#yeah hmm you know severing your right arm and disappearing your family probably would be considered a point of no return HUH

[pelcrow]

my oc Jack at one of his lowest moments. all alone and by his own hand.

[pradaksj]

the swimming lessons

all rights reserved © pradaksj

↳do not repost, translate, or claim as your own.

❧ pairing⟶  jungkook/reader

❧ genre⟶  swimminginstructor!jungkook , fluff, a bit of comedy? head canon/bullet points 

❧ rating⟶ e for everyone??? none??? idk how ratings work lol i just know that m = the dirty, which this story has none of

❧ word count ⟶ 5,000 

❧ summary ⟶  accidental swimming lessons with jungkook were definitely worth the money 

❧ a/n ⟶ i literally dreamt something similar to this in like january and told myself i'd write about it when i had the time so hear i am :)) this goes out to all my folks who can’t swim !! i'm on the same boat with you , get it?  cause we can’t swim ... ok anyways ... enjoy ! (note: i have not proofread this yet so sorry for any mistakes!! ill get to it soon !! ) 

“hello, welcome to lucky duck swim school, how can i help you?” the receptionist, who was loudly chewing her gum, sounded more like an automated voice message than a person...

see today was your first official swimming lesson

yay!! 

how fun!! ...

://

totally not embarrassing for someone your age !!!

honestly, it wasn't your fault you didn’t have any family members or friends with a big pool you could learn in growing up 

and by the time you did, you were too much of in an awkward phase to be properly taught

aka your body absolutely refusing to float on its own anymore

but after several trips to the beach with friends and attending different pool parties, you were tired of being made fun of !! 

no longer would you remain at 5 feet and under !!! not on your watch ! 

and so here you were, ready to start your journey into the world of swimming :)) 

“hi i um have a swimming lesson at 3 with um ... i believer her name was um—” 

hmmm what was her name ??? jennie??? no, maybe it was aaliyah ??? no that wasn’t it.... 

the receptionist taps on her keyboard buttons, her long nails making a noise 

pop, her bubblegum goes 

“jungkook” 

“yeah jungkook” you mindlessly say. 

wait 

WAIIITT

jungkook????

ummmmm 

that was not the game given to you by the last receptionist 

jungkook is a boy’s name !!! 

you didn’t want a boy instructor !!! 

not with the way you were looking 

“i um—i had asked for a girl instructor—” you awkwardly mention 

she rolls her eyes

um RUDE 

she continues clacking with her keyboard, looking for god knows what 

she sighs 

“there’s no slots with female instructors available for today, nor for the rest of the month, the earliest i can probably squeeze you in by is july.” she bluntly states. 

JULY??? 

july was when you needed to already know how to swim !!

that’s the peak of summer ! 

there was no point in knowing during winter or any other season besides summer for that matter 

and you were not going to get made of by your friends this year

no no NO

“soo do i reschedule you or.....” 

you sigh 

“no ill take it” you pout, resembling a child. 

“it it makes you feel any better, jungkook’s our best instructor, most popular too” 

wink 

oh yeah that makes you feel so much better 

>:( 

you were going to make a complete fool out of yourself in front of the so called “best instructor” 

“well go get yourself washed up, get into the pool, and jungkook will be with you shortly” she smiles, her attitude now changing now that (what looked to be a supervisor) was passing by. 

what a bi—

flip flop. flip flop. flip flop. 

your sandles press onto the water on the floor of the girls locker room, a grouchy look now on your face 

this wasn't fair 

you made an appointment with a female instructor!! 

you didn’t care if he was the best instructor or the most popular ...

squeeaaakkk , you twist the rusty shower handle

...because now you were you were going to be judged for your lack of skills 

not that you had any to begin with, but still! 

god, you sounded like such a karen ... 

it’s just ...

a guy instructor ??? 

really??? 

you understood that this wasn’t elementary school anymore and boys certainly didn’t have cooties anymore but like :// 

no no, you had to give this jungkook guy the benefit of the doubt

if he was one of the best, it was clearly because he was professional and good at what he does 

putting your worries to rest, you turn off the shower 

this was going to be fine

just fine 

clearly your worries were not put to rest 

just a temporary halt 

:) 

pat. pat. pat. 

okay let’s get it ! 

making your way out to the pool, you dip your foot in 

ooooo 

cold

VERY cold indeed 

1 ...2...

you dip your whole leg in, quickly using the momentum to place your whole body in 

“5 feet and below ... you’re my bitch !!” you think to yourself 

your hand still clearly gripping onto the ledge, still afraid of accidentally reaching 6ft

.... now to wait 

“megan seems to have fractured her leg last weekend on a rollerskating day gone bad, so you’ll be taking up her appointments for the next month of two until she’s cleared for work” 

huh ???

“but—” 

“also she, well now you i guess, have a lesson to teach at..” 

jungkook’s supervisor looks down at his watch 

“oh i guess in 30 minutes, could’ve sworn it was at 4..” he mumbles that last part to himself

30 minutes?! 

“don’t worry i’ll up your pay for the remaining time that she gets better” 

he winks ;) making a clicking noise with his mouth before leaving the staff room 

jungkook sighs 

today was supposed to be an easy day :/ 

a simple cleaning of the pool along with a couple of measly hours of being the lifeguard and that would’ve been it but noooo 

he just had to be the highest rated swimming instructor on the company website 

he couldn’t complain though, sometimes it was fun reading the reviews past students left, even if sometimes they were a little too...

whats the word...

provocative? 

it often made him wonder if he was in fact an actual good swimming instructor or if the high highly rated reviews were for other reasons.... 

honestly it’d be dumb of him not to acknowledge the amount of googly eyes he’d get ranging from the mother’s of his younger students to his actual adult students (female and male) 

he just liked to think that didn’t come into play when they wrote their reviews 

hehe 

changing into his black fitted rash guard, he glanced at megan’s schedule 

name : y/n 

age: 23 grown

swimming level: beginner  aka noob. 

he chuckles to himself 

well won’t this be fun 

he couldn’t lie beginner adult swimmers were always a spectacle to watch 

they almost reminded him of baby ducks learning how to swim 

only that they’d verbally curse their frustrations here and there 

quickly showering, he begins to make his way to the pool 

hmm, he wonders..

what should he eat after today’s lesson? 

a bacon cheese burger sounded really good 

maybe even grab himself some birria tacos from that new restaurant that just opened near his apartment 

hmm no he had to start spending less on takeout 

sigh 

looks like it’d be rame—

woah 

as corny as it sounded, he could’ve sworn he felt his heart skip a beat 

because whoever it was in that pool was pretty, like really pretty 

hOly ????? 

wowzers 

you couldn’t be y/n ... could you?!?!?! 

you were the only person who looked 23 years of age in the pool ...

ermmmmmm 

mayday mayday 

jungkook.exe has STOPPED WORKING  

whoever this jungkook person was, sure was taking their time 

deciding to have some fun before your lesson, you begin to gently play with the water 

swish. swoosh , the water goes 

soon you’d be well on your way to becoming the next michael phelps 

hehe 

maybe with time you’d even be able to a somersault in the water like your friend always—

“y/n?” a voice from behind says your name

ah finally 

taking in a deep breath, you turn your attention to the so called “best swimming instructor” 

OH.

MY .

GOD. 

WHAT ?????? 

this man looked like he came straight out of GQ magazine !!!! 

this HAD to be some mistake , there was just no way ... 

your cheeks feel as if they were burning up 

probably because they quite literally were 

there was no way you’d be able to come here every saturday for the next month, not without fawning for this dude every single minute 

“u-um” 

of course you were a stuttering mess

of FuCkiNg course 

“that’s me” 

cue the awkward smile 

:) 

“be professional” jungkook tells himself

at the end of the day, you were his student 

any crush on you would just have to wait until of course ... you were no longer his student 

for now the only goal was : teach you how to swim 

the next one down the list being : to take you out on a date ! 

he offers you a handshake 

wow he had a strong grip 

“i’m jungkook, i’ll be your swimming instructor for the next month” 

he flashes you his all too famous smile

there was just no way this man was real

just nO wAy 

“um..” 

crap, you were still holding his hand! 

idiot, idiot, idiot ! 

“sorry” you awkwardly laugh 

ha ha ha 

so funny 

:/ 

god did you just want to hide to disappear 

“it’s fine” he laughs 

even his laugh was attractive :( 

ugh 

“so y/n, before we begin with anything, i think it’s important to review about what kind of things you already know and what you don’t” 

oh right ... 

for a moment you had COMPLETELY forgotten you were here for swimming lessons 

how embarrassing 

“oh um..” 

um, um , um. 

IS THAT ALL YOU KNEW HOW TO SAY???? 

“so like floating, holding your breath underwater, pushing, gliding, arm movement, that kind of stuff,” he explains 

you knew a cool trick to make it look like you were water bending :D 

of course you weren’t going to admit that here 

silently you nod your head no 

he gives you a reassuring smile, sensing your timidness 

“that’s fine, only more for us—” he corrects himself, “for you to learn,” he laughs 

hey you weren’t complaining 

;) 

“so i personally always like to start off with teaching my students how to float. as long as we get that down then you’ll have no problem learning the rest” 

gosh his smile was so infectious 

shaking your head, you reminded yourself that this was your teacher 

+ you paid 300 bucks for these classes, so you couldn’t afford to be giving him the googly eyes all day 

you were so cute :( 

jungkook couldn’t help but find you so endearing 

the color of your swimming goggles even matched your swim suit :(( 

so cute ! 

“okay so the first thing i want you to practice is going underwater for a couple of seconds, just so you get used it,” he instructs, “i’ll demonstrate” 

taking in a deep breath, he goes down under 

1...2...3 

he’s back up 

pausing for about another three seconds, he takes in another deep breath of air before going back under 

1...2....3...4....5

he repeats the same thing over and over, until the max count becomes 20. 

“use my finger as your reference of when to go up, but come up for air whenever you feel like you need to. it’s important to go at your own pace, so don’t feel pressured to get it the first try” 

no pressure at all 

okay 

“you ready?” 

you nod your head 

“okay, deep breath in”

you sink your head underwater, mentally counting the three seconds before going back up 

“good job,” he gives you a high five, and you almost feel like a schoolgirl, “now let’s try to five seconds” 

woo!!! 5 seconds here you come !! 

taking in a deep breath you go down under again 

1....2.....3....4...5

easy peasy ... LEMON SQUEEZY 

“okay now to ten” 

1.....2......3......4.....5......6....7

umm

now why were these seconds going by slow all of a sudden? 

sucking it up you manage to make it to 10, but not without being out of breath 

“you okay?” he’s quick to ask 

yup, totally fine ! 

you definitely didn’t see the gates of heaven for a quick moment :D 

nodding your head, you enthusiastically say, “let’s go for 15″ 

he smiles at your enthusiasm

ahh so cute 

“1....2.....3......4......5.......6......7......8......9.....10.....11.....12....13...

nope nope nope

you were not going to make it to 15 

immediately you make your way back to the surface, trying to catch your breath 

“hey you did amazing,” he immediately reassures you, “remember as long your going your own pace then you’re doing just fine” 

<3 

well doesn’t that make you feel better 

you wonder if he’s this kind to all his students 

besides the most obvious reason, there was no question as to why he was the “most popular” instructor 

and to think you had been complaining earlier !! 

and soon you’re back underwater, going at your own pace until finallyyyy you’re able to make the 20 second count 

“nice !!” he genuinely celebrates with you, making you feel completely proud for yourself 

“okay now that we have that done, we can move onto learning how to float facing both front and back” 

ohhhhh

he was just thinking ahead 

cool :o 

“so what i want you do is first relax,” he laughs, gently pushing your stiff shoulders down 

as if your blush couldn’t get any deeper 

“now my personal belief is that all humans can naturally float, just that for others, it takes a bit of a push to get them at that state,” he begins to explain 

others meaning people like um you 

“the key to floating is to relax” 

oh you’ve heard that before

many MANY times and each time you’ve tried to so called “relax” you just end up sinking 

“the moment you fight or stress for even a tiny bit, you will sink. now i know what you’re thinking, ive heard that before” 

damn 

he was good 

“but sadly it’s true, until you learn to relax then you’ll be able to swim” 

you sigh 

this was where it became hard 

you were the queen of stress 

you and stress went hand in hand almost like a married couple 

it was just that deep water was scary !! very very scary !! 

the amount of horror stories you’d seen on tiktok was enough for you to know, ocean = scary 

“so here’s what i need you to do, i need you to place your arms on top of the water like as if you’re going to fly” 

you follow his commands 

he separates your arms, which had been too close together, giving them a small rub 

“remember you need to relax y/n,” he chuckles, feeling the tension in your arms

“relax, i need to relax,” you repeat 

“okay now right now when i tell you, you’re gonna take a deep breath in and look down, from there you’re gonna let you body move forward. so remember you’re not gonna jump, you’re just gonna let your body glide forward and float. almost as if you’re flying to me,” he explains 

mm it was easier said than done  

“you ready?” 

“okay deep breath in” 

you inhale a deep breath in 

“look down” 

you do that as well 

“and let go” 

slowly your body begins to rise on its own 

oh my god !!!!! 

you were about to float!!!!! 

the day has come !!!

no more staying at 5 feet and under 

you were ready to hang with the big kids :D 

but as quick as the momentum came, the faster it left because soon you felt yourself sinking, the breathing exercise jungkook had made you do now coming in handy 

no!!!! 

you almost had it :( 

it was right in your grasp, only to have it snatched away 

not wanting to offend you, jungkook keeps his giggles to himself 

“hey at least you almost had it,” he comforts you, “let’s just try again” 

you sigh, now letting your doubts creep in 

because of this, this time your body almost immediately sank this time

he frowns 

you were losing confidence :/ 

“come on i’ll help you” 

grabbing your hands, he signals for you to follow his breathing pattern

“deep breath in” 

“deep breath out” 

god, was his voice soothing 

“i need you to relax y/n, let everything go” 

a soft feeling of relaxation washes over you, similar to that feeling you’d get when you were on the verge of sleeping

“i’m gonna let you go at the count of three, and then you’re going to float, okay?” 

silently you nod, knowing that speaking would only cause you to tense up again 

“1...2....” 

he lets go, and soon you’re floating, just like he said you would 

you hold your breathe for a good while before standing back up, a huge smile on your face 

“holy shit! i did it!!” 

he gives you high five with both of his hands, for a second holding them before letting go 

“now let’s try floating on your back” 

he notices that there’s now a fire in your eyes that wasn’t there before

clearly you were now more determined to learn, excited too

preparing yourself to float once more, you realize you were missing something.... 

“jungkook...” 

he tilts his head, confused by the faint blush on your cheeks 

“do you think you can um—” 

now it was his turn to blush 

“o-oh yeah” 

what was his problem??? 

you were a student asking for help 

that was all ...

point blank. 

he helps you get on your back, his hand placed under your back as a way to keep you up 

“1....2....” 

you float easily again!! 

“nice!!” he smiles 

summer, here you come !! 

“okay so we’re gonna keep practicing that for the remaining time that we have and next week i’ll start teaching you about stroke techniques and which ones are easiest to do” 

nodding your head, you practice your floating by the end of the hour  having it practically mastered 

the two of you get out of the pool, now drying off 

“you’re a really fast learner y/n,” he compliments you 

hehe 

you mean, you didn’t wanna brag butttt 

you were a fast learner indeed 

“thank you,” you say in return, “but that’s only because you’re a great teacher” 

woah 

did you really say that :o 

aren’t you feeling a little bold today y/n  

his blush returns for the second time today

well technically you weren’t in class anymore ... 

a little flirting wouldn’t hurt right? 

if only he knew what to say .... 

hmmmm 

“well at least you won't ever drown!” 

HUH???????

jungkook, you idiot !!!!! 

someone needed to smack him straight in the face for that ! 

at least you won’t drown????

no fucking shit 

well there goes his chances with you now going down the drain 

but to his surprise, you laugh 

“you’re right, i won’t,” you say in return, “well i’ll see you next weekend jungkook” 

you flash him a smile, and he was certain he felt butterflies in his stomach 

walking into the girl’s locker room, you let out a sigh of relief

wheeeeew ! 

faking confidence was hard ! 

very VERY hard 

“so today you’re going to learn how to stroke so you can officially be called someone who knows how to swim, next week you’ll learn to tread water and continue perfecting your swimming, and then the final week i’ll teach you some fun extra things” 

“sounds good,” you say, definitely excited to learn more. 

“okay so now that you know how to float, right now when you float facing downward, you’re going to pull against the current with your arms, alternating each one. now the tricky part is that while you do that, you also have to paddle your legs a little and come up for air when you need to, and when you’re back in the water you should slowly be exhaling bubbles of air rather than holding your breath” 

well that sounded hard :/ 

“let me give you a demonstration,” jungkook says

he’s quick to float facing downward, showing you the maneuver he wanted you to learn while coming up for air every five seconds

thought it was a little childish, he somehow still looked good doing it 

he truly was blessed with the looks of a god 

he comes out the water

“okay now your turn” 

you nod your head, that determined look you had on your face last week now returning 

following his example, you begin your attempt at paddling and stroking your arms at the same time

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! 

immediately you begin to panic and water begins to splash everywhere, including on jungkook 

noticing your panicked state, jungkook is quick to grab you and place you back on your feet 

“hey hey, i got you,” he comforts you, not wanting you to feel discouraged 

you sigh 

:/ 

well that was embarrassing 

“remember y/n you have to learn to coordinate everything, so think of it this way. your legs have to always be paddling, it’s the arm and coming up for air that switch roles. when you come up for air, it’s only your legs paddling, while when you’re head is back underwater it’s both your legs and arms paddling. once you get that pattern, the bubbling will come naturally” 

you make an ohhhhh face

you could do that ! 

“remember what i told you last weekend y/n, you need to relax and be comfortable so you can build confidence. there’s no need to panic because i’m here,” he smiles at you 

gosh this just wasn't fair >:( 

cute and charming ???? 

this boy really had it all 

not wanting to disappoint, you try one more time, failing once again 

now you were frustrated :/ 

“damn it,” you mumble to yourself, a sadness to your voice

jungkook feels his heart swell 

he didn’t like seeing you sad :( 

but doggy paddling was the most basic technique he could teach you so he couldn’t really cheer you up by offering a different technique 

you needed to learn to doggy paddle before you could move on to the more bigger strokes

damn it ://  

“hey don’t feel bad about not getting right away,” he gives you a small smile, “i remember when i first started learning it took me forever to even learn how float, so the fact that you’re already at this point is enough of an accomplishment” 

well that makes you feel little better ... 

“but you were probably a kid, im ...” 

old , is what you want to say 

figuring what you were gonna say, he only laughs 

“who said i was a kid? i was probably like 19″ 

whaaaaaattttt! 

assuming he was your age (which he was), you do the quick maths in your head 

that was like .... 4 years ago ! 

how the hell did he get so good in such little time???? enough to be teaching courses ??? 

“not knowing how to swim is nothing to be embarrassed about y/n, if anything it takes a lot of courage to even sign up for a class so don’t beat yourself up too much for not getting it right away” 

he ruffles your wet hair, a small affectionate gesture 

you didn’t know how it was possible but you were falling for this man and QUICKLY at that 

he was just so ??$%@^! 

UGHHHH

“so let’s try one more time, and if you still can’t get it then we’ll push it to next week, a free extra lesson on me” 

eeeeek 

though the temptation to purposely fails was very intriguing indeed, you still had to try for the sake of it 

if you got it, you got it, and if you didn't well .... 

an extra week with jungkook it was :D 

“you ready?” 

you nod your head 

“1...2...” 

you float and begin to paddle, this time actually getting the hang of it !!!

you hear jungkook’s muffled voice from above the surface, “there you go!!” 

holy shit ! 

you officially knew how to swim !!! 

at least enough to save your own life if push came to shove 

once you were out of breath, you stand back up, a grin on both of your faces 

for jungkook it was hard not to tackle you in excitement so instead he settled for a very enthusiastic high five 

“you did it!” he cheers 

“ahhh!” you giggle like a child 

“from here on out, the rest is a piece of cake!” 

yay yay yay !!! 

“now let’s start working on deeper strokes, maybe we’ll even have time to throw in backstrokes!”

:////

noticing your changed expression, he awkwardly laughs while scratching his neck 

“or maybe not” 

this week was the final week of swimming lesson with jungkook

:(( 

last week’s lesson of treading water and perfecting your swim seemed to had gone by in literally the blink of an eye ! 

and so today was possible the last time you’d see jungkook unless you managed to grow the balls and ask him out once that clock hit 4, once you were no longer his “student"

by now you were 100% sure you liked the dude... like a lot 

and he was definitely someone you wanted to get to know outside of this pool 

you just weren’t sure if he liked you the same way 

you mean yeah there were definitely times that had you raising an eyebrow here and there, but you always excused it as him simply being a kind hearted person by nature 

because clearly his five star rating on the company’s website had to come from somewhere 

not that you checked or anything....

who were you kidding 

yes you did

your favorite review was the one that went..

“wow!! this dude is amazing !! came here for beginner lessons and even i found myself fawning for the dude , and i don’t even play for that side of the team !! not only were his lessons thorough, but he’s a very charming person ! 10/10 recommend!” 

and so you were stuck 

did he liked you or was he just treating you like he treated everyone?? 

“ahh y/n,” jungkook’s voice suddenly brings you back to reality 

“today’s our final lesson!” he announces, not sounding too sad

in fact he sounded excited  

damn :/ 

he playfully jumps into the pool, today being his so called “fun day” 

“so since today’s your last lesson i thought i could teach you how to do a.....” 

he pauses for dramatic purposes 

“SOmERSAuLT!!”

immediately your eyes light up 

ahhhhhHHHH!!!! 

you always wanted to learn how to do a somersault in water, remembering the number of times you’d look at your friend in jealousy whenever she did one 

“you ready??” 

eagerly you nod your head yes

“okay so the steps to doing a summersault is first of course, you need to take a deep breath” 

okayyyy 

“from there you tuck your chin to your chest, next you do the moment of the somersault by swinging your chest forward and gently kicking out your legs, so basically forming a ball and then kicking out.  naturally, if you have enough momentum, you’ll spin, but if you don’t just use your arms to complete it” 

“think you can give me a demonstration?” you innocently ask 

he winks at you, “of course i can” 

taking in a deep breath, he follows his own instructions, and you watch he perfectly executes his somersault 

“woahhh, that was so cool!” you say, even now finding the trick to be amazing 

“now i dont expect you to get it right away, so right now that you try i’m going tog hide you thought the movement so you get the gist of it” 

sounds fair enough 

you weren’t trying to drown on your last day either 

“okay, you ready?” 

“yes” 

“let’s get it!” 

taking a deep breath in, you feel jungkook’s hand get placed on your back, ready to push you so you could do the somersault 

“1...2...” 

and slowly you feel yourself spin with the help of jungkook, a smile already forming on your face 

“ahhh!” you smile big and wide, causing Jungkook to smile along with you 

“you think you’re ready to try it on your own???” 

“yes sir” 

“okay 1....2....” 

mustering up as much as force you possible could, you push yourself into ball and successfully do the somersault 

YUPPPPP 

WHOSE DOING IT LIKE YOU???!$%@$!

feeling an immediate rush of adrenaline, you begin to splash water all over once you come back up for air, declaring an all out water fight with jungkook 

soon the two of you are chasing one another, you now using your new swimming abilities to get away 

hehe 

you’re a swimmer 

:D 

the sound of jungkook’s infectious laughter fill the air and soon you feel him grab your waist at an attempt to stop you 

“gotcha” he says, and he turns you around to face him 

slowly each other’s heavy breathing becomes relaxed, and it’s as if you’ve felt a shift occur in what you considered your new “friendship” 

“so....” he awkwardly says, hands still wrapped around your waist 

his was was RED

like cherry tomatoes red 

this only makes you giggle 

if you had doubts before, you DEFINITELY didn’t have em anymore 

he liked you :)))) 

and you liked him :)))) 

and in ten minutes you were officially no longer his student so......

“there’s this new restaurant that opened near my place....” you say 

immediately his eyes light up 

“cancun eats?” 

you nod your head and he gives you a toothy grin 

“i was wondering if you’d want to go out some time...” you muster up the courage to ask him out 

%^@%!@&!@^&@%! = jungkook’s brain 

holy crap !!! 

you liked him!!! 

he wasn’t just delusional !!! 

“hello?? jungkook??” you laugh, waving a hand in front of his face for jungkook.exe had truly stopped working this time 

nodding his head yes like a child,  the two of you being to lean closer to another, the clear goal in mind being each other’s lips

because honestly you’d come this far now, might as well give him a .... 

“wait!” he suddenly interrupts  he glances at the digital clock on the wall, remembering your final lesson officially ends at 4

because no way in hell was he going to get fired for kissing a student on the clock 

3:59 

.....

4:00 

“okay now,” he smiles, and you only roll your eyes, happy to have taken up on those swimming lessons. 

a/n : i was gonna make this longer but this was always meant to be a small little head canon so :))) pls give this a like, comment, or a reblog if you enjoyed it !! (if u can of course) and my ask box is always open for whatever !! :)) see yall next time 💞

[camthesolemnone]

Hi, it's like, 11PM, but I just thought of 3 more promising for you:

1: Nightmares. One of them end up eating g nightmares after their married (the severity of it is up to you), and ends up waking up/getting woken up by the other. They try to help them calm down, and yeah.

Hurt/comfort style, bay-beeeee

Crap I made this nightmare a lot more hurtful than I probably should have. Poor Heavy :<

Warnings for violence, harsh insults, and a mention of sex (not explicit).

Also you mentioned "after they're married" so I'm assuming you mean Misha and Josef. No quarrels here, I'll take any excuse to write about them again.

Scout stood in front of him, tapping his foot and his metal baseball bat against the pavement in an irritated fashion. He had stolen yet another one of Heavy's sandwiches and the giant was determined to get it back. What threw Misha off, however, was the man's sudden stop.

It seemed like he wasn't planning on running away anymore.

"So, tons o' fun, you ready to fight me like a man?" Jeremy taunted, shifting back and forth on his feet in a battle-ready position.

The Russian glared at the Bostonian and cracked his knuckles.

"You are the baby man here. All you do is run like big coward. Heavy will show you real strength!" He shot back.

Scout's smirk and the way he twirled his bat in front of himself held not just confidence, but an overwhelming amount of spite. Misha was almost paralyzed by the man's unforeseen change in demeanor.

"Does a real man just sit at home and bang his gay husband while his ma 's dying and his sisters are tryna fend for themselves?"

Suddenly, that state of paralysis came true. Heavy's blood ran cold while his heart sped up to an unhealthy level.

"How...what--it is not like...I DID NOT KNOW SHE WAS ON HER DEATH BED! IT HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY THAT EVEN SISTERS DID NOT KNOW!" He shouted, stepping forward to grab Scout by the collar and knock his lights out, "how do you even know of these things? I never--"

Misha was stunned back into silence. His hand went straight through Jeremy's body, and the nimble runner reeled back before bringing his bat down on the Russian's shoulder. The impact was five times as painful as it should have been for Scout's pitiful muscles, and Heavy was sent to the ground with a startled scream. Why couldn't he touch Scout when the man could hit him? He attempted to stand up and retaliate, but Jeremy placed the handle of the bat on the top of his skull and pushed down, shoving his face into the ground.

"You're a failure, chucklenuts! You failed your team, your family, and you're about to fail yourself!"

Heavy cried out, "Nyet!" but in a flash, Scout had disappeared. After a few hesitant moments, the Russian determined he was in the clear and began to lift himself up. Then, as quickly as Scout had vanished, Spy appeared. The Frenchman unfolded his butterfly knife before thrusting it downwards into Heavy's hand, essentially pinning him to the ground. Misha let out another howl of pain.

"I have places to be, so I will make it quick. Enjoy your stay in hell, fat man!"

Heavy wasn't given a chance to respond, as Soldier and Demoman came crashing down onto his back, grinding their boots into his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip so hard to prevent a whimper from escaping that it started to bleed.

"Pozhaluysta, make it stop."

"You are nothing but a greasy Commie who deserves to have his fingers ripped off one by one!" Soldier yelled.

Demoman smashed a beer bottle on the back of the bear's neck, causing him to let out a choked gasp. A rapid series of lashes from Jane's whip resulted in more shrieks and Heavy bleeding in multiple places.

"I ain't drunk, I just despise you, you blubbery Bolshevik!"

"I HATE YOU, STALINGRAD!"

"You're the most rotten crop in the field, partner."

"I've had a lot of poor souls as targets, but bloody hell! You're past pathetic, ya pig! What's this? I think you might even be bleeding gravy!"

"Mmph mmph hmm! Hudda!"

"Yeah, not so tough now are ya? Are ya!"

Misha couldn't stand it. He was being torn apart from the inside out. What had he ever done to deserve this? Why was his team, his friends, punishing him like this?

"Stop! No more! Heavy has had enough!"

Everyone turned to dust, leaving only one figure standing tall and proud. He almost seemed to glow amidst Heavy's blurring vision.

"Doktor, I made vow to myself that I would never appear so weak in front of you, but please, I beg of you, help me..."

Medic turned around. His initial expression was one of confusion, but it soon transformed into one of cold ill-will.

"And why should I do that?" He asked solemnly.

Misha could feel tears pricking in his eyes.

"Josef, please, I love you. Do you love Heavy? You said you did, on day we got married, on the day before that, so, so many times. Do not tell me you have given up on me as well!"

Josef's features softened with concern for his other half. He bent down towards the trembling, bleeding giant and caressed his cheek.

"Of course I haven't left you, Misha," he whispered with a tiny smile.

Through his agony, Heavy could almost feel his own smile coming on. His love was here. He was going to save him from this prison and clean him up and everything would be normal again.

Then, he felt a blade pierce through his chest. One that could only belong to the Ubersaw.

"I couldn't have left you if I was never yours in the first place."

.

"NO!"

Josef awoke with a start, his breathing almost as rapid as the man sitting next to him. With owlish eyes, he turned his head towards his husband and felt his heart shatter.

Heavy has his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He was crying into his sleeve like a child and his whole body shook with remnants of fear. Medic reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, but then quickly withdrew it when he determined physical contact towards someone unstable wasn't wise. Instead, he lowered his tone to a murmur and called out to Heavy.

"Misha? Meine liebe? What on earth happened?"

The giant continued to shake and sob for another minute, but once he turned his head and saw his beloved doctor next to him, he gasped.

"You are still here!" He cried.

The German's worry intensified.

"Of course I am, geliebte. I will always be here for you. Just what sort of nightmare did you have?"

Without warning, the giant eclipsed the smaller man completely and cried into his hair. His large arms were almost suffocating, but Josef returned the embrace, rubbing his back through his pajama shirt.

"Scout and Engineer and everyone-...and Doktor stabbed me and--"

"Shh, calm down, Misha. It's going to be alright, I'm here now, and I would never hurt you. I love you, meine Bär," Medic mused, putting everything into making his partner feel comfortable again.

Heavy removed his face from the medic's hair and looked him in the eyes, his own still slightly wet.

"Heh, Heavy is such a mess. Leetle baby dream turned ME into the baby," he joked, wiping his left cheek.

Josef took to wiping his right with a comforting thumb, "There is nothing to be ashamed about, Misha. We all have our bad days and nights. I wake up frequently with nightmares too, usually of you or my parents dying."

Heavy's face dropped again.

"You never thought to wake me up? You know Heavy does not mind. I love you very much, Josef. Would climb mountain for you to be at peace."

The German placed a finger over his husband's lips and shook his head.

"We'll talk about that later. Now is about you. Come now, you must feel exhausted."

And he was right. His breakdown had thoroughly wiped him out, and Medic's soft hands rubbing circles on his hip and on his cheek wasn't helping.

Smiling softly, Josef placed a small kiss on his lover's lips, a reminder that they were both safe, before wrapping his own arms around the Russian and laying the both of them back down.

"Don't worry, Misha. I promise you'll dream sweetly now. I'll even make some French toast in the morning, how does that sound?" Medic grinned.

Heavy, however, was still a tad on the anxious side, so he pulled his wonderful husband closer to his chest and kissed the crown of his head.

"Thank you for staying by my side, Doktor. Heavy appreciates you more than you will ever know."

Medic wanted to respond, but Heavy fell asleep almost instantaneously afterwards. Instead, he continued to smile in the darkness and ran a steady hand across the specialist's back until he himself succumbed to the world of slumber.

A promise was a promise. Misha was not tormented further.

[bunny-hoodlum]

Asynchronous With You: Ch 4

Hinata had no idea what she was doing following this child around, being lead from booth to booth, watching her pick up snacks and play games as they went. She was asked if she wanted a taiyaki, but she hadn't the stomach for it. She was asked if she wanted to help win her a plushie, but she was too numb to respond.

Everyone was looking at them.

Her classmates made comments in passing.

"Hey, I didn't know you had a sister!"

"Whoa, shocker! You're not an only child?"

"Huh? Who's that?"

"Guess Hyuuga-san can't be mysterious and secretive forever."

And then there was Naruto's face angled above the river of bodies, wide, open eyes filled with confusion and concern.

She ducked her head down. At the same time, Hanabi tugged at her skirt and pointed at another booth ahead. Following her lead her closer to Naruto, who began to push his way through to reach her.

His prescence is always like the sun, at times warm and welcoming, other times overbearing. Suffocatingly hot, in fact. Like now. Like she's been abandoned without her shoes, wandering barefoot on an asphalt desert, and here he is bearing down on her, unrelenting.

Several takes are made between Hanabi and herself. He's assessing with his own eyes and verifying it against their history.

"How old is she?" He murmurs.

Hinata releases a shaky sigh. "Ten. Her birthday's in March."

And Kurenai had taken them in the summer before. Her parents must have gotten pregnant again shortly after.

They both watched as Hanabi grasped the baseball and threw her arm back. After a couple near misses, she finally got it through the 300pt hole. Hinata clapped, but it was hollow and robotic. This obvious show of pain only earned her more of his attention, and that pained her too.

Hanabi skipped over to them, another palm-sized plushie added to the others hooked inside her left arm. Her cunning upturned eyes widened upon seeing Naruto standing so closely to her Onee-san.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

Naruto froze up, a hand reached behind his head as he sputtered to explain without making things weird.

"He's someone that was nice to me in grade school," Hinata said coolly.

"Uh, yeah," The right half of Naruto's face pinched in mild disagreement, finding her answer a bit more impersonal than he was going for.

"What? That's all?" Hanabi's open-mouth frown made her look like the goldfish she tried to scoop earlier. She seemed visibly bored by this revelation.

Hinata also caught an indignant look from Naruto, whose eyes seemed to ask 'Yeah, that's all?'.

"Oh, I forgot," She met his stare, "You're trying to befriend the whole school by graduation." It wasn't code. He was almost obsessively expanding his contacts every day. He wanted to appear in every school photo for the yearbooks. He wanted the empty spaces so dense with inside jokes, fond wishes and signatures that no one could ever say he was unpopular and unloved.

"Hell yeah. And I'm halfway there, too."

It was Hanabi's turn to read the air between them as she glanced from person to person. A good-humored smirk curved her lips. "Looks like you have a long ways to go with Onee-san. Well, nice meeting you!" She grabbed Hinata's hand and began to drag her away, waving her flummoxed acquaintance goodbye. Hinata didn't even resist.

Naruto watched her disappear through the throng, as irritation and discomfort took seat inside his chest. She's walking around like a puppeted corpse and she gives him attitude?! His sigh transforms into a drawn out growl as he mentally works through the wrongness he feels. He comes out of it calmer, sympathy renewed.

She's simply not acting like herself. He has to forgive her for that.

As her brother, and the only one that's around, he has to fix this.

Otherwise, what is he good for?

______________________________

He had determined to find her again later in the day, when her sister surprise was no longer sucking the soul out of her.

And he does find her later, when the sky is a guava-mango sorbet dimming darker, and the school halls are shadowed in sleepy silence.

She's found a place to be alone, in a stairwell that hardly anybody uses.

Well, except himself. And a few others.

It's a great place for a post-lunchtime quickie.

It's not a hundred-percent guarantee to be unoccupied, but it's kind of a well-guarded school secret.

Now that he thinks about it, as she sits there much like his other catches have, and he's coming to meet her when everyone's gone, it leaves him feeling... exposed and shameful. Like they're both here for unsavory reasons.

A flash of a memory intrudes on him, of baby-soft, plump white skin that refused to be buttoned up in the shirt he shrank, bouncing with the force to cause an earthquake in his room, that tight-lined cleavage taunting him.

It took him weeks to look her in the face again, and he thinks about it now?!

He smacks his cheeks until he's regained stoic resolve. But then something else nags at him.

What if she was here, and she was waiting for someone else?

No one's invited her over here yet, he would know.

But they could. And when they did...

He shakes off these burdensome thoughts like a wet dog.

No one in this school has their eye on his sister. He would know that, too.

And he wouldn't allow it.

He can't think of a damn soul that's good enough for her.

So hardworking, so generous, so considerate and patient. Plus she was smart, she cooks better than Kurenai-obasan, and she's an amazing listener.

She's just so, so amazing.

And yet, stuff like this happens.

She's like the smallest thing to ever exist, that's what she looks like right now. As if he could scoop her up with both hands and still lose her between the cracks of his palms.

Just like when they first met.

Neji's voice rises up in the back of his mind. "You're the only one I can ask."

He's got a lot of experience cheering her up and making her feel safe, and this time will be no different.

Or so he thought.

When she looks up at him, he feels transparent. Her brow is furrowed like it doesn't make sense for him to be here.

"Can you take me to the train station?" She asks unblinkingly, thin tears escaping from the inner corners.

His mind goes a mile a minute with speculation, but he'd already been planning on saying 'yes' to her no matter what she had asked of him.

______________________________

They're taking the train to Neji's private high school. It's way pass curfew, so there's no visiting him at his dorm, but they're going to try.

Naruto can't talk to her because she's fully turned towards the window. Instead he takes this free time to picture himself in her situation. That he has family somewhere out there, and siblings he's never met. That they lived their lives without him. Maybe even erased his existence from their story. No photographs, no baby book.

Was Hinata even still on their family registry?!

He folded over and clutched his head, groaning. "This is so fucked. How could they do this to you?!"

For the past six hours, she's been asking herself the same thing.

She was also asking for Hanabi's sake, those fragile words ringing over and over in the back of her mind.

"Do you think I'm a redo?"

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut tight.

Because there are no redos without mistakes.

______________________________

AN: Sorry, this is only 800 words! D: I'll probably combine this with the previous chapter as well when I post it to AO3. Or maybe it's somehow fine as is? Like an Interlude? I also wanted to write that heartwrenching scene between Hanabi and Hinata and get some exposition out of the way, but today it felt tedious. :( I wish I had written it when I originally wanted to, lol.

That aside, I'm not totally happy with the flow of the middle scene, it just feels maybe... distracted? or disjointed? Hmm... tangential?

Plus I couldn't seem to dig very deep into Naruto's reactions and like, the logical progression of his emotions. I feel I just skimmed the surface. Oh wait, maybe it's because he ought to be belligerently outspoken about this stuff, right? （・□・；）

Sometimes I think I really miss the ball when writing Naruto cuz I subdue him to be more 'normal' and have enough situational awareness to get by on. (눈_눈)

[overlyimmersed]

Nightmares and Daydreams

A Gravity Falls AU.

Hi @verysorrytobother​ Stanticore anon, revealing my true identity to share this with you! I wasn’t sure how a post this long would go over as an ask, so I decided to do it this way. I hope this is ok.

I’ve been working on this for a while and I hope it goes over well enough. The artwork took me the most time.

As a car crash victim is slowly dying, her mental self panics in the mindscape. She's offered a deal to save her life. Let the game begin.

(Content warnings: Blood. Descriptions of serious injuries.)

"What..." she whispered to herself, staring at the other in disbelief.

"Yep!" he confirms, in a high-pitched, grating, inappropriately upbeat tone, "Dead as a doornail, kid!- Well technically you still have a few more seconds till you brain totally ceases to function. Better make up your mind while you still have one!"

She's still staring dumbly at him. How can he be this nonchalant about it?! A half second ago she was sitting in the front seat of the family truck, a totally routine trip to the store- she never liked trucks but her dad's a carpenter so they need the hauling space. At least it's a pretty shade of blue- and the next she's here, laying face down in a black void with this prick this- this...All Seeing Eye? He's like the Illuminati symbol, but with arms and legs and a top hat. Caution sign yellow and talking to her- or at her. Bill. Freaking. Cipher. Every time he 'speaks' he flashes with light- no mouth so does it really count as speaking? More like his voice is being projected right into her mind- ... And he's telling her that she freakin died! Can't he see how messed up this is?! Can't he sympathize at all!? Then again, it's Bill. She ought to know better.

She ought to know better. She's seen this show a hundred times, she knows nothing good comes from dealing with Cipher. But she doesn't have time to be careful, she doesn't have the luxury of weighing options.

"Tick-tock, Car Wreck!" The obnoxious voice insists again, forcing her out of her stupor, his outstretched hand now alight with blue fire.

Her face scrunches up in a loud cringe, eyes screwed shut and teeth bared, and she swings her hand till it lands solidly in his. Crazed cackling resounds as the deal is struck, but it falls to simple soundtrack as her senses try to sort out what's going on.

She'd expected the blue fire to burn, or at least feel like something, but it didn't. Instead her entire being is flung into a...whirl? Free fall? Something that makes her stomach jump into her throat, and gives her vertigo.

The sensation stops suddenly, only to be replaced by a cacophony of new perceptions. She isn't sure which strikes her first, the sounds or the smell. Shrieks of agony and terror make up the next track of this bizarre playlist, punctuated by the reek of burnt hair. When her eyes fly open to try and make sense of it all, they have no luck. The sight that meets her is a sky of surreal, swirling, bastardized ribbons of every hue, like being inside a filthy bubble. Floating strewn about the space are pockmarked asteroids, and little else.

"So what'd ya think?" The grating voice rejoins the discord, drawing her shell-shocked gaze. "Home-sweet-home, huh? Well don't worry, you won't be here for very long. A deal's a deal, Car Wreck." With that que, and a snap of his fingers, she's falling again. This time untethered and unaccompanied. It takes her a moment to realize the scream ripping though the void is coming from her own throat. Once it hits her, so does something else, and the world goes black.

She wakes some time later, maybe moments maybe days. She has no way of knowing. She pushes herself onto her hands and knees, groggy and disoriented. It takes her a moment to notice the texture under her hands and focus her vision on it. It's grass. She sits up and looks around. "oh..." she says to herself, taking in the scenery. It's lovely, a grassy, sun soaked field. The sky made of churning colors like the last place she'd been, but they're pastel and much prettier. A warm breeze brushes past her face and she takes a deep breath of it, it smells sweet and warm, heavy with the scent of growing things, and for the first time since this started she finds some peace. Peace which is quickly shattered by a familiar, grating voice.

She jumps and whirls around so quick she falls onto her butt. There, floating just inches from where her head had been, is Bill. Laughing at her of course.

"Whoops! Didn't mean to scare you there, Car Wreck!" he claims, moving through the air to look around, then turning back around to look at her. "So how do you like the new digs?"

There's a beat of silence where she just stares at him again, but quickly she shakes off the shock and tries to respond. "Uh...It's nice." She lets her eyes roam around for a second, before returning to Bill, "Where are we?"

"This is the Realm of Daydreams! Your new HQ!" he answers, floating around behind her and making a grand gesture with his arms.

She turns her head to follow him, "Daydreams? HQ?"

"Yep! This is where you'll hang out when you're not puppeting your little pawns." He turns around to look at the scenery more himself. "Kinda dull if you ask me. Maybe you can do something about that!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh you know, some pillars of anguish, an alter of unholy fire, maybe a blood fountain or a couple of-" he gestures with each suggestion, like a landscaper creating a vision, until she cuts him off.

"No I mean," she finally pushes herself to a stand, teetering a little till she finds her balance. "Pawns?"

He turns back to her, "Oh yeah, which ones do you want anyway?" he waits a beat for an answer, but she just stares back at him, clearly not following. "Ugh, our deal?"

He hadn't really told her what the deal was, just mentioned a game and a second chance. "Uhh, I don't think you-"

"Oh right, you flesh bags need everything explained to you." he groans, rolling his eye, "Alright, here's the deal. We're gonna play a little game," he holds out his hand and a little hologram like projection appears showing an aerial view of a town. "and the people of this hick town are gonna be the pieces." ten little blue stick figures appear in the center of town, each with a little symbol above it's head. "If you win, you rejoin the land of the living!" a little magenta stick figure pops into existence next to the others and they all do a little happy dance. "If I win..." suddenly the whole projection goes up in flames, and she jerks her head back instinctively, "You burn with rest of those worthless mortals!" He bursts into a fit of maniacal laughter, which actually gives her some times to recover.

After a second of shocked staring, she blinks a few times then puts on as neutral an expression as she can. "Ok. So what are the rules?"

"Simple!" he answers, cutting off his laughter "We can't directly manipulate each other's pawns, and we can't interfere with the other's powers."

"That's it?"

"Yep. Everything else is fair game"

"Ok...What are my powers?"

"Same as mine! Except you don't have to wait till someone falls asleep to get in their head."

"I see..." her eyes wander to the ground as she contemplates the information, and her hand reaches for the longest of her three necklaces to idly play with the spiked pendant. "So you can talk to them in dreams, and I can talk to them in daydreams."

"Bingo!"

She scrunches her nose a little, thinking of a few ways that could end up being annoying. "Alright, anything else I need to know?"

"Hmm, nope! That just about covers it. All that's left is to pick our pawns, I'll even let you go first!" And with that ten, glowing, blue symbols appear between them. She looks them over carefully, she knows who each symbol corresponds to- supposing the cartoon from her world is accurate. She considers the six-fingered hand, if she takes him out of Bill's control from the start that derails his whole plan as she knows it. But, then she'll have no clue what's up to at all, at least by letting Bill have the pawns she's familiar with she has a chance at guessing his moves. She reaches forward and touches the shooting star, it turns magenta and floats to hover closer to her.

"Interesting." Bill comments, though his tone doesn't sound very interested, as he makes a simple motion with his eye and the six-fingered hand settles beside him. She chooses the fish looking symbol next, and Bill's second choice in the pine tree. They go back and forth till they have five symbols each, Bill having the the six-fingered hand, the pine tree, the llama, the stitched heart, and the pentagram. While she has the shooting star, the fish, the bag of ice, the spectacles, and the question mark.

"Welp, that settles that. Nice picks you made there, lets hope they work out for ya, Car Wreck"

"Could you not call me that?" though it hardly sounds like a request.

"And what else should I call you?" Bill asks, collecting his symbols into one hand and placing the other on his...hip?

"How about my name? It's Maranwe."

"But Car Wreck fits you so much better! Just take a look!" he quips, snapping a full-length mirror into existence. Maranwe turns to look and gasps in horror. Bill breaks out into more cackling, "Well my work here is done! I'll let you get cleaned up, see ya around Car Wreck!" And with that he fades from existence.

Maranwe just stares, even as Bill disappears from 'her' realm, she can only stare at her destroyed refection. Her hair is messy- and she almost laughs that that's what her brain zeros in on first-, It's also dirty, some of the mess is actual dirt but several spots are matted with half-dry blood. Her face is in a similar condition, smeared with dirt and blood but she can see the wounds there. Scrapes and still oozing cuts, bruises forming on one cheek bone and under her eyes. Her nose isn't quite right...broken probably. Her vision skims over her whole body for a second, making note of similar injuries where tears in her clothes reveal them. It's not as bad as she would expect a car crash victim to look- "except for that" Her mind screams suddenly while all her mouth can do is gasp, as her attention lands dizzyingly on her neck. It's...purple, but also red? There's no spilled blood but it still looks ugly, and the worst part is the...bump. It's not hard to figure out that it's a misaligned bone. Without the pain to tell her she never would have noticed, her neck is broken. Very broken. How is she holding her head up right... Probably because this isn't actually a physical body. She wonders if this is what killed her, or if there's something inside, something she can't see, that did the trick.

Whatever it is, she can't be seen like this. And she really really doesn't want to look like this for her own sake. Bill said she could 'clean herself up'? How exactly... She thinks about how Bill's powers tend to work and tries to concentrate on a cleaner, less beat up mental image of herself. She lifts her hand to her cheek and grazes her finger tips across it, a trail of sparkles follow the touch and the skin underneath returns to normal. She relaxes a little, watching the disaster wipe off her face like cheap make-up. She keeps the image in her mind and closes her eyes, cupping her hands in front of herself and imagining the sparkles pooling in them. Then she splashes the sparkles over he face, like a girl in a face wash commercial, and imagines the glittering dust washing over her entire body, cleaning away the mess and injuries. And when she opens her eyes, that's exactly what's happened. Her reflection shows her whole and unwounded, even her clothes are fixed.

The next thing she does is smooth her hair down, mostly an instinct since it's still messy, and the sparkles trail after her hands, tidying the strands as if she'd just brushed them. She watches her reflection's mouth quirk up a little in a small smirk. So she can just change what she looks like by imagining it? That figures, this is a place of daydreams that's kind of how they work. She knows exactly what to do with this, she's known since she was a kid what she's change if she could. She places the backs of her hands next to her ears and flicks up, sparkles spray up with the motion and her normal human ears, turn to wolf ears the fur the same chocolate brown as her hair. Her smirk blooms into a full blown smile, and she tilts her head to get a better look at them, watching them move as she tests them. It's like they're real! Next is the tail of course, it's mostly brown, with some silver down the top and a black tip. Then she looks down, and taps the toe of each of her shoes against the ground in turn, as she does they become the compressed paws of her own design.

"That's insane..." she laughs to herself. She's actually turning herself into something else, her own made up alien species. And she just can! With the big changes out of the way she works out the details; pupil shape, fang length, and straightens out a few asymmetries and insecurities she's always had about her body- after all why not? When she's done, she can't help admiring herself a little, turning this way and that in front of the mirror, her perfect image of herself. Well- almost perfect. She snaps her fingers and in the same dusting of glitter, her shirt changes. What was before a loose grey t-shirt with the word "nope" written across it in cursive, as been replaced by a cropped sweater, banded in 3 colors; white at the top, then light blue, then dark blue. She lifts it to look at the crop top under neither, it's just plain white. She decides she doesn't like it that way, so it changes to a cropped version of the t-shirt she'd had before. With that taken care of she lifts her arm so the over-sized sleeve falls down and she can see her forearm, which is covered by a light blue arm warmer with white lace around the edges. Perfect. At least for now. She can change later if she decides she doesn't like the arm warmers.

She giggles to herself, invigorated by the makeover and the sense of control she has now. She turns from the mirror and skips a few feet across the grass, the symbols she'd chosen follow her, floating loosely like beads suspended in gel. She laughs a little as she watches them, and idly reaches for her necklace again, but this time her hand just meets the soft knit of her sweater. She'd forgotten to add them into this new look, so she just wills them into place; three different necklaces of three different lengths. Her hand finds the middle length first, the pendant is designed to spin so she plays with it while her mind starts to wander. She starts thinking of plans for winning this game, what she might say to each other 'pawns' and who to use where and how, even letter her thoughts wonder about the new life she'll have. Cipher's hologram suggested she'll stay in Gravity Falls, which would be cool but what about-

The sound of screeching tires and twisting metal cuts her thoughts off clean and she whips around to find the source of the noise, but her fear turns to confusion when she sees...nothing. She stands stock still, her mind running over only vague impressions of thoughts relating to what she just heard, until another loud sound whips her back around. This time she actually sees something, like a huge firework in the pastel oil-slick sky, accompanied by Bill's obnoxious voice echoing through the space.

"Let the game begin!"

[mk-empress]

Battle Against The Missile Maestro

The Boss Fight

Mario and Olivia climbed up the stairs to the roof of the tower. The shortage of confetti was annoying, but they finally made it to the first streamer. They saw the spool of the red streamer. 

“There’s the end of the streamer! And that’s my brother’s face right in the middle. He’s really making sure everyone knows this was him. Should we try to detach it somehow? Ooh! Maybe if you jumped into it from below?” Olivia suggested.

I heard footsteps then a heard a small thud.

“Hmm. Is that the most powerful jump you can do?” Olivia asked. I decide that this was a good time to end Mario. I summoned and fired two missiles. I heard them explode. 

“Yikes! That was way too close. I wish those sticks would stick to their own business!” Olivia exclaimed. They survived? 

“Aw, man! You were almost out of the picture...for good.” I said to them from behind the pole the streamer spool was attached to. I jumped out from my hiding place and tried to shoot Olivia with my hand gun, but Mario threw her out of the way as I pulled the trigger.

“I’m sick and tired of Philistines like you ERASING all of my hard work, man. You probably haven’t heard of me, right? Figures. When was the last time you even went to a gallery? Pfft. Don’t answer. I’m gonna give you an art lesson for free. The name’s Jean-Pierre Colored Pencils the 12th. I represent The Legion of Stationery, I’ll have you know! Anyway, I’m guarding this streamer, and I’ll scribble on your face if that’s what it takes to stop you.” I explained.

“The Legion of Stationery?! Jean... Pi... Pi... That’s too long for me to remember! I’m just gonna call you Colored Pencils, okay? I suppose my brother sent you to try and stop us, right? Well, Colored Pencils, you talk tough and you draw REALLY well, but have you even HEARD of Mario? Yeah! That’s what I thought. Mario is tough and he’s got a mustache and he’s gonna mess you up! ...Right, Mario?” Olivia said. Time to get to work with the philistines! I summoned twelve missiles around me, ready to fire. 

“Feast your eyes upon my art-senal! Twelve colored pencils, ready to make your bodies my canvas!” I boasted. My missiles pointed at Mario and Olivia, and my eyes locked on them. “Locked on targets!”

Mario pulled out his hammer. I launched four of my missiles at him. Mario jumped out of the way of all of them.

“They ALL missed?! No...my missiles are flawless! It’s the target that’s all wrong!” I shouted.

I fired the other eight missiles at Mario, and he somehow dodged ALL of them AGAIN! I was starting to get rather agitated. I waved my hand around me and twelve more missile appeared. 

“Reload complete! And I have plenty more where these came from!” I boasted.

I fired all twelve of my missiles at Mario, but he just kept dodging them. Before I could summon more missile, he charged at me with his hammer beside him. I raised my arms and Mario slammed his hammer into me, but I stood my ground. With one hand, I pushed the hammer off me, and with my other hand, I punched Mario in the face. Mario stumbled back, and I jumped back, reloaded, then fired four more missiles at him. Mario dodged three of the missiles. He swung his hammer into the fourth one and it soared back toward me! I moved to the side and it exploded behind me, barely missing me. I despawned my missiles and replaced them with dud missiles instead. These wouldn’t explode, but they would still impale him. I launched the duds, then he jumped on top of them! He landed behind me, then I turned around before he smacked me in my chest. It hurt. I tumbled back, but I regained my footing rapidly. I gazed at Mario and Olivia as I stood back up, holding my chest.

“Ugh. Everyone’s a critic. I won’t let my work be disrespected like this! Time to roll out my masterpiece... Behold my Rainbow Roll!” I exclaimed. This was my special.

I summoned all twelve missiles in a circle around each other. I stepped back and stomped the ground. I reeled my hands back, and the missiles rolled around each other, spinning at high speed. A red aura started to explode from me. I stared Mario in the eyes as my eyes glowed brightly. I saw Olivia get behind Mario, and then I saw him gain the legendary 1000-fold arms, but I was not intimidated. I knew they were no match for my masterpiece. I locked my eyes on him once more, before firing my special at them. 

Before the Rainbow Roll could destroy them, Mario somehow grabbed the ENTIRE THING! The missiles continued to push against Mario, but he had them under his control. For the first time in my entire existence, I felt truly terrified. I could only watch as Mario aimed my special back at me and let them fly. There was nothing I could do, it was too fast. My own Rainbow Roll hit me, and I was launched back into the spool of the streamer. I had felt the flames of the explosion searing through my flesh. I collapsed. The pain was paralyzing. It hurt so bad. It was hard to breathe. I was severely dazed and injured. I laid there motionless for a while.

I heard the sound of Mario smashing the spool with his folded arms. I faintly heard the sound of the streamer shredding itself, falling apart and disappearing.

“That was amazing! And we both did something! Hey, like I said before...we DO make a pretty good team. All right, that was all really exciting, but we’ve got a lot more streamers to unravel. Now, which color of streamer were we going to head to next? Oh yeah! The blue streamer on the red mountain. That’s as good a place as any. Maybe even better! Because it looks so pretty from here.” Olivia said.

No. I won’t let them. I won’t let them move on. I won’t let them get Rubber Band. I WON’T FAIL KING OLLY!

I slowly began to shift. The pain was so intense. I slowly started to get up. I used all my strength and will. Mario and Olivia heard me, and they turned around and saw me. I was scorched. I knew I was dying, but I’ll take these two down with me, even if it curses me to The Underwhere! 

“He’s not dead?! Gosh! How are you alive?!” Olivia shouted.

“I...will not... fail...” I weakly spoke. I pulled out my hand gun and attempted to shoot Mario. He dodged the bullet and hit the gun out of my hand with his hammer, then he smashed me with it. I tumbled to the side. Mario walked to me and raised his hammer. He was about to finish me off. I wasn’t ready to die. I didn’t want to die, not like this! I covered my eyes and raised my hand in fear.

“No! Please!” I cried. I was so scared. I just wasn’t ready. I wanted to live to enjoy time with my siblings again. I didn’t want to accept that this was the end of me. Mario halted.

“Mario, wait!” Olivia screamed.

“I don’t want to die. Please... I’m not ready...” I begged. I never thought I would stoop this low, much less to Mario, but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t.

“Come on, Mario. Let’s just go. We have more streamers to take down.” Olivia said. Mario sighed, and began to walk away. They both went back down the stairs into the interior of the tower. They were gone.

I was left there. Left there to die. This WAS it, as much as I wanted to deny it. I just laid there, struggling to breathe. My body felt warm, too warm. My flesh burned. It felt like I was there for hours. I was clinging on to what little life I had left. I thought about the good times I’ve had with the others, with my siblings, my family. I started to cry. Soon, it became too difficult to breathe, and my vision began to fade. I hoped that one of the others would stop Mario and Olivia. I tried so hard, I even got back up, but- in the end- the red streamer still fell anyway. I still failed my king. I...I’m...

I’m sorry.

[muwur]

haikyuu x otome: masterlist | rules

prologue

» synopsis:   a haikyuu x reader au where you, the player, are bound for university in a metropolis several hours away from home. hope and excitement are replaced with dread as you come to realize that juggling life as a student and a part-time employee takes a toll. from demanding classes to a ruthless manager, life just can’t seem to give you a break. that is, until you meet a certain someone who reminds you how to live and follow your dreams. somehow, when you’re with them, time stands still. maybe things are finally starting to look up. if only you could stay in those moments for just a little longer.

» gn reader

» ngl came out longer than i expected but thats ok LMAO,, them otome intros be unnecessarily long too mb; 3.1k words

» note: if u rllyy want u can kinda skip or just skim this, the gist is that you move in n meet like 3 ppl LOL

The train hummed as it zoomed through the landscape, leaving behind the familiar people, sights, sounds, and smells. Yawning, you rubbed your nap away from weary eyes and peered out the window. Just hours ago you had waved a bittersweet farewell to your town, friends, and family, who woke at the crack of dawn to send you off with tight hugs and teary-eyed wishes of good luck. 

Your heart lurched at the memory. You’d miss them. In an effort to part happily, you promised to come back for the holidays, call often, and hook your friends up with any cute people you just knew would match them. Glancing down at your phone, you smiled at the excited text messages from your friends. Your fingers tapped away at the keyboard in response.

‘Just woke up from my nap. I think I’m here!’

Outside, buildings scraped the clouds and their windows shined in the light of the afternoon sun. Cars honked, bikes swerved, crowds bustled. On one end of the block, a man on a ladder was painting a sign for his store, while on the other end , a street performer danced energetically in her black shoes. Smoke emitted from a food vendor’s stand, where a man skillfully flipped some meat and vegetables on a stove, even throwing his spatula into the air to entertain his customers. The city was alive. 

Stepping off the train, you clutched your belongings and felt a sudden rush of exhilaration. You were finally here. You intended to take a deep breath, in order to take in your first taste of this city’s air, only to stop halfway in a short hacking fit to expel train exhaust from your lungs. 

‘That was pleasant,’ you grumbled to yourself, still coughing as you made your way off the platform towards the street. Luckily, Lyft existed. And it was cheaper here! Within minutes of your order, a black Toyota pulled up in front of you. The driver smiled and stepped out of the car, their wavy brown hair bouncing against their shoulders. “Let me help you with those,” they smiled as they offered to take your bags and put them in the trunk. 

“Oh, thank you so much!” What a kind person, you thought as you opened the backseat of the car. Ooh.

On second thought, maybe you were too optimistic. Who knew a 10 minute ride could feel so long? It seemed at least twice that much when you were squished in the backseat with some handsy couple. Just your luck, someone was already occupying the passenger seat. Oh well, a minor inconvenience in the name of saving money. All you could do was shift closer to the door, fix your gaze outside the window, and try to ignore the strange purrs coming from your seatmates. A familiar building caught your eye and you let out a sigh of relief when the car came to a stop. You thanked your driver as you stepped out and pulled your bags out of the trunk. Looking back and forth from your phone to the townhouse before you, you had to admit the real thing looked a little more worn down than how it was advertised, but you couldn’t blame them. I mean, your pictures on instagram aren’t exactly the everyday representation of yourself, either.

Aged wood creaked as you hoisted your bags up the front steps. You tapped  your knuckles three times against the brown door and rang the buzzer to the landlord’s office. 

“Hello? Miss Q?” you asked, hoping the landlord you’ve been contacting for the last two months would answer. “It’s me, y/n, I let you know I’d be coming in today.”

No answer. 15 minutes, a few text messages, and a phone call later, still no response. You groaned. Were you at the right place? Looking back at the address of the building and your location, you were sure this was it. Did Miss Q happen to be out? Or was she napping and just happened to be a heavy sleeper? Maybe her phone died. Whatever the reason, you were stuck out here for the meantime. Shrugging it off, you took a seat on a dusty patio chair and started to scroll mindlessly through your phone to pass the time. Hopefully she’d reply soon. 

The screech of a vehicle coming to a stop caught your ear. You looked up to see that the mover’s van you ordered pulled up across the street. Well, at least your things arrived. You stood up and waved to the man driving the vehicle. Making your way to greet and thank him, you helped him unload your things and set them down on the free space in front of the complex, making sure to keep the pathways clear. Placing down the last of the things onto the ground, you wiped the sweat off your brow, tipped the man, and watched him leave.

20 minutes of that and still you remained stuck outside. The late summer sun was beginning to get unbearably warm. Sitting amongst your pile of things, you couldn’t help but groan inwardly at the thought of all the unpacking you had to do. On top of that, classes begin in a week, and you needed to search for a job as soon as possible to help pay the bills. 

“Erm, hello? Are you y/n l/n, by any chance?” a gentle voice asked.

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice anyone had approached you. He was a fairly tall boy with dark hair half pulled back into a messy bun. Freckles adorned his face, complemented by his soft brown eyes and warm smile. He wore a pair of white shoes, slightly distressed lightwash jeans that were rolled up at the bottom, and a loose fitting, olive button up half tucked into his jeans. In his arms was a brown paper bag with a loaf of bread peeking out. 

(I STAN LONG HAIRED/HAIRBUN YAMS SO HARD SO HE’S GONNA HAVE IT OK)

“Yeah, I am! Do you live here?” you responded eagerly, getting up to your feet.

He nodded with a smile. “I do! Apparently Miss Q’s sick and staying at her daughter’s place for now, so her daughter messaged me to help you get settled in. Let me put these groceries away and get your key.”

He disappeared into the townhouse, then returned a few moments later with a key dangling between his fingers. “Miss Q needs a better hiding spot for her spare office key. The plant pot is way too obvious. Anyways, I can show you to your room, now. I’ll help you carry your things up,” he offered.

“That would be great! Thanks again for all your help, otherwise I’d probably have been stuck out here all night,” you said, gently handing him a box to carry.

“Y-Yeah, no problem! Though, Tsukki might’ve let you in if he saw you out here, too. Oh, and my name’s Tadashi Yamaguchi, by the way. Some people call me Yams. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Yams,” you huffed in amusement at his cute nickname. “Call me y/n.” Carrying some boxes, you followed Yamaguchi into the building. Luckily you were on the first floor, second door on the lefthand side. He fumbled with the key, searching for the keyhole before turning the unlocked knob and opening the door. 

Much like the outside, the interior of the place was also outdated. You both stood in front of the quaint living area connected to the kitchen. In the back, you could see the hallway leading to the bathroom and your single bedroom. The plain, white walls of the room were illuminated by daylight coming in from the windows on the rightmost wall. You could overlook the worn couch and scuffed dining table, though, considering the place was fully furnished and leased at a great price. Miss Q had even told you both the kitchen and bathroom had actually been remodeled recently. 

Going back and forth to take your belongings inside, you thought to get to know your new neighbor. “So, how long have you lived here?”

He pursed his lips in thought and stacked the box he was carrying on top of another one. “Mm, only since the start of summer, actually. My friend and I came here to start university, and one of his favorite museums also happens to be in this city. We come from about 2 hours north of here, though. What about you?”

You set down a particularly heavy bag onto the floor with a grunt. “I’m from a place several hours west of here. I came here for school, too! Are you going to Central University, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am!” he responded with pleasant surprise and wide eyes. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other on campus, too. Remind me to show you the closest bus stop you can take to get there.” A soft smile formed on his lips.

After finally taking in all your belongings, you collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Your eyes flickered over to the brunette, whose chuckle you could hear from across the room. “Long day?” he asked, settling into a spot next to you. 

Groaning, you replied, “I’ve been up since 5 am to do some last minute packing and catch my train.”

“Yikes. Sounds early.”

“Tell me about it.”

A comfortable silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Curious, he piped up with another question. “So, what made you decide to move all the way out here?”

“Hmm,” you began. “Well, I wanted to settle into a new, unknown place, y’know? Explore the world a little more and see what it’s like out here. Be on my own for the first time.”

Yamaguchi nodded thoughtfully in understanding. “I get you. My best friend and I kinda came here for the same reasons. We wanted to expand our worlds a bit. I’ve only been here a few months, and already so much has happened. You’ll definitely get to explore and experience a lot in this city. Things are always busy around here...” he trailed off, checking a notification on his phone that just dinged with a new message. His brown gaze flickered back to you. “Ooh, would you like to have a drink with my friend and I at my place? I live in the room right across from here. You seem like you need a break.”

You could feel your lips curve upwards. “I’d really enjoy that, actually.”

Thus you found yourself in your new friend’s apartment, sinking comfortably into his black beanbag chair, a bottle of cold lemonade in your hand. Taking another refreshing swig, your eyes traveled over to the blonde seated next to Yams on their tan sofa. You could hardly feel welcome when the first words that came out of his mouth after seeing you was a disgruntled “you brought someone here?”, which made Yamaguchi smack the back of his friend’s head.

“They’re our new neighbor, Tsukki! Be more welcoming,” he chided with a roll of his eyes. “Y/n, this is Kei Tsukishima. Tsukki, this is y/n.”

He rubbed the back of his head and glared at Yamaguchi. The blonde sighed, extending a hand out towards you. “Tsukishima. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

“Erm,” you tried to smile, “nice to meet you, too, Tsukishima. Just call me y/n.”

‘How is someone as sweet as Yams best friends with this dude?’

He couldn’t be all bad, you reasoned. Maybe he was just having a bad day,,, or always having a bad day. Regardless, even if your first impression was kinda substandard and underwhelming, you hoped you’d get along. He seemed like the type to need to get to know someone before warming up to them. 

You set the empty bottle atop their maple coffee table. Two hours had creeped by, consisting mostly of lighthearted exchanges between you and Yamaguchi, with a brief, occasional response from Tsukishima. He spent most of the time flipping through the pages of a novel and lightly tapping its hardcover to the beat of whatever he was listening to on his headphones. Yamaguchi suggested getting delivery from a Thai place he liked a few blocks away, and even insisted on covering the cost for you. 

“No, you really don’t have to..! I appreciate the offer, though,” you pleaded.

He shook his head, smiling as he tapped away at postmates on his phone. “Don’t worry about it.” He logged in both your orders and nudged Tsukishima with his elbow. “What do you want?”

Pushing up his glasses, Tsukishima leaned over to look at his friend’s phone screen. A few moments passed before he pulled away and said, “Pad Kee Mao sounds good.”

30 minutes later and there was a ring at the front door. A voice on the buzzer sounded. “I have a delivery for, uh.. Tadashi!” 

“Looks like they’re here,” Yamaguchi said as he stood up. You followed him out to the main entrance. Behind the door was a boy with tousled orange hair and bright brown eyes, carrying a plastic bag filled with takeout boxes. “Here you go!” he exclaimed as he handed you the order. He peered at the brunette beside you, his face scrunching in thought before lightening up with clarity. “Hey, you were with the guy I crashed into the other day! I-Is he okay by the way? Sorry, I was in a really big rush...!”

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise and eyes widening with familiarity, Yamaguchi nodded, “Oh yeah, I remember that! Don’t worry, he’s alright, just bitter and annoyed. I’m glad you seem to be okay, as well.” 

The redhead scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and looked down at his scuffed shoes. “Ah, thanks! Um, is he around? I’d like to apologize for yesterday...”

Yamaguchi smiled. “I’ll go grab him,” he said briefly before heading back to his apartment. 

The delivery boy sighed with relief. “Man, I felt really bad about that yesterday...” he muttered. He looked back up, his eyes brightening when they met yours. “My name’s Shoyo Hinata! People usually call me Hinata.”

“I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you,” you smiled, offering your hand. He shook hands with you a bit too vigorously, and you nearly dropped the food held in your other arm. “Are you new around here?” he asked.

“Hah, is it that obvious?” you joked.

“Nahh, just a wild guess. You’re just really refreshing, is all! Most of the people I meet seem burnt out, but I don’t blame them. We’ve all got busy lives. Talking to you is nice, though! I haven’t learned any customer’s names, well, since I started working! Then again, it’s only been two months... Anyways, where you from? I was born and raised here.”

If anything, you thought Hinata was the refreshing one. A tad talkative, but refreshing nonetheless. He effused a radiance that matched his vivid hair. “I’m from *insert place here*, a few hours west of here. I just arrived today!”

Before he could give you a response, however, you both heard footsteps approaching. You could recognize Tsukishima’s voice muttering a low “let’s get this over with” from behind you. Now standing at the doorframe, the blonde towered over Hinata. His countenance displayed obvious annoyance. However, he maintained his composure, pressed his finger against the bridge of his nose, and sighed out, “What do you want?”

Hinata bowed. “I’m sorry I crashed into you with my bike the other day! I was rushing to volleyball practice and I wasn’t looking. It was my fault.”

Eyes narrowing, Tsukishima allowed several moments of silence to achingly pass before letting out a small huff. “Fine. Apology accepted.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned around to return to his room. “Watch where you’re going next time, idiot. You’d better hope you don’t run into me again.” A door shut.

‘That was quick.’

Hinata looked up to watch him leave and straightened his form again. Lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, he crossed his arms across his chest. “Geez, what’s his deal?” Yamaguchi cast him an apologetic look. “Ah, he’s just like that. He appreciates the gesture, though.” 

A high-pitched ding caught your attention. “Ah, I gotta go make another delivery! It was nice to meet you all!” 

Quickly grabbing a bill out of your pocket, you stopped Hinata mid-step. “Wait! Here, please take this. Thanks for the food!”

He accepted the tip from your hands, looking back and forth between you and the money. “Wow, thank you so much! I really hope to see you around. Have a great night!” With a final smile and wave, he bounded off the porch steps towards his bike, hopped on, then disappeared down the street. 

After having dinner and exchanging contact information with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, you thanked them for having you over and retired back to your room. Drained, you only had enough energy to make up your bed and unpack your bathroom essentials. You trudged into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, weariness was evident in your dull gaze. ‘Ugh, I can’t wait to sleep,’ you thought as you turned the sink on. The cool water felt refreshing against your skin and livened your senses. You brushed your teeth before retreating to your bedroom and changing into a comfier pair of clothes. 

You checked the time on your phone. How was it only 11 PM? The darkness, coupled with your exhaustion, made it seem at least three hours ahead. You plugged the phone in to charge and set it down on the bedside table. ‘No need to set an alarm,’ you thought, ‘I just wanna sleep.’ 

You took a few minutes to stare at the dark ceiling overhead, thinking about all the new changes coming your way.  New faces, cool food, and exciting places. Hopefully you had some time these first few weeks to explore and familiarize yourself with the city. Excitement mixed with a prick of anxiety as you thought about how you could manage on your own. However, you had faith in your independence. You would be okay. Besides, there were friendly people out here like Yamaguchi, Hinata, and maybe Tsukishima who you could trust if you ever needed help.

It didn’t take long for you to drift off into a deep slumber. You lazily woke up the following morning, yawning with outstretched arms. ‘That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages,’ you thought as you sat up. It was half an hour before noon. The sun shone brightly through your windows, whose curtains were left undrawn. ‘Surprised that the light didn’t wake me up sooner.’ A loud honk made you jump in your seat. ‘Or the noise.’

You drew your legs over the side of the bed and took in the state of your room. Surrounded by stacked boxes and luggage, you were reminded what you came here for. Anticipation collected in your chest. This was the start of the life you’ve been waiting for the past few years. 

‘We’re gonna make the best of this, y/n.’

[ghost-in-the-hella]

63. “I need a place to stay.” PriceMarsh

Roughly 1 million years later (in fandom years), here it is. 

CW for homophobia and implied domestic abuse. 

 --- 

When Chloe answers the door at 9pm on Christmas Eve, she isn’t expecting to see her girlfriend. She especially isn’t expecting to see her looking tear-stained and puffy-eyed in her best church clothes, soaked to the skin and carrying a hastily packed backpack. 

“Kate! What’s wrong?” she asks, heart immediately hammering anxiously in her chest. 

Kate barely manages to get the words out. “I need a place to stay.” 

“O-of course, yeah.” Chloe holds the door open and steps back, ushering her inside. It’s too cold and rainy outside for Kate to be standing there without a heavy coat. 

“I’m sorry,” Kate starts babbling as soon as she’s over the threshold. “I didn’t know where else to go; the dorms are closed until after New Years and--” 

“Hey, hey,” Chloe says soothingly, pulling Kate gently into her arms. “I’m glad you came here. I just wasn’t expecting you, that’s all. But I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.” 

Kate hiccups something between a laugh and a sob into Chloe’s shoulder as she hugs her back so hard that Chloe’s ribs ache. “I missed you, too,” she mumbles wetly. 

“What’s going on?” David barks from the living room over the sound of the television. “Shut the damn door, girlie; you’re letting all the heat out!” 

Chloe gives Kate an extra squeeze, feeling the way she tenses at David’s gruff voice. She kicks out one foot, pushing the door loudly shut. 

“Who is it?” Joyce asks, poking her head out of the kitchen, her hands still dripping soap suds. Her eyebrows rise in concern when she sees the state that Kate is in. “Kate, darlin’!” she exclaims, leaving the kitchen and wiping off her hands on a dishcloth. “What’s the matter?” 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Madsen,” Kate says through a fresh wave of tears. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your family so close to Christmas. I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead; she took my phone.” 

Chloe’s heart sinks down to her toes and her head starts buzzing numbly. Shit. She’s been dreading this moment ever since she and Kate started dating. “Your mom?” 

Kate nods, looking heartbroken. She turns to Chloe. “I didn’t mean to tell her anything,” she says in an agonized rush. “It just slipped out. One of my cousins came out over Thanksgiving, and she was talking all about how he was going to hell and I just meant to defend him and… and… It just slipped out.” Kate’s mouth tightens into a pained snarl. “She was just so convinced that none of her perfect daughters could be ‘like that,’ so convinced it was something his parents did wrong and that he would go to hell, and I couldn’t let her. I couldn’t let her keep saying those things as if she wasn’t talking about her own daughter, too.”

“So she kicked you out,” Chloe says numbly. 

Kate nods again, and Joyce’s frown deepens as she sweeps in to put her own arm around Kate’s shoulders. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like, Katie, darlin’. I’m sure your mother will come to her senses--” she glares at Chloe when Chloe snorts angrily “--eventually,” she continues determinedly, “but until then you just stay right here with us. Have you had supper?” 

Kate shakes her head. “Th-thank you, Mrs. Madsen. I’m sorry to impose, I just didn’t know where else to go; the dorms are closed over break.” 

“Never you mind; it’s no imposition. Chloe, would you set up a dinner plate for our guest?” 

“Yeah, ‘course.” Chloe lets go of Kate and looks her up and down. She’s sopping wet and shivering. “You wanna grab a shower and warm up while I’m heating the leftovers? You can borrow some of my pjs if you need a change of clothes.”

“Thank you,” Kate says once again, pressing her cold lips gratefully against Chloe’s cheek as Joyce returns to the kitchen and starts bustling about in the refrigerator. “I managed to grab some things before she locked me out, but I don’t know if I’ve even got a complete outfit apart from what I’m wearing.” 

Chloe scowls. “I can’t believe your dad let her do this. And on Christmas Eve; what the actual fuck.” 

Kate shrugs sadly. “He tried to reason with her, but when she gets like this…” She sighs. “Maybe he’ll be able to talk her around, eventually. At least enough that I can go back and get the rest of my things.”

“He’d fucking better. And if he doesn’t, we’ll break in and take them back,” Chloe promises. 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” 

“Parents kicked you out, huh?” David says, suddenly looming in the doorway with a nearly empty beer bottle dangling from one hand. “That’s rough.”

“I… Yes, it is, Mr. Madsen.” 

David nods contemplatively, eyes darting back and forth between Kate and Chloe, and Chloe wants to go over and smack his eyes shut. “Well. Sorry t’hear it. I s’pose we can fix up the couch for you ‘til the dorms reopen.” 

It’s more than Chloe expected from him but less than Kate deserves. “Kate can stay in my room. We’re both adults.” 

David’s expression sours. “Miss Marsh can stay on the couch,” he replies. “Your mother and I already tolerated enough shenanigans when that Amber girl used to stay over. This isn’t a bordello.” 

Chloe’s anger flares and she steps forward to say something well-deserved but ill-advised, halted only by Kate’s gentle hand on her elbow. “I can sleep on the couch,” Kate says. “I don’t mind. I fell asleep on the bus ride here; the couch will be much more comfortable, I’m sure. Thank you, Mr. Madsen.” 

Step-douche nods at that and disappears back into the living room like some vile ghost. Chloe wishes he’d fuck off and find some other house to haunt. Chloe’s distracted from her thoughts by the soft, cool press of Kate’s lips on the corner of her jaw. Kate slips her fingers into Chloe’s and gives them a squeeze. “I’m going to go shower and get changed. Maybe I’ll feel a bit more stable then. We can figure everything else out afterward, okay?” 

“Okay,” Chloe says, turning to kiss Kate back, just a light peck at the edge of her lips. “I’ll heat up some food for you. We can talk it out once you’re warm and dry with a full stomach.”

Kate nods. “I’m probably going to cry a whole lot,” she warns. “I feel sort of numb right now, but I don’t know how long that’s going to last before I break down again.”

“I’ve got two good shoulders,” Chloe tells her. “You can cry on them all you need. I’ve got your back, Angel.”

Kate already looks a bit teary when she pulls Chloe in for a hug. “I should be calling you Angel. You’re the one saving my life here. I don’t know what I would have done tonight if I didn’t have you to run to.”

Kate wouldn’t have to run anywhere if it weren’t for Chloe, but Chloe knows that if she says that out loud Kate will only deny it, so she gives Kate a squeeze and sends her upstairs. Chloe busies herself in the kitchen, trying to focus on setting up the best dinner she can for her girlfriend rather than on the bottomless anger welling up inside of her.

“I just can’t imagine,” Joyce sighs. “And on Christmas Eve, no less! I thought you said they were Christians. What good Christian woman would throw her daughter out on Christmas Eve?”

Chloe shrugs because if she speaks she’ll only shout, and she doesn’t want Kate to hear her yelling and get upset.

Joyce stares at Chloe’s tight shoulders for a moment, her brow furrowed and jaw tensed in contemplation, and she gently takes the plate from Chloe’s hands and puts it into the microwave. “You know that I love you, Chloe. Don’t you?” 

Chloe nods, feeling like she might cry or be sick or very possibly both. It isn’t fair. Kate’s the good one. Kate deserves a family that loves and protects her. She deserves better than her mother’s rejection, her father’s inadequacy, Chloe’s bony shoulders to cry on, David’s barely-there tolerance. She deserves the world, and Chloe doesn’t know how to give it to her.

“Oh, Chloe.” Joyce pulls her into a gentle hug, and Chloe’s upset enough that she lets her, sobbing wetly into her mother’s shoulder before she can stop herself. “Chloe, Chloe. We’ll take good care of that girl. She can stay here as long as it takes.”

“Step--”

“I’ll talk to David. Don’t you worry about anythin’, Darlin’.”

Chloe wants to say something cutting about why hasn’t Joyce ‘talked to David’ about not berating her constantly, not invading her privacy, not smacking her around whenever she talks back to him rather than take his shit. But she can hear the shower turning off upstairs and she doesn’t want to get them both kicked out on Christmas Eve with nowhere to go. “Thanks, mom,” she mumbles, wiping her eyes as she pulls out of the embrace. The microwave beeps and Chloe goes to check on the food.

Kate comes downstairs a few minutes later with damp hair hanging around her shoulders, wearing one of her own sleep shirts paired with a severely oversized pair of Chloe’s pajama pants. She’s rolled the cuffs several times and they still drag on the floor. She looks soft and sweet, and Chloe just wants to wrap her up in the protective warmth of her arms and keep her safe forever, never let her go. Chloe draws back the chair in front of Kate’s steaming dinner plate. “Hope you’re hungry. Joyce always makes enough food to feed the whole town around the holidays.”

Kate sits and picks up her fork, giving Chloe a bigger smile than Chloe would’ve expected considering how traumatizing Kate’s night has been so far. “You know, I wasn’t sure I would have an appetite at all, but I’m actually famished.” She scoops up a big dollop of mashed potatoes and gobbles it down, closing her eyes in bliss. Chloe has to smile. Kate really is just too cute. She reaches over and thumbs away a smudge of gravy at the corner of Kate’s mouth. “Your mom’s a really good cook.”

“When she has time, yeah. I, uh. I’m actually a pretty decent cook, too. Had to pick up some of her skillz when it was just the two of us and she was pulling doubles at the diner all the time, y’know?”

“Hmm, good to know.” Kate slowly sets down her fork. “You know… I keep thinking I should feel worse. I should feel worse, shouldn’t I?”

“Probably hasn’t sunk in yet.”

“Maybe. I keep thinking: I should be breaking down, my mother threw me out of the house, my sisters were crying, she’s going to tell them horrible things about me, my father failed to protect me… Most of my life is in that house. My phone, my computer, Alice. But all I can feel is relieved.”

“Relieved.” 

Kate nods pensively. “Relieved, and grateful.” She shrugs. “My family knows now. There’s no big secrets left to hide from them. I can stop worrying about what’s going to happen when they find out, because it’s already happened. I can just be my complete self now and not have to worry that it’ll get back to them somehow.” She places her hand over Chloe’s and smiles softly at her. “And grateful because I have you. Because I have a place to go and a person to go to. So many people don’t have that, but I do, and I’m so, so grateful that it’s you.”

Chloe sniffs a little even though she’s not crying - she’s not - and shifts her hand to lock her fingers with Kate’s. “I’m the one who’s grateful for you. I… I wish I had a better place for you to go. Without…” She flails her free hand inarticulately. “Fuckin’ family drama. Without having to look over your damn shoulder in case Sergeant Dickhead’s getting his rage on.” 

Kate squeezes Chloe’s hand. “Maybe… Maybe this can be a good thing. Maybe it can be an opportunity for both of us. I was thinking that when I graduate, I’ll want to move out of my parents’ place anyway, find an apartment of my own… I was, um. I was planning to ask if you wanted to join me.” 

Chloe blinks rapidly, struggling to keep up. “Wait, like… Get an apartment together? Like, move in together?” 

Kate nods shyly. “If you wanted. And now… Maybe it makes sense to start looking sooner. I don’t know if they’re going to keep paying for my dorm room now that I’ve been kicked out, and if they don’t… I mean, even if my dad is willing to keep paying for it, it’s probably better for me to get some distance.” She blushes. “If you want to, of course. It’s okay if you don’t; I didn’t mean to spring this on you so suddenly. I was going to work up to it, try to get a sense of what you wanted to do, if you even wanted to live with me--”

Chloe leans over and kisses Kate hard on the cheek to interrupt her spiral. “I’d love to.” 

Kate lights up. “Really?” 

“Really. Seriously. I can’t think of anything I’d like better. Our own place? Just you and me, able to decorate shit the way we want, to not have to lie or hide anything or walk on eggshells to keep from pissing off our parents?? Hella yes, I want that!”

“We probably won’t be able to afford anything too nice, and we’ll have to get jobs, but--” 

“Fuck, I’m game if you are. I’ll wait tables at the fucking Two Whales if I have to.” Chloe shuts up so that Kate can kiss her. “You and me, Katydid.” 

Kate rests her head on Chloe’s shoulder. “You and me. We’re going to make it work.” 

“Hell yeah, we are.” Chloe presses another kiss into Kate’s wet hair, and she sits and holds Kate and, for the first time in years, looks forward to the future.

[oddeyecadia]

aren't humans supposed to be scared of death?

lucifer/main character

also posted on ao3

__

His glare alone could kill a thousand souls.

It wasn't a fair battle for (M/C) only had one, the same soul that was almost some demons' dinner earlier.

Most of the time when his eyes would fall on her, her heart would skip a beat and she'd forget how to breathe. Right then, she was still at lost for breath, but only because it seemed like he wanted to rip her lungs into pieces. A contrast to how gentle he was holding her in his arms moments ago.

It was times like these that (M/C) wished she had even half of Beel's athleticism. Adrenaline wasn't enough to increase her speed, but at least it helped with distracting her from her aching feet. There were two– no, three demons chasing her. If it was only one, she would've decided to fight, but their number didn't give her a choice but to run for her life.

She turned to an alleyway hoping to find somewhere to hide and found nothing but a dead end.

"You done wasting our time yet?" A panting voice came up behind her.

Trying to catch her breath, (M/C) quickly turned to the owner of the voice. The same demons who she turned down– one she might've given a black eye –were blocking her way. There were five of them now, five demons with hungry eyes starting at her. Where the hell did the other two come from?

She backed up and widened her stance. Running away and hiding from them were crossed out, there was no way she could get out of this situation without at least trying to defend herself. With a sprained feet and a trembling body, she for sure wouldn't win, but what choice did she have?

One of them spoke. "If only you just accepted our offer. You really had the guts to reject us, you, a human!" There was a hint of disgust in his last words.

She was about to say how she would rather lose her soul than accompany them to The Fall when the same demon aggressively pulled her by the wrist, making her squeak. His grip was so tight that it stung her skin, but she couldn't careless. All she wanted right then was to give the demon multiple kicks in the balls.

The others cheered him on as his face moved closer to hers. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull away but his grip only tightened. She could feel his breath on her neck when he said, "Such a pure soul too. Free dinner's about to be good."

Her stomach flipped in the most unpleasant way as she shut her eyes, expecting to meet pain. Memories of soft crimson eyes flashed through her mind and she found herself internally calling for its owner.

It was only then that the fear started to sink in.

As if her prayers had reached the celestial realm, in a matter of seconds, the tight grip on her wrist disappeared and her feet was off the ground. Harsh wind blew through the alleyway and the scent of musk she loved so much hit her nose. She didn't need to open her eyes to know who was holding her but when she did, the same crimson eyes met hers and suddenly, all the tension in her body faded away.

She had always felt safest in Lucifer's arms.

(M/C) could almost taste the bitter atmosphere filling his office as Lucifer stood in front of her with his arms crossed. Daring to look him in the eye once, she regretted that decision immediately when a chill ran down her spine. She held onto her own arm for comfort.

Whenever his brothers would misbehave, he'd scold them for an eternity as one of the many punishments. He haven't said a word ever since he fought the group of demons who tried to murder her tonight, though. She'd rather have the repetitive reminders and sarcastic remarks than his silence that was more terrifying than the Devil King himself. She haven't even met said king.

After moments of hesitation, she finally found her voice. "Lucifer, I'm–"

"Mind telling me what you were doing alone in the streets of Devildom in the middle of the night?"

(M/C) gulped at his sharp tone. "I just– I needed to buy supplies for my school project due tomorrow, so I went out to get some."

"And you chose to go alone?"

"Well, everyone's already asleep."

"You of all people would know that I would still be in my office even at this hour. I would have been willing to accompany you if you asked." It was obvious that he was trying his best to keep his composure, but the way his voice was getting louder and more aggressive was ruining his facade.

She took a deep breath, praying to his father that her next words wouldn't fuel up the fire too much. "I doubt that you would even leave your desk if I ask you. Besides, the store wasn't that far and I didn't wanna bother any of you."

"That is not an excuse!" She didn't know it was possible but the furrow on his brows got even deeper. "It is irresponsible to do school projects the night before the deadline, first and foremost."

He lost her at the word irresponsible. (M/C) was pretty sure she had received this very same talk for over a million times, she didn't need to hear it again.

The way he spoke with such authority reminded her that she was talking to Lucifer, the Vice President of the student council and Diavolo's right hand man, not the Lucifer who would wake her up early in the morning so they could have the table on their own during breakfast or the Lucifer who put his coat on her when she accidentally slept on the couch.

This was the Lucifer his brothers would daydream of punching on a daily, but still the Lucifer she'd risk everything for.

"What's wrong? Having trouble falling asleep?"

(M/C) only blinked at the demon. She should've known she would run into Lucifer when she decided to roam around the halls of the House of Lamentation when everyone was asleep. It was rare for him to leave his desk at this hour, though. Perhaps luck just wasn't by her side.

"Uhm, yeah kind of." She answered honestly.

"May I ask why?"

She could only bite her lip. Was it a good idea to say she was just missing her room in the human world? Or that she was craving for her parent/s' hug? Would he even understand what homesickness was? It didn't matter, she wasn't scared of opening up to him but knowing Lucifer, he'd probably report this to Lord Diavolo and knowing Diavolo, who knew what ridiculous human event would he attempt to pull off if he found out. Although, it would be fun to watch the crown prince try, it would only remind her more that she wasn't in the human world with her family.

She gave Lucifer a hopefully convincing laugh. "Oh, it's pretty stupid. Levi and I watched a horror movie earlier. It's kind of hard to sleep when the creepy stuff keeps replaying in my head."

"Hmm. I never thought you'd be the type to be scared of fictional monsters, (M/C)."

He was right. (M/C) was in literal hell for Devil King's sake. No monster or ghost could ever scare her anymore.

"I guess you just don't know me as well as you thought." She said, keeping the act.

It took him too long to speak again that she was afraid her lying abilities were getting rusty. "Well then, I have a suggestion." A grin formed on his lips. "How about we share the bed?"

Her breathing stopped as the room grew several degrees higher than usual. Share the bed? Share the bed?

It seemed like her head didn't have control of her mouth for she just said, "Sure. Why not?"

Later as (M/C) felt the other side of Lucifer's gigantic bed dip, she started to realize why Why not? was such a stupid thing to ask.

It was like she was on her first day at RAD again, growing an interest in the most powerful demon in Devildom. She couldn't help it, he was undeniably attractive and the way he so confidently presented himself was gravitating. Lucifer was, for lack of a better word, hot.

But that was only what he was to her, an eye candy that was way out of her league. He was too much of a stuck up for her anyway, so she decided not to let her feelings grow into anything more.

She thought she had managed to forget about her embarrassing crush, but the way her heart almost jumped out of her chest as she felt him lay down beside her told her otherwise.

"(M/C)." He called.

"Yup?"

"You're going to end up falling off if you stay on the edge there. It is much comfier here in the middle, come."

The way his voice dropped at the last word made her feel things, particularly in her lower region. She shook off the thoughts before it could conquer her whole body. Giving the wall she had been staring at for minutes an internal farewell, she finally faced him for the first time she lied in his bed that night.

The butterflies in her stomach flying around for fun were now in chaos.

Right before her was Lucifer in a plain black shirt, looking as ethereal as ever. With a cheeky smile on his lips, his gloveless hand gave the space beside him a pat and she settled closer beside him like the fool that she was.

"Happy?"

He chuckled, most likely at how her face was heating up. "Very. So what's the true reason?"

"Excuse me?"

"What was the reason you couldn't sleep?" He must have noticed how she froze for a second for he let out another snicker. "Don't act so surprised. You laugh for no reason whenever you aren't being truthful. A pretty bad liar for someone so cunning."

She should feel embarrassed but the way he noticed this little fact about her just made her grin. "Alright, you got me. I didn't lie about the horror movie, though. We did watch one but... yeah, it's not the reason I couldn't sleep."

Crimson eyes just stared at her as if asking her to continue. (M/C) sighed. "I was just missing my life back home. That's all."

"Are you not enjoying your stay here?"

"No! No, of course not. I like it here. You and your brothers are like family to me. Sometimes I just miss my family in the human world, you know?"

He hummed in what seemed like understanding. "It can't be helped. You've never been away from them for this long, correct?"

She shook her head in response, chest getting heavy at the fact that she haven't talked to her family in months. "No. I guess this is normal, though, I'm just naturally a family person. I rarely even go to sleepovers just because it feels weird not being a room away from them."

"Is that so?" His eyes avoided hers. "We aren't as different as I thought."

Most people would be taken aback if they heard his last words, but (M/C) knew better. Lucifer wasn't the most affectionate brother. In fact, he seemed like someone who'd leave all his brothers tied up on a railway if he could, but in truth, he would just leave to destroy the train itself. "You don't like sleepovers too?" She joked.

Something in her chest blooms when a small laugh came out of him. "If what we are doing now is what you consider a sleepover, then no, it is certainly to my liking." Their eyes met again and she swore she melted right then and there. "Regardless, the purpose of a sleep over is well, to sleep. Unless you really are terrified because of that horror film."

"Pff. Why would I be terrified? I'm with the strongest demon in all of Devildom."

"You are aware I could kill you, no?" It was almost funny how causally he just said it.

She shrugged. "So could anyone."

"Death doesn't scare you?"

"I mean, honestly I'm much more scared of hurting the people I'd leave behind." She answered without hesitation. "You're probably the one not scared of it." Could you even die? She thought of asking but decided to keep her mouth shut.

An odd expression grew on his face, a look she haven't seen before. It was much softer yet gloomier for some reason. "No." He let out a deep sigh as he avoided her eyes again. "Losing someone because of death, however..."

He didn't continue, and he didn't have to. The sorrow in his voice already had the weight of a thousand words.

"You know how dangerous it is out there, especially for a human. May I remind you that you're nothing but a walking dinner for most demons." He continued.

"I know that, alright? You don't have to remind me. I promise, I won't do it again." She said, taking defeat for she just wanted to get this over with. Running away from a gang of demons as she feared for her own life took a lot of energy out of her and she just wanted to rest, but she knew Lucifer was far from done.

"You better. Can you imagine what would happen if I didn't find you sooner? Not only would you get hurt and ruin the exchange program but you also–"

Something in her snapped, heart dropping deep into her stomach.

Of course. Of fucking course.

"I also what?" She asked confidently despite her whole body trembling. She didn't miss how his eyes widened for a second. "Could've damaged yours and Diavolo's reputation? Could've given you more paper works and bills to pay?"

(M/C)'s fists clenched, slapping herself internally for even thinking that he actually, genuinely cared for her, that she was important enough for him to risk his life protecting her when all this time, he was just protecting someone else's name.

All the hand holding, the good night kisses, the times he asked her to stay in line on the phone for comfort, the soft smiles, it was all done for business. He must've noticed how fond she was of him and took it to his advantage.

He was doing all of those only to make her experience at the Devildom more pleasing so she wouldn't write anything negative about the student exchange program. It was all about the stupid exchange program. In the back of her head, she already knew this could be the case, so why did it still leave a heavy weight in her chest?

She scoffed pityingly at her own foolishness. "What else, huh? I could've ruin Diavolo's dreams of strenghtening the relationship between the three worlds–"

"This isn't just about that." He let his fists fall on his side.

With tears forming in her eyes, she dared to step forward. "Well, sorry, Vice president! I didn't mean to give the student council another headache."

"(M/C)."

"I'm sorry for leaving a bad record to Diavolo's precious–"

"–YOU COULD'VE DIED!"

In the aftermath of the shout, the silence seemed so deafening. It was his turn to take a step closer and it was only then when she noticed it.

He was shaking. "You could've died." He said, softer this time. "This is more than just because of the program. I nearly lost you." There was that odd expression again.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as her mind went back to one of their previous conversations in his bed. Not missing the way his hand kept slightly lifting up and back down as he talked, she took the initiative and placed her own on his cheek. "But I'm still here." She said, almost in a whisper for they were so close, their bodies were almost touching.

He put his hand on top of hers, gently kissing its palm as an unspoken apology. It wasn't much, he was still the avatar of pride after all, but it warmed her heart that he was trying.

Taking her hand and intertwining it with his own, his head dropped to her shoulder. His soft breathing tickled her skin. As she thread her fingers through his hair, she couldn't help but appreciate this side of him. This was the Lucifer no one had ever seen, the Lucifer who despised even the thought of not being by her side, the one who loved hand holding, the one who'd turn into a blushing mess whenever she'd kiss him out of nowhere, the Lucifer only she got to see.

With a deep sigh, he finally spoke again. "What am I going to do with you?"

She tried to pull away to respond but as soon as she moved, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back in. (M/C) couldn't protest, she didn't want to, so they stayed close for a long while.

[kuriboo]

Hugsaku 2021

Day 4 - Family | “I can’t remember my parents’ faces.” | “I’m used to being alone, so it’s fine.”

This is part of a continuous story I’ve been writing for hugsaku. You can find previous parts either in my previous hugsaku posts or on ao3. The general story is: Yusaku ends up in Heartland with no idea how he got there, and Yuma decides to help Yusaku figure out how to get home. I’ll post a link to the ao3 in the notes.

Yuma and Yusaku are very interesting for this case, since their family situations are sort of the opposite of each other. 

⁂

Yusaku kicked a rock lightly as he walked down the path behind Yuma, his hands in his pockets. Over the past few days, Yuma had been giving Yusaku a casual tour of the city while they kept an eye out for Numbers.

“Oh, there’s some litterbots.” Yuma pointed over to their left at a group of robots picking garbage up from the ground. “They’re these robots that go around the city and pick up garbage people have dropped. I’m not really a big fan of them, though. They keep thinking I’m garbage and they’ll pick me up and… It’s gross.”

Yusaku shrugged. “The robots would know better than me.”

“Hey, come on, you're supposed to be on my side!” Yuma protested.

Yusaku looked away, now staring at the litterbots. He could just barely hear them talking as they did their duty. They didn’t look like anything he’d seen in Den City, but something about them reminded him of…

“Are you listening to me? Hey, uh, are you okay?” Yuma looked up at Yusaku’s face with a frown. Then he followed Yusaku’s gaze to the litterbots. “Do you have those where you’re from, too?”

“No.” Yusaku paused for a moment “I’m probably just homesick or something. For some reason, those litterbots remind me of Roboppy.”

“Who’s Roboppy?”

“They’re a little cleaning robot I have. They’re very common around the city I live in. I built my Roboppy myself and edited their programming to give them a bit of a personality.”

“Whoa, that’s really cool! You gotta be really smart to do something like that.” Yuma frowned. “Do you miss Roboppy?”

“...I don’t know.” That was difficult to figure out. “It’s not like I wish they were here, but… Every day, after I came home, Roboppy would greet me. They’d be happy to see me. I’ve been so used to it that I never gave it a second thought until I ended up here and haven’t been able to see them. I think I just...miss that part of my routine.”

“Hmm. I could say hi to you whenever you come home.”

“I only leave the house when I’m with you, so that wouldn’t make any sense.” Yusaku rolled his eyes. “Besides, you’re not Roboppy.”

Yuma opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted. That’s when they spotted the first person with a Number Yusaku had seen since he met Yuma.

Their eyes glowed red, and there was a strange glow around the rest of their body.

“Numbers amplify the darkest desires of their host,” Astral explained quietly to Yusaku while Yuma loudly confronted the other person. “When they possess you, they block out everything else. When you resisted the Number you held, that’s what you overcame. It seems most humans cannot.”

Yusaku looked at Astral with a frown.

He could tell that Number he’d had was powerful when he held it. He’d wanted to keep it, even without knowing if it would work well with his deck or any of his cards at all. But the card seemed like it could’ve been a useful tool for his goals. Why did he want to keep it? How much of it was because he didn’t like to duel, and how much was because he’d already committed to walking into a path of darkness long ago? After all, he’d never set out specifically to be a ‘good guy’. That’s just how it worked out.

Astral looked away from Yusaku. “Well, the only way forward is to win this Number in a duel. You should stay out of this; it’s dangerous to duel a Number without one of your own. They can only be defeated by other Numbers. Yuma and I can take care of this.”

Yusaku had no objections to that. He certainly wasn’t eager to jump into a duel.

“Yeah, we got this, no problem! You can cheer for us!” Yuma ran over to Astral and Yusaku. “Hey, Yusaku, where’s your Duel Gazer?”

“My what?”

Yusaku already knew that this place didn’t have a virtual duel world like he was familiar with. But apparently, duels here made use of augmented reality technology. In order to see what was happening in the duel, you needed to look through some accessory. That set off several red flags in Yusaku’s head.

“I’ll pass,” he told Yuma once the whole thing had been explained to him.

“But you won't be able to see me crush this guy.”

“My ears work perfectly fine,” Yusaku said. Right now, he had no interest in seeing anything using augmented reality. Listening would be good enough.

The duel was difficult to watch. Yusaku envied the way Yuma could have fun dueling no matter what. Really, he did. Yusaku hadn’t been able to experience that since he was much younger than Yuma, and he suspected he wouldn’t be able to for many years to come if he ever would be able to at all. But Yusaku did used to enjoy the game, and he wished he could have fun again now. Watching Yuma have fun wasn’t the difficult part. What made this hard for Yusaku was how unprepared Yuma had come to this duel, knowing he would have to duel again soon and knowing how important it would be to win.

At least Astral knew what he was doing, but ultimately Yuma made all the final decisions between the two of them and Yuma had a tendency to get annoyed by Astral’s suggestions and ignore them. 

Yusaku could barely breathe through the close calls that Yuma barely made it through. Yuma didn’t know a lot of his own cards’ effects. At one point, Yuma tried to play a trap card face-up in his monster zone. Trap monsters still had to follow the rules of traps. (“But it says when you play it to summon it like it’s a monster!” “Yuma, that only takes place after you activate the trap like you would any other trap.”)

In the end, however, Yuma and Astral were able to win the duel and take the Number back. Astral didn’t remember any significant memories from the Number; nothing helpful for Astral nor Yusaku.

Yuma ran to Yusaku after the duel. He didn’t seem fazed by any of the mistakes or close calls from his duel.

“That duel was so much fun!” Yuma yelled. “It was a tough one, but I was feeling the flow, and my dad’s cards came through like they always do!”

“Your dad’s cards?” Yusaku asked.

“Yeah.” Yuma closed his right hand around the key hanging from his neck. “This used to be my dad’s, too.” He stared off into the distance, his voice growing softer and quieter than Yusaku had heard it since they met. “Carrying around this key and using my dad’s deck, it’s like he’s here with me. They remind me of everything he taught me.” He frowned. “My… Both my parents disappeared. I know they’re still out there somewhere, they gotta be, but it’s still hard not having them here, sometimes. Using his cards helps.”

Yuma had been upbeat, stubborn, and cheerful the entire time Yusaku had been in Heartland City. But on this topic, all of that seemed to strip away from Yuma, leaving him melancholy and vulnerable. Deep down, it seemed Yuma stubbornly refused to call anything impossible because hope was the only thing he could do.

Asking about Yuma’s deck had led them into a topic that seemed difficult for Yuma. Yusaku felt bad; he hadn’t meant to hurt him.

It struck Yusaku how similar their situations were...and yet, completely the opposite. Yusaku was the one who went missing, while for Yuma, it was his parents. Yuma never gave up hope his parents were out there. Yusaku wondered if that was how his parents felt back them. Of course, after he was rescued…

Yuma sniffed. “I shouldn’t mope about my own problems to you when you’ve got plenty of your own. Yours are probably so worried about you.”

For a moment, Yusaku forgot how to breathe.It seemed like parents still happened to be a sore spot for him as well. At least when the topic was his own parents. He cleared his throat. He needed to say something. (He didn’t see how his problems could be considered any more important than Yuma’s right now.) “I wouldn’t know.”

“Are your parents missing, too?” Yuma asked.

Yusaku shrugged. “Maybe. I haven’t seen them in years.” 10, to be exact. Not that it mattered or anything. “After I was rescued, they just weren’t there. They never came back.” His words got stuck in his throat. Yuma clearly looked up to his father, had found memories and a lot of love for his parents. As for Yusaku… “I can’t even remember my parents’ faces.”

“That’s awful.” Yuma looked devastated by the information. He lightly touched Yusaku’s arm, trying to offer comfort without overdoing it. 

Yusaku didn’t push him away. “I’m used to being alone, so it’s fine.”

“That’s not true!” Yuma insisted. “Just because you’re used to it doesn’t make it okay. I’m used to my parents not being here, but that doesn’t make it okay. I miss them constantly. Kari misses them. My grandma misses them. It’s not good to be alone.” He paused. “If you’re used to being alone, you probably don’t have siblings, do you?”

“Not last I knew, which was a decade ago.” Yusaku hummed in thought. “I think the closest I’ve got is… Kolter’s brother was a victim of that incident, too.” No need to specify any further on Jin’s current state when that was private, and not Yusaku’s story to tell. “Kolter and I have been working together. We met because we both needed to figure out the truth behind what happened. Kolter also sells hot dogs for a living; he won’t let me pay him for hot dogs anymore, and he keeps a close eye on me. He tries to prevent me from overworking myself and tries to make me take care of myself.”

“He’s like an older brother to you, too,” Yuma commented. 

Yusaku didn’t like to think about it. As a rule, he didn’t get close to anyone. Anyone who came close to him could be put in danger, and no one deserved that. He’d tried to push Kolter away several times when they first met, but Kolter was too persistent. He still felt guilty letting Kolter get involved, and the more he thought about his relationship with Kolter, the heavier that guilt felt. He only ever referred to Kolter as his acquaintance to keep anyone to think they were close, to keep him from worrying so much. Kolter was fully aware of any danger and signed up to work with Yusaku anyway, so worrying was pointless.

“I guess family doesn’t have to always be the people related to you by blood.” Yusaku shrugged. He didn’t confirm nor deny Yuma’s comment. “Sometimes you find people that are a better fit.” It wasn’t hard to be a better fit than someone who never found him again, honestly.

Yuma beamed. “Anyone can be family! As long as you have someone, you’re not alone.” He pulled Yusaku into a hug. “I’m glad you have someone. If nobody missed you, if you didn’t have anyone where you came from, I don’t know if I’d want you to go back, but… I’m happy to get you home since you do. You belong in the world you came from, and…and I get the feeling you and that hot dog guy need each other.”

Yusaku lightly wrapped an arm around Yuma. He didn’t know what to say since he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts.

Here, the incident never happened, and Yusaku wasn’t Playmaker. He still wasn’t exactly sure where that left him. But he had less of a reason to keep up a distance from everyone here since relationships wouldn’t put anyone in danger. He found himself relieved that Yuma still had a family even without his parents, and… He found himself relieved that Yuma was here to help him now. That he wasn’t doing this alone. 

In a way, Yuma was starting to almost feel like a younger brother to him.

[atomic-taco-muffin]

The Lost Princess Chapter 14

Warnings: fluff/angst

Rating: SFW

You and the others traveled back to Traverse Town and found Yuffie in the First District. 

“Hey Yuffie. Have you seen Leon?” you asked. 

“Leon’s probably at the underground cavern. He trains there often. You know, the channel in the alleyway is connected to the cavern,” she said. 

“Okay, thanks!” The four of you entered the Alleyway though the Second District and found a grate at the edge of it. You all tackled the bars and entered the Secret Waterway. The four of you swam through the channel to where Leon was practicing his battle swing. Aerith was there with him. 

“So, you found the Keyhole,” he said. 

“Yeah. The Keyblade locked it automatically,” Sora said. 

“Good. Anything on your search for your parents, (Y/N)?” Aerith said. 

“Nothing yet. But I’m not giving up,” you said. 

“That’s good.” 

“Every world among the stars has a Keyhole. And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well,” Leon said. 

“What do you mean?” Sora asked. 

“It was in Ansem’s report,” Aerith said. 

“The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world’s core,” Leon said, crossing his arms. 

“What happens to the world?” you asked. 

“In the end, it disappears,” Aerith said. 

“What?!” the four of you asked. 

“That’s why your key is so important. And your powers,” Leon said. 

“Please lock the Keyholes. You’re the only one who can,” Aerith said. 

“I don’t know...” Sora said. 

“Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well,” Leon said. 

“Yeah!” Donald said. 

“We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey! And (Y/N)’s parents!” Goofy said. 

“Please, Sora. I know you can do it. Just like you know that I’ll be able to find my family,” you said, taking Sora’s hands into yours. 

“I guess you’re right... Okay!” Sora said. He suddenly remembered the gummi block. 

“Hey, Leon. This gummi block’s different from the others. Do you know what it’s for?” he asked. Leon had no answer. 

“Ask Cid. He should know,” Aerith said. 

“Wait, Sora. Take this with you,” Leon said as he gave Sora a stone. 

“This stone holds some mysterious power. I’ve been carrying it for luck. I want you to hold onto it,” he said. 

“How do you use it?” you asked. Leon crossed his arms, silently thinking. 

“Uh, Leon?” Sora asked. The four of you left the Secret Waterway and returned to the First District. You four entered the Accessory Shop and spoke to a Moogle. 

“A big tournament is being held somewhere, kupo,” it said. The four of you went to go talk to Cid. 

“What’ve you got there? Hey! Well, if it ain’t a gummi block,” he said. 

“Yup,” you said. 

“What’s this one for?” Goofy asked. 

“You’re kiddin’ me! You’re flyin’ a gummi ship and you don’t know nothin’ about navigation gummis? Bunch of pinheads. Interspace ain’t no playground,” Cid said. 

“There’s a lot we don’t know. So what! We have to use the gummi ship to go to other worlds. We don’t have a choice,” Sora said. 

“Whoa, easy,” Cid said as scratched his head. 

“I didn’t know. No hard feelings, all right? Well, I guess I could lend y’all a hand, then,” he said. 

“Thanks,” you said. 

“Basically, with navigation gummis, you can go to new places. You want one on your ship, right?” Cid said. You all nodded your head in agreement. 

“I’ll install it for you. But I got this thing I gotta go deliver first,” he said. 

“What do you need to deliver?” Sora asked. 

“Just this book. It’s real old. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was. But overall, I did a decent job puttin’ it back together. Anyway, you mind deliverin’ it for me? It’s the old house past the Third District. Look for a big fire sign,” Cid said. He handed Sora the old book before a loud bell rang. 

“Wh-What was that?” Sora asked. 

“Hmm? The bell at the gizmo shop is ringing. Go check it out if you want, but deliver that book for me first. When you’re done, stop by the house in the Third District. I’ll be there,” Cid said. The four of you left the shop and entered the Third District, finding the fire sign at the end of an alley. Sora hit it with a Fire spell and the door unlocked. The four of you entered a large cavern where a mystical house sat on a central island. Several stepping stones lined the path in the water. You and Sora jumped on them and they begin to move rhythmically. Timing yourselves, you traversed the stones and reached the house. The house looked beaten and worn down despite its festive purple hue. The front entrance way was covered in wooden boards and cloth. You found a broken hole in the side of the brick wall with a green curtain draped over it, and used it to get into the house. The four of you entered an empty space with a raised platform in the center. You and Sora heard a voice behind you and whirled around. 

“There’s something about this musty place...” Kairi said. She walked slowly through the room, holding her hands behind her back. 

“It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?” she said as she looked towards you two and smiled. 

“Kairi?” you and Sora asked. 

“Sora? (Y/N)?” Goofy asked. The two of you turned to see a concerned Donald and Goofy before looking back to Kairi, who had vanished completely. 

“Well, well,” someone said. The four of you looked over to the entrance curtain and saw an old wizard in blue robes with an extremely long beard. He was carrying a carpet bag and a wand. 

“You’ve arrived sooner than I expected,” he said. 

“Wha... You knew we were coming?” you asked. 

“Of course,” he said. 

“Are you a Heartless?” Sora asked. 

“He doesn’t look like one,” Donald said.

“Oh, my. No. My name is Merlin. As you can see, I am a sorcerer. I spend much of my time traveling. It’s good to be home. Your king has requested my help,” Merlin said. 

“King Mickey?” Goofy asked. 

“Yes, indeed. Donald, Goofy. And who might you be, young ones?” 

“I’m Sora.” 

“And I’m (Y/N).” 

“Ah. So, you have found the key. And you have inherited the power of the spirit.”

“What did the king ask you to do?” Donald asked. 

“Just a moment...” Merlin walked up to the stairs and set down his carpet bag before reaching the center of the raised platform. He lifted his wand high in the air. 

“Presto!” he said. Dust flew around the carpet bag as it opened and out popped teapots, tables, drawers, and chairs, small at first, but quickly growing larger. The wacky wizard danced around while waving his wand, directing the items from the bag to their respective places in the house. Soon after, the room was entirely furnished, complete with bed, desk, and multiple piles of books. 

“There, now. Ahem,” he said as he turned to face you and Sora. 

“Your king asked me to train you in the art of magic. We can start anytime you like. Let me know when you’re ready to begin the training. Oh, and one more thing,” he said. He turned to the entrance where a small model of a royal carriage was placed on the floor next to the telescope in the open window. Magic sparkled in the air coalesce at the carriage’s place and formed an elderly woman in blue robes with a pink bow around her neck. She wore her hood over her white hair and held up a long magic wand. She smiled at you guys sweetly. 

“Hello. I’m the Fairy Godmother. Your king asked me to help, too. I will assist throughout your journey. But first, I must speak with you, dear,” she said as she turned to you. 

“Um, okay,” you said. 

“I heard that you had the power of a spirit and had a dagger.”

“Yeah. It’s right here,” you said as you pulled out the dagger. 

“Oh, my. It’s still in good shape after not being used for so long. Did you know that this belonged to your mother?” 

“Wait, really?” 

“Mhm. Just look at the scabbard. It has your mother’s name on it.” You looked at the scabbard and saw your mother’s name written on it in cursive. 

“Wow. My mother was a spirit. Thank you, Fairy Godmother,” you said. 

“Of course dear,” she said. 

“I-I do not know how much I can be of help, but do stop by anytime,” Merlin said. Sora handed him the book from earlier. 

“Oh, that book... So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thank you. You wish to know what kind of book it is? I don’t even know, myself. In fact, it’s not mine. Somehow it found its way into my bag one day. It was such a curious book, I asked Cid to repair it for me. Well, I guess I’ll put it here somewhere, for now. This book holds a great secret. The missing pages will unlock it,” Merlin said. He pointed to a small bedside table. 

“I’ll leave the book over there. Do look at it whenever you like. My best regards to Cid for repairing it for me. Oh, and about that stone of yours... You should ask the Fairy Godmother about that,” he said. The four of you spoke to the Fairy Godmother and showed her Leon’s stone. 

“Do you know what this is?” Sora asked. 

“Oh, the poor thing! He has turned into a summon gem,” she said. 

“A summon gem?” you asked. 

“This little creature lived in a world that was consumed by darkness. When a world vanishes, so do its inhabitants. But this one has such a strong heart, he became a gem instead of vanishing with his world.” 

“Can he regain himself?” Sora asked. 

“Yes. But not completely. Now watch carefully, (Y/N). This might help strengthen your powers.” She waved her wand and Sora was granted the power to summon Simba. 

“Whenever you call, he will help you. If you find any more of these, bring them to me. Don’t worry, when their worlds are restored they will return there. Sora, (Y/N), please help save them,” she said. 

“Don’t worry. We will,” you said. Sora opened the old book on the nightstand and with a flash, you and Sora landed on its pages. A house of sticks appeared on the map and the of you ran over to it, entering an empty meadow. The two of you walked up to a large log, where a stuffed toy bear wearing a small red shirt was seated, tapping his forehead. 

“Think, think. Think, think,” he said. 

“Hi there. What’s wrong?” Sora asked. 

“Nothing. Just thinking.” 

“Oh.” 

“I was thinking of how to say goodbye to Pooh.” 

“Pooh?” you asked. 

“Yes?” he answered. 

“Wait a second. You’re Pooh?” you said as you sat down next to the bear. 

“Yes, I’m Winnie the Pooh. Pooh for short. Who are you?” 

“I’m (Y/N). And that’s Sora.” 

“Oh. Hello, (Y/N), Sora. Have you come to say goodbye to Pooh, too?” 

“Well, no. Why would we do that? We’ve only just met,” Sora said. 

“Because everyone’s gone away,” Pooh said. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, we all lived here in the Hundred Acre Wood. And we’d take walks together, or play Pooh sticks... And every day, I’d eat some honey. Just one small smackeral would taste very good right now,” Pooh said as he rubbed his tummy. 

“But now everyone’s gone. All my friends, and my favorite Hunny Tree too. Everyone must’ve gone away while I was napping, I think... So, who knows?” he said as he hopped off the log. 

“Maybe I shall end up going away somewhere as well. But I wonder, how do I say goodbye to myself?” he said as he put his hands on his head. 

“Think, think, think,” he said. You and Sora stared at him. 

“Oh, my tumbly is getting rather rumbly,” Pooh said. You and Sora watched him walk off. The two of you followed the bear to a house built into a tree. Above the door of the house was hung an odd sign reading “MR. SANDERZ” with a backwards N. Next to it was a bell with a misspelled note reading “Rnig also”. You and Sora entered the house, seeing Pooh gazing inside a honey pot. 

“Oh, bother. There’s no more honey left. If only the Hunny Tree would visit... Then I could eat my fill,” Pooh said. He stood up and left the house. You and Sora followed, being greeted outside by an owl. 

“Let me guess: You’d like to know what happens next. Unfortunately, some of the pages are missing, so I can’t tell you yet. The pages are scattered over many worlds. Would you find them for us?” he said. You and Sora exited the storybook and regrouped with Donald and Goofy in Merlin’s Study. 

“You’d best go see Cid before going anywhere else,” Merlin said. The four of you left the Mystical House and returned to the Third District. Soldier Heartless appeared, but they were taken out by someone with a sharp-looking sword. You and Sora looked incredibly surprised to see...

“There you two are. What’s going on?” Riku said. 

“Riku!” You and Sora said. The two of you walked up to Riku and Sora stretched his mouth out, making sure he’s real. 

“Hey, hey, cut it out,” Riku said. 

“Well, at least you’re real,” you said, giggling. 

“We’m not dreaming this time, right?” Sora asked. 

“I hope not. Took forever to find you guys,” Riku said as he rand a hand through his finger and you and Sora smiled. 

“Riku!” You and Sora said. Riku smiled back and you all started walking through the square. 

“Wait a second, where’s Kairi?” you asked. 

“Isn’t she with you?” Riku asked. You and Sora looked at the ground, sadly. 

“Well, don’t worry. I’m sure she made it off the island, too,” Riku said as he looked to the sky. 

“We’re finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now,” Riku said. A Shadow Heartless emerged from the ground, its antennae wriggling wildly. Riku was faced away from everyone. 

“We’ll all be together again soon. Don’t worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this—” Riku said. He heard a noise behind him, and turned to see you and Sora, who had just destroyed the Shadow Heartless. You Sora stood and Sora tossed the Keyblade over his shoulder while you placed your dagger back into the scabbard.

“Leave it to who?” Sora asked proudly. 

“Sora, (Y/N), what did you—” Riku asked as he walked up to you two.

“We’ve been looking for you and Kairi, too, with their help,” you said. Donald and Goofy nodded, but Riku looked apprehensive. 

“Who are they?” Riku asked. 

“Ahem. My name is—” Donald said. 

“We’ve visited so many places and worlds, looking for you,” Sora said. 

“Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed,” Riku said. Goofy put his hands on you and Sora’s shoulders.

“Oh, and guess what? Sora’s the Keyblade master and (Y/N)’s a spirit. Her mother was one too,” Goofy said. 

“Who would’ve thought it?” Donald asked. 

“What’s that mean?” you and Sora asked. 

“So, this is called a Keyblade?” Riku asked as he held Sora’s Keyblade. 

“Huh?” Sora asked. He noticed that his Keyblade was not in his hand. 

“Hey, give it back,” he said. He rushed forward to grab it, but Riku moved back and Sora stumbled and fell over. Riku held the Keyblade above his head, getting a good look at it. 

“Catch” he said. He tossed it to Sora, who stood up quickly.  

“Okay, so you’re coming with us, right? We’ve got this awesome rocket. Wait ‘til you see it!” you said. 

“Yeah!” Sora said. 

“No, he can’t come!” Donald said, rudely. 

“What?” you and Sora asked. 

“Forget it!” Donald said. 

“Oh, come on! He’s our friend!” Sora said. 

“I don’t care!” The argument caught Goofy’s attention, but when he looked back at Riku, he saw no one. 

“Huh? He’s gone,” he said. Sora looked around the District, seeing nobody. 

“Riku?” you asked as you walked slowly. 

“Nice going. Oh, well. At least, he’s okay,” Sora said. He put his hands behind his head, being hopeful. 

“And who knows? Maybe we’ll run into Kairi soon, too,” you said. 

“Yeah,” Sora said. The four of you walked up the stairs to the Small House, seeing the lights on in the window and entered to find Cid, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith inside. Boxes were stacked up against the wall and a lantern hung from the ceiling. 

“You guys ever hear of Maleficent?” Cid asked. You and Sora shook your head as Leon leaned against the wall. 

“I hear she’s in town,” Cid said. 

“Who is she?” you asked. 

“A witch, kid, she’s a witch!” 

“She’s the reason this town is full of Heartless. Don’t take her lightly,” Leon said. 

“She’s been using the Heartless for years,” Aerith said. 

“We lost our world, thanks to her,” Leon said. 

“One day, a swarm of Heartless took over our world!” Cid said. 

“That was nine years ago.” 

“I got out of that mess and came here with these guys.” 

“That’s awful!” you said. 

“Our ruler was a wise man named Ansem. He dedicated his life to studying the Heartless,” Leon said. 

“His report should tell us how to get rid of the Heartless,” Cid said. 

“Where’s this report?” Sora asked. 

“We don’t know. It got scattered when our world was destroyed,” Leon said. 

“I’m sure Maleficent’s got most of the pages,” Cid said. Outside, Maleficent stood with Riku, gazing at you guys through the windows of the house. 

“You see? It’s just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, they quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now they value them far more than they do you,” She said. She looked down at Riku as he stared with narrow, unblinking eyes. 

“You’re better off without those wretched kids,” she said. She bent down to his level, giving him a smile.

“Now, think no more of him and come with me. I’ll help you find what you’re searching for...” she said. 

To be continued...

[brightening-the-stars]

Ms. O’Leary’s Dandelions

This is the first story I’ve posted on here, so I’m a bit nervous. I hope you like it! Any feedback is very much appreciated😊

Here’s how it all started: last March, Ms. O’Leary had decided that dandelions were a beautiful type of ground cover, and she really just could not understand why people disliked them so much. Her sentiments on this topic grew and grew, until on one infamous day, she raised her gardening shovel into the air and cried with righteous fury, “Down with grass! All hail the yellow flower!” She stormed out into her front lawn and methodically pulled up all of the grass, blowing dandelion seeds over the bare dirt.  

Now, lawn renovations were not uncommon in Ms. O’Leary’s neighborhood (it was one of those suburban picket-fence places common on the East Coast) so no-one really commented about the giant piles of dirt in Ms. O’Leary’s yard, and the piles were gone in a few days anyways. The neighbors, however, had known Ms. O’Leary for some time now, and were skeptical that the renovations would be for the better. They watched her front lawn with trepidation, and thanked whatever God seemed to be running the world at the moment for the invention of fences and walls. 

A few weeks later, Ms. O’Leary’s dandelions had risen from the dirt and unfurled their leaves and petals, bathing her yard in their flaming, golden glory. Much like Ms. O’Leary herself, the dandelions’ presence was glorious, ostentatious, and completely inescapable. It was also, predictably, loathed by all of the neighbors. All, that is, but one.

In any great war, there are the two combatants, clashing ideologies and incompatible belief systems driving them to battle as they struggle over small patches of land. There are also war profiteers, the people who arm both sides in exchange for money, but really have no stake in the affair. Finally, there are the civilians-- noncombatants who watch the battles with either horror or mild interest, depending on their proximity to the fight and the lethality of the fighting. 

In Ms. O’Leary’s war, the neighbor’s daughter from across the street, Eliza Mendez, played the part of the civilian. Being a teenager, she had too much on her mind (and too large an ego) to be truly invested in the budding conflict, but she thrived off of drama, which alleviated the boredom of sitting through Spanish every day and was available in spades. 

One early April afternoon, Eliza had been struggling with her precalculus homework, playing with her pencil as she debated calling Amelie (would it seem too needy?) when a loud bang startled her out of her thoughts. Her head snapped up, and she crept towards the family room, where her father was holding a Homeowners’ Association meeting. She peeked around the corner just in time to see her father bang his fist on the table again as he addressed his friends. 

“And who does O’Leary even think she is? This neighborhood has standards, doggone it, and she is failing to meet them. We have principles! We have dignity! And we will not allow dandelions, of all things, to be what drives down the property values in this locale!”

A cheer rose up from the assembled HOA members. A few pounded the table, which was covered with maps, county law printouts, and real estate values. Eliza thought it looked a bit like the pictures in her textbook of generals’ strategy centers during the Civil War. 

A brunette woman stepped forward. “What’s our plan of action?”

Eliza’s father frowned. “Well, I am of course open to suggestions, but I’ve been thinking, and I reckon the best way to go about this is to get her with violation of property laws.” Eliza’s father was a lawyer, and litigation was what he did best. “If we go about this the right way we won’t need to take any, well, drastic measures.”

The crowd quieted. “Drastic measures” entailed a ban from the bi-monthly Neighborhood Barbecue. Ms. O’Leary always brought a divine plate of chocolate chip cookies, and they would be sorely missed if the HOA was forced to disinvite her. 

“We ought to give her a chance to back down before we come at her with legalese,” the brunette said nervously. “I know I would at least want a warning first.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re a coward!” 

“Who said that?”

Eliza crept from the doorway as the meeting devolved into shouting. She had no interest in making polite small talk with her parents’ stuffed shirt friends. It was always “Oh, Eliza, do you know where you’re going to apply for college?” or “Eliza, what do you plan to major in?” Never let it be said that being a teenager on the cusp of adulthood is easy. 

The next day, Ms. O’Leary was standing on her front patio, hands on her hips as she admired her dandelions. They all seemed to be thriving, bobbing gently in the spring breeze. She lifted her gaze to squint towards the horizon, and blinked when she noticed a few silhouettes against the rising sun. Her eyes narrowed. It appeared to be Mr. Mendez from across the street. She readied herself for battle.

Mr. Mendez led the march to Ms. O’Leary’s doorstep. He and his four escorts (other officials within the HOA) were dressed in their neatest outfits, wearing their shiniest shoes. He walked up to Ms. O’Leary, and brandished some very official paperwork like a sword.

Ms. O’Leary adjusted her spectacles. “Cease and desist…” she read aloud. She smiled widely. “What a gift. More paper for my paper mache pumpkins.” Her smile disappeared. “You shouldn’t have.”

Mr. Mendez and his compatriots were sprouting truly admirable fake grins. “Whether I should have or not doesn’t matter,” Mr. Mendez beamed through gritted teeth. “The law is the law, and you broke it.”

“The law says that I cannot plant flowers in my own lawn? The law dictates that I must conform to your quaint notions of normalcy?” She paused, waiting for a reply. None came. “I thank you for your directness.” She extended her hand. Mr. Mendez handed her the papers, his shoulders slumping slightly from their tense position. He smiled smugly. Ms. O’Leary stared at him, eyebrows raised. “You may leave now.” After a beat, Mr. Mendez nodded, harrumphed, and turned away. A quick glance at his shoes greatly diminished his aura of smugness; they were covered in dust from Ms. O’Leary’s lawn. Nevertheless, he bravely rallied and marched back home, his fellow representatives offering Ms. O’Leary the requisite good day’s as they turned to follow. 

Ms.  O’Leary stared down at the paper for a few minutes, then lifted her head to the sky. She slowly ripped the cease-and-desist order into four quarters, opening her hand to let a gust of wind blow the quarters away. “If it is a war they want,” she told the fluffy clouds overhead, “It is a war they shall get!” Her voice rang across the neighborhood, echoing longer than it should have. Eliza looked up from her homework and watched her neighbor shake her fist at the sky as her father did a victory dance in the kitchen. She rolled her eyes. Why did this neighborhood have to be so weird?

Several days later, Eliza’s curiosity (and a bit of hunting around in the bushes) had informed her that the quarters of the paper fit together into a dire warning of what would happen if Ms.O’Leary failed to assimilate to the neighborhood norm. A cursory glance at Ms. O’Leary’s lawn informed Eliza that she had done nothing of the sort. Her lawn was even brighter than before. Or, at least, most of it was. Pausing on her way to take out the trash for Tuesday’s collection, Eliza watched Ms. O’Leary inspect a dark patch in the far corner of her lawn.

Ms. O’Leary whipped her head around, spotting Eliza instantly. “You, there!”

Eliza jumped, avoiding eye contact as she prepared to nonchalantly wander back up her steps. Observing the eccentric neighbor didn’t mean she actually wanted to talk to the eccentric neighbor. 

“Eliza Mendez!”

Eliza sighed and stepped forward. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Come over here and tell me what you think this is!”

Eliza hesitated for a moment, worried by Ms. O’Leary’s sharp tone, but her curiosity won out. Standing at the edge of the dark patch, she performed her assessment.

“Uhh… It looks dead,” she diagnosed with some confusion.

“Weedkiller!” Ms. O’Leary shouted. “They used weedkiller, the bastards!” She stared at Eliza with an incensed expression until she realized that Ms. O’Leary probably wanted a reply.

“That’s rough.”

“It is, indeed!” Ms. O’Leary agreed empathetically. “And all because I simply asked the Chair of the County Landscaping Department to allow my lawn to be the way I like! I suppose your father and his cohorts were forced to resort to more underhanded measures. These are truly lawless times we find ourselves in, hmm?”

Eliza nodded, trying to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards. 

“And I had been so looking forward to my dandelion tea,” Ms. O’Leary continued. “It’s good for the psychic powers, you know.” she winked at Eliza, who raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Come to think of it, psychic powers might have been useful when I was trying to persuade the County Chair… But no matter! Now, we must focus our efforts on revenge. This travesty cannot go unpunished!” 

Eliza nodded again, watching as Ms. O’Leary paced back and forth, muttering to herself. She stopped in the middle of her yard, snapping her fingers. 

“I’ve got it! Eliza,” she began, turning to face her, “Would you say these dandelions are aesthetically pleasing?”

“I guess so,” Eliza said. She had never understood why her father hated them so much.

“And it’s the responsibility of good, friendly neighbors to help each other improve their landscaping, as your father so kindly demonstrated when he vandalized my property with weedkiller, of all things.”

“Um, well--.”

“What I’m saying--” an evil grin spread across Ms. O’Leary’s face-- “is that it is my responsibility to kindly allow my glorious, flowery offspring to spread across their lawns. We can, in fact, start with yours.”

Eliza opened her mouth to object, then closed it, imagining the sheer chaos that would result from such an action. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll help.”

That afternoon, she blew a dandelion puff in her front yard, watching the seeds proliferate, spreading across the ground. So ended the first battle in what would prove to be a long and costly war. The Golden Hordes of dandelions spread across the neighborhood like wildfire, with the Brown Death of weedkiller following close behind. The battle raged, neither side able to gain an advantage. Mr. Mendez and Ms. O’Leary’s sneaking around in others’ yards gradually got more and more blatant. Unseemly dark and yellow patches appeared all across the neighborhood, and noncombatants were beginning to get fed up.

At the next HOA meeting, amidst the lawn schematics and bulk weedkiller orders, a dark haired woman scoffed. 

“This is ridiculous,” she told Mr. Mendez. “I propose that we take drastic measures.” A hush spread at her words. 

“All in favor?” Mr. Mendez scanned the room. “It is decided then. We will go to break the news tomorrow.”

The next day saw Mr. Mendez and his entourage once again marching on Ms. O’Leary’s lawn. Their imposing image was marred by the pouring rain and the ginger way that they were forced to pick their way through the mud on Ms. O’Leary’s lawn, but they rallied and Mr. Mendez sharply rapped on Ms. O’Leary’s door. 

“A moment, please!” There were some scuffling noises, then Ms. O’Leary opened the door. She was leaning against the doorframe, holding a book entitled “The Paranormal Uses of Common Flowers and Herbs”. She snapped the book closed and raised her eyebrows at the muddy group on her doorstep. “Come to surrender, have you?”

“No,” Mr. Mendez began, taking a breath to gather his courage. “We’ve come to disinvite you from the Neighborhood Barbecue.”

Ms. O’Leary blinked. “I see,” she said slowly. “And of my cookies?”

“We’ll do without.” (Ms. O’Leary swore she heard a sob from behind Mr. Mendez at that.)

“I petition to come to the Barbecue one last time to deal with unfinished business. I must demonstrate to Susan that my cookies are statistically proven to be superior to her brownies.”

“You can come when everyone’s yard is back to normal. Including yours!” 

“Very well,” Ms. O’Leary said. “When is the next Barbecue?”

“In a week.”

“I will see you then.” Ms. O’Leary smiled slowly. 

Mr. Mendez shifted on his feet. “Um. Right then. We’ll be going now.”

Ms. O’Leary watched them leave. She returned to her book as she closed the door. It was open to a page entitled “wishes”. She muttered to herself, heading out into her yard to pick some dandelions. 

On the day of the barbecue, the lawns were no nicer than they had been before. Eliza loitered around the brownie table, mourning the loss of Ms. O’Leary’s cookies. Maybe she could get some as payment for her involvement with starting this whole thing? She was broken out of her train of thought by a raindrop falling on her from above. The neighbors glanced upward, tittering in alarm. The sky was dark gray, with gusting wind shaking the tops of the trees. 

“Looks like tornado weather,” someone remarked. Susan, who was hosting, ushered everyone into her basement. The neighbors huddled together, listening to the storm pick up outside. The wind howled, and they could hear Susan’s house rattling above them.  

When the rattling stopped, they emerged to a very bizarre sight. The grass was ripped from the lawn and the barbecue setup was strewn about, but Susan’s house was untouched. A quick inspection of the backyard reported much of the same: no grass, but no lasting property damage. Wandering into the corner of the garden, Eliza did a double take. “Hey, dad!” He approached, and she pointed at the patch of dandelions that was completely untouched. (Susan had done her best to rid her yard of the pests, but they really were persistent.) They rushed back into the front yard, watching in bewilderment as many of their neighbors discovered a similar phenomenon. Dandelions are good for wishes, she remembered. As if summoned when Eliza thought of her, Ms. O’Leary rounded the corner and marched toward the gathering, a plate of cookies in one hand, and “The Paranormal Uses of Flowers and Herbs” in the other. 

“Well, that was quite a storm, was it not?” She asked cheerfully. “Although, I had been quite wishing for a bit of a breeze. It gets so hot in summer, hmm?” The neighbors stared. Ms. O’Leary’s gaze alighted upon a surviving patch of dandelions. “Tenacious things, aren’t they? I do suggest that you all plant some. They are beautiful and low maintenance.” She winked at Eliza. “And, legend has it, good for wishes.” She righted the table where Susan’s brownies had once sat, and placed her plate of warm cookies on top. Turning to Mr. Mendez, she asked, “I  trust I will see you at the next Barbecue? I believe I’m hosting.” He nodded slowly, and Ms. O’Leary turned to go. For weeks afterwards, the neighbors would argue in hushed tones about whether she had walked away, or simply vanished into thin air.

The next month saw yards full of dandelions lining the streets of Eliza’s neighborhood. The HOA had succumbed to the pressure of having a “witch” (according to Susan) in the area, and had written “Ms. O’Leary can do as she pleases” into the neighborhood building codes. Eliza sighed at her homework, and looked up through the window. Ms. O’Leary waved to her from her yard, then went back to… was her cat floating? Eliza dropped her pencil and hurried outside. Ms. O’Leary laughed, and turned inside to grab the tray of cookies that she always prepared for Eliza when she came to visit and inquire about her more unusual habits. 

[sassaetcie]

Silver x Idia (The Molten Charcoal) chapter 7 [END]

Finally the end of the fic!!! (spoiler: big weeb reference, I apologize if you find this cringe bruh)

Okay so... I kind of... played videogames all night (lol). Couldn't sleep and all. Of course if I had been to sleep during the date... it would have been awful but... I still went like this... I could... have asked Ortho to bring Silver into my room immediatly but... that would have been too much. I mean... It pains me to go outside but... How far would have I annoyed anyone if I had? I had trained myself to go out of my room anyway so... This shouldn't have been that hard. Sure water was killing me, and I was butchering this very water but... My steps felt... mine. Not a heavy haze or this kind of shit. This was no longer intoxicating smoke. My legs, my hands, my arms, my fingers. I had... took back these... things. Were they things any longer? I... kind of did something weird, too. I mean... was it weird? Of course it was since it was me (www) but... I still can't tell if it was... smart, at least. I... wanted to prove Silver this day was important and... not that it was just... another 'date'... Well it was another date but. Not like this... I... wore my ceremonial robe. I mean! Not to show off... But it has a hood so... I could hide my hair and all... Sure it was stupid, it was stupid, it was so fucking stupid?! It was both a Sneak +100 and Sneak -100 outfit... Or did some people wear it before... for the ceremony day aside? I... just wanted to wear a... pretty outfit... to show him how... I... feel things for him? So... I did. The hood felt comfortable, and still does. Of course... the flames could still set it ablaze if something were to happen... or make it happen. So I... wrapped my hands in the black, frozen, cloth. I strangled this body with all of this dark, sun-absorbing fabric. I couldn't master all of these limbs so far but I... was slowly getting how to handle them, right? I just needed to be... sure. That none of them would go their way. I asked of my fingers to go and fuse with a brush, to let some of these normal drops mix with this hair yet-to-be mine. A sound appeared in the room. The brush had fallen down, as it should. Yet I... grabbed some air with these fangs of mine. Yeah, I could, at least. In the worst case, it would have been my... last date. So... it was just the (current? www) final showdown! I needed only to create some steps and carve them through reality. I was able to interact. I drag these bones, these diamond and dry bones. I certainly could do something with this basis. My tibia obeyed. My backbone obeyed. My skull obeyed. This basis of bones... My bones arrived, linked with this weak flesh ready to cry under the heat, pine over water. We... I... entered the shadow once more. His lake-like eyes were as dim as my flames, probably. Darkness hindered us from burning each other.

-Oh, you are pretty early.

-S-s-so... are you... weren't you... supposed to be here at 6 pm... It's barely 5:50... W-w-w—well not that I wanted to see you later or whatnot! I j-j-j-j-ust... thought I would... be... no, nevermind.

The prince raised his hand and ulna on the little hat Diasomnia was so fond of (lol, I dunno but...), bringing it back onto the side of his head it was supposed to befriend. Had it even moved??? I didn't... really notice back then, tbh.

-I... wanted to get there before you do... I thought you might think I was betraying you if I didn't.

-H-h-h-h—huh?!

-I mean... I have heard from the others you are quite prompt to have anxiety and panic... attacks?

-Y-y-y-eah that's true...

-So I wanted to make sure I would be there before you. I want to go with you and see how we will understand our feelings, even if they end up different. Well, let's go.

-Y-y-y-yes...

Did he expect me to reach my hand to him? He stood up so quickly I still don't think he wanted me to but... He would have told me for sure. Silver was so honest he couldn't possibly mess up like this... Even though that wasn't necessarily messing up... Maybe he was just tired??? I tried to walk as fast as I could. As long as I was with him... I was myself, after all. This crown of flames was no more. But was I pacing too fast, tho...? Nevertheless...  he would have told me if this was unpleasant... He would have told me for sure. Silver was honest to the point of hurting others. And yet cared about harming, unlike a certain red pest (asshole.). So... the doors opened before I even knew they were there.

-Oh... So I guess this is your room.

-Y-y-yeah... Guess it's a bit messy, huh...

-It feels honest. I only know of another room as messy as this one but I do not really go into others's rooms a lot.

-T-t-t-thanks, t-then...

I guess that was the best answer to make... I didn't really want to be looked down because I didn't tidy up my room or some stupid shit like that... And he didn't look down on me because of so stupid a shit...

-Hmm... You sure got a lot of figures... Oh, is that Ryougi... Shiki?

-Huh?! You know her?!

-Yes. My old man watches quite a lot of anime and... well, a lot of different things.

-S-s-s-so... Do you recognize this one?!

-Oh, is this a Phos...phophy...llite one?

-Yes! Yessss!!! You sure know a lot of stuff!!!

-My old man told me the show this person is from was quite sad... Do you appreciate sad shows, hm... Shroud?

-O-oh... Huh...

He could have thought I was definitely a grim person (well I am but...)...

-I kind of, yeah... Catharsis and all that stuff, I think... y-you know...

-Oh, I understand. I was just... curious. Will we sing sad songs as well?

-W-well if you don't feel like singing sad ss-s-stuff... I would understand, d-don't worry Iwontforceyouanyway...

-I do not mind that much. I want to try.

-Hmm... Sad songs can help us show our feelings from what I've read s-s-o...

-I understand... Shall you start? I can start if you feel uneasy.

-I... think I can start. You're... n-n-ot the kind of person to mock weak and dumbasses, right... so it should be alright... I just hope it won't... huh...

-I won't laugh at all. Your bravery is worthy of praises, Shroud.

-Can you... call me Idia?

-Understood, Idia.

He couldn't possibly have mocked me. How many burdens had I pushed on him? I flattered his ego by saying he wasn't the kind of person to mock weak... Asked him to use my name... He would break something if he were to lie to reality...

-I'm... going i-i-in, then.

And of course it wasn't the first time I was singing... Even among people. We had already had some singing contests on servers wayyyy before... Setting up the off-vocals, the mic... even without a mic it would have been alright, tbh. I guess I wanted to... at least show I was good with computers, lol...

-Étoi... le... et toi...

I guess French was just a way of covering whatever these words watering through my throat were. How dared I use something like this? How dared I use such a stereotyped love strategy?

-Et toi... et moi...

Words were floating around. I could not see them but... A blue gleam, a usual blue gleam had disappeared. I closed my eyes several times, yes. For numerous seconds, certainly... One... Two... Three... Whatever. The heat didn't force them open. And his soft eyes of water were not asphyxiated nor asphyxiating.

-Le monde... est vous...

"You"... Yes. The mic feels cold between my hands, my ten fingers, my ten white and carved phalanx yet to be carved again phalanx. This world was... not theirs, after all. Nor was it made of this Water, this One Normality.

-Vous êtes... le monde...

Yes... We are part of it and so... Water, Flames... Whatever. Your eyes aren't made of one lake drowning the whole world except I.

-Étoile... et toi...

You are made of fire and water. I am made of lava and ice, into mirrored proportions, no matter what they are.

-Et toi, et moi...

Surely, you weren't especially my prince, nor a special element fated to me. There was no such... sad thing as this, even if this world is (lol) made of all of these. But you wouldn't have chosen me because of some "rules".

-Tout ce que je vois...

No matter how carved is your bone-like hair, no matter how frozen is this ice-like hair... You are not made of one flow of water. Your iris are... yours. How many skies did you gather between what I was barely grasping as stupid water?

-Tout ce que je ressens... Tu es mon uni...vers.

Yes... You are a shard of this world's mixed elements, and you lent me your hand from some words you had chosen among realities.

-I don't really know what you said but... I feel like I understand how it was supposed to feels.

-R-r-r-really?

-Your voice really seemed... soft, I would say? I didn't feel like it was supposed to be sad but more of a... saudade feeling? A melancholic... hm, yes that's the word, happiness? At some point, you were smiling, I think. I like to hear you singing but... It's more I like when you sing of this specific thing... Happiness while melancholy... And  a soft voice... Was it a love song?

-H-h-h-hm... hm...

-I... really like it. But it was different than when Malleus... hm, Head Malleus, played violin. Sure it sounded pretty but... I felt something.

-You... You did?!

-Yes.

-Then huuuuh... should we... call this... ?

-We should ask someone else but... maybe?

I was just... so happy I kind of feel lazy to write the rest. I mean, what good will it make anyway? I feel waaay less stressed (lol). So... I've spoken with Ortho... How I needed to update him and all... But first I had to tell him he... didn't have to take care of me anymore. I guess this was just temporary but... I'm sorry, Ortho. Silver... probably solved more of my problems than you did. I guess it took me 18 years to be Idia.

[Started Recording at : 9h15 AM : Tenth Day.]

Thus ends this special Recording of a Shroud non-heir. Idia has found happiness. The Shroud family shall not be anymore.

And so these years of learning made Ortho himself.

-Yes. I am Ortho Shroud. Thank you for watching or listening to all of this. I wish you happiness as well. I hope you will find yourself like we did :)

[Ended Recording at : 9h17 AM : Tenth Day.]

[dreamyjoons]

devilish // ksj

Synopsis: desperation can make you do many things - although selling your soul to a crossroads demon is a little far. But Jin isn’t just any crossroads demon, and he’s going to prove it to you.

Genre/warnings: 18+! Pure smut, Demon!Jin. Oral (m and f receiving), rimming, slight bondage, overuse of ‘pet’, faint ‘sir’ kink, choking, lil rough sex, dom!Jin, outdoor sex, unprotected sex (be safe), tiny bit of spitting, marking, spanking, dirty talk, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, swearing, maybe a tiny bit of fluff.

Words: 5.6k

A/N: so, this got out of hand - it originally wasn’t going to be smut but as you can see, that didn’t happen. I wanted to release a fic for another member but this had other ideas, so hopefully there will be something out this weekend. Enjoy this mess! 🧡

As you kick the final bit of dirt over your offering, your eyes shift warily to the roads surrounding you.

The crossroads was truly in the middle of nowhere. You hadn’t seen another car or person in hours, and the last of the daylight had truly vanished. Your beaten up old car sat just off the road behind you, and you mentally began counting down the minutes until you could get in it and drive away.

This was stupid. Turning to make a deal with a demon. You were sure they didn’t exist. But when you’re desperate, why not try anything?

Five minutes. That’s all you would give it. After that, you’d get into your car and drive home, having to suffer the reality of your life. You weren’t giving up, but it was getting harder and harder.

The dust blew up around you as you waited, the chill of the evening seeping through your jeans and jacket. The distant call of an animal startled you, making you feel infinitely more exposed. It was probably time to go.

You turn with a heavy heart, leaving the offering half sticking out of the hole in the dirt road that you’d dug with your hands. You’re sure it’ll amuse someone. You walk quickly to your car, your hand reaching out to grab the handle when a gust of wind blasts you from behind.

You stagger slightly, turning around. You gasp, your eyes fixing on a smiling man standing over your offering.

“Hello there, miss Y/N.” He smirks, and you’re surprised you can hear him over the hammering of your heart. Of course he would know your name. Chills shoot through you.

“Who are you?” You ask, daring not to move.

“A demon, obviously.” He raises an eyebrow at you, and you’re stunned. Did you just get sassed by a demon? Can they do that?

“I… Yes, I guess you are.” You say dumbly, and before you can think better of it, you walk towards him, stopping a few yards away.

He was divine. Or pure sin, however you wanted to look at it. Black hair, smooth skin, puckered plush lips and black eyes that had hidden depths. He stood in a black suit and tie with a red shirt, perfectly tailored to his sculpted body. His wide shoulders were held proudly, and you followed the expanse of chest that he puffed out with pride. Meanwhile you stood with tatty skinny jeans tucked into dusty combat boots, your top half in a tee and shrouded in a bomber jacket. You were nowhere near his level - he dripped luxury.

“What is it you desire?” He asks, taking a smooth step towards you.

“I… need a new life, so I need money. A lot, as it turns out.” You sigh, meeting his eyes. The black didn’t scare you like you thought it would have. It made you want to get closer - but you knew that was dangerous. Too dangerous.

“Ah. And why turn to making a deal with a demon? There are millions of people who need money.” he sighs, turning over his hand and examining his nails, a look of severe disinterest on his face.

“I’m not millions of people. I’m one person that needs change as fast as possible. I want out of this dead town. I don’t earn enough to live, my exes are working on personal vendettas to ruin my life and I have no family here any more. My friends are in other cities and work around here is dying. I need out, and I need out now.” You spit, his apparent lack of care making your blood boil.

His eyes flick up, your raised tone piquing his interest. His lips curl into a smile as he walks towards you, and begins to circle you, assessing you. You grit your teeth and wait, fixing your eyes into the darkness as he takes his time. He finally stops within arm’s reach of you, his eye meeting yours in a deadly stare.

“I’m Jin.” he nods, and you nod back.

“I’m Y/N.”

“I know.”

“Yeah, you made that clear with you being a demon and all.” You snark, and immediately bite your tongue.

You need help, not to be exploded on the spot. Could he even do that? It was better to not tempt a devil.

“You’re awfully brave for someone who’s life is in my beautifully refined hands.” He smiles, and you mull over your thoughts.

“I guess when you’ve got nothing to lose, you get a little braver.”

He looks you up and down again before smiling, and a shiver runs through you. You were sure it was to do with the cold, dark night, and not the way Jin’s eyes examined your every feature.

“I suppose so. Then let us make a deal, and work out our terms.” He smiles, before reaching forward and taking your hand, and dragging you back to the centre of the crossroads.

You hold your breath as your hand sits in his, the warmth radiating from his skin. He stops in the middle of the road and drops your hand, before bending down and scooping up your offering.

“Let’s see… a bone or a bird, three drops of blood, a secret written with your non-dominant hand,” He pauses to read what you had written before looking up at you with a filthy smirk on his face. You look away, heat burning over the surface of your skin. “Nice. Hmm, and an item of extreme personal value.”

He turns over a small silver ring in his fingers, the thin band of metal curved delicately in his perfect fingertips. Your eyes stay glued to the ring, your heart flipping every time the ring disappeared from your eyesight. He catches how pained your expression is, and notes just how personal it must be. A family heirloom, no doubt.

“These are decent. Let’s discuss your deal.”

“Hit me with it.” you nod, bracing yourself. Making a deal with a demon was going to come with a steep price. He half laughs, his eyes examining your face.

“You’re a funny little mortal, aren’t you?” He laughs.

“Oh, er, thank you-”

“You’re welcome. Now,” he grins, opening his arms wide. “The terms.”

“Do I have to give you my soul?” you ask, almost jokingly, but the contemplative look he gives you makes your heart thump its way into your throat.

“Not right away. But something about you makes me think your soul will be particularly delicious. Still, I won’t be needing your soul for a while. At least ten years, deepening on how well you pay me for my services.” He smiles, wiggling his eyebrows at you. You choke on the air you’re breathing, finding it difficult to meet his eyes.

“So, I can grant you enough money for you to make a comfortable start somewhere else. If you are wise about it, you can have a good life.” He states with a flick of his hand. “Your payment will be to give me three earthly favours that I cannot perform myself.”

“Three? Are you going to get me to commit crimes or do some ridiculous shit? Because if so I don’t want to make a deal.” You rush, crossing your arms and fixing Jin with a determined look.

“Two then, since I like you so much. And nothing too bad. Nothing you won’t be arrested for or not be able to wash off.” He shrugs, and you don’t like the way that sounds.

“What about one? Because you like me?” You offer, and he laughs. It’s in a higher pitch than you imagine, and it crinkles his eyes. You find yourself smiling too.

“I like you, Y/N. No one makes jokes with me. It all gets very boring after a few centuries of doom and gloom.” He says as he straightens from his laugh. You find yourself fascinated by him.

“A few centuries? How old are you?” you ask, subconsciously taking a step closer. He notices though, and revels in it.

“Old enough to know better, pet.” He smirks, bringing a hand up to push a strand of hair away from your face. You feel your stomach flip at his actions.

“Okay, one earthly deed. But your payment will be to give me your soul in nine years, unless you’ve done enough good in this world to extend it. And a kiss from you, that is also my demand.” His eyes flicker to your lips, and you gulp.

“My soul and a kiss? Sounds like fun.” You laugh awkwardly, that nervous habit of yours to say something dumb in an important situation really coming back to bite you in the ass.

“Oh it is, Y/N. You’ll find that these beautiful lips and handsome face are great to kiss.” He smirks, holding his head up proudly. A small laugh falls from your lips.

“Aren’t you meant to be… Different?” You murmur, and he looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re supposed to be a demon, right?” You ask dumbly, and he laughs lightly.

“I was the last time I cursed someone.” He shrugs, and you forcefully push that terrifying thought away.

“Well aren’t demons meant to be, y’know, scary and evil? All broody and weird and making me want to scream and run away.” You explain, your pulse thudding loudly in your veins as you gauge his reaction. You didn’t want to finally push the wrong button and have him eviscerate you or something.

“Do you want me to be all broody and dark and mysterious?” He asks, and a part of you does want to know.

He lets his smile slip slowly from his face, the joyful crinkle of his eyes smoothing out until he glares at you, the black of his pupils spreading out until his entire eye was as dark as night. He takes a step back from you and stands to his full height, a shadow falling across his face as he watches you. The air around you somehow make the blood in you run cold but causes your skin to break out into a sweat. An unbearable pressure holds itself down ony our chest, but you cannot draw your terrified eyes away from Jin. He draws his lips back to smile, but it twists his face into something entirely inhuman and wrong to look at with your mortal eyes.

“Is this what you wanted, pet? Dark and deathly?” He asks. His voice is lower, dark and with an echo that you cannot place. You shake your head harshly.

“I don’t like it, Jin.” You say in a small voice, and his facade drops at once. In a blink he is back to the softer form, gentle eyes examining your face.

“I’m sorry to frighten you, Y/N. But as you can imagine, having people look at you the way you just looked at me now takes its toll, even if I am a demon.” He sighs, stepping forward slowly to not spook you.

He reaches down and takes your hand, and you fight a flinch. He rubs soothing circles into the palm of your hand and you let yourself relax a little. He smiles at you, warm and inviting.

“So do you agree to my terms, Y/N?” he asks, and you contemplate your fate. If you were going to be as stuck in the future as you are now, then why not? Things can still change, you have time. And although a small part of your brain tells you he wouldn’t hurt you, seeing something dark in him wasn’t something that you wanted to provoke for wasting his time.

“Fine. I accept. Do you have something I need to sign, or…?” you trail, and he tilts back his head to laugh.

“No, your soul will be marked by me and me alone. I will know when it is time. But we seal the deal with a kiss.”

“A kiss? Does that corny line work on many people?” You ask humourously, but he shrugs.

“It is how we finalise the transaction. I have kissed many people in my time. It helps to be this handsome.” He smiles, before blowing you a small kiss. You roll your eyes.

“You really are different.” You mutter, finding yourself endlessly endeared by him. By a demon. You need to get a grip. It was a dangerous game you were playing, even without finding yourself attracted to the demon.

“May I claim my kiss now?” He asks gently, cupping your face. You nod your head once, you eyes flicking to his lips and back up to his eyes.

He brings his face closer to yours, and you let your eyes flutter shut. You feel him hover just above your lips for a second before his lips pressed against yours, feather light and soft. He pulls away slightly to change the angle of his kiss, his plush lips pliant against yours.

He breaks away, and you open your eyes to look at him and find his eyes surveying your face with a soft look in his eyes. You smile, which he returns.

“So… is that it? Is there gonna be some money magically pinging into my bank?” You ask, your voice breaking.

“Pretty much. Why, do you want to get rid of me already? It was just starting to get interesting.” He smirks, and you roll your eyes and look away, trying to hide your embarrassment.

“Don’t you have some like, possessions or something to do?”

“I like to take control if that’s what you mean,” he smirks, and you groan out loud, “but it sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me, pet.” He raises an eyebrow at you, sliding his hand from your cheek to rest at the back of your neck.

“No! I mean, no. If you wanna stay for a bit, y’know, I wouldn’t mind.” You rush. You didn’t want him to go - not really. Demon or not, he was fascinating. And the fact that you wanted to feel his lips on yours again had nothing to do with it.

“You fascinate me, Y/N. I will stay for a bit - I have duties to perform but they can wait a while.” He says in a low voice, twirling his fingers in the hair at the base of your neck.

He suddenly abruptly leaves your personal space, detangling his hand from you and stepping back before waltzing over towards your car. All you can do is stare on, confused, before your mind kicks into gear and you’re trotting after him.

He taps his foot lightly against a loose panel on your driver’s door, causing it to make an uncomfortable creak. You cringe at the noise, before stepping forwards and placing yourself between him and the car.

“Leave her alone! She’s already falling apart without you sticking your shoes all up on her.” You yelp, hands defensively laying across the roof of your car.

“Mhm. I can see why you need money. Poor thing’s on it’s last legs. She needs a little TLC.” He smirks.

He starts to run a finger over the door frame before drifting it onto and up your arm. You shiver at the light contact, causing his smirk to turn into a full devilish grin. He takes a step forward so that his face is hovering a few inches from yours, and you dared not move.

“It seems that your car isn’t the only one that needs some special care.” He whispers, and you hold in a moan.

“What makes you think that I want anything else from you, Jin? You’re already getting my soul.” You say a little breathlessly. He laughs just above your ear, his hot breath fanning over your hair and neck.

“Believe me pet, you’ll like what I have to offer.” You gulp at his words and squeeze your eyes shut. It had been a very long time since someone had this kind of effect on you - and it was a little scary.

“I don’t know. The kiss was okay, but money is what I really want from you.” You state, adrenaline coursing through you as you play with fire.

He pulls back and looks at you, intense and full of emotion. He finally closed the distance between you, his body pressing yours into the car, his face two inches from yours.

“You’re not making this easy, Y/N. Give in to me, I won’t hurt you - unless you want me to.” He almost growls, and you almost soak through your panties there and then.

“If you want something from me, you’ve got to work for it. After all, you are in the deal-making business.” You shrug nonchalantly, but your eyes stay fixed on his.

He looks stunned for a second - shocked that anyone would rise to meet him in such a way.

But then his lips crash back onto yours, rougher and faster than before. He slides a hand around your waist to pull you tighter against him while the other holds the back of your neck. You moan into the kiss, wrapping your arms over his wide shoulders as you both fight to control the kiss.

He breaks apart the kiss to suck in air, his hand moving from your neck to cup your chin, forcing you to look at him.

“Tell me to stop now, before we head down this path.” He pants, his stormy eyes scanning your face.

“I’m willing, if you are.”

With that he dives back in to kiss you again, grinding his hips into you so that you can feel his hardening length pressing into you. You gasp into the kiss, and he takes advantage by darting a tongue in between your lips, tasting you for all his worth.

His hands knead into your ass, and you roll your hips to meet his gyrating body. He moans into your kiss before his hands leave you, and you feel them unzipping your jacket and tossing it on top of the car. The cold night air rushes to meet your skin and goosebumps rise, but you’re too focused on Jin’s rough kiss to care.

He finally breaks away the kiss to rip your shirt over your head and unclipping your bra with incredible ease. Your nipples are already hard, but in the cold air with Jin’s full attention on them, they practically ache.

“My my, pet. Aren’t you a pretty sight.” He speaks in a low voice, a deepness that you didn’t expect from him.

You practically keen under his gaze, your dark gaze fixed on him. He steps forward and presses his lips to your neck, biting and sucking their way down to your collarbones and chest. He bites and sucks hard, before smoothing over the marked skin with a gentle tongue. He finally reaches a breast and sucks a nipple into his mouth, rolling the sensitive bud. You gasp and throw your head back as his hand seeks out your other breast, tugging and twisting your other nipple in his nimble fingertips. You murmur his name like a curse as he alternates between a nibble and a suck, before pulling off your breast with a pop and switching to give the other his undivided attention.

He pulls back suddenly, the cold air rushing to chill the wetness over your breasts, the ache only making your pleasure more acute. He places both hands on your hips and spins you before pushing your torso flat against the car, the cold metal pressing into your skin.

“Look at you,” he whispers into your ear as his hands reach forward and begin to unbuckle your jeans. “So filthy, Y/N, letting me undress you out here. You want this, don’t you? You’re needy for me.”

You whine and nod as he finally unbuttons and unzips you, tugging your jeans and panties down together to your knees. He pulls you back a step before pressing you back against the car, your ass sticking out. He runs a soothing hand over your cheeks before delivering a hard slap. You yelp and jump forward, but he merely tuts.

“You have to stay still pet, or I’ll keep going and neither of us will get what we want. Is that how you want to play this?” He says in an almost mocking tone as he rubs his hand softly over the snacked area of your ass.

“N-no sir.” You stammer.

“Sir? Mhmm, I like the sound of that.” He smirks, before raising a hand and smacking your other cheek. You gasp as the contact but stay still. You’re rewarded with a soft kiss on each cheek.

“Good girl, pet. Now, let’s see how wet you are for me.”

You feel him kneel down behind you and spread your cheeks, and you can feel yourself practically dripping. You’re too worked up to feel even slightly embarrassed as he runs a finger along your slit. You practically jump at the sensation.

Without warning, he lunges forward and runs a tongue along you, his tongue hitting your clit with perfect precision, and you feel your knees go weak already. You suck in your breath as his tongue begins to lap at you, his hands keeping you spread.

He laps at your wetness, your walls clenching around nothing as his tongue works tirelessly on you. Soon he adds a finger, rubbing it to gather your juices before he slowly begins to push it inside you slowly. Your eyes practically roll back when his finger fully sinks inside of you.

“So tight for me baby. But I wonder what all of you tastes like.” He murmurs, and before you can even think of something coherent to say, he spits, the wetness drippbing down your asshole before his tongue is sliding up between your cheeks.

You swear under your breath as he begins to lick around your hole, his finger beginning to pump inside your wet core. The sensation is overwhelming and you begin to gyrate your hips, and as soon as he extends a finger to bump along your clit, you’re a goner. He thrusts his finger faster and swirls his tongue tightly and soon your diving over the edge, your orgasm wracking through you as your body pulses against your car.

Jin eases you through your orgasms until you begin to come down from your high. He pulls back from your ass and slips his finger out of you, leaving you panting.

“Delicious, just as I expected.” He smirks, and you barely throw him a look over your shoulder, and he grins sheepishly. You feel heat coursing through your body, a spike of shyness creeping through you.

He spins you around and then turns you both so that his back is pressed against the car. He pecks a hard kiss on your lips before leaning back and undoing his tie from his neck. He then wraps his arms around you, pulling your hands and knotting them together behind your back with his tie. He raises a questioning eyebrow at you and you simply nod. You wanted this.

You dropped to your knees on the dusty road, watching patiently as Jin began to unbuckle his trousers and letting them sag around his ankles. He then peeled down his boxers, settling them on his knees. He then smirks at you. He looks so broad and intimidating from this angle that it makes your mouth dry.

“I’m looking forward to this, Y/N. Don’t disappoint, now.” He demands, but you can see the playfulness in his features, and you fight smiling back at him.

“Yes sir.” You say in the sultriest voice you can muster, before dragging your tongue along the underside of his shaft.

His head rolls back and you smirk. You pull back off of him and spit on his shaft, and his head rocks back up. He smirks, and leans forward and dribbles some spit on his length too. Holding back a groan, you slide him in your mouth, spreading the spit along his length. Your hands twitch in their bindings to get involved, but you had to make do with just your mouth. You pull back off him with a pop, moving to take a testicle in your mouth, swirling your tongue on each one at a time, slowly. You only get through twenty seconds before Jin groans.

“Stop teasing me, pet. Take my cock in your mouth or I’ll make sure you suffer.” He growls, a hand sliding into your hair and yanking just hard enough to steer you.

Not wanting to upset him, you released a ball and run your tongue over the head of his cock, salty precum spreading across your tastebuds. Wasting no more time, you relax your throat and take him in. You let him revel in the warmth of your mouth for a few seconds before beginning to bob your head, drawing back and forth on his length.

“So good, Y/N. Keep going.” He grunts, gathering what he can of your hair into a fist.

Flushing at his praise, you push down further, feeling your throat try to close around his length. He groans and throws his head back, and before long he begins to move his hips, trying to find the right rhythm. You try to relax your throat as his speed builds up, letting him control your movements as he thrusts himself into you. You tug on your bindings, your eyes freely flowing. You can feel him getting close, his breathing more and more rapid and uneven, and you feel him twitching in your mouth despite how roughly he pushes into you.

With an abrupt tug on your hair, you’re pulled off his cock and facing up to Jin. His eyes are heavily lidded as he pants, broad chest heaving as he watches you watch you breath, tears running down your face. You offer him a watery smile and he groans again, letting your hair loose and gently rubbing his fingers into your abused scalp.

“Wow. A girl like you doesn’t come around every century.” He breathes, and you smile at his words. The tips of his ears begin to turn red and you feel your heart fluttering stupidly in your chest.

“Thank you sir.” You say, throwing in a wink for good measure. His eyes crinkle in amusement before he’s pulling you to your feet and walking you to the front of the car.

He bends you over the hood and lines himself up with your hole, running his length across your slit.

“You want this, my pet? Want to feel me inside you?” He whispers, pressing his chest to you back and sliding a hand to your throat.

“Oh fuck yes.” You grit out, but are swiftly brought back to reality by a hard smack on your ass cheek.

“Yes what?”

“Yes sir, I want your cock inside me, please.” You pant, turning your head to meet his eyes.

He gives you a devilish smirk as he resumes his slow movements across your slit before finally pushing himself inside you. You gasp at his unexpected size - not too big, but enough for a slight burn as he pushes further inside you. He seats himself fully inside and gives you a mere few seconds to adjust before he’s sliding almost fully out and then snapping his hips back into you. You gasp, wanting to find some way to hold on but you still had your hands tied, being pressed between your bodies.

Jin picks up a brutal pace, fucking his hips into you relentlessly. His hand around your throat begins to squeeze, and you can feel the blood pumping round your head. He releases his hold for a moment, and the little black spots that had begun to appear drift away.

“So good, Y/N baby. So tight for me.” He pants, saying whatever comes to his head as he forces himself closer to his orgasm.

He moved his free hand underneath your body, snaking it’s way to your clit and rubbing fast circles there. You cry out, Jin’s relentless pace pushing you to the edge.

“Fuck, Jin, I’m gonna-“

“Cum, pet, I wanna feel you around me.” He whispers, and with a few more hard strokes, you’re cumming.

You cry out as your orgasms rocks through your body, convulsing on the car as it rips through you. He gasps as your walls tighten around him, his harsh movements stuttering for just a moment.

Jin doesn’t let up his pace - in fact he works harder than ever, his hips roughly pounding into you. It all feels too much, but you can feel another orgasm wanting to come out. You had to push through pain to get it, and Jin knew too.

“We can get another, pet, I know we can.” He pants, pulling you both up so that you were standing as he rams into your sore hole.

He holds you against him by the throat as he begins squeezing again, your vision growing spotty as his fingers continue their assault on your clit. You swear continuously as you get higher and higher, and your next orgasm crashes over you.

Your clenching walls as your orgasms rocks through you pulls Jin with you, and soon he��s cumming too. He bites down on your shoulder but you don’t really feel it - your orgasms rocks through you as your sensitive core throbs. Jin’s hot cum fills you as he slows to a stop inside you. You feel it beginning to drip down your leg as he pulls out of you, warm and sticky, like pure sin. He finally releases your throat and your head swims, but Jin holds on to you and lays you both back over the hood of your car, both sucking in breath. He reaches over and unties your hands and you sigh, settling back on the hood rubbing them.

“Fuck.” Is all you say, and he lets out a breathless laugh next to you.

“Yes, Y/N. Fuck.”

“Do you do that with all the poor souls you meet?” You ask. Your head is still clearing, but you knew you desperately wanted the answer.

“No, you’re pretty special.” He smiles, rolling his head over to look at you.

You both look fucked out: sweaty faces and rapid breathing, blown out eyes that slowly start to refocus. But something is electric between you, and it wasn’t just great sex.

His eyes flick over your head to look at the moon and he curses under his breath. He sits up before getting off your car completely, pulling his boxers and pants back up. You follow him, pulling up your jeans and looking around for your top. You pull it on and chuck your bra and jacket into the car before turning to Jin.

He’s put his tie back on and finishes straightening it before he looks at you, fucked out and waiting for him in the moonlight.

“I don’t want to leave like this.” He blurts, and you cock your head.

“Demon shit, I understand.” You shrug, although you feel sadness creeping through your veins. You don’t want him to go. Not at all.

“... have you ever thought about becoming a demon?” He laughs, and your eyes widen.

“No, not really.”

“I think you’d make an excellent one. However,” he sighs, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around your waist. “You have a few years on the soul of yours to go.”

“Will I see you again?” You ask, pressing a hand to his broad chest.

“Of course, pet. I’m to watch over your soul until i can claim it. And you still owe me that favour.”

“Well, if you need any more favours like what we just did, I might be open to more visits.” You smile, heat tingling along your face. He laughs, the noise fast becoming one of your favourite sounds.

“Believe me, you cannot keep me away. But for now, I must go.”

He leans down one last time to press his lips against yours, your eyes fluttering closed. It’s’ a gentle but meaningful kiss, but he breaks away too soon. He gives you one last look before slipping out of your grasp and walking back to the centre of the crossroads.

Light tinges on the edges of the world, the dark black slipping into a deep blue. You can see the twinkle of his eyes as he turns to face you, a small smirk on his lips. He raises and hand and blows an exaggerated kiss to you and you laugh and look away briefly.

“I’ll be seeing you again very soon, Y/N. Wait for me.” He smiles sadly, and you nod fervently at him.

“I will, Jin. I promise.”

A gust of wind whips around you, sending your hair and dirt from the road into your face. You shield your eyes until the wind stops, and with a quick glance you see that Jin has gone.

Stifling the sadness that threatens to well in you, you walk back to your car and climb inside. You slump your head against the wheel and run a hand over your face when you feel something cool. You look down to see the ring you offered sitting on your finger, glinting brightly in the moonlight.

You smile, your heart thudding rapidly in your chest. With a deep, steadying breath, you turn the engine on and begin to move off. With one final look over your shoulder to the crossroad, you head back to your dead-end town with a new hope in your heart.

A new start, a new life, and a new person who will be a big part of your life.

Well, maybe ‘person’ was a stretch, but it didn’t matter to you. Not really.

[thenovelartist]

An Impromptu Proposal, 30-31

<<Previous

And this concludes LadyNoir July and all the Love Square months! I do not know how I managed this, but I did, holy cow. :D Hope you all have enjoyed it!

30. Inspiration

Marinette was so intent in designing for her portfolio that she didn’t hear her husband slip into the room. Therefore, she was not expecting him to lean over her shoulders and startle her.

He was laughing at it. “Scare you, bugaboo? I wasn’t exactly being quiet.”

She sighed, her heartrate steadily calming. “You know when I get into a design, everything else disappears.”

“That I do,” he assured. “What are you working on?”

“Just some portfolio pieces,” she dismissed.

“Well, I knew that. What kind of pieces?”

Marinette looked down at the entire line that she had drawn out. “Formal wear inspired by our superhero costumes.”

That piqued Adrien’s interest as he reached towards one of the many pieces of paper scattered all over the desk. He examined the designs on it, which were several versions of a Chat Noir themed suit.

“I know I’ve done them before,” Marinette said. “But with the superheroes being so big still, I thought it would be fun to do it one last time before retiring the idea all together.”

“Make money off them while you can,” Adrien teased.

Marinette chuckled. “More like… I feel like it’s a last hoo-rah, you know? Like… like a sort of closure.”

Adrien hummed before giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Well then, bug, I say go all out and don’t hold back.”

“That’s the plan. But to be fair, when do I ever hold back?”

Adrien chuckled. “True.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re really passionate about everything: designing, superheroing. You really throw your all into it. But that’s just one of the things I love about you.”

Marinette felt her face warm, along with her heart.

“I’ll let you get back to it. I can start dinner.”

“But it’s—” Marinette froze when she looked at the clock. “It’s five.”

She could hear the smile in Adrien’s voice. “Yes, it is.”

“I’ve been at this for four hours straight already.”

“Yes, you have. But just proves my point of how passionate you are.”

She pushed away from her desk. “I can make dinner.”

“Nah,” Adrien dismissed. “You’re on a roll. Don’t let me stop you. I’ve got dinner. You can continue working.”

She shot Adrien a smile. “Thanks, kitty.”

“Anything for you, my lady.”

 ...

31. Waiting On You

It had been a little over a year since Adrien and Marinette had defeated Butterlie and retired as superheroes. While they had originally planned to start up a family shortly after, they decided that it was better to wait. Between the counseling, Marinette finding a new job, and Adrien starting up an online university, they thought that bringing a kid into the mix was a little too much at the moment.

Until Alya announced that she was pregnant.

Adrien had been utterly thrilled for Nino, who was extremely excited at becoming a dad. But at the same point, Adrien was a little jealous. And one look at Marinette proved that she had been, too.

Hence why both of them were sitting on the couch at home, side by side, ready for that big talk.

“Do you think we’re ready?” Marinette asked. “Like, obviously we both want kids, probably enough to not be having this conversation, but I think it’s important.”

“I agree,” Adrien said. “But, at the same point… I think we’re ready.”

Marinette smirked. “Impulsive as ever.”

“Well, yeah,” Adrien admitted. “But think about it. I’ve been doing a lot better with the counseling and all. And I’ve started up schooling, and I feel stable and secure in my future and health. You; you’re fine. You stopped going to counseling because you’re healed enough to not need it anymore. You’ve got a job as a designer; you love it; things are going good for you. I think if we wait until everything’s perfect, we’re gonna be waiting a very long time. So, do I think we’re ready? Yeah; yeah, I do.”

Marinette’s surprised expression gave way to one of amusement. “Someone’s been thinking this over.”

“Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about it since we left Alya and Nino’s place.”

She chuckled before crawling into his lap. “This is the end of the conversation, isn’t it?”

“Probably,” Adrien answered with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

“If I bring up any point, you’re gonna tell me I’m over thinking, aren’t you?”

“Bug, you know me so well.”

“Even if I suggest we wait so that we can think without jealousy clouding our mind.”

Adrien quirked a brow. “Are we ever not going to be jealous?”

Marinette paused, her lips pursed.

“You know I’m right.”

With a grumble, she laid her head on his shoulder to avoid looking at him.

Adrien smirked, liking the feeling of winning that conversation.

“So,” Marinette eventually said. “Are we starting tonight?”

His heart jumped in his chest as a smug smirk crossed his face. “Who says we have to wait for tonight?”

He shifted slightly so he could see his wife’s face, watching as her cheeks turned red before burying her face into his shirt.

“I’m teasing,” he said.

“No, you’re not.”

Adrien couldn’t deny that.

“How, out of all the people in the world, did I end up falling in love with you?”

“Because I’m literally the yang to your yin.”

Marinette giggled, coming out of her hiding spot in his shoulder to smile at him. “That’s true.”

…

It was two and a half months later that Marinette was showing him a positive pregnancy test.

Which meant that this was really happening. They were really going to be parents.

Which spurred Adrien’s desire to sell his apartment and find a family home to move into.

“We should have thought about this earlier,” Marinette commented as they were going through listings.

“Well, considering you’re only about a month along, I think we are doing this in good timing. But just so you know, I’m not letting you do any heavy lifting when we move.”

Marinette sighed. “Overprotective already?”

“Yes. Don’t argue.”

She giggled, wrapping her hands around his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder. “You’re gonna be a good daddy.”

He was going to be a dad. Holy crap, he was going to be a dad. The mix of panic and excitement was enough to make his head spin. “I’ll give it all I have.”

“I know you will,” she assured in a sweet tone that was calming his nerves but ramping up his heart. “And you’re gonna be a great dad.”

His heart light from her genuine words, he leaned over to kiss her head. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“I love you,” she said. “And our kids are gonna love you, too.”

Adrien loved this woman; he was so lucky to have her. “I love you, too.”

…

Marinette looked over her new house with some pride. It had taken some time to find the right house and pack up everything, but Marinette couldn’t be happier. Especially since a baby would come in about three short months to fill the place with even more life.

Adrien slipped behind her, wrapping his arms around her belly. “What’s got you lost in thought?”

“We own a house.”

Adrien chuckled. “Yes, we do.”

“Together.”

“Yup.”

“We have a baby on the way.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And we aren’t superheroes anymore. In fact, we haven’t transformed in months.”

“Yup and yup.”

“Is this what normalcy feels like?”

Adrien laughed, giving her a squeeze. “Yes, I think so.”

“It’s weird.”

“How?” Adrien asked, clearly amused.

“It’s… normal. I feel like something crazy and unordinary needs to happen.”

“What? Moving houses while you’re six months along wasn’t crazy enough for you?”

“Not really?”

Adrien shook his head, walking around her to kneel in front of her swollen stomach. “Hey, baby girl,” Adrien said, his hands carefully cradling Marinette’s abdomen. “Hurry up and get here. We’re waiting on you to throw our normal lives into chaos.”

Marinette chuckled before playfully smacking her husband. “Don’t encourage her. I feel like she’s going to be like you enough as it is.”

“You say that like I’m the chaos causer.”

“Well…”

With a chuckle, Adrien stood. “You know, whether this little one is easy or difficult doesn’t matter, because I don’t think we were suited for normal lives, anyway.”

Marinette couldn’t help but smile. “You’re probably right. But honestly… I think I’m okay with that.”

[pi-cat000]

MSA time travel idea (part 32)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Vivi POV, 8, 9, 10, Lewis POV, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Lance POV 18, 19, Lewis POV 2, 21 , 22, Vivi POV 2, 24, 25  Lewis POV 3,  Mystery POV , Vivi POV 3, 29, Lewis POV 4, 31

Part 33: here

.

VIVI POV

"Which of you alerted hospital staff to Lance Kingman’s condition?”

The officer steps into the room and Vivi spots a second man behind him. Lewis stands to greet them, and Vivi lets him take the lead. Conversation washes over her, buzzing like an annoying fly in the background. With all the new information being dropped into her lap, she is finding it difficult to think clearly.

‘Just because it’s weird, doesn’t mean we should discount it.’ How many times had she said that? A lot apparently, if Lewis is quoting it. But how does one fit all the weird things together into something coherent? 

She loosely remembers Lewis and Arthur talking about an almost violent encounter with some leather-wearing wacko, but that had occurred at least a week before Arthur’s odd behaviour began. If the man was threatening Arthur for whatever reason, surely she would have seen some signs earlier instead of a steamily overnight change.

Why even mention ‘demon possession’ if that were the case. It didn't exactly add to the mysterious stranger's credibility in the 'find Arthur' department.

What did any of this even mean?

Vivi's not on Lewis's level when it came to reading and sympathising with people, but she is good at connecting actions to motivation.  Nothing happened in a vacuum, there was always a cause and effect. There had to be some critical fact missing because, while some things fit together, others were completely random. Vivi exhales loudly, shifting her focus back onto Lewis. All she is doing is going over the same data points and hitting the same inconstancies. Futile.

“I’m a friend of his nephew, Arthur Kingsman. We heard Lance was in the hospital and came to offer support. It took us several hours to get here though,” Lewis is speaking, sounding confident and self-assured. He is talking in his ‘I'm dealing with people I don’t want to deal with, but I’m still going to be friendly’ voice. Unlike her and Arthur, Lewis is usually happy to interact with strangers, so she doesn’t hear this voice often.

“…We drove from Oak Ridge.”

Vivi, from her seated position, examines the two policemen more thoroughly. They don’t seem overly worried about her and Lewis, asking questions in a professional, concise manner. She has missed the introductions, so she doesn’t know either of their names.

“That’s pretty far off. Do you live there?”

“No. We were on a road trip. Arthur, he was with us, but he came back a few hours ahead.”

“Hmm. Have you see Arthur since then?”

“No,” A note of exhaustion is now creeping into Lewis’s tone like he has answered this question already.

“And you came straight to the hospital after arriving in Milton.”

“Yes."

There is a nod like the officer has just confirmed something important and Vivi realises that, if Lance had been attacked again -the officers hadn’t exactly confirmed anything yet- then Arthur is looking mighty suspicious. Arthur would never hurt his Uncle. But these guys didn’t know that. Statistically, these sort of things are usually a result of inter-family conflict.

“I met a weird guy in the car park who was looking for Arthur,” She pipes up, going with her ‘I’m just a dumb kid, what do I know’ voice, “Does that help?”

She has no problem throwing the mysterious stranger under the bus. Especially if the running theory, that the man is threatening Arthur, is true.

“We are not discounting anything. Which car park was this Miss Yukino?”

“It’s Vivi.” Lewis must have introduced her already. “It was the car park near the open mall. He had dark hair, a beard, wore a leather vest and had a bunch of bandages over his side like he’d been in a fight.”

The second man writes something down in his phone, frowning. There. Hopefully, that would throw their attention off Arthur and, to a lesser extent, her and Lewis. On top of everything, Vivi doesn’t want Arthur becoming a suspect in an attack on his own Uncle.

“Oh right!” She says brightly, standing, “Here.” She hands over the business card with the number. She has two of them, so it wasn’t like she was going to miss it.

“He gave me this. Maybe it'll help.”

Perplexed, the officer takes the card.

“So is Uncle Lance okay? What exactly happened? The hospital hasn’t told us much.”

“We’re really worried,” Lewis tacks on, from where he’s been watching Vivi’s attempts to subtly throw attention off Arthur.

At this, the second officer, the one who had been quiet up until now, steps forward. When he speaks his voice is warmer, accented in a way she can’t place, and not quite so coolly professional.

“Unfortunately, with the ongoing investigation, the hospital isn’t releasing any information on Lance Kingsman. We’ll look into this strange man …so there’s no need to worry.”

“But…”

“It’s late, and Hospital visiting hours are ending. You said you drove from Oaks Ridge? That’s a long drive, so the two of you should head home and get some rest." Lewis makes to interject, but the officer puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, cutting him off.

"Nothing is going to happen between now and tomorrow. You are better off waiting in a more comfortable environment and coming back. Besides, you’re friend, Arthur, if he hasn’t been through here already, is more likely to turn up somewhere familiar. If you see him at all, tell him to get in contact. He’s not in trouble or anything, but we’d like to ask some questions.”

Vivi crosses her arms and has to clamp her jaw shut to prevent herself from saying something rude. That would just get them into trouble. She lets Lewis handle the rest of the interaction, watching, disgruntled, as Lewis relays their addresses and phone numbers in case they are needed for follow-up questions.

“Tempo? I have a sister up there. A cute town that one,” The second officer comments, apparently surprised.

“It’s cosy…” Lewis shrugs loosely, prompting, “How long has she been in Tempo for?”

Yeah. If by ‘cosy’ Lewis meant suffocating, then sure.

“…Last five years. Here,” A photo is pulled from the man’s wallet. “See. That’s my Niece. Cute an’t’ she”

Lewis nods along, scanning the photo, commenting thoughtfully, “Her name wouldn’t be Sarah Arias? I think I’ve seen them in the diner a few times…It’s a small town.”

“Haha. That wouldn’t happen to be the big purple building? She loves purple, so it’s the only one they go to.”

“Yeah, my parents own it.”

“That place has some crazy spicy food. Hey, Anderson… Maybe you should go there sometime.”

Vivi notes that ‘Anderson,’ has pretty much checked out of the conversation, focused on writing notes.

“Call me Michael by the way. Here, hold on. This is the department number and here is my extension,” He rips out a page, writing as he goes, “I work for Downtown Milton. Ask for me if you have any trouble, or your friend shows up. We’ll get this sorted, no problems. Anderson here is from the big city so he’s dealt with all sorts and cases.”

After more empty reassurances, promising that Lance was ‘probably going to be okay’ and ‘this hospital is one of the best in the state,’ they are escorted by Michael to the hospital’s main door. Most of the people in the foyer are gone, leaving it deserted. Two other officers are standing off to the side, attempting to be discrete. So that excluded sneaking back in and interrogating hospital staff. Not that she thought it would do them much good. 

Her and Lewis step back through the hospital’s entrance. Michael disappears, returning to his partner. It is telling when Lewis immediately slumps, sighing loudly. 

“Here,” Lewis hands her the number, rubbing his face. She doesn’t know what to do with it, but she slips it into her purse anyway. They share a long tired look. Exhaustion is mirrored across both of their faces. Now what?  

She is tired. Lewis is tired. They've been up since six, and it has been nonstop emotional curveballs since. That, coupled with eight hours of continuous driving, is probably contributing to the sudden wave of helpless defeat weighing on her chest. Now there is no obvious goal to work towards, she is at a loss.

The sky is quickly darkening, and it’s a hundred times windier than when she entered the hospital. Vivi’s hair blows about every which way, getting into her eyes and mouth. Lewis doesn't fare much better. Whereas usually, this would be a prime opportunity for some light teasing, right now, defeat is killing any amusement to be had. All she has is questions. No answers. No idea where Arthur is or whether Uncle Lance will be okay. All this effort and nothing to show for it.

"That doesn't look good," Lewis interrupts their moment of silent commiseration, nodding to the clouds which are blocking out the remaining sun, hastening nightfall.

"I dunno...always nice to have some mood lighting," She grouches. Shitty weather to reflect their shitty situation. They trudge back to the truck, huddling together, Vivi using Lewis's lager form as a windbreak.

"I can drop you at your place on the way to mine? If you want. I’ll pick you up in the morning. We can be back at the hospital first thing," Lewis offers, voice almost too quiet to hear over the wind.

"No.” She says it bluntly, too tied to beat around the social bush, “I’m staying with you."

Her and Lewis are sticking together until all this, whatever it was, is over. Despite her mental and physical fatigue, she knows there isn’t going to be a lot of sleeping going on. Not with so much stuff crowding her mind. Better to use that time planning and theorising with Lewis.  Maybe, she can also think up some new goal to pursue.

"Okay," Lewis nods, giving the smallest of smiles and Vivi punches him affectionately on the shoulder. He has no right looking that relieved.

The truck is easily spotted in the quickly emptying parking lot. Mystery is still in the cab, paws on the window, attention glued to them as they approach. He doesn't do his usual happy-dog-reunion-routine when Vivi lets him out, instead sniffing at her legs in an almost urgent manner.

"I need to call mama and let her know we're coming home. Would you drive?" Lewis draws her attention away from Mystery. She motions with an ‘up’ gesture and the dog leaps into her arms in a practised action.  She runs a hand through his fur in a calming motion.

"Yeah. I'm fine with that. Is there going to be room for me to…”

“You know there’s always space for you at my place,” Lewis anticipates her question, “Besides, it has barely been 24 hours since we left, so the mattress you slept on is probably still set up.”

The mention of time sours both their expressions. Hard to think that all this drama has occurred within 24 hours.

Vivi makes her way around to the driver’s seat, preparing for another bumpy ride as she re-familiarises herself with the truck. Mystery squashes himself between them and spends a long moment staring intently at her profile. It's kind of weird. When Lewis takes out his phone, she is distracted, dividing her attention between eavesdropping on his call and the road. It becomes significantly harder when Lewis transitions to Spanish because her understanding of it is rudimentary at best. Still, she can make a few assumptions based on his tone, like how he answers with an almost fake-sounding happy voice then transitions to somewhat exasperated, meaning he is probably talking to one of his sisters. A shift to a more tired and exhausted sound means he’s talking to his mom.

Vivi is so focused on Lewis that she almost rams straight into a motorbike when it pulls unexpectantly out in front of her.

“Shit,” She swears and swerves to avoid the suicidal idiot. Mystery is knocked over and almost off the seat entirely.

Quickly, Vivi winds down the window, shouting at the disappearing figure, “HEY! WHY DON’T YOU LEAN TO DRIVE!” The motorbike’s engine revs as if in response. Behind her, a car sounds its horn.

“HEY…” Before she can start yelling at the car as well, Lewis’s calmer voice intrudes.

“No. I’m okay. It’s Vivi. She’s road raging.”

She turns to glare, “I am not road raging. That looney cut out right in front of me. He’s lucky he isn’t dead.”

Lewis raises a brow and returns to talking in Spanish. She huffs, letting her irritation simmer down. The motorcycle is gone now, but she glares after it, rewinding the window to keep out the dust and wind.

They arrive at Pepper Paradiso just after sunset to her relief. She is definitely not experienced enough to drive a foreign vehicle at night. Not when the roads around Tempo are poorly lit, and the thick clouds overhead are completely blocking out both the moon and stars, making the night darker than average. Occasionally, Vivi sees a flash of lightning off in the distance.

“I told mama about Arthur being missing and that Lance is in hospital,” Lewis says as they pull in. He is rubbing his face in a tired motion she mirrors a second later.

“Yeah? What did she say.” Lewis’s mom was, in a word, stoic. She is a person Vivi tries very hard to impress even with repeated reassurances that it was unneeded.

“Not much. Only that everything is worse when you’re tired, and there will be food waiting.”

“Oh…” Vivi doesn’t really know what to say. Usually, the thought of a Pepper prepared dinner would be enough to perk her up. She’s not even hungry.

Pepper Paradiso, usually open later, appears to have closed early today. However, the interior lights are still on, spilling through wide glass windows, illuminating the empty parking bays next to the diner in an island of light. With the only other light sources being the distant houses of Tempo and one solitary street lamp several yards down the main road, it is exceptionally welcoming. Vivi exhales long and hard, bringing the truck to a stop.

As she and Lewis clamber out, dragging luggage with them, the apparent lack of wind catches her attention. Unlike Milton, the air here is thick and stagnant. The prelude to a storm. Perfect. On the horizon, lightning flashes. Grumpily, Vivi pulls out her phone. She should really call her dad. He’d want to know she was back in town. What she really wants is to call her mom. But her mom is in Washington for a conference, meaning it was late, so the time difference wouldn’t work out too well. Her gran didn’t have a phone, so that was out.

“Hey, Lew. I’m going to call my dad. I’ll be in in a second.”

Lewis, now carrying both his and Arthur’s bags, nods, reaching out to take her's as well. Through the window, she sees the silhouette of Lewis’s mom moving to greet him. The main sliding doors are locked like they always are after hours, so she is walking around to come out the side ‘employee’ entrance. The entrance which also led back into the main living area.

As her phone rings, she moves out of view and around to the opposite side of the truck, allowing her to stare out into the inky black desert. Far in the distance, a flash of lightning illuminates the empty landscape. This should be private enough.

“Vivi. I thought I told you to call once you stopped. It’s been two days!”

She rolls her eyes, “Nice to hear from you too.”

“I was worried. This is the first time you’ve been away for such a long period. A text message would have sufficed.”

“I message mom. Also, I’m an adult, I can figure this stuff out myself.” Only, she couldn’t. Not really. But, it wasn’t like ‘dealing with a best friend running off for unexplained reasons’ is a typical adult skill. She is getting off track.

“Well, I’m back in Tempo so you can stop panicking.”

“You’re back in…”

“I’m staying at Lewis’s tonight,” She waves away any incoming questions, “I just wanted to ask you something real quick is all.”

A pause.

“So like, I know that you hate my hobby and all, but is there a particular reason behind that. Like, is there anything I should watch out for…maybe a potentially demon-possessed friend.”

There is dead silence on the other end of the line. Mystery shifts from paw to paw near her feet.

“I think I have expressed my views on this already. What are you…”

“Because,” Vivi quickly continues, emphasising the word, before he can start lecturing,  “I met this guy today who said he was hunting a demon. I know, sounds crazy. But he seemed to really believe it, and I have this odd feeling...” It had been bugging her. Also, for the first time ever, she wants to hear dad’s no-nonsense, self-assured ‘all that stuff isn’t real’ spiel.

“I just wanted to check that there isn’t anything you’re not telling…”

THUNK. 

The area goes dark. 

All the lights in the diner cut off at once. Vivi glances about in alarm, squinting as her eyes try and adjust to the sudden darkness. What the heck? She puts a hand out, touching the side of the truck, following it around to face the diner again. In the black, she can make out the building’s outline and not much else.

“Vivi? Are you there? What happened?”

“Ah…a power outage, I think?”

At her feet, Mystery lets out a deep growl, which sounds impossibly loud in the still air. It vibrates, causing her teeth to jitter. The dog steps forward, staring intently towards the corner of the building. For a second the area is illuminated by a flash of lightning, and she sees…she sees Arthur?  Darkness returns, falling like a curtain to obscure her view.

“Sorry dad. Gotta go…”

“NO! Vivi, wait!”

She hangs up. Mystery growls again, and she peers into the night. It’s no use. Quickly, she flips through her phone settings for the flashlight, holding it up. The dim light it offers little against the gloom, giving her barely a meter of vision.

She is almost sure she’d seen Arthur.

..

Part 33: Here