#xio mumbles

[eutxrpe]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!!!!!! i'm so glad that u were born and that i've been lucky enough to get to know you and be your friend 🥺 u are so much fun to talk to and so smart and caring and ethereal!!! i love u so so much and i hope u have the best birthday and are appreciated by the people around u (as u should always be) <3

AAAAAAAAA this made me so happy you have no idea

thank you so much <3 cannot wait until i learn how to drive and then i will visit you don't you worryyy

i love you too! thank you :( you make me so happy and i'm so glad that i am one of the recipients of your love <3

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 21: The Rift

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs| The Rift ARG

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

The car stopped briefly at a pharmacy, with Stacy rushing in and returning with a bagful of medicines. She gives it to Xio to hold and then continues driving down the street, going perhaps a bit faster than the speed limit. Until, finally, the car reaches an intersection, and-- "There!" Xio points down the left street. "I hear footsteps that way. Three of them. That could be them." 

Stacy nods and turns. Chase presses his face to the window, staring anxiously for his twin.

Jackieboy also tries to look, looking for Bro's signature jacket. Or, a flash of anything familiar.

Three men walk down the street, one in a red jumpsuit leaning on one in an orange jacket. The last one raises a hand, looking towards the car. 

"There!" Chase gasps. 

"I see them," Stacy says, pulling to the side of the road. 

As soon as she stops--maybe even before she stops--Chase opens the door and tumbles out. "Jackie!" he shouts. "Jackie!"

Jackieboy hurries to get out and follows after Chase, grabbing his backpack and the medicine. He slows down as he sees the shape other Jackie's in, "woah holy shit man... A-Alt did all of that...?"

"I mean... me flailing around probably... probably didn't help," Jackie mumbles. 

"W-we have to clean the wounds," Chase stammers. "We gotta roll up your sleeve and pants, m-maybe even take them off, is that okay, J?" 

"Make sure no one's in sight, C, and it'll be fine." 

"Heh..." Chase glances around. They're in a business district, but no one is in sight, all inside at work. "Hope we can do that." 

Henrik, Stacy, and Xio all get out of the car. "Here, this was the best we could find," Henrik says, holding out a bottle of water.

Bro helps to set Jackie down against a wall of a building and kneels down next to him. 

Jackieboy takes the water from Henrik and nods, going to try to pull up Jackie's sleeve and pants leg to try to clean out the wound. He digs around in his first aid kit and finds some hydrogen peroxide. "Okay sorry this is gonna sting but- can't let it get infected." 

"It's okay, I-I can handle it," Jackie says, gritting his teeth. 

Jackieboy then carefully pours some over the wounds and lets the peroxide do its work. But, he talks and works like a doting father- making sure to be gentle and not too harsh. "...we're also gonna ignore how weird it is I'm giving first aid to a version of myself-"

Jackie laughs. "Fucking hell, yeah, this is fucking absurd." 

"You're doing great, though," Chase says. Jackie is holding tight to his hand, giving away just how much it hurts. 

"Here, antibiotic cream," Stacy says, offering a jar of the stuff. "Internet says you're supposed to apply it to animal bites. Obviously not directly on it, but... h-heh." She smiles nervously.

Jackieboy laughs and then blinks up at Stacy. He smiles and takes it gratefully. "Thanks Stacy." He makes quick work of putting on the cream and bandaging up the wounds, making sure the guaze is nice and tight. "These should probably still get checked by a professional but... I think you'll be okay. I don't think anything was big enough to need stitches either so... thank god." He starts putting stuff away back in his backpack and offers Jackie the rest of the water bottle. "Make sure to hydrate- oh and I think i have some pain pills too.. ah ha!" He hands Jackie a few. "There- that'll really help." 

Jackie sighs. "Th-thank you," he says. He pops the pills in his mouth and swallows them dry. "I'm already feeling better." 

"Man... you really did come prepared." Bro comments. 

Jackieboy gives him a knowing smirk. "Never dismiss a father's wisdom, Chase~"

"Yeah, never dismiss a father's wisdom, Chase," Chase adds jokingly. "Good to meet you by the way." 

Bro laughs, "Good to meet ya too." 

"I was the one who kept the first aid kit in the bathroom stocked, wasn't I?" Stacy says teasingly. 

"Yeah, yeah." Chase mutters. He looks over at Magician. "...so. Hi." 

"Hello, Violet," Magician says. "Good to see you." He nods at Henrik. "You too, Dr. Wiley." 

Henrik lets out a snort of laughter. 

Bro gestures at Chase's hair, "I gotta know... why purple? Never really thought it was our color." He tries to joke. 

"I was considering green or yellow at first, but I dunno." Chase shrugs. "Seemed too... bright, I guess? At the time. I guess I was nervous about standing out too much." 

"C'mon, C, you gotta embrace it," Jackie says, testing out their leg and arm. "Man, the suit got all torn up. D'you know how hard it is to repair this when you're living in hiding?" 

Jackieboy tilts his head at Magician, studying his face. Or what he can see around the mask. The mannerisms sure are similar. "...You got a lot of nicknames, huh?"

Magician flashes a smile. "I have difficulties with names that aren't as magnificent as mine." 

Jackie snorts and rolls his eyes. "God. You were being so nice."

Jackieboy's expression falls and becomes something a bit more guarded. "Huh... is that so." 

Magician's smile falls into something unreadable. 

Bro feels the tension from Jackie's response and he hops to his feet. "Okay! Now that Jackie is taken care of- we should probably get back to looking for Alt, right? Alt and Mag and... JJ- right?"

"We should," Stacy says. "It'll be a tight fit in the car, but we should stick together." 

"Do you guys have some way of finding Alt?" Chase asks. "You guys keep talking about magic and stuff, right?" 

"Hmm." Magician reaches into his pocket and pulls out a white phone-shaped device. "Maybe this could help? Alt gave it to me."

"Oh yeah! We have the bracelets!" Jackie says, his mood shifting back as he pulls up his sleeve to show it. "This has a tracker to find our other bracelets-" Jackie cuts himself off and him and Bro both look at Magician. Then, Bro's eyes darken. 

"I-Isn't that the TRVLR?" Jackie gasps. 

Bro immediately lashes out and grabs it and then pushes Magician up against the wall, baring his teeth. "Alt wouldn't have given that to you! He doesn't let it leave his fucking side- he would never leave it with a stranger- you're a fucking liar!"

Jackie--the one from this world--puts his head in his hands. "Jesus fucking christ, dude. Can you not be a kleptomaniac for five minutes?!" 

"I--" Magician stalls. "H-he dropped it." 

Jackie hits his forehead. "Can you not be a compulsive liar for FIVE MINUTES?!" 

"That Magnificent guy was trying to steal it so I got it first," Magician says. 

Chase leans over and punches his arm. "Bruh." He looks at Bro and Jackieboy. "Don't take it personally," he says tiredly. "He read my journal once. This is just who he is." 

"I'm..." Magician opens and closes his mouth wordlessly. 

"Yes?" Stacy folds her arms, giving Magician her bests Mom Look. "Are you trying to say you're sorry?" 

"...that." 

"Well go on, then. Apologize to our visitors." 

Magician is silent for an awkwardly long time. "Um, apparently that device says our world is under quarantine, so I think you guys should get out as soon as possible. Let's use that magic stuff to find Alt, yes?"

Bro looks enraged, blue flashing brightly in his eyes. He hasn't let Magician go. "I fucking trusted you! How do I even know you telling me Alt was in danger wasn't a lie too?! Did you have something to do with him being captured?! Why else would you steal from him and then lie about it?!" 

Jackieboy tries to push over to pull at Bro's shoulder and calm him down. "H-He said he was sorry, Chase. Let's try to hear him-" 

"No! I don't like how casual you all are making this- he stole from Alt and lied to me about it! Plus- the TRVLR is our only way back home! You stole our only way out of this and for what?! I know Alt would have told you it was important!" Bro snarls. 

Magician flinches, wordlessly trying to pull away from Bro's grip. "I-I-I--I--I d-d-didn't know--I--" He's visibly trembling as Bro yells. "D-don't--D-don't--I-I'll just go, I'll just go, just--just let me go--" 

"Um... Bro?" Jackie gets to his feet. "Maybe you can... calm down a little? I've never... seen him freak out like this..." 

Xio, quiet all this time, walks over to Bro and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Back off," she says in a firm voice. "I can handle this."

Bro is stiff and quiet for a long beat, staring down hard at Magician even as he trembles. Then, he slowly lets him go and backs up, but his expression stays just as cold and angry.

As soon as Bro is far enough away Xio swoops in. "We're going to go down this alley over here, okay?" she says in a gentle voice. "We're going to talk for a little, okay, 25?" 

Magician nods wordlessly. 

"Okay. Come on, follow me." 

Xio walks into the nearest alleyway and Magician follows close behind her. They're out of earshot for most people... but not Bro with his super hearing. 

While Jackie mutters something about how that was weird and Stacy apologizes profusely, Bro listens in on their conversation. 

"You can't keep doing this, man. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy." 

"I-I know, I know, I-I don't know how to—I just—" 

"Deep breaths, 25. He wasn't going to hurt you. He's a good guy." 

"I-I don't—A-are you sure? Are you sure?" 

"I'm positive. They said he was a hero. Deep breaths, man." 

Moments pass, filled with shaking, wet breaths. 

"Why'd you grab it?" 

"Th-they scared me. They got in my house. A-and that one had my face, he had my face, Xi, i-it wasn't right, it—A-and he knew my name, I don't—Th-they weren't supposed to find me, no one was supposed to—" 

"Breathe, 25. Okay, you were scared. Why'd you grab the thing, then? How are they related?" 

"I—It was all I could think to do a-at the time. Maybe—m-maybe if I had th-their thing I could—I-I don't know. Th-they were in my house. H-he tr-tried to do something to me." 

"Why didn't you tell them about this? Why'd you lie?" 

"I-I-I didn't want them to—t-t-to—Th-they'd be mad." 

"Lying made them more mad, you know." 

"I can't stop, Xi, I-I want to—I c-can't—" 

"You know you need to say sorry. For real. Not that indirect thing you did just now." 

More shaking breathing. 

"They're still gonna be mad, but I promise it'll make them less mad. I can be right behind you if you want. Even hold your hand." 

"N-not now. I-I need a minute." 

"It's okay." Xio's voice, as it had been this entire time, was incredibly soft and understanding. "We can stay here for a minute." 

Bro’s face starts to fall a bit as he listens. Man… he sounded terrified. And he knows he’s done bad stuff when he’s scared or angry. Just like now… he leans up against the wall and crosses his arms, trying to hide how bad he feels. He wasn’t going to hurt him… but he was tempted. Because… he saw what happened to Alt… but maybe even that was a lie. He studies the TRVLR in his hand and feels sick. Alt always had this on him and… he was gone. Trapped with Mag and this world’s Anti… who he still didn’t know much about but.. the track record wasn’t looking good. And this quarantine thing has him sick to his stomach… could it be as bad as that horror world? Or… worse? 

Jackieboy comes to lean next to Bro. He’s quiet for a second before saying, “…I know you’re worried, but Alt wouldn’t want you to hurt anyone unnecessarily, dude.” 

“…I wasn’t gonna hurt him.” Bro says quietly. 

“Bro you looked ready to punch his lights out.” Jackieboy deadpans. He then sighs when Bro continues to be quiet. “…not everyone is so black and white, Chase. I know it’s easy to think that… being a hero. But- I dunno. Doesn’t he remind you a bit of Alt- when we first met him?” 

Bro traces the edges of the TRVLR with his fingers. “…I guess. He did… lie and steal a lot too.” 

“Alt did a bunch of crazy stuff because Mag was going after him… these guys are on the run from those crazy Psyode dudes. I think… it’s similar types of thinking. Maybe based on fear.” 

“Maybe.” Bro says, glancing at the alley. 

Jackieboy leans his head back to look at the sky. “…I’m not saying you can’t be mad or worried. This is… not fun to learn about. But… try to see their side too. And believe me it’s… hard.” Jackieboy looks back down and curls his fingers into his jacket as he hugs his arms, “right now… looking at him? All I can see is… is Mag. How I knew him back then but also… mixed with how he is now. And it makes me want to… distrust him. But that’s not fair. He’s a whole different person. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt.” 

Bro is quiet again but he sighs and nods a bit. 

A few moments pass in awkward silence—silent for everyone else, Bro can still hear that heavy breathing slowly calming down—and then Magician and Xio return. 

Bro stands up straighter as Magician returns.

Magician is keeping his hands behind his back, and Xio is standing slightly behind him, one hand out of sight. 

“I—I-I-I’m s-sorry,” Magician stammers, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. “F-for taking your th-thing a-and not telling. I-I wasn’t thinking s-straight b-but I should’ve r-realized.” He tenses slightly, bracing himself. 

Chase and Jackie stare at Magician in shock. Stacy and Henrik are a bit less shocked but they’re still surprised.

Bro stares at him with a neutral expression before he sighs. “…it’s… it is what it is. We can move past it. I’m just glad we have it back now. …thank you for apologizing.” 

Jackieboy pats Bro on the shoulder.

Magician visibly relaxes. “Y-yeah. No problem.” 

“What are you two, some sort of miracle workers?” Jackie mutters, looking back and forth between Bro and Xio. “I’ve never heard him say sorry.” 

“A-are you still going to stay here with us?” Henrik asks. “While we look for Alt?” 

Suddenly, like a flip had switched, Magician stands up straight and flashes the gang a smile. “Why of course I am! I wouldn’t want to deprive you of my amazingness. Not to mention my great power will come in handy.” 

Jackie sighs. “And there it is. Whatever.” 

Xio rolls her eyes. Jackieboy and Bro each hear her voice, sounding like it’s whispering right into their ears. “He’s overcompensating, don’t take this seriously.” 

Bro huffs out a breath of a laugh. 

“So… you were saying about your magic bracelets?” Chase asks.

Jackieboy smirks slightly then holds up his bracelet again. “We can use this to find him! Can't believe we keep forgetting about that-“ He taps the gem on it and whispers ‘loonu’- and then a trail of blue green wisps of magic start to pop up- but they pop and flicker before they flicker purple. 

Jackieboy and Bro blink and then exchange glances. 

“…Magnificent’s hold on Alt must be influencing the magic…” Bro says darkly. 

“Well- now I can’t really tell if he’s close or not-! But at least we have a trail…” Jackieboy sighs. 

“You know, the trail doesn’t seem to go that far,” Stacy says, peering down the street. “I think it ends on the corner up there, actually. Is that norm—” 

And then, all at once, the street lamps and lights from the businesses go out. A blackout rolls down the street, leaving only that glowing purple trail. 

“…that’s not good.” Jackieboy squeaks. 

“Everyone, try to huddle! It could be an ambush-!” Bro warns, trying to grab people he can feel in the dark and push them behind him.

Laughter echoes down the street. “Foooound yoooou,” a voice calls, seeming to come from all their phones. 

“Get in the car, get in the car,” Stacy hisses, opening up the door. 

“No! I know this,” Jackie says. “This is Anti—he was with them before, meaning Alt could be nearby.” 

Indeed, the purple trail is quickly growing shorter. 

“You are hurt, you get in the car for safety!” Henrik says, pushing Jackie through the door Stacy opened. 

Magician reaches into his utility belt and starts taking things out. “They’re coming,” he mutters.

Bro grits his teeth, his eyes glowing blue. Jackieboy fumbles to find Alt’s pocket knife again. 

The trail gets shorter- and shorter… then, the swaps recognize a familiar laugh and a snap of fingers. 

There’s the flash of an animal’s eyes reflecting the purple light of the spell before a dark blur of some kind of big cat roars and tries to tackle Magician.

Magician shrieks, and suddenly an invisible force pushes the cat to the side, missing him entirely. “Holy shit! You weren’t kidding!” 

“Yeah, no, I wasn’t!” Jackie shouts. 

“Fuckin’ hell!” Magician throws something into the air, then lights it on fire with a lighter. It’s some sort of burning powder that he moves around with his powers, lighting up the area and forming a defensive circle around himself. “Nice kitty!” 

“Not a kitty!” Chase shouts. “That’s—that’s Alt, isn’t it?!” 

In the light of the powder, they can see the crouched form of a white tiger with burning purple green slitted eyes, glitches vibrating off its fur. 

Bro and Jackieboy both gasp. 

“Y-Yeah that’s Alt!” Bro looks even angrier as he roars and looks around, “Where is that motherfucker?! I’m gonna kill him for this!!” 

Magnificent voices chuckles from the shadows. “Temper temper, fantastic… don’t worry. We won’t be long~ we just need something that’s been stolen from us~!”

Xio suddenly gasps. “Footsteps! There!” She points to the left, and suddenly someone lunges from the darkness, going right for Bro.

While he’s looking Bro hears Xio’s warning and manages to grab the person lunging for him. 

Bro pulls into the light a man in a suit with a dark mustache. He gives Bro a sad, almost apologetic smile. Then Jameson’s body jerks in his hold, head shooting forward to hit Bro in the face.

Alt growls and glitches, trying to get back by Magician and attack him again.

Magician spins around, pushing Alt back again with his powers. “Where the hell are you, you coward?!” Magician shouts, looking around for Magnificent. “Xio,” he hisses. “Listen for him.” 

She nods, paying close attention to the surrounding sounds.

Magnificent laughs, his voice echoing from different places around the alley. "I'm not a coward, kitten~ I'm a strategist! Why bloody my hands when my cub can do it for me?" 

Bro balks but when Jameson hits him he doesn't really react. He blinks and then he backs up and hovers in the air a bit. "Hey... you're Jameson, huh? You don't need to fight for Anti- we don't have to do this!" 

Jameson stumbles. He shakes his head. It's not my choice, he signs. Sorr-- His hands jerk away halfway through signing his apology, towards his pocket. He takes out a knife and lunges at Bro again. 

Alt shakes his head out and then lunges again to try to bite Magician.

Magician holds his hands up and pushes Alt back, skidding out into the street. "Maybe because your cat can't do it?!" he shouts. "Are you afraid, you freak?! Compensating for something?! Maybe hiding how powerless you really are?!" 

Alt tries to stop his movements by digging his claws into the ground. He growls more, his eyes blaring green as electricity crackles around him. 

Xio frowns. "I-it's hard to tell where he is," she whispers. "He's causing distractions." 

Stacy fumbles with her phone and tries to shine its flashlight around the area, but the light suddenly dies. Its screen is overcome by static and then turns off. How is it even darker than before?

Bro catches Jameson’s hand and throws him back, "Ah... so he's making you too?" He glares around at the darkness around them. "where's that bitch? Is he too scared to fight too?!" 

"Y-you can't fight Anti!" Henrik shouts. "He is not a physical being! An EDC--Extra-Dimensional Consciousness--"

"A what?!" Bro shouts. 

"Such a special name for me," A voice says from all their phones. "But if you want to fight, Bro, fight this." 

Anti makes Jameson jerk backwards. A ball of electricity forms on the ground where he'd been standing, shooting out random arcs of lightning towards Bro. 

Then, Bro sees the ball of lightning and he gasps in surprise and gets thrown back by the arcs. He grits his teeth then gets up, "I-I'm not fighting someone who doesn't even want to fight! This is wrong!" 

“Oh… won’t you?” Anti’s voice says. 

Suddenly, Jackieboy finds his legs bringing him forward against his will. 

"No! I won't!" Bro argues. Jackieboy cries out as he's forced up and towards Bro. He looks completely freaked out, "U-Um??? W-What the fuck?!" He looks at Bro fearfully, "C-Chase I... I can't c-control my body..!" 

Bro's eyes widen, "No... No you- you sick son of a bitch!" He tries to yell towards Anti. 

“I’ve heard worse,” Anti says casually, as he makes Jackieboy pull out Alt’s knife and lunge forward. 

Magnificent laughs some more and then appears behind Magician, curling his claws under his neck. "I was trying to spare you, kitten. But, fine. I can play~!" He tries to stab him with his claws.

Magician gasps. "H-how did you--AUGH!" 

JJ's head snaps towards the sound. He starts running forward before suddenly stopping, Anti holding him in place. 

"25!" Xio shouts, lunging forward. 

Magician breathes through the pain. The ring of firey powder surrounding them suddenly snaps smaller as the powder rushes for Mag,

Magnificent laughs darkly and curls his claws into Magician's stomach. "Oh- such a lovely scream~ Now... tell me thief. Where is the TRVLR?" Mag sees the powder coming and he rolls his eyes and uses a burst of magic to push back the powder before it gets to them.

Magician takes a shaky breath. “I-I left it at home,” he lies. “I can bring you back there—Xi, no! H-he’s gonna—” 

But she doesn’t listen. The air lets out an earsplitting shriek all around Magnificent and she tries to tackle him from behind. 

"You're a liar- do you really think I'll bel-" Mag screeches out in surprise as he's tackled to the ground. He growls and tries to claws at Xio, "Get off me! This doesn't concern you!" 

As soon as Mag lets go, Magician whirls around, grabbing Xio with his powers and pulling her away before Mag can claw her face off. “Don’t you touch her!” he screams. “Don’t you fucking dare you pathetic piece of shit!” 

Magician reaches a hand out and Magnificent suddenly feels a squeezing pressure around his throat, steadily getting tighter. 

"Ohhh did I touch a ner-!" Magnificent tries to taunt and then chokes, going to try to claws at whatever is crushing his throat. 

But of course, there's nothing there. Magician growls. "You don't get to talk about that! No one cares about you! No one would miss you! And it's all your fault, and you know that! Even I have a couple! You have nobody!" 

Magnificent glares angrily at Magician and bares his fangs. But, he can't breathe so the intimidation is kinda ruined. 

Suddenly, Jameson finds himself free again, and he's able to move as he wants. He immediately rushes forward, in front of Magician, blocking his line of sight. Don't do this, M-love! he signs. You're not that type of person! 

Magician gasps, stumbling backwards. "JJ...?" 

The pressure on Magnificent's throat suddenly disappears as he loses concentration. 

Magnificent falls to his knees as the pressure is dropped and he coughs and gasps on the ground. 

Magician stares at JJ in shock for a moment, then suddenly rushes forward and wraps his arms around him. "I'm not letting you go this time," he says, a sob catching on his words. "I'm not letting him take you again. I-I'll drag you out of here if I have to." 

Chase wants to do something useful but he’s not sure what he’s capable of doing. Still, he has to help! So he ends up doing something insane: running right up to the tiger. “Alt, I don’t know if you can understand me!” He gasps. “But we need you! Please! Y-your friends are in danger!” 

“CHASE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!” Jackie shouts.

Alt backs up as Chase approaches him. His eyes flicker slightly- seeing a familiar face... even if its very different from his brother's. His ears flatten back and he bares his teeth at Chase, crouching down low. 

“Ch-Chase no!” Jackie gasps, rushing over. 

“Jackie!” Henrik shouts, rushing after him. 

“Guys, no, don’t scare him!” Chase holds his arms out, pushing them back before they can grab him. 

“Alt, please! W-we’re friendly! L-look, your—your friends are fighting. They don’t want to, someone is making them. Th-they need your help.” He gestures with his head back towards Bro and Jackieboy.

Jackieboy gasps in surprise and then yelps as he's forced to slash at Bro. 

Bro isn't expecting Jackieboy to be that fast and he gets cut across the cheek. 

"S-Sorry!" Jackieboy calls out and Bro just brushes the blood off his cheek and narrows his eyes. "C-Chase you can knock me out if you need to," Jackieboy urges. "I-I don't want to hurt you...!" 

"I'm not gonna let him win by hurting you Jackie," Bro says softly. 

"That's unfortunate then, isn't it?" Anti says, and Jackie lunges forward again. 

Alt stiffens as the others come and crouches down lower- scared for a second before he growls more and snaps his teeth at them. But, he blinks a bit more at Chase's words. He glances at Jackieboy and Bro fighting and some light comes into his eyes.

"Y-yes, exactly, Alt!" Chase nods encouragingly. "Y-you know them. You don't want them to get hurt, do you?" 

Jackie stares at Alt warily, but still says, "Alt, please. We need you right now."

Bro quickly side steps Jackieboy who rushes past him. There's terrified tears in his eyes as he forced to turn back around and face Bro. His hand trembles on the knife. "I-I can't fight it Chase...!" 

"It's okay... It's gonna be okay," Bro tries to assure him. 

Magic builds up around Alt as he backs up and his ears lower again, looking more scared. Then, he closes his eyes and glitches build up around him until he bursts back into his human form. He falls to the ground and is shaking wildly. He looks at his hands like he's having trouble recognizing them before looking up at the others. He looks so tired. "I...I... I-I don't know how to h-help..! I.. I don't think I can influence w-whatever Anti is using to control them...!"

"W-well, i-it'd be helpful if we didn't have to worry about multiple threats," Chase laughs darkly. "I-if we can get Mag under control, w-we can get away from Anti's influence. I-I don't think us normal people can fight him, though--" 

"Don't put yourself down like that, Chase," Henrik mutters. 

"Th-the point is the same! Anything you can do would be helpful, Alt! Anything!" 

"I...I d-don't have a lot of m-magic left," Alt says quietly, "a-and I..." He grunts as purple flashes in his eyes and grips at his head. 

Behind them, Mag is staggering back up, looking enraged. "Who said you could break your strings, puppet?!" Magnificent snarls. 

Bro hears Alt's voice and looks towards him, momentarily looking relieved, "Alt!"

Anti takes advantage of Bro's distraction to send Jackieboy at him once again. 

Magician's head snaps back over to Magnificent. "You shut up! Shut the fuck up!" There's a flash of metal, and Magician's razor sharp cards fly through the air towards Mag. 

At the same time, another one of those sharp shrieking sounds rings out, conjured by Xio, and accompanied by a loud sound like ten different buzzers going off at the same time as she tries to distract Mag from his control over Alt. 

Jackie grabs Alt by the arms, shaking him slightly. "Th-then tell us what we can do to help! W-we want to help!"

Jackieboy cries out as he's forced to attack again. And Bro is too distracted so Jackieboy ends up pinning him against the wall, stabbing the knife near his collarbone- just barely missing his chest. Jackieboy is shaking so much as he sobs, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" 

Bro grits his teeth in pain but shakes his head, "i-it's fine Jackie- i-it's fine-" 

Alt sees this and cries out in panic through the static, "No!" 

Magnificent is about ready to drown out his resistance when the sounds go off and he cries out, covering his ears. He can't even dodge as the cards stab into him over and over. He staggers back then falls. 

Jackie grabs Alt and more blue comes back into his eyes. He's shaking but he looks a bit more aware. "I... I need- I need something I-I can take the electricity from...! P-Phones or... a-a computer or something...! M-Maybe I can get enough magic to counteract what A-Anti is doing...!"

"Phones!" Stacy, hiding back by the car, suddenly rushes forward. 

Chase digs into his pocket and pulls out Jackie's phone, and they both hand it to Alt. "We can live without these for a short time. Please!"

Alt looks surprised but he nods in determination and holds them in his hands. He grips his hands tight around them and starts to siphon the electricity and pull it into his own magic. It's sharp and hot and unnatural feeling in his veins- which glow green with his effort as he tries to take it all in. He grits his teeth as the flickers of lightning course around him. 

Then, he bursts open his eyes and they're glowing brightly. He looks to Chase and Stacy and smiles, nodding to them and handing the now dead phones back. "T-Thank you..." He then gets to his feet and then glitches to try to grab Jackieboy off of Bro. 

Jackieboy yells in surprise and is then tackled to the ground in a flurry of electricity and glitches. "A-Alt!" he gasps. 

Alt smiles tightly and then looks down at him. Anti said people are mostly electricity... which he knows. That's how he can possess people but... can he be like Anti here and take control of Jackie's nerves to get him out? ...there's only one way to see. He grabs Jackie's wrist that has the knife and closes his eyes, trying to see if he can channel his magic to help. 

Anti's laugh comes from Jackie's phone. "Oh? What are you trying to do, Alt? Do you think you can defeat me?" 

And then, through Jackie's own mouth, he says, "You don't understand what you're dealing with." 

Alt shudders and looks into his friend’s eyes- which still look scared despite the demon stealing his voice. And that keeps Alt determined. 

Alt can feel it. The foreign entity in Jackie's system. A parasite latched onto his nerves. His magic pushes against it. 

Static bursts from all the remaining phones. "What are you doing?" Anti's voice asks, a tinge of panic to it. "How are you doing that?"

“I hate to admit it… but I’m like you-! So if you can did this… then I can reverse it…!” Alt shouts, pushing even more magic against the parasite inside. 

"You're nothing like me!" Anti shouts. "No--no! Stop it!" The power Alt is pouring into Jackie's system is drowning it all out. "Why can't I control your power?! It's energy! It's all energy!" 

But Alt's is different. 

"It's more than that! It's magic!" Alt laughs with confidence. 

He keeps pushing, more-- And then-- It's gone. 

Anti is gone.

Then, Jackie slumps and pants heavily, the horrible feeling gone. 

Alt pants too and lets go of Jackie's arm, shuddering and going to sit down fully on the ground.

Silence. 

The blackout around the area ends as every single light turns back on. Everyone looks around. 

“Is… is it over?” Henrik asks. 

“For now, I think,” Jackie says. “Other me, are you okay?!” 

Jackieboy slowly nods through gasping breaths, "Y-Yeah I'm... t-that was awful..." He breathes, shaking wildly. 

Alt gently helps him sit up against the wall and then takes stock of himself. Then, he suddenly panics, glitching over next to Bro. "Chase! Chase are you okay?!" 

Bro laughs and smiles tightly at Alt, "Y-Yeah yeah I'm fine! It stings like a bitch but I'm okay- you really thought this would keep me down?" He tries to joke. 

Alt smiles tightly back and snorts out a laugh. 

“What about this guy?” Magician glares at Magnificent, still holding tight to JJ. And JJ clings to him too, though he looks around cautiously, not quite believing that this is all over.

Both Alt and Bro stiffen as Magician mentions Mag. 

Magnificent is trying to push himself up, despite the cards imbedded in him. "N-No! We just needed the...!" 

"Oh- you mean this, Mag?" Bro smirks as he holds up the TRVLR. Then he glares at Mag as the villain stares at him dumbfounded. 

"You lost, Mag. And I'm gonna fucking kill you for making Alt be that fucking tiger agai-!" He starts to shout, blue blazing in his eyes but Alt grabs him and holds him back. "C-Chase it's okay it-" 

"No it's not okay! Don't tell me it's okay, Alt!" 

Alt looks down and tries to hide how freaked out he still is as his trembling hands hold onto Bro's jacket. " 'm fine..." He whispers shakily. 

Chase looks at Alt. "You're clearly not fine, dude," he says in a gentle voice. "It's okay. You can just... take a moment." He glances over at Magnificent. "I don't think that guy's going anywhere with all those stab wounds."

Alt tries to protest but Bro just pulls him into a hug. Alt stiffens and then falls against him, silently letting himself cry. 

"I can hold him," Magician says, gritting his teeth. An invisible force pushes in against Magnificent, holding him still. 

Magnificent cries out as he's kept down and bares his teeth ferally at Magician. 

"25, what about your headaches?" Xio asks. 

"This is more important. They haven't started yet." Magician bares his teeth right back at Magnificent. 

JJ looks over at Alt. We can look away if you want, he offers. Or we can stay. Whatever you need. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Alt looks up at JJ and shakes his head. "...I don't mind... I... I think..." He meets JJ's eyes and whispers. "Don't say sorry... it wasn't your fault." 

JJ shakes his head. I know... but I still feel bad about it. 

Jackieboy soon comes over and Bro pulls him into a hug too, pressing his friends’ heads to his shoulders and holding them tight. 

While the other-world guys have their moment, Jameson looks over at Henrik. I'm sorry for what happened to you and that girl, too. 

Henrik shakes his head. "It is fine. We understand now that you, and all those other people too, were not doing it by your own will. You did everything you could." 

"Can you... Is Anti really gone?" Chase wonders. "Did he abandon you, uh, Jameson?" 

He may be back for me, JJ says. If he comes back, I have to go with him. 

"What?! No!" Magician's head snaps over to him. "I'm not letting that happen, JJ! Please, I-I can't--If you were to--" 

"Why?" Jackie asks. "Because he'll control you?" 

...maybe, JJ says slowly. But also... he is able to hurt people. I couldn't... let him... 

"So it's better that you get hurt?" Chase asks quietly. 

JJ looks at Magician. I'd rather it be me than you... who he said he would target. 

"...oh," Magician breathes. "W-well, I'd rather get hurt than lose you again." 

I knew you'd say that, JJ says with a faint, dark smile. Which is why I couldn't let it happen.

“Why not just… try your best to stick together?” Bro asks, looking at jj and Marvin. “It seems you both want to keep each other safe so… do that. You can’t do that very well if one of you just- lets himself be taken. Self sacrifice hurts everyone in the end.” 

“That’s really something coming from you, Chase.” Alt weakly giggles. 

Bro goes to place his chin on Alt’s head, “…it’s a lesson I’m starting to learn…” 

Alt blinks a bit and then remembers the last world. His stomach churns with guilt as he holds on tighter to Bro and hides his face. 

Marvin and JJ look at each other. 

"You two know what you want," Xio says. "And if it helps, we can help you hide, JJ. Our little group is very well hidden." 

JJ glances at her, then back at Marvin. He nods slowly. 

Marvin lets out a breath. "Thank you," he breathes. "Thank you." 

"What about you guys?" Stacy gestures at the three visitors. "Do you guys... like, need anything? Somewhere to stay a-and rest?"

"As much as I'd like that for these two," Bro says, sighing. "I don't want to risk Mag breaking out or Anti coming back. You got some magic back, right Alt?" 

Alt nods and wipes at his face. 

Bro squeezes Jackie's side and sighs heavily. "Then... we should go. H-Hopefully this time we'll actually get home..."

"Besides, our world is under quarantine, apparently," Magician says. "So it might not be a good idea to stay here, as fascinating as this all is?" 

"...quarantine?" Henrik asks, brows furrowing. "By who? Who placed the quarantine?"

Alt silently asks Bro for the TRVLR back and powers it up once he has it. He looks at the message, "Apparently IRIS- it says here that we needed to jump immediately or risk being fired. I mean- we don't work for them but... I don't know what that means." 

"Maybe that... something is at risk of escaping from here...?" Jackieboy asks quietly.

"Well, yes, that is usually what quarantines are for," Henrik says. "Something you want to keep contained that is risky to people--and has the potential to spread farther." 

"But... what's the thing IRIS is trying to contain then...?" Bro says with a frown. "It's not... any of you guys I don't think-" 

The hair on Magnificent's neck suddenly stands up as static electricity builds up behind him. Something warm presses down on his shoulder--no, it's just the warmth, like a hand without the weight of it. And he feels something. Something that he has treated many, many people to before, but never experienced before. His power being drained from him and out into an unknown space.

"So... your magic is still energy," Anti's voice says from his phone speaker. "Don't mind if I do."

Magnificent suddenly yells out in pain as his magic is drained- leaving almost nothing behind. His eyes slightly roll up into his head as he fully crashes to the floor. 

And as almost all of Magnificent's magic is drained from him, something forms behind him. The figure of a person crouched next to Magnificent on the ground. Anti's form, looking more solid than he did before. He grins. "And it can do a̶ǹy͏t̡ḩíng." Anti stands up. 

JJ notices this first and lets out a strangled gasp. 

Anti flings out a hand, and--suddenly--Alt lets go of the TRVLR and it falls to the ground.

The swaps all startle at Mag's scream and Alt tries to glitch to his feet- then freezes as the TRVLR falls out of his hand without his say so. "W-What...?!" 

Anti laughs. His form becomes a bolt of purple and green lightning and he rushes at Alt. 

Jackie reaches out to try and stop him, but even he isn't as fast as lightning. 

The bolt knocks Alt, Bro, and Jackie to the side, and Anti reforms where they were standing, the TRVLR clutched in his hand and a manic grin on his face. 

Alt gasps and tries to block the bolt but him, Bro and Jackie all fly in different directions as the bolt hits.

"H-how?!" Henrik gasps. "You--you have no body, how can you hold--" 

"Magic, of course." Anti laughs. "Something that doesn't exist here, but something that I knew exists out there." His head tilts around, looking at all four of the swaps. "Did you think I would give up that easily?! I didn't spend nearly all my power p̡u̸l͢lìǹg̢ you off course, cor̸r͝ec͞ting you every time another world got in the way, to just QUIT like that! Not right when my goal is fin͠al̛l҉ý at my fingertips!" His grip on the TRVLR tightens. The smell of ozone fills the air.

Alt quickly tries to get to his feet, his eyes sparking with green. Then, his stomach drops at Anti's reveal. "N-No... no!" 

"T-This whole time the TRVLR has been taking us random places... it was you the whole time?!" Bro gasps. 

Alt yells in anger and tries to glitch over to Anti to grab the TRVLR.

But Alt isn't fast enough. Anti squeezes the TRVLR tight and--it shatters. Broken glass flies off in different directions, metal crumpling, internal parts falling to the ground. 

Alt feels like he's been shot as he sees the TRVLR destroyed. 

A shockwave of energy sends everyone flying backwards. Red energy races up Anti's arm, and his whole body gets stained with red and black, his white-static eyes the only thing not tinted with crimson. He laughs. "Ye͠s̀.̕.̵.͠ it͠'s ̨t̀i̧m͏e," he hisses. "T͏i̛me͏ to̕ ̡l̀èav҉e ̧th͝is ̷world̡ ͏f͝òr̀ ̛ot̛hers.̶.. a̸ńd̢ ͏şee̴ ̶h̕o͡w̧ ͞m̷any ͠I can͡ ̕de̶lete." 

Black rips appear in the space around them, air rushing for them like an open airlock on a space ship, and in a ripple of static electricity, Anti is gone.

Alt groans and tries to hurry to get back up but- he's only in time to hear Anti say his final words and then disappear. 

The silence afterwards is deafening- Alt falls to his knees, staring at the spot where Anti disappeared in complete, numb disbelief. He slowly stares at the bits of the TRVLR shattered around them. He then falls onto his elbows on the ground and screams. 

But, There's no time to break down. Those black rips in the world are getting bigger. 

Rifts, darker than the deepest reaches of outer space, a complete absence of anything. 

The parts of the TRVLR skitter across the ground, sucked into a couple different rifts... and then Alt feels it. The pull, like strong wind, like gravity. Bro feels it as well, and Jackieboy, and even Magnificent--but the people from this world stay where they are, clothes caught in the wind but otherwise unmoving. 

"Wh-what's happening?!" Chase gasps. 

"We have to get these people out of here!" Henrik shouts. 

Bro hurries over to try to pull Alt up and away as magic burns and snaps around Alt like live wires, reacting to his emotions. He tries to dig his heels into the ground below, holding Alt close to him as the glitch hyperventilates. 

Jackieboy yells and tries to reach out for Bro and Bro clumsily grabs onto him. 

"W-What did he do?!" Jackieboy gasps. 

"I-I don't know!" Bro shouts back, trying to hold onto Alt and Jackieboy tighter. 

Alt tries to cling to both of them as he panics. He stares at the black before them as feels dread so deep it makes it hard to breathe. 

But, One by one, the four of them are pulled into the rifts. 

Magnificent is too weak to fight the pull, weakly trying to dig claws into the ground but not finding the strength to hold on.

Jackieboy screams as he's torn away, desperately reaching out for the others. 

Bro yells out after him and feels his feet leave the ground- Alt tries to glitch them back but- their connection breaks and they both fall away from each other, screaming out each others' names.

They fall through blackness, with the slightest bit of red light, and then... Well, they're not in this world anymore. 

The rifts close slightly, their pull lessening, but they still hang there in midair, the fabric of space-time in tatters around them. 

"A-are those guys going to be alright?" Magician whispers. 

"I don't know," Jackie whispers back. In shock, the group stares at the rifts, black lines connected to nothing. Jackie shakes his head. "W-we gotta do something about this!" he shouts. "Evacuate people!" 

"Fuck! Right!" Stacy gets out her phone--then remembers it's dead. "Fuck! W-we need to call someone--" 

"Who the fuck are we going to call about weird holes in the air?!" Chase shouts. 

"I-I hate to suggest it, but--" Xio shakes her head. "The people with the most knowledge about this... is Psyode." 

"We are not calling them!" Henrik shouts. 

"I'm not saying we do! I'm saying we get people out of here and cause such a fuss that they come looking!" 

"I can handle that," Jackie says, pulling down his mask. 

You're still hurt, JJ says. 

"I know! But I think this is a bit more fucking important, isn't it?!" 

JJ nods quickly, agreeing. 

"E-everyone spread out," Magician says. "Do anything you can to get people out of here." 

"I hope they're okay," Chase mutters. Then he shakes his head. "Go! Now! Call the police, try contacting the ghosts, do anything!" 

The group runs, leaving the area. 

Behind them, the rifts linger.

[choiia]

Max rolled his eyes. Max hates having sick day, he feels as if he could be doing something productive-instead of staying in bed helpless. "Fine, you win." Max choked. Xio hopped off the bed and pushed Max to lay back down. She then, tucks him in. "Try to nap for a little while, alright?" Xio asked, politely. "How am i-i supposed to sl-sleep with this congestion?" Max sassed, still not accepting the fact he lost the bet. "I can go get you the vapor rub!" Xio suggested. "That wo-would be nice." Max replied shaky. Xio hurried into the bathroom to find the vapor rub. Max's eyes became even heavier-now that he was laying down. The warmth of the bed, the comfort of the blankets, and the softness from the pillows-were all like a welcome to wonderland;Dreamland. Max was about to doze off to sleep, when he hears Xio hurriedly rush back over to his bedside. "I'm gonna have to take off your shirt, baby." Xio said softly. Both xio and max blushed coincidentally, turning away from eachother flustered. Max then turns back and toughens up. "I-if it helps.." Max sat up slower this time. "Do wh-whatever you need.." Max uncovered himself and unbuttons his shirt, not all the way though. He leaves a decently sized gap. "Is this good?" Max asked, spreading the sleeves down. Xio was too stunned to speak, she looked like she had seen a really, *hot* guy. A part of Max's abs showed-and Max realized it almost immediately. "B-baby, you ca-can't chicken out because o-of my ma-masculinity.." Max cooed. "Ri-right sorry.." Xio apologized, turning back to Max and climbing on the bed. Xio scooped some of the vapor rub and massaged it slowly on the middle of his chest. Max blushed. He cupped Xio's head, looking at her lips-but then remembered he's sick. Xio smiled, as she continued to massage Max's chest. After she finished, she screwed the cap back on and placed it on the nightstand. She blushes as she, instead, rebuttons Max's shirt. Max blushed.He then, laid back down while Xio tucked him in and fluffed his pillow. Max coughed violently and sniffled. Xio sat up. "Amor?" Max mumbled, half awake. "Yes dear?" Xio perked up. "Thank you..for taking care of me. I-i don't know what'd I do without you." Max said, nervously. "You're welcome, mi amor!" Xio replied, happily. "I'll always be here to help you, no matter what." Xio kissed Max's forehead. "Try to get some rest, alright?" Xio asked, as she stroked Max's face. "Mmmhm.." Max hummed softly. He was already dozing off. "Anything else you need before I get started on my grind?" Xio asked. Max was already snoring softly. Xio smiled and kissed Max's forehead again. She walked into the kitchen and cracks an ice tray into a bowl. She then, put a soft wash cloth into the bowl and filled it up with water. She walks back into the bedroom. She stirred the cloth inside the bowl, ringed it out, and placed it on Max's forehead. She placed he bowl on the nightstand. "Feel better soon, mi amor." She said to him, quietly. Xio walked over to the closet, put on some comfy clothes. She then, climbed into bed and cuddled Max from behind, wrapping her arms around his stomach. She shortly after, fell asleep alongside with Max.

Part 3 of Max's sick day

[bornofbloodandwater]

Kinks to rate: EGGS (right back at ya), chastity devices, hair pulling.

scale: not today satan | fuck no | no thanks | eeeh | NOT SURE | I’d give it a shot | sure why not | omfg yes | there go my pants | HOLY FUCK TAKE ME NOW

The egg debate once more. I've still not decided where Xio falls on the 'does she or does she not have the ability to lay eggs' debate and I may walk this tightrope forever. For now...Yes she would like insertion but she's probably never thought much about it. I am outting her for this and she doesn't even know it about herself.

scale: not today satan | fuck no | no thanks | eeeh | not sure | I’d give it a shot | sure why not | omfg yes | there go my pants | HOLY FUCK TAKE ME NOW

On her sub? Yes, absolutely, she loves a careful mix between denial and overstimulation, they are her two favourite ways to bring someone to their begging, pleading, mumbling desperation.

This is especially true for partners who can use a cock cage, chastity is much more fun with them. For partners without that ability, she'd rather restrain them in other ways than a chastity belt, they're a little more messsy and awkward. Mara prefers a wrist to wasit tie or spreader bars for these partners.

scale: not today satan | fuck no | no thanks | eeeh | not sure | I’d give it a shot | sure why not | omfg yes | THERE GO MY PANTS | holy fuck take me now

OF COURSE. LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR. WHY DO YOU THINK SHE KEEPS IT AROUND? Legit though, nobody is brave enough so far. Too much 'running fingers through' it and not enough 'wrapping it in their fist like a lead' for her liking.

[moonaaara]

i... lowkey want to do music taste hcs for random hq characters.

ex. atsumu listens to drill. sakusa listens to r&b. & kuroo loves alternative rock

[eutxrpe]

is it because i'm black??? huh??? 🤨🤨

Black cats are lucky. (via leahweissmuller)

[eutxrpe]

hello my little oneee <3 i was just thinking of you and wondering how you're doing?? i hope life is treating u as gently as possible and that you know that i love u to the moon and back <3

NWHNWKJSNOWIDJ I MISS YOU SO MUCH NINI <33

i'm so sleepy all the time -_- senior year is currently kicking my ass but it's okay because i'm kicking it back lmaoooo

i love you so, so much <33 i hope that you've been okay and that things have gotten at least slightly less stressful :( i know that you've been working really hard and i'm so proud of what you've done so far and what you'll continue to do, sweetheart

[choiia]

Xio winced, waiting for a reaction. Shortly after, Max's eyes fluttered, he opened one eye and saw Xio, sitting Infront of him. Max then, felt a burning in the back of his nose. He hitched. Max moved his hand just in time, he sneezed in a triple. Max let out a groan and sniffled. "Sorry, bubs." Xio apologized. "I was just checking something." Max looked up, rubbing his eyes. "It's okay, you didn't mean it.." Max replied hoarse. Xio took note of this immediately. Max's voice sounded congested and hoarse. A wheeze could be heard when he spoke. Xio placed her palm on Max's forehead. Still hot. Max looked up while Xio did. "Wh-what're you doing..?" Max stuttered. Xio felt him shiver. "Max, you missed work today."

"Oh sh!t! I'm late!?"

Max tried to sit up, but since he did it too fast-he coughed almost immediately. Max's cough sounded like a bark, hoarse. Xio sat up and patted Max's back. Max's coughing fit seemed like it lasted forever.. only took about 5 minutes to end. "You're sick, sweetheart." Xio said, grabbing Max's arm. "You can't go into work today." Max frowned. "But I have to, I can't miss today!" Max is interrupted, he hitched lightly-whilst moving his hand Infront of him, ready for that incoming fit or triple. Max sneezed 6 times-groaning afterwards and rubbing his head. "Bless you." Xio replied, grabbing Max's other arm. "Love, please rest. You'll need it." Xio replied calmly as she tries pushing him to lay back down. "B-but..-"

Max was interrupted a second time. But not by a sneeze this time. "No ifs, ands, or buts. You are sick-you look awful, and you're burning up." Xio exclaimed. She's trying her best to convince Max to rest. But Max has always put others first over him. "I-i..don't look that bad..right?" Max mumbled, defenseless. "Describe what I lo-look like." Xio twirled her hair. "Youre sweaty, you're shivering, your cheeks are flushed, you looked *exhausted*, your eyes are glossy, your nose is running-"Max placed a finger Infront of Xio's mouth, signalling her to be quiet. "Al-alright love, I get it." Max stuttered, he coughed a bit harshly and then cleared his throat. Xio blushed slightly, looking away from Max. "H-how about this." Max said, making xio perk up a bit. "I-if I have a temperature..I'll ta-take a sick day.. alright?" Xio nodded as she rushed to the bathroom to find a thermometer. Max leaned his head back on the headboard of the bed. His head throbbed, his throat hurt and itched, his nose was runny, and his eyes were heavy. Max knew he was sick, he just had a hard time admitting it. Max has always hated seeing Xio so stressed out or worried..or even sad. So Max thought it was better to lie to her instead of telling the truth and being overdramatic about how he felt. Max coughed violently, now rubbing his neck. His throat ached so badly. A moment later, Xio hurriedly rushed back into the bedroom, waving the thermometer in the air. "I finally found it!" She declared, now walking over to Max's bedside. Max couldn't help but smile at Xio's pride, seeing her happy was the absolute cutest. Xio turned on the thermometer holds it Infront of her. Max leans down closer to Xio. "Say 'ahh!' " Xio cooed. Max rolled his eyes playfully and opened his mouth. Xio placed the thermometer underneath Max's tongue. Max leans back up in his original position. "Now we wait." Xio said, crawling onto the bed-sitting Infront of Max. They made eye contact for about the time period of the thermometer to finish. Max blushed even more as Xio got closer to his face-pushing her away. "Okay, let's see that temperature!" Xio giggled. She took the thermometer out of Max's mouth and checks it. Xio's smile fades and turns into a more shocked and worried look. Max looks at her confused. Xio turns the thermometer so Max can read. "39.5." Max read aloud. "Fuck.." Max crossed his arms. "I won this bet, hehe." Xio teased, still worried though. "Now you gotta take a sick day!"

(Part 2 of Max's sick day.)

[moonaaara]

i have the unnatural urge to go back into my loving atsumu era.

like... we'd be so cute together??? i have so many stupid headcanons and i'm DYING because i'm thinking so hard.

[eutxrpe]

y'all... tattoo artist!bakugo or tattoo artist!shinso hcs... because both are tempting...

tattoo artist!bakugo who whispers out a gruff "sit still" when you keep squirming as the butterflies on your thigh remain half-painted.

tattoo artist!bakugo who grins when you show him a particularly complex tat & pats the seat right next to him.

tattoo artist!bakugo who reluctantly agrees to matching tattoos —only trusting kirishima to ink him— but when he goes home, he's already sketching ideas for another one.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

but... but...

tattoo artist!shinso who murmurs a "you're doing so well, kitten" when he's just finishing up the moon on your waist & squishes the skin next to it just to hear your surprised squeal.

tattoo artist!shinso who tells you that you're his favorite regular and asks you if you want to get anything pierced. (and he looks you up and down so you know he truly means anything.)

tattoo artist!shinso who takes you into the back of his parlor to give you sweet, sweet kisses that are so unlike his stoic, flirty demeanor.

[choiia]

(thought about Max and Xio during class and I thought.. l just had to write this! 13+?, Cringy, Mistakes.) Part 1 of Max's sick day

It was a cold, early morning when Xio woke up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes-whilst she rummaged around on her nightstand, looking for her glasses..or atleast the feeling of them. She then, reached for something that felt like her glasses, she felt the brim and the lenses. She picked them up and put them on. Xio then turns her head to her husband, max. He, for some reason was still asleep. Odd. He has work today, right? Xio looked around for her phone or a calendar. After a brief moment, she finds her phone and turns it on. The bright light blinded her eyes-whilst her lenses reflected toward the mirror. Xio turns down the brightness and looks at the work schedule Max had. Xio mumbled to herself. "Business hours..salary...patients seeing..." Xio scrolled through the schedule, searching for the days her husband had to be in work. She finally found it. "Be in work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.." Xio read aloud. The dates all had different times and hours in-but Xio focused on today's hours. "9:00am through 8:00pm, if Incase of emergency..extra 3 hours." Xio read aloud to herself, rereading a couple times. "That's kind of bullsh!t." Xio protested to herself. "Why does he have to work an extra 3 hours because of emergency? That'd be 9:00am through 11:00pm." Xio checked the time on her phone. "11:00am...he's gonna be late." Xio said to herself. Xio rolled out of bed, unhooked her robe on the back of the door, and draped it around her. As Xio picks out an outfit for the day, she stops. She realizes something-Max is never late for work. He's usually an on time person-even an early bird. One of Max's biggest pet peeves *was* being late. He always loved being early for things. This made Xio worry. She let her overthinking thoughts get the best of her. They're broken in a snap when Xio heard Max-rolling over in the covers. He looked uncomfortable. Xio turned her head to look at Max, seeing if he had awakened yet. "Max?" Xio called out. "Are you awake, my love?"No response. Xio assumed he was still asleep-then went back to picking an outfit for the day. After that, she does her daily routine of brushing her teeth, showering, making herself a coffee. About an hour and a half passed, she had seated herself on the couch. Sipping her coffee as she was about to watch some YouTube. But then remembered-Max was still home, still asleep, still. in. bed. Xio's overthinking thoughts got control over her again. She brushed it off after a short while. "Maybe he's just really tired." Xio reassured herself quietly. "It was really cold last night, and he was outside the majority of the night painting the baby crib. He couldn't have caught something..right?" This particular thought made her worried the most. She placed her coffee down, sat up, and hurried into their room. She quietly opened the door and turned on the lamp that sat on her nightstand. Xio walked over to Max's side of the bed. Out cold, *still*. Max's face was almost entirely underneath the covers-while his head was buried into his pillow. Xio lifted the blanket away from Max's face and gasped quietly. She examined him closely, analyzing every inch of his face. Freckles, button nose, bushy brows, a few blackheads. But those little things weren't her main concern. His face was sweaty, and flushed pink on his cheeks and nose. There were dark circles underneath his eyes, and he was snoring. "Well, this isn't good." Xio sighed. "He looks awful, still handsome as always-but awful." Xio mumbled to herself. Xio started believing in her particular overthought theory, and she was glad it brought her this far. "Well, there's only one way to find out if you are." Xio said to herself. She reached her palm onto his forehead. Hot. Xio is definitely convinced he's sick. Explains why Max didn't wake up early. She moved her hand off of Max's face, but then accidentally brushed against his nose. Xio remembered that his nose was always so, so sensitive when Max is sick.

[moonaaara]

am i changing my theme after barely two weeks? yes. mind your business.

[eutxrpe]

sadly, i do not walk around gracefully like that... but i'm honored.

You’ve all know Walk of Shame, But have you seen Walk Of Pride? 

(Source)

[eutxrpe]

this close to creating a haikyuu side-blog just for aran ojiro. why do y'all sleep on him so much???

he'd call you baby and sweetheart as he reads to you softly to get you to sleep. (aran has a southern drawl don't talk to me) he isn't too possessive but has a hand around your waist or in your jean back pocket in public. he tells you you that you look beautiful in his spare jersey. for my black readers: matching durags & bonnets?? yes. in conclusion, please tag me in aran fluff; he's too underrated.

[intotherumiverse]

American Girl

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: Shit this has been in my head for a hot min. I’d like to thank @xetou​ @minruko​ and @koishiguro​ for listening to me spew my bull shit for days on end.The ice cream shop mentioned in the fic is a real ice cream place (which slaps btw) but Brooke isn’t a real person (I just used the name)   Also this is the song I used for the inspiration for the fic. And with that, hope you enjoy <3 ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: Reo can speak English in this fic, He’s knowledgeable in some American culture but not all. ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Fluff and crack  ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ: Female Reader  ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1k+

It was on a business trip when Reo saw you. He wasn’t one for the slow, dull, work of his father’s job, but after he turned 20, he was given no other choice. It was in New York he met you. You were minding your own business, getting coffee for some of the other staff that was with him on this godforsaken trip. Your smile and the way you carried yourself drew himself to you. “Who’s that?” Reo couldn’t take his eyes off of you as he whispered to Nagi, one of his associates.

“(Y/n) apparently, she’s one of the people that has applied for the new secretary position. Walking over to where you were standing, he tells Nagi

“Send the others home, I want her.”

“You sure Reo?” Not focusing, he nods. Walking over to where you were standing, Reo suddenly becomes self-conscious of himself. Uncurling his spine, he fixes himself before speaking. But you beat him to the punch.

“How can I help you Mr. Mikage?” Your voice was so alluring to him, the smoky timbers of it leading him like a moth to a flame.  Clearing his throat, he says 

“I’d like to inform you that you have been hired to the company as my… personal assistant.”

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. You were expecting a job but nothing like this. I mean, New York was all you knew, withdrawing yourself now would have some troubles. 

“Maybe we should get to know each other, you know, business-wise?”

It was Reo’s turn to be shocked, lavender eyes shining in curiosity. “And what do you suggest we do?” The tension was thick in the eyes, electricity forming between the two of you. “Give me your number,” you say in the spur of the moment. You knew it was a bad idea to start falling for your newly formed boss but something about him was so alluring. 

“I’ll text what time you can pick me up.”

“Bold, very very bold Miss (Y/n).”

“What can I say, I was raised here. Bold is in my DNA”

“I quite like it,” pulling a sleek business card out of his pocket, he gives a small smirk

“I look forward to your text, Miss (Y/n)”

And that’s how you ended up staring at your phone for the umpteenth hour. You had always heard of the mysterious Reo Mikage, a boy who never wanted to be a king, but the real deal was far more enticing. He had self-esteem inside that made him glow, you couldn’t place it. Rolling onto your stomach, you pull up his phone number. 

“2 pm Mr.Mikage, I’ll show you, New York, as you’ve never seen before.”

In a matter of minutes, he responds 

“Looking forward to it”

Tomorrow will be a good day.

You looked good. You could tell that from the way Reo’s eyes tracked you walking down the street. The clear desire showing itself through the way he looked at you hungrily. 

“Good morning Mr.Mikage” you smile sweetly at him.

“Good morning to you too Miss (Y/n). I trust you slept well.” 

“Well enough,” you reply. Clasping your hands together, you continue 

“Shall we be off?” 

“I’ll bring the car around.” Stifling a laugh, you giggle at Reo’s obvious oblivion. 

“You’re in New York Mr.Mikage, you don’t bring a car, you walk.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Very much so.” 

“Then it is as you wish.”  Pulling out a phone from one of his pockets, he talks lowly into the phone. After a couple of minutes, he puts it away and smiles. 

“Lead the way Miss (Y/n).”

Reo was never truly speechless in his life. Not until today. He wasn’t expecting to be led into the heart of New York by one of the most beautiful people he’s ever seen. Standing in front of the small shop, he looks over to your glowing face. 

“Are we here?” He asks carefully 

“We are! Welcome to the best ice cream shop in New York, in my opinion. Welcome to Surreal Creamery.”

The small shop didn’t seem like much on the outside. Small, it was easily unnoticeable on the exterior. 

“Are you sure about it, Miss (Y/n)? It doesn’t seem like much.”

Giving the concerned man a sly look, you say nothing as you drag him into the small shop. 

“Hi! Welcome to Surreal Creamery, My name is Brooke and I’ll be your server today! What can I get you?” 

“Can I have a Chocolate Blackout please?” Brooke take note of the order on her iPad 

“And you sir?” 

“I’ll have the Thai Milk Bubble Tea & Vietnamese Iced Coffee Ice Cream please?” 

“Okay that will be 24.15” 

You reach over and pull out your card, ready to pay, with Reo already placing his onto the table.

“Sir you don’t have to pay! I invited you out today, I should pay.” 

There was something in his stare that made you not fight on it longer. Letting him pay, the two of you left, ice creams in hand. 

You take small scoops of ice cream, and Reo does the same. The cars in the background are the only noise.

“This is really good Miss (Y/n).” Reo savors the sweetness of the icy dessert. 

“Told ‘ya so.” 

Walking side by side on the slowly emptying streets of New York. The slow pace of the later afternoon was peaceful to Reo. 

“I had fun Miss (Y/n).” Reo smiles at you, loving how your skin glows in the afternoon sun. It frames your face as if the deities up above were blessing you. 

“I had fun too Mr.Mikage. Maybe we could do this again.” You haven’t felt such an attraction to one man more than you ever had than today. It was like a tugging in your heart and he had the strings. Pulling you closer and closer until the two of you were facing each other. You felt his breath tickle your face, the cloying scent of ice cream caressing your sensitive skin. He traced your jawline, hands strong and undeniably rough, goosebumps rising from where he touched. 

“I know you feel it (Y/n),” Reo mumbles. You notice slightly as Reo drops the formalities that he usually added to your name. “There’s tension between you and me. I know you can feel it too. C’mon princess, can I have a kiss?”

Your stomach dropped. He felt it too, the undeniable something that was in the air. You had no words, feeling dazed and confused. The was only one answer. The one that you both knew was the answer to your questions. 

“Yes.”

Tagging

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[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 131

Two things about this chapter:

One: I am a sucker for these domestic chapters. I love showing people being people, and weaving world-building and plot development into those scenes.

Two: I am currently doing better from a work-exhaustion perspective, thank you everyone who was concerned!  I actually took the day off the day before I wrote this and just slept as much as I could that day, because the last day I worked, I was literally swaying on my feet if I stood still.

As always, thanks to @the-raven-fae, @baelpenrose, @anotherusrname, and @charlylimph-blog for keeping me going, along with every. Single. Person. Who has found this story somehow and just binged it as fast as you could. I love when my inbox gets detonated by someone new, please never stop!

Glimmering Feathers Podcast is currently doing The Miys from the very beginning! Please listen and support!

“Have the shelter locations for non-combatants been shortlisted?” I panted as Tyche and I sat on the floor of the gym after an intense cardio and sparring session.

She shook her head as she took a gulp of water. “Not that I know of, but Xio hasn’t really told me anything yet.”

“You would think we would be told pretty quick,” I complained. “After all, we’re supposed to be putting together the rosters of who goes where.”

“We put together the lists of combatants and non-combatants.” She stood and held out a hand to help pull me off the ground. “Our part is done for right now, and we’re pretty far ahead of schedule, honestly.”

“This isn’t exactly the kind of thing we want to leave to the last minute.”

Tyche groaned. “Right about now, I wish you were planning the Festival still. You get crabby when you’re stressed and don’t have anything to work on.”

I scowled and made pincer-like gestures with my hands.  She just laughed and shook her head before I asked, “Are you and Antoine coming over for dinner tonight?”

“Only if you let me shower first. We both stink.”

There was no way I could argue with that, especially as I went to put my glasses on and caught a whiff of myself. “Showers, then dinner at twenty-oneish?”  As we exited the gym, I paused to let my eyes adjust to the far-dimmer lighting. Chills ran down my back every time I recognized the similarity to the nightmares Else had given me while trying to communicate, and I always had to spend a few minutes forcing myself not to step over debris that wasn’t actually there.

“Can we do vegetarian tonight?”

“You have to talk Conor into it.”

 A couple hours later, we were standing in my kitchen area.  Tyche was aggressively mashing chickpeas while staring down a nearly-flinching Conor.

I leaned over from where I was mincing herbs. “That isn’t what I meant and you know it,” I whispered.

“Don’t worry. I’m making him lamb, he just doesn’t know it,” she whispered back from the corner of her mouth. 

To avoid smiling and giving it away, I called out instead. “Hey, Antoine, can you come start the tzatziki? You’re better at it than I am.”

“If you would give in to the existence of salt, Sophia, you would be a much happier woman,” he teased with a serious face.

“I use salt!” I objected.

“At the end,” my sister pointed out. “He salts the cucumbers before mixing everything together.” She glanced back at Conor before arching an eyebrow at him.

Distraction time. “Love, how are the plans for the housing fabrications coming?”

“Your mate Arthur apparently convinced Huynh - somehow, it’s not like they talk - that we don’t need fortifications,” he groaned. “I keep trying to explain that we aren’t putting up fortifications, it’s for agriculture.”

“Wait, what? What does that have to do with housing…?”

He tilted his head side to side as he considered. I could almost see him rewinding. “We have several different blueprints drafted for housing, dependent on what we learn when we drop into ‘real space’. Lots of them include plans for those espell-things to grow on the side, but Huynh is pushing back. It’s holding up the approvals.”

“What does Charly think?”

“Anything that helps us grow more plants with less impact on the environment is a win for her, so I’m trying to take the long view. He can decide whatever he wants now, but she’ll go with the plants every time.”

Antoine appeared next to me, wiping his hands. “How would your plan work if there is a cavern system, as suspected, rather than a surface settlement?”

He conceded the point. “Still working on a sustainable grow-light system for that one. But if it works, we would have year-round crops, so it would solve for the problem of storage in the winter.”

The door to our quarters opened just then, and a very tired-looking Maverick paused to take off his boots. “What would solve for the winter storage issue?” he asked.

“Sustainable grow-lights,” Tyche tossed over my shoulder from where she was hiding the lamb.

He made it as far as the table before dropping into a chair and leaning heavily on Conor, who wrinkled his nose. “Mav, you stink.”

“Turns out grav-mechs are greasy, even in space,” he mumbled, nuzzling into the other man’s shoulder instead of taking the hint. “I hate calibrating them.”

“No dirty hands at the table!” I reminded him. He didn’t move his head, just held up two meticulously scrubbed hands. “Fine…” I surrendered.

“Why are we talking about grow-lights?” he asked.

“Huynh is fighting with me ‘bout the housing solutions,” Conor explained, stroking his hair.

“Ah… the plants?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t you just make the plants where they can grow with less light? I thought you were already working on that.”

“They turned black, tasted horrible, and we ended up with a sentient plague,” I pointed out. “No more dinking around with plant genomes please?”

Tyche turned around, hands on her hips. “We are already trying to manage a food festival and a potential invasion by space-pirates. No more plagues. Knowing her luck - “ she jerked a thumb in my direction “- this one won’t be the apologetic and cute kind.” Apparently the words that just came out of her mouth registered, because she rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air before turning back to her top-secret dinner plan.

I finally finished turning the pale green paste into patties and shoved them in the oven, removing the griddle that had been warming in there. Hefting it onto the heating elements that served as a stove, I started putting together dough for pitas. “So, grow-lights. What kind of light do we need for them to work?”

“Blue, ideally,” Conor responded without even having to think. “Four-fortyish nanometers. Weirdly red light, six-fiftyish nanometers works, too.”

“So explain the issue, because I feel like I’m missing something. Charly designed lights in both those colors.”

“Wrong wavelengths,” he explained, scratching the back of his neck. “And it’s apparently really hard to finetune the wavelengths of organic lighting. She’s managed to get it right, but only for about twenty four hours before it shifts too far one way or another.  We don’t want to depend on completely inorganic light, if Von is as metal-poor as we think it will be.”

“Can’t replace them,” I half-asked. He winked and shot me a finger-gun to confirm my suspicion. “Yeah, that’s a huge problem.”

“The star emits just the right kind of light, barely, so if we stick with surface settlement, we should be okay.”

“And that’s where the storage issue came up,” Maverick mumbled sleepily, bringing us back to the original question he asked.

Conor jostled him gently, and I heard something about a shower to wake up before Maverick padded off in the direction of the bathroom.  Right at the same time, Tyche reached around me to flip a pita before blowing her fingers and cursing softly.  Apparently, her secret was done, so I handed her the spatula and started rolling out more dough.

By the time Maverick came back with wet hair and a too-big shirt that had to be Conor’s, most of the food was on the table and we were ready to eat.  Conor started grumbling about no meat and how could us weirdos eat a meal with no meat when he was interrupted by Tyche clearing her throat. His head snapped up and his jaw dropped.

“You! You are the sneakiest, most beautiful sister in law I could ever ask for,” he extolled dramatically as he saw the platter of lamb skewers in her hands.

She moved the platter out of his prodigious reach as she approached the table. “There’s a catch. You have to at least try the falafel. By itself, no lamb. Then you can have the meat.”

Maverick, more awake now and with half a sandwich already in his mouth nodded. After chewing and swallowing, he nodded again. “It’s really good, I swear.”

I pretended not to notice that he grabbed a skewer off the stack.  Then again, Maverick also wasn’t a grown man who still had to be bribed to eat vegetables. Usually, he had to be bribed to eat meat actually.

Conor, on the other hand, took the falafel pita that Tyche made for him and eyed it skeptically. “I feel like I need to point out that this isn’t a sandwich, this is what you put on a sandwich.” His hesitancy lasted about as long as it took for Antoine to stand and pick up the platter before he took a huge bite out of fear that the lamb would be taken away. He chewed frantically until Antoine put the platter back down, before he actually registered the taste.

I wanted to laugh at the confusion that flooded his face as he stared down at the sandwich in his hand. Finally, he swallowed, but the confusion didn’t stop.

“That’s…. Actually not bad. I thought vegetarian food was supposed to be bad?” He flinched when dual glares were thrown his way by me and my sister. “I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant - you know what, I’m going to shut up and eat before you two ladies decide I’m for dinner tomorrow night.”

“Very wise course of action,” Antoine confirmed solemnly as he carefully spooned tzatziki on his own, onion-loaded sandwich.

Still shaking my head, I started making my own food when I realized something. “I thought we made a lot more falafel than this?”

Tyche smirked but didn’t say anything. Neither did Antoine, focused on his own meal. Maverick however, was suspiciously quiet. I glanced over at him, only to see him staring really hard at his plate, which now had three empty skewers on it.  As my mind caught up, I actually found the sight kind of adorable.

I must have stared too long though, because Maverick muttered pathetically. “I was hungrier than I thought.”

Kissing the top of his head, I put another pita on his plate. “Baby, we made more than enough. Eat all you want. I just don’t want you to choke, that’s all.”

A long-fingered hand with slightly ginger hair on the back put a skewer on his plate. “Love, we can’t eat all this, you’re fine.”

“I always make enough food for ten people when you two are eating,” Tyche confirmed, not even looking up. “Teenage nephews in the Before. Lots of practice.”

He slowly looked up at us, and realizing that no one was angry, just surprised, he looked less afraid and sat up straight. Conor patted the top of his hand before deploying one of his weaponized, thousand-watt smiles. “C’mon, I’ll show you to make one with the lamb. You’re gonna need a lot of onions for this…”

I groaned, setting off a round of laughter. I wasn’t against onions on a sandwich, but they didn’t have to sleep between two men with onion breath.

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