#thanks super goy i had no idea

[mossadspypigeon]

"TALKING. ABOUT. NEGATIVES. AND POINTING OUT PROBLEMS. ISN’T. EXPRESSING. HATRED. OR “HATING” ON ANYTHING."

Exactly, that's why talking about the negatives and the problems in Israel isn't antisemitic either!

😂😂😂

if you actually know what the negatives and problems are, mother fucker. 99% of the shit pro pallies bring up is just that. shit made up by al quds news and al jazeera. blood libel. not fact. shit made up by the PLO’s propaganda wing. protocols references. that isnt fact to critique. that is bigotry.

just like “criticizing” the israeli government when you dont know how it works or a basic fact? bigotry. talking about israel being the bad guy when you don’t actually know the history? shows a focus on jews and the jewish state that isn’t shown to other groups. therefore..bigotry. denying jewish indigeneity in favor of revisionist history? again, bigotry.

meanwhile, i have actually read about the history of american reform and reform’s practices and beliefs. i’ve gone to reform synagogues for years. i am educated and can therefore offer critiques. there is a difference. i also had conversations with people who had differing opinions.

the reading comp on this website remains in the toilet.

[longlivedelusion]

An Interview with Jester Lavorre of the Mighty Nein

Warnings: cursing, mentions of sexual endeavors, mentions of death, and spoilers up until C3 Ep111.

A/N: Well this idea forced itself upon my brain after @chiakery made this request:

Jester's commentary on BH couples as she talks with Beau/Fjord/Sprinkle or just straight up goes to people in question, no filter (just like we love her) making them blush like mad/speak in innuendo with her/whatever feels right.

I know it's not exactly what you asked for, I'm sorry 😭 but this idea just took a hold of me and I knew I had to run with it. I hope you enjoy it anyways! I'll be including a part two with headcanon reactions from each couple.

I felt like after saving the world in a very public way, the Mighty Nein won't be able to stay as low-key as they used to be. But still weren't as like publicized as probably VM or BH. So I feel like Jester did this interview because she personally just loved this publication and wanted to be a part of it. So she found a way around that loll enjoy!

Hello everyone! Today I will be sharing an interview we just had with a very special guest: Jester Lavorre, Saviour of Exandria, Slayers of the Mind Weave, and Sapphire of the 5 Seas.

We're so lucky here at The Knowsy Cat to have an exclusive interview with one of the elusive members of the Mighty Nein. Known to avoid media and any sort of public attention, we were fortunate to have received an acceptance for an interview with Ms. Lavorre, soon to be Mrs. Tusktooth, an inside scoop we received from the woman herself.

But you can read more about that below.

The following is a full transcript from that conversation:

Ms. Lavorre! Thank you so much for agreeing to an interview with us. Your group is a hard one to catch on anyone's radar it seems. Any reason for that?

Well, first of all it's soon to be Mrs. Tusktooth thank you very much. But you can just call me Jester.

Congratulations! Is Mr. Tusktooth a part of your group or someone from back home perhaps? I don't recognize the name from any of our files.

Oh he's very very handsome and very sweet. And you can call him Captain Tusktooth, he has his own ship you know.

A Captain! Well, what a fine catch it seems. Then is he not of the Mighty Nein then, but simply a Captain of a ship?

Well why couldn't he be both?

Oh, I don't mean to offend! I'm just asking for clarification is all.

You know, so many people don't know I'm a First Mate of the ship! They just know me as the Savior of Exandria blah blah, but I do a lot of the pulling of anchors, and opening the sails, you know ship stuff. I'm very very strong. Like this one time, I had to carry this huuge minotaur named Braius out of a battle, and like he was super big you know? And I lifted him over my shoulders no problem!

Braius? Do you mean Braius Doomseed, Nascent Might of the Platinum's Call?

Yeah, yeah! That's him. Great artist, you should really check out his work. He draws some sexy stuff, if you know what I mean.

Oh we've seen it! He's become a pretty renown artist in Zadash it seems. Do you still talk to any of the Bells Hells, fellow saviors of Exandria?

Oh all the time! Like there's this girl Fearne who's a super hot fae, and I mean SUPER hot. She's made of fire and like can get really big, it's craazy. I talk to her all the time, she's so funny. Or I talk to the creepy spider lady, but usually through her girlfriend who I guess is kind of whatever. She does mind stuff too but like boring mind stuff.

Do you mean Imogen Temult and Laudna? Are they an item?

The BIGGEST item. They're like attached at the hip and constantly fucking. It's a bit awkward at first you know, having just met and everyone was sleeping like right next door to eachother. But the end of the world can make people do crazy stuff so who am I to judge!

How about Ms. Calloway? Is she currently involved with anyone?

I mean, she's kind of together with Ashton who's totally her other half you know? They got this hot, Titan thing going on. But she always tells me she's all about spreading her legs to fly, so they have an "open relationship." Like she had a threesome with the old wolf man from her group and his ex one time and they did some wild shit together let me tell you, [redacted for explicit content].

Wow! I-I did not expect such... Explicit details. And this was former member Chetney Pock O'Pea, High Hunter and Lupine Paragon?

Yeah, it was like really sad of course that he died but we all knew it was gonna happen. And he died like real hero stuff, fucked shit up for Ludinus that's for sure. But Orym is still super sad about it, I think it might've been his dad or something I don't know. But he's also such a softie, even though he's totally only showing his super softie side to Dorian.

Dorian Storm, the Heir to the Silken Squall? The union between he and Orym of the Air Ashari was all we could talk about for weeks! Were they involved then, during the Red Divide?

Oh my gosh, they were sooo in love with each other when we first met, but apparently they had like not even kissed yet! I remember I woke up at 3am cause someone was snoring super loud, and I was like "ugh, I'm soo bored, I can't sleep now" so I got up and drew in my journal a while but then the Traveler was like "go do some funny stuff!" So I decided to draw dicks on some people's faces and went to the room across from me and there they were! Snuggling each other! It was soooo sweet, so I was going to draw matching dicks on them you know? To make it romantic, of course. But then Orym opened his eyes and gave me a very scary look so I didn't. I ended up drawing them on the wolf man instead. But the next morning the two of them came out all shy and awkward, and Dorian was turning purple from blushing so hard. But then Braius came around with the literal most beautiful painting I have ever seen! Of Orym! Can you believe it? And Dorian was like freaked out, so he grabbed Orym's hand, stood in front of the painting to cover it and declared his love for Orym to the whole group. He was all like "I'm in love with Orym so like back off okay" and Braius totally did after that.

So there was a love triangle between the three of them?

I mean, Braius kind of hit on everyone back then so it wasn't a super weird thing. But Dorian was very not into it, which I totally get you know. I'm very protective of my Tusktooth and he's very hot so obviously everyone would want him. Dorian's the same.

So Braius Doomseed is a man about town then?

Well I heard he had a thing going on with Fearne and Ashton, but he also had a thing going on with Fearne's Nana which is like, okay a bit weird even for me. But now I think he settled down with an old flame of his.

Talking about marriage, any details you can share about your nuptials with Mr. Tusktooth?

Well it's going to be in this really big fancy estate with like 3 ballrooms and 30 bedrooms, so we can invite a lot of our friends you know. And I'm going to have a cupcake cake that's in the shape of me and his face, maybe like a blueberry cupcake or chocolate, or both. And then my mom is going to have a dress made for me that's like from this really famous designer, which they used to make all of my mom's dresses so I know it'll be really good.

That sounds incredible. We hope you'll maybe share some photos with us in the future?

Maybe!

Well, thank you for your time Jester. It's been an absolute pleasure. Anything else you want to tell our audience before we go?

I know gods are like super weird for everyone right now, but The Traveler is a really cool guy who's kind of like a god, but not. He's very powerful and nice and he likes to have a lot of fun. Here, I have a pamphlet you can share with your readers!

Unfortunately at this time, the pamphlet was not able to be printed along with this issue.

[deadseashennanigans]

There are so many deleted comments on that freaking post about “goys,” and damn it makes me wince actually writing that word. All I can see in my messages is you started off “It’s ok…” Honey. I don’t want to cause problems between you and your family. But it’s so *not* ok, in fact it’s outrageous your own family refers to you that way. Are you adopted? Did you marry in? I’m sure you have an actual given name. And that’s what you should be called. It’s disgraceful and so beyond low class to do that to you. Jews have had every unspeakable thing done to them and said to them over thousands of years. For a Jew to turn around and do to you what they’re doing is a sin. I have no idea how you became related to these people, and while you don’t see it, it’s so *not* ok. Me? I’d speak up for sure. They are in fact having sick fun at your expense, as I said. I’m sorry. They should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. Are you the Shabbos goy, too, or do they turn the lights on themselves?🙄I’m sorry, you don’t know, ah, fk it, seriously it makes me sick to hear you say this. You sound super nice. How ‘bout next time they call you goy, you say, listen, call me (your name), I like it better. Thanks. I would say it’s none of my business, but you put it out there. And writing this actually almost made me cry.🌟🩵

Woah woah woah. First, I really appreciate the sentiment. I really do. It makes me smile realizing there are actually nice people on this app.

My family is weird. I am 100% related to them, and I love them and they love me. They call me that because I converted, right? It's now just a nickname.

Also, I may have exaggerated a little, they still use my real name, it's my siblings that call me that most of the time, and my parents accidentally every so often. It's like a sibling rivalry. I call them slow(bc I run half marathons) or stupid(one dropped out of school) and they call me goy.

Yes, this might seem like a screwed up family to you, but we know where to draw the line. I'm not really the type of person who gets mad when someone insults me. It's just words, ya know? I prefer to let physical stuff hurt me rather than mental stuff.

I really appreciate your kindness. I really do. Thank you. This is kinda incoherent, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say. Happy holiday season and best wishes. 🩵🇮🇱🩵

[thetriumphantpanda]

Another fine chap of GOY. The sweat pea line still gets me. Ellie had the right idea, cause I was ready to throw hands at some butt heads. Looking forward to the next chap!

Awww thank you once again for taking the time to message me! It makes my heart so happy to hear from people who are enjoying it because it’s a story I’m super proud of! 🧡

I’m really excited to explore the relationship between Ellie and the reader and this is just the beginning! Girls look out for girls! 👏🏼

[cozycottagetarot]

Who's Coming In & Why? (General)

Here’s the thing… I'd love to tell you this is all love and friendships, but it’s not. It’s more of a who’s coming in to help you move forward.

Still, I’m posting it because it may still resonate with some people.

However, I will do a second reading of the same topic in the future focusing on love and friendships in particular.

Check out my Paid Readings ✨

PILE 1 — The Inspiration

Energy surrounding them: Queen of Pentacles

I see this as being some person you need to move you forward, be it a general mentor, someone with a career, or someone to get you motivated to get up and take action (the latter comes through strongest) . They could be well off, not necessarily lavishly rich, but more so in the sense of being a better situation than you. There could be a nurturing or gentle energy to them as well.

The vibes I get: Vision boards, goals, goal setting, power move

Why they’re coming in? The Empress, Judgement, The Tower (all reversed)

There may be some kind of disharmony in your life, particularly with you. You may be too much into your masculine energy (logic and material) and neglecting your feminine energy (nurturing, intuition). It could be a matter of self confidence and unhappiness with how your life is going. This person is coming in to put you back on track, and shift your perspective. Them entering your life will help you to face your fears and release any self doubt you may have. They may help you to avoid ending up in a bad place. Because all your cards keep coming out reversed (even though I didn’t want to take all reversals) I see it as a sign as well to don’t be afraid to start anew, instead of trying to situate everything exactly the way it was in the before. Like that quote/saying that goes something like-- "don’t be afraid to start over because this time you’re not starting from scratch, your starting from experience?"

How they'll help you? 10 of Swords, 9 of Wands reversed

The only place to go from here is up, but you need to stop being so stubborn about it. This person coming in is going to help you get your back you drive to 'fight' so you can pursue happiness/goals in a new way.

Potential Struggles? Knight of Wands, The Star reversed

Be careful your inspired action is not really impulsivity . You’ll have to do some inner work as well. You may compare yourself to this person and risk falling back into the same state again. You need to take responsible actions, get in tune with your emotions and work on your confidence and any anxieties you may have. Healing from the past as well, because your past isn’t your future.

PILE 2 -- The Therapist

Energy surrounding them: The Star

The energy surrounding the person coming in is one of calm and stability, and that is what they will bring to you. This person is going to help heal you, be it professionally (a therapist or psychologist) or unintentionally (someone who triggers our healing). This person is going to feel like everything will be okay.

The vibes I get: therapy, a guiding star, two people sitting and talking, letting your soul speak

Why they’re coming in? 6 of Wands reversed, The Moon, 6 of cups reversed

This person is going to help reveal the truth about a situation. Particularly if you haven’t had the best things happening a) in most of your life, or b) in this particular chapter or your life. This person will help you realise the things that weren’t your fault, the things you can change and the things that all come down to your beliefs. You may come to realise with the help of this person, that a lot of fears and limitations you have are self imposed. Not only that, but this person may help you figure out what your positive inner voice sounds like and help you to embrace it. Any dreams you’ve had hidden away (sleep dreams or goals-dreams) may also become more clear to you. After this you’ll be able to move forwards in live. The past won’t hold you back anymore. You’ll be able to move on or view these events that took place through a new lense.

How they'll help you? 3 of Wands, 8 of Swords reversed

The blindfold is going to come off. You’re going to be able to move forward in your life. The work you put in is going to help you move forward with a new found confidence and belief in self. You’ll be able to take your life into your own hands.

Potential Struggles? king of pentacles & ace of swords

You may struggle with the whole process of breaking through and envisioning a different future for yourself. Also, seeing your growth and how mature and stable (as in the different areas of your life) you may have become may take you some time or be difficult.

Pile 3-- The Sage

Energy surrounding them: The Emperor

The person coming into your life has a strong energy to them. They are most likely older than you or at the least has a very wise energy to them. They might not be the most emotional or expressive, but they are reliable.

The vibes I get: Someone with an otherworldly energy or wisdom. Someone established. You can't help but notice them.

Why they're coming in? 4 of Pentacles, The Chariot, Page of Cups

This person is coming in to show you how to find and build security in many aspects of your life the right way. You may be holding onto things that aren’t good for you and this person is going to come in and force you to ask yourself why. Also potentially isolation may be something you need to deal with. You may be currently playing defence. But once you allow yourself to let go, you may find new things, people, and opportunities come in, better than you image. You may find yourself becoming someone you really want to be as well as finding yourself in the beginning stages of tapping into your emperor energy.

How they'll help you? Strength reversed, Knight of Swords

They’re going to help you tap into your inner strength so you can take the necessary actions to help yourself. They’ll help trigger the arrival of big changes in your life.Things will finally start to flow.

Potential Struggles? Judgement, 6 of Pentacles

You may feel resistant at first, feeling as if they don’t know what they’re talking about and are just trying to bring you down. You may be hesitant to take their advice or trust that they have your best interest in mind.

** Gandalf. Gandalf came to me but I don’t know why as I know practically nothing about him. 😬 Maybe you do!?

Pile 4-- The Charmer

Energy surrounding them: 8 of Cups reversed

The person coming in is going to scare you, but not in a bad way. You may have this happy, “I’m put together” facade, and this person is going to be able to see right through it. They have the ability, literally or metaphorically, to bring you into something better and that may leave you feeling afraid.

The vibes I get: Someone clever and charming. Feeling flustered. Oh no, I have a crush.

Why they’re coming in? Temperance, 9 of Pentacles, 8 of Swords

They’re coming in to show you that if you stop allowing fear to keep you where you are, peace, balance, and contentment will find you. The situation you may be staying in may not be a result of your actions, and taking the steps to get out of it may be difficult, but this person is one hundred percent here to challenge your reasoning for why you can’t.

How they'll help you? The Magician, 10 of Swords, The High Priestess reversed

They’re going to show you magic. I’m feeling like you might develop a romantic or platonic crush on them. There’s just that vibe. They’re going to show you how amazing you truly are. They’re going to show you that you have the ability to make things happen. They’ll help you create that ending and see your new beginning.

Potential Struggles? Knight of Cups reversed, 2 of Wands

This person most likely isn’t going to stay long and that may throw you off guard. This all feels very fast paced so their quick arrival and departure may leave you feeling a little bit broken hearted. Be careful you’re not investing too much headspace and emotion in this person.

Pile 5-- The Cheerleader

Energy surrounding them: 3 of Swords reversed

This person has a very calm healing energy to them. I feel like if you’re going through a heartbreak in particular, the prominent pain of it is going to start disappearing. I actually redid your reading and the vibes I was getting before were not good ones. I felt like I was trying to shoo it away, and the reading felt like it was about someone leaving you who had hurt you so I think that’s what this could be. This could also be someone from the past. An old friend in particular.

**As for the person from the past, to help you figure out if this reading is for you— i was thinking back of the cards I pulled and this person felt emotionally immature and manipulative, though I’m not sure it’s intentionally. Were you trying to fix them? To make them feel better? But they were so stuck in their toxic habits/mindset that they just ended up sending your world into turmoil? Because that came through strongly just now.

The vibes I get: thank you, troubles disappearing, a sigh of relief

Why they’re coming in? King of Swords, King of Cups reversed, 4 of Cups reversed

This person is coming in to help you move on from the pain and worries that you have been in. You’re ready to get back to business and this person will be there for you. Cheerleading came to me as well, so that’s what they’ll be— your cheerleader. You’re also going to be stepping into a new chapter of maturity and level headedness. Any responsibilities or ideas you’ve been putting off, this person is going to help you with them.

How they'll help you? 9 of Wands, The Empress reveresed

Like I mentioned before, they’re going to help ease your anxieties, pain and sadness. With The Empress rx, ‘makeover’ came to me as well and I got super excited, so maybe that’s what you need and this person will help you with? They’re going to help you sort your emotions, make sense of everything and feel confident, attractive and capable again.

Potential Struggles? The World, Page of Wands

Setting your world back in order is going to take some work, but the results will be worth it. The only caution would be don’t rush your actions, without thinking about the consequences fully.

———

Disclaimer: I read tarot for self reflection and guidance purposes, but as always, this reading is for fun and entertainment purposes only. I may include advice for if you find a particular topic resonating, but it is in no way meant to replace any kind of professional advice. Any reading I post is in no way meant to act as or replace professional advice of any kind. You know yourself and what’s going on in your life best so I ask that you trust yourself above all else. Prediction readings are to be seen simply as a potential outcome. Finally, please take only what resonates from the reading which may be some of it, all of it, or none at all.

[sugarmaplewings-fics]

Disclosed

Pairing: Bakugou x reader x Kirishima

Warnings: Like, two sex jokes? Nothing that crazy. Once again, gay, bi and poly as fuck. Oh and language too.

Author’s note:

So uh, I guess this ends the saga of Little Secret. I’m still doing Kiribaku fics, but I guess I just had a bit of a theme going here in this trilogy. I tried to focus more on Eijirou in this one since he kind of got pushed to the side a bit in the other two stories. Little Secret had more of y/n’s omniscience, while Big Secret was more Bakugou driven (big brain hehe).

You can probably ignore the ending of this since it’s really really cheesy and it was the only thing I could think of at the time I wrote it (I think this is another one of my fics that I finished at 3 am or something).

Anyhow, I’d say this is my favorite part of the trilogy in some ways! It’s super soft and fluffy, and I really like how I wrote it out. I seriously hope you enjoy it!

I love you guys!

-Sugar

☆*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*☆.☆*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*☆

As much as Kirishima loved being a hero, honestly, he loved his days off more.

He watched from in front of the counter as you amicably bickered with Bakugou, bustling around the kitchen still in your respective pajamas.

"I'm just saying we could have something other than cinnamon rolls for breakfast," the blond man pouted, tailing you as you walked from the fridge to the oven.

"It'll be fun," you said. "Geez, we don't have to keep up with that hero diet you set up every day. It's our day off, let me have my sugar and carbs."

Bakugou began to grumble something about the amount of chemicals that were probably in the pre-made pastry dough, but you paid him no heed. The little cheerful beeping tones of the oven sounded through the room as you set the temperature.

"How long is that going to take?" Kirishima asked.

"Like half an hour," you said. "Need a snack 'til then? We need to eat these oranges before they go bad."

"Sure, I'll take one." You tossed the orange fruit to him, which he caught easily and began to peel.

"You want one, 'Tsuki?"

Bakugou grumbled a "Fine" and you handed him his, taking a third for yourself.

Normally, you may have been able to wait until the sweet pastry rolls were done, but instead you'd spent the last two hours very slowly waking up and cuddling in bed.

As per usual, Katsuki had woken up first, letting his eyes adjust to the warm tones the room had taken on with the rising of the sun. He remembered today was his day off, and a final bout of tension left his shoulders. His back had previously been pressed against Eijirou's, but now he decided to turn himself over to face him. Peeking through scarcely opened lids, Bakugou glimpsed your form on the other side of Kirishima, scarcely visible as you snuggled into his chest. Bakugou allowed himself something he only saved in silent, private moments like this: a smile. Just a small one, barely even lifting the side of his mouth. But he couldn't help it. The sight of his perfect boyfriend and girlfriend fast asleep in each others' arms brought him such an overwhelming feeling of compersion, he simply couldn't help himself.

Bakugou draped an arm over Kirishima's side, rubbing at your forearm with gentle strokes of his fingers. You hummed in your sleep, pushing yourself even closer into the red-haired man holding you. The blond breathed in Eijirou's heavy, musky scent, letting it flood his nose and instill a sense of unparalleled calm over himself.

The shifting motions on either side of him caused Eijirou to begin to blink his own eyes open, shedding the foggy haze of sleep from his mind. Dreams from his previous night's rest danced and fleeted at the edges of his memory, before they were ultimately discarded and lost to the unrelenting abyss that is abandoned remembrance. He felt warm. Warm, and comfortable, and happy, and perfect.

Eijirou noticed the steady movement of the arm placed over him, signaling that Bakugou was awake. You, on the other hand, slept on; eyes lightly closed, lips parted with breath, gently clasping the front of his shirt. Kirishima slowly pressed a kiss to your forehead, followed by another and then another.

His soft lips combined with the soothing motions of Katsuki's hand finally brought you smoothly out of your slumber, groaning a bit in your consciousness.

"You two awake yet?" Bakugou's voice sounded from over Kirishima's broad shoulders. It was a little gruffer than usual from sleep and it made you smile.

"Yeah," Kirishima answered for you, meeting your (E/C) orbs with his own.

You pulled your arm from under Bakugou's hand, moving it until your fingers were able to intertwine and lock with his over Eijirou's side. He felt safe under your loving union, tying yourselves together over him so the three of you became one unit.

That was how your morning had started. For a long time, the three of you laid there, chatting in low tones as you and Katsuki snuggled into either side of Eijirou, who later turned to lie on his back to tuck each of you under an arm. The experience was nothing other than peaceful, the three of you content to simply lay in each others' presence.

Ever since that one fateful afternoon nearly two years ago, your lives could scarcely have improved more. Inviting Bakugou into your relationship was the best decision you'd made, and now here you were. The three of you had graduated from UA and begun your lives as heroes; Eijirou still worked as an indispensable sidekick under Fatgum, while Bakugou was still in the process of getting a hero agency of his own off the ground. But today was a day you had settled on to spend completely together, and it was all going just wonderfully.

Somehow, the idea had gotten into your head that you'd make cinnamon rolls for breakfast, so once you and your boyfriends eventually crawled out of bed, you set about fulfilling the urge.

Kirishima popped another orange slice into his mouth, watching you absentmindedly as you pulled out everything you would need. Which, to say, wasn't much, seeing as you were simply baking them from a can. As you pulled out the pan and cooking spray, Eijirou's red eyes flicked over to Bakugou, who had removed the cardboard tube from the fridge again. The redhead fought back a smirk as he watched his shared boyfriend scowl at the ingredients, thinking back to his almost monthly 'your body is a temple and you should treat it as such' lectures he'd give the two of you.

You caught sight of him as well, striding towards him and plucking the container from his hands. Bakugou started grumbling again, turning and exiting the kitchen to presumably go get dressed or something.

Kirishima took the opportunity to come up behind you as you popped the cardboard cylinder open, letting the preformed dough puff up as it met the air. His arm wrapped loosely around your waist as he bent a little to place his head on your shoulder. "Need help with anything?" he asked.

"No, thanks," you said, taking the unbaked rolls and filling your pre-sprayed pan.

He hummed and straightened, moving so he could lean against the counter. He noticed your orange next to him, partially peeled and abandoned. Taking one of the remaining slices from his own, he held it out towards you. "Hey, babe."

You turned and caught sight of it, smiling as you took the little slice between your teeth. You pulled it into your mouth as he pushed from his end, and you began to chew. "Mmm, that one's good."

Eijirou grinned back in agreement and ate the last slice. He reached for your abandoned one, working his nails beneath the pliable peel. "So what made you buy cinnamon rolls? Other than the fact that they're delicious, that is."

"Cold nostalgia," you said, tweaking the dough in the filled pan so it looked right. "I saw them at the store and thought to myself, 'Hey, I remember eating those. I could totally make them myself. Tasty.' Also I thought you might like them. We can all share." You picked up the pan in one hand and carried it to the oven, checking that it was the right temperature and sliding them in.

"I'm not sure about Katsuki," Eijirou said, picking some of the white fibers off another orange slice. "He didn't seem too thrilled."

"Meh," you said, fingers tapping out twenty-seven minutes on the oven timer, bringing more happy beeps to your ears. "If he doesn't eat any of them, there's just more for us, I guess. But you know how he is. You think he'll crack in front of us or wait until we leave?"

Eijirou smiled as you walked back to him, running your hands up his sides affectionately as you grinned up at him. "I'll bet one of us will find him having one in the middle of the night," he wagered.

"You're on," you giggled, swiping another orange slice from him.

"Hey! I would have given you some if you had asked, you know."

"Oops." You slid the slice slowly into your mouth, keeping your eyes on his own. A burst of sweet citric juice filled your mouth as you bit down, and you shut your eyes for a second just to fully enjoy it.

The sensation of a finger poking at your nose caused your lids to flutter open. Your eyes crossed to look at the offending digit, rolling back up and focusing on Eijirou's face.

"Bep," he said, the note accompanying his action.

You booped his nose in unhostile revenge, beginning to giggle as a mini-war began. Eijirou used the pad of his pointer finger to jab lightly at your face, making a new sound effect with each one. You had the advantage since both of your hands were free; tapping both your index fingers on his torso, face, and shoulders.

"Boop."

"Beep."

"Bap."

Bakugou shuffled back into the kitchen and watched your cheerful assaults on one another, both his cheeks and his heart warming at the sound of your giggles. "What the hell are you two doing?"

"Being in love," Eijirou said, proceeding to poke at your cheek. "Get over here, Katsu."

Bakugou just tched and wandered over to the oven to look at the baking rolls. "Dumbasses."

"Better hurry up, 'Tsuki," you said, stepping closer to Eijirou. "Or else you're going to miss out on the kisses."

"Oooooh-," Kirishima drew out for a second before your lips met his. He reciprocated, noting how you both shared the same orange-citrus taste. Out of curiosity, he peeked his eyes open to meet Bakugou's.

The blond man scowled, finally stomping over to you. "Fine. But I'm going in the middle." He wedged himself between you two.

"Yay!" Your arms wound around his slim waist, resting just above his hips. Your lips attached themselves to the base of Bakugou's neck, while Kirishima smooched at his mouth. It was quiet and sweet for a moment, each partaking in another's lips until you were satisfied, swapping positions when necessary.

You separated from Bakugou, running your thumb over his cheekbone for a moment as you looked into his eyes. He'd gotten better about asking for and receiving affection over the years you'd been dating, but it still brought warmth crashing through your system every time.

"Eiji Baby?" you asked, keeping your eyes on Bakugou.

"Yeah?"

"How much time is left on the oven?"

Kirishima glanced up at the glowing digits. "Eighteen minutes."

You hummed. "I'll get started on the icing for my rolls."

"Our rolls," Eijirou corrected, grinning at your over-the-shoulder eye roll you gave him as you made your way to the pantry to grab some powdered sugar.

Bakugou had the same reaction as you, tsking under his breath and moving to lean against the counter next to Kirishima. His position wasn't held long however, since you soon returned with your bag of sugar and the carton of milk, shooing them away so you could use the space. You pulled down a bowl and poured in some sugar and milk, beginning to mix it into a thick liquid with a spoon.

"Need a taste tester?" Kirishima asked hopefully.

"Eiji, this is pure sugar."

He glanced back at the ingredients. "Yeah."

There was something undeniably satisfying about watching the powder mix with the milk, going from fine and crumbly and turning into a sweet liquid mixture to later be drizzled over your pastries.

Maybe it was the motions of your hand as you manipulated the spoon. Maybe it was the ambiance of the room, surrounded by the two men you loved and planned to spend the rest of your life with. Either way, the song that had quietly been thrumming at the back of your mind wandered to the front, and the next thing you knew, you were humming.

Bakugou and Kirishima looked up at the sound of your voice, small smiles spreading their lips. Eijirou recognized the tune you were quietly singing to yourself, quickly adding his voice to your own. Your cheeks heated when you met his eyes, yet you continued to hum along with him. For a moment, you were both content with hitting the notes (or at least, trying to in some people's cases) wordlessly. But then you came upon the chorus, and it was as though you simultaneously reached a shared agreement that it should be belted out properly.

"S'GONNA TAKE A LOT TO DRAG ME AWAY FROM YOUUUU! THERE'S NOTHING THAT A HUNDRED MEN OR MORE COULD EVER DO! I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICAAAA—"

Bakugou watched you with an expression of general disgust and confusion. This was an act, of course, for the most part. He could never quite get used to the spontaneous concerts you both would occasionally throw, singing whatever obnoxious song that came to your minds. You probably only had one brain cell between you two, and it was a tossup of who got it for the day. But there was something about it that made his heart stir and his neck prickle. Maybe it was the absolute glow about Kirishima as he threw back his head to belt out lyrics. Maybe it was the way you had taken the spoon out of the icing bowl, singing at it as if it were a microphone. Bakugou would die before he ever joined in, but he never objected to watching.

The moment the song finished, you started on another. Kirishima turned to you as a new idea struck you. You lifted your hands to a sort of air guitar, playing a bit of the intro to the song in your head before beginning to sing again:

"We're no strangers to love. You know the rules, and so do I~"

Kirishima smiled, liking the way you thought. He admired your sense of humor and how well you went along with goofing off with him. The redhead let you sing the first verse, dancing around the kitchen space from him to Bakugou, looking at each of them as you sang some of the lyrics and wiggling your eyebrows.

It wasn't long before Eijirou jumped in again, joining you as you sang to Katsuki. "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and, desert you~"

Eijirou took your spoon as you rocked out on your personal invisible guitar, going to town on chords that didn't exist.

Bakugou fought down the butterflies swarming in his stomach at the sight of you two having fun. You would lean against him and grin up into his face from one side, while Kirishima draped an arm over his shoulders and passionately sang into your spoon. Katsuki noticed that some of the icing had dripped down onto his hand, but the redhead seemed to not have noticed.

You paused to giggle at Kirishima, who started taking the song as seriously as he could. His eyes were squeezed shut, fist curled into a ball as he drew out some of the lyrics as though it were so much more than an old-timey memed love song. You let your voice fade as he did his own thing, only offering it as further back up vocals. Eventually, he reached the final reiteration of the chorus, and let himself riff on the final lines as a finisher. When he was done, he opened his eyes, finding that he had even kneeled down on the floor a little in his passion. He stood and grinned, and you enthusiastically applauded his performance.

"That was for you, babes!" he said, pointing at his small audience of two.

Bakugou scoffed, but you could hear how it was a little choked from how cute he had found it. The liar. Both you and Eijirou could see how his cheeks had changed a few shades darker right in front of you.

Kirishima strolled confidently back up to you, swooping each of you into an arm and kissing Katsuki full on the lips without warning. Bakugou's eyes widened at the contact, cheeks burning even more than before. Eijirou pulled back with a satisfying smack of his lips, diving in to give you the same treatment. As per usual, you were more receptive to the kiss, more than happy to throw your arms around his neck and partake in his lips.

"Enjoy the song, there?" you teased once you pulled back, tracing your fingers under his jawline.

"Hell yeah!" Eijirou flashed those perfect sharp little teeth of his in yet another heart-stopping grin. Did he have any idea what that smile did to both Bakugou and you? He had to know it turned your hearts to pure hot chocolate, right?

"Got a song rec, Bakubabe?" you asked, turning to your blond boyfriend. "You mustn't be excluded from our concert on this fine morning."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Doesn't matter anyway because your shit rolls are almost done."

You glanced at the oven timer, which was, in fact, counting down the seconds until it went off. "Ha ha ha! My children!"

You slid out of Eijirou's hold to grab your oven mitt out of its drawer. The oven went off with a drawn-out beep the moment you stepped up to it, cracking the door open and taking a peek inside. A wonderful smell hit you in the face along with a gust of hot air, and the sight of six perfectly golden cinnamon rolls greeted you.

"Look at them!" you said as you pulled them out with your mitted hand. You turned off the oven and canceled the timer before walking back to the counter to let the pan cool.

"Can I ice them?" Eijirou asked, coming up behind you to get a good look.

"Not yet. They have to cool first."

"Aww, man."

You pulled out a new spoon to use for frosting, since the previous one had been breathed all over. Next you began to clear off the counter, picking up any pieces of orange peel abandoned from breakfast.

Kirishima leaned against the counter again, taking a deep breath of the cinnamon roll smell that had flooded the kitchen. "I love it when you bake, (Y/N)," he said. "It's so much fun. The kitchen smells great, everything always tastes great—"

"Always?" you asked skeptically with a smirk.

"I guess there was that one time," he admitted. "That was—that was probably not a very good idea."

"If it weren't for me," Bakugou cut in, "you would have burned the whole house down."

"An artist must experiment with her craft." You flipped your hair a bit, turning back to your kitchen maintenance. There wasn't much to do. Between both yours and Bakugou's preference for a neat house, your counters usually stayed pretty clear.

Eijirou glanced at the bowl of icing, dipping the tip of his finger into the white mixture. "You know what this looks like?"

"No," you and Bakugou said at the same time firmly, understanding what he meant immediately.

"Shot down," Eijirou said. "You're right, that wasn't that good."

You putzed for another minute, finally hovering your hand over the cooling pan. "That should be good enough."

You had Eijirou harden the tips of his fingers to hold the pan as you began moving the rolls out onto a plate. He started humming again as you drove the spatula under the baked goods.

"Seriously?" Bakugou asked, having inched closer to watch. "Again with the singing?"

"I've got a song in my manly, chivalrous heart," Kirishima said, turning to grin at him. "Can't help it. I'm in the zone."

"I'm liking this zone," you said. "It's fun."

You pushed the icing bowl to Eijirou and took out another spoon for yourself, dipping it in and allowing the sugary liquid to drizzle over the golden brown confections. Kirishima did the same on his own, still humming the tune of Be A Man from Mulan and nodding his head to the individual notes. You danced along with him, moving your hips to his favorite Disney song.

Kirishima's eyes wandered down to your swaying movements. You really did wear those shorts nicely.

You jumped at the sensation of a large hand gently grabbing at your butt. Turning, you saw Eijirou's slight smile on his lips. "Eiji?"

"What?"

"Didn't you get enough last night?"

Kirishima shrugged, finally removing his hand. "Can't a man admire his woman's perfect body?"

You rolled your eyes, tapping the sugar-coated spoon to his nose.

He blinked at the cold sticky sensation, going cross-eyed in an attempt to look at the drop of icing. "Yeah, I probably deserved that."

You smirked and rolled your eyes as you went back to icing your cinnamon rolls, watching Eijirou out of the corner of your eye. He was trying to figure out if his tongue was long enough to lick it off the tip of his nose, but so far, of course, he was having difficulties.

"Idiot," Bakugou said, taking Kirishima's chin and turning his face to his. He captured the sweet white droplet between his lips and swiped his tongue over it.

Kirishima's eyes widened at the gesture. "Katsuki?"

"What?" Bakugou shot him a teasing grin. "You had something on your face."

You chuckled at the two of them, tearing off a roll from the bunch. Eijirou noticed your action and took one for himself, cheeks a little pinker than usual. Bakugou watched as you both bit down.

Eijirou bounced a little on his toes as he chewed the sweet bread. "So good!"

You smiled and nodded in agreement. "Mhm!"

Bakugou looked from you to Kirishima, then to the plate of warm rolls.

"Sure you don't want one, Katsuki?" you asked. "They're pretty good."

The blond sighed, finally grabbing a roll for himself. "It's too late to be cooking breakfast now."

"He cracked!" you said, turning your gaze to Kirishima.

"Did not." Bakugou aggressively took a large bite out of his cinnamon roll.

"You said you weren't going to have any." You cocked your head at him, taking another bite of your own.

"Did I?" Bakugou smirked at you and licked a bit of frosting off his lip.

You thought back for a moment. Maybe he hadn't. He'd certainly acted like it though. 

"Well, do you like it?" you prodded.

"Sure." Bakugou shrugged and examined the cross-section of his roll. "Probably would have been better if you'd actually made it yourself."

You folded your arms. "Too much work. I wanted a cinnamon roll and they had them in the store. Simple as throwing them in the oven."

"But the preservatives," he argued.

"But my lacking baking skills. Besides, now I'll live forever."

"Hah? That's not how that works, dumbass."

"Well, I think they're perfect." Eijirou cut in. He put an arm around you and Katsuki and pulled you into either side of him. "You've got the spice—" he kissed Katsuki on his cheek, "—and you've got the sugar." He kissed your cheek.

"What the fuck, Shitty Hair."

"I'm not always sugar," you half-heartedly protested, snorting a little at his cheesiness and ignoring Bakugou.

Eijirou paused for a second, considering. "Yeah, okay. But . . . my metaphor."

"Your metaphor is stupid."

You swatted at Katsuki. "Oh, shut up. What are you in this situation, Eiji?"

He thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Hmm . . . maybe you tie us together," you said, beginning to run your fingertips over his forearm. "Roll us up tight in your arms."

Both Kirishima and Bakugou blinked at you for a moment, cheeks dusted a shade darker than normal.

"So we're a cinnamon roll?" Kirishima asked.

"Ye—"

"I AM NOT A CINNAMON ROLL!" Katsuki shuffled against Eijirou's arm without really trying to get away.

"I think you are," you said. "What do you say, Eiji? He's an adorable smol bean—"

"No."

"—too precious for this world—"

"NO."

"—protecc at all costs—"

Bakugou threw the remaining third of his cinnamon roll at you, and it bounced off your head onto the floor.

"HEY—!"

He slipped out of Kirishima's arm for real this time, making an advance towards you. You ducked out of the redhead's hold too, running off to the living room.

"I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO THOSE ROLLS, KATSUKI!" you called behind you.

"Sure."

"JUST ADMIT YOU'RE MY PRECIOUS BABY CINNAMON ROLL."

"Never!"

Eijirou listened to the sounds of his partners chasing each other through the house. Finishing off his morning treat, he smiled, thinking about how lucky he was to have the two of you. You no longer hid anything from each other, and everything was laid out in the open. Your futures were bright, and Kirishima knew in his heart that you'd forever be happy as long as you were together. From now on, your feelings would remain disclosed.

☆*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*☆.☆*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*☆

[Big Secret]

[Little Secret]

Taglist: @loxbbg @runrabbitrun3 @basicaegyo @iiminibattlehero @katsugay @nabo39 @pyrofanatic @sendhelpimstupid @sokkasangel @xoxopam4

[rosbif-fou]

Day 9 La Bernerie to Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie

54 miles thanks to a shortcut via the Isle of Noirmoutier.

I left La Bernerie with a mini quiche lorraine, a fruit 'crumble', a can of coke and a super spring in my pedals after my revitalising rest day yesterday. I quickly rejoined the route and headed south

Now the Velodyssee (ie. the version in my guide book) used to cross to the Isle of Noirmoutier, where Val and I spent a wonderful week in our van in 2011, via the fabled Passage de Gois then come back to the mainland via the 'new' bridge built in the early 70s. The Gois is a causeway which is only accessible 1.5 hours either side of low tide which may have caused a few problems with timing! Hence the current route goes inland and adds on quite a few km. I had no idea when low tide was going to be but I asked a bloke on a bike who confirmed that 'oui c'est possible'! I couldn't believe my luck and hoofed it all the way with only a minimal rest on the way. I was a bit concerned that it was going to be just me, the Rosbif-Fou on the Gois, but it turned out to be quite the Saturday lunchtime party on there.

I managed to find a belated coffee on the other side then headed south to the new bridge. Luckily there was a two way cycle route over the bridge on one side but, having almost got to the top,.....Route Baree! I had no option but to turn round and go back, passing on my way the sign warning of just such a thing which I'd missed because I'd heaved Toto over a crash barrier to get to the cycle route AFTER the sign. Durr... . Luckily there was a pedestrian route on the other side which all the other cyclists were on...

An easy ride south through what was possibly Scrub Oak which runs behind the dunes, observing the French Saturday lunchtime picnics in full swing (table cloths, many tupperaware boxes, glasses, wine (obvs), plates and cutlery. Quite a contrast with my 2 paper bags and my coke!

I gave up saying bonjour to other cyclists because there were just so many going in different directions, and there wasn't the camaraderie of the canal. And when I got to St Jean to Monts I had to fight my way through road closures due to a triathlon event involving groups of cyclists, each followed by a motorbike or 2, going through at high speed.

And so to St Gilles where I am spoilt for choice for dinner options on the beachfront and the pizza vending machine night is a distant memory! But I know which I'll remember in the years to come!

The Passage de Gois

The route barree

The sign I didn't see

High speed cyclists in St Jean

Sunset from St Gilles

[sokkasangel]

generations ago

»»——— sokka x reader

summary: as sokka & you grew older, your adventures piled & piled. now, when your grandchildren ask questions, you are able to relive your younger days...

warnings: mentions of fighting & injuries; mentions of legend of korra (so if you haven’t watched, don’t read!)

word count: 900

a/n: hiii! okay, the italics are the flashback!!! so this is an anon request (& a super cute one, too!) of course in this fic, sokka did not die in his fourties/fifties. there are a few mentions of the flashbacks in legend of korra!

»»——— masterlist

the screams & laugher of your grandchildren now filled your normally quiet home. as you fixed a plate of cookies & tea, you heard the pattering of little feet approaching.

“grandma!”

you turned your attention to the little monster below you. he was grabbing at your robes with puppy-dog eyes.

“what is it, dear?” you placed a hand on tio’s head.

“tell overlord sokka to play with me~”

you rolled your eyes, picked up the little boy, & made your way into the living room. your husband sat on the floor, entertaining your granddaughter with a handmade puppet.

“sokka,” you placed a hand on your hip; the other still holding up tio. “how many times have i told you to not make the kids call you ‘overlord’?”

“i have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“no, you did say th-“

just as your granddaughter was about to speak, sokka slapped a hand over her mouth. he gave a large apologetic smile. you could see his younger self underneath the wrinkles & freckles. his new sunburn from working in the garden gave him a slight pink glow.

the hand slapped over neena’s mouth was also speckled with sunspots. but it was just as strong as it was when you were younger. you always told him to slow down, but he never wanted to be a “fragile old man”.

sokka was still as handsome as he was when you met. & now the streak of white in his long wolftail added to that.

“mhm,” you hummed & placed tio on the floor.

“grandma! grandma!” neena pushed away from sokka & ran for you. “grandpa won’t tell us the story behind that picture!”

you followed her little finger to see which photo she was talking about. on the wall, a small portrait of aang & sokka hung. they looked to be about twenty, & as you stared, that day came back to you.

“oh, you wanna know about grandpa & avatar aang?” you smiled. before starting the story, though, you looked at your husband. you knew talking about aang hurt him, but he nodded, silently telling you to continue.

“well, i hadn’t met grandpa yet, but aang & your grandpa were friends since he was fourteen,” you said as you took a seat next to your grandkids. “& that day was aang’s birthday. the five of us — me, grandpa, aang, aunt katara, and toph — went out to celebrate. as a joke, your grandfather dressed up as an old man & handed aang his present. it was a little trinket from the southern water tribe; a reminder of how aang & katara met.”

“a little penguin,” sokka chimed in. he smiled but kept his eyes on the floor.

“so then he & aang just talked about their childhood for the rest of the night, ignoring the rest of us.” you chuckled & remembered how irritated toph had been.

“grandpa?” tio crawled across the rug to sokka & laid in his lap. “how’d you meet grandma?”

“oh, i dunno... grandma tells it better.”

“c’mon sokka, i already told a story. it’s your turn,” you teased.

“oh, fine.” he crossed his arms. “ahem. so, of course this was after we save the world.” he paused, as if he was waiting for an applause. “anyway, everything was getting back to normal. aang & katara got married & were now rubbing it in everyone’s faces. & toph — who was supposed to be my friend! — met some guy.

“so, i was wandering around in the fire nation, alone. i was trying to see zuko, but of course he was busy.” the irritation was still fresh in his voice, even though 40 years had passed. it made you smile.

“& i was just walking around the city & then your grandma runs right into me.”

“oh my goodness. i’m so sorry!” you exclaimed. “are you okay?”

“hey! watch where you’re goi-“ sokka stopped when he looked at you.

“what was i supposed to do?” your husband interrupted himself. “she was so pretty!”

“oh no... you’re sokka, from the southern water tribe. oh, i’m so so sorry! are you okay?” you held him by the shoulders & examined him.

“umm, y-yeah. i’m okay. are you okay?”

“yeah, i was just in a rush. i’m still so sorry!”

“it’s okay, really.”

“i couldn’t concentrate! i didn’t know what else to say!”

“you’re very pretty.”

“o-oh, thank you,” you smiled.

you thought for a moment before continuing.

“hey, i was about to go to a restaurant with my friends. do you wanna join me?”

“& that was that.” sokka sat up straight, proud of his storytelling skills.

“yep. the rest is history,” you smiled & got up.

you walked over to your husband & placed a kiss on his head. you two always joked about being that old couple who said things like “the rest is history” & who made their grandchildren gag.

this is exactly what you were hoping for when you asked sokka to join you for lunch all those years ago.

[neotericbitch]

this was a start of something that then got derailed and i abruptly stopped. but what a waste of words if i don’t share it, you know??

There’s peace to be found in Valkyrie Cain’s house. It’s not immediately obvious, it doesn’t jump out at you, nor does it leave a trail behind to be followed. There’s no map to it, one just...finds it. They carve it out for themselves, or it comes to them. There’s the definite impression that the house doesn’t hand out its peace to just anyone who walks these halls; the peace is earned, and that’s what makes it special, makes it an extra peaceful sort of peace, the peacefullest peace, and now the word peace feels weird so Omen sits for a second thinking of a substitute.

Calm. Yes, it’s calm here, and he appreciates it all the more these days.

Omen sits up straight and cranes his neck from side to side, links his fingers together and stretches his arms up high above his head. Something in his left shoulder cracks and he has a moment of mild panic, and he reaches behind his back and pats for injuries, feeling nothing but his own hand inelegantly pawing around. Omen places his hands on his knees and looks down at the coffee table in front of him.

It’s more paper than table, really; nothing more than the vague idea of a structure, something holding all this mess up off the ground. The surface is completely covered by an array of spread-out old newspapers, held down to the edges with some strips of clear tape. There are two chopping boards over here on Omen’s side of the table, one wooden and one acrylic, the latter serving as the designated space for putting his failed scraps of paper, the former he uses as a base for his homework – because of course he forgot his own board back at Corrival, like an idiot.

No, Omen, not like an idiot, he tells himself. Like a forgetful teenager, which he is allowed to be. Yes.

Although Omen doesn’t know anything about paper quality, he thinks this cardstock is pretty alright – much better than the printer paper that occupies the other side of the coffee table, at least. The card puts up a good fight against his carving knife, which needs to be sharpened and more resembles an implement for spreading butter at the present time, but Omen thinks this is good for the time being. All his cuts are slowly and carefully made, kind of janky where the blade gets caught but probably better than what he’d manage with fast slashes. Those can get...pretty bad.

Another positive thing about his crappy carving knife is that he feels better using it around Alice than he would a sharp one. Not that he’d ever leave it where she could get it, not that he’d ever let her have a close look, not that he’d ever not practise expert knife safety – but, y’know. One of those things.

He jabbed his index finger about forty-five minutes ago and was so relieved when there wasn’t any blood.

As he hunkers over to get back into it, it’s Alice’s turn to straighten up. She puts down the colouring pencils she’s been dual-wielding and shuffles over to the couch – she’s been sitting on the floor, leaving an iPad of indeterminate owner to sit next to Omen, which Alice takes now and fiddles with until the Frozen 2 soundtrack stops playing. There’s the metal tinkling of a dog collar as Xena lifts her head, looking to see what Alice is doing from where she’s laid herself halfway underneath the table. Early Taylor Swift starts playing and Alice returns to her space at the table. 

Xena settles and lets out a big sigh, not her first one for the day, and Omen again wonders for how long could dogs do that and how had he not known, why had no one told him, and what does it mean? Do dogs sigh for the same reasons as people?

He puts this piece of card over on the failure board and gets another, swapping his knife back for a pencil. It’s a yellow one from Alice’s collection that she’s allowed him to borrow, citing it as being too bright, and he uses it now to draw out the same sigil design for, what, the millionth time? This part is easy, it’s been easy for the whole set he’s been working on up until now. Omen can draw the sigils like the best of them – though not really, he has to remind himself to keep from getting a big head – but the drawing isn’t the purpose of the exercise, it’s the carving. He’s still thankful that he’s allowed to trace the way he has been doing, even if it really doesn’t feel like it’s been helping him any.

Alice taps him on the arm twice after he’s finished drawing, immediately withdrawing back into her own space and gathering her hands in her lap. She’s been quiet today. Omen hasn’t known what to do except occasionally look over at her and feel bad, not having a clue on how to comfort little kids – or okay, maybe not comfort, but, reassure? Something like that. Anyway, he almost fully turns to her now, making his eyes wide in the belief that it’ll come across as super accommodating and non-threatening.

“Hey,” says Omen awkwardly. “What’s up?”

She points across the table, to the scraps on the acrylic board. “Can I colour those?”

“Oh! Yeah, sure, let me just–” Omen gathers the scraps up into his hands and sets them down with Alice’s printer paper. “There.”

She examines the little cardstock squares. There’s dozens upon dozens, many test runs and failures from his work over the day. Omen looks at the stack of completed carvings he set at the top corner of the wooden board and sags at how few there are. So much waste for so little work. But Alice doesn’t seem to think of it as waste at all, not as she looks through them and sticks her little fingers through some of the cuts in the paper.

“Are you making snails?”

Omen blinks rapidly as he tries to process this – kids are on a different level. He looks down at the collection of half-carved sigil drawings and attempts to find something snail-like about them. One of the designs is heavily reliant on spirals. Is it the spirals? It could be the spirals.

“Uh, no,” he says. “They’re like,” he pauses to think, “kind of like letters? It’s for one of my classes.”

“What language is it?” asks Alice, setting to work filling between the lines of one of the sigils with a nice powdery blue. She sounds brighter already, at the very least more eager to talk – not looking at Omen probably makes it easier. “Is it a magic language?”

“I don’t know,” he badly lies.

“Oh.”

Silence passes, and Omen shivers at a nonexistent breeze. “It’s like a code,” he offers.

“Oh,” Alice says again, though in a completely different way. She finishes with the powdery blue and starts filling in gaps with a pale green. She nods at the card in a most knowledgeable manner as she reveals, “I know about codes.”

It must be a good thing that she’s talking to him now, right? She’d been looking distracted today, focused elsewhere, on something beyond her own drawings. Maybe nothing at all. And that had worried Omen a bit. Like, Omen likes Alice, she’s a good kid, he doesn’t want her to be sad or anything. He’d have struck up a conversation with her to see if it would help, it’s just that he doesn’t know how to be friends with a kid. What’s even a good thing to say to a kid? Valkyrie’s rule – magic is okay to mention, but not demonstrate – stresses Omen out enough. He worries he’ll say or do the wrong thing and ruin Alice forever. More than he already has.

“What codes do you know about?” asks Omen.

Alice lifts her head and taps her chin for a moment, then shrugs and goes back to colouring in another sigil. “My dad can speak pig latin, he’s really good at it. That means I must be good at it, too.” She meets his eye, looking a little chuffed. “I’m good at lots of things.”

“I bet!” Oh god that sounded so fake.

But Alice beams, and Omen breathes a sigh of relief. Perhaps that’s the trick he’s gotta use – kids respond well to exaggeration, don’t they?

Alice goes on, “I’m going to be so good at whatever I want when I’m a grown-up. That’s what Stephanie says.”

“She’s right! You’ll be great, whatever you do!” Okay now this is a bit much. Omen sucks in a breath and tries to tone it down, tilting his head at the girl. “What, er. What do you want to do, Alice?” Because that’s something you ask kids, yeah? He gets asked it all the time.

...he used to. He used to get asked it all the time. No one asks him much of anything anymore.

“I want to do magic,” admits Alice a bit shyly, and Omen realises this is like a big moment for her and he shouldn’t get so caught up in his moping. “I think about it loads, and I know exactly what I’ll do! I’ll have a big wand with a star on top, and I’ll have fairy wings and definitely be able to fly, and when I wave my wand at someone they have to do what I say.” She turns one of her pencils in her hand, trying to find a good spell-casting position, miming fancy flourishes. “I’ll make shooting stars with my hands, and people can wish on them but I’m in charge of what wishes actually happen.”

He nods along dumbly. “Rad.”

Alice feels the same way. She climbs up to her feet. “I’ll show you. I’ll do like this.” She waves the pencil at Xena, who lifts her head, ears pricked and tail starting to wag. “Xena,” Alice says. “Stand up.”

The dog obeys, fully coming out from under the table. She looks between Alice and Omen expectantly, like playtime is about to begin – which Omen dreads. But when Alice tells Xena to sit again, she does, and now they’re cycling through all sorts of tricks. Roll over, shake hands. The whole arsenal. It’s very impressive, but Alice grows bored with the demonstration soon enough and wants to keep colouring. She retakes her place on the floor, only now with Xena lying beside her with her head on her leg.

Omen clicks his tongue against his teeth and looks towards the entryway to the living room. He puts his hands back on his knees and rocks himself into a stand.

“I think I’m gonna go look for your sister,” he tells Alice. “Are you okay staying here?”

“Yes,” replies Alice mindlessly, before snapping her head up at him. Panic swims in her eyes. “You’re not going to tell on me, are you?”

Omen balks. “Tell on you for what?”

“Doing magic,” she cries. “I want to wait until I’m really good before showing Stephanie.” She points her pencil at him with utmost seriousness. “Don’t tell Stephanie!” Alice commands.

He raises his hands defensively, eyebrows shot up as far as they can go. “Hey, it’s cool. I won’t.”

“You better not!”

“I won’t, Alice, I said it’s cool!”

She seems satisfied with this, and returns to drawing little stars around one of his sigils. Xena doesn’t lift her head, but she looks at Omen with her dog eyes, with a very...doggish look. You know how sometimes a dog’ll look at you and you know they’re thinking something? Omen feels like he’s been looked at that way by many a dog. He offers his hands to Xena, speaking quietly, almost as if he’s afraid of addressing her. Not in a scared-of-dogs sort of way, more in a scared-of-librarians way, but now that Omen is thinking about it he figures dogs are kind of like librarians. A silent authority.

“You stay there,” he says. “Good girl. I’ll be right back.”

“She only listens to me,” Alice claims without looking up.

Omen doesn’t know what to say to this, so he just turns and heads out of the living room.

The strange, special peace of Valkyrie Cain’s house slowly returns to him as he makes his way through it. It’s not quite an exploration, as he’s been here before and has a general idea of what goes where, but it’s definitely not a search either, he moves much too unhurriedly. He thinks maybe he shouldn’t, maybe he should hurry. Maybe the reason why Valkyrie’s been gone for so long is that something terrible happened, there’s some monster or serial killer loose in the house–

Omen takes in a deep breath and squares his shoulders. There is not a monster or serial killer loose in the house, he very calmly tells himself. Something terrible has not happened. Valkyrie has been gone only twenty minutes. Maybe she’s in the toilet. Omen pulls a face at the thought; in the toilet for twenty minutes, you fool? You think Valkyrie Cain gets constipated? You think she wouldn’t have that worked out? Flustered at his own line of thinking, Omen needs to rapidly decide what she’s been up to. Valkyrie’s been– she’s been... He catches his reflection in a mirror, and the peace has fully evaporated once more.

“Avoiding you, probably,” he mutters. “You stupid git.”

She must have only let him hang out here out of pity. She must’ve read his message and scoffed at how pathetic he is. What kind of guy wants to do his homework at barely an acquaintance’s house? What kind of guy can’t handle the school library by himself anymore?

Perhaps because that’s what he is; by himself, most unavoidably. Unwanted wherever he goes, promoted from dumb idiot friend and brother to an even dumber idiot third wheel. A useless lump of a person with no aspirations, all the more useless now that the world is done with his family. What he’d give to be there for his brother in this time, to help him through it – but that spot’s taken for Auger, and resultantly empty for Omen.

He points at himself. “You need to quit whining,” he nearly snaps. “And you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You dumb– fucking…”

Omen has a little sit in the hallway for a few minutes, fists pressed against his mouth as he looks at the weird and wonderful design of the rug. In fact, he can spot a few sigils weaved in there, that’s pretty cool. Did Valkyrie pick out this rug? Was it a gift? It’s in good condition but it’s probably pretty old – the faint smell helps attest to that. Maybe her uncle had more to do with this rug than she did, or maybe it was here way before either of them. Who knows! The mystery of the rug.

Gordon Edgley, Omen assumes, probably loved Valkyrie very much. Certainly enough to leave her this big house and its peace. It would be nice to be loved, to be left something. To have peace. He gets up.

Valkyrie is one floor higher, in a slightly unkempt yet clearly underused office. She stands at the desk, a journal splayed open on its surface as she takes pictures of the pages on her phone, sending them off somewhere. Omen watches her do this for a minute, wondering if he’s become good at sneaking around; thinking perhaps she hasn’t noticed him.

“You right there, Omen,” Valkyrie eventually says without looking up, not asking a question as much as she is crushing his dreams of stealth.

He sags and takes one step into the office, but comes no further than that. “I was just, ah… I just thought– I thought, you’d been gone a little while. Alice might be missing you. Or something.”

Valkyrie stuffs her phone in her back trouser pocket, then immediately takes it out again to check the time on the lock screen before putting it back. “Should get her home before long.”

Omen reverses back into the hallway. “Oh, yeah, um. I’ll leave soon, too.”

She fully turns around, leaning against the desk, and actually, properly looks at him now. Looks and sees, maybe even comprehends. Not likely on that last one, though; no pity has crossed her face yet. “Yeah, if you want. But no rush, Omen, you can chill here as long as you need.”

His first instinct is to argue for something he doesn’t even want. He clasps his hands behind his back instead. “Thanks.”

She folds her arms over her chest and tilts her head to the side. “You sure you’re alright?” He hadn’t said he was. “You seem a bit lost, there.”

“Oh, you know.” Omen fidgets and tries for a joking tone, “Aren’t we all?”

Valkyrie nods sagely, reaching to the desk behind her to close the journal. “Wise words, Darkly.”

Something about this little exchange has made him feel better. Maybe it’s this new, more positive energy that Valkyrie is radiating, how she smiles unbidden at her phone when it buzzes at her for something. Omen almost feels comfortable enough to attempt a more meaningful discussion, but there really is no easy opener for any of what he has on his mind, nor a point to saying any of it aloud. Despite this good mood she’s been in, she probably wouldn’t care in the slightest.

Which is fine, because she is a grown woman with her own life and her own problems, Omen is sure to tell himself.

Valkyrie pockets her phone again and straightens up, exits the office and starts going down the hallway. Omen watches her, and she must hear that he’s not following because she glances back and waves him over.

“Get with the program,” she says sharply, but with good humour. “When I was your age and people started walking away, I knew it was time,” she snaps her fingers, “to get fuckin’ moving.”

“Sorry,” says Omen as he hurries up beside her. “Am I annoying you? I’m probably just getting in your way.”

She looks at him and laughs. “I just asked you to follow me! Relax, Omen, you know I like you.”

“Right, gotcha. Thank you.”

“Some of the time.”

He blinks. Valkyrie nudges him with her elbow.

“More than some of the time,” she says like she’s paying him a compliment.

“Ha,” Omen replies, feeling bolstered but still kind of stumbling on his next words, “I guess there’s times where I can stand you, too.”

Valkyrie’s laugh is a roll of thunder. “You cheeky fucker!”

they were gonna come back to alice and see that she’d started colouring in omen’s proper, completed homework sigils and accidentally activated one (just a little glowy thing, nothing dangerous), and after taking her home valkyrie was gonna ask omen about it and he was gonna tell her about what alice said about doing magic – but then it’d turn out that he literally can’t. when she waves her wand at someone they have to do what she says.

i also wanted to explore valkyrie and omen being friends now that valkyrie’s up for it. she’s taking pictures of werewolf entries in gordon’s books and sending them on to skulduggery, fyi, then smiling when he texts back a joke or some shit. valdug was gonna have a werewolf adventure. and ofc omen dealing with post-prophecy angst.

but alice accidentally doing magic!! HOOH BOYy

maybe i’ll try in comic form.

[nothingbutimagines]

Hi! Could you do a soulmate!au blurb for Peter Parker where him and the reader are enemies who fine out they're soulmates with dialogue prompts 18, 15, and 17? Also, the soulmate situation is once they are both 16, they find out the name of their soulmate because it appears on their arm at the time of their birth? I love your writing! Thanks!!

Thanks for this super cute blurb idea! It’s Soulmate!AU Tuesday and the dialogue prompts are:

15. “i can’t have this argument with you again” - “but-” - “no. i’m done”

17. “shut up with all that soulmate shit”

18. “it’s because i’m so attractive isn’t it?” - “i say this. and i cannot stress this enough. i find you completely repulsive.” 

I also may or may not have totally gotten into the idea and wrote wayyy too much!

You hated your birthday. You didn’t normally, but you were turning 16 and all anyone could talk to you about was whether or not you were excited to find out who your soulmate was and if you thought they might be someone you know. 

You would smile when anyone asked to be polite and say you were excited and couldn’t wait even though earlier in the day, you had snapped at your older sister for bothering you with the time you were born and what to expect when you found out who your soulmate was.

“Shut up with all this soulmate shit!” was all you could manage to say to her before you stormed out of the house to get to school.

As you walked through the hallway, saying hi to friends and saying thank you to those who wished you a happy birthday, you bumped into Peter Parker.

If there was anything you hated more than your sixteenth birthday, it was Peter Parker. 

You and Peter were enemies in your mind. You always had to fight him for the top spot in your classes on an academic scale, he was a pain in your ass as a chemistry lab partner, and again and again, he stood up your best friend, Liz, before she ended up moving away and never quite forgiving him for it. 

Peter Parker was the worst, and nothing could change your mind. 

“Hey, Y/n.” Peter said. “Did you do the PowerPoint for the lab review?”

“You said you were going to do it.” You groaned. 

“No, you said you were going to do it.”

“Parker! You always do it.”

“And I thought you were goi-”

You put your hand up as you spoke, “I can’t have this argument with you again” 

“But-” Peter attempted to begin to sway you.

“no. i’m done” You stopped him from speaking. “You always do the PowerPoint. You said that since today was my birthday, you’d do it.” 

“Oh, that’s right.” 

“Yeah, you idiot.”

“Says the girl who has the lower grade of us two.” Peter quipped. 

“This is surprising coming from the guy who’s always watching Spiderman on his laptop in class and I know for a fact failed the last test.”

“I got a C, thank you.”

“That’s practically failing. See you, Parker.” You sassily said, brushing past him and towards the cafeteria. 

You heart swelled for a moment, something you had never felt before, as you felt Peter’s presence beside you. Confused by the feeling, you pushed it to the back of your mind, calling it a weird muscle tremor.

“We’re- uh- we’re heading the same way, remember?” Peter chuckled awkwardly.

You looked down at your watch, the time reading 11:22. He was right, you still had lunch before chemistry and knowing MJ, she’d want you to sit with her and Peter and Ned today. 

You also realized you had fifteen minutes until you and your soulmate found out you were soulmates. 

Peter and you stayed in uncomfortable silence as you rounded the corner and into the cafeteria, MJ and Ned waving you both down to sit with them. Peter began to trail behind as you rushed to MJ. 

“Okay, I know I hate this romantic bullshit that is learning my soulmate, but I am really nervous and I have about-” You paused to look at your watch, “thirteen minutes until I throw up.”

“Actually, I think finding out who your soulmate is is a beautiful thing.” Ned interjected with a smile. “Especially when you know they’ve been waiting for you to turn sixteen, too.”

You couldn’t help but smile at him. “Ned?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re beautiful.”

MJ grabbed you hand, pulling your attention towards her. “Y/n, I think finding out your soulmate is gonna be good for you.”

“Yeah, maybe he’ll make her less bitchy.” Peter mumbled. 

“I heard that, Parker.” You snapped and the boy rolled his eyes. 

“You were supposed to.”

“You know, it’s my birthday, you could try to be nicer.”

“Why would I be nicer when you’re making me make the PowerPoint?”

“Cause you said you would do it.” You rolled your eyes and looked at your watch. “I have ten minutes.” 

“Are you excited, at all?” MJ asked. 

“Not really. I’m more annoyed than anything. I’d rather find this out at a later time, not sophmore year. And I’d ask you if you were excited, but you haven’t had your birthday and neither has Ned, which leaves us with Peter.”

“Don’t talk to me, Y/n. I’m busy doing your work.” He said, not looking up from his computer.

“Peter, were you excited when you found out who your soulmate was.” 

“Actually, Y/n, Peter’s soulmate hasn’t turned sixteen yet. He doesn’t know.” Ned said. 

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, and he’s kinda upset about it. He’s really hoping his soulmate is-”

“Ned!”

“Oh- uh - sorry, Peter!” Ned quickly grew quiet, understanding why Peter wouldn’t want him to reveal his secret. 

Peter couldn’t let anyone know that he was heartbroken when he didn’t find out his soulmate’s name was not yours. That it is wasn’t anyone’s. It wasn’t until he found out through MJ that your birthday wasn’t until a couple months after his.

So, for the past few months, Peter has fallen more and more for you. He was enamored by your intellect and beauty. Yes, he knew you hated him, but he never hated you, only went along with the charade because the bickering was the only way he’d ever get you to talk to him. 

But, you hated him and he knew exactly why. He also knew that realistically, you would never fall for him, even if you were soulmates. 

“I have a minute left.” You broke the line of thought Peter was having. “I don’t want to do this.”

“You can’t not do it.” MJ replied, putting a on your shoulder. “It’s alright, we’re all here for you.”

“My sister said that it burns when the name comes up on your arm. And you know I’m a bitch, M.”

MJ laughed. “I know. It’ll be fine though.” She said reassuringly, taking a glance at your watch. “You have ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

You began to feel the burning sensation on your arm as you cried out in pain, pulling on the hoodie sleeve until the feeling subsided. 

“Goddammit! That hurts.” Peter groaned, causing everyone to look at him. “I got a paper cut, sorry.”

“Now for the moment of truth. MJ, you look.” You begged, shoving your arm in front of her and looking away. 

“Holy shit.” MJ breathed. 

“What? What is it?” You turned to look at your exposed arm and could feel the closeness of a heart attack as you saw his name.

Peter Parker

“This can’t be real.” You gasped, looking up at Peter, your eyes wide.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Peter gave you a look. “It’s because I’m so attractive isn’t it?” 

“I say this, and I cannot stress this enough, I find you completely repulsive.” You quipped. “Look at your arm.”

Peter began to roll up his sweater sleeve, already knowing what would come up on his skin, your name.

“Y/n, we can make this work.” Peter said.

“I don’t want to do that, Parker.” You replied as Peter got up and moved into the spot next to you on the bench.

“Just trust me, Y/n.” Peter whispered, brushing the hair from your face before pulling you close to him and brushing his lips against yours.

You weren’t sure what came over you; if it was hormones or the weird muscle tremor in your chest, but your lips moved towards Peters, molding themselves around his. Your heart swelled, your lips ached. Peter felt right.

Maybe you could work with this.

[lyssala]

You’re Idiots, the Both of You

Pairings: Terra/Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Three weeks after New Year’s in the First Chapter; Terra is 20 and Aqua is 19

Rating: K

Notes: Ahhhh you guys, the last chapter ;-; Thank you so much for all your kind support on my silly au. I really, really loved writing this universe and giving them the lives and experiences I did. It was so much fun to do so! Thank you guys for sticking around for the ride, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did ^^ This chapter changed so many times because I could not for the life of me figure out how to end a story that had no plot. It went through many changes but I’m really happy I chose to end it here. I may still write in this universe and throw it in my one shot collection if the inspiration to tell more of their story strikes me but for now have one last super sappy chapter <3

AO3

Stars

“The girl jumped to her feet and followed the path of the stars until finally she found herself standing right where the town gazebo is today. And there, waiting for her, was her one true love, who had also been led here by the blanket of stars.”

-Miss Patty

“Is there any real reason you’re dragging me through the woods at the crack of dawn?”

Aqua glanced behind her though she didn’t need to move her flashlight to see Terra trudging along behind her, not even bothering to cover his mouth to hide his yawn. “Yes,” she said simply, turning back around so she could continue to follow the path by the light in her hand.

The stars and moon where out but it still wasn’t enough to see stray roots growing in the path. She kind of already snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, the last she needed was to break her leg right before spring semester started, and then explain why she had snuck out of the house in the first place.

“You do know it’s like six in the morning right?”

“Why are you complaining so much?” Aqua stepped around a branch that had fallen at some point. “And it’s more like 6:30.”

“Whatever time it is, I’m usually still in bed.”

Aqua looked over her shoulder at him again. He was complaining a lot for someone who honestly didn’t look at all upset. “You could’ve said no.”

He snorted but didn’t say anything else. She figured that would be the answer.

She kept walking down the path, looking for the marker she knew pretty well, but she also admittedly never came out here in the dark. Aqua swore it was around here somewhere though…maybe around the next corner. She stopped in the trail, flipping her flashlight around to try and figure out where they were; maybe coming up here with snow dusting the ground wasn’t the best idea.

Apparently Terra did not get the memo because the next thing she knew, his warm body was walking right into her. He reached his hands out to her shoulders to make sure she didn’t fall as he tried not to laugh.

It was January, they were outside, and he was really warm. Despite the fact she was bundled up in jacket, gloves, scarf and hat she leaned back against him, warming her body.

“Lost?” he asked, leaning down near her face.

“No,” she said, though it was a little hard to remember what she was doing when his breath was against her skin. “I know where we are.”

“You ever plan on telling me then?”

“Nope, it’s a surprise.” She sighed as she rolled her head back against his shoulder. If she didn’t have that one spot in her head she’d just let them go back; at least he had a heater in his room.

Aqua reluctantly moved forward a bit, letting him know they could keep walking. He only let go of her shoulders after he brushed his lips against her cheek, letting the heat linger a little longer after he stepped back.

“How are you just wearing a jacket right now?”  

He shrugged as he glanced down at probably the only jacket he owned. “Cause it works just fine.”

“Inhuman.” Aqua spotted the trail marker on a nearby tree. Ah! Now she knew where they were.

Before she could actually take a step forward Terra swung his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She squeaked in surprise so loudly she was pretty sure an owl few out of the tree above them. His face was close to hers again, her back up against his chest as he held her almost effortlessly.

“What was that?” he said. She didn’t have to look at him to know the teasing tone in his voice.

“Oh, you heard me,” she trying not to laugh and give him the satisfaction but it didn’t work so well. “We’re gonna be late if you keep distracting me.”

“Late for what?”

“You’ll see if you put me down.”

He sighed but he did as he was asked, letting her feet touch the trail again. She was about to head towards the trail marker but Terra cut her off; this time she was the one to walk into his back. She fumbled with her flashlight for a moment before realizing what he was doing.

“I can walk, Terra, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” he snorted but he didn’t move, just shifted his hands behind his back. “But you’re also freezing and explaining to your mom how you caught hypothermia is not on my bucket list.”

That was a fair point, and it wasn’t like the thought of being close to him wasn’t terribly appealing. He wiggled his fingers at her, gesturing for her to get a move on with it.

“Okay, okay.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, carefully balancing the flashlight as she did. Aqua didn’t let him know. She just jumped and knew he’d catch her like he had done countless times before. She kicked her legs around him until she felt his hands grab onto her, holding her securely against him; which was a feat considering she had a bag draped across her where she was holding the rest of the surprise.

As the warmth from his body started to melt into her cold limbs, it was admittedly much better.

“Where to then?” he asked, turning his head slightly towards her.

Aqua shined her light at the tree with the marker. “Over that way.”

Terra started to walk, her body shifting with him for every stride he made. It was nice though, soothing, familiar; she might’ve started to fall asleep if she was tired enough.

“Oh, wait,” she said when Terra turned to follow the trail.

“What?” he asked as he stopped.

She shined the light off the trail into the woods. “That way.”

“You want to go off the trail?”

“Yes.”

He turned his head to look at her, eyebrow arched. “Are you sure?”

“Terra, yes.” She rolled her eyes, shaking the flashlight some in the direction she wanted to go.

“Are you positive? Because this basically how every ‘and then they were never seen again’ story starts.”

“Oh my God, I know where we are. I promise.”

He didn’t look completely convinced but he did at least walk off the path like she asked. There, it wouldn’t be too much farther now.

“Are you plotting to kill me?” he asked as he carefully stepped around a bush.

“Don’t you think I would’ve done that years ago if I wanted to?”

“Fair enough,” he snorted.

Aqua leaned in to press her cheek against his and making him laugh in the process. “It’s worth it I promise. Oh! There!” She sat up pointing the flashlight at some pine trees. “It’s right past there but be careful.”

“Of what?”

“The cliffs.”

“Of course, the cliffs. Not trying to kill me, right.”

Aqua kicked her legs slightly, signaling for him to squat down a little and let her jump off. She grabbed his hand and led him through the remaining woods till the trees were right in front of her. She found this place on accident, wandering away from her mom and dad during a hike once. Aqua always wanted to bring Terra back here but she never had a good reason to, well, until now at least. She pushed past the branches that he grabbed so they both could get through, and there it was.  

The sky was still pretty dark, stars sparkling above but it was starting to get lighter. In front of her laid out the entire valley, mountains, trees, the river, lights from the town almost like little stars themselves. It was a little barren since it was winter, but the dusting of snow still made it so pretty, the fog from the mountains giving it almost urethral feel. It was breathtaking.

Terra let out a low whistle behind her. “The whole valley, huh?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, a smile on her lips. “C’mon.” Aqua skipped down the slight step, setting her on a small rock plane. It didn’t stick out too much before it dropped off but it was enough to sit on and not feel like you’d fall into the ravine. She slipped her bag off her body, gesturing for Terra to sit down.

He seemed to get the picture a little better now, walking over to take a seat near where she was standing. She flipped open her bag, pulling out a thermos to pass to him.

“You really did have this all planned out didn’t you?” he asked, reaching up to take it from her.

“Of course, do you think I’d lead you all the way up here without a plan?” Aqua dropped her bag off to the side as she took out the thermos she brought for herself. She planned to sit down next to him and drink something warm till the sun came up, but she was rather cold and he was inviting.

She moved so she could sit in front of him where he had his legs parted slightly and wiggled herself in till her back was pressed to his chest. It was a good choice; she was almost instantly warm again. Even more so when she leaned her head back against his shoulder, feeling his breath against her cheek when he laughed.

“Comfortable?”

“Yep,” she said, twisting the top on her thermos for the still steaming coffee.

Terra reached his arms around her so he could pop the top on his own drink. He brought the hand with the thermos to his mouth but the other he let drop to her waist. Yeah, this was a really good idea; totally worth the hike and potentially getting frostbite on her toes.

“Thank you for coming with me,” she said, eyes looking up to the sky overhead.

“Course,” he said, moving to put the cap back on his thermos. “Did you just want to see the sunrise from here?”

Aqua nodded. “Well, yeah, but I wanted to see it with you too.”

He hummed a little, she could feel it against her back. “And no other reason at all? Not because you’re going back to school next week or anything?”

She should’ve assumed he’d know. “Possibly.”

The opportunity had presented itself for her to bring up the thing she was avoiding since the moment she felt his lips against hers on New Year’s Eve. While, yeah, she absolutely wanted to take him up here to watch the sunrise over the valley, but it was also far away from prying and curious ears who were way too nosey for their own good.

She knew he was waiting for her to say something, and while the words weren’t hard to say, the answer was what made her nervous. “Are you worried?” she asked, eyes looking over the fog swirling around the distant mountains.

“About what?”

“About, you know, us when I go back to school.”

“No.”

Aqua turned her head to look at him, the sort of casual tone in his voice surprising her. He looked about as concerned as he sounded, arching an eyebrow since she must’ve been giving him a weird look.

“What? I’m not.”

“But it’ll be different, than it has been the past few weeks.”

He shrugged. “I mean, yeah, and it’s gonna suck but it’s not like I didn’t know what this meant. You going back to school doesn’t change anything.”

Aqua wasn’t sure if he knew those were the words she was looking for or not but it put her at more ease than she was expecting. Maybe she was worrying about it more than she even thought. “Yeah?”

“Of course,” he snorted, rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious answer in the world, and maybe it was. “Didn’t change my feelings the first time you left, why would this be any different.”

She turned back to face the valley, leaning her head back against his shoulder again. “Guess you’ll just have to visit more.”

“Oh no, what a shame.”

Aqua couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her; it honestly wasn’t even that funny but she just felt so happy she couldn’t help it. Terra placed his coffee on the rock, using both his hands to wrap around her as he dropped his chin onto her head. She had to remember why they were here or she might’ve fallen asleep.

“It’ll be okay,” he said, though whether it was to reassure her or himself she didn’t know. “One semester down, how many more to go?”

“You probably don’t want to know the answer to that.”

“Fair enough.”

The prospect of going back to school alone after spending the past few weeks getting used to being in his arms was a terrible sinking feeling but she knew, probably as well as he did, it wasn’t permanent. Even before this month he came up to visit often or she came home to see him, that wouldn’t change. It would be a sort of new adjustment, but it wasn’t forever.

Aqua honestly didn’t even know what forever was. Just a few weeks ago she never would’ve dreamed she’d be where she was right now, how could she ever predict how the future would be? There was college for her and Terra was in school too. He wouldn’t work at Cid’s anymore once he got his certification. A few weeks changed everything, what would a few months, a few years change?

In the depths and secrecy of her mind sometimes she’d imagine it. Terra getting a job closer to her, she wouldn’t have to live on campus with a roommate anymore if he moved nearby, where they could see each other every day again just like they used to and share one space together. Maybe he’d ask her to marry him, maybe they’d move back home when she graduated so she could do what she always wanted to do for the town she loved. Maybe they’d have kids of their own, surrounded by the world’s best babysitters and the town Aqua loved so much.

Terra nudged his chin on her head making her jump, even though she was well aware he couldn’t read her mind; it was still embarrassing to be caught day dreaming like that. “You fall asleep?”

“No,” she said, but when she noticed the sky again she saw how it was getting lighter. The sun was coming up.

Aqua honestly had no idea what her future was, what their future was but she was finding it didn’t matter too much. Not when he was warm around her, his familiar scent soothing, and the mountains and valley lighting up around them like there was no one else in the world.

“Alright,” he said. “You got me, it’s pretty up here.”

A smile pulled at her lips as she nudged her head into his. Yeah, the present was pretty damn good.

“It’s beautiful.”

[themutantunderground]

Let Your Heart Be Light Ch. 8

John is home on leave from the Marines and Clarice is home on winter break from grad school. While they used to date in high school, Clarice and John haven't been together in a long time... But it's Christmas time, and it seems like everything and everyone in their small, holiday-obsessed hometown is trying to get them back together. Modern Thunderblink AU!

FF.net | Ao3

"You've got a coffee problem."

"No. I don't."

"Do toooooo," Norah said, letting her voice travel up the scale and down as she leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. "Clarice, come on. That's your second cup of coffee, and you're going to get another one. You've got a problem."

"Hush, you'll wake up Mama D and Karl. Besides, I'm prepping. I'm not falling asleep in the truck," she mumbled into the travel mug, both her hands wrapped around it like it was a lifeline. Not again, she wasn't going to nap during the ride up to the tree farm. She shouldn't have fallen asleep last night, but she had been super tired. Even if she had to drink enough coffee to give herself a heart attack, she wasn't going to conk out in John's truck again.

Clarice shuffled over to the coffee pot and dumped the rest of it into the travel mug. It still dark outside the kitchen window. When she had said the butt crack of dawn, she had hoped that, you know, it would actually be dawn. Instead the sun hadn't even started to peek over the horizon yet.

"Damn John's early mornings," Clarice grumbled to herself, rubbing the corner of her eye. Even with all the coffee and extreme determination, she was worried she would be asleep before they got out of Westchester. She wasn't running on much sleep.

When she turned back toward Norah, her little sister pointed at a glass jar on top of the fridge. "I heard that."

Clarice narrowed her eyes at Norah and dipped a hand into her pocketbook. She scrambled around in the abyss that was her bag until she found a quarter. Holding it up to prove that it was, in fact, a quarter, she headed over and went up on her tiptoes to get the swear jar down. She plunked the coin in and set the jar on the counter for easier access. She was home and Remy and some of her other foster siblings might be home within a few days, so it was a good idea to keep the jar in reach.

Lights flashed through the living room windows as someone pulled up to the house, and Norah jumped toward the door. "They're here!"

"Yeah, I see that," Clarice said. She turned off the lights and grabbed her bag and a jacket before following Norah out the front door. John's truck wasn't the only vehicle at the house. There were two more, a small hybrid car and a Jeep Wrangler, both of them idling in the quiet street. Clarice held up a hand against the headlight glare as she and Norah headed over to get into the truck.

"It really is a party," she said as she climbed into the passenger's street, automatically putting her travel mug in the cup holder. There was already a mug there, a dark blue one with a Marines symbol on it.

John gave a half-smile. "You could call it that."

In the backseat, Norah was buckling herself in while Riley jabbered at her, the two of them excited about going to the Christmas tree farm. Riley was already talking about getting a giant tree, which made Clarice wonder how they were going to convince her that an eight foot tree was just as good as a monstrous twenty-footer.

"Are we going or what?" a voice crackled, "I saw Clarice get in, let's go. Damn, you're slow."

Clarice looked down at the handheld radio that was laying on the console, recognizing the cranky voice. Also, she recognized the radio. "Oh my god, these still work?"

"They're well-made," John said as he picked it up. "We're going in just a minute. Seatbelts are important."

Clarice reached over and plucked the radio out of his hand. "That's right, Lorna, don't you care about safety?"

"Hey, wandering traveler," Marcos' voice responded. She could hear Lorna cussing her out in a friendly, warm tone in the background. "How's it going?"

"Fine, just wondering why we're going old school with communication today," she said. She turned the radio over in her hands, running her thumb along a series of scratches in the hard plastic surface. That was from when it had accidentally fallen out the window one summer when they had been going to the lake. Luckily it had only hit the road and gotten scratched instead of falling under the tire. Even though these were hardy, there was no way it could've survived getting run over. John had gotten them for his birthday when they were sophomores back in high school. They were…ancient.

"Because old school works where phone signals don't," John said, taking the radio back from her. He pressed the speaker button. "Is everyone ready?"

"Obviously," Lorna replied.

The other response was a garbled mess of static and arguing. Clarice could pick out James' voice along with a few others, so she guessed it was the Jeep Wrangler crew. Most likely to not know how to work a handheld.

"James," John said, "You there? Or do I have to text you…"

"Here," James finally said, sounding exasperated. "This is dumb, over."

"You don't have to say over," John said as he put the truck into reverse.

"We're using radios, so we're using radio lingo," James said, "Over."

"That's stupid," Lorna put in, "Don't be a brat."

James' tone became lazy. "Are you done talking? You didn't say over so I can't tell. Over."

Clarice smothered a smile at John's longsuffering look as Lorna and James started bickering over the radio. Lorna and Marcos had always liked to tease James mercilessly when they were younger, and it seemed like things hadn't changed. James, for his part, always gave as good as he got.

"John, can we listen to Christmas songs?" Riley asked, "Maybe for part of the way there? Or all the way? We've got lots of hours."

"You would think it was Christmas or something," Clarice said, giving the little girl a grin. Riley beamed back, all bright-eyed and excited. She still had that little-kid love for the holidays, and it was sort of infectious.

John changed the radio station, switching it around until 'Frosty the Snowman' started playing. "Is this okay?"

"Yep, thanks!" Riley said, kicking up feet up onto the console. She had gotten her shoes off already and her little socks had reindeer all over them. Norah's feet joined hers a couple moments later, though she had normal purple socks.

"Five bucks they'll be asleep in thirty minutes," Clarice said.

"That's a bad bet," he replied with a small smile, "You're almost entirely guaranteed to win."

"We won't fall asleep," Riley protested, "We're awake."

"We could drink their coffee," Norah said with a laugh, "Then we'd be super awake."

"Can we have your coffee?" Riley asked, tapping her foot against John's arm. He reached over and squeezed her toes, getting a laugh out of her. She tried to pull her foot back, but he grabbed her foot and kept it in place.

"You don't need coffee, you've got enough energy for all of us," John said, shaking her foot, "You're the last person on this planet who needs coffee."

"But you just said I'd go to sleep!" Riley protested. She leaned forward and pulled at his arm, trying to get him to release her foot. "I need it."

"You need a nap? I wholeheartedly agree."

"I'm so confused," Norah said, "Are we sleeping or not sleeping?"

"Sleeping," John said.

"Not sleeping," Riley said at exactly the same time.

Clarice leaned back in her seat as the girls argued with John and he fought back with a playfully stoic expression, his eyes bright with amusement. He liked teasing his baby sister, and it was easy to see that she loved it too. There was something extra cute, she supposed, about seeing big, tough Marine John playing with his little sister. She had always thought that was sort of adorable how much he cared about his younger siblings and didn't care who knew how much he loved them.

They stopped briefly at a gas station on the outskirts of town to fill up and get snacks for the long ride. Clarice was immediately side-tackled by Lorna the moment she got out of the car and she flailed a little, caught off-guard by Lorna's baby belly.

"Wow, swallow a basketball, buddy?" she asked as she hugged Lorna back. Lorna wasn't terribly affection, but it had been a long time since they had seen each other. A somewhat violent hug was only natural.

Lorna socked her in the shoulder. "A beach ball, you ass," she said with a grin.

It was definitely weird seeing Lorna pregnant. If Clarice had chosen any of her friends to be the literal Mom Friend, it wouldn't have been Lorna, but she knew Lorna would be an awesome mom, complete with ripped jeans and combat boots. "Is Marcos completely smothering you?" Clarice asked, looking over at her childhood BFF. He was busy fending off Riley and Norah, who had gotten out of the truck and wanted to help gas up the vehicles. He gave Clarice an absent wave and went back to trying to keep the kids away from the pump.

"Pretty much," Lorna said, "But he means well."

"Always does," Clarice said. Marcos was a complete teddy bear, but she could see how he might turn into a worry wart when it came to Lorna's pregnancy.

"He hasn't wrapped me up in bubble wrap yet, which I'm thinking is a good sign," Lorna said with a smirk.

"Give it time," Clarice said.

Lorna laughed. "Hey, brats, let's go get candy!" she yelled. Norah and Riley looked at each other and then headed over toward Lorna.

Riley slipped her hand into Lorna's as they headed toward the convenience store. "Can we have coffee?"

"Heck no," Lorna said, "But you can help me find some salt and vinegar chips and peanut butter."

"That's an awful combo," Clarice said, and beside her, Norah wrinkled her nose.

"It's not my weirdest craving," Lorna said, "Have you ever tried those pizza-flavored Combos dipped in tartar sauce? It's amazing."

"That's…beyond disgusting," Clarice said.

In the store, James and his friends were stocking up on candy and snacks like they were going camping for a week in the wilderness instead of a day trip to a tree farm. There were four of them besides James, and Clarice recognized the little blonde that James liked so much.

"Hey!" Ali called to Clarice and Lorna as James held a packet of M&Ms out of her reach, "Morning!"

"Hey, Ali," Clarice said. She had babysat Ali some back when they were much younger; her dad had been overprotective and hadn't let Ali stay home alone until she was at least fourteen.

Riley and Norah disappeared into the shelves, probably looking for something extremely sugary. While the others picked out snacks, Clarice went to the refrigerated section. Absently, she grabbed a couple drinks and then rushed through the snacks section, collecting the girls as she went. Outside, Marcos was pushing the horn on the hybrid, so it was making plaintive little beeps to encourage everyone to hurry. The teens jostled each other as they bought way too much food and then hurried out the door, heading back to the Jeep.

"Riley, Norah, let's go," Clarice called as she headed to the check-out, stepping up behind Lorna. The dark-haired woman had an armful's worth of snacks spread out on the counter. Clarice raised an eyebrow and Lorna frowned at her.

"Don't comment on a pregnant woman's snack choices."

"I wasn't going to," Clarice said, allowing herself a grin. "I didn't say a word."

"You had a look."

"What, now I'm not allowed to have a look?"

Lorna jostled her with her elbow. "You know what I mean."

"I'm just saying, you have Ho-Hos and vinegar chips." Clarice reached over to touch the items she had mentioned, which made Lorna brush her hand away.

"It's a surprisingly good combination," Lorna said. She paid for her food and headed outside, two plastic bags hanging from her elbow.

The two girls raced up to the counter, both of them carrying more candy than Clarice was willing to buy. "We're not…is that an entire container of Reeses?"

"It's important," Norah said, "We need protein."

"Then get some jerky," Clarice said, taking the little carton from Norah. She set it on the counter, a little embarrassed by the exasperated look the sales clerk gave her. "Sorry." Neither of the girls looked very apologetic.

The bell over the door dinged as Clarice finished paying for the snacks that she was actually going to buy, and Riley shot over to John as he stepped into the store. "Clarice won't feed us."

"She's not obligated to feed you, squirt," he said as he reached down and ruffled her hair. He looked up at Clarice. "But it looks like she bought you stuff. Unless you're eating all of that on your own?" He smiled at Clarice, and she couldn't help but smile right back. An actual, true smile from John was something of a rarity.

"Yeah, this is all mine," she said, holding the bag close, "You guys can get your own."

Automatically the kids started complaining about how that wasn't fair and how they were going to starve and how it was too early to be mean to them. John laughed and hushed Riley before glancing around the store.

Clarice headed for the door, pausing beside him. "It's okay, I got yours, too. Coke, pork rinds, and sunflower seeds, right?" His tastes couldn't have changed that much, right? "Oh, and a reheated sausage biscuit."

John stared at her, and Clarice shifted from foot to foot, suddenly rethinking her actions. "I can put it back…"

"No, sorry, that's great," he said, shaking his head as if clearing it. "Thank you."

"No problem," Clarice said, wondering if she had made things weird. Luckily, John broke up any awkwardness by grabbing Riley and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before taking the plastic bag from Clarice. Marcos was beeping the little hybrid's horn again, and John smirked as they all headed out.

"That is the sorriest excuse for a horn I've ever heard."

"Right?" Clarice said, grinning, "It sounds like its crying every time he hits it."

"I think it's sort of cute," Norah said, "Like it's saying 'eh,' 'eh,' 'eh.'"

"Or meh, meh, meh," Riley said, and both the girls giggled.

Once everyone got back on the road, it was about an hour down the road before the girls fell asleep in the backseat. John turned down the Christmas music as he glanced up at the mirror, making sure they were both out.

"Took longer than expected," Clarice said. She took off her coat and tossed it over Norah before snagging John's coat from behind his seat and draping it over Riley. The seven-year-old snagged the coat and snuggled up to it, halfway hiding under it.

"I'm surprised you're still awake," John said, glancing over at her.

"Eyes on the road," she said, making a face at him. "I drank coffee. I'm prepared."

"Must've been a lot of coffee," John teased.

She reached over and gently socked him on the shoulder. "It's none of your business."

John smiled and turned his attention back to the road. Behind them, the teenagers were following along in the Jeep and right behind them was Lorna and Marcos' hybrid. They were a little troupe heading down the road, enjoying the crisp morning now that the sun was officially out. However, some clouds in the distance made it look like the sunshine might not last.

"Is it supposed to snow today?" Clarice asked, briefly pressing her nose against the window. Fog clouded the window and she rubbed it away with her sleeve, pulling the end up over the palm of her hand.

"There's a chance," John said, "But it could happen."

"That'd be nice and cliché," she said, "Cutting down Christmas trees in the snow."

"Hey, I like this particular cliché," John said with a small smile, "Don't insult it."

"I didn't say I didn't like it," she replied. She reached for her bag and fished around for her phone, eventually finding it. After taking a short vid of the sky and blasting it out on Instagram, she set the phone on the dash.

The two of them settled into a comfortable silence, and Clarice reached over to turn the channel. While she loved Christmas music, it was tiresome after a while. Besides, the kids were asleep. She flipped through a few channels and finally found a rock station, one that John would like and she wouldn't mind. Outside, the woods were flashing by, bare-limbed tree after tree, as they made their way to the Christmas tree farm.

[nerdygirl8203]

Theory (Jughead X reader)

A/n: Most of these characters belong to Riverdale/ Archie comics.

Warnings: bullying, some violence (nothing too graphic), anxiety, depression and swearing.

Character: Jughead.

Show: Riverdale.

Key: Y/n: your name, f/c: favorite color, f/n: friend’s name.

I walk into school as same as always, wearing the same as usual; pair of jeans (in this case ripped), worn out sneakers, an old t-shirt with some stupid comment, a sweatshirt over that and my necklace my dad gave me when I was little. My f/c backpack on my shoulder and my hair down; trying to hide my face.

I just got in the door and I already see Cheryl Blossom the ‘Queen Bee’ of my school. I walk to my locker keeping my head down hoping she won’t see me. But as soon as I open my locker I hear her fake ass voice. “Hey y/n!” She says with fake happiness. “Hello.” I say simply in my usual voice. “What are you gonna do today freak?” She asks in the same voice. I ignore her as I clench my fist; today was the day of the incident that killed my mother. So not the day to mess with me. I get my books for class. Then walk away with her sayin comments behind me, but I’m used to it by now.

I get through the usual classes. First math, then English, psychology, history. But then comes my free period, so like usual I go to the study hall (if you can even call it that). I get there and pull out my book starting to read. Until Reggie talks. No mocks. This is the usual but today is not a normal day. He starts to imply that Jughead killed Jason Blossom. At this point I’m done.

“Shut it, Reggie!” I say in a normal (for most people but super loud for me) voice. He turns his attention to me.

“Wow she can talk!” He says in fake amusement. I roll my eyes. I look around and it looks like everyone is kinda shocked that I talked. “Yes I can now if you don’t shut it I will make you.” I say with bravado. He seems to ignore my comment and takes my book, looking at it. He chuckles a little as he reads the back of it. “Wow a weird book for an even weirder girl.” “ I might be weird but I have a killer right hook.” I whip back. “Says the girl who hasn’t ever talked to anyone, forget about got in a fight.” At this point my nose is twitching from anger. “Wow that’s an easy theory to prove wrong.” I say simply. He turns his attention back to Jughead. “Looks like Norman Bates over there has an admirer.” But I wasn’t done with the dick head. “Can you even spell half of the words in that sentence?” I ask before Jughead says something witty.

He turns his attention to me fully. “How’s your freak show father?” He asks. My nose is twitching uncontrollably at this point. I scowl at him. “As if you care.” He struck a nerve he could tell, everyone could tell. “What about your mother? Oh wait-“ He was cut off by my right hook. It took him aback. But before he could do anything to me I say “Well my theory was correct. My theory being that if you punch a dumb ass he won’t notice the blood dripping from him nose and mouth.” I wasn’t wrong either, there was in fact blood coming from Reggie’s nose and mouth. He notices and goes out of the room uncharacteristically. His friends soon follow. It was now only me and the dream team in the room. Before they could say anything I had packed my bag and left, tears streaming from the comment about my mother and father. I left the room and then the school; I had and A in art anyways, I could skip that period.

I go to the only place I thought to go, Pop’s. I went in only to see Pop at the counter. He smiles at me and I muster my best smile, which wasn’t very good, big or convincing. Once I get to my usual booth in the corner that no one looks at I go to pull out my notebook having an idea for I book I’m writing. This was the first time I saw my fist; the fist that had a mixture of Reggie and my own blood. I sigh when noticing the cuts on my knuckles. I wipe my fist on a napkin then pull out my notebook. Before Pop could even come over to me a milkshake was on the table. I don’t look up assuming it was Pop because it’s my regular. That was until the person sat across from me. I slowly look up and see Jughead, I look back down trying to hide the blush that was appearing on my cheeks. There was no doubt that he was gonna jus say thanks and not ask about what happened.

“You okay?” He asks to my surprise. I sigh and say “As okay as I can be I suppose.” I keep looking down and keep my voice down to a mere whisper that was most likely barely audible. Tears where still burning my eyes and occasionally dripping from my eye lashes. “I’m sorry.” He says. I look up slightly, looking at him in confusion. “Why are you sorry? I should be the one apologizing.” I say bluntly. “If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have gotten in a fight.” “I could have not said anything, it was my choice. Plus he deserved what he got coming to him.” You can see a slight smile on the mysterious boys face, but as soon as it came it dissipates.

A silence falls over us. It wasn’t exactly awkward but it wasn’t comfortable, it was just kinda there, looming over us. I look at what he brought, my usual order not just the milkshake. “How did you know my order?” I ask with a slight smile. “Well, you see, you come her everyday and always get the same thing. I as well come here everyday. You notice a few things.” He jokes. “Aren’t you full of surprises.” I say kinda sarcastic but kinda not, just monotoned I suppose. By this time my tears are nonexistent; as if they where never there.

“I should probably get goi-“ as if on cue my phone starts to ring. It was my only friend, f/n. I answer it only to get bombarded by questions. I only answer with “Don’t wanna talk about it. Talk to you later.” I then hang up. I take a deep breath. “Aren’t you worried about what consequences you are gonna have to face?” Jug asks. “Nope.” I say popping the p. “I’m transferring schools.” I explain further. “I’m just going to the west side school, it’s where I belong anyways.” I mumble the last part not wanting him to know my dad is a serpent. “I am too. Kinda forced to I guess.” He smiles at me as he says this. I look up at the ceiling as I rest my head on the diner chair. I give a small smile back then gather my stuff to leave. “Like I was trying to say, I should be going.” I say still kinda nervous being around Jughead. “Where are you going?” He asks as if challenging me. “The library up town.” I lied. “You are a horrible lier.” He retorts. I roll my eyes then walk to the door.

“I’ll see you around, y/n!” He calls. I just wave and leave to go walk around. The Jughead Jones, that I have had a crush on since elementary, just said he’ll ‘see me around’ he sounded kinda like he wanted to. Maybe he does!

[ackackh]

nurse/dex for the ship meme, if you ship it....

oh boy do I ship it, I ship it so hard, my guy. Okay, here we go!

who hogs the duvet

Both. It’s a major problem when they actually start sleeping in the same bed. They both have a habit of rolling over and pulling the blankets with them. In the beginning there’s a lot of half-hearted bickering about who needs it more. It ends in the realization that all their problems can be solved with cuddles.

who texts/rings to check how their day is goiing

Dex usually sends Nursey check-ins throughout the day. Nursey would probably do the same if he wasn’t so damn scatterbrained. 

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts

They’re not a super gift-y couple. Like, they’re much more interested in acts of kindness and affection. Although, Nursey sometimes gives in and buys Dex something small like a hat or a bracelet, usually just on the fly with the excuse of “it reminded me of you, idk” and Dex sort of loves it.

who gets up first in the morning

Dex, for sure. I mean, they’re both pretty good at getting up for mornings at Faber, but Dex likes to keep his sleep schedule consistent and Nursey would much rather make up for lost sleep all in one night. Sometimes it takes some serious motivation to get him up (kisses).

who suggests new things in bed

So Nursey has hooked up with dudes before, the idea doesn’t really faze him. But Dex never had a boyfriend serious enough to take to bed, so at first they take things slow. But eventually it’s Dex who asks if they can try this or that. He’s curious, and if anyone is gonna go with his flow, it’s Nursey. He feels safe with him.

who cries at movies

I mean…… Derek. Nurse. Like, it’s art, ya know? and art gets him right here. Dex feels things, he reacts! it’s just not his thing to cry over movies. 

who gives unprompted massages

To Derek’s surprise, Dex is really good at shoulder massages?? Like, who knew?? His mom was really good at it, so he just eventually picked it up from her, and it is so nice when Dex just plops himself on the arm of the couch to get at Nursey’s shoulders. He’s basically an expert at calming Nursey’s nervous energy.

who fusses over the other when they’re sick

I think both of them do this to an extent. Like, Nursey will worry over Dex but at least Dex will take care of himself. Nursey will just refuse to admit he’s sick and Dex will tell him like “here, drink this water” “here’s some advil” “you need to eat” but he won’t force anything on him and usually Nursey ends up crashing and Dex is like “yeah, I would feel bad, but I told you this would happen so..”

who gets jealous easiest

Nursey!! Even tho drunk Nursey is a flirt and lots of people try to get in his pants, Dex knows Nursey would never do anything to hurt him. Nursey gets jealous when someone can talk to Dex about something he can’t, like mechanics or coding or fishing. Nursey knows he doesn’t quite measure up in the situation and he can get a little pouty. Dex likes to fix this with lots of making out.

who has the most embarrassing taste in music

They both have really different tastes in music; Dex loves the 90s, he loves grunge, he likes bands like Blink, (he also really likes 90s hip hop, which is a really excellent place for bonding between him and Nurse.) Nursey likes some stuff that’s excellent and some stuff that’s just like… what the fuck are you doing, dude? So… I guess Nursey in this case lol.

who collects something unusual

This isn’t exactly unusual, but Nursey collects notebooks. Total notebook hoe. Like, he has 20 that are perfectly untouched, and yet… this one has a holographic cover! this one is silver! this one has a watermelon on it! Dex was absolutely astounded when he first saw the stack (mountain) of notebooks in the corner of Nursey’s room.

who takes the longest to get ready

I hate to be obvious here but this is totally Nursey. Dex can be ready and out the door in like 20 mins, but Nursey takes like an hour. It’s not horrible or anything, he’s actually pretty damn fast for the amount of prep he does. But some days Nursey decides to wear make up or paint his nails and Dex nearly dies waiting for him.

who is the most tidy and organised

Dex 100%. Nursey has legit lost his wallet 5 times in the past two months. It’s no contest.

who gets most excited about the holidays

Dex! The holidays have always been a happy spot for him because he’s really close with his family. He’s really excited when he gets to take Nursey home for Christmas for the first time, he can’t wait to show him off to everyone.

who is the big spoon/little spoon

Dex is the big spoon!! I don’t know what the popular consensus is but I feel this in my heart! He loves the feeling of Nursey drowsing in his arms and Nursey loves the safe feeling of Dex holding him close.

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports

Booottthhh. Like,,,,, have you seen them play hockey?? One of the first things that tips people off about them being a couple is that they become MASTERS at Taboo. Like, they’re practically reading each other’s minds. It’s impossible to beat them and at the end of the game they take a victory lap around the Haus.

who starts the most arguments

William Pointdexter…. loves arguing. Like, he doesn’t realize it, but he really loves arguing. He’s easy to rile up because he like’s being riled up. There are warning signs (not unlike a volcano) and if Nursey spots them he’ll just be like “Nope. Shutting this shit down right now.” and either leave or refuse to argue with Dex until he realizes that the argument is stupid. 

who suggests that they buy a pet

Nursey loves every animal he meets on sight. He’ll sit on the ground and they’ll come sit in his lap or rub up against him. Dex has never really had that gift, even though he’s had pets in the past. Neither of them suggest getting a pet as much as a kitten finds Dex one day and follows him everywhere and he can’t just leave him outside! Derek, it’s cold tonight and he’s only like 3 inches long! (Whatever, man, it’s chill) hell yeah, it’s chill! 

They name him something lame like Puck. 

what couple traditions they have

They have a boyfriend celly! If they’re close enough on the ice or they pull of something swasome together they’ll do it and let me tell you, it’s fucking adorable. 

what tv shows they watch together

So I have this headcanon that they usually watch sitcoms together but Nursey falls in love with sense8 and has Dex watch it. It takes some doing but Dex eventually becomes hella invested. He loves Nomi.

On the other hand, Dex is still bitter about Firefly. Even tho he didn’t watch it as it aired. He makes Nurse watch it one day and Nurse is surprised by how much he likes it. 

what other couple they hang out with

Chowder and Farmer all day long, bro. They study together a lot and she and Dex become really good friends!

how they spend time together as a couple

Dex tries to teach Nursey to bake… it goes okay. Not stellar, but not bad either. It’s super worth it to see Nurse get covered in flour and to get to steal kisses to his cheeks and neck.

who made the first move

This was Nursey, but it wasn’t a drunk thing or on an impulse. He stressed for like 3 weeks trying to think of the perfect words, knowing that Dex didn’t need anything complicated, he just needed the truth. 

Dex was pretty damn impulsive when he grabbed Nursey’s face and kissed him in the middle of the park.

who brings flowers home

One time, Nursey ordered a bunch of lollipops in the shape of lobsters off of some random site and arranged them into a bouquet for Dex. Dex didn’t talk to him for the rest of the day.

who is the best cook

Not Nursey, that’s for damn sure.

Thank you for sending this in! I’m sorry I couldn’t make it super long but I’m starting to run out of steam. This was a lot of fun though!

[freelancer-chronicles]

Rythe gets a story!!! 

Freelancer Rythe dove out of the gray sky just as a dozen outlaws with heavy weapons pushed through the trees and snowdrifts to renew their assault on the ancient tomb. They hadn't noticed her yet. Neither had the Arcanist researchers, who cowered within, waiting to be overrun. The annual plunge in temperature brought cold winds, ice, and a sharp increase in predators looking for easy prey.

These predators, however, were about to learn Rythe was fond of explosions.

The blue ready-light appeared inside her helmet. She often said she loved all her weapon indicator lights equally, but really, this was her favorite.

"Tough love time!" she yelled and pressed the trigger adorned with a tiny pink heart. Her shoulder-mounted missile launcher swung into position and released a heaping round of the toughest love that modern munitions could deliver.

A spectacular series of eruptions flung dirt and outlaws into the air.

"Boom!" said Rythe. Routed, the outlaws scattered. She encouraged their enthusiastic retreat with a long stream of bullets from her machine pistol. "Is it me? C’mon, you guys! I can change!"

Laughing, she spun her pistol around her finger and few times before clicking it back into place. It was a good day; green jungle, white snow, and blue ready-lights as far as the eye could see. She dropped down to the ruins where the researchers were hiding.

"You can come out now! The bad guys are gone."

The Arcanists slowly emerged from behind their damaged walls, warming their hands and nervously looking for signs of further attack. When none materialized, they waved a beleaguered thanks.

Arcanists, she scoffed, pfft. Rythe waved back, taking a quick survey of the battlefield to make sure that none of the outlaws entertained any ideas about circling back. All clear.

"Gaddy, you there?” She spoke into her helmet. “Calamity averted. Check that sucker off." Today was an important day and she was keen—and maybe a little nervous—to get started.

"Just Gad, thank you." Her cypher responded via psychic connection. Rythe didn’t like to think about it. "I’ll notify the enclave. Exceptionally loud work as usual, Rythe."

"Blue light special, baby!" Rythe followed a wide, fast-moving river, flying close enough to kick up a cold mist. "Hey, is there a young, pain-in-the-the ass wiggling around beside your brain chair?"

"My amplifier. Yes, she’s right beside me. Miss Hope is… very excited. Switching you both to short-wave radio while I ready her connection." There was a painful crackle and the hiss of static in Rythe's helmet. Radio was korox shit.

"I wasn’t wiggling around!" Hope squeaked. She was probably wiggling around. "Cypher Gad said you were helping some Arcanists. I wanted to see that! You okay?"

"Never better, kiddo. You ready to ditch crappy radio and connect via mind science?"

"Almost! He’s patching me in now."

"Ready for connection," the cypher said.

A few more pops followed by a soft hum. Connection. "Whoa," Hope said. "Everything’s sorta blurry. Wait, what’s that? I’m flying! Is that what you’re seeing? This is so weird! This is way better than radio!"

Rythe held up her hands and made a rude gesture.

"Auntie!"

"Visual check confirmed," Rythe said. "Let’s fly around a bit before we head over there. Everything good?"

"Yeah! Must be way different to be right there with you."

"Your mom didn’t want me to do flips and rolls the first time I dragged her out here in person."

"She said you ignored her."

"Obviously. It was my sacred duty to bring sexy danger to the friendship table." The river gave way to a waterfall that dropped into icy fog. "Oh look," she said innocently, "Time for my morning shave."

"What—?"

Rythe plunged over the edge, cut her jets, and began a long, howling, dive. Her speed increased until the world was a green and gray rush. Together, they entered the white mist like a bullet.

A heartbeat later, she burst out of the fog. The ground approached with lethal speed.

"Auntie!"

Rythe flashed her jets and turned a messy collision into a smooth curve over a herd of grazing korox. One, maybe two, slices of pie could have fit between Rythe’s suit and the bristly hair on their armored backs.

"Love it!" Rythe yelled. The korox hooted their disagreement.

"That was crazy! You’re the best!"

"I am the best." Soaring high up, she turned into the wind. Snow began to fall in a haze of fat flakes.

"What did my mom bring?" Hope's voice was soft, even a bit tentative. "To the, uh, friendship table, I mean."

"Oh, kiddo." Rythe smiled. "The important stuff. A look at a different life. Like having a family—you and your dad, stable job. I mean an engineer? Geez." Rythe was silent for a moment. "Not sure why she put up with me. Must have been tough to keep reminding me about the future."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mom was patient. She made plans, was always prepared—all that. Everything I’m bad at." Rythe laughed. "I remember the first time I met her. We were kids at school—younger than you. She had this ridiculous yellow scarf, said it protected her from monsters."

"Don’t you wear a yellow scarf?"

"Of course, but I’m in the monster business. Duh."

"Duh." Hope agreed. Rythe could hear the smile.

"Yep, saved me from my own stupidity many times. Sometimes I fly crazy, y’know?"

"I do know."

"Sooo disappointing her spawn is a smartass."

Rythe felt the tingle of laughter over the connection. Way better than radio, she thought. She loved this kid.

They flew on. Rythe pointing out a group—a hug? a snuggle?—of grabbits munching on frosted long grass, and no, she wouldn’t bring one back to Fort Tarsis. She circled a crumbling stone tower; age-cracked double doors invited the curious inside for a peek. She hovered high above a massive Shaper construct that wound in and out of the ground like a metal snake frozen in the cold.

"This is amazing," Hope said.

Rythe could hear the awe in her voice. "It’s tough to explain. People don’t get it, or don’t want to. But your mom did."

"Can’t believe you waited so long to show me."

"Yeah, well, I wanted everything to be perfect. And look at this, good timing, over there are the Hammertop Mountains. That’s where we’re headed."

"We’re going up there?"

"Not up, through. Super-secret tunnel. Takes us right to the very edge of the Eastern Reach. Looks out over a huge…something. Magic Cloud Land. The absolute best view in Bastion."

"Magic Cloud Land?"

"Totally official name."

"Suuure."

"So disappointing."

An icy haze wrapped around the base of the mountains like a thick blanket. As Rythe approached, a cluster of greasy lights appeared in the fog. What’s that? She kept the thought to herself, not wanting to worry Hope with it. Maybe it was a camp. She spotted movement, people. Who’s squatting on my secret—?

An explosion knocked her sideways. A second of oblivion. Then a muffled ringing in her ear. She was falling, spinning out of control. With a grunt, she reconnected with her suit. Shields were gone. Sluggish response. The left side of her suit was charred black, erasing the purple flames.

Now that pissed her off. "I just got this painted!"

Gritting her teeth, she sparked her jets once, twice. They caught, stopping her fall. Her guts slid into her toes. The ringing resolved into screaming.

"—are you there? What happened? Hey—!"

"I’m here! I’m okay." Rythe dove low into the mist and skimmed the ground as red lines of tracer fire smashed through frozen trees and earth. "More outlaws. Hate these guys."

A parade of bullets bounced off her chest plate, lighting up the icy fog in staccato bursts. She careened back and forth, landing hard behind a large, moss-covered rock.  Half-blinded by spotlights searing the ground on either side of her cover, she managed to make out a few details. It was, in fact, a camp in front of her cave entrance. A big camp. Barricades, supplies, and guns, guns, guns. They were using her super-secret tunnel as some kind of grubby headquarters.

"Big mistake, villains!"

Hope's voice sounded in her ear. "Auntie?"

"Right here—look, I’ve got some laundry to finish up. I’ll be right back, okay? Sit tight."

"What? No! Let me—"

Rythe cut Hope’s connection. Damn it. Today was supposed to be about nice stuff, not gunfire stuff. These bastards were screwing this up.

She pulled out her pistol and blazed a fiery line across the blinding lights. "Guys, I’ve got this important thing going on today!" she called out. The outlaws returned fire. They didn’t care about her important thing. "Typical!"

Her pistol clicked on empty. Meanwhile, her rocky cover was being chipped away by relentless gunfire. She had to move, but first she risked a quick glance—there, a short distance in front of her, clustered near the entrance, the main group of outlaws. Slapping her pistol back in place, she pulled out the big guns. Which weren’t guns at all, but Nelly, an electrified sword.

"Whoa, Nelly!"

She leapt forward past the spotlights, clearing the space between her and the outlaws at the speed of the dangerously impulsive. She swung Nelly in a long arc and smashed it down in the middle of the group. "Blammo!" The resulting impact wave pitched the outlaws back against the entrance with a satisfying thud. She felt something collide with her knee and she fell to the ground. A steady tingtingting crossed her armor as more fire came from the tunnel itself. She dragged herself up and tossed a grenade forward. A fiery explosion revealed she was facing a large bunch—a cudgel? A tantrum?—of outlaws.  "Quality resistance, guys! Six out of ten!" Spiteful gunfire erupted from deeper in. "I’m lovin’ the passion!"  She reloaded her pistol in the confusion. More bullets equals more bulleting. A pop followed by a low hum sounded in her helmet.

"—can’t just drop me! What’s going on? You said outlaws? Why is everything on fire?"

"Hope?" Bullets stitched across her helmet. "What the hell?"

"Are you hurt?" Hope yelled in her ear. "Tell me what's going on!"

"I’m fine! Disconnecting!" She shut Hope’s connection down. Again. She opened a line to her cypher, “Gaddy, keep her out! Nothing to see here!" She fired her pistol down the tunnel as punctuation.

"She’s very—” Gad began.

"Just do it!" Rythe threw another grenade. The explosion reverberated just inside the entrance. "Game on!" She ran into the cave. A lot of gunfire greeted her.

She put her pistol away and pulled out her shotgun. When she needed more oomph, Miss Biscuit always brought it home. She moved and fired until there was no response—her go-to battle plan. It smelled like oil and burnt Freelancer. She ran in long, thumping strides down the stone passage.

Missiles!

She dodged right, narrowly avoiding the salvo that streaked past. "You have a turret in a cave? Way unsafe!" The passage led to a large cavern. Last time she was here, it was dark with a few patches of glowing moss. This time it was filled with a collection of rusty barricades, make-shift spotlights, and gas fires lighting up the room with orange menace. “Bastards," she called out as the gunfire opened up from several locations, "But good hustle. Maybe eight out of ten?”

She ducked behind a pile of scrap metal as the gunfire pinged off everything around her. Glancing around, she spotted a teaching opportunity. Squinting one eye just like her trainer told her not to when aiming, she squeezed off a shot at a gas canister. Hisssss… boom!

That was her cue.

She blasted off straight across no-man’s land and crashed through a barricade into a surprised group of outlaws.

A wide sweep of her gauntlet knocked two of them back, while she fired Miss Biscuit one-handed in the small space. "Park the explodey things elsewhere next time, master criminals!" A small object clinked against her leg. Grenade! She flung herself back through the wall a heartbeat before the blast ripped through the structure.

Ouch.

Rythe dismissed the many blinking warning lights. Her suit was in bad shape. She felt warm blood squish against the padding. Her important fleshy bits were also in bad shape. A familiar low hum sounded in her ear.

"Freelancer Rythe, I wonder if you might reconsider—”

"Nope! Go Crimson Lancers!”

"Rythe—”

"Tune in next week!"

She had to get to that missile turret. Shouldering her way through several barriers, she jumped back into flight, jets blazing. She was getting a bit woozy.

"I can’t think of anything cool to say!" She shouted as though she was saying something cool. The turret responded with more missiles that glanced off the tunnel wall and exploded, knocking her into a hard tumble. She gasped, driving air back into her lungs as she pressed herself against the cave wall. A group of outlaws were using the turret as cover. "Dramatic last stand! Love it!"

She checked for the blue ready-light. No go.

"C’mon, blue light. Talk to me."

The turret swiveled and locked on. Sparks from ricochets filled her vision. Warning lights were everywhere. Gunfire sliced through her skin.

"Damn it, blue light!"

Ding. Blue light.

"Tough love!" She slammed the heart trigger and a volley of missiles from her shoulder arced wide and rained down in a fiery half-moon. Love the booms! Rythe leaned heavily against the wall, Miss Biscuit ready to answer any follow-up questions. Ragged breaths. When the smoke cleared, all that remained were a collection of small fires, black divots, ex-outlaws, and shredded metal. She was bleeding down the front of her suit. She pressed a hand against her shoulder. "Crap, I just got this fixed."

She slumped against the tunnel wall. "Great work today, everyone." She limped along a few feet, listening. Nothing, no more outlaws. She coughed. "Let’s pick it up again tomorrow."

"Freelancer?" A voice in her ear.

"I’m fine, Gaddy, er, Gad. Super-secret tunnel clear. Hope okay?"

"Nonplussed, but fine. She’s waiting to be reconnected."

"One sec."

Frozen vines and moss covered the last few feet of the tunnel until she stepped out onto a wide, stone ledge into the whistling wind. The cliff dropped away into a sea of low clouds as far as the horizon would allow. Magic Cloud Land.

"Okay, patch her in." A pop and soft hum.

"—no! You tell her right now… what… oh, wow." Hope’s anger dropped away.

"You seeing this?" Rythe asked.

"Yeah. It… goes on forever."

"Best view in Bastion, as promised." Rythe shuffled her feet. "Hey, look, sorry about… before. I just thought—"

"Thought what?" The anger returned. "I’m just some kid? Like I can’t handle it?"

"No, hey, it’s not that. I wanted today to be good stuff, y'know?" She sat down with a groan, her legs dangling over the edge. "Like this place. It was your mom’s favorite."

"My mom’s dead," Hope shot back. "Some stupid disease took her away and I could only watch."

"I know." Rythe’s heart tightened. "I’m so sorry."

"Then stop hiding things. I’ve already seen the worst."

"Hope—”

"You scared her—you know that?" Hope’s anger pacing back and forth behind her words. "You take so many risks out here, but you had a special way of looking at things. You loved all of it—even the really ugly parts. A crazy joy for life."

"She said that?"

"All the time." Her anger faded. "Today I wanted—" Her voice broke, "I needed you to show me how to do that."

Oh, kiddo. Rythe rocked back and forth on the ledge, snow kicking up from the endless valley. The wind was bitterly cold. Clean and fresh.

"Okay." Rythe said. "It’s a deal." She slowly stood up, her body and suit creaking in protest.  "So, um, I was thinking about swinging by that tower we passed back there—the one with the doors. You interested?"

“What? No. You can barely stand up. Don’t… fly crazy.”

The voice and tone were achingly familiar.

“You’re right, kiddo,” Rythe said. “I’ll head back. We can look for a bandage or two. And pie.”

“Sounds great.”

“But we’re exploring that spooky tower next time—just you and me.” Rythe added.

"Will there be monsters?" Hope asked.

Rythe hesitated. “Maybe.”

"We’ll be okay."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yellow scarf. Duh."

"Duh." Rythe laughed.

Special thanks to Cathleen Rootsaert, Mary Kirby, Jeffrey Campbell, Ryan Cormier, Karin Weekes, and Danielle Gauthier for being the first to bring Rythe to life.

[sportafreddie]

Glannithro AND Sportarobbie prompt where some assholes are picking on Robbie and Glanni is about to cut a bitch but then Ithro holds him back until they start insulting Sportacus too and then Ithro let's go of Glanni and he gets ready to crush a dick too

Thank you for the prompt, it was fun to write! Do you know how hard it is to think of insults for Sportacus, besides his accent? I hope you like it!

Trigger warning: Ableism, slurs, violence, swearing, threats of violence, beginnings of a panic attack

Send me in more prompts!

Robbie had known this was a bad idea, but had anyone listened?

No.

Unlike his brother, Glanni loved partying. A night without at least half a dozen cocktails, lasers, music so loud it nearly left you without hearing, sweaty people not so much dancing as grinding against each other and ten inch heels wasn’t successful in the villain’s eyes. Both Íþró and Sportacus weren’t really party animals, but Glanni had fluttered his eyelashes at Íþró, who, in turn, talked Sportacus into coming along and Robbie really couldn’t say no to Sportapuppy’s pout.

Which was why he’d just spent four hours nursing one cocktail while hiding at the bar, as far away from the loudspeakers and mass of partygoers as possible. At first, Sportacus had sat with him, but being who he was, he hadn’t been able to sit still for long so he busied himself playing extreme darts – what kind of modern club still had darts? – while Íþró and Glanni were gods knew where. Every once in a while, Robbie had seen a flash of pink and mustard in the crowd, but never for long.

It was only half an hour before closing that Glanni had finally shown up, dragging a very dishevelled looking Íþró behind him, and that they left.

Or tried to, rather, since apparently Glanni still knew people that didn’t want to kill him on sight and had, of-fucking-course, run into one of those unicorns on their way outside.

Not even near the door, where Robbie could have inhaled some of the fresh, cool night air in hopes of getting rid of his headache, no, and the noise wasn’t dying down either.

Robbie looked across the room where the elf brothers were helping a few very drunk people back on their feet, going as far as accompanying them to the cars and cabs waiting outside. Even though Robbie really, really wanted to be annoyed at his boyfriend for leaving him on his own, he couldn’t help but smile. Always helping, even off-duty.

“Look at that weirdo over there.”

“Might as well stick his head in his arse if he tries so hard to hide it.”

“How can you even pull your shoulders up that far? Is that normal?”

“And the way his face is twitching.” The others laughed.

Until that last sentence, Robbie had – more or less successfully – tried to ignore the conversation, in hopes that they weren’t talking about him. But there was no convincing himself now; they were. Taking a deep breath, Robbie turned his head so he could look at the group.

Four people, obviously very, very drunk. Didn’t make the situation any better, though.

“Oh god, look at that chin!” The man elbowed the woman next to him in the side and pointed. “And those ears!”

Robbie’s hand automatically went up to his ears to hide them. His face went red. Say something, a tiny voice in his head piped up, defend yourself, don’t just stand there—

Robbie opened his mouth and tried to speak, but choked on air, no sound came out. The four laughed, visibly basking in Robbie’s misery. He felt like they were all alone, even though the club was still full. And though the lights were all centred on the dancing stage, Robbie felt put in the spotlight, like they were all shining on him, everything else was dark.

“Do you think he might be—“ The drunkard waved their hand in front of their face. “With all the twitching he does.” They wriggled their nose, pulling exaggerated grimaces, in what Robbie assumed was supposed to be what he did with his own face. Robbie reached up and tried to hide behind his hands, which only made them laugh harder.

“Who wears their trousers all the way to their fucking armpits?”

“What doofus dressed him?”

“On the same note, who even let him out?”

“Did the local clinic decide to let out its patients?”

“I think you’re being unfair. Don’t look at me like that, Chad. The clothes aren’t so bad. Look at the hair. It looks like it was glued on.”

“God, there he goes with the twitching again.”

“I wonder what he’s doing here.”

“Hey, weirdo! If you’re hoping for someone to pick you up, I can call the clinic so they get you!”

“Nice one!”

“Oh, you think that was nice?”

The familiar, deep voice pulled Robbie out of his thoughts. His head snapped up, hands dropping to his sides. Glanni was standing in front of him, shielding Robbie from the four with his body. Robbie didn’t need to see his face to know Glanni was pissed.

“Fucking hell, there are two of them.”

Glanni glared. “Yes, there are two of us. So all you said about my brother, say it to my face. I dare you.”

The ‘leader’ – Chad, if Robbie wasn’t mistaken – looked at his friends, unsure, at first, but then grinned. “Sure, if you insist!” He stepped forward and Glanni met him halfway. With his heels, Glanni was at least a head taller than the other man, but Chad hardly seemed fazed. “Your brother’s a weirdo. Did you pick him up from the psych ward for a quick night out with the normal crowd?”

Glanni’s face darkened. He growled, but it was too quiet for Chad to hear above all the noise. “Say that again.”

“What, are you deaf?” Chad turned to his friends and laughed with them. He turned back around, getting right in Glanni’s face. “I said your brother’s a retar-“

Everything happened so quickly, Robbie only saw blurry, coloured blobs. There was black and pink and mustard—

Íþró pulled Glanni back, away from Chad and his friends. Glanni kicked and cursed, but Íþró’s grip around his middle was unrelenting. “Let go!” Glanni hissed and scratched Íþró’s arms, as if the elf hadn’t built up a resistance to those claws yet.

Robbie would have been amused, had he not been on the verge of a panic attack.

“There’s no need for violence, Glanni!”

“No need for violence?! Did you hear what they said or are your super elf ears for show only?”

“Glanni-“

“What’s going on? Is there a problem?”

Robbie would recognise that accented voice anywhere, even when close to losing it. He watched Sportacus run up to the group, moustache quivering as it always did when he was confused. Those blue eyes Robbie loved so much darted from Íþró and Glanni to Robbie and then to the four drunks, before settling on Robbie again. He opened his mouth to say something – no doubt to tell everyone to calm down – but was interrupted by one of the women giggling.

“Did you hear that? Vhat’s göing ön? Is thöre ä pröbläm?”

“Look at his fucking clothes,” Chad said and laughed. “Oi, freak, were you dressed by the same person as that weirdo over there? Who runs around looking like some discount superhero?”

“That’s not nice.” Sportacus crossed his arms in front of his chest and cocked his head to the side. “I think you guys had a bit too much to drink, you should go home—“

“Thät’s nöt nicë,” one of the drunks imitated, badly, then patted Chad on the shoulder. “I bet you he’s all talk, no bite. Bet if we as much as threaten to him, he’ll cry and beg for his mummy.”

“Sportacus—“

“His name is fucking Sportacus?!? Please, you got to be kidding. This is getting better and better!” One of the women shrieked in laughter.

“Hey, mustard man, you his brother? You better take your big baby here home, he looks ready for a new diaper!”

“Are you going to cry, Sportacus? Thät’s nöt nicë, boohoo, I’m a big, big baby and I’m going to piss myse—“

Íþró’s fist connected with Chad’s nose. There was a loud cracking noise, followed by a pained shout, and Chad dropped to the ground, face a bloody mess.

His friends immediately pulled him to his feet, screaming insults, but none of them making a move to retaliate.

“So much for no need for violence,” Glanni huffed. “So if Robbie’s insulted, that’s no reason for getting violent, but the moment they target Sportacus it’s clobbering time?”

“What is… Nevermind. You know that’s not how it is.”

“I know, dear.” Glanni reached for Íþró’s hand and blew some air on his knuckles. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”

Íþró snorted. “That’s your idea of lightening the mood?”

Glanni rolled his eyes. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.” Before Íþró could say anything in reply, Glanni walked up to the group of four, smiling sweetly at them. “Are you alright there? That sure looked like it hurt. I’m sorry for my partner, want me to take a look at his nose?”

“You get away from us, you fuck—“ They trailed off into a shout when Glanni drove his heel down on their foot, hard.

“That’s no way to talk to a kind Samaritan, you uncultured swine.” Glanni lifted his foot, only to stomp down again. The faint, yet distinct sound of bones breaking was nearly drowned out by the drunk’s cry of pain.

“Glanni—“

The villain ignored Íþró and pushed the drunk aside to pull up Chad by the collar of his jacket. “You must be new around here or else you’d know not to fucking mess with me. Do you know who I am? Who my buff friend over there is? I’m Glanni fucking Glæpur and even if you don’t know that name, you should know that messing with me is a terrible, suicidal idea. Do you want to know why? Because I hold grudges for all eternity. Because once I hate you, I’ll do everything in my power to see you suffer. You think that punch hurt? You don’t know anything. I know ways to inflict pain that you couldn’t even think up in that tiny brain of yours. If I ever see you or one of your friends again, I’m going to hurt you. And don’t think that avoiding me’ll do the trick, because I have many, many acquaintances here and in the towns nearby, and some of them owe me. Those who don’t, they have a soft spot for my brother, so they’ll be fucking delighted to punch you until you’re green and blue.”

“You’re bluffing,” Chat spat out. “You’re going to jail, you and that yellow moron.”

Glanni growled. “Even if I was, you fucker, you haven’t just pissed me off, but Íþró too. You insulted his brother and his brother’s boyfriend in one go. Don’t put your hopes on the police, they’d do everything Íþró says. If I were you, I’d run. ”

He let go off Chad’s jacket and let him fall to the ground. He rubbed his hands together, then clapped, turning to Íþró, Robbie and Sportacus with a grin, as if nothing had happened. “Let’s go home.” He shot Robbie a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

Robbie numbly shook his head. “No,” he whispered softly. “But I will be once I’m home.”

Sportacus pulled him close and tiptoed to kiss Robbie’s head. “I’ll make you hot chocolate when we’re there. How’s that sound?”

Robbie sniffled against his neck. “With marshmallows?” Sportacus chuckled and nodded. Robbie smiled tentatively, but then frowned. He drew back to look at his boyfriend. “Are you okay? They said nasty things about you, too.”

Sportacus leant in to kiss Robbie’s cheek. “I’m fine, don’t worry. Let’s get out of here.”

Before they all left, Glanni couldn’t help himself and kicked Chad on his way out.

Not even Sportacus felt bad for him.