#we almost had to explain what a furry was to him on a voice chat god BLESS

[kissorkill16]

A Less Normal Date: A Lorax Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: The Onceler and Norma are trying to have a date in Truffula Valley, but the Onceler can't seem to keep it together when a certain furry orange thing is playing jokes behind Norma's back.

Today was the best day ever for the Onceler. Tonight was his second date with Norma, and he was incredibly happy. After the first date didn't go so well, he thought he might never get another chance, but he was wrong. Even after that whole fiasco at the restaurant, Norma asked him out for another date, away from people. And what better place to have a nice date than Truffula Valley.

He sprayed on some cologne and went out the door to set up a picnic blanket, but then he turned his back for a minute and there were 3 brown barbaloots rolling around in the blanket, getting fur all over it.

"Hey! No! Bad! That's for me and my date! She's gonna be here any minute and you guys are ruining the blanket!"

He kept scolding them as he pushed them off the blanket, only for them to run back on and continue getting fur on the blanket.

"HEY!"

The Onceler and the barbaloots turned to see the Lorax, arms crossed and a stern face.

Then he smiled and said "Who wants to go swimming?"

The barbaloots excitedly went running to the lake, leaving the Lorax and the Onceler to themselves.

"Thanks."

"No problem, kid. What's the blanket for anyway?"

"Oh, remember Norma?"

"You mean the girl you went on a date with?"

"Yes, me and her are going to have another date right here in Truffula Valley. No people to laugh at me if I trip over my feet, just me and Norma."

As the Onceler kept setting up the blanket, the Lorax was looking at him in disbelief.

"You forgot one other thing."

"What?"

"There are animals and me here in Truffula Valley."

The Onceler didn't think about that.

"Oh no, you're right. I didn't think about that. But I'm sure that won't be a problem, right?"

"Don't be too sure, beanpole. We once sent your bed down the river with you in it, so what makes you think we won't mess up your date?"

"To be honest, I'm more worried about the animals."

"And why's that?"

The Onceler began walking and talking, "Like you said once before, only those who have a deep connection with nature shall be able to see the Lorax. What if Norma doesn't have a deep connection with nature? She might not be able to see you, so I probably only have to worry about the animals."

The Lorax rolled his eyes at his tall friend acquaintance. "Alright then, how are you going to make sure the animals don't mess up your date?"

The Onceler pulled out a roll of duct tape out of his pocket, "I have just the thing."

About 30 minutes before the date, the Onceler explained to the animals that he made a line out of duct tape and that they had to stay on their side of it. The animals looked like they understood, but they really had no idea what was so important that their human friend made a line out of duct tape. As he finished explaining, he heard a woman's voice call out to him.

"Onceler!"

The Onceler turned to see Norma in a beautiful summer dress and hat, she looked so cute.

"Norma, you're here early!"

"Yeah, I like to stay ready instead of get ready. So, this is the venue you picked for our date?"

"Yes. Isn't it lovely?"

"Very lovely."

As the two were chatting, the Lorax was busy with his thoughts. Sure, Norma might not be able to see him, but the Onceler still could. On one hand, the Onceler might look and sound crazy, but on the other hand, it was funny to mess with him.

The two sat down, and while Norma was making herself comfortable, he couldn't help but stare at her. Her hair was so cute and bouncy, her skin was so pale and smooth, and she looked almost like a porcelain doll. The Onceler couldn't believe how he got so lucky...

"Onceler."

The Onceler was startled out of his thoughts when he heard Norma call his name.

"Why're you staring at me?"

"Oh, sorry, Norma. I must've spaced out. I'll go get the food, you stay here."

Okay, note to self. Never stare at a woman for so long or she'll think there's something wrong with you. Also, never space out while staring at a woman, the Onceler thought. He made the right decision to go and get the food, that way he could prepare himself, and protect himself from getting embarrassed more. As he was coming out, he made sure his shoes were tied, to keep from tripping over them again like last time.

"Oh, that was fast."

"Yeah, I made this a few hours early before our date."

"Sounds like we have something in common. We both like to stay ready instead of get ready."

"Wow, what a coincidence!"

"Yeah."

As the two sat down and ate the delicious Chicken Alfredo the Onceler made, the Onceler caught something in the corner of his eye. He saw that there were 3 hummungfish, singing and dancing along with 3 barbaloots. What was even funnier, the Lorax was conducting them.

The Onceler was trying not to choke on his food or laugh right now, because if he laughed, Norma would think something was funny, and if he told her what was funny, then she'd think he was crazy.

"Onceler, are you okay? You're shaking and you look like you're holding in a breath."

"Yep, I'm fine, Norma. Never better."

That was a lie. He was trying so hard not to laugh right now.

"Alright then. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? Do you do other things besides knit Thneeds and play guitar?"

"Well..."

The Onceler was looking for something to tell her, and without thinking, what came out was "I'm a schizophrenic."

Norma's eyes widened, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. The Onceler mentally kicked himself for saying that. Why'd you tell her that?! Now she'll really think you're crazy!, thought the Onceler.

"Oh, that's nice. I wasn't expecting you to say that, but it's nice to see you're being honest."

The Onceler sighed, relieved that she didn't see him as crazy...hopefully.

Just then, the Onceler saw at the corner of his eye once again, that the Lorax had his moustache braided into two French braids.

"Oh my goodness."

"What? What is it?"

The Onceler snapped out of his thoughts, noticing that Norma was looking at him, confused at what he was looking at. When she turned around, she didn't see anything there.

"Onceler, what am I looking at? Is it super small? Because the only thing I see is a land filled with trees.

This is a disaster. Norma obviously couldn't see the Lorax, now she really thought he was crazy.

"Nothing, Norma. I'll go get dessert."

When the Onceler went to go get dessert, he also took 1 2 of his schizophrenic pills. He wanted Norma to like him, not think he was crazy. He grabbed the cookies and went back out to Norma.

"Chocolate chip cookies, still hot and fresh."

"Those look delicious, Onceler."

"Thank you."

As the two sat down and ate cookies, the Onceler kept staring at the animals and the Lorax, who were singing and dancing on the other side of the duct tape line. It felt like they were mocking him, almost, but he couldn't do anything. He wanted Norma to like him.

But all sanity went out the window when the Onceler saw that furry meatloaf holding one of his wine bottles, then he charged towards him and snatched it.

"And just what were you planning to do with this?"

"You weren't using it."

"Well I'm about to now!"

"Onceler."

The Onceler went back to Norma, trying to seem as normal as possible.

"Wine?"

Norma nodded and the Onceler went to go get two glasses.

About an hour later, the Onceler was drunk and Norma was still sober.

"Onceler, I just want to let you know, I had a really nice time with you. This date so far went better than the last one, despite you looking behind my back and laughing at whatever."

"Oh that? Well...Norma, I don't want you to think I'm crazy or whatever, but I think it's worth a shot."

Norma was still confused, but she listened carefully.

"Norma, while I may have schizophrenia, I also have an ability. This ability allows me to see an almighty guardian of the forest, the legendary slightly annoying Lorax. He's small, orange, and has a big furry yellow moustache and eyebrows. But you might not be able to see him, because whoever has a deep connection with nature shall be able to see the Lorax. But you probably have 0 connection with nature whatsoever, you probably think I'm out of my mind."

"The Lorax? You mean that thing standing behind you?"

The Onceler turned to see the small orange thing and there he was, out in the open. And what was even more surprising, Norma pointed him out for him.

"Hello, Ms. Wiggins."

"Hello to you too, Mr. Lorax."

The Onceler looked extremely confused. "Norma, you can see him?"

"Why of course, Onceler. I actually do have a deep connection with nature, and I can see this almighty guardian of the forest very well."

The Onceler stayed silent for a minute, then he jumped up and squealed in excitement.

"I'M NOT CRAZY!"

As the Onceler kept jumping and squealing, the Lorax and Norma were just sitting and watching.

"I never thought he was crazy. Silly and perky, yes. But crazy, never."

"I think he's a little crazy, but everyone has their flaws."

Norma poured another glass of wine.

"Wine?"

"None for me, thanks. I hate being drunk on duty."

Since that night, the Onceler and Norma began having more dates in Truffula Valley. Sure, the animals and the Lorax were always there to annoy him, but he didn't mind. Norma was happy with him, and he was happy with Norma.

[nevergenders]

Can we get a recap summary of what is going on w Maxx and everything??

thank you for letting me ramble and it’s NOT JUST MAXX

so i have no idea how much you’ve been seeing so i’ll say like Most of it

so for ALMOST A MONTH NOW HOLY SHIT i’ve been moderating for cody’s discord server!! and i’m happy about it but it takes so much TIME and idk how to keep up with SCHOOL so i started going to maxx’s streams a lot less. but god every time i show up he sounds so fucking happy that i’m there and he’s like excited to talk to me.

fun fact! in fucking february i bought him a birthday gift, but he didn’t get it before quarantine started, and when he finally got around to check it wasn’t in his po box? so eventually i showed him what i got him and he was like OH??? so he went to check again and finally got it and let me tell you! i was only gonna go into the stream for like five minutes that day (because i didn’t realize he was going to stream FOR TEN WHOLE HOURS) but i went in just to say hi, and as soon as he saw me he went. WAIT. NICK. DON’T LEAVE YET. I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU GUYS. and he jumped up to go get the shirt (which was already on a hanger) and he looked so fucking happy about it?? mind you this was a whole TWO MONTHS after his birthday lol but he showed the shirt on the hanger and then he didn’t show the sticker i got him so he might have just stuck it on something already? and a couple days later i couldn’t make it to the stream for long but as soon as it started my friend madi messaged me like MAXX WEARING THE NICK SHIRT. HOW MUCH SEROTONIN WILL HE GET. i went into maxxs stream DURING CLASS just to comment on it. and god yeah today when i showed up, one of the FIRST THINGS HE SAYS ON STREAM, like he does the “hello! thanks for coming! etc etc” and then he went “nick’s here!!! a rare nick sighting :)” and everyone in his chat was also very happy and excited to see me?? i would die for this community

and in CODYS STREAMS. i feel a little more obligated to go to them because i moderate for his discord lol but there’s not nearly the same sense of community yet, and i have a different group of friends there, idk that’s still developing but like. it’s tough when you have the community formed around the drummer vs the community formed around the singer because you KNOW people act differently when it’s the singer, and trying to get past that and form more of a community vibe is tougher. also like... moderating is one thing, but there’s also this new sense of trust in us he has? like he calls subscribers on discord during streams sometimes, and one day he called my friend aris but was using the wrong pronouns for him, so i slipped it in the chat and as SOON as he saw it i saw his face drop, he felt so fucking bad and he apologized multiple times. and IMMEDIATELY after the stream he went into the chat for just mods with “i feel like such a jerk” and we basically just had a heart to heart with him to help him feel better and y’all??? i got emotions.

the main reason i was yammering about cody this morning. i hate saying this because it feels so self centered. but Very Long Story Short (i will explain it to you if you want me to) i’m pretty sure cody and i spent most of 2019 convinced the other hated us, or at least extremely worried about it. i spent a way too long thinking about it and i’m pretty sure that’s how he felt. so yesterday during his stream he was talking about some of the music he was writing, and he said “there’s this song i’m writing about like social anxiety online, like sometimes i’m terrified to go on social media because someone’s gonna hate me today” and i didn’t process it until later but when i did my brain went WOOOSH and of COURSE if he wrote a song about that it’s probably not SPECIFICALLY about me and theres NO WAY OF ACTUALLY KNOWING but the fact that i feel like i’m probably a part of that???? i don’t know what to do with that thought?????? i don’t know what emotion i was experiencing about it but i almost started fucking crying omg last year was a fucking ride and considering the change in the level of trust we have it’s gonna be SO different the next time i see him WAAAAAAAA

anyways today maxx was talking about how much he misses touring and i got fuckin emotional about that too because now i KNOW next time i see them it’s gonna be so fuckin different, especially after such a long break and with these kinds of things happening, i’m gonna fucking lose my mind,,, codys other mods wanna meet up together and be like “sorry we can’t make it to any dates on this tour!” and then all show up at the same place. power move.

and final sidenote we really had to ban someone multiple times from cody’s AND maxx’s discords and then find out that they were emotionally manipulating minors in the discords to tell us to let them back in, and gaslighting, and threatening the mods behind our backs, and talking shit about us, and i REALLY HOPE we never have to hear from them again, but last thursday we had a whole team of us going SHOO. NONE OF US WANT YOU HERE. IF YOU TRY TO SNEAK BACK INTO THE SERVER WE WILL CATCH YOU AND BAN YOU AS MANY TIMES AS WE NEED TO. so i hope they got the memo, we haven’t heard about them in a couple days.

tldr; i’m pretty much on the level of trust with cody and maxx as like friends and i love them to death and it’s cool to see them the same way

there’s your update! it’s been interesting but overall, despite my updated sense of social anxiety, i’m having fun

[edducard]

Pinned Post!

So, I'm starting to get some traction so ig time to make a pinned post!

First off, hello! My name's Tord (or Danni, both work) and this little guy is my sona for this blog! I'm a tord irl and I love drawing my little scrimblos!

I also love to chat abt my favs!! Ask box is always open pls talk to me I prommy I don't bite!!!!!!

I ship pretty much everything (polyworld ftw!!) but I'm weak for p much all tord ships (it's like im rlly there!) I also post NSFW from time to time! So minor's go elsewhere!!

Also basic DNI criteria; if ur pro//ship, racist, lgbtphobic, zoo//phile die in a fire <3

General Tags

#commie art - Art tag! All my artwork goes under this tag

#stfu commie - Basic post tag, if I'm just chattin off it goes there! Or if I'm answering an ask, also goes there

#commie edits - Tag for my edits! There may not be many but I do them

I also have an Adult Eddsworld server! If you wanna see me be fucking insane in my natural habitat, come on by!

(Note that I do ID check, just gotta make sure everyone is adults n all that!)

I also have many au's! I'll keep an updated list here along w the tags for each one! This part will be under the cut as it gets quite long </3

My The End rewrite comic - Over on @the-end-rewrite

Synopsis: My retelling of The End. It's still in its early stages, but the story has already been almost fully developed and chapter 1 is almost completed! It takes a vastly different approach form The End while still keeping the same basic ideas and important details. You can start here

Monster AU - Tagged with #monster au

Synopsis: This was my very first au I made back in 2017! All of the eddboys are monsters from folkore or fairy tales! They live in what's called "The Monster Plane" and can traverse into the human realm from time to time (That's how we know about them!), however humans cannot cross into The Monster Plane. Basically, a silly comfort au that I added lore too :3c

Furry AU - Tagged with #furry au

Synopsis: It's judt the guys as furries, nothin too much to explain lmao! Here's a list of what each animal each character is! Edd - Capybara, Tord - Honey Badger, Tom - Bintarong, Matt - King Cobra Eduardo - Caimen, Jon - Sea Otter, Mark - Mongoose Patryk - Pelican, Hellucard - British Shorthair Cat

Owl House AU - Tagged with #owl house au

Synopsis: Eddsworld Owl House AU! It's still being developed but the base idea is just the gang are all witches and/or demons! Something seems to be up with a certain blonde guy, however... And Tord seems to be cooking up some plans... hmm....

Youtuber AU - Tagged with #youtuber au

Synopsis: The gangs all youtubers! Or streamers, same difference really. This is just a silly little au I made back innn 2017 or 2018 and there no serious lore or whatever, just silly guys doin their thing! Tom's a twitch streamer, Tord runs a podcast w Paul and Pat along with a gun nut youtube channel, Edd does animations and art tutorials and all that, Matt is a beauty guro/vlogger!

Panty and Stocking AU - Tagged with #paswg au

Synopsis: I combined hyperfixations by making Tom and Tord Panty and Stocking! However, things are a tad different in this au, like they are not related, and Tord's weapon... prolly isn't his panties lmao, it's most likely just his pants! Tom still uses his socks, weapons stay the same. Edd and Matt are Scanty and Kneesocks (still haven't figured out who's who yet)

Horror AU - Tagged with #horror au

Synopsis: Tord comes back to try and get his robot, thinking it'd be an easy in and out job... Oh, how very, very wrong he was. seems that everything had gone to shit since he's been gone. Tom's been completely taken over by the demonic possession, leaving him as only a shell of his former self. Matt's let his vampirism take full control, leaving him a walking corpse constantly on the hunt for blood to keep his beautiful, youthful looks, and has also named himself King of the Night. Edd's radioactivity seemed to have backfired on him and jumbled his brain just a tad, he's gone completely off the wall and is desperate for his old friends again, when he catches wind that Tord is back, well... He seems very excited to get the gang back together.

Okay thank u for reading!!! Have a good day, love uuuu

[glowingbadger]

Hey, strange ask, but that ask that compared Dimitri to a retriever inspired me to request either headcannons or a drabble of Dima magically being turned into a dog but his S/O doesn’t realize it’s him but he still follows them around and is super protective of them and hijinks ensues.

Y'know what, Friend Anon? This is fucking adorable.

This really ended up as more 'fluff' than 'hijinks' lol but I had fun with it, so there you are~

SFW - Gender Neutral Reader

What to make of this situation. Not only are you completely unable to track down Dimitri, but when you go to check his quarters, one of the monastery dogs has gotten into his room and is making an absolute scene. He's a lovely golden color, with blue eyes the likes of which you've never seen on a dog, and the moment you enter the room, he bounds up to you and circles around your feet until you're practically dizzy.

"Woah, hey there! How in the world did you get in here I wonder..." you mutter as you lower a hand to pat his head, "Have you seen Dimitri around, buddy? I can't seem to find him anywhere..."

Having only taken a moment to nudge his head into your touch, he rapidly becomes alert once more and begins an absolute fit of barking. At this rate, he'll disrupt the whole monastery.

"Hey, hey! No need for that, sshhhh, come on, everything's okay-" you try to soothe him, speaking softly as you kneel down to pat his head. He whines softly, but his tail is twitching back and forth just a little, so he must be at least a little comfortable with you. "Listen," you say, standing upright and straightening your clothes, "If you can behave, you can come with me while I look for Dimitri, okay?"

He barks once, and comes to stand directly beside you, almost throwing you off balance. You smile and scratch his ear for a moment, glad to have a companion on your quest.

And it quickly becomes evident that your companion took this quest very seriously indeed. On your way out of the dorms, you see a shock of red hair ahead, and wave down Sylvain to ask for any leads.

"Hey- I haven't been able to find Dimitri all day, have you seen him?"

"Hm? Not recently, sorry to say. Who's your friend?" he says with a smile at the dog beside you, "What a cutie! No comparison to you though, of course."

You slide past that last bit and say,

"Yeah, he was in Dimitri's room when I went to check for him, and he's just kind of... fond of me, I guess?"

"And who could blame him?" Sylvain says, smirking as he leans against the wall beside you, "Say, if you're still looking for Dimitri, why don't we go look for him together in town-"

He doesn't get to finish his suggestion- your canine ally is on him in a second. Up on his hind legs, he jumps against Sylvain, nearly winding him and sending him stumbling back a couple steps. The dog barks and snarls relentlessly, even as you do your best to calm him.

"Sorry, Sylvain! I- I think I should just keep going for now- thanks anyway!"

"Yup- yeah, no problem," he replies, doing his best to regain his easy smile, "Man, your new friend is a protective guy, huh. Take care of Y/N for me, alright?" he tells the dog as you two part.

It's not long before you run into Ingrid on her way out of the dining hall, an admittedly delicious looking meat skewer in hand. The dog trots ahead of you and barks to her- though not aggressively, so you figure she must have made a good impression on him somehow. Once again, you ask about Dimitri, and once again, you have no luck. Ingrid does slide a piece of beef off of the skewer in her hand and hold it out to the dog. He glances back at you. You nod, as if to tell him it's okay, and yet he looks hesitant. With some goading from both you and Ingrid, he very carefully takes the meat from her hand between his front teeth, then chews at it slowly.

"What a strange dog," Ingrid says with a furrowed brow, "I've never seen one so... reticent about food."

"Yeah, he's an odd one," you muse as he finishes his treat, "He's a good boy though, so it's nice having him along."

Maybe all he understood were the words "good boy," but regardless, his tail is now wagging so fast it seems to blur before your eyes.

You bid Ingrid farewell, and continue on your search.

By the time you think to check with Dedue, you've spent an embarrassingly large portion of your day aimlessly wandering and questioning guards and knights. Frankly, he should have been your first guess. Meanwhile, your canine friend has become a comfortable fixture in your day. You find yourself mindlessly chatting with him, and maybe it's just because he recognizes that you're speaking, but he tends to bark back in reply. But when you finally muse aloud that you ought to check in with Dedue, the dog circles you, letting out excited little yelps and barks.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" you say with a laugh, and head towards the greenhouse side by side with your companion.

And yet, you're not expecting the darkened expression that crosses Dedue's face when you explain that you've lost Dimitri. Sure, you could understand a bit of concern- you're plenty concerned, and the longer this goes on, the more you worry that this could be a serious matter beyond a mere missed connection. But Dedue's voice and bearing are grave as he sets down a watering can and says,

"His highness had offered to help some of the magic students this morning. If anything has befallen him as a result of this..." he trails off, but the malice in his eyes is plain to see. Only the dog whimpering beside you breaks the uncomfortable silence that follows. He pads forward and nudges Dedue's hand with his snout. This small gesture seems to lighten his expression just the slightest bit- but it's something. Dedue sighs and looks to you again,

"I will help you search for him. You continue to look throughout the monastery grounds, and I will check likely classrooms and inquire among the mages. We will cover more ground this way."

You nod, but your canine friend seems agitated. Perhaps it's only Dedue's sullen mood- this does seem like a uniquely empathetic dog, after all. You pat his head gently and say,

"Well, let's try to think of anywhere we might've missed."

You say that, but reflecting on it, it's hard to imagine anywhere you haven't checked and re-checked. You'd done well to bolster your mood thus far, but the more time goes on, the more insidious anxiety starts to take root in your heart. Absently scratching at the dog's furry ears, you let out a sigh, which he seems to respond to by whining softly and nuzzling his face against you.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just... what if something's happened to him?" You say softly, barely more than a whisper.

You're merely wandering at this point, letting your feet aimlessly take you where they will. Eventually, you've found yourself at the training ground, and figure you may as well check here again. Unsurprisingly, Felix is here, among a small handful of other knights and soldiers. Careful to skirt around the edge of the grounds and not get in anyone's way, you approach him, and do your best to greet him cheerfully. Felix huffs and sheathes his sword, wiping sweat from his brow as he scrutinizes your expression.

"You look like a mess." he says, blunt as ever, though you know this is his way of expressing concern.

"Yeah, I- I can't find Dimitri anywhere- I feel like I've looked everywhere twice by now, and no one's seen him since morning, and-" you can't help rambling a bit, a hint of a crack in the back of your throat, "I just couldn't forgive myself if something happened to him- so..."

"I haven't seen him, if that's what you're getting at," Felix says with a hand on his hip. Then, he sighs at your crestfallen expression, "Cut it out, will you? You look ridiculous when you sulk like that. And if the Boar sees you like this, I'll have to watch him sulking too."

You manage an awkward half-smile,

"You're right- thanks, Felix."

You hear your name from across the plaza and turn to see Dedue with Annette in tow. As you turn to meet them, you could swear you hear Felix say something to the dog that trails a few feet behind you. While you're none the wiser, he mutters,

"If you're planning to hang around Y/N all day, you'd better look out for them, got it? They look more like a lost puppy than you do. That stupid Boar had better show up soon."

The dog gives a soft little whine, and gently nuzzles Felix's hand. With an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, Felix in turn scratches at his neck, his expression softening just slightly.

Then, those golden ears perk up at your voice,

"Dimitri?!"

He turns and immediately bounds towards you, jumping up and licking at your face with his tail wagging at full speed. You laugh and ruffle his fuzzy head, then turn back to Annette and say,

"Well, he responds to it, so maybe you're right! But... you're sure the only thing we can do is wait for it to wear off?"

"I'm afraid so..." she replies, coming to stand beside you, "Say, Dimitri- if this is really you, could you please walk in a circle around me and then Dedue, then come back and stand in front of Y/N?"

He follows her request without question. Her instructions are far too complex to follow without extensive training, and with no gestures or encouragement to guide him, it seems almost certain that this dog is in fact your lovely Dimitri. You're eyes burn with the threat of tears, and it only now occurs to you how worried you'd been all day.

"Well, Dimitri, it seems we've had quite a day together," you say fondly, kneeling down to wrap your arms around him, "You make a really cute dog, but I think you'll be cuter when that magic wears off- so come back soon, okay?"

[quixotin]

@miraculous-bullshit ask and you shall receive! :D (sorry I tagged you again!) Note: reposted to not clog poor @toujoursmiraculous post :D 

Interruptions 

based on this thread

For what it’s worth, it took a lot to upset Luka Couffaine. He prided himself in that. He was never one to make a big deal out of things, unless absolutely necessary. Mild inconveniences like being flipped off for accidentally bumping someone in the metro, someone cutting him in a waiting line, entitled moms berating him at his job, being made fun of, not getting his way with something; these were all easily brushed off.

It’s not that he didn’t care, he just knew there were bigger things to worry about than an asshole being an asshole. He lived in Paris, after all. A city that big was bound to be ridden with them.

However, he had learned something about himself recently: His weak spot was Marinette. His skin positively crawled whenever anyone tried to harm, belittle, mock, or otherwise wrong her. There was a second element to this pet peeve of his; he had also discovered that he hated when someone interrupted them. It wasn’t jealousy or anything. It was more the fact that Marinette being the sheer tornado of creative power that she was, was always up to something. Finding a way to squeeze himself into her schedule was already a feat in itself, so he prized every minute he got to spend with her.

Needless to say, this was the precise reason why Luka was so excited for the weekend. He and Marinette were going to spend the entire Saturday afternoon together and the first order of business was going to the park and get ice cream.

The first offense happened at the hands of someone he otherwise respected.

Marinette and Luka had set up a blanket on a spot under a big, hefty tree. The ice cream was already gone, and Luka was playing a few new songs for Marinette. He had, rather evidently, sat a bit closer to her in the hopes that she might lean against him. Which she did, inadvertently causing for Luka’s heart to skip a beat or two. Now that’s an irony, a musician missing a beat.

Sensing Marinette resting her head against his arm, Luka put down the guitar and tentatively shifted to try and bring Marinette into his arms.

Then it happened.

Out of nowhere, a blur of a person crashed down through the foliage of the tree, falling right in the middle of the pair, and effectively dissolving the calm of the moment.

“Meowch! Heh, sorry!”

“Chat Noir?” Marinette exclaimed, uncharacteristically annoyed as Luka and her crawled from the pile of cat on top of them.

Chat Noir scrambled to his feet and gave them a sheepish smile. “Apologies er, fellow Parisians! Got stuck in the tree for a second there, hah.”

As Marinette grumbled, Luka simply shrugged, smiled coolly at him, and joked, “It happens. Maybe next time we’ll call the fire department to get the cat unstuck?”

Chat Noir blushed with a bit of embarrassment, largely due to the fact that Marinette actually laughed at the joke. Luka had no way of knowing this, of course, but Chat Noir had caught glimpse of him and Marinette as he vaulted through the city and had decided it would be a good idea to spy on them by perching on the tree they sat under, which only added to his shame.

“Yeah. So uh, yep. Sorry!” he babbled again, before scurrying out of the picture.

The second offense was at the hands of Paris’ resident terrorist. And Chat Noir. Again.

After getting their ice cream, Luka and Marinette walked around the city a bit and ended up at the steps of the Trocadero, where as luck would have it, an Akuma appeared.

As Luka and Marinette scrambled to get to safety, Chat Noir cut in to push them out of the way from one of the Akuma’s attacks.

It did not escape Luka that Chat Noir scooped Marinette up and vaulted away with her. He was glad Chat Noir was fulfilling his duties and that Marinette was now at least out of harm’s way, but really, was it so hard to escort them to the nearest shop to take shelter as he had done with literally every other person at the site of the attack?

A couple of minutes after he had disappeared with Marinette in tow, he came back for him.

“Your turn,” Chat Noir said with a wink, and took Luka away to an indistinct street away from the Akuma.

Luka gave Chat Noir a perplexed look. “Where is Marinette?”

Chat Noir scratched the back of his head. “I– she must have already hidden away,” he offered lamely.

Feeling a bit irked and suspicious that Chat Noir might have a crush on Marinette, he said, “I’ll look for her, then. Thanks for keeping my date safe, Chat Noir.”

As he calculated, he saw the discomfort in Chat’s face. “Yeah, no problem at all!”

Additionally, Luka quickly discovered he was right about something else: Chat Noir had very likely put Marinette somewhere else. Not only was he not able to find her anywhere, but she was not even picking up her phone anymore.

Luka worried that something might have happened to her, his contempt for the catboy growing by the second.

“That… that… that furry!” He grumbled to himself as he tried to figure out a way to contact Marinette, hoping to the heavens that she was okay.

After the Akuma was neutralized, Marinette called him. Yes, she ended up several districts away and apologized profusely about something she had absolutely no control of which both endeared and saddened Luka.

He had noticed Marinette tended to blame herself when things didn’t work out around her, even when she had no way of controlling them.

“Hey, hey, no stress,” Luka said chuckling, as he interrupted Marinette’s mortified rambling. “We can meet back in the movie theater.”

He let a sigh of relief as he spotted Marinette waiting for him by the ticket booth. He ran to her and threw his arms around her without thought, only realizing what he did when Marinette hugged him back.

He blushed and hugged her tighter.

“I’m got hit by the Akuma after Chat Noir took me away,” Marinette explained. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m just happy you’re okay,” he said, finally pulling away and smiling at her. “So, which movie should we watch?”

Luka pointedly noticed the fact that Marinette suggested to watch a scary movie. The first time he had gone to the movies with her, Alya, Nino, and Juleka had tagged along and he remembered her adamantly informing everyone that she wouldn’t join if they picked anything scary.

He wondered why.

“Really? You sure?” Luka said.

“Yeah, you like scary movies, right?”

“Yeah, but you don’t,” Luka said. “I’m happy to watch anything you wanna watch.”

A light blush crept onto Marinette’s face again. “I wanna watch a scary movie.”

Luka tried not to entertain the thought that the reason why Marinette wanted to watch a scary movie with him was probably a plot with the end goal of having an excuse for them to hug throughout the movie. He didn’t want to get his expectations too high; he was already writing songs about her as it was.

As they took their seats, Marinette seemed to pick up where they left off at the park before Chat Noir interrupted them. She sat decidedly close to him–as close as one could to justify any casual brush of the hand as an accident— while Luka, in a sudden bout of confidence, put his arm around her.

He tensed up, waiting for Marinette’s reaction, and was pleasantly rewarded when she relaxed into his grasp and leaned her head against his chest.

“Oh, I just remembered,” she said, while waiting for the movie to start, “I have something for you.”

She reached into her purse and produced a small box.

Luka beamed at her as he picked the little gift from her palm. “You didn’t have to give me anything, Marinette.”

“I just wanted to do something nice for you,” she said, shrugging and giving him a warm smile.

He opened the box and found a guitar pick that Marinette had hand painted with little blue-and-black motifs. His heart swelled for her and found himself wishing he could kiss her.

“I love it,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “Thank you.”

“I… I have something else for you,” she said, turning herself so that she was squarely facing him.

His pulse hitched up, realizing he wasn’t the only one wishing for a kiss, as Marinette trained her eyes on his.

He couldn’t look away. He felt as if a sort of magnet pulled him towards her, a sort of force that he was unable to escape from even if he wanted to.

A short gasp escaped him as the distance between them shrunk slowly, almost painfully. He was so close he could feel Marinette’s warmth on his skin. So, close their lips almost brushed. So close that–

“Hey guys!” an all-too-familiar voice chirpily greeted them from behind Luka, effectively and immediately interrupting them and causing Marinette to flail and throw the bucket of popcorn she had on her lap.

Luka sighed, this time at the end of his wits. Third interruption, of course it had to be at the hands of whom Luka considered to be the densest human alive. He turned around to find none other than Adrien Agreste, accompanied by Nino. Luka could do little to help himself from giving him the meanest look he could possibly conjure.

“Hey, Adrien. Nino,” he said, clenching his teeth. “What. A nice. Surprise.”

Adrien, oblivious as always, seemed not to grasp what had just transpired. Luckily, as Adrien went on about what a coincidence it was to end up in the same movie theater, at the same showing, and how cool it would be to watch it with them, it was apparent Nino knew better.

“Um, dude, actually, I think I’ll have to sit at the front this time if you don’t mind,” Nino said, interrupting Adrien’s question of whether they could sit with them. “Yeah, my glasses have been giving me trouble…”

Adrien could do little to hide his disappointment but in the end went with Nino. Luka, on the other hand, would have kept grumbling to himself even after they had left if it weren’t for Marinette’s quick kiss on his cheek, which interrupted his train of thought.

“Thanks for being so patient,” Marinette said.

Luka, unable to stay irritated so long as Marinette looked at him like that–with those bright blue eyes and cute little smile, chuckled. “It’s no problem.”

There would be other opportunities, he thought to himself as Marinette snuggled back next to him. For now, he was happy with just watching the movie and enjoy having Marinette in his arms. At one point he was even brave enough to peck her on the head, in one particular scene where Marinette hid her face against his chest with the excuse that she was too scared to watch.

Encouraged by the quick kiss, Marinette looked up to him and again, he found himself drawn to her lips. So, close he could brush his nose against her, so close he smelled her perfume. So close that–

“AN AKUMA!” someone screamed out in the movie theater hall, unchaining a mass hysteria that propelled the audience to rush to the exit.

“Of course,” he muttered under his breath as Marinette sprung up and he followed after her.

Dammit! What does a guy have to do to kiss his crush? Was moment with Marinette too much to ask?

Judging from the smug little smile Chat Noir couldn’t help but sport as he herded him and the rest of the civilians to safety, yes. Yes, it was. It took a lot to annoy Luka, but he now kept a list: Anyone wanting to hurt Marinette, being interrupted when he was with her, and the idea of cats in general. Especially black cats.

“I’m just saying, dude’s a bit weird,” Luka said, hanging out with Marinette and some of her friends a couple of days after Chat Noir’s repeated attempts at sabotaging his date, plus then some more. The story had been quite the laugh for everybody and the group now heatedly discussed whether they knew of other couples Chat Noir liked to sabotage, much to Marinette and Adrien’s mortification.

Adrien, Nino noticed, was quite uncomfortable with the topic. He squirmed in his seat and went to great lengths to not cross glances with Luka.

“Yo, you okay?” whispered Nino.

“Huh?”

“You seem a little… uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine!” Adrien hurried to assure him, but then resumed being consumed in his thoughts. Great. Marinette’s boyfriend now had it out for him for accidentally having interrupted them a time or two.

Okay, maybe it had been around ten times so far, but in his defense half of those were due to Akumas and the rest… Well, the rest were just... you know, “accidents.”

Nino did not comment so as to not add fuel to the fire, but he suspected that Adrien was not only lying, but had finally realized his feelings for Marinette. Nino chuckled to himself, feeling a little sorry for Adrien. Poor dude had the timing of drying cement.

--

ta-da!

I couldn’t include the part where LB kisses Luka because that sent me into outlining a multi-chapter angst fic and we are NOT doing that cause these babies deserve happiness :)) but alas, here you go

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

A Miraculous TikTok Account

Part 24

First

Previous

Next

People were starting to settle down as the night stretched on.

Chat felt kind of weird about the sleepover, if he was being honest. He was technically the host, but he hadn’t planned any of the activities. They also hadn’t let him help out at all. Sure, it seemed they were throwing the sleepover for him, but it felt weird to not be involved at all when it was being held in his own room.

(He also wasn’t stupid enough to think that they had decided to do the sleepover for purely innocent reasons. Rena and Ladybug were paying just a little bit too much attention for it to be mere curiosity. He had nothing to hide except for the trash and clothes he’d stuffed in his closet to make his room look cleaner, though, so he was fine with it.)

Still, it was kind of nice.

He looked at the other four.

Carapace was sitting cross-legged a few feet away, his back facing away from everyone as he worked on his bracelets. He was singing random showtunes to himself, but his singing was getting cut off at random due to his giggles at whatever he was doing. Chat tried to peek over his shoulder and Carapace gave an overexaggerated gasp and flung himself across the floor to keep the bracelets out of his sight.

“No peeking!”

“Alright! Alright!” Said Chat, shaking his head exasperatedly even as a smile threatened to make its way across his face.

Carapace narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously for a moment before slowly returning to his spot.

Ladybug was apparently only half awake, though it was hard to tell if this was the effect of the wine or the lack of coffee. Carapace had given her his hoodie when he’d seen her shivering and now she was swamped in the fabric. This didn’t seem to bother her, though, as she barely swayed in time with his singing.

Rena had finished all her bracelets for everyone already, opting to just make braids of each of their costume colors. Now she was weaving thread into Chloe’s hair.

Chloe was putting the finishing touches on her fifth bracelet. They were all the same, alternating black and yellow threads. Still, it took a while to make all the knots necessary for hers.

He looked down at the friendship bracelet attempts in his hands and bit his lip. The strings he’d chosen were knotted and bent awkwardly and, really, it was beyond repair --.

He gave up, tossing down the attempts and grabbing new strings. He started just spelling out everyone’s hero names on strings that were the colors of everyone’s eyes.

“Done,” he said, his ears burning with shame. He didn’t know anything about friendship bracelets or friendships and general and if it wasn’t clear to everyone before they’d definitely have figured it out now --.

“Wow. Amazing job, Chat. You’re a master craftsman,” said Chloe, sarcasm dripping from every letter she spoke.

“You… you don’t have to wear it.”

Chloe scoffed. “Shut up. I’m never taking it off.”

“Oh… but you don’t have to, really --.”

“I’m. Wearing. It. Screw. Off.”

“... okay,” he said, a tiny smile playing at his lips.

He gave everyone else theirs and, though he noticed they were all putting them on their ankles where they’d be harder for people to see, he couldn’t help but be happy that they were accepting them at all.

Carapace held up his five completed bracelets with a bright smile. “Tada!”

He walked around and started tying them to everyone’s wrists.

Chat saw both of the bugs look confused as they read over the block letters on theirs, Rena gave a short puff of laughter when she saw hers, and then he finally got to see his...

FURRY.

He rolled his eyes at Carapace but let him tie the bracelet to his ankle.

“What’s a ‘buggie’?” Said Chloe in a voice that said she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know.

“It’s a furry, but for bugs.”

“... how do you know that?” Asked Ladybug, sinking back into Carapace’s/her hoodie with a yawn.

“A few years back I joked that I was a furry and someone told me I was technically a ‘scaley’. Obviously, I had to know if everyone else was a furry after that or something else.”

Rena snickered. “Likely story.”

“It’s true!”

“Hm. Sure. Chloe, I’m done with you. Ladybug --.”

“I have an important meeting for work tomorrow, sorry.”

“Fine. Chat, c’mere.”

He hesitated before he made his way over and allowed her to start messing with his hair obediently.

Chloe shuffled over to Ladybug. There was a beat before Ladybug lifted the bottom of the hoodie and allowed Chloe to climb inside.

Carapace groaned. “Why are you stretching out my hoodie?”

Ladybug smiled and brought a hand up to stretch the neck so Chloe could pop her head out the top. “Forgot it was yours, honestly.”

“I hate you.”

“Guess I won’t fix this, then.”

“Wait -- Ladybug -- listen -- I didn’t mean it --.”

Ladybug and Chloe laid back and stuck their tongues out at him in unison. Carapace glared halfheartedly at them for a little while before walking over and laying on top of them.

“Ughhhh get off you’re heavy,” complained Ladybug. “You’re going to crush me.”

“Good. I’m squashing two annoying bugs.”

“Renaaaaa,” tried Chloe.

“Can’t help right now, I’m doing Chat’s hair.”

“Rena,” tried Carapace.

There was a moment’s hesitation before Rena gently tugged Chat over so she could help Carapace smother the two and still add colors to his hair.

“Nooooooo…”

“Chat help,” Ladybug squeaked, reaching out a hand in an attempt to pull him closer for help.

He considered the hand for a minute before pointedly looking away, a smile pulling at his lips.

Ladybug mumbled a curse and resigned herself to the fate of being crushed under three of her housemates.

Rena eventually finished with his hair and she took a picture to show him the results. He’d always wanted to do stuff with his hair, and since his haircolor was so light it wouldn’t have been hard, but his dad had never allowed it…

He smiled brightly and sent it to himself.

Rena shielded her eyes and he looked up at her, his smile dropping into a confused frown.

“Are you okay?”

“You’re, like… sunshine incarnate. Can’t look at you dead on, it’s too bright.”

“Right? He could give Adrien Agreste a run for his money,” joked Carapace.

He wasn’t sure if he was blushing because his housemates thought of him like that or because his civilian identity was apparently that popular. Still, he brought a hand up to cover his mouth as a new smile stretched across his face.

Rena slipped off of the pile of miraculous holders easily and took a seat about a meter away with her phone, leaning back in a pile of pillows. “Carapace, Ladybug, both of you should get to sleep. You both have stuff in the morning.”

“But --,” tried Carapace.

“I WILL knock you out if I have to. And there’s no coffee to keep you awake.”

The two groaned quietly and Carapace fell beside the two bugs. Instead of leaving, though, he just grabbed the nearest blanket and wrapped it around the three of them.

Chloe scoffed and started shifting around in the blanket/hoodie prison she was currently trapped in. “Hey, let me out, I’m not tired yet.”

Ladybug and Carapace wrapped an arm around her and held her still before she could get up. “We have to sleep, you have to sleep.”

“I don’t --.”

“Pillows don’t talk,” said Ladybug, nuzzling her face into Chloe’s neck with a yawn.

Chloe didn’t look particularly happy about it, but she did quiet herself.

Carapace reached his free hand towards Chat without looking over and he stared at it before taking it. He was pulled down to join the cuddle pile so fast that they knocked heads. There was a mumbled ‘ow’ and a hiss of pain, but otherwise it was hard to tell that it had happened.

Rena tossed a pillow at the lightswitch, which was… odd, but it did turn off the lights, so… yay?

He closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around Carapace’s stomach. He could hear the others’ steady breathing as they drifted off one by one.

But, for once, Chat wasn’t finding it easy to sleep.

Some things are easy to ignore.

For example, Chat could, for the most part, ignore the knowledge that he was likely the only person in the house who was genuinely interested in being friends. Everyone else was perfectly happy being friendly (because who wants to fight people in their own house?), but that’s not nearly the same thing.

But, since Chat was starved for affection, he opted to ignore what he knew to be the truth. Did it really matter if Carapace was only allowing him to hang off of him for the sake of preventing a strong akuma if he was getting the physical touch he hadn’t received since his mother had died? Did it really matter if Ladybug was only playing nicer for the sake of convenience if it meant he could get compliments from her instead of insults?

Kinda. But he was willing to push those thoughts aside.

And, while he wanted to ignore this problem too, he really shouldn’t. Their safety was much too important for that.

There should be very few people that knew where they were. There were the people who Chloe had hired to help her move in, Master Fu, each other...

But that didn’t explain why Chat’s room was left untouched.

The only thing that made sense for that was his dad… He tried to brush the thought aside like he had been doing for the entire night, but it was far more difficult when the others were asleep and weren’t serving as a distraction.

Would his dad sell him out? Sure, their relationship wasn’t near ‘close’, but that didn’t mean that his father hated him, right? His dad had known for a while, though, almost since the beginning. Why would he sell out now? The information was slightly more valuable now that they were living together, yes, but was that enough to make him betray his son for a super terrorist?

Worse yet, could his father be Hawkmoth? He didn’t think so, because his father had been akumatized multiple times, but there was nothing saying Hawkmoth couldn’t akumatize himself. Then again, he’d been pretty interested in Chat’s ring when he realized who he was… or was that just innocent curiosity? He also lived in the center of the area that Ladybug had mentioned she’d traced the akumas to, but so did every rich person --.

Carapace pulled him closer, his hand sliding up his back to work at a knot in his back.

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” Chat teased, even as he pressed his face against his shoulder.

“You’re too tense.”

He let himself relax a bit. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault you’re the worst pillow ever.”

“Even worse than Chloe?”

“Somehow,” said Carapace, and Chat could almost hear the smile in his voice.

And, because it’s really hard to have bad thoughts when you’re cuddling a friend and getting a massage, Chat fell asleep in minutes.

~~~

Taglist

@nathleigh @sassakitty @th1s-1s-my-aesthet1c @blueslushgueen @woe-is-me0 @ladybug-182 @cas-and-their-refusal-to-write @trippingovermyfeet @melicmusicmagic

[kissinginkitchens]

You Bring Me Home—Chapter Three: Chasing Waterfalls

a/n: Welcome back!! Another huge thank you for the sweet words and love you have shown to part 2! I'm so glad to hear from those of you who are enjoying the story so far :') Things are starting to get interesting, so I hope you'll stay tuned! As always, my inbox is open, so feel free to come chat with me after you have finished reading! Much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai'i!Harry x Original Character

Warnings: swearing, drug/alcohol mention

Word Count: 5.3k

catch up on parts one and two

Alani watches the stream of salt descend gracefully into the salt-shaker like a mini waterfall, her mind still replaying the events of the past couple of weeks. It has been fourteen days, 336 hours, and 20,160 minutes since the last time she saw Harry, not that she was counting. The image of him getting smaller in her rearview mirror as she drove away from the recording studio is still fresh in her mind. Two weeks and all she has to show for it is three sentences in her notebook, most of which is material she had already known prior to the interview. Alani supposes that this fact should trouble her more than it does, with her future at Rolling Stone depending on much more than the smoothie preferences of Harry Styles; but all she can dwell on at the moment is the serene image of them standing side by side, pinkies nearly touching, making a wish on the most vibrant rainbow she had ever seen. What does concern her, however, are the events that immediately followed their arrival back at Napua.

“Maybe next time we should do this in a neutral location,” Harry had offered, stepping out of the Range Rover. “Less distractions,”

Alani’s brows shot up at the words, not quite believing that she had heard him right. “Next time?”

“You can’t possibly have gotten everything you needed from that,” he scoffed, leaning against the passenger door. Alani had fully prepared to butter him up in order to extend their time beyond the initial one interview agreement, but she hadn’t expected it to be this easy, especially after his dismissal of her attempted humor and begrudging lunch invitation.

“Well, no, but I thought-”

“Okay, so we’ll do this again,” he shrugged, “No biggie,”

Alani felt a wave of relief, and a twinge of excitement, rush over her at the prospect of securing another interview with Harry. Offering him a grateful smile, she nodded and agreed.

“Yeah, okay. Thank you, again, for agreeing to this,”

Harry’s furrowed brow didn’t budge, nor did his set jaw and pouted lips. He simply offered a small bow of his head and a ringed finger through his dark locks.

“Sure. Wouldn’t wanna be the reason you fail,”

“Thanks,” she replied through a forced laugh.

Alani had almost forgotten about the cover she devised to get Harry to agree to the exclusive. A part of her wondered how willing he would have been to participate had he known her true intentions of submitting the final piece to Rolling Stone, but the better part of her judgement knew there was too much at stake to fold her cards now. Besides, Harry had to have known that any work linked to his name would get some sort of public attention, regardless of the original intentions. At least, that was what Alani planned to say if things went south.

“So you can just... text me, I guess,” she proposed cautiously. “When you’re free?”

“Will do,” Harry nodded. “But I think that requires us to exchange phone numbers first,”

“Right,”

Alani pulled her phone from the back pocket of her shorts and opened the contacts app before holding it out to Harry. Carefully, he punched his digits and handed it back, smirking when he was greeted by the image of irresistible watery eyes and floppy ears beneath the time.

“Cute dog,” he remarked while Alani finished typing her own number into his phone.

A soft smile spread across her lips as the image of her furry companion drifted into her mind.

“Oh, thanks. His name’s Freddie,”

“D’you name all your belongings after 70s rock stars?” Harry teased, flashing a dimpled grin.

“As a matter of fact,” Alani played along. “I’m about to go take a sip from Mick Jagger in my car,”

Immediately, Alani regretted her choice of words, though the bright ringing of Harry’s laughter soothed some of the embarrassment.

She winced, nose scrunched. “I guess there’s no taking that one back, huh?”

“Not a chance,”

Clutching her bag closer and sliding her sunglasses back onto the bridge of her nose, Alani took a step back and sighed.

“And with that, I bid you adieu.”

“Au revoir.”

Two weeks and still radio silence from Harry. Alani had begun to wonder whether she had input her phone number correctly in the first place, or if her penchant for embarrassing herself had ruined all chances of Harry making good on his promises.

“I’m sorry, sir, but if you want salted fries you’re gonna have to wait for your turn at the salt mound, just like everyone else,” the voice of Alani’s sister breaks through her thoughts. Somewhere between reliving her last interaction with Harry and anticipating their impending reunion, Alani’s hand had drifted slightly off course of the salt shaker, resulting in a rather impressive mountain of salt forming on the countertop.

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Alani retorts, annoyed at the mess she’ll have to clean up.

“Seemed like you were in the zone, or possibly sleepwalking—and you know what they say about disturbing sleepwalkers,” Pua says simply, unaffected by her sister’s irritation. “Plus, I thought it would be funny, and I was right,”

Alani sweeps the salt into a garbage can below, her mind already drifting back to her afternoon with Harry, when her sister speaks up again.

“He hasn’t called yet?”

This catches Alani’s attention, but she only shakes her head dejectedly in response.

“I thought your date went well,” Pua muses, thinking back to the way her sister had practically floated through the house upon her return.

“It wasn’t a date,” Alani corrects firmly, perhaps trying to convince herself, as well.

Pua scoffs, lifting herself to sit on the countertop. “So you made me cover a four hour shift for nothing?”

“It’s strictly professional and he’s busy,” Alani sighs. “That’s just how these things go,”

“Did he let you listen to his new music?” the younger sister asks, eyes widening.

Alani rolls her eyes and resumes twisting the caps back onto the filled salt shakers. “No,”

“Did you ask him why he left One Direction?”

“No,”

“Is he single?”

“I don’t know,” Alani huffs, turning to face her smug little sister. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Ask him what?” a familiar accented voice cuts in behind her.

Alani whips around to face Harry, a familiar dent between his brows and dark sunglasses shielding her from the intensity of his stare.

“Ask my dad if I can go to the..movies—tonight,” Pua chimes in. “With my friends. I have those,”

Harry smirks, lifting his sunglasses up to address her. “S’that so?”

“Yup,” she confirms, popping the “p” and crossing her arms. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Curiosity runs in the family, I see,” he remarks with amusement. “Shoot,”

“Is your phone working?”

“Why don’t you go call dad and ask him about the movies? I’ll cover the register,” Alani interrupts, shooting a glare over her shoulder as her sister saunters into the kitchen with a satisfied grin on her round face.

“Ignore her, she’s fifteen,”

“The most honest age in my experience,” Harry observes with a twinge of guilt settling in the pit of his stomach.

Alani pushes any thoughts about Harry, beyond the fact that he’s standing in front of her, to the side and puts on her best customer service voice. “What can I get started for you today?”

“A green smoothie, please,” he says, searching for her eyes that are occupied with the register buttons. “And the rest of your afternoon, if you’re free,”

Alani pauses and allows her gaze to meet his. She senses a hint of apology behind his emerald eyes, a welcome change to the storminess that often clouds them.

“I don’t know,” she starts slowly, despite the fact that every bone in her body is screaming at her to go. “I gotta finish up here,”

“What time are you off?”

Alani mulls his question over, silently deciding whether to tell the truth or not. Ultimately, retribution for her bruised ego is the only reason she can come up with for lying. She knows that it isn’t logical to be upset with him due to the fact that their relationship is strictly professional. Harry owes her nothing; in fact, him agreeing to meet with her the first time was, as she pointed out on several occasions, entirely a favor on his end. Despite this fact, Alani couldn’t help the disappointment she had felt the very next day when he hadn’t even texted his name to make sure that he had the right number. And she can’t help how she feels now, two weeks later, looking into his big, dumb eyes that are begging for her forgiveness. She missed him. Against her better judgment, and for reasons she can’t explain, Alani misses Harry, so she chooses honesty.

“Four,”

“Great,” he perks up, victoriously. “Then I’ll have the green smoothie, and keep ‘em coming,”

“You’re gonna stay here that long?” Alani asks, eyes darting to the 1:11 displayed on her watch.

Harry holds up a teal paperback with cassette tapes stacked on the cover. “Got some reading material to keep me company,”

“Love is a Mix Tape,” she reads the yellow cursive looped at the bottom of the cover aloud with a nod.

“Ever read it?” he questions, flipping through the pages.

“Can’t say that I have,”

“Well then you can borrow it sometime.” Harry says finally, turning on his heel in the direction of a table near the window.

Alani half expects him to leave and come back closer to their allotted time, but he simply sits near the window with the book in front of him and the straw of his drink resting against his pouted bottom lip. Customers come and go, tables are cleared, and the sunlight spills into different corners of the room, but Harry remains perfectly unchanged as if he were a fixture of the room itself. His presence is both comforting and unnerving to Alani, who glides around the room taking orders and serving food. Meanwhile, Harry does his very best to focus on the words in front of him, but the letters jumble together like alphabet soup amidst his wandering thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye, he follows Alani as she gracefully moves from one table to the next, flashing a warm smile at each guest who enters. He notices the tapping of her pen to whatever Beach Boys song plays over the stereo and the way she bites the inside of her cheek when making change at the register. The more details he stores in his mind, the deeper the sinking feeling burrows into his stomach. It had taken every ounce of willpower and over twenty unsent text messages to stay away, but Harry needed to put space between them for both of their sakes. He didn’t dare flatter himself with the thought of her having feelings for him, but he didn’t mind her company and that hadn’t done him much good these days. Harry knew that eventually he would have to bite the bullet and keep his word, and he decided that a temporary writer’s block was as good a time as any to do so.

“What ever happened to that girl?” Jeff had asked the evening prior, responding to an email from the recording label.

Harry feigned ignorance and continued to doodle something in his notebook, though he knew exactly who his manager was referring to. “What girl?”

“Dark hair, pretty, made you blush like a 12 year old,”

“I did not,'' Harry defended, scribbling a little more harshly. “‘S nothing. Was just helpin’ her out,”

Jeff snorted with an accusational brow raised.

“How romantic,”

“Jesus, not like that!”

“All I’m saying,” Jeff conceded. “Is that you seem a little uptight these days, and the music shows,”

Harry pondered this for a minute, his pen stilling to look over the lyrics, or lack thereof, on the page.

“You should be having a little fun, that’s literally what we came here for,” Jeff continued. “Get out of this fuckin’ studio and be a normal 22 year-old. You deserve it.”

So Harry had decided to go out, telling himself that he was merely listening to a friend’s advice for the sake of his music and sanity. But a part of him also desperately wanted to see Alani, even if he didn’t really know why.

As the clock strikes four, Alani sucks in a deep breath and turns to her sister slicing bananas in the kitchen.

“I’m going out,”

“Figured,” Pua responds, unphased. “I’ll cover for you,”

“I owe you.”

“Get me tickets to his next concert and we’ll call it even.”

Alani rolls her eyes, amused, and presses a chaste kiss to her sister’s temple before grabbing her bag off the hook and heading out. When she emerges in the dining area, Harry is already waiting at the counter with his broad shoulders turned away from her. She taps him gently and feels dizzy when he turns to her with a faint dimpled smile.

“Ready to roll?” he asks.

“Ready.”

When the two are comfortably situated in the Range Rover, Harry scans the parking lot and pulls away onto Mamalahoa Highway.

“Where’s Stevie?” he questions, his lower lip pinched between his index finger and thumb in concentration.

“Oh I walk to the restaurant,” Alani explains. “Don’t live too far,”

“Explains why you ditched your sister,”

“I did not ditch her!” Alani defends with a light laugh.

“Kinda did,”

She shakes her head in mock offense as the corners of Harry’s lips turn up. “My dad will pick her up after work, she’ll be fine,”

“Not to accuse you of nepotism,” he hesitates. “But I thought maybe your dad worked at the café. Family business?”

“He owns it, yeah, but he also works as the head chef at Honu. It’s a resort,” Alani continues. “But I’ll have you know that my waitressing skills are highly qualified, regardless of the nepotism,”

“And your mum?”

“She’s a doctor—pediatric surgeon,”

“That’s amazing,” Harry comments, glancing down at the GPS.

“Yeah, she is,” Alani agrees, her own eyes darting to the screen before attempting to analyze her surroundings. “Hey, where are we going?”

The rings on Harry’s right hand tap gently on the steering wheel as he responds carefully, withholding any hints.

“To the best interview spot I could think of. Go there sometimes to work on the album,”

“So there is an album,” Alani wiggles her brows.

“Off the record,” he clarifies. “But.. potentially,”

She scoffs at his insistence to maintain secrecy.

“Really?”

“We’re almost there.” Harry consoles, referring primarily to their destination, but perhaps speaking personally, as well. Alani doesn’t miss the double meaning and chooses to nod silently in acceptance.

The next few minutes of their drive are filled by humming along to whatever song drifts through the stereo, most notably Paul McCartney and George Harrison, which inspires a lively back and forth about the ranking of ex-Beatles members.

“It goes Paul, George, Ringo, and John,” Alani states matter-of-factly. “There’s no other answer,”

Harry shoots her an incredulous look before responding. “Are you seriously putting Ringo Starr before John Lennon?”

“John Lennon was an abusive asshole,” Alani defends. “Plus he wrote, like, one good song-”

“More than one song—”

“I said a good song. ‘Good’ being the keyword,”

Harry can’t hold back his endearment at her reasoning, so he shakes his head with a wide grin plastered on his face and decides to take one last swing at the hornet’s nest.“He’s still a legend,”

“Isn’t it weird,” Alani muses with a far-away look in her eyes. “That someday, someone’s gonna have this conversation about you?”

Harry doesn’t respond right away, weighing her words and how they settle in his bones. It doesn’t offend him in the slightest, he’s heard far worse, but there is still something strange about comparing himself to musicians he considers to be his icons. Despite all the hard work and sacrifices he’s made over the past five years, he still sees himself as the lucky little kid from Holmes Chapel underneath it all.

“I’m sorry,” Alani speaks up when Harry doesn’t respond. “I didn’t mean—”

“Oh, no it’s okay,” He reassures her. “I was just thinking... ‘bout what you said. I guess I don’t really think about it like that,”

“Oh,” is all she says, still waiting for him to elaborate. After a beat, Harry begins again in his characteristically slow way of speaking that Alani finds charming.

“It’s just that,” he begins, tugging on his lower lip. “Obviously I can’t ignore, you know, the impact that all of it had. But to me it was just… I don’t know. In my head it’s not really on the same level,”

Alani nods, though she can’t say it’s with complete understanding. In this moment, she truly feels the weight of their completely different worlds and how she may never be able to fully sympathize with that part of Harry’s life. She certainly hadn’t been under any impression that she would, but she still feels a bit embarrassed for the closeness she had begun to feel to him in their moments spent together. A sinking feeling settles into Alani’s stomach at the thought that maybe she was making a mistake, despite the constant self-reminders that everything they were doing was completely professional. Don’t get too close, she writes on a mental post-it note, sticking it to the forefront of her mind.

“We’re here,” Harry pipes up.

Too wrapped up in her own thoughts, Alani hadn’t noticed when they pulled into the parking lot at ‘Akaka Falls and it took her a moment to adjust.

“This is the place?” she questions hesitantly.

“Yeah,”

“This is where you come to write?”

“I didn’t realize I was supposed to stay chained to the studio,” Harry teases with his hands raised in mock surrender.

“No,” Alani breathes out a light laugh, rolling her eyes. “I just mean… I don’t know what I expected.”

“That was the point.” he explains with a devious smile that makes her let out a proper laugh.

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

“Did you know,” Alani starts, the tips of her fingers reaching out to stroke the petal of an especially vibrant red flower. “That Georgia O'Keeffe had a show in New York City during the 40s with twenty paintings of different flowers that she observed right in this very park?”

“I didn’t,” Harry admits. “Who needs a tour guide when we’ve got you?”

“I have a copy of the waterfall one she did in my room,” Alani continues. “But I’d love to see the real thing some day,”

Harry scans the landscape, eyes settling over the winding stairs that lead them further to the falls and the rest area where he frequently hides away. “Is it still on display?”

“Last I checked, yes,” she nods. “At the New York Botanical Garden,”

“How are you not even a bit winded?” he chuckles, hands on his hips as he pauses and takes a moment to breathe.

Alani stops in her tracks and turns back to face Harry with a teasing glint already present in her deep brown eyes.

“I thought you came here all the time to write,” she says with a raised brow.

“And I thought it was against the journalist code to berate your subjects,” he shoots back. “But here we are,”

“Touché,” Alani concedes. “But I’m not a journalist yet so I guess the rules don’t apply to me,”

Harry thanks his lucky stars that she turns on her heel back down the steps before she can witness the fond grin tugging at the corners of his lips. He savors the image of the greenery that complements her olive skin and how the gentle breeze dances through her curls before following behind.

Alani takes a deep breath once they reach the lookout and soaks in the familiar view. No matter how many times she visits the national park, the first sight of the 442 feet of cascading water always leaves her eyes a little misty.

“What brings you here?” she asks, turning to Harry whose sunglasses are perched at the crown of his head to leave the view unobstructed.

His jaw clenches and his Adam’s apple bobs, but he doesn’t respond right away. Instead, he turns his head to Alani and searches her face with a crease between his brows.

“That,” he responds, pointing to the glossy sheen over her eyes. “That feeling. Felt it the first time I came here, still do,”

He turns back to face the roaring water before them and Alani takes this moment to study the sharp angles of his profile. She takes note of the sunlight peering through his sea glass irises and waits patiently for him to continue.

“Makes you feel lucky to be alive,” Harry says finally. “And a little small, but in a good way. Like everything bad that ever happened to you doesn’t matter because none of it’s real, is it? But this… this is real,”

Alani feels like the air has been sucked from her chest and her eyes burn a hole straight through Harry’s temple. He doesn’t budge, despite the overwhelming urge to face her again, because he knows that if he does, he’ll lose his nerve.

“Damn,” is all Alani croaks out when she finally catches her breath.

Harry’s stony expression falters as he cracks a small, relenting smile. “D’reckon that’s what TLC were on about when they wrote that song?”

“I think you’re on the right track, yeah,” Alani agrees with a light laugh. “Though I think they were talking a little bit more about drugs, but I like your thing too,”

“Thanks,” Harry smirks. “Now you see why I come here to write,”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that one,” she concedes.

“Speaking of writing,” he starts, walking away from the lookout and over to a rest area with a few tables and benches. “I think we were here to help you write,”

Alani follows and takes a seat on the bench across from him, the setting sun beating against her back and outlining her in golden light that Harry feels couldn’t be more poetic.

She retrieves a notebook, her phone, and a pen from her bag and sprawls them out across the table top. Harry notices that each item is colored a varying shade of pink, but he decides to keep that detail filed at the back of his mind instead of investigating further.

“Same deal as last time, voice notes for quotational accuracy,” Alani reminds him. She looks over her list of questions to pick a starting point, but suddenly none of them seem relevant, so she takes a moment to collect her thoughts and says the first thing that comes to mind.

“Earlier when I said this wasn’t what I was expecting,” she begins. “You said ‘that was the point’. Why?”

Harry turns this question over in his mind, caught off guard by the seemingly trivial detail. “I dunno. I guess.. Maybe I just like the surprise,”

“To be surprised, or to surprise others?”

“Both,”

“Why do you like to surprise others?”

He ponders this for a second and takes a deep breath. “I think it’s because it doesn’t happen that often,”

“What do you mean?” Alani prys.

“Well,” Harry begins carefully, sifting through his brain for the right words. “Ever since the whole band thing blew up, I’ve had this strange feeling that everyone knows everything about me, like there’s nothing left to discover,”

Alani watches as he twirls the ring around his wedding finger, a silver rose that has always caught her eye.

“Maybe that sounds self absorbed,” he simpers.

“It’s not,” Alani reassures him.

Harry meets her eyes appreciatively before resuming. “I still remember the first time someone recognized me,”

“What was that like?”

“Bizarre,” he chuckles to himself. “She was very nice, but the entire time I couldn’t stop thinking about how strange it all was. It’s like, you know when someone you met once or twice comes up to you and you don’t remember their name at all? S’bit awkward ‘cos you feel like you should know something about them, too— level the playing field. ‘Cept no matter how hard you wrack your brain, the information’s never gonna come, even though they know everything about you,”

“But they don’t,” Alani cuts in. “Not really,”

“Yeah,” Harry agrees, his eyes narrowed. “But sometimes they feel like they do, which might be worse,”

Alani taps her pen against her bottom lip and nods, a gentle hum leaving her throat as she registers his words.

“Didn’t think about it like that,”

“S’not so much about the fans,” Harry continues. “Because I feel like there’s lots of things I wanna share with them through the music. It’s… everyone else, I guess,”

“I don’t think it’s abnormal to want your privacy,” Alani comments. “To want to share things on your own terms. It’s human,”

“But isn’t that what it means to be loved?” he asks, chin resting in his palm. “To be known?”

Alani picks up on a glimmer of challenge behind Harry’s eyes, as if he is the one conducting the interview and trying to extract information from her.

“There’s a difference between knowing something about someone,” she argues. “And knowing someone,”

“It’s like Prince,” Harry says suddenly, an excited fire behind his emerald eyes. “Who knows anything about Prince besides the fact that he’s a fuckin’ great musician? I sure as hell don’t, but all you wanna do is know more, and that’s what makes him so magical. It’s mysterious… I like that,”

Alani snorts and looks up from her notes scrawled on the page. “Did you just describe Prince like your manic-pixie dream girl?”

“No,” Harry defends with an amused laugh. “Well, not intentionally anyway,”

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes with a wave of her hand. “No, I know what you mean. It’s like keeping the rock-star persona separate from your real life, makes it all more alluring,”

Harry nods, running a hand through his hair and shaking it out before securing his sunglasses back at the top of his head. “Yeah,”

“But earlier you also said you wanted to share some things with the fans,” Alani begins again, going back to her chicken scratch notes. “What kinds of things were you referring to?”

“Real life stuff,” he offers. “Mostly the not-so-great things. ‘Cos I mean no one wants to hear me sing about going to bars and how great everything is. The champagne popping,”

Harry trails off as his fingers smooth over the cross pendant hanging around his neck.

“I mean, I don’t wanna hear my favorite musicians talk about that, at least. I wanna know ‘how did you feel when you were alone in that hotel room, because you chose to be alone?’”

The wind begins to pick up more noticeably and the pages of Alani’s notebook flutter wildly, threatening to escape. Too wrapped up in their conversation, the pair hadn’t noticed the dwindling tourists or the cumulonimbus clouds hovering above. Harry squints up at the darkening sky and it peers back at him with equal contempt . He springs to his feet, quickly gathering some of Alani’s things for her.

“We gotta go,”

They quickly scurry and the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance quickens their pace up the steps. The adrenaline coursing through Alani’s veins masks the burning in her quads and calves, but Harry’s steady panting gives away his exertion. They’re almost halfway up the long trail of steps when another thunderclap pierces through the sky above them and sends a jolt through their bodies. One speckle of rain hits the pavement in front of Alani’s quick feet, and then another, and another, until the sky opens up and they are caught in the downpour. Alani shrieks and the sound makes Harry belly laugh, a hand instinctively reaching out to the middle of her back to brace her.

“Careful,” He calls out above the deafening rain. “Watch your step!”

Somehow over the sound of the rain and her own heavy breathing, Alani still manages to come up with a witty remark.

“Imagine the headlines!” she shouts over her shoulder. “‘Popstar Lures Innocent Civilian to Her Untimely Demise’,”

Alani doesn’t say anything about his palm still pressed securely against the small of her back, but the warmth of it spreads through her fingers and toes. They continue up the steps, each breathing a sigh of relief when the top is in sight. Harry reaches out for her hand when they make it to the landing, and she accepts it gladly, before they bolt to the parking lot where the lone Range Rover is parked. Once inside, a fit of laughter erupts from the both of them.

“What a cliché,” Harry comments. “Getting caught in the rain,”

Alani sighs. “Too bad we don’t have piña coladas,”

“We could maybe do something about that,” he shrugs.

Alani reaches for her phone and queues up the next song, which brings a cheshire grin to Harry’s face when he hears the familiar drums.

“Wasn’t what I meant, but okay,” he rolls his eyes, turning up the car’s heater before heading back out onto the highway.

“This song’s kinda fucked up when you think about it,” Alani muses, swaying in her seat. “But the chorus is fun,”

“S’all that matters when you’re sloshed,”

“Sorry about your seats, they’re gonna be soaked,” Alani apologizes as her wet socks squelch around in her shoes.

“Don’t worry about it,” he waves the concern away. “Occupational hazard.”

The drive to Alani’s house from ‘Akaka Falls is only 25 minutes and the two of them spend most of the time lost in their own thoughts, letting the car heater soothe their chilly bones. Alani watches the rain droplets race down the window pane and turns over some of Harry’s words in her mind. His comment about the waterfalls sticks out like a shell emerging from the sand. She begins to think that it perfectly captures this time in his life as he searches for something real amidst the chaos of fame. It’s an angle she’s keen to run with once she has the time to sort through her notes and write, but her thoughts also drift towards the waterfalls in her own life that she’s been chasing. Naturally, she thinks about Rolling Stone and what she hopes New York City will bring her. Adventure, she thinks at first, digging deeper when that doesn’t quite suffice. Success, getting warmer. Purpose, bingo. Alani sinks into her seat with a contented sigh.

“Piña coladas,” Harry hums once they’ve pulled up to Alani’s driveway. “Next time, we’re definitely getting piña coladas,”

Alani isn’t as surprised by his suggestion of meeting up for a third time, though it still sends her heartbeat through the roof. She tries not to think too hard about the implications.

“On you,” she teases.

“Of course,”

“Thanks again,” Alani says, turning to face him. “We covered a lot of material today,”

Harry flashes a shy smile in response. “Sorry ‘bout...your clothes. I should’ve checked the weather,”

“Occupational hazard,” she shrugs, mirroring his words from earlier. “So I guess I’ll just see you around then?”

“Yeah,” he swallows, suddenly aware of her proximity. “I mean are we still doing this—the interviews?”

Alani stops smoothing out her damp waves, feeling as if she had overstepped. “If that’s okay. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed—”

“No, it’s okay,” Harry reassures her. “I’m available—I mean for your writing I’m—”

He stumbles over his words and Alani eases the slightest bit knowing that he’s nervous, too.

“Just let me know, whenever.” he says finally, regaining his composure.

“Will do.” she nods slowly.

Alani’s eyes dart to Harry’s lips briefly, lingering just long enough that Harry notices, but too quick for him to justify closing the gap. Before he knows it, he’s missed his chance and she’s slipping out of the car, closing the door with a sense of finality that makes his stomach drop.

Alani makes her way up to the house, gravel crunching under her feet and head pounding.

Don’t get too close, she reminds herself. Don’t go chasing waterfalls.

Next Chapter

[thicctails]

Summer Of Whump Day 18 [Collapse/Beaten]

This one is such a mix of fluff and whump, I love it!

Ω

 “She’s so pretty! Do you think she’ll let me do her hair?”

 “He’s so pale… is that normal for humans?”

 “For some of us, yes.”

 “I think they’re waking up…”

 “Oh, Tiger’s right! Step back, little ones.”

 Omega groaned softly, blinking blearily. The Force nudged her, urging her to open her eyes. She obliged, opening her eyes and allowing her vision to come into focus. Her breath caught in her throat when she spotted a scaly, toothy muzzle right in front of her face. She yelped and scrambled back, tripping over something. She heard a grunt from beneath her, and a quick glance down revealed that it was Cal that she had tripped over. The duo quickly moved into a defensive position, her back against his as they called out to the Force.

 A group of people had surrounded them, all from varying species. They were all different ages as well, ranging from a mature adult to a young toddler. They didn’t look aggressive, but they hadn’t ended up here on accident, so Omega remained on guard. She’d learned to not trust strangers at this point, no matter how friendly they seemed. The eldest member of the group, a Togruta, if her memory served her correctly, raised her hands.

 “Easy, young ones. We’re not going to hurt you.” She said.

 Omega reeled back at first, remembering hearing that same voice when she had been grabbed, but found herself unwilling to stay angry when she felt a wave of calm being sent to her through the Force. She felt Cal relax, and decided that she would put her trust in his comfort.

 “C-crèshe Master Mirthver?” Cal’s voice held a trembling note of blinding hope. The Togruta nodded.

 “It is wonderful  to see you alive and well, young Ketsis.” She smiled, opening her arms. The padawan launched himself at her, sinking into the hug like his life depended on it.

 Omega had no idea what a Crèshe Master was, but she’d gathered enough information to figure out that the woman was definitely a Jedi. Around her, she heard the Force hiss irritably, and it urged her to get up and get away from the Togruta. But one look at Cal’s relieved expression made her decision for her. If staying with this Jedi and her little group for a bit meant that her friend got to be happy, then the Force would simply have to suck it up.

 “I can’t believe it! I- I thought for sure that you were dead!” He cried, burring himself on her robes.

 “I am very much alive, as are some of those under my care.” Mirthver’s voice turned sad. “But not as many as there should be. I was not able to save them all.”

 “You did the best you could. I know you did.” Cal whispered.

 The Togruta smiled softly, and Omega could feel her Force signature thrum with comfort. She looked towards Omega, her smile still on her face even as a tinge of confusion.

 “Who are you, little one? I don’t remember ever seeing you at the temple.” She said, looking Omega over.

 “That’s because she never was. Omega is a clone.” Cal explained, pulling back from the hug.

 “What?!” A voice snapped.

 The Force buzzed with danger as Omega heard something flare to life behind her. She leapt back, falling off of the bed she had been sitting on. Just in time too, as a bright yellow lightsaber swung down on the place where she had just been.

 “Chex!” Master Mirthver yelled, pulling Omega into her arms.

 Cal’s eyes flashed dangerously and he growled. The Force buzzed with anger, and suddenly there was a crash and a grunt. Omega looked over her shoulder to see a human boy holding his head, a discarded lightsaber clattering to the ground. Cal pulled Omega into a protective hug, and she could feel that he was shaking. Actually, they both were.

 Someone rushed over to where Chex lay, her muzzle pulled back into a concerned frown. She grabbed the lightsaber and tucked it away in a pocket before checking up on the boy. Chex groaned and rubbed his head, glaring at Cal and Omega.

 “What the hell?! Why are you defending a karking clone?!” He hissed.

“Chex Varren!” The Togruta’s voice boomed as she stood. Cal and Omega shuffled to the side, and Cal cringed in shame at the tone of her voice, even if her ire was not directed at him. “We do not attack innocents! And watch your language, there are younglings here!”

 “Innocents?!” He balked. “She’s. A. Clone! You know, the people who betrayed us and murdered our entire Order?!”

 “Does she look like a murderer to you?” The woman gestured to Omega, who shrunk back under Chex’s gaze.

 “It doesn’t matter what she looks like.” He spat venomously, getting to his feet. “A clone’s a clone, and clones are monsters.”

 “No we’re not!” Omega defended, her chest puffing up in defensive rage. “It’s the inhibitor chips! They’re what made everyone go bad! They didn’t want to betray you!”

 “Lies! You’re lying!” Chex snarled. “I’m not going to let you trick me, and I’m not going to let you hurt my family!”

 “I don’t want to hurt your family!” Omega exploded, the Force crackling around her. It wanted her out, wanted her away from the danger.

 “ENOUGH!”

 Master Mirthver stepped in between the two bristling children. She pointed a finger towards a tunnel entrance, and Omega realized that she wasn’t sitting in a room, but a well lit cave.

 “Go scout the perimeter. We need to make sure the actual threat hasn’t managed to find us.” She commanded.

 The padawan slunk away, scowling as he went. His hand raised, and his lightsaber snapped into his grasp. The furry person that had been checking him over stepped aside, scowling at him.

 “Dick.” She muttered, and Omega blinked at the insult.

 The scowling teen turned to Omega, and her face became infinitely softer.

 “Sorry about him, he’s a jerk even on the best of days.” She said, kneeling down to that she was eye level with Omega. Cal released her from his protective hold, the Force settling as the tension in the air dissipated. She had brilliant white fur and piercing blue eyes, a headpiece adorned with crystals looped around her pointed ears. “I’m Ebba Freclo, but everyone calls me Ebby.”

 “I’m… Omega.” Omega said, reaching out a hand, as she knew that was what was considered to be polite. Ebby smiled and extended her own paw, shaking Omega’s hand.

 “It’s a pleasure to meet you. The Light shines so brightly in you.” Ebby complimented.

 “Thanks?” Omega glanced at Cal, wondering if that was the right response. He nodded.

 “It’s a good thing. The Light guides us down the right path.”

 Omega nods, before looking at Master Mirthver. “Um, why are we here? I mean, you could have just came and said hello.”

 “Ah, yes, I apologize for our… less than favourable methods of getting you here.” She said, sounding a bit sheepish, “But we had to be sure that strange looking clone couldn’t sneak up on us.”

 “Crosshair? But he-” She cut herself off, taking a moment to imagine what Crosshair might do if he came back to find them talking to a bunch of lightsaber-wielding strangers. “Okay, fair enough. But we need to go back. He’s gonna be worried about us!”

 “Wait, you were with him willingly?” Ebby questioned. Cal nodded.

 “He saved our lives. We got captured by the Empire, and he got us out. His chip is malfunctioning for some reason.” He explained.

 “And now we’re trying to contact his brothers so that they can come get us.” Omega added.

 “You’re not staying?” A tiny voice piped up.

 Omega looked down and saw a Nautolan girl looking up at her with wide, sad eyes. She was a rich purple with pale cream markings, dressed in a soft green tunic and brown pants. A bracelet was fastened around her wrist, a chunk of the same crystal as the teen had attached to the simple brown accessory.

 “Well…” Omega glanced at Cal, who was giving the youngling with the scaly muzzle a hug. He mouthed “just a bit longer”, and Omega sighed.

 “Crosshair’s gonna have our heads for this- okay, we’ll stay for a little bit longer.” She conceded.

 Cheers erupted from the gathered younglings. The Nautolan girl and a young Wookie grabbed Omega’s hands and pulled her away.

 “Come on! Let’s make flower crowns!” The girl squeaked happily.

 Omega laughed and let herself be pulled away.

 “Will you train with us? Me and Tiger are gonna practise tree hopping.” The scaly girl asked Cal.

 “I guess I could. Don’t expect me to be very good though.” Cal smiled, letting himself be pulled along.

   Omega quickly picked up the skill of flower crown making, her hands easily threading the stems. The two younglings chatted on either side of her, although she needed translations for what the Wookie was saying. They told her about everyone who lived in their little hidden crèshe. There was Crèshe Master Azeu Mirthver, Ebba the Bothan, Tiger the Dathomirian, Javeri the Wookie, Xanbi the Nautolan, Chex the Human, Beska the Barabel, and Chi the Togorian. Tiger, Ebby, and Chex were padawans, with Ebby almost ready to become a Jedi Knight. Javerie, Xanbi, Beska, and Chi were still younglings, Beska being the oldest at 10, and Chi being the youngest, only a few months old.

 “What’s it like living with a baby?” Omega asked.

 “It’s hard. He’s always putting out his emotions, which means you’re either feeling really happy, really tired, or really upset. Me an’ Javeri can’t watch him for too long because we can’t put shields up yet.” Xanbi sighed.

 “And he cries when he’s upset! He’s really loud!” Javeri rumbled, Xanbi translating.

 “Sounds awful.” Omega frowned.

 “It’s not all bad.” Xanbi said, examining her flower crown. “He’s really cute, and he’s fun to play with when he’s happy.”

 “Why isn’t he out here with us?” Omega asked.

 “Chi’s too little to make flower crowns!” Xanbi and Javeri giggled.

 “Oh.” Omega said simply. “I didn’t know. I’ve never actually seen a baby before.”

 “What?” Javeri questioned. “Didn’t you see baby clones?”

 “No, clones aren’t sent out until they’re physically around your age.” Omega explained. “The Kaminoans do something to make them grow up twice as fast.”

 “How old are you?” Xanbi looked up at Omega.

 “5 and a half years old.” She replied.

 “WHAT!” Both younglings yelped.

 “You’re younger than me!” Javeri warbled.

 “You’re, like, a little kid!” Xanbi said, dumbfounded.

 “Remember, I age twice as fast as you do.” Omega reminded them.

 “Why?” Xanbi asked.

 Xanbi’s question made Omega’s face turn sad.

 “Because clones were made for war. They wanted us to grow up fast so that we could go and fight. If I was a regular clone, I’d be sent off to fight in a few years.” She said softly.

 “That’s horrible!” Javeri said. “You can’t make little kids fight! That’s a grown-up thing!”

 “It should be.” Omega agreed. “But to the Republic and the Kaminoans, the clones were grown ups.”

 The two younglings looked at each other in utter disbelief.

 “We’ll change it!” Javeri stated in a serious voice, or at least as serious as a 6 year old could be. “One day, we’ll be big! And we’ll make sure no kids ever have to fight, clones or not!”

 Omega gave them hopeful smiles. These kids were the future of the Jedi, and if they could learn from past mistakes, Omega thought that future would be pretty bright.

   Cal panted as he leaned against the tree for support. Beside him, Tiger crouched on the branch, the tree limb still shaking from when he had landed. The peach-coloured Dathomirian smiled at him, his milky white eyes shining in the mid-day sun. How a blind boy could jump and land so gracefully, Cal would never know.

 “How,” He sucked in a deep breath, “how do you do this so easily?”

 “I rely on the Force.” Tiger said with his feather-soft voice. “It guides me. I can feel it constantly.”

 “Yeah?” Cal huffed, sweat dripping down his neck. “You and Omega would get along great.”

 “The Force loves her. It sings with joy when she’s happy and thunders with anger when she’s not. I could feel its anger when Chex tried to attack her.” Tiger mused. “It won’t let you two stay, you know.”

 “What?” Confusion rippled through Cal. What did that mean?

 “It wants her to leave, to get away from us. I don’t know why, but her place isn’t here. But she won’t leave without you, and it doesn’t want her to be alone.” He explained.

 “How do you know this?” Cal asked.

 “I told you, I’m always feeling the Force. She has bonded to you, which is unheard of. Padawans don’t even form bonds like that with other padawans, let alone random Force-sensitives.” Tiger gave him a knowing look. “But you don’t seem to be to keen on the idea of severing the bond while you still can.”

 It was true, he didn’t want to loose his connection to Omega. She was a source of comfort in a sea of turmoil, a guiding star to keep him on the Light’s path. He wanted to be the same for her as well, someone that she could go to when she was at her lowest. So what if this wasn’t the Jedi way? The Order was gone, its members left scattered to the wind. The Code, he figured, could be broken a bit if it meant that himself and others might make it to adulthood, to be able to grow up and become the next generation of Jedi.

 “Cal!”

 He looks down, and there she is, holding a ring of golden and orange flowers, a crown of her own adorning her head, petals of blue and purple hues creating a halo of colour.

 “I made you a flower crown! Come down here so that I can put it on you!” She chirped.

 A warmth blooms in his chest, and he wonders how the idea of him leaving her can even exist in someone’s mind. Tiger laughs beside him.

“You’re so open around her. Perhaps Master Mirthver can teach you both to reign in your emotions.” He suggests as Cal begins to climb down. “You two are like beacons in the Force when you’re together, it’s how we found you today. If we could track you using your Force signature, so could someone less friendly.”

 Cal paused at that. Tiger had a point. If the Jedi had been able to find them, then a Sith definitely could. His stomach roiled in fear at that thought, and he accidentally sent his emotions through his and Omega’s bond.

 “Cal?” Omega called, worry in her voice. “You alright?”

 “I’m fine!” He called back, shoving his fears into a small place deep down in his chest. Hopefully, she’d think that his emotions had come from him being up so high.

 “Do you need help?”

 “No, no I got it!”

 He shimmied his way down, jumping off once he was low enough. He gave her a reassuring grin, and she returned it with a smile of her own.

 “Here!” She chirped, placing the flower crown on his head. “I made this for you!”

 He let her put the flowers on his head, bowing his head a bit so she could position it easier. The ring of bright gold and orange sat lightly on his hair, just snug enough to not slide off when he moved.

 “It’s beautiful, thank you.” He said sincerely, reaching up to feel the soft petals.

 “You look so pretty.” Omega gushed.

 Cal sputters at that, his cheeks flushing red. “Y-you don’t call boys p-pretty, Omega!”

 She quirked an eyebrow at him. “What? Says who?”

 Cal rubbed the back of his neck. “You know… people.”

 Omega snorted. “I don’t care what “people” think, Cal. I think that you’re pretty, and that’s that.” She said, booping his nose.

 He blinked, going cross-eyed as he tried to look at where she’d tapped him. Her boldness was stunning, and he found himself feeling a bit more okay about being called pretty.

 “You’re pretty too, ‘mega.” He murmured, and he felt his breath stutter at the electric burst of fondness that exploded across their bond.

 “You think so?” She asked shyly, although it seemed like she didn’t know why she suddenly felt shy.

 “Yeah. Prettiest girl I know.” He said, confident in his answer. If he could make her feel that happy just by giving her a compliment, than he would do it far more often.

 Omega beamed at him, her honey-brown eyes positively sparkling.

 “If you two start making out, I’m actually going to be sick.”

 Chex’s voice shattered their shared serenity. Cal whipped around, missing how Omega’s face wrinkled in confusion. He glared at the older boy, his green eyes turning sharp.

 “If you say something like that again, I’m actually going to punch your teeth in.” Cal mimicked Chex’s tone of voice as he made his irritation clear.

 “Oooh, I’m so scared.” Chex put his hands up in mock surrender. “Like you could even reach my teeth. You’re such a runt, you’d have to jump.”

 “That’s not very Jedi-like of you, Chex.” Cal hissed.

 “Yeah well, neither is your attachment.” The older padawan draws out the last word teasingly.

 Cal opens his mouth to retort, but suddenly he feels a sharp pang of panic ring out from Omega. Chex turned his head, raising an eyebrow in mildly disinterested confusion as he looked at her.

 “What’s wrong with yo-”

 “GET DOWN!”

 Omega launched forward, tackling Chex to the ground. A screech pierced Cal’s ears, and he stumbled back as a creature burst through the canopy, smashing into the ground where Chex had been seconds ago. Its tail whipped him, sending Cal to the ground. He grunted in pain, curling up into a defensive ball. Clutching his stomach, he could only watch as the beast reared up, snarling.

 It was a winged equine, skinny and malnourished with shining blue fur. Dark purple spots that reminded Cal of eyes dotted the animal’s body. It had three talon-like toes, and its wickedly sharp claws dug into the dry earth. A set of powerful feathered wings beat wildly, their teal and pink feathers gusting up dust. Rectangular pupils honed in on Omega and Chex, the black blocks standing out admits the creature’s yellow and orange eyes.

 The creature lunged for Omega, dragging her up by her foot and tossing her to the ground. Omega screamed, and Cal could feel his own back explode with pain as she hit the dirt. Fear drove him to try and get up, but he found himself unable to. A warm wetness was beginning to form under his hands, and he instinctively applied pressure. Helpless, he watched horrified as the winged animal kicked at her, it’s sharp hooves slicing through her shirt and leaving bloody marks behind.

 “Nrgh! Get away from her!” He shouted, trying to draw the animals attention off of her.

 The equine payed him no mind, grabbing at Omega again. It’s wicked fangs closed around her leg, and he felt himself pale when he saw rivets of blood dribble down the beast’s thick neck. Omega was howling in pain at this point, and the sound broke his heart and made him feel like the lowest scum for not being able to help her.

 “HEY FEATHER-FACE!”

 The animal jerked it’s head to the right. A dusty, angry Chex. His yellow lightsaber crackled fiercely, the glow reflecting off of a stream of blood that dripped down his face from a gash on the side of his head.

 “Eat lightsaber!” He yelled, swinging his weapon at the feathered equine. He managed to hit a wingtip, and the creature shrieked, dropping Omega. She hit the ground with a thud, and he saw her eyes go wide as the air rushed out of her lungs.

 The aggravated animal snapped and snarled at the teen, the two circling each other. Chex darted forward, slicing into the creature’s flank. It roared and whipped its head around, grabbing Chex’s arm and tossing the teen away. Suddenly, Tiger leapt out of the tree above the animal with a yell, landing on it’s back and grabbing its ears. The equine bucked and brayed, trying to throw Tiger off of its back. Tiger moved to grab his lightsaber, but the animal took advantage of his distraction and swung its tail around and struck Tiger in the head. The Dathomirian yelped in pain and fell, gasping in pain when a hoof struck him in the chest.

 The animal was heaving at this point, foamy saliva coating its jaws. It staggered in pain, its injured wing twitching as it made an odd wheezing sound. It lowered its head, growling at the ground as it continued to sway and twitch. Omega let out a high pitched whine, and the animal’s attention snapped towards her. It bellowed and reared up, its hooves poised to come down directly on her chest. Cal closed his eyes and jerked his head away, unwilling to watch his only friend in the whole galaxy die right in front of him.

 Bam!

 The beast fell silent, then Cal heard a loud thud as it hit the ground. His eyes flew open, his vision now filled with bright blue fur. The animal wasn’t breathing. As quickly as he possibly could, he lifted himself up as much as possible. His ears were full of the sound of his own heart pounding, but he was vaguely aware of the sounds of the other Padawans making noises of pain and calling out for Master Mirthver. His head tilted upwards, and he nearly sobbed in relief when he saw an armored figure crouched on a high up branch.

 Crosshair’s presence brought a sense of much needed safety, especially as fatigue grabbed Cal in its iron-clad grip. His head his the dirt again, darkness starting to seep into his vision. As the world faded away, he saw Crosshair rush towards them, unable to decide which child he should attend to first. He must have seemed more injured, because he was soon scooped up into a secure hold and brought closer to Omega. He blinked as Crosshair began speaking in Mando’a, his words too fast and Cal’s hearing too muted to be understood. His head lolled to the side, his cheek resting on Crosshair’s scuffed armor. Omega stared back at him, her eyes full of pain. She was panting shallowly, tears dripping down her face. He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it as he slipped into unconsciousness.

[sonicringnoise]

Have a Jak 3 rant

Okay, I need to talk about Jak 3 and just...how absolutely janky the plot is. 

This rant is extremely long, so I put it under the cut.

First of all, I just want to point out, I love this game. I love it so much, and it’s my favorite out of the trilogy. But it just...it could have been so much better, guh.

And I know that development of this game was rushed (hell, it only came out a year after Jak 2), but I’m still going to rant about it!

It starts out just fine, with the Wasteland and Spargus and the arena, but it gets so weird as it goes on. Just...really disjointed.

We never really find out why Jak keeps going after eco crystals. Seriously, he gets a dark eco crystal from the Dark Maker at the beginning of the game, a light eco crystal from Seem, and just...starts collecting them, for some reason? Like, was he going to make a necklace? Start a rock collection? It’s never explained.

But whatever, it turns out those are needed later in the game to save the world. Fine.

After some Spargus-y missions, we then go...to the Monk Temple. You know, the temple. That’s never been mentioned before, and we didn’t even know existed, but we just went up there to explore and stuff and...

Like, how hard would it have been to have a line where Seem says, “We monks live far to the north, in a temple in the mountains.”

Then we’d at least have a reason to go there. But no, instead we just show up there and start poking around. 

This is one of my biggest issues with the game. In Jak 2, there are cutscenes that set up these missions, or even communications in gameplay that tell us where to go. In Jak 3, there’s just...a lot of that missing.

But, fine. Whatever, Jak has, like, ESPN or something.

At the volcano, Jak gets a dark power of invisibility, I guess. But only when he touches certain statues, and it’s only ever really used to get past a few traps and then never again.

Oddly enough, this was something that...made sense? I mean, invisibility is actually a power that dark eco has. Remember in Jak 2, there were metal heads who could turn invisible. 

But it’s never used! And that complaint holds true for almost every power Jak gets. You basically use the powers when a prompt comes on screen to get through a one-time obstacle, and then never again. 

Then we find out Veger is talking to the monks, but no one ever really expands on why? Or how? Like, for a city hidden in the Wasteland and forgotten, a lot of fucking people know it exists! 

Speaking of which...

We meet Ashelin in the desert and she begs us to come back to Haven City. Jak asks her how she knows Damas and she answers, “It doesn’t matter now.”

Excuse me??

It totally does matter! If Ashelin knows Damas, it begs the question: does she know that Jak is his son? Does she know the Kid is his son? Does she even know about the Kid? 

I mean, Ashelin would almost have to know that Jak is Damas’ son: during this scene, she gives him his seal back and says, “Don’t you remember who you are?”

Whatever. Add that to the list of things that are never mentioned again.

Jak says he’s not coming back to the city, because he’s an angry teenager and he likes hanging around with his Sand Dad. 

This is immediately followed by Jak returning to Haven City.

We head to the Monk Temple, again for no reason. This time, we open up some doors and Pecker leads us back to the city. 

There is no explanation as to why Jak has a change of heart. I actually think that the scene where Damas and Jak had a heart-to-heart and he mentions his lost son should be here: it leads perfectly into Jak deciding that the Greater Good is more important than his feelings.

Instead, we get nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just Jak heading back to Haven City because it’s The Thing To Do.

We reach Haven City after a boss battle and meet with Samos and Keira. Samos sucks, but that’s in character. Keira has no lines in this scene, and only makes goofy faces. Seriously, look: 

That’s it, that’s the character. 

Like, what’s happening in this scene? What’s going on with you, Keira? Are you okay? Are you making bedroom eyes at Jak? Are you confused? Did you smoke some of your father’s funny herbs again?

(Again, I know Keira’s role got cut down a lot because they changed voice actors, but it’s...so...jarring for a normally prominent character to suddenly get shoved into the background.)

We do some missions for Torn and eventually find out that Erol is the bad guy. Never explained how Erol survived slamming his Zoomer into dark eco and exploding in front of a huge crowd, but at this point, it’s whatever. 

We continue on our journey: Tess is a furry, Samos is useless, Torn is...Torn. 

We get a scene with Sig where Jak and Daxter ask him about Damas and his job as a spy and all that stuff. Fine, well and good, except the following exchange happens:

Jak: You’re playing with people’s lives!

Sig: Why not? They played with mine.

I’m sorry??

There’s a story there, and I’d like to know! What the hell happened to Sig? Why is nothing ever explained??!!

We get some Dadmas feelings, then we head over to have a chat with Kleiver. And this happens:

Jak: Kleiver, I need to find some very special Precursor artifacts, but I’m running out of time.

...Are you?? Has that been established?

So, in one of the previous missions, Samos mentions over the communicator (during gameplay, not in a cutscene) that to activate some ruins in Haven Forest, you’ll need some artifacts. But all he says is this:

Samos: Mar wrote that there was some ancient ruins to the west that were activated by five special artifacts and revealed wondrous truths. I'll see what I can find out.

That’s it! There’s never a cutscene where Samos says you need to find the Holo Cube, the Quantum Reflector, the Beam Generator, the Prism, and...by the way, there is no 5th artifact. Samos, you’re full of shit.

(Unless the Eco Sphere you get from Seem towards the end counts, but it’s very unclear.)

And, by the way, I had to Google those artifact names. The artifacts are never actually named until you acquired them in-game. Jak just finds random artifacts and is like, “Welp, this’ll do it! How convenient!”

Sigh.

Once we get all these artifacts no one told us about, we’re told to go take a cab down to the center of the earth. We don’t do that, and instead blow some shit up to visit our friends in person again. 

(Quarantine mood, really.)

And, again, I can’t get over how much of a non-character Keira is. Seriously, she just stands there and claps like a 3-year-old.

And we also come to my own personal pet peeve: the scene where Ashelin strips Veger of his title.

I can’t with this shit.

The biggest issue I have with this game, from a story standpoint, is how quickly the inciting incident is resolved. Like, Jak being banished is the whole reason we have a Jak 3. The city turned against him; his anti-hero choices in Jak 2 led to him being blamed for the war in Jak 3. It made sense.

But Ashelin decides, 75% through the game, to just be like, “Naw, Veger, fuck you. Get out of my face, buh bye.”

It just pisses me off, because if Ashelin had that power, why didn’t she use it before Jak was banished??

And why is Jak okay with this? Why is Moody McAngerface not even a little annoyed that she didn’t care enough to do this when he was dying of heatstroke in the desert?

Uuuuuuggggghhhhh guys I don’t understand.

So we see Vin again, blow some more stuff up, fight Erol, and get some tentacle wings. Seem acts all nice to us and gives us a present we didn’t know we needed. More Dadmas ensues, we see the Dark Maker ship for some reason, blow even more stuff up.

Finally, it’s time to head to the catacombs. We get into some trouble with Dark Makers (even though there’s only, like, three of them), and Damas busts through the goddamn wall in a car.

No idea how he got here, considering the Wasteland appears to be an island, but whatever, it’s a badass scene.

Then, because Jak can’t have anything nice, they get hit and crash the car all over Damas’ legs.

Seriously, dude, I get that you might be dying from blood loss, but why are you coughing, your lungs are fine.

So Damas dies, Jak is his long-lost son, it’s very sad, and Veger you piece of shit.

I will forever be salty that Veger, who was an overall excellent villain, was sidelined for Erol of all people. Admittedly, Jak 2 did the same thing with Praxis, but Kor was a much better Big Bad than Erol.

Regardless, we then get the Worst Plot Twist Ever, when we find out the Precursors are ottsels.

k.

Moving on from that tragedy, we then get to fight Erol. The fight sucks, it’s boring and I hate driving the stupid Wasteland buggies.

And then the end comes, and my blood pressure skyrockets. Somewhere, my PCP senses a disturbance.

The Precursors being ottsels is stupid, but Jak telling them to call him “Mar” is even stupider. First of all, Jak does not seem like the kind of person to get sentimental over his birth name. It’s weird, and I don’t like it.

Second of all, the ottsel leader calls him Mar once, directly after that. And then never again. 

Seriously, 90 seconds after Jak says he wants to be known as Mar, this happens:

I’m sorry, what’s that?

Why would you add that line in about Jak wanting to be called by his birth name, and then ignore it a minute and half later??!!

It just infuriates me. There’s a lot of stuff in Jak 3 that does this: it’s touched on once, then it’s gone forever.

And let’s talk about Daxter’s wish. I actually find this particular decision - where Daxter chooses to wish for pants instead of being human again - totally believable. 

Despite how much Daxter is regarded as the comic relief idiot of the duo, he’s actually shown to be pretty sharp. He’s definitely observant. And at this point, remember that he’s already seen the Precursors at work: he saw them turn Veger into an ottsel.

So Daxter probably realized that these guys were on some monkey paw, be-careful-what-you-wish-for bullshit and decided to wish for the most innocuous thing he could. Who knows what would happen if he actually asked to become human again? Might come out lookin’ like Samos.

And he’s right, by the way! Look at what those assholes did to my baby Tess. They could’ve just got her a size 6 pair of Levi’s and been like, “Here, boom, pants.” 

But nooo, they turned her into an ottsel, too, because why not why the fuck not nothing matters ahhhhHHHHHHHHH

...

...

Anyway, like I said, Jak 3 is my favorite in the series. It had such potential. It’s like a puzzle that’s missing pieces. I like it more for what it could have been, rather than the absolute mess it actually is.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Kiro’s Dessert Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Acquaintance Collection: Gavin // Lucien // Victor

Kiro once told me that when Savin shuts the door while holding a weighing scale, a great tragedy is about to occur.

Savin: Kiro, it’s time to measure your weight.

Savin takes out a small book and flips to the page featuring a record of Kiro’s weight.

With a firm look in his eyes, Kiro steps onto the electronic scale. After the numbers stop blinking, he has an expression of relief.

Savin: Mm. Not bad.

Kiro turns to look at me, making a small triumphant pose.

Savin: However… even if you maintain your current weight, there will be a dessert-themed photoshoot soon. To achieve best results, your body fat percentage still needs to go down a little. Maintain your exercise regimen and watch your diet.

Kiro casts a glance at the tidbit shelf and releases a small sigh, his shoulders slumping.

Kiro: Mm, I understand.

Savin pats his shoulder, opens the door and leaves.

MC: So strict…

Kiro: It can’t be helped. Celebrities need to manage their bodies strictly. You can’t blindly lose weight nor let yourself go. This isn’t just to maintain our image, but also to set a good example to the fans.

Kiro explains seriously. Suddenly thinking of something, he shoots me a cheeky grin.

Kiro: Miss Chips, why don’t we… train together?

MC: Eh?

Kiro: We enjoy eating tidbits together. Isn’t it time to suffer together as well?

MC: …

Kiro: Whether it’s exercising or eating, having two people supervising each other will make it more effective. Am I right?

MC: It does make sense if you put it that way…

Kiro: Didn’t Miss Chips say that she wanted to get fit? Isn’t this the best opportunity?

As he speaks, he blinks his eyes towards me. I can’t find a reason to reject him.

MC: Since you’re so persuasive, I shall “lay down my life”!

I exaggeratedly raise a fist and swing it in the air. Kiro smiles as he lifts his hand gently meeting my knuckles.

Kiro: Deal! Let’s take care of each other over the next duration, Miss Chips.

~

MC: This… this is almost the end right? I can’t do it anymore…

I ask while panting, struggling to remain on the treadmill.

On this weekend evening, I am with Kiro in the fitness room to train instead of staying at home.

Kiro: Keep going for a while more. After this run, we can rest.

Kiro’s breathing is much steadier than mine. He even turns his head to smile at me, cheering me on.

MC: How is your… stamina… this good… huff…

I do my best to control my breathing in order to say these words.

Kiro: Stamina is something necessary on stage. During concerts, you still need to maintain the quality of the singing while dancing, right? In order to have consistent breathing and to ensure that I wouldn’t get fatigued during the concert, I have to train for a very long time. Even though I’m not that muscular, don’t underestimate my stamina!

He smiles and points to himself. I can sense that those easy words hide a lot of sweat and effort behind them.

Kiro: Keep going, Miss Chips. It’s the final thirty seconds. I’ll do a countdown for you!

I clench my fists, getting through the final few seconds. Each second feels like a year.

MC: Huff… huff… I can’t continue…

Kiro ends his countdown, and I slide off the treadmill.

MC: I feel like… my legs no longer belong to me… huff…

Kiro: This is for you - it’s salt water. It’s important to restore water and salt content in the body after exercising. Miss Chips is amazing! You’ve successfully ran with me for an hour.

I take the water bottle and follow Kiro’s instructions, drinking the water in sips.

MC: Do you always exercise like this?

Kiro: Yeah, this regimen is nothing to me!

Even though I’m supposedly exercising with Kiro, I know that my regimen is much more relaxed than his.

Thinking of my hard work and fatigue over the past few days which can’t be compared to his daily work, I feel a sense of respect for him.

MC: Kiro, do you ever feel very tired, or feel like you can’t go on?

Kiro: Of course.

Kiro answers in an instant.

Kiro: Mm, but these emotions will only stay for a while. When I think of all my fans and how I decided to take this path, I will keep persevering no matter what. And I have to do it. Being able to see my fans enjoy the concert, or any other performance, is worth much more than anything else.

They finish chatting, and continue with training.

~

Kiro invites her to the actual photoshoot.

In front of me, there are several big plush bears. There are also soft pink cushions. It looks like a scene from a fairytale.

A few cakes and desserts have been prepared, probably due to “sweets” being the theme of the photoshoot. Even the air has a whiff of sweet cream.

MC: Is this photoshoot going down the sweet and cute route?

Right after hearing my question, I see Kiro looking at me a little slyly, followed by a “shh” posture.

Kiro: Just wait and see.

Photographer: Kiro, can we start the photoshoot?

Kiro: Anytime. I’m all prepared.

Kiro’s voice changes to a serious and confident one.

Photographer: Let’s try a few shots first. We’ll follow the style and feel as mentioned before.

Kiro nods, walks next to the plush bear and sits down, leaning onto it.

In the blink of an eye and a few simple movements, the expression in his eyes changes. That sunshine boy gives off a lazy aura, and even carries with him an aggressive charm.

It’s technically still Kiro, but he has changed completely.

Photographer: The aura is just right!

Kiro lifts a knee, holding up a slice of cake.

Photographer: Very good! Could you be… slightly sexier?

Kiro nods, lying down a little more. The originally loose shirt follows his movements and gets pulled up even more, revealing his sculpted abdominal muscles.

Photographer: Perfect!

Kiro looks at the cake in his hands and lifts the corner of his lips slightly.

He maintains his earlier pose, bringing the cake to his lips. He opens his mouth, sticks out his tongue slightly, and bites into the cake.

For the sake of the cameras, his action of eating the cake is deliberately slow.

Every movement and every bob of his Adam’s apple is captured by the camera.

The pink decorations in the background and furry plush toys surprisingly enhance his look of aggressiveness.

Those blue eyes look straight into the camera - shimmering, as though encompassing the sky and the sea.

Kiro: How does it look? Are there any adjustments to be made?

Kiro enters a serious discussion with the photographer, checking every aspect. He seeks perfection in everything - from the lighting, to the actions, to the composition and to the aperture.

Sensing my eyes on him, Kiro shoots me a grin, then continues communicating with the staff. They begin the next round of photoshoots.

~

Kiro: Thanks for all of your hard work today!

After the photoshoot, Kiro stretches and moves his body. Noticing that he has some cream at the side of his lips, I point to my own lips to signal to him.

He reacts quickly, wiping off the cream on his mouth.

Kiro: Is it still there?

MC: There’s still a little bit, let me get you a tissue…

Kiro: No need to trouble yourself.

Before I open my bag, Kiro has already stuck out his tongue, licking the cream off.

MC: [blushes]…

Kiro: Why is Miss Chips’ face a little red?

MC: N-nothing… since today’s shoot is over, are you allowed to relax and eat your favourite foods now?

Kiro: Mm, I’ve already prepared a list in my head. The first thing I want to eat is…

Interviewer: Hello Mr Kiro, I’m a reporter from TV. I’ve spoken to your agency… sorry, am I interrupting something?

Kiro: Hello, I’ve heard about it from the agency. I’ll go through with the interview.

Kiro signals MC to wait for him.

Interviewer: In the shoot, you were able to merge both an atmosphere of maturity and sweetness. May I ask what was going through your mind during the shoot which enabled you to exude such a look of addiction in your eyes?

Kiro: Mm, well… I was actually doing my best to express my love for desserts and tidbits!

Kiro smiles, and for a moment, no one is able to tell how serious his words are, or whether he is just kidding.

Reporter: Could I get you to elaborate further?

The reporter pauses before laughing, and then probes further.

Kiro: In order to do this photoshoot, I had live without tidbits for a long duration. I had a strict diet to comply to, and also went through a tougher training regimen to ensure the photoshoot would have best results. When I think about all these things that I love but cannot eat, I’d naturally have a look of desire.

Photographer: So that’s what happened. That’s truly unique.

The interview goes on, so MC offers to help out with tidying the place.

Kiro: So you’re here.

I turn around at the sound of Kiro’s voice behind me.

Kiro: Where did you run off to just now? You were gone in a blink of an eye.

MC: I saw how busy the staff members were. Since I’m here, I might as well lend a hand. Are you done with your interview?

Kiro: Mm, the interview went very smoothly. The article should be published in a few days. You have to look at it when it comes out!

Seeing me pulling on the plush toy prop, Kiro naturally lends a hand to lift it up, and carries it with me.

Kiro: What does Miss Chips think of this photoshoot?

MC: It’s very cool, as expected of Kiro.

Kiro: [laughing] Haha, what kind of an answer is that! I even thought you’d give me some feedback.

MC: In short, it’s very cool! Every single fan of yours will be captivated for sure.

Kiro: Every single fan?

He asks me seriously, his eyes bright.

MC: Of course…

After I speak, I realise that I once said that I was his fan as well. I suddenly feel slightly embarrassed.

MC: Anyway… you asked me to wait for you. Is there something you want to tell me?

Kiro: Mm, it’s a very important thing…

Kiro walks to the side, takes the prop cake, and puts it on a small table in front of me.

Kiro: Want to have this cake with me? I tried it just now – it’s not just visually appealing, but it tastes really good. It’s appropriate as a prize!

Looking at my inaction, he takes my hand, and hands me a big slice of cake.

Kiro: Try it? You’ve been following the strict training regimen as well.

Looking into his clear eyes, I can’t help but take a bite.

MC: Delicious!

Kiro: Right!

My tastebuds are very sensitive, probably because it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten something sweet. As such, I’m able to differentiate the creamy mellow and dense taste.

MC: Mm! Extremely delicious!

Kiro: Let’s split the remaining cake between the two of us.

I watch as Kiro takes up a slice of cake, and I can’t help but smile.

Thinking back to the past few days of interaction, I feel like I’m understanding him a little better.

[kannra21]

@owishi Asdfghjkhgfds I want to write sum HCs rn! 😆✨✨

~o0o~

After a successful photoshoot the MCPTF duo took for a detective magazine, Haru bashfuly thanked the camera crew for their work and started to gather his belongings. After a couple of seconds he didn't see Daisuke moving much from his spot at the studio backdrop so he decided to check on him.

Daisuke was still standing there, petting a beautiful cat on his shoulders. He was smiling for the first time in a long time and Haru couldn't help himself but to tease him a little.

"You have a soft spot for kittens, huh Kambe?" "Huh?" "You love animals don't you?" "Don't get the wrong idea. Just because I helped that little boy with a dog back the-" "I get it, no need to get so self-defensive." Haru approached the two and pet the cat as well. Daisuke continued "We had a family cat back in the days but she died from a kidney failure." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Pedigree cats are always difficult to maintain."

He then approached the studio producer and asked "What's the name?" while pointing at the purring ball of fluff. "Oh the name's Kumo-" "No, I meant the name of the breed." "It's a Maine Coon my good sir."

Daisuke took his phone, dialed a number and a lovely lady could be heard on the opposite line "Yes, Daisuke-sama?" "Suzue, do we have all the predispositions that satisfy the adoption of a cat?" "I mean yes but we can't charge a butler to take responsibility for everything. Consider chipping, regular visits to the vet, special shampoos, nail clippers, toothbrushes, specialized treats, eye drops, litter box, toys, climbing frames, there are many factors which need to be taken care of Daisuke-sama. Besides, it's been such a long tim-" "Alright"

Daisuke ended the phone call with a dissatisfied sigh before asking quietly "How much?" to which Haru needed to interfere. "Didn't Suzue-san just tell you not to take a cat home?" and Daisuke gave him an annoyed side-glance "I'll figure something out."

When he arrived to the mansion in his Bentley Continental GT, he glanced at the backseat to address the feline comfortably lying in the fancy pet carrier. "You better not make a sound, understood?" to which the cat just purred in satisfaction. Daisuke felt so silly at this moment, like a little boy hiding a broken vase from his mother.

When he was about to enter the mansion, he accidentally walked on Suzue typing something on her tablet. She looked up and was delighted to see Daisuke coming home safe and sound. Daisuke stood at the doors, one side of his body peering from the corner while the other with a cat was hidden behind the wall. "Welcome back Daisuke-sama, the crack-open naengmyeon is already served on the table, you can take your seat." "Actually, I was planning on doing something else beforehand. Would you please excuse me for a moment?" "Of course." Suzue turned around and waited for him in the dining room. And although Daisuke was very good at keeping his serious demeanor, Suzue still noticed that something was off, with the tone of his voice for instance. It was very faint but Suzue was able to recognize things like this since she knew him so well. Still, she decided not to question him about it.

Daisuke entered his room and laid the pet carrier on the floor. Opening the zipper, the cat jumped out and rolled cozily on his bed. Daisuke held his phone and took a picture. He decided that he couldn't leave it by itself so he went downstairs to the storeroom where he took a litter box and filled it with old newspapers just in case.

After that he joined Suzue for lunch, they talked about Daisuke's photoshoot and Suzue's data she collected on certain people regarding a case. Daisuke told her that the magazine will be published in three weeks or so and Suzue was so happy she promised that she'll be the first costumer to buy it. Daisuke smiled more around Suzue after he let go of his past and threw his father into the jail. Now that all the bad things are behind him, he can finally indulge in his life and pay more attention to Suzue to whom he has yet to make up for all she has done for him over the years. He's thinking about marrying her soon.

While they were eating and pleasantly chatting, a high pitched "mrow" could be heard from the upper floor.

"What was that?" Daisuke let out a dry cough and said "My apologies. It seems that I needed to take a thicker coat before leaving for an appointment." "But.. you always pay attention to things like this." "It's true, but today I was a little late, had other things to do." "Don't overwork yourself, you need to think about your health." "Seems like you need to take better care of me.", he said with a smirk plastered on his lips to which Suzue just laughed and replied "You're so spoiled." and he scooted closer to her whispering "But I like it better when you do it.", and almost kissed her before the two heard a soft thud coming from the above.

"Excuse me for a moment, I need to check what's happening up there. Will be right back.", maybe the moment was ruined but he kissed her forehead nonetheless and went upstairs, leaving her full-hearted and all mushy inside. Her mind was so hazed from the thought of Daisuke kissing her forehead and almost kissing her lips that she didn't register the cause of his concern.

When he arrived to his room he had things to behold; scattered papers and documents all over the floor and the ashtray he typically used after his "adventurous nights with Suzue" was lying on the ground right next to the nightstand. The cat was sitting on his working table licking her paw as if nothing of this concerned her in the slightest. Daisuke sighed in disappointment and put her back in her "baby jail". She already gave him such a hard time but he couldn't be angry with her, she was his baby (yes he already considered himself a dad for god's sake).

Since they already finished with their meals, Suzue went back to her tech room to finish her work and Daisuke took the opportunity to place some meat and water on small plates and bring it to his naughty little friend.

The cat calmed down instantly after she ate and went straight to sleep. Daisuke couldn't believe his own eyes, the audacity, the sheer amount of spoilage this creature showed was unreal. It reminded him so much of himself and he smiled a little. He really missed having a cat.

After he cleaned up and finished his other tasks, he laid on the bed next to her and pet her soft white fur, making her purr louder and snuggle up beside him. Daisuke knows that Suzue is not stupid and that she'll eventually catch up on him sneaking behind her back to give Furry Elise treats (yes her name is Furry Elise, "Für Elise" might be one of Beethoven’s best-known piano pieces and Daisuke knows how to play it too).

And it actually happened that same night. Daisuke was about to fill her small plate with more meat when he met Suzue in the kitchen and she asked him what he was doing. He instantly gave up because it would be so blatantly obvious and incredibly stupid of him to say that he was trying out a new weight-losing tip when no one in this god-forsaken world ate raw chicken.

So he took her to his room and showed her Furry Elise. And although the cat purred really loudly upon seeing them, Suzue wasn't happy about it. In fact, she looked really disappointed and Daisuke needed to apologize. He explained her how it happened and how he wished to have a pet after a really long time. He thought she liked cats as well and therefore concluded that it wouldn't be such a big deal to adopt this cute little feline she loved so much, but apparently it was, so he asked her one more time why she was so reluctant to the whole idea of owning a cat again.

Suzue now shredded a couple of tears and Daisuke was seriously alarmed upon seeing her like this so he carefully cupped her with his hand behind her back and hugged her, asking why she was crying all of a sudden.

"It's just.. I don't want to go though this all over again." "What are you talking about?" "You see, my parents died, your parent died, our previous cat died so soon. I'm living in fear every day and asking myself if something's going to happen to you as well, that's why I'm so excessively worrying about you. And everything I need right now is another sweet creature that I love so much leaving us again. I don't think I'd be able to handle it anymore."

"Suzue.. I never thought..", Daisuke kissed her head and felt a big amount of guilt dawning on him. He was so selfish for only thinking about what made him happy without considering Suzue's emotions. But then he reclaimed his mind and tried to concentrate on saying the right thing. Hopefully he can make her feel better again.

"Suzue, my dear, you shouldn't limit yourself to things that make you happy. It's not healthy. You see, none of us is eternal; neither you, nor me, nor this kitten down there looking at you with so much love in her eyes. But for that very reason that none of us is eternal, we should dedicate our time to one another and make most of it. So please don't deny yourself or your feelings. Instead of dwelling on the sad things, we should concentrate more on our time spent together and be happy, okay?"

Even Daisuke didn't know how he managed to word it this nicely but he did and he realized that both of them were crying by now. They shared a passionate kiss but got interrupted by a small furball rubbing on their feet like it wanted to share a hug as well and Suzue smiled through tears.

She squatted and carefully took the cat in her hands. "What's her name?" "Furry Elise." Suzue now needed to laugh so much and she hadn't even recovered from her previous emotional outburst.

"I love it, you're really good at this.. it's.. the song you used to play for me all the time before you went studying overseas."

He looked at her with so much love and adoration at this exact moment.

"Know what? I think I'm falling for you all over again, Mr. Millionaire." Daisuke swore, his heart was full that night and no money could ever compare to this feeling.

@daisuzuship @innovativestruggles @narcopharmacist @unholysoggytea @riaymei @ieatcrumbs @cow-goes-oof @matchabucks @bluegleeful @levi-is-heicho @kakooshi @kokorokai @darknessrxse @fluffyyagiza @geniusmeemee @sungmnnnn @koalarin @alstroemerie @petiamaximoff38 @hellohellokookie @marialenikiforov

It's daisuzu stuff so I hope you enjoy. If you want me to delete your tag you're free to tell me. 👍

[you-got-it-capstar]

SANDERS SIDES AU IDEA: What if Thomas “split” into the six Sides???

So me and my Discord chat had a long conversation about an AU idea and I wanted to share. This is kind of a long post so strap in!

Ok so the basic premise is that through some sort of ~magical hijinks~ Thomas gets “split” into the six Sides and disappears. The Sides then have to live Thomas’ life while also trying to figure out how to put themselves “back together.” Obviously hijinks and hilarity ensue. 

The Sides have to take turns being Thomas, either while filming or going out in public. Several arguments have occurred because of this. 

“But I always wear eyeshadow!” “But Thomas doesn’t! Now take off the makeup, Hot Topic.”

“I will not allow Thomas to leave the house looking like a homeless hobo!” “But I like this jacket!” 

“I’m totally not jealous that Logan got to go to the murder mystery dinner instead of me, what gave you that idea?” 

Remus is banned from leaving the house after The Incident™

At least one Side must be on Remus Watch at all times or else Chaos ensues

Remus had to be physically restrained at one point to prevent him from doing something… less than legal. 

They avoid having people over as much as they can, and the few times they have had guests were… interesting. 

They’re trapped outside of the mindscape, so all six of them have to deal with sharing the one apartment, including the bedroom (idk for sure if Thomas has only one bed, but if he does, shippers go crazy) 

The Sides can no longer shapeshift, but retain a few of their abilities

For example, when Janus is out, he can silence toxic people on the street who won’t shut up 

Janus sometimes uses makeup to cover up his scales when he has to go out as Thomas. Other days he doesn’t care and goes without it, despite the other Sides’ objections

He’s gotten a few weird looks, but he doesn’t care

Roman is very distraught over not being able to conjure anything he pleases at will anymore 

Virgil can still use his Scary Voice and has been using it a lot more given recent events

Not knowing what the others are doing as Thomas makes Virgil arguably way more anxious than if he were present

Patton is trying to stay optimistic, despite being a little bummed about not being able to go everywhere Thomas and the others go

Patton and Roman are no longer allowed in the kitchen after nearly burning the house down (Logan had to break out the fire extinguisher)

As always, Logan is the only brain cell present and is trying desperately to keep the Sides under control while researching ways to bring Thomas back, and he’s always this close to losing his sanity

Logan and Janus are in charge of finances. 

Janus is no longer in charge of finances after buying very expensive thigh-high heeled yellow boots online (Logan riots but Janus is too gay to care)

Speaking of money, keeping the Sides from splurging on everything they see has been Logan’s greatest struggle thus far. (he’s not been very successful)

Roman has spent far too much money on new clothes (tho as far as Roman is concerned, he hasn’t spent enough) 

“I’ve been trying to improve Thomas’ wardrobe for years, and you’re concerned about finances???”

Patton disappears for an entire day 

He returns with three puppies

Janus returns one day with a pet shop box that seems to be hissing, but refuses to acknowledge it exists

“Whatcha got there, Janus?” “A smoothie”

Patton is not happy about the non-existent hissing pet shop box’s preferred diet 

“If it’s FURRY, it’s not FOOD!”

“What else am I supposed to feed her, Patton?” 

The only things Virgil has spent money on is a tarantula, more eyeshadow, and a plushie he got for Patton

Roman bursts through the door one day, “LOGAN I WANT A HORSE!” “nO-”

The Sides have fought over Thomas’ clothes many times

“I wanted to wear the skull shirt!” “I know, Virgil, but it looks so much better on me” “WE HAVE THE SAME FACE!”

Janus still wears his whole outfit constantly 

Roman has to stop himself from wearing his prince costume everywhere he goes 

One day they open the refrigerator to find it filled to the brim with every flavor of Crofter’s imaginable

“YOU SAID WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE CONSERVING MONEY” “THIS IS DIFFERENT”

Logan may or may not have enrolled Thomas in some online classes (“I will not let our chemical engineering degree go to waste!”)

Joan finds out almost immediately (the Sides ain't that slick) and is rightfully confused

After a lot of explaining (“so thats why he stands in his living room for thirty minutes every time he has a crisis”), Joan joins in the shenanigans and covers for the Sides when they need it 

Joan is very amused by the whole thing tbh

It’s winter, so the Sides have to cuddle with Janus to keep him warm (he is a reptile, after all) 

Thomas’ Animal Crossing island is thriving 

When they finally fuse back together, Thomas has no memory of what happened

So to sum up, Thomas now has: 

Three puppies

A snake

A tarantula

A burned kitchen

A 98.7% in Astronomy 

Way too much crofters 

Heels

A confused Joan

A much smaller bank account

Bonus:

Thomas grows more and more horrified as Logan explains the entire ordeal in great detail (he kept a very thorough record of the experience… for science.) 

Tag List of some of the lovely people who contributed to this AU:

@lucymaka @metalshards @skyler-of-waffles @theroyalrowanquinn

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

You Should See Me in A Crown Chapter 3

Summary:   The team goes to Gotham, looking for a new place to play in. They find one, they also find a bat, a few birds and maybe a new friend for them to play with.

Warnings: Dark AU, this chapter has sex references.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The team had once already taken over a city’s underground. All it took was finding the right places and pushing. Money, blackmail, leaving someone alive… it was all so simple. 

 Gotham was different they were discovering- only in that people like Black Mask or Penguin had their hands in things.  Both were different from the criminals they had dealt with before, or even Akumas. However, they did what they did best.

 They divided and researched and conquered.

 “Penguin is black market- not our scene,” Alya said as she left the illusion of Stacy Jones, cocktail waitress at the Iceberg lounge drift away to leave her in her normal attire. “He doesn’t like drugs- he threw out a girl using them- and he prefers making his own guns.”

 “So, we offer an alliance when we’re big enough,” Marinette said as she put aside the book she was designing her dress for the gala in. “Black Mask?”

 “A freak.” Alya sniffed. “I mean- good for him, he’s done good work but ugh.”

 “Gotta respect what that man’s done but he’s a freak,” Nino said.

 “Aren’t we?” Marinette asked playfully. They snorted.

 “Got us there. Honestly- he’ll take some time to get rid of. Or fold into our empire- either one you want.” Nino shrugged. “I say kill him- he’ll never fully be folded in.”

 “Agreed.” Alya nodded. Marinette hummed.

 “Any word on the Batman?” she asked. Both shook their heads.

 “No- he’s probably already aware we’re in town but nothing yet.” Alya said. “We’re not that subtle. Or well, Chloe isn’t.”

 “Babe, we like her like this.”

 “I’m just saying,” teased Alya.

 “The magic will hide us. Even if he sees us face to face he’ll never know who we are.” Marinette said. “I just want to make sure we’re ready for him.”

 “Is anyone ready for a furry fighting them?” Nino asked.

 “Babe we’re all kind of furries,” Alya told him. He opened his mouth but then shut it.

 “Fair point.”

-0-

“The Miraculous Team?” Bruce asked Dick as the younger vigilante pulled up some videos Barbara had gathered.

 “Yeah,” Dick said, feeling pained. The events in Paris when he’d been a teenager had been brushed off as a hoax until Hawkmoth was arrested and the entire world learned oh no it wasn’t. Wonder Woman had been furious. Even more so when she learned that somehow the entire team of heroes had gone dark and then come back ruling the criminal underbelly of Paris.

 Apparently, it was rare but sometimes… sometimes Kwami and their holders could become corrupted. Wasn’t to far to assume Hawkmoth had done one finale push against them. 

 Kids his own age… forced into whatever had happened to them.

 “Carapace or Turtle as he calls himself now has been sighted around the docks along with Rena Rouge or Fox as she calls herself.” Pictures of the former heroes appeared on the screen. Both were darker versions of their hero costumes before, more black and jagged edges in their costumes. Both had completely black eyes behind their masks. “I think they’re going after the drug trade. Doing what they did in Paris- limiting it to adults and keeping it away from kids.”

 “Part of their hero selves pushing through.” Bruce nodded. “Maybe we can bring them back.”

 “... You’re being oddly helpful about all this.” Dick said.

 “They’re kids. Might be a bit older but they were kids when this happened. Kids need help.” Bruce told Dick who nodded his understanding. They needed help, and they would help them. “Agreste- could he be helping them?”

 “Possibly. If I remember right Wonder Woman managed to speak with them a few times before they went dark,” Dick firmly did not snort at the double meaning to his words. This was serious. “They said that Hawkmoth had planned to use his son in some ritual didn’t they?”

 “A sense of thankfulness then.” Brice frowned. “I dislike the magic prevents any ability to tell who they are- it would be easier to do if we could tell.”

“I think my brain is trying to make connections but like something grabs it and makes it change its mind,” Dick said, making a face. 

 “Diana said that the magic is unbreakable.” Bruce frowned. “No one can break it not even other Miraculous Holders.” 

 “So we have nothing.”

 “Not truly. Agreste and his girlfriend are coming to the Gala this week.” Bruce told Dick who slowly nodded.

 “Bugs?”

 “Bugs.”

-0-

 Marinette hummed, studying her dress for the gala. It was a classic off the shoulder dress, black lace covering a portion of it. Her lips were classic movie star red and her hair was up, silver earrings hanging from her ears.

 “Damn,” Chloé said as she wandered into the room. “You look delicious.”

 “I try.” She smiled and studied her face a bit more. “Should I do smoky eyeshadow?”

 “I think just a dab? You’re going for innocent child look- smoky might make you look more animalistic.” Chloé said thoughtfully.

 “Point. Adrien managed to weasel his way out of his classic tux with that idea. He’s wearing something a bit more relaxed.” Marinette sighed. “It makes sense though. He’s acting more cat-like lately. I think we’ll have to have a public issue tonight so he can retire from the public for a little while.”

 “I believe Lex Luthor is attending- get him to do something,” Chloé suggested.

 “... you’re still salty about his comment about your dress aren’t you?”

 “Hush,” Chloé said with a sniff. Marinette laughed at her friend before leaving the room to the living room of her floor, finding Adrien only wearing his dress pants and hissing at the fact Luka was trying to get his shirt on.

 “Adrien we need to go soon!” Marinette said, giving him a look. That made him sigh and relent enough to wear the shirt. Luka and Kagami were invited to and were dressed in their suits. Kagami wearing a long coat that had ruffles at the bottom to act as a sort of dress even with her slacks. 

 “I’m the driver tonight,” Kim said as he walked in, dressed in slacks and a sweater that made everyone snicker. “Horse is busy with some issue?”

 “Some guy keeps trying to take over.” Alya agreed. 

 “Yeah. No positive ID- we’re working on that.” Nino said. 

 “Some of the peons have turned traitor. I’m having fun with them later,” Chloé grinned, showing all her teeth. Alya and Nino flashed her adoring smiles. 

 “Have Horse keep us in the loop. Use the Kwami to contact us,” Marinette ordered. She checked her make-up one more time and then it was time to go. They ran over their covers a few times while walking. 

 Adrien the nervous and shy boy after what happened with his father. Marinette his strong girlfriend also a bit nervous. Kagami would act as their bodyguard of sorts, portraying a strong friend trying to protect them. Luka the peacemaker. 

 They did similar things before. It would be hard to play everyone like a bunch of fiddles now.

 Driving to the gala, they all relaxed and chatted after the confirming of the gala. Both Kagami and Luka wanted to find company for the night- though agreed to only do so if Adrien could stay long enough. 

 “Maybe Dick Grayson?” Mused Luka. “He’s got a fine ass.”

 “Bet I can get him first.” Kagami grinned and Luka grinned back. Marinette and Adrien grinned themselves before sighing. 

 “Damn it- it wouldn’t fit our cover.”

 “Poor both of you,” Kagami said in amusement. They made faces at her and the car laughed as they pulled up to the fancy hotel the gala was being held in. Putting their masks on, they left the car with them in place.

 Showtime.

-0-

 “I hate this place.” Muttered Marinette to Adrien who was pretending to be somewhat cowering behind her. Or well not pretending. His cat side was close to the front and it was hard for him to act human enough to pass muster. 

 “Same. Can we please be done with this soon?” Adrien asked Marinette in a low voice, a soft growl to it that made her frown.

 He was really close.

 “Tikki, try and get Luthor to say something?” She said to the Kwami. A bit of creation magic to mess with his head would work. She felt a nudge from the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders, where Tikki was hiding. She smirked as it vanished and smiled wildly when Brucie Wayne walked up.

 “Adrien! Marinette! How are you enjoying the party?” He grinned and acted like he was drinking but Marinette noticed it really didn’t move- the level in it that was.

“It’s fine. A lot more people then we’re used to but our friends are keeping the worst away.” Marinette smiled at Bruce while Adrien gave a short nod.

 “Oh yeah- Dick and Timmy are talking to them…” Brucie pointed out the group chatting and Marinette wanted to hold back her laugh. Dick was looking a bit unsettled given he was under the gaze of Kagami and Luka who tended to really double down when they wanted someone. Tim looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh, drinking some soda. “It seems they may be…”

 “Flustering your son? They do that.” Marinette giggled before she frowned. “... hopefully, they told him about their bet though I know they probably did.”

 “Bet?”

 “Oh, they bet on who could convince him to join them for the night. They tend to tell their targets this- if the target gets angry they back off. If they don’t mind they keep going,” Adrien explained. “They don’t like not letting people know about the bets- they say it’s to… gross not to.”

 “I’m surprised the son of Hawkmoth would think so.” A slimy voice said from behind and Adrien flinched while Marinette bristled. Lex Luthor was watching them with hard eyes, that to an unknowing observer wouldn’t have a slight shine to them. “I mean didn’t your father lie and use people all the time?” Adrien flinched again and Marinette bared her teeth.

 “And haven’t you been almost convicted of super-villainy a dozen times? Money talks I suppose- at least Paris was smart enough not to let it talk when it came to Gabriel.” Snarled Marinette at the man. He blinked and the shine was slowly vanishing. 

 They’d just needed to prompt him to speak.

 “Adrien?” Marinette offered a hand and he took it. “C’mon. Like and Kagami can stay if they wish, we’re not when people like him are here. So sorry Bruce.”

 “It’s alright,” Bruce told them sounding a bit off but they ignored it.

 The magic would prevent him from figuring things out.

 Kagami joined them as they left, pouting a little. 

 “Strike out?” Asked Adrien, sounding nervous but amused.

 “Incompatible interests.” Kagami pouted more while both Marinette and Adrien blinked.

 “... he’s a top?! With an ass like that?” Marinette asked in shock.

 “Apparently.” Kagami sighed. “Luka doesn’t mind though so he’s having a go of it.”

 “Good for him.” Marinette chuckled as they waited for their limo. Getting in, they stopped at seeing the serious face Kim had. “News?”

 “Some ma’am,” Kim said. He held up a hand and then Xuppu slipped into the back, moving around and pulling small devices off them. Bugs. The monkey grins and uses his powers to swap the frequency.

 Now they can hear the people who placed them when they’re activated.

 “We have issues on the docks,” Kim said straight forward while Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course, there were bugs- Batman probably had some idea Adrien could be helping the team. 

 The magic helped but that was a bit too obvious if one thought about it to block fully.

 “Oh?” Marinette asked while Adrien growled in his throat, and Kagami grinned.

 “Our annoyance just killed three of our men.” They all frowned at that. “We think we know a base near the docks.”

 “Let’s go. Know a name yet?”

 “Red Hood apparently.”

 “He’s done for.”

Tag list:  @northernbluetongue @ines-nz  @seraphichana, @glasswolff, @crazylittlemunchkin, @miraculous786, @viinaa08, @18-fandoms-unite-08 @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @my-name-is-michell @emjrabbitwolf @starsshineandgivehope @internally-confused-what @st0rmy-w1th1n @mycupisbroken @procrasinatingrightnow @i-was-supposed-to-have-a-twin @tumbling-down-hills-and-stuff @lexgetdowntobusiness @anastasian-dreamer

@thesunanditsangel @magicalfirebird @thefoxandthewofs @storyecho

[dessarious]

Broken Harmony Pt13

Okay here it is as promised!

Master List 1   Master List 2    Prologue   Beginning   Previous  Next

Damian felt more at peace than he could ever remember. Physically he wasn’t comfortable at all; sitting against the wall on Marinette's chaise lounge while she used him for a pillow. But a little discomfort was a small price to pay for his Angel’s song to be happy again. They still had a long way to go but he’d take any progress toward healing that he could. Despite the position he was in Damian began to fall asleep until he heard a loud thud from above him. He tensed and the worry in his song cause Marinette to stir.

“Angel, there’s something on the roof.” He kept his volume as low as he could manage but she seemed to hear him. She lifted her head and stared at him in confusion. “Listen.” He pointed up. Just then they heard footsteps.

He expected worry or fear to come through the bond. Instead all that showed up was annoyance. She groaned and buried her head in his shoulder. Damian had no idea how to react to that so he didn’t move.

There was a tap at the skylight and Marinette’s annoyance increased but she didn’t move. A pause, then more tapping, louder this time. His Angel turned to glare at the skylight.

“Go away Chat.” Her voice was rough from sleep. Damian’s confusion must have finally registered with her because she shot him an apologetic look.

“Is that anyway to greet your knight in shining leather?” The voice sounded slightly putout but mostly smug. He hated it instantly.

“You’re not my anything Chat. Go away, I’m trying to go back to sleep.” Damian was about to add his own two cents when Marinette covered his mouth with her hand and mouthed, “I’ll explain once he’s gone.” There was nothing in her song to indicate deceit or anything else he should be concerned about so he nodded. 

“No can do Princess, we need to talk.” Damian felt her annoyance spike at the nickname and frustration was building as well.

“No we don’t. I need to sleep. Whatever lecture you have prepared or fit you want to throw about Ladybug can wait.” They heard him tug on the skylight but it was locked. Damian felt his temper rising. How dare he try to enter his Angel’s room after she repeatedly told him to leave. Who the hell was this ‘Chat’?

“Either let me in or I’ll let myself in. I’m not going to let you get away with this.” Damian’s anger was overridden by Marinette’s confusion. She didn’t reply, not that he gave her time to. “Cataclysm.” Her eyes widened and she jumped off the chaise.

“Chat don’t you dare!” But it was too late. Her skylight disintegrated as they watched and a boy clad in a black leather jumpsuit dropped into the room. There was still no fear as she faced him with her arms crossed over her chest. “Have you lost your mind? Even with the way you’ve been acting lately I never thought you’d stoop to this.”

“Come on Princess, just because you’re pouting and feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t mean you need to take it out on me. Besides, as soon as Ladybug casts her next Miraculous Cure the skylight will be back good as new.”

  “Great. In the meantime if it rains my room will flood. I’ve always wanted a swimming pool.” Sarcasm was not something Damian expected but it suited her somehow.

“Stop making a big deal over nothing. I know you have a way to contact Ladybug so I’m sure you can get her to fix it right away.” 

“So that’s supposed to make things okay? Chat, you used your powers to break into my room. Do you really not see the problem in this?” Wait… this idiot was one of the heroes she’d told him about? 

“Then you should have let me in. Or better yet not pulled this stupid power-play for attention.” Damian wanted so badly to throttle this entitled Catwoman wanna be, but Marinette made a hand gesture behind her back telling him to calm down. The moron in leather hadn’t even noticed he was there yet. Some hero.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about but let me make something very clear to you. A person has the right to privacy and to decide who they let in their homes. You have no right to break into my home for any reason so get out.” Both her tone and song were like steel. It made him sit up straighter and it wasn’t even aimed at him.

“I’m not leaving until you agree to enroll back in school.” 

“How do you even know about that? You know what I don’t care. You have no say in my life or decisions. My parents and I are making decisions that are best for me and if you have a problem with that, too bad.”

“You can’t just abandon your friends Princess. If you would just stop antagonizing Lila everyone would like you again. Having your parents pull you out of school to get attention is just immature.” 

“Don’t call her that! And those friends put her in the hospital today you arrogant piece of trash!” Damian had jumped up and would have introduced Chat to the floor but Marinette got between them too quickly.

“Who the hell is he?” Chat’s ears actually lay back on his head and his tail lashed behind him. Damian wasn’t sure what to make of it but almost laughed when Chat actually hissed at him.

“He was invited and that’s all you need to know. And you’re daring to call me immature? After all the crap you pull. After sitting out on Akuma attacks because you can’t take no for an answer and throw a fit like a toddler? After you broke into my house because I did something you didn’t like?” Damian felt rage building with every word and it took him a minute to realize it wasn’t his. He honestly almost felt sorry for the Furry.

“I’ve explained why I’ve been staying away from Akuma fights.” He actually rolled his eyes. 

“Then what is the point of you even having a Miraculous if you’re just going to cower in the shadows while your partner does all the work?” Chat let out an angry hiss. Marinette just scoffed at him. “Don’t try that nonsense with me. I’m over your entitled tantrums and self involved idiocy. Now get out of my house!”

Chat started to reach for her and Damian finally lost his temper. Bad enough that he did it at all but given her injuries he could hurt her even worse. He stepped between them and shoved Chat away from his Angel.

“Touch her and you’ll learn what real pain is.” His voice was low and dangerous. Anyone with half a brain would take that warning seriously. So, obviously, Chat didn’t. Instead he puffed out his chest and tried to move around him.

“You can’t tell me not to touch my Princess. You just met her today but I’ve known her for years.” He felt his hackles rise. There was no way he should know that. He could feel Marinette’s wariness through the bond as well but all she showed was anger.

“Are you stalking me now Chat Noir? You seem to have a lot of information about me that you shouldn’t.” Chat kept trying to move around Damian but both her and Marinette just kept shifting away from him. Damian could almost feel his frustration building. “Keep this up and I will call Ladybug and ask her to drag you out of here.”

“As if she could. I’m more than a match for M’Lady.” Damian felt Marinette’s anger spike and put up an arm fearing she might actually try to go after him in her condition.

“I guess we’re about to find out if that’s true.” Damian’s confusion was mirrored on Chat’s face a moment before Marinette pulled open the trapdoor and practically dove through it. Chat tried to follow but Damian went for his legs and tackled him. There wasn’t much space but he managed to kick the door shut before wrestling Chat to the floor. Damian almost had him pinned when he was distracted by the bond. He suddenly felt Marinette above rather than below them. Chat pushed him off and jumped to his feet.

“Cataclysm!” Damian tried to back up, knowing what had happened to the skylight, but he wasn’t fast enough. He was surprised when Chat just scratched him instead. Apparently Chat was too judging by the look on his face. Then he heard a noise that reminded him of his grappling hook and chat was yanked away from him.

“Forgot you used your power already did you?” The cold fury in the voice coming through the skylight matched the song in his head. He watched as another hero dropped in holding the end of what looked like a yo-yo and just stared. When she met his gaze her look and the song softened. If that wasn’t enough for him to figure out she was his Angel, her blood filled iris and split lip would be. She looked at the cuts on his arm and her expression hardened once again. “Have you completely lost your mind Chat? There is absolutely no excuse for this!”

“Look I don’t know what Marinette cried to you about but I didn’t do anything wrong.” Seriously? How could this idiot not tell they were the same person when they had the exact same injuries?  Before he could get further into that thought fury exploded in his head.

“So you didn’t use your powers to break in here after she denied you entry?” He tried to sputter out a defense but she just steamrolled over him. “And it wasn’t you I just stopped from attacking a civilian who was doing nothing but trying to protect his soulmate?”

“That’s ridiculous. Mari doesn’t have a soulmate, she just made that up for attention.” Before Ladybug could form a retort they all heard a beeping sound. Damian realized he’d heard it a few times since Chat had entered the room. “Well, I hate to cut this short but it looks like you have to let me go unless you want to compromise my identity.” He sounded smug and it took everything Damian had not to punch him in the face. 

“It doesn’t matter if I know who you are Chat.” He looked happy at that statement though Damian couldn’t figure out why. Her next word erased it though. “You have proven over and over again that you are not worth of a Miraculous. As of now I’m stripping you of your ring. You will no longer be Chat Noir, and will no longer be able to abuse your powers for selfish endeavors.” The longer she talked the more Chat struggled against the string holding him. Damian could feel Marinette’s pain through the bond as his pulling put pressure on her injuries. His soulmate was being hurt so he felt completely justified when he punched Chat in the nose, tripped him and held him down on the floor so he couldn’t struggle. 

“You can’t do this! I was chosen, we belong together!” Damian felt more than heard Ladybug sigh. She put her hand on Damian’s shoulder as he raised his hand to hit him again. Shaking her head she moved to where Chat could see her.

“I am the Guardian of the Miraculous.” Damian felt power in her words and even Chat flinched. “And I have judged you unworthy. Your opinions on our partnership are irrelevant. I’ve told you over and over again that I have a soulmate and even if I didn’t I wouldn’t want to be involved with you. Your failure to accept that or take my feelings into account in anyway are just one more reason you don’t deserve the power you were given.”

At that moment his transformation dropped. Damian cursed and he felt Marinette's song go from shock to resignation. Adrien Agrest was pinned below him and his need to beat the crap out of him only increased.

“I should have known.” Ladybug stood and took a deep breath. “Adrien Agrest, you’ve ceased to be a hero with or without the mask a long time ago. Honestly, this decision is long overdue.” She reached for his hand and he started struggling harder. Damian easily subdued him and pinned his arm for Ladybug. She gave him a grateful smile before taking a ring from the boys finger.

“Plagg.” Damian’s year of dealing with villains and other heroes was the only thing that kept him mouth from dropping open as a tiny black creature came out of the ring and flew in front of her face. “Do you agree with my decision?”

“Absolutely bug. He’s had more than enough chances from all of us.” The voice was cold showing no mercy. “He knows enough to be a problem in the future, do you want me to use Cataclysm on him?” Ladybug looked completely shocked at the idea, but Damian honestly was all for it.

“No.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I will not resort to murder and given the fact that he’s only ever been interested in himself and we’ve been careful to keep information from him I don’t think he’ll be too big of a problem without a Miraculous.” Plagg looked disappointed.

“Fine but this is necessary.” Before she could get a word out the being flew into Adrien’s head. The boy immediately passed out and Plagg resurfaced a minute later.

“What did you do?”

“I wiped some of his memory. You may not think he knows enough to cause damage but we both know that he will be Akumatized over this. There are enough clues from today for Hawkmoth to figure out who you are.” She nodded slowly but frowned.

“How much did you erase?”

“Anywhere from five days to five weeks.”

“Plagg!”

“What?” He sounded offended. “It’s not an exact science and I needed to make sure all of today was gone. It’s bad enough that he’ll see that video again eventually.” She let out a sigh and ran her uninjured hand over her face. Damian suddenly saw how exhausted she looked.

“Damian, you can get off him now.” He started as he realized he was still pinning the unconscious former hero. He rose to stand in front of her.

“Angel…” She shook her head and put a hand on his chest.

“I don’t know how long he’s going to be out for and I need to get him home before he wakes. It won’t take more than twenty minutes and we’ll talk when I get back.”

“What about your injuries? Are you sure you can lift him by yourself?” She nodded and he just scowled at her. “Fine, but we’re not talking when you get back. You need sleep we can talk tomorrow.” Tears filled her eyes and he started to panic before she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you for caring about me. I promise everything will be alright.” As she bent to retrieve the boy on the floor, Damian noticed the little black creature staring at him with a considering look before he spoke to Ladybug.

“I’ll go with you and show you how to avoid the cameras.”

“Thanks Plagg.” She looked down at Damian’s arm and cursed. He had completely forgotten about the scratches. “Miraculous Ladybug.” He looked at her in confusion that turn to awe as everything in the room was fixed, including the skylight and his arm. “We’ll be right back.” She smiled at him as she jumped up through the skylight.

Damian was left alone in the room and now that he had time to process his brain basically stopped working. What the hell had just happened?

Master List 1   Master List 2    Prologue   Beginning   Previous    Next

Tag list for Broken Harmony

Thanks for all the positive responses! Here’s the tag list I’ve go so far. If I missed anyone let me know.

@crazylittlemunchkin​ @iggy-of-fans​ @captainmac6​ @shizukiryuu​ @origami-dreams​ @yamadochie @drama-queen-supreme​ @miraculousbelladonna​ @mjisntme​ @zebrabaker @driftingmoonlitpetals​ @slytherinhquinn​ @politelyvicious​ @mystery-5-5​ @constancetruggle @synnesstra​ @im-here-for-the-content​ @slytherinsheashire  @myriad-of-passionate-pettiness​ @cyborgcandy​ @rhub4rb​ @satans-favorite-homo​ @beautym3​ @ayuchan07​ @zalladane​ @moonlitarchangels​ @mooshoon​ @mindfulmagics​ @saphiraazure2708​ @chrismarium​ @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry​ @tog84​ @littleredrobinhoodlum​ @cupcakeandkisses​ @kiara-rose-blackthorn​ @moonlitarchangels​ @graduatedmelon​ @lunar-wolf-warrior​ @tbehartoo @zoerayne2426​ @ellerahs @heaven428​ @my-name-is-michell​ @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine​ @myownworldstayout​ @alexzandria-747​ @k-rena-k @vivilakitty​ @redscarlet95​ @un1cornf1ghter​ @bookreader20003 @nataladriana9​ @resignedcatservant @blue-peach14 @royalchaoticfangirl @melicmusicmagic​ @dani-ari​ @captain-rice​ @magic-miraculous @valeks-princess​ @fiendsangelical​ @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay​ @ladylb​ @vixen-uchiha @spicybelladonna​ @asteriodd​ @thatrandomfandomsgirl​ @laurakinneylance​ @casual-darkness​ @sam-spectra​ @romanoff-queen​

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Sick Little Games: Eleven

In the commons, a movie was playing. But no one was watching it, not really. Without you and without Clint, Movie night isn’t the same. 

It’s too quiet. There aren’t enough jokes. Or enough people that have seen Mystery Science Theater to appreciate riffing on movies and how to do it right. Even Lucky, who would be begging for pets and pizza, is down. He misses Clint. And you. 

“Has anyone heard from Barton?” Steve asked, stroking the dog's ears. 

Tony shakes his head, “I called, but he was really non-specific about what was going on... All he did say is that Y/N is okay and that he’s trying to get her to come home.”

Steve nods and stretches, “I wonder if he’s had any luck.”

Thor growls softly when Bucky rolls his eyes. It’s a subvocal sound that Bruce feels more than hears and puts a hand on his arm. 

“I hope so,” Nat said, “That last mission with Strange was a nightmare.”

“Indeed,” Thor agreed, “Our witchling is much more agreeable... And powerful. When she recognizes how strong she is.”

Natasha nodded, but before she had a chance to reply, Lucky’s ears had perked up, and he bolted out of the room. A furry bullet on a mission.

“Where-” Steve started, but a series of happy barks and Clint laughing put the rest of them on their feet. By the time they made it into the hall, Lucky had effectively tackled you to the ground and was licking your face like he’d not seen you for months instead of a few weeks. “Lucky, ya moose,” you giggle, “Help!”

Lucky, ya goofball,” Clint said, pulling him off and patting his side, “At least pretend you have manners.

But then, before there was anything else, you’re pulled into hugs and fussing before you can do much more than take a breath. You accept hugs, but stay quiet about where you went. Or why. And Clint, as much as he’d like to grab Bucky and choke the life out of him for using you that way, follows your lead. You’d talked a lot. Making a strategy for how to handle this. You had talked. And talked. And talked. Tangential and scattered. Panicked. Clint had almost turned around and taken you back to your little house. But, on the flight, you’d calmed down a little at a time. And now, your hand found his as you pointedly ignored Bucky. A detail that, in all the chaos, Clint knew most people were going to overlook. 

Everyone but Thor and Bruce looked at your joined hands in amusement. They assumed that Clint had finally made a move to coax you into coming back. And you and Clint had agreed to let them think that. You had a plan. Even if Clint didn’t like it. He understood it. 

Bucky had wanted to hurt you. He’d twisted and lied and manipulated so well, he’d succeeded. But, like with most toxic relationships. It was a battlefield. And Bucky had only won a battle. You were going to win the war. And you were going to win by refusing to fight. By blatantly ignoring that he existed and by living your life. 

You just... refuse to play the game. And Clint. Well. Clint was gonna do whatever you decided. He knew, probably better than anyone why you wanted it to be this way. You were still in survival mode. Like you always would be. And he knew that because that’s what he was doing. He wanted to protect you. He wanted to fight Bucky. Even if he knew it would only make it worse for you. So he took a deep breath and pulled you a little closer. He could do this. He could do this for you because you deserved to heal. You deserved to be happy. Like you were right now. 

Even if he could feel Bucky quietly seething every time you leaned into him. Clint refused to stop touching you. He refused to undo all the work he’d put in to get you back here.

___________

Things settle down slowly. And Clint gets more comfortable. There’s an easy rhythm to working you into his day. Casual touches. Jokes. Cups of coffee. The pace of this relationship is, by design, slow. 

Achingly slow to the rest of the team. But, Clint gets it. You don’t want him to be a rebound, and he doesn’t want to push you. You had a lot. A lot of complicated feelings around intimacy and, well. No wonder. Before you’d been on your own, there’d been the puritanical idea of being “pure.” After that, it had faded to the concept of someone you loved. That loved you. But it was still there. The need for that to be a moment. Something you only shared with one person. and Bucky had taken it. Taken that moment from you. Like a greedy kid snatching a cookie. Clint didn’t have those hang-ups. But, he could respect your consideration for him. That you didn’t want to use him as a rebound. 

He’d reassured you that it was fine. That he could do “slow” even if “slow” had never been his forte.

“Barton!” Steve barked, “Stop staring at your girlfriend and pay attention.”

Clint rolled his eyes. He wasn’t even looking at you. He was looking at Bucky, who was looking at you. Bucky was looking at you like he was planning while you and Natasha did some Yoga and had a gossip. It made him want to rip his fucking arm off and beat him with it.

“Seriously, dude,” Sam said, “Just have sex already. This middle school bullshit is cute but-”

Clint holds up a hand, “Hey Sam,” he says, “When I want you to tell me what to do with my dick, I’ll marry you.”

“I’m just-”

“No,” Clint said bluntly, “If you’re not feeding me, fucking me, or financing me, stay out of it.”

Thor makes a soft approving sound and claps Clint on the shoulder, “Well said,” he praised. He was gratified to know that Barton had good intentions. Of course. He’d known that, but it was good to see in action. 

_________

Natasha sat up slowly and stretched, “I still don’t understand why you left.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” you answer.

“I don’t understand that, either.”

“Look,” you say, rubbing your neck, “It isn’t important.”

“But it’s important enough that Clint gets to know,” she said, hurt.

You take a deep breath and exhale slowly, “I was going through some shit, okay?” you tell her, “I was in a pretty bad spot, and I don’t want to keep going back over it. It's over. It’s done. I just wanna put it to bed and move on.”

Natasha frowns, “But-”

“I’m fine,” you say, gentling your tone, “I promise. I just... I needed some distance. It gave me the perspective I needed. I needed a plan. And now I have it.”

“And Clint,” Natasha teased.

“And Clint,” you agree, smiling a little.

“How is he?”

You raise an eyebrow, and she smirks, “Does he giggle?”

“I wouldn’t know,” you say primly.

“How-”

You sigh, “Tasha,” you answer, “you know why.”

“But you like him.”

“I do,” you agree.

“So-”

“So, we’re moving at the pace we want to move at,” you say firmly, “And that’s that.”

The Spy smiled a little, “I can’t believe you told Clint and not me,” she pouted, teasing you just a little. 

You sigh, “It was just. It was a lot Tasha. I don’t know how to explain it. I just didn’t want to cause and issue. And then Clint showed up and he gave me those big puppy dog eyes and was like ‘I just miss my friend’ and he fucking... He’s Clint.”

“He’s Clint,” she agreed nodding. He’d done the same thing to her on several occasions. It was hard to be indifferent to those big baby blues and his crooked smile. Especially not when it was genuine and not bravado. When it was bravado it gave him a very punchable face. “But are you really dating?” she asked. Natasha knew you had weird hangups with sex and relationships. That you wanted the whole nine yards. The Hallmark movie treatment with all the cute little romantic things. That you wanted a house with Ivy and a white picket fence... where you stood on kids depended on the day. But you still wanted a partner. Someone to have your back. Someone who would bring you flowers sometimes. 

“Yeah,” You say, catching Clint’s eye and smiling a little when Natasha takes your arm and you start walking towards the locker room. Clint winks at you and Natasha snorts as he walks smack into the nearest column trying to watch you walk away. 

In the showers, you and Natasha chat while washing off the workout nastiness. You chat about frozen yogurt. About where you want to go shopping in the city. You gush about makeup palates and discuss the virtues of various restaurant’s miso soup. It’s mundane. Comfortable. Like you’re picking up where you left off. Natasha is comforted, somewhat. That it wasn’t personal. That you hadn’t not talked to her for any specific reason. That her friends were happy. And like always, Natasha gets done long before you do. Teasing you about cutting your hair to be done faster. 

When she sees Bucky in the hallway, scrolling through his phone she doesn’t think anything of it. Steve has a thing about Phones on the training room floor. What does alarm her? A lot. Is an almighty crash and Bucky being thrown backward. Out of the hallway and sliding across the mats. Only to have you leap. Actually leap and land on his chest, staff in hand with a snarl. 

Thor is the closest and gets there first, though he doesn’t move to pull you off of him. Clint isn’t far behind him. He doesn't move to help Bucky either. But there are close enough to hear you growling at him. Using your staff to hold his arms down. And a considerable amount of magic to keep him there even as he’s struggling to get his vibranium arm free. 

“Fuck you,” is all Steve can hear you snarl, “You come near me like that again. You LOOK at me and I don’t fucking want you to and I will tear you apart.”

“Y/N,” he says, his tone firm, “Let him up, he can’t breathe.”

You growl at Steve too, eyes silver and luminous, and that’s when Clint steps forward to try and get you out of kill mode. Bucky is turning a frankly alarming shade of red. And Clint is willing to bet you don’t actually want Bucky dead. You just want him to be scared. Scared enough not to touch you. So Clint kneels where you can turn your head and see him, “Baby,” he says quietly, “Let him up. You made your point, okay? C’mon. Come with me. I know you. This has been on a slow simmer for a while. But come with me. Just get off of him.”

He keeps his voice soft. Coaxing gently. Like he did to get Lucky out from behind his dumpster. Because what people didn’t know was HYDRA/SHIELD didn’t manage to make you a supersoldier. You weren’t. What they did, to make you faster and stronger was infect you with a specific kind of Lycanthropy. That your Witches’ Powers neutralized the need to turn but didn’t do much to temper the fury. Bucky was starting to get a little purple by the time Clint managed to talk you off of him. You get off of him slowly, coming back into yourself and looking distressed and Clint pulls you against his side. 

“You touch her again and I’ll let her tear your throat out,” Clint warns, grateful when Thor takes your other side. Thor can grab hold of you if you need held back. Clint can’t. He also won’t. He’ll just let you fucking kill him. 

______________

“Bucky,” Steve said softly, “What the fuck did you do?”

Bucky coughs and gasps for breath, letting Steve help him up, “Nothing,” he says, “I was just standing there.”

Steve’s eyes narrow, “You know that’s bullshit.”

Bucky hacks for a second, “She just jumped me.”

“She said,” Steve said levelly, “That you touched her. And ever since she got back you’ve been an asshole. Again.”

Steve folds his arms and his eyes narrowed and Natasha looked towards the door Clint had just walked you out of. A moment of comprehension dawning, “You’re the reason she left!” Natasha blurted out.

Bucky half-turned, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed, “What the fuck did you do to her?”

“She attacked me!” Bucky protested. 

“And we wanna know what you did to deserve it,” Steve said, getting angry, “She doesn’t do shit like that for fun, Bucky. She hates it. It makes her feel like a monster... So what did you do to make her feel like that was her only option?”

Tags:

@lancsnerd, @thorfanficwriter @blameitonthecauseway @etherealwaifgoddess, @stevieang, @beautybyfire, @sunmoonandbucky @mrsfox79, @bbmommy0902, @mendes-fan, @iheartsebastianstan, @wtfcas @pinknerdpanda, @process-pending, @ladifreakingda, @leasly, @coldbookworm, @hv-chw3, @past-perfect-future-tense, @starkrobb @beardburnsupersoldiers, @petlaufeyson, @queenoftheunderdark, @potatoheadthewise, @thehyperactiveteen, @thefridgeismybestie, @boyett514, @an-awkward-human-1, @sunshine-and-riverwater

[lastwagontrainhopper]

Soft sorrow

I hope it’s not too late to submit work for Royai Week! This one is for the 5th prompt (a picture of a couple sitting on a bench, watching the sunset).

Summary:  Even the goodest of boys must one day be laid to rest... Riza is in need of some comfort after the loss of her furry friend.

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24713377 French version : link coming soon.

----

Being assigned to Mustang’s squad was, as Lieutenant Cooper quickly realized, in a lot of way like landing in a parallel universe.

The squad functioned in a way that was unlike anything Cooper had experienced since joining the military. Generals usually managed an entire military base or a fortress, and had only one or two direct subordinates that acted as second-in-chief or bodyguard; the rest of the troops were under their orders through a long chain of command.  

General Mustang, on the other hand, was stationed right here in Central and had insisted on keeping direct control on a small team in addition to his other responsibilities. It was a close-knit squad that had gone through little change over the years: Mustang was always reluctant to trust soldiers he didn’t know, and was picky about the type of people he wanted in his team. For several years, Officer Warrant Falman’s position had stayed vacant, until the arrival of Cooper a few months ago.

Although unique, the Mustang squad universe was governed by an extremely specific set of rules that Cooper was quick to learn. Those rules determined the behavior of each member of the squad with clockwork precision. Mustang gave the orders and procrastinated; Breda teased Havoc and called dinner time; Havoc retaliated and smoked the office; Fuery tinkered and brought some much-needed optimism; and Hawkeye overviewed everything and kept the clock hand running.

That is why Cooper could not believe his eyes when, on an ordinary autumn morning, the Captain came to stand in front of Mustang’s desk and asked for a day off.

Hawkeye never  took unplanned time off; that was another one of the rules he had learned, the only exceptions being when she was preparing a coup and when she was at death’s door. She seemed a little tired, yes, but she was certainly not dying, and Cooper did not want to consider the other option, so…why such a request?

The other members of the squad glanced at each other, all of them as surprised as he was, except for the General. After hearing her demand, he looked at Hawkeye with a compassionate look on his face and answered in a soft voice that Cooper had never heard him use.

“Of course. Don’t worry about us, Captain, we’ll manage. Take as much time as you need.”

Hawkeye nodded stiffly, turned on her heels and left the room without a word.

After a while, Breda broke that silence that had settled in the office.

“General…. what’s going on?”

Mustang let out a loud sigh and ran a hand over his face. Cooper now noticed that he also seemed pretty tired – although that wasn’t unusual for him.

“It’s Hayate”, replied the General after a moment. “He’s been sick for a while now…limping, hardly eating anything, that sort of stuff. Yesterday, it got worse all of a sudden: he could hardly move. I guess it hasn’t improved since then.”

The men nodded, understanding. The news didn’t seem to surprise them; after all, old dogs often got sick, and Hayate was apparently barely younger than the squad. This had made him the unofficial mascot of the team; yet Cooper felt that his colleagues’ concerns were more about the Captain. He was new to this place, but even he had noticed the strong attachment that Hawkeye, who always seemed so unemotional, had to her dog.

The rules of this small universe were simple, but Cooper was beginning to understand that they concealed another layer of them, more subtle and complex. Hawkeye seemed cold and reserved, but her dog wasn't the only one to receive her affection: she could be warm-hearted with the members of her team, and always had words of comfort for those who needed them. Breda gave the impression of being oafish, but he had a sharp and crafty mind; and beneath Mustang’s apparent laziness laid a burning passion and an iron will to reach his goal.

But perhaps the main unspoken rules were those concerning the relationship between the General and the Captain.

Cooper was not clear yet on the nature of that relationship. Mustang had a lot of affection for his adjutant, that was for sure; but the two had worked closely together for almost twenty years, and Cooper had picked up that they apparently knew each other before even joining the military. Their fierce loyalty and deep understanding of each other could very well only be the result of a childhood friendship.

On the other hand, there were the knowing glances the other men of the squad exchanged from time to time, and certain details that spoke volumes – such as the fact that Mustang had been the only one to know about Hayate’s condition. Despite this, Cooper had never tried to find out more, out of respect for his superior.

The rest of the day went by quieter than usual, even though the missing person was usually the one bringing the office back to order. Unsurprisingly, Mustang didn’t get much work done; but instead of sleeping or making phone calls as he often did in his adjutant’s absence, he seemed mostly lost in thought and glanced worriedly at the clock from time to time.

A few hours after dinner, he got up from his desk and asked for their attention.

“Alright! We’ve worked well this morning, and I think we could all do with some rest. Let’s call it a day; you’re good to go.”

Cooper wasn’t expecting this. Being dismissed almost half a day early? No one ever did this.  

“Are you gonna check on the Captain, sir?” asked Breda.

Mustang nodded as he put on his coat.

“We should probably do that too”, Fuery chipped in. “Taking care of a sick dog is a lot of work; she’ll probably need a break or a good meal.”

The rest of the team agreed, except for Havoc who had to go home to look after the kids, and the men continued to chat as they got ready to leave. Hawkeye didn’t answer when Mustang called her apartment; they concluded that she was probably still at the vet.

“It’s hard to believe that Hayate is already an old dog,” Fuery commented as they walked down the stairs. “It feels like only yesterday he was still a puppy!”

Breda answered with a tired grunt.

“It sure makes us feel old…If I remember well, you and Falman were still living in the barrack at the time he arrived. You were the one who found him on the street, right?”

They stepped into the General’s car and spent the ride reminiscing, explaining to Cooper how the dog had come to join their squad. Only Mustang stayed out of the conversation. After a few minutes, Breda looked out of the car and frowned.

“We’re going to the veterinary hospital, aren’t we? Are you sure you’re going in the right direction, sir?”

“Yes, but I’m making a short detour,” he replied distractedly. “I want to check something first…”

A few streets later, they started to drive along the main park of Central, and Mustang slowed down the car.

“That’s her favorite spot to walk Hayate, so I thought…” he began, scanning the park from his car window.

“Oh!” exclaimed Fuery. “Is that her, on the bench?”

From the back of the vehicle, Cooper twisted his neck to get a better look, and finally caught glimpse of a blonde woman sitting near the middle of the park.

“Hayate doesn’t seem to be with her”, Breda noted. “That’s not a good sign…”

The men glanced at each other with a knowing look. They all knew there was only one reason why Riza would be neither with her dog nor back to work. Mustang parked the car in the closest spot he could find and turned back toward them, a grave expression on his face.

“I’ll go talk to her. If you guys want to go home,” he threw the key at Breda, “we’ll take a taxi.”

He took a deep breath, got out of the car and walked away.

The three men watched him entered the park in silence, and after a while, Cooper spoke up.

“We’d better get out of here, shouldn’t we? To give them some space…”

“I agree,” replied Fuery, “but…” He gave Breda a sideways look. “Isn’t it a bit risky for them?”

“Given the weather, there aren’t many people in the park, and the sun is setting soon anyway. On the flip side, he’s in uniform, and we’re not that far away…” He paused to think for a moment. “I think I’m going to hang out close to the entrance for a while,” he concluded, glancing at Fuery with intent.

Fuery understood immediately.

“Good idea. Cooper, want to hang out by the other entrance of the park?”

While he followed Fuery, Cooper found himself once again fascinated by the secret rules that governed Mustang squad’s small universe.

-------

As she saw Roy approaching, dressed in the military blue, Riza straightened her back and turned her head away, hastily wiping her eyes. She was dressed in her civilian clothes, and the light wind was pushing locks of loose hair into her face.

“General”, she greeted in a strangled voice as he stopped in front of the bench. “Was the workday productive?”

Roy stared at her worriedly, ignoring her question.

“Hayate”, he began in a soft voice, “is he…”

Riza looked down at the ground and simply nodded.

“They had to put him down. There wasn’t much they could do, he was just too old…” Her voice trailed off.

Roy sat down next to her. “I’m sorry, Riza.”

She felt her eyes starting to fill with tears and looked the other way, embarrassed. “Sorry, I know…” She took a deep breath and exhale slowly, trying to collect herself. “I know it’s silly, it’s only a dog, but…”

“Riza!” She snapped her head at him, surprised by his offended tone. Roy took her hand in his. “It’s not silly,” he said firmly. “He’s been by your side for, what, twelve years?”

“Fourteen”, she corrected without a thought, looking at the medals on his uniform.

“For fourteen years,” he continued. “He was important to you; it’s only natural that you would feel sad about losing him.” His expression softened. “You’re allowed to cry over a dog, Riza.”

She finally met his eyes; the understanding and compassion she read in them made her choke up, and she didn’t manage to answer.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closed to him. Riza hesitated, but there was no one around she could see; after a moment, she leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like this, without talking, both lost in their thoughts.

“He’s had a good life, you know,” Roy said after a time. Riza wasn’t sobbing, but her chest rose and fell violently, and her cheeks were covered with silent tears. “Dogs want nothing more than to feel useful, and you know how much he loved to come with you on missions.”

She nodded, her throat still tight. “He saved my life…four or five times, I think.” A shadow of a smile touched her lips. “He probably did it more often than you, actually.”

Roy laughed quietly. “I don't have any trouble believing that. He really was an exceptional dog.”

Riza closed her eyes. She could feel Roy’s thumb rubbing circles into her shoulder, and heard the wind sweeping dead leaves around their bench.

Even though her heart seemed as heavy as lead, Riza felt strangely serene. Her sorrow was deep, yes, but it was a soft kind of sorrow. All the mourning she had gone through in her life had been stained with shame, resentment, and above all guilt; they were weighted down by duty and intertwined with stories of conspiracies, alchemy, genocide. She couldn’t even grieve without blaming herself for it: what right did she have to cry over Ishval when she had been the one to commit the crimes? How could she allow herself to lament over the state of her back, when she had been the one who wanted Roy to burn it?

But for once, her sadness brought nothing more than sadness. In the midst of her complicated life, Hayate had been a source of simple joy, and his death brought her a simple sorrow. It was her dog, and Riza had loved him; the pain that she was feeling only showed how deeply she had cared, and for once she had no reason to blame herself over it.

Having Roy by her side made her sorrow softer still.

More than anything in Riza’s life, her relationship with Roy was a heavy and complicated mess. They carried so much pain, so much guilt towards each other; they had apologized for countless harm they’ve done to the other, but had forgiven themselves for none of them. Their common past was full of remorse and their future together filled by uncertainty; and the mourning they had shared had been as complex, if not more, than anything else.

But not this one. For a moment, they were not soldiers trying to make right for a genocide or overthrow a government. They were nothing more than a grieving couple who had lost their dog; an ordinary couple going through life’s small hardship. A normal couple with a very real, but normal pain.

And for a moment, despite everything, it felt just right.