#yup dirty and awful that's how to do a battle

[morallygreychaoticneutral]

Astarion was not a "corrupt" magistrate.

Hello again. Just more opinion about my favorite battle buddy. Warning, trigger words in use. Game spoilers.

It's not quite set in stone that Astarion really was a magistrate, but we are going to go with the idea he was for this thought pocket. Also this is just game as it is now info use.

I don't believe he was corrupt magistrate. There were a few things in the game that called that out, but one in particular really set it in stone for me.

His response to the Ansur lair puzzle regarding justice.

Astarion: “Mercy?! Please. Justice should be a harsh lesson. All the better to deter the next vagabond.”

This makes me think he was a bit of a hard ass as a magistrate, but not corrupt. Had he been dealing dirty in the background I really feel like this answer would have been more dismissive or flippant. But he is pretty intent that this is his stance. Very, iv said this a thousand times, type feel.

I think, he was more of a by the book, law is law type. You murder and rape you swing from the gallows. You steal from a shop keeper, you do time. Period.

My theory is, he got beat up because he wasn't lenient with a member of the Gur that was on trial.

"Leniency?! You have been found guilty of negligence resulting in the death of a innocent! You are owed nothing!"

Could you hear it?

"But he talks about being hedonistic and indulgent all the time. "

Yes, but most patriar level citizens were spoiled entitled brats that did what they desired. Have you talked to some of them in the upper city? Yeeesh.

Was he arrogant? Most likely. Prejudice? Obviously (insert gnomes here). But being a haughty jerk does not make one evil.

Sex, nudity, orgies, parties, over indulging etc are not taboo in Faerun. If everybody is consenting to be being naked in a fountain, hopefully in a private villa garden, its not a crime. He talks about that like its a memory, but I like to think his wine drunk giggly ass was actually in that fountain.

If you want to have a little rabbit hole fun, break down the name. Faerun = Fae Run = Run by the Fae. And last I checked, fairies were always down for some naked in the water time. I mean, come on, you can go to pound town with a bear. (No offence, Halsin.) You think they are going to draw the line at how may wieners you can have in the same pot? I think not.

I think the criminal behavior came after he was turned. Cazador may have been targeting him, but not because they were involved. But maybe due to him looking like his old master Vellioth? And he took advantage of a situation. Who knows, lots of ideas there.

"But he's always getting onto Tav for doing the "right" thing."

Yup, Tav is being too trusting and getting too involved with other peoples problems. Why is this an issue for Astarion? Kindness was what got him entombed for a year. He cared about that sweet mans life and was severally punished for it. Its akin to being mauled by a dog and then watching people just reach out a pet every one they see. The anxiety of that attack is still there and it paints every encounter with its opinion. Danger.

"He's not smart enough."

Oh I bet he is. You can be whip smart at a subject and socially akward at the same time. I'm very good at my job. I know it inside and out and can give you any detail, rule, configuration at the drop of a hat in the most professional and proficient way possible. But ask me to be eloquent in a social situation? HA! You are better off asking a rock to fart. Unrelated.

"But he wants to ascend, and that's evil."

That is more about who is is after years of torment and abuse. Not before.

I think the rogue role was adopted to stay alive while hunting. And what a gods awful fate to be turned into the thing you hated the most. A criminal.

I'm sure Caz was real tickled by that. Expletive Adjective.

[bumblee27]

Here's a treat for @sloth-sloth-sloth as part of the @mcyt-summer-of-yuri! I saw your Good Omens AU prompt and lost my mind a bit (/pos), so here ya go :D

Oh, I also made them pirates, because I can (I wouldn't call Cleo a main villain, but she's definitely a major annoyance so I really hope that's okay!)

-

A cry from the crow's nest caught Cleo’s attention. She pulled a spyglass from xeir belt, and fixed it on a single ship in the distance, faraway, but undoubtedly making a beeline for Lucifer's Wrath (the ship name was, of course, Cleo's own work). It grew from a speck in the distance to a discernible shape at an alarming rate, white flags billowing. A naval ship.

“Right, listen up!”

Their crew all turned to look at xem. They weren't the sharpest bunch, nor the prettiest. No more than a load of low-lying cut-throat criminals, to put it nicely. But it turned out that all they needed was a good captain to be able to pull off the best - or, technically, worst - heist in history.

“This isn't going to be easy. We are up against the best of the best - far more skilled than any snobby merchant ship we've raided before. But we are going to give it everything we've got. Show no mercy! And if you do… if you're unlucky enough to survive the wrath of the queen's men, I heard Davy Jones is awful fond of cowards. You hear me? I want to see you playing so dirty, your mothers would be ashamed of you. Do as I say, and the path to victory is effortless. Now, who's with me?”

There was a defening cheer of approval and agreement. Cleo was a very good motivational speaker.

The naval ship drew nearer and nearer. Canons started being fired, and from there it just descended into total chaos. The two vessels drew close enough to one another for Cleo's pirates to be able to spectacularly jump to the enemy deck. Cleo herself leaped from the rigging, screamimg a battle cry. Xe landed faultlessly, and chose her first victim, raising their cutlass above their head, ready to strike- and then xe froze.

“Pearl?!”

“Cleo! Ugh, I should have known!”

Cleo clicked their fingers, and both of their crews froze mid-action. “What the Hell are you doing here?!”

Pearl crossed his arms and glared at her. “Someone's been going around, commandeering every ship that's passed through this sea in months. Some ruthless pirates with some kind of never-before-seen strategy that's unmatched in efficiency. It's destroyed all of the trade routes. The people for miles around the coast are starving, turning on each other - it's chaos! ‘The scourge of the sea’, they're callin’ ‘em.”

Cleo put a hand to xeir chest in an exaggerated gesture that implied she was flattered. “Aw, bless. And you're here to what, thwart me?”

“Yup. You know me, I do love my thwarting.”

An awkward silence settled like a foul smell, before Pearl gave an extremely irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of star’s nose. “Cleo, what are we going to do?”

“Ah. I was hoping you would have some sort of solution.”

“Me?”

“Yes! You're the smart one, aren't you?” There was a pause. “Right, you didn't hear that,”

“Wait, you think I'm smart? Aw! Cleoo, that's so sweeet-”

“Right, back to the matter at hand, please!” Cleo huffed, flustered. “How many miracles have you performed in the past couple months?”

“Um,” star tried to count on her hands, but ran out of fingers, and gave a sheepish grin. “Probably more than I should've.”

Cleo groaned. “Oh, for Satan's sake. Do you.. d’you want to just leave them to fight it out? Escape on a rowboat or something?”

Pearl bit the inside of his cheek. “That wouldn't be very moral… Oh, but I don't want to fight you… Fine. Fine! But you owe me!”

“Well, we can add that to the list, can't we? Come on.” They gestured with xeir hand, and a small rowboat materialised, gently bobbing up and down. “Milady,”

Pearl tried very hard to give her a severing look as the demon kissed his hand graciously, but couldn't stop a fond smile from twitching its way onto her face. “I hate you sometimes, you know that?”

“Aw. Love you too.”

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Manga Review: Chapter 142 “Rejuvenated Offense”

Yes, it’s 142. Most likely it’s a typo that will eventually get corrected for print purposes.  But there’s a chance we’ll get a 141 in between. Whatever.  Onwards.

Story: Boo!

Suiko is here and it’s logical to see her at this juncture. Her brother is badly hurt and so she’s here to visit.  Notwithstanding that Murata can’t resist making her boobs bigger (sigh), she’s very well-portrayed here.  So she’s the one who ended up taking over the dojo after their grandfather died? Young, good-looking, hard-working, and with a head for numbers, yes please!  She makes for quite the contrast to her free-wheeling brother who drifts from ambition to ambition.

I enjoy the shifts in artwork that goes between cartoonish and serious as the siblings talk and their moods flow.  I also like the pesky sister way Suiko pokes Suiryu in the pecs to annoy him.  Siblings, indeed.

By the by, that’s a pomelo, not an orange that Suiko is peeling.  And by peeling, I mean ripping it in two.  Don’t mess with her. 

Elsewhere, things are less sweet but still wholesome.  The barrier around the base is now down and the helicopter that had been hovering anxiously is now able to land to start evacuating what survivors the heroes have been able to unearth.  Mumen Rider thinks of Tank Top Master with pride.

And yes, Tank Top Master’s throwing arm was instrumental in delivering the coup de grace to Psykos-Orochi, but he’s getting ideas above his station, hehe.

Even while he’s still wary, Bang is reflecting with surprise and pride that when things got dire, the ‘problem children’ could grow up. The others join him at the edge of the hole, reflecting on the likely fates of the cadres and the still-missing Flashy Flash.   Tatsumaki assures them that Flashy Flash is most likely fine -- she detected a dimension opening up as she lifted the base and reckons that Blast has rescued him.

Speaking of Blast... if you don’t like horror, you can stop here.

We switch scenes to a creature that looks like a mockery of Blast.  Homeless Emperor.  We are literally where we left off in chapter 139 -- Zombieman’s body hasn’t yet had time to fall.   Sweet Mask charges up to the monster, but he’s ambushed from below by Black Sperm, who holds him still so Fuhrer Ugly can apply his gentle ministrations to him.

First he goes ‘boo’.

Then he caves Amai Mask’s face in and tears him in two like a chicken wishbone. Wishes optional. 

...I’m still wondering how that’s anatomically possible... surely one would avulse a leg away first.  Let me stop thinking about it.

While the monsters are making a mess of Amai Mask, Child Emperor starts dragging Zombieman away, whispering a warning to the other heroes via his communicator as he goes.  Unfortunately, one of the pieces of rubble he steps on goes ‘clink’  and the monsters are onto him.  Fuhrer Ugly goes for a smash, but Homeless Emperor wants to be the one who kills him and so lobs a gigantic ball of flame his way.

The flame ball tears a deep furrow through the battlefield and then things start happening all at once.  Evil Natural Water wells up, and Gums surges up, Pig God barely grabbing Tank Top Master out of the way.   As the monsters close in, things are looking sticky for the heroes.

Meta: Oppan gang bang style  (sorry, Psy)

Do you ever get tired of battle shonen bust ups?  Heroes and bad buys carefully pairing off so as to showcase each others’ talents?  Looking to fight fairly and with honour with little to no outside interference?   Ever think that’s a bit daft?

Fear not, ONE is here.  This isn’t a dance.  The monsters are acting like they actually want to kill heroes -- they’re ganging up and getting rid of them without pretense of style.  That’s more like it.

The one saving grace for the heroes is that monsters are well, monsters.  By nature they’re impulsive, egoistic and destructive.  That’s a long-established fact about them, which is why the existence of Monster Association was such a surprise to the humans who fight them for a living.  Without the discipline imposed by Psykos and Orochi, the monsters are competing with one another to kill as many S-Class heroes as they can.  If they were still cooperative, Child Emperor would be dead for sure.

Of course, the heroes aren’t chopped liver -- they’re not going to go down without a fight.  However, with the two heroes who had the ability to stay out of harm’s way while raining absolute hell down onto the monsters, Tatsumaki and Genos, spent, there’s no alternative to a hard, dirty, close-ranged fight.   This is going to get ugly.  Good. 

Balls

If we’ve been seeing what happens when ‘God’ grants powers to monsters, the similarities between what Homeless Emperor has and what Blast uses is more than a little... interesting? Yes, there are still many questions to be answered about the nature of the powers granted to Homeless Emperor.  The way they don’t seem to have any physical relationship to his body is something Black Sperm takes note of. 

call monsters a lot of things, but don’t call them stupid.  They rarely are.

It shouldn’t happen to a hero

Sweet Mask being torn up reminds us that for ONE, not killing heroes isn’t a way to soften the story.  It’s a way to make them suffer and for him a healing factor is license to double down.   I wonder if Sweet Mask is going to lean on his monster side to pull himself back together.  It’s dark, he’s far from the scrum and in the chaos of things, only Child Emperor is likely to know that there’s something very odd about him.

That would put a very different spin on Webigaza’s question to Child Emperor, wouldn’t it?

Anyway, ON WITH THE GORE-FEST!

[cosmiceverafter]

My @malexsanta Secret Santa gift for @gra-sonas 🎁🎄 I was thrilled to give you a Malex gift this year. You're one of my absolute favorites and such a dear friend. You wanted all the holiday cheer: Christmas ornaments, cookie recipe, market, and FLUFF! I hope this domestic fic truly delivers, brings joy to your holiday season, and fills your heart with warmth during the hiatus. I love you, hun! Xoxo.  ❤️️💚

(PS: there's a little surprise in this fic, just for you, inspired by you)

***

Christmas Cookies & Holiday Hearts 

"You know, this will be our first Christmas together. Officially." 

As Michael says the words, Alex glances over at him, and his heart skips a beat. How is it that his alien still manages to take his breath away after so much time? 

Alex smiles and gradually runs his fingertips up and down Michael's strong arm, feeling the smooth skin there. "You're right, even though I know you've tried to get me under a mistletoe for years." 

"I mean, yeah...." Michael beams. His tan shoulders shrug as he kisses Alex's chest softly, "You aren't wrong, babe. Who could deny those luscious lips?" 

Michael's fingers slowly trail up Alex's chest, which currently has imprints of his lover's glowing handprints left lovingly due to their intimacy with each other.

When he sees them, Alex knows with certainty that their love can move mountains and is capable of expanding through galaxies. 

As Alex feels the calluses of Michael's hands on his body and now his lips, he closes his eyes to embrace the effect it manages to bring. It's as if a spark of electricity courses through his veins and ignites his soul. That's the only way he can explain it. 

Nothing ever compares to this—what they have together in these silent moments. Alex will always cherish this peace with his loved one. 

After a moment of soft loving caresses, Michael's smile disappears. Alex knows he's traveling deeper into that intelligent mind of his, the way he always seems to do these days. "But here's the thing, I want it to be special, meaningful. Christmases were never something to be excited about for me, you know? Just another shitty day."

Alex holds his breath but nods. Unfortunately, he knows precisely what Michael means. Though different, the events of their past, parallel each other in many forms worth forgetting. Alex's upbringing was painful in its way. Still, Alex wishes Michael, his sweet, brilliant alien, could have been spared the misery. 

All Michael Guerin has ever wanted was a home, to feel like he belongs on this planet, and Alex wants to spend the rest of his life giving him precisely that. 

"So, you've never done anything memorable during the holiday season? Not once?"

Michael raises an eyebrow as if to announce come on, but then he suddenly laughs as a memory resurfaces, "Well...there was that one time Sanders and I attempted to bake Christmas cookies for his customers." 

Alex smirks as he imagines how that scene played out. A younger Michael Guerin, who was in-and-out of the foster system, and the older man with one good eye, baking in a small trailer. "And uh, how did that turn out?" Even though he can take a wild guess.

Michael shakes his head as his golden curls bounce and sway. He holds up his arm, "Badly, I have a battle scar from the process."

There is a slight white mark on the inside of Michael's arm, which looks a bit like a four-leaf clover. Alex has always wondered about it. "Damn, and here I thought that was a lucky birthmark."

"Darlin', the only good luck charm in my life is you. Never forget that." Alex feels his heart flutter in his chest at Michael's words, and Michael gently kisses Alex's forehead. But before Alex can return the sentiment, his love continues, "But yeah, Sanders' oven was old as hell at the time, and I guess no one taught me not to stick my whole damn arm right on the rack. Sanders felt awful about it. Poor guy." 

"Were the cookies at least good?"

There's a sparkle in Michael's eyes as he says, "You know what? They were. I need to find that damn recipe—it has to be somewhere. Then maybe I can take the old man one, even though you are the better baker." His fingers lace together with Alex's, and Alex gives him a loving squeeze. 

"You're right, I am," Alex smirks as he wiggles his eyebrows. "But I would be happy to help you. Sanders would seriously love that!" 

Alex looks down at their hands still together. He is so happy that Michael now spends so much time with Walt. It is not a boss-employee type of relationship, but more of a familial one. After everything they had both been through, this progression felt natural. And if he's honest, Alex loves seeing Michael finally opening up to others, the way he does with Alex. 

Michael nods and grins, "Done." His caramel eyes gaze at Alex, and he turns over to his side. "But I want new memories, too. Truthfully, besides the cookie disaster, I've never had anyone to share the holidays with."

Again, Alex knows all too deeply what he means, "I know the feeling, my love. I've always admired Christmas from a distance, and it seemed...well, always on the outside looking in." He squeezes Michael's hand tightly through the sheets once more, "I'm thankful to have you by my side. We're both on this journey together." 

"Baby, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share the memories with." Michael brings the back of Alex's hand to his lips, "Always and forever." 

****

The next day, Alex and Michael decide to go Christmas shopping for their friends, who were more like their found family at this point. 

Roswell had turned festive overnight, and it warms Alex's heart as if he were sitting by the crackling embers. 

Truthfully, he loves the magic that comes with Christmas: The twinkling lights aglow; the cheerful, upbeat, and often, repetitive music; the smiling faces of those who don't wait till the last minute to shop; the smell of cinnamon sugar baked goods; and the falling snow—when they were lucky enough to get some. 

For the first time, Roswell has even set up a Christmas Market like the ones you'd see in Europe. Alex's desert town has turned into a quaint storybook village.

Somebody has strung up multicolored lights between the small buildings, with brightly colored booths, side-by-side. There are reindeer attached to strings high up in the air, and a magnificent tall Christmas tree is sparkling within the town square. Above the tree is a halo of orange lights, symbolizing their golden desert sun. 

It brightens both their spirits to witness the magic created. As Alex and Michael walk around, they hear the soft holiday music surrounding them, which only rekindles their melody passion. 

They travel to each booth as they look for treasures to buy for their loved ones. Alex also keeps his eyes open for something unique he can get his Michael, but nothing quite captures his glance. 

"Look at this!" Michael calls in the distance. He's standing in front of a lovely booth with peppermint designs on the awning and dangling glimmering white lights.

Alex sees what Michael is holding—it's a beautiful guitar ornament. Painted on the guitar are swirls of green, blue, and black, sparkled with stars symbolizing the night sky. 

"Wow..." he says in response. "It's breathtaking."

Michael winks and bumps his shoulder lightly into Alex's, "Pretty cosmic, eh?"

"I'll say," Alex agrees as his grin widens. 

"It was clearly made for us," Michael acknowledges as he wraps a strong arm around Alex's waist, "I think it would be the perfect ornament for our first tree together." 

Alex kisses Michael softly on the lips, "I couldn't agree more, my love." 

****

"So, you have no idea what you're getting him?" 

Michael looks over at Isobel feeling exhausted, not at all how he felt when shopping with Alex, "Obviously not, that's why we're here, Iz." 

"Michael, Christmas is less than one week away, and we're sitting in some random store, shopping for the love of your life, and you don't have a clue about a special gift for him?" 

"Yup, that sounds about right."

Isobel shakes her lengthy blond hair back-and-forth. "Have I taught you nothing over the years?"

Michael groans, "Remind me again why I asked you to come with me?" 

His alien sis just shrugs, "Because I'm brilliant, and it's obvious you need me. I would even add the word 'desperately.'"  

"No...I don't recall that being the reason," Michael teases as he slings his arm lovingly over her shoulders. "You just love this stuff." 

"You're right, I do. It's the best holiday these humans celebrate!" They both laugh, but Isobel kisses his cheek, "Listen, deep down somewhere underneath that dirty white tee of yours, you've gotta have an inkling of what you want to get him." 

Well, if he had a clue, he would know it, wouldn't he? 

But then Michael freezes as he sees something across the store, "Um, wow...that was fast, but you're right, I do."

 Isobel pops a hip out, "Told you so." 

"Yeah, the only problem is I'm not sure how he'll react to it." 

Isobel smiles genuinely, "You know your man; you always have. Go with your instinct, Michael. I mean, word around this town is that they call you a genius or something." She gives him a look as she ruffles up his curls. "But pull away from that mind for once and go with that heart of yours. I, for one, know it's a pretty damn good one." 

Michael snickers but truthfully feels loved, "You could write a self-help book, you know that?"

She winks and bites her red-stained lip, "Who says I haven't already?"

"Give your brother a signed copy. He'll appreciate it." 

"As if," Isobel rolls her eyes, "You know Max wouldn't read it. That poor miserable fool who I love dearly." She pauses but adds, "So, Mr. Guerin, what'll it be? You going to listen to your heart?"

Michael narrows his eyes at the prize. Already knowing the answer to her question, he decides to let his heart follow the lead.  

****

"A little to the left, babe!" Michael calls out to Alex as they attempt to fit the oversized tree through the cabin door. "Darlin', my left." 

They spent the evening looking for the perfect tree, as it was their official first Christmas together. However, they ended up going with a taller sparse, and lopsided pine because, truthfully, life wasn't perfect, and neither were they. 

Life is what you make it, and Michael is confident they can make this tree as bright as his heart feels when he's around Alex.   

"There, perfect spot by the window," Alex smiles beautifully, pulling Michael back into the present moment as he nods in agreement. 

"I should've tried harder not to get it through the door, though. Those muscles of yours are worth staring at a bit longer." 

"Well, hold that thought, Guerin, because I'm hungry for food at the moment," Alex replies as he wraps his arms around Michael. "I'm thinking of soup; it's chilly tonight. Maybe it'll even snow." 

Michael runs his fingers on Alex's thick biceps, feeling hungry for something else, "I doubt it. The forecast didn't show it. And knowing our little city, we'll probably end up having a heatwave tomorrow." 

"Hey now," Alex remarks, looking deeply into Michael's eyes, "you never can know future outcomes." 

Michael smiles mischievously, "I dunno...I think your future looks pretty damn bright tonight, babe." 

"Is that a promise?" Alex asks, clearly flirting back. 

"Always, darlin'.'" 

They lean in to share a long lingering kiss, but before it turns too heated, Michael's belly moans in betrayal. Alex pulls back as he chuckles, "Raincheck for later, okay? I'm going to start dinner. Can you set up the tree so we can decorate afterward?"

Michael glares down at his stomach for the interruption but nods, "Absolutely." He moves his fingers, "I do know how to use these hands."

Alex grins in that sexy way of his as he walks into the kitchen, "Don't I know it." 

Michael loves this. He loves that he decided to take the leap of faith and move in with Alex. This cabin has become their oasis, his true home. And here with Alex, he feels like he finally has a place here on earth. 

Everything they had been through, even the pain, was worth it to get to this moment. Michael can't help but feel tears form in his eyes as he feels overwhelmed in gratitude. 

While Alex moves around in the kitchen, Michael cheats a bit to get the tree set up. His powers hover the pine in the air as Michael uses his hands to set up the tree stand. As he moves the small box of ornaments and lights over from the closet, Michael smiles as he hears Alex humming a new song as he cooks. 

Michael wants to live here in this domestic bliss forever.

Alex brings out his home-cooked meal, and damn, Michael thinks as he eats, his man knows how to cook. After they eat the delicious soup, Michael scrubs the plates as Alex makes them each a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows, just the way Michael likes it. When the kitchen is clean, they sip on the chocolatey warmth as they string lights and decorate their tree. 

"Here's our new one," Alex says as he holds their new cosmic ornament in his hand. 

"That's a special one that needs to go right in front," Michael replies, as he hangs it up, hand-in-hand with Alex. "There." 

Alex leans over and kisses his cheek, which warms Michael's heart. "It's perfect." 

"You're perfect," Michael states as he leans his head onto Alex's shoulder. Alex slides his arm around his waist. Their movements are continuously in sync, and they are always somehow touching. 

As Alex's fingers softly graze over the skin on his hip, Michael knows what kind of touch he desires right this moment, "Now, how about we curl up by the fire, and I show you just how talented my hands can be?" 

"Yes, I could use the reminder," Alex responds with a slow grin.

They quickly light the fire, then Alex gives Michael the look as he pulls him towards the couch. 

Being so helplessly caught up in each other, they miss the first few snowflakes that fall in Roswell. 

****

It's cold out, but worth the trip. Alex gives the nod towards Michael, who taps gently on Sanders' trailer door. 

Michael shifts uncomfortably, but Alex is proud of him for facing the emotions he knows his love feels inside. 

After Sanders admitted to trying to adopt Michael, it indeed did something to Michael's heart. He opened up more, and Alex knew that Michael slowly realized he was always wanted and truly loved where it counted. It did something to Sanders too. Alex could almost see the young boy Walt coming through when they spoke now. There was a twinkle in his eye, and he would share memories with a smile instead of sadness. 

They felt like a family. 

That's why they had talked before coming to the old man's house with the cookies. There is something big that Michael wants to do, but Alex knows he's scared. 

Alex is by his side the entire time. 

Sanders opens the door with a smile, "Oh, Michael! Alex! Welcome! I wasn't expecting you." He shakes his shirt with a look of embarrassment. 

"We wanted to surprise you!" Alex says with a grin. He shakes the old man's hand. 

Sanders pats the back of his hand lightly, "I'm glad you did. Please, come in, you two. It's actually cold out." 

Michael takes a big breath and follows Sanders inside. 

When inside, Michael hands him the cookies, "Merry early Christmas." 

"Oh! These look delicious," Sanders says admiringly. 

"I'm not sure if you remember, but these are the exact cookies we made that one Christmas together." 

Sanders looks up at Michael with surprise, "Truly? The... 'burn on the arm' year?"

Michael nods with a jokingly wince, "The very one."

Sanders blows out hard, "Well, it always pained me that you got burned on that damn old oven of mine, but I must say, those cookies were superb, weren't they?" 

"They were, burned and all." 

"And you baked these all by yourself? Uh, should I be scared?" Sanders teases with a nudge. 

"Nah, I had some guidance," Michael mentions as he casually puts his arm around Alex. 

Alex shrugs, "I barely helped at all. Michael here did an excellent job. I tried one, so I can promise you that you'll survive." He winks at Michael. 

"Oh, phew! That's a relief," Sanders chuckles. "Michael, where did you find the recipe?" 

"In the garage, it was in a wooden box on one of your shelves. The one that's slightly tilting. I remembered you putting it in there." Michael taps his head, "I'm pretty observant if you haven't already noticed."

Sanders sighs with a lopsided grin, "You get it from me, I think." He pops one in his mouth. "Wow, absolutely delicious." After he chews, he looks towards Michael with an expression of gratitude. "Well, thank you, son, this means a lot to me."

Alex knows what the word son does to Michael, its effect on him, and Michael shifts awkwardly. He looks over to Alex for reassurance, and Alex holds his hand, comforting him the best way he knows how.  

His strength, after all, is linked to Michael's. They go together in every way that matters. 

"That's not the only thing I brought for you," Michael whispers. He reaches into his back pocket and hands Sanders the envelope. 

"Oh, a Christmas card?"

"Um, well, not exactly," Michael replies as he squeezes Alex's hand tighter. 

Sanders puts on his reading glasses and switches the lights on brighter in the trailer. He opens the envelope and starts to read. The small smile on his face begins to fall, and he becomes nonplussed.

Alex acknowledges that Michael gets uncomfortable, maybe even nervous, but Alex knows that Sanders is touched. 

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Sanders looks up, and his eyes are full of tears. His voice comes out raspy and hoarse as he asks, "You sure? You want that?"

"More than anything," Michael responds, his voice also full of emotion. "If you'll have me, of course." 

"It would be an honor, son." Sanders sets the adoption papers onto his small wooden table and pulls Michael tightly in his arms. "You've always felt like mine, anyway." 

"I think my mom would be happy about this," Michael cries, letting the tears fall down his face. It's the most beautiful sight to witness, and Alex can't help but let go, too. 

Sanders nods and closes his eye as he holds his son, "You know, my boy, I think she would." 

****

A few days before Christmas, Alex and Michael decide to throw a little festive party at the cabin. They spent the morning stringing up lights outside, getting the drink station ready, and preparing their friend's gifts around the tree. 

It was perfect. 

Isobel is the first to arrive, of course, and she brings so many gifts, she can hardly get through the door, "Hello? A little help here, Michael?" 

"I'm coming. I'm coming!" 

Alex finishes up in the kitchen, and even though the feast smells delicious, Michael's man looks good enough to eat. 

Soon after Isobel has her martini in hand, the others follow suit. 

Liz and Kyle come together, hand-in-hand, and Michael prays it won't be awkward with Max. Gregory shows up, and Isobel immediately wraps her arms around him. Michael and Alex share a knowing smile, especially when she holds a mistletoe above his head. Then Maria and Mimi head inside with a few bottles of wine. With holes in the top, Rosa brings a large box inside, making Michael wonder what it is, but Arturo follows with a banana cream pie from the diner, and the rest is history. Sanders joins, of course, and Michael can't help but hug him longer than the rest. And finally, his boy Max. 

Luckily everyone gets along perfectly. The group has been through so much together that they make a toast for a fresh new beginning. 

Everyone at the party finally knows about the aliens being, well, aliens, and swore to protect them. The secret has bonded and united them in ways Michael never expected.

The group mingles as they sip their drinks, and Michael looks around the room at his friends and family, feeling lucky. He made a life for himself in Roswell, and as he looks towards the love of his existence, Michael knows it's time. 

He takes a moment to just stare at Alex, and suddenly he's beyond grateful he listened to his heart. 

Alex is the one for him. Michael now understands that this human was his reason for coming to this planet—they were written in the stars long ago, destined to be together. 

This is why Michael stands up bravely, walks towards Alex, and gets down on one knee. 

Michael opens the little black box he got in the store with Isobel and reveals a silvery gray tantalum band, one he knows will fit Alex perfectly. 

Isobel hushes everyone down and clasps her hands together as she sends Michael a wink from across the room. Max also gives Michael an encouraging nod, which provides him with the strength he needs at that moment. 

Michael stares up at the man he adores, and Alex's perfect mouth falls open. Taking his love's hand, Michael finally finds his voice, "Alex Manes, you are my whole world. When we were teens, you looked at me in music class and sparked something deep inside me; something I didn't quite understand, but it was there with me all along. And when we kissed for the first time, you woke me up to the life I had always dreamed of having. You are that dream, Alex. You are my family, and you've given me a place to call home. I have loved you from the beginning, and I'll love you to the very end." Michael takes a deep breath, "I would be the happiest alien on earth if you would yes. So please, darlin', will you marry me?" 

Alex gleams as tears fill those beautiful eyes, "We truly are linked...." 

"What...what do you mean?" Michael whispers, but Alex immediately joins him on the floor, kneeling in front of him. 

Alex pulls out an emerald velvet box and opens it. Inside is an engraved bronze band that matches the color of Michael's eyes. He holds his breath as the rest of the world fades away. "I mean, you beat me to it even though I've had this ring since we officially got together." Alex places his hand to Michael's face and strokes his cheek gently. "I was waiting for our first Christmas together because I wanted to give us both a happy memory to erase all the bad ones. The plan was going to ask Walt for his approval, which he wholeheartedly gave." They both look at Sanders, who nods with a loving grin. "And then I'd get down on one knee in front of all our loved ones and ask if you'd continue to create this life together with me, a true home." Then Alex holds Michael's hand again, "All I can say is that I love you more than I could ever begin to put into words, and I'm asking you if you'd do me the honor in marrying me?"

Michael doesn't realize he's crying until he feels the drops land on his outstretched hand. "Oh my God, Alex...." 

"Is that a yes?"

Michael laughs softly as he strokes the back of Alex's hand gently, "I believe I asked you first, darlin'." 

Alex nods with a breathtaking smile, tears flickering those beautiful dark eyes, "Of course I will. A hundred times, yes!" He leans in closer to Michael, "And you?"

"That would be a hell yes, baby!" He hears a whoop from one of his friends in the background, but then Michael gets serious. "It's always been a yes for me." Michael cups Alex's face, "You're my human, Alex Manes." 

"That's Alex Sanders if you don't mind."

Michael looks over at his adoptive father again, who's now wiping his eyes and positively glowing. Michael kisses Alex's lips, "I don't mind a bit." 

As they finish their first engaged kiss, their friends cheer, cry, and hug them both tightly, then Isobel giggles, "Is now a good time to give you two our gift?" 

"Go for it, Scooby Squad," Michael exclaims as he takes Alex's hand in his own, never wanting to let go. 

Isobel looks to the room they had closed, "Okay, Rosa, bring her out!" 

Michael and Alex exchange a look. Bring who out?

And before Michael can overthink it, Rosa comes out holding a beagle puppy. "It's a rescue. The shelter I volunteer at found her abandoned on the side of the road." 

"We thought it would be perfect for you two, plus, remember that dinner we had a couple of weeks ago?" Isobel says as she looks towards Alex. "You practically said you were going to start looking for one. I remember you saying, 'the cabin is much too quiet, I think we need to get a dog.'"

Alex laughs and takes the small puppy into his arms, "I don't recall those were my exact words, but it doesn't matter; she's perfect."

"Lost without a family," Michael says, petting the puppy's long ears, "sounds like the two of us all right."

"You mean a found family!" Liz calls out. "Just like all of us."

Alex looks at Michael and nods. Michael smiles back, "We love her. Thank you, everyone!"

"I knew this pup would be a part of your future," Mimi exclaims, and Michael watches Alex wink at her. "She's a gentle soul. I'm happy she'll have you two." 

"Best dog daddies ever," Maria smiles happily. Everyone in the room has what seems to be permanent heart-eyes. "We will miss her, though! She's been staying with us." 

"Well, you know you all are welcome here anytime!" Alex says. 

"What will you name her?" Gregory asks as Isobel leans back into his arms. 

"How about Kyletta?" Michael laughs as he looks towards Kyle. "Kyletta Barklenti." 

"Real funny, alien boy," Kyle responds, as he rolls his eyes looking reasonably amused. He looks over at the food, "How about Bagel? You seemed to be pretty obsessed with those today, Guerin. I mean, how many did you actually eat?" 

"I was hungry!" Michael retorts, "You didn't bring nearly enough to share." 

"Okay, okay," Alex intervenes as he shakes his head. Michael enjoys ruffling Kyle's feathers, but Michael doesn't mind the guy beneath his human annoyances. He's a good friend to Alex, making him a good man in Michael's book. 

"So, what are you going to name her then?" Max asks from across the room.

"Yeah, I mean, you don't actually have to name her after a food," Kyle teases. 

"No," Michael grins, "you know what, Doc? I like it. Bagel. It has that—" 

"Bagel! Yes, call her Bagel. I love it!" Isobel interrupts. 

"Not again..." Michael groans quietly. Isobel + anything bagel = interruptions, which is a no-go, especially when it comes to Alex. 

After they finalize the name, everyone gushes over the puppy and their rings. They eat, share stories, and finish opening gifts. 

The day is perfect in every way. Even on the Hallmark channel, they don't make them better than this.

Michael holds Bagel in his arm and takes a break from the crowd. He sits on the couch in the living room, and the puppy folds up into his lap, falling asleep as Michael rubs her ears. 

After a moment or two, someone strokes his shoulder lightly, and he looks up to see his fiancé's beautiful face. Michael feels immensely grateful, not for the first time this holiday season.

Alex scoots in close and whispers in Michael's ear, "So, my love, would you say this Christmas is worth remembering?" 

Michael pulls Alex in his arms, "Yes, darlin'. I've never been happier in my life." He takes Alex's hand with the ring and kisses it. "Our family is already growing."

"It sure is," Alex says, putting his forehead against Michael's as he strokes Bagel's soft fur. 

They sit there for a while, just the three of them, with the comforting hum of loved ones surrounding them. 

"Wow...Look, Michael." Michael looks out the window to see it snowing.  The snowflakes fall to the ground in a swirling dance. It reminds Michael of their life together, new and old memories, coming together in a story of love. 

Michael feels complete peace in his heart as Alex says, "Merry Christmas, my love."

It was merry, and their future, well, Michael knows it will be very bright as long as they always have each other. 

"I love you," Michael answers. 

Alex's reply is the kiss they share and would continue sharing for the rest of their days. 

[sailorspazz]

[Fanfic] Internal Rhythms

Yup, my 10 Dance obsession has reached the point where I need to create fan works, since there’s so little out there (I don’t understand, this manga started 9 years ago, where are all the fics and fanarts?! There’s not even much in Japanese!)

Title: Internal Rhythms

Series: 10 Dance

Rating: M (for sexual content)

Words: 5,200

Summary: Suzuki and Sugiki are having issues syncing with each other's rhythms while practicing the quickstep. Sugiki's suggestion for how to get back in tune ends up pushing their relationship to a place it has never gone before.

Where to read: Posted on fanfiction.net and ao3. Or just stay here and click below!

Ah shit, here we go again…Somehow, I’ve wound up falling into a tiny fandom that has barely any fan works, so I guess I have to help fix that :P Since 10 Dance is an ongoing series, I actually have tons of speculative ideas/headcanons developing for what could happen, but for now I’m content to wait and see what direction the story heads in. Instead, I’ve chosen to write a smutty one-off based on chapter 32; though there are some details referenced from that chapter, if you’ve at least read through the end of volume 5, you should have enough context for where their relationship currently stands (as in, they definitely wouldn’t be messing around with each other at this point…and yet, I still couldn’t stop my dirty mind from imagining scenarios where they push things further >:D). Hope you enjoy this take on what could’ve gone down during a late-night training session!

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The wall clock inside the Sugiki Dance School struck 1:20am as both Shinyas took a few final sips of water and prepared to start their usual overnight practice session. Though at first it had felt awkward to spend so many hours together even after they had chosen to no longer pursue their romance, they had been able to effectively push their feelings aside and maintain a professional training partnership—even as both were keenly aware that those desires still remained simmering just under the surface.

“Alright, let’s give the quickstep another shot,” Suzuki stated as he walked over to where Sugiki stood loosening the top buttons of his shirt. “We lost out on practice time yesterday since our rhythms were off or whatever, so we gotta make up for it today.” He was eager to finish learning the basics of all five standard dances so he could spend the remaining months before the 10 Dance perfecting his movements and refining his style.

“Indeed. Let’s waste no time getting started, then.” They joined hands, and Sugiki instinctively closed his eyes as Suzuki’s arm wrapped around him and pulled him snug against his body. He began to hum a tune, as he knew his late-night partner benefitted from having music to dance to, and they started to move. Though they started out smoothly, it was not long before their feet were clearly moving at different paces, causing them to nearly trip and fall before catching themselves in each other’s arms.

“Dammit. Not again,” Suzuki sighed in frustration as he broke out of hold. “Why’s this happening now? We’ve never had this issue before. Not even right after…” He trailed off, not wanting to bring up the breakup that still felt too raw and heartbreaking to talk about a couple of months after it had occurred.

“I believe it is simply the nature of this dance. Since it relies so heavily on the two dancers being in sync with one another and dancing as one, any variance in their internal rhythms can throw it entirely off balance.”

“I get that, but do you got any bright ideas for how to fix this, Mr. ‘standard expert’? Has it happened before with other partners?”

“It has, and the solution was…well…” He paused a moment, looking slightly amused by the memories he was recalling. “When it occurred with partners I was romantically involved with, we would express our intimacy to get back in tune with each other.”

“What, you mean fuck?” Suzuki said bluntly.

“Eloquent as always, aren’t you?” he replied with a chuckle. “It needn’t go that far in most cases. Usually just a simple kiss would suffice.”

Suzuki found himself dwelling on Sugiki’s implication that he had dated more than one of his previous partners. “Just how many partners did you…ya know what, never mind.” Though he already suspected it was true, getting confirmation that Sugiki had a tendency to fall for his partners would make what they had shared feel less special.

“I have never shared that sort of relationship with Ms. Yagami, I can assure you.”

His response was not assuring in the slightest. “Yeah, thanks, but I wasn’t worried about you getting busy with your married partner. It just seems like you…” Suzuki stopped himself from finishing his thought, as he was still concerned that the answer to his earlier unfinished question was one he did not want to know. “Whatever, I said forget it already.”

“You’re one to talk,” Sugiki retorted, not allowing the subject to be dropped just yet. “I’m quite certain that percentage-wise, you have been involved with more of your partners than I have.”

Suzuki looked flabbergasted at this accusation. While it was true that he had had romances with one hundred percent of his partners, when that number only amounted to two people when he included the man in front of him, it was hardly a fair comparison. “Are you shitting me? Don’t go twisting this around to make me look bad! You know damn well I’ve…” Before he got too far into his tirade, he noticed the satisfied smirk Sugiki was wearing. Clearly he was riling him up on purpose for his own amusement, and Suzuki had unwittingly fallen into his trap—though there was a part of him that did not mind being baited by him, and it was something he had actually missed when their relationship had been in a more fragile place following their separation. “This ain’t helping solve our problem, smartass. You got any solutions that’re actually useful?”

“We could try it,” Sugiki murmured under his breath, just barely loud enough for Suzuki to hear.

“Huh?” Suzuki wondered if he was really implying what he assumed he was, but was almost afraid to ask. “What exactly do you wanna try out?”

Sugiki met his eyes with an expression that to most would come across as stoic, but because they had spent so much time together, he could see a twinge of heartache behind it. “We shared a romantic bond before. Perhaps we could realign if we connected in that manner once more, however briefly.”

The acknowledgment that he was suggesting exactly what he had suspected caused Suzuki’s heart to leap. Despite continuing to share incredibly close contact every night as they practiced, neither one had broken down and expressed the desire to rekindle the affectionate side of their bond, even though it was something they could mutually sense from each other through their touch. Now Sugiki had finally gone and voiced it aloud, and Suzuki did not know how to feel, his elation being tamped down by the memories of how badly things had ended before. But he found he could not just shoot down this suggestion outright. “So…you’re saying we should make out?” he asked incredulously.

“It can be much chaster than that. Perhaps just a light kiss would do the trick, like the ones you gave me to help loosen me up during our early Latin sessions.”

His face now looked inscrutable, to the point where Suzuki could not tell if he actually thought this would be helpful, or if he was just looking for an excuse to kiss him. However, there was a growing part of him that did not even care if it were the latter. We really shouldn’t do this, he thought to himself. But his inner doubts did not match the words that came out of his mouth. “Well…if you think it’s worth a shot, then…”

Suzuki sauntered closer to Sugiki. As they stood facing each other, both looked unsure if they should actually go through with this. It was an unfamiliar awkward tension that neither wished to endure any longer, so the two began leaning their faces toward one another. However, Suzuki noticed something and grabbed Sugiki’s face, squishing his cheeks with his hands. “Hold up, what’s this I see?” he asked suspiciously, peering into his partner’s mouth. “Looks like the tip of your tongue is poking out awful far for someone who was just gonna kiss me lightly.”

“And what about you, Suzuki-sensei?” Sugiki brought his thumb up to the other man’s mouth and ran it gently across his bottom lip. “I was peeking as well, and those lips of yours were parted quite wide.”

Neither could truly be upset at the other since both were guilty of the same offense. Which made it even clearer that it would be incredibly difficult to restrain themselves and keep to just the gentle kiss they had agreed upon. Suzuki knew this meant they needed to stop, but as he stared into his partner’s yearning eyes, he found it impossible to turn away. He wanted him, he had missed sharing this with him, and he could not allow this opportunity to slip away, even if he knew he might regret it later. “Ah, fuck it,” he mumbled as he slipped his hand around and clutched the back of Sugiki’s head, smashing their lips together forcefully. They quickly locked together in a tight embrace, their tongues thrusting vigorously into each other’s mouths. As ballroom professionals, they had previously compared their make out sessions to different styles of dance: sometimes their tongues slid smoothly together in a gentle foxtrot, at other times they undulated in a sensual rumba. This time, as months of pent-up passion poured out of each of them, it was more like an unconventional paso doble between two matadors battling for dominance.

Why’s it so easy to fall right back into this? And why does it feel so good with him? Suzuki wondered as they continued their maddening yet thrilling dance, relishing the feeling of Sugiki’s fingers twisting through his hair and tugging at his curls. Though in the past he had been more accustomed to romantic partners who would yield to him, there was something about the aggressive push and pull between the two of them that was undeniably appealing—in fact, he even preferred it now.

Sugiki began sucking on the tip of Suzuki’s tongue, causing a moan to slip out. Shit, this is getting out of hand. The urges he had harbored before about ravishing his late-night partner were coming back in full force; he needed to end this before he tried something regrettable again. Against the will of his body that was screaming for more, he managed to dislodge his tongue from Sugiki’s mouth and pull his face back. They breathed heavily as they gazed at each other, and Sugiki made a move toward him again, but Suzuki turned his face so the other man’s lips landed on his cheek instead. Sugiki seemed to accept this alternative, and placed a sequence of tender kisses along his jawline. “I knew this was a bad idea,” Suzuki lamented with a deep sigh.

“Why do you say that?” Sugiki whispered, pressing his lips to Suzuki’s ear.

“’Cause it’s gonna be really hard to stop now.”

“Indeed, I can see how…hard it is,” Sugiki noted with a sly glance downward. “That’s quite a bomer you’re sporting.”

Suzuki’s face turned red, though he also snorted out a laugh. “I seriously can’t tell if you’re fucking with me at this point, or you really don’t know that word. It’s boner.”

“Ah, right.” The sexual tension between them had cooled a bit during this brief exchange, but Sugiki found himself still craving more of his Latino partner. The fact that July was fast approaching and Norman would soon be arriving to take over Suzuki’s coaching made him truly want to make the most of the remaining time they had together. He was on the verge of suggesting something they had never done before, but struggled as he weighed his desires against logic telling him they should not take this any further. “It would be difficult for you to attempt to dance in that state. Perhaps…” His uncertainty caused him to trail off without finishing his proposal.

“Ah, y-yeah,” Suzuki laughed awkwardly. “I guess I could take a break and…”

Before he could walk away, Sugiki grabbed his arms and held him in place. “Perhaps,” he started again, sounding more confident this time as he met his partner’s eyes. “I could…take care of it for you.”

Suzuki’s eyes widened in disbelief. For one, he had never seen someone offer to get him off while wearing such a gravely serious expression. But more importantly, the fact that he was making this offer now when they had never gone beyond kissing was completely unexpected. And he knew allowing this to happen could jeopardize the comfortable working relationship they had developed with each other. Despite that, something awakened in him at the sound of the other Shinya’s words, and there was no way in hell he was going to turn him down. His mental state quickly switched over to the seductive mode that he typically got into when he went out to pick up women—though ever since their trip to Blackpool early in the year when he had started to recognize his feelings for Sugiki, he had actually not slept with anyone at all, and was currently in the longest dry spell of his adult life. Even if they were never officially dating, and even after their romance ended, it would have almost felt like cheating since he had sincerely fallen in love with him. A sensual grin spread across his face, his eyes half-lidded as he softly stroked Sugiki’s cheek. “Oh yeah? How do you plan to do it?” he purred flirtatiously.

Sugiki shivered as he was taken in by the sudden shift in Suzuki’s mannerisms. He did not give him an answer, but instead kept his eyes locked with his partner’s as he dropped down to his knees and reached for the waistband of Suzuki’s pants.

Suzuki raised an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t willing to do that.”

“Certainly not under the circumstances you presented me with before. That would have been highly undignified,” Sugiki explained in an agitated tone. “Under the right conditions, though, I don’t have a problem with it.” He pulled Suzuki’s pants down to his lower thighs, then slipped his hand through the opening in his underwear, pulling out his erection.

Suzuki chuckled as he noticed that, though Sugiki seemed to be willing himself to keep his expression as calm as possible, his eyes told the story of a man suddenly feeling apprehensive as he held another man’s dick in his hand for the first time in his life. “You say you’re fine with this, but it’s not like you’ve done it before.”

“Yes, well…” He did not finish his reply aloud, but thought to himself, For you—and only you—I’m willing to try just about anything. His hunger for this man had compelled him to push things further than he had intended, but at this point he could not back down. He gave Suzuki’s member some soft strokes with his hand, feeling it grow bigger and firmer. He brought his lips forward and placed them gently on the tip, then poked his tongue out and swirled it in circles around the head. He was stalling a bit due to his hesitation, and he knew Suzuki could sense that as he stared down at him in anticipation, so it was time to take the plunge. He moved forward and slipped the head of Suzuki’s erection into his mouth. He sucked lightly as he pressed him just a bit deeper inside, moving back and forth slowly as he got used to the sensation of having a foreign appendage inside his mouth. Once he got a bit more comfortable, he removed his hand and pushed further yet again, reaching a place where he had most of Suzuki’s length in his mouth. He began to relax a bit, and his head movements went from halting and erratic to smooth and consistent.

Holy shit, this is really happening. Suzuki closed his eyes and exhaled a lustful sigh. I can’t believe I’m getting a blowjob from a guy. He smirked as he thought on it further. No, not just any guy. The Shinya Sugiki. The Emperor. A man who sits near the top of the world, down on his knees for me. Fuck, that’s hot. The ego boost he got from this realization aroused him even further, making him want to feel the sensation of being completely enveloped by his partner. He gripped Sugiki’s hair and tried to hold him in place while shifting his hips forward, but Sugiki’s hand flew up and gripped the base of his shaft, preventing him from going any deeper. He shot a warning glare up at Suzuki, but did not stop what he was doing, now using his hand in conjunction with his mouth to stroke and suck him simultaneously. It seemed the balance of power was an issue between them, as it always had been; even though Sugiki had put himself in a vulnerable position, he still wanted to remain in control. Suzuki could respect that need, and though he still kept his hand resting on his partner’s head, he merely ran his fingers through his hair rather than made further attempts to steer his actions through force.

Suzuki recalled that the reason this had all started was because of their mistimed internal rhythms. There was certainly no more intimate demonstration of one’s rhythm than what Sugiki was doing to him currently, so he decided to concentrate on the pace of his partner’s actions. As soon as he put his focus on it, he was struck by how even and steady it was. Like a piece of music…oh my god, what if he’s playing a waltz in his head? A chuckle nearly escaped him, but he bit down hard on his lip to hold it back. Nah, he doesn’t even need music. He’s probably doing it to the count. One two three, four five six, one two three…it’s like I’m getting blown by a metronome. That mental image made him snicker aloud, causing Sugiki to stop and peer up at him quizzically. “Sorry, sorry. I just…thought of something weird.” He could tell from the look in his eyes that Sugiki was miffed that he was letting his mind wander when he was going extremely far out of his comfort zone to do this for him, so Suzuki felt the need to encourage him a bit. “Please don’t stop. It really does feel amazing.” Though he still looked slightly wary, Sugiki quickly got back into the same rhythm he had been using before. Clearly, thinking about anything was only going to get Suzuki in trouble, so he chose to just relax and enjoy Sugiki’s efforts.

Though the pace he was keeping felt good, it was not quite reaching the speed Suzuki would need to finish. The situation already felt delicate, and he did not want to seem like he was making demands of his partner, so instead of saying anything, he used the fingers resting on Sugiki’s head to gently tap out a faster rhythm. He immediately picked up on what Suzuki was subtly requesting of him, and altered his pace accordingly. Sugiki’s other hand reached around to squeeze one of his partner’s well-muscled ass cheeks. His fingers slipped ever closer toward the center, an avenue Suzuki was not ready to explore. “H-hey,” he protested firmly, causing Sugiki to return to merely caressing his backside. “Ah, Sugi…hngh…mmph.” He could not help but vocalize his pleasure as he drew closer and closer to his climax. He figured it was also probably fair to warn the other man so he could be prepared. “I’m gonna…gah!” He did not even finish the words before tossing his head back with a moan as a wave of ecstasy coursed throughout his body. Though Sugiki had been aware that this would be happening soon and had tried to brace himself, it was still a shock to feel another man’s essence spilling into his mouth. He swallowed a little bit, but the thick, unfamiliar texture sliding down his throat triggered his gag reflex and made him cough, causing most of Suzuki’s cum to dribble down onto his shirt.

Suzuki offered a hand to help Sugiki stand up. Even after pulling him up, he continued to grip his hand, flashing him a contented smile. “Well, I sure didn’t expect a training session like this.”

Sugiki could not help but grin back at him. His heartbeat quickened as they stared into each other’s eyes. He wished they could stay this way forever, but he knew that the longer they continued basking in the afterglow, the harder it would be to tear themselves away from each other. “Well then, shall we get back to training?”

“Whoa, hold on a minute,” Suzuki squeezed his hand tighter, keeping him from breaking away. “We might’ve solved my issue, but now it looks like you’re having one of your own.” His eyes darted downward to the obvious bulge in Sugiki’s pants, then looked back up at him with a lecherous grin.

“Ah, well, I…”

Suzuki swiftly eliminated the gap between their bodies, wrapping one arm around him while his other hand rubbed against the front of Sugiki’s pants. “Sucking me off got you pretty worked up, huh?” Suzuki murmured coquettishly. Sugiki could feel his neck and ears growing warm as he was once again being taken in by his partner’s highly effective seductive mode; it was hard to believe that a man who was so enticing in his everyday existence could amp up his sex appeal even more, but somehow Suzuki managed to pull it off. “You got such a low opinion of me that you didn’t think I’d return the favor?” he teased impishly.

Truth be told, this had all been quite an impulsive whim on Sugiki’s part, and he had not really thought ahead to what Suzuki might do for him in return. But now that the offer was on the table, there was no way he was going to pass it up. Sugiki draped his arms over Suzuki’s shoulders and gazed amorously into his eyes. “If you insist,” he answered softly before leaning forward to press his lips to his partner’s. The pace of this kiss was much more languid than the one they had shared earlier, yet still steeped with the passion of a tango as their tongues slipped past and against each other.

Suzuki began to shuffle his feet, leading them toward the side of the room as they remained attached at the mouth. They reached the benches and sat next to each other, then Suzuki pushed his weight toward Sugiki until he had him lying down. He brought his lips down upon Sugiki’s neck, kissing and sucking at his bare skin. Sugiki noted that he was definitely going to wind up with hickies from this, and would need to remember to keep his shirts completely buttoned up in the presence of others for the next few days, including at home with his mother.

Suzuki’s mouth drifted toward his throat, and he started moving on a pathway downward, placing kisses on each section of newly exposed skin as he undid his shirt buttons one by one. His other hand reached up to play with his nipples, and Sugiki could feel a part of him that wanted to resist; a man like him who was used to being in control was not entirely comfortable being put into such a submissive position. Still, he was willing to go against his own nature in this instance, as he craved the release his Latino partner was offering him.

After making his way down to Sugiki’s bellybutton, Suzuki went to work undoing the other man’s belt and unzipping his pants. He reached down into his underwear, frowning slightly as a realization hit him. “Um, wow. I could tell you were packing when our dicks said hello to each other in that first practice session, but god damn…” He sat up again and unveiled Sugiki’s erection, gawking at its impressive length. “Makin’ me feel inadequate here,” he muttered under his breath. Though he had desired Sugiki sexually for several months already, somehow he had never mentally prepared himself for the blow to his ego of being with a man who was better endowed than himself.

“You’re perfectly adequately sized, I can assure you.”

Suzuki looked dumbfounded for a second, then growled, “Your assurances are really shitty, ya know. How the hell’s being called ‘adequate’ supposed to make me feel better?!” In his mind, he added, Maybe someday I’ll fuck you, and we’ll see if you think my dick’s just ‘adequate’ then, but thought better of expressing that prospect aloud.

Sugiki was struggling to maintain a neutral expression, feeling a grin threatening to break out across his face. Getting Suzuki flustered was one of his favorite—and often easiest—forms of entertainment, and it was when he found him the most adorable. Though on second thought, perhaps this was not the smartest time to aggravate him, as it could cause his hot-headed partner to go back on his offer.

Suzuki narrowed his eyes at him, now noticing the smug glee Sugiki was trying to conceal. “You son of a bitch…” He had gotten him again, and though he was a bit peeved, he nevertheless loved seeing the spark of joy in the other Shinya’s eyes, which had become a rarer sight following their breakup. “You’re lucky I’m such a nice guy,” Suzuki said with a bit of a sneer as he began moving his hand in long strokes up and down Sugiki’s shaft. His partner sighed softly, closing his eyes and turning his head to the side, but Suzuki reached up and grabbed his chin, forcing him to face him again. “Hey. We ain’t dancing the waltz here. Don’t look away from me.” His lips curled up in a lascivious smile. “I wanna see your face when you come.” His grin widened even more as he watched Sugiki’s entire face turn beet red. “Wow. I’ve never seen you blush that hard before.” After repeatedly falling victim to his partner’s efforts to mess with him, Suzuki was pleased to achieve a small victory of his own.

As Suzuki continued to caress him, Sugiki tried to maintain the eye contact that the other man wanted, but it felt too intimate, to the point where it was uncomfortable for him. He continued facing upward, but instead of concentrating on what was in his field of vision, he fixated his attention on the rhythm Suzuki was using to pleasure him. Like when he danced, it was a bit inconsistent and unconventional, yet imbued with passion and enthusiasm. In any case, after spending months secretly wondering what it would be like if they pushed beyond just kissing, being touched by Suzuki like this was quite the thrill.

Suzuki saw a blissful smile appear on his partner’s face, which in these circumstances actually annoyed him. Ugh, why’s he always so elegant? I don’t wanna see that gentlemanly front when I’m jerking you off. He started pumping his hand faster, hoping to coax more of a lustful reaction out of Sugiki. His response of breathing slightly faster and biting down lightly on his lip was not nearly enough to sate Suzuki’s desire to see him let go, so he quickened his pace even more. Soon after, a slight hitch in Sugiki’s breath and his body tensing under him were the only signs Suzuki got to indicate that his partner was climaxing, which was immediately followed by the sensation of ejaculate spilling over his hand.

After taking a few moments to recover, Sugiki arose from the bench. “Let me get something so you can clean up,” he offered as he started walking across the room. He returned shortly with a towel and handed it to Suzuki.

“So…did you like that?” Suzuki asked curiously as he wiped his hands.

“Hmm? Of course. Why would you think otherwise?” Sugiki answered, looking confused.

“I mean, you weren’t really reacting very much, so…”

“Does the end result not make it obvious that I found it pleasurable?” He glanced at the towel Suzuki held, seeming to view it as proof of his point.

“Okay, yeah, obviously you got off, but I’m just more used to…”

“Oh, is it that you usually have women screaming your name in bed?” he chortled.

“That’s…not what I was trying to say…though it is true,” Suzuki acknowledged. “I just thought maybe I’d…I dunno, get to see you let loose a bit, get sloppy or something.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t tend to do that.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Despite his best efforts, he had not succeeded in making Sugiki drop the impervious guard he kept around himself. Maybe I can’t get you to show me that side of you yet, but someday…

Sugiki could tell it was frustrating for the other Shinya that he had not given him the sort of responses he was accustomed to, but the fact was that it was difficult to open himself entirely up knowing that they could not be in a relationship at this point. Still, he could not let go of the hope that they might one day be together. If anyone’s capable of pulling that side out of me, you’ll be the one to do it.

Once they finished cleaning up, Sugiki disposed of the towel and changed into a new shirt before returning to his partner once more. “All right, shall we resume practice, then?”

“Yeah, but could we work on some dances I already know first? My brain’s a bit…foggy right now, so it’d be hard to try something so new.” He always fell into a fairly relaxed state following sex, so he wanted to save Sugiki the headache of trying to teach him quickstep when it was likely he would absorb very little.

“Certainly, but do you not think we should at least try to see if the compatibility of our rhythms has improved at all first?” He looked at Suzuki with a sly smirk. “That is why we did this, yes?”

“O-of course,” Suzuki stammered. “Yeah, let’s test it out a bit.” They positioned themselves in hold once more, beginning to move to the tune of Sugiki’s humming. Their feet flew across the floor in the basic quickstep patterns Suzuki had learned so far, each of them keeping in mind the feeling of the internal rhythms they had sensed from each other. This time around, they were able to continue moving at high speeds without stumbling, dancing around the room for a while before coming to a stop. Both were panting heavily from the effort, and as they stayed in hold a bit longer, Suzuki blushed slightly as Sugiki beamed at him with a dreamy smile on his face.

“Perfect.”

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Oh ho ho…my Shinyas are very naughty boys! Much more so than they’ve been in the story so far (I suppose a similar level to the Taboo side story, but that’s not exactly canon). I’m excited to get this done and add another fic to the very small pile that currently exists. I really hope more fans will join me in celebrating this beautiful manga and its central pair of dance crazy dumbasses who can’t yet—but will hopefully, eventually—figure out how to make it work between them *cough*just be switch goddammit*cough*. In the meantime, I’ll keep wallowing in headcanons that might possibly become fics if the mood strikes me again. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! ^_^

[kendrixtermina]

edeleth

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - As long as El manages to survive 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - For El there was definitely some level of immediate attraction which spiraled into some serious fondness throughout part I. Byleth didn’t think anything of it until she offered them that position as a royal advisor following the 2nd mock battle and generally got them thinking about/ considering their own future for the first time instead of just doing what everyone expects. They start actually acting on it once they defected from the church (as Byleth was still technically her instructor before that and she wasn’t sure she could rly trust them) They were sort of inofficially together soon after the time skip. 

How was their first kiss? - It happened at the provisional encampment after one of those big emotional conversations. 

Wedding:

Who proposed? - If I remember the S rank correctly, El brought the conversation in that direction but By-By was the first one to actually pull out the ring

Who is the best man/men? - Hubert. None one is more surprised about this than he is. 

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Dorothea (and, in case they’re both brides, Bernadetta. Lysithea or Constance would also be options if they survived this timeline)

Who did the most planning? - El.

Who stressed the most? - El. 

How fancy was the ceremony? -Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big. - This really depends on wether we’re talking dude or lady Byleth. In general Edelgard isn’t much for tradition and would defy the royal pomp, even in her endings with the dudes she only marries them if he’s explicitly the type to be interested in that so overall the tendency would be towards small private ceremony with only the Black Eagle Strike Force present, but if we’re talking lady Byleth there would be huge political/symbolic value in having two women with super rare crests flagrantly “waste” them by marrying each other making it clear that they don’t mean to produce heirs, to make a big deal about the end of hereditary rule and crest obsession - so in that case we’re doing the lavish royal wedding just to spite the status quo.  

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Arundel, assuming he wasn’t dead already. 

Sex:

Who is on top? - Byleth. Edelgard already has to be in control in her day job so she’d prolly want a break from that

Who is the one to instigate things? - El but like usually by saying something soppy

How healthy is their sex life? -Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? -Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - Depends on how much work they had to do that particular day

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Yup.

How rough are they in bed? -Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? -No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory. (bust mostly in private)

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - I can actually see em having quite a bunch since Edelgard comes from a big family herself. The kids are either named after their fathers or close mutual friends. 

How many children will they adopt? - …or they could take in some war orphans as a kind of atonement. 

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Byleth. Though that has more to do with the fact that they don’t run a country than lack of dedication on El’s part she definitely helps too

Who is the stricter parent? - El. But Byleth still gets the kids to listen with more subtle methods

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Byleth

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Byleth

Who is the more loved parent? - Byleth

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Both would make a point to show up methinks

Who cried the most at graduation? - El.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Byleth

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Probably Byleth. It’s not that El doesn’t want to, but contrary to what she believes, it is NOT faster if you use an axe. 

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Neither very much. 

Who does the grocery shopping? - Byleth. El is too busy. 

How often do they bake desserts? - Frequently enough given how much El likes them

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Nom stuff galore

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - About equal I think

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - El

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - El. 

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Both, but El would probably be slightly more finnicky and hence end up doing it slightly more

Who is really against chores? - Neither

Who cleans up after the pets? - Byleth

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Byleth

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - El

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Byleth

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - El. I see Byleth being the “quick shower, washes everything with a bar of soap or at most 2 in 1 shampoo“ type

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Byleth

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Very rarely / only it was some holiday that actually had personal significance to them

What are their goals for the relationship? - To support each other during all their undertakings

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Byleth

Who plays the most pranks? - Byleth (in case you couldn’t tell from all those sassy dialogue options)

[raspberry-rampage]

FOUND THIS DRAFT FROM JULY: RIV AND NETFLIX’S THE WITCHER

So dudes and dudettes, I finished. My short stream of thoughts.

Beware! Spoilers. And this doesn’t have much structure.

THE WITCHER, NETFLIX SERIES, SEASON 1

Boy, was it a ride. Taking into account how hyped up it was and what I already knew from various sources, I have to admit, thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Probably also because I didn’t have that huge of expectations. I know many fans of the books were even angry with how the series treated the original material, but as someone without the knowledge what could have been fucked up or done dirty, I was just a viewer.

One of my biggest issues - pacing and episode structure. It would be hard to have a linear timeline, sure, but if I haven’t done research prior and knew what was going on, I would have a hard time understanding what the heck is going on. Damn, even when I knew I still struggled at the beginning. At least put some dates and place names in the corner or something? Anything! I know, there are establishing shots of “important” places (we’ve seen that shot of Cintra and Aretuza SO many times, btw), but idk, just my opinion. Again about three timelines - I understand why they did it, you could tell the tale of many people, but as I’ve mentioned, little notes in the corners about dates would solve the issue. Really. Overall I don’t mind the three timelines much, but some events are hard to place chronologically, which causes some confusion. As for pacing - if you think about it, A LOT happens this season. But when I look back at it, it really lacks some slow time, when characters could reflect or we could get a closer look at their psyche. Or something. But fights and sex I guess (we really needed Istredd and Yenn banging, showed so much of the depth of their relationship, yup).

I also noticed - and perhaps it’s just me - this series is very, very Bagiński in style. And I know cause I was a fan of “Legendy Allegro” [Allegro Legends, a series of short films connected with Slavic mythology], but what I see here are both things I liked and disliked in that series. But that’s just my subjective view on his style.

The sets - wowing. I have to say, beautiful locations, really enjoyed them.  Although, Brokilon pissed me off, who the fuck decided those eye hurting lights were a good idea? Are they legit in the books or games? They were awful. Overall good choice in locations. Was very happy that for Sodden Ogrodzieniec was chosen. The woods also had a Middle/Eastern European feel. But. And it’s a big BUT. The repeated shots were at some point irritating me. I have good visual memory, so it might be just my problem, but I cringed when the same shots of overall Aretuza or Cintra were repeated. I know it’s cheaper, yet I can’t help but long for the better.

My least favourite episode - episode 7. Mainly cause of recap and repeated shots - even Calanthe’s death was shown in the same freaking sequence. Pulling guts out is okay, but showing her falling and accepting death is not I guess. I also thought that Yennefer was very weak this episode, especially when interacting with the girls. She didn’t have that presence from previous episodes, she just came and talked. And the last scene, with this weird Ciri awakening... This episode wasn’t bad, per se, but it’s the one I enjoyed the least.

Battle of Sodden Hill was... there. Not as epic as they would’ve liked it to be and I’m sure as they will continue to refer as. Mages are so damn weak in this series, like... I don’t even? Really? Small mushrooms with toxic pores is the most you can do? You can’t cast a quick shield to avoid getting your arm cut off? Instead of magicking a guy, you roll in the dirt and waste your magic on summoning a one, singular sword? The best you can do is some weak ass branch barricade? What the fuck? Why do people even fear sorcerers in this universe? Lifting a stone up 30 cm causes your whole arm to shrivel up. How does the math work here? Ridiculous.

And no hate on Freya, she did well imo, but I’m sure there are actual 13 years old out there with potential to play Ciri? Like, tkae Freya as older Ciri, the badass Ciri. We were robbed of baby Ciri.

Fights! I enjoyed them so much. Well choreographed, well played, kudos to everyone responsible for the amazing effect. My favourite... The sword fight with Renfri is breath-taking.

---AND MUCH MORE BUT I FORGOT.

If you wish to reply to any of my points, do so through asks!

[blackmissfrizzle]

Dirty Little Secret Part 2

Title: Dirty Little Secret Part 2

Characters: Chris Evans x black!reader

Summary: The reader attends Ace Comic-Con with Chris

Word Count: 1331

Being out in the public with Chris had been the best decision. Sure, there were some racists trolls and paparazzi would try to photograph you two all the time, but it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. Chris would shut down the haters and you both tried your best to keep your whereabouts a secret. The good definitely outweighed the bad.

You even attended Chris’s high school reunion, which you had a blast there. His old classmates wasted no time telling you embarrassing stories of Chris and you ate it up. Chris was glad to bring you to his reunion. People would think he would want to brag about his Hollywood life, but all he did was brag about you and how lucky he was.

Now you were standing offstage while Chris, Don, and Jeremy were answering questions for the Ace Comic-Con. Currently, the moderator was asking about the acrylic memes of himself that was taking over social media. You thought those memes were a gift from God, especially the one that went over Civil War.

“Yeah, my girlfriend showed me them. Well, she tried to. She was too busy crying over how funny they were. Our favorite one is the recap from Civil War.” Chris explained how he found out about his new makeovers.

Excited to hear about you, Angelique, directed her questioning to the topic of you. “Speaking of your girlfriend. You broke a lot of hearts when you two publicized your relationship at the Endgame premiere. How’s everything going with you two?”

Chris instantly blushed at the mention of you and you heard the whole crowd go ‘awww’. “Great. Everything’s great. Except she got mad at me for not warning her about Cap’s ending.” Everyone in the room laughed at that.

Don butted in. “I don’t know how you didn’t tell her. Have y’all seen that video of Y/N kicking MBJ’s butt in the boxing ring. I’m scared of her. All she would have to do is raise her voice and I’d be singing like a canary.” The crowd erupted into laughter once again.

Luckily, they were able to shift the questions from you and into other things. Angelique had just asked the men what their favorite fighting scene from all of the movies and Chris accidently cussed, which caused you to palm your face, and he immediately followed it up with his iconic line ‘Language.’

Cheadle got up to point to a child, “There’s a child right here.” As he and Renner went off stage, he pointed at you, “Even your girlfriend is disappointed in you!”

The moderator had the crowd chant to bring back Don and Jeremy onstage and they also cheered for you to join them. With enough coaxing from the pair and the crowd, all three of you joined the stage.

Since there were no extra seats on the stage, Chris pulled you into his lap and gave you a kiss, causing all the women and some men in the room to swoon.

“Welcome, Y/N. Since I already got these fine gentlemen’s answer, would you please like to tell us what’s your favorite fight from the MCU?”

Why did she ask you such a hard question? You probably had more than 5 favorite fights. In response you bit your nails and a sheepish look on your face, which made everyone laugh. “Oh my God, that’s so hard! There’s so many. Obviously, there’s Chris’s elevator fight, the airport fight, the Avengers last fight, the Endgame battle, the last fight in Infinity War, and the casino fight in Black Panther.”

Chris laughed at your enthusiasm; he knew how much of a Marvel fan you really were. “Babe, she asked for one fight not all of them.”

“Y’all see how mean he is. Hmph, that’s why Anthony is my favorite Captain America.” You elbowed your boyfriend in his not so soft stomach, but he still grunted in pain. “Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted,” you cut your eyes to Chris. “I’m gonna say my favorite fight has to be the casino fight in Black Panther and it all has to do with Dani throwing that wig! I actually bought a wig for that exact reason. I wore it when I was sparring with my trainer, and I whipped it off and threw it at him and I managed to take him down in my fastest time.”

Don looked at you in awe. “See this is why I love black women. Now, I just wanna see a bunch of wigs flying throughout a fight.”

After that the questions were directed towards Chris, Jeremy, and Don. You would give your input every so often and some questions would be directed towards you. A young black girl asked if you considered being in a Marvel movie, which your response was you wished you could, but your acting skills were horrible and that there was so much undiscovered talent that you would feel guilty for taking a role.

The questions were rolling when Chris got distracted by a dog. He actually got off stage to pet the fan’s dog. “This happens every time,” you pointed at Chris. “When he sees a dog, he drops everything. I mean everything and goes to pet them. I honestly think Chris is a dog in human form and he’s tricking us all.” you explained to the crowd.

Chris finished petting the dog and awkwardly hopped back onto the stage. Then he tried to be cool by flipping his mic, but he failed when he dropped it.

“Dork,” you mumbled.

When he returned to his seat, Chris licked your face. “Since, you believe I’m a dog.”

You wiped the cheek he licked with a look of pure disgust. “You’re just mad because Dodger loves me more,” you taunted him.

The rest of the con went on with a breeze. When Chris was taking pictures with fans, some even asked you to join and you happily obliged.

By the time you left the con, you and Chris returned to the hotel and automatically prepared for bed. You didn’t realize how exhausting being at a comic-con could be.

“How do you think today went,” Chris asked from his bed while you were going through your bedtime routine in the bathroom.

“Babe, it was amazing. I don’t know why I was so worried. Is it always like this?”

Chris broke out into a smile. He knew you would fall in love with the cons, he thought it was the best part of his job. Meeting the people who loved the work he did and supported him was wonderful and Chris was glad you got to enjoy it. “Yup. It’s even more fun with RDJ there, but I’m kinda scared if you and Robert shared the same stage.”

Offended that your boyfriend didn’t want you to share a stage with one of your good friends, you poked your head through the door to peer at him. “Listen to me Evans, me and Robert would be fun on the stage.”

“That’s my point! You two you would be ganging up on me.”

Going back to your nighttime routine you manically laughed at Chris. People typically hated when you and Robert were in the same room, because you would two would team up and roast everyone in the room and Chris is usually your favorite target.

“Maybe you have a point.”

Chris and you fell into a comfortable silence while you finished getting ready for bed. You were reminiscing over the day and he was practicing his speech for you in his head for tomorrow. When you finished getting ready, you joined Chris into bed he instinctively pulled you into his embrace. He smiled against your neck and you thought he was happy at the turn of events for today, but in reality, his smile stemmed from his excitement about the ring he was planning on giving you and taking one step closer of making you Mrs. Chris Evans.

Tags: @blackreaders-assemble @chaneajoyyy @pastelastronomy24 @dumbchick @nickidub718 @valkyriesnymph @marvelmaree @lildashofmelanin @cyrioussoul @wakanda-inspired @destinio1 @toniilaney @euphoric05 @yoyolovesbucky

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 49

Embassy of Stories said:Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas indeed! In honor of the bar formerly run by Roy’s foster mother, let’s see the next episode.

Last Time: Madame Christmas went on vacation, Pride got a case of the munchies, and Mrs. Bradley was “rescued” by Roy’s Crew.

Congratulations! You are being rescued. Please do not resist.

Onwards!

Episode 49 - “Filial Affection”

Beard’s trying to wake Al up from his forced nap, while Pride WHOA NELLY his artwork seems a little harsher than I remember and you can definitely tell he’s got the power of two Goths in one package, the Shadow Blades are back with ferocity as he tries to draw Beard out by attacking his other son. Ed’s dodging and weaving yikes!

…

Ha! As much as I’ve been crowing about Ed growing taller, he’s still short enough to duck under Pride’s Shadow Mouth attack that chops the tree he was against. Now it’s Greedling’s turn to backflip to safety, and hoo boy. Lan Fan I know you have a massive crush on your young lord but in the middle of a battle against an upgraded Pride is not the time to demand Greed surrender control of the body. And cripes I’d forgotten about your arm, as much as you want to help now you’re no good if by trying to fight you aggravate your injury and turn yourself into a liability.

See? Ed agrees with me, Lan Fan tries insisting she doesn’t need help right after Ed kicked her away from a Shadow Mouth, as much as I like her she needs to back off until she can help without hurting herself. The other ninja is helping away Lion who’s apologizing for not killing Pride earlier, but Greed brushes it off.

[Greed]: “Heh! Don’t sweat it. Can’t exactly fault you for that one. Even I consider him to be a monster.”

Beams of light? Hey, Al’s back! Poor kids a bit confused on waking up halfway across the country, and understandably upset that Pride hijacked his friggin soul. Beard’s taking an analytical approach to the issue, thinking that as aspects of his own counterpart they’re close-enough “relatives” they can influence Al’s seal through his blood. Cheery!

The genetics lesson’s interrupted by Fu and Lion arriving with news. Good News: they’re down to one Goth. As for the Bad News… Al angsts about getting caught oh poor baby it’s not your fault. This is freaking Pride, the First Goth we’re talking about here. Backed up by Gluttony and with your fainting spells, they’re the ones to blame, not you. Fu reports that Pride’s got plenty of light for shadows with the spreading fire and he’s out of flashbangs. They need to think of something before the villagers oh-so-helpfully show up to put out the fire and get slaughtered by Pride. Time for Beard to show his powers?

Al’s hashing out an idea with Beard, so we cut to Greed and Ed getting batted around by Pride. Unfortunately the Goth’s done a bit of gardening, no more trees to take the hits for our heroes. Lan Fan’s hanging out by the edge of the clearing nope never mind Pride’s got her pinpointed with his enhanced sense of smell… hey, Ed! You got any more dynamite stashed somewhere?

[Greed]: “Ugh… dammit! Hey, you still breathing over there?”

[Ed]: “Does wheezing count?”

Oh neat, Prides calling Greed out on caring for others. And notably Greed didn’t argue against that, say something like “I’m just protecting my possessions” or whatever. He just called Pride a monster. Aw, is Greed getting character development?

Ew ew don’t call yourself Greed’s brother you little gremlin. You don’t get to claim family ties (oooh I just got the title ok then) when you’re getting ready to eat your “sibling”.

[Greed the First]: “Just don’t blame me when I give you a stomachache! You did it to yourself!”

Pride’s sniffing? Adventure Strings? YES. Beard is entering the fray! Show us what you can do, Papa Elric.

Wait what? “The hero always waits until the last second to make his move.” Pffft no. Buddy, if you think you’re the Protagonist of the show then I’ve got some bad news for you. Unless this is just grandstanding for Al’s plan…

But now he’s just standing there, cheerfully saying that he could never possibly fight Pride. Which unnerves the Goth so much he withdraws his Shadow Mouths and focuses all his attention on Beard NOW AL ATTACK FROM BEHIND damnit.

[Pride]: “Are you joking? This was your pathetic plan?”

Uh I kinda have to agree with Pride here, your plan was to charge screaming across the field to try and punch Pride in the face? This can’t be it, but Beard’s holding Ed back and Al’s forced to his knees among Pride’s shadows.

Oh hell no you did not just call Al stupid. Ed, push past your father and kick his-

[ShinyGlasses!Beard]: “That’s crossing a line, Pride. Don’t ever mock my son!”

RED ALERT RED ALERT RED SPARKS BEARD’S IN THE FIGHT NOW HERE WE GO

Hooooly Leto. So while standing completely still, Beard’s tearing up the ground to form a giant dome over Pride and Al, and if the dome blocks all the light and Al’s right there now without any shadows to bind him, then Al can pick up where Lion left off!

Huh. So Al’s plan wasn’t to finish Pride off, but just to trap him? Huh. I mean, there’s no way this is going to stick until the Promised Day is over, you can’t just shove the secondary Protagonist in a cage a dozen episodes before the finale. But what about the comment of Al’s body not needing food or water or air? Is little Selim going to start choking and Good Guy Al will have to decide between breaking the trap or watching an apparent little child suffocate?

Whatever happens the dome is holding for now, and Beard’s explaining that Al told him not to warn Ed, who’s a little upset that his brother’s stuck in a cage with a Goth. Beard goes to put the fires out, while Ed yells through the stone at Al who apologizes for the bad reunion. Sorry kids, hopefully this will blow over soon.

Greed? Greed what are you doing? Why are you leaving the good guys… aw, damnit! Dude come on, I was just complimenting you on your character growth earlier this episode, don’t go and pull a Vegeta on me now!

[Ling]: “Hey Greed! What the hell are you planning?”

[Greed]: “Heh. I’ve told you; I’m planning on ruling the entire world.”

Mid-ep pictures of Pride and Kimblee damnit not this guy again. Uuuuugh. Fine whatever he got mildly competent again after tricking the Drachmans into attacking and dying so I’ll try to cut him some slack.

A couple of hobos are around a bin fire, talking about all the Ishvalans who have moved into the neighborhood. Kind of like that murderer with the distinctive scar on his well look who it is! Scar politely asks for directions, but gets a little upset when he learns that May Chang came back through wait a few weeks ago?! Jeez I keep forgetting there’s been such a large time skip. But where is she? And for that matter, where’s the Goth she was carrying?

Scar also doesn’t like his people being called terrorists and accused of blowing up Bradley’s train. Because they’ve got that whole Honorable Warrior Race thing going on where even Scar justified his killings with the fact that he faced people directly. But soon enough they’ll be seen as allies and heroes of the Amestrians!

...well, other Ishvalans will be seen as allies and heroes. These guys seem to have come down with a case of death, courtesy of someone humming to the Sinister String Music yup it’s Kimblee, skipping over bloody corpses and berating himself for getting his tailor-made suit dirty before the scheduled “fun” starts.

In the Dome, Pride’s trying to tunnel out with a stick before Al tells him it’s pointless. So of course he drops the wood and goes for Al’s discarded metal helmet with the sharp point on it, nice job getting the baddie to upgrade again. Although now Pride’s stopped moving as Al points out the biggest flaw in the Goth’s plan: the humans. They’re needed as “sacrifices”, but the whole thing would have fallen apart if they had just said Fuck It and joined ARMSTRONG SR. and family on the vacation to Xing.

Oooh, but the Goths were banking on the Protagonists to be that selfish and leave them to cause havoc in their wake. Pride even brings up Mrs. Bradley, who once got between Pride and a car crash. She obviously didn’t know the truth, but she still risked her own life to protect what she loved. And the Sacrifices were chosen specifically because they were “a step above that”, with souls so strong they would never turn their backs on those who needed help.

[Pride]: “So explain to me again, how were our plans so sloppy?”

While Pride and Al are debating humanity and compassion, Roy’s visiting Hughes’ grave when Riza comes to check on him.

[Afterlife!Hughes]: “Alright, you guys are going into the final fight. Riza, now’s the time to- wait no Roy stop! Damnit man she was just about to say something but you had to put on your Commander Face and walk right past her! You were going to have a moment dude! Get back here and confess your love, you idiot!”

Alright so Scar’s crew have reached the clearing ooooh no. No no no crap dudes don’t notice the Dome and get close and get tricked into opening it. Whew ok good, the respective Chimeras of the groups have met up and spent so long accusing eachother of still working for Worst Boss Ever that Ed was able to run up and get them to face Shorty as a common annoyance. Later they’re catching up over the campfire-

[Toad]: “Once the sun comes up, things are going to get rough.”

[Gorilla]: “I know. Let’s just hope that everyone makes it through the day alive.”

Welp you’ve signed your death warrant. Nice knowing you, Gorilla.

Fu’s heading off to do some recon in Central, I predict that’ll last right up until he finds Greed pulling a coup and is torn between helping the Protagonists and siding with the Goth inhabiting his charge’s body. In the meantime, you gonna explain your strategy? Nope? Relying on the Unspoken Plan Guarantee? Alright then.

Aw there’s that Red Jacket that got tossed aside a few episodes ago. I’m sorry, I just got really attached to the White Jacket and the character growth that the outfit change symbolized, but I’ll agree that the original look is closely tied to Al’s character. I’ll try to get over it.

[Ed]: “Al’s doing everything possible to keep us safe. The rest of it… That’s up to us!”

End-credit music kicks off as Ed dons his jacket and the sun rises on The Promised Day.

After-credits: A young blonde girl is yelling at her sleepy older brother to get up or he’ll miss the solar eclipse. But Older Brother wakes right up when his younger brother sees smoke, which turns out to be Roy destroying government property. An officer’s getting the update that they know it’s Roy’s group doing the damage but they’ve got Mrs. Bradley as a hostage so they can’t never mind Officer just said they were all expendable except for Roy. Cue troops in berets smashing through windows, even as Riza holds a gun to poor Mrs. Bradley’s head.

[Beret!Officer]: “The only one we need alive is Mustang. Kill the rest.”

Mrs. Bradley is not pleased to hear that.

…

Gunshot?

Gunshots?

…

Well ok then.

[defensemechanism]

Me & The Devil Himself part 6

Staring out of the window did nothing to improve his mood.Lighting flashed in a black as midnight sky at eleven o'clock in the morning.

"What's the plan?"Negan asked the room at large, taking a seat at the head of the table.

His lieutenants sat in a make shift conference room, looking worse for the wear from the battle with Alexandria.

Dwight tapped the back end of a switch blade on the table, seemingly deep in thought.Regina sat arms crossed over her chest glaring at Dwight's hands.The minutes ticked by quietly.Negan's already strained patience was growing thin.Gavin tilted his chair back and sighed.

"There's nothing left for us to do, 'cept kill 'em all."Simon concluded.

"Dwight?" Negan posed wearily.

"We don't need to kill all them people to get them in line.We just have to kill the right ones."

Negan narrowed his eyes at him.

"The right people, meaning who? Rick Grimes?"

"Grimes, The Widow, and The so called king."

"Hmm..." Their leader scratched at his chin, in contemplation.

"We'll put 'em on a platform, make it bloody, make sure they all see it happen." Dwight's gruff voice provided.

"I like the way you think, Dwight."Negan responded at last."Simon, how long you need to get this set up?"

A blood thirsty grin broke out on Simon's face.

"We'll be ready by morning." He replied to Negan.

At the Saviors Simon directed a gung-ho, "Let's go to work."

Mean while, back at the hen house,boredom and gloom drove the wives to the parlor.

"We could play a game?"Tanya suggested.

Brandy emitted a petulant huff in response and continued flipping through a beat up issue of Vogue.

"We can play a drinking game."Sherry suggested.

"A drinking game?"You repeated uncertainly.

"We are all adults here, we're stuck 'till Negan says otherwise."Sherry pointed out.

"We might as well."Amber intoned unenthusiastically.

You glanced uncertainly at Sherry.For a moment they thought you would decline, but much to their surprise,you agreed.

"Okay, What are we playing?"

Frankie sat up in her chair, with sudden interest.

"Never have I ever!"Frankie and Tanya said in unison.

You swallowed in an attempt to soothe your suddenly dry throat.This was a disaster waiting to happen.

Amber took it upon herself to serve each person in the room a generous shot of vodka.

"The way it works is, we take turns asking a question.Well sort of a question sorta not."Frankie hedged.

"Like if it's my turn I'd say something like, Never have I ever...smoked a joint."Tanya clarified.

"Bullshit."Frankie laughed.

"If you have smoked a joint you do a shot.If you haven't, you don't.It's fun.Trust me."Tanya's enthusiastic grin was a little scary.

You had never seen her smile before today.You eyed her skeptically, but didn't back out.

"Why don't we go from youngest to oldest"Sherry suggested with a smirk.

Amber went around the room handing out the generous glasses she had poured to each of you.

"Go on then."Tanya encouraged Amber.

"Alright, never have I ever...given a blowjob."

"Ha!That's a cheat!We all know He loves getting head."Frankie chuckled.

"Is not!" The petite blonde insisted.

Every single one of you took a shot.Amber went around the room refilling the glasses.As the game went on,you slowly began to relax. The questions were sometimes dirty, but no one had caused any trouble so far.

"Never have I ever"Frankie began, "been tied up during sex."

"Ugh Frankie!"Amber exclaimed in disgust.

Sherry's eyes were fixed on you.Of course you thought broodingly. She was so damn nosey,but you were a good sport and drank just the same. To your surprise, so did Tanya.You shared a knowing look then burst out laughing.Sherry was not amused.

"Never have I ever been to Texas?"Tanya tried.

You shook your head,but drank all the same.

"Never have I ever kissed another girl."You threw out eyeing each of them in turn.

Frankie,Tanya,and You all took another shot.

"Really, Y/n?"Amber's eyes went wide with curiosity.

"Oh, come on don't act so surprised.It's the freaking apocalypse."Tanya scoffed.

"Alright alright, never have I ever, been in a sub/dom relationship." Sherry said smoothly.

You cringed and took the shot quickly.Tanya did as well.Your cheeks reddened at the admission.You could feel them all scrutinizing you.Tanya couldn't meet their eyes.

"Amber" Sherry prompted when she remained quiet for too long.

"Oh, uh, yes. Never have I ever.."She wracked her brain trying to come up with something,but came up empty. "Never have I ever had a three some??"

"Boo"a sloppy drunk Frankie complained."We already asked that one."

"Right right, never have I eveeer, had a sexual fantasy about a Savior."

"You're so bad!"Tanya blushed fiercely and took the shot.

She shrugged.The look on Amber's face was bleak.

"Never have I ever been to Canada."Frankie said quickly changing the subject.

No one drank.You felt bad for her.You had forgotten that some of these girls used to be in relationships with the men that were now Saviors.Poor Amber.

Tanya smirked at you.

"Never have I ever, had sex in the kitchen, in the middle of the day."She said much too chipper for your liking.

"At my place or theirs?"You asked.

"Either."

You knew that wasn't what she meant, but you refused to go there with her.Her brown eyes blazed into yours.You drank simultaneously.

"Never have I ever lied to my husband."You deadpanned to remind them you were in this together.Everyone of them drank.

"Never have I ever had a sex related injury."

Frankie stared at Tanya when she didn't drink.

"Tanyaaaa"

"Frankie"Tanya mocked good naturedly.

"You have."she insisted.

Tanya winced and took the shot. Embarrassed and hoping no one would ask the million dollar question.

"Okay, but how??"You asked.

Tanya covered her blushing face in her hands.

"Damn it,Sherry."

"She was with Simon on a free pass day."Frankie snickered darkly.

“We all know how that goes.” Tanya rolled her eyes.

Sherry raised an eyebrow. "Not all of us do."

"Never have I ever had sex with Simon." Amber singsonged.

"It's not even your turn!" Tanya winced and took the shot.

You were feeling so warm and buzzing hard.You unthinkingly took the shot along with Tanya and Frankie.

"You?"Sherry's voice was filled with judgment.

"Surprised?"

"Not even a little." She sniffed.

"Anyone ever tell you, you're awful judgmental for a woman in a polygamist marriage?"You pointed out.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me.You act pretty high and mighty for someone who sucks the same cock we do."

"I am not like you." She hissed venomously."I didn't choose this!"

"And you think I did?"Amber stood, swaying drunkenly.

"I didn’t mean you." Sherry voice lost it's venom. "But the rest of you did."

"You're so wrong for thinking' that and even worse for saying' it!"Tanya's eyes filled with tears.

"It's none of your fuckin' business how we ended up in this situation!" You spoke louder than you intended to, likely the effects of the alcohol.

The double doors burst wide open.

“That is enough!” Your husband knew how to make an entrance.

"What in the hell is going on in here?"Negan thundered looking at you suspiciously.

No one moved.Sherry's anger was still apparent in her expression.You wondered how long he'd been listening.

"Explain.Now." He demanded picking on Brandy who hadn't said a thing.

"W-well...They were drinking and playing some stupid game.Some sex game?" her eyes focused on You.

"A sex game?" Negan repeated, disbelief in his tone.

"Yup. Not a one of us's been to Canada and Frankie kissed a girl, Now Sherry thinks we're all a buncha sluts." Amber recapped brazenly.

Negan blinked a few times.

"Well damn,you are trashed!I'm cuttin' you off." He took the bottle of vodka from her. From the look on her face it seemed she had forgotten she was holding it.

"I'll get you some water."Frankie nodded decisively and tried to shake off her buzz.She still swayed a little on her way to the sink.

"So what I'm getting' here is, you all got wasted and started sharing war stories about sex with me?"

You didn't know what to say.You were,despite Sherry being an asshat, feeling really good right about now.

"You are around each other all day everyday and the subject had never come up before?" He asked, feigning amusement."Wow. I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment."

You giggled.He was finally getting a taste of his own medicine.

"What's so funny over there,Y/n?"

Uh-oh no pet names.Daddy was maaad.The ridiculous thought made you chuckle and soon you were emitting peels of laughter so infectious that Tanya started laughing too.

"It's not fucking funny.I don't like drama."

Sherry rolled her eyes.

"Coulda fooled me." You jibed under your breath.

Tanya heard you and mashed her lips together to hold back her smile.

"What did you just say?"

You shrugged carelessly.

"Every one of you to your bedrooms!I don't want to hear one peep outta for the rest of the day and as for you, trouble-maker.You are comin’ with me.”

"Sure thing,Daddy." The corners of your lips quirked into an almost grin as you stood and headed for your room.

"Smart ass." He grumbled following behind you.

[cakelanguage]

Can you believe it? I’m not dead and I’m updating the “Dorian as a young boy” fic that I’ve been neglecting for God knows how long. But chapter 5 is finally here!

First//Previous//Next

You can also read it on AO3

~~~~

While going with the Herald and his party was the safer option, Dorian felt dread trail his steps. As they moved further from Redcliffe, so did Dorian’s bit of safety. The insurance that at least Felix would treat him right and not as if he were a speck of dirt or a snake slithering by were getting slimmer and slimmer with each passing moment. Out here he was going to have to fend for himself.

Not that he hadn’t been fending for himself since he left Tevinter. He’d gotten here in one piece, though he’d lost quite a bit to get here. He was well in-tuned with the loss of gold that had pressed against his chest for the majority of his life. It wasn’t big in the grand scheme of things, especially if it meant he could help Felix, but he still privately mourned the loss of his birthright.

If he lost his birthright to get here, what else was he going to have to give up now that he was out of Redcliffe without Felix to help him? While the Chantry sisters barely tolerated him, they did give him small portions of food when he’d looked “particularly pitiful,” as one of the sisters would point out. Felix himself would always try to sneak food that he could without arousing suspicion. Would the Herald and his party do the same? They had agreed to let him come with them at Felix's request but he didn't know if he could trust their word.

“You’re thinking pretty loudly back there, kiddo,” Varric commented, slowing his pace to walk beside him. He actually was only a few inches shorter than Dorian was and he longed for puberty to give his height a well-deserved boost. “Care to share?”

Dorian worried his bottom lip between his teeth, shaking his head. “Nothing important,” Dorian replied.

Varric shook his head. “Kiddo, I’d like to say everyone here believes you,” the dwarf sighed, “but right now we don’t. We don’t have all the information and we’re running off the inconsistencies between Grand Enchanter Fiona’s offer and the mage rebellions current status and the word of two Altuses who are willingly going against a Magister, who happens to be one of said Altuses’ father.” Varric’s mouth quirked up in a sheepish smile. “It’s a little hard to believe.”

“So think of myself as insurance that if one of us were lying you have recompense.”

Varric looked at him sharply. “Hey, no kiddo, just wanted you to share what was going on in that head of yours.”

Dorian was silent for a moment as he thought of what to say. Should he lie and make up something? Or should he just be forthright with his feelings on what was going on? Lying probably wouldn't do him any good besides create a mask that he doubted he could keep up for long.

He sighed. “I was thinking about the fact that I’m leaving the last place I had any insurance of kindness.” When Varric didn’t say anything he took it as a nudge to continue. “I left my home, gave up something I never thought I’d have to in order to get here, and I was… sad to leave my country.” He let out a humorless chuckle. “I don’t expect you to understand. Tevinter is horrible how it is now, I’ll be the first to admit that. There isn’t enough acceptance, too much deceit hiding under honeyed tongues, and the slavery- don’t get me started on how awful that is. And no one’s doing anything or done anything about it. And Father always tells me that my beliefs would get me killed and that I will grow to accept it, but I haven’t.” He took a deep breath to halt his potential tirade. “But it is still my home, and I miss it.”

“No one is going to fault you for missing home. Hell, I miss Kirkwall and that place is sometimes like a steaming pile of nug shit.”

Dorian actually laughed at that. “Of course they will! They’ll think ‘of course he misses Tevinter, misses the slaves, the pampering, what a spoiled little snake!’ But I can handle missing home, that longing doesn’t come up often.” He sighed again. “But I had Felix back in Redcliffe, even if it was for only short spans of time when he could sneak away. But it was freely offered kindness and love that I had to leave behind.” He hiked his pack up on his back. “That is what I was thinking about.”

Varric didn't say anything more but he did clap Dorian on the shoulder giving it a squeeze before the dwarf let his arm fall back to his side.

“You both okay back there?” the Herald called back to them, a playful smirk playing at his features. “You're looking awfully serious.”

“Don't worry about it your Heraldness,” Varric said lightly.

“Now I’m worried,” the only woman in the party said.

The Herald waved his hand. “I trust Varric, Cassandra. If Varric says it was nothing then I believe him.”

Varric grinned. “At least someone in this party trusts me.”

The booming laugh from ‘Bull’ made Dorian jump. “Awe Varric, I trust you as much as I trust Rocky, you're fine.”

“Isn't he the one who blew up-"

“Yup,” ‘Bull’ interrupted proudly.

Dorian listened to them banter good-naturedly with each other with a detached longing. He had never really made any friends in the Circles, always too smart or just too much. He had never regretted not being able to before, he had Felix and Alexius and Rilienius when the man would indulge in hanging out with him. He even had Maevaris who was a delight when it came to discussing fashion and makeup; she was the one who suggested the kohl around his eyes to make him appear a little older. But he didn't have this easy banter, this camaraderie and it suddenly made him feel bereft of something special.

“-Kid? You still with us or did you go to the fade?”

Dorian came back to the present to Varric’s hand waving in his face. He shook his head to clear the fog of his thoughts, he could think later. “Yes, sorry,” he said. “What was it you were asking?”

“I thought it’d do us some good to actually introduce ourselves since we kinda jumped over that portion of our meeting.” the Herald said sheepishly.

Dorian stared for a moment before nodding his head. “That’s true, it would help if I knew all of your names.”

The Herald clapped his hands excitedly, like a child. “Excellent! I’ll go first, the names Aeren. Just call me Aeren, everyone else just calls me the Herald unfortunately.” He pointed his finger at the woman next, his grin never faltering even when the woman was giving him an icy glare.

The woman scoffed before leveling that stare on Dorian. He felt like he was about to be scolded by his mother when that look was directed at him. “Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast,” Cassandra said shortly.

Dorian's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth together to stop his jaw from dropping. “A Seeker? I haven't met a Seeker before, what do you-"

“Don't,” Cassandra interrupted.

Dorian wanted to insist and keep asking questions but held his tongue, instead just giving her a nod.

Varric elbowed him playfully. “You might already know my name, but I'm Varric,” Varric said with a smile which Dorian found himself reciprocating. He liked the dwarf, and could see them becoming friends. “Nice to meet you, kiddo.”

Dorian fought the urge to pout and instead playfully bumped the dwarf's shoulder with his own. “I’m nearly fourteen,” he insisted.

Varric shrugged. “Right now just about everyone out-ages you by ten years.”

Dorian huffed but he let himself sink into the banter.

The Tal-Vashoth cleared his throat, effectively halting Dorian’s lighthearted conversation. “I’m the Iron Bull, leader of Bull’s Chargers,” Iron Bull said evenly,

“‘The Iron Bull?” Dorian asked.

Aeren laughed. “The ‘the’ is important to remember.”

Dorian felt even more confused by that response. Why include the article in his name?

He must have said that aloud or the qunari was very good at reading people because he went on to explain. “The article makes it seem like I’m an object or a tool, not smart enough to do a lot of things. Makes business boom for my company.”

“That's actually very smart,” Dorian commented.

The Iron Bull snorted and shot him a smirk. “Not expecting a Qunari to be smart?”

Dorian shook his head. “The Qunari are matching the best of Tevinter,” Perhaps beating some of the best of Tevinter, “they, and subsequently you, are intelligent. I’m not so stooped in Tevinter’s ideals to think that you are all stupid beasts.” Although Dorian can’t deny he’s still uneasy around the Qunari.

The Iron Bull made a humming noise but didn’t say anything else to him on the subject.

 Battling with the Herald and his party was… an experience. Aeren himself was a force to be reckoned with. He hefted twin axes around with an otherworldly grace, cutting through darkspawn and wild animals alike. Aeren also didn’t seem to care about getting dirty as he did nothing to wipe away the grim and blood that splashed across his body and face. No one should look that good with blood splattering their face and Dorian had a newfound appreciation for the way the Herald’s blood-stained face would quirk up in a grin when he found something amusing.

Damn hormones.

Cassandra was a powerhouse that seemed to withstand every blow that was inflicted on her and then dealt back the same damage. She had no problem standing her ground in the face of any adversary and didn’t hold back her blows. Though she had a tendency to make sure she covered the Herald’s back at every turn. Dorian felt a bit awed by her attacks. So this was just a taste of a Seeker's power.

Varric, for all his jokes and talk of being a simple storyteller, must have the eyes of a hawk based on his accuracy with Bianca. Dorian thought he himself was excellent at accuracy when it came to his spellcasting, but he felt like an absolute novice after he’d seen Varric literally do a flip before firing off two shots consecutively. Varric provided great support on the field that he, and he assumed everyone else, was thoroughly thankful for.

And then there was the Iron Bull.

A force of nature, with raging battle cries and heavy swings of his axe sinking into the flesh of every enemy they came across. Dorian definitely could see what some of his countryman were talking about when mentioning the raw power Qunari possessed. But the Iron Bull also had an almost childlike excitement when it came to battling literally anything. It was almost endearing to see the excited grin and booming laugh the Qunari would let out after a successful battle.

The only problem was that the Qunari seemed to make sure Dorian was put safely out of harm's way. More than once, he’d been picked up by the collar and put safely behind the warrior. Which was all well and good and perhaps he’d be thankful if he actually needed it.

Which he very much didn’t.

It was insulting to be underestimated like he was. As if his title meant nothing, his skills meant nothing. For Maker’s sake, he was nearly an Enchanter, well on his way to officially receiving that title and that meant absolute shit to the Iron Bull. Was he supposed to feel thankful? Being protected like he was a helpless child, a mage still training for their harrowing having to be protected when faced with real combat.

He shouldn’t feel this upset about it. He was providing good support with his shields and healing the party when they needed it, but he still felt upset. Maybe he was just feeling stressed out by the unfamiliar environment. Maybe it was because he was alone and he felt like he needed to prove himself to the Herald and his party and yet he wasn’t being given the chance. No matter how much he told himself that they were doing it for his own good, the frustrated feeling grew larger making his lips purse into a thin line.

When it happened for the fifth time, Dorian had to resist from stamping his foot on the ground. He observed the battle going on in front of him, at everyone fighting against the foes who’d chosen to attack their party. He wasn’t going to let himself be shuffled to the background any longer. Carefully channeling the power through his body, planting his feet firmly on the ground to act as further grounding for the storm magic he felt crackle through his body. The familiar crackle of electricity gathered around him before he slammed his staff against the earth, releasing the chain lightning on the parties’ attackers.

The lightning arced from enemy to enemy and he watched with satisfaction as two enemies faltered and collapsed under the assault of the electricity. He followed it up with a fireball and a roar, channeling his frustrations through his attack.

Fire licked at the outlaw’s clothes, indiscriminately searing flesh and scorching armor. He blocked out as much of the cries of pain as he could, focusing on taking down the next target. Letting himself fall into the rhythm of battle that he’d grown used to since leaving the safety of his home, he kept casting.

He tried to stay out of reach of any of the men attacking their party, but when one got too close Dorian fade stepped away, extricating himself from the location and putting enough distance between them to let a bolt of storm magic strike his opponent.

It didn’t take long to defeat the group, especially with an additional fighter now that Dorian had joined the fight. He felt proud of himself, for entering the fray even with the Iron Bull’s overbearing protective streak attempting to keep him on the sidelines. Perhaps he’d finally acknowledge that he could take care of himself.

“Kid, you finally decided to join us,” the Iron Bull commented as he slung his axe back onto his back. “Was wondering when you were going to.”

Dorian gaped at the Qunari. “What do you mean?” Dorian asked, “You were the one making sure I had no opportunity to join the fight!”

The Iron Bull shrugged, scratching his head and smearing blood on his ear. “Figured you’d join eventually, thought I should cover you in-case you weren’t ready.”

“You saw me fighting all of those demons back at the Chantry in Redcliffe!” Dorian threw his hands up, squinting at the other man. “Did that mean nothing to you?”

“I think what Tiny’s saying is that he didn’t know if you were ready to fight people,” Varric interjected as he checked over Bianca for any damage.

Dorian crossed his arms “Of course I was ready.” He jumped as a sudden hand clapped his shoulder in a reassuring grip.

“In Bull’s defense, he was just looking out for you,” Aeren added warmly. “The big guy is hired as a bodyguard, so technically he’s just doing his job.”

“He’s your bodyguard,” Cassandra muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Varric waved his hand as if to knock that comment aside. “The point is, we didn’t mean to make you feel like we didn’t trust your abilities.”

Aeren nodded. “Yeah we just…”

Dorian raised an eyebrow. “You just didn’t trust my abilities.”

The Iron Bull snorted. “I guess you proved us wrong.” Dorian sniffed and gave him a look which only made the Iron Bull laugh. “I’ll try to tone it down, Dorian.”

“See that you do! I’m perfectly capable of taking on my fair share of enemies.”

Aeren breathed a sigh of relief and holstered his axes. “Thank goodness, maybe I can sit back and watch for a bit.”

Cassandra gave him a piercing look. “That’s not funny.”

The Herald’s head hung. “Worth a shot, I suppose.”

 They crested over the mountain before Haven not three hours later. Dorian's feet ached in his boots and even with the warmer clothes that Felix had given him he felt like his bones were made of ice. He wasn't used to this sort of weather at all, not when the climate in Tevinter was always warm and just the slightest bit humid as you got closer to the coast. But he didn't bring this to anyone's attention, instead keeping his complaints about the weather to himself. 

"Ah, there she is," Aeren said with a sigh of relief. At least Dorian could take comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only one who was tired from their long trek. "Welcome to Haven, Dorian."

If Dorian were being honest, Haven wasn't much. The tiny village if he could call it that had no more than ten houses with the Chantry taking center stage in the back. He could see how bustling it was and for the first time Dorian really thought about the panic and unrest that infected the masses when the Breach had appeared. These people had lost their Divine and the peace talks were in shambles after the destruction of the Conclave. They'd banded together to try and stop what was going on and others had joined to help. He didn't know if there had been any instances where Tevinter had done the same. 

"We should be there soon," Varric said, carefully making his way down the steep slope. "Watch your step, it's easy to lose your footing with all this snow blocking our view."

Dorian nodded absentmindedly, switching his gaze from looking at the ground and what was in front of him.

Cassandra cleared her throat and Dorian turned his head to look at her. "Just so you are aware, a scout has already made the other advisors aware of our additional company," she informed, shifting the shield on her back to a more comfortable position. "I'm sure they'll want a full report from the Herald."

Aeren groaned loudly beside the Iron Bull. "I suppose they'll want to talk about the situation in Redcliffe."

Cassandra nodded her head. "To discover that the rebel mages have sided with Tevinter, especially after Grand Enchanter Fiona came to us to ask for our aid… well let's just say Commander Cullen and Leliana are most likely chomping at the bit to find out the details."

"Very well, I'll meet with them right away," Aeren said.

"I should be there as well," Dorian spoke up. "I know the details of what's going on."

"Which you told us," Aeren said turning his full attention to Dorian. "Unless you and Felix left something out when you were explaining the situation."

Dorian resisted the urge to flinch under Aeren's sudden hawk-like gaze. "N-no I did but I can clarify any confusion that might occur after your advisors hear about the situation."

"Somehow I doubt that will go over well with them," the Iron Bull commented. 

"I know that for a fact," Cassandra said. "It would be best if after the meeting, if any of them had further questions, they could ask you, Dorian."

Dorian wanted to argue with Cassandra but held his tongue. He was still an outsider; for all they knew, he could still be gathering information- have an alternative motive that would cause disruption within the council. Dorian finally nodded his head and started thinking of ways to listen in on the meeting. It'd be highly suspicious behavior, however, he'd be able to hear what the Herald's advisors really thought about the situation in Redcliffe.

"Don't think too hard about it, kid," Varric reassured, clapping him on his back. "I can show you around, introduce you to the rest of the gang."

Dorian made a noise of affirmation and started planning how he was going to now sneak away from Varric of all people. "Perhaps it'd be best if I ate something first?" Dorian asked.

"I could go for a drink myself," Bull said. "Gotta get a report from my crew but then I could meet you at the tavern."

Dorian shifted awkwardly at the mention of the Iron Bull's crew. There were more Qunari here in Haven? "Your crew?"

Bull laughed. "The Iron Bull's Chargers. Bunch of assholes, but they're my assholes."

For some reason hearing Bull sound so jovial about his crew made Dorian feel more comfortable. But it didn't deter from the fact that Dorian now realized he had a small window of opportunity to get away from Varric and to the Herald's meeting with his advisors because once the Iron Bull joined them Dorian knew he wouldn't be getting away so easily. 

Aeren clapped his hands. "So Cassandra and I'll be off to the Chantry for that simply delightful meeting that I'm so excited about attending, Bull is going to his Chargers and Varric and Dorian get to eat," his lip quivered as he turned towards Cassandra once more, "are you sure I can't at least get something to eat before this thing?"

Cassandra scoffed and Dorian wondered if it was Cassandra's default expression. "You should still have that goat jerky you purchased before we left the Hinterlands," she said.

"But Cassandra," Aeren drew out the vowels of her name in a whine, "that's emergency food in case we can't get some."

She gave him a blank look as they reached the end of the slope. "Seems you've found your emergency."

Dorian split his attention between listening to Varric point out different locations in Haven and taking in all the stares he was receiving from the village folk. He didn't look terribly different from them at first glance but Dorian could quickly see the differences. His clothes were a higher quality; having unnecessary decorative belts and bits of leather and fur while definitely Dorian's style, wasn't abundant in the people of Haven. It could also be the staff strapped against his back. Mages were still being oppressed and were always watched warily as if they were going to turn into demons at a moments notice.

Or they could tell he was from Tevinter, it could always be that. His safest bet was to stay close to Varric until he found an opportunity to leave and try and listen in on that meeting.

"-And that's the merchant here in Haven, he's an ass and jack's up his prices but he does have some good quality stuff if you can afford it. But if you ask me," Varric laughed and pointed back outside the gates, "just buy some schematics from Seggrit and take them to Harritt and have him make them. Takes a while to collect some materials but the Herald stops for elfroot every five minutes so you'll have plenty of time to get stuff." 

Dorian's ears grew hot and he turned to look away from the dwarf. "I did notice Aeren's… affinity to collecting elfroot but I thought it might have been an elf thing."

"Are you kidding me? Every time he stops I can hear Sera's complaining and Solas looks physically pained."

"Well that's different."

"Different strokes for different folks. Guess plants don't get 'em going." Dorian snorted and shook his head. Talking to Varric was easy. "Now, you want to actually eat something?"

"Oh um- sure?" He needed to sneak away, but this was his chance. "But I have to… relieve myself first."

Varric snorted and shook his head. "Say no more, pretty sure there's a chamber pot in the tavern somewhere in the back. Or you could pick a tree."

Dorian forced his grin to look relaxed. "A tree sounds a bit better to me."

"Well I'll be in the tavern getting some grub, come join me when you're done." Varric patted him on the back and started walking away. "Gotta introduce you to Sera, she spends all her time there."

Dorian wasted no time before he was headed for the Chantry. He tried to look as calm and confident as he could manage, refusing to make eye contact with any of the people who might've been looking at him. He saw a livid looking Grand Chancellor speaking heatedly to a harried group of soldiers who looked like they wanted to be anywhere else.

"-it's bad enough that this Inquisition is allowing for the Divine's killer to walk around freely without even a slap on the wrist but to have the audacity to-" 

Dorian blocked out the rest of the man's speech as he reached the large double doors. He felt oddly proud of himself, that he managed to get this far without any issues. Perhaps he had gotten lucky.

Shimmying in through the small space he created he made his way inside. It was dark and smelt heavily of musty paper, wax, and potpourri; exactly how the Chantry in Redcliffe had smelled. He hoped Felix was doing alright. He could almost see the teasing grin on his brother's face when they’d get up to mischief and his fake reprimands to appease Alexius while he gave Dorian a thumbs up once Alexius looked away. He missed Felix so much.

He confidently walked to the doors on the far wall. He knew that confidence fooled plenty of people that you knew exactly what you were doing and that you were supposed to do it. He did notice a woman dressed extravagantly in the finest fashion from Val Royeaux giving him detached curious looks but she didn't make any moves toward him so he counted it as a win.

Once he was at the door he absentmindedly leaned his head against the door, pressing his ear against the surface to try and hear what was going on. It was obvious he was listening in on the meeting but he hadn't thought of what he was going to do once he had gotten this far. And no one had stopped him yet. Perhaps his age for once might be an advantage rather than a hindrance and people would brush it off as a curious child. 

Then again, he hadn’t recalled seeing anyone remotely his age since he’d entered Haven. He shoved his worries aside and pressed his ear harder against the door. 

“-Either we find another way in, or give up this nonsense and go get the Templars,” A man argued. Dorian grimaced, he wasn’t liking how this was sounding.

“Redcliffe is in the hands of a Magister. This cannot be allowed to stand,” Cassandra said firmly.

“The letter from Alexius asked for the Herald of Andraste by name. It’s an obvious trap,” Another woman interjected, her voice heavily accented.

“I was actually wondering about that, why does he know my name?” Aeren asked. “Didn’t even think Magisters bothered to learn elves’s names.”

“Perhaps not in most cases, but you aren’t most elves,” The heavily accented woman said. 

Aeren didn’t give a verbal response to that statement, instead letting out a sigh to show his displeasure. “Whatever, what’s important is coming to an agreement on this. We’re just wasting time fighting among ourselves.”

“A Tevinter controls Redcliffe, invites us to the castle to talk, and some of us want to do nothing.” This woman’s voice was accented as well, but this one he could place geographically. Those from Val Royeaux had a very distinct accent.

“Not this again,” the other woman muttered.

“It’s like I’m dealing with children,” Aeren mumbled. He must have been standing closest to the door because Dorian doubted he would have heard the elf otherwise.

“Redcliffe castle is one of the most defensible fortresses in Ferelden. It has repelled thousands of assaults,” the man stated simply before lowering his voice. “If you go in there, you’ll die. And we’ll lose the only means we have of closing these rifts. I won’t allow it.”

Dorian could understand the man’s hesitation especially with the fate of the rest of humanity relying on the Herald’s mark to close the rifts. That didn’t mean he agreed with the man though, especially with how quick the man was willing to cast the mages aside in favor of the Templars. 

“And if we don’t even try to meet Alexius, we lose the mages and leave a hostile foreign power on our doorstep!” The Val Royeaux woman insisted. At least someone understood what was at stake if they ignored Alexius and cast aside the mages. 

“Even if we could assault the keep, it would be for naught,” the accented woman spoke up again, “An ‘Orlesian’ Inquisition’s army marching into Ferelden would provoke a war. Our hands are tied.”

Cassandra didn’t seem to agree. “The Magister-”

“Has outplayed us,” the man said sternly.

Aeren seemed to be at his wits end with the discussion as he spoke up. “The Magister’s son, Felix, told me Alexius is in a cult that’s obsessed with me.” The Herald’s amusement was clear in his voice. “I doubt they’ll graciously receive our apologies and go about their business. Typically not how cults are usually run.” Dorian doubted Aeren knew much about what cults were really like, but his comment did seem to lessen the tension that was going on in the room the group was in.

“They’ll remain a threat, and a powerful one, unless we act,” the Val Royeaux woman plainly said. 

Dorian was nodding his head at what he was hearing. Finally the meeting seemed to be on the right path to coming to a decision in the mages’s favor. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if the Inquisition decided that they would side with the Templars over the mages. Try to take Alexius down himself he supposed, try to wriggle himself back into Alexius’s favor to get the man’s defenses down so that he and Felix could take care of him. 

He was stopped from his eavesdropping when a shadow loomed over him. For a moment his heart stopped and he wondered if it was the Iron Bull that’d found him somehow, but the shadow was much too slim to be the Qunari. He tilted his head up and met the gaze of the fashionable woman he’d seen near the front of the Chantry when he’d entered the building. She didn’t seem too interested in what he was doing, but Dorian didn’t believe that disinterest for a minute. He’d worn similar facial expressions at numerous parties he hadn’t wanted to go to until he’d discovered that he could slip away with Felix or Maevaris if he pretended he didn’t want to be there. 

“And what are you doing all the way back here, child?” the woman asked.

Dorian looked at her imploringly and tried to put on his most innocent face. “I was just… curious. About the Herald. He uh… Varric mentioned that he and his advisors were having an important meeting and well I um… wanted to hear it from the source?” He was a fool and wished he’d learned how to be a honey tongued snake like his peers had been. 

She seemed to ignore his verbal stumble and gave him a small smile, like one gave a particularly amusing animal. “In other words, you’re the company the Herald brought back with him after his trip to Redcliffe.”

“H-how-?”

“Oh dear, people often forget the walls have ears and that fashion is an instant identifier.”

Oh she was good. She played the game with the grace of one who was well versed in all the ins-and-outs of the rules. “There was no point lying to her at this point. “I know exactly what is going on in Redcliffe and how crucial it is that the Herald side with the mages.”

She nodded. “The mages have their leashes too loose in Redcliffe. They feel too invincible. To allow that to continue and further excommunicating them to this freedom would be detrimental to getting things back into order.”

Dorian stared at the woman. “A-are you implying that the Inquisition should side with the mages to reinstate the Circles?”

“Hm, at least some sort of control needs to be put into action, but I doubt the mages will stand to go completely back to the Circles.”

With good reason, Dorian thought but didn’t voice. “Not that this isn’t a riveting talk, but I was busy listening in on the meeting.”

“Which you aren’t supposed to be doing.”

“Be that as it may, I would appreciate being able to continue listening if it’s all the same to you…”

“Madame De Fer, Enchanter to the Imperial Court of Orlais.”

Dorian stood a bit straighter and nodded at her respectfully. “Dorian of House Pavus.”

She raised an eyebrow at his name. “You are a far way from home, Dorian.”

“I’m here to do what needs to be done.”

She sent him that amused smile again. “See that you do.” And with that she walked away as if their conversation had never happened. He didn’t waste anymore time and instead tuned back into the meeting behind the door. 

“-their focused on Lavellan, we break the magister’s defenses. It could work, but it’s a huge risk,” the man said. He sounded much calmer than he did previously.

“I can definitely do distractions,” Aeren cheered. 

“It’s a huge risk,” the man emphasized.

“Come now Commander, ye have little faith in my ability to get on people’s nerves.”

“Trust me we’re plenty aware of this ability of yours,” Cassandra said blandly. Dorian had to bite his lip to stop himself from barking out a laugh. Cassandra didn’t hold back her opinions at all.

He was waiting to hear more when he felt a hand against his shoulder. Dorian tensed and turned to look at the soldier who looked at him with confusion. “You’re not supposed to do that,” he said. “This is a meeting between the Herald and his advisors, he’ll give his orders once everything’s been sorted out.”

Dorian shook his head. “I have information about the magister in Redcliffe and his methods.” He prayed that this was one of Leliana’s scouts who knew about the situation in Redcliffe. The soldier blinked at him and looked between Dorian and the door like it held a complicated problem that he was trying to solve. “I just want to be able to offer my aid to them.”

The soldier warred with himself for only a moment more before he pushed open the door to the meeting room. The room instantly quieted and Dorian forced himself to not shrink away from suddenly being the subject of everyone’s attention. He could feel Cassandra’s glare and the exasperated look being sent his way by Aeren. 

The soldier cleared his throat and gestured to Dorian. “He says he has information about the magister and his methods, Commander.”

The Commander didn’t seem to know how to take him his face going from a stern gaze to outright confusion. But he gestured to Dorian to speak.

“Your spies will never get past Alexius’s magic without my help,” Dorian said. It was true, Alexius had always been good at wards and he doubted any old mage would know how to create a hole in them without disrupting the whole spell or attracting Alexius attention. “So if you’re going after him, I’m coming along.”

“This mission could mean life or death for the entire Inquisition, and you’re a child,” the Commander said, not unkindly. 

“I’m fully capable of holding my own.” He wasn’t going to budge on this. He was coming along whether they wanted him to or not. “I’m coming along.”

The Commander seemed to want to argue further with him, but he turned his attention to Aeren who was pinching the bridge of his nose. “The plan puts you in the most danger. We can’t, in good conscience, order you to do this.” The Commander paused before continuing on, his focus completely on the Herald. “We can still go after the Templars if you’d rather not play the bait. It’s up to you.”

Dorian opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced by an elbow hitting his shoulder. He turned to see Aeren giving a manic grin to the room. “And pass up the opportunity to be asked to be annoying? I think not.”

The rest of the group nodded and started to sort out the finer details. Dorian quietly took steps to the door only to be stopped by a hand grasping his shoulder. He was getting tired of being stopped like that. 

“If this meeting is adjourned, I think Dorian and I will grab something to eat, won’t we Dorian,” Aeren said. It wasn’t a question but rather a fact that Dorian wasn’t going to get away from. The Herald walked with him out of the room, his hand never leaving his shoulder. 

Dorian squirmed under Aeren’s hold. “A-aeren I-”

“I understand why you did it, but you really could’ve gotten in trouble.” The Herald sounded tired. “I really was going to let you know what the verdict was when the meeting concluded.”

“I couldn’t guarantee that you’d choose the mages.”

“You couldn’t do that eavesdropping either.”

Dorian shrugged. “I figured if it was going badly and sounded like you were picking the Templars I could burst in and try to convince them otherwise.”

Aeren laughed. “You think causing a scene would change their choice?”

“Felix always said that I had a nact for dramatics, I felt it wouldn’t hurt my chances.”

Aeren looked considering. “Huh, I guess that might have worked a little. But you’re still in trouble.” Dorian sputtered but Aeren plowed on. “For what you just pulled, I’ll be taking you to the Tavern with me, have Varric and Bull scold you some while I eat. Then I’ll introduce you to the others.”

Dorian supposed he could live with that.  

[lynxgriffin]

Led Zeppelin was right all along

It’s my FINAL PIECE of KH3 commentary! That’s right, I’ve finished the game! Commentary for me finishing it is under the cut!

Okay guys, this is it

It’s time to finish this sucker

It’s time for all of my feelings to get curbstomped and then cracked in half over a knee

Turns out I’ve caught a cold so this might be tougher to do

But I’m still going to do it

AWAY. WE. GOOOOO

And after beating this gummi boss again…

Ahhh there he is at last

The old fart

…So weird that it’s not Leonard Nimoy though

Xehanort: Let’s just try out this whole apocalypse thing and see how it goes

It’s rainin’ Heartless, hallelujah

LMAO there isn’t even an enemy counter, it’s just:

ENEMIES. YES, ALL OF THEM. ALL THE TIME. FOREVER

And I just blew up ten million Heartless with a train, THIS IS THE SHINIEST APOCALYPSE EVER

Ohh, once again, hate that tunnel

IT’S A TRAP

At least Aqua didn’t fall for that

Oh dang he’s got No Name there

NOOOO SUNSHINE BOY

Oh well now that’s cheating

FUKYEAH GOOFY

Donald’s fukkin pissed

Did Donald just Megaflare this bitch

ArE yoU kiDDinG mE

Oh great, one of you again

Aqua: Never mind, that is way damn too many Heartless

HE SCREAM, AGAIN

SORA PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER WE’RE STILL EARLY IN FINAL BATTLE MODE

Well that was five different layers of OH SHIT

Oh hey back at that chess metaphor HI AGAIN YOUNG ERAQUS

Wait the hell kind of chess move was that

MEANWHILE, BACK ON THE SALT FLATS

ThE FINAL WORLD, HUH

Chirithy!!!!

Chirithy: So yeah you’ve kinda died a couple times previously just by being unconscious a lot

Sora: YEAH WELL time to get back to life

Sora: THERE’S PUZZLES IN HEAVEN, TOO??

THERE’S PUZZLES IN HEAVEN YUP, BETTER GET TO THAT

Ohhhh no the sparkly stars are KHUX Keykids, aren’t they :(((

Ugh it’s the little star soul stories that are getting to me :(

Sora bein’ a pal even to all the souls in heaven, gosh darn

OH SURE JUST KEEP THAT FROM THE AUDIENCE

OMG this soul is longing for his kismesis, what a nerd

“What a weird place” YEAH NO SHIT

Well it’s nice to see THESE Soras are having a great time

Perhaps this game was taking the idea of Sorabits a tad too literally

Also actually two quick questions here:

1) Why is Chirithy in heaven?

2) Sora were you instagramming from heaven??

Sora: So heaven’s been a trip and all but I’ve still got endgame to do, STAY COOL FUZZY FRIEND

Wait a bloop it sent him back in time too??

Insert 2001 Space Odyssey reference here

Oh now we’re in DIFFERENT heaven??

Okay yeah now I have no clue where we’re going from here

Man here I was expecting to fight all the Norts and instead it’s…Heartless…Grim Reaper

I’m starting to suspect this is not the real Jiminy

This is kind of a weird callback to KH1, innit

Yeah I was just wondering that myself

Oh hey Youngnort

See? Grim Reaper Heartless, I knew it

I gotta say that after Sora dying and going to KH heaven this is…kinda weirder coming afterwards

I’m kind of worried about where this is going

This is like Three Days of the Condor, I TRUST NO ONE

WE FINALLY GOT A TITLE CRAWL???

WHELP. ROUND TWO, I GUESS

Guys, let’s…let’s not do this again

You ever get a sense of deja vu

OHOHOHOOOOO THIS IS DIFFERENT

“WHO ARE YOU??” “I’M YOU BUT STRONGER”

Terra: I’ll kick every ass! I’ll kick your ass! I’LL KICK MY OWN ASS

Gad damn the bullshit never stops around here, does it

We’ve done this before but I DUN CARE since this is my favorite boss battle music

Meanwhile the Unreal Engine’s just huffing and puffing trying to keep up

:O!!! EPHEMER!!

WHATRE U DOIN IN A HEARTLESS TORNADO

And all the dead Keykids came to help!

Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyy goooooooooooosh

HAHA SO THAT’S HOW THEY INTEGRATED THOSE PEOPLE THAT WON THE THING

Congrats Keykids, U ARE ATTACKS

That’s…that’s really sweet actually

That’s a whole lot of Unicornis and Vulpes in there

OMG I was so busy watching those names I didn’t even realize I was supposed to avoid dying

FINALLY CURAGA???

I dunno Lea that was already a pretty big bad

Aw darn they Norted Repliku

Or wait no Pastku?

Pastku you’re such a little shit

Lea: That wasn’t blundering! That was failing, WITH STYLE

HE LOOM

Unreal Engine: Please…help…I’m dying Squirtle

Oh hey FINALLY super powerful magic users like Yen Sid get involved!

And Moses parted the Heartless Sea

And hey finally got Starlight!

Well ain’t this a familiar setup

I miss Leonard Nimoy :(

Well I’m glad we get to save and shop before we all die horribly!

….Wait haven’t we all already died horribly??

FINALLY We get to fight some Norts!!

Took out Xigbar first

Yeah Xigbar I’m really not sure all that hoohah was worth it

Are we gonna do this for each one or do we have to pick and choose?

Oh well that takes care of Pastku so maybe not

SKIRT RIKU VS SKIRT RIKU

Oh that’s creepy actually

OH NO! Repliku :(((

Sora…you just gonna leave that…okay

So now we got some Neophytes to deal with

Well I was gonna go after Mar first but I guess Luxord is our opponent now

AW DAMN I hated this part from before!

Oh wait that wasn’t hard at all you just look behind those stupid cards

Luxord: Well it’s been fun, time to die

Why does everyone’s teeth look blue??

Really liking all these remixes of the old boss themes tho

Aaaaand down goes Mar

And what’s nice is partners have mostly worn down the last Nort present!

Larx is an asshole to the very end

Door puzzles ohhhh nooooooo

Well thank goodness we worked out that nonsense

Who to help first? REDHEAD SQUAD

If that’s Xion I’m going to be SO UPSET

At least we get to fight WITH Kairi even if not as her

Lea is SO ANGER

Ohhhhh BUUUUUURN

Oh well that ain’t good

XION NOOOOOOOOOO

Absolutely not, Xemnas!!

*throws hands in the air* OHHHHHHHH

HE KNOWS

Oh fuck you Xemnas HDU

Ohhhhh sheeeeeeet

THE BOY IS BACK

JUST STAB ME IN THE HEART WITH THE OTHER PROMISE, OKAY

Called out by Roxas daaaayum

Gah dammit not again! STOP DOING KAIRI DIRTY

GET READY FOR: TRIPLE KEYKIDS ASSKICKIN

Hot damn but it’s satisfying to beat the crap out of Saix with Sora, Roxas and Xion all at once while The Other Promise just blasts in the background

Lea: I’m not mad I’m just disappointed

Awww maaaaaan

OH GOSH SEASALT TRIO HUG

THEY’RE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN SOB SOB

Now to the Wayfinder family! Took out Vanyeetas first!

Sora: Hey WTF that’s my face you got

Yeah I gotta agree I don’t know which part of that was okay honestly

WHELP no time to think on it gotta take out Terranort

Since we got back Roxas and Xion can we finally get Terra back??

Sora: TERRA PLEASE STOP, IT’S TOO WEIRD

OHHHHHHH!! OH OH OH

That was metal as all hell

YAAAAAAY

WAYFINDER FAMILY IS HERE

Ohhhh gooooosh

Everyone’s together and I’m full of rainbows

MAN so we got…three Norts left, don’t we

Guess the only way out of this is up

What we’ve just been cloning No Name the whole time??

Okay, FOUR left, we gotta deal with Ansem, Xemnas and Youngnort first

Oh sheesh that was Youngnort dying, thought it was me for a second

Youngnort: Just one last piece of cryptic bullshit to leave you with! BYYYYEEEE

Aaaand that’s Ansem down

Ansem: Must…pontificate more…before…I die

Haha took out Xemnas with flying rocket punch nanobots

Xemnas: Regrets…I’ve had a few…

But then again, too few to mention?

Sora: Life is pain, Xemnas! Anyone who says otherwise is Norting you

Oh boy oh boy, all we have left now is…the old fart…

Oh this is gonna piss me off good, ain’t it

YUP, I’M PISSED

YOU DONE HER DIRTY AGAIN

Nomura do we need to sit you down as a group and learn you some things about NOT DOING THAT

That was…kind of a cool moment I guess?? BUT I’M STILL MAD

Oh shitcakes

The world to come is death from above I guess

Donald and Goofy just coming in like “Hey…what’d we miss?”

I’m honestly really glad they’re here tho, TRINITY ALLLLL THE WAY

The whole gang here together again IRONING OUT THE PLOT POINTS

Trophy here???

OH HEY WE’RE BACK HERE

A town of nothing but Norts

OH I forgot THESE WEIRDOS were in trailers somehow

The hell is happening anymore

An Organization so nice we fought ‘em twice!

The scary music is playing but I have no clue where to goooo

Well it took me five minutes just to find the dang guys before Thundaga finished them off

Oh really now!

ONE MORE TITLE CRAWL FOR Y’ALL

HE WAS AN ANGRY GOAT WHO SAW THE MOVIE INCEPTION ALL ALONG

SHEESH that was a nutty battle that took awhile

Well I think I won THAT battle anyway

Is this gonna be a THAT WASN’T EVEN MY FINAL FORM or what

More callbacks!

This is the fight that never eeeeends, yes it goes on and on my frieeeends

OH that was fuckin weird but COOL

I LOVE THE TRINITY

EVERYONE ELSE AGAIN TOO

HAHA OH DAMN

EVEN ERAQUS GETS TO REAPPEAR

Yaaay my favorite terrible dad

That look from Eraqus OMG

Babbeh Eraqus so cute

Now YOU get the goofy apocalypse weapon, Sora!

More dad reconciliations sob

Oh gosh I’m so glad we get this before we end

ohhhh noooo

Oh no you know shit’s serious when you enter a blocked scene

DOES EVERYONE FINALLY GET TO GO HOME NOW

Man everything’s just so shiny now

A CHIRITHY FOUND A VEN

NEW OUTFITS FOR SEASALT GANG FINALLY

THE EXPANDED SEASALT GANG

YAAAY NAMINE BACK

LET HER LIVE HER LIFE NOW

MOTHAFOCKIN BEACH PARTY FOR EVERYONE YES

FOR REALLY EVERYONE FOR REAL??

Also dang sing us out Utada

*points and points* THAT? FINAL SHOT???

WHERE’S THE BOY

What did you do to my son Nomura

LOOK IF YOU’RE GONNA POP HIM OUT LIKE THAT I AT LEAST WANT TO BE VALIDATED FOR MY THEORIES

THE CREDITS ARE ROLLING AND THERE’S STILL THINGS I FEEL LIKE I’M MISSING

Also just interjecting here but damn that endgame was so long IT FELT LIKE A WHOLE ‘NOTHER GAME

And now the pretty march music with the Super Longer Credits—I CAN’T BELIEVE DRAKE BELL WAS YOUNG ERAQUS

*points* WHY IS FURRY SQUAD VOICED HERE??

Well if nothing else gonna get me a kickass OST out of this

HERE we go, post credits stuff

Here’s the Furry Squad!

LUXU WAS XIGBAR WELL OKAY

What fresh bullshit is thiiiiiiis

OH HEY WE’D ALMOST FORGOTTEN ABOUT THEM

Hey where is Ava

Oh fuuuuuck yoooou Luxugbar

Whaaaaaaaat

THE BOY

SHIBUYA????????????

*throws hands in the air* I GOT NOTHIN FOLKS

I GOT ABSOLUTELY NOTHIN

THE END PAGE!!!! SURE AS HELL IS WHAT THAT IS

OKAY SO LIKE

PLEASE, HELP ME OUT HERE, SECRET ENDING

IS THE NEXT GAME JUST GONNA STRAIGHT UP BE VERUM REX?

NOPE THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAT’S JUST IT

WELL THAT WAS

A WHOLE DAMN LOT WASN’T IT

Nomura I am in fact going to die and go to your house and haunt it and push all of your things off shelves like a cat

ALL OF THE THINGS

OFF OF. YOUR SHELVES.

Okay so overall I did really enjoy the game but also I’m just ????

?????????

??????

Like my reaction is pretty much just

LATER NERDS THIS HAS BEEN LYNX SUFFERS THROUGH KINGDOM HEARTS 3

I HOPE YOU HAD FUN CAUSE I DID

I think I’m gonna go lie down now

[chosenkeepersworld]

The Beginnings of a Blending

Original Work

Word Count: 1100 words

Date Posted: July 31, 2021

Author’s Note: Unbeta’d but I hope you guys still like it and as always I love hearing your thoughts about my work so comments are always appreciated.

I will also be taking a bit of break from my main story The Curses We Inherit, so there will not be any updates on that for September. I need some time to rest up and refresh my mind. Thanks so much for understanding, guys. Have an awesome day!

She rubbed her hands together, looking conspiratorially at her audience before lifting them up into the air, releasing a shower of sparks. The other kids looked up in awe, smiling and giggling all the while. Eris grinned as she continued to pull out more tricks.

The little ball of light glowed softly as it continued sending magic in the air. Eris cautiously dropped her hands, trying to keep the ball afloat without her hands, grinning when it stayed.

“Dragonfly”

The young girl perked up when she heard the nickname. Her father stood at a short distance, grinning at her. Her brown eyes widened and her jaw dropped. The small orb of light began to fall until Eris turned her attention to it once again.

When father was close enough, the little brunette wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug with a squeal “Daddy! You’re back!”

“And I missed my favorite girl. Were you good while I was away?”

“Yup! And I’ve been practicing my magics” she puffed out her chest with her hands on her hips.

He chuckled, “I can see that, little dragonfly. You’re making very good progress with your powers.”

She grinned at him “How was your trip?”

“Oh I had a grand time. The sights were beautiful, the food was delicious and the people were a joy to be around.” He reached out and ruffled her hair “But nothing beats being home here with you”

She smiled softly and tightened her arms around her father.

“Let’s go home?”

The older man pursed his lips , turning his eyes upwards “Actually, I was thinking we should stay a little longer”

Eris’ eyes brightened at that “Really?”.

The Night Market was an event that happens twice a month, weather permitting of course, but considering her father often travelled when the Market happens this was an opportunity that Eris considered to be incredibly rare. Father and daughter went about the rest of the afternoon, going from stall to stall, playing games, trying samples of food and watching performers entertain the crowds.

When the sun was halfway set, Eris’ father had decided it was time for them to go home. When they were close, the older man paused to crouch in front of the small girl.

“Eris” the tone in her father’s voice made the child pause, it wasn’t often he’d speak so seriously with her. Her father wasn’t a serious person, preferring to joke and tease others, especially family and friends.

“What is it, Daddy?”

“Dragonfly, you remember Nina don’t you”

The moment that woman’s name came out of her father’s mouth Eris’ mouth dropped into a frown. Yes, of course Eris remembered that woman, she met her once or twice, usually seeing her with Eris’ father around town. She was...nice enough, but Eris was not a fan of how that woman looked and touched her father.

There was definitely something going on with them but she never made it her business to know. She really didn’t want to know.

“Yeah?” Eris’ tone was cautious.

“I’ve invited her for dinner” at which the young girl froze and stared up at her father in horror. She could feel the bubble of magic that rose with her emotions, as a child it was easy for her emotions to get the better of her, causing her magic to get rather explosive.

“Eris…” he cautioned, his expression hardening. There weren’t many things that her father was strict with but when it comes to magic he never takes it easy on her.

Eris tensed, steadily breathing in and out. She could feel herself and her magic calming down. The young girl let out one last breath before looking up at her father once again.

“Okay so she’s coming to dinner. That’s perfectly fine” it wasn't very convincing..

“Actually Nina and her son will be joining us”

At that Eris’ eyes widened in surprise “She has a what?’

Her father chuckled, coming closer and wrapping an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “Yes, she has a son about your age. What’s developing with Nina and I is getting more and more serious and we thought that it may be time to get our children involved.”

Eris nodded slowly but kept silent. They entered their home, the young girl immediately running the sanctuary of her room. Her father followed her with his eyes and when she was out of sight, he sighed and began to prepare for tonight’s battle.

The sound of the doorbell made Eris freeze. Her father turned to her with a grin “They’re here. Finish and wash up here, dragonfly”

The young girl nodded with a tense smile that dropped the second her father was out of sight. She had debated about doing something to the food but knew her father would not be pleased if she ruined this tonight. Eris sighed and finished up before joining her father and their guests.

Their guests stood by the entryway, Nina with her blonde hair curled and a grin on her lips. Her son was at her side, looking just as happy. Eris felt a curl of displeasure in her belly, it looks like she was the only one upset by all this.

Her father turned to her and grinned “There’s my girl. Eris, come meet our guests”

The dark haired child stepped forward, plastering a fake smile on her face as she stood at her father’s side.

“Eris, you know Nina” her father gestured to the older woman.

“Of course” Eris smiled at the older woman “It’s nice to see you again, Nina”

Nina chuckled and moved to take the girl in her arms. Eris let out an “oof”, tensing. Either Nina didn’t notice or simply ignored it. She continued hugging the young girl “It’s so good to see you again, Eris.” Nina stepped back to place her hands on her son’s shoulders “This is my son, Zephyr”

Her son had the same dirty blond hair as his mother, and the oddest eyes Eris had ever seen. They were a dark brown, flecked with light blue. Zephyr smiled politely.

“Cool to meet you too” she greeted him awkwardly

Her father stepped closer to Nina, offering his arm “Shall we move this little party to the dining room?” The couple laughed and smiled as they moved to their destination with Nina’s son close behind them.

Eris followed them after a beat, sitting next to her father, across Zephyr. As the young faerie wasn’t plotting to ruin tonight, it would go well.

And it would have, if a crow hadn’t hit the window during their meal.

[awkwardwritersyndrome]

Chapter 3: The Earth Queen

The morning sun is starting to get hot. Bumi and Kai sharpen their new airbending skills but it’s proving to be hard for an old beardog to learn new tricks. Kai out-maneuvers Bumi and knocks him off his feet as Korra, Asami, and Jinora look on. Moments later the airship glides over the inner wall of Ba Sing Se and floats over the lower ring. All the passengers on the ship can smell the filth and squalor down below. Bolin cringes at the thought of his dad growing up in this place. The middle and upper rings are drastically different, revealing a cruel caste system in the great Earth Kingdom. A bad feeling creeps up Korra’s spine but she can’t quite figure what it is.

As the airship landed, Grand Secretariat Gun shuffled towards the visiting aircraft. As passengers filed down the ramp he greeted them quickly before listing off a host of rules. It sounded as if the queen didn’t even want visitors based on all the stipulations put in place before meeting her. Korra remarked that there were “an awful lot of rules,” with a perturbed frown. 

Gun ignored her complaint and rushed the guests to hide the animals before the highly allergic queen spotted them. He then hurried Korra out of the guest house and across the estate to the queen’s topiary. When the Avatar stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the garden, whirlpools, and walkways, the queen was berating her servants. Garden keepers hustled about rearranging earth at their queen’s request. Korra had never met someone so rude and demanding. 

Queen Hou-Ting seemed disinterested in actually hearing what the Avatar had to say. In fact, she requested a favor from Korra before agreeing to help her. She claimed she had tax money stored in a nearby town that had been overrun with outlaws. If Korra retrieved the money, Hou-Ting would have the Dai Li help find any new airbenders in the city. 

Despite feeling unsettled by the queen’s character, the young Avatar agreed to retrieve the money. When she returned to the guest house everyone was looking for Kai. He was missing and Mako was pretty confident he was up to no good. Despite his bad track record, Tenzin argued that such a young kid should not be left to fend for himself. Korra suggested that Mako and Bolin search for Kai, Tenzin and Jinora wait at the house in case he returned, and her and Asami would go retrieve the queen’s money. 

“Sounds like a plan,” said Asami as she stepped toward Korra.”If we take the airship we can be back by this evening.”

Korra liked the idea of them teaming up for an important Avatar mission. Katara used to tell stories all the time about her and Aang working together before they defeated Ozai. They did serious stuff like take down the Fire Nation factory that was polluting a nearby river village. But they also did fun stuff together like penguin sledding. 

A subtle smile formed on Korra’s face until she remembered that Aang and Katara were a couple. Her own thoughts made her blush. “Yup, okay, good. Sounds great. I’m just gonna...head...somewhere else...to get ready,” Korra stammered before jetting off to avoid anyone noticing how red her face was.

That afternoon the two women left Ba Sing Se to find the secluded vault. 

Looking out at the vast rugged land beyond the city’s walls, Asami wondered, “Are you sure we shouldn’t have bought more people to collect the tax money?”

“Royal Guard’s waiting at the vault,” Korra explained. “I doubt anything will happen. I think her majesty just likes ordering me around.”

Asami raised one brow at her friend. “You mean someone can actually tell you what to do?”

“Hey. I’m not that stubborn...Am I?” Korra was at it again, asking questions she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to.

The CEO’s face softened and she giggled. “No. I’m just messing with you. When it comes to the most important stuff, you’re the first person looking for sound advice. I admire that about you.” Asami wasn’t sure if her compliment came off weird so her posture stiffened and she trained her eyes on the skies outside the windows.

Korra didn’t even notice, she was just flattered by her friend’s words. “That means a lot coming from you,” she said. 

“Coming from me? What does that mean,” Asami probed. 

Then it was Korra wondering if she had said something odd. She tried to explain her thinking. “I just mean that you’re so successful to be 19. I spent my whole life on a compound training to be the Avatar and I’m not even all that good at it. It’s just impressive, is all.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck as it started to sweat from nervousness. This friendship thing was harder than people made it out to be. No wonder Asami was her first true best friend. 

“I never thought of my success as my own. Most of what I have was handed down from my father. Now that his legacy is tarnished, I feel like I’m at square one. I haven’t accomplished anything on my own,” Asami replied with a defeated tone.

“No way! You’ve accomplished a lot since your father went to prison,” Korra rebutted. She grabbed each of the other woman’s arms just above the elbow and craned her neck downward to look into those bright green eyes. “You made the mecha suits mass producible. You dug Future Industries out of debt after its reputation was ruined. You revamped the airship division and you hammered out a deal with the world’s craziest business mogul. That’s all pretty amazing,” Korra insisted tenderly.

“Well that last one was mostly Bolin and kind of backfired on me, but I get your point.” Asami looked back into Korra’s blue eyes and realized how similar they were in being hard on themselves. “I could rattle off a similar list for you,” she sassed.

“Don’t worry, Tenzin beat you to it the day we finally found Daw. I guess I’m pretty hard on myself too,” the Avatar admitted as if she could read Asami’s mind. The two of them hovered near each other until the closeness felt hot and almost unbearable.

A ridge of mountains appeared on the horizon and they knew they were getting close. “I should land this thing,” Asami suggested bashfully, still standing with only inches between them.

Korra took a big step back and away from the helm so Asami could work her magic. “Right. Aye aye, captain,” she said awkwardly before making an about face towards the exit ramp.

The ship floated to a halt in the middle of the town where there were no buildings or homes. The duo quickly identified the vault and the Royal Guard and made their way over. The money was loaded onto a wheel barrel and three guards began walking it to the ship. Suddenly a red flare shot into the sky and the women immediately knew trouble was afoot. A hoard of outlaws with mopeds and an armored truck began speeding towards the guards and the money. Two earthbenders cartwheeled off their hotrods and hurled three boulders at the queen’s guards. They didn’t even attempt to fight and scurried away from the mob.

“So much for our escort,” Asami panned while sliding on her electrified glove.

“Maybe we should’ve bought everybody,” Korra added, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. 

The pair dashed towards the money and made their stand. A battle ensued, two against twelve. Korra crumbled the ground beneath the outlaws and sent them all stumbling backwards. Two men gunned it towards Asami but she propelled herself over them in a flying roundoff and tased them with her glove. As she stuck the landing, an air strike narrowly caught another bandit as he reached out to grab her. The industrialist looked over and saw Korra was covering her blindspots. The two advanced towards the few men left standing but they began to retreat. As the leader of the mob hopped on the back of the armored truck he yelled, “You’re on the wrong side of this fight, Avatar. That gold belongs to the people, not the queen.”

The proclamation echoed through Korra’s ears. “Why do I get the feeling that he’s right?”

They loaded the money onto the airship and returned to Ba Sing Se. Gun escorted Korra to the throne room to report her successes to Queen Hou-Ting. Turns out, Korra’s gut was right. The queen made up a lie that the Dai Li didn’t find any new airbenders and she asked the Avatar to leave the city. 

That was the last straw for the hot headed young woman. “You make me do your dirty work, extorting your own citizens, for your stupid palaces and topiaries and then you just want to send me away? We’re not going anywhere until we find some airbenders,” Korra hollered at Hou-Ting. The queen looked on silently and Korra added, “we know there are some here!”

The queen promptly banished Korra from her sight. Korra began to storm off but spun around and pointed her finger up at the throne like a deadly arrow. “This isn’t over. I’m going to find the airbenders!”

Korra burst into the guest house after stomping all the way across the estate. She was sporting a seriously contorted frown and tightly wound shoulders. When she got to the dining room she dropped her weight in the nearest chair and huffed in anger. Tenzin was asleep with Jinora and the brothers hadn’t returned yet. 

Asami was the only one around to comfort the young Avatar. She approached cautiously and announced herself calmly. Just hearing her soothing voice made Korra relax some. The younger woman let her scowl melt away and said “I’m glad to see someone I don’t want to punch.”

Asami winced at the thought of taking a hit delivered by Korra’s muscular arms. “I’m guessing the queen isn’t going to help us,” the businesswoman assumed.

“No! She isn’t! And I’m the total idiot that ran off to the middle of nowhere like her evil henchman. This search for the airbenders is a complete disaster,” Korra lamented. She folded her arms on the table and buried her head between them. She might have stayed like that all night if two soft hands didn’t take hold of her achy shoulders. A firm but gentle pressure relieved her muscles of knots and tension. Without knowing it she let out a guttural moan.

Asami smirked as her fingers undid the stress in her friend’s body. “How’s that,” she asked coyishly. 

“Huh?...It’s uh... really nice,” Korra crooned with delight. All the rigidity in her body was gone and all she could think of was the image of Asami delicately untangling string the other night. In that moment, Korra felt like she was a knotted mess of string herself.

Asami leaned against the table next to Korra and shared a caring smile. “You could use a real massage. I know a guy in Republic City if you’re interested.”

A drunken grin overtook Korra’s face and she nodded in agreement. 

The two women sat at the table while Korra described all the ways she disliked the Earth Queen. Asami challenged some of her poorly thought out grievances, but generally understood why Korra was so upset. They talked for several hours before they noticed the time. They decided to get some rest, so they both stood up at the same time. “I’m no masseuse, but I give good hugs,” Korra announced with open arms.

The other woman laughed and shifted her weight so she sort of fell into Korra’s arms for a hug. Each woman headed to a different side of the house to find their beds. Even as the night wore on in different rooms, the warm embrace left a tantalizing feeling in each of their heads.

Next Chapter

[rin412]

Happiness

~* A Samurai Love Ballad Party Fanfiction*~ ~*Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC (Rin)*~ ~*Warning! OOC Alert!*~

~Rin’s POV~

Morning. A bright sunlight comes directly to my eyes from the slightly opened door. Slowly, I’m trying to get up and rubs my sleepy eyes. Once my vision becomes more clear, I see a broad shoulder from behind a slightly opened door. A broad shoulder from the man that I love the most in this world who’s currently sitting in veranda.

Smiling to myself, I get on my feet and walk out from the room to kneel down behind him and close both of his eyes from behind, slowly whisper a sweet words to his ear, “Good morning, Lord Ieyasu.”

I can feel Lord Ieyasu is frowning, and he gently grab both of my wrists, sighing softly, “Sure you do have a better way to greet someone in the morning right, sleepyhead?”

I chuckle to myself, feel a bit embarassed that I let myself to overslept today as I position myself beside him and sit there while leaning my head on his shoulder, “I’m sorry. But whose fault was it again that I overslept today?”

“I wonder…”

“Right. And yet someone said last night that he couldn’t sleep without me.”

“……”

“I-I’m sorry, I went a bit overboard…”

Lord Ieyasu suddenly face me and cups my cheeks with both of his hands, “Someone sure knows how to bite me back these days. Do you wish for a punishment that you’re always craving for?”

“I suppose…” I can’t deny that what he said is really tempting me, but then again, I remember he must be has lots of things to do today, so I just say, “Maybe later, Milord.”

Lord Ieyasu’s eyes widen in surprise, “Oh? How unusual.”

“I can’t attempt to bother you longer than this. Surely, you have something to do today, right?”

“Well….” he pouts, like a child that got reminded of his homework. Ahaha, how cute.

“Now, please get ready and I shall prepare your breakfast.”

“And who do you think you are, giving me orders and stuffs?”

“Milord…. I’m just—“

“Here you are, Lord Ieyasu!” a voice comes closer to us, and we look up to see Lord Tadatsugu there, a flustered expression clear on his face, “I’ve been looking for you! I thought you’re in the main hall.”

Lord Ieyasu finally gets on his feet and faces Lord Tadatsugu with an annoyed sigh, “What do you want?”

“What do I want? I want you to please take care of your duties for today! We got lots of things to discuss for the next battle!”

“Ah, which remind me about that matter with Lord of Fools…”

And then, off he goes, while talking with Lord Tadatsugu. Meanwhile, I just sit there. Looking at the blue sky above, remember the words that Lord Tadatsugu said earlier.

“Next battle, huh…” I sigh. I don’t really like the thought of having to see him off to the war. Honestly,  if I can, I just want him to stay here. Peacefully, without have to go to a dangerous place. And yet, I know very well that it’s just a selfish demand.

That’s why…

I have to stay strong, and always give him the best smile. As wide as I can… even though it’s hard.

-later-

After got ready and change into my usual kimono, I’m preparing a breakfast as usual. Though, I was a bit embarassed to came into the kitchen earlier because of my overslept. But in the end, the maids didn’t mind at all. Instead, they were just teasing me. Oh dear, how embarassing.

A while later, I’m currently preparing strawberry daifuku for Lord Ieyasu as usual, until suddenly, a retainer came to the kitchen and said, “Lady Rin, you have a visitor.”

“Visitor?” I look up, and to my surprise, I see my friend there, peeking her head out from behind the wall with a cute grin. My best of the best friend I could ever have, “Aneee!!!!”

“Hi, Rin!!”

We’re both screaming, can’t contain our happiness to finally see each other after our busy days recently. It really has been a while, since I finally see her. Oh dear, I really don’t know what to say! Look at her, being even more cute than before! How I wish to squish her manju cheeks!

“Let’s talk outside! We can’t afford to disturb the maids here, right?” Ane says with a chuckle.

“Right.” I chuckle along with her as I face the maids in the kitchen, “Can I please leave the cooking to you all for a moment? Oh, for Lord Ieyasu’s strawberry daifuku, please.. let me be the one who make it.”

The maids nod, while giving me a teasing smile. Oh geez…!

-later-

I sit on veranda with Ane, enjoying the manju that she brought along with her. While munching on her manju, Ane says, “So, how are you, Rin?”

“As you can see, I’m all fine now.” I say too, with a smile.

“Glad to hear that. I was a bit worried, actually.”

“Worried?”

“Before, you looked really happy, I worried I might make you faint…!”

“Oh…” I smile wryly, knowing what she means now, “Don’t worry, with the medicines that I always take everyday, I’m pretty much better than before.”

“Really?”

“Yup!”

“So…. does Lord Ieyasu know about your disease already?”

I slowly shake my head, “No. And I hope he will never know.”

“You’re still like that, huh…”

“Ahaha…”

Yes, that’s right. Actually, I have a big secret. I have a disease, and to tell the truth, it’s quite a deadly one. I even surprised to see that I can survive up until now.

Apparently, the doctor said that I have a weak heart. So weak, in fact. That if my heart gets too pumped up, it might cause a heart attack. So that’s why, I can’t afford to be overly reacted on my emotions. Though, I still manage to express my feelings well, thanks to the medicines that the doctor gave to me.

The only one who knows about this, are only Ane and Lord Tadatsugu. Though, Lord Tadatsugu happened to know by accident when I was overjoyed to got my birthday present from Lord Ieyasu while he was busy in Owari. I begged Lord Tadatsugu not to tell anything about this to Lord Ieyasu, and seems like he’s still keeping his promise. I’m really glad for it.

“Rin, I think it’s better for you to tell about your condition to Lord Ieyasu. You never know what he’s going to do to you, so there will be lots of possibilities that he will give you heart attack.” Ane says with a worried tone.

“I don’t want to worry him, Ane.” I look up at the sky, somehow trying to keep my smile, “He has something bigger and more important thing to do rather than worrying about someone like me, so…”

“As his lover, shouldn’t it be his job to—“

“Lover? Oh please. Hahaha. I’m nothing for him.”

“Huh? Wait, I thought you’re his lover?”

“That’ll be the happpiest dream in my life. But sadly, I’m nothing but only an accompany of him in his sleep.”

“Only sleep…?”

“Yes.”

“You mean, you sleep together, without doing anything and without any relationship?!”

“Yeah. I’m pretty much happy about it already, so I can’t afford to get more happy than this anyway. Ahaha..”

“Rin…”

Trying to avoid whatever she’s going to say, I quickly change the subject, “Oh, by the way, what’s with the sudden visit? Do you have something to discuss?”

“I came here with Lord Mitsunari. He got direct order from Lord Hideyoshi, so I came here together with him to accompany him. Well actually, I was the one who begged for it, because I want to meet you! Ahaha.”

“Aww, how sweet! Ahaha.”

We’re laughing together, clearly enjoying our time. Until suddenly we hear a familiar voice.

“Manju girl.” It’s Lord Mitsunari, together with a frowning Lord Ieyasu.

“Oh, done already, Milord?” Ane quickly gets up. A hint of sadness clear in her eyes. Maybe because we’ll have to be apart again after spending our times happily. Aw yeah, too bad, indeed.

Lord Mitsunari sigh, “Looks like we, especially you, have to stay here for a while.”

“Huh?” Ane seems surprised by the sudden turn of event.

“Hideyoshi told me to gather information on the next battle, together with this tanuki. Apparently, that’s why he sent me here, along with the scroll of direct order for it. How troublesome, seriously.” Lord Mitsunari looks completely hate this situation. The idea of having to work together with Lord Ieyasu seems to piss him off. Not that it’s any different to Lord Ieyasu himself.

“Don’t ever think that I want to work together with you, if not for that Lord of Fools who gave the damn order to your monkey.” Lord Ieyasu snaps back.

Uh-oh, this is going to get ugly anytime soon.

Quickly, I’m trying to be the mediator, “N-now now… since it’s Lord Nobunaga’s order, we can’t really help it. If you’re going to stay with Ane here, I shall prepare a room for you two, Lord Mitsunari!”

Lord Mitsunari quickly widen his eyes. A super red cheeks on his face, “A-a room…?!”

“Huh?” I confused, “Oh, I-I’m sorry! I thought you want a room together with Ane—“

“Don’t include me like a dirty man who can’t sleep without a woman on his damn bed!! I won’t do such inappropriate thing!”

Lord Ieyasu seems to be bothered by it. Well, I figure as much, honestly. With a sinister smile on his  face, Lord Ieyasu just says, “As expected from an underage virgin. Thinking sleeping with a woman alone is such ‘inappropriate’ thing, how small the brain you have there.”

“Do you wish me to cut your throat now?!”

Lord Mitsunari grabs his sword, ready to pull it out until Ane finally stops him, “N-now now, Milord! Let’s calm down, shall we?”

“Don’t let what this tanuki said get into your mind, Manju girl!”

“T-that should be my line…!”

I only chuckle, seeing things turn to be quite a funny one in the end.

-later that night-

Once again, same as usual, I sleep on the same bed with Lord Ieyasu. While lying my head on his chest, I can feel him wrapping his arm around my waist tighter. Clearly, trying to soothe whatever he’s feeling right now.

Trying to support him, I hug him gently, “So, you really are going…”

“Hn…” that’s only what Lord Ieyasu said.

“Tomorrow… early in the morning?”

“Yeah. That’s why, I need you to shut up and be a good body pillow tonight.”

“Sure. I hope I help to calm you down a bit.”

“Who did say I’m not calm enough to face tomorrow? It’s just an investigating job. I won’t be at the front line.”

“Still, you will be in the middle of war. You know, I’m…..”

I’m… always worried about you. Ugh, not that I can say it, though.

“…you what?”

To my surprise, Lord Ieyasu is actually curious about it. Oh no, how can I answer now?

“Uhh, n-nevermind that. Anyway, please rest. You have an early start tomorrow.”

“How dare you to hide something from me.”

“I-I’m not hiding anything!”

“Right, right. And you almost said something after that ‘I’m’. Surely, my ears are still as clean as always.”

“Ugh…”

“Come out with it, or I’ll slit your throa—“

“I-I’m worried about you, okay?!”

“…!”

“I honestly don’t want you to go out there! No matter what kind of battle or what kind of dangerous order you get, I just… I just… want you to stay here… Don’t go away… I just want you to live on… It’s painful for me to see you off to the war..”

“…….”

“I… I already said too much…” quickly, I’m trying to let go of him, but suddenly he holds me in his arms tightly, which of course, making me surprise.

“Rin..”

He… called me by my name…

“I can’t guarantee that I can stay to live on, since from the report that I heard, our enemy this time is quite a tricky one. Even the declaration of war that they made by themselves could be a fake one.”

“…………”

“Still… rather than me…”

“Huh?”

“Rather than me, you’re the one who have to keep on living.”

“But—“

“Unless, you want all my damn efforts to unify this land come to waste? Right, what a horrible woman, you are.”

“Lord Ieyasu…” you don’t know how happy I am to hear those words. I’m so happy, I think I could burst into tears. Ugh, control yourself, Rin.

“That’s why, stop being a damn worrywart. That’ll just get in my way.”

I smile, finally understand that this is the way he shows his care for me, or at least, I can think so for myself, can’t I? Ahaha, how sad. But still, it somehow made me happy. So that’s why, in the end, I finally manage to make a smile and nods. That night, for some reasons, we hold each other’s tightly, as if trying to feel each other’s warmth as much as we can.

Though, we never really share what we’re feeling inside our hearts.

-few days later-

After the departure of Lord Ieyasu and Lord Mitsunari, I’ve been spending most of my times here with Ane. I’m glad, at least I have someone to talk to now. Usually, I would just wait for Lord Ieyasu to return, with anxious feelings all over me. I always try to talk with the maids, but still, they see me as a ‘Lady’ instead a ‘girl’ at their age, just because I mostly spend my times with Lord Ieyasu and the others. Ugh, it’s not like we have any special relationship anyway. He sees me nothing but as a tool. They totally got it wrong.

“Rin.” Ane’s voice snaps me out to reality again.

“Y-yes?”

“Your hands are stop moving.”

“Oh, s-sorry…” I continue on practicing the flower arrangement from Ane. We decided to do this to spend our times together. Apparently, Ane likes flowers so much, so I kind of want to learn about it too.

“Hmm, I think you use the wrong color pattern. How about you put the bright ones in the middle?”

“But, won’t it be less flashy?”

“That’s the point. Sometimes, too flashy things aren’t that good either, you know.”

“Ah, I see.” I fix my flower arrangement, following her steps.

Until suddenly, I hear Ane chuckles to herself, “Ahaha.”

“W-what’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking, it’s such a rare sight to see you with flowers.”

“Really? Well, I don’t know much about flowers, and I just have less interest on it than you, so I guess yeah… this is pretty rare.”

“You’re beautiful Rin, with the flowers that surround you.”

“P-please, don’t tease me like that…!” ugh, Ane is really so smooth sometimes.

“Ahaha, you’re blushing.”

“Geez…”

“Oh, by the way, do you know about flower’s language?”

“Hmm, I’ve heard about that, though I don’t know much about it.”

“Do you know what’s the meaning of dandelion?”

“Dandelion?”

Ane holds up a flower with yellow color that apparently called ‘dandelion’, “This flower means long lasting happiness. Also, to rise above life’s challenges. And I think it suits you very well, Rin.”

“Huh? How come?”

“Because you’re the symbol of happiness. No, in fact, you create happiness for everyone, including me, up until now. You never know how happy I am to have a friend like you.”

“Oh, Ane…”

“Also, you’re a strong girl, Rin. You’re always trying to rise above your life’s challenge. For example, you’re trying to fight so hard for your disease. That’s, something that probably I will never can do. I always admire how strong you are, Rin. So, that’s why.. dandelion, fits you perfectly.”

“Ane, that’s too much. I don’t think I’m that good.”

“But I’m telling the truth, though.”

“Flattery won’t get you anything.”

“Aww, too bad. Ahahaha.”

“Ahahaha.”

We laugh together, enjoying our times as usual. Though, I admit I’m still a bit curious on the meaning of dandelion. Maybe, I should go look for it in the library after this.

-later-

As what I’ve been planning, I go to the library to look for the meaning of flowers. I doubt Lord Ieyasu will have something like that, to be honest. But to my surprise, he actually have that book right in the corner of the library. Now this is unusual.

Curious and a bit excited, I take a sit and read about the meaning of dandelion.

As far as I can see, what Ane said was all true. But apparently, there are still so much meaning of dandelion, and I actually quite like them. Feeling a bit emotional over this flower language, I decide to just write them down on a scroll as my treasure and… hidden feelings.

-after that-

Holding the writings that I’ve done in library tightly to my chest, I walk past the main hall to return to my room. I should hide this scroll perfectly, so nobody’s going to see it!

Until suddenly, I hear familiar voices in the main hall. Sounds like it’s something important, so I decided to take a peek, and apparently, it’s Ane and Toramatsu, who supposed to stay by Lord Ieyasu’s side. But then again, why is he here? Full with those ashes on his body and also burnt parts on his skin. What’s happening?!

“Lord Toramatsu, are you okay?!” Ane quickly tries to help him, taking care of his injuries as fast as she can.

“R-rather than me, hurry and tell the others retainers to send reinforcements to Lord Ieyasu’s place!”

“Huh?”

“They’re currently surrounded by enemies! We were trying to investigate the temple where the monk lives, but apparently, all of them are just they trick!”

“What?! We got fooled by the enemy?!”

“…….!!” I suddenly remember my conversation with Lord Ieyasu that night, when he said that the enemy this time is a bit tricky one. I guess, what he said was right.

“Please…! We have to save Lord Ieyasu and the others!” Toramatsu is trying so hard to get up, but he ends up lies down weakly while Ane is trying to support him.

“J-just stay here, Lord Toramatsu! I will try to call someone!”

I can feel both of them worried and panic at the same time. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to process everything in my head. Hoping that what I hear this time isn’t true. The fact that Lord Ieyasu is in danger really make me worry and anxious. I’m so afraid to lose him, that I end up walk inside the main hall and approach Toramatsu.

“Rin…!” Toramatsu seems surprised to see me while he’s waiting for Ane who’s currently calling the retainer. Why are you so surprised? Is there something you’re hiding from me?

“Say, Toramatsu….”

“……..”

“What did happen to Lord Ieyasu?”

“W-we’re just.. in danger so… I tried to come back here, as fast as I could..”

“And just what kind of danger are they facing right now?”

“W-we got fooled by the enemy. We fell into their traps, and now Lord Ieyasu and the others are surrounded with enemies.”

“And—“

“…….in the midst of raging fire…”

“Huh…?”

“They got trapped in the burning temple, surrounded by the enemies. And it was pretty hard for them to get out. And I happen to got out safely, thanks to—hey, Rin…?”

I can feel Toramatsu’s eyes on me. but somehow, I can’t really feel myself anymore. My vision is just blank, I can feel my heart is pumping so hard, filling up with fears, worries, and anxiety. If… If I have to lose Lord Ieyasu, I…. I…

The thought of continue living without him….

It’s scary…

What if he dies? What if… he won’t make it out alive? What if the reinforcements come late? What if… what if….

“H-hey, Rin..!!”

“…………!!!” I can feel my heartbeat is raising more and more, as the thoughts are filling me up. I burst into tears, and finally yell out loud, “NOOO!!!! LORD IEYASU!!!!!”

“R-Rin, calm down!!!” Toramatsu holds me, shakes me hard as if trying to snap me back to reality.

“LORD IEYASU!!! NOO!! NOO!!!”

“RIN!! I SAID CALM DOWN!!”

I can hear Ane is rushing to the main hall, bringing the other retainers and maids, “Lord Toramatsu, the reinforcements is already on their way—oh my, Rin!!”

I can feel Ane is also holding me, trying to calm me down. But I can’t think anything properly anymore. All I can see is just the vision of Lord Ieyasu, leaving me all alone with his dead body, and the thoughts scare me so much that it makes my heart hurts. It feels so hurt, to the point it tired me up, and slowly brings me to the blurry vision, and a pitch black darkness in the end. So, with that, I just decided to…. rest.

Looking at the current condition, Toramatsu quickly give an order to a retainer, “Please, report about Rin’s condition to Lord Ieyasu immediately once things settle down there!!”

-a while later, after the battle-

~Ieyasu’s POV~

Ugh, great. That was a barely made win, if I should say. If not for the reinforcements, I think me and this foolish fox would be a roasted meat inside that temple.

Damn, I hate it when my plan didn’t go well. I guess, we hardly can call this a win, after all.

I decided to rest my injured body under the big tree. This is suck. I should have that kitchen wench to heal me later.

“Milord!” suddenly a flustered old man comes approaching me after talking with the just arrived retainer. Looks like he got news.

“What?” I ask, looking at him annoyed for disturbing my resting time. I swear I want to pull his hair, but I just don’t have energy to do that now.

“Lady Rin!!”

“Huh? What’s wrong with her?”

“She fainted and now is being unconscious!!”

“What?!”

-later-

Trying to return as fast as I can with the others, as soon as we touch down at the front of castle’s gate, I quickly dismount of my horse and run towards her room. That damn woman, how dare her to fall down like that! What the hell has she been doing?!

“Rin!!” once I open her room’s door, I see her lying down on the bed, with her eyes closed. There are Toramatsu and that fox’s manju wench inside, looking at Rin with worried face.

“Lord Ieyasu…” the manju wench murmurs faintly. Looks like she’s also relieved to see my return, because that means, her fox comes back in one piece too.

As soon as she saw me, she quickly get on her feets and runs out from RIn’s room to greet that stupid fox of her.

Nevermind them, looking at Rin’s condition, I ask Toramatsu, “What did happen to her?! Why did you let her like this?!”

Toramatsu said with a confused, yet pathetic apologetic look, “I don’t know either, honestly. It’s just, I was reporting about your situation, and once she heard you were in pinch, she suddenly yelled out loud. Clutching her hands tightly on a scroll on her chest. She looked like she was in pain.”

“This damn woman.” And I thought I told her not to be worrywart, “Have you called doctor?”

“Yes.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“She’s…. in unstable condition.”

“Huh?”

“The possibilities of her waking up is fifty-fifty. Her heartbeat is so hard to control, due to over anxiety.”

“Heartbeat….”

“She got a heart attack. And now, she’s unconscious because of that.”

“………..”

Unbelievable. A heart attack? Someone like her? How come? She was a super annoying cheerful wench, I hardly believe someone like her can get a heart attack.

“It’s true, Milord.” The old man suddenly steps inside, together with the manju wench. Looks like he got his scars taken care of. Well, good for him.

“Do you know something about this, Tadatsugu?” I ask, seriously.

“I happened to knew this by accident myself, actually. There was once a time when she got a heart attack, due to overjoyed of her birthday gift from you when you stayed in Owari.”

What? She got heart attack just because she was overjoyed?

“Don’t joke around, Tadatsugu! She was all fine when I came back that time!”

“The overjoyed didn’t hurt her that much that time, so she was able to woke up. Also, that was also the time when she said that she wanted me to keep this as secret from you.”

“What….” Stupid woman, why the hell you have to hide something like this from me?!

“Rin already has this disease for years, Milord.” The manju wench starts to explain, “She always tries her best to fight it, drink up the medicines that she often bought, even though it was really hard. She doesn’t want to live like this, but I bet she continues this, in the hope that she can always stay by your side and support you.”

“………………”

Stupid. Everything that I heard today is just so stupid, to the point it irritates me and I just get on my feet without saying anything, return to my room to collect my thoughts. I….

I need some times to be alone now.

-few days later-

Finally, my castle is all quite after that fox and his manju wench went away. The manju wench was really nosy about Rin, not that I can blame her, to be honest.

And again, I only spend my time with Rin beside her still unconscious body today. Reading books, searching about that damn disease that she has. Apparently, there are still no ways that can heal her disease  completely yet. So, the medicines that she always take can only reduce the pain when her heartbeat is raising up fast.

I guess, my situation that time really shocked her up, to the point the medicine couldn’t even take care of it.

“Rin…” I faintly call her by her name. Hoping that maybe by doing that, she will wake up. Still, no response though. Yeah right, how stupid I am. Why am I always being such an idiot around her? Get a hold of yourself together!

“Milord.” Toramatsu slowly opens the door, and kneels down while holding out a scroll to me, “This is Rin’s.”

“So?”

“She had this when she fainted that day, so, perhaps you want to take a look inside.”

“………..” I take the scroll from Toramatsu, “Now get out.”

“Milord.” Toramatsu bows, and finally he closes the door.

The silence hits me. I find myself stare at the scroll in my hand. Rin held this in the day she fainted. I wonder what is this …

Admit myself that I’m a bit curious, I decided to open the scroll and stuffs that has written on it really surprised me…

….

Dear, Lord Ieyasu…

You know, I just learned something interesting today. I learned about the meanings of flowers, and I learned about the meanings of dandelion. I can’t really give you a dandelion though, sadly. But, I just want you to know, that meaning of it suits for you well!

First thing first, I hope as what dandelion means, you will soon heal from emotional pains. It hurts me to see your loneliness after all.

Also, dandelion means intelligence too. Things that I always proud of and admire from you, Milord.

But beside that, I just want you survive through all challenges and difficulties, have a long lasting happiness, getting your wish fulfilled, and rise above all life’s challenge, just like what dandelion means.

I hope, I can always stay by your side to help you gain all of that. I wish to support you, with any ways I can.

If I have to believe in a small thing called miracle, I wish a miracle will really come to me, so I can always be with you, forever.

…Rin.

…..

Miracle, huh….

How stupid. Really something that she would think of. I take a look at the scroll, and I see her drawing of the dandelion itself.

Slowly, I trace the picture of that dandelion with my fingers, thinking on what she felt when she drew this.

Then, I decided to put the scroll away, face her sleeping yet weak body. Look at her pale skin, don’t give me signs like you almost die, stupid wench. I won’t let you die that fast. You’re telling me that I have to have long lasting happiness?

Silly, there are no happiness in this world, if you’re not by my side.

If….

If I have to believe in a small stupid thing called ‘miracle’…

Then…

I just wish for miracle to come, and wake you up from your damn sleep, sleepyhead.

Slowly, I bring my face closer to her, and places my lips on hers. It feels so cold. So very cold. Ugh, I hate a cold kiss. Give me the warm one, stupid wench! Don’t do this! This isn’t funny anymore!

Without realizing it, I finally drop my damn tears, to my surprise.

“How dare you to make me waste my tears like this.” I hold her wrist, trying to keep myself together and checking her pulse.

Weak…

So very weak…

Damn, Rin!!

Open your eyes already!

I swear… if you wake up, I will never let you leave my side again. Not like this!

Even though she’s unconscious, I help her heavy body up and embrace her tightly, not wanting to let her go, as if trying to keep her with me here, “Rin….! Wake up…! I beg you…!! Don’t you dare leave me like this!! What’s the point to unify this land… if there are no you?! What’s the point of having long last happiness… if you… my happiness… gone from this world? Don’t you dare wish me a false hope, stupid! The one who should be happy isn’t just me, but you too!! Wake up, and I’ll give you all happiness you want!! Rin…!!”

Silly me…

Yell all you want, there’s no way Rin is going to—

“…..su…”

“Huh?”

“I….e….. ya…. su….”

“RIN!!!” I quickly let go of my embrace, to finally see her half opened eyes, still weak and, faintly say with a smile…

“You’re…. safe….” A single tears falls down on her cheek. She tries to reach up to my cheek, and I help her by holding her wrist.

“Rin….”

“Wel….come back…”

“Yeah, you too…” my feelings are so complicated right now, but all I can say is just, “Welcome back, Rin…”

“I…. am back… Milord….”

Finally being able to see her smile again, once again, I kiss her. Now it’s all warm, not cold anymore.

You know, Rin. There is also one other meaning of dandelion. It’s “the warmth and power of the rising sun”, which is just like your kiss. It gives me new warmth and power, and also…

Happiness.

THE END

[afterspark-podcast]

Panty and Stocking:  Trans-homers Transcript

Episode

[This can also be found on AO3!]

[Stinger]

[Unintelligible TV noises play faintly in the background]

O: Who’s the big the horny guy anyway?

S: His name is Sideways.

[Intro Music Plays]

O: Hello everybody! Welcome to our April Fool's Special on the Afterspark Podcast. As always, I'm Owls!

S: And I'm Specs.

O: And today we've got a real legit content warning for y'all cause today we're doing a Transformers spoof homage, in the form of the Panty and Stocking episode, Trans-Homers. Now I know I normally curse like a sailor here but if you--if you've not heard of Panty and Stocking allow us to give you a bit of a description. It is an incredibly crude anime staring two angels who smite ghosts in order to gain entrance back to heaven. Now without context that doesn't sound so bad, but it's definitely like, an M rated cartoon because there's fucking...well [sigh] fucking everywhere.

S: Yeah.

O: Among a slew of other crude humor and in this episode we have something that is...somehow, both literal and metaphorical screwing so, like not safe for work at all, alright?

S: Not safe for work, not safe for your home and definitely, definitely not safe for your kids, okay?

O: [laughs] Yes, we will not be held responsible.

S: Yeah...

O: And with that massive disclaimer out of the way, don't worry, we will be back in two weeks with a regular episode, but for today--on with the show! Also, uh, just as a note we are watching the English dub not the Japanese subs, just an fyi. I swear to god the English is somehow dirtier than the Japanese version.

S: They saw opportunities for puns and dirty stuff...

O: They saw opportunities, and they took them!

S: Yeah. We open with a decent impersonation of the original Transformers’ narrator describing a setup that sounds...oddly familiar. Almost suspiciously familiar.

O: [laughs] You know it's probably something you've heard before. Complete with Bayverse-esque title transformations.

S: Um-hmm.

O: And IN SPACE we see two warring factions are rocketing towards Earth.

S: We open in the church, where Panty and Stocking live along with their caretaker, Garterbelt and their dweeby, sort of Ghostbuster, uh, themed sidekick(?), Brief.

O: Yes, everyone is named after undergarments, we warned you.

S: Yeah, um-hmm. Brief is apparently praying that Panty and Stocking will stop fighting like he's--he's beseeching Garterbelt or something.

O: [laughs] I think he's trying to beseech God but, uh, it does mean he's kind of kneeling in front of Garterbelt. Yes, there is a joke made there. Um, Panty and Stocking meanwhile, are continuing to fight in the background while all of this is happening.

S: What are they fighting over? I just don't know and I'm not sure I care.

O: [coughs] I don't know if they ever say, I think they might be calling each other names but that's about it?

S: Yeah, I don’t--I don’t know.

O: Suddenly, two meteors crash through their ceiling and we are introduced Cocktimus Prime and Minge-atron. Minge is apparently a vulgar term for vagina. Well I learned a word today!

S: So did I! So did I...um.

O: We will just be calling him Megatron from here out. Uh, he was Femitron in the original Japanese and Cocktimus was Masculimus. Masculamis? [His full name was Masculimus Surprise.]

S: Masculimus.

O: And do you see what I need about the English version?

S: They saw opportunities.

O: And they took ‘em!

S: [quietly] Pardon me. Regardless, their designs appear to have been based very, very loosely on their Bayverse designs. And by, “loosely” we mean Cocktimus’ head totally lives up to his name if you--if you know, you get my drift.

O: Yes. [laughs] It's exactly what you’re thinking. Regardless, Brief is super fucking excited. He also makes the mistake of thinking giant alien robots are the answer to his prayers to make the girls stop fighting.

S: They’re not, they’re totally not. Um, so apparently these giant robots’, uh, hearts or spark equivalents or whatever, are outside their bodies and they...honestly look like weird sugar candy things. I don't know.

[They’re actually these, according to our sound editor! French Marshmallows with Rose and Chocolate.]

O: And Stocking, being a sugar fiend thinks it looks like candy, uh-huh. And eats it!

S: [laughs] Apparently she thinks it's tasty and I mean that is some vore right there!

O: [laughs] The more we talk about this show, the weirder it gets…

S: Yeah!

O: So naturally eating this causes Stocking to turn into a robot.

S: Yeah, a very G1-esque, uh, Megatron robot.

O: Called Gothatron Stocking. I love it.

S: Like, she has sort of longish hair but her helmet looks like Megatron's helmet in blue with like, pink highlights.

O: Eh, cause that's the color of her hair.

S: Yeah...she has a very Megatron face. Panty totally thinking this is the most a badass thing ever decides to have a go and..eat Cocktimus’ heart.

O: The Megs analog even expresses his disbelief but this is all happening and I don’t blame him!

S: And Panty’s reaction is that it tastes awful.

O: Heh, she doesn't like sweets so this isn't much of a surprise.

S: [Sigh] So both robots totally, you know, fall to scrap just, you know fall to pieces. Except their heads are totally intact and you know, conscious of everything happening so they can provide commentary on the a--the madness of the events that unfold.

O: [laughs] Uh, Panty transforms into a Rodimus Prime analog as Rotten-Ass Panty.

S: Yeah, I totally did not catch that as a Rodimus Prime analog--

O: [laughs] I didn’t--

S: --when I first watched this.

O: I didn’t either, I didn't catch it till this time. Um, and I just have to say I love the writing for the narrator as he does not seem to know how to reconcile what he's reading with the madness that's happening on the screen.

S: The narrator is the only sane man.

O: The narrator is the only sane man in this! Panty goes to her room and transforms a bunch of her things into more Autobot analogues.

S: Including, but not limited to--a stuffed bull’s head on her wall and a package of condoms.

O: An entire package of condoms! [laughs]

S: Yeah, so there's like three teeny, little transforming condom bots.

O: Condom bots!?!

S: Yeah.

O: Also, the Autobot [and] Decepticon logos are represented here as a pair of panties and some stockings. They're even doing the logo scene transitions like from the original G1 cartoon.

S: They’re even airbrushed!

O: It's very good.

S: Um-hm, and on the Stocking’s room as she also goes about about creating a bunch of bots from her possessions only this time with Decepticons.

O: Highlights here include Sugarscream, our Starscream analog who transforms from a….strawberry, and a giant transforming dildo.

S: Yeah...yeah. The two sides begin fighting in incredibly petty ways.

O: First of which, Panty takes over the kitchen in an effort to keep Stocking away from her beloved sweets. This fails as apparently Stocking has already eaten everything in the fridge.

S: Like, there literally--swords come out of the fridge, impaling several of Panty’s, uh, people.

O: [laughs] Pantybots!

S: And then the door opens and Stocking and a number of her followers like, come out. So I'm mostly just wondering if the fridge is--has like a subspace extension or something? And, uh, next Panty takes over the bathroom, to I don't know--piss off Stocking? Yeah.

O: [laughs]

S: The Stockingcons thwart this by wearing err, um...diapers. And then shooting Panty when she exits the room to try and find out why Stocking isn't knocking on the door demanding to be let in.

O: Uh, so it is kind of funny, uh, their Soundwave analog in this even pays homage to the whole Decepticon logo being Soundwave’s face kind of thing, uh, as his face here is based on the Stocking logo instead. Meanwhile back at the Pantybot headquarters a hot new bot shows up and catches Panty’s fancy.

S: [sighs] No, no this is not Brave Police J-Decker though it is doing an extremely cunning impersonation.

O: [chuckles] Panty yells that they're gonna train and drags her hot new boy-toy in the closet to SCREW. Remember when I said both literally and figuratively? Well here we are!

S: Yeah...god, it’s not even a metaphor.

O: Uh, nope--it is literal!

S: And then boy-toy reveals himself to be a Stockingcon in disguise. Like...I don't know his chest transforms then his face does a total switch around to like a zombie face or something--

O: [laughing] It looks horrifying!

S: And attacks Stocking [Correction: Panty] by being a literal suicide bomber and exploding.

O: Um-hmm.

S: Like, they literally call that out in the episode.

O: Yup. Meanwhile, back with Stocking, Soundwave analog gets actual lines and we get a Laserbeak who basically just looks like someone shoved a Stockingcon logo on the front of a regular crow. Yes, this amuses me.

S: We also get a look at the Seekers here cuz there are in fact two others aside from Starscream.

O: Or Sugarscream.

S: Or--yeah, Sugarscream.

O: [laughs] I don’t think we ever get to hear their names though, which is a bit disappointing.

S: Yeah, and honestly I'm really disappointed that they didn't do different fruits for all of them like you know a blueberry for Thundercracker, or a boysenberry for Skywarp or something but, nah, no, they're all strawberries.

O: So the fighting goes on for a long time between these two groups as we see a montage of different scenes, some of which seem to be referencing other different scenes, uh, from Transformers media.

S: Or just war movies in general? I don’t know.

O: Or, yeah.

S: Who knows? Though there's definitely that call-out to, uh, the [original Transformers] movie.

O: Yeah.

S: And we also see that somehow Stocking has gotten a hold of a Devastator analogue, yeah.

O: We cut to the final battle between the Stockingcons and the Pantybots. Some highlights from the Stockingcons include:

S: Stocking’s helmet? Hair? Now looks like a reference to Galvatron as she has three spikes sticking up her--out of her head now like, like Galvatron's weird like, spiky helm?

O: Kind of like Galvatron’s helmet.

S: Yeah.

O: They have a Kremzeek! Uh, he's blue instead of red but still this was a detail I was not expecting to see here?

S: Yeah, like I didn't see him until we went back to see--like double check that scene.

O: Yeah, and then I was like, that is Kremzeek.

S: And Stocking’s dildo bot seems to have survived.

O: Good for him???

S: Oh that placement, oh god.

O: [laughs] We also have one robot that's basically just a giant head.

S: I-I feel like the weird head/body robot is prob--might be a Gurren Lagann reference, but I don't know.

O: And I mean it would kind of make sense. Regardless, on the other side some highlights from the Pantybots are:

S: There's a Rack’n--well what I'm guessing is a Rack’n’Ruin reference, cuz there's a weird train dude with two heads but that is...he doesn't--aside from the two heads he doesn't really have a whole lot in common with Rack’n’Ruin. Maybe? I don't know. And some Dinobots! I'm glad for the Dinobots.

O: Me too.

S: [Sigh] Oh god, and the condoms have also survived...maybe? They--they seemed like they were kind of--one of them was stuck on the end of the gun so I'm not sure whether that counts as alive?

O: Joy. [laughs] So as the fighting begins we get to see a few more references to other Transformers media or just you know shit that's completely fucking ridiculous. Uh, one of our favorites was, one guy turns into a cassette and is immediately run over by one of his allies.

S: Yup, and you know that scene in the movie where Optimus is like, he's arrived from Cybertron and he's making his, you know, badass run to--er, badass drive to wherever it is, and he runs over someone and then does this sort of jumping leap thing where he, like, blasts out of his alt mode and flies majestically across the screen, doing a badass flip in slow motion and shoots Thrust? [laughs] Yeah, Panty honest--Panty totally does that with an Ironhide analogue.

O: We also get some ridiculous Transformers, with a Ratchet analog turning into a flying desktop PC and another Transformer who should definitely turn into a car, like, his entire chest is definitely a car cab, instead turns into a Grimlock analog.

S: Yeah, he just sort of looks like he convulses into a green t-rex.

O: I don’t--I don’t think he was green? [Specs is correct, he is green!] But he turned into him t-rex--regardless he definitely turned into a t-rex.

S: Yeah.

O: Not a car like he clearly was supposed to!

S: And then Brief finally wakes up like, when we first see him it looks like he's in a regular area and then he wakes up and pulls out and it's just the one regular area.

O: Yeah, like, behind him is a regular wall but everything beyond that has been turned into metal and shit.

S: Yeah.

O: Because he's still in the chapel, which is basically taken over by the Pantybots as their base.

S: Yeah, he’s apparently been asleep this entire time.

O: Which begs the question of, Jesus Christ guys!

S: How long has this been!?! And god, can he sleep like the dead?

O: Apparently! So Brief wakes up, and he pep talks Cocktimus and Megs into stopping the battle between Panty and Stocking.

S: Which apparently means combining into a giant ghost and destroying humanity.

O: Of course it does!

S: You know, like you do.

O: Like you do. Meanwhile, [in] the background--Garterbelt has clearly been doing some EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE THINGS with the Tracks analog!

S: Yeah...and Garterbelt lectures the girls for not realizing that this um, alien ghost thingy? Well, the giant thing that is now attacking them is an alien ghost created from the resentment of this, uh, the self-destructing race of alien robots who are already dead.

O: That killed themselves because of a war on their planet.

S: They've been alive since four years after the start of the universe or whatever.

O: Four years sinc--four years after time began.

S: Or that they’ve been fighting since after--

O: Four years after time began. Panty and Stocking inexplicably transform from robots into their regular angel battle outfits. I.e. they’re back to looking humanoid now--er, like humans now instead of mecha.

S: And we got--so we got to see like, a fancy, you know, the fancy hyper-realistic art of Panty as a robot.

O: Yeah, but we didn’t get to see Stocking.

S: Oh, yeah.

O: So when they transform they--they like--the most the style of this show kind of looks like the Powerpuff Girls crossed with an anime.

S: It's super--it’s like, super deformed.

O: Yeah, it’s super deformed but whenever they do their transformation sequence it's like full on anime and shit so they did that--

S: Hyper-realistic.

O: It’s not even hyper-realistic most of the time but--

S: Hyper-stylized.

O: Hyper-stylized, and, uh so we got to see Panty in that, with her robot form but we didn't get to see Stocking--it's so sad.

S: Yeah, it makes me said because I would have liked to have seen not the--

O: Gothatron Stocking? [laughs]

S: Yeah. [sighs] and they completely obliterate the ghost and the episode ends with our poor abused narrator probably--probably you know going off to get himself a stiff drink.

O: He deserves it, he's earned it.

S: Yeah, like he would.

O: So, some fun trivia, uh, from the end of this episode. Apparently, in the original Japanese the VA’s for Cocktimus and Megs were the original G1 VA’s for Optimus and Megatron in Japan. I was internally screaming when I read about this because so badly I wish I could have seen a version where they had gotten Peter Cullen and Frank Welker to reprise their roles in the English dub.

S: I’d feel really bad for them but it would be entertaining--it's just, it would be contrary to their brands.

O: Yeah, but I still would have loved to see it. Regardless, uh, so what is the final verdict on this weird ass spoof? Um, so for me if I just have to express that for such a short cartoon there was just so many Transformers references crammed in all over the place here.

S: It's very vulgar, very high action, and very funny and just--you could tell that they really loved Transformers or at least whoever was in charge of it was really intent on having all of those references.

O: Right, like clearly somebody getting what they were doing when they did it, um, it's safe to say we both found a pretty damn hysterical but depending on your smut tolerance you may find it distasteful. Which I think I just summed up the entirety of the Panty and Stocking anime. [laughs]

S: It also depends on your sense of humor.

O: Yes, your smut tolerance and your sense of humor. Regardless, uh, this is the end of our April Fool’s Special we will not be recommending fanfic or fan art today because we didn't want to like accidentally insult somebody by recommending you know this episode with all this other questionable shit.

S: Yeah, just you know cause, offense or anything. I mean I could have come up with something for fanfiction but it was just like I don't want to recommend something M rated or you know just completely fluffy to go with this--

O: [laughs] With THIS!

S: --train wreck of a...

O: I don’t even know if I’d describe this as a train wreck. It knows what it is it's just reveling in what it is!

S: Yes, but it's like a train wreck of vulgarity--

O: [laughs]

S: --compared to what--

O: Point taken!

S: --compared to what generally Transformers is, which is a trainwreck of goofiness.

O: It's true, very true. Regardless, we will be back in two weeks with a normal episode--we will be back to normal. Um, I personally really rather enjoy it when uh, people do kind of April Fool's silly things not like, “haha we fooled you,” but we're going to do something that's completely against brand, because it's fun so hopefully this was fun for you guys as well?

S: Yeah, we’ll see about coming up with something...for like, next April Fool's too. I had several ideas and you had several ideas.

O: I had several ideas! So we'll see what we come up with.

S: And that just about wraps it up for us today. Remember to check us out at Tumblr or Pillowfort at Afterspark-Podcast for any additional information, show notes, or links we may have mentioned. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at AftersparkPod, all one word and Soundcloud, Stitcher and Youtube at Afterspark Podcast. You can also find us on AO3 by searching for Afterspark Podcast. Till next time, I'm Specs!

O: And I’m Owls!

S: Toodles!

O: And Happy April Fool’s Day folks.

S: Yup!

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