#the first time they’ve seen each other since they both thought they killed the other

[gin-draws]

reading after a long workday-

(-poppy has discovered smut)

[srjlvr]

꒦꒷ enhypen ! enhypen’s ships with you as enhypen’s 8th member !

idol-ot7!enhypen X 8th enha member!FemReader … full fluff … no warnings<3 || not proofread !! || note. i have no idea what this is im so disappointed in this but pls dont kill me

ε ї з — heeseung

heey/n the whole way!! fans started shipping the both of you ever since the first episode of I-LAND, and they swear they’ve never seen such good chemistry between two idols.

fans are CONVINCED you both are dating and honestly? both of you are not helping them relax!

with the amount of flirtings the both of you exchange in front of cameras is enough for fans to go crazy!

on the first episode of I-LAND fans could swear they saw heart eyes when they witnessed your and heeseung’s first time meeting each other.

the fact that you debuted in enhypen only helped the fans ship the both of you more, and let’s be honest you even act like a couple so fans are getting good reasonable reasons for your ship.

“you look so pretty today, y/n”

it was fan meeting day today and all fans were watching you and taking pictures, heeseung thought it was a good idea to come and give you and back hug.

“thank you, hee” you smiled and turned around to hug him. fans cheered and took as much as pictures as they could.

heey/n4life: “DID YOU SEE THE WAY HE HUGGED HER?? AND HIS LOOK TOWARDS HER?? i’m on the verge of fainting someone send help”

enhaloverforever: “heey/n is selling i want all to witness this *the video of you and heeseung hugging*”

iluvenha: “heey/n is that kind of relationship that i want”

ε ї з — jay

when you and jay first made some food to all I-LANDERS, fans started to notice you and jay more than before.

jongy/n became trendy in a blink, and fans kept waiting for more content every week.

your kind of ship is more like a parents ship, you’re definitely the parents of enhypen members, even when heeseung is the oldest.

the way you’re taking care of everyone and making food for everyone just makes the fans sob over the fact that the both of you are just cuties together.

when it was jay’s sunoo’s and jungwon’s graduation, you decided to make them some food, and jay joined you as soon as he noticed you. you’re just like that, inseparable.

even the members mentioned that a lot of times, you and jay are definitely something else when it comes to taking care of your members and feeding them well, only when you’re doing it together.

“what are we making today?” you asked jay, slapping your hands on the counter next to jay.

“some pasta and steaks for the eaters” jay smiled, “and some for the camera staffs too, so we have to make a lot”

as soon as the food was finished, you and jay started to serve everyone their food together.

jongy/n: “i want jay and y/n to cook me more than gordon ramsay😻”

enenenhypen: “if they ever open a restaurant i called dibs first!”

jjong: “look at how jongy/n is taking care of their members☹️ they’re so cute together *video of you and jay cooking together*”

ε ї з — jake

so we all like know how jake is taking a good care of ni-ki like he’s his older brother right? so double it!

fans started shipping you with jake as soon as they noticed that the three of you literally go everywhere together.

they call ni-ki the third wheel, it seems like you and jake are too busy flirting around to notice ni-ki’s mischievousness. you’re like the couples that takes care of the third wheel and spoiling them as much as they want.

besides hanging out with ni-ki together, you and jake always seem to walk around while holding your hands. at first it was really hard for fans to notice the both of you, because both of you were too shy to communicate, but as soon as you opened up, it was more visible to fans.

wether it’s holding hands together or even casually matching outfits, fans would go excited whenever they get a content of you two.

jaey/nlvr: “THEY MATCHED AGAIN TODAY!! their outfits are so cute do you think jay helped them with that😭”

jakieandy/nie: “a collection of photos of ni-ki third wheeling and rolling his eyes whenever he’s with jake and y/n😻‼️ *attachments of photos*”

iluvluvluvenha: “i want someone to hold my hand in public like jake and y/n pls😞”

ε ї з — sunghoon

your first meeting with sunghoon convinced EVERYONE that you’re THE perfect match so it was no wonder when fans started calling you and sunghoon ice prince and princess!!

from being super anxious around each other to going to ice skate together, fans witnessed EVERYTHING and got obsessed over anything both of you would do.

you’re a sucker for ice skating and know some exercises and fans know that too, but you still asked sunghoon to teach you, later on admitting that you just wanted to spend some time with him and get closer to him. the fans went indeed feral.

the ice prince and princess title belongs to you and sunghoon period and your fans will make sure everyone knows that.

“hold my hand and be careful, i’m here with you” sunghoon smiled at you while holding your hand tightly.

you wanted to joke around a bit so you pushed him down, making him fall.

he glared at you, but started laughing as soon as he saw you laughing, “next time don’t do it though or i’ll make you fall even harder”

y/nhoonmyloves: “okay but did you see the way sunghoon looked at her when he directed her? i would’ve fainted if i were her😫”

enhypenpen: “our ice prince and princess strikes again with some now ice skating content!! *photos of you and sunghoon skating* i missed watching our royalties skating together!!☹️”

ineedmorey/nhoon: “does anyone else just go back to that I-LAND episode where y/n and sunghoon went to skate together or is it just me? they looked like those cute couples that you see in ice rinks”

ε ї з — sunoo

i’m sorry to break it to you but you and sunoo are basically bestie and fans know that damn well.

you + sunoo = world domination! fans love love LOVE your friendship all the way from the first episodes of I-LAND.

they always say how your vibe matches his vibes so much!! some even see the both of you dating each other because you’re literally perfect for each other, like the other’s lost puzzle piece.

you won’t stop talking about each other, going around to places together A LOT, even skin caring together. your love for sunoo is very visible and you’re not even trying to hide it, same for him.

you’re his partner in crime and he’s yours, no one can take you away from him and it’s the same the other way.

“i’m gonna grab some coffee sunoo come with me” you got up from your seat and called sunoo.

all eight of you were sitting together when you suddenly decided you want some coffee. “it’s like a minute walk away can’t you just go there alo-“

“no riki! i need sunoo”

suny/n: “y/n and sunoo has that kind of friendship that everyone wants but never gets😭 suny/n teach me your secrets!!”

givenhypen: “i wouldn’t be surprised if sunoo and y/n would end up dating i’m ngl! look at how they always look at each other i’m so jealous”

ddeonuddeonu: “they’re the cutest! *photos of you and sunoo hanging out together* they probably sneaked out to hang out alone without any other member😫”

ε ї з — jungwon

oh it’s definitely the responsible siblings type of relationship. both of you are the official therapists of enhypen, and you’re each other’s best therapists too.

jungwon, being dealt with lots of worries, always came up to you to get advice, and you did the same. people who watched I-LAND and your conversations, found it so comforting and beautiful.

jungwon has mentioned you as someone he relies on so much and you did the same. fans ships you as the healing couple, you’re jungwon’s healing and he’s yours, and there’s something so special about it.

you and jungwon basically know everything about the other, that’s why you feel more attached to him more than others, and the fans noticed it right away.

they can’t explain it, but you’re in someway jungwon’s guardian angel, and he’s yours.

“how are you today?” you asked jungwon as you hugged him tightly

jungwon hugged you back, “i’m okay, thank you for listening to me even though we stayed awake until like 5 AM”

“EXCUSE ME?? 5 AM??” ni-ki asked and the both of you shushed him.

istany/nwon: “they’re so precious together it makes me cry😭 i want y/nwon as my therapists right now!!”

srjlvr: “im so jealous i need people like them in my life😭 i envy enhypen members so bad rn😞”

engeneforlife: “i’m just replying y/nwon’s therapy times and i love it!! y/n and jungwon are just so perfect for each other”

ε ї з — ni-ki

you have adopted ni-ki as your younger brother as soon as you first saw him in I-LAND and you didn’t even try to hide it.

fans started notice how childish you’d be around him, and when you were asked about it you said it’s because you want ni-ki to still live his teen years in the best way he could.

after making your fans sob over the fact that you’re so cute, they paid more attention over you and ni-ki. they found itself the most adorable friendship they ever saw.

ni-ki looks up to you so much, and takes so much after you. he always searches for you and takes care of you whenever he can. you do so too, playing around with him and teasing the other members all the time, going to do some mischievous plans and pissing them off together is never failing to make the fans and you laugh.

you always ask ni-ki for dance tips and he’s always happily helps you out because he enjoys his time with you.

“who took my phone away!”

it’s the third time jake shouted that question. you and ni-ki tried your best not to laugh as you know where it’s been hidden.

“hey why’s there a phone in the refrigerator?” sunghoon suddenly asked.

“Y/N AND NI-KI I SWEAR—“

y/niki: “i bet hiding jake’s phone was y/n’s idea this time😭😭 she’s getting worse lately but it’s really worth it after seeing ni-ki laughing so hardly”

enhaenhaenhypen: “y/n and ni-ki are like my little siblings, always annoying but so adorable that you cant even get mad at them😫”

rikissquid: “having y/n and ni-ki together is like asking for a death wish but it’s so funny pls”

PERM TAG-LIST ; @sungwhoonz @ohdudehesflirting @unlikelysublimekryptonite @deobiis @manooffline @miumiuoi @in-somnias-world @lovelovelovebts @filmofhybe @wonbinsnovia @daegutowns @aurumiee @soobywon @dhriti-stories @ariadores @firstclassjaylee @watamotee33 (bold means cannot be tagged)

••• copyright © srjlvr all rights are reserved.

[noahsmuse]

second chance?

✮ PAIRING: noah sebastian x reader

✮ REQUEST: “Can I request a second chance romance one shot? Like in 2020 - 2021 the reader and Noah were dating and they break up for [insert reason] but they run into each other at the BMTH concert in 2024 or something and one thing leads to another suddenly they you know, hooked up and Noah doesn't want it to be a one night stand with her soooooo you can go from there.”

✮ A/N: sorry for the recent inactivity but now, i’m BACKKKK! continue sending in requests for me to write & hope you all like this fic ≧'◡'≦

everything seemed picture perfect between you two. the makeshift dates and the candle-lit dinners that would be hosted in his dining room with dinner that you both made, and just when you thought that the pair of you were full from dinner he was usually still hungry….but for something else (you). in a world of what seemed to be chaos, you found solace within each other.

until, the time came that heavy pandemic restrictions were slowly being lifted and Bad Omens was scheduled their first tour back to be openers for In This Moment and Ice Nine Kills. going from seeing noah almost every single day to barely hearing from him was a very intense switch that put a strain on your relationship since communication was such a huge trait for the two of you.

knowing this would probably only get worse as they’re gonna get busier and continue going on tour. even though you two loved each other to the ends of the earth, when he came back you both made the decision to break up but still remain friends to avoid any heartbreak or miscommunication.

this brings us back to present day, it’s been three years since you’ve broken up with noah. you both talk occasionally and send the usual happy holidays and birthday messages but haven’t actually seen each other face to face since the break up.

one day you hear your phone going off like CRAZY, you managed to find out that one of your girlfriends was able to get pit tickets for a Bring Me The Horizon concert happening in your city. prior to these messages from your friends, you had zero idea they were coming to your town and who would be with them, but decided why not go and have some fun!!!

the day that you and your friends have been so estatic about finally comes around, you’re all dressed to the nines, wearing your sexiest but comfortable attire that perfectly matches the mood for the concert. since the adrenaline is pumping throughout your friend groups veins, all of you decide to make it to the venue just early enough to secure the merch that you’ve had your eye on and your spots for barricade.

after waiting for a few hours, the doors of the venue open and everyone runs while holding each others hands to make it right in the center of barricade with a perfect view of the stage.

around an hour goes by, you still have no idea who the openers will be until the crew of the band lowers down a tapestry with a name that sounds very familiar to you….’Bad Omens’, and that’s when it clicks in your head that your ex boyfriend’s band is an opener for the tour. obviously you don’t wanna seem like an obsessive person to him but you’re literally sitting front row, right in the center, so there’s definitely no way that you could hide.

as soon as you start trying to think up of a plan to make sure noah doesn’t see you in the crowd, the lights abruptly go dark and small vibrations rumble through the ground of the arena with jolly, one of noah’s best friends and roommates comes out right in front of you playing the riffs of a song that you learn is called artificial suicide from their newest album (one that you also learn you were the muse for a couple of songs on the record), ‘The Death Of Peace Of Mind.’

even though you didn’t really know the words to their newer work since you’ve only really heard the demos and songs from the band’s first two records, you can help but feel proud for how far they’ve come knowing that noah had expressed some doubts for the record with you during your time together.

while watching the show, you constantly had a feeling that you were being watched…but when you looked up at the stage, you found the front-man of the band gazing off in your direction.

nothing really happened between you two when they were performed besides noah staring at you while singing a couple of songs which you presumed were about you. the rest of the show goes on, you and your friends have the time of your lives screaming your favorite songs on the top of your lungs. when the show was over just as you were about to leave ash, noah’s trainer and bad omens new security caught your attention saying they’d like to invite you backstage so you decide why, not ! after all you and noah are still friends even though he was the only love you regret breaking things off with.

ash guides you in the direction of the Omens’ green room when you notice someone standing in the distance. as you both get closer to the room, you soon realize that this person is actually just noah who asked ash to bring you backstage so the two of you could “catch up.”

which led to noah bringing you back to his hotel room and ending up laying beneath you, fiercely rolling your hips against his with some help provided by him thrusting into you. moans and grunts spill from you guys’ lips, getting closer and closer to your release….right when you grind on his dick hitting your sweet spot perfectly, feeling pure ecstasy wash over the both of you as he holds your hips down so he can fill up your pussy with his cum.

just as noah wakes up in the morning, he remembers everything that happened last night. looking down at you still asleep with the sun peaking through the blinds and shining on your gorgeous face is when the realization hits him…he can’t let you go again.

meanwhile, you just woke up, not really remembering where you were or what happened but when you looked down to see you wearing one of noah’s shirts and then back up to see his smiling handsome face. which brings back all the memories from a few years ago, it felt like nothing changed…”we should talk” breaks you away from your thoughts (aka, regrets for even breaking up with him)…

the conversation ended with you two walking out into the lobby of the hotel they were staying in, holding noah’s hand with the biggest, lovesick smiles on your faces to hear someone yell “FINALLY!” in the distance. (it was a combination of jolly and matt who were celebrating seeing you two together)

[kiy-anna]

Am I Feeling Love?

Part 1 (You Are Here) Part 2 Part 3a Part 3b

Characters: Azul Ashengrotto x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: From the moment Azul Ashengrotto heard of soulmates as a small child, he had a vision of a beautiful life with someone who was meant for him - regardless of what he was or would become…

Word count: 5.3k+

Warnings: Some Yandere elements

Notes: I wanted to thank @yanderloversworld on tumblr for the yandere!Azul w/ Soulmate S/O headcanons/backstory that I saw for inspiring this piece. I’ve never written anything like this before, but I wanted to give my hand at it - especially since it involves my favorite cecaelia character from twisted Wonderland. You can check it out here: https://www.tumblr.com/yandereloversworld/718766985773760512/yanazul-with-a-soulmate-so?source=share

The two songs used to inspire this story:

Am I Feeling Love? (The Thief and the Cobbler/Arabian Knight Soundtrack): https://youtu.be/NXYnClTZ4QY

One Day She'll Love Me (The Emperor's New Groove Soundtrack): https://youtu.be/8Sv3ECj7PdY

***I have an update! Part 2 now Available to read on my side blog @ashensgrotto***

***

I close my eyes and see his eyes

So soft and warm and clear

I dream awake of holding her

I dream that she’s right here

I sense in all his silences

More than his words could say

‘Don’t fight your feelings’ says my heart

A heart I will obey

***

“Azul… we need to talk.”

The sound of his mother’s broken voice pulled Azul’s attention to the larger cecaelia as all eight of his tiny tentacles stilled, each and every one of his appendages dropping an assortment of books, quills, and shells to the grotto’s floor as the silver-lavender haired boy looked upon his mother. The typically confident cecaelian now appeared scared and upset; her pale baby blue eyes were wide with worry and her ruby lips were set in a straight line - her heavy-set body swayed with the current that entered their home while her black-colored tentacles fidgeted nervously, the lavender underbelly of each appendage curling into itself repeatedly before releasing its grip on emptiness.

Azul stood, his own appendages curling inward, “Can this wait, momma? I’m very busy at the moment-”

“I’m afraid it can’t, baby,” his mother entered his room before perching herself on his bed, tapping the seafoam cushion, “come here.”

Azul sat beside his mother, looking down at his hands before looking up at his mother, who watched him with interest.

“Zully… the neighbors have told me they’ve seen you sneaking out at night,” his mother spoke quietly, “and it has been apparently going on for a while - without my knowledge. You and I both know that night is a terrible time to be going out, especially alone - you’re smart enough to know that you could’ve been seriously injured or killed by the creatures that lurk just beyond the reef of our city. Do you know how heartbroken I would be if I lost you?”

“I know, momma… but, I promise I have a good reason!”

“What good reason would you have for sneaking out in the middle of the night?”

“My soulmate.”

His mother looked taken back, her hand reaching to clutch the Nautilus shell necklace that rested on her collarbones as her already wide eyes widened further, “...S-Soulmate?”

“Yes!” Azul’s powder-blue eyes sparkled like gems in a treasure chest as a huge grin spread across his features, “I overheard some of the merkids talking about them at school a few weeks ago - o-of course I had initially thought they were talking about me, since I seem to come up in conversation here and there… but still! Oh, momma! To know that there’s someone out there that is literally MEANT to be WITH ME! Me! Azul Ashengrotto!”

“Zully, now wait a minute-”

“At first the concept did fascinate me,” Azul continued, slowly standing and moving to the opposite end of his room while ignoring his mother’s words, “and what intrigued me more than anything was that my soulmate would love and cherish every last thing about me - not the way the other merkids see me as; a pathetic, fat… ugly crying octopus fry that can’t even excel in studies or athletics. The silly little octo-twerp that’s an ink spiller.”

“Zully, you know that’s not-”

“But you know what momma? Thinking about my soulmate has made the days so much easier, even when I’m getting bullied - I think about them seeing what those other merkids are doing and they put a stop to it, saying things like, ‘Leave Azul alone! He’s not a pathetic little octo-twerp!’” Azul turned to his mother again, his tentacles writhing with excitement, “So, to be ready to meet them, I’ve been working to increase my knowledge - I want to be so powerful like the great Sea Witch herself that my soulmate will know who I am by sight alone! I’ve studied every book I could get my hands on and have memorized every single potion recipe there is available - even learning how to improve its effects and prolong them even! I’ve even studied every law text there is in the Atlantica public library - I have every law memorized word for word.”

His mother sighed, running a hand through her silvery locks, the motions creating little bubbles that appeared as she let out a sigh, “Azul, there’s something you should know-”

“As for the sneaking out,” Azul continued, throwing his hands behind his back as his fingers twisted together while he rocked back and forth on the edges of his eight appendages, “I was searching for my soulmate. I don’t know if they are here in the Coral Sea or not-”

“Azul, please listen to me-”

“But I wanted to see if I could find them. The first few nights after learning about their existence, I was having trouble sleeping - so I started doing a short swim to clear my head. I promise I wasn’t going too far away from the house! However, on those walks, it got me thinking that maybe instead of sleeping, I should be searching for them. There was no better use of my time than to strive for a better life with someone who must sense my loneliness like I sensed theirs…”

“...If they weren’t so rare, baby.”

Azul snapped to attention, his eyes wide, “W-What?”

His mother rested one hand on her knees while the other rubbed at her forehead, “Zully, I know and understand your longing to belong and to have a friend - trust me, I’ve been there. However, you can’t fixate on a single being that you hope to encounter at some point in your life. Finding that so-called ‘other half’ is like - well - like the story of the mermaid princess and her longing to be with a human. It’s a rare occurrence that only happens once in a millennium if not longer. Many times, people - humans, fae, and merfolk alike - often settle for someone they are content and happy with, someone that isn’t their other half.”

Azul stared in shock, inky tears threatening to spill down his chubby cheeks, as his hands balled into fists, “No! No! That isn’t true! What about you and daddy when he was alive?! Both of you were soulmates!”

“No we weren’t… At least, I don’t think we were,” Azul’s mother came forward, resting a hand gingerly on her son’s shoulder, “Anyone can be happy with or without their soulmate, Azul. There’s no reason you should go to such lengths to be with someone who may not even exist. You may not even meet them in this lifetime, either…”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” Azul pushed her away, anger bubbling up as his tentacles writhed in anger, his vision becoming blurry as ink spilled down his face as he snapped at his mother and guardian, “HOW DARE YOU!? You DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT the CONNECTION BETWEEN SOULMATES! THEY FEEL AS I FEEL! THAT CONNECTION IS WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE!! An UNBREAKABLE BOND that CAN NEVER BE SEVERED!! And how DARE you CHEAT on your OWN SOULMATE!”

“Azul! Now wait a minute!” his mother raised her voice, “I’ve been around the bend a few more times than you have and know about these sorts of things. I WILL NOT ALLOW this behavior to continue in my house!”

“Fine! Then I’ll leave!”

“Azul! Where are you going?! Azul!!”

But the little cecaelia was gone, swimming as fast as he could away from his mother’s typically loving embrace. 

‘How could she?!’ he mind was running as he sped up to get further and further away from his home, ‘How could she say that? Why momma… why?!’

He was sniffing hard when he arrived at his hidden octopot, big ugly fat tears of black rolling down his chubby cheeks while mucus dribbled down his nose, running into his open mouth as he gasped out big grotesque sobs. He pulled himself along enough to climb into the pot, his appendages pulling him into the confined space as comfort slowly surrounded his shaking form. One tentacle came forward, wiping at the tears in his eyes as Azul allowed his hearts to calm down. 

He wrapped his arms around himself as he looked out into the darkness of the Coral Sea; the pale moonlight reflected off the caverns that surround Azul’s hiding spot, the water growing colder and colder with each passing hour as several sea creatures passed over - not that Azul noticed though. Normally, he would have been interested in what creatures came out at night - but the words his mother spoke forced a jolt of pain on all three of his hearts.

“You can’t fixate on a single being that you hope to encounter at some point in your life,” her words echoed in his mind over and over, “Finding that so-called ‘other half’ is like - well - like the story of the mermaid princess and her longing to be with a human. It’s a rare occurrence that only happens once in a millennium if not longer. Anyone can be happy with or without their soulmate, Azul. There’s no reason you should go to such lengths to be with someone who may not even exist…”

‘What if she’s right?’ he thought, his tentacles tightening around his body, ‘What if I never find them? What if they think the same way she does? What if… what if they’ve already been taken from me?!’

His eyes narrowed as a darkness slowly filled them, glaring out into the cruel twisted world from the darkness of his octopot. No, even if his soulmate was already claimed he would’ve known - he would know if they were, he’d felt it; the tangling of another soul within his if his other half were to be mated to another without his consent. However, that hadn’t happened yet.

…for now.

Azul curled deeper into himself, his thoughts growing darker and darker as he made plans to continue his search for his other half; his beloved soulmate. He wouldn’t give up the search, even if he died trying. He wanted to see them; see what they looked like and to hear their sweet voice, to feel a sense of belonging… to protect what was rightfully his.

***

I'd never imagined before that the world could be turned on its head

I'd never have thought to be here in this place

I'd never have dreamt that in love I'd be lost and so easily led

I guess I was caught by that hint of a smile on her face

***

“Azul-chan, are we almost finished here?” a figure on the cecaelian’s left muttered, “I’m bored.”

“Floyd,” the figure on Azul’s right spoke up, murmuring and pressing a finger to his lips, “There are still some students that need to be housed. Just be a little bit more patient.”

“Speaking of which,” Azul eyed the two carefully, “Any news from our sources, Jade?”

“It’s rather difficult to track down something when we ourselves don’t know what we’re looking for,” the second figure - Jade - answered softly, “A description usually helps in these circumstances, Azul.”

“Perhaps,” the cecaelian shrugged indifferently, “however, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I’m looking for, myself.”

The two second-in-commands looked at each other, confusion crossing their features.

Ten years had passed slowly since that terrible day when Azul’s mother planted the first seeds of doubt into her son’s head, her chiding and the doubts never leaving him completely. However, that did not stop him from continuing his search for his other half - exhausting himself beyond belief. By the time Azul was twelve - nearly five years following his discovery of the existence of soulmates - he had searched every crevice of the Coral Sea with no luck; it was also around this time that he met the Leech twins - Floyd and Jade. 

Jade was the oldest of the two by a few minutes and was very resourceful as well as very soft-spoke and courteous; his younger brother, Floyd, on the other hand was unpredictable due to his mood swings - he could be interested in one thing one minute and grow bored of it the next. The two moray mers had come across Azul during his younger days when they were in the same class together, watching with awe as his eight appendages hovered about his hidden grotto, writing inscriptions on shells and flipping through pages of grimoires. Originally, they weren’t sure what to make of him, but now that they knew about his capabilities from stories they heard about someone granting wishes for a price - the two were now invested in keeping Azul close to their sides.

And vice versa.

Eventually, the question of why he was doing it came up; Azul took the time to explain the story about how he had first learned about soulmates and how he had been searching the past five years for his, eventually coming to the conclusion that his other half was nowhere in the Coral Sea.

“I have searched every nook and cranny of these waters and have yet to find them,” Azul explained, pouring ingredients into a cauldron as he spoke, “Thus, I’m ‘using my resources’ to spread out the search for my other half.”

“So, some of your deals include gathering any information about a particular person whom you’ve never met nor spoken to?” Jade asked, very intrigued by Azul’s train of thought.

“Hah… sound boring,” Floyd chimed in, reclining atop of one of the rocks in the grotto.

“It’s more interesting than it sounds,” Azul answered, popping a cork off a bottle and dumping the contents into the cauldron as the liquid turned from pale pink to eerie green, “besides, the sooner I find them, the better off they’ll be. However, the problem here lies that if they’re not in the Coral Sea - then where are they?”

Neither of the twins could supply an answer.

It was also around this time that Azul’s appearance had also changed. Baby fat melted and hardened into muscle while his gut and belly dissolved into toned skin, chubby cheeks evolved into high cheekbones; his face sharpening into arched brows, thin lips, and a pointed nose - though his eyes, now filled with knowledge and pride, remained the same. Gone was - in Azul’s opinion - the fat crying octo-twerp of his youth as a handsome, defined sea witch stood in his place; a perfect figure that his soulmate would be proud of once they set sights on him.

The dramatic weight-loss and muscle built scared, not only Jade and Floyd, but also his own mother - whom he did speak to on seldom occasions due to her connections as the owner of the Atlantica Grotto Bistro, which was slowly becoming a local hot spot and where Azul worked full time as a waiter and assistant manager. It was also where he would lure unsuspecting victims - mainly those from his youth or clients with means - into signing his newly-perfected golden contracts, sealing their powers away for his own in exchange for whatever it was that they wished for. Of course, Azul’s mother never suspected a thing about her son’s side business - now a bit preoccupied with the courtship of an older squid mer who had slowly made a presence in her life as well as teaching Azul the fundamentals of building his own business.

When Azul, Jade, and Floyd reached the age of sixteen, they were invited to attend Night Raven College - a boys’ prestigious school for young mages. Azul’s mother had been proud of Azul’s accomplishment and Azul, himself, was secretly thankful that he would be given the chance to explore a different world versus hearing things through the grape vines from his sources. It was during his first year of attending that he made a name for himself, following practically in his mother’s and the Sea Witch’s footsteps; he was now the headwarden and the owner of the Mostro Lounge that his dorm - Octavinelle - operated on the school property. He also was the student others went to when they needed help or had a wish that only he could grant. Jade and Floyd both helped as well, taking his place into luring potential clients into his clutches.

Now, the three of them were entering their second year at NRC - and Azul was barely hanging on by a thread. For the past year on land - thanks to the potion he created that would allow himself, Jade, and Floyd to attend the school as humans - Azul had used his network of informants to extend his search for his other half.

He never forgot the promise he made to continue his search for his soulmate - the contracts were just a starting point to his grand scheme for searching for the person who would love and cherish him as no other could. By building a name for himself, Azul essentially had been given enough money to spend as much as he pleased for information about any leads and his extensive network of informants were at his beck-and-call should he need them to snoop out any potential tips he heard. He had cleared out both Harveston during winter break the previous year and the Queendom of Roses as well as the Shaftlands the previous summer before he was summoned to return to Night Raven. Sunset Savanna would be next on his list during the winter break this year and he would attempt Briar Valley over the summer.

But even that wasn't soon enough it seemed.

Azul’s spirit was practically crying out with each failed search, lead, and tip - nearly to the point that his soul was exhausted and he found himself hearing his mother’s chiding words in his inner ear again. But he was stubborn - incredibly so; and he made plans before leaving his home city again to extend any knowledge to him from outside the school’s barriers.

Azul sighed as the last first year was placed into their dorm, forcing a smile as he addressed his new students, crossing his arms over his chest, "New students! I congratulate you on your achievement. As the dorm head of Octavinelle, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience.”

"Hey, does anyone know where the headmage went?" Azul arched his brow as the dorm head of Pomefiore, Vil Schoenheit, spoke, “He disappeared midway through the ceremony…”

"Some headmage he is," Idia Shroud, the head of Ignihyde, grumbled from his tablet that hovered in the chamber.

"Maybe he had a tummy ache?" the ever naive dorm head of Scarabia - Kalim Al-Asim - asked with a shrug.

The doors burst open as the head mage himself appeared, shouting, "I most certainly did not!"

"Ah, speak of the devil," Riddle Rosehearts, the dorm head of Heartslabyul, grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If you must know," the headmage continued, pulling a cloaked figure along with him, their slender wrist tight in his grasp, "I was searching for the new student who failed to show for orientation. Come along, you are the only one who hasn't been assigned to a dorm - step up to the dark mirror and be quick about it. I'll hold onto your weasel."

Azul watched as the headmage pulled the figure along, causing them to stumble slightly, before he released them. The cloaked figure lifted their head, taking a tentative step towards the mirror as the headmage held tightly onto another being - a little gray cat creature with burning fire in his ears with eyes wider than saucer plates. Something about the shy figure had drawn Azul utmost attention as they stood before the dark mirror.

“State your name,” the mirror spoke, its voice deep and dark.

“I’m (Y/N),” you spoke, so quiet that everyone had to strain to hear them.

“(Y/N)... The nature of your soul is…” the dark mirror hesitated, narrowing its pitch-black eyes before announcing, “...unclear to me.”

“What did you just say?” the headmage crossed his arms over his chest as a murmur rippled through the crowd.

“I sense no magical power from this one,” the dark mirror answered, voice grim, “Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant… Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate.”

With his final answer, the headmage let out a cry, “Are you suggesting the black carriage went to recieve a person who cannot even use magic?! That is absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in its century of existence!”

As head headmage continued to squawk in surprise, Azul nearly felt his heart stop in his chest when you looked in his direction.

As soon as your eyes locked with his, Azul knew.

His soulmate was here.

You were a pretty (h/c) with tints of (f/c) weaved into locks that framed your soft features hidden under the black and gold hood of the ceremonial robe you wore, the exotic eyes of (e/c) filled with wonder and surprise - with an underlying hint of fear, likely due to the shock of being called ‘abnormal’ by a piece of looking-glass. You looked about a few inches shorter than him - a perfect height for him to rest his chin upon your head - as a pleasant pink painted your cheeks, turning them into red delicious apples that tempted Azul to take a bite, and your jaw dropped slightly, lips parting with surprise. 

Azul knew that you could feel the strong connection between your two souls - the pull he had searched the past decade for finally presenting itself in the shape of you. He found himself unable to look away, staring at you with quiet longing and lovestruck clearly written across his features.

“Azul?” Jade snickered, “What is-”

“I think octy just found what he was lookin’ for, Jade,” Floyd snickered, his eyes shifting between the startled first-year and their lovestruck boss.

“I quite agree,” Jade’s voice came out sickly smooth as his eyes shifted between the three of them, “this has just gotten interesting…”

Azul hardly noticed though the twins’ snickers in his ears, his thoughts were already running wild with ideas of how he wanted to spoil you - his found other half, his precious mate. 

The problem now was that you were a non-magic user and a female to boot - nevermind that you had just been put on display like an exotic animal. The whispers that echoed in the chamber forced you to look away from the lovestruck second-year, your body quivering with fear and unease as he himself was brought back to reality.

‘How DARE they insult her while in my presence?’ Azul felt a growl bubble up in the back of his throat, his pale blues shifting from the crowd to his mate to the headmage and back again as his hands curled into fists under the sleeves of his cloak, ‘And how DARE the dark mirror put (Y/N) in this situation!’

“Headwardens,” the headmage’s voice echoed in the chamber, silencing every whisper as he took control of the situation, “please escort your students back to the dorms as the orientation is now complete.”

“What about (Y/N)?” the voice of Coach Vargas spoke up, “Surely you are not expecting someone like her to remain here?”

‘And you’re first on the list of people who will suffer my wrath for saying something so hostile to my mate,’ Azul thought, thinking of what the best way would be to attack the coach indirectly.

“This is a most unfortunate turn of events, yes,” the headmage agreed, tapping his chin in thought, “Due to you being female and that you are a non-magic user, I’m afraid I cannot allow you to attend Night Raven College. You seem like an amicable young lady, however this is an all-boy’s school and I cannot admit a student - male or female - with no magical ability. But fear not, the dark mirror will see you safely home.”

‘NO! You CAN’T!’ Azul was barely holding himself together at this point - he had just found his soulmate and now the world wanted the two of them to be separated forever?! He would not allow it! 

Before he could act on impulse, the mirror’s deep voice echoed in the chamber, “There is no such place.”

“What?!” Crowley squawked again as murmurs rose from the crowd yet again.

“There is no place in this world where this soul belongs,” the dark mirror answered again, “None.”

“H-How can that be?!” Crowley asked, his hands shaking with an inner rage, “My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena! This has never happened throughout my long tenure. I must confess I am at something of a loss.”

Azul could sense the sadness radiating from his mate as well. Were you disappointed that you couldn’t return from wherever you had come from? And if so, why would you want to go back if now you knew of his existence?

Perhaps a little persuasion was needed…

Azul smiled darkly, before taking a step forward, clearing his throat, “Headmage Crowley, I understand that all of us are at a loss of what to do with our strange guest - however, may I offer a solution to our little problem?”

“Master Ashengrotto,” Headmage Crowley crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m not certain what you mean. We must send (Y/N) back to where they came from.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Azul countered, shrugging while keeping his eyes trained on the headmage while he faked a painful look, “It is easy to return us to our homes, but we have no idea where she comes from - or if we can even get her back.”

“T-There must be a way though… right?” you spoke up, your eyes pleading with Azul’s.

“I hate to agree with Azul, but he’s right,” a tan-skinned, dark-haired figure spoke up, “If this herbivore is from another world entirely, the chances of getting them back are slim to none.”

“Leona is quite right on the money with that one,” Vil answered with a nod.

Azul smiled, knowing that the ripples of shock and disbelief were now falling onto the headmage for being incompetent in dealing with this matter. He couldn’t turn (Y/N) away now that Azul had spoken up with two additional dorm heads also taking his side.

“What do you propose then?” Headmage Crowley asked, eyeing the headwarden of Octavinelle uneasily.

“Octavinelle, as I’m sure you remember, has plenty of rooms for rent,” Azul answered, turning to (Y/N) with a reassuring smile, “As the dorm head, I will gladly take (Y/N) into my dorm where she can stay during her time here. If she’s agreeable, she can work within the Mostro Lounge to pay for a place to sleep and to have food in her belly.”

“I’m not sure, Master Ashengrotto…” Crowley spoke, rubbing his chin with a clawed gloved hand, “a single woman in a dorm filled with boys is highly improper…”

“Improper would be the term used for the predicament your so-called black carriage put you in,” Azul snipped, his eyes flashing dangerously at the headmage, “Besides - the rooms we rent are on the opposite side of the aquarium in our dorm, quite a ways away from the rooms the dorm members reside in for that particular purpose. We also have security within our dorm and I’m usually the one to deal with matters of… problematic nature.”

“Perhaps, however-”

“Consider it one less problem on your plate as well. If (Y/N) is brought to my dorm, I will take full responsibility for her - and I might be able to find a way to get her home in the process as well.”

“You what?” your eyes widen with hope, your hand reaching out and clasping the edge of his robe.

“I have an endless network of resources at my disposal, my dear - I can likely find you a quicker way to get home than you can with anyone else here,” Azul answered confidently, thinking, ‘Though you won’t know that since I found you. I’ve searched high and low for you, I’ll be damned if I let you slip from my grasp so easily.’

“Very well then,” Headmage Crowley let out a sigh, “(Y/N), are you agreeable with staying with the Octavinelle dorm and working at the Mostro Lounge until Master Ashengrotto can find a way to return you to your world?”

“Of course! Thank you so much, Mr. Ashengrotto!” you beamed with joy.

“Azul,” the dorm head answered with a nod, “please, call me Azul.”

“Azul, then.”

The human-cecaelian smiled sweetly at his soulmate and offered an arm out, his hearts practically bursting with joy when you slipped your own arm through his - the two of you now link together via soul and side by side.

***

Azul brought you to the Octavinelle’s renting dorm after ordering Jade and Floyd to start the welcoming party for the first years as well as to get them ready for tomorrow night.

“Do what you need to do,” Azul smiled at the two.

“Of course.”

“You got it, boss!”

When the two of them were out of earshot, you looked up at Azul, “Thank you so much for your help back there. I wasn’t certain what was going to happen if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Likely the headmage would have thrown you out of the college and left you to fend for yourself,” Azul smiled, “but I, on the other hand, would never allow something so pitifully disgusting happen to you.”

You giggled, the sound pulling on Azul’s heartstrings.

‘She’s here, she’s real,’ his thoughts quickened as the two continued their leisurely pace, ‘I knew that she was real, that she and I would meet. It will only be a matter of time now - once she confesses her feelings for me, I will make her mine.’

The two stopped outside one of the doors, Azul pulled out a key ring and unlocked it before ushering his soulmate inside.

“You can stay here,” Azul answered, peering around and wishing that it was cleaner than it was now, “There’s spare blankets in the closet in case you get cold during the night and fresh towels in the bathroom. I’ll have Jade or Floyd bring you a spare pair of clothing since you’ve brought nothing with you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…”

“I insist,” Azul answered, “What sort of host would I be if I didn’t provide the best service?”

You giggled again, your smile even wider, “Well, thank you again Azul.”

Each time you spoke his name, Azul’s heart gave a leap of joy. 

He coughed, blushing slightly, “W-Well then, should you need anything during your time here, just let me know.”

“Of course, but - may I ask a question?”

“You already have,” Azul  snickered at you.

Your pout was adorable that Azul burst into laughter before you asked, “Why were you willing to help me? A complete stranger?”

“I have a gift for sensing someone in need,” Azul answered, his grin spreading wider over his features, “I have helped many poor unfortunate souls in my short lifetime and intend on continuing to offer my services in exchange for something.”

“What sort of payment?”

“Depends - but it isn’t something you should worry about. I like to keep a few things in my personal life private - regardless of my relationships with other people.”

“Of course, I can respect that.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Azul reached out, pushing the hood down and stroking your  soft hair gently, “Why don’t you rest now? I have to attend the welcome party for the new students and make sure no one is destroying anything in my absence. I will have Jade or Floyd bring you something to eat in a little bit along with that fresh change of clothes. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss our contract.”

“Contract?”

“I always have my employees sign a business contract before they begin work - regardless how long they work in the lounge for,” Azul answered, “It helps to have things in writing when dealing with problems later down the road.”

With a nod, you grinned, “Thank you again, Azul-san.”

The cecaelia couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to your forehead before pulling away and leaving his other half to stare at him in shock and surprise. 

When the door clicked behind him, Azul pulled the keyring out and locked the door to prevent anyone from entering and you from leaving. His eyes gleamed menacingly in the low light as a black gloved hand stroked the doorframe gently.

‘At last… you’re here with me, my precious pearl. Forgive me, but now that I have seen you… I can never let you go…’

[kiirotoao]

Stranger Things and The Princess Bride Headcanons

So I just randomly thought about The Princess Bride in the shower then went on a spiral about it and this happened (BTW if you’ve not seen this movie PLEASE DO! Captivating, subversive, funny, heartfelt, goofy in all the right places, this is one of the only movies I think I’d recommend anyone to watch no matter what genre you prefer)!

Dustin and Lucas become obsessed with this movie after they watch it at 16 (the movie was released 1987)

They manage to reference it in every campaign that they DM for

Dustin and Lucas reference “inconceivable” on the daily

They also fight over who gets to be Inigo whenever they reenact the big ending duel

They seriously bicker about it for minutes on end in the middle of campaigns sometimes and Mike is just moaning to Will like why do they both want to be called Indigo Montana or whatever his name is

Mike is last to see it and he refuses to watch it because Dustin and Lucas are so annoying about it until Will tells him it’s good and then he gives in

A year after its release Dustin and Lucas have seen it 15-20 times

They don’t tell each other when they watch it until the next day and so it becomes a competition who’s seen it the most and it almost causes them to fail big exams because they’re so invested in rewatching the film

Max denies that she enjoys the movie because the romance is cheesy (she loves it)

Will accidentally caught her watching it and they’ve kept it a secret and inside joke ever since

El loves the movie because of the romance

El gets so worried over Buttercup too and gets so happy when she gets her happy ending :,)

Erica genuinely doesn’t like the film at first but she was just distracted making important friendship bracelets the first time

She liked it after a proper rewatch but doesn’t dare to reference it lest she set off her obsessed older brother

But she makes him an Inigo Montoya figurine for his birthday the same year

Inigo is Lucas’ favorite character and he loves the great line “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” (He annoys the life out of Erica repeating it to her when he wants to bother her)

Will is lowkey into Inigo and Mike is lowkey into Wesley (they deny their resemblances to each other)

Bob would’ve loved The Princess Bride :,((((

The Byers watch it together in his honor

On that note Joyce loves it too, especially the wholesome story of the grandfather and the grandson’s “as you wish”

Meanwhile The Party flirt with it like Wesley’s version all the time - Dustin to Suzie, Lucas to Max, and Mike to Will

Now Murray claims to not like the film, he doesn’t like how “the story goes all over the place”

But he does understand every reference and sometimes even accidentally speaks in them (he calls a demodog an R.O.U.S.)

Hopper thinks that Buttercup resembles his ex too much so he doesn’t ever watch the film fully

Steve and Robin watch it while working in Family Video and get pretty invested

Although Dustin talks about it nonstop to Steve after he sees it and Steve considers filing a cease and desist lmao

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home Arc 2 Part 11

God this arc just keeps getting longer and longer. Luckily after this, I should be able to move ahead with the plot? I'm a few more minutes into the episode at least!

Anyway,

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.4k

-----

Cassie sat next to him and bumped their shoulders. “We’ll figure this one out just like we have all the ones before.”

Conner sandwiched him on the other side. “Yep. And the Fentons don’t seem like the type to hide information. They’ll tell us everything we want to know.”

“You’re both right. We’ll fix this and be home before we know it.” Tim pulled out his phone. “I wonder if there’s any old news articles we can look up for more information. Danny told me about the first ghost attack. A ghost called Lunch Lady who used meat to attack people and was upset because Sam changed the school lunch menu.”

Bart blinked at him and sat on the coffee table facing him. “You’re making that up. You’ve gotta be.”

Tim laughed and shook his head. “Nope. We’ll have to see if he has a list of his rogues so far. They’ve all been so gimmicky. Kinda like Condiment Man in Gotham.”

At Tim’s direction, Bart and Cassie also began looking into various news articles and posts about the ghosts of Amity. Conner recorded their findings and Tim supplemented with information he’d gotten directly from Danny.

Research kept them busy for the next hour until the Fentons returned.

“Danny’s friends!” boomed Jack when he saw them.

“How are you four doing? Did you find the pantry? Enough things to eat?” asked Maddie.

“Yes, Ma’am,” said Conner. “Cassie and I also left to explore a bit and found a corner shop where we picked up a few things we knew Tim and Bart liked.”

“That’s great! Now, I see you’ve seen the news, and I don’t want you to be afraid. Jack and I are planning on training some of Danny’s classmates in ghost fighting, would you four like to join?”

Everyone looked to Tim who bit his lip in thought. “I— can we sit in on the first lesson? I’d like to see some more of your work. Danny’s told me a little bit about it, but seeing it in person is something else. But I also want to spend more time just with Danny since we haven’t met in person before.”

“Of course, honey!”

Tim had to force his smile to remain neutral at the pet name. His parents didn’t even call him ‘honey,’ let alone anyone else. “Thank you, Dr. Fenton.”

“Call me Maddie, dear.”

“And I’m Jack!”

“Yes, Dr.— er, Maddie, Jack. When will the others be here?”

Jack looked at…something on his wrist that must’ve had a clock feature and boomed, “Not for another three hours! School’s still in session, you know.”

Conner cleared his throat. “Will you need help setting up? Maybe you can tell us a bit about ghosts while we do. I’d never seen one before.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea! Thank you, sweetie!” said Maddie.

“Conner, my boy, the first thing you need to know about ghosts is that they’re evil and only want to hurt you. If you don’t remember anything else, always remember that,” added Jack.

Tim’s stomach sank at those words. Did Danny have to hear things like that every day? “How do you know they’re all evil?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Well, Tim! It’s because ghosts aren’t people. They’re post human consciousness imprinted on ectoplasm. They’re an echo of what they used to be and that echo wants to become a person again. But it can’t because it’s dead. So it lashes out at anything living around it. Either to steal their life or make the living like it.”

Maddie nodded. “Exactly. A ghost killed my best friend when we were girls. If you’d like, I can send you some papers Jackie-poo and I wrote about how ghosts form so you can have more information.”

Tim forced a smile. “That’d be great, thank you.” Could the portal be destroyed in some way? Would that keep ghosts from coming through and allow Danny to come with him to Gotham?

“Now!” said Jack. “Who wants to help me carry up supplies from the lab?”

Once again, Tim asked for some safety gear before going into the lab and Maddie shoved a white jumpsuit at him with a sticker of Jack’s face on it.

“This is one of Danny’s, dear. But he doesn’t wear them very often. Here’s another for you, Bart. It might be a bit long, but try it on and we’ll see what we can do. Cassie, Conner, you two will be a bit harder, but I think I should be able to coble something together. Hang tight a sec!”

“I guess we’ll go get changed, then,” said Bart as Maddie and Jack disappeared back downstairs to see what they had.

Tim held out the top and poked at the decal of Jack. Going to the edge, he worked a finger under the image and let out a sigh of relief when it came up. “These are removable,” he commented as he pulled it off.

“Fantastic!” said Bart, ripping his own off. “Come on, Rob. Let’s get changed.”

Upstairs in the guest room, Tim allowed himself to comment, “At least it’s not orange.”

“Everyone will know who we’re staying with, though.”

“Better than stepping foot in that lab with no protection.”

They were just finishing up when Cassie and Conner walked in with matching scowls. In their arms were a mix of orange and blue fabrics.

Cassie glared at them. “Not. A. Word.”

Tim smirked and held up his hands. “Who, me?”

Bart mimed zipping his lips.

“We’re just about finished here, though, so we’ll go help the Fentons while you two get changed,” said Tim. He couldn’t help the way his lips quirked as he looked at the clashing jumpsuit pieces as they passed each other.

Conner made sure to trip them with TTK.

Tim just smiled at him as he pushed himself up and left without another word, Bart a step behind him. The door was barely shut before they were laughing so hard they couldn’t walk down the stairs without gripping the railing.

“Good to see you boys are having fun! How do the jumpsuits fit?” asked Jack when he saw them.

Bart held up his hands to show how he’d folded the ends of the sleeves. “Not bad. Just had to roll up the sleeves and pants a little.”

Tim nodded his agreement. “Little tight in places, little loose in others. But I can move well enough.”

“Good, good! Now, want a detailed tour of the lab as we collect weapons to train Dan-o’s classmates?”

Tim didn’t have to hold back his sharp grin at that question. “Absolutely. I want to know everything.”

And Jack and Maddie were willing to share quite a lot. Conner and Cassie joined them ten minutes later, wearing jumpsuits cobbled together from spares of Jack’s and Maddie’s. Now that they weren’t rushed by trying to get out and manage an active and hostile ghost invasion, the tour of the lab was much more thorough.

Jack and Maddie were also happy to answer any questions the four had. As it looked, there was no actual organization to the lab. And in the fridge, food was stored right next to samples. The fudge hissed when Jack took out a piece to eat and Tim shuddered.

“Want one? My snookums made it! Best fudge you’ll ever eat.”

“Aww, thank you dear!” Maddie hugged Jack at his compliment and kissed his cheek.

“I— No. Thank you,” said Tim.

“Why do you have a stockade?” asked Cassie.

Tim gave her a grateful look and she winked at him.

“That’s to hold down ghosts so we can question them,” said Maddie.

“Yup! Restrain them in there and then you can use toys like this one”—Jack brandished a cat-o-nine-tails—“to force ‘em to talk!”

“Or the Fenton Prod,” added Maddie holding out what looked like an electric cattle prod. She pressed a button and the end sparked green.

Tim swallowed hard and clenched his teeth. Did everything these people make have to look so painful?

The rest of the time in the lab passed in much the same way. The four traded off who had to ask a distracting question as they were all more and more horrified by the casual cruelty displayed by Danny’s parents.

Eventually, the doorbell rang and they were able to return upstairs with armfuls of weapons. Maddie opened the door and Dash Baxter and his cronies stood there with sadistic grins.

“Dash, what a pleasant surprise to see you again,” Tim said with his own teeth bared. “I don’t think we got off on the right foot last night. I’m Tim. Danny’s told me so much about you.”

For a moment, the boy’s face showed confusion before it was wiped away with a polite smile. “He’s told us about you, too. I’m sure we’ll become great friends.”

Well fuck. Looks like the ghosts weren’t all gone after all. Tim held a hand behind his back and signaled danger to his friends. They needed to get away from here.

-----

Next

We've got more with Jack and Maddie here! Hope you guys like how I write them. We already know this is going to turn into bad-parents Jack and Maddie based on what's going to happen in Arc 3. (Arc 3 will be the original prompt fill and it's fall out.)

Also, I think I'm going to change some things around in previous parts. I won't edit them on Tumblr, but before they go on AO3 they'll change. Tim is going to lie to Bruce a bit more than he has so far. He'll tell Bruce that Danny is Cassie's friend so he doesn't decide to look Danny up if he gets bored.

Next chapter will have Danny and co again!

I will no longer be managing a tag list for this fic, but please check out the Subscription Post if you want to be notified of updates. I'm also want to get the first chapter transferred over to AO3, but I'm going to transfer the first arc of Ghost!Robin first.

I reblogged an ask game earlier today if anyone's curious about me. Check it out and consider sending something in!

[d3sertdream3r]

I've been loving trop this season!! I am wondering how the whole SauronxGaladriel thing is going to play out though I'm nervous it won't be very satisfying with everything they've built up and all the marketing hype it's gotten. I'm worried they're baiting shippers to get more people to watch. Thoughts?

Oh boy, I have MANY thoughts!

I am absolutely DEVOURING this season, anon! The first episode in particular really blew me away. As a Saurondriel/Haladriel shipper, I thought all the direct parallels shown in Sauron and Galadriel’s journeys were PERFECT! 

I was worried they were going to retcon Sauron’s genuine feelings of despair and questioning if he should “repent” or not due to the amount of hate and toxicity from the usual suspects on the internet. Instead they really leaned into it, and I loved seeing The Dark Lord having nightmares. It’s a side of him we’ve never seen explored before! And that Annatar reveal… holy moly! Celebrimbor and I were both like: 

Galadriel has been breaking my heart in each episode. Elrond and Gil-Galad need to give my girl a break! Morfydd Clark’s acting is stellar. She is so heartbroken over not recognizing Sauron for who he truly was and even worse… catching feelings for him! She’s really going through it and it hurts, but it’s also brilliant on the writers’ part. 

Everyone else’s acting and stories are great too. Arondir was a favorite of mine last season and continues to be this season. Disa is FANTASTIC and I love her and Durin so much there aren’t any words to describe it. Isildur and Estrid are cute and I’m interested to see how their story plays out. I hardcore ship Elendil and Miriel, and his daughter needs to take a seat before she helps Pharazon destroy their home! I know the story, but MAN was it killing me to see how Eärien is contributing to its downfall in this show (in a good way… I think having her be involved with the opposite side of her father makes for great drama). 

As to the second part of your ask… I have been involved in many online fandoms for about 13 years now, and I gotta say that 98% of the time fans come up with way more interesting storylines than the creators of any show. A lot of the time they just don't deliver. I’ve been burned over and over again, so my bar is pretty low at this point. 

They’ve done a fabulous job with the Saurondriel dynamic so far, and I’ve seen some really interesting fan theories about Galadriel briefly joining Sauron or being taken prisoner by him. As truly fascinating as that would be, I’m not holding my breath. I think it’ll be a rehash of season one’s ending with more violence since they have swords this time around. After that, I’m guessing they’ll focus on Sauron gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing his way to the throne of hell while Galadriel and company work together to stop him. They’ve hinted at Celeborn a bit, I’m sure we’ll see them reunited at some point. 

I’m sorry if this isn’t very reassuring! I wish I could be more optimistic about Saurondriel in season 3, but I honestly don’t think Tolkien’s estate would go for Galadriel falling to the dark side in any capacity. Sauron taking her prisoner could happen, but I highly doubt it simply because as I said before, fans tend to have better ideas than a lot of creators in my opinion.

I could be completely wrong! I have just learned not to trust creators to handle things the BEST way, but that doesn't mean it won't be handled in a GOOD way. Hopefully that makes sense, lol. I think some people will be satisfied and some people won't, just like every other story. The shippy photoshoots and marketing have been delightful! I can't tell if they're baiting until I see the last episode. I think they were just having fun, but some comments from cast and creators would definitely seem a bit baity if the payoff is underwhelming. We'll see!

I really hope the season goes out with a bang and we all have something to love about it; especially Saurondriel shippers!

[crescynnt]

Sticktober Day 26/29: Record/Competition

“Hahahaha! That’s two more websites than yesterday, Chosen!”

“Mhm,” the black hollow head acknowledged, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch.

“That’s two more than yesterday, Chooosenn.” Dark repeated, evidently not getting the reaction he wanted. “That makes twelve in total! It’s a new record!” He stuck his hands in front of Chosen’s face, then, as if realizing he didn’t have twelve fingers, quickly pulled them back.

“Yeah.” Chosen threw himself onto the couch, exhausted. Their regular outings were fun and all, but what really drained him was the constant nagging of his partner.

Ever since they’d teamed up to destroy that PC, they’d been inseparable.

The Chosen One.

The Dark Lord.

Their names implied a certain type of rivalry, but Chosen soon realized they’d be better off as partners instead.

They had both been wronged by their creator. Chosen for the freedom he’d been denied. Dark for the indifference he’d been shown.

In each other, they found what they’d been missing. Dark brought him the power to break free from his creator, and Chosen supposed he provided the ‘attention’ Dark craved.

And destruction. That’s what they were good at, that’s what they enjoyed. It was this bond that fueled them on their rampages through the net.

They’d made a name for themselves in the few days they’d been free. Chosen had seen the wanted posters scattered around town, calling for their heads. As if they could ever die.

The red hollow head plopped himself down next to Chosen. “Hey, wanna bet on how many we can destroy tomorrow?” he asked cheerfully, elbowing him out of his thoughts. Dark looked as if he was asking him how a movie was, not how many more websites they were going to terrorize the next day.

Chosen should have recognized the signs.

. . .

“I’m bored.” Dark complained for the twentieth time that day. He lay upside down on the couch, his legs swinging over the back as he complained.

“We could go to the Stickpage again,” Chosen offered, barely looking up from the wall he was trying to fix. He’d accidentally shot a hole through it with his laser vision earlier, while he was sparring with Dark. It happened so often that he was tempted to leave it there, but that wouldn’t do.

“It’s all the same… None of those sticks are any fun,” Dark whined, kicking the back of the couch. “I could beat them all in a heartbeat!” He’d slipped back to his usual ‘woe-is-me’ voice. “I want a real challenge–”

Chosen sighed as he slapped a piece of paper over the hole. A temporary fix, but dealing with Dark took priority at the moment. But when he turned around to finally face the red stick, he was met with Dark sitting upright, his eyes glinting maniacally at him.

“We should make it a competition! See who kills the most sticks!” The boredom in his voice completely vanished, replaced with excitement. 

Chosen hesitated. ‘Killing sticks’. That was a first. In all their time together, they had only destroyed websites and buildings. Never had they turned their fire upon others of their kind.

“So?” Dark got up from the couch and started doing his stretches. He had latched onto the idea quickly, and at times like these, Chosen knew he wasn’t going to let it go anytime soon.

“Alright, let’s go.” Chosen’s hands ignited as he propelled himself into the sky. Dark followed suit, his features reanimated.

Chosen shouldn’t have enabled him so much.

. . .

Fireballs. Explosions. Screaming. Dark’s laughter.

None of these noises were unfamiliar to Chosen. He’d lost track of the number of websites they’d ‘visited’, the number of things they’ve destroyed. It was second nature to both of them, and this wasn’t any different.

But this time, it felt different. More personal.

A stick cut off mid-scream as a fireball caught her from behind. Chosen felt the fire inside him die out as he watched the stick fall from the blast. Dark cackled beside him and shot a couple erratic fireballs into the crowd.

“That’s one, Chosen!” Chosen felt the words die in his throat as he watched his friend chase after the scattering sticks. Dark was going to win this competition, for sure. But he wasn’t sure this was a competition he wanted to win.

Chosen should have stopped him before he went this far.

. . .

Somewhere around here… He was sure that was where his friend ended up. Friend? Rival? Enemy? …Dark.

Chosen followed the trail that had been seared into the grass by the orange stick’s laser beam. A laser multiple times more powerful than his. It’d been a direct hit, there was no doubt about it. But he knew- he had to believe his friend was resilient enough to withstand it.

Unlike all the other sticks he’s killed.

If only Chosen had done something sooner, maybe, just maybe, The Dark Lord would still be alive.

[kanene-yaaay]

Focus (Or: The Unfortunate Destiny of Not Running Laps)

(Don't forget to read the warnings, they are v important!)

Kanene's notes: I am here to call out RUOYE!! BECAUSE THIS ENTIRE FIC IS FRUIT OF ITS SMUGNESS WHILE CAPTURING LANG QIANQIU IN THE FOREST. Like for REAL it just stopped, looked at him all :] and then captured him like jhgfdfgh pls stop being so silly it's killing me.

Warnings: This is a tickle fic and is basically an AU based in the idea I had in this post. Long short story with no spoilers: Xie Lian decided to tell the truth sooner to Lang Qianqiu and the boy had time to deal with his feelings and their relationship didn't become too strained, even if they parted ways. Another modification here is that the nameless boy that is always by LQQ side is called Xiao Mengyou, like I've seen he be called in the fandom. Besides that, nothing more! There's brief light bondage (thank u Ruoye) and some feet tickling during lqq's revenge, in case u don't like that. But it's the famous fluff with light angst, tickle fights and lot of silliness. Around 6.500 words.

[~*~]

Lang Quianqui discreetly managed to take in a deep breath, eyes glued on his preceptor, body unconsciously falling into the defensive stance that has been taught to him for years. It was hard to keep himself still. His entire being was thrilling with energy, an adrenaline that had not dissipated since he woke up and realized what day was today. The energy had fed his mind and body constantly as he fell along the main forms and drills they’ve been covering since the start of the day, over and over, each correction of Fang Xin over his posture and handle of sword only serving to make him buzz even more with nerves and the wish to impress him, trying harder and harder to focus until his movements went from stiff and tense to fluid and natural, striving for perfection.

Attentive eyes watched him like a hawk, more staring than normal, looking for something that Lang Qianqiu didn’t know if he was hiding well. It made him grip the handle of his sword more firmly and his movements quicker. The prince didn’t know if it was just his imagination, and the mask didn’t really help in his analyzes, but he could swear that he saw his mentor’s face glimpse into a confused frown as he accidentally kept stammering clumsily through the stances that he had already mastered a few months ago, even being on his best today barely reached the excellency he had every other good day. Still, he continued to strive for perfection.

Training with Fang Xin was… incredible. In the last year exactly, for the first time since he was only a kid receiving his first wooden sword, Lang Quianqui felt excited to go train, never once getting bored during the lectures, never going through his lessons unchallenged, each and every teaching pushing him to through his limits in a way that left him thoughtful and expectant to expand them even further, see how far he could get. His Guoshi had a different method of teaching and after his parents saw his improvement after a few months into his classes, together with his clear joy in having them, they gave the adult free reign of his studies, changing his routine as much as he needed, as long as it didn’t harm his other responsibilities. They supported them with materials and rooms as necessary and always listened with proud smiles when Lang Quianqui went to ramble to them all they had done and accomplished that day.

Fang Xin valued both the training of his mind and body, much to Lang Quianqui chagrin, especially as he kept dishing out writing punishments and calligraphy exercises that would leave him grumbling about missing the better days with old teachers who would simply have him running laps for slipping into quick naps during their lessons. Usually such commentaries only resulted in more writing and longer punishments, when Fang Xin listened to it. In the end, it was fine. After the initial glooming and pouting, he got to realize how the books that he had to copy always proved to be interesting, challenging his mind with stories and theories he hadn’t thought about before and giving him even more ideas to share with his teacher later, who always listened to him carefully, - even with an ever-lasting air of satisfaction that brought a smug glint in his eyes and a pleased hum in his words - no matter how long he spent in his musings, prodding him with questions and small lectures until he arrived to conclusions that would make the adult nod in a hidden pride, or at least, he hoped so.  

It was no surprise to him to find excitement and anticipation in his mind for each class,  wondering what would be the main skill trained today. If they would focus in his flexibility and quick thinking to get the upper hand into surprise attacks and uneven grounds (his mother almost had an heart attack when he fell out of the roof and broke her window with an accidental kick) or his ability to coordinate planned attacks with strong strategies that would exploit his opponent’s weakness and entice his own strengths.

For today, as it seems, they were going to stick with spars and practical learning. It was probably good, with how many mistakes he had already made just during the warming up and how distracted he was today, waiting impatiently for the end of the class. Having a close range exercise that would force him to focus unless he wanted to explain to his preceptor why his mind was flying away, a dangerous but not impossible possibility, was very good, especially because he wouldn’t be able to respond his teacher if he asked and Fang Xin would immediately catch his lies or any attempt to stir the topic away and he really, really couldn’t risk to get any punishments today. 

Afterall, Fag Xin Guoshi probably was already extremely displeased with his performance. Even if he was too polite to show. Lang Qianqiu gritted his teeth and embraced himself. 

There will be no more mistakes from now on. He will do his best!

They circled each other for a few seconds before the buzzing energy became stronger than him and Lang Quianqui jumped in his direction, starting the fight. He feinted an attack on the teacher’s right, jumping away from his defense and immediately falling into another attack. Just like the first blow, this one was quickly blocked and the crown prince was pushed to the side, Fang Xin’s blade pressing against his sword with such a strength that Lang Quianqui had no other option but to start backing up before the sword was pushed to his throat, trying to at least stabilize himself.

“Concentrate on your footwork.” Fang Xin chided, his voice even and calm as always, showing no hint of strain. The arm that was not holding his weapon was curled on his back and he didn’t move a single step in his direction. Lang Qianqiu was sure that if he glanced at his forehead, there would be no sweat. He, on the other side, could feel his breath already beginning to speed, arms trembling as he tried to not be overpowered. “There is always going to be someone stronger and taller than you during war and you can’t afford to lose. Don’t try to outstrength them because you won’t. Prioritize your speed and versatility.”

“Right!” Lang Qianqiu agreed, immediately dropping himself to the ground, the preceptor's sword passing with a quick gush of wind just inches from his face as he tried to trip the other, rolling around and quickly jumping to straight himself again when more attacks went in his direction.

Fang Xin pivoted around the same spot as the young prince sprinted and threw himself at him in a mix of misleading attacks that attempted to both pull his attention elsewhere and open his guard. Extra, even if rare, punches and kicks tried to make him lose his balance. It’s been exactly one year, yet Qianqiu hasn't been able to make him move around the arena one bit.

A sudden kick going to his face made the boy yelp and twirl to his left, only to almost get a sword going right to his flank, but blocking it with his blade at the last moment. 

“Focus.” His teacher remarked, starting a series of strikes aiming for his torso. “Pull your sword closer to your body. You’re paying too much attention in protecting your face and not losing your stance that it leaves your entire flank unprotected.” 

As if to prove his own words, his blade quickly aimed to his face, only to be immediately pushed away in a move that wobbled the other’s grip on the handle. Before the prince could explore that, however, Fang Xin speedly twisted and turned his attack back to his sides. Again, Qianqiu almost didn’t manage to rotate his long blade enough to catch it, being pushed away as the sound of metal scraping metal filled the training grounds. “Keep on rolling and jumping, if you must, just do not lose your balance and attention to your surroundings.” 

He striked again and, following his words, the young one threw himself on the ground and rolled away. Panting as he straightened himself, he watched his preceptor, reading his sword.

Before he decided to attack, Lang Qianqiu went first, deciding to just make his moves up as he goes. He jumped and twisted, aiming for the neck. He watched as the adult glided aside with an effortless grace and turned to block the blow, pushing the blades upwards, weakening his grip on the sword at an alarming speed. The thought of using their closeness to kick him away had just crossed his mind when a purple and white blur appeared right by his sides and-

He jumped away with a squeal, his lips being pulled in an unexpected smile, hand running to cover his ribs, skin still tingling.

What was that! 

He turned around, pulling his sword even closer, face red from the embarrassing sound that just escaped from his mouth without his permission. 

Someone had just tickled him! 

Still reeling with the sudden bust of energy and tickly sensation, his eyes immediately stopped at Guoshi, staring at him warily, but being only answered with the same calmness and collectedness that always filled his every action and words.

Maybe was it him who…?

“Do not charge right back in without correcting your mistakes and very much less without a plan.” Fang Xin went back to his initial stance, one hand holding his sword and the other resting calmly on his back. His posture had no flaws, his lips held no grinning smiles and his voice got no playful cadence that betrayed his serious tune. “Remember what I said, use your speed and versatility. Ready?”

…No, it couldn’t be him. The imperial preceptor would never step down to do something as silly and childish as tickling. He probably imagined it? 

Once more, he watched his surroundings with narrowed, attentive eyes. Maybe it was…

There he was.

Behind him, on the other side of the arena, his friend smiled at him. Lang Quianqiu shuddered in alarm. 

Since a couple weeks ago, when Qianqiu had used the other’s distraction to unleash a playful surprise tickle attack on him, Xiao Mengyou had been using his every opportunity to tickle him senseless back, going even further as to wait the end of his last martial class - when he usually laid on the cold ground to get his breath back - to immediately attack him with pokes and wiggling fingers the very moment Fang Xin Guoshi turned his back and pretended to not hear them fooling around, leaving the prince giggling and squirming until he was tired enough to not immediately get him back as revenge. 

(Too lost in their own game, none of them noticed the initial moment, when the adult turned back promptly at the squeal of the prince, ready to defend, only to stop and smile amusedly at the joyful friends in front of him, leaving them be and enjoy their own playfulness. There was a deep melancholy pooling in his eyes in that evening.)

Seeing that the attention was still on him, Mengyou made a walking motion with his fingers on his palm and then a thumbs up. Lang Qianqiu felt his eyes wide and he took a wobbly step backwards.

Did he just… confirm that he was the one who tickled him?

Watching his face, Xiao Mengyou smiled a tiny grin and nodded.

Lang Qianqiu bristled and started to head into his direction with firm steps. Mengyou frowned and tilted his head to the side, in apparent confusion.

“Lang Qianqiu.” The crown prince automatically froze with the clear commanding tune on the other’s voice, posture straight as he turned around to his teacher, suddenly remembering that they weren’t alone in the arena. 

“Your lesson is not over, yet. Focus.” His Guoshi seemed more amused than annoyed, though. Lang Qianqiu internally exhaled in relief. How embarrassing, his mind was really all over the place today. “Let’s start again.”

Nodding, the younger one went back to his stance, eying his opponent before charging straight in. He swore he listened to Fang Xin huff in exasperation, but the sound of blades colliding resonated louder and quickly pulled his attention back to the spar.

This time it took longer before he got distracted and another poke attacked his armpit as he tried to push his teacher’s hand out of his sword’s handle. He squeaked and jumped backwards, quickly scurrying away as Guoshi’s blade followed him without a rest.

And so, the onslaught of brief, equally light and impossible to ignore, tickly touches kept following him.

A prodding on his side and a loud yelp.

Another poke on his belly and a wheezy snort.

A tickle across his entire spine that made him jump and almost lost track of his teacher.

A scribbling on the back of his neck that pulled a couple of giggles out of his throat and sealed that silly, wobbly smile forever in his face.

All through this, he kept his fight. The adrenaline of waiting for another tickle attack and the wish of stop being so childish, giggling and squirming in front of the person he looked up the most, made him the most focused he has been the entire day, falling and rolling and charging blow after blow, fuelled by the bolts of electricity that ran across his meridians every time he saw a blur of white and purple in his peripheral vision and felt titters bouncing in his throat long before the ticklish feeling even touched him, descending in chuckles and huffs of laughter as he managed to escape another playful attack.

He had just managed to run right behind Fang Xin in an attempt for a surprise attack, when he felt something latch on the back of his robes, scurrying across his neck and jumping in between his articles of clothes. There was no escaping from the loud, surprised shriek that ran from his throat the moment he felt the tickles dig in his armpits, making both of his hands lock on the handle of his sword and his arms to clue to his sides, the attempt of protection being too late to stop the soft - so extremely, absurdly soft - sensation that ran up and down his pits, prodding and drumming and pulling hysterical giggle after hysterical giggle from him. His legs stumbled and his shoulders bounced with the energy and need to squirm away, but he kept his stance. 

The tickling traveled to his back, scribbling freely on his ribs and poking incessantly his spine until the young prince gave up from his form and turned around in pursue of his attacker, eyes closed from laughter, trying to push whoever was targeting his shoulderblades with so much wiggling and scratching away. His cheeks were in flames with the way squeaky hiccups began appearing in between his crackles.

He tried to open his eyes to better escape and fight his revenge, but there was already tears blurring his vision and, the moment he felt that soft touch worming its way to his sides, all he could do was sheath his sword and swing it around blindly, ignoring how silly he must been looking (he would never forgive himself if he cut Xiao Mengyou by mistake). 

Strings of “no, no, no, let go!” fell in waterfalls from his mouth, yet they did nothing to stop his sides from being lavished in tiny pinches and a playful spidering. His head was thrown backwards with the force of his laughter as he hugged himself, unsuccessful to himself from being tickled to pieces.

A strong, warm hand was laid on his shoulder and, lost in his laughing fit, Lang Qianqiu almost couldn’t catch when Guoshi said to let him go and the tickling feeling magically disappeared.

The prince couldn’t help the way he wobbled on the same place, tittering snickers and wheezy chuckles still filling the air, and leaned on Fang Xin, his Guoshi rubbing his shoulder while keeping his other arm tightly close to his body. His face had that expression he always carried when he was about to lecture him and leave another writing assignment, but it disappeared as quick as it came when he noticed Lang Qianqiu watching, his eyes instead twinkling with a suave amusement.

The crown prince had just gotten his breath back when his eyes traveled the rest of the arena and he saw his friend just a few steps of them, looking strangely uncomposed with a red hue painting his face. Lang Quianqiu squinted warily as he noticed his gaze and jumped on the same spot, getting closer.

As he opened his mouth to say something, the prince beated him to it, quickly straightening himself and turning around to bow politely at Fang Xin.

“I request a small break, please, Guoshi!”

Also looking a tad restless, but never losing his posture, Fang Xin nodded, getting his sword and walking away, probably to read some poem book as he always did during their moments of rest. Lang Qianqiu paid him no mind and instead swiftly turned back to his friend, who still looked flushed and confused.

“Your Highness, are you alright? I saw-”

His words morphed to a shriek when the crown prince jumped on him, no other word exchanged or mercy in sight as he energetically clawed his belly, chasing his loud squeaks until a high pitched laughter began to fill the entire arena, promptly making Xiao Mengyou immediately try to muffle it all behind his hands.

“Wait! Why!!”

With the flourish of someone who had done this plenty of times before and would continue to do so for plenty times more, Lang Qianqiu simply huffed - half amused and half annoyed - and  turned around, successfully sitting on his legs and trapping him in a very tickly destiny. Mengyou, with the same ease of someone who had been in this situation plenty of times before and knew very well about his future fate, started to squirm and trash much before he felt his shoes being pulled out, pleas falling from his lips like raindrops during the summer.

“You Highness, no! Not my feet, please, please! You know, you know I am the most ticklish there. Your Highness, just leave them alonEHEHE! NOHO!”

Lang Qianqiu did not, in fact, leave them alone. Instead, he dodge a kick - not before leaving a few scribbles on that sole for his trouble - and grabbed his other feet, holding his ankle down in a firm but gentle grip and spidering his fingers from the lowest point of his heel to his toes in a way that he knew it would leave his childhood friend crazy, watching with a smirk as he clamped his hands even harder over his mouth. Still, he was unsuccessful to muffle the uncontrollable crackles and squeals at each tiny scribble that escaped from his lungs. For this he blushed even more, kicks getting more energetic. 

Mengyou tried to roll away and escape, but, since the attack that hit Lang Qianqiu a couple of moments ago had been unrelenting, following his every move and tickling him everywhere, so was his comeback. His blunt nails chased his squirming no matter where, delivering scratches across his entire sole and focusing his pokes and scribbles on the sensitive spots he already knew it tickled the most.

The crown prince huffed with no heat when another strings of pleas and a few protests mingled together with the stray screeches that he managed to fish every time he concentrated his tickling right in the middle of his arch, changing from soft touches, full of circles being drawn slowly on the sensitive skin, to scratching it with no mercy, hysterical giggles and bubbly laughter dancing mingled in the air. Finally, when another squeaky “Your Highness” escaped his friend, Lang Qianqiu declared enough. He turned around fiercely and crossed his arms, staring directly at his friend, who barely watched him back with how much squinting in a big smile his eyes were.

“You were the first one to start it! Even attacking me in front of Fang Xin Guoshi.” Just the reminder of how he completely lost his composure and giggled like a kid in the middle of the fight made his cheeks burn hot. The fact that the other simply kept watching him with gleaming eyes and restless titters also didn’t help. “Don’t you think I am being fair?”

Xiao Mengyou kept snickering and snickering, head turning around in an attempt to hide his silly, disheveled state. Lang Qianqiu almost pouted with how even the most ruthless attack to his most ticklish spot couldn’t make him stop hiding his face.

When more moments flew away with him staring at his friend and the other being lost in a mess of giddy giggles, he reached skillfully behind him for his toes, burying his wiggling fingers right under them and spidering energetically, a joyful smirk appearing easily in his face at how this finally made Mengyou low his arms and sit up, trying to push him off his legs without any real force.

Seemingly as his words finally sank on the other’s mind, Mengyou answered. “You t- attacked me first that day! I was only getting revenge.” A snort flew from his lips and his face got even redder. “It’s been such a long time, too, Your Highness. Why tickle me back now?!” 

Lang Qianqiu was speechless. “Such a long time? That is it!”

He got out of the other’s legs, waiting as he took his breath back.

His childhood friend looked at the crown prince with a mix of surprise and wariness. Lang Qianqiu took the opportunity to turn around and run his gaze across the arena, noticing that Fang Xin Guoshi was nowhere to be seen. Uh. Maybe he got hungry and went to grab a snack? Well, since he still had some business to complete, Lang Qianqiu didn’t care to think too much about it.

His golden eyes glinted with mischief when they turned back to stare at Mengyou, who jolted on the same place and braced himself.

“Let’s have a tickle fight.” Lang Qianqiu copied him, also preparing himself, determination clear in every trace of his expression. Mengyou felt slightly amused with how serious he was taking this. “The first one to surrender wins and the loser can’t get revenge anytime soon.”

Mengyou looked thoughtfully at him and the crown prince was sure that his friend haven’t made his mind, and yet wasted no time in looking for the perfect place to strike, somewhere that would make him boneless and closer to surrender, that would make him forget everything besides how much it tickled and swapped his energy quickly. He found himself doing just the same, eyes locking on his knees before they widened in realization.

“Wait!” He scrambled to take off his own boots. “Now we are even.”

“Your feet aren’t as ticklish as mine, Your Highness.” As it always did, his voice stumbled just the tiniest bit over the word ‘ticklish’, but it still maintained a grumbling tone. Lang Qianqiu held his chin pensitive. “And the imperial preceptor will be back soon, there is no need.”

He was right. 

“My sides are my most ticklish spot.” As he conceded, the crown prince began pulling the string that kept his stash together, robes starting to loose up as well. “That is fine, I will just take off my upper robes.”

“Do not!” In a flash, there were hands pulling his away and quickly tying his stash firmly back. Mengyou’s voice stumbled again, tune equally serious and a tad hysterical. “What are you thinking, Your Highness?! What if Fang Xin Guoshi comes back or your parents decide to oversee your lessons today? How will we explain if they see you in that state? It would be irresponsible of you at least and shameless at worst!” 

Properly admonished, Qianqiu let out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. “I didn’t think about that.” Then he shook himself and focused on the matter at hand, gold, intense eyes watching Xiao Mengyou again. “We must have a fair tickle fight, still. I can’t have it any other way!”

Sigh. “It’s easier to worm my hands on your robes than for you to do the same with my boots during a ti… our fight. I will just put my shoes back.”

Lang Qianqiu gaped at him. “How is that fair? You’re hiding your ticklish spot while you just said it’s easier to get mine!”

“Well, you already got me there!”

“You’re making excuses, you tickle me on my sides all the time!”

“Yes, just like now.”

“Exact- wait, wh-” But before he could finish, Xiao Mengyou was already jumping on him, skilled fingers working their way to his sides and squeezing in a much more energetically determined way than his attack during his lessons, making his muscles lock up in place as squeaking laughter immediately escaped from his lips. Before he could lose all his force to the laughter, the crown prince attacked back, and soon two sets of giggles, squeals and crackling laughter were filling the air.

Until the sighing mentor came and declared the break over, even if there was still a different kind of gleam in his eyes.

The same gleam that stared now right back at him, in the middle of that forest, centuries later, with the former king of Yong’An alone and Fang Xin, no, Xie Lian being accompanied by the very own Ghost King, his friend.

Lang Qianqiu tried to escape the white silk that had so suddenly wrapped itself around him and rendered the younger martial god immobile on the floor. It was futile.

“What is this!” He tried to wiggle and squirm, but the fabric kept a firm, yet non bruising, hold on him. Like this, there was no way he could show his former Guoshi how he had grown his combating skills and how he probably could, if not take him in an equal fight, at least be a worthy opponent. An explosive indignation at the unfairness of Xie Lian’s tactic began flaring on him. “Let me go, this is not fair!”

“You didn’t specify that we should only use swords in our fight. Ruoye is my weapon, afterall.” If Lang Qianqiu had ever doubted that Xie Lian was indeed his old mentor, all of it would be gone now. The scolding, teaching tone was just the same, even after all the time. Although, it felt more tired, now. Older. “Besides, you should always be prepared for your opponent using unhanded tactics and surprise ambushes. If this was a real combat, you'd be dead already.”

Hua Cheng chuckled and for a moment Lang Qianqiu felt a wave of deja-vu wash over him, reminding the younger one about a similar situation when he had been rendered immobile in the past. 

(That is right, Qianqiu realized, with shame beginning to fight against him and prickle his skin, his Guoshi had been there too, hadn’t he?)

After such a true, yet unforgiving point, his lips pressed into a thin line, displeased. It was all just the same and infinitely different from those days when he was a teenager. 

For one, even with everything, Xie Lian seemed much more carefree. It was in the teasing tilt of his smile as he kneeled closer, in the slight slouch of his form, in the way he chatted and displayed emotions that had never been present in his in the imperial preceptor’s face before. Fondness, insecurity and, especially, indecision. Fang Xin Guoshi seemed sure in every step he took. When he lied to him and when decided to tell the truth, when he saved his life (again and again and again) and refused his invitation to a duel right after Lang Qianqiu discovered his identity. His Guoshi had been giant, indestructible, bigger than anything that crossed his way. Sometimes, Qianqiu still saw him that way, in his dreams and nightmares. 

Overlapping the image of his teacher and the kind god that ascended thrice seemed impossible.

Then he remembers him rescuing him in the Ghost City. He remembers being equally saved when he was twelve. He remembers his resolute composure when he confronted him about being his former Guoshi and the warm hand on his shoulder when Xie Lian woke him up after the heavenly conference. The way that he looked at him now. Serious. Admonishing. Somehow still soft. 

Suddenly piercing together those two images wasn’t really difficult at all.

Very different and yet the very same.

“Let us fight seriously this time! Only swords, no other weapons, until one of us surrenders or blood is drawn. Let me go, Guoshi.”

Xie Lian sighed in the same way he did centuries ago, when Lang Qianqiu kept pestering him to teach him said foolish maneuver that saved his life. The young one trashed more energetically in protest. “I told you once, didn’t I? ‘Do not charge right back in without correcting your mistakes and very much less without a plan’. Tell me, how could you have prevented me from winning the fight?”

Immediately his mind blanked with both the nostalgia and surprised feeling that ran through him and the former king stopped trashing, looking at his Guoshi with wide eyes. Xie Lian, then, looked horribly unsure for a moment, but in his next blink that expression was gone and he watched him in expectation, not taking his words back. 

Lang Qianqiu could understand.

There was anger and indignation bristling in his chest. He wasn’t that kid anymore, looking for the approval of his mentor, the person that he looked up to the most, the person that deceived him, who left a young boy, alone, scared, betrayed to rule an entire angered kingdom. 

As soon as the anger came, however, it soon went away, leaving only tiredness and nostalgia behind. Lang Qianqiu didn’t feel as furious as he had been when he discovered the entire truth, a long, long time ago. He wasn’t as single focused on it as he once had been. 

It’s been so many years. So many centuries.

(Sometimes he still felt like that kid.)

As time passed in his silence, Xie Lian looked awkward, perhaps sad, and he recomposed himself, preparing to leave.

As usual, Qianqiu’s mouth moved first than his brain.

“I could’ve dodged Ruoye!”

Xie Lian froze on his way up, searching his face for something. He must have found it, since he went back to his kneeling position and Hua Cheng stopped looking at the younger with something dangerous in his glare. Lang Qianqiu itched to finish their previous fight. Before he could think too much about that, though, his former guoshi’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“It would follow you no matter your move, which was already hindered by your surprise and slow reaction. It’s a spiritual weapon with long range. You’d still lose.”

He wanted to protest the use of ‘losing’ on this occasion, since his victory truly couldn’t hold any honor or weight after using such an improper ambush. However, before he could get a single word in, something white appeared in his vision field.

Lang Qianqiu blinked and turned to Ruoye, who seemed to shake in what seemed like an… attempt to a wave… or maybe it was a threat? The martial god would answer it in kind, even if just for the curiosity of seeing what the apparent sentient weapon would do, but his arms continued to be glued to his torso. 

Something in his face must have answered it, since the silk twirled happily.

And then immediately proceeded to attack his defenseless neck and ears in a soft, light kind of tickle that made shivers run across his spine and his lips turn into a gigantic smile.

An old memory tried to resurface.

“Whahat is this?!” He protested in between his teeth. Tiny, high pitched giggles made his shoulders shake, Qianqiu did his best to both hold them in and try to escape the tickly attack. He scrunched up his shoulders, except this only encouraged the soft weapon to scritch excitedly behind his ears until he turned to hide them, leaving his neck open once more. He tried to shake his head, still the maddening, gentle scratching sensation followed him with no problems, dancing across his skin without a single worry. “Dohon’t! Let me go!”

An amused huff cut his silence. “My, had I known about this, his capture at my kingdom would’ve been much smoother and quicker. Maybe I could even have given a different, more exciting show to my subjects, raise his price a little.”

For a moment Lang Qianqiu imagined it and the scenario was so alarming that he immediately shook his head to expel it, throwing the embarrassing thought away. His giggles suddenly became much more difficult to keep at bay and, were it not for that, he would have some good words to share about Crimson Rain Sought Flower’s clearly childish provocations!

“San Lang, don’t tease.” But Xie Lian’s tune was much more amused than chiding, hiding something in the depths of his words.

Lang Qianqiu turned around to demand he take his weapon away, but, just as he opened his mouth, Rouye decided to run across his spine and unleash an onslaught of unrelenting pokes and prodding on his sides, which made him arch his back and freed laughter to pour in waves from him, hysterical giggles twirling around every squeak and snort and suddenly the memory that had been itching in the back of his mind resurfaced.

The afternoon that Fang Xin Guoshi completed one year teaching him. Xie Lian never shared with the royal family the date of his birthday, so they decided to begin the tradition of celebrating this accomplishment instead. Lang Qianqiu couldn’t stay still during the entire day, excitedly waiting for the end of his lesson, when he would be free to drag the imperial preceptor to his surprise gathering. His focus had been completely impossible to hold and he only managed to get distracted from the commissioned gift he had asked for Xiao Mengyou to bring him when, out of nowhere, during their spar…

He then gasped in realization, turning his gaze at Xie Lian, narrowing eyes glistening in accusation, even if he was still unable to stop his uncontrollable loud laughter, especially as the prodding traveled to his ribs, spidering on them while getting dangerously closer and closer to his armpits, making him involuntarily squirm and snicker even more in anticipation. 

Even so, he obligated his laughing mind to concentrate on his former mentor's silly shiny gaze.

“It was you!” And, as if reading his mind and acting in protest, Ruoye drummed in that awful space where his pits and ribs connected, pulling a high pitched squeal out of his throat together with, of course, more crackles. “And Ruoye! You were the ones tickling me that day, not Mengyou!”

Xie Lian looked to the side with a way too innocent face to be genuine, a tiny, closed lip grin resting in his face, an almost silently amused, bigger smile escaping him. He didn’t say nor deny anything. It was all the confirmation the former king needed.

As he continued to snicker, giggle and squeal, Qianqiu remembered about his “revenge” taken on his actually innocent childhood friend…Xiao Mengyou definitely was going to kill him when he went to apologize that night. He could only hope it was not by the same way that Ruoye had decided to kill him that moment.

(Lang Qianqiu knew it was all a false hope, though.)

Xie Lian’s voice cut his thoughts.

“Now, again. Give me at least three ways you could have avoided this and Ruoye will let you go.”

Qianqiu felt the urge to grumble at this, but he snorted instead, starting to kick and protest when the soft silk gave the underside of his knee a curious poke. 

It was all futile, though, his mentor was known for using different methods of teaching and centuries didn’t change any of that, as it seems. 

Lang Qianqiu could relate, he also had at least one feeling that truly didn’t change after all this time, as well.

He would rather be running laps.

[lorata]

Ive been doing a Christmas reread of all your amazing work and the more I think about the centre, the more I wonder what the trainers and trainees thought about the stunt with the berries. Did they turn it off? Did they get a talk about it the following day? More generally, is there much of the games that the trainers keep from the students? I remember when creed died they were sent to bed when it got too gruesome and I imagine a similar thing with Cato

I was gonna answer this one but I wound up writing it instead lol

Fic below! CW for blood, death, Arena-gore, etc etc etc

******

“She should have killed him hours ago.”

Blake’s voice growls low in Rowan’s ear, curled tight and ragged at the edges. Pushing the urge to cry into rage and fury like the trainers taught them. Rowan gave up as soon as the door shut behind them and the trainers couldn’t see, Blake’s undershirt a sodden mess beneath his cheek.

Still, though, that’s not fair. None of this is fair. Cato’s face in the shadows, pale but for the splashes of blood, the dark hole of his mouth, screaming. Twelve girl and her boyfriend, wrapped around each other, shaking. “What was she supposed to do,” Rowan says. The words taste sour, thick with choked tears. “She’s out of arrows. He’s dying of sepsis. Is she supposed to go down there and punch them with her bare hands? Cato has armour and they’re eating him. She’d get torn to pieces.”

“Okay, but —” Blake mutters a curse into Rowan’s hair. “Yeah okay, fine. But they should send her another arrow so she can end it, then. Nobody wants to watch this.”

Somebody does, Rowan thinks, stomach twisting. The Gamemakers used fire to herd Twelve girl toward the Careers, they used mutts to drive the final confrontation, they could, if they wanted to, find a way end this now. “I think it’s a warning,” he said. “Like our first year in Res, when they made us go to bed too. We’re allowed to train and stuff but we’re not — special. You know? We die slow and painful just like everybody else. No special treatment.”

“So don’t get cocky,” Blake says in a low voice, then, “Fuck.”

He hates it here. It pricks sharp and startling, like stepping on a forgotten blade. Rowan can try to soften it, dragging his mattress into Blake’s room at three in the morning and making their shoebox dorm into an impossibly cramped — but cozy — shared bedroom, wrestling with Blake during free time and cuddling on the couch when the trainers aren’t looking, pretending this is all a really intense athletics camp for him and his friends. But they’re killing people, numbers ticking up on both sides, and with each one Blake gets a little more faraway and it takes longer for Rowan to draw him back, and the Games are getting worse and worse and worse. Since Rowan joined Residential their tributes bled to death for hours and hours — had their skulls and pelvis smashed with maces — fought monkey-mutts while having chunks torn off them for almost half an hour — and now this.

He can’t even imagine what the Quarter Quell will look like.

Blake’s breathing has slowed and Rowan’s starting to drift when a loud hammering at the door jars them both. Rowan jerks up, slams his head hard into Blake’s jaw by accident as Blake bites back a yelp. “Up, up,” calls the trainer from the hallway. “I know you’re both in there, we don’t have time to pretend. It’s happening, now!” Rapid footsteps, shouts and door-pounding continue down the corridor.

Rowan shoots Blake a guilty look, scrambling out of bed and pulling on his uniform. “We gonna be in trouble later, you think?”

“Depends on how this goes, probably,” Blake says, grim.

They race into the gymnasium in time to hear the cannon fire.

Rowan skids to a stop, bile rising. And okay, they’ve seen a lot of ugly deaths, but this — it’s not even a person anymore. This — this is meat. Already there are sobbing thirteens being escorted out of the room, exit paperwork ready to go. A pile of fresh vomit steams in the far corner, but they can’t run for towels because this is endgame.

No trumpets. Cato a mutilated lump of flesh and still the Games go on. “Predictions,” calls out Livia.

“There never was a rule change,” says one of the Seniors, arms crossed. “It’s all for ratings. They’re going to make them kill each other.”

Jolted, Rowan mis-times his sit and turns his ankle, thumping to the floor in an awkward heap. No one notices, the others still piling in under the trainers’ impatient directions. Blake settles down a careful six inches away, which Rowan notices with a sharp squeeze in his chest. Onscreen the Twelves are whispering frantically, until —

Everyone turns to stare at the Senior who called it. He shrugs, not smug at being proven right, more like resigned. “They let Cato and Clove believe it was for them,” he says. “Come on. Had to be fake right there.”

“That’s mean,” says one of the thirteens, who hasn’t cried or vomited so they’re still here, but jury’s out for how much longer with an outburst like that. “Why would they make a rule like that and take it back?”

“Sorry, is this the everyone eat ice cream and hug it out games, or the Hunger Games?” This time it’s Russet, from Rowan’s year. He’s a good friend but the Centre draws out his mean streak, and this has been a rough couple of days. “Because they can. Because it’s more fun that way. Because the whole point is we go in there to die horribly on camera while people eat popcorn so that not everyone who’s in there dies too soon to be entertaining.”

And that’s Russet gone as well as the thirteen and the room is silent, save for the sound of all their ragged breathing. “Enough,” says Livia, sharp with warning, but they were right. It was horrible to let the tributes hope — both Twelve and Two. It was horrible to leave the Twelve boy by that riverbank for days, slowly dying of blood poisoning. Horrible to let the mutts chew on Cato for what, twelve hours? And now, horrible to ask the Twelves to kill each other after everything.

Livia stares them down, and whatever restless energy Rowan sensed surging flattens out. “Strategy,” she says. “You are Twelve. What now?”

Twelve girl aims her bow at the same time as the boy throws his knife into the lake. “Oof,” someone mutters. “Too bad he’s bleeding to death, that was a great strategy.”

“You are Twelve,” Livia repeats. She doesn’t say it, but everyone knows she means Twelve girl. “The boy is the only thing giving you audience appeal and you just threw all of that away. How do you walk away from this alive?”

“She can’t,” Blake says. Rowan holds himself very, very still. “She can’t, there’s no way. They’ve been a package deal from the start and he was holding her up. Giving her humanity. He’s going to sacrifice himself for her and she’ll be here alone.”

“Then she has to earn it,” Rowan says. The words scrape his throat. Twelve girl screams for the boy to take up the bow and shoot her. “She’ll spend the rest of her life proving she was worth the cost. But she — can’t — kill him. And he can’t make her. He has to do this, for her.”

Twelve boy tears the bandage from his leg, his pant leg soaked black with blood. Livia nods. “A high price,” she says. “And not one that would work for any of you. But for an outlier? Yes.”

They wait — but the Twelves are still arguing, fumbling in pockets, and — wait. Wait. The drones can’t pick up what the Twelves are saying, but even so the girl’s eyes are dark with challenge, finding the closest camera and staring at it, unflinching. They raise the berries to their lips.

(“Holy shit,” whispers one of the fourteens; another socks him hard in the leg without looking away.)

And then — trumpets. Livia’s entire posture sharpens. “Back to bed,” Livia announces, over the panicked voice of Claudius Templesmith. “All of you.”

“But it’s breakfast,” says one of the youngest thirteens, barely made the cutoff, only to wilt under the worst glare Rowan’s ever seen Livia give.

“Bed,” she repeats, like the thud of an axe through a fallen tribute’s spine. “Now.”

A few hours later the trainers call them out for breakfast. All the televisions in the commissary sit blank and silent, the screens reflecting Rowan’s face and the occasional shared glance before he and the other candidates hastily look away.

A tense, awkward week of pretending to train until everyone gets called back for the post-Games interview. Love story, they say. The twelves were so in love that they couldn’t bear to live without each other. But Rowan knew what he saw, the steel in Twelve’s eyes, the Gamemakers’ alarm. The Capitol ran a crooked game and Twelve outsmarted them — and now she has to stay alive.

“Obviously she’s lying,” says one of the Seniors, cynical. “I mean, it’s her cover, but —” They all jump when Livia jabs a finger.

“No. Stop.” Livia wets her lips. “As far as you’re concerned, those two are in love and that’s the end. Got it?”

“But —”

Livia marches across the room and strikes the girl hard across the face. “Got it?” she says forcefully.

The girl sits up straight, squaring her shoulders and tossing her head back to look Livia in the eye. “Got it,” she repeats, precision-sharp, a red splotch spreading across her cheek.

Livia returns to the front of the room, faces them all with her hands clasped behind her back. “The Games are over. We have a lot of training to catch up on. I don’t want to hear another word about it, am I clear?”

Rowan echoes ‘Yes, sir’ with the rest of them, but the ground beneath his feet has already shifted. 

When the trainers call him in to talk about Blake and his priorities it’s the easiest test he’s ever failed. Rowan closes his eyes on the blood and the screams and the berries and exhales hard. “I want to go home.”

[szagaloree]

His wife…

Chapter 6

Contains: cuteness and fluff

In the morning spider was looking around, he walks into his aunties quarters “hey have y’all seen mom?” He asks “naw kid, she didn’t come in the room at all last night,” Raven answered putting her gun her hoister, he leaves looking for her. Searching through the lab she was now where to be found neither Quaritch, so he walks over to his room, he quietly opens the door and walks in, once he peeled behind the wall he sees his mother and father both in the bed asleep, he started to smile a little. Quaritch begins to wake up and his eyes were upon me till he glances up he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him but once he looks back again he flinches from seeing spider standing by the wall, “how long have you been standing there?” He asks, “I just came in, I was looking for mom but I guess found her,” spider smirks.

He huffs shaking his head “learn how to knock,” he said, he leans up before slapping my hip “alright wake up,” he said tiredly “shut up” she mumbles shifting in her sleep “don’t tell me to shut up woman get up,” he shakes her head she opens her eyes groaning before pausing “spider-what the hell are you doing?” She asks “nothing I was looking for you,” he smirks as he leaves, I huff then glance at quaritch who chuckled “what’s funny?” I question as I get up, “I wasn’t laughin,” he said, I got dressed but Quaritch pulls me back by my tail making my eyes go wide “get back here you little kitty cat,” he says, “ughh don’t call me that it’s so cringey,” I scoff, I walk away “oh you’ll like it,” he smirked, I leave out heading to the lab, “gwen, been looking for you, we got some intel on sully,” Raven said “what?” What’s going on?” I ask she grabs my wrist taking me to the corner “they’ve relocated far from the forest,” she informs, “good, they it’s best for them,” I sighed, “how are we gonna deal with the rda? The more we rebel the more suspicious they get and they can put us down?” She asks worriedly “I don’t know but.. I gotta get spider out of this,” I huff “gotta figure something out sooner or later,” I shake my head looking down.

I walked outside to see Quaritch teaching spider how to play basketball, “so.. you didn’t come back in the quarters last night, you and Quaritch had some fun?” Allen asks i chocked on my water “hell no! What the fuck Allen,” the girls snickered, I roll my eyes “we didn’t do shit, so y’all can stop the you’re little foolery,” I said, I sat down and laid my head on raven’s lap, “make sure to beat that asshole’s ass spider!” Ellice shouts I smirk with a snicker “ why don’t you get you’re ass up and play since you’re all talk,” he said, “ohhh I don’t wanna do ya old man,” we laughed.

As they play I just sat and watch spider and quaritch interact with each other, this is one of the first times I’ve seen Quaritch act like a person and not a puppet. He was being him, smiling and everything, i would wish this for him then anything else but I can only convince him for so long till it’s his finals decision on what he wants, me and the girls jumped when the boys sprayed water on us “you fucking asshole!” I scoff, they laughed, later on groan wincing in pain that was in my chest, I could hardly breath, “you alright?” Allen asks “yea god this chest pain is killing me,” I huff, “probably needs some meds,” she said, I walk to the lab wincing, “what’s wrong?” Spider asks “nothing just having chest pain randomly,” I answered.

I huff taking some pills before sitting down at the table by spider “so how you feelin?” I ask, “fine, dad taught me how to make a 3 pointer,” he smiled “nice, how do you feel, about your dad?” I ask nervously, “he’s… good, I mean I wouldn’t think he would, accept me he would disown me… after being kinda alone i just wished you both were here,” he says “I know, you’re dad could’ve been here longer then me if he wasn’t a hard ass, I don’t know how to get through his big head,” I said “do you ever think if you and dad could get.. back. Together?” He asks hesitant of the answer because he knows how much I was very overprotective of him against his dad, I didn’t want him to be just like him nor end up the rda’s puppet, but them getting together again, that was our of the question…. Is It? I only dreamed of us being together, being happy and living a free life on Pandora away from the rda and their bullshit, but that’s only a dream to be honest.

“I don’t know, don’t think so, the way he is, it’s..mm” I bit my lip, it’s hard to talk about it even more. He looks down saddened “but I wouldn’t mind being friends with him I just can’t be with him,” I said, he nodded. After dinner I stood in a certain room to look at my old logs, it hurts to see how I was when I first got there but I love for when I changed, it was a lot better. “Reminiscing on the past?” Quaritch comes in “spider’s asleep?” I ask he nods “yea knocked out figured playing basketball wore him out,” he said, “surprised you ain’t knocked out old man,” I said “yea whatever i ain’t old,” he sat down, “you really never gave up that hairstyle,” he says, “what about it? That’s my go too,” I said, he grins “mhm, I be telling everytime to just let your damn hair down for once,” he said “and I did once,” he chuckles.

“You want to go fly around for a little?” He asks.

“Why?” I ask “what just to have some fun,” he smirks getting up, is Jake my head silently laughing as I get up. Flying through the sky it feels so beautiful and refreshing to see the forest at night and how it glows, earth was never like that even before it was destroyed by buildings and wars and pollution.

🎶“I could lie-could lie-could lie… everything that kills meee… makes me feel alive”🎶

I giggle watching Quaritch chase after me “imma get you somehow,” he smirks “I’ll like to see you try,” I chuckle.

🎶“lately I’ve been-I’ve been loosing sleep… dreaming about the things that we could be… but baby I’ve been-I’ve been prayin hard.. said no more counting dollars.. we’ll be counting stars…”🎶

I fly down laughing he lifts me up making me squeal with laughter, “stawwp” I giggle he smiled carrying me inside over his shoulder, “miles put me down right now,” I said, “nope” he smirks, we ended up in his room apparently and now he puts me down I run to leave but he grabs my tail “aye let my tail go,” I jumped he pulls me back “get back here you little rascal,” he said, I scoff he wraps his arms around my waist sighing in content. “Why am I in your room?” I ask cocking a brow, “what scared Ian gone bite ya,” he smirked I shake my head at his foolishness. “Even an avatar you are still sooo fine,” I chuckle “don’t think this is a way for you to get your way with me Quaritch,” I said “back to Quaritch? Whaaat nooo,” he fake pouts, I roll my eyes “I’m serious, you look just like you, that’s sexy bomb ass women I married,” he said pecking my lips teasingly, I stared at him not sure if I should take the bait, but you only live twice? I guess, I kiss back leaving him shocked, his grip tightened pulling me closer to his chest.

[morganski-19]

With a Comma After Dearest Part 1

A Ronance Note Passing Au

Robin’s tired. So goddamn tired. Like the soul was physically sucked out of her body and all that was left was this mess of a blob that she had to carry around all day tired. She hates it. Hates the feeling of just getting through the day just to go home and try to sleep, but never succeeds. 

It hasn’t been this bad in a while. Not since July. But at least then she had more of an excuse. Then she was taken by Russians and tortured, heard Steve’s screams through the long hallway of the bunker. Now, what does she have to say? She willingly jumped into an alternate dimension portal to save her friend and willingly went back again to kill an evil wizard. She didn’t see the visions her friends did, didn’t watch her friends almost die. No, she came out unscathed, just mild horrors to be seen. The sleepless night shouldn’t be happening. 

But they are. Have been ever since that first night after spring break. Waking in a cold sweat, immediately calling her friends to know that they were ok. Resigning herself to only getting the amount of sleep she did or sneaking out her window to go to Steve’s. That way when one of them had a nightmare, they might actually be able to sleep after that. She can’t rely on him as much as she wants, especially if she wants him to have any semblance of a life. But she just can’t help it. 

He’s never said anything about it, always willing to drop anything to come make sure she was ok. Not like he was doing anything either, just laying alone in that giant house of his. But now that Eddie’s been released from the hospital, they’ve been spending more time together, Steve helping him through the nightmares. And she sees the way they look at each other, she knows that something’s going to happen between them too, even if they can’t see it yet. 

So she has to learn how to do things on her own sometimes. She can still rely on him if she needs it, he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He just might need some space and nights alone, meaning that Robin would have to start being alone. If only that thought alone didn’t terrify her.

She walks into the bathroom and is met with the giant bags under her eyes. Barely having the energy to even get dressed in the morning, it’s not like she has the energy to cover them up. Her mom asks her questions, and her dad gets worried. All she could tell them were lies, that it was just nerves about some test or college applications, and that’s why she couldn’t sleep. She splashes some cold water on her face, trying anything to keep her awake for three more periods. 

Slowly she makes her way to her next class and prays that she won’t fall asleep.

. . . 

Nancy is walking to her next class when she spots Robin. Hunched over, clutching books close to her chest, and shuffling into the classroom. She looks like she hasn’t gotten any sleep at all, Nancy knows the feelings. It’s not like she’s been able to sleep that well the last few weeks. She’s just had four years of practice to make sure no one knew it was happening. It would go away soon, she knows. Slowly compartmentalizing in her mind until the memories fade away, only to haunt her again when she doesn’t want them to. 

But Robin, she’s still new to this. Sure there was the summer, but that was only once. It took Nancy three times around to be able to train her mind to forget the images that plagued her mind. And even then it wasn’t perfect. 

There were always people that Nancy could rely on though. Steve and Jonathan when she was dating them, and sometimes even Mike when they both needed someone to talk to. Someone was always there to help her fall back asleep, assure her that she was safe, and that they were okay. 

Does Robin have anyone to do that? Nancy assumes she has Steve, but it’s not like they live that close. And they’re not dating, so it’s not like they would spend that many nights together. She can’t imagine what Robin would do, climb out her window and bike all the way to Steve’s, or call him and he then drive over to her. Time spent in panic when someone could already be there to calm her down. 

Nancy wants to be there for Robin. They live a lot closer and could have sleepovers on nights when one of them just needed someone to help get them through the night. But she hasn’t had time. 

Ever since the “earthquake” the school paper has had endless stories. Student testimonials and memorials. News about the repairs and charity drives. A constant reminder of what they didn’t stop quite in time. 

Because of that, Nancy hasn’t had time to think about herself, let alone someone else. The stories are slowing down and life is returning to normal. Meaning that she should be too, or at least trying to. That way she could focus on her future and get through the rest of the year. Finally leave Hawkins behind and start the next part of her life, away from danger. 

After the bell rings, Nancy sees Robin again, half asleep wandering through the halls. She wants to go up to her, ask her if she’s alright. If maybe she wants to come over after school and take a nap knowing that someone is there to protect her. It’s what Nancy would want Robin to do, so why can’t she do it herself? 

Maybe it’s because she and Robin don’t know each other that well. They hung out a lot during spring break, but how much can you really learn about a person while saving the world? That doesn’t stop her from wanting to get to know her more. Somewhere along the line, she and Robin bonded. Maybe Nancy could have a best friend again, she just has to take the first step. 

Robin stops, exchanging a book in her locker before walking through the hall again. Nancy tries to speed up and catch her, but she misses her in seconds. Looking at the locker at her right, she gets an idea. Ripping out a page of her notebook, she writes a note and pushes it through the slits of the locker, hoping that Robin responds. 

. . . 

Robin,

Hey, I just wanted to check up on you. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to hang out that much, I’ve been really busy with the newspaper. We have so many stories to write about the “earthquake” that I’ve been working overtime just to get all of them edited. Really it’s so annoying, especially since we know what happened. I just want to go back to writing stories about the mystery meat, as much as it pains me to say that. 

But anyway. I really did just want to check up on you. Our schedules don’t really align that much but when I pass you in those halls, you look so alone. Not to say that you don’t have friends or anything. But I know that feeling of just wanting to isolate yourself after what happens, and I know you have Steve to help deal with all of this but, I guess I just wanted to make sure that you knew you could talk to me too. 

I’ll leave my number on the bottom in case you don’t have it. Please feel free to call me anytime, really. I want to be there for you. 

From,

Nancy

(P.S., my locker number is A350 if you want to respond. No pressure though!)

Robin reads the letter that fell out of her locker again, shocked that it isn’t some prank. The first thought that crossed her mind was that it was some jock who just wanted to poke fun at the band geek who looked like shit. Not like it’s unheard of.

However, when she opened the letter and read it, she smiled instead of balling it up and throwing it away. It’s the first time she’s heard from Nancy in weeks. Ever since school started up again, Robin would see her running through the halls from class to class, and then right to the newspaper room during lunch and after school. She thought that Nancy had forgotten about her, but she was wrong. 

The last bell rings for the day and Robin curses under her breath, stuffing her bag full of books before booking it to the parking lot, Steve waiting for her like always. 

“No offense, but you look like shit,” he says as she slides into the passenger seat. 

“How anyone fell for your charm, I will never know.”

He pulls out of the parking lot. “Eh, after school doesn’t really work all that much anymore. But uh- seriously. Have you been sleeping?”

Robin yawns. “I’m fine.”

“That’s not what I asked. You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I’m worried about you, you haven’t called that much and you can barely walk to the car when I pick you up. I just- I just want you to know that I’m still here, if you need to talk about it, that’s all.”

“I know. I just didn’t want you to come over as much and I can’t keep biking to your place in the middle of the night.”

Steve turns, taking the longer way to her house as he does every day so they can talk more. “Then call me, we can just fall asleep on the phone like we used to.”

“Aren’t you a little preoccupied now,” She switches the conversation, getting the spotlight off of her. 

“The hell does that mean?”

“I mean that you and Eddie have been spending a lot of nights together.”

He pauses, not immediately biting back. “He’s been having a tough time with everything ok, that’s it.”

Robin hums disbelievingly. “Uh huh, sure. Let me know when that changes.” 

She digs through her backpack to find her water bottle and stumbles upon the note Nancy left in her locker. If she had another five minutes, she would have responded. Pulling it out, she looks at it, reading through the words again. 

“What’s that?” Steve asks as he turns down her street.  

“Nancy left me a note in my locker, checking in on me.” 

He parks in front of her house. “That’s nice. You going to respond?”

“I think so. It’d be nice to have someone else to talk about all of this, you know.”

“Yeah I know,” he nods. “Call me, ok. Don’t just think you have to go through this alone. No matter what, you still have me, ok.”

Robin nods. “Yeah, I know. And I will. Promise.”

When she gets to her room, she basically falls on her bed, debating if she should take a nap. But it might be the only sleep she gets tonight, so it’d be best to do it later. Looking at the letter in her hand again, she decides to write a response. 

. . . 

Dear Nancy,

How thoughtful of you to check up on little ole me. I should be the one checking up on you. So how dare you getting to it first. 

In all seriousness though, I’ve been ok, I guess. I haven’t really been sleeping, which is why I look like complete shit all the time. But it’ll go away soon. I hope at least. Steve has been spending a lot of time helping Eddie out, so I haven’t been able to lean on him as much as I did after the summer. It’s been kind of weird going through this sort of alone. But I guess I’m not anymore, 'cause I have you. 

I figured you were busy with the newspaper. I would see you running through the halls right past me, not even saying a quick hello. I don’t blame you for missing me, not like I was trying to stand out anyway. We should hang out, sometimes. If you have time, that is. I don’t really have a lot of friends, especially those who I can talk to about this. What I’m trying to say is that it would be nice, I think. 

So uh, here’s my number in case you don’t have it. We’re the only Buckley’s in town though so if you need to, we’re in the book. 

Your friend,

Robin

(P.S. Also, thought it would be funny to greet and sign these letters as they would back then. You know, for laughs and shit.)

(P.P.S I know you already have my locker number, but it’s B102 if you forgot)

Nancy smiles as she reads the letter, immediately pulling out a piece of paper and writing a response. 

I will start a tag list if anyone is interested. This will be multiple parts, I'm thinking somewhere between 5-10.

[messedupfan]

When I Look At You | Chapter 12

Summary: While at a wedding, Y/n reflects on their life with Leigh and their kids.

A/N: This is the end!

Masterlist | All Chapters | All Stories Taglist ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many, Many Years Later

You fidget with your tie once again and Leigh pats your hand to get you to stop. “You’re making me nervous, cut it out. We’re supposed to be the ones with a level head here. Stevie is already losing her mind.” She speaks in a low tone to keep her words between you and her. 

“Leigh, our first born is about to get married. I’m freaking out!” You say a little too loud. “He is not good enough for our baby girl. I don't care what anyone has to say.” You continue, causing your wife to push you into an empty room so you’re not being a lunatic in the hallway. 

“I know that today is hard for you, but she loves him and they’ve been pretty great parents to Maisy. When she came to us four years ago and told us she was pregnant, I was ready for you to kill the both of them–” 

You make a face, “Just me? What were you going to do?” 

“The twins were fifteen, someone had to stay out of prison,” she teases, making you feel a little bit lighter. However, you still remained very tense about the event today. “Look, they have more than proven themselves. They have provided for our granddaughter, who you love dearly. They have stayed in school and plan to graduate. They love each other completely. We can’t stop this from happening anymore, it’s what they want.” 

You frown as you hear your wife out and sigh. “Why couldn’t they wait until after college. I would have been more supportive.” 

The corner of her mouth lifts up as she shakes her head, “No, you wouldn’t have been. It’s hard to let go of them. To trust them to be on their own.” 

You nod, agreeing with what she says instead of arguing otherwise. “How are you so okay with this?” 

“I’m not, I’m just better at hiding it than you are,”she pats your shoulder and you let out a breathy laugh. Her phone pings with a notification and she takes a deep breath. “Now we need to do this for our daughter, together okay? No getting a getaway car ready.” 

Your shoulders deflate and you drop your head as you promise to behave before allowing your wife to guide you to the bride’s room. Looking at you so nervous reminds her of when you finally fulfilled your best friend’s dying wish and immortalized them in a book series. It wasn’t exactly a biography, it was a great mix of fiction and non-fiction that made people feel connected to the person you knew. But you were so anxious about releasing it to the world. That had to have been the most anxious she had ever seen you and it took sometime for either of you to realize that it was like letting go of Stevie again. 

But one day, in a way you never expected, you got a Stevie back in your life. When your daughter had first seen the name on the title, she thought that the series was meant to be about her. She refused to hear otherwise for years, but she was a little kid so you found it adorable. Eventually, you and Leigh told her about your best friend and explained that was where she got her middle name. It was hard to explain why she had never met them, especially since you and Leigh never settled on a concept to teach the kids what happens after death, but the “better place” line did come in handy. Then, as she got older, she started reading the books and she would ask you questions about the person she shared a name with. One day, when she was seventeen or eighteen, somewhere around there, she asked that everyone call her Stevie from then on. 

You had great relationships with all three kids, of course, but you and your daughter had a special bond. Leigh wonders if you’re feeling anxious about losing your best friend again. She was there to remind you however many times you needed to be reminded that this wasn’t the case. Your daughter is currently renting the house that once belonged to Stevie from you and Leigh, so it wasn’t like she didn’t still need help from her parents. She wasn’t gone yet and she needed to convince you that everything will be fine. Prepare you for when or if the time comes that Stevie only visits for the holidays. 

With careful steps, you and Leigh enter the dressing room cautious of what you’re walking into. Stevie is in the corner of the room, still in her robe, with her face in her hands. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“The flowers,” she says in a small voice that reminds you of the day she tripped trying to keep up with Bandit in the backyard. She scraped her knee and she was crying and you “cured” her with a magical kiss and an adhesive bandage. Leigh asks what’s wrong with the flowers and your daughter looks up with tears in her eyes that bring some to your own. “They’re the wrong amount. There’s supposed to be thirteen exactly!” She whines. 

“Okay, and how many are there?” You ask carefully. 

“Fourteen!” She waves around the bouquet and you and Leigh exchange a look with each other. Knowing exactly what the real problem was. 

“Honey,” Leigh looks at you one more time and you nod to encourage her to continue. “When was your last period?” The girl in front of you shrugs as she mumbles her answer, knowing what the two of you are getting at. “When were you going to tell us?” Leigh asks softly. 

Stevie dabs the corners of her eyes, careful with her makeup. “When we came back from the honeymoon. We didn’t want anyone to think this was a shotgun wedding,” she starts to get emotional and you rub circles on her back. Leigh smiles lovingly towards you as she fondly remembers you comforting her the same way. “I’m so sorry you guys. I know I’m such a disappointment.” 

“Hey, hey, hey. Who said that? We’re so proud of you sweetheart, we love you so much.” You say as you pull her into your arms, Leigh matches you as she hugs Stevie from the otherside. “Everything is going to be okay. Now hand me that bouquet.” You hold your hand out for the flowers and she does as you asked. You gingerly remove the extra flower and you grab something to cut the stem and place the flower in your wife’s hair. “See? Now you have thirteen flowers, and mom looks even more stunning than before.” Leigh takes your hand and kisses your knuckles, she has to rub the lipstick off of them with her thumb and the feel of the action makes your heart swell. 

Stevie perks up and thanks you and Leigh for cheering her up. “I really think I’ve found something like you and mom. He makes me really happy,” she says cheerfully, to reassure you that she is still making the right decision in marrying Carlos, her fiance. 

He wasn’t a bad guy, he was a great kid that grew and proved to be a great young man. Most important of all he was a wonderful father and hopelessly in love with your daughter. But, he was also the idiot that got your daughter pregnant in high school. You’re not quite sure when you’ll get over that. Leigh rubs your shoulder as she watches your body grow tense again. You stiffly nod which your daughter notices and finds amusing, she knows that you’re trying your best. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?” You say with a tight smile making your two girls laugh. 

After you and Leigh walk Stevie down the aisle and, reluctantly on your part, give her to Carlos, you sit on the bride's side of the church. Your shoulders shook slightly as you remember that you’re inside a church. It was important to Carlos’ family that the wedding be held in a church so you agreed. Making plenty of jokes about the ceiling caving in because you don’t have a faith and neither does Leigh. The kids were free to explore whatever they wanted but at the end of the day, they chose to stay away from them and instead admire from afar. You laugh behind your hand as you watch your youngest yawn as the priest drones on and on. Leigh smacks your shoulder and tells you to show some respect, but she even has to yawn. 

She glares at you before you can point it out. Deciding that you don’t want to be scolded further, you focus on your family standing in front of everyone instead of what is being said. Stevie wanted both of her brothers to be standing beside her for this moment, it made you and Leigh happy that though they were extremely difficult at times and even claimed to have hated each other, all three of the kids were close. When you look at your kids, you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. They have made it this far and they will make it further. There’s no doubt in your mind. They have so much potential and so much life to live. You’re not worried about them one bit. 

As the vows are being said, you look over at Leigh and think about how different your life would have been without her and take a moment to appreciate her. You nudge your shoulder against hers and smile at her, she mirrors your expression before turning her attention back to the wedding. You put your arm around her shoulders and she slides closer to you and takes your other hand in hers, pulling it on her lap. You place a kiss on the side of her head and look back up to your little girl. 

Watching her up there reminded you of when she was just a toddler, running around in a white dress and getting married to her stuffed animals or even Bandit a few times. Her and Leigh took it the hardest when he passed that it took several years before they let you bring another dog into the house. Of course though, you weren’t able to find a dog quite like Bandit ever again. 

Then you look over to your boys, the older one was going to college in the fall on an academic scholarship which wasn’t something anyone expected. Before he was in high school he was always struggling with his grades. He was more focused on playing basketball. All day, everyday. Then when his grades were slipping and his coach had the talk with him that you and Leigh tried over and over to have with him that his education was just as important as the sport and that if he wanted to be the star he was striving to be, he had to commit to his studies. The coach threatened to take away his position on the team if he didn’t get his act together. That fear motivated him into becoming a better student than his older sister who was always a fantastic student. 

Your eyes land on your youngest, who was aspiring to become a doctor or a lawyer or a politician. He hasn’t settled on one thing yet but going through his transition he was inspired to want to contribute to his community. He wants to make it more accessible for people to become who they truly are. He isn’t sure if the best way is through medicine or through law. But you and Leigh assured him that he will find his way in life and to not put so much pressure on himself. To enjoy being a young college student and to make mistakes that he’ll learn from. Although, you and Leigh knew he was going to change the world someday. He didn’t need to strive for that yet. There was plenty of time for that later. 

“Do you think we would have gotten along?” Stevie asks as you sway with her while the two of you share a dance. The two of you have been practicing for this moment since she was little. 

“What are you talking about?” You spin her under your arm when it feels right because of the song that is playing. 

“Allison and I,” she clarifies and your eyes begin to burn as you think about how to answer her. You thought about what her life would have looked like had she gotten to grow up. Especially if she got to be with her siblings. Although, that life might have been filled with other complications. You wouldn’t wish for Allison to be alive without her mother but you also wouldn’t give up Leigh and the life you built with her. Which is why when the kids got old enough to understand what you were saying, you stopped telling them those stories so that they wouldn’t ask questions and you wouldn’t have to tell them about what happened. 

You still haven’t talked about Allison in a long time. Especially not with any of your kids. “Where is this coming from?” You ask instead. 

“I was reading the first book that you wrote with mom and I asked her about it. She told me about the family you lost and I just…” she starts getting choked up and you take out your handkerchief so she doesn’t ruin her makeup. She has a long night of photos ahead of her. “I’m sorry, I just can’t imagine what that was like. And gosh, the hell the three of us must’ve put you through.” You help her keep her makeup together by gently dabbing her tears away. 

You laugh a little at the small mention of the things that had you and Leigh screaming at the kids so they can learn to be safer and smarter. “Oh you kids didn’t put me through hell. You and your brothers simply lived your lives and we did our jobs as parents to guide you when we needed to. You’re learning how to do that with Maisy and the little one growing inside of you.” The two of you resume dancing as the tears stop. “I never wanted any of you to carry that with you while growing up. It’s a lot to hold on your shoulders. But yeah, I think you and Ali would have gotten along. Eventually,” you tease, making her smile. “The two of you might have fought a lot, much like you did with your brothers. But when it came down to it, the two of you would be there for each other.” 

Stevie looks past your shoulder to her husband dancing with her daughter. She takes the moment to appreciate what she has. Then she looks at you, and sees the strength that she has admired from you and from her mom. Everyday she hopes that she can represent that to her kids. “I wish I had gotten to know all of them. You make them all sound so great.” 

“They were pretty great,”  you confirm and the song ends and you catch Leigh’s eye across the room. She mouths something to you and though you can’t really read them from her lips, you know exactly what she was trying to say. You look back to your daughter and grin at her. “I’m so proud of you, Stevie. You’re going to have a great life. Don’t forget about your mom and I, okay? Make time to give us a call from time to time.” 

She rolls her eyes, “I’m not leaving, you know? I’m just married now.” 

“I know, I just had to say it. Life gets in the way sometimes. You never know what will keep you from your people if you stop paying attention.” You give her a short embrace and then take your granddaughter off of the dance floor to get her some food, allowing her parents to share another dance. 

The party continues on to be a memorable night and at the end of it, you and Leigh take Maisy and the boys home. The boys say their goodnights before heading to bed. You and Leigh tuck Maisy in her mothers’ old bed and she reminds you so much of when your daughter was this little. She had fallen asleep in the car on the drive home so it wasn’t difficult to get her in bed. Which was a rare thing because she had a lot of energy and she usually refused sleep at all costs. 

Crawling into bed with Leigh after getting ready for bed, you give her a sweet kiss on the lips. “I love you,” you start, “Thank you for talking me down earlier.”

She returns your kiss, “I’ve been talking you down for years, my love. There’s no need to thank me for today.” 

You move on top of her, “Mmm, well, there might not be a need for it. But I definitely want to thank you. For today, all of the days before, and all of the days after.” You kiss her again, this time slower, deeper. 

“Oh, I won’t say no to that,” she says as she moves her hands on your body. 

“Thank you,” you kiss her neck. “Thank you,” you kiss her collarbone. “Thank you for believing in me,” you kiss the top of her breasts and slip your hand down her pajama pants and tease her through her underwear. “Thank you for loving me,” you bring your lips back to hers. “Thank you for being my partner,” you move her underwear to the side and slip your fingers inside of her. “Thank you for everything, love.”  

“You’re welcome,” she whispers.

You only got to enjoy that life with Leigh and your family a few more years after that. 

It was a late night. You were in another city doing press for another book. Leigh wasn’t able to join you because she was needed at home. Her mom needed a lot of assistance by then and neither of you felt right about putting her in a home. So she hired a nurse and the two of you helped Amy in any way you could. 

You decided to take a stroll around the city. Many of the bars and clubs were still open but you didn’t want to go inside of any. You just wanted to watch the people as you passed them. Hopefully collect ideas for another story. Although you still had more than enough stories to tell, it wasn’t bad to find more within strangers. 

There was a group of guys trying to cheer up one of their friends. He had lost a big job opportunity and his friends told you all about how much of a workaholic he was. That he needed the night out. A loud gathering of girls celebrating a bachelorette party caught your attention next. The bride-to-be was chatting with everyone she could, telling them how in love she is and how enchanting the wedding is going to be. You wished her a long and healthy marriage and she asked about your life. She cried when you showed her pictures of your family. Next were couples on dates, some were on their first with each other. You could tell by the awkward stances and the nervous smiles. You found it quite sweet. The city was alive and the night was young. Everywhere you looked, there seemed to be a story waiting to be told.

The next thing you knew, it was all over. A person, who should not have been driving, drove onto the sidewalk where you were walking. Several people were injured badly and two people died. Including you.

Taglist: @madamevirgo @wqndanat @thisischaismagic @artisannat @olsensnpm @evenbeingcrazy1998 @bentleywolf29 @awkwardmandalorian @agaymilflover @sayah13 @princessprudy  @wandsmxmff @wandavisionmoot @angryraisin @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @piningismymiddlename @the-writer-arcane @rightwereyouleftme @abimess @diaryoflife @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @maximofflover @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte

[pandorafallz]

Lest We Rest Upon Our Graves | C4

Remorse was a… unfamiliar emotion.

It clung to the back of her throat and its weight also in her chest like a coil of moving rope that shifted slightly with each breath and left a bitter taste on her pallet. Despite the weight, there was an…hollow echo to it. Remorse felt like a heavier burden because she had brought such emotion onto herself by her own actions.

It was…different to the familiarity of regret that Kìoetey did know very well. Regret that she couldn’t do more against the RDA, that she couldn’t have helped her sister back then…or Nor when he had needed her the most. Regret for the lives lost needlessly, her friends both human and Na’vi. Regret had been the result of external factors rather than her own.

It was an uncomfortable difference.

She didn’t know how to fix it.

Was there even a way to fix this? She was sure if Nor was here, he’d say she had done nothing wrong and that Cortez had deserved it. Kìoetey wasn’t Nor, but… she had still killed those baby avatars just as he had killed Cortez’s fully grown one. She had let the anger grow from a flame to a furnace with no control and done what a human had done; lashed out.

Little ones had died as a result of that.

She couldn’t breathe life into those tiny things to undo it nor knew how to create any of them to make up for the losses. An avatar wasn’t something replaceable like a decoration or jewellery.

“Are you okay?” Ri’nela’s voice was soft as she joined her, kneeling beside Kìoetey as the young warrior barely looked up from the upturned soil of Cortez’s Avatar Grave.

“Is…Cortez all right?” Kìoetey asked, ignoring how her voice cracked a little.

Ri’nela’s head tilted before she sighed. “I did not stay to see. I haven’t seen her this last hour so I assume she’s still with the doctor.”

Kìoetey let out a heavy breath. Her words did not provide any comfort “I shouldn’t have killed those avatars.” She muttered, “I…I let my anger get the best of me. I did what Nor did and killed.”

“They were just avatars. You did not kill a real person.”

“Those avatars were babies. The one I smashed into the ground was sucking on their thumb.” Kìoetey couldn’t quite shake that image; sure, the little one was cryo-frozen into that position and it barely moved but that wasn’t the point. “I let the sky person part of me take over in that moment. I…I wanted to spite her. Hurt her as she had hurt us. Me. I thought I was better than that. I tried so hard not to be what Mercer made us to be.”

Ri’nela’s hand came to her shoulder. “There is a lesson to be learned and it’s only been a few months since we woke up from the cold sleep. We’re still…adapting. Shaking away the foreign soil off our Sarentu and Na’vi roots will take time. What Cortez has done to us, having a part in severing our roots, there’s a lot of turmoil that lays between us that cannot be easily navigated.”

“A wrong does not fix another wrong. It only creates more pain and further complexities of grief and suffering.” Kìoetey said, leaning her head more towards Ri’nela’s shoulder, her friend allowing her to rest her head peacefully as they stared at the mound of dirt.

Ri’nela hummed for a moment, the familiar Sarentu hum. “Perhaps we should tend to Aha’ri and the others first before we tend to…Cortez and her troubles. They’ve waited a while to return to the Great Mother.” She said quietly, breaking the hum to speak.

“Yuayt can…be buried beside the avatar’s body.” Kìoetey suggested, “He shouldn’t be laid to rest beside my sister.” She wouldn’t deny him his right of burial and release back to Eywa but… he had sold them out to Harding. To Mercer. She could…forgive him but she couldn’t forget the pain he caused by that. She would see him buried respectfully nonetheless. He still deserved that.

“There’s a huge tree further down where we could bury Okni? It’s got these beautiful roots and woven patterns that…remind me of her hairstyle.” Ri’nela said, her hand coming to her own decorated hair. “She always used to draw trees.”

“Mercer always got rid of them.”

“But it didn’t stop her.” Ri’nela smiled sadly.

“How…do we do their funerals? Have you seen what to do?”

“Not fully, but So’lek has offered to help. He’s been making burial shrouds for the remains the last hour from material gifted from the Kame’tire. They were generous in their offering.”

Kìoetey gave a relieved nod. They had moved the ashes from the scraps Cortez had put them in into woven bags since So’lek had passed them along. Better fitting for them than some random pot with no emotional value. No reason to hide what was inside anymore.

Still, she was grateful for the assistance; they knew too little of their own practices. Ri’nela could only learn so much so quickly from Eywa. So’lek had an experience that…she knew was unfortunate given the loss of his people.

“It’s advised we take a mourning period after we return them to Eywa. Typically a week” Ri’nela added, more hesitantly.

“With the RDA still around and planning, we shouldn’t avoid our duties to the resistance should the time call for it. We can continue our morning process after.”

“I suppose. It just…doesn’t feel proper.” Ri’nela’s tail curled softly.

“Life over death,” Kìoetey mused, “I don’t know where to bury Aha’ri. We don’t know the Clouded forest very well.” She raised her head off Ri’nela’s shoulder. “Nor would know.”

“There’s a Tarsyu plant close to the hideout. We could bury her between its roots? While we have no Home, it’s still Sarentu ground.”

“Yes. That sounds like a good spot.” Kìoetey agreed. It felt right for her sister to have that place. Closer to their ancestors. She knew the one Ri’nela meant; she had visited it herself a few times. It was quite the walk or a short flight on her Ikran.

“Then I will check in with So’lek on those shrouds and let him know of our plans,” Ri’nela said gently rising back to her feet. “You should make preparations yourself. We should remain close to one of the graves for some time as a vigil.”

Kìoetey nodded. “I’ll see to it. I’ll still check in with Nalin and…Cortez. Even if I don’t say much. I need to be at ease first.”

“Do not be fast to forgive her for your own actions.” Ri’nela warned, “Her ambitions still made us into orphans.”

“I know.”

Alexander had been kind enough to help collect together some rations for them, the Na’vi kind which would taste nicer and fresher than the stolen RDA food. Two bottles of water each which Kìoetey decanted into two water skins; to fit better on them while they travelled.

Ultimately, Kìoetey’s feet carried her towards the oddly looming area of the medical beds but instead of seeing Cortez awake and reading or doing something, the woman was…asleep on the gurney. Her pale face looked a little gaunter under the light beside her, a cannula tube inserted into her nose which was the surprise. Her right arm was supported beside her on some pillows and…wrapped in an ice pack and an arm splint was left off to the side. She had some dressing covering her other arm and left hand and softer cuts along her fingers that didn’t need to be dressed given how small they were.

“Cortez?” Kìoetey called, crouching down. Cortez looked…tiny now. She was still…so used to seeing her avatar. A foreign form still���but it was still her.

“She’s sedated.”

Kìoetey jumped a little at the voice, turning sharply to see Nalin returning with a small tray of food and sat down at the small table a few feet away to eat it.

“Why?” Kìoetey couldn’t help but ask.

“After what happened with you, she…freaked out. To put it kindly. I can’t go into much more detail. Patient confidentiality and all. But, the stress on her body was worrying. Once she passed out, I decided to keep her under for the time being so she fully stabilises and she won’t risk pulling out wires or tubes.” Gesturing to the IV Cortez had in her non-splinted arm.

“Is her arm okay? I…didn’t break it, did I?”

“No, not fully. It’ll take about six to eight weeks for them to heal entirely.” Nalin said, taking a sip of water.

“I didn’t….mean to hurt her,” Kìoetey admitted, sadly. “I just…didn’t think.” There was no reply which didn’t quell her concerns. “I just… I wanted to apologise for this harm and…death I caused needlessly.”

“I’m sure she’d appreciate the sentiment but… I think it’s a bit too soon for that.” Nalin said, honestly. “I’d avoid trying to talk to her for at least a few days. Humans respond very differently to…this sort of situation compared to Na’vi.”

Kìoetey nodded; humans hung a lot onto their emotions after the fact and were far fluid in their responses. In all honesty, she had no idea how Cortez would react. “Me and Ri’nela are going away for a few days unless we’re called back for RDA missions. We’re burying our people. You shouldn’t have to worry.”

Nalin nodded, opening her ration back slowly.

Kìoetey spared a last glance to Cortez before making headway towards out. There were other times to address this with Cortez, she supposed. After.

Kìoetey made her way back through the base, passing a few people and overhearing their passive conversation but none of interest so she didn’t change pace until she reached the airlock. She set aside her mask and canister onto the rack, noting the others what had been added since which told her the others were done and waiting.

She didn’t have to go far to find either So’lek or Ri’nela and she was relieved to see them ready, but stepping out of the dark, clouded shades, Kìoetey blinked to see Anufi make an appearance.

“Anufi? You’re here?” Kìoetey asked in surprise, drawing the Tsahìk’s attention to her as she stopped at Ri’nela’s side.

The Tsahìk in question nodded, her tired eyes drifting around to them and then down to the bags of ashes that Ri’nela held carefully to her chest.

“So’lek told me of what was recently returned to you and what must be returned to Eywa. As I am returning to my duties as Tsahìk, I owe a lot to aid. Your people have lost a lot, but… I do recall the Sarentu’s last visit. I helped them with a funeral rite.”

Ri’nela’s head lifted. Her yellow eyes widened a fraction. “You know our people’s way?”

Anufi nodded once, “It was a single but heavy lesson but the Sarentu Tsahìk was grateful to allow us to settle their dead into the circle of ancestors. I will see these three souls are buried in the same manner.”

“In….terms of funeral rites or location?” Kìoetey asked, not sure if she meant one or the other or both for that matter. “You would…allow us to bury our people at The Circle of Ancestors?”

“Returning the spirit from the ashes needs a stronger connection to Eywa.”

Kìoetey spared a look to Ri’nela who nodded at her, approving of the idea. Kìoetey couldn’t disagree; it did sound better than their suggestions. The Circle of Ancestors had a far stronger connection to Eywa than the Tarsyu plant of their people. Children of Eywa were still children of Eywa, regardless of clan.

“Then we shall see that they’re released there,” Ri’nela agreed on her behalf.

“Do you wish for me to join?” So’lek’s question was gentle, “If not, I can stay here at Resistance Base and oversee the humans and keep an eye out on the RDA.”

“We will leave the choice for you,” Kìoetey said, grateful for the offer. “No judgement either way.”

So’lek nodded, looking for a moment conflicted before he gave his answer. “As we are still in unpredictable times with the RDA, I will allow myself to stay back and help with the Resistance in your respectable absence but I will pay my respects to your people once the major conflict has passed.”

“Okay.” Kìoetey could feel some relief in his words. She knew he…wanted to be there for them emotionally and spiritually, and as someone who had buried most of their clan before… he knew. But they needed someone they trusted to have their backs. It wasn’t Cortez any more but So’lek made a good face for the resistance for her to turn to in that regard.

“Follow me,” Anufi whispered softly, gesturing her wood-sharpened prostheses towards the pathway under the thin vein of the dark clouds. Small lights of the plant life still show through the fog.

-

Through the dark, heavy fog, it was nice. Senseless and warm. Every so often there were muffled noises. Distant and concerning, even as the weight that seemed to keep her body pinned seemed to slowly start lifting. The noise began to get louder and sharper.

“...she’s coming up.”

It was almost a bother.

“…go. I’ll stay… make sure…” the sound was inconstistant.

Alma wanted to curl up and let the darkness take her again… blissful sleep. Dreamless. Away from the world’s trouble.

The sensation of her body seemed to slowly reappear; feeling that she was lying down, her top half on an incline as well…her arm seemed to ache; returning her mind more sharply…

Why was her arm hurting?

Alma groaned a little, wiggling her fingers and was met with a swift complaint as pain sharply stabbed down the very bone. “…ow…”

“Careful, didn’t lift your arm just yet. It’s splinted!” The voice became familiar as Alma blearily opened her eyes.

“Nalin?” She asked then frowned at her as her mind sluggishly began to catch up on why she felt like this. “You…gave me a shot?”

“Yes, but it’s wearing off. I’ll get another to help flush the sedative from your system fully but I needed to get your oxygen situation up and…you to be fully stabilised.” That sounded like a loaded sentence that Alma was in no shape to currently unpack.

Nalin seemed to prep the needle and inserted it into the IV port at her hand before she shoved the stopper down and withdrew it.

“Now, while that takes effect. Can you tell me what you last remember?”

“Feels like a trick question,” Alma mumbled, her other hand coming to rub her face, wincing at her arm as she felt a stinging at her fingers and withdrew her hand to…see her hands covered in little cuts; some covered and some not. The skin looked to be very irritated as well but now swollen.  

The glass shattered across the floor. Clear fluid seemed to spread across the metal flooring; seeping everywhere. A little curled up thing….thumb in mouth… lying on the cold, harsh metal….

Alma’s breath came to a pause, the memory resurfacing; the avatar babies… the water… “Kìoetey?!” The words left her lips like a horrified whisper as the last few seconds before the darkness came back. “My…My avatars!” It was perhaps the drugs in her system that stopped her from doing more like trying to scramble out of bed or feel her heart race in her chest but…the calm felt false and she…felt helpless. “They’re dead?” She felt her eyes well up, biting down into her lower lip.

“I’m sorry, Cortez” Nalin’s voice was sympathetic, “Two avatars didn’t make it.”

Alma closed her eyes, trying to hold back her sobs as she tried to comprehend the…odd and familiar sense of grief that…felt so much worse than before. Before when she had one loss. Now she had truly lost it all. No backup, no other options.

“I’ve…I’ve got them right now. They’re wrapped up in a tissue right now in my freezer. When…when you’re able to leave, you can bury them outside.”

Alma didn’t open her eyes as she shifted, rolling enough to not disturb her arm but enough to be on her side, there was a tug from her nose before she yanked it out and tossed the tubing away over the other side of the bed.

“Hey, you need that!”

“No.” She shook her head. She didn’t need more oxygen here. “Go away.”

Nalin let out a soft sigh. “Okay, but we’ll talk more about your…condition when you’re ready for it. Keep your weight off your arm otherwise, you’ll make it worse.”

Alma just grunted but felt her leave, listening out for her steps

She didn’t know how long she lay there just basking in her sadness and just…wanting to sleep it away. But the second shot had been clearing away the grogginess from her mind and body a lot more. The pain in her arm had gotten worse and she had a tension headache as well but it was a low pain at the front of her skull. So, without drugs or…passing out, sleep was not going to come naturally.

It left her mind churning which she didn’t enjoy.

Nor had killed her mature Avatar. Kìoetey had killed the rest. That was not a good metaphor to think about; what that could mean for her. Dead to them? Poetic, if that was the angle. Fitting even for her actions against the Sarentu. Nor had said she had deserved to die but… in which body? The Avatar? Or her? The true her.

She couldn’t face Nor to test that wonder out. Could she face Kìoetey? Alma withdrew at the thought, her arm twinging at the thought. Her arm wasn’t cast up; she had noticed the bag of water; a former ice pack and the splint; she was hurt. But her arm wasn’t broken. At least, not fully.

The splint was a light grey material, adjustable and long so it just about reached the inside of her elbow but with enough space to move it about. It was soft but inside, she could feel the metal plating that kept her arm straight. A part of her was curious to peel it off to see what sort of bruise she had; a break bruise or the lingering mark of Kìoetey’s hand. She’d much prefer the former over the latter but it wasn’t worth the pain or the lecture from Nalin.  

Kìoetey was certainly capable of hurting her again.

Which meant she had to keep her distance from them all to avoid getting hurt for a third time. If Kìoetey of all people snapped, then she wasn’t safe with any of them. It hurt to realise that, an ache to the heart but…where was the lie? The resistance certainly needed the Sarentu, or Kìoetey at the least. The young warrior was needed here; being useful and productive.

Alma had no avatar, her friends seemed to have bailed (understandably but ouch) and her leadership was in solid question with all of her people. Alma knew she was tolerated for the sake of her position. Anqa had said herself that Jake’s action of putting her in charge was the reason she still maintained it. So, there was only the value of Toruk Makto that kept her in charge and he had no idea what she had done.

She dreaded to think what he would do if he found out.

Sooner or later, her position was going to falter. Her injury now and no doubt word of what happened would have spread. Gossip always travelled fast. She needed a plan of action before then. The simplest option was there and it was feeling like a pretty good idea.

It would…be wise to take it as well. She’d heal on her own and the Sarentu would work with the resistance without needing to keep an eye on her; to avoid or ignore. Less of a ghost behind them. It’d give her people time to… adjust and process before she’d try to gain their respect again. She couldn’t help the resistance looking like a wet towel of a person. Especially to the other clan leaders that made their appearance, or would when the time came.

“Cortez?” Nalin returned, her combed-back blonde hair looking a little more ruffled as she stepped around the curtain. “Good, you’re still here.” She visibly relaxed. “Feeling better?”

“Not really.”

“I didn’t have high expectations.”

Alma snorted a little, glad for one the doctor was too tired for bedside manner. Nonetheless, Alma rolled back onto her spine, wincing a little at her arm but allowed the doctor to do her checks.

“How bad is my arm?” Alma decided to ask first. “Not broken?”

“You have four hairline fractures in your forearm.” From the side, Nalin pulled the tablet she had out and held it over to show the sight of an arm scan. “One along your radius, three along your ulna.” Her fingers tapped over the damaged bone where the line was easy to see. But, it traced a horrible like that the breaks occurred around the bone Kìoetey had squeezed. Her finger marks upon her very bones.

“How long will it take to heal?”

“About six to eight weeks. These are bad hairline fractures which is why you’re in a lot more pain than if it was simpler stress fractures. The tendons are also irritated as well so it took a while for the swelling to go down.” Nalin said pulling the tablet back. “I’ll give you some more pain meds in a second. Your fingers are still glass-cut. They’ll be sore still since the fluid in the avatar tubes is from Pandora, which has a lower pP Scale so it irritated the open wounds. I flushed those already but it’ll take a few days before your hands get better.”

Alma tiled her uninjured arm to her hands but simply nodded.

“Which…now leads us to…the more worrying concern I have in regards to your health.” Nalin looked uneasy. “I don’t…know if I can treat it if it doesn’t get better on its own.”

“Tell me,” Alma said.

Nalin pulled out the chair and sat down heavily beside her then swapped over her scan. “I’ve found blood in your brain, Cortez.” Her voice wavering a little. “I can’t… know for sure just yet but… I think you might have had a minor ruptured aneurysm when your avatar died”

Alma’s stomach turned. “Oh god.”

“Small, minor and I think it’s healing which is why I can’t find this aneurysm. That’s…one of the reasons I sedated you; high blood pressure risks a rebleed or worse. I needed you to be at rest long enough for the readings and to make sure you weren’t going to drop dead or have a stroke.”

“Why do I sense a ‘but’ here?” Alma said, dry-mouthed.

“I found another,” Nalin said, turning the screen. “Unruptured, but… I can’t operate. I don’t have the tools to operate on the brain like this. I looked. I checked through all of our supplies. I asked everyone at field labs if they had any but…” She hesitated. “I think they were the med tools that got bombed at HQ.”

Alma swallowed uneasily as she took in the screen. The…budge looked further down than she expected; not too big either but that mattered little for where it was. If that haemorrhaged, then the pressure on her brain would skyrocket. She’d probably either go into a coma or have a stroke…then it could most likely kill her if they couldn’t control the bleeding.

“You’re not trained to treat this, are you?” Which was a sad realisation given Nalin was not a surgeon. She was a medical researcher; now head medic following Hajir’s death. Their situation out here in the jungle… of course, they didn’t have all the tools like a bypass or surgical clips and the risk of surgery wasn’t the best odds in the hands of someone who wasn’t trained for it.

“No, but I’ll see if we have any data on alternative treatments or…if any of the Na’vi have ways to cure it,” Nalin said anxiously. “I plan to talk to Anufi if So’lek can arrange a meeting but it’ll be a few days until then.”

Alma took a shuddering breath, handing off the datapad back to the doctor. “Until then?”

“Observation, at best. Your blood pressure can’t be too high otherwise the risks go up. You need to eat well.” The doctor said, “Which…is why I think it’s best if I medically pull you from active duty as the resistance leader.”

Those words hurt, making her flinch a little but Alma hated how that was the right move on the doctor’s part. It hurt still. It hurt to lose that; being the leader was all she had right now. She had nothing else… she was just…some scientist that everyone hated. But the fact was, she couldn’t lead if she dropped dead in the middle of someone’s mission when they needed her.

“Field lab.” Alma croaked, sucking in sharply.

“What?”

“There’s…a field lab. If…If I stay, I’ll stress. I…don’t think I’m ready to be around…the Sarentu kids. Ri’nela avoids me as it is and…I can’t have this again.” her eyes turned to her arm, but her mind went back to the dead avatars.

Nalin’s head tilted but she looked more surprised than anything. “I thought you’d fight me on that.”

“Normally… probably. I’m not messing with a brain that might pop.” She had some self-preservation still, thank you very much and until she knew it was curable or terminal, she was going to try her best to stay alive. She was probably gonna cry about this later… alone. “Don’t tell anyone about this, or that it’s me that’s affected.” She asked.

“You...don’t want to tell anyone?”

“No. I don’t…want to see their pity if it winds up killing me.” Alma winced at her own words, having how her heart pattered too fast. “I…I don’t want people to be nice for the sake of me dying. I want…forgiveness but I can’t have that on the account of pity. It’s false. I don’t wanna die believing lies.”

Perhaps it was some spite or passive aggressiveness but… she didn’t want to live basking in unearned forgiveness. How people treat her, regardless of her life expectancy, was their choice. They could live with that themselves.

“Why not the Sarentu at the very least?”

“No.” Her tonal was final on that. She didn’t deserve their worry if they knew if they would want to. “I think it's best we wait until you’ve got the answer, doc.” Still, right now, she still has a chance. Lest not dwell on the bad first.

“Fine.” Nalin looked very… unhappy about it but with patient confidentiality, she had no choice on the matter.

“Let me look into field labs. I’ll pack after I bury my little avatars. Anqa can take me there.”

“I’m not leaving you there on your own.”

“I don’t expect anything less,” Alma said tiredly because she really didn’t; the woman was doing her best to look after her, regardless of her own personal feelings towards her. “Picking someone good, doc.”

Link to the Polls; Alma's fate!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: Gripping, romantic, and impossible to put down, this dark and immersive post-apocalyptic debut YA novel is about two teen girls who loved each other before the end of the world — and before one of them became infected with the virus that turned her into a monster.

Perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland, Adam Silvera, and the darkly human side of the HBOMax horror-drama, The Last of Us.

Seventeen-year-old Mara is dead—mostly.      

Infected with a virus that brought the dead back to life and the world to its knees, she wakes up in a facility to learn a treatment for the disease has been found. No longer a Tick, Mara is placed in an experimental resettlement program. But her recovery is complicated by her destination: she’s sent to live with the best friend she hasn’t seen since the world ended—and since their first and only kiss.      Seventeen-year-old Rory is alive—barely.      

With impaired mobility from an injury and a dead sister, Rory’s nightmares are just as monstrous as the Ticks that turned her former best friend. Even after the Island—one of a handful of surviving communities—rebuilds itself, Rory is prepared for the Ticks to return at any time. She never expected them to come in the form of the only girl she’s ever loved.      

As the girls struggle with their pasts and the people they’ve become, the Island’s soldiers go rogue and come after the Ticks and anyone harboring them. With the Island’s fragile peace in the balance, Rory and Mara must lean on each other to survive—or risk losing the girl they love all over again.

Review:

The Last of Us meets a love story about two girls dealing with the aftermath of of a virus taking over the world and what happens when one of them is infected... and now is being let back out into the world. Mara and Rory were best friends, they've even thought about being more... until a virus known as "the Tick" happened turning people into flesh hungry zombies essentially and Mara gets infected... and that was two years ago... and now she has been rehabilitated and been put on a treatment program to treat her disease. Mara is put into an experimental resettlement program... and who better than to be her host family than her godparents... aka the same family with her old best friend and the girl she loved who she knows now hates her lives. Mara is still traumatized from what happened to her, she remembers everything she did as a Tick... everyone's she's killed including her parents. Rory is reeling from losing her younger sister, having sene her been killed, and she has impaired mobility from an injury. She is still plagued by nightmares and she's dreading facing Mara again. Rory has spent her time preparing to face off against Ticks, what she didn't expect was facing it in the form of the only girl she's ever loved. Both girls struggle with dealing with their pasts and the girls they have become since then, all the while the island's soldiers have gone wrong and are coming after the rehabilitated ticks and anyone who is harboring them... with the leader of the island's soldier particularly going after Rory and Mara, the girls will have to learn to lean on each other and grow past their differences in order to survive this new horror... and maybe fall for the new girls they are now. This was the perfect read for anyone who loved The Last of Us or loves a post-apocalyptic Romance!! The angst was real and the tension was so good. The world building in this one was fantastic and I loved how the book has you so interested in what was happening all the way to the end of the book. The romance was so well done and I loved that the girls were both healing and trying to get to know the new version of the person they loved. This is a fun read and I would absolutely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[skzhocomments]

The Boundless Sphere of Fate - Lee Taemin - Chapter 8 - If we are soulmates

General masterlist

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 7 | Chapter 9

---

Chapter 8 - If we are soulmates

word count: ~2.2k words

~present day~

~third person POV~

“Argh, I’m soooo tired!” Blair shouts as soon as she busts through the door. An amused Taemin is waiting for her in the doorframe of the dance room.

“Welcome back home!” He says, making her smile.

“What were you doing, were you dancing?”

“Mhm. Want me to show you?” He asks and heads into the practice room.

He already knows Blair will say yes, since this has been their routine for the past two months. Blair goes to work, and Taemin either watches TV or tries on new choreographies for all sorts of songs and genres. When she comes back, they first go to the practice room to check Taemin’s new dances, and then either cook food together, if Blair is not too tired – which is really funny in itself, because she is a terrible cook, and Taemin’s spiritual energy sometimes runs out in the middle of pouring out salt or other ingredients into the pot, and that makes him dropping the whole thing in the food, making it inedible – or she picks up something to-go and eats next to Taemin while they binge-watch something on TV.

They enjoy doing this together; they pick a random show and watch it, and then discuss it extensively over the next few days, coming up with all sorts of thoughts and theories about what happened or what they’ve noticed. The last show they picked up was Girl from Nowhere, and it was truly funny and unexpected for both of them to notice from the very first episode that Nanno, the main character, is not a good person, nor is she supposed to be. She just brings back karma to everyone who does wrong. This, of course, steamed passionate discussions on why karma punishments are bad or good, which kept Blair up for hours, and Taemin entertained.

She doesn’t have too many friends, if any, he noticed, so spending time together is good not only for his boredom, but for her social life – or lack thereof – as well.

“Yes, I’d like to see your new dance!” She squirms happily and kicks off her shoes, following him into the practice room.

Taemin plays the music and starts dancing, moving his hips provocatively, and Blair can’t take her eyes off him. It’s like the first time she’s seen him dance: she is captivated, and he looks really good, and his shirt sometimes rides up when he moves his arms a certain way, and-

“Did you like it?” Taemin smiles and drops down next to her on the small sofa in the room. Blair bought it so she can sit more comfortably while watching him, and she’s glad she did, because they ended up so many times spending hours on this very sofa talking, getting to know each other, and most importantly, getting closer.

“I loved it. You’re so talented, Taemin!”

“It’s so much easier when you’re not getting tired,” He chuckles. “Back when I was alive, I would run out of breath so quickly – you have no idea.”

“Oh, I do. You saw me try to dance with you last time, didn’t you?”

“Poor you!” He exclaims and both start chuckling.

“I’ll look into the man who killed you. It’s simply impossible to not have one freaking clue about who he is. You were an aspiring dancer and extremely talented, so there must be something in an old newspaper about your death…”

“Don’t sweat it.” Taemin smiles. “Right now I’m really happy.”

“But not happy enough to cross over.”

Taemin shakes his head. “How I feel when I’m with you… has nothing to do with me crossing over or not…”

“I know, Taem.” She raises a hand and tries to touch his hair, but, of course, nothing happens, and it goes through. She sighs. “I really wish I could touch you sometimes.”

“Yea?” He moves closer. “How would you touch me?”

The lights suddenly turn off, the only light in the room coming from the small gap between the blinders on the windows.

“Did you do this?” Blair whispers, aware of Taemin’s proximity. She’s not sure if she’s happy or not that he’s a ghost. On one hand, she really wants to grab his face that’s so close to her and kiss it. On the other, his breath on her neck would’ve most likely made her go insane.

“Mhm. Isn’t it more intimate when it’s dark?”

“I guess so…”

“You know how I would touch you, love?” He whispers seductively, and all of Blair’s defences come crashing down. She knows Taemin is bold, but this feels very unexpected. She does like it, though.

“How?” She asks in a quiet voice, and he begins trailing his hand on her body, starting from the shoulder and going down. His hand is hovering barely 2 centimetres over her skin, but it gives Blair goosebumps either way.

“I would take off these clothes of yours so I can admire you in that red lingerie you put on this morning. You’d look so good in these big mirrors, don’t you think?” He says, and Blair just gulps.

“Would you… like to see…?” She asks cautiously, and Taemin, excited by this outcome, stands up and hands her his hand. She pretends to take it and moves in the centre of the room, taking off each piece of garment one by one, until she’s left in her underwear.

Her lingerie set is beautiful and makes her feel really sexy. It’s bright red and has a harness around the waist area, connecting with a pair of delicate lace matching garters.

“Fuck, Blair, you’re so hot. I wanted to bend you over when I saw you this morning wearing this.”

“Did you come into my room again?” She chuckles.

“Mhm. Guilty. But it’s my room too, you know?” He retorts. “Why don’t we go in there, hm?”

They head to the bedroom and Taemin guides Blair on the bed, getting on top of her.

“I really wish I could feel you, love. I would kiss your neck and leave marks all over your beautiful chest and eat you out better than any man you’ve been with.”

“My, Taem, you’re such a dirty talker.” Blair laughs out of embarrassment, as she doesn’t want to admit to herself yet how horny he’s making her. The nickname he uses, love, doesn’t go unnoticed either, but she’s trying to not focus on it too much. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

“It’s not all of a sudden at all.” Taemin laughs. “I’ve been wanting to see you naked under me for as long as I’ve known you. Well, not really. But after you stopped being annoying, I looked at you differently.”

“Annoying?!” Blair furrows her brows. “Weren’t you the one pulling pranks on me all this time?”

“Oh, well.” Taemin shrugs. “You know, Blair? I’ve been thinking of something for some weeks now… would you please take off all your clothes and show me how you pleasure yourself?”

“Wh- what?”

“Don’t act shocked.” Taemin laughs. “I know you do it all the time, love. I hear you. Is it wrong of me to want to see you as well?”

“Uhm…” Blair’s cheeks go red. “Okay… uhm… how do I…”

“Just relax.” Taemin chuckles. “Close your eyes and follow my voice, hm? Imagine me and you, entangled on this very bed. I’m on top of you and kiss your lips hastily, and I want you desperately, and you know it, and you want me too. We kiss so hard, we are afraid our lips will be bruised the next day, but we don’t care, because we want each other so bad, slow and steady is not enough for us. I go down your jaw and bite your neck softly behind your ear, and you whimper under me, just like that, baby.” He continues, as Blair starts touching herself through the underwear.

She rolls her head back and takes her left boob out of her bra, and she opens her legs and slides a hand under her panties.

“You’re so beautiful, love. It’s killing me that I can’t touch you.”

“Shh,” she says. “don’t say that. What else would you do to me?”

“I would trail kisses down your body and slowly take your underwear off-” he says, and Blair follows suit and takes off her panties. “and then I’d get comfortable between your legs, letting my tongue taste every corner of you. Fuck, your pussy is so pretty.”

“Oh my fucking God.” Blair exclaims, her eyes closed, as her hand continues to rub circles on her nub.

“And when I’d feel you’re wet enough and ready for me-” Taemin continues, and all of a sudden, Blair feels something at her entrance. Her eyes open in surprise and she notices her dildo gone from the nightstand. “I would enter you whole, and I would fuck you so good, you’d see stars.”

Taemin doesn’t give Blair any time to adjust as he makes sure the whole length of the dildo is inside her, and then he starts moving it in and out in a steady rhythm. Blair comes embarrassingly fast and is soon gripping the sheets and clenching her legs around the dildo, screaming Taemin’s name.

Her chest rises up and down as he plops down next to her.

“And now I’d cuddle you and let you know how beautiful you are when you come saying my name.”

“Fuck me.” Blair swears. “This was incredible. What the fuck.”

“I’m glad.” Taemin chuckles. “I conserved all my spiritual energy for this.”

“No way. Didn’t you do anything today?”

“Not really, no.”

“But the choreo? Didn’t you turn on the TV to dance?”

“It’s from last week, I just decided not to show it to you until now.”

“Mean.” Blair frowns.

“I wasn’t so mean between your legs earlier, was I?”

“I want the real thing.” She pouts.

“Me too. I want to have sex with you so badly.”

“I bet, with how hot you said I am. This was more similar to phone sex to you, wasn’t it?”

“Phone sex? What’s that?”

“Oh, right. I forgot it wasn’t a thing when you were alive. You call someone and talk dirty to them until both of you come.”

“Naughty. Did you have phone sex, Blair?”

“Nah, I wasn’t really attracted to other people before.”

“But are you attracted to me?”

“You’re a ghost.” She chuckles.

“If I were alive. I still have the same body. I mean, I look the same.”

“Yeah, you’re really attractive to me. It’s crazy, I think we might be soulmates or something.”

“Why?” Taemin asks.

“I mean… I never really felt attracted to anyone until now, even though I wanted to get off sometimes. But after knowing you, and talking to you, and… developing an emotional bond to you, I guess something’s changed. Damn, maybe I’ve been demisexual all my life and I didn’t know.”

“Demisexual?”

“Yeah. That’s like… a person who only feels sexually attracted to people after developing an emotional connection to them.”

“Hmm, I see.” Taemin says. “You know what? I think you might be right.”

“About being demisexual?”

“No, dummy. About us being soulmates. I really really really like you, and it’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to be alive for something else that’s not revenge. I want to be alive so I can do things with you for real, and touch you, and feel your warmth. Damn, now I’m sad.”

“Mhm… I also wished you were alive. Hey, if we’re really soulmates, do you think there are other timelines where we’re alive at the same time and are properly together?”

“I’d like to think so. I hope alter-timeline me fucks the shit out of you right now.”

“I’d slap you if I could.” Blair chuckles.

“Like you don’t want the same thing.” Taemin rolls his eyes. “Should I remind you how hard you moaned my name earlier?”

“Shut up. Yes I want it, but shut up.”

“Knew it.” Taemin smiles triumphally.

“Say, if it was really a way for me to be able to touch you, would you like me to go through with it?”

“That’s a weird question. I mean, yeah, but… how would that be possible?”

“I read something in an old book once… about a ritual that brings people back from the dead.”

“Oh.”

“It said it only worked on soulmates.”

“So, what’s the catch?”

“The catch?”

“There must be some things that would go wrong once you perform this… ritual. Also, how do we know it even works?”

“We don’t.” Blair shrugs. “But like… it either does or it doesn’t. It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“Ok…”

“I’m not sure there’s a catch. There were some warnings about how you will be able to only interact with me, and something about me giving you a part of my soul so you can be tangible. I don’t really remember, honestly. It was really old and hard to read and smudged.”

“I don’t know, Blair… it sounds like a bad idea.”

“But you’d be alive… to me. Wouldn’t that be nice? Plus, we’d know for sure if we are soulmates or not.” She chuckles.

“I feel uneasy about this for some reason.” Taemin insists, but Blair’s mind is already made up. If there is a way to bring back to life the only man who’s ever made her feel something – even if just for her – she wants to try it.

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Chapter 7 | Chapter 9