#why would you ever give a cat laser beam eyes ... whatever ... why not ...

[xxplastic-cubexx]

we all know our beloved Francesca Lehnsherr-Xavier but are you aware of Cy-Cat? Mr Sinister's genetically engineered cat with Cyclops's powers as featured in Marvel Meow Infinity Comic Vol 1 17? They're besties in my head.

CY CAT YEAAHHHHH

[phantomphangphucker]

Ectober Week Fog/Splatter (Also Works For Darkness/Poison And Glow Stick/REDRUM): Poised To Go Splat

Casper high, predictably, can’t even have a normal dance without it getting interrupted by something ecto.

Danny pushes in the gymnasium doors, drink -which is, in his opinion, unfortunately non-alcoholic punch- already in hand. Side-stepping and leaning against the wall purely to watch the pulsing, flashing, moving strobe lights and laser beams bouncing off and curving over people glowing bright neons thanks to the blacklight. Excluding that light, it was borderline pitch-black; which he finds he’s perfectly content with. Being able to see in even absolute dark and all that. Honestly, this would probably look cooler without his fantastic night vision. Seeing as everyone else probably can’t see the turned off ceiling lights or teachers dressed in dark colours hanging out watching the dance. But fuck, at least his parents aren’t here this time. Lancer is, but Lancer’s probably the only teacher left who doesn’t hate his entire being, guts, and continued existence.

Looking around at the decorations as he wanders aimlessly over to the food table, thank everything the theme was Creepy Critters, guess the school and town were finally tiring of making goddamn everything ghost-themed. Sure it was funny and ironic at first -honestly come on, a ghost going to ghost-themed events? HILARIOUS- but things lose that little spark of novelty real quick. Especially when you are a ghost -or half of one at least-, are surrounded by and fighting other ghosts, have ghost hunters for parents and friends, and live in the most haunted town in the world. Ghosts were their thing but nobody likes a one-trick pony, especially the people living with said pony. Now what does ponies have to do with the current Halloween Casper high ball and him acquiring fake cheesy snacks? Absolutely nothing. He’s not even wearing a pony costume. Sure he thought about it, FrightKnight would argue that undead alicorns absolutely do count as a creepy critter, but Danny’s pretty sure that’s not what the school was going for here.  

Needless to say, Danny’s rocking a pretty solid -if he says so himself- raven costume. And sure, maybe it was glowing all by itself and maybe the feathers were just slightly sentient and made of black moulded ectoplasm, but it’s not like anyone here’s going to notice that. Danny is exceptionally experienced with what people will and will not notice in this school and town. Regardless, he gets his hands on his sweet cheesy puffs... and is instantly disappointed they got the no-name brand. Those things were so greasy they legitimately tasted like straight-up flavourless grease, just with a side of cheese. Like someone poured grease into a mould, filled it with air to make it puffy ‘n shit,  and then sprinkled some cheese on top like an afterthought. Needless to say, he eats an entire handful. Danny Fenton-Phantom is not a man -teen, whatever- of refined tastes or any large amount of standards. He’ll eat cheese-flavoured grease, he’ll do it gladly.

Deciding to meander onto the dance floor aka the centre of the gym, to enjoy the light show and attempt to get lost in it a little. Most people are chitchatting with their friends, dancing stupidly, pretending to be drunk, or pretending they’re about to sneak into the bathroom to fuck purely to get a rise out of the teachers. Sure it takes all of half an hour for someone to start smashing apart glow sticks and smear the liquid around, which of course cause practically half his fellow teens -including him in all honesty- to follow suit, but that’s really par for the course at any Highschool dance worth it’s salt and ectoplasm. Besides, not like he actually had to wash his costume, fuck that he’ll just absorb the ectoplasm into his system; leaving the probably toxic glow stick juice though. He doesn’t have standards but he does have at least a mild desire to not intentionally poison himself. Regardless of the fact that his ectoplasm would just destroy whatever toxins anyway. Thinking of that though, maybe he could, like, drink one or two just to freak people out. It’s not a Casper party unless Danny Fenton does something weird and freaky, right? And pretending to get repeatedly trapped inside the mirrors and writing on them to be freed was so last year, like, literally last year. Yeah fuck it, self-inflicted poisoning be damned, that’s what he’s doing this year. Meaning he promptly snaps one open and shotguns it while winking at one of the teachers he can easily see. They scowl and throw out their hands to the side. Mission accomplished already. Nice.

Vaguely he wonders what the heck his friends are up to while he dances loosely and only absently aware of people around him. He knows neither’s coming, Tucker being grounded and Sam disliking the idea of school parties while also not being willing to tolerate one purely to keep Danny company. Which was fine, he could entertain and enjoy himself by himself just fine. And he gets that he can be a little much for most people, his friends included. But hey, they haven’t totally ditched him in life/half-life, so he’s going to consider it a plus. Tilting his head back to let some of the flashing beams periodically flash him straight in the eyes, how it made everything else blackout for a bit was a nice effect even if the light bordered on painfully bright for those split seconds. He gets his friends pulling away from him some, really it was hard for humans to be close with anything that wasn’t quite human enough. Same reason Vlad was utterly friendless, alongside being an evil nutcase anyway. Danny honestly doesn’t mind, honest, he’s perfected the loner act at least to some degree most of his life. He was always only close enough with people to be able to include them in his social circle. Sure Sam and Tucker got almost unhealthily close and attached to him for a while there, but the whole ‘we almost killed you and need to protect your dumbass now because fuck, you died’ and ‘this hero thing is cool af’ things wore off real quick. Their friendship was effectively back to normal now, close but at arm's length. He liked the breathing space even if it was just slightly lonely. But again, as he spins and twists a little, he’s perfected the sorta-loner thing.

He shotguns another little glow stick -that he’s pretty sure used to be wrapped around someone’s wrist- and lays spread out on the ground; not really giving a damn about occasionally being stepped on and waving off anyone who checks on him with a cheeky ‘I'm good’. That gets boring really quick though, especially as people just consciously know to avoid his spot on the floor now. He paused in his almost attempt to push himself up at hearing someone mutter, “ah yes! Finally got this stupid thing working”. Danny tilting his head at seeing something vibrate on the ceiling before making a hissing sound and spitting out fog. Ah, so they actually dished out for a fog machine? Oh wait, never-mind. It’s got a little green flaming F on it. Ah fuck, he should probably be worried about that, that F was probably ominous all things considered. But he can’t really be bothered to do more than watch it spit fog for a bit, fog machines were frickin’ awesome. He should totally buy one. Or make one.

It don’t take long to hear a couple mildly impressed sounds over the fogging up air above everyone’s heads, and a few complaints about it apparently smelling like rotten lime juice and cat piss. Which yeah, definitely ominous. Weren’t fog machines supposed to smell like fake vanilla or something? Make you wonder just what the Hell the added strong vanilla was there to attempt at covering up. Maybe this was just what it smelled like without the added vanilla. Doubtful and Danny’s hardly ever that lucky. Hence why he’s deciding staying on the floor is officially a good idea. Watching the effect with the lasers ‘n shit is cool as heck though.

He absolutely can tell when the fog gets far enough and thick enough to reach him, ‘cause the ecto making up his costume gets just vaguely liquidy. Oh yeah, he should probably nope out of this situation. At the very least if this stuff destroyed his costume he’d be stuck in just his boxers and a wife-beater. No one needs to see that. Or more specifically, he doesn’t want anyone to see that; considering all the scarring and the muscle he’s at least attempting to hide from the school at large.

Deciding to sit up and immediately deciding that crawling would have been a better idea at feeling like someone just started jabbing tiny needles into his face, which he immediately winces at and gets up. Pushing his way past the people, some looking legitimately drunk or otherwise like hot garbage. Zone, he probably looks drunk right about now since there is precisely zero chance he’s walking in a straight line considering how everything’s warping, bending, and pulsing. Yup, leave it to his parents to absently poison him at a seemingly basic normal high school dance. Lovely.

Well at least he got to have a good time for a while there. Right now though? He so totally is going to throw up. It’s happening and it can either happen on the dance floor -gross and unpleasant for everyone around- or in the locker room/bathroom -also gross, in fact it’s just slightly more gross but less embarrassing. But it’ll be less gross for everyone else. Which, come on, other people kinda tend to be his priority.

One stroke of luck though, the locker room is blessedly empty. Saving anyone from gross or just downright weird collateral when his costume effectively explodes in a sticky gooey ectoplasmic mess. Splattering all across the room while also sticking to him like some kind of disgusting vaguely sentient tar. Which effectively flings him into the centre of the room, smashing his back onto one of the benches, and makes wet slurpy suction noises when he lands on the ground properly. He absently thinks it was the single most comical stereotypical sounding ‘splat’ noise he’s ever heard, as he groans slightly.

Unsticking his arm from the ground with wet thwap suction noises to shot his hand over his mouth as he gags. Ah yup, there’s the whole vomit thing he was talking about. Shit body, time to get up. Preferably, like, now. It takes an honestly ungodly amount of effort to peel himself off the floor, the black ectoplasm still sticking and stretching with him as he stagger walks to the bathroom and effectively throws himself at the toilet; smashing his head on the ceramic tank in the process. Because, apparently, vomiting wasn’t enough for him. No. He also needed to have a mild headache. Fun.

It takes about three seconds before he feels like he’s hurling up his entire insides -which is a plausible theory- along with inner layers of flesh -also quite possible- and it glows ridiculously; that last one he can probably blame at least partly on the whole glow stick juice shooters idea of his.

Blinking down into the toilet bowl and wheezing, single most interesting mixture of glowing colours he’s seen in a long-ass time. And oh, yup more vomiting. Ah fuck, Jesus. He shoulda stayed home. He straight up really does feel like his insides are just mildly being torn apart or maybe liquified. Which, considering his costume and it’s black splatter remains, might be legitimately accurate. Which is, like, super not good for his half ecto ass. The fuck’s he supposed to do about it though? He’s stuck with his head in a toilet, ironically splattering the inside of that bowl about as much as the rest of the place was already messy with ecto.

He should at least attempt to do something about this. His phone is fuck knows where in the black mess behind him. Ancients knows if it even still will work properly after getting effectively soaked in supremely sticky ectoplasm and probably thrown violently into something. Eh, nobody said his ass wasn’t creative; hacking up his innards or not. Electing to use some of the ectoplasm -he’s not going to question how the heck he’s able to consciously move the black ecto. Beyond that he probably absorbed it some, in some weird attempt to make up for the glow stick contaminated crap he’s been hacking up- to smear a little ‘get help’ and ‘preferably from my dumbass parents’ on the mirrors, since speaking is kinda out of the option here. Not that anyone will walk in here and not call for help; this was kinda noticeable after all.

By the time someone does wander in he’s groaning into the stupid toilet -that he just mildly hates and feels way too friendly with at the moment- and feeling like his skin is going to bubble right off his muscles, his bones feel a little loose and wet too. Which, like, all that is a super supremely not good sign. Fuck, sometimes he wished his parents were just stupid rather than stupid smart. They wouldn’t be mildly good at actually hurting his ecto-ass otherwise.

“Oh holy crap, what the fuck”. Whoever’s footsteps get closer and make squelching noises, “oh god ew, why is it so sticky? Ah ew”. Danny retches again just to make a point that would dude bro to hurry the fuck up. “Fuck. Fenton? Of course it’s you, and- oh well that’s actually worrying. Ah, I’m just gonna go call your folks. Jesus fuck. You are one poor son of a bitch, you know that?”. Danny obviously doesn’t reply to that beyond sticking up a kinda floppy saggy arm and flipping the guy off weakly. “Wow fuck, that’s- uh. Are you like dissolving or something. Why the fuck do I still live in this tow- oh yeah hi! I don’t know what’s up but Fen-Danny dude is going all exorcist in the school locker rooms. Also kinda looks like he exploded black tar everywhere and bones seem questionable at best and pretty sure the toilet is, like, glowing or some shit so maybe come and like get him? So someone doesn’t have to, like, tie a liquid Danny up in garbage bags”. Ancients, people are way too used to weird shit in this fucking town.

Danny can almost hear his parents freaking the Hell out over the dudes phone, he would be actually able to hear it if it didn’t sound like he was underwater and actively sinking down deeper. This, decidedly, sucks. But he’s kinda good at the whole dissociating away the pain and other awfulness at this point. He feels it but like he’s watching himself feel it rather than directly feeling it. It’s a lot and kinda everything, but he’s not really there for it.

He feels the guy try to pat his back or some shit, whatever it is it definitely doesn’t happen right and he can feel himself latching onto the dude and sucking out whatever bits of ectoplasm the dude’s carting around in his system -every Amity Parker was ecto-contaminates after all- and Danny’s body kinda just devours it for some more energy. “Oh god, congrats I’m officially disgusted. I mean, I already was but give me back my freaking arm. Cannibalism is so not your style. Jesus”.

Both of them hear someone else opening the door. “I really wouldn’t, there’s some honestly nasty shit going on and this tar stuff is like fucking flypaper or some shit”.

“Holy fuck! Okay this is kinda cool and super Halloween-esque. But yeah- oh fuck! Hell no!”. Danny can tell the black ecto -which, fuck, absolutely part of him now. Cool. He needed the energy anyway- has sorta bubbled and popped onto the new guy and grabs at him. Promptly absorbing more ecto from that dude and apparently his ecto has just decided that this is the course of emergency action. Decontaminate people via lowkey ecto-cannibalising them. Yeah this is his luck alright. Not that this is actually really making him any better, since he just keeps throwing whatever up. But hey, it’s keeping him from getting worse. That’s something. What he honestly doesn’t appreciate really is new guy running out of the bathroom and taking a stretchy string of black with him. Right back to the whole poison fog situation. So he makes a damn point to smack more ecto on the mirror, ‘fog machine off’.

“Ah, you literally have not let go of my arm. But ah fuck, I’ll just text a friend. Fuck man”.

-

The dance outside goes into mild panic chaos mode as soon as a guy book’s it out of the locker rooms like he’s attempting to flee from the black thing grabbing him, which promptly just explodes and splatters everywhere. Coating, bubbling, crawling, and splattering all over the floor, walls, and multiple people. From there it practically spreads around like a freaking plague sticking from person to person.

Someone does manage to get to one of the teachers though, “the, fog machine, it’s causing this, shit”. The teacher sighs, “of course something the Fenton's made is causing this”, and runs off.

The chaos only gets worse when the Fenton’s themselves barge in, everyone pointing at the black stuff -which they can’t even be sure is ectoplasm at this point- or at the locker room doors. Which is enough to jerk the two hunters out of their shock and get them back to bolting to the locker rooms, which had been their goal to begin with. Meanwhile, the teachers attempt to free people from the sticky mess, fend the black stuff off, or control the chaos. Everyone wondering why the heck school dancers can literally never ever go off without a hitch.

-

Danny makes a point to smear up the mirror messages at just vaguely scenting his folks, while the dude mutters, “oh thank fuck”. Danny can practically feel the guy flailing around the arm that isn’t apparently stuck in him, which like mind trip right? Not that this entire event wasn’t already a bullshit trip and a half.

Seconds later feeling a very solid hand on his shoulder as he retches a little more and feels dude guy get yanked away from him. Well obvious as shit what happened there. His folks suits were ecto-phobic and ecto-proof after all. “Danny? Sweetie?”. Ah so that was his mom. Nice to know. He’d like to leave this entire situation now. Thank you very much.

He can hear her scowl and sounding slightly less directly talking to him, “damnit. Looks like the ecto-repulsitory solution is affecting him. I knew we should have tested it at home”.

“There was hardly time Mads! Nothing for it now I guess!”. His dad freaking laughs. Cool. Glad they’re having fun. They could totally help him out here any minute now. Like, any minute now.

Those glow sticks were a bloody terrible idea, the toilet smells fucking rank and he’s blaming it on that; he needs some kind of scapegoat after all, and it sure as shit wasn’t gonna be his ecto.

Who he’s assuming is his mom pulls him back and he sorta collapses backwards -into what he’s just gonna assume is a blanket- rather bonelessly. Like, literally boneless. As in, fuck he’s so totally a vaguely person-shaped sorta semi-solid liquid right now. Lovely. He should probably pull himself together before he scares the piss, shit and vinegar out of his folks. And hey, he’s not smelling or tasting the lime anymore so he might actually be successful at that. Though he makes some not particularly impressed or happy gag/grumbling noises at feeling his folks physically trying to tear off stuff from him. Probably the black ecto, which was kinda understandable at the moment. But fuck, that’s kinda all that’s feeding him ecto-energy at the moment so kindly fuck off yeah? He does manage to slur out, “mom”, in an annoyed tone before gaging and coving his mouth with a very limp hand again.

“Jack, bucket now”. Which yeah cool, he’s down for not throwing up all over himself. So fine, he appreciates the bucket as he hacks and gags some more. But at the very least the whole vomit ecto thing feels less thick and sticky, more vaguely like light water. Which may or may not be a good thing. But that’s pretty typical for, like, half the shit that happens to him these days. He gives his folks a little thumbs up when he’s done though. Partly to be an ass, partly to be reassuring. Those two things don’t seem like they can coexist, but by the Ancients do they ever. His mom takes the bucket away.

Blinking his eyes open a bit blearily, noting being wrapped in a towel -an anti-ecto one specifically- like a little Danny burrito. Not that he was exactly edible. Zone, he very explicitly wasn’t edible. Considering how ectoplasm was pretty gosh darn toxic. Glancing around at the black sticky splattered everywhere, well damn he sure made one Hell of a mess. The poor fucking janitor. It looks like his folks successfully ripped it all off him and are using the blanket to keep it all off. Explains why he feels tired and energetically spent then. Wasn’t being fed/absorbing ectoplasmic energy any more. Eh oh well, not that he can really complain about that to his folks. Instead choosing to groan a little, “what have I told you guys, about not testing shit against, me and my shit, before using it, like this”. And really? They have had this conversation dozens of times. Sure they still -how they haven’t come across the idea of halfas yet is absolutely befuddling- thought he was just weirdly ecto-contaminated. But they knew shit affected him and yet....

“Sorry Sweetie”.

His dad laughs a little, “we were in a bit of a rush. Wanted to protect the dance from ghosts you know!”.

Danny snorts, oh yeah, they so totally protected it from ghosts... by literally poisoning one. “Funny thing. Don’t think no ghost, has ever crashed, one of the dances. Usually you guys”. Ah Hell, he didn’t mean for that to sound kinda cutting; based on their slight grimaces it was at least somewhat hurtful. Which of course means now he’s gotta fix that. Fuck him. “Didn’t mean it, that way. Aw Hell whatever. Let’s just go home, yeah?”.

His dad scoops him up without any hesitation, “you sure Danny-boy?”.

Danny rolls his eyes tiredly, slumping bonelessly, “I doubt I’ll be, doing much more dancing”. Hell, was anyone? Judging by how they all kinda scuttle embarrassingly out of the locker room to a gym filled with only sticky black and people still yanking their limbs and shoes out of the tar-like ectoplasm. Why the heck the laser light show is still going on he doesn’t have the slightest clue. But hey, it looks pretty fucking cool, he’ll give it that. He kinda wanted to squirm out of his fabric confines and reach down to scoop some up, it was kinda part of him after all, but Ancients knows what in all is in that stuff at this point. Bits of other people’s contamination, fog poison, glow stick juice, generalised floor hunk, food and juice obviously, maybe even bits of people’s food. Yeah, he’s gonna give that one a hard pass. Plus his folks would freak at him. They didn’t exactly want him more ‘contaminated’, after all. Still he gives an impressed whistle. One of the teachers scowling at him, “you just had to one-up yourself huh?”. Which Danny gives a cheeky lopsided and slightly melty smile at.

Danny speaks back up as his folks settle him down in the GAV, “so, what’s that stuff supposed to do? What did it even do?”. He has a few ideas but better to let them explain themselves to him. Their intentions did matter at least a little.

His dad perks up, “oh! It was supposed to disorient and discombobulate any ghosts! And make them unable to use abilities by making their ectoplasmic cells disjointed!”, then looking rather guilty, “I guess with you it made your more unusual ecto suffer some kind of disconnect with the rest of you. Like it made your body think it was rotten. Like food poisoning! And made your ecto ‘think’ your body was foreign so it tried dissolving it!”, tapping his chin, “not the slightest idea what was up with the black stuff clinging to you though”, and looks to his mom who shrugs.

Danny will admit that shit was confusing as Hell, so fine that would make a suitable deterrent. Not so suitable when the thing it’s trying to deter can’t fucking move away from it effectively though. So major design flaw there. Ah well, with his less than pleasant -for everyone involved- reaction, they’ll probably scrap this particular experiment. Which is totally fine by him. He may as well satiate their curiosity a little, to avoid any repeat incidences at the least, “ah well, I may have went and made my costume out of some of that black purified experimental ectoplasm”.

His mom blinks at him, “you did what???”, shaking her head in clear disbelief, though really they should expect this kind of stunt from him at this point, “sweetie, did you at least have something protecting your skin?”.

Danny grins a little, “I used that spray stuff”, which wasn’t even a lie. Walking around a dance with literal purified ecto on him without spraying on some kind of barrier to keep it from hurting anyone would have been grade A stupid, even for him. And honestly? That probably saved his ass slightly, was probably why that ecto had been able to absorb other ecto at all instead of just being a liquid sticky mess.

His mom taps her chin, “huh, the caustic interaction between the settled spray and fog formula must have caused the ectoplasm to coagulate and seek out energy sources”. Danny decidedly doesn’t say shit, let them think what they want. While she continues, “and you were its closest potential source but were obviously having a reaction yourself, so it just clung to you instead”. It would probably be mean of him to point at that it was kinda part of him at that point and that he could absolutely feel through it. Or that it wasn’t feeding itself but rather him. So that he, y’ know, would, like, pass out from energy loss or some shit. Passing out in a toilet, ugh that so would have been not fun. Thank you weirdly sticky black ecto stuff.

Anyway, he yawns, because now he’s tired and would like to genuinely replenish all the ecto he hacked up. At least he was a bit more solid now though. That was a positive something.

His mom smiles at him sweetly a bit as they get home, “I guess we best let you rest rather than spewing theories at you”, and nods at his dad, who swiftly and surprisingly smoothly scoops him up. Danny’s cool with this particular course of action, not making a fuss about his dad carrying him up to his room or his mom kissing him on the forehead afterwards.

Eyeing his phone, naw, he’ll let his friends find out on their own and be confused for a bit. That’s what they get for sorta ditching him.

-

Nightshade: do I want to know how you ‘unleashed a black slime monster’ at the dance?

PDAxpda: ???

PDAxpda: ‘monster’ not ‘ghost’

PDAxpda: found photo the heckers

Nightshade: someone also mentioned you got drunk on glow sticks and vomited literal rainbows

Nightshade: nice asettic but yoyr a dumbass

PDAxpda: 💯 that shits toxic

PDAxpda: not that that matters to a certain someone

Dpain: 😉

Dpain: and I guess I kinda qualify as a monster

PDAxpda: I hate the implications there

Nightshade: that black shit was you wasn’t it you ass

Dpain: only vaguly

Dpain: nebulously

Dpain: margunally

Nightshade: I hate you

Dpain: 😏

End.

[riseofarmy]

02 | SO THERE'S THIS MAGIC BOY

i can do this all day 02 | so there's this magic boy

author : @riseofarmy

pairing : kim seokjin x original character

words : 2343

i can do this all day masterlist

previous chapter

DARLING

What. The. Hell.

Before me stands a man I've never seen before in my life. He's barefoot, loose harem pants hanging low on his hips and an open vest doing nothing to hide his bare chest. The most startling thing about him though is his hair. It's purple, as in I Am The Love Child Of Amethysts And Lilac purple.

I don't get how I could've missed someone as stand-outty as him.

He leans down elegantly to pluck the lamp from the floor and my heart seizes up instantly. I have no idea where he came from, or how he got so close to me without me realising, but one thing I do know - this piece of shit is not getting away with my lamp.

With a swipe of my foot at the stranger's legs, I fell him like a tree. He shrieks, trying to pick himself up, but I pounce on him, sitting on the back of his thighs and twisting his arms behind him so he has to curl backwards to stop his arms from hurting. I pull out the twine I store in one of my pockets, intending to tie up his hands, but then...

He's gone.

As in gone-from-under-me gone, making me fall onto my back since the hands I was pulling have goddamn disappeared. Disappeared! Again: What. The Hell. I stare at the ceiling, trying to orient myself. He was right there and then he was... not.

"I can't believe you just did that to me, like surely you knew how that would make me feel."

The man stands next to my knocked-down body, bending over to look me in the eye. He flicks a lock of purple hair off his face with a lop-sided grin that might have been meant to make me feel at ease but instead makes me growl in irritation. I make a grab at his ankles, but I only touch them for a moment before my hands close around empty air.

That did not just happen.

Except it did. He's out of my arm's reach and fanning his face lazily as I get on my feet, eyes lasered in on the lamp still in his hand. He twirls it carelessly and I totally lose my mind, snapping forward to jump on him again.

This time, I manage to tackle him to the ground again and lock his head into my elbow before-

"Don't bother, you'll just tire yourself out." Suddenly, he's on the other side of the small room, a roguish curl to his lips as he lounges on one of the bigger chests of gold. He notices me twitch in his direction, and with a wave of his fingers, I'm frozen.

It's an awful feeling, like time has stopped, but only for me. There's an emptiness in my chest that takes me a second to place, but then I realise what it is - I can't breathe! Somehow, I know that my lungs have stopped working, my heart has stopped beating, that the only thing working in me right now is my thoughts.

And then he lets go of me. I suck in a grateful breath, flexing my fingers until I'm sure my blood's flowing again.

Holy shit holy shit holy shit literally what the hell.

"Please tell me you've calmed down." I flick my gaze up to find the strange man eyeing me warily. He has a better grip on the lamp now and isn't flinging it around like before, so I force myself to stay on the ground even though I was itching to take it from him.

"Who are you?" My voice cracks, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead, his expression clears up significantly into an overly bright beam.

"You know what, I have a song prepared for exactly that question, gimme a second to change." Before I can consider the ridiculousness of that statement, he snaps his fingers, and suddenly he's wearing...

Actually, what is he wearing?

He has on a startlingly white jacket, with odd, overblown shoulders, and a matching pair of breeches that were fitted to his body and made of a stiff material. The outfit was studded with what looked like diamonds, his hair was slicked back off his forehead, and the whole look completed with a set of short, silver boots.

I can't help it. Before I can slam a palm over my mouth, a snort slips out.

The man looks a little shocked, mouth dropped into a horrified 'O'. "Are you laughing? At me? Why are you laughing?!"

"You look... What are you wearing?"

He splutters, ears reddening so quickly they might just pop. "Do you not have any taste? This is high fashion, the result of a gorgeous marriage between class and art and I look stunning."

This man was serious! His hand was curled into a fist and he looked almost comically furious, but I just couldn't take him as anything but a joke.

Especially not when, a few seconds later, he lets out a scream and jumps onto a chest. It takes me a moment realises that the thing that had him currently shaking like a leaf was none other than... Yoongi.

Yoongi, my little furball cat, who slinks past the terrified man and curls into my bent form.

"Wait. Are you scared of cats?" When he doesn't reply, I have my answer. The man flinches as I stand up and step closer to him, eyes trained on the only-slightly-feisty ball of fluff at my feet. "How does this sound: you give me the lamp back, and I won't tell Yoongi to bite you."

At this, the man looks up. "The lamp is yours anyway! Take it! Just keep that thing away from me! WHY IS IT COMING CLOSER?!"

I stop moving closer to him, eyebrows furrowing - it seems too easy. I pat Yoongi's bum and direct him to the other side of the room before turning to address the man again. "You'll just... give it back to me? Then why did you take it in the first place?"

Now that Yoongi's further away, the man looks at me directly, throwing his hands up in what was probably frustration.

"Are you out of your mind? Seriously, did you get knocked on the head too hard before or something? Why would I take the lamp? It's literally yours? I can't? Do anything with it? Just? Take it?"

It was my turn to splutter. "Well- I- Alright then? I'll just? Take it?" It's strange to be talking in question marks, but everything about this situation is strange and I don't have the time to get hung up on the details.

I rush forward before he can change his mind, swiping the lamp from his hand. I cradle it to my chest, deciding right there that the next person to even glance at it without my permission is getting castrated.

"Can't you keep it away from me?" The stranger jerks his head at Yoongi, who was pawing through a pile of gold, completely unaware that he was the object of the man's derision.

"It isn't even near you and it has a name. Yoongi. He's not gonna hurt you."

"Mmm-hmm, that's what they all say before letting those monsters maul your face off."

"It's a little concerning how oddly specific that was, but Yoongi's not gonna 'maul your face off', he can't even catch rats. Anyway, can't you just save yourself by doing whatever it was you did before?" Before, when my body stopped but my mind didn't. "Um. What did you do before."

"Well, that's exactly what I changed into this incredible outfit to explain!" He gestures at himself, the diamonds throwing light around the room. "I literally told you I have a song prepared. You have a problem with that?" He adds in the question, probably realising that my face was twisted in disgruntlement.

"Can't you just say it?"

The man visibly deflates, and I almost take my words back. Almost, but not really. He clicks his fingers again and he's back in the harem pants and vest, then once more, and two plush armchairs appear. I think I'm already desensitised to things popping into existence.

"Sit," he gestures, plonking into the one opposite. "Since you want to do this the boring way. What do you want to know?"

I sink into the seat, half expecting it to disappear from under me, but it holds. Yoongi jumps into my lap, and I quickly look up at the man for his reaction, but he seems to have calmed down from his initial fear - he just purses his lips and avoids looking at Yoongi.

"I guess I'll start with... Who are you? And how did you get here without me noticing?"

He cocks his head. "Do you even know what the lamp is?"

I look down at my lap where Yoongi was batting at the purple gem in the lamp. I don't want to let on that I knew what the lamp can do, but something gave me the feeling the man already knew. "Yeah, it's a magic lamp. Makes all your wishes come true."

"Wow, it's so interesting that you think that because that's wrong."

Cue round two of me spluttering. This man did not just show up, out of nowhere, and deny what I have known for the last eight years.

"Wrong? What do you mean wrong, I'm supposed to be the only one left who knows about this lamp."

"And who told you about it? Actually, it doesn't matter, because sorry to disappoint you, honey, but whoever it was didn't have their facts straight. The lamp doesn't do anything, it's just a vessel for the real wish granter. That's me."

I blink, waiting for the punchline. It doesn't come, though, and the man cocks his head again, an amused smirk lifting his lips.

"Since you haven't figured it out yet, I'll spell it out for you. I am a djinn, a genie if you will. And since you freed me, you are now my master until I grant you your wishes." He furrows his eyebrows. "No wait, I've missed something. You know, my song was perfected to give all the information you need in the right order and now you've messed me up."

And then he starts humming something under his breath, bobbing his head to the beat in his head. "Oh! You have four wishes. And my name is Seokjin."

"What?!" Oh hell no.

"Yikes, what's with that reaction. Seokjin isn't a weird name or anything so-"

"No, what do you mean four wishes? I'm supposed to be able to make as many as I want!" If I can only have four wishes...

"I mean exactly that. I can grant you four wishes, no more, no less - not that anyone's ever wanted less. And before you even think it, you can't ask for more wishes." He looks at me sternly, as if it's something he's had to say repeatedly.

His words feel like a physical blow to my chest, winding me and making my brain blank. Four wishes. That certainly is less than I had planned for, but I guess it could have been a lot worse. I could have had only one wish, or I could have never found the lamp. Yes, thank goodness I have at least this many - I just have to make sure I make it count.

"Are you okay? You haven't said anything for, like, two minutes. I mean, I'm used to people becoming speechless in my presence, but you look more stressed out than in awe, so."

"Huh?" I shake myself out of my increasingly spiralling thoughts. "Yeah, I'm okay, I just... Wait, the ball!"

Only four wishes? This new stranger I'm apparently stuck with? Both of those I can deal with, I can find a way. But if I miss this ball then it doesn't matter how many wishes I have, I won't even be able to start with my revenge plan.

The ball, as in the prince's twenty-third birthday ball, which is only a week away. It was announced by the king when the prince was only ten: a grand ball open to nobility from all over the world. Even in Paaratham, the announcement sent tremors through towns because the prince was to choose his bride from among all the single noblewomen that attended.

I'm not from a noble family, and I'm definitely not a princess, but I'm determined to be the one the prince chooses.

The lamp was supposed to help me with that, and I had planned to wish myself into the kingdom after getting the lamp, but that's not an option anymore. If I wanted to get there in time, I need to leave now.

Immediately, I snap into action. I start stuffing my pockets with gold, since I don't have much more money on me, and packing into my rucksack the few bolts of fabric that were already tailored into clothes. The man - Seokjin, I tell myself - only stares at me, until I address him.

"Some of us can't magic up stuff whenever we want, so excuse me for snatching what the dead won't use anyway. Is there anything from here you want to take?"

"Me?" He looks shocked, probably thinking I must be dumb to ask a genie if he needs anything.

"No, the creeper behind you. Yes, you, is there anything you need from here? You have two minutes."

I go back to filling my pockets as Seokjin frantically rustles through the room. I don't see what he's getting but he seems satisfied when I call him to me.

Yoongi meows at him, obviously wanting to investigate Seokjin, but I pick him up and lay him on my shoulder. I kinda want to figure out this whole genie thing too, but I don't have the time right now.

Right now, I've got to get to the capital, Mansae. Everything else I can sort out later.

"Alright, magic boy. Let's get outta here."

i can do this all day masterlist

next chapter

[mrs-berry]

Like the Sun

Read on AO3!

Summary: Marinette asks Chat Noir a question she really should not have asked. Chat Noir is ecstatic to give her more of an answer than she wanted, which leads to some regret and a major mistake... (Inspired by this post!)

Word Count: 2366

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was an ordinary evening, just like any other. Chat Noir had come to visit his favourite civilian on her rooftop balcony, which was dimly lit with fairy lights.

The pair sipped on hot chocolate as they leaned over the railing and gazed at the beautiful view before them. The sun had begun its journey to the horizon, leaving a stunning array of oranges and reds amongst the sky.

Marinette set down her mug on the table behind her, rubbing her hands together to gather warmth from the slightly cool air.

"I'm probably going to regret asking this," Marinette mumbled to herself, but Chat's keen ears picked up on it anyway. "But why did you fall for Ladybug?"

Chat Noir's jaw dropped open in shock and he stared bug-eyed at her as if it was dumbest question he had ever heard. Which, in his mind, it just might be.

He put his hand to his chest as if the question personally offended him.

Then, a silky smooth cheshire grin slowly overtook his initial expression.

Now, he looked like the cat that got the cream.

Marinette was already regretting her question.

"Marinette. Princess. Mousinette. My little lady. Heh. I'm so glad you asked— even if the answer should be blindingly obvious," he spoke with a smug grin and air of total confidence. "Ladybug is amazing."

He paused dramatically, giving her time to brace herself for the holy reasons that only she would have the privilege of hearing. During his silence, he set down his mug as he would need both hands for his impassioned gesturing.

"... That's it?" she asked, clearly unimpressed.

Chat burst into laughter, the thought of that being all there was to say was completely laughable and insane. He loved Marinette, but she sure could be silly sometimes!

Wiping away the tears that had sprung to his eyes, he shook his head emphatically and put his hands across his chest in a big "X" to indicate she was totally wrong.

"No, you didn't let me finish—haha—my impatient princess," he finally managed to say as his laughter subsided.

"Well, you stopped talking, what else was I supposed to think?" she said, a wry grin on her face. He may have been laughing at her, but she still enjoyed hearing his laughter. It felt good. It felt free.

"I was pawsing to build up the anticipation—the excitement," he stated as if it should have been obvious, throwing out his hands as if measuring said excitement.

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Well, purrdon me then. Carry on," she encouraged, bowing and gesturing that he had the floor now.

Chat beamed, glowing at her usage of a pun and her dramatics that mirrored his own. He was really rubbing off on her and it brought him immense glee.

"Well, where do I even begin? There's just so much! The first thing that made me realize she was amazing was when she threw me into the clutches of Stoneheart's fist. I thought she was crazy, but it turned out she was brilliant—a creative genius!" Chat gushed, relishing in the wonderful memory of their first battle together.

Marinette covered her mouth, kind of surprised he not only remembered it, but that he remembered it fondly. She also felt a bit embarrassed to hear him calling her a genius. He really did like to exaggerate and be all theatrical.

"It didn't take me long to fall for her. But the actual moment I knew I loved her—I'm talking head-over-heels in love—was when she stood up to Hawk Moth when she first met him. She made her declaration that we would find him and take his Miraculous and then she proceeded to capture and purify an enormous amount of Akumas. After that, she promised to all of Paris that we would protect everyone and keep them safe. It was the coolest speech I ever witnessed and I know I'm not doing it justice, but it was incredibly impressive and awe-inspiring. She was just... so badass and I'm lucky I got to witness it firsthand. I'm even luckier that I have the honour—nay, the privilege—of being her partner. I seriously love that girl..." he trailed off with a lovestruck expression and his hands clasped to his chest in pure adoration as he stared off into space, remembering the moment she stole his heart.

Marinette couldn't stop the liquid hot warmth that spread through her cheeks, her accelerated heart pumping blood throughout her body at ridiculous speeds.

His moment... it kind of reminded her of her moment with Adrien. Like her, Chat was able to pinpoint the moment his heart no longer belonged to himself; the moment the lightning had struck. She had that same moment on a stormy school day, outside with a new student who gave her a terrible first impression but spun things around so fast, she fell so hard and couldn't stop herself.

But with Chat, there was no specific moment she could pinpoint falling for him.

Wait.

She shook her head. That was a strange thought, seeing as she hadn't fallen for him.

Right?

"Anyway, that's just the beginning. There's so many more moments and things about her I love," he continued, complete oblivious to Marinette's inner dilemma and flustered state due to his own reminiscing.

"O-oh yeah, like what?" Marinette struggled to ask in a normal voice. She felt like she was in a sauna with how warm she had gotten.

Maybe she was getting sick?

(Of course! That would explain her delirious thoughts.)

"Milady is incredibly witty. No one else I know can banter with me like she does."

"Oof, I'm hurt," Marinette teased, having recovered slightly from her abnormal thoughts after chalking them up to her being unwell, and not actually offended due to obvious reasons (that is, her being Ladybug).

"Sorry, Marimouse, it's true you have sharp wit, too. Actually, thinking about it, you would probably give Ladybug a run for her money. I'd love to see you two go against each other in a battle of wits," he said, eyes alight at the idea.

"Eep!" Marinette squeaked, tugging at her sleeve nervously. "Uh, I bet she would win that. Haha."

Not that that can ever happen, she thought.

"Hmm, purrhaps. Anywho, back to my 101 reasons for catching the lovebug for my LoveBug," he sighed in bliss, his thoughts once again drifting to the girl of his dreams.

Marinette rolled her eyes again, trying to resist the blush that threatened to return. Her kitty was so silly.

Yet so cute.

Wait, what? Marinette mentally swatted away the totally uncalled-for thought.

"Ladybug can take the most hopeless and grim situation and turn it around. Her Lucky Charms are obscure, yet she always figures them out. She always manages to come up with a plan and I love how quirky they often end up being. It's exhilarating waiting to see what surprising ideas she'll come up with!"

"So... basically, you like her because she is crazy and weird?" Marinette asked, not really realizing what was so great about that.

"That's not how I see it. She's creative and unexpected. She makes things fun and exciting. She keeps me on my toes," he corrected her.

"O-okay. Well, is that it?" Marinette asked, kind of hoping that was all. She wasn't sure how much more praise she could handle.

"Not even close!" he retorted, as if shocked she could even harbor such a ridiculous thought. "Ladybug is a great leader. She takes responsibility, makes snap decisions, delegates tasks, and successfully executes her plans to thwart Hawk Moth. She trusts her instincts—and her instincts are good. She's a great problem solver. She really has a great mind and laser-sharp focus. She truly cares about Paris and her teammates. She is a good person, through and through," he listed with ease.

Marinette was speechless and felt a bit dizzy. She knew her partner liked her, but it never really sunk in how much and how highly he thought of her.

Marinette turned her face away. He was painting her way more highly than he should.

"Doesn't she ever make mistakes? Doesn't she ever get on your nerves?" Marinette asked. Surely, he recognized she had flaws as well.

"Of course she makes mistakes, she's still human even with the superpowers. But she does her best to fix them. Sometimes I wish she would rely on me and the others a little more than she does, but she's strongly independent. Still, when it really matters, she has always found the solution or gotten the help she needs. She's always been able to overcome whatever obstacles or mistakes she's made and come out stronger for it. Ladybug's resilient like that," he answered, still clearly filled with love for her.

Marinette didn't know what to say, so she just bit her lip and waited for him to continue.

"As for getting on my nerves? Sure, we've had our fights. Usually it's because she's stubborn about her responsibilities, so I can't really fault her for that. For example, I hated feeling left out about some things and I told her as much. I could tell she wasn't withholding information to hurt me, though. And shortly after telling her my feelings, she managed to convince one of our... 'teammates' that I should also be in the know regarding some matters. So she had taken my feelings seriously and I appreciate it. And when I was upset with her for not showing up that night—the one where I set up all the candles for her—she explained and apologized to me later after we fought Glaciator. Ladybug always has good reasons for doing what she does. She never intentionally hurts me or gets mad at me," Chat explained, a fond smile on his lips.

He was too good, too pure.

Marinette struggled to remain composed at how understanding he was. She hadn't fully realized before just how thoughtful her kitty was.

"Anyway, I love Ladybug. I love her for her strengths and how amazing she is, but I also love her for her flaws and how human she is. Everyone else probably just sees her as a responsible superhero—and she is—but I get to see her as so much more. I trust her with my life and with my heart," he confessed lovingly. Then sorrowfully added, "Even though she doesn't feel the same way."

Marinette felt her heart twist and put a comforting hand on his back. Even though he didn't know it, it was Marinette that had put that sad expression on him.

"You know, to me, Ladybug is like the sun," Chat admitted, his face suddenly brightening again.

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the change in subject, curious as to how he came to that conclusion.

"Her smile shines brilliantly," he began.

She couldn't stop the smile that spread. She quickly self-consciously covered her mouth, as she waited for him to continue.

"She's strong, mentally and physically," he continued. Then, with a chuckle, he said proudly, "She can lift and throw me like I'm the weight of a feather."

Marinette giggled at that, as well.

"She can give some good burns, with her sharp comebacks. I would know, as I've experience first-degree burns from her," he laughed again.

Marinette laughed too. He was very witty himself. Though he was usually too nice to "burn" her.

"She's impossible to miss. Rather than saying she lights up a room, I guess you could say she lights up any area she leaps into," he said with awe, gesturing widely with his hands.

Marinette shyly played with one of her pigtails. He was just exaggerating again, surely.

"She's warm and caring, she obviously loves Paris very much and I'm sure all of Paris can feel her warmth."

Paris wasn't the only thing feeling warm, Marinette thought as she began feeling like she had stepped back into that sauna again.

"She is needed and very important. Like the plants need the sun to grow, Paris needs her to survive and thrive," he spoke with sincerity, as he truly meant it.

Marinette was pretty sure she was going to combust any moment. She wasn't sure she could actually handle any more.

"Her mind is bright—blindingly so. I have never met anyone else quite as clever as her," he stated. Then he turned to Marinette with a wink, "Then again, I seem to know a few clever people. You're also one of them, of course. Again, you could pawsibly be competition for LB in that regard."

Marinette was about to protest again, but he spoke up before she had the chance.

"I cannot spend all my time with her. Just like the sun sets, she too must leave after a battle. But my heart is assured that she will reappear. Just like the sun rises, Ladybug will return when Paris needs her again. Though I wish it were more often." A bittersweet sigh escaped his lips.

Marinette just stared at him in wonder at this point, mouth agape and cheeks flushed.

"And, finally, I'd happily let my life revolve around her if she'd let me. Just like the planets revolve around the sun, which is centered in the solar system, I'd love her to be the centre of my life." He raised a hand to his heart as he gazed at the setting sun.

Then, Chat turned his whole body towards Marinette. He was looking at her with unconditional love in his eyes—the look he so frequently showed to Ladybug.

The look of pure love and adoration.

Oh.

And on instinct, without any coherent or logical thought, Marinette lurched forward, grasping his cheeks, pulling him down toward her, closed her eyes and kissed him point blank on the lips.

Chat froze in shock, eyes wide and pupils dilated.

Before he could even properly react, it was over.

Her lips suddenly felt cold from the sudden onset then absence of warm, soft lips. It took a moment for her to process what had just happened; what she had just initiated.

Oh god, what had she just done?

[angelteyam]

Rewrite the Stars, Part 3 (p.p.)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Super!OC

Word Count: 3,575

Summary: After Charlie sees Steve on the news, she throws herself into being with Peter and training at the compound, if only to be rid of her thoughts. As she trains, she realizes her powers are developing extremely quickly, and she develops one ability she definitely didn’t expect. 

Warnings:  Major character death, mentions of human remains, Endgame spoilers (derp), panic attacks/anxiety, mentions of depression, nightmares, blood/cuts, bruising, vomit, and just a whole lot of angst

A/N: Here it is, peoples and unicorns!! Please read the author’s note I added at the end if you needs an explanation/get confused after reading, because Charlie’s powers can get a lil confusing at some points. This chapter isn’t angsty thank goodness - just a pile of soft floofy cuteness! Thank you a kabillion jillion times to Kath @parrkerspeters (i’m gonna say thank you in every chapter because you’re just that amazing) for helping me with this I love you forever <3

--

Charlie was different for a few days after the incident. She struggled to eat even her favorite foods, and spent less time on the roof reading and more time up there just thinking. But Peter was there the whole time. The identifying shwip of his webs became less of an annoyance and more of a relief that she wouldn’t have to be alone with her thoughts anymore. After that day, not to mention the night prior, their bond became even stronger than it had been before.

Peter had thought about asking the questions he so desperately wanted answers to. He thought about letting all the nagging thoughts slip out. But one look at Charlie’s haggard appearance and he changed his mind. He could tell from the way she was hunched over herself, her chest pressed to her knees, that her steel-reinforced walls were up.

The last thing he wanted to do was be a pest, so he’d just sit with her and talk about anything that came to his mind, anything except the things about Charlie that were eating at him. He’d occasionally apologize for all his blabbering, but Charlie would shrug him off and tell him she didn’t mind. And it was true – Peter’s voice was one of the very few things that Charlie allowed to fill the void of the world around her and make things slightly less painful. Charlie trusted him. Not enough to tell him everything quite yet, but enough to where she could feel her walls beginning to come down.

Her training helped too.

Tony had expanded the compound to include a new training arena, despite the team shrinking ever smaller as the days waned on. With reinforced walls and parapets galore, it was the perfect place for Charlie and Peter to air out all their frustrations. Peter had plenty to cling to and swing from, and Tony had specifically engineered the room to absorb Charlie’s electricity and redirect it back into the compound as a power source.

Soon enough, Charlie began to direct all of her energy into her training. Her powers were developing extremely quickly. She could now make herself invisible, a trick she liked to call “fading”. It lasted only for a few seconds, but it allowed her to shift behind people when she had been standing in front of them not a moment earlier.

Peter was her favorite to use it on. Nerd movie nights became hilarious. Charlie would be sitting on one side of the couch, and when Peter would try and sneak his hand into her popcorn bowl, she’d fade to the other side of the couch, her bowl of popcorn still in her lap. Peter would sigh, his curls suddenly wind-blown and sticking out in several different directions, and mutter something under his breath about it not being very funny.

Fading wasn’t the only thing Charlie had been working on. She’d also been training to be able to project her force field past just herself, which was apparently a lot easier said than done. She would return from training a drenched, sweaty mess, and would have only been able to project the field half an inch further.

That is, until Tony had an idea.

Tony was always having the worst ideas these days. But Charlie couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows when Tony suggested that maybe what Charlie needed was a little more motivation. Then he flicked on a high-powered (and just a tiny bit explosive) laser beam that Peter had been training to avoid.

“Shall I go get Mr. Pickles?” Tony asked, referring to Charlie’s fluffball of a cat.

“What? No!” Charlie exclaimed. “I’m fine, I can do it.”

“I’ll do it, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, stepping in and offering himself up for the task. “Sounds fun!”

“Wait, what?!” Charlie yelled. “No, no way. You’re both insane.” 

She turned away to leave the arena, but Peter grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Charlie,” he said gently, “It’s fine, I’ll be okay.”

“No, you won’t be,” she growled, clenching her jaw. “What if you get hurt?”

“Hey,” Peter said, “It’ll be fine, I swear. You need to train. And besides, I have super healing remember?” He grinned widely, his eyes sparkling.

Charlie sighed, hanging her head, but reluctantly agreed. Tony stood behind the laser at the control board while Charlie activated her force field, and she gave Tony a small nod when she was ready. Peter stood stiffly in front of Charlie, squaring his shoulders towards the laser and clenching his hands into fists.

Ever so slowly, the laser began to move.

Charlie took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and extended her arms. Sparks began to ebb from her fingers, pulsing up into the force field. She pushed, straining against the field’s pressure, and visualized the walls of the field moving outward towards where Peter stood. She pictured him standing there, her force field surrounding him, bit by bit crawling up his legs, past his torso, around his shoulders and past the top of his head.

She could feel it working.

Her muscles tightened, and they began to ache from the strain, but she continued to push her field even further, creating a bubble to surround both her and Peter. The sparks firing from her fingers had now changed. They looked less like lightning and more like pure energy, like Charlie’s own aura was flowing in smooth streams towards the force field’s walls, adding power to the field and making it stronger. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She feared that if she did, the force field would recede again, and all her progress would be lost.

Her arms shook.

Her knees threatened to buckle.

But she could hear the whir of the laser as it passed through the bubble, and Peter made no sound indicating that it had hurt him. Charlie risked peeking one eye open and saw Peter standing in front of her, his eyes wide and alert. The laser came back around and through the force field again, but both Charlie and Peter remained untouched, as if the laser had just skipped right over them.

Peter turned to her, beaming.

“You’re doing it. Charlie, you’re doing it!” He was practically glowing with pride.

Charlie smiled, gasping, and looked to Tony. Even through the force field’s barrier, she could see him smiling as he gave her a thumbs up. Tony moved to switch off the laser, but Charlie shook her head.

“Wait!” She yelled, “Keep going!”

Charlie adjusted her stance and pushed the field out even further. There was now at least a foot of space between the wall of the force field and Peter, and Charlie continued to extend the shield. As it went further, the strain got worse. But Charlie was determined to see how far she could go.

Woah, this is amazing.

What was that?

Charlie faltered, and the shield receded back to right in front of Peter’s form. She looked to Tony, giving him a brisk nod, and the laser cut off. Charlie lowered her arms and the force field disappeared, shrinking back into her. Without a word, she collapsed to the ground, resting her forehead on her knees. Sweat poured down her cheeks and pooled at the nape of her neck, soaking the collar of her suit.

But her exhaustion was the last thing she was worried about.

“Peter,” she gasped, “Did you just say something?”

Peter knelt down beside her, his eyebrows furrowed. “No, why?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought I heard something.”

Peter shrugged it off, but the thought still lingered in the back of Charlie’s mind. Was it Tony who had said that? Was she hearing voices in her head now?

Great. As if Charlie needed something else added to her pile of emotional baggage. 

Peter placed a delicate hand on her shoulder, and Charlie looked up to meet his eyes. 

“That was incredible,” he said, smiling down at her. “You were awesome!”

Charlie smiled up at him. Whatever had just happened, she felt proud. She’d finally conquered another one of her powers. Somehow, she knew her force field being able to expand would be her most useful skill. And yet, the thought of the sound she’d heard wouldn’t get out of her brain. But she was determined to figure it out.

Later that day, Charlie snuck into the living room while Tony was napping on the couch. His mouth was wide open, and a book lay open against his chest. His hair stuck out in a million different directions, and the faintest hint of stubble was starting to appear across his jawline.

Charlie yearned to remove the book from his chest and fluff his pillow. To straighten out the blanket barely covering his feet. To smooth his rough hair. And if it was any other day, she would have.

Tony had been there when Steve left, just like Peter was now. He’d given her a home, a warm bed, a shoulder to lean on when no one else was there. Not to mention endless supplies of sarcastic banter. He could be as messy and strewn about as Charlie sometimes, but that only gave her more comfort knowing she was like him. That she had such an amazing father figure to look up to.

But Charlie had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

She knelt down by his head and made a small force field between her fingers, widening it so that it surrounded both of their heads, encasing them in a bubble. She focused, listening for a sound, for anything. But there was nothing. All she could hear was Tony’s soft snores.

No thoughts, no words, just his quiet breathing. 

The bubble retracted and she sank to the ground with a heavy sigh, her hands resting dejectedly in her lap. She tilted her head back, just to blink away a few tears, before she stood up and let out a deep breath.

Quietly, so as not to wake him, Charlie removed the book from between Tony’s hands and gently fluffed the pillow behind his head. She tucked the blanket more closely around him, making sure it covered his feet, before she straightened and looked at him as he slept. It had never ceased to amaze her that with all the thoughts running through Tony’s brain, he could still sleep so easily. As she moved to leave the room, she stopped to smooth down his hair, making sure it lay flat against the pillow.

With a heavy heart, Charlie slipped from the living room down the hallway, the thought of what she’d heard in the training arena still eating away at her.

That same night, when everyone else was asleep, Charlie clambered out of bed and made her way down the hall to Peter’s room. She pressed open the door and peeked in, surveying the room around her. Peter lay awake, the light of his phone illuminating his face, his eyes droopy.

“Peter?” she whispered, and he looked towards the door, smiling when he realized it was her.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, sitting up in his bed.

“I can’t sleep,” Charlie said sheepishly, shrinking into herself. She hated asking for things, for feeling like she was a child. Especially with Peter. He’d already been there for her enough, and it felt wrong to ask him for something else.

“Oh,” Peter replied, his eyes widening only slightly. He scooted over on the bed, patting the space next to him. “C’mere.”

Charlie padded into the room and climbed into the bed, sitting down next to him and crossing her legs. She looked down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs, her lips a thin line. Peter knew instantly that something was on her mind. He propped himself up so he could shift to be closer to her, their arms and thighs pressed ever-so-softly together.

“What’s going on?” He asked, looking at Charlie intently.

“You’ll think I’m crazy,” she whispered.

“Charlie, I was bitten by a radioactive spider and now have spider powers. Nothing is crazy to me anymore.”

Charlie took in a deep breath, and then she spoke. “I thought I heard something earlier in the arena, when I was practicing with my force field. But neither you or Tony had said anything. I tried it again on Tony when he was sleeping earlier, but it didn’t work. It sounded like…,” she paused, trying to look for the words.

“Like what?” Peter asked.

“Like a thought. Like I heard someone thinking something.”

Peter furrowed his brows, confused. “Like, you read someone’s mind?”

Charlie nodded. “But how is that even possible? It doesn’t make any sense.” Peter shrugged, not providing her with an answer. He was just as confused as she was.

But Charlie had an idea. If she was really crazy, there was only one way to find out.

“Peter,” she asked, “I want to try something. Do you trust me?”

Peter nodded. 

“Always,” he whispered.

Charlie had to ignore her heart fluttering away in her chest. She shifted on the bed until she was kneeling down in front of him, her knees touching his crossed legs. She bent forward, and their chests were almost touching. 

Right now was not a good time to focus on the fact that Peter was shirtless.

Charlie closed her eyes and placed her fingers by Peter’s ears, creating another force field. It circled their heads, enclosing them in a bubble of electricity, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Even the soft murmur of the A/C was now muted. Charlie focused as hard as she could, listening for anything, any sign that she had been right. There was nothing.

She was starting to feel increasingly disappointed. But when she opened her eyes and they met with Peter’s, they both gasped. 

Charlie’s eyes flashed with lightning, pulsing with electricity as the world around her and Peter seemed to explode. The entire universe was swirling around them, filling their brains with stars and bright white lights. Charlie breathed heavily, panting and sweating, and she had to swallow for a moment to find the right words. 

“Think something,” she said, her lips parted in concentration.

This is so weird. But also so cool!

Now she could hear it clearly – it was Peter’s voice, but his lips hadn’t moved. She laughed, still breathless, and sent a thought back to him.

It was you.

From the way Peter’s eyes shot wide open, she could tell he’d received it. It was like they were sending telepathic text messages, but they were the only ones in the world with cell phones.

Charlie allowed the connection to grow, both of their energies merging into one. She could now hear everything running through Peter’s mind (and boy, there was a lot), and was beginning to pick up on all of his energy. He was wild, as wild as she was, and she could feel his heart rate increasing with every second. If she closed her eyes, she swore she would be seeing streaks of red and blue painting the backs of her eyelids.

Peter had never felt anything like this before. Normally, his senses were dialed to 11, sometimes just to 10 on a good day. But now everything was ramped up to 100. He could hear everything she was thinking, and he could feel her heartbeat pulsing in her chest. When he looked into her crystal blue eyes, it felt like he was looking directly into her soul. Everything she’d ever felt or thought came rushing through his brain like a waterfall.

And suddenly, all he could feel was her.

Charlie sat back on her heels, allowing their connection to break. She instantly felt a little empty, like part of her had been ripped away. But she was still smiling, gasping for breath.

“Wow,” Peter gasped, his chest heaving. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie replied. “I heard you in the training arena earlier, when I was extending the field. And I thought you were just talking like normal. But then you said you hadn’t said anything, and I got really confused. So I tried it on Tony earlier, and nothing happened. It seems to work just with you and me, like we’re…connected.”

Peter’s eyes were shimmering. “I felt it too.”

Charlie sighed happily, a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh, her smile growing ever wider. So she wasn’t going crazy, and she wasn’t just dreaming.

“Whatever this is,” Charlie whispered, “This…between us, I think it was maybe meant to be? It seems that way at least, because you’re the only one it works with. I don’t know, I’m rambling. I just know I don’t want it to stop.”

Without another word, Peter sat up and knelt in front of Charlie, taking her hands in his. If his eyes were shining anymore, Charlie would’ve been blind. 

“Me neither.”

The next thing she knew, Peter leaned in and crashed their lips together. This connection between them was entirely different than just her hearing Peter’s thoughts; this was new, and unfamiliar, but the slight emptiness she had felt moments ago was replaced with just him. It was as if time stopped and the universe cracked open, sending them both reeling. Without even moving, she could feel every inch of Peter’s soul, matching hers. Charlie began to realize that they were the same.

Charlie’s lips parted and she brought her hands up to the back of Peter’s neck, pressing his chest into hers. The kiss deepened, growing more and more passionate as time ticked by. Peter’s hands moved to around her waist, holding her there. Where their skin touched, it felt like fire. Even their chests, which were blocked by the fabric of Charlie’s shirt, still sparked with electricity. Peter was so warm, and Charlie had never felt safer than she did in that moment. Even with Steve.

Peter sighed softly as she played with the curls on the back of his neck, his fingers clutching at the skin of her waist beneath her T-shirt. They were melting into each other, chest against chest, heart against heart.

Neither one remembered who separated from who first. But immediately, they both knew from the moment they separated that they didn’t want to. They wanted to stay entangled in each other for as long as they could, preferably forever if at all possible. Now, their connection was even more powerful. Charlie closed her eyes, and could still feel Peter’s heart drumming in his chest, and hear the victorious whoops he was shouting in his head.

She fell into him, tucking herself in his chest, and they lay together on his bed. They talked for the rest of the night about whatever came to mind. Charlie had never been one for talking much, but now everything seemed to spill out. Peter listened as she told him everything – from her parents dying in the blast in New York, to the Avengers becoming her new family, to Steve leaving her behind after him and Tony had fought. She cried a few tears, especially when she talked about Steve, and he stroked her cheek softly. Peter kissed her at the end of her stories, pressing their lips together ever so gently, wishing to himself that he’d had the guts to smack Captain America over the head with his own shield for what he’d done.

Charlie chuckled, “It’s okay, Peter. You couldn’t have known.”

Peter laughed to himself, having forgotten that his thoughts weren’t alone anymore. He looked at Charlie, drinking in the lines on her face and the freckles dotting her cheeks, sealing the moment in his brain for eternity. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, before telling Charlie everything he could muster. He told her about his parents, about how he wished he’d known them better, and about Uncle Ben and feeling like he failed him.

He talked about May, who he loved so much, and promised Charlie that he would take her to meet May and go out to dinner for Thai food. He told Charlie about Ned, and MJ, and Betty, and all his friends who he wished he could tell about her, and about the time Ned stayed with him for detention after school to finish their Lego Death Star.

Peter wasn’t a crier. He never let himself break down, because if he did, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. But for whatever reason, finally letting all of his feelings out in front of someone as special and important as Charlie made the tears begin to slip down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he sniffed, wiping at his face with his arms. “I don’t usually cry about stuff.”

Charlie said nothing as she brought her thumbs up to his cheeks, wiping the tears away with the soft pads of her fingers. “Peter, do you remember when you told me never to apologize to you for something that wasn’t my fault?” 

When Peter nodded, she continued.

“I don’t ever want to feel like you have to apologize to me. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happens.”

Peter wrapped his arms tightly around her, hugging her close to him and burying his face into the crook of her neck. The weight of the world that he’d been carrying for so many years finally began to lift off his shoulders, and Charlie felt the weight lift off her own shoulders too. 

And somehow, even though they were 15 and knew nothing about love, or soulmates, or anything like that, they knew that their connection would never be broken. 

--

A/N: A lil explanation about Charlie’s powers if you got confused along the way (because I did too) - she’s electrokinetic, meaning she can control and manipulate electricity to her will. This also means she can use the electrical currents in the air to “fade”. She doesn’t go all the way invisible, she just kinda sparks in and out for a quick second. The reason she and Peter can hear each other’s thoughts is that she can pick up on the neurons firing in his brain - just like electricity! With his spidey senses and his damn geniusness, Peter uses more brain power than the average ol’ human, which is how, when Charlie starts the connection, he can hear her and feel her too. This is also why they are the only two people it works with. 

We stan a super power couple *sobs*

[timetrickster]

Aloha Oe X Edith Nox Crossover Episode 12: The Final Battle Part 1

THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE! Hope ye enjoy it!

TAG: @cometworks , @coloursintheblur , @thelysstener

FADE IN:

INT. EDITH’S HOME. NIGHT

The night made things all too frightening now. The army of Shadow Cats were ready, the Five Malevolents stood ready with their upgraded powers. NEYDOLYA stood by SIMARGL by his gigantic paws. 

SIMARGL being the new Black Beast, his skin was bathed with the color of night. Lathered in stars of the galaxy, his breath was visible and froze whatever it touched nearby. His eyes glowed wicked light green and his very presence would drive everyone insane. 

NEYDOLYA strokes the leg of SIMARGL as a means to pet him.

NEYDOLYA

Fly my beast! 

SIMARGL howls and flies into the sky.

CUT TO

EXT. EDITH’S HOME

The heroes could only watch in horror as the SIMARGL flies and hovers over the town of Abricot. 

JUSTIN

We have to stop them!

EDITH

HOW?!

JUSTIN

Evacuate the town! Tell the Castle! Alert the military! All of you! I’ll distract the Beast with Enoch! Hurry!

JUSTIN runs toward The Eternity and activates the pilot controls and flies off. NOEMI picks up EDITH and begins to fly with ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE following as they go to the Castle.

CUT TO:

INT. THE BRIDGE.

JUSTIN piloting The Eternity, sees SIMARGL in his sights. 

JUSTIN

Enoch!

ENOCH

Let’s get this bitch!

The Eternity fires every known space weapon known to man. Photon Blasts, Laser Beams, Space Missiles, Turrets, and so on. The blasts and catch the attention of SIMARGL which hurt him from the barrage of fire. Causing him to follow JUSTIN to which they played a game of chase as he tried to keep the beast away from the town.

CUT TO:

INT. THE CASTLE

EDITH, NOEMI, ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE land in front of the Castle. As the guards are running and forming their armies and helping with the evacuation of the townspeople. EDITH with the rest of the group  following go to the throne room to find VIOLET’S parents. King ??? & Queen ??? 

EDITH

King Ade. Queen Hawa.

ADE

Edith! What in Fates name is happening?! 

EDITH

There’s a new Black Beast! It’s found a new form! Now it’s hell bent on trying to destroy the kingdom!

ADE

Violet! Where is Violet?!

Not knowing what to say, she makes up a lie.

EDITH

She’s taken point, she’s by herself. 

HAWA

Alone?!

EDITH

I tried to stop her but you know her… she refuses to stand down. You have to evacuate the town! Defend the Temple!

ADE

I have soldiers already doing so! And the temple why?!

EDITH

It’s what they want to destroy along with everyone else.

EDITH and friends leave not before King ADE stops them.

ADE (cont’d)

What are you going to do?

EDITH

Save the world.

She gave him a slight smile before leaving.

Meanwhile…

JUSTIN leads the battle to a landmark.

JUSTIN

Enoch where are we?!

ENOCH

Moonstone’s Edge! A canyon made out of Rainbow Moonstone!

JUSTIN

Let’s trap this bitch!

With the beast on his tail, he does barrel rolls, pass through tiny gateways and differently formed rocks. Until he sees a cave in the ground, to which he dives in. Soaring through darkness he fires supporting rocks to trap SIMARGL inside escape the beasts clutches.

The Eternity flies out of the other end of the cave looking back for a moment. 

JUSTIN

We did it.

JUSTIN positions the ship to the sky and goes on to return to his friends.

CUT TO

INT. NEYDOLYA’S LAIR 

NEYDOLYA wails in sadness and anger, watching the battle unfold before her eyes. As her army storms Abricot. Her Generals lead the charge. But also feeling the pain of SIMARGL being trapped under the cave in Moonstone’s Edge.

NEYDOLYA 

YOU WILL PAY TRICKSTER!

She vanishes.

CUT TO:

INT. ABRICOT. TOWN CENTER. NIGHT.

Screams… terror… absolute panic. The combination of every little thing that can make a simple person run in terror. The Shadow Cat armies attacked everything in sight from people to buildings literally everything. The Generals simply laugh as the terror goes on. Soldiers of the kingdom fought, some managing to defeat and Shadow Soldier and vice versa. 

Both sides fought to the end. EDITH & NOEMI land in the chaos of panic. Fighting off what little they could handle as they were not adept fighters. Using their magic they fought and blasted and defended themselves from what they could.

EDITH

I am glad that Justin taught us some basic defense and how to do magic blasts.

NOEMI

Yeah… agreed.

The intensity of the Shadow Soldiers increase getting overwhelming. ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE step in with ARGENTO’S advanced necromancy to fend off. And PERIWINKLE’S insanely powerful Caster magic. She creates a whirlwind sending a gigantic circle worth of soldiers away. Suddenly IMPERIUM appears his new form more threatening in armor and a shaped form instead of intangible energy. 

IMPERIUM

My, my… hello children.

His staff with two prongs has an energy ball in the middle as it charges. PERIWINKLE stand first to defends, send him winds and breezes which was strong enough to push him back. But not strong enough to keep him at bay. Wanting to protect everyone, PERIWINKLE roars to give herself strength. Summoning wings made of her magic as she tries to hold off the energy being. 

The Eternity flies into which JUSTIN immediately fires a photon blast. Which catches the attention of the group. He speaks from the speaker system of the ship.

JUSTIN (V.O)

Sorry, I’m late. Had trap an evil dog in a cave.

The Eternity slowly flies over the group, which sends a beam of light over them. Teleporting them onto the bridge. They all sit down in their chairs. 

EDITH

What happened to the Black Beast?

JUSTIN

Trapped it in a cave in Moonstone’s Edge. Town evacuated?

EDITH

They’re working on it. 

JUSTIN

Soldiers? Fighting off the army?

EDITH

Yup. What else do we need to do?

JUSTIN

Their endgame is the Temple. We defend it.

The Eternity flies toward the Castle and Temple. 

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Enoch, take over please. 

ENOCH

Yes, Captain.

JUSTIN

Guys come with me! 

JUSTIN leads them to the Armory. An array of weapons variety from different forms. Swords to blasters, staff and bows and so many more. 

JUSTIN (cont’d)

I had Enoch find weapons and armor in the armory. She managed to find some armor that my brother made. Gear up you guys!

JUSTIN leaves to return to piloting the ship. EDITH & NOEMI scrounge what they could. 

EDITH not taking off her new time travel clothes. She finds and armored shoulder pad places it on her right shoulder. Wields a left gauntlet having a gem in the middle. Squeezing her left hand a shield of light appears. 

NOEMI takes off his long coat, and dons a leather armor covering his chest and shoulders over a sweater. He puts on leather gloves that cover his writs for protection. He finds a cloak with a hood and wears a mask for protection. Finding a quiver with a bunch of arrows and a bow. Old fashioned made of wood. He was ready.

NOEMI stays behind to help ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE to help protect themselves in the battle. EDITH returns to the bridge to tell JUSTIN something.

EDITH

Justin, we need to return to the house. My sword is there.

JUSTIN simply nods and turns the ship around in the direction of EDITH’S home.

CUT TO:

INT. EDITH’S GARDEN. NIGHT

Th Eternity lands near EDITH’S garden, the loading bay door opens. EDITH runs into her garden, running toward a flower. IT wrapped around what appeared to be a cross. It was actually the sword wrapped in her favorite flower. Allowing it to overgrow onto the sword as a forgotten memory.

She reaches her right hand, managing to get through the vines and thorns. Touching the handle she pulls it from the ground it was stabbed in. The sword’s blade was longer than it’s handle. As the handle was thin but quite sturdy. Considering it was made by Gods, I’m well aware that it’s stronger than it looks.

The light reflected off the silver metal of the blade revealing the iridescent shine of an opal. She holds both the blade and handle with open palms and looks at the handle. Seeing the golden design of OWL, CAT & FOX, the word “Savior” etched in the handle. She has a slight smile, then closes her right over the handle covering the word. A leather strapped wrapped from her right shoulder to her left rib, had a holster for her sword, which she then sheathes. 

She walks back to the ship ready for the battle ahead. 

CUT TO:

INT. THE CASTLE COURTYARD. NIGHT

The Battle had cease for a bit, the town’s people of Abricot was safe on Castle grounds. The soldiers of the army ready with their magics. The Eternity lands on castle grounds and the heroes of the story and their allies await. King ADE witnessing the landing of the ship sees EDITH as they all leave the ship.

ADE

Edith… what is that thing?!

EDITH

It’s a spaceship.

ADE

A spaceship?

EDITH

Owned by a hero from another world.

JUSTIN

Your highness. (He gives a small salute)

ADE

What in Fates name is going on?!

JUSTIN

A powerful witch, her generals and army of shadow are hell bent on destroying your Gods. That pretty much sums it up.

The Castle doors shake and thud, soldiers ready themselves. Weapons and magic in all. NOEMI, ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE ready themselves while EDITH & JUSTIN look on, as well as ADE.

PERIWINKLE wore a dress with ruffles skirts. It was the same color as her hair and name. Her wind magic is summoned forming wings. Her eyes glowed and the visible air surrounded her arms.

ARGENTO spread her wings out. Her armor was a coat which allowed her wings to open up. She had leather armor protecting her from shoulder to waist. As well as her arms were guarded. She summons her necromancy magic into her hands. The wicked green light shined ever so brightly in her hands and eyes.

The door breaks open, but there was no rush of an attack. The Shadow Cat soldiers simple walked in with their blades sheathed. The Malevolents walked it next. One by one they fall in line. King ADE looks in horror that his daughter was in that line.

ADE

Violet. (He silently whispers)

EDITH

I’m sorry sir… she sacrificed herself to save me.

ADE looked at her and took the thought in mind. He nods and cracks his fingers by making them into fists. Fire magic blaze his fists and anger was his new face.

ADE

I’m gonna kick their asses.

He walks in front of the Malevolents with his fire fists clenched to the side. NEYDOLYA appears before them.

NEYDOLYA

Hello King Ade.

ADE

Who are you witch?! 

NEYDOLYA

I am Neydolya La Destinée. The co-creator of your world.

ADE

Lies. 

NEYDOLYA

My dear, the creation of this universe is nothing I lie about. Speak whatever you believe, false god, blasphemous, liar. But I am who I am.

She vanishes into thin air. 

JUSTIN, EDITH, NOEMI draw their weapons. ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE hovering behind them have their magic ready. The Malevolents draw their weapons, 

EDITH

Violet!

MISTRAL

Hello Edith. Father.

ADE

What have they done to you?!

MISTRAL

Nothing. They made me realize who I truly am. A Monster.

MISTRAL strikes first rushing at her father and love. Her swords drawing in both hands, she swings the sword. The sword of her left is grabbed by her father, as he melts it away. Meanwhile the shield gauntlet protects EDITH from the strike. Which EDITH proceeds to knock her back, the shield sends a kinetic wave pushing her back toward the other Malevolents. 

She stood up and with anger on her face. 

MISTRAL

ATTACK! (She screams)

The Shadow Cat Army attack and the Royal Army charges as well. The Malevolents follow as well. The heroes strike in the battle and it begins. JUSTIN takes on IMPERIUM as the two aliens have another round. INGRAM sets his sights on the Tri-Men, NOEMI, ARGENTO, & PERIWINKLE. 

His scythe reflected there reflections, they all took it to the skies as wings had been spread and they’re all in the air. The last three malevolents focused on EDITH & ADE. VODNIK with his hammer leaps into the air attacking ADE. MISTRAL & SOLITAIRE set their sights on EDITH.

MISTRAL

Do you like this new creation Edith? She’s modeled after you. Her name is Solitaire. 

SOLITAIRE with her crystal double bladed sword, she splits it in two. EDITH draws the Sword Of Fates and summons the shield. SOLITAIRE strikes first which EDITH blocks with the shield. EDITH uses her the Sword Of Fates and breaks one of the Crystal Swords. MISTRAL steps in and punches her in the gut. 

On her knees and not having the toughness of a real fighter. Momma UMI had returned just in time to help her daughter. Sending a seismic wave toward SOLITAIRE. 

UMI

Hey Sprout.

EDITH

Mom!

UMI looks at SOLITAIRE. 

UMI

This thing looks beautiful. Perfectly looks like you Sprout. Too bad I have to destroy it. 

She thrusts both arms to the side surrounding herself in rock armor. She takes on SOLITAIRE in a battle between stones. Leaving MISTRAL & EDITH to duke it out.

Meanwhile… JUSTIN & IMPERIUM having used weapons to fight grew tired to go on. As IMPERIUM snaps his fingers his ship now repaired flies in. He rises into the air and taunts the Time Trickster for a challenge.

JUSTIN

I can do that too asshole! (He screams)

Running back to the ship, he climbs onto the roof. Over the bridge, he snaps his fingers. The Eternity turns on and rises to the sky and meet with his IMPERIUM’S ship.

IMPERIUM

Impressive. 

JUSTIN jumps down a door which leads him into the Bridge. He in his chair and a Spaceship battle in a magical world is checked off on his bucket list. The two chase one another as the galactic beings have their battle. 

INGRAM with his scythe kept trying to dash at the Tri-Men but they were all too quick. NOEMI & ARGENTO kept their distance, as NOEMI with his bow and ARGENTO with her magic blasts. It was PERIWINKLE who wasn’t afraid and fought at close range.

INGRAM

Impressive child. Perhaps when I kill you your soul will be mine and you will become my minion.

PERIWINKLE

Fuck you!

NOEMI

Peri!

PERIWINKLE

Sorry!

PERIWINKLE summons the clouds nearby, forming this gigantic version of herself made of the whirling element. Strong enough to knock INGRAM back into the ground in one fell swoop. 

The space battle to a mid cut as, IMPERIUM’S ship is hit by PERIWINKLE’S Wind Giant. Following the crashing of his ship, JUSTIN immediately.

CUT TO:

EXT. RANDOM FIELD. NIGHT

JUSTIN lands the ship and sees IMPERIUM crawling out of the cockpit. He stands before the Time Trickster, weak and wounded. Groaning small sounds of pain.

IMPERIUM

Haha… I guess this is how things end.

JUSTIN

Most likely yeah… 

IMPERIUM

Where to next? Intergalactic Prison?

JUSTIN

Yup… but before I do so. (He sits down on the floor to listen) Why did you do it?

IMPERIUM

Why I stole the Quasar Fuel? Well… it’s a long story. Even if you refused to listen to me.

JUSTIN

Your fault for acting with violence.

IMPERIUM

True. You know of my race correct? 

JUSTIN

The Vis, yes. 

IMPERIUM

Well… were you aware of the war?

JUSTIN

Yes.

IMPERIUM

My home was ravaged by another species from a nearby planet. The destruction had left my people in shambles. There was no help and are energy sources that replenished us were gone. No one helped… I went out and tried to find the most powerful energy source to help my world. I was even willing to kill for it.

JUSTIN nodded.

JUSTIN

Then I’ll bring you home.

IMPERIUM turns to the sitting Trickster.

IMPERIUM

What?! Just like that?! After everything I’ve done to help my world. You forgive me for my horrid actions?!

JUSTIN

I have my beliefs and you have yours. Others sometimes sees a criminal. I see a being willing to help his people. Even if it hurts him painfully.

JUSTIN pulls out a crystal from Gaia. IMPERIUM sits as well and JUSTIN throws crystal which then creates the Crystal Containment Unit. 

JUSTIN

I promise I’ll take you home. But you’re going to have to answer for your crimes.

IMPERIUM

I understand.

JUSTIN using his time powers destroys IMPERIUM’S ship. Turning it into dust. He returns to the ship and returns to the bride and sits in his seat. JUSTIN thinks of everything of what’s going on.

JUSTIN

I caused this… (He lifts his right sleeve to find the tattoo) I have to make it right.

He activates the ship and flies back to the Castle. 

Meanwhile… 

EXT. MOONSTONE’S EDGE. NIGHT

NEYDOLYA appears near a cliff’s edge. 

NEYDOLYA

I will heal you my beautiful creation.

She raise both arms and draws in magic.

CUT TO:

INT. CASTLE GROUNDS. NIGHT

INGRAM beaten by the Tri-Men, he was on the ground. The two winged Necromancers and Caster. Land see the beaten Necro Lord.

INGRAM

Beaten by children… what an end.

NOEMI

I have no words to say to you. 

INGRAM

Funny… my children said the same exact words to me. (He looks to Periwinkle) You even look like them.

NOEMI

What?

INGRAM

What was your last name?

NOEMI

Sol. Why?

INGRAM

When my wife died… my children saw the horrible side of me. Wanting her back… I neglected them… abandoned them. My son took care of his sister… and changed their last names to Sol.

NOEMI & PERIWINKLE have no words… the reveal of INGRAM being relative was all too frightening. He reaches his hand out touching NOMEI’S hand and his other touching PERIWINKLE’S face. They didn’t cower nor did they move away.

INGRAM (cont’d)

Forgive me. 

He dies silently, to which NOEMI had felt bad for the evil Necromancer. He couldn’t explain why but for some reasons tears fell. He grabbed onto the scythe and keeps it with him to continue to his part in the battle.

Back too MISTRAL & EDITH she refused to fight back. Still holding the powerful light shield as they unknowingly make their way to the Temple. MISTRAL kept striking the shield to no avail.

MISTRAL

FIGHT ME! (She screams)

She does more sword strikes despite tiredness.

EDITH

I WON’T FIGHT YOU! I LOVE YOU!

MISTRAL

Stop saying that!

She screams and finally breaks through the shield, pinning EDITH down. She begins to choke her.

MISTRAL (cont’d)

Now… you die. No more I love you! No more begging! YOU DIE!

JUSTIN walks in with another figure next to him.

JUSTIN

VIOLET STOP!

MISTRAL looks at JUSTIN and summons a sword of ice. She stands and faces him.

MISTRAL

Do not call me that!

JUSTIN

Please… you have to stop this.

MISTRAL

Never.

JUSTIN turns his head to the unknown figure in the shadows.

JUSTIN

I’m sorry. 

The figure walks up into the light revealing someone MISTRAL recognized in her old form. It was someone who was near and dear to her heart next to EDITH. Someone lost but for this very moment was found. MISTRAL became distraught and scared and worried. She drops the ice sword and cowers backwards in straight fear. 

MISTRAL

No! It can’t be… Clementine?!

CLEMENTINE

Hey Snowflake. 

You could hear the sadness in her voice as she looks at the monstrous form of her sister. Silence takes the room as the two sisters had reunite.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE 12

[sinkingorswimming]

Dazzler/Longshot AU (slightly naughty)

I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY @katsukiyuuristrophyhusband

If the catcalling from Phichit wasn’t enough, Celestino sliding a condom and a packet of lube into Yuuri’s jacket pocket with a wink and a be safe would have made him burn the house down with lasers. 

“I hate everything,” Yuuri grumbles as Victor waves goodbye with his heart-shaped smile overtaking his face. They step out of the front door, and walk from their street to the train. Victor is now at an 80% success rate for using it alone, but Yuuri is still glad they’re together.

They’re two blocks from Calle Ocho when Victor takes Yuuri’s hand, needing a moment to figure out the logistics of four fingers versus five. It’s cute, and Victor is lovely, and Yuuri blushes across his nose while pushing up his glasses. It’s cold enough to snow but it won’t actually happen, but it’s foggy and dark, the steam shooting up from the grates as they wander to their destination.

The decorations are up, lights and ribbons and fancy shopping windows as far as he can see. Chris pulled a string to get them a last minute table for two, and they’re seated immediately, Yuuri taking off his cat-eared beanie and folding it into the coat pocket with the...supplies.

Victor looks at the menu as a server brings them sangria with blueberries and raspberries. He looks a bit lost, and Yuuri belatedly realizes he doesn’t know how to read Spanish.

“Let me help,” he offers. “What do you think you want?”

Victor looks up with bright eyes. “We had...things one time! They were shaped like a question mark and pink! There were---heads Phichit made me try!” He lowers his voice. “I am not sure I liked the heads.”

“They take a bit to get used to,” Yuuri assures him. “So you want shrimp tonight? The mariscada entree or the paella sound like good fits.”

“Paella,” Victor sounds out. “Ah! Yes!” He looks at Yuuri. “It sounds wonderful! Thank you, beautiful!”

Yuuri’s heart flutters. “Mm.” He gets pork shank for himself, and they eat and enjoy each other’s company. It’s mostly Victor asking about Yuuri, though Yuuri notices when he attempts to reciprocate the subject is changed. 

They split a tres leches cake and then they walk to the museum. Yuuri tries to buy tickets but when he shows his NYU ID for the discount (because his mother didn’t raise a fool), he’s waved in without pretense. Just a wink, a smile, and “compliments of Mister Giacometti.”

Yuuri’s expression is unimpressed. Ever the optimist, Victor dances like Snoopy and pulls him inside. They enter the planetiarum and---Chris paid for the whole thing to be theirs, just theirs. He included a bottle of 2009 Cristal, chilled and de-corked, a large assortment of Laduree macarons, a soft rabbit fur blanket, far too many throw pillows to be sane or legal (most of which are silk velvet that Victor keeps petting and beaming at Yuuri about), and rose petals in cream and scarlet.

Yuuri puts two fingers to his temple. There’s a note tied with a scarlet ribbon to the gold bottle, and Yuuri picks it up, noting the handwriting is Chris’s neat script.

I’m just saying, this is long overdue. I’m contributing my part to make sure it’s memorable! Bonne chance, mes amis. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

Without realizing it, Yuuri’s hand lights up and the paper disintigrates into ash.

Victor has begun pouring the champagne. He has a purple macaron between his lips and reaches for a dark pink one once he’s satisfied with the bubbles. 

The show they came for is Dark Universe, Doctor Tyson’s voice fills the room as the lights dim and stars gleam before their eyes. Victor is fascinated, like a child as he takes in all of the information and the sights of gaseous heavenly bodies burning bright in different colors.

Victor watches the stars like he’s having a revelation or a Road to Damascus epiphany, and Yuuri watches Victor with no less passion. He’s so beautiful, so eager to learn. 

(”Beautiful? What is this?” Victor says with a gesture around the walls. The room is nothing but bookshelves full of Ciao Ciao’s collection. He has leather bound classics, pulp novels with broken spines, and everything in between.

“Books, like the ones I use for my school,” Yuuri offers.

Victor reaches towards one, pulling back at the last moment. He’s conflicted but his eyes are bright.

Ciao Ciao wanders in. “Borrow whatever you like, Longshot. I know where to find you,” he teases.

Victor gives him a smile. “Thank you, Celestino.” He takes four to begin---The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Collected Poems of Pablo Neruda.

In two days, Victor returns them for new ones. Then two days after that. And after that.)

The change in the constellations cast a prism of hues over Victor’s light hair and pale skin, and Yuuri wavers because he’s so into it, he doesn’t want to risk making him miss a single detail. 

When Doctor Tyson stops speaking, and the show just rotates around with no audio, Yuuri decides that while their friends are incredibly nosy, they have wonderful gifts of foresight he should not ignore. He pulls Victor by the tie to face him. Victor’s eyes blink at him, wide and different shades of violet in the light.

Yuuri yanks a second time, Victor almost toppling, and their mouths crush together as they end up falling in a heap on the pillows. Yuuri doesn’t come up for air until Victor is a pleading, kiss-debauched trembling mess whose tie is now missing and whose shirt is sparsingly buttoned. He looks dazed and overwhelmed, his eyes somewhere between lust and love. 

Yuuri takes off his glasses and bends back down. He uses Celestino’s gifts after another half an hour (give or take) of leading the charge, getting the both of them lost in his light. 

When they’re done, naked and sweaty, half covered by the fur, Yuuri sits up and has some champagne. He gives Victor a quirked smile. “You okay?”

Victor kind of stares at him. “I...that was a first.”

Yuuri chokes and sprays champagne through his nose. He sets his glass down, feeling his face turn fire engine red, and he makes a weird sound.

“Beautiful,” Victor says softly. “It wasn’t bad if you think that, far from it! It was incredible, truly. I just needed a moment.”

Yuuri doesn’t look up. “Oh god,” he mumbles. His voice is forlorn. He can’t show his face basically anywhere. Why would...oh god.

Victor kisses Yuuri’s spine between his shoulders, he kisses the nape of his neck, and then his jaw by his ear. “It was good, because it was you. There’s no one I’d ever wanted, not like you. Felt it from the moment our eyes met.”

Yuuri raises his eyes and nothing  more. A light comes out of nowhere aimed at the two of them, and Yuuri initially panics thinking they’re getting banned for life due to the less family-oriented activity they just did.

But no, it’s him---the light is Dazzler blue and Longshot pink with some gold and silver, shimmering like a shower of sparkles from over their heads, brought solely on by the fact that Yuuri loves him and Yuuri makes him happy, since he Victor loves him and fills him with joy in blinding measure.

[voxane]

21 - “I wish I didn’t have these feelings, but I do.”

I REALLY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SURPRISING FOR YOU, but I was so stuck so I pulled out an old idea I still need to properly flesh out sometime.

Yuri could feel the way JJ looked at him, laser hot beams that would roll down his back and rest on his ass. He knew it. The first time he felt the shiver in his bones, it was difficult not to react with venom. To open whatever insult he had pre-filed in his mind. The toothy grin he always got back just made his blood boil hotter. Otabek told him not to let Jean-Jacques get to him. He insisted Yuri over reacted, and it falling right into his trap. Once Yuri realized far too late in the game that JJ fought with eyes, Yuri learned to weaponize his body. Come Skate Canada, it was fucking war.

Yuri wished he could’ve seen the dumb slack jawed face JJ had when he DM’d him insisting to stay it his apartment. Yuri used the excuse that it was JJ’s douchey house tour snaps that hooked him - that if he was going to show off a jacuzzi there was no way Yuri was going to spend the money on a hotel. Finally coming around on the King, are you princess??

JJ used way too many emojis for a grown ass man.You fucking wish.

Yuri hoped he had that awful fucking smirk full of teeth. He couldn’t wait to watch him fall. –

Everything was going so well. Isabella was out of town - school or some shit? Yuri didn’t care. JJ was obnoxious as ever dropping princess, sweetness, darling like punctuation. He got out sparkling water because the asshole doesn’t drink the day before a competition (lame), and Yuri excused himself to the bathroom to change. He knew JJ didn’t expect panties in his luggage. He tore through all the girly shit he bought, a culmination of residual knowledge from Mila never shutting up. The satin underwear didn’t look as good as he thought. It was lumpy, and his balls kept on falling out. Yuri frantically tried to shove all of him in there the best he could, until he got too frustrated and gave up settling on ‘good enough’. The stockings and sheer robe were much easier to slid into, ,like he was doing it for years. Lumpy balls aside - Yuri looked fucking food. Pretty in pink just like all that princess crap JJ loved. It was perfect. The best part was the heels he snagged. Not quite his size, but they’d do for now. He tried not to sound like a drunk clydesdale maneuvering himself down the hallway. He used his free hand to gently run along the wall for balance as he fussed with his phone. He needed the right entrance music  to tie the ends of the spiders web he wove into a neat little bow. He’d have JJ trapped, helpless and humiliated by the end. He couldn’t help but grin with all his teeth the moment he hit play and sauntered back into JJ’s living room.

Veux-tu vraiment une réponse?

Je ne sais pas sur quel ton

Je dois te dire que t’es chou

Mais pas mon style de garçon

Et pourtant mince je savais

Que quand tu m’as accostée

Je n’allais pas satisfaire

Ton envie de me baiser

Yuri kept his eyes half lidded, and his strides long. He couldn’t look JJ quite in the eye, but he got little bits and pieces of his expression. He was absolute thunderstruck.Perfect.

Tu es beau

Mais qu’est ce que t’es laid

Ton sourire faux

Se lit sur tes lèvres

Je vois bien

Que tu es mal à l’aise

Tu n’es pas sûr de ta position

Mal assis sur ta chaise

Yuri felt his ankle buckle as he stepped a little too far toward, getting caught on the dumb fuzzy trim of the robe. He almost felt stupid until he felt a warm arm on his side, and a set of concerned eyes covering him like a blanket. Of course JJ would save his princess, Yuri wished he thought of that move. He used JJ’s arm as leverage to crawl onto his lap. He shrugged his robe of his shoulders - all but naked except for the strip of satin barely concealing his half hard cock. “Like what you see, Jeh-Jeh.” Yuri drawled out his voice in those low tones that ladies used in movies, it was a little awkward in his mouth but he was sure it was enough to keep JJ’s attention. “Yuri,” JJ was breathless, and Yuri wiggled himself closer so they were crotch to crotch.He draped his arms over so so much tan neck. All he needed was a kiss to seal the deal. Then he’d kick ‘em to the curb, laugh about it with Beka. Maybe even tell his wife. It’d show him, It’d show him for teasing at him and looking at him, and making Yuri even think of insane stuff like this. He deserved it, all of it.Yuri had his eyes closed, lips pursed, when he felt the waterfall sensations of satin roll over his shoulders. JJ tied it up in the front in a bow.“Yuri. You know I’m fluent in french, right?” Yuri could only give him questionmark eyes, mouth agape and wordless. JJ face was twisted in an uncomfortable cringe. Yuri checked his to see if his heels were digging into him. They weren’t. “I think you should go, Yuri. Get changed. I’ll call the hotel for you.” JJ picked lifted off his lap, right under the armpits like he was scolding a cat, and padded out of the room tapping away on his phone. What the fuck.What the actual fuck.It was his only thought. Repeating ad fucking nauseum, rattling in Yuri’s brain as he barely register that his body managed go through the motions to get some clothes on. He didn’t even both taking the panties off. He collected his backpack full failed plans and JJ literally holding the door for him. Yuri couldn’t bear to look. He kept his head down and counted the tiles as he held his breath.

“I called an uber. Look, Yuri.” JJ tilted up his chin, Yuri hated how he was forced to take his pity. “No hard feelings, yeah?” Yuri swatted his hand away with nothing but a grunt, turning heel with too much momentum that it forced him into a sprint to the chevy waiting for him. The cold night air made him entirely too aware of the pin prick tears in the corner of his eyes. That was the last thing Yuri fucking needed. Why was he so fucking upset? This whole thing was supposed to be about catching him.

That dumb fucking song was playing in the car and Yuri was powerless to keep the tears back. He sniffed far too loud and had bite the inside of his cheek to keep from making any pathetic whines. God. God fucking damnit. It was never about JJ. Yuri honestly felt sick to his stomach realizing why the fuck he did any of this. He really wish he didn’t have these feelings.Je saurais quoi faire de toi

Et c’est ce que je veux au fond

[ramblinganthropologist]

Catibrations

Summary: No matter who’s doing them, calibrations are calibrations. Of course, Commander Alistair Shepard has to learn them the hard way. The things he does to get a view of Garrus’ ass.  Word count: 1507

---

The hunt was on.

A target lay in wait, unsuspecting. The hunter moved into position, silent and deadly. There would be only one shot at this. It all came down to timing and position. They checked their positioning one last time before they slammed the trap shut. And then they sprung.

But the damn red dot moved again.

“Going to have to do better than that, Spectre.” Alistair Shepard chuckled as he aimed the laser pointer at a different spot on the floor. In front of him, a little black kitten with bright yellow eyes meowed as it chased after it, tiny claws outstretched and ready for the kill. “That a girl, you show that dot!”

If he'd had time to reflect, perhaps a Spectre leading Spectre on was a little morbid. However, she was cute, and she wasn't really his kitten anyway. Interesting naming conventions just happened to run in his family line.

The cat's true owner, his young niece, was watching from the couch, giggling as she worked on a school assignment. Technically, he was supposed to be watching her in exchange for staying there during his short leave from the Normandy. However, she pretty much watched herself and someone had to play with the adorable kitten.

It might get lonely.

“Uncle Al, you're going too fast for her. She's only got little legs.” Kelly also had little legs, and little everything else for that matter. Hopefully, she'd stay that way and not outgrow him by the time she hit 16. Kids did that a lot lately. “Slow down and let her get one.”

Alistair chuckled from his spot on the floor, aiming the red dot near his leg. “But she's a Spectre. If she can't get the red dot, nobody can.”

His arrogance would be his undoing, of course. In that brief moment, the mighty hunter managed to get the drop on him. Tiny razor claws went straight through denim and right into his ankle as the kitten pounced straight on the red dot.

If he had to rate it on a scale from 1 to being spaced, it was actually worse than dying.

“Well, she got the red dot.” Kelly winced from the couch. “Need a band-aid, Uncle Al?”

“That be great.” He hissed through his teeth, allowing a nod to Spectre. “Well played. You've earned your name.”

This time, he made sure to aim the red dot far away from anything on his person, completely across the room for that matter. The cat was soon at it again, pouncing and frolicking as she chased after her mortal foe.

Kelly returned a few moments later with a box of neon-colored band-aids. She sat down next to him as he rolled his pants up above his ankle. Spectre's claws had left a perfect four line slash across the skin, and it dripped blood down his foot and into his sock.

Luckily, he wasn't wearing his hamster socks. He would've hated to get blood on those.

“Mom says that's why we don't tease the cat.”

“Your mother is a wise woman and you should listen to her.”

His ankle was soon covered in two neon green bandages crossed over with an equally obnoxious orange one. The pink ones, like the ones that covered his niece's knees, were clearly being saved for a higher purpose. That was fine with him, he liked green and orange.

In the time it took for first aid to wrap up, Spectre had grown bored. She was watching them now, yellow eyes focused on a beam of sunlight close to Alistair's hand. This time, both of them watched as the cat hunkered down, back end wiggling.

Kelly's voice was soft as she leaned in to whisper to her uncle. “I learned in school that cats do that to adjust their aim before they pounce. It's called calibration.”

Her tone was very serious, and no doubt she was repeating the lecture in the same tone her teacher had in class. However, Alistair's mind was in a very different place, far from that living room and above their heads.

He wondered what else wiggled their ass when they calibrated.

Of course, he didn't get long to think on it. Pain jolted through his arm as he broke from his reverie. Spectre was there again, batting at his hand with her little needle claws. It was only his luck and a bit of positioning that she had gone for his right hand.

“Need more bandages, Uncle Al?”

“Yeah... I think I do.” Another point to Spectre. He was beginning to think she was gunning for his job at that rate.

---

“Commander, what the hell happened to you?”

“I got in a fight with another Spectre.”

There was a bright yellow bandage on his cheek, another across his nose, and his right hand was positively fluorescent as Alistair entered the Normandy once more. Joker was trying – and failing – to contain his amusement as he took stock of the battle wounds, and no doubt he would be telling stories after.

“I'd hate to see the other guy if you look like this.”

“I've got pictures on my phone I'll show you later.” His tone was so flat they could've used it as a level. Shaking his head, he headed off towards the elevator behind the galaxy map he spent way too much time staring at.

It was time to test his theory.

Down on the crew deck it was busy as always. Still, the sight of the commander covered in band-aids was enough to shut them up for a few moments. Alistair made a beeline for the main battery, slowing to  an almost crawling pace as he neared the door.

The important thing was not to spook him.

His plan was almost for naught when the door hissed open, but his target never noticed. They had their back to the door, hard and work and utterly oblivious to the world beyond the massive gun. For once, that was in his favor.

Silently, Alistair pulled out his phone and got ready. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he hid near the door, watching for his chance. He was so close, and all he had to do was hope nobody messed this up for him.

Garrus looked especially tense as he stood there, sweating over the calibrations. His entire body was a coiled spring, or whatever Turians were made of. Alistair had long assumed it to be rule books and sticks that were removed from other people's asses, but maybe there was a little something else in there. A little something feline maybe.

The commander forgot to breathe as he watched the Turian twitch. A few more seconds and … bingo. His lower body twitched ever so slightly to the left, and then to the right. It did it a few more times ,and then he went back to being absolutely stock still.

And Alistair had gotten it all on film. As it turned out, his theory was correct: calibrations were calibrations no matter who was doing them.

Of course, his celebration was cut short. The door hissed closed behind him, trapping him in the main battery. The sudden loss of  his exit caused him to lose his balance and he fell with a clang to the floor right by Garrus' feet. It gave him a great view of Turian toes and the object of his hypothesis turned to face him at last.

“Shepard, what are you doing?”

Alistair at least had the grace to give a sheepish smile as he sat up, rubbing the sore bridge of his nose. Not broken, just sore. “Just wanted to say hi after I got back from leave.”

“And you had to do that from the floor.”

“Old human custom.”

He stood at last, dusting himself off. His phone was safely back in his pocket and hopefully none was the wiser. Garrus gave him a critical once over, but instead of questioning why the commander was there, he settled on something else.

“What happened to your face?”

Oh, he was going to be answering that one a lot until he healed up. For some weird reason, people just refused to heal cat scratches with medigel. Something about making him learn his lesson. At least Kelly had sent him back with plenty of bandages.

“Let's just say I came out the worse in a fight with a rogue Spectre.” He moved forward, closer to Garrus. “Anyway, how's calibrations going? You looked pretty focused.”

That always got the Turian off his trail. He was in for a long conversation, but Alistair didn't mind as he leaned back for the long explanation. Honestly, he could watch Garrus talk all damn day long. Plus, now he had some lovely video to cheer his darker hours.

It was totally worth almost breaking his nose to catch the calibrations at work... or should he call them catibrations?

[otabekismybff]

Torn Paper Heart (Otayuri)

Pairings: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Onesided!Yuri Plisetsky/Yuuri Katsuki, Victor Nikiforov/Yuuri Katsuki Rating: G Summary: Otabek and Yuri have been dating for almost three months, but their relationship is progressing slowly. Ever since he lost to Yuuri Katsuki at Worlds, Yuri has been acting more and more depressed. Otabek has no idea why until he notices that Yuri's feelings towards Yuuri Katsuki may be more than just rivals. Prompt: @sageandginger (posted at end of fic)

READ ON AO3

“Why won't you kiss me?” Otabek Altin thinks these words every time he kisses Yuri Plisetsky. In his dorm room at Yakov's training camp. In the locker room at the rink after practice. In Yuri's apartment down the street. In the dimly lit movie theater during one of their rare dates. Otabek kisses Yuri's cheeks, his forehead, his ears, his hands...but never his lips.

Not that he's never tried, but Yuri always turns his head or says it's time to do something else. And Yuri never kisses him back, not even a peck on the cheek. They've been dating for almost three months. Since shortly after Yuri took silver at Worlds.

Otabek still isn't sure why Yuri cried so much after Worlds. He'd lost to Yuuri Katsuki, but it wasn't a surprise to anyone. They'd been neck-and-neck ever since Victor Nikiforov retired, though Yuri had consistently taken gold at the Grand Prix Final and Worlds for the last two years. It was only a matter of time before Yuuri scored higher.

Otabek barged into Yuri's hotel room days later, planning to force him to stop moping, but when he saw Yuri's tear-stained face, all he could do was comfort him. The night had been spent holding Yuri while he cried and whispering reassurances.

The love confession was an accident, though Otabek initially planned to ask him out right after Worlds. Yuri hesitated only a moment before telling him yes.

But they didn't kiss that night. Or any of the days after. Really, there isn't much difference between their friendship and their relationship. It stills feels like they're just friends.

Otabek signed up for Yakov's training camp this summer, thinking that it would be good chance to change things, a chance to get a real kiss from Yuri. But Yuri was so distracted lately. He messed up often in class, and he consistently performed below Yuuri Katsuki. Was he psyching himself out?

Yuri worries easily, so Otabek wonders if he thinks he'll keep losing to Yuuri Katsuki. How can he give up after only one defeat? This isn't the soldier he's loved all this time. He misses the Yuri that takes no compromises, that tries his hardest, that becomes a beautiful monster on the ice.

However, Otabek doesn't want to give up on Yuri. He's determined to get him back on track. Today. He'll talk to Yuri about it today. And if Yuri can't get back on track, Otabek will comfort him again. He'll do whatever he can to cheer up his boyfriend.

Otabek walks into the foyer of the dorm, resolve in his strong steps, but a hand tapping his shoulder stops him. He turns to see a short bald man holding out a letter.

“Otabek Altin?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

“This arrived for you today.” He hands the letter to Otabek, then scurries away.

Otabek sighs inwardly. Not for the first time, he wishes he didn't look so intimidating. He's not even that tall, but his presence is larger than life. At least, that's what he's been told.

He drags his thumb under the seal of the envelope, and pulls out a thick card-stock letter. The words are embossed in gold script.

'Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki request the honor of your presence at their marriage on the thirtieth of July at twelve o'clock at the Renaissance Hotel, St. Petersburg, Russia.'

The letter shakes in Otabek's hands as everything clicks into place. He'd almost forgotten Victor's proposal all those years ago. “We'll get married once he wins gold.” Yuuri finally won gold at a major competition. That's why Yuri was crying so much after his loss at Worlds. He didn't just lose gold. He lost Yuuri.

How long has Yuri been fighting with that goal in mind? How many times has he pushed himself harder than he should have in order to stop this marriage from happening? How does it feel to watch the person you love be coached by someone they love day after day?

And how heartbroken would Yuri feel after receiving this wedding invitation in the mail?

Otabek sprints down the hallway and out the front door. He needs to find Yuri and comfort him. Yuri can't be alone during this time. At just the idea this might happen, he cried for days. What will he do now that it's really happening?

...

At Yuri's apartment, Otabek bangs on the door, but no one answers.

The neighbor pops his head out. “Ah, Otabek, was it? Yuri left maybe ten minutes ago.”

Otabek's stomach drops. “Did he seem upset?”

“Now that you mention it, he did look a bit pale.”

“Where was he heading?” Otabek demands. His usual mask of apathy is shattered. Only worry and determination fill him. He's got to find Yuri...before it's too late.

“He said something about Potseluev Bridge. It's across the Moyka River.”

“I know the place. Thank you.” Otabek sprints down the street, shoving past people walking, barely getting in his apologies. Potseluev Bridge. A popular spot for lovers. Its name literally means “bridge of kisses.” What could Yuri be doing there?

…

Otabek reaches the bridge and panics. Yuri is nowhere to be seen. He runs across the sidewalk anyway, searching, trying his hardest to keep his worst fears from taking over.

Then he sees him. Crouched next to one of the pillars on the opposite side. His hoodie obscures his face, but Otabek would know that long, pale-blond hair anywhere.

He runs across the street, dodging cars, which honk at him as irritated voices shout. He ignores them all, his attention focused like a laser beam.

“Yuri!”

The blond looks up, startled. His eyes are red and puffy, his hair hanging loose and disheveled. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you, idiot.”

Yuri chuckles. “Idiot? That's my line.” But he isn't directing it at Otabek. He lowers his gaze and rests his chin on his knees, no doubt losing himself to memories.

Otabek sits down next to him. The metal bars of the bridge dig into his arm. “I know,” he announces.

“Know what?” Yuri traces his finger along the side of the pillar. He's obviously bored and doesn't care that Otabek ran all this way to find him. In fact, he probably thinks it's stupid.

Otabek reaches over and grasps Yuri's hands. He pulls him in so he's forced to look into his brown eyes. “I know that you have feelings for Yuuri Katsuki.”

Yuri averts his eyes, but he can't hide the blush. “I don't. I'm going out with you, aren't I?”

Otabek studies him closely. If his theory on Yuri's crush wasn't true, Yuri would have gotten angry or laughed, but he's quiet, reserved. And the pain is evident in his hunched-over posture and his inability to meet Otabek's gaze. Really, he's so easy to read.

“Stop lying.”

Panic flashes across Yuri's face, and he shakes his head vigorously. “I'm not lying,” he says, almost like it's a question. It sounds more like he's trying to convince himself.

“Lie to yourself all you want, but don't lie to me. Please.”

Tears trickle down Yuri's face as he stares at Otabek, then crumples into himself. His tears turn into body-shaking sobs. “I'm sorry,” he chokes out. “I can't help it. Believe me. If I could stop these feelings, I would. God, it hurts so much.”

Otabek strokes Yuri's hair, as if he's petting a frightened cat. He says nothing while Yuri explains how he's always been enchanted by Yuuri's skating, especially his step sequence, but he didn't realize his feelings went beyond that until much later. And by that time, Victor had already stolen Yuuri's heart.

“Do you want to break up?” Otabek asks. He doesn't want to, but if it would make Yuri feel better, he can deal with being apart. They can go back to just friends. At least...he thinks they can.

Yuri blinks at Otabek, then punches him in the face.

Otabek clutches his cheek, surprised.

“How can you say that? Just because I still have feelings for Yuuri doesn't mean I don't have feelings for you!” Yuri screams. “God, I'm in love with you. My feelings for Yuuri bring nothing but misery. You make the pain bearable. You bring me happiness.”

“You're in love with me?” Otabek has never heard the word love cross Yuri's lips before, and he's restrained himself from saying it because he didn't think Yuri loved him yet.

“Of course! Isn't it obvious?”

“I don't understand. You've never even kissed me.”

“That's because I've been fighting a war against myself,” Yuri says, his tone sounding more like the hardened soldier. Otabek can't look away from his piercing gaze. A moment passes, then Yuri continues. “If I let myself kiss you, I'll be giving myself over to you completely. I'll forget about Yuuri.”

“Isn't that what you want, though?”

Yuri sighs. “It should be, but feelings aren't that simple. Part of me still wants to hold on to him. So I've been afraid to more forward with you.”

“Victor and Yuuri are getting married.”

“I know.” Yuri pulls out a handful of ripped-up scraps of paper. The wedding invitation.

“It's time to let go of him.” Even though Otabek says the words, he's terrified that Yuri will turn him down. That Yuri will keep holding on to this crush and let the pain of it make him more depressed day by day. He doesn't want to see that, his beautiful Yuri turning into a shadow of a person. “Please.”

“I should do it for you, shouldn't I?”

Otabek shakes his head. “No, you should do it for you. Let yourself be happy.”

Yuri's eyes widen as if he's understanding something for the first time. “Yuuri has been an important part of my life for so long. Because of him, I've become a better skater. He's been my source of inspiration. But he won't always be skating with me. He'll retire soon, and I can't just stop skating when he does.” Yuri closes his fist around the paper scraps. “I need to find a new source of inspiration, a new reason to fight. Otherwise...I'll never win again.”

There he is. The soldier Otabek has missed all this time.

“Yura,” Otabek says, lifting Yuri's chin so he can gaze into his eyes. “You've been my source of inspiration for far longer than Yuuri has been yours. Since we met eight years ago. So, please, let me give you inspiration in return.”

Yuri laughs lightly. “Thank you, Beka.” Then he tosses the ripped-up wedding invitation through the bars of the bridge, and leans in close to kiss Otabek. “Let's inspire each other.”

...

NOTES: Based on the prompt by @sageandginger: "otabek telling yuri he knows about his crush on yuuri? I was thinking that maybe Yuri’s trying to convince himself (and Otabek) that he likes Otabek (and therefore not Yuuri) and Otabek is like, ‘I don’t know what you’re trying to do but I’m not an idiot??” Although if you had a different idea that works fine, that’s why I left it pretty open-ended at first."