#uh lemme know if I should tag this as anything else

[bratdykebarbie]

I wanna get a girl so so worked up until she’s soaking through her panties and then I wanna whine “fuck, mommy, you’re so wet” in her ear as I look up at her with big Bambi eyes and tease her pretty dripping cock with my fingers and make her go completely feral 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[agropuff]

what the fuck is his problem

[callmehere-iwillappear]

a brief summary of leo's time in the prison dimension <3 the rest is under the read more, warning for uuhh. Limbs Should Not Bend That Way and also gore(??) it's the same level of detail/intensity as the rest of these drawings so

[thevicariousviscount]

Like, like, it extends more than just a hating or not hating kinda thing eventually, too. Maybe it started a long time ago in their first years of high school. Maybe it escalated to something bigger then but it started all the way back in middle school, too. Whatever they have runs deep and now they only can see each other at the ends of each of their tunnels.

But of course. People like them don't use their words. They use their fists, they use their feet, they answer tit for tat, blood for flesh to bones. And in the depths of their minds maybe they really just crave something even more carnal. But they'll never say it. Not to each other's faces.

I wonder what tactics the both of them would use. The dynamics in school would definitely change a great deal especially if it started that long ago. Then there's imagining the other NPCs, too. Some may want to stay out of it completely and go along on their merry ways out of all that gang business. Some may join one side or the other.

If Whitney acts the same way they do in-game, I don't imagine that any of the canon school named NPCs would care to join his side. Depends on PC. There's just so much here. augh.

Idkkkk not many people know me yet but I wanna hear some thoughts!!!!

Idkkk imagine a PC that straight out of the gate has opposed Whitney even before the game officially started. It's likely the orphanage is already at high rebellion. The PC has made a rival gang to Whitney's and they CONSTANTLY butt heads. School life is chaotic and AH! the leaders both share MATH together?

For some reason, they're both well-behaved enough even with so much delinquency that they don't straight up get expelled. PC grumbling that they have to make sure Bailey doesn't evict or kill their ass and Whitney whatever reasons they actually have, too.

Outside of school? Both of them are likely to have the police on the lookout for the troublemakers. Maybe they're about to square off with their weapons of choice before the lookouts shout out that the coppers are coming and they all scatter and somehow they're both left alone in a tight, dark alley.

This relationship between the two just gives more opportunity to have gang leader to leader tension. Enemies to secret FWBs to secret lovers bc there's just so much push and shove that they both have to relent on SOME THINGS. Kissing each other but biting down or headbutting so at least one of you will end up losing blood.

Does anyone else share my vision...

[valscodblog]

"Trick Or Treat!" Simon Riley x Oc

SO IT'S SPOOKY SEASON Y'ALL AND I LOVE ME SOME SPOOKY SEASON FUN SO HERE'S A HALLOWEEN FIC FOR Y'ALL!!

I SUMMON: @needa-sum-luvn @thebunnednun @skauni @staytrueblue (dk if you even want a tag on my fics that dont have price but oh well) @seconds-on-the-clock @writing-with-moss

Warnings: Maybe possibly ooc simon?..I just write him happier that he has a family-okay?!nothing else ,It's just some good ol' fluff bc they have kids here. SUCKY ASS ENDING BC I GOT TIRED AND I HAVN'T SLEPT IN LIKE-TWO DAYS OKAY??? IM SORRYYYYYY :(

"Mom! Get ready! We're all all ready!" James shouted, running into his mother's bedroom. Ruby and Simon were putting on each other's pumpkin heads and Ruby laughed. "We are getting ready, James. Calm down. Trick or treating starts in thirty minuets. We have time, Amor." Simon just chuckled and grabbed his pumpkin head. He put it on himself and smiled when it was on. "Damn...when was the last time i hid my face around the house, Lovie?" directing the question to Ruby, who sighed and shook her head. "Years...and this better be the last time!" "Yes ma'am."

Ruby nodded and said, "Jeez...how do you see out of these?" as she looked around in her pumpkin head. "I dunno, Ma," James said, shrugging. The ten year old then ran out of the room to see if his sisters were ready or not. "HEY! SISSIES! YOU READY-?"

"GET OU', JAMES!" "MUMMY! JAMES DIDN'T KNOCK!"

Oh dear lord....Ruby walked out of her room and sighed. "James..." "I said sorry, mom!" "Okay. Girls, he's said sorry. And are you two ready?" Both the girls nodded. "I'm mike!" "And I'm Sully!"

Simon poked his head into the rooms and his daughters screamed. "MOM-BEHIND YOU!" Ruby laughed and said, "It's your dad, kids. Calm down." Sapphire blinked and then asked, "Is it, Mum?" Ghost took of his mask and said, "Aye, Saphhie. Jus' me." Saphhire giggled and said, "Dad, mum said you were gonna be a ghost!" Simon huffed, "No-I'm the pumpkin king. Mum's the queen of the patch." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh, you kiss ass." "You love it." "Mhh, debatable." "How? I gave you three kids-four if you count me knowin' Jay since 'e was a lil' bloke." Ruby sighed softly and said, "Yeah..okay. You win, Mi Amor." and she went over and rubbed his left arm gently. Simon put his pumpkin head back on and said, "Now, if ya lot are ready, lessgo get sum candy, yeah?" and just then Jason waddled in and shouted, "Sugar!" with his hands up. He was in a matching air force costume with his older brother.

James ran over to him and said, "Hats on backwards, dude. Lemme help you, ha ha!" and he grabbed his brother's hat and put it on the right way. Jason laughed and said, "Mate, your fifteen. You should not be this excited over Halloween." James quirked a brow up. "Oh, no? Well too bad, little man. Unlike some of us I want to enjoy my youth." "Oh SHUT IT! Just because i wore ONE pair of air forces!" Daisy shouted, storming out of the room. James laughed and said, "That, Lad, is how you take the piss." Jason laughed too-before Ruby hit them both round the head. "GO! say your sorry, Ninos!"

James ran downstairs shouting out the words, "I'm sorry, Day! Please come out and gimme a hug so ma don't kill me!" Daisy shouted back, "DONT BRING MUM OVER HERE-" James found his sister eating the cupcakes that were meant for her and Sapphire's birthday party. "...If you let me have some of the frosting i won't say anything at all." "Oh, piss off!" "MMMHHH-" "Okay! Okay! Here!" Daisy shoved a cupcake towards him and he took it. "Thanks, sis." "Whatever, James." "Ey-no. That's a big no-no. I'm not James to you, Kid. I'm 'Jamie'." Daisy groaned. "Why are you like this?" "Cuase. I can be. Hey, don't get so worked up, yeah?" "...You sound like Tio Rudy." "Muy bueno. I admire Tio Rudy y Alejandro." "...Yo tambien." "So you do know Spanish?"

Daisy and James froze. Uh oh..."Heyyy, Mum! What brings you here, aye?" "Daisy. Kate. Riley." James paled along with his sister. "It was me, Mom. I told her she could have a few before we left." Ruby looked her son over and said, "Your a bad liar, Son. Never make it in the force like that." James sighed and said, "I don't wanna go into the Air Force, Ma! I wanna go into the SEALs." Ruby shook her head. "Diffrant names, same concept...You kow, I dont-" "Ma. Not now. You were about to give James the beating of his life."

Ruby turned around and saw Sapphire there, holding her dad's hand. He shrugged. "I dunno wot's goin' on but I wanna see," Simon said. Ruby slowly turned around and then she laughed. "Simon, baby...why the fuck-" Simon shut her up by throwing a bag full of fake cobwebs at her. "RUN KIDS-"

and cue the kids running out the back door and into the backyard. "QUICK-THE WOODS!" Jason shouted, running up and tree. James copied and helped the girls up into the thick oak tree's branches. Ruby ran out after her husband and he threw off his pumpkin head but tripped over his untied shoelace. "Fu-" "Gotcha!" Ruby shouted, trapping her husband under him. He took off her pumpkin head and kissed her. "Sorry?" Ruby gave him a once over and then broke out a smile. "...Fine. Your lucky I love you, Amor." "Very lucky otherwise I'd be six feet unda right about now, aye?" "Yeah."

and James gagged. "BLEUGH! Gross, you two! Hey-UNCLE ALEJANDRO!" James shouted, jumping down from his branch. He landed on his butt but recovered quickly and ran over to his uncle. Alejandro was dressed up as Dracula and his husband, Rudy was Frankenstein. "Hols, Tio!" "Eyy, Mi hombre! Que paso?" "Ehh, same old, same old." Ruby walked over and smiled. "Hola, Tio. Thanks for making it down for the girls' birthdays." "Ahh, no problem, Mi Corazon! I love my girls, just as much as they boys, don't worry, Jaunito." James groaned. "Tiooo, it's James, not Juanito!" "Your middle name is Juan, no?" "...damn it, Ma!" "Ale, Mi amor, dont provoke him."

So he talks. "Hello, Rudy," James said, not even looking at him. Rudy sighed. "I tell him one war story and he's salty three years later," Rudy mumbled. James turned and looked at Rudy dead in the eyes. "You betrayed Mi Mama...you think I'm going to forgive that, Pen-" "James Juan Alejandro Riley!" And James shut up. But he still glared at Rudy and Rudy looked at Ruby and asked, "You did for give me, right?" Ruby smiled and said, "Yes I did. There, you heard it James, and that was when I was known as Delta twelve. Long before I was Jewel."

James said, "But Ma, dad says-" "And your father wasn't even thought of, nor heard of, at this time James, so it doesn't matter. Besides! It taught my ass a lesson." James huffed and said, "Fine." Simon walked over and loomed over his son. James felt a shiver go down his spine and his heart picked up pace. "I-I uhm, I mean, yeah okay! It's forgiven!" Rudy looked at Simon and asked, "...Que paso con su esposo, Rubia?" Ruby's eye twitched. "Just because he's called Ghost don't mean you get to-" "Ey. answer me." "...Nada."

````````````````````````````````

"Trick or treat!" Jason held up his candy bag and Anna filled it, "Your brother's s'cute, Jay!" Anna said as she gave James a small kiss on the cheek-which he wiped off. "An!" James groaned through his teeth. She laughed and said, "Sorry. I'm French! It's custom!" James sighed and said, "It's fine just-my uncles are right there!" "Aww, Okay! Here, take an extra twix." James starred as she put in a party sized twix bar into his candy bag. "...How many kids?" Anna blinked, "Huh?" James grabbed her shoulders and grinned. "I swear im gonna marry you so long as you provide me with chocolate. So how many babies?" Anna blushed and said, "James!" He laughed and kissed her cheek.

"See ya 'round, Love!" Anna huffed, "this is why England and France went to war..." James just waved her goodbye and sped off to the next house. Jason's feet were getting tired and he was wondering where his mom and dad had gone off to. "Jay. Where's mum and pa?" James shrugged as they walked. "I think in the house, why?" "Cos..." "You miss 'em? Wanna find the girls and Rudy and go back?" "Yeah-I'm tired." James nodded. "Oye, Tio Ale! We're done here, bags are full and everything." Alejandro nodded. "To the jeep!"

Jason must've lied when he said he was tired because that boy took off towards the car. "Wha-Hey! You said you were tired, the hell, kid!?" James shouted as he ran after him, his long legs catching up to his brother easily. Jason giggled and touched the car first. "I win!" "No fair, you didn't call the race, boy!" "You didn't call it last time, so-" and Jason stuck out his tongue. James rolled his eyes. "Fine. You get front seat." Alejandro shook his head. "You kids are somthin' else...kinda like your mom and her siblings."

"...Mom has siblings?" Alejandro gulped. "Used to...one sister. and one step brother." "What happened?" "brother died and sister moved away and cut off coms-err connections with us." James sighed. "I miss auntie Reina." "I miss her too." and the Jeep started. They all drove in silence until they reached the house. The girls were on the porch, eating and talking with their friends. They waved to the boys walking up to them. "Party's starting now that your here, guys!"

Alejandro nodded and walked inside to allow the kids to talk. However, James didn't want to talk. After hearing about his aunt again, he felt...odd. Ah, it was his sisters birthdays! This was a worry for another day. He forced a smile onto his face and said, "Race you lot into the house!" and started running. His little sisters caught up fairly quickly, "Where to?" Daisy panted out, just like her father would've. "Kitchen counter-" and off she sped.

Daisy slapped the counted and then stood straight up. "Dang-I'm fast!" she shouted, throwing her arms up happily.

Ruby took a look at her kids and sighed softly, wearing her pumpkin head. "...I dont know what im going to do with you kids." Simon laughed silently and whispered, "Love them until we die?" Ruby shook her head, "Love them even after we die."

[parab0mb]

I'm on Bluesky too now!!

Finally decided to branch out a bit, and since I likely won't my twitter for obvious reasons I figured I'd hop on the bandwagon and make Bsky account.

Not sure if I'll start using the account just yet (I'll likely continue to be most active here for now), but I wanted to put it out that the account is at least set up, so if any followers/mutuals here on Tumblr happened to have one too they could like, totally send a follow there and stuff c: (if you don't I WILL find you, make yourself known to me).

~~~~~~~~~

Intro Post! (Finally)

Decided to finally make a pinned intro post since that’s kinda the norm (and to give any new followers a warning as to what they’re getting into). So hey, welcome to my little interstitial space inside of the wall!

I mostly reblog artwork and other stuff that’s interesting/funny/important to me. I even draw stuff myself sometimes! (very inconsistently of course 🙃). Mainly OC stuff but I dabble in fanart now and then. Atm the tag is just "myartwork" (should probably make a better one).

Multi-fandom blog (cause I don't have mental focus to commit to specific side blogs) so if you're following me for one specific fandom I apologize in advance cause my fixations will jump around a lot (but I do appreciate it tho 🥺).

Ultrakill, A Hat in Time, Psychonauts, and McGee's Alice tend to live rent-free in my brain at all times so expect to see a lot of that (quite the tonal rollercoaster I know).

EDIT: Currently going through my Crosscode arc rn (play crosscode it good game).

I won't post/reblog anything outright explicit or NSFW here, but profanity and mildly violent/suggestive stuff is still on the table (I will tag things as such but if you think I should tag something lemme know).

Not actually sure what else to say here (don't wanna ramble too much) so uh... yeah, the Ask box is always for questions, art suggestions/requests, etc. C:

[kusanagi-nene-pxl-official]

Intro!

Uh…hi…this is Kusanagi Nene from WonderlandsxShowtime… I decided to create this blog because I saw my friends create blogs and wanted to communicate with them on here as well.

[Ooc: Hi!!! Mod here, and I got inspired by other rp blogs I saw!!! Send as many asks as you please :)

Main is @ithappenedonroute66 btw

The only important headcanon I have about Nene is that she knows ballet. Nothing else.

Rules: no NSFW. This should be obvious, as Nene is a minor, and I am too.

Oh, and no other Nene blogs please. I’d feel awkward. No Au blogs either. Sorry!!!

Also, I know nothing about the stories in the JP server, so please don’t reference anything beyond what’s in the EN server. Thanks!

However, I am in the middle of reading a few stories, so later, I will put which ones can be referenced here.

Oh yeah, master list of all pjsk rp blogs!!!

Tags:

-#ooc- self explanatory

-#important- please read anything tagged under this!

-#asks- any asks y’all send

-#💚 canary songstress (stolen tag from @sakiii-leoneed. Lemme know if you want me to remove the mention or tag!!!!) - any interactions with rp blogs. My older interactions don’t have this tag though.

-#Things that I need to tag later - rp blog interactions on the computer, where there are no emojis. No longer used, but some interactions are tagged under it.

-#wrong rebogs - things that went to the wrong blog. A friend is tallying this. Current count: 8

-#💚 canary songstress (Halloween) - rp interactions that happen with a blog doing a Halloween event.

I think that’s all… uh… yeah. Have fun!!!]

[dxncingwithastrxnger]

1. time won’t fly, it’s like i’m paralyzed by it

A/N: Surprise!!! A brand new story!!! I’ve been so excited about this one but I forced myself not to post about it, akjsxnas. This story is a double love story!!! It focuses on both Melizabeth and Trilance equally. I’m still getting everything planned out, but so far, things are gonna be really fun in this au. I hope you guys enjoy this lil world as much as I do!!! The summary below is for the overall story, not this single chapter, and it’s a really long summary so I’m sorry, lmaooooo

Pairing(s): Slight Meliodas x Elizabeth

Summary: The Boar's Hat's first night in Liones is busy and loud, but there isn't anywhere else Tristan would rather be.  Elizabeth mans the bar as she watches her son make new friends. Everything's going perfect until a new customer leaves them both feeling shaken up and unprepared.

Tag(s): Panic attack, I think that’s it for this one, tbh, lemme know if there’s any I should add!!

Song Inspiration: All Too Well By Taylor Swift

Word Count: 4,979

Not beta’d, all mistakes are my own.

~*~

[Series Masterlist]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

[Read on AO3]

[Author Masterlist]

~*~

"Order up! Two honey salads!"

"Those are for table five, Tristan!"

"I'm on it!" Tristan swings by the bar and grabs the two plates, quickly bringing them over to the right table before making his way to table two across the room, where the ones sat there were asking for refills. He takes their mugs and drops them off at the bar where his mother refills them as he takes already filled mugs to the ones at table four.

It's a busy night at his mother's tavern and there seems to be no end in sight to the steady stream of customers. They're not really sure why it's so busy, but Tristan isn't complaining. The whole place is loud and rowdy, everyone chattering over each other joyfully, and the smell of ale and good food fills the air with a hint of sweat that he doesn't really mind. The energy of the room is contagious and Tristan can't keep the grin off of his face. This is home.

"Hey, kid!" Tristan turns to see a man who was at the bar on his way out. He faces a him and tosses his hand up, flipping a coin in Tristan's direction. "Keep up the good work!" He smiles kindly at the silverette as he turns back around to leave.

"Thank you, sir! Come back soon!" Tristan calls, waving at the man as the door swings shut behind him.

"Tris! Refills!" His mother calls from the bar.

"Oh! Coming!" He quickly pockets the coin and gets back to work, grabbing the refills from his mother and returning them to the correct table.

"Do you guys need anything else?" He asks kindly.

"Oh, do you guys have any good desserts? I'm craving something sweet." A middle-aged woman asks him.

"We do! I personally recommend the spiced berries and cream, it's my absolute favorite." He tells her.

"That sounds wonderful, I'll have some of that if you don't mind." She replies.

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I'll go let our chef know!" He's running off to back to the bar before he even finishes speaking, hearing the people at the table chuckling as he goes.

"Need a spiced berries and cream for table two!" He calls into the kitchen before taking another round of refills to table three.

As he places them on the table, one of the customers there speaks up. "Hey, kid, don't you ever take a break? I feel like I've been watching you run around for hours on end." The man remarks.

"Well, I'm the only server tonight and we're real busy. I don't really mind it, though, honest. I'm used to the work." He responds back with a warm smile.

"Okay, but still. You gotta at least eat sometime."

"Yeah, why don't you come sit and eat with us? Get off your feet for a little?"

"Hell yeah, come have a drink, you've earned it!"

Tristan looks at the four people in surprise for a moment. "Oh, I, uh..." It's the kind of thing that doesn't usually happen. He's made plenty of friends in the past, but it's been awhile and he feels excited at the prospect of possibly making new ones. But he's not sure if he can take the time away from his work at the tavern right now. "Let me go check in and I'll see what I can do." He says, turning on his heels and heading over to the bar.

"Are you making some new friends over there, sweetheart?" His mother asks as she pulls some more ale down.

"I think so. They offered me a spot at their table, said I should take a break and have something to eat." He says, leaning against the bar and looking at her hopefully. "Do you think I could? Just for a little while?"

She looks at him and chuckles at the sparkle in his eyes. "Yes, of course. Most people have their food already and I think I can handle all the refills for now. Go have some fun, Tristan, you've done plenty tonight." She nods her head at him.

Tristan beams. "Thank you so much! Come and get me if you get overwhelmed, you know I'll have no problem picking things back up again." He tells her sincerely.

"I know, don't worry. I'll tag you back in if it's necessary. Now go get some food, I'm sure there's already some plated up for you." She hands him a mug of ale and shoos him off.

He hums softly to himself and steps over by the kitchen. Before he even opens his mouth to speak, a plate of food is being handed to him. "About time you sat down to eat, Tanny, jeez."

Tristan gives his Aunt Veronica a sheepish grin. "There's always more work to be done."

She rolls her eyes at him but she's smiling fondly. "Hurry up and go eat before I smack you upside the head." She quips.

He laughs and takes his food and drink and goes back to the table he had been at previously. "That invitation still up?" He asks, hesitating only slightly.

"Hey, he's back!"

"Of course it is, come sit!" Tristan smiles brightly, taking the fifth stool at the table and joining the group of four. He digs into his food immediately, not realizing how hungry he is until the first bite hits his tongue. Okay, maybe I should've stopped to eat awhile ago. He admits.

A few bites in, the man directly across from him speaks up. "So, how'd you end up working at a place like this, uh..." He trails off, gesturing to Tristan.

"Oh! I'm Tristan! And I don't just work here, I live here, actually. The Boar's Hat is my mother's tavern." He informs them.

"Wait, your mother? Where's she at?" The woman to his right asks curiously.

Tristan chuckles and points to his mother with his fork, who's currently serving refills a few tables over. "She's not just any old bartender. She's the owner, too." He says. The man across from him does a doubletake while the rest of the table gives surprised glances at the woman across the room.

"Waitwaitwait, you're telling me hottie bartender over there is your mom!?" Tristan chokes on his next bite at the comment and one of the others beside him thumps him on the back a few times.

"Howzer! You can't say something like that to her own son!" The other woman on his left scolds the guy - Howzer - as Tristan catches his breath, the tips of his ears pink.

Howzer gives him a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, man. It just surprised me, that's all."

"I-it's fine." He takes a swig of his drink. "It's nowhere near the worst I've heard." He admits. Everyone else at the table cringes in response.

"Yeah, don't mind Howzer, here. He just has trouble thinking things through before he speaks, but he really doesn't mean any harm." The woman on his right tells him. "I'm Guila. This here is Gilthunder and Jericho." She introduces everyone, pointing to the pink-haired man sitting between herself and Howzer and then to the lavender-haired woman on his left.

Tristan reaches out to shake each of their hands. "It's lovely to meet you all. Maybe you'll be my first friends here in Liones."

"Oh yeah, you guys just showed up here. Are you moving or just passing through?" Gilthunder asks him.

"I think mother plans on staying here for a little while. We were out by Cains town for quite awhile, then we stayed a few weeks in Ordan and then in Vaizel after that." He says thoughtfully. "Then we came here to Liones. You know, we'd heard we'd pull in some great crowds here, but we didn't realize it would be this busy right away." Hr grins at them. Of course, he couldn't tell any of them that he'd been to Liones before. Last they were here was around two decades ago and the reason behind the trip wasn't exactly to socialize. Plus, claiming he'd been here 20 years ago when he was meant to have barely been born by then wouldn't exactly go well.

"Trust me, if there's anything the people of Liones know how to do, it's drink and be merry." Howzer assures him.

Tristan laughs. "Well, in that case, I'm glad we ended up here. Seems I'll have a great time getting to know the people of this kingdom."

"Hell yeah!" Jericho says, taking a gulp of her ale.

"You should let us show you around sometime, Tristan." Guila tells him.

"We can give you the full tour!" Gilthunder adds.

Tristan beams. "I'd love that! Thank you!"

"To new friends!" Howzer holds his mug up above the table.

"To new friends!" The rest of the table cheers together, mimicking his actions.

Tristan is having so much fun with these people. They're so kind and always seem to be laughing. Over the course of the next hour, he finds out each of them are holy knights and that there's usually a fifth person in their group, Griamore, but he wasn't able to make it out with them tonight. They assure him that he'll get along with Griamore just as well as the rest of them and Tristan finds himself grinning from ear-to-ear. He'd forgotten what a wonderful feeling it is to make new friends like this and get to know new people. It's always been one of his favorite things about life in all his years on this continent. He just loves being around good people.

And in all his joy, for a little while, Tristan forgets about everything else. He forgets about his long day working. He forgets about the long, stalling journey to this kingdom. He forgets the knot he'd had in his stomach their whole way from Vaizel to here. He forgets the whole reason they've come to settle in Liones in the first place. He forgets all about the past and it's troubles. For the first time in a long time, just like he had been most of tonight, he feels himself shake loose from everything else except for the present that he's in right now. But he should've known it wouldn't last for very long.

As he and his table of friends fall into giggles over a joke Howzer made, his eyes land on the front door to the Tavern right as it opens up. In steps a new customer, clad in a sleeveless red tunic, white trousers, and knee-high, brown, leather boots with a band of gold around the tops of each. On the outer side of each boot, engraved into the gold, is the royal family crest of Liones. The same crest hangs on a necklace around the man's neck in deep, aqua blue and gold. Tristan gulps as his eyes trail all the way up to the man's face, already knowing exactly who it is before he does so. The newcomer has a head of messy, blonde hair, an obvious cowlick sticking up from the middle of his head. But the most striking feature of the man is his bright, green eyes and the wide grin he wears as he observes the inside of the tavern.

Tristan knew he'd show up eventually, he just hadn't realized it would be so soon. He isn't ready, he hasn't gotten enough time to prepare himself. The silverette feels his breathing pick up, his entire body tense. He hears someone at the table with him talking, but he can't understand what they're saying. His ears are ringing and all the sounds around him are muffled. He can't peel his eyes away from the man even though he wants nothing more than to do so. He digs his nails into the wood of the table in front of him as the man walks further into the room and away from the front door.

Tristan's mind finally gives him another objective other than to stare. This one is to run. And so he does. He gets up from the table and bolts from the building, ignoring the shouts he hears from behind him. He gets out and just runs. He runs away from Guila and Howzer and Gilthunder and Jericho. He runs away from his mother and his aunt. He runs away from the other customers at the tavern and their joyful chatter. He runs away from his home. He runs away from his past and his present and his future. But most of all, he runs away from his father.

~*~

Elizabeth hums softly to herself as she wipes down the bar. She's taking advantage of the slow down of business and using the time to clean up a bit. They still won't be closing for quite awhile - for a business like a tavern, it was way too early to close up shop - but cleaning up a little bit along the way will make for an easier shut down later on.

She hears Tristan laughing with the group he's sitting with and she smiles. Hopefully these friends will be good ones. She always finds herself worrying about him. A mother's duty, Veronica always reminds her. And an aunt's duty, too. That's always when Tristan will pipe in. It's a family's duty. It's natural instinct to worry about someone you love and family is who you love most of all. He always says. They all know it word for word by now. But either way, Elizabeth feels that she has every reason to worry about her son. The life they've lived hasn't been an easy one. She almost feels selfish for being glad she has him around for it. That she has any of them around for it.

A plate slides into her view and she blinks, coming back out of her own head. "Earth to Ellie." Veronica speaks up, leaning against the bar beside her, but on the inside rather than the outside like she was.

Elizabeth shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "Hey, Veer." She smiles at her softly. "How's the kitchen?"

"A literal hot mess. But the food's good. So, sit your ass down and eat, alright?" She picks up her fork, nodding at the bar stool closest to Elizabeth.

She follows her sister's instructions, sitting down and picking up her own fork as well. "Thank you." She takes a bite and closes her eyes. "This is so good."

"Yeah, especially since it's the first thing you've had to eat since this morning." She sighs and shakes her head. "You and Tristan both, what am I gonna do with you two?" She questions, but gives the silver-haired woman a fond smile.

Elizabeth looks at her sheepishly and giggles. "That's why you're here to take care of us."

"Damn right, I am. Someone has to." She playfully rolls her eyes and the two of them continue eating.

Veronica is just about to take their plates and go back into the kitchen when they hear the slam of the door and shouts. By the time Elizabeth  turns to face the front door, whoever ran out is already gone. But then she turns towards the table Tristan was sitting at and she gets her answer on who it was. The group he was sitting with turns to look at her, all looking confused and concerned. "He froze up and seemed really freaked out, then he just ran out..." A pink-haired man informed her.

"I hope he's okay..." The black-haired woman said, the others nodding in agreement.

"I'll go get him." Veronica says behind her, and Elizabeth turns to her. Veronica is looking at something off to Elizabeth's right.

"Are you sure, Veer?" She asks.

"Yeah, of course." She turns back to look at Elizabeth and when their eyes lock, Veronica's light brown eyes are filled with a deep sadness, and Elizabeth feels a wave of dread run through her. "Besides, it seems like you have another matter to attend to anyways. That same matter is probably the reason that Tris ran out." Veronica whispers, nodding to where she was looking before before walking away.

Elizabeth doesn't look where her sister directed her at first, instead watching as Veronica leaves and lingering on the door. She's stalling, she knows she is. But she just needs a moment longer. The look in Veronica's eyes was unmistakable. She's seen it many times before. Elizabeth really shouldn't be so surprised. She knew he was in this kingdom. It was the whole reason they had come here. But they've only been in town for a day and she'd been hoping that they'd have a little more time. She should've known the universe would waste no time in leading him right to them.

Elizabeth turns back to the bar and grabs the mug sat in front of her, drinking down the rest of the ale in it. She pulls it away from her lips and sighs softly. Well, it's now or never, I suppose. She thinks to herself. Not much of a peptalk, but it's the best she's got for herself right now. Finally, she turns and faces the right side of the tavern.

She gasps, her eyes widening, the mug dropping from her hand. She never gets the chance to look very far because there he is, right in front of her. Her sky blue eyes immediately lock with his grass green ones and she's immediately stuck there. He looks absolutely beautiful, all bright and warm. His eyes are shining with joy and amusement, exactly like they should. Exactly like she always wants them to. She's stuck on his eyes, she can't even look at the rest of him yet. Looking into them is like looking into the brightest of natural lights. It shines so much warmth on her but she feels blinded.

"I think you dropped this."

Elizabeth finally manages to look away so that she can quickly hide the sob that tries to bubble up her throat at the sound of his voice, letting out a small cough instead. She forces a smile on her face and takes the mug that she had dropped out of his hand, careful to avoid brushing fingers with him. "Th-thank you." She tells him quietly.

"You're welcome! Do ya think I could get your name in exchange?" He asks her.

Elizabeth's smile softens into a small, but genuine one. "My name is Elizabeth. And you are?"

"Elizabeth. That name really suits you." He compliments, and she can't help the blush that comes to her cheeks. With him, even the simplest things affect her. "And I'm Meliodas. Prince Meliodas of the Kingdom of Liones." The introduction rhymes and Elizabeth giggles at the realization. At the sound of her amusement, his face brightens, if that's even possible, and he beams at her. "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"It's lovely to meet you as well, Prince Meliodas." She says sincerely. For the 117th time.

~*~

Tristan gasps out, leaning against a tree and trying to catch his breath. He isn't sure how long he's been running, but he's finally run out of stamina for the moment. He slides down to the ground, his knees bending up to his chest and his back against the tree behind him. He wraps his arms around his legs and puts his head between his legs, trying to take long, slow breaths, as he's not sure how much of his lack of oxygen is actually from running and how much of it is from his panic.

He's in the middle of the woods now, the moon shining high above the trees. It could be a few minutes later, it could be an hour later. It probably wasn't the best idea to run off like that, he realizes. Surely all doing so did was worry his mother and put her into even more distress than just seeing father will do. Tristan feels a bit guilty now, realizing he left his mother all alone and didn't even stay with her for the first meeting, but he's not sure he would've been able to make it through without breaking down and running off just like he's already done.

Thirty-two. He's gone through this thirty-two times. He remembers every single moment of every single one except for the very first one, in which he was no older than a newborn. And now, he's about to go through it once again, bringing his total up to thirty three times. The number itself is nothing compared to his mother's count of a hundred and seventeen, but it's not some twisted competition. Aunt Veronica has been through it just as many times as mother, she's been with her since the very beginning of it all. And now they're all here going through it together. Uncle Gowther is around most of the time, too, and Aunt Merlin. Though Aunt Merlin hasn't been around much this last decade or so. She's been in Camelot, instead, but she still visits the tavern every once in awhile.

He's grateful for all of the family he does have, they'll never know how much he loves them all. But right now, the pain surrounding his father cuts through him like a blade covered in hellfire and all he wants to do is stay right here. Right in this moment, he'd give anything to forever avoid what comes next. The next introduction, the next round of who-will-he-be-this-time, the next "I love you", the next memory, the next death. Some stubborn, childish part of him just wants to stay right here and never go anywhere else ever again. He could just live right here forever, become a part of the woods, and never have to worry about anything ever again.

A hand comes down on his shoulder and he jumps, recognizing his Aunt Veronica's energy and scent right before he sees her face. "Just me, Tanny." She says softly, sitting down on the ground beside him.

He relaxes. "Sorry for running off." He apologizes. "Have I been gone for too long?"

"No, not really. We're only a few minutes away with our kind of speed. It'd probably take awhile for a human to get over here, though." She says thoughtfully. Tristan just nods, staying silent.

"...Are you alright, Tris?" The magenta-haired woman questions, looking at him with eyes that are an even mix of concerned and sad. And that's when he finally breaks. A sob forces its way out of his throat and he can't stop the tears that well up in his eyes from streaming down his cheeks. And then his aunt is pulling him into her arms. "Oh, honey."

He curls into himself, sobs and cries wracking through his entire body. He just couldn't hold any of it back, he feels overwhelmed. Maybe it's the long day, or the long week. He just feels so tired of everything. And he's especially tired of holding things back. So, he just lets it all out. He cries in his aunt's arms until there are no tears left and his gut hurts from how many times he's heaved out a sob. Until all that's left is the comfortable silence of the night around him.

~*~

"Why don't you head in through a balcony? Just in case he's still here, that way you don't have to worry about running into him tonight." Tristan's Aunt Veronica suggests.

He nods. "Yeah, I think I'd prefer that. I'm not ready to meet him just yet." He admits.

She rubs the back of her hand over his arm for a moment comfortingly. "That's perfectly fine. Just take your time, Tanny."

He gives her another quick hug. "Goodnight, Aunt Veronica, I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, kid. Get some good rest, okay? You've definitely earned it." She tells him, smiling softly. He smiles back before heading to the shadowed side of the tavern and jumping up onto the second floor balcony.

The bedroom it's attached to is Uncle Gowther's. He walks through it and steps out into the hallway, closing the door behind him before heading down the hall and up the stairs to his own bedroom. It's at the very top, his room technically being the attic, and it also had a balcony. Usually, he'd love to sit out on it and watch the stars for awhile, but he's too exhausted tonight. He quickly changes out of his work uniform and into his sleep clothes before flopping onto his bed and quickly settling in and under the covers, yawning as his head hits the pillow and sleep takes him almost immediately.

He wakes a little while later to his door being opened and then closed. He takes a deep breath in and picks up his mother's scent, slowly turning over to face the rest of his room. There's a dip in his bed next to his shoulder and he looks up as his eyes adjust to the darkness, locking eyes with his mother, her usually blue eyes now glowing the golden-orange hues of the goddess clan.

"I was hoping I wouldn't wake you." She tells him, sounding a little guilty.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He yawns, moving closer to her. She was sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, one leg pulled up in front of her and the other one off of the bed, foot planted on the ground.

She brings her hand up and brings it to his head, running her hands through his hair affectionately. Tristan hums softly in content as she continues the motion repeatedly. "What's he like this time?" He whispers after a few minutes, his curiosity getting the better of him.

His mother stays quiet for a moment longer before responding. "He's really sweet. Very kind. He reminds me a lot of you, actually. He seems to joke around a lot and he's very charming. He didn't stay for very long, I don't think he was actually supposed to be away from the castle tonight, but he said he would be back, of course." She tells him softly.

"Sorry for running off and leaving you all alone." He tells her, guilt seeping into his voice.

"Hey, you did nothing wrong, sweetheart. You weren't ready and there's nothing wrong with that." She reassures him. He swallows, moving as close to her as he can and curling himself up against her leg, that childish feeling from before coming back. "Those new friends of yours were worried when you left. I assured them you would be okay and they said to tell you that you're welcome to come find them in town anytime. The blonde one's father is the main blacksmith around here, so you can ask about his whereabouts there sometime. But they'll come back to the tavern sometime, too. They seem to really like you." She tells him, a smile in her voice.

Tristan presses his forehead against her knee. "They seem really nice." He answers honestly.

"That's good, I'm glad you've met them, then." She admits. The two of them fall silent after that for awhile, Tristan laying there with drooping eyes as his mother combs her fingers through his hair gently. Eventually, Tristan speaks up again.

"Hey, mama?" He looks up at her.

She looks down at him. "Yes, my sleepy boy?"

"Can you sing, please?" He asks her.

She gives him a tender smile and nods. "Of course I can."

Tristan smiles softly and yawns again as he turns and buries his face in her knee again, his eyes closing. And then he listens as his mother starts to sing him the same lullaby she's sang to him thousands of times, the one she made just for him.

"Little star, come with me

Fly through the sky and you will see

All the little things that make me believe

Fox cubs are playing

Trees are swaying

Wolf pups are howling

The night cats are prowling

All under your shining light

The flowers are sleeping

The moon is now peaking

And here you lay in my arms

Your eyes have slipped closed

This song I've composed

Leading you to your dreams

Little star, I love you

You know that I do

So, lay down your head

Let your mind rest

You're safe where you are

I won't be too far

I'll stay by your side

'Til sweet morning light."

The last thing he knows is his mother kissing the top of his head as she whispers, "Sweet dreams, my little star." before sleep finally pulls him under for the rest of the night.

~*~

A/N: What did you guys think??? Did you like it?? Please let me know!! I think overall this is a really fun concept to play with and I can’t wait to explore more of this little world that I’m building. Also, I wrote Elizabeth’s lullaby myself, so it’s completely original!! There isn’t much in the way of ships and romance yet, but there will be as we go along, I promise!!! Love you guys!!! 💜💜💜

Taglist:

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[cryptids-lobelia-garden]

Lol sorry this is a day late I was honoring the April 1 strike for Palestine and then yesterday my internet was really slow and Tumblr draft edit wouldn’t work

Anyway.

Warnings: idk how these work please lemme know if I need to tag anything else but uh. Manipulative/kinda creepy whumper, a conditioned whumpee and his self destructive/self sacrificial tendencies, caretaker was hurt by whumpee in the past (not in a whump way just in a whumpee tried to destroy the world and caretaker had to stop him way) but he’s grown over the time they’ve been apart and come to understand the whumpee’s actions, uh. This is Pokémon and I’m going with a nuanced take of some of them are sapient and some aren’t and caretaker is very much a Pokémon, also whumpee is a canon character and might act OOC for. Reasons that will hopefully be revealed over the course of this month if I can get this challenge done :D oh also I follow canon VERY loosely bc there’s like three different canons and I’m here to have fun not to police my story writing so uh. Ye

Anyway, there’s also some mind control in there, some frostbite, some.. It’s like a chemical burn sort of, some dissociative panic attack flavored stuff, uh. Animal attack? Oh yeah and dismemberment lol- this one is. A little. Uh. Yeah

Oh and if you see these characters on another account ask that account if it’s me before getting upset bc uh. I have posted abt them on my main before

Anyway. Yeah. Enjoy this, uh. Please don’t judge me I can’t get these freaks out of my head hsjdjdjd

Day 1: Limp

Reunited Arc Part 1

~~~~~

It was supposed to just be a normal day off.

Cheri was headed to Celestic City to meet with a historian, to answer questions about Dialga and the Diamond Clan.

He’s taking the train, since he didn’t feel like walking all that way or making any of his Pokémon carry him.

It was supposed to be a normal day, but he sees a familiar face, and he has to do a double take.

Long blond hair, one eye covered, tied in its usual messy bun in the back. A shining silver eye, which is currently focused on a watch on their own wrist. Cheri would’ve guessed that was Cynthia, but he’s a guy, and he’s wearing a form-fitting black turtleneck tank top, a denim jacket over it.

The modern clothes on him are such a foreign sight.

But there’s no mistaking it.

Volo.

Cheri feels his blood freeze near instantly. A few people step away as the space around him begins to grow cold, a breeze of malice brushing through the air.

Volo hasn’t noticed him yet, and Cheri’s debating between just leaving and confronting the man.

Celestic Town is pretty close to Mount Coronet, but Cheri has prior arrangements. If he decides to go after Volo, he might not make it to the city on time, if at all. And someone guards the mountain now after Cyrus, right? So it’s not like Volo will be able to actually get there.

Unless he takes a path that isn’t through the caves. But even then, Arceus will be fine, they’re a god, it’s fine.

Maybe Cheri should just avoid all this and ride a bike to town. He left himself enough time to, after all.

But the train doors close, making Cheri’s choice for him. He can’t just say nothing.

So he steps forward.

“Hey.”

Volo looks up from his watch, eyes wide. “Hello- I’m sorry, am I in your way?” Who is this? He looks familiar..

Cheri shakes no. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Volo stops, staring at the stranger(?) for a moment. He knows me. Who is this? Usually, when people are angry at me in this time, it’s because they’ve mistaken me for Cynthia. But it seems like this one’s here for ME, not her-

His eyes widen. He goes pale. Takes a step back, his voice quiet enough that only the man in front of him hears it. “Cheri.” The one of the siblings I ESPECIALLY did NOT want to run into.

I don’t have time for this! Not now- of all the times I could have run into him, it had to be this last mission?

He pushes his thoughts aside, putting on a grin and trying to act like everything’s fine.

“Haha, it’s fancy seeing you here! What a coincidence!” I can’t do this right now! I’m on a time limit- this is THE WORST possible timing for this to happen, so of course it does.

“What a coincidence indeed,” Cheri says, voice low, taking another step forward as Volo takes a step back.

Volo’s smiling, that same pleasant grin Cheri remembers from all those years ago. But Cheri knows it’s a lie, can sense the fear coming off the man.

“Why are you headed to Mount Coronet? You and I both know you shouldn’t be there.”

“Listen, I can explain, but I don’t have much time- but I am not here for Arceus.” Cheri doesn’t seem convinced, so he keeps talking. “I’m here to protect Arceus, actually, from someone much worse than I am.”

“Hm. A likely story.” Cheri starts reading his emotions a little more.

“I swear on my life, that’s behind me.” Please, please, please please PLEASE believe me. I know you have every reason not to, after what I’ve done, but please just listen.

Cheri hums, thinking this over for a moment.

He doesn’t sense any lies from the man, strangely enough. He lets his magic push forward a little further, sensing for Volo’s intentions.

He doesn’t sense anything to do with Arceus at all, actually. No lies, no deceit.

Interesting..

Volo shivers as he feels a cold chill brushing through him, though the pleasant mask of a smile stays firmly in place. They reach their stop. I need to get away. He turns on his heel. “Well, I’ll be seeing you around-” Cheri’s hand is on his shoulder, and he tenses, breath catching in his throat. Please have mercy. Whatever you’re about to do, just don’t hurt me too badly.

Cheri’s voice is quiet, his expression grim. “You’re on a suicide mission, aren’t you.”

Shock, surprise. He shakes his head, smile growing strained. “Wh- how did you-” Volo clears his throat, turning back to smile at Cheri. “It doesn’t matter. No matter what happens, whether it’s him who dies or me, the problem will be over. And I’m probably not going to die anyway. Why?”

Cheri frowns, thinking that over for a few moments. Him? I’m assuming that’s who he’s saying he’s protecting Arceus from? If Volo dies, doesn’t that mean the problem isn’t technically over? Because we still have someone out there who’s willing to attack Arceus to further a goal. And if Volo, of all people, thinks this guy could KILL him, with Pokémon as powerful as his.. “..I’m coming with you.”

Why? What does he want out of this? “He is dangerous. You shouldn’t come with, he could kill you, and I am not worth it.” How much does he know? How did he know?

“Well, that’s all the more reason for me to come with.” If this guy really is as much of a threat as Volo says he is, I need to make sure this guy doesn’t get anywhere near the creation quartet. The two step off the train, and Cheri crosses his arms, head tilting to the side. “If you’re telling the truth, it sounds like this guy needs to be taken out.”

Volo looks up at Cheri for a second, opening his mouth to argue, and Cheri ignores his own annoyance, interrupting before Volo starts.

“I’ve fought gods. I’ve fought you. I’m sure I can take this guy out just fine.”

Volo frowns. “You should want me dead, you know-”

“No. Nope.” Cheri pinches the bridge of his nose. “Shut up with that, I’m not gonna listen to you talk about yourself like that.” Because as angry as I am at him for everything..

I can’t bring myself to hate him. Can’t bring myself to hate anyone, really, but ESPECIALLY not him.

We’re the same, after all.

Volo shuts his mouth, keeping the surprise off his face. I betrayed him and his siblings. Am I not just speaking truth? “..okay. ..I’ll explain while we walk, but we need to hurry.” I really am not worth it. But.. I doubt I’ll be able to talk him out of this. He always was stubborn, even more so than his sister at times..

What does he want, coming with me on this? Perhaps he’s just making sure I’m telling the truth about not being after Arceus, but then if he knows how dangerous this mission is..

..What should I tell him? What should I leave out? He needs to know at least some of the situation. Maybe if he knows it’s no real threat to anyone except me, he’ll leave the situation be? He knows I deserve this, after all, was on the receiving end of my worst mistake..

Cheri follows the man, who seems to be lost in thought, and he soon gets lost in his own. Who is “he”..? I could look into his fears and see.. no, that’s too invasive. Even for Volo.

..I really don't know much about him, Hisui was so long ago.. And even back then, he tried to avoid being around me as much as he could. He could tell I didn’t trust him. He hung out with Ana and Keyo much more often. But..

He looks up at Volo. Volo looks back, smiling that pleasant smile again. But it’s tense. Almost strained. Cheri gives as reassuring of a smile as he can, but it only seems to make the guy more tense, so Cheri looks away.

I’m pretty sure that this isn’t like him. He manipulated my siblings and I into helping him collect the Plates, avoiding the dangerous work for himself; it isn’t like him to do something so dangerous like this.

Cheri carefully looks at Volo out of the corner of his eye, studying Volo’s face for a moment. His eyes glow as he looks into Volo’s emotions, grimacing when he feels a wave of anxiety and self hatred and quickly stopping, pulling his magic away.

Whoa..

..He doesn’t feel the same. I don’t feel the sense of untrustworthiness I did back then.

I wish I had a hold on my powers then, because I don’t have any idea how different he truly is, I have no clue if that self hatred was there before, but I know for a FACT the anxiety wasn’t. I can see it even without my abilities.

Volo’s looking around at every face as they walk. It’s hard to notice the nerves behind the pleasant smile, but Cheri can tell from how tense he’s holding his shoulders, a tenseness that didn’t exist back in Hisui.

And his eyes are.. darker, somehow, and his breath hitches every so often as people look at him.

And he looks sick. He has eyebags dark enough they almost look like bruises. He’s pale- even more so than he was back then.

He’s still smiling, but something about the smile is even more fake than it used to be; at least in Hisui, the confidence was real.

What happened to take his confidence?

They’re around less people now, and Volo takes a breath, turning to look at the trail. “So!” Volo claps his hands together with a fake chipper attitude. “The man we’re going after.. His name is Eclipse.”

With the name, Cheri notices fear.

Memories.

He doesn’t look into them, that’s invasive, but he can tell they’re there. That’s not good.

“He’s..” Volo thinks for a moment. “..Not a good man.” Then he points into the air, finger wagging as he talks. “And he’s leading me straight into a trap! And he likely knows that I know that it’s a trap. And he also knows that I’m going to come anyway, whether I know it’s a trap or not. But!” Volo turns to Cheri suddenly, pointing at him with a smile. “If I walk into the trap, he’ll stop everything he’s doing. He only wants me. I mean, he also wants to take revenge on- well, that doesn’t matter, but he’ll stop if I give myself to him.”

“If you what?” Cheri’s staring to get genuinely worried, eyebrows furrowing. “Volo, who is this guy?”

“Someone who gave me what I deserve,” Volo says quickly, then he shakes his head. “It really doesn’t matter. Go home, this doesn’t concern you.”

“Arceus is part of it, and you are too, so uh. Yeah. It does concern me, actually.” Damnit, that wasn’t supposed to sound so pointed. I’m WORRIED, about HIM, not about Arceus.

Volo shakes his head. “Really, it’s fine. I’m not here to do anything to Arceus. No plates, no flute, you can check my bag if you want. I’m just here for Eclipse. I’m here to try to take him down, and if that doesn’t work, well.. The problem will be gone either way!”

There’s a sour taste in Cheri’s mouth. Something’s very, very wrong here. “So, what, you’re just gonna let this guy take you and do Arceus knows what?”

“It’s deserved.” Volo smiles at him again, though it’s more strained and looks much more like he’s pleading. “Please, just leave, this is not worth your safety.”

“Nope. No, not happening. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not, you’re not gonna talk me out of it now.” This whole situation.. Whatever’s going on, it really seems like it’s MUCH worse than he deserved. Prison maybe, I could see that. Maybe getting grabbed by a time traveler who could teach him about exactly why what he did was dangerous.

But something tells me someone went way too far.

Volo’s smile grows more strained. “..I was afraid of that,” he murmurs, then he shakes his head. “Well. Hm. ..okay. I.. suppose this might be a good thing. He probably thinks that I’m not coming with backup- I wasn’t planning to, so.” Volo shakes his head, smile fading entirely as he turns back to the trail up Mount Coronet. “Anyway.. He has been collecting legendary and mythical Pokémon from different times and places. We’re not sure what all he has- we know for sure he has Regiice, Azelf, and possibly the other two lake spirits, as well as the Red Chain.”

Who is “we”?? Wait. SHIT. Cheri’s neck snaps he turns to Volo so fast. “He has the red chain?”

Volo, fairly used to ghost-type shenanigans, barely bats an eye. He just nods, a grim look on his face. “And he’s going after Arceus with it.”

“That’s.. not good.” Cheri turns back to the trail, frowning down at it and kicking a few pebbles forward. “But if he takes you, the problem’s over? Why?”

Volo thinks for a moment. “He’s.. very angry with me, and it’s me specifically that he’s after, despite the situation,” he says. Cheri can tell Volo’s verbally stepping around details, so he stays quiet, waiting for Volo to explain. “..I caused him to lose everything he had.”

“..with the rift, or..?”

“Oh, no, not like that.” Volo quickly shakes his head, hands waving. “No, he just..” Volo grimaces, looking away, what Cheri would have been able to see of his face hidden behind his hair. “He.. Well. He did some pretty bad things to me. Which! That was deserved, really, you know I deserved them.” Cheri grimaces. He keeps saying that it’s deserved.. it’s putting a bad taste in my mouth. Before Cheri can say anything, Volo keeps talking. “But when Management saw what he did, they kicked him from-” He shakes his head. “You know, I actually don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that. Forget I said anything about Management.”

“Okay.” So, he was in some secret club or something, and this Eclipse guy hurt him and got kicked out over it. “..the hell you mean ‘it’s deserved’? What did he do?”

Volo’s lips press into a thin line for a moment, then he glances at his watch. “Oh, look at the time!” Volo grimaces as he looks at the cave through the mountain. “We should hurry, let’s leave the path and just climb it, this cave system must be new; I am unfamiliar with it.”

Okay, he’s avoiding the question. Cheri frowns, ignoring the annoyance stewing in his gut and following Volo off the path. Then Eclipse must have done something pretty bad.

Or maybe he’s just a very private person. He avoided questions a lot back in Hisui.

Then again, in Hisui, he had a lot of things to hide.

..What is this club he was in? Some sort of evil team? But if it is, why would they have sent him to PROTECT Arceus from this Eclipse guy?

Given our past, I’d think he was lying if I couldn’t tell. He is so incredibly lucky I have the ability to tell.

“..so. He’s got a bunch of legendaries. Why are they with him?”

“They’re not with him willingly,” Volo explains, finding a good spot on a cliffside to start climbing. “He has this device, it’s from the future- Ah! Did I mention he’s from the future? Anyway, he has this device, which is controlling them through technologically created psychic power. They don’t want this, so we need to try to avoid hurting them, so the hoppers can bring them home- they’re from different times, he’s been jumping through time to take them.”

Cheri blinks a few times, head tilting to the side in confusion. “Hoppers?? Jumping through time???” Holy shit, wait, was I accidentally right about a time traveler grabbing him?

I guess it makes sense how he’s here then.

“It’s a very long story.” One I am probably not allowed to tell you. Well.. I might be able to, considering the fact that technically, you’re a time traveler. One chosen by Arceus, no less. But.. I don’t want to drag you into this mess. Not any more than I already have, anyway. Volo shakes his head. “Anyway, we’re not sure what exactly he’s controlling them through, but we believe it’s his bracelet.”

“Gotcha.” Cheri frowns. “So, don’t hurt the legendaries, break his bracelet.”

“Exactly.” Getting to the top of the cliffside, Volo turns around to pull Cheri up, though Cheri waves him off, he doesn’t need the help. “And try not to get hurt yourself.”

Cheri nods, smirking. “Thanks, Sherlock.”

Volo blinks a few times in confusion. “..Sherlock..?”

“It’s a reference- there’s this book-” Cheri shakes his head. “Nevermind.” Noticing a sneasel sneaking up on him, he snarls at it, letting an illusion lash towards it. It squeaks in fear, running off. “Sorry, can’t risk it with dark types.”

“No, that’s fine.” I already knew he wasn’t human anyway, though it’s interesting to see him actually use his abilities.

However, it IS a little frightening.

Was that meant to be a show of power, or was he genuinely just scaring it off?

What exactly does he want with me?

Volo turns, and they keep walking, an uncomfortable silence falling between the two.

“..you know.. I have time.”

Volo looks over at him in confusion.

“For a long story I mean.”

“This isn’t one you want to hear,” Volo quickly says. Please don’t ask again.

Luckily for Volo, Cheri just looks at him for a moment, almost seeming to study him. Volo shudders at the way Cheri seems to be staring straight into his soul.

Then Cheri nods, turning to the next cliffside to climb in silence.

Volo watches him for a moment longer before turning back to climb. ..He doesn’t trust me. I can tell. He might never trust me again, and honestly, that would be warranted.

It’s really unfortunate timing, that this has happened now, of all times. Right now, when I’m doing something important. One last thing before there’s nothing left for me to do, nothing left that I can fix.

..I suppose if I survive this, I can let him and his siblings decide my fate afterwards. Those three were the ones most directly affected by my actions.. Then they’ll get the final decision, if it isn’t made here.

..for now, though.. I can, at the very least, try to give him closure.

“..I.. want to apologize,” Volo mutters.

Cheri turns to look at him, subconsciously checking his intentions, and oh, this is a genuine apology. “Hm?”

“For.. Not only the rift, and pulling you and your siblings from your home, but also for betraying the three of you. ..I hope you know it wasn’t just.. It wasn’t all just manipulation. You three were some of the few people I could genuinely consider friends, had I not been holding you all at arms length.” I might as well be genuine. Maybe in return, he’ll do the same..

No. I shouldn’t hope, I don’t get to hope, but..

It would be nice, if it was something I deserved.

Cheri blinks a few times as he feels the sincerity. Interesting.. “..They’re going to want apologies too, you know. ..thanks, by the way, that.. actually means a lot.” He looks up the mountain, thinking for a moment. “..You really have changed, haven’t you.”

Volo hums, making a so-so gesture. “I’d like to think so.”

“..I forgive you, you know.” Cheri shakes his head. “Honestly, I did a long time ago. What you did was fucked up, don’t get me wrong, and a LOT of people got hurt that shouldn’t have. But.. I dunno.” He shakes his head. “..I can understand your reasoning.” What I learned about him, about his people..

Volo stops, looking over at Cheri with confusion. He forgives me..? Why? It doesn’t make sense to me. What does he have to gain? I don’t know if I should trust this, that might be exactly what he’s aiming for. “Really?” Volo looks up to meet Cheri’s eyes.

Confusion, a hint of fear, and Cheri realizes he should explain. “I wouldn’t ever do the same thing you did, don’t get me wrong. But the world really is full of unnecessary suffering.” Cheri shakes his head. “And.. if I’m right about where you came from, you’ve dealt with a lot of it, right?”

How much does he know about me? And how does he know it? Why does he know it?

Volo doesn’t let his uneasiness show on his face, humming noncommittally. “It doesn’t excuse my actions. I ended up bringing harm to a lot of people.” I don’t deserve forgiveness. “..Thank you, though,” he murmurs.

Cheri studies him for a moment. So, the self loathing is probably from the rift and everything surrounding it, at least partially.. Not sure what the uneasiness is about, but he doesn’t like something about me. It might just be the whole zoroark thing, but it’s been growing, so maybe it’s something I’ve been saying or something? “Don’t mention it.” He looks up, getting to the top of the cliff they’re climbing and offering a hand to pull Volo up, which Volo takes.

They’re about halfway up the mountain now. The air’s growing colder- though Cheri can’t really feel the cold himself, Volo’s pulling his clothes a little tighter around himself.

..conversation topic.. Oh, the plan. “So.. About this Eclipse guy..”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Volo says quickly.

“No, I wasn’t asking what he did, don’t worry.” I don’t want to push him too much, he’s wary. “I just want to know, he’s trying to kill you, right? Do you want him alive, or? If you’re, uh.. taking him out, what’re we doing with him after? What’s the plan?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, he’ll be taken care of either way, and.. alive would be preferred, but if he dies, I.. don’t really care.” Maybe that’s a little harsh.. Well. Maybe I’m allowed to be a little harsh. Volo shakes his head. “However, I would like to be able to capture him and bring him in. I.. have some questions that I want to ask him, with prison bars separating him from me, of course.”

Cheri hums, studying Volo’s expression for a moment, sensing the emotions behind it. Is that.. Pain? Exhaustion?

Concern? ..Overthinking, maybe..?

“..What sorts of questions?”

Volo shakes his head. “..I just.. hm.”

I don’t know how to word this. I want to know why he did it. I want to know why, out of EVERYONE he could have chosen, every timespace criminal he had access to, he chose ME to hurt.

“..I want closure.”

Cheri hums, looking away. “..He might not give you that. Talking to him might make it worse, you know.”

Volo turns to Cheri with a glare, hissing “You know nothing about him, or my situation.”

Cheri’s a little surprised by the sudden anger in the air, though it’s understandable, he doesn’t blame Volo for it. After a moment of thought, trying to figure out what to say, he shrugs. “I might know next to nothing about the situation, but I know trauma when I see it.” He glances over at Volo, letting his eyes flash, a subtle reminder of his abilities. “He hurt you, yeah? On purpose, I’m guessing.”

..Just how much does he know..? And what is he trying to get out of knowing this about me?

He’s right, and it scares me. Does he know because of an ability? Did he look into my fears? Or did he figure it out on his own?

Volo turns away, the silence giving Cheri all the answer he needs.

Shit. It seems like trying to bridge the gap is just making things worse.. Honestly, I should’ve expected this, got too personal too fast.

Well. There’s no point in dropping the conversation at this point. He can try to make me leave, but it’s not gonna work, I need to make sure this Eclipse guy doesn’t fuck with Arceus. And besides..

I’m worried. About Volo, of all people. That’s saying something. “..And he’s trying to kill you even now.. I doubt he’ll give you closure.” Cheri turns away, frowning. “If anything, talking to him might make things worse.” It made it worse when I talked to Keyo’s bio parents, after all. Dickheads will be dickheads, it’ll always hurt to talk to em.

“Perhaps.” Volo shakes his head. My pain shouldn’t matter to you. You can’t actually care, especially not with everything I’ve done to you, so..

It must matter to you because you want me hurt.

“..Let’s talk about something else, shall we?” And if you do somehow care, you shouldn’t get attached to me anyway, you shouldn’t get attached to someone who deserves a bad fate. It’ll only hurt you.

“Hm.” ..yeah. He’s probably done talking now. Cheri looks up the mountain, squinting as the sun hits his eyes. “..Not much further now.”

Volo nods, checking his watch. “The readings said he will appear in the cave that leads to Cloudcap Pass.”

“Alright. So we get to the pass, then go to the cave from there?”

Volo nods. “And then we’ll wait until he arrives.”

“Right.”

They climb in silence until they reach the top, coming out near the destroyed temple. Cheri takes a deep breath, taking in the air.

This place feels as holy as it always did, the presence of the gods closer here than it is anywhere else in the region, and he feels the power of Arceus’s blessing within him shift.

They’re watching.

Volo glances over at the spear pillar, an unreadable expression on his face, and Cheri senses a spike of guilt. Then he turns away from it, wordlessly heading to the cave, a grim determination filling his gut as he lets his Pokémon out.

Cheri lets his own Pokémon out too. He hadn’t been expecting a battle today, but most of his Pokémon are pretty strong anyway, so it should be fine. He’s got Sprigs with him, and Sprigs doesn’t fight, so he was left in his ball. But Cheri has a few with him that do fight, some of the ones that he hasn’t spent much time with recently. Hydra, Eelectra, Zigzag, Tiktok, and Sylvie- his hydreigon, eelektross, linoone, galvantula, and sylveon, respectively- all can fight. And in the worst case scenario, he can fight too.

Recognition. Feeling a pulse of emotional energy towards him, he turns to look at Volo’s Lucario, who’s staring at him with confusion and a little bit of fear. Cheri takes a breath, summoning up feelings of forgiveness, knowing the other Pokémon can read them. After a moment, the Lucario nods, pushing another feeling towards him. Friendliness, a gesture of goodwill. That is SO much better than what I got from his trainer. Cheri smiles, letting the feeling rise in his chest and sending it back, then he looks over at Volo.

Volo looks normal on the outside, but Cheri can tell he’s terrified, can feel the feeling seeping off him even without reaching towards him with his abilities.

“Hey,” Cheri says, resting a hand on Volo’s shoulder.

He nearly pulls away when Volo flinches, but then Volo leans slightly into the kind touch, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He’s touching me. Why is he touching me. I..

Why am I.. not all that scared of it..?

“I’ve got your back. You’re gonna be okay,” Cheri mutters. If you’re gonna die, he’s gotta get through me first.

Volo stares at him for a moment, then nods, his smile becoming a bit more genuine, though there’s sadness in his eyes. Oh. This is genuine kindness?

I should have expected it from Arceus’s chosen.

..I really don’t deserve this. You shouldn’t get attached to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but then his watch starts to blare, an alarm that he quickly moves to silence, expression hardening. “He’s coming,” Volo says, pressing a button on his watch. A hologram pops up, indicating a specific location, and Volo turns it off and takes a step away from there, staring at it, getting low to the ground, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice. Okay. I can do this. All I need is to last long enough to break that bracelet. His Pokémon quickly surround him, protective. Cheri motions for his own to do the same, and they quickly get into battle-ready stances.

The group stands in silence, staring at the spot, waiting with bated breath.

And then a portal opens, and Volo’s garchomp snarls, dashing forward.

“Ah- Shark, wait-!”

But it’s too late. Shark is thrown into the nearest wall, a Mewtwo holding him there. He snarls, kicking at the walls, the ground, trying to escape the psychic grasp, but it’s no use. Should I recall him and let him back out? I don’t know if that would work, don’t know if I could move quickly enough-

“Well, hello there,” someone says.

The voice is unfamiliar to Cheri.

But Volo stiffens even further.

Goosebumps rise on his arms.

Cheri can feel the fear seeping off him as he turns to stare into the portal.

The strange man steps forwards, grinning. “That’s not the friendliest welcome.”

“Eclipse,” Volo mutters, shrinking back. Shrinking back.

What the hell did he do, to make Volo react like that? Cheri looks over to Eclipse, taking in the high-tech bracelets on his arms, the look in his eyes.

He’s immediately hit with the man’s aura as he reaches his powers out, a sense of complete malice washing over him, and his eyes narrow as he braces himself against it, subconsciously baring his teeth.

“I can’t let you near Arceus,” Volo says, taking a step forward despite his fear, his Pokémon moving with him.

Eclipse waves his right hand, and a few more legendaries appear.

Volo stops moving forward. The whole cave is at a standstill.

Cheri notices strange yellow wires around the legendaries’ forms, feels psychic energy coming off of them, and then his eyes narrow as he notices a small yellow bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist. It’s barely noticeable, but it matches the wires. That must be the one.

“You know what I want,” Eclipse says. Volo’s Pokémon growl, protectively moving between the two. “All you need to do is come quietly, and all this can end. You know you deserve what’ll happen to you. It’ll save the world, even; it’ll finally redeem you, to prevent the same thing you did from happening again.”

And his grin widens, the malice surrounding im grows stronger.

“Don’t you want that?”

The manipulation leaves a bad taste in Cheri’s mouth, but he looks over at Volo, waiting to see how the interaction plays out.

“..I..” I do deserve it, but I still have my Pokémon to take care of. I don’t want to leave them behind, but if this doesn’t work, if I attack him and it ends up being for nothing, will he hurt them as retaliation for my actions?

..If I just go with, I won’t have to worry. They will be at least a little safer. The land may be different in this time, but it’s still their home region, and I trust they’ll be able to take care of themselves if needed, but..

“Are you going to return the legendaries to where you got them if I do?”

Volo’s pokemon make sounds of protests, but he holds up a hand to keep them quiet.

“Of course. I only needed them for this, after all.”

Okay. Fuck this. Cheri steps forward suddenly. “He isn’t going anywhere with you,” Cheri spits, moving between the two himself.

“And who are you? His new toy?” Eclipse sneers. “He’ll only betray you, you know; he’s betrayed everyone he’s ever gotten close to. He’ll manipulate you and then throw you aside, like he always has.”

Cheri feels the way Volo shrinks back, feels the guilt pooling off the man, and he snarls. Gods. Why does every powerful man I meet have to be SUCH a DICK? “Shut the fuck up. You think I don’t know the risks? I’m one of the guys he betrayed, and you’re still wrong for treating him like this.”

Eclipse raises an eyebrow, a spark of curiosity in his eye. “Oh really?” He tilts his head to the side. “Haven’t you noticed he’s better now? Haven’t you noticed he’s not going to try anything anymore? That change is because of me. Really, the world is better off with him in my hands-”

Cheri rushes forward. He’s reaching for the bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist, aiming to break it, and the other Pokémon in the cave rush forwards with him.

Within seconds, Mewtwo flings a bunch of their Pokémon out of the cave. Zigzag, Hydra, and Volo’s Spiritomb are frozen in a huge block of ice that Cheri narrowly avoids himself. Galarian Moltres flies past him as he dodges another blast of ice. There’s something glowing electric blue over there, but Cherry doesn’t see what it is before another ice blast blocks his vision.

Cheri can’t see Volo, but he knows Volo has Sylvie and his lucario with him, so he focuses on dodging Regiice’s attacks. With an angry scream, fire blasts from his throat, knocking Regiice out cold. One last blast of ice manages to catch his arm, and Cheri yelps as frostbite sets in-

Volo screams, a sound that reeks of agony, a bloodcurdling sound that makes Cheri’s heart drop, and he turns to Eclipse, letting his true form show, ten feet of pure protective rage aiming for Eclipse’s wrist-

Mesprit. Blast of emotion. Panic.

Frenzy.

Magic rushing in his ears. Time blurring together. Screaming, sounds so far away.

Blood flying through the air. An arm, mangled human arm, on the ground, blood pooling, blood in his mouth, between his teeth, on his hands, broken bracelet, mutilated flesh.

He tries to breathe. Everything sounds underwater, the world spinning, spinning, out of his control.

Out of control.

Out of control.

Out of control, he’s out of control-

Ribbon around his arm. A sense of calm pushes the panic away. He’s left on the ground, gasping, catching his breath, residual shakes leaving him exhausted, shifting back to his human form on instinct.

He looks up after a few moments, looking up at Sylvie, who’s staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.

“h.. Hey, buddy,” Cheri murmurs, gently scratching the top of Sylvie’s head. “You okay?”

Sylvie makes a sound, butting his head against Cheri’s chest before pulling away and dashing around the chunk of ice.

Cheri recalls the Pokémon who are still stuck in the ice, then stands on shaky legs, hurrying after Sylvie- Oh no.

Volo’s on the ground.

Cheri can’t tell if he’s conscious or not.

He rushes to Volo’s side, his uninjured hand hovering over the man, trying to figure out what’s wrong-

“Cheri,” a weak voice, and Cheri looks up at Volo’s face.

Contorted with agony. He reaches out with his magic to see where the pain is, burning blasts through his side. He pulls back.

“Is- is he gone?” Volo asks.

“Yeah, I- I think I got him, I think he’s gone,” Cheri mutters, rolling Volo over despite Volo’s cry of pain.

His shirt’s stained black in a large spot on his side. Cherry pulls it up to see a huge burn. It’s.. odd, though, it’s not a normal burn. The area around is stained black, but it isn’t charred, nothing is charred. It almost looks more like a poison than anything.

Cheri can feel the dark-type energy coming off it, sapping his own energy, and he takes a shaking breath through his mouth, trying to will away the feeling as he scoops Volo up. Volo lets out a pained sound at being moved. “Sorry,” Cheri mutters with a grimace, trying to ignore how hard it is to move his hand, how numb his arm is. Once he’s sure Volo is securely in his arms despite that, he gets Volo’s Spiritomb in its ball, then runs out of the cave.

“‘S fine, deserved,” Volo mutters, eyes slipping shut as he leans into Cheri. Cheri takes Volo’s pokeballs and recalls the injured Pokémon he finds scattered around the outside of the cave. “Can.. can you take care of them for me..?”

It’s all Cheri can do to not scream, shakes running through his entire body. “Shut up. Don’t do this shit, you’re not dying on me.” I came here to protect you, and by Arceus, I’m gonna do it.

Volo laughs, an exhausted, mirthless sound, even as a tear slips down his cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s okay. I deserve this. It’s okay.”

“Shut up!” Shit, I’m being a little harsh. Gods. Fuck. “Sorry, actually, don’t shut up. But stop that. You don’t deserve it.” As he talks, Cheri quickly recalls the rest of their pokemon, then he gets back to running down the mountain, not even bothering going through the caves, he knows where he’s going. He shifts back to his true form so he can jump down cliffs and land it, jumping over tree roots and fallen logs, trying his best not to jostle Volo too much.

Volo’s taking shuddering breaths, silent tears slipping down his cheeks, but he doesn’t complain at all. Self hatred, agony, and a sense of utter hopelessness is coming off of him, all of it is mixed with acceptance.

He genuinely believes he deserves this, Cheri realizes, a sick feeling building in his gut. Fucking hell.

“Why’re you doing this?” Volo murmurs, looking up into Cheri’s eyes. “You can’t seriously want to help me. What’s your motive? ”

“Is it so hard to believe I could genuinely like helping people?” Cheri spits.

He was aware of the way his voice echoes in this form, but Volo flinches at the sound.

And it reminds him that, yes, it is.

He isn’t human, after all. He isn’t even living.

He’s a vengeful spirit.

And sure, he chooses not to indulge that side of himself.

But how is Volo supposed to know that?

“Sorry, sorry,” Volo murmurs, breath hitching slightly as Cheri jumps down a cliff. Blood starts to drip down his side, and Cheri internally curses.

“It’s fine,” Cheri says, setting Volo down and tearing off pieces of his own shirt to start packing the wound and make a quick makeshift bandage. “Talk about something, anything, just.. Just keep talking.”

Volo winces in pain. “..You know the Pokémon that got me? Galarian Moltres?” He looks away, eyes unfocused. “Some say it burns your very spirit away.” He laughs, though the laugh turns into coughs. “I must be very lucky that mine’s still intact, ahaha- Ow!”

“Sorry.” Having tied the makeshift bandage tight, he quickly scoops Volo back up. “What else about galarian Moltres do you know? Any interesting legends? Anything?”

“G-galar was never really my focus,” he mutters, taking a few steadying breaths- they’re shallow, it hurts him to breathe. “I’m just..” He lets out a quiet wheeze, resting his head against Cheri’s shoulder.

There’s exhaustion radiating off him, Cheri realizes, and Cheri gets running again.

“Don’t go to sleep, I don’t know what happens if you do,” he mutters.

“Mmh..” Volo shakes his head. “Trying..”

“Good. Keep talking.” Cheri takes a shaky breath. “What about normal Moltres? Any cool legends?”

“..they’ll dive into volcanoes to heal themselves,” Volo mumbles. “And they.. bring an early spring, to cold places..” His eyes slip closed.

Cheri nods. “You know the Indigo League Flame is said to have been lit with their flames?”

“Oh yeah.. I.. I remember that.. s.. Sorry, I can’t..” Volo goes limp in his arms.

“Hey, Volo, keep talking! Volo!!” Not sensing anything from the guy at all, Cheri grimaces. “SHIT!!!” Cheri moves faster, shifting back as they get to the bottom of the mountain, not wanting to be seen by anyone who doesn’t already know in any form outside of a human one.

shit shit Shit SHIT SHIT!!! Cheri bursts out of the trees, running into Eterna City, dodging around people as he heads to the nearest hospital.

He rushes into the emergency room. “We need a doctor, now!” It comes out louder than he meant it, almost echoing, though for some reason, it’s hard to hear himself anyway.

Everything feels so far away as the emergency room suddenly turns into a rush, a stretcher coming out to take Volo away. People ask what happened, and he explains as best as he can, telling them Volo got hit with a powerful dark-type attack that sapped his energy, leaving out the legendaries and the reason for the blood staining his hands and teeth.

He.. doesn’t entirely know why that’s there. He has a faint idea, but he blocks that out on purpose.

He can process that later, he can process that he probably killed a man another day.

The doctors are concerned about it, though, so he tells them it’s from the one who attacked the two of them, and they accept that answer, bringing him back soon after for his frostbitten arm.

Time seems to stretch to forever as his injury is treated, but when he’s finally left alone, allowed to leave, it feels like no time’s passed at all. He leaves the hospital, heading straight for the Pokémon center to drop off his and Volo’s Pokémon.

Relax. Just breathe, Cheri. Just relax.

Breathe.

He takes deep breaths as he walks, wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes, sensing people’s feelings to determine where they are so he can avoid them.

Thankfully, he makes it to the Pokémon center without an issue, setting down the pokeballs on the nurse’s desk.

“Those six are unregistered, he- he made their balls himself,” he explains, trying to ignore the shake in his voice.

The nurse scans the pokeballs. “They look registered to me..”

Sure enough, they are registered, under a Volo Discere.

“Huh.. interesting,” Cheri mutters. Did he always have a last name? I know Volo means to want. What’s Discere..? “Okay, nevermind, then. Um- I’ve gotta go, he’s hurt. Can you take care of them while I’m gone?”

“Of course, but- Wait-!” She looks up in worry as he leaves, but he doesn’t have time to chat, making his way back to the hospital.

I need to see if he’s okay.

He heads to the nearest waiting room. Someone passes by in the hall, he recognizes her as the nurse who treated him.

“Hey!” He rushes over, catching her attention. “Volo, uh, Discere- is he okay?”

“Huh? Are.. you asking about the one you came in with?” She gives a weirdly strained smile. “They’re still fixing him up, but it’s looking like he’ll pull through.”

“Okay.. okay.” Cheri lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

She nods, rushing off, and he finally lets himself relax.

Okay.

Okay, we’re okay.

Not sure what she was freaking out about, but it should be fine..

..they’ll come to me if anything happens with him, right..? I’m probably not on his emergency contacts- he probably doesn’t have those, actually- but I AM the one who brought him here..

WOULD he have emergency contacts?? His Pokémon are registered, so maybe???

Cheri sighs, sitting in one of the chairs, leaning back with his hands clasped together behind his head. He lets his eyes slip closed, taking a few deep breaths.

Whatever the case, if he needs me, if he asks for me, I’ll be here.

After a few moments, the exhaustion of the day catches up to him.

And finally, he slips into sleep, all his day’s plans forgotten.

[happikattwuzheere]

warmup doodles: the horrible moth-wolf-hybrid creatures i made up for a fanfic im currently working on

lookin a lil too cute here im ngl. whoops. oh well

[utlarmgsuna]

Soooooooooooo uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh on Instagram there’s a crossover I never thought I’d ever see and honestly??? Holy s h i t I’ve fallen in way too deep- so under the cut is a screenshot redraw of one (1) of the scenes that tore my heart to shreds so OF COURSE I had to recreate it,,,,

[bubbleheadnurse-remaking]

My mom: terf is a slur meant to silence lesbians! There's an agenda to turn girls into trans people bc they hate their bodies or something!!! Radical Feminism.

Also my mom: I'm going to say the d slur now. Also I don't like lesbians bc one of them was mean to me for being bi. I am very smart

[sztefa001]

Ok now all we need is Screamer getting better but pretending he's still sick just so that he gets more spoiled, except Skye catches the cold from him and is overworking himself too much which worsens his state. Now imagine Star getting frustrated that Skye isn't coming when he calls so he gets up and goes to him. His "I'm so miserable and exhausted 'cuz I had to call you so many times" face fades as he sees Skye lying on the couch, all feverish, not even aware Star was calling him. That's the moment when Star gets hit with guilt and realization that he went way too far. He drops the whole facade and immediatelly rushes to his side. Now he's the one helping him.

Ignore the corner Cobra. This is a follow-up of the rain picture based on comments from @avoid-avoidance that were inspiring. Scream's been incessantly asking for things for a while to make Skyfire that irritated.

[strawberry-possum]

.

[xenosaurus]

one day i will learn that blister bandaids are not for me.  i accidentally rip the skin off every fucking blister i get and i hate it.

[ynscrazylife]

HIIIIII I was wondering if I could get hc's for how carol danvers and the avengers would react to meeting reader who got their powers from some tesseract related incident too, I think having that in common would be a neat dynamic:D

The Tesseract Strikes Again | avengers fluff comfort fic

Summary: The Avengers meet their newest teammate, whose powers come from the Tesseract.

Authors Note: Thanks for requesting! I was halfway through writing this when I realized that you wanted hcs, not a fic, sorry about that! I still wanted to post this because I had a second part I wanted to do for another request, so lemme know if you still want hcs because I can make hcs!

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

MCU Masterlist #1 | MCU Masterlist #2 |  Main Masterlist 

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

header c @/ckpaulsen

The pounding of footsteps effectively interrupted Y/N’s movie watching, and she let out a small, involuntary sigh, shrugging off her headphones. This wasn’t uncommon in her house and she was used to it with her father’s work being primarily in the basement.

“Y/N!” The startled and strained call from her father rang.

Anyone else would probably rush out, concerned, at the tone and volume in his voice, but Y/N knew how dedicated her father was to his work; usually this meant that he was on the brink of something great. Nonetheless, she swung her legs off her bed and walked into the hallway, leaning over the banister to see her father rushing to grab his keys and coat.

“Are you going to the lab?” She asked, as her father’s workplace was only a couple minutes away when driving.

“Yes,” he answered, out of breath. “My expriment — I’m about to prove my hypothesis true and I need to grab something.”

Y/N nodded. “Want me to watch over it?” She asked.

Her father had swung the door open but paused when he heard her question. “Uh- no. Not needed. Only if you hear something out of the ordinary — which you shouldn’t. Should you do, it’s probably fine, just go down and make sure nothing else is out of the ordinary,” he answered, and then rushed out a quick “byehoneyloveyouseeyousoon” and left.

“Alright then,” Y/N muttered, heading back to her room.

It had only been a couple minutes when a slight shake interrupted Y/N’s music listening. At first, she didn’t think of it has anything, perhaps a slight earth quake — she did live in an earth quake-y region after all. But when the rumbling continued and — was it getting stronger? — she decided to investigate.

She got up and headed down the stairs, careful to not trip. Her heart beat was racing as the shaking grew greater and greater. “Please just be a bad earthquake,” she whispered to herself, hoping that what she was going to find wasn’t—

Her eyes widened when she reached the basement. The sight before her slayed the fear that had been growing inside her. She felt like she was being mesmerized — it was indescribable. A shard of crystal blue was situated on a table of some sort and it was practically glowing, at least that’s what it looked like. It was shaking, too, attached to some device that was probably her father’s creation.

For a reason she couldn’t explain, it didn’t frighten her, instead it lured her towards it. She suddenly wanted to investigate more, wanted to know everything she could about it. Y/N wasn’t even aware that she was taking steps towards it, her brain in a fog as she consumed this mystery, until the loud rumbling sliced through her trance. In a matter of seconds of snapping out of her daze, the device that was connected to this thing exploded and sent her flying back, crashing through equipment.

. . . . .

“Avengers!”

All the Avengers, who had been lounging and chatting in the tower, ceased their conversation and looked over, spotting Nick Fury emerging from the elevator.

“You have a mission,” he continued, a stern look on his face.

Everyone perked up.

“Is it one of the Big Three?” Sam guessed.

“Can you stop with this ‘Big Three’ bull—?” Bucky began to ask, turning to his frenemy with an exasperated frown.

“Oh! Can our mission be in Italy? I’ve always wanted to go there!” Clint cut in.

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows and turned to him, opening her mouth and reminding him that they went to Italy on a mission once.

Nick bit back a sigh. “Do you remember Agent Y/L/N?” He asked his former agents

“Who’s that?” Tony butted in, and received a short glare from Nick who only continued speaking when Natasha and Clint nodded.

“Apparently . . . I’ve been informed that during his time as a SHIELD agent, he managed to successfully take a small shard of the Tesseract — which held the space stone — while it was in our possession. For the past few years, he’s been experimenting on it and today, when he went to his lab, the experiment . . . It went wrong. His daughter suffered the consequences.”

Everyone became solemn.

“Y/N?” Natasha asked gently with a frightened look. She remembered her coworker’s daughter from when he brought her into SHIELD one day because he couldn’t find a babysitter. Clint had entertained her by teaching her how to use a bow and arrow, which got him out of doing paperwork for the time being.

One could see the tiniest hint of sadness situated on Nick’s face, what remained as he recalled the memory of the girl. He had been fond of her when he met her.

“She’s alive,” he confirmed, not wanting the team to think the opposite. “But she’s being treated in a hospital that used to work closely with SHIELD. Her father is in SHIELD’s custody right now and last I heard from the hospital . . . They think she gained some sort of power from what happened. From what Agent Y/L/N has told them . . . A device he was using to experiment on the shard must of combusted.”

“How do we fit into this?” Tony asked, his arms crossed.

Nick directly addressed him. “SHIELD is being built from the ground up again. It’s resources and agents are already stretched thin enough as it is — they’re doing me a favor by keeping Agent Y/L/N in their custody. I thought the Avengers could take it upon themselves to help me sort out Y/N and what we do from here.”

“Yes.”

Everyone’s headed turned to Carol, who had been silently standing in the back the entire time. She was determined, that much was clear. Despite not knowing the girl, no one questioned her, for they all knew that she had gotten her powers from the Tesseract.

“Then it’s settled,” Nick said, holding back a smile. “Maria’s with her now. Let’s not keep the Quinjet I arranged waiting any longer.”

The Avengers all stood up and followed Nick to the Quinjet. Everyone took their usual seats, Nick and Clint piloting. It didn’t take long for them to get there, but parking a Quinjet did seem to prove difficult. In fact, Natasha started keeping track, and it almost got to the point that the time it took for the team to argue about where to park it and parking it took almost as long as flying there took.

Eventually, they made it to the hospital, and had no problem getting inside and making their way to Y/N’s room. When they entered, Maria was quietly talking to Y/N.

“Miss Y/L/N?” Nick said calmly.

Y/N looked over and gasped, her eyes widening when she saw all the Avengers. She quickly glanced back at Maria and then at Nick again. “What’s going on?” She asked, frightened.

Nick opened his mouth but Carol beat him to it, stepping forward. “I’m Carol,” she began, and everyone was a little surprised of how soft her voice was. “I had a run-in with the Tesseract much like you did.” She slowly walked towards Y/N, not wanting to frighten her.

Y/N looked at her with interest and sat up. “Really?” She asked timidly.

Carol nodded. “I was frightened, much like how you are. But I had some help to figure it out,” she said, and looked at Fury. They shared a smile. “And the Avengers - they became my family and they helped me a lot, too.”

Y/N looked at each of the Avengers, taking them in. She thought for a couple moments. “What-what do I do now?” She asked, and then added. “I mean — I can’t go back with my dad. I had woken up a bit on the ride over here, I heard how mad he was that I ruined his experiment. What will I do?”

Everyone was saddened to hear this. They didn’t think they could bear this.

“You didn’t ruin the experiment,” Natasha told her gently.

“But you can, if you want, stay with us?” Steve offered.

Y/N looked at all at them once more, and the smiles that grew on their faces pushed her. She nodded, excitedly, and focused on Natasha, Clint, and Carol in particular. “I’d love that.”

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