#vine voice what would u do.....if there was a child right in front of u

[hinamie]

parenthood was not on my 2024 bingo card but clearly life is full of surprises

[sushibatebue]

T S A W K S Y U L - sun lilly

Pairing: agedup!Neteyam x omatikaya!fem!reader

Words: 1k+ (7 min.)

Warnings: fluff, love confessions, mentions of mating, use of y/n, a slight insecure reader, wounds, bit of swearing, sexual thoughts, making out, jealousy

A/N: ok so I don't even know why I made this but I am completely obsessed with Avatar and Neteyam sooo why not write if I enjoy reading it sm? Btw English ain't my first language so there might be some wrongly written words, nevertheless I hope you like it!

Translations:

Oel ngati kameie - I see you

Paywll - water plant (used for medicine)

Maite - my daughter

"Sometimes two souls are matched by Eywa herself."

His grandmother once said, and that was exactly what crossed Neteyam's mind when he first saw you. You were both about 11 and he, alongside his brother were walking towards the healing tent after Lo'ak fell because of a vine.

And there you were, mixing up medicine with your new friend Kiri for the Tsahìk.

"You can't never get away from trouble can you child?"

Lo'ak scratched the back of his neck and sat down waiting for his grandmother to patch him up. Neteyam on the other hand found himself gawking at the new girl, with a tsawksyul resting on her ear, standing right in front of him.

She was beautiful, no, alluring. Everything inside him tingled when she turned her face to hand Mo'at a misture of plants and now Neteyam was wishing he was the one tripping over vine so that he would be cured by whatever was made by the girl's hands.

"Oh brother, this is my new friend Y/N."

Y/N Y/N Y/N, her name rang on his head like a song that never stopped musing.

"Oel ngati kameie, Neteyam." She held 2 of her 4 fingers to her forehead and dropped them, greeting Neteyam in the most unintentionall graceful way.

"Oel ngati kameie, Y/N"

He struggles to breath, the mighty warrior Neteyam was shaking because of a girl?

He knew his siblings noticed his flustered behavior, but he didn't care. He only cared about finding out everything about this Y/N, this behavior seemed to stay untouched for the following 7 years...

"Mama! I'm going to pick up some more paywll for the Tsahìk."

Your voice rang inside the tent you and your family lived. "Okay, maite. Just be safe and do not come home after eclipse, yeah?"

"Yup!"

You say as you walk out of your house, casually jumping to fasten your step. Teníu your ikran seemed to be already waiting for you and you immediately hop on top of him to sore in the beautiful sky, although you enjoyed being a healer sometimes you wished you could just fly across Pandora with no due time.

That was always on your mind but you cared too much for your people, who else would cheer up the young children while healing their swollen bruises, or patch up the hunters?

Well, someone else probably would but you like the fact everyone liked you, even the most sour kids.

While caught up with your own thoughts you fail to notice the na'vi in front of you preparing to make a clean kill on an animal.

"Oh shit-"

You bumped on the boy's back and he missed his target, something unusual for him. Him being no other than Neteyam.

"I am so sorry 'Teyam, I didn't see you- well I did see you but I didn't really mark your presence."

You ramble an apology to your friend and crush, hoping he could endure your stupidity, but the boy was barely listening to you if he was being honest, your voice was now a background sound while he discreetly admired your body and how your skin was glowing from the sun.

"It's all good Y/N, no need to tire yourself, I wasn't even interested in the kill." That was a lie. He actually needed that kill to bring home for lunch, but speaking with you was far more interesting than a meal. Plus, he made a promise to his parents to start courting you at the Hunt festival, not he didn't think to do it since forever but he just didn't have the courage. What if you rejected him and it made things awkward? He couldn't bare being apart from you.

"Oh, good then." You smile and your eyes wondered his body looking for wounds, a habit you seemed to pick up ever since you tasked yourself with healing.

"Come, you have a big cut right here, on your shoulder. I shall patch you up before it gets infected."

"Y/N, there is no need for that I am fine and it's not that big."

You looks at him with your doll like eyes and he immediately knows there is no way he can convince you to not patch him up.

You grab his forearm and he immediately took a deep breath, calming his body, or more so his cock. He did this everytime your hands were on him and he loved and hated when you patched him up because as soon as you were done with it, he knew he had to pleasure himself while thinking the most obscene things about you.

He knew it probably wasn't the right thing to do, and he sometimes felt shame for having these thoughts about you but he couldn't help it.

You arrived back into high camp and dragged the boy to the healers tent, your second home.

You unwrap the paywll you picked up and immediately started working on your favorite patient.

His skin was soft, and his gaze was stuck on you, amazed by your concentrated face. He was always struck by how beautiful and graceful you were, and he knew he wasn't the only one who thought this. In fact, he heard everyday comments from other hunters on your beauty. But they don't know you like he does, they don't deserve you like he does. If he could choose when to take his last breath, it would next to you, just so he could take your devine scent with him.

"Y/N?"

His voice was a whisper now, hell, he could barely hear his own voice now.

"Yes, I'm almost done."

"Y/N, do you like anyone?"

Your freckles glowed and you avoided his eyes at all cost.

"Y-yes of course, I like everyone."

You say, trying desperately to cover up your massive crush on the boy you were healing. He couldn't know, not when he probably already has his mate promised, not when he basically see's you like a another little sister of his.

"Not like that. Like, is there anyone you would like to mate with? We're at the age of finding a mate..."

You felt sadness wash over you now, although you knew what he was saying is true, you didn't want to talk about mating. Not when the one you truly wanted to mate with was far from your reach.

"Maybe..."

The silent was scratching your skin in a very uncomfortable way and you were counting the seconds till you where finished with the cut.

"Who?"

His voice was stern and with a hint of jealousy, but he couldn't control it. You with someone else but him? Never.

Your silence was not helping either, not that he wasn't confident but you always seemed so distant and uncomfortable when he talked about love or mating, perhaps even sad...

"Is it Naran?"

You shake your head still not daring to look at him.

"Heatey?" "No, no Neteyam it's not-"

He grabs your thigh with one hand and your chin with the other forcing eye contact with his eyes, looking desperately for an answer.

"Who is it then?"

He was starting to get close, too close. You could feel his hot breath on your plump lips and his fingers gripping your thigh ever so slightly.

"Neteyam..."

You sigh, it was him you liked. It was him you loved but you weren't able to make yourself say it, not when he's so close and-

His lips connect into yours. It was sweet and perfect just like you imagined, maybe it even surpassed your expectations. You both start moving in sync like you've done this for your whole life but it was only the first time your lips met someone else's.

He licks your bottom lip asking nicely for permission to enter your mouth, now what started as an innocent puppy love first kiss, turned into a heated make out, both craving each other. Not that you didn't want it but you were question if you were doing it right.

After a rough minute you pull away, a string of spit being attached to your swollen lip.

"Say it Y/N. Please..."

He begged with faded eyes.

"You, you are the... I love you 'Teyam"

He absolutely despised when other girls called him Teyam, with their annoying squealing voice. But you... Eywa, you said it in the most pleasing way for a word to be spoken. All he wanted to hear for as long as he met you was just said in the most perfect way.

He kissed you again, wanting to be stuck in your mouth forever.

"I love you Y/N, I love you so much it's arduous to breath when you're not by my side. It hurts to walk when I know that at the end you won't be there greet me. I am madly in love you."

You huff a breathy chuckle not believing your dream has just changed to a reality.

He smiles still holding your heated cheeks.

"I have something for you."

Your ears twitch in curiosity, as he pulls out a neck piece, obviously made with tsawksyul. It was beautiful.

"Wow Neteyam..."

You admire the accessory, stunned by it's beauty.

"Y/N I was originally going to give this to you tomorrow, to ask you to be mate but I cannot wait any longer. When I saw you for the first time, you were wearing a tsawksyul on your hair. It was beautiful, you were beautiful. It became my favorite flower and my favorite material, everytime I see one I think of you, I guess that's why I love them so much, I see them all the time."

He looks down and takes a deep breath like he always wanted to say this, but took himself back everytime.

"I want you to wear this necklace so I don't have to see a tsawksyul to have your image on my mind. I want it to be backwards. I want to think of tsawksyul's when I see you."

Tears were threatening from falling off your eyes as you hug him and feel a grunt coming form him.

"Oh fuck, I'm sorry I forgot about your cut."

"It's fine, I can handle a cut. What I can't handle is your rejection."

He arched his eyebrow and you giggle softly to yourself.

"I would love to be your mate Ma Neteyam."

Ma Neteyam... He could definitely get used to this. In fact, he wanted to hear that every day.

"I love you."

He says again connection both of your foreheads while cupping your cheeks like he always wanted, like you always wanted.

Is it just me, or does this lowkey slap? 🤭

Anyways I hope you guys liked it! (And lmk if you want a part 2, perhaps with some smut)

🫶🏽

[in-tua-deep]

idk if you still do au ideas but what if delores was a real person in the apocalypse? how it woul dbe done i have no idea but i love all your aus and thought it would be cool

okay okay I don't tend to go for real!Dolores aus admittedly because I find her much more compelling as what she is: a reflection of five himself and a symptom of his crushing loneliness

but i started thinking about it and you know what?? i think five deserves a little socialization, as a treat

so say like, 0.5% of the population is resistant to abilities. Allison would really struggle to rumor them, Five wouldn't be able to jump with them, and, most importantly, whatever the fuck Vanya's ability does has like, reduced damage or something

and the og apocalypse isn't the moon apocalypse, so let's say that it was pure waves of Vanya's powers that fucked over the earth

so 0.5% of the population survives the apocalypse. though, let's be honestly, the real number is a lot smaller than that. People who might have survived Vanya's initial power wave (miraculously) did not survive buildings crushing them or survive the car/plane/bus/train/other transportation crashes or survive being left alone when they are too young to reliably look after themselves, or the variety of other problems that come with 99.5% of the population dying at once

So, Five arrives in the apocalypse and is met with ruin and fire and a whole lot of dead people. He finds his siblings, but it doesn't matter. They're dead. He doesn't even recognize them at first, these strange grown-ups who he identifies not by their faces but by the umbrellas on their wrists that match his own

As he realizes the full impact of his situation, he hears a voice that says, very succinctly, "holy shit!"

It's a girl a few years older than Five himself, maybe 15 or 16, and she is very excited to see another survivor.

And here's where I u-turn this au around bc i'm not all that interested in real!Dolores, but I would be down to talk about Five meeting survivors in the apocalypse, because if Dolores is real I don't buy no one else survived.

So Dolores shows up and see a Literal Child crying over the corpses of his family and assumes that Five is a fellow survivor, and she immediately grabs him up. Five is incoherent with grief at this point anyway, so he doesn't even protest when she basically hauls him away from the bodies. She's babbling at him, but he doesn't really hear anything she's saying

And then she takes him to her dad

(Why not, let's have the 1% potentially be a heritable thing)

and her dad, let's call him just some dad name. like Rick. it has been a fucking WEEK for him, okay. he had his daughter with him, his ex-wife is on the other coast for her work, and by some miracle he survived the apocalypse and so did his child, and he's been wracking his brains trying to figure out what the fuck to do next

and then his daughter shows up with a traumatized thirteen-year-old in tow

now rick is a good dude. he's a dad. they get out of five that his name is five ("what the fuck" dolores mouths to him over five's shoulder and rick can't help but agree) and the bodies he found were his siblings ("Dad and Ben and Vanya weren't there though," this child cries desperately and rick feels his own heart clench in response, "They might still be alive!")

"We can look for them." Rick assures his new adopted child, because he is an adult in a fresh apocalypse and this kid has presumably lost everything he's ever known (more than rick even knows at the time)

and they do. They each get wagons and they go out and find supplies and look for other survivors. Five is... surprisingly helpful and also surprisingly docile as he is able to rely on Someone Else to give orders while he attempts to (dissociate) process what the fuck has happened

and here's the thing: Five prides himself on being independent, sort of. He's independent for a child soldier, but he's used to taking orders from a male authority figure and Rick happens to be just that

The first time that Five does something dangerous and Rick yells is a revelation

(Rick isn't sure if he hopes that Five's dad is alive or not, because if they find that man alive then Rick might just kill the jackass himself. Also like, Five is bizarrely knowledgeable out survival skills, like way too knowledgeable about it, which is helpful for them but also very concerning)

they find a newspaper and Five finds the article that mentions his father's recent death ("Huh. Heart attack." Five says, and there is no emotion in his voice)

(Years later, years later, Five and Rick talk. "I don't think I wanted to find him, either." Five admits, softly because Dolores is asleep, "I think I was more scared of finding him alive than I was of finding his body. He would've been so mad at me, I think.")

this newspaper is how Rick and Dolores find out about Five being Number Five, Umbrella Academy Missing Person

"Dude, what the fuck." Dolores says, wide eyes, "You're like, thirty?"

"I'm thirteen." Five says, and then checks the date on the newspaper again, "Also I think I would technically be 29 if I lived through all of it, 'cause it's April and my birthday is in October."

"You... time travelled?" Rick asks, which is honestly the more relevant question, "Can you go back?"

And Five just,,, crumples on himself. Because he tried, he tried really hard. It didn't work. "I'm gonna figure it out. I'm gonna go back, I'm going to save them."

That, Rick thinks, is a lot of weight to put on one person's shoulders, but especially the shoulders of a child.

"Alright." Rick says, because what else can he say after finding out his new child has superpowers and is from like, 2004? "What do you need?"

("Oh my god I have so many memes to teach you." Dolores says later, reverently. Five blinks in confusion and Rick mentally prepares himself for the recitation of so many vines)

And it's easier, somehow. Five sometimes feels like it's a betrayal, but he settles into apocalypse life with an ease that surprises him.

He lets Rick fuss over him and help tie his scarf securely around his head every morning before he sets off on supply runs with Dolores. And they're kids! Five has never had a friend before, and Dolores is funny and smart and she's struggling just as much as he is.

"I don't know if my mom's alive." She says to him, in solidarity when he checks the face of every corpse to see if they're Vanya.

Five is practical in the way only a child soldier can be. He's economical with the room in their wagons, carefully examining what might and what might not be useful.

Dolores, on the other hand, constantly takes up space with what Five sees as useless shit.

"Excuse you," Dolores says, shoving a game of monopoly, the entire discworld series, and a pack of glitter gel pens into her wagon, "These are absolutely vital apocalypse supplies."

She challenges him, plays with him in a way no one ever has. "I bet you I can find more batteries today than you can," She grins at him, "Winner gets to pick dinner first?"

"You're on." Five says, directly before Dolores pulls two packs of 24 AA batteries from behind her back, like a cheat.

Dolores makes him take a ten minute break when they find a playground that has been mostly not-destroyed. They rummage around kids backpacks and mother's handbags for some good loot, too numb to corpses to even be bothered all that badly about the corpses they belong to.

"I'm getting on the swings." Dolores says when Five starts making noises about moving on, "I haven't been on a swingset in ages."

"What's the point?" Five grumps.

"Don't be sour because you can't swing as high as I can!" Dolores laughs, getting higher and higher as the swings creak ominously.

Five grumpily gets into the other swing and grudgingly kicks himself back and forth until Dolores takes pity on him and teaches him how to properly move his legs and body to get higher and higher.

Dolores jumps from the swing seat and lands with a flourish and smile. Five jumps out of his seat and then jumps, warping right in front of Dolores and making her yell and hit at him in outrage. Five smiles the widest he has all week.

This is how Five grows up in the apocalypse, with Dolores teasing him into taking breaks and leaning over his shoulder to look at his math and scandalizing him by stating that she'd only just started on matrices in her own high school math class.

Every night they huddle around Rick while he picks up whatever book Dolores picked out that day because it is a travesty that Five has never read hunger games or whatever, and then they read together because it would be a genuine blood bath if they all took turns. The first time Five accidentally mentioned a spoiler and Dolores genuinely considered murder was the birthday of this tradition

Some days the air is too smoky or there are dust storms or it's just plain too dangerous to go out, and they all stay in. Dolores regales Five with stories about public school, and Five tells them about his siblings.

Then they all cry

"I shouldn't be crying." Five sobs.

"Shut the fuck up," Dolores sobs back, "You literally watched me lose my shit over remembering my shitty eighth grade dance and listened to me sob-sing toxic for like four hours."

"In fairness I also wished you would shut up then."

"Let me hug you or I will start singing songs that I only remember the chorus for again you absolute fucker."

"I could always sing some -"

"No, Rick/Dad."

And Five grows up. Rick shows him how to shave very carefully in front of cracked mirrors. Dolores teases him every time his voice cracks. Rick tells Five in no uncertain terms that he loves and cares for him, and that Reginald was a little bitch. There are a lot of heartfelt conversations around that, honestly. Rick telling Five that he and the siblings deserved better, that they were children and deserved to have a childhood.

And that he has faith in Five. Rick and Dolores both do, they bring him back paper and pens and pencils and chalk and anything Five can use to write equations. They poke around any libraries for books on theoretical mathematics and quantum physics. Rick and Dolores go out scouting for food while Five stays home and can work longer.

They also make him take breaks, make sure that he's looking after himself.

They're a little better off than OG!Five when it comes to food, because some animals survive. Enough that Rick figures out how to hunt. Five is the first one to each bugs, and even though Dolores makes faces they all start eating bugs as well.

"Pretty sure there's loads of cultures that eat bugs." Rick says grudgingly, wondering if he should try stirfry the cockroaches and if that would improve the taste. "There's even, uh, cricket flour or whatever, right?"

"Plus you eat like, five spiders a year when you're asleep." Dolores says cheerfully, just to watch her dad's face scrunch up in displeasure.

"That doesn't sound true, but I don't know enough about spiders to dispute it." Five mutters, and Dolores gives him such a proud look that it makes him roll his eyes.

They're in their thirties when Rick dies. He's out foraging and hunting, and the rubble he's standing on gives way and he ends up with a gash in his leg. He manages to stop the bleeding, but the world is filthy and they don't have any antibiotics.

He gets an infection.

"It's okay." He tells both of his kids, "It's okay. I'm just so glad that you guys have each other, y'hear? I'm so glad."

"It's not okay." Five says, voice thick and choked, "It's not."

"Yeah, well, you're going to figure out how to go back, right? Go back in time and save everyone. Then I'll have never died, right?" Rick smiles, "And even if you don't, I'll be waiting for you on the other side and we'll see each other again anyway."

"I'm going to fix it."

"I know. I have faith in you, Five." Ricks says honestly, and that's more than Reginald ever said.

They sit quietly together while Dolores is out scavenging. They've been taking turns sitting with Rick.

"I won't remember you, in the past, will I?" Rick says rhetorically, but Five answers anyway.

"I don't think so."

Rick hums, "Well, doesn't matter. If you need help in the past, you come to me, y'hear?"

"You won't remember me."

"Doesn't matter. You come find me, and you tell me your crazy story until I believe you, and then I'll help you." Rick says firmly, "You're family. You're my son. Timelines? Don't matter. If you need help, with anything, even if it's just with - with filling out a bowling team or something -"

"I have never been bowling in my life and you know it." Five interrupts, but it makes him laugh just a little bit which was clearly Rick's intention.

"Well who knows what you'll get up to in the past! You'll be able to go bowling, you know. Get to wear those uncomfortable shoes. Hey, you go far enough back maybe you can go to Dolores's tenth birthday party and put me out of my misery."

"Was she bad at bowling?"

"Oh, she was wiping the floor with me. No contest."

"Honestly, that sounds absolutely accurate."

"Shut up, bowling just wasn't my sport. Regardless, the point was that I'm giving you a free pass to come and get me. Because I know you, I know how you think." Rick brings up his hand to tap his finger against Five's forehead, "You get it into your head that you need to go it alone, take it all on your shoulders. I'm telling you that if you do that I'll somehow manifest my memories and come smack you over the head for being stupid, you hear?"

"I'm not dragging you into anything." Five says firmly, "I'll have my siblings."

"Who were also children." Rick points out. "And dragging? Dragging is such a strong word for a volunteer."

"A volunteer who won't remember volunteering." Five shoots back.

Rick just shrugs, and then winces when the movement jolts his bad leg. "Five, I'm going to be honest with you here. And sappy. Can you handle a bit of sappiness for a minute?"

"No."

"Well too bad. Can't leave a dying man, you'd feel too bad. So you're stuck with me. But you listen good, okay? Because you aren't dragging me into anything. Whatever life you have, I want to have a part of that. Because you're my son. Wherever you are, whatever you do, I want to help because you're family. What you'd be doing by leaving me out of it is depriving me of someone I love, depriving me of knowing one of the best kids I've ever known."

"Shut up." Five says, choked.

"Nope, it's sappy time." Rick states, "Maybe asking you to come find me is selfish, but I don't care. No matter what version of me exists, I want to be in your life."

"My life is a walking joke, why would you want any part of that?"

"It has been my privilege to watch you grow up. To help you. To be here for you. Of course I'd want to be there to watch you grow up the rest of the way."

"But -"

"Shut up, just let me tell you that I am so proud of you. You never give up, and your heart is so big. You love so much and so loudly, and it's been the highest honor of my life to be included in your family."

Five pauses for a moment to collect himself before simply saying - "You're the best dad I've ever had."

Rick snorts, "Considering my competition, I'd sure hope so. That bar was so low old Reggie was practically limbo dancing with the devil. Now get over here and give an old man a hug."

They don't bury Rick, when he dies. They don't have time and the ground is too hard and they don't have the heart to move him. Instead the pack everything up and seal him in the shelter they'd lived in.

Dolores pulls out a bottle of ancient nail polish and painstakingly writes Rick's name on the wall with his birth year and an approximate current year. They aren't 100% sure though, since time blends together out in the apocalypse, but it's something.

They continue by themselves. They get older.

Dolores jokingly calls him her husband because the way his face scrunches up makes her cackle. They see other people very occasionally, usually passing through. Usually groups. Dolores and Five get to flex their hosting skills, though more than one group declines their cockroach stirfry.

("It's a family recipe." Five says with amusement in his eyes that usually manages to drown out old grief.)

"Jeeze, that kid couldn't have been older'n twenty-three." Dolores complains, "Makes me feels positively ancient."

"They wouldn't have known any world 'cept for the apocalypse." Five muses, pouring some boiled water into wine glasses because they might be living in the apocalypse but they can be fancy.

"Do you ever think about that?" Dolores asks, turning to him with no judgement, just curiosity. "When you go back, you'll be like, erasing them from existence."

Five shrugs, "Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe this place will just split off into an alternate timeline."

"Maybe none of this is real." Dolores says, amusement coloring her voice. "Maybe you aren't talking to a real person at all. Maybe this is just a symbol of your insanity and cracked mind."

"Dolores, I literally have a scar where you stabbed me. Did I somehow manage to stab myself in the back?"

"Scraped you, I scraped you. By accident."

"So you maintain." Five says haughtily, swirling his water in his wine glass like a pretentious prick.

"I could totally be fake. You don't know my life."

"I know way too much about you, Dolores. Like, way way too much." Five scoffs, because Dolores and him have literally no secrets from one another at this point. Five even knows the truth behind what happened at Janet Scranton's thirteenth birthday party. Like, he said, way too much.

"Maybe you made it up. Maybe that's why you know so much."

"Dolores, I'm going to be honest with you right now." Five presses the tips of his fingers to his chin, "If you were a figment of my imagination, you would be so much better at math."

"Hey!" Dolores squawks indignantly, "I didn't even get to finish high school you pretentious prick!"

"Neither did I!"

"You didn't even go to high school, you brat."

"I'm fifty-two I think I've outgrown 'brat.'"

"Tell that to your attitude." Dolores says haughtily, "You're still younger than me."

"Won't be when I go back in time." Five says cheerfully, completely ignoring Dolores's venomous look.

"That's cheating."

"Sucks to suck." Five says loftily, taking another sip of his water.

Sometimes they talk about The Plan, with capital letters. What Five is going to do when he goes back in time, depending on when he pops out. Is he going to adopt his siblings? What about Reginald?

"You don't think I could kill Reginald?" Five says, holding a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"I think you should let me do it. I'll even give you control of tonight's music if you do."

"What are you doing to do? Bite his ankles? What if you're like, seven or something?"

"All the better to get away with it since I'll be too young to convict or whatever."

"Pretty sure that's not how the law works."

"How would you know? Just for that I'm playing Istanbul on repeat again."

"I don't know why you think that's a threat. That song slaps."

It takes a few more years before Five is close enough that the Commission comes to interfere. Because that's what I think happened - Five was getting too close and they stepped in because they might as well distract the man as much as they can with missions, right?

So the Handler shows up. And she offers Five a job, telling him that they have the ability to travel through time. And Five - hesitates.

"Give me some time?" Five asks, and the Handler graciously gives him 24 hours.

And he and Dolores talk it over, because now that his goal is more in sight than it has ever been and Five is scared.

"What are you waiting for? You have the chance to see your siblings again." Dolores says patiently.

"Yeah," Five says, and what he doesn't say is clear. But I won't see you.

"Five." Dolores says, and she cradles his face between her palms like he is something precious, "I have had so much time with you already. More than I would have ever. We have been so lucky, to have this time. How can I demand more than what we have already been given?"

"When have you ever not demanded the world, Dolores?" Five asks, his own hand coming up to cover Dolores's own.

"We've had decades together, Five. We're getting old. I was always going to lose you, one way or another. Nothing lasts forever."

"I don't want to lose you."

"I know. But if I had to choose a way, if I could decide where our story ends, this would be it. Letting you go, because this way you get to live. You get to see your family again. You get to save the world. I could ask for nothing more than for you to get your happy ending."

Five removes Dolores's hand from his cheek so that he can cradle it between them, "I'm happy here with you. I've never been happier. Isn't that silly? That I was happier in the apocalypse?"

"I bet killing Reggie would make you happy." Dolores laughs rustily.

"One day you're going to see the mysterious disappearance of a famous billionaire in the paper and feel a twinge of satisfaction and now have a clue why." Five laughs as well, shaking his head.

Dolores pats Five's hands, "Five, look at me. We've had our time. And you're going to give me even more of it. More time with my father. More time with my mother. I'll never know it, but you'll have saved me."

"What if this is - what if this is an alternate reality? What if I leave you here alone?"

"Then you'll be saving a 15-year-old girl from the same fate as me. Because as much as I love you, as much as I have loved this time we have had together, this is still an apocalypse. This should never have happened, and if you have a chance to go back and prevent it, then I want you to take that chance with both hands."

"Even if it means leaving you alone?"

Dolores smiles at him, "I'm not going to be alone. Far too many creepy crawlies in the apocalypse for that."

"Shut up, I'm being serious."

"Hmm." Dolores hums consideringly, "Maybe I'll head North, to that new settlement that last group said they'd heard word of. Sure they'd find some use for an old woman who's survived this long in the wilderness."

"You can have my half of the record collection." Five says, pulling her against him into a hug that she easily returns.

"As if I wouldn't have stolen them as soon as you left." She scoffs, but it's a little wet, and Five pretends his own eyes aren't leaking tears.

When The Handler comes back, Dolores gives him another hug. She also slips something into his pocket - some photos. They'd taken it a year into the apocalypse, when Dolores had found an ancient looking polaroid camera and towed it home despite Five's protests about practicality. The photos are worn and faded at the edges, but the smiles on Five's little apocalypse family's faces are undeniable.

"You'll have to see if they magically fade when you change the timeline." Dolores whispers to him with a grin, "Like in the movies."

"Okay." Five whispers back.

"You have the list of movies to watch, right?" Dolores says. Five rolls his eyes and nods because he wrote the list last night into his Vanya-book while Dolores hovered over his shoulder and critiqued his handwriting.

"And you promise to try a proper non-expired twinkie at some point?"

"That I do not promise. I think even looking at one would make me lose my lunch. I have twinkie-trauma."

"Shut up and get going." Dolores says, because the Handler is starting to tap her foot impatiently.

And off Five goes to become an assassin. Though - he's much more gentle this time. He's careful, he doesn't kill children and he usually takes jobs that don't require killing at all. He distracts and manipulates events as much as he can without killing.

He's actually much more well socialized, thanks to Rick and Dolores. Less feral child and more determined man on a mission.

Which is why he's so frustrated when he finally, finally manages to get the equations to work and falls through and falls - directly back into his stupid thirteen-year-old body.

"Shit." Five says, loudly, and revels in the surprised look on his siblings faces.

He strides into the kitchen, and they all follow him like ducklings. They look exactly the way they did when they died.

"Wow this is actually way harder than I thought it would be." Five muses, looking at their dead faces. But as Dolores would say, life is hard but you have to keep on trucking sometimes. "Whatever, what's the date?"

"Five, where have you been?" Diego demands, looking irritated. It makes Five snort in amusement.

"The future. The past. If you want like, an exact list of dates you'll have to hold your horses. I spent like, two weeks in Peru once. No souvenirs though, unfortunately."

They look taken aback, like they didn't expect Five to have quite this much sass. Oops. That is definitely Dolores's influence. Or maybe he was always a little asshole. In fairness, what teenagers aren't tiny assholes? He has an excuse.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Diego's eyebrows are furrowed in anger. It kind of takes Five aback for a second, because he remembers a Diego who stutters when he argued.

"When did you learn the fuck-word?" Five asks, raising an eyebrow before her can help it, "Grace ought to wash your mouth out with soap."

Diego immediately goes red, "Shut up!"

"Wow you're so easy to rile up. Aren't you like, twenty-something? Actually, I could figure out for myself how old you are if you gave me the date."

"I'm twenty-nine." Diego growls, like that was the point.

"Haunting!" Five says cheerfully, because that means there is way less time than he would like, narrowing his time down to a six month window.

It's extremely funny how his cheer makes all of them make faces.

It's Klaus who leans forward, "Why do you need to know?"

Klaus's face is open and curious and - (looks exactly like he did when Five found him all those years ago) - and Five can't help but answer him. "The world end on April 1st, 2019. No it isn't an April Fools joke, yes I have heard that joke like a million different times. I just want to know how close I landed so I can, you know, start working on how to fix that."

"Woah woah woah, roll it back." Allison says, holding a hand up, "What?"

"The apocalypse occurs on April 1st, 2019." Five says, slowly. "I have traveled from afar to prevent this from happening, because like, everyone dies."

"Everyone?" Vanya says weakly from the side.

She's clearly expecting to be ignored, so Five turns his head to address her directly by wiggling his hand back and forth a little. "Sort of. Like, not too many people survive at all. A handful of the human population, you know."

"But you survived?" Diego recovers admirably, if bitingly.

"Well, no." Five says rolling his eyes, "Wouldn't you just know it, Klaus here has managed to figure out a new ability!"

Everyone turns to look at Klaus, who immediately holds up his hands like he's being arrested or something, "I did not!"

"Wonderful! Now that we've established that I'm alive -"

"Why should we trust a word you say?" Luther says for the first time, looking pensive.

Five blinks, genuinely taken aback. "Because... I'm your brother? Because I can clearly and obviously time travel? Like, yeah, it would have been more convenient if I'd arrived in like, my old-body for proof-purposes, but like. I mean. Thirteen is still a pretty convincing age to be to prove time travel considering if I hadn't, I would be like, almost thirty."

"Roll it back again." Allison says firmly, "What do you mean by 'old body'?"

"Great question!" Five says pointing at Allison and smiling. Everyone looks at him weird again, and Five takes a moment to wonder if they've ever experienced positive reinforcement. Knowing Reginald, probably not. "Wait! Is Reggie alive? Wait, no, answer that in a second. Uh. When I time traveled I fucked up my body I guess, I was like, old. White hair and wrinkles-type old from spending decades in the apocalypse. But I fucked up the calculations and got booted back to my thirteen-year-old body, I guess. How, I have no idea."

"What?" Vanya says, still equally weakly.

"You have no idea how fucked up time travel is." Five whispers conspiratorially to Vanya, loud enough for the whole table to hear, "There are so many ways to die. Or permanently tear a hold in space time. But like, with life as we know if ending soon-ish, I figured I couldn't possibly fuck it up worse than it already was, y'know? Speaking of, anyone have the date again?"

"Wait, what was that about dad?" Luther asks, very focused.

"Oh, you still call him dad? Big oof." Five says automatically, because apparently his verbal filter is shot to hell after living with Dolores. It does make Klaus bark out a too-loud laugh.

"What does that mean?" Luther asks aggressively.

"It means Reginald sucks and doesn't deserve the title of 'dad,' what did you think I meant?" Five asks, and now both Diego and Vanya and both cracking smiles, though Vanya is covering hers with a hand.

"Have some respect for the dead." Luther growls, standing up and looking very large and threatening.

Five sways back, craning his head up, "Woah there big buy, sit down before I injure my poor growing spine looking up at you. Jeeze, did Reggie force feed you steroids or something? I wouldn't put it past him but like, I just want to know he at least went over the side effects of the drug with you. Also like, thanks for narrowing it down. Also terrifying! Seriously though, exact date please because if I have less than 24 hours I am going to break down crying and that is a threat."

"I love this Five." Klaus says reverently.

"March 21st." Vanya offers, finally.

"Wow! Terrifying!" Five says, clapping his hands together, "Hate that. Ten days, huh? Well, who wants to get on board the save-the-world express?"

Klaus immediately flings his hand in the air, Five points at his brother appreciatively. "Yes, excellent! I'll take the volunteer in the lovely skirt as my first team member. Any other volunteers?"

"Danke!" Klaus simpers, grinning widely like this is the vest entertainment he's had in weeks.

"I'm not just going to stand here and listen to you badmouth dad and boss us around." Luther slams his hands on the table.

"Well not with that attitude." Five snarks.

Diego raises his hand, "I would like to join team fuck dad as well."

"We can certainly debate team names later." Five says, nodding wisely as Luther gives some sort of scandalized gasp.

"Honestly, I just want to see where this is going." Klaus confesses.

Five shrugs, because he doesn't really care about the reason. "Don't you want to prove me wrong them? Prove what a well-adjusted young man Reginald Hargreeves raised?"

"Shut up." Luther grinds out, looking a moment away from throwing a punch.

"If this is all true, I have to get home." Allison cuts in, looking concerned, "I have - I have a daughter."

"I mean, if you want to give Claire a world to live in then I'd stick around, but that's just me." Five shrugs.

"You know her name?" Allison asks, obviously taken aback.

Five is almost offended, "Uh, yeah. I have her photo as well. Y'all get on like, a bizarre number of gossip magazine covers did you know that?"

Allison manages to outdo herself in terms of being taken aback once more.

There's a beat of silence, and then Five turns, "Vanya? You in?"

"Me?" Vanya blinks, looking shocked. "What can I do?"

"Yeah, what can she do?" Diego asks, crossing his arms and suddenly looking grumpy.

It baffles Five, who scrunches his nose, "Uh, like, a lot? I assume? I mean. I'm going to be honest here, just looking at y'all right now is a lot. In more ways than one! Hashtag trauma and all that, but like, name a single one of you that wouldn't be the most obvious person in the room as soon as you walked into it. Except Vanya, who somehow manages to look like a well adjusted adult, by some miracle."

"Did you just verbally say the word hashtag?" Allison asks, looking so deeply confused.

"More concerned about the trauma he tacked onto there, but y'know, to each their own." Klaus immediately cuts in.

"You think I'm well-adjusted?" Vanya asks, looking oddly touched.

"I would like to direct your attention to Diego's leather pants-scowl combo and Luther's general aura of daddy-issues." Five says pointedly, "I can practically smell the tragic comic book backstory in this room. If I'd jumped back a decade earlier this would have been Batman's wet dream of orphan selection."

"Alright! Game plan!" Five says, waving Diego's knife in his hand.

Diego's hands immediately go to his weird harness looking thing, "Hey!"

"Give me just one moment to get the tracker out." Five rolls his eyes, "Then I'll give it back, I promise. Also if someone could ask Grace for like, some antibiotics that would be good."

"What?" Allison asks, directly before Five stabs himself and there is suddenly panic at the table.

"Relax!" Five says, allowing Diego to remove the knife from his hands. He doesn't need it anyway and his hand immediately drops down to root in the wound.

"Five what the fuck!" Diego yells, but Five just pulls up bloody fingers and waves the tracker into Diego's stupefied face.

"What the fuck is that, Five?" Allison demands, looking very shaken.

"I literally just said it was a tracker." Five points out, "Now, I think our first team activity should be voting on whether we destroy it or take it out to bumfuck nowhere and ditch it to confuse the Commission."

"What the fuck is the Commission?" Diego barks.

"Man. Maybe I should just hit up Rick." Five muses, "This is going to take so much explaining."

"Who is Rick."

"So much explaining."

[whaleofatjme1920]

The Ends of Hallways (Proxies X F!Reader)

The Ends of Hallways

[Proxies X F!Reader]

[Warnings: slight language]

[AN: Y'all are just gonna have to thank Eris for always sending me the best requests. I don't have favorites,,, but Reader, I have favorites. Also no Kate sorry :( ]

Your face was practically squished against the glass of the car Hoodie had stolen as the four of you pull into the parking lot of woods that brim with the Operator’s energy. You’ve never seen these woods in person - only in dreams. You’ve never even really seen your master in person, once again, like these woods, he too has been confined to your dreams. But you hear him, and often. His voice falls down on your ears like gentle rains that fall from the heavens. He is everything and more. That is why it is so exciting for you to finally be here, so close to him, and to his presence.

“You excited?” You hear your group leader ask.

You nod and press harder up against the glass. “Are we going now?” You’re ready to bounce out of the car and everyone can see that.

He chuckles in response. “What do you think Hood? Time to go?”

The hazel eyed man behind him shoots the driver a look. “Masky, just look at her, she’s gonna break the window if we don’t.” There’s a slight playfulness in his tone that tells you the right hand really isn’t annoyed with you.

“Fair enough,” Masky smiles. He then reaches behind his seat, hand slapping at who used to be the runt’s knee. “Tobes? Tob-Tobes, get up.”

Toby’s eyes shoot open as he lurches forward. “I’m u-u-up, I-I’m u-up,” he yawns as his hands rub tiredly at his eyes. “Are w-w-we here a-alaready?” He asks, the exhaustion still clear in his tone.

Both of the men in the front seats nod. “C’mon, let’s get going,” Hoodie says as he pulls up the lock on his car door before sliding out.

You wait impatiently for Masky to unlock the car then zip out like a bat from hell. You’re immediately at the edge of one of the forest’s many trails and taking in the sights and sounds of your boss’s woods. They’re beautiful, really. The autumn colors bathe the woods in fiery oranges and passionate reds with threads of gold to interlock it all together. The sky is just the slightest shade of blue as clouds cover the sun. There weren’t any people here either - not under the little structures, not exploring, not anyone but you and your comrades.

“Wrong one,” Hoodie says as he closes the trunk to the car before tossing a backpack to Toby, who catches it like second nature.

You whip your head around to see that Masky, Hoodie and Toby are smiling at how excited you are before silently asking you to follow them. “Where are we going?” You ask, eyes wide as you jog up to them.

“Across the field. There’s this cool tunnel of trees we think you’ll appreciate,” Masky replies as he leads his group across the grass. It crunches slightly as the four of you move, like it hasn’t been watered in a long time.

“R-Really?” Toby hums as he puts his hands in his pockets. “You s-s-sure we’re n-not gonna be l-late?” The young proxy gives a slight look to his group leader, eyebrow raised as if he’s sure the Operator is okay with them possibly being tardy.

Masky shakes his head before tapping his temple with his free hand, “he told me it’s okay.”

“He did?” You ask as stars cloud your eyes. The Operator, as you’ve heard so far, is to be feared and respected. He’s like a father you can look at but never touch. He seems so out of your range, like he’s not even visible - not even if you squint your eyes. You wonder what makes you so… interesting… in his eyes. You really don’t think you’re worth all the fuss. Clearly he does.

Masky chuckles before ruffling your hair with his hand, “yeah. I think he finds your enthusiasm endearing.” Masky’s not entirely incorrect. When they first got Toby, the Operator was strangely favorable towards the young proxy as well - maybe because he was hand plucked, special, and therefore deemed worthy of his time. You were similar to Toby, albeit, you accidentally got involved with the Operator. He liked you, chose you, then kept you.

Hoodie whistles slightly as the four of you step into the trees, his gloved hand reaching up to tear off a branch from one of the low hanging trees then swing it aimlessly as his side. “Seems pretty obvious in my opinion,” he whacks Toby lightly with the stick making said proxy laugh. “Looks like Toby isn’t the only golden child anymore.”

“P-Probably not,” Toby hums, a slight melancholy coming into his tone. “Think I-I’ve been losing f-f-favor with h-hin for a w-while.” He glances over his shoulder and smiles at you.

You frown slightly and place your hand on his shoulder, “I don’t think so,” you say. “Just means he has two golden child-s now.”

Toby beams.

You do too.

The group continues to move through the trees, mostly silent save for Masky and Hoodie pointing out little memories from time to time. Things such as some guy named ‘Alex’ chasing them through here, Masky’s waking up with no memory, Hoodie’s nature shots, and everything in between. You learn a lot about the hands of your group from when they were just scared film students to the things they’ve done as proxies here. It’s kind of nice as you’ve never really spoken to them this way before.

When you first came into this life and were placed in this group, the hazing process kicked in like wildfire. Almost every day was a mentally or physically, sometimes both, a draining task and a bonding agent. Authority was not to be questioned and they made that more than clear. Eventually, the hazing grew lighter and lighter until it just… didn’t exist. That was how it went - you were no longer considered naive and starry eyed. Still, authority was not to be questioned, and it’s why you and your comrades have never really talked on this specific level before.

It’s why it’s such a treat that you get to talk to them like this now.

Eventually, the four of you make it to an odd stretch of trees. They tunnel over each other, a lot like a thorny funnel, but they frame the sky so well.

“If the sun was setting,” Masky starts. “It would look like a cradle.”

You take a step back and observe the tunnel of trees, trying to imagine the setting sun. The mental image is pretty. “Will we ever be back here to see it?”

“Oh definitely,” Masky continues. “But uh, the business we’re here for today? Don’t know if that’s meant for anyone but me and maybe Hoodie.”

You look on instinct to Hoodie who nods. “Is that normal?”

“Sure is,” Hoodie says as he takes in the scent of the cooling autumn woods. He knows the group is almost to the limits of the Operator’s realm. “Tell me what you feel right now, Reader,” he says in passing as he flicks the stick somewhere off the given trail.

With a glance around at your surroundings, you attempt to get a feel for the area you’re in. It’s cold, much colder, but the atmosphere still feels a little thick. The further you go into the woods (and by extension the Operator’s bounds to which you don’t even know exist yet), you get that odd feeling in your legs that feels like they’ve fallen asleep. It’s like the physical sensation of static. You try to explain it in words, but they fail. Instead, you allow Hoodie into your thoughts.

“Nice,” he smiles. “Alright, try to ask for permission in.”

“I need to ask for permission?”

“E-Everytime,” Toby begins as he and the others pause. They’re right on the edge of the bubble and can feel it so much stronger than you can. “It’s t-to ensure n-normal humans c-can’t come in,” Toby begins to explain as you gaze around your surroundings, wondering how you’ll even begin to ask. “T-Though, their f-feelings sometimes k-kick into o-overdrive and they e-end up p-piercing through the v-veil on a-a-accident.” He chuckles softly and you know exactly what he’s referring to - you’ve heard tales of the people who get stuck wandering where they shouldn’t: always ends in someone strung up in the pines. “W-We’ve all learned t-to ask p-permission like b-breathing.”

You shoot your comrade a confused glance, wondering what that will mean for you. “I just ask?”

“Kind o-of,” Toby says. “Just l-let your f-f-feelings guide you. She’ll t-t-tell you whether you’re a-a-allowed in or not.”

You close your eyes and begin to hone in on whatever your heart is telling you. It’s a cold feeling, mostly like vines that slip up and down your limbs as they grow upwards and then inwards towards your heart. It’s an odd feeling. Once the static vines pierce through your heart, you physically see a fog roll into the forest around you. It consumes you and your comrades before you remember Toby mentioned ‘she.’ The fog thickens. “Wait, she?” You say as the static begins to leave your system. It feels like you’re tearing through roots as you walk forward.

“He didn’t mean it,” Masky quickly replies as he begins to pull you through the fog. “Good job on asking though. Strong response,” he says as gestures to the fog, his hand swimming through the billowy clouds. “Wives’ tale is the stronger the fog, the more genuine you were in response.”

You wade your fingers through the thick fog as you and the others walk forward, deeper and deeper into the darkness where there was none. “Must’ve had a really genuine response, huh?” You mumble to yourself. The fog doesn’t even feel like normal fog - it feels thick and heavy and leaves slight dew on your clothing as you walk. How interesting.

‘Head talk from here on out,’ Hoodie says as the four of you reach a stretch of woods that feels slightly dangerous.

‘Did you feel it too?’ Toby asks, his hand at his hatchet.

Hoodie nods slightly, his eyes narrowing as he slows his pace so he’s guarding the back. He gives you a slightly concerned look as the fog evens out. Everyone but you knows that they’re in perhaps one of the most dangerous parts of the veil. The Operator’s mere presence is usually enough to deter the things like the Rake from his grounds, but that often means they get trapped here - in the in-between - and lash out on the first thing they sense. The sooner the four of you get out of this dangerous spot, the better.

‘What do you sense?’ You ask, cutting mentally through the rough silence, your own hand moving to your blade.

Hoodie looks like he’s about to answer you before he holds his fist up and the other three of you duck down instantly, dipping below the fog. Just then, some deer begin walking past.

‘Deer?’ You say in a questioning tone.

‘Not just any deer,’ Hoodie begins as the deer slowly nibbles on the leaves and other things. ‘Take a good look at their bodies. They look normal to you?’

You narrow your eyes slightly and get used to peering through the fog as the deer pass. Eventually, you’re able to look at their coats. There’s something off about them, something wrong. Something you can’t quite place. The longer you watch them as they move in front of you, the stronger that off feeling gets. They have every physical part of the deer down but it’s just not right. It’s like their joints don’t fit well beneath their skin. And their eyes… Their eyes are completely hollow.

‘You see it?’ Masky asks as the last of the deer passes by. He glances over his shoulder briefly to see you nod. ‘We’re lucky they didn’t change this time,’ he mumbles, slowly inching forward while crouched against the earth.

‘What would’ve happened if they changed?’ You inquire, moving quietly alongside your comrades.

‘Nightmare fuel,’ Toby finally pipes in. ‘Nothing about them looks right. Big mouths full of sharp teeth, black eyes, too many limbs, like a messed up centipede,’ he finishes, a slight shudder coming into his mental tone.

You notice the other two of your group members nodding in agreement before finally deeming it safe enough to stand up and finally exit the in-between of the veil.

You’re greeted to the sight of a beautiful, rustic looking Germanic mansion surrounded by iron gates that hold honeycomb patterns that trail skywards only to end on sharp peaks that you’re almost certain your boss has spiked people on plenty of times. There’s also flowers of every kind in the front gardens that catch your eyes the moment you step through the grand gates. There’s fountains and topiaires, statues and benches that tell you the Operator drips with style and elegance.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Masky smiles.

You nod, “it’s gorgeous.” The air smells slightly expensive, but mostly sweet. How is it that a place like this can even possibly exist? Around the mansion are autumnal trees, mostly maple, some sycamore and other birch. Scattered on the front lawn are other proxies and some independents, mostly catching up and talking before leaving through the same gates you entered from. Some of them smile and wave as they pass you, others grunt and turn their nose up at you upon realizing you’re the youngest. This place sings with the Operator’s overwhelming presence.

Your comrades continue to watch your amused expression as they lead you to the front doors of the mansion. They’re large and stained glass, slightly gothic in woodwork and tower over you.

“Go ahead,” Hoodie chuckles as he nods for you to open the doors.

You glance back to him, then at the large doors before tentatively placing your hands on their surface. With a small breath, you push them open and find yourself greeted to the most exquisite foyer you’ve ever seen. Large chandeliers hang from the ceiling, sapphires and rubies drip from the fixtures and shine the light beautifully across the marble floors. Gold leaf adorns almost everything that juts out while the huge staircase in front of you beckons you forward.

“Doesn’t seem like he needs us yet,” Masky says as he checks his watch. “Got here earlier than expected, huh?” He lightly ribs Hoodie who rolls his eyes in response. “C’mon, let’s go to the sun room. Don’t wanna wait around in here.” He nods for the three of you to follow.

Toby clears his throat slightly as if to remind the two in charge that you’re still very much here and new.

“Oh, right,” Masky says. “Reader, this is super important, so listen up,” your group leader begins as he turns on his heels to eventually rest his hands on your shoulders.

You raise a brow at his sudden contact. Masky normally didn’t touch you unless what he had to say was important - which really, really didn’t happen often.

“This mansion likes to play off your thoughts, feelings, and logic,” he says, his hand gesturing to the staircase that’s slowly moving directions. You didn’t even hear it begin to shift. “The Operator usually keeps things in line for when he summons you, it’s almost a guaranteed path you’ll make it to him, but,” his eyes go serious. “If it’s just you and you’re moving around, you need to have a place in mind or it’ll accidentally spit you out somewhere totally random. We’ve had people get lost in here because the mansion is slightly playful and weirdly baneful depending on the individual walking around.”

“The Operator has a playful side?”

Masky stifles a laugh before shaking you lightly. “I legitimately mean it, you need to have a place in mind or you’re gonna get lost and the Operator isn’t gonna be happy. By extension, I won’t be happy because I need to come get you.”

“Mhm,” Hoodie nods in agreement. “And you can’t have the thought in passing either, it’s gotta be on your mind until it’s in sight.” After Hoodie’s words leave his mouth, Masky lets you go.

You take all the information in and wonder just what makes the place run. It’s like it has its own personality - it’s playful and baneful? You have to ask it permission to even enter its grounds and it deems whether you’re worthy or not? What kind of power does the Operator even have and why on earth would he even care about that kind of stuff? If he truly wanted his proxies to access him, he’d do it with no hesitation. The humans that would wander into his rooms would just end up tasting someone’s blade.

“Sun room?” Hoodie reminds Masky.

Your entire walk to the sun room you try to conjure a mental image in your head. They say it’s doubtful you’ll get lost so long as you’re with them, but you consider it good practice. When you finally make it to the sun room, you’re pleased to see it’s relatively empty save for a few groups interspersed in the large, window adorned room overlooking a silver lake. There’s a few independents walking around with carts holding different tea time finger-foods and waiting tea sets on every table. Maasky leads you over to one of the tables nearest to the view of the lake.

“So, what business exactly are we here for today?” You ask as you waste no time in pouring yourself some tea.

Masky shrugs, “no idea. He said he just wanted us to come.”

“T-Think he r-really only n-needs an audience w-with them though,” Toby adds before silently thanking you for pouring him some tea as well. “L-Leaves us some t-t-time to chat. Y’know, t-the thing H-Hood hates us d-doing,” he lightly jokes.

Hoodie scoffs and feigns being annoyed, “I only hate you two chatting when we’re in the middle of tearing out some guy’s entrails.”

“Y-Yeah, which is a-all the time,” Toby giggles.

You laugh as well.

The four of you are in a heated argument about something relatively stupid when static overtakes Masky and Hoodie’s hearing. They visibly pause, as if they’re trying to key into something you can’t understand when it suddenly stops.

“Have t-to go?” Toby inquires before taking a strawberry tart and popping it into his mouth.

Both Masky and Hoodie nod.

“Yeah. Keep an eye on Reader, please? We won’t be too long,” Masky replies with a small, tired smile.

Toby flashes the two a thumbs up before the both of you watch them leave, a clear destination on their minds.

It’s not long until Toby gets distracted by some other independents that stroll into the mansion. You recognize the two of them as relatively minor legends - well, maybe not the one with the smile. His name is Jeff.

“So, this is your fresh meat, huh?” Jeff chuckles as he lightly pushes Toby’s shoulder. “She looks a little scrawny. Are you feeding her right?”

Toby laughs and nods, “Masky w-w-would lose his m-mind if you s-s-said that.”

Jeff’s chest rumbles as he laughs. “I’m joking,” he holds his hand up as a sign of truce. “Hope you know you’re running with one of the only decent groups out there, Reader,” he says before picking up his tea cup. It looks slightly comical as he brings it to his lips.

You offer him a smile and nod, “yeah, I know.”

The man to Jeff’s left nods in agreement, “Masky’s really good at what he does. Got one of the best.”

Toby immediately fights the notion (playfully) and the three engage in conversation that’s lively and vibrant all the same. You listen to the three verbally duke it out before you find yourself bored. You can’t just leave though, but you want to move at the same time.

“Toby?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I excuse myself?”

“W-Where to?”

“Washroom,” you reply.

“Do y-you need m-me to a-accompany y-y-you?”

Both Eyeless Jack and Jeff scoff.

“She’s a big girl, let her go,” Jeff says as he nods his own approval for you to go. “You told her about the mindset thing?”

Toby nods.

“Yeah, then she’s good to go,” Eyeless Jack agrees.

You flash the men at your table a smile before getting up. You push in your chair and then make it to the entrance of the sunroom, leading into the halls. You don’t have a set destination in mind. The moment you step out of the sunroom, you feel the air change. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s different. On instinct, you turn your gaze over your shoulder to see the sunroom is gone. It’s just hall and lining the hall are doors upon doors.

Alright, you can work with that! A small smile comes to your face as you begin to walk forwards, allowing your curiosity to bloom. The first door you decide to open is one that’s honestly not that exciting. It was just a storage unit. Another was a study. Then it was someone’s room. Another room. And another. How many residence rooms are there?

You close yet another door and then feel a thought come into your head, taking a seat on your train of thought like a butterfly sunbathes on a flower. She - Toby had mentioned it. And you wondered. You let the thought stay. Before you know it, you’re walking through the halls guided by forces you don’t quite understand, and the further you get into the mansion, the stranger the atmosphere becomes. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s not a normal feeling either. You watch as the light fixtures change from something relatively modern and regress into something more vintage. The dust begins to kick up. Irish lace begins to pepper the ceiling. You notice how the doors change style as well. How strange.

Eventually, you reach a dead end stretch of hall. At the very end of this hall is a singular door that looks weathered, as if it was sunbleached and painted over in oils. There’s an elegance to it you can’t quite place, and like a siren song, you find yourself being beckoned to it. Your proxy instincts kick in like second nature the closer you draw to it. You feel your breathing lighten, your steps as well, and you move towards it with a silence that is unmatched - as if you’re floating on air. You draw closer and closer to the door. It’s so magnetic, and you can’t quite explain why/ But closer still you must be to it.

Your hand tenderly grasps the doorknob - it feels like ice - and you twist it open. You wonder if you should be doing this. A part of you feels like you shouldn’t be doing this, but another part of you says this is what you were meant to see. You push the door open ever so slightly, just enough to be able to see inside, but the door is heavy, almost as if it doesn’t want you to. Like it’s trying to protect you from something further. You wonder if it just wishes to keep its secrets.

It’s gorgeous, it truly is. It puts the rest of the mansion to shame. It looks old - perhaps from 16th century Germany and fit for royalty. Plants of all kinds line the walls. They look like emeralds as light shines through their leaves. The sunlight kisses the flowers that sprout from the stalks. Beautiful woodwork surrounds the windows that are covered in fairytale-esque stained glass pieces. The scent is of something much, much sweeter and warmer than the rest of the mansion. Your eyes then draw to the center of the room, where an ornate table sits. There’s gold leaf decorating its legs followed by symbols you can’t really pin down. A tablecloth that looks like it was weaved from the stars above is the only thing that separates a delicate tea set from the precious mahogany table. The tea smells heavenly from where you stand.

Before you can press into the room, you pause upon seeing slender, pale hands take hold of the tea pot. Your eyes follow upwards to the owner of the hands only to see a woman so much more beautiful than the moon in twilight and the sun in the morning. Falling from her shoulders was golden hair that looked like a sea of amber as it cascaded down near the floor. Flowers were woven into it - mostly snowdrops, baby’s breath and queen Anne’s lace. She’s dressed in something from medieval Europe, and never once does her sleeve touch the table. She begins to pour herself some tea, a honey like hum coming from her being as she pours the sweet liquid. Her eyes flick upwards for but a moment when she hears a bird chirping outside. Her eyes are so dark, there exists no white sclera. They’re so dark, like black holes that hide in the depths of space, but you feel as if she holds the universe inside of them. She’s so beautiful, you’re not sure she’s real. A cat has jumped up onto the table, purring at her. When she smiles, your heart sings.

You want to say hello to her and spend time in her presence when you attempt to open the door some more. It creaks slightly. The hinges are ancient. Before you can say anything, the door is slammed shut, sending you flying backwards. You let out a sound of shock before seeing Toby reaching down to get you.

“What t-the hell a-a-are you thinking?” He hisses as he picks you up, grabbing your bicep and beginning to drag you away from the door that still holds your attention. “You r-really just w-wandered off l-like that?”

You furrowed your eyebrows, attempting to get free of his grasp as he continues to pull you along. No matter how hard you smack at him, he doesn’t let go.

“M-Masky said it’s not s-safe for y-y-you to wander o-off. A-And without m-me? D-D-Did you have a-any cognitive t-t-thought when you w-went out on a l-limb like t-that?” He sounds so heated.

You find he’s bringing you back to the sunroom, undoubtedly going to tell Masky and Hoodie about your misbehavior. “Why are you being so weird?” You retort as you attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. “It’s just a room!” You cry out in an exasperated tone.

Toby only reprimands you louder. It’s a losing game.

You eventually find yourself back in the sunroom. Only, instead of Eyeless Jack and Jeff, you see the deeply concerned and slightly pissed off faces of Masky and Hoodie. They’re not happy to see you, and you’re not exactly thrilled to see you either.

“Take a s-s-seat,” Toby says in a harsh tone as he thrusts you back into your seat.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Masky asks, not even attempting to mask his voice because that’s the privilege of being a proxy. You’re able to reprimand your proxies without anyone giving a care.

“You can’t just go off like that,” Hoodie continues as he furrows his brows. “You could’ve gotten-”

“Hurt? This is the Operator’s mansion, what the fuck is gonna hurt me in here other than himself or you two?”

“That’s it,” Masky points out. “He can seriously hurt you if you snoop where you shouldn’t!” His hands grips at your wrist, tightening to a point of pain.

When you feel tears prick your eyes, Hoodie sighs and puts his hand on Masky’s shoulder, “stop it.”

Masky hesitantly lets you go.

“What did you see?” Hoodie asks with a deep sigh, his posture tensing. He’s really hoping you didn’t see the Operator’s trophy room.

You give your comrades a concerned look, not sure whether you should answer or not when Hoodie raises a slight brow. Damn it. You’re emotionally compromised. He’s seeing what he needs to without your permission.

“That’s… Odd…” He says.

Masky glances to Hoodie. “No.”

“Unfortunately, I think yeah,” Hoodie says with a growing frown. He glances to Toby for confirmation, and upon seeing Toby’s nod, says “yeah,” again.

Masky groans and puts his face into his hands, finding comfort in being buried into himself.

You hold your wrist in your hand and lean back in your chair. “Just… What is it you guys aren’t telling me?” You question, hoping they’d just bite the bullet and tell you.

The group shares a look, debating whether they should even say it or not. When no one says anything, you press them again.

“Come on,” you sigh. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It really could be,” Masky says as he finally releases his face from his hands. “No one knows what seeing it does.”

Your eyes widen before you bark a laugh. “What?”

“No, he’s serious,” Hoodie picks up. “Seeing that door is rare, like, rainbow pikachu rare. Proxies think it’s an omen or a bad luck thing. To see it means a group’s eventual demise.”

You briefly scoff at the thought of proxies being superstitious before you remember some of you can actually cast portals. It’s really not that out of pocket.

“N-No one has e-e-ever found o-out though,” Toby shrugs. “W-We just know t-that the g-groups that h-h-have n-normally e-end in death.” He looks a little uncomfortable as he says the words, like there’s a legitimate truth to what he’s saying even though he’d rather it be utter BS.

“To be fair, we thought it was a rumor prior to you sneaking off,” Hoodie says as he tries to calm down his group.

You take in this information with a small frown. How could something that beautiful be that evil or a harbinger of doom? The thought of it left you perplexed as your comrades continued to lecture you on not wandering off until Masky and Hoodie were called away.

“I don’t know if I feel comfortable leaving Reader here with-”

Toby rolls his eyes, “you c-cant just s-say you want m-me to come with i-instead. N-Not need to insult m-my competence a-a-as a babysitter,” he mumbles before glancing down to his hatchets.

Masky sighs and nods for Toby to follow him out. Looks like it’s just you and Hoodie.

“So,” you awkwardly begin, not really sure what to do or what to say.

“So,” Hoodie hums back. “Anywhere you wanted to go?” When he sees the glint in your eyes, he shakes his head. “Like, a normal place. We’re gonna be here for a while while those two are out,” he chuckles, watching as you visibly deflate.

You allow the question to bang around in your head until you nod with a thought in mind. “The library. I’d like to go to the library.”

Hoodie smiles at that suggestion and finishes the rest of his tea before standing up. He stretches for a moment, then leads you to the hallway your original snooping began. You noticed as his thoughts immediately became clouded with the word and vision of ‘library’ as the two of you trekked the halls. As you walked, you barely recognized any of the doors you passed. They weren’t on your radar, which was odd in your opinion as you had opened a lot of door you probably shouldn’t have.

Eventually, you reach two large oak doors. Hoodie pushes them open and you’re greeted to the sight of a beautiful library. It’s impossibly huge - how could such a place exist in the mansion? You’re well aware it’s a huge place, but the fact that all of this is here… It’s bigger than a downtown city library you visited when passing through Chicago a few months ago. The Operator’s influence is beautiful, isn’t it?

“I’m gonna be in the sci-fi section,” Hoodie says as he nods over to the right wing of the library. “It’s on the second floor.” You notice the spiral staircase that leads to what appears to be a balcony - it must stretch backwards forever. “Check in with me in about 15 minutes. Don’t do anything stupid.” It’s surprising how relaxed he’s being with you. You would have expected someone like Hoodie to be a lot angerier and more observational.

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, you nod and flash him a thumb’s up before bounding over to the left wing of the library. Nothing is properly labeled, but you get a strong bout of intuition where everything is. Right now, you’re on the hunt for history.

The aisle that holds the history books looks just as old as you would have expected it to. The books here aren’t any you’ve ever seen in stores either - they’re largely from the time period they’re to be representing. Some are more modern, but you get the feeling that they don’t exist anywhere else but under the Operator’s influence. You find a few books that talk about the early history of proxies, some on independents, but nothing to inform you on what you had found.

It’s honestly a little maddening. You check in with Hoodie when you have to - he asks you to list the spines of the books you’re currently looking at - and then you’re back to your fruitless search. You run up and down the halls of the history section looking for anything when you hear static begin to buzz in your heads. The feeling travels upwards like the vines you felt earlier from your heels to your chest. When they claw deep into your heart, you feel a pull. And once again, like a sailor beckoned to the rocks due to a siren’s song, you follow it.

It twists and turns you through the shelves, making you zip past the few proxies and independents that are currently visiting this wing of the library before you’re drawn to a rotunda. You look backwards and see in the distance the front doors of the library. When did this place get a middle wing? It was just straight shelves and a wall with large windows overlooking the rolling hills of the woods. You turn your attention upwards to the ceiling of the rotunda. There’s a large skylight that allows sunlight to cascade down. Around that are gems you don’t even know the name of that weave a mosaic of something positively divine. You allow your gaze to follow the shaft of warm sunlight down, and there, sitting at a table with a book in hand (it looks like a journal) is the Operator himself.

“S-Sir!” You manage to squeak out as you find yourself startled to be in his presence, Heat rises to your cheeks when he looks up from his book to turn his attention to you.

“How did you get here?” He asks, confusion etching his body as he curiously tilts his head.

Your breath hitches. “I’m so sorry,” you apologize, bowing your head almost immediately. “I don’t know how I got here. It just felt like a pull and suddenly I was here? I was in the left wing and looking over history books and I-” you continue to rattle off until the Operator holds up his hand, silently signaling you to stop. You do so as soon as he asks.

“I-. It’s no matter,” he waves off. “Come, sit down beside me.” An inky black tendril sprouts from his back as he pulls the chair in front of him out, allowing you to sit in his presence.

You will your stone-like legs forward and attempt to gracefully take a seat in front of him. It’s a slightly awkward silence before he speaks again.

“How have you been, Miss Reader?”

“I’m alright,” you reply, voice no higher than a whisper.

The Operator hums. “Good.”

Another pregnant pause.

“Child, where is your book?”

“I uh, didn’t grab one?” You answer softly. You can tell the Operator is looking at you with what he can convey to his fullest as confusion. “When I was pulled here I just.. Followed,” you attempt to explain. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

“And what have you done today?” He asks, giving his passing attention to you like a father would.

You bite your lip before steering the conversation towards the room you saw. “I think I met someone.”

“You did, did you?”There’s a passing interest as if he’s saying ‘that’s nice, honey.’

You nod. “She was in a tea room-”

He pauses.

“I found her by accident-”

He makes sure he’s hearing you correctly.

“Her hair was golden-”

He looks up.

“She had plants-”

He’s sitting upright now.

“She had a cat-”

He leans forward.

“Her smile rivaled the stars-”

He’s focusing so intently on you now.

“Her voice was like honey-”

He entirely focused on you.

“She was beautiful.”

The Operator’s ichor pauses for just a moment as he takes in the description of the woman you described. It makes a part of him sing and another part of him sob. He hasn’t heard of her in so, so long.

When you look up, you see the Operator practically leaned halfway over the table and entirely focused on you. It makes you jump. “I’m sorry,” you apologize sheepishly, thinking you saw something you shouldn’t have. “I wasn’t thinking and I uh, think the mansion led me to her?”

The Operator wordlessly nods. “Was she pouring tea?” He asked, voice so much gentler than anything you could ever expect him to conjure up.

You slowly nod. “She was.”

The Operator suddenly slumps down, making you jolt. You rise on instinct to help him when he waves you back down. “Do you realize who you’ve come into contact with?” He asks.

You shake your head. “I’m afraid not, Sir,” you say with slight remorse.

The Operator chuckles deeply - it rumbles his chest and in your head. “You found her.” He could smile, you were sure it would be from ear to ear if he had the correct facial features. “All these years later and you found her.” He emphasizes you like a bittersweet affirmation.

“Who is she?” You ask softly.

Your boss sits back up again. “Someone who loves me,” his tendril sprouts once again from his back and moves towards you. “Someone who loves you,” it taps your nose. “Someone who loves us.” The tendril makes a grand, sweeping gesture.

You take in the words and nod, still not knowing what they mean. Upon seeing your confusion, he decides to elaborate.

“A long, long time ago, in a realm you could not begin to fathom, there was light and there was dark,” he begins, his voice slipping into something akin to someone saying a bedtime story. “I was the light, and that cur we call Zalgo was the dark.”

You scrunch your nose at the sound of his name.

“The dark and the light were born from nothing, and she was beautiful.” His audible smile is actually endearing to hear. “Throughout the years, the light and the dark fought, constantly at each other's throats. It was woven in the threads of history, it had been our birthright. When we came to this place, this planet after being cast from our home - a palace amongst all palaces, a kingdom that rose far above any other, the nothingness came with us. She called herself Liebevolle Frau. She loved her children.” By this point in the story, the Operator has taken the liquids from the coffee cup he drinks from and animated them into the characters for this story.

You watch with stars in your eyes.

“But no guardian is without its favorites, and I happened to be hers.” Liebevolle Frau’s figure was shown sheltering the Operator’s much smaller one. “And this caused a rift that could not be mended through the light and dark. Eventually, the dark waged war on the light.”

It’s a war you’re still fighting to this day.

“In the 1500s, long after this mansion had been built and my power continued to grow, Zalgo had almost wiped us off the face of the earth to splatter out remains across all the five realms. Liebevolle Frau, thought caught off guard,” that would explain the tea, “sheltered me and protected this place and all who resided in it. At the time,” the Operator looks at you. “Independents and proxies had lived here much more commonly than they do now.”

You smile softly.

“Liebevolle Frau’s power had been pushed to its limit in holding back her first born son, and mind, as well as her heart, broke because of it. In her remaining moments of lucidity, she imbued herself, her soul,” the liquids take the form of something fluttering and soft, like a bird, “her everything, and became the place I hold jurisdiction over today.”

Your eyes widen as you think back to the odd feelings you’ve had coming here for today - and Toby’s slip-up.

“I have not been able to find her since the late 1500s,” The Operator explains as the liquids dance back into the coffee mug, the figure of Liebevolle Frau taking a hair longer than the rest. “She lives in everything.”

You’re honestly speechless over everything the Operator has said because it’s so… It’s strangely heartfelt. You’ve never even spoken face to face with your boss and when you do, it’s because some force is guiding you to do so. But if that force felt so alive, it must have meant she wanted you to know.

“Her physical form,” you finally manage to wisp out. “She wanted to be at peace, didn’t she?”

The Operator chuckles deeply. “I would assume so.”

Before you can respond to anything or even come up with another response, you hear both Masky AND Hoodie yelling for you in your head. The jarring difference between your boss’s gentle voice and Masky and Hoodie crying out for blood is enough to make you jump (once again).

Upon seeing your sudden switch in atmosphere, the Operator hushes the voices in your head and calls them to his side.

Toby is the first to show up though, and quickly trailing after him is Masky and Hoodie. They both look ready to reprimand you but upon seeing you sitting with the Operator, nothing but reverence crosses their minds and bodies.

“Good evening, Sir,” Masky says as he bows his head. “Are you well?”

“Thoughtful, aren't you, Timothy?” There’s no animosity or anger in the Operator’s tone, but it makes Masky blush all the same.

A pregnant pause passes.

“I was just speaking with your newest member, Miss Reader,” a pale hand gestures to you. “Come, join us. I could use the company.”

You watch as confused glances get shared between your three comrades before they take a seat beside you.

A pleasant silence passes through the air before a gentle humming that’s sweeter than honey overtakes it like a passing breeze.

[philicheesecake]

(U. L.) Reclaiming the Earth

Synopsis: The monsters who held a grudge against humanity rise up to take revenge.

Warnings: ?/F soft unwilling vore, death of pred, intense violence, implied death of characters, general chaos and peril

Warren slammed the book shut and hobbled over to take out another one. He collapsed against the wall as he started to skim through the pages. Two weeks felt like a year in this dull basement. The only company was an exhausted alchemist and a murderous giant who tried to kill him. He was afraid to tell Rebeka and Liss the extent of what happened. As far as they knew, he got into a car accident out of town and was staying at the hospital there with a friend. They knew nothing about his missing leg. He didn’t want to say anything about it, as if that would solidify the loss. Magic exists… Magic can fix anything, right? Why tell them if his leg wouldn’t be gone forever? He’d surely find a way to get it back if he tried.

Phantom limb syndrome was hell. The stump of his left leg was swelling up as it healed, and Olivia had to keep cleaning and treating it to avoid infection. The nerve endings were on fire, and even though the limb was gone, it felt like it was still there. Most of the stuff he could feel from it right now was just pain. 

“You know no magic can reverse that, right?”

Warren glanced up from the book to shoot Rhyka a glare. “Well that’s exactly what a careless murderer like you would say to make me give up. And I heard you the first hundred times.”

Rhyka sighed, leaning back in her chair. She was still tied down to it to avoid causing any trouble. She hadn’t tried to escape since they first captured her. It was almost unsettling how complacent she was here, not seeming worried at all about her predicament.

“I don’t expect you to listen to me, though your stubbornness can be amusing to watch. It says a lot about humans.”

Warren’s eyes narrowed at her, then he ignored her and stared back down at the book, continuing to flip through the pages. He stopped when he heard something from the floor above make its way downstairs. Olivia was there, looking tired as usual. Her carafe of coffee might as well be glued to her hand because of how seldom she was seen parted with it. Close behind her followed a familiar tall figure with unruly black hair and golden eyes. 

Warren perked up in confusion. “Eli?” The camouflaged giant’s eyes barely met the ex-hunter as Rhyka seemed to catch his eye. He took in a gasp and let out a hysterical chuckle. “What the-- fuck? You gotta be shitting me!” He grinned, hopping off the last stair and went over to Rhyka, laughing. Olivia followed behind, seeming too tired for this as she lazily sipped her coffee. 

“Oh stars, ya did it! The fuck are ya doin’ here!” Eli shot a glance over to Warren, still grinning. “Hey tiny. The fuck happened to your leg?”

“It’s fine- I’ll fix it.” Warren spoke hesitantly. 

“Still stuck in denial,” Rhyka’s expression was unphased and deadpanned at the other giant. “Hello, Arawn. Did the other giants scare you off again?”

Warren was curious as well, wondering why on earth Eli would come here of all places. He hated humans. Maybe he just came here to gloat over the Elder giant. Eli’s eyes narrowed at Rhyka’s words and he let out a snort. “Scare me? Nah. They’re just bein’ fuckin’ annoying. Too many giants out of rotation. I came here to hang out ‘till they scatter. I have no idea what the hell is goin’ on ‘cuz there was just a Banding, and there’s like, hundreds around. It’s impossible to get anywhere without their stench fuckin’ everything up.” He rolled his eyes. 

Warren’s eyes widened. “Wha-- hundreds?” His voice raised up a pitch in fear. “What-- what are they all doing here? It’s halloween! Everyone is going to be out late! It’ll be a bloodbath!”

Eli snorted. “Not like I fuckin’ care, tiny. I just don’t want ‘em off my ass.”

Rhyka tilted her head slightly and looked at Eli almost mockingly. “There are so many… Couldn’t you help but feel as if they are leaving you out of something bigger?”

Eli bared his teeth in a snarl. “Like I’d ever wanna be part of anything involving them after what they fuckin’ did. They’re all assholes. Every one of ‘em.”

Rhyka sighed, her lips still curled back into a slight smile. “Something bigger is coming, Arawn. Bigger than you and your petty grudges. Do you not want to be part of the redemption of our kind? You are so caught up in the past about what happened and have become blind to what the future holds for us. I remember you as a child. You were one of the most determined and loyal of the giants in your clan. You held so much more promise than your soft sister.”

Eli’s eyes flared in fury. Bones cracked and lengthened and he grew to his giant form, crouching beneath the low ceiling and propped up on all fours to stoop over Rhyka with an infuriated growl. “Olivia, I think I’m gonna to take this irritating prick off of your hands.”

The alchemist lifted the carafe from her lips briefly to mutter a tired. “Sure.”

Warren took in a nervous gasp and tried to stand, supporting himself against the back of a chair. Part of him wondered what Rhyka had meant with this ‘bigger thing’ that was coming, but that had quickly swept out of his mind at Eli’s actions. As much as he hated Rhyka, he didn’t want to see anyone sent to that sort of fate. “Wait— Eli—“

Eli ignored him, striking his claws through the ropes binding her to the chair and pinned her arms to her sides as he brought her closer. Warren took in shaky breaths and looked away. 

“You are so predictable, Arawn.”

CRASH!

The giant’s ears flattened backward at the sudden sound from upstairs. He glanced up briefly. “The fuck…?”

The basement door suddenly flew open and a figure appeared. They were short and lean in stature and wore a long dark blue hooded coat, a mask covering the lower half of their face, and the fanged lower jaw of some sort of animal attached to their mask. Their eyes were a blank white. 

They lifted their right hand and a white glow beamed from it. Eli was suddenly slammed backward against the opposite wall by an invisible force. Plaster and dust showered down from the ceiling from the impact. Rhyka flew from his hands and landed onto the floor. Warren gasped and crawled backwards, trying to hide beneath the staircase. 

Olivia set down her carafe, seeming more irritated than afraid of the sudden intrusion. She went over to her alchemist equipment and drew out a piece of green ice which melted into her hand upon contact. 

“Leave my shop.” She drawled. 

“Not until I’m done shopping for a special artifact.” The stranger replied in a high, amused voice. Their hand glowed again and Olivia was hurled against the wall next to Eli. Eli coughed, crouching beneath the ceiling and bared his fangs. “The fuck are you, prissy?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be readying the front lines?” The stranger raised a brow. “Ah, I see. This is one of the soft ones. Come along, Rhyka! We can’t miss tonight’s festivities!” 

“Fuck off. She’s mine to kill.” Eli growled and lunged to grab for Rhyka again, though something seemed to twist beneath his skin, forcing his hand backwards in an unnatural position. He let out a shriek of pain and was held back and immobilized, unable to reach further. 

“Respect your Elders, now. Did no one ever tell you that?” The stranger chuckled. Rhyka grinned, hurrying to her feet to follow the stranger. Olivia grunted in annoyance and held out her hand. Her hand seemed to turn into wood and long twisted vines erupted from her palm. They grappled for Rhyka’s leg and yanked her backwards. 

“You ruined… my evening. Did no one ever teach you to knock?” The alchemist frowned slightly. 

The white-eyed stranger withdrew something from their coat and crushed it between their fingers. Blood poured from their hand. Olivia suddenly choked and coughed. Blood splattered across her lips and soaked through her midsection from an invisible wound. She stumbled to the floor, coughing her lungs out before she went still in a growing pool of her own blood. The vines from her hand retreated to nothing. 

Rhyka got to her feet again and ran up to join the stranger by the stairs. “Ah, too bad you finished the job for me. I would have liked to kill her myself. And it’s a shame you chose not to join us Arawn. Maybe one day you will side with your own kind when we reclaim our world.”

An angered roar ripped from Eli’s throat, still fighting against the invisible force with no luck. The stranger cackled in amusement and turned to disappear up the stairs with Rhyka at their side. 

The invisible force seemed to vanish as soon as they left and Eli fell flat on his face. He growled, getting into his knees again and crawled toward the staircase. 

Warren was shaking, but managed to scoot across the floor towards Olivia. “Eli s-stop! You— you saw what they did to— to Olivia— You won’t stand a chance!” 

He bit back nausea building up in his throat and tried to lift Olivia off of the floor, holding pressure to the bleeding wound. He put his other hand to her neck to feel her pulse. For a moment he thought he had lost her, but the pulse could faintly be felt. She had lost so much blood it had become almost too subtle to detect. 

Eli stopped to glance back at Warren and scowled with a groan. Warren was right. He took a good look at Olivia that didn’t seem promising.

“Leave it, kid. She’s gone.”

Warren glared at Eli. “She— she’s alive. We just need… alchemy or— or something.” 

“It’s probably too late for—“

Eli’s voice was cut off as there was a sudden tremor that shook the whole basement. Cracks split through the ceiling and debris showered down. There was a sound like rumbling thunder. The quaking came in bursts. It would shake, then go silent, then it would shake again. 

Warren held Olivia closer, tensing up. His hand was now soaked in blood from trying to hold her wound closed. “What— what was that?” 

A louder boom made the room shake and Eli raised up his hands to shield himself from the debris coming from the ceiling. His nose scrunched up as if he had caught a bad smell. “The fuck— did the giants follow me here? They’re so close. But that scent...” His eyes widened. “Mountain giants.” 

As Eli was speaking, Warren struggled to hold in the blood. Olivia was growing cold and clammy. Her skin seemed even more pale now. He didn’t know how much time she had left. Warren glanced up at Eli nervously. “Mountain gi—? okay we can worry about that later— what— what alchemy thing smells the most like it’ll do some miraculous healing? She’s— she’s getting a lot worse.” 

“Worry about them later? Are ya out of your fuckin’ mind? And I told ya. She’s,” he paused and his eyes narrowed briefly. He glanced towards the alchemy equipment, seeming to smell something. He moved toward it and clawed off one of the drawers with his oversized hand and drew out a long white feather. He sniffed it, then held it out for Warren. “Ugh. We gotta press this to the wound, but we both should probably do it.”

He looked begrudging of the idea of helping Olivia, but Warren took it. Warren took hold of the feather and held it up against the wound with Eli’s hand touching the feather as well. A sudden pain shot through him and he felt like the blood had been drained from his body and a wound had pierced his middle. The color left his face, and he shuddered, watching the color begin to return to Olivia’s. 

Eli groaned, withdrawing his hand and put it to his middle. He seemed to be experiencing a similar pain. Blood stained his hand. The feather was now coated in blood, but Olivia’s wound had thankfully stopped bleeding. 

“What— the heck was that?” Warren gasped. 

“Caladrius feather. Learned how to hunt ‘em back when I was a kid.” The giant glanced up and held his arms up to brace himself as the room shook again with a rumble. “Okay, somethin’s up and I don’t want to be trapped in a goddamned basement when somethin’ sniffs out all that blood.”

He shifted back to his camo form and got to his feet. Warren looked up at him with wide eyes, still splattered in Olivia’s own blood. “Wait--” He bit his lip. “That crazy magic person… and Rhyka… They said... s-something big is coming. Something… Something’s happening out there. And my sisters are out in the open trick-or-treating.”

Eli glanced back at him, raising a brow. “Trick-or-treatin’s a hot spot for giants to snatch from anyways. Why the fuck would ya let ‘em go out doin’ that after knowing all this shit exists? You’re dumber than I thought.” 

“I didn’t think this would happen! I thought the rotation already passed! Just— if you see them out there, please—“

“I’m not your personal guard dog, ‘kay? I’d rather save my own skin from these giants than stick my neck out for some random humans.” Eli looked disgusted. His eyes studied Warren’s for a moment, almost seeming to second-guess his words before the look was gone in an instant. An almost defensive expression crossed his face before he let out a snort and headed up the stairs again. 

“Wait— wait!” Warren was ignored and left alone in the company of the unconscious alchemist. 

Eli stopped at the front of the alchemist’s shop and took a good sniff of the air as he glanced out the now shattered window. Past the billowing clouds of dust, smoke, and splintered concrete. His jaw dropped. 

“Fuck.”

***

Elsewhere…

“Don’t take off your hat, or no one will recognize what you are!”

“But it’s itchy!” A whiny voice returned. 

Rebeka shook her head, smiling. “Well then, I guess I’ll be the pirate for Halloween!”

The older sister reached over to take Liss’s pirate hat and set it on her head. The two sisters were making their way down the sidewalk for trick-or-treating as he sky darkened and the pale full moon crept out from the lacy clouds. Kids of every age with their parents were dressed up in fun and scary Halloween costumes. Skeletons, witches, demons, cats. 

Ten-year-old Liss has been proud of what she picked for Halloween. She was a pirate. And not just any pirate, but a captain with a fluffy red feather on top of her hat. She even brought along her plush dragon that would serve as a parrot for now. At the moment, instead of resting on her shoulder, it was propped up against the rim of her jack-o-lantern candy bucket to peer outside. 

Ever since Warren’s car accident, Rebeka had felt a bigger sense of protectiveness over their little sister. It made her anxious, though she hid it well. She worked at a hospital. She was used to dealing with keeping a calm facade over stress. She didn’t want to scare Liss. 

“But you can’t be a pirate! You’re a robber!” Liss said.

“A robber and a pirate can be the same thing. A pirate is just someone who steals things,” Rebeka responded, straightening the hat on her head. It did clash with the black-and-white striped prison garb that she wore, which made Liss feel even more upset. That was her captain hat. 

“No— give it back! I want to be the captain!”

Rebeka chuckled, pretending for a moment longer that she intended on keeping the hat, even taking out her phone to look at the reflection of how it looked on her before finally shrugging. 

“Hmm… Well I don’t want the hat to go to waste if you keep taking it off… But I can always take it back when you take it off again.”

The hat was withdrawn and offered to the little pirate again who quickly snatched it back. “I won’t take it off!”

Rebeka chuckled in a teasing tone. “If you say so,”

The last words were muted by a sudden deafening rumbling. The very ground quaked. Hairline cracks split across the ground, spreading across the pavement. Rebeka’s eyes widened and she quickly dropped her pillowcase candy bag, reaching out to bring Liss closer. The little girl screamed, hugging her sister. She even dropped her candy bucket, completely forgetting about her plush dragon. 

“What was that?” Liss shouted over the sounds. 

“I don’t know.” Rebeka said, keeping her voice level. Her heart pounded, but she had to stay calm around her sister. She lifted up Liss and hurried down the quaking street. The trembling ground made it hard to keep footing. It was hard to think. 

In a rush of adrenaline, she ran while carrying her little sister toward the center of the town. While she ran, she heard a deafening crashing sound behind her. The cracks in the ground widened and rubble tumbled down the mountainside. The road was split in half and there was no way of crossing back over. 

Thundering tremors seemed to pulse through the ground, spaced out with brief periods of silence and rumbles. Almost like the rhythm of a beating drum. Dust clouded up the streets from the rubble, clouding her vision. A police siren blared and people were shouting to get inside. A neighbor stood by their doorway, beckoning them inside. Liss could see something over Rebeka’s shoulder and screamed. Rebeka didn’t dare look back, but bolted into the house. The neighbor shut the door hastily and locked it. 

“What— what was that?” The neighbor gasped. 

“I didn’t see—“

“He was ginormous!” Liss was set onto the floor, staring back at the door with wide eyes. “And there was a wolf as tall as our house!”

Rebeka blinked. “A wolf? Here? Wolves don’t even get that big.”

She looked to the neighbor who only nodded fearfully. “I got a glimpse. At least ten feet tall or something. And that monster-thing! It must have been five stories—!”

There was suddenly a grinding screech that deafened their words. The ceiling shook, then stopped. Following a pause, there was a deafening crash. The ceiling caved inward nearby, impacted by a boulder— no, it wasn’t a boulder. 

A hand.

The massive appendage was nearly as tall as they were standing from wrist to fingertips and it was a dark stony grey color. It grabbed the neighbor, dragging them back screaming through the hole in the roof. “Oh my god!” Rebeka screamed, picking up Liss again to run toward the back door of the house. The woods laid beyond. Whatever these— these things were, they seemed to be targeting the people of the city. She knew some caves that would hopefully be too narrow for them to reach into. 

She ran into the trees and deeper into the forest. The ground still shook and frightening sounds came from the city. She could smell smoke. Moonlight shifted between the leaves in a chilly breeze as they fled. Up ahead, the hill sloped downward into a steep dip in the forest. In the center, boulders surrounded a narrow opening in the earth. Rebeka set Liss down and gasped to catch her breath. 

“C-come on— inside,” Rebeka took Lisa’s hand and started taking her toward the cave. The opening was narrow and eight feet high. Whatever that massive monster was couldn’t get them here. A part of her mind worried about bears, but she knew there were worse things to worry about. Liss whimpered and complained about going into the dark cave, but Rebeka got out her phone’s flashlight and shined it into the cave. 

The sisters hurried cautiously into the space and Rebeka immediately sat down, covering her face as she tried to catch her breath and get her bearings about what happened. She felt something move beside her as Liss hugged her. “I’m scared.”

“Me too,” Rebeka didn’t know what to make of the situation, what those things were, why they attacked, what they were doing to people… The old book, ‘War of the Worlds’ came to mind with the countless aliens coming to harvest humans and take over the planet for themselves. Would it be like that?

“I’ll check that the rest of the cave is safe. Stay here,” Rebeka said numbly. She got to her feet again and shined her flashlight into the dark depths of the cave. The stone walls grew narrower and winded deeper like a maze as she went. She didn’t venture too far. This place was giving her the creeps, and she didn’t want to leave Liss alone for long. 

Liss hugged herself as her sister left. She glanced outside the mouth of the cave again. She thought she could hear something moving in the distance. A shimmer of reflective eyes… Maybe it was a cat in a tree? Either way, it made her nervous. She liked cats, but this one didn’t move like a cat. She shivered against the cave wall nervously, hoping that Rebeka would come back soon. 

Something moved to Rebeka’s side within the deep passage. She gasped and in her panicked state, her phone slipped out of her grip. The cave was swallowed into a complete darkness. Something shimmered in the depths of the cave. Two white dots almost seemed to glow. Eyes. She got to the floor, hastily feeling around for her phone. She glanced back at where the eyes where and felt a pant of fear. They were gone. She could hear it moving again. A distant clicking sound like some sort of insect. A cracking, snapping sound like dry bones. Her heart beat faster. Her hand finally located her device and she lifted it up, shining it to her side—

A massive creature stood inches from her side. Easily twice her side. Its skin was bone-white and covered with glowing white, blue, red, and purple markings. It’s eyes were blank and bulbous like a deep sea fish. Jagged long fangs jutted out of its jaws. It almost seemed reptilian by its scaley skin, though a crest of plumage covered its face, back, and tail. Its fingers were long and spidery and topped with long sharp claws. It was bent into an unnatural position. Its joints seemed to defy all logic as they cracked and compressed to travel within the narrow passage.

Rebeka gasped, dropping backwards and tried to crawl away from it. It cocked its head at her and made clicking sounds through its fangs. One of its hands easily grabbed her by the legs and dragged her toward it. She struggled and kicked frantically, trying to pry the grip off of her legs. It let out a hissing screech and jerked her closer, clamping its jaws over her legs. Its long snake-like tongue wrapped around her legs to bind them in place, dripping saliva over her pants. 

Her phone dropped to the floor again as she lowered both hands to fight with the creature’s jaws to try to get it to let go, but instead of reacting, it gulped and her legs were drawn within the tight passage. Its long fangs pricked threateningly around her legs as more of her was drawn in. She could see the sides of its jaws dislocate like a snake’s. A horror dawned on her. It was going to swallow her whole?! She squirmed to try to claw at the cave floor to find something to grip onto, but the smooth floor offered no purchase. She was going to die. Liss— Would it come for her too?

“Liss!” She shouted. “Get— get out of here—!” She let out a pained scream as it’s jaws jerked back for another swallow, dragging her in up to her chest. She could feel herself mostly trapped within the throat now, and the creature was unyielding. Gross drool soaked the narrow throat as it pulsed in another gulp. She couldn’t hear if her sister had run, but only hoped she would get to safety. God, she didn’t want to die like this. 

One last gulp sealed her fate as she was drawn entirely into the creature and set downwards. She was squeezed into a tight fleshy chamber and gasped for air. She kicked against the stomach walls frantically, barely believing what had just happened. She wouldn’t accept this. She didn’t want to die like this!

***

Liss had heard the warning shout and took in fearful breaths, beginning to turn to run outside the cave before her blood froze. Those glistening eyes were staring through the cave entrance, and now she was beginning to make out the figure they belonged to. It looked a person, but it was far too huge to be a person. He was easily over three times as tall as her. His eyes weren’t normal, looking almost like a cat’s. Long fangs and claws were displayed as natural weapons to the large creature. He was entering the cave. She gasped and stumbled away. His face contorted into a scowl and he crawled into the cave, sniffing the air. 

“Don’t fuckin’ move, tiny, or you won’t be the only one who’s gonna get killed tonight,” his voice rumbled threateningly before he crawled right past her and deeper into the cave. She shakily curled up, nodding at the giant. He was scary, and he said bad words. He was probably a villain who was going to try to kill her anyways. She didn’t trust him, but she was too afraid to do anything but obey. 

The giant listened carefully through the cave. His eyes adjusted to the darkness easily. He could see something up ahead. A clicking.

 “Fuck,” He muttered under his breath. He could hear it already making its escape deeper into the cave passage. It was too narrow for the giant to get far, even on his hands and knees. He had to hurry. He could see the iconic glowing markings of the cave creature in the distance and hurried faster with his lips curled back into a threatening snarl. Its tail was beginning to round a corner and he roughly grabbed for it. An inhuman screech followed and it writhed in his grip like a fish, but he was unyielding. He dug his claws into the tail for grip and dragged it backwards. The creature was dragged into sight. 

A cave giant. Its body was contorted to fit through the cave passage, though it was significantly larger than the wood giant. This one must’ve been fifteen feet tall, though it was difficult to tell with it’s awkward position. The giant could see its middle was slightly bulging with its living meal writhing within. 

The cave giant let out a screech as it whirled around, slashing its longer claws toward the wood giant. They dug into his shoulder and dragged across his torso, cutting deep into the flesh. He hissed in pain, feeling his shirt already soaked down with his own blood. He lunged at the cave giant, driving his own claws into the creature’s chest and bit down near the neck, just missing the vitals by centimeters. Blood dripped from his fangs and he felt dizzy from his own blood loss at this point. He shoved the creature to the cave floor and pinned it at the throat. It squirmed weakly as it was losing consciousness from the wound in its neck. He jabbed his claws into its torso and dragged them downwards, making a long, wide cut through its stomach. The creature let out one last weak screech before choking on its own blood and went still. 

The giant felt lightheaded, barely conscious from his own blood loss. His wounds weren’t closing up quickly enough to make up for the lost blood. He ignored the pounding pain and finished the cut along the creature’s middle and a bedraggled, slimy person fell out onto the cave floor, covered in the cave giant’s own blood and stomach fluids. She reeked. A grimace formed on the giant’s face and he roughly grabbed her arm, dragging her back toward the mouth of the cave. She coughed up slime that had gotten into her mouth and gasped for air. She blearily tried to adjust to what had happened and the change of temperature outside of the creature’s stomach. Something else had caught her now. She couldn’t see well in the darkness, though she could make out his reflective golden eyes and his hulking silhouette that dwarfed her. She let out a frightened sound and kicked, struggling to get his grip off of her arm. “W-wait— p-please— let me go—“

She yelled as the grip was suddenly released and she dropped to the floor. She coughed, trying to get to her feet. She could see Liss curled up near the mouth of the cave and shakily got to her feet, stumbling forward. She tripped over her own feet and fell onto her face before she managed to gain her bearings back and rushed over to her sister to make sure she was alright.

“Yeah, don’t thank the giant that just saved your ass. Sure.” The giant grumbled, sitting against the cave wall as he pressed a hand to the injury across his torso. He grit his teeth slightly, cursing under his breath. “I’m so fuckin’ stupid. Ugh. Stars. Shit. Damnit.”

Liss hugged her sister in relief and instantly grimaced at the slime and repulsive smell. “Ew! What happened? You smell yucky.” The little girl withdrew and covered her ears as the giant cursed again. “He says a lot of bad words…”

Rebeka shuddered, shaking her head. “It’s f-fine,” she looked at the giant nervously. “Who— what are you? Why did you— why—“ she winced and sat on the floor of the cave, putting a hand to her head, trying to keep her breaths level. So much was going through her head right now. Too many scares. She didn’t know how to take this all in. 

“Name’s Eli. I’m a giant. Dumbass.” He groaned and laid down on his side. His wounds were bleeding so badly, he just needed time to heal. “Ugh, gonna get some… shuteye… heal… Don’t leave… don’t do anything fuckin’... stupid.” 

In moments, he was already asleep, leaving the two alone in the cave. Rebeka bit her lip, glancing down and tried to level her breaths after all that had happened. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest felt so tight. She felt a cold shiver run over her and her limbs slowly lost awareness. She slumped to the floor, unconscious. 

***

Poke.

Rebeka barely stirred. She rolled to her side and let out a tired snort in her sleep. 

Poke-poke-poke-poke-poke.

Her eyes shot open and she batted away the contact groggily. Liss was in her face leaning over her with a fearful whisper. “Beka-- Beka-- he’s-- he’s awake--”

Rebeka rubbed her face tiredly, grimacing as she became reacquainted to the gross smell that still clung to her since the incident with the cave giant. She grimaced and glanced down at her hands briefly. The slime had dried to her hands, making her feel all sticky and gross. She was still shocked at all that had happened, not sure if it was all real, and wasn’t sure how to take all of it. Her gaze shifted forward to where her little sister directed her attention. The sun had already risen high in the sky, casting its peaceful glow into the cave. The giant was sitting at the mouth of the cave, seeming to mess with an oversized leather satchel. His clothes were still stained with blood, though his injuries seemed to have closed up already, judging by the fact that he wore no bandages and they weren’t actively bleeding. 

He glanced over his shoulder towards the two humans with a raised brow. “Ya know I can fuckin’ hear ya, right?”

Liss let out a startled yelp and hid behind Rebeka. Rebeka sat up, biting her lip shakily. “W-who…” She took in a deep breath as she got to her feet, feeling dizzy from the motion, but leaned against the cave wall for support. She frowned slightly as she found her words. “Who are you? Why did you help us? Wh-what the heck is happening to my home?”

Eli snorted with a shrug, leaning against the wall of the mouth of the cave as he set down his bag. “Already toldja who I was, unless ya have a shitty memory. No clue what happened to the town though. Guess the monsters all decided to come out of hidin’ like a buncha fuckin’ idiots. Looks like we missed the burnin’ though. Nothin’ really seems to be left now.”

He got to his feet outside the cave, towering above the entrance as Rebeka digested these words. She felt empty. Autumn Ridge was gone? 

“Warren.” Her eyes widened. Warren was the next town over in a hospital (or at least she was told). How could she know if he was safe? “Oh god..” She reached for her phone, only to recall having dropped it earlier. 

Eli noticed her expression. “He’s alive. Probably. He’s just in the middle of that hellhole though. It’ll be impossible to go out there with the monsters guarding the down though. No tellin’ how far they took over though or how much they planned.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead and ignored her stunned expression. He had been told about this moment of history ever since he was a child. He just had never believed it would ever happen. The apocalypse that would reclaim the land for the monsters and drive humanity to extinction. This scared even him. He didn’t know what to expect. Rhyka’s words about something big coming were true. It was already here.

“How do you… You know Warren?”

“Yeh. Used to be a monster hunter. A fuckin’ pathetic one too.” He smirked slightly. “C’mon. He should be ‘round the edge of the town. We might have a small shot in gettin’ him outta there while the daylight lasts, and I ain’t babysitting you here for ya to get gobbled up by some other cave giant.” 

He rolled his eyes and began walking through the forest. Liss began to exit the cave after the giant and glanced nervously at him, then back at her older sister. “Warren hunted monsters?”

Rebeka held out her hand to hold Liss back as the little sister began to follow before debating her odds here. She bit her lip briefly before letting go to follow close beside Liss. Everything was dangerous now. Having a bigger ally was their only chance of survival. 

“Ya deaf? Yeah that’s what I just said, tiny. He tried to hunt me and did a fuckin’ awful job at it. Then ended up screwin’ up at it. Ya really don’t remember me?” He glanced down at the sisters with a smirk. He had seen both of them before when he was trapped in camo form, though he looked very different then. Rebeka’s brow furrowed briefly in thought. Eli let out a chuckle. “‘Bout a month or two ago. The random dude who gave him a ride home from a car race in a fucked-up pickup truck.”

Rebeka’s eyes widened in realization. “What--! You were-- you were normal-sized!”

“Ya mean tiny. I’m normal-sized. Y’all are just… eensy.” He gestured “tiny” with his fingers pinched together with an amused snort. “It’s called camo. It’s how giants managed to avoid humans’ radar for hundreds of years.”

The giant paused towards the edge of the forest, looking down the hillside. The town was in ruins. Fire and rubble were everywhere. Plumes of smoke arose from the burning houses. Cars were smashed in the streets. In the middle of the town, slumped against the town hall, three massive fifty foot tall giants with stony-grey skin lay fast asleep. Eli shook his head with a whistle of awe. “Well look at that. Seems they were redecorating. Fuckin’ fantastic.”

Rebeka stopped behind him and covered her mouth to withhold a gasp of terror. Liss began to cry, hugging her leg. “God…” She choked.

“Ain’t gonna get to your brother from here. Gotta make our way around first. C’mon. Quick.” Eli’s nose wrinkled from the scent of the smoke and blood coming from the town. He assumed any threats from the town were sleeping off any meals they had gathered during the raid, so they only had a small window of time before dusk to try to retrieve Warren and Olivia from the shop ruins. 

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the opposite edge of town. They only had mere hours before dusk when the monsters would likely awaken again. The town was a ghost town. Though Eli could still smell humans hiding within the city, they were all likely too afraid to come out of hiding. It was safe enough to walk within the crumbling streets. Houses were cracked and tilted sideways from the earthquakes. Large boulders from the landslide had fallen over even the most durable buildings, burying them in rubble. The giant eventually found the alchemist shop and bones cracked and shifted as he shrank down to his camo size. 

He could smell another scent in here and he didn’t like it. Rebeka watched in shock as the giant became deceivingly human right before her eyes and hesitantly followed into the shop and followed him towards the back, keeping Liss close. Eli stopped at the top of the staircase to the basement, cursing in his throat. “Ugh, crap.”

The entire basement had caved in. The stench of old blood was overwhelming. Rebeka stopped behind him, looking up at the camo’d giant. “W-what? What happened? Where is he?”

“We got here too late.” He muttered. He turned and froze, sniffing the air again. They weren’t alone here. His eyes narrowed and he drew out his claws. “Quit hidin’ there. I can fuckin’ smell ya, ya know.”

There was a shuffle behind the aisles and shelves of herbs and jars. A figure stepped into sight. He was tall and well-toned with an athletic build. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and held out an orb of golden ice. 

Eli withdrew his claws, rolling his eyes. “Ah great. The U.L. is here. We’re saved. The hell happened here, and don’t fuckin’ play dumb with me.”

“I was about to ask the same.”

He threw the ice at the giant. His hands instinctively went out to brace himself from the throw, causing the alchemic ice to contact his hands, melting into his hands instantly. Eli shivered, ducking to the floor at the weird sensation of it coming into effect.

Rebeka gasped, standing in front of him. “What did you do? Stop!”

“Putting down a pest,” The man came closer, rolling up his sleeve. Eli hissed through his teeth. “The fuck? I wasn’t even tryina fight ya!” Eli tried to stand, but the man quickly pushed Rebeka aside and grabbed him by the collar. With a swift motion, he clocked him in the face, knocking him out instantly. The giant slumped to the floor unconscious. 

“What are you-- Stop! He was trying to help us!” Rebeka felt Liss move behind her leg. The man ignored her, beginning to hoist the unconscious giant off of the floor into a fireman’s carry. “Please, you’re just confused. You don’t know this monster. If you were looking for the people who were in this shop, they’re already gone. I’ll take you to them. You just have to trust me, okay?”

Rebeka scanned his face nervously, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She bit her lip and nodded. She squeezed her sister’s hand in her fist and followed closely after the stranger into the street. Outside, a Jeep wrangler awaited. The man tied Eli’s hands together and put him in the back seat of the car. Rebeka followed into the car, seating her sister in her lap, just not trusting herself enough to let go of her sister for now. Everything was confusing and she was afraid. She hoped to god Warren was okay.

“My name is East. I’m sorry for everything the monsters might’ve put you through. We have people tracking monsters constantly, though we never anticipated anything like this.” He drove down the crumpling streets, keeping a shotgun in his lap at the ready.

“H-how bad is it?”

East sighed, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel. “It’s tough to tell. They planned this ahead and cut out the cell towers so it’s hard to reach other towns to gage the scale of this.”

Rebeka let out a nervous sigh, noticing Liss scoot toward the window to watch the crumpled remains of their hometown to pass by. They were using the roads towards the outskirts of the city, so they had avoided most of the damage in their path, though it could still be seen in the distance. She back at the rearview mirror to search East’s face. “You won’t hurt Eli-- the giant, will you? He saved our lives.”

“It depends on how much he’ll resist on giving us intel on this attack.” The hunter responded grimly. The car turned toward a country road and left the city in its rearview mirrors as the sun began to descend. Its golden flames were choked out by the smoke along the horizon that spread high into the darkening sky. 

----------------------

The rest of the series can be found here.

[serena-hart-09]

A Story’s Analyzation Chapter 2 : A New Morning, for Old Evenings...

It seems I completely forgot to add notes (and one more tag) to the last chapter.... *slowly runs away embarrassed* Please excuse me of my mistakes, this is my very first work..... And yes, I don’t have an editor. All the typing and editing is done by me..... so expect some (maybe a lot of mistakes) in my works. As it is, I am posting all the other chapters from ao3 and finally post the new chapter by tomorrow..... I hope you enjoy this chapter! Have a great day ahead! (P.s. I would really like some fic writing advices/suggestions!)

*****************************************

“What is this a set for a horror film?” Mc says looking at the mansion in front of them. It was a big mansion but it felt cold, creepy and too much eerie. “Mc, this the House of Lamentation.” Satan says while looking at them with curiosity. Mc lets out a small “oh”.  Mc looks at Lucifer and asks him, “Hey, what about my stuff? You know like clothes, etc. etc.?”

“They are already transported in your room.” He replies as he unlocks the door.

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes.”

After entering all the other brothers except Lucifer and Mammon retreat back to their rooms. “We’ll meet each other tomorrow, sweetie!” Asmodeus looks at them with the same sparkling eyes from before. “Yes, we will if you stop trying to get in my pants for a damn second.” They say uninterested not even looking at him. “My how cold!” he continues with very concerning face as if saying ‘Challenge Accepted’. He gives them a flying kiss before finally going back in his room.

“Be very careful with that one, human.” Mammon says while looking at them seriously. Mc looks at with shock, “Aww, it seems u care for me!”

“Wha- I don’t!”

“You do!”

“Shut up, you crazy human!”

Lucifer coughs loudly to get our attention, “We shall now show your room, come follow me.”

“Alright!” They say with a cute face. Lucifer looks at Mammon who is blushing and mumbling how cute were right now.

********

“This is your room.” Lucifer looks at them with a smile who is ignored by the said human who is excited as a child on Christmas. “Woah! This is so cool!”

Lucifer doesn’t know if to feel offended or to smile at their cute excitement. While being lost at his current confusion, Mc’s voice draws him back to reality, “Hey, is there anything else I need to know?”

“A-ah yes, your RAD uniform and other clothes are kept in the closet.” ‘Di-did I just stuttered?!’ Lucifer thinks to himself. “Tch” he looks at the wall of vines as if to will them on fire for this embarrassment. He then looks at Mammon who was behind him was trying his best not to laugh at his brother. Lucifer glares at him which makes Mammon feel as if he lost 100 years of his life. All while this is happening the human looks around the room. They finally look at the RAD uniform in the closet. “What in the hell is this, monstrosity of a cloth?”

“That is the uniform, stupid human.” Mammon looks at them snickering.

“If this is a uniform, why is it so……” Mc drifts off as they don’t have words to describe the uniform. “Seriously, whose design is this? Most importantly, who approved of it?”

“Stop complaining about the uniform. You will wear it even if you don’t like it.” Lucifer says with ‘oh scary and commanding voice’. Mc sighs, putting the uniform back in the closet. The look at them.

….

“Uh, guys?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you going back in your rooms? Because I am gonna change out these clothes.”

Both of them look at them with shock as if they remembered something very important, they forgot. Lucifer says nothing but a small goodnight. Mammon stutters out how it’s the human’s fault he forgot.

“They are quite cute!” Mc thinks aloud after finally searching for their clothes and changing into them. ‘Well let’s see what happens tomorrow……’ they think as finally slumber takes over them.

******

“Good morning…” Mc says finally coming down in the dinning room from their room and also from finally wearing the disaster of an outfit that is called as the uniform in this place.

“Good morning Mc, Darling!” Asmodeus calls them across the table. “Good morning and please leave me alone if you are still trying to get me on your bed, cause I’m not in the mood.” They say as they take their seat. “Well, good morning to you too, Mc” Satan speaks as he enters the room, they nod at him with a smile. “Good morning, Beel.” they say as the said man in eating his breakfast with a lot of speed. Beel too, nods at them as if say ‘yeah good morning’.

“Good morning, Mc.” Lucifer greets them across the table sitting on the chair like a king drinking his coffee, “the one thing I forgot to mention was that we take turns in the kitchen to cook for our daily meals. Now that you are also a resident of this house it’s only fair for you to take a turn as well.”

“Ah, yes I will.” They say with a tired smile.

“Hm? Did you not have a good sleep?” he looks at them.

“Do you want to hear me complain about the uniform, again?” Mc dead pans at him. Some small snickers and laughs could be heard from the residents sitting the room.

“…..No”

“Alright.”

Lucifer looks around the table as if something is missing, “brothers, where is Levi-”

Just then the door opened with a loud bang. ‘Seriously, they should stop entering dramatically with a bang. Does this family have drama in their veins instead of blood?’

“MAMMON!” the new male with indigo coloured-hair is angrily walking towards Mammon who is flustered. “Ah, here comes the tax collector” he says while trying to run. But before he could he the man is already at Mammon’s throat; he goes on about saying how he wanted his money back from Mammon so he could buy a figurine.

“Mammon, Avatar of Greed, what have you done now?” Lucifer asks pinching his nose bridge.

“Avatar of Greed?” Mc asks.

“Yes, Mammon’s the Avatar of Greed and the second eldest.” Satan fills the blank in Mc’s question.

“Second eldest?”

“Yes, we are seven brothers in total. Lucifer the eldest of us, Mammon the second eldest, the guy who is trying get his money from Mammon is Leviathan third eldest Avatar of Envy, me the fourth brother, Asmodeus the fifth brother and Beelzebub the sixth brother……” Satan says with a hushed voice while looking at them with a serious face.

“Wait, but you just said there are seven of you-”

“GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SCUM!” Leviathan….?..... screams at the top of his lungs. This makes Lucifer angry and lash at them “BOTH OF YOU BE QUIET! I’VE TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES NOT TO FIGHT DURING MEALS. IF YOU CONTINUE THIS BEHAVIOUR, I’LL HANG BOTH OF YOU FROM THE CHANDELIER FOR REST OF THE WEEK!”  this seems to quieten down both of them and they sit down.

After a moment of silence……

“Aaaah! Lucifer a stranger! Why is a stranger here?!” Leviathan screams yet once again while pointing a finger at Mc. Lucifer holds his head in his hands as if contemplating his life decisions.

This time, Asmodeus decides to fill in Leviathan with the information and explain it to Leviathan in a very excitable tone even talking about how they did not got seduced by him and how ‘he will change that’. Leviathan looks at Mc as if looking at a tiger in a zoo for the first time and trying to ask ‘this one doesn’t bite right?’

After eating his breakfast, he goes back to his room it seems, while the others gather near the front door. Mc asks Mammon if Leviathan doesn’t go to RAD. “……He doesn’t like crowds.” Mammon answers as he looks at Leviathan’s room door with a frown.

********

“So, how was your rest of the first day here?” Diavolo asks with an excited tone and a giant smile. Currently Lucifer, Mc, Diavolo and his green-haired butler Barbatos who Diavolo finally introduced to Mc are sitting in the gazebo- like place in a garden between the RAD building and the Royal Palace.

“It was good. I am excited for the days to come.” They say as they sip the tea that Barbatos made. ‘I should probably ask him the name of the tea. It’s really nice.’ Regardless, of the first impression that Barbatos had it seemed that he was polite if not a little friendly with Mc.

“Great! Anyways, what do you in Human World Mc?” you can literally see the stars of excitement in his eyes, “Pardon my excitement, its just this is my first time talking to a human!”

Mc chuckles at this, “I don’t do much, I am scientist, I create some magical implements for the officers at the place I work at.”

“Oh? What is this place you work at?” Lucifer asks curious at the mention of magic.

“Was it not mentioned in my file? The student file, I mean.” they look at him with a question mark on their face.

“Ah, no. It wasn't there for some reason.”

“Lucifer that is dangerous you know. I mean what would happen if it wasn’t me but a mob boss or someone dangerous?” Mc tells Lucifer in a slight teasing tone.

“…..”

“But anyways, what place do you work in?” Diavolo with a bright voice trying to change the subject.

“Hmm….. Let’s say a police force or the Organization but instead of arresting those without magic they arrest the ones that misuse magic for their own good by destroying people’s life in the process. I help them by creating new useful implements and providing with said implements.” They finish as the bring the cup to their lips to drink their tea.

Diavolo looked like he was over the moon after hearing the new information. While Barbatos’s expression was unreadable. Lucifer was between curious and doubtful.

“I do write Novels under an alias as well.”

“Really?! What type of novel? What is your alias?”

Mc smiles at this, “That’s a secret!”

“Aww….”

“At what position do you stand in the Organization?” Barbatos asks with a knowing smile.

“Ah, one of the Founders.”

“Founder? You created the Organization?” Diavolo asked excitedly.

“Yes, with my friends to be exact. After graduation my friends and I used to work for another police force until we revolted and things went a little out of control. When things became normal, we created said police force or rather the Organization.”

“Why did you revolt?” Lucifer asks them with an unreadable expression.

“….. Many people died even some my family-like friends too………. that place….. abandoned us to die…..not only that the killed a lot their own officers……we didn’t want more people to die that’s why………” they answer with sad and longing voice.

“Mc…. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no don’t be you just asked it out of curiosity.” They give him a small smile. He continues to look at them, at their eyes to find an answer if they were really alright. They too look at him with concern in their eyes.

“Ahem.”  Diavolo’s voice removes both of them from their trance. “I truly apologize if we resurfaced some not so good memories.” He gives them an apologetic smile.

After that, they talk about everything else to change the topic from the past.

Mc happily talks about their favourite cuisine form the human world, and promises The Fantastic Three, that they will make it for everyone to taste. They also talk about their favourite cake and pastries all while Lucifer looks at them with softness in his eyes. Diavolo of course notices this and smirks at Barbatos.

….

Barbatos can feel the literal excitement of his Young Master. He sighs internally knowing of what’s to come…

Just then a pair of new people enter in the room. One them speaks “Greetings Lord Diavolo, Barbatos and Lucifer.” While the other one is hiding behind him  

“Yes, Good Afternoon Simeon. Mc, this is Simeon one of the exchange students from the Celestial Realm.” Mc extends their hand, “I am Mc, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Simeon.”

“Likewise.” Simeon shakes hands with them and smiles.

“Ah, it has been while, Chihuahua.” Lucifer’s smug voice is heard

‘Chihuahua?’ they think themselves.

“I TOLD YOU SO MANY TIMES I’M NOT A CHIHUAHUA YOU DAMN DEMON!” a childlike voice screams at him as a new person comes in Mc’s view. ‘Wait, a child?’

“Ah, this is Luke the Chihuahua, Mc. He’s the other exchange student from the Celestial Realm.” Lucifer says with a smug expression.

Mc looks at Luke. Luke looks at Mc. Mc walks over to Lucifer-

“Do Not Insult My Child.”

…………

………

…….

…..

….

…

..

.

‘Seriously, did they lost all sense by bringing a cute harmless child in such a dangerous game?

….

*Sigh*

Well, this story is quite chaotic….. it seems none them even realize that the Organization’s name wasn’t even mentioned. Well, I shouldn’t complain after all it does gives me an advantage for cutting some slack……

…

Huh? Who are you?

…

Oh, I see its you.

Tell me of your day, how was it?

…. Hm? Confused, are we?

It’s alright, I know who you are……….

…………….

………….

………

…..

…

..

.

Reader~. hehehe’    

[ourflagmeansdeth]

haircut / bolin x reader, soulmate au

summary: Your trip to Republic City doesn't turn out as expected, and you and your roommates find yourselves in the middle of Kuvira's attack. Three short vignettes of backstory, all wrapped up with an impromptu haircut and a sweet introduction.

a/n: oh my lord :) this was so challenging and fun to write! the only ideas i seem to ever have are also the ones i don't know how to approach, so writing this was a doozy. i’ve never written any AUs but soulmate aus have always been a personal fave. i hope that yall enjoy this one as much as i do, its less bolin-centric and takes a bit of patience, but i think it's very sweet! thank you for all your support on my previous works as well, it means a whole lot to me <3 additionally, i now have 100+ followers on this blog! thank you so much, yall :) love u all, stay safe!

read on ao3

On your 18th birthday, you got your mark. You woke up eager, jumping out of bed and stripping your sleeping clothes off to see where it had appeared. At first, you panicked— it was nowhere to be seen, rubbing your hands along the backs of your legs and arms, hoping the friction would urge it to surface. After what had felt like hours of checking in every corner of your body in the mirror, you gave up and wrapped yourself in a blanket, walking out of your bedroom in search of your mother.

With tears in your eyes, you hugged your mom as she wished you a happy birthday, taking a deep breath and engulfing yourself in her calming scent. Upon seeing you crying, her face washed over with concern as she asked you if you’d found your mark yet. You talked through your doubts, suggesting that you might not even have a soulmate, and that no mark was ever supposed to appear, and that it just wasn’t meant to be.

“Y/n, don’t be foolish,” she reached for your hand and gave it a squeeze, “let’s check together.”

You pulled the blanket up and turned your ankles, checking on the soles of your feet, your toes. You huffed, pulling it up around your thighs and spinning unenthusiastically for her to check the backs of them. You dropped the blanket down, reaching up to slip it down off your arms.

You exposed your shoulders, your mother lifting your arms to check your armpits, in between your fingers, along your collarbone. She spun you around with her hands, checking the skin on your back. She pushed the hair on your neck forward and placed a finger on the nape of your neck, chuckling.

“Looks like we’re going to have to plan a trip to the earth kingdom sometime soon.”

.

You hadn’t left the Northern Water Tribe for your entire life until you turned 20. Living with a few childhood friends in a shared apartment, you all dreamed of one day traveling to Republic City and living it up for a couple days, Republic style. The spirits had just arrived in the City, and you all wanted to see them before the government did something to rid them, having heard great stories of large vines and friendly spirits speckled along the bustling streets.

You heard good reviews about Varrick Industries’ blimp flights from the Northern Water Tribe to Republic City, but the technology was just a bit too new (and therefore expensive), and a local fisherman offered to give you all a ride on his boat in exchange for a bit of work during the trip. You had known the fisherman to be a little unhinged, but you didn’t complain.

The four of you planned on staying at an inn not too far from the pro-bending arena, which was a huge deal, since all of you listened to pro-bending matches on the radio together religiously. Every Friday night was an event, where you helped your roommate, Tonauk, cook a large meal for everyone as a celebration of the week’s end. As all of you sat down for dinner, you would discuss your theories for the night’s matches, turning the radio on after you all had finished.

You all had to go out and buy new clothes since your wardrobes were too warm for the weather in the city, modifying a couple items of clothing you never wear, chopping off the sleeves on a lightweight tunic. You figured you could do a bit of shopping while on your vacation, but hey, things were probably cheaper here, anyway. You packed up your bags and wished to have a safe journey, and a nice, relaxing week in Republic City. It felt so strange leaving the one place you’ve been your entire life, but it felt like it was time, and you were ready.

.

To put it shortly, the trip to Republic City was an absolute disaster. The boat ride over was actually pretty bearable, though— the fisherman had the four of you working the sails most of the time, which was second nature to you, the child of a fisherman. Upon your arrival, you discovered that an angry spirit occupied the room you had reserved at the inn, forcing the four of you to opt for a cramped two-bed on the first floor. It wasn’t the best of circumstances, but you all were determined to see it through and still have a good time.

Where things really went south was when Kuvira arrived. It had been about three days into your vacation, and your roommate Niko insisted on taking a ferry trip to Air Temple Island. It was a gorgeous day and the sun felt so good on your skin, the breeze caressing your face as it flowed past you.

The four of you were absolutely clueless to what was happening in the city— the looks of concern on the Air Acolytes’ faces as you leisurely strolled through on your tour of the island, the crowds of people boarding boats in droves when you arrived back at the ferry. As you walked towards the dock, an Acolyte approached your group and told you to leave immediately, and that the city was being evacuated.

The ferry ride back to the port was probably the most stressed you’d ever been in your entire life. You and Tonauk were waterbenders, but Niko and Kala weren’t, and if they got caught up in some twisted Kuvira shit, you would never forgive yourself if you weren’t able to save them. How should we have known Kuvira was here? How were we supposed to know that “Oh, Kuvira’s coming, so let’s all silently up and leave”? It didn’t make sense, and now you were really in danger, and you felt the horrible weight of putting your friends in this situation. It was your idea to go to Republic City, but you hadn’t thought about the possibility of this happening.

That was when you had heard Niko curse something under his breath next to you, and you looked out across the water. Kuvira was here, alright— and she brought a giant mecha suit that was aiming its arm in front of itself. You covered your ears as the blast that erupted from it echoed across the water. Holy shit.

.

You were absolutely sure that you were going to die. Since the buses and trams across the city had closed down, the four of you were on foot, making your way to the train station. You all crouched and sheltered yourselves as you heard another blast close by. When the coast was clear, you all turned a corner, happening upon a stressed, scrambled group of airbenders. You hurried to offer a hand to them as they picked themselves off the ground.  It took a while to realize what was all happening in front of you. You saw that you were about 200 feet from the giant mecha suit, which you had assumed caused the airbenders to crash. Holy shit, is that the avatar?

“Excuse me? You’re not supposed to be here.” A stern voice chided from behind you.

“Yeah, what’re some civilians doing around here anyway?” You turned to look at who was speaking: two men, both eyeing your group up as you helped an airbender to their feet.

“We were making our way to the train station. We didn’t know there was an evacuation.” Tonauk defended, stepping forward.

“You didn’t know?” The green eyed one looked at Tonauk in disbelief. “We’ve been evacuating for days— There was a city-wide radio broadcast… that played aloud to the entire city.”

You recalled that you were on a day trip out to a park outside the city yesterday and probably completely missed the broadcast. “Ugh!” you exclaimed, “That’s why our ferry tickets were so cheap.”

“People will really do anything for money nowadays, huh?” Niko muttered.

“You guys went on a ferry?” the taller of the two questioned, disappointment spread across his face.

“Oh, my god,” the green-eyed one chuckled. “They went to Air Temple Island and didn’t know there was a city-wide evacuation? Like, we’re straight up under attack right now.” He gestured to the mecha suit, which had just blasted a building a block away. Kala scoffed.

“Guys?” Oh my god, it really was the Avatar! “We’d love to get to know you, but we uh, have something that we really have to deal with right now,” she forced a smile, gesturing for the two boys to join her. They turned and ran to the rest of their group, circling up to strategize.

Before you could mutter something about how some people in this city are just so impolite, the building next to you started crumbling. Tonauk attempted to shelter the four of you by drawing water up from the sewer cap nearest you, but there wasn’t enough to provide good cover. That was when you were knocked out momentarily by a few bricks that had fallen, coming to seconds later and realizing that you were stuck underneath a pile of rubble. Your hair, grown long for many years despite your mother’s wishes, was now trapped underneath some kind of machinery that had fallen from the building. Your face was stuck against the rubble beneath you. Your arms were free enough to pull the rest of your body from the bricks that held it down, but your head would not budge, your cheek pressed against some kind of electrical unit.

“Hold still!” the green-eyed boy’s voice echoed in your ears as he attempted at moving the weight on top of your hair. “Dammit, I can’t move it! Why do they make these things out of platinum?” he groaned.

“Just cut it off!” you managed to squeak out.

“If you say so,” he began, reaching in his pocket to pull out a foldable knife. You craned your neck to pull your hair taut. With one short swoosh, your head was free, but the man above you didn’t move. “I, uh…” he trailed off.

“What is it?” you picked yourself up, scanning the scene around you, relieved to see that your friends had survived.

A blush spread across his face as he reached an arm up to rest behind his head. Or, was he...? You reached up to press the earth emblem on the back of your neck, now exposed from your new haircut. “Oh my god, turn around.” you ordered him, as he turned, folding his popped collar down. You gasped to yourself as you saw that the water emblem was printed across the nape of his neck. “I, uh…” you echoed him.

“Really need to… get going?” he finished for you, “But I’m really confused, so like, if we both make it out of this alive, my friend Varrick is having a wedding, and you should come.” he turned around and his eyes sparkled, reaching out his hand to give yours a shake. “I’m Bolin. And you are?”

“Y/n,” you exhaled, giving his hand a squeeze. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” he glanced over at his group. “Okay, gotta go. Not sure where the wedding is, but come to Air Temple Island if all else fails. See you then!” Bolin gave you a reassuring smile before running off.

You looked behind you, at your friends, who were now staring at you dumbfounded. “Nice haircut.” Kala gave you a thumbs up as you walked back towards them. Bolin and the others ran off down the street, towards the mecha suit.

“So… he’s like, your…?” Niko suggested.

“I… don’t know,” you stuttered, straightening out your tunic. “but I do know that we have a wedding to go to, so let’s get the hell out of here.”

[justanechoflower]

(UB)Flowey: So Toby is being distracted right now, so I’m back.

…

Well this was a bad idea to come back now, wasn’t it?

*Papyrus had doubled over in pain, trembling as he lets a loud scream escape him as he holds the broken arm in his other, the painful snap still ringing in his ears. Flowey, still wrapped around his fragile arm, glances at his visitor with a welcoming smile*

Flowey: Nono, perfect timing~ You get front row seats to the show! How exciting. *He fractures the same arm even further with another agonizing snap, doubling the pain coursing through Papyrus' body. Rewarding flowey with another desperate cry of pain, he instinctfully tries to jerk his arm away, only to be reminded he can't move it both due to how destroyed it has become and as a result of Flowey's tight bind* What do you think, Papyrus? Isn't this fun? *He curls himself snugly around Papyrus' shoulders with a fake sickly sweetness in his voice as he cherishes the reaction when he slowly bends the fingers on his hand until they crack too*

Papyrus: *He tries not to focus on the pain, inhaling sharply as each bone is damaged beyond repair. He waits until Flowey is done so he can speak clearly, although at this point his voice comes out forced and pained, utterly confused as to what is happening. Tears prickle at the corners of his hollow eyes* U-UM, NO...? I THANK YOU FOR ASKING MY OPINION, SO COULD WE STOP NOW THEN? WE COULD PLAY SOMETHING ELSE! *He manages to make a strained smile, hoping Flowey would listen despite the chances* I'M SURE IT MIGHT BE EVEN MORE FUN, SEE-

*Papyrus is cut off with his own sharp yelp as Chara joins in on the fun, carving a lovely smiley deep into the bone just as Papyrus had been innocently playing with the snow while waiting for his "friends" to return less than ten minutes ago. If Flowey's vines hadn't restrained him, Papyrus no doubt would have desperately escaped.*

Chara: Nono Papyrus, this is way funner than any child game you have in mind. You're so naive... Did you think think this is all an accident? That I don't mean to hurt you? *They giggle a taunting laugh that sends shivers down Papyrus' spine, if he wasn't trembling already*

4/30 - No empathy(Flowey)

[frangipanidownunder]

So you simply can't post a list of kiss prompts and expect me NOT to ask you for one. Do you not even KNOW me? Please consider a ficlet (or more!) for #11-Reunion kiss. But maybe pre-breakup. A reunion after being apart for some other reason? This could easily be combined with another kind of kiss - first, shy, etc. (And I am holding my breath for your maid/master AU!) Fic is Medicine Anon

A Lifetime Ago: Fic

Fat blossoms, serrated petals, marshmallow pink, weighted the branches on the tree in the courtyard of her block. Sun heated the top of her head, lifting the hair from her scalp, and the interior of the car smelled of warm leather and dust. Motes danced as she laid her jacket on the passenger seat. 

When Mulder got in, he moved the jacket. Of course. She’d become so used to driving alone. More dust sparkled in the shaft of sunlight that shot through the glass. A glitter welcome party. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, lost in the weird sense of the strange and familiar, the old and the new. He looked at her oddly. 

It made her blush, the intensity of his scrutiny. But the house looked pretty in the rearview mirror. Climbing vines over the fence, vivid green leaves bushy on the trees and shrubs. She could see a row of stakes just by the shed.

“Tomatoes?” she asked, nodding over her shoulder.

“Dirty Girl, Super Snow White and Ruby Gold.”

She drove over the gravel towards the road. “Sounds like one of those movies you used to watch.”

His chuckle was chesty, and she caught his full smile out the corner of her eye. He looked well. He looked good. He’d been looking better each time she’d seen him over the past few months, as though he’d turned some corner in his mind and life was no longer the bitter drag it had been. If tomato plants with exotic names were the key to this change, she’d take that over Prozac and desperate, begging midnight phone calls.

Years before she had loved those quiet, murmured conversations. When they meant connection, trust. But the FBI was a lifetime, a lost child and a break-up ago. Now, phone calls were made in office hours, more recently, she realised, when she was already on her way to see him.

“Where are we going again?” he asked, winding the window down and resting an elbow on the sill. “I admit I was surprised when you called. It kind of felt like you were asking me on a date.” He looked across at her and the fresh blast of air saved her from blushing again. “Is this a date?”

Chuffing, she fixed her eyes on the road. “When was the last time you went out, Mulder?”

“I go out,” he said, indignant. 

She snorted. “Running at three in the morning does not constitute going out.” 

“I’ve become friendly with the guy at the nursery.”

“Friendly?”

“Don’t give me that look. I can be friendly, Scully.” She remembered his friendly as either empathetic, nerdy or flirty.  “He orders heirloom produce for me, teaches me about companion plants and has a fascination for UFOs. Funny how life works out, huh?”

“Huh,” she said. Nerdy.

A colleague at the hospital had married at the winery last fall and Scully had been struck by the setting, the ambience. Now she looked around and saw its precise beauty, high vaulted ceiling, wide landscapes on the silvery walls, starched white linen, gold embossed menus, cut crystalware. It was over the top. God, she’d misjudged this. Why didn’t she just go for Clint’s Diner where the talking point was the font used to spell the name, so that the L and the I were joined to form what looked like a U. Asking for the cunt’s special was Mulder’s favourite joke.  Even the Italian bistro with the red and white checked plastic tablecloths and fake tealights in jam jars would have been a better choice.

“So it is a date,” he said, but behind his broad grin there was a look of trepidation. He went to hook his thumbs in his belt loops but he wasn’t wearing shitty jeans. Instead, his fist curled into his pants pocket and he stood, uncharacteristically insignificant, in the magnificent room.

Guilt flared in her chest. Mulder had been a recluse for years, pummelling his chest with his self-hatred and lacing all their interactions with accusations and blame, and now, because he was growing fucking tomatoes, she’d decided he could cope with a three-course degustation lunch and two glasses of Pinot Gris?“This is not what I…” But she was cut off by the Maitre D who swept over and checked the booking. “Dr Scully, yes, that’s right.” Why had she chosen that salutation when she called. It made it sound like a business lunch.

Their table was on the terrace under heavy-scented purple wisteria. The waiter unflapped serviettes like he was cracking a whip. He placed glasses, crockery and cutlery with the precision required for surgery. Mulder remained quiet the entire time, but regarded her, not the waiter. His expression softened when the waiter left and dappled light filtered over his skin.

“This is not what I expected, Scully. But it’s a step up from chilli dogs and Shiner Bock.”

Ugh. Now she was craving an evening on the couch watching him watching the game. “I’m sorry, Mulder. This feels all wrong.”

“Hey,” he said, leaning forward, sliding his hand over the table top, but careful to leave his fingers just an inch from hers. “It’s fine. I kind of love being wined and dined. It makes me feel special.” His fingers crept closer, close enough for her to see the white fleck on his left index nail, the light abrasion on his ring finger knuckle, close enough to remember what those elegant digits used to do to her.“As long as you don’t expect me to put out, Scully.” He grinned suddenly. “You should know up front that I’m not that easy.”

No, she thought, you’re not. We were never easy, you and me. She laughed at his joke anyway, his smile urged her to indulge him. The waiter brought the wine and Mulder sniffed, swirled and sipped it before giving it his approval. They chose entrees and mains and he chatted amiably, telling stories about the nursery dude and his collection of blurry photos of cigar-shaped crafts.

“I hadn’t the heart to tell him it was all BS, Scully. Why burst his bubble? He gets a lot of joy out of it.” Ah, empathy.

“And you get free seeds. Sounds like a fair exchange.”

He sat back, arms behind his head, before realising where he was and sitting upright, hands on his lap, much more respectable. “I’ve missed you,” he said, out of nowhere. “But this was nice. Unexpectedly so. A nice date, if I may be so bold as to describe it so, Doc.”

Flirty. She chuffed, cheeks aflame. The wine, she thought. It was always the wine. “It’s good to see you so relaxed, Mulder. It’s been a while.”

“Was I ever relaxed, Scully?” he asked, genuinely. “I look back now and see how tightly coiled I was. Have been.” His head bobbed down, but his eyes lifted to hers. “Am.”

The first time she visited him after she left, he was cowering under the kitchen table, shards of glass and ceramic scattered across the floor. He didn’t speak for an hour. She sat at a chair six feet away from him, listening to his tight sobs, watching his shoulders bunch, while she embraced her old friend, guilt.

“You’ve been through a lot, Mulder. We both have. It’s been a difficult…”

“Life?” he supplied.

“I was going to say time, but yeah. That too.” She laughed and so did he. His fingers edged forward again, touching hers this time. Heat sparked. He felt it too, he almost recoiled in shock, but pressed on, covering her hand with his. He clasped it gently, lifted it, nuzzled her knuckles, eyes closed so she could admire the length of his lashes and the furrow between his brows. A lifetime of pain in two creases. She had an urge to kiss them, run her tongue along the downy lines of them, taste his familiar skin.

“We should go,” she said, after a time. 

He held the door open for her and stooped inside the car, dazzling her with his smile. “Just remember, I don’t go all the way on first dates.”

“What about first base?” she said, after he’d already shut the door.

They drove back, listening to an 80s radio station that Mulder found with ease. He belted out Living on a Prayer and other big ballads, air guitar and all. She smiled all the way to the house. When she parked, Sinead O’Connor’s singular voice introduced Nothing Compares 2 U. She went to turn the radio off but he held her wrist.

“I love this song,” he said. “Prince’s masterful lyrics. And that video clip.”

“It was a powerful statement,” she replied and let his fingers curl around hers. 

“I really did enjoy this, Scully. Going out, you know, where people are…out there. It’s hard sometimes. I…don’t…I haven’t done it often because it feels like I’m a trespasser, that I don’t belong.”

“You never did. We never did, Mulder. We were always on the outer.”

“But with you,” he said, snugging her single hand in both of his. “I always felt braver in company.”

Heat spread in her chest, her heart pinged. She didn’t know what to say. Literally no words formed, despite her mouth falling open. Tears burnt at her eyes but she wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. 

“What about that first base, Scully?” His smile was a little hopeful, a lot wobbly.

She nodded. He captured her open lips and closed them between his. It was strange and familiar, old and new again. Sparkles glittered behind her eyes, just like those dust motes. When was that? Just a few hours ago? Surely not. That glitter welcome party was a lifetime ago.

[fanfiction-abyss]

TBHK SONGFIC

This is my gift for my fellow ___ for a discord gift event! Hope you enjoy it!!

Akane Aoi x Hikari Minamoto:

STUPID CUPID

For all his life, Akane Aoi found himself struggling. He struggled to gain the love of his childhood bestfriend, struggled in his balancing order between his life and responsibilities as vice-president of the student council and keeping his duties as School Mystery No. 1. As his first year of high school started, he thought that he had it all in check, until he met her. Hikari Minamoto. Their meeting was by chance, he bumped into her while she was walking out of the student council room. She quickly bowed, spewed out an apology and ran off before he could blink. At first he thought she was a brave fan of Teru's who came to bother him, but the thought was quickly crossed off his mind as Teru explained who the girl was.

"That was my little sister. She was just dropping me off my lunch that I forgot. Usually it's Kou, but he's busy with his own mission." Akane nodded, busying himself by filing some papers, sweating under Teru's intensive stare. After finishing his filing, Akane nodded at Teru before heading to the door.

"Aoi." His sharp voice made Akane stop.

"Please be good to my siblings, if you ever see them around."

"I will, President Minamoto." The redhead silently cursed the president in his mind.

It wasn't until a week later that Hikari and Akane made contact once again.

"Ao-chan! I'd like you to meet someone! She's interested in joining the Gardening club!" Nene pulled a familiar blonde in front of Aio's desk, one thing Akane noticed was that she was wearing a middle school uniform.

"P-pleased to meet your acquaintance! I'm Hikari M-Minamoto, a third year in t-the middle school division and I'd like to join the club, as Senpai just explained!" Her voiced was rather meek and she had a rather heavy blush on her cheeks. Aoi, who Akane was standing next to, clasped her hands excitedly, sparkles bloomed as she cutely titled her head and smiled.

"That's great to hear, Minamoto-san! I'm Aoi Akane, thank you for showing interest in the club! We really need new members!" Hikari rubbed her arm and gazed at the ground.

"Y-You can call me by my first name... I don't mind. It's just... it's just that I don't want any unwanted confusion or attention, so..." She trailed off, her eyes swirling with embarrassment.

"I see, then you can call me Ao-chan, Hikari-chan!" Akane tensed, pushing up his glasses.

"... to think she's already in nickname basis with Ao-chan..." His mutterings grabbed the girl's attention.

"Is something wrong, Akane-kun?" Aoi asked sweetly, to which Akane shook his head.

I must stay poised and collected in front of President Minamoto's siblings or I won't hear the end of it from him...

Akane respectfully bowed towards Hikari.

"Pleasure to meet you, Minamoto-kohai. I'm Akane Aoi, if you don't know, I work with President Minamoto. " Hikari immediately bowed in respect, hitting her forehead on the top of the desk.

"I'm incredibly sorry for bumping into you last week, Aoi-Senpai, I didn't even formally apologize! I'm so, so sorry! Please let me make it up to you in some way or another!" The first years jumped, not expecting the sudden outbursts.

"Minamoto-kohai! It's quite alright-"

"Uwah! Hikari-chan are you alright?!" Nene had her hand up to her mouth in horror. The young girl, straightened up, showing a rather painful bruise of her forehead. Tears were welling up in the corner of her eyes.

"I-I'm fine, Senpai!"

"But-but you're crying!" Hikari covered her face and turned away.

"It's just that... I'm so embarrassed! I made a fool of myself in front of the upperclassmen!" Aoi patted the younger girls sibling in the back rather comforting.

"It's okay, Hikari-chan! You were just nervous, but for now, let's take you to the nurses office and check the bruise out."

"A-Ah! It's fine, Ao-Senpai! I'm, I'm used to worse, so this is nothing!" Aoi's and Nene's face visibly darkened with worry.

"W-worse?"

"A-Anyways, umm... about the club..." Face brightening, Aoi picked up her bag.

"If you don't mind, we can introduce you to the gardens! You can see what type of plants you want to take care of and you can meet the others as well, but first we have to change out of uniforms so they don't get dirty! Did you have an extra set of clothes?" Hikari lifted her bag and nodded, gaining approval from Aoi.

"Then, let's get moving! See ya, Akane-kun!" Akane watched the girls leave before making his way down the garden, hiding in his usual spot where he was able to watch what was going on. It took a few minutes before the girls came outside. Aoi was wearing her cute white sunhat, a pink tshirt and discolored shorts. Akane watched the new member with eyes of a hawk. She was wearing a white long sleeved shirt, black track pants, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail, allowing a purple good-luck amulet piercing in her left ear. It looked rather delinquent-like on her, which as far as Akane could tell, was not much her style. Aoi left and Nene walked with Hikari, touring her around, and stopping in front of Akane.

"And this is the decorative plants we take care of..." Nene trailed of, seeing the horrified expression of her junior, looking at the bush and letting out a terrified yelp.

"A-Akane-kun?! What are you doing?!" Akane's face was popping out of the plant, his glasses hid his eyes, but he was smiling.

"Oh, Nene-san, I'm just watching over Ao-chan, that's all!" Nene nodded, pulling Hikari close.

"Forgive him, Hikari-chan! He has a condition!" Before an answer escaped her mouth, Hikari tensed and turned, feeling dread.

This feeling... is it an apparition? Not to mention, didn't Ao-senpai head over there!?

"Eh, Hikari-chan, everything alright?" Nene's question was answered with a familiar shriek, causing the trios eyes to widen.

"Ao-chan/Ao-senpai!"

Hikari was the one who ran first, the other following close behind. They reached the toolshed and Hikari held her hand, stopping the others.

If it's an apparition, my upperclassmen will be in danger!

"I-I will go in there, you guys stay here! I'll go check and see!" Nene and Akane couldn't stop her as she dashed inside the tool shed. Stepping inside, Hikari felt the presence of a spirit, but she spotted Aoi first and kneeled next to her. It seemed that she was just passed out, the shards of a broken pot, probably dropped in surprise, thankfully didn't reach the older girl. Hikari focused her attention on the corner across from her, where the dark aura came from. A shivering child was huddled in the corner, its arms around its legs and head buried between its knees.

"I don't know what past you've lived, but that gives you no right to harm a human, so... I must exorcise you." A child's voice spoke out.

"Mother and I... used to play in the gardens all the time... are you my mommy?" With furrowed brows, Hikari clenched her hand, a spear made of lighting molded within. She took aim and threw the spear towards the corner, a gentle light and clean breeze fell upon the toolshed.

May you find peace in the afterlife...

"Senpais! Akane-senpai has fainted!" Akane and Nene immediately rushed in, both looking disheveled.

"We should take Ao-chan to the nurses, Akane-kun!" Akane nodded with Nene and picked Aoi up.

"Sorry to cut the tour short, but..."

"D-don't worry, senpai!" Nene smiled brightly at the young exorcist.

"Thank you for helping, Hikari-chan!" Blushing, Hikari waved goodbye to her seniors before making her way home.

Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy

I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly

I'm in love and it's a crying shame

And I know that you're the one to blame

Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

Ever since that day, Hikari began getting Akane's attention no matter where he went. It was only natural, after all, she saved his beloved Aoi. He would catch glimpses of her as he would walk the halls, or greet her whenever they made eye contact. He noticed details about her. Her eyes were always gentle no matter what, though she rarely talked, she had an energy that attracted people to her. And, another thing he noticed was that she would never judge others no matter what.

"Oh, hi, Aoi-senpai!" His hiding spot had been compromised once again. Akane sighed and crawled out the plant.

"How do you do, Minamoto-kohai?"

"I'm d-doing well... how... how about you?"

"I'm doing perfectly fine, Ao-chan is as bright as the sun, so everything is fine!" The girl giggled at his response, but quickly covered her mouth.

"Sorry... I wasn't laughing at you, I-I just think your affection for Ao-senpai is quite cute..." Akane shook his head, squatting next to her, watching as she dug up wholes in the soil to plant beans.

"It's alright." They stayed in silence, before Akane spoke out.

"What made you interested in the Gardening Club?"

"U-umm, I joined because... I just wanted to make my brothers jobs easier." Akane said nothing and stared at the girl, encouraging her to continue.

"W-Well, Teru-nii is always busy with student council work and keeping peace in the school. Kou takes care of the housework himself and won't let me help, so... I was thinking if I could at least plant veggies and fruits, I could make their life easier... plus just in case Tiara's interested in gardening, I could teach her..." Hikari's fond expression quickly turned into one of embarrassment.

"But now that I say it out loud it doesn't make any sense!" Akane huffed, fiddling with the red student council band on his arm.

"No, I think it's nice that you think about your siblings and the fact that you try to take care of them, it's admirable." Akane didn't know what went through his mind as the words spewed out of his mouth. Hikari stopped patting the dirt, her face turning redder than the tomatoes on a nearby vine, her eye were wide, but they didn't convey any negative emotion.

"I-I see, thank you... for thinking that..."

"Oh and Minamoto-kohai, you could call me by my first name, so that's in not confusing."

"Then you can call me by my f-first name too..."

"Alright, Hikari-san."

I can't do my homework and I can't think straight

I meet her every morning 'bout half past eight

I'm acting like a lovesick fool

You've even got me carrying your books to school

Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

After their conversation in the garden, their usual greeting turned into full blown conversations with each other. It wasn't noticable, but they began getting closer. Hikari thought about her new friend most of the time, even though it distracted her from studying. Akane who used to hate having to collect files and papers from teachers of the middle school division, began enjoying his walks, seeing that as soon as Akane and Hikari made eye contact, Hikari would join him and help him on his quest (or so she liked to call it). It wasn't noticable to anyone, until Akane stopped confessing to Aoi everytime he saw her. He would still watch her with loving eyes, but Aoi noticed something was different with Akane. It was one morning, where Aoi's suspicions were confirmed. It was early in the morning, when Aoi stepped into the sunlit classroom, Akane was already there, ruffling through a pile of papers.

"Goodmorning, Akane-kun!" Aoi smiled at her childhood friend, who looked up with a bright smile.

"Ah! Goodmorning Ao-chan! You look as beautiful as always!" He then turned his attention to the papers in front of him. He didn't even notice her scrutinizing gaze, until she was literally in his face. He leaned away in slight shock.

"Something wrong, Ao-chan?" The indigo haired girl put a finger on her chin and hummed.

"I don't know how to put it, but Akane-kun, are you over me?" Akane tensed and blushed.

"O-Of course no-" The image of a smiling Hikari flashed in his head, causing him to stop mid sentence. The vivid image caused him to relive the memory. It was when the beans she planted finally sprouted out of the ground. She quickly called him over and showed him the accomplishment with proud smile, her usually gentle voice was filled with excitement.

"Look, Akane-senpai!"

"Akane-kun?" Akane snapped out of his trance, gazing at Aoi.

"Ao-chan, I still love you, but it's not the same love as before!" Aoi giggle, putting her hands behind her.

"Thought so! So do you like Hikari-chan?"

"Huh?! Ao-chan how did-"

"It was quite obvious Akane-kun! You're never to good at hiding your feelings if you like someone! Plus, I wouldn't be called your childhood friend if I didn't notice!" Akane sighed and rested his forehead on his arms.

"I see..."

Thank god President Minamoto hasn't noticed my change of behavior, yet... I can only imagine what he'll do to me!

Akane revisited memories of being tied up like an animal and shivered.

"Then, Akane-kun, what do you plan to do...?" Aoi's unanswered question stuck with him throughout the day. What was he going to do? It felt weird thinking of Hikari all the time instead of Aoi. His affections now differed, he wanted to stay the same with Aoi, but with Hikari it was different. It felt as if he'd been struck by a cupid's arrow, which made a warm feeling resonate within his chest. It wasn't until he stood in front of Hikari's classroom door afterschool, that he had the answer.

I want to ask her out!

The classroom door opened and out came a blonde boy, the thing the caught Akane's attention was the red traffic-safety amulet on the boys right ear.

"See ya, sis!" He ran off the opposite hallway from Akane and Hikari ran out of the classroom looking the way Kou ran off.

"W-wait Kou!" Kou was long gone by now, making her slump her shoulders in defeat.

"He forgot his spirit staff... and here he was boasting about taking down the school mysteries..."

"Hikari-san?" Surprised, the girl yelped before covering her mouth.

"Akane-senpai?!"

"U-um... about what you were talking about..." She tensed, before clenching her fists.

"C-can we go somewhere p-p-private..."

"Sure..." Akane followed Hikari up the roof and gulped as she stood in front of him with a bowed head.

"A-A-Actually... I've been putting off this confession for a long time... but can you promise me that no matter what... you won't look at me differently..." Akane stood paralyzed, with a heavy blush and without waiting for an answer, she took a deep breath.

C-Confession...?

"I-I'm actually an exorcist! I come from a lineage of exorcists, so I'm not the only one! My older brothers are also exorcists, t-that's why you heard me talk about supernaturals and all that gibberish..." A cold wind blew past Akane as comical tears ran down his cheeks.

A-Ah, that type of confession..

Quickly composing himself, Akane put his hands on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, which were full of uncertainty.

"Don't worry, Hikari-san, if anything, it makes my view of you grow positively!" He gave her a sweet smile, that made her feet go jelly.

"C-can I h-hug you..?" Akane didn't hesitate to give approval and he felt warm arms wrap themselves around his chest, her head was rested near his heart, which now, the redhead realized, was pounding rapidly.

"T-thank you, senpai!" Akane slowly wrapped his hands around her frame, pulling her closer, if that was possible.

I'm content with this...

You mixed me up for good right from the very start

Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart

About a few weeks later, Akane realized that he was not content with how the relationship was progressing. He managed to get a grip on himself and managed to not gush about the girl that kept his mind busy, seeing as he was scared that he would scare Hikari off. He tried to be sensitive, but like someone flipped a switch, he couldn't contain himself. He was tired of hiding his affections from the girl that deserved it the most. Making up his mind, he decided to confess to her, and told Aoi, who cheered him up. As he walked through the halls, ignoring the gossiping whispers of another supernatural at school, he planned on confessing the next time he sees her.

You got me jumping like a crazy clown

And I don't feature what you're putting down

It was lunch, when he saw her, but not in the exact situation he preferred. In fact it was the opposite of an ideal situation. He was walking, passing by an abandoned music classroom, when he heard a low piano note resonate, the sound of the door slamming open and someone being thrown against the wall followed the sound. Akane turned, horror on his face when he saw Hikari crumpled on the ground, cuts and bruises on her skin. She shakily picked her head up, reddish eyes clashing with blue eyes.

"A-Akane-senpai, get out of here! It's supernatural!" A black, gooey hand held the doorframe, and a shadow loomed over the girl, causing her to scramble back on her feet. A goey hand was raised, ready to strike, but gloved hand kept it in place.

"A-Akane-senpai...?" Hikari took in his appearance, his outfit had changed black and white suit, a pocket watch pinned on his chest. His hair had slighty gotten longer and a low ponytail swayed behind him. With a growl, Akane clenched his hand, breaking off the supernatural's hand off, getting the black substance on his face.

"You filth! Don't ever touch Hikari-chan with your dirty hands, ever again!" With his other hand, Akane stabbed through the supernatural's main body, making it go limp before dissolving into this air.

"Akane-senpai... you're a school mystery?" Akane turned his attention to the girl and gave her a closed eye smile.

"Yeah, sorry for keeping it a secret from you... but more importantly, are you okay?" He took her face into his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks in a gentle and loving manner. His red eyes gleamed with adoration.

"We need to take you to the nurse's, don't bother resisting, it's best if your brothers find out." He took her wrist and began pulling her along, stopping when he felt her other hand tugging on his white vest.

"Thank you for saving me Akane-senpai..." Blue eyes were filled with warmth and the genuine smile dancing on her lips made Akane snap.

Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine

The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine

Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

With a hand under her chin, he gently pulled her chin up, closing his eyes, he leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers. Hikari tensed into the sweet kiss, before relaxing and softly pressing her lips back. A small smile sneaked its way on Akane's face through the kiss, before the two pulled away and looked at each other's eyes.

"If it's you, I wouldn't mind have to save you no matter how many times it is... "A moment of silence was shared between the two, as Hikari slid her hand into his and he wasted no time to gently grip it into a secure hold. Akane stroked her cheek once more, and pressed his forehead upon hers. He realized that for once, he felt at peace. Hikari squeezed his hand.

"After all, I love you more than anything else in this world..."

You got me jumping like a crazy clown

And I don't feature what you're putting down

Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine

The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine

Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

Hikari remembered when she realized she was in love with Akane. It had been a few weeks ago, she had complained about not having enough fertilizer for the soil, and the very next day, Akane showed up to the Gardening Club with a wheelbarrow full of it. It was a grand and sweet gesture, and just the memory of it let a few giggles escape from her mouth.

"Akane-kun, I love you too."

Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

I hope you like it and I'm sorry if any characters seem OOC! Also apologies for any editing mistakes!

[plumblossomkun]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷:「𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛, 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 / 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚎?」

word count: 3.5k

setting: student!Taeyong x writing assistant!Female Reader, University!AU

warning[s]: none for this chapter besides some angst. later chapters will have more sensitive topics and they will be mentioned. 

chapter summary: in which Taeyong reminisces & tries to forget, but doesn’t stand a chance against the stars & their song. or, in which Taeyong & y/n meet again under the same sky, after years apart.

a/n: this is heavily inspired by Love Deluna; a big thank u @starxblossom for the help on this fic, which is VERY loosely based on something between a boy & me that began sweet. here is chapter one, as inspired by my messy [love] life. 

READ ME: this story will contain a LONG series of chapters :) i will italicize flashbacks in their entirety & indicate any changes in scene or point of view in bold. furthermore, chapters will alternate between Taeyong and y/n unless otherwise indicated.

other tags: @bunny-doyounq! enjoy~ ♫ 

moodboard | playlist | main masterlist | a map of the campus | extras | fun facts

previous | next

Exactly 4 years ago—

“What are you looking for?” he asks, leaning into her so that their shoulders are barely touching. She stares up into the dark, cloudless sky, eyes focused on something he cannot see, painted coral lips slightly parted.

He wonders if one day he’ll feel them against his skin, instead of the winter breeze. Instead of the knowledge that her heart is somewhere else, has always been somewhere else.

“The stars,” she replies, abandoning her search in favor of looking sideways at him with a faint smile. Her gaze is distant, though, and it feels like something sharp has lodged itself in his gut, because he can’t remember if she’s ever really looked at him. “I love the city lights. I really do. But I want to see the stars, I want to see the sky covered in them.”

And then her eyes turn back to the heavens.

He wishes he could anchor her, bring her down from the clouds— but he knows she won’t let him. At least, not as they are. 

Not as he is.

So, instead, he places his hand on top of hers, the words he really wants to say stuck somewhere between his heart and his throat, threatening to choke him as he assures her, “We’ll go somewhere you can see them, someday.”

Someday, when I return, he promises silently.

She looks at his hand, then at him, and her voice is tiny, barely audible when she asks, “How far?”

He sees the glimmer of fear in her eyes, and takes his hand away, missing the warmth of her even as he does so. But he knows better than to linger too long and spook her. 

“As far as you want.”

Now —

Daly City, CA

 —in one word, home

How many moons has it been, since he last set foot in this tiny city, engulfed in a sea of fog pierced only by the headlights of the Model Y Teslas that speed away towards the skyscrapers of the big city to the north?

Too many.

And yet, though he’s returned to the place he’s loved most out of all the homes he’s forged, he feels like he is about to make the second greatest mistake of his life. 

He scales the moss-lined steps leading up to the park from the main road, relishing the way the sounds of traffic are muffled by the towering, groaning pines. But when he steps off the uneven dirt path, his heart drops a little when he digs his heels into the earth and finds that the soccer fields have been filled with fake grass and rubber dirt.

He shuffles towards the library, passing through the playground and its vacant swings, sparing a wistful glance for the sand pit, which is filled with mud and litter and not a single child to dig through it. It’s early, the sun hasn’t even started to peek its head over the horizon, but he remembers when he was a child, the seesaw was always creaking away, and the swings were never left unoccupied.

The jingle of a bell lifts his chin from his chest, though, and he sucks a breath in between his teeth in disbelief. There’s no way it’s the rickety old ice cream truck that used to come around when he was a kid, the one with the smiling old man and his wife.

And he’s right, though he’s never wished more in his life that he was wrong. 

It’s a cluster of kids on their bikes, ringing their bells like mad and whooping as they zoom through the parking lot, past the basketball and tennis courts that have always been worn and gray, but seem all the worse for wear without the thud of shoes against the cement to fill the spaces in between the groaning fences. 

He shoves his hands in his pocket and walks back to his car, shoulders heavy with the knowledge that the world he left behind was not untouched in his absence.

You included, though he knows better than to think you’d be waiting for him. You would never have looked back, not when he’d left like that, without warning, without so much as a goodbye.

You probably hate him for it.

So he gets back into his car, grits his teeth, and promises himself, later, he’ll forget about it. He’ll start at a new school, make new friends, focus on his classes, and act as if the past doesn’t still have its claws in his heart. 

Later, he’ll pretend he doesn’t miss the days you’d sit at the top of those steps and drink Arizonas together, wasting the hours until the sun set and you had to decline call after call from your overprotective father, insisting you come home because it was getting too late.

Later, he’ll unpack his boxes at the university apartments, and thank his parents for leaving out the pictures of you and him.

But for now, he grips the steering wheel and takes the I-280 south, all four windows down, using the roar of the autumn wind to drown out the voice inside that says he’s made a mistake, coming back home to California. The voice that insists he came back not for a new start, not because his parents insisted he finish his education abroad, but to see you again.

Santa Clara, CA

— the place you imagine when you think California vibes.

“You know, Taeyong, you didn’t have to come all the way from Korea to bring me flowers.” Johnny eyes the bouquet of violently pink hydrangeas that Taeyong has just produced from the passenger seat of his car like they’ve offended him. “These are pretty, but you know I have allergies, right?”

“They’re not for you,” Taeyong snorts, lifting his computer tower from the backseat with a grunt. “Can you grab the other box from the back?”

Johnny grabs the storage box filled with peripherals and shuts the trunk. “Who else would they be for?”

“My mother told me your mother was visiting.” Taeyong kicks the door closed and locks the car twice, holding his beloved computer tower close to his body and the flowers under his arm. “And that we’re getting lunch together, apparently. Also, since when have you been allergic to flowers?”

“Since I saw these.” Johnny wrinkles his nose at the flowers. “And we’re not eating on campus— I never thought I would say this, but I am sick of burritos.” He shudders as he taps his ID to the scanner at the front entrance, and holds the door open as Taeyong tiptoes through, careful not to trip over the door frame. “There’s a good Korean barbecue place in San Jose, ten minutes out from here. Mom’s checking out the stationery store at Santana Row, said we can call her when we’re ready to go. Have you toured the campus yet?”

Taeyong laughs. “No, I haven’t had the time to look around—”

“Seriously?” Johnny purses his lips in an exaggerated pout. “Okay, come on. Let’s put this stuff away, and I’ll show you around.” He ushers him through another set of double doors, past a small expanse of grass complete with a volleyball net and red flowers draped across a wooden pavilion, shining steel grills polished and ready for the next Sunday playoffs, to the ground floor apartment of a building on the opposite side of the complex.

Taeyong can’t help but already imagine himself sitting on the grass, when he has time after classes, taking the time to watch the sun sink below the rooftops, coffee in one hand and music filling his ears. He can imagine himself mapping the skies, searching for stars.

He catches himself there, shakes his head at his own foolishness. “Lee Taeyong,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair, “this is no time to think about stargazing.”

“Stargazing?” Johnny echoes, emerging from the bathroom with his hands still a little wet, waving them about to dry them. “We have an observatory, if you’re interested in that.”

Taeyong tries to act like the idea hasn’t excited him, bending down to tie his shoes to hide the grin splitting his face. “We can check it out if it’s not too out of the way, I guess.”

Johnny chuckles, closing the door behind him. “Of course. Last and least on the list.”

Palm trees overlook the majority of the campus, leaning low over the buildings and casting long shadows along the pavement. And where there isn’t red or gray brick, there is carefully curated grass, neatly clipped hedges, and collections of too-perfect, too-saturated flowers highlighting each walkway.

It’s a little artificial, a little unreal, but Taeyong can’t deny that, with the afternoon sun beating down on his shoulders, casting golden light without a single wisp of fog in the air, and a slight breeze nipping at his fingertips, it feels like a slice of paradise, straight out of the movies.

Near the end of the main road, Johnny points out a pastel rainbow of roses that lead to a side path that wraps around the church, under a canopy of vines and branches and ornately wrought wood. “I like to come here instead of on the quads; it’s quieter. Some people even take wedding pictures here when the weather is nice.”

Taeyong spots a bench a little ways down the path, surrounded by roses— the perfect spot to take a picture, one to remember his first day back under the California sun. 

When he turns back to ask his friend to capture the moment for him, Johnny is already motioning for him to hand over his phone, a knowing smile playing across his face. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask me to take a photo earlier.” Taeyong laughs, brushes rose petals off of the bench before he sits, squinting as he finds a spot that is both well lit and doesn’t have the sun blazing directly into his eyes. “This is too pretty to pass up.”

“Ready?”

Taeyong nods, smiling chastely into the eye of the camera.

“Okay, three, two, one—”

Click.

“Another pose~ three, two, one—”

He adds a peace sign. He knows his mother will definitely ask for one of him and Johnny later, and makes a note to take one at lunch.

Click.

“Last one, look sexy, Taeyong-ah, say mwah for the camera~”

Taeyong bursts into laughter at that, but Johnny snaps the picture anyway.

Click.

“That’s the candid I was looking for,” he says, clearly pleased by his work, handing Taeyong’s phone back to him. “You look good.” And for all his teasing, Johnny is right about the photos— he looks sun-kissed and happy. Nothing like how he’d felt earlier that morning.

He takes a deep breath, taking in the rich scent of the roses around them as the church bells sound, signaling noon. He gathers a handful of pink petals and marvels at their unmarked, silken beauty. “I feel good, too.”

“What did Seoul do to you?” Johnny asks thoughtfully, looking him up and down as if this is the first time he’s really looked at him all day. 

Taeyong tosses the petals in the air with a chuckle. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when we were teenagers...” Johnny snaps his fingers, looking for the right words. “You look like you know yourself better. Is that it?” A girl’s wail splits the air before he can answer, followed by the pitter-patter of quick footsteps. “Excuse me, I’m laaaate—” 

Taeyong steps aside automatically, and as the girl runs past him, long hair whipping him in the face despite his quick reflexes, he catches a whiff of summer, of wildflowers, jasmine, and something of the ocean breeze.

And while he doesn’t recognize the perfume, his heart sinks when he realizes he does know that voice. 

Your voice.

His phone drops from his hand, and he jumps to his feet.

There’s no way.

Luckily, Johnny snatches up his phone before it hits the ground, and when he sees the expression on Taeyong’s face, leans in front of him with a concerned look, waving a hand to catch his attention. “Whoa. You good, buddy?”

Taeyong’s eyes don’t even register the movement. He presses a hand to his chest to check if his heart is still beating, and has to sit down on the bench again, because he is shaking like a leaf caught in a hurricane. 

He feels like all the breath has been sucked out of his lungs, like the bones in his body have suddenly become hollow and thin like glass. “I… was that...?”

Johnny follows his gaze, staring at the back of the girl who is still rushing down the path. “Oh...” he exhales, craning his head to get a better look. “Oh.”

Slowly, he nods his head, and the confirmation is like a death rattle to Taeyong. “I heard she was here, but, you know... I didn’t really go looking.” 

Johnny places a firm hand on Taeyong’s shoulder, and his voice is gentle when he reminds him, “You shouldn’t either.”

Taeyong closes his eyes and shakes his head, because after all this time, despite the years he’s spent under a different skyline— here you are— here—

The thought chokes him. It wraps icy fingers around his heart and crushes it, crushes him. 

He can’t remember the reason he left, only that it wasn’t right, only that he should’ve stayed.

And though he has only caught a moment’s glimpse, shared a single breath, he can’t deny it, he hasn’t changed at all.

He is still the same boy, praying that a flower that lives for starlight will bloom for him instead.

6 and a half years ago— 

Taeyong did not want to attend Winter Ball— in fact, he would rather have eaten dirt—  but Yuta and Ten ended up buying him a ticket anyway. He had tried to escape after the last bell, ducking towards the door before the teacher had even dismissed them, but Johnny locks an arm around his shoulders before he can escape.

“You can skip every dance after this one,” he bargains, clicking his tongue, and drags Taeyong down the street to his house to lend him clothes for the night. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Live a little. Dance a little.”

“No, it won’t,” Taeyong grumbles, but puts on the white collared shirt and black tie ensemble anyway, Mrs. Suh cooing “So handsome!” a thousand times at them as she snaps photos to keep in her newly-bought scrapbooks, before ushering them out. “Be back by midnight, okay?”

And now, he plays the wallflower in the small gym, watching in faint amusement as the people dancing freeze in confusion as they try to guess at what song is playing next, the DJ’s transitions between songs awkward and stilted. Despite that, towering over everyone in the very heart of the crowd, Johnny dances like there’s no tomorrow. Yuta and Ten had tried to get him out there, too— they had tried to drag him, princess-carry, and Yuta had even tried to throw him— but Taeyong isn’t in the mood to dance.

A flash of silver catches his eye, and he momentarily forgets that he is supposed to be uninterested in everything that the evening has to offer.

A girl strides towards him, sparkling white glitter sliding off her collarbones like someone has poured starlight on her, refracting tiny pinpoints of light onto her face. She is smiling, and her cheeks are a deep shade of rouge, but her smile is more like a lioness baring her fangs, and the rest of her expression is cold and hard. 

Her lips purse as she stares at the half-open door to his left, and the wind whispering behind it. She pauses in the doorway, gaze flicking back to the crowd.  And then to him. 

When she sees that Taeyong’s looking back at her, her expression lightens, the corners of her eyes crinkling in true mirth. 

And then she’s gone, the door swinging shut behind her with a sigh.

He finds her perched on the railing outside, on the balcony that overlooks the entire campus, watching the last snatches of day start to die away. She turns as he approaches, the light on the horizon line pooling around her, framing her figure in gold and scarlet. The breeze bites at his cheeks, and her midnight blue chiffon dress clings to her body, but unlike him, she does not shiver; instead, she leans into the icy caress of winter like it is an old friend. 

So when her eyes burn into his, he is already half-convinced that she is some ethereal creature. He opens his mouth to speak, but she shakes her head, as if the sound of his voice will break the spell she’s cast, one that blurs the noise behind him in favor of the shifting world before him. 

A wry smile curls her lips, like she’s laughing at some unspoken joke, and she pats the railing next to her, inviting him to join her in the moment.

Mutely, they watch the sky until it darkens and the northern star has begun to twinkle, the last murmurs of gold plunging below the school buildings. So much time passes, in fact, that when she suddenly takes a deep breath, consuming the night air like it is her lifeblood, it startles him, and he almost falls off the railing into the uneven hedges below them.

She laughs aloud then, and says, in a low, almost husky voice, “Are you afraid I might bite?”

His brain fizzles as he tries to think of something to say that isn’t stupid. He settles for the truth. “You look like you might just fly away if I come too close.”

She looks startled, like she wasn’t expecting him to respond with those words, and then shakes her head, that same mysterious smile curving her lips. She tips her head back and lets the wind comb through her long hair. “I wish I could fly. Don’t you?”

He thinks about it, looks up into the sea of gray clouds filtering the moonlight into ivory shards. “Maybe. Where would you go, if you could?”

She leans back a little too far and loses her balance for a split second— and he instinctively reaches out to catch her, gripping her hands in his. 

Her hands are small, and freezing, but still, they do not shake. Her heartbeat thrums against his palms, and she laughs breathlessly, the noise dragging his eyes up to meet hers. 

He can’t help but flinch; her gaze is filled with stone that had not been there a second before. It does not soften until she has extracted herself from his hold, and the cold railing is the only thing they share in common. 

Only then does she answer his question, clearing her throat. When she speaks this time, her voice has lost its airy quality, becoming sweeter, softer. He loses himself there, and openly stares at her, awed by— everything about her. “I think I’d see if heaven existed,” she breathes, reaching towards the stars, cupping the curve of the moon within her hands. “Go as high as I could until my lungs cried out for mercy.”

She slips down from her perch, lighting down quietly on the hard cement. On level ground, she is quite a bit shorter than him, and yet he feels intimidated by her proximity when she leans towards him, face impassive as she studies his.

“What?” he asks, jutting out his chin in challenge.

The girl rolls her eyes, unimpressed. But whatever she finds in his expression, she clearly doesn’t dislike because she says carelessly, tossing the words out at rapid-fire speed, “I’m going to go find a better view, and real food. Feel free to tag along, if you want.” 

And then she’s walking away before he can even accept the invitation, tugging off both her heels in one fluid motion and dangling them off of her shoulder as she starts heading down the five flights of stairs leading down to the main entrance, completely barefoot and humming a tune he does not know.

He looks back at the gym. He doesn’t see Yuta, or Ten, or Johnny through the glass— in fact, he’s sure they won’t notice him leaving, either, not while they’re dancing— so he makes his choice. 

He can be back by midnight, if he keeps track of the time.

“Wait—” he calls after her.

She pauses, and their gazes lock. For a split second, something flickers to life in her eyes, summons a peal of laughter from deep within her throat. She licks her lips, head tilted up towards him, and he understands it then. She is lovely, and the moonrise suits her, but she is no ethereal being, no angel, no goddess.

“Catch me if you can, then.” 

Still— he can’t look away.

He can’t help but chase after her.

a/n 2.0: feedback of all kinds is appreciated! ♥ luv y’all

[alittleshocking]

Long Live the Car Crash Hearts (*) [Self-para]

Shock had plenty of choices to make...did she make the right one?

[tw -- cancer, talk of death, mild sexual overtones]

Shock gets out of the hospital on a Thursday morning in spring. It doesn’t matter the exact day. What matters is that it smells like petrichor and she can feel the breeze on her skin.

It’s not that she hasn’t left the hospital in two years. She has. It’s that this time, she doesn’t have to go back. There isn’t an IV connecting her to the arteries of the hospital. The hospital is no longer the thing pumping her blood through her veins. She gets to decide what to do with her life now. No one can tell her what to do anymore. What to eat, what to wear, how much she could exercise, where she could go…

Freedom is a million futures sprawled out before her like yellow brick roads. 

It’s a choice. 

***

Shock chooses fear. 

She retreats into herself and stares at walls. Forgets what it means to live, because she’s so afraid to try again. The last thing she wants to do is make her way back to that prison. 

So, she makes a prison of her own room, her own body, her own mind. 

Shock eats everything the doctors tell her to eat. She doesn’t go out, because there are things that could kill her lurking around every corner. Inside is where she can control the space around her. Her heart beats loud and fierce in her chest, but she at least knows it is still beating. 

Shock chooses fear and her family--

You know what, fuck this. Shock would never choose fear.

*** 

Shock chooses guilt.

She hits the books harder than she had before, ready to get the fuck out of Hallowtown if it’s the last thing she does. She beats the intelligence out of the pages, clawing her way up the honors list. When she graduates, she has a full scholarship to UCLA for creative writing.

She’s won her money the hard way: by dying once already. She figures God, if there is one, owes her. Shock writes a sob story about her cancer wrapping like vines around her body and stealing her chances like a snake in a garden, plucking apples from trees.

Admissions eats out of the palm of her hand.

Maybe she’s a little obsessed with death, maybe she makes her peers cringe, but she wins awards and gets published in modern horror anthologies.

When the first check from her anthology submissions comes in, she pays for Barrel and Lock’s emancipation and leases them a little flat on Skid Row. Cats crowd their front stoop and Shock kicks them on her way inside to keep them out. There is a beat up car in the driveway they stole. It’s a rough and unpretty life that she’s won, but at least some of the guilt she carries like too much luggage for an overnight trip dissipates.

Lock fucks off eventually. Shock might have always been too late to save him, no matter what she did. Cancer or no cancer. He’s only half hers anyway. The rest of him belongs to the wind. 

“Send postcards,” she tells him when she catches him sneaking out one night. She’s not going to stop him. There is no point.

Barrel cries like Lock died when he finds out, but a week later, one of the cats has had kittens and they get a postcard from Italy in the mail. 

A week after that, Barrel gets into U of F. He’s so happy that it sticks like sugar in Shock’s teeth and she hates it. 

So, Shock goes to a party that night to forget. 

“Did you really die?” asks a boy from her 19th Century Women’s Lit class after he’s done fucking her. 

Shock shrugs a shoulder. “Yup.”

“What was it like?” His chest is sweaty and pale as he turns and props his head up on his hand. The crucifix winks at her from between his pectorals. It’s flirting with her better than this boy whose name she has forgotten. 

“Dark.” Shock pauses for dramatic affect. Their breath is the only sound in the room, but just outside the walls is a heartbeat-thumping bass from the party they’d left. It is dark in here too. Shock likes to fuck with the lights off, so she can focus on herself. It’s hot too. UCLA may be a multi-million dollar institution, but they still won’t put AC in the dorms. The sweat is like a second layer of skin. 

Shock does remember that. When she woke up again from the dark, she felt as if she had just been baptized she was so sticky with sweat. It’s funny how like death everything else can be. 

This boy, hanging on her every word, his eyes shining like pennies put over the eyes of the dead, and Shock figures she should put him out of his misery. 

“It was warm. I think it was like being in a womb, y’know?” Her voice is soft and contemplative. She strokes at this pretty LA boy’s hair, tender as a mother comforting her child. He’s so soft and pretty. He could never die and live to tell the tale.

“And then I woke up.” 

“Oh.” He lets out a breath.

They’re always disappointed. Sometimes, Shock wonders if she’s disappointed too. 

***

Shock chooses freedom.

She snatches the smell of petrichor and seizees the breeze. She becomes the storm passing through, indifferent to the destruction she leaves behind. 

Freedom tastes like a cigarette: clenching death between her teeth and daring it to try again. It’s reckless abandon. It’s screaming at the top of your lungs and setting the whole world on fire. It’s doing whatever you want, whenever you want, because if death wants you, he’s going to have to drag you to hell fucking kicking and screaming. 

Shock stays one step ahead of her guilt, one step ahead of her fear. 

If they can’t catch up to her, are they even there at all?

[storyswap-color-au]

StorySwap Color - Final Episode!!!

Swappy arrives at the castle once again. The puzzles were already solved, so there’s no need to do those again. Once they’re at the throne room, Swappy and Papyrus encounter once again… That is, until a bone blocks Papyrus’ to prevent it from breaking the mercy button. Sans comes into the scene, being all like “alright, here’s the deal: we aren’t gonna kill anybody.” Papyrus is both surprised and glad by Sans’ appearance, HE CAME TO VISIT!! The two skeletons have a back and forth, until Undyne bursts in holding a spear and is like “SANS DON’T YOU DARE HURT PAPYRUS– Oh hey kid”

Swappy waves, and Sans is understandably confused by this, but Papyrus is like “UNDNYE AS WELL??? IS THIS A SURPRISE PARTY???”, to which sans replies with “yeah bro, we’re celebrating the kid’s birthday” “I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS THE HUMAN’S BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUMAN!!!”, Undyne frowns. Then Asgore kicks in, concerned over the well being of Papyrus (and Swappy). Sans and him share a look, but Sans shrugs it off, he winks and says “hey, no hard feelings, ‘gore, i’m over it.” Asgore coughs, he’s like “Papyrus. Please give this human.–”

But he’s suddenly interrupted by chara, who bursts into the scene as well, being all like “Don’t fight each other!! Let this human live!!” somehow avoiding all tsundereness about it, Asriel also appears to back it up. “YEAH don’t hurt Fr- I mean, the human.” Papyrus is so confused, but Sans is like “oh hey, i know that squeaky pubescent voice. oh, and asriel’s.” Chara is ticked off, but Asriel is glad to meet Sans properly for the first time.

But then Alphys and Toriel also come in and ready to protect Swappy, begging Papyrus not to kill Swappy, but he’s all like “WHY WOULD I DO THAT? I WASN’T GOING TO KILL THEM, WE WERE JUST GOING TO DUEL!” Everyone looks at Papyrus with a blank stare, perplexed. “WHAT? WHY WOULD I TAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S SOUL?! THAT WOULD BE MURDERING.” Everyone laughs nervously, looking to the side awkwardly.

Toriel looks at Swappy, being like “Child, you heard Papyrus, crossing the barrier may be a bit too dangerous as of now. You can stay with us, if you’d like!” … Swappy stares blankly, they really do want to go back to the surface. But knowing what happened before, they nod silently, agreeing to staying here for now. Surely they’d find a way, one day. Everyone is relieved to hear that.

Asriel then brings up why did everyone know to come here anyways, Undyne mentions “A weird talking flower told me that Sans was gonna kill Papyrus, so I OBVIOUSLY had to come to save him.” Sans just chuckles about it, why’d she hear a flower? Alphys and Toriel are like “Excuse me, did you just say a flower?”

Oh dear! It looks like everybody’s been imprisoned by Florescent’s vines! Swappy is taken aback; didn’t they do everything right this time?

“Don’t worry, darling, you played your role just fine! But now, it’s time for someone else to have their spotlight! BEHOLD, AS I TAKE THE FORM OF SOMETHING SO FABULOUS, YOUR FEEBLE HUMAN MIND CAN SCARCELY COMPREHEND I- wait a moment.”

Florescent looks up to one of his victims, and notices Chara, another human. “Well, well, well! Isn’t that an intriguing development! TWO humans, for the price of one!”

Chara struggles in futility, trying to wedge themselves out of the vines as Florescent cackles, delighted by it all, in a sick, twisted sort of way. “Let me go, you… you insolent weed!”

The aforementioned insolent weed starts to comply with Chara’s request… only to summon a spiky thorn pit below the two humans… which is promptly burned away by a fire attack. “Get your filthy vines off them, you damn dirty flower!”

Asriel bursts onto the scene, followed by Royal Guardsmen and other monsters that Swappy met on their journey. Chara looks around, tears welling up in their eyes for the first time in… how long had it even been? Well, it didn’t matter now. They were just happy to see everyone here! “You guys… you all cared about us this much?” It all seems like it’s going to be a nice, happy ending, and everything would work out, but… suddenly Florescent starts chuckling.

“Oh, no… human, how could you do this?!” He says in a faux-dramatic voice. “Look at me, I’m positively shaking…”

Well, he certainly was shaking, alright. Shaking and wiggling until suddenly, his face inflated to about 3x its usual size, gaining an uncomfortable amount of humanoid detail as he sported an Oscar-winning grin. “I’ll admit, kids! You almost had me! But don’t you know, a story is nothing… WITHOUT A FEW PLOT TWISTS~!”

“All these souls…”

The face started to melt, becoming more and more skull-like.

“… are MINE now!”

He began to cackle, as everything faded to white.

“Don’t touch that dial, folks! W E ‘ R E  J U S T  G E T T I N G  S T A R T E D !”

The pure whiteness fades out as smoke dissipates into nothing. Chara and Swappy cough the bits of smoke that entered their mouths out before looking around… not only was Florescent nowhere to be found, but they were in a new location entirely. They were… outside. How odd.

“Look, as much as it hates me to say this, I think we might have to team up to stop… whatever’s happening right now.” Chara says, seconds before a cane extends from out of the darkness and yanks them out of sight.

“Sorry, but Chara’s going to have to get ready for their part in the grand finale! You, however… you have front row seats, darling. Toodles~!”

Swappy walks through the dark outside area, through a giant set of wooden double doors that sported elaborate designs relating to the art of theatre. The typical happy and sad masks were there, but their eyes were more ovular and widened, and the happy one seemed to be missing an eye-hole.

Once inside, Swappy would be treated to an enthralling organ composition as they walked past rows and rows of seats filled by empty, doll-like simulacra of their various monster friends. Once they got to the front, true to the voice’s word, a spotlight was cast down on an empty seat near the organ, which was actually ginormous! The stool alone looked to be about the size of a small house.

After sitting there, listening to the music for a moment, their chair suddenly lurched back, then flung Swappy on top of the stool to see… the keys were pressing themselves. At least, for a moment they were, since they stopped a few seconds after Swappy stuck the landing. The giant music sheets flipped through themselves for a moment before stopping on a peculiar page… there were only six notes, and the time signature was 6/8.

Suddenly, the page flipped once more, and on the new page was… a little bedsheet ghost made from notes and lines used in music writing. It had what seemed to be hair covering half of its face, and it looked down on Swappy with glee.

“Ah, you’ve finally arrived! Now, we can finally move past this drab pre-show and get to the main event!” A voice rang out from nowhere in particular. The pages moved again, this time seemingly being more of a flipbook animation for this little ghost. It floated in a figure-8 pattern before the ink started… smearing… into something comparable to a rorschach blot test.

“It won’t just be like old times, it’ll be BETTER! More drama, more action, an intense struggle of man and monster, over the fate of… well, EVERYTHING~!”

Something burst out of the organ, knocking the book down onto the keys and providing a neat little bridge. Swappy runs up as more stairs twisted downwards to allow them to get up to the main platform. Fireworks sprinkled the sky with light as the human made their ascent…

Finally, at the top, Swappy stood before a figure sitting on an elaborate throne, with spotlights that previously swiveled around to light up the sky slowly lowering down to point at him. Florescent was humanoid, now, with dark hair and an eye-catching outfit that just SCREAMED “I’m fabulous to a degree that mortals will never reach for as long as they live on this earth.” Needless to say, Swappy was a bit taken aback by this.

“Ahahaha! Getting stage fright, sweetheart? How cute.” The figure stood up, slamming their heels onto the ground as they bounded down the mini-set of stairs to stand closer to Swappy. “But it’s too late now! The show’s starting, and I’d hate to disappoint a certain someone in the audience…”

Swappy would find the figure to be correct; the stairs that helped them reach this platform had disappeared, leaving only an impossible drop to a sea of ravenous audience members screaming and cheering. Delighted by all of this, the figure summoned forth a dazzling microphone. “Beauties and gentlebeauties… puts your hands together, clap and cheer like it’s the end of the world, for the grandest of returns…!”

Cue battle transition.

“It is I… METTACRIT!”

The fight begins against Mettacrit. He talks about how long he’s been waiting for this moment since he failed blooky and the Fallen Human, he misses them too much. He knows that Swappy has been keeping them in their SOUL and he wants to get them out of it, even if it means Killing Swappy to do it. He doesn’t really want to, but the two are trapped, so he tells Swappy to give up.

Of course, Swappy doesn’t agree, which causes Crit to say “I’ll force you out!” As he brings Chara out again, he grins. He forcefully takes out their soul and puts them aside. “Fallen human, I got you a body and a SOUL!”. Swapy is horrified by his actions. Crit laughs, as he shifts into his second form.

Swappy struggles, they can’t move, however… Two voices speak in Swappy’s head, and say “You can still save someone.” Which means LOST SOUL time.

After saving everyone, Swappy saves Metta after calming him down, as he’s finally accepting that maybe, they’re actually gone. The fight ends, Metta apologizes to Swappy.

“I could feel them… but… I suppose I need to accept that they’re… gone…” Swappy doesn’t hug them, they look to the side… “I suppose I can only thank you… … actually, what is your name?” Swappy replies with “Frisk”, to which Metta seems weirded out– just what kind of name is Frisk.

Mettacrit, after a moment of reflection, sighs and says “I guess I should bring everyone, including them.” he says as he looks over at Chara’s body. Swappy immediately brightens up, since, hadn’t Chara died in front of their very own eyes. Mettacrit assures them that he didn’t, he only took their SOUL, they aren’t dead really.

After breaking the barrier, Mettacrit restores the SOULs, and after waving goodbye to Swappy, he leaves as the screen fades to white…

Previous | Next

Index

[fresh-outta-jams]

Tattoos and Tutus: Part Two

Tattoos and Tutus

Jungkook x Reader

Author: Admin MoRo

Summary/Prompt: You get a call in the dead of night, “Y/N-ah….I need you…please…It’s Ji Ran…” And you thought you were just his daycare provider who’s day ended when the last child left but you were sorely wrong.  Single Dad! Jungkook x reader

Notes: Finally Part Two is done!! Sorry it took so long everyone. School got in the way and I got writers block occasionally. I hope you all like it! I also have something planned. I was thinking about doing a Single Dad! AU for every BTS member starting with Jungkook (obviously). Let me know what y’all think! 

Warnings: Fluff with some slight angst but I make up for it with more fluff

Word Count: 4.4kish

Parts: 1, 2

A few days after the hospital incident, Jungkook asked you out. Your butterflies never left after the hospital incident even though you hadn’t seen him in a few days. And when he asked you to go out with him, they fluttered and bumped around at max speed.

"Y/N-ah. I have a question." He asks you. You look up from the blocks you were picking up, trying to calm down the annoying butterflies. "Yes Jungkook-ah?"

He began to rub the back of his neck again. "Will you go out with me..." The careful placement of blocks you had fell down with a crash. He quickly back pedaled. "I-i didn't mean like an actual date date just a dinner with me and Ji Ran tonight as thanks for the whole hospital thing..." He trails off trying to cover his stutter.

Your heart beats faster then drops into your stomach at "not an actual date date". Why were you disappointed? Did you really think he was going to ask you out on a real date? You scold yourself for getting ahead of yourself and thinking like that.

Hiding your disappointment, you slowly repick up the blocks. "O-oh.. um I don't think I can tonight. I already have plans. But thank you, you don't have to do anything special. I already told you that. Ji Ran being healthy is enough for me." You lie through your teeth at the already having plans part. You couldn't become wrapped up in this little crush you had. Jungkook didn't feel the same way towards you and you didn't want to ruin your friendship with a stupid crush.

Jungkook's hand dropped off his neck, hitting gently against his thigh. "Oh okay... um I hope you have a fun time then. Maybe next time?" He says sounding disappointed. You nod in thanks. "Goodbye then Y/N-ah, I'll see you tomorrow morning." You wave up absentmindedly from your spot on the floor, trying to busy yourself with cleaning.

Jungkook walks out of your daycare and huffs loudly. "She already has plans?.. since when does she ever have plans... unless... no she can't. I would know for sure if she had someone." He shakes his head, trying to shake those thoughts away as they slowly squeeze on his heart.

The next few days Jungkook was a lot more quiet when he dropped off and picked up Ji Ran, giving you only pleasantries like "Hi" and "Goodbye". You began to miss those dumb smiles and the countless bothering. Next time he came in, you vowed to ask what was up.

The following day Jungkook brings Ji Ran in and seemed distracted. But before your courage fails and the butterflies overwhelm, you call out to him. "Jungkook-ah! Can we-"

"I can't right now Y/N-ah I've got to get to the shop, I'm super booked today. When I pick Ji Ran up then?" Jungkook says cutting you off, looking frazzled as he keeps checking the time on his phone.

You nod, "Y-yeah that's fine." You say softly as he bolts out of the daycare like a man on a mission.

The butterflies in your stomach drop one by one, creating a heavy weight. You drag that heavy weight all day, waiting to tell Jungkook what's on your mind.

You watch the children get picked up and leave, waiting for Jungkook to pick up Ji Ran. Time passes and no Jungkook. "Maybe he got stuck in traffic or something. Hopefully nothing happened to him..." You think to yourself, growing more worried every second. Ji Ran waits with you, yawning every so often.

Even more time passes and still no Jungkook. Ji Ran looks up at you with her big dark eyes. "Did Daddy forget?" She softly asks.

You wrap her in a hug. "Oh no sweetie, he probably just got caught up with something. He'll be here soon I know it." Then you have an idea. "Ji Ran, why don't we go to Daddy? I can drive you there. I don't have any plans tonight."

Ji Ran lights up at the fact of spending more time with you. "Okay!" You get her ready and put her into your car. Pulling up "Euphoria Tattoos" on your GPS, you head in the direction of the parlor.

When you pull into the parking lot of the tattoo parlor, it's nothing like what you thought. You expected lots of barb wire paintings and tacky roses like every other parlor but Jungkook's was... pretty. The front was black painted brick so it was all uniform yet stood out against the surrounding buildings. White painted accents brought out the architecture of the building with Greek pillars and scalloping. Huge glass windows gave you a peek inside the shop, lighting it up. It was an old building but gave off a warm feeling.

You unbuckle Ji Ran and carry her inside the shop, holding her on your hip as you maneuver the door open.

A young man behind the counter looks up from his book as he hears the bell on the door ring. Confusion then recognition passes across his face. "Princess Ji Ran-ah!" He says with a smile and a small bow. Ji Ran giggles. "Hi Uncle Jae Joon." She smiles big back at him. Then Jae Joon turns his attention to you. "And you must be hyung's girl?" He says with a cheeky smirk.

You feel your face instantly heat up at his words. Flustered, you try to respond smoothly. "I-i-i'm Ji Ran's daycare lady." Jae Joon gives you another cheeky smirk. "Oh I know Y/N-ah." Your ears are now burning. You try to nonchalantly reach up to feel them. Your thoughts are taking off at Jae Joon's comments. "Jungkook-ah's girl? But I thought he didn't feel that way about me?.."

Now you're even more confused. But before you can ask any more questions, a flustered Jungkook bursts out of the backroom.

"Y/N-ah! Ji Ran! I'm so so sorry! I-i got caught up in this tattoo and I didn't realize what time it was and... And I'm sorry for making you come all the way here." He apologizes profusely.

You look at the man in front of you. He didn't even take off his black latex gloves yet. His bare muscular arms were being shown off in a tight black tee, his arm tattoos on full display. You followed the flowers and vines on his arm, wrapping up and around his forearm before going into hiding underneath that black tee. You see a peek of leaves and black and white cherry blossoms on the side of his neck. You never noticed that before.

He lifts an arm up to wipe sweat off his forehead, pushing a sleeve up impossibly higher.

Your tongue won't work as you just stare openly at Jungkook. Jae Joon clears his throat, shaking your from your trance. "So are you done in there hyung?" He asks trying to distract the situation. You feel your cheeks burning once again, hoping Jungkook didn't see you looking at him like a freaking piece of meat.

Said man sighs, pulls off his gloves and absentmindedly pushes his shaggy hair off his forehead, ruffling it. "Yeah I think so. There were some complications because the client wasn't entirely honest about their medical history. But it's all good now." He huffs and ruffles his hair again to expel excess energy. Jae Joon nods and walks into the backroom to go clean up.

Ji Ran squirms in your arms until you let her down. She runs to her dad, who automatically drops down on one knee. He wraps his arms around her and plants kisses all over her face. This time you don't look away at their display of affection. Jungkook stands up with Ji Ran in her normal position, arms wrapped around her father's neck, leaning into him. He smiles at you and gestures towards his daughter.

"Thank you again Y/N-ah. Really. You keep helping me out and I haven't been able to do anything for you. You do so much for me." His cheeks seem to be getting pinker.

"Oh don't worry. It's nothing, I'm glad to be of help."  You successfully get out without letting your words show how fast your heart keeps beating. Seriously this stupid crush is getting out of hand.

Jungkook looks down at the ground then around the room as he speaks. "So.. um would you like to go eat dinner tonight as thanks? I mean u-unless you're busy with someone- I mean something else..." He trails off, his face growing pinker as he tries to hide it by looking away which just reveals his red tipped ears.

"Oh my goodness can he get any cuter?"  You think to yourself before scolding yourself for that thought. "No. Stop. You can't think like that. He's your client."

Jungkook finally looks at you with wide soft eyes, awaiting your answer. Your heart continues to pound, threating to make you go into cardiac arrest. You take a breath to steady yourself. "Oh um I'm sorry I can't tonight... I have plans."  You lie again. The light in Jungkook's eyes fades as he drops his head slightly and his shoulders slump a little. "Oh okay... it's alright.. I understand." You can hear the defeat in his voice even though he desperately tried to cover it up. Ji Ran looks at you as if she's trying to remember something.

"You don't have plans. That's why you took me to Daddy." Ji Ran pipes up, exposing you. Your eyes widen, suddenly remembering what you said to her when you were putting her into your car.

You're not sure how to recover from this. "Ah ah I mean..."  You stutter, backed up into a corner by a three year old. Jungkook looks you then Ji Ran and back to you again. "What does she mean Y/N-ah?" He asks gently but with some force.

You look down at ground and shift your weight. "I-it's not what it sounds like."  You dare a glance up at him. He looks at you with confusion and hurt. It breaks your heart. Why do you have to feel like this? Why can't you just be friends? You were so worried about this friendship and didn't want to screw it up but look at you now. "Can you explain then please? Do you not want to be friends anymore?" He asks.

Your eyes get prickly with tears as you blink fast to try to keep them from falling, but one escapes. You quickly wipe it away, hoping Jungkook didn't notice. "Y/N-ah...are you crying?"

Oh crap he did.

You shake your head almost aggressively. "N-no I'm not."  But your sniff gives you away. He gently sets Ji Ran down. "Ji Ran, go see if Uncle Jae Joon needs you to help him please?"

Ji Ran looks at her dad with big eyes and nods. She toddles up to you and pats your leg once before running into the backroom.

Waiting until she is gone, Jungkook turns back around and looks at you with concern in his eyes. He takes a step closer.

"Y/N-ah what's wrong? I'm not angry. Is everything okay?" He asks gently, trying to close the distance between you two with every word.

You take one step back but then become rooted in place. Jungkook reaches you and ever so slowly, as if to not scare you, wraps his arms around you.

When those strong arms encircle you, you just melt. Your knees give out slightly making you wobble. Jungkook tightens his hug to help hold you up. You bury your face into his chest, throwing your carefulness into the wind. You couldn't deny your feelings any more. It just hurt too much.

Jungkook drops his head to your shoulder so his mouth is next to your ear. You can feel his warm breath on your ear. He starts to rub circles on your back to ease you.

Softly again he asks, "Y-N-ah... what's wrong? Tell me please. I don't like seeing you like this." You hear the caring in his voice. How can one man break and repair your heart all in the same moment?

You just sniff some more and say nothing. Jungkook sighs and continues to rub circles on your back, his fingers burning hot. Every nerve seemed to be alive where he touched. "I'm not angry about you having plans. I understand you get busy and especially if you... if you have a boyfriend..." He trails off.

"No." You say harshly into his cloth covered chest. "I don't have a boyfriend." You feel Jungkook's shoulders relax and he pulls you closer to him. "A-ah I see..." He tries to cover the relief in his voice. "So what is it then..? I mean we're friends right?"

That word sends a small stab of pain right into your heart. You nod, "Mmmhmm..." You whisper.

"Friends hang out right?" He continues. You nod again, "Mmmhm..."

"So why don't you want to hang out then?..." Jungkook pulls back to look at your face. You avoid eye contact and look down again.

"W-what if...if I wanted to be more than just friends...?" You say so softly Jungkook has to lean in close to your lips.

"What did you say?" He asks.

"W-what if I wanted to be more than just friends...?" You say in a breathless voice, your heart beating a mile a minute and your face gaining more heat with every heart beat. You avoid eye contact with Jungkook, knowing you've just stepped over a line that can never be crossed back over again. Your heartbeat thunders in your ears as you wait for his response.

Jungkook is stunned by what he hears. "W-what did you say?..." He asks not computing what he heard. "Did you say you want to be more than friends? You mean like d-dating? Like being together?" You nod your head, not having the courage to look up.

Jungkook puts a finger under your chin and forces your head up, so you are looking at him. He smiles big at you, those dark eyes lit up from the inside out. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that Y/N-ah." He gushes. Stunned you just stare at him. You can barely breathe for how fast your heart is pumping, the butterflies fly around making a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach.

His eyes flick down to your lips and then back to your eyes. "C-can I?..." he trails off while biting his bottom lip slightly.

"Yes." You breath out.

Jungkook smiles again and instantly closes the space between you two. His lips capture yours in a searing kiss. You feel all his wanting and longing in that kiss as he lets out a soft groan. His plump lips move against yours, not wanting to leave ever. Eventually, he moves from your lips to kiss the soft spot under your chin before going back up to your forehead for a chaste kiss.

He rests his forehead against yours and looks into your eyes. "I've waited so long for you Y/N-ah."

You bring your hand up to cup one of his cheeks. "Why didn't you just tell me pabo?" You tease him and give a small smile back. He grabs your hand in his, holding it to his cheek while chuckling softly. "I never felt like there was a right time but I knew after the hospital incident I needed to tell you. The way you are with Ji Ran and have been through out these years...it's only one small thing I love about you." His words make you blush impossibly more. You smile bigger and run a finger up and down his tattooed arm, following the vines on their path up his skin.

"I've always wanted to do this.." You say softly, still not believing what is going on. "They're just so beautiful..." You trail off. You feel Jungkook shiver underneath your touch. He pulls you closer to him, your hips flush against his. "Not as beautiful as you though." He says in a husky voice before leaning in to kiss you again. You turn your head up into the kiss. But before his lips meet yours, you hear a voice and clapping.

"It's about time hyung! Took you long enough." There's Jae Joon with Ji Ran hanging onto his leg. He was clapping at the scene in front of him. Jae Joon smiles big at you. "I had to listen to him all these years pine over you, never manning up to tell you how he felt." He smirks at his hyung.

You laugh at Jae Joon's comment. "Oh poor Jae Joon-ssi. You put him through so much."  You lightly hit Jungkook's arm, teasing him. Jungkook squeezes you a little making you squeak. "He was fine. Don't let him fool you." He smiles at you and your heart stutters. You feel like you're floating and nothing can bring you down. "Now what ?" You ask him.

"Now do you have any plans?"

You want to punch him but instead you just roll your eyes. "I don't. Do you want to do dinner before my schedule fills up?"  You give it right back to him. "Oh sweetheart, you better clear your schedule for a while. We have a lot of lost time to make up." He gives you a wink and a lip bite. Your face flushes red before you playfully push him away. Jungkook laughs out loud at your reaction before bending down to scoop up Ji Ran. "Hi baby, do you want Ms.Y/N to come eat dinner with us?" He asks his daughter. She smiles brightly at him before turning to smile at you. "Yes!" Jungkook chuckles at his daughter's enthusiasm.

Ji Ran leans towards  you and clenching and unclenching her hands at you. Jungkook transfers Ji Ran into your arms and she grabs your cheeks, before planting a kiss on your forehead. Surprised, you giggle as Ji Ran giggles with you. "I saw Daddy do that."

Jungkook makes a choking noise. "I better be careful...." He ruffles his hair and gives a cheeky smile. You laugh at him and bounce Ji Ran in your arms. She giggles the more and more you bounce her. Jungkook's heart swells at the sight in front of him. The way you are with Ji Ran is what he has always wanted for her. A quick flash of fear pierces his heart but then it melts away. He knows you, you wouldn't leave Ji Ran or him. He had a good feeling about you, you wouldn't be like Ji Ran's mother. Smiling through his thoughts, he walks up to you and Ji Ran and takes both of you into his arms.

"Do you want to go eat dinner now? I'm done with my clients today and Jae Joon will clean up and close up the shop." You nod and snuggle into his arms as Ji Ran does the same. Releasing you both, he looks back at Jae Joon. "You good here Jae Joon?" Jae Joon nods and waves his hyung away. "Yeah yeah I'm good here." Jungkook smiles and turns back to you and Ji Ran. Grabbing his helmet and keys from behind the counter, he reaches for your hand and locks your fingers together. The warmth and roughness of his palm is a new sensation for you. You love it. Smiling back at him, you give your locked hands a quick squeeze.

Jungkook groans and throws his head back. "Ugh if you keep looking at me like that I may die from a heart attack caused by your cuteness." You laugh and bump your shoulder into his. "Yah stop that."  Jungkook flashes you one of his bright white smiles and shakes his shaggy hair.

He puts Ji Ran into your car and gently closes the door. "I'll meet you at my house? I'll text you my address." You nod in response. Jungkook looks down at your lips and leans in. "One for the road?..." You meet him and press your lips against his. He hums and you feel him smile against your lips.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that." He says as he pulls away. "Back at you." You smile at him. He throws you one last smile before pulling on his motorcycle helmet and settling onto his bike. He kicks the stand up and revves the engine once, knowing you are watching him. You smirk at him and wave before getting into your car. He waves back and speeds off out of the parking lot.

You pull into Jungkook's driveway and park your car. After getting Ji Ran out, you look up at his house. It's a cute little thing, not too big but not too small. Walking up to the front door, Jungkook flings it open and gestures inside. "Welcome!" He has a big grin on his face. You smile back and walk inside the house.

Letting Ji Ran down, you help her take off her jacket and shoes. Once free of her outer wear, Ji Ran takes off into the house. You stand there with her coat and shoes in hand, laughing at the little girl. Jungkook laughs and takes Ji Ran's clothes from you. "Sorry, she has a bad habit of doing that." He says rubbing his neck. You laugh and wave your hand. "No no it's alright."

Jungkook gestures to the kitchen. "I'm going to start making dinner. You can come with me if you want." He starts but before you can answer and little voice calls out from some where in the house. "Ms.Y/N! Come play with me!" You look in the direction of the voice. Jungkook chuckles and smiles. "Looks like someone wants you." You smile sheepishly. "I'm sorry I'll go play with her for a little and then come see you." You tell him. He nods and gives you a quick peck on the cheek before going into the kitchen.

You wander around the house until Ji Ran pops her head out of a room. "In here Ms.Y/N!" You walk into the room and see a doll house. Sitting down Ji Ran gives you your dolls and you begin to play. After a little while you hear music floating into the room. Curious you get up. "Ji Ran I'm gonna go check on Daddy is that alright?" Ji Ran looks up and nods. "That's alright." You smooth down her hair with your hand and give her a smile.

Making your way back to the kitchen, you stop at the scene in front of you. Jungkook is facing away from you and a speaker is near him playing a soft song.

"You know that I can’t Show you me Give you me chorahan moseub boyeojul sun eopseo tto gamyeoneul sseugo neol mannareo ga But I still want you..."

You hold your breath, not wanting to disturb this moment. You didn't know Jungkook could sing. His voice was... amazing. The song was so touching and Jungkook's voice made your heart break. It wrapped you up and warmed you up like your favorite fluffy blanket. You could almost feel it caress against your skin. You step into the kitchen and Jungkook  notices you. His eyes grow big and he stops singing. "I-i didn't know you were there." He stutters out. You walk up to him and wrap your arms around his neck. "No no you're amazing..." You say softly, not wanting to talk over the song. Jungkook's cheeks get red and he looks away from you. You pull his face towards you. "Don't be shy Jungkook-ah, you have a gift." His face gets even redder with your compliment. "Thank you Y/N-ah... I don't let anyone except Ji Ran hear me.. bit weird for a big tattooed man to have a nice voice.." You laugh gently. "I don't think so. It makes you, you." You smile up at him. He smiles back at you and buries his head into your shoulder. "Have I told you how much I freaking lo-" He stops abruptly and tenses up.

You notice that slip. "Love me?" You finish for him. He nods into your shoulder, not daring to look at you. He doesn't say anything. "I love you too Jungkook-ah. I think I have for a while but never realized it." Finally he lifts his head.

"Really?" His dark eyes look deep into yours. Your heart swells again and the butterflies are back. You nod, "Really." Jungkook's face breaks into another smile and he grabs your face, pulling you to him.

He tenderly kissed your lips, just barely touching them before deepening the kiss. You didn't how you lived your whole life without his kisses. They were quiet nights watching the stars. Playful days running in the warm summer rain. Long car rides, with the windows down, letting the wind whip your hair around, laughing without a care in the world.

You eventually have to pull apart and all you wanted to do was kiss him again. "Wow..." Jungkook says looking blown away. He shakes his head, at a loss for words. "Just... wow..." You blush and smile shyly. His phone on the counter starts to vibrate. Jungkook lets go of you and checks it. "Oh the timer went off. Dinner is done!"

After dinner, you, Ji Ran, and Jungkook all retire to the living room to watch a movie before putting Ji Ran to bed. "What movie do you want watch Ji Ran?" You ask her while Jungkook surfs through the movies. She ponders for a moment watching all the movies go across the screen. "Moana" comes into view. "Moana!" She exclaims. Jungkook groans. "Ji Ran you've seen this one like a hundred times." You hit his arm. "Clearly she likes it, and besides I want to watch it too." You tease him. Jungkook huffs jokingly and plays the movie, wrapping one arm around you, snuggling you to his side.

Unsurprisingly not too long into the movie, Ji Ran falls asleep. You look up at Jungkook to see if he notices she fell asleep. You cover your mouth with your hand, trying to stifle your laughter. He was asleep too. "Like father like daughter." You whisper softly. Jungkook moves around a little in his sleep, pulling you closer to him, resting your head on his chest. You sigh softly, taking one last look at him before closing your eyes too. 

Waiting until he knew you were asleep, Jungkook opened his eyes and gave you a soft kiss on the forehead before falling back asleep with you in his arms. 

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Mother dragon (7); Winchester brothers x reader

*Author’s note*

Okay guys first of all thank you so much for those giving this series a chance and for wanting to be asked to be on my taglist for this series, truly you have no idea who much it means to me that you all are liking this series. Also I’d like to say there here in this chapter we are introduced to yet ANOTHER BORHAP CAST MEMBER and I know all of you are probably gonna flip your shit when u see who it is. Anyways I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well as the many others to come :)

Taglist:

@onebigfangirlworld

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

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I was now in what felt like a medical cavern. I was sitting on a boulder bed with Sam and Dean on either side of me and Cas in front of me.  He placed his index and tall finger against my forehead and soon my broken ankle as well as any other injuries I had obtained in that fight were instantly healed.

“Thanks Cas.” I said.  He nodded and Dean asked me.

“You sure you’re okay kid?”

“I’m fine. I mean a little traumatized but other than that I’m all good.” The door opened and soon cautiously coming in was Deacon.  Silently my three ‘brothers’ decided it was best to walk out and give Deacy and me some privacy.

I know I shouldn’t be but I could feel the awkward tension in the air as Deacy slowly walked towards me and looked down shamefully, making that same guilty face that he’s always made ever since he was a child.

“Do you—need me to heal anything mum?”

“No, no Cas took care of all that.” I said. All was too quiet, I don’t even know why but I just couldn’t look at him.  This was all just too much I mean first I find out my adopted son is alive after all these years, then I’m kidnapped by his brothers and his entire nest tries to have me killed, and now I find out that the dragon who I thought was the Alpha wasn’t and that Deacon was the real Alpha.

The Alpha. I mean sure I’ve seen the Alpha Vampire and the Alpha werewolf with my own eyes and Alphas no matter the species are the most dangerous and powerful beings in the entire world, they’re basically gods of their own species.  

And now here is my son who is the Alpha of all dragons, all this time I was raising an Alpha dragon.

*Deacon’s POV*

She was beyond nervous, confused, petrified. I could just smell the anxiety radiating off of my mum.  I hoped that she wouldn’t find out this way of who I really was to my nest.  The way I envisioned it happening was just me and her talking and I would slowly bring it up to her, allowing her to ease into the idea that I had the bloodline of the Alpha dragons.

Not having her nearly burned to death by Warren and me having to physically show her what I was.  Forcing myself to use my bloodline as an Alpha to have Warren stand down and then having almost 1000 dragons bowing before me.

But then an idea came to mind.  She always used to do this to me whenever I wouldn’t speak my mind about something, now it’s time for a little sweet revenge.

I walked up towards her and knelt down in front of her and rubbed my nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss.  I saw the hint of a smile come up on her face as she, like I once did, turned away from me.  I grinned and leaned over her attacking her cheek with kisses.  Softly but surely I could hear giggles coming out of her as I kept hovering and kissing her.

She did try to push me away but like I was when I was a child, she was powerless to escape me.  How long I’ve waited for this day to finally get back at her for doing this to me all the time.  And it was even more enjoyable once I brought out the big guns.  I now started to poke and tickle her along her sides making her go full on belly laugh.

“Deacy…..Stohahahap!”

“You gonna speak your mind? Let out all that’s in that big head of yours?” I mocked her just as she once mocked me.

“Yes! Yehehehs just stohahahp!” I ceased my tickle attack and to be all innocent just like when I was still a young dragonling, I placed my head on her lap and just looked at her with a cute head tilt.

“Not so fun when the shoe’s on the other foot is it?”

“Well that was worse, you’ve got frickin claws for nails.” She panted which made me grin and chuckle as I playfully pawed at her cheek.  Her eyes slowly became solemn again as I felt her stroke my hair and she finally spoke up, “Deacy why didn’t you tell me you were the Alpha?”  I looked up at her before sighing heavily.

“Truthfully I didn’t know myself until I was told of my bloodline by Stephen. And I was going to tell you it’s just…..”

“Just what?”

“I was afraid. Of—what you would think? I know Alphas are known to be the toughest and strongest out of any of their breeds, they’re also to be the most dangerous. I—I thought that if you found out I was an Alpha dragon you’d…..treat me differently.” I felt her hand turn my head to face back up to her and as she thumbed my cheekbone she said.

“Deacy I’m your mother. I could never treat you differently. I just…..need time to adjust to this. I mean it was weird at first when I found you that I was taking in a dragon, but now I find out that you are the Alpha dragon’s heir.”

“Yeah that is a lot to take in isn’t it?” I asked her.

“Just a smidge.” She whispered out which made me chuckle again. “Also I’m still trying to get over the kidnapping and almost witch burned alive execution I nearly faced.”

“I’m sorry mum. I promise you it won’t happen again.”

“How can you be so sure? That dragon seemed very keen on wanting to ensure that I was nothing but ash and bones. Who was he anyway?”

“It’s like Castiel said. By dragon law; the parent of the Alpha is forbidden to be harmed or threatened. Neither one of my dragons are allowed to harm you. And now that they know it, I don’t think anyone will try. And his names Warren, my second in command.”

“Your Beta?” I nodded and she leaned up against the wall and muttered, “Unbelievable. You sure no dragons are gonna conspire against you to get rid of me?”

“Trust me mum, the last time someone tried to conspire against me, ended up exiled with his wing barely able to fly.” She looked at me in shock and I said, “Never let people underestimate you. That’s what you’ve always told me.”

“That I have.” She said as she softly scratched my scalp which induced a low purr from me.  “Now what about those other two dragons that helped out Warren. Who are they?” I merely grinned at her before shooting right up and taking her hand in mine and leading her out of the healing wing.

*My POV*

I was dragged deeper and deeper into the caves as I kept trying to get Deacy to tell me where he was taking me.

“Deacy! Slow—slow down, will yah? Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see mum. C’mon quickly!” We went through tight corners (and I seriously mean tight corners, like it makes you go almost up against the wall type of tight) and up against jagged slopes in order to walk through openings until he finally stopped.  “Go on.”

“What…..”

“Just trust me. The first one you’ll meet is Stephen and then shortly you’ll see Apophis, most likely after he checks in with his mate Kisara.”

“Stephen, Apophis and Kisara.” I muttered the names.

“Yes, now go on.” He shoved me forward and I glared at him telling him not to push me.  He maybe some Alpha but I’m still his mom.  I walked through a couple more tight corners before finally ducking downward and suddenly I was hit with a bright light.  Then my eyes were greeted with the most wonderous sight.

Flying overhead high up along this part of the den were hundreds and hundreds of dragons.  Young babies were down along the grassy ground in front of my playing and wrestling with each other.  All around me there was trees, grass and a steep cliff just ahead which lead down to a small river where some dragons were either drinking or taking a dip.

It was like a paradise for dragons.

‘That much is correct.’ A familiar soft but deep British voice spoke in my head.  I jumped and frantically looked around and the voice said in my head again, ‘Look up Mother dragon.’ I looked up and there hiding in the perch between the mountain and some dangling vines was the owl-like dragon hanging upside down like a bat.

He rotated his head tilting at me as he grumbled down at me.  Instead of the piercing slit eyes like our first encounter, his pupils were now more dilated giving off a sense of friendliness in a way (as far as dragons go).

“I take it you’re—Stephen?” His eyes closed and he bowed his head royally almost like he was bowing before a king or queen before opening them once more.  “Now how-how-how did you do the—”

‘Mind melding?’

“Yeah I guess. Cause this comes as a shock to me that I can hear and understand you in this form when I can’t even hear my son’s thoughts as a dragon.”

‘Consider me a…..special case. It probably would have to deal with the fact that I’m not full dragon.’ Stephen spoke.

“Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait hold the phone there. You’re not a full dragon? But how can you—”

‘My dominant genes may allow me to turn into a dragon thanks to my father. But on my mother’s side I am a witch. Or in my case Warlock.’

“Holy shit.” I muttered as I placed my hand to my head turning away from him.

‘Do you disapprove of me?’ he asked concerned.

“What? No, no I just—it’s a bit weird to get my head around it to be honest. I mean I’ve seen many strange beings in my life but never once did I ever imagine a witch and a dragon—doing it with each other.” I heard Stephen chuckle and as he fell from his perch he flipped right side up suddenly changing into his human form and slowly coming down to land in front of me as he said.

“Well, at least I’m not half demon. Or half vampire. Right?” His four wings then folded back into his back and disappeared.

“Well I suppose that is better. Just—don’t let Dean see you. He’s got a—loathing for witches.”

“But—you approve of me? For what I am, right?” he asked me wearily as he slowly got closer to me.

“Wh-why would you need my approval for?”

“It’s because of his genes that he’s been kicked out of every dragon nest from here to Norway.” Another male voice spoke up. We both turned around and standing there was Egyptian dragon whom I assumed to be Apophis.  

I turned toward Stephen to see him glaring at the Egyptian before turning his attention to me and looking down shamefully.

“See as parent of the Alpha; you also have a calling on who stays in the nest or goes, should they feel threatening to either you or your heir.” Apophis continued to say.  I looked back towards Stephen and said.

“You are who you are, Stephen. There’s no changing your birth right. I see no reason why you should be kicked out of the nest.” I told him.  He looked down at me and smiled gratefully and kneeled before me saying.

“Thank you, Mother dragon.”

“Oh please, call me (y/n). I’d rather be treated equally than as royalty.” I told him as I made him stand up.

“While we’re on the side note. I’d also like to apologize for what happened along the cliffside back in Kansas. I was only following orders from Warren. And I’m sorry about that friend of yours.” Apophis said.

“No worries. He’s not human as you might be able to detect. At least Deacy was. He’s been through worst falls than that.” I assured him.  I soon took notice that as I was talking to them, several dragons were surrounding us getting a good look at me.

Some of the young ones even came up to me and sniffed me or were playing with the strings on my tennis shoes.  Stephen would shoo them off and that’s when I heard another flap of wings.

“Ohh, here comes the Missus right now.”

“Missus? You mean Kisara?” Apophis nodded and soon flying down beside him was a female white dragon with piercing blue eyes. She wasn’t as big as either Deacy or even Warren’s dragon forms and unlike the boys (minus Apophis), her wings were clearly on her back and she had four legs instead of two.

“Hello my love.” Apophis praised the female white dragon.  Kisara purred affectionately as her mate touched her under her chin and that’s when her eyes locked with mine.  

Her pupils dilated as she looked at me and tilted her head much like a puppy dog.  Apophis whispered something to her and that’s when she came up towards me. I cringed and held my arms up in case she would suddenly attack but all she did was sniff me.

Right suddenly before she let out a low, deep purr before nuzzling me so affectionately I ended up landing and lying over her muzzle.

“Whoa, whoa!” I couldn’t help but laugh as I was even lifted up off the ground just a couple of feet before being set back down and I slid off her muzzle.  “She’s really affectionate isn’t she?”

“Pregnant dragons usually are, especially around experienced mothers.” Stephen explained as Kisara was now at my feet spinning around me almost caging me in a way but only halfway as she now exposed her stomach before me.

“Wait she’s…..”

“Yep, our first batch of eggs. We just found out a couple weeks ago thanks to Stephen. Hopefully soon she’ll be able to lay them and then it’s a wait game for about 3 months.”  Kisara looked up at me and I turned to Stephen who said to me.

“She wants you to feel them. She’s giving you permission to feel them.” Oh wow, this’ll be a first for me.  But I guess it’s no different than touching a pregnant woman’s stomach.  

I slowly lifted my hand up and looked to Apophis since this was his mate I didn’t want to cross any boundaries.  He nodded softly and I felt her soft and smooth underbelly and heard her purr.

Kisara then got back up onto her feet and came around me and stared at me before bopping her head up and down.  Knowing this technique from Deacy since he used to do it all the time, I joined in with her as we both grumbled and I let out a series of laughs, that was until something amazing happened.

Kisara’s teeth retracted.

My eyes were bewildered as she held her mouth open and I couldn’t help but observe.

“Whoa retractable teeth! Incredible.” As I brought my head out from her mouth she looked at me and softly licked my cheek before nuzzling my head with hers purring lowly.  “Oh Apophis, your wife’s magnificent. Unlike any dragon I’ve ever seen before.”

“That’s an honor coming from you, isn’t that right my love?” Soon Kisara’s form began to change as now standing before me was a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair and greenish-brown eyes.  

She looked to be about Apophis’ age and to show there was the baby bump but it looked like she was ready to deliver as she looked about 8-9months along (maybe something equivalent to that since animal/human births are different).

“Thank you Mother Alpha. I—hope you’ll be willing to help me with my pregnancy and give me any advice you can give in raising my future little ones.” She said as she took my hands in hers.  Her voice was warm like honey and was as delicate as a bell, giving it that musical airy kind of tone, but it truly held a mother’s tone.

“When first time female dragons fall pregnant, they typically seek out the advice of an experienced mother to help. And it would seem Kisara has chosen you, mum.” Deacy’s voice soon rang up.  All the dragons surrounding us bowed their heads in respect for him.  I also took notice that Sam, Dean and Cas were there with him.

“Whoa, whoa, hang on Alpha we just got here what’s going on here? Whose pregnant?!” Dean snapped. I looked to Dean telling him through my eyes that if he slips his big mouth of an insult in front of all these dragons he’s gonna get royally fucked over.

“I mean I—don’t know much about raising babies from egg hood but…..I’ll happily tell you what I did know from raising Deacy.” She suddenly hugged me lovingly and nuzzled the top of my head in thanks. “Plus I can fill you in on all the embarrassing stories I got.”

“Oh mum why?”

“Oh I would very much like to hear that.” Bragged Apophis with a grin.

“Well buckle up cause I’ve got about a hundred of embarrassing stories to tell about your brave alpha.” I bragged.

“Mum!” Deacy exclaimed as he came over toward me and covered my mouth.

“You’re just fooling yourselves.” Another British voice spoke up.  Soon flying downward landing on the edge of the cliffside was Warren.  His wings remained out trying to appear intimidating as he glared right toward me.  “Humans especially hunters are just barbarous, monstrous, savages who mean to do us all harm. They call us greedy, prideful monsters, when the true greed shines in them.”

“Hey pal listen, we know you don’t like our sis here but word of warning. You cross her again you deal with me. Cause no one messes with (n/n) but me, understand?” Dean said as he came up in front of me.

“Do you really think that mere force will deny me my right? Puny hunter.” Warren spat.

“Your right according to whose law?!” Kisara hissed. Her once honey-like voice was now harsh and bitter like ice sharps scrapping along glass as anger boiled up inside her as she stood protectively in front of me, her wings out defensively.

“You know the law Warren.” Stephen spoke up.

“Careful Stephen, you do not have the right over me.” The air grew tense as all the dragons minus Deacon phased into their dragon forms and my son spoke up.

“Along with my mother; The angel and the Winchesters are under the protection of the nest. Should you break that law again, you won’t just be facing me, you’ll be facing all of us.” All the dragons roars and snarled at Warren ensuring the promise that their Alpha has given.  

Telling him that now that they knew who I was to their Alpha, I meant no harm and that his scent on me was because of me being his mother, not his killer, they weren’t going to betray their Alpha again.

“You’ve been blinded Deacon. The day these humans turn their backs on you, your ‘mother’ will be the first. One. I. burn!” Kisara and Deacy stood protectively in front of me, my son’s wings spread out as his eyes shined a protective glared straight at Warren.

He slunked his head down but his icy blue eyes went straight at me and I saw nothing but pure hatred and a shiver of fear came up my spine.  Then he took off flying with some of the dragons chasing after him shooting fire at him to ensure he stayed away from me.

“Colorful guy, isn’t he?” Dean sarcastically spoke up.

“Dean not now.” Sam whispered out a hiss.

“No really I wanna know just who he think—”

“Dean!” Cas snapped.  It was then Deacy spoke up.

“Warren’s had a rough encounter with humans in the past. Found him in Germany forced to fight in a fighting ring for supernatural creatures. Like me poachers killed his parents and they sold him to the fights for 7500 pounds.”

He then flew on ahead and stood up on a high perch and proclaimed,

“Brothers and sisters you all heard Warren continue to threaten my mother! Mum, what say you about Warren’s fate?” I looked up at him and then to the guys.

I stepped forward going past Kisara and I said something that shocked even me.

“He stays!” I heard the dragons mutter to themselves in their grumbles or low growls and huffs.

“So be it. Warren stays. But should his threats continue, everyone must ensure to not only protect my mother, but her friends as well. So long as I am Alpha, the nest will stand by them.”  He let out a fearsome roar and soon all the dragons joined in.

As night fell, Deacy took me up to his room thinking that I would be safer sleeping with him in case Warren tried to do something in the middle of the night.  Kisara had actually lent me some night clothes that she thought would fit me better and as I got changed in Deacy’s bathroom, my mind went back to Warren.

Not only his threat but I felt like there was more to him that just the hard exterior. Also when Deacon was telling us his backstory earlier, it felt like he was holding something back but I knew better than to ask him, at least for now.

I left the bathroom and I looked out to see the entire view from Deacy’s cave opening.

“I can’t believe you get to see this every night.”

“Kinda gets boring after a while.” He admitted.

“Well it’s better than waking up before a steel enforced ceiling.”

“Oh come on now you’ve got pictures of Queen up along your wall, you’ve decorated that room to your liking so it’s not all just steel enforced.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I muttered as I sat on his bed. And oh my god was it ever the softest thing I had ever lain in.  I felt it adjust to my body shape and I buried myself into the pillows. “God Deacy your bed is so soft.”

“Thank you.” He said as he lay beside me, the two of us looking out into the sanctuary.  “Do you remember our nights star gazing?”

“Didn’t one time you get scared when you thought a raccoon was a bear?” I teased.

“Hey, I was 2 years old at the time and after that last bear attack I was traumatized.”

“Well then you shouldn’t have messed with the cub. You know what I’ve always told you.”

“Don’t mess with mama bear.” We both said as I poked my finger into his side making him squirm.  I let out a yawn and snuggled into his chest.

“It’s late mum, and you’ve had a long day. You deserve rest.”

“Do you promise you’ll still be here when I wake up?” I asked tiredly.

“I promise.” I felt his wings wrap around me and a kiss on the crown of my hair.  I sighed tiredly and immediately fell asleep against his chest, his breathing and heartbeat lulling me to sleep.

[lixxiecorn]

Totally Normal - Natasha and Clint

I can totally see this part happening tbh. Like Clint and Natasha taking his kids to the zoo seems like something Clint would just like do. For those of you who don’t know what Totally Normal is it’s a multichaptered fic on ao3 in which each chapter can stand alone. Basically the just of it is that Peter makes it his purpose to make the Avengers feel super normal for a change.

Read the full story on ao3!

…

“According to this informational packet there’s even a 4D theater!” Peter exclaimed, holding the pamphlet out to Clint. Clint took one of his hands off the steering wheel to swat at Peter’s hand, hitting the packet into Natasha’s lap.

“Clint, you just passed the parking lot entrance.” Nat pointed out, picking up the pamphlet and fingering through it.

“I know that.” Clint gritted, finding a U-turn and going back to the parking lot. He found a spot and parked. Everyone climbed out of the car and gathered near the trunk.

“Does everyone have everything they need?” Clint asked, looking around then staring pointedly at Peter. “Because I’m not coming back to the car.”

Peter put his hands up in mock surrender. “I’ve got everything.” He answered, pointing to his backpack.

“We’re going to the zoo!” Cooper exclaimed, pumping a fist and taking off towards the entrance.

“We’re already at the zoo.” Lila corrected, shaking her head at her brother’s antics, then running after him.

“If you get run over by a car, you’re explaining that to your mother yourself.” Clint warned, calling after him. The kids slowed down immediately, that statement apparently more of a threat then Peter took it to be.

“Hey Clint, there’s a monkey exhibit here. I bet you’d fit right in.” Natasha commented, still thumbing through the packet as she walked.

“Ha-ha very funny- Cooper, Lila, get back here!” Clint called, his children running just a bit too far for his liking. They turned around and grinned at him mischievously before continuing on, walking at a fast pace and nudging each other. “God, why did I agree to this? This is a terrible idea.

“Because I suggested this amazing idea.” Peter replied, almost skipping with excitement. He hadn’t been to a zoo since he was really little with his mom and dad and he didn’t really remember the experience. It wasn’t that Ben and May hadn’t ever wanted to take him, but money was tight. Then with Ben’s death and then May’s a couple years later, Peter just never had the chance to go again.

That is until Peter had come across an ad for the Central Park Zoo on the internet while watching vine compilations. He immediately had gone to Tony with the idea, who had suggested bringing it up to Clint. Clint took advantage of the idea to give Laura a day off to relax. He’d talked Wanda and Bucky into babysitting Nathaniel (Bucky hadn’t been necessarily opposed to babysitting duty, but he had gone and hidden every magnet in the common room), then had gotten Natasha to go along with Peter, him, and the kids to the zoo.

Clint, Nat, and Peter walked up to the two Barton children who were grinning by a fountain.

“From now on we’re sticking together. Does everyone understand?” Clint ordered, taking on what Peter dubbed his ‘dad voice’. The kids nodded and at Clint’s glance in his direction, Peter nodded as well.

“Hello, how can I help you?” The attendant at ticket sales asked as they walked up. Peter noticed her nametag read Marsha.

“Hi, can I get 3 adult tickets and 2 child tickets please?” Clint asked, giving her a smile.

“That will be $89.75, and I will need to see an id.” Marsha replied. Clint showed her his drivers license and passed over his Stark Industries credit card, funded by Tony because contrary to popular belief, he could be nice sometimes.

Marsha checked Clint’s id and inserted the credit card into her machine, which printed out 5 tickets. She held them out to Clint. “Here you go, have a nice day!”

“You too.” Clint shooed his kids and Peter away from the ticket booth and to the entrance, Nat following closely behind, amused.

They made it through the entrance, turning in their tickets, and got their bags checked. Peter was surprised that they didn’t search Nat’s body because he knew for a fact, she at least had four knives on her, all of which were against the rules.

“Where to first?” Clint asked, looking around the group.

“Sea lions!” Cooper shouted.

“Sea lions are boring. I want to see red pandas!” Lila exclaimed, shooting a glare at her brother.

“I think that we should go see Alex, the king of New York City.” Peter inputted, grinning.

“Who’s Alex?” Cooper asked, glancing at Peter quizzically. Lila matched her brother’s look of confusion.

“Have you guys really never seen Madagascar? It’s like a classic.” Peter asked in disbelief. The two kids shook their heads. “That is extremely sad and needs to get fixed. We’re having a movie night sometime and watching Madagascar.”

“We’re going to birds first, then insects.” Nat announced, bringing the conversation back to the task at hand. Lila and Cooper pouted but knew that Nat was like their mom; once her mind was made up, it wasn’t going to change. However, they got over themselves pretty quickly and bounced towards the bird enclosures.

“So, what birds are we looking for specifically?” Peter inquired. He had a hunch but wanted to be sure.

“Hawks.” Nat said, grinning. Clint rolled his eyes and his kids burst out in laughter.

“Macaws, crows, who keeps crows in a zoo? Oh, here they are, hawks.” Peter listed, stopping in front of the hawk enclosure.

“Oooo they’re so pretty.” Lila cooed. The hawks’ brown patterned feathers glinted in the sunlight. They flew gracefully around until one hit the window, stumbled a bit, then flew swiftly the other direction.

“Heh, that one’s like you dad!” Cooped yelled, pointing at the bird who had just hit the window. Peter bust out laughing and Clint rolled his eyes.

“Don’t think that I don’t know you wanted this to happen.” Clint said, looking at Nat while the others laughed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nat replied sweetly. Clint rolled his eyes and ushered the group to the spider exhibit.

In the spider exhibit were all different types of spiders, but Peter headed straight for one specific type.

“мама-паук, I found your friends.” Peter called, pointing to one of the glass tanks. Nat came over and looked at the spiders over his shoulder.

“Black widow.” Nat read.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool, but they’re not the coolest.” Peter said, waving his hand.

“And what is the coolest?” Nat asked amusedly.

“The black widow standing behind me.” Peter replied grinning.

Nat engulfed the teenager in a hug. “I love you ребенок-паук.”

“Love you too мама-паук.”