#we are SO back y'all

[koumeowkami]

🪐 no celestial ; kanallen

— chapter five

"Kanata was a poor little angel that heaven couldn't help. He'd always been a tough one, not trusting anyone but his little brother Nayuta, the only person that ever made him feel love. Growing up by themselves, he did everything in his power to protect his sick brother, things that dirtied his holy hands. "It's for a good cause though", he thought. But it wasn't enough, and Nayuta died soon after.

Kanata's soul was completely spent. He became unable to feel love, and adding to his dirty dealings that soon were found out, he got cast out of heaven. Fallen on Earth with his wings blackened, he felt so lost and empty he thought he could've just died.

But a random encounter with a very annoying, persistent, stupid redhead human boy would've made him discover love again."

3099 words

genre: supernatural, hurt/comfort, angst

warnings: none

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The faint morning light was passing through the curtains, hitting Kanata's face slightly. He was still sleeping, reveling in that weird warmth that was spreading in his cold body. His mind went immediately back to all the nights spent with Nayuta, but now things were different, right?

Suddenly, an imaginary alarm sounded in Kanata's head, warning him that something was definitely wrong. He slowly, cautiously opened his eyes...

...and then screamed.

"What the fuck are you doing in the bed?! "

The redhead fell out of the bed, landing on his unused sleeping bag and then looked up at a flushed Kanata like a deer in headlights. Kanata thought he looked ridiculously pathetic, but only for a split second. He was too angry to focus on that.

"What's up with you, screaming like that?! I was literally next to you..." the boy said, still half asleep.

"Well, that's the thing! You shouldn't have been next to me, you dumbass!" Kanata argued, massaging his temples. "Who do you think you are, deciding stuff on your own?!"

Seriously, what was wrong with him. He just wanted to be left alone and yet this guy couldn't seem to learn what personal space was. No matter how strong the barrier, he just kept trespassing it as he liked.

"Hey! I had a reason to take your hand" Suzaku stood up, "You were tossing and turning in your sleep. I wanted to help you and it worked!" he looked at Kanata, smiling proudly.

Kanata stopped his hissy fit and looked down. How did he not realize he slept, after so long he couldn't even remember the last time? He remembered nightmares tormenting him last night as always, and then... light shone on his heart, clearing the way. That was probably the very first time he had a good night's sleep after his brother's death.

"You shouldn't have..." he said softly, his head still lowered. "I don't... deserve it..."

He saw the redhead getting closer, his expression worried. "Kanata... are you okay-"

"Good morning, everyone!" Pink Hair chimed in cheerfully, interrupting that very awkward moment. Kanata felt almost relieved. He wasn't ready to tell him anything yet; they were strangers, there was no need for Suzaku to know his past. He kept repeating that in his mind.

"Heard you guys screaming and all, are you alright?" they looked at Kanata first, then the other boy, frowning slightly.

The redhead cleared his throat, "Sure! Don't worry about it" he smiled, "Actually can we go have breakfast? I'm starving and I bet Kanata is also hungry!"

Kanata's stomach growled to confirm his statement and he finally decided to get up, trying to look at Suzaku the least he could. His hand was still burning hot.

"So, did you sleep well?" Mushroom-Head said, sipping on his bitter coffee, "I suppose you did, since you had the energy to make so much noise this early in the morning."

"Erm... I slept well!" Suzaku ignored that comment. "The sleeping bag wasn't really comfortable, though" he lied, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Wait, why didn't you sleep on the sofa?" Pink Hair questioned, confused. That was actually a real good question, considering Kanata wanted to sleep alone, after all. He buried his face in the bowl in front of him and listened silently.

"Well... I didn't want to leave him alone..." the redhead scratched the back of his head, "It was his first night here, anything could've happened."

"...Fucking hell " Kanata muttered, his grip on the chopsticks getting stronger. Something did happen, but the bastard had to stay out of it. It didn't matter how good he felt during that night, he was guilty for enjoying that odd feeling in his heart. He wasn't supposed to feel happy, not when he made that promise. Why couldn't that guy just mind his own business? It made his blood boil, so much he ended up blushing furiously. Thankfully no one noticed.

"You're such an idiot." Mushroom-Head sighed.

Kanata couldn't agree more with him, at least for once.

"Hear me out, guys" Pink Hair started, after everyone had finished their breakfast, "How about we go shopping today? It's been some time since the last time I went..." they pouted, "Also, Kanata needs something to wear! He can't be borrowing Allen's stuff forever, can he?"

While Kanata didn't exactly like the idea to go out and get stuck in the crowd of the city, he agreed. He couldn't stand having that boy's scent on himself any longer, it was making his head spin.

"Then I suppose it's decided!" the redhead said, "But can we stop for a bit at the record shop, too? I wanna show it to Kanata..." he looked at his friends with pleading eyes.

Was this trip to the record shop that important? It's not like Kanata had ever cared about music; he never got a chance to enjoy it, being an hobby of the elites.

"Yes, we can" Mushroom-Head finally spoke, "Although remember that stopping by doesn't mean «staying there the whole day», got it?"

"...Yessir" the boy sighed, grumbling like a kid.

And trying to ignore him was becoming more and more a hard task.

Downtown. As Kanata had figured, that was exactly the last place he wanted to be at that moment. It was noisy, crowded and it had shops that clearly only rich people could enter; he just felt so out of place there. For someone like him, who didn't even want to be perceived, that was straight-up torture.

"I'm tellin' you already, I'm not gonna get anythin' from here" he had been looking around for quite a bit, "This stuff looks classy as hell. I would never wear somethin' like that."

"Oh, really? Who would've imagined that. You usually look so composed and elegant" Mushroom-Head said sarcastically. Honestly, why couldn't he ever shut the fuck up? The redhead surely had weird friends.

"I don't need designer clothes or anythin' of that sort." Kanata ignored him, "I just need somethin' comfortable. And I don't want y'all to spend a lot for me, no matter how filthy rich you are" he added, looking away. That was just how he was: he wanted the least help as possible, even more from the very kind of people who had put him down before. That was surely out of pity and he didn't like it one bit. Maybe he could've found a part-time job or whatever, so he could grow a little independent. But wait, why was he even thinking about it now? He swore not to put any efforts in living any longer and now he was stuck in this situation... something went wrong in the process but Kanata couldn't really pinpoint what, at least not yet.

His train of thoughts got interrupted when he saw a thrift shop at the end of the street. His eyes sparkled for a second, then started rushing towards it, not waiting for the others yelling him to slow down. Reaching the entrance, he looked at the shop window in awe: he had never seen that kind of clothing before in his world, but he wanted to give it a shot.

"A thrift shop? Oh well, looks like the perfect place for him" Mushroom-Head reached him along with the others. "Shut up, Hajun. The boy's got some taste" Pink Hair added, "Maybe he liked Allen's clothes a bit too much~"

"N-No way! I don't like anythin' about him!" Kanata turned around immediately, blushing angrily, "I just wanted... something comfortable... yeah" he said, his voice getting smaller by the second. He just had the time to notice Suzaku blushing a bit as well when Pink Hair went "Yeah yeah, sure" and pushed him inside the shop.

He wandered around for a bit, then saw a nice set of jacket and pants in a flowery pattern. Both of the items were in a purple-blueish color, just like his eyes; he always felt like those colors belonged to him and his brother. That's when he also noticed the snakes on the jacket. Snakes again, huh.

"I want this one."

"You look fabulous!~" Pink Hair clapped their hands in agreement as soon as he stepped out of the changing room: he had paired that set with a black tank top and white high socks. He didn't know why, but he really did feel comfortable in them. His chest got warm again remembering when he used to play dress up with Nayuta back in those dimly lit alleys, using a bunch of clothes that people had thrown away in the trash. He didn't care about those dull white vests but they looked like the prettiest treasure ever in Nayuta's hands.

"I don't understand fashion much, but those colors suit you a lot!" the redhead interrupted his thoughts again, "By the way, why do you like snakes so much?"

"Hah? "

"I mean... I noticed your earring" the boy pointed at Kanata's ear, "It's in the shape of a snake. And there are snakes all over that jacket as well..."

Kanata pondered that same question to himself again. He had always liked snakes for some reason, despite it being a sin in Heaven. Angels had banished snakes long before the twins were even born; those few people associated with the reptile were easily outcast and deemed as demonic. Well, Kanata was aware of all that but still... he was simply drawn to it: he couldn't escape from its spell and now that he had fallen, he liked it even more. It was the expression of his blessing, his curse and everything in between.

"Dunno" he simply replied, "I just feel close to 'em" he added, and immediately turned away, not giving the other boy any time to ask more questions. He wouldn't have understood anyways.

After buying a few other clothes, they were back on the streets again. The sunset was near when they approached the records shop: it was dusty, old and cramped, looking more like a small warehouse than an actual shop.

"Kanata, do you like Hip-hop?" the redhead turned to him excited hoping for a positive response, but the boy had no fucking idea what Hip-hop was. He only knew classical music, that was all that was ever played in Heaven: music to relax the mind and help concentrate. To be honest, he only found it annoying.

"The hell is that?"

That was enough to make the other look like his entire world collapsed. It's not like he cared much about the redhead's feelings, but was music really that important to him?

"You... you don't know what Hip-hop is?" he started, "Like, you've never heard of the legendary duo Buraikan, who sold out albums and shows all over the world? The group that changed Japan's music industry forever, that brought a completely new style, that-"

"No, I don't! I ain't got a clue who these guys are!" Kanata stopped him. He felt like he could've kept going forever if he didn't.

"Ugh... sorry Kanata, Allen gets always so excited over Hip-hop" Pink Hair apologized for the boy, who was still staring at Kanata in disbelief. "He's a real nerd."

"There's nothing we can do when he goes off on the tangent.... truly annoying" Mushroom-Head added.

"Yeah... I noticed" he sighed, "So? What's the deal with this hipu hopu thing or whatever?"

Suzaku suddenly came out of his trance and looked at him with stars in his eyes.

He immediately regretted asking that.

Kanata spent the next hour trying to understand the redhead blabbering stuff about Hip-hop. He kept showing him random records while explaining him how he started producing songs by himself and later founded a Hip-hop group with his roommates, proudly stating that they're gradually becoming popular in the city, winning stage battles and such. Kanata never asked to know all that and definitely didn't care, but he wasn't able to shut that boy up. To be honest, he didn't even try to do that to begin with: Suzaku seemed so invested that he almost felt bad stopping him; apparently it was something really important to him that helped him free himself from the shackles of his parents. Kanata still found him incredibly annoying, but he had to respect that. For a moment he envied the redhead for his burning vitality, since he had nothing in his cold hands anymore. He kept having so many mixed feelings that day and it was driving him insane.

He had spent so much time listening to the boy, he didn't even realize it was closing time. The shopkeeper almost had to threw them out because Suzaku just didn't want to leave, determined to explain everything to Kanata in full detail. When they exited the shop, he promised they would've continued later in his room: "I'm gonna show you how to produce songs" he smiled at him, "I bet you're gonna love it once you see the real thing!"

"Oh my God Allen, give him a break" Pink Hair gave Kanata an apologetic smile. "He's going to get a headache if you keep going like that" Mushroom-Head added, "Oh well, fine by me. For once you're not sticking to us."

The redhead laughed nervously. He looked like he felt a bit sorry for being so loud about music, but the next thing he said threw Kanata off guard.

"I couldn't help it. He had that sparkle in his eyes I just couldn't ignore" the guy turned to him, "I feel like he's the right guy for this!"

A sparkle in his eyes? That was impossible. Nothing could ever stir his broken, dead heart awake again, there was simply no way he could be genuinely interested in something. He kept convincing himself that, but that boy's words were just stuck in his head and he wasn't able to get them out. He just sighed and hurried home, going far ahead the others. He couldn't bear to look at the redhead, again.

Tired after spending a whole day wandering around, Kanata's body hit the mattress, awaiting him for some relax. He couldn't even close his eyes when the other boy busted in their room, making a ton of noise trying to set that weird machine on his desk up.

"C'mon, Kanata! It's time to produce!"

He suddenly remembered what they had to do and the mere thought of it made him exhausted already. He dragged himself to the desk and sat in front of a glowing screen.

"What's this thing?" he pointed at all those devices connected by colored wires. Heaven didn't have this sort of futuristic thing, being a very traditional place: he was confused about how all that could serve them as a musical instrument.

"Oh this? It's a computer, of course" the other replied, as a matter of fact. "I downloaded a very valid program to make music a long time ago. It was a bit expensive but totally worth it!" he said, then started pressing keys and dragging stuff on the screen, while explaining the whole process with weird technical words. Kanata didn't understand any of it, but he followed every move carefully despite being tired: he looked almost entranced, not taking his eyes off of the boy for even a second. It felt slightly embarrassing, but Kanata didn't really care at that moment, since Suzaku wasn't even sparing him a glance.

"... Aaaand this is it!" the redhead moved away from the desk a little as soon as he finished, smiling wide. "Now it's your turn to try and make something" he turned to Kanata, who looked pensive, "Oh don't worry, I won't judge! It's your first time, after all" he specified in a hurry, knowing how easily irritated the other boy could get.

"Move." Kanata said simply, putting his hands on the keyboard. He was a fast learner, mimicking what Suzaku had done before but at the same time adding something new, something different that came from deep inside of him. His hands were moving by themselves, just pouring his all in whatever he was doing, letting his feelings flow freely in that music as the guy had taught him. What he was experiencing in that moment made him unusually excited as he felt a small smile approach his doll-like face.

He was fully concentrated but still saw from the corner of his eyes the redhead looking at him intently. The room was in an unusual silence though, not a single comment yet. Just the pressing of keys. As soon as Kanata was done with it, he just let the music play. His music. His heart. Something that he couldn't express with words yet. He composed himself again, his usual frown back on his face.

"Kanata..." the boy started, struggling to find the words. "I knew it! I knew you were the right guy!" he suddenly raised his voice, startling the angel a bit, "How can you even do this!? This is insane! Your Hip-hop is so cool!"

There he went again. He looked like he had just found some valuable gem, yelling some weird stuff like This is it! This is the real Hip-hop! like a madman.

"Oh my God, I get it!" Kanata spat exasperated, "Stop fuckin' yellin' for a damn second!" he finally locked eyes with the redhead. The other just giggled like a kid, pointing his finger at him, "Don't act all cool, now! I saw that, y'know."

"What?"

"You smiled while making this song! I can perceive every single one of your feelings only in this short bit of music. You must've enjoyed it a lot!"

"You're truly so fuckin' annoyin'..." Kanata turned away, getting up from his seat, "I'm goin' to bed, I'm tired."

"You're right! It's gotten pretty late" Suzaku got up as well, tidying the music machines up and getting his red sleeping bag ready again, "I'm not gonna bother you tonight, I promise!"

"You better not" the angel said quietly, his voice muffled by the sheets covering him. Silence fell once again, but he knew something was going to trouble his sleep tonight despite not feeling uneasy like usual: his heart was beating so loud he thought it would explode in seconds, like a ticking bomb. He couldn't stop thinking about whatever happened with Suzaku before, focusing again and again on how he felt during that moment. It was a weird feeling his heart couldn't bear, being too rusty at this point to work properly. Was that redhead really able to make those old gears in his chest work again? He kept wondering, before eventually falling asleep.

[bioshoook]

There's Beasts and Then There's Prey

summary: Dave's about to find out that if you fuck with one of the Dogs then you fuck with the whole pack. word count: 2,569

Finding a bar in this city is like trying to get a ticket while driving on the Los Santos Freeway. Easy.

The tricky part is finding a bar that has more than one good light bulb in the whole joint and that doesn't smell too much like stale beer and piss.

Though they all call Los Santos their home, and have done so for numerous years, Michael's the most familiar with the city and its many creature comforts. He was the one to originally find their headquarters in an abandoned dog shelter and he was the one to find this bar a few months ago. It was one of the bars that had more of a relaxed air to it, more fitting for shooting the shit than the energized air of a club or the darker, uneasy atmosphere of one of the seedier bars they frequented to discuss business.

For about an hour the four of them trade talk over a few drinks before taking their conversation to the nearby vacant pool table.

A few rounds in and a guy that Joe can't remember the name of; Dave? Dan? Donny maybe? joins them. He states that he’s a decent player and he doesn’t have many people to call friends in the city at the moment. Dan seems chill enough, he’s not triggering any alarm bells in their heads, looks to be just some middle-aged dude out on the town for the night.

The pack has no problem playing nice with others, as long as they don’t start any shit with them.

They joke about the word ‘pack’, tossing it around flippantly and saying it's just used to follow their gimmick, but even though Joe has only been in with the Mad Dogs crew for a year now he really does feel like that’s what this group is. A pack. In all of his criminal history he's never had anyone he's trusted to have his back more than the three men surrounding the pool table.

Michael, their muscle and lead (read only) demolitions expert, tosses back the last of his beer before lining up his cue.

“This is the one boys, can feel it in my bones,” Michael says, all confidence in the stance he takes on.

He sends the cue ball rolling and breaks apart the rack of striped and solid colored balls, the clack of them hitting each other filling the air of their tucked away corner. The pool balls scatter across the green felt of the pool table, dispersed by the momentum of the cue ball. Although Michael sends them all rolling, not a single one makes it into one of the pockets bordering the table.

“Fuck,” Michael mutters under his breath.

“Not bad, not bad, but let me show you how it's really done,” Trevor says cheekily. The frontman and leader of their crew drapes his body over the pool table before smoothly lining up with his stick in a fluid motion. He takes a few seconds to relax before sending the cue ball in a way that gets two stripes to roll into the corner of the table, dropping into the pocket below one after the other. He ends up knocking two more balls into their pockets before he finally misses a shot, ending his turn.

“Show off,” Michael comments with a grin. Trevor just shrugs his shoulders with a smirk on his face that gets a chuckle out of Alfredo.

Alfredo has chosen to opt out of the game this time, which Joe counts as a win in itself seeing as their marksman is entirely too steady when it comes to his hands and his aim. Don’t get him wrong, Joe’s grateful for it when it comes to keeping people off their backs in a deal or keeping a steady eye on them from above, but he absolutely rinsed the rest of them in the last round they played. Joe's $100 bill is currently sitting comfy in the pocket of Fredo's jeans and he doubts he'll be getting that back. Should’ve known better, he should've thrown in a $20 instead.

Donny laughs easily at Trevor's coy gesture. “Good one, man.”

“So, you from around here Dave?” Michael asks as the other man lines up his shot.

Dave. So that's his name.

A solid blue ball rolls and banks off of the left side of the table before sinking into a corner pocket.

“Actually I’m from out of state. Just moved down here with the wife a couple weeks ago,” Dave replies.

“Oh yeah? What - you just saw all the shit that happens here on the news and decided to move here?” Michael asks jokingly.

Dave laughs in response and goes on to explain how they ended up moving here because of a transfer in his wife’s location for her job.

“I mean, it’s good that she got a promotion and all, we need the money, but I feel like she’s holding it over my head now. I’m the one who has to pick up the kids and cook dinner and all the shit she should be doing. And- and- she makes more money than me now. What the hell is up with that?”

Joe cuts his eyes towards Dave, noticing the eyebrows that Michael raises behind him as the man leans over the table to make his next shot.

Read the rest on AO3!

[romcomeon]

alright om fandom, what have i missed?

[quincywillows]

unironically, i want kamala to sell fell out of a coconut tree merch. i want some

[yangkitties]

GUYS WE ARE SOOOOO BACK I MANAGED TO FINISH WRITING CHAP9 NEW CHAP SOON PROMISE FR FR THIS TIME

[im-no-jedi]

MLWTBB: This Isn't Goodbye

Part 12 of the “My Life With The Bad Batch” series, a (mostly) canon compliant self-insert story set in “The Bad Batch”

rated: M warnings: drowning, discussions of sex, implied character death, attempted suicide, implied sex relationships: Hunter/self-insert, Omega & self-insert (adopted siblings), The Bad Batch & self-insert chapter word count: 2100+ words

✨MLWTBB masterlist✨

summary: Hannah is confronted by a long-kept secret of hers that she refuses to bring to light. and after the Bad Batch take on a mission that goes horribly wrong, Hannah experiences one of her worst fears imaginable, bringing her to a breaking point of seemingly no return. everything that she’s faced up until this point will culminate into a life-changing moment that will affect the future for her and the group of Clones that she’s adopted as her new family.

notes: I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!! apologies for the long hiatus, I was dealing with my mental health last summer and ended up losing all my inspiration to write for a while 😩 but the good news is, I'm on medication now for my anxiety and depression, and coupled with the hype for TBB season 3, MLWTBB is officially back in business! \o/ I actually had most of this chapter written a while ago and only recently finished it up, so I'm excited to finally post it! I foresee my writing muse to stick around for a bit, so look forward to more chapters coming soon!✨ for now though, enjoy the juicy angst I've prepared for all of you 😋

A/N: this story has not been proofread by anyone other than myself. so apologies for any uncaught errors 😬

previous chapter

Chapter 4: Blood Moon, Blazing Sun

_________________________________________________________

“Master?” 

Clank’s voice startled Hannah enough to make her jolt. Ever since the Clones had left, she’d been in an even more downcast mood, going so far as to isolate herself on the bench to sulk. How much time had passed with her sitting there slumped over and stuck in a daze?

“Are you feeling alright?” Clank continued speaking in his usual curious tone, but there was clearly some worry mixed in as well.

“I’m… just tired,” Hannah answered with a small sigh. She couldn’t even bring herself to look up at the tall droid and remained in her slumped over state.

Clank let out a concerned hum. “Maybe you should lie down for a bit then. You can’t properly work if you’re tired, you know!”

The attentiveness of her droid made a small smile grow on Hannah’s face. He’d been so sweet from the first moment she’d met him, and it was impossible to not feel at least a little uplifted from his words.

“That’d be nice,” Hannah answered. “But I don’t think I can afford that right now.”

“Nonsense!” Clank reached down and grabbed one of Hannah’s arms to help pull her up to a standing position. “No amount of payment is worth hurting yourself over. I can take care of things here while you rest. That’s what I’m here for, after all!”

Hannah’s already fragile emotional state made her nearly burst into tears from Clank’s words. She gave him an appreciative look and grabbed the sides of his long face to pull him down closer so she could smooch the end of his muzzle. “You’re the sweetest, Clank.”

“D’aww…” Clank scrunched up his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

Despite all her refutes, Hannah eventually gave in and took Clank’s advice. She made extra certain that Clank knew his duties, which he reassured her about several times. Clank ended up literally pushing her towards the door, all while stating that everything would be fine and that she didn’t have to worry. He even asked Bolo and Ketch to escort Hannah to her apartment so he could be certain she would actually go take a rest.

The whole thing felt silly, but Hannah knew she would’ve done the exact same thing to someone else. Clank apparently had taken on more of her tendencies than she originally thought. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear that Gildish had programmed him that way on purpose.

Once she got to her apartment, Hannah thanked Bolo and Ketch for escorting her, even going so far as to reward them with a few cookies she’d baked with Omega the day before. The two gratefully thanked her and wished her a good rest before taking their leave.

The front door slid shut. Hannah faced the interior of her apartment with a sigh. It was completely silent. 

And for the first time in several weeks, she was all alone.

It was a familiar feeling. Those years she’d lived alone before moving to Ord Mantell still haunted her. She used to dream of living on her own when she was young. The idea of being independent and not having to rely on anyone else sounded amazing as a child.

She had no idea about the true weight of it all. Especially after having those she cared about most ripped out of her life entirely.

And even if it was just her anxiety talking, it felt like it was happening all over again.

Darn her irrational anxiety.

Despite how tired she was, Hannah took some time to just lounge around before attempting a nap. Her boots were messily tossed in the corner of the room, and she flung her scarf off onto one of the crates nonchalantly. It almost made her chuckle comparing herself to one of the Clones coming in for a visit. She also grabbed a few cookies to munch on, although half of one ended up falling to the floor accidentally. It made her so upset, she almost cried.

“Am I freaking PMSing or something?” she mused to herself after calming down. But it wasn’t hard to figure out her fragile state was because of her current circumstance. She’d had far too many similar experiences back on Astreon. Too many days where life was hitting her hard and it was almost too much to handle.

She decided to not wait too long to take her nap after that.

After scrolling on her datapad for a bit and finishing the rest of her cookie, Hannah finally bit the bullet and began her attempt at something resembling a nap. She didn’t feel like changing her clothes - and heaven forbid she go anywhere near her bed with dirty clothes - so she chose to stay on the couch. She stole one of the cushions from the makeshift seats to use as a pillow and yanked the blanket off the back of the couch to spread over her legs. The last thing she did was turn on some soft music on her datapad to listen to, then snuggled up into the couch with her arms tucked tightly against her chest. She briefly regretted not grabbing one of her stuffed toys to snuggle with, but she was too comfortable to move and just let it go.

Apparently, all the stress she’d had and all the sleep she’d lost allowed her to enter a restful state quicker than usual.

And eventually, the images she played in her mind began to feel more and more real…

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

…I am alone.

I wander through empty space with no semblance of where I am.

Darkness surrounds me, but I know there is something there.

I reach out. I feel around me. I long for the touch of familiarity.

My hands brush across the bark of a tree.

I look around and see more trees. Tall, towering evergreens all around me. Bright, green grass below me. Massive, imposing mountains ahead of me.

I do not recognize this forest. But it is beautiful.

I wish to explore. I want to see more.

My feet pick up pace. I speed through the woods. My body feels lighter than ever.

The edge of a cliff approaches. But I do not stop.

I leap from the ground and hang in the air.

I can fly.

I spread my arms out, feeling lighter than air. I feel the warmth of the sun on my back and the wind rushing through my hair.

I am at peace.

I am free.

And… I am alone.

A shadow drifts over me, calling my attention. I look up to see the sun, shining brightly, though it does not blind me. The warmth of its rays coats me like a soft blanket. I feel a deep connection between its celestial body and my own.

A different object catches my attention. Another round figure in the sky, nearly drowned out by the rays of the sun. It mirrors the sun, reflecting its brilliant light onto its own surface. The sun’s rays turn the object’s surface a lucent shade of red.

A blood moon.

I should be afraid. But I am not.

I embrace the blood moon.

The shadow appears over me again. My eyes follow it, trying to determine its source.

I see a silhouette shadowed by the blood moon. It is flying towards me.

No… it swims to me.

The silhouette darts towards me like a shot fired from a blaster. The shadow passes over me again. I turn to see a figure floating nearby me.

My heart begins to race. The air catches in my throat. A searing heat stronger than the blazing sun courses through my body.

I see him. The one my heart belongs to. The one my soul is bound to. The one my life is owed to.

He floats beside me, hair and limbs flowing as if he is suspended in water. His stoic face softens at our proximity. His eyes reflect the light of the sun and moon in tandem.

He offers a hand to me and I take it.

Together, we soar through the sky, hand in hand. The sun and moon follow us, mirroring our movements. Soft orange lights dance across us as we fly. Our hearts beat as one, a symbol of our deep, unbreakable bond.

We are together.

We are at peace.

And nothing can ever tear us apart…

…

…

…red. I see nothing but red.

The sky has become bloodied by the overwhelming crimson hue, drowning out the light of the sun and moon. 

My grip on my love’s hand tightens, and my heart races faster.

But my grip is not strong enough. I feel him slip away, as if he’s taken away by the current of a river. I scream his name as he plummets beneath me. His visage disappears into the trees below, blocked by the encroaching darkness.

I want to follow. I want to fall.

I need to save him.

A searing heat burns against my back. The sun, brightly glowing red, encompasses me in its grasp. I am overtaken with fear and anger and rage.

I am the sun. 

Below me, the moon glows red, drowned out by the rays of the sun. It disappears into the trees, as my love did before.

The moon is gone.

My love is gone.

I cannot save him.

No…

I cannot…

I will not…

I cannot be alone again…

No…

No…

NO…

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

“NO!!”

Hannah jolted awake from her sleep by the sound of her own voice. Her whole body shivered, and her breath was quick and heavy. A wet fog clouded her eyes that quickly turned to tears as she blinked. Her chest ached from the hard pounding of her heart, and her hand shakily drifted up to clutch the pendants on her necklace tightly. 

For a moment, she just laid there, attempting to steady her breathing and trying to convince herself that it was all just another bad dream. 

Easier said than done.

It all felt so real to her… too real…

Suddenly, a beeping noise made Hannah’s heart leap out of her chest, and she let out a surprised scream. Her comlink was going off. She almost hesitated answering it, but quickly regathered herself and reached over to grab it off the side table.

“Hello?” she hesitantly answered. She could still hear the remnant panic in her tone, but hoped whoever was on the other end wouldn’t notice.

“Where are you?” was all that came through the comlink. The voice was gruff and metallic sounding.

Hannah let out a harsh sigh after realizing who it was. “Master? What… what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play ignorant with me,” the architect droid responded in his usual condescending tone.

Between the dream she’d just had, the grogginess she was currently experiencing, and all the stress she’d been under up until that point, it was a wonder Hannah didn’t explode back in response. The grogginess was most likely what kept her in check. “I’m not, I really don’t know.”

An annoyed sigh came through the comlink. “Humans and your faulty memories… you’re lucky your opponent likes you so much!”

Opponent? What the heck was he talking about?

“Should I let him know you’ve canceled then? That you’re forfeiting for this week?”

Canceled? Forfeiting?

Had Master Gildish signed Hannah up for some sort of race without her even knowing it??

Hannah continued to rub the grogginess from her eyes as she sat up further from her position on the couch. One of the pillows fell off, and it almost got her crying all over again. She did not need this nonsense right now.

Then it suddenly hit her. The current date, the time of day, an “opponent who likes you”...

It was kriffing Game Night.

Hannah let out a groan and shook her head, holding it in her free hand. “No, no, you don’t… I lost track of time, that’s all. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“You’d better!” was all Master Gildish said before the comlink went dark.

Still shaken, now frustrated, Hannah took a moment to simply rest her head in her hands. She still felt like crying and couldn’t tell if the wetness in her eyes was tears or residual sleepiness. But she knew she couldn’t sit there for long. Gildish would most likely call her again if she didn’t leave soon.

Maybe going to see Krag would be a good thing. Maybe she needed a change of pace, something to distract her from the turmoil inside her.

All she knew was she did not want to think about that horrible dream ever again.

[megaeratheefury]

I was not surprised that you are wanted for numerous offenses, including theft, murder, and wanton destruction of property.

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD (2024)

[hoshigray]

Yuuji talking with Megumi, telling him he doesn't blame him for being shut down during all this, Megumi sharing his dream of a happy life, Yuuji telling Megumi it's lonely without him around, and Meg's assist with the shadow leg pull, I honestly can't fucking do this right now

[drrav3nb]

MARCUS & LUCA | THE BEAR SEASON TWO

[leclercari]

Red, White & Royal Blue Prime FYC Experience Panel - 8 May 2024

[kvtnisseverdeen]

For the first time, Ramadan is being celebrated with a light display in central London, in Piccadilly Circus. Ramadan Mubarak. (x)

[naamahdarling]

I didn't get pics I didn't get pics my phone was in the bedroom charging but FANCY IS PLAYING WITH THEM. Not next TO them but INITIATING PLAY WITH THEM.

Not bitchily, not reluctantly, not with a short temper, not tolerating THEIR advances, but making her OWN advances! Inviting them in!!!!!! Even the detested Junie!

CRYINGGGGGG.

[jackshiccup]

the greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return

have been perpetually rotating @bignostalgias white winter hymnal hijack inside my mind palace like rotisserie chicken i adore this life-changing au to the core my bones and teeth ache badly from thinking about them <3

[bylrndgm]

MIKE WHEELER IN EVERY EPISODE [22/42] 3.05 The Flayed

[doctorbrown]

MCFLY JULY ‘24 ⸺ 「 31 / 31 * PEPSI FREE — ACROSS TIME 」

[cutiesigh]

「Demo WIP」 Can y'all watch my plant real quick? 🍈