#the blobs are also not excused from Hug Time no matter what form they are heh

[kalosian-woods]

they will try those kinds of stunts again (source: trust me bro)

since they wander around kalos, it would be likely to encounter ash's friends/rivals somewhere.

also, vibing with two blobs which are actually legendary pokemon and his friend that brought them was definitely not on goodra's bingo, but they've warmed up to each other, so they don't mind

-🦋

gren can tell goodra more details about events that happened when they were away. at least goodra can learn more about what happened during their absence in the team. also they get goodra hugs. slimy, but warm and safe. -🦋

Sometimes you've just gotta get creative with your never-ending problems. And sometimes, those creative solutions means a reenactment of Thousand Arrows by yeeting Greninja while he does Double Team to slice up a knot of vines. It's fun, it's stimulating, and if people see then no they do not.

Yeah that's true. While I feel like most of them would be off travelling at that point, and most probably in other regions, there would be sighting of them once in a while. Grenin + the Cores would definitely hide unless those people are in mortal danger, but who knows? Maybe one day they will feel a bit more comfortable in being seen. After all, if anyone knows how Greninja (and maybe even Squishy) is like, Ash's friends/rivals are the closest bet. But as it is, they need to focus and get the job done. Sure, they rest and have fun once in a while, but human contact is too similiar to what they once had and lost. They would rather remain free and fleeting for the duration of the job and then afterwards meet up with their loved ones again. And then after that maybe check on what the others are doing lol. (But considering the fact that they met Ash, there's always going to be that note of extraordinary with them. With most Trainers out there, to be honest. Run-ins or at least quick sightings is going to be inevitable with their line of work.)

Goodra out here living a very strange life but hey, at least it is a life full of love and two very powerful blobs that can overturn the land itself. But it's fine. A friend of a friend is also their friend :3 And hey! Life is never dull with them around (remembering how Greninja was dared into a stare-off with the Wooper. It took a whole day before one of them moved) (the Cores were no better with the Berry incident). Talking with Greninja and catching up again is also a very big plus. I don't think they were that-that close before, but now they have all the time in the world to make up for it. Greninja sharing stories about the rest of the journey, or at least what he remembered, and Goodra passing on news to them about whatever Clemont + Bonnie tells them whenever they come around to visit. Give and take in that regard too.

[giant-sketches]

Happy birthday @gentlegiantdreamer!!!  You are such a wonderful and inspiring person to me and I hold you dear to my heart! So for your birthday I made you this art and wrote you a little story to go along with it. I wish you a day full of fun and love! There is also a speedpaint!

I hope you can feel the effort I put into this and long hours of work too. I hope you and everyone enjoys my interpretations of Lilypadton and enjoy the story. Disclaimer: Almost Drowning/Cussing/Pain/Shouting/Monster Transformations

Word Count: 1746

At the start Patton was very active after his first transformation as Lilypadton. That may have been due to him going about the day believing it was a one time deal, but that wasn’t the case. From time to time the other sides would catch glimpses of his skin turning green around his hands and dark patches appearing on his neck. However, whenever the subject was brought up with the moral side he’d brush it off as a trick of the light or some kind of baking material he missed in his clean up. They all knew better though, especially his boyfriends Janus and Virgil.

“We need to go talk to him….TODAY!” Janus was pacing around Virgil’s room with his arms crossed, expressing his impatience with his partner.

Virgil thought it best to give Patton space, but his changes were becoming more frequent. Now things were even worse as their cutie had locked himself in his room for the past two days.

“I know you wanted to give him space, but now he’s trapped himself in his room. We’re the only ones on this side of the mindscape that can help him through this.” Janus hissed and cursed himself for not doing something sooner.

“Please calm down Jan.” Virgil got up from his bed to hold his boyfriend. “It’s going to be alright. Let’s go see him now and tell him about what’s happening to him.” He paused in thought. “Though, I never thought we’d ever have this kind of discussion with him honestly. To think he was like us this whole time.”

Janus touched his scaled face and looked at Virgil with soft eyes. “Are you going to show him? You know how h-” “Yeah I know...but I have to. It wouldn’t be fair for me to hide it when he’s going through something ten times worse.” Janus kissed Virgil’s cheek to reassure him.

Both left the room and slowly made their way to Patton’s door. Virgil tried the door knob, still locked. “Patton? Sweetpea we’ve come here to see how you are doing. Can you let us in, please?” Silence...no wait there was some kind of groaning sound coming from behind the door. “G-go away…” Was that Patton just now? It sounded like he was gurgling water while trying to speak.

“We can’t do that! We have something important to talk-or show you!” Janus looked to Virgil nervously. The former dark side nodded his head as Jan’s nails grew out to a point and sliced the doorknob off. “Excuse the intrusion.”

Both stepped into a darkened and rather humid room. Thankfully, both of them could see in the dark. In the corner they spotted Patton curled up and shaking, facing the wall. He visibly showed signs of changing with his green tinted skin and dark patches all over his arms and neck. “Pat?”

Startled, Patton sprang to his feet and turned to face them. They gasped at how their little buddy appeared taller now, his eyes now distinctly like a frog’s, and his hair showed faded tips of green. His eyes were filled with tears as he had to look down at his friends. He felt like a monster!

“No, no please….you have to LEAVE!” Patton’s voice croaked and boomed as he shot up another 10 feet and banged his head on the ceiling with a loud thunk. He groaned as he fell to his hands. The tears intensified as water seeped from the cracks in the wall and began flooding the room.

“Shit! Hold on to me!” Virgil clung to Janus for dear life as they quickly rose to the ceiling with the increasing water level. Patton was down below still weeping and expanding. His form pressing up against every nook and cranny of his tiny room. “Patton! Patton please! You need to stop crying or we’re going to- gurrglrrglr”

Time was up. The water had now completely filled the room as Janus and Virgil started sinking. Luckily, their froggy friend heard their pleas and snapped out of his distress. Quickly he expanded the room, changing it’s form as he scooped up the two tenderly in his webbed hands. With a kick of his strong legs Pat breached the surface. The room was now a large pond with only a small island in the center. The sun was warm and there was the sound of life all around them, but this was no time to relax.

“Virgil? Janus? Oh my gosh please, you have to be okay kiddos! Please!” Patton begged for his sweethearts to be okay as he set them on the soft grass. He poked at their stomachs as gently as he could.

*Cough* *Cough*

Oh thank goodness! Both were hacking up small volumes of water as they gasped for air, sweet-sweet air! “Patton?” Their vision was foggy from nearly drowning as they tried to focus on the green blob in front of them. Virgil raised up his arms, “A-are you okay?”

“What do you mean am I okay?! Are you okay? You two almost drowned b-because of me!” The big softie was on the verge of tears once again as he leaned in to nuzzle his dark darling with his nose.

“Woah...how big are you Patty?” Virgil giggled. He definitely wasn’t expecting to be cuddled by a gentle green snout of all things. “We’re okay Pat. Just a bit out of breath and-” Janus shivered, he had gotten too cold.

Virgil noticed as he escaped from Patton’s schnoz and immediately started cuddling up to his scaly boyfriend to warm him up. Pat climbed up onto the island, but at his current size of 100 feet he covered the majority of it as he scooped them up in his hand to hold them both closer to the sun. Jan was thankful for this as he hissed happily. His cold blood started to run warm again.

“Thank you darling! The numbness is fading now.” He lifted himself up to look at Patton with a warm expression. “Wow, look at you Pat.” “Yeah, Mr. Green right here.” They both joked to cut the tension. Patton laughed along with them as the ground shook, causing ripples in the water. His size really was something to behold. Still, their joy was cut short, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have bottled up my emotions like that and hidden away. You two could have gotten seriously hurt.”

“Oh Patty! We understand…w-we have something to tell you.” Virgil looked to Janus hoping he would start. “That’s right Patton, Virgil and I have both gone through what you’re experiencing right now. Okay, maybe not the exact same thing, but something similar.”

Patton was surprised. “W-what do you mean?” Janus smiled flashing his fangs, “I’m sure you’ve already noticed my face, but have you ever wondered why it looks like this?” Pat shook his head, he always thought it’d be taboo to ask about. “It’s because of my monster side.”

Monster side?! What was that? Patton was obviously confused as Virgil spoke up, “Mhm...Janus, Remus, and I...we all have a monster side to us. Janus doesn’t hide his like I do though and Remus is always shifting so it just seems ‘normal’ for him. It was a huge surprise when yours was revealed. Honestly, I never thought you’d be like us Pat.” Virg was feeling anxious as he kept his head down while talking.

“B-but you’ve never looked like Janus at all Stormcloud. What does your monster side look like?” Damn...that was a question he really wanted to avoid. “Guess there’s no use hiding it anymore huh? B-before I show you, you have to promise me you won’t freak out...okay Pat?”

Virgil looked so serious as he stared at Patton. What was he so worried about? “Awe kiddo, you know I’d never be scared of you! I love you too much!” He beamed a smile that put the sun to shame at them as Virgil sighed feeling a bit more relieved. “Alright.”

Concentrating, he closed his eyes as eight pitch black spider legs spread out from his back starting from the spine. He winced in pain, it’d been a long time since he last transformed. A pair of sharp mandibles poked out from the corners of his mouth; four slits opened up underneath his cheeks in pairs, each containing a solid black eye with a hint of purple.

“Aaaahhhh!!!” Suddenly, Virgil screamed lightly in pain as the transformation came to end with his new set of fangs and claws growing to a point. Janus caught him as he slumped over, huffing from exhaustion. Weakly, he looked up to Patton trying his best to smile.

Patton was mortified as he watched Virgil writhe in pain in his hand. When it all finally came to an end he was looking eyes wide at a big black spider...fuck! His heart was racing as he tried to not physically throw his boyfriend into the pond. Wait! That’s right this was his little sweetie, his Stormcloud, Prince of Darkness, etc. There was no need to be so scared...he gulped as he reached down to stroke his loves face.

Oh! He was still so soft and honestly his spider legs kind of tickled. The fear in his heart dissolved instantly. Patton giggled at how nervous he was only moments ago as he pressed them both to his cheek. “So I’m not alone after all.”

God, Virgil was instantly healed by his Sweetpea’s warmth. He hugged into the green flesh happily. “Of course not Patton, we’ll both always be here for you!”

“I’m so happy right now! You two are the best boyfriends in the whole wide world!!!”

Patton slid into the pond once more as he laid on his back. He kissed his cuties to his plush lips and then placed them right on top of his chest as he floated along the water. All the while they laughed and smiled at their giant lovers' touch.

“This new form is scary, but at long as I have you two I think I’ll be okay.”

“We love you Patton and we’ll always love you no matter what you are.”

The couple laid on Pat’s chest as tiny frogs hopped up from the lily pads to play with them as they enjoyed their time together. All content in knowing that each of them had a little cute monster inside of them that made them special.

[kurowrites]

"Took the wrong luggage AU" or "hugged the wrong person AU" wangxian please if you are free 🥺🙏

Wei Ying will only take about half of the blame, because really, what men in this day and age walk around with long hair, tied neatly in the back with a clasp? He only knows Wen Ning who does that, and so he sees long black hair and a clasp, and he assumes that this must be his second-favourite cinnamon roll (after Jiang Yanli, of course). He doesn’t really notice that the hair clasp is white instead of Wen Ning’s customary black, because who even pays attention to details such as these?

Wei Ying sneaks behind the bench his poor victim is seated on, and does what he always does when he greets Wen Ning: in one sweeping move, he wraps his arms around Wen Ning’s broad shoulders and leans in to place a big fat kiss on his cheek. As he draws back, he crows, “Ta-dah! It’s your favourite shixiong!”

Only that he’s not greeted with Wen Ning’s usual slightly embarrassed but still enthusiastic reaction to Wei Ying’s overly affectionate greeting, but suddenly has an incredibly stiff, frozen person in his embrace. And that’s when Wei Ying notices the white coat, and the white slacks, and the light blue turtleneck sweater; all items of clothing that Wen Ning very much doesn’t wear. And then the person still in his embrace turns their head just so, and…

Fuck.

This is most definitely not Wen Ning, but a person he has never ever laid eyes on before.

An exceedingly handsome person, his brain unhelpfully adds, with clean-cut, noble features.

And Wei Ying just slobbered all over this exceedingly handsome person that’s very much a complete stranger.

FUCK.

He lets go of the stranger and jumps back in a panic, flitting around the bench as he’s stuttering out an apology. He might have a thick face, sure, but putting his mouth on innocent bystanders is a bit much even for him. And this man very much looks as if he isn’t used to spontaneous make-out sessions. Unasked for ones, at that.

“I am so sorry,” he repeats for the probably twentieth time as he hovers in front of the person he just assaulted. “I thought you were my friend. I would never – I mean, not that you’re not handsome and everything – but I would never just, without asking, you know, smoo–”

At this point, the stranger seems to take pity on him. He fishes out a handkerchief (who in this day and age owns a handkerchief made out of actual cloth?) and delicately wipes his own cheek, right where Wei Ying slobbered all over him.

“It is fine,” the stranger says stiffly. “Be more careful next time.”

“I will,” Wei Ying promises with emphasis. “Believe me, I will.”

They settle into an awkward silence, Wei Ying’s hands fluttering around in the air uselessly as he tries to think of anything else he could do to show that he’s sincere in his apologies. He’s never been very good at being genuinely apologetic, his mouth turning a ‘sorry’ into some kind of joke, and it often only serves to rile people up even more. So he stands there and flounders as the handsome stranger straightens himself out again, until he looks as unruffled as me must have before Wei Ying’s sudden attack.

The stranger then looks up at him with a critical eye, almost as if he’s fearing that Wei Ying might be gearing up for a second attack.

(He’s not.)

“You should go look for your friend,” the stranger says. It’s not exactly impolite, but the words come with a sense of finality.

Please leave so I can bleach this incident from my memory as soon as possible, Wei Ying hears.

“Sorry,” he says again.

And then, because he’s an idiot, he adds, “You have very nice hair.”

Because that’s the first thing Wei Ying noticed about him.

The stranger looks at him with a slightly incredulous gaze, probably wondering why Wei Ying won’t get the memo, and just shut up and leave.

“I tried to grow mine out too,” Wei Ying says, desperately trying to get himself to stop speaking and completely failing. “But it never works out for me.”

He flicks his own sad excuse of a ponytail, the slight curliness of his hair making it look even messier than it already is.

The stranger is quiet for a moment, probably mentally calculating if it’s worth murdering Wei Ying in broad daylight in order to get his peace back. That’s usually the reaction normal people have to him. Only this has to be a new record in how fast Wei Ying managed to get them to this point.

Then, “It suits you.”

The compliment is so unexpected that Wei Ying gapes for a moment.

Which is definitely not his best look.  

“Really?” he asks, incredulous.

“Hn,” the stranger replies, nodding once. As if that was a reasonable question to ask. And a reasonable answer to give.  

“Wow, that’s just sad,” Wei Ying sighs, more to himself than to anyone else. “First I assault you and then I’m even comforted by you about my looks. That’s pathetic, really. Comforted by the victim. And compared to you, I’m just a… blob.”

The stranger looks at him again, possibly starting to wonder if Wei Ying is some kind of dangerous, disturbed individual or out to mug him. Maybe both. Not that Wei Ying has any intention to mug a handsome man. Or anyone at all.

Except for stealing a few kisses, maybe. He could do that, because this stranger is, after all, handsome.

Actually, he did that already, he realises. He kissed him on the cheek. He was just apologising for that.

For a smart man, he’s really astonishingly stupid. And the man even took pity on him and told him that he looked good with a ponytail.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asks again, a little desperate. After all, he does feel sorry for what he did. “I feel like I should do something for you in exchange. I’m not sure what is appropriate, though. I don’t usually go around assaulting handsome men in the streets, believe me. No matter how tempting it might be.”

One of the exceedingly well-formed eyebrows on the stranger’s face twitches lightly. That’s about the most extreme facial reaction Wei Ying has received so far, and he isn’t entirely sure how to read it.

“Seriously,” Wei Ying emphasises. “Let me do something for you. As long as it doesn’t cost too much money though – I’m hopelessly poor.”

“There is no need,” the stranger finally deigns to reply. “Your apology is enough.”

“Wow,” Wei Ying cannot help but observe. “I wish all people were like you. No demands for compensation? You’re letting me off the hook very easily. But then, I guess the longer I’m standing around here, the more of a punishment this is for you. Uh. I’ll show myself out?”

The stranger looks at him again with a critical eye.

“You were waiting for you friend.”

It is more of an observation than a question.

“Yeah,” Wei Ying answers anyway. And then, he unnecessarily adds, “He also has long hair like you. That’s why I thought you were him.”

The stranger seems to consider that for a moment. Then he gestures towards the empty half of his bench.

“Wait.”

That.

That’s strangely nice of him, Wei Ying thinks with slight confusion. And hopefully not a precursor to murder.

In any case, he’s not going to look a gift horse into the mouth. With a feeling not unlike relief, he plops down onto the free half of the bench, and then smiles at this oddly civilised stranger.

He looks even handsomer from up close, Wei Ying cannot help but notices, and from here, he’s in a prime spot to admire the light golden shimmer of his eyes.

Wei Ying is struck. Such captivating, serious eyes, with a hidden depth that momentarily robs Wei Ying of his breath.

Something warm rises in his chest, sweet like honey.

Then he scolds himself. What foolish thoughts he’s having! Getting all mushy just because of a pair of reasonably pretty eyes!

(They’re beautiful, but that is not the problem here.)

“Wei Ying,” Wei Ying says, because if he doesn’t, he’ll probably say something much worse. “I promise I usually don’t assault handsome men on the street. Well. Unless I know them. I mean–”

There is the smallest twitch in the corner of the stranger’s mouth, and Wei Ying realises with uncomfortable, sudden clarity that the stranger is probably laughing at him.

It’s mortifying.

Maybe almost as mortifying as assaulting a perfect stranger with slobbery kisses.

If he had at least made it a good kiss. But no, he had to be all gross.

“Lan Zhan,” the stranger says, his voice serene, as if he hasn’t just accepted Wei Ying’s offering of peace.

Well.

Wei Ying thinks he might be able to deal with that.

“Lan Zhan,” he says, unable to contain a smile of his own. “It’s nice to meet you. This time without physical assault.”

---

When Wen Ning finally finds him twenty minutes later, Wei Ying has somehow successfully acquired a mobile phone number he’s 60% sure is not fake.

How, he isn’t entirely sure.  

[infantbluee]

title: count to eight

summary: in another timeline, maka is killed on the moon and the world descends into madness. five years later, a reclusive soul stumbles across a girl who claims to be his dead best friend. 

pairing: soul/maka

rating: explicit

warnings: angst, smut, canon-typical violence, sort of love triangle (though not really because it’s just between maka and two souls) 

links: ao3 // ffn

—

oh my gosh, this is my second resbang fic ever and i still can’t believe i got so lucky! this year i was paired with the amazing, brilliant, hilarious, and adorable @ochako999 and @maevenneverland who had a full-time job making me laugh-cry over their shenanigans while also making GORGEOUS art for my fic. (links can be found here and here respectively.) please excuse me while i sob over their talent for the next 84 years because they are perfect.  

even more hugs to my ridiculous discord family for keeping me insane, as well as all the other wonderful people i’ve met on tumblr, twitter, and even just by exchanging reviews on fanfics! there’s a reason i’ve been so glad i joined this fandom and it’s because of every single one of you that make it so warm <3

please enjoy the short excerpt below! 

—

It’s surprisingly cold this year.

Soul blows into his hands, rubbing his palms together to retain warmth. Normally he can escape Kid’s annual Christmas party and hide out in the gardens without any sort of penalty, but apparently Mother Nature decided she was bored this holiday season and wanted to take a turn punishing the antisocial hermit.

That, or she’s calling him a coward.

It’s probably that last one.

“Hiding already?” a familiar voice calls. “This must be a record.”

Holding back a grimace, Soul maintains a blank expression as he turns his head to see his girlfriend approach him along the cobblestone path.

She’s too pretty to be real in this setting, surrounded by glazed tree branches and the twinkling lights strung all over to make up for the blackened moon. Wearing a dress like that with her hair so long and loose, she might as well have “serenade me, you coward” plastered all over her forehead.

“Idiot, you’re going to get frostbite,” he scolds instead, already scowling as he shrugs off his suit jacket to drape over her shoulders. “What are you thinking, coming out here without a coat on?”

Maka smiles sweetly. “I was thinking my weapon always takes care of me.”

Stupid. He thinks the word twice, both times so pathetically filled with affection. “Did Kid send you to hunt me down?” he asks. “I swear I was gonna go back inside. Continue wooing those foreign emissaries or whatever the hell he expects me to do. I just needed a break.”

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s Christmas; he doesn’t expect you to spend the whole time working.” Her eyes twinkle. “Besides, I already handled it. The dignitaries love me.”

He snorts. “Of course they do.”

“Hey, one of us has to be doing our jobs right,” she teases.

“Suck-up.”

“I prefer the term eager to please.”

Soul is incredulous. “How the hell did you manage to find the one phrase that’s dirtier than suck-up?”

Her smile is angelic. “It’s a talent.”

He responds with a growl as he nuzzles his face against her skin, his hands sliding under the jacket he covered her with to trace the artfully exposed curves underneath.

“Soul, stop!” she giggles. “We can’t do it out here. It’s cold.”

“So keep me warm then,” he grumbles. “And anyway, is that really the first thing you worry about when I’m trying to cop a feel? Not ‘oh, someone might catch us’ or ‘what if your dick shrunk too much in this weather for me to feel it?’”

This time when she laughs, he hides his own smile against her skin. She doesn’t stop him, letting her head fall back with a sigh as he presses kisses along the base of her neck. Even when it’s this cold, she’s so soft. It’s really unfair. He’s seen her moisturizing routine. She hasn’t done anything to deserve this level of silky perfection.

“Soul,” she gasps when he nips particularly hard at her throat. Her hands grip at his shirt, desperate, and he decides that maybe getting a little dirty on a garden bench wouldn’t be the worst thing after all.

But then the lights flicker.

That in itself wouldn’t have been enough to tear his mouth away from her skin, except that it’s accompanied by a deep tremble beneath the earth which causes Soul to stumble into his meister. She catches him, always so impressively steady on her size-five-hidden-by-giant-boots feet, and the speed at which she goes from horny girlfriend to calculating meister is seriously impressive.

And hot. Really hot.

Soul’s never been as adept at switching off his hunger as she is.

“A pre-kishin attack?” she asks with a frown as they rush back towards the party. It’s been a long time since they’ve encountered a pre-k without actively hunting one, and even longer since one has existed within the walls of their city.

“Maybe a demon,” Soul guesses. They’re also rare these days, but they still exist. Though the Witch Treaty has significantly put a damper on their confidence.

As they approach the mansion, they can already hear a commotion brewing. Plenty of shouts, glass shattering. A horrifying, almost unearthly slithering sound as fluid shadows spill out of the windows like overflowing bath water. They pick up their pace.

When they finally burst into the room, they’re horrified by the sight in front of them.

“Kid!” Maka cries.

The chandelier is history, now scattered around the dancefloor in a million tiny little pieces. The decorations are torn; the tables cracked and thrown about. The civilian guests have all been ushered to the sides of the room as several witches hold up a barrier to keep them safe, but the real terror is the enormous entity in the middle of the room that seems to have no problem fending off the advances of half a dozen meisters.

It’s like nothing Soul’s ever seen before, even during the worst of the war. A giant, oozing ball of shadowy flesh with these sharp, jerking limbs that regenerate and extend from its body whenever someone tries to attack it.

Accompanying it is this smell, putrid and awful—but even worse are the low, chittering moans coming from its repulsive form, over and over and over again, filling the room like a sickening hum.

“Maakaa. Maaaaaaaakaaaa.”

Soul feels his blood run cold.

Kid, who is currently trying to hold back several of its limbs from further attacking the civilian barrier, jerks his head up at her call for him, his face flashing with horror. It’s obvious how long the creature must’ve been moaning her name by the intensity of the reaper’s panic.

“Maka, get back!” he screams.

In the same moment, she gasps as Soul tackles her to the side just in time to avoid getting pierced by a flurry of sword-like limbs. He then rolls and grabs her hand, jerking her to her feet as he starts off in a sprint, squeezing to get her attention. “Maka!”

“R-right!”

He shifts into weapon form just in time for her to swing him in defense. She manages to block two of them, slicing off three more, before being forced to jump back as another wave rushes at her. The monster seems to have forgotten about the others completely now that it has her in its sight, its several dozen eyes turning to train directly on her.

“I don’t understand,” she says as she blocks more of its attacks. “Why does it keep coming for me?”

“Doesn’t matter,” growls Soul. “I’ll die before I let it take you. The only priority now is to kill it.”

“But how?”

“To your left!”

She twists to the side, barely dodging the next stream of violent hands as they scrape off Soul’s blade. But instead of relief, he can feel her horror, because those same regenerative limbs that had just tried to rip into her heart somehow jerk to the side with enough force to shatter one of the barriers protecting the guests.

He hears Angela among the screams.

“Maka, no!” he cries out.

Too late. She flips over one of the creature’s arms to run against it, slicing at the others with a ferocity that would impress him in any other circumstance. At the end of her sprint, Maka dives, pushing Angela out of the way from an attack and twisting in a way that cushions the young girl’s fall.

Through their bond, Soul can feel the pain shoot up Maka’s spine and he cries out for her, demanding to know if she’s hurt.

She forces a smile as she sits up. “I’m fine,” she lies terribly. She glances down at the young witch and looks relieved that she’s unharmed.

Before she can say anything else, she’s yanked away so quickly that Soul is literally whipped from her grip and clatters to the floor. He shifts back to human form in an instant, scrambling for her with a cry, but it’s too late.

The monster has Maka dangling by her ankle over its main form, the rest of its extensions retreating as well. Black Star and Kid both try to charge at it only to be swatted away like flies and held back with the pressure of mutated shadow limbs.

Then it does the worst thing possible.

It drops her.

“NO!” Soul screams.

It’s like a detonator is pressed. The moment Maka’s body is absorbed into its inky flesh, the creature begins to twitch a jerk violently, pulsing and moving so rapidly that even the meisters have no choice but to back up.

With a horrifying screech, it’s sucked into the earth through an invisible exit, like some sort of oversized blob of goo being sucked through a vacuum or forced down a drain. The whole fleshy monstrosity continues to be pulled through that tiny unseen gateway until it has completely disappeared from the ballroom. Gone.

And Maka along with it.

[ read more on ao3 or ffn! ]

[post-itpenny]

Cecelia and the Satellite

Part four is here! Tagging @clownsgobeepbeep because someone is finally come for a visit.

It had been a few days and since the birth of baby Phoebe. Cosmos and Vespers had brought their little bundle of joy home and nearly every day someone had come by to see them and the little baby bug. Everyone wanted to see how the little baby was doing.

And then this morning there were colors on the nursery ceiling.

Cosmos and Vespers stood by the crib looking up.

“It looks like a lava lamp,” Cosmos observed.

Vespers nodded as he watched the large blobs of color shift around and bounce off each other. Phoebe gave a small hiccup and the colors disappeared.

Vespers gave a shout then ran to call his aunt.

“She is so cute, isn't she?” Magpie chuckled as she cradled the small bundle. Vespers couldn’t help but tear up a little. The sight of seeing his aunt in a rocking chair holding a baby, his baby. Vespers turned away to rub his eyes before addressing his aunt. “So um, aunt Pie. Is- is she…”

“Well,” Magpie sighed, “let's find out.”

She placed a hand on Phoebe’s head and shut her eyes, humming softly to herself as she did so. A soft glow began to form under the skin of Magpie’s throat and hands. A second glow began to grow, this time from Phoebe.

“Hey, hey! What are you-”

“Shh! Cosmos don’t worry,” Vespers assured, “it’s ok I promise.”

The glowing from both Magpie and the baby stopped almost as quickly as it began and Magpie opened her eyes. She stood and placed Phoebe in Vesper’s arms.

“Yes,” Magpie answered, “She’s like me.”

“Oh hey that’s cool,” Cosmos sighed, “just um. What do we do whenever she starts doing a light show or whatever?”

“Well,” Magpie sighed. “That’s the thing is dear Phoebe won’t be able to control it right now. Eventually she will with time and practise. But it’s something linked to her emotions which for a baby is not necessarily complex but still a very important form of communication.”

“So…”

“You have to manage it for now. Taming temper tantrums as quickly as possible is the biggest thing.”

“Why?”

“More than once I set something on fire as a baby.”

“Oh..”

“But it’s ok!” Magpie cheered, “I can help with whatever you need. I can at least clean up her messes when you need me to and when she’s older I can teach her!”

“Tha- that would be awesome,” Vespers smiled. “Thank you Aunt Pie.”

“Of course Blackwood will need to know right away.”

“No.” Cosmos answered.

Magpie blinked in surprise, “oh well… this might be interesting then… well this is awkward I’m going to go make tea.” She announced as she bustled out of the room.

As she left Cosmos smirked, “your aunt really likes tea man.”

Vespers sighed, “it’s an automatic response I think.” He groaned and ran his hands over his face. “Geeze my dad has horror stories about my aunt as a baby. Cosmos what are we going to do?”

“Hey Ves don’t worry.” Cosmos reassured as he pulled Vespers into a hug. “Besides Phoebe’s also a D’Vitt.”

“No man I mean she did some crazy stuff just on accident.

“I’m pretty sure you’re dad is biased.”

“... yeah probably. I’m just, you know, scared.”

As they talked neither realized someone else was listening. Clasping her hands tightly before rushing away.

An hour later and Lydia had come to fuss over her new granddaughter. Cosmos having still not changed his mind over a certain visitor.

“No.”

“Cosmos don’t be rude,” Lydia scolded.

“Mom come on! Don’t you think it’s weird the guy only comes around when a baby pops out?”

“Cosmos!”

There was a knock on the door.

Magpie stood up, an odd look on her face as she adjusted the red bow she always wore in her hair. The rest of the group turned to her in confusion until Vespers antenna twitched and he understood.

“He’s here.”

Magpie was gone, off and down the hallway. Lydia frowning in confusion and following after her.

Cosmos turned to Vespers, “dude I’m not going to lie, I don’t want to do this. What about you? This is your super great grandpa or something.”

Vespers heard another knock on the door and looked to his nervous husband before making a decision.

“You go check on Phoebe while I go meet this guy. If you don’t want him coming in then he won’t ok?”

“Cosmos gave a sigh of relief before kissing Vespers on the cheek and going to the nursery.

Meanwhile Vespers walked to the door. Taking a deep breath to steady his own nerves, then opening the door.

Lydia was surprised to find Magpie climbing out a window.

“What on Earth are you doing?”

Magpie blushed a little before giving a guilty smile, “well to be honest I don’t want Blackwood to see me.”

“Oh,” Lydia said in surprise. “Are you ok? Do you need-“

“No, no it’s.” Magpie pauses to clear her throat. “I look quite different from when he last saw me and I don’t want to explain things.”

“Oh… wouldn’t be easier to use the backdoor?” Lydia suggested.

“You know it would be yes. I panicked.”

Vespers had heard a lot about his elder and had over the years built a picture in his mind of a powerful looking being.

This wasn’t it.

Blackwood, to begin with, was clearly the originator of the family’s trademark white hair. His own tied back in a bow. He was dressed as if he came from a carnival with his top hat and tailed coat. His clothing adorned with embroidered thistles. And he had the biggest, most genuine smile Vespers had ever seen.

And then he hugged Vespers.

“Hello, hello! My goodness look how you’ve grown little bug! Vespers yes? Always liked that name a lovely choice. But my goodness what a fine looking young man you’ve become!”

Vespers stepped back in shock, “h- hi there um…”

“Call me Blackwood my boy no need for formalities!” The elder laughed. “My goodness I’m so delighted to be here, I’m so delighted to see you all grown up! I was just saying to myself the other day I need to visit more often.”

“Um-”

“But you like to live your lives and I respect that! But I’m so excited just absolutely chuffed to visit and to meet your mate!”

“Well-“

“Oh and I have the most perfect gift for the little one! I guarantee she’s going to love it!”

“Excus-“

“Oh and I simply-“

“Excuse me sir!” Vespers shouted. Shrinking back a little in fear he may have upset the elder.

Blackwood blinked, then chuckled. “What did I say about formalities boy? I do apologize I can get a little overexcited. What were you trying to say?”

Vespers took a deep breath. “I’m sorry but my mate feels a little uncomfortable with such a sudden visit… sorry.”

Blackwood shrugged, “well alright.”

Vespers gapped, “tha-that’s it?”

Blackwood again chuckled, “well yes I’m here to share in the joy of a new life, a new creation. Not be awkward. I hate that don’t you? When you walk into a room and people just look at you awkwardly?”

“Oh yeah I hate that.”

“So please my good lad don’t worry. I do very much want to meet your family but it can wait if you insist. You must know the baby bares my mark however.”

“You’re what?”

Blackwood held out his hand to reveal a small gold leaf. On it was a game controller, it’s cord wrapped around a thistle.

“My power, I like to call them the Special Ones if I’m honest.”

Vespers nodded, “we kinda found out this morning. Aunt Magpie promised to help us.”

“Oh wonderful! Which reminds me I would like to visit her and the others before I leave the planet. Now listen Vespers my boy. If you should ever need me your father and grandfather should know how to send me a shout. I think I’ll stop by in a year or so, just to check on you is that alright?”

Vespers quickly nodded, “yes absolutely.”

“Grand! Just grand! Oh and before I go this is my gift to little Phoebe. Please send my congratulations to Cosmos and I will see you all soon!”

Vespers stepped back inside pondering just how Blackwood knew Cosmos and Phoebe’s names. Pulling the lid off the box Blackwood had given him.

It was a game controller, wireless but no sign of a need for batteries and with small purple moths, crescent moons, and stars all over it. The controller was small, the perfect size for the tiny hands of a child, but Vespers had the suspicion it would always work for Phoebe no matter how big she grew.

Vespers grinned, Cosmos was going to live this.

Magpie had made it down the long driveway and to a clump of trees. Should she hide at Maggie’s old tent? Maybe he wouldn’t visit her home at all.

“Well hello Magpie.”

Magpie froze, turning slowly towards the voice.

“Blackwood sir.”

The elder chuckled, “You always seem to forget I don’t care for formalities when it comes to family my dear. I must say your were much more colorful when I last saw you. Did it all fade out with age?”

Magpie nervously shook her head. “No, no I well. There’s been a lot of…. happenings.”

“How so?”

“I, well… well you see I- I um. Well, I-I don’t really know what to say.”

Blackwood quirked an eyebrow, “Are you alright?”

“I can honestly say I’m doing far better now than I have in a long time,” Magpie chuckled. “Ha- have you spoken to my brother yet?”

“Should I have?”

“Oh well, I mean-“

Blackwood frowned and reached out, touching the red ribbon in Magpie’s hair. “I remember making this for you. This gift I gave your parents when you were born my dear.”

Magpie blushed, “it’s my favorite possession.”

Blackwood nodded, “did you know the gifts I make for you all speak to me when I touch them? Tell me how you really are feeling?”

Magpie cleared her throat, “oh.”

Blackwood gave a sad smile, “Magpie my dear what happened to you?”

Magpie flinched, backing up in panic. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

Blackwood nodded, “I just want to know if you’re alright my dear. Don’t lie because I’ll know.”

Magpie looked around as if tried to find an escape route. “I- I can’t- What do you want me to say? Please I don’t want to talk about-“

“You don’t have to talk about whatever has happened,” Blackwood reassured her as he eyed the swirling dark clouds that had formed above them. “Just please tell me how you’re doing?”

“What do you want me to say that I’m miserable? Because I am alright!”

There was a loud crack as the trees around them split in half. Magpie jumped and looked around at the damage she had caused before covering her have with her hands.

Blackwood sighed and looked up again as it began to rain. With a wave of his hand the trees repaired themselves and the sky started to clear. He stepped over to Magpie and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Magpie looked up at him in tears, Blackwood observing she was actually wearing makeup, an attempt to brighten the red lines and circles on her face and hide just how faded out she really looked.

Magpie hung her head and sobbed, “I ruined my life. My brother hates me. My nephew is terrified his daughter will be like me. I just can’t…”

She trailed off as her body shook with sobs, Blackwood staying silent as he let her cry it out. He couldn’t stand the misery that had wrapped itself around her aura, to Blackwood who could not stand anyone being upset this was particularly unpleasant to find one of his own this heartbroken. In his mind he made a decision.

“I want you to come with me.”

Magpie looked up at the elder I surprised, “what?”

Blackwood smiled, “I always say any of you can visit any time so why not? Come with me Magpie, you’ll just love my planet! Besides it would be nice to have someone help me take care of things. Oh you could me my friend Cecelia! She and her little sister came to me when their parents died you would just be such good friends! Oh, oh! And you could help me come up with improvements to the place! Oh and you could meet-“

“But why?” Magpie asked in a horse whisper, “why would you invite me?”

Blackwood smiled, “I don’t know what’s happened to make you so unhappy but if there is one thing above all other things that I can’t stand it’s people being unhappy. Come live on my planet Magpie, I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Magpie stepped back, uncertain. “I can’t I have responsibilities here. I have two girls living with me who don’t have anyone else. I- I have a dog.”

“They can come to! It will be great!”

“But I, I just don’t know.”

“How about this,” Blackwood countered. “A vacation then. A few days visit and if you like it then stay. Or you can come back home. A vacation away might just be what you need.”

Magpie paused in thought, “it would be awfully nice I cannot lie. Plus I haven’t really traveled in such a terribly long time.”

“Just three days,”  Blackwood offered as he raised three fingers. “Three days and I promise you are free to come back here if you wish.”

Blackwood held out his hand for her to take. There was a glint in his eye he spoke, a hint of something but Magpie could not figure out what.

But still the offer was terribly tempting…

“Alright, I’ll come.” Magpie answer as she took Blackwood’s hand.

And the road the two had been standing on was now empty. No sound, no anything.

They were gone.

[karninari]

just for a day

Bakugou Katsuki/Kaminari Denki

Notes: v day fic. also on ao3

Bakugou should've known that today of all days wouldn't go the way he wanted it to. His phone had been buzzing nonstop since he'd replied to a message from Kaminari, sent at two in the morning with the words, "What're you doing tomorrow?"

Why he'd confirmed his vacation days without bothering to take a glimpse at what those days wereーwhen he could've easily changed his first day off of the year and given it to someone else who actually wants to spend Valentine's Day with someoneーwas no one's fault but his own. In all honesty, Bakugou was still wondering why he'd even bothered to tell Kaminari that he had no plans; that was the equivalent of admitting that he had an open schedule.

His phone buzzes again, and Bakugou sighs into his pillow before flipping it over to see the screen.

Guess who! Open up, dude.

The chime of the doorbell comes at that exact moment, echoing the text. Bakugou groans, words autocorrecting on their own to hide his anger-fueled typing as he answers back.

Fuck you.

But he still gets up out of bed and walks down the hall to do just that. The last thing he wanted was Kaminari breaking his doorbell.

Bakugou doesn't bother checking who it is, swinging his door open to find Kaminari with his finger on the button, only jumping off of it when he spots Bakugou.

"What do you want," Bakugou asks, emotionless.

Kaminari clasps his hands behind his back, rocking on his heels with that annoying grin of his, "A little bird told me you were spending Valentine's alone. I mean, who even does that?"

"People like me who don't give a fuck about it," Bakugou points to himself as an example, as if he hadn't already made it clear through his texts. He leans on the door, turning his finger over to Kaminari, "Isn't this your favorite holiday or something? Why aren't you out with somebody and, you know, leaving me the fuck alone?"

"It's my third favorite, as a matter of fact. And it's because I have come with a compromise!" Kaminari's mood dims a little when he continues, smiling sheepishly and scratching his cheek, gaze falling to the ground, "I, uh... don't actually have anybody to spend the day with, and neither do you, after you told me earlier-"

"Only once you asked me ten times in a single minute," Bakugou corrects him.

"-so what better way to spend the remaining twelve hours of Valentine's Day then with a friend? Lunch and dinner on me, what do you say?" Gold eyes come back to meet his, shining hopefully.

Bakugou raises an eyebrow, not quite convinced of the friend part, "You're not asking me to be your date?"

"Well, I didn't want to word it exactly like that, since that's a straight path to rejection for me, even though that would be totally awesome if you were my date, but..." Kaminari brings forward the hand that he'd been keeping hidden behind his back, holding something out. Bakugou looks at it, and immediately glares over the object at Kaminari.

“That better not be a pity rose. Pity chocolate I’ll take, but I don't give a shit about fucking flowers."

Kaminari holds the fake rose branch close, fingers clasped around it in a pleading gesture, "Would it convince you if it was a chocolate rose?"

It takes way too much willpower than Bakugou finds necessary to keep down the rising dread and second-hand shame he feels for Kaminari, who was basically asking him to partake in something that required social interaction that millions of people centered their whole schedule around.

Half of his day was already wasted doing nothing but withstand the endless pestering, what was one outing with a friend gonna do?

Bakugou swipes the gift from Kaminari's hands, finding it nothing more than a plastic stick topped with a realistic chocolate bud wrapped in red foil. A chocolate rose that can be bought on sale at the front doors of a market doesn't exactly scream romantic or effective. "No wonder it looks so shitty."

"Is that a yes?"

He squints down at Kaminari, whose hopeful look hasn't wavered once, but only grown as the seconds passed, the light at the end of the tunnel visible for him in the form of an answer, which Bakugou gives as he twirls the chocolate rose between his finger, double-checking the promise of free food he'd seen in Kaminari's texts, "So you're paying for lunch and dinner?"

That most definitely counts as a yes for Kaminari, who climbs up from his kneeling position, crooked smile so wide that Katsuki sees the corner of his eyes wrinkle like they always do when he's happy, "Of course, I always put some money to the side for a rainy dayーor in this case, a fancy date!"

"It better be," Bakugou responds, closing the door on his face. Kaminari will have to wait outside for Bakugou if he didn't want to ruin the "date" before it even started.

If Bakugou could've helped it, he would've easily tolerated Kaminari's choice of going to a carnival. What he hadn't predicted, but should've expected, was Kaminari's next gift being a five foot tall teddy bear with a disgustingly bright red heart on its belly, plastic nose currently jabbing Bakugou in the stomach as they stood in line for a ride.

The bear occupies so much space, and requires a considerably wide birth to navigate with, that Bakugou has already hit several kids in the face with its legs. There was no way he was going to hug it to his chest to save himself the dirty looks of offended mothers who made it a point to glare at him until they were out of sight. He already got those with his scowl alone.

The idea of sitting in a boat moving at a snail's pace along musty water sounded unappealing and boring. However, Kaminari's excitement was infectious, seeing as he'd successfully gotten Bakugou to agree to this whole thing through persuasion alone. Perhaps there was a reason somewhere there that Bakugou couldn't quite get yet.

He tilts his head up, letting out a sigh. Just a few more hours, and then he could eat to his heart's content at the fancy restaurant he was promised.

Another ten minutes pass, and the sudden commotion at the front would've ended with Bakugou combusting if not for the bear's head obstructing his way from getting an armful of Kaminari as he trips over a stray person's foot. Bakugou does catch Kaminari's arm though, so he can stand up straight and not risk the chance of tripping again.

Kaminari brushes up against Bakugou, and he starts, seeing blond hair and glittering eyes so close to his. They were shoved together in line, which might explain that. Of all places, the tunnel of love was the one drawing the most attention, and the crowd along with it.

Bakugou holds the huge bear tightly under his arm, cursing its impeding presence. It would certainly be rude and unacceptable to tradition if he went and removed the head so he wouldn't have to worry about it blocking him next time,  but since when did he care about that?

With a quiet laugh, Kaminari blows the bangs out of his eyes and gives Bakugou a grateful smile, "Oops, my bad."

At some point between the fall and recovery, Bakugou's hand had moved from Kaminari's tricep to his hand, but as he looks down at their joined fingers, he doesn't feel like letting go.

Kaminari doesn't let go either, instead using it as balance so he could see what was happening at the entrance to the ride, only for Bakugou to see his smile morph into a pout, "Aw, the ride is closing." He glances up at Bakugou so he could also take a look, "Wanna take a guess as to why?"

Bakugou turns his head to follow Kaminari's gaze, looking at the sign with the words 'Closed for Maintenance' hang from the chain that was being locked into place.

They both step back once the crowd disperses and grants them sufficient breathing room, and Bakugou spies the next worst thing they could go on for this lame day. He's tempted to keep his mouth shut and hope Kaminari doesn't see it, but a bummed Kaminari is no fun to deal with, so he tugs his hand, "It's a shit ride, that's why. Obviously the Ferris wheel is the better place to go." He watches Kaminari look up at the large wheel across the ways, and his mood flips instantly when Bakugou steps over the wimpy lane ropes, "Wanna get out of here?"

"Yes!"

Out of pure luck and laziness on Bakugou's part, the bear is still one piece, only a bit scuffed when Bakugou has to squeeze it in on the Ferris Wheel seat he finds himself boarding with Kaminari.

February doesn't have the clearest weather, but the scattering of clouds is pleasant to look at when they reach the top and Kaminari leans over the safety bar of their seat, calling out every lumpy heart shape he sees. At one point, he even gets Bakugou to spot a few, but all he sees are white blobs and Kaminari's laughing face when he makes a guess and names a stratocumulus cloud after him.

When dinnertime rolls around, bailing on the date altogetherーeven with food in sight and enough to make Bakugou's mouth waterーis tempting when their table meant for two consisted of an extra seat pulled up for his stuffed gift that receives one too many stares from their fellow dining customers. Still, as Kaminari chatters on to fill the silence, for once, Bakugou finds himself more interested in what Kaminari is talking about than normal so he doesn't have to meet the heart-shaped pupils of the bear's stare.

It was certainly a convincing reason to excuse his own staring in regards to his not-date.

"I'm not some wimp, I don't need to be fucking escorted to my room," Bakugou tells him, dropping the bear so he could have his hands free to look for his key.

As promised, the date ended shortly after dinner, but Kaminari had insisted to come up and say bye instead of leaving it at that at the steps of Bakugou's apartment lobby. He also used the excuse of carrying the load, which now consisted of an extra chocolate-cherry cake that he'd "mistakenly" bought two of for dessert.

"Contrary to what you'd hoped, Bakugou, I have one last thing for you," Kaminari chimes, smile as radiant as when Bakugou was first greeted by it this morning.

"Would you give it a rest already?" Bakugou groans out. His arm was sore from hauling that sac of stuffing, and all the pink and red colors that were present no matter where he looked had to be burned into his retinas by now. All the sickly sweet love in the air was enough to make Bakugou sick and tired of it, as if he wasn't already.

"Just a moment." Kaminari takes out a small box from his pocket with a flourish, "Here."

He stares at it for a long moment, recognizing it as the commercially packaged candy hearts that little kids would be found snacking on rather than grown adults, and holds his hand out for Kaminari put into his palm.

Bakugou shakes the box, hearing the empty rattle, "There's only one left in here." He removes the flap, emptying out the small box to take a look. Bakugou holds it up to read the red lettering, bemused when he tells Kaminari the contents of the conversation candy heart, "And why does it say See ya?"

Kaminari looks at it too, and laughs nervously, "Uh... that was supposed to say Let's kiss."

The candy is quick to break between Bakugou's fingers, which amounts to one of the easiest things Bakugou has had to do on this date. "Then let me do you a favor and take care of this request!"

Kaminari is too slow to catch the door, even with Bakugou having to shove both himself and the stupid bear through the doorway, purposely leaving the cake outside along with Kaminari. He sets both locks and the latch, satisfied by the knocking on his door. "Aww, c'mon Bakugou! It was a joke!"

After a few minutes, and when Bakugou is sure that Kaminari has walked away, his phone goes off. He opens the screen and cracks up at the sad face in Kaminari's text.

Serves you right, asshole. If you're lucky, I might actually return the favor sometime. And keep the cake, that shit would just go to waste in my hands.

The shocked emoji he receives in return is enough to get Bakugou up off his ass to change out of the nice clothes he'd thrown on for the unexpected occasion of having a relatively decent time with a friend.