#vee who can tell he does not believe this and is barely hanging on by a thread: ....i'll get you some more green yarn at the craft store.

[crimeronan]

pillow pets and hunter,,,,, no idea how this would happen but what if hunter got into stress knitting while they tried to repair the door and he made a replica of his amphibia plush and offered it to vee,,,, he doesn't expect her to take it at all, it's 'just due diligence, since you gave up one of your own for me' and vee feels even MORE mixed,,,,

hunter can find some yarn and crafting books in the basement, sure. he has a lot of time to kill when he isn't actively working out portal mechanics and trying to help camila find titan blood!

hunter knits vee a frog which she takes very grudgingly like "this does NOT make up for what you did" while he's like "i.... didn't think it would....?"

then he sets to work making a snake of about the same size. it takes vee a little while to figure out what the pattern is, but then she's like, "are you fucking making fun of me??" <-incredibly neurotic assumption

and hunter is like.

"what?? no, of course not. this one's for luz. she's always loved snakes."

[firstofficerwiggles]

Dress Code, Part 2

Link to Part 1, Part 3 (T rated), Part 3 (M rated)

Pairing: Din Djarin x female reader

Rating: T

Warnings: Some swearing, Jealous!Din, sexy dancing, touching

Summary: You continue to challenge Din about what you choose to wear. Pretty fluffy overall. Plans for a Part 3.

Word Count: ~4200

Author’s Note: I am not good at making up planet names so I will admit to totally stealing these. Eridani is the name of a real star and Alastria and Chantil are both from Star Trek. Also again a little hint of Ed Sheeran in the dancing scene.

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“Are you serious? More snow?” Your voice is incredulous as you fly over the frosted winter landscape of the planet Alastria. It’s been two weeks since you won your wager against the Mandalorian and you haven’t had any opportunity to wear anything that he could consider even remotely revealing. First he took you to Hoth, and although you and the child had a great time playing in the snow, you spent the whole time covered in sweaters and a giant parka. You had laughed it off though, enjoying his cleverness at finding a way to circumvent your win. But then, he had dragged you to Eridani and Chantil each one colder than the next. Plus to add to his diabolical plan, he has purposely been keeping the Razor Crest’s internal temperature low in order to ‘save on fuel’ so you can’t even wear your lighter clothes on board. You’ve been so covered up you might as well be wearing your own suit of beskar.

You suppose it hasn’t been all that bad though, you begrudgingly admit to yourself. The three of you have been spending more time together as you’ve been traveling. Lately it seems like Din always finds a way to be around you and the child. In the past he’s preferred his pilot’s seat while flying even with the autopilot engaged, but now he seems to find little projects to do wherever you are. Like the evening you were cuddled up with the baby telling him various fairy tales and Din had sat near you both spending the whole time cleaning the same blaster. Or when you were baking cookies, and he had decided to reorganize some supplies that happened to be right next to where you were working. Finally, the other day he had even thrown off the pretense of being busy and joined in and helped you and the child build a blanket fort in the hull. As the baby napped on a pile of pillows inside the fort, Din had stayed with you in there, just resting for once while you both had the chance.

With all of this closeness, you had hoped there might be some movement on the romantic front between the two of you, but there hasn’t been anything definitive in that area. You must have replayed him calling you ‘sweetheart’ a million times in your head, but he hasn’t said anything like that again. You’ve tried to show him how interested you are, wearing your necklace everyday so he can see it, smiling at him as much as possible, teasing him, and going so far as to touch him with little brushes of your hand, a pat on the shoulder, or even a squeeze of his arm whenever you get the opportunity. He seems receptive enough to your flirting, yet he’s given you so little response you wonder if he’s realized what you’re trying to do.

The Mandalorian’s voice brings you out of your musing, “I thought we could visit my old mentor, Davi. His town might be in the mountains, but it’s nice, I think you’ll like it, despite the cold.” He smirks a little under his helmet. He knows he should probably feel a bit guilty at the tour of icy worlds he’s been giving you, but honestly, he’s been enjoying getting under your skin each time you land on another freezing planet and he hears you sigh over having to bundle up again. He should probably admit to himself that he does miss seeing your dresses, but you look cute even under all those layers. Plus he was right, your necklace looks good with all of those sweaters and heavy knits you’ve been forced to wear.

“Who is Davi?” you ask, curious to know more about Din’s past.

“He sponsored me when I first joined the guild. I was his apprentice for two years before I starting hunting my own bounties.” Din tells you. “He’s retired now, and he lives with his niece, Isa. I think you’ll like them both.”

Even with the snow and ice, you can see that Davi and Isa’s town is charming, and you enjoy the quaint buildings with their pretty trim. It reminds you of the gingerbread houses you used to make as a child in the winter. The majestic mountains make for a stunning backdrop too and you are glad that Din brought you here. He notices the happy light in your eyes as he says, “I knew you’d like it here,” rather smugly.

“Yes, yes, you know everything,” you reply, rolling your eyes only slightly at him.

You arrive at a brightly lit home that oozes warmth and coziness from its frosty windows, and when Davi throws open the door, you receive a cordial welcome that makes you feel like he is your old friend too. Davi is thrilled to see Din and even more delighted to meet you and the baby. Even though Din has introduced you as his friend, Davi teases the Mandalorian about finally meeting his lovely family. Davi’s niece, Isa is also quite pleased to meet you and she even hugs you in greeting. She’s a pretty young woman in her early 20s with bright eyes and a cheerful smile.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she tells you excitedly, “I thought I was in for another ‘guy’s visit’ having to hear all of their old hunting tales again.”

“Oh come on, Isa, you love that story about the crazy Gungan we had to chase through the swamp,” Davi reminds her with a laugh.

“Sure, maybe the first 100 times I heard it,” Isa retorts. “I’m looking forward to some quality girl time instead.”

“That sounds great,” you tell her. You have been living in a heavily testosterone-laden climate and it has been forever since you’ve had the opportunity to hang out with another woman and just do ‘girl’ things. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’d love to go shopping and maybe get our hair styled too?” She suggests, “There’s this great party tonight and I wanna look fabulous!”

“Count me in!” you reply enthusiastically. You look over at Din for a moment though, hoping he’s not going to insist that he needs to accompany you shopping like he usually does. But he’s obviously comfortable here and he just gives you a small nod. “Let’s go now.”

Isa notices your exchange with interest, but doesn’t say anything, yet. She can’t wait to get you alone though and grill you all about your relationship with the mysterious warrior. You head back out into the snowy streets with Isa chatting excitedly about the shops and the fantastic salon that she’ll be taking you to. You arrive at a store with many party dresses, they’re beautiful but most of them are a bit risqué too. You’re just starting to look when Isa interrupts you with “Ok, spill, I want to hear all about you and Mando.”

“There’s not much to tell, I’m the nanny to his foundling.” You try to tell her, but your cheeks flush and she knows there’s more.

“Oh c’mon, I can tell you’re not ‘just-the-nanny’,” she laughs lightly. “He’s never ever brought a woman to meet Davi before.”

“Well, a few weeks ago I thought there was more starting to happen between the two of us,” you say and then tell her about the necklace and your silly wager. “I really thought that was leading to something…” you trail off and shrug, “but I guess not?”

“What?!? There is definitely something happening,” Isa asserts. “That was super romantic of him to buy you that necklace, and he clearly gets jealous of other men paying attention to you. He likes you.” She says it like it’s a fact. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Maker, I do, so much, probably too much,” you admit to Isa. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known. I know he seems rough and dangerous, and he can be, but he is also very kind, respectful, and considerate. You should see how gentle and soft he can be with the child. I don’t even care that I’ve never seen his face.”

“Your whole face lights up when you talk about him,” Isa is beaming at you. “I think you need to tell him how much you care.”

“But if he doesn’t feel the same way, it will just make everything awkward and weird.” You want to believe Isa, that Mando reciprocates your feelings, but the alternative scares you too much.

“He feels the same way.” She is confident about that. “But, maybe you could just give him a little push, feel him out more,” she says, raising an eyebrow at you.

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let’s find you a killer dress and make sure he takes you to this party tonight.” Isa turns back to the dresses pulling out several that are very sexy. “It’s in the hot springs caverns and it’s warm and steamy in there all the time,” Isa explains.

“Wait, so no bundling up?” you ask hopefully.

“Just for the walk there, but once we’re inside you’ll be plenty warm. So, we’re going find you something that shows plenty of skin,” Isa declares.

Gathering a pile of garments, Isa pulls you to the dressing rooms and then you both try on several looks that range from seductive to downright lascivious. She is partial to an electric blue dress that is tight on her figure and has several cutouts exposing various sections of her skin. The dress you find is surprise, surprise, silver, in a halter style. The bodice is tight fitting with a deep vee that ends just at the top of your stomach before flaring out into a flirty mini skirt looking like molten metal is pouring off of your hips. Your back is almost totally bare save for two delicate straps that cross over one another to hold the bodice in place. It is a lot more skin than you normally show, but you have to admit you look great. Light winks off of your necklace and you smile to yourself thinking about how your Mandalorian might react to seeing you like this.

“That’s the one!” Isa announces handing you a pair of strappy stilettos to try on with the dress. They are the perfect final touch. The rest of your time with Isa passes quickly in a happy haze of hair styling and gossip. She tells you about her friends and the guy she wants to impress. You’re really looking forward to tonight, but you’re worried, “How are we going to convince Mando to go to this party?” you wonder to Isa, “It’s not really his thing.”

“Leave everything to me.” Isa sounds like she is up for the challenge.

You and Isa return to her home giggling cheerfully about your big plans for the evening. Din loves seeing you so happy, his only regret is that you can’t have more days like this one. He had a long talk with Davi about all that has happened since he first found the child and the dangerous path it has thrust all three of you on. Fortunately for Din, his old mentor is more tactful than his niece merely providing a friendly ear as Din lists all of his concerns for your life with him. Davi can tell that Din cares for you more than he is admitting, but he doesn’t push the point. Instead, he calmly suggests that you appear to be able to meet the trials of living with a bounty hunter, otherwise you probably would have left by now. Din nodded in agreement to that, making Davi smile knowingly to himself.

As you sit down to dinner with everyone, Isa chats animatedly about your fun day together and suggests that you prolong your visit by a few days. Din, who ate his own meal in private beforehand, seems amenable to the idea, this town is fairly remote and only Greef Karga remembers Mando’s connection to Davi. As Isa talks, she manages to casually bring up the party to her uncle. Din is only half-listening as he is focused on the baby actually eating his food and not playing with it, until Isa says, “And you don’t have to worry about our safety, Uncle, because Mando will be there to watch over us!”

“Wait, what are you saying?” Din’s head snaps up.

“I think it’s a great idea!” Davi replies, delighted, “The ladies are all excited for you to take them to that party in the caverns tonight.”

“A party?” Din sounds like you are going to drag him to a deadly ambush. Except he feels more confident that he can handle the deadly ambush.

“Oh come on, you’re still a young man, you’ll have a wonderful time with these beautiful women. And I can take care of the little one,” Davi urges him, “after all he loves his Uncle Davi.” Davi tickles the child under the chin and receives a joyful coo in return.

“Please, Mando,” you give him your most hopeful look, “I promise we’ll have fun.”

Din sighs, but he knows he can’t say no when you’re looking at him like that, he’s not made of stone. “Alright.”

“Great! We’ll go get dressed!” Isa springs into action pulling you with her. You both manage to get ready in record time knowing that you don’t want to give Din any opportunity to back out on your plans. Before you leave her room though, both you and Isa make sure your cloaks are completely covering your outfits for the night. You caution Isa that if Din has even one inkling of what you have on, you won’t be going anywhere. You are thankful your cloak is so long that only the toes of your shoes peek out.

Isa leads you out of town towards the caverns and you see other young people heading in your direction. She discreetly stays ahead of you and Din the whole time under the guise of being the leader but mostly so you two are walking side by side. The new shoes are higher than anything you’ve worn for a while so you lean in and take Din’s arm. He seems to take this as perfectly natural and helps steady you on your feet. When you arrive at the caverns, balmy air hits you and you breathe it in welcoming the warmth. Isa ushers you in and leads you to a place where you can leave your cloaks. You can’t resist being a bit dramatic now that your big moment is here and you let your cloak drop from your shoulders in one fluid motion before handing it over. Then you do a small twirl to let the Mandalorian get a good look at you.

Din’s mouth goes completely dry and he feels like his heart skips several beats as he takes you in. He is thankful that his helmet hides his expression because there is no way he could hide the raw desire he is feeling right now. You look more gorgeous than he could have imagined. The silvery dress makes your curves sparkle alluringly and all he can think about is running his hands all over the silky looking material and then moving on to all of your soft exposed skin. Plus the color of the dress perfectly matches his armor, making it look like you belong with him. He feels as if all of the blood in his body is rushing to one sensitive spot and it’s making him slightly lightheaded. You are smiling at him expectantly, but he has forgotten how to speak. He has to clear his throat twice before he can ground out, “What is that?”

Ok, that wasn’t what you expected him to say. “It’s my new dress,” you retort, a little exasperated.

“That is not a dress. That is pieces of fabric pretending to be a dress.” He sounds frustrated and like he is trying to control himself.

“Hey, you remember our deal, you can’t say anything critical about my clothing.” You give him a pointed look.

“You look like walking sex.” He hisses at you.

“Well, I am going to take that as a compliment.” You flip your hair over your shoulder and huff off in the direction of Isa and a group of friends she has found. If Mando wants to be a fuddy-duddy all night, you’re going to let him. Isa is fun and you’re sure her friends will be too. You put your smile back on and square your shoulders in determination as you stride over towards them.

The caverns have been lit with several colorful lights which bounce off of the icy walls and the pools of hot steaming water. There’s a band playing music with a strong beat, a lively dance floor, and several servers circulating with fancy drinks. Isa cheerfully introduces you to her friends, one of whom is a handsome man with golden brown hair and a charming smile, named Guy. He seems to be a bit of a scoundrel, but when he voices how beautiful you are, you can’t help but be flattered. He’s telling you about his job as a pilot for a transport ship, trying to impress you with tales about near misses with ex-Imperials, when he notices the Mandalorian who is not-so-subtly invading your personal space.

Din had watched you walk away, a bit mesmerized by your swinging hips. Of course, by the time he gets his feet moving in your direction, some asshole is already flirting with you. He sees the man flash you a toothy smile and he even has the audacity to lean in and pick up your necklace, Din’s necklace, under the guise of admiring it, all the while staring blatantly at your breasts. Din hears his pulse roaring in his ears as he comes to loom over you and glare at this jerk.

“Hi, Mando,” you say a little sarcasm in your voice at the greeting, “meet Isa’s friend, Guy.”

“Guy?” Mando drawls out incredulously.

“Hey man, nice to meet you,” Guy is affable. “Didn’t catch your name?”

Mando just stares at him and then says, “Seriously, your name is Guy?”

“Guy was just telling me about making the Kuiper run in under 20 parsecs,” you break into the frosty exchange.

“Impossible,” is all Mando says drily.

“No, really,” Guy insists, “I managed to do it by skimming by a black hole.”

“It’s impossible,” Mando says again.

“Maybe you and Guy can trade piloting tips?” you say, adding a small chuckle to ease the tension.

“Not fucking interested.” Mando is being downright rude to him. You’ve never known him to act this way to someone who wasn’t a threat. Luckily, Isa comes to your rescue as she brings her friend Lisbeth over to meet Mando. He seems to come back to himself a bit and is polite as he greets Isa’s friend.

“Are you two together?” Guy questions you nodding his head in Din’s direction.

“Not like that,” you reply, “we’re just friends.” But you say it as if you don’t really believe it.

“You sure?” Guy smiles shrewdly at you.

“Well, he’s never said otherwise,” you conclude with a small shrug.

“In that case, how would you like to dance with me?” Guy holds out his hand to you and gives you a wink. You can’t help but glance back at Mando for a moment, but then turn your gaze back to Guy and say yes. You don’t imagine that Din will ask you to dance anyway as he seems determined to be a grump tonight, plus you’re pretty certain he doesn’t know how to dance.

Guy leads you to the crowded floor and you begin moving to the beat of the heart-pumping music. At first you’re just dancing next to Guy but then he starts closing the distance between you two and eventually puts his hands on your hips. He pulls you in a little closer to him but then suddenly he’s gone, being shoved away roughly by a beskar-clad arm.

“If you’re going to dance, you’re going to dance with me.” Mando tells you possessively. His hands replacing Guy’s on your hips, pulling you in close to him.

“Mando!” you squeak out in surprise at his abrupt appearance. “Is he ok?” You turn your head to look for Guy, embarrassed that Din has so rudely dismissed him.

“I don’t give a damn,” Din tells you as he reaches up and turns your chin so that you are looking back at him. Ironically, the lead singer of the band is belting out a warning to a woman not to fuck with his love. You face flushes as you look into the black visor of the helmet.

“I- I didn’t think you’d want to dance,” you stammer out, stunned by his actions.

“You didn’t give me a chance to ask you,” he replies and he begins to direct your hips to sway with his to the music. You move with him in a sultry pattern. You were wrong, Din does know how to dance. You move your arms up to encircle his neck as you let yourself relax into the movements, your bodies syncing together with the beat.

As the music changes a bit, he turns you in his arms and pulls you against him until you are flush with his body. You lean into his chest feeling the cool metal of his cuirass against your bare back and he dips his head down to your ear, and says “I like dancing with you.” His voice seems huskier than normal.

“I do too,” you tell him in reply. You’re feeling bolder now and you roll your hips over his and brush against something hard that is definitely not beskar. He groans deeply and then turns you around again so he can look in your eyes as he asks, “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

“I think I have some idea,” you say flirtatiously and give him a wink. He pulls you back into him with a growl and guides your body into a move so sensual it makes your head spin. His hands are on your bare back now and even though it’s only the leather of his gloves that touch you, the heat coming off of them is undeniable. You can’t resist telling him, “Your hands feel good on me.” He doesn’t say anything in reply but merely tightens his grip on you and then lets his hands explore more of your back.

You lose track of time as you focus only on the Mandalorian and the way you move together. You’ve both become quieter the more you dance as if you no longer can handle verbally teasing each other and just want to feel. Each song blends into the next, and it’s like you are the only two people in the room. A sonic charge could go off and you wouldn’t even notice. When the lights flicker to signal the end of the party, you’re surprised. It takes you a moment to come back to reality, you feel like you’ve just awoken from the middle of an intoxicating dream and your head is a little dizzy. Fortunately, Din seems more in control, and he guides you towards Isa and the exit. Isa! You completely forgot about her. When you reach her, she gives you a sneaky smile and hands you your cloak. As you take it from her, she leans in and whispers, “I told you so.” Din takes the cloak from your hands and places it around your shoulders covering you back up against the cold. Then he takes your hand in his and threads his fingers through yours as he leads you back out into the dark night. All three of you are quiet as you walk back to Isa’s home. When you arrive, Din tells Isa, “We won’t come in, we’ll just let the child sleep here and come back in the morning.”

“Not too early,” Isa says rather cheekily, “I’m sure you’ll need your rest.”

As you head back to the ship with Din, your stomach flips at the idea of being alone with him all night. You shiver a little in anticipation.

“Are you cold?” he asks, noticing the shiver.

“Only a little,” you tell him, not wanting to give away the real reason.

“Maybe you should be wearing more clothing,” Din says, but there is a teasing tone to his voice now.

You reach the ship and head inside. It’s a little chilly in there but not as bad as you thought it might be. You whisk your cloak off of you again, headless of the cold, wanting Din to see you in the dress again.

“I’ll make you a new deal,” he says, his helmet moving up and down as if he is looking you over. “I’ll take you to some warmer planets and I won’t complain about your clothing, but only if you promise to never wear that dress in public again.”

The dress has served its purpose, better than you could have anticipated. “Alright, it’s a deal,” you tell him with a smile.

“Although,” Din drawls out, “if you want to wear it again when we’re alone together, I’d like that.”

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Thank you for reading! I promise there will be a Part 3 (if I can, I’ll do one T rated and one M rated). Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list.

@sleepwithacommunist @im-the-nerdiest-of-them-a11 @rueblogsthings @mackycat11 @tv-zepeda @remmyswritings @dee-rosemary @boomtownboy @mandosboobiez @hoodjarin @haley7242

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 9

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8

Let’s fuck things up a bit, shall we?

She woke up peacefully, the soft warmth of the early sun washing over her naked body tangled in the bedsheets. As she stretched her limbs, she found herself to be alone in bed, lazily reaching for her glasses on the nightstand nearby only so she could have a clearer view of her surroundings. Donnie was nowhere to be seen, Vee taking this moment to sit in bed, envelopping her form in the sheets and just think about last night's events. What would that make out of them? No real declarations of any sorts had been made, but the feelings were there and real, that she couldn't deny. Sure, it wasn't the first time she had slept with someone without any real attachment, but never had she felt that way with someone before... Donnie was a tender and very attentive man. She had that feeling that whatever he'd say or do, it must be true to him. She wanted to believe he would wish for them to be more... But for now she laid her expectations to rest and simply reveled in whatever was happening between them. She felt good. She felt appreciated. And, to be frank, the sex had been amazing.

She heard footsteps approaching the room, along a rolling sound. The mutant soon came in view, accompanied by a small trolley that held two plates with food, empty mugs and a pot of coffee. He was only wearing black boxer briefs and his glasses, his whole self a delectable sight. As he noticed that the woman was awake, he playfully struck a little pose while saying:

“Breakfast in bed for madame.”

That brought a soft giggle from Vee, though touched by this attention given to her. Instead of handing a plate, Donnie moved to sit by the woman's side in bed, unable to resist cupping one of her cheeks, his thumb tenderly brushing her skin. His eyes kept scanning her, his joy blooming at the mere sight of her smile.

“… Can't believe there's such a beautiful woman in my bed this morning,” he softly said.

“Can't believe such a sexy man is bringing me breakfast in bed,” replied Vee.

“I can bring more than that.”

Remnants of last night's emotions still brought some sparks in the air, Donnie's motion fluid and met halfway by Vee. It was sweet and slow, a kiss that felt like a dream. As it kept going, the terrapin started to shift his position and Vee's; soon the covers out of the way and Donnie's frame over the woman, forever careful not to be too much of a weight. They couldn't let go of one another, this morning's laziness bringing each motions to a tender point. As the terrapin was kissing at the woman's neck, she did add in a soft tone:

“What about breakfast? It's gonna get cold, just like the food last night...”

“I don't mind cooking another one later. … I'd cook one for you everyday even.”

That brought a hushed chuckle out of Vee, but deep down she was touched by that small confession. The simplicity and tenderness of this moment brought such ease in her.

“Donnie, I-...”

She stopped herself, knowing exactly what her heart wanted to say, but knowing now was not the time. Their gaze crossed, Donnie patient and Vee trying to find the right words to say next.

“... I’m so happy right now. Being with you feels so nice,” she ended.

“It does feel nice, indeed,” first replied the terrapin in a sweet tone. “... I could spend the rest of my life like this.”

Vee felt speechless, trying her best to read his emotions. He did sound sincere, but maybe it was this honeymoon type of feeling that was talking as well.... In any case, she prefered to kiss him in answer, knowing she did think the same as well. It was much preferable to live in this present moment, rather than worry in speculations.... At least, only for this morning.

***

That Monday morning was as grey and rainy as it could get, the usual omen for a bad day and week to come, but in Vee’s mind and heart, it was as sunny as it could ever be. Her work started with the usual routine; reviewing the projects for the day and then handing the paperwork. Her step around the office was light, humming some tunes to herself as she distributed the documents among her team.

“You look awfully happy for a Monday morning,” started one of her coworker’s voice, a guy.

That broke her stride, turning around to the source. She noticed a small handful of employees grouped together, probably discussing first amongst themselves until they saw their manager. Vee recognized the man who had spoken, already going through her papers as she walked towards the small group.

“I had a nice weekend, that’s all,” she answered, handing him the work.

“What, you buttered up the boss enough for you to get a raise?” said the other, reluctantly taking his due.

Vee instantly frowned: “... Excuse me?”

“We saw you leave with that Donatello, Friday evening,” added another coworker, a woman. “You’re not fooling anyone. It’s been quite some time that you both have been hanging together.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see how that’s any of your concerns,” said Vee. “We’re friends, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

“Yah, sure, friends with benefits perhaps,” continued another person. “Soon you’ll benefit from a monetary gain while he benefits from your tits. Workplace logic.”

Vee was disgusted, knowing if she continued to argue, she’d make things worse: “I don’t know what’s wrong with you all, but you better mind your damn business.”

As she was walking away, she heard that last jab: “If I buy you a drink, will you give me a raise?” She did not stop, her step slightly getting faster instead. Her blood was boiling, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. At once, she wished she could simply disappear... Turning a corner, she abruptly bumped into someone, her remaining folders flying out of her hands and spilling to the floor. She felt strong hands hold her forearms, forbidding her to fall backward

“Woah there, easy. Are you alright?”

She met baby blue eyes surrounded by orange, quickly recognizing the presence as another one of her bosses: Michelangelo. She quickly nodded, trying to get a hold of her senses once more. Her eyes next scanned the floor, letting out a big sigh as she noticed the mess.

“Damn... I’m sorry,” she started. “I should’ve looked where I was going...”

“Nah, it’s fine,” smile the orange clad terrapin. “Next time I’ll be careful not to be on your war path!”

Both were already crouching down to pick up the fallen papers, Vee feeling so absent-minded by this meaningless task. All she wanted to do was to run away, to be quite frank. As Michelangelo handed her the last files, he did inquire again: “... You sure you’re alright?”

Vee faked a small smile, quick to dismiss his concern.

“Yes, I’m okay. No worries. Have a nice day, sir.”

As she got back on the move, her distress did not escape the mutant, although he did not try to push his questionning any further.

***

“What’s up, D, my man?”

Donnie paused his writing, glancing up towards his office’s entry. He saw Mikey standing there, the purple clad mutant huffing lightly as he then continued his task.

“I’m busy, Mikey.”

“You’re always busy, so any time to poke you is as good as any.”

The tall one rolled his eyes, although he did smile a little. He quickly gestured for his brother to come in.

“What’s up?” he asked as the other was taking a seat.

“Meh, I dunno man, just wanted to take some news from you,” shrugged Michelangelo. “You’ve been staying late a lot these days... How was your weekend?”

Donnie stopped writing once more, leaning back into his chair with a dreamy smile.

“It was hella nice.”

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“Spent some time with a beautiful lady.”

“There yooouu gooo!” lightly laughed the youngest. “T’was about time you’d get some fun. Who is she?”

“Slow down, I’ll present her to you soon enough. ... We’re just taking some time to ourselves first, you know...”

Mikey was disappointed by the lack of details, but he did respect his brother’s choice: “Fair enough.” A thought came back to him, suddenly adding: “Oh, speaking of meeting ladies, before I got in here I bumped into one. I dunno what’s going on in the office, but she did look kinda distressed. ... She’s got nice green hair though! We don’t see lots of people with different hairstyles around here.”

Donnie slightly jumped in his chair as he heard the mention of ‘distress’ and then ‘green hair’. It had to be Vee.

“Where is she?” he instantly asked.

Mikey was surprised by his brother’s reaction, vaguely gesturing a direction.

“I, uh, I have no idea. Somewhere around those parts we don’t really have a use for.”

She must’ve went to the drawing room... Donatello did not waste any second, already on his feet and heading out.

“Sorry gotta go,” he quickly excused himself. “Talk to you later.”

Mikey didn’t even have time to place a word, still seated as he watched the other dart straight to a precise direction. “Oooookay...”

***

It didn’t take long for Donnie to reach the room in question, already hearing some quiet sobs when he was close to the entrance. As soon as he stepped in, he found Vee at one corner, by a table, her glasses removed as she tried to forbid tears to ruin her makeup. The woman jumped as she saw the terrapin’s form appear in, trying her best to gain a better posture and make herself more presentable as she put back on her glasses.

“Shit! D-Donnie, I-”

The turtle was already on the move, soon next to her and certainly preoccupied.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing,” tried to brush away Vee. “I’m not- ... fuck, I don’t want you to see me cry.”

“Don’t worry. Tell me what happened,” he asked again, his touch gentle as his thumb dried some faint trails on the woman’s cheek.

“It’s nothing,” she repeated. “I just heard some stuff I didn’t want to, that’s all. I’ll stop my bullshit soon enough and get back to work.”

Donnie tsked, not wasting any second to get a hold of her hips, barely giving any effort as he slightly lifted her up to sit on the table. At least now he wouldn’t need to lean down too much, his hands resting at her sides, on the table, now their eyes at the same level.

“Talk to me.”

She couldn’t hold his gaze long enough, a sigh escaping her first. ... It would be preferable to touch the subject anyway, before any rumors would start flowing around.

“I had some employees on my team this morning saying some ... stuff about us.”

“What kind?”

“The kind that makes it look as if I’m hanging out with you only so I can get a promotion or something like that to advance my career,” she added, her tone slightly harsh. She paused, trying to calm herself down quickly: “... Look, before you say anything, I want you to know that it’s not true. I’m not some kind of business leech that’ll try to flirt her way up. I work hard and-and- I do an honest job, and-”

“Don’t worry, I believe you,” cut Donnie gently, trying to have her look at him again.

When their gazes met, she did feel some relief.

“I don’t give a damn what they say,” he continued. “They don’t have the full details anyway, so their judgement is invalid.”

“I hope they don’t get all the details, I’d prefer to keep most of them to myself,” added Vee with some amusement.

“Me too,” he smiled.

He tried, and succeeded, to lift her morale by giving a sweet kiss on her lips. Vee couldn’t help bringing him into an embrace afterward, her arms resting around his neck. She wanted to stay like this forever... His strong arms around her were so reassuring.

“Don’t mind them,” softly said Donnie as he was nuzzling her hair. “There’s always gonna be some assholes everywhere we go...  The best thing we can do is stand up to them and stay true to ourselves, okay?”

“I don’t think I’m ready to stand up to them today,” mumbled the woman against his scales.

“Alright, I’ll do it then.”

Vee instantly frowned, backing up a bit to give him a stern look.

“Don’t you dare! I don’t want anymore troubles.”

The terrapin chuckled: “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say names. ... I’m just gonna teach them all a little lesson. ... There’s no place for rivalry and petty discourses regarding matters they have no involvement with.”

“If things turn to hell, I blame you.”

“Deal!” he winked.

***

Time was passing by and Vee was somehow getting more and more anxious about what Donnie would do in regards to her team...  She most certainly hoped he wouldn’t rub in the issue and ask the others to mind their own business. But at the same time she knew he could demonstrate tactfulness and would probably approach the matter at hand appropriately.

She first heard the squeak of small wheels, her attention shifting and soon noticing the terrapin walk in with a portable whiteboard. She groaned internally, tempted to melt on her chair and disappear under her desk...

Donnie attracted people’s attention by clearing his throat first, then adding: “Hi there! If you guys won’t mind, let’s have a talk.”

He removed the cap from an erasable pen he was holding, writing in big letters “TEAMWORK”. Vaguely gesturing the word, he started:

“What defines teamwork?”

Silence at first. At some point a woman shyly rose her hand, Donnie inviting her to speak:

“Please, don't be shy, no need to raise your hand. What do you have in mind?”

“Teamwork could be defined by good communication?”

“That's a good start, what else?” smiled the terrapin as he wrote “COMMUNICATION” on the whiteboard.

“Sharing the workload equally?” started another person.

“Efficiency!”

“Having a common goal.”

“Trust!”

Donnie lighted up at that word, circling it a couple of times for emphasis.

“Yes, trust!” he said. “Seeking a common end, resolving conflicts and frictions, having an open conversation about issues you might be experiencing in the workplace. All that trust you can put in your coworkers mirrors the trust you have in regards to their skills and abilities. A mutual trust is defined by a confidence between team members that each puts the best interest of the team ahead of individual priorities.”

“I guess it depends on the person and their position,” added in a guy.

Vee recognized him as the man who had first sparked the comments this morning. She tried to avoid his gaze, Donnie noticing the sudden tension.

“I suspect you have something on your mind,” started the terrapin calmly to the man. “What’s your name?”

“Ben.”

“What do you mean by ‘it depends on the person and their position’, Ben?”

The guy was obviously feeling some discomfort by being the center of interest.

“Well... when you see someone like, let’s say a manager, taking advantage of their position and time to advance themselves in the work place, it’s hard to put trust on them.”

Donnie clapsed his pen shut.

“Are those allegations founded? Have you spoken to that person and tried to see if that was actually the case? Miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to a lack of trust, indeed.”

“When you see them hanging with higher ups, that kinda confirms some questioning,” continued Ben. “When she stays late at night and fraternizes with a boss, that does raise some concerns about the practices of this workplace.”

“There we go,” smiled Donnie, accentuating his words with a sharp point of his pen. “Now we’ve come to the source of your concern; first you mentionned a manager and now a ‘she’. Knowing there’s only one project manager for the creative team, I can suspect you have some concerns in regards to Véronique.”

“You’re just gonna defend her, why should we listen to you?” said the other.

“Because I’m not here to defend anyone,” shrugged the mutant. “I’m here to make you understand that you’re a team, and all its members shouldn’t feel afraid to speak to one another, instead of raising suspicions.” He gestured Vee, the woman only wanting to disappear. “Ever since Véronique started working here she has been spending countless hours in office to learn the ropes of this place and give the best of herself only so you can give the best of you all in return. I value her judgement and experience, and she has agreed, on her free will, to participate on a project I was personally struggling with. In return I have been helping her with her work, because that is how trust is built: by sharing the work-” he started to point the words on the board. “-being efficient, communicating, and having a common goal. ... And that’s something I want in this office, for its people to be open and help eachother - not because they feel they need to, but because they want to.”

That gave everyone a pause, somehow giving a feeling of accomplishment to the turtle.

“May that spark a friendship or not - when it does not involve this work environment and it’s out of office, it’s nothing to worry about afterward. ... Let that be food for thought.”

He looked a bit toward Vee’s position, giving her a quick wink. The woman did feel some relief by his speech, knowing he might have struck some chords here and there. She wasn’t fully convinced that everyone would be on that same line of thought, especially that Ben, but there was no denying that it would ease some tension somehow.

***

Vee had waited until work got back to a somewhat normal pace before she wrote that to the terrapin.

Her smile was tender, her fingers easily typing away.

Thinking about it also, today was one hell of a long and stressful Monday...

Probably one of the only good things today...

There it was again, that damn charm of his! She could feel the rush in her veins, remembering those moments with him. Frankly, she wanted more as well...

***

The following morning was as normal as it could get on a weekday, Donnie taking the opportunity to clean around his office. He was going through a filing cabinet, starting from the top drawer. Some papers did slip from his hold, the terrapin next crouching to get them off the floor. But at the same moment the entry door was harshly opened, a voice sternly calling his name. Donnie’s reaction was to jump straight back up, but that resulted in him hitting the top of his head on the previously opened drawer, getting a yelp out of him. He quickly diverted his gaze to the newcomer, rubbing his scales.

“Leo!” scolded the purple clad mutant as he saw his older brother. “The fuck?! Don’t you know how to knock or something?”

“We have to go.”

“Go where?”

“No time to explain, we’ve found them. We need to move right now before we lose their track again.”

Donnie instantly got serious as well, his posture straightening up.

“... Do we still have our backup gear in this building?” he asked.

“Yes,” confirmed the blue banded turtle. “Mikey and Raph are already aware as well. Get your stuff and we leave in fifteen minutes top.”

A simple nod in answer was good for Leonardo to get on the move again, leaving Donnie. There was no time to lose, the tall mutant rapidly tidying up his space before grabbing any personal items and exiting his office. His mind was running, thinking about what was to come. On his way he did notice Vee at her desk, somehow pausing only to bask into that view. At first she was focused on whatever she was working, but she did feel a gaze on her, her eyes lifting to meet Donnie. She first offered him a sweet smile, to which he briefly returned, then she saw him get back on the move - an expression of concern coloring his traits. That did confuse the woman, her eyes following his path and noticing that he was about to leave the building. She tried to shrug the feeling away, only telling herself that she’d poke him later about that...

((Part 10))

[teacupfulofstarshine]

in little ways

summary: "a single act of love makes the soul return to life." - saint maximillian kolbe (OR: soft moments in the relationship of patton, remus, and virgil, as a birthday gift for the lovely @bumblebeekitten​)

a/n: HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEE!!! i give you intrumoxiety being soft little shits 

CW: shedding of skin (akin to a snake), nightmare mention, bones, one (1) innuendo, nonsexual nudity

wordcount: 2.7k

ao3 link

“Babe? What - are you doing?” 

Virgil, who is busy trying to plan out the best way to strategically approach a nest of wild sirens in the middle of molt to gather their discarded feathers, opens their mouth to reply, and then the low rumbling baritone of their newest lover hits their ears. 

“I . . . you’ll laugh at me if I tell you.” 

Virgil’s one-of-my-loves-is-on-some-self-deprecating-bullshit-and-requires-reassurance, which they take pride in having almost as fine-tuned as Patton’s, begins klaxon-blaring in their mind. They mark their page and carefully untangle themselves from the web of work they’ve been doing and head into the other room. 

Patton is sitting on the kitchen table, swinging (Virgil narrows his eyes at the colored orb charm hanging around Patton’s neck) her legs back and forth, and Remus is standing in front of her, blushing. She has a small wreath of white things in her hair - are those bones? - with a bright jewel studded over her forehead. Remus is holding more small white things in his hands, claw-tipped fingers curled so delicately to avoid shattering them. 

“You - I just -”

“Honey, I promise I’m not gonna laugh at you, no matter what,” Patton says. She reaches forward, assortment of rings glinting and clinking as she touches Remus’s face. He lets out a soft rumbly noise and turns his cheek to press into the touch more, gently rubbing his nose against her palm. “We all do stuff that other people think is weird. You don’t have to worry about it.” 

Remus flicks his eyes up to look at Virgil, who slow-blinks at him in the clearest nonverbal communication of I love you, you massive idiot they can give. “I . . . uh . . . it’s a weird dragon thing.” 

“Re, we’re not gonna be species-ist towards you, that would be super mean and also stupid, considering that no one in this house is human or cisgender,” Virgil says. Remus smiles, hesitant, and then exhales out a puff of gray-black smoke. 

“It’s . . . a claiming thing. When dragons get serious about courtships, they . . . combine hoards a little? They’ll pick out choice pieces from their hoards and exchange them. So, by me putting pieces of my bone hoard on you, it’s like . . . me saying that I’m serious about this, and I want it to last.” Virgil reaches out and takes Remus’s hand, not reacting at all when their skin hisses and steams against his. The benefits of having a partner who’s half ice nymph and half selkie, they suppose. 

“Don’t I get any bones?” they tease. Remus waggles his eyebrows at them; they promptly drop his hand and smack his shoulder. “Not like that, dirty dragon.” 

“Yeah, it’s not fair for only one of us to get fancy bones!” Patton says. “Although I certainly do appreciate this . . . tiara? I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s a tiara.” 

“It was supposed to be,” Remus says, kicking the floor. “I got Ro to help me with pickin’ out the gems and stuff. That’s part of what he hoards, so we went and looked for them together. He told me that one’s a moonstone, and I thought, y’know, werewolf, perfect, right? And - and I’m working on something for you, Virge, I just didn’t wanna find anything that screamed VEE to me on that trip, y’know?” 

“Well, I absolutely love it,” Patton coos, leaning forward to kiss Remus. “Thank you for the tiara, sweetie!” She pauses. “You cleaned these, right?” 

Remus laughs, deep and echoing, and something inside of Virgil uncoils. 

*~*~*~*~*

Their skin itches and burns, and someone in front of them is setting their sealskin on fire, and they can hear Patton screaming high and frantic and Remus roaring deep and feral but they can’t move, they’re screaming, convulsing as they burn up with their sealskin and then then then then then -

“Virgil!” 

They sit upright, ice flooding around them, and a dark shape looms in the distance and they fling their hand out to cast a massive shard of ice through the heart of their night terror, but the night terror opens its mouth and green fire rolls out like a current, licking along the ice and dissolving it into water without burning anything else. “Virgil,” the night terrors says, and why does Virgil know that voice? 

“Virgil,” the voice repeats, lower, and then again, and every time it repeats their name it drops lower and lower until they aren’t so much hearing their name as they are feeling it reverberate in their heaving chest. 

The night terror tips its head back and exhales a jet of flames towards the ceiling. It catches on a saucer of oil, spreading down troughs to ignite other saucers spread around the ceiling, and the night terror looks down with fire licking around its teeth and oh, that’s not a night terror at all, it’s Remus. His leathery wings are awkwardly stuck together behind him like he’d just woken up, his hands are up like he’s warding off an attack. 

“R - Rem?” 

BELOVED, he rumbles, mouth barely moving. Virgil sways a little under the force, blinking as Remus thumps at his chest a little with one hand. ARE YOU WELL?  

“I . . . nightmare,” they manage. “Hunters. Hurt you, hurt Patty, stole my skin . . .”

Remus takes a step forward, then another. MAY I APPROACH? Virgil is pretty sure he’s actually speaking Dracon, which would explain the oddly formal address and grammar. They nod, too out of it to speak more, and Remus carefully climbs onto the ice-covered bed. He opens his arms, and they collapse into his chest, shaking. 

“Patty?” 

ON A NIGHT HUNT WITH HIS PACK, BELOVED. HE WILL RETURN ON THE MORN.  

“Oh . . . did I hurt you?”

NO, BELOVED. HOW ELSE MAY I COMFORT YOU?

“My . . . my skin?” 

Remus scoops them up into his arms, easily navigating the iced-over bedroom floor and taking them down into the basement. He exhales a plume of blue-green fire into the magical lock, and Virgil leans forward as the door spins and swirls open. The hoard room is full of perfectly-articulated skeletons, bones in cleaning vats, and the other treasures that Remus collects. He navigates through the piles skillfully until he reaches a dark wooden chest with an intricate sapphire-and-golden inlay on the top. 

YOUR KEY, BELOVED?  

Virgil traces a sigil across the chest, and it glows under their touch. The array lights up with a brilliant violet aura, and the chest pops open. They reach into the chest hurriedly, panic when they don’t feel fur, and then slide their fingers across to the latch that opens the false bottom. They flip open the false bottom and pull out their sealskin, pressing their face into the softness. 

Their sealskin is beautiful. It’s black as pitch, studded with flecks of silver and white. Remus hugs them against his chest as they rub their cheek against the fur and inhale the scent of the sea. Remus rumbles underneath them, gently rubbing his face along their hair and neck to gently scent him. 

“Thanks,” Virgil says, nearly twenty minutes later, sealskin draped around them like a blanket. “I . . . sorry I woke you.” 

“It’s alright,” Remus says, voice hoarse and growly. “I don’t mind. It’s kinda hot when you go batshit, even though I wish you hadn’t had a nightmare.” Virgil snorts, shoving at his chest. 

“I can’t believe you slipped into Dracon.” Remus ducks his head in embarrassment. 

“Yeah . . . it . . . lots of dragon moms do it to try and soothe rowdy hatchlings back to sleep. I didn’t realize I was doing it until my larynx dropped, and once it goes that far down it takes a while to relax my muscles enough to release it back to normal.” 

“I like it,” Virgil murmurs, leaning up to kiss him. “It’s . . . nice.” 

Remus rumbles with pleasure and kisses them back.

*~*~*~*~*

“Patton, what are you doing?” 

Patton is staring out the window, eyes narrowed, mouth set in a thin line of displeasure. Virgil pauses, arms full of books and random spell components. “I don’t trust that woman.” 

“What? What woman?” 

Virgil follows their gaze down to the end of the walkway leading up to their cottage, all the way to the woman at their mailbox. “Patton, what -”

“I don’t trust her,” they mutter, ears pinning back in their fluffy hair. 

“Patton, she’s the mailwoman. Debra’s been coming here every day for the past seven years.”

“Suspicious.” 

“It is literally the opposite of suspicious, you ridiculous werewolf.” 

*~*~*~*~*

“Poor baby,” Patton croons, pulling on thick rubber gloves and tying her hair up out of the way. Remus whines, rolling around the kitchen buck-naked. His body is almost completely covered in thick, glistening scales, with few patches of human skin peeking through.

“Why are you naked?” Virgil asks. 

“Shedding season,” Remus moans, swiping irritably at his torso. A thick sheet of scales flakes to the ground, and Virgil picks it up. “You can have whatever scales come off if you help me, it itches so baaaaaad!” 

Virgil looks at Patton, who’s carrying a bucket of magic salts and a scrub brush towards the bathroom. “You got a spare brush and gloves, Patty?” 

“Under the sink!” Virgil is quick to grab the supplies. When they return, Remus is still rolling around the kitchen floor, and Patton is prodding him with her foot. 

“Babe, if you don’t get into the tub, I can’t help you feel better. Your dad sent the special salts that your family uses during sheds from the sea caves near your family home.”

“Papa sent them?” Remus’s eyes are wide and liquid, and he almost looks like a hatchling. Virgil bends down and brushes his sweaty hair off his forehead. 

“Yeah, Reem. We asked him for the salts and the lotion so that you’d be more comfortable the next time you shed your scales. We know how much you hate the feeling, and we want you to be comfor - mmph!” 

Remus grabs the front of their shirt and drags them down into a kiss, brief and passionate. Virgil leans back, mussed and flustered, and Patton leans down and drops a kiss into their hair. “Let’s get you into the bath, mister.” 

They finally manage to get Remus into the hot bath, and the moan he lets out when Patton tips the salt into the water is positively lewd. Virgil tugs on the thick gloves and picks up their scrub brush. “I’ll take the left, you take the right?” Patton nods, picking up her rough sponge, and they get to work. 

Virgil puts their back into the scrubbing, careful around Remus’s newly healed top surgery scars. They create a transport sigil next to them and pass any large sheets of scales that flake off of Remus through it, sending them to their work desk. Remus wriggles around in the hot water, making it difficult to scrub, but finally his skin is clear and red-pink from scrubbing and the heat. 

Remus flops gracefully onto the bed, sighing in relief as he rolls around the soft comforter. Patton pulls off her gloves and picks up a tub of thick, pink goop. “Alright, buddy, it’s time for the lotion.” 

“You guys don’t have to do all this,” Remus mumbles, sleepy from his bath. “I know it’s kinda gross.” 

“We love you, Remus. It’s no trouble,” Patton says, gently stroking his hair. 

“Of course it’s not,” Virgil adds. Remus lets out a low, pleased rumble, and Virgil kisses Patton softly.

*~*~*~*~*

“VIRGIL! Virgil, Virgil, Virgil Virgil VirgilVirgil VirgilVirgil VIRGIL!!!!!” 

Virgil, whose name is sounding more and more like gibberish, even to their own ears, looks up from the sigil they’re constructing to see Remus bouncing eagerly in front of them. “Learn something new?” 

“Yeah! Patton’s at the grocery store, can I infodump to you?” 

Virgil looks down at the array they’re working on. “Give me two minutes to make sure this sigil won’t explode if I leave it alone, okay? Then you can talk all you want.” Remus nods, sitting down next to them. He’s practically vibrating with happy energy - flapping his hand, tapping his feet, snapping his fingers, rocking and humming. Virgil quickly changes a few of the components of their array, pulls their power out of it, and writes down where they were so they can pick their work up later. “Okay, Remus. Go ahead.” 

Remus jumps to his feet and begins pacing around the living room, telling Virgil all about the new deadly creature he’s discovered, and Virgil watches him fondly, smiling. 

*~*~*~*~*

“You know how Pat has his bone tiara?” 

“Yeah?” 

Remus reaches into the pouch at his waist and offers something to Virgil. “For you!” Virgil takes the token from his hands, gasping when it comes into view. It’s a necklace with a braided leather cord and a dangling pendant. The pendant is painstakingly constructed of dozens of tiny bones, all arranged and articulated to form an ornate snowflake. In the very center is a gleaming piece of icy pale blue-green topaz, carved into a hexagonal facet. 

“You . . . you made this?” 

“Yep! I - do you not like it?” 

Virgil stares at the necklace, running their fingers over the edges of the snowflake and the ice-cold smoothness of the gem. They slip the pendant over their head with trembling fingers before dragging Remus into a kiss. “Bedroom, now.” 

“As you wish,” Remus purrs, scooping them into his arms. 

*~*~*~*~*

Virgil tightens their grip on the strap of their messenger bag as the gates swing open, revealing a tall, imposing figure. Half of his face is covered in glittering golden-green scales, and one eye is a golden brown with a slitted pupil; the other is dark brown, almost black. He wears a long-sleeved golden dress that falls to the floor, intricately embroidered with dragons and flames along the hem, and his wings are fanned loosely around him. 

“Papa!” Remus crows, sprinting up and leaping towards the figure. He catches him, managing to make it look elegant as he hugs Remus close and rubs his back with a small smile. Remus and his father press their foreheads together, rumbling softly, before Remus hops down. “Virgey, Patton, this is my papa! Papa, these are my loves!” 

Virgil flushes, seeing Patton go pale pink beside them, as Remus’s father comes forward and extends a hand. “You may call me Janus. It is a pleasure to formally meet you. My son speaks quite highly of you.” 

Virgil shakes his hand. “The pleasure is all ours, sir. Thank you for letting us use the private beach on your estate.” Janus smiles as he shakes Patton’s hand. 

“Anyone so highly beloved of my son is always welcome on our family’s ancestral home.” His eyes linger on the bone tiara and pendant before turning to Remus and asking him a low, rapidfire question in a tongue Virgil doesn’t speak. Remus turns redder than Virgil’s ever seen him and spits back a swift response, and Janus laughs. 

“The path to the beach is that way. When you are done, I will have a meal prepared in the house. Take your time. The weather will be favorable today.” 

Remus grabs their hands and drags them down towards the sea. “What did your dad say to you?” 

“He’s just being embarrassing,” Remus mutters. 

“Must have been serious if it embarrassed you,” Patton teases. 

“Shut up!” 

They crest the cliff and spot the sea, and all of Virgil’s teasing leaves them in one breath. It’s beautiful, and the longer they stare at it and smell the salt water, the stronger the call of the ocean in their bones. 

Remus goes flying down the stairs, dropping his bag in the sand and shedding all of his clothes to reveal a lime green speedo. Patton takes a little more care, spreading out the towels and setting up the umbrella, before carefully taking off their tiara and clothes and transforming into a wolf with a fluid, rippling motion. They leap into the water as Virgil descends to the beach. They set down their bag, strip down, and carefully tuck their pendant in a pocket of their bag before reaching in and pulling out their sealskin. They take a moment to watch the way the sun glitters on the ocean’s surface, listening to the crash of the waves and the call of the gulls and the shrieking laughter of Remus and Patton’s joyful barks. 

Then, they wrap their sealskin around their shoulders and join their loves in the sea. 

[logical-little-lies]

Memories and Loneliness-Agere!Sides AU! (pt.24)

Virgil felt so lonely and confused when he woke up in babyspace that day. Like, crashing within the lowest range of his headspace ages, lingering at around two years old, barely able to talk. He knew that Patton and Logan were in the imagination, and that Roman had cleared time for writing with Thomas. Meaning that he was alone in the core side Mind Palace.

He was so used to being taken care of, it felt weird trying to take care of himself. He opened the refrigerator, sighing in relief when he saw a sippy cup full of cinnamon milk, with a note on it.

'Incase Little Vee takes over while I'm gone. There is goldfish crackers on the counter, and applesauce in here-Roman and Patton'

He smiled, locating the little bowl, covered in stars, pulling the plastic lid off to get into the applesauce. He found a spoon and sat at the kitchen table, swinging his feet and humming as he ate. He didn't wanna do much until someone got back, he didn't want to make a mess or break any rules, even if his carer wasn't here. He thought back a few months, before he had told Roman and the others, when he hid away in his room and regressed all by himself. He thought back even farther to when Deceit took care of him. He whimpered at the mix of nostalgia and loneliness he felt. He climbed off of the chair and left the bowl there, his eyes filling up with tears.

He found his stuffed bear, sniffling and burying his face in it's fur. Loneliness was much to overwhelming for little Virgil, it why he was always cuddled up to somebody. He know that if he really needed it, he could call Patton and Logan. But he didn't want to interrupt their adventure. He didn't feel like getting his pacifier, he just curled up on his bed, holding his stuffed animal close. One of his rules was that he had to ask for something when he needed it, but no one was there to give him the affection he needed.

--

"And where do you think you're going, mister?" Remus blocked the door of the Dark Side Tower, not letting Deceit out of the commons.

"I know the rest of the core sides are busy, I just want to check on Virgil," he muttered. Deceit had no intention of interacting with Virgil for long, he just wanted to drop in, torment him a bit.

Remus deemed this response acceptable, sliding out of the way and letting Deceit out. "I'll probably interrupt Roman's writing spree with some dark idea," he shrugged, and Deceit nodded.

Deceit walked for a few minutes, and soon the atmosphere lighting shifted from dark, to sunny. He had entered the main part of the mind, farther in the distance, he could hear Logan and Patton giggling about something. He sighed, now able to use his magic, though he wasn't great at good magic. He managed to sink out, and appear in the kitchen of the Mind Palace. This made him wonder if Virgil had gotten the hang of light magic yet, as it was really hard to do in the dark corner of the mind.

"Virgilll!" he sang out, walking in the commons and noticing he wasn't there. He snapped his fingers and made his tune stop playing, "Vee?" he muttered.

He heard sniffling and whimpering coming from the bedrooms, and he hesitantly made his way towards the room he heard the noise from. "D-dee! Go away!" he heard a high voice sob out, obviously having trouble forming a sentence.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry for scaring you," he opened the door to see the anxious and mentally-two year old side crying, holding a bear close.

"I'm not gonna mess with you, I promise. I was coming to check on you anyway, to make sure you're okay," He hesitantly came closer to the bed. He knew, based off of Virgil's reaction, that he was uncomfortable. He didn't sit down or anything. "Are you just crying because I'm here? I-I'll leave, Baby Vee, if that's it."

All he wanted was for Virgil to be okay. "K-kinda, but also..lonely,' he mumbled, bringing his thumb to his mouth and looking down.

"D-do you want me to stay until someone comes back? Do the others know?" Deceit was thrown off, and he was only gonna do whatever Virgil was comfortable with.

"Others know, Roro is my dada," Virgil seemed to pipe up, giggling at that. "N' da others take care of me too, all da time," he blushed when he realized how much he was talking. Deceit was just glad to see the tears drying up.

"Well, I'm glad you have support, and people to take care of you," Deceit was trying his best to be soft, falling right back into his old caregivery ways. "Now, do you want me to stay, or go find one of the others for you?"

"N-no! Don't find others, Ro is workin' n' Lo and Pat having fun! I be fine..," he hesitated, looking at Deceit. "Y-you can stay." he decided.

Deceit nodded, "Okay. Have you eaten?" he was hesitant, but he sat on the end of the bed.

"Roro left applesauce for me..I didn't eat it all tho. When I eat I'm supposed to eat as much as I can, b-but I got sad and just wanted stuffie!" he defended, as if Deceit was gonna punish him.

"Are you still hungry, bud?" he asked, Virgil nodded a bit. "Lets go make something then."

Virgil got up, and Deceit pulled his hand away from his mouth. "If the others know, I'm assuming you have little gear? Do you have pacifiers?"

Virgil blushed, nodding and pulling the plastic box out from under the bed. It was full of decorated pacifiers. Okay, he may have been a bit spoiled, but he appreciated every single thing he was awarded with. Though, he did have an issue accepting awards without feeling like he didn't deserve it.

"Woah, there are a lot of pacis!" Deceit acted fake-shocked, causing Virgil to giggle and nod.

"Dada knows I like pacis, lots n lots, so when m' good he gets me dem! I also like decorating them with Roro when I big, he likes making cute pacis for me!"

Deceit was glad to know Roman was a good caregiver. "That's adorable, which one are you gonna use?"

Virgil pulled out a black one that had, that said 'cuddly baby' on the handle, with a animated baby-bottle as the center-piece. It was decorated in pastel and silver gems. "Woah, fancy. Very cute and set for a baby," Deceit booped his nose, causing him to giggle again before he popped it in his mouth.

Deceit turned on Sleeping Beauty in the commons, making sure he was comfortable, before going to the kitchen, washing out his bowl and leaving it in the sink. He found vanilla yogurt, knowing well that Virgil liked it.

Within a few minutes, he set a small bowl in Virgil's lap on the couch. "Uh..we don't eat anything dat you can spill on da couch, it's a rule because we're clumsy.."

"we're?" Deceit questioned. Virgil blushed and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"don't worry, tis a secret!" he remove his hand, pulling his pacifier out of his mouth, and doing all a two year old could do to avoid getting messy. Deceit saw in one of the cabinets, sippy cups and bottles in all different colors, most of them lining up with a specific side. He was pretty sure it was the others little gear.

"Hey, buddy, you don't have to tell me if you don't wanna. But, a-are the other sides littles too?" he asked.

"Don't think m' supposed to tell you-"

Both sides were scared when the prince like trait appeared in the kitchen. "Deceit?" Roman didn't seem mad, just really shocked and confused.

"No, no! Don't yell or make him goes away, I let him stay!" Virgil said. It was probably good it was Roman who came back first, not Logan or Patton. Besides Virgil, Roman was the most sympathetic to the dark sides.

Roman nodded lightly, scanning over Deceit with his eyes. "Care to explain why you're here though?"

"I knew everyone would be gone, I was gonna come check on him and mess with him. But he was crying, and little, and lonely and I didn't want to leave him. But I said I was only gonna stay until someone else got back, sorry," Deceit quickly got up, ready to leave.

"Wait, you know about age regression? You knew about Virgil?"

Deceit nodded silently, as if saying 'obviously'. Deceit's  voice was different, softer rather than extra, and he seemed more genuine. "How? He hasn't talked to you in months and as far as I know he's only been regressing for a few months."

Deceit faltered. "Oh..he probably didn't wanna worry you, but he's been regressing since about a year before he left the dark sides," Deceit admitted. For the first time in a while, Roman accepted what he said immediately as truth. He seemed shell-shocked, but not mad or upset.

"That makes sense, I guess. But, I'm back and while I might not mind you stepping in for Virgil, Patton definitely will. So, it's best you leave before they get back," Roman spoke hesitantly, but Deceit nodded and sunk out without another word.

Virgil whimpered when Roman looked at him, trying to hide in his hoodie, like he was scared of Roman. Roman came and sat next to Virgil. "Baby, I'm not mad at you. I was just confused and shocked...I know that it's in his nature to be villian like, but he does care about you and I know that. I'm glad you had someone to help calm you down," Roman softened his face, pushing his hood down.

"And, if Deceit agrees not to mess with you, maybe you can go talk to him when you're big. I want to see Remus anyways..." Virgil hugged Roman.

"B-but what about Lo n' Pat! Dey won't like dat,"

"If we wanna visit people we're close to, we have every right. Yes, they've done bad stuff to us in the past, but Remus is my brother, and I know you were close to Deceit."

Virgil nodded. Roman knew more than anything that his brother was trying to help Thomas in the only way he knew how, and he was created villainy. He was pretty sure that Deceit was the same way. They developed believing they had to be manipulative and such. If they toned it down, or were raised the same way the core sides were, they'd be totally different.

Virgil could change, why couldn't the other two?

Now, it was just a matter of convincing Logan and Patton that they weren't all bad.  

A/N: hduisyuggui me covering up a plothole with dirt and burying it to pretend it didn’t happen.

[casper-writes-stuff]

Puppy Love

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22438411#main

Summary:  Virgil really loves his datemate. They just... They make him feel really soft and mushy inside, and he really doesn't care what that does to his edgy reputation with roommates.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX!!! Here it is, a moxiety fic based on our relationship and the feelings it makes me feel!!! I kept Patton's nationality ambiguous so you can decide where he's from, but they are pretty heavily based on you <3

(obligatory @max-is-tired yes, I know your birthday is tomorrow. It is being posted today.)

There was something Patton did when Virgil was in call with them. It usually ended in his heart turning into total mush and his stomach fluttering and all that gross gooey stuff. Hell, when they were in call together and Virgil was alone at home, he usually ended up laughing more than he ever would with his roommates in the same proximity.

Patton just… their smile was all they had to really do to send Virgil’s heart flipping. A laugh was all he needed for his stomach to try and take off without him. A pet name usually ended in Virgil uncontrollably telling Patton he loved them without any brain to mouth filter.

But… none of those things were what sent Virgil over the moon every single time they talked. It was the way they talked to him, all soft and understanding. The way they got excited about their interests that Virgil could barely keep up with. The way they looked at him like he was their entire world.

Really, Virgil had a lot of things that would have him lay on his bed after a call and giggle his heart out because he just… loved them so much. He felt really out of character whenever he interacted with Patton, but if Remus or Ethel weren’t home, he really couldn’t care less.

Just… Once Patton had gone out with friends and they’d gotten so wasted and Virgil was worried, yeah, but they were allowed to have their own fun so he didn’t really say anything about it.

But the fact that, even when absolutely sloshed, Patton’s first thought was telling Virgil they loved him had Virgil’s heart melting again. They’d said they wanted to fight the ocean that night, and it was so cute Virgil couldn’t help but tease them about it.

When Patton had woken up later that night (because Virgil already dealt with insomnia, but now that he had a datemate who lived in the European continent his sleeping schedule was even worse) they’d been so embarrassed by their rambling and all Virgil could do was tell them they’re adorable cause they were.

The point was Virgil was seriously in love with Patton and he hadn’t even gotten to see them in person yet. Sure, he’d been dating them for a few years now, and Virgil has definitely sent them several gifts that they returned the favor on, but sometimes he would just sit in bed late at night drowned in insecurities that maybe Patton deserved someone who could actually hug them and cuddle them and love them in all the ways Virgil physically couldn’t.

And then Patton just… showed up on his doorstep a week before Valentine’s Day and Virgil didn’t see them until he was teased by Ethan to “get the door Virgil, I’m sure you’ll hate what’s waiting for you.”

Virgil had frozen with the door wide open, his eyes practically popping out of his head when he saw his datemate standing there with a broad grin.

“Virgil!” they said excitedly, accent thick and oh fuck that sounded so much better in person than it did over a voice call.

Virgil dove at Patton wrapping his arms around the smaller person while they giggled and returned the hug enthusiastically. He buried his face in their hair, breathing them in because they were here and that was almost impossible for him to believe.

“You’re here? Patton holy fuck?”

Patton buried their face in Virgil’s chest, still laughing in delight.

“I am! I wanted to surprise you for Valentine’s Day, and I finally managed to save up enough for the trip!”

Virgil was laughing now, half in disbelief and half pure giddy happiness. He didn’t even care that Ethan and Remus were probably watching from inside and he usually tried to be as edgy as possible around them because they were both insufferable about teasing him with feelings.

“How long have you been saving up for this?” he asked, breathless in awe because this was his datemate in his arms holy fuck.

Patton hummed, pulling back so they could look up at Virgil. Upon seeing the happy tears spilling from his eyes, they moved their hands to his face to wipe at them with their thumbs.

“Quite a while, honestly. And I had to bring Roman and Logan with me to help split the cost of some of the expenses, but they’re both pretty excited about being in a new country.”

Virgil was grinning broadly at his datemate, casually pushing their glasses up their nose because they always slipped down their nose until the frames were barely hanging on their ears.

“God, I can’t believe you’re right here? Holy shit, Patton? Oh my God, I am touching you and you’re here and not on a screen and fuck I love you oh my God.”

Patton’s grin was almost blinding, and Virgil really didn’t know how he managed to keep himself from kissing them until now, but it didn’t matter when they were actually able to kiss as much as they wanted until Patton had to go back.

“How long are you staying?” Virgil asked, pushing their foreheads together as he watched Patton’s dazed grin and shining eyes stare at him like he was their world.

“...What?” they asked, blinking until their gaze was more focused.

Virgil snickered, repeating his question patiently.

“Oh! Two weeks, it was the most I could manage and Logan’s gonna be helping me study a lot when we get back.”

Virgil brushed their noses together, Patton giggling at the sensation.

“Damn. I was hoping you’d say forever,” he whispered, thumbs idly brushing over Patton’s cheeks.

Patton, grin soft and loving, brought a hand up to push Virgil’s own closer to their face.

“One day, Vee. But I gotta finish college first.”

Virgil sighed, but nodded. He pressed another kiss to their lips before straightening.

“Alright, we only got two weeks then, anything you wanna do first?”

Patton beamed at him, then leaned to the side in order to look inside the house.

“Well, why don’t you introduce me to your roommates! They look awfully interested that I’m here.”

Virgil let out a loud groan, turning to glare at his roommates.

“You guys say one weird thing about me and I’m changing the locks when you’re out of the house.”

He may only have two weeks with his datemate, but he was going to make it the best two weeks of their lives because getting to see them and have his heart melt for their cheery smile and be able to kiss them like he wanted to do every time they snapped their fingers to think of a word was sending him over the moon.

Neither of them were going to come down from cloud nine for a while.

[somedayonbroadway]

If you have time, can you go into detail on the nerve AU?

Yes! I love this one

(Let me know if ya’ll wanna see a Sprace version) (also if you just wanna see all the boys playing Nerve)

Nerve AU

Characters

Katherine Plumber (@Plumbs278) — Vee

Jack Kelly (@jackthecowboy) — Ian

David Jacobs — Tommy

Spot Conlon (@brooklynsown) — Ty

Rafaela (@Rafe_baby) — Sydney

Coffee Bean — Liv

Darcy — Wes

Sarah Jacobs — Hacker Kween

JP — Hot Shot

Katherine Pulitzer is a photographer and reporter for her school newspaper. At the beginning of this story, she finds she’s been accepted into an amazing art school in California which she knows she’ll have to decline because her father (yes, we’re exercising our right to play Pulitzer as a good, loving parent) relies on Katherine emotionally and constantly tells her how excited he is that she’ll be going to a local university and will still be able to live at home. She’s afraid to leave him, especially after her older sister, Lucy, died only two years prior.

The morning everything begins, Katherine is on a video call with one of her two closest friends in the world, Rafaela. Rafaela believes herself to be a daredevil. She and Katherine have been friends since kindergarten. When Katherine answers the phone, she’s stalking her year long crush, Hot Shot. Rafe calls her out on it immediately.

This is when Rafe, yes we’re gonna call her Rafe because we can, introduces Katherine to a game called Nerve. Apparently this game has been around for a few years and Rafe has decided that this year, she was going to participate as a player.

In this game, there are two categories. Watchers and players. Watchers have to pay to watch players for 24 hours while players get paid to do dares ranging from mediocre little tricks to dangerous, life threatening stunts. Katherine warns Rafe that this game looks sketchy and weird, but Rafe still tries to convince Katherine to sign up to watch her play. Katherine almost does, but realizes that she’ll be late for school if she doesn’t start getting ready to go.

Her father is a nurse at a local hospital and often works late into the night but that never stops him from getting up to make Katherine breakfast in the morning. Katherine adores her father. But she knows that she still wants to leave the nest and get out of New York, at least for a little while.

She mentions to him that Rafaela hasn’t gotten accepted into any colleges yet and doesn’t care, to which Pulitzer responds she doesn’t have to care. Rafe has a trust fund but Katherine has ambition. Katherine then tries to tell her father that she wants to move away only to back out the second her father counters her.

At school, Katherine and her other best friend, David, are taking pictures of the football players for the school paper and David is teasing Katherine because her camera seems to be constantly focused on Hot Shot.

Once the players are all on the field, Katherine starts to focus more on the cheerleaders, mostly on Rafe who is the most energetic and eccentric of them all. Rafe rushes out into the crowd to give Coffee Bean and Darcy her phone, two other kids in their friend groups.

David and Katherine don’t truly know what’s going on, but Katherine gets her camera ready anyways, only to capture Rafe mooning an entire crowd of people for five seconds to complete her first dare in nerve, getting her tons of watchers immediately and sending her on her way to the top ten.

After getting suspended, Rafe takes her friends out to celebrate at Jacobi’s, a diner and a common hang out. This is where she explains she will continue playing Nerve, which Kath immediately argues with. Rafe then tells Katherine this is just something she likes to do and she wants to become insta famous, knowingly telling Kath it’s okay that she’s just a watcher.

Though Katherine tries to argue with David with her all the way, Rafaela proves her point by trying and failing to get Katherine to talk to Hot Shot, instead, going to talk to him herself, trying to get him to ask Kath out and finding Hot Shot isn’t interested.

Embarrassed, Katherine flees, running home. David stops Rafaela from going after her.

At home, Katherine finds the Nerve menu still on her computer. In a lapse of judgment, she signs up. As a player.

That’s when things begin to spiral out of control.

Immediately, Katherine is dared to get to a certain restaurant in a specific amount of time. Since she can’t drive, she calls David, who is already waiting outside her house as he’d intended on hanging out with her that night anyway. She quickly explains that she’s now playing nerve and she has to get to a specific place in less than ten minutes.

Even though David is arguing with her, he still takes her there, hoping she’ll bail before she even begins.

(Also, can i just take a minute to say that I love how teenagers are shown as horrible drivers in this movie because that’s entirely accurate).

When they arrive, it’s revealed on Katherine’s phone that her first dare is to kiss a stranger for five seconds.

Nervous, Katherine stalls. David says he’ll give her the hundred dollars her watchers promised her if she doesn’t do the dare, but she persists anyway, eventually settling on a guy reading her favorite book “To The Lighthouse”. She gives David her phone to record her and goes in, trying to make small talk about the book.

She finds the guy to be a bit flirty and incredibly hot but she’s still nervous as the guy asks her if anybody will make it to the lighthouse at the end of the book. She explains that the lighthouse is the thing each character wants most and then forces herself to kiss him, melting into it when the stranger kisses her back.

Sparks fly in their heads and David counts to five, calling out that it was over but the kiss lasts longer than that before Katherine remembers what she’s doing and breaks it, rushing over to David’s booth and hiding with him.

When she looks back, the guy is gone. She finds him again just after her phone goes off, alerting her that a hundred dollars had been wired to her account.

When she looks up, the stranger she made out with is standing on tables and singing the song playing. She quickly finds that the guy is actually singing to her and David points out someone recording the whole thing, noting that it must be a dare.

The guy is a great singer.

Introducing himself as Jack, the boy apologizes, not wanting to have embarrassed Katherine. She apologizes too and Jack says the watchers sent someone to give him that book and told him to wait in that booth. He explains the watchers must’ve planned for this to happen.

David immediately doesn’t like Jack and Jack picks up on that, going to leave before his phone buzzes at the same time as Katherine’s.

They dare Katherine to go to the city with Jack.

David warns her against it and Jack, who calls David Davey, asks if Kath always lets Davey tell her what to do.

Katherine gives in and goes to the city with Jack, finding that he drives a motorcycle.

Once there, Katherine goes to leave while Jack gets started on another dare, only to accept another dare and follow Jack into a pristine, high end store where she is forced to find a specific dress to try on. Once she finds it she changes on camera, barely making it before times up.

When she receives no further instruction, she leaves the dressing room, finding Jack in a very expensive looking suit. Quickly they begin to get more dares to try on clothes, leaving their dressing rooms.

David signs up to watch, finding it's a lot of money to be a watcher but he does it anyway, deciding to follow Katherine to the city as he’s worried for her safety and doesn’t trust Jack.

He sees that someone with the username @brooklynsown has stolen Kath and Jack’s clothes.

Katherine and Jack go back to change after their little adventure getting to know each other and having a good time to find that their clothes are gone. The watchers dare them to leave the store and Jack just says they have to, going to make a run for it but Katherine stops him saying that the dare technically only says they have to leave the store, not shoplift.

So Jack and Katherine run through the store in their underwear, Jack doing his best to stand in front of Katherine the whole time as they sneak around before finally just making a full on run for it.

When they get back to Jack’s bike they find that one of their watchers bought them the clothes they’d tried on.

Meanwhile, Rafaela is with Darcy and Coffee Bean working on her own dares that are more on the mediocre side but she still had tons of watchers voting her into the top ten. Coffee Bean is the one who tells Rafe that Katherine is playing the game and has a lot of followers. Race calls David to ask what’s going on and David tells her he doesn’t know, continuing on the hunt to find Katherine.

He gets another call from Joe who asks if someone might be hacking them as someone keeps depositing money into Katherine’s account. Davey assures him it’s not a hack as that usually means someone is taking money out of the accounts.

Back with Katherine and Jack, Katherine has got another dare, telling her to get a tattoo of Jack’s choosing. She accepts though she tells Jack her father would kill her.

Although Jack jokes about putting random, cliche things on the back of her shoulder he eventually draws something out and gives it to the artist telling her it’ll be a surprise and that she just has to trust him. Eventually she gives in. And when the pain from the needle gets to her, Jack turns on a song that she previously mentioned she liked and sings along to it with her to give her a little distraction. That’s when Katherine tells Jack about Lucy. She explains that Lucy was always the fun one and that she was about to be older than her older sister and that it wasn’t fair that she was still here and Lucy wasn’t before the tattoo artist announces he’s done and Katherine finds a small lighthouse on her back.

Jack tells her that he hopes she finds what she wants most.

David, who is still panicked about not finding Katherine, calls up his older sister Sarah, also known as HQ (Hacker Queen) and asks for a key to the dark web because he wants to find out more about Jack.

Back with Jack and Kath, Jack gets another dare. A dare to get his motorcycle up to 60 mph blindfolded. Katherine tells him he’s on his own but he begs her to help him out just as someone pulls up in a truck and hands Jack a bumper sticker, telling him that he’d see him in the finals. A guy with the username @brooklynsown.

Katherine asks him who that guy was and Jack lies, saying he doesn’t know. Must be just another player.

And he still begs Kath for help.

So she agrees.

This happens just as David is finding out a little bit more about Jack. That Jack has played Nerve before in Santa Fe. The bike he rides is stolen off of a dare. People are shocked he’s even playing again at all after what happened last year.

Jack puts the bumper sticker over his helmet and Katherine climbs on the bike behind him.

As they start their communication isn’t great but Jack tells her to lean and he’d follow her. This gets them part of the way until Katherine starts to lie to Jack about the lights being green because she knows that if Jack stops they won’t make it in under a minute.

Their watchers are waiting for them to pass by, trying to get good photo ops and rooting for them. All of Katherine’s friends are watching, terrified.

Eventually, after several close calls, Jack and Katherine make it, almost crashing into a building but just able to pull to a stop.

Katherine is so excited that she kisses Jack who kisses her back as their watchers film the whole thing.

They then go to get pizza as Jack claims he’s starving and she must be too.

Rafaela is horrified that Katherine is beating her and escapes into a back room at the party she’s at with her other friends, telling her watchers to give her better dares because she deserves to win. That’s when someone else sneaks into the room, introducing himself as Spot or @brooklynsown. He offers to team up with Rafe like Jack teamed up with Kath to win but she declines as Hot Shot intervenes, believing Spot to be dangerous.

Meanwhile, Joe is calling David again, asking what’s going on and David dodges all of his questions.

Jack and Katherine stumble across a carousel where they bond even more as Katherine asks Jack why he’s playing Nerve. He tells her that he’s trying to help out his family that some things happened that he wishes didn’t. And Katherine tells Jack more about her friends after Rafe calls her to try and make up with her and she hangs up, not realizing that her phone was still filming her as well as the watchers around them.

Jack tells Katherine that she’s no one sidekick as Kath seems to believe and that she’s truly amazing in his eyes. And then he suggests they go to the party Rafe is at to show off Kath’s new tattoo.

After a bit of convincing, Katherine agrees.

At that party, Rafaela is finally given a new dare, telling her to walk from one window to the next across a ladder. She attempts, even though she’s magnificently terrified of heights and eventually bails after dropping her phone from ten stories up.

When Jack and Katherine arrive after making out in the elevator, Katherine finds David is there and tries to talk to him before Coffee Bean tells her about what happened to Rafe. Katherine finds Rafe making out with Hot Shot in the back room and gets irritated.

This leads to an even bigger fight between them that Jack has to record as it is revealed by David it was a dare on him to get Katherine to that party to fight with Rafaela.

Katherine gets angry and is dared to finish Rafe’s dare which she does immediately and after that she confronts Jack to find out if it was all true. Jack tries to explain to her that he doesn’t have a choice but she doesn’t want to hear it, instead stating she was going to the cops.

Jack panics, trying to talk her out of it but she won’t listen to him.

After finding a cop on the street, Jack runs and Katherine’s father calls, telling her that all of the money from their accounts have been drained. Katherine is cut off when Spot jumps in front of her and apologizes, telling her that he has to win before knocking her out.

She wakes up in a storage container with the words “snitches get stitches” all over the thing. The computer in front of her tells her that she is now a prisoner of Nerve and that they control her family and her life. The only way out is to win the game. So Katherine breaks out of the container only to be met with a frantic Jack, asking if she’s alright. She tries to run from him but he stops her and she finally listens to him.

Jack explains that there’s a third category of the game. Prisoner. And that he’s one too. He explains that he played in Santa Fe the year before and he and Spot have played together as they were best friends. He tells her about their other friend, Kenny, who played with them and died falling from a construction crane that the watchers dared him to hang on. Jack says he tried to grab him but he wasn’t fast enough.

He then goes on to say that the watchers basically own him and his family because he and Spot had tried to go to the cops after Kenny died. They drained all of his family's bank accounts, they messed with his mother’s job, they raped his brother and leaked photos of him on the internet. They stole their identities. It was the watchers way of showing Jack that he belonged to them now. They were mad at him and Spot for snitching.

He admits that the watchers moved his family out to New York because they wanted to make him do more dangerous stunts the next time he played.

Katherine is horrified by this but Jack says he got by, that he and Spot, while against each other, had promised each other that they’d look out for the others family once one of them won.

But now, Jack makes it his mission to get Katherine to win. She says she can't, but he insists that he’s gonna make his watchers give him a dare to knock Spot out of the finals so that it’ll be them and he’d let her win.

Jack takes Katherine to a parking garage where she’s able to call Davey and Rafaela who rush to get to her immediately, guilty about that fallout that had occurred before. As they’re driving in, they see Jack driving out on his bike. They know something’s up.

Katherine asks for their help. So Rafaela makes a call before David takes Rafe to the cloud to meet his sister.

The Hacker Queen.

Jack is dared to climb up to the top of a building and hang from a construction crane with one hand for five seconds. He manages to do it, thinking about how no one would be able to get Race and Medda out of the mess he’d gotten them in if he died. He pulls himself back up to safety (because the dude’s ripped, honestly) and then goes to the meeting place set out for him.

Davey and Sarah begin to hack into the servers of the game, trying to shut it down only to be interrupted by a panicked Joe who can’t find his daughter. David invites him to meet him at the cloud so he can explain and Joe agrees.

Katherine is told to get on a ferry where she is given a “ticket” into the finals box. It’s a gun.

She’s let into the box where Jack is waiting for her. He goes to rush to her but the watchers stop them both by giving them other directions instead, saying that the first to shoot the other wins.

Joe gets to the cloud just in time to watch and Sarah is losing control of the servers.

Jack tells Katherine to shoot him in the shoulder. That he’d be fine. Katherine tries to argue but time is running out. Jack tells her to just do it and she tries but stops herself at the last second, shooting the ground instead.

Jack tries to talk to her again but someone else starts shooting into the air.

It’s Spot.

He says that he’ll do it.

Jack rushes to protect Kath as Spot makes his way down to the middle of the box. The watchers are excited by this but Katherine screams at them telling them that they are responsible for what happens next and Spot just asks them if they want him to shoot her.

Pulitzer is horrified and Rafaela tries to calm him down as the votes come in.

The watchers vote yes.

Jack tries to jump in front of her but Katherine falls and he screams for her just as Joe does as well as all of her friends watching.

That’s when Sarah and David launch the program they set up, sending every watcher a massage that says “you are an accessory to murder” as their anonymous name turns into their real name.

People immediately start to shut down their accounts until Spot is the only one still recording.

When he steps closer to Katherine and Jack, who’s holding onto her for dear life, begging her to wake up, Jack grabs Katherine’s gun and goes to shoot but Katherine shoots up and stops him, telling him that she’s okay.

Joe let’s out a relieved scream as Jack starts crying.

Spot reveals that Rafe called him and Katherine made the whole plan up. He was shooting blanks and she had fake blood. He tells Jack that Kath’s a badass and he better keep her.

Jack takes Katherine back to the carousel to tell her more about himself, now that was free before taking her back to her father and friends. He tells her that his name is really Francis Sullivan and if one good thing came out of this it was his changed name. Then he proceeds to ask her out on a proper date.

He takes her back to her father and Joe thanks him for protecting her before threatening him like any good father would.

And then Jack goes home to Mama Medda and Race who immediately hug him and cry with him because they’re free again.

Katherine does go to college in California and Jack and her maintain a long distance relationship. Jack goes to see her anytime he can and she eventually meets his family who adores her immediately. Rafaela and her stay good friends and Jack eventually gets closer with Davey. Jack also reconnects with Spot and rekindles their friendship.

And they all live happily ever after.

I love this AU.

Thanks for asking! Let me know if you want to see more of this one!

And for more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ― Chapter 12: The Return

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ⥽

While struggling with nightmares of lives she’s never lived, a shadow from the past looming over her city, and the proposed idea that her life may just be a little bit too weird to handle alone, Nadya makes sure to tell herself that everything is perfect just the way it is. If only. When the self-proclaimed King of Vampires (and Maker of her sometimes-girlfriend and always-boss, can’t forget that little tidbit) Gaius Augustine returns intent on claiming Manhattan as the throne that was promised, she and her friends find themselves forced into the task of saving the world. But with millennia-old vampires and an Order of hunters on their heels as well as allies hiding catastrophic secrets at their backs… it won’t be an easy task. Too bad destiny didn’t exactly ask for her input.

Bound by Destiny II and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Destiny II tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

The gang returns to New York with a well-earned victory under their belts. But that means Nadya has to face Kamilah, and she isn't quite sure she knows how to feel just yet.

[READ IT ON AO3]

Nadya leans on the rail with a wistful sigh. Takes a moment and just… lets herself enjoy the peace of being at peace. No memories haunting her behind her eyelids, no immediate danger… at least none she can see right in front of her.

No, the only thing in front of her is New Orleans. The French Quarter spread out for blocks around her in vibrant colors going pale against the purpling sky. It’ll be dawn soon.

Did she sigh already? Well… no harm in another one.

Taylor’s learned his lesson in sneaking up on her. Why else would he knock on the door leading up to the roof instead of taking advantage of one final attempt to startle her silly?

He clicks his tongue with a wry look. “Careful now, that sigh right there, that’s trouble. Means you’re falling in love with this place and you won’t ever wanna leave.”

Nadya can’t help it that she laughs.

“Are you trying to sound like Garrus?” It sounds like something the fae would say, actually.

“No, and frankly you don’t want to hear my Garrus impersonation,” he hesitates; waits for Nadya’s little go-ahead of a nod before joining her overlooking the city as it begins to put itself to sleep, “it’s not very good. My Ivy on the other hand…”

Their laughter is soft and polite. They wouldn’t dare jostle the world below.

“I mean, when I went off to college I had dreams of road trips on spring break, summers spent with one program or another. New Orleans was always on my list.”

“And did she live up to the hype?”

Now how exactly is Nadya supposed to answer that honestly? “Well college-aged me probably wouldn’t have been hanging around the Graveyard Shift, that’s all I’ll say.”

“Nadya, babe, you have got to stop being a hard mood,” Taylor places a hand to his chest, “my little empath heart just can’t take much more of it.”

She shoves him (gently) and their laugh is a little less awkward the second time around. Probably because he is, indeed, an empath. And he gets exactly what she’s feeling right now.

Longing — exhaustion — trepidation — to name a few.

He nudges her shoulder with his own. “You’ll have to come back when everything’s fixed on your end; see the city for real, you know? Not just all the bad things.”

Not like she goes searching for the bad things, thanks. They just kind of… happen dangerously close in her proximity. “I’d like that. Lil’ too, for sure.”

“Oh, for sure. Though I have a feeling her and Ivy together might be a bit more trouble than Nik’ll want to deal with.”

And on that Nadya can most certainly agree. Not that she does so with words. Strangely she doesn’t feel much like talking right now. Not-so-strangely, Taylor doesn’t either. So they lean in mutual silence and watch the streets below. People going through the motions; living their lives.

Lives far less strange than theirs.

The blue of the dawn is just starting to bleed orange when he finally speaks again.

“You’re not used to winning the day, are you?” She isn’t surprised in the least to look and see that strange iridescence back in his irises.

“I don’t have enough coffee in me to answer a question like that,” which — that’s her answer; but Taylor definitely isn’t taking it, “I mean… back when all this stuff started; we won then, I think. Adrian was exonerated and Jax joined the Council and Vega wasn’t trying to kill me anymore —”

Taylor holds up a finger. “Wait — like the missing Senator, that Vega?”

“You knew him?”

“Uh, Vee and our friend Kristin lived up there together. Wait a second—he was a vam— no… that’s not the point. Sorry, please continue.”

God, is that how I look to other people, Nadya wonders; but it’s humbling to see somehow.

“Anyway… I thought everything turned out for the better, and for a while it was better. But now that I think about it…” Gaius, Jameson, the Trinity; all of them lurking just on the other side of the two-way glass. Waiting for the time to strike and take her happiness away; to pluck memories from her she never asked for all in pursuit of some epic fantasy-level world conquering.

If the fight wasn’t over, did that still count as a victory?

“And you’re left wondering if this is the same deal. If you’ve really won, or if there’s more stuff—worse stuff—just out of sight.” Taylor finishes for her. Still a little weird and possibly more akin to mind-reading than the half-fae originally led her to believe, but for the moment she’s glad to not have to say it.

“Yeah, exactly.”

His hand comes to rest over Nadya’s on the railing. He’s warmer than he should be and the sun’s got nothing to do with it. Likely his weirdness is helped by touch, too. Which Taylor all but confirms aloud when a sudden but not unwelcome ease relaxes the tension she didn’t know she’d gathered in her shoulders.

“I can’t offer any answers, and I don’t think I’d want to. With my luck I’d be wrong and you’d hate me forever.” He’s joking but Nadya still rolls her eyes and shakes her head for it.

“But I can say that no matter what happens? You’ll always have friends here to call up if needed.”

What is she supposed to say to something so sincere? “Same to you, Taylor, same to you.”

A sleek black car with tinted windows pulls around the corner and onto their lonely street to park right in front of the bar.

Looks like their ride is here.

Kamilah isn’t waiting for them when the plane pulls into the nice and shady hangar. Nadya tells herself she isn’t surprised by this… but she’s trying not to tell herself mostly-truths lately either. Luckily she’s still too exhausted (and she’s pretty sure she only got about half an hour’s nap in the entire time they were in New Orleans) to make much of a fuss about it.

In fact, Nadya barely remembers sending a text off before she and Lily both are being ushered into the back seat of one of Adrian’s company cars.

[TEXT]: back in NY and miss you like crazy. can we plz talk?? [TEXT]: its nadia

And its the most dreamless, dead-to-the-world-est sleep she knew she needed but didn’t know how to get. Staying awake for near-days and going through every emotion under the sun and also dealing with a high-stakes pursuit weren’t exactly on her list of viable solutions to her sleeping troubles.

Ergo the point of all this — no one is allowed to think her anything less than totally justified when Nadya wakes up in her own bed, in her own bedroom, sometime well after sunset and thinks for even the smallest second that everything was just a dream. She knows logically that it wasn’t… but still.

Totally justified.

When her eyes adjust to the lack of light Nadya realizes she’s not alone. There’s a figure sitting on the edge of her bed nearest the window, away from the door. Giving her the chance to escape if she needs it; making sure she doesn’t feel trapped.

Only one person would do that.

She fumbles for her glasses on the nightstand but leaves her bedside lamp untouched. Can’t shake the feeling like if she does turn the lights on then Kamilah will vanish. This is better for them both.

“Hi.”

Something moves near her head; Nadya leans back to see the woman pulling her fingertips away from where they had been combing through her hair gently. She wants it back so much she aches from the loss of them.

“Hello,” replies Kamilah; sounding awfully breathless for a woman who doesn’t need to breathe, “did you rest well? You… seemed to need it.”

Probably not what she meant to ask judging by the way the neon signs from across the street illuminate her in postmodern beauty. It’s okay though — Nadya isn’t sure she has the courage yet to say what really needs saying.

“When did you get here…?”

“Shortly after your return. Oh, Lily wished for you to know she’s left for the evening. She didn’t leave a message as to why.”

So it’s just been Nadya and Kamilah in the apartment for at least the daylight hours. Alone; together. And not talking about their problems.

When Nadya sits up (in part to look at Kamilah better, in part to make sure she doesn’t fall back asleep on accident) the bed dips as Kamilah shifts back; makes to stand and leave her with all this twin-sized budget bed kit to herself. And because she can’t stand a thought so terrible Nadya reaches out and stops her with a hand on her arm.

“Kamilah.”

A long pause — then; “Yes, Nadya?”

“Why are you here?”

“You messaged me,” so Nadya of course fumbles for her phone and finds it charging under her pillow, “though I suppose I should have realized you were exhausted beyond recognition.”

“Why’s that?”

“You spelled your own name wrong.”

Upon further inspection yes, yes she did. “Glad you weren’t expecting some other disaster you’re dating also named Nadia…” That she chooses not to dwell on the fact that she may have very well used that word for the first time in the middle of their first fight is actually self-care.

Or — she doesn’t until Kamilah’s been quiet for an awfully long time.

“Uhm — I take that back, actually — what I meant was…”

“I won’t disagree.”

Only Kamilah Sayeed could look so perfect framed in the flickering lights of a discount electronics shop.

“But you’re my disaster.”

Nadya kisses her because every other time it’s been Kamilah who takes the lead, takes charge, takes her. This isn’t some attempt to switch that dynamic either (in fact Nadya’s very happy with it just the way it is) but what else is she supposed to do seeing all these vulnerable parts of such an invulnerable woman one right after the other?

But — no, she can’t fall into this. Fall into her. Not without talking. But holy mother of crap she doesn’t wanna do anything but moan at the lips soft on her cheeks, her chin, her throat…

“Kamilah.”

Nadya only has to say her name once. They both know how this works. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the hesitance; the resistance before they part and she all but forces them to meet eye-to-eye. Nor does it mean that she doesn’t take just the tiniest bit of happiness from it.

When Nadya starts pulling away Kamilah holds on just a little bit tighter. Only for a moment; then its gone.

“We can’t not —” — talk about this.

“I know; I agree.”

And she’s got a whole speech planned out in bullet points; not even fully seated and she’s already buzzing to jump right into it. Until—

“I was uncertain and without control. I fell back on old habits to bring my life to a heel — but those were the wrong choices to make. They nearly cost me… something very important.”

Kamilah’s hand falls open on top of the bedspread and Nadya takes it for the offering it is. Their fingers slot together familiar and like nothing’s changed but this is different. This is talking about it; this is… this is Kamilah apologizing. “They nearly cost me you, Nadya.”

Now is not the time to go all red in the face and flustered. Nadya’s willpower is astounding frankly. “There was never a second where I doubted that you cared. Not about what I was going through, or what it was doing to… to everything in my life. But I think there was a part of me that didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to believe that you and… and the you I saw were —” — were the same person.

Kamilah’s thumb strokes along her knuckles slow and rhythmic. “My thoughts are the same. I am not fragments of a woman; a queen, different than a soldier, different than a killer, different than who I am today. I am all of those things and more. And perhaps still there are parts of myself I have not yet come to know.”

Nadya chances a look up while she listens, but it’s the words Kamilah doesn’t say that catch her by surprise. The ones about who that person she doesn’t know could be. And—god she hopes she’s not reading too much into this—who she could be that person with.

“I think I get it now.”

“And what would that be?”

She squeezes their hands until it hurts because she knows it’s probably the weight of a feather to someone like Kamilah.

“We were scared of the same thing and for the same reasons; you… and your past. But I wanted to know more. I—I wanted to talk about it, without thinking of how hard bringing up all of those bad memories might be for you.”

Kamilah purses her lips and offers a slow nod. “Insightful; and perhaps I was so insistent on trying to keep that knowledge from you that I did not stop to consider what… I was saying in withholding it.”

Now the question is… where do they go from here?

“So we work on that — we try and… understand what the other is doing when she…”

“Makes a mistake she instantly regrets?”

Nadya smiles, but it’s strained. “That’s half of the things I do anyway though.”

“You know my meaning in the context of this, Nadya.”

“Yeah, but that’s not my only problem.” Which isn’t the best word she could use but at the moment she’s not focusing so much on word choice as actual feelings. And Nadya… feels a problem. There’s a breath of a second where it feels like Kamilah might start to pull away, but it passes.

She thinks better of it. She tries to understand.

“You are amazing, Kamilah. You are this… super gorgeous, super smart, super old—in a good way I swear—and super experienced vampire. But it’s not a smart thing for us to—to ignore that.”

“I wasn’t under the impression we had been.”

This is more painful to admit than Nadya thought it was gonna be. There’s no turning back now though; no ‘Restart from Checkpoint’ or save to load.

And this is so so important. Nadya wants to follow through, and not just for the sake of them. She deserves it for herself. “Maybe you haven’t — but I have. I thought that was the only way we were gonna make this work. Only, if I ignore that then I’m ignoring the fact that you are always going to have a power over me. A physical one. You lashed out and…”

“And I could have hurt you.” That Kamilah’s hand tightens with hers is the literal definition of ironic but she knows it comes from a good place; the same place all that honesty was walled up inside now pouring out.

“Nadya, please tell me you know I would never have hurt you. I don’t think I could.”

“That’s not the point. The point is you were angry, and your first reaction was to try and scare me into running away.”

See, this is Nadya’s problem. There’s a reason her life is so organized — without all her colored pens and sticky notes and multiple tabs that always end up in the strangest places, she’s a literal human mess. Prone to rambling and impulsive actions that aren’t always good for her health; physical and emotional both.

She didn’t organize this part of her talk with Kamilah. She didn’t even know this part existed. And now it’s out there in the world without a label tacked on and… and…

“And I don’t think that’s something I’m quite… over, yet.”

Nadya trusts Kamilah still; she doesn’t flinch away when the woman’s free hand comes up to her cheek — thumbs away a tear she didn’t know was falling. She can separate the then from the now.

But at the end of the day her trust and the way she had felt betrayed that night… they weren’t mutually exclusive.

She turns her face into the lingering palm. When she exhales her breath rattles in her lungs.

“I miss you.”

Kamilah’s hand betrays her composed silence; the barest tremor. “I’m here, Nadya.”

Nadya who doesn’t want to pull back, never wanted to pull back… but what is she saying to herself if she doesn’t?

“I miss you,” she repeats, “and I still care about you — I don’t really see that changing any time soon. And I’ll forgive you, really—I will. I just need some time.”

I know there are no promises you’ll be there when I’m ready, or if you won’t have moved on, or if you can’t forgive me for not forgiving you, or for not understanding you, or for making you feel this way. But I feel this way too.

And in all the things she wants to say but doesn’t, Nadya’s left still and heartbroken. Completely by her own design.

The bed dips and Nadya lets her eyes flutter closed as Kamilah’s lips press to her forehead. Not so much a kiss as a touch; something sincere and solid and so so sad.

Kamilah commits the warmth and life of her to memory. Nadya dares to hope that some day they’ll have all of this again.

She has to. If anything deserves hope right now it’s them.

Finally — too soon, too damned soon — a whisper tickles at her hairline.

“I’ll be here.”

When she opens her eyes Nadya is alone.

Jax has a really good point; if the heat from Adrian’s industrial-grade blowtorch hadn’t been enough to melt the gold, then they probably didn’t need to worry about his sword scratching the stupid thing up in any way that didn’t lend to opening it.

Everyone still backs up a few paces for good measure. They’ve all seen him in action — and the man needs a wide berth.

Nadya closes her eyes and braces herself but she still isn’t prepared for the hollow screeching clang every time the sharpened steel collides with the surface of the Amulet. One—two—three.

He stops after three. Judging by the enraged determination in his eye though he’d keep going given the opportunity.

Lily throws her hands up before crossing out ‘ASSAULT BY KATANA’ on the transparent eraser board. “I’m calling it. This thing is a horcrux.”

“A what?” asks Adrian, but Nadya just gives him the now familiar “I’ll explain it later” wave-off. Because unless pop culture references were the secret puzzle to opening the Amulet of Nero they weren’t that important in the moment.

She pushes her glasses up and unsuccessfully stifles a yawn with the back of her hand. Brings her focus back to their list of attempts to crack open (literally) the case… all of which have failed miserably.

‘METALWORKING HAMMER’ ‘REGULAR HAMMER’ ‘BLOWTORCH’ ‘ASKING IT NICELY’ (Nadya’s idea) ‘OPEN SESAME’ (Maricruz’s idea) ‘ASSAULT BY KATANA’

Off to the left Lily’s circled ‘MISSING KEY??’ over and over in the corner and while they had all agreed to try and hold out on just not having found the right amount of physical force they might as well face it.

They’re running out of options.

Adrian clears his throat and stares hard enough at Nadya that the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “Ahem, Nadya, could you…?”

“Oh — yes — sorry guys, my bad.”

When she pulls the cover back over the Amulet the difference is immediate. The tension leaves her friends’ shoulders; they sit a little less restless and their eyes are a little less bordering-vampish.

Nadya wasn’t the only one who had been content to write off the strange aura that had come over the vampires in Isadora de la Rosa’s booth as nothing more than trepidation for the inevitable. Now, however, they have to face the facts.

There’s something in the Amulet that draws vampires to it. Cadence had said so himself — when he talked about generations of vampire influence. It’s not enough to incite a war (about which Nadya was admittedly worried, and with good reason given their track record) but covering it was a noticeable benefit to rational thinking.

They only have one thing going for them right now; if they can’t open it then no one else can, either. Hopefully that includes the Trinity. Maybe it even includes Gaius. Who knows? They certainly don’t.

There are too many unknowns — and they’re starting to take a toll on everyone in one form or another.

Adrian begins to gather up the dozens of data graphs spread out in front of him. “With that, I think we’ve come to a natural stopping point for the evening.” And nobody disagrees.

While Nadya carefully wraps the Amulet back up to return it to the R&D vault, Lily leans on her elbows and watches.

“I take it we still haven’t heard from Cadence? What about calling up Izzy?”

If only she had good news to give. “Nope; and I already did. She definitely remembers feeling that weird magnetism to it before it was repossessed by Persephone but nothing beyond that that she knew of. Actually,” she throws a look over to Adrian, “she suggested one thing; witch-fire? Something like that.”

He seems hesitant to mull the idea over. But they were desperate enough to let Jax hit it repeatedly, so…

“I’ll look into a few contacts. That kind of magic should only be used sparingly and in dire cases.”

“Would this count?”

A beat. “Probably. We would have to run it by the Council, though.” Which kind of nulls even the idea. Since everyone had agreed not to tell the rest of the Council yet. Not only because of the Amulet’s potential.

Lester, Priya, the Baron — Nadya likes to try and see the best in people as much as possible but they don’t make it easy on her. None of them are certain who would, if it came down to it, side against Gaius for a second time.

Nothing is unlikely anymore.

Wow, their shortest-lived idea yet.

Nadya nods towards the vault for Lily to follow. “As for the other thing — Kathy’s starting to get worried. I guess he left town a day after we did.” Which the Nighthunter had admitted wasn’t off-brand for Cadence. But the museum had let slip (which Nadya knows means ‘been bullied into admitting’) that he had been granted a leave of absence; very off-brand.

“The one thing he’s always had is that damn museum. No identity, no Izzy, and we both know I’m a recent development. He was a manic mess the first time that kind of dissociation happened.” The Nighthunter had kept her cool better than Nadya would have in her situation. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried ill.

“What if it’s worse this time,” even through the phone she couldn’t hide her concern; her fear, “what if he hurts himself? What if he hurts someone else?”

Hopefully they find him soon. But she’s met that strange group of people; the regulars at the Graveyard Shift. If anyone has the ability (and sheer force of stubborn will, to be honest) to find Cadence it’s them.

“I mean, if I went Jekyll and Hyde around a chick as crazy as that Trinity woman, I’d probably want to get away for my own health too.”

Lily’s comment doesn’t sit well with her; luckily at her admonishing look she at least looks apologetic. “You know what I mean.”

“I also know a little bit of what he’s going through.”

There’s an “ahem” behind them as Nadya spins the wheel on the vault. Adrian definitely has the look of someone who knows he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping but was anyway.

“Speaking of.”

Only… she’d rather not speak of it until it becomes a problem. “It’s fine,” she replies, and waves it off. That was what they’d agreed on for the time being, right? And there haven’t been any problems.

Turns out feeling the weight of relationship-burdened depression the moment you walk through your front door lends to a pretty heavy sleeping pattern. Like Nadya’s body doesn’t want her to do anything but try to get through the next day, and the next, and maybe… just maybe the one after that.

Adrian doesn’t seem immediately convinced. “Promise?”

“Pinky promise.” Which — he still doesn’t really get the concept but the verbal agreement is enough.

Once the lab is fully shut down they manage to pile together into the elevator. Jax thumbs at his phone, blows the hair out of his eyes just a little too close to Nadya’s ear for her liking. She swats him away because personal bubble.

“What’s the matter?”

“Eh, Espinoza wants —” But he catches himself with a look in Lily’s direction. “— something. She wants something. And I gotta… go get it.”

Nadya and Adrian just shake their heads and laugh at him while Lily pretends with absolutely no tact whatsoever not to know what he’s talking about. She even sticks her fingers in her ears like that’ll somehow stop her super vampire hearing.

Jax, somehow with even less tact, like negative tact, takes it as permission to lean and murmur on Nadya’s free side. “Apparently Lula got into the cake. So…”

“Weren’t there three?” Adrian hisses, surprised.

“You’ll get it when you meet her.”

Nadya reaches around and pats Jax’s chest awkwardly. “Good luck with that. Maybe try putting them in the passenger seat this time.”

“Shut up.”

“Just saying… third time’s the charm you know.”

When she gives Lily a nod in ‘all clear’ everyone knows she heard everything. But she’s just excited to know Maricruz is going as all-out as she possibly can, so who would be so heartless as to spoil the whole thing by just admitting the obvious?

Adrian lets them all off on the ground level and offers Nadya one last chance to go home early. “What do you pay her for if you keep giving her chances to not work?” And Jax raises a good point — too good of a point. She maybe shoves him in front of her with all her might, and he maybe stumbles. The world may never know. “Just saying — let me know next time there’s an opening.”

“I’ll be up in a sec. I just have to stake him first.”

She and Lily wave until the doors close. Yes, they live together and see each other every day. Yes, they recently defied death in New Orleans together. But its rare now that Nadya and Lily get a chance to unwind like they used to. So whenever it comes along they’re both there to indulge greedy and giggling.

“Mari’s really going all out with this party, huh?”

It’s a valiant effort but Lily doesn’t look so much humbly embarrassed as expectantly excited. “I think I’m in love, Nadi’,” she jumps the next few steps like hopscotch, “she was fully ready to get a bouncy castle.”

“How are they going to fit a bouncy castle in the Shadow Den?”

“Oh I didn’t say I let her. But she was planning on it, and isn’t that what true love is all about?”

Nadya tries not to falter. Key word being tries. And around anyone else she might do everything in her power not to draw attention to it but this is Lily. Who found her huddled up in bed hours after Kamilah’s farewell and called to cancel her own date to stay with her; to be there for her and give her all the hugs she desperately needed but didn’t know how to ask for.

She doesn’t need to pretend around that kind of love and friendship.

But before Nadya can apologize Lily starts up an air drum solo in front of her while they walk. “And winner for Most Insensitive Best Friend Ever is — drum roll…”

“You’re fine, Lil’.”

“I’m gushing about my life while you’re… not so hot.”

Nope, Nadya won’t have it. “You’re gonna gush because you have every right to gush, okay? You’ve been a vampire for a whole year. That’s super important. You survived Turning, became the digital fanged crusader, and it’s ten times more cool because you did it all without a brand. Jax and Adrian can’t say that. Heck… even Kamilah can’t.

“So if you want a Turning party, you’re gonna get a Turning party. I’m not the only one who thinks you’re worth celebrating.” They lace their fingers and Nadya squeezes. “Plus if Jax shows up with the third set of cakes to a canceled party I think he might flip his lid.”

Lily gives a dramatic little sniffle — pretends to wipe a nonexistent tear from her eye. “Please tell me you just memorized all that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be the speech to end all speeches.”

Together they play-shove all the way through the Raines Building atrium. Right before the revolving door Lily spins her around, takes both of their hands together and swings them gently.

“Do you want me to uninvite her? She probably doesn’t even care.”

“No — and even if we broke up, like, badly I wouldn’t want that. I’m just not that kind of person.”

“True, you’d probably invite them to Christmas dinner or something.”

She rolls her eyes at that and ignores it for her own sanity. “And for the record — as someone with experience in decoding Kamilah-isms, I think you surprised her. She admires strength, and Lily… you’re the strongest person I know.”

When they hug, like always, their glasses get jostled in the middle and the following laughter lightens both of their hearts. Lily makes her promise to add that last line to her speech (which inadvertently is a promise to write a speech, she’s guessing) and only when she’s out the doors and around the corner of the block does Nadya head back up to the office.

Adrian is leaning in his open doorway when she exits the elevator — Nadya slows her steps for a hesitant second before coming to realize he’s just having another one of his pensive moods. He’s been having them a lot lately. More and more since they returned from New Orleans.

This one looks different though. He’s not staring into space — he’s staring at her.

“What?” She finally yields, glancing at her boss over her shoulder while the computer boots up slow as a snail. “What’s that face for?”

Nadya nearly convinces herself he isn’t going to answer.

“It’s good to see you smiling, that’s all.” He leans out and squeezes her shoulder; something soft and friendly and so sweet her teeth ache from it. Before Adrian can pull away Nadya makes sure to return the gesture.

“It’s good to smile,” which is far more bleak than she would like, “you know something?”

Adrian pauses mid-step. “Hm?”

“It’s even better to mean it.”

[fae-redux]

rules of the game: ch. 7 - melt your headaches, call it home

Story Summary:

The Evergreen and Imagi were never quite in peacetime. Roman’s just trying to figure out how to survive and succeed his mother. Logan wants to live long enough to use his magic however he wants. Patton is coasting while repressing everything, still trying to figure out what feelings are.

Virgil doesn’t want to change the world.

Luckily, it isn’t up to him.

first | ao3 | prev

Chapter Summary: Learning the learning process.

Word count: 2484

Pairings: future lamp, platonic anxceit

~|~

“Now remember, Val isn’t still settling so she will be there if you go wandering off. If you don’t stick with me, who knows what could happen?”

Dee’s tone is light as he leads him further into the building, but Virgil can’t help the shudder that racks his spine as he follows him. It’s not like Dee has much to worry about, being a winter fae in a winter court. Virgil has done his research and being a spring isn’t likely to do him any favors here. 

Building is a term he would use lightly, room even less so, the three walls towering over their heads, separating the space from the rest of the woods. The floor of the structure is marbled in an ice-like design that casts a light glow. Tall windows end somewhere in the sky, their edges pointing in tips, glinting in the light. The entrance is a gradual shift between the fields and the marble, like one second he could be walking in grass and the next he could skate along the floors.

At the end of the room, there is a singular throne. The cool marble travels upward to create the back, branches of wood curling to the arms and sides. Just looking at it, Virgil can feel the skin of his fingers itch to reach out, to touch.

Behind the throne, a spiral staircase leads into the sky, disappearing as the walls get cloudier. He stares upwards to try and see where it leads, but there’s nothing above it. Dee shoves an elbow in his side before he can get a better look. 

“Unless you want to see Val angry, I wouldn’t suggest you take another step forward,” Dee tugs him back to his side. “I don’t understand that you’ve never been to a fae court before, but you definitely have been in a court before if your past isn't to be believed.”

With only a few feet between where he stands and the throne, Virgil can barely comprehend how he let his curiosity get the best of him. He deliberately takes a few steps back and locks his gaze to the floor. If Adelaide had seen him do something so audacious as to approach her throne while she wasn’t in the room, she would’ve done something worse than take his head off.

The fae queen didn’t seem to be that kind of ruler, but Dee is right. There’s no telling what she would do to him if she were to find out he was within a five feet radius of her throne. Sticking with Dee suddenly feels a lot easier with the context of Adelaide’s court thudding around his skull.

So, taking the gloved hand that tugged him back in his own and clearing his throat, he says, “I would feel better if I could just hang on to you for now, so I don’t,” He gestures around to the throne, “You know.” Awkwardly, he ducks his head down again so he doesn’t have to see Dee judging him.

Instead, Dee softens and offers him his arm, “This won’t be more comfortable. I can’t steer you in the right direction.” Smiling, Dee pulls him through an arch in the wall a little further away, he continues, “We aren’t almost where we need to go anyways.”

Virgil takes a deep breath, fits himself further into Dee’s side, and lets himself be led.

~|~

Dot hasn’t had a coffee all morning. In fact, she hasn’t had a coffee in five days because Larry refuses to get her one from the human town on the outskirts because he hasn’t found the perfect shop yet since their regular one closed. 

To conclude, Dot is very, very tired. 

She is so tired that the boy who is sticking to the side of her very good friend Dee gets her full attention as soon as he walks in the room. The poor thing is shifting his gaze awkwardly back and forth, skittish, clearly here under some sort of duress.

“Oh no, nope, no, I’m not having it, where did you find this kid, Dee? Did you kidnap him?” She nudges herself in between them, using her body to pull him away and set the small fae next to her desk, turning back to shoot a glare at Dee before she turns to him, “Did he kidnap you? Are you okay?”

When the kid just blinks at her, stunned from the fact that she had just moved him like he weighed as much as a feather, she rounds on Dee, who immediately puts both his hands up in surrender, his cane hanging off his thumb. “Can you define kidnap?” He smiles innocently at her enraged noise and moves his hands to block her strikes as she takes off her glove just to whack him with it. 

“I’ve no time for your kidding, Lapointe!” She snaps as he backs up giggling. 

“Uhh, Lapointe?” The tiny fae speaks for the first time since the pair entered the room. As what seems to be an afterthought, he adds, “And he didn’t kidnap me so much as make sure I couldn’t go back to where I was before.”

“On purpose,” Dee adds, like it would make his story any nicer. He dances out of the way as she reaches for him again. 

“Of course you did,” Dot sighs and rubs at her temples. This would be so much easier to figure out with a single drop of coffee in her system. “So you’re okay with him?” Tiny fae nods. “Then what are you here for, Dee?”

“He doesn’t have plant ancestry and there’s nobody to teach him. I didn’t cover the magic I knew, but I do know the first thing about plant magic, so I wasn’t hoping you would know what to do.”

Dot considers the situation for a moment. The fae standing next to her desk had to be at least a teenager, fifteen years old easily. If Dee had taught him illusion magic and the fae had been able to replicate that magic, there would be no way he had plant magic. 

Fae don’t really mix magic. In children born to two different magical backgrounds, they would receive an affinity for one or the other, not both. Even with that in mind, by Val’s decree, it would be impossible for a fae this old to never have been taught to use their magic until now. The children of this kingdom started early. Really early. Like, five years old, early.

“How old are you?” She settles on asking first because this onslaught of magical theory is probably not what he needs at the moment. “And what should I call you?”

“Vee, and I’m seventeen,” Vee fills in, shifting uncomfortably behind the table, eyeing Dee and the exit behind him.

Once more, she rounds on Dee. “Does Val know about him?” There’s no way someone withholding training from a fae for this long wouldn’t be punished. Forgetting how dangerous it was to keep a fae’s magic wild, it was abuse. By the looks of him, his ears hadn’t even pointed yet, so he mustn’t’ve had much time exposed to the Evergreen’s magic. Val would be furious enough to organize a hunt.

“She didn’t know since he came to live with me,” So he probably took care of the party in question, Vee’s answer about the kidnapping theory makes more sense now. She relaxes. Dee hesitates, “I wouldn’t like to train him as an apprentice if you agree to help him.”

“For your potions?” She pointedly looks at him over her glasses. He nods and taps his cane down. “Okay. So. Plant magic.” The lesson plans she has are for the younger fae in the kingdom, but she can teach an older kid. What’s a little more work anyways? 

She’s already making a list of the materials she would need for an older fae. There are fae better suited for teaching older kids, but the kids they teach are usually versed in the magic they specialize in. There are so many people she would love to talk to about this, but with dual magics, it should probably stay private. It makes its way into her muttering and into her hands as she reaches for a notebook and pens.

Vee doesn’t look ready to bolt anymore, a little more relaxed now that she’s absorbed in her work. If he had any training earlier, there would be things to avoid. Especially from someone who purposefully kept him from the education he needed. Dot needs to know so much more about him to get the plans right. 

“I’ll need to see Vee every day for the next week so I can plan properly to curate the lessons to his learning style,” Gathering her focus to talk to the two of them, she lets Vee get out from around her desk to get back to Dee. “Otherwise, you’re free to go. Tomorrow after lunch?”

At Dee’s nod, she gets back to work. Dual magic is wild. There isn’t a single fae in the forest with it. To start training a fae so much older would be difficult, but if she does this right, he will have both magics in full capacity without losing either affinity. Let no one say Dot isn’t ever up for a challenge.

~|~

Dee can hear the sound of a clock ticking time away in the back of his skull the longer Vee stays with Dot. 

He’s been slowly but surely developing more fae traits, the tips of his ears curving up more, his hair turning a more violet color, and his two incisors elongating. It’s startling to see how much exposure to the Evergreen has affected him.

Dot has way too many questions, ones she only asks when Vee is out of earshot. If she didn’t care about Vee’s well-being so much, it would be annoying. She’s managed to figure out how to get him to stop flinching every time they come near him and he takes to her like a baby duck imprints on the first thing it sees. He lets her go with the assumption that Vee had been with some dastardly fae that he had stumbled upon by chance. 

If people were to find out about where Vee really was from, riots would start for a bargaining chip on Adelaide, and if he knew Vee, and he did, the kid would offer in a minute. The last thing Vee needs is any more stress on his head.

As it stands, the magic lessons are also kept under tight wraps. There is no precedence for a fae with two types of magic. In fact, he’s gone through every ancestry book he has, and there hasn’t even been a case where a fae made a deal into two types of affinities. A normal fae couldn’t make deals into it as far as history dictates.

With his magic registers filling up the more he uses his magic, Vee is getting confident. The added benefit of going to court so often, he’s finding it easier to traverse the Evergreen without Dee. The clock gets louder every time he asks to go exploring on his own.

The cord connecting him to Vee gets heavier, too. The deal made Vee immortal, or it was supposed to replicate Dee’s own immortality, and as far as he’d seen, the only thing it had done was make Vee more fae. Guilt sits in him like a stone, heavy and unmoving.

His reasoning when he had found him was to keep him alive, but he hadn’t really known why at the time. He hadn’t been lying when he said Nellie had been a part of it, along with the mercenaries from Adelaide, but there had been something about him, fate or something equally nonsensical, that made Dee hesitate to go back inside. The naiads would have finished healing him, but Dee needed something from him.

He just knows he needed that something, whether it be company or maybe he saw potential or worse kindness, and that’s all. The cord is the brightest one, a beautiful, royal shade of purple, and it's the strongest of them as well. He doesn’t tell Vee about the feeling.

It doesn’t help that he looks so much like Linus.

Or that he talks so much like Thomas.

The work of true love’s kiss had maybe had a little to do with how much he reminded him of how things used to be.

Regardless, certain Vee’s going to leave as soon as Dot gets comfortable enough to trust him to use his own magic safely, Dee uses the time he has with Vee to teach him the basics of potion-making and how to recognize plants for the craft. 

Not surprising with the groundwork that Dot has been laying, he picks it up like a duck to water. Even less surprising, the first thing he manages to summon successfully is catmint, smiling smugly from the floor as the cats surround him as Dee blocks the doorway so more cats don’t figure out what he has (a useless endeavor). The cats stay in the house for days. 

Even the snakes have picked up on Dee’s perpetual insecurity of Vee’s leave. They hiss at his feet whenever he goes outside to drop Vee at Dot’s, or even when he supervises Vee’s interactions with the other animals of the forest. He can feel their judgement coming from where they gather in the library.

The inevitability comes after six months of daily training. There’s a clearing a half-hour’s ride away from Dee’s place that Vee has taken a fondness too, as well as a chicken who claims to own the place. It stands to reason he will take the cats with him.

Dee waves him off, telling him of course he can’t stay as long as he pleases and to never come visit, and Vee grins back at him saying he’d be over so much he would get sick of him, dad.

He putters around like he didn’t hear the title, but internally he registers it with a growing fondness for Vee and all the things that come with him. He considers all the names that belong to him, names that are as much a part of him as his hands, names he can’t have, all the names he gave up and the ones taken away from him, and to the end of that long list, tacks on father. 

If Vee said it in jest or not, it doesn’t matter. Vee has added this name to his life. 

Dee is fairly certain he will miss him dearly when he chooses to leave.

[jj-lynn21]

The Dinner Party

Warnings: virus social distancing talk, flirtation, heavy drinking,  a dash of Roman & Peter  not so secret infatuation for each other. angst.

Runners body, long legs, Roman couldn’t use the coffee maker but he could cook and he looked sexy as Hell doing it. This afternoon he informed you Letha and Peter were coming over to get her out of the trailer for a while. You already knew she was going a little stir crazy the first few days. Its almost two weeks in and Peter thinks he might have to tie her to a chair during the next full moon April 7th.

“Letha really needs to get out without actually going anywhere with the rest of society in a big crowd.” Roman stirs the sauce he is making, adds some chopped tomato and Italian seasoning. “Hopefully, she will be comfortable enough that she can stay here when Peter does his thing next month.”

“Yeah, its probably a great idea,” You set the table “They are going to be here over night?”

“Yes, we have plenty of Room, Princess.” He picks the pan up moving it to swirl the contents. “Make sure you put the regular wine out. I am pretty sure we have three or four bottles behind the new bottles of Vee special blend. Who knows what that stuff would make them feel.”

You laugh, “Horny house guesses. That would be a fun party.”

“Hey, I told you before I hate sharing my property.” He chastises you.

“Hey, you already shared me with Bill.” You grinned thinking about that event. “And I shared you if memory serves.”

“He’s different,” Roman mumbled. “I should contact them to see if they have an air strip close enough, I can fly us out to Vegas. It would be interesting to see how they do things there.”

He added ravioli to the boiling sauce. Roman had made the ravioli from scratch this morning with three cheeses, beef and sausage in each one. You put three bottles of regular wine on the table. A buzzer goes off. Roman gets the cheese stuffed rolls out of the oven. You are really in aww of his culinary skills.

“I can’t believe you made all this Roman.” You helped him set the food on the table nicely.

“I told you I wanted to fuck the maid when I was a teenager,” He smirked.

“Well, did you ever get to?” He made you to curious. “I mean I know you said you were twelve, but I’ve heard things.”

“She was with us a while.” Roman rearranged some things on the table not looking at you. “I was sixteen and she was nineteen. Still she wasn’t our maid after that. I didn’t know shit about having sex. I thought I did. And she made me feel good about it, but I didn’t know shit. But now I can really take care of my maid.” He winked at you as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get the door Mr. Godfrey,” You giggled.

He puts his arm around your waist walking to the door with you, “such a fucking little tease,” He opens the door to his cousin and best friend. “Hey, come on inside.” Roman steps aside pulling you with him.

Peter and Letha walk inside. Peter takes off her coat, “Its fucking freezing out tonight.”

“I’ll hang that up, Peter, and your coat to,” You say happily. “I’m the only maid service here right now.” You wink at Roman.

Roman just looks at you intently. You’re not sure if he is getting pissed or really turned on again. Either way you are probably in some sort of trouble. You hang up their coats and sit on the right side of Roman who is at the head of the table. Letha sits on his left, Peter beside her.

“Quite a spread here without help,” Peter put some ravioli on his plate and grabbed a cheese bread. “I was thinking you two would have take out or basic sandwiches maybe.”

“Roman is a secret gourmet,” you brag.

“Oh, I remember why he started getting into cooking,” Letha giggles. “He had a crush on the maid.” She giggles more. “I hated when I came over and she was gone. No more pasta with loads of cheese and sauce like this. Healthy food all the time sucks balls.”

You laugh at her terminology. Top off everyone’s wine glasses.

“Godfrey you didn’t,” Peter pretended to be surprised.

Roman shrugged and continued to eat.

“Roman we should go to the amusement park.” Letha whined. “All of us with no one else. I wouldn’t come across this virus if it was just us.”

Roman grimaced hating to disappoint his cousin. “No can-do sweet heart.” He sipped his wine. “We need the ride technicians to operate the rides and run the games for us to have a good time. If they are smart, they are all at home chillin’. I’m not going to force them to come out for our entertainment. We don’t even know if they have it. You might get it from one of them Letha. I’m not taking that chance.”

“I agree with Roman, babe.” Peter commented.

Changing the subject, you get up clearing some dishes, “How about some California cheesecake? We had that delivered.”

“Sure,” Letha said.

“Sounds,” Peter said.

“I’ll take whatever your offering, Princess.” Roman was practically salivating as he watched you take the dishes out to the sink. The fact he could see your breasts in the deep V black cocktail dress you wore when you bent down to get his plate didn’t help stirs he was feeling in his pants. He cracked his neck trying to relieve some pressure as he watched you.

“I’ll help you,” Letha got up to help you get the cheesecake for everyone.

“I think you got yourself another hot maid,” Peter chuckled.

Roman licked his lips watching you cut the cheesecake as Letha held out a plate to put it on, “Uh hum.” It was more of a sound than an answer to Peter who he wasn’t really paying attention to.

“Earth to Roman.” Peter snapped his fingers.

Roman blinks, “What man?”

“You really have a serious maid fetish.” He drinks the last of his wine and pours some more out of the last bottle. Tops off everyone else’s glasses.

“You have no idea,” Roman glances back at you and Letha to make sure you’re not coming back. “I bought her this little maid outfit. Best roleplay idea I ever had. It was hot as fuck. We could barely move after the fuckfest.”

Peter shakes his head. “Fuckfest, that’s a gentlemanly way to phase…” He hears you and Letha behind him, so he shuts up.

You serve Roman his cheesecake, “here you go Mr. Godfrey.” You smile.

Roman grins, “Thank you.”

Letha and you both giggle.

“Here you are Mr. Rumancek,” Letha dips her finger in his cheesecake and sucks it in her mouth. “Mmmm I think your going to like it.”

Roman tilts his head watching Letha in an interesting way. He gets some of the creamy cheesecake on his fork and feeds it to you when you sit down. “Teaching my cousin your naughty habits, aren’t you?”

Letha giggles more the wine starting to make her feel happier with her situation not really caring she can’t go outside. “She did Roman.” She took a bite of cheesecake and leaned over to kiss Peter to share in a whole other way.

“Brat,” you laughed. “you’re going to get me in trouble.

Roman chuckles.

“Well, she was telling me how much you enjoyed her playing maid to your boss.” She giggled so much she almost fell out of her seat.

Peter caught her and she was on his lap finishing his cheesecake. “Such a light weight,” Peter chuckled.

Roman and you both laughed. The wine making even you two a little tipsy.

“SShall we retire to the living room to watch a movie?” Roman said with the confidence of a man trying to deny he was getting drunk.

“I’lll get us more vine wine,” giggled Letha. She stands putting her arms out for balance. “Your houssse the the hill iss ssso sslanty,”

“Yeah, I bet it feels that way right now.” Roman chuckled. “You need help sweetie?”

Peter is already up going to help her.

“I got it,” Letha steadies herself, holding straight, walking matter of factly towards the wine rack mini refrigerator.

You and Roman start clearing the table. “You know I wouldn’t normally help you with cleaning Miss.” His eyes glossy like green glass.

“Thank you, Mr. Godfrey,” You laugh so hard you snort a little which just makes you short laugh more.

Roman laughs so hard he almost dropped the dishes he is carrying. Peter grabs the wine glasses. Letha came back with a bottle to fill them. They both carried them in living room sitting on the long couch. Roman and Peter towards the center. Its not like they weren’t right beside each other but as they spread to get comfortable their knees touched. It was a comforting feeling for them both.

Of course, Roman had his arm around you and buried his face in your neck for a time. His hand gliding under your skirt. He had pulled a blanket over your laps. He moved to your ear whispering some of the dialogue from the Romeo and Juliet movie Letha had put in to watch. “Did my heart love 'til now? Forswear its sight. For I never saw true beauty 'til this night.”

“Shit Roman that sounded better than him.” You stared at him biting your lip.

“I have that shit memorized,” Roman looked at you. “Glad you like it.”

Peter and Letha are drinking the wine she poured and getting more amorous than they normally would be in front of you and Roman.  You and Roman hear him growl and glance over. They are making out like crazy.

“Um I think you two should go upstairs,” Roman suggests.

Letha giggled, “Sounds like someone is jealous.”

“Oh yeah,” Peter turns to Roman. “Can’t leave a Godfrey unsatisfied.” His eyes all glossy and slightly closed he pulls Roman to him kissing him. His hands rest on Roman’s hips as Roman turns into him.

Roman grabs Peter’s face pulling away to get a breath, “You won’t remember this man, but I wish you wanted it as much as you think you do.” Roman kisses him again with deep pent up passion.

Letha’s mouth has dropped open with surprise. 

You bite your lip not that surprised. Maybe even a little turned on by the sight. You grab your glass of wine and take a drink. “Oh, shit.” You grab the mostly empty glass from Letha’s hand. “Roman they were drinking the special wine.”

He pulls away from Peter. Let out a big sigh, “fuck, we should get them to a guest room upstairs. They can fuck off their horniness together and sleep it off. Letha is to drunk to remember anything and I told Peter not to. He wouldn’t want to anyway.” Roman’s eyes got a little wet, but he held on to his emotions as he always did about Peter.

Peter starts making out with Letha again.

You put your hand on Roman’s back. “Hey, it’s not like it makes him do anything he wouldn’t want deep down to do. He’s just scared of his true feelings. So, maybe eventually.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Roman gets up and grabs Peter’s hand. “Let’s take the party up stair bud.”

Peter gets up to follow Roman. “I’d follow you anywhere man. To Hell and hopefully back if need be.”

“I know Peter.” He helps him up the stairs.

Peter pulls Letha with him. You walk behind Letha, so she doesn’t fall down the stairs with her faulty balance. She is just giggling the whole time.

You and Roman get them into the bed. As you are leaving, they both say, “Stay with us.”

Roman takes a deep breath. “Not tonight guys.”

You and Roman walk hand and hand to your bedroom. You figure you can clean up the party tomorrow. Roman will need your full attention until he falls asleep. You strip to your bra and panties. Roman to his boxers. And both get in bed.

Roman’s arms are wrapped around your waist. He let’s his emotions fly. Tears stream down his face, “Why can’t I always have everything I want, Princess.”

One hand rubs his back. The other hand’s fingers run through his hair. “I’m sorry the world just doesn’t work like that, Roman.”

[yvcttes-blog]

check me out, sliding my intro in here like i haven’t been slacking hard and wasting my time watching youtube videos... ANYWAYS. hello doves! i’m vee (she/her) and i’m hyped af. fair warning, if you plot with me i will come at you with head canons at any point of the day. probably in all caps. and if you’ve read this, we kinda have to plot or gush about our muses ok. i don't make the rules.

if your lazy like me and you want the cheat version and just the bare bones basics, just scroll your cute butt to the bottom and i’ve have some bullet points so you get the just of it, yeah?

if your brave and you wanna get to the dirty details, i wrote a little (actually it’s huge ok) bio thing for her but honestly, feel free to skip this part because i went hard and it’s not short ok. it’s gonna take a hot minute. but it’s a little boujee bio so give yourselves a pat on the back if you managed to read it all.. bless you and your beautiful soul.

** also !! in case you’re confused, auto correct is the devil. her name is Yvette.

( ashley moore. cisfemale. she/her ) // oh god. was that ( yvette martin ) the ( caterer ) on set ? i heard everyone in valence studios calls them ( yve ) though, you should go and say hi because they’re pretty ( charismatic ) though i’ve been told they can also be ( enigmatic ). if anything, they’re known to be the ( reticent ). if i had to describe their story in six words it’ll be ( the cuts healed, her heart didn’t ).

I. YOU’RE THREE YEARS OLD. the memory is hazy; all blurred out edges and fabricated details at best. all you truly have is your parents colourful recollection to go by but here, this moment is the beginning of everything. you’re three years old and on your way to your very first dance class. it’s not terribly impressive. the dance studio is small and all assortments of children bounce around, their reflections doubling, tripping against the mirrored walls. your fingers curl in the fabric of your small tutu and giggles slip past your lips every time your ponytail swings round. they tell you feathery tales of how your eyes lit up like stars and how the grin stay plastered to your face for hours to come. they talk about how even after one class, you knew you only wanted to dance. II. YOU’RE SIX YEARS OLD. america; the land of opportunities, they say. clutching tight to your sister’s hand, you step off the plane and into what is to be your knew home. it’s louder and busier then france ever was. the language is hard and clipped and gratingly foreign to your ears. it’s horrible at first; your heart so desperately wishing it could go back, go home, but your mother wipes your tears and promises you a better world, a new life. your young mind begins to soak up the foreign tongue like a sponge, your toes find purchase on a new dance floor and you surround yourself with new friends. america as it turns out, is not as bad as you thought. III. YOU’RE TWELVE YEARS OLD. words like ‘exotic’ and ‘reclusive’ are thrown around. they are much more preferable to the ones whispered behind your back. teenagers, you discover, are far more cruel then their young souls ought to be. you’re different from your classmates, your skin is darker and your hair wilder and your eyes are not the colour of summer grass but rather of freshly ground soil. you’re an easy target, or so they believe. you don’t have time to hang out after school or swap chatter over reality television during breaks. your days are littered with school work and your nights are spent perched on pointe, trying to make the seemingly impossible look as natural as breathing. your toes bleed, your skin blooms with angry bruises and your muscles scream for mercy, but you tape up your cuts and ice your bruises and do it all over again. you tell yourself that it doesn’t matter what you’ve had to sacrifice, it doesn’t matter that your childhood friends have abandoned you because you’re a dancer. this is the price you pay to be great. IV. YOU’RE FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. julliard comes knocking at your door. a school revered for it’s dance program, for training the very best of the best and they want you. they extend an invitation to fly to new york for their prestigious summer program; to train with their teachers, to learn and impress and dance on the very stage that produced legends. you can’t say yes fast enough, can’t pack your bags fast enough. it’s a strain on finances and a gruelling test on your body, but every compliment thrown your way makes it all worth while. next year, there will be a spot waiting for you. you’re heaving on the floor, spent and drained but you feel as though you’re about to be split open and stuffed to the brim with blazing sunshine. V. YOU’RE SIXTEEN YEARS OLD. it all ends with a bang. with a crunch. with the deafening sound of metal and glass and pure devastation all mashed together. it’s an accident, or that’s what they tell you. an eighteen wheeler ran off the road and straight into your car. they tell you it was instant, that she felt no pain in an attempt to make it somehow easier to swallow. not even the drugs pulsing through your veins can quell the shattering of your heart, your soul. your sister is gone. you survived, left with nothing but screws in your knee and a titanium rod connecting the bones in your leg. one broken ballerina cursed with bones made of tin. this is not how the story goes. VI. you begin to know the inside of hospital walls as well as most girls know their favourite malls. the smell of antiseptic, the bleach white walls and the cooing sounds of nurses soon becomes the soundtrack to your days. it’s horribly uncomfortable, trying to reteach your body how to do something that was once so innate. with every bend, every stretch, it’s a struggle not to wince, not to grimace in pain. breaking in pointe shoes is preferable to this suffering. no one said rebuilding your body would be easy, but they also never told you just how hard it would be. you break and break and break again but somehow, some way you get back up. eventually you stop cringing so often. eventually the exercises become easier. you can move freely now, gaining back an almost full range of motion. you add in weights and you start testing the limits of this body of yours that feels brand new and yet impossible old all at the same time. VII. they always told you that if your work hard enough, if you want something bad enough, you can do anything. they don’t tell you how cruel this world can be. because while your doctor clears you to dance again, he only does so after strapping a ball and chain to your ankles. yes you can dance, but not like you used to. never like you used to. your knee can’t handle the strain, they said. the pressure and utter perfection ballet demands is much too big for a broken body to handle. julliard rescinds it’s offer; they are in the business of dancers and you are no longer what they need. scholarships vanish along with everything that made you who you were. and just like that, your dream has slipped forever out of your grasp. you are shards of a shattered doll, carelessly glued back together in an abstract picture of what once was. whole once more but forever broken. VIII. YOU’RE SIXTEEN YEARS OLD. your family is fractured. your father can’t look at your mother without seeing the daughter he lost and your mother can’t look at you without being reminded of the child she’ll never see. your father tells you that it will get better, that your mother can’t help it, that he will always love you. he talks of your sisters death like it’s the weight of the world, crushing the bones in atlas’ back. you want to scream, want to cry because you’re hurting too but no one seems to hear it. but grief is a festering wound and no amount of settlement money can stitch it back together. your parents never stop fighting. your mother can never quite look you in the eyes, can’t stand to be around you for more then a few fleeting moments. your father moves out because he can’t stand the inside of your family home anymore. the divorce is only the last nail in the coffin. you’re all that’s left when the dust settles. IX. YOU’RE SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD. try, just try. words your therapist whispers over and over again. those delicate balcony doors leaning towards a ballet career have been chained shut but you can’t seem to tear yourself away from them, to turn your back on the dream you lost. try, she says. a women like you can not survive without passion. she pushes and prods and demands more and more from you, prying you open with the bend of a crowbar, with the sharp edges of a blade. try. so you do. if only out of spite at first, if only to shove each failure back into her face. you can’t find the stillness required to get through a book or the fine tuned ear to create symphonies in your mind and you’re certainly no artist either. but eventually you stumble into the kitchen. there is a strange sense of calm you discover amongst the pots and pans, an innate rhythm your body seems to fall into. it’s almost a dance, for lack of a better word. it’s something. X. YOU’RE EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. you haven’t swapped one dream for another. that’s not how this passion thing works. but you’ve found a place to take refuge, a place to quiet the raging of a restless soul like yours. you’ve always been good in the kitchen, but now you’re becoming great. mixing and crushing and blending ingredients together feels a bit like breaking apart choreography. soaking up steps in the form of skills and designing routines has morphed into crafting recipes. it’s individual ingredients and steps that weave together to create something like art. no, not something like it. art. and for the first time in a long time, you find yourself wanting again. XI. YOU’RE NINETEEN YEARS OLD. your father is getting married again. he extends the invite like a bouquet of wilting daisies. he’s still your father, he always will be, or at least those are the words he whispers to you. but he’s found a new life. he’s moving on and crafting a future with someone new and you will always be a chapter in his past. you haven’t spoken to your mother in what feels like forever; of course she doesn’t come to the ceremony. you’re father grins brilliantly and all his guests cheer because he’s finally getting a second chance to do this family thing right. that night you don’t weep at the edge of your sister’s grave, the tears won’t come. instead it feels like the bitter end to something that had broke long again. it’s just you now. XII. YOU’RE TWENTY YEARS OLD. you’re working in a food truck when the offer comes. you’ve worked long and hard and absorbed as much knowledge as you can from your superiors but you’ve got your own truck now. she’s a customer you’ve seen a few times now, always coming back for more and more despite the hurried way she seems to gulp down each helping of food. instead of shouting her order up at the open window, she lingers, only approaching when the mass of customers has finally died down. she offers you a job, catering for a network she represents. the hours are longer but the pay is better and the menu is yours to create. you jumps at the chance. XII. YOU’RE TWENTY ONE YEARS OLD. your days are filled with vibrancy and noise and an array of flavours so bold it’s a struggle to keep the excitement at bay. you get the freedom to experiment and the challenge of creating for a multitude of artists. you’re days are louder then life but your nights take on a quieter note. despite the livelihood of the day, you retreat back to an empty apartment. some nights are harder then others; when the silence is particularly heavy and the weight of it all presses down hard enough to make your bones splinter. on those nights you wonder if you’re too far gone to come back. your leg still twinges when the temperature drops and your skin is still riddled with scars but you’re moving and you’re creating and feeling and that is enough for now. it has to be enough.

OKAY QUICKIE INFO:

she’s a frenchie. born in france but she moved to america when she was six so she’s got that bilingual life.

she’s a cateror for the show, so when you’re hungry and craving all the goodies, she’s your girl ok.

she used to be a ballet dancer and a really fucking good one.

when she was sixteen, her and her sister got into a car accident and while she survived, her sister didn’t. it really messed up her leg and she ended up needing to get screws in her knee and a metal rod in her leg. and while she spent months doing physical therapy and rebuilding her strength, she just wasn’t able to dance the way she used to.

she discovered her love for food through baking. she got into it while she was in physio and it really became a peaceful comfort for her. and after losing dance, it was the only way she could create art again, you know?

she’s damaged goods, like we all are. but she’s got all the basics you know. trust issues. broken family. broken heart. all the good stuff.

she’s the type to talk a lot but say nothing you know? she’s really good at deflecting conversations and basically revealing nothing too personal about herself.

sarcasm and self deprecating humour is her thing.

basically. she’s lonely as fuck. but only admits it to herself.

[fallendeckerstar-old]

Girl's Night at the Boardwalk

The Lucifer episode kinda broke me. I started this fic feeling all happy and upbeat after listening to @mazethequeen‘s awesome Lindaze song mix, and now I’m pretty bummed due to deckerstar feels. I was so happy to see Linda and Maze team up in the episode, but whooboy Lucifer leaving at the end. Damn. I’m crushed. So I’m posting a teaser chapter here in order to psych myself up to finish this fic so I can feel better. I think @titconao3 @kd2900 @chloedeckerlapd were interested?

Summary:

Maze, Ella, Linda, and Chloe go out on a girl's night to a carnival on Los Angeles' boardwalk. What could go wrong?

"Live entertainment on a stage shorter than 18 inches. Vandalism and destruction of property. Oohhh. Public nudity." Lucifer read the charges off the rap sheet in front of him, and then gave the bail officer a wicked grin. "Sounds like a wild girls' night out!"

Chapter 1 "Tell me again why we're hanging out in this pleasure hole for small humans instead of getting drunk at a bar?"

Linda gave Maze a look over her glasses. "You said you've never been to a carnival, Maze." Linda watched as a gang of pre-teens with cotton candy ran by. "I can't believe you've been in Los Angeles for five years and you've never been to a boardwalk celebration before."

Ella caught up with the two women. "Come on, Maze, this'll be great! We'll hit some rides, maybe the arcade, and grab some elephant ears at the food court."

Maze looked intrigued. "Animal sacrifice? I'm in."

Chloe laughed as she walked up beside Linda. "No, Maze, elephant ears are big pieces of fried dough. There's no elephants involved."

Maze harrumphed. "Typical humans."

"All right, ladies." Ella put her arms over Maze and Linda's shoulders. Maze gave her a death glare but didn't shrug her arm off. "Rule #1: Rides before food. Who's up for the drop tower?"

"Uhh," Chloe looked up at the tower's colorful lights, outlined against the night sky. "I don't know... Maybe we could do something with... less falling? Like the Gravitron?"

"Chicken," Ella accused. She ran over and grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled her towards the line. "Come on, scaredy-cat!"

Linda and Maze joined them next to the ride. Linda bumped her shoulder against Maze's and gave her a little smile. "Are you excited?"

Maze looked from Linda to the mortals settling into the chairs attached to the cage around the tower. "So how does this ride thing work?"

Ella gave Maze an incredulous look. "You've never been to fair before?" Maze shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, you buy tickets and trade them in for a ride. Don't worry, I bought a pack of tickets for all of us."

Maze watched as the attendant dropped the safety bars. "And the point of taking a ride is?"

Linda put a hand on Maze's arm, sensing her confusion underneath her blunt questions and trying to lend her support. "That depends on the ride. Some rides are meant to make children laugh, like the Carousel." Linda pointed across the boardwalk to the giant wheel slowly turning. "The Ferris wheel is designed to make people feel like they're on top of the world. Other rides are meant to evoke terror or thrill, like this one."

Maze gave Linda a side-eye, too aware of the soft hand on her bare shoulder. "So what you're telling me is that humans pay money to get locked into a machine that will scare the shit out of them?"

"Well, yes, I suppose so," Linda replied.

Maze grinned as she soaked in the screams of the people plummeting from the top of the ride. "Looks like I have a new career goal."

Chloe looked worried as she watched a young girl who was crying walk off the ride. "Are you sure you really want to--?"

"We just got to the front of the line!" Ella linked her arm through Chloe's and marched her forward to the seats. "There's no turning back now."

Linda clicked her own shoulder bar into place and looked over to Chloe. "Don't worry, Chloe, these rides are designed with safety in mind."

Chloe closed her eyes as the attendant slid the bar down. "You obviously haven't read carnival inspection reports."

"Don't worry!" Ella exclaimed, grabbing Chloe's hand. "We can do this." She raised their entwined fists. "No wussies, only strong pussies!"

Linda chuckled and took Chloe's other hand as the ride started to rise. "Women power!" Maze rolled her eyes, and then startled as she found Linda's fingers sliding through hers. Their eyes met, and Linda's eyes crinkled mischievously. Maze felt a swoop in her stomach and blamed it on the change in height.

The ride clanked to a stop, and paused. The entire Los Angeles beach front stretched out before them, lights wrapped around palm trees and the moon reflecting across the waves. Linda only had a moment to soak in the night before--

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chloe screamed as the ride dropped. Ella and Linda joined in the screaming chorus while Maze cackled, savoring the adrenaline rush as ground came up to meet them. "Yeah!" Maze yelled as the ride jerked just before their feet hit the platform.

"Ow, OW! OW! Let go, Chloe," Ella yelped, prying her hand out of Chloe's grasp.

"So-sorry." Chloe was breathing heavily and looked mortified.

Maze grinned at them. "Let's do it again!"

"Ahh, nooo..." Chloe moaned, making a beeline for the fence as soon as the attendant unlocked her safety bar.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe!" Ella exclaimed. "I didn't know you were scared of heights."

Chloe took a deep breath and unwrapped her hands from the fence. "I'm not, I just... I'm not a big thrill ride person." She gave Ella wobbly smile.

"No worries! Look, since I dragged you on this ride, you can pick the next one, ok?"

Chloe looked around, trying to find the safest ride in the park. "Carousel."

Maze crossed her arms and gave Linda a look. "Didn't you say that ride was for human spawn?"

"Well, I'm sure--" Linda started.

"Adults can ride too!" Chloe protested. "Besides, this time of night, most of the kids have gone home."

Ella looked down the boardwalk. "Yeah, it looks empty. Let's go."

The bored attendant perked up when Ella held up a folded twenty. "Go have a smoke break, buddy."

"Wait, what was that about?" Chloe asked as they walked around, looking over the horses.

"I used to be a carny at the state fair. I know how boring it can get."

Maze studied the wooden horses, their frenzied manes and fearful nostrils frozen in wild poses. Her eyes followed the golden poles up to the ceiling and she grinned as she fingered the worn leather straps next to the saddles. "I've seen worse sex clubs."

"Pick a horse and climb on, Maze," Linda called, settling onto a white Pegasus.

Maze walked beside Linda's horse and stopped. Wooden ash-colored smoke swirled around the horse in front of her. Its coat was jet black, flanked with heavy silver armor. It reared on its hind legs, ears back, one red eye watching her through its helm. "Mine," Maze said, stroking a hand down the stallion's neck before swinging up to the saddle.

The attendant chuckled from his station. "Best horse on the whole ride, but it doesn't move." He clicked a key and walked away. "Have fun, girls!"

"Move?" Maze wondered, and looked back at Linda. Her horse was bobbling up and down as the ride began to slowly turn. "Huh."

"Woohooo!" Ella called, weaving as she ran backwards through the crowd of horses.

"You're such a dork, Ella," Chloe called from atop her grey unicorn. Ella stuck her tongue out as she ran past, and Chloe rebelliously twisted around in her saddle so that she was facing backwards.

"Why doesn't my horse move?" Maze exclaimed. She slapped the stallion's side. "You're no fun." She unhitched her leather belt and hoisted herself up the pole until she was standing on the saddle, looking back at Linda slowly bobbling up and down.

"Come on, Maze, you can always pick another horse," Linda called.

Maze grinned, wrapping her thighs around the pole. "Nah, this one's fine. It just needs a little more...kick." Maze lifted herself up the pole, beginning to rotate around.

Linda's jaw dropped as Maze spun, arms straight, lifting her leather-covered legs in a vee level with her head. Maze twisted, hooking one knee around the pole above her hand. Her eyes smoldered, ebony hair flowing, as she narrowly missed the ears of Linda's horse. There wasn't much room between the two mounts, and Linda watched in awe as Maze maneuvered to spin higher or lower on the golden pole, the muscles in her shoulders flexing. She sucked in a breath as Maze hooked one elbow high on the pole near the rafters, and spun, her legs arching. Maze winked and blew her a kiss, and Linda blinked, flustered. "Maze, you're going to hurt yourself."

"Holy crap, she's good!" Ella cried as she ran past.

Maze licked her lips as she spun past Linda's face. "Trust me, Linda. I'm good."

"What the hell are you doing?!" An appalled looking woman yelled from behind the fence, covering her daughter's eyes. "I'm getting the manager!"

"Shit," Linda said, and unbuckled her leather belt.

"Time to bail!" Ella said, running up to Chloe and offering her a hand off her horse.

Maze twisted down her pole, and ran off the Carousel, doing a front roll on the grass to drain off her momentum. Ella leapt off, arms pinwheeling wildly, and ended up in a heap in the grass. Chloe followed in a running leap, sprinting a couple steps to the fence. That left Linda, clutching a pole on the side of the platform, looking distraught as the ride rotated.

"Come on, Linda, we gotta go!" Ella yelled, her arm gesturing in a quick loop as she heard shouting in the distance.

"Just take a breath and jump," Chloe said, trying to encourage Linda as she passed. Linda took a breath and quickly shook her head. The shouting was getting closer.

Maze cursed under her breath, sprinted over to a few feet in front of Linda, threw her arms out, and yelled, "I'll catch you! Jump!"

Linda released the pole, swung her arms back, and leapt into Maze's arms. Maze stumbled back under her weight. Realizing she was going to hit the ground, she twisted to protect her small human. The breath exploded out of her lungs as the ground hit her back and Linda slammed into her chest. And then Maze was staring into wide eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. Coral pink lips that were slightly open as Linda caught her breath. Small breasts brushing against hers while bare legs tangled with her own.

"Moony eyes later!" Ella hissed, hauling Linda up. "Here comes the piggy-wigglies."

Maze kicked herself to a stand, ran to the fence, and vaulted over. Chloe swung a leg over and then gave Linda a hand while she negotiated the fence in her skirt. The four women ran a couple rides away, and then slowed down to blend into the crowd. "I think we should hide in the arcade," Linda said nervously, looking over her shoulder.

"Since when do you call cops piggy-wigglies?" Chloe asked Ella, sounding offended.

Ella gave her a look. "I got way worse names for cops. I used to steal cars, remember?"

"Kill the cop talk," Maze hissed. She smiled at the tattooed man in a yellow vest who was standing at the entrance to the arcade. She swung her hips a little more as she noticed him staring at her ass, then she stopped, surveying the scene before her. "What's all this shit?" The room was full of colorful boxes shouting, pinging, dinging, and flashing lights at the humans operating them.

To be continued...

[ladyofthecastleproject]

#6 - Mysterious Lady

“Hikari-chan?!”

The servants, Black Tailmon (named as Rebecca) and Amis looked at Daisuke. V-mon just blinked, yet to say something about the awkward scene.

“Hikari?” - the girl said - “This place has no light, just darkness. I’d like to explain to you what had happened… But I need to recover my energy first.”

“N-No” - V-mon shook his head - “Not light! I think we mistook you with a friend of ours, Yagami Hikari.”

“Ah? A friend?” - she laughed. Yes, her voice and appearance was similar to Hikari… But Daisuke felt something different about her - “I could’ve mistaken your friend with one of mine as well.”

“S-so, you’re not Hikari-chan” - Daisuke looked a bit disappointed - “I’m sorry… You reminded me of her.”

“It’s okay… I confess that I call to mind someone else when I saw you too”

“Really?”

She nodded, then she sat on the chair in front the door.

“Is it a bad timing to ask why did you send your bodyguard to kidnap me?” - Daisuke broke the silence, with Amis glancing at him from his seat - “well, we can talk about it later. It’s snack time right?”

Although the food on the table was more of a luxurious dinner than a small snack time.

“Daisuke’s birthday is in 5 months and I couldn’t find anything to give him as a present!”

She was panicked about it. Maybe it was just a Hikari-thing, but she prefers order. She had disliked how Taichi had kept their room messy when they were small kids and she had felt way better when she had gotten her own room.

“Hikari” - Tailmon tilted her head - “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating? It’s on December, right? We’re on August.”

“Tailmon is right” - Takeru was there because she had asked for his help - “And it’s not like Daisuke-kun would be mad if you don’t find the perfect present for him.”

“No” - she shook her head - “It’s not about being perfect. It’s about that since he became a Chosen, he’s always too focused on that task more than anything else. We barely talk about stuff not related to the Digimon.”

“... Is there is something between you two?” - Takeru asked calmly, but he could read Hikari’s body language: her holding her arm, avoiding to look at him… Her low voice…

“It’s just…” - she began - “Daisuke-kun is not just only a classmate and teammate. He was alone after Vamdemon’s attack. When I’ve met him, he tried to prove to the other children that the ‘monsters’ were real. And no one believed him, he was also bullied because of that. We, oniichan and I, felt terribly bad about it.”

“Since then you’ve been friends with him” - he assumed.

“Y-yes… But he ended up being one of my best friends, alongside you. And now that I’ve met Miyako-san I… I guess we lost contact with each other and we’re just going to the same school. We barely talk now. All of this started after I refused his invitation to go to the beach with him.”

“It’s not your fault, you shouldn’t be blaming yourself like that”

“I know, but the problem is… It’s Daisuke-kun. He really cares about me and sees me as his best friend. He probably thought that I didn’t want to talk with him anymore.”

“Why don’t you tell him that then?” - Takeru believed the solution was easy - “That you weren’t rejecting him but it was only because you were just too busy to go with him to the beach on that day?”

“I told her that” - Tailmon shrugged - “But she ignored it. It’s something more than that, I think”

“Something more?”

“T-Tailmon!” - she gasped - “No, that’s all… I’ve been losing contact with him since we beat Belial Vamdemon” - she looked at her own feet - “Well, I think that was normal since he started to spend more time with Ken-kun and I decided to hang out with Miyako-san…”

“We could do something together” - Takeru smiled - “Something to keep everyone’s bonds stronger like before, like when we fought the Digimon Kaiser.”

“I don’t know…” - she muttered - “I feel like he wouldn’t come, he would prefer to leave me alone.”

“That’s too troublesome” - Patamon frowned his mouth - “Is it because Daisuke likes Hikari, right? So this makes him think if Hikari refuses an invite she’s rejecting him and asking him to stop talking to her?”

Hikari and Takeru kept in silence. Tailmon just got up from the bed and looked at Hikari. She was determined and serious, ready to say something insightful as the adult digimon she was.

“Knowing Daisuke like we know him, he wouldn’t like to know you’re feeling guilty for that. To be honest, he would end up blaming himself for it. Let’s just call him to explain what really happened and move on.”

“She’s right” - Patamon spoke for Takeru - “It’s easy to solve it, you just need some courage to face it.”

“Courage…” - she whispered.

 He had eaten the food because he was hungry and couldn’t resist the impulse. But now he and V-mon were following Rebecca and the mysterious lady to the other room… An office room after the corridor from the door where that girl had been appeared.

Daisuke couldn’t ignore the paintings and some strange weapons on the walls. Weapons that were just a wand, a book, wooden swords, something that looked like a sphere made of crystal (“Wait, that thing had a name right? Isn’t one of those things that fortune tellers use to see the future?”, he thought)... More gears, more portraits but those people, he had no idea whowere they.

But no, something in those…

“Please, come in” - she said while opening the doors to the biggest office room he had seen in his life (and probably wondered if there’s one bigger than that).

Full of book filled shelves, a desktop made with the best wood, a beautiful chair, two sofas  with a coffee table in the middle of them, some ladders to reach the highest part of the shelves… A big beautiful window with the sunlight covering the entire room… And some weird stuff that made him think of sorcery, like floating spheres and a few gears around.

“Wow” - exclaimed both Dai and Vee, they felt that the place was magnificent.

“So, this is your… Uh, room?” - Daisuke asked - “Did you read all of those books?”

“Just a few of them” - she walked towards the sofa and sat on it - “Please sit while I explain why I need your help, mister…”

“Oh no, I’m no mister” - he chuckled - “No need to be that formal, really!” - he and V-mon sat on the other sofa - “I’m Daisuke, Motomiya Daisuke. and this is my digimon partner, V-mon” - and Vee waved at her - “We never noticed this castle before. Well, I don’t even know how to find it since a CERTAIN wolf hit me on the head and I passed out…”

“No need to be too harsh with Amis, Mr. Daisuke” - she said calmly - “He’s not good with humans, but he has a soft heart.”

“If you say so…” - he shrugged.

“I’m Lia” - she introduced herself - “I’ve been living in this forest for a long time, with my mentor but he lost his mind and decided to trap himself inside a labyrinth with something that belongs to me. He also casted a spell on this castle, making me and the others unable to leave it. I know a bit of magic, enough to call for help, but he is too strong and the others who came before you never returned from the labyrinth.”

Daisuke felt scared. He wanted to go home now, but he had promised to stay and help that girl.

“W-wait a minute” - Daisuke interrupted her - “Spell? Magic? Are you telling me you’re not human, that you’re some kind of digimon or witch?”

“I’m human,” - she blinked her eyes - “But my mentor was a wizard, a powerful one. He might kill to keep the holy light with him. He’s full of greed, and doesn’t understand my motives.”

“Your motives?” - V-mon repeated.

“I can tell you the rest when you return” - she replied - “Please, Mr. Daisuke, I ask you to get back what’s mine.”

“But he a wizard” - Daisuke was completely shocked with that mission - “I’m a normal human! I have V-mon but… It’s unfair to let a digimon fight a human. Is he human too? Or is he a digimon?”

“He’s a human too” - she tried to calm him down - “And I can share a bit of my magic to protect and strengthen you.”

WHAT.

“O-Okay, i-it won’t hurt, w-will it…?” - Daisuke stammered.

He didn’t know what happened but he felt something hitting him faster than a cheetah. V-mon saw it though. The digimon saw the girl gathering her hands, muttering something strange and then throwing some kind of blue light at Daisuke. the light became a flame and it went through his partner. Ironically, Daisuke felt nothing than (a light) dizzy sensation.

“It’s done,” - Lia said - “You can go to the living room. On every sunset a door appears in the wall. Take that door to the labyrinth, fight my mentor and bring me back what belongs to me, please.”

“Ow…” - Daisuke put his hand on his forehead - “W-what did you do to me?”

“It’s nothing lethal” - she smiled - “you will need it there, and I guess your friend digimon does not need a little help.”

He got up from the sofa and walked to the entrance, V-mon followed him but finding his reaction too normal for him. Wait, he wasn’t panicked?

 “Maybe we could go to the Karaoke next Sunday!” - Miyako suggested, talking to Hikari on the phone - “But if Daisuke is coming this means it will be a disaster! Well, how about going to the theater?” - she was also working on her computer - “There’s a nice movie Daisuke wanted to watch. But I don’t know if Ken-kun, Iori, Takeru-kun and you would like it...”

“We will find something, Miyako-san” - she replied - “Something that all of us can do together and then keep our bonds stronger. Ah, how about going to the ferris wheel? Or to the arcade? I think those would make Daisuke-kun happy. He had been a bit… sad?”

“I think you need to relax, Hikari-chan” - Miyako rolled her eyes - “Daisuke will be fine. It’s just a phase, the phase where he overthinks things every time someone’s important says something to him. Remember? He misunderstood your complain about him bad mouthing his sister. And he also overreacted to Taichi-san’s opinion of that soccer match against Ken-kun’s team. And now he’s just panicked because…”

“He’s not talking to me.”

“Huh?!” - she almost lost her glasses when she heard that.

“Daisuke-kun sees me and he just avoids me. It started when he had invited me to go to the beach… I refused because Sora-san was going to teach me how to bake and I didn’t want to change my plans. He thinks I don’t like him anymore, that I’m asking him to leave me alone.”

“Well, that’s a Daisuke-thing to do. Really.”

“I want to tell him I’m not rejecting him, but he’s not answering my calls or my messages.”

“And that’s definitely some kind of Daisuke-heartbroken symptom.”

“I’m thinking to gather everyone and do something together, so he can appear and I can talk to him. Is it a good idea, Miyako-san?”

“You mean, distract him and then we let you two alone to have this little talk?” - Miyako narrowed her eyes - “Do you really think he will come if he knows you will be there? I think he would find any excuse to avoid bothering you. But If I tell him it will be just Ken-kun, Iori and me… Maybe he will come. Ah, did you know? There were a heated clash between Daisuke and Iori yesterday. But it solved quickly and I think Iori will be OK by helping in your plan.”

“Why is the main problem always has to be Daisuke-kun?” - Hikari sighed

“Maybe because we love that jerk with a burning passion enough to want him to feel loved” - she answered with a laugh - “Seriously, our lives wouldn’t have been the same without him.”

“I guess so.”

 “Here we are…” - Daisuke was standing in front the wall where its supposed to be the entrance to the labyrinth. That part of the wall had no pictures or decoration, it was made of bricks. He started tapping each brick and trying to discover how to open it, ignoring what Lia had said. It sounds worthier to find the switch than waiting for it to magically appear.

He didn’t pay attention to the living room, including the portraits and paintings. He was focused on waiting that door to appear so he can open it. He really wanted to resolve that issue quick and leave the castle.

V-mon wasn’t okay with that. Daisuke was a bit strange; something had changed about him… But V-mon was unable to tell what was it though. Well, maybe it was just him being too much worried about his partner.

“Hey,” - Daisuke called him - “Do you think we have to say some magical word to open the door?”

He felt relieved, because that was a Daisuke-thing.

“I dunno…” - Vee answered - “Maybe we just need to wait the door to appear…?”

“... Maybe.”

“Are you OK?” - He was concerned.

Daisuke blinked

“Yeah I am, I have no idea what she did to me, but I’m fine… And… I dunno why she wants me to do that, why don’t she just send her bodyguard? That guy could’ve beaten the wizard man and could’ve gotten whatever belongs to her.”

V-mon had to agree. And what had happened to those who hadn’t returned from the labyrinth? Had those been digimon? Like, wild digimon?

The blue digimon decided to ignore that. He got distracted with the beautiful living room, while Daisuke was too focused on finding the said hidden door on the wall. There were too much content in that room, especially portraits of those unknown humans whom be Lia’s ancestors.

But there… On the desk…Under the last sunlight of the day…

That portrait… It had Lia and two other people, but the reflection of the light covered them. He had the urge to go there and check that particular photo--

“Ah, the door finally appeared!”

He had to look in front of him and saw Daisuke whistling. A mystic entrance appeared in front of them. The bricks disappeared and a passage from a dark eerie corridor was connected to the wall. Maybe that was the said labyrinth Lia had talked about.

“Here we go! Time to have my own challenge.”

Yes, Daisuke was excited and had forgotten that he had to go home before his parents get worried with his disappearance. V-mon had to follow him and ignore his curiosity, thinking a bit about that portrait.

Why that photo made him curious…? Nevermind, Daisuke wouldn’t want to waste time and go back…

After crossing the entrance, it disappeared.