#wow that green is kinda hard to see against the grey fade

[baconsoupforthesoul]

The Ink Demonth - Day 30 - Hope

Growing Hope

A/N: I spent forever debating what I would do for this day, but my brain just kept coming back to the Fallout AU. I know I did a lot of drabbles for AUs this year, but as much as I adore batim, these AUs hold a special place in my heart. They’ve kept my love for this series alive and through them I’ve met so many amazing people. So thanks for putting up with all my AU love, and I hope you enjoy this piece too. For the Fallout AU, Henry belongs to @doberart and Harrison belongs to @inkspottie and thank you all for a fantastic Ink Demonth.

Henry was tired. He could feel it seeping into his bones, making his body ache. But he couldn’t stop now. He just had to press on.

His two companions seemed unaffected by the long days walking through the barren wasteland. Henry didn’t know if Bendy could feel tired, seeing as he was a being made of ink and radiation. He seemed to have endless energy, either chatting away, ideally whistling to himself, or looking around curiously, inspecting burnt out cars and broken highway overpasses. And as a synth, Harrison had far more energy than Henry ever could. The robot could walk for miles and miles without a break, all the while the twinge in Henry’s leg just got worse and worse.

“Did you need a break, Henry?” Harrison turned back to look at Henry, noticing the limp in his stride.

“Yeah, you’re walking kinda slow there old man, did ya need to sit down?” Bendy asked, looking up Henry with concern.

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” Henry tried to wave off their concerns, but it was clear from the sag of his shoulders just how exhausted he was. “Let’s keep going.”

“You shouldn’t push yourself so hard, Henry,” Harrison cautioned, looking concerned. “We don’t mind resting for a bit.”

“No, I’d… I’d rather keep going. Please,” Henry insisted, sounding a bit pained as he said it. He had to keep going. Joey had his wife. Linda. He’d seen Joey and his men take her, when he’d briefly woken up in his cryo-chamber before being forced back into stasis. And who knew what he had planned for her. He had to find her. There was simply no other option. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost Linda. His heart already ached more and more with each day he spent without her and he didn’t think he could take anymore.

“Henry,” Harrison put a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I know… I know you want to find Linda but… she wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself. You’re no help to her if you push yourself to exhaustion.” 

“Yeah, Henry,” Bendy agreed. “Ya can’t help anyone if you’re dead on your feet.”

Henry sighed, looking tiredly out at the horizon. It pained him to admit it but… they had a point. He just didn’t know what pain was worse, the pain in his legs or the pain in his heart.

“Alright,” he finally gave in. “Just for a little bit though.”

Harrison smiled at him as they set off to find a good place to rest. The three of them ended up settling down near a rusting pickup truck, Henry sitting on the back. Bendy had taken a seat next to him, kicking his legs back and forth, while Harrison had gone off looking for any supplies he could scrounge up. 

The old man sipped at his canteen as he stared out at the landscape. It still shocked him sometimes just how… lifeless everything was. Hardly any green in sight, nothing but dead plants, rusting cars, broken roads and rotting buildings.

Sometimes, as they were traveling, Henry would recognize some of the landmarks. Seeing the places he once knew, once so full of life and beauty, reduced to nothing but ruins, shook him to the core. It was hard to comprehend sometimes, that everything he knew was just gone. The world he knew, his home, his neighborhood, the people he would pass by on the street everyday, it was all gone. And for what? What was the reason for all this destruction? Whatever the reason was, there was no way it could justify this kind of outcome. The end of everything.

“You doing alright, Henry?” Bendy asked, peering up at him. “You’re looking kinda gloomy.”

“I’ll be okay, Bendy,” Henry assured him, rubbing the devil between the horns. “It’s just… it’s a lot to take in. Even now.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Bendy supposed, looking out at the wasteland too. “I guess… I don’t know any different, so it doesn't make me as sad.”

“It’s alright. I just… I wish you could have seen what this was like before,” Henry sighed as Bendy leaned up against him, the older man’s eyes getting a little misty. “The world used to be such a beautiful place.”

“I bet it was,” Bendy murmured as he snuggled up to Henry.

“Henry! Bendy!”

The two turned around to see Harrison jogging up to them, the biggest smile on his face.

“You two have to come see this!” he told them, pointing excitedly to where he’d been.

“Oh? What’d you find?” Henry asked as he slid off the back of the truck, Bendy hopping down next to him.

“You just have to come see. Trust me, it will be worth it,” Harrison said, beckoning them to follow him. Henry and Bendy gave each other confused looks but followed the synth past some more cars and dead trees. Henry didn’t know why Harrison wouldn’t explain himself but he had him intrigued. The three of them climbed up a fairly large hill, Harrison helping Henry a bit as the steepness made it hard on his leg. Once they reached the top though, Henry looked over onto the other side and gasped.

There was… life down there. The most green Henry had seen since he woke up in the vault. At the bottom of the hill, green grass had managed to poke up through the rubble, and wildflowers scattered the area. There was even a single, living tree, it’s branches budding with new leaves. It wasn’t anything to write home about, just a small patch of green among a sea of fading greys and rusty reds, but it was something.

“Wow,” Bendy stared down with wonder in his eyes, his mouth gaping open. “It’s so… pretty.”

“Isn’t it?” Harrison beamed over at the two of them. “I know we haven't run into many, but I’ve seen a few spots like this. Slowly but surely… life is coming back.” The synth looked over at Henry, who was still struck silent by the sight. “So… what do you think, Henry?”

“I... it’s…” Henry could feel himself tearing up. “It’s amazing, Harrison. I… I can hardly believe my own eyes.”

Harrison’s eyes widened as he saw Henry wipe away a stray tear. “Oh no, are you okay?” he asked worriedly. “I… I wanted to show you this to cheer you up, not make you sad.”

“No, no,” Henry reassured him, a smile stretching across his face. “These… these are happy tears. I just… never thought I’d see something like this again. Seeing this… it… it gives me hope.” Henry reached over and grasped onto Harrison’s shoulder. “Thank you, Harrison. For showing us this.”

“You’re welcome,” Harrison returned Henry’s smile, before they both turned their gaze back to the green below them.

“Did the whole world use to be like this, Henry?” Bendy asked, looking up at the old man.

“A lot of it, yeah,” Henry told him. “The world… used to be full of so much green.”

And as Bendy went down for a closer look, and Harrison gathered some medicinal herbs, Henry sat himself down, feeling the cool breeze on his face as the future started to seem a little brighter.

[artlessictoan]

Hi. Could I request some butch!yodo/fem!chou (i know you had that one before but I can't imagine anything else for those two)? Maybe in that rivaling music shops AU from that other time you did requests? Thank you very much!

nonski.. i literally screeched when i saw this tHANK YOU (here’sthe other req referenced in the ask!)

(requests open)

(ao3 mirror)

---

She carefully examined her reflection in the shop window,brushing some stray hairs back into place, adjusting her miniskirt to show offa little more leg, before pushing open the poster-laden door and steppingthrough it with the practised confidence of a supermodel.

As embarrassing as it was to practice her strut in themirror at home, she had to admit, the effect was well worth it.

The door creaked slightly as it closed behind her andChouchou was immediately hit with the increasingly familiar scent of sweat,leather and – weirdly, for a store dedicated to all things grungy and hardcore –sandalwood. She had been told by Sarada, that Yodo always lit incense as soonas she got in, while they were getting ready to open the shop.

It was discovering little things like that that kept hercoming back, time after time, in the hopes that maybe she’ll find yet anotherexcuse to fall just a little more in love with the tiny ball of chaos,verve and idiocy that was Yodo.

As usual, the shop was empty. She glanced around, idlywondering how the hell they were still in business when, in all the times she’dvisited, she’d never seen more than three people browsing the aisles at once. Yodoinsisted that metalheads, while not overly abundant in the general population,were extremely dedicated to their genre, however Sarada had explained that Yodocame from a wealthy family and had a doting adoptive father who was very generouswith his money and would do anything for his children.

Just another surprising discovery and another butterfly inher stomach.

When a thorough search of the shop floor revealed no Yodo, shecasually hopped over the counter and poked her head in the storeroom.

A smirk immediately spread across her face. The short blondehad her back to her and apparently hadn’t even realised that anyone was there,judging by the bright wires trailing down from her ears; Chouchou could hearthe muffled drumming the earbuds were emitting from across the room.

She stepped closer. “You know, it would be really easy forsomeone to rob you right now,” Chouchou said.

Yodo didn’t respond, just kept sorting through CDs andnodding her head along to whatever she was listening to. Raising an eyebrow,Chouchou snapped her fingers experimentally. Yodo mumble-sang a fewincomprehensible words and started tapping her foot.

Oh, she’s just asking for it!

Hovering just behind her target – who was still utterlyengrossed in the bass thudding through her earphones – and before she couldthink better of it, she lightly pressed a finger to the middle of her spine andran it all the way up to her neck.

“HAH!” Chouchou barely registered the surprisingly gruffshout, before Yodo spun on her heel, fist already swinging.

Incredibly, she managed to land her hard, bony knucklesright on Chouchou’s elbow.

“AGHHH FUCK! WHAT THE-” Yodo ripped out her earphones “-Chouchou?What the fuck are ya doing? I nearly beat the shit outta you! Fuck, my fist.”

Gripping her arm like it was about to fall off, she had tofight through the shudders racking her entire body before she could reply, “Howdid you hit me right on the funny bone? Fuck.” They were both still swearingand groaning, clutching their respective aching body parts tightly.

Chouchou sucked in a sharp breath as the last of the shakes fadedto nothing. Elbow still hurt though. “Ok, learned my lesson, never doing thatagain,” she said, laughing through the pain.

“What were you even expecting to happen?” Yodo asked, ajustifiably annoyed look on her face.

“I dunno, was kinda hoping I might get a cute little squealout of you or something-” which she still desperately wanted to hear, but waswilling to accept that she would have to find a different tactic in the future;maybe she was ticklish? “-I’m sorry, I promise I won’t sneak up on you anymore,but you do realise that your shop is open, right? Maybe you should turn downthe volume enough that you can hear when the door opens.”

Cheeks puffing up like a hamster, Yodo replaced the earbuds,picked up the box of CDs she had been sorting and pushed past her, shoutingbehind her as she disappeared through the door, “Y’know I don’t come into yourshop and criticise your work habits.”

Trailing behind her, Chouchou leaned against the counter andwatched her friend return to her task, occasionally glancing at the empty store.

“You should at least turn down the volume a little, my earsare hurting in sympathy.”

“God, you’re worse than my dad,” she mumbled, thoughher hand did drift down to her phone and the loud, heavy beat faded to a faint,tinny noise. It was mostly drowned out by the clacking of plastic cases as Yodomoved albums into incomprehensible piles. Chouchou stared at the band names tryingto find some link – or even a single familiar name at all – but came up blank.

She picked up the top CD in the pile closest to her and casuallybegan reading through the track list. “So, what’re you listening to?” she asked.

“Oi, don’t be messin’ up my system.” She didn’t try to take itback though. “And none of your business.”

“C’mon, tell me!”

“You wouldn’t know them anyways.” For someone who wasgenerally down-to-earth, Yodo had an amazingly pretentious streak in her.

She raised a brow, but Chouchou was still grinning uncontrollablywhen she said, “Wow, music snob much?” Dropping the CD back on the appropriatestack, Chouchou turned all her attention to her new game. “Gimme a hint, rock?Metal? Punk?”

“You’re not gonna get it-”

“Just because I’m not hugely into this stuff, doesn’t mean I’mcompletely ignorant.” In fact, she had quite a good knowledge of classic rockand metal; her dad played it all the time when she was a kid and she still hada nostalgic soft spot for the genre, even if she had mostly gravitated towardpop, funk and soul as she’d gotten older. “I’m not going to stop bugging youuntil you tell me.”

Yodo gave her an unplaceable look and silently picked up apile and quickly stomped toward the ‘grindcore’ aisle.

She wasn’t about to give up that easy. Chouchou followedher, playing a very one-sided game of twenty questions as she went, pushing thelimits of her knowledge of Yodo’s favourite music. Outside of the occasionalgrunt and assertions that she was never going to find out who it was, Yodoremained unresponsive.

Well, she couldn’t be having that, the whole point ofher teasing was to get a reaction, to get her attention, with the nebulousend goal of eventually kissing her and hopefully things would just carry onfrom there.

Disaster gay she might be, but she was at least self-awareabout it.

But, until she found the courage to confess, she had anurgent mystery to solve and she’d just thought of a brilliant plan.

Asking what decade the song was from in her whiniest voice,she pulled her phone out and tapped out a quick message. Just a few secondslater, Yodo jumped and frowned down at the pocket of her tight jeans, the onesthat were ripped to the point of being non-existent. Chouchou was veryfond of those jeans.

Leaning over her shoulder, Chouchou snickered at the textYodo had just received – a simple ‘hey girl’ – and, before she could ask whatthe hell she was messaging her for when she was literally right next to her,she reached over and snatched the phone out of her hand, tugging the wire ofthe earbuds with it.

“Hey!” Yodo spun around, glaring up at her with thosebeautiful eyes, that could look anything from green, to blue, to grey,depending on the light. But, right now, they just looked… apprehensive?

That gave her pause, just for a moment, but when her friendgave no sign that she was truly angry, which she knew from experiencewas a valid concern, she decided to push her luck and grin. “Hey, you weren’ttelling me, so I’m just gonna listen for myself to find out.”

“NO!”

She held the phone high above Yodo’s head – not exactly adifficult feat, she barely reached her elbows, even when she wasn’twearing six-inch heels – and stuck her tongue out at her, before catching oneof the dangling earbuds and sticking it in her own ear, all the while, nudgingYodo’s grasping hands away.

The tone was an immediate shock, much softer and lighterthan what she’d been expecting, as was the perfectly clear, lilting voice ofthe female vocalist.

It was also very familiar and she found herself singingalong for half a second before slowly saying, “Wait… I know this song, this is…”Suddenly, it all clicked together and she was biting her lip trying not tolaugh. “Awwww, the scary punk rocker likes sugary bubble-gum pop!”

Yodo slapped a hand against her mouth and glanced around the– still empty – shop. “Not so loud!”

She raised her brows and gently peeled the hand from herlips, maybe revelling in the skin contact a little longer than appropriate. “Seriously?You’re that embarrassed?” she asked, watching in mild amusement as her friendkept looking over her shoulder, as though a horde of metalheads was going to materialisebehind them any second to mock her taste in music.

It was a little cute, in all honesty. Or maybe it was justthat Yodo was so cute that everything she did gained an air ofadorability.

“No, I just…” She bit her lip and, god, thatwas just unfair, because Chouchou really wanted to lean down and try it forherself. “You were raving ‘bout her new album the other day, figured I’d checkit out, see what the fuss was about.”

Literally clapping her hands in joy, she released the mostgirlish squeal she’d probably ever made in her life. “Oh, that’s so sweet ofyou! So, what do you think?”

“It’s-”

Chouchou unconsciously leaned forwards, eyes almost poppingout of her head as she waited in terrified anticipation for the verdict. Shedidn’t know when Yodo’s opinion had become so important to her, but she was silentlypraying that her taste in music had impressed her crush; or at the very leastthat it hadn’t made her decide that she was absolutely not cool enough to behanging out with her and could she please leave the shop before her glitterypop songs scared off any customers.

“-really good. The middle’s a bit weak, but that guitar workis surprisingly solid for a pop artist and that song Paradise Sunsets probablyhas some of the best lyrics I’ve heard all year.”

She didn’t release a sigh of relief, mostly because she wasalready spewing out a rush of words that even she herself only half understood,so rushed and tripping over her words was she. “Right? I dunno that she’llever make another song that good, but it’s definitely one of my all-time faves.”

“Yeah, I’d never really paid much attention to her before,but I did skim through some of her older stuff too, there’s some really greatstuff in there!” Those ever-changing eyes were shining with the same kind ofexcitement she always got when she spoke about discovering a new band, or whenshe sang on stage in front of a crowd of dozens, as though it were a crowd ofthousands.

Music was such a huge part of her life – Chouchou’s tooreally – and seeing how much she loved and cared about a singer she hadintroduced her too��

“You know, I can think of a few similar artists I couldrecommend you, if you’re interested.”

Yodo gave her a blank look for a second, before her cheeksdarkened and she gave a wide grin. “Sounds fun, but if you’re subjecting me to themainstream, then I’m gonna be giving you a crash course in the history of metalin return.”

Even more time spent in the company of the cutest, coolestwoman in the world, bonding over their shared passion for music? Yeah, shecould live with that.

---

[solaneceae]

MFKZ OS 10: Flowing

Climate change was no joke it seemed.

Vinz awoke drenched with sweat, his blanket -the one with little tigers leaping around, his favourite-  pooling at the foot of the couch. He groaned in faint disgust as he hurriedly sat up, hating the sensation of moist fabric against his back. Gross. He rubbed the crust out of his eyes and looked towards the window; the sun had barely began to peek out over the horizon.

Uuuuugh. Only in DMC one could wake up to suffocating heat at 8am in the middle of november. The world truly was going to shit. Good thing the flames atop his skull were only hot if he wanted them to be, however that worked.

He sighted. Even with their new president doing her best to undo a decade’s worth of damage on environmental laws, it would be a long time until things started to change for the better.

“Wow, you look like death!”

The hothead turned around to huff at the other couch, or rather the half-alien laying upside-down on the back. His socks don’t match, Vinz noted distractedly. Heh. What an airhead.

Angelino flashed him a shit-eating grin, seemingly unbothered with the humid heat taking over the neighbourhood. Vinz glared back; his roommate’s freaky genetics must’ve granted him some kind of resistance to high temperatures. Lucky bastard. “Dude, shut up. S’too early for your sass.”

“What? I’m just being a concerned friend. You don’t look so hot after all.”

“Oh my fucking god.”

The skeleton jumped to his feet and hurried out of the room, eager to get out of earshot of his best friend’s terrible puns -the dumbass radius as he called it- and cool down in a cold shower. Which one he wished for the most right now was up for debate.

***

He didn’t step from under the delightfully freezing water until his fingertips turned blue and his body seized up in uncontrollable shivers. He should be set for a couple of hours.

The young adult entered the kitchen in a much better mood, finding Lino munching on cereals right out of the box, not-so-sneakily dropping some on the floor for his roaches to feast on. “Took you long enough, thought you drowned or something.” the hybrid stated, passing the half-empty box to Vinz’ awaiting hands. He smirked, a teasing glint in his inky black eyes. “Did you have fun in there?”

The hothead half-groand half-snickered. Christ, the hothead could almost hear the italics. What was he, fifteen? “Well I didn’t die. Glad you still care.”

“I always care!”

“I know. Remember that storm back at the orphanage? I went outside to see and you got so scared my flames would go out and I’d die. You cried for like an hour.”

Angelino tensed up in protest. “What? Bullshit, I didn’t cry!”

“You so did. You didn’t want to go outside cuz you’re scared of thunder -don’t give me that look, I know it still makes you flinch-, and when I came back you were screaming about Charmander. Ring any bells?”

His best friend looked like he just bit into a particularly sour lemon. He was fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve and was definitely avoiding his gaze now, his cheeks a darker shade than the rest of his pitch black face. Vinz wished he could take a pic to immortalize one of the rare moments he managed to shut his roomate up.

The image of a much smaller, younger Lino sobbing into his shirt, his tiny fists clutching the fabric came to the forefront of his mind. S’okay Lino, don’t cry! he remembered laughing. My flames are magic, see? Stupid water can’t hurt me!

He felt himself smile. Granted, he couldn't actually smile with his lack of skin (and facial muscles. And lower jaw.), but the way his eyes squinted and his flames turned to a vivid green were good enough indicators. He teasingly grabbed his pouting roommate and trapped him into a ruthless noogie. “Don’t worry you lil’ shit, I’m not kicking the bucket anytime soon. Someone gotta watch out for your scrawny ass.”

The hybrid hissed in discomfort and wrestled out of Vinz’ grip, rubbing this head. “‘Scrawny’?! Fuck you, yours is bony!”. He then proceeded to trip the other with a swift little kick. The hothead yelped as he hit the ground -thank god for the shitty carpet-, his rival cackling evilly. Angelino used the other’s stunned state to sit cross legged onto his back -earning a strangled oof in the process-, grab his right arm and, with a triumphant smile, twist it against his clavicle.

“- Ack! Lino, the fuck?!

- That’s what you get for screwing with me! Now yield!

- Hell no, you motherfucker!”

Vinz didn’t quite know how it had come to this, him face planted into the faded orange carpet with his best friend sitting on top of him and basically asphyxiating him. It was all in good fun though, he could feel the tremors of uncontrollable giggles rattling his chest.

“- You gonna say ‘uncle’ yet? No rush, you make a good seat.

-  Ngh… thought I was bony?

- A bony seat is still a seat.

- So deep. Ten outta ten, truly inspiring. You gonna write a book on that?”

The half-alien just smiled wider, pulling on his arm a little harder.

“Ow, ow, okay ow, fine, you win!” the hothead wheezed from under him. “You win! Now lemme go before I burn your ass!”

Lino let go of his arm, chuckling. “You wouldn’t dare. My ass is a national treasure.”

Vinz repressed a certain thought immediately after it came to existence, letting out a deep sigh and glaring over his shoulder. “Right, keep thinking that. You gonna get off or what?”

His roommate didn’t respond, still sitting crossed legged in the small of his back. He was staring right ahead, head tilted to the side and brow furrowed, like he was trying really hard to figure something out. The skeleton squinted. “Lino, not that I don’t appreciate you, but it’s a little hard to breathe here and I’m getting sweaty again so-”

“You think that place is still there?”

The hothead’s voice trailed to a stop at the interruption. The young hybrid had turned to look at him, something fuzzy and familiar in his bug eyes. He blinked. “...Well, it’s not like a place can actually go anywhere… else... than where it’s at. You talking about the orphanage? Cuz I’m pretty sure it’s still where it’s always been.”

“Not that, dumbass. I mean the stream.”

Vinz’ eye sockets widened, a glint of recollection in his yellow pupils. “Wait, that stream? The one with the little waterfall overhead?”

“Yeah.”

“The one where we ran off to when it was too hot and we wanted to piss off the old broad?”

“Yup.”

“The one where you hit your head while trying to do a flip and you almost died of hypothermia?”

“Uh, I don’t-”

Now Vinz was just fucking with him. The skeleton’s tone took a teasing edge. “The one where I went to get some water and came back to find you-”

“YES. Yes Vinz, that one.” Angelino quickly cut him off and jumped off him, voice going up an octave. His victim dramatically rolled onto his back and took a much-needed gulp of air, as the other sneered from above him. “Fucker.”

“Bitch.” Vinz responded, flipping him off. He sat up against the bottom of the couch and cracked his joints. “So, our old secret place. What about it?”

His friend grimaced. “Don’t call it that, what are you, five ?”

Yeah, five inches deep in your MOM. Oh how Vinz wanted to quote that iconic vine. But he refrained from doing so, given who stood in front of him.

“I was thinking…” the hybrid began, plopping down next to him. “It’s early, it’s warm as all hell and we got fuckall to do today. Maybe we can go back. To see if it’s still there. And not, y’know, bulldozered and shit.”

The skeleton stared at him. “...What, ten years later? Why?”

“Why not? It’s a bit far, but I remember how to get there. And with how we originally found it by complete accident and all, pretty sure no one but us knows it exists. Could be worth it.”

Huh.

Vinz hummed. Maybe it would, as the alternative would be to spend the day either under cold water or complaining about global warming. Why the fuck not. He turned to an expectant roommate, determination steeled in his features. “Okay. Let’s go.”

***

Angelino finally stopped at the edge of a huge grey rock, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. He didn’t remember the way up being so steep. Vinz wasn’t far behind him, his heavy breathing and cursing catching up to him. Given the colorful words leaving his mouth about the “fucking piece of shit trees that don’t have anything better to do than fuck up my day”, he guessed his companion must’ve had tripped on a root at some point. In any case, the hothead finally hauled his way up the rock and bend forward, panting in exertion as his best friend sat down, legs dangling over the edge.

“Shit.” Vinz wheezed out, wiping the sweat off his skull. “I think we need to work out more, I feel like passing out.”. The hybrid snorted, not tearing his eyes away from the scenery below. “Yeah, fuck that noise. I’m doing fine, you’re the one who needs to go out more.”

The skeleton made a noncommittal grunt and popped his back into place, sighing in relief. He opened his eye sockets and took in the sight below them.

It felt… weird. It was the same old place he remembered, but not? Kinda? The thin waterfall dropping down the red stone cliff was the same. The deformed bean-shaped basin at the bottom was the same. The clear water (hallelujah, it was still clear after all those years) overflowing from said basin was the same. But everything else seemed to have shifted slightly, and the whole place felt scaled down. Smaller.

Eh. After more than ten years it was probably normal.

They stood still for another minute, silently letting fleeting memories and faint nostalgia wash over them. Then Angelino looked up at his best friend and smiled softly. “Wanna go down?”

***

“- I remember it being a lot bigger, don’t you?

- Nah dude, you were just short.

- Shut up, you were even shorter than I was, and that’s saying something.”

The hybrid ignored the jab at his petite frame, staring at the sky peeking out from between the foliage. He was floating on his back, half immersed into the basin. Cold water lapped at his ears now and again, drowning the world the low hum of moving water.

The basin wasn’t that deep, two meters at most, and only wide enough for about two grown adults to do the starfish without bumping into each other. So, wide enough for two of each of them.

Thanks to that and the sun heating up the stones all day, it wasn’t too cold, juste pleasantly chilly. Vinz had insisted on preparing some heating runes and sigils for some reason, and Lino had indulged him with a shrug. And even though, deep down, the hothead had been intrigued by the strange (worried?) look Angelino kept giving him while he worked his magic (heh), he decided not to ask.

The half-alien closed his eyes and filled his lungs with relatively pure air, at least compared to DMC’s usual smog.

In. Out. In and out, again.

His lead felt clear, quiet, a welcome reprieve from the constant outside noises and the numbing buzz of his own thoughts. It was nice.

Had it been worth the two-hour long bus trip full of rude and sweaty people? The forty-minute trek through the wilderness that left them breathless, dusty and bloody in some places?

Heck. Yes.

“Vinz?” he called out, eyes still closed. His voice was quiet, most of his energy having been sapped by the heat and the climbing.

His friend only acknowledged him with a hoarse, inquisitive hum. Sounded like the hothead wasn’t faring much better. Angelino took a deep breath.

“Why did we stop coming here?”

A few seconds of silence. Thinking Vinz needed him to elaborate, he kept talking. “I mean, this place is amazing. S’always been this way, our own little thing, you know? It was hard to get there, I remember that much, but it was always worth it in the end. Sure, we got older and life kinda kept kicking us into the ground, but it was still here, just a few hours away. So why-”

“You mean you don’t remember?”

Angelino cracked his eyes open; Vinz was staring at him with a tired but sharp look, slowly drifting onto the surface of the water. He blinked in confusion. “Remember what?”

His roomate let out an airy laugh, running a now chilly hand against his face. “Figures. Don’t worry it’s fine, s’not a life-or-death kind of info. Uh, do you remember earlier when I told you you almost died here once?”

The hybrid lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, when you were fucking with me this morning.”

“I wasn’t. It happened, for real.”

“...Oh.”

His best friend was staring at the sky now, hands folded casually in his lap. He continued. “I think we were like, ten? Yeah, sounds about right. We knew this place like the back of our hands by then, so we stopped paying attention to everything so much. We got uh, reckless.”

Hid hands fidgeted with the hem of his soaked shirt. “It was kinda cold and rainy that day, so not the ideal weather to go for a swim, but we didn’t give a shit. It was still better than being with the other stupid brats.” He lifted his arm and pointed to the top of the thin waterfall, about four meters above them. “Happened riiiight there, on that ledge. Take a guess at what happened.”

Angelino rubbed the back of his head, an uncomfortable ache pooling under his palm. “Knowing us, we probably did something stupid and someone fell down.”

“Close enough. Some dumb bets were made, doesn’t matter what they were about, I slipped off the ledge and we both fell. Cuz you tried to catch me.”

The hybrid’s eyes widened. He truly didn’t remember these events at all. And the ache wasn’t going away, even if it wasn’t getting worse either.

“So yeah, we both got knocked the fuck out. Think I busted my ankle too, it hurt like a bitch for days afterwards. Anyway, I think I woke up about ten minutes later? It wasn’t too bad really, just a concussion.” Vinz distractedly ruffled a tree branch hanging low over the basin. “Still, I was pretty damn cold, and the wind had picked up so it wasn’t making anything better. But uh, I realized pretty quickly that I was just peachy compared to you.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Dude. You slid into the basin when you fell and just, soaked there in freezing water for ten minutes. Good thing you were on your back.” He shook his head. “But the thing is, spending that amount of time in the cold is bad for everyone, okay? If you’re really unlucky you get a pneumonia or some shit. You looked like you were dead. Blue skin and everything.” The hothead slid a knowing glance at his friend. “Yeah, that shade of blue. Even without the uh, context we know about now, this was pretty fucking terrifying. Also your nose was bleeding, so there was a nice big head trauma on top of everything else.”

Lino stayed silent.

“I’m not sure how I managed to get us back to the main road, because I was so numb and cold and my leg hurt and i felt like puking my guts out. And bro, no offence but you weren’t exactly a lightweight for me at the time. But we made it somehow, so that was good! But then I uh, passed out again.”

Vinz linked his eyes with Lino’s again, his tone lighter. “But hey, someone found us and got us back to the orphanage, so no one died! …Obviously, I know, shut up. I was really sick for a few days after that -heck we both were, you were out for like a week- but I got over it. The whole incident thing.”

He looked up again. “You uh, didn’t. Not completely. After that, everytime I mentioned this place, or what happened, you got really weird. Like, all distant and jumpy and not all there, you know? Some serious PTSD shit, but I was ten and dumb so I didn’t know shit about that. So I stopped mentioning it, and then you just uh, came back to normal at some point.”

The young man hummed, squinting. “...Aaaand that’s it. We never brought it up again, life kinda happened, freaky shit happened, and now we’re back here. So yeah, I was a bit worried when you told me you wanted to come back. But it went well in the end, right?”

Vinz reached out, lightly touching his best friend’s shoulder with his fingertips. His flames were a cold blue, anxiety radiating from every inch of him. “You aren’t gonna freak out on me, right....?”

Angelino hadn’t stopped looking right at him. Something warm settled onto his features. “Nah. I’m good.”

“Oh thank fuck.”

Vinz let out a nervous chuckle, covering his eye sockets with his arm. “That’s, that’s great. Because I missed this place so fucking much and I’m really glad we came back.”

The half-alien bumped their shoulder together with a small smile. “Yeah, me too. Sorry I got you in trouble.”

“No you’re not.” his childhood friend replied without malice before turning back to the sky, eye sockets slowly closing.

Angelino did the same, darkness filling his vision. The headache was gone. Not in a “I just had an epiphany and remembered everything” kind of way. He still didn’t remember. But that was fine. He was fine. He had to be.

And he sure as shit intended to stay that way, because he knew that that moron would get himself killed trying to help him if he didn’t. He understood the reasoning behind the heat sigils now (watching your friend almost die of cold twice would make anyone paranoid he guessed), but that didn’t mean he had to accept it.

He wasn’t stupid. Coming home one day to find Vinz drained and barely conscious on the couch, the very same day one of his little voodoo -wicca or whatever- thingies stopped a truck from hitting him? It didn’t take him long to put two and two together. That shit could kill him, he knew that.

He wouldn’t let Vinz put his bony ass in danger for him, not if he could help it. By not ending up at death’s door every few days like the dumbass he was.

“Hey Vinz.”

A quiet hum. Quieter than before.

“...Thanks.”

“...Dun mention it. Didja ‘member?”

Vinz was slurring. Count on this weirdo to fall asleep anywhere.

“Nope. Sorry.”

A short silence. Their hands almost touched.

“...S’okay...”

Almost.

“...can ‘member for th’both of us.”

The water was cold, but the sun kept his core warm. Vinz’ slow, even breathing, not far, never far.

He was fine.

*slaps hands on table* 28 STAB WOUNDS-

jk, nothing that extreme. but it did take me eight hours to write this, cuz those two keep escaping me how the fuck do they keep doing that.

also DON’T do what those jackasses did and fall asleep in the sun. you’ll just end up with a monster headache and sunburns.

imma go eat now bye

[nowitsdarkfic]

chapter fifteen (subterranean pop)

“You got a kiss for me, it hits me hard; you got a fist for me, you love so hard. My hands on my head, your words are like arrows; my hands on my head, there's permanent damage.” -”Head Injury”, Soundgarden

October 15, 1988. Interstate 5 between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington.

“Hang on, Joe.”

There are no seat belts in Nancy’s car except for the one that goes over my waist there at the base of the seat; in other words, every time she hits the brakes on a patch of traffic or a curve, I have to hold onto the door panel to keep myself from flying forward right into the dashboard. I raise my knees up and slide down into the seat when she goes around a tight corner. It’s only an hour and a half trip up there but it’s going to be quite long from all of the fact I’m holding onto the car for dear life. But on the other hand, the soft rich red interior of her car is pristine and carries with it a faint smell of lilac, and is as silent as a cold, still winter morning following a blizzard.

I’m amazed by the vast stretch of lush greenery on either side of us on the way up to Seattle: upon leaving Portland, I catch glimpses of Mount Hood and then Mount St. Helens off in the distance, both of them surrounded by wispy cold gray clouds: I wish part of those clouds would float over this way and cool things off over here over the highway.

Sometime before reaching the capital city of Olympia, I roll down the window to feel the wind, and it’s still humid and warm outside even if we have moved closer to the ocean. Indian summer, alright.

I push my bangs off of my forehead. I almost inclined to take off my shirt, and in fact, I want to take it off and feel the wind on my chest and on my stomach, but seeing it’s me and Nancy here in the front seat, such a primitive sight can wait.

Mount Rainier rises out from behind a line of tall skinny trees, much to my shock.

“Holy shit,” I blurt out at the very size of the massive cone coated in thick blanket of pure white snow.

“Yeah, Rainier’s big, isn’t she?” Nancy chuckles. In fact, it stays within our view all the way into Olympia and winding our way into Tacoma. The sky is so blue over our heads, and I have never seen it such a way back in New York. I lean forward to check it out better, and then I peek over my shoulder to see Rainier still looming large behind us against the blue sky. I remember the huge eruption down by Mount St. Helens just a few years ago, and I don’t want the big jewel of a city before us to experience the same thing here.

Even from a distance, I can see the Space Needle shooting up from the heart of downtown. So small and nestled down into the earth for a city: it looks smaller than Portland in fact. To our left stands the blue glimmering waters making up the Puget Sound, and past that are two ridges covered in rich green pine trees, and then a row of more snow capped mountains. Nancy and I wind our way through the southern side of Seattle, or Sea-Tac as one sign on the side of the road declares to us. She takes the third exit off of the freeway and we roll down onto the side streets of downtown.

“This kinda reminds me of New York City,” I remark.

“Not as rough, big, and tough, though,” she adds to it as we pull up to the first stoplight.

“Not at all. It feels a lot... homier, I’d say?”

“Definitely homey here. Here and Portland both.”

She hangs a right and pulls up to a low red brick building with big tinted windows peering out to the street.

“Welcome to the heart of Seattle, Joey,” she says, pressing the button on her key chain and killing the hydrogen engine in front of us. I relax for a moment at the feel of us stopping and I breathe out a sigh of relief. My stomach turns a little bit but sitting there feeling the breeze on my face helps out.

“You okay?” she asks me.

“Yeah... yeah, yeah.” I reach down to unbuckle the seat belt, and climb out to the street to better feel the breeze on my head and my neck. Nancy follows suit on the other side of the car with her purse over her shoulder. I run my fingers through my hair before shutting the door behind me. I round the front of the car, and step onto the sidewalk, and she leads me into the front room which smells of fresh paper and clean carpet. There are three guys and a black girl congregated on the right side of the room: one guy seated in a spindly blue chair, and the other two and the girl around him. They all look like they’re reading something.

“Chris?” Nancy calls out to them. The queasy feeling in my stomach keeps the feeling of butterflies at bay as the guy seated glances up at us.

“This is Joey. He’s a music guy and he wanted to meet you guys.”

He stands to his feet and strides over to us. He’s tall, a little bit taller than me, but he’s got wavy black hair like me and that same default grave expression riddled upon his face. He almost looks like me, albeit a little softer than me and his hair doesn’t stick out every which way like mine does, and he’s got larger eyes. He has on a black sweater underneath a dark green flannel shirt, black jeans, and heavy black boots. He reaches out for my hand.

“Joey,” he says in a soft mild voice, “I’m Chris.” His grip is firm but gentle.

“And this is Matt--” The second guy comes up behind him: he’s tall, too, but with long smooth golden blond hair down to his shoulders. He looks strong and fit, much like one of the Grey brothers.

“Music guy, you said, Nan?” he asks her as he takes my hand: he’s firm but gentle himself.

“I’m a singer and a drummer,” I tell them as Matt tucks his hands into his faded denim pocket.

“Oh, that’s bitchin’, man,” Chris compliments me. “You in a band?”

“Used to be. I got fired.” And he winces at that.

“Oh, man,” Matt feels with me. “What for?”

“No idea. No idea at all. I did drink a little bit but I stopped but I guess that wasn’t enough. I dunno what was going through anyone’s minds when the manager called me.”

“We came here because I thought he reminded me of you, Chris,” Nancy fills in, and he nods his head at me.

“It’s funny. You--kinda do. From the hair and the demeanor in particular. Would you like, uh--” He gestures behind him. “--a drink of water or something?”

“Oh, yes please, I got a little carsick coming here.”

“Yep, that’s Nancy’s driving for ya,” he jokes and she rolls her eyes at him. I follow them over to the other two people when Matt turns back to me.

“I like your accent, by the way. You sound like you’re from back East.”

“Upstate New York.”

“Phew, long way from home!” the girl declares at me.

“That’s what I said to him!” Nancy says with a chuckle. “And Joey, this is Matt’s girlfriend and my best friend, Dominique. Dominique, this is Joey. He’s yet another singing drummer.”

She’s a slim lovely girl with a full head of tight black curls and that light black skin with a light sprinkling of freckles over the bridge of her nose. She tilts her head to the side at the sight of me.

“You look familiar,” she remarks.

“I do?”

“He looks like me,” Chris covers for me, and the other guy bursts out laughing.

“Well, aside from that. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere, like in a music magazine before... I’m studying to be a journalist.”

“She just got back from New York herself,” Matt explains, putting his arm around her.

“Oh, yeah?” I press my hands to my hips.

“Shadowing under a mentor and at the New York Times, no less,” she continues. “I was immersed in a bunch of music culture so I discovered a lot of music--lot of heavy music in particular--and so... I don’t know if I saw you in a magazine as part of it or what, but yeah. You look... very familiar, like I’ve seen your face.”

“You might recognize my voice,” I point out to her. “But we’re in a recording studio right now, so you know--”

“Yeah, there’s another band in there and we’re just waiting for our time slot to open up,” Chris explains. “You know, add... finishing touches to the production and make sure everything’s squared away and whatnot.”

“Oh, right, right--and who’s this guy?” I nod to the fourth member of their party, another blond haired guy but with a large nose like me and beady little eyes.

“I’m their personal mailman,” he says.

“Oh, I see.” And we can’t help but laugh out loud as he sets down a bunch of things on the chair right before he strides out of there.

“Did Nancy tell you that this is our first album, Joey?” Chris asks me.

“I think she did,” I recall, “pretty exciting, ain’t it?”

“Totally,” Matt replies, his face lighting up. “We just got signed, too--we were signed to Sub Pop and then we switched labels for our new record.”

“Sub Pop,” I say aloud.

They all glance at one another with excited expressions on their faces. Dominique gestures me even closer to the chair and the stack of papers in the seat.

“Our little holy Bible of sorts,” she says, picking up the stack, “I see Bruce sent us the last couple of copies, at least that’s what Mark was telling us a bit ago.

“Yeah, here, Joe--check this out.” Nancy gestures to the stack right as Dominique takes out a thin black booklet from near the bottom. It’s a zine, much like After the Watershed.

The thick front cover of the zine reminded me of scratch art with its cavernous black background and pure white silhouettes in the middle. Up in the top left corner, written in thick capitalized letters was “SUB POP 5″. I open the booklet to find several newspaper clippings bookmarking the pages throughout.

“Incredible,” I mutter under my breath as I pick out one near the front. “Oh, he writes about Metallica right here, wow, badass!”

“I think,” she begins again, stooping over to better shuffle through it all, “I think anyways, he might have written about you and your old band, too, if I recall correctly. There was just a lot of shit to learn back East when I was there so it more or less feels like a blur to me.”

“That’s the cool thing about him,” Nancy adds, “about Bruce--Bruce Pavitt--and his team over at Subterranean Pop as they were originally called.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t just write about lesser knowns in places like Seattle and Portland or maybe even people like yourself,” Dominique continues, “but all the punkie type peeps across the nation. It’s because of him that Chris and Matt and their band mates Kim and Hiro are here in this studio right now and they’re putting out our first album on Halloween.”

I slip the clipping back into the booklet before taking out another one from near the back.

“What’s that one?” she asks me as I scan it over.

“From... The Rocket.”

“That’s the last entry he did for the newspaper The Rocket. Like he wrote a column called ‘Sub Pop U.S.A.’ for a while--”

“And then ended it because of the record label,” I finish for her.

“Right, right!” 

“And it’s been a rough road for us, though,” Chris pipes up again, “from all the money lost and whatnot...” I think back to when I was with Anthrax and how we were struggling for money ourselves. I also think about the fact I’m struggling myself.

“This is your first album,” I recall. “For real.”

“Yeah, we already made a couple of EPs, but yeah, this is definitely our first real big thing, though.”

“You guys nervous?”

“A little. I think Kim might be because he’s the one who named it kind of as a joke.”

“As a joke?” I chuckle at that.

“Apparently things are more than mediocre for us. They’re... ultramega OK.”

“Reminds me of a sentiment my old band used to say a couple of years ago, and with kind of the same vibe to it. ‘Nice fucking life.’”

“Nice fucking life!” Matt snaps his eyes shut and imitates an air guitar.

“Now, let’s get you a cup of water,” Chris recalls from before. “I assume you’re not hungry.”

“Nah, I just ate a bunch of pancakes before coming here,” I tell him, patting my stomach.

“I say that ‘cause there’s nothing to eat here. And--pancakes courtesy of Nancy, right?”

“Hell yeah.”

“She makes ‘em--well,” he mouths that last word and flashes me a wink and an okay sign.

“I try my best,” she remarks with another eye roll, but this time with a shy smile to accompany it. “He helps me out a lot when the going gets tough.”

“You’re a lucky girl, Nan,” I tell her with a nod. There’s something about Chris, something that reminds me of myself, and not because we have a similar look to us. I think about this for a minute as he ducks into the next room, and Matt and Nancy start talking about something. Dominique strides up to me with a bright look in her eyes and a smile on her face.

“Joey Belladonna, right?” she asks me.

“Yes.”

“Anthrax, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“See, I thought I remember you from somewhere.”

“Was it ‘nice fucking life’ that tipped you off?”

“Yes! Yes, that was it! I heard about you guys all the time when I was back in New York City. Like you guys were the next big metal band to come out of the East Coast next to Overkill and... Nuclear Assault, too. I think--I brought home a copy of you guys’ latest with me to share it with Kim and Matt later on. State of Euphoria.”

“That’s the one.”

Matt and Nancy fall silent right then.

“Hey, who’s this guy?” she notes. I turn around to find Lars striding up to the front door with a flustered look upon his face.

“What’s he doing here?” I wonder aloud, and I meet up with him there on the other side of the room.

“Hey,” I greet him.

“Hey--”

“What’s going on?”

“I have to tell you something,” he states, out of breath.

“Tell me.”

“Apparently... you remember that wormhole I made over in Black Orchid? The one in the top stairwell? The one I opened up to get you and Maya back to your place?”

“Yes.” I pause for a moment. “What about it?”

“I guess every time you make a wormhole, it doesn’t close up all the way.”

“What’re you--”

He chews on his bottom lip. And then I realize what he’s trying to tell me.

“Oh, my God.”

[ask-sheban-command-blog]

{Here’s part 2 of Maya’s backstory! ^3^ Enjoy!}

[mariamermaid]

Like Lovers Do

Summary: He might have been a god, but you were a titan rising from hell and still, you fell so dearly for him, it was destined to fail, wasn´t it?

Words: 2.7k

Warnings: drinking, implied smut, kinda dark

A/N: I highly recommend listening to the song “Like Lovers do” by Hey Violet while reading. I didn´t have yet time to check for spelling mistakes so it might slightly change within the next days!

Halloween Imagines Masterlist

She stepped through the echoing hall like it already belonged to her. She was born for this, this simple but so crucial moment. In a matter of seconds that elapsed like waves crashing against the sore cliffs. Her perfectly curled hair, her sweet smile and the charm in her eyes. The tailored dress made for her body, fitted like second skin. Her natural glow illuminating the room and of course, all eyes were on her.

But then there was you.

The sister. Everything she had like it was her inherent right, you had to fight for. She was the golden star, but you were the storm crawling through the night sky, letting stars fall like hail. She could bring flowers to bloom, but under your feet the earth shook and bowed, afraid of your presence. You were two foreign princesses from a galaxy far away and your recently deceased mother, mentioned her last wish on her death bed. She hoped that one of you would marry a prince to help your realm. Obviously, she didn´t say a name, but with the last breath she took, it was clear who she had meant. You sister, Lakira, immediately took it upon herself to search for suitable contenders and when she heard about the god of thunder, it was impossible to stop her. Your father, who fulfilled each wish she had, agreed to the visit in Asgard. They would soon realize their mistake…

 Not all eyes were on her, on particularly blue-greenish pair, remained on you. You immediately caught his sight and a devilish smirk played on your blood red lips.  

I see you watching me, eyes on your target Mix drinks and smoke rings, it's already started It won't be too long before me and you Are doing what lovers do You were wearing a black, simple dress, your hair open. The simple touch of a red lipstick flattering your dark aura. And he couldn´t take his eyes of you, the sweet smell of danger of pulling him in. He wore a green suit with golden details, Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief. He could feel the vibrations from your powerful figure and he didn´t mistake them as your sisters. He could sense that there was more lingering under your skin that appeared to be such a sober shroud. And while the kingdoms greeted each other with fine chosen words and compliments, you two started to play a game, either way losing like lover do.

“It is an honor to greet you here, when you have such a long journey behind you, King.” Odin greeted your father and they shook hands. Your father, a good head smaller than the king and his two sons, offered him a noble smile. The god of thunder gawked at Lakira, but besides her beauty, there was nothing about her that attracted him to her. A pretty face to hide a shallow character. You often reminded yourself that it wasn´t her fault, she was born like that. And at certain, scarce moments, when you two were completely alone, you could see behind her smile. And when you two shared the intimate and sacred times of being just simple sisters, you loved her so dearly, it broke your heart. But you could also see that for Thor´s heart another woman already had the key, which made this whole occasion miserable to watch.

The dinner began and while almost everybody lightly chatted with each other, you and Loki constantly locked eyes. Yet, he couldn´t fully figure out where your thoughts wandered when behind your eyes appeared the darkness of a galaxy. But the tension kept going until the desert was served. You both sat across each other, just like Lakira and Thor. The skill of disappearing in invisible shadows so that everybody forgot about your presence, was a simple skill you had perfected over the years. And now the shadows cloaked the God of Mischief as well. The desert, a typical Asgardian mousse  with sweet fruits was neatly placed in front of you, but after your first bites of the sweet taste, you laid your golden spoon back on the table. The mood was lightening and the talks began to get louder. “Excuse, I´m going to the bathroom, I´ll be back in just a second.” You explained bitter sweetly, even though only Loki heard your voice. He watched you leave and his eyes couldn´t resist wandering down your curved body, wondering how your skin felt without the silk hiding it´s beauty. After two more passing minutes, in which neither Thor nor anyone else of the present guests realized your missing, Loki excused himself as well. The more distance got between him and the hall, the quicker his feet hit the ground. He thought to find you in your chambers, but just before turning the corner, he accidently lurked up the stairs which led to the observation platform and he caught sight of a thin layer of smoke hovering in the air. He followed the trace and found you on the observation deck.

Clothes on the floor, we're exploring our bodies Getting you off is my new favorite hobby Lipstick on your neck brands like a tattoo 'Cause that just how lovers do With big steps he encountered you and you grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. He slightly leaned down to you while your hands embraced his neck and your lips connected with his. The beauty of the passionate kiss was the synchronized rhythm. The way your tongues played with each other, but with harmony and gracefully you embraced each other, just to feel the closeness. Two lovers on a bridge in front of a kingdom with galaxies decorating the background. A picture that was quickly engraved on your mind.

Ooh, love is just another four letter word But that never stopped nobody Ooh, either way we lose Just like lovers, just like lovers do “Wow that was… stunning.” Loki admitted, his arm around your bare shoulders. You chuckled while drawing lines on his skin. Out of your finger escaped dark sparkles which then faded into the air. The sun had set and through the open window blew a soft breeze. “And I thought this unsuccessful journey would be boring.” You admitted, he kept quiet. After a long time passing he spoke up again. “Why unsuccessful?” “Because it was the plan that Lakira would seduce your brother, but his heart already belongs to another woman.” He was surprised. Loki watched you thoughtful, it was very rare that somebody could surprise him. After all it was in his nature to be in control at all given times, but you created chaos in him. A pleasant chaos. “You know about her?” “It´s hard not to see.” “For you. Your sister is still left in the dark.” You hummed in response but then you sat up. The blankets slipped away when you left the bed and started picking up your clothes from the floor again. Loki sat up. “You´re leaving?” He asked confused and again, he wondered why you caused such abnormalities. You laughed while already putting back on your dress. A laugh he couldn´t yet read. You eyed yourself in his mirror on last time, rearranging your hair and checking your makeup, then you turned to him. “Yes.”

His and hers closets are perfect for skeletons Hiding resentment and shared infidelities Cheers to regret, wash it down with some booze Drinking like lovers do

Days passed, and a wonderful reversal changed colors in Asgard. The leaves on the dress started to shifted to a warm red-orange, and the sea verging on the mountains appeared in a glowing turquoise, which created a stunning view. Behind the mountains was the dark grey unknown and thunder hollered in the far. Your sister and father didn´t have any success yet and you didn´t dare to open their eyes. It was rather amusing to watch Lakira flirt with all weapons, when Thor was only focused on training. And your father wasn´t any better. He tried his best to built a strong bond with Odin, who seemed more annoyed by him with each encounter. Sadly, the more aggressive Odin got, the more he let it out on Loki. You could see his struggles to keep up with the image of being the adoptive son. It reminded you of your own fate. Sometimes you could still feel the blame your father laid on your shoulders that you never rose to his standards. 

And when dinner was finished, Loki and you shared your thoughts and drowned them with booze. The burning taste of liquor running down your throat let you forget your conscience and filled your mind with the lingering picture of Loki´s lips that you craved. And when the bottle was emptied the tickling touch against his skin fulfilled you.

Ooh, love is just another four letter word But that never stopped nobody Ooh, either way we lose Just like lovers, just like lovers do Weeks passed and even Lakira had now accepted that Thor would never be hers. Only your father remained pounding on the imagination that Thor, his new son-in-law, would come and safe his realm. Lakira had also noticed your thing with Loki, but for now she had been quiet about it. You guessed she would eventually come and question you about it, so you purposely avoided her and spent even more at Loki´s chambers.

Loki, God of Mischief, in whom you had found sympathy and you opened up to his calming character. Just now you sat at the end of his bed on the floor, a book laying on your knees, reading. Loki who sat across you, leaned against the brown arm-chair, glanced up from time to time. When you caught him, he smiled sheepishly and you grinned jubilant. You had been there for two hours reading and the relaxed morning was accompanied by the smell of tea. It was perfect.

The sudden knock of a servant surprised you both and quickly you hid inside an adjoining room, but your ears were sharpened. “The King and the princesses will leave Asgard, a sudden sickness had afflicted their country.” He made a break, thinking if he should share his thoughts with the Prince. “I don´t think they´ll ever come back. Their country has been so destroyed, especially without their King there and with this deadly sickness, it will be only a question of time.” Loki´s jaw dropped, the situation took an unexpected turn. He could only stutter his answer, unable to form clear thoughts. “Yes… Yes, I will be coming to farewell the king… In just minute.”

When he closed the door shut and turned to look for you, you had disappeared and he cursed over your abilities to vanish. Of course, you had heard the news and the shattering truth had hit you hard. Especially because you had no idea. Angrily you stormed inside your sister´s chambers without knocking. “What sickness?!” You yelled and she flinched surprise. “Y/N what are talking about?”

Your angry façade dropped and was knocked out of the skies. She didn´t know it neither.

That's how it goes so take it like a grown-up Life's not a fairytale, it's time to own up Hire a hitman to take care of you And end it like lovers do You didn´t want to see him, you couldn´t see him. Deep inside you knew you wouldn´t be able to handle it, so you quickly disappeared in the space ship with the typical colors of your home. You told your servant you weren´t feeling well and they politely offered you to lay down. Hot tears ran down your cheeks and your mouth was shaking, trying to keep in the sobs. When the feeling of the ship lifting off the ground echoed in your cabin, you felt a slight ease. But then you remembered what was waiting for you at your home and dark images of death formed in your head.

You landed and realized that at some point, you had drifted off to sleep, but you still felt exhausted and tired. The castle seemed colder and lonelier. You realized servants missing, but didn´t question it. You drifted off into a constant condition of numbness. For days you barely ate, the food didn´t taste at all, the water in the shower was freezing cold, then burning hot, it didn´t matter. The only memory keeping you breathing was you and Loki sitting on his bed reading, or taking a walk at sunset. Watching the early fog slowly fading when sunrays appeared. The bond you shared, you almost called it love.

Ooh, love is just another four letter word But that never stopped nobody Ooh, either way we lose Just like lovers, just like lovers do The loud sound of spaceships landing woke you up. With you dark, silky robes on you tiptoed down to the lifeless hall of your castle. Your father still sat on the throne, it didn´t look like he had left it in the past days. His deep rings under his eyes, the unhealthy color of his skin, his dry lips and his thin body. He didn´t look good at all. You spotted your sister as well barefoot coming from her chambers, her arms around her body to shield her from the undeniable cold. The cold that didn´t even mattered for you, your body knew how to protect yourself. You looked out the window and realized the large groups walking out of the spaceships, no armor but instead big packages filled with medicine and stretchers. Their uniforms looked Asgardian.

The tall stone doors were pushed open and the first three persons to enter were Loki, Thor and Odin. Your father coughed before he could speak up, but then he managed to form some words. “King Odin, what are you doing here?” But Odin had no intention of speaking, Loki took the lead and simple stormed over to you. Now you embraced your own body as well, the whole attention that was suddenly on you made you shiver. Just a few feet before you Loki stopped and dropped down on one knee and small golden ring in his hands. You gasped shocked. “What the hell are you doing?” You asked screaming panicky and Loki just couldn´t resist to flash you a charming smile, which didn´t calm you down in any way.

“We both know that Asgard helping you is your only chance of saving your people.”

“Soooo?”

“So, I´m asking you to marry me.” You huffed a sarcastic laugh, but he didn´t allow you to interrupt him. “I know that under the circumstances of how we met wasn´t perfect, but nobody ever has been able to calm me down like you. Nobody ever made me laugh like you. You helped me forget my worries and you fought the monsters in my head. And the minute you left, I missed you. I missed you so dearly I couldn´t sleep because your picture haunted me in my dreams. I knew it was a mistake letting you go, and I know it won´t happen again.”

You hated to admit it, but small tears formed in your eyes, which you tried to blink away as good as you could. Never had you expected marriage to be knocking at your door, not so soon. Probably not ever. But now with Loki kneeling here in front of you smiled at the idea. You smiled at the past memories you had with him and the concept of many more of those moments in your future filled you with excitement.

“Yes.” You breathed and Loki, who was still struggling to find fitting words, fell silent.

“Yes?”

“Yes!” He jumped off the ground and put the ring on your finger, his hands still shaking. Then he tightly embraced you, pulling you off your feet. Your arms embraced his neck and you pressed your face in his skin. You glanced over to your sister and even Thor, they genuinely smiled at you.

I see you watching me, eyes on your target Mix drinks and smoke rings, it's already started Let's roll the dice and we'll both make our moves Playing like lovers do

  tags: @feelthefeelingsinsideyou @illuminateshawnm@imaginesforlotsofthings@suburbiasqueen