#yeah I can very much understand that and ouch ow okay that was definitely me several years back

[way-to-go-you-funky-little-blue]

love how DE gave us Rell and said that autistic people are still individuals worthy of respect and care who do not need to be fixed and instead should be given tools and support catered to their needs

love how DE gave us Amir and said that AuDHD people can still recognize when others look down on them and can know that there is something different with them and can come to feel like they need to rip out the parts of themself that others don't like just to be accepted

love how DE gave us Kaya and-

[becauseplot]

Thanks for eating the brainfog it has abated for now 👍Crazy how like, sleeping and eating food will improve your mental state people should do this more often /sarc. Also yeah oof. At least have groceries now? Groceries in fridge yippee?

Yeah, if stainless steel could love you back sure is a. It sure is. I've only heard good things about it. A rare rated-E-for-goreviolence-and-nothing-else fic set after the regret arc with a hearty helping of paranoia, medical trauma, and insaneduo being, well, them.

Ohhhh that is so much actually. Love me a good fate-worse-than-death, and how time-travel means saving some but potentially losing others. And the fact that you can go back in time and see that he was a good, decent person all of this (because of COURSE he was, of course the writers decided to go for the gut-punch, ow ow ow.) The second-person fic sounds so interesting. I feel like a lot of people sleep on second-person---myself included. I just haven't had a reason to use second-person. It's very immersive, needless to say. If you're cool w it, and you don't think it would be utterly lost on me---someone who knows nothing about ffxiv (Final Fantasy 14 I'm assuming?)---I'd love to read it. (And yeah I know the feeling. It's why I suppose writing fic for yourself first and others second is so important, otherwise when you write something and the validation doesn't come it's ouch. I still get that feel tho, I've got some fics floating around that I wish got more attention but it's whatev we keep ballin.)

Gel pens my beloved holy shit. And yeah writing on paper helps so much, I still whip out a notebook on occasion when I'm struggling on a scene. Last time I did it was for *flips through current notebook* a scene in Prime Meridian, actually! It was over a month ago tho and just a few pages. Also godDAMN your sister is insane /pos that's like hardcore writing. Hats off to her jfc I'm scared of her now lmao.

Gently holding ghost child you deserved better :( <3 go home be safe.

Yeah I know what you're saying about qForever and being "tainted". Personally I'm fine reading fics with him but writing him is...like in theory I'm okay with it? Idk if I'd be ok writing his POV (tbf that might just be that I'm not comfortable in his POV bc I've never written it idk) but I'd definitely be hesitant to upload it. Maybe one day, if have qForever brainworms.

*deep breath* ARCHIVISTS ARCHIVISTS ARCHIVISTS RAHHHHH. Been a minute since I've done that. One of these days I will write for them unfortunately *rattles brain* HELLOOOOOOO?????

Fucking felt. That sounds really nice king, I'm glad. I'm currently holding out for the next few weeks until spring break comes and I get to travel home and see my family, as well as my friends who are also off at university. My spring break actually lines up with theirs this year so we can actually have a chance to hang out. God I miss them. Also I might land an internship at my cousin's work this summer so that would be Epic.

Cellbit is cracked beyond belief holy shit. Mans did two six hour (SIX HOUR) sessions in his second language and absolutely killed it, both literally and metaphorically. The way he says "I'm so sorry," is like driving a stake through my chest every single time I rewatch that clip. In that moment, he---the creator and orchestrator of this world---is directly apologizing to the characters because he knows what is going to happen, and he knows they cannot escape it, and he knows that it will fucking hurt in a way that the characters could never even begin to understand until it happens; and when he says it, you can tell that he, the narrator, is truthfully, genuinely sorry for them. Like dude that is so fucked up. That is so so so fucked up and it makes me want to throw up oh so violently 10/10.

Cannot wait to finish this series if not for the ending but for all the shit we can scream at each other about when I'm no longer in a spoiler danger zone. I'm making my way through ep 11 right now but haven't gotten very far (they're at the tavern and the townspeople are Not happy with them because they're suspicious but things seem to have been settled for now, and now the group is just discussing. And man the way that Joui's new form is starting to drive a wedge between them surely this won't escalate surely surely <-SCARED)

The membrane and the Order takes and takes and takes and takes. And Liz and Joui and Thiago make me insane and Ceasar and Arthur are so so much and if anything happens to them,,,, hhhorugh. Tengo miedo tengo miedo.

Sounds like a good time dude, have fun pulling the rug out from under your players :D Lots of working parts which are cool but also *work* I get it, I get it. Corpse expert Factorial on the case o7.

Man that professor was like, one of the best profs I've ever had. Never seen someone so outright passionate about what they were teaching, and he always took suggestions and feedback from the students. Every week we'd do reading and have a question prompt and just have a full class discussion. Genuinely one of the most eye-opening classes I've ever taken fr.

Yeah, Mysticism sure is. It's a lot! Interesting, but a lot to think about. The More is supposed to be part wonderful part terrifying part a billion other confusing things. Whole lotta Shit(tm), I get it. Life be Life-ing and sometimes it's great and sometimes it hates you and sometimes you just sit on the couch with a friend and laugh at shitty reality TV and breathe.

Make another au do it I dare you <-demons on your shoulders ignore them (or dont)

Ohhhhh more music!! Fucking love music oohohohoh. I'll check them out. I've got a lecture starting in like 60 seconds so I gotta run but I'm adding them to the list later rest-assured!! :D

finished ep 10 of osnf (long post under the cut oh lord)

crying sobbing kicking over chairs screaming CELLBIT IS AN EVIL EVIL MAN WHY WOULD HE DO THAT. FOR WHAT REASON. POR CUAL RAZÓN. LO ODIO. <-said with the utmost adoration and respect of a writer but the fury of a fan who just had to endure all of that my hearttttt 0(-(

god fuck i have thoughts and feelings regarding episode 10 of osnf. obviously. i don't even know how to start.

okay. first of all the way that he was able to orchestrate the like 57839 different POVs of the nightmare happening at the same time was actually pretty smooth, all things considered. being able to forcibly mute/deafen the others is a good thing to be able to do yesyes.

second, im losing my mind over how he hides the fact that "it's all a dream" WITHIN the "it's all a dream" trope by having the creatures be manifestations of dreams/guilt in "reality" themselves. idk if i'm making any sense, but like, you get it, right? like, it's the fact that we thought we had already discovered the dream-based deceit in the segment because of what the "Hotelier" told Joui at the start of it, but it turns out that THAT was a red-herring of sorts for the TRUE dream-based deceit, that EVERYTHING was a dream, not just the creatures. god there are fucking layers to this im foaming at the mouth that's soooo good.

i guess that's what makes the "it's all a dream"-style trope present here feel less cliche. because, you know, it is a trope, and it's not really a trope that i'm fond of, but because there's actually more going on, it feels less cheap. what certainly helps is that the fact that it's roleplay, so the reactions from the characters are so much more raw, and there are some irl stakes (character dead = out of the series = can't play anymore). that definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

edit: something i forgot to mention—what i dislike abt the “it’s all a dream” trope the most is that it is very easily something that can be so, so cheap. all angst, no stakes or consequences, no lasting impact on the plot on the characters. however, not only is there a “physical” impact via several characters losing SHITLOADS of sanity (something not easily recovered) but we get to see a little more into the psyche of the characters. which i suppose is often the point of the “it’s all a dream” segments, but this dream—one with a lot of references to past major character death and itself contains major character death—rings especially true for the themes of the series: the world they live in is dangerous, and the work they do is lethal. people have and will die. and they do and will feel guilty, reguardless if they are at fault. it’s not a horrifying death dream just for the sake of being a death dream, it feels grounded in their reality, and i love that.

third, man he did not hold back. when Arthur was being beaten to a pulp by not!Brúlio, i was actually in shock, i was screaming. plus, i think the fact that Cellbit rolled a 001 when not!Brúlio attacked actually helped to hide the fact that this was a dream. it made it look like it was bad luck rather than the segment was designed to kill the characters (well, at least until he revealed that the damage was 1d4+1d6, but i'll get to that later).

gosh the narration of how not!Brúlio killed Arthur. holy shit. i don't. i don't even have words, that is DEVASTATING. that is probably one of the worst ways for a person to go. i know it's a dream but if i were Arthur i would be emotionally fucked up beyond belief. beaten to a bloody pulp by the father who once loved you so much, screaming at you for abandoning him and that it's your fault he died a horrible death. and then he drops your body on the ground like you're nothing but a pile of useless meat. god. damn.

and then Liz. ohhhh Liz. i just. i was devastated. her whole struggle with Alex, the man she treated so horribly. yes it's true the real Alex never would have said these things to you, but how do you know he wasn't thinking it? that he didn't want to? that what not!Alex says doesn't hold some truth? christttt. and of course the way she dies: in complete agony. and did she forgive herself? because, unlike with not!Brúlio, the creature turned into that weird wispy black thing just as she died, and i would assume that means she forgave herself (if those rules even apply considering this was all a result of the parasite's deceit (holy hell my brain is melting i am the man with the hand on the conspiracy board)).

fourth: the 1d4+1d6 thing! when he read that out, i was stunned. that is a LOT of damage considering all of the characters have ~10 HP. with an extreme roll, that's basically an insta-kill, or it's easily a two-hit-kill. i thought Arthur was unlucky, but when Liz also went down, i was---well, devastated, at first, because that's Liz, she's my absolute favorite and i love her, but i started going through all five stages of grief at once, and at some point i arrived at "no that can't be right" because Cellbit is a good writer. and to deliberately construct a scenario where it would be VERY hard for a character to survive while still in the middle of the story? yeah. and yknow the fact that there's still 6 other episodes fhdsjk. (then again the series continues regardless if a character dies and i haven't looked at other episodes' thumbnails or anything like that for this exact reason. so. i was going in as blind as i could reasonably be.)

in any case, realizing and connecting all of this and then hearing the "Hotelier" start yelling at Joui right after Liz died explicitly blaming him for it sealed it for me: this is a trick of some sort. this is a dream sequence of some sort. these aren't real deaths. (a smaller part of me was still scared that they were real because i know that Cellbit does not shy away from killing off his players' characters, if op and opq are anything to go by. but i digress.)

and then the characters turned to black goo. and i just about threw my computer. rip Luba who got absolutely targeted by the GM lmfao.

anyway uhhh that's about it regarding the dream sequence! loving luzidius!joui and how he just keeps switching back and forth. ((and it further supports my little side-theory that the mysterious blond woman last seen with Team Kelvin was a luzidious we win these.)) i was surprised to see Liz thinking it was so cool when she's been so suspicious of everything in Santo Berco since she got here, but i think she could definitely be using it as a distraction from what she just went through, and honestly she's just happy to see Joui is okay. (the way she gave on up words and just hugged him, the way she held his face in her hands, the way she dragged him down the hall to show Thiago and Thiago was just telling her to fuck off (/aff) because he was getting dressed, my heartttt i love these three, mentor-mentee dynamics my fucking beloved)

also new outfits! sweet! istg the new outfits are so Cellbit's way of apologizing for putting his friends through that. "hey sorry i killed your character in the most emotionally devastating way possible it will happen again wOAH LOOK AT THESE NEW CLOTHES AREN'T THEY SO COOL YOU SHOULD TRY THEM ON!!!"

i've been having mixed feelings about the sudden setting/genre change since the group arrived in Santo Berco. i really, really loved the urban horror-fantasy vibe that they had going on in op and the first 8 eps of osnf, but evidently, this is good as well. the genre is most definitely still horror yippee. i definitely miss the urban-modern setting, but i think i can get adjusted to this. (i'm just,,, not the biggest fan of the auto-heal crystals im sorry i had to say it they feel too op i know their use is limited to visiting the doctor but knowing they exist lowers the in-world stakes for me im sorry---)

anyway, ep 10! you beautiful monster! i have been typing for an hour! i need to go eat food! k bye!

[iwadori]

When they neglect you for another girl Part 5 (Kuroo)

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Word count: 1.3K

Genre: angst, fluff

masterlist

You and Kuroo have been dating all throughout highschool and now your in you first year of university

It’s a bit harder to see each other because of your conflicting class schedules

But when you did see eachother kuroo has been acting a big suspicious, ‘secretly’ glancing at his phone or always needing to head out early.

And you were going to get to the bottom of this.

You were just finished with your class, and you had plans to meet your boyfriend at the library so he could tutor you for your chem test that you on Tuesday. On your way over there, you got boba for both of you and some study snacks to get you through the session.

You arrived their first, which you didn’t really mind as Kuroo was usually a bit late to your study sessions (especially recently with his dodgy behaviour.) You decided to go over your recent class notes as you were waiting, which was pretty useless as you didn’t understand anything.  

You actually met Kuroo bonding over chemistry, since it definitely wasn’t your best subject so in your first year your chem teacher suggested getting a tutor and recommend Kuroo Testuro the self proclaimed best ‘chemist’ in the school.

It’s been half an hour and Kuroo hadn’t shown up, you were about to call him until you saw a quite disheveled looking Kuroo who is heaving out of breath.

“Tetsu, what happened to you?” you exclaim with amusement.

“Umm I kind of got in a fight?” he said questioning himself “well not really a fight but a disagreement.”

“A fight? With who?” you said a bit too loudly, as the librarian gave you an obnoxious ‘shusshhhh’ glaring at you.

“It doesn’t matter babe.” he said nonchalantly “I see you have your electrolysis work out, why don’t we get started.”

“But what abo-”

“So what is positive, the anode or the cathode?” he asked distracting you from asking him about what happened.

You spent two hours going over all the topics that were going to come up on your exam, and you can’t lie and say Kuroo didn’t help you. However, you weren’t as focused as you were wondering what happened to him.

After your study session, you both went to your dorms. Sadly, you couldn’t share a room since your University didn’t allow co-ed dorms (and maybe if you did live together, you’d be able to understand his odd behaviour.)

Even though he was still in highschool, every Friday afterschool you and Kenma made sure to spend atleast an hour playing a game online together, and today it was minecraft.

“Kenma help, theres a creeper outside my door!” you screech frantically running around on game.

“One second Y/N” he murrmed

“Kenma, do you know what’s going on with Kuroo.” you inquire.

“What do you mean, isn’t he being his loud cat-like self?” he responded

“Well yeah of course, but recently he’s been on his phone ALOT, and always leaving our dates early or showing up late and stuff so I don’t know I thought maybe you’d know something.”

“Oh maybe it’s just that he’s been pretty busy with Hana right now.” he said nochalantly

“Who’s Hana?” you say, your eyes squinting.

“Oh you don’t know Hana,” he said a bit surprised “Ooops Kuroo’s going to be so mad at me.”

“Mad at you, what do you mean mad at you?”  

“Um, I got to go by Y/N!” he said quickly

“But Ken-” the sound of him leaving the party cut you off, and now you were in more of a confused slump then you were before. What is Kuroo hiding? And who the hell is Hana?

Since you couldn’t go over to Kuroo’s dorm right now because of your universities weird curfew times, you decided the only thing you can do right now is call him. After a few rings he finally answered and you could hear his background was really loud.

“Um, Y/N this isn’t really the best time right now – ow shit.” he said frantically.

“Kuroo, what's going on it sounds like you’re at a rave. Wait are you at a rave?”  

“No I'm not at a rave I'm just – Hana stop doing that.” he said trying to whisper the last bit.

“Who’s Hana, Kenma mentioned her on PlayStation tonight but he didn’t explain.”

“Kenma did what? God – Ouch “there was ruffling in the background before Kuroo finally “Sorry Y/N I got to go..”

He hangs up before you could respond. What is wrong with these boys today?  

It was your study week break, so you don’t really go into school to do classes you just have to prepare for studying. Which was great for you, since you could actually get revision done without being distracted and you can avoid Kuroo whilst thinking about what happened a few days ago.

Kuroo didn’t message you anyways, which kind of sucked, since these chemistry notes aren’t going to learn themselves. You went over each of your topics that you need to learn and you’d say you were pretty much ready for your exams. So for the rest of the week, you didn’t have much to do. Kenma was pretty busy with volleyball and his high school life and your boyfriend was still being odd and you didn’t have any real close friends at Uni since you’re only a first year and Kenma and Kuroo were mainly all you needed anyways.

You chose to go on a date, by yourself, to your favourite bookstore café to have some ‘self care’ time. On the way their you heard a familiar voice shouting down the street, looking in that direction you saw your boyfriend yelling “HANA!” “HANA!” repeadetly.  

Going over to him you said, “Kuroo, are you okay?”

“Umm hey Y/N...” he said awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck “to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“The pleasure of being my boyfriend properly again,” you said smartly.

“Oh Y/N shit, im sorry about that” he apologised “I’ve just been really busy right now with Ha-”

“Hana.” you say rolling your eyes “Who is she?”

“I can’t really say Y/N, it was meant to a be a surprise.”

“A surprise for who?” you say  

“Well fo-”

Before you can finish you say a loud ‘HISSS!’ Come from near your feet. “Hana! Thank god!” Kuroo said picking her up, but then dropping her again when she did a even louder HISSS at him. “Umm I really need to work on that..”

“So this is Hana.” you say a bit stunned “She’s a cat.”

“Indeed she is.” he said “ surprise...”

“You got me a cat?” you said still very stunned

“Indeed I did.”

“A feral cat?”  

“Feral!” he said shocked “What do you mean feral!”

“Tetsu! She’s obviously feral!” you say reprimanded him.

“No she’s not! Look” he tried to pet her again and she nearly bit him and then sped off “Okay...maybe she is.”

Kuroo explained that he saw this cat one time outside of his dorm building and wanted to adopt her and give her to you as a gift. He’s been spending his time trying to ‘train her’ but every time it would result in Kuroo getting scratched up or him having to try and chase her around the city. You did appreciate the sentiment, however you reminded Kuroo that if he would’ve told you, you could’ve easily shown him that she was feral or if he listened to Kenma, then Kenma would’ve told him (which he did) that she was feral.

Kuroo did feel bad that his big plan didn’t work and he ended up looking like an idiot, not knowing the difference between a stray and feral cat. But you took him to a cat café as a little ‘pick me up,’ and promised him that for his birthday you’ll adopt a real cat for him.  

An: this is basically a shit post but who cares 😃 Also am I the only that thinks that hana being a feral cat in the end is funny? Or is my humour that dry😭

[anika-ann]

In the Strangest Place (We Just Might Find Love) - Pt.2

Type: two-shot, pretty much canon

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader     Word count: 2750

Summary: You’re hiding from your boss in a supply closet, minding your own business, when a stranger joins you unexpectedly.

Steve is not entirely a stranger anymore; he knows about your troubles and you know about his. And he’s determined to sort out yours this very moment.

Warnings: mention of sexual harassment, a bit of angst, language, something that might be close to a panic attack if you squint

A/N: There we go... hopefully I’ll make mid-week a bit sweeter for some of you ;)

Part 1

“Alright, kids. Let’s have a trip.”

And you just stared.

…what?

“W-what?” you stuttered, suddenly consumed by the familiar feeling of losing the firm ground under your feet at the idea of trying to confront Gregory head-on. Not even Steve at your side was helping at all as the four of you started walking towards the IT department.

“I-I don’t have any prove! I can’t-- he told me he would--- that he would-”

“That he’d twist it around, convince the HR that you were crushing on him and he turned you down, which turned you into a soulless bitch craving revenge?” the billionaire finished for you and you just uselessly opened you mouth, unable to let out a word to deny it. It seemed to amuse him, because he scoffed; and there was something very bitter in that sound too. “Kid, he’s not the first asshole to take advantage of his superior position. I’ve seen the types. Relax. If Cap here believes you, then so do I. Plus, I know a liar when I see one. And you ain’t lying.”

You breathed in shakily, a flicker of hope igniting in your chest. Could it really be so easy? That couldn’t be right…

“T-thank you, Mr. Stark. I-”

“Yeah, yeah, just name your first kid after me,” Mr. Stark uttered, waving it off.

The Falcon next to you chuckled and you shot Steve a confused gaze. Was that how Mr. Stark usually was? You had never met him in person; you had only ever heard him giving a speech on TV and you knew he had a certain reputation, but this was… different.

You were surprised to find Steve watching you; perhaps he worried about your reaction to such bluntness, since he had seen your outburst in the closet. Upon meeting your gaze – probably shy and undeniably surprised – he charmed a tiny smile for you.

“It’s gonna be okay, see?”

“What are you even worried about? You have three Avengers coming with you!” Mr. Wilson questioned lightly and you bit your lower lip as you thought of the source of anxiety indeed.

Yeah, I have three Avengers and they are all men. Sue me for not being sure which side they would take – not until now.

“You’re not a full-time Avenger, Wilson.”

Falcon gasped, clutching at his chest theatrically at Stark’s remark. “Ouch, Tony. My heart.”

You let out a breathy laugh at their banter and felt yourself relax despite your better judgement. You almost let yourself believe it truly would go alright. Well, as much as dealing with such shitty thing could.

“You’re all my heroes,” you whispered timidly, which earned you a bright smile from Sam Wilson.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Cruel, Birdboy. You stole the old man’s line,” Mr. Stark hummed, amused.

“Heh! Sorry, Cap. But I’m sure you have a whole set of other lines to use on her.”

You choked on your own spit as Steve faltered in his steps, his grip on you growing stronger. What the hell did the Falcon just say?

“Oh my God, Wilson, shut up before we get stuck with another harassment report.”

“I don’t think this a subject for joking,” Steve interjected, slightly irritated, and you shot him a grateful look, because he definitely had a point.

Except… once you weren’t in such a sticky situation, you totally wouldn’t mind Steve Rogers using a line on you. Not at all. And his hand around yours felt nice for multiple reasons, the wordless comfort and support only being one of them. It was warm and slightly calloused, a reminder of his physical work, and it was bigger than yours, so sweetly and distractingly enveloping yours…

But now it was so not the time.

Your peculiar group approached the office and you didn’t even have the time to brace yourself as Tony Stark simply threw the door open, not bothering to knock.

“Thomas Ian Gregory, you are fired this very second,” the billionaire exclaimed dramatically.

You would think he was just being a drama queen, except he sounded deadly serious, using your boss’ full name which he must have read out on the door, and his eyes were throwing daggers at the man sitting behind the desk, looking as if he was the fucking king of the world.

Your boss blinked in surprise and eyed all four of you; Falcon with his arms crossed on his chest, Ironman minus his suit with a murderous glare and a hand raised towards him as if he wanted to point a finger and then Gregory’s gaze fell on your hand connected with Steve’s; you wanted to retrieve it quickly, but Steve wouldn’t let you, his grip growing firm. Anger flashed through your boss’ eyes for a second, before he composed himself and rose from his chair with an innocently confused expression.

You wanted to puke and you felt your legs turning into a shaking mess of jello. This was it. Now he would use his slimy words to turn this situation around and you were about to get fired and humiliated so much that jumping under a bus would be the most likeable option for you.

“Mr. Stark, it’s an honour. Captain Rogers, Mr. Wilson. What do I owe the pleasure?”

You couldn’t believe this--- this pig. Seriously. Who the fuck did he think he was?! How could he--- just lie so easily, pretending that everything was perfectly fine?!

But Tony Stark was not fooled by the charade and you mentally sighed in relief, sure they must have heard the weight falling off of your shoulders even in Jersey.

“I’m sure you heard me, Mr. Gregory. You quit and you’ll be hearing from the HR soon. And you’ll be damn lucky if this young lady right here won’t sue you.”

You honestly wished you were invisible when Gregory’s gaze flickered to you, subtle anger with a promise of consequences in his irises – consequences that would come should you not cut this bullshit right now.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mr. Stark. If this is about the unfortunate feelings my assistant has for me-”

Tears of rage and baseless shame stung in your eyes at his words and you breathed in sharply to defend yourself; before you could, Gregory continued.

“Though I can see they weren’t very… honest. Obviously my inferior seems to be the ‘love them and leave them’ type, which I should warn you about, Capta-”

Breathless at his malicious made-out theories, you did not expect Steve to drop your hand in favour to tower over your boss, making him shut up with one single glare.

Alright, you could see why he had thought that simply appearing at your office would make Gregory tremble in fear. Your boss actually backed off and learnt onto a table, looking as if he was supporting himself under the weight of Steve’s judgement.

“I met this woman for the first time not half an hour ago, hiding from you, too scared of your dirty hands to return to her own workplace. Trust me, it left an impression, just like you are leaving one now,” Steve grunted menacingly, causing your heart to pound in your chest in fright even with his words not aimed on you. “If I can give an advice, you pack your things as fast as you can, apologize to her profusely, begging for her forgiveness and you don’t set a foot in this building or speak to her ever again. Do we have an understanding?”

You weren’t the only one affected. Your boss tried to reciprocate Captain America’s glare, but he failed miserably. He visibly gulped and circled his desk, still watching the soldier as if he was expecting to get hit; then his eyes just dropped to his desk and he frantically started picking random things from it.

You watched the scene in front of you, paralyzed. Your heart was beating its way out of your chest, pulsing in your temples, your breathing alternating between hitching and picking up. Your vision started to swim.

Holy. Shit.

“Cap, I think you broke her.”

Steve spun to you at instant, his eyes roaming your face; or you thought so. He looked worried now; or you thought so. Thinking and frankly evaluating the stimuli your senses were receiving was a bit difficult at the moment.

What the hell had just happened?

Gentle hands took yours, leading you out of the room. You blindly followed, unsure how to put one foot in front of the other, your body running on autopilot.

It was over. Thomas Gregory was no longer your boss and it had happened without you losing your job. And Steve Rogers had scolded him as if he was a five-year old kid – a very pervert one, but a kid nonetheless. Steve put a fucking fear of God into him. All of that happening within three minutes. And you just… couldn’t quite process all that.

You barely registered getting into and out of an elevator, being seated on a couch, having a blanket tossed over your shoulders and a cup of warm liquid pressed into your hands. You automatically brought it to your lips, only to be stopped by a tender fingers curling around your wrist.

“Careful. It might be too hot,” a pleasant voice warned you and you blinked, finally focusing your gaze, finding rather worried and very handsome face staring back.

You glanced at the cup, surprised to identify the drink as Steve’s hand let go of yours.

“Is that… is that hot chocolate?” you stuttered, bewildered. Well, more like… astonished.

“Yeah. You’re not allergic to milk or anything, are you?”

You looked up back to Steve’s face, only to find him with his brows furrowed in concern, lips thoughtfully pursed. It snapped you to action.

“No! No. It’s just… I didn’t have one in years. Thank— thank you.”

His expression cleared, as he was evidently pleased with himself. “Good. You’re welcome.”

The words fell off his lips so easily. As if he just hadn’t… hadn’t saved your career. Or your mental health, really.

You eyed the table by the couch, setting the cup down, only to fully turn to him. He seemed a bit confused at that; but God, you had something important to say and since you didn’t want to give up the blanket just yet, you decided to get rid of the mug at least to look less pathetic.

“No, Steve, I… thank you,” you whispered sincerely, feeling tears in your eyes for like a millionth time that day. His smile widened a little.

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry if I… if I scared you down there. It wasn’t meant for you.”

“You didn’t-” you blurted out in attempt to deny it and make him feel better, only to waver as his eyebrow rose, picture perfect of doubt. It made you chuckle at yourself self-deprecatingly. “It’s not your fault that I was… surprised by your little hulk-out. I guess I just didn’t see it coming.”

“Hulk-out, huh? How do you feel?”

You shrugged, exhaling slowly, thinking hard about your answer.

“Like I just watched my life take a way better turn that I would expect... and I’m still only watching,” you whispered honestly, which led to his face twisting in a grimace.

“Anything I can do?”

You couldn’t help it; you scanned your surroundings, realizing you were in something that looked fancy enough to belong to Tony Stark and was way too big to be part of an actual apartment. You ran your hand down the blanket covering your shoulders, reaching for the abandoned cup to blow on it softly and take a careful sip of chocolate. Steve’s questioning gaze observed you while you did so and you smiled blissfully into the cup as the delicious rich taste caressed your tongue.

“You mean besides comforting me despite being a complete stranger, getting my harassing boss fired and scaring the hell out of him, taking me to--- here, giving me a blanket and making the best cup of hot chocolate I had in years? Give me a second, I’m sure I’ll figure out something else,” you babbled and Steve’s smile grew, tense shoulders relaxing. “Seriously, Steve. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I owe you. I- I know you’re a hero and all that, but… yeah. I should be asking you what I could do for you in return.”

“That’s not-- I’m not--- ...you make a pleasant company,” he said in the end as if he realized he couldn't deny any of the things you had listed. You lowered your gaze to the chocolate as his eyes twinkled at the statement.

“Ditto.”

“Does that-” he blurted out and you tilted your head to side, watching him curiously when he stopped talking just as abruptly. “This is a terrible timing, but that’s apparently an infamous quality of mine, because usually I wait too long, and… uhm…”

Your heart skipped a beat at the suddenly embarrassed soldier scratching the back of his neck, peeking at your through his eyelashes. Was that--- was he trying to-? No, it couldn’t be.

“Yeah?” you softly encouraged him to continue.

He wetted his lips, causing your previously tight gut to warm up.

“I understand that it’s the last thing you’re thinking about right now, but… when you settle down again... and things are a bit calmer for you… would you- uhm,  like to… maybe spend some more time with--- with me?”

If he had blurted the sentence in one go, you would have dropped your mug in surprise despite suspecting this incredible thing when he had turned bashful. But he didn’t so your brain had enough time to process the words slowly leaving his lips, one after another, little shy, little hopeful. Your heart was speeding up with each of them, ready to burst when he finished with a tiny nervous smile.

Well. How could you possibly say no to that irresistible creature in front of you? You smiled into your drink.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

His face lit up. “Really?”

You wanted to chuckle at the pure surprise on his face, but it was just too endearing and so you had to fight the urge to make an embarrassing sound like an aww instead.

“Yeah, Steve. I’d really like that,” you repeated, hiding the teasing note in your voice. “But you’ve got to teach me how to make a chocolate that good, because seriously, it tastes amazing.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” you demanded, a bit hurt, rather surprised. “I don’t want you to give up your secret recipe right away! Just… in time.”

He grinned at you boyishly, leaning a bit closer to you. You held your breath in anticipating, a the change. “I could. But then I wouldn’t get to enjoy the process of preparing it for you and your smile in return.”

You stared at him for few moments, taking the statement in, wondering if he was teasing you or was being serious. The corners of his lips were quirked up as if he was indeed joking, but there was a certain spark of honesty in his eyes.

You decided to play along, whether it was a game or not. Perhaps it was the relief of newly found freedom from a sleazy man in your life that plucked up your courage and woke up your jovial side.

“Aww, Steve, that’s so sweet. Is that your way of telling me you’re planning on spoiling me? Because then I would need significantly less time to… settle down.”

His grin widened at your words. “Is that so?”

“Mm.”

“Well then…” he brought up lowly, torturing you with anticipation when he didn’t continue, only to watch you with a mischievous smile.

“...then?”

“What are your plans for Friday evening?”

Oh, you were so glad you were sitting, because otherwise the force of the moment in which Steve Rogers asked you out on Friday night would knock you down.

You tried to think of an answer that wouldn’t sound like an over-enthusiastic YES, but his blue eyes staring into yours made it very difficult for you.

Dammit, it was harder to talk to him when you could actually see--- you smiled smugly at the idea that popped up in your head and raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

“I’m hiding in a supply closet. Why, you wanna join me?”

Steve burst out laughing, throwing his head back with that sound and the picture armed your heart so thoroughly it was unfair.

“Sure thing. Would you like me to bring muffins and coffee or do you prefer an actual dinner?”

You found yourself laughing too and you suddenly believed that your life would indeed get better. It already had, after all.

S.R. masterlist

Beautiful divider by @whimsicalrogers 

Thank you for the kind feedback on the first part and I hope you liked this one too :))

Thank you for reading!

[punkscowardschampions]

Mattie & Jay

Mattie: I am, as of about 54 seconds ago, freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Mattie: Finally, although that Geography exam was MUCH easier than the 7 hour lock-in vibe we had for our Art project 😨😱

Mattie: The hand cramp might be permanent, I’ll never be able to hold a pen or a pencil again… What a shame 😏

Jay: The news I’ve been waiting for, I can’t hear about another bloody exam, Mats

Jay: not yet old enough to look back fondly, you know 😬

Jay: Can help you think of a more top drawer excuse not to get a summer job in publishing though

Mattie: but old enough it is but a distant memory 😆

Mattie: um yeah right, dad knows my summer plans do not involve a single book this year, not even the trashy beach read

Jay: Yeah, yeah, I’m in the winter of my life and you’re about to have the summer of yours 🤫

Jay: Not even a travel guide? Boooo 👎

Mattie: Winter is a little harsh

Mattie: but it’s the end of August, definitely

Mattie: you’re such a 🤓

Mattie: I already know where I’m going

Jay: Ouch x 2

Jay: but go ahead and tell me your plans then

Mattie: Noah loves it

Mattie: How many countries are you trying to tick off yourselves this summer?

Jay: He loves to spend a week in each, with 3-4 days as a rule of thumb per city but some are doable in 2, I’ll be able to budge him and keep you posted

Mattie: That sums you both up so well

Mattie: You know where to direct my postcards

Mattie: Well, I will *hopefully* be spending some time in Switzerland, if all goes well

Jay: Um… that’s a winter destination, we’re discussing summer here

Mattie: Who asked you to write the rulebook, Miss 🤔🤪

Mattie: Switzerland still very much exists in Summertime, it looks beautiful, actually

Mattie: But I do have a reason for going

Mattie: Reasons

Jay: I’m getting the feeling that those reasons aren’t summer glacier skiing in St Moritz and the melted mountain snow making the Rhine Falls a must visit

Jay: so, which boy has keys to his parents' holiday place and how long have you wanted this scenario to play out?

Mattie: Whilst those are all undoubtedly excellent reasons, definitely worthy of a best-selling beach read, so maybe you should pitch them to dad instead actually…

Mattie: You know our actual mum ended up having those twin girls, when I was like 3 and you were what, 9 or 10? Obviously you know but anyway

Mattie: And we’ve not had contact with them because it might make us super emo and dad and the grandparents didn’t really want us having contact with real mum because it’d be damaging, potentially

Mattie: Well, I’m finally gonna do it, schools over, I’m an adult now too

Mattie: And she isn’t Benny’s mum, they aren’t his sisters, so I don’t feel like I have to wait for him to age up to do this

Mattie: They board in Switzerland, assumedly they’ll be back for the Summer, they have a house here too but I’d like to go see them there, as that’s where they spend most of their time

Mattie: If they want to, grandma has to set it up but she will now I’ve said I want to

Jay: Mattie

Jay: slow down

Jay: When did you decide this?

Mattie: I’ve been thinking about it seriously since I was about 16

Mattie: but then they would’ve been 13 and I don’t think anyone needs any more potential angst and drama at that age, it wouldn’t have been fair

Mattie: You can’t say you’ve never thought about it, surely?

Jay: What did dad say when you told him?

Mattie: He didn’t say I couldn’t, or shouldn’t

Mattie: Obviously he had plenty of words of warning about her

Mattie: and I respect his experience, of course

Jay: but you’re going to do it anyway

Mattie: It’s different

Mattie: I’m not going to be in a relationship with her, or ask her to raise any children

Mattie: I just want to meet her

Jay: Meeting her is inviting her to have a relationship with you, why would you want to open that door? It’s closed for a reason

Mattie: Because I want to know her, who she is

Mattie: even if it’s bad, she’s still half of me, us

Mattie: And if she was that keen to form a relationship with us, she would’ve tried long before now and we’d know about it

Mattie: That’s evidently off the table

Jay: Off the table when she didn’t want it, but when you show up wanting it, that’s her way in, that’s who she is

Mattie: It’s been a long time

Mattie: Like my whole life and I’ll be 19 soon

Mattie: She’s clearly got her own life that she’s happy with, she’s still with the twins dad

Mattie: I’m not saying you have to come if you don’t want to

Jay: People don’t change that much

Jay: she’s happy, they’re bound to be miserable

Mattie: All the more reason to meet them

Mattie: but we don’t know that, Grandma would’ve told me if they were, I think

Mattie: and done something about that, more to the point

Mattie: And Dad changed, people can, I don’t think that blanket statement is fair

Jay: No, she tried to change him and couldn’t, he met Ava and was allowed to be himself

Jay: Grandma has kept us away from them as agreed, if she really thought you should meet, she’d have done something about that

Mattie: She didn’t want us to be jealous, as kids

Mattie: and that makes sense

Mattie: but I’m not now and I’m not trying to steal their life or anything like that

Mattie: I know she did a lot wrong, to dad, to us and in general but that doesn’t change the fact I want to do this

Jay: It doesn’t make sense to me that you’d want to do this

Mattie: I know you feel differently

Mattie: and I get it, for you

Mattie: It’s just weird to me that they’re out there and I’ve basically never met her, never mind the twins

Mattie: Why wouldn’t I do that, if I have the chance to

Jay: Them maybe, but she doesn’t need to be involved if Grandma is helping you

Mattie: I have no idea if she will want to see me

Mattie: but I want to know that I reached out to her too

Jay: Like you said, if she wanted to, she could’ve

Jay: I don’t want you getting hurt

Mattie: I know you don’t

Mattie: and I do appreciate the concern, no sarcasm intended

Jay: Yeah, none detected

Mattie: I’ll be fine, I promise

Mattie: I have no expectations so I can’t be let down

Jay: If you had 0 you wouldn’t be reaching out, you’ve been thinking about this for years, of course there’s some expectation there

Jay: be careful

Mattie: I just want to know what they’re like, whatever that entails

Mattie: Obviously if she/they refuse to see me, that’ll be disappointing

Mattie: but I don’t think Grandma would’ve offered if there was no chance they’d also be into it

Mattie: Assumedly, they’ve discussed this possibility too

Mattie: I’m always careful, it’s my middle name 😋

Jay: Your middle name is unsuspecting or unjaded, something like that

Mattie: A prefix, how classy 💅

Mattie: What’s yours?

Jay: Take the un away and boom, there’s mine

Mattie: Oh, slightly unoriginal when it came to me then

Mattie: could’ve been like Jay ‘this baby is definitely yours’ Pemberton-Howard

Jay: That’s what happens, originality goes out of the window in favour of cutesy matching

Jay: and there’s no need for my middle name to do the work my actual already did

Mattie: Benny is lucky there’s been no 2nd child in his case

Mattie: I’ll just be here languishing in the forgotten middle 🥺

Mattie: At least Jay is a decent name, compared to her usual naming style, a win there

Jay: Yours is fine too, since Tilly never stuck

Mattie: Not on paper though

Mattie: Let’s just pretend your official name is Jacinta or something too 😆

Jay: Let’s not

Mattie: Alright spoilsport

Mattie: Keep your cool name 😎

Mattie: They can call me Mathilde, so Swiss

Jay: She owes me that much at least, for everything you don’t remember

Mattie: You can tell me about it

Mattie: when you feel like it

Jay: I’d be a proper spoilsport doing it now

Mattie: Of course not

Mattie: I told you I’m not going into this with 🤩

Jay: You’re doing this to find out for yourself what she’s like

Mattie: Partially

Mattie: Doesn’t mean you can’t talk about your experience with her too

Jay: It means there’s no point talking about it, you won’t be talked out of anything and I definitely won’t feel any benefit

Mattie: Fair enough

Mattie: So tell me what you guys have been up to

Mattie: Now I can think about anything that isn’t my exams

Jay: You mean well, but I remember her like a kid, I hate her and I am afraid of her like a kid, it’d sound crazy

Jay: maybe unreliable should be my middle name

Mattie: That makes sense, you have nothing else to go on

Mattie: and the potential risk of finding out what she’s like now outweighs any potential reward for you

Mattie: I do understand, it’s just different for me, that’s all

Mattie: It doesn’t mean either of us is wrong

Jay: I’m so glad it’s different for you, seriously

Mattie: I won’t say I’m so sorry for you

Mattie: because that sounds the opposite of how I want it too

Mattie: but you know

Jay: Yeah, don’t ever say that 😏

Mattie: anyway, you’ve turned out alright

Mattie: mostly 😉

Jay: Oh thanks

Jay: I’ve just been working btw, no news to rival yours

Mattie: Ahh, the joys of being old

Jay: Less cheek if you want to get to my age

Mattie: Sorry but sound like less of a grandma 😅

Mattie: You can redeem your cool and youthful points by helping me pick what to wear to the leaving party tonight

Jay: Surprised you want my help, but sure 😎

Mattie: It’s not my usual crowd that’s throwing it

Mattie: but like the entire year is invited, so I can’t not go

Mattie: I’ll need a little help to match the vibe, I think

Jay: Okay so expensive but not attention-seeking

Mattie: Definitely

Mattie: There’ll be enough people looking for attention without me even making that attempt, no thank you

Jay: What do you have rn that’s vintage or looks classic?

Mattie: [selection from your own wardrobe and Ava’s]

Mattie: 😬😬😬 idk how I’m going to decide in time

Jay: You should decide on the last one and keep your hair and make up lowkey, but the one before that if you’re thinking of a statement eye or lip

Mattie: A statement lip is not lasting the celebrations

Mattie: and I mean 🥂 not 💋 before you start

Jay: 💋 proof works for 🥂 too

Mattie: you have a point 🤔

Mattie: Ugh, I need food before I can concentrate

Jay: Before you go…

Jay: whenever you talk to the twins, ask them if they want to meet both of us

Mattie: Of course if they want to meet me they want to meet you too, dummy

Jay: It’s not a no from me, is what I meant though

Mattie: Okay, I will let them know

Mattie: I’m sure they will, why wouldn’t they

Jay: If she’s lied about us and Grandma hasn’t been allowed to say anything, they could think all kinds of things

Mattie: If they’re anything like me they’ll wanna find out for themselves

Mattie: besides, you were a little kid, I was a literal infant, what kind of shady bitches could we have really been, wouldn’t add up

Jay: We don’t know anything about what they’re like yet

Mattie: Come on though

Mattie: Who says no thanks to surprise cool older sisters

Jay: Venus

Mattie: Oosh, fair point

Mattie: I was mostly joking anyway, time will tell, they’ll be who they are and we’ll see if they want to know us too

Jay: Yeah, it’s out of our control

Mattie: and that’s okay

Mattie: breathe 😌

Jay: I’m fine, I’ve done this before

Mattie: True

Mattie: It’s a bit different this time though

Jay: Easier because we’re all older and I’m not getting a 3rd dad as well

Mattie: No luck on a different mum, I’m afraid

Mattie: We look a bit alike and that has to come from somewhere

Mattie: But seriously, don’t you think being younger was easier?

Mattie: like you can’t fully wrap your head around any of it so you just roll with it

Mattie: maybe that’s totally wrong

Mattie: it didn’t happen to me so I don’t know

Jay: I already had Ava and Rio when I needed one

Jay: being a little kid made it overwhelming and scary

Mattie: I’m sorry I couldn’t do much but cry and be annoying in various other ways a toddler is

Jay: How much you cried around her used to be my favourite thing about you, don’t apologise

Mattie: Well, it was my pleasure 😅

Mattie: and 🤞 I’ve gone up a bit in your estimations since for more than just 😭

Jay: Maybe a little bit, I suppose

Mattie: Charming 😏

Mattie: I’m feeling a tantrum coming on now anyway

Mattie: Couldn’t eat before that exam and now I’m hangry 😡😡🤬

Jay: I remember you saying you needed a 🍼

Jay: we can talk later, when you’re too hungover from the leavers party to call me an old dork or whatever else, that’s fine

Mattie: Attack when I’m weak 😲 rude, smart but rude

Mattie: I’ll try not to buttdial you past your bedtime, grandma 🤙✌️🤟

Jay: Noah’ll appreciate it, undoubtedly

Mattie: If that was an attempt to throw him under the bus as the old nerdy one

Mattie: Both can be true

Mattie: match made in heaven

Jay: Bye, Mattie

Mattie: Love you 💗💗

[theantagonistsbliss]

My 2020 thus far..... in terms of girls.

November 15th, 2020

I’d like to start of by summarizing the amount of girls that have been a part of my life this year and have decided to up and leave for one reason or another.

Robyn C - I was casually seeing her from work. It wasn’t anything serious, but it was fun for the time being. I assumed we were going to continue seeing each other until she had to move to Vancouver for school; that was one of the appealing parts of the “relationship” because it would have an inevitable end not because of either of us but because of physical distance being placed....that ended early because she slowly stopped talking to me and started seeing someone else without letting me know. Dope. Found that one out through my roommate who knew for weeks. Stung a bit.

Sydney P - Aaaah yes this one. I simped for this girl really hard. Definitely not worth it though. This is the girlfriend that cheated on me the previous year. We didn’t talk for 6 months after that happened. Until I was an idiot and wanted to catch up and see how she was doing . Gave her a call and chatted for a while. We started texting again. I made it clear though that I didn’t want to hangout, because when we broke up I made it public that I caught her cheating, so it would also look bad on me if we were seen together again...because it was. Eventually I caved and we hungout in person...also one unfortunate night downtown at the clubs before lockdown, a very drunk me, her, and her friend ended up at her place and did some regrettable (But mostly awesome) things. Definitely shouldn’t have, but that night is burned into my memory now. Anyways, we were friendly for some time after that, even open about other people that we potentially wanted to start seeing or dating, and it was fine temporarily. Until she started seeing this guy that sounded awful, from her perspective not just mine. I sucked it up until she was drinking with him one night near my house and sent me DIRECTLY multiple snaps of them together kissing and what not, the day after I told her that I needed to take a step back from our friendship because I still had feelings for her. Huuuuuge mistake on my part for trying to keep her around and give her another chance. I clearly thought I saw something in her that wasn’t there, and she wanted me around as a friend. Which honestly I understand, I am a GREAT friend. Most of my good friends are female because of how open I am with them and how comfortable I am talking about my feelings. She felt that too, and wanted me to stay that way. But It would have been disingenuous to myself to ignore the feelings that I still had that she clearly didn’t. And after telling her that we CAN’T be friends anymore for those reasons, she disagreed and said I was “running away from the issue”. Which I’m going to chalk up to her wishful thinking, as she would assume me swallowing those feelings would have been better? I don’t know. All I know is that she is still with this dude and I shouldn’t have anything to do with her anymore. She wasn’t THE reason, but she was definitely a solid variable for me to leave Kelowna as I felt the need to physically distance myself from that kind of one sided toxic friendship. 

Katie B - Didn’t actually date her or anything this year, but she was my friend. And in my world where I was miserable and felt the need to move back home to save money during my last year of school because of the Corona Virus Pandemic, I thought it would be comforting to have a friend that I still messaged regularly to be waiting for me when I got home. But surprise surprise, we hangout one time and it felt...off. She was seeing some guy that hit one her when we were seeing each other, but to my knowledge it still wasn’t anything serious. BUT, she eventually told me that she was intentionally distancing herself from me to respect her now BOYFRIEND...when wee months before she was still sending me pictures of her ass while they were “dating”. To some point I can respect her decision but holy fuck does that timing suck for me. Thinking that I will have a friend in this tough time of isolation where there are few people I actually want to see in my home town. Jokes on me though, #BadLuckBrian

Abby M - for clarification, I never dated this girl. Not one time. Thank God for that though. We simply just messaged each other for years, talking fairly regularly. Because we never lived in the same city for the majority of our friendship we seemed to overshare a lot and be a lot more open with each other, since it was seemingly risk free. So EVENTUALLY, since I had to move back home we got to hangout...like one time. And previously we both said we had a bit of a crush on the other. We would not hangout again for weeks, maybe months, though I have had a lot of free time, same as her seeing as she lost her job and was making mediocre money from her mediocre only fans...Not the best romantic candidate haha, whoops. Anyways, I kept asking to hangout and eventually she said “no can do, I have a boyfriend”, which would be fine...if she didn’t lead me on for months. She said things like “Well I kept calling you my best friend, I put you in the friend zone”, buuuut simultaneously would send me nudes on the regular. Strange girl, strange thing. I called her out for leading me on and how that’s not okay and she simply just said I was simping for her haha. Sorry girl, I would NOT pay for your OF. Strange “Friendship” indeed. Truthfully I do miss some of the talks that we had when I wasn’t in the same city as her. When there was no real reason for us to be anything more than pen pals to each other. I think I learned something from this one. 

Makayla M - This one is the freshest. Scene, I’m still living in Kelowna. I match with her on Tinder, she seems like a cool girl. She wants to meet up for a drink. I tell her yes but I don’t want to waste her time and that I’m moving back home for approximately 5 months. She says that is unfortunate but still wants to meet because she thinks I'm a cool guy as well, at least over text/snap. We have a drink and hangout, its great, she’s great, we really get along. Nothing happens though, no kisses or anything, we both just go home. A few days later we hangout again, this time doing the “Netflix and Chill” thing. We have sex, its great, its fun, I don’t regret it. I leave in a couple days, on the night before I leave I’m having drinks with my roommates, end up going to her house instead of finding my way home, we have sex again. Still great. She's great. I leave the next morning. We ended up talking everyday for the next 4 months. I thought to myself “damn, she might actually still be into me by the time I get back!”. Which maybe was naïve of me. A few days after I told her that I found a new place and roommate in Kelowna and can actually come back she goes...quiet...We were talking pretty much everyday before this, so it was weird that she was being a lot more quiet than usual. It was like that for about a week. I was worried, maybe something had actually happened to her? I was about to straight up ask her roommate if something had happened to her of if I was just being ghosted. After about a week of that I messaged her asking if she was okay, suggesting maybe that she started seeing someone? She didn’t respond for another 2 days, but when she did she said “Hi! Sorry, I’ve been super busy with work. And yeah I’ve kind of started seeing someone”. Which for one, she works at a liquor store, not sure how busy she could be but oh well, and second ouch my heart. She definitely didn’t owe me anything, since we only really hungout 3 times, but I absolutely developed feelings for this girl over the 4 months of us talking everyday. We would send each other lude snaps, and cute messages about how we wish the other person was within reach so we could cuddle and give each other smooches & do cute things for the other. I was in it man, I really wanted this to be a possibility when I inevitably moved back. And then, once I am only 1 month from moving back she starts seeing someone else. I am immensely disappointed. Again, we didn’t owe anything to each other, but God I was into giving her more than she deserved. All I said to her when she sent that was “oh yeah I kind of figured, well good luck with that”. That was the last thing I said to her after months of sending cute nothings to one another. Disappointing is how I would describe that potential relationship. Right now I really want to message her, and let her know how much this upsets me that I can’t message her everyday like before anymore, and I know she will say “we can still talk and be friends!” but dammit I don’t want to be her friend. I want more than that. And I will not do what a younger version of me would do; say “Yeah I’d like that” and suffer silently when said person would get the benefit of having me as a great friend while I would be struggling to keep my composure around them. I’m still not sure if I should keep her on socials. I think it is still too fresh to think clearly about it. 

[five-rivers]

Artifact/Nursery Rhyme

Who doesn’t post things in a timely manner?  Oh, that’s me.  This is a continuation from Cauldron/Electricity.  

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Artifact/Nursery Rhyme

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Danny scanned the ground to either side, looking for caves. It was probably bad to have preconceptions on a search like this, but he couldn't get the picture of the witch, Vivian, hiding out and plotting in a cave out of his head. He was looking for houses, or other structures, as well, but not as hard.

He glanced at Sam. She'd been weirdly quiet this whole time. He hoped she wasn't too upset. He had tried, really tried, to get Vivian out of her, but it hadn't been enough. Sam had been overshadowed for days. That was more than enough to make anyone angry.

But when Sam was mad, she usually didn't get quiet. She was loud, and vocal, and told you exactly what she was angry about. Unless she was angry that you didn't ask her to go to the with you, because she'd called the dance stupid half a dozen times, and then, well...

Quiet Sam was a lot scarier than loud Sam.

At first, it had looked like she was blaming herself for what had happened, and Danny had, using techniques that usually worked on him, tried to maneuver her away from that idea. But what if she hadn't been blaming herself, and now she was angry with Danny for assuming she was? What if he had screwed up, and now she was blaming herself because he'd put the idea into her head?

He was a terrible friend. Why couldn't he have been competent for once, and gotten the ghost out of her?

Well, one way or another, he was going to get them out of this. Even if he did wind up having to do that familiar contract thing. Between Dungeons and Dragons in middle school, and a whole heck of a lot of research into the occult when becoming a ghost, he knew that 'familiar' meant 'servant,' so he doubted it would be a fun thing. But if it was Sam, it wouldn't be too bad.

Probably.

She didn't try to get Danny to use his powers to break animals out of the zoo, or to vandalize car dealerships anymore, anyway. She wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to. Convince him? Yes. But not force him.

He exhaled, realizing he had been staring at Sam, and not looking for wherever the witch ghost had hidden her stuff, for the past several minutes.

He looked back up the slope just in time to catch sight of an opening about a quarter of the way up.

"Sam," he said, touching her elbow, and pointing. "Check it out."

She followed his gaze. "Shouldn't be too hard of a climb."

Danny nodded. "I think we might be able to just walk up if we go around a bit?" He made a zigzag motion with his hands.

"Yeah, let's try that."

It didn't take them very long to get up to the cave. Their previous experience climbing down had given them insight into how the ground here behaved. Once there, however, they spent several long moments staring into it, unwilling to go into the dark.

"It's a good thing you still glow," said Sam. "You did test out all your other powers, right?"

"Except for the Wail, yeah," said Danny, running through them mentally once again. "Ice seems to be working a little, and I can still transform," which she had seen, "but that's it."

"Ice?"

Danny pulled off his right glove (his right, never his left) and held out his hand. Frost momentarily blanched the tan surface of his skin before subsiding. "That's all that's happening, though."

"Might be useful," said Sam.

"Maybe. Okay, I'm going in."

His glow illuminated the cave softly, coolly, like moonlight. At first it only played over bare stone, and Danny groaned internally, thinking that the cave might be empty, but he kept going, periodically glancing over his shoulder to see Sam following behind him.

But, at last, when he was about to turn around, the edge of a table and the outline of books came into view. He hurried forward, and entered an area that looked a lot like a study. If a study had been built inside a cave. He picked up one of the books, and frowned at it.

Multilingual he might be, courtesy of ghost nonsense, but interpreting 'creative' spelling was not his forte, especially when it was on top of cramped, curly handwriting.

"Mind helping me find something to light these candles with?" asked Sam.

"Oops!" said Danny. "Sorry." He had forgotten how much better he could see in the dark than normal people. After a minute of searching, he found a pack of long matches in a drawer. He lit one, and started lighting candles.

"Thanks," said Sam, picking up a candle and using it to light others. "That's much better."

Candles lit, they sat down to flip through the books, stopping at any mention of familiar spirits and contracts.

Danny sighed as he got to the end of another one without any luck, and went back to the shelf. He supposed he didn't have to put the books back on, but his book-loving sister had ingrained in him that not doing so was rude.

Then again, kidnapping was also rude.

"I think I found something," said Sam.

Danny walked back and peered over her shoulder. "This is for ghosts that can't talk," he said, after a moment of inspection. "Let's see if there's a better one." Sam turned the pages. "Maybe- Oh, no, this is for natural spirits."

"And you aren't?"

"No, it's a term for ghosts that are born ghosts. Keep going, though, it looks like this is the right one."

Sam turned a few more pages. "Okay, I think this one looks right."

Danny leaned in, scanning it. His shoulder brushed against Sam's, and she jumped. "Sorry! This one looks about right, though. And it doesn't look too bad?"

"Doesn't look too bad! Danny, are you seeing this?" she jabbed the offending page with her finger.

"Oh. Huh. Yeah, I guess it is kind of gross, but that's okay. It's not like it'd be the first time."

"It's talking about putting a needle in your eye."

"Yeah, but I've hurt my eyes before. They heal."

"What if it doesn't heal this time?"

"Then I'll have to get an eye-patch."

Sam lowered her eyebrows. "Don't you think we should try other ways of getting out of this, first? Maybe we can wait out whatever she did to you."

Danny tilted his head, and thought about it. "Are you thirsty?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, but it's not like we have any water, do we? Why are you asking?"

"Because humans can only last three days without water. If Vivian got you a drink before bed, and there's no guarantee she did, you've gone most of a day without drinking. Even if it doesn't go that far, you can wind up with kidney stones from getting dehydrated. That's what Mom says, anyway."

"I think you keeping your eyes is worth me having kidney stones."

"I don't. I especially don't think it's worth you dying." Danny felt himself droop. "It isn't just the water, anyway. I can't protect you like this. Who knows what Vivian will do if she thinks we're not making an effort."

"I hate giving in to people like her."

"It's tactical," said Danny. "Like with Vlad. We let her think she's won, then counterattack when she doesn't expect it."

"Well, when you say it that way, it isn't so bad, I guess." She sucked in her lower lip. "I don't want you to have to do this."

"I don't want you to have to do that, either," said Danny, pointing at a lower line. "But let's read it, and make sure we understand it completely before we start. Side effects, and stuff. And see if there's a way to undo it."

"And if there's another one, with less stabbing."

"That too."

.

"Ready?" asked Danny. It had taken a while to find everything the ritual- and it was a ritual- required, and once they did, they hadn't wanted to do it in the witch's cave.

Sam nodded, rubbing her palms on Danny's jeans. "As ready as I'm going to be."

Danny scooted across the rug they'd stolen from the cave, closer to Sam. He was careful not to disturb any of the chalky markings they'd drawn. Some of them felt... odd.

"It'll be fine," said Danny.

Sam looked down. "I know you think so, but what if it's a trap? What if it turns out like..." she lowered her voice, "the portal."

Both of those options had crossed Danny's mind. But Danny was pretty sure Vivian could have kept him in that bottle indefinitely. Whatever this was, it wasn't about him and his powers. Combined with her behavior back in Amity Park, Danny was pretty sure this was about Sam.

"Then we'll figure out where to go from there. But, right now, the important thing is to get you back to a place you can survive." This island most definitely did not meet that criterion, and Danny would prefer to find out if Vivian was lying sooner than later.

"Fine," said Sam, fingering the tip of the needle. "Let's get this over with."

"Your line is first."

They had actually already written the 'contract,' but actually putting it into effect 'magically' required ritual, rhyme, and a small amount of spilled blood and ectoplasm. The book had had several options to choose from, and they had picked the most appropriate and least dangerous-looking one. None of them were perfect of course, because none of them compensated for the 'spirit' side of things only being mostly dead.

Hopefully, that wouldn't affect things too much.

"Right," said Sam. She cleared her throat, and looked down at the book. "Tell me not a single lie." The words shivered, almost, but not quite, echoing. Sam turned the book so Danny could see it.

"Cross my heart, though I have died," he responded.

"With me for a moment bide," read Sam, her voice cracking on the last word, her hands trembling in anticipation.

Well, Danny wasn't exactly looking forward to this next part either. "Then stick a needle in my eye."

Sam picked up the needle, then froze. Danny nodded at her and the needle encouragingly. She raised the needle to eye level, and paused again.

'Do it,' mouthed Danny. She bit her lip, and stabbed the needle forward.

Ouch. Yep, that hurt. Sam pulled the needle out, and Danny closed his eye, pressing one hand down on his eyelid. Watery green ectoplasm leaked out, dripping down his cheek. Ow.

Shakily, Sam continued on to her next line. "Tell me the price I'll have to pay."

"That is the one and only way," said Danny, before she had even turned the book around. Odd, he had read the ritual through several times, but he hadn't thought he'd memorized it.

"For you to forever stay," continued Sam.

"You'll pay it 'til the end of days." That line was ominous, and the alien quality that had worked its way into Danny's voice made it more so.

Sam held up the piece of paper they'd written their contract on. "On this contract place your seal." All that was written on it was 'We agree to be friends with each other,' which was something they intended on doing anyway.

"Keep the spirit of our deal," intoned Danny. Yeah, the ritual was definitely doing something to him. His core felt way more active than it usually was, even in ghost form.

A dark spot bloomed on the bottom right corner of the page, and slowly resolved into a phantom 'D.'

Cool.

"Be my servant, be my slave." It was this line that had Sam arguing for a different ritual. She didn't want Danny to be her slave. However, the others either required a lot more stabbing, stuff they didn't have, or looked way more suspicious to Danny, from a ghostly perspective. One or two in that book didn't have anything obviously wrong with them, but repelled Danny for reasons he couldn't articulate.

"And aren't you so very brave?" The words tumbled out of Danny's mouth without any conscious thought or permission on his part.

"Be my wisdom, be my sword," said Sam, unaware of Danny's internal difficulties.

Maybe he should try- "Forever, if you keep your word." -Nope, looked like he couldn't stop, or even delay. He hoped Sam wasn't having the same problem, because that would suck.

Then he remembered what was going to happen next, and his core protested at the very thought. But he discovered he was completely immobile.

"I'll give you blood." Sam poised the needle (still covered in the gore from Danny's eye) over her hand, and drew it across her palm, leaving a shallow red line. "I'll give you gold." Sam put a few dollar bills and coins (taken from Danny's wallet), down in between them.

Danny's core suddenly swelled with power, but there was nowhere for it to go and it hurt. Ice, the only outlet, feathered across his skin. His awareness of everything outside himself, Sam, and the ritual dropped to zero.

"I am not so lightly sold." As if his friend's blood was a 'light' price! Stupid ritual. It was priceless!

"Anything for which you wish," said Sam.

"Give me your heart, give me a kiss."

Because of course the blood magic ritual had to be sealed with a- All other thoughts fled as Sam leaned in to kiss him.

Danny had the feeling of something settling on him. Something comforting, like a good, heavy blanket, strong, like ghost-forged chains, and permanent, like death. All the extra energy his core had built up during the ritual flowed into it, and then some, leaving his core weak and trembling.

The kiss lasted a lot longer than was really necessary.

Which was nice. Really nice. But as soon as Sam pulled away, he collapsed.

Sam managed to catch him. "Danny, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"No," said Danny, his head lolling against her shoulder, which surprised him, because he had meant to say, 'Yes, I'm fine.' "No energy."

He felt himself lose hold of his ghost form, which was really embarrassing in this position; he was only wearing his t-shirt and boxers. His eye slipped closed.

Darn.

.

The first indication Sam had that the ritual was working was when she kissed Danny. She immediately felt energized, refreshed, all the hunger and thirst she had built up since finding herself in front of that cauldron vanishing. She felt connected. Like she could feel Danny. And she liked it.

She liked it a lot.

She probably let the kiss last a lot longer than she had to. The spell didn't specify, after all.

Maybe this wasn't so bad, after all, if they could feel like this.

But then Danny collapsed. That was bad.

Then he passed out. That was worse.

A wisp of cold air slipped past Danny's lips, tickling the side of Sam's neck. She shivered and tensed, casting her eyes about for the ghost. "C'mon, Danny," she said, shaking him slightly. "Get up, I need you."

Surprisingly, this entreaty roused Danny, and his uninjured eye slowly eased open. "Hn?"

"Strictly speaking," said Vivian, sliding into visibility, "you didn't have to stab him with the needle. That's part of the binding, to keep the ghost from backing out, and he wasn't going to do that, were you, dear?"

She reached out to touch Danny, and he hissed weakly at her. She laughed, tilting back her head, but then leaned forward, pressing her thumb into Danny's forehead. He moaned, and turned his face into Sam's shoulder.

"There," said Vivian, shaking her hand. "He should have access to his powers again." She smiled, teeth sharp. "It will take some time for the two of you to adjust to your new circumstances, but I very much look forward to teaching you once you do, Sam." A larger smile. "Apprentice."

Sam glowered.

Vivian bent down to pick up the book. "I never used this particular ritual," she said. "It requires the spirit to already be invested in the witch, so to speak. Perfect for you. Not so much for me. My mentor was the one who passed it on to me." She snapped the book closed. "He has a good eye, though. One of the ones you were considering would have turned him into a cat."

Sam swallowed.

"Now, I'll leave the two of you to adjust. Don't worry about starving. His power will sustain you until he recovers enough to fly you back home." Vivian's smile grew lazy, indulgent. "Speaking of which, I had a lot of fun there, and I need some way to pass the time. Don't I?" She vanished, cackling.

Danny whimpered.

"Crap," said Sam. Then, more gently, "Hey, Danny, how do you feel?"

"Not great," he said. "Like I just had a marathon fight, and then got beaten with a stick."

"Oh," said Sam. Usually Danny wasn't this honest. Or quite this clingy. He was still wrapped around her. Which, she, surprisingly, didn't mind. "Anything else?"

"I think that maybe I can't lie to you, because I just tried to say 'I'm fine' twice, and couldn't."

"Oh," said Sam.

"It's okay. You're probably going to have side effects, too. Or maybe it's not a side effect?" He giggled. "It's not a bug, it's a feature? I think I just need to sleep."

"Okay, you do that then."

Danny promptly closed his eyes, and his grip relaxed. Sam stared. Okay, no, she wasn't even going to consider that until she had more evidence.

She sighed, and leaned back until they were both lying on the carpet. One thing at a time. They'd figure this out.

Together.

[bladekindeyewear]

Boots reads Homestuck Epilogue(s) Part 6 - Meat Page 16

==>  (Whoa, went a long while before splitting posts, there.  Dangerous, with how often I’ve lost stuff to Tumblr page reloads in the past.)

Oh, you’ve realized Zazzerpan’s relevance as foreshadowing for the trolls or whatever, Rose?

Oh my god, PLEASE don’t put Rose inside a fucking robot.  >:|

Oh SHIT wait.  That one wizard Roxy named her cat after who wanted all the knowledge in the world, got overloaded and then crushed by the giant textbook or whatever???  That’s disturbingly Rose-similar here.  D:

Rose, puns.  Please.

Hm, you think it applies to you all now instead of the trolls?  Huh.  Do you think some of you might become villains and get Just deaths?

..Huh, wait.  Numerological significance?  Are we actually learning what 413 means?  Or learning that it was meant to be bullshit all along instead?  I’m “Hmmm”ing loudly either way...

Ow, ouch.  So a Light player wasn’t designed to properly live outside of canon significance, or??

Ooh.  She’s not sure that if she opens herself up to all the knowledge of her other selves, that it’d be “her” anymore.  A pretty legitimate fear... and one Dirk is perfectly disposed to disabuse her of.  As a Heart player, he’d understand better than most that the entire combination of one’s various states over all timelines IS you, and the unique direction your will and uniqueness embodies across whatever it touches.  Or something.

...Wait, wait a minute.  Before I keep reading........ I didn’t actually CLICK the candy button yet.  What if Candy just redirects to AO3 or something.  Like, the candy bit is all of our fanfics.  Oh jeez.

Okay reading on before that possibility drives me insane.

DIRK: I’m not sure anyone should be allowed to have that much foresight. Especially a guy like me.

...Mhmm, especially since in part that’s how we got Doc Scratch, yeah.

Reading to the end of this page, and........

Yeah, what the FUCK just happened.

So... is this Dirk BEING a villain?  Doing some sort of weird almost cherubic Eye thing to kind of supplant Rose as he becomes a Scratch-like fanfic narrator or... Let me reread these last few paragraphs a couple times...

Is he really sort of “puppeteering” Rose?  Is this like the birth of a god-tier villain or just a temporary respite he’s giving her sort of underhandedly for an actual good cause to help her out of her situation??  Or is “death” or a death of the self the actual solution he had for her mess???  I mean... the metatextual awareness bit that he’s speaking through in the last sentence is clearly something like what comes of ascending completely and going beyond the story to be able to write it like Caliborn or Doc Scratch might or... y’know what, fuck it.  I’ll understand it in later pages.  I have to keep reading if this is going to make sense to me.

This next button better not lead straight back to the fucking selection screen again.

==>

Oh shit, a giant Dirk section.  Only fitting that he might have been writing most of this all along possibly.

Undercurrent of narrative significance.  Oh shit.  Is he going to go off about Light, about the story parts not mattering?  Or that the fact that this IS a story and... from what I accidentally skimmed in sentences below before reading further, how we’re trapping them in a story by reading it or something???  Hence the idea that their existences are being “blighted” by the subtext of narrative significance, and would be better FREE of it?

Huh.  Is this really going to work?  As, like... a body slam of people who were too caught up in the forest of narrative purpose to see into the trees of the point he wanted to make with the finale?  It’s practically Andrew talking to the audience from within the story about their frustrations, heh.

Yeah, this whole rant is pretty awesome so far.  I forgot to mention it a few paragraphs ago, but when you look at the story list, the Epilogues are listed as “stories of dubious authenticity”, so is this whole thing like... how DIRK might have written the ending out?  Just to emphasize further that this whole thing is kind of pointless compared to the infinite possibility that was the reward for their escape from the confines of such story-stuff?

Cool.  Sounds like we’re seeing the “good end” that Dirk would have written for this story if he were to write one that still answers plotlike questions, or something similar to it.  That and/or he’s also engineering things in-canon -- or as “canon” as the victory planet is -- to follow all this for the end result he has in mind, and it comes across as practically Doc Scratch-y in the way it ties in metatextual awareness and stuff.  Either way, it DOES feel like Andrew might successfully be making his point.

==>

Pff.  This is going to be a bit interesting.  And, of course, unstuck-in-canon John can hear the narrator speaking.

And now John has ANOTHER story to get annoyed at the narrator of, heh.

The tooth is poisoned? Really? Did you just make that up or?

Okay, why suddenly the wallet, fanfic writer? Is he going to find touching pictures or just captchalogue the black hole?

This is all starting to feel a whole lot less serious, and I can’t help but figure that’s the intent.

==>

Pff, back to the B plot.  Yay Jade!  --Please don’t be metatextually aware like John and let’s get more actual story.

Phew, seems to be the case

...Is Karkat going to remake this post-scarcity society to be more Communist? Is that where we’re going here?

Alright, Roxy’s gonna be all voidy and Neutral and not want an impact on the election, from the sound of it?

GAAAHHH Jade is in love with all her friends and afraid of being alone.  AAAH FEELS

--Oh huh, so because Jane’s been in the distance putting on the Perfect act she thinks she has to pull, she’s gone down in her friends’ opinions even if that isn’t really her???  That’s pretty reassuring as an alternative, actually.  Leave it to Roxy to see everything crystal goddamn clear as usual.

Ooh, pronoun mishap.

Holy SHIT Roxy’s gonna go along with it.  That’s nonbinary-awesome!  And Dirk’s just fucking flabbergasted, I love it.

Pff, Dirk’s screwing it up outside too

yep, everyone ectobiologically had kids with everyone, really.

Oh, ow.  Something about the whole black hole green sun thing is fucking with her.  That, or, like...  Huh, might the whole metatextual ascension thing mean that she actually BECOMES that other Jade floating about for a hot minute, the one in the A-side plot??

==>

Ow this excellent narrative is pretty painful.  Like, empathetically inducing pain through really good description of pain and angst.  Ow.

Oh shit, alt!Calliope has a plan.  Maybe she’s able to use this black hole to re-begin Paradox Space and close the loop once everything’s absorbed or something, and needs a Jade’s help for it?

==>

Phew, some relative silliness with some of the others.  That vivid description of a Jade’s suffering was starting to give my stomach a cramp.  Actually, ANY vivid description of Jade’s suffering gives my stomach a cramp.  Or any allusion to it, even, heck even without WORDS.  I saw a Jadey song redux show up on my Youtube dashboard a few nights ago and had to turn it off after less than thirty seconds because I was about to throw up listening to the tune and staring at the image from my stomach clenching SO HARD.  I am WAY too attached to Jade in particular to tolerate her suffering without serious emotional feedback on my part.

Okay, breathe.  Breathe deeply, and keep reading...

....PFF, yes, Karkat.  Finally acknowledge it’s disgusting.  Birth is disgusting from any species really.

Yaaaay Kanaya! :)

Pfffff, Dave does record scratches with his hands mid-conversation like a fucking dab.  He would.

KANAYA: I Am Impressed That You Managed To Be Seen In Front Of That Many People Without Spontaneously Bursting Into Flames

I’m laughing

We internalize and project the quality in very different ways, however, which is why I’m going to win.

Win?!????

Win WHAT, the election???  Is that your only grand plan or... I mean fuck, way to be Doc-Scratch-like ominous!  Reading on...

...Yeah, Feferi was definitely a proto-Fascist too.  :)

Oh, huh. “Power Corrupts In Small Steps”... is this whole President thing going to be a big-ass metaphor for gaining your God powers without abusing them?? And pointing out that Jane is hella abusing her status in a way that COULD become villainous if it goes too far?  Victory is supposed to give you the ability to create a universe, but you’re not necessarily supposed to lord over it with an iron fist...

KARKAT: WHEN I HEAR ABOUT HOW HUMAN GRUBS CHEW THEIR WAY OUT OF THE FEMALE MATESPRIT’S ABDOMINAL HOLE BEFORE CONSUMING THE WOMB MEMBRANE IT MAKES ME WANT TO VOMIT.

Pffffffff

KANAYA: He Is Beloved In The Troll Kingdom For His Perky Ass DAVE: seriously? KARKAT: I TOLD YOU IT’S NOT JUST ME! KANAYA: It Has Some Terrible Arcane Power KANAYA: I Have Never Seen Anything Like It

I am laughing out loud here

pff dave’s doubtlessly imagined this at least as much as the rest of us

YESSS make fun of ship names some more, especially the ship names I’m not a fan of even though I’m such a fan of the pairing :D

KANAYA: Im Going To Call My Wife And You Are Going To Stop Talking

Why do I love that sentence so much.  Is it just because it has the word wife in it.  Probably.

At the other side of the cavern, Dave and Karkat bicker about what their combo kids would look like, in the event that they decided to stop being such laughable wusses and began fornicating like two cartoon animals of different species who have given into their lust.

Pffff.  Yeah, Dirk would put it that way.

Pffffff.  Not as adept at handling all sides of the story at the same time as you were as part of Doc, eh?

==>

Reading reading reading... Oh, adorable, he tried to slip a fish pun into Meenah’s name but couldn’t think of one.

...Oh SHIT, is he going to give Meenah the ring of life she wanted??? :D

Oh pff, that works too.  :D

==>

Okay, time for maybe at least a SLIGHT explanation of whatever the FUCK Dirk might have or might not have done to Rose or something????

...Huh.  What exactly are you trying to “fix” about Kanaya and Rose’s relationship, Dirk?  Something that didn’t fix itself with just the two of them together?

I mean...... Rose’s substance abuse never fixed itself when it was just two of them together on the first-run meteor.  And she’s been taking pills and trying to stave off her destiny out of fear while her wife hasn’t really been digging into her insecurities... I mean maybe he has a point.

SHADOWS around her??????  D:

==>

Yeah yeah, John drifting.  I just remembered what one of those “server beacons” they were mentioning actually is, too, visually.  Knowing it had an escape route helped.

What are you even gonna do with the slippers, gift them to Terezi when she comes flying in?  (Also, right, just remembered he’s a Breath player so it’s only natural that he actually finds whatever there is to find “coincidentally” around here, like that wallet.)

Ooh, you REALLY were thinking about Terezi over the past years from the sound of it.  And here she is or whatever.  :)

1 C4N ST1LL TOUCH TYP3 1N H3R L33T SP34K W1THOUT 4NY 4SS1ST4NC3 3XC3PT C4PS LOCK ON 4FT3R 4LL TH3S3 Y34RS  >:]

==>

Okay okay okay wait.  Her shadow is talking??? Is this, like... Jungian shadow stuff? Inversion shadow stuff?  What the fuck is going on.  It better not be Inversion-related.

Let me read that again.

Her shadow has faded to light behind her, assuming the shape of a Rose-like apparition. I nod to her, and she continues. When she speaks, it’s almost as if it’s the apparition that’s doing the talking.

That’s weird and I don’t entirely know what it means. I’d better just keep fucking reading.

Fun philosophical banter.  I didn’t know what “Hegelian dialectics” were until I read some big rant on someone’s Fallout New Vegas playthrough earlier last month.

ROSE: I think free will is a thing, sure. DIRK: Are you sure about that? ROSE: ... DIRK: Haven’t we spent the entire day having a feelings jam on how none of us got here by accident?

Ah, here we’re going with some Ultimate Riddle-y stuff.

Or wait, are we adding a bit on to that concept now?  Because it now seems like a large PART of the Ultimate Riddle stuff I covered (FUCK dropbox for breaking all the images) that might be revealed in this part of the damn epilogue is the whole the-only-way-to-have-true-free-will-is-to-escape-the-narrative-imposed-on-us or something along with the rest of it.

Hm, that whole “become One God” bit that Dirk ranted about in the beginning of one of the John sections... is that his ambition here?  I didn’t comment on the rantparagraph earlier because the “one” part of it threw me as possibly just some philosophical stuff he was musing about, but it’s like... I mean Dirk is the narrator right now, and it sounds like he wants to *BE* the narrator.  Like, become the one truly in control of this whole story.  With his orange Andrew-colored text or whatever.  Is that what he meant by “win”, winning control of the entire narrative, turning everyone else in the story into mere extensions of himself that he was “writing” by virtue of being the only author?

And him getting thwarted in that task, showing that it’s better if there really is NO narrator and the characters can do whatever they imagine in infinite branches and our imaginations, is the victory that proves the point of the story.  Or something.  Hmm.

Also, huh.  Like... I mean that IS a natural extension of a Prince of Heart if he were to turn to villainy.  A grand ambition to destroy everyone’s individuality until they’re nothing but Himself.  Right?

DIRK: Your Ultimate Self, that which is revealed when the mind’s partitions are stripped away, and all potentiality of who you are and what you could have been flow together. DIRK: Those are the experiences and processes that are refusing to stay bundled, that’s what your body can’t endure. The unbundling itself is your mind coming apart. DIRK: Because you’re not as strong as me. Not yet. DIRK: But you can be. DIRK: I’m working on that.

Because she’ll “BE” you?  Because you’ll be everyone?  Hm.

DIRK: But for now, I’m focused on stabilizing you with my own expanding consciousness. DIRK: It’s enveloping you now, in a way you can’t see. Keeping your thoughts solid, your identity anchored to your physical form as it strains to hold itself together. DIRK: You can’t see it, what I’m talking about. But I can help you. DIRK: I can help you see what I see, if only for a little while. DIRK: All you have to do is open your eyes. DIRK: Maybe what you see will help you through this.

Okay so maybe this all ain’t TOTALLY fucking sinister.  Just partially.  Hmm.

I’m not going to describe what she sees. First of all, that would be spoiling it. Unless you already know, in which case, I guess what’s taking place here qualifies as something closer to dramatic irony. But if you really want to see it for yourself, stop what you’re doing, flip the whole thing over, and begin again. I’ll be right here when you get back, waiting. Trust me, no one’s going anywhere.

Hahahahah.  So the candy part IS written.  I mean I was pretty sure, but it’s nice to have it acknowledged here.  Pretty awesome.  I won’t stop here to read it, I’ll get to the candy part eventually as a nice dessert.

All she needs is a nudge in the right direction.

We’re family. We belong together. And after years of micromanaging the inconsistent and confused desires of total imbeciles, wouldn’t it be a relief to have someone by my side who understood me?

Stop being so incestuous.  Dirk, you’re just getting off on the CONCEPT of incest being part of the flavor of all this, aren’t you.  That’s why you kept pushing things this way, you want it to be as uncomfortable as possible.

...wait, yeah he’s just talking about being a metatextual ascended, isn’t he.

Her body should be dead now.

I’M SORRY WHAT THE FLYING FUCK.

And Rose has... what, ascended but somehow given in to Dirk’s puppeteering of existence, or?  Ugh.

Next post, I wanna keep reading already to get through all this bullshit.  Then once I’ve figured it all out, I can rest comfortably back with the Candy side which Rose practically just promised me is potentially TOO SUGARY which is really enticing as a prospect.

[notbang]

r/n + unconventional sleep aid

also on ao3

“I need to see you in my office. Now.”

Rebecca frowns, tucking her phone between her ear and shoulder in order to resume wiping down her countertop. “And good evening to you, too. Also, I don’t work for you anymore. Also, it’s 7 p.m.”

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” Nathaniel concedes. “Good evening, Rebecca—hope you’re well. I need to see you in my office. Now. Please.”

The call is terminated before she has time to come back with a witty rejoinder.

“Ugh, fine,” she says, tossing her washcloth in the direction of the back counter. “I’ll bite.”

She rolls her eyes as she steps into the elevator.

*

“I know we don’t see each other so much anymore, but dude. You still could’ve mentioned to me at some point that you adopted a baby.”

She’s not entirely sure what she expected from her gruff summons to the Mountaintop office, but Nathaniel with a small child balanced on his hip definitely wasn’t remotely in the zip code of it.

He shoots her a withering look in response. “This isn’t my baby,” he says. “This is your baby, so I’m going to need you to take her.”

Rebecca takes a pointed step backward when he moves towards her, angling his cargo away from his body and very clearly telegraphing his intentions to pass it over.

“Whoa, nuh-uh,” she says, holding up her hands to reject the transfer. “That is not my baby and you know it.”

“You helped make it,” he accuses.

“Hey, Heather carried it around in her Easy-Bake for nine months. If you’re going to play that particular card, you can call her.”

His expression shifts so quickly from pleading to miserable that she has to swallow back a laugh. Apparently resigning himself to his fate, he readjusts his awkward hold and checks his watch with an irritated flick of his wrist.

Rebecca finally steps out of the doorway, crossing the threshold into the office proper. It feels strange, being back here, and the hour and the lighting isn’t making it any easier. She surveys the room—there’s a portable cot half-kicked under Nathaniel’s desk, his phone still face up on the glass where he’d barked at her on speaker. Nothing that provides any real insight into what exactly is going on.

“So how did you get stuck with my strictly-biological offspring, anyway?”

Nathaniel’s body is making intermittent jerking motions that Rebecca isn’t entirely convinced he’s conscious of; when she realises it’s his absent attempt at rocking Hebby, she has to bite back her grin.

“I’m not entirely sure. Darryl rushed out of here—something about his other daughter and an unfortunate incident on the monkey bars—and since I’m the only person around here capable of putting in a little overtime without coercion—”

“The only one without a life,” Rebecca corrects. “Carry on.”

“—somehow, being the last person left in the office was all the babysitting qualifications required.”

“Well, I’m not sure what you need me for. It seems like you’re doing perfectly fine on your own.”

Nathaniel blinks. “You don’t understand. It won’t stop crying.”

“What are you talking about? She hasn’t made a peep the entire time I’ve been here.”

“Because I picked her up,” he says, like it’s an obvious issue. “As soon as I put her back in her little carrier thing, it’ll be back to uncontrollable wailing. She’s a baby—what does she even have to wail about? She’s too young to have problems.” He gestures at his chest with his free hand. “I have problems. They just got rid of the ChargePoint on Azusa. I’m the one that should be uncontrollably wailing.”

“I mean, have you tried again? She seems pretty settled to me.”

In lieu of a response, Nathaniel switches his hold on Hebby to a two-handed, under-arm grip. True to his word, the second she leaves the comfort of the crook of his arm she starts to fuss. By the time he’s depositing her in the tiny bassinet it’s progressed to what Rebecca has to concede is indeed a full-blown wail.

“You know, I spent a lot of time in this office,” Rebecca crouches in front of the carrier to whisper conspiratorially, “and I gotta say. I can relate.”

When she glances back up Nathaniel’s looking at her with something too much like eight months of memories in his eyes and she clears her throat, suddenly oddly grateful to have a baby as a buffer between them to fend them off.

“I’ll, uh… I’ll just…”

She dips to scoop up the wriggling, wauling mass of tear-streaked pink skin, fitting her to her shoulder in a way that feels slightly less unnatural than it did the last time, one hand wrapping around the back of the tiny, curly head on some kind of hesitant autopilot. Hebby gives the illusion of settling for approximately a millisecond before she’s squirming, her cries ascending in pitch until they’re bordering on a scream, arms extended to make uncoordinated grabby hands in Nathaniel’s general direction. More amused than perturbed, Rebecca holds her out towards him.

His smug look fades, and he only resists a moment before reluctantly taking back his charge.

It’s almost comical, the way Hebby claws her way up Nathaniel’s chest, clutching at the fabric of his clothes with frustrated, clenching fingers, as if she’s mad at him for setting her down to begin with, and she wants him to know it. But then she wipes her snotty face on the breast of his jacket and falls quiet, her plump rosy cheek pressed firm against his shoulder.

When she’s not busy being the one terrified at the prospect of caring for an infant, Rebecca supposes she can admit on some objective level that parenthood isn’t as entirely off-putting as she’d like to pretend. Or perhaps objectivity isn’t exactly something she can claim right now, given the treacherous flutter of endearment she’s currently experiencing in the face of another one of her former lovers looking distractingly paternal with a tiny human cradled in their arms.

Between the exhaustion, her ovaries and her overly complicated daddy issues, it’s like she barely stood a chance.

“Wow. The whole Mr Mom look kind of suits you.”

Nathaniel rolls his head away from her, dismissive and embarrassed. “I’m not… Kids aren’t my thing,” he says, clearing his throat.

“Well, neither. But Hebby here says you’re a liar.”

Figures, she thinks, remembering the way Greg had so similarly easily mollified her. Not everything is about the guys, girl, she feels like she’s going to need to caution, just as soon as the kid’s language skills are underway.

“She likes you,” is what she ends up saying aloud, softly, begrudgingly charmed by the chubby hand weakly fisting in Nathaniel’s burgundy tie.

“Well, she definitely didn’t get that from you,” he says, tone vaguely self-deprecating. He must catch something she wasn’t quick enough to conceal in her face because he immediately opens his mouth to backtrack. “I was just—”

“It’s fine,” she interrupts. Her teeth sink into her lower lip. “Actually, while I’m here, I kind of owe you an apology.”

His eyebrows crease up his forehead. “For what?”

It’s the first time they’ve properly seen each other since her recent spectacular nosedive, outside of tight smiles and lingering looks in the lobby. Now that they’re in an enclosed space together the metaphorical elephant in the room seems to be looming twice as high.

“For the other night. Thank you, for sending me home,” she says, with all the unnerving sincerity she can summon.

Nathaniel looks stricken, sucking in a steadying breath. “Oh. You don’t have to—”

“No, listen. My acting out could have played out so much worse if it weren’t for you and Josh, and I know it’s a low bar to set for basic human decency, but I also know what spiralling Rebecca can be like, and it’s not pretty—she’s kind of a manipulative bitch. You were trying to move on and me turning up on your doorstep was so far outside the realm of okay, Nathaniel—I am so sorry. Honestly.”

“Oh,” he says. “Okay. I appreciate it. Did you…” He trails off, wetting his lips, changing tracks mid-sentence from what she can sense he really wants to ask. “Did you get a good night’s sleep, at least?”

She thinks of the bench outside the outpatient centre, the crick in her back and the stiffness deep in her bones when she woke to Dr Shin shimmering in front of her like some kind of mirage. A lifesaver, coming to buoy her back to shore. “Yes,” she says, consoling herself with the sliver of truth behind the lie. “You saw how much I’d had to drink. Slept like a baby.”

Her gaze slides over the sleepy droop of Hebby’s own eyelids, and she can’t help but think of how much she doesn’t want any of this mess for her.

“Do you ever get sick of apologies?” she wonders out loud. “I kind of keep waiting for everyone to get tired of my broken record. I know I do.”

“I’ve never been big on them until recently,” Nathaniel says, offering her a small smile. “The novelty hasn’t worn off for me yet.”

He moves to lean against the edge of his desk, snapping ramrod straight again when Hebby immediately grizzles her protest. The minute he’s properly upright she makes a contented snuffling sound and he hitches her a bit further up on his chest, hesitating. “Can I just…”

“What?”

“I know you were hurting,” he says, swallowing hard, “when you came to my apartment. I know it wasn’t about me, or even Greg, really. I know that, I do. But I—”

“You want to know if I meant any of what I said,” she finishes for him.

She’s gotten stuck on that a few times, too. She isn’t sure she has a satisfying explanation for either of them.

“I was not in a good place. I felt rejected, and when I feel that way I lash out. And I go looking for that attention elsewhere. So I went to you, because I thought, ‘here’s a sucker that’s chosen me, every single time I’ve given him half the chance’.”

He exhales hard at that. “Ouch.”

“Yeah. Like I said—she’s a bitch. But as for what you’re wondering—the answer’s messy.” She tilts her head at him, giving him a sad smile. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about you.”

His palm is rubbing back and forth across Hebby’s baby blue romper in broad, firm strokes, and if he wasn’t otherwise occupied she imagines he’d be subjecting the back of his neck to the same motion. They’ve spent enough time in the company of each other’s bodies to know their tics and tells.

“I’m starting to realise that life is made up of loose threads, and maybe I need to accept that I can’t untangle all of them. I just gotta let some of them dangle, and kind of catch on things until they fall out.”

He lets out a wry chuckle. “The knots on this one run pretty deep, huh?”

“I’ve got a couple of those,” she admits. “And the stab wounds to show for trying to stitch them back together. Sometimes I feel like I quit because it’s hard, but it’s only because I’m scared of it becoming a different kind of hard, you know?”

She needs to focus on something that isn’t Nathaniel’s imploring face, so she turns her attention to lightly stroking the back of Hebby’s squishy fist, unable to stifle the coo that comes out of her mouth unbidden when five tiny fingers wrap themselves around her pinky on unconscious reflex. The only thing she failed to consider was how much closer she’s brought herself to Nathaniel in the process.

“Hey, look at that—out like a light. You’ve got the magic touch.” She carefully extracts her finger and steps away, crossing her arms and regarding the now-fast asleep Hebecca with amusement. “I think,” she begins, grinning because she knows exactly how much he’s going to hate it, “that maybe, you remind her of Darryl.”

She doesn’t bother to tell him that she only meant it height-wise—the excessively put-upon sigh he makes a show of heaving in her direction is everything she’d hoped for and more.

*

Rebecca jolts awake to a stimulus she can’t remember, but she thinks it might have been someone calling her name.

She hadn’t meant to doze off, but politely turning away when Nathaniel had started humming self-consciously into the crown of a hiccuping Hebecca’s head had led to stretching out across his leather couch, and stretching out had led to closing her eyes for just a moment, and… well. At least one of them had been lulled into placation by his lullaby.

“No naps,” she mumbles with insistence. “I’m not napping.”

She pulls herself into some approximation of upright against the arm of the couch, and it’s only the motion of it slipping down that draws her attention to Nathaniel’s suit jacket and the way he’s draped it over her shoulders while she was sleeping. Wrapping her fingers around the dark blue wool of the lapel, she tugs it back into position, resisting the heady impulse to inhale.

Its owner is perched on the edge of the desk in front of her, exposed shirtsleeves haphazardly rolled up to his elbows, his face radiating a flattering fusion of exhaustion and warmth, and she has to actively tamp down on the burst of fondness that sets itself free in her chest at the sight of him.

“Hey,” she says, still groggy. “Where’s Hebby?”

“Darryl just left. He said to tell you thank you.”

“Who, me? I barely did anything. Except fall asleep, apparently.” She looks up at him, sheepish. “I’ve started some new medication, and… yeah. Inconvenient side effects.”

“Ah.” He smiles. “Well, I appreciated the moral support. Even if it was entirely lacking. Pleasant dreams?”

“Beat a park bench, that’s for sure.”

Ignoring his funny look and dragging herself to her feet with extreme reluctance, she holds his jacket in front of her like some kind of shield that will help her keep her messy feelings in check. “I guess I should, um…” She gestures towards the door.

“I think about you too,” he blurts out, then runs a hand over his face. “Not… I mean, I do, but that’s not what I’m trying to say. There’s a voice in my head, now, telling me to be better. And it kind of sounds like you.”

A giddy sense of pride effervesces in her bloodstream at that—for all their dysfunction, it’s encouraging to know there was some kind of positive takeaway.

“I’m honoured. Really. And it may not seem like it right now,” she says, nose wrinkling as she gifts him a tiny smile, “but the best part is when the voice doesn’t sound like anyone anymore. It just becomes… you.”

It’s too quiet, too intimate; the lamplight too invitingly low, and she needs to leave before she starts to unspool. She steps closer to him as if she’s moving through liquid, sure to come just short of invading his personal space, and when she presses the jacket back into his hands, she’s careful to not quite let their fingers brush.

“Goodnight, Nathaniel,” she says gently.

She stops herself from letting her gaze linger over her shoulder at him as she leaves.

mini fic prompt meme.

[yotsutama]

Mechanical Lullaby ~3rd Day~

Mechanical Lullaby Event Story (12/05)

Part 1~4 | 5~8 | 9~12 | 13~16 | 17~22 | 23~26

Part 17 – The Wind-up Day 1

Cielo (Kujou Tenn): It started a while ago, a memory that I didn't experience, and a slight doubt towards my own 'role.'

Cielo: I've been looking for the answer this whole time, but I haven't figured out anything......

Cielo: In these memories, I always see the clock tower. Just what is going on in the tower...?

Cielo: Tomorrow is the Wind-up Day that comes once a year.

Cielo: I might as well ask Augus, the robot who manages the clock tower.

Augus (Yaotome Gaku): ...... Okay, this should be fine.

Fabra (Nikaido Yamato): How's the clock?

Augus: Same as always. It shows the same time as my pocket watch.

Fabra: I see.......

Augus: ...... Is there something wrong? I always make sure this pocket watch and the watch in my room show the same time, so it shouldn't be wrong.

Fabra: ...... No, if the clock is good then it's fine. By the way, tomorrow is the day to wind the robots in the city.

Augus: I know. What about it?

Fabra: Would you mind helping me out?

Augus: ...... Well, I don't mind. But you always do it by yourself, right? How rare.

Fabra: I want to do it carefully this time.

Augus: Is that so?

Fabra: Yeah. I'm counting on you.

*chatter chatter*

Fabra: Now Augus, they're divided into two rows.

Fabra: You wind the robot dolls in the left row.

Augus: Got it.

Augus: ...... Okay. The next robot doll is the last one, right?

Cielo: ...... Hey, can I ask you something?

Augus: ...... Ask? What is it?

Cielo: What is the clock tower for?

Augus: Eh?

Cielo: This clock tower is the only clock that can be seen from anywhere in this city. Why is that?

Augus: ......? ... What are you saying?

Cielo: You manage the clock tower. You should know about it, am I right?

Cielo: Tell me!

Augus: The reason the clock tower can be seen from anywhere in this city is so that the robot dolls can check the time. That's all, ok?

Cielo: You can just make some clocks for them then.

Augus: Well, but, it’s a long process......

Cielo: What is that around your neck?

Augus: ...... It's a pocket watch.

Cielo: This. I also have a pocket watch. It's broken though, but it's small.

Augus: You're right but...... Sorry, what I've already said earlier is all I know.

Cielo: I see......

Cielo: But, you're always in the clock tower, aren't you?

Augus: Yeah.

Cielo: Then, can you find out if the clock tower’s only purpose is for telling time?

Augus: You tell me to find out but... Sorry for not being of any help, but I've finished winding you, so can you go home for now?

Cielo: Okay......

Cielo: Even Augus, the robot who manages the clock tower, doesn't know anything......

Cielo: I’ve reached a dead end......

Cielo: Ow......

Cielo: My head......, what is this sound...? Singing...?

Cielo: A memory again......

Cielo: The clock tower......? I'm there... with who?

Part 18 - The Wind-up Day 2

Fabra: You really helped me today.

Augus: ...... I want to ask you something.

Fabra: What?

Augus: I'm a robot who manages the clock tower, right?

Fabra: Yes, you are. ... Why do you ask?

Augus: The clock tower is important for the robot dolls, right?

Fabra: ...... Yeah.

Augus: And I also manage a pocket watch along with it.

Augus: To make the clock move, we need the big tower, right?

Fabra: Yeah, we do.

Fabra: What do you want to say?

Augus: ...... Aside from the tower being a clock, does it have another 'role?’

Fabra: ...... What's with you?

Augus: Today, a weird robot came to me.

Fabra: Then?

Augus: He asked me, ‘what is the clock tower for, why is it the only big building in the city?’ I’ve never been asked questions like that before......

Augus: I always thought we needed a big tower to show off the clock. But, this pocket watch is a clock as well.

Fabra: It is.

Augus: We don't need a big tower to make a clock move. We can just use a small clock and go travel anywhere far from the clock tower, can't we?

Fabra: ...... Augus. Your 'role' is to manage the clock tower.

Augus: ............

Fabra: You will understand when the time comes. And when the time comes, your power will be needed.

Fabra: Sorry, but that's all I can say for now. I have something to do so I have to go now.

Augus: Hey! We're not done yet!

Part 19 - 'Role' and 'Duty'

Cielo: ............

Jane (Izumi Iori): That robot doll, he has been following Terra recently.

Jane: I’ve only seen him on the streets though......

Jane: Do you have something to do with Terra?

Cielo: ...... What?

Jane: That's my line.

Jane: You’ve been following Terra lately. What about him?

Cielo: Nothing......

Terra (Nanase Riku): Jane-saan! Where is this book's next volume?

Terra: ...... Wait, eh? Who are you?

Jane: Terra, this robot doll......

Cielo: What is your 'role'?

Terra: Eh? Um, my 'role'?

Cielo: Yes.

Terra: I don't know yet......

Cielo: Really!?

Jane: You, what are you...?

Cielo: You weren't told when you woke up?

Terra: Yes. When Fabra-san awakened me, he told me to recall my 'duty' myself.

Cielo: Recall your 'duty'...?

Terra: Yes. I come to the library to figure it out, but I still haven't remembered.

Cielo: So, you forgot something... just like me...?

Terra: Like you?

Cielo: It's nothing. Why didn't Fabra tell you...?

Terra: He said, "it's meaningless if you don't recall it by yourself".

Cielo: ......!

Cielo: Fabra said the same thing when he awakened me......

Cielo: Does this mean this guy and I have 'duties' aside from our 'roles?’

Cielo: Bringing this topic up now isn't a good idea. I should pretend I don’t know anything and gain more information.

Cielo: You didn’t get a 'role,' are you a special robot doll or something?

Terra: I'm not... I don't have 'role,' I can't do anything......

Jane: ...... Terra is a robot doll that was awakened by Fabra just recently.

Jane: Recently, there has only been a few new robots. And a robot doll that's awakened by Fabra is rare.

Jane: Fabra chose to awaken Terra recently. There might be some meaning behind Fabra's action.

Cielo: Hmm. Robot dolls awakened by Fabra is that rare?

Jane: Probably. I don't know the details.

Cielo: ...... I was awakened by Fabra too, 3 years ago.

Jane: You too...?

Jane: 3 years ago... there might be some meaning behind his awakening too.

Jane: ...... There is one thing that bothers me about Terra.

Cielo: What?

Terra: What is it?

Jane: Terra refers to his 'role' as a 'duty.'

Jane: At first, I thought he just made a small mistake, so I ignored it.

Jane: But his 'duty' is probably different from what we call 'role.'

Cielo: ...... 'Duty?’

Terra: Fabra-san said 'duty' to me.

Jane: And Dissen probably felt something from Terra.

Jane: He looks like a carefree person, but he's sharp.

Cielo: I see......

Cielo: We won't get the answer even if we discuss this. I'm going to continue my investigation. If you know about Terra's 'role' or 'duty' then let me know.

Terra: ............

Jane: ............

Terra: ...... Ah!

Jane: What is it?

Terra: I forgot to ask him his name......

Jane: ...... *sigh*

Part 20 – Nocturne (1)

Terra: ...... *sigh*. It's so late already.

Terra: It'd be nice if my 'role' or 'duty' is to make everyone happy, just like the boys in that book.

Terra: Singing and dancing is definitely fun.

Terra: But, what if, I can't remember until the end......

Terra: I'm a useless robot doll......

Terra: Jane-san too, he might get bored of me......

Terra: ............ Uu...... Uuu.

〜〜♪

Terra: ...... Violin? Is someone there?

Terra: U, Um... good evening.

Jeune (Rokuya Nagi): ...... Hey, good evening.

Jeune: Your tearful face is so beautiful.

Terra: Eh?

Jeune: I'm Jeune. You are?

Terra: ...... I'm Terra.

Jeune: Terra. ... Come to think of it, Martin mentioned your name. You were awakened recently?

Terra: Yes!

Jeune: So that's really you.

Jeune: It's your first time listening to my music, isn't it?

Terra: Yes! Your performance was great!

Terra: ...... The song is… a bit scary though.

Jeune: Thank you very much.

Terra: Jeune-san, why are you playing here at this time?

Jeune: ...... Why do you think?

Terra: Eh...... are you practicing?

Jeune: I like seeing robot dolls' terrified and crying faces.

Terra: Eh?

Jeune: But lately, they're already used to it, so they don't give good reactions anymore.

Jeune: So, I'm trying to play late at night to give them a sentimental atmosphere.

Jeune: It's been long since I had a teary face, I'm happy.

Terra: ...... Fufu, what a strange robot doll.

Terra: ...... *inhale*, La〜♪ La〜♪

Jeune: ...... Do you know this song?

Terra: Eh? No, but you played it earlier, right?

Jeune: ...... Is that so.

Terra: Jeune-san, why don't you play a fun song?

Jeune: I have never played a fun song since I was awakened.

Terra: I see......

Jeune: But I’m in a good mood tonight. I'll play for you.

Terra: ...... Yay!

〜〜〜♪

Terra: La〜♪ Lalala〜〜♪

Terra: That was so fun!

Jeune: I had fun too.

Jeune: ...... Would you like to listen to another song?

Terra: Of course I would!

Jeune: It's my first time playing this song......

〜〜〜♪

Terra: ...... Wow. It's such a beautiful song.

Terra: Somehow, it moves my heart. A sad song, yet so kind.

Terra: I want to sing......

Terra: La〜......, Ouch!

Jeune: Are you alright?

Terra: Ye-Yes. I'm fine... It's a great song, I'm sorry.

Jeune: No. It's already late. Let's go home now.

Terra: Yes... Good night.

Jeune: Good night.

Terra: ...... Something came to my mind. That was, the clock tower? Someone was singing there......

Terra: Was that... me...?

Terra: I was singing, in the clock tower...?

Part 21 – Cielo’s Investigation

Terra: Jane-san, I'm going to the clock tower now.

Jane: Have you remembered anything?

Terra: No, it's not like that......

Jane: It's fine but can't you go there tomorrow? It's raining hard today.

Terra: ...... I want to go today.

Terra: I feel like I'll remember something if I go there today.

Jane: ...... I understand.

Jane: Please wait a minute, I'll finish my work. I'm going along with you.

Cielo: ............

Jane: That robot doll again......

Cielo: ...... It’s you two. I didn't follow Terra today, okay?

Jane: Seems like it, doesn’t it.

Terra: ...... Ah. It’s the robot doll from that time......

Terra: Following me... What?

Jane: He’s been following you recently. When he visited the library last time too.

Terra: ...... Eh!? Is that true!?

Terra: I didn't realize it at all... Why did you do that?

Cielo: You might be involved in my investigation.

Jane: What are you investigating?

Cielo: ...... I didn't say it that time, but I was told to recall my 'duty' by Fabra too.

Cielo: And sometimes, some memories I didn't experience appear in my mind. My 'role' as a detective feels off.

Cielo: What are those memories, what is my 'duty'......

Cielo: I'm investigating myself.

Jane: You also have 'duty'...?

Terra: Me too!

Terra: Actually yesterday, I saw "a memory I didn't experience"......

Terra: ...... In that "memory," I saw myself, singing in the clock tower.

Jane: You did? You should have told me sooner......

Terra: ...... I'm sorry. I couldn't remember anything else, so......

Terra: That's why I was so curious about the clock tower... I wanted to go there today, no matter what.

Jane: I see......

Cielo: I also felt like I had to go to the clock tower today.

Cielo: But I still don't understand anything, even up until now......

Terra: ...... Then, how about we look for it together?

Cielo: Together?

Terra: If we look for it together, and if our memories are connected, we might figure something out!

Cielo: ...... I've been investigating for three years now, but I still haven’t found anything......

Cielo: We won't find anything no matter what we do...!

Terra: But...!

*rumble rumble rumble*

Part 22 – A Change of Key (2)

*rumble rumble rumble*......

Augus: Why is it shaking!?

Augus: ...... Hm? The hole of the clock changed...?

Augus: What is happening!? I've never seen this shape......

Augus: The wind-up staff's shape is also changing...!?

*locks*

Augus: ...... It fits together?

Augus: The shaking has calmed down. ... Why did the shapes of the staff and the clock hole change?

*rumble rumble rumble*

Terra: It, hurts...!

Cielo: ...... Ow!

Jane: Are both of you ok!?

*rumble rumble rumble*

Jane: I can't stand, it's shaking so much......

Cielo: My head hurts so bad, it's like it's cracking open......

Cielo: Shit! Another memory...!? ... At time like this!? ...... Huh?

Cielo: In the clock tower, Terra and I...... ... I remember!

Jane: Terra...!!

Cielo: *gasp* ...!

Cielo: ...... Terra!! Look out!!!

Terra: Eh......

*Crumble* *CRASH!!*

*rumble rumble rumble*......

Jane: The shaking has... calmed down.....

Terra: ............... Cielo......

Jane: ...... Terra! Are you okay!?

Terra: ............... Cielo......

Terra: Cielo...... No...!!

Terra: Why did you protect me...!?

Terra: Cielo!!!!

Jane: ...... Terra! Calm down!

Terra: ......... What should I do Jane-san?! Cielo...... Cielo is......

Jane: Terra, how did you know his name...? ... Don't tell me, your memories...?

to be continued...

T/N

Casts: Terra ― Nanase Riku Cielo ― Kujou Tenn Jane ― Izumi Iori Augus ― Yaotome Gaku Fabra ― Nikaido Yamato Jeune ― Rokuya Nagi Dissen ― Yuki Martin ― Izumi Mitsuki April ― Yotsuba Tamaki Meir ― Osaka Sougo Octo ― Tsunashi Ryuunosuke Novem ― Momo

Proofread by @ousama-pudding Thank you for always~

(1) Nocturne= musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night

(2) the title is 転調 which means modulation/transition, in music it’s used when changing keys in the middle of a piece of music so I chose A Change of Key bc it fits the story!

The next post will be the last part! Stay tuned and thanks for reading!!

Part 23~26 →

[7thspacevelocity]

Symphogear XD Unlimited - Memoria Card “Kanade’s Paradise Massage” EN TL

After a battle, a calamity falls upon Kirika, who didn't take the importance of stretching seriously.

Chris: Well then.... it's like my body melted when I took that shower.

Shirabe: Let's begin stretching.

Kirika: Hm-hmm-hmm��� ......hm? What're you two up to?

Shirabe: Stretching, just as it appears.

Chris: After fighting Alca-Noise, your body feels all exhausted. If you don't stretch your muscles right......

Chris: Ah, thanks, mind putting some pressure on my back?

Shirabe: Okay......

Chris: Ow, ouch...... alright, I'll do it for you next.

Shirabe: That would be great.

Chris: By the way, that underarm stretch I was taught oughta be pretty effective......

Shirabe: I'd like for you to teach me that......

Chris: Okay, how about I do it after I'm done with your back?

Kirika: ......uhyaa~, you two sure are serious.

Chris: You shouldn't just stand there admiring. If you don't get stretching too, your muscles are gonna get all achy.

Shirabe: I agree, Kiri-chan.

Kirika: Heh heh heh! I'm totally fine without stretching!

Chris: Haa? Where's this self-confidence coming from?

Kirika: It's all because...... I'm so young!

Shirabe: ............

Chris: ............

Shirabe: Kiri-chan...... we were born in the same year.

Kirika: Weeeellll, even though you were born in the same year as me~

Chris: ......what the hell are you talking about? Between the two of us, we're only a year apart!

Kirika: Sure, but~. For now, I don't need any of that!

Shirabe: Ah, Kiri-chan......!

Chris: Oh, that little......

Shirabe: Not stretching...... that's not a good habit.

Chris: ......yeah.

Genjurou: Alright, today we'll have you all use the simulator for some combat training.

Genjurou: Your enemies will be virtual Alca-Noise. Using the combat data we've collected up to now as a basis, your experience will be very close to the real deal.

Genjurou: It’s a simulator, but should you look down on it, you'll be defeated. No slacking off!

Chris: Got it.

Shirabe: Understood.

Kirika: Yep!

Genjurou: Okay then, let's hurry up and-

Chris: Hey, old man, mind if I get a question in?

Genjurou: Ah, what is it?

Chris: Can you set how tough these virtual Alca-Noise will be?

Genjurou: Of course. We've prepared up to ten levels. For today, you'll be starting from the first level.

Shirabe: If that's so, start Kiri-chan off at level five.

Kirika: Wha!?

Chris: Ah, she was bragging about how she's so much younger than us a few days ago. We'd definitely love to see that youth gap in action, yeah?

Genjurou: Ohh, Kirika-kun's got that fighting spirit......

Genjurou: ......very well, if that's the case, shall we start Kirika-kun off at level five? It'll be plenty intense, but weather it with that youth of yours!

Kirika: De...... DEEEEATH!?

Chris & Shirabe: ......*grin*

Kirika: Kuoaaaa!

Kirika: Th, this...... is dangerous...... every step I take, it's like lightning running through my body......

Kirika: It's because of that...... ridiculous training yesterday...... I'm feeling it all the way through......

Kirika: I can't show myself to Shirabe or Chris like this......

Kirika: Haguo!? Destroy!!

Kirika: Th, that's it...... at a time like this, if I take a shower...... it'll heat up my body!

Kirika: Uuu...... just heating up my body isn't enough......

Kanade: Whoops!

Kirika: Ah......!? S, sor-

Kirika: Ngya!?

Kanade: Hey, what's with the weird voice...... huh, what’s got you so stiff?

Kirika: Kanade-san, you came by?

Kirika: Ow- well, this...... yesterday's training was a little too much.

Kirika: Thanks to these cruel circumstances......

Kanade: Haha, I got it. Muscles all aching?

Kanade: If that's it, how about I give you a massage?

Kirika: Eh-...... nah, I'd feel guilty about that-

Kanade: It might not seem like it, but I give a mean massage. It's a battle of body strength, you see.

Kanade: There won't be any stiffness left when I loosen up your muscles with a thorough rub-down!

Kirika: R, rub-down...... did a death flag already go up!?

Kanade: Alright, if it's decided, here I go......

Kirika: No, I'm totally oka...... a, aaaaa~!?

Kanade: M’kay, let's start off with...... your thighs......

Kirika: -......, n, kyaa-!?

Kanade: Hey, you can't have your joints cracking while you're stretching. If we don't stretch on the inside right, too......

Kanade: Here, just reach out and bend a little more-

Kirika: Nuoooo!?

Kanade: Ah, that's no good. When you're stretching, you've gotta take nice, deep breaths.

Kanade: Or, rather, your body's all stiff-

Kanade: I thought it'd be this tough. Okay then! Today I'll help you loosen up all the way!

Kanade: Mkay, first I'll put you on your side-

Kirika: Ah, no, I can't do th...... DEEEEEATH!?

Kirika: It's like I'm splitting apaaaaart!

Kanade: Ahaha! It's fine, I'm just making the proper adjustments.

Kirika: Just? This is only adjusting!?

Kirika: Kyaaa!?

Kanade: Look, one, two, one, two...... just turn over, nice and easy~

Kirika: Too much, too much, TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH!

Chris: ......with that, she probably understands how important it is to stretch out your body.

Shirabe: Kiri-chan, this is all for your sake.

Kirika: DEEEEE......ATH!!

Chris: ......pfft, kukuku.

Shirabe: .....fufu.

Another one out! Big thanks to @carolnein as ever for keeping quality excellent and, this time, to @parme-tan who ensured that I didn’t mangle characterization! Y’all are saviors!

[zephfair]

Day 27 Grimmichi Demon AU

Day 27: Demon AU

This one is...yeah, I don’t even know anymore. But only 5 more to go woo-hoo!

WARNING: There is a scene of a non-con kiss and some confused sex acts. Hey, he’s a demon, he’s supposed to be bad. And the rest should eventually make sense.

Ichigo often wondered if he was the only one who had them, but he was always a little too afraid of the answer to ask anyone else.

At some point in his teen years he became aware of two presences that haunted him. Well, to be fair, they didn't haunt so much as give unwanted and often unnecessary advice.

“Don't do it, it will disappoint your father,” came one voice from his right side.

“Who cares what he thinks, this is your life, do what you want,” came the voice from the other side.

And Ichigo was left to decide.

He eventually came to imagine them as sitting on his shoulders, tiny intruders who offered unsolicited opinions throughout his day until one day, he looked over and it was true.

“You shouldn't do that,” said a miniature woman in black. Her hair was dark and her eyes were light, and Ichigo was very confused.

“Why?” he asked, still stubborn despite the sudden apparition.

“Because it's not right, and it will hurt you, fool,” she said and gave his ear a kick with a tiny shoe for good measure.

“Ow,” he rubbed his ear and flicked at her but she dodged agilely and bit his finger.

Raucous laughter burst out from his left shoulder and Ichigo nearly strained his neck trying to see. A tiny figure all in white with bright blue hair was lying on the air above his shoulder, holding its gut and laughing.

“What are you?” He asked, picking up the figure by a leg and dangling it in front of his face so he could see it more clearly.

“I'm Grimmjow, your shoulder demon. Now put me the hell down,” the upside-down face swung into view. While Ichigo squinted to see it up close, the demon unsheathed a sword no bigger than a toothpick and stabbed his nose.

“Dammit,” Ichigo swore and dripped the demon who promptly floated freely in the air. Hovering above his nose, Grimmjow smirked. “Keep up the bad language; you make my job easy.”

“What the hell,” Ichigo said then yelped when he caught a foot right in the ear hole.

“Don't swear, you sound like an idiot, idiot,” the woman in black told him.

“Quit kicking me! Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“I'm Rukia, your shoulder angel, and you make my job a nightmare.” She flew over to stand beside Grimmjow.

“I'm losing my mind,” Ichigo said matter-of-factly.

“You wish,” Rukia said.

“Why can't see anyone else see you, if you're not a hallucination?”

“Do you want other people to see us?” Grimmjow snorted. “And see how big and manly your demon is compared to your angel?”

“You know that's not how it works,” Rukia said as she aimed a blow at Grimmjow that he blocked then he attacked her.

Ichigo grabbed one in each hand. “You both need to cool it. If people can't see you, they’ll think I'm crazy!”

Grimmjow drifted lazily back to his shoulder after giving him and Rukia both middle fingers, and Rukia with crossed arms stiffly took her post as well.

“We're here to provide guidance and direction to you,” Rukia said.

“So you’re here to tell me what to do,” Ichigo interpreted and Grimmjow began a slow clap.

Rukia sniffed. “We can only offer you our wisdom and counsel. It’s up to you to make the final choice. But you’re better off listening to me, if you know what’s good for you.”

“Simmer down, angel twit. Ichigo’ll soon see what a boring-ass you are and listen to the cool one of us, if he ever wants to have fun,” Grimmjow said.

“Fun does sound like fun,” Ichigo mused.

“That’s why you definitely should sneak out of the house tonight. Go on, we can find something better to do than sitting here on your ass.”

“You have school tomorrow, Ichigo,” Rukia reminded him, then pinched his earlobe.

“Eh. let’s do this,” Ichigo said, leg already out the window.

And so the presences became second nature to Ichigo. They weren’t always there, just when he came to a crossroads, when a choice presented itself, a decision needed to be made, a situation could go either way.

Then Rukia would plainly state the facts as she saw them, usually with a good measure of calling him names. To which Grimmjow would offer a rebuttal, usually with more name-calling that centered around believing Ichigo was a wimp if he didn’t take the risk.

If there was ever a chance for it to end in a fight, Grimmjow was always all for it. Ichigo got a lot of bruises and black eyes.

The day he met Chad was one of the few times they ever agreed— Rukia calling on him to defend and offer aid, Grimmjow yelling at him to fight the bastards.

After that, Rukia seemed to approve of Chad and his quiet influence while Grimmjow was always urging him to get the strong young man to spar.

It wasn't until Ichigo’s last year of high school that they agreed fully again. Between family drama and school and his few friends, Ichigo hadn't dated and hadn't really been interested in anyone.

Then Orihime confessed her feelings one evening after the rest of their friends had gone home. Ichigo choked and stuttered and couldn't answer. Even though he felt the invisible weight of his advisers, they didn't clamor to chime in for once.

“Uh, I don't know what to say,” he answered honestly.

Orihime smiled up at him wistfully then put her hands on his shoulders and leaned up. He knew what was coming and he didn't say anything to encourage or discourage her. Her lips pressed against his, and he didn't do anything.

“Why aren't you kissing her back?” Grimmjow's voice muttered in his ear. “She wants it. Grab her, hold her, touch her--”

“Are you sure you don't want to do this? She cares a lot about you and she's a sweet girl,” Rukia said quietly in his other ear.

Ichigo brought his hands up and gently held Orihime’s upper arms, carefully stepping away. “I'm sorry, Orihime. I don't want to hurt you, because I love being friends with you. But that's all I feel for you.”

“Is there someone else?” She whispered.

“What?”

“Is there someone else that you like?”

“No,” he said even as Ichigo's mind supplied him weirdly with visions of broad shoulders and flat chests and general bulk, a far cry from Orihime's petite and soft frame. “It's not you. It's just me.”

“I understand,” she said, looking down. Ichigo squeezed her arms.

“You'll find someone else who cares about you the same way.” He turned and walked home, the silence deafening.

When he avoided his family and flopped on his bed, Rukia sat on his shoulder and poked his cheek until he swatted at her.

“Why'd you really turn her down?”

“You were there,” he retorted.

“She would have been nice to have as a girlfriend, but I think you were actually smart, for once, and did the right thing,” Rukia said.

“As much as I hate to agree with the small fry, you did the right thing.” Grimmjow stood on Ichigo's chest, arms crossed over himself and glaring.

“So how come you both didn't want me to date Orihime? I'm a little nervous about you both coming to the same conclusion.”

Grimmjow and Rukia looked at each other for a second before staring away in opposite directions.

Ichigo reached up and flicked them both. After they'd fluttered up into the air and called him names, both settled back on opposite sides of his chest where he could still see them.

“You wouldn't make a good match with her,” Rukia told him. “Yes, she loves the you she thinks she sees but you wouldn't be good for her. She'd have to change too much to be what she thinks you want. She's better off being with someone who loves and appreciates her for who she is, who she can be her true self around.”

“Geez, way to make me sound like a jerk,” Ichigo grumbled.

“Not a jerk, just not boyfriend material,” Grimmjow said from where he was floating cross-legged above Ichigo.

“That doesn’t sound much better.”

Grimmjow just smirked at him. “Come on, do you really wanna be tied down to one person? Even if they’re as hot as that one? And she’s too nice. You’d get bored with her in no time. You need someone who’s strong and a little crazy, someone who’ll keep you on your toes. Enjoys the same shit you do. Maybe slap you around a little.”

“I don’t think I’d like being slap—”

Grimmjow flew right into his eye. “You’d take it and you’d like it!”

“Ow!” Ichigo batted at him, but Grimmjow dodged easily as always. “I don’t want all that. I don’t even know if I want anyone.”

“Oh, Ichigo, it’s okay,” Rukia pushed Grimmjow out of the way and took the place right in front of Ichigo. “If you’re not ready for a girlfriend, you don’t have to hurry into anything.”

“I’m not sure a girlfriend is what I’d want anyway,” Ichigo mumbled, rolling onto his belly so he could hide his face in his pillow.

Ichigo felt the unfamiliar comfort of tiny fingers in his hair without pulling. It felt more like a gentle breeze ruffling his hair than anything, but he appreciated it.

Rukia said, “It’ll be all right, Ichigo. If you want it, then someday the time will be right, and it will happen.”

A tug on his hair was more like getting some strands of hair caught in a zipper. And Grimmjow said, “You’re a wimp, Kurosaki. If you want something, you gotta take it. It’s the only way.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Leave me alone,” Ichigo swung his hand out blindly and figured they avoided it easily. Then he fell asleep, still wondering why he wasn’t more disappointed at turning down a chance with Orihime.

When he next felt fingers in his hair, Ichigo woke up with a start. The hand was large, covering the back of his skull, and the fingers were not gentle. When he jerked, the fingers wound in his hair and pulled.

“Ouch, stop it,” he rolled over, batting the hand away, and saw “Grimmjow?! What the fuck!”

“Kurosaki,” Grimmjow purred.

“What are you doing? You’re huge! Or am I small, like you?” Ichigo looked around his room in a panic, but everything else was exactly the same as when he’d fallen asleep. All except for the tiny shoulder demon, which was now a large man sitting on his bed.

“It doesn’t do a man’s ego good, you calling him small,” Grimmjow said, leaning into Ichigo's face.

Ichigo put his hand on Grimmjow’s face and pushed it back. “You are small. Teeny. Tiny. Miniscule. That doesn’t explain why you’re all big now!” Then Ichigo looked around again. “Wait, where’s Rukia? Is she here? Is she big too?”

“Rukia, Rukia,” Grimmjow mocked his voice. “You always want to listen to her. Well, it’s time for you to listen to me and me alone.”

“Grimmjow, I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to understand,” Grimmjow said. “I’m here because you need me. Not in the way that I’ve tempted you before, but in my true form.”

And he pushed Ichigo’s shoulders onto the bed and kissed him. Ichigo struggled and punched him in the head, making him finally pull back.

Then Ichigo got to his feet. “I’m going to kick your ass,” he vowed.

Grimmjow just smirked and sprawled back onto his elbows. “Oh, Kurosaki, you know how I love it rough.”

“What’s the matter with you?! You’ve never done this before!”

“I never revealed my true nature to you because you never seemed interested. But today, thinking about that frail little human girl, you realized that you could never desire, never be fulfilled by one like that. I knew it was finally time to come to you as an incubus.”

“You’re crazy,” Ichigo said flatly. “Or I’m crazy, but there is definitely everything wrong about this situation.”

“Come on, I know exactly what you were thinking when you had that girl in your arms.” Grimmjow got to his feet with a boneless kind of move that made Ichigo's mouth dry. He stepped closer and his voice lowered. “You were thinking about someone bigger, someone...harder.” Grimmjow stopped only when their chests were touching. “Someone who could hold you down and make you scream, do all the things you’ve fantasized about but never would have the balls to ask for. Well, here I am.”

Ichigo swallowed hard. It was impossible and it was kind of awful, but he was definitely turned on.

Grimmjow seemed to know it too because he smirked and reached out. Only he didn’t fondle or coddle; he took a handful of Ichigo's hair and tilted his head the way he wanted then kissed him.

And Ichigo wanted it. Orihime had taken his first kiss, but this, this was nothing like that. Grimmjow’s mouth was hard, his lips firm and he moved them. And then his tongue, oh god, his tongue was hot and thrust into Ichigo's mouth like he owned it.

All Ichigo could do was bring his hands up to Grimmjow’s biceps and hold on. He could feel the heat of Grimmjow’s body against his, all the way down. Unlike Orihime’s small, soft figure that he towered over, Grimmjow was a few inches taller but he felt larger because of his broad chest and the way he was curling around Ichigo as the kissing went on.

When Grimmjow moved to bite his ear then kiss down his neck, Ichigo jerked in his arms. Grimmjow pulled him as he walked backward, then cushioning the fall as Grimmjow hit the bed, Ichigo on top of him.

That felt even better as Grimmjow rocked his hips up into Ichigo's, letting him feel the hard bulge in his pants that was echoed in Ichigo’s. Ichigo gasped and Grimmjow pulled his head back down for another kiss.

Grimmjow moved his legs apart so Ichigo was cradled between them, and ran one of his big hands down Ichigo's back to hold his ass.

Ichigo moaned, not able to keep up with all the touching and sensations he was feeling. All he could imagine was if it felt that good when they were fully clothed, it must surely feel insane if they were naked.

As if he read the thought, Grimmjow stopped sucking on his neck and grinned at him. “You ready for more, Kurosaki?”

“Yeah,” Ichigo grunted.

“You sure?” Grimmjow taunted, and Ichigo leaned up and bit him. It was a poor choice for punishment because Grimmjow only purred. “Well, if you’re that eager...” he did a movement with his hand and they were both suddenly naked.

Ichigo gasped as he felt all of Grimmjow’s skin under him, including the rub of his dick against Ichigo’s own. He pumped his hips and did it again and a third time, unable to stop at the feeling of his cock rubbing against Grimmjow’s.

“Yeah, you like that,” Grimmjow whispered in his ear. “You know what you’ll like even more?”

His fingers traced down Ichigo's ass and soothed over his hole. Ichigo shuddered and Grimmjow moved, somehow getting over top Ichigo who now lay on his belly on the bed, fully spread open for Grimmjow’s view.

“This is what you want. This is what you’ve always wanted, even if you denied it to yourself. And now I’m going to take it, show you exactly what you’ve been missing.”

Ichigo squirmed to get away from his breath in his ear, moved back against Grimmjow’s hard cock and forward into the hand that squeezed between his cock and the bed.

He was breathing so hard he thought he might pass out as Grimmjow dragged his own cock down the cleft of Ichigo's ass to the place where Ichigo had learned two men could be joined. As Grimmjow’s hand stroked his cock roughly, he felt Grimmjow press inside him.

The sensations overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t draw a deep breath. He thrust forward into the hot tight clench of Grimmjow’s fist then groaned as he rocked backward to where they were joined. Grimmjow’s hot breath panted against his cheek as he pounded into him.

“Gonna make you come. Gonna show you what you want. It’s me, Ichigo. You’ll always want me,” Grimmjow chanted against his ear as Ichigo had to shut his eyes against the way the room spun. He felt his whole body stiffen and tighten and then he was coming, all over Grimmjow’s hand and his bed, and it was the best orgasm he’d had. He rolled onto his back so he could gasp for fresh air, and then he fell asleep.

When Ichigo woke up in the morning, he reached out immediately, looking for Grimmjow. But there was no one in his bed but him, and as he looked down at himself in confusion, he was still in the clothes he’d fallen asleep in. Huh, Grimmjow must have used his magic to dress him again.

He got out of bed, feeling refreshed and relaxed for the first time in a long while. Then he felt the unwanted reminder in his pants that he’d found too many times a few years before. He froze. Wait, if he’d come in his pants and Grimmjow wasn’t around… he hurried to his mirror and pulled his shirt away from his neck. There were no marks at all. He was pretty sure that Grimmjow had left marks with all that sucking.

He shifted around and there was no other physical evidence that anything had happened. He sank onto the bed and held his head in his hands.

What the hell was going on? Did he have sex with Grimmjow or not? Had Grimmjow really visited him?

“Hey, Grimmjow,” Ichigo called out, asking for him for the first time. Nothing happened. So he tried, “Hey, Rukia, are you there?” Still nothing.

Now Ichigo was sweating. He was so confused. Had it all been a dream? Or was Grimmjow a real, true demon that had seduced him and then left like it was nothing?

“Ichigo?” He jumped when the female voice called his name, but it was only Yuzu knocking at his door. “Are you going to eat breakfast today?”

“No,” Ichigo shook his head to try and clear it. “I’m going to shower.”

He needed the time to get his thoughts together and check his body again, but there was absolutely no signs that Grimmjow had ever laid a hand on him. And Ichigo was surprised by how disappointed that made him feel.

He slouched his way to school, thinking that if he considered skipping that day, then maybe Rukia and Grimmjow would appear to talk him out of or into it. But it didn’t work.

He just made it into his seat in time to avoid being tardy. Orihime offered him a little smile which he returned, but Tatsuki glared at him. Chad just nodded in greeting.

The teacher started talking, and Ichigo began to zone out until the words “new student transferred” reached his ears and the classroom door opened.

He looked up and almost shot out of his seat. A tall blue-haired figure stood there in its typical insolent slouch. He looked indifferently around the class as if taking the measure of each student and finding them all wanting.

Then he locked eyes with Ichigo and a slow smile widened across his face. Ichigo stared back. He wasn’t even surprised when the teacher assigned the new kid the seat behind Ichigo. He slid in and immediately kicked the back of Ichigo’s chair.

“Hey, what’s your name?” he whispered loudly.

Ichigo stared straight ahead and waited. But no one alighted on his shoulders to advise him whether to turn around and talk to the new guy or not.

He took a deep breath and made up his own mind.

[hannahhhhify]

Chapter 188: I hate being so mean

Zac’s POV:

Taylor: “let’s get this over with so you can get some rest, okay?” he said rubbing my back. I shook my head no.

Zac: “do you have to s-spank me?” I mumbled into his chest. I don’t want one. My butt hurts from Paul already, and it’s really embarrassing. It’s more embarrassing when Taylor does it I think, because I really want him to think I’m cool, but now he is probably going to think of me as a little kid.

Taylor: “Do you think you deserve one Zac?” he said pulling away from me. I pouted, and he laughed. “I think you know you do deserve one”

Zac: “I don’t want one”

Taylor: “well, you’re getting one” I bit my lip and nodded. the door opened, and Kevin poked his head in.

Kevin: “Taylor?”

Taylor: “what?”

Kevin: “you c-cant-“

Denise: “Kevin Jonas! We told you to leave them alone!” she yelled... Kevin jumped and looked over at her

Kevin: “But mommy, he is sick, and it’s not fair” he whined

Denise: “shut that door and come here!”

Kevin: “b-but-“

Denise: “NOW!” she yelled. he pouted and slowly shut the door and Taylor sighed.

Zac: “He is so protective of me sometimes” I said smiling sadly. he smiled back and nodded.

Taylor: “Kevin is a good kid, he has tried to get me out of punishments before too. it never works though”

Zac: “it’s not going to work for me either, is it?” he shook his head no.

Taylor: “nope, it’s not” he said sitting down on the edge of the bed... I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just stood there awkwardly, “you can sit” he said laughing at me.

Zac: “sorry, I’m um… nervous” I said sitting down.

Taylor: “I understand, I get really nervous when I get in trouble too”

Zac: “you do?”

Taylor: “Of course I get nervous, it sucks getting in trouble. And spankings hurt”

Zac: “yeah they do hurt, Kevin’s grandpa spanked me because he caught me playing with fire, and I think it was the most painful spanking I have gotten so far”

Taylor: “that honestly doesn’t surprise me, Papa Jonas can be really harsh sometimes”

Zac: “he is mean”

Taylor: “not as mean as I will be to you, if you sneak out on my watch ever again” he said giving me a ‘I’m being serious’ face. I cringed.

Zac: “I won’t do it again, I’m sorry”

Taylor: ”I don’t want you to be scared of me Zac, I’m not mad at you, it just freaked me out, and scared me, and the boys when you weren’t here. The boys all cried when you said you were at your dad’s house... it really scared them, and it scared me” I looked down.

Zac: “I’m sorry, I.. I was okay t-though”

Taylor: “The last time you snuck out and went there, he...”

Zac: “I know what he did!” I whined. I don’t want to even think about what happened.

Taylor: “Then you should be able to understand why we were scared for you Zachary” he said crossing his arms.

Zac: “I u-understand… I j-just don’t want to lose my dad… he is the only one I have, and I know that he doesn’t mean to hurt me”

Taylor: “you don’t just ACCIDENTLY beat the shit out of someone. He has a choice to make every time he grabs a beer, and every time he hits you. he makes the wrong choice, and that IS his fault”

Zac: “but Taylor, you don’t know him, he didn’t used to be like this“

Taylor: “and I don’t ever want to know him… he might not have always been like this, but he is now, and YOU need to stay away from him until he is no longer like this, and I am going to do everything I can to make sure you do, and so is Paul, and the rest of the family, because we all care about you, and don’t want to see you hurt so bad like that again. and BY THE WAY ZACHARY…” he said sternly, making me look at him. “He isn’t the only one you have, you have all of us” he said rolling his eyes.

Zac: “I know but.. you guys aren’t…“ I trailed off, unsure if I want to say it.

Taylor: “family?” he said finishing my sentence... I nodded. “I know you haven’t known us for very long..” he said looking down... “b-but when I think of who my brothers are… you come into mind too” I couldn’t help but gasp.

Zac: “really?” he nodded.

Taylor: “yes, really”

Zac: “I always wanted a big brother…” I said softly. Taylor smiled and pulled me into a hug.

Taylor: “congratulations, you got a super over protective one, and your about to get a butt whipping” I pouted as he pulled out of the hug. but I didn’t argue with him… I know I deserve this.

Zac: “is Paul going to be mad forever?” he laughed and shook his head no.

Taylor: “he is just mad because he doesn’t want you to put yourself in harms way. He loves you, a lot”

Zac: “I love him too” Taylor nodded.

Taylor: “He has a soft spot for you, he doesn’t want you to have to face your dad alone, he wants to make sure you are safe”

Zac: “I understand… I shouldn’t have snuck out”

Taylor: “I think we should get this over with, I can hear that you are losing your voice, you need to rest” he said standing up, and taking his belt off. I bit my lip and shivered as he slipped his belt out of his beltloops.

Zac: “d-do you have to use that?” he nodded.

Taylor: “you should consider yourself lucky, because Paul would probably choose something much more painful for your backside” he is right about that. “do you want to go over my lap, or over the bed?”

Zac: “over the bed, please” he nodded

Taylor: “pants down, pillow under your waist” he said gesturing to the bed with the hand that has the belt in it. I pouted and got up and I pulled my pants off, and then I grabbed a pillow and put it under me and hopped onto the bed. This is SOOOO embarrassing. But at least I don’t have to go over his lap… I guess. I buried my face into the comforter. And I felt the bed kind of dip near me, and I felt his hand press down on my lower back. “I’m starting now, Zachary” I nodded my head and I heard the belt land across the middle of my bare bottom and I jumped a second later when I felt the burning pain… this wasn’t worth it. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! UGH! It definitely wasn’t worth it. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! I guess Taylor thinks I was lectured enough, because he isn’t saying anything. and he hits HARD! WHACK WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! I whimpered and grabbed onto the blankets to try to keep myself from reaching back, or kicking him. WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! Those ones all landed on like the same spot, where my thighs meet my butt, and that got my tears falling for sure.

Zac: “th-this isn’t because I think your sister is hot is it?” I joked, I knew it’s not, but when I’m upset, or anyone else is, or If its uncomfortable, I always try to be funny, I think that’s just how I cope with stuff. Taylor stopped spanking me, and he started laughing.

Taylor: “Nah, I am doing it because I’m jealous that you don’t think that I’m the hot one” he joked back. and even though tears are running down my face, I laughed. And he started back up where he left off, making me jump.

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Zac: “Ouchh! If I say you’re cute, will you stop?” I joked back. Taylor chuckled.

Taylor: “nope, but It would make me feel better about myself” WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Zac: “UGHHH! Fineee then your ugly!” I whined

Taylor: “well then…” he said sounding fake offended. “At least my girlfriend doesn’t think so” he said chuckling. I groaned. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! I let out a pained cry. I can’t hold it in anymore. This freaking hurts. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! WHACK!

Zac: “OUCH! Tayloorrr! It hurtsss” I cried

Taylor: “it’s supposed too” WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! WHACK!

Zac: “b-but it hurts a lot” WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! “OWWW!!”

Taylor: “why are you getting a spanking Zackary?” ugh…

WHACK WHACK WHACK! WHACK! I started sobbing.

Zac: “AHH! OUCH!” WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! I tried to reach back to block him, but he caught my wrist in his hand and pinned it to my back. Clearly, he is done joking around, and I’m in pain.

Taylor: “I” WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK!! “ASKED” WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! “YOU” WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! WHACKK WHACK! WHACKKK! I screamed, hurting my throat really bad, making me sob even harder, and then I started kicking my feet and trying t wiggle around, out of his grip. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! “A QUESTION!!” WHACK WHACK! Ugh I forgot what he asked.

Zac: “I d-do-don’t kno- OWWW!!! W-what you sa-said OUCH! AHH OUCH!”

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK!

Taylor: “I asked you why you are getting this spanking Zachary” WHACK WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Zac: “F-For OW!!” The belt freaking hurts! “Snea-Sneaking out, an-and p-putting m-myself in a d-dangerous s-si-situation.. OWW!” he started slowing down the hits, but they are still raining down, and It hurts so bad. and I’m crying my eyes out.

Taylor: “Don’t do that again Zac, we love you too much to see him hurt you like he has” WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACKK! WHACK! I broke down limp over the bed, unable to do anything but sob. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! Taylor let go of my wrist and it fell to my side. I’m sobbing so hard that my ribs are starting to hurt again. I wish I could beg him to stop, and tell him that I’m so sorry, but I can’t do anything but cry. WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK! WHACKK! I didn’t notice it stopped until I felt my underwear being pulled back up. He picked me up and sat on the bed, with me in his lap, thankfully he made sure my butt wasn’t touching anything. but it still hurts so bad though. and now I’m getting tears and snot all over his shirt. He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me.

Taylor: “it’s all over now” He said softly.

Zac: “Taaaylor! You hurrrt m-meee” I cried, trying to reach back to rub.

Taylor: “no rubbing” he said grabbing my wrist, and pulling my hand away from my behind. I sobbed even harder and buried my face into his shoulder, he leaned his head onto mine, holding me closer. “I know it hurts, I’m sorry I had to spank you so hard, but you can’t be doing that Zac, I know you love your dad, but you can’t see him by yourself right now... he needs to get himself better first, and we aren’t trying to be mean, we are trying to keep you safe, okay?” I nodded. I know my dad has issues. But I am glad that I got to see him, and he wasn’t so bad today, I know it could have been so bad though, so I do understand where Taylor and Paul are coming from, and I understand why the boys were upset, and I won’t do that to them again. Taylor held me until I was able to kind of calm myself down. which I was really thankful for, because I think it would have made me cry harder if he would have left me alone.

Zac: “t-th-thank you for hu-hugging me” I said awkwardly. I’m starting to feel really dumb for crying like a baby now. “y-you didn’t ha-have to stay”

Taylor: “yes I did… I know it sucks to get spanked, but it sucks to spank someone too, I needed to hug you, after that” he said softly. “I love you Zac”

Zac: “I love y-you too”

-------------------------------

Paul’s POV:

I walked out of my office, most of the kids are still asleep. Edward’s talking on the phone to Sam I’m guessing. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked if he could come over yet. John says that they are inseparable, and I can tell. Edward is a whole different person when Sam is around, he seems so much happier, which is super cute. Years ago, I always said that I would be upset if any of my kids were gay, but as I’ve gotten older, I realize that I just want my kids to be happy with whatever they choose. And I’m so glad that Edward and Sam found each other. Edward has had a rough life, and he deserves someone that makes him happy. I walked into the kitchen, and Denise was cooking, and Kevin was sitting at in a chair in the middle of the room.

Denise: “I’m making some soup for Zac, because he really needs to eat”

Paul: “yeah he does, do you need any help?”

Denise: “No, I’m almost done honey, you can have the chore of getting him to actually eat it” I sighed

Paul: “Well, he is going to have a sore butt, so I think some smacks will motivate him to eat, if he doesn’t want to listen” Denise nodded. “Kevin, did you have a good nap?” he looked up at me, and I noticed the pout on his face, and the tears in his eyes. he didn’t say anything though. “is he in a timeout?” I asked Denise. She nodded.

Denise: “He went in there and bothered Zac and Taylor after we told him no” I shook my head.

Paul: “why did you disobey us?”

Kevin: “I ju-just wanted to m-make sure Zac was okay, because you looked really mad” he mumbled. I sighed

Paul: “come here Kevin” he looked at his mother… nervous to get up without her permission.  

Denise: “you can get up” she said noticing his hesitation.

Kevin: “daddy, s-she already s-spanked me” he said nervously

Denise: “And I’m going to spank you again if you don’t listen to your dad” she said sternly. Kevin quickly jumped up and ran over to me. I chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

Paul: “I love how caring you are Kevin, but you need to listen to us, okay?” he nodded.

Kevin: “okay, I’m sorry” I nodded, and I kissed the top of his head.

--------------------------------

Zac’s POV:

Paul walked into the room holding my puppy. I immediately let go of Taylor and reached for my doggie. Paul smiled and walked over to us, and he gave me my puppy, and I hugged him and he licked my face.

Paul: “thank you for taking care of it” he said to Taylor. Taylor started talking to him and I just completely ignored them, and I just cuddled with my puppy and tried to stop crying. I leaned back into Taylor’s chest and I closed my eyes. I’m so exhausted, and now I’m in pain. all I want to do is rub the pain away. but Taylor already stopped me from rubbing. Meanie. Paul leaned down and kissed the top of my head and I blinked my eyes open to look up at him.

Zac: “I-I’m s-sorry I-I..” I covered my mouth and I coughed and winced at the pain in my throat. “I-I.. I’m s-sorry I-I w-worried e-eee-everybody, a-and I’m s-sorry I d-didn’t w-wait f-forrr you t-to take m-me t-to see m-my dad” I said as best as I could through my tears and sobs. He nodded.

Paul: “you are forgiven” he said feeling my forehead with the back of his hand. “We made you some warm soup to eat”

Zac: “I donnt w-wa-“

Paul: “you haven’t eaten anything, you need to”

Zac: “hurts” I mumbled. he nodded

Paul: “I know... but you don’t want to go back to the doctor, do you?”

Zac: “n-no sir”

Paul: “then you need to eat… get in bed, I’ll bring you some” I nodded, and he smiled and hugged me.

Paul: “I love you, I’m glad you didn’t get hurt today”

Zac: “I l-l-love y-you too b-but I.. but my butt hurts” Taylor and Paul both laughed.

Paul: “you deserve a sore bottom. I’ll be right back” I nodded, and he left the room and I pouted. I just want to go to sleep.

Taylor: “are you okay?”

Zac: “I don’t l-like s-span-spankings”

Taylor: “Neither do I. I’m sorry that I had to do that, I hate having to spank you, or any of my brothers”

Zac: “s-sorry i-i um.. snuck out” he nodded. and he reached around me to pet my puppy.

Taylor: “did you name him yet?” he asked, changing the subject. I looked at my puppy and I smiled. I love my puppy so so much.

Zac: “s-since the boys named th-t-their dog Mufasa, from the lion king, I I wanted to… I think w-we should” I started coughing again.

Taylor: “Simba?” I smiled, and nodded. “That’s so cute Zac, I love it, and the boys are going to love it too!”

Zac: “Hi Simba” I said kissing the top of my puppy’s head. He just licked me again in response. Taylor helped me get my pants back on, and then I got into bed, and Simba cuddled into my side.

Taylor: “I need to go home, but I love you, and I hope you get feeling better, try to behave” he said kissing the top of my head.

Zac: “okay Big brother, I’ll try” He chuckled and left the room.

-------------------------

Dan’s POV:

I’m walking around with Bethany, rocking her and bouncing her. Deb is sleeping, so I am trying to keep Bethany happy for as long as I can. I’m making noises and faces at her to try to make her smile at me. she totally loves Deb more then she loves me. I feel bad because she just always wants Deb, and I want her to want me too sometimes. But right now, she seems okay with me. I heard Matthew laugh softly and I looked up from her and smiled at him

Dan: “what?”

Matt: “you are an adorable dad” he said laughing, I rolled my eyes.

Dan: “thank you... I guess”

Matt: “Can I hold her, please?” he said walking over to me. I nodded

Dan: “of course you can” I carefully handed her to him.

Matt: “she’s so tiny… I wonder what she’s going to be like when she’s older… like what she’s going to like? what her favorite color is going to be? what kind a person she’s going to be?”

Dan: “I don’t know, but I really hope that you will be around to see...” he looked up at me and he smiled.

Matt: “I will be”

Dan: “you better be… Bethany needs to know how crazy her Uncle Matthew is” I said reaching up and messing up his hair. “and… I need my crazy little brother”

Matt: “don’t worry, you guys are stuck with me forever” He said shaking his head, so I would stop messing with his hair.

Dan: “you need a haircut” I said pulling my hand away from him.

Matt: “yeah I know. they are going to shave my head, so I figured I would just let it grow out until they do”

-------------------------------

Demi’s POV:

A day with the girls is like exactly what I needed. We’ve had so much fun doing eachothers makeup and dressing up, and dancing, and singing and taking a million selfies. I Love Alison and Tay, and I haven’t hungout with Olivia a lot, but she is like the funniest person ever, and I can see why Drake likes her. she’s been making us laugh all day.

Tay: “you guys are all so skinny… I feel so huge”

Olivia: “well... that’s because you are two people silly” Tay looked down at her tummy and she smiled.

Tay: “I have so many months to go… I can’t imagine how it’s going to feel being nine months pregnant, I already feel so terrible”

Demi: “My mommy felt terrible too, but she made it through it, and so will you”

Tay: “I hope so!... but speaking of baby Alex, He’s really hungry!” Me and Olivia both giggled.

Demi: “let’s go downstairs, and find some food”

Tay: “yesss please!” I laughed and grabbed her hand and lead her downstairs, with Olivia and Alison following behind.

Dan: “hey girls” he said as we all went into the kitchen, he is holding Bethany with one arm, and trying, but failing to wash some dishes with the other hand. I let go of Tay’s hand and I walked over, and I shooed him away and took over quickly washing the dishes.

Dan: “thank you baby girl” he said kissing my forehead.

Demi: “No problem daddy” Olivia, and Alison and Tay all surrounded my daddy, just so that they could obsess over Bethany, they literally backed him into the counter, which made me laugh.

Olivia: “she’s soooo cute!” Olivia squealed.

Alison: “Demi! She looks just like you!”

Tay: “she’s sooo beautiful! It makes me want to cry!”

Olivia: “it makes me want a babbyy!”

Dan: “um… not with my kid you don’t” he said sternly...

Olivia: “well… Drakes not your kid”

Dan: “Not by blood, but he is still my kid, and he isn’t going to be having any babies any time soon… got it?” Olivia laughed and nodded.

Olivia: “Yes sir, no babies, I got it” Dad chuckled.

Dan: “Good! because I’m still in shock that Taylor is having a baby, If Drake decides to have one too, my hair will all turn gray for sure”

Olivia: “don’t worry, Drake and I aren’t done being kids yet, we aren’t ready for that… but she’s sooooo cute!”

Demi: “you guys are trapping my dad… back up” I said laughing.

Dan: “do you girls want to hold her?” they all nodded. “Okay, go sit down with her in the living room” he said carefully handing her over to Tay. The girls nodded and followed Tay out of the room. dad sighed. “you don’t get much personal space when you are holding a cute baby” he said smirking at me.

Demi: “I love her so much daddy” I said finishing up the last of the dishes.

Dan: “I know she loves you too Demi, you’re a good big sister” I bit my lip and looked down...

Demi: “No I’m not… I’m really mean to my little brothers… I don’t even mean to be, I just am”  

Dan: “I think you are doing a little better honey, I’m proud of you” I put the last dish up, and then I hugged him and then he helped me make some food. I really do have a good dad… I love him so much.

--------------------------

Taylor’s POV:

Dan: “were the boys good for you?”

Taylor: “Did uncle Matthew tell you what Zac did?”

Matt: “Nah, I didn’t tell him. I wasn’t sure how you were going to handle it”

Dan: “tell me what?”

Matt: “Zac snuck out and he went to his dad’s house, Taylor had me go help him get him” Dad shook his head.

Dan: “is he alright?”

Taylor: “yes. He is okay, but he is pretty sore now…” I said frowning.

Dan: “I’m sure he is sore, if I was there I would have whipped his butt, and I’m guessing that’s exactly what Paul did”

Taylor: “Zac asked me to discipline him instead, because he didn’t want Paul to know that he did that, but-“

Dan: “You didn’t tell Paul?! Taylor! Paul needs to be aware of what Zac’s doing, he could get hurt!”

Taylor: “Dad… I wasn’t finished… I told on him, and Paul was MAD, very mad, so I asked him if I could take care of his punishment, because I was worried about him being too angry with Zac to be able to handle it, and Paul agreed that he was too mad, and he let me Punish Zac”

Dan: “that must have been tough, are you okay?” I nodded.

Taylor: “I’m a little sad, I hate having to be so mean… is Tay still here?”

Dan: “yes, the girls are all still here”

Taylor: “can I go bother them?”

Dan: “bother them? don’t annoy your sister”

Taylor: “Demi thinks I’m annoying even if I’m just in the same room dad, it’s impossible to NOT annoy her” I said rolling my eyes.

--------

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I had a hard time with this chapter, I kinda hate it, but I’m hoping the next one will be better. -Hannah

[exolstice-blog]

Hotline | Junmyeon

Genre: Humor (i tried) ; Fluff

Description: It wasn’t exactly a surprise for you when you heard Kim Junmyeon behind the other end of the line.

Word Count: 2095

Warning: Could at some point touch sexual themes but not go as far as that.

Author’s Note: Yes, this simply came out of nowhere and could be sh!t, who knows, mostly dialogue too,, e n j o y ^^

You uttered a silent curse for around the tenth time, turning and tossing on your bed in an exasperated attempt at falling asleep. It wasn’t that late at night, 8:00 p.m. at most, but your plans for that day had been cancelled when your best friend explained she’d ought to take care of her little cousins-- a quirky pair of twins that would sometimes freak you out with their twin-ish antics, and you’d already depleted every other source of diversion you’d found within the confinement of your room.

Your parents weren’t at home either as they both worked up to late hours at night. So, finding not a reason why not to, you found yourself driven to something you’d been meaning to do for quite a while. Dialing a hotline. Well, really, it was just your school hotline but you found it hilarious nonetheless. Just how had that rickety old principal come up with that idea, it amused you.

A hotline for mathematics can solve all your problematics. It never failed to make you burst with laughter, his witty motto. More when you thought of how much all of you had to suck at academics for him to even have to go through those troubles. Either way, you had to agree the other hotlines he’d set up had definitely been a great investment. They could help people, and you liked that. Though for now you could only think of those seating behind the other end of the mathematics line. Surely, they were desperate for calls, you bet they’d never actually had any people really interested in seeking academic help-- yeah, you’d heard some acquaintances talking about it, but no doubt they’d only ever used it for their own amusement.

Now you were soon to find out.

[phone dialing]

XXXXXXXX: A hotline for mathematics can solve all your problematics! How can I--

Your smile outstretched to the far ends of your cheeks and you resisted the sudden urge to laugh. Of course, it had to be him.

Y/N: Kim Junmyeon, I am appalled.

You couldn't keep the sarcasm out of your voice and you could virtually see his brows knitted together in a frown.

Junmyeon: Excuse me, but, who are you?

You felt a bit disappointed, yes, but couldn’t deny you were a bit glad he didn’t recognize you. You could tease him plenty.

Y/N: Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about me~ I thought our time in the janitor’s closet had been unforgettable.

Yes, that would do.

Junmyeon: Y-You! Do you have any idea how much trouble you got me into?!

Y/N: Ow, don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it?

Junmyeon: What the-- Nothing happened between us!

Junmyeon sounded genuinely agitated and you just hoped he was blushing beneath that seeming aggressiveness as you maintained your good-girl-bad-girl act.

Y/N: But it could have, baby boy.

Junmyeon: Oh my God, if you don’t have any real questions to ask then I’ll go ahead and haang up.

Y/N: Okay, okay! Jeez, can’t handle a small joke, eh, baby--

Junmyeon: Don’t call me that.

Y/N: Alright, alright. Let me ask you a real question, then. What are you wearing?

Junmyeon: What?

Y/N: Boxers or briefs? I’m wearing a white nightgown myself and imagining your hand trailing up my--

Junmyeon: WAIT. What the hell Y/N?!

Y/N: Isn’t this a hotline~?

You could feel it. You were grinding his gears and for some inexplicable reason you were enjoying it. Quite much, in fact.

Junmyeon: Alright, I see you are nothing but a waste of time, I will hang up now.

Y/N: Wait, wait, wait! I’m kidding, alright. I’ll behave now.

You were laughing now and somehow couldn’t stop. You could simply hear him sigh.

Junmyeon: I hope so. Otherwise...

Y/N: Oh, how menacing~ Should I feel threatened?

Junmyeon: You very much should.

You smiled. At least he followed your pace now.

Y/N: Well then, it might bring you some pleasure knowing, I am hiding under my bed right now.

Junmyeon: Are you always this childish?

Y/N: Maybe... If you count the fact that I lied to you.

Junmyeon: Lied?

Y/N: I’m actually wearing black laced lingerie.

Junmyeon: ...

Y/N: You imagined it, didn’t you?

Junmyeon: I will hang up.

Y/N: OKAY, you got me, it’s actually my My Little Pony undies.

Junmyeon: Y/N...

You chuckled, finding it was time to stop messing with him so much.

Y/N: Say, Junmyeon... How much trouble I actually did get you into?

Junmyeon: Are you kidding me? They wouldn’t believe what I told them. Apparently they’ve got a blacklist in the records and guess who holds top spot?

Y/N: Yours truly.

Junmyeon: Exactly. And it seems your shameless acts have far more weight than the top student’s words.

Y/N: “Shameless acts”, you make me feel like a sinner, baby boy.

Junmyeon: Stop saying that.

Y/N: What? Baby b--

Junmyeon: YES. And you are sinful, that’s why you got me into so much trouble.

Y/N: Wah, look at this church oppa over here pretending to be the purest living soul.

Junmyeon: That’s not it, I’m just better than you.

Y/N: Wow. Right. Cause I was the one who gagged you while we were up in there. And if you ask me, YEAH THAT’S NOT KINKY AT ALL.

He gasped. And his genuinely pure response made you want to chuckle.

Junmyeon: I-I did not! Covering your mouth with my hand so that you keep quiet does not mean gagging in any way. Besides, you were the one that pulled me in in the first place!

Y/N: Yeah, because it was a bet! I didn’t expect you to casually stroll down my way when I had to lock myself up with the first person I saw!

And that had been it. A simple bet that had gotten you two in quite some trouble. Your best friend, being perhaps the true reason behind all your detentions and quarrels, had had the guts to bet you wouldn’t dare lock yourself up with a “stranger” in the janitor’s room for more than a minute. You found it appealing, her challenge, knowing there could be no way you wouldn’t win-- you knew at least half of the school and acquainted quite some more and you hadn’t earned the title of the school’s daredevil for nothing. Besides, you really wanted the ice cream she was offering.

But just how would you know the one person to cross your path would be responsible-nothing-but-tedious-and-academics Kim Junmyeon. One of the only persons whom you not at all talked to.

And when you pulled him into you in that closet-- there, you knew just how much you fucked up.

Junmyeon: So, I was chosen at random, I see. But that doesn’t make this any less fucked up!

You couldn’t understand. Was that disappointment you heard in his voice? And did he just curse? You’d never heard church oppa Junmyeon curse. However, you did not fret.

Y/N: Well, it was your fault we got figured out. Anyone would have practically heard how your teeth chattered against each other.

Junmyeon: I panicked, okay?!

At that, you did feel bad. Maybe you’d never had an incline to hearing his side of the story, and maybe, just maybe, him getting punished was truly your fault.

Y/N: Listen, I’m sorry-- about that, you were right, I shouldn’t have done that, and I should have known better than to get you in trouble. I’m sorry you have to be in this stupid hotline because of that.

Junmyeon: What? No. This is not the punishment.

Y/N: Oh... Is... it not?

Junmyeon: Yes, I’m not here against my will.

Y/N: Damn. What did they do then? Forbid you from completing assignments, gave you a longer lunch break... OH, don’t tell me they stripped your good-boy-star mark away from you--!

Junmyeon: You really can’t take anything seriously, can you?

Y/N: Oh, I beg your pardon, me trying to brighten up your mood is simply unforgivable.

Junmyeon: Brighten up-- and you think mocking a person is the way to do it?

Y/N: I wasn’t mocking you~ There’s a difference between laughing with someone and laughing at someone.

Junmyeon: I have not laughed once.

Y/N: Yet.

Junmyeon: ...

Seconds passed by in silence and you wondered if the call had been cut off before he replied.

Junmyeon: I think I’ll go ahead and hang up now.

He sounded genuinely tired and suddenly, quite unexpectedly, your heart ached a bit. Had you pushed it too far? Now him hanging up didn’t seem like a funny option to you anymore. And quite frankly, you didn’t want that.

Y/N: WAIT--hell, just how many times have I said that tonight--Look, I’m sorry. Let me make it up for you. I said you will laugh, and you will. If not with me, at me. Now go ahead, mock me any way you want.

Junmyeon: What, I can’t do that.

Y/N: Afraid, baby boy? Shit, sorry, sorry, it got stuck.

Junmyeon: No. Because I’m not like you.

Y/N: Ouch. Close but not quite. You’re missing out the part where you laugh.

Junmyeon: Hahahahaha. Was that enough?

Y/N: Junmyeooon, where’s the enthusiasm?

Junmyeon: Look, do you have a math problem or no--

Y/N: Pi.

Junmyeon: What?

Y/N: The value of pi.

Junmyeon: Great, now we’re talking. It would be 3.14.

Y/N: Close, but not quite. 3.14159265.

Junmyeon: How did you--

Y/N: But how would I know? I've failed the mathematics test so many times I lost count.

You knew that had to be the lamest pun you could ever come up with, but apparently... it worked. Your efforts were rewarded with the most beautiful form of laughter you’d ever heard before. Now, why were you blushing. Shit, how could this little nerdy laugh have such an effect on you. How could it make your cheeks warm up, how could it make you smile. How could it make you want to hear it again and again.

Y/N: Junmyeon? I’m actually concerned.

Junmyeon: Okay, I have to admit that was funny.

Y/N: Holy shit-- I didn’t know. Where are your kids, DAD.

Junmyeon: Oh, come on, it was hilarious.

Y/N: Whatever you say, DAD.

Junmyeon: Stop it, now.

Y/N: Wow. I am torn. Baby boy or Daddy--

Junmyeon: HOW ABOUT NEITHER.

Y/N: Oh, but you love them, wink, wink.

Junmyeon: Did you just say “wink, wink”?

Y/N: Well, you can’t see me right? Now you get the idea.

Junmyeon: You really are insane.

There it was again. That laughter. And now it didn’t take too long. You felt pride, but more so you felt bliss. As bizarre as it was, you did, and saying you liked it was an understatement.

You heard movement at the other end of the line, a muffled voice that you could only guess belonged to that of his parents. A door closed.

Junmyeon: Ah, Y/N, I’ve got to go now, so if you have any other questions...

Y/N: Is this your phone number?

So sudden, you dreaded the idea of him being gone-- well, his voice. You liked it, you realized. It’s soothing melody, the strictness he often had despite the tenderness it held. Like his laughter, you did not want it to stop, and it struck you like a cold blow how you thought so.

Junmyeon: Yes... Why?

Y/N: Well, consider me a contact, no need to thank me~

Junmyeon: Sure...

He chuckled. He just did and it was beautiful and you were blushing and your heart fluttered, and, oh what in the world was happening to you.

Y/N: Did you do it? Save me, I mean.

Junmyeon: Yeah, I did.

Y/N: What’s my contact name?

Junmyeon: The Nuisance.

Y/N: Ow, I’m hurt, baby-- OH. Guess what your contact name is~?

Junmyeon: NO. NO. NO.

Y/N: Oh no, don’t worry that’s not it.

Junmyeon: Thank God--

Y/N: It’s Daddy.

Junmyeon: Y/N!

Y/N: Kidding. Tedious-Myeon.

Junmyeon: Tedious, me?

Y/N: OH NO, definitely not you.

Junmyeon: Tsk, whatever. Gotta go.

Y/N: Don’t tsk me.

Again. He chuckled. You could get used to that.

Junmyeon: Alright. Good night, Y/N.

Y/N: Night, hope you dream of me~

Junmyeon: Hope not to~

Y/N: You will~

Junmyeon: I won’t~

It was your turn to laugh, and it felt amazing. Perhaps because you knew you were now doing it with him. With him. Suddenly that sounded nice.

Junmyeon: O-Okay, good bye.

Y/N: Did you stutter? Cute.

Junmyeon: Did not. Good bye.

Y/N: Did too. Good bye.

And he just had to laugh once again before finally hanging up, leaving you somehow breathless. How did he manage to do that? That tedious boy that at first seemed to loathe your sight-- or rather, your voice-- but now laughed so freely with you. You did not know, yes, but you were set to find out.

You would do it, and that hotline might just as well be your savior.

[cloudtiain]

Of Beginnings and Names

I honestly cannot believe myself because I was SO excited at the chance to participate in Hijack week for the first time but then I poofed from Tumblr and just ForGOT. I also have zero plans for any of the prompts but managed to throw this up last minute. 

So yeah, here’s my contribution to “I had no idea you could do that” Though the prompt had barely anything to do with this,,,hope it can still count.

Superhero AU where Hiccup can half-transform into a dragon and Jack is basically the same he is in canon, minus being immortal and a zombie spirit. Established Hijack.

I apologize for Hiccup’s superhero name I literally could not think of anything.

Hiccup vaguely realizes that his clothes were on fire and flames were doing its best to burn away everything underneath as well.

It was pretty concerning, because while he was mostly covered by scales there were patches of skin that the flames were rapidly reaching, and yep, there it goes, ouch that hurts — of course one of the rare times Toothless was occupied elsewhere Hiccup manages to get injured, he’ll never hear the end of it, and ow, burns are no fun at all ——

“Dragoneye!” 

The voice was loud, being carried by the wind directly into the hybrid’s ear, but Hiccup was relieved to hear it anyways — even more so when he felt the ice and cold snuffing out the flames and soothing his burns.

He managed to gather his bearings together in time to watch as the wind shrieked and ice trapped the — well, Hiccup wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but it looked like a giant monster held together by molten rocks and lava. 

He could feel the drop in temperature from where he still hovered in the air, and wondered when exactly Jack became so strong.

“Are you okay?” Mentioned iceboy floated a bit closer, obviously figuring the monster-thing wouldn’t escape all too soon.

And then it actually hit him that Jack was here, flying with him, in some sort of hero costume he hasn’t seen before — and when did Jack make that? Why did he make it?

But it was undoubtedly Jack, at least to Hiccup. Though the white hair and blue eyes ( features that only appeared when Jack let go of his tight control ) plus the mask would have made it difficult for anyone else to make the connection, which was exactly point.

But Hiccup still couldn’t understand why.

It was a bit disorienting, but at the other’s worried look he managed to respond to the previous question. “I’m fine. Thanks.” 

It was an automatic answer, but it seemed to be more or less true. Only a bit of the flames managed to get at what skin he had left, and Jack’s frost was doing wonders for it. Though, thinking about it, the person in front of him wasn’t exactly Jack right now...at least to the public and Hiccup needed to keep up appearances. “So you’re some sort of new guy? Thinking about appearing frequently now?” And whoops. That came out a bit more accusing then intended. 

But the snow bringer merely flashed white teeth in an amused smirk and said, “You could say that. What, does the big bad hero not appreciate the help?”

“I don’t think bad and hero are supposed to go together. And I already said thank you, didn’t you hear?” The banter was automatic, likely on purpose. An attempt at distraction. But the half-dragon was known to be stubborn for a reason. “I have to say though, you sure don’t look like the hero type.” Which was a lie, Jack was about as heroic as the best of them, but there was a reason Hiccup has been a hero for half a year without Jack. A very good reason and he still couldn’t understand why.

“Well, I live to surprise and all.” And that was that. The other’s tone had gotten a bit flat, and Hiccup could almost see the ‘don’t ask’ vibes radiating. 

Well, to be fair, it really was a conversation for the less public ears, so he moved to the next relevant thing. “So, does Mr. Surprise have a name?” 

And Jack actually faltered at that, and huh, there was a story there. 

The grin spread before he knew it. “Did you actually come out here without even a name for yourself? You made an entire costume without even thinking that people might need something to call you by?”

“I didn’t even make this! It was N — a friend!” 

So North. Hiccup wasn’t even surprised. “And your friend didn’t think of a name for you either?” Knowing North he definitely made a name. And considering how reluctant Jack was at giving it, it had to be good.

Getting the name out of the other was another thing entirely, though. “Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. You sure aren’t going to be finding out though, Dragon boy.”

“That’s not my name.”

“Might as well be. Besides, from what I recall, you didn’t exactly name yourself, either.” 

“True, but I didn’t make a fuss and start pouting at mine. I didn’t have an entire fully functioning costume at the time, either.”

“I don’t have a name!” A beat. “And I’m not pouting!”

“Sure you don’t. Sure you aren’t.” 

“Ugh!”

And Hiccup laughed, which quickly cut off and turned into a wince as he felt a pull at burnt skin, and, oh yeah, that was still there. 

In retrospect, he probably deserved that.

Jack didn’t seem to think so though, even if Hiccup was outright laughing at him just seconds ago, and his expression of frustration quickly turned into worry. “How bad is it?”

Hiccup tried for a grin, hoping it didn’t turn out as pained as he felt it might have. “It’s nothing, really. A little fire can’t hurt me.” Which wasn’t exactly accurate, and with the small bit of frost that Jack gave him before melting he was beginning to feel his injury acutely, but the scales really did help ward off the worst of things. 

And clearly Hiccup was untrustworthy because the ice wielder was looking for serious injury anyways, placing a light frost wherever he saw burnt skin.

It’s a kind gesture and the shapeshifter was already feeling better, but focusing on finding the burns meant Jack stopped paying as much attention to his surroundings, leaving himself open for attack, and that was another fireball coming right towards him—

“Ja-nng-Look out!” 

It was just panic and fear, and please not him, why wasn’t he more careful, stupid, stupid — and something rippled across Hiccup’s back as he shot forward, suddenly able to control his flying so much easier than before, and managed to snatch Jack and twist sharply out of the projectile’s path and into safety.

“Whoa...I had no idea you could do that.”

Neither did Hiccup, but that...was too close. Way too close but of course the idiot didn’t even sound shaken, just all light humor and joking attitude, but Jack could have been hurt, badly, and if it wasn’t for whatever his scales did he —— Later. Later. Think of it all later.

Taking a deep breath and a quick look at his back — huh that sure was new, it looked like the ridges down his spine had split or something — he let go of the other and turned to where the volcano monster-or-whatever had melted a hole in the ice.

“Come on, no more getting distracted. We have someone to take care of first.”

He noticed Jack giving him a slightly concerned look, but he was already heading towards the villain before anything else could be said.

“Hiccup?” There was only a hint of worry in Jack’s voice, but it was enough to get Hiccup to pause. They had defeated the pile of flaming rocks easily enough after and headed straight to Hiccup’s room where he proceeded to pace after taking care of his injuries. 

Which was really going to solve absolutely nothing, so with a deep breath the hybrid slumped onto his bed, next to his boyfriend. “Sorry...It’s just, you always said how you didn’t want to be a hero. How it comes with too much responsibility and didn’t fit with your routine. And yet, here you are. And you almost got hurt because of it. Because of—”

“Hiccup. Don’t.” 

Jack’s voice was enough to halt the words, but Hiccup didn’t think he could — wanted to — finish his sentence anyways. Instead he focused on how cool arms wrapped around him, and he leaned into the touch. 

“Look, Hiccup," Jack began as he laid his head on a still scale-covered shoulder, soft puffs of breath hitting Hiccup’s neck that managed to relax him further. “Not everything is your fault. You didn’t force me to put on a suit and fly up there, alright? Don’t start blaming yourself for silly things. I know what I said before, but I really did want to do this. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? Because we talked about this. You don’t need to become a hero just because you have powers. No one would hold it against you.” And Hiccup would personally fight anyone who tries.

“I know. But you’ve been hurt countless time these past months. And I decided I rather be out there cover your back whenever Toothless can’t.”

“Jack...” Because Hiccup didn’t want Jack to become a hero just for him. Doing this was his choice, and any injury was just an occupational hazard. 

“But that isn’t all,” Jack interrupted. “I’ve been thinking about joining you for a while, anyways. It wasn’t just an on the spot decision. Why do you think I had North’s costume at hand? Yeah, I didn’t really want to become a hero for the longest time. But, that was more because of other...things. You know that.”

Yeah, Hiccup knew alright. Thinking about that ‘incident’ that Jack told him about, that one day that basically tore everything Jack held dear away from him, all because of some guy’s ego growing too big and — And Jack had every right to hate heroes. Hiccup has been there during the nights the other woke with a strangled scream, sweat matting his hair — sometimes white and sometimes brown — and yet here he was, still willing to become one. ( Hiccup couldn’t decide of it was heroically self-sacrificing or self-sacrificially stupid )

“Hey, come on. If you keep furrowing your eyebrows like that it’ll get stuck.” And despite the show of nonchalance, the half-dragon could feel the slight tremors from the other and immediately wrapped his arms around Jack as well. “Let me finish. I’m okay, alright? It was a long time ago. A really long time ago...And, I’ve stopped associating heroes with that incident. For the most part anyways."

The shaking stopped and Hiccup couldn’t help the awe he felt even if he tried. 

“I probably hated heroes, no, I really did hate them. A lot. I had a lot of resentment and anger fester inside of me. But, not so much anymore.” And here Jack is smiling, in that way that never fails to steal Hiccup’s breath away, and cool lips pressed against his before widening once more. “I stopped hating heroes since getting to know you and Toothless. And besides, I’m not about to let one day rule my life forever. It sucks, but I’m just about over it. And I'm terrible at staying out of the way, anyways.”

The look that Jack was giving him was sincere, and honestly, it wasn’t all that surprising. Jack has been helping people one way or another since before they met, only without an alter ego and a fancy costume. Hiccup just didn’t expect that last line to ever be crossed.

Still, becoming a hero suited Jack well. “Okay. Okay, fine. Just, tell me if it gets to be too much, okay?”

“Deal.”

And surely there would be troubles later, because no matter what the other said it was clear that not all shadows were cast completely away, but they could deal with all that when it came. It’ll all turn out alright.

But, there was one issue unresolved... “Now...about this name that North came up with...”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Immediately arms retracted and Jack made a pretty impressive show of being busy with his phone — if the screen wasn’t still black.

“Come on, Jack. Just tell me.” Tugging away the phone was all too easy, even as Hiccup was having a bit of trouble not shaking with laughter.

“Really. No idea. Nope. Nothi—”

“Jack!” That wasn’t either of them and suddenly Hiccup’s bedroom door swung open and a man larger-than-life entered with a newspaper in hand.

“Oh no.”

North paid no mind to the ice wielder's dread, and he waved the newspaper around like a trophy. “I heard great news! You a superhero now, congratulations, Jack Frost!” 

“North!” Blue eyes only spared a second to glare at Hiccup as he snickered, before turning back to the newcomer. “I told you I won’t be using that name! I’m not going to be named after the guy known for nipping noses! And it’s too close to my real one, don’t you think that people will make the connection?”

The last point was possibly a fairly good argument, but North just steamrolled over it in his typical fashion. “Ah, but it is not just me! Reporter called you Jack Frost and it is all over paper!”

“What?”

The paper was ripped out of North’s hands and Jack read over the contents before groaning loudly. “He really did call me Jack Frost! He decided to name me Jack Frost! Who wrote this? Thinking he can go around handing out names, just who—” 

“...”

“...Jack?” The abrupt way the other cut off was slightly concerning, but before Hiccup could reach out the newspaper was flung into the air in a flurry of movement.

“The Moon?! Who uses ‘The Moon’ as their pen name??? Who does The Moon think he is?!”

[jacqy-tanoto]

My Evidence In You Pt.4

Yeaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy I’m back! Idk if anybody even still remember my fanfic, but I have a lot of ideas, and Imma write it anyway~ so here you go!

[SPOILER FOR 707′S ROUTE]

______________________________________________________________

“Mmh...” you mumble as you slowly open your eyes, there you are lying on Saeyoung's bed, with his arms tightly wrapped around your naked body, you blushes as you remember what happened last night, you didn't remember how it ended, could you have passed out? As you try to remember you wiggle yourself out from Saeyoung's arms but every time you move Saeyoung just tighten his embrace you turn your head slightly to look at his sleeping face and call his name”Saeyoung...” as you stroke his cheek to gently wake him up “Saeyoung wake up...” but that didn't work, somehow you stroking his cheek and calling his name wake something else up, “Mmm....yeah MC I wuv.....mmm.....amazing....” you feel something is tickling your bottom area, panicked, you try to escape but he is too strong, and you are too sore, as your boyfriend molest you in his sleep, you thought of one way to wake him up “SAEYOUNG WAKE UP!!!” you head butt him straight to his nose “GAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!” Saeyoung finally wakes up “Wha...what?? MC?? Whyyy??? I was having a great dream” a vein popped in your head, you took a pillow and hit him with it “WHAT.WERE.YOU.DREAMING.ABOUT?? You almost sleep rape me! Pervert! Pervert! PERVEEEEERRRTTTTT!!!!” tears of fear start to come out from Saeyoung's eyes as he receive your wrath “OW! I! OUCH! OMG! STAHHPP! I'M SO SORRY BUT I CAN'T CONTROL IT OW OWW!!!” after a while you finally stop, “Haaa....haa....” both of you are out of breath, “I'm sorry...” Saeyoung apologize to you as he stares at you with his best puppy eyes look, you tried to pout and look away, but he is too adorable that you can't help to crack a smile seeing your smile, Saeyoung lean in closer and hug you “Please don't be mad okay? I just... love you so much that even my dream is filled with you” he whisper those sweet words straight to you ear, his voice is so husky that it made your heart jump, “Like I can actually stay mad at you...” you kisses his cheek “Good morning Saeyoung...” he gives you the brightest smile, like the sun shining the world “Good morning” the two of you exchange your first morning kisses, happy, with hearts full of love and hope.

A piping sound can be heard from the kitchen, Saeran rush over and take the kettle of boiling water, he then pour the boiling water into a pot of grind coffee as you and Saeyoung came in “Good morning Saeran!” your voice startled him and when he twitches he spills the boiling water to his hand “HOT!! SHIT!!” you rush to his aid “Are you okay? You should run some cold water to it!” Saeran quickly moves away, his face is so red you'd think he spilled boiling water to his own face “Leave me alone!” he turns away and went tot he sink to cool his burnt hand “Y'all so noisy even in the morning! Seriously... you have other people sleeping in this house now Saeyoung, be more considerate with your night activity's noises okay, we do NOT want to hear it... especially not your brother, what? Do you want to give him more psychological trauma?” said Vanderwood as he came into the kitchen and make him self a cup of coffee, hearing that Saeyoung face turns pale as your face turns beet red “Wait...what? What...do you..men..?” you ask Vanderwood again to make sure he's saying what you think he's saying “W-wait!!! In my defense.... I DID want to put soundproof wall in my bedroom but I forgot, but I though I did but it turns out I'm wrougghhh!!” you kick him in his tenderloin and as he falls to the floor you bowed to both Saeran and Vanderwood “I'm...so sorry... this is really embarrassing I'm so sorry... I swear it will never happen again!” you apologize “Wha...wait... what does that mean??” Saeyoung gather all the strength he has left to ask “Silence! No Phd.Pepper and Honey Buddha Chips for you today! I'll take them all home with me today! And I'm not coming back here for while!” you walk away from him but he grabs you “Wait!!! You can't leave...” “I can and I will” you replied “No, you don't understand, uh..” Vanderwood who were watching you guys while enjoying his morning coffee finally speaks up “You are not yet free from danger” suddenly your anger and embarrassment disappear, “What do you mean?” Saeran who has been quiet all this time sighs, he pour coffee into the cup he's holding and offers it to you “I believe it's because of the fire that burn down half of the prison building in Bangnam area yesterday... some prisoners took this opportunity and escape” the room went silent  for a while “It's the prison where all of the member of the agency we used to work with is imprisoned, including the leader, there's a high possibility the agents who are still on the run are behind this...” Vanderwood explains “Yes, but I have hacked into the database, the leader were moved to Ryong Nam prison the day before, and when I hacked the CCTV I saw that 'fire' starts really close to where all the members' cells, if they want to free their team mates, they won't do such stupid things, sure, because of the fire some can get out, but most of them definitely will not be able to survive” Saeyoung stands beside you as if to calm you, “So you're saying, whoever did this actually want to...” you don't even dare to finish your sentence “Seems like one of your ex client want to make sure their secret is buried to the ground....” Saeran casually say the dreadful truth, a shiver runs through your body, Saeyoung hugs you from behind as he says “I will not let them find us, so... could you please grant my selfish wish and stay with me until we take care of this?” his words calms you down, there's no hesitation in   his words, you nodded and feel his embrace tighten.

------------------------------------- 17.23 Participant: Yoosung, Jaehee, MC ------------------------------------

Yoosung : MC! Jaehee! Thank god you're here, I have arrived in front of the apartment building, which floor is Rika's apartment again??

Jaehee : 2602, we're almost finished with the packing

Yoosung : Oh no...sorry I came late T_T

MC : That's okay, I'm glad you came here to help! It's the thought that counts

Yoosung : MC you're so kind... gosh I can't believe something like this is happening, when we JUST move on from a tragedy....

MC : Yoosung.. cheer up, I believe we'll be okay, we'll get through this together like we did before

Jaehee : Agree, no use in getting gloomy... let's believe that this is the last arc of this event...

MC : Agree!

Yoosung : LOLOLOL 'last arc' sounds so cool.... but yeah you guys are right, let's trust Saeyoung and Vanderwood! Oh, the lift is here, I'll be there soon!

Jaehee : Very well, I shall get back to work then

MC : Me too!

[Yoosung left]

[Jaehee left]

[You left]

______________________________________________________________

“There you are!” you feel a warm embrace as you signs out of the messenger “Why are you sitting in such dangerous place? This is the 26th floor!” Saeyoung protest as he tighten his embrace from behind the railing of the balcony, you were just sitting on top of the railings to get some fresh air “Don't worry, I won't fall!” you giggle as you hear his protest “Hell yea you won't! I'll never let go even if it means I'm the one who's going to fall! Now down you go!” Saeyoung lift you up easily and put you on the ground “If you're going to fall from rescuing me... then I'll jump to your side and we can fall together” you playfully pinch his cheek “No! You can't! If that's what's going to happen then I'll rescue both of us instead no matter what it cost” you lean closer and put your head on his chest “I like that, we can also work together and rescue both of us” he stroke your long hair lovingly “Yeah, that's an even better idea” Saeyoung stroke your chin and lean in closer for a kiss “My guys have wrapped up all of your belongings, and Rika's belongings separately, MC, I'll have assistant Kang delivered to the respective addresses, you're sure you don't need any of Rika's old document?” Saeyoung freezes in the air and you pulls way from him “Oh Jumin! Thank you so much for your help, ahh... you even came here yourself despite your busy schedule...” a little bit flustered you step away from the still frozen Saeyoung “Ah~ I bet Jumin actually come here to run away from meeting with his father again huh?” Yoosung appears from behind Jumin with his bright smile “Yoosung! You're here!” “Hiya! It's been a while MC! We talked a lot in chat room but rarely meet, you... look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you..” a hint of blush appears Yoosung's cheeks and so does yours “Yoosung... you're making me blush” you shyly reply “Well, there are people who said that women in love looks more beautiful, and it's actually can be explained scientifically, when a person's in love, the happiness from being in love triggered some kind of hormones that will spread pheromones that will make the opposite sex attracted to said person...” both you and Yoosung stares at Jumin with your jaws dropping “Wow... you know a lot stuff huh Jumin? That's impressive!” you claps your hands in awe “Not more than me! Hey Jumin, I know you know what was about to happen why do you have to come in and ruin iiiitttttt??” Saeyoung pouts like a child “Because I have important thing to say to MC and should I remind you who asked for my help to move all the stuff in this apartment?” Jumin's answer makes Saeyoung's shoulders drop “Fine... Thanks... I really appreciate it....” Saeyoung sighs.

All of you went inside the apartment and finish up packing, you agreed to move in with Saeyoung, on two conditions you want to put all of Rika's documents somewhere save, and you also want to take some of your stuffs, Saeyoung already bought you a bunch of clothes and even under garments he also offered to buy you more so you don't have to leave his house, but you feel bad to accept it, so you insisted to come back to the apartment to take your stuff, and being the overly cautious person he is Saeyoung insisted on asking for Jumin's help, who surprisingly agreed without a fuss, you wondered if Saeyoung actually blackmailed him, but you decided to believe that Jumin sincerely want to help, everyone except Zen is there, he still has to practice for his upcoming musical The Phantom of The Theatre, where he'll be playing this rich handsome man who finally meet with his long lost first love when he watch her perform in the theatre, she was stalked by this scary man and he has to rescue her, it's a very good premise and you can't wait to see it. You look around the empty apartment there are a lot of memories here, even though you're just there for a few months, through the phone Saeyoung had guided you to find a lot of things in the apartment which you have no idea where they are kept, there's  the window that Saeran broke to get into the apartment, there's the corner where Saeyoung shut himself in from everything, there's the desk where Rika's secret is hidden, a lot of things happened in this apartment, although mostly is not a pleasant things, you can't help but feeling a bitter sweet feeling to leave this place, maybe it's because this apartment is where Saeyoung first opened up to you, and where your love truly blooms “MC...come on, it's going to rain soon” Saeyoung appears from your side, he offers you his hand, which you took with a smile, then all of you went back to yours and Saeyoung's home.

It took only one moving truck to take all of your stuff from the apartment, but 4 luxurious cars to take you and the rest of the RFA plus Vanderwood and Jumin's bodygurds to Saeyoung's house, the rain is pouring hard, the first and the last car are vacant by Jumin's bodygurds, Jumin is on the third car with Jaehee and Vanderwood, while driver Kim is driving, you, Saeran, Yoosung, and Saeyoung are in the second car, Saeyoung insisted to use his bulletproofed car to take you and Saeran, and since Yoosung has never be inside  bulletproof car, he insisted to join too, at first you thought there will be an awkward situation but surprisingly Yoosung and  Saeran bonded with each other pretty well, you guys shares laughs and you swear you saw Saeran smiled through the mirror, everything went so smoothly until Saeyoung suddenly stopped his car “....all of you, stay in this car, MC take the wheel if you must, and go to Jumin's place” his face is dead serious, not long after that he get off the car, and you can see Vanderwood is following her, you squint your eyes and saw a man sitting in front of Saeyoung's door, he looks terrible, his clothes seemed burnt, half of his air are gone, he looks like he's dying “Could it be...” you whisper “Yeah, one of the agent survived.... hey where are you going woman??” Saeran's voice can not stop you from getting off the car and go to Saeyoung's side.

“He could have something useful for this case!” you can hear Vanderwood's voice from afar “I can't completely trust him! We don't know what really happened yet what if the agency actually did planned the escape? What if he actually a part of the people who burn the prison?? I saw the CCTV, nobody should be able to survive that in close radius, and every member of the agency are put really close with each other!” Saeyoung replies harshly to Vanderwood, while the burnt man is looking at both of them, as if pleading that they'll help him “Sae...” you hesitate to call his real name, “Seven!” you calls him with his old agency's name instead “MC? What are you out here??” Saeyoung looks shocked “That man is the survivor right?” the rain is drenching the four of you, mist starting to come out every time you speak, “This is one of the agent that survived, he said he came here for help, but SOMEONE is being too paranoid and refuses to help” Vanderwood sneers at Saeyoung “Well, can you guarantee that he's not up to no good?” Saeyoung snaps back at him “Saeyoung, the man is dying! He can't do anything to harm you, can't you see?” you squat down to check on the man, suddenly you no longer feel any rain drops, and somebody wraps a large warm suit around you, you look up and see Jumin, holding an umbrella looking straight at you “You'll catch a cold if you stays in this rain...” he then looks at Saeyoung “I have my bodyguards on standby, if something is bout to happen, they'll take action, there also no single person is around except us, so I think he's not here to make a trouble...” with a heavy sigh, Saeyoung finally agreed to take him in, “Fine, let's go, MC stay close to me...” he looks at you pleadingly “Understood” then Jumin make a gesture to his two bodyguards, and they lift the burnt man and take him inside after Sayoung opened the three layered security system.

It's the next morning after the incident, Yoosung and Jaehee spent the night at Saeyoung's house, and you guys have a marathon for a sitcom series “How I Wed Your Mother” at the 3rd episode of the first season Saeran joined in, and he's currently sleeping on the floor, you fell asleep halfway through season 3's finale, but it seemed like the three of them stayed up longer, luckily it's the weekend so they don't have any school or work to do. You get up and went to the kitchen when suddenly you hear a police siren, it's getting closer and closer, and in just a split off second  you hear something that makes your hear stops “LUCIEL CHOI, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR MURDER, GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY”.

It all went by so fast, you rushed to Saeyoung's room but Vanderwood stopped you, when Saeyoung walk pass you he give you a sad look and say “I'm sorry... please... wait for me...” your screams did not stop him, Yoosung and Jaehee tried to stop him, saying there must be a mistake  but Saeyoung had opened his security system and the police blocked them, Saeyoung surrender himself and let the police took him, without even looking back once and you are left there, confused and devastated.

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TBC Obviously, didn’t have the time nor skill to draw some fanart to act, as the ‘VNM’ mode hahaha but if i had some ideas i will add some!

If you’d like, feel free to leave some comments, suggestion for me :D