lunch break and I’ll make you something else.”

Marinette made a little more small talk as she handed over the proper cash for the order, and grabbed her drink after just another minute’s wait. She turned around, taking a sip of the unsurprisingly heavenly coffee and started off to join her class.

Only to realize none of them were where she had left them. She sighed, starting to reach into her purse to see if anyone had texted her about where they were going, but a heavy presence stopped her. She could feel him approaching from in front of her, slightly to her right, but she couldn’t hear him at all. On guard, she straightened up and turned to observe the potential threat.

A security guard. Marinette blinked, running over what she had been told earlier that morning. Was he..?

He seemed to notice her instinctually defensive posture because he raised his hands to show he meant no harm. “Sorry, didn’t mean to catch you off guard,” he apologized. “I’m the guard that was assigned to your tour group. I offered to stay behind until you got your coffee while the rest of your group went ahead and got the run-down on all the boring rules and whatnot of the tour. Figured you’d already know everything they had to say anyway, you’re the class president right?”

Marinette relaxed her posture, nodding and sending the man a relieved smile. “Yeah, that’s right. Well, that explains why they left without me then. Usually Madame Mendelieve is strict about following rules though, how’d you convince her to go on without me?”

The man chuckled, jerking his head to show that she should follow him as he began to lead the way to a side door. Marinette kept her guard up just in case, but wasn’t too worried. If nothing else, she was still in the middle of a super crowded building and the other security guards around didn’t seem concerned. She could easily yell for help if she needed to.

“Well, can’t you tell it was my devilish charm?” He teased, grinning. He waited until she rolled her eyes to continue; “but really, I’m like a second tour guide. She made me show a lotta proof that I’m actually assigned to you guys and not just faking it, not that I can blame her. Eventually she saw the logic in my suggestion and agreed. See, there they are,” he pointed casually ahead of them in the large side hallway they had entered. Sure enough, near the end of the hallway was her class at what looked to be the tail-end of a standard rules-and-guidelines speech from the tour guide. “By the way,” the guard spoke up again, holding his hand out. “My name’s Jason. You’ll be seeing me more often, since I’m supposed to guard you guys for all of your visits to the Tower. Call me if you need help with anything, ‘kay kid?”

Marinette grinned, now positive that this guy really was the guard that Red Robin had said was assigned to her class. She switched the hand she was holding her coffee in so that she could properly grab Jason’s hand for a shake.

“Got it, Monsieur Jason. Let’s both hope I don’t end up needing your help though, I think that would be easier on both of us,” she joked, earning a chuckle from the large man. And— yeah, now that she was relaxed, he really was big, wasn’t he? Then again, Marinette didn’t always realize when people were a bit larger or more buff than they should be. Living with her dad had seriously skewed her perception of the normal size of an adult male (which, she learned when she was seven, most definitely was not almost seven feet tall and muscled enough to make a pro wrestler jealous). But she would like to think she had gotten better in that aspect, and Jason was definitely a big guy. A little over six feet tall, she thought, and though the guard outfit hid a good portion of his physique, she could tell he carried enough muscle to do serious damage if he wanted to.

With a wave, she left him to join her class and sipped at her latte. She had figured that the Bat Clan’s criteria for civilians that they would put to guard her class had to be high, but now she had to wonder just how high. Most police officers or security guards were fit, sure, but not like Jason. Casting a quick glance back at him, she confirmed that he had quite a few faded but visible scars. Again, more than your average officer even for Gotham. Who had they tasked with her class’ safety, exactly?

An elbow in her side distracted her from her thoughts, forcing her to blink and stop her cup from going back to her lips. The grin of none other than Adrien Agreste greeted her when she snapped out of her own head long enough to pay attention to her surroundings. He jerked his head to indicate that the class was already starting to move off.

“Come on, Mari or you’ll get left behind again,” he teased. She grinned back at him, rolling her eyes but falling into step beside him as they followed at the back of their class. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were gonna marry that coffee. You haven’t zoned out that badly in years,” his tone was light and cheery, but Marinette didn’t miss the concern in his emerald eyes. She sighed, gently bumping her shoulders against his in silent reassurance.

“I’m fine. Just didn’t get much sleep last night, that’s all. But this really is good coffee. Elixir of the gods,” then, just to provoke him, she took a giant gulp of the still steaming hot drink. Adrien grimaced in pained sympathy even though Marinette didn’t seem affected at all.

“Oww, Marineeeeeeeeeette,” he whined. “Don’t do that, my throat hurts just watching you guzzle hot coffee like that,” he complained, rubbing at his neck to make his point clear.

“Wimp,” she teased, unrepentant. Adrien just groaned dramatically.

“I’m not a wimp, you’re just concerningly used to burning your throat from the inside out,” he accused. “Anyway, how’d it go?” He was being deliberately vague, but it was obvious to her what he meant. He was only one she had told about visiting her mom, after all, just in case she needed a quick getaway.

In fact, he was the only one of her friends that she had even told about her biological parents. Alix knew too, but only because of time shenanigans. Marinette was fine with it now, but still.

“It went great,” she smiled widely at him, keeping her voice low but casual. “If I have a chance, I’ll introduce you sometime during the trip. I have a feeling you’ll love Auntie Selina, but I have to meet her first. All I have so far are stories.”

“Fair enough,” Adrien agreed easily. “But you don’t have to, you know that right? I’d love to meet your family, but I’m also fine just being your pseudo-brother like I have been up until now. I know it might be a bit… uncomfortable, for you.”

“Nah,” Marinette shrugged. “Nerve wracking, maybe. But that’s also about half the things that I do in my life period, anxiety is no joke. I’ll catastrophize for a while, but I know you’ll love them and they’ll love you.”

“Sounds like they have paw-some taste,” he didn’t even miss a beat with his puns, earning a playful glare for his efforts.

“Never mind. You’re a heathen. Disowned. Who are you?”

“Mariiiiii,” he whined, causing them both to laugh for a while before focusing on the tour.

So far, so good, Marinette thought.

—*—*—*—*—*

Part 1 Part 2

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