#'i am brave strong loyal and i give great hugs'

[rottmnt-brainrot-hours]

Way back, I drew Donnie cosplaying as Entrapta, so here's the sequel:

Raph dressed like Scorpia

[artzychic27]

Incorrect sb+ib with she ra and the princesses of power quotes?

Max: Imperfection is what makes scientific experimentation possible! Imperfection is beautiful!... At least, to me.

—

Alya: Isn’t it obvious? There’s an amok spy somewhere in the school! *Thunder and lightning* And no one is going anywhere until we figure out who it is!

—

Scarlet Beetle: He’s just so cute!

Monarch: I am not cute!

—

Rose: It’s not easy being the friendly and upbeat girl all the time! And I get that it’s hard being friends sometimes. You gotta work at it. So why am I always the only one who’s willing to work at it?

—

Jean: I can’t cry on cue. Whenever a roll calls for tears, the only thing that works is thinking about people falling. They’re tears of laughter, but no one can tell the difference!

—

Ikati Black: Ooh! Are we messing with Scarlet?! *Sits in Scarlet Beetle’s lap and purrs*

Scarlet Beetle: Ikati, do you have to sit right there?

—

Aurore: The Scarlet Akumas are wreaking havoc across Paris! We gotta find a way to survive, and-

Cosette: Leave this to me! *Slams their notebook on the table and opens it to a few illustrations* I've been keeping track of everyone’s weakness. And I've figured out the best tactical strategy to overpower every one of them. Nath’s weakness is obvious.

Aurore: Uh-huh, uh-huh. Real obvious. And, um, ahem, what is it exactly?

Cosette: Everyone knows he twisted his ankle when he was a kid. If you keep him off balance, his injury will act up on him. *Flips to a page of them kicking Nathaniel’s ankle* So if we come across Evillustrator, I'll target it, and subdue him, and take his akuma, and save him, and remind him of it every time he tries to take the last cupcake at lunch! *Shows a drawing of Nathaniel handing her a cupcake*

Simon: Right. But could we circle back to your not-at-all-weird-and-very-detailed theories on our weaknesses?

Ismael: Yeah, not all of us will be as easy as a twisted ankle.

Cosette: Oh, you don't believe me. That's--That's fine. I'll just demonstrate. Simon’s weakness? *Pushes a laptop off of a desk which Simon quickly catches* tech.

Simon: Demon!

Cosette: Mireille- loud noises. Reshma- also loud noise. Aurore can't act to save her life. Also, EXTERME pigtail-envy with Stormy Weather. Ismael- crippling self-doubt mixed with overwhelming hubris.

Ismael: Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's, like, really personal compared to loud noises.

Denise: What about me?

Cosette: An inability to unleash your full strength due to your overwhelming fear of hurting the people you care about.

Denise: Some might say that's actually a positive quality.

Cosette: It's really not. Jean weakness... *Scrolling through a comments section* Terrible reviews of plays he was in.

Jean: NO! *Smacks the phone out of Cosette’s hand* You've spent a lot of time thinking about this, huh?

Cosette: Contingency plans are how you win, and we will win.

Lacey: Okay, we get it. They are easy to take down. You and your files don't have anything on real threats, like me. *Sees Cosette holding a picture of her brothers over a lit match* You monster!

—

Marinette: *After meeting Audrey* Chloé… *Holds her hands* You’re worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too.

—

Monarch: I’m like, the only one who’s not a hero.

—

Denise: I Am Brave, Strong, Loyal, And I Give Great Hugs!

—

Simon: What does it say?

Alix: *Reading her dad’s note* It says, “What did the ancient Greeks say when they burned dinner?” … “It was ruined.”

—

Cosette: So, we all pitched in, took Jean’s ration bars for a week, and made this! *Points to a cake*

Jean: I’m hungry, but celebrating your victory is worth it.

—

*After the Wish was made, it’s now the canon universe*

Lila: *Sits next to Nathaniel* Hi. I’m Lila.

Nathaniel: Oh, hey. Nathaniel.

Lila: … *Stares at him* You know, I don’t know what it is, but I do not like you.

—

Nathaniel: *Pulling Alix along* Come on, let’s get you outside. You need some air.

Alix: No, Nath, I don’t need air- *Suddenly, she and Nathaniel are on the roof of the school* … How… How did we get out here?

Nathaniel: We climbed up, like we always do. Don’t you remember?

Alix: I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s like I’m losing my mind!

Nathaniel: You just need to relax.

Alix: Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. *Looks at Nathaniel, and for a brief second, he turns into Monarch* …

Nathaniel: Of course, I’m right. Everything’s perfect. I mean, unless you count HawkMoth running around, but, that’s why we got Ladybug and Chat Noir.

—

Lila: *Pouring some chloroform into a rag* In fact, Kim, I think I know some nice people who can help if you just-

Kim: *Quickly turns around and Lila hides the rag* Lila! You have to remember something! Tell me you remember! Everyone’s acting like things are perfect, except for you. Oh, and don’t get me started on Nath-

Lila: Nath?… Nathaniel?… *Has a flashback of Monarch striking her with his cane and a pink tambourine cracking*

Kim: … You do remember.

Lila: … N-No, I… *Has a flashback of Monarch snatching Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black’s Miraculous* I mean, I don’t know. And, Nathaniel, he… Did he… Do something? *Looks around, startled* … What’s going on?! I keep forgetting things!… This is all wrong! How did we get here?

—

Marinette: *Having flashbacks of Monarch transforming back into Nathaniel, putting on the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, and smirking* Nathaniel. It was Nathaniel! Nathaniel did this. He… He was dressed as Shadow Moth, he took… *Flashes back to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black unconscious on the ground transforming into Kim and Max* The Miraculous… He made the Wish?!

—

Kim: Oh, wow. This is gonna be a lot to explain. And it’s gonna sound a little weird, but I swear, it’s all true. *Sighs* ��� Reality is collapsing in on itself because of the Wish Nathaniel made back in a different reality. The Nathaniel here had the Butterfly Miraculous in the other world except you guy don’t remember because the Wish altered memories. It was pretty crazy. The Butterfly Miraculous is now in Hawkmoth’s hands, but I promise, it used to be Nathaniel’s, and Marc had the Peacock Miraculous, and I was fighting Nathaniel and Marc when they had the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous, because I had the Ladybug Miraculous and I was fighting them alongside by partner, Ikati Black. I had the same powers as Ladybug, but a cooler suit, but Nathaniel- Monarch, used the Ladybug and Black Miraculous to make the wish, and I need Ladybug and Chat Noir to help re-do the wish and save all reality. *Takes a deep breath and starts panting*

Master Fu: I… Uh…

—

Marinette: *Grabs Austin T’s shoulders* Austin, I know what I’m about to say sounds crazy, but-

Austin T: Is this about the unstable portal caused by Nathaniel’s wish that’s slowly consuming and warping our reality?

Marinette: Now, you’re not gonna believe- What did you just say?

Austin T: Oh, I figured it all out a while ago while you guys were still freaking out about Nath and Marc being villains in another reality.

—

Marcelle: Nino! You aren’t the spy!

Nino: You don’t know that! It all makes sense. Who else could it be? *Thunder and lightning*

—

Cosette: I think I saw Marinette with Nino’s phone.

Nino: Wait, you guys have been here the whole time?

Cosette/Simon/Lacey: Uhh…

Cosette: *Offers a cupcake* Cupcake?

~

Sabrina: I can’t believe you read those two! Dark Mystery: The Mercury Case is my favorite.

Alya: Ugh, that one’s so predictable. I saw that twist coming a mile away.

~

Chloé: *Posing on the table*

Kim: Chloé. You weren’t even there.

~

Adrien: I told you how I took out 100- No, 150 guys, right?

Alya: *Groans*

~

Nino: You have to arrest me for everyone’s safety! Otherwise my evil alter-ego might do it again!

Max: Nino. Knock it off.

~

Chloé: *Posing with a ball and chain*

Kim: Still no! And put that back!

~

Max: *After interviewing Manon and Kiran, Mme. Bustier and Mendeleieve, and Denise and Simon who look a little irked after their date was interrupted* Not them. No. No.

Lacey: Okay, so, I think, like, maybe Scarlet Beetle did it!

Alix: Hey! We already questioned you!

Lacey: Oh yeah, I came back for the cupcakes!

[affablyevilshowdown]

Large Bracket Round 1-21

Scorpion tails >:3

(Tyrian Fanart from @generalxiaolong !)

Tyrian Callows (RWBY): Tyrian, After killing someone's best friend: Looks like our score will have to wait. You know my track record with the authorities!

Scorpia (She Ra): "I am brave, strong, loyal, and give great hugs. And I am going to be the best friend that I CAN BE!"

[ariajoyart]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aria Joy ✨ Illustration (@ariajoy.art)

🦂”I am brave, strong, loyal, and give great hugs!” -Scorpia🦂

.

I have three more characters I’m going to draw in this series! Can any of you guess who will be posted next?🌸👀

[scarletwidowaf]

Yelena Belova x reader “fake dating” to actual!!!!

Plssssss :) 🥲💛

Moral Of The Story

Yelena Belova x female reader, scarlewidow mentioned.

A/N: might be messy, might be cheesy, but I truly don't care because I live for this chaotic due.

warning: stupidity maybe

words: 2000ish- probably more. 

masterlist

You don't know how but somehow training with Yelena always ended up with you being pinned down on the training mat.

"Fuck" you cursed frustrated as she pinned you down for the 3d time in a row. Yelena laughed before she stood up and held out her hand for you to take.

"I let you win!" You said as she pulled you up.

"Sure you did" she joked.

"Seriously. I let you stomp on my dignity because I have a favor to ask!" you said back, a goofy grin playing on your lips as you passed her one of the water bottles.

"Now, that's gonna be interesting" she said as she sat on the floor, her back facing the wall. She gratefully took the bottle from your hand as she waited for you to talk.

"be my girlfriend" you said. The two of you were always comically stupid, so of course that you said that at the same moment she was taking a gulp from her bottle and of course she choked- and of course you laughed.

"I'm Sorry" the blonde glared at you.

"You're not" she responded in between coughing.

After a few moments, she finally stopped coughing and your laugh dyed out as well.

"You're right. I wasn't." You laughed again and she shoved you playfully.

"So, did you seriously just asked me to be your girlfriend?" She asked. Her lips forming her famous-troubled-maker cheeky grin.

"Well.. my fake girlfriend to be exact" you corrected yourself and she laughed again.

"You know you could've started with that, right?"

"And what's the fun in that?"

You smirked at her, knowing full well she found the random question amusing.

"So Why me, anyway..? - Wait, Let me guess.. kate and carol said no and you're scared of Wanda?"

"Okay first I'm not scared of Wanda, I'm scared of your sister.. there's a difference. And Second; my parents in town.. and I kinda told them I have a girlfriend.."

"Oh, now that's classic" Yelena, obviously, found the situation hilarious and you couldn't blame her since you found this dumb conversation amusing as well.

"Does it mean you'll do it?" You asked.

"Yeah why not" she responded you raised an eyebrow at her waiting for the catch. With Yelena, there's always a catch or at least a stupid comment.

"Yeah. I want to meet the poor souls who had to deal with your stupidity on a daily basis for the last 20 years..."

And here it is. You thought.

"I will punch you" you threaten her.

"Kinky" she smirked.

"Whatever stupid. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8" you said as you got up from the spot next to her.

"Wear something nice"

_______________________________

The thing about Yelena is that you can never know what to expect. No matter how much time you spent with her, and it was a lot, she somehow still managed to surprise you.

This time was no different. but in her defense, this time the blame is definitely on you. You saw Yelena wear different kinds of outfits, from gear to fancy dresses, yet for some reason, you just didn't expect the other girl to wear a suit, and damn she looked good.

The gray suit fit her perfectly and her long blonde hair was down. She looked painfully beautiful and you couldn't help but stare- and she couldn't help but notice.

She wasn't doing better, on your defense. The blonde checked you out shamelessly before she sent you a smirk "How lucky I am" she joked and you rolled your eyes.

"Very lucky.. and so am i" Yelena smiled at you and held her hand out for you to take.

The ride was short and 15 minutes later you were standing outside the restaurant.

You could feel Yelena's gaze on you as you bit your lip nervously. "It will be alright" she assured you as she interviewed your hands together. "Thank you" you looked at her gratefully "Don't sweat it" she replayed with a soft smile.

That was the thing about Yelena, people always misguided her for someone she wasn't and it always made you mad. God, Of course, she was strong and fierce and brave and absolutely terrifying at times- but She was so much more than that. She was sweet and loyal and caring, and kinda funny (don't tell her) and absolutely beautiful- inside and out. One of your favorite things about her was her shy and sincere smile, which seemed reserved only for you.

"You ready?" She squeezed your hand. you took a small shaky breath before smiling back at her. "As ready as ill ever be"

The restaurant wasn't busy and it didn't take you long to catch your parents in a corner in the far back of the room. Both smiling wide as you walked towards them. Your mother's smile was contagious and you couldn't help but smile back. God, you missed them.

"We've missed you so much" your father said as he hugged you, your mother doing the same.

"I've missed you too" you confessed before tugging Yelena forwards them.

"I'm assuming that's the girlfriend," Your father said and you nodded. God, You were nervous and Yelena could sense it as she reached for your father's hand.

"Yelena." She introduced herself As they shook hands. Her grip firm and her smile dazzling. "I'm Y/D/N and this is my wife Y/M/N" he introduced himself as well.

"Glad to finally meet you. I heard a lot of great things about you" She said with a confident smile.

Both of you could tell the older man was impressed by the blonde and you couldn't help but smile.

"Were happy to finally meet you as well- although we can't say the same since pumpkin over here hasn't said much about you"

Yelena smirked at you as you blushed deeply. You knew she wouldn't let you forget about the nickname. Like, never. "Yeah, it's actually pretty new. It wasn't really planned neither" she explained.

Your mother, God bless her, wasn't the one to shook hands. The moment Yelena was free from your father's grip she found herself in the woman's warm embrace.

"Okay... I think we should start ordering" you said when Yelena was free again. Her cheeks were a bit flushed. The Russian Assassin wasn't used to be hugged and you couldn't help but smile.

The conversation was light, the wine was good and most importantly, your parents loved Yelena. which was understandable considering the fact she was annoyingly charming.

The Yelena that sat next to you with her hand on your lap was the best version the blonde could pull and you felt stupid for being worried in the first place. Yelena led the conversation with politeness, charm, and grace that you never knew she had in her- and your mom seemed impressed. Impressing your dad was even easier- Yelena didn't even have to try, all she had to do was show her intelligence and add some light humor.

After an hour of light and mostly general conversation, amazing food, many embarrassing stories of you on both sides, and 2 glasses of wine, your mom decided to take the conversation into her hands.

"So Yelena. Tell us about yourself."

Oh boy. Now that might be a problem.

"Well... I joined the avengers a few months ago" she explained "Not long after I met your daughter actually," she said simply.

"That's nice, and before that?" The older woman asked.

"I was a freelance.." Yelena gulped. Her hand squeezes yours

"As?" Your mom asked. You knew she didn't try to push Yelena into this corner, she wasn't this kind of person, but she definitely put the blonde on the spot.

"Well... I was involved with the black market and different criminal organizations. Jobs like getting undercover to dig information or well.. getting rid of powerful men in the criminal world.."

Your parent's eyes went wide. Your dad stared at her with wide eyes and your mom cleared her throat.

"I don't do it anymore" she continued. The blonde seemed as nervous as you felt.

"How did you ended up in this line of work? If I may ask?"

"Mom I don't think-" you started and Yelena smiled at you.

"No, It's fine babe.." she said before moving her attention back to your parents "Sometimes life gets you to places where you have to do bad things to survive."

Your dad's expression was unreadable and your mom seemed worried as she glanced at you.

"Yelena and I met when her sister recruited and pulled her out of this life. Yelena is a good person, despite everything she's been through. That's what I love the most about her." You said.

Yelena smiled softly and your parents exchanged looks.

"I'm a different person now" Yelena promised

"We believe you... but I can't help but worry for my daughter, as you can surely understand. What if the people you've been involved with. Try to get to you through Y\N"

Your father asked calmly. Both were taking it better than you expected and you couldn't blame them for being worried.

"Dad. I know it might come as shocking.. but I'm a big girl and I'm well aware of the risk of being involved with Yelena. I need you to trust me when I say that risks, some worse than the mafia, were a part of my life long before we met."

Yelena bit her lip to hold a smile and you interviewed your hands again.

"You're a doctor" your mom argued "I'm a field doctor. Of the avengers." you corrected her. "which means I'm more of capable of taking care of myself."

Your dad nodded softly to your mom before he smiled at you. "You're are.. Don't you?" He laughed. "Mu little pumpkin.." he sIgh and your mother smiled as well

"I just want you to understand that all we want for you is to be safe and happy. And even a blind man can see Yelena gives you that." He sent Yelena a soft smile. Yelena smiled back at him.

"Take care of my daughter.. she's a keeper" your father said firmly.

"She is. And trust me, I will" she promised.

_______________________________

"Well, that went well" you laughed when you got into the passenger seat. Yelena volunteered to drive which was a relief since you were exhausted.

After the two of you got into your seats the blonde sent you a small smile and took something out of her pocket.

"Is that? A bullet..?" You asked confused as you took the copper cylinder from her hand.

Yelena laughed softly.

"It is. It's the same bullet you stopped me from shooting at Natasha"  she confessed.

"I was in such a bad place back then and I blamed Natasha for it. If it weren't for you things would've been very different now" Yelena whispered

"Yeah, both of you were dead since you would've shot her, and Wanda would've probably hunted you down and kill you" you laughed and Yelena's shoulders relaxed.

"Probably" she said. "But with all seriousness... I was aiming a gun at my own sister and instead of pulling your own gun at me, you decided to shield her with your own body and dare me to shoot you as well. Who does that!?."

"You thought I was insane" you laughed.

"I thought you were stupid, putting your life at risk to save someone fucked up like us! someone like me.." She confessed and it downed on you.

No matter what happened or how many good things Yelena had done in her life, she couldn't let go of who she was trained to be. She still blamed herself for all the terrible things she did back at the red room and she constantly tried to get closure by doing the exact opposite- which was probably the reason she killed all these bad men in the first place. But then Natasha came back for her, and Yelena blamed her for leaving her behind to live with the things they did. She felt betrayed and broken, and Natasha's return only made it worse. Like she was just pitting her broken sister.

"All I know is that the Yelena I stood up to and the Natasha I saved that day were not the villains the red room tried to create." You whispered.

"You truly believed that? Even then?" Yelena was crying softly and you cupped her cheek.

"Especially then! I know you don't see it, but I'm here to remind you, you're a good person. Truly. You have a good heart- and I've seen it"

Yelena's cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes red and puffy and her famous crooked smile was plastered on her lips.

"And that's why you love me?"

She was a mess just like back then- when she was aiming a gun at her own sister as who she thought she was and who she truly is were fighting for dominance.

She was tragically beautiful and scared both then and now, yet somehow at the same time, she was more sure and confident than ever before. And I guess that what life is all about. Sometimes, things start to make sense only when everything else doesn't.

"Wasn't it obvious, stupid?" You said and stroked her cheek carefully as she melted into your touch.

Yelena smiled before kissing your hand softly, without breaking eye contact with you.

"You're the stupid one and you know it. Taking an assassin as your dinner date." She joked and you nodded and looked briefly at her lips.

"Well, stupid or not, I still manage to get a kiss at the end of it." Yelena laughed and got closer to you.

"Yeah you did" she whispered and kissed you.

And that was the thing about Yelena. She was good and kind and loyal. And a damn good kisser.

[imxyfxll]

@soughtbirthright​ Continued from Here:

        ❛            well  ??  what  happened  ??  I want ALL the details! ❜

Scorpia laughed, shaking her head. “It was wild!” She admitted brightly. “I was half convinced they were going to kill me on the spot, but I talked quick and you were right, they are nice people!” She shifted, tucking her legs up beside herself.

“It was all a bit of a blur though.” Scorpia added on, cheeks darkening a little. “And honestly, I really was scared... it would have been better if you were already here, but... well, then I wouldn’t have needed to come so...” Scorpia frowned, before shrugging. “Sorry, confused myself a second there.”

[ninasfireescape]

she-ra and the princesses of power | scorpia, princess of the fright zone

“i am brave, strong, loyal and i give great hugs!”

[thatgenderlessentity]

Patton- I am brave, strong, loyal, and I give great hugs. And I am going to be the best friend I can be!

Source: She-ra

[unmaskedagain]

Rate this (Trust is Hard to Come By)

Its six am here and I just got to work. And am now writing a drabble at my desk. Again tweaked prompt a bit. Oh and I just realized that based on this and my last few “drabble” that are long that some picture books… I don’t know what a drabble. Or least I know it doesn’t apply to what I usually write.

No one would who or what had caused the akuma this time. However, when a thirteen-year-old superfan of Ladybug got Akumatized, everyone knew it.

A loud voice boomed in the ears of all the citizens in Paris, “Beware Paris, I am the Gardener, protector of the Loveliness. Those who have failed our Queen Ladybug will be revealed. A number you shall be given on a scale to 100; the higher the number, the more trust the Queen has in you. Low numbers have failed our Queen, betrayed our queen, betrayed the loveliness, and will be punished!”

“Loveliness,” Adrien asked, already preparing to make a break for it to transform.

           Unaware that Marinette decided to wait for a bit. Some lessons needed to be learned the hard way.  All the kids were at lunch and seemed to be enjoying the day until the alert happened.

           Max pushed his glasses up, “A group of ladybugs is called a ‘loveliness of ladybugs.’. Gardeners love Ladybugs because Ladybugs protect their gardens.”

“Cool!” Kim grinned. “We get to see how much Ladybug digs us.”

           Alya preened, “I’m at least a 90.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m so going to live stream this.”

“I think I’m like an 80, dude,” Nino smirked.

           All the kids gave their guess; most figuring they were at least in the 70s. It was Alya who joked, that Marinette probably had a ten.

           The others agreed; thinking the girl had been such a bully lately, and so mean to Lila.

           Marinette overheard them from where she, Chloe, Kagami and their new friends sat. A smirked spread across her face. This would be good.

           A blindingly flash filled the cafeteria. When it was gone, all the kids had numbers above their heads.

           One by one the excited grins on the students of Bustier’s class faded.

“A two,” Alya paled. “How can I be a two?” A dark ugly red 2 floated above her head. She touched the number and words appeared next to it: Warning: Disloyal. False friend. Bully. Anger control problems. Easily swayed. Bad journalist… etc.

           Nino frowned, “I got a four.” How could he have a four? He was carapace. Ladybug had chosen him herself. Or at least she had. He hadn’t gone Super in over a year. Was that when Ladybug lost her trust in him?

           He touched the number. His warning said: bad friend. Disloyal. Bully. He touched it again before he could read any more.

           Kim had a five. Alix had a three. Mylene had a seven. Rose and Juleka had 10s. Ivan had an eight. Nathanial had an eleven. Max had a six.  All were in the red. All had similar warning signs.

           Adrien had frozen in his seat when he saw his number. A 14. How could he be a 14? Why did Ladybug barely trust him? They were partners, friends, maybe more one day. But how could they be any of that she didn’t trust him.

           He touched his number. His warning sign read: Naïve, Spineless, pushy, Bad friend, and, in bold letter, COWARD.

“We should go,” Max whispered. “People are staring.”

           And sure enough they were. Most of the student body had numbers in the 30s or 40s, it was respectable seeing as they barely dealt with the hero. However, this meant it was easy to find the kids who ranked so much lower.

           Slowly suspicious eyes fell on Bustier’s class. What had they done, most wondered. Whatever, it was they knew it was bad. Somehow the students of Bustier’s class had hurt Ladybug. And as far as the rest of the school was concerned, and those watching from Alya’s livestream, if Ladybug couldn’t trust them, they couldn’t either.

           Marinette watched with cold eyes as her classmates and ex-friends scrambled to rush out of the cafeteria. Still she kept a smile on her face as one by one student came up to thank her for whatever she had done for Ladybug; for being such a good friend to the hero.

           A glowing, bright beautiful emerald green 92 floated above her. It was the highest number anyone had seen so far. Her words attached were less of a warning and more of brag: Loyal, Honest, Good. Trustworthy. Caring. A great friend. Hardworker. Heroic. Brave. Then her warning was: A bit too insecure but working on it.

           Aurore beamed at her friend, livestreaming from her own phone to her new Bugout. She had a neon green 70 above her head. Her words: Honest, Hardworker, loyal, good friend, amazing journalist. “Everyone post a pic of themselves with the number above their heads; it’s blowing up Twitter.”

           Chloe gave everyone smug grins, as she had the second 86 above hers. Her words: Brave, strong, loyal, good. A great hero. A great friend.

Kagami had a 72. Her words: loyal, confident, headstrong, good, good friend.  Marc a 67. Ondine a 66. Claude a 71. They all had similar ones to Kagami.

“You’re in Bustier’s class, right, Marinette?” A girl who had come to thank Marinette had asked. Her question drew attention from everyone. “Are you going to be safe there? With them?”

           Claude frowned, “Maybe you shouldn’t go back there.”

           It took a lot of reassurance to get her friends and even quite a few of the other students who had been in the cafeteria to allow her to go back to her class. Even then, Marinette found Ms. Mendeleiev, who had a solid forest green 71 above her head and had a bit more pep in her step that usual, escorting her and Chloe to class.

           Students in the hall moved out of Marinette way as soon as they saw her coming, a look of awe on their faces. The bluenette couldn’t find the pink blush that crept on to her face.

           They knew they had gotten to Bustier’s class when they saw the red glow emerging from the room

           Alya couldn’t believe it. How couldn’t Ladybug trust her? She was Rena Rouge. Or least she had been. There had been a new Fox running around with Ladybug, lately. Rena hadn’t been seen in over a year. Still, Alya ran the Ladyblog. Alya thought they were friends. But how could that be true with a 2 above her head. And she wasn’t a bully or disloyal.

           The rest of the class had a similar mindset. Even Bustier, who had a three, had a sorrowful look on her face. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong.

           When green glows entered the room, they all noticed. Mouths dropped.

           Ms. Mendeleiev with a 71, they could understand. She was a great teacher, no one could deny it. The beautiful blond Chloe they could sort of understand. She had an 86; maybe she had done more good as Queen Bee than they knew about. Marinette though? Their minds just couldn’t compute.

           How could Marinette have a 92?

           They read the words attached to her and Chloe’s numbers with disbelief.

           Said girl thanked Mendeleiev who had taken to blatantly staring at Bustier with distrust. It occurred to Mendeleiev, that the younger teacher did have an absurdly high number of Akuma transformation from her students. When Mendeleiev and told everyone what she had seen and realized; most of the other faculty would begin to keep a close eye on Bustier and her class. Something just wasn’t right with that lot.

           Marinette and Chloe made their way to the seats in back. The green above their heads looked a halo.

           Alya wanted to scream. “Why does Ladybug trust you?” She asked the girls.

“She’s Queen Bee,” Marinette pointed at Chloe. “A loyal ally of Ladybug.”

           Chloe smirked, “Don’t you remember that it was Marinette who first got you that interview with Ladybug; the reason your blog became as popular as it did?” She asked reporter. “Marinette’s Ladybug’s friend.”

           Any scathing thing the students had been thinking to sneer at the girls died on their lips. Marinette was Ladybug’s friend. They knew Marinette knew the hero but never thought about how close they were.

“Why do think Ladybug stopped giving you interviews?” Chloe leaned back in her seat. A euphoric feeling filling her. “She only started working with you in the first place because she knew you were Marinette’s bestie. Once that changed, well… Ladybug just didn’t want to work with you anymore. Something about Journalistic Professionalism. How is your website doing by the way? I haven’t checked in a while. I normally use Aurore’s Bugout blog. Ladybug endorses it, you know?”

           Marinette could have kissed the blond. The devastation on Alya’s face was finally karma for all the nasty texts she had sent to Marinette before she change her number.

           Nino pulled his girlfriend into a hug.

“She read those texts you sent me by the way.” Marinette sent them a cold smirk as horrified looks overcame their faces. “Every last one. She was so disappointed.”

“You showed her?” Rose whispered. “How could you show her?”

“Why not?” Marinette shrugged. Rose hadn’t sent as many mean texts as the others in class and weren’t all that mean; just accusatory and claiming that she refused to be friends with a Bully. “I trust her. She trusts me. I even sent her videos of what a day in our class has been like lately. Ladybug got to see and hear everything personally. She has so many concerns about the goings on in this. She’ll be going to the school board with the videos.”

           Bustier paled. She knew the students had gotten a bit out of hand but surely they weren’t that bad. They were just kids after all. (The teacher would get her answer a week later, along with a pink slip.)

           Alya sobbed as she remembered everything she sent Marinette. How could she know Ladybug would read them? No wonder Alya got a 2. Ladybug probably hated her. “I only sent that because you were being such a bully.”

“Yeah,” Alix hissed. “It’s not fair. You were being such a freak about Lila!” There were nods.

           And as the old saying goes, speak of the devil, and the devil…

           Lila had taken her sweet time getting to school that day. She had lied to her mother that it was closed for the morning because an Akuma. And it was just her luck that one would appear. She had stayed in bed all day, earphones blasting music in her ear, wondering just how she’ll amazing her classmates that day. It felt great to be adored.

           When Lila got up to leave for school, she looked in the mirror and saw a dark, blood red glowing Negative 51 above her head. She shrugged and left her apartment. Earphones still in her ears. A happy smile on her face.

           She didn’t notice the shocked and disgusted looks on people’s faces as she passed them. Or why a mother picked up her a child and ran in the other direction. Lila didn’t see the brave man who reached out, with shaky hands, and touched her number as she passed by. Nor she see the People taking pictures of her and her warning signs. The photos went viral almost instantly, everyone wanted to know just who was the girl with the only negative number in all of Paris… As far they knew.

           When Gabriel Agreste saw Lila’s image on the web, he ordered Nathalie to sever all connections to the teen girl and release a statement making it clear the company had no idea just what Lila Rossi had been capable of. Afterwards, Gabriel wondered what Lila had done to earn such a dramatically low number.

           Gabriel himself was at a respectable and average 30. While Nathalie was at solid 34. Decent not too green numbers. Though as Hawkmoth, they were both an Ugly negative -2. He knew he was a Supervillian; Ladybug regarded him as a bad guy. But she seemed to regard Lila Rossi as pure evil.

           …Maybe Hawkmoth should sever his connection to the Italian girl as well.

           Lila arrived at school, just at the end of lunch, students had just started to leave the cafeteria for lunch. She didn’t notice that students stopped in their tracks to stare at her. Or the teachers with horrifying and calculating looks on their faces. She didn’t seem Damocles’ pale and rush off to call her mother.

           She didn’t notice anything. Lila just smiled pleasantly; having decided to go with a Prince Ali story that day. Maybe that he asked her to marry him. She’d be the envy of all the girls in class.

           However, when Lila got to the class she did notice the shocked looks she got from her classmates. But not the cold smirk on Marinette’s face.

“What?” Lila asked looking around. “Did something happened? Oh, no is the Akuma still around? How awful!”  She said fighting the smile off her face. Hopefully Ladybug was getting her ass kicked, she thought.

           Alya dropped her phone. Negative? How could Lila be negative? How could she have such a low negative number at that?

           Everyone in class read the giant warning label attached to Lila Rossi’s number: Liar, backstabber, nasty, bully, untrustworthy, manipulative, rotten, villain, horrible person; the list went on and on. However, it was that shook them to their cores: Evil. Not bad. Not awful. Evil.

           Alya collapsed against her boyfriend, “No. No. I didn’t know. I swear.”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Nino comforted her. “None of us knew.” There were nods from the other students.

           Marinette and Chloe looked at them with narrowed eyes because: What the hell.

“Except I told you she was a liar,” Marinette glared at them. “You didn’t listen. You turned against me… for her.”

“You turned against Marinette,” Chloe said slowly. “The girl who did everything for you. And for what? A few glittery stories and false promises?”

           Adrien closed his eyes. Was this why Ladybug distrusted him? Because he didn’t side with Marinette like he knew he should’ve. Plagg had warned him he was wrong. But he just didn’t want to risk losing all his friends like Marinette seemed to be losing hers.

Marinette looked at Rose, “Now I want you think again about every text you all sent me because of Lila Rossi.” Once again the students turned pale. They had been so mean, so harsh, so unbelievable cruel to the girl that had been so dear to their hearts. “Now I want you to remember again that Ladybug saw them.”

           Rose was the first to break out in tears. “I’m-I’m sorry!” She sobbed and struggled to find her words. She had disowned one of her closest friends for a villain. “I’m so sorry!”

           Other students were in the same boat she was. The fiery Alix was had been contemplating going on another tirade against Marinette when Lila walked in, felt her anger be snuffed out a like a campfire in a thunderstorm. The pink haired girl remembered helping lead the charge in showing Marinette what it was like to be bullied; tripping her, ripping of her homework, shoving her. What she done? Kim had been crushing on Lila hard felt crushed. Marinette had been since friend since pre-k, and he just… left her.

           Lila looked honestly confused. She had missed something, and it was big. “What’s going on?”

           Nino glared at the girl; his eyes red, tear streaks his face. “Those numbers tell the world how much Ladybug trusts you. Or how much she doesn’t,” He said darkly, thinking about his own number and his actions against the girl he once called his best friend. “And why.”

“The lower the number,” Adrien added. “The less she trust you.”

           Chloe leaned forward in her seat and sent vicious smirk to the Italian girl, “And guess who has the only negative number in Paris.” She teased. “Besides Hawkmoth, but at least he was smart enough to hide. You’re trending by the way.”

“No!” Lila said, looking around desperately, but all she saw was cold stares. “No!” She pulled out her phone, and sure enough the name Lila Rossi was trending. Her picture with the giant negative number above her head seem to be everywhere. “This can’t be happening! How can this be happening!”

           Marinette stood up, “Because you’re a bad person. You’re mean and you’re cruel. And worst yet, you dragged everyone down with you.” She said. Her voice was righteous or angry. It was like she was stating a fact from a history book. Marinette looked over every single one of her ex-friends, “Ladybug will never trust you again.”

           The bell rang.

“Time for class,” Chloe sang. “Maybe you guys will finally learn something.”

[absolutelynochillonlydeath]

Garden Wraith

3. On the Subject of Change...

The learning curve for his new normal was…interesting to say the least. He spent close to a week in the Unknown with Beatrice and her family, though mostly in the forest so as not to freak out her parents. It was there that he learned that his more…otherworldly features came out when he was upset, which then served to upset him more and it took a few minutes for Beatrice to calm him down again. Out of curiosity and a little bit of fear, they felt beneath the curls of his dark brown hair to see if there were any signs of the antlers the Beast had, and to Wirt’s horror and mortification, he felt little nubs growing from the sides of his head. Beatrice simply snorted and compared him to a newborn faun. The subject then came up of the lantern. Both looked at it in contempt since it was a source of so much of their fears.

“So, do you really think that your soul is in there?” Beatrice asked quietly as she looked at the flickering light behind the glass. Wirt looked at the flame nervously before nodding. Since he had gotten there, he felt eerily attached to the lantern in his hands, and if that was any indication, then the whispering he occasionally heard from the trees definitely settled the matter.

“Yeah. It is.” He said softly and Beatrice nodded somberly. Both knew what that meant. The most horrific thing about his nature was now he would have to depend on the oil of Edelwood trees to survive and their source wasn’t the most pleasant of things. Wirt’s skin crawled at the very notion of what he may have to do to survive and the girl patted his back sympathetically. For now, they pushed the thought into the back of their minds. They would find whatever Edelwoods left over from the previous Beast and use Beatrice’s mill to process it like the Woodsman had. For now, though, they focused on other aspects of his powers which still included his odd animal attracting ability that Beatrice laughed at when he mentioned his affinity to birds in particular. That power, though, served to comfort him in that with the old Beast, whenever he was there, it seemed that the area itself was devoid of life. Beatrice only smiled and teased that his poet soul was drawing them there, but both were relieved. If nothing else, it served as a reminder that while Wirt may have the Beast’s powers, they were not the same. Something else that Wirt found out was that he could cloak himself in pure shadow with only his eyes to provide light, much like his predecessor. It freaked them both out but was highly useful when it came to hiding and also teleporting to different points of the Unknown. It was almost something straight out of a horror film and explained as to how the Beast could seemingly appear out of nowhere. Suffice to say, discoveries were made and in between blinking in the Unknown and waking up to the morning light filtering in through his bedroom window, it was difficult to keep track of which reality he was in when he awoke.

A transition period was the best way he could describe this part of his life. It was a bit stressful and jarring and confusing as he switched between realities and realized that time was inconsequential in the Unknown. They lived in perpetual stillness since they were already dead, so the passing of seasons were only important for the holidays and crop gathering. Due to the growing confusion, Wirt started keeping a notebook with him to track the days and give him reminders as to what was going on. To his surprise, it seemed like if he slept with an object in hand and had the desire to bring the object with him, they would also show up with him in the Unknown. The same was true in reverse. It was startling, but useful and made his life easier when waking up again. Sadly, the transition not only affected him mentally and emotionally, it also attracted plenty of attention from his family. He was already under scrutiny for how different he now treated Greg. It was a welcome change, but Wirt swore that his mom sprinkled holy water on him one morning during breakfast. They weren’t really religious, it was more of a habit from his Irish grandparents and great grandparents than anything else, but it was the principle of the matter. Either way, his stepfather snickered and Greg asked if it was alright if he could splash water on Wirt too.

Speaking of Greg, the boy immediately caught on to his elder brother’s weird behavior. It was almost impossible for Wirt to keep anything from the child, especially since he knew that the younger boy only wanted to help and keep him safe, but Wirt didn’t want to scare him. Wirt now knew from experience and a general curiosity that he could manifest his more supernatural traits into reality and it sent him into a small panic attack in the bathroom that made him realize that his eyes were glowing brightly and his anxiety was what was making it manifest. After riding it out and calming down, his eyes dulled back to their normal grey and left him paranoid as to when it would happen again. He didn’t know when his eyes would flare at school or around Greg and that made him avoid his family for a while until he had another talk with Beatrice. The girl simply rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head.

“Oww! What was that for?!” he complained, rubbing his head and she continued to glare at him.

“You doofus. You need to tell him or you’ll only make him more worried.” She huffed and he looked down and shook his head.

“I-If it tell him, he’ll only be more scared. I promised him that the Beast wouldn’t come back and now…that’s…it’s…what I am.” He said quietly, hands clenched and trembling at his hides. His mind flashed back to their moment in the hospital. The small boy had expressed his hidden fear so well. Until that moment, Wirt hadn’t known that Greg had realized the true danger he was in. The boy had such a positive outlook on their time in the Unknown and looked jovial through most of it, even when facing down the Beast. Wirt thought that the seven-year-old just didn’t understand what was going on, but Greg was much smarter than his brother gave him credit for. That moment told Wirt everything. Greg was strong and silly and brave because that was how he could process what was happening. He took enjoyment where he could because everything else was terrifying. He may not have had the full understanding of how the Beast was tricking him or how exactly to escape, but he knew that something bad was happening and that the Unknown wasn’t where they were supposed to be. Still, throughout all that, he never lost hope. Not like Wirt did. Greg had explained to him in the early hours of the morning when he snuck into the teenager’s bed after a nightmare what had happened in the time he went missing. The Queen of Clouds, his chance to escape, his wish for Wirt, and the ultimate deal with the Beast in an attempt at release. Wirt shuddered and hugged the boy tightly through whispered apologies and sobs. That wonderful, kind child had been willing to throw away every chance he had to let his older brother go free and Wirt had never felt lower. He promised again to himself that night that he wouldn’t allow his little brother to feel such terror ever again.

Beatrice stifled a sigh at her friend’s drama, but she understood where he was coming from. Her siblings, as much as they annoyed her, she would defend with her life and she knew that Wirt was the same with Greg. Still, she highly doubted that the boy would reject his brother over this and she opened her mouth to say as much.

“Wirt, if nothing else along your little adventure, I’d like to think that I got to know your brother pretty well. Does he seem like the type to be afraid of his dorky older brother? He’s much braver than you and as soon as he figures out that you’re the same lame guy, he’ll be fine.” She said gruffly, placing her hands on his shoulders. Wirt trembled under her hands and shook his head again.

“But what if he doesn’t? He was so scared, Beatrice! I-I-I don’t think I could handle it if he looked at me like he looked at the Beast…” he whispered sadly, his eyes now flickering with pearlescent colors. He could feel the black hazing over the edges of his vision as his breathing got more ragged and for a moment, he felt himself between asleep and awake, his awareness torn between his in the Unknown body and his body in the living world from the stress he felt.

“Oh, no you don’t! You’re not waking up till we’ve finished this conversation!” Beatrice called out, now crushing the shorter teen in a bear hug that knocked the breath out of him. In retrospect, that really should not have worked, but it did and when his vision cleared and air was properly flowing through his lungs, all he saw were the red curls of Beatrice’s hair.

“S-s-sorry…” he mumbled and clung tightly to her desperately as if she was his center of gravity and without her, he could be left to drift out into the vast sky or sink into the cold ground.

“Don’t apologize for that. I get that you’re worried, even if I think it’s over nothing.” She murmured back, her grip not loosening, but she was now rubbing soothing circles over his spine.

“It’s not nothing. Its Greg.” Wirt protested and Beatrice shook her head.

“You’re underestimating him. The kid’s got an unhealthy hero worship of you and I really doubt that a little thing like accidentally getting a freaky wooden death spirit’s powers is gonna deter him. He’s way more persistent than that.” he huffed, chuckling over her thoughts. In the time she got to know the two boys, she had tried her best not to get attached to them, but she had and thought of the boy as one of her own little brothers. He was charming in his odd childlike logic, was loyal to a fault, and his positivity was endearing. Even when she betrayed him, she knew he would forgive her and it made her guilty to think of afterwards. The boy was strong and resilient and there was no way he would be afraid. Not of Wirt. Never of Wirt.

“Just trust me and tell him. I guarantee he won’t be afraid. And if he is and things don’t go well, I’ll help you run away or something, okay?” she asked and Wirt blinked in surprise, pulling away from her embrace.

“Wait, what?” he asked, startled, but the iridescent colors were gone now.

“I mean, it would be kind of pathetic to run away from a seven-year-old, but I wouldn’t put it past you. Don’t think you’d make it very far either, but hey, you’re a stubborn jerk who beat a monster, so who knows? Still, running away from a kid is pretty lame. And that kid is also Greg, so I think he’d find you pretty easy too.” She continued on as Wirt started to sputter in indignation. There we go. Rile him up. If the gentle approach wasn’t breaking through to him, she would appeal to his stubborn streak. That and she was out of sentimental words for the week. She swore this kid was making her soft.

“Wh-what? No I wouldn’t! I would just, y’know, never talk to him again. Like, ever.” He stammered and Beatrice rolled her eyes, hand on her hips.

“You really think that’s gonna work with Greg? The human chatterbox and friend machine? Yeah, that’s definitely not gonna work.” She scoffed and Wirt sighed, nodding in agreement and kicking at the snow at his feet. She was right. Scared or not, repulsed or not, there was no stopping Gregory Cowan from opening his mouth and commenting about whatever was on his mind. The only times that Wirt had ever heard the boy silent was when he was either eating or sleeping and even then he still had a propensity to open his mouth and let sound come out.

“You’re right, you’re right… I just…I’m trying to be a good big brother to make up for the terrible one I’ve been for half of my life and all of his life. I just don’t want to scare him and never get the chance to make it up to him…” he said softly and Beatrice nodded.

“And you will. Just tell him the truth. He won’t leave you.” He said firmly and Wirt took a deep breath, feeling himself being firmly settled into the Unknown again, the edges of his vision clearing and he nodded.

“You’re right. I’ll…tell him…. He deserves to know.” He relented and Beatrice nodded in agreement, patting his shoulder.

“Of course I’m right. My ideas are always right.” She said and Wirt rolled his eyes.

“Adelaide was a good idea?” he asked and the girl’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“Ok, but that was once!” she argued and Wirt’s skepticism shot through the metaphorical roof along with his eyebrow.

“Getting turned into a bird, stealing from Endicott, sneaking onto the frog ferry…” he trailed on and the elder girl growled and slapped a hand over his smirking mouth.

“Hush. We don’t talk about those! And don’t chance the subject! We’re talking about you and Greg.” She said sternly, though the blush remained on her face and was now going to the tips of her ears. The mention of the subject at hand was sobering though and the smile soon faded from the boy’s face.

“I need to tell him.” he said quietly, resigned to his fate. Around them, the Unknown swayed with a phantom breeze, the snow blanketing whatever noise there might have been.

*

Wirt felt nauseous and he jittered in place on his bed. He had woken up that day with full determination to tell Greg about him, but that resolve was shaken as soon as he saw the boy at the table for breakfast. He had since shut himself up in his room, pacing nervously and trying not to imagine how much his eyes were glowing. He wanted to tell him. He needed to tell him. but the doubt still lingered in the back of his mind. Luckily, or unluckily for his nerves, his indecisiveness was no match for the curiosity and worry of a seven-year-old. The light knocking on the door was the only warning the teen got before the child burst into his room with all the enthusiasm and eagerness of a puppy.

“Wirt! Wirt! This is urgent business! Jason Funderburker is in need of your affection cuz it’s been so long!” the boy yelled, holding the frog up and waving him in his elder brother’s face.

“Wait-Greg-what?” Wirt stuttered and Greg climbed up on the bed, seating himself next to the other with a look of exasperation on his youthful face.

“We want to spend time in you! You’ve been in here so long, I thought you’d have grown a long white beard! Like Santa! Or a really old guy!” the boy exclaimed and Wirt rolled his eyes, chuckling.

“I haven’t been in here that long. I can’t grow a beard that fast!” he disputed and Greg looked at him skeptically, poking an inquisitive finger at his chin. Wirt pushed his hand away but the boy was persistent, continuing to poke him till Wirt was now actively trying to wrestle him to the bed in order to poke his chin. It sent both of them into a fit of giggles and they heard Jason Funderburker croak along with them. Finally they stopped to catch their breaths, the remnants of laughter leaving them.

“So, can you tell me why you’re not happy now?” Greg suddenly asked and Wirt froze in place but tried his best to force his body to relax and sound nonchalant.

“Wha-what do you mean? I, uh, I’m fine. It’s just the whole snow on the ground thing is all!” he squeaked, failing at looking casual. Greg didn’t look convinced and sat on his chest.

“Are you mad at me again?” he asked quietly and Wirt shot up immediately, practically bowling the boy off him before he snatched him close to hug him.

“What?! Of course not!” he shouted and Greg hugged him back tightly.

“So why are you sad?” the boy asked and Wirt took a breath, steeling what nerves he had and looking the boy dead in the eye.

“I-I’m not sad. Just a little, um…scared? I guess? But it’s nothing to do with you! You didn’t do anything wrong.” Wirt said frantically, the words tumbling out in a rush. Greg, for his part, simply looked confused.

“Greg, I promised I’d protect you no matter what. I don’t want to scare you, but I-I-I think you need to know…”he said quietly and Greg’s eyes seemed to light up in understanding.

“Oh. Is it about how you have the same pretty eyes the Beast had?” he asked innocently end Wirt nodded before freezing.

“Exact-wait, what? You know about that?” Wirt gasped and Greg snorted with laughter.

“Yupp! I saw your eyes when I woke you up a while ago, but you didn’t know yet. I’m glad you do now. Why do you have them? Do I have them? Are my eyes beautiful too?” the boy asked curiously, mind now wandering off in his own world and hugging his frog in contemplation. Wirt felt whatever tension and anxiety he had wash out of him, leaving him limp and almost collapsing back onto his bed. For lack of a better word, he was stunned. Greg knew? He had known for a long time and hadn’t said anything just to make Wirt comfortable.

He really did have the best brother, though he didn’t appreciate the anxiety that came from all of this.

“Why didn’t you tell me before? Weren’t you scared?” Wirt asked in a breathless rush, hugging his brother tightly. Greg looked up at him and shrugged, though he had a serious look on his face.

“I didn’t want to scare you. You were already not sleeping, so I didn’t want to make it worse.” the boy said simply and Wirt could only blink in shock.

“You…you weren’t scared? Of, y’know, what I am? Of my eyes?” the teen asked softly and Greg’s eyebrows scrunched a little in confusion and contemplation.

“Why would I be? I think you were more scared than I was.” Greg said innocently and once again, Wirt hugged the younger boy close, giving him a comforting squeeze.

“Thank you…” he whispered and Greg hugged back tightly, enjoying the affection and patting his brother’s back.

“No need to thank me, brother o’ mine!” he said cheerfully, but there was also relief running through his tiny body. He knew that the Beast was gone, the faint memories of his semi-conscious state echoing with the dying screams of the monster as its soul was snuffed out reminding him every time he dared remember it, but he wouldn’t deny that the glowing eyes of his brother had worried him. Now he knew that he shouldn’t have worried. Beast or not, weird tree powers or not, this was still his older, worried brother and nothing would change that.

“So does that mean you can be a tree now? Can you turn other people into trees? You really shouldn’t do that cuz it’s not nice.” Greg asked, continuing on with his musings as Wirt could only listen and laugh, the relief leaving him lose and willing to muse with him about his newfound powers.

*

The next two years until the next big change in the brothers’ lives was a series of highs and lows filled with making better friends, two different comings out and the parties that came afterwards, meeting witches, learning magic, and turning said friends into a makeshift witch coven. Turning fifteen was stressful in many ways and Wirt felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown from the secrets he was carrying and finally gave in when his friends finally confronted him. Luckily, both of his “coming out” gatherings went well. Sara and the rest of their friends took to him being a weird death tree being rather quickly, asking him questions and sympathizing about his and Greg’s trip to the Unknown. Telling them was also incredibly helpful in keeping his secret while in school since his anxiety tended to make his eyes flicker iridescent. Compared to that particularly nerve wracking reveal, Wirt’s sexuality seemed like nothing. By that, he meant that he still almost passed out from nerves and was only calmed down when his friends and Greg all surrounded him in a group hug.

Both brothers grew closer through all of that, learning Wirt’s new powers together with the younger boy delighting in each ability he showed. Their practice was done at the cemetery with the now dubbed “witch’s circle” among the graves of people they knew in the Unknown, the eyes of the dead watching Wirt’s progress with approval as he changed into something more, better, than the Beast his predecessor was. But that was a story for another time. In his sixteenth year, Wirt would start a new journey and it started with a few casual words spoken by his mother in the early morning over a bowl of cereal.

“Jonathan and I will be going on a honeymoon soon.” His mother announced and Wirt could only stare at her back in a sleepy haze, wondering if he heard right. “Ohhh! What’s what? Are you gonna dip the moon in honey? Is that why it goes yellow sometimes?” A now nine-year-old Greg asked excitedly from next to the elder boy, syrup from his pancakes sticking to his cheeks.

“No, Greg. It’s what married people do after they get married to, uh, spend time together.” Wirt answered quickly, refraining from telling most of the truth and hoping his explanation didn’t come out as awkward as he thought it was. Luckily, his brother seemed to gloss over that fact.

“Oh. But haven’t you been married for a while? Why now? And when? Can we go too?” the boy continued with his slew of questions. Their mother chuckled and ruffled his hair.

“Well, he and I have been planning it for a while but haven’t really found a good time to do it since the marriage and Greg’s birth was so close together.” She explained and turned back to the stove. “And no, honey. Like Wirt said, it’s for married people only. And we’ll be doing it over the summer!” She announced cheerfully, though Greg pouted in displeasure at not being able to go anywhere.

“Oh, well, um, good for you guys, I guess? So, does that mean that we’ll be, um, alone for a while in the summer?” Wirt asked and felt nervous when his mother sighed and turned to him, taking on the same nervous look he usually had. “Well, see, that’s what I wanted to talk to you both about.” She said hesitantly and that immediately knocked all tiredness from his body and he sat up straighter.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, at first we were planning on making it a small trip for a week, but then we got so excited at the thought and since you two were getting along so much better recently, we figured that it would be fine to leave you two longer than that.” She rambled, smiling sheepishly as she explained in a rush. “Not without a guardian, of course! Jonathan has an uncle up in Oregon that we are sending you to and it might be an adventure for you boys too! Along with it being a good opportunity to get to know more family!” she finished and now both boys were stunned, though Greg recovered quicker, his trademark enthusiasm taking hold.

“Ohh! Really?! That’s amazing! We get to go up to Oregon for the summer? We get to meet another uncle! Maybe he’ll be an uncle like Uncle Endicott, Wirt! Do you think he has a big mansion too? Can I bring Jason Funberburker with us?” Greg burbled out excitedly.

“Wait, wait, wait. What? An uncle? Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, not that it’s a bad thing to meet relatives, or that you aren’t entitled to having some time for yourselves, because that’s good in theory, but we haven’t even met the man. I can take care of Greg here while you’re gone, so you don’t need to send us all the way to Oregon!” Wirt rambled right back to his mother, his anxieties flooding his thoughts. What if the man didn’t like him? What if he didn’t like Greg? Wirt didn’t think that would happen since everyone liked Greg, but it was still a fear. What if he didn’t like them bringing a frog with them? And what about his friends and his lack of summer plans he wanted to make with them? And what about the poetry he would have to hide from him? And his abilities! How would he manage to hide that when they were as blaringly obvious? He hid his face in his hands to cover his eyes as the stress seemed to work through his chest.

“Oh, sweetie! It’ll be alright!” his mother quickly rushed over and hugged him and he sank into her embrace gratefully, feeling the comfort beat back his fear.

“I know you aren’t comfortable with new places, but Oregon is a beautiful place! It has plenty of forests that you boys are fond of and would definitely appeal to your poetic soul, honey! And from what Jonathan has told me, his uncle is a little eccentric, but very nice, so there’s no need to worry!” she said reassuringly and pet his hair. Wirt felt himself relaxing with the attention and huffed a little when Greg joined in on the comfort.

“It’s just…are you sure we can’t just stay here? I’m sixteen. I can take care of Greg by myself. Don’t you trust me?” He said quietly as he looked up at his mother and she sighed and shook her head, dropping a kiss to his forehead.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Wirt. I know you’re a responsible young man, but I can’t just leave you alone for the whole summer unsupervised. Neither Jonathan or I have any relatives here and we’d both feel better if there was someone to look after you both.” She said softly, petting his hair. Wirt sighed and felt the trembling from her hand. He inherited his nervous nature from someone and it as only now that he was calming down that he realized his mother was just as freaked out about this as he was. Feeling his panic ebb, his shoulders slumped and he nodded slowly, looking down. He couldn’t deny her this. Not when she was so excited and he knew that if he really pushed this she would stay with them instead of going on her trip with his step-dad so they wouldn’t be left alone.

“…so it’s an uncle of Jonathan’s?” he asked quietly as he looked up again and he could feel her mother relax at his acceptance.

“Yupp! So, he would technically be your and Greg’s great uncle!” she said brightly, giving his shoulder squeeze and sending a grateful smile his way. He smiled back slightly in acknowledgement and returned to his now soggy cereal. “Really? So how is he a great uncle? Is that just the next step from a good uncle?” Greg asked curiously and made Wirt roll his eyes before patting his head.

“That’s not what mom means, Greg.” He explained and Greg looked at him skeptically.

“Are you sure? Just normal uncles are pretty good, so I can only expect that the uncles of our parents are great since they’re older.” He explained in the only way that an elementary school child could. With that, breakfast was concluded and more details of the plan were divulged and come the end of August, their bags were packed and it was a plane and a bus to their new destination. It was certainly an adventure to get their all on its own with Wirt keeping track of their traveling schedules, trying his best to keep a hyperactive Greg entertained until he finally crashed from the jetlag, checking a frog through the airport and bus terminals, and subsequently keeping his brother away from said frog while on the plane. On the bus, Wirt held his brother close while he slept, holding his frog like a stuffed animal, and looked at the ever-changing terrain through the window. The trees multiplied as time went on, growing thicker and thicker as they got closer, and he let his mind wander to something more poetic. The trees were different that those of the Unknown, but they seemed to give off a similar feeling of mystery, like they contained secrets that they dare not divulge for fear of retribution. Or perhaps they kept the secrets from those that were unworthy of learning them? Either way, he could feel this soul in the lantern flutter in excitement at the prospect of exploring this new forest and finding new inspiration. His mother was right, it truly was a beautiful place.

“Mmmm….Wirt?” came the sleepy voice beside him and Wirt turned to see his brother eyes flutter open and a yawn escape his lips.

“Right here, Greg.” He assured the younger boy and Greg relaxed from his slight tension.

“Are we there yet?” he asked and Wirt shook his head.

“No. Not yet. But I think we’re almost there. Look at how many trees there are.” He said and Greg brightened immediately, climbing over his brother’s lap to get a better look outside.

“Wow! There’re more trees here than back home! It’s like the Unknown! But the trees are different!” he said excitedly. In the recent years he had become fixated on learning the different types of trees and Wirt didn’t doubt that he could name every single tree in this forest.

“Oh yeah? Well, we’ll go exploring for a bit after we settle in, okay?” he assured Greg and the younger boy smiled brightly, squeezing his frog to him.

“You hear that, Jason Funderburker? We get to go on forest adventures with Wirt again!” he said excitedly and practically vibrated in place from excitement as soon as they saw the big sign passing them by, announcing their destination. Wirt huffed a laugh and gathered their things as the bus slowed, rumbling to a stop at what seemed like just the side of the road where a single car was parked.

“Oh. I guess that must be him. U-unless there’s someone else waiting for someone else here. I mean, that would probably make sense since we’re not the only ones on the bus that are probably headed here but maybe it is and-“

“Wirt, look! It’s our Uncle!” Greg cut his older brother off gleefully and dashed down the aisle to exit the bus.

“Wait, Greg!” Wirt yelled, scooping up their backpacks before dashing after the excitable child. The other riders looked at him in sympathy and let him pass which Wirt felt grateful for and he stumbled out of the bus as Greg waved excitedly with his frog.

“Hi, Uncle! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Greg and this is Wirt and this is Jason Funderburker! We’re here for the summer!” Greg announced happily to the two figures leaving the car.

“Greg! Don’t just go running off!” Wirt scolded before straightening himself out and settling his eyes on the thinner of the two older men. He recognized him vaguely from the picture Jonathan showed them before they left, though he was definitely more aged than the picture and there was something in his eyes that Wirt was a bit wary about.

“Hello, Sir. Thank you for having us here.” Wirt said politely and the other elder man scoffed a little. The boy’s Uncle gave a pleasant chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.

“Aww shucks, there’s no need fer any “sir” nonsense! The name’s McGucket. Fiddleford McGucket or just Uncle Fiddleford to you. Welcome to Gravity Falls, kids!”

*

AO3 handle: AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath

[youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal]

i have a question

AO3

...

Scorpia had a plan. Well, a semblance of a plan. A plan she’d discussed with Frosta. Little did she know, Perfuma had a plan of her own, too.

...

A few years had passed since the end of the war. Thus far, these years were a time of rebuilding for the residents of Etheria - and learning to live with magic again. Scorpia spent this time rebuilding the Fright Zone into something new, beautiful, and bright.

Or, as Perfuma would say, a kingdom that reflected Scorpia’s radiant personality.

(As so often happened when Scorpia thought of Perfuma, she blushed. Although Scorpia knew the love of true friends now, she still wasn’t used to people being as complimentary and caring as herself.)

The years had also been a time of healing - both physically and mentally. Scorpia made it through relatively unscathed; any physical scars were healed and only left a reminder of the war.

But the mental scars were much harder to work past.

It was time for Scorpia’s first official ball as ruler. She was extremely nervous, as evidenced by the unintentional clacking of her claws. She also couldn’t seem to get control of her tail - it kept trying to knock bottles off of her vanity. The only ball she’d ever been to was Frosta’s Princess Prom, and everybody knew how well that had gone.

But, as Perfuma continuously reminded her, she was not her actions from when she was with the Horde. She hadn’t known any better then - now, all those people she’d helped to hurt that night… they were her family and friends. Frosta was like a daughter (or younger sister? She’d never had a family, she wasn’t really sure how to categorize family members) to her, Glimmer was one of her most trusted friends, she knew Mermista would always be brutally honest with her, Adora would always do everything she could to help her, Bow was always there with his steadfast support, and Perfuma… was, well, Perfuma.

Scorpia wasn’t quite sure how to categorize Perfuma.

They’d used “partners” and “girlfriends” at first when introducing their relationship to others, but neither felt quite right to Scorpia. Perfuma was far more than Scorpia’s words could ever convey. And that’s why she hoped that in mere hours, at her first ball as ruler of the yet-to-be-renamed-Fright-Zone (the renaming would happen soon - but Scorpia wanted the whole kingdom to vote on the name, so it hadn’t happened quite yet), she would offer Perfuma a symbol of her love and devotion - the newly recovered royal circlet from the original Scorpion kingdom.

Horror Hall hadn’t been looked through after Scorpia’s family entered into the “alliance” with the Horde. Hordak never thought it was worth going back to once he destroyed everything that would’ve made people question him. The subjects of the kingdom were “taken in” by the Horde and forced into a new way of life. Scorpia’s family hadn’t been able to return to their ancestral home since Scorpia’s grandfather was still alive.

But, maybe that was a good thing. While Horror Hall may have been abandoned and neglected, most of her family’s items made it through relatively unscathed since nobody but her knew the location of the palace for so long. Nobody had been able to find it, let alone been able to loot it. One of these items was her new circlet. Found tucked away in the corner of one of the many bedrooms, Scorpia wasn’t sure who in her family it belonged to. While she barely remembers her mothers outside of the one picture she has of them, she liked to imagine one of them wearing it as Princess at special events.

All the palace (and the circlet) needed was some rehabilitation before they were usable. Horror Hall now served as the main… well, everything for Scorpia’s budding kingdom. Government headquarters, housing, ballroom, anything anybody needed. Scorpia was willing to take her people into her home (which was still such a weird thing for her to think. Scorpia never really felt like she had a home before.) while everybody got back on their feet.

The circlet had been dirty, dingy, and a little bent, but after Mermista got some of Etheria’s finest jewelry makers on the job, it was good as new. With gems whose shapes reminded her of miniature versions of the Black Garnet and whose colors matched her exoskeleton almost perfectly, Scorpia loved it as soon as she’d seen it - even before it was fixed up.

And she’d known when she picked it up out of those cobwebs that she’d give it to Perfuma when they got married - or, rather, when she asked Perfuma to marry her.

Scorpia knew that trading items was a tad premature - typically, it didn’t happen until the wedding itself. But… Scorpia and Perfuma had never really been a traditional couple up until that point, so what did it really matter? All that mattered was that they loved and cared for each other.

“SCORPIA!” shouted a now-teenaged Frosta, slamming Scorpia’s bedroom door into the wall.

“Careful!” Scorpia yelped, blocking the blow with her tail before rushing to check the door and the wall. “You know they just finished construction! Can’t have you destroying it all before everybody gets to see it.”

“I didn’t see you caring about destroying my palace at my first ball,” Frosta quipped, rolling her eyes.

“Touche,” Scorpia laughed. Frosta was the only one who could make jokes about it to Scorpia - she knew it was Frosta’s way of forgiving. “What’s up, little buddy?”

Frosta bounced onto her toes. “Noooothing… just wondering if you needed a bouncer for the ball? Or if you wanted me to create more ice sculptures? Maybe I could change the ones I made to include Perfuma. Maybe that’s how you can pro -”

“Shhh!” Scorpia raised a pincer to Frosta’s mouth. “Nobody else can know!”

Cue Frosta rolling her eyes.

“Thank you for offering, but there will already be security at the party.”

Cue Frosta’s puppy dog eyes.

“Okay, fine, you can’t be a bouncer, but you know you’re vital to my -” Scorpia lowered her voice “- proposal plan.”

“I am?”

“Of course! It’s up to you to make sure that we’re both in position at the right time.”

Frosta puffed out her chest. “Of course it is! I won’t let you down, Scorpia!”

Before she bounded out of the door, she turned back. “By the way, you look beautiful. There’s no way she could turn you down.”

Scorpia looked down, ran a claw through the tip of her braid, and blushed. “Thanks.”

She looked into the mirror as Frosta closed the door and took a deep breath.

“Princess Scorpia, reporting for duty. Looking sharp, check. Breathe in the day, check. Push down doubts and insecurities, check. I am brave, strong, loyal, and give great hugs. And I am going to go be the best ruler I can be.”

...

Ah! My first fanfic in years, and my first posted on AO3! Huge thank you to the incredible @authenticcadence18 for brainstorming, beta reading, and being one of the best people in my life. Here's to Scorfuma becoming your ship-in-law!

[goose-juice]

After his eyes closed (1/?)

Arthur’s eyes closed and his world ended. He could feel it in every nerve of his body. His chest was cold and tight and he couldn’t suck in a single breath. He was left fumbling with Arthurs limp body, the cold armor brushing against his skin and the weight of him against his chest never felt heavier. Full sobs were wracking his body and as the minutes grew longer he held on tighter to Arthur. He couldn’t let him slip away. 

He couldn’t.

He’s spent what felt like his whole life with this idiot. This brave, loyal, strong idiot. He couldn’t be gone. 

He slammed his hand down on the earth below him. He couldn’t see straight through all the tears and he couldn't think and he couldn’t breathe and everything was too much. He needed to throw something. He needed to punch someone. He needed to run into the lake and swim till his body couldn’t function and he sunk like a rock. He slammed his hand down onto the dirt again. 

He wanted things to go back. He just needed another chance. Arthur needed another chance. He hugged Arthur even closer to his chest. He would give everything for him to reach his arms up and pry Merlin off of him. Why couldn’t he have that. 

He slammed his hand down again with his eyes closed tight. He needed to fix this. He had to fix this. 

He slammed his hand down again and again and then he felt someone tug on Arthur. Honest to god tug on him. He would not let anyone take him away. How dare they. He would fix this. He held on tight with both his arms and then he heard the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his goddamn life. A coughing fit. His arms slacked and he blinked through the water in his eyes. 

“Arthur?” 

“Mer-,” Arthur paused to cough again, his voice audibly scratchy, “Merlin?”

 Merlin, who had finally cleared his eyes enough to see, looked at his friend's face. The man who he was positive just died in his arms. He saw it happen. He knew that he saw his face slacken. Heard his breathing stop. Felt his skin slowly grow icy and his body grow heavy.

But here he is looking up at him with open confusion. 

All Merlin could do was stare at his friends' suddenly healthy and lively face and be dumbfounded. His skin was flushed a healthy pink rather than tinted with blue. He brought his hand down and lifted up the layers of chainmail and fabric on Arthurs chest to reveal the bloody bandages, but the skin was smooth and slowly rising up and down in time with Arthur’s breathing. Merlin's hand traced the skin where the wound should be and he could feel his friend’s eyes boring into his skull. 

He rested his hand on Arthurs chest and looked him dead in the eye. 

“You’re alive.”

The returning smile was blinding. 

“How’d you do it?”

“I, um, I don’t think I did?” Merlin answered honestly, he automatically moved his hand to scratch the back of his head, but paused when he realized that would mean he would stop holding Arthur. He was not ready to do that yet. Or ever. 

“Merlin,” Arthur said, his voice much harder and expectant, drawing out the r in a very familiar way that made Merlin’s chest loosen a bit more. 

“No really, I didn’t do anything! You just- you just died and then you were very much not dead. Are very much not dead. I’ve just been sitting here!” 

Arthur rolled his eyes, “Useful as ever then.” The king still held tight in his arms, brought his hand up and nudged Merlin’s fingers to the side to feel what should be an openly bleeding wound. “How’d you explain this then? I thought you couldn’t heal a wound that was made by a dragon sword. That’s why we were going to the lake.”

“Forged in a dragon’s breath,” Merlin corrected. “I can’t. No one can, even this trip was a shot in the dark.”

Arthur flopped his head back onto Merlin’s chest and made a noise of exasperation. Then there was a moment of silence where Merlin finally took a full breath, he hadn’t been able to breathe properly for days. No, weeks. He thought he might just pass out from the weight lifted off of him. Arthur was alive, everything would be okay. 

“Morgana is dead,” he said in a soft voice, almost quiet enough for the wind to carry it away. 

“Yeah. She is,” Arthur responded in the same tone, Arthur cleared his throat and picked himself off of Merlin. Merlin moved to help him stand, but instead found a hand reaching down to help him up. He stared at the outstretched hand then at Arthur’s face, framed with the warm light of the slowly rising sun before he took him in a firm grasp and pulled himself off the ground. 

“You’re really okay then? You feel fine? No dizziness? Tired at all?” 

Arthur took a moment to look down at himself, apparently just as surprised as Merlin. “I feel fine. Actually no, I feel great.” Merlin could only stare in wonder as Arthur started to stretch himself, arching his back, rolling his neck and shoulders until he paused. Arthur rolled his right shoulder again, slowly and deliberately.

“Arthur?”

“My shoulder, it feels great.” He dropped his hand down and felt along the side of his thigh. “And my leg.” 

Arthur reached to start undoing his armor and Merlin stepped forward to help him, automatically brushing his king’s hands aside, and Arthur easily let him. Once he slipped off the chainmail, Arthur pulled off his red tunic and traced his fingers over where there should be a shiny white line. A silly mistake years ago, the sword sunk about an inch into the meat of his shoulder before another knight kicked the bandit away. Took months to heal properly and he can still feel it stretch with every swing. 

“Merlin. What did you do?” He searched his arms and torso and found none of the scars of a battle worn king. The only mark was a small sliver of white on his forearm. You couldn’t even see it if you weren’t looking. It was when he and Morgana were little and Arthur had helped her learn the beginnings of swordsmanship. They did it in the dead of night so Uther wouldn’t find out. Morgana had accidentally swiped him with a dagger and he cried all the way to Gaius’ chambers. 

“Arthur. I swear I didn’t do whatever this is.” Merlin grabbed onto Arthur’s arms and looked him in the eye. His face was resolute, he had something to say, but hesitant on the same time, like he was terrified of the response. When he spoke, his voice was steady. “Arthur. I am sick of lying to you. I hate it. You are my best friend, and I- we’ve been given this second chance. I don’t deserve it, but I need you to hear this. I need you to know that I will never lie to you again. I’d sooner die. I swear.”

Arthur looked at him. Searched his eyes. Agravaine told him he would never lie to him, said he was his most trusted. His father lied to him everyday of his life about Morgana and his mother, not even in death did his father tell him the truth. Mordred swore an oath to him, pledged his allegiance to Camelot and to him, and then he stabbed him through the chest. Morgana was his sister, they grew up together, he taught her how to ride a horse and how to swing a sword and he let her destroy him. So, when he looked into Merlin’s eyes, the man who had lied to him from the day they first met. The man who deceived him countless times. Merlin, who could probably kill him in seconds flat if he wanted. The man who he had rode into battle with, who he trusted with his life. The man who he ate with and rode horses with everyday for years, who tripped over his own feet when he had to carry more than two things. The man who would give everything for him and proven it time and time again.

He looked into this man’s eyes and he said, “Okay.”

[juminsmysticmc]

Can I request the RFA suddenly meet old friends who were very close to them (maybe in their childhood, highschool,..), our boys said she's a good person but they're trying to separate the relationship between MC and the RFA (the RFA didn't notice this).MC told them about this and the RFA did not believe her, then they got into a fight, mc got hurt accidentally, plz.I love the angst, but can u make a happy ending?If it’s too much u don’t have to do it. I love ur blog btw, hope u have a great day!

Trigger Warning 

RFA meeting an old friend of MC who acts nice but want to actually separate their relationship but only trusting Mc after she got hurt in an accident 

Ohh hey! This is a really good request! It also would have been an amazing FanFic! Well, I hope you enjoy this Headcanon! Please feel free to tell me your opinion! And by the way, I also love angst with a happy end! Thank you for your kind words!

PS. the headline says trigger warnings because I am unsure if this could trigger you guys so please read with caution. 

You watched the group chat as the RFA was discussing whether to accept your friend as an RFA member. Everyone loved her; the woman who once was your best friend. The person who knew you the best. But she was also the person who hurt you the most. The lies she said, the actions with bad intentions… Everything came to you as more and more flashbacks. Ever since that happened back in University, you tried your best to cut contact. However, your love for her was bigger, and instead of cutting off the toxic friendship, she managed to make you become the loneliest person on the campus, destroying your faith and innocent heart for other people. You swore to yourself that you would never ever trust other people. Not until you met the RFA and your partner. They made you feel strong, positive about relationships, and managed to show you support whenever you needed it. But right now, that bad time was coming back. As if nothing changed, history repeated and people began to love her more than you. At least it seemed like that in your head. You decided to approach the person you thought would always support you. At least, you thought so.

Jumin

,,Jumin,“ you spoke up.

Your husband looked up from his phone as a smile decorated his face.

,,You never told me that you had such good friends,“ he spoke up first.

,,Well, actually, she isn’t a good friend to me. You know, maybe you guys shouldn’t hang out with her so much… she did some kind of hurtful things to me and-” you stopped as you saw Jumin’s face.

Why was he looking at you with that face?

As if you did something wrong, as if you were the bad person, just why?

,,You were the one who taught me to trust people!“ Jumin defended the woman who hurt you so deeply.

You tried to explain to him what happened.

,,She lied to me and to my friend! Because of her, I thought that my friend deceived me and vice versa!“ you told him.

How could he not trust you?

,,Maybe that was because you didn’t try to clear the misunderstanding,“ he told you, making you feel as if someone stabbed you in your back.

You rushed outside. You didn’t care about Jumin behind you, calling your name, and asking you to stop.

A fearful cry from him caused you to make a fatal mistake, looking back at him and not noticing the racing car which was approaching you.

The hit hurt so much. Your body crushed against the car and back on the hard floor, making you lose consciousness…

,,Mc! You‘re awake?!“ someone called your name.

You couldn’t really see the one who stood in front of you, but you knew perfectly well that this voice belonged to Jumin.

Even though you were still unable to move your limbs, you could feel Jumin kissing your hand.

,,I am sorry, that I… we didn’t trust you…“ he spoke up, making you notice that the RFA was there too.

,,Your friend won’t enter the RFA. Instead, we tried our best to make her go away forever,“‘ Seven laughed and began to explain how he found messages on her phone to get rid of you.

Zen

But you were kind of wrong.

Zen wasn‘t on your side at all. Instead,  he was on her‘s.

Once again, he was on the phone with her, laughing at something she told him.

At that point, you cursed the day you met her with Zen at the entertainment company.

With a fake smile, she hugged you and whined that you didn’t contact her anymore.

However, you knew that she hurt you a lot.

And Zen apparently came to like her a lot.

So much so that she was already visiting the whole RFA as if you were the newcomer.

,,You don’t understand how much she destroyed!“ you whined.

,,TRUE! I DON‘T! You're just jealous, Mc!“ he told you.

Lies, you thought.

Lies.

Like always. Lies.

You took your back and rushed out, not looking back at Zen or evening caring about telling him something.  

And then, without anyone noticing, you got into an accident.

While the paramedics were trying to save you, Zen was busy tidying up the room since your friend would come over.

Of course, the guilty was eating him from the inside, but right now he couldn’t change it.

And before Zen could keep on tidying up, the long-haired found something he shouldn’t read.

You diary.

The diary which page for page was about her, the one who caused your first panic attack, who made you think for two years that she was seriously sick, the one who played you against your friends.

And at that point he knew he screwed up.

Afterward, everything went over quickly.

Zen got called by the police, who told him that as you walked, you got hit by a stone that fell from a balcony and you were currently hospitalized.

At the same time, the girl who he thought was your friend passed by.

Zen couldn’t do differently and bashed her, telling her to literally fuck off before he would hit a girl for the first time.

,,I'm sorry,“ he sobbed late at night, your eyes still closed.

,,If you won’t wake up, I will fall asleep with you… so you’re free to choose yourself, whatever it will be. This time I will stay loyal to you,“

,,Dummy… of course I would choose life,“ you mumbled.

Yoosung

,,You’re my husband… why can’t you be loyal to me…?“ you begged him.

He just watched you as you shed tears in front of him, unable to give you an answer.

,,I just want you to trust me. Why do other people always come first? Am I not enough?

If the world was ending, wouldn’t I be enough? Do you need other people so bad?“ you sobbed.

,,Mc, I don’t understand your problem. We met your friend after such a long time and now you want us all to break contact? She’s so nice!“ Yoosung tried to explain, trying to touch you.

However, you flinched and stepped away.

,,Don’t touch me. If you don’t trust me, don’t touch me. I won’t forgive you for not trusting me… You’re unfair… Everyone is unfair… Why can’t you guys care about me? Why can’t you care about me the same way I care about you? Why is it always me who has to endure pain alone? Why?!“ you asked him and before he could stop you, you already ran off with the car key.

,,Mc is already missing for about three hours and isn’t answering her phone!“ Yoosung whined into the phone.

,,Don’t worry. And besides, it’s okay if she doesn’t come back.

Mc’s always been like this, as soon as something gets difficult she would go hiding. Don’t worry about her,“ your old friend said.

Yoosung gasped at the words your friend told him.

This wasn’t the way a friend should behave.

Without saying anything, Yoosung cut the call and instead called Seven, who immediately searched you.

,,Oh, oh… Oh my god,“ he gasped.

,,What?? Why? Seven??“ Yoosung cried.

,,Calm down, little man! I am going to pick you up, okay? Don’t freak out…“ Seven said and already cut the call to pick him up.

When the two of them arrived at the hospital, the other RFA members were already waiting in the parking lot.

Finally Seven spilled the tea, saying that he saw in the CCTV and that you were in an accident.

,,Two days already passed, Mc...the bad girl wasn’t accepted into the RFA so when you wake up, don’t worry. No one will replace you… and whatever she did back then, she won’t succeed another time… because we will stay by your side,“ Yoosung whispered before he fell asleep next to you.

,,Thank you…“

Jaehee

Tears kept flowing.

The thick drops were even louder than your breathing as you replayed what just happened.

You approached Jaehee to beg her to stay away from your toxic friend.

And then the argument.

You and her, who normally would work together, fought this time.

You even forgot what triggered you.

You just remembered how you got outside; alone in the dark.

The street lamp was the only thing illuminating the next five steps in front of you.

Suddenly, you shrieked as a dark figure approached you.

Fear was written all over your face and you were sure that the person in front of you could see that.

,,Who… are you?“ you whispered, trying your best to sound brave, but failing.

Instead, a sob left your mouth, making the stranger smirk.

The street echoed as you screamed as loudly as you could while the stranger stabbed you.

All he wanted was money.

You would have given it to him if he had just asked.

,,MC!“ you heard Jaehee and saw then her face.

And then darkness surrounded you.

,,She was always so stupid. That‘s why no one liked her back then in school.

It’s just better if you turn off the machines,“ you heard the one you once called your friend say.

You tried your best to open your eyes or say something, anything so that they wouldn’t kill you.

Anything, but nothing worked.

,,Please go. I don’t think that the RFA needs another member,“ you heard Jaehee say.

,,Don’t worry,“ she whispered and stroked your head.

,,I just realized everything and I will protect you,“ she kissed you, making you fall asleep in comfort.

Saeyoung

,,I thought since you’re a hacker you could see all her wrongdoings! But apparently, you’re blind!“ you hissed at him as you tried to beg him not to let her into the RFA.

However, you were already too late and realized that this ,,friend“ of yours already had all the data about the RFA.

Jumin said that maybe if you would give half the load of work to her so you wouldn’t work that much.

It would make it lighter for you.

In other words, you weren’t doing good enough.

They didn’t trust you with the work you were doing.

It hurt you.

It was a deep stab.

But you could keep going if your fiancé supported you.

Instead, he even did what the other person wanted.

No one trusted you.

You couldn’t trust anyone anymore either.

,,Someone leaked information about the RFA!“ the chat was in a fuss.

You knew who it was since you stopped working ever since she came into the RFA.

,,Mc was it! I can log in and see her email! Here‘s a screenshot.

Mc, how could you?

Why did you make the same mistake as back then in school?“ she typed in the chat.

You had to read the line four times until you realized that she was blaming you.

,,I’m disappointed,“ Saeyoung wrote.

That’s when you went you logged out and closed the app.

So she finally attacked you again, huh?

You were already waiting for it.

,,Mc!“ Saeran asked you and barged into the room.

,,You don’t trust me either, huh?“ you asked him, getting up and packing your stuff.

,,No, wait!“ your fiancé‘s brother tried to call you, to grab you.

However, it ended with you slapping his hand away, losing balance, and crashing down the stairs.

,,Did you push her?“ Saeyoung asked his brother.

,,ME?! WHY? I like her! And perhaps I do more than you! It’s your fault! If you would have trusted her, she wouldn’t have felt like that! If you would have supported her better… her friend faked the email. She was the one who leaked out the information,“ Saeran hissed, got up and left the hospital room, leaving an unconscious you behind him.

The next week, Saeyoung worked on finding out whether his brother was right or not and quickly kicked out the woman everyone thought was your friend.

,,From now on, I will trust you and listen to you. So open your eyes that you can scold me, okay?“ Saeyoung whispered and smiled as he saw your finger twitching.

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

16.06.2020// 22:37 MEST

[azure-firecracker]

Scorpia for the character asks!

Words cannot describe how much I love her!

Why I Like Them:

I relate to her a lot! She’s an extrovert and a cinnamon roll and loves people and I love seeing characters who I can relate to because I feel for them even more! Also she’s hilarious!

Why I Don’t:

Sometimes she does something stupid and I’ll feel called out because I’m like “oh wait I would totally do that...”

Favorite Episode:

Perils of Peekablue!

Favorite Season:

Probably 2! That’s when the viewer really becomes fond of her!

Favorite Line:

“I am brave, strong, loyal, and give great hugs. And I am going to be the best friend that I CAN BE!”

Favorite Outfit:

Princess Prom/Perils of Peekablue outfit!

OTP:

Scorfuma!

Brotp:

Tie between her and Entrapta and healthy Scorpia/Catra friendship!

Head Canon:

After the show, she’s always the one to host sleepovers and game nights and karaoke parties. Every single time.

Unpopular Opinion:

I don’t think I have any?

A Wish:

MORE SCORFUMA CONTENT BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE HER IN A HAPPY AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP!

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen:

I feel like a villain she met could convince her that she wasn’t good enough for her friends because she was with The Horde and then there would be angst and it would be sad and I can’t take that.

5 Words to Best Describe Them:

Brave, Caring, Loyal Cinnamon Roll!

My Nickname for Them!

Don’t have one!

[albapitri]

“I am brave, strong, loyal, and I give great hugs.”

i care her. and i wish she would hug me too.

[cryhardanddanceharder]

Happy holidays Abby @moonlightandromache I’m your andromaquynh secret santa and this next one shot is my gift for you. I tried mixing what i know you like, soulmate and mermaid combo. I hope you like it ♥

Also, thank you @lilolilyr for being my beta in this and helping me with my english ☺ And thank you @thirst-teenth for organizing this!

_____

An ocean between our love (it won’t keep us apart)

All mermaids, mermen and tritons are immortal and have a soulmate. 

Yes, mer folks are not just a myth, they are real. Quynh knows this because she is a mermaid. 

Since she was little she had been hearing stories about soulmates. How you would feel your soulmate’s injuries like they were your own and how you would dream of each other.

She started dreaming of her soulmate when she was fourteen years old. 

But, the thing about her soulmate it’s that she’s different. She is a human, a mortal. Because of this, many of the other mers often made fun of her. How would it be possible for a human and a mermaid to be together? 

“How does it feel to know your soulmate?” She asks her friends.

“It’s the best thing that can happen to you” Nicky tells her honestly. 

“There’s no one who could understand you or love you more, you just connect” Joe says, looking at Nicky with heart eyes.

“Look at us” Nicky says proudly. “We came for families who hated each other, and still our love prevailed” He explains.

She doesn’t need the explanation though, she had heard the story too many times. They are lucky, they’ve been together since forever. Just like Nile, Dizzy and Jay. 

All her friends had met their soulmate already and that kinda hurts. She knows it’s probably impossible for her to ever meet her own soulmate. She likes dreaming about her, but feeling her injuries not so much, because it worries her. Her soulmate is a warrior, so she always has something in her body that it’s hurting. And she could use a lot of words to describe her, like beautiful, brave and kind. And also loyal, smart and strong.

“You know there’s the story of this merman who had a human soulmate just like you?” Nile asks her, bringing her attention back to the present.

“Yes, I think I heard about him, but I thought it was just a legend” She answers thoughtfully. 

“Well Jay knows him, I can take you to meet him so you can talk and share your feelings” Nile suggests. 

“That would be great” She accepts. 

No one had ever told her that Booker’s story was real. So, she’s excited that she is going to meet him. Maybe he could tell her how to find her soulmate. Her family never helped her with that topic, not since she told them that her soulmate is a human. It’s like most mers think that she must be cursed or something similar, because isn’t a mermaid like them.

Booker it’s bitter and he is drunk. But he let’s her speak and he tells her stories about Lykon, his soulmate. 

“So you never met him?” She asks, feeling heartbroken.

“No, he died many years ago” Booker answers sadly. 

“But, you only have one soulmate in your life” She expresses her agony.

“I know” He nods.

“How do you keep living without it?” She asks, her voice breaking.

“I’m not sure I do” He says, using his cup to toast for him.

After that conversation, Quynh is left feeling entirely wrecked. How is she supposed to live her immortal life knowing her soulmate is going to die someday? 

She tries to hang on to the dreams of her soulmate, to pay attention to where she is so she can look for her. But she’s always on land and there’s never a beach near her.

And then, the day she has been fearing comes. Her soulmate dies. She’s been betrayed by her own people and they killed her with spears in battle.

“Are you okay?” Joe asks her, very worried because she has been in agony, shouting and sobbing for long minutes.

“My soulmate, she died” She answers with tears in her eyes, unable to say anything else.

She starts feeling the heartbreak of reality hit her as the worst pain she ever felt in her life.

She’s devastated and suddenly breaks down crying in full force.

Joe hugs her and holds her in his arms until she falls asleep. 

But, something she hasn’t been expecting happens. Her soulmate comes back to life. Her injuries are gone and there’s no more pain. At first she thinks she might be imagining it, but then she dreams about her again. And she is alright, she is alive and she is as strong as ever. 

After that, Quynh dares to hope again. If her soulmate is immortal, then maybe they can finally meet someday. And now the injuries are temporary. She only feels pain for a short time. Still, feeling her die is the most painful thing she has ever felt... and her soulmate dies a lot of times.

Quynh starts traveling all the oceans, trying to find her. Joe, Nicky, Nile, Dizzy, Jay and Booker decide to go with her, to help her in her search. 

But years and years keep passing by, and they still never find her soulmate. 

All she learns in her search is that her soulmate's name is Andromache and she is the best human warrior that has ever existed. Even mer folks start telling stories about her at some point, because they like telling human stories. All the stories about Andromache are about her battles, about how she’s special because of her immortality, how she’s always fighting for what she thinks it’s right and trying to help people. 

She wonders if her soulmate dreams of her too, if she ever thinks of her and if she ever tries looking for her.

But hundreds of years keep passing and they never meet each other. All Quynh feels is emptiness and loneliness. Yes, her soulmate is alive and is immortal, but she’s still human and they don’t have any chance of being together. And that hurts.

She starts feeling that her family is right. To have a human soulmate it’s a curse. 

So, she decides to give up. She stops the search. 

And then, suddenly, another unexpected thing happens that changes everything once again. Her soulmate is drowning. And not just for once, it’s constantly. Quynh is in permanent agony for her. Feeling her dying all the time is exhausting. How is it possible? And then, she dreams of her again and she finally understands. Andromache is trapped in an iron coffin at the bottom of the ocean. How the hell did that happen? 

“Quynh, we heard the stories about Andromache” Nicky informs her.

“What stories?” She requests to know. 

“The new ones” Nicky answers.

“How can there be new stories when she’s constantly drowning?” She asks, confused.

“Because they are about that” Joe replies. “Apparently she was in England, saving women from witch hunts. Finally the people from church trapped her and sentenced her to die, so they hanged her.” He explains calmly.

“Because she couldn’t die, they took it as proof of her being a witch” Nicky intervenes, feeling that it’s an important fact.

“Yes” Joe agrees with him. “So, they locked her in an iron coffin and threw her to the sea” He ends the tale. 

“I need to find her. She’s drowning and suffering constantly, I can’t take it” She expresses her feelings, she always feels safe doing so with them.

“We should start with the North Sea, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; those are the ones that surround England” Nicky suggests.

So, that’s what they do. They travel those seas, looking for her. 

It takes them almost one hundred years, but they finally do. They find the iron coffin in a part of the Norway Sea and all she can feel is relief. They prey open the coffin and, finally, Andromache is free and right in front of Quynh. 

When she comes alive she looks scared and ready to fight. She starts hitting them until she drowns again. 

Quynh grabs her and takes her to the superface. In the time it takes her to get her to superface, Andromache drowns three more times. But those times she doesn’t fight her. It is as she recognises Quynh, her presence helping her to relax even when she dies again.

“Hey” She greets her, once their faces are above the ocean and the other has revived.

“You’re the mermaid of my dreams” Andromache says, looking at her with an astonished expression. 

 “I am” She agrees. “My name is Quynh” She introduces herself.

“I thought mermaids were a myth” Andromache says, still staring at her, like she can’t believe she’s real.

“I thought immortal humans were a myth, too” She bites back and Andromache laughs. Damm, her laugh sounds so beautiful.

“Touche” Andromache accepts. “I’m Andromache the Scythian” She finally introduces herself. 

“I know” Quynh nods with a knowing smile. 

Andromache suddenly starts coughing and spitting salt water from her mouth, and that scares her. Quyn realises in that moment that she should have tried giving her mouth to mouth breathing like she heard in some tales about humans, instead of letting her die.

“I should have given you mouth-to-mouth breathing” She says, thinking out loud.

“What?” Andromache asks, confused.

“While I brought you to the superface, I should have given you mouth-to-mouth instead of letting you drown” She explains, in an apologizing way. 

“Don’t worry about it” Andromache dismisses it, like it is not a big deal. “Don’t feel bad, it was just what? Three more deaths? You did save after all” She expresses her opinion. 

It seems like her humor is a little dark and Quynh finds it endearing.

Andromache coughs again. She probably needs clean water and food after spending so many years without having anything. 

“Come on, you must be exhausted, I’ll take you to shore” She proposes. 

So Andromache climbs on her back and Quynh starts to swims. Quynh does it carefully, making sure to never dive deep so Andromache can keep breathing. It’s a hard and tiring task, it takes her a long time of the day, but the effort it’s worth it if it means her soulmate is safe. She takes her to the nearest desert beach. She leaves her on the shore, and then gets ready to go back to the depth of the ocean.

“Wait, please wait” Andromache calls her, when she realizes the other is starting to move away.

“What?” Quynh asks.

“Can I see you again?” Andromache requests.

“Why?” She asks, surprised about the request.

“Well, we dream about each other. I think that must mean something” Andromache tries to explain her point of view. “Don’t you want to figure it out?” She asks.

“Are you sure you want to see me again? Aren’t you scared of mermaids? l thought humans tell stories about us hypnotizing people with our singing and drowning them” She says, a little unsure about the situation.

“That’s sirens, not mermaids” Andromache corrects her. “What about you? Aren’t you scared of me? I’m the eternal warrior. There was a time I even was worshiped as god, you know?” She questions, in some kind of teasing way. 

“No, I’m not scared” She denies.

“Then prove it” Andromache challenges her.

“Fine, we can try” She accepts.

So they try…

Andromache builds herself a house on the beach. They see each other on every sunrise and every sunset. The rest of the day they continue with their normal lives. 

Quynh hadn’t thought it was possible to love Andromache more than she already did… But she starts realising she was very wrong. Spending time with Andromache is the best thing that has ever happened to her and she starts falling deeply in love with her, certain that she would love her even if they hadn’t been soulmates. She loves her with every fiber of her being, in every possible way.

Every moment they spend together is magical.

Like when Andromache teached her arching. 

“What is this?” She asks, looking at the objects the other is holding in her hands with wonder. She knows them, she has seen humans using them before, but she doesn’t remember their names.

“Bows and arrows, I'm going to teach you archery” Andromache answers her.

“You are?” She asks, surprised.

“Well you said you didn’t find sword fighting that much fun, so i thought maybe you would like to try something new” Andromache explains her idea.

“How am I supposed to do this when I can’t stand up like you?” She requests to know, still unsure about the idea.

“You do it sitting down” Andromache says with confidence.

Andromache spends all morning teaching her, until she can hit a target. She has to admit it was really fun. And some days, after practicing a lot, she learns to love it.

Another magical but unexpected moment, it’s when Andromache asks her to cut her hair.

“Are you sure?” Quynh asks, picking up the scissors nervously.

“I am” Andromache nods.

“Why do you want to cut it?” She needs to know, because she doesn’t want to do something the other may regret later.

“I’m tired of it, it’s so heavy and impractical. I want a change” Andromache expresses the reason for her choice.

“Fine” She finally  agrees. “But if you don’t like it, I won't take complains” She warns.

Quynh cuts her hair in the way the other has requests. When she finishes she’s astounded by how the hairstyle looks on the other. She’s so breathtakingly beautiful. She encourages herself and plays with it a little.

Another wonderful moment is their first kiss.

“I have a gift for you” Andromache tells her, with a smile on her face.

“What? Why?” Quynh asks, confused.

“Because you said that today it’s your birthday” Andromache reminds her.

“Ohhh…” She has forgotten humans have the habit of giving each other presents for birthdays, when for mer folks the habit was the other way around.

“Close your eyes” Andromache requests. “Do you trust me?” She asks, after they spend a long minute staring at each other.

“Yes” She nods.

“Then close your eyes” She repeats.

Quynh closes her eyes and waits for her present. Suddenly she can feel Andromache very near, invading her personal space. She takes a moment caressing her shoulders, her neck and her cheeks. And then, she is kissing her. 

Kissing Andromache is incredibly magnificent. It’s as if their lips were made just to be kissed by each other. It’s like they already know their moves, their tastes and what they like. It’s like breathing air for the first time. 

Another splendid moment is when she calls her “Andy” for the first time. 

“What?” She asks a little annoyed, the other has been staring at her for like a whole minute and never continues the conversation they were having.

“You called me Andy” Andromache finally says.

“Ohh, it’s just a nickname, like in a affectionate way” She tries to explain. “If you don’t like it…” 

“No” Andromache interrupts her very quickly. “I like it, you can call me Andy wherever you want” She assures. 

So she starts calling her Andy after that.

And so time goes by. And before they know they have spent decade after decade doing this, being together and apart in this way.

But, of course one day it has to come to an end. She should have known, she should have been ready… After all, how could it be possible for a human and a mermaid to be together forever?

“Have you ever heard of a goddess called Atargatis?” Andromache asks her.

“Her name seems familiar, but I don’t think so” Quynh denies. 

“Well, legends say she was the first mermaid. She’s a goddess of love and female fertility. They said that there’s an oasis in the middle of Sham desert where there is a temple for her and whoever is brave enough to sacrifice themselves in the search of it, the goddess would grant them a wish” Andromache relates her the story.

“I thought you didn’t believe in gods or goddesses” She says, surprised about the type of conversation. 

“Well maybe it’s time I do, so we can be together” Andromache tells her. 

“What do you mean?” She asks, confused.

“I can go there, I can sacrifice myself in the search because I’m immortal, I can wish for us to have a way to be really together” Andromache explains to her what she has been planning.

“I don’t think that’s smart, for you to go there alone” She expresses her disapproval. “What if you got hurt, or the goddess wants to remove your immortality as payment or is just not real?” She asks, not wanting to get excited about what it could mean. 

“But what if it’s real? Don’t you think we are worth trying it?” Andromache questions her. 

“I don’t know” She says sadly. “Don’t you think we are already good as we are?” She asks, fearing the negative possibility. 

“We are good” Andromache assures her. “But we could be better, we could be together forever, every time of the day, with nothing keeping us apart” She insists.

“I…” She doesn’t know what to say. The idea of not seeing Andromache for the time it takes her to do the quest hurts too much. “Andy don’t go” She asks.

“I have to. You may not believe our love is strong enough to survive this, but i do.” Andromache argues, very stubbornly. “Once I finish the quest, I’ll come back here.” She promises her.

Andromache gives her a kiss and then she’s gone.

Quynh is scared she won’t ever see her again and doesn’t know what to do without her. But at sunrise, Andromache is there, at the beach, once again.

“I thought you had left” Quynh tells her.

“I packed my things, but I wanted to say goodbye first” Andromache explains to her.

“Do you really have to go?” She asks, sadly.

“I do, this may be our only chance” Andromache answers. “I need you to trust me” She requests. 

“I do trust you” She assures her. “But, I don’t want to be apart from you” She expresses what troubles her.

“I don’t want to be apart from you either, that’s why I have to do this” Andromache insists, believing her decision is the best option they have. “I’m gonna be back as quick as I can” She promises her. 

Andromache gives her a long kiss goodbye. One that tastes like salt because of their tears. Is bittersweet and leaves her wanting more, but she lets her go.

All Quynh can do is wait. She waits and goes to their beach on every sunrise and every sunset, waiting for Andromache to come back.

While she waits she realises she’s scared. She fears Andy would find a mortal who would love her in all the ways she can’t. She fears Andy would die a lot of times and would suffer alone. She fears Andy could lose her immortality. 

Another thought creeping into her mind is that Andy might not really accept her the way she is and will try to take away her mermaid form... she knows that Andy might want to join her in the sea instead, and she doesn’t believe that her love would change her without asking her first, but she can’t silence the thoughts entirely.

She dreams of her and with every dream her fears turn off a little. Andy is really strong and she is trying to do this for them.

She dies five times in the desert. But like she sayed, it doesn’t totally matter. Not when she comes back to life again every time. 

It takes a year… And then, finally, Andy is back, at sunset time. She jumps directly into the sea and greets her with a passionate kiss. 

“Hey” Andromache says quietly, pressing soft kisses to her neck.

“Hey” Quynh says back. 

“I love you Quynh” Andromache confesses, looking right to her eyes. 

Andy loves her and knowing it makes her the happiest she’s ever been in her long life.

“I love you too Andy” She says, exploding with happiness and love. “I’m glad you are back” She admits, feeling relieved to be in the arms of the other woman again.

“Did you ever doubt I would?” Andromache asks, kinda teasing her.

“Maybe a little” She answers honestly. “So? How did the quest go?” She finally asks the important topic. 

“Well, I found the oasis, and the goddess conceived my wish” Andromache answers her, looking her intensely in her eyes. “You know why?” She asks.

“Because you gave your life founding the oasis” She answers, remembering the tale Andy had told her before going on the quest.

“Yes” Andromache nods. “And because apparently we are soulmates” She adds, looking at her intensely as she was trying to read her.

“Ah, that...” She trails off.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Andromache asks curiously, without judging her. 

“Because I didn’t want you to feel obligated to love me just because we’re soulmates” She answers genuinely, thinking it sounds a little silly now that she’s saying it out loud. 

“It would be impossible for me not to love you” Andromache tells her with so much confidence, that she believes her in every part of herself.

“So… how does the wish work?” She asks, bringing the conversation to that topic because she doesn’t want to get emotional.

Andromache looks at her with a tender smile, and then removes the pendant she’s wearing around her neck and gives it to her. 

“What does it mean?” She asks confused, checking the pendant.

“It’s a magic amulet, it’s made from cintamani and it grants a wish to whoever wears it” Andromache explains to her.

“What the wish would be?” She requests to know, still a little unsure.

“Well, I think it obvious, for the one of us who is wearing it at the moment to have legs on land and mermaid form on sea” Andromache tells her with confidence.

“You don’t want me to stop being a mermaid?” She asks, really surprised.

“No, of courte not, I love everything about you” Andromache assures her. “I just want the chance for us to be together” She adds, caressing her cheeks. 

Quynh kisses her. She hasn't thought it would be possible for her to love this woman more, but every time she thinks that, she is quickly proven wrong. It feels like everything Andromache does, it just makes her love her more and more. 

She feels so happy. She doesn’t know how to contain all those feelings in her body, so she just shows them. She kisses and caresses every part of Andromache’s body. 

When she feels satisfied, she puts the pendant around her neck. Then she grabs Andromache’s hand, so they can get out of the water. 

The first time she feels her legs is very strange, and she would have fallen if it wasn't for Andromache’s grip on her. 

Andromache teaches her to walk, takes her to all her favorite places and shows her everything about the mortal human world. Then they travel around the world together, meeting new places and sharing their love.

In return, Quynh shows her all the magical places and fantastic treasures the ocean hides in its depths. She teaches her to swim in her mermaid form and do different pirouettes. Also she introduces her to her friends and family.

Andromache has been right. To be together this way is even more wonderful. Thanks to the amulet Quynh can have human form at land and Andromache can have mermaid form at sea. This way they can share both of their worlds and always be together. 

So, yes. Maybe it is hard for someone like her, a mermaid, to have a human soulmate. But it is not impossible. They had found their way to be together and now they will be for all their eternal lives.

You can read it in ao3 too: here