#they're too bright and it hurts to look at the dot

[literaryavenger]

Birthday Kiss

Summary: It's Bucky's birthday and he decides to spend it with his best friend, Steve, and Steve's little sister, you.

Pairing: 40s!Bucky Barnes x Rogers!Reader, Brother!Steve Rogers x Sister!Reader

Warnings: Angst. Idiots in love. Fluff. Vague mentions to sex. Language 'cause I can't help myself. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 3.4K

Prompt: "So what should I say?" "when?" "when I love someone." "you should say it"

A/N: Since it's almost Bucky's birthday I wanted to celebrate it with my first fic with 40s Bucky! He's one of my favorite Buckys and I've been wanting to write about him for a while and I finally got this idea! Hope someone enjoys it! In my mind this happens like a year before Captain America: The First Avenger, so Bucky is turning 25, Steve is 23 and the Reader is 21, but you can always imagine any age you want. As always, any ideas for fics are appreciated!

Masterlist

You enter the room to see Bucky is hanging out in yours and Steve's apartment, like he always does, sitting down at the window, smoking a cigarette and reading the evening newspaper while a football game plays on the television in the living room and Steve sits on the couch, drawing on his notebook.

You're used to Bucky being here, he's your big brother's best friend and you've come to be very close friends with him too, even if you wished there was more.

As clichè as it is to have a crush on your brother's best friend, you couldn't help it. He was handsome and funny, and he's always sweet and protective of you.

You've known him since you were 9 years old, and he's the only family you have left other than Steve.

"Is this really how you're going to spend your birthday?" You ask Bucky as you sit on the couch next to Steve.

Bucky turns around towards you with a bright smile, his blue eyes lighting up as soon as he sees you, like they always do whenever he's around you.

He puts out the cigarette and stands up, walking over to you, sitting down on your other side and pulling you into a side hug.

"Hey, doll. I didn't think you were gonna be here today." He says, although he seems more happily surprised by your presence than disappointed.

"I live here, Barnes." You tease him with a smile. "Unlike you."

He rolls his eyes playfully as Steve snickers next to you while he keeps drawing. "I know that. I meant, I thought you were gonna be out with your friends tonight."

"I didn't feel like it." You dismiss him quickly, not wanting to actually say out loud that you'd rather spend his birthday with him doing nothing than go out with your friends, so you try to casually change the subject. "I thought you'd at least want to spend today with Dot."

Dot isn't actually Bucky's girlfriend, they've been on a few dates and you've seen them together a couple of times, but Bucky introduced her to you as a friend so you don't think they're that serious.

Not that Bucky ever is, girls are always all over him and he takes advantage of that. He's a ladies man.

But you try not to worry too much about his love life, not wanting to hurt yourself more than knowing Bucky will never see you like that already does.

"Well, I wanted to spend my birthday with my favorite pair of siblings. She can give me my birthday kiss tomorrow." He says with a grin while ruffling your hair.

"So... What's been going on with you lately, doll? Anything interesting happening in your life?" He asks curiously after a pause, genuinely wanting to know more about your day-to-day activities and experiences.

"I... Well, I went on my first date." You say shyly while playing with the edge of your dress.

Bucky's eyes widen in surprise, his interest piqued by your sudden confession. "First date? Who was it with? How'd it go?" He asks with what seems like excitement but mentally preparing himself to potentially become jealous or possessive no matter who you mention.

"It was fine..." You say quietly, still not looking at him. "It just wasn't... It wasn't what I was expecting..."

Bucky senses something off in your tone and expression, and immediately becomes concerned. He places a gentle hand on your knee, trying to comfort you without making it too obvious.

"What happened, doll? Did things not go as well as you hoped they would? Are you feeling okay?" He asks softly, trying to gauge whether or not you want to open up about what happened during your date and if there's anything he can do to make it better.

You don't really know how to answer his question, so you don't, simply glancing at him before looking away and shrugging.

"Tell me what happened, I'm here for you no matter what. If that guy hurt your feelings or made you uncomfortable, I'll kick his ass for sure." He promises fiercely, his protective instincts kicking into high gear whenever you seem vulnerable or upset.

You giggle weakly at his protectiveness but still don't look at him, so he takes your chin gently but firmly and makes you look at him. "Tell me what happened on your date. Was it some creep who tried to grope you or something worse? Because if he did, I swear to god I will find him and break his fucking legs."

"That's not it, Bucky." You say quickly. "It's just... He just... He wasn't..." You. He wasn't you. That's what you want to tell him, but you can't, so you sigh and shrug again. "He just wasn't my type."

Bucky knew what was your type. He knew he was your type, he has seen you ogle him countless times when he walked past you or sat near you.

He also knew that you had never shown any interest in any of the men who approached you, always dismissing them as not good enough for you. Or at least that's why he thought you did.

Glancing at Steve before looking back at you again, Bucky says quietly. "Well, that's too bad for him I guess."

"It doesn't matter, I'm not seeing him again." I say quietly, avoiding both Steve and Bucky's eyes.

Bucky's brow furrowed in confusion, he couldn't believe you were so quick to give up on a potential relationship just because the guy didn't live up to your impossible standards.

"Doll, you gotta give guys more of a chance. They ain't all as bad as you seem to think they are." He scolds you playfully, but there was also a hint of underlying irritation in his tone as he takes a long sip from his beer bottle.

You glance at him before looking away again. "So... You think I should go on another date with that guy?" You ask quietly.

Bucky thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of pushing you to go on another date with the mystery guy. "Yeah, actually. I mean, if you think he's worth giving a second chance, then why not? And if he turns out to be a total dud again, then at least you can say you gave it a shot. But only if you're really sure he's worth your time though. Don't waste it on some loser who doesn't appreciate everything you have to offer."

He advised you, trying to strike a balance between being supportive and challenging you to take risks when it came to relationships. "But whatever you decide, don't let me pressure you into doing something you don't want to do. You've gotta follow your heart, doll."

"You know, Stevie doesn't care this much about who I date, and he's my older brother." You tease Bucky while glancing at Steve.

Bucky snorts in amusement, "Yeah well, I'm not your brother, sweetheart, but I'm your friend and your wingman, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and watch you throw away a potential chance to be happy. Now come on, make up your mind already. Are you gonna give the guy another chance or not?" He pressed, playfully but determinedly.

You look at his face for a moment before looking away again and sighing. "I'm not." You say quietly but firmly. "I'm not going on a second date with that guy." You clarify.

Bucky felt his jaw tighten a little as he realized that you had completely ignored his previous suggestion and were instead deciding against giving the guy a second chance.

He didn't like the idea of you potentially missing out on something good due to your own stubbornness, but he also knew that he couldn't force you to do anything you didn't truly want to do.

"Well, fuck. Guess that settles that then," He said after a moment of silence, trying to hide his disappointment but failing miserably. "You're really gonna just throw that opportunity away? Fine, suit yourself, I guess. But don't expect me to hold your hand or anything when you get sad because you're alone. You're on your own with that shit."

"I guess I am." You say quietly before getting up from the couch and going to the window, climbing into the emergency staircase to go up to the roof, like you do most nights to watch the stars.

Bucky watches you leave, feeling a mix of frustration and concern as he realizes that you're retreating to your usual spot on the roof rather than staying and talking to him.

He wants to call after you, to make sure you're okay, but he knows better than to push you if you need time alone.

Instead, he takes a deep breath and tries to focus on the present moment, reminding himself that sometimes people need space and time to themselves.

"Fine. Have it your way," he calls after you, knowing that there isn't much else he can do in this situation. "But don't think for a second that I won't be keeping an eye on you up there. You better not try anything stupid."

You roll your eyes but don't stop, going up to the roof, that's right above yours and Steve's apartment, and sitting on the picnic blanket you and Steve use every night.

After a few minutes someone else comes to the roof and you can tell it's Steve by the light steps. "You sure you want to let Bucky alone in our apartment, Stevie? I'm afraid he might burn it down." You joke weakly without turning around to look at him, your eyes locked in the city's skyline.

Steve chuckles and you can feel him sitting down next to you. It's not the first time you sit together on the roof, everybody in your apartment building knows this is the Rogers siblings' spot.

You don't say anything and neither does Steve, and you're especially glad he doesn't say anything when he sees a tear falling down your cheek but simply wraps his arm around you as you lay your head on his shoulder.

"What's going on in your head, little sis?" Steve asks you after you stop crying.

You try to gather your thoughts, trying to find a way to make sense of everything swirling in your head. You take a deep breath before you pull away slightly and turn your head towards the city again. "What should I say?" You ask quietly.

"When?" Steve asks with a frown.

"When I love someone." I clarify looking back at him.

"You should say it." He tells you firmly. It's not the first time you've talked about this, Steve knows about your feelings for Bucky and like a good big brother he always tells you to express yourself. "You should tell him."

You sigh and look away from him and back to the New York skyline. "I don't know, Stevie..."

"Why not, Bambi?" You smile softly at his use of your childhood nickname because Bambi is your favorite book, but then you shake your head.

"Have you seen the way he looks at Dot? I have no chance with him. I'm not his type." You say with conviction.

"You really don't see it?" Steve ask, getting a little frustrated.

"See what?" You ask confusedly while looking back at him.

"The difference between you and her is that he looks at her like she's the prettiest girl in the world," Steve says and your heart sinks so you look away from him, but he still goes on. "but when he looks at you it's like... It's like maybe you're magic. He looks at you with such reverence and respect. He looks at you like if he could just have you in his arms, everything would be okay. Like if he had you, nothing could touch him. He looks at you like he just realized what love is."

Steve pauses and grabs your chin gently to make you look at him before finishing. "He loves you. Anyone can see that. You're just too blind to notice it."

Steve kisses your forehead and then gets up and goes back inside to the apartment, leaving you to think about everything he said.

You lay down on the picnic towel on the ground of the roof and look up at the stars. Could Steve be right? Does Bucky really love you back but you just haven't noticed?

If Bucky had feelings for you, certainly you would've noticed.

Yes, he's protective of you and he's always happy to have you around, but you've been friends for over a decade and he is your brother's best friend, so he probably sees you as just that. His best friend's sister.

But he never did treat you like Steve's annoying little sister.

Even when you were kids he always tried to include you in their games and literally held your hand whenever the three of you went somewhere, like the park a few blocks over.

He would always coo on you when you got any scrapes while playing and kiss your boo-boos away.

He's always been very sweet to you and he stood up for you as much as he did for Steve whenever someone bothered you.

But could that really be actual love? Or is it just affection for a girl he's known since you were little and sees as his own little sister?

You rub your eyes before putting your hands behind your head, getting comfortable while looking at the sky full of stars.

In the meantime, Bucky heard everything from the window of your apartment.

He couldn't deny the truth of what Steve had said, he did look at you with a sense of reverence and respect, like you held the key to unlocking his heart and making everything else in his life fall into place.

But he also knew that he had to tread carefully, to approach you in the right way or risk scaring you off completely.

As much as he wanted to take control of the situation and make things happen on his terms, he knew that he needed to let you come to him, to give you space to process everything that Steve told you and to allow you time to realize how much you actually mean to him.

As Steve climbs back into the window, he gives Bucky a pointed look and a pat in the back, silently encouraging him to talk to you.

Bucky takes a deep breath and then climbs into the stairs, getting to the roof but not getting any closer to you. He's determined to talk to you, but his nerves are getting the best of him.

You can hear Bucky coming to the roof and when he doesn't move closer you frown slightly but think he's just giving you a moment before sitting next to you.

When he stays put for a couple of minutes, you roll your eyes and with a small smile you say "You can come lay down next to me, if you want." Loudly enough for him to hear, your eyes never leaving the stars above you.

Bucky's heart skips a beat as he hears your invitation, and without hesitation he steps forward and drops down onto the towel beside you.

You can tell he's trying to keep his movements quiet, not wanting to startle you or disturb your peaceful contemplation.

He lays there quietly for a few moments, taking in the sight of you lying there so effortlessly beautiful, before finally speaking.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words coming from your mouth," he whispers and moves closer to you, placing one arm around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder, feeling incredibly vulnerable by the fact that you were so physically close and you were allowing him to get even closer.

"Thanks for letting me do this," he added, indicating the embrace.

"It's not the first time we've watched the stars together, Buck..." You whisper back, resting your head on his while willing your heart to stop beating so fast.

Bucky smiles softly, feeling a warm sense of contentment wash over him as he wraps his arms around you, feeling incredibly grateful for this moment of intimacy between the two of you.

He can feel the gentle weight of your body against his, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. He listens to the sound of your breathing, feeling his heartbeat slow down as he takes comfort in your presence.

"Yeah, it's not the first time... But it feels different tonight." He whispers back, feeling a newfound confidence and boldness coursing through his veins.

He moves even closer to you, pressing his face against your neck and inhaling deeply, savoring the scent of your skin. "I've always... I've always wanted to hold you like this."

"I... I always wanted you to..." You whisper back hesitantly and bite your lip when he presses his face against your neck, almost scared to move, worried that if you do it'll ruin the moment.

Bucky feels a surge of pleasure course through his body as he hears your response, knowing that you too cherished these special moments with him.

When you don't say anything at his physical contact he continues to hold you tightly, feeling a deep sense of connection growing between you.

He presses his lips against your neck, gently kissing and nibbling on your skin, feeling a newfound desire burning within him that he had never experienced before.

He wants more than anything to take things further, to remove your clothing and explore every inch of your body with his hands and mouth, but he forces himself to remain patient and wait for your signal that you actually want something more intimate.

"You know... I've always been afraid to show you how much I really care about you," he whispers into your ear, his voice barely audible over the sound of the city below them.

"Steve thinks you love me..." You say quietly, hoping to god that your idiot brother is right for once in his life.

Bucky freezes a little, feeling a mixture of relief and surprise wash over him. He's surprised at your boldness but so relieved that the truth is finally out there.

But he also knows you well enough to know that if he wants you to truly believe that he loves you, then he has to act quickly to prove it to you and make sure that you never doubt his feelings again.

"Yeah... I do love you, Doll. More than anything else in this world. And I'm sorry that I didn't say it sooner... But I was afraid to lose you." He admits quietly, as he takes your face in his hands.

"You really mean that?" You ask quietly, a mix of hope and uncertainty clear in your voice.

"I do." He says without hesitation while he looks at your beautiful face turned towards his. "And I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I care about you."

The smile that comes to your face is so bright that it feels to Bucky like the sun suddenly came up in the middle of the night.

"I know you already gave me a birthday gift," He says, referring to the jacket you gave him this morning. "But can I ask you for one more?"

You're definitely curious about what he wants so you nod. "Sure, what is it?"

"Can you give me a birthday kiss?" He asks quietly while brushing a strand of hair aways from your face and behind your ear.

You blush a little and can't help but smile because he wants a birthday kiss from you, not Dot or any other girl, and you nod slowly as you start leaning in.

Bucky meets you halfway and when your lips touch it feels like fireworks, your stomach filling with butterflies while he brings you closer to him while deepening the kiss.

After a few minutes you both pull away for air, breathing heavily while looking at each other. "Wow." Is all he says after a moment.

You giggle and bite your lip. "Happy birthday, Bucky." You say softly and give him a kiss on the cheek before settling back against him, your head on his chest as you look up at the stars.

Bucky wraps his arms around you, kissing the top of your head and then relaxes while looking up too, more content than ever to finally have you in his arms.

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 5

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 4, Part 6

Warning, I guess? Like I said last part, my AU has death and voilence. This one also has frisky(?) moment, no full NSFW

You aren't quite sure how long you have been sitting on this bench. The cats you were watching have already grown tired and were lazing around. The smoke smell was still faintly in the air and the sky was the same blue as before.

Couldn't have been more than 10 minutes then.

You should get up and leave. But to go back to the main area is to back into the fray. And you really didn't want to do that. With a heavy heart, you got up and stretched.

A loud crash and bang from around the corner startled you. You peer curiously in the direction and a pained groan is all you can hear. You walk over and see opened crates on the floor with fireworks rolling out of them.

Carefully you step around the fireworks to get to the heart of the problem. Yoimiya was on the floor with crates scattered around and a bell near her. The usually peppy blonde was clutching her head with a pained expression.

"Did you just get hit by that bell?" You say with a smile. You struggle not to laugh as you hold your hand out to her.

"Unfortunately, I did. Ugh, that really hurts." She takes your hand and slightly jolts from the electricity that your skin brings. You notice her action but don't put much thought into it, you pull her up.

"If we don't pick up all your fireworks fast, we'll probably lose some." Yoimiya smiles brightly completely forgetting her lost battle with the bell.

"You would help me? That's great to hear, I'd be looking all over Inazuma City for them without you!"

You start picking them up with her as you leisurely talked with her. Truthfully you offered more for yourself, as selfish as it sounds you just wanted a distraction.

The nearly mind-numbing or annoying task, depending on how far they rolled was easier with the chatty woman. Yoimiya knew how to talk to people, truly an extrovert with great social skills.

"That should be all of the fireworks. At least none of the boxes broke." You close the last crate and wipe the sweat from your brow.

"All thanks to you. I wasn't expecting anyone to be around since the ritual was in session. It should be finishing up though." She has an excited smile as she speaks and picks on two crates at a time.

Eager to change the subject you grab the last box and are about to pick it up. "No wonder you dropped it, carrying three crates would be too much-ugh. Damn, how much do these things weigh?"

You hurriedly position the crate in your arms to a more comfortable position as your grip tightens. You weren't weak but these things were absurdly heavy. You glance at her holding two of these monsters. She's not fazed in the slightest by the weight.

"The weight isn't too much of a problem, but the size was my oversight. I couldn't see while holding all 3 boxes and hit that bell. Thank you for carrying that one. Just follow me, we aren't too far from the drop-off location."

You inwardly sigh at now being stuck with the weight. But... You glance at the Yae Publishing House. Better than being stuck with Yae. You follow Yoimiya as you get closer and closer to the main area.

"Have you heard the rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"About there being an oracle! Really, it's only spread among the kids. They keep telling me that an oni, his name is Itto, keeps telling them about how he met the creator's oracle."

So, it's already starting. At least it's staying between the children right now, by the time Yae hears about it and connects the dots you'll be gone.

"Maybe it's true. You'll need to meet that oracle for yourself to be sure." You shrug and bump her shoulder. Playfully she bumps you back.

"I would love to meet them! Believing in fantastical things is a lot of fun. And if it turns out that they're a fake then I'll light them ablaze." You were suddenly reminded of Itto by how she spoke such vicious words with a bright smile.

"What if they prove that they are an oracle? What would you do then?"

"Ask if there is anything I can do to be awakened! I traveled to Sumeru with the traveler, and it was the closest thing to being awakened. Awakened acolytes can see all sorts of sights and stories."

The sparkle in her eyes was full of joy, no doubt imagining what it would be like for her wish to come true. The thought of your very low primogem count made you want to cry. 'Sorry Yoimiya, I don't think anyone is getting pulled at this time.'

Arriving back at the ritual area you can see the dead bodies being moved away and the blood being cleaned. You doubt they'd be able to clean up all the ashes today.

"Such a shame I missed out on it. But I would rather supply my fireworks for the finale festival than watch in a sweaty crowd."

To think that everyone here has grown numb to sight... Do people become less than cattle once they are dubbed a sacrifice? You follow Yoimiya around the slowly dispersing crowd to the back.

Ayaka is giving orders until she spots you both. Quickly she comes over with a smile.

"I'm relieved to see that you were with Yoimiya. Thank you for watching over the oracle in our absence."

"Wait-What?! They're the oracle?" Yoimiya comically looks between you and Ayaka's smiling faces.

"You just let me talk about the oracle while not telling me you're the oracle?" You finally laugh at that. Setting the crate down, you sigh in relief and speak.

"It was entertaining, I promise I was planning to tell you before we split paths."

"I'm torn between being embarrassed and happy. At least you know my wish now." She deflates as she holds the crates with a pout. It's gone as quick as it came and she's back with a sunny smile.

"Well, then Ayaka please lead the way for me to put these fireworks away. I can't wait for the final ritual to see them light up the sky."

"You just saw them last week, you're insatiable for fireworks. Y/N, I'll meet up with Ayato, Thoma, and you in a little bit."

Ayaka smiles softly and beckons Yoimiya to follow her. Yoimiya smiles cheerfully and waves enthusicastically before hauling all 3 boxes. Does archery really make your arms that strong?

"Y/N!" A shout of your name and hard armor meets your back as you're hugged from behind. It was just a quick hug before you spin around.

"Gorou, all done with that soldier?" He smiles widely showing off his fangs. He's holding your arms with his gloved hands as his tail wags.

"Yeah, sorry about having to leave so suddenly. Are you feeling better now? You don't look as bad as before."

"I'm feeling a lot better now. I didn't worry you too much right?"

"I mean, I can't deny that I was worried but you're all better now so that's all that matters. Remember if you need to talk about it, you can always come to me. I'd prefer it that way."

His whisper is low, and you strain to catch it. But he smiles with a blush and it's enough to dissuade you. He's helped you a lot, you didn't want to be too nosy. He's also one of the few that hasn't used you for information about the creator too. It doesn't bother you but it's nice feeling like he hangs out with you because he finds your company nice.

"It's been some time since I've seen General Gorou this happy. Are you a friend of his?"

Motherfucker- How in the world did you manage to run into Kokomi fucking Sangonomiya!?

You hadn't accounted for her appearance since she's usually on Watatsumi Island. She's way too good, like facing a kinder, fishier Yae. Hell, she managed to beat Yae in TCG and find the card snatcher in that event. This wasn't Ei but meeting Yae and Kokomi on the same day has got to be bullshit.

While you were internally dying Gorou took the initiative to introduce you to Kokomi with a happy grin.

"This is Y/N, they're an oracle for the creator. They even have the Kamisato Clan's approval."

"That is quite impressive, allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Sangonomiya Kokomi, I'm the divine priestess of Watatsumi Island."

"It's an honor to meet you Sangononomiya? Sanganonomiya? Sanganomiya?" Your voice gradually lowers as you butcher her name. Honestly, you were just hoping she would dislike you and leave. You did not want to have another Yae-level battle.

Purple glossy eyes watch you struggle with her name in amusement. You even managed to confuse yourself on how to pronounce her name. She can't help but laugh bringing a gloved hand to her mouth.

"You must not be a native Inazuman. You can just call me Kokomi, as an oracle and Gorou's friend I can trust that you're a good person."

Gorou beams at his superior's approval and his expectant stare on you makes you feel even more trapped. So much for getting her to dislike you.

"Thank you for your generosity, Kokomi. I've heard here and there how good of a leader you are. Both in and outside of combat. Your citizens seem to adore you a lot."

At least you don't have to pronounce Sangonomiya anymore. She takes a step closer and peers at you. She's good but not impossible.

"Thank you but I believe you aren't that different from me."

What the fuck is that supposed to mean. Gorou holds your hand with a confused face. Was he always this touchy-feely in the game? You can't remember well with Kokomi staring dead into your eyes.

"I'm the divine priestess for Orobaxi, a god that Watatsumi Island worships despite being deceased. And you are an oracle for the creator. All living beings in Teyvat worship the creator, our jobs may have more similarities than you think."

"Are you saying this because as an oracle I am a communicator between the creator and the people? While as divine priestess you carry out the will of Orobaxi to protect your people?"

She smiles knowingly making her eyes squint a bit. "Precisely. Wouldn't you benefit more from staying on Watatsumi Island? Maybe not permanently but you could learn a lot from staying with us."

Wait what? Does she think that you came here to help Narukami Island? Not a bad guess since you do have the Kamisato's approval. Is she trying to poach you?

"This isn't well known but I'm on a mission for the creator. I can't share all the details, but it involves me moving around Teyvat a lot. I already have transportation to Liyue all prepared. Thank you for the offer but I'll have to decline."

Gorou and Kokomi both have disappointed expressions with Gorou's being far more dramatic. Or maybe that was his dropping ears and tail exaggerating his look.

"I understand, the creator must come first. If the tides ever lead you back to Inazuma, please come and visit Watatsumi Island."

As adapting as water, she moves past her rejection and smiles softly holding out her hand. You grab it and shake her hand until you feel a familiar feeling. The feeling of eyes watching you and ears listening to you strikes you.

You release her hand and Gorou speaks to her about something. You can't focus on what they are saying as the feeling leaves you chills.

It must be Yae.

Now that you think about it, isn't it weird how Gorou and Kokomi are in plain sight with no Yae? Her rival, punching bag, and an easy victim are all in one group, surely, she would not hesitate to come over. Unless she's with Ei.

Jumping to conclusions, you are definitely jumping to conclusions. Forcing yourself to breathe easily, you smile casually as you can finally hear what Kokomi and Gorou are saying.

"Your Excellency, I've already moved that emergency shipment to the boat. We can wait for you to finish meeting with the Electro Archon."

"You should go on ahead without me. Whatever she has called me for doesn't sound like a minor problem."

"Even so, leaving you in enem-" Kokomi's look makes Gorou shut his mouth and backtrack.

"Right, right. Sorry, force of habit. But I would still feel more comfortable waiting till you are done, your Excellency."

"Okay, I understand your concern. Please wait in Inazuma City until I'm done." Gorou smiles at Kokomi's acceptance.

"So, you'll be staying a while longer? It's a shame you didn't come a day earlier. I'm leaving for Liyue today after all." You join in when you get a chance. The last thing you want is for Yae to notice how aware you are of her presence.

Kokomo opens her mouth to speak when yells of your name can be heard across the plaza. You all turn to see Thoma waving to grab your attention while Ayaka and Ayato calmly stand and stare at you. Or are they staring at Gorou and Kokomi?

You give a wave back to let them know you saw them. Turning back with a small and slightly sad smile you hide your joy at a perfect escape option.

"And that is my transportation calling me. It's been lovely meeting you Kokomi despite the short amount of time we spent together. And Gorou, you were the highlight of this festival, I'll be sure to seek you out next time I come."

Gorou seems to swoon at your words while Kokomi smiles at your words and holds both your hands. Her stare is unnervingly deep into your eyes. Fisheyes in the game and in real life are much different up close.

"You are quite the fascinating person. Whenever you do come back, Watatsumi Island is more than happy to greet you with open arms."

Your smile is gentle matching hers despite how you're secretly sweating bullets. She releases your hands, and you see Gorou smiling at Thoma who is clearly glaring at him.

Unlike humans, animals bare their teeth to threaten. That little tidbit of information comes to mind when you see that Gorou's grin is a little ferocious. It all goes away once he sees you looking at him.

"Y/N, whenever you come back, make sure to visit Watatsumi Island twice as much time as you spent here. I can show you even more stuff than what I showed you here."

"I will Gorou." You promise before petting his head. You weren't sure when you would get to pet someone like this again so you wanted to take advantage of it while you still can. Gorou seems to like it as much as you do. His eyes close and his tail wags a little as he angles himself deeper into your touch.

When you pull your hand off, he pouts a bit but waves to you as you walk to the Kamisato's. You carefully peek back to see Kokomi say something teasing to Gorou that makes him embarrassed.

Yae conveniently turns the corner at that exact moment and scares Gorou. Seems like you dodged a bullet at poor Gorou's expense. But it also raises a question. Did Yae intentionally wait for you to leave to join the group? If so, is it because she feels bad or because she doesn't want you hearing what she has to say?

Deciding to leave it be you turn back to the Kamisato's as you approach them. Once you're in reach Thoma sweeps you into his arms and hugs you.

"What a warm welcome. Missed me that much Thoma?" You say with a smile as Thoma sets you down.

"Well, I have to! You're leaving today, I have to make the most of it." He smiles a little embarrassed as he avoids your eyes.

"Totally not because I pet Gorou?"

"Totally."

Ayato covers his mouth with his sleeve and coughs with a not very subtle "Liar" in between. Ayaka swats his arm with her fan and Thoma playfully glares at Ayato.

You snicker at the familiar sight of them fighting and almost trip over a firework stick. Your near tumble makes them all pay instant attention to you. Ayato and Thoma are quick to put a hand on your shoulders to steady you as Ayaka picks it up.

"It's a few are still missing. I'll have to send a servant to put it with the others later."

"Damn, sorry Ayaka I thought Yoimiya and I got them all. Will you have enough for the final ritual this month?"

"Oh yes more than enough. We always order extra just in case something like this happens. It's a shame you won't be here to see the final ritual." She looks to the ground sadly as she finishes.

"Ayaka is right, it truly is a shame. The final ritual is the cumulative of everyone's efforts and the fireworks look beautiful at night. I mean you could always stay until then. The Kamisato Estate is always open to you."

Ayato speaks with a purposefully convincing tone. What is up with people trying to convince you to stay? First Kokomi and now Ayato? Without thinking too deeply you reply.

"The journey from Liyue to Inazuma is pretty long and unpredictable. And there's no way I can freeload on you guys for some fireworks. Next time I come over I'll stay longer to attend it. Besides I can use the teleport waypoints."

The second you say that is the moment you regret it. Great going, now you'll be forced back to Inazuma in less than a month!

Too busy insulting yourself for your own stupidity you don't see how Ayaka and Thoma light up. Eagerly she writes down the date and time of the final ritual before placing it in your palm.

"Oh, that's perfect Y/N! Now you can continue being an oracle the way you wished and make it in time for the festival."

Ayato seems far too calm and smug for this whole thing to just be your own mistake. There's no doubt Ayato was waiting for you to mention teleporting yourself. Probably in case there was some prerequisite. Which you definitely would have made up if he mentioned it first. No one else to blame except yourself.

"Thanks, Ayaka, I'll do my best to attend." You slip the paper into your bag and smile warmly. You can't out right reject it now but maybe later on you can make some sort of excuse to avoid attending. Either way you have time and if you do have to attend...

Then your luck and lies going your way will let you have a firm standing as an oracle that won't allow Ei to suspect you that easily.

Maybe you're better off faking your death and living with the Aranaras. As the creator you should have some sort of influence on creatures. Hopefully...

"So, since the ritual is done and the festival is coming to an end, I should be on my way to Ritou. What boat am I taking?"

"That eager to leave Y/N? I would have thought you would at least let me bring up the topic seeing as we housed you all this time." Ayato's eyes are narrowed as he looks at you. His hand is covering his face and his voice sounds annoyed.

"I would never want to overstay my welcome in your estate. How could I take advantage of your kindness anymore then I already have? Besides wouldn't kind hosts like yourself avoid making your guests unwelcome by bringing up the topic of leaving. I'm simply doing you a favor."

You speak with a mocking kind voice and bring out the fan he gave you to cover your mouth. His annoyed voice melts away as he laughs softly at your actions. You crack a smile too until he tips your fan forward to reveal your face.

"This fan will be your ticket to the boat. As promised, I selected the best boat, the Crux will treat you kindly when you board the Alcor. Captain Beidou is said to be one of the best captains and a crew member by the name Kaedehara Kazuha was once a loyal subordinate of the Kamisato's."

That was actually pretty cool. Beidou is said to have defeated a hydra in her character entry. Plus, Kazuha was a really popular character. You were fond of them both and thinking of meeting them with no worry of dying sounded amazing.

At least until you remembered how the Crux was known for 'daring' adventures meaning batshit dangerous sailing. They could all survive it because they either have a vision or training. But you? You weren't a fighter, nor did you have any powers. It's that stupid dilemma about what to do when you inventible encounter enemies again!

"Thanks Ayato, the creator seems to trust them both a lot too. To get to Ritou I'll need to pass Byakko Plain and Konda village. And that little shore area with loads of monsters."

Ayato pauses when you mention monsters. He didn't forget that you can't fight right? You look to Ayaka and she's avoiding your gaze. You turn a little more urgently to Thoma just for him to smile nervously.

"You all forgot that I don't have any guards, fighting skills and powers, didn't you?"

"It's not that we forgot when we were making preparations Y/N. Originally, I was going to accompany you but the Shogun suddenly announced a meeting this morning that will be starting in an hour. Ayato and I will be forced to attend leaving Thoma the only one to take care of the estate in our absence."

You feel a bit more frantic. Maybe if it was daylight, you'd just take the risk but nighttime? You have no intention of dying to a hilichurl or any other monsters, humans included.

"Can't a guard come with me then?"

"It seems that's our only choice. The guards are necessary for the festival due to the large number of people. And the amount only heightens at night but it's a risk we'll have to take. Your safety is priority, you'll need two guards at least"

You feel a bit guilty knowing that you'll be putting the public in danger. But the chance of someone dying without two guards is much lower than the chance of you dying without a guard. It's not a bad thing to have survival instincts, you tell yourself to ease the guilt.

"Wouldn't a better idea be for me to accompany them instead?" Someone butts into the conversation (rude) with a horrifically familiar voice.

Clips of the scene "Traveler, you're so dreamy~" echo throughout your mind as you remember his first birthday art posted on Reddit during a crisis that only caused more chaos.

Heizou walks with confidence to your group smiling innocently. Like he wasn't just eavesdropping on everything. You want to scream.

Who fucking cursed you?! You managed to run into everybody you wanted to avoid! Except Ei but you were starting to doubt that you'll be able to avoid her too.

Thoma throws Heizou a suspicious glance before standing next to you protectively. You wish Thoma was able to protect you from whatever Heizou's intuition is telling him about you. There's a large chance he heard you be referred to as an oracle.

Ayato and Ayaka keep their composure as Heizou stops in front of them who are standing in front of you. Seems like they all don't want him close to you. Is it because he's part of the Tenryou Commission?

"My, what's the caution about? I'm an upstanding member of the Tenryou Commission. With a vision too! I prefer not to fight but I am good at it." His voice was even more melodious in person. If only it wasn't hiding the absolute trap, you know he has behind his back.

"Considering that you were eavesdropping on our conversation for a while, I truly doubt your words. You always abandon or delegate your work to other people too. Can I really trust that with Y/N's safety?"

Ayato's words are as sharp as his stare. His eyes are similar to the depths of the ocean waiting to pull their victims into the freezing water. It really reminded you of when you first met him. Your relationship with him has improved in bounds and leaps.

"Now, now no need to be so hostile. I'm under Madam Kujou Sara this time. She was worried about the oracle and asked me to check up on them. I am the only other vision holder that's awakened in the Tenryou Commission. I can promise you that they'll make it to Ritou, they'll probably be boarding the Crux, correct?"

Heizou, to his credit, is good under Ayato's pressure. Probably from dealing with Sara all the time. Thoma clearly doesn't trust Heizou, Ayaka is seemingly neutral on the matter and Ayato is weirdly against Heizou.

"Were you not listening early enough to be sure what boat Y/N is going on?"

How didn't you notice Heizou listening? You were able to spot Yae right away, yet you missed him?

"The oracle is clearly an important person as they are directly connected to the creator. Only the Crux could provide a level of safety fit for them."

You saw Yae first, so you were always on guard for her. Did you unknowingly relax around the Kamisato's therefore preventing you from noticing Heizou?

"All it took was a quick deduction. I'm a detective for a reason." Heizou ends with a smile. Ayato though less tense hasn't let up his stare. The tension is killing you, but you can't afford to stay any longer.

Heizou only offered to figure out the mystery behind you and his intuition probably had a hand in it too. Going with him does mean dealing with whatever questions he throws at you, but it seems to be your only choice. You can't risk staying any longer and running into Ei.

You move away from Thoma's side and place a hand on Ayato's shoulder. You smile trying to lessen Ayato's suspicion.

"He doesn't seem to be a bad choice at all. Going with him means I'll be safe and so will everyone else. Like he said, he's an awakened acolyte with a vision. Sara wouldn't send him unless she was truly okay with it. She's very cautious concerning these things after all."

Ayato looks down at you with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. If it was up to him, he would accompany you himself. Better yet he would keep you in Inazuma. He knows Ayaka and Thoma would be more than happy with that too.

But the longer he looks at you the more he knows that what he wants just isn't going to happen or work. The nervous smile you send him makes his heart flutter. With a sigh he nods.

"If that's what you wish Y/N then Shikanoin can escort you to the boat." And if his subordinate that is already stationed there reports back that you never boarded the boat then he knows exactly who to blame.

You smile feeling relieved that you won't have to worry about dying on the journey. Looking to Heizou you feel that relief turn to exhaustion as you imagine what the conversation during the journey will be like.

"You're Shikanoin Heizou correct? I'm Y/N, an oracle for the creator. Although I don't appreciate you eavesdropping, I am thankful that you'll be escorting me."

You walk forward and hold out your hand to shake his. Heizou looks at the two Kamisato's and honorary Kamisato behind you who are giving him varying levels of glares. Flashing a smug smile to them he shakes your hand.

"Don't mention it Y/N. You can just call me Heizou, we'll be spending a lot of time together on this trip after all."

You can tell he's saying that more to rile up the Kamisatos, but you tactfully ignore it and release his hand. Time to play damage control! Fun.

You turn around to face them with a grin. You were honestly going to miss them, a lot more than you originally thought.

"I can't thank you three enough for helping me out like this. Whenever I visit Inazuma again, the first stop will be the estate. Probably when the final ritual is occurring. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know, okay?"

They all gave you their own version of goodbye.

"I'll be eagerly awaiting your next visit." A sad but happy face hiding behind a fan.

"Come whenever, I'll make you more good food!" An excited and slightly melancholic expression.

"Don't sound so sappy, you make it sound like you'll die." A gentle look that alludes to the longing hiding behind it.

You can't help but feel a sense of dread rise up. As if the next time you see them won't be as happy as you think it'll be.

But that's the future. The future can always be changed. You shouldn't get so hung up and worried about something that is so far away.

To ease your worries and the sorrow you feel at having to leave, you wave to them with a bright smile. You follow Heizou who already began walking to Inazuma City's exit.

He isn't speaking, just quietly leading you through the city. You don't bother trying to break the quiet like you did with Ayato. You don't need Heizou's attention anymore then you probably have.

Your eyes trail over Heizou as you follow him. You try not to stare at his exposed sides but judging by the smile he gives you... He definitely noticed. Slu-

"Are all oracles supposed to be as perverted as you?"

"What do you mean by perverted? If you take my glances at you as perversion, then you're the perverted one. Aren't you cold?"

"It's not that bad. I'm sure you're at least a little warmer with that mask on." Here comes the questions.

"It's broken, any heat I could retained is lost through the cracks."

"Then why wear it? Surely the Kamisato's would gladly fund you more masks. So, what's so special about that mask? Why even wear it?"

Unlike Yae who was only interested in toying with you, Heizou is looking to solve the mystery. Plus, you had him which means he must feel the pull you give off as the creator. What's the point of being the creator if it only leads you to more problems?

Like it or not you're stuck in this situation and his intuition is like an otherworldly sense. Staying silent might lead him to arrest you, you can't risk missing the boat. So, you'll need to lead him around, a plan that just might work due to his own pride.

"Well why can't I? My mask isn't hurting anyone. Is your instinct as a detective telling you that my mask is important?"

"My intuition you mean. You're smart enough to get the Kamisato's trust and Madam Kujou Sara's trust. And I have a hunch that, that mask is connected to your oracle status."

"Doubting me huh? Well, you can't arrest me for wearing a mask or just looking shady so let's make this journey fun." You say with a smile as you both pass farms and the huge tree at the edge of the city.

"What are you proposing?"

"I guess you could call it a game. Your intuition seems sharp enough to pick up on any bullshit I spew. Ask me any questions and I'll give you cryptic answers. Maybe I'm lying, telling the truth, deflecting or a mix of them all. A test of both of our skills. If you can figure out why I'm hiding my face, then I'll tell you everything."

You actually mean it. Mostly because Heizou wouldn't believe you if you aren't being honest. If he can actually wait and listen to everything, then maybe he won't immediately attack you.

You know it's a stupid chance, but you can't risk being here any longer. You want to stop feeling scared of thunderous skies and lighting chasing your every move.

Heizou is quiet as he watches you while thinking. Should he accept this? His intuition won't stop nagging him to find the truth behind you. What does he really have to lose playing with you like this? With a smile he finally responds.

"Alright, let's see if you can keep the truth hidden as well as you think you can. Is that mask special?"

"Not really, I only took it because it was broken."

"Why would you take a broken mask?"

"The price of course, well the lack of price I mean." You only fibbed a little there. You have to test how well he can pick up on lies.

He hums in acknowledgement. It's clear he doesn't fully believe it. The game was right to dub him as a prodigy detective.

"That mask has the trademark of Mr. Sanden. He's a bit of a perfectionist, he doesn't sell any masks he isn't happy with. So how did you manage to get him to sell it to you?"

He's got home advantage too. But remembering Heizou's past made you recall his hatred for sin. You can't help but worry that he'll react violently if you admit your theft. That's what selective wording is good for!

"You got me. Sanden didn't want to sell it to me, but he eventually did let me leave with it. I'm thankful since the mask has served me well."

"Are you wearing that mask to deter certain people?" That little bait was a good deflection.

"Well, you could say so. Maybe I committed a crime that would be revealed with my mask off. Or I'm hiding an ugly scar behind it that I don't want people to see. It could be that I'm living a double life and this mask is the only difference between my lives."

You shrug and pass by the spot where you met the Arrataki Gang. Not for the first time you missed them. Sara included, at least you didn't need to think hard and fast on how to fool her.

"What do you think is the truth? Are they all true to a degree? Or are they all lies?"

Heizou hums and holds his chin looking like a true detective. You look a little closer to examine the moles beneath his eyes. It was pretty cool how he had matching ones. He snaps his fingers and points at you with mirth.

"Sounds more like two lies and a truth. Or maybe half-truth would be a better description. That double life choice seems to be on the right track."

He wasn't wrong, but the answer was much farther than a double life. You spot the teleport waypoint that you activated after defeating those treasure hoarders and nobushi. Are the materials you collected from them still bloody?

"Believe what you will. I don't necessarily need to confirm whether you got the correct answer."

"Getting a little defensive aren't you. Seems like I should ask you a little more about this topic. Where were you born?"

"I actually don't know." It's true, you had no clue what hospital or city you were born in.

"Then where did you arrive in Inazuma? Watatsumi or Ritou?"

"Neither I simply woke up on Seirai Island." You know he'll probably dig around for more information about this topic once you leave but you're okay with that. How will he tell which story on your appearance is true or false?

"I find it hard to believe that you don't remember anything beyond that."

"I don't have many memories before becoming the oracle. Realizing what I have to do ordered by the creator makes me believe that my past-"

Your rambling is cut off by the scoff he lets out.

"Man alive, no need to start preaching about the creator that I've personally experienced. I don't believe your words about the creator at all. And we got quite off topic, didn't we? Tell me, did the creator order you to wear that mask?"

What a question. Perfect time to test deflection.

"Would you stop asking me questions if I say that the creator did order me to wear it? Would you even believe me if I said that they did?"

"No."

"So, you're just asking to fuck with me?"

"Not necessarily, all these questions are just steppingstones to the truth."

"Fancy way to say that you'll ask me anything and everything."

"Glad to hear that you've already accepted your fate." This little shit.

You slow down your pace while passing by the temple. You feel a bit tempted to enter it to admire the murals. Heizou stops to watch you stare up at it in amazement. For an 'oracle' you seem mesmerized by the temple.

You jump a little as Heizou slings a arm around your shoulder and pulls you along the path again. Konda village is in sight and his breath is fanning over your ear.

"So, tell me Y/N, do you at least remember what region you were born in? Or at least lived in before becoming an oracle? Y/N isn't a very common name, in fact you're the first person I've met with that name."

"Well, I'm quite sure I wasn't born in Inazuma. I wouldn't call Seirai Island a home either." You nearly whisper as you stare straight into his eyes. You refused to be psyched out, not after all the other authorities you tricked on Earth.

He lets go of you and walks a little ahead of you. Frowning in confusion you speed up to match his pace. You barely catch the way his smile wavers a little and his hand toys with the baton on his hip. Was the previous proximity affecting Heizou too?

"What's wrong Heizou? For someone who I pegged as the teasing type you sure can't handle your own consequences."

Heizou smiles a littler wider contradicting how his eyebrows furrow. There's a large chance you're a criminal, something like that shouldn't have affected him so strongly. So why did you? Why did the heat of your body and smell of something sweet on you make him fumble like that?

"Speak for yourself, your heart was beating out of your chest."

"Even noticed my heartbeat huh? Sounds like you've got some sort of crush."

"You wish now stop trying to distract me. In fact, what about those writings on the temple walls made you so distracted."

"They were writing?" You questioned instinctively and immediately regretted it. The smile Heizou wears is victorious.

"Yes, it was. Do you know how to read?"

"No. Or at least not that well."

"Heh so that's a yes, just not in this language."

"Basically."

"Interesting and very believable. That writing was very old, but it was written in the universal language with Inazuma dialect. Meaning you should be able to at least recognize it as writing, but you didn't."

You're nervous but you calmly cross the stone bridge into Konda village. Heizou seems to want to ask something but the yells from parents interrupt him.

"Takeru! Takeru, you little rascal it's bedtime! Where are you?! Oh, where is he?" An older woman is calling out for Takeru who seems to be a child judging by the bedtime.

"Futaba! It's nighttime, it's not safe to be out this late! Futaba!" A much older woman with white hair is calling out too. You and Heizou pass by them a little concerned.

The sky is darkening but it's not pitch black just yet. Those children should probably still be out playing or something. Heizou hums and sweeps his eyes across the village.

"After I drop you off, I'll come back to make sure those kids came back fine."

"Is it normal for children to play without supervision?" The thought of kids playing outside when there are literal monsters around sounds unbelievable.

"It's quite common especially around villages like this where only elderly and children live. This is a farming village too so they're likely playing on the farm."

You nod and follow Heizou to leave the village by going under the flimsy looking gate. The sickle you picked up and put in your bag on whim still makes you uneasy. Your gut feeling made you pick it up and you aren't quite sure what to do with it now.

"I haven't forgotten about your slip up. So, either you lied about knowing how to read or you know how to read in a different language that has no roots in the universal language."

This guys just does not miss a beat. As you get closer to the beach area that leads to Ritou, you see a teleport waypoint. You couldn't activate the one in Inazuma City due to the crowd and Yae but this one could be used to your advantage.

You stop at the waypoint making Heizou look at you in confusion. You place a hand on the waypoint and relish in the new gold color it turns. Smugly you look to see Heizou staring at the waypoint with a shocked expression.

"Man alive, how did you-?"

He's cut off by a scream. It sounds like a young boy and you both look at each other in alert. Immediately Heizou turns and runs down the steps onto the shore with you following him.

The scream is joined by another scream sounding like a girl. You and Heizou follow it to the right and run past the waterfall and follow the dirt path. Blindly passing by a hilichurl camp you see a Fatui Hydrogunner and an Electrohammer.

You freeze up in fear as you watch a boy be slung over the Hydrogunner's shoulder and a girl try to crawl away from the Electrohammer. Heizou wastes no time to deliver an anemo infused punch to the Electrohammer giving the girl a chance to stand up.

You take a deep breath and move closer to hold the girl. She clings onto you in fear as she weeps loudly. You watch in a daze as Heizou continues dealing blows to the Electrohammer. At least until the Hydrogunner makes his move.

"Freeze or the boy drowns."

All three of you freeze as the Hydrogunner points to his gun to the boy's head. The Electrohammer hits Heizou straight in the chest with the war hammer knocking him back.

"Heizou!" You yell as you watch him hit the ground harshly. You yelp in pain when you're suddenly lifted up harshly by your neck. Struggling in his grasp uselessly until he squeezes your neck and throws you over his shoulder. The girl cowers and cries as she's yanked onto the other side.

Heizou stands up but stays in place as the Hydrogunner keeps the gun to the boy's head. You're about to wrap your hands around the Electrohammer's neck when he speaks.

"I wouldn't do that unless you want the boy to get blown to pieces."

You freeze before hanging limply over his shoulder. Everything is quiet save for the children's sobs. The Electrohammer starts walking farther from the city and the Hydrogunner does the same but slower.

You can only watch as Heizou's furious face gets smaller and smaller. They bring you and the kids to a camp close to Araumi. You land roughly on the floor with rope tied around you. A Anemoboxer who was waiting at their camp ties up the kids and drops them next to you. You give one last scathing glare before they close the tent flap.

Tense, you wait a few moments until you hear the muffled sounds of them talking. You turn back to look at the scared kids next to you.

"Hey, hey it's okay. We're going to get out of this, okay? Did you see that guy with me? He's a friend and he's really strong too. He's gonna get us out of here."

Their sobs slow down at your words and they look up at you. They have little scratches and scraps from trying to escape the Fatui.

"I want to go home, I wanna see Granny." "Are they going to take us?"

You shush them quietly to stop them from working themselves up into a crying fit.

"Me and my friend are going to make sure you get home safe. Why don't you both tell me your names? Mine is Y/N and my friend is called Heizou."

"I'm Takeru and she's Futaba." Takeru speaks with a waver as Futaba nods tearfully. They're still scared and the conversation between the Fatui is slowly turning into an argument.

"It's nice to meet you both, now I need you both to be brave and stay quiet for me." They both nod and you smile trying to offer some comfort. You couldn't let them take you and the kids' hostage again.

The ropes are tight around your torso and wrists, but they underestimated you. There is a pole in the middle of the tent with a wheel but it's the gear behind it that matters.

Carefully you move your legs until they are bent underneath you. You stand up and stumble a little to the gear. You can feel the sharp edges around the gear and smile.

At first you try to cut the large rope around your torso, but the rope is too thick and strong. You move your back higher against the pole so that the rope around your wrists is the one being cut.

Takeru and Futaba watch you in a mixture of fear and hope. You smile when you feel the rope give away and fall to the ground. With your hands free, you struggle a little to shimmy your bound arms to your front.

It's like wearing a really tight shirt with your arms still in it. Uncomfortable but not super painful. Once it's done you move to your bag that was thrown on the ground. Carefully you kneel and open it.

The game screen is deeper in the bag, and you shove your hand in to select the sickle you took from Konda village. When you pull your hand out it's weakly holding the sickle.

The kids smile as hope becomes clearer. The argument outside is getting louder. Yells of "this wasn't the plan!" and "we have to do it!" are making you increasingly worried.

Carefully you maneuver the sickle to cut the ropes without cutting your own shirt. The ropes break and you stretch your arms to get the blood flowing.

"Alright, I'm gonna get you both free but you have to stay quiet and listen to me or we'll get caught again."

They nod eagerly and you move behind them. You cut off the ropes and they stand up in a flash. But the loud sound of a punch cuts your victory short. Takeru and Futaba huddle closer to you in fear.

You smile kindly and hold out your free hand to them.

"Hold onto me, be prepared to make a run." They nod and grasp your arm as the sound of fighting gets louder. You walk closer to the tent flap and lift it to see the outside.

Heizou is fighting them all with a few wounds. The hit he took earlier must still be affecting him. This was not a good match up. Although the elemental shields aren't up yet, it wasn't an easy fight.

The Anemoboxer and the Hydrogunner are both healing and the Electrohammer is giving heavy electro blows. Not even mentioning the swirl that's happening. Once those shields come up, Heizou will have even more work to do.

The minute they have one of you hostage is when the fight is over. You can't let that happen. You can dodge but the kids can't. You eye the path and turn back to the kids.

"Listen carefully, you saw that dirt path they took us on? You need to follow it back to where me and Heizou found you. Just stay there and wait, okay? If anyone that you don't recognize starts coming. just hide."

You would rather them go straight back to Konda village, but you didn't want them at the mercy of the hilichurls either. They tremble but nod at your words.

You look out the flap sneakily and suck in a breath as the Anemoboxer starts heading towards the tent you all are at. Quickly you throw it open and drag the kids out with you.

The fighting freezes for a moment as the flap hits the Anemoboxer in the face and you push the kids in front of you. The Electrohammer and Hydrogunner look at you in surprise.

"Run!"

This springs the kids into action and Heizou delivers a charged up anemo punch to the Hydrogunner. Rain starts to fall, and the elemental shields were thrown up. The Anemoboxer has just doubled in your dangerous rating. The Anemoboxer reaches out for you making you jump back.

You just need to keep the Anemoboxer away from Heizou who's dealing with the other two Fatui Skirmishers. You keep dodging and running circles around him. You were mostly afraid of him using anemo to pull you in.

The fights weren't like watching it in the game. These guys bleed even while encased in the war machines. You hear the groan of the Hydrogunner passing out and smile crookedly. Was this fight finally going to be over soon?

The Anemoboxer leaves you to fight Heizou and you finally take a breather. Heizou doesn't stick to the Genshin game rules either. His catalyst follows him as he mixes up his normal attack pattern. Horrible timing but it's really cool watching him use anemo in creative ways that the game never showed.

The enemies seem to be in a rougher state. There's a three way stand off as they all stop to catch their breath. You see movement behind Heizou and feel your blood run cold.

"Heizou behind you!"

Heizou follows your words and just barely dodges the water blast from the Hydrogunner that was slowly getting back up. With one last fully charged kick to the head, the Hydrogunner falls down. The loud crack lets you know that he may never get up again.

The other two Fatui don't let the opportunity slip. With the Anemoboxer dragging Heizou closer, the Electrohammer slams the hammer down onto Heizou. You clench the sickle in your hand tighter as you can only watch in horror.

You stayed out of the fight for a reason, you couldn't fight you would only be in the way. But that's not an option anymore. Hearing his pained groans as he's punched by the Anemoboxer swirling the electro and rain spurs you into action.

While the Anemoboxer's back is turned you sneak up and raise the sickle. The spot in his back with no armor covering it seems to call to you. You slam the tip of the blade straight into it making him cry out.

You pull it out in a hurry and jump back as the wound bleeds more. The Electrohammer looks at you in surprise giving Heizou a long enough breather to get back up.

The Electrohammer and Heizou go straight back to combat as the Anemoboxer faces you. His huge gauntlets swing around trying to hit you as he coughs up blood. The ground is slippery, and it makes your dodging a little harder.

You jump closer to the boxer making him throw up his shield in reflex. Using the rain, you slide around him and slash his thigh to limit his speed.

The sickle's weight was clumsy at first but the more you traded blows using it, the more you came to master it. Gritting your teeth, you quickly stand back up after slipping from the wet ground.

Silently you urge Heizou to hurry up, you weren't sure how much more you could take. Your mask was starting to crumble but you pushed it to the back of your mind.

The boxer runs up to you in a flash not letting you back away fast enough. Reflexes are what save you from a punch to the face as you crouch and roll away. He's still bringing his fist back to defend himself giving you an opening.

You can tell something is different as you swing your sickle. Something about you is different that makes you wonder if you'll be able to finish the boxer once and for all.

Electro crackles around the sickle as you puncture his chest. The electro-charged reaction and wound seem to do the trick. The boxer stumbles and gasps for air.

You watch in horror and relief as the boxer falls onto the floor. You really killed again, and you used elemental to do so. You don't have a moment to stew on that though as you hurriedly dodge the now furious Electrohammer. The war hammer slams onto the ground and Heizou is quick to kick a projectile anemo shot to his face.

It knocks him to the ground, and you watch with unknown feelings as the mask he wears breaks. The fight is over, you and Heizou won. There's no time to wallow in self-pity, not as Heizou stumbles with a dazed expression.

You're quick to support him and he lays his bleeding head on you. You gently move his arm to wrap around you and do the same for him. His wounds aren't life threatening or serious, but he's been bleeding for a while. You need to stop the bleeding first.

Helping him gently you move him to lean against a small boulder. In a rush you go back to the tent and open your bag. You take out some of the leftover medical supplies you kept (stole) from the Kamisato Estate.

Slinging the bag back on you hurry to Heizou. The rain seems to be letting up as you examine him. His head is bleeding from a cut, so you bandage it first. His shirt is dyed red, and you lift it up and wince at the sight.

Multiple bruises and cuts cover his stomach and chest. That's gonna be a bitch to bandage, especially considering how much damage his back too.

"Sorry Heizou, this'll hurt." Heizou only weakly groans with his eyes screwed shut in pain.

Pushing the shirt as high as you can, you start wrapping it around him. Not the best solution but it's your only one with so little supplies. Heizou's consciousness seems to come and go as you finish and fix his shirt.

The thought of Heizou closing his eyes and falling asleep in such a state worries you. What if he passes out from blood loss and dies? Thoughts like that rise up and you grasp for anything to keep him awake.

"Hey Heizou, if you can respond to me in words. I'll tell you a big hint to my secret."

His eyes focus on you a little more. That's a good sign, nothing like baiting a detective like him with leads.

"Well, *cough* what hint are you *cough* going to give me?" His raspy voice and coughs worry you, but they seem to make him more awake.

"You were really close on me having a second life."

"That's it? That's a *cough* crappy hint."

You laugh at his remark trying to hide your relief. The fear of holding another cold body of someone you cared about still plagues you.

"If you want a better hint then you better drag it out of me as I drag you back to Konda village."

You support him as he chuckles at your words. He does his best to not lay too much weight on you but that's hard when his head is fuzzy.

The walk is quiet and with him so close you relish in the sound of his harsh breathing. It lets you know that he's still breathing, that you didn't fail.

You don't want to think about the person you just killed. So, your mind analyzes about the electro you wielded through the sickle instead. It makes a lot of sense that you can use the elements through a weapon as a medium. How could you have not realized that possibility?

If you continued training with it, could you eventually use electro without a weapon? Probably not but the idea of shooting electro is cool, nonetheless.

Takeru and Futaba are waiting nervously in the spot you instructed. You smile at the sight and wait till you are closer to call out.

"Futaba, Takeru! Over here!"

They smile at the sight of you both and run to meet you. Futaba frowns in worry at the sight of Heizou and you injured. Takeru tries to help by supporting his other side.

Heizou buries his head in the crook of your neck to hide the grimace of pain as Takeru touches the wounded area.

"Takeru, Futaba can you guys guide us to Konda village? It's an important job since we don't want to get ambushed by enemies."

Eyes wide they nod and walk a little ahead. They survey the surroundings seriously and nod at you firmly to show that it's safe.

Heizou keeps his head on your shoulder and mumbles. "Thanks, guess you're as perceptive as I thought."

You huff in amusement and continue supporting him until you all get to Konda village. The two women that were looking for the kids earlier spot you all and rush over.

They both hug their respective family members with tears in their eyes. It's clear that the kids aren't over the dangerous encounter.

"Thank you so much for saving Takeru and Futaba. You both seem very injured, please come to my house. I have some supplies that can help you both."

The village chief approaches you and Heizou with concern. You nod gratefully and help Heizou into the house. There's a small cot on the floor and Heizou lays down on it slowly.

Konda Densuke, the village chief comes back with a fully stocked medical kit. It's more primitive than the ones you are used to in Earth, but it'll work well enough.

"I'll leave you to it, once you're done, please come outside. I'll have something that can help that young man."

Quietly you thank the old man and turn back to Heizou as the door closes.

"I'm about to get pretty personal with your body, that's not a problem, right?"

"Why are you asking as if you weren't doing that earlier? Of course, it's fine, just don't be so obvious with your staring."

"If you weren't injured, I would hit you myself."

He chuckles and removes his cracked arm guards. You focus on taking out the bandages and ointment out of the kit. You leave briefly to wet a rag with water and come back to see Heizou shirtless sitting on the cot.

He smiles up at you seemingly more aware and alert. His bandages around his torso are stained red. Smaller cuts and scrapes cover his arms and legs. The bandage on his forehead is bleeding a lot less than before.

You kneel beside him and carefully remove the bandage on his head. Heizou bears the pain of you wiping away the dirt and applying the ointment well. The new patch is put on his head and your hands move lower to the bandages around his torso.

After unraveling it, you feel relieved that nothing has become inflamed or infected yet. The bruises on his back and front are tended to before you clean the cuts. You firmly wrap the new bandage around his torso. He only tenses up as you finish.

"This is only a temporary solution. Once we get to Ritou you should see a doctor."

"I will, I promise but I must say. This is some pretty good work, like you have experience doing this kind of thing. Care to tell me who you've helped before?"

He really is a nuisance. He was almost killed in a bad match up with three Fatui Skirmishers and his first instinct after properly waking up is to question you?

"Seriously? Not even a thank you? And my expertise comes from taking care of myself if you must know." Scowling with no real annoyance you put away the remaining supplies back into the med kit.

Heizou laughs at your reaction before placing a hand on your shoulder. He rests his head on the opposite shoulder and speaks softly. What is with this guy and leaning on you?

"You're right, thank you Y/N. Even with my suspicions, I'm still thankful that you helped me and those kids. I'm hoping that whatever secret you're hiding isn't one I'll ever have to arrest you for."

HIs bare bandaged chest against your back makes you embarrassed.

"Aren't you a bit too up close and personal with someone you're suspecting?" You say stiffly as he proceeds to melt even further into you.

"Getting shy?" He whispers teasingly. His face is dangerously close to your neck making you tense up further. You already knew that he was a flirt but isn't he moving too fast?!

Your face gets redder as his breath grazes your neck. People have tried to trick you in numerous ways before. That includes pretending to have fallen in love with you for information. Seduction never worked on you due to how untrusting you are.

But in Teyvat? Where the characters you found comfort in and loved? It was hard not to be affected or overthink things like this. While you were avoiding looking at him, Heizou took his time admiring you.

The flustered look on your face, your fingers drumming on your thigh. It was adorable how nervous you were. For a split second he remembered how comfortable you were around the Kamisato, how brightly you smiled. Did you get all flustered around them like this too?

A flash of jealousy engulfs him, and his body seems out of his control. His teeth lightly nip your neck making you stand up in a flash. Your voice is steady, but your heart is beating out of control.

"I'm going to see what the village chief had for you. Just stay here."

Watching you leave in a hurry makes him realize what he just did. Man alive, what the hell made him act like that? Despite the slight guilt from overstepping a boundary, he honestly didn't regret it. If he had a chance, he'd probably do it again.

When you come back in with two plates and a cup. Your face was back to normal, and your posture was relaxed.

"They were nice enough to make us some food and a drink to help with your blood loss. It's some citrus juice so make sure to drink it all."

Sitting down next to him, you pass him the cup and a plate. You eat the food and Heizou follows your lead. It's fine if you don't want to touch on what happened. Frankly he's still unsure why he's become so enamored by you as well. But at least he has a better grasp on you and your secret.

After eating everything you both return the dishes and thank the chief. The elderly women, Takeru, and Futaba all come out despite the dark sky. They thank you and Heizou asking if you need anything.

"Don't worry, I'm just glad no one got seriously hurt." Heizou tries to elbow you with playful intent, but you move out the way with a smile.

"Why don't you both stay the night? Those injuries must still be bothering you. We have extra room."

You only had some minor bruising compared to Heizou. The cuts and scrapes were no more than an itch to you. These kinds of injuries were normal to you on Earth. And you really couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Thanks for the offer but we have to get to Ritou before the stars come out. Please stay safe."

You wave to them one last time before arriving back at the shore area.

"Seems like there's no more children being kidnapped, let's get across this area fast."

Heizou on the other hand seems content to just stroll along. Well, that wouldn't work for you, you could not miss the Crux. You stop letting Heizou walk a little ahead of you. He notices your absence and stops to look back at you in confusion.

You run past him and grab something from his side. You slow your sprint a little to face him as you raise your prize.

"If you want your jitte back then you'll have to catch me!" Spinning around you face Ritou's direction and continue running. You can hear Heizou kick sand as he chases after you.

He honestly could care less about his jitte. It's the sight of you smiling brightly as he tries to grab you that makes him continue chasing you. The wounds and injuries from the fight still ache but it's worth the pain. You're worth the pain.

You'll be leaving soon. You might be a fraud. Logic says that being so fixated on you so soon is dangerous and stupid. Yet his smile never leaves his face as he finally snatches his jitte out of your hand.

His intuition screams at him that you're so much more. That whatever you're hiding will bring him happiness of a lifetime. That you will bring him that happiness.

You stumble onto the stone pavement in Ritou as Heizou keeps his hand on your shoulder. You're both calming down from laughing at him nearly falling face first into the sand.

"How didn't you see that pile of crabs? Too distracted by me to focus?"

"What if I was? You can't tell since you nearly passed out from laughing at me."

"You can't blame me for that! I would pay good money to have seen you actually fall face first."

You walk past Ritou's town square as the docks and inspection tent get into view.

"Money huh? Is that the currency in your old world?"

You continue walking casually but there's no denying how you almost froze up.

"Is that the conclusion you've come to after all the questions?"

"My intuition tells me that I've barely scrapped the surface but I'm all out of leads. For now, my suspicion is that you come from another world similar to the traveler. Although I'm not sure if the creator ordered you to keep your identity secret. You do seem to be an oracle for them."

Psychology really was amazing. By getting Heizou so worked up about your mask, you managed to have him believe you to be an oracle. The minor fact of you not being from this world makes him feel accomplished in a sense. You let him figure out one secret to hide a bigger one.

"You really are a great detective. No one else has realized I'm not from this world but you. But that didn't answer my original question in the game. It seems like you lost Heizou, no secrets for you."

Stopping at the end of the stairs Heizou looks at you seriously.

"I really hate leaving mysteries unsolved."

"Then you'll just have to handle me being the mystery left unsolved."

"What if I just took your mask off right now? We both know I'd catch you even if you tried to run. Or better yet I could arrest you for any stupid reason just to take it off."

You can't stop the laughter that bubbles up inside you. You wipe the moisture from your eyes as your laughter turns to giggles. The main reason you were okay with traveling with Heizou despite his intense need to solve mysteries is because...

"That would utterly destroy your pride. I know that you dislike fighting, that the moment you're forced into combat while solving a mystery is when you feel like you lost. You take so much pride in becoming a detective that having to resort to force would be a low you'd never stoop down to reach."

He turns away with a relaxed stance. His head angled to the ground with a nostalgic smile.

"Guess you must have found out some of my private information through the creator. But you're right, I would never do that."

It's quiet as you two resume walking to the inspection tent. Ah crap, does the fan work as an ID for you too?

There's no line due to how late it is but there is a familiar person.

"Sara?"

She turns away from the inspector and looks at you with some confusion. The sight of Heizou next to you, so close to you, makes her frown.

"Y/N, a pleasure to see you again. I can only assume that you are leaving under the creator's orders but what are you doing with Shikanoin?"

"But didn't you ask him to check up on me?"

...That little shit.

Sara glares at Heizou as you mentally put the pieces together. Sara sees Heizou as someone irresponsible. There's a very low chance of her entrusting someone connected to the 'creator' like you to him. She would rather do it herself.

Ayato was right when he said that Heizou tends to skip or delegate regular Doushin duties to others. And that's because he has no interest in those jobs. Sara probably knows that full well and would rather avoid that outcome. Plus, Heizou even asked where you arrived on Inazuma even though you already told Sara that you woke up on Ritou.

"Shikanoin, that is not acceptable behavior for a Doushin. What explanation do you have for yourself?"

Sara's stern voice bounces off Heizou who is far too used to it. You didn't bother stepping in. Not only were you curious how he got to know all your previous information, but the sneaky bastard deserved it.

"Madam you really can't blame me for investigating on my own accord. Not only have there been some subtle rumors about a mysterious oracle, but you kept glancing at Y/N during the festival. As Y/N already knows, I listened in on their conversation with the Kamisato Clan for a bit before introducing myself."

"Even still, you know the proper procedures to investigate something. Now that you've already interrogated them, you should leave them be- What are those wounds?"

Sara's exasperated voice turns cold when she looks closer at you and notices the minor cuts on you.

"Were you attacked on the way here? Not only did the oracle get injured but you also investigated them in this state?"

Maybe you should step in now, Sara seems on the verge of throwing him in jail.

"It's fine Sara, some Fatui were trying to kidnap two children from Konda village, so we stepped in. Honestly Heizou did most of the fighting and is the real wounded one."

You smile and finish with an almost proud laugh. "It was impressive how Heizou had me fooled this entire time. I'm not mad at all so don't worry Sara. But thank you for being so worried."

You softly hold Sara's hands and give a grateful squeeze before pulling away. You step past her to talk to the inspector. This was gonna be a nightmare. You don't see the competitive glare Heizou and Sara give each other.

As you are denied exit permission due to your lack of identification, Sara and Heizou step in to help you at the same time. After a few minutes of Sara and Heizou vouching for you as third-party authorizers, you hand over the fan.

That seemed to be enough proof for them to hand you a stack of papers to fill out. You moved the monstrous number of papers to a crate. Paperwork that you had to touch to read before filling out, what a joy.

"I'll be leaving first. The Shogun requires my presence for an important meeting. Shikanoin, I expect you to be at headquarters to finish all the new paperwork you earned after pulling the stunt you did. And Y/N please stay safe on your journey, may the creator guide you."

"Thank you, Sara, good luck at the meeting! Oh, and please tell the Arrataki Gang goodbye for me too!"

Serious as always, she nods her head before leaving. Heizou moves to stand beside you as you start tracing the words to become readable.

"Why are you touching the letters? You didn't recognize or read the words on the temple so how does touching it help?"

"To put it simply I can read the words easier after I touch them. But shouldn't you be on your way too? Don't think I've forgotten how beat up you are. Go see a professional before every medical building closes!"

"Man alive, are you trying to get rid of me so soon? Why I thought we bonded so well over our time together."

You know he's just playing and teasing but the answer you give is sincere.

"I did, I had a lot of fun. Despite how annoying you were at times, I really enjoyed playing around with all the questions and answers. But I would rather suffer through all this paperwork alone then let you stay with me as hurt as you are. So do us both a favor and see a doctor."

His eyes widen for a split second before settling into something calmer and sweeter. Have you truly bonded with him enough for him to let such a pure expression show?

"Since you were so honest with me, I'll go now."

You smile gratefully and are about to voice your goodbye before he pulls you close to him. You stand in a stupor as his chest presses against yours. His whisper is low and earnest.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Y/N. I eagerly await your next visit to Inazuma."

He releases you before walking away smoothly. Robotically you go back to the paperwork and fill it out. It's probably best to not take his words as anything deeper than friendly. Heizou has always been a flirty character, you were nothing special to him… right?

The stars are out by the time the paperwork is handed in and you have permission to leave. Not wanting to look at the identification card they gave you, you stuff it into your bag for later use.

The Alcor is huge, there is only one crew member awake on the deck and you climb the ramp to speak to him.

"Hello, my name is Y/N, this is the Alcor correct? Here is the fan I was told to show as my ticket." You give the fan to him as he stares at it tiredly.

"I never really expected someone to actually bring it at one point. You must be Lord Kamisato's guest of choice. Come in and enter the doors on the right. The voyage itself is 15 hours but taking into account other things, the trip will take a whole day. Go get some rest."

He gives you back the fan, and you nod in thanks. As you walk past him to the right side, a voice calls out to you from the docks. Curiously you go the railing and look down to see Yae there.

You frown in confusion at her appearance. She must have arrived after you put in the paperwork. Surely, she overhears what Heizou said. Even so, the sight of the sly kitsune makes you automatically stressed.

"Catch." Is your only warning before a small box is thrown towards you. Catching it swiftly, you open it to see a mask inside it. It's a gold accented fox mask specifically designed to only cover the top of your face. The shine and lack of marks make it clear how new and expensive it is.

"An apology for bringing up an uncomfortable subject to you in our conversation. The war has affected many people but it's those in your position that suffered in ways others have not. I hope that whenever you come back to Inazuma, you'll have a lighter heart."

You close the box and smile at her with gratitude. It's a perfect mask for that creeping feeling of dread. This is now the second mask you've obtained from stealing. This mask could have been something different for someone who actually suffered due to the war.

Silently you wave at Yae before she leaves without any other words. You watch her form disappear around a corner as whispers asking, "Where is Captain Beidou?" and "Did she drag Kazuha to drink with her again?" roll off you. You can deal with that later.

The walk to an empty room below the deck is a blur. Your few belongings are on the table as you lay on the bed. The Anemoboxer that you killed rises up in your mind like a tide.

They were kidnapping children, that should be enough justification for their death. You don't feel like arguing that point. You also don't feel like thinking on how you'll deal with any future Fatui members either.

Instead, you ponder about the sickle you used that was encased in electro. If you activate other Statues of the Seven, could you unlock other elements?

Those were the only thoughts you allowed yourself to think about as you gradually fell asleep.

Well this took a while. If anything I blame the fight scene and Heizou being flirty. I did use my decently built Heizou and fought that exact squad of Fatui. He defeated two before dying (it was raining) meaning the outcome of that fight isn't off. I'm experimenting with different yandere types and how the interact. I'm sure most people would write Thoma and Gorou acting nice and trying to one up each other by being kinder while keeping their rivarly secrect. But I thought it was funnier if they were outright hostile and were very bad at hiding it. In case anyone is wondering, I will not be writing full on smut. I'm not sure how far I'll take it in terms of stuff like making out but it'll probably never get past a kiss or two. Maybe I'll change my mind but never smut. I'm far too embarrassed for that.

I never realized just how many characters I had to write until I put the tags. I don't want to know how many words it is but it's 13k. Which is honestly pretty good, I was expecting like 15-16k. I'm very glad that I split the chapter. With Fontaine coming close and the trailer out, I'll probably spend more time playing to make up the primogems needed. Maybe more readers will join with the new hype or players will read less due to the new updates idk.

Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt, @fluffy-koalala, @formacoon, @sxftiebee, @khxii-i, @ursinaw, @chuuya-brainrot, @sweetbills, @kazuchaos, @snowfoxnix, @bluebelony, @conspicuous-mayonnaise, @pencil-of-ashes, @ghostlyintervention, @taiformaifo, @sielt

[gamermaxy]

orange like me

max tries courting daniel for the first time

or, how daniel got his lion, lian (from i gave you all my best me's).

it comes inconspicuously in a plastic bag to max's hotel room. the porter drops it off with a knock on his door and max rushes to open it, knowing exactly what it is.

after a night of partying and celebrating his and daniel's first ever podium, he went back, drunker than he's ever been and scrolled instagram. the ad was one of the first things max sees when he opens the app but it's perfect. the orange lion plush. he orders it immediately, not caring if it's a scam or not.

he pays extra for next day delivery, knowing that they're not scheduled to leave until tuesday morning, anyway.

max carefully opens the package, it's a little weighty and max knows that it probably has beans in them - his sister always said those were better quality.

inspecting the lion's mane, his fingers brushing out the little knots it got in transit. the fur is soft beneath his touch and he wants to scent it. wants to rub the big lion across his scent gland but it would be weird. what if daniel doesn't want to smell him?

with a sigh, he sets the lion on his stomach and messages daniel. he's got no idea if the australian is awake yet but it doesn't matter, max will keep his buddy company until he is to be gifted to his potential mate.

three dots pop up instantly and max smiles, absentmindedly petting the lion's back. daniel promises to be over in a few minutes and max looks around his room, chucking last night's clothes into his suitcase in an attempt to make it look a little tidier.

he considers spraying some cologne into the air but he also wants daniel to smell him. to smell how alpha he is. fuck, courting is hard. eventually, max cracks open the window a little, trying to get rid of the smell of the stale alcohol that clung to his clothes.

three raps on the door lets him know that daniel is outside and max chucks one last red bull polo into his suitcase before tripping over it to reach the door. smoothing out his shirt and taking a deep breath, he opens the door to a cheerful daniel.

large bags hang under the omega's eyes but his smile is ever so bright. max lets him in and quickly struts over to the bed as the door slams, forcing a wince from them both. at least he's not the only one who's hungover.

'i uh, i got you this,' max says, picking up the lion, and thrusting it towards daniel. 'you will like it, i think.'

'aww, maxy,' daniel laughs, taking the weighted lion from his hands. 'he's so cute! imma call him something gangster like lion.'

'that is, of course, very stupid, daniel,' max laughs back. 'you can't just tell him what he is. he, of course, knows he's a lion, daniel.'

'hmm, okay, what if i call him goose or something?' daniel smiles as max continues to laugh, shaking his head.

'no, daniel, he is a reindeer,' max watches as daniel's face lights up before he takes his place, painful laughs wracking through his body. his stomach hurts and tears well in the corner of his eyes.

'what about lian?'

'do you mean liam, daniel?' max takes a few steadying breaths as the omega shakes his head.

'noooo, maxy, lian for emilian and lion,' daniel's smile has fallen, his eyes sincere and max feels how earnest he's being. 'he's a gift from you, and he's orange, too.'

[jenniferjareauwife]

i don't write for emily :/

// sorry! i forgot to say it’s jj x reader

Doyle

pairing: jennifer jareau x fem reader

category: fluff, hurt/comfort

warnings: stabbing

word count: 761

summary: jj looks out for you after you were stabbed by doyle and it blossoms into a romance

My vision was blurry and I didn't know where I was. Nothing made sense anymore. It was dark...there's Emily. She's...she's ok? She was smiling but I swear I heard screaming just a few minutes ago. What was happening?

I flinched when I felt someone's hands on me. Not him again. Please not him. I turned my head as much as it would go, feeling weaker by the second. "Hey y/n." She had blonde hair and looked familiar but I was too tired and weak to connect the dots. "It's JJ. We're gonna get you out of here, ok? Just hold on." I screamed in pain as I felt something get ripped out of my stomach before someone started stuffing something back in again. "They're just packing the wound, it's ok."

"JJ."

"Yeah. It's me." She held my face in her hands as she knelt above my head. "We're gonna get you home safe. Everything is ok. Emily is safe too, ok?"

"Hm." I groaned in pain.

"Hey hey, eyes on me. Just breathe through it."

"Hurts."

"I know it does, but it's keeping you alive." Her voice was quiet, it was really soothing. "We're gonna take you to the hospital now, ok?"

I woke up in a bright room, sitting a bit upright on a comfy bed. "Hey. You're awake." I turned my head and saw JJ. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she looked tired.

"Hi. Why are you here?" It didn't look like anyone else from the team was here.

"One of us had to stay back. I volunteered."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"I'm not babysitting you. I'm keeping you company. What you went through was traumatic. You shouldn't be alone." I gulped and nodded. "Are you hungry? I have a few jello cups."

"I'm honestly just really fucking tired."

"That makes sense your body has been through a lot." She moved her chair closer to me and handed me the jello. "You're gonna need some food anyways." I smiled, it was nice to have someone looking out for me.

Two weeks later I was still in the hospital and JJ hadn't left. She was with me any chance she could. "Hey. I brought you a new book I thought you might like." My chest felt lighter when I saw her, like my anxiety was gone now.

"Thanks." I took the book from her but I didn't read the back cover or the inside jacket.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I've been in this room with you every hour for the past two weeks. I know your tells." She sat down in her chair and moved closer. "You can tell me. It's better to get it off your chest than to let it bother you."

"I don't want to be here. I hate being stuck here. I want to be out with the team, doing something. I want to know that I'm helping people."

"You are helping people and that's what got you hurt. It's ok to take breaks every once in a while."

"But I don't want to take a break."

"Hey. Listen to me." She grabbed my hand and I felt my heart skip a beat. "You're not missing out, ok? You're just doing what you need to do to be at the top of your game when you get back." I gulped, knowing she was right.

"Ok."

A week later I was finally discharged from the hospital. JJ had her arm around my waist for stability as we walked through the parking lot. "You ok?" She asked as I tripped, gripping my waist so I didn't fall and pulling me up. Our faces were inches away and I kissed her without thinking.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry-" She cut me off with a kiss.

"I was waiting for you to do that." My face flushed a deep red.

"Y-you were? I-I didn't even k-know you liked girls." She kissed me again, finding my stuttering adorable.

"If I didn't like girls would I be kissing you? Taking every chance I can to touch you?" I shook my head no, leaning in for another kiss. It was only the fourth one but I was already addicted. She just stared into my eyes, caressing my cheeks while holding my face like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. "Let's get you home, yeah? I'm sure you miss your bed."

"I really do." I got into her car and felt a sense of peace I hadn't felt in months as we drove back to Quantico.

[eldritch-spouse]

[Part 4 of Gifted. Fem reader.]

Previous poll winner: " I think I'll... Thank the chef, yes. " (37.1%)

TW: Violence; Descriptions of cannibalism; Slight gore; Knife play; Extremely dubious consent.

New choice! [VOTE]

" I think I'll... Thank the chef, yes. "

Do you really have a choice anyway?

You recall him, his voice mostly. A southern drawl that sounded almost goofy, but imposing. Which is fitting, you suppose, he's an intimidating cinder block of a monster. A mushroom monster, you've seen one or two of those before, they're generally quite pretty in your opinion. The chef in particular struck you, the dotted patterns on his arms glowing faintly in the cavernous dark of Sybastian's mouth when he reached in for you.

In truth, you're not too sure how to feel about him. And that insecurity manifests when you purse your lips, possibly regretting your cooperation regarding these two's lascivious suggestions.

" My my, she really is tame. " Vesper fans himself. " Oh how I regret handing her over! You and I would have had so much fun back in Lust, honey. "

You shudder, believing every word he says. Maybe a bit of fear here is healthy, you can only imagine what kind of animal you'd become in his hands.

" Well then, go! " The Icon urges, facing away from you and Santi dramatically. " I won't let myself stare a second longer, lest I ruin this game. " This guy is such a theater dork, you can't believe you sucked him off. And so happily too.

Nevertheless, Santi takes the warning to heart, ushering you up as soon as you have a couple more forkfuls, not enough to last you long. It's a waste of perfect cuisine, frankly. The incubus walks you through the crowd, hand locked with yours, ever determined to soothe you via gentle touches. You appreciate that about him, this demon's been very kind to you so far, for whatever reason. Maybe because you chose him... Well, it was a good choice, you reckon.

Speaking of choices, you're still not too sure about this last one. Every step through the crowd makes your heart beat a bit harder, a bit faster. Will things work out here too?

" You're so tense, love. Is it butterflies? " Santi teases. " Don't worry, keep up this precious attitude and everything will be fine. "

Encouraging...? Not really.

The doors to the kitchen are tall, a brilliant white, and although there's supposed to be windows in each one of them, the glass there is obscured, meaning the inside is a mystery to you. You can hear the sounds however. Nothing too suspicious, chatter and clinking, mostly.

When the two of you reach those doors, your back is basically glued to Santi's front, fear and dread keeping you stock still. The demon is unbothered, simply pushing the large doors apart and edging you inwards.

Now this... This is what you call a real kitchen.

It's absolutely massive. Then again, that's a theme here. You do understand why things need to be larger in general, after all, many of the monsters here are bigger than humans by a considerable amount, their comfort must be catered to- However, this place tends to exaggerate in the dimensions of its overall floors. This entire kitchen is like a house, it's furnished with all sorts of equipment, reminding you of a world-renowned establishment. The brightness hurts your eyes a little, but you suppose it's necessary. How come you've never even once heard of this location?

The first thing your adrenaline-sharpened mind notes is the blood.

On what you very clearly recognize to be some modernized chopping block. On the ground, like something bleeding and squirming was dragged from said block to another huge set of doors, leading lord knows where. A large scarlet handprint you can only guess belongs to the chef on one of those doors. Then there's that cleaver, a scary-looking thing, embedded in the cutting block, some form of viscera and tissue still clinging to it. So he's not just a chef, yes, he's definitely also a butcher. And yet... You know, deep in your soul, whatever creature possibly lost its life here was likely human.

God help you.

That's not all though. As soon as your gradually panicking mind looks at anything but the trails of red present, it quickly finds ambulating creatures. Small. Smaller than the waiter, totally black but reflecting some sort of pigment, their heads floating as they work, each one clad in white kitchen garbs with varying designs. The first thing that crosses your mind nearly makes you vomit. Children?! You blink several times. No. No, they can't be, just because they're small doesn't mean they're infants, you haven't seen a single child here. Besides, you're fairly certain these aren't monsters, whatever the Hell they could be, they all look the same physically speaking, only their color accents and facial expressions distinguish them. This is some sort of clone fest. What are you looking at?! What is this?!

" S- Santi?... " Are you going insane?

" Oh right, you've never seen one of those before. " The demon reminds himself, chuckling at his own antics. You don't question why he's okay with the shady blood stains. " Those things are called bobbles. They're made here, sweetie, think of them as extra helpers. "

Things... They're things. Uhuh.

You watch silently for a couple of seconds. Most of them appear to be absorbed in their own tasks, moving efficiently between each other. Cutting vegetables, passing utensils, cleaning dishes, shouting for ingredients. Some of them occasionally glance at you two, the gray-colored ones completely neutral, the blue ones with a hint of trepidation. They're a bit cute, you'll admit, if you don't question the logic of their mere existence too much. You wouldn't mind having one of these. After a minute or two of watching these "bobbles" work in fast-paced harmony, you relax enough to detach from Santi, standing by his side warily.

Soon, one of the things, with a tall hat and slightly ripped garb, stomps over to you two. Its eyes narrow over pink-freckled cheeks, and he frowns at Santi specifically. A wooden spoon is slapped onto the demon's stomach.

" Ya hav'ta knock! Sir doesn't like it when people don' knock! " It drawls at the snickering incubus, who merely takes the hits without flinching.

" Whoopsie... Can you find it in you to forgive me? "

You muffle an amused noise as well, watching the small critter's face puff in annoyance for a couple of tense seconds. How can anyone take them seriously, with that adorable look? Finally, it gives Santi a bright smile.

" Okay! " Big pink eyes settle on you, after a concerning pause- Like it genuinely hadn't seen you all this time. " Ooh! Ya brought a piggy, sir's gonna like her! "

The bobble grabs your hand with its four-fingered one and starts trying to lead you somewhere, but you stand your ground. Santi's eyes widen and he flicks that intrusive limb away.

" Hey-! "

" No no Turnip, this one's not for the warehouse. " The look on his pale face is serious, making the bobble tilt its perfectly round head. " This one's for sir. He knows her. "

" Ooooohh... " The pink and black bobble waves its hands excitedly. " Special piggy! "

Wait, hold on- It's name is literally Turnip? What.

" Yes, exactly, I need you to get Morell for me, okay? "

" Yessir! "

Funny, didn't Grimbly say that too? Irregardless, the small being trots away, pushing past those heavy-looking doors with great effort and disappearing from sight entirely. You couldn't get a good look at what lies beyond, which is disconcerting.

The incubus begins looking around, and though you can't really tell what he's after, you don't struggle too much when he beckons you over to an empty marbled counter, and sits you atop it. O-Okay. Satisfied, he goes back to waiting, some form of excitement in his gaze, although it mixes with something else, dampening it.

" Am I... " You start quietly, some of the adrenaline crashing, permeated by uncertainty. " Going to be alright? "

The demon faces you, reading into your expression with a carefully neutral one as he ponders. You don't like that he hesitates, that he's thinking about his answer. That in itself should be telling enough. When you look away, defeated, he grabs your hand, a much smoother smile on those handsome features.

" You're tough. " He begins. " I can tell. Trust in your sixth sense and keep it up. "

He meant to be motivating, but truth of the matter is that was neither a confirmation nor a denial. You can see through it, he doesn't know, but the probably doesn't want to scare you either. Fuck.

The humdrum of the kitchen workers chattering to each other and utensils clinking around becomes an indistinct buzz while you recess into the confines of your mind, adrenaline diminishing in the face of relative inactivity. What is the world outside these walls up to, right now? With you missing, your responsibilities unaccounted for, has your family noticed your absence? Is anyone coming for you? Do they even know how you got here? Will you ever see th-

A sudden woosh snaps you back into alertness, the bloodstained doors leading to who knows where parting smoothly. And he powers in. Him being, of course, the chef.

While not nearly as large as monsters like Vesper, he's towering in his own right. You've never been one to realize how much body language matters, but looking at... Santi called him "Morell", you think- You feel more on edge than you ever did around the massive demonic lord. It's his stance. Shoulders always squared, always flexed and tense, he constantly looks as if moments away from lunging towards something or someone. The few minutes of indirect interaction you've had with this monster were enough to transmit an idea of volatility, as if violence is always just one blink too late away.

The white garb he dons can no longer be called white by any stretch of the imagination, coated in splatters featuring varying shades of red. He looks mildly tired, and angry. You're not sure if he's shining from sweat or some differing condensation- The breeze you felt as soon as those doors parted suggests what lies beyond is cold. Like a fridge room.

A crimson-stained towel hanging from his shoulder is used to wipe bloodied hands rather poorly, before the thing is tossed away, a bobble catching it before it can hit the floor.

" This better be worth mah fuckin' time demon, ah'm two seconds away from- "

As soon as those curious cyan hues bounce up to regard the demon, they instantly dart to you, and he stills. Oh yes, he definitely recognizes you. You're being stared down.

" Well then... " The way bold bright teeth poke above that chunky scarf doesn't bode well with you.

" I take it this is worth your 'fuckin' time'? " Santi jabs.

The large mushroom crosses his arms over his chest, not moving from his spot. " Wha's this all 'bout? " Although he makes an effort to glare at the incubus, he keeps looking back to your figure on his counter. You wonder if he might be mad that you're sitting on it.

" Oh relax, I just brought the minx here to see you. " Santi does a placating gesture with his palms, though you feel a slight sting of betrayal when he opens his mouth again. " See, we just had dinner. Our present here loved your work sooo much she said she'd like to personally give her regards to the chef, and who am I to stop her, hm? "

Morell looks straight at you. Nerves force you to gulp, scratching at your arm and face lightly, better to stay silent than say something even more embarrassing.

Eventually, he relaxes slightly. It's a minuscule change is demeanor, but you don't miss it. " ... That so? "

When the demon doesn't reply, you realize it's a cue. What are you supposed to say here? You did agree to it. Besides, if not him, then they'll just toss you at someone else. There's no easy win, might as well do what's kept you alive thus far- Being polite.

" Y- Yes. " You look him in those cyan eyes, oddly shrunk pupils swimming in a sea of black. He seems like the type of guy that values eye contact.

Slow, evaluating seconds pass.

" Aight... Tha piggy can stay with me. " He says it with a chuckle, looking a lot brighter than he did not even a minute ago.

Santi nods, then quickly turns to you, rubbing a clawed hand on your cheek. His face betrays sadness, a little bit of resignation, disappointment. " Sweetness, it looks as if this is where we part. " He leans down, nibbling softly at your bottom lip, before brushing through your hair and taking several steps away. As if forcing himself. " For now, of course. " You can't really tell if that's good or bad.

" Ya done? " A decidedly not amused voice rings. For such a large man, Morell moved quietly, having closed some of the distance between you. " Git tha fuck out already. "

Santi only chuckles, making his way out to the main restaurant area. " Have a great time, love. " One last cheeky wink is all you get, before the demon is out of your sight.

For the first time in a while today, you feel truly alone. Santi had given you a sense of security up until now, even if said sense was erroneous. Here however, you're entirely on your own, feeling hunted, feeling cornered. There's no telling what this monster might want from you.

Keep calm. Breathe. Smile a little.

You'll make it through this.

Morell stares at you intently.

You seem to be faring well for someone who got thrown to the wolves, all things considered. No longer encased in lace, sporting clothes he swears he's seen before, not trembling in fear with your tail tucked between your legs like earlier. Tsk, Santi's been treating you too well, you ought to have some fear if you're staying here for a while. Fear keeps you alive, keeps you sharp.

Point being, you're clearly the clever type, you wouldn't have made it this far in such an intact condition if you pushed the wrong buttons with the demon. Sure, the shroom's certain you had to pay some sort of price to acquire these accommodations, but you probably knew that prior. He can tell you're not like most of the pigs he gets here, the kind that squeal and kick as soon as he nears them. No, it's in your eyes, you're so much smarter than that.

Doesn't matter, you're about to sing to a different tune with Morell now.

The monster moves once Santi leaves the premises, to the sink only a small distance away from the counter you're perched on. Though his back is mostly turned to you, Morell is confident you wouldn't try to bolt out. You know that you can't, know that without the staff's protection you're just mince meat for the crowd. His hands are rinsed and the towel atop his shoulder is wrung dry of the last pig's blood. He's glad to be rid of that one, they were troublemakers since the time they got dragged in to the very last breath- But you gotta appreciate the consistency, at least. If it was a calmer day, he'd play around with them some more before bringing down the hatchet, so to speak.

Ridiculous, here he is saying he's so busy, about to damn it all just so he can fuck with you. But how can he not? Look at you, just politely sitting on his counter with that fat fucking ass. Looking around, occasionally smiling briefly at his bobbles' antics. It's like you fit here already.

" Well pumpkin- " He starts, giddy that your spine straightens immediately. " 'S a pleasure ta have ya 'ere in mah lil' kitchen. "

The mushroom turns then, wiping his hands, cracking his knuckles. " Ya like tha food? "

You study his face for a moment, confused by the hint of mirth there, but eventually deem it correct to nod. Morell doesn't really care, he knows his food is good. Though he's a little upset you didn't get to try the best parts. When Grimbly dashed into the kitchen, the waiter told him everything. You, tangled between Vesper and Santi- To think that you've gotten an Icon of Hell's attention this soon! What kind of honey is up your ass?! Santi specifically requested something without human, and now he knows why.

Out of genuine fondness. Because really, you don't know what human tastes like. His dishes can oftentimes make that meat blend into other types, visually. If he arranges it well enough, you'd deem it a regular old steak, eat it, and call it delicious. All the incubus had to do is stay quiet. But he went the extra length to make sure you didn't obliviously consume your own kind, the sap.

" Good... Tha's good. " He says, after a pause. " Stop by whenever yer hungry. Ah'll get'cha somethin'. " Something worth eating.

" O- Okay. " Yeah, you're starting to click some things together by now, aren't you?

" Y'know, I'm real hurt, piglet. "

You blink, likely wondering if "piglet" was meant to address you -It was- Unsure where he's taking this. The chef paces several steps your way, ending up looming by your side, enjoying the way you immediately cast your gaze to your lap. He twirls locks of your hair idly.

" Mah memory's blankin', who got ya outta that mimic's jaws again? "

Looking up, searching his face for clues you won't find, you answer hesitantly but truthfully. " It was you? "

Morell snickers. " Yeah, sounds right. After all, who knows what could'a been o' you by now if ah hadn't? "

A sour expression crosses over your smooth features. Yes, think about it. Linger.

" An' still, ya pick the fuckin' demon. " The chef shakes his head, ruffling your hair. You shiver beneath him, likely realizing, just as most others do, that there's a great deal of strength behind his spongy-looking hide. " Ya can't make this shit up. "

" ... But- " What could've been an attempt to defend your incorrect choice is swiftly ignored.

" But what, sweetie? I was tha only one who could'a freed ya there! " The shroom points to himself, as if it was obvious.

Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, you don't need to know that. Morell stands and watches a myriad of expression race on your complexion. Fear, confusion, dread. " I'm... I'm sorry? "

Hah, oh that's so cute!

His guffawing nearly shakes the kitchen walls, rocking his chest. You're adorable, he'll give you that much. Is this your attempt at placating him?

" 'S not a big deal anymore. " He waves, eventually stopping his fit of laughter. " C'mere. "

You hesitate a healthy amount, he can understand it. Though eventually, when Morell makes it clear he's not going to drop it, and that his patience isn't limitless, you plop down from the counter, taking careful steps his way.

" Closer. " He beckons when you refuse to stand in front of him. " Ya spooked? " Of course you are, he's been around your kind for so long, you're all like mindless gazelles, deers in headlights, pigs squealing to the skies and running around in circles.

It's when the chef places a heavy palm on the counter, and it rattles, that you zing to action and get just as suffocatingly close to the monster as he was hoping. " There we are, was it hard? " It was rhetorical, but he's delighted that you shake your head anyway. " Thought so. "

Morell takes a moment to appreciate the sight of you.

All humans are petite, and although there's something dainty about your demeanor right now, he can see your muscles tense like coiled springs, ready to snap, ready to run. Fight or flight is a beautiful look on you. You have a good amount of meat on your bones, he can tell with a couple of hearty gropes to those bare thighs. Hmm yes, fine cuts, good stuff. His fingers knead at you like dough, and Morell feels a sick little twitch in his pants when you start trembling.

" S- What are- "

" Sshh, quiet naw. " He warns, letting full hands roam around. The chef thrills himself with your obedience, going from calves to back of the thighs, gripping your ass firmly and snickering at your choked noise.

You're a lovely little thing, the kind he feels sorry for when he butchers, because they could last so much longer. Demand here is crazy, which is good for his pockets, but also saddening at times. Morell doesn't get to fool around with the pigs as much as he'd like to anymore. Especially not tonight! When his hands move to your front, palping at your belly, he shakes his head, clicking his tongue.

Practically empty. As he suspected. You haven't eaten anything properly yet, certainly not with those sluts, they probably think feeding you jizz will work out just fine, typical. They don't know how to care for a piglet at all! And to think you willingly chose him, how dim are you? You wince when he grabs at you more firmly, and it's enough for Morell to give it a rest.

" You don' look so full, piggy. " The chef tuts, patting your abdomen. " Knowin' them types, you prolly didn' get ta eat much since ye got here. "

He watches you squirm briefly, either tickled by the softer touch or wanting to stop it. " I'm... It's okay, I'm not that hungry. "

Liar. You're small and weak, you should be eating anything you can in this environment. So dumb, so naïve, it's a wonder luck has been on your side thus far. " Ya sure? " He squints.

" Y-Yep, thank you. "

Cute.

" Welp, in that case- " Morell lets some of his anticipation show, shrugging and moving to be mere inches away from your form. " We can skip right to tha good stuff. "

The whites of your eyes widen and you give him this puzzled, anxious look. Oh come now, don't play dumb. " Ya wanted ta thank me, right? " The shroom grabs your tiny hand in his and puts it to his chest, a lidded, much more playful and relaxed expression on his face. " Don' lemme stop ya, sweetie. "

Oh, the gradually rising panic in your face is just precious. He's a lot, not to toot his own horn, but Morell gets your nervousness. He's been called "an absolute unit" a couple of times and it strokes his ego. Speaking of, you need to be stroking something else right now. He's been pent up these last couple of days, preparing for this event hasn't been kind to Mori's libido.

The chef is starting to think he's going to have to do things the hard way until you finally move. While your palm shakily slides down his chest, feeling slightly excited breathing, he busies himself with untying the long sash around his waist. Much to his disappointment, you don't grope, not that he expected you to anyway. Chuckling, Morell corners you further against the counter, spotted arms on each side corralling your body. His cock jumps in his pants when you give him a doe-eyed look full of uncertainty. You're purposely lingering on his abdomen, avoiding what lies beneath. The chef responds to this by flexing slightly, allowing you to feel his well-built constitution. Yeah sure, he's showing off, let him have this.

You don't look him in the eyes when you eventually relent, fingers sliding down. He's impatient however, roughly grabbing your hand. He reaches for one of the torn sleeves of his white smock and parts it, shrugs off the other one, letting the outfit fall to the floor, kicked aside by heavy-looking boots. You're apparently fascinated, studying his upper body openly, visibly flustered. Morell smiles when you focus on a particularly dark mark on his arm, stare all you want. He rips you back into focus by firmly smoothing your hand over the raging hard-on tenting his black pants, unable to conceal his laughter when you audibly gasp. Aw, don't flatter him like that.

When Morell drops his grip, your fingers remain static, and he rolls his eyes. " C'mon, ya scared? " He parrots.

Scared is an understatement.

This guy puts you off. Plus, he's packing heat.

At the risk of sounding filthy, you'll admit he's not the biggest you've seen, that title now falls squarely onto Vesper. The Icon's size didn't strike you as something note-worthy- He's already gigantic in comparison to you, of course his junk would be appropriately huge as well. Not to mention your mind was a little clogged at the time. Morell is a whole other story, you might very well have to take him, and he's bigger than Santi for sure. It's cause for some alarm, but then again, this whole situation is.

He seems to have taken your shock as a compliment, though it's very clear the monster's patience is waning the longer you stall.

Shakily inhaling, you give the chef what he wants, stroking generously through the fabric and occasionally squeezing at him. It... It doesn't feel like he has anything on beneath these pants. Your efforts get the monster to sigh in pleasure, looming over you and adjusting, giving you more to work with. There's nothing left to the imagination, the shape imprinted on his clothes lets you know exactly what you're dealing with. And frankly, a part of you is oddly flattered by how much he appears to be getting into it, pressing back against your hand, throbbing, humming lowly.

He seems frustrated, stressed maybe. You don't know how much of a good idea it was to let those two basically nudge you into this.

" Mmf, they teach ya some or are you jus' excited fer me already? " Morell drawls.

Declining to answer, you merely keep going. Part of you was worried he'd call you out, as you're very clearly trying to rile him up so he'll settle for a sloppy clothed grind- As if.

The ring of a zipper coming down is predictable to you, a flushed blue cock already stained by its own precum bouncing free. Fuck, he's really not packing lightly. The look on the chef's face says you better resume, so you opt not to test his patience too much. He's heavy. To be fair, you don't doubt he's dense in general, but the warmth of his member on your hands has you gulping for what might come next. Nevertheless, you try not to look at your own motions while you work him, gaze scanning the kitchen instead.

It's incredible. All this time, the group of bobbles hastily working hasn't casted a single glance at you two. It's as if... This is normal to them. Like they know better than to gawk. You can only wonder what types of obscenities go down here.

You're still staring by the time Morell groans, reaching for your top. The surprise of slightly cold fingers edging up the hem of said cloth has your motions faltering, resigning yourself to letting the cook remove that oversized shirt. What's the alternative? Make him angry? You agreed to this, might as well try to get into it.

Nipples pebble in the cold air near immediately, and the chef laughs quietly to himself at the sight of your breasts, a discolored tongue wetting his teeth. " Everythin' about ya is jus' tha cutest, ain't it? " He grins. " Lookit 'em... "

Big palms frame your tits, and it's only now that the expression "baker hands" takes on a whole new meaning. Morell kneads at your chest in a confident and strong manner that has your breath catching. You're ashamed to admit no one's given your tits this type of attention before, feeling goosebumps rise in the wake of your unexpected pleasure. A high-pitched noise escapes when he plucks at one bud, and you realize your hand has been merely wrapped around him all this time when the monster thrusts impatiently.

" Oh? Did'ja like that? "

" N- No. " Yeah, super believable.

" Lyin' piglet. " The soft scolding is quickly followed by him bending to kiss and lick shamelessly around your tits. You can't help gulping when teeth glide and catch slightly on skin. Fuck's sake, if he actually- He nibbles slightly, spare hand forcing the one around his dripping shaft to work faster. When you look down, seeing a teal shade on his dark cheeks and most of your breast in his blunt-toothed maw, you almost panic.

" D- Don't-! " Did he just fucking throb in your hand? " Please- Don't bite! "

That bright flush intensifies, hot puffs of air wetting your skin as he all but steams, teeth flirting with your pain tolerance, forcing a frightened keen out of you, before he peels back, panting.

" Fuck yeah, yer a good catch. " Morell groans, zipping his pants back up in a vaguely uncomfortably manner. " Don' move a muscle, ya hear me piggy? "

When you don't answer immediately, he gives you an "are you testing me?" glance that installs the fear of meeting the maker into your bones.

" Y- Yes, Morell. "

Why did you say his name? You didn't need to that, you just added a personal touch into this. God damn it. Perhaps it's for the best, because the chef seems appreciative, smiling before hastily cramming himself through the bloodied doors he came from.

You have no idea what he's doing, what he'll return with. And frankly, part of you doesn't really want to know. When Morell's footsteps become distant, instincts beckon you to look towards the opposite direction, to the second pair of tall doors, the one you entered from. It's only a matter of putting on your shirt... Where is it? Who took it?! You look around frantically, but the thing has apparently vanished. Fuck's sake...

Regardless, you can just step outside the kitchen, maybe take your chances... It would be risky, but if you get in that fucking elevator! You know that's the ticket to leave this dump. You just have to figure out which floor leads to the ground level, it's that simple.

You don't even realize you're walking towards the exit.

One of the bobbles, a blue one with a shorter hat, stops next to you, some others giving you side-glances. Although she doesn't utter a word, you can see the silent warning in her face. A cautious shake of the head is all you're given, and then the doors part. Not the ones in front of you though.

" ... Where d'ya think yer going? "

It's as if your lungs collapse for a moment, air refusing to fill them. " No- Nowhere, nowhere, I- "

" And 'ere I thought ya'd behave. Tsk. "

When you zip around, you get to see the large mushroom power towards you, a sturdy-looking rope on his hands. Of course, the thing is adorned with aged red marks. There's a sadistic sort of glee on his dark face, making you take several steps back. His chest puffs, the monster bellowing out.

" Hah! Try it, piggy. " Morell taunts. " Ya take a single fuckin' step outta those doors an' ah'll hunt ya fer sport, pertty baby. "

You don't doubt him.

All you can do is gulp and hope for the best, feet rooted to the tiled ground in spite of the screaming voice that begs you to haul ass. The monster's still snickering to himself when he reaches you. You're no longer spared a hint of gentleness, as the chef grabs your arm tight and drags you to the center of the kitchen, towards one of the horrid, blood-stained chopping blocks.

You're flipped around and slammed face-first onto the wood, assaulted by the sensation of residual, cold viscera on your face. The metallic scent mingles with a woody aftertaste and you start to panic under his hand, very aware a huge cleaver lies only centimeters away from your person. Is this it? Is this the end? Is he going to cut your fucking head off?

" I'm- I'm sorry, please God- "

Your flailing, although definitely amusing to the cook, is halted when he squeezes exceptionally hard on your arm. Your limb grows numb from the sheer force, he's cutting off blood flow. A little more and he'll break your humerus, you can feel it. Getting the message, you go entirely limp, near hyperventilating.

" Easy piggy, easy- " There's a condescending pat to your head. " I'mma jus' tie ya up, 'kay? Don' make me hurt ya. " You can feel the weight of him poised on your back for a moment. " 'Cause ah'll fuckin' love it if I hav'ta. "

You whimper.

" Gonna be good for me? " He tests, already nudging your arms onto your back. You can feel the rope being weaved between them in certain patterns, movements rushed but expertly practiced. You nod rapidly, full of fear, and he hums while tying knots behind your back. One. Two. Three?! Oh, you're not making it out of this one on your own. For sure.

When the chef lets go of your bound limbs, not too tight but not too lax, you give them a test, making the shroom chuckle. " Mm, fine work if ah do say so myself. Good ta know I still got it. "

When fat fingers tug at the hem of your shorts, you can only try to focus on your breathing, shivering when the fabric is dragged down to barely hang by your knees. You still ooze remnants of your slick from prior activities, and Morell doesn't seem to miss that either, because he uses it as lube to jam a digit into you. The insertion is sudden enough to have you jump, leg jerking.

" Ey naw, don' buck at me. " The monster snorts, curling his finger and testing the waters.

You don't know why, or how, but your body warms regardless of the circumstances, walls tightening around that sole digit as if to encourage the chef. And all you can say to yourself is that it's a result of Vesper and Santi's influence. Residual effects, probably. It must be! You wouldn't be into this otherwise, right? You wouldn't find it hot that you're helpless, being molested by a gross butcher on his own filthy chopping block. No... God please no, you don't think you can face yourself after this.

The mushroom monster, oblivious or uncaring of your inner turmoil, simply forces a second finger in, without much resistance. Fuck him and his deliciously thick hands, the familiar stretching sensation sends sparks flying behind your eyelids and you close them. You're not the only one enjoying themselves it seems.

" Damn piglet, lookit that, ya needy girl. " The chef starts eagerly fingerfucking you, giggling and moaning quietly to himself when you reflexively tighten. " The Hell were you tryin' ta run if ya needed me this bad, hm? Too much pride in that lil' noggin'... " He teases, panting.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard you may want to will it into reality, closing your eyes won't simply make this unrequited pleasure fade away. It won't make you any less wet and inviting for the chef, it won't quiet down the shlick of his lurid fingerfucking that somehow manages to ring louder than the humdrum of the constant cooking around you. All that effort is rendered moot when you let out a fevered moan and flex hard around the cook's hand, wanting more.

" Hhn- Fuck yeah. "

Far too jarringly, your cunt is emptied, there's some frantic rustling behind you, a ziiiiip, you know exactly what it is that slaps onto your ass. He doesn't seem very calm.

" M- Morell. " You hope using his name will sweeten your request. " Please be gentle, please. "

" Aww. " He chuckles, stray hand reaching to tickle under your chin, the tip of his member lines up perfectly against you. There's a gentle push, and you do your best to relax, glad he's at least doing that much for you.

Tickling becomes a solid hold of your neck.

" You'd like that, wouldn' ya? "

Morell slams home with a brute strength that not only knocks the wind out of your lungs, it feels like he's shoved your guts up to your throat. It's such an intense feeling that you believe you're sick for a moment, vision blurring as you sob out a mangled cry. For a couple of seconds, you just gasp, pussy spasming and legs shaking erratically, staring straight ahead at the grayish wall.

The chef grunts and sighs loudly, canting his hips to make sure he's fully sheathed inside you, his balls tighten and he shudders in total bliss. " Fuuck, ya wanna milk me dry, don'tcha piggy? "

You really don't care for his taunts, but it's hard not to squeal when a palm strikes across your left asscheek with the fury of a thousand suns. He amuses himself with this, it appears, stroking over the sore spot while he rocks back and forth inside your pulsing walls. He seems to struggle with your tightness, and you struggle with his girth as well, the two of you locked until he thinks to torture your poor clit. " Real fuckin' tight fer someone who's been foolin' 'round with demons. "

He won't let you squirm your way out of his hard rolls, continuing the torture until you're sufficiently relaxed for Morell to establish a slow back and forth, every thrust making you dig your nails into the flesh of your own arms. " Ya oughta stay 'ere fer a while longer. This cute an' this hot? Ah can't jus' let ya out. "

You're just trying to adapt to the cook's size, but he's far too eager, not giving you enough time to adjust before he's speeding up, jostling you. A tongue tries to wet dehydrated lips, tasting nothing but smeared blood while the scent of exotic spices clogs your nostrils and his lewd panting rattles your ears.

You're sure you must have paled like the cauliflower he has laying around when the monster stops to yank that gruesome cleaver out of its groove in the wood you currently lay on. You're not sure whether to cry, scream or simply accept things as they are. Morell grabs a firm handful of your hair, pulls your head back, and allows the blunt end of the blade to flirt with your throat.

" Naw then, do me a favor- " The blade flips, pressing dangerously against frail skin as Morell starts drilling into your small figure. " An' oink fer me, piglet! "

Oh you do.

Even if you wanted to be quiet, you couldn't.

It's everything at once. The absolutely merciless pounding into your pussy, reaching deeper than it should -Why doesn't it hurt?- Dragging hellish waves of bliss through your poor overworked brain, the terror of that cleaver possibly sinking into your body, slitting your throat open so you bleed out while he happily fucks you till your dying breath, becoming nothing more than yet another ambiguous red stain in this morbid kitchen. Nothing could ever prepare you for this, so you moan, whimper and squeal like the animal he wants you to be, doing your best to hang onto anything, tears and drool cascading down your face.

You can't tell left from right anymore, shivering at every bestial noise Morell makes above, feeling his balls slap against you with every hard piston, it's really no wonder your confused body couldn't keep up, and you truly screech in the wake of your jarring orgasm, seeing dots swimming in your vision.

" Atta girl! Nice an' sloppy... "

In spite of his confident tone, Morell's rhythm falters at your clenching. And, much to your relief, he lets the cleaver fall to your side, focusing instead on using both hands to frame your head while he bends to be flush against your back. It's a humiliating position, but you've long since stopped giving a shit about dignity here. In fact, you just want to make it out of this hellish kitchen mostly in one piece.

There's not much room for thinking when he grunts like a bull into your eardrums, gasps turning into silent gasps the second he starts slamming home deep and hard. One, two, three, four and-

His deep growl shakes you from head to toe, legs kicking instinctively as his cock flexes and he fills you like an obscene bucket. It's an uncomfortable sensation that applies too much pressure everywhere, and even if you can't be sure, you think you came again from it, very briefly. The sound of cum splattering to the floor rings in your mind while you simply wait for Morell to milk the last of his orgasm so you can come down.

" Hm, didn' have this much fun in a while, piggy. " He finally mutters, massaging your hips calmly as he rises. " Gotta say, I'm real glad ya chose ta gimme your 'regards'. "

You just groan senselessly. Your legs feel like melting jelly.

You're not sure what he's about to do next, and neither of you get to know anyway, because a group of short pitch black bodies scram in through the front doors.

" Sir! Sir please, you have to help! "

" It's serious! "

" The giant snake woman swallowed Alfredo!! "

... What?

Staring vapidly at the creatures, nothing happens for a couple of static seconds. Then the cook sighs, exasperated, before sliding out of you slowly. He shushes you when you wince, patting your sore thighs before fully laying you onto the large chopping block. You can't muster the energy to care, merely laying there and hissing at the increasing discomfort from having your arms tied this long.

" Ah'll be right back, pumpkin', promise. "

The last thing you hear is stressed murmuring, a zipper sliding up and boots stomping away, another woosh signaling the doors have closed and you're now mostly alone.

Yes, finally, some peace... A smile of relief almost makes its way to your lips before your consciousness fades entirely.

...

" So this is where she's been all this time... "

" Geez, can you believe it? I bet they just threw her in here to fend for herself. "

" In all honesty, I am appalled she has lived this long. "

" She's special, can't you tell Nebul? "

" You're much too prone to theatrics. "

Distant voices lull you back to reality, tired eyes blinking open, adjusting to the lights in the kitchen once more, before appraising the two studying your curled up form. One being the waiter, and the other that guy wearing a cloak, with the strange-looking head.

" Oh here she is, hi! " The smaller one waves, smiling bright.

" You cannot stay here for long. " The other warns. " If you intend to live, that is. This floor has fallen to total calamity. "

Yeah, you bet.

" I'll take care of this, you can go back up! " Grimbly hastily cuts in.

" You misunderstand, I'm not leaving without the human. " Although monotone, even you can sense the warning implied. Not that his coworker seems to care.

" Yeah right, like that's happening. Who knows what you'll do to this poor girl, you freak. "

" It would certainly be better than becoming an impulsive vampyre's bloodbag. "

The waiter's eye twitches. " ... How fucking dare you. "

Alright, back to square one it is. You need to leave before Morell comes back, and these two don't seem like they'll reach an agreement anytime soon.

You'll have to pick again.

Sighing, exasperated,

[aeoris4lovers]

thoughts on verin getting to know the mighty nein:

fjord: voted most likely to be verin's crush. each of them thinks the other is way cooler than them and sometimes it just makes them really awkward around each other but once they get comfortable they're just very loud about Look At My Badass Friend. they fall into the habit of shooting each other "can you believe this" looks when the others start making ridiculous plans, as if they don't also love the chaos. verin is committed to being fjord's personal hype man, and he takes his job very seriously.

beau: at first, beau mostly just thinks verin is kind of annoying (though funny to watch when he annoys the shit out of essek), but he turns out to be a good workout buddy and is more than willing to get wrapped up in her and fjord's shenanigans. the first time they really hit it off is when beau is connecting the dots on her latest mystery of choice and verin jumps in to start bouncing off of her ideas, and everyone else just watches in awe as they frantically unravel it together.

caleb: verin is not immune to the urge to manhandle the resident scrawny wizard, and is even less so after finding out he's the one essek is in love with. he plays the part of the "if you ever hurt him i will make you pay" brother for a while (mostly because he thinks it's funny and it annoys essek) but ultimately, he becomes like a brother to caleb too. also, he's obsessed with any and every cat that caleb brings his way. bring him a particularly small cat and he will shed a tear.

veth: verin thinks veth is hilarious, but he's also a bit terrified of her (which absolutely goes to her head). he does, however, prove to be fantastic with luc, and the presents he brings for luc start being accompanied by particularly nice trinkets he thought she would like. sometimes veth teases fjord talking about how strong verin is, which immediately makes verin blush every time.

jester: these two together are literal sunshine. they bring out each other's excitement and absolutely light up a room once they set each other off. if you see them whispering to each other, expect the unexpected, because they might be planning the prank of the century but they also might just be planning on surprising everyone with baked goods. (sometimes both. usually both.) essek fears seeing them in a room together because it exponentially increases his chances of getting hug-attacked.

kingsley: kingsley flirts with verin constantly and verin is adorably confused by it, which only makes it more appealing for kingsley. verin thinks it's really cool that kingsley is an actual pirate, and kingsley absolutely eats up the attention and awe. they sometimes gossip together, and kingsley manages to bring out a catty side of verin that essek didn't even know existed.

caduceus: while verin was the odd one out among his generally serious family, he fits right in with the chaos of the clay family. he easily falls back into the role of "lovingly shitty little brother," so much so that caduceus' own annoying brother side tends to come out while they're together. unsurprisingly, caduceus is also the only one able to get verin to talk about all the things he tries to pretend aren't weighing him down.

yasha: beefy blonde besties, classic introvert-extravert pair, and mlm/wlw solidarity at its finest. it's not uncommon to find the two of them staying up late talking about anything that comes to mind. verin is no less convinced of yasha's ability to send magical messages than yasha herself is. when her wings are out, he begs her relentlessly for a ride until she gives in. he has a certain brightness to his personality that yasha didn't want to admit she missed when molly became kingsley.

bonus:

astrid: verin is, respectfully, absolutely terrified of astrid. not just because she used to be an assassin for the other side of the war he was trained to fight – he gets over that part quickly enough, he just thinks she specifically is intimidating, and she regularly leans into it just to amuse herself. eventually, he works up the confidence to start trying to retaliate and fuck with her; he's not often successful, but it's a fun game and they're both irrationally competitive about it.

eadwulf: tied for most likely to be verin's crush. verin also thinks he's intimidating, but more in the "if you put a knife to my throat i might just have to make out with you" way than in the "if you put a knife to my throat i would say my goodbyes and accept my fate" way. eadwulf is particularly hard to get a real laugh out of, but verin gets good enough at it over time that even caleb is impressed. very rarely, verin even manages to get a snort-laugh out of him, which caleb never lets him live down.

[a-fluffy-dog24]

6 tiny tales see Dipper and Mabel as little kids and play, learn new things,be there for each other. And lot of very cute slice of life stuff,and early 2000's childhood memories.And head canons and stories from the box set.Alex the creator of the show and his twin sister Ariel.References to Ariel's pig shrine and in show reference the origin of the awkward sibling hugs.The backstory of the Lammy Lammy dance. There parents reaction to them cutting their hair. The twins passed halloween costumes and the origin of sweater town.

Mabel and the game of chicken

April/5/2004

4 year old Dipper and Mabel were playing outside in their fence backyard with their toys. Their daddy just picked them up from daycare. Dipper was wearing a yellow polka dot shirt and blue shorts, and Mabel was wearing a yellow polkadot dress.With her hair up in a ponytail."Dipper the queen cat wants to have a tea party With the dinosaur, '' she told him. "Ok but after the tea party he has to go back to his Cave" they happily play .They have the tea party and help the dinosaur go back home.

But then "Hey kiddos please come inside it's going to rain" thair mommy Catherine call out to them she has straight light brown hair.She just came home from a long day working as a nurse at the hospital.They bring their toys inside and sit on they're beds on a shelf is some toys books ,DVDs and VHS tapes of the land before time,the little mermaid, Shrek,and brother bear and the 1983 my little pony the movie. They small room has two bed across  from each other.One with blue blanket and books on top of it and one with a pink blanket and stuffed animals.

They have a squared window in between their beds and a table the walls are a tan color .In the corner of the room they have a DVD player and a small tv they have a VHS player in the living room the walls have a brown trim and the floor is dark brown hardwood."What do you want to do now? Let's watch Rainbow bright '' she asked grabbing the Remote. "No I don't want to I want to watch SpongeBob '' he yelled and tried to grabbed the remote control out of her hands. "Hey that's not fair" she Wined they started screaming and fight each other on the floor.

Then their daddy comes in "HEY what are you two doing stop hitting each other" he orders pulling them apart and separating them with his hands."I want to watch SpongeBob" Dipper told him "But I want to watch Rainbow bright". "Well if you don't stop fighting each other you'll both not going to watch anything.You know that you're not supposed hit your siblings you could really hurt each other .If you fight  again you're going to be grounded." He said in a hard tone.

They nod their heads in agreement ."And you have to learn to share I'm going to take you VCR and DVD player until you you both can show me you can compromise." "What does that mean daddy" Mabel asked " it means you meet each other halfway in other words, you get to watch your show for 20 minutes and Dipper gets to watch his show for 20 minutes." He takes their DVD player and VCR and leaves. They watch him put them up in a closet in the hallway the hallway has brown wooden paneling.

The twins sit on their own beds because there noting they want to do except watch TV.  "This is stupid I want my own room"he wines then he has an idea he walked around their room and grabbed a ribbon.And tied it to a table "what if we had are own room this is my Side" he tied the ribbon,to the window ."How how am I gonna get out of here" she added " easy you climb out the window and slide down the tree." He told her "I don't think so I will find a way out" she looked around and climbed the big curtain.

And held on and climbed her way over to Dipper's bed and landed on it" ta-da" she cheered. "I want my own room too lets play a game of chicken" she suggests " you have to move out" she told him "no you move out" he argues . "Why do I have to" she argued "ok fine I'll move out" he took his pillow and his blue Clues dog stuffily. And when and move in to laundry room downstairs is  his new room has a ironing bored he used as a desk he sat there for a while he played.But he thought It was lonely by himself "what are you doing Dippy" his mommy asks she sat down and put her arm around him in the kitchen the wall is a picture of them and they mommy and daddy when they were babies. He looks at it and then back at her and says.

"Well Mabel and I where play a game called chicken and I want to move out but I'm kind of lonely. And Daddy took at TV because well couldn't share" he told her in a whisper."What do you think you should do it ok to have alone time but you need to be there for your sister when she need you.You can relate on her when you need her right. And you both need to learn to share sharing is caring " she reminds her son "right thank you Mommy" she Tickles him he giggled.Back in there room Mabel took down the the ribbon she liked having a big room all to herself but she thought that's she just want her brother back.

She cried a little then someone knocked on her door "hey Mabel I came back" she opened the door and nodded her head.They sat down on his bed she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Are you ok" he asked "awkward sibling hug " she told him"awkward sibling hug"he said then hugs her he pats her back "pat,pat" she said."Yea I feel better that you're here I know what will make me feel better" she asks .

"Ok fine but I don't know where my costume is" "please sing the Lamy Lamy dance please bro bro" she begged. He remembers when they were 3 years old and their granny Louis, their mom's mom.She has pail red hair and green eyes she got Mabel a piggy costume and got Dipper a lamy costume. Their mommy put it on them and he love it so much and didn't want to take it off.Catherine Took some pictures of them playing in the nursery had purple wallpaper and a yellow rug.Mabel in her piggy costume got on top of the toy chest trying watch Dora the explorer on the tv and she fell off their toy chest and got hurt she cry.Dipper wearing his Lamy costume did a Dance to cheer her up and she stop crying and started giggling and she loves still it even now.

"oh Who wants a Lamy Lamy so go up and greet your mammy hi there hi there so march march don't don't forget about the babyyy" he sings." Yay " she laughs "I'm kind of tired can we nap" he yawns "ok" she lays down and they fall asleep cuddling with each other.Michael see them getting along and will give them back their players when they wake up.

After they had Dino nuggets and Broccoli for dinner thair daddy  put in a dvd and they all watch an episode of full house.When the episode is over they all play a board game together as a family.Then the kids had a bath the bathroom is small it's light green with a light pink trim.It has a white sink, toilet,bathtub and shower and it has a small rectangle window.Mabel like the bath she got to play was her Princess Ariel mermaid toy.Her mommy scrubs her belly and tickles her she laughs.

Dipper on the other hand was not a fan of bathtime his daddy try to convince him to get in.But Dipper wined and refused "hey Dippy you're dinosaurs can come in with you they don't want to smell too".His mommy said washing his sister "I'll let you play with my mermaid too" Mabel told him."Ok fine" his daddy puts him in and washed him,the twins play and had fun.Catherine moves one of the dinosaurs though the water Dipper makes the smaller dinosaur swim.

After they put their pjs on Mabel's was purple with pink butterflies on it.Dipper's was green with blue dogs on it. Their mommy picks them up and carries them to bed and she gently sets Mabel down and gently sets Dipper down. "Good night buddy" "good night Daddy" "good night dippy" she kissed his head.''Remember no matter what you always project your sister and I love you". "Good night mommy I love you" she tucked him in when Dipper fell asleep.

"Good night baby" he pats Mabel head "good night Daddy can we get a pig" "no we can't"Michael leaves. "Good night honey bunny " she kissed her head "remember no matter what you always project your brother" "I love you". "I love you too good night Mommy can we get pig " "no pigs are to big" she tucked her in then Catherine closed the door.A little bit later Dipper started crying "Are you ok Dipping sauce" "no I'm scared please can I sleep with you" "yea come over" he get out of his bed and crawls in her bed.and they both sleep together all though the night.

The tooth fairy

February /8/2005

Their mommy had just bought them home after the a check up they got they're shots they did cry a little.Dipper try to hide under the table Mabel try to hold on to her Mommy screaming for dear life.But with some convincing and a promise of stickers the twins sat on the table holding hands got their shots then they each got a stickers. The 5 year olds where watching dragon tales   in the living room it was painted white with a light brown trim and coral Orange carpet.They were watching TV well their mom was painting out of her painting in the dining room./p>

They were and eating crackers. Dipper is wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans.Mabel is wearing green Power puff girls shirt and a purple shorts . When there is one cracker left "what do we do " he asks she takes the cracker and split it in half "thank you" he eat his half When Dipper thought his food taste weird and it taste like blood he opened his mouth, and gets the thing out. But the blood kept coming his tooth fell out "MOMMY Help my mouth got blood in it and my teeth are falling out" he yelled.

"MOMMY whats going on" Mabel asks worried "I think I'm dying " he yells ."Come to the bathroom please"she try not to laugh Dipper follow his mommy he drink and spits out some water. And she clean off his tooth "you know what this means"Catherine asks her son. "That I'm dying" he said"no you're losing your baby teeth and then you put the tooth,under your pillow and the tooth fairy comes and takes your tooth and gives you money" she told.

"Really that's so cool" he gos and puts the tooth under his pillow "Mommy will the tooth fairy come to see me" Mabel asks. "Well not tonight but when you lose your baby teeth then she will" "Mommy who is older" she push her straight light brown hair out of her face "you are honey bunny older by only 5 minutes" "oh so I'm the alpha twin cool...but why don't Dipper I lose are teeth at the same time where twins it's not fair" she wines.

And she sit down on the floor in their room "it's not fair Dipper" she told him "what" he asks to look up from playing with his dog and car toys. "That you lost your tooth and got to see the tooth fairy but I don't" . "I can't stop them from falling out, at least I lost them first you still have all your baby teeth like a big baby". She started to cry and ran off to the bathroom and slammed the door.Catherine saw this happen and said."Mason Alex Pines, that wasn't nice at all, that is not how you treat people.

Do you want to go to the naughty chair. What if she lost her tooth first and called you a big baby how would you feel ." "Not good but I don’t care " he answers  "remember you’re supposed to be there for her protect her you would want her help you.You go and sit down in the chair and think about what you need to do." He goes and sits in the little chair in his mommy bedroom five minutes later she comes in and asks him the question. "umm I need to apologize to her" .He walked over to the door and knocks "umm Mabel I'm sorry it's was dumb what I said to you about you being a baby.

And I think you'll lose your tooth soon and the tooth fairy will give you a big surprise" he finished.And she opened the door and he comes in she said " awkward sibling hug bro bro I love you" and he hug her he said "I love you too awkward sibling hug" "pat pat" she said . "What do you want to do now" he asks her "can we watch Rainbow bright "Dipper and Mabel Watch some TV

Then they played together and they were Prince and Princess. She was princess Ariel.She wore a pink blanket tied around her waist and a red wig. She made a Castle out of purple couch pillows and Dipper where a paper Crown and he had a play sword he was the prince fighting the dragon.And Catherine the queen she sat in her chair she get up and ordered the prince to fight the dragon she hands him a sword.He hit the dragon with the sword then threw the dragon pluses across the room. "You save me prince Dipper'' Mabel hug him and picks him up a little and put him down "I give you this crown"the queen Catherine puts the crown on her little prince

"now you have to bring your princess to her castle"Mabel tells him.He niels down and she gets on his back and he piggyback rides her to her castle,and set her down on the couch she giggles.Queen Catherine goes back to the kingdom far away called the kitchen "I learned I'm the alpha twin" she told him "really but by how much" he asks. "By 5 minutes little brother" she brags "hey at least we're the same height" he laughs.

"Hey Dipper remember when we were really sick" she says "yeah it was horrible mommy took care of us" "she gave us soup,movies to watch and a warm bath" she said "well I don't like the bath part remember the gross medicine I hope we don't get sick again that was a year ago" "we probably will when do it's weird when I cough you sneeze"

After they have spaghetti and meatball for dinner the they watch an episode or two of the Care Bears the original as a family they have a cookie for dessert,Their daddy is Busy with at a conference  at work his a history  teacher he'll be home later.And then there mommy pick the kids up and carries them to give them a bath Dipper try and fails to hide under the bed Catherine find him pretty quickly and put him in tub.She tickles them well she washed her children after she tucked them in to bed.She kissed her babies good night "I love you two" she told them "I love you mommy" Mabel sleep with her piggy stuffed animals "me too" Dipper sleep with his blue clues dog they fall asleep and wait for the tooth fair.

After picture day

Sept/9/2005

6 year old Mabel and Dipper come home from Picture day at school.Their Mommy and Daddy stand outside their house.And the twins get off the bus "Mommy where back" Mabel announce

"MASON ALEX PINES WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR”Michael yells seeing his son's has been cut with a razor . Mabel take off Dipper's blue hat "WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOU HAIR "Catherine asks seeing her daughter's hair. "But we did it together 123" Dipper counted out loud. They hold arms and shout "TWINS" "Aww but why did you cut your hair " she asked in disbelief. "They put gum in her hair" Dipper told her "why didn't you give her your hat" Michael asked him "I don't know" he said."We know it was bad we really sorry" Mabel apologized "I'm sorry too" Dipper added.The parents not knowing what to do they walked up the stairs  Michael opened the red front door to their house.

"Daddy can I call Grunkle Stan" she asked and he handed her his flip phone it ring. The kids go into their room and sit down "umm hello Mike" Stan answered"Grunkle Stan hi it's me Mabel" she yells "and Dipper too" he called. " oh Hi there kiddos what are you doing"he asks "today was Picture day but some kid put gum in my hair" she told him. "But I find a razor and we cut are hair" Dipper added "oh well that works what did your mom and dad say".He found it cute but wondered what they parents were do.

"They freaked out, we might have to wear wigs now," she said."And we might be grounded but we did it together. We will send you the picture we took" Dipper told him. "Grunkle Stan, my favorite animal is a pig. When can we come to your house?" she asked "umm sweetie I'm busy with work but i'll see you kiddos for thanksgiving and maybe Hanukkah or Christmas." Stan answered her question the best he could. "Ok we can still call you right" Dipper asks

"Yes I have to go bye" "bye Grunkle Stan" Dipper said goodbye "bye Grunkle Stan I love you" Mabel said goodbye. "You too bye" he hangs up.And gos back to work trying to fix the portal. Meanwhile the kids watch some blues clues and sing the mail song,and color and they're coloring books.Dipper colors in a Thomas the tank Engine coloring book and Mabel color in her Lisa Frank coloring book.Later the twins and their parents have a talk about asking for help.

"So when you kids have a problem and you're not sure how to fix it you need to ask an adult" Michael explains to the children. They nodded their heads and know that what they need to do. "And you should never cut your own hair cutting that a job for a hairdresser,mommy or me". "Ok daddy we're sorry" Mabel said "Are you going to shave my head" Dipper asked. Their mommy told them "No but you both ground for the night and tomorrow. That means no toys,no books and no TV.you understand".They do understand that if they do the crime they do the time.

Then the kids eat dinner. They have fish and green beans.After they have their bath then their mommy and daddy tucked the kids in to bed and their give them both kisses on the head and told them they loves them Dipper sleeps with his blue clues dog stuff animal and she sleeps with her pig pillow pet (it's a pillow it's a pet.)Then they here a loud  noise they both jump out of bed scared and hug each other for protection.

"What was that I hope it not an Monster" she asked trembling "oh a Alien" he added holding her tighter they look around their room at the books on a shelf ready to fall off the toys DVDs and VHS's of Dumbo,Loiu and stitch,toy story on the floor in the dark .Then they look at the closet and see two red eyes staring at them "it's the alien" he whispered "let see what monster it is" she added they walked closer to it holding on to each other for deer life.

And the red eyes move and jump out of the shadows and it's their cat he sits in his bed "can I sleep with you Dipping sauce"" she asks He said yes and then both slept in his bed and cuddled in safely from the monster/alien/cat. Their mother took them to the hairdresser to see what they could do about the bald patches. And she gave them both little wigs to wear until the bald patches grow back. It probably will take a year for the hair to grow back completely.

Later Stan receives two copies of the photo.He looks at it and smiles as he wishes he could be there. And put one on his fridge and one in a Frame in the portal room.

Thanksgiving

November/29/2007

It's Thanksgiving and the 8 year old twins are getting ready for thanksgiving dinner. They had their showers Dipper was made to take one Mabel is wearing a green dress and a light pink shirt underneath her mom is doing her hair in a half ponytail with a pink bow.Catherine's straight light brown hair is in a braid .And Dipper is wearing a  green overalls and a matching light pink shirt  his dad Michael is combining Dipper's hair.Michael's curly dark brown hair is combed.

Then and kids watch the Macy thanksgiving day parade and it was fun their favorite part was seeing Santa.Then the doorbell rings Michael get the door and it's his dad and mom.Grandpa Shumeses his hair is all white he used to have curly dark brown like he son but it all gone now.He has glasses and a gray mustache and a orange Pair nose, he is older than his twin brothers by 8 years. And his wife  Faith has gray hair. She used to have blonde hair and she is wearing a pink dress.They come into the kitchen and the kids help their mom sit at the table "hi grandpa " said Dipper "did you bring pumpkin pie" Mabel asked. "Yes She did but that's for later" he told the kids.

Catherine's mother granny Louis come in she said hi.Louis used to have red hair.The kids hug her and she kisses their heads.But their still waiting on one person. They're mother and grandmothers are talking and were finishing dinner. Mabel goes into Living room Dipper follow they see their father and grandfather watching football on the purple  couch and yelling.So the kids go to their room they have some toys,games on their shelf and DVDs  and VHS tape. Of Bolt, the land before time,Spirit stallion of the Cimarron, all dogs go to heaven. LILO and stitch, Shrek, Spirited away,the little mermaid,fantastic mr fox,Shrek 2,the secret of NIMH.

Some of Mabel's Rainbow yarn on the floor. “Dipper do you want to finish the movie we’re making for Mommy and Daddy” she ask “sure I’ll get my video camera ready”. They take out the jungle set they make out of cardboard and Crumpled up green paper as the trees,an old Ken doll with a Safari hat made from a water bottle cup. (Dipper makes the man walk)through the jungle he is looking for creatures. He hears a loud noise (Mabel some horse noises) the explore man sees a pegasus she is pink with white hair and a giant purple bow.

He try to catch the Pegasus with a rope (Dipper pulls a rubber band) the Pegasus demands that she will not be taken away. He lets her go and she said he must have a party with her and we must have a karaoke competition where they compete for a million ice cream sundae. They have a fun time together the end.Then Mabel puts on his favorite VHS tape of Charlotte web and cuddles up in her blanket. Holding a pig toy he watched it with her. Well, they waited for their great uncle. Just then they heard the doorbell ring and they ran down the stairs and Dipper opened the door. "Grunkle Stan you’re here yay" she cheered they go in for a hug he picked them up."Hi whoa you two have gotten  big your not toddlers anymore" he said " nope we're in 3th Grade now"told him he put them down.And gos into the kitchen said hi to everyone.

Then they eat dinner. They have Turkey, mashed potatoes, squash,stuffing, and green beans. After dinner the adults talk about politics and stuff outside the kids take their pumpkin and chocolate pies and sit on the purple couch.Stan comes to join them and to avoid the change of adult finding out his identity. And to spend time with his great niece and nephew. When he sat down  he asked "So how school you didn't cut any more hair off did you ?" he asked. "No it grew back eventually" she reminds him "and we got to wear wigs for a year" he says to Stan.

She sits on his lap and holds her with his arm. "Grunkle Stan, can you come more often? Why don't we see you a lot?Dipper asks, "do you think we could go to your house sometime we've never been " she added . "Well you kids have when you were little babies I babysat and I would love to see you guys more.Too but I Busy with work and you would have ask you parents.Maybe you can come for the month or summer something like that" he told them he can't tell them the truth they won't understand but he does wish his brother could have be here too he wish he didn't have to lie to his family.

"Is it because your old'' Dipper said "yeah is that why" she agreed "ok that it" he tickled her belly.And she giggled and then he tickled her feet she laughed Dipper tried to move off the couch but Stan grabbed him. Well this is happening Michael gos into the living room for something and he sees his children and Stan giggling and having fun "Not getting out it that easy '' Stan said as he ticked his feet Dipper giggled and Stan tickled his belly he laughed. Then he stops "sweetie here" he hand her a small pig stuff animal

"thank you Grunkle Stan I want to show you my. Sticker Collection" Mabel went upstairs to get it and to add the pig to her pig shine. "Hey Goober " Stan hand him a old spoon "That is a spoon pass down from great great great great grandfather Pines don't let everyone take it" he rubs Dipper head "Really thanks" he puts it in his pocket"so what do you like to do" he ask him . "Umm I like to read. I 've been reading this new book and it's really cool. It's about monsters and mysteries, "he told him. "Yea that cool you know Dippy you remind  me of someone I used to know ".

Just then she can back and Stan picks her up and puts her on his lap. She flipped the book open. "And these are my rainbow stickers" "that is a lot of stickers, how long have you been collecting them?"Stan asked in amazement. "Seen I was 3 years old and there's my Princess Ariel sticker she is my favorite princess" "yea we're watched that movie a hundred times" Dipper teases.

"Grunkle Stan can you give us a piggyback ride" she said he nodded and picked her upside down.And picked him upside down too and walked around Mabel laughing and Dipper trying not to scream. Catherine takes a picture After they say goodbye to grandpa Sherman and grandma Faith. Then they hug goodbye to Grunkle Stan he leaves.The twins go get ready for bed Mabel tells tell their mom that he finished the movie. She watched it and she loved it. Dipper asks his mom "mom Grunkle Stan give me a special spoon" he shows her. "Dipper that says The Hilton inn he stole it from the hotel,don't believe anything Grunkle Stan says" she jokes.

She tucked him in bed and kissed him on the Head "I love you remember to always be there for your sister and to protect her " "of course mom”she moved over and tucked Mabel into bed and kissed her on the head too." Remember to always be there for your brother and protect him I love you" "I love you too mommy"she said gos to close the door she see Dipper crawls into her bed she tucked him in and they cuddle they go to sleep.She watches her babies sleep happily together and close the door.

The orthodontist

Dec,6,2008

The 9 year old twins sat at the orthodontist because Mabel needs Braces to straighten her teeth.Their mom and the kids wait in the waiting room "how are you doing" he asks her she looks a little nervous. "I'm worried. '' she said . "I can come in and hold your hand if you like. I'm scared of the dentist too. I will be right by your side" he reassured her.

"Honey bunny your fearless you can do this"Catherine rubs her head and tells her daughter “Mommy thanks for trying to make me feel better but I still nervous” she told her."Mabel Pines" the doctor said and they follow him.Holding hands she sit down the doctor explain what they are going to do they clean her teeth then put on a adhesive to hold the brackets on just the top row of teeth.

They have a TV pointed up so she can watch it. It's playing one of her favorite movies, the little mermaid . The doctor goes to get some more tools She sits in her chair in a ball and puts her rainbow sweater over her head and hides.He known Mabel has done a lot of weird things like laying on his bed upside down and imagining how people would walk,eating a scratch and sniff sticker and having to go to the emergency room, or meowing like a cat in her sleep but this was new. "Mabel what are you doing" he asks "Mabel not here she in sweater town". "Well I'm still going to stay here by your side I'm not going anywhere" the doctor comes back she peaks her head on of the sweater a bit. Then she pulls it down "are you ready for us to start" the nurse said "yes I am" she takes a deep breath and blows it out.

They start cleaning and drying the teeth after they put the adhesive on her teeth. Then they get ready to put on the brackets and she jesters her hand to get Dipper to come over. He moves the chair over.And grabbing her hand she calms down. They put the brackets on one by one and the wire on.Later they're all done she gets a pig sticker. They go out to the waiting room and the doctor explains how to clean her teeth. And what she can't eat chewy foods,crunchy foods,sticky food.

He suggested eating soft foods and chewing carefully and making sure to floss and brush. He gave her a paper with the thing he just said to help her. She's a little sad she can't eat gum and other stuff she used to.They go home and she plays with her tamagotchi and he plays on his DS then they had grilled chicken and soft carrots for dinner and a brownie. The kids put on a play for their parents they make props the stage and curtains. It’s set up in the living room. It’s about a wizard that is lonely and the girl with Magical powers has to help him fight a monster. Their mom loves it she takes pictures their dad laughs at their jokes. After the twins took their showers they flossed and brush their teeth. Mabel brush a lot afraid some food might be stuck then they get ready for bed." You still think I'm pretty right" she asked him " yes of course you're my sister and the braces will help your teeth be less squished" he told her. "Thank you bro bro" "you want a awkward sibling hug"he asks "yes please" they go out of their beds and hug "pat,pat".

Michael comes in and tucked them in to bed.And tells them he will always love them and they should always be there for each other and protect each other .They agree they will no matter what ,they will no matter what they go through or where they are they will always protect each other and be there for each other. “Good night daddy” Mabel said he kissed her on cheek “good buddy” he said to Dipper “ok” he replied his dad pulled his blanket on him.And he closed the door Mabel crawl in his bed and sleeps with him and they slept through the rainy winter night.

The movies

October/7/2010

11 year olds Dipper and Mabel go to the movies with their dad  . Mabel is on his shoulders Dipper is wearing his new lucky brown hat and a blue shirt and green shorts and a backpack.Mabel has her hair in a braid and is wearing a purple long sleeve shirt and pink pants. They sneak in snacks they are going to see toy story 3 Mabel is excited Dipper  is scared to see the movie. "Mabel I don't know about this I think it's scary" he shy told her

"what are you afraid of" she ask "the creepy teddy bear" he answered "buddy you can do this think about how great it will feel to conquer your fear. I believe in you" he reassured him "thank dad" he takes Mabel down from his shoulders ."If you get to scared you can squeeze my hand we see the movie together" She comfort him"123" they both shout "TWINS" they laugh "remember when you were scared to join Theater at school but then you find out you love it."she reminds him he nods his head.They go in their dad sit down and the kids sit next to each other the movie starts.

Michael pull out the snack he hid in his pants pockets they eat candy and popcorn.The movies play for a while then he see the Bear and he closes his eyes "dad what do I do"he whispers his dad says "Well, do you think maybe you can try to watch the movie,you might feel bumped if you miss it" he whispers. A couple minutes went by and slowly uncovered his eyes out and Mabel held out her hand and he held his sister hand and watched the rest of the movie.

And after they went home. She was watching a new show called My Little Pony on the purple couch"hey Dipper you want to watch this show with me" she asks. "Well I'm not sure about it but ok I'll try" he watched it and it's not bad he kinda likes it.With its Adventure and story,humor and cuteness. Then they go into their room and he plays Dungeons Dungeons and more Dungeons he trying to concentrate and she plays some 80's music in the CD player a little too loud. Dances "hey can you turn that off" he yells "what no" she said. "Can you use the headphones or something" he told her " well can I just turn down" she suggested ."Sure I trying to read" "oh I'm sorry sure" she turn it down and continues dancing.

The kids see Catherine painting one of her paintings in the dining room . Her straight light brown hair is in a ponytail "mom how did you know you were going to have us" Dipper asks. "Well I took a pregnancy test and then went to the doctor. And find out We were having fraternal twins, identical twins are when you have one egg that split into two separate babies you two came as two babies one boy and one girl we don't know at first we could if had two girls or two boys.But I got lucky you ended up being both. Then we pick out names and got baby stuff and put up purple wallpaper in the nursery" she told them "what about when we were born" Mabel asks.

Well we waited 9 months for you two to grow in my belly then I went into Labor.And had you at a hospital it was hard and scary. Mabel was born first ""alpha twin alpha twin" she cheered herself on "hey by 5 minutes what took me so long" he asked his mom . "Well when you came out you were having trouble breathing I was worried that was first time you scared me but the doctor help you that was the hardest day of my life.But it was Worth it to bring you my babies in to the world.And your dad was there and grandpa and Grunkle Stan'' she finish telling them.

"That how I got my birthmark" he said "yes dippy your birthmark means you are destined for greatness".She saids "and you my honey bunny with your problematic enthusiasm are also very loving to everyone you meet" she hugs her children "I love you two" she said they hug her back."we love you mom" he told her "yea we really do" Mabel added. "You know you two hated being separated as babies. Sometimes we would have to put you two together in the same crib and you would sleep all night" .

"Yea no matter where we go we always project each other" he said " we're best friends"she added they fist bump each other. "you'll always be my babies no matter how big you get" she loving told them and she kissed them on their heads hug her more. "Mom how does the baby get to the moms belly" Mabel said "you'll learn when you're older honey" she replies "why can't you just tell us" Dipper asks. "I promise you that you'll learn when your older time for dinner" she said Dipper grumbled "okay" Mabel sat down at the table.

Then they’re dad cooks dinner and they eat grilled chicken and a salad.Then they have a Cookie for dessert.Then they have their showers he was made to shower and they got ready for bed. Mabel nits a a pink sweater her grandma Dorothy taught her how to knit when she was 6 years old and Dipper reads a comic book their mom tucked them in and kissed them goodnight they go to bed.

Outside games

January /18/2012

The 12 Year old twins were playing in their backyard the backyard had a brown fence and a old light blue and white playhouse.And a small swing set with a slide they were sitting on the swings.Mabel is wearing light blue shirt with ponies on it and rainbow pants she asked "hey Dipper let's play house" "no aren't we two old to play things like house" he told her he is wearing red shirt it with blue shorts. "Well I don't think so please dipping sauce. '' she begged "ok fine but can I play the game after" she pinky swear.

They played together. She used her stuffed animals as the kids and she was the mom and he was the uncle they played for a long time. "Can we play something else please" he asked "in a minute I'm having fun" she told him." Well I'M NOT YOU PROMISE AFTER I COULD PICK THE GAME" he yelled and climbed up the slide ladder and sat back turned to her.

"What happened?" Catherine asks her daughter. "I don't know we played house together and he got upset" Mabel told her.She didn't realize that he didn't want to keep playing. "What do you think you should do? It's ok to play together but you need to think about what he wants to do too honey.You both need to be there for each other so you both can have each other's back" she told her.

Mabel agreed and climb up and slide "hi Dipper I'm sorry I didn't realize you weren't having fun"she apologized he turned around. "Thank you it's okay I'm sorry for yelling " "awkward sibling hug" she said "sure" they hug each other "pat pat" he said. "Think about how many times we had been there for each other. Like when we were learning to ride bikes when we were 7 years old."she reminds him "yeah that was kind of scary" he said "and funny you won't stop screaming."She laughed "Or when it was Valentine's Day in 5 grade and I didn't get any candy or cards"he said. "Yeah I almost got in a fight with the kids that make fun of you but the teacher said I could be suspended" "So I gave you some of mine valentines"she reminds him "Thanks sis".

"What do you want to do now?" she asked "umm can we play ghost hunters". They played at a haunted house together there. Mom calls. Them in for dinner they wash their hands in the kitchen the kitchen is small and little blue color and sit down in the small dining room the wall are a light orange color and table is a brown they have fish and a salad.They sit in the living room on the purple couch watch the Simpsons on TV.Then Mabel wants to play with Dipper they play Pokémon with his cards and have fun.

Then take their showers then their mom tucked them into bed and kissed them good night the kids. "Hey Dipper guess what" "I don't know what" "I love you" she whispers "I love you too" he whispers back.You can see winter nights,stars and the light from the moon outside their Square window. they can also see Mabel's glow in dark stickers she stuck on her side of her room,glow and shining on the dark looking tan walls the kids sleep through the night.

Michael and Catherine  talk about what to do with the twins for the summer.They have been going through a rough patch in their marriage and don’t want the kids. To see them fighting. Michael makes a phone call and talks to Stan about the twins staying with him for the summer. Also so they are not be alone by themselves while their parents are at work.And it would be nice for the kids to get outside make some memories that aren’t just boredly watching tv. Dipper would probably just play video games all summer. Mabel would probably just watch tv in their room as well. Their parents would send  them to a summer camp or something but they never been to a place like that before.And it's a lot of money to send two kids to camp.He thinks that a great idea and can't wait for June.Michael knows that he's not the most trustworthy person and he's cheep but he loves the twins. So it's set up the kids are going to Oregon for the summer.

May,30,2012 The day before the last day of school the twins eat breakfast at the small kitchen table their mom said "hey kiddos guess where your going for the summer". "Disneyland" Mabel guess "summer camp" Dipper ask he hope so "no you're going to spend the whole summer with Grunkle Stan" Michael told them. “He would babysit you two when you were little” Catherine remembers. "Oh ok I remember him a little bit it will be fun. Remember he sends us birthday presents and Hanukkah cards,well sometimes.” She tells Dipper “yeah he does call us on occasion but why don’t we see him more often ” he says. “I remember on thanksgiving he gave me some some stickers" Mabel said.

"And he gave me a a "special" spoon that he stole from an inn." But why?” Dipper asks “umm because we think it will be nice for you too to get some fresh air. And not Watch TV all summer” Michael explained hope he doesn’t ask the real reason they’re going away. “Ok but were are going exactly" he question. "Up in a little town in Oregon we will drive you kids up halfway and then you'll take the bus and he'll meet at the bus stop"Catherine told them."we already packed your bags and we will leave here by 7:00 am so today is your last day " their dad finished saying.They go to school then when they got home they wash up and packed the stuff they wanted to bring for the summer. And then started their trip in the morning driving on the redwood highway.And their parents drove for a while they got to the bus station.By 3:00 pm they were in crescent city CA then they get to a bus for 3 hours and arrive in Gravity Falls Oregon.

They said goodbye their dad he said to have fun write letters and he loves them .They hug him goodbye And their mom told them that no matter what happens always take care of each other and always project each other. They hug her goodbye she kisses them on the top of their heads. Their parents just need a few months away from themselves to resolve their issues.They don’t want the kids to be worried or involved in their problems. The twins ride for a couple hours then the bus stop they get off it's 6:00pm at night. A tall man in a green shirt tells them he's supposed to pick up Mabel and Dipper Pines and tell them to come with him down the road in the woods. They follow him he says he name is Soos he works for Mr Pines the kids trust him a little but they stay alert in case this turns out to be some kidnapping or something.That what they parents said to protect each other.

They see a shack with the woods it said the mystery shack on it and they know it's is the place the nice man said Mr Pines live here but he's sleeping. That what he was told Stanley was actually downstairs working on the portal.The man gives them some leftovers for dinner.After they eat the kids go upstairs to the attic where he said they would be sleeping. The twins go upstairs and open the door they see to beds one with a blue blanket,sheets and a pillow. And the other one with pink blanket, sheets and pillow they start to set up their room with the stuff they bought.They are so tired they crawl into bed and sleep. The next morning they meet their great uncle he ok a little grumpy.He says he has to go work and they have to help him with work he also tells them don't get in trouble.And they start a summer they won't forget.

[okiecookie20]

EXO Obsession theory - pt 2

Part 1 | Have a Xiumiñ first❣️

• Let's analyze the EXODEUX Trailer (I'll point out clues and try to decipher them!)

We see the phases of the moon. In some way this represents how half side is bright and the other dark (that could mean that EXO has to endure the fight since both parts are their own):

Crudely we understand that they have to remain in a state of balance to be the legends but RF has somehow disturbed this balance.

The trailer was released on 8 Nov '19. What if X-EXO came alive on the blood moon (total lunar eclipse)? The phenomenon had been observed sometime in Nov 1909, 1928, 2022. A solar eclipse is shown and then we see destruction. I'm confident that EXO regain powers from this as seen in Power, What is Love. And since X-EXO are their halves or smth they get powers too.

Exo Planet #4 - The EℓyXiOn vcr shows us how the exos were being chased by some unknown beings who had the same powers as them. Kai opened the portal doors and rescued them just in time. Now we know these beings were X-EXO.

Okay so first they show us what is the result of X-EXO's actions. We find that from 0:11 some member's dna turns black (at first I thought it faded and crumbled) and then Kāi is shown — it could be a hint that it's him who is corrupted as he also fades.

Then appears THE TREE OF LIFE?!! And a fire which renders it dry 😦(the mv seems to be set on exoplanet). We can see how the eye of the RF coveted the heart of the tree as was prophesied in MAMA intro.

Since we see Chanyeol's power directly harming it, I'm convinced what I discussed about him here might be true... Next we see a sandstorm and then booming thunder (Respective x-exo members shown in reverse order then)

I'm sure u must have noticed all this but from 0:32, something very interesting happens: a red drop is shown to separate from a source of water and it shines as it ascends. Suhø's (abs gjjdjd) shot is briefly interrupted by Baëkhyun - hmm.

Even in the photobooks, they have pics next to each other. This could mean that they're together in on smth. (Notice Suhø's hand on his throat, I'll discuss about this later in this post)

In the EXplOration Dot vcr, we find Baëkhyun looking at a screen. I'm pretty sure he is monitoring the other members. This leads to another theory of a binary between him and Suhø.

Back to EXODEUX, exo's powers prove to be very destructive since they've fallen into wrong hands. At 0:56 we see them facing a red celestial ball very much like our sun but creepy. Is this the eye of the RF? Another possibility is that it could be one of the two suns created as shown in Power intro because the legends separated into M & K. Once again we see Suhø and Baëkhyun facing each other:

We get a closer look at their eyes and all seem to have blue eyes:

Hold it! Chën has one blue eye and one dark brown!!! (he has red and white lashes too)

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The conclusion I make from these clues is that jongdae has learnt how to regain that balance we talked about. So my earlier assumption as discussed in part i might not be correct and it is Chen who has won the fight. At first Chën looks confident but slowly as the game progresses, it is Chen who becomes more confident - he put his feet on the table.

• Let's analyze the mv now. The first fight shown is of Baek and his evil counterpart in a match of fencing. We see that the audience is dark hooded figures with red eyes:

One thing I noticed is that when Baekhyun is shown alone, there are white lights turned on and the stands for the audience are empty. But when Baëkhyun is alone, the lights are off and some red lights glow overhead (cctv cams?).

Baëkhyun looked like he hurt himself in the fight (some people theorize he wears a face-chain to cover his wound):

I would safely assume that nobody won or lost the match. This is because both are seen facing each other even in the final shot of this set.

• Moving on to Sehun; he tries to aim arrows at his evil double Sehůn. We see how many times he has tried but missed his target. There is a similar blue target behind Sehun too:

In EXODEUX we look closely at the aesthetic of X-EXO's eyes and all of them have dark makeup or scars - all but Sehůn! His eyes are clean and pure from the influence of the RF.

In the teaser poster below, Sehůn (case 94) is the only one on whom the target is not locked!

He is never seen with his double and is trying to fake it and trick the RF!! While the other X-EXO mems look sinister/appear expressive, Sehůn seems unbothered.

He is the only member who has concept pics with a blue background. Furthermore, his nails are almost clean and not like the other X-EXO ppl.

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Sehun is also the only Exo member to appear in the EXODEUX Trailer at the end. All of this is too much of a coincidence and I believe he already fought his counterpart, won and has come to save EXO as we see in his mv remake (2014):

• Now let's talk about Suho's scenes. Suho is looking around in an art gallery full of pictures based on water and waves. He is suspended mid-air in the place but a new shot shows it is much more deeper than that both literally and figuratively: he is trapped underwater and his evil counterpart is the one trying to drown him.

Suhø is standing in water with 7 unknown hands reaching out to him - this could be a biblical reference to the seven deadly sins. Since the album was released in 2019, this is a nod to my fav group's 7th anniversary. Come to think of it he has red hair styled as devil's horns (junmyeon looks so perfect oml):

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A lot of us noticed that in the beginning, he is shown trying to control the members as if they are puppets (yeah well I've watched this mv in slow-mo many times)

At 1:55 we notice a choking Suhø (junmyeon confirmed this) - the imagery is very creepy. This is because if Suho drowns, his double would choke too.

Sehun shoots arrows at his evil counterpart and gets hurt himself.

The recurrent theme is that whichever side - the good or the evil one tries to harm the other, both suffer the same fate. Why? because they are halves of each other as we discussed in the beginning of this post.

Getting back to the mv, the planets start to align as this happens.

This is just like the narration in MAMA intro: ...The day the grounds beget a singe file before one sky...

The teaser posters have this "Warning" on them:

A messy world order Anomalies due to twisted orbits

Moving on, we find out how the X-EXO are nothing but agents and creation of the RF. Notice how the screen inside Suhø's head is very similar to the ones in and outside Chen's room.

•I'd like to talk about the red glowing marks on some of X-EXO ppl. Only Sehun's and Chanyeol's evil doubles do not glow. This could be another clue that Sehůn is good. The other X-EXO mems are corrupted. Instead Yeøl appears in inverted and oversaturated colors looking demonic.

• Another thing I noticed at around 3:06 of mv Jongdae and Suho sing this for the first time:

"The turned-on exit light" instead of "The turned-off exit light" as in chorus.

The ending shows a burning planet (initially I thought it was Earth but then I noticed it looked a bit different). SM confirmed it is "half of" exo Planet. Additionally it has a deep red glow ofc hinting this is because of the RF. There is still hope for exo to recover and defeat their enemies.

Thanks for reading!🍒 I'll probably make some compilation post for these theories.

[thewizardprincessau]

hey. dont cry. dissection of the passerine animatic + the accompanying character study ok? ok.

tldr: my son chun tao she is so fucking ill

Honestly Passerine is THE Chun Tao song. To me. bc it fits really well with his religious guilt, but i also like to recontextualize the chorus to instead be him talking about eri. they were the one really pulling the weight during the early days of their friendship, and chun tao feels a lot of guilt for that

but first! the animatic! it centers around chun tao's guilt for eri being so sweet to him despite him being a stoic ass cold bitch. i actually color-picked the palette from the album cover of eurus (that passerine is from) and slapped on a noise filter to achieve that same grainy effect. it looks nice 2 me.

eri is represented in a distinguishing yellow, someone bright and unique to chun tao, while he himself is colored in the same white as all the other details in the background. While making him the same color as the lyrics helped establish they were His thoughts, him blending in w everything else while eri has their own unique color is his way of putting eri on a pedestal, viewing them as more important than he'll ever be. they're the monarch and he's just their prince consort. that's how he always thought of it.

i dont have much to say about these frames in particular but here are their corresponding parts in the study! theyre just meant to establish their relationship w one another before leading up to the next part, where he sees eri as this blinding light, but just cant let go of that one sign of weakness they had shown him during their wedding. a small glimpse of a them he didnt quite understand yet, and never made the effort to.

at some point, chun tao Snaps and berates eri for trying to get so close to him. at first i wasnt sure if his mindset made.. sense? but connecting the dots from earlier, it DOES make sense if you see it through the point of view that he sees eri as someone above him. chun tao isnt someone who deals with people and he's used to impersonal business relationships and he thought this would be another one of those which is why he's so shocked, caught off-guard, even offended at eri threatening his status quo. brother hates vulnerability, and it terrified him that someone was trying to get through his walls, so all he could do was lash out.

im not absolving eri of blame either though.. i think they still had some wrong in not immediately recognizing chun tao's boundaries. they were so eager to be her friend, they dont realize they might come across as overbearing. and they were, in a sense, but chun tao does also realize its unfair to them to take their innocent gestures of friendliness with so much malice. they just have conflicting ideas on the world, and it clashed, and no one's totally wrong but no one's totally right, they were just coming from their own places.

In here chun tao watches as eri reels back and apologizes for all the things she had shouted at them at. but it's also the same moment chun tao realizes that she does Not know much of anything about eri at all. it's very faint, but there's the outline of a sobbing younger eri staring straight at the screen, supposedly at chun tao, like a reminder of the eri she never got to meet herself. one that was hurting just like her. and that younger eri still resides in the one standing before her crying too, she just never got to see that side to them because she never bothered to figure that side to them out. (AND the "your" is intentionally written twice, like its referring to both eri in the present and eri in the past. by failing to understand them, chun tao feels like he's failing both eris.)

as mentioned earlier, chun tao gets mad at eri for having a "perfect life" and thinks theyd never understand her. but. the thing is. chun tao isnt LETTING them understand her. she keeps pushing them away. and she realizes it was presumptuous to assume they would understand her, because well. she.. doesnt even know what eri's Been through atp. she just assumed eri's life's been perfect because theyre so composed and chipper, but she didnt know who they were a couple years ago at all. she thinks that bc eri's secret relationship is lovey-dovey that their love is perfect, but chun tao didn't see their toxic yuri of a start and that they face a lot of problems as a couple too. chun tao thinks that bc eri is so well-loved by the public that thats that, but she remembers that people gossiped AND gossip hard about them bc of their status as a non-sorcerer. they were dehumanized and alienated by the public too, just like her. and this realization hits her HARD.

he then tries to make an effort to be more involved in eri's life after this point, reconciling with them and becoming their best friend. okay tbh the scene described in the character study is NOT the same as the one pictured in the animatic but i HAD to get a hug in there somewhere.

the last two scenes are a BIG flashforward to ursa's creation, where chun tao is panicking hard about eri literally dying to create their homunculus baby. also ursa is drawn in white but has eri's yellow present too, showing how he's a combination of them, their little kid :D

the whole lyric bit of "but i cant shake this feeling that i was only pushing the spear into your side, again and again and again" is supposed to represent chun tao feeling like a thorn on eri's side causing them pain. he scolded them for being nice to him, and they went on to sacrifice their life in a dangerous ritual to create their son and uphold tradition, but he just feels so so guilty for all of that. he cant shake the feeling that he's a source of their pain and suffering, and it eats him up alive.

-----------------------------------

ok ANYWAY moving on to the CHARACTER STUDY NOW!!!!!!!!!! just parallels and stuff w the writing

guys im a fucking feature writer of course im going to start and end with the same phrase ("chun tao is not a people peson, and his family knows this very well"). chun tao refers to two different families in the opening and closing segments: in the first he refers to his biological family, and in the second its about the family he found and made in quiro. both his families knows he struggles with social interactions, and his bio family (his cousins) make fun of him for it, so he goes on to detail how he views social interactions as a system, a formula he understands. his family in quiro instead tries to HELP him get better at it, and he instead recognizes that social interactions are something personal that require heart and genuine investment (shown in how he notes that ursa cares about him deeply), even moving past his frozen style of speech with the mention of jokes. tldr he's fucking cringefail at socializing and his bio family called him cringe but his chosen family said he's cringe but free. what

Perfect life/love/reputation. At first he hates eri for having these "perfect" things and thinks theyre sooo happy because of it, but later on realizes that their life isnt perfect and neither is his, but he finds joy in what he has anyway :)

the repeated mention of chun tao saying he'd never fall in love with eri bc he's so stuck in his rigid view of romance, but later comes to love eri as his best friend AND love his found family too :'3

chun tao wondering earlier if she should try to emulate eri's pleasantries, and ends up doing so later down the line! both lines have the same structure with the "quick greeting + smile despite being tired"

"Ahia" is Chinese for the eldest brother and it's also used to refer to children to know their birth order. Chun Tao calling Ursa this is an acknowledgement of him going to be a big brother soon! tbh in my head thats what the meeting eri called for is about but its just my headcanon (<== SAID THE ONE WRITING THE STORY)

ALSO i dont have screenshots to show but eri is only intentionally mentioned by name in the flashforward, to show how back then chun tao only saw them as THE princess/monarch but eventually comes to recognize them as eri, his bestie :3

oh my god i. think thats it? good god. might add onto this if i remember more but. thank you for entertaining my insanity why is this 1400+ words I NEED TO EAT BRUNCH

[gloomy-kitty]

𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 | 𝐣𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥

warnings : ending spoilers

notes :  Yipeee that's the end hope it was worth the wait and I hope you guys liked it. I may or may not write a more definitive ending or maybe I'll let you all suffer and make up your own ending.

Day turned to night and no sign of Joshua but something else had unintentionally distracted you. Edda had gone into labor and given birth. You sat in the room alongside Gav, Mid, Jill, and Torgal. You joined Gav in making silly faces at the baby rocking the baby boy in your arms, "Jill come look how cute he is." You cooed smiling as you turned to her. But she was standing at the window gazing out at the moon Torgal by her side. You noticed she seemed distant but that was too be expected. Turning to the blonde beside you, you spoke, "Your turn Mid." You said gently handing her the baby. Mid laughed in delight as she rocked the baby back and forth. Standing to your feet you walked towards the grey haired girl's side. "They'll be back soon Jill. It'll be okay." You said trying to comfort her. Jill turned to you and nodded, "Right..." She trailed off her gaze never leaving the night's sky. You turned your gaze to the side watching the Metia star glow brightly next to the moon. Placing a hand on Jill's shoulder you tried to comfort her, "Don't worry to much. They're strong." You said before leaving her side. You needed some fresh air so you'd figured you do something for Edda after her exhausting labor, "I'll be back Edda. I'm gonna get you something to eat." You called out flashing her a smile. Edda returned the smile, "Oh that sounds wonderful. Get me the biggest piece of meat you got!" She chimed. You winked at her, "Yes ma'am!" You replied walking out of the room.

~•••~

     "Thank you for cooking somethin' up for Edda at such short notice." You said thanking the cook. "Aw it ain't no problem." The cook said bashfully. Leaving the dining area You held the tray of food as you hummed contently walking down the steps back towards the infirmary. By tomorrow morning Clive, Joshua, and Dion would be back celebrating their victory over Ultima. For now you had had to wait, lost in thought it was the sudden sorrowful howling from Torgal that you stop dead in your tracks. Snapping your attention to the sky, your heart dropped, you saw the Metia stare die out. Then you noticed Orgin was gone—the foreboding crystal was gone but where was Joshua and the others?!

It was then you connected the dots, Metia burning out only meant one thing. Gasping your eyes widened as tears pricked the corners of your eyes, You dropped the tray of food and fell to the ground, "No! No!" You cried out as hot tears fell down your face. Your heart hurt so bad, you could barely breathe as heavy sobs racked through your body. "_____!" Tarja shouted as she saw you fall to the floor rushing to your side. You sobbed barely able to utter a word as Tarja asked if you were feeling ill but she then connected everything m. Jill rushing out of the room, Torgal's howling, Orgin gone, and your sobs. She looked at the sky and saw the once bright red star was now gone. They had died they weren't back. She didn't say anymore instead comforting you as you clung onto her sobbing. Joshua was gone he wouldn't be coming back ever again. You were alone in this world you would never marry nor would you ever be able to see Joshua's comforting smile or feel his warm embrace.

     You wished you had died instead. Perhaps you should of let the world burn that night in the Dominion—letting Dion finish the world off with Bahumet's flames. There was no point in living in a world without Joshua; your heart couldn't bear the pain of losing him again. This time permanently.

And thus did their story end.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

<- previous chapter final alternative ending ->

[asidian]

For Ao3 wrapped, how about 16 and 29?

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

It's got to be Hurt/Comfort. I feel like it's probably Hurt/Comfort. :|a

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

This is hard, honestly. I generally write things and then don't think about them too hard after that, but if I had to pick, probably:

The boy is five when Hermes finds him – or seven – or nine.

One of those, surely, or something else in between. It's hard to tell with mortals, who go through such fits and starts of growth, leaping ahead and then slowing again, from babe to child to full grown in the time it takes for the flutter of a butterfly's wings.

Or sometimes they don't get that far; sometimes Hermes comes along to guide them on their way half-grown, take them down into the underworld before they've ever known a day's work or the touch of a lover's hand. With the winters so long, these days, it's happening more and more.

This boy looks like he's not far from needing a guide, himself.

His eyes have dark circles beneath them, and the bones in his wrist stand out delicate and fragile, like a bird's wing. There's snow on the ground, but the boy has no shoes on his feet and no coat on his back. He's in summer clothes: a simple shirt and trousers, with a red cloth bandana fastened sloppily around his neck.

The boy sits curled at the base of a tree, its branches long dead for the winter. In a kinder season, it might have provided some shelter from the elements, but summer's long gone. All that's left are bare twigs outstretched toward the sky, nothing to keep the snow at bay. There's a lyre cradled in his arms, too large for him, but the boy holds it like another child might hold a stuffed toy. His fingers have dirt under the nails and they're red and raw from the cold, but the melody he plucks is simple and sweet.

Mortals like him, scruffy things on the roadside clinging to their last few breaths, dot the landscape like fallen leaves these days. There's no long autumn and no kind spring; the weather is harsh, either too cold or too hot, and food is scarce and getting scarcer all the time.

And Hermes – Hermes nearly walks on by.

One poor boy is a lot like the next, and this one doesn't look like much, shivering and half-starved.

But then. Oh, then. Then the boy opens his mouth and he starts to sing, and it feels like the sky has opened up and breathed sunlight into a cold winter's day. The boy's voice is like birdsong, lively and bright in the branches; it's like the babble of a creek through vibrant green woods.

He sings about summer – about lying down in warm grass, and about fireflies in the air on a long, lazy evening, and about berries sticky on the tongue. He sings about a child crying all the night long, and a mother taking it into her arms and rocking it, soft and slow, until it settles down to sleep.

He sings, and Hermes, who has been around this old world in his feathered shoes more times than he cares to count, stops and listens. And when the boy stops singing, finally, the world seems younger somehow, and a little less cruel. It seems like the sort of world where a poor boy on the side of the road might just get one more chance.

[octahedral-chaos]

Binary Stars' Impact: AKA have a random drabble based on a Worldless × Genshin Crossover Idea I had.

@arandompeep this is based off our conversation we had... and I had to write a little thingy based on this, so I hope you enjoy!

She's still alive?

Disoriented, Edda glanced around, noting how... bright this place was. Even if it was somewhat dark, she could still tell that it was much more colourful than all the places she's been to. She also noticed that there was no eye watching from above, were They dead? How long has it been both her and Aven's battle with that god? Instead, she noticed a small, silver crescent-shaped thing in the sky.

She got up, still a bit disoriented and looked around, she seemed to be in some sort of field near a cliff, with a giant tree directly in front of said cliff. This... didn't really looked like any place she knew, and the last thing she remembered was fighting They with Aven. Wait...

Aven! Where was he? She remembered watching him sacrificing himself to save her, yet she still couldn't believe that he's mostly likely dead. She looked around, looking for any fluttering scarf or a clawed hand, anything. But she couldn't see anything. Defeated, she slumped to the floor with a sign, she didn't want to be alone here! She doesn't even know what this place is, nor the danger that lurks here, There could be things that could very well kill her!

Then she heard a very faint, yet familiar, chirp.

A bit startled, she glanced around, trying to find the source of the sound, then she noticed a dim orange glow near the gigantic tree. A bit relieved yet confused, she carefully walked towards the tree. It was a bit of a trek, but she managed to get there rather quickly.

It was Aven! Albeit he looked to be in pretty bad shape, lying in a fetal position and some orange sparks still appearing from the area he was stabbed. She tried to walk towards him as quietly as possibly, before chirping. He looked towards her, stiff and weak, before letting out a soft, hoarse chirp. Okay, he's not in any shape to be able to stand up or even walk with his injury. So Edda decided on the second best thing, maybe she could set camp here, since they're both safe from the weather due to the tree, and there's most likely stuff for making a campfire here too.

So she went out to collect stones and sticks, making sure to not stray too far from Aven, she didn't want anything sneaking up on neither Aven nor herself, and she definitely didn't want anything to hurt him. After a surprising successful trip (Turns out if the stones and sticks are a different colour from the grass, they're much easier to find), she immediately started preparing the campfire.

While placing the sticks in the ring of stones, Aven chirped again. "What's wrong?" She chirped in reply. "Nothing much," he replied, "Just a bit freaked out about this place, and still in a bit of pain." "Well, at least we have each other," Edda chirped, placing the final sticks into the campfire, "Even in unfamiliar lands, we won't be separated and I will try to find help if you need it." Aven gave a soft chuckle, before chirping, "You're still as determined as always, and that made me feel a bit better. Thank you." "You're welcome," she chirped in replied, finally starting the fire, "I'll stand guard to make sure there's no threats, you can rest for tonight. You're injured, so please don't do anything dumb if I do accidentally fall asleep." "Alright, alright!" He laughed a bit, "I'll fall asleep. Good night."

With that, he curled up, stab wound still sparking slightly. Granted, he already looks a lot better now, but she won't risk him trying to walk with that sort of injury still. Edda stared at him for a moment, before turning her gaze towards the campfire, before finally looking out at the scenery. This place was oddly beautiful, the grasses and trees were swaying gently in the wind, and the unfamiliar sky sparkles with dots of light. There's also the quiet chirping of some sort of creature, and some vaguely void butterfly-like creatures glowing a soft cyan. It almost reminded her of home, but that feels to far away now, so she should try to focus on the present. So she looked out into the beyond for the night, watching for danger as her only friend rests in an unfamiliar world.

Although, it did seemed as if she did fell asleep, as next thing she knew, she was hearing the sounding of Aven's fire abilities, clanking of metal and yelling. Startled, she got up and was immediately greeted by the sight of a bunch of weird creatures trying to attack Aven, while Aven is desperately trying to defend himself using his fire skills and claws. She quickly summoned her sword and shield, and darted towards the floating, red-and-black creature with the pointy face. It yelled something in an oddly watery-sounding voice, before summoning a sphere that is almost certainly a shield. Of course, she guessed what to do and decided on one option: Use her ice abilities, and the moment that shield goes down, use her sword and all other attacks to get rid of that one quickly, especially since it seemed to be the one in charged.

She summoned a brush of Frost aimed at that creature, catching it off-guard and almost instantly breaking its shield, before almost finishing it off with a few blows from her sword. Of course, she tried to use her absorption skill on it as usual. Except... nothing happened. That's weird, maybe she wasn't focusing enough? She tried again, but it also didn't work. Okay, seems like creatures from this world can't be absorbed. So she decided to finish it off for good using her lightning skill.

One down, at least 5 more to go.

She then turned her attention towards the maned, brown creatures without faces. They seemed to have a lot of weapons, including axes, bows and weird... red blob things? Okay, she was in a unfamiliar world so she should had expected that... but still. She immediately targeted the blob throwing ones, as they seemed the most dangerous out of the bunch. With a lot of ice attacks, sword slashes and arrows, she managed to take them down one at a time, while Aven himself also use his fire, wind and claws attacks to prevent them from getting to close.

Then right as she was about to finish off one of the blob-throwers, a large, almost vortex-like gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, sending her flying into the tree. Great.

They noticed the creatures immediately turned their attention to whatever (or whoever) created said vortex and before they knew it, all they could see within the frenzy was blades seemingly made from cyan energy, bursts of water and a black and purple bird seemingly able to conduct electricity.

And as suddenly as it happened, it stopped. Edda looked to where the commotion was, and there were four figure, all seemingly wearing something covering almost their entire bodies and definitely not shapes, unlike Aven and herself. They seemed to be discussing something, and seemed to be pointing at the sky, before pointing towards the cliffs she woke up at. Ah great, they managed to get the locals attention!

She stared at the strange beings for a second, before cautiously walking out from the tree's shade and giving a soft chirp. The beings all proceeded to stare right at her, their... eyes being rather confused and shocked? They looks so much like her kind yet are so different at the same time it's almost... scary. Neither party haven't moved nor spoke, only staring at each other for a very long time. It's only when Aven made a rather curious yet stressed chirped was Edda's attention drawn to him, and the beings finally said something.

"There's two of them?!" The one with light yellow hair shouted, that one reminds her of Aven, especially in appearance. Wait no, that's not the one with the light hair. Instead, it's a extremely small, floating being with a halo on their head, their voice extremely high-pitched and squeaky, "You know, didn't Katheryne and Jean mentioned that there were two meteors a few nights ago that were blue and orange?"

Wait... they've both been in this place for a few days?! How did nothing happened to either of them?

The one with long, light yellow hair and dark cloth-things, walked towards her, before they bowed and spoke, "I, Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, welcome you. Are you two travellers from another world? If so, tell us what to call you." "She means 'hello, can you tell us who you are?', if you couldn't tell," the black-and-purple bird translated with one wing pointed at "Fischl." She stared all of them for a moment, wondering if they could understand her, before chirping, "My name is Edda."

"Tsk, it can't talk," said the one with the large cyan hat, with arms folded, "Are you even sure that these two are the weird meteors people have seen?" "Shut it! They could possibly understand us!" The one with two different eye shades barked. Of course, she can understand them, it's just that there's a very big language barrier, and it's definitely one-sided.

Aven, who was clutching his chest and panting slightly, seemed to perked up a bit as the strangers talk about them. He stared at them for a moment, before getting an idea: Since they can "talk" to the ancients easily even though there's a somewhat difficult language barrier via "mind talking", he could theoretically use it on them... although that could freak them out a bit.

So gathering all his courage and energy, he chirped, "Her name is Edda, and we CAN understand you!"

Everyone went dead silent, Edda staring at him in confusion and the strangers seemingly a bit startled. The small floating one was the first to break the silence, "You... can talk?" "Yes, I can," he replied, leaning against the tree and checking if he accidentally made his wound worse, "Edda could as well, but I guess it might be a bit scary, considering that it's like you suddenly hear a strange voice inside your head, and it's not yours."

"Okay... so... What's your name?" The floating one continued, floating a bit closer to them. "I'm Aven," he replied, "Of course, Edda is the one that's standing in front of you. Who are you?"

The little being floated back to the group before introducing themself, "This is Paimon!" She then points to the others, "That's Aether, Fischl, Furina and Wanderer." The blue hat one, named Wanderer, then commented, "So... you're the only one that can talk here or can 'Edda' also talk? Plus, you can call me anything you want, just don't disappoint me." The way he phrased that made Aven tensed up a little bit, but granted, they all seemed to be pretty good people, so maybe 'Wanderer' is a little blunt.

He chirped to Edda, "They can understand us if we mind-talk to them." She nodded, before introducing herself, "I am Edda, and it's nice to meet all of you." Aven could tell that she cringed a little bit at the last part, but at least that's a start?

Paimon waved at them, before talking, "If you'll like, we can carry you to Mondstadt so you can rest and we can help Aven!" Edda was a bit glad that they caught on to Aven's injury, but she didn't know if she could risk accidentally causing further damage to him while carrying him. "That sounds nice... how far is it though?"

"It's not too far from here!" Paimon chimed, "In fact, it's a very straightforward trip: you only have to travel Northwest. Although if you'll like, we can show you the path!" Edda thought about it for a moment, before chiming back, "Okay, I guess we'll go with you. Every one of you seem to know this land well, so I trust all of you that there would be not much danger, especially since my friend here is injured."

"Don't worry! We all have it covered!" Paimon beamed, Edda could get used to her squeaky voice, she seemed to be rather excited for everything. Edda walked towards Aven, before chirping, "Aven, I know this would be a but awkward, but I might have to carry you all the way to Mondstadt. Would that be okay?" "Of course, if it means help, then I'm in!" He replied.

With a sign, she hefted Aven onto her shoulder, before turning around and chirping, "Okay, we're ready." As they trekked to the city with their new companions, Edda couldn't help but be thankful that even in a scary world that's nothing like her homeland, she still have her friend, Aven, and people who would gladly help them even if they seemed strange compared to them.

[acertainmoshke]

Happy STS, Moshke!

It's always character playlist that— which lyrics best describe your oc this— What I want to know is which one of your ocs is most likely to randomly burst out into song for no reason? Can they actually sing or are they happily shouting off key? What song would they be singing during such a show tunes moment? How would the rest of the ocs react?

Also this is for TDATS, what do you do/how do you get into different character's perspectives?

-HD

Thanks, HD, I love both of these questions so much!!

For the first one, I feel like there are Levels. In Cold Iron (since the second question will be TDATS), Shaka sing-narrates under their breath as they do stuff but would rather get stabbed (again) than sing aloud. Kris and Harry both burst into song randomly just because they can. Kris can actually sing and has a rich velvety voice; Harry very much cannot and no one is sure if he doesn't know this or doesn't care. Anyway, Kris never sings in the shower for fear of embarrassment if someone is listening (despite openly singing various older radio tunes at other inopportune times). Harry definitely sings in the shower, and he prefers musical soundtracks. Everyone else mostly giggles and vows never to tell him just how bad he is at it.

The perspectives thing for more than one character within a narrative has actually always been hard for me. In TDATS specifically, I cheated a little by making two of them distinctive in ways that are unavoidable--Pixel focuses a lot on their sensory world and misses a lot of the verbal and interpersonal moments that most characters would describe, and Ri is very much in his head, counting things, focusing on the static or lack thereof, slipping away from the solid reality around him and thus forgetting words and events. That sounds complicated but it actually made my job easier, because then I could just look at the story from Zippy's POV as in a regular limited narrator voice. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with peppermint; they're the extra, who has had weird experiences but should narrate in a fairly standard voice and I wasn't sure where else to go with it. The main narrative difference between Peppermint and Zippy is that Zippy is focused on people, relationships, and emotions, and Peppermint has been taught those don't matter so they focus on knowledge and observation.

Short examples of each voice beneath the cut

Pixel:

Hot and bright and BIG. Pixel hopped out of the train and squinted. Their skin felt too big in the heat. Through the shimmering heat and glaring sun, they could just make out endless dusty land. Trees and bushes dotted the desert and the tracks cut through it, but otherwise the world was empty. Pixel’s hands twisted in their new green tunic. Their bare toes wiggled down into the hot sand. This was wrong, not how the world was. Like a planet up in space. 

Pixel squinted up. The greenish sky was less hazy than at home.

Ri:

In the back of his mind, Ri never stopped calculating through the static. He knew the wind speed from the way the “tree” (really it was an antenna) waved out the window. He counted how many puzzle pieces they had. He counted the ceiling tiles and calculated the area of the room. When he ran out of things he could see, he ran random calculations to see how long complicated square roots and six-step problems would take him. 

Maybe later, after the puzzles, he would try reading again. The Center wanted to better people, to heal them, and there were always screens available. Every now and then he would try reading and rediscover how uninteresting stories of human lives were without strings of data to keep him focused. 

Zippy:

Zippy liked going out. She really did. The air was better downtown where the cafés were. Sira had always had a way of making the worst parts of life seem like silly inconveniences. It was nice just to be somewhere that wasn’t her pod. It was the getting there and back parts that she didn’t like. She wasn’t hurting too much today, but her progress was always slow. It didn’t matter how cool she thought her cane was with its elaborate drawings and other decorations, it didn’t make the stares she got any more comfortable. Her entire body felt tense, waiting for the punch of “But she’s so young.”

Peppermint:

Peppermint could feel their fur bristling as they sat on the concrete hanger floor later that day, the group squeezed between rows of identical ships. Void would listen. Void had always listened, could not really do anything else, so Peppermint never really had to. They let the cadence wash over them—they finally had a different presenter, one who was more melodic than monotone—and looked around the hanger, more carefully than they’d been able to last time. 

Rows of identical ships. Yes, they all looked exactly the same. Peppermint wasn’t an expert in ships, or technology of any kind, but they were very good at observation. There wasn’t a single noticeable difference between them. Something tickled the back of their brain.

[asteriasfallingstarsandtears]

Scene I'm working on for my Limerence series (Hythlodaeus as Emet-Selch)

Sundered Hades and Sundered Azem.

Mina rolled her eyes and waved at Y'shtola. “C’mon, I see a nice hill. Let's go sit and enjoy the sun. There's dandelions.”

“Dandelions?” He asked, the name sounded familiar. Some sort of flowering weed he had read about in one of his mother's books. She had enjoyed gardening, though there wasn't much opportunity for her outside of greenhouses.

It was how his father had met her, she had been enamoured with the Empress’ Glass Gardens and pestered the head horticulturist constantly about his work. The man had been infinitely patient with her, allowing her to visit the gardens and even learn from him.

He wondered what she would think of this place, where flowers grew unaided and wild.

“Of course. They're in the seed phase, so they look like little moogle puffs.” She pointed at them as they grew closer. Long stemmed with spherical puffs of fluff on the heads. “There's some in the flower phase too.” She pointed at the bright yellow flowers dotted around the hill. “But I like the fluffy ones best.”

“Oh.” He touched one and a bunch of the fluff dislodged, floating in the light wind. “Oh!” 

Had he destroyed it?

She laughed. “They wait for lumbering animals to brush against them or a strong gust catches them and blows the seeds away.” She reached down and plucked one, bringing it carefully towards her face where she blew on it softly. The fluff broke free and began to fly off. “You make a wish, and then blow. If you get it all, they say your wish comes true.”

He gave her a disbelieving look. “Why would blowing fluff make a wish come true?”

“It doesn't, it's a silly game children play. I always liked it though.” She shrugged. “Go on, it doesn't hurt. It's like a prayer, I guess.” She frowned. “You hope that someone will hear you, even if you aren't sure anyone ever will.”

“Oh.” He plucked one of the whole ones. 

What would he wish for if he could have anything?

He looked at Mina who had sat down amongst the flowers and had begun to pluck at some of the blooms, weaving them together. Wishing for her affection seemed wrong, if it was like a prayer.

She was with Thancred and he was unworthy of her friendship, let alone more. He was lying to all of them about who he was. If they knew who he had been they would despise him.

She would despise him.

I want to prove your faith is deserved. 

He blew and the seeds flew off one by one until there was nothing left but the stem.

“Well done, what did you wish for?” She had moved to sit beside him.

“Can I tell?” He had never played this game before and didn't know the rules.

She snorted. “No, but I had hoped I might trick you into saying it.”

“I'll tell you, if you tell me.” He felt his lips beginning to twitch up into a smile. 

Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. “But then it might not come true.”

“You won't know until you say it, I guess.” He teased her. They were quite close now.

She looked around before darting forward, her lips pressing against his. He felt himself grow still as she did, his lips parting slightly. He couldn't think, only react, as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. 

She pulled away and he felt the warmth of the world leave with her.

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary217

4/19-20/2024

friday - saturday

i think my broken shoes are actually fine basically, i snapped them back together.

glue would be nice but it can wait it seems like. just need to be a little more careful with them.

what i can't stand today, or i guess it's a couple things, i cut my bangs and i think they're at least even now but too high but blehh whatever they will grow out and stuff or i hope they will and they'll look how i want but really i can't stand these fucking bugs in the house i can't take it anymore there are too many it's just an infestation and i can't do anything about it i really really don't know what to do to keep them away from us, they've just been here and i can't do anything other than kill them, spray this essential oil stuff at the areas i think they're living in / near and stuff but they're just, there's so many, there are so many young, i must have killed over 10 today. i just really feel like i can't live here anymore or something i can't deal with this i can't stop thinking i'm seeing them on food and things and i feel like i need to throw so much out. i want to die.

i seriously can't stop thinking about how it would be so much better to just die or hurt myself so i stop thinking about them so much i keep imagining them and stuff little black dots all over the floor disappearing as soon as i can focus any better. maybe i am crazy and stuff but it's so awful i feel helpless and i can';t do anything, i am just like fucked or something. this place feels so impossible to clean and i work and i can't do anything about it. i don't want to be in the kitchen because they're in there, they have to be living on all the motor parts of the fridge and stuff and i hate hate hate it.

i hope my bangs are cute when i do them and stuff tomorrow. i feel so awful. i probably deserve it or something.

i am listening to my album now at least, to see how i feel about it. 3 songs in so far, i like it, everything is feeling pretty right up to then at least.

i will put my notes here

track 4 feels slightly unbalanced, i should lower the guitar synth + reg synth in the chorus + the crashes/hats/stuff (all by somewhere from 1 to 3 db), and then unity gain up that instrumental track, maybe boost vox a touch too (probably only around 1db).

track 5 might need an added vocal take to make a transition part in it less awkward? but sounds good i m o... i do need to add some brightness to the vox, a little extra high end i suppose...

need to bump vocals on track 8 (by like 2-3 db honestly) + make space for the kick, probably just bump it as well? sounds very right though.

too much sibilance in track 13, need to tame that + reintroduce some mids back into the vocal mix. + bump vocals too.

track 14, maybe add some gain to the instrumental while lowering guitars a touch (1db maybe).

track 17, needs space for kick, need to get the guitars to have more low-mid content maybe, cut some of that from the bass? idk. seems mostly there.

track 18 is one of the problem tracks, but it sounds a lot better, maybe one issue is that i need the kicks to be a bit higher, so i can cut the bass a touch maybe, it kinda 'hovers in a weird way, the song could also be too loud, maybe, so i can lower the gain on the mastering chain on .. the master track , whoa ...

track 19 maybe could use some of the unity gain stuff i've been doing, but the guitars are kind of where i want, maybe it's the bass i have to lower here, but like, 1 db, both of the basses i use i think,,, huhmmm, that seems like a good idea tbh, the bass is a little monstrous but it does sound really good, i want it to be pretty prominent.

track 20 needs to be re-exported cuz i left one thing on solo, whoops, but what's there is kind of a mess maybe, the guitar sound could have too many low mids, i could shelf that out but like, 1db maybeee, that would be good.

track 23 i think i might want to try a different amp sim / impulse on the guitars to see what happens, could be very useful for me t b h.

track 25 i might need to do the unity gain stuff, guitars down by 1-2db i think, and then master instrumental up. bass down too maybe in that case but less than the guitar sounds.

track 27 guitars down, rest up in unity, by 2-3 db i think. bass too w/ that maybe but idk, raise vocals too if i do that but i think i like this one a lot, it just needs some more volume to be more legible i think.

track 29, i need to boost bass a little.

so 12 little changes here, that's a lot less than i expected, and they're also all a lot less messy seeming to work w/ than i thought.

i am glad i am liking it more this listen, i know i oscillate a lot but it's really nice for now, i guess i need some kind of bright spot today. not that today has been terrible it's just i wanted to be able to relax, focus on other stuff, but i couldn't. i am just too unstable becuz of work, because i get so fried from it i guess.

anyway i need to sleep soon, so

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bluntforcefem]

'the viscera in your teeth' for fic titles? some flavour of sauces oc for this one persnaps,,

the viscera in your teeth – eli and evan get into a bad spot. the phoenix-harbringer gets them out of it.

it's on a shortcut to deeproot that neither of them have taken on foot where everything goes to hell; evan barely has time to throw up his arms in front of his face when the ground beneath them crumbles, and they both tumble down, down, down, into a darkened cavern with no way up or out.

his back aches. he didn't land right and the fall's definitely fucked something in his leg, maybe his ankle - but he's alive, and through his ragged breathing he can admit that's more than he was expecting when it hit him. the dim sunlight through the hole they made barely illuminates a thing. he can see flickers of fire, brief, little spots that don't clarify the shapes in the dark. when he pushes himself away, his back hits a wall. groans of undead begin to filter in.

in front of him, eli stands.

their wings burst into bright, bright flame, so sudden that evan has to jerk his head away, heat searing at his legs. their shoulders are hunched, breathing ragged. he can't see their face, from this angle. can't see if they're hurt.

"don't move," they tell him. evan nods quickly, even though they're probably not looking. he's never heard this tone from them, low and firm and not-all-there. something recognizable seeps in as they glance back. "we'll be alright."

they unsheath two swords from gods-know-where, one lit in a brillant flame like their own, the other a terrifying thing that blends into the dark and that evan doesn't linger on. as the heat rises, the dots of fire around the cavern reveal themselves to be spawners, and the cavern walls coalesce into a coliseum, decrepit and crumbling.

evan can't begin to count the crowd of wraiths.

they fall like dominos, dragged towards eli's blades as they throw themself into the fight, lurching onto their swords and splitting themselves neatly in half, on fire, crumbling to dust, only for their remains to be thrown into the next undead by pure momentum. eli scorches a path through them, slices through spawners like butter, molten metal dripping into the sand. the embers left on tattered cloth and bones provide light, but only briefly. his eyes stay locked on eli. a singular wraith lurches towards him—he doesn't have a second to panic before a tendril of voidmatter slams into it, impaling it on the wall next to him.

he scoots a little to the left, mouth dry.

when they hit the opposite coliseum wall, they finally stop. they lower their blades towards the sand, sweeping around to face evan from across the cavern, unreadable. there's nothing left of the monsters - not their corpses, not their loot, not their spawners. just ashes and sand.

"eli?" evan's voice echoes strangely against the stone. he tries to pull himself up and fails, biting back a cry as his weight leans too heavy on his foot. eli bolts back across the sand towards him, sheathing their swords somewhere along the way, and their hands come up to steady his shoulders. "holy shit, that- that was- gods, we could've died-"

their fingers leave streaks of ash on his t-shirt as they adjust their grip, shaking their head. "no," eli says, voice faint. they lean down and look him in the eye, searching. whatever they find there finally steadies them.

their lips twist, grin lopsided. "no," they repeat. "not on my watch."

evan blinks. he can still see the afterimage of their flames. this close, he realizes they're barely sweating. like it was nothing. like whatever the hell that was- nothing. they hold his gaze for a long moment before it dips down to scrutinize his leg, and he lets them focus on that instead, hands pressing at his shin while he leans against the wall, because it's easier.

adrenaline's been doing fucked things to his head, lately.