#where uhhh hello! it snowed! it was so magical | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

swordofsappho · 5 years ago

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𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧

“I had found my religion: nothing seemed more important to me than a book. I saw the library as a temple” — Jean-Paul Sartre

—

It was a cold, snowy day in New Orleans, Louisiana. The small Mom n’ Pop stores slowly began to open, the smell of coffee and pastries filled the French Quarter. Six o’clock in the morning was a magical time for Bucky Barnes, even though his apartment was located above the bookstore he owned, he loved to walk the Quarter before the bustling city was awake. He was wrapped in a royal blue trench coat, underneath it was a grey and white striped long-sleeved shirt, matched with a pair of dark-wash jeans and low-rise boots. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and gazed up at the purple and white winter violas. He smiled softly, remembering how his mother loved winter violas. The long-haired male checked the time before turning on his heel and making his way back towards his bookstore. When he returned, he was greeted by Alpine sitting in the front store window, pawing at the cold glass.

“Okay, okay.” said Bucky, looking at the small white cat, letting out a chuckle. “I’m coming.”

Once he entered the store again, Alpine jumped down from the window to greet him. Bucky took the trench coat off and placed it on the coat rack, he then reached up and pulled his hair back into a bun. He bent down and picked up Alpine and set him on top of one of the smaller bookshelves that had a small bowl of cat food resting on top of it. He then started the coffee pot and set out a new stack of throw away coffee cups and lids, making sure to save one for himself. He decided to turn on the radio last minute so he could listen to see if the weather would change like he was hoping, but now the radio was playing Christmas hits. He hummed softly to a version of Blue Christmas as he straightened up the shelves, waiting for people to walk by.

The bell that was attached to the door, rang and Bucky looked up from where he was placing books. “Hello, Mrs. Gunners!” exclaimed Bucky has he slightly waved to one of his regular customers.

“Hello Bucky, how are you doing today dear?” she asked as she made her way to the check-out counter.

Bucky met her there and stamped each time card of the books she returned. “I’m doing great today, how have you been?” he replied, giving her a smile.

“Oh you know, these old bones are different every day.” she replied before walking over to the coffee pot and pouring herself a small cup of hot, black coffee.

“It’s all this cold weather we’ve had. This cold front is making my bones hurt as well.” stated Bucky as he moved the books to a small cart behind the counter.

“I almost forgot! Here, I made it last night and know how much you love shrimp gumbo.” she said before handing him a brown paper bag with a small cup of gumbo inside of it.

Mrs. Gunners was one of Bucky's favorite customers, she was always kind to everyone and never said a bad word of anything. She was a wise old soul who made some pretty damn good gumbo. Bucky’s eyes lit up as he placed the bag in a mini fridge that was hidden away, behind the spiral staircase that lead up to his apartment.

“Thank you so much Mrs. Gunners.” said Bucky, returning back to straighten up the shelves.

She just waved it off and sipped on her cup of coffee as she walked towards the door. “I’ll see you later Bucky, make sure to stay warm!” she called as she exited the store.

Bucky just waved and leaned on the bookshelf that Alpine was laying on. He placed his right hand on the white feline gently, making sure not to wake him.

‘It’s going to be a cold one in New Orleans today, the snow will get heavier throughout the day. We suggest that everyone traveling take extreme precautions as the roads will be icy.’

Bucky tilted his head towards the radio as the news was stated. He sighed and kept watch as the snow kept falling. As the hours passed, fewer and fewer people came into the store. But Bucky didn’t mind, he had Alpine to keep him company, even though Alpine was sound asleep on a wool blanket that was resting in the windowsill. He walked over to the coffee pot and set to the lowest setting so the coffee wouldn’t burn. Since Bucky lived above the bookstore, he didn’t have to worry about getting stranded on the side of the road like most of the tourists that were entering and leaving the city.

The bell on the door rang as the door swung open. A tall blonde male walked in, bringing in some snow with him. He was wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, a white shirt and a thin jacket. Bucky didn’t recognize him, he’s probably a tourist.

Bucky gave him a smile and a small wave. “Hello, welcome to French Quarter Book Shop. Are you looking for anything specific?” said Bucky, motioning towards the historic section of the store.

“Actually yeah, I am,” said the man. “I’m obviously not from here and I was trying to find something about the city.”

Bucky nodded and walked over to one of the many sections in the store. “In the historic section we have books about the origin of New Orleans, books about the music and culture, and my personal favorite, books about all of the batshit crazy folks that have either lived here or passed through.” replied Bucky, glancing over at him waiting for a reply.

The man stepped closer to the shelf and Bucky got a better look at him, his blonde hair was a ruffled mess from the wind and the snow, his cheeks and nose where now rosy from the cold, he was handsome. Bucky had to mentally slap himself to stop staring at him.

“I’m Bucky by the way, just in case you need anything.” he stated before moving away from the shelf to give the other male some room to look around.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Clint.” he replied before grabbing a book off of the shelf and looking over it.

Bucky walked back over to the check-out counter and sat in a stool that was behind it. As Bucky was scanning the store, making sure none of the books were laying on other shelves or on the floor, the lights began to flicker, but he didn't think anything of it since that’s a normal occurrence.

He couldn't stop glancing over at Clint, and to be completely honest, he didn't want to stop. Bucky couldn’t help the fact that a cute stranger walked into his shop, it’s not like there's a sign sitting outside saying ‘CUTE STRANGERS WELCOME’ or anything.

A few minutes passed and Clint was still wandering around the store, taking as much time as he wanted. He had stopped to watch as Alpine, who had woken up when Clint entered the store, played with the falling snowflakes as they passed in front of the window. Alpine seemed to take a liking to Clint, which never happened because the only person Alpine liked was Bucky, until now. Clint was humming along to whatever Christmas song came on the radio when the lights flickered again. Bucky had slowly started to grow concerned, a mix of constant flickering with the amount of snow that was now piling up outside left him anxious, he wouldn't mind being stuck inside with Clint. But, at the same time he wanted to have heat in the building.

By the time Clint was done looking around, he had a book from each section of the store. He set the books down on the check-out counter in front of Bucky. As soon as the books touched the surface, the power went out completely. They were quickly submerged in darkness and Bucky could feel the heat begin to leave the room. Bucky sighed and slowly turned so he wouldn't hit anything.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to go find a candle.” he said before disappearing into a back storage room. Bucky usually never lit candles because he didn't want to accidentally burn a book, but for times like these, he’s glad he had some saved up.

Bucky walked back to the counter with four, three-wick candles in his arms. He set one at the check-out counter, and the rest on some smaller bookshelves. He went around and lit all of them, the last being the one at the counter.

“Does this happen often?” asked Clint, watching as the flames from the candle in front of him danced.

“No, the lights usually flicker a few times but we’ve never had a blackout due to snow.” replied Bucky as he stamped the time cards for the books that Clint had chosen.

Clint nodded and grabbed the books from the counter. “Well, I’ll see you in a week!” he exclaimed before making his way towards the door.

'There's no way he’ll read all of those books in a week.’ Bucky thought to himself. No one could read nine books in a week.

As Bucky put the stamp away and went to get the cold coffee to pour out, he had noticed that Clint had returned to the counter.

“Did you forget something?” he asked.

Clint scratched the back of his head. “Uhhh, well. I can't get out.” he replied, a hint of nervousness to his voice.

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The snow couldn't have been that bad. He set the coffee pot down on the stool and went over to the door. Clint was right, he couldn't get out. The snow must have piled up so much that it covered halfway up the door. Bucky scolded himself, he should have been paying attention to the weather instead of watching Clint walk around the store for about forty five minutes. He had to think, the only windows that opened where the windows upstairs, and the only door was right in front of him. They were trapped. Bucky took in a breath to calm himself down a little and walked back towards Clint.

“Yeah, the door is being kept shut by the snow so I guess we’re both stuck here until it melts enough for one of us to get it open,” said Bucky as he grabbed the coffee pot and walked towards the bathroom. “I'll go find some blankets because the heat isn't working.”

Clint nodded and gave Bucky a crooked smile. “Okay that's fine. If you have a big fuzzy one, I want that one. Or if you have a heated one that runs on batteries, that one will be fine as well.” he replied half jokingly.

Bucky smiled to himself as he walked up the stairs, he looked around the room trying to find a blanket that will somehow fit what Clint wanted. He ended up finding two semi-fuzzy blankets and placed them on his bed, he then found some small throw pillows they could sit on and threw them onto the bed as well. He took a quick glance at himself in the mirror and regretted it. His hair was a mess from the wind that would blow in every time someone would walk in. He took his hair down and fixed it, combing the fly-aways back with his fingers. He grabbed the blankets and pillows and made his way back down to where Clint was.

“I didn't have any really fuzzy ones but these are the best ones I could find.” said Bucky as he handed a blanket to Clint. He then set the pillows down on the floor and wrapped his own blanket around his shoulders.

“Thank you.” replied Clint as he sat down beside Bucky, pulling his blanket over his lap. “How long have you been here?”

“I’ve lived in New Orleans for about five years,” said Bucky as he leaned back against the counter. “but this is the worst snow I’ve seen yet.”

“I’ve been thinking about moving here but I’m still on the fence about it, that's why I got all of these books.” replied Clint. “I’ve always loved visiting here, and I visit quite often so I might as well just pack up and move.”

“It’s better in the summertime, the ferns are always in great upkeep and there's usually more street performers out.” said Bucky, he paused for a moment trying to think. “Also, if you like oak trees I would highly suggest going to Oak Alley in the spring, it’s not too hot and the mint juleps are amazing.”

“Mint julep?” replied Clint, raising an eyebrow. “Even though I’ve been here a lot I’ve never heard of that.”

“Oh it’s amazing! It’s bourbon, simple syrup, strawberries, and mint leaves served on the rocks.” said Bucky, his eyes lighting up as he described his favorite summer drink. Bucky didn't drink often, but when he did, he always got a mint julep from Oak Alley.

“You’re gonna have to take me sometime because I have no idea how to get there.” replied Clint, laughing.

Bucky was glad the power was out so Clint couldn't see his now red cheeks. He normally didn't flustered but for some reason Clint just did things to him.

“I mean yeah I will gladly take you. Oak Alley is beautiful, I’d hate for you to not see it because you don't know how to get there.” stated Bucky as he wrapped the blanket tighter around him.

The store had gotten colder since the nightfall had begun. Bucky reached up on the counter and pulled down a small clock that read 8:30PM.

“I didn't realize how late it’s gotten, it’s 8:30.” said Bucky before putting the clock back on the counter and getting up.

Clint watched as Bucky walked over to feed Alpine. “I guess I’ll be stuck here for the night since the snow hasn't melted.”

“Yeah, looks like it. There's a couch upstairs you could sleep on.” replied Bucky as he picked up his blanket and pillow.

He started up the spiral stairs, Clint following him. Once they entered the apartment, Bucky set the blankets and pillows on his bed. He then pulled out a lighter from his pocket to light yet another candle, this time it was vanilla scented.

The apartment was small since it was only made for one person, but Bucky somehow managed to fit a futon in there. The kitchen was barely a kitchen, it was just a stove and a small fridge with the microwave on top. The ‘living room’ consisted of a dresser and a small flatscreen on top, any movies or extra blankets that Bucky had went in the dresser. Lastly was where Bucky would sleep, his metal bed frame was pushed against the wall, there wasn't a headboard or footboard, he used a full size body pillow to prop up the other pillows on the bed. It wasn’t much, but it was home.

“I could have just slept downstairs, I wouldn't mind.” said Clint as he sat on the futon with his blanket still in his hands.

“I wasn't going to let you sleep down there, there's no heat and that floor gets cold easily. Plus, that would make me a bad store owner.” replied Bucky as he sat at the foot of his bed.

“True, that would make you sound shitty.” said Clint as he laid down, letting on hand drape off of the futon to brush the rug that was underneath him.

“Oh, Alpine might jump up there with you, he likes to sleep on the futon when it gets cold,” said Bucky, pulling the comforter up enough so he could get into bed without messing up the pillows on the left side of the bed. “if he does, just push him down, he’ll either sleep on the carpet or with me.”

Clint yawned. “Alright, sounds good.”

It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep, the cold making them weary. Alpine did eventually jump on the futon with Clint, but he didn't mind, he was thankful for what little warmth came from the small white cat.

—

Bucky's eyes flew open as Alpine jumped on his stomach, telling him that it was time to get up. He was glad that he didn't have to open the shop, he always had it closed on Sundays. He moved the cat and sat up, swinging his legs over the bed. Clint was awake and eating a small bowl of cereal, his hair was a blonde mess and his once bright blue eyes where faded from sleep.

“Good morning.” said Clint as he finished the cereal and put the spoon and bowl in the sink.

Bucky rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched his cold muscles. “Good morning,” he replied “have you checked the door to see if the snow is still blocking it?”

Clint shook his head. “No, not yet. I woke up like five minutes ago.”

Bucky got up and moved Alpine off of his bed so he could straighten it up a little. “I’ll go check when I feed Alpine.” he stated as he pulled his already messy hair into an even messier ponytail.

Being completely honest, Bucky was hoping that the snow hadn't melted so Clint could stay longer, Bucky liked his presence. He was also hoping that Clint would move to New Orleans, he wouldn't mind running into the tall blonde on Bourbon Street every once in a while. Bucky pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he went downstairs to check the door and to feed Alpine, who was now circling his legs as he tried to walk. He poured food inside of Alpine’s bowls, trying to waste some time before he went to the door. When he opened the door, the snow was now melted into slush. He checked the lights and the power, everything was back to normal so he plugged the coffee pot back in and started brewing some.

“Hey Clint, the doors open.” he called upstairs as he watched the coffee start to trickle into the pot. He glanced over as he saw Clint walk down the stairs.

“That's good, I was starting to get cabin fever.” he joked.

Bucky rolled his eyes and grabbed a paper coffee cup and poured the hot liquid into it. “You want some?” he asked.

Clint nodded. “Yes please, I’m freezing.”

Bucky laughed and poured Clint a cup as well and handed it to him. Clint blew on it for a minute before taking a sip, a look of gratitude played on his face for a moment. That's when Bucky noticed that Clint had on his shoes and he had stacked the books he got close to him. He was leaving.

“I’m guessing that you're about to leave?” said Bucky, leaning against a bookshelf.

Clint nodded. “Yeah, the sleepover was great but mom said that I gotta be home before lunch.” he said as he grabbed the books and headed towards the door, before he opened it he turned back towards Bucky. “It was nice to meet you, I still want a tour of Oak Alley when I come back.”

Bucky smiled. “Sure thing. You know where to find me.” he replied as Clint walked out the door, books in on hand and coffee in the other.

—

Months pass, the cold winter has now turned into scorching hot summer and Bucky purposely left the door open to let a small breeze in. The store was running as usual, people came in, looked around and then left without saying a word. He knew that Clint never returned the books that he got but Bucky didn't care, the books that Clint picked out, no one had ever read them or even gave them a second glance.

He was dusting off the shelves as he heard someone set a pile of books down at the check-out counter. Without looking he went over to his book and began grabbing each book carefully off the pile. He recognized one of them. He looked up to see Clint Barton, who was now a lot tanner than when Bucky had last saw him, standing in front of him, a stupid smile plastered on his face.

“Sorry it took so long, it’s basically impossible to read nine books in one week.” said Clint smiling. He was holding something behind his back.

Bucky raised an eyebrow and motioned towards him. “What are you hiding?” he asked as he checked all of the books in.

Clint, still smiling, pulled his hands out from behind him to reveal two mint juleps in his hands. “I forgot to ask you to show me Oak Alley,” he explained. “So as an apology, I found it myself and brought you a mint julep since you said that you liked them.”

Bucky smiled. “Thank you Clint, but you didn't have to buy me one.” he said as Clint set the drinks down on the counter.

“Just take it, I purposely haven't drank mine yet because I wanted you to see my reaction.” he said as he pushed one towards Bucky.

Bucky took the drink and sat down on the stool behind the counter and waited for Clint to take a sip. He watched as Clint looked at the drink cautiously, he swirled it around a few times before taking a sip.

“Oh my God,” said Clint, coughing slightly. “I wasn't expecting that much bourbon.”

Bucky laughed as he took a sip of his, he was used to the taste by now. Alpine meowed from the window and jumped down to meet Clint, the cat didn't know Clint had walked in since he fell asleep bathing in the sunlight. Clint bent down to pet the cat.

“Did you like Oak Alley?” asked Bucky watching Clint.

Clint stood up and smiled at him. “Yeah, it was beautiful. OH! I almost forgot to tell you, I moved in right next door, the lady was moving in with her fiancé and put it up for sale. So I guess you're gonna be seeing me here a lot.” he said.

Hearing this, Bucky almost dropped his precious mint julep.

#mcu #winterhawk #buckybarnes #clint barton #alpine barnes #new orleans #mcu fic #fanfic #winterhawk fanfic

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thatslytherinanderson-blog · 6 years ago

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Random Character Quiz: Cooper Anderson

The questions below will be answered in first person by Cooper.

What brings them comfort? Family and music for sure. I love being around people I care about and then, let’s be fair now, there is a song for every mood. Music has never let me down.

What makes them blush? Ohhh shit. Don’t ask me that! I’m blushing already! Uh, I guess what gets me most is when people surprise me with something like flowers? Or when I get praised for something? I don’t take genuine compliments very well.

Their opinion on love? Tough question. I’m young, do I really know what love is? It’s just some shit in the movies that we see an interpretation of. We don’t know what love is to us until we truly experience it. I think it’s security to be yourself with someone.

What is their favourite weather? Sunnnnnnshineeeee! I like snow to look out, from the bedroom window, while I’m all snuggly in bed with the fire on and hot chocolate and Netflix. I live in t-shirts and tank tops, so gimme all that hot weather any day of the week. Although if it’s too hot where you can’t breathe, then I start complaining.

What typically makes them happy? You like these sappy questions don’t you? My dog and chocolate.

What does their laugh sound like? [X] A wheezing car engine trying to start mixed in with a dirty old man chuckle. Other times it’s a high pitched giggle, but it’s always 100% full on gigglemania.

What is their favourite animal? Gooood question. Tough question too. I love Geckos and I love giraffes and I love dogs. But if we’re talking magical creatures then your boy gotta go with them badass little bowtruckes for sure. They’re my homies- ahaha!

What type of music do they listen to? Everything. The limit does not exist.

Do they have any bad habits? That is your first stupid question. Swearing, smoking, drinking, sleeping around, flirting shamelessly with anything and everything. Being over-passionate about things. Getting into fights verbally and physically waaaay too often.

What are their fears/phobias? Haven’t really figured this one out yet. Being trapped is a big one.

Do they say hello to any animal they walk past? Of-fucking-course I do. Animals have feelings too.

What is their takeaway option of choice? Ohhhhh shitttt sign me the fuck up for EVERYTHING. I want that McDonalds and I want that Pizza and I want that Chinese and I want that KFC. If I had to pick one...uhhh....oh! double bacon and cheese burger from Five Guys with extra lettuce, large chips (bitch I can handle it) and a large Fanta.

Choose any colour for the front of their house, what would it be? My brain goes to white, I like white it’s a good colour.

Pick three of their favourite fruits to make into a smoothie Banana, blueberries, strawberries.

A constellation is named after them, how do they feel? How would it look? Interesting questions... uh I’d feel a little humbled. I love space. I think it would look something like Aries or Cancer. I like the idea of a centre star that shines the brightest and then like little legs coming off it. Like all these little stars for together to shine brightly together.. something like that.

Pick a vine to represent them. Oh there’s so many, but I relate to this one [x] and this one most. [X]

Where do they like to sit on public transport? You will find me a P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. Otherwise known as the top deck at the front. If that’s taken, I’m at the back of the top deck.

Are they okay with wearing odd socks? Hell-yeah! Don’t be hating on my socks. Though they gotta colour co-ordinate with my entire outfit. We have stylishly-odd socks.

In yearbook fashion, what finishes the sentence “Most likely to…?” ”Die by steamroller”

What is their first fairground ride of choice? The whizzy tea-cups. Tony and I go on them and try and spin the other one as fast as they can until they hurl. Then we get back on and switch.

All you can eat salad buffet, carvery, or all you can eat ice cream machine? If there’s pasta at the salad bar like in Pizza Hut, I’m there. Otherwise Ice Cream motherfuckers! Give me the chocolate sauce and marshmallows.

What one success would they pick: love, riches, or success? Love. You can’t buy love. But with the right kind of love, you can buy anything.

Do they have a good luck charm/number/colour Good luck charm is my gold ring. Number is 8. Colour is yellow.

What movie genre would the film of their life be? Sit-com. It would be like The Office. But instead of me looking to the camera like Jim Halpert (John Krasinksi you babe) it would be everyone else around me looking into the camera after I’ve done another stupid thing. You get me?

How long do they key receipts for? My mother says keep it for a week because you never know! It goes in my top draw which I forget about for like six months until I clean it out.

How good at they are keeping a surprise party secret? Oh so good at keeping surprises. Hey, have you guys heard about the party next Friday? It’s going to be the best. It’s a surprise for- hah! I’m not a complete idiot.

Are we done? Aw, I enjoyed that. Wait don’t go. Ask me more. Don’t leave!

#cjmeme #cjphotography

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dangan-rarepairs-secret-santa · 7 years ago

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Date and Skate

Koimiki by @despairandrogyne for Sakiko @danganronpa-ask-class

If there was one thing she noticed about Mikan; it was that it was damn near impossible

to get her to leave the house. Trips to the pharmacy were plausible, especially if she were in a bad mood or someone was hurt, and of course she had no choice but to appear at the dining hall at least once or twice a day to eat. There were a lot of things that struck Mahiru first when she started spending more time with her crush, the way she bit her nails when she was nervous, her constant apologizing, and God those endless tirades of self criticism. But those things were easy to notice.

It’s not that Mikan was the type of person to stay home from a night out. Quite the contrary in fact; most of the few times Mahiru had seen her legitimately smile or laugh were compacted into a few short hours when Ibuki had decided to throw a night party for the entire class. She wondered if Mikan would have been a real party animal or wild girl in some alternate timeline where she wasn’t afraid to show her face in public for more than a few minutes at a time. Mahiru giggled at the thought. No, that’s not likely but it’s still not good for her to stay in like this.

Ever since she and Mikan had started dating, most of their interactions had been in Mikan’s room, or occasionally at the side beach if Mahiru didn’t think they would draw too much attention to themselves (no point in making your date even more nervous). But those didn’t really count if you asked her.

Mahiru pushed in on the doorbell.

“Hello?” Mikan’s voice was a bit more strained than usual. Mahiru wondered if she had walked in at a bad time.

Opening the door, Mahiru could see that Mikan was meticulously organizing what she liked to refer to as her “first aid kit”. If you asked Mahiru, it was more like a first aid cabinet but hey, she wasn’t the SHSL nurse.

“Hey, I came to pick you up for some quality outdoor time!” Mikan looked up from her work for a moment.

“I-is that really okay?”

It was. Mahiru had anticipated this response. “Sure, why wouldn’t it be? I want to hit up the beach!”.

“But that might not be safe!!!” Mikan looked legitimately concerned, beyond her usual anxiety about being seen in public. This Koizumi had not been able to anticipate. What was wrong with the beach? I mean sure, Usami seemed a little fishy but it hadn’t so much as rained on the island let alone done anything to prove that the outdoors would be dangerous. She cupped her chin and tried to think of how to even respond to what her girlfriend had said.

“What?” was the best she could come up with. Maybe she hadn’t planned this out as well as she thought…

“Well…,” Mikan looked down at the floor as if she was about to say something embarrassing. “Well, I might have overheard from Usami that-“

She didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence. Before she even had a chance to stammer a loud thud came from the outdoors, followed by a massive white sheet of what appears to accumulated snow spanning in every direction save for the ocean. Just a moment earlier it was perfectly gentle weather (if anything it had been a little hotter than normal), and there definitely weren’t any clouds to indicate that a weather change was on its way. Snow

covered the other cabins and the leaves leaves of the palm trees, God it looked weird. Koizumi wondered what the barometric pressure must be doing right now.

Snowflakes were falling from what appeared to be a partly cloudy sky, and she had to press her hand to windowpane to be fully sure she wasn’t imagining things. The pads of her fingers chilled as they touched the icy glass. Koizumi recoiled a little bit in shock, not sure whether she wanted to hide until the bizarre weather passed or dart outside barefoot to see if it was really snowing. She might have been staring out the window forever if the nurse hadn’t spoken up.

“She said that she was thinking about changing the weather to something less tropical”.

Koizumi inhaled. Well she had to accept it as true didn’t she? Mikan wouldn’t have lied about that, and it makes sense that she would be on edge if she was anticipating something no one else knew about.

“I found out it might get really really cold so I wanted to prepare everyone for flu season.” Okay, so that was it.

“Is that why your medical kit’s all out like that?”

“Umm yeah I didn’t want, that is, I didn’t want to think that, I wouldn’t be able to get a flu vaccine to everyone on time so I started searching through everything I had.”

That made sense at least. Mikan was worried about other people to a fault, although the more Mahiru got to know her the more she didn’t really seem like the type. There’s no way she would approach any unknown situation without preparing for any reasonably expected medical snafu. Not that anyone who got an illness under her care would have to worry.

“It’s not too messy is it?!?” Tsumiki panicked a little as she started to wonder what her partner might think or say.

“Huh? I don’t even remember what it looked like before you took everything out of the cases.”

That seemed to satisfy her anxiety, and she went back to her work rather quickly. It was then Koizumi remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

Without even thinking about it Koizumi pecked Mikan on the cheek and caressed her hand with the arm that wasn’t guarding the camera. Mikan gripped her bicep and shyly returned the kiss with one a little closer to the mouth. It was brief moments of intimacy like this that made Mahiru radiate with the same happiness she felt after Mikan accepted her confession a few short weeks ago.

The photographer nearly forgot what she was doing when she re-noticed the snow on the ground. She bolted upright and straightened out her jumper before heading for the door.

“Mikan! Outside!” Without waiting for a response she flung open the door. “I-isn’t it too cold?” Her red-headed girlfriend could just be so impulsive. Mahiru did not have a counterargument as she felt goosebumps instantly prickle the

delicate hairs on her exposed arms. It certainly hadn’t gotten any warmed since she stuck her hand on the window pane…

“Uwahhh is it too cold for you now?” Usami appeared out of nowhere like she always did; magical wand in her hand and the students’ comfort on her mind.

“I mean…” She would have informed Usami on the basics of human temperature regulation if she hadn’t been noticeably shivering as she spoke.

“Just a minute!” The bunny waved her wand towards the snow covered sand to materialize a box filled with winter clothing. Koizumi reached for a green puffer jacket with faux fur trip that happened to fit her quite well, and pulled out a black wool coat for Mikan, who had tentatively followed her onto the walkway by now. Mahiru gently tossed over the thick overcoat and reached into the box to pull out some gloves and a knit cap. As shocking as the temperature change was, the prepared clothing seemed to be sufficiently warm. By the time she was done adjusting the new apparel Tsumiki was already fully bundled up and ready to go. How did she even get dressed that fast?

Mikan locked the door and moved a bit closer to the path, signaling that she had accepted her girlfriend’s proposal to go on a date outdoors. “What do you want to do, Mahiru?”

It was wonderful that Tsumiki had agreed to go out like that, but Mahiru realized she had no idea what to do on a snow covered island. Her plans of messing around in the ocean suddenly fizzled out of existence. What did you even do with snow anyways except for swipe if off the car? She was about to suggest an indoor date when she spotted something light and glossy out of the corner or her eye.

“ICE SKATING!!!” Mahiru bolted across the platform towards the beach, leaving an uneven trail of shoe prints behind her in the fresh precipitation. Her eyes were set on a pristine sheet of ice just several meters away from the shoreline; just waited to be scathed and played upon by the eager student. Koizumi had always been a sucker for ice rinks and being able to go to one with someone she really liked was enough to make her grin in excitement.

The issue had been resolved just as quickly as it came up, as Tsumiki trudged behind at a much slower, more cautious pace. Mahiru stopped just short of the rink perimeter to see her reflection in the nearly clear ice. Upon closer inspection she could see granules of sand frozen to the bottom of the sheet, providing a sharp contrast to their usual balmy appearance. It really wasn’t much to see after she looked at it but Koizumi snapped a quick photo anyways just to have the information on record. She really took the moment to absorb as much of the scenery as she possibly could, her mind already plotting out ideas for shots and panoramas and a hundred miles a minute.

Upon closer inspection of the rink itself she noticed a pile of ice skates in various sizes and styles lined up, clearly in anticipation to be used. She chose a pair in her size and quickly laced up before gingerly trotting onto the rink and made the absolutely fastest figure eight she possibly could just to test out the ice.

Her girlfriend caught up and had done the same thing but was hesitant about actually setting foot on the rink.

“Mikan don’t you want to get on the rink?”

“Yeah! I want to spend time together with you!” Mikan was beaming; her choppy onyx hair creating static as it rubbed against the wool of her coat. Snowflakes were sticking to the puffball of her knit cap, and more were on her shoulders and shoes.

Despite her seeming exitment, she still didn’t move.

“Mikan what are you waiting for?” Mahiru asked. Could there have been something she forgot that was on her mind right now?

Mikan grimaced a little bit. “It’s just… I never learned how to ice skate,”

Oh.

“Uhhh…” Mahiru would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little embarrassed for not noticing. Perhaps she hadn’t kicked her denser tendencies to the curb as much as she would have like to think. Whatever, she has happy to teach Mikan how to enjoy one of her favorite pastimes.

“Here.” Mahiru wrapped her arm around Mikan’s waist; who blushed at the sudden intimacy. God, her girlfriend was just so cute. With their combined efforts Mikan gradually stepped onto the rink without too much issue.

Mikan gasped a little bit at the sudden change in balance, but she knew her girlfriend wouldn’t let her go anywhere. “Mahiru, would you mind teaching me a little bit about the ice?”

Koizumi tried her absolute best to teach her the basics, at least enough so that she would be confident moving by herself. Mikan wasn’t the fastest learner but then again that made it all the more exiting when she made progress. It took Mahiru a solid five minutes just to convince her to stand without support and another ten to convince her to move around on the ice. Mahiru stayed close enough so that she would be able catch Mikan if she was having trouble with balance but far enough away so that she would be able to skate without it. Eventually the less experienced girl was able to slide herself a few inches across the ice at a time without support, and in fact she seemed to be having fun. Mahiru’s heart fluttered a little bit in her chest. This was the side of Mikan that Mahiru had grown to know and love; it always impressed her to see how much her demeanor changed once she put her focus on something new.

Mahiru was demonstrated a more complicated move on a patch of untouched rink when she noticed three new people approaching. The on comers were Hinata, Komaeda, and- wait was that Souda? She was not looking forward to seeing her ex.

Hinata and Souda had appeared to get into some sort of bickering match that was holding most of their attention, with Komaeda interjecting whenever he had something particularly inflammatory to say. Komaeda had probably sided with himself only like he usually did, but his reactions made it seem like his talking points had very little to do with the actual argument. Whatever the conflict was, the boys had seemed to have dropped it by the time they were ready to join the two skaters. Thank goodness, Mahiru wasn’t in the mood to break up yet another one of their petty fights over who knows what.

“Hinata-kun, we should put on the skates and join the others on the ice!”

“yeah sure, why not?” Souda replied. Hinata didn’t protest and sat down on the snow in order to fasten his ice skates, gently pulling Souda down with him. Souda shirked at the sudden touch but soon was grinning like an idiot when he practically tumbled on top of Hajime. Hajime seemed to think it was pretty funny and giggled until Souda couldn’t resist the urge to throw a bit of the snow in his face. Now they had both entirely lost their composure.

Komaeda, the odd man out, was fastening his skate boots in peace, trying his best to pretend he wasn’t witnessing what he saw. Komaeda’s feelings for Hinata had to have mostly subsided, at least if he was heartbroken right now he wasn’t showing it. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice once he found out that he and Souda were a thing, but it’s not like that would have made it any easier. He took a moment to brush some snow off his legs that had gathered and put his efforts into skating across the ice. He was a surprisingly graceful skater.

Mikan paused her skating lesson for a moment to greet the newcomers, pleased to hear that everyone was doing well adjusting to the snow and the cold. Hinata cracked a few jokes about Christmas coming in the middle of summer, not that anyone knew what time of year it was anyways. Although neither he nor Souda were top tier skaters by any means, they seemed to be having a good time swirling around each other and the rink.

“Mikan, is this your first time on ice skates?” Komaeda paused what he was doing for a moment to ask when he saw the nurse flailing her arms in attempt to reorient herself on the rink. Mahiru was holding her waist with both hands from behind, so balance wasn’t really the issue fortunately.

“Yeah! Mahiru’s been teaching me a little bit. She’s a really good skater!” Her chest puffed up a bit at the compliment.

Komaeda turned to face Koizumi. “It’s so nice to see you teaching someone you love a new skill!” With that said he gave Mikan a few mostly obvious pointers for how to stay steady and even encouraged her to move a bit further than she otherwise would have.

Mahiru bit the inside of her lip. She never got enough quality alone time with Mikan, at least not on outings like this, and she really wasn’t in the mood to have it ruined by a nosy classmate. She was planning how to make Komaeda take the hint to leave, but then decided to take pity on him when she realized he was the only one who hadn’t arrived with a partner. Mahiru swallowed and tried to figure how to coordinate Mikan’s skating lessons with another person. She would have a chance to chance to cuddle up with Tsumiki later, perhaps even by the fireplace in the hotel now that the residents finally had an excuse to use it. Now that Komaeda would not be invited to.

It ended up being a good decision to get help from the lucky student. Apparently he had taken skate classes when he was in grade school and was actually quite a good teacher when he really focused on the task at hand. While Mahiru didn’t question her own skating skills, she had learned by herself and didn’t really know how to explain what she was doing to another person the way he did. Soon enough Mikan was moving pretty freely, and even did a small twirl with the assistance of her lover. Komaeda congratulated her on the new skill and decided to step back for a moment to relish success.

“Wow, I never knew skating was so much fun!” Mikan’s mood was the lightest Koizumi had seen it get in a while and she was hoping it would last as long as it could. She attempted a do a little hop on her skates before realizing she didn’t have enough leverage to get off the ground. Pulling out her camera, she took the moment to make a panorama of shots including all the skaters. She would have to review them later when she got back, but for now she was just going to focus on having fun.

“Hey Mikan you’re it!” Mahiru slapped her girlfriend across the shoulder and bolted off on skates as quickly as she could. Mikan tried her best to catch up, but needless to say she couldn’t do it. Soon enough Souda and Hinata had caught on just in time for Komaeda to get tagged.

It was only a matter of moments before every single skaters was circling around the perimeter of the rink in a chase, and it didn’t take long for chaos to ensue. Everyone had all but forgotten about the game of tag; which had devolved in to a game of chase with everyone working against everyone. It appears that Hinata had won, seeing how he was able to tag both Koizumi and Souda at once. The latter froze for a moment before aimlessly swatting at his

boyfriend for retaliation. Mahiru giggled. Maybe she could remember what she saw in Souda after all.

The game didn’t stop there, and with both Mahiru and Komaeda as chasers the difficultly level was enough to keep everyone on their toes, literally. Komaeda slammed against Souda with the brute force of his body, causing the mechanic to yelp. No one appeared to be hurt, but the scene was distracting enough to cause everyone else on the ice to stop dead in their tracks. That is, everyone except Tsumiki Mikan.

Mikan had stopped paying attention for a moment, which was not her proudest tendency but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. Disregarding the split second change in her surroundings was enough to cause her to go completely off balance, since she didn’t know to to screech to a halt on such a new medium. Mikan turned around sharply in intent to stop herself, but only succeeded in directing the fall backwards instead of forwards. The nurse toppled over backwards like a bowling pin, and would have landed flat on her bum had the space not already been taken up by a certain photographer.

What Mikan actually wound up doing was pummeling Koizumi to the ground; where she landed flat on her face with a howl, all her energy being split between lessening the collision with the offending party and protecting her favorite travel camera, which was still strapped around her neck. Mikan landed ass first on top of her girlfriend, legs spread out in the air wider than should really be possible for such a direct accident.

When Mikan processed what had just happened she was all but devastated. She had got up rather quickly considering how graceless the fall really was, and was rather upset to see that most of the impact had fallen on Koizumi. Koizumi was rubbing her nose where it had slammed

against the ice, and her cheek seemed to be developing a bruise. She also banged up her knee pretty badly but she wasn’t as worried about that right now. Mikan on the other hand, had gone into a full blown panic once she realized what she did.

“I AM SO SORRY ITS MY FAULT FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION!!!” Mikan was in tears at this point from the sheer guilt of having hurt someone she cared about, intentionally or otherwise.

“Uggh Mikan you gotta watch where you’re going. If I hadn’t been able to catch the camera that would have been a disaster.” Mahiru had started standing up to see how much her knee would smart upon usage. Unfortunately, it hurt a little worse than she had expected. She would have to have her girlfriend patch it up for sure.

Tsumiki was whimpering, trying to devote full attention to inspecting the photographer for damage but she was crying too hard to really see what she was doing. “I don’t know why I’m so clumsy please don’t hate meee!” Her body shook as she played every possible bad scenario out in her head, save for the most realistic one. Mahiru was a bit salty about the accident but as soon as she got a chance to see her girlfriend’s face, her mood shifted.

“Look,” she said, placing her hand on Mikan’s shoulder, “I kinda wish I hadn’t fallen down but I’m really not mad, I promise. No one was seriously hurt, and besides, I’m just glad that you’re not the one who got injured.” Mahiru had gotten used to Mikan having this sort of episode by now. She didn’t pretend to really understand what Mikan was going through because in all honesty she didn’t, but she would insist on staying there until Mikan had calmed down, at least a little bit.

Mikan sniffled. “R-really?” she said, once she was able to stabilize her voice enough to talk. “I’m glad you’re not angry I just just, I…”

Mikan let out a few final sniffles before hugging her girlfriend in relief. Mahiru was could tell it was going to be a while before she was able to live this down, but if being there for support was going to help then that was what she planned to do. She hugged Mikan back, waiting for the nurse to let go before she loosened her grip. Both girls were still shaken up but the seemed to be recuperating at least.

Meanwhile, the boys had experienced the whole thing through observation, but none of them could find their words. Komaeda and Hinata just wanted to make sure both parties were okay before trying to intervene, and Souda was still caught up in ensuing awe after getting an eyeful of Mikan’s panties. It was Komaeda who spoke first.

“Can I help with something?” he asked, scanning the situation to see what someone with no medical knowledge and limited emotional skills would even be able to do.

“I think we’re gonna be okay,” Mahiru responded. “Anways, Mikan, would you mind taking me back to your cottage to patch up?”

“No, uh, of course not. Lets go make sure you heal!” The opportunity to apply her medical skills had salvaged Mikan’s mood in an instant, and soon she was dragging Koizumi off the ice by her hand so as not to waste any time. Both girls took off the skates before Mikan whisked her off to her cottage. The boys didn’t see any reason to stay around now that the couple had left and proceeded back to Komaeda’s residence.

Mikan had Mahiru sit down on the bed while she quickly pulled a few selected items out of her medical kit, which was conveniently strewed out across the table. Within moments

Mahiru’s knee had completely stopped hurting and she honestly wouldn’t have noticed that she was injured anymore had she not been wearing a bandage on her face. As much as being hurt sucked, it was always a treat to see Mikan get completely wrapped up in her work, it was almost as if the rest of the world had stopped existing entirely to her. Mahiru pulled up her legs as Mikan washed off one final time.

“Try not to put too much pressure on your knee and you should be fully healed in no time!” Of that Mahiru had no doubt. Mikan sat down next to her, waiting to see what Koizumi would feel like doing next.

She stared off in the distance, still not really used to the snowy tropical environment. Skating was fun but now was a good time to stay in. Mahiru wrapped her arms around Mikan, and readjusted so that they could lie down and embrace. Mikan lay down against her girlfriend’s back so that she would be the big spoon. Mahiru was a little surprised, since she had never seen Mikan do that before. She decided not to worry about it. Who knew what Mikan was capable of after she opened up to someone?

Mahiru lost track of time as she started to relax more and more in her girlfriend’s arms. Mikan was relaxed too, and made small circles on Mahiru’s stomach with her fingers, which were calming enough to start to lull her to sleep. She had nearly dozed off when the sound of Mikan’s voice caused her eyes to open.

“Mahiru?” “Yeah?” She asked tentatively. “I had fun skating with you today.”

Mahiru could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and she could tell that Mikan’s was doing the same. If this is what it was like, then she wouldn’t mind if it snowed on the island every day. She leaned backwards for a kiss and felt Mikan’s soft lips meet her chapped ones.

“I had fun today too.”

#Mahiru Koizumi #Mikan Tsumiki #dangan rarepairs secret santa 2017 #koimiki #submission

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divinespairings · 7 years ago

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Do what you have to do

Summary: It was supposed to be an easy hit. Alayne had watched him for weeks and in that time her target stuck diligently to his routine. But if he is as boring as she thinks, why is it that she finds him disposing of a body?

AO3 Prologue Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Jon glanced out the window squinting as his eyes watered. Colored stops filled his vision. Uhhhh, Jon thought, sweat pooling on his back. His mouth dry and gritty from the beige sand streaming through the truck's window. Everything here was beige. Beige and hot, he thought. He hated the heat. Hated its sticky dampness and the way it settled over his body. Like a 90 pound anvil sitting on his chest. He would take even rainy Rhode Island over this.

He leaned back against the worn leather seat eyes drifting close. The rat-a-tat-tat of the truck and his mother’s low humming daring him to fall asleep.

“Will I go to school here?” he asked attempting to stay awake.

Lyanna reached over and ruffled his dark curls. “No, love,” she said, “not this time.”

Jon’s lips inched up before he schooled his features back to his usual frown. He heard his mom’s familiar huff of laughter.

“Well, don’t act too happy. It will ruin your sullen teenage image.”

“How long do you think we will be here?” Jon asked.

Jon heard the steering wheel creek under Lyanna’s grip. She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face.

“I don’t know love. I don’t know.”

~*~

A soft whimper broke through the quiet truck. From the dim glow of the clock, Jon just barely made out Alayna’s clenched jaw and furrowed brow. So young, he thought, to be so haunted. She couldn’t be more than twenty-five, twenty-six.

“No,” Alayne said jolting up. Her voice broken and raw. The huff-huff-huff of her labored breath her following.

“Are you," Jon hesitated. “Are you okay?”

Alayne closed her eyes and sucked in one last breath. When she opened them, her mouth was a firm line. “Fine,” she said staring out the windshield.

“Where did you say we are going again?”

“Milwaukee,” Jon said.

“Right.” The seat crinkled as Alayne shifted. “And how much longer?”

“About forty-five minutes,” he said.

“Well,” Alayne rolled her shoulders back and turned to face him, “let's make it useful.”

“Okay,” Jon glanced at her for a second. “How?”

“You seem keen on giving answers. Why don’t we start with questions?” Alayne set her elbow on the center console and placed her chin on her hand.

“You want to play twenty questions?”

“Sure,” she smiled. “We can call it that.”

Good lord, he thought, she should smile more often.

“Five questions, two vetoes each,” he said.

“Sounds good,” she nodded her head, “you first.”

“Why were you at my house?” he asked. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her’s.

“Heard you were good with computers.”

Jon laughed, “Right.” If half-truths were a language Alayne would be fluent.

“My turn.” She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. “How did you know my name?”

He’s not surprised that’s where she started. He knew the second he said it, it was a mistake.

“A computer told me.” If she wanted half-truths he would give her half-truths. “Why did you need my skills with computers?”

“Veto,” she said picking at a tear in the leather. “What’s your favorite childhood memory?”

Jon’s breath caught. He knew what she was doing. Knew she was trying to build a rapport with him. Make him trust her. But that didn’t lessen the ache in his chest that her words brought on.

“This truck. I moved around a lot as a kid. This truck feels more like home than any place I have ever stayed.”

A heavy silence filled the truck. It was clear she had not expected those words but they were all he had to give.

“What did you want to be as a kid?”

“A queen. I wanted to be queen.” Alayne said. “What happened to the guy at your house?”

And there it was, Jon thought, the hardball. “Veto. What kill haunts you the most?”

It’s cruel but if she won’t pull punches neither will he.

“We’re done,” she said and turned to look out the window.

That stifling silent settled over them again and Jon mentally gave thanks they were only a few minutes away from their destination.

He pulled into the parking lot under the blink of a neon sign. He stepped out of the car and walked towards the main building.

“A motel?” She eyed the obscene things drawn on the window and dark unidentifiable goo on the door. “We drove four hours for this?”

“No,” he scanned the build noting that room twenty-two had the best vantage point. Room seven was the most secluded. Room fifteen would be the best, though, if they needed to make a quick escape.

Jon pulled the door open and wrinkled his nose as stale smoke and old piss filled it.

“One room please.”

The clerk handed Jon a key. “One-fifty.”

He paid and headed out the door Alayne trailing behind him.

“Then why are we here?” She asked.

“There’s someone I need to see.”

~*~

As Jon stepped out the scent of rain greeted him.

“It’s creosote,” his mother said reading the confusion on his face. “It holds water after it rains.”

He nodded and turned towards the small farmhouse noting the crack in the top window and the door leading to the detached garage.

“Okay, quiz time,” his mother set her warm hand on his shoulders.

“Uhhh, why?”

“You know why. Now let’s get to it.”

“The house has eight ground exits. Two doors, six windows. The top windows haven’t been opened in awhile. They’re probably stuck. Not good for a quick exit. The closest neighbor is twenty miles north. East would be the best direction to run. The closest gas station is that way.”

He paused a second looked for anything he missed.

“Very good, love.” She kissed the top of his head. “Now let's do some exploring.”

~*~

When they arrived at the room Jon stayed outside stating he had a phone call to make. It left Alayne the perfect opportunity to call and update Littlefinger.

The room smelled of wet dog and old socks. There was a yellow stain on the bed and Alayne heard breathy moans and a thumping noise from next door. It was disgusting, Alayne though, but still more pleasant than this phone call would be.

She sighed and started dialing.

“Hello, you’ve reached director Baelish's phone. How can I serve you?”

“Harry,” Alayne said, “where’s Petyr?”

“Ahhhh, little bird.” If smirks were a sound they would be his voice.” Shouldn’t you have checked in hours ago?”

“Where Petyr?” she asked again.

“Not before you tell me what’s going on.”

Alayne rolled her eyes, “There were complications. But don’t worry your pretty little mind they are being worked out.”

“All I got from that is you think I am pretty and you fucked up,” he said.

“Just tell me where Petyr is.”

“He’s out. Would you care to leave a message?” Ass, she thought.

“Just tell him I called,” she heard the doorknob turn, “I have to go.”

“Till next ti-” she hung up the phone and turned towards Jon.

“You done?” She knew she should try to win him over. Earn his trust with a smile and pretty words. But even her bones feel tried after their conversion in the car.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

Alayne took a breath before starting. “Look, I could ask you a million different things. Why are we here? Who do you need to meet? How do you know who I am? But you don’t seem keen on answering so I will just ask you this, why do you think you can help me?” That question had been stuck in her head the entire drive. Yes, there were more important things. She needed to bring him and his work in but she couldn’t let this go.

Jon stared at her. She couldn’t tell if he was deciding what to say or refusing to answer. Finally, he looked away and nodded his head. “You’ve been looking for something. I can help you find it.”

Alayne started to open her mouth. To yell. To scream. To cry. She wasn’t sure which but before she could say anything Jon held his hand up and said, “I know it’s not a lot but it’s all I can give right now.”

He looked at her waiting for her answer. She nodded her head, “Okay.” She could let this go for now. After all, once he’s in custody she could get all the answers she wanted.

“Okay,” he said, “we should get some sleep. My friend said he could meet us during his lunch break.”

“I doubt I will get much in this place, but I guess I can try.”

~*~

The door closed with a loud squeak. Jon paused waiting to see if the noise woke Alayne. After a moment he started towards his truck an empty feeling in his stomach. He shouldn’t feel bad. That girl wouldn’t know honesty if it hit her in the face, he thought as he got in the truck. But still, the empty, void-like feeling wouldn’t leave him.

No, he didn’t owe her honesty, but he felt like he owed her something. He knew what it was like to have blood on his hands. Knew that it stained like a tattoo, not a magic marker. He would never wish that pain on anyone and yet he shoved it in her face.

A bright yellow sign entered his vision. Thank the lord, he thought as he pulled up to the familiar park. He might seem broody but there was only so much angst a person could deal with.

The familiar silhouette of his friend greeted him.

“Sam!”

His friend turned and reached out for a hug.

“Snow,” he said as he pulled away, “it’s been too long.”

“It has my friend. It has.” Jon wanted to revel in the moment. He wanted to interrogate Sam. Ask him how Gilly and little Sam were. If Night’s Watch Tech had changed but he didn’t have the time. Hadn’t had it in quite awhile.

“Did you bring it?” Jon asked.

“Of course,” Sam said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver flash drive.

Before he handed to Jon he said, “Look I don’t know what’s on this, why you need it, or what’s going on with you but I am here. If you need help with anything just. Okay?”

Jon grabbed the flash drive and pulled him in for another hug. Tighter and longer this time.

“Thank you, Sam. I truly mean that. Thank you.”

Sam nodded and looked away. “Now get back to your wife before she wonders where you went.”

“Don’t be a stranger Jon.”

“I’ll try not to Samwell.” He inclined his head, a silent goodbye.

As he watched his friend disappear into the night the empty feeling in his stomach spread leaving him an empty shell. A snap in the wood broke through his thoughts.

Just as his friend disappeared into the shadows Alayne emerged from them.

“For someone who wanted a partnership you sure are shit at it.”

“You were at my house to kill me. Don’t act like you're better,” he said.

“I’ve never acted like I am better. The only one that’s done that is you.”

“I’m sorry. But this,” he held up the flash drive, “is too important. I couldn’t risk it.”

She stepped closer to get a better look at the flash drive. “What’s on it?”

“Years worth of research on the Small Council.” She brought her eyes to his clearly wanting to ask.

“They put the kill order on me. And others,” he said quietly.

“I’m guessing there is a lot of information on this. It will probably take some time to sort through. Right?” Jon nodded.

“I know a place we can stay. A safe place.” She paused. “Well safe-ish. It’s a long drive though so we should leave now.”

#jonsa #jon x sansa #jonsaff #jonxsansaff #actually jonsa #otp: take me back to places I feel loved in #my fics

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scenitroute · 8 years ago

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Hello hello @moonphanter

Uhhh first of all, big fan. You’re like, amazing and hilarious and I love your art ahhhh. Definitely, if you haven’t checked out Moonphanter’s stuff, do so! I am but small potatoes. But I am your secret santa for the @undertalesecretsanta project! I apologize for this being late, some health problems have kept me away from my documents.

You wanted warm and cozy cuddles with Frisk and the Snowdin Dogs and well...I managed to get around to it! I thought your prompt was so cute, and it inspired some other shenanigans that I just had to throw in. I hope you enjoy!

Sledding

Tension hung heavy in the chill air. Snow crunched in Undyne’s hands as she tightened her fists, digging her fingers deep under the surface until they gripped frozen earth. She inhaled, but it comes up short, stopped by tight pressure over her diaphragm. The cold, long forgotten by now, bit at her face.

Teeth clenched.

The wind was howling.

“Alphys?”

“N-no….”

“Alphys I can’t breathe.”

The reptile’s arms slackened by a fraction, her face pressing harder into Undyne’s back in turn. Undyne snorts.

“DO NOT WORRY ALPHYS!” A bright red plastic sled dropped onto the snow next to the pair. Papyrus arranged himself on top of it, mimicking Undyne’s kneeling position. “WE SHALL BE HOME SOON!”

The scientist shuddered and lifts her head to peer at the skeleton. “I-I think I’d r-r-rather walk back….”

“No way!” Undyne cackled. “C’mon Al, we’re gunna beat these punks all the way home!”

“I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT!” Papyrus leaned forward, grabbing the snow to keep the sled in place. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS CANNOT LOSE WITH HIS GOOD FRIEND AT HIS SIDE!”

As if following a cue, Frisk settled down on the sled behind Papyrus, giving him a thumbs up. “OR, BEHIND HIM!” he corrected himself. Grinning, Papyrus pointed a gloved hand at Undyne. “YOU HAVE NO CHANCE! WE WILL WIN!”

“HA! Good luck buddy!” Undyne sat up straight to stare down her friend. She posed somehow, Alphys still clinging to her, and flexed. Even with the extra layers to keep her warm, Frisk thought they see her muscles bulge a little under the fabric. “Let’s see you beat this! NGYAA!”

Behind her, Alphys squeaked in terror as Undyne swiftly grappled at the ground again, lunging their sled forward down the steep hill. With an outraged “NYEH?!”, Papyrus pushed his and Frisk’s sled into motion, swinging his arms in a forward stroke to catch up.

Their lead secured, Undyne’s laugh cuts through Alphys’s squeals. Frisk grasped Papyrus’s coat as he leaned forward, picking up speed until they come level with the couple. His eye sockets narrowed and Undyne could swear he was about to lecture her for the unfair head start.

The fish woman leaned towards them, her sled following the movement.

“No Undyne!” Alphys panicked as they came closer. “We'll hit them!”

But Papyrus steered away, avoiding them but falling behind again..

“NGAHAHA! See you at the finish li-”

“PAPYRUS LOOK OUT!”

The skeleton tore his eyes away from his friends at the warning, looking ahead. In their path laid a large rock, covered partially in snow.

It was too late to steer away from it.

The sled moved with the slope of the rock, until it passed the apex. Papyrus weight pulled the front end down and in the same moment that he thought the danger was passed, he was thrown face down into the snow. The angle and swiftness sent Frisk flying over the skeleton. Gasping, they braced for impact.

It didn’t come.

Warm magic held them, carefully settling them into the snow. They were near the bottom of the hill now, and Sans stood just a few meters away. He released his magic with a soft ping! and winked.

“hey bro,” he chuckled. “i thought sledding was a winter sport, not fall”

Muffled growls answered him until Papyrus pulled his head from the snow, glaring at his brother. “SANS THIS IS NOT A TIME FOR PUNS! UNDYNE TOOK AN UNFAIR VICTORY!”

Undyne bounded up grinning madly. “Frisk that was AMAZING! You would have flown right passed us to if Sans hadn’t stopped you!”

“Frisk a-are you okay?”

The child nodded excitedly, giggling, and Alphys sighed in relief. Papyrus, sighing, straightened up and began brushing snow off his front before looking back at the sled. The plastic had a visible crack in the center where it had see-sawed on the rock. The tall skeleton picked it up with a frown.

“no need to feel so down paps,” Sans said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s snow big deal.”

“SANS!”

More Guests

The house was warm and bright with colorful decorations. On every wall and surface was some indication of the holiday. It was not the same as Gyftmas, but it was close, and it helped. Humans felt more comfortable seeing them celebrate the same way. It helped monsters relate and open up. Everyone was happy.

Toriel chuckled to herself as she watched her child playing in the snow with their friends. To her, it didn’t matter the holiday, just that she spent it with them. The former queen bustled around the kitchen, breathing in the scent of old recipes she hadn’t had the resources for in far too long, mixed with aromas of new ones, favorites of Frisk’s and others. It felt more like home than anything had in years.

There was a knock at the door just as she peers into the oven to check on a pie. She makes sure it needs more time before leaving it.

Through the front window could see Asgore’s large form standing there, fidgeting as if fighting the desire to knock again. Sighing, Toriel opened the door before he can decide.

“Ah!” Asgore straightened up swiftly, beaming. “Good morning T-Toriel!”

Despite herself Toriel smiled as the king of monsters stumbled over his words. “Hello Asgore,” she replied. “You’re here early.”

“Yes, well…” his broad grin turned sheepish. “I’ll be leaving a little earlier than expected, going around the village to see everyone. I wanted to make sure I could some some time here, say hello.”

As he spoke Toriel motioned him inside and shuts the door. Anxiously he pulled his coat off, a paw getting stuck in the sleeve. “I uh...” Asgore turned the sleeve inside out as he tugs, finally releasing his hand. “I thought maybe I could help set things up as well? Decorate, help cook maybe?”

“Frisk and I have had the house decorated for a few days now,” Toriel said sternly, twisting her fingers into her apron. “I suppose you could help set the table once everyone has arrived.”

Asgore looked around, eyeing the tall brilliantly lit tree in the next room. A warm expression passed over his face, and he looked suddenly calmer. “Everything looks beautiful,” he stared a moment longer before Toriel made an impatient little sound. Embarrassed again, he clears his throat. “If I know you at all,” he spoke lightly. “Everything else will already be as immaculate as that tree.”

“Asgore…”

He waved a hand. “I know. I just want to, if I may?” Carefully, Asgore took one of Toriel’s hands, guiding it away from the fabric of her apron. His other paw set lightly on top of hers, holding it completely, without trapping her. “Happy Christmas Lady Toriel,” he said. “Thank you for having me today.”

It was a respectful greeting, but entirely too deliberate. In another time she would have teased him for it.

Instead she gave a practiced smile. “Merry Christmas.”

A hard knock resounded from the entrance again and the door opened immediately.

“Blooky darling don’t worry about any packages right now it’s time to see everyone!”

Toriel and Asgore separated quickly, making way for the robot that wheeled himself through. Mettaton greeted them grandly, apparently ignorant to the awkward interactions he’d interrupted. As the monster celebrity chattered to a relieved looking Asgore, Toriel happily looked to Napstablook.

“Hello my friend!”

“Oh….Hello….” The specter was carting a small box, lined with tiny holes punctured through the top.

“I brought what you asked….” He blinked down at the box wistfully. “The farm has been able to expand since we left Ebott...Still….I hope I brought enough for you…”

“I am sure it will be plenty,” smiling warmly, Toriel took the box into her hands. “Thank you very much Napstablook!”

The ghost returned her cheerful look before shyly trailing after Mettaton again.

Snowball Fight

Outside, Frisk had taken cover behind a modest wall of snow and was attempting to peer over it. On one side of them was Papyrus, who had somehow gotten down to less than half his own height to keep from being seen. On their other side, Sans lazed against their barrier, arms crossed over his middle and sockets closed. Frisk carefully looks over the wall, catching a glimpse of Undyne and Alphys standing behind their own fort for just a moment before ducking down to avoid the immediately launched snowball. It hit the top of the wall, exploding into a shower of snow over their hair. They look to Papyrus and shook their head.

“DRAT!” he clenched his hands. “WE SHOULD HAVE AMBUSHED THEM WHILE THEY WERE STILL BUILDING THEIR DEFENSES.”

The skeleton looked hard at Frisk, grabbing up a few already prepared snowballs in each hand. “ARE YOU READY FRISK?”

The snowballs Papyrus made were the perfect size for his hands, but a little too big for Frisk. Still they were determined, and took one up. Papyrus counted down, then jumped up, lobbing three balls at once at their opponent. Frisk bounced up after him, throwing their snowball with all their might.

It plopped down in the snow about halfway to its target.

Alphys, meanwhile had taken cover while Undyne had quickly recovered from Papyrus’s attack and was beginning to retaliate. Papyrus dodged, attacking again as he went. When he ran out of ammo he dove down again.

“SANS! YOU COULD BE USING MY ATTACKS AS A DISTRACTION AND USE YOUR TRICKS TO ATTACK FROM BEHIND THE ENEMY!”

Without opening his eyes Sans shook his head, grinning. “i dunno paps...that sounds an awful lot like cheating to me.”

“IT’S STRATEGY BROTHER,” Papyrus argued, chucking a few more snowballs at Undyne. His look of triumph as he knelt back down told Frisk he’d made a hit. “NOT THAT YOU CARE LAZYBONES. YOU JUST WANT TO GET OUT OF HELPING!”

Sans shrugged. “only out of helping you cheat bro--AHH!”

The smaller skeleton’s eyes shot open as he sat up suddenly. Clumps of snow fell from the top of his exposed skull where Papyrus had dropped a rather large snowball he’d made. The younger brother smirked and darted away to resume his attack on his friend before Sans could react further.

Shuddering slightly, Sans brushed off the rest of the snow with a grimace. He looked at Frisk whose shoulders were shaking. “heh, think that’s funny kid?”

“HEY!” Frisk and Sans both jumped. “STOP SCRATCHING UP MY FORT DOG!”

Papyrus’s teammates stood up to see a small white dog happily digging at the base of their barrier until he stepped forward. The dog stared up at the angered skeleton and barked.

“HOW DID YOU EVEN GET HERE YOU--”

The dog bounded away as Papyrus was suddenly hit with a barrage of snowballs from a cackling Undyne.

Music to set the mood

The dog guard is in the entrance way when the group comes in the back from outside. Undyne rushes to greet them while Papyrus goes to Asgore, who is dragging a large red bag towards the decorated tree.

“Did you have fun little one?” Toriel knelt down to be eye-level with Frisk, who hugged her immediately.

“Oh my!” she laughed. “My child your clothes are covered with snow, you must be freezing!”

The goat monster helped Frisk out of their layers and passes her hands over their arms and shoulders, warming them with magic. “Everyone’s arrived,” she said, hugging the child again. “Go have fun while I finish up in the kitchen.”

From the other room the sounds of a few piano notes filters in. A tune familiar to Frisk starts to form, appropriate for the holiday. As the child approached, they saw Undyne standing over the keys, her eyes narrowed at the book in the stand as she played slowly, deliberately.

“Oh noooo darling!” Mettaton seemed to appear on top of the piano, laying across it and posing as if he were in a tragedy. “Surely this is meant to be more upbeat! Can’t the good captain of the Royal Guard get us all in the mood?”

Undyne smashed a few keys down in an ugly chord before continuing to tap out the notes.

“I’ve got to learn it first,” she ground out as Mettaton rolled into a new pose, partially blocking the sheet music with his arm. Still she seemed to be picking up the pace.

“Oh Gyftmas time, you are divine…” he sang. “We celebrate the presents and we sing because it’s happy…”

Undyne stops entirely, glaring at the robot. “Those aren’t the right words!”

“Oh? How would you know?”

“The words are in this book!”

“How marvelous!” Mettaton rolled again, taking the book and sitting up as he read. “You keep playing dear and I’ll sing!”

“I NEED THAT TO PLAY!”

Snuggles and Cuddles

On the opposite side of the rater spacious living room sat Dogamy and Dogaressa. They had shoved themselves into a single armchair and were holding each other. A fire was set in the fireplace before them and Doggo stood over it, comfortable away from the crowd. Greater Dog and Lesser Dog joined the group, quietly yipping in conversation.

Frisk approached them, heading for the hearth. They waved at Doggo as they neared.

“Oh, hey kid,” he sniffed. “Thanks for moving, you’re always so quiet.”

“It’s the pup!”

“It’s the human Dogamy,” Dogaressa corrected him, playfully smooching his ear.

“Get a kennel,” Doggo groaned.

“What are you up to little one?” Dogamy asked.

Frisk holds their hands up to the flames.

Lesser Dog barked.

“The skeletons had them outside in the snow,” Doggo translated.

Dogaressa whined lightly. “Are you cold Frisk?”

The child had barely nodded when a deep and excited bark sounded and Greater Dog, tongue lolling, bounded forward, wrapping Frisk in a hug. The other dogs stiffened, eyes going wide for a moment.

“Greater!” Dogamy barked in alarm.

Soft giggles reached their keen ears through the thick fur of the large dog’s arms, and the former guards settled. Greater Dog fell backwards with Frisk, then rolled to his stomach, setting the child comfortably against his side facing the fire. He curled around them contentedly, draping his tail over their lap.

A little surprised, Frisk hesitated, but then leaned back against the large monster, reveling in the soft comfort of his fur.

“Tch!” Doggo scoffed. “Always going for the most comfortable spot aren’t you?”

As he said it, he sat himself down on the opposite side of the biggest dog monster, stretching his legs and leaning back.

“Doggo!” Dogaressa chided.

“What?” Doggo replied lazily. He propped his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. “He loves it.”

“Dogs can snuggle up to other dogs?” Dogamy asked.

“It does look cozy,” Dogaressa ventured.

Lesser Dog yipped and joined the group on the floor, curling up next to Frisk in front of Greater Dog.

“Should we try it?”

“They look so happy!”

Frisk felt they couldn’t be more content as Dogamy and Dogaressa settled down next to Greater Dog’s head, hugging each other. The cold from outside was long forgotten to them as their eyes closed. The knowledge that all their friends were close by and the sound of the piano playing lulled them to sleep before Frisk even realized it.

#undertale secret santa #gift fic #for moonphanter #undertale #shenanigans and cuddles #I switched tenses in this around the last section #so I probably missed some when I went back to fix them #might tweak this up a bit later #but I want you to have this asap!!

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trench-coat-angels · 8 years ago

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February Writing Challenge - Day 1 Prompt: Love at First Sight

Hello again! I decided to do this challenge (mostly to prove I could) so let’s see if I can actually do it! This is my first fanfiction for Mila and Sara from Yuri!!! On Ice so I hope it’s decent. Rating: K+ Fandom: Yuri!! On Ice Ship: Mila X Sara Warnings: None apply, to me at least. Disclaimer: I do not own YOI or any of it’s characters. Here we go~

This was perfect. Great. Just outstanding, really. I looked over at my brother with a death glare. I saw him visibly cower away as I turned back to inspect the damage.

“You do realize that ‘house sitting’ means there isn’t any damage to the house when the owner gets back!? Look at this, Mickey!” I pointed the counter next to the stove where there was a big, scorched black circle from a hot pan. “Don’t you know what a trivet is?”

“I-i’m sorry Sara, I’ll pay for the damag-”

“You bet your ass you will!” With that I stormed past him and exited the apartment, slamming the door for good measure.

“I can’t believe this, what am I going to tell my landlord,” I fumed to myself as I exited my apartment building. I could feel myself slowly calming down as I walked down the street. After a couple of minutes, I found myself drawn towards the coffee shop on the corner in front of me. I’d been there a couple times while I’d been here in Russia. Snow started to fall, and I pulled my coat tighter around me.

“I can’t wait until I can go back to Italy. It’s so much warmer there.” I sighed as I entered the coffee shop.

~Mila’s POV~

“Here’s your order, Viktor!” I said with a smile as I handed off the coffee cup. Victor smiled brightly at me.

“Thank you very much, Mila! Your coffee is amazing!” He responded, before taking his fiance’s hand and pulling him to a table. Yuuri already had his order. I turned to my coworker, Yuri, aka, Yurio to differentiate him between Yuuri, to see what he was doing. He was leaning against the wall browsing on his phone. I let out a sigh of annoyance.

I walked over to him slowly so he wouldn’t pay me any mind, then snatched his phone from his hand. He looked shocked for a split second before realizing his phone was no longer in his possession, but in mine, and being put in a locked drawer of which I had the only key.

“Mila give it back!” The annoyed teenager demanded, lips pulled into a taut line. I splayed a hand over my mouth to conceal my laugh.

“Not until you’re off duty. You know the rules.” At that moment the door chime rang, thankfully before Yurio could retort.

~Sara’s POV~

As I entered the coffee shop I stopped short. The warm atmosphere and the sharp, acrid bitterness of coffee as I breathed in immediately melted away the rest of my anger at Mickey. I took a deep breath in and walked up to the counter. The barista turned from the sulky blonde teenager she was talking to and looked at me. I gasped inwardly. It felt like something new opened up to me as I stared into the startling blue of her eyes, warmth filling me up from the inside out. My chest tightened up, and suddenly breathe was not coming so easily.

~Mila’s POV~

I turned from Yurio to greet the customer but stopped. I was met with a pair of beautiful violet eyes contrasting with smooth tanned skin and dark silky hair. Her eyes were wide and full of something I couldn’t quite place as she stared at me. Realizing I had yet to say anything, I smiled awkwardly.

“H-hello, ma’am, how may I help you?” I stuttered. In my flustered haze I didn’t know quite why I was suddenly nervous. All of my previous composure had evaporated, leaving me in a state of unprecedented bashfulness. My heart was beating like crazy, my breathe quickening as I anticipated her response.

~Sara’s POV~

“Uhhh I don’t know quite yet. What do you suggest?” I responded, feeling her nervousness as well as my own. Why is she nervous? Am I making her nervous? The barista’s eyes widened, a light flush of colour spread across her cheeks as she thought for a moment. Our eyes met as I could tell she was about to respond. Suddenly, I was looking at a different set of blue eyes.

“I’m sorry about my coworker’s sudden ineptitude. I suggest any of the sweet items on our menu, especially the peppermint hot chocolate, since it’s the wintery season.” The blonde teenager didn’t show any real emotion as he explained the drink to me, but ever so often I noticed his eyes would track back to a customer in the back, a sturdy male with an undercut. I just nodded before stuttering out my order, trying to regain my previous composure.

“T-he peppermint hot chocolate sounds wonderful, thank you.” I said, while clearing my throat. I looked away from him, only to make eye contact with the pale barista. Her back was facing me, so I took my chance to admire her, immediately looking away when she turned back to start my order.

“Name?” He asked in a monotone. I turned to him.

“Sara, without the ‘H’”

He wrote my name on the cup and handed it to the woman I (totally) wasn’t so shamelessly checking out when she wasn’t looking. He handed me change from the amount I’d given him. I walked down the counter to wait for my drink. I watched as the barista worked her magic. I’d always thought barista’s were culinary geniuses, but this one was freaking mythical. I saw her write something down on a cup sleeve as she worked. When she was done, she made her way over to me.

“Sara, correct?” She asked coolly, setting my drink down before me.

“Yes, that’s me. Thank you… uhh”

“Mila. My name is Mila.” She filled in, holding out her hand for me to shake. My chest tightened again as I took her hand. The shock that traveled up my skin from my hand felt amazing. I met her eyes as I released her hand.

“Thank you for coming in. Be sure not to throw away your cup sleeve.” She winked before turning and walking away. I assessed what she said before looking at my cup. In neat hand writing was a number accompanied by the neatest hand writing I’d seen.

‘Call me ;) - Mila’

Today just got so much better.

~The End

Thank you for reading! The prompts for this month are a little bit below this post if you want to participate. Credit for the prompts goes to them!

~Cinnamon

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eschapters · 8 years ago

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Chapter 11: Muscles and a Melon

When Alair had slipped through the entrance, a calm and relaxing aura had filled the area. It was almost as if one would have been able to fall asleep in this place if they tried. Remembering what he was supposed to do, Alair had went on to look around the restaurant. As he walked past the people, he muttered to himself. "Not ginger... Not ginger..." Alair's sapphire eyes had shifted back and forth between the many seats and tables that were in the restaurant, "Bald..." He could've been imagining things, but Alair felt as if something were tugging on his leg. A small puppy, who's pelt was the color of snow, had came into view when he faced down. "Hehe, aren't you cute?" Alair chuckled, picking it up. The puppy panted before proceeding to try and lick his face, causing him to laugh. "Woah, hey! Not my face!" With a smile, Alair had placed down the puppy. He walked on, but the tugging had continued. "O-Okay, I have to go do something... Please don't tug on my leg..." Regardless of whether the puppy still tugged or not, Alair continued to walk on ahead. Within his range of sight, there was a bar. People sat around it, eating cake and whatever sweets or food they were able to afford. Alair thought that sitting down for a moment would help him think, so he did. He rested his head on his hand, observing what went on behind the counter. There were stoves, grills, and kitchen tools being hung up on the wall. Rather than bartenders, there were chefs. Alair had then realized that this wasn't even a bar, although it looked like one. He turned his head to look at the person who was next to him. The person, coincidentally, was ginger. Their hair was in a ponytail and their tank top was dark brown. They wore bright red pants that were streaked with white at the sides and green running shoes. This must've been the person that 'Latte' was looking for. "Excuse me, sir...?" Alair had hesitatingly spoken. The ginger had turned their head, sending Alair into a train of realization and shock. "Why, hello there, sapphire-colored human being!" The ginger had flashed a smile at Alair, "What is it that you wish?" The ginger wasn't a male... 'He' was actually a 'she.' "U-Uhhh..." slightly weirded out by the reveal, Alair's response was even more hesitant, "Do you know... anyone... named 'Latte?'" When the question had been asked, the ginger had given out a laugh that not even Etalt or Eucharis would have been able to describe. "Ohoho! The jubilant little girl who had brought my dearest melon-eating bird cousin into existence? Of course!" The ginger howled with laughter, sending more shivers down Alair's spine. "Well... She wanted me to call you for help..." The young teen continued, scratching his head a little. "Then, help shall come her way!" The ginger had jumped out of her seat, striking a huge jojo pose, "Lead the way!" "Uh..." Alair had watched silently, trying to process whatever the heck had happened. It was unintentional, but he had looked at her eyes. It seemed as if the ginger's purple eyes held many different universes and souls, which seemed highly impossible. It was almost as if he was shuddering due to the thought. Alair shook his head just for a reality check before nodding, "O... kay...? This way." Alair had jumped off his seat, walking towards the entrance. With each step he had taken, he had checked to see if the muscled ginger was following. Fortunely for him, she was cooperating perfectly well. Out the door he had went and through the road Alair had walked with the ginger. Finally, the two had came across the bush that the little thief known as 'Latte' had jumped into. "Latte, he..." Alair had looked back at the ginger to take a good look at them again. Nope. Still female. "I mean SHE's here!" A small and awkward laugh had escaped Alair's mouth. It was two years ago that Alair had tried to not mess up the pronouns of anything due to an incident that involved him messing up the pronouns of a woman. The woman was buff and masculine, so Alair had mistakened her for a man. The incident had ended with him getting mauled as he had ran for the hills. Upon hearing her name, the mid-length haired girl had poked her head out of the bushes. The sight of the masculine ginger had made her smile with excitement. "Perfect!" Latte had exclaimed. Slowly but surely Latte had crawled out of the bush, but not before pushing a clean table out into the open. She had placed a watermelon on the table and poured some water over it to ensure that it was clean. "Okay, Aika! Do your thing, ya ginger!" Alair's eyes had widened as he had stepped back, in fear of what might happen if he was too close. 'Aika,' or so that was what she had been called, flexed her muscles. She had raised a fist before slamming it down on the watermelon. "FOR THE PENGUINS!!" With just one single punch, the watermelon had cracked into about twenty pieces. Whatever the amount was, Alair didn't bother to count. "YES!" Latte had snatched a slice, chomping down on it as if there were no tomorrow. It seemed as if she had forgotten that the other two were even there, since it had taken approximately the full length of a song for her to notice, "OH! HAH, SORRYYYYY!! THANKS, MAN! THANKS, GINGER!" "Ohoho, any time, dear watermelon-eating bird!" Aika had laughed loudly once again. "No problem...?" Alair was certain with his words, but it somehow came out as an unsure mess. Latte had grabbed a watermelon again to devour it, but stopped short when she noticed that Alair was still there. "Whaddya want?" Latte had asked, "Are ya expecting a reward or somethin'?" "Of course not!" Alair had laughed, "Well... Is there anything else or...?" "Nah... But I'll give ya something!" Reaching into her pocket, Latte had pulled out an orb from her jacket's pocket. The orb had fit her hand perfectly, and was a glossy green color. She dropped it right on Alair's hands. "That's an Anamnesis Pearl. If ya forget something, you'll remember it if something triggers a memory!" Latte had stated, "...It'll probably work its magic in three... two..." Alair was examining the orb, until he had realized what Latte was saying, "Wait, wha-" "One!" The next moments were a blur for Alair. Within his sight was a field with flowers of different colors and kinds. Petals danced around in the air, swirling wherever they went. Alair looked down, realizing that he was sitting in a patch of blue, red, and yellow flowers. However, Alair was able to feel another heartbeat there. It was a presence that was both familiar, yet unknown. He had it at the tip of his tongue as to who it was, but he only felt comfort. Alair had snapped back to reality, realizing that he was still in Fond Town, "What did I just witness?!" He exclaimed. Latte chuckled, "You proooobably had a flashback or something," she lifted the watermelon slices and tried to fit them in her arms, "Welp, I'll be going now! Have fun!" And with that, Latte had jumped into the bushes, disappearing with the watermelons slices. Aika smirked, "You had a flashback?" Slowly, Alair had nodded, "...I think... There's more than I can remember..." At this, Aika had shouted with excitement, "HOLY CRUD THAT'S COOL. But tragic. BUT IT'S AWESOME!!!" Alair had only smiled although he was confused by the events he had just witnessed. The muscled ginger had turned to face the way they had came from, "I'm Aika! I'll be going back to my gym. Call me if you wish for any assistance, fellow human being!" Off she was, bounding in the path where they had taken. It wasn't until when Aika had disppeared out of sight had Alair realized that it was getting quite dark. He rushed in the same direction Aika had went, fretting about what Holly, or even Etalt, would think.

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