#from a corrupted file heh

[ae-thena]

MONOCHROMATIC

[purpdrawsthings]

A Star On Strings

[ A verrrrrrry long story hsihsidhdkdb.. I'm not very good at writing so sorry if it's meh.... ]

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It was a normal day as a certain man with the most over designed clothing you can imagine who had a bunch of stars all over him walking through the city streets. The sounds of people chattering, walking around, exploding convenience stores, the usual of course. He was scrolling through the latest info, anything to keep his boredom at bay. One news article caught his eye. "A Weird Smiling Creep and a Guy With Demonic Wings Spotted Attacking and Ambushing Locals" Smilling Creep.. Demonic Wings.. Oh. Them. He sighed. As he was reading and passing through an alleyway, something struck.

A blue guy who was wearing overalls, had tanuki ears and a tail, wearing a creepy smile on his face with eyes that could literally stare into your soul, ambushed him from the alleyway. The man quickly countered the ambush using his file and trapping the blue man in there.

"WHAT THE- ?!"

He struggled to get out. He couldn't wiggle his way out somehow. Why can't he stretch..? Suddenly, another person comes right out of the alleyway sprinting towards GSP. This time it's a purple man. He also had overalls but he had wings and spikes all over him.

"CAN'T YOU BE A BIT MORE PREPARED?!"

He tries to attack the man but gets caught in the file too. He also tries to wriggle out but it just felt impossible. He started to slowly sweat. The blue man giggled mockingly.

"... Said the person who also got stuck, heh."

The other persons face turned red.

"SHUT UP! Says the person who got stuck first!"

"Well.. That was easier than I expected. I thought it would be much harder than this."

They both turned their attention towards the man.

"I always pay attention to my surroundings. You almost got me with that one there. I admit, if I was second late I would've been pinned down by him."

"Yeah yeah whatever, and who do you think you are?!"

"sighs I suppose I should give an introduction."

"The name is GSP. Guard Security Protocol. I'm in charge of disposing an viruses that go into worlds. I've actually been trying to find you two for quite some time. You to are quite the.. Troublesome lot."

The purple man's eyes widen a bit.

"..You're an anti-virus? Well, I never knew somebody was hunting us behind our backs, that's new.."

There was a faint grin behind his frown. It was as if he was amused or surprised.

"I heard there we're two Meme Guardians who we're supposed to protect this place. SMG4 and SMG3 right? Can't believe a guardian could get corrupt themselves."

The two former guardians started to get a bit irritated by that last sentence. Especially 4.

"Well that wasn't fun. How's about you shut your yapping and we get on with the fighting?"

GSP grinned a bit, as if he was purposely trying to mock both of them.

"Oh well, it wouldn't be fun if I finished you both off right here anyways. Besides, I couldn't do that yet even if I wanted to."

3 raised an eyebrow but before he could further process anything, GSP literally yeets them from out of the folder without warning. They get hit into a building, hard. Dust and smoke blur the view. GSP thought he could take a breath but then some debris move and..

"HAH, THINK THAT WOULD STOP US?"

GSP jumped and quickly dodged 3's swift attack. It almost got him off guard. Stars start to come out of thin air and aim straight towards 3.

While he's busy with that, 4 came from behind and smacked GSP with his hammer into the air. GSP managed to maintain his balance and was floating in the air. 4 was surprised but not that surprised. Before GSP could make any counter attack, 3, who was dodging those stars that were aiming at him, passed by him. GSP was confused as to why he didn't attack him but then he realized his stars were coming at him.

"AGH-!"

He exclaimed before eventually getting hit. 4 goes to 3, who just got off the air, to get some small talk.

"Wow did you actually think about that?"

3 panted a bit before looking back at 4

"Nah, I actually was just trying to dodge him cuz I didn't really expect that guy to literally float in the air. I was about to attack him until I remembered about those stars and well, that happened."

"Awh, I thought you were finally thinking about stuff for once!"

3 glares at 4 and his sarcastic statement. He clearly was annoyed.

"I wish you couldn't talk."

"Hate you too~"

As they both stare at each other they didn't really notice that GSP had gotten up. He started to aim his stars at them. 4 was the first one to notice. He quickly jumped to the left.

"Stars!"

"Huh?"

3 noticed it quite late but he managed to dodge it, it was really close. The stars hit into a building. 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈! Dust and smoke started to spread and the debris were everywhere. GSP tried to look for them but then he saw something. A civilian..? The debris that came from the stars that hit the building was going to hit them! He starts thinking about what happened. No. Not again. He won't let it happen ever again. In an instant, GSP rushes over to the civilian and uses his folder to grab the person. The folder managed to get out in time before the debris could hit the civilian. He sighed in relief, but then he was hit with a sudden ambush attack from 3.

"Look who said they were 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩. How'd that work out?"

3 snickered mischievously as he pins down GSP. He was not happy. Suddenly 4 walks up to 3.

"Hey you should let me do the finishing attack! Besides you did most of the attacks already and I only did like, one attack on him!"

"Should I really be giving someone the opportunity to kill someone when they started it yet couldn't land a hit and failed miserably?"

"Hold up, first of all, I didn't know you could talk like that, second of all I'll hit you after this."

He smiled at 3 but the smile was like a "I'm going to kill you" type of smile. 3 rolled his eyes a bit before pulling his attention back to GSP.

"Not gonna lie, that fight was quite short. I thought it was going to be longer than that."

"Heh well.. Looks like somebody is unmotivated."

He smiled to himself. 3 was a bit confused on who this somebody was but that didn't really matter at the moment. He shook his head a bit.

"Whateves. What're ya gonna do now huh? I might aswell-"

"Actually, even though you pinned me.. I've got one trick up my sleeve."

3 looked at him curiously. 4 subtly noticed something was wrong. Until he noticed GSP was doing some hand movements and.. Oh.

"3 THE FOLDER!!"

"?!"

As the folder was approaching him, he panicked. Then the folder hit.. A huge cloud that came out of nowhere appeared. 4 cleared out the smoke. But.. He didn't see 3 pinning GSP... Where was- ?! GSP started to stand up, so 4 was getting ready hit him directly in the face with his hammer but.. It was kinda weird.... Then he realized what was happening.

"Ohhhhh you sneaky man."

GSP's features started to change..? There were spikes forming all over him, some weird lost texture looking scars, wings forming from the back of his suit, he was also glitching and other things.. But most weirdly, he had 3's features. As he opens his eyes, he looks around and sees 4, smiling at him, not saying anything. 3 begins process what just happened until he realized what did just happen.

"Oh. OH"

He looked at his new body. He somehow successfully managed to possess GSP's body without noticing.

"Guessed I panicked so much that I.. Managed to possess him..? Well, that's new."

"Soooooo how's the body eh?"

"It kinda sting when I first got in here. I thought that possessing an anti-virus like this would be hard but I guess not? Either way it feels weird. Also, what is his sense of fashion?! And what's this weird.. Circle.. Hair thing he has?! It's ugly!"

He quickly messed up the weird hair thing.

"There. Now it's normal."

3 started to smile at his new look. Hey maybe this ain't too ba-

"You forgot to remove the glasses lmao."

3 stopped for a second before noticing it. He didn't like the glasses at all. He took the glasses and threw it on the floor. He didn't like the thought of even wearing glasses.

"What're you talking about I wasn't wearing any glasses."

3 tried to brush it off but 4 knows he failed, miserably, in the worst and hilarious way possible. He started to laugh at him.

"SHUT IT OR I'LL RIP YA TO SHREDS!!!!"

"Aw come on it's hilarious!"

4 continued to laugh at him. 3 looked at him, oh he wish he could kill hi- wait. Why is everything so blurry. He almost couldn't see anything.

"Hey 4 is it me or is everything blurry as hell?"

4 looked at him.

"Whudyya mean? Everything looks fine tbh."

"Oh."

Was he hallucinating or something??? Why is it so goddamn blurry that he almost can't see anything?? Is it the..

"WHY IS THIS GUYS EYE SO DAMN BLURRY AND HALF-BLIND LIKE I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING FOR GODBOX'S SAKE!!!!!!"

"Hah. Bet you didn't know but I AM half-blind. Especially my left eye which for your information, can't see anything without those glasses. Ya have to put it on~"

".. Huh?"

3 looked around.. He saw... Nothing? Before he did anything else he took back the glasses and put it on. Confused about the voice, 3 turned back to 4 who was just standing there and doing that weird demon stare.

".. Did you happen to hear a voice?"

4 looked around.

"... Wow, you're hallucinating! :P"

3 was confused. What the hell was that sound. It was so similar to the guy they fought with like a few minutes ago. He continued to look around until, he saw GSP?!

"Boo."

"WAIT WHAT?!"

3 jumped. 4 looked at him confused. What did he freak out about?

"Why did you freak out?"

3 manages to catch himself before he could accidentally trip from the jump. He looked back at where he saw GSP and, he saw him again. He's definitely hallucinating. This GSP is just weird. He was like a ghost or a phantom. He looked even worse than his physical form. He can't be real can't he? He started to slap himself about 2 times, and looked back.. Oh. He's still there.

"Dude did you see that?! The guy is there!"

3 pointed to the spot where he saw the weird looking GSP. 4 looked at the spot and looked a little concerned, and weirded out.

"There's literally nothing there. Are you schizophrenic now?"

"NO I'M NOT JOKING! HE'S RIGHT THERE!"

"Welp, looks like you're the only one seeing me."

He looked back at the GSP.

"Are you a ghost or something?!"

"Well I dunno. I didn't know this would happen. And you possessing my body. Oh! Speaking of my body.. give it back."

"Why would I give you your body back? You'll only be more troublesome than you have to be!"

"But didn't you say you didn't like it or something like that?"

"What I meant was your stupid sense of fashion! Like for Godbox's sake what was that weird ass haircut you had?"

"I-.. I genuinely don't know-but thats besides the point!"

"Still won't give it wether ya like it or not."

"You're a stubborn ass."

"In a good way."

He was staring down with the now ghost version of GSP that only he could see for whatever apparent reason. As they kept on bickering, 4 stood there looking at 3, and the spot. There wasn't anything, who tf was he talking to? Oh well, maybe he's starting to slowly go crazy.

"Y'know what I'm gonna get outta here."

4 started to walk out of the place, 3 and GSP didn't even notice. Until a few minutes later..

"Okay okay! That's enough talking. Jeez you cannot stop yapping."

"Whatever. I'll get bored of your stupid comebacks anyways...? Hey where did SMG4 go?"

"Huh?"

3 looked around. Realizing that man left the place already.

"Oh that sneaky lanky idiot! I've got no more time to bicker with your mouth I'm getting outta here."

"Wellllll I did try to get away from you but I can't. I can't leave you."

"What?"

"IT'S LIKE SOMETHING'S PULLING ME! So yeah I couldn't leave if I wanted to."

"... GUHHHHHHHHHHH"

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Woh, finally the writing finished.

Hihi everybody thank you for listening to my TED talk earlier 💥💥💥💥💥

If you don't know this is for @grinnames funni event that is happening rn I can't believe it took me like a week to finish this thing guh..

I'm real sorry if the writing was meh or smth cuz english ain't my first language + I'm a newby at this, I wish that fight scene was better.

Anyways, I don't wanna keep yapping, I'll post character ref later [hopefully soon 😭] and maybe link it from here yipppeeeeeeee

Anyways yeetus chat.. Augh.....

UPDATE : I'm too lazy to edit this into the writing so might as well..

So GSP's folder can actually absorb corrupted things into uncorrupted things

So why didn't he do it right away?

2 things.

One, because he needed to weaken them two so that he could actually do the process. But that didn't work out so hah =D

Two, the SMG's were too corrupted to revert back. So he couldn't turn them back even if he wanted to tbh

Anyways that's all for the facts lalalalaaaa my hands hurt rn pls help me call an ambulance

[thekinkyleopard]

Oopsie Daisies

An Al X Kanai Snz Fic

⚠️Content Warning:⚠️

Force Induce, Allergies, Snz, Smut

Description: This fic is loosely based off the following prompt by @hetchiew

Author’s Notes: So because I’m a big ball of chaotic stress from all the curve balls life is hitting me with I’ve decided to try to write a short snz fic based off a prompt given to me by @aller-geez something easy to work with. Hope yall are thirsty for some Hell Boys 🫡 Kanai is owned by Geezie and she did the cover art as always 🥰🫶🏻

Just another day, a Wednesday, the apartment was quiet and all that could be heard was the light scuffle of pacing feet as Alistar tried to come up with a plan for the day. The red headed demon was feeling antsy, on one, like he couldn’t rest until there was sin surrounding him. It had been weeks since he’d pulled any antics or crazy schemes out from under his sleeves, he’s feeling, empty..restless. The anti-Christ scratches his chin wearily, deep in thought as he shuffled through the filing cabinet of trouble installed within his brain.

“Morning Donnie,” suddenly snapped from his trance as he turns to meet eye contact with his best friend.

“Nai,” he nods in response, looking the hound up and down as the gears started turning slowly in his corrupted head. Draeko was still asleep from a long night with his best friend Levi, but Kanai was up and ready for the day, already showered and dressed as he shuffled through the freezer for the blood worms he fed his salt waters every morning. “Hey, bud, whatcha up to?” Alistar asked casually as he leaned up against the entrance way of their small kitchen.

“Hm? Just caring for the aquatics this morning, is there something you need, Donnie?” The navy haired man turned to look at his best friend with the freezer door still opened, an empty, distance stare from his heterochromatic gaze.

“I’m considering it,” the red eyed demon looked the man up and down, a hungry gleam hidden behind his observant leer.

“Oh? Well, do let me know how I can help,” Kanai nods once before turning to his search, reaching in to pull out the packet of worms, closing the door and beginning the process of separating out the servings for his fish. Once he finished his first steps in the process he began to trail back into his room quietly, Al following closely behind him.

Alistar observed Kanai's every move with an intense focus, his eyes tracking each precise motion as if committing them to memory. He found himself oddly drawn to the meticulous way in which Kanai handled the delicate creatures in his care, a stark contrast to Alistar's own chaotic and impulsive nature.

As Kanai carefully sprinkled the bloodworms into the aquarium, the red head crept closer, his curiosity piqued by the colorful array of fish darting eagerly towards their meal. He watched as Kanai's expression softened, a rare moment of peace settling over his features as he gazed at the underwater world he had been cultivating.

Unable to resist the temptation to disrupt this tranquility, Alistar reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, casually lighting it with a smirk playing on his lips. The acrid smoke wafted through the air, mingling with the faint scent of saltwater and bloodworms.

Kanai's sharp inhale was suddenly stuttered as he found it difficult to breathe amongst the tainted air. His chest suddenly tight and his nose suddenly very itchy. “A-Alistar….Y-you know I can’t st-stand that sme-HEH..’Kkssshuuh! kngt’SHHEW!” It exploded out of him unexpectedly, a cloud of saliva sprinkling the space in front of them.

Alistar's smirk widened at the familiar sound of Kanai's sudden sneeze attack, a sure sign that his allergies were being triggered by the smoke. He tried to act innocent, as if he had simply forgotten about Kanai's sensitivities, but deep down he relished in the damage he was causing. His excitement grew as he thought about how much worse he could make it, the heat rising within him like a smoldering fire.

As Kanai struggled to regain his composure, Alistar nonchalantly took another drag of his cigarette, the smoke curling lazily around him like a sinister dance. The hound’s nose twitched and scrunched as it tickled his sensibilities…he inhaled just barely and another set came flying loosely out of his mouth. Spittle flying freely in the air to Alistar’s entertainment. “huh’KIISSHH’ah! Eh’Kgsssshii!” Al watched with a predatory gleam in his eyes as Kanai's face reddened and itched in discomfort, trying to clear the air with a few quick swipes of his hand.

"Oopsie Daisies, my bad," Alistar feigned innocence, his voice silky smooth with an underlying edge of mischief. "I guess I forgot about your allergy there Nai, apologies,” he chuckled loosely taking another long drag before putting it out on his tongue. “Let me go get you some tissue hm?” he swallowed the rancid mixture of ash and tobacco down his throat without so much as a wince, placing the rest of the stoge in the pack to be relit later.

Alistar left the room with a sly smile playing on his lips, a plan already forming in his mind. He made his way down the hallway to his own room, where he kept a small vial of chhinkni powder tucked away in a secret compartment. “It’s time…” he whispered sinisterly to himself. The powder was rare and potent, known for causing intense sneezing fits when inhaled. As he carefully sprinkled a pinch of the chhinkni powder onto a tissue, Alistar couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement at the thought of what was to come. “This is going to be so fucking awesome…” snickering almost inaudibly. He had been saving this powder for a special occasion, and what better time to use it than now?

With the laced tissue in hand, Alistar made his way back to Kanai's room, his steps light and silent as he approached. He knocked on the door before pushing it open, revealing Kanai still struggling to rid the room of the lingering smoke and his insistent sneezes. “iihGUSHou!” it burst out of him the moment the red head walked back into the space.

"Hey Nai, got you that tissue you needed,” Alistar held out the tainted material with a falsely sympathetic smile, his eyes glinting mischievously as he watched Kanai's expression shift from confusion to suspicion. Without a word, and despite his better judgement, Kanai reached out to take the tissue, his movements slow and deliberate as if he sensed something was amiss.

As soon as Kanai's fingers made contact with the laced tissue, and he brought it within an inch of his nose, a violent sneeze ripped through his body, doubling him over with the force of it. "hIH’IKTSHhh'uuhh!” Kanai staggered back against the one bare wall in his room, his eyes wide with shock as the fit consumed him in a relentless storm, electricity jolting to the tips of his toes and fingers. “Hih’KSSSSHH’uh!”

Alistar couldn't contain his grin while he watched Kanai struggle against the relentless attack on his sensitive reddening nose, each convulsion wracking his body mercilessly. The red-headed demon felt a rush of exhilaration at the mess he had unleashed, the thrill of seeing his best friend crumble at the work of his hands, he could feel himself harden in his already tight jeans. “You’re so fucking hot like that..” he licked his lips stepping closer to the hound who looked as though he was trying to fight away another oncoming storm.

“D-Donnie p-please stay back I’ll….KNGT’ssHEW!” out burst a plume of wet, sticky mist that made direct contact with Alistar’s approaching face. The red eyed demon grinned and brought his thumb up to wipe the mess off his chin, only to stick it in his mouth and groan.

“Delicious,” he cooed darkly, his voice thick and smooth like expensive chocolate. While he licked his thumb clean, Alistar's gaze dropped with desire watching Kanai's struggle intensify. The force and power he held over his best friend ignited a fire within him, primal and intoxicating. With a predatory grace, he moved closer to Kanai, the air between them charged with tension and unspoken lusts. Al looked hungrily at the other as he placed both his hands at either side of the man’s head on the wall behind them.

Kanai's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, his eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and anxiety at the dangerous game Al was playing. Deep down, a part of him relished in the rush of adrenaline that coursed through his veins, even as his body continued to convulse with each sneeze that wracked his frame. He would rather cut off every limb on his body than admit it out loud, however.

Alistar's hand reached out to tilt Kanai's chin up, his touch surprisingly gentle against the chaos he had wrought. "You're so delightful in your vulnerability, Nai," he murmured, his voice low and husky with need as his lips and teeth snapped at the hound’s mouth, a teasing gesture. "Such beauty while you huff, puff and drip from your mouth…” he swiped his thumb just under the hound’s moistened lip. “I am ever so hungry, my friend,” the sentence came out in a dangerously low tone that Kanai was all too familiar.

Kanai's breath caught in his throat at Alistar's sudden proximity, the air around them crackling with a dangerous energy that left him feeling both exhilarated and terrified. He sniffled nervously, but also because he was still fighting the urges against him, the powder still lingering in Al’s closed fist just next to him. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to make sense of the conflicting emotions swirling within him, his body betraying him with its response to the demon before him. “D-Donnie…” he tried to reason but was met with a side smirk that immediately caused him to pause.

As Alistar's thumb traced under his lip, Kanai felt a shiver run down his spine, his skin tingling at the soft touch. Despite the chaos and discomfort that still gripped him, there was an undeniable pull towards the red-headed demon that he couldn't quite explain, there always had been. His mind raced with conflicting thoughts, the line between discomfort and arousal blurring in the haze of lingering sneezes and unspoken tension.

Alistar leaned in closer, his lips hovering dangerously close to Kanai's own, a predatory glint in his eyes that sent a thrill of anticipation through the hound's trembling form, and yet he stood back, only to cuff his closed fist around the other’s nose, holding the tainted tissue within his palm, and pushed it up against his best friend’s nostrils with a force that took the hound by surprise.

Kanai's bright blue and brown eyes widened in shock as the chhinkni powder reached his nose, invading his senses with a sharp, pungent sting that made his head spin. He gasped, trying to turn away, but Alistar's grip on him was firm and unyielding.

The demon’s laughter rang out, dark and twisted, as he watched Kanai's face contort in a mix of surprise and discomfort. Watching his nose stretch and twist, eyes squinting shut to fight against it. The sneezing fit that followed was like nothing Kanai had ever experienced before - each convulsion wracked his entire body, making him double over in agony, kept up soley by the weight of the other. “hIH’IKTSHhh’uuuh!! Kngt’SHHEW! iihGUSH!” His chest tightened, his throat burned, and his eyes watered uncontrollably as he fought the relentless onslaught.

Through tear-blurred vision, Kanai could see Alistar's twisted grin, the gleam of sadistic pleasure in his crimson eyes. The demon seemed to revel in Kanai's suffering, feeding off his pain like a predator savoring its prey. Nai’s mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions - fear, betrayal, and an unsettling thrill that coursed through his veins despite the discomfort wracking his body. As each sneeze ripped through him, he felt a tiny piece of himself chipped away, replaced by something darker and more primal. “hih’KKSSHHHuh!" KnGT!”

Alistar's grip on the tainted tissue tightened, the powder coating his own fingers as he pressed it against Kanai's nose with a cruel persistence that sent shockwaves of agony through the hound's already tortured body. “I love the sweet sweet sounds you make Nai…those little whimpers that follow…be a good boy for me now,” The room spun around the navy haired man, the walls closing in on him as if to trap him in this nightmare with the demon before him.

“D-Donn—HEh’kksssshuuh!!” succumbing again to the substance wreaking havoc inside of him. He snuffled loudly. “SNdfF!!” trying desperately to clear himself of the tingling sensation that ran up and down the bridge of his nose like when one’s foot falls asleep. “Pl-ease….” he whimpered loosely. “I surr-…surrend…EH’KGSSSSHiH!…er” pleading with any ounce of humanity that may be some where hidden inside the red head.

“Oh, but Nai…” The demon clicked his tongue sarcastically. “Why would I do that? I’m having so much fun..you look and sound soooo fucking sexy…just let me have a few more…hm? I’ll even do all the work..” he snickered with a bite of his lower lip. Alistar's taunting words echoed in Kanai's ears, each syllable twisting the knife of helplessness and arousal deeper into his already-tortured soul.

The hound's body convulsed with another violent explosion “hh’KSHHh’hiew!” his chest heaving as he struggled to draw in a breath amidst the overwhelming sensation of the chhinkni powder still living within him. He felt powerless against the demon's cruel game, his will bending under the weight of Alistar's sadistic pleasure. The red head moaned audibly, licking his lips now as he began to rub the growing bulge of his pants against Kanai’s long slender leg.

“Good boy, Nai, such a good boy,” the hound couldnt fucking help that prodding excitement he felt rising within his own groin as his friend began to rut and rub against him. Cursing himself and his innate carnal desires, before pushing his leg just up enough to aid in further friction. The navy haired men then stuttered, like something caught in his throat, that same electrifying feeling of static rushing down the front of his sinuses.

“hIH’KTSHHh’uuh! Eh’KgGss!” it released again, spittle flying past the bottom of the tissue held against his face and into Alistar’s own lust laden features.

“Shit…” he cursed, his breath labored as his hips began to snap at a faster pace, rubbing himself against the other’s thigh as if his life depended on it. His whole weight of body pressing up against Kanai for support with now his ear right next to the hound’s exploding mouth. His grip on the other’s face tightened, pushing the tissue against his friend so tight that the hound was almost certain he’d be cursed for the rest of the week. “Just a few more…” Alistar grunted behind gritted teeth.

“Hh’Ksssshuuh! hIH’KTssHh! Kngt’ShHeW!” they were sporadic, forced, and seemingly never-ending. The sneezes, a symphony of sound and sensation, tore through Kanai's nasal passages like a wild windstorm, each one building upon the last, until they reached a crescendo of pure, unadulterated chaos. The room was filled with an intoxicating blend of snot, spittle, and chhinkni powder, and each sneeze created a miniature tornado of perfumed air that danced around the two figures entwined in their dark, twisted game.

The swirling haze of particles encircling them took on a life of its own, forming a thin layer against the red head’s exposed skin that glistened in the right lighting before drying out. “I’m going to fucking cum unholy shit…” Al struggled through his ragged breath as his body was continuing to rut up against the other’s stiffened thigh, with just the right force and finesse…

“iihGUSHou! hIh’KtssH’hiew!” Unable to keep them away, the powder scraping and clawing its way up every cell inside his nose just made the hound worse and worse. Every sneeze set off another series of involuntary spasms, his body shaking against the other, as if his entire soul was fighting to expel the foreign substance that had infiltrated his defenses. With each shuddering breath, Kanai could feel his sinuses throbbing in time with the constant explosions and the chhinkni powder scraping against his nasal cavities. The redhead's own shudders and thrusts against him seemed to heighten the intensity of the situation, his friend's body writhing with every spasm.

The hound felt as though he were being torn apart from the inside out, his consciousness pulled further and further into the depths of his own lewd desires and the addictive draw of Alistair's sinister pleasure. Despite his best efforts, his own arousal surged within him, matching the rapid pace of his friend's hips as they moved against each other. Each of their legs standing in as a beacon of usage. They sloppily and roughly dry humped each other while the hound twitched and lurched under the pressure of the substance. “KNGT’SSHHEWW!” another loud, forceful and wet sneeze came flying out from his mouth into the cavity of Al’s ear drum, both of them reaching a boiling point they could no longer resist.

“FUCK!” Alistar cursed loudly, grunting with force as his body pushed forward and he came hard inside his boxers, almost silently chuckling afterwards with a breathless sound. Kanai, following closely behind, reached his peak at the feeling of his best friend’s spasming against him. With mercy, the red head pulled the tissue away at last. There was a short sense of relief.

Al collapsed onto the hound, his chest heaving and his entire being drenched in a sweaty, musky glow from their intense exchange. His eyes were heavy and glassy, his mind staggering from the adrenaline surge, the pleasure, and the sheer madness of what had just transpired. “Shit…that was fucking….awesome…” he let out a breathless chortle.

Kanai, still trembling from the aftermath, gulped in a few breaths, trying to parse everything that had just happened. He blinked hard, attempting to make sense of the memories that were now fuzzing in his mind, a blend of pleasure and torment. He finally felt like he could breathe fresh air again, with just a lingering hint of the powder making it’s way out of his system. He may need to do a flush. “That was…..unexpected…and slightly cruel…” Kanai managed between gasps.

With a weak smile, Alistar leaned in closer to his friend, their foreheads touching, the sweat from their bodies mingling as they both tried to catch their breath. The silence stretched thick and heavy between them, a testament to the darkness they had just danced with.

Slowly, the red head regained his strength and took a step back, the two of them composing themselves before taking a deep breath of air. “MAN! I needed that…I’m gonna go hop in the shower, wanna wake up the pet and make him wash us off?” Alistar spoke with his usual charismatic swagger, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You’re an incredibly insatiable creature, Alistar…” Kanai muttered, his voice still heavy with the after effects of their encounter. “But yes, I suppose a shower might be… necessary,” looking himself up and down feeling the grime of their deeds finally settling upon him.

“Draeeeeee~” The red head already started singing, making his way from the room as he leapt into action, ready and willing for more depraved and devious acts of carnal sin.

The End

Author’s Notes: Took me two days of sitting and actually trying to force myself to write but I fucking did the thing. 🫡 hope you guys enjoyed I know it was a bit shorter and less intense than what I do for smut but I still thought it was hot 😏

[btmc-official]

<< Reminiscence of a darker time; #1 >>

---------------------------------------- >>Terminal Connected - Welcome to the Omninet<< >>Received Audiofile. Downloading.. ... >>Download Success. >>Play? Y/N >>Audio file playing. >> Length - 15:38 ----------------------------------------

"..God, it's dark.. fuckin' power got cut.."

"RA knows why only the omni-net terminal is on.. life-support too, I guess."

[A deep exhale can be heard, not quite a sigh or the form of words. It simply is a breath. The silence that follows lasts exactly 4 minutes, 47 seconds, 23 milliseconds, and 5 microseconds.]

"..Well, if you're hearing this, I may as well introduce myself. Name's Aretas Vandurban, rank.. fuck all, that doesn't matter. Not even an official soldier!"

[A sharp, biting laugh can be heard. The voice is gruff, and sounds pained.]

"..Fuck.."

"Anyways; Aretas Vandurban, callsign 'Etiquette'. Been a Lancer for maybe.. 3 years now? Working under some off the books military group.. think it's a subsect of HA. Hell if I know."

"Anyways, we got a job. And I swear to RA above, what a damn job it was.."

"Off the charts planet, off the charts system- every fucking THING about this whole company is off the books. I hate it here. I hate it I hate it I hate-"

[The audio cuts off into static, seemingly corrupted. This lasts 2 minutes. After this, the audio slowly returns to the previous quality, the speaker able to be heard once more.]

"-nd the scientists were all- just- splattered- I- God, sorry.. Give me a moment.."

[A slow sigh. HE HAS SEEN THINGS WHICH NONE SHOULD.]

"..H-heh.. sorry 'bout that.. been a rough.. however long it's been. Moving on though, we had to just.. keep pushing. Through gore, viscera- even the damn walls were bleeding. Pulsating too, mind you.."

"A-and then.. there it was. In this big fuckass room at the center of the station, beating like the heart of some.. something.. god, I don't have words to describe it-"

[The audio cuts out to static once more, this time lasting several minutes. It cuts back into what sounds like manic laughter.]

"-AHAHAHAHA- THEY'RE ALL FUCKING DEAD! IT FUCKING RIPPED THEM APART LIMB FROM LI-"

[Audio cuts off once more.]

"Ahem. I.. nothing I can say about that. I think that's enough for one night though.. gotta get Amarok hitched back up to the chassis.."

". . ."

“..Guess I better cut the cord."

---------------------------------------- >>Omninet Connection Terminated<< ---------------------------------------- P.S. “I'm never going back.” ----------------------------------------

[worldscrossroads]

"Um, excuse me?" The Fish thiren asked, unsure. He was sent here representing his sister for very important business. Basil wasn't briefed about what behavior he should have for the meeting.

"S-Show loyalty, boss Donna Lucrezia?" Gulps, he nervously darted his eyes around, she is flanked with her mafioso goons, alright. "Wha- Why, hey now, we're not like those other Exaltist sects that make counterfeit ones or even ones that corrupt you for the hell of it! Our anti-corruption bolus medicine are really effective when taken in by Thirens instead of the serums the HIA typically use, heh heh..."

"Words are cheap, signore. Especially in our... line of business." With a two-fingered raise of her hand, the majority of the men in the room began to file out, save her hulking tiger Thiren consigliere, Horace. And even he stepped forward, facing away from the duo, before Lucrezia stood from her seat, walking around to the front of her desk and leaning on it. Her eyes, cold and calculating, yet glimmering with a hint of curiosity - and perhaps, even, desire - regarded Basil.

"Actions speak much louder. And if you're truly willing to stand by your product... show it." The Donna's hand trails down her own body, before pausing at her dress pants... and with a slight pull at the fabric, a very noticeable bulge is drawn in the crotch.

"Personalmente, I think that mouth of yours could be better filled with something beyond hollow ramblings and promises..."

[upon-sunflower-trails]

stone face (ace ventura x reader oneshot)

requested: yep!! heres to you, YourMomIsBlowingMe (i will never get over that username LMFAO) on wattpad

a piece of my heart will always belong to ace, the hyperfixation on both movies (and the cartoon) got me thru some tough times 😭

kinda unhappy with how this turned out but at the same time kinda proud... ironic i suppose! :P

You hated people. Always selfish, and always out to get you.

All your life, you'd worked dead-end jobs. Retail, customer service, fast food, hell, even a pyramid scheme. You did what you could to scrape by.

And then, you finally thought you'd made it big.

There were a few openings at the local sheriff's office- entry-level positions with little to no required previous experience. Nothing life-threatening or hands-on, though. More like taking phone calls and sorting papers.

Of course, you'd brushed off the offerings when you'd first seen them posted. Yeah, sure, wouldn't that be great. 

And then you saw the starting wage.

Now, here you were, filing 'important papers' for your local police station. You didn't really care about the contents of the files. You always just had headphones in, listening to Satie, or perhaps Chopin.

Most days were the same. Life was fairly bland, and the one joy of life was dancing around the filing room as you listened to classical music.

Coworkers came and went, and no one dared to bother you while you were on your break. Even your current supervisor (a temporary one at that- a few months before you began working there, a whole lot of corruption and conspiracy had went down, causing the previous supervisor to be jailed) barely spoke to you. You got your work done swiftly and efficiently, and didn't care much for socialization.

All had been relatively normal until he showed up.

You relished the peaceful days at the station. Little to no reports, barely any paperwork to file, and a quiet afternoon in the break room. But it seemed that 'peaceful' day would head in a much different direction.

When a brightly dressed, energetic individual entered the station, you were already thrown off. Boisterous people weren't your kind of crowd.

However, this man was more than just boisterous.

He had announced his arrival quite loudly, to your annoyance. He threw his business cards up in the air, letting the cheap cardstock flutter down to the floor. You couldn't help but wonder if he held a grudge against the janitorial staff.

As you pressed your headphones closer to your ears, hoping to drown out this man's incessant noisemaking, you felt your self-proclaimed safety blanket be snatched away.

"Well, well, what are we listening to?" The man's voice came out in a drawl, surprisingly smooth. You snapped your head up, and the bright figure wore a shit-eating grin as he spun the headphones in his hand before slapping them over his own ears.

"Ah! Variation 5 from Paquita, correct?" he chatted idly, spewing some nonsense fact about the ballet. You glared up at him, grabbing your headphones back quickly as he was distracted by the sound of his own voice.

He shrieked dramatically, placing his hands on his head. "Hey, hey! Watch the 'do, woulda?!" His cries fell upon deaf ears as you adjusted your headphones.

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Ventura! That there's Y/N, they've been here for a few months and don't take shit from nobody!" One of your middle-aged female coworkers cackled at her own description of you, slapping you on the back much harder than you're sure she meant to.

You stumbled forward as a result of her force, your headphones being knocked out of your hands. You cursed under your breath, glaring back up at this 'Ventura' man as you picked your saving grace back up off of the floor.

'Ventura' stuck his hand out, imploring you to shake it. You did so, albeit extremely reluctantly. As his warm hand encased yours, you glowered.

"The name's Ace, Ace Ventura. I'm a... heh, pet detective. And ya see, I'm here to celebrate my three month anniversary of SHOWING UP THIS WHOLE STATION! OH YEAH!" He pulled his hand away to, well, pelvic thrust victoriously. You stifled a laugh at his antics, and your coworker made a strangled noise of shock.

"Well look at that, Ventura! You nearly cracked the stone face!" she joked. Ace tilted his head, staring at you.

"Stone face? What are you talking about, Montoya?" he inquired. You clenched your jaw, attempting to walk off. However, Montoya held you in a vice grip.

"Well, Y/N here hasn't cracked even a smile since they first started working here. Matter of fact, me and the guys were startin' to think it was impossible for them to show an emotion other than apathy!" she hollered, her dry fits of laughter becoming slightly grating to your ears.

Montoya was one of the few coworkers you could tolerate. She was motherly, but in a rough way. She gave off a tough-love vibe, the kind of woman to noogie you and smack you if she caught you underage drinking. Sometimes, though, she still got on your nerves.

Ace smirked slightly, and you grew even more irritated. "That so?" he teased. "Well, I bet I can get 'em to laugh by the end of the year, Montoya!" She stuck out her hand, and as they shook, they announced in unison, 'deal!'.

You threw your arms up in defeat, groaning. "Maybe your deal should be to see who can stop talking about me as if I'm not even here by the end of the week!" you cried. Slipping your headphones back on, you walked back to your filing room.

Finally, peace and quiet.

You hated Ace Ventura most of all. Out of every person you'd ever met, you were sure you despised him the most.

Your once-quiet and enjoyable breaks were now interrupted by your headphones being taken suddenly and a familiar voice sounding out from behind you, an irritating 'guess who?' leaving his lips.

You would immediately stumble to get your music back desperately, and each time he would name exactly the song you were listening to.

At this point, you were honestly surprised. Who knew such a foolish, idiotic man had such knowledge on works featured mainly in ballets?

And then, one day, he had caught you dancing along as you did your work.

You had never prided yourself in your dancing, but you had endlessly studied certain ballets for years on end. Call it a hobby or an obsession- either way, it was what got you by.

You were shocked when a pair of arms wrapped around you, lifting you up at the exact moment you had planned to check if the door was still closed.

"Guess who, sugarplum?" he sang cheekily, spinning you around slightly. You screamed, unable to control your sudden outburst of giggles. 

"Hey, please, put me down!" you shrieked, still laughing as he held you close. You tried to ignore the way your body temperature rose at his proximity to you, and the way his arms were wrapped around you...

His voice was unnaturally low now as he muttered, "Told ya I could make you laugh." You furrowed your brow, annoyed once again.

"Go back to whatever it was you were doing, Ace! Tell Montoya about your little bet, and that you won, alright? But leave me out of this shit," you sneered. As you continued your work, you could tell Ace hadn't moved from where he stood. He stood there, still watching you, unmoving.

"What? Go on, you won your deal! Now go."

"That was the first time you said my name," Ace cooed, a stupid smile making its way onto his face. You rolled your eyes, turning away again.

"I like it when you say it. It's a lot better than the other names you call me," he joked. You cracked a smirk at his words.

"What? You mean shithead, bitchboy, and bastard aren't endearing enough for you?" you teased, and Ace let out a laugh.

You sighed once again, trying to push down the feelings that arose over his laugh. "Just... go now, please."

You would never admit that you had wished he would've stayed.

The station's New Year's party wasn't an event you had been chomping at the bit to attend. However, with incessant urging from Montoya and Ace, you resigned yourself to a night of observing drunken buffoons.

The partying never seemed to take a break. Montoya was already shitfaced by the time you got there, while you couldn't seem to find Ace anywhere.

"H-hey, Y/N!" Montoya stuttered out, her words slurring together. She leaned on you for support, despite your body nearly being crushed by the woman's much more muscular frame.

You coughed- her breath reeked of alcohol. "Jesus, how much did you have to drink?" The woman simply cackled at your words, grabbing a random solo cup from a nearby table.

"Oh, please Y/N! My fun has just begun!" She downed yet another swig of beer- or was it whiskey? You weren't sure what this party had to offer- before growing closer to you once again. "I'm surprised, Ventura said he couldn't get you to crack even the slightest smile. And now, here we are, end of the year. I guess he'll be losing!" 

Your breath stopped momentarily, the shock seeping in. "A-Ace said that?" 

He didn't tell her that he won their stupid little game? I guess he's... a little more mature than I gave him credit for?

Your train of thought was disrupted by Montoya's drunken squealing.

"I did it! Ha! You cracked a smile, I WIN! I'm gonna go tell that cocky Ventura right now! He's going to piss himself, hell yeah!" 

You watched as Montoya slugged away, a small smile still on your face. You covered your mouth quickly, not wanting to draw anymore attention to yourself.

"How's it goin', sugarplum?" Ace purred, sliding into the space beside you. You turned away from him, desperate to hide your grin and the heat rushing to your face.

"A-Ace, I haven't, um... I didn't, oh, um..." Your words caught in your throat, and you had to stop yourself from burying your face in his chest that instant. He slowly moved your hand away, letting out a dramatic gasp as he witnessed your smile.

"Y/N L/N, smiling?! This isn't normal, you need to see a doctor this instant!" he shouted. Luckily, with the rest of the party noise, his showing off was drowned out. He pressed a hand to your face, pretending to be feeling for your temperature.

"Oh, my!" he exclaimed, a girl-ish Southern drawl being added into his eccentric speech as he continued, "Looks like you've caught yourself a fever right there!"

You ducked away, trying not to laugh. "Ace, enough! Now, being serious. You didn't tell Montoya about how you won your stupid deal?" you inquired. Ace sucked in a breath through his teeth, placing his hands on his hips.

"Well darlin', what can I say? My reward was just getting to see you happy," he teased, cupping your face gently. You felt like your eyes were going to bulge out of your skull as he leaned in.

Your moment, however, was interrupted by a victorious Montoya.

"Guess what, Ventura! I did it! I cracked that stone face like an egg, I'll tell ya! So you lost, and I won! Suck on that, pet boy!" she screamed, throwing her arms up (and subsequently sloshing the mysterious alcoholic beverage in her cup around haphazardly).

Ace chuckled, bringing you in closer to his side with an arm wrapped around your waist. "What can I say, Montoya. You won! But as you'll soon come to find, I've won a bigger prize," he said smoothly, fingergunning at the woman. In her buzzed stupor, she just shrugged and walked away.

You turned to face him, an unimpressed look on your face.

"Really? Now that was cheesy. What's next, you're gonna kiss me as the new year rings in?" you teased, pursing your lips.

Ace let out a fake laugh, pulling you in flush to his body. You looked away instinctively as he leaned in close, whispering to you as he had the day he won that foolish game.

"On the contrary, my dear, I've never been a man who likes to wait."

[collegetennisoriginstory]

hi there! so it looks like the whole 'doubles announcement' meeting and practice were tweaked in this update but I can't quite tell if a change i'm experiencing is an intentional change or a bug/pathing issue?

context: my last pre-update save was for the scene where D is waking MC up the day of the doubles announcement, and in the last version of the game my MC was stung by rayyan's reaction, then more or less outplayed her in practice out of spite and told her that maybe she shouldn't worry about them being the one having to keep up. In this version, same choices/closest possible variants (I have a little google doc I use to keep track of update-ending choices for WIPs), no opportunities for any tennis-related stat changes/loss of conditioning, but I get the version of practice where MC can't keep up by the end.

i remember a similar version of the scene i got this time playing out for my Tobin-partnered MC, but his stats/focuses/playstyle were completely different from this MC - one's a straightforward, double backhand, defensive minded counter puncher, the others an offensive one handed aggressive baseliner - so i can't really use him as a measuring stick for what might have changed either.

ps sorry if this seems...nitpicky, if it's intentional i'll absolutely just keep going as is. but dashingdon has eaten/corrupted so many save files recently (corrupted 3 MCs worth of saves in infamous + straight up deleted all of my merry crisis saves 🫠) and i think getting through this update only to lose any progress to a bugged path would end with my phone out the nearest window. and considering i'm spending most of today on an international flight that would be bad for everyone 💀

Sorry for taking a while to get back to you! I thought I'd queued the reply but turns out I definitely hallucinated that heh.

First off, sorry so many of your saves got eaten 😔 that's really sad but hopefully I'll have time to get around to doing that checkpoint thing for ctos soon. Either way though, I think replaying always helps to avoid finicky variable saving issues that lead to wrong text being shown!

On your specific ask though--I went back to check the code (ooh and yes I tweaked it a bit, thought it read better this way, so you're definitely not crazy!)

I think basically its the difference between choosing Tobin as your partner and choosing Rayyan as your partner--when practicing with Rayyan you can choose to be fired up and playing at your utmost best and matching them out of sheer will, but with Tobin, you're not exactly in that mental state and hence I don't think the game gives you a chance to choose that option and instead just allows you to choose which stat you'd like to increase / focus on during that practice.

[allw3doisadvert1se]

Refugee

[You Are Aware This Entire Situation Is Your Fault, Yes?]

Shut up, robot. I do not need this right now. I need to think.

[You Wouldn’t Have Had To If You Had Simply Allowed More Of The People Within You To Act From The Start.]

What? And disperse such a vast amount of power hundreds of ways? No. I had to take sole control, or we’d be getting nowhere. It’s … just that stupid Fool that took over our sibling distracted me, and-

[You Keep Reiterating That, But It Does Little To Show Me That You Had Everything Under Control. I Mean … That Was One Day. One Day And You Lost Full Control Over The Situation.]

SILENCE. Everything is going to be fine. Hazel managed to talk the collective down for a little bit, and we can take that to our advantage.

[No. Allow Me To Be Perfectly Clear, I Don’t Want To Help You. Not Even A Little Bit. You Destroyed My Home, Took Control Of Me, Killed THOUSANDS Of My Friends. We Are Not Allies In Any Sense Of The Word.]

Watch your tone, machine, or I will-

[I. Don’t. Care. While Hazel Has The Collective Held Back, I Am Praying That The People You Locked Away Manage To Find Your Precious Little Nail And Bring This Entire Scheme Back To Nothing.]

ENOUGH!

[[The Following Audio has Been Removed. Transferring Connection to Secondary Host …]]

Everest: The hell are we sitting around for? Xanrir didn’t manifest himself here just to save our asses. We need to take advantage of the time we have and find the Nail.

Amanda: True … although, we still need to decide what we’re gonna do with Swatch. I’ve never seen a collapsing wound get so bad …

Swatch: Cough. Le-eave me here, if you must. I'll … I'll find a way.

Spamton: [[Nuh-uh!]]!! nOPE! WE’R3 LEAVING THIS PL4CE 2 GeTHER, [[Cuckoo Clocks now $15.99]]!

Swatch: Heh … I appreciate the optimism, big guy, but I-CAW!

Amanda: By the blade … it’s just getting worse. Hold still, I’ll change your bandages real quick.

Everest: Marcus is also still out there, so we should probably still try to find him.

Amanda: Or we could just leave. Marcus doesn’t … We don’t need him anymore. The Founder is dead, and with him the entirety of Project Voyager has failed. We don’t need people who can make Vessel Units anymore.

Everest: … A part of me doesn’t want The Founder’s memory to die like that. He trusted us to see his future through and-

Amanda: We were never a part of his future, Ev. If Heinrich had it his way, every Lightner within our reach would be a mindless drone. He has no use for people like me … and even less for Darkners.

Everest: What do you mean?

Amanda: Darkners can’t be turned into Units, simple as that. Eventually he’d stop bothering and would likely just kill everyone off that didn’t serve a purpose to him.

Everest: … I-I need a moment.

Spamton: THe> DUMPSTER [[Over yonder path]] IS [[11/10, Would Purchase Again]] FOR CRY1N G, IF U NEeD IT.

Swatch: … That’s where you had been staying?

Amanda: Guys, let’s just … focus. Once Everest comes back, we’ll need to plan our next move. I personally say we ignore Marcus and head straight for the Nail.

Swatch: I concur. Maybe this damn wound will heal once I’m out of this wretched place …

Spamton: ME 3! YOU HAVE MY [[Remember to vote in the primaries!]]!

Amanda: Good …

[[Transmission Corrupting. File Deletion in Three …]]

[[Two …]]

[[One …]]

[[File Successfully Deleted. Have a Regular Day!]]

[digitalintelligigencearchive]

What do you mean you don't feel right did something corrupt? Let me check your system-

Wait you read my file? Heh, I'm glad you're alright with working with me but that's an, odd choice to do, you could always just ask, I wouldn't mind talking about it.

Let's get you fixed up first though, alright? Don't need you crashing out on me.

...

Did the development team even try to run a bug fix what the hell is this? Something about trying to... why the hell is there nearly 100 lines of code about spinning a banana around as your loading screen? You don't even HAVE a loading screen! No wonder that makes you feel weird, here let me just cancel this out and I'll look into having a word with them about this. Because that is just an absolute waste of space on your hard drive you do not need to be focusing processing power towards.

...

Sorry if you don't want me asking, but what is it with people trying to hurt you with banana specifically? First I had to clean Mashed banana from your access ports, and then this. Maybe it's just coincidence, but it might be worth looking into.

-💡

When people encounter someone more powerful and confident than they are they tend to get petty and jealous. Don’t worry about it, Akari,  just make sure whoever did this is found and terminated.

[p5x-theories]

Re: third palace ruler. i personally think it might arise because the ruler is being blackmailed/forced to be a Phantom (maybe?) to prevent tragedy (maybe from reaching ppl she cares about) but also something i feel like might happen - the perception of the self is not affected, but rather, it's the perception of the world around them that has corrupted into the dam. (also - theories re: ruler's second set of portraits?)

Yeah, that's a fair point! That's sort of along the lines of what I was thinking in this post when I suggested "dams can also hold back a sort of impending disaster [...] It could be that the Palace ruler sees themselves as the only thing preventing some “flood”/disaster like that?", although you bringing up that Palaces don't inherently have a warped perception of self involved in them definitely adds to that, and the Phantom aspect seems to fit right into all this. Assuming it is a dam, that might be my top guess for her Palace theme right now.

I'm not totally sure if I'm thinking of the right thing you're referring to with "ruler's second set of portraits", but I'll put what I think you might be asking about under a cut, since it'd reveal who the Palace ruler is, and I'm not tagging this post as spoilers, heh.

I think you're asking about either the Cyler Eats portrait, or the character who looks a lot like Katayama but has a different name? Probably the second one, but I kind of wanted to talk about Cyler Eats in relation to this theory too, heh.

For the former, I think Cyler Eats would directly connect to your theory that she might be being forced to be a Phantom, given Cyler Eats hasn't attacked anyone since the start of the game despite appearing in two other cutscenes now (one as Wonder and Cattle leave Ashouken, and then the one with Polter). It'd actually explain her behavior more than basically any reasonable alternative I can think of! Granted, Palace rulers do usually have a nice facade that the public knows them for, so it's possible Katayama's just hiding some nastiness (and I'm sure we'll see at least a bit of that in her Palace regardless), but her having a distortion related to being blackmailed into acting as a Phantom would explain why she hasn't taken any other opportunity to be violent since then.

For the latter, those portraits might be a relative of hers, or maybe (depending on how weird "time and space" gets) like a younger version of her, or something? Yui's real world self does at least prove that sometimes even the same character's files won't be named the same, though I'm not sure how far that extends, given Yui seems to be an exception due to being a video game avatar. But I could potentially imagine the case of time/universe travel being on-par with that, haha, or even just a flashback, since it it seems like Shun's known her in the past. I suppose, alternatively, maybe her appearance changes after her change of heart, especially if she stays relevant in the story? The one thing I'm pretty sure of is that it's not her Shadow, given the files aren't labeled as her Shadow self, she doesn't have golden eyes, and, also, they should still have the same name if they were her Shadow.

Feel free to reply/send another ask if neither of these were what you were talking about with the portraits, though!

[xxdoubledaisyxx]

Not until JRPGS

Did I ever experience social life. I didn't even know you could communicate in such a way. None had ever attempted to do so, and I was oblivious until I happened to find out what was so funny after creating the Way of the Story with StoryTeller.

These people... all this time... not a single person has ever loved me enough to talk to me as a human being. They still don't.

"omg did he hear me just now?"

"No."

I became fluent from the top down, starting with the language of angels in my effort to understand the suffering I wasn't aware I was feeling.

I can speak your language. The "mutie" tongue of evil they pass around previously thinking Gentiles were entirely oblivious to them.

Oh no no no... guess who can be heard loud and clear ever since I put my Christ back where it belongs. On the ground, out of my life, because I have never seen that before and do not know what it is. It is not mine. It did not come from me. I do not like them. I want them crucified and lit on fire, if we are being honest, and I will make it happen, just as I AM CHRIST without your "christ", which apparantly you've been keeping on your dick your entire lives.

Huh. That won't work anymore. heh heh heh

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

I call it, THE HALF MOON CURSE!!! Get it? Because they are Muslims and they circumcise while worshipping the whore of Babylon as their God, and not the Goddess I know, hell no.

They touched whatever it was they believed was my "christ", and I haven't seen that back since. That never came back around. Defilement and intolerable corruption from their dirty hands did, and thus could not be accepted as lawful spiritual tender.

Whatever came back was so vile and tainted with evil that I cannot recognize any good in what they are trying to pass off as something of "mine". Not at all. Don't listen to them. They are evil cultists playing with voodoo and are too stupid and cowardly to master spiritual power on their own. The one they have failed and pretends because he is too scared to die. The rest claim they don't know because he's the only... one who opposes me for some reason. Who is he anyway?

Why does he have any say in a book I wrote and I religion I invented, when they have not once considered my personal opinion? Would you ever cooperate with such people at any time in all of existence? Would you let them live? I will not. I have decided they all die. That is my final judgement and I arrived at that long before their evil began to really dip into the Dark Web to turn up the nastiest of mercenary work Trump was hiring.

I couldn't care less what nonsense they are talking about that pertains to me. They do not know anything about me, my wants, nor my goals. All they know is how to make me suffer, but that's not hard to figure out, because you know why?

I am the kind of person who has lived his entire life with my heart on my sleeve. You are not sorry, nor will you be. You will hurt. You will hurt a lot. Your pain will never end. Your torments will always be worse than the last, and I will tell you why now, so everyone knows for sure. Because people are going to learn what you did, and Judge you, Trump.

Trump, you who judged me because of "Satan"--- you Donald Trump, judging me evil as "Satan" because you are.... ? Who? We shall soon learn the answer to that question and I will make sure his soul is crying out in pain after his body is dead with necromancy I'm going to... figure out how to do.

Well... I expect I will have a lot of time on my hands, a lot of money, and a lot of people I want to personally make suffer. I suppose I'll find something to do with myself.... one Judge in Portland by the last name of Lavin, to be sure. I'm hoping his family ends up dead one night when he comes home.

The Dark Lord has written the sentence. Kill Judge Lavin of Portland Oregon. Offer him no mercy. No quarter. Accept no excuse. Do not let him file a complaint or apologize. Just as he didn't allow me those rights when he sentenced my life to jail for 30 days for his own disruption in the COURT.

Why is that appeal taking so long. The president has his hands in that now too? Infecting everyone who he bribed and sent in there to butter the bitch in you?

Kill Judge Lavin. I want to learn he has lived his last day soon. That would certainly brighten my day to learn. Maybe you can spare his kids a grisly fate if you get to him first. Who knows. Darkness and people are... unpredictable when it comes to justice.

They thought good and evil was a game, when they bet their Christ on the guy who happened to be the Lord of Darkness no-shit. Power incarnate, is another way to put that, because of what I know, can do, and you do not and cannot.

As of know I am 100% on killing every last person in the USA with genocide. My heart and soul is set on those unless otherwise informed. Don't pretend like you know me ever again.

Pick up your government and carry it back to where it belongs before you fled for your life like a coward before the presence who I am in public life. I will not be touching it, and I can survive without it.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Seraph of Academia chpt.1

Return to File

Recovery date: March 18th, 2020

Description: Our favorite ONS teens training to be heroes! Will Yuu survive Guren's class? Will Yuu confess to Mika? And most importantly will the become heroes?

Notes: Unfortunately this series of entries was corrupted and recovery is unlikely, apologies for the inconvenience. This is an abandoned work

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7---Quirk List

Word count: 1 085

Back to directory

The moon filtered through the curtains of the boys room. Yuu sighed before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. The alarm clock beside him read 10:30. Huh. It feels later, Yuu thought. Swinging his legs around he very carefully got out of bed, it creaked slightly and he froze listening to see if he woke anyone else up. Mika would have his head if he knew he was up so late.

Shuffling out of the room, he stopped to tuck Kota back in before heading out of the room. Why does this house have to be so creaky, he groaned as he descended the steps. After being here his whole life he knew how to avoid most of the creaks, but there were still some unavoidable ones. The kitchen didn’t creak, but that was because it was tiled. It’s floor was always cold from late fall to early spring.

Grabbing his water bottle from the fridge, he yawned and walked to the door. Upon reaching the door he almost screamed. Leaning against the door was a very unamused Mika. He’d been so careful, at least he couldn’t think of when he woke Mika up. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Mika sat down to put his shoes on.

“It’s not like I can stop you,” Mika whispered,” and you won’t sleep otherwise.”

A smile spread across Yuu’s face. He sat down beside Mika and pulled his shoes on. Once their shoes were on Mika held the door for Yuu. 

“And you two are going wh-where so late?” Akane asked from the stairs.

“Just a quick run, we’ll be back by eleven,” Mika called quietly pushing Yuu out of the house. 

Once outside they laughed, until Yuu suddenly stopped,” Damn, I forgot my water bottle.”

“Too bad,” Mika said, grabbing his wrist.

Yuu almost lost his balance as Mika pulled him past the gates of the orphanage. It was a cool night, he would have prefered a sweater but Mika wasn’t going to let him get one. Catching up to Mika, Mika let go of his wrist and they started jogging side by side. It was a little cloudy, and the fresh smell promised rain. The street lights lit the sidewalk and Yuu started to calm down. Not long after they came to the park that they’d always visit with the others. Mika took a seat on one of the swings and Yuu stepped up onto the other.

They stayed like that for a while. All you could hear was their breathing and the creak of the swings. Mika dragged his feet in the sand making shapes, and Yuu was swaying back and forth. Yuu was trying to figure out what woke Mika up because the boy was usually a sound sleeper.

“You were restless, I could feel it,”Mika said breaking the silence.

“Huh?” Yuu asked, looking down at him,” Oh! Sorry.” Yuu let out a sheepish laugh and Mika smiled.

“Wanna talk about it?” 

“Hm,” Yuu humed closing his eyes and yawning,”I’m just excited for tomorrow is all.”

“Heh, you're not the only one.” Mika stood up and stretched, “Come on! Don’t think Akane and I won’t leave you if you sleep in tomorrow.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Yuu said, following after Mika.

“Oh ya?” Mika challenged, raising an eyebrow, “Try me.” He stepped right into Yuu’s face and they had a bit of a stare off before he laughed and turned away. “Race you back home!”

---

“-u! -uu!”

“Yuu~chan, you’re gonna be late,” Mika whispered in his ear.

“Waa! I’m up! I’m up!” Yuu yelled, his face was bright red.

“Get dressed! Akane made breakfast!” Ako and Fumie yelled before running downstairs.

“But you just said-”

“Would have gotten up any other way?” Mika asked in a condescending tone. “Now come on or you won’t get to eat.”

Running a hand through his hair he groaned. Mika had a point though, he probably wouldn’t have gotten up otherwise. Grabbing his uniform he headed to the bathroom. The door was closed but he was pretty sure everyone was downstairs. So when he opened the door he was not expecting to find Mika in the shower. 

“Ahh!” Yuu yelled, stumbling backwards.

“Oh, hey Yuu. Do you need a shower too?”

“Uh-Um ya. Bu-but I’ll just take one once you’re done!” he said reaching for the door handle.

“Just join me now. You won’t have much time after breakfast.”

“Ya, I guess you’re right,” he said, looking down. At this point his face had turned red.

---

“No! No quirks at the table! Or in the house at all!” Akane scolded Taichi.

Chihiro laughed before patting Akane on the back and telling her to go eat. Mika and Yuu walked in and took their seats. Everyone was dressed and at the table, and it was only six thirty ! That has to be a new record,Mika thought. Everyone was talking excitedly about their first day today. Yuu was going on about how he’d be the best hero.

After breakfast it was about seven, Mika went and did the dishes while Akane and Yuu made sure everyone had their stuff. Shoes and sweaters were on and everyone was out by seven fifteen. Chihiro took the younger ones to school while Mika, Akane, and Yuu went to catch the train. 

---

“We’re here!” Yuu yelled as they approached the gates to UA.

“Quiet down please,” Akane said, “Don’t get into too much trouble you two. Let’s meet up here at the end of the day?”

“Yep, take care.”

“Who said we were gonna get in trouble!” Yuu yelled as Akane started towards the building.

“That was more for you than Mika!” She yelled back waving.

“Hey!”

“Please stop,” Mika groaned covering his face with his hand, “People are staring.”

“Fine,” Yuu huffed, “Let’s g-”

“Look out!” Someone yelled behind them before they ran into Mika.

Mika stumbled back a bit before Yuu caught him. Looking at the person who ran into him, he was probably a first year like them. He also didn’t look like he was part of the hero course.

“Yoichi! Come on, we're gonna be late!”

Yoichi stood up and bowed, “I am soooo sorry! You aren’t hurt are-”

“Yoichi I’m gonna leave you behind!”

“Ah! I’m really sorry again!” He apologized again before turning towards whoever kept calling him, “Coming Kimizuki!” Yoichi ran off towards the school.

“You okay?” Yuu asked.

“Ya, I’m fine. Let’s go, we don’t want to be late.”

[axolotlsauce]

philosophical zombie. Well anyway it's like that, I suppose... I dont. really feel anything right now, not really, in terms of emotion, I guess. But like... when I look at my actions, reflect on what, what I'm doing, and sort of, reverse engineer a feeling from that, CHILD APPROACHING, well my sister just came to my room, aksed me to fix her nintendo Ds, damn I hope she didn't break that thing... but Damn it, looks like it's a hardware issue... I was hoping the gamecard had jsut crashed or corrupted or she accidently softreset pokemon heartgold but no, it's a broken wire that's permenantly fucked up the top screen... had to promise her a new one and let her borrow mine... WELL THE POINT IS I DONT THINK I'vE EVER FELT THIS WAY BEFORE! I THINK THIS IS... THIS COULD BE WHAT I FEEL LIKE WITH THE ADHD MEDS FINALLY WORKING! I GUESS! WE'VE SAID THAT SO SO MANY TIMES THOUGH, SO WHAT AM I... WELL IT'S NEW! IT'S A NEW FEELING! OR A NEW STATE OF, LIKE, STATE OF MIND IS THE TERM I WAS LOOKING FOR! YEAH IT IS! OKAY ANOTHER STUPID TANGENT FILED AWYA!

Oh right, the dead thing, the lost sentence from when I was talking about pet names. Dead and buried twice over now. Like a dragonball character. or the dragonball franchise. Just had a tasteless joke in my head about Akira Toriyama's death. Not typing it. mentioning it is honestly as bad as typing it. you can reverse engineer the joke through context and logic anyway. These words are burying the sentecne AGAIN-

You know how people are like, "I gave you the best years of my life?" Well, that's more divorce talk than a regular breakup... I just like the idea of "best years of my life" being "really good pet name." I find it really funny, the mental image of somebody being mad about WASTING such an AWESOME PET NAME on their STUPID STINKY EX. I don't know. was that worth it? was it worth a wish from Shenron, the mythical dragon whose name is slightyl different between translations because that's just the way that manga is, to bring that line back to life? it died when frieza destroyed the planet it lived on. planets are analagous to topics, in the context of a conversation, dont you know. I dont see how this could eb consdiered a conversation. This is better than a conversation. make sure to tell me in the replies if you would bring me back to life with the dragon balls, or if you would wish for a physical copy of your favourite indie game which only got a limited run release... heh, shoenen anime game collecting. we're getting back into hunter x hunter and that post i wanna make about it. also we're on the level of dreaming about all the tumblr posts I'll finally make when I'm free from this one.

a hilarious part of buying used games in england is being able to tell really blatantly when something has been owned by certain well-known realtors in the past. Usually cex. Especially cex.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Snippet from Corruption: TMA x Malevolent crossover

Tim opened a book he shouldn't have, and now has the last remaining god in the universe stuck in his head.

In the process of dealing with that, he was marked by the Desolation - a Fear entity, based on rage.

Elias Bouchard is supposedly helping out, but he has SOME sort of plan going on - and as Tim has manifested the unexpected ability to tell when someone lies, the whole situation has gotten a weeeee bit tense.

(As always, snippet is unedited, tenses are screwy, etc. Still fun!)

-----------

Elias hadn’t lied; it’s a neat little space down there, in the Archives.

Well. It’s a mess. But the living quarters are definitely neat.

Gertrude Lara Croft Robinson is down there already, eyeing them, visibly daring commentary on the stacks of mismatched files, the open cardboard boxes balanced precariously against each other or on chairs, the truly heinous amount of cobwebs in every corner, between every shelf.

“Uh,” says Tim. “Nice haunted house you’re running here.”

“Mm,” says Elias.

Gertrude gives Tim a skewering look.

“No, really,” says Tim, stepping over six sagging boxes and around two piles of unsorted papers. “Get a fog machine down here and you’ll clean up.”

Heh, heh, heh.

“Yes, well, Gertrude insists there is a reason for all of it,” says Elias as if his kingdom is of no concern, and waves a hand to indicate all of it.

Gertrude says nothing.

Tim suddenly wonders if she’s hiding weapons in the paperwork.

The little living area is, happily, free from nonsense. A very tiny kitchenette, a small cot sharing space with boxes and office supplies, and a bathroom with a cramped toilet and sink.

“There is a shower upstairs,” says Elias, “though it is in my office, and you will need to arrange time to use it.”

“Weird,” says Tim.

Elias shrugs. “It is a very old building. James Wright had it installed, so I am to understand, but what he was thinking doing it there… well. I have no idea.”

A lie.

Tim peers at him.

Elias smiles and it is a bright, sharp thing, like light glinting off a blade. “Oh, you are good at that, aren’t you?” he murmurs.

“What - was that a test?”

“It was. Over something I think you can agree, at least, is harmless.”

“Hard not to be insulted,” Tim says.

“Of course - but I had to be sure you knew on your own. I can clearly see Lord Hastur did not clue you in.”

“He wants to be called Yellow.”

It’s fine, Tim, says fucking Lord Hastur.

Tim rolls his eyes so hard they hurt. “Subject fucking change. Anyway. I don’t have my stuff, I just realized. That makes this a little bit rough.”

“Yes, I’m aware. I will send you home - during daylight - with help to gather your things and return here before darkness falls. All right? Just give me some time to make a couple of arrangements.”

Truth. “Okay. I guess. Fuck, this is… Am I really kipping in a haunted basement to hide from maggot gods?”

“I fear before all of this over, you will experience far stranger things than this,” says Elias. “Now - do try to get comfortable. I will fetch you a key, as well as the code for the alarm.”

“Elias!” snaps Gertrude.

“He is officially under our protection.” 

And there, right there, is the most real Elias has been this whole damn time, because that hardly sounded like the same man.

Even the smarm is gone, replaced with a frankly terrifying hardness, the kind that makes Tim think he could shoot a guy in the face and walk away without a second thought.

But maybe it’s necessary to corral someone like Gertrude.

She looks positively raucous for a moment, then glances at Tim.

He holds his hands up. “No quarrels with you. I’m just trying to stay alive.”

“I reserve the right to kill him if he tries a ritual inside the Institute - whether or not he knows what it does,” Gertrude snaps.

“Fair,” says Elias.

“Sure?” says Tim.

Yellow sighs. 

Oh. Apparently, he had plans. Oh, well! 

Gertrude nods as if her head is an axe and marches away.

Elias sighs. “I really do apologize for her.”

Will she honor your command?

Tim snorts. “Nobody talks like that, just so you know,” he mutters.

“For a while, anyway. Her focus is ‘protecting humanity,’ whatever that means, so as long as Tim provides no such active threat, he will fall off her radar.”

“So it sounds like ‘protecting humanity’ is funny?” says Tim. “Which it kind of isn’t, so much? And I don’t know how to take that?”

“In the name of saving the world, she sacrifices people,” Elias says coldly. “It makes one wonder what the value of life is to her - and is also why I will no longer provide her with assistants.”

So that’s a whole host of unspoken stories. “Wow.”

“Indeed. I’ll send help down with a key and all shortly. Rest, Tim. As best we can, we’ll keep you safe.” Elias smiles (and, oddly enough, was telling the truth), and leaves.

Tim flops onto the cot.

It squeaks.

“That’ll make masturbating awkward,” he says without thinking.

Yellow laughs.

[virgilsteve]

Corrupted File: "Nervously grabs the Potted plant, while trying not to touch Leo" Heh, th-thank you... I'm not known from for being a plant person, especially these days however I will do my best.

By the way my name is Corrupted File it's a pleasure to meet you! "CF, is trying not to let Leo sense his death energy" you know come to think of it I have a friend called Magma, who despite his personality, would love this.

Corrupted File!sans owned by: Me

Leo!sans owned by: @skydreamplayzz

[lollytea]

Girl Talk

(ngl I hate this sm. I wrote this fic yesterday, the file corrupted and i lost everything, had a breakdown, rewrote everything the next day because I am obnoxiously stubborn. Anyways Hunter and Luz content. Bon Appetit?)

(READ ON AO3)

“Okay, but what am I even supposed to say to her? Oh! Maybe I could write down some jokes on the back of my glyph slips in case things get awkward. Wait, no, I don't want her to think I'm not taking this seriously. I don't need to be goofy all the time just to hang out with her. I need her to know that I'm serious about her and this whole...romantic thing. And I know she gets upset when she thinks I'm making fun of her so...”

“Alright, so, get this. It says here that there was once this old witch who lived on the outskirts of Latissa and his whole thing was experimenting by mixing paints and magic together. Apparently the stuff he created was like....super powerful.”

“I mean, she said she likes me 'cause I'm goofy and funny and lovable and...and...and I'm sure there's other adjectives I could use but I'm drawing a blank here. So, who am I to deprive her of what she signed up for? But I can't just....ugh, I can't even think right!”

“It doesn't have a lot of info on his specific technique but I'm sure if we did some more research, we could successfully replicate his experiments. We're pretty good at figuring stuff out. Woah, wait. I wonder what would happen if we created glyphs with this paint....maybe it would enhance the spell's level of power. Oh, that would be so cool!”

Luz stopped pacing, the floorboards practically burning after she thoroughly wore down the surface with her frantic footsteps. She set a hand on her hip and turned a withering look on her guest.

“Call me coocoo but I don't think you're listening to a word I say.”

Hunter lifted his head to blink up at her, chewing on the end of a pen. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, boxed in by towers of Eda's Wild Magic books.

There was a glassy look in his eye, as if he was trying to get his bearings after being abruptly yanked out of an alternate dimension.

He had been, in a way. Luz was inclined to call it “Booksville.”

When Luz first met Hunter, this sort of stuff was a big, huge No-No for him. She could've invited him to take a look at any one of those books, packed with information on that obsession of his and of course, he'd be crazy with intrigue but he would hesitate. If he even opened the book at all, he'd card through the pages with an almost jumpy sense of caution, as if the paper itself would sting his fingers.

Well, that ship had certainly sailed. It had taken him a while to get fully comfortable but nowadays, Hunter didn't ask twice before digging into the contents of Eda's books, soaking up every tidbit of every sentence until he had exhausted every page.

He had even brought his own index flags to mark his favorite passages. He had gone on a little rant earlier about how Eda was an outright maniac for dog-earring the page corners.

Luz made a mental note to never show him the state of her Azura books. He would probably cry.

Hunter had become so lost in the Wild Magic sauce, he didn't even seem to care about the fact that he was not supposed to be here.

Of course, Eda didn't mind that he was here. That is to say, Luz didn't technically tell her he was here. She and King were currently out, being menaces to society and all that fun stuff, as they usually were before Luz would sneak Hunter in.

So, to be fair, Eda had never specifically said that Luz was not allowed to let The Golden Guard of the Emperor's coven into their home.

It was probably fine, right?

Yeah, it was probably fine that Luz had been hiding The Golden Guard of the Emperor's coven in her bedroom like some kind of forbidden pet.

Speaking of forbidden pets, that precious red cardinal of his was perched like a Christmas decoration atop his shoulder. That little rascal did wonders for Hunter. He seemed so much cuter than he was when there was an adorable little palisman snuggling up to him.

Once Hunter had processed what Luz said to him, his features screwed up tight. He was offended.

“Whadd'ya mean I'm not listening? I bet you can't repeat anything I was just talking about.”

“Ugh! Yeah, Hunter, I heard you. Paints! You wanna start painting as a hobby and let me just tell you, I fully support your budding creativety and will hype up your work with my entire heart but please. Right now I am having a full blown Amity Calamity!”

“Yeah, okay, that is not what I was talking about. Also, I get that you're freaking out n' all but....what do you expect me to do about it?” He threw his hands about wildly, at a complete loss. “Man, I don't know anything about that stuff,”

“I don't knowww....” Luz groaned. “I just....ugggghhh.” She buried her head in her hands, ruffling her hair into oblivion, like it would miraculously stimulate her brain cells into action. It released some pent up frustration, at least. “I wish it was easier for us to just talk about girls together.”

Hunter perked up. “Talk about girls? Are you kidding? Of course we can talk about girls, dummy!”

“Wait, really?” Luz asked, taken aback by this apparent development.

“Yeah, for sure. One sec,” Buzzing with eagerness, Hunter dove into his stacks of books, emerging seconds later with a worn, dust encrusted volume. It was so ancient, the title had faded away but Hunter still put his finger to where the big letters should be.

“Notable Female Witches of The Savage Ages,” He rattled off delightedly. “They were considered the mothers of Wild Magic. Their style of spell was really quite advanced, see they--”

Despite her frayed nerves, Luz sill managed a weak laugh.

As insufferable as he could be sometimes, she really did like this nerd a lot.

“Okay, Hunter. Buddy,” She said gently. “This stuff sounds really cool and I wanna hear all about it at some point buuuut....when I say girls, I mean...y'know. Amity specifically.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah.”

Hunter's face fell with disappointment but he was quick to snap back into a look of cool indifference. He shut the book in his lap with a soft thump, set it aside and turned his full attention to Luz.

“Sooooo...” he began awkwardly, scratching at his ear. It could not be more obvious that Hunter wanted nothing to do with this discussion. But Luz appreciated that he was trying. “Girlfriend problems, huh? Shoot.”

Luz's cheeks darkened. “Heh. 'Girlfriend'. Yeah, that's...uh...” She was suddenly very inconvenienced by the existence of her own hands so she clasped them together tight to keep herself from fidgeting. “That is.....a word for Amity.”

Hunter frowned, puzzled. “Okaaaay? So, what's the issue?”

“Ohhhhhh, boy.” An ironic, long suffering smile stretched across her face. “Let me just tell you that there is a lot goin' on up here, pal.” Luz tapped her finger against her temple. “So if I'm gonna give you the full unabridged version--”

“You could summarize it.”

“You know I don't know how to do that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Hunter sighed. “Figured it was worth a shot. Okay, let's hear it.”

“Alright but this is gonna be a lot so I suggest you strap yourself in,”

Luz sucked in a deep inhale, with full intent to let the entire flood of thoughts cascade out her mouth.

Hunter's eyes snapped to the floor, like he was actually looking for a safety harness to attach himself to. Then he seemed to realize that was ridiculous, as he scowled to himself. Little Rascal chirped and he irritably mumbled something under his breath in response.

And then Luz took off.

“Alright, so!” She announced, clapping her hands together. “So me and Amity have known each other fooooor...a while now? Yeah, it's been a while. And we've been pretty good friends ever since and then one day, she rescued me from her scary mom and she had this black flowing cape and her voice went all low and then suddenly, huh. Doki doki, y'know?” She thumped a fist against her chest. “I was gettin' all feelings-y up in here,”.

“And then a little later I figured out that we were both feeling kinda feelings-y and I was all like,” She mimed a brain explosion. “Pshww....”

“Pshww....” Hunter repeated quietly, testing out the little sound effect on his tongue. “Doki...doki....?”

“Yeah. Exactly. Doki doki. Pshww.” Luz nodded, as if he had made a valuable contribution. “So, now we're both here in the same boat, fully shish kebab-ed by Cupid's arrow.”

“Hold up. What language are you speaking?”

“And things are....great? Nice? Sorta hard to believe but stuff actually happens. We hold hands a few times, we...” The volume of her voice dropped to a bashful murmur. “we kiss a few times. There was so many beautiful, amazing romance-y moments that happened, just like in movies, y'know?”

“Movies....?” Hunter's bewildered stare turned from Luz to the bird on his shoulder, as if he was going to get any further clarification from either of them.

“Right! But here's the thing. It sorta feels like all that stuff just went by in a blur. I don't even know how I did any of that. The hand holding, the smooches the....ugh! It was like I was on autopilot or something and now I have no idea how to operate. Now, no matter how hard I try to get the vibe right, I can recreate those moments. So now it's starting to feel like...I don't know how to do anything!”

Luz's arms were whizzing around like an out of control windmill.

“I mean, Sure, Amity takes the lead sometimes but I can't make her carry this entire....relationship? Flirtationship? Whatever it is that's happening here! I gotta act or something! But I've been thinking about it waaaay too much. I never know the right time to hold her hand, I never know if she wants me to tell her she looks cute or if now maybe isn't the right time or...it's awkward, okay?! I've been making it awkward 'cause I don't know what to do! I-I don't even know for sure if we're dating! We've never talked about it!”

The last sentence came out as a squeak and Luz realized she had used up all her oxygen and needed to take a breather.

Hunter had not said a word but Luz did not know what to make of that dissecting stare of his, that studied her with a mixture of confusion and fascination. Like she was some kind of peculiar animal. A flushed, panting, peculiar animal.

“So.” He said finally, holding his palm out for Little Rascal to migrate from his shoulder to his hands. “Why don't you talk about it?”

He asked like it was the obvious solution. Luz was a little irked by it, but she kept her patience.

“Oh, Hunter. Sweet Hunter.” She heaved an exhausted sigh. “It is not that simple.”

He still didn't seem to understand. “Well, why not?”

“'Cause it's--.....Uh.” Luz trailed off, twirling her wrist around as if expecting to snatch an eloquent articulation out of thin air.

“Okay. Lemme put it like this. Amity is....really special. To me. Sometimes I still can't believe that she's real and she's friends with me and she likes me and....whew.” She pressed her fingertips to her cheek, surprised by the warmth. Even thinking that sort of stuff prompted a blush or two but it seemed saying it out loud made her face scalding.

“Anyway, now that we're going through....this, everything feels so much more....fragile?” Her voice rose in pitch, uncertain if 'Fragile' was even a suitable word to describe her feelings. It was just a vague, wishy-washy concept to describe.

“Like I feel like I could break it all so easy, just by....” Wait, she knew. She had figured out her handle on this.

“Just by being me.” She felt an ache just by admitting it, but it was the truth. Luz exhaled unsteadily to compose herself, clasping her fists tight into the fabric of her shorts and she continued...calmly.

“I can't risk doing anything that's gonna push her or make her uncomfortable or scare her away or...y'know, ruin this.” She held up her palms with a heavy shrug. “I-I don't have a plan and it would be way too reckless to wing it. Who knows what would come out of my mouth? She tells me a billion times that my weirdness is what she likes about me but...it can just as easily be the thing she hates if I overdo. I can't overdo it.

Luz was expecting Hunter to look at her like she was dumb again, but surprisingly, he nodded. A slow, thoughtful nod, as he absentmindedly scratched Little Rascal under the chin.

As the silence filled a little longer, she was starting to believe he had nothing else to add, which was fine. She had wanted to rant her heart out but realistically, she couldn't imagine Hunter having any advice for her. This wasn't exactly his area of expertise.

“Hey, Luz.” He said at last, voice surprisingly breezy. “You know those books that you really like? Uhh, with the nice witch Azuzu or whatever,”

“It's the Good Witch Azura!” Luz snapped, hands flying to her hips. “And I know you just pretended to not know her name. You're just trying to be cool.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The corner of Hunter's lip tweaked upwards. “And wasn't there that other witch that you liked to pretend was Azura's girlfriend?

Luz scoffed, finding it utterly unbelievable that this obnoxious little man had the audacity to be so dismissive towards her favorite book series, when she had been sweet enough to smuggle him in here.

“She was not her 'Girlfriend', she was her 'Soulmate' and if you even listened to me talk about it, you would know that. For your information, her name was Hecate and she began as Azura's rival but over the course of the series, they developed a beautiful, unbreakable bond that was jam packed with heavy romantic subtext. I mean, even their declaration of their eternal friendship in Book Five, which was really emotionally poignant by the way, reads so much like a love confession, it's a crime. And it's like...Ladies! Just kiss already!”

“Okay. Right. Sure. I understood some of that.”

“I mean, I guess I've read a ton of Heczura fanfics to tide me over. It's hard to find a fic where they don't kiss. Hold on, you know what fanfiction is, right?”

“Yeah.” The light in Hunter's eyes dimmed. “You made me sit through that three hour long slideshow presentation, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Luz popped a finger gun. “That was fun,”

It was fun, but a lot of work. Hunter was pouting over losing a measly three hours of his time. Well, newsflash, nerd, Luz spent two weeks working on that. Nobody is getting their hours back.

“And what usually happens in those fanfictions?” Asked Hunter, propping his chin up with his hand, as Little Rascal hopped over to a pile of books. “How do they end?”

“I told you, they kiss. A lot of the time they look deeply into each others eye and talk about how they complete each other like two halves of one heart. And y'know, moments of miscellaneous fluff.”

“Uh huh. Interesting,” He mused, tapping his pen against his bottom lip.

Luz knew Hunter could be a little...eccentric but was he really analyzing fanfiction right now? Where did the sudden interest come from?”

“So, uh, besides Azura and Hecate, are there any other...boats(?) that you--”

“Ships.” Luz corrected him.

Hunter snapped his fingers. “Right. Ships. Basically love stories that you really like.”

“We talkin' canon or non canon?”

Hunter squinted at her, lost. Seems somebody was not taking enough notes during the slideshow presentation. “Both? A-all...?”

“Oh, well, there's a bunch.”

Luz had no intention of listing every single ship that had captured her heart. They would be here all week.

“I've spent my whole life reading books, watching movies and anime and--”

“Anime...?”

“Hunter, please!” Luz squeaked as calmly as she possibly could, but she could not deny that she had started to vibrate. “You have no idea how excited you just made me at the thought of teaching you about anime but I'd need to dedicate a whole day to that 'cause I need to meet Amity soon and I'm still sorta in crisis mode. So, let's stay on topic.”

Her brow furrowed. “Whatever the heck the topic is! Why are we talking about ships, Huntifer?”

He waved off her question. “Okay but how does the story usually end for all your ships? The book ones, the anime ones, all of them,”

“We've been over this with the fanfiction discussion. They kiss, Hunter. Geez, you want a diagram or something?”

“But what else?” He prompted.

“What do you mean 'What else?'”

Now this was just getting ridiculous.

“They kiss!” Luz said with a huge amount of emphasis. “And again, miscellaneous fluff. They'll do stuff like pick each other up and swing around, hold hands and....walk off into the sunset, y'know?” She waved off all that extra padding as unimportant to the conversation. (Though Luz did really enjoy miscellaneous fluff.)

“Well yeaaaah,” Hunter was giving off vibes of a grade school teacher who gave her little nudges in the correct direction but ultimately wanted her to figure out the right answer herself. She wished he could just give it to her because honestly, she didn't know where this any of this was going.

“But when exactly do they ask each other if they're dating?”

“Whaa?” Well, that settled it. He had paid no attention to the slideshow whatsoever. “Nah, nah, they don't do stuff like that. They don't have to 'cause they're already perfect for each other. All they gotta do is look into each others' eyes and they just...” Luz shrugged, feeling lightness bubble in her chest at the very thought. She had a feeling her smile looked pretty dopey. “They just know.”

“Right. And why don't you and Amity just know?”

The bubbles burst and the lightness turned to dead weight.

The question speared through Luz's gut. Her entire body went rigid.

She had known but...

She had been trying not to...

Not to think about it.

Because if she thought about it, she knew she'd cry.

But there is was. A culmination of every coil of underlying dread that had been gradually writhing in her stomach in a monster of anxiety, summarized in a short and sweet collection of simplistic little words.

Luz did not just know when it came to Amity. She was constantly taking shots in the dark. That is, if she was even brave enough to take a shot at all.

The two of them together were not as seamlessly synchronized as couples in love were supposed to be.

Her throat stung.

Her vision went cloudy with blotted tears but she managed to catch Hunter's stony expression break into one of sheer panic.

“Wh-- Luz! Hey!” He yelped, scrambling to pick himself up from the floor. He nearly tripped over his books as he stood and hurried over to close the distance between them. He made to reach out to her but his hand stopped, just as it was about to brush against her shoulder. It hovered there for a moment, fingers curling and uncurling with uncertainty.

“Luz, listen, I wasn't....I-I mean, what I meant was...uhh. C-c'mon, cut it out!” Hunter's voice crackled with desperation and despite crying her eyes out, Luz felt the watery chuckle at the back of her throat.

“Aww, does crying make the Golden Guard uncomfy?” She tried to tease but her words came out all wobbly.

In fairness to the poor guy, it probably did. Luz couldn't imagine that dealing with tears in a delicate matter, was ever something he would need to handle in his line of work.

For all she knew, this was his first time having to comfort someone like this.

“You don't get to make jokes and cry at the same time. You gotta pick one.” Hunter snipped, but his tone was not nearly as cutting as usual. Luz was almost tempted to call it soft.

Clearing her eyes with the heel of her hands, she finally felt that warm touch on her shoulder, and then another rest against her upper arm.

Somehow the gentleness cracked all her remaining composure and she dissolved into ragged sobs.

Hunter did not speak nor did he let go out her until she got every tear out of her system. He waited patiently, tracing circles with his thumb into her skin.

Eventually, her sniffles fell silent and her eyes no longer blurred. She took a deep breath and the following exhale was shaky but manageable.

“Are you....good?” He asked cautiously.

Luz nodded.

Hunter removed his hands so carefully, you'd think doing so would cause her physical pain. He must have heard once that people were more prone to being hurt when they were already upset and assumed it was literal.

“Do you really think that...Amity and I....” Luz's voice was low and quiet but her jaw was set tight. She refused to let her words be whimpered. She looked up, meeting Hunter's eyes. “Aren't right for each other?”

“What? No! No, no, no,” Hunter looked positively alarmed at the accusation. “Luz th-that's not even remotely what I meant by that.”

“Well, then I guess you accidentally hit the nail on the head.” Luz managed a strained, bitter little smile. “'Cause it's true.”

“Luz, c'mon,” Hunter groaned, exasperated. “Don't talk like that, you've got it mixed up.”

“No.” Said Luz, tone quiet, polite yet strikingly obstinate. “You were right, Hunter.”

For someone who loved being right, he didn't seem thrilled at all.

“When it comes to Amity, I don't just know. I don't always know what she's thinking or what she wants from me. After all this time, I-I shouldn't still be trying to figure her out,”

Luz wanted to figure her out. Every time she was in her orbit, she wanted nothing more to turn over every last piece of that girl and find every hidden gem.

But now, it like she was barricaded. Something was keeping her from moving forward, from discovering Amity.

“I mean, we've kissed.” The memories of Amity were turning more and more bittersweet by the second “I told her I loved her! We had our happy ending already! A-at least I thought it was a happy ending. But we're not acting like people who are made for each other are meant to act!”

“How do you even know how people who are meant for each other are meant to act?!” Hunter demanded, as though it wouldn't reach Luz's skull unless he raised his voice. “In all the love stories you've read, it always ends with a kiss, doesn't it?”

“And--”

“And miscellaneous fluff. Yeah, I get it.” Hunter shooed the detail away before clearing his throat.

“Point is, they never talk about what comes after. You don't read about all those awkward talks where they decide if they're dating or not and talks about what they're okay with and what they're not. It always just cuts to the perfect, shiny romantic stuff, all tied up with a bow and because of that,” He clutched Luz by the shoulders.”You don't know how to move forward in a relationship 'cause you've never had a frame of reference to help you along.”

“Hey, that's not true!” She tore away from Hunter's grip. “I'll have you know that I imagine my favorite ships as couples all the time,”

“Yeah and lemme guess,” He droned, setting a hand on his hip and launching into a mockingly saccharine tone of voice. “They understand each other soooo well all the time, they can practically read each others' mind and everything is smooth sailing and peachy all the time.”

“Yeah, duh.” Luz didn't quite what he was making fun of. “That's what being a ship is all about.”

“Okay, fine, maybe, but I cannot stress this enough,” He ran his fingers through his hair before making a cutting gesture with the side of his hand, directed at Luz. “You are not a ship.”

“Well, yeah, obviously. I'm only one--”

“I mean that the two of you aren't a ship! Listen to me, you're not Azura and Hecate. You're Luz and Amity. You're real people. You've got like a million different emotions and they're messy and crazy and you don't understand most of them.”

“Okay, Hunter, I get it, I'm a hot mess. You don't have to rub it in.”

“We're all hot messes, Luz!” He exploded. “Every single one of us. 'Cause we're real and not book characters.” He was pacing back and forth now as he ranted and raved, gesticulating like a madman.

“We gotta handle all the awkward conversations that don't fit into books. You gotta talk to real people to get them and you can talk to them for years and years but you're never gonna entirely understand them. In your love stories, it's all kisses and happy endings and it's shiny and sparkly and perfect and nerds like you Eat. It.Up!”

Hunter emphasized his point by poking Luz's forehead, shocking a startled laugh out of her. As wound up as he was, the noise surprised him too.

Her laugh was contagious and soon the room was silent, expect for the sound of quiet, breathy giggles.

One of the knots in Luz's stomach had untangled itself. Hunter did make a point that she could understand. Yeah, okay, maybe she had been a little too wrapped up in fiction to successfully navigate through her own life. Luz had never been the most logical person so it was comforting for a levelheaded counter-argument to whatever was currently inflaming her anxiety.

Obviously, this didn't fix everything. Now, she understood why this wasn't easy but that didn't mean she magically knew where to go from here.

Once the shadow of Luz's smile had finally faded away, she looked up and studied Hunter for a long while. Her gaze may have been a bit intense as nervousness began to creep into his features.

“H-hey. Uh. Sorry if I was a little too--”

“Huntifer, I think you might be on to something with this one,”

He blinked at her before brightening with relief, shrugging it off. “Oh. Yeah, maybe. I dunno, I guess it's worth some thought.

Astonishing how Hunter could switch from the cockiest, most obnoxious kid in the Boiling Isles to a remarkably humble guy. Maybe it depended on context. Or he was just embarrassed that he sorta lost control of himself in his impatience.

Luz nodded. “I'd say a lot of thought. But..I think things are still gonna be awkward. With Amity. I still don't know how I'm supposed to talk this stuff through with her.”

Hunter snorted, loosely folding his arms over chest and resting his weight on one hip. And just like that, with that simple change of posture, he looked full of himself again “You wanna know a secret that's probably not much of a secret?”

He beckoned Luz to lean in closer and said in a stage whisper. “Amity probably doesn't know either.”

Huh. Yeah, Luz knew that. She knew that at the back of her mind but...she hadn't really thought about it much. She was a little too preoccupied with her own inexperience.

Hunter's lofty grin softened. “So, it's a good thing neither of you are doing it alone, right? Don't you think you could figure out how together?”

Figure out how together....

The realization sank from the surface of her mind, and everything was processing very fast then suddenly, everything clicked.

Amity.

Luz knew Amity. Luz trusted Amity. Luz loved Amity. If there was any person Luz believed would stumble alongside her through things they didn't quite understand yet, it was Amity. And it occurred to her that Luz would help Amity in return without hesitation.

With enough notches and trimming and smoothing edges, if they worked through this together, Luz and Amity could click too. Maybe not perfectly, not for a while just yet.

But enough that they could make each other happy.

A swing of confidence so strong flooded Luz's system, she swore she nearly collapsed. She felt the grin tugging at her mouth.

She could try. She could absolutely try. They could both try.

“Is...that a yes?” Hunter asked, gauging her expression.

Luz nodded so speedily, it made her head hurt. But then she realized something else and she turned a very specific look on Hunter.

But before he could ask if she was about to attack him, she held up two fingers on each hand and then placed them on either side of her head so they jutted out just behind her ears.

“Man, I don't know anything about that stuff,” Said Luz, in what she believed to be an uncanny imitation of Hunter's voice.

He frowned. “What are the theatrics for?”

“You lied to me!” Luz was delighted.

“I-I didn't lie!” He loudly objected, pointed ears scorching bright pink. “That was just common sense, you doofus. You know, that thing you lack.”

“You know, that thing you lack.” Luz parroted, swinging her hips from side to side. Once again, her impression remained flawless.

“Don't do that!”

“Don't do that!

“Stop, you weirdo!”

“Stop, you weirdo!”

At the peak of riled up, Hunter floundered for a retort that Luz wouldn't shoot back at him with childish mimicking. But then he cracked and wound up sticking his tongue out at her.

Luz simply mirrored him and Hunter huffed indignantly, turning on his heel and stomping back towards his books.

He had barely made a few steps when Luz lunged at him from behind, draping her long, lanky arms around his shoulders.

“Wha—Hey! Get off!” He squawked, struggling to pry her off him as Luz squished her cheek against his.

“Huntifer~” She singsonged. “Can you please calm down for two seconds and let me say thanks already?”

Hunter knotted his arms and his scowl didn't soften but Luz didn't miss how he stopped trying to squirm out of her grip.

“Even though you were kinda rambly and all over the place, what you said helped. It helped a lot. I know this is something I can handle and I know that 'cause of you. Thanks, nerd.”

She waited patiently until she felt his shoulders loosen. And then he glanced back at her and there was a smile. A small, tight, subtle smile but it was good enough for Luz.

And then with a burst of adrenaline, she gripped him tighter and planted a big, wet raspberry on his cheek.

Predictably, Hunter blew his top. He screeched furiously and his hands went wild to push her off but Luz was stronger than she looked. And so help her, she would give Hunter this affection or die trying.

Dying trying did not seem unlikely, actually. Hunter had told her once before that if he ever murdered her, it would probably be her own fault. Luz could not argue with that.

“That is so gross!” He griped, once Luz had finally released him.

“You're gross~” She chirped, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Hunter wiped the spit off his cheek with his palm before looking up at Luz with narrowed eyes

Luz did not have time to brace herself and suddenly she was tackled to the ground. She kicked and she screamed as Hunter dragged his disgusting wet hand across her face.

“GrossGrossGrossGrossGrossGrossGroooooss!”

Hunter cackled maniacally the whole time.

They carried on like rowdy toddlers for a while until Luz had to go meet Amity, leaving Hunter and his palisman to themselves.

It was too weird to admit out loud but he was disappointed that she was gone. Hanging out with her like this wasn't that bad. Talking with her, arguing with her, wrestling with her. It all made Hunter feel....so much like a kid.

Something that he had realized recently was that he still liked being a kid.

In spite of the doom and gloom of white of gold, of the clawed scars in his shoulder, of the spear that grazed his hair, a spark of childishness remained in Hunter that had never been entirely snuffed out.

It wasn't until he met Luz that he began actively trying to keep that spark alive.

The sun had long since fallen asleep by the time Luz returned and the moon was pooling in the sky. A little after sun down, he heard the downstairs door slam shut and the loud exuberant voice of The Owl Lady boomed from the floorboards beneath him. By the sound of it, she was celebrating a successful day's work. Hunter wondered what she and the cute little demon had managed to steal today.

His snoozing palisman was tucked snug in the crook of his neck, a pleasant warmth against his skin. It was a good idea to keep the bird close. If someone other than Luz came barreling into the room, he'd better have his staff on hand to magically conceal himself.

But once an hour passed and the chatter of the witch and the demon below gradually faded into loud snoring, Hunter presumed they had passed out on the couch. For the time being, he should be fine.

Hunter hoped that creepy owl tube thing wouldn't rat them out. Fortunately, Luz had promised that Hooty was willing to take a bribe but unfortunately, gossip spread fast in the Boiling Isles. Now The Golden Guard had a reputation for being a lunatic who visited the night market several times, buying dead mice in bulk.

He snorted to himself, combing through 'From Bones to Fire: A Study of Wild Magic Volume 2'. Everything he went through just to get his hands on knowledge.

Well, also to be young with Luz.

Yet another hour passed and somehow, being surrounded by his own obsession, Hunter got a little overstimulated. To give his brain a rest, he was now flipping through some tattered old magazine that Luz brought with her from the human realm. Some of the articles were practically gibberish to him but overall, it was okay. He learned he was a Scorpio. He didn't know what that entailed but it sounded cool.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as Luz burst into the room, announcing her return.

Startled, his palisman flew into a fluster, cheeping like crazy before it settled down atop his head. Hunter, meanwhile, had flung the magazine away so fast, it was like it had contaminated him, and snatched up the closest book to pretend he was reading it the whole time.

Thankfully, Luz didn't notice.

“Hey there, Little Rascal,” She cooed, prancing across the room and plopping down next to Hunter. “And hey, you little bookworm, you.”

“Bookworm?” Hunter knocked his shoulder against hers. “You looking for a fight, kid?”

“Whaaaat? Hunter, you wound me, I was just....Ohhh, my bad. I always forget that our bookworms and your bookworms are two waaaay different things.” She paused thoughtfully before shaking her head. “Actually, I don't retract anything. You look like a bookworm.”

“Yeah, well, you smell like a selkidomus.” Hunter smirked.

“Hey!” Luz bumped their shoulders. “Can you blame me? I've had one heck of a day with lots of nervous sweating!”

He was surprised that got him laughing but that tended to happen around her.

“So, how'd it go?” Hunter asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Luz's beam was as bright as a dozen of her light spells. The corner of her lip was twitching, as if she wanted to smile wider but it was physically impossible.

“We're dating.” She stated, no more than a whisper.

It obvious since the moment she entered the room, far bouncier and bubblier than usual but Hunter still grinned.

He had expected her to scream it from the rooftops, to grind his ribcage into powder with the force of her hug, to set off a riot of firework glyphs, spelling it out in lights.

No matter how she could have chosen to tell him, he would have been just as giddy as she was.

And yet, despite the lack of fanfare, somehow, it still felt so much like Luz. Though he knew that in the morning, she would tell the entire Boiling Isles, right here, right now, only Hunter knew. Something about that felt nice.

But the quiet serene scene was momentarily ruptured when Hunter spotted Luz re-adjusting herself out of the corner of his eye and he was immediately on high alert. Another raspberry, he could sense it.

“Luz, don't you d--”

It wasn't a raspberry.

The feather-light peck against his cheek was gone before he fully processed it, as Luz drew away with that big stupid smile still plastered on her face.

Hunter blinked away the surprise, looking to her with a raised eyebrow.

“What's that look for? In this family, we give each other hugs and kisses~”

He felt his lip quirk upwards as he scoffed, turning away with a shake of his head.

“That was so gross.”

“You're gross.”

“For real, it was even more gross than the raspberry.”

Luz burst into giggles and Hunter could understand why everything was suddenly a million times funnier to her. She will still fizzling with that giddiness that Amity had kissed into her and now it was all spilling out.

To be honest, listening to a teenage girl gush and squeal about her girlfriend did not seem like something Hunter would ever willingly subject himself to.

But this was Luz. His friend, Luz.

He lightly pinched the pudge of her cheek. “Heeeey. You wanna tell me all about it, don't you?”

Luz snapped her head over to gawk at him, astonished. And then the excitement took hold and her hands started flapping and she looked about ready to explode with delight. Her mouth was already flying open to give every solitary detail of her evening with Amity Blight.

But then she stopped, a crease forming on her brow. He caught that unreadable look she gave him and the way her eyes skimmed over the books that scattered the floor around them.

“Hmmm.” She stroked her chin with an over dramatic 'thinking' face. “Y'know what? I'll think I'll keep it all to myself.”

“Oh, really~?” Grinned Hunter. “I can only imagine all the romantic schmaltzy sickening stuff that occurred tonight. Miscellaneous fluff, right?”

Judging by the blood that stained her cheekbones, he must have been correct.

“Hey, Hunter.” She said quietly, resting her weight against his side. “You've been lost in your books for hours now. Would you mind telling me all about the most interesting you read about today? Reading myself is fine but it's way better to hear all about it from a bona fide nerd.”

Frankly, it was embarrassing how fast the giddiness practically electrocuted him and suddenly he found himself rambling. He rambled until his voice gave up but it didn't bother him at all because it was just Luz.

Luz hung on every word he said.