#the only thing that takes me out a tiny bit appearance wise is the height but you can't win them all jkhksg

[rivilu-2-electric-boogaloo]

The scrunkly (3D version)

And a wip for good measure↴

[wtf-amiru]

General Information

Name: A'miru Fhey

Name Meaning: I literally just hit the random generate button until I found a name and surname I liked. I removed an h from her first name to make it flow better.

Other Names: Miru (G'raha, Thancred, Urianger, Y'shtola only), kitten (only by husbands or boyfs), gremlin, idiot

Gender: Female

Birth Name: She's entirely not sure if her name was even given to her by her birth parents, she's never known them.

Birth Date: 17th sun of the 6th umbral moon (december 17th)

Birth Place: Yanxia - no memory, was in Ul'dah as long as she can remember

Dominant Hand: right

Astrological Sign: Sagittarius

Appearance

Height: 4'10

Weight: i genuinely don't know how to estimate this bc she's so short, if she was my height (5'7) she'd be about 120-130 lbs but she's almost a foot shorter than that? Maybe like 115-125?

Ethnicity: Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te

Birthmarks: nope, just some freckles that come out when she tans and her miqo face marks

Hair Color: Dark blue

Hair Length: Mid-back

Hair Type: thick, fine, super soft, big natural waves

Hair Style: ponytail for function, down and wild for casual

Eye Color: pink, very slight cool undertones

Eyebrows: a little bit on the wild side tbh

Teeth(Ex. Cavities/dentures): I know seeker miqo aren't supposed to have fangs but gosh dang they're cute so fuck it she's got fangs like keeper miqo (fight me) and they're well looked after, however she's missing a back tooth (maxillary second bicuspid) from an accident when she was younger and probably chipped an incisor in that final Zenos fight.

Face Shape(ex. Round/flat/etc): somewhere between heart and round (face 3 for fem seeker miqo)

Complexion (Ex. Acne, blemishes.): Clear, 2 facial scars across nose and on cheek from pre ARR

Shirt Size: probably extra small tbh, she's tiny

Pants Size: 5-7, she small but she got a butt

Shoe Size: idek how small, does 5 sound right? Maybe 6?

Health and Image

Diet: boy this girl can eat. Metabolism for days. Something about all the shit WoL has to go through just makes me think that they probably have to intake more to keep up. Health wise she doesn't really have that much of a sweet tooth anymore but she does like her junk food.

Exercise: lots of squats and calf raises (normal, seated, single leg and toes in), box jumps essentially anything that targets her quads and calves, knees and ankles (all that poofing around as a ninja, yknow) and a ton of stretching and toning like yoga and pilates.

Fitness: has always been pretty fit out of necessity, doesn't take to routine well however so exercise outside of work is not a scheduled thing except for when Emet-Selch took G'raha at the end of SHB then it was dragging Thancred to 6am workouts BC she so so angy

Posture (lazy/proper): usually pretty terrible honestly

Abnormalities: well y'know, there's that whole Azem thing. Normal abnormalities (lol) just what would be referred to as "loose joints"? like her shoulder's dislocate by accident and she can just shrug them back in and she easily hyper extends her knees if she's not paying attention.

Vulnerabilities: alcohol, addiction, mild ptsd (have you seen the shit WoL has to go through?) affecting mostly her sleep (insomnia, nightmares/terrors)

Handicaps: her boyfriend lmao

Medications: ??? Magic ✨

Allergies: nope

Diseases: Chaos gremlin syndrome

Illnesses: G'raha sickness

Disorders: full adhd

Imperfections: look at all those scars

Broken Bones: probably all of them at least once at this point

Reason for Health (ex. Cigarette smoking/accidents): being the WoL?

Wardrobe: she used to dress moderately professional but then G'raha called her to the first and she recognized him right away and got frustrated about halfway through. Started wearing the shortest skirt she could find just to torture him and it stuck. Her standard outfit is skirt, light top (tank, t-shirt etc, nothing bulky) and some sort of shitkicker boot for most classes (her look is very Tifa adjacent tbh) for dark knight she wears the same armor Fray does, reaper she wears armor more on the lightweight/slender side. I can't remember off hand exactly what I put her in, I just did her reaper glam too dangit.

Accessories: she has an earring of tiny Elpis blooms from Hades and a blue crystal necklace from G'raha that she never takes off

Equipment: I guess I kinda put this up in wardrobe

Musical Instruments: she's a lvl 80 bard but does not play music lol

Piercings: just her ears

Hygiene: good when she's at wherever home is at the time, on the road is another story. On the road you bath when you can lol but otherwise yeah, she actually really loves baths and hotsprings and swimming, bodies of water in general

Makeup: black eyeshadow and lipstick

Perfume / Cologne: Soap?

Scent: ...Soap?

Scars: like freckles peppered everywhere. Big one across her right ribs on the side, on her left shoulder blade and on the front of her right calf

Tattoos: nope

Voice

Accent / Dialect: It changes a lot tbh

Voice: soft midtone

Volume: quiet

Laughter: Fairly quiet, melodic

Impediments: None

Psychology

Vocabulary: she can talk the talk if she has to but usually doesn't.

Memory: Great, sometimes to her dismay, her memory is very good

Temperament: quiet chaos gremlin, but again, can play the part if she has to

Emotional Stability: honestly pretty fucking bad up until recently. She has a support system now and the scions are like her family. Urianger has developed a Spidey sense for when he needs to bring blankets and tea and books to read but the occasions are getting fewer and fewer.

Mental Health: This girl's a wreck but she's fairly self aware and isn't averse to asking for help anymore.

Instincts: great but also impulse makes her big dumb sometimes

Philosophy

Religion: she's kicked their asses a bunch so...

Superstitions: No lol

Morality: isn't evil I guess

Etiquette: she's not rude or messy, again she'll put on the show if she has to but is def the bowl of popcorn on her tummy and slouched so far down on the couch she doesn't need to use her hands to eat kinda girl when she's at home lol

Alignment: chaotic good

Character

Priorities: her found family and obvs WoL stuff

Motivation: her found family, her boyf, and her soul's ancient husbands

Self Confidence: Yup. It's there.

Self Control: TERRIBLE

Self Esteem: It's gotten a lot better

Quirks:

Hobbies:

Closet Hobbies:

Guilty Pleasures:

Habits: bad for clenching her jaw, picks at her hands/nails

Desires:

Wishes:

Traumas: have you played msq? It's littered with trauma. Off the top of my head G'raha in the crystal tower, the scions poofing after that banquet at the end of ARR, seeing Estinien almost die in heavensward, hourchefaunt, watching zenos kill himself in stormblood, literally yotsuyu's entire storyline, the sewerside in Garlemald, having her body stolen by zenos, returning from Elpis, all of Ultima Thule, I'm probably forgetting some, (I know I am bc there's nothing from shadowbringers in here but I'm tired) but these have all fucked her up deeply.

Worries:

Nervous Tics(ex. Finger tapping, fidgeting): tremors, zoning out/dissociating, jaw clenching, lip chewing, violence

Soft Spots: literally any of the scions, G'raha and Hythlodaeus' voices, Sidurgu and his struggle to emote literally any feeling other than anger (that one job quest where he's like "I like you. I respect you. And I'll always be here for you, if you need me." literally made her cry), Hades smiling, any time G'raha is flustered, so many more

Accomplishments: Look at them all

Greatest Achievement: I guess probably saving the world

Failures:

Biggest Failure: her view of the events of heavensward are a bit skewed

Favorite Dream: the ones that aren't nightmares

Worst Nightmare: waking up to G'raha being gone, not left but gone. Like she'd dreamt the whole thing. Zenos coming back and taking her body again and people not catching it in time

Earliest Memory: not sure, it'd be after she was in Ul'dah, more thought required

Fondest Memory: idk if it's THE fondest but that first time Thancred caught her stealing when she was young is an important one (big headcanon)

Worst Memory: there's actually so many

Funniest Moment: i don't think it's THE funniest one, I'm not sure I could pick a funniest one, but the one that came to mind first was walking into that meeting with everyone in the exarch's crystal tower in that tiny skirt for the first time (funniest for me, because I hold the headcanons that made it funny as g'raha bluescreened and thancred fell into absolute confusion because she has complained long and hard about how short skirts are just not practical in combat when she was still a street rat in Ul'dah, and emet just shook his head like 'yeah ok azem's making some sort of point, i just don't know what it is yet' and urianger and y'shtola just nodded sagely in the corner. That's what makes it funny)

Happiest Moment: oof, both times she's gotten G'raha back and also getting to hang out with Azem's husbands for a couple days.

Saddest Moment: the one that affected her in the worst way was G'raha locking himself in the tower. Returning home from Elpis also really fucked her up and gave her a lot of sads; made her have to call in the support squad (Y'shtola, Urianger, Estinien, Thancred. Ofc g'raha but he's always on duty lol)

Most Prized Possession: The only 2 pieces of jewelry she wears (mentioned above)

 Most Valuable Possession: what even is money in this game

Collections: fucking boots. How many kinds of shitkickers do you need? All of them apparently. (no one look at my glamour dresser and how many boots I have for her lol)

Embarrassments: I don't know but Lianhua's probably got more than a few embarrassing stories of her, lets be honest.

Mannerisms:

Humor: sarcastic/satirical

Regrets: yes

Secrets:

Darkest Secret:

Pet Peeves:

Phobias:

(1 lowest-10 highest)

Confidence: 7

Creativity: 5

Generosity: 8

Honesty: 10

Loyalty: 10

Insecurities: 6

Patience: 4

Predictability: -10?

Reliability: 9

Respect: 8

Responsibility: 7

Trustworthiness: 10

Home, Work, and Education

House: i suppose she and g'raha are living together now? according to my writing?

Hometown: Ul'dah

Citizenship: ^^, Eorzean

Culture: street rat culture bb

Traditions:

Sleep Patterns: Probably the worst

Eating Habits: tends to skip breakfast, have a decent lunch and a massive dinner

Pets: the shaggy shoat! (I really should give that thing a name by now)

Employer: uh... Krile? Tataru? Somewhere there's probably a lala telling her what to do

Job Title: Worrior of Light?

Social

Mother:

Father:

Guardians: legit Thancred for a bit at first, no one of note before that

Siblings:

Children: None

Close Relatives: not that she's aware of

Distant Relatives: unknown

Best Friend: Estinien has been her bestest besty since the end of Heavensward.

Close Friends: the twins and a lot of other people, Lyse and Aymeric off the top of my head

Confidantes: Y'shtola, Urianger, Thancred

Friends: yes

Allies:

Acquaintances:

Followers:

Subordinates:

Rivals:

Enemies:

Inspirations:

Role Models:

Mentors:

Heroes:

Reputation: Probably had a rep for being a trouble maker but, yknow, that whole WoL thing kinda comes with it's own reputation

Dominance: occasionally

Sociability: Prefers to let people come to her in social settings

Isolation: actually struggles being alone these days, she doesn't like it

Romance

First Love: G'raha

Love Interests: G'raha, was casually hooking up with Estinien post Heavensward for a bit

Marital Status: dating a really old catboy (it's G'raha)

Also somehow married to two ancient ghosts

Orientation: disastrously bisexual (there's a reason she bully's Y'shtola on purpose. I'll let you connect those dots)

Significant Other: G'raha

Love Style: unorganized chaos

Flirtiness: I don't know how to describe it, somewhere between actually being very good at flirting and punching Thancred in the face (she's not with thancred anymore but i'm leaving this because there's no other way to describe it that's this accurate)

Turnons: wit, emotional vulnerability, soft boys, strong women, intelligence, uh...strength 🙄....(can you pick her up and slam her against a wall?), dominant personalities (I'm lookin' at you Emet/Hades, this is your fault), collar bones, hands, eyes

Turnoffs: i hate listing turnoffs bc they feel so obvious like large egos and a tendency for disrespect; things that normally turn people off.

Fetishes: we're not going to go in depth here and just leave it at "restraints welcome"

Virginity: lost it drunk in Ishgard, doesn't remember to whom

[lobotomy-maybe-bestie]

15 for the RQG asks?

15. so i could talk about apophis again but since i literally never shut up abt them i don't think it counts as something i haven't shared before. so here's a few headcanons about grizzop, artemis and her church that i wrote out in a rant some time ago:

grizzop so firmly and fundamentally believes in Artemis and Artemisian law that it just bleeds into every single part of his life. when going to rome he buys holy symbols of artemis for everyone except azu bc he knows enough about religion to know it'd be slightly offensive but everyone else- immediatly artemis.

the way he lights an arrow with holy fire just to issue a warning to some poor civilians who he knows he can't kill because they're not evil they're just incompetent. he just draws on that bond so easily even when he's in fucking rome. like it just works for him and he notices it's difficult but fuck if he cares. his god is THERE for him just literally all the time and grizzop himself is SUCH a ride or die person.

he's essentially got somewhat the same connection to his church that zolf had- they saved his life, welcomed him in, gave him something to hold onto. but while zolf and poseidon really do not get on- not even only because of trauma, more because zolf fundamentally does not do "follow these vague laws and instructions" and rather just does what he thinks is best- grizzop and artemis really fit together like a house on fire.

because if you think about it, for any other god, grizzop would be a TERRIBLE paladin. he's not interested in rituals, would hate spending all his time in one temple doing basic stuff, don't get me started on stuff like meditation. he would immediatly blaspheme against literally every other god because what they want and what their churches are doing isn't USEFUL. it isn't strictly efficient and pragmatic. that's where you would lose him. he needs a solid reason for anything to be and artemis and her church act the same way. everything has a use. nothing is for show, nothing is just for worship.

i bet holy symbols of artemis are small multi-function tools, like the arrow tips are sharp enough to cut stuff with them, the moon bit is actually sculpted so it works as a rudimentary bowl and it's heatable. there's no set rules about rituals or prayers, you just do whatever whenever. meditation just means you take watch and that's it. the prayers are straightforward, you just state what you want and that's it. grizzop does it all the time, sometimes without realising. just tiny things. whenever he touches someone he cares about he just says "protect them" under his breath when they aren't paying attention. sometimes he adds "please" but you don't have to. you don't have to plead for anything with artemis, which is great cause grizzop would be very bad at it. he has pride and he is right in that. he whispers "thanks" when an arrow hits the target just right and that's all you need with artemis, really. when no one's looking grizzop nods or waves to the moon sometimes and it looks extremely silly but it's his little inside joke.

i think he's had dreams with artemis before and i think they're EXTREMELY lowkey. he just wakes up in the place where the artemis lot first found him, his first home completely devoid of life and as he scouts around he sees her and she just looks like some goblin from some other clutch in amsterdam. because i don't think gods always manifest as humans bc why would they and honestly, appearing as the same race as the person you're speaking to is just handy because it saves time and things aren't awkward and there's little to no height difference and also artemis appreciates a shortcut because nobody has time to pick out carefully which form to take. so i think she just looks like... some goblin. has a bow. leather armor. a headband with a changing moon on it but that's it in terms of, like, iconography.

and she's just there and asks what's up and if he's okay and then grizzop tells her either yeah, he's fine and he's done some stuff or he just tells her what's wrong, why he feels bad. and she doesn't like, say anything bad she either offers a solution (and she's still a fucking god she's wise and smart and amazing) or just says "yeah, okay, that sucks, but it's okay you'll work it out".

i feel like she'd be strict if you break any of the artemisian laws and i think if she yells at you you will know fear. like it's not dramatic and scenic she doesn't change or anything but i mean the way grizzop talks to people who he thinks have fucked up and need a yell at is already terrifying, now multiply that by the power of someone who is actually a fucking god.

[ggukkiedae]

[vlive 210522] Seri’s Seritonin 🥝🐱

9pm kst

italics = english; seri answering questions!

the vlive starts with seri logging on and waving

she’s playing new rules in the background and staying quiet for the first two minutes

“moa! how are you all?”

she smiles and reads through the comments

she reads a few out loud and sees a few comments asking her to say i love you in different languages, to which she complies to

she turns off her music first and fixes herself in her chair

“bet you guys are wondering why i’m live today, huh? we’ll get to that in a bit. for now, let’s answer questions”

she looks through the comments carefully until she reads one out loud

Seriiiiiii! 5 Beomgyus or 5-year-old Beomgyu?

she laughs at this

“maybe a five year old bammie. he always makes a big deal of being older than me by a few months, so it would be good pay back”

she then pulls out her phone and scrolls through it before turning it towards the screen. it was a picture of beomgyu as a kid

“see this? he sent this to our groupchat the other day. tiny gyu is cute”

how are youuuuuu?

she claps her hands together and smiles at the live

“i’m doing great, thank you! i’ve been practicing harder, and i feel pretty good”

she scrolls through the comments again and takes a sip of her drink. she lightly mixes her drink around and places it back down

“you guys should try peach tea. it’s a godsend. oh, what’s this?”

shall we go on a date?

“you didn’t turn up at our last date”

she pouted a little and laughed

“i waited at the rooftop for a while, but you didn’t show up! but i guess we can go again because you’re moa”

she shifts a little and shakes her head amusedly at her own words

“do i sound like gyu?”

Hi Seri! I have a couple questions 😊 What has been your favorite era music wise and style wise? What hair style/color do you want to try? What's your current favorite song? What are you looking forward to most?

her eyes widened a little before she looks up trying to come up with answers to the series of questions

“oh, wow, i guess you could say i really liked our songs from the minisode album, but my favorite title track is run away for sure. actually, i take that back. i like the songs on dream chapter magic the most! in terms of style... dream chapter magic as well! i really like new rules’ styling especially”

a small smile makes its way to her face as she’s about to answer the last question from that comment

“right now, i’m really looking forward to our new album, and i hope you’ll like it as well! so far, the tracks are amazing!”

any plans for a comeback with the royals?

“i don’t know” she laughs and looks off camera “what do you think?”

yoonmi’s giggle can be heard while seri just laughed

“you exposed me! anyway, we’ll see when the three of us get an opportunity again” “you guys heard yoonmi”

seri takes the live and points it to the side, revealing the magenta-haired girl peacefully sitting in the dance studio near her while working on something on her laptop

“yoonmi is working on school stuff even if she just released a song yesterday” “responsibilities”

Seri baby are you aware that Seri sounds like berry? Therefore you are now berry Seri or Seri Berry 🤔

“oh, that’s cute! seri berry... i love it! i’m a berry now! i can replace strawberries, i don’t like strawberries”

she wrinkled her nose at the thought of the red berries as the sound of a chair moving came up. seri looked off camera and waved to, supposedly, yoonmi

“yoonmi has a meeting right now, so she’s off. anyway, back to our live”

Hiya Seri how are you liking the new building? What do you think has changed the most about you since you became an idol? And out of the members who do you think has changed most since you debuted?

“the new building is actually the best thing ever, i swear! there’s a lot of space, and the facilities are all high quality! honestly, i’m the only txt member who doesn’t get lost, so it’s pretty funny when the others have to ask for my help to walk around”

she then pressed her lips into a tight line while thinking about her next answer

“since becoming an idol... i think i became more confident. the others tell me this a lot. they say every comeback my stage presence gets better, and i look more comfortable? i also became a better dancer for sure. not the best yet, but i’m working on it. also maybe kai? first of all, he’s gotten way taller now. second, he’s been more mature. yes, he’s still our baby, but he handles things a lot more maturely now. sometimes he acts like he’s older than me as well”

hi bestieeeeeee! what do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t an idol?

“hey, bestie! musical theatre for sure!”

seri immediately perked up at this. she jumped back in her seat a little with the biggest grin while remembering her experiences

“i loved it back in school! honestly, my parents were pretty supportive about my involvement in theatre and my little brother kinda brags to his friends that his sister goes on stages to perform. it’s kinda cute”

would you consider acting? or maybe starring in a musical?

“oh for sure if i were given the chance!”

you dance amazingly! your artist of the month video with studio choom was absolutely perfect!!!!

“oh my god”

she covered her face and groaned before pulling out her phone and looking for the video on youtube. before pressing play, she looked back to the camera

“thank you, but i’m a little embarrassed about this. i wore red lipstick on stage for the first time after debut, and i showed a side of me that’s pretty different…”

she pressed play and watched the video, cringing at herself. it took a whole 20 seconds before she gave up and hid her phone behind her

“nope. nevermind, i can’t watch that. thank you, i’m glad you enjoyed it”

thoughts on the people you’re being shipped with? 👀

she burst into laughter upon reading this

“ah, yes. shipping. i see you guys on stan twitter with your little edits and headcanons and aus! honestly, it’s amusing. apparently most of you ship me with gyu and seungmin? and a few other people, too?”

she was quiet for a while like thinking about who moas shipped her with. she shook her head with and began talking again

“gyu... well, bammie’s my best friend, and i love him a lot. it’s been us from the very beginning, so i like to think we’ll be as close as ever until the end”

“seungmin is the bane of my existence”

she laughed at this before waving her hand

“kidding! he’s actually really nice, and i love hanging out with him, it just so happens our friendship is based on bickering. we do support each other though. seungmin, if you see this, you did well on love poem”

she then lit up as if just remembering something

“some of you guys ship me with chaeryoung! interesting considering you all see me as ryujin’s sibling, but please, i’m not worthy of the queen herself. i love chae with all my heart honestly she’s such a sweet child”

her phone buzzed and she glanced at it a little bit before turning back to the live

“perfect timing because hyunsuk just messaged me and some special ship mentions are hyunsuk and jeno oppa. i think it’s because i hang out with hyunsuk’s little siblings a lot. but jeno oppa? we just met earlier this year, it’s a little funny how apparently a lot of people ship us when we haven’t really shown our friendship much”

she typed something one her phone before chuckling and shutting it off once again. she looked through the comments until she found the topic she was looking for

What’s up with you and Dino? 👀👀👀

“ah, this. this brings me to the reason i went live. recently, you guys have seen me and dino oppa hanging out, right? well, we’re not dating. i wanted it to be a surprise, but he’s helping me with something for my birthday, and i agreed to do something with him for their youtube as well”

her phone rang, and she laughed before picking it up and putting it on speaker

“hello? you’re on speaker” “seri-yah! how dare you deny our relationship?” “oh? you’re watching?” “look up, stupid. i’m standing by the door”

she looked off camera and laughed

“yah! oppa, what are you doing here?” “miya told me you were gonna talk about the scandal, so i thought why not come early?”

dino appears next to seri in a mask and a hat. he nudged seri over to the side so they could both be centered on screen, making her raise her eyebrow at him

“meet my new dance partner” dino points towards seri whose eyes widen as soon as he said that

“they don’t know yet!” “you said we were working on two things together!” “but they didn’t know one of them is dance!” “might as well tell them so we can clear up this rumor before i get attacked by moas”

she sighed at him

“i’d get attacked by carats. anyway, fine. dino oppa’s helping me with a song, and he’s making me dance with him for a video. you can look forward to this in july”

dino adjusted his hat and leaned forward a little

“no need to panic, we’re not in a romantic relationship. she’s too tall for me”

“... you’re literally taller than me though?” “not by that much. if you wear heels, we’d be the same height, and i don’t think i’m up for that”

she playfully rolled her eyes

“looks like i’ve discussed what needed to be cleared up now. i’m single. single.” “yes, they get the point” “oh, would you just go already?”

she was pretending to push him away while he laughed at her failed attempts. he moved off camera but stays in the room

“no way, we’ve got to work the choreography out today”

“this is gonna be a while,” she muttered before smiling at the live once again “well, time for me to go. i’ve got a lot of work to do to be on par with a member of seventeen’s performance team”

dino’s groaning could be heard from the side

“this again?”

she laughed

“bye moa! hopefully that cleared things up, and hopefully you enjoyed this little tmi session”

-end-

[maple-the-awesome]

Be Her Guard || Chapter 5

Pairing: Sherlock Holmes x Reader

Words: 1,378

Masterlist

Once the cab pulls to the curve just outside an older looking flat building located in Bethnal Green, John jumps out, quickly paying the cabbie before sighing heavily and approaching his destination.

Sure, there have been plenty of times where Sherlock has made him run errands he's perfectly capable of doing himself, but that doesn't mean John will ever start enjoying it. He begs that one day his friend will start doing his own bidding especially when it involves traveling further than a few simple blocks. Of course, the chances of that ever happening are slim.

Hitting the buzzer, he waits until a voice layered with an unmistakable American accent rings over the intercom," John Watson?"

"Uh, yes, that would be me," he answers a tad bit awkwardly, only having to wait a second longer for a 'click' of the door which he wastes no time pulling open all the way. The faster he gets this done, the sooner he can return home.

By the time he exists the elevator at the correct floor, he spots a man already standing in the open doorframe of the flat as if he had been waiting there for his visitor since he rang the buzzer. Once John approaches, said man offers a hand," Rick Morison."

"John Watson, as you know," now, his skills of deduction and observation aren't anywhere near as strong as the Great Sherlock Holmes, but he can still note bits and pieces of information about the man he is currently meeting.

Judging on his accent, money could be bet that Mr. Morison is from North America and stands around the height of five foot nine to eleven. Age wise, he appears to be in his late sixties or early seventies. He's wearing large, round glasses with a deep blue dress shirt tucked into his blue jeans, his mustache being neatly trimmed along with his fluffy grey hair. This makes John guess that he is a principle man, at least, compared to some of the ruff, drug-addicted interviewees Sherlock usually seems to like sending him to meet.

"Come in. I'm sure Holmes gave you a whole list of things to ask me," Rick jokes, stepping to the side in order to let his guest through first.

Compared to the outside of the building in which has been dull of color and in need of a proper fixing, the inside flat is much nicer yet still not much. The walls are painted a creamy white with two old sofas occupying the living room (both most likely from a thrift store due to their rips and tears), a tiny TV sitting upon a even smaller coffee table across from one of the sofas, and the main coffee table between both couches having a few empty beer bottles set on it. Baker Street definitely has more to look at. Morison must not be much for decorating.

John can't complain when taking a seat on one of the surprisingly comfortable sofas, Rick disappearing into the kitchen and calling back to him," can I offer you a beer or something?"

"N-No thank you, I'm just here to get these questions answered," he doesn't mean to sound rude or impatient, however, he also isn't about to pretend to be overjoyed at the thought of doing Sherlock's 'errands'. He'd much rather be home, taking it easy while he has that option.

"Holmes called not too long ago telling me you'd stop by," Rick came back in with a bottle of beer, sitting at the adjacent couch," to be honest, I was shocked to see the man had even called me at all. 'thought I had heard the last of him."

"How do you two know each other again? Friends-?"

"-I don't think that man takes that much interest in friends, does he?"

"I don't think he takes that much interest in people in general."

Rick laughs, obviously making himself comfortable by leaning back with his arms over the couch top before taking a long sip of his beer.

"He just gave me this list of inquiries. I don't think this'll take extremely long," John pulls the folded paper out of his pocket, glancing over it for a second. He hadn't thought to read any of the questions during the cab ride, after all, he was too busy being grumpy to do so.

"I'm retired meaning I've got all the time in the world. Ask away."

Clearing his throat, he obliges, taking out his notepad to write down the answers as they go," 'what and when was the last you've heard about the Timons Case?'"

"'should've known that's what this is about..." Rick comments with a roll of his eyes. Regardless, he answers the question after some thought," uh, what was it? Four years ago? There was some talk about an appeal but to my knowledge, the request had been denied. Not sure if your genius 'friend' or whatever he is to you realized it with me being in England and all, but I retired three years ago, so I haven't had much to do with the American Police Departments let alone any of former cases."

"So you don't know anything new about the convicted's current fate?"

"Like as of recently? Hell, as I've said, I retired and have had nothing to do with any police force for years. Beside, the guy's serving a life sentence in the Oregon State Penitentiary. I'm sure he's hating his 'current fate'."

"Do you believe there could be any chance of the convicted being let loose early, been allowed bail, or even escaped?"

"Like I said, there was talk of an appeal four years ago, but it got denied," Rick takes another swig of his beer," I suppose there's a small possibility for escape or getting let loose early. Not likely, but possible considering how flawed the American court system is. I've seen murderers be let off the hook plenty of times; too many times, if you ask me."

John nods, going on to ask the last question Sherlock wrote," 'do you believe the convicted was guilty?'"

"He was found guilty," Rick straightens his back, swirling his beer for a second then taking yet another long swig.

"The words underlined so I think Sherlock wants to know what you think, not what was decided," the doctor presses, glancing up from his notebook.

"Honestly, I was never told enough facts to give you a 'yes' or 'no' answer I'm afraid. He could be guilty or he could be innocent. My opinion doesn't matter especially all these years later...All I did was do my job by putting handcuffs on the guy."

Humming, John writes that answer down anyways before standing to his feet," well, that was the last question, so I can get out of your-"

"-If you don't mind, there's something I'd like you to ask Holmes for me."

Raising an eyebrow, John nods and watches as Rick leans forward a bit, his eyes meeting the blonds with a serious and challenging look to them," was it really fair that he put so much effort into making sure the 'convicted' was found guilty all because he, himself, wanted the man's woman in bed?"

John is clearly taken back by Rick's words, freezing and staring at the older male as if he has multiple heads. As for the man himself, he isn't the least bit worried. Instead, he stands and walks back into the kitchen, dropping his beer into the bin," I may not have been that invested in the Timons case nor do I know what to exactly think of his innocence, but I'll tell you, no one is blind enough to not notice the amount of strings Holmes pulled to get that man behind bars. It was cynical, if you ask me. Seeing how quickly he had swooped in to take that girl's side...I've always questioned if the circumstances were just a coincidence...it's always been suspicious..."

"I'm...sure that wasn't the case. Thank you for your time, but I should really get going," John doesn't waste much time excusing himself, taking a deep breath once in the hallway. With a shake of his head, he hurries to hail a cab once outside, after all, he now has some questions for Sherlock himself...

NEXT CHAPTER ➡️

[little-lily-w]

A little cup of sugar

Asa Emory x Reader

A/N: This is smutty and also a bit twisted so 18+. Gif is made by me.

Words: 2.6 k

Warnings: Smut, possible dub-con, twisted thoughts.  

You rang the bell and waited; hands automatically coming to pull the top a bit down so that your breasts were popping, the little bubbly skirt being moved by the wind, threatening to reveal a pair of pink panties underneath. You were lucky you only had to walk a few meters living next to his house, otherwise you’d had been exposed to the whole neighborhood for sure. Your legs moved in place nervously, the cool breeze coming up your knees. You had tried anything. From elegant conservative clothes to almost cheerleader outfits, yet he hadn’t even given you the slightest hint of interest. You had even tried showing up with clothes from a past century with the lie of a false masquerade party occurring in a few hours. But the excuse was always the same. A cup of sugar. To bake a cake, to have coffee, to experiment with recipes. It didn’t matter. You certainly had a whole jar of sugar at home but you wanted to see him, and most important, you wanted him to invite you to come in but it was useless.

By the time the door was opened, you felt your toes curling inside the summer sandals. God, this man had such an alpha male presence that it always made your feminine energy meet sky levels. Your legs staggered, your voice became higher pitched, the inevitable giggling each time he spoke. But it also raised up your whore levels, to the point where you swore to yourself that this time he better invite you in or you’d jump onto him.

-Hi…! – you smiled at him – Sorry to bother you, I was wondering if you had…

“A little cup of sugar”. That phrase was stuck in Asa’s brain for the whole month.  He eyed you from your feet to your childish ponytails. He could smell the desperation, but it was always amusing to see a different outfit each time he opened the door. Partly, that was the reason why he never showed any emotion towards your presence, because yes, he was a loner, but he also enjoyed  you being so nervous. However, your persistence was often not welcome. It was distracting and he usually was not in the mood to hear you talk. He’d had been comfortable with a few show ups a month but not with you knocking at his door every other day.  

-Sorry, I just need it for some cupcakes. I hope you have some – you giggled and caressed one of the ponytails.

-No.

Oh? That was new. He always walked to the kitchen at your question and gave you what you required in hopes for you to leave as soon as possible.

-Oh, um… Then…

But as you rambled, he gave a pair of steps backwards allowing space and observing you. You looked at him in the eyes and smirked, trying luck with a step forwards, crossing what was considered the limit of the house. Since he didn’t say anything, you moved the other feet inside too and smiled, making an effort to seem friendly. Asa walked past you to close the door as you moved further in, looking around the place and touching the table to feel the texture.

-What a nice house you have. Oh, what is that? A vintage radio? – you laughed amused at the object, placing your hands all over it. Then you spotted the stairs, instantly concluding that his bedroom must be upstairs and that was the most important part of the house for you – You have more weird stuff nearby? – you asked resting against the creamy wall and pointing slightly to the steps with your head.

You expected to be subtle about your hormones but at this point Asa was jaded although clearly hiding it more effectively than you. Actually, you couldn’t even read his face because his expression was practically emotionless.

-You are not gonna talk to me? – you giggled again, battling your eyelashes.

Asa reacted by gesturing with his hand towards the stairs. Honestly, fuck him saying anything. The invitation was a more than welcome response. You started to go up, purposefully swinging your hips so that your mini skirt moved too, revealing some skin of your butt and, of course, the pink color of the thong too. Asa let you walked all the way, staying still in place while massaging his fingers with both thumbs, hesitating if to act upon what was crossing his mind or not. After all, you were a willing prey, not only entering the wolf’s cave but also going directly to his table.

He started to walk upstairs too only to find you lying across his bed, elbow pressing against the mattress and head resting on your palm, offering a nice view of your curves.

-Comfy old-style bed – you continued, sure by now that your intentions were obvious and about to get corresponded but you looked at your neighbor standing by the door. You were hoping he wasn’t the shy type. It didn’t seem to match him but if you had to do the work, you wouldn’t mind at this point – Still going to play silent? – you winked at him.

Asa went to the chest of drawers, opening one of them to take a rustic but simple thick rope, clearing his throat in the process.

-Mm, you got a lot of tricks under you sleeve, don’t you? – you asked teasingly once he turned around with the item in his hand – Why don’t you come closer? – you invited him but seeing he wasn’t change countenance, you let out a playful sigh – Okay, let me do so instead.

You came closer to him, looking into his black eyes, already wet at the proximity and his deep exhalations. Smirking, your index and middle fingers started to walk teasingly up the denim jacket.

-How long has it been? – you asked him, ready to hold his face in your hands and kiss him but Asa stopped you by abruptly grabbing a hold of your top moving you towards the center of the bedroom and throwing half of the rope over a roof beam, easy to access for his height. Then he secured your hands to it with the other half, arms extended all the way up.

You let out a tremble gasp, fingers fidgeting with the rope while you rubbed your knees together. Asa was circling you like a hunter who examines his prize.

-You are a bad guy, aren’t you? – you tried to play hot not realizing how innocent you actually sounded to his ears – You are going to play hard and not give me what I want?

Asa stopped by you to grab a hold on your nape while his other hand travelled to your mouth, fingertips pressing against your lips.

-Shhh – he shushed you directly into your ear, his breath giving you shivers.

You wanted to lick his fingers, to move them inside your cave with your tongue but something told you he was going to have it in his way but actually, that was even more arousing.

Asa released you, only to take his usual small knife out of his pocket, making you jump when the blade appeared suddenly. You could tell the air in the room had changed. His eyes were colder so much that it became dangerous. A little flash of survival instinct kicked in and you pulled slightly from the rope but, what a pity, it was extremely well secured. As he got closer, a tiny whimper escaped your nose. Your chest started to move up and down, confused at what his intentions were. The blade pressed flat and ice cold against the exposed skin of your belly. He could tell you were having second thoughts but oh, weren’t you the one looking for his attention all this time? Now you got it.

-Um… - you let out in a shaky whisper, feeling entirely vulnerable, but his gaze went up to meet yours for a second and you understood he was repeating his command. You better not dared to risk it once more.

Asa was fixed in your belly button, the shape of it was actually the most interesting thing about you because even though you would have never paid attention to it, Emory was a man of detail and he was noticing a skin pattern that was making him want to do a circular cut around the area to extract the piece.

He moved the blade in order for the sharp point to press painful against your belly but not hard enough to break the skin. He had to control himself, it wasn’t wise to have someone screaming in the neighborhood and, even if he gagged you, the fact of a torture or possibly killing occurring in his house which was nothing else than next you yours was not appealing either in regards of a later police investigation.

However, he started tracing circular patterns around the button and grabbed the bottom of your mini skirt to pull it down in order to reveal the area more. That was the moment when he heard your moaning. He looked up at your face again. Shit, he almost forgot you were there but that didn’t stop him from furrowing his brows slightly. Were you all of a sudden finding excitement in this? Well, judging by the way your knees were rubbing together, he was sure you thought this was some form of a kinky game. How innocent. How lovely. He chuckled dark in response and continued to move the knife around your torso but he remembered why you were there. You wanted to get fucked by him. It was as simple as that. His mind was full of sinister abnormal fantasies but it wasn’t stupid.  And he knew that if he didn’t comply, you were going to keep asking for more sugar.

God, he was already exasperated but you couldn’t tell. His face was still emotionless. Despite that, he was not in the mood to keep hearing your pathetic moans and gasps so he stopped for a second to take some duct tape from the same chest of drawers.

You looked at him as he put it all over your lips, your toes curling against the floor while you turned more and more helpless and he became more and more alpha. He could easily overpower you yet you trusted that if he didn’t hurt you, maybe you were going to be okay and, most likely, going to have a lot of fun with a kinky neighbor.

Asa placed the knife back in his pocket, groaning frustrated. You wanted sex? Okay. But he was going to make you pay for being so insistent about it and interrupting his peace so many times. It had been a long time since he last had sexual intercourse with someone, mostly because his urges weren’t the same ones of simple people, but he knew the anatomy of a human to perfection. Especially how sensitive some parts of the female body could be.

A loud whimper of surprise, muffled by the tape, left you when he ripped off your top in half and then did the same with the pink panties letting them run down your legs along with your skirt. He moved his hand to your ribs, travelling with it to the middle of your spine as he circled you once more but this time stopping at your back. The solely light touch of his fingers was getting you even more excited considering that by now you were merely a piece of meat hanging by the roof. Wasn’t that what you wanted when you offered a continuous delivery for a carnivore? Asa ran his hand down your back giving you a spank so harsh and so thunderous that your body jumped forwards. Was that a whimper of pain? Well, too bad. Grabbing a hold of your now red flesh, he moved you back in place while he palmed his own sex out of your sight, trying to find excitement in normal human activities. But what really put spice into his core was that suffocated sound you made. God, he wanted to hear you whimpering and crying all afternoon if it could have been possible but neighbors wouldn’t allow that. And most important, he wanted to pierce your belly button with one of his thick blades, that kind of penetration was even more appealing than any other to any rounded hole in your body. But coming to a citizen reality, he found something circular that could serve some purpose.

You heard the sound of the leather belt and then of the zip coming down, but you could have never been prepared for the sudden raw stretch in your ass. A hot, thick and for sure uncaring piece of intrusion making its way into you. And surprisingly, although it was on the big side, it managed to push entirely inside, till it was buried, till you could sense Asa’s low groan at the back of your neck, making your hairs stand up. Well, maybe it was because he didn’t even mind your initial squirming nor the pained growls leaving your throat. You tried to endure it, closing your eyes tightly while a few tears spilled from the corners as he started moving in and half way out with an unexpected slow pace for a sadist but sometimes deep slow stabs felt even nicer. You attempted to pull once more from the ropes or to tell him to take it easy through the tape but then a warm hand came to your clit while the other one released your butt to grab a hold on your ponytails pulling your head back. The pain became acceptable and it progressively changed into an uncomfortable but pleasurable sensation, especially because, dammit, Asa knew how to touch your bundle of nerves like he had spent years studying it. After all, he didn’t want to ruin his reputation for complying to the sugar burden.

You got on your tiptoes, moaning as he fastened his pace, each time still smacking his pelvis against you, trying to find his own satisfaction. But it wasn’t until you started moving your own hips and clenching around him that you felt him actually wet inside of you. Realizing the effect you were having on him, you kept going until he realized he was sort of letting you dominate him and his alpha persona snapped. In a second, he cut the rope with the pocket knife and moved you to the bed, butt up and head slammed against the mattress to keep fucking you as hard and fast as he could this time.

After a few minutes, your knees started to shake, letting yourself go in a boiling orgasm but Asa pulled out and, moving you flat on your back, he stroked his cock till his seed was falling traslucid and slightly creamy all over your belly button. He caressed it in a circular motion, purring a bit agitated but quickly moving away once you chuckled at the way he was spreading the sperm on your belly. He grabbed the three pieces of clothes from the floor and handled them to you not coming closer again, just extending his arm and looking away.

-They are useless now – you said in regards to the way the clothes were all torn – Maybe I can borrow a shirt of yours?

Asa replied doing the same thing with the first pair of pajamas that came to his sight. God, he really wanted to cut you.

-Thank you – you said once you were changed – For everything – you smiled “seductively” and kissed his cheek, getting out of the bedroom and going downstairs.

He followed you to open the door in order for you to leave as soon as possible.

-I’m very lucky to be your neighbor – you winked at him lastly before stepping out the house.

Asa closed the door slowly, locking it with key and leaving the key ring on the table.

-You really are – he whispered to himself.

[fragmentedink-archived]

Hell to Pay: Part Fifty- Three

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, IX, IX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XVIIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, XLI, XLII, XLIII, XLIV, XLV, XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII, XLIX, XLX, LI, LII

cowritten by @lux-scriptum

Lev put his hands on his hips. Cameron and Ash had done most of the heavy lifting, and Mami and Cameron had gotten the food ready, so Lev really hadn’t done much, but it’d turned out nice, and in the end that was all Lev could ask for, really. They had indeed gone with an ocean theme, to match the nursery, and since despite Lev’s efforts to help in some way or another, Cameron had been in charge of everything and took little input, it was all rather tasteful.

Lev fussed with the placement of the snacks, even though he knew Cameron was going to come along behind him and fix it again. He felt useless, especially with Ash reminding him to not push himself.

As expected, Cameron appeared, smacking Lev’s hand away. “Knock it off,” Cameron reprimanded. “The others should be arriving soon.”

“Is Biela coming?” Lev asked. They’d sent an invite; it’d’ve been rude to not. To Lev’s knowledge, she hadn’t responded.

“Likely not. She’ll probably send Caius in her stead.”

“Mm.” Lev had liked Caius, the one time he’d met him. He was pretty. And seemed kind. Friendly, at the very least.

Cameron lifted a brow, and grabbed Lev’s hand when Lev reached to adjust a platter of pastries. “If you don’t leave it alone, I’ll make you go baby sit Nik.”

Lev opened his mouth to argue, but Nik himself had appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. “What’s the party for?” the pregnant omega mumbled.

“You,” Lev grumbled, making his way over to Nik. At least he was allowed to fuss over Nik, and he did so with a tiny spark of pleasure, pressing a kiss to Nik’s cheek and brushing his green and black hair from his eyes. “You’re not supposed to be awake yet. It was gonna be a surprise.”

Nik frowned sleepily at Lev. “I had to pee,” Nik complained bitterly.

“We’ve been planning for a week,” Lev informed him, before brushing his cheek lightly. “Oh well. Now I don’t have to figure out a way to get you dressed.”

“Planning what for a week?” Nik muttered. “My birthday isn't until next week.” He pulled a face. “And I can’t even get drunk.”

“Your baby shower,” Lev said, guiltily tucking away Nik’s birthday to worry about later.

“My what?”

Lev sighed, and started herding Nik out the door. He could practically feel Cameron rolling his eyes at him. “Your baby shower. Did you think I would let you get away without one?”

Nik shrugged. “I didn’t even think about it.”

With another sigh, Lev slid his arm around Nik’s waist. “I wasn’t going to not give you one. We invited your brothers. Both of them. You deserve it.”

Nik made a face at him.

“Come on. Let's get dressed,” Lev said, bonking his shoulder with Nik’s.

---

Nik let Lev lead him back to the bedroom to get clothes. He hadn't really thought much about clothes lately and had been wearing sweats for the most part.

He thumbed through a few pairs of jeans and frowned. "None of these are going to fit, are they?"

"...Cameron went shopping."

Nik squinted and looked through his jeans once more. He pulled a pair out and stretched. "When did he do this?" Nik frowned at the alien jeans with their stretchy fabric in horror before shrugging it off and grabbing a loose black shirt to go with it.

Lev had no answer other than his own shrug and took it at face value. The idea of Cameron in a maternity store was too hilarious a thought to stay irritable at it.

Nik worked at getting himself slowly dressed. Without any coffee in his system, he was fighting the urge to just go back to bed. Though luckily enough for him, he wasn't showing nearly as much as what he had seen on the internet with people pregnant the same length as he.

"Seems like a pretty big party for like seven people." Nik said. He rubbed his eyes, pulling the last bit of sleepiness away. "Unless you decided to invite his royal prickliness too."

"Well I assume Bay is coming. Celeste too; they'll bring the babies," Lev said. "We also invited Biela too- though we don't think she'll come."

"I should hope not. I might do something hormonal like poison her sparkly punch, or something."

"Nikolas."

"Hm?" Nik started for the doorway, expecting Lev to follow him back to where he was sure the festivities would eventually begin.

By the time they got there, Bay and Nate had already arrived with Lucas sitting contently on Bay's hip chewing on a teething toy. And their boy scout was promptly hovering behind them.

"Silas," Nik said. "Didn't think you'd be here. Unless you're here because of Lev, of course."

Silas' only response was to flip him off, though it was short lived by Nate smacking him upside the head hard enough Nik heard Silas' neck pop. Nate gave Silas a dirty warning look.

Nik snorted. "Need to learn new tricks."

"Hi Silas," Lev said, from Nik’s side.

Silas gave a disgruntled, "Hey Lev."

Nate looked pleased at Silas' newfound self restraint. "The party looks great, Nik."

"I know, I did great," he said, lying through his teeth. Nik smooshed Levs face away when Lev pinched his hip. "My taste: impeccable."

Nate rose a singular groomed brow. "Oh I'm sure." He looked to Lev. "It looks great, Lev."

Already Lev had glued himself back to Nik’s side. He looked a little put out as he said honestly, “Most of the praise should go to Cameron and Ash and Mami. I wasn’t allowed to do much.”

"Well next time don't die," Ash said, appearing back in the doorway. "That way you'll actually be able to do some of the heavy lifting."

Nik frowned deeply at him, especially once Lev froze next to him and looked uncomfortable.

Ash looked perfectly unfazed.

Mami appeared a heartbeat later, to which Nate instantly perked up somehow even more. Though her eyes were trained on the well behaved six month old in Bay's arms.

The tiny woman nearly flew across the room to get to him, only for Bay to stare her down and refuse to relinquish the baby. "No."

Nate instantly jumped in. "He's still, ah, getting used to letting people hold Lucas," he said, quickly. "I can get Eden for you, if you like?"

Nik's hand flew over his mouth at the mirrored glare coming from both Mami and Bay. She sized Bay up, clearly deciding if it's worth it or not to challenge both her king and the omega that carried the partly legless bundle of joy. Bay's eyes narrowed. "I said no."

She huffed and tore her attention back to Nate who gave her a warm hug, though she was absolutely miniscule compared to Nate's height of six-two. When she pulled back, Nate went to disappear, presumably to find the little terror most likely taking a nap.

When he came back, Nate not only had Eden crawling all over him, he also had Adrien and his wife in tow. Neither of them had particularly warm or friendly looks on their faces, though that was usually par for the course for Adrien and Dyaana.

"Hello," Lev offered.

Dyaana eyed Lev, and gave him a slight smile whereas Adrien looked halfway in pain and just nodded once before coming to give Nik a hug.

Lev wisely removed himself from Niks waist before he got crushed by pure muscle. When Adrien pulled apart, Nik said, "didn't think you'd step foot in Demon Territory."

"The things you do for family," Adrien deadpanned.

Nik only grinned.

"Hey where's your clone?"

"Babysitter," Adrien said. "I'd rather not risk my two year old getting eaten by your boyfriend."

"Hey, Cameron doesn't eat infants. If he had, he would have eaten Eden," Nik said. "She's far more appealing as a meal than Mathias."

Adrien's only response to that was to roll his eyes. At that Lev decided to usher Nik to an armchair. "I am not an invalid, Lev," he said, plopping down anyways.

Lev perched on the armrest and kissed the top of Nik's hair. "I know dear."

When Adrien snorted, Nik threw him a poisonous glare. "Oh shut up."

Eden was still screeching happily in Mami's arms, getting all the attention she wanted, even though she was trying to latch her tiny teeth in Mami's shoulder. Mami easily avoided it by giving her a toy worthy of her teeth.

It was another twenty minutes before Celeste arrived. The last time he saw the witch she was about to pop. But judging by the fussy newborn in her arms, that was no longer the case. She came over to offer Nik a hug, and to show off her tiny pale baby. "We named him Dakota," she informed them.

Lev instantly cooed over him. "He’s so cute," Lev said. "Can I hold him?"

Ash found his way over to butt his nose in like he usually did. He squinted at Lev, but Celeste was already moving to hand him over. "Of course. Watch his head?"

"I know," he assured.

"Wait," Nik said, "Do you know that Ash is staying here…?"

"Yes she does," Ash said, "And she also is staying here. They both are."

Nik's brows shot up. "Is Cameron aware of this?"

Ash lifted a shoulder. "I told him."

"You 'told' him," Nik echoed.

"Dunno what you expected. I have a wife and a kid that I need to be with and I have a stubborn friend who refuses to listen to me. I told you I'm making myself everyone's problem."

Celeste looked pained. But Lev seemed perfectly blissed out; he hadn't even looked up from the fussy baby in his arms. "I don't think I'll mind having them here." He looked up at Celeste. "You've always been nice."

She gave him a tired smile. "I certainly try." She cut Ash a look. "Some people make it difficult sometimes."

Ash folded his arms. "If they don't want me to be difficult, maybe they should try to listen to me for once."

Celeste rolled her eyes but looked back to Nik. "I'm very happy for all of you. I'll help however I can."

Lev’s focus was already trained back on Dakota. Nik squirmed a little. "Thanks, I guess."

She just squeezed his hand.

---

Cyrus lit the last candle and shook out the match. He looked over at Darius as he settled on the bed. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad of an idea is this?” he asked drily.

Darius thought on that for a moment. “Probably a seven point two.”

After giving a small sigh, Cyrus laid back on the bed. “Better than I ten, I suppose.”

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer lying on his bed. He wasn’t even in his own house anymore. The walls around him were all earthy tones, the green accents only catching his eye briefly before he settled on Asmi themself.

The god was tall, their dark skin a deeper brown than his own, and bright blue eyes that pinned him in place. After a moment where he froze -afraid, if he was willing to admit it - he dipped his head respectfully. When he looked at them again, he noted that they were still seated in their chair, face thin and tight, bags under their eyes, though they kept their chin high.

“Am I right in assuming that Darius explained what’s going on?” Cyrus ventured.

"You poisoned me once and now you want me to give you the tools to be able to do so again?"

Cyrus forced himself to keep his gaze steady. “If I do it right, it shouldn’t this time.”

"Shouldn't have happened the first time," they said flatly. "Necromancy defies balance and you weakened me for an angel who didn't bother communing with me in the first place. You didn't bother communing with me in the first place. And now that you need my help, you finally deign to bother?"

Cyrus inclined his head ever so slightly. “Ignorance is not an excuse, but it’s the only explanation I personally have.” He folded his hands carefully on his knee. “I made a promise. I don’t break them.” Asmi gave him the time he needed to gather his words. “I am sorry. For everything. I’ve never-” He paused again, frustrated by how hard it was to piece together the words. “It’s not an excuse, that I was never taught how to commune with you. Darius had to teach me, and you’re not even his god. But I want to do right by Darius. If nothing else, he’s been kind to me, and kind to everyone. I promised Cameron I would try. This is me trying. I want to make a deal that will work, not flub the spell again.”

They seemed to think on it; to weigh his words carefully. "What kind of deal?" They finally said.

“Same as the one that brought Levant back.” Cyrus considered his words and then amended, “A similar one, at least. Some sort of exchange.”

"And what's stopping you?"

Cyrus shook his head. “I don't want to risk getting the exchange wrong. That’s what released the dark magic into the earth in the first place. The spell unravelled, and I won’t let that happen again. But I won’t sacrifice Cameron Luain for this spell. It makes both this one and the one that brought Levant back completely pointless.”

Asmi nodded slowly and leaned back in their chair, blue eyes narrowed in thought. "Pick your sacrifice one last time and I will cover the remaining sacrifice to your spell. I warn you, the price will be heavy and I am not so easy to forgive the disruption you have caused me. Make sure this is worth it before you once again defy me."

Cyrus nodded slowly. “Thank you,” he said softly. When Asmi didn’t reply, Cyrus added, “If it’s not arrogant of me to ask... I’d like to talk to you again.” He cocked his head ever so slightly. “I know nothing of you, as my god or as a god in general. I’d like to fill in the gaps my education has.”

"It's not arrogant," they said. "It's what's expected of you. So yes, you may. There's plenty you need to get caught up on."

Cyrus limited himself to a small smile. “Then I look forward to speaking to you in the future,” he said politely. “Thank you, again.”

Rather than reply, they gave a tired flick of their wrist.

Cyrus blinked his eyes open to see his own ceiling. Sorin was sprawled against his side, purring as he kneaded his claws gently in Cyrus’ arm. Cyrus rolled his head until he could find Darius. “I think I got permission. I need to call Cameron.”

---

The party had been well underway when Cameron stepped out of the room. He slipped into his office several hallways down before his phone started to buzz. He didn't let it finish its first ring before answering. "Are you ready, then?"

“Sort of.” Cyrus hesitated. “I spoke with Asmi. They’ve promised as long as someone is sacrificed, they’ll take care of the rest, rather than risk the spell failing. I just don’t have anyone to sacrifice, to my knowledge.”

"Well lucky for you," Cameron said, "I currently have a spineless traitor rotting in my basement. Will that appease your morals?"

“A traitor?” Cyrus pressed mildly.

"A person who betrays a friend, country or a principle," Cameron replied, matching his tone. "A traitor."

“How did he betray you?”

"Well now, that's my business, now isn't it?"

There was a long pause, and then, “Did they kill anyone?”

"He's my employee."

The sigh the witch gave was audible through the phone even if Cameron hadn’t been a demon. “Fine. I’ve got a few things to pull together but I’m mostly ready, whenever you are.”

Cameron promptly hung up his phone and smoothed out his suit. He gave himself five heartbeats to settle before joining the festivities.

Caius had finally arrived, with many gifts in tow, despite it being demonic custom to not celebrate an infant until after its birth. Adapting to Nik’s angelic ancestry, he imagined. Cameron hadn't bothered saying as much when Lev suggested a baby-shower. If that was what the angel thought Nik needed, then he would provide.

Nik instantly eyed him from where he was, brows rose in question, but Cameron went to turn his focus to the Crown Prince currently placing the gifts along the table. "You seem to be in a rather generous mood, my prince," Cameron observed.

Caius flashed him a dazzling smile. "Why you make it sound like I'm not always in a giving mood, my loyal subject."

"I imagined a massacre would dampen your rather optimistic spirits."

Grief flickered in Caius' blue eyes. "All the more reason to celebrate a new life."

"Hm."

"I brought you all gifts," Caius said, with an echo of cheerfulness. "Including one for him."

"Much thanks." Cameron looked Nik's way to see him talking animatedly with Ash and Lev and Nate. He seemed to have been brought to a better mood with the sole focus on him. "It's always an honor to receive the eye of the crown."

Caius snorted at Cameron’s ingrained court-speak, but said nothing of it. Merely squeezed his shoulder before disappearing back into the party to give gifts to their respective recipients.

---

Admittedly, after so many months of solitude or just Cameron and Nik for company, the party was a little overwhelming. He drew comfort from the fact that Nik was right there, and Cameron lingered on the edges of the party being Cameron.

The fact that Caius was very friendly helped, though. Lev barely knew the man, but he was pretty and his smile seemed both genuine and calm. He laughed easily and didn’t seem bothered by the amount of angels in the room with him, despite being the Crown Prince of demonic territory.

At some point during the festivities, Caius pulled Lev aside, though. Lev glanced back at Nik, but let Caius with only a flustered, “Okay.”

“I got you something,” Caius said, flashing him another smile that definitely made Lev flush a little.

“Nik’s the one who’s pregnant,” Lev blurted. He flushed deeper, and then said quickly, “I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just Nik’s day, I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“I got everyone a present,” Caius said easily, unbothered.

Lev blinked down at the box, confusion at why it looked very much like a ring box catching him off guard. The brief glance up at the prince told him he was very amused, and Lev had to wonder if he was a telepath like Biela. When he opened it, though, a locket was nestled inside.

“Oh,” Lev said, picking it up gently. He thumbed it open to find a picture of Cameron, Nik, and Eden each in its own little section. “Oh.”

“Were you expecting an engagement ring?” Caius asked.

“Oh,” Lev spluttered. “No, not expected, I-” He gestured helplessly at the box, flushed deeply. “I love it, really.” He ran his finger over the picture of Nik, knowing his face was softening as he did so. “It’s perfect.”

Caius said, “Well I’m glad. You’re not an easy person to pinpoint.”

“I don’t want much,” Lev said honestly.

Caius shrugged. “Just the important things.”

Lev let his attention track through the room, hitting on Cameron, Nik, and Eden one by one. “Exactly,” he said softly. He switched his gaze back to Caius, offering him a smile. “Thank you. Truly. I love it.”

Caius winked at him, but before he said anything else, Nik made his way over. He gave Lev a pointed look. “What’s going on over here?” Nik asked. “You look like you’re about to ask his hand in marriage, Levant.”

“No,” Lev promised, tucking into Nik’s side pointedly. “I was just thanking him. He got me a gift. See?” He showed it to Nik with enthusiasm.

Nik kissed his cheek. “It’s very pretty. Where’s my attention?”

A laugh bubbled up in his throat. “You’ve got a whole party. I wasn’t gone long.” He shot Caius an apologetic look.

"Well let me make it up to you," Caius said to Nik. "As you're doing all the heavy lifting, you deserve a gift of your own, yes?"

Nik arched a brow. "I'm literally doing nothing other than being a rotisserie oven."

“Nikolas,” Lev hissed, poking him gently. “Be polite.”

Nik raised his brows but Caius only laughed. "Even still. Not easy. I understand you like music?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Caius' smile widened. "Great! I actually worked with a few different craftsmen and musicians to have something built for you. Excuse me."

When Caius disappeared back to the piles of gifts he had brought, Nik turned back to Lev. "Very pretty isn't he?"

Lev could feel heat rising in his cheeks yet again. “Yes,” Lev said primly. “There’s no need to tease"

"I have never teased you a day in your life," Nik said. "Merely stating an observation."

“You tease me daily,” Lev informed him, but he still smiled at Nik, reaching up to brush Nik’s hair from his eyes. “Every single day, Nikolas. Every day.”

“Are you calling a pregnant omega a liar?”

“Maybe so,” Lev hummed. He kissed the corner of Nik’s mouth. “Maybe so.”

Caius came back with an elegant cedar guitar. The gleaming guitar’s finish was clearly done to bring out the natural colors of the wood. Nik’s eyes trailed over the body of the guitar and rested on the careful mosaic beadwork around the hollow. “That design work is specific to Tullum,” Nik said, vaguely accusatory; though mostly amused. “Are you trying to buy me off?”

Caius seemed unbothered. “Not particularly. Just trying to gift you something you would actually enjoy. I find personal gifts are more memorable.”

“Sure,” Nik said, but he was still moving closer to run his fingers along that delicate beadwork.

“Thank you,” Lev said, since Nik didn’t seem inclined to.

Caius merely winked at him.

Lev blushed, since Nik seemed too interested in his new guitar to be embarrassed. He certainly was interested enough to take it from Caius and strum a few bars. Lev elbowed Nik gently. Nik ignored him, but Caius seemed pleased anyway.

Caius dipped himself into a mini bow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s Cameron’s turn.”

---

Cameron led the prince back towards his office where they could be alone without prying party guests could interfere. He took the gift meant for Darius and sat it carefully on the desk, and turned back to Caius. “I received a call from the witch who will be performing the spell,” Cameron said. “I figured you would want to be informed.”

Caius slipped his hands smoothly into his pockets. “I would.” Caius cocked his head, eyeing Cameron very carefully. “You have certainly come a long way from the bastard whore I met you as.” There wasn’t any disrespect in his words, merely a statement of observation. “Now a lord in your own right, with your own family.”

“I am merely filling in a role that needed filling,” Cameron said. “Though I am grateful nonetheless.”

“Hm.”

“The resurrection,” Cameron said, pointedly, drawing attention from whatever point Caius was clearly trying to make. “Should be happening within the week.”

Caius gave him a look, but let the insolence slide. “So you have someone lined up to be slaughtered for a sacrifice?”

“Slaughtered is a large word for a demon with a weak spine, your grace.”

Caius lifted a groomed brow. “Is that so?”

“The witch’s morals interfered with choosing a warm body, and luckily enough, I happened to have a traitor rotting in my basement.”

Caius snorted. “Traitor? From the rather loud screaming, I did imagine someone was being tortured in this house.” He tapped his temple. “I’d like to see this traitor.”

With little choice to that matter, Cameron led the prince through the house, down to the basement where Sage was still chained up. Cameron had been keeping him well fed and in peak condition outside of his routine torturing. Sage rolled his head towards them, tiredly, but there was a bit of surprise - and a new found fear- flickering in his eyes when he saw Caius next to him.

Caius eyed him slowly, circling the chair bolted into the floor. The impeccable clothes tailored to Caius’ frame were a stark contrast to the sharp bleakness of the room, though Cameron knew the weight of power a good suit held, and how to weaponize it.

When Caius stopped in front of the chair, he had a small smile gracing his face. “I could hear your thoughts from upstairs,” he said. “Clearly you wanted my attention.”

Sage sucked in a haggard breath, trying to not look at Cameron. “Just make him kill me,” he rasped. “I’ve been here for months-”

“My sister was tortured by angels for months on end,” Caius said, unfazed. “She was whipped and beaten and carved up and she hadn’t broken. She hadn’t begged for death, or whatever pathetic attempt at mercy this is. In fact, the difference is,” he said, “this was rather well deserved. Your treasonous actions against your lord led to the events of millions of children dying, so, if you were to die, it’s going to be for something that is definitely not for your benefit.” Caius leaned forward, just enough to keep the blood from touching him. “Don’t worry, your suffering will soon end.”

Caius leaned back and turned to Cameron. “Do what you need. So long as another innocent isn’t taken from these lands, I couldn’t care less.”

Cameron’s mouth twitched, but he just inclined his head.

---

The day had been tense and heavy for Darius. Between getting everything in line with Asmi and Cyrus, and also not returning to the Manor, knowing Destris was lurking the halls, Darius had decided to spend his time that night playing a small game of fetch with Sorin in his demonic form.

A small ball of paper used a rather small amount of energy, so it was easy to keep up. Around three in the morning, they had been playing the quiet game going for the last few hours after Cyrus retired to bed. Sorin had been kind enough to keep him company while his mate slept without him.

It was then that the front door opened silently. Sorin flicked his ears at Cameron, who promptly ignored him and started his way back through the house. Darius rose to his feet and followed him back, veering around him to get to Cyrus before he did to give the witch a heads up.

He touched Cyrus’ shoulder, in effort to wake him. He blinked sleepily at Darius, eyes flashing gold from the amount of swollen magic Cyrus had building inside him. “I’m assuming Cameron is here?” The amount of pure tired that was in Cyrus’ voice didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated by Darius.

Cameron walked into the room not even a heartbeat later. “Have I come at a bad time?” He sounded very unsympathetic.

Darius flashed Cyrus an apologetic wince.

All Cyrus said was, “No,” while rising to a sitting position. “Are you here to speak to Darius?”

If he hadn’t been watching Cameron’s every move the last five hundred years, he would have missed the way Cameron’s jaw set. “Yes.”

Cyrus gave the smallest of sighs, but stood up. “I have my supplies in my study.”

Unsurprisingly, Cameron merely turned around and most likely started towards the study. Darius simply waited patiently for Cyrus to get ready.

Cyrus rubbed at his face, stifling a yawn with his wrist as he followed Cameron. His movements were slow and heavy, but he only made his way into the study and began lighting candles while Sorin followed, tail swishing over the ground like a fluffy ginger ribbon.

Cameron stood stiffly out of the way, slender hands in his pockets while he waited, unblinkingly in pure silence. Darius did not need his magic to know that Cameron getting here was like pulling teeth.

Darius could only imagine the weight in his chest he’d be feeling at the idea of Cameron avoiding him to the point he has to force himself to be here- to speak to him.

There was relief in Cyrus’ voice as he began the incantation for Darius to manifest to Cameron. When Cameron’s pale eyes slid to him, unreadable as ever, Darius curled a lock of hair behind his ear, if only to relieve some of his own tension. “You wanted to speak with me?”

Cameron’s lips thinned.

Darius gave him the time to be able to put together the words he needed to patiently. Finally, Cameron fixed his jaw once more and said, “I am assuming you still want to be resurrected?”

“Do you still want me to be resurrected?”

Cameron’s eyes narrowed. “The Prince has gifted me papers of your reinstatement as a citizen of Razya the moment you are alive. As if you had never been dead in the first place.”

A citizen of Razya? Darius hadn’t even been considered a citizen when he was alive. Bastards hold no citizenship, no rights, no protection. He hadn’t even had a home before he had been abducted when he was a child. Merely living on the streets. A pretty child with no home was easy prey.

“That was very kind of the prince.”

“Mm.”

“Is that all you wished to tell me?” Darius asked, after a heavy silence.

“I imagine you’re aware that Nik is pregnant.”

When Darius nodded, Cameron said, “I mated him, a few weeks ago when his father tried to stake a claim on him. I used the Old Laws.”

Darius smiled. “That was kind of you,” he observed. “I’m sure Nik adores you very much. He and his child will be safe with you.” When Cameron rose a brow, Darius tried to not snort. “I will do my best to not upset the dichotomy of the house, Cameron. I have a rather pleasant personality.”

“I can see nothing going wrong with that,” Sorin said from the doorway.

Darius flicked Sorin a look. “I’m sure I have no idea what you are referring to, Sorin. I seem to get along rather fine with you.”

Sorin smiled, eyes crinkling. “True enough.”

Darius returned his attention back to Cameron, who was giving Sorin his own irritable look. Though the moment Cameron caught Darius’ eye, his expression returned to neutrality.

“I’m sure you will,” Cameron said, as if Sorin hadn’t spoken a word. “However Nik’s shrunken frontal lobe suggests he will not behave accordingly. So when he eventually does decide to overreact, I suggest you be prepared for it. He’s emotional on a good day and as he is pregnant, he’s even more so.”

“Thank you for the precaution.”

“I thought it would be beneficial.”

Cameron’s pale eyes lingered on him momentarily, flickering in the candle light, before he turned back to Cyrus who was kneeling on the ground near the candles. His eyes seemed rather unfocused. “When can we get this over with?” Cameron asked him. When Cyrus didn’t answer, Cameron moved his attention to Sorin in the doorway. “Focus your witch.”

Cameron rolled his eyes when Sorin hissed at him, but moved to crouch near Cyrus. Cyrus blinked at him, and then fixed his gaze on Cameron. “Pardon?”

“When can we get this over with?” Cameron said, irritably.

He always did detest repeating himself.

“Within the next few days,” Cyrus replied. “I’ve got everything ready. I just need to set it up.”

Cameron pulled out his phone, clearly flicking through his schedule. “I’ll give you the next two days to set up and then I will be here at seven sharp the third day. Be ready by then.”

Cameron slipped his phone into his pocket and disappeared through the door without a glace his way.

Darius bit back his sigh. “I do hope that is alright.”

Cyrus shrugged. “Not that I have much of a choice. But I’ll be fine. Once the spell is done, I’m going to take the longest nap, however.”

“And it will be the most well deserved longest nap,” Darius said, solemnly.

With a tired smile, Cyrus began extinguishing the candles, one by one, coating the room with nighttime once more.

Tagging:  @incandescent-creativity @solangelo3088 @lil-miss-red @halstudies @littleyellowdinosaur @caelisis @idreamonpaper

[k7l4d4]

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 4 Part 4

Hello, once again, another piece of Midnight Striga for your reading pleasure!! Everybody Clap Your Hands!!!

With a grunt of exhaustion, Boscha crashed to the floor. The spar had dragged on just long enough to make her and the demon long for rest without them actually needing it. While it may not have been the nightmare she had been dreading when she saw Luz’s smile, it was certainly its own kind of hell. ‘But,’ she mused, a small grin forming, ‘At least I’m starting to make real progress.’ She slowly traced a circle, free of the instability that seemed to plague every spell she formed lately, a small flame forming in front of her. She chuckled to herself at the irony.

Here she was, captain of the Grudgby team, Fire Magic Specialist and Potionist in Training, and she was reduced to the most basic spells she knew of. The fact that she could even get this little flame, no bigger than her thumbs pressed together, without worry was a vast improvement over where she started after that day. She sighed, hauling herself to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Luz pouring over that strange crystal thing she had brought in; it was sort of like a Scroll, apparently, not that Boscha understood how. Helping the so-called Demon King to his feet, they wandered back over to Luz.

“Ahem!” Boscha cleared her throat, prompting Luz to throw up her arms in shock, suddenly scrambling to secure her… Terminal, she called it? “So, how did we do?” She said calmly, raising a brow as Luz sheepishly chuckled.

“As much as it pains me to be in agreement with the interloper,” King began, prompting a tick-mark of annoyance from Boscha, “I too wish to know just how impressive I am, and how I can become even greater!!” It took a lot of effort for Boscha not to yell at the little menace for the ‘interloper’ comment, it’s not like she intended to come here!

“Now King,” Luz lightly admonished, “A ruler must be gracious to their guests, even unexpected ones. While you may not be comfortable with Boscha’s presence, and understandably irritated from your earlier encounter, that must not influence your behavior and judgement. A King looks after his Kingdom, and all who dwell within it.” Boscha honestly expected the pompous little demon to start screaming at that, so she was genuinely surprised that he only grumbled slightly and kicked at the ground. “If you apologize for being rude, and say it like you mean it, I’ll get you some snacks later.”

“Hmm… Deal!” King agreed. He turned to Boscha and visibly pulled himself up to his full height. “As the King of Demons, I offer my sincerest apologies for my conduct. Will you accept it?” Boscha had to admit, he certainly sounded sincere. She figured he wasn’t, but it was still impressive.

“I accept your apologies… your majesty.” Boscha said, only reluctantly tacking on the last bit at Luz’s expectant look. How was she so good at getting under Boscha’s skin?

“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” Luz drawled, a too-pleased look on her face. “Let’s take a look at what you can work on.” Boscha and King both made inquisitive noises as she turned the screen of the Terminal towards them, eyes widening as they saw their fight lay across the screen. It was something you could see on any Scroll, but this certainly cemented the fact that Humans had some analog to the communications device.

An image appeared, Boscha launching some rocks that had cracked off the ceiling in response to King’s first spell like Grudgby balls. She remembered the stinging sensation in her hands at that stunt, but the sight of King frantically dancing out of the way on screen brought a tiny smile to her face. “Boscha, you displayed some solid tactics, not instantly going for your magic and using your environment to attack with you. However,” She let the video play, showing Boscha rapidly spinning up Spells to launch… only for them to detonate and send her flying back, King sprawled on the floor in laughter at her expression. “Your muscle memories for Spell Casting, while ordinarily a useful trait for combat if you can avoid overly recognizable patterns, are hindering you while you’re recovering your skill.” Luz finished.

Luz turned to King, who straightened up with a gulp. She narrowed her eyes. “Now, on to King.” She turned back to the Terminal, tapping away rapidly before pulling up some new scenes from their spar, King nervously ringing his paws. Another video popped up, showing King launching his spell towards Boscha, thankfully without any sound coming through. The on-screen Boscha avoided the massive spell by the skin of her teeth, Boscha’s ears ringing in sympathy at her memory. She grinned at the sight of King panting after his spell ended, only to yelp and run as her on-screen double rushed him in anger. “King, I’m gonna be blunt, your magic is powerful, but it’s incredibly draining, and the fact you are totally still while using it means that when the spell ends, you are basically defenseless.” King sheepishly kicked his feet, glancing to the side, while Luz looked on.

Luz cracked again. “I got to say, I’m impressed.” She chuckled at the dumbfounded looks she received. “I’m serious, the two of you did way better than I thought you would.”

“Well, how did you think we’d do?” King tentatively asked.

“I expected you to exhaust yourself inside of a few minutes blasting away at Boscha,” Luz bluntly replied, steam-rolling past his squawk of outrage, “and I expected Boscha to lose focus and just keep trying to cast spells.” Boscha would’ve been offended, but that honestly sounded like something she would’ve done if she hadn’t gotten that demonstration of how powerful the demon’s spell was. Luz smirked. “There isn’t a whole lot I can do to help right now, but in the long run, I think I can sketch out some training regimes to cover your respective weak spots.”

Boscha and King exchanged glances, then nodded. It made sense to them. With that settled, the three decided to head back upstairs. Boscha idly wondered why Luz had the hesitant look in her eyes when she said there wasn’t much she could do, though.

Luz groaned internally, resisting the urge to slam her head against the nearest wall. She was absolutely certain that the debriefing she had gone through with Boscha and King had been a disaster. She had visually confirmed how haphazardly they had gone about things in their spar, even if they had been smarter about it than she thought they would be going in, and had basically admitted that she had thought they would’ve been brain-dead rookies only to be proven wrong! Why had she agreed to taking that job!? Oh, right, because it gave her a way to help people and covertly undermine an undoubtedly corrupt regime starting with the youth; curse her bleeding heart!

As she gathered up the assorted snacks and drinks, making care to remember to grab the treats she had promised King, she wandered out of the Kitchen. As she entered the backroom the group was using to discuss things while Eda got her rest, she was surprised to see Boscha and King laughing about something like old buddies. She spoke up, bemused. “Well, don’t you two look chummy.”

“Oh-hohoho My Titan! Luz! Boscha just told me the funniest story about a Slingshot, a Stink Potion, anda Coven Guard!” King cackled, pounding on the table as he laughed.

“Oh, really? Now this I got to hear.” Luz mused, setting the assorted drinks and snacks on the table. Half a minute later, she was pounding her fist on the table right beside King, tears of uncontrolled laughter gushing down her face. Boscha looked painfully smug at the reaction her story had gotten. “Pffff! W-W-With the Gu-guard! A-And the B-bom-b! And the Cheese!! How you did all that and didn’t get caught, I will never know!!”

“Yeah! I didn’t get caught! That’s what happened!” Boscha sheepishly chuckled, deciding against telling them she had to be bailed out by her parents for that stunt. At least it was funny, though.

As the group enjoyed the treats Luz had brought back, Luz let out a sigh of content. “This is nice.”

“Yeah.” Boscha mused, feeling relaxed after the… drama from before. “Not what I expected from the Owl Lady’s place.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” King queried. Luz was just as lost. Eda’s reputation wasn’t that bad, was it?

Boscha blinked, puzzled. “Wait, are you saying that you guys don’t know?” She said, something like shocked awe in her voice.

“Know what, Boscha.” Luz droned.

“Well…” Boscha drawled, still shocked at their lack of knowledge on the topic. “When it comes to the Owl Lady, rumors have always been flying around.”

King snorted. “Trust me, we know. We live with her, remember?”

“As I was saying.” Boscha enunciated tightly after being cut off. Her voice dropped into a deeper, more… mysterious sounding register. “Years ago, a Witch studied at Hexside who was gifted beyond compare. Considered a once in a lifetime prodigy, her skill at learning magic, using it, and her sheer power were without equal in her age group, even outclassing some adults. Her name was Edalyn Clawthorne.”

Luz and King paused, allowing themselves to sink into the story. They had to admit, some of what Boscha was saying lined up with Eda, ability wise at least.

“However, despite her incredible gifts, Eda was a maverick,” Boscha continued. “She openly held rules and order in contempt, and sneered at those who upheld them. Still, she was desired by the Covens, all vying for her incredible gifts, even those outside of her chosen track wanting to tap into her great power for their own agendas. Such attention made her arrogant, believing she was above the constraints of others.”

Luz and King deadpanned; while it was phrased more harshly than the reality, that was definitely Eda being described.

“One day, during tryouts for the Covens, particularly for a spot in the Emperor’s personal Coven, Edalyn boldly and publicly denounced the Coven System, proclaiming it beneath her. The crowd was shocked, unable to comprehend such a thing. As she walked away, smug in her superiority, she collapsed in pain.”

Luz and King leaned in, paying close attention to the details.

“Before the gaze of the crowd, Edalyn’s body twisted, growing in size. Feathers sprouted from her arms, her hands and feet twisting into sharp talons. Her body warped into an Avian form, sprouting wings large and powerful enough to hold her aloft. Her eyes became as dark as night, drinking in even the brightest of lights. Her jaw warped to accommodate a mountain of jagged fangs. She had become the Owl Beast.” Boscha paused, with Luz and King gasping in shock at the tale.

Clearing her throat and taking a drink, Boscha continued. “As the transformation ended, the monstrous beast was beheld by the crowd, and found to be repulsive, a monster. The crowd jeered, and chased the beast into the woods, it’s haunting cries echoing through the town. Eventually, Edalyn returned, and proclaimed herself a Wild Witch, and an enemy of the Covens. The Emperor’s Coven declared her transformation a punishment from the Titan for defying the system, making her to be an example. And thus, the Owl Lady was born.” Boscha finished, voice returning to normal. She leaned back, adding, “And ever since then, she’s basically been used as a scary story by parents to warn their kids about the dangers of pride and going against the system.” 

Boscha shrugged. “I mean, I never really believed the story, not any more than any of the other kids, but it was still a big thing to learn about, and a lot of the more free-spirited kids growing up got less outspoken after hearing her story.” She paused, scratching her chin in thought. “It probably makes it more believable that she lives outside of town and regularly shows up and causes trouble. Seeing someone described as a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy reduced to a crazy old bat, no offense,” She quickly raised her hands placatingly at an angry King and Luz, “probably made a lot of kids treat the warning more seriously.”

Luz froze, not entirely sure how to process this. King was stock still, glancing at his pauses in confusion. Clearing her throat, Luz spoke up. “Well, that was certainly entertaining, I’ll admit, but how does anyone know she actually-”

“HOOOOOTTTTT!!”

Luz abruptly cut off at the sound of Hooty’s pained scream. The three glanced at each other, before quickly rushing out the door. As they crashed into the Living Room, they froze in horror. The place was ripped apart, the couch shredded, the assorted piles of random junk strewn about, Hooty’s door knocked off its hinges with Hooty himself out cold. Claw marks covered the walls.

The three scanned the room, stomachs filling with dread. As they wandered the room, Luz took stock of the damage; whatever had caused this either wasn’t very high on the intelligence level, or was insanely scared and angry. King crawled over to Hooty, sniffing at him, feeling a surprising degree of relief at the sound of his breathing. Boscha positioned herself in the center of the room, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Just as she was about to speak up, Boscha stilled, feeling hot, heavy breathing across the back of her neck.

With trepidation, Boscha slowly turned around, blanching at the sight behind her. A large, feathery body, twice as tall as she was. Long heavy wings pressed tight against its sides, but doubtless capable of spreading to full length in an instant. Deep pools of darkness where its eyes would be. A jaw filled with jagged fangs. Boscha screamed. The beast roared. Its claws slashed down towards the panicked witch.

[thefanficmonster]

Listener

John (The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope) x Reader (Male)

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR THE GAME LITTLE HOPE

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: He wishes to be fine, he wants to be ok. He only wants to get over that night, bury it in the past and push forward. But you can’t bury what you can’t see or touch - the scars on your psyche, the trauma, the nightmares. He’s not able to battle it...not on his own at least.

Requested by @dark-pictures-until-dawn Hello dear! Sorry to be posting your request so late. I really hope you have stayed patient enough to still want to read the fic because I’m really looking forward to hearing your feedback, especially since it’s my first time writing a male reader. Please enjoy the read! Love, Vy ❤

I can’t go home. I feel unsafe and lonely there. I feel how shallow is the meaningfulness of my existence and am constantly reminded of how quickly and gruesomely it was almost taken from me back in that ghost town. How I was prepared to do anything to shield my life as well as the lives of those I was responsible of from the horrors Little Hope provided for us. Speaking of my companions at the time, I think they’re doing far better than I am. Angela is, well, Angela - unbothered by the real problem, rather focusing on herself, mostly appearance-wise. Taylor and Daniel are each other’s support and have finally made their relationship public and I’m really happy for them. They deserve nothing but the best and I hope they get through this soon. Andrew left for home for a week or two to be with his family until the concussion and the trauma wore off at least a small bit. I was really worried for him and still am, but I’m at ease knowing he’s surrounded by people who’ll take care of him.

I, however, am left to my own devices. Devices I’m not sure I have. I can hear the weak side of me whispering to me whenever I get home, telling me it’s ok to break the streak at a time like this, even encouraging me to do so. Telling me it’ll be alright, that I’ll be able to pick myself back up, but for now, I can turn to my old friend for comfort. I can allow the liquor to pick me up like it did then.  But then, thank the heavens, my rational side kicks in right on time - one second before it can be too late. It makes me ask myself if alcohol ever did anything for me except dig me a grave for my own dignity. Did it ever pick me up, or was it always the illusion behind which was the defeat and demise it truly gave me?

This rational side has helped me put down the bottle just as I was about to unscrew its cap, and I’ll forever be in its debt. Lord knows I’d be back in the same awful spot I was in before I started by journey of getting clean. I can’t go through the hellish first months of recovery another time. But the escape is a little too hard to resist sometimes.

Tonight it’s especially bad. This afternoon I had a meetup with the principle of the college during which I had to tell him all that happened that night, all the while enduring his ‘you’ve gone mad’ stare mixed with pity. He doesn’t believe any of us, how could he? I wouldn’t believe it either if I were in his shoes. Still, I’m the one who he bothers the most about it, given the others are students and I’m basically an employee of his and I am not allowed to show any sort of disrespect, no matter how much I’d like to put him in his place, if I want to keep my job.  Having to reach to the dark side of my mind for the memories of that night took a toll on me like it hasn’t been able to in the past three days. I sometimes experience rather decent days during which my mind is too occupied to crack under the weight of the trauma. But then come the nights when I avoid sleeping just to unintentionally sink in deep slumber which is interrupted by a nightmare that sends me in a state of absolute terror.

Those are the instances in which I need metal chains to tie my wrists and feet so I don’t go back to old habits. 

Why I still have alcohol in my house is beyond me. It’s like I’m taunting myself to fail what I’ve worked so hard for. Like dangling a piece of meat in front of a lion. The problem is - I’m both the person dangling the meat and the lion. I end up hurting myself by seeking comfort. It’d be a straight up lie if I tell myself I’m strong enough to resist temptation. The only reason why I do so is to avoid those first few months of the new attempted recovery. If I even attempt it, that is.

Because of the deteriorated state my mind is in right now and my weakened defenses, I have made the only move I can think of - sleeping in the school tonight. I’m lucky to have a couch in my office which I share with another professor, so sleeping here will at least be comfortable. The weather has been holding up well, so I won’t even need to bring out the heater. Just as long as no one...

“John? You’re still here?“

…sees me.

The familiar voice scares me half to death, bringing me out of my spiraling thoughts. I’ve become really jumpy and easily terrified which I consider to be reasonable. Other people are rather cautious around me and when approaching me, which I appreciate. 

The person standing in the doorway with one hand on the handle and a startled expression on his face is my colleague Y/N. He’s the professor I’m sharing this office with. Him and I started working at this college at the same time and we quickly bonded over our first-day-on-the-job anxiety. He is pretty swell guy, about my age and height. He is the laid back professor, you don’t see many of his kind, especially since he is an ECON professor. Some of my students are in his class too, and they have nothing but kind words to say about him and his teaching. While the other professors, myself included, sport suits to work, he shows up in a polo shirt and jeans. He hasn’t missed a single day of work and his class flaunts the highest score in the whole college. That should tell you enough about how professional and well-put-together of a person Y/N is. 

“Um, yeah...I just have some things to finish up.“ I wave my hand dismissively, hoping he’d leave it at that. But we’ve been colleagues and friends too long for him to let that slide so easily. He knows me well, people are an open book to him in general. He has told me he wanted to pursue psychology but his parents talked him out of it which explains his ability to tap into a person’s psyche like a literal mind reader. God knows I need a psychologist right now.

Y/N steps inside, closing the door behind him. “I can wait for you. We could get some dinner if you want.“ He suggests casually, shrugging his shoulders a tiny bit.

My eyes go wide, “No!” I answer a little too quickly and too loudly, causing him to frown in confusion, “I mean...don’t wait for me. There’s no need. It’s already late. We could get dinner another time.”

Y/N narrows his eyes slightly as if attempting to read a sign in the distance. I know he’s reading me. I bet he doesn’t even have to try so hard. I’m an open book that has suffered too much damage recently. And I’m not only talking the events back in that God forsaken town.

I try avoiding his gaze but when he says my name I can look nowhere but his eyes, “John, I know you’re still rattled and traumatized. Who wouldn’t be? Just know that you can talk to me anytime, about anything.“ His hand rests on my shoulder, “I’m one of those people who believes you. I believe you 100%” He chuckles, shaking his head, “I’ve researched that stuff probably more than I should’ve when I was a teenager. And it still intrigues me. Though I’m really sorry you had to go through such horrible events. You know you can take a paid leave for a month or two, right? No one will hold it against you. I’d be more than happy to cover for you if you’d like.” 

I find myself smiling at Y/N’s words, “I really appreciate that, Y/N, but I’m afraid that if I don’t come to work I’ll end up losing my mind. Hell...“ I motion around the office, “I don’t even wanna leave. ‘Home’ doesn’t seem so homey at the moment.“ I force a melancholic chuckle, deprived of almost all emotion.

“Hey, now that offends me.“ He frowns, showing off just how much I’ve hurt his feelings, “You’d rather crash here than come over to my place? Come on, John, you should know better than that.“ He pauses for a second, eyeing me suspiciously before a smirk appears on his face, “You’re just afraid I’ll bring out the chess board, aren’t you?“

I can’t help but laugh, “Not at all. We both know I’m the better chess player.“

A mock offended expression makes its way onto Y/N’s face as his eyes widen, “Oh, you’re so on now.” He quickly open the door, one foot already out in the hall.

I hurriedly grab my jacket and briefcase from where I left them this morning, “Not before dinner, though. My treat.” I call after him, my arm automatically reaching out for him, taking gentle hold of his wrist, “And, thank you, Y/N. This means a lot to me. Your support, your company, your friendship...everything.”

Y/N turns around, sending me one of his bright, dazzling smiles, “I was on board with you till you said friendship.” He snorts, moving his hand so it can hold mine and give it a gentle squeeze, “Jokes aside, John, I really want to help you and be there for you. So, please, I’m begging you, don’t push me away. At least try not to, ok?”

The warmth seeping from his eyes comforts me, helps me forget what’s been bothering me, at least momentarily. He always understands, he’s always prepared to help, to comfort, prepared to give advice and receive criticism. He’s human, obviously, but a human who understands what it’s like to be let down, brought down and forced to pick yourself back up, I haven’t found many who understand that in my life. He was my support when I decided to get clean, my biggest stability pillar, why couldn’t he help me now too? Why don’t I allow him to make me at least half the person he is?

“I’ll try, Y/N. I promise.“

And this is a promise I’ll keep, starting by discarding all the alcohol bottles in my house.

[readingsbylibramc]

birth chart reading for @cafedelasocho

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a seesaw shape. your life focuses on different ideals and interests, often constrasting between each other. from one side, this gives you the ability to be adaptable and find solutions easily. on the other hand, you may struggle with balance; for example, you might find yourself dedicating your life to your relationships, neglecting your ego or viceversa. you need to learn how to harmonize these energies.

your dominant planets are mercury, venus and jupiter. you are an extremely intelligent person, you're probably very witty and sarcastic and you have a nice sense of humor. yet, you're also very philosophical and vice open-minded. you could sometimes be a bit materialistic, as you enjoy the finer things in life. on the other hand, you're definitely very creative and have an eye for aesthetics.

your dominant sign is libra. you're overall a peaceful person, you try to avoid conflicts if possible, even though sometimes you could have a sharp tongue. you're a romantic person, maybe too much. you hold unrealistic expectations of people, hence you often get disappointed when things don't turn out the way you thought. you're able to see both sides of an argument, and that's both good and bad. in fact, you're very objective, and most probably your opinions are right; yet, it may be annoying for people that are venting to you, as you could constantly point out their mistakes, even though you don't do it out of malice.

your dominant element is air. in your life, you adore seeking for knowledge of any kind. you may be interested in studying different subjects, from those you study at school like science, maths, literature etc. to more unconventional ones, such as astrology, psychology, criminology and so on. you enjoy interacting with people; even if you’re not that sociable, you’ll still be interested in their point of view and their ideals, as you see it as a way to expand your own mind. you’re also interested in vintage, and you may have a retro aesthetic or just like history in general.

🌎 ascendant in gemini, 27° / 3rd decan ruled by mercury and uranus

you enjoy communicating and intellectualism. you’re very curious about everything that surrounds you. you love expanding your knowledge, ideas and mind in general through communication, interactions and media. you have the ability to adapt quickly to new situations; your mind is fast, usually impulsive, even though this energy may not be much prominent; it may be perceived differently due to your libra energy, in fact. that’s because libra prefers organizing things, rather than acting impulsively. yet, this placement still helps you being adaptable to changes, even though you may only be able to see it after a few years if you manage to balance it well. you may also be able to match the energy of the people you’re talking to in order to be perceived as more likeable and connect with everyone on a deeper level. you may be fond of books, poetry, literature… both writing and reading. it’s also a way to let yourself tune to your emotions. since you’re constantly mentally active, physically you may also tend to play with your fingers or hair, or maybe you tend to gesticulate while you speak. appearance-wise, I assume you’re at least of average height, with long limbs and fingers. you have something small about your face; you may either have a small nose, or eyes, lips etc. same thing goes for your bones. you may be naturally skinny, or perhaps you have healthy curves. you also tend to look younger than you actually are, especially when growing up. you may often be, or at least look, sleepy. your eyes have a very dreamy look to them, and they’re probably almond-shaped. possibly, they’re also hooded. your skin may be naturally pale, or at least there’s something light in your face, even like some tiny sparkles in your eyes, and you may have a symmetrical face with full lips and a defined cupid's bow.

gemini ascendant square pisces jupiter: you probably learn a lot from people around you. you're most likely surrounded by wise, spiritual and possibly foreign individuals in your life. they help you to grow up, both spiritually and mentally. you're also very open-minded, and you rarely have prejudices. the downside to this placement is that you may be depend too much from your friends or lovers, especially when it comes to your beliefs. you're easy to influence, and you may change your mind often if others disagree with you. you could possibly have high expectations from others, creating a false idea of those who surround you. at least, you're aware of your abilities and you have the potential to make the most out of them, but you're modest about it. you don't come off as bossy, as other jupiter - asc aspects would.

🌞 sun in libra, 9° / 1st decan ruled by venus

this is the most romantic and kind-hearted libra decan. you are very intuitive, you understand others’ real feelings very easily. you’re very polite and mannered, you have this innate elegance about you that could make people jealous. you may even come off as snob. even though your gemini rising may make you look flaky, once people get to know you you’re actually very reliable and trust-worthy, as you are a person of strong morals. you may unconsciously manipulate people, but you don’t do it with malice. in fact, you’re probably not even aware of it most of the times. you’re reserved, and you don’t like being the centre of attention, despite craving compliments. nonetheless, you still like getting to know new people; you’re the type to know everyone, but you may struggle to find actual best friends, as your bonds with people are quite undeveloped and superficial. you have a nice sense of humor, and you may rely on sarcasm a lot. you’re also the type that doesn’t like to accept her mistakes. probably, when you were a child you used to scream 'it’s not my fault!’ in every occasion. in life, you strive for equality and fairness. for example, you don’t want to give less than someone else, you would feel guilty about it. at the same time, you don’t want to be the one that gives more either; you’re afraid that people could take advantage of you. therefore, balance is what you find the most pleasant.

libra sun conjunct libra venus: you enjoy peace and harmony. you want your surroundings to look all neat and clean, and same goes for the people you surround yourself with. you wish people saw you as easy to approach, even though you may struggle with your image. you try to be as formal and kind as possible with people you don’t know well, unless they start getting on your nerves by disagreeing with your opinions or being too bossy. you’re very feminine, not only in your looks and manners but also in the way you dress. you’re quite romantic too, and dream of having a perfect marriage. the downside to this aspect is that because you take so much care of yourself, people may mistake your self-love for vanity, especially with your libra stellium. also, your self-esteem may depend too much on others’ opinion of you; you may start thinking you’re ugly and unworthy of love just because someone told you you’re not their type, to sum up.

libra sun conjunct libra mercury: you express your ego and identity through your words and ideas. you’re very opinionated and you protect strongly your beliefs. after all, you probably came up with your ideals after thinking deeply about them, you were too precise to be wrong. you’re also probably an avid reader, and you could do well in writing yourself, as you’re able to properly convey your ideals with your words. also, your heavy libra dominance makes you naturally good at writing poetry, or even philosophical quotes or romance. your mind is very active, and you feel comfortable letting all your thoughts out. it’s actually a way to relieve stress. you also have a wide vocabulary, and you’re capable of making a formal speech if you have to. you have a memorable way of speaking, as your words are very sharp. it’s hard for you to be ignored for your intellect.

🌙 moon in pisces, 2° / 1st decan ruled by neptune

hands down my favourite moon sign! you're extremely empathetic and sensitive, you care a lot about others and you treat others' problems as if they were yours, you get totally immersed in them. you have quite a vivid imagination, you're able to idealize and picture anything you want. while this placement gives you an incredible amount of creativity, it can also make you uncomfortable. in fact, you may actually find yourself imagining every detail of every situation, even the worst ones. let's suppose you hear of a rape at the news; you literally start imagining the scene detail by detail, and it makes you extremely uncomfortable. actually, it literally ruins your mood, as it's as if you actually lived that scene. going back to the creativity matter, you have the soul of an artist; you have very enhanced emotions, and you're able to express them through artistic outlets. you could be amazing at writing poetry, books, art, music... also, your particular empathy of human's intellect can also make you an amazing psychologist or actress, as you're able to understand others' feelings and make them your own. you're extremely spiritual, and if you don't feel like that, you just have yet to have your spiritual awakening. you may be able to talk to spirits, for example, or perhaps you have very meaningful dreams. or maybe, you could literally predict the future through them. you're also most probably an avid daydreamer, you tend to get distracted easily because you're too busy thinking about random scenarios in your head. seriously, you could even make a movie out of them. you're also an hopeless romantic, and you dream of finding not just your spouse, but your literal soulmate. to make it simple, you want all of your daydreams to become reality.

pisces moon opposite leo mars: your feelings are very intense. you may tend to react aggressively, or at least overreact. you feel the constant need to express your emotions, but you also want to be understood by others. you tend to be aggressive because you're actually afraid that others may be the first ones to hurt you. you don't really do it with malice, it's your way to defend yourself from eventual enemies. this placement also indicates that your childhood / family life was or will be quite turbulent, even though I don't really think it's your case as your 4th house ruler isn't harshly aspected at all. to cope with this placement, I'd suggest you to be a little bit more mechanic when you express your feelings. you don't have to hide them, just try not to vent all your anger around.

pisces moon square sagittarius pluto: your emotions are so intense that they almost scare those around you. in fact, you're prone to accentuated mood swings; when you're happy, you start smiling and laughing joyfully. when you're sad, you're the type to cry, scream, even throw up in some cases. that's how far you go with your emotions. maybe, you also feel repressed to express your feelings exactly for this reason. you probably also have a conservative/possessive mother (or just any member of your family), with whom you don't feel at ease expressing your emotions. or maybe, your mother was absent throughout your life. on the other hand, you can understand others' feelings, but be careful not to use it to manipulate others. you could also be very paranoid, and might develop addictions and anxiety disorders, especially with your pisces moon. if you don't feel comfortable speaking to someone you know and there's something you need to talk about, I'd suggest you to do it with a psychologist. don't be afraid to face your emotions, you'll only be able to control them if you get know them.

🗣 mercury in libra, 15° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and uranus

you're very diplomatic! you always try to be nice and gentle with your words, you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. your tone of voice is extremely soft, sometimes it could even be hard to understand what you say, as you could naturally have a low voice. you're extremely balanced, you have amazing problem-solving skills as you're able to see both side of an argument. it's natural for you to understand what's right and what isn't, and most of the times you're actually right. when you're with someone you're not really close to, you could even be the accommodating type who allows others to speak over your voice, or maybe you let others speak first as a gesture of kindness. I feel like with your jupiter dominance you have very strong opinions, and you're actually particularly proud of them. luckily, this placement makes you able to communicate them with diplomacy. you could often get angry if someone tries to prove you wrong, but aside from that, you try to be very elegant and formal when you speak. you're probably not fond of cursing, or at least you try to appear as mannered as possible with people you're not comfortable around. last but not least, you're such a charismatic, smooth talker that you result very persuasive. you're able to trick people with your words, which appear very diplomatic and calm.

❤️ venus in libra, 2° / 1st decan ruled by venus

love this placement! you're very romantic, and it helps your gemini rising being less flaky. you're not looking for a partner, you're looking for a whole disney prince. you do care about looks when choosing a lover, but not necessarily a conventionally beautiful person. they have to appear perfect to your eyes, and this usually depends on the way they treat you. in fact, you despise vulgar, rude people. people that act like that immediately become unattractive to you. you're also very picky, exactly because you're looking for the perfect lover. you're probably the type to cry at movies. you're also quite of a cliche; you're into roses, romantic dinners, sunsets... anything romantic that you hear about in fairytales. the problem with this placement is that you may overestimate the people you frequent, ending up having different expectations from reality.

☄️ mars in leo, 27° / 3rd decan ruled by the sun and mars

praise and success are what motivate you the most. your main goal in life is being praised for achieving your goals, you wouldn't feel motivated without compliments. therefore, you put energy in things that make you feel confident and noticed, as you enjoy being seen. for example, if you feel confident being well-dressed, you could spend hours in the closet to look how you want. you are very creative, you get an energy boost through creative outlets, and hence your hobbies (reading, writing, dancing, singing, drawing, etc.) recharge your battery. this placement also makes you very extra, especially with people you're close to. you may gesticulate a lot, you could as well enjoy mimicking others' voices. you're basically very dramatic, you seem like an actor when you react, but at least you're very fun and entertaining to watch and listen. this placement, it gives you a strong charisma that, and combined with your heavy libra dominance, it makes it impossible not to notice you. you could overreact from time to time, and you may also be particularly pessimistic, but above all you appear as someone very bold and strong-minded.

leo mars square sagittarius pluto: with this placement, I assume that when you were younger you were some sort of victim. you could have been bullied, for example, you used to be insecure about the way you looked and were. you could have felt different from others, and they took advantage of that to make you feel even more insecure. or maybe, it was a parent, or every authoritative figure in your life, that restricted you from following your own ideals. because of that, now you constantly feel the need to prove yourself. you probably tend to accumulate a lot of anger all together, which you need to let all out or you could explode. you could find comfort in physical ways to relieve stress, like punching bags, slamming doors, etc. or perhaps, when you're angry you just get overwhelmed by all of your emotions. you may cry, scream, even throw up in certain cases. on the other hand, you are extremely magnetic and attractive to others, you naturally draw people towards you. you're also extremely passionate in whatever you do, you put your whole heart in doing things you love.

🏡 houses

your 1st house is in gemini. your ego feels fulfilled when you express your opinions, ideas and creativity. people probably see you as an intelligent, wise individual. maybe even as a know-it-all. you care about both your inner and outer self, which may be the cause of your confidence issues. you try to fit into society, and you tend to change your approach to people based on who you’re interacting with. while this gives you great social skills, it may confuse you quite a bit. in fact, you may forget who you are. you may often have identity crisis, especially since you always feel as if you have to fit somewhere. the ruler of the 1st house, mercury, is in your 4th house: you are quite private, you don't really expose too much of yourself as you prefer showing your true feelings to people you're sure they deserve it, you need to trust someone in order to open up to them. you may also be very fond of your family.

your 2nd house is in cancer. your family, home and cultural background may play a big role in your finances. you may earn money through your family’s business, or maybe you actually work with your family. you may also work from home, especially online/through social media. your adaptability is your greatest strenght; you’re probably good at a different variety of jobs, hence it may not be hard for you to find something to cope before deciding your definite career. this also confirms that your values, self-worth and security were shaped by your roots, childhood and family. the ruler of the 2nd house is in the 9th house: you may earn money through foreign cultures and languages, hence you could be particularly skilled at them. you may work in a multinational agency, or perhaps as an interpreter or translator. you could also earn through teaching or travelling, so perhaps you may have to move constantly for your job.

your 3rd house is in leo. you’re able to express your innovative ideas and creativity in a way that doesn’t go overlooked. you tend to overthink a lot, especially about your theories but, once you’ve made up your mind, no one is gonna make you change idea. you’re confident in your opinions. the downside of this placement is that you may come off as a know-it-all from the way you communicate your thoughts. you also have your leo mars sitting in this house: when you communicate, you take a lot of pride in your opinions. you hate admitting that you’re wrong, especially since you’re a perfectionist. you could be quite impulsive, and you may speak with a naturally loud tone of voice. you’re extremely good at coming up with plans easily, even though you may have troubles sticking to them, as your fiery nature gets easily bored.

your 4th house is in virgo. this is another placement that points out that you lack something due to your family. maybe they couldn’t spend much time with you, as they were busy with work. or maybe, they were overprotective of you, making you insecure. probably even both. this doesn’t mean that you’re hurt, you may not even be aware that you’re lacking a piece of yourself actually. yet, it’s still there, and it influences you a lot on your day-to-day affairs. your physical home was probably very pleasant and beautiful; you may have a conventionally beautiful family, or at least they’re particularly attractive and charming. your house may also be very well-designed and elegant, doesn’t matter how big it is. you probably see your parents as ideal, they are your role models and you look up to them, even though they could have been a bit restrictive from time to time, but nothing too serious, you most likely had a pleasant childhood.

your 5th house is in libra. you’re very creative, and you try to make beauty out of your imagination. you’re probably into music, art, photography, fashion… things like that. you’d also like to experience light romance, and you may enjoy the idea of socializing with others. you feel fulfilled when you’re able to spend time with your loved ones, even though this may make you struggle embracing your indipendence. the ruler of the 5th house is in the 4th house: your hobbies involve spiritual topics, such as astrology, tarots, meditation etc. you probably also love spending your spare time by yourself. you’re quite of a loner, from this point of view, and you may possibly feel sad about it, but it's the best way to charge your battery.

your 6th house is scorpio, with pluto placed here as well. you may be passionate about routine, self-care, health and work, to the point that it looks (and feels) obsessive. you may attract enemies in your daily life, e.g co-workers that are jealous of your ambition. you might have to undergo different changes in your routine and health throughout your life, which can literally transform you both physically and emotionally. the ruler of the 6th house is in the 6th house: you may have pets, or even work with them. you take care of your health, especially to work. you may also work as a doctor with plutonian traits; hence, you could be a psychologist, a therapist etc.

your 7th house is in sagittarius. you want your marriage to be a constant travel for you, in which you can both relax and learn. you want to marry a witty and impulsive partner, that is also fun to live with. you may often find yourself falling for unavailable people, either physically or emotionally (or even both). the fact that jupiter, the ruler of this house, is in the 10th house, indicates that you may meet your future spouse at work, or maybe even abroad, perhaps during a work trip. they may be foreign, or at least they’re able to speak a different language from yours. they could also have a different culture/religion from yours. overall, they're also very wise, outgoing and surprisingly open-minded and philosophical.

your 8th house is in capricorn, with also neptune and uranus sitting there. you may be prone to die old, and you may feel attracted to people that are older or more established than you. you are most probably going to have an unexpected death. or maybe, you’re surrounded by unpredictable events of loss of any kind in your life. you’re fascinated by the occult, and you may even be/been able to talk to dead people. you’re very intuitive, and it’s easy for you to read through people’s words. you may as well have prophetic dreams. with the ruler of the 8th house in the 11th house, you’re likely surronded by karmic friends and people in general. you may argue often with them, and your relationship with is very intense, but that’s because you have karmic lessons to learn, and they’re the ones teaching them to you. it’s something that will get better with time. also, your friends may have the same interests as you, and you could possibly attract wealthy friends too.

your 9th house is in aquarius, with also your moon placed in this house. you’re an avid believer of your philosophical and cultural beliefs. you may be interested in teaching, and you could do it through innovative and technological tools. you’re also interested in foreign music, books, movies and any type of hobby. you may be attracted to genres like thriller, sci-fi… you could also believe in aliens. at school you may be considered particular, almost weird for your interests. you’re open-minded, as you appreciate the differences in people and cultures all over the world. the moon here gives you the natural need to keep grasping information around not only in school but in your life in general, as knowledge is where you find happiness. you hate being told what to do, you want to be free in the decisions you make. you may have to live unexpected situations, as 9th house is also about experiences. you’re the type to feel proud doing something never seen before, as you aspire to be a trend-setter. this may also manifest in your musical, fashion etc. taste. you’re also very opinionated, and you defend your beliefs pretty strongly. the moon is also about roots and childhood, therefore you may have a foreign background to you. with the ruler of the 9th house being in the 8th, you learn a lot about occult topics, such as astrology, tarots, dreams etc.

your 10th house is ruled by pisces, with also jupiter in a tight conjunction with the midheaven. you may be unsure of your future career, or at least indecisive. you may want to do different things, or maybe you have completely no idea. hopefully, the rest of the reading will shed some light on you. usually, people with pisces in the 10th house’s cusp make great healers, hence you may become a doctor of any kind, especially a psychologist. you may also work in the creative, artistic field, e.g you could be an artist, a writer, a musician etc. finding a career is your ultimate goal in life, as it's what makes you happy. it’s pretty much the source of your confidence and energy, what your life revolves around. with the ruler of the 10th house in the 8th, I repeat that you would make an awesome psychologist, as you’re able to understand people’s deeper emotions. you could also work with death in general, so again as a doctor or even as a detective, maybe as a criminologist. also, jupiter rules over foreign languages and cultures, therefore you could work as a stewardess, as a translator, or perhaps even as a teacher or professor.

with the 11th house ruled by aries, you probably attract a lot of people in your life. whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you’ll always be able to have someone by your side, even though you may struggle to create stable bonds. friends come and go, basically. you may attract very fierce, almost violent friends. they’re very energetic, and probably extroverted people who like socializing and enjoying life to the fullest. saturn is also placed in this house, meaning that at first you struggle to find friends. you may be very shy and awkward, and you just can’t seem to find someone right for you whom you can truly trust. I don’t have much to say to you regarding this placement, as it’s not badly aspected at all. you may find yourself comfortable with this placement, especially while growing up, as you’re cautious about who you befriend. also, it allows you not to waste time and focus on your duties, but generally it’s something that will get better with time and will naturally give you the ability to relate to others better. as I’ve already mentioned above, you could also have workaholic tendencies to make your dreams come true. the ruler of the 11th house is in the 2nd house: your friends can help you build a reputation, especially since they’re probably quite popular. or maybe, you could actually work with them. generally speaking, you may come across powerful people in your life that will help you boost your self-esteem and career path. you may also meet your true friends at work, or at least while growing up. you probably didn’t have many stable bonds during your teenage years.

lastly, your 12th house is in the sign of taurus. you’re secretly sensitive and affectionate, but you may have issues finding it out at first. in fact, the center of your life is your own intellectuality, these venusian traits are probably yet to develop. you may feel attracted to spirituality, but you’re quite lazy to actually dive into it. using tools like meditation, astrology etc. are important for you to understand what you truly need from life. your 12th house’s ruler is in the 4th house: getting in touch with your hidden, subconscious and higher self will be crucial to help you grow up and gain more awareness of yourself. you may be interested in topics like astrology, psychology etc. most likely to get to know yourself, but your chart points out that you could easily develop some sort of psychic qualities after your spiritual awakening.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love, you attract sagittarius, capricorn, scorpio and libra placements. your future spouse may also have libra/scorpio energy, maybe a libra - scorpio cusp. you need someone who’s charming, respectful, romantic and polite, but that can also stand up for themselves with no hesitation. you’re also into the magnetic, sexy type. you’re looking for someone independent, but that wouldn’t mind dedicating their time to you. you may feel unlucky in love, as your sagittarius descendant makes you attract people that are usually unavailable, whether it’s physically (they’re abroad) or emotionally. you may marry someone of a different culture/country/religion from yours. you may also meet and marry abroad. you may meet through your family, or maybe at your workplace as I’ve already mentioned before. they could also be someone very well known in their career field, or perhaps they may even be famous. you could also meet them in a place where people usually relax, such as a bar or at the restaurant. your children will most probably have very prominent venus energy, hence libra or taurus; they’ll love to be spoiled with affection, they’ll love material things like toys, food, clothes etc. but they’ll also be very mannered and elegant.

👶🏻 family life

your mother is probably very hard-working, and she has a strong role in your family. she loves being spoiled and appreciated, together with receiving attention. yet, she could sometimes be quite superficial because of that, but deep down she’s very romantic and mannered. she may have leo placements, or maybe virgo, taurus, libra, gemini or virgo. your father is a bit softer than your mother, and he might be a pisces or have any type of fire/sagittarius placement in his chart. your father could be a bit moody and / or unpredictable, and he may also have some addictions in the worst case. yet, he also has a very sweet and outgoing side to him that he may struggle to let out. if you have siblings, they’re probably leos/ fire signs. you have a very pleasant relationship with them, you're all very playful and generous and you used to always stand up for each other, even though there could have been a bit of competition.

📊 career

as I’ve already mentioned above, you could work abroad, or at least with different languages/cultures. you’re probably naturally talented in this field, it would be a shame to overlook it. you also most likely have great communication skills and writing abilities. you’re very logical and precise, you’d definitely do well in a field that requires calm and organization. I can also picture you being an amazing teacher or even professor. based on your other placements, you could also do well at literally any creative career! you may be a dancer, a singer, or even something more complex like a creative director. otherwise, you could also be successful as a designer, an architect, a scientist… something that allows you to be mostly independent, but that can still guarantee you mental stimulation and a decent income, and that also allows you to use your creative neptunian energy. last but not least, I also see you being an incredible healer, therefore you would make a skilled therapist, psychologist or even a nurse.

👚 fashion sense, style analysis

you’re very traditional about your clothes, maybe even basic. you’re the type to have lots of essential clothes in your wardrobe, e.g a white shirt, white t-shirt, jeans etc. you love wearing sophisticated, elegant fits. for example, you may be fond of wide leg jeans, or maybe flare trousers, boatneck sweaters, tiny jewellery… things like that, that are always a must have. you may fancy pastel colors, or even neutral shades like black, white, grey, beige etc. you’re also the type to follow fashion trends.

👁 past life, life purpose

during this lifetime, it is probably easy for you to get out of your comfort-zone. you don't mind learning, making new experiences and challenging yourself, but this lifetime you don't need to go that far. you need to prove that what you learned in your past life is the key to nurture your skills, and be able to apply them in a smaller environment. you may find yourself travelling a lot, gaining lots of widsom from your experiences... in this lifetime, you basically need to learn through the experiences you gained in your previous life to communicate your thoughts. you need to understand how to communicate who you are to the world.

🤔 major transits analysis / may 14

jupiter just entered pisces today, and it will stay in this sign until july. this is an extremely positive time for you! in fact, having the planet of abundance and luck conjunct the planet of your subconscious, means that you're able to manifest anything you want in this span of time! try to keep a positive mindset during these months, as the universe has your back. everything you manifest will come 2x faster to you, it's the best period for you to focus on what you truly want to achieve in tour your life.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

with your water placements, you probably have a 6th sense. you’re able to manifest what you want if you subconsciously predict it, even though it may be hard. you’d have to get in touch with your higher self to do so, and hence I would suggest you to light up some candles and meditate for a bit before manifesting, in this way it will be way more effective. you may manifest something while daydreaming, for example. or perhaps, you can also try listening to your own affirmations while you sleep, as you won’t be consciously aware of that. it’s probably the most effective way.

and this is the end! thank you again for booking a reading, hope it resonated with you :)

- libramc xx

[ficletsbynaria]

Hello! Hope you don't mind, I'd like to request something very specific and kinda personal... For maybe Tokoyami and Shinsou? Where their S/O plays an instrument but doesn't want /like to play infront of other people? And now there's recital and her mom makes her go as always but this time S/O didn't have enough time to practice (maybe bcs of hero work) and feels ashamed to play? 1🙏

“I have 20 minutes to get there and can’t stop crying 😖 I just like to imagine there is someone to hug me after… I’m so sorry, delete this if you want to ❤️ love u 2🙏”

worry not anon ! i’d cater to any requests no matter how specific it is 😊😊 as someone who writes self-indulgent fics i would know ,,, and who wouldn’t want hugs and kisses from tokoyami and shinsou ?? 💖💗💓

alright let’s get to it !

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 1,740 words

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰: Tokoyami Fumikage, Shinsou Hitoshi

𝔱𝔞𝔤𝔰: none

𝚃𝚘𝚔𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚖𝚒

You clutched the bow in your hand, stopping yourself from throwing it across your room. Hot tears threatened to fall from your eyes as you inhaled deeply. It took everything in you not to cry in front of her that day.

“You are going to that recital, or I will drag your stubborn self there.”

You kept your tone steady. “Mom, I didn’t practice enough. Can’t I just miss one performance?”

She let out a scoff at your suggestion. “What an irresponsible request. It’s your fault that you didn’t practice, and you will pay for the consequences.” Your eyes went wide. Your mother was willing to embarrass you in front of a crowd.

“I knew that U.A. school was bad for you. You should’ve pursued classical music like me.” 

“I don’t want to be like you. You wanted me to become a musician. You never asked me what I wanted.”

She stared you down with a dark expression, her gaze making you flinch. “Don’t talk back to me, child.”

The sounds of knocking made you snap back to reality. You realized quiet tears stained your cheeks and you did your best to wipe any traces off with your sleeve. Violin and bow in hand, you swung open the door, revealing a dark (but welcome) figure standing there.

“Fumi?” The boy’s hair ruffled at the sound of his nickname. Tokoyami rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture he made when he’s a bit shy. Something he only does around you.

“Um, dinner’s ready. The others told me to come over and tell you.” He glanced at the instrument, “Since you seem busy and all.”  

You were slowly forgetting your sadness from before. Tokoyami couldn’t have arrived at a better time. 

“Oh! Are you practicing the violin now, Y/N?” Dark Shadow crept from behind Tokoyami, pointing at your instrument. You lifted it up and stared at it with tired eyes. “Yeah, just a bit.”

“You were in your room all day. I don’t think that was for ‘a bit’.” Tokoyami interjected. Your face felt hot at his comment calling you out.

Waving your hands defensively, you stammered out an excuse. “It’s not that! I was just perfecting some parts, that’s all.”

Tokoyami gave you a look and you sighed in defeat. Of course, your perceptive boyfriend would know if you were lying to him. 

“Is it your mother again?” He also read your mind so many times now, that it scared you.

“When is it not?” You joked. He, however, was not in a laughing mood. Looking you over, you felt small in his gaze, albeit almost being at the same height.

“Move aside.” You took some time to process his words but realized you were blocking the doorway to your dorm. You stepped aside, letting him in, and closing the door behind you.

This was a regular occurrence for both of you. Tokoyami sensing your sour mood and opting to stay with you in your room to help you feel better. 

Even though he initiated the dorm visits, when it comes to what you do in the dorm, you were the one making the first move.

Placing the violin and bow in its case, you quickly hopped over to your bed, where Tokoyami was already seated. Snuggling up to his side, you let out a quiet sigh. His hair tickled your cheeks and you smiled to yourself at the thought.

“My mom didn’t allow me to skip my recital. Even if she knew I would just mess up in the middle of it.” Tokoyami was quiet, letting you speak. “I mean, yeah it’s my fault I didn’t practice that much. But she should at least understand my reasons.” Your hands gripped the fabric of your pants. You anticipated another wave of tears coming, but your mind went elsewhere as you felt something warm wrap around your hand.

Tokoyami was facing away from your surprised face. It was unusual for him to initiate physical contact. You must be in a really bad mood for him to do that.

“You shouldn’t beat yourself up for something that you couldn’t control.” A man of a few, but wise words, Tokoyami continued. “Besides, you’ve practiced enough. So it’s unlikely that you’ll mess up.” He went silent again after that. You also couldn’t form any sentences after the initial shock of him holding your hand.

To make matters worse, he started rubbing circles at the back of your hand with his thumb. At this point, you were too flustered to think of a response. Finally, Tokoyami looked at your direction. His expression became serious. “If you’re nervous on that stage, think of me and how proud I’ll be of you when you perform.”

Your heart was hammering in your chest. Tokoyami was intense, but this was the first time he directed that intensity to you, in a good way. Regaining your composure, you glanced back at your violin case. 

If you’re nervous, think of me and how proud I’ll be.

You felt yourself grin at his words. Unable to contain your excitement, you gave Tokoyami a peck on the side of his beak. The contact startled him off your bed. His eyes darted around the room, avoiding yours. You couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction.

“Thank you, Fumi.” You beamed up at him.

Tokoyami peeked at your face, then faced the other way, crossing his arms defiantly. 

“Don’t mention it.”

“Hey you’re blushing!” Dark Shadow popped out again and teased Tokoyami, causing the bird boy to curse it out.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚞

You hid around the stage curtains. Your hands were becoming clammy at the worst time. You tried rubbing your hands together to gain some heat from the friction. Scared didn’t even begin to describe your state. You hated crowds, terrified of the eyes landing on you. Seeing your every move. 

Lucky for you, you had a piano recital coming up in 10 minutes. With a gymnasium packed to the rafters, and your whole family on the front row ready to watch. You considered begging your tutor to call off the performance, but you thought better of it. Besides, the wrath of your mother when you cancel the recital was a fate worse than death. 

One thing kept you from running away though. From hiding under your blankets, away from the world’s judgmental stares. 

You peeked outside from your corner, looking over at the audience. Your eyes lit up when you spotted a mop of purple hair somewhere in the third row. Maybe this recital wouldn’t be so bad, after all. 

As if feeling you ogling at him, Shinsou locked eyes with you. A smirk appeared on his face and he gave you a wink. The action made you blush and you whipped back into your safe corner. Of all times, he chose now to be a cheeky little shit.  

“Five minutes till showtime, Y/N.” Your tutor reminded you. Your nerves were on fire, and his little reminder did not help. Gathering your courage one last time, you checked again for Shinsou. Surprisingly, you couldn’t find him in his previous spot. That made you even more nervous. 

“Oh my god, I’m hallucinating.” You thought you saw your boyfriend in the crowd. Looking again for the third time, you confirmed that everything was in your imagination. 

Great. I’m going insane. 

You weren’t usually on edge. This time was different, since your practice was minimal, and you had no formal rehearsal beforehand. You wanted to quit piano when you got into U.A. but your mother told you that the general studies department didn’t have the same load as the hero course. She was right, in that matter, yet her reasons to force you into continuing piano lessons were a stretch. Arguing with her would lead to nothing productive, so you decided to humor her for now. 

Still, you were hoping to avoid recitals during your first year. With where you are now though, you deemed your hopes were ignored. 

“Sir, the backstage is for authorized personnel and performers only! Please go back to your seat.” 

Your attention went to the commotion behind you. You almost squealed out when you saw who was in the middle of it. 

��And what if I don’t want to?” 

The staff suddenly froze in their spot, eyes glossed over.  

“Go and tell your boss to give Y/N five more minutes.” The staff member slowly turned around and walked towards your unaware tutor. Meanwhile, the culprit was sauntering towards you. You hid your smile in your hand, clearing your throat.

“I told you not to brainwash innocent people.”

He chuckled. “He was taking away my alone time with you, how’s that guy innocent?”

Shinsou walked around you and hugged you from behind. You let out a tiny shriek as he nuzzled himself into your neck. 

“I missed you, you know? You kept practicing after class for the whole week.” Shinsou’s voice was muffled into your skin. You relished his warmth, using it to distract yourself from your nervousness. Back then, you didn’t consider him as the touchy-feely type. A few weeks into your relationship and you were proven wrong, however. Not that you minded.

“That whole week wasn’t enough prep. I’m going into this unprepared.” You sighed, pulling away from Shinsou’s embrace. He glanced at his watch, clicking his tongue when he realized he had a minute or so left.

He placed his hands on your face, compelling you to look at him. His dark purple eyes were boring into yours, and your focus momentarily went over to the ever-developing bags under his. 

“Listen to me when I say this.” Your eyebrow arched at his statement, thinking better of answering him if he decided to brainwash you now. He’d use his quirk on you as a joke sometimes, but when you noticed that any hint of playfulness was gone from his expression, you answered.

“Alright, I’ll listen.”

He smiled at that. “You worked hard to get to this point. Believe in your abilities, and you will  never feel like you aren’t enough.” He stated, removing his hands from your cheeks and placing them in his pockets. 

“Now go out there and knock ‘em dead.”

Shinsou gave you a quick kiss and ran off before more staff members came to scold him. Watching his retreating figure, you weren’t sure why you were so nervous in the first place.

After all, he believed in you.

[pernatius]

Lost in Space Part 10: Ch 5

Previous 

Summary: Significant changes have occurred while she was unconscious. One of them includes the imprisonment of Syco. Part 10 deals with the unnamed Space Explorer’s reconciliation.

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Lost in Space on ao3

Shiitakee and I came barging back into the ship’s command center panting and sweating from cutting what was supposed to take fifteen minutes from the basement to the center by walking to a forth by running. My running companion is gripping the door frame as he tries to catch his breath. Between breaths, he mumbles how he needs to cut back on smoking as I include myself into the meeting at hand, which continues to proceed even with our unexpected, loud arrival. I take my position at Saamuki’s right. She and several Tauvoxes, high-ranking ones, including the lieutenant, of course, are looking down at the large holographic three-dimensional layout of what I can only guess is Commander Knox’s spaceship. One of the rooms, a big one, is missing. So, there’s a giant hole in the middle of the illustration. I don’t get the chance to guess what it is because when Saamuki points at it, she figures it out for me. 

“That must be where the ship’s crystal is, but why isn’t its room showing up?”

One of the Tauvoxes, who I’ve only seen one other time, which was when Syco carried the three of us back on the ship, speaks up after saluting her. “Pardon me, Commander Saamuki, but is it really wise to stage an assault on Commander Knox? They outnumber us one to ten million and most of them are our own.”

I only caught a glimpse of him the last time I saw him. Now that he’s standing to my left, I can see his brown fur has sprinkles of white and grey. His body type is similar to the others in that he is muscular and about double either mine or Saamuki’s heights, but he’s wider. His stomach is protruding. There’s a scar over his left eye, and a small metal pole has replaced the bottom half of his right leg. The captain, as I soon learn his rank, truly fits the physical description of a pirate. 

“Captain, if it comes to that, we just have to give it our all. That being said, our best option should be having a small group sneaking onto the ship and assassinating Knox while he’s busy conquering that planet. Rescue the others as well, but finding Shiitakee should be our priority.”

“Then, I volunteer to go, Commander Saamuki,” the lieutenant offered. He saluted when Saamuki made eye contact with him.  

“No. We can’t afford to bring any Tauvox with us. This mission requires stealth. Besides, you’ve proven you can keep this entire ship from blowing up.”

“That would put you at four hours if Commander Knox defeats Commander Zel in the time I calculated, which my calculations are never wrong.” This Tauvox standing right across from Saamuki would look like any other Tauvox, but his fur is longer than the rest. He tied the ones on his head into a ponytail, which looks like a wolf’s tail because of its aged appearance. He gets out a screen and tosses it towards us. Once it’s right above the replica of the enemy ship, it changes into three shapes. One is a large ball and the second is a dot slowly inching towards the larger shape. The third is a clock that shows how much time we have left. We’re at eleven hours, twenty minutes, and thirty seconds. “With such limited time, Commander Saamuki, if none of us can join you in such an imperative mission, one that will decide the fate of the entire Universe, who could possibly qualify then?” 

All these men had their eyes on her. As someone who was once a sex worker and one who still looks like one, even with her conservative outfit, the look of these men isn’t of lust. They are hungry, yes, but not for a taste of Saamuki. Instead, those eyes hungered for answers and hope, hope for their commander to make the right decision.  

The fate of quadrillions is in the hands of us—a snake possessed by some nonbinary ghost, a mushroom with a smoking addiction, and a human with a magical crown. They flew towards Commander Knox’s spaceship using Saamuki’s much smaller spaceship. Her Tauvoxes are following not too far away. Commander Knox had apparently defeated Commander Zel an hour earlier than predicted, which got a rise out of the ponytailed Tauvox. While the three of us didn’t show how anxious we are, I could feel it in the room. Shiitakee and I stayed silent. While piloting her ship Saamuki mentioned how we’re finally getting the others back, but I didn’t vocalize my excitement.

I didn’t vocalize anything because I was far from excited, even if I’ve been longing for this moment. I just sat and watched the stars fly past us, looking like lines because of how fast this tiny ship was going, with the outfit I copied from my dream using my crown. I did look at Saamuki, though. Without words, we shared something, and that was acknowledging our contingency plan. If we failed, then one of us would need to stay behind while the others escaped. The one that does would have to detonate Knox’s crystal. That would instantly kill everyone in a hundred-mile radius. Not even an overpowered Watcher could survive such an explosion, which would mean the one that would stay behind wouldn’t either. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. 

Quadrant Eighty-Five. The planet is called Vecta. It’s the same as I remember it. Its moons light up the night sky, this rocky landscape, and its light glints around the edges of those ahead, on the other side of this boulder. I can see Tauvoxes, Virmuses, and other alien species fighting on Knox’s side. No signs of Skeema, Ashley, Mikrovos, or even Khavas. They clash against the Talten’s blazing weapons and the weapons of the other figures. I spot a red-painted symbol, which is glowing, on one of the wrists of the Talten’s allies. Not only may Licata be part of the fight but Sakhra too. Saamuki doesn’t know who she is, of course, but I can see she realizes the same thing I do in the case of her long-time rock friend. She turns to us with fiery blue eyes. “We have a mission. We can worry about the fight later. Come on you two while everyone is busy fighting each other.”

Saamuki, with a blaster far more superior than the ones we used in the beginning, is the one in front leading us to Knox’s ship that’s about a yard away. I’m in the middle with my dagger in one hand and my own blaster in the other. It’s just as strong as the one in her grip. Before we separated from her Tauvoxes, I watched her test them. They went through five walls of what’s been her ship for about two days now. It nearly took off an inch of the Tauvox in one of the rooms she shot through. Luckily he dodged just in time, or he would’ve joined Apulsion in the afterlife. Shiitakee is last in case he needs to omit one of his gases and is empty-handed. What he can do with that cap compensates for his lack of weaponry. 

With every step we took to bring us closer to the spaceship ahead, the louder the battle to our left became even though they continued to be well far away from us. Screams are heard as well as curses to Knox’s followers. Hundreds of blasters are going off, probably from the Virmuses, but only a Talten is heard collapsing from the shots. Horns, those from Tauvoxes, rip through flesh, and screams follow suit, but Knox’s side isn’t in complete control of the battle. I smelt flesh being burned. Some of the Taltens set a few Tauvoxes, which howled to the night sky, on fire. Sakhra’s group is pulling their weight in the fight, hitting the opposing side with their symbols.

In the corner of my eye, Sakhra’s group slaughters hundreds on Knox’s side. I can’t even imagine how many have been killed. The battlefield must be covered in bodies, blood, and whatever insects are on this planet. While over here, it sounds brutal enough; the fight taking place above our heads doesn’t seem too merciless either. Several factions of Space Pirates are shooting at each other. Thousands are probably fighting outside of their ships, fighting out in space. There must be hundreds of corpses floating out in outer space now. 

One of the ships catches my eyes. Banners stretch over their sides. Those long strips of cloth have the symbol of the Lords, which means one of the battalions has joined the fight. This must be their last stand against Commander Knox, but Saamuki’s Tauvoxes aren’t taking part in it. Knox would know we’re here if they were, but the lieutenant is in command of the ship if they’re spotted. 

Saamuki activated her screen, which has the layout of the ship. She took a moment to study it, and then she motions for it to vanish. “Shiitakee, this will take a bit. Watch out backs and,” she turns to me then continues with, “Make sure both of your weapons are at the ready in case there’s someone on the other side.” With that, she held down her blaster’s trigger, causing it to become a blowtorch. Sparks flew, and the metal groaned as its being forced to tear. I held my weapons even tighter as she got closer to finishing. When the piece finally gave way, we were thankfully not greeted by someone pointing their blaster at our heads but instead a four-sided hole the right size for each of us to easily slide into and enter a dimly lit room with flickering lights and some crates. The room must be for storage. Our leader’s eyes are fully engulfed in blue. Then, as quickly as they swallowed the rest of her eyes, they went back to just filling her pupils. 

“I didn’t see anyone in the room. So, let’s go.”

We stepped inside. The room is far more expansive than what it looked like on the outside. It’s about the size of the library, but a lot colder. Someone set the air conditioner to the max, it seems. I’m shivering even with this armor. Shiitakee is too, but not Saamuki. She has her supernatural powers to thank for that. 

For such a big room, there isn’t much in here. We walk past a few crates as tall as Shiitakee. “Those boxes are giving me the creeps. Please, can we walk a bit faster? They’re weirding me out and I’ve been friends with Syco for years.”

Saamuki jokingly remarks, “I’ve known Cabelo all my life and I have to tell you Syco has nothing on Cabelo.” 

“Cabelo? That guy that owns that whole sex hotel? That Cabelo?” She nods. “I knew you looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure since you’re you know wearing that whole get up. Never heard that you had the whole blue thing going on until, well, we met, but it’s really cool. I wish I could do what you can. I would’ve shot Syco a long time ago.”

She giggles. “I haven’t always been able to shoot fire out of my hands. My powers are recent. It has some ups and downs too.” She shrugs.

“You got to tell me the story behind it, especially how you and her met. A human. Wow. I mean Syco already told me a long time ago, but I’d still love to hear it from you two. Also, about your friends that are on this ship. Who’s Mikrovos? Syco complained about him plenty.”

I felt the tension emanating from Saamuki. She is facing away from me, but I just know the mention of Mikrovos made her uncomfortable. Her vibe is making me uncomfortable, but Shiitakee hasn’t noticed. Our backstories must’ve distracted him from his worries, but I get a terrible feeling. So, I slide the dagger underneath my breastplate, grab Saamuki’s hand, and bolt towards the door. Shiitakee follows suit but asks what’s happening while he’s trying to catch up with us. Saamuki is questioning too. Both are answered when a hand to my left smashes through its wooden container. We’ve run past it, and I try not to look back around, but it’s Shiitakee’s cursing that gets me then Saamuki to glance back. An oozy, hairless, and eyeless body goes splat onto the metal floor. Their mouth opens, or what is supposed to be one does, as strands of skin have stuck parts of their lips together. They struggle to make a noise. They muster out a groan and begin crawling towards us. Their slime spreads around them and trails behind them as they slither closer to us. When we’re right about to exit through the door, they reach their hand towards us. I turn back around and force myself, with Saamuki still holding onto me, to sprint the distance left. Once the two of us then Shiitakee finally escape, I get out my blaster and shoot the door’s control panel. Whatever it is won’t be reaching us anytime soon. 

As the three of us try catching out breaths, Shiitakee comments, “Thanks for almost leaving me back there. A little warning next time, don’t you think, but what the hell was even that? Saamuki, I thought you said you didn’t see anyone in that room?”

“I-I didn’t. It must not have a soul.” I’m hit with another sense. I look away from them. My grip on Saamuki tightens. I’m standing stiff. “What’s wrong,” she asked me.

I respond to her, “Her.” On the other side of the hallway is a red-headed figure. Unlike the last time I saw her, she’s been fitted with gauntlets that stretch to her elbows. Like before, her eyes are dead.

“Who’s she?” Shiitakee finally looks to where Saamuki and I are looking. 

“Ashely,” I told him. 

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

What’s wrong? (Tj Hammond) (Pt.1)

Characters: Bi!TJ Hammond x Asian!Female!Reader

Summary: You're an overseas worker and is in a relationship with TJ, but people can't seem to accept the differences between you both even by financially and background wise.

Warning: Kisses. Public making out. Mention of threesome but no lemon. Lmao. HOT, SEXY GIF'S which can make your phone fly. No angst yet. Annoying racist journalist. Mention of doing the birds and the bees but it wasn't written. Heehee!

Words: 4000+ (IT'S LONG AF. 😂 There’s a part 2 which will be posted soon if ya want?)

A/N: I always tend to write long ass oneshots for TJ Hammond. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Because maybe I'm the only one enjoying this? Lmao. GO BE CRAZY WITH YOUR FEEDBACKS, TATER TOTS! IT’S TIME FOR SOME ASIAN FEMALE READERS!

Disclaimer: GIF'S and pictures used are not mine. Only the edits are and the oneshot of course. 😉 Credits to the owners of the GIFS.

"They're not gonna accept me, Teej." Your heart sank from the moment those words came out of your lips, it was like a curse that made your heart feel heavier with every beat. Those were just the mere, honest truth that was inevitable to come out.

You didn't want to beat behind the bush. From the moment TJ asked you to be his partner for the engagement party that was soon to happen for Douglas and Annie, the anxiety crept up your heart, jumping towards your head that made you speak the honest truth.

You knew deep down that your ethnicity and your background was making it difficult for you, for the both of you and for everyone.

TJ immediately sensed the disheartened change in your voice as he was mindlessly trying to help chop the vegetables needed, standing in front of the kitchen island. On the other hand, you were preparing the beef for the Stir fried noodles you opted to make, in request to the whiny Hammond boy living in yours and his apartment.

You felt gentle arms snake around your waist and instantly you knew whose arms were that from. Tj leaned down, his head beside yours as he adjusted to your five foot one height. You felt his lip on your cheek, peppering soft kisses till he reached your ear. "Am I hearing you right? Was that a whine I heard? As far as I know, I'm the whiny boyfriend here," Tj whispered and chuckled, feeling his hot breath fanning against your ear made you quietly gush in his arms.

"Thomas! Stop, You know I got the tickles there!"

Tj felt the need to be playful, in account to your saddened state. He continued blowing at your ear, "Oh, so now I'm only Thomas to you?" Chuckles and giggles rang around your apartment. Joyful laughters that was perfect to record and watch at any time of the day. Tj haven't been that happy since his recent breakup. From a political fool who he thought had loved him, but end up abusing and using the love he has been giving in the end.

Despite of his crestfallen, past relationship, you suddenly came along. He was utterly depressed and went back to being a druggie. After months have passed of being clean, the addiction came along after the heartbreak. Yet, it was stopped once again from the moment you came along. Basically, you were the rainbow after his rain and he ought to see the light from you forever glowing.

"Hey, hey," Tj pulled you away from your wandering, negative thoughts. Never forgetting to give your head a kiss, feeling the warmth spreading all over your body, "You gotta stop being a pessimist," He cocked his head, an eyebrow rising as he collected his thoughts, "Just..relax, everything's going to be fine I swear,"

You turned the gas range off, sighing and whipping around once you did, meeting a very soft, sweet looking Hammond boy whose eyes were the prettiest out of all the blues out there. Your lip was now in between your teeth, biting the flesh from overthinking what was bound to happen soon. "You always say that, and I'd rather expect the worst, Teej because you're in a relationship with me."

"What's wrong being in a relationship with you? I don't find anything wrong about it," He sassily shrugged, caressing your hip with his thumbs in utmost tenderness, "Anne's Asian, from a different ethnicity but they don't get to say their complaints or problems about it, Y/N."

You bit your lip harder, eyebrows furrowing from thinking too deep, "Anne's from a wealthy family, Tj. And I'm...I'm..from trash,"

"Which I was lucky to find because I have rummaged a diamond in the dumps," He chuckled, his laugh sounding angelic to you. You fought off a smile, the anxiety was still swallowing you whole, making everything more complicated for you. "It's not funny, you're just making my anxiety worse,"

Tj had to put more effort in distracting you, and so he tried harder. "Come on, Baby. Lighten up, nothing's gonna happen, it's going to be a boring day for us because the party was probably a way to bring those stormtroopers all together," He licked his lips, looking at you straight in the eyes with such shine that could make your heart go all putty. "Just be my plus one, be the good girl you are while we suffer this together, Deal?"

"I dunno, Teej. What do I get in return upon agreeing to this so called...deal of yours?" You purred, tracing the outline of his pectorials bulging out of his tight black shirt. A lopsided smile on your lips.

"Hmm," Tj playfully hummed, his head falling till he reached your ear, never forgetting to give it a tender bite, "Maybe some steamy shower with me, I suppose?" The naughty Hammond boy suggested with a tiny chuckle, his voice dropping an octave lower, even with a suggestive tone that reached down inside your pantaloons, making you squirm in his grasp. "That is..if you're up to it?"

"But--how about the food--" You stammered, finding it hard to say no.

"We could always start with the dessert first, Love." and you certainly didn't object after that.

                                                 ✧˖*✧˖*✧˖*✧˖*✧˖*

Tons of people with class that were worth a million dollars came lounging in. Small talks, and fake hi's were their main objective. Wealthy, power hunger crocodiles seem to sound appropriate for their understandable behaviors. Other people appeared to enjoy communicating with anyone whom they can see as wealthy and famous, making them look like a total gold digger or a social climber who likes to be friends with people whom are high-class.

Everything that was happening around you was making you shake your head in animosity. Another set of anxiety creeping you in. How did you even end up in Tj's home when everybody had given you the stink eye, jealous, thirsty women scanning your appearance and history from head to foot if that was even possible.

They were probably wondering how Tj was in a relationship with a substandard woman like you who lived in the eastern part of the world. Well, Sexuality-wise..They were certainly stunned to see the former first son gay icon renegade turned miraculously bisexual, acting all touchy-feely and having thoughts inside their judgemental minds as to why he kept staring at you, looking all lovestruck and whipped.

"Y/N!!! Sweetheart!" You jumped from the huge, beige couch as you lounged beside your boyfriend. A half empty Martini in hand. You could see Margareth, Tj's grandmother marching your way. Her hips swaying with her heels. Her smile never fading once she saw how you still kept your relationship with her complicated grand son, Thomas.

"Tj's keeping you all to himself! This kid can be selfish when he wants to," Margareth complained, her voice shaky and senile but a little bit too hyper for her age. She never forgot to playfully smack her grand son's head, "Aw! Nana!" Tj complained with a sweet smile drawn on his face. A smile that Margareth remembered when he was still a child back in the white house.

Finally, she thought. It was time she got her grand son back.

"Hey, Nana!" You chimed, a huge grin plastered on your face. Truthfully delighted to see somebody whom gave your heart that warm, familiar feeling. Margareth grabbed you in a hug once you stood up to hug her. Yet, you were too slow to be first. "Y/N," She murmured as she cut the hug. Staring right back at you with a sweet smile while she reached for your face. "I'm really happy you keep my grand son in check and completely elated like who he was back then," Nana muttered, taking glances back at Tj who was busy chatting with one of Elaine's friend.

"Please, don't leave him like how that asshole did, Y/N. I don't know what he'll do next when you do, sweetheart."

"I don't plan to, Nana." You gave a crooked smile, adding a giggle on the end. Your words repeating inside your mind like a mantra. Did you really not thought about that? Margareth smiled, lightly tapping your right cheek with a laugh. "Good," She grabbed another Margarita from one of the waiters who were strolling around, promptly sipping on it. "You're perfect for this family,"

You fit in the family. But, that was in Nana's humble perspective. What about Dougie? Elaine? Especially Bud's point of view? Do they accept you though?

The party went on. It wasn't late yet, though as the time went on, more familiar people came in and began to join in the party. As an awkward human being, you stood on the middle of the floor. All alone sipping on your second Martini. Tj asked you to give him a minute because he had to talk to someone and probably get something in God knows where. You immediately gave your approval, giving him a sweet, innocent, tiny kiss on the lips before practically shoving him away before it took much more than you intended to.

Loud chatters can be heard, controversial topics that reached your ear made you want to raise a brow because of their judgemental thoughts that should be kept locked inside their poisonous minds. 'You sure they ain't putting up an act to cover Tj's real sexuality?' 'I bet he's using her,' 'Or probably it's the other way around, girl.'

'She seems like a lonely bitch,'

You crossed your arms against your chest, the anger bubbling up till it reached your head. Giving you a minor, temporary headache. In your peripheral vision, you could see Tj from the bar, talking to Nana and her circle of friends, with a precious smile on his gorgeous face. It was all glitters and rainbows in his part.

On the other hand, yours were full of shit. You cussed inside the back of your mind. The thick-faced women giggled and they were quite close to you. They probably intended to let you hear their conversation, to stir you up and mess with your temper. Especially that journalists and reporters were around, waiting for something to happen so they could add it in their drafts.

You ignored them the best you can. Nonetheless, there was always one person who'll irk you and even try to stir up the kindness in you that could change into rage. You sipped on your cocktail drink while staring at the piano in curiosity. Does Tj know how to play? You mindlessly thought inside your mind. Oh, you were about to know and ask him about it. There was a lingering warm presence behind you, and you instantly smiled from ear to ear. Speak of the devil..

However, to your surprise a woman with blue eyes stood tall in front of you. Appearing to have this sense of pride that she was one successful woman. You could tell from head to toe and it made you feel so tiny and unworthy that you were welcomed to join in the party.

"Will you be so kind to answer these questions that I have for you? Ms..??" The lady humbly asked, an innocent smile that hid behind a wicked scheme she had in mind. You couldn't even believe her. How can she ask for an interview from a person whom she doesn't know his/her name?

What a fool indeed.

"Y/N." You kept a short answer, a tight smile on show as you sighed out loud which made the reporter raise a brow from your dissatisfaction. How dare you act annoyed when you should feel delighted to be interviewed even though you were one substandard woman whom Thomas Hammond obviously made his worst mistake. The woman thought through her fake smile planted on her thick, injected lips.

"So, let's start off with something simpler, Y/N." She paused, acting all modest with the fakest smile you have ever seen. "Tj's??"

If she wanted to appear stupid, then it was best to say the stupidest answers as well. You breathed in deep breaths. Take it with your big girl panties. You can do this. You can. "Supportive wife?" You spoke as a matter of fact. Snorting a little when you saw her jaw tighten.

The brunette woman couldn't help but snicker, sneaking a tiny roll of her eyes. "I don't see a ring," She snapped, laughing to herself and eyeing you from head to toe. "Or a collar?" She smirked when you kept your hands on your sides, fists completely tight, trying hard not to make a scene. No. Never stoop down to her level, Y/N.

"Hmm," She fixed the lapels of her black blazer, "Obviously, you're the girlfriend. I'm not an idiot, Ms. Y/N."

Your nerves was seriously ticking like a time bomb that was ready to explode. "Really? You seem to be a much bigger idiot than me when you asked for my name, but the truth is..I know you knew who I was," You breathed out harshly, not wanting to start and send off rude remarks that could have endless rebuttals. "If I'm an idiot then why do I own a big advertising company..Unlike you," Miss reporter held her head high with her tall height, eyeing you from head to toe again like it was her nasty habit. "I don't work at any Ching-chong restaurants that spits rice, noodles or kimchi's,"

Well, that made you face palm.

"Do you have any more racist comments that could honestly move me? Because that comment sucks so bad," You held a finger under your eye, trying to wipe away imaginary tears. "Cry me a river, woman."

Tj laughed a boisterous one from what grandma Mercedith just said. She was one of Nana's bestest friend and a sweetheart indeed. Margareth noticed that Y/N wasn't with her grandson, and so she questioned.

"Tj, where's Y/N?"

The latter smiled, those smiles that held teeth and was too picturesque not to ogle at. Nana couldn't help but lift her lips too. "Oh, over there." Tj gestured behind him, towards where the party was, never looking back. Margareth glanced where he was pointing to and saw that Y/N is being interrogated by the infamous reporter slash journalist slash owner of an almost bankrupt advertising company who had no good thing to do but make false hypothesis about every issue especially when it was about the Hammond family.

"Tj," Nana started, sounding disturbed. "If I were you, I won't go leaving Y/N in a place full of sharks wanting to munch on a bait," She pointed towards where Y/N and Rosalie Sparks where. They seem to be exchanging heated conversations because she could see how Y/N was keeping herself together. "The Sasquash is on the move, honey."

"What?" Tj turned their backs away from them. A stern frown appeared to be on show for the folks to see. Finally acknowledging what his Nana has been saying and there they were. His girlfriend and an annoying woman who was planning to offend and get something out of his girlfriend. What was new?

"How's it feel to be unaccepted in the Hammond family? Especially that we know Bud doesn't take a liking on you because of how incompetent you are and how pitiable your family is," Rosalie Spark's chatted like what she was saying are compliments that was meant to fill the heart. Though, it was filling it with dread and anger. "Rich people deserve to only be with rich people too," She clucked on her wine glass with her fancy gold ring, grinning in the process. "While the peasants deserve to stay in the dumps,"

You zipped your mouth. Never stoop down. Never. Silence is the best way to talk back because you knew you were educated, matured and old enough to know how immature she was acting.

"I'm honestly disgusted by Tj Hammond's tastes are in women," She continued, more like talking to herself because you weren't speaking. "Or he's probably just confused for the second time and is actually really..reallyyy into men," The bitch exaggerated.

"Because if I'm in a relationship with you or--" She held her mouth, supressing a giggle that made you want to throw a glass at her. "--to be unluckily sleeping with you, I'll just be gay for all my life, Y/N."

You could feel your eyes turning hotter as each second pass by. God, you were such a pathetic baby. Why had you even agreed to go the party? Obviously because Tj begged you to come with him.

Not a second has passed by when you felt a warm presence snake beside you, and it took you long enough to realize that it was finally your Tj by the looks of his black dress shirt and all black attire. An arm moved around you, clutching onto your waist and Tj felt you were shaking. Probably from anger because that's just who you are.

You'd rather stay quiet despite of how people attack you, you'd rather be kind to rude people than to offend them back and that's how Tj knew you were one of a kind. A special one.

Before you knew it, your heart skipped a beat from the moment he held your jaw with his hand. Ushering your face to look at him, and with one dip of his head he had you enthralled in his spell that could calm you down in the sweetest way. Tj kissed you, right in front of that annoying journalist to probably irritate the heck out of her. He locked your lips with his, teasingly lunging the tip of his tongue inside your parted lips as he closed his eyes. Acknowledging the effect you could only give to him.

You couldn't help but envelope your arms around his figure as you kiss him deep, biting on his lower lip that made you both smirk from how she was certainly already uncomfortable. Physical contact makes people feel awkward. Tj preed his eyes open, seeing the woman with a pathetic aggravated face that made him chuckle as you both kiss.

Oh, she wasn't going anywhere is she?

Tj gave her a grin, never forgetting to give your lip a tender bite that made your insides go mushy and another sweet kiss that made your heart twerk. He was yours and yours alone. Only yours.

"Tiger twat," Tj answered so smoothly with that hot smolder as he looked deep into your eyes. Completely enticed by your spirit with an innocent smile written on his face that wasn't too innocent in your line of vision. You could see the grin and irk threatening to be shown on his beautiful features. Here, you thought he was calling you a tiger twat when it was actually sent to the reporter slash journalist who looked guilty because she seemed to be entirely shook.

"Isn't that your nickname in DC?" He finally gave attention to the tall, angry Sasquash who happened to rudely interview you.

"News spread so fast, Rosalie."

Your loving boyfriend grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes that made her pride and dignity shatter like fragile chinawares. "What's it like to have teeth down there?"

"Your girlfriend's a bitch," Her ego was wavering yet that didn't stop her from trying to have the last laugh. Rosalie hardly bit the insides of her cheeks, remembering the awful night when the famous Tj Hammond who was out and wasted in his club and miraculously happened to reject her amazing, stunning self.

Oh, did she had a petty little crush on him so that was why she was acting so hostile towards you.

"No," Tj shook his head, a wicked grin threatening to come out and a lot of nasty sentences that could get her to crumble. "You're the bitchest out of all the bitch, Rosalie." He chuckled, his arm retreating from your waist as you saw him took a step forward till he reached her ear, bending down to whisper whatever he needed to.

"Don't come attacking my woman when you're still salty about that night," Tj harshly whispered on her ear, his voice turning an octave lower but definitely more harsh, breath hot and fanning, making her toes curl with want and hunger. "I remembered it so well," He chuckled, a sinister one. "I remembered how you were trying to get in my pants, yet my gay self didn't happen to find you attractive nor worth to fuck for a threesome,"

"Besides, I wouldn't want my dick to get chewed by that dry, loose, wrinkly, smelly twat, Sparks."

And just like that, she huffed and was in the verge of crying her frustrations out once she stomped her foot as she retreated. Making Tj form a wide smile that could make your insides turn a twist. What did he say that made the woman act like a bratty crybaby?

"Thomas," You started, seeing Tj walk back to you, enveloping his arms around your waist, leaning down to give you another peck on the lips but you were quick to maneuver your head, making him chase your lips with his. "Thomas," You repeated more sternly but quietly this time. He looked like he was a little smashed. Was he? you hoped he hadn't sniffed anything that could dissapoint you. "Nobody has the right to talk to you like that," He shockingly spat out in aggravation, looking deep in thought as he gorgeously stared into your eyes.

"What did you say to her?"

He shook his head, licking his lips as he whispered. "Nothing. It's not important, Sugar." His eyes was now trained on your lips, looking like he wanted to devour it all night. You couldn't help but smile. "Are you drunk?"

Your Tj drank in all of your beautiful features. Seeming to be mesmerized by your soul. "No, I'm not. I promise," He took a breather, caressing your cheek with his thumb. "I just love you too much. I can't stand them treating you that way,"

"Now, kiss me." He hastily puckered, dipping his head down for the third time and you were quick to adorably cover his mouth like the conservative person you are. "Tj, we're in the middle of--"

Tj didn't hide the roll of his eyes, showing you how much of a kill joy you were. "Do you think I give a damn?" He spoke against your palms, sounding muffled. "Y/NNNNNN,"

You internally rolled your eyes. He was such a baby. Your big baby. "Fine,"

He kissed your palms, planting a loud kissy sound that made people glance your way, his eyes turning adorable crescent moons once you dropped your palms off his lips. "I love youuuu," Tj puckered for the fourth time before grabbing your face in his hands. Kissing the daylights out of you in the middle of an engagement party. Apparently, it was Dougie and Anne's party yet it seemed like you were both having the engagement.

SCREAM OUT FEEDBACKS IF YA WANT A PART 2 OF THIS ONE SHOT BECAUSE THIS HASSSS A SECOND PART TO IT!!!!

XOXO, TATA

[carewyncromwell]

[Carewyn hated going to Knockturn Alley. She always felt very unsafe there, not just because of her age but because of how small she was. (All of her friends towered over her as it was.) And even if Carewyn could dress well and act confident and she felt rather assured in her capability as a duelist, that didn’t change the fact that many of the people who swept around this area were Dark wizards. Carewyn could prepare all she wanted, but she was never not going to be nervous about that. She thought it’d be stupid to be anything otherwise.

When she caught sight of Ben, though, he seemed as arrogantly nonchalant as usual. He hadn’t even gone to the trouble of dressing to fit in with the Knockturn Alley crowd like Carewyn always did -- instead he was blatantly wearing his Gryffindor robes.]

That settles it. Ben is stupid.

[Pushing this very mean thought aside, Carewyn strolled up to him, coming to a stop about four feet away.]

[Ben turned to look at Carewyn. His eyes flickered over her briefly as he took in her different hair and make-up, but otherwise he seemed unsurprised to see her.]

Ben: “No, I’m here for something much more important -- answers.”

[Carewyn raised her eyebrows.]

“What answers?”

Ben: “About what Rakepick has been up to. About the final Cursed Vault.”

[Carewyn wanted to scream.

It was true that she herself was doing just that...but the whole reason why she had not told any of her friends that she was still searching for the Vault was because R had put a target on her back and had threatened her friends’ lives. She had lied and put on the act of trusting in the teachers and the Aurors in order to prevent anyone else from getting involved -- and now, like Merula, Ben was going bloody rogue and running stupidly into danger of his own accord! Out of his own choice! When just like Merula, he knew the danger they were in!]

Ben: “Searching around the castle hasn’t turned up much, so I thought I’d start here. I reckon at least one of these dodgy witches or wizards should know something -- I’ll just interrogate them to see what they know.”

[Perhaps because of how raw her heart was from dealing with Beatrice not too long ago, Carewyn’s voice turned much harder from the off-set. She didn’t want to completely lose her head again, so she had to make sure her anger was cold and coherent, not explosive and fragile.]

“Ben...this has gone far enough. Pinching things that aren’t yours is one thing -- but are you even listening to yourself right now? Threatening random Dark wizards and acting like you’re some big hot shot is a good way to get yourself hurt, or worse. I would’ve thought after what you and I experienced in that Vault, how close we all were to dying back there, you’d realize how dangerous this situation is. Instead you’re actively seeking that danger out -- acting like it’s nothing, without any care for the consequences...and for what? To prove yourself? You’d certainly prove something very different by getting yourself killed!”

[Carewyn wanted to believe there was some sort of softer emotion in Ben’s eyes -- was it disappointment? Pity? -- but it was gone so quickly that it very well could’ve been her imagination.]

Ben: “Carewyn, these lowlifes only respond to fear and money -- so unless you happen to have won the Daily Prophet Galleon Draw recently, this is the only option.”

“(harshly) No, it’s not.”

There is always a way. You never need to hurt people.

“The Aurors are already dealing with the Vault and Rakepick. They’ve got Mad-Eye Moody in charge of the task force. I daresay he could interrogate people here a lot better than we could.”

[Ben’s eyes narrowed, looking frustrated for the first time.]

Ben: “I’m not going to just sit around and wait for the Statue Curse to spread or for Rakepick to attack us again. I’m done reacting -- I’m taking action.”

[His brown eyes rippled with frustration, deepening into something else Carewyn couldn’t identify. Almost like...

“Well, for once, you both had been right!”

The memory of Merula snapping at her back at the Training Grounds returned to her. Her old rival’s pink gaze then had reminded Carewyn of how she felt while talking to Ben -- and now here Ben himself was, with such a similar gaze...

Carewyn’s glare faltered.]

What can you not say, Ben...?

[Unlike Merula or Carewyn, Ben’s muddled emotions didn’t leave his eyes even as he turned his back on Carewyn.]

Ben: “...Don’t try to stop me.”

[Ben strode off past Borgin and Burkes. Reaching an alley, he turned his head, clearly having spotted someone.]

[He took out his wand and brandished it threateningly.]

Ben: “...or else.”

[Carewyn had whipped out her own wand, ready to stop Ben and/or protect him from a counterattack, but the voice she heard was familiar enough that her panicked run quickly slowed to a much calmer jog. She faced the wizard with a very dull look.]

“Hello, Mundungus.”

[Ben looked at her, taken aback.]

Ben: “You know this dodgy wizard, Carewyn?”

“(coolly) Unfortunately. Still running away from people you’ve pickpocketed, Mundungus? I’m surprised you don’t have some other kid ‘mediating’ your disputes for you.”

Mundungus: “(mutters sourly) I don’ pickpocket -- I collect is all. And quit sayin’ me name so loud, Cromwell! I don’t want ‘im to know I’m here...”

[Despite how offended Mundugus was by Carewyn’s words, though, his body language was tense and hunched, like he was trying to hide.]

“Who?”

[For once, Mundungus appeared sincerely reluctant.]

Mundungus: “Trust me, missie, you don’ want to know. This one’s dangerous -- even compared to the lot ‘round these parts.”

[He then put on something of a tiny, seedy smile.]

Mundungus: “...O’ course if you’ve got some...financial incentive, I might be willing to -- “

Ben: “Bombarda!”

[Before Carewyn could do anything, Ben had blasted Mundungus backward, slamming him up into the opposite wall.]

“Ben!”

[Carewyn shot Ben a horrified, angry look over her shoulder, before dashing over to Mundungus.

Upon seeing that he was, in fact, not badly injured, Carewyn spoke to the shady wizard very coldly under her breath.]

“I’d recommend talking now, Fletcher. I’ve been studying Legilimency for over a year now -- I can always take the information I want, should you choose not to share it.”

[Carewyn would be hard-pressed to actually do it, but she knew it was a bluff she could back up if she really had to. She didn’t think it was likely Mundungus had studied Occlumency.

Mundungus could tell she wasn’t kidding. Clearly intimidated both by her threat and the aggressiveness of Ben’s assault, he replied in an over-the-top attempt at charm that badly masked his utter cowardice.]

Mundungus: “On second thought...I’m feeling generous. I’ll tell you everythin’ I know, free o’ charge!”

[He glanced around furtively.]

Mundungus: “It’s...this wizard. A wizard in white robes.”

[A ping of deja vu poked at the back of Carewyn’s mind.]

“She said that he’d used incantations you’ve never heard before.”

Mundungus: “Anyway, he’s come back to Knockturn Alley, prowling around all brazen-like. Some folks think maybe he’s looking for something -- others say it’s someone -- but everyone’s kind of given him some distance. He’s not someone you want to mess with.”

“(surmises) So you’re hiding out until he leaves.”

Mundungus: “‘Idin’ out? Nah, I’m...I’m just layin’ low, for me own self-preservation. I’d rather not remind ‘im that I ‘ave some of his valuables...”

Ben: “You stole from him?”

Mundungus: “I wouldn’t call it stealin’, it’s more...relievin’ ‘im o’ the burden o’ -- “

“(very dully) Yes, he stole from him.”

Mundungus: “(with a scowl) Harsh, Cromwell. Now if you don’ mind, I have to get back to ‘idi -- I mean, layin’ low.”

[As Mundungus retreated, Carewyn turned on Ben, her eyes both worried and very reproachful behind her sunglasses.]

[But Ben once again seemed unfazed.]

Ben: “I wouldn’t call that ‘lucky.’ Codger knew nothing about Rakepick or the Cursed Vault.”

[Carewyn felt her temper rising. She wanted to yell at Ben -- say she absolutely forbid him from getting involved, that she was not going to watch him throw himself into danger when R had no reason to go after him -- that she couldn’t protect him from R, if he acted like this -- that she didn’t want him to end up like Duncan --

Knowing that she’d open herself up too much and expose too many of the fears and insecurities she so fiercely guarded if she said any of this, however...Carewyn merely pursed her lips and glared reproachfully at Ben.]

“...We will discuss this later. In the meantime, I do not want to hear about you having threatened or picking fights with anyone else -- have I made myself clear?”

[Ben glanced away irritably.]

[The response should’ve been a gibe, but Carewyn didn’t rise to it. She instead slid off her sunglasses and looked Ben straight on in the eye, almost seeming as undaunted as he’d been.]

“That’s my boy.”

[Her voice could’ve been taunting, but despite its coolness, there was still a very serious, cutting edge to it.]

‘Mum’ is not an insult to me. Someone needs to look after you...

[With that, she brushed past Ben and left Knockturn Alley.]

((OOC: *giggles* Mama-Bear!Carewyn strikes again!

Height-wise Carewyn is 5′3″. The only person in her year I headcanon as shorter than her is Merula (5′2″) -- the people closest to her height-wise are Chiara and Penny (5′4″) and Charlie (5′5″). I like imagining Ben having grown quite a bit, starting off exactly Carewyn’s height as a first year, growing a bit more every year, and then shooting up like a bean pole in the summer before  sixth year. XD))

[queenwinry]

In the Line of Fire-Part 2

Pairing: Royai

Rating: K+

Words: 3088

Summary: Part 2 of this oneshot I posted not too long ago. Riza comes home from the hospital on New Years Eve

A/N: Happy almost 2020 everyone! This has been a pretty decent year for me and I know 2020 is going to be crazy so I wanted to leave everyone with one last little Royai ditty (and it still is 2019 here so I count this as my last fic writing of the year!) I hope you have all had good 2019′s and that your 2020 will be fantastic! 

---

“There you are, Lieutenant. You look as though you were never even in the hospital,” a cheerful Nurse Alicia said as she helped Riza pull on the last of her civilian clothes Havoc had brought in a duffle bag a few days ago, in anticipation of this very moment.

Riza smiled gratefully at her favorite nurse (who had pulled some strings to be transferred up temporarily to work Riza’s floor, if only to boss around her teammates some more) before she managed to turn with only a slight twinge of pain. “The bandages and wheelchair would suggest otherwise, but I appreciate you helping me get dressed. I didn’t realize I would miss wearing actual clothes.”

Alicia stood to her full height to admire her handywork. “Yeah, I hear that a lot. Anything is better than hospital gowns...or those godawful blue uniforms.”

Riza smiled further at that comment. Before she could say anything else, the door opened and a few familiar faces greeted her, led by a certain dark-haired colonel, who was already flashing his ‘lady-killer’ smile the minute he saw the nurse by Riza’s bedside. “The car is ready and waiting downstairs, Lieutenant.” Placing his hands in the pockets of his black overcoat, the colonel rounded the bed to where Riza was sitting up in a nearby chair. “Will you be sad to see us go, Alicia?” he asked cheekily.

Being one of the very few women immune to the handsome colonel’s charming smile and voice, Alicia placed a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be sad to see the Lieutenant go. Good riddance to the rest of you. You men have been a thorn in my side for the last few weeks.”

From behind where the colonel stood, Havoc spoke, “Damn, has it really been that long?”

“Feels longer to me,” Riza said in a quiet tone as she thought back on her time in the hospital. She had hoped to be home, or at the very least in some kind of rehab facility, weeks ago, but her course had been complicated by a bad case of postoperative fever that had only extended her stay. She was incredibly thankful to finally be cleared for discharge, especially given what day it was.

Alicia turned back toward her and gave Riza a gentle smile. “Well, good thing you’re on your way out. And just in time for the new year too. Any fun resolutions?”

“Get shot less,” Riza replied, in an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone. She heard Mustang’s low chuckle as he moved behind the waiting wheelchair and grasped the two handles.

“A resolution I can get behind,” he commented before turning back to the nurse. “Is she all set to go?”

Alicia nodded happily. “Pretty much. Let’s just get you over into this chair, Lieutenant. Yes...just like that. Nice and slow...there you go. Now, let me go grab the paperwork and you’ll be on your way out.”

“Thank you, Alicia. Thank you for...everything,” Riza spoke gratefully once she had settled herself gently onto the wheelchair.

Alicia winked at her. “No problem, sweetie. It’s been a pleasure helping you get better,” she spoke meaningfully before she made her way out the door.

None of the remaining occupants in the room had even a moment to blink before a blur of a human rushed through the door the nurse had just closed. All eyes widened as the figure stopped suddenly, their breathing hard and fast and their face contorted in a mixture of worry and fear.

“R-Rebecca!?” Riza let out with a small gasp as her frazzled friend rushed to where she sat.

“Riza!” Rebecca Catalina shouted desperately as she kneeled in front of the chair and began inspecting her friend’s body as best she could. “Jesus Christ, are you ok!?” she exclaimed. She didn’t even let out a breath before her forehead furrowed and her eyes flashed. She stood to her full height and pointed an accusing at the colonel.

“You! You bastard colonel, how dare you not try and contact me sooner. Here I was, away for a few weeks on a training mission, only to come back and have General Grumman of all people tell me that my best friend was shot!”

Riza looked mortified to hear her friend’s blatant insubordination, but Mustang appeared almost bored, as if he was used to the other lieutenant’s outbursts. “Excuse me for letting it slip my mind. We all had other things to think about.”

Rebecca’s hands went to her hips, not at all happy with the colonel’s explanation. “This happened weeks ago. You really mean to tell me you were all so busy during that time that no one even thought to contact Riza’s best friend? It wasn’t like I was in Briggs, for Christ’s sake!”

“Rebecca,” Riza began in an appeasing tone. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it’s alright now. I’m getting better and better by the day. I was just about to leave the hospital before you got here.”

Lieutenant Catalina huffed. “I know. General Grumman told me that too, which means if he knows all the updates then Mustang should’ve taken the time to give them to me too.”

Before Riza could say anything else Rebecca and the colonel entered into a heated staring match the likes of which had never been seen before. The recuperating lieutenant could merely sigh and let them go on, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stop either one of them before Alicia reappeared.

“Yeesh, what’s all this shouting I hear? Today’s a happy day. It’s New Years Eve, the lieutenant is leaving the hospital, I don’t have to deal with all you worried men anymore and I...oh...great, there’s more of you?” she asked with a small groan once her eyes found those of Lieutenant Catalina.

Rebecca lifted an eyebrow at the tone of the nurse’s voice and crossed her arms indignantly. “Hey, don’t lump me in with this crazy lot. I’m only here for Riza.”

Alicia weighed that response for a moment before she merely rolled her eyes. “Right. Well, anyway, here’s all your paperwork, Lieutenant. You’re free to go now, but I better not be seeing you around here for a while. Same goes for the rest of your team.” Her eyes flashed warningly toward everyone in the room but Riza before she gave one last smile and led them out.

Rebecca said nothing as they all walked together, the colonel pushing Riza’s wheelchair down the hall, but the lieutenant could sense the steam practically pouring from her friend’s ears. Truthfully, she herself had thought about making sure someone notified her, but with the hecticness of the last few weeks it had always slipped her mind before she could do anything about it.

And honestly she could understand why Mustang hadn’t called Rebecca himself. She could only imagine how that phone call would’ve gone.

They finally got outside to where the colonel’s car was parked and Riza took a minute to inhale the chill, late December air. She hadn’t been outside since she was shot and it felt incredibly refreshing to be out of the stale atmosphere of the hospital.

It took a bit of time, maneuvering, and flashes of pain on Riza’s part, but eventually they loaded her into the front of the car. Alicia said one last goodbye before she turned and walked back into the hospital, claiming she still had plenty of ‘lives to save’. Mustang was about to walk around to the other side of the car as Havoc got into the back before Rebecca stopped him.

“And just where are you planning on taking her now?” she asked in an accusatory tone. The passenger side window was rolled down so they could both hear Riza’s exhausted sigh.

“To her home,” the colonel answered simply, daring Rebecca to question him further.

A foolish move, it seemed, as the brunette lieutenant immediately shook her head. “And just who’s going to be playing nurse? She was just in the hospital after being shot, she needs someone to take care of her. Don’t give me that look, Riza, you can hardly sit up straight.”

Despite the many protests she wanted to voice, Riza wisely kept her mouth shut.

“Everyone on my team, myself included, has agreed to help the lieutenant out. We were already planning on doing most of the cooking and the cleaning,” Mustang spoke in an exasperated tone.

“Yeah? And who’s going to help her shower or go to the bathroom? If you still think that’s going to be you or your team then we need to have a very different conversation.”

Riza let out another sigh.

“Catalina, if this is your request to join us, no one is stopping you,” Mustang pointed out.

“Well, obviously I’m going to join you, but Riza’s apartment is tiny and the heater hardly ever works. You’re going to stuff her and the rest of us in an area that small? Plus, it’s New Years Eve! I can think of much better places to spend it, no offense Riza.”

The lieutenant responded by simply rubbing her temples, not in the mood to even attempt to stop her friend’s antics.

The colonel’s eyes narrowed. “And just what alternative did you have in mind?”

Here, they all watched in dread as Rebecca’s face became sly.

“Well, you make the big bucks don’t you? Surely someone at the rank of colonel has a few spare rooms.”

At this, Riza’s eyes widened and she spoke from her place inside the car. “Rebecca! You can’t just volunteer us all to stay at a superior’s home.”

“Why not? Superiors are the ones with the big houses. Plus, the colonel has always struck me as the kind of man to have a few bottles of some nice champagne lying around. We can make the most of our New Years, though we’ll have to get something nonalcoholic for you, Riza, since you’re still on meds.”

“Rebecca!” the lieutenant exclaimed, unable to stop her ambitious best friend from more of her plotting. She had to wonder if this whole line of thinking was just some way to get back at Mustang for not telling her what happened earlier. She certainly wouldn’t put it past her.

The colonel sighed. “Lieutenant Catalina, I will not host a New Years Eve party at my house,” he said resolutely as Rebecca crossed her arms and tried not to pout. “However,” he added in a put upon voice that made everyone pause. “As much as it pains me to admit, you might have a point about Hawkeye’s apartment. It is awfully small, and with you helping out, it would get pretty crowded.”

Riza looked at him with disbelief from her spot in the car and he gave her a placating glance. “My place has always had more space than I know what to do with. I don’t get the opportunity to host that often. I’m sure you’d be more comfortable there with the team for a few days while you adjust, then maybe you and Rebecca can go back to your home.”

“Are you actually agreeing with her, sir?”

Mustang heaved a long sigh. “I suppose I am.”

“Ha! Maybe you’re not always that clueless, Colonel,” Rebecca goaded in victory, causing Riza to shoot her another admonishing glare, which she of course ignored.

Happily appeased, Rebecca walked around to the other side of the car and slid into the backseat next to Havoc (without asking, of course), as the colonel got behind the wheel. Riza shot him a look while he turned the key in the ignition.

“Following along with her antics only encourages her, Sir,” she spoke in a quiet voice as Rebecca started berating Havoc for also not bothering to share the news with her.

Mustang sighed. “I don’t think I had a choice. I probably should have notified her sooner, so I guess this is my way of seeking some kind of peace.”

“I hate to be the one to say it, but you might be doing so in vain. Besides, do you actually have bottles of fine champagne lying around your house?”

The colonel couldn’t help the lopsided smile at that question. “Does whiskey count?”

Riza’s glare became even more pointed. “It does not.”

---

Later that night, Riza watched as her friends and coworkers joyfully waited as the clock counted down to the new year. She supposed they were all lucky they hadn’t managed to get too intoxicated, only running off whatever minimal alcohol the colonel did have in his shockingly tidy and spacious townhome. They had spent the evening laughing, conversing, and playing a few rather heated rounds of chess (that either the Colonel or Breda always won). Despite her initial trepidation, she was feeling rather content with the sudden change of plans.

Their team had truthfully gotten even closer after what happened to her, the shooting serving as a wake-up call, reminding them all of their mortality. Riza was grateful she didn’t have to recover from such a traumatic event (both physically and mentally) by herself, though she wasn’t quite sure she was ready for Rebecca to help her bathe.

Riza’s attention was drawn away from her inner thoughts when a glass of amber liquid was placed in front of her. She was about to give whoever was trying to serve her alcohol a look that would kill when she noticed the colonel’s satisfied grin as he sat opposite of where she’d stationed herself at the table. He had a matching glass of an amber-colored drink, though his was a slightly different shade.

“It’s apple juice,” he commented, reading her thoughts perfectly.

Her annoyed look fell and she tried to not shake her head at him. He lifted his glass and she did the same, before they clinked them both together.

“Happy New Year, Lieutenant.”

“The same to you, sir,” she replied, raising the glass to her lips and taking a dainty sip of the juice like it really was champagne.

She watched as Roy’s eyes drifted over to Rebecca and the rest of the team. “It doesn’t look like it will be much longer before those hooligans go off to bed.

Riza smiled softly. “To be fair, they didn’t get quite as bad as I imagined.”

The colonel made a noise of agreement. “Mm, I guess I should thank my unusually small supply of liquor for that.”

“Have you been drinking more of it lately, sir?” The pointed question caused Roy’s grin to fall slightly, as he lowered his eyes.

“Can’t lie to you, can I?”

When his eyes eventually met hers, she was surprised at the emotion she saw behind them. “Sir,” she spoke softly with only a hint of admonishment behind the word.

“Regardless of what you say, it’s difficult for me not to blame myself for what happened. Those first few nights of your hospital stay were the hardest.”

“Colonel, you can’t make me promise to not be so reckless when you go and do things like that.”

Mustang sighed. “I know, Lieutenant. But I tend to be rather selfish.”

His eyes darkened and the sounds of the others began to fade away as she again picked up on his hidden meaning. They had been doing a lot of this silent communication lately, and it had nothing to do with some secret mission or military agenda. It was becoming exhausting.

They lapsed into silence after that as the others scoped out places to lay their heads for the night, the fresh beginnings of the new year quickly losing their draw. Riza attempted to smother a yawn, which apparently was the colonel���s cue.

He pushed back his glass and stood to his feet. “Come on, I’ll help you up the stairs. I made sure to keep the others out of the guest bedroom. Not even Catalina will bother you unless you need something.”

“Sir, you don’t need to roll out the red carpet for me. If others need a place to sleep, I don’t mind sharing. I feel bad taking up so much room.” While she protested, his strong arms came to grasp the back of her own as he helped her gingerly stand. She was sore, but thankfully still able to move around.

“Please, Lieutenant. It’d be inappropriate for the men to share with you and Catalina would probably wind up kicking you in her sleep. There’s plenty of room. I’m pretty sure no one’s stepped foot inside the guest bedroom since I moved.”

She wanted to object more, but his logic was actually quite sound. She had shared a bed with Rebecca before and it had not been a pleasant experience in the slightest.

She stayed quiet as she let the colonel slowly walk her up the stairs. It took some time, but eventually they were able to make it. As her superior showed her around her temporary room, she thanked him again for offering up his home for everyone, which he of course waved away as no big task.

“Happy New Year again, Lieutenant. You better not be lying about that resolution to get shot less. I don’t think any of us could handle another extended hospital stay.” His tone was lighthearted, but she could feel the concern still dripping off his words. She knew what had happened had taken its toll on all of them, but her original purpose was still true.

“I’ll do my best, but I’d go through this all again to protect every one of my teammates.”

Mustang let out a huff of air and shook his head, but still smiled nonetheless. “You really do have trouble following orders, don’t you?”

His smile was contagious and she couldn’t help but join in. “I’m as stubborn as my commanding officer, I’m afraid.”

His laugh was soft and familiar. “No kidding. Sleep well, Lieutenant,” he said with one last grin before he left the room and closed the door behind him.

“You too, sir,” she whispered into the dark room. She moved the sheets around and attempted to get comfortable in the foreign bed.

It wasn’t exactly the most picture perfect way to end the year, but she was still eternally grateful for the people in her life who made it better. She didn’t have many lofty resolutions, but she knew protecting and fighting alongside her superior and her teammates was at the top of the list.

And getting shot less. That was a good one too.

[eternalrosx]

A little something

This is a little AU thingy i wrote, enjoy:

Bessa was walking in her beautiful rose garden, marveling at the sight the roses gave her. Taking in the scent of them, the goddess closed her eyes contently. That moment of calmness didn’t last long however as a childish giggle made Bessa raise a brow in delight. That voice was unmistakenly belonging to a certain being, a little mischievous entity.

“Do i hear someone? Oh yes i do. I wonder who it could be...”she mused, looking around as she saw a small tuft of ginger hair lurking out of a bush of roses, teasing her. Another giggle, another rustle in the bushes and a small shadow emerged from them, spotting a mischievous grin.

“It’s Pennywise!” IT shouted, giggling. Bessa returned the smile gently, bowing to the other’s height, caressing IT’s small tufts of hair ever so lovingly.

“My little Eater of Worlds finally has decided to show up. I missed you, little one!” the goddess said, laughing herself. “Where is your brother?” she asked, turning around as if to look for the entities older sibling. Maturin was not much older than Pennywise, yet he was far more mature than the little Deadlight. Bessa loved both a lot and saw herself as their mother, figuratively spoken of course, since her husband had created those two.

Pennywise pouted at the mentioning of IT’s older sibling, crossing IT’s arms with a huff.

“Dunno, and dun care either!” IT replied, scrunching IT’s little nose in disgust.

Bessa only shook her head, getting up again. “Now now, that’s no way to speak of Maturin. He is your brother, my dear! Why don’t you try to get along with him?” a fit of defiance came over Pennywise’s features, making the little face looking rather sinister.

“He`s stupid, he never let me play with him and his friends, those guardian poopheads!” Pennywise shouted, turning IT’s head away from Bessa as to make a point. IT then floated over to Bessa, tugging on her robe, looking into her eyes with big round orbs full of wonder, shifting from yellow to a baby blue color.

“Play with me!” IT demanded, offering Bessa a big smile. The goddess let out a sigh, looking at the small entity with slight disappointment.

“What’s the magic word, little one?” Bessa asked, raising a brow which made Pennywise pout again. “Play with me, please?” IT tried again, this time tilting IT’s little head in a cutesy way.

“Fine, i will play with you. But not for long, judging time, your nap is coming up soon, my dear” Bessa couldn’t stiffle a laugh as the childish entity nearly threw a fit, hearing the troubled word “Nap” was like a red flag for IT. ”Not faaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiir!” IT wailed dramatically. Bessa winced at IT’s shrill voice.

“It’s still a little bit until then, please calm down!” the goddess whispered, trying to calm the fit throwing entity. Easier said as done however as this little outburst soon became a full blown temper tantrum.

The commotion made another one appear, slightly bigger than Pennywise, greenish in color and in form of a Turtle. It was Maturin, older brother of Pennywise and a guardian animal on top.

“My little brother is a pest again,isn’t he?” Maturin snickered, walking up to Bessa who gave him a warning glance. “This is not funny.” she replied, holding a now bawling entity in her hands, cradling IT gently.

“Aslan and the others dont like IT sticking around, IT always causes mischief and IT teases the others all the time” Maturin explained, looking slightly angry at his brother’s emotional outburst. “Stop your crying, you baby!” he shouted, glaring at IT. Now my dear reader, you have to know that this Maturin was far more brash and not as wise as the current Maturin was. He was a child, just like Pennywise, and thus had a similar mindset.

“I wish Gan never had created IT!” Maturin muttered, rolling his eyes. Now it was Bessa’s turn to get angry. She shot him a glance and slapped his cheek. “Don’t say that ever again, do you understand? I don’t want to hear these words out of your mouth...Pennywise is still your brother...” she said, her voice was strict and firm which made Maturin recoil for a moment. He looked away and muttered something akin to an apology. Pennywise in the meanwhile had stopped IT’s thrashing as IT was in disbelief what IT just had witnessed. IT’s brother really had been slapped by Bessa, the one goddess with  near endless patience and love...IT’s eyes grew large and a trail of drool made its way down IT’s chin, pooling on Bessa’s robe.

“I am sorry, it was wrong of me to react like that. Please forgive me” Bessa muttered, bending down to Maturin, caressing his head softly. The entity scratched his head slowly, avoiding the goddess look at first, but then met her gaze, giving a small smile.

“I guess i deserved it in a way...” Maturin admitted, biting his lip. Pennywise had calmed down by now, the word nap was gone from his mind and replaced with a newfound respect and fear of Bessa. She could be firm and even harsh, a concept that the Eater of Worlds hardly could grasp. Another tuck on her robe made Bessa turn to Pennywise.

“You mad?” IT asked carefully, afraid of the answer. But as soon Bessa smiled at Pennywise, IT knew that it was over now and that there was no more need to be afraid.

Bessa gave both a gentle smile before rising up again, carrying Pennywise in her arms.

“Let`s forget this situation for now, it’s a far too beautiful day to be angry at each other, now is it?”Bessa stated, starting to hum a tune which made Pennywise chirp happily. Maturin nodded his head, accepting the goddess offered hand. “We should go home now, today is going to be long and we still haven’t eaten. I am literally starving!!” she joked, laughing. Pennywise joined in, grinning too.

“Me too! Me too!!!” IT chanted, clapping IT’s tiny hands in glee. Maturin huffed but couldn’t help but to smile as well. Just as Bessa said, it was such a peaceful day, why bothering with arguments and things like that? There were far more important things to pay attention to. As they ascended to the Tower, Bessa gave Pennywise a kiss on IT’s forehead which made the entity`s bells jingle happily. Drool was running down the eldritch’s chin, only thinking about food made the little one hungry already. Gan was already waiting for them, a gentle smile on his face.

“About time, i was going to starve!” he joked, sitting down at the large table. Maturin joined Gan at his right side while Bessa took place at his left with Pennywise in her lap.

@todashdreams / @theturtlebeam (because we talked about this little idea of mine on discord, thought i tag you ^^)