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my-major-is-k-howard · 4 years

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The Emerald Letter

Hey guys! I’m finally back with another soulmate AU one shot. This one is a little shorter than my other ones but it was still pretty fun to write. I hope you all enjoy! 💙💚

Word Count: 3013

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Cathy stood by herself in her godmother’s apartment lobby, waiting patiently as the elevator descended the floors. She was on her way to pay Catherine a visit to catch up over tea, something the two had been doing at least once a month for years. Cathy smiled softly to herself as she recalled all of the memories that she had made with Catherine during these special moments together.

She looked back up at the elevator’s floor indicators and watched the numbers slowly decrease. This elevator was one of the slowest on the planet, which Cathy could attest to as someone who had ridden it plenty of times.

She sighed quietly to herself before looking down at the inside of her wrist, noticing that she was once again tracing the small letter that was there out of habit. Cathy stopped tracing the mark and appraised the green letter A, the only hint of who her soulmate was. The green letter meant the first letter of her soulmate’s name would be the first letter of the alphabet.

Cathy wondered what it would be like to finally find her soulmate. She had heard from some of her friends that it would be like finding the missing part of you. There would be an instant connection, a connection that would make you feel complete for the first time in your life. But the only way to know for sure would be after they introduced themselves and the soulmate letter finally disappeared for good.

Unfortunately for Cathy, she had met a lot of people throughout her life that had a name beginning with the same vowel on her wrist. Alfred. Audrey. Alex. Abby. Adam. Each person she met that had a name that began with A made her heart skip a beat. Her eyes would immediately dart to her wrist to see if her letter would fade away. Much to her disappointment, it never did. Her soulmate was still out there somewhere, bearing a C on their own wrist that stood for Cathy.

Cathy was snapped out of her thoughts by the elevator doors screeching open in front of her. She quickly entered and pressed the button that would take her up to the sixth floor. To her dismay however, the elevator began descending to the basement instead of taking her to the designated floor. Cathy cursed under her breath as the elevator stopped, dreading the unwanted social interaction that was bound to follow.

The doors opened to let the stranger in and immediately all of Cathy’s annoyance at the inconvenience melted away. Standing before her was possibly the most beautiful woman Cathy had ever seen in her life. Cathy took in the sight of the raven hair that flowed down in front of her shoulders, the porcelain skin that almost seemed to glow in the dingy light of the elevator, the leather jacket and boots that made her appearance even more awe-striking. Finally, Cathy made eye contact with the stranger and had to restrain herself from gasping aloud at the stunning emerald eyes that were curiously staring back at her.

The moment ended as quickly as it had started when the stranger moved to press the elevator button, shifting the motorcycle helmet she was holding under one arm as the other stretched towards the button panel. She stopped halfway when she noticed that the sixth floor button was already pressed. Cathy shuffled to the corner of the elevator to give the stranger more room as she found a comfortable place to stand.

Cathy shyly looked over at the pretty stranger who gave her a small smile in greeting. Cathy returned the smile before ducking her head and staring at her feet. After a few moments, Cathy looked up to watch the floors pass, refraining from stealing another glance at the other person in the elevator. For once, Cathy was glad that the old elevator took so long to reach its destination. She craved more time with the stranger in the elevator, even if it was just a few more moments.

Suddenly, there was a loud screech that echoed in the elevator shaft as the old machine shuddered to a stop between the fourth and fifth floors. Cathy grabbed onto the rail to prevent herself from falling. Her elevator buddy sloppily mirrored her movements, dropping her helmet in the process as the elevator shrieked to a halt.

Cathy had to stifle a giggle at the woman’s clumsy movements before the realization set in that she was now stuck in an old, rusty elevator. In a panic, Cathy pulled out her phone to call her godmother for help. She huffed when she saw that there was no service in the elevator and glumly slid her phone back into her pocket.

The other woman in the elevator picked up her helmet from the floor and quickly went to press the emergency alarm on the control panel. When no sound came out, the stranger banged on the metal a few times before trying again. The woman cursed quietly to herself when the alarm still stayed silent.

“Well, this is a shitty situation,” the stranger breathed out in defeat.

“You don’t say,” Cathy responded as the stranger turned to look at her. The two women shared a glance, and Cathy felt all of the panic from before evaporate into thin air.

The woman smiled at her. “Well, it could be worse. At least, I’m stuck with a pretty girl and not some creepy dude.”

Cathy blushed at the comment before shooting back a witty response. “And I’m stuck with a clumsy biker.”

The woman gave Cathy a sheepish grin. “My helmet slipped, okay? I’m not clumsy.” The woman looked down at the floor as she said the last statement, which Cathy took as a sign that she probably was quite a clumsy person.

“Whatever you say, Klutz,” Cathy joked as the woman across the elevator from her gave her a faux angry glare.

“Okay. That’s rude. I’ve known you for like one whole minute and you’re already giving me mean nicknames,” the biker shot back playfully as she fidgeted with her helmet.

One whole minute. That caught Cathy off guard. It had only been one minute and Cathy was already joking around with this stranger as if they had known each other their whole lives. Cathy shook her head before responding to her elevator acquaintance. “Well, it’s only fair if I let you give me one. Do your worst, Klutz.”

Cathy smirked as the girl struggled to come up with a nickname for her. “You really put me on the spot there.” The biker scratched the back of her neck as she appraised Cathy. “All I can think of is Pretty Girl. But that’s not a mean nickname at all.”

Cathy blushed at the phrase once again and smiled softly. “That’s actually really sweet, Klutz. Who knew you would be such a softie.”

“The leather jacket can only do so much for my reputation before my true colors show through,” the biker mused jokingly before looking back to the elevator control panel where the button for the sixth floor was still glowing a faint orange. She looked back to Cathy with a curious expression on her face. “I haven’t seen you around. Are you new here?”

“Oh, I don’t live here,” Cathy responded shyly as she rubbed her arm. “I was actually just visiting my godmother, Catherine.”

“Oh! We’re neighbors!” the woman commented excitedly. “When I was moving in, I accidentally walked into her apartment and she freaked out. She started yelling at me in Spanish and I barely escaped within an inch of my life. Good times.”

Cathy chuckled at the anecdote. “She told me that story not that long ago. She thought you were trying to rob her hence the angry Spanish yelling. She did say that she felt bad so she made you cookies as an apology.”

The woman laughed and nodded. “Those were the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

“She also mentioned that you have a habit of playing music obnoxiously loud in the middle of the night,” Cathy added with a smirk.

The biker’s eyes widened before smiling shyly. “Yeah, I guess I’m a bad neighbor. I should probably make her some apology cookies.”

“Maybe you should try flowers instead, Klutz. I wouldn’t trust you around anything in the kitchen,” Cathy joked before taking a seat on the floor of the elevator. It seemed like they would be stuck for a while so why not pass the time talking with the woman until help arrived.

“You’re so mean to me, Pretty Girl,” the woman said as she sat next to Cathy. “For your information, I am superb at using a microwave.” She flashed Cathy a brilliant smile that made her heart pound in her chest. There was something about this girl that drew Cathy in, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She was totally enraptured by the sight in front of her that she almost forgot to reply. “I bet you are. You must be such a culinary expert in that department,” Cathy giggled.

“Wait until you try my ramen, Pretty Girl. Gordon Ramsay would be quaking at my skills preparing that dish,” she joked which made Cathy laugh even harder. Her acquaintance joined in her laughter until both of them were almost in tears.

“You know, out of everybody I could have been trapped in an elevator with, I’m glad it was you, Klutz,” Cathy commented after her laughter subsided.

“Yeah, it’s like fate wanted us to meet or something,” Cathy’s new friend added, glancing back at her with a small smile.

Cathy looked back at the woman next to her and mirrored her smile. They stayed like that for a few moments, getting lost in each other’s eyes before the biker cleared her throat nervously.

“So, I haven’t asked yet. Have you met your soulmate?” The woman dropped Cathy’s gaze shyly as she began fidgeting with her helmet that was resting beside her.

Cathy smiled softly at the biker before looking down at her wrist and began tracing her soulmate mark. “No, not yet.” She looked back up to the woman next to her, who was gazing back at her with a new glimmer in her eyes. Cathy hesitated for a moment before she decided to return the question.

For some reason, it made Cathy’s heart ache when she thought about her new friend having a soulmate. She knew that they had just met but Cathy already felt so connected to the biker, more connected than she was to some of her friends even. Cathy took a quick breath to clear her mind of those emotions before letting the question slip out of her mouth. “What about you? Have you met your soulmate?” Cathy braced herself for her response, selfishly hoping that the girl was still searching.

“I have not, Pretty Girl. I’m still looking for my special someone,” the woman responded and looked down at her helmet. Cathy let out a small breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She felt her heart jump in her chest as an elated feeling overtook her. She didn’t know why she felt this way but there was no denying that the biker’s confession had given her a little hope that maybe, just maybe, she and Klutz were soulmates.

Cathy stopped tracing her soulmate mark, realizing that she had been repeating the motion out of nervousness. Then, a sudden thought struck Cathy. Before she could stop herself, Cathy asked, “What’s your letter?”

The girl looked up with a soft expression on her face before pulling down the sleeve of her leather jacket to reveal the blue, cursive C on her wrist. Cathy gave a small gasp at the sight. Her hopeful eyes returned to the shining green ones that were peering back at her curiously.

“What’s yours?” the biker asked as she bit her lip nervously.

“It’s an A,” Cathy responded quietly as she showed her friend her soulmate mark. She watched the biker’s face closely, gauging her response for any notion that they could actually be soulmates.

The woman’s eyes sparkled before she let out a small laugh. “Hey! My name’s Anne! Maybe I’m your soulmate!” the biker exclaimed excitedly.

Anne. Cathy’s eyes immediately darted to her wrist and gawked at the sight of her green letter beginning to glow a gold hue before disappearing from her skin permanently. Cathy let out a shocked breath before turning back to Anne. “My name is Cathy.”

Cathy watched as Anne peered down at her own soulmate mark and witnessed it fade from her wrist. She let out an excited laugh before looking back at Cathy with a bright smile. “See! I knew fate wanted us to meet!”

Before Cathy could respond, Anne had thrown her arms around her and was pulling her into a tight hug. Cathy immediately wrapped her arms around Anne’s waist and rested her head gently in the crook of her neck. Cathy let out a satisfied sigh, reveling in the feeling of finally being in her soulmate’s arms.

They stayed in that position for a few minutes before parting from each other. Cathy looked into those mesmerizing emerald eyes and smiled happily as she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her eyes slowly drifted down to Anne’s lips, admiring how full they were… and how badly Cathy wanted to feel them on hers.

“Hey Cathy,” Anne whispered quietly as Cathy looked back up to meet Anne’s nervous eyes. “I would really like to kiss you right now.” Cathy noticed Anne’s gaze momentarily shift to her own lips before meeting her gaze shyly once again.

“I’m not stopping you,” Cathy whispered back as she bit her lip. Anne gave her a soft smile before bringing a gentle hand up to cup her cheek. Cathy leaned into the touch and closed her eyes, anxiously awaiting Anne’s kiss.

Right before Anne’s lips touched hers, the old elevator creaked into motion, snapping the soulmates out of their moment. They quickly scrambled to their feet as Anne reached down to grab her abandoned helmet from the floor. As the doors slid open, she lost her grip and dropped her helmet back on the elevator tile.

Cathy giggled as she picked up the motorcycle helmet, exiting the elevator before Anne had a chance to react. A moment later, Anne joined her in the apartment hallway and watched the elevator doors close behind her.

“From now on, I’m taking the stairs,” Anne mused as she turned back to Cathy.

Cathy laughed out loud at Anne’s joke before handing her the helmet. “Here, Klutz. Try not to drop it again.”

Anne sighed as she carefully took her helmet back from Cathy. “I’m never going to escape that nickname, am I?”

“Not a chance!” Cathy giggled. “You’re stuck with it for the rest of our lives.”

“‘The rest of our lives.’ I could get used to that, Pretty Girl,” Anne responded with a smile.

Cathy returned Anne’s smile before slowly leaning up to finally press her lips against Anne’s. They immediately melted into the kiss, moving their lips together in perfect harmony. After a few moments of pure bliss, Cathy pulled away and admired the look of awe that was painted across Anne’s face.

“Wow,” Anne breathed out as a dopey grin took over her previous expression. “I really like having a soulmate.”

Cathy smiled softly at Anne’s words. “Me too.”

The two stayed there for a few more moments, admiring each other, until Anne cleared her throat. “I should let you go visit with your godmother.” Anne shuffled in her spot awkwardly before kissing Cathy’s cheek gently.

As Anne was about to walk down the hall to her apartment, Cathy grabbed her arm to get her attention. “Would you like to join us, Anne? I know she would love to have you over… and I’d like to spend more time with you.”

Anne met Cathy’s shy glance with a loving smile. “Yeah! I would love to join you!” Anne paused before adding, “Maybe she can teach me how to make those apology cookies I love so much.” Cathy giggled at that before taking Anne’s hand and leading her to her godmother’s apartment.

It wasn't long before Anne officially became a permanent member of the monthly tea time. They eventually made it their custom for Anne to pick Cathy up on her motorcycle and take her back to Catherine’s apartment, which originally started after Anne gifted Cathy a motorcycle helmet of her own on their four-month anniversary. They would ride together through the winding streets, Cathy with her arms around Anne’s waist to keep her secure as her soulmate navigated her motorcycle with ease.

When they arrived at the apartment, they would race each other up the stairs, refusing to take the elevator together ever again. Usually, Anne won but Cathy would occasionally snatch the victory on the times Anne dropped her helmet on the way up. On those occasions, Cathy would always turn around and endearingly call Anne her Klutz for dropping her helmet. Though, regardless of who won, they never failed to share a quick kiss at the top of the stairs after catching their breath.

For all the times Cathy wondered about what having a soulmate would be like, she never imagined how beautiful the little moments would be. But that was one of the amazing parts about having Anne as a soulmate. Every little thing was special and deliberate. Anne brought joy to every part of Cathy’s life, even the parts that were previously monotonous like her quick trips to her godmother’s apartment for tea.

Anne made Cathy feel complete. With her, colors were a little brighter, her smile was a little wider, and the longing for a soulmate that had resounded deep within her was now replaced with deep echoes of laughter. Cathy had finally found the missing part of her, someone who just so happened to be a clumsy, green-eyed biker named Anne.

#parrlyn #parrelyn #parrlyn fanfic #six the musical #six the musical fanfic #anne boleyn #catherine parr #anne boleyn x catherine parr

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peace-coast-island · 3 years

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Diary of a Junebug

Making music with bebop gyroids

Musical gyroids galore! Kelly, Ned, Gutsy, Livvy, and Lulu are here with us to enjoy the sunny weather and make some fun musical instruments. The gyroids were designed by Daisy Jane and Kelly with some input from Ned and Goldie - and they look (and sound) so awesome!

It's been so bright and sunny these past couple of days, it feels kinda unusual. Looks like the sunshine's come out early this year! No shorts yet, but we've pulled out the sunglasses, where I finally get to use my new shades Daisy Jane got for me. Pretty and functional is how I like it - though I'm pretty sure that Daisy Jane spent quite a bit on these sunglasses - not that I'm complaining as they're really good at what they're supposed to do. I feel so cool and badass wearing them!

With Livvy home for spring break, she and Gutsy figured, what better place to spend a short vacation than at a camp? Gutsy always wanted to drop by to visit us since we came to Charm Villa to see her a while back. And of course, she had to bring little Lulu along to explore the great outdoors with her. Good thing they chose to come during a campsite event! What better way to be introduced to the camp than a gyroid adventure?

Since the Coloratura Jazz Band Festival last year Kelly and Daisy Jane began working on gyroid designs inspired by the festival. Kelly really has a way with instrument designs, coming up with interesting ideas like an electric cello in the shape of a treble clef or a harpsichord that looks like one of those cool antique desks. That's why gyroid events are so much fun - you can craft so many creative things with them!

Joining Kelly is her best friend Ned, her partner in crime. They've been friends since high school, often attracting trouble although things end up working out in the end. Coincidentally, Kelly's mom is a private investigator and a few years back she worked with Gutsy on a case involving a farm at Cedar Pickett. Kelly and Ned got involved and wound up riding horses along the infamously dangerous canyon trail to catch a criminal. They all remembered each other after all these years as it was an interesting case. It's fascinating how small the world can be sometimes!

Ned, according to Kelly, is a world class baker when it comes to pies. She wasn't exaggerating. He and his dads run a bakery/nightclub called Dub Step Pie Club. Despite the name, it actually looks like a pretty cool place. I should drop by there the next time I visit the island.

At first glance, Kelly and Ned seem like an unlikely duo. In a way, they kinda remind me of Daisy Jane and Almie - the bubbly outgoing one paired with the introverted quiet one. Kelly's the one dragging Ned into her schemes, usually involving her mom's cases. Ned has an unusual connection with the dead, so every once in a while he and Kelly end up with a murder mystery or a ghost with unfinished business. They have a fun dynamic, those two.

In between gyroid hunting sessions, we hung out at the main campsite and did a little baking. Ned taught us how to make pumpkin brownie pecan pie, a specialty at the Dub Step Pie Club. That, along with the cubeyberry pie he brought from home, were some of the best pies I've ever had! Tomorrow we're gonna make peach lolliberry pie, another favorite at the club.

Lulu's so cute when it comes to finding gyroids! Seeing her get excited and waddling around while carrying a gyroid - which looks huge in her little arms - my heart just can't take it! She's also become quite a chatterbox - I love hearing her point out things at the camp and getting excited about everything. Lulu's definitely the type of kid who's not afraid to take a tumble and get her hands dirty. It's so cool to see more of her personality come out, especially now that she's talking. If Lulu keeps this up, I'm pretty sure Kelly's gonna straight up die of cuteness before the end of this event.

Livvy has been enjoying the great outdoors, especially after a stressful couple of weeks at school. She's a business major with a minor in humanities - the latter which kinda happened and she decided to go along with it because, why not? It's more work, but she's not complaining too much because she enjoys the classes. Since going off to college, Livvy started a study/productivity vlog called coffeelivvy, where she posts about study tips as well aesthetic and practical notes. I enjoy watching her videos while journaling, especially her plan with me bullet journal videos.

Gutsy's been busy with Lulu and the cafe. She's into making bread these days so later this week we're gonna make baguettes, which sounds fun! I'll admit, the process of making bread - as in with yeast and proofing and such - sounds kinda intimidating, but with a pro like Gutsy, the process seems less daunting. Since working at the cafe, Gutsy found out that she has a knack for baking as well as making latte art. So along with some decadent pies, we also got to enjoy lattes with the pretty milk foam designs - a winning combo that's perfect for a camping event!

Kelly's on spring break too, a well deserved vacation after a busy semester. She reminds me of Alex and Claire, being the kind of person who does a lot of extracurriculars and manages to be on top of everything academically. Along with being in the Coloratura Jazz Band, Kelly's also a volunteer of the Asian Pride Film Festival, a video editor for Leicester Academy Theater, an RA, and captain of the badminton team. She also plans to take summer classes and go to Amsterdam for the the fall term, graduating in the winter.

Ned, of course, is managing the bakery of Dub Step Pie Club while juggling classes at Seashore Path. After taking a year off due to burnout, he returned for the spring semester, changing his major from English to business marketing. So far Ned finds his second go of college much less stressful than when he first enrolled, which is great to hear. I hope things turn out better for him this time around.

While collecting gyroids at Lost Lure Creek, we ended up taking a detour through the acorn trail. It's one of many places I haven't got to exploring yet so it was the perfect opportunity to finally check it out. Kelly took a bunch of pics of the trees with its warm autumnal colors. This area of the woods looks like it's fall all year round and it looks so pretty! And of course, the trees are full of cute little acorns that we had to take back to the camp.

Later on, while crafting gyroid furniture, we painted the acorns. It's been a long while since I've painted so naturally I was a little rusty at first. The idea for a painting session came about when Kelly mentioned that she and a friend led a Bob Ross style painting event at their dorm building that everyone enjoyed. Peaches and Lolly just bought some new paints so it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. I think my favorite is the acrylic gouache - something about painting with them is so satisfying to me.

Then we hung out at the beach, collecting shells, sea glass, and gyroids. Although it's bright and sunny out, it's not warm enough to go swimming yet. It was nice sitting out there under the warm sun, just hanging out with friends. We also did some fishing, catching some tuna that we later made into poke bowls for dinner. And for dessert, we had cubeyberry pie paired with a bottle of peach wine, courtesy of Gulliver.

Before heading back to the main camp, we dropped by the hangout sites to collect more gyroids before calling it a day. Lulu enjoyed helping out campers by bringing them fruit. I love seeing her chatter away to the campers and talking about fruit. Gutsy says that Lulu isn't afraid of strangers, which we clearly saw as she approached everyone she met. She's a little handful, keeping Gutsy and Livvy on their toes! I swear, you blink for less than a second and next thing you know, Lulu's run clear across the camp and trying to climb a tree or get into the water.

At some point, we got into an impromptu musical session starting with Kelly on the drums. Then Ned joined in with maracas, Livvy and Friga on guitar, Benedict on double bass, Soleil on keyboards, me on the toy piano, and Gutsy and Daisy Jane on percussion. Lulu was so cute dancing along to the music! I think we made a pretty good band - it sure helped passed the time while waiting for the gyroid stuff to be built!

Today we crafted the harpsichord, a galaxy themed dulcimer/synth, and a star shaped hybrid of a ukulele and violin. Like I said earlier, the designs of these instruments are amazing! Plus, they sound fantastic! We had so much fun making music - I can't wait to build more stuff and create even more music!

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

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jadekitty777 · 4 years

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Forget-Me-Not

Alright, and for my final entry for the Shipwreckedfanzine (Read it here!), is my Taiqrow entry. Because you better believe I gave my boys some love.

(P.S. This showed up nowhere in the tags - I actually posted up a new Taiqrow fic yesterday as well - I would suggest checking out some of my newest works on Ao3!)

Rating: K

Pairing: Qrow/Taiyang

Word Count: 2.1k

Ao3 Link: Forget-Me-Not

Summary: Tai’s not surprised to discover Qrow’s forgotten their anniversary… again.

❀~❀~❀~❀~❀~❀~❀

Tai hummed a jolly little tune as he shook the can of whipped cream, doing his best to keep his hand steady as he pointed the nozzle down and drew a heart shape on top of the stack of pancakes. Once he’d completed the point, he set the can aside and picked up the bowl of strawberry sauce, filling the inside of the heart generously. Next came the chocolate chips – he was just placing the first few down when his twelve-year-old warned:

“Dad, Uncle Qrow’s coming!”

He nodded, trying not to hurry too much and ruin all his hard work. “Thank you, Yang. Would you girls get him seated please?”

“I got it!” Ruby shouted a mite too shrilly for this time of the morning.

In the corner of his eye, he watched her grab the butter knife and napkin before going to stand at the threshold. She quickly laid the napkin out along her arm to mimic a towel only the poshest of restaurant waiters had and rose the knife under her nose, clearing her throat a few times. As her uncle made it to the door, she said as classily as possible, “Mr. Branwen, we’ve been expecting you.”

“Is that so?” Qrow’s voice was still a bit gravelly from sleep but it didn’t quite hide his confused amusement.

“Indeed. We have a special reserved spot just for you.” She twirled on her heels. “Follow me please!” She marched with purpose the three single steps it took to get to his chair, having to lower her fake mustache so she could pull it out for him.

He sat, eyeing the mug already there. “Wow, coffee’s already made? Now that’s some express service.”

“Sir, we only provide the best for our customers.” Ruby told him, knife mustache back in place. “Your meal is also on the way, made by our finest chef in the business.”

More like the only chef, Tai thought as he placed the finishing touches on the arrow he’d been designing. He surveyed his work with an appraising eye, before lifting the plate and carrying it over with care. “Your meal, sir.” He told him grandly, placing it down before him.

Qrow took one look at it, then his head shot up, eyes wide. “What occasion is it?”

He smiled as forgivingly as he could. “Anniversary.” Their third, in fact – which Qrow had systematically forgotten each year. Having grown up on the outskirts of nowhere, he’d always been terrible with dates. Before his husband could speak, the guilty look already telling him exactly what he was going to say, Tai placed two fingers on his lips. “No apologies. Just enjoy.”

He heaved a sigh through his nose, before kissing his fingertips and murmuring against them, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He replied, all too happy to trade his hand in for his lips – much to his daughters’ very verbal noises of disgust.

“Dad, please. I’d like to finish my breakfast.” Yang’s nose was wrinkled up like a little piglet’s.

Tai couldn’t help but pinch it as he walked on by. “I’m sure you’ll survive.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, before turning her attention to the other adult in the room, looking almost gleefully predatory. “Soooo, Uncle Qrow.”

“Yeah firecracker?” Qrow had his cutlery poised in the air, uncertain on where to start.

“If you want to make it up to dad, I know the perfect gift you can get him.”

As he placed the dirty mixing bowl in the sink, Tai snorted softly. Oh, this oughta be good.

“Yeah?” His husband arched a skeptic eyebrow. “What’s that?”

She cleared her throat and straightened up her shoulders like a businesswoman about to give a rousing proposal. “Well, I heard, and this is just you know from the people in the know, you know? But I heard the Battle Expansion pack for Grimm Raider’s 2 hit the shelves this week.”

“Uh-huh.” Qrow was trying to keep a straight face. “And Tai would want that?”

“Yes!” Ruby jumped in with certainty. “Because what better gift for a dad than the joy on his children’s faces?”

In perfect sync, both girls placed their fingers on the ends of their mouths and pulled them upwards into big smiles.

Tai was full-blown laughing now. Little weasels!

“Been planning that one awhile now, haven’t you?” Qrow said, not fooled in the slightest.

Yang gasped in mock-offense, placing her hand to her chest. “Uncle are you accusing me of taking advantage of your forgetfulness for my own gain? Can you believe this Ruby?”

“But, didn’t we plan it?” She stage-whispered.

“Sssh, he’s not supposed to know that!”

Before this clown show could go on any further, Tai decided to interject, “Alright, alright, that’s enough you two.” He dropped the rest of the dishes in to be soaked before rounding back to the table. “You know what would bring me great joy today? You two finishing your breakfast and getting ready for school.” He reached out to messily ruffle their hair, enjoying their cries of annoyance and futile swats. “And anyways, you uncle gives me the greatest gift every day.”

“What’s that?” Ruby asked.

Tai met rusty red eyes across the table. “His love.”

Qrow flushed a rosy pink, looking away with a smile. It was adorable, the way simple little things like that could still make him so bashful.

Yang looked between them. “Well, you could have that and the battle expansion pack.”

“Nice try.”

The rest of breakfast went without preamble, Tai shooing the girls off to get ready while he took care of the dishes. It really could have been just like any other morning. The fact it wasn’t supposed to be lingered like a thorn in the back of his head that he did his best to ignore.

Another plate was placed on the counter, and he reached for it without thought, only to have his hand caught by a paler one. Fingers threaded through his own as Qrow’s arm came around his waist, his body melding against his side.

“Dinner? My treat?” He offered, gentle like the mouse that tried to pull the thorn from the lion’s paw.

Tai pressed their foreheads together, murmuring, “I’d like that.”

❀~❀~❀~❀~❀~❀~❀

Signal’s campus was pretty barren so early in the morning. While the faculty members were slowly making their way to their classrooms to get ready for the day, the halls wouldn’t be filled with the bustle and yells of the students for another half hour or so. Qrow had come to appreciate the quiet and calm, because he knew once the bell rang, it would be eight solid hours of chaos.

As they headed through the front doors, Yang sped ahead, waving as she did. “I’m heading to the training gym! Bye!”

“Ah, Yang-” Tai started to object, but she was already cutting around the corner. “Annnd there she goes.” His attention turned downward when his other daughter yanked at his wrist. “Yes Ruby?”

“Can I go to the library today?” She asked hopefully.

“You don’t want to help your old man set up?”

Qrow casually stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Ah, let her go. Kiddo’s got a big brain that needs feeding, ain’t that right?” He winked her way, making her giggle.

“Alright, go on then.” Tai nudged her forward. “And stay in the kids’ section, okay?”

“I will!” Ruby promised before scurrying off.

They headed in the opposite direction, towards their classrooms. Qrow side-eyed the man he’d had the pleasure of calling his husband for three years now. “So, where do you want to go tonight?”

“You even have to ask?” Tai teased.

“Well, maybe you were feeling creative for once.” He jabbed back, dodging away when the other tried to push him.

“Don’t make it sound like you don’t love Sarubia’s.”

Of course he did. While they’d both settled readily in Patch’s more remote, country-like society, and there was much Qrow especially hadn’t minded leaving behind, there were still occasions in which they missed Anima. So, Sarubia’s more eastern inspired menu was like a little taste of home for both of them.

“Guess I can’t argue.” He shrugged, their pace slowing as they approached Tai’s classroom. His heart rate started to pick up. “You know, it’s funny. I was thinking about Anima just the other day.”

“Oh?” Tai’s keys jangled as he tried to unlock the door.

He rocked on his heels. “Yeah. I was thinking how nice it would be to bring a piece of it back home.”

“Heh, like what?” The door opened and Tai flipped on the lights. He took one step inside.

Then froze.

He swallowed down his nerves. “Perhaps, maybe, some Firelight Sunflowers?”

In the space between Tai’s body and where his arm was extended, hand not having left the doorknob yet, Qrow was proud to see the three sunflower saplings hadn’t wilted entirely overnight. Despite their droopiness, they were still thriving enough to see the curling, yellow petal tips that transitioned into a vibrant display of red that took up the majority of the bloom and gave them their name.

“Oh, Qrow.” Tai breathed. “You…” He trailed off, too overcome to find the words.

A relieved sigh left him as the tension Qrow’d felt the entire morning leading up to this moment flowed off of himself all at once. Between the knowledge that pretending to forget yet again could go horrendously wrong and the uncertainty whether the gift was even meaningful enough to warrant it, he’d barely been able to hold it together. Saying nothing of the weeks he’d spent nurturing the plants in secrecy or the bribery he had to give his nieces to ensure they’d be alone this morning.

Yet, any doubts he may have had were washed away by his husband’s response. The way Tai said his name was with such love, that Qrow felt it in his own heart and it burst back out of him in soft words: “Happy anniversary, sunshine.”

He finally moved, turning to face him. “I-I can’t believe - How did you find them?”

“That last mission I went on took me through lower Anima. I uh, may have detoured a bit.”

It hadn’t been any small challenge to find the specific species. They were an extremely rare variety which only grew in the southern meadows of Anima. He’d never actually seen them before, as the tribe never migrated that far down, but he knew they could be found only miles away from a little, obscure settlement known as Shén-Guāng. The community there was founded on extremely strict and religious practices, whose citizens’ bowed to the teachings of the God of Light and gripped so tightly onto every inch of its populace’s way of life, that even just hearing about it left Qrow feeling stir crazy.

The only reason he even knew of the little town at all was because when Tai was feeling particularly nostalgic, he’d sometimes share outlandish tales about his childhood. The one he never quite forgot was the story he’d told him during their second year at Beacon.

(“For my last test, Master Jinsei put a blindfold around my eyes. His semblance was the ability to tie an undoable knot – so there was no getting it off. He told me to use all the skills I had learned to go out and bring back a Firelight Sunflower.”

“A flower? You’re kidding right?”

“Don’t make it sound so easy. It was December. They weren’t even in bloom yet.”

“Oh, come off it. Now you really are making things up.”

“I’m not! The lesson isn’t just to find a flower blind. It’s about staying aware of your surroundings. Listening to the wildlife that will tell you of predators and Grimm. Having patience and fortitude through the winter. Most people give up a few days in.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“Because only those who pass that test are allowed to leave the village. You know, they say sunflowers mean all sorts of things. Like happiness or loyalty. But to me, I’ve always seen them as a symbol of freedom. So, when I finally brought one back, that’s what I felt I held in my hand.”

“… Yeah. Okay. I get that. Still, why put yourself through all that? Why not just go out on your own?”

“Hah! Maybe I would have, if I knew someone like you back then.”

“Well, you know me now. Was it worth it?”

Tai’s smile-)

-was bright and warm, and left Qrow’s knees feeling weak. His hand was calloused from training and work in the garden, yet the touch remained tender as it cupped his cheek. As they lent in towards one another, Tai whispered against his lips, “I love you.”

“Me too.” He whispered back.

Their eyes slipped shut as they kissed, and as an arm encircled his waist, Qrow rose his own to wind around Tai’s shoulders, one hand leafing through the short blond hairs along the back of his head. For a moment, that’s all they were: A soft and gentle caress of lips contrasting the strength in the way they held each other, neither ever intending to let go.

Even when they pulled back, they didn’t fully loosen their grip. Tai dropped a smaller, affectionate peck on the tip of his nose. “Thank you.”

“Glad you like them.” He peered over his husband’s shoulder, seeing a petal falling onto the desk. “Though, sorry they look kinda pathetic. Don’t exactly have your green thumb.”

With unshakeable certainty, he replied, “No. They’re perfect. Like you.”

“Uh.” Qrow spared the dying flowers a judgmental eye. “You know, you’re not usually this bad at compliments.”

“Ut-! Haha, sorry, sorry. Not what I meant!” He could feel the rumble of Tai’s laughter where their chests still touched. “It’s just, do you know what love and flowers have in common?”

“…Lovers’ Day?”

Tai shook his head. “They both regrow.” He reached up, cupping his hand around the one Qrow had rested on his collar, brushing a thumb over his wedding ring. “And though it takes a lot of work, with the right nurturing and care, eventually something strong and beautiful will blossom.”

Shock left his eyes widening and his jaw slackening.

When he’d chosen to plant three of the sunflowers, it was only because it was the same number of years as their anniversary. Now though, the other third he was in Tai’s life danced briefly through his head. On his worst days, the ones where he felt his most insecure, it was a fact that tormented him like a plague left to fester in his mind and was only treatable with a heavy dose of reassurance and comfort from his husband. But today, Tai’s words acted like a vaccine, abolishing the thoughts before they even could be.

Instead, Qrow was content and so light, he swore he could fly without wings. But more than that, he felt like he was falling in love all over again.

He buried his face into Tai’s neck, hiding the smile that he just knew was ridiculously large and goofy. “You know what? You’re right. But I’ll do you one better. We’re perfect.”

Tai’s fingers threaded through his own. “Yeah. We really are.”

#taiyang xiao long #qrow branwen #Taiqrow #ruby rose #yang xiao long #rwby #fanfiction #Chase Firekitten's Tale

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warmonger0 · 4 years

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#100DaysOfCode

Day 1 -

I’ve dabbled in web development on and off for years. I have the basics of html and css down and I can read most javascript but i could really use a formal deep dive into web development.

Even thought I’ve played around for so long, I’ve never successfully built more than a static website or two. I’ve made the excuses that real life is in the way, that I don’t have the time, or or that it’s too hard. But, the truth is that I haven’t been disciplined enough to devote just a little time to working on it, regularly.

So, I’ve decided to make a commitment to myself to spend time, each day, diving into web development. The mission is to work for at least 15 minutes a day, each and every day, for 100 days. A successful day is NOT just listening to someone talk about code for 15 minutes. A successful day IS reading, listening, and then actually applying what I read and heard with actual time typing code.

My goal is to use the knowledge I gain to develop the front end of a web tool for use in my law firm. That app will need to track my time spent on individual clients and matters, track and manage open tasks, and remind me to follow up on open items. There are plenty of off the shelf solutions to this but after testing out well over 40, I have yet to find one that suits my practice needs. That would also defeat the fun of making it myself.

To that end, i’m going to be focusing on vanilla javascript and React to implement the front end design of my web application. I’ve been halfway into a React course for months and today I finally felt like I needed to take the plunge and commit to myself and my learning. The winter break and wind down of year end legal work mean that I have a few moments each day to focus on programming.

Today, I ran through some old lessons from react and have started an introductory course on javascript. The short term goal in doing this is to reinforce basic javascript principles and remind myself of where I left off in my React lessons. As an added bonus, scrimba.com is running an advent calendar of daily javascript problems. You can find more about that my going to scrimba.com or by searching the hashtag #javaScriptmas on twitter.

For today’s #javaScriptmas challenge, I was able to complete the solution with a bit of research, but I got through the problem quickly. Thankfully, logic and math are strong suits for me but I am a bit rusty. Drafting contracts, I rarely have to do math.

Tomorrow, I’ll probably be back to a couple more lessons of vanilla javascript, another lesson on react, and I’m going to tackle setting up my environment in VSCode. I think that by week end, i’ll try my hand at my first react component for use in my law firm application.

If you read this, I hope you’ll wish me luck and, if you have the time I hope you’ll encourage me to post more. Starting a new habit is never easy but encouragement really helps. Thanks in advance.

-p

#100daysofcode #javascript reactJS react programming selfImprovement

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chronicallylatetotheparty · 5 years

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Second Love

LoganLight, AO3

Summary:

Adrien isn’t one to fall in love slowly. So, when his heart pulls him in a new direction he goes all in.

Notes: Written for Week 3 of Adrien AUG-reste.

————————————————–

Adrien parried Kagami’s strike and launched a counter attack. Kagami was ready however and dodged easily while landing a hit.

“Sloppy, Adrien,” Kagami commented as they retook their positions.

“Oh, you know,” Adrien replied with a teasing lilt. “It’s hard to focus when your opponent’s so pretty.”

Kagami missed her lunge and Adrien scored a hit. She lifted her mask so he could see her narrowed eyes. That was the first time Adrien called her pretty. Your underhanded tactics won’t be enough to secure victory!

“Is that why I beat you so easily?” Kagami asked.

Adrien lifted his own mask to reveal a smug grin. “You don’t need a handicap for that.”

Kagami felt a blush forming so she resumed her stance. He did likewise and they crossed swords.

Kagami was grateful for these one-on-one practice sessions. Even though they saw each other at many mutual high-class events it wasn’t the same. They were expected to act a certain way while representing their parents. But when they were fencing?

Adrien mirrored her movements perfectly. Her skill forced him to fight with everything he had. Kagami brought out the best in him and Adrien grinned at the challenge. There were no illusions when they were fencing. He could glimpse the parts of Kagami she kept hidden. Adrien was sure she could see him more clearly, too.

Kagami understood what it was like to be held up to impossible expectations. In his opinion, Kagami did it much better than him.

Which is probably why he was on his back at the moment.

“You let yourself become distracted,” Kagami accused while pointing her foil at him.

“Guilty,” Adrien admitted, embarrassed.

He got back on his feet and they started again. Kagami was always impressive with a sword; her movements fluid and sure like the Dragon she was. Especially motivated by his teasing to show him who’s boss.

But Adrien had motivations of his own. Recalling the move D'Argencourt used on him, Adrien twisted his foil around Kagami’s and shot it out of her hands. He could feel her surprise through the mask.

Removing his mask he smiled at her. “How’d I do?”

Kagami took off her own mask. “That was new.”

Adrien’s smile morphed into a grin. “I’m full of surprises. Some find it, disarming.”

Kagami stared at the self-satisfied look on his face. “… I’ll give you that one but you need better material.”

Adrien pouted.

Kagami turned away to hide her blush and the small smile tugging on the corners of her lips. “Anyway, we should get changed.”

They went to remove their sweaty gear. Adrien thinking of ways to make Kagami laugh. Kagami thinking of Adrien’s compliments and if they meant what she hoped they did.

——————————–

“What made you decide to switch targets?”

Adrien missed the intended keys and the piano clanged in protest. He gazed at her with wide, startled eyes then looked down. “I… I realized something recently.”

“And that is?” Kagami prodded gently.

Adrien took a deep breath. “That it’s not enough to choose someone. They have to choose you, too. And she didn’t. It took me a long time to accept that.”

Kagami was silent as she thought over her words. “You are sure this time?”

Adrien gave her a rueful smile. “You’re an incredible person, Kagami. Honest, brave, loyal. And you picked me. That… I’d like to make it work. If you’ll give me another chance?”

Kagami felt her cheeks heat up at his hopeful look. “I would like that very much.”

Adrien’s whole face lit up and this time it was Kagami’s turn to look away. She smiled at how Adrien wore his heart on his sleeve. For his part he admired Kagami’s rare, shy smile.

Adrien reluctantly pulled himself out of the gentle gaze he was giving Kagami. “… Do you want me to play anything?”

Kagami blinked as she came out of her own thoughts. “Pardon?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his head and gestured to his piano. “I do have to practice. Just thought you might want something specific?”

“I’d like to listen to your favorite, actually,” Kagami said. “You haven’t told me what it is.”

Adrien grinned and started playing an upbeat tempo that reminded him of black-and-white American cartoons and barroom brawls. Kagami wasn’t expecting that but what surprised her most was Adrien himself.

Kagami had never seen him so into a song before. She’d only heard him play a handful of times, true, but he didn’t smile then. He seemed to bounce with the melody and Kagami soon found herself tapping her feet to the rhythm.

The song was so unlike everything that was expected of them. It wasn’t the sterile so-called perfection that permeated their families. Kagami understood what this meant to Adrien without him having to say a word.

They smiled at each other as the joyful tune filled Adrien’s empty room.

—————————-

“No, no, no!” Vincent cried. “I need emotion! Like when your maman serves fresh made spaghetti!”

“Mother doesn’t cook,” Kagami replied stiffly.

Adrien smiled placatingly at the exasperated photographer and placed a gentle hand on Kagami’s shoulder. “Let me try.”

He turned Kagami away from the demanding cameras so they wouldn’t see her struggle. “How you holding up?”

“I’ve done photo ops before. Those photographers weren’t nearly so demanding,” Kagami admitted.

They were at a photoshoot to promote the Agreste and Tsurugi families’ joint venture.

Adrien gave her a sympathetic look. “Yeah, Vincent always gets the best photos but he’s not easy to satisfy. I remember how awkward my first time modeling was. It took me a while to relax.”

“You were quite awkward in the photo you showed me,” Kagami pointed out, a question in her voice.

Adrien rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly at the memory of his first photo-shoot. “Father intervened.”

Kagami gave him a small smile. “It’s endearing.” Kagami took pleasure in watching his blush darken. “… I’m unsure I’ll be able to perform what’s expected of me.”

Adrien dropped his hand from her shoulder to lace his fingers through her’s. “Think of it as a fencing match. How do you prepare for those?”

“I imagine my opponent prostrated before me after I have defeated them,” Kagami stated seriously.

Adrien blinked then his lips curled up in a smirk. “Well, then think of that with Vincent,” he stage whispered.

Kagami’s eyes took on a predatory glint.

Things went more smoothly after that and they made good progress. Adrien was happy to have someone to talk with; it made the usually boring shoot fun. Kagami gained a new respect for Adrien. His schedule was filled with so many of these! It wasn’t like fencing really but thinking of that gave Kagami something to focus on.

As the photographer wrapped up the young couple wondered when they’d have time to go on their first proper date.

—————————-

Adrien and Kagami ran through the crowd hand in hand. They flew as though being pursued. Which would only happen if they’d made a mistake in sneaking away from their respective guardians.

Planning the date without telling either of their parents turned out to be harder than expected. The convention may last all week but their schedules didn’t align for most of it.

Still. Adrien had never cosplayed before and Kagami had never been to a convention. Neither was going to miss the first one dedicated specifically to the Guardians of Paris.

Not for the first time Kagami thought about how unfair it was that he’d chosen her alter ego. Ryuko’s colors looked good on him. For his part Adrien thought the same thing about Kagami choosing to cosplay as Aspik. Especially since Viperion was much more popular.

Needless to say, both were blushing messes. Pretending they weren’t a romantic tension filled moment away from melting into a puddle of goo… Kagami was better at pretending than Adrien.

“Tell me again about this akuma video game?” Kagami asked. Adrien was very excited when he heard Max would show it off since he hadn’t gotten a chance to play it yet.

“Max designed the game himself! It’s got all the villains up to Gamer 2.0 and he’s thinking of adding the new ones eventually.” Adrien led her through the miling crowd of superheroes.

Mostly everyone dressed up as Ladybug and Chat Noir, with a few of the other heroes thrown in. Which was part of the reason Adrien insisted on coming as anyone besides them.

That and he didn’t want to see Kagami as Ladybug. That was just asking for trouble.

They found Max’s stall filled with people playing on a half dozen consoles. The line moved quickly as every pair was only allowed a three fight round. Max himself was engrossed in a fierce battle; Adrien didn’t want to break his concentration.

Kagami observed the unusual battles with interest. If she was going to beat Adrien she’d need every advantage. Finally it was their turn.

“I may not have played the game before but Max says the mechanics are similar to UMS III. And I’m still the second best player in our school,” Adrien boasted playfully, purposefully stoking her competitive side.

“Only second best? My victory is assured then. I may be rusty but my proficiency in gaming will be more than enough to destroy you.” Kagami would not let his smug smirk go unchallenged!

Adrien’s grin widened and he picked M. Pigeon, eager to see if the villain would be as effective as last time.

Odd but then so was her date; Kagami chose Riposte.

Adrien gave her a questioning look. Kagami straightened her posture in determination. “He doesn’t control me,” she said simply.

Adrien nodded, he was always in awe of Kagami’s strength and this small display was no exception.

Adrien and Kagami fought furiously for dominion. Learning the controls on the fly and trying to one up each other.

M. Pigeon’s victory caught Kagami by surprise. “Since when can he do that?”

“M. Pigeon used Meteor Strike! It’s super effective!” Adrien leaned into her space. “Say, what do I get if I win?”

Kagami leaned in. “I suppose you’d get to kiss me.”

Adrien turned bright red.

“And if I win I get to kiss you,” Kagami continued.

Powering through the thought of a kiss he could actually remember Adrien focused. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

Kagami gave him a predatory look. “Not at all.”

Adrien swallowed and met her charged gaze with his own. “Guess I better win then.”

Kagami won the next round.

“Why’d you pick Reflekta?” Kagami asked curiously.

Adrien sighed at the Mime’s victory pose onscreen. “I rock a mean pair of high heels.”

Kagami blinked in surprise, then she smiled. “How bold of you.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his head shyly.

Kagami picked Darkblade for the last round. Adrien thought of choosing Troublemaker like Ladybug had but decided to go with Kung Food.

The last fight was much more balanced as both of them had gotten used to the controls. Kung Food had greater range but Darkblade had better defense. Adrien threw cheese bombs as Kagami dodged and blocked. She managed to get close enough to make Kung Food pull out his sword.

Both were on their last sliver of health as they attacked. Their characters charged and hit each other simultaneously. Both fell as the screen proclaimed their battle a tie.

“… Max!” Adrien exclaimed.

“That was unexpected,” Kagami pulled Adrien out of the way of the next pair of players.

“He would put a mutual K.O. in his game!” Adrien grumbled as they walked to a less crowded corner.

“Are you upset because you think you don’t get to kiss me?” Kagami asked.

Adrien reddened slightly. “Well, we don’t have a winner and… What do you mean by that?”

Kagami turned to face him, her cheeks tinted pink. “In a certain sense we both won.” She let that sink in for a moment.

Adrien’s eyes widened and then he was giving her that soft look again. He stepped closer and Kagami did the same. Heedless of the noise of strangers surrounding them.

The kiss was gentle and tentative. Adrien was as soft as she imagined him to be. Kagami as warm as he knew she could be.

They pulled apart slowly and as they stared into each other’s eyes Kagami said the first thing that came into her head. “You smell like Camembert.”

Adrien’s face burned. "I’m sorry! I can’t help it! There’s this, um-“

Kagami placed a finger on his lips. "I like Camembert.” Adrien got even redder if that was possible and she swore she heard someone stifling their laughter.

“You do?” Adrien’s face was an odd mix of relief and chagrin.

“But I’m not sure I want a boyfriend that smells like cheese all the time.” Kagami teased stepping out of his grasp.

Boyfriend! “Yeah, hate for you to tell our friends your boyfriend stinks and give them the wrong idea.” Adrien reached out and grabbed her hand. That was the first time Kagami had called him her boyfriend!

“As opposed to the right idea?” Kagami decided that a blushing Adrien was well worth the effort. Even if he did get used to most of her teasing by the second go around.

Instead of answering immediately Adrien reached up to remove their masks. They didn’t get in the way of the game so they’d been left on.

“I’m sure they already know what my girlfriend got herself into.” Adrien was gratified to see Kagami’s blush darken to match his.

“Return my mask, Adrien. It completes the look,” Kagami said to distract herself.

Adrien complied. “I like being able to see your face. When I first saw you I thought: Wow, she’s cute!”

Kagami smiled shyly as she looked down at her mask. Adrien was always so liberal with his compliments. She had trouble in that department. “When you returned my saber to me I realized how honorable you are. Not many opponents would insist on a rematch after being declared the winner.”

“… You didn’t have to comfort me that day,” Adrien said. “But you did. You were gentle with me. Kind. And I-”

“You’ve already apologized for that,” Kagami interrupted. “And I will not have my boyfriend under a self-inflicted debt.”

“Well. Why don’t you humor me and let me take you ice skating again?” Adrien asked. “A proper date. Just the two of us this time.” He clasped her hands between his as he looked into her eyes.

“As I recall I took you ice skating,” Kagami corrected. “But I’m not opposed to the idea.”

Adrien laughed lightly. “I’ll take that as a yes!”

The young couple redonned their masks as they went to explore the rest of the convention. Wandering anonymously and aimlessly to whatever caught their eye.

And as they walked among superheroes Adrien realized that he hadn’t reacted to the red and polka dots once.

Kagami squeezed his hand and he returned the gesture. They were both making this up as they went along and neither was sure of where it would lead. But Adrien knew they’d figure it out together.

————————————————–

Notes: Basically I took that soft look Kagami got at the end of Oni-chan and ran with it. Also needs more puns. (Written before Desperada)

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sergeanttpoliteness · 6 years

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➹bruised knees➹ (peter parker x reader)

The one where you wish you had spent more time at the roller rink as a little kid, because you just so happen to be on a date with Peter Parker in a roller skating place and you can't exactly impress him with your extravagant arm movements as you try to keep your balance.

word count: 2.4k, short and sweet

a/n: hello @ whoever’s reading this! this my first time ever posting my writing here so i’m sort of nervous? it’s certainly not the last, tho, so feel free to help me out w ideas and send me requests if you want :) (more mcu pete, ps4 pete, itsv peter b. parker, miles morales, gwen, other mcu characters, don’t hold back!!) hope you enjoy !!

There were several things in your short life that you were proud of yourself for doing. Like how back in third grade, despite how complex subtractions were for you, you worked hard and were the only person to get an A in your math test. There’s also that time you won second place (and some tasty chocolates) in your science fair in middle school; and getting a good grade on your last physics exam, even if you procrastinated studying until the night before. Most importantly, though, you also made the fluffiest, most mouth-watering pancakes in the world (it wasn’t a proven fact, but still). What you couldn’t stop appreciating past you for, however, was mustering the courage two months ago during your chemistry class to approach the cute sweater-wearing boy called Peter.

Alright, that was a lie; you didn’t directly make the decision. Rather, you didn’t share that class with any of your friends and neither did he, so it wasn’t a surprise when you two were the last two people left without a partner to work with. But that wasn’t the tragedy of the year— far from it, actually. Every single chemistry lesson, your gaze never failed to take a stop on his pretty curls; brown like the chocolate you eat after a particularly terrible day. Peter was just like that: his serene posture, sat where the golden daylight lovingly showered over him, warmed your body and left a sweet and addicting taste behind. You didn’t even know him; he was nothing more than a magical reverie in your swirling head, yet he never failed to embarrassingly heat up your entire body and make your heart run the mile. Perhaps all that staring resulted in more studying at home, seeing as you barely paid attention to your teacher’s lectures, but that boy deserved all the admiring in the world and you’re glad to deliver just that. So when his eyes met yours from the other side of the class, you wasted no time in raising from your seat, your hands clammy and clenching closed as you walked toward him with determination.

Obviously, he agreed to be your partner. Or tried to, at least, for he couldn’t stop fumbling over his words. Throughout the whole period, his cheeks and ears were the shade of roses in valentines day, but it couldn’t mean anything, you thought. He did always sit in front of the window, after all; possibly the forceful sunlight was finally getting to him. He also accidentally spilled a substance all over your lab coat and shirt— thankfully, nothing toxic, and your upper half didn’t burst in flames. On the other hand, it left you smelling like a dead town during the Black Plague, and Peter hasn’t stopped apologizing for it ever since. You forgave him without a doubt; not purely because of your-slightly-too-big crush on him, but you undeniably had to when he lent you his sweater for his mistake, and that was when you knew you were a goner.

Regardless of that catastrophe, you two really got along. That was what drove you to confidently approach his table at lunch, ready to ask if you could sit with him and his friend. You may or may not have lost that confidence once his curious puppy eyes blinked up at you, leaving you frozen and muttering a long ‘uh’ as you rummaged your brain for the words you had practiced over and over again beforehand. Nevertheless, if you forget about that one part, you handled it like an absolute smooth legend and earned a daily seat with them.

Two months of blushing attacks, you and Peter staring at each other with bashful smiles, chemistry, and Ned rolling his eyes at the both of you for being so ridiculous have gone by; and for the third time, you were giving yourself a pep talk to ask Peter out on a date once and for all. The tables turned this time, though (thankfully), and one morning Peter pulled on his sweatshirt’s sleeves and bit his lip as he asked if you wanted to hang out with him.

And that was the story of why you were here right now: tying the shoelaces of your heavy roller skates, and then grabbing onto the bench in great distress as you prepared to stand up. You panicked when Peter suggested going to a roller skating rink due to a small, somewhat important fact: you had no idea how to roller skate. The only time you’d ever done it was when you were five and your classmate invited you to her High School Musical themed roller skating birthday party— it ended with you skating (or, to be correct, stumbling) into the birthday girl, and her screaming as she held onto her broken ankle. Was it a silly trauma? Maybe; just like the time you showed up at kindergarten dressed as your favorite Disney character on the wrong day. But it certainly kept you away from ever practicing the activity again, which meant you had zero skill, and a hundred percent chance of turning out like the five-year-old birthday girl. However, you never confessed this fear to Peter. Because you’re dumb? Yes, indeed, but also because his eyes shimmered with excitement when he proposed the idea, and you really simply couldn’t bring yourself to shut him down. Instead, you marveled at him like you always did.

Peter swiftly rose to his feet, doing a suave spin in his roller skates perhaps to impress you; not that he would admit that to you, though. A wide precious smile spread across his face and he reached out his hands to you, offering his help. You accepted it, your fingers intertwining and spouting that glee within your chest that you repeatedly experienced whenever you touched; even if it was an accidental brush against your shoulder. “Ready?” He asked, squeezing your hands.

“Uh, yeah, of course,” You smirked, as if you hadn’t just been planning to twist your ankle so you wouldn’t make a fool out of yourself in front of the boy you liked. “I’m a freaking pro.” Why did I say that?!, you thought, wincing internally.

Peter was thankful the darkness and the dancing neon beam lights left you oblivious to his flustered face after you stumbled a little and your hand shot out to grab his shoulder, throwing yourself flush against his chest. Now you were hugging him like a koala, with your other linked hands squished between your bodies. You sheepishly smiled up at him, gently pushing yourself away from him. “Hah. Sorry, I’m just a little rusty. It has been like fifty years, y’know?” You lied, avoiding his gaze.

“Y-yeah, no, it’s alright. Let’s just take it slow,” He took a step back and moved further away from you, your hands still connected. You didn’t think twice (it really wasn’t that deep) before raising one foot to advance, but you instantly regretted that decision when your other foot slid backwards. Your feet skidded all over the place, until Peter grabbed your waist and steadied you. “Whoa! You sure you know how to roller skate?” He laughed.

“Just a little rusty!” You insisted again, and to prove that your lie was indeed true, you began to slide your feet. “See? I got it!”

You did not have it. Not at all— you looked ridiculous. Since you couldn’t lift your left foot without falling, you only picked up your right foot and it made it appear as if you were limping after someone kicked you in the shin. You accomplished to skate into the rink; however, it was possible that it was thanks to Peter, considering he didn’t let go of your hand in fear of you falling. The truth was that he also just wanted to hold and touch you.

A turtle could’ve been considered faster than the two of you at that moment; you kept your hand plastered against the wall, squealing each time Peter tried to pick up the pace. “I’ve got you, don’t worry,” He smiled reassuringly, but you stayed fixed in the same place, glaring down at your roller skates. “Y/N, we literally haven’t even moved an inch away from the entrance—

“No, not really, we moved like ten inches!” You grinned nervously, inhaling deeply. “Gimme a few seconds, okay? I’ve got it! I’m just preparing myse— oh my fucking God!” You screamed too dramatically when Peter stopped listening to you and began to glide forward. You held onto his sweater’s sleeve for dear life, not moving your legs at all; he was the one dragging you slowly. In your head, it was the most terrifying thing in the world, but then you looked up at Peter’s wrinkled eyes as he burst into laughter and, just for a second, you forgot about the deadly wooden floor beneath.

For some idiotic reason, the designer of the rink decided it would be a fantastic idea for the railing not to start until the wall all the way across from the entrance. Once you reached it, you launched yourself toward it, clutching the metal rail tightly, your skates bumping into the wall. Peter extended his hand again, and you gladfully took it, this time one hand on the railing whilst the other in his. It took about eight long minutes, but first, you released the railing and eventually, you released Peter too.

"You did it!" He cheered as he watched you carefully glide your feet, your palms facing forward to balance yourself. "Look at yourself, what a professional!"

You loved it, you had to admit, how proudly he beamed at you and applauded your below mediocre work; even as a five-year-old sped by you two, doing some Olympic-like tricks with recognizable grace. That was when you noticed the adoration in his gaze— that same infatuation laced in your eyes whenever you happily admired him during chemistry class; that same syrupy sweetness that engulfed your self just because of him. His face made you lose your balance, which wasn't a big deal, until you transformed it into one with your alarm. You flailed your arms wildly, staggering, and Peter reached out, ready to stabilize you. However, you managed to stop your fall.

You breathed out in relief at your victory, giggling. "I really just defeated death— ah!"

You immediately fell forward. Peter hissed at the painful sound of your knees smashing on the floor, quickly crouching down in front of you to see if you were okay.

"Ohh my God, are— are you okay?" He couldn't help the way his voice wavered as he tried to keep in his laughter. He didn't last a moment longer, though, a quiet laugh slipping through his lips. "You didn't defeat death after all, huh?" You rolled your eyes at him, but who were you kidding— you snorted, chuckling along with him.

"You really have the nerve to laugh at me. Just wait for the tables to turn once I see you fall on your ass." You playfully nudged his shoulder with your hand, yet gripped his own outstretched one to lift yourself. You advanced to continue skating, but stopped when Peter stayed put, smirking at you. "What?"

"I've got an idea," He said, smoothly sliding to stand in front of you with his back facing you. "You're not gonna get to enjoy if you're just worrying about falling, so hold onto my shoulders."

You lifted a brow, scoffing. "Wow, I can't believe you don't think I can do this on my own," You teased and shook your head, but did as he said nonetheless. He glanced back at you, telling you to prepare yourself and hold on tight, and then began moving at a normal pace. "If I fall on my face, then I swear to God—"

"Not gonna happen. Don't worry," He reassured, sliding his feet with ease. After doing one lap around the entire roller rink and you had the chance to become acquainted with the movement, he picked up his speed. "Tell me if you want to slow down, okay?"

You don't say a word, and soon you and Peter were dashing past the people, both howling in excitement and the muscles of your face aching from smiling so brightly. You watched the blurs of colors go by, similar to vehicles in a highway at night while the music blasted from the stereo and the breeze invaded you through your open window, embracing your cheeks with its icy fingertips. Peter occasionally grinned back at you; they were just short glances, but in that split second he got to see you, a heat blossomed within him just like a small and shy plant opening up to the soft daylight of the sun. That exact moment— the one he hoped would never come to end— he realized how deep he was in, and how content he was that it was you, and not someone else.

On the other hand, that also was the moment a little girl accidentally hit the back of your roller skates and sent you down straight to the floor, bringing Peter down with you.

Yet again, you crashed your right knee and this time your elbow, too, against the hard surface. Peter tumbled on his back, almost underneath you. Of course, you groaned internally, of course we had to fall on top of each other. Can't miss that. You're sure you broke your knee as well and after a quick check, you saw that your elbow was bleeding.

But despite the pain and embarrassment, you two laid there wheezing— your hand on his vibrating chest and his hands on your shoulders. And it happened, just like always: your laughter stopped, and you both stared into each other's eyes with adoration, timid smiles adorning your faces. His smile vanished, replaced by wide, big nervous eyes. He sneaked his hand up your skin until it reached your cheek and it remained there, his thumb caressing you tenderly. He lifted himself up to his elbows, and without a word or a second to hesitate, he leaned forward— a gentle, careful peck on your lips. He broke away. "I'm sorry," He whispered, "I probably should've asked, but you just looked s-so pretty and I didn't want to waste the moment—"

You collided your lips against his, kissing him deeply, your arms around his neck. He raised his other hand, cupping your face lovingly. And you're just there, on the ground, in a roller rink, with bruised knees, and creating quite the traffic. But you didn't mind at all; even if later you'd squirm with humiliation, even if your knees hurt so badly. Because you weren't going to break away from Peter, and neither was he.

#peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #peter parker #mcu #parkerpete #tom holland #spiderman #spiderman homecoming #spiderman far from home #oneshot #imagine #peter parker one shot #peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #gender neutral #fem!reader #male!reader #tom holland x reader

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the-sky-fell-blossoms · 5 years

Text

A Guide to a Tanking KDA (A Juciel Fic)

Jumin stood up so sharply that Saeyoung was almost certain that if he hadn't sat up by reflex also he might of had whiplash. He was using his lap as something of a pillow, having a nice chat with his brother and his brother's boytoy. Which might have maybe been at Jumin's expense. But to an extent they were all used to being ignored, for the sake of a laugh, as they try to defend themselves. It was custom, and he wasn't used to Jumin being so worked up. Enough to leave the room. He was almost afraid he accidentally pushed too far. Not that it's never happened before but for Jumin to be distraught enough to leave the room? Leaving the room angry Jumin was a force to be reckoned with. "Assistant Kang inform my father that I need to speak to him immediately." Unfortunately there was only determination in his words as he spoke into the receiver of his phone.

"Jumin! 4.38-"

"No, tell him to clear his schedule. I need to talk to him now." He shot his brother a look then turned to stark who seemed surprised and confused, not spending nearly as much time as he or his kinda sorta boyfriend had with Jumin. A determined Jumin was arguably even worse. A determined Jumin got anything he wanted done. And from the sounds of it it's nothing good. He followed after Jumin as the elder man escaped into Seven's room.

"Jumin- what are you doing? Why did you choose now to get into a rebellious phase?" He entered the room and closed the door trying to gauge the situation. Not alot of people can talk Jumin out of something. Seven only having a shaky success rate at best himself.

Jumin snapped his phone shut and turned around in a way anyone else not in the RFA would have assumed was a calm and collected way, squaring his shoulders, slightly raising his nose. "This is not my rebellious phase."

"Yeah just like your not drunkenness every other night." Seven rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

"No, not like that. Despite your sarcasm I'm not doing this to spite my father." He pinched the bridge of his nose in a way that wasn't completely annoyed but not unannoyed either.

Still, he got enough in those to piece together what he was thinking. People can say a lot about the older Choi, but he is quick on his feet and smart enough when it comes to a lot of things. "Then why are you doing this? You know coming out to your father would only make him throw more engagements at you. Personally 4.38 a month is pretty fucking high to me! Is it not for you?"

"Of course it is. Which is why he has to know."

Seven threw his hands up, in mock frustration. "Jumin- what if this backfires and he starts sending his girlfriend's hot sons at you instead!"

"Do not be ridiculous, Luciel." It doesn't do much to Jumin's resolve. If it did Saeyoung was getting rusty at reading his boyfriend's expressive personality. So he tries the next best thing when poking holes in plans doesn't work.

"Jumin I can't take rich hot men and women throwing themselves at my boyfriend. Not when they have your father's blessings." Appeal to Jumin's concern for his self esteem. Sugarcoating genuine vulnerability is the next best thing when someone can tell you're lying almost as well as you can tell when they decide to have feelings.

"Should that really be the reason you can not stand the thought?"

"What? Everyone knows daddy dearest is the way into get Mr. Moneybag's heart and bank account."

"Save for the fact you've never met my father as yourself."

He was happy his room was sound proof, anyone would think they were fighting right about now. But no. This is an intellectual sparring battle, to get the other to concede to being wrong or too dramatic without saying it explicitly. And they both debated very well and enjoyed the game presented from doing it with each other. Saeyoung with diversion and plausible outcomes/doubts. Jumin using straight forward logic and selective quoting. if Saeyoung didn't have an active imagination and Jumin any less blunt they'd have much more stalemates.

"No, I got in through Big Daddy V instead."

Saeyoung smiled slightly when Jumin's eyebrow twitched at the statement. He covered his mouth however, not wanting to lose ground to amusement. That's often how he lost. "Are you attempting to get me to rethink telling my father about our relationship or the relationship itself?"

His smile grew an he shrugged with one hand. "I haven't really decided yet, I guess whichever comes first. Buuuuut I'm still holding my breath for the day you realize I'm not really worth all this. I give up trying to make you realize myself though. You're very stubborn on this loving me thing."

"Yes, I am. And these proposals bother you, not to mention they also bother me, so they must go. It's a very simple concept, I don't know why you're fighting me on this." His voice softened, getting serious. Seven noticed, of course he did. He crossed his arms. He didn't want to be serious right now, Jumin should just know why he can't tell his dad. It should just be obvious. It wasn't something to have a heart to heart over.

"Fighting is a very strong word. I'm just trying to get you to see this is counterproductive. And I didn't say they bother me." He subconsciously stepped back to lean against the door as he said this. Only realizing this after, but not being able to move back. Jumin would notice he's uncomfortable, then he really won't drop it.

Not that it mattered as Jumin sighed slightly threw his nose, relaxing. He glanced at Saeyoung's arms, not even trying to disguise it. He probably knew Saeyoung would notice anyway. "You just said you couldn't stand the thought of other men being thrown at me."

"I said 4.38 proposals was excessive. I already get that people can't help being attracted to my Jumin. You're too pretty for your own good, my love. But even female Sevenny doesn't get to attend mating parties designed to get her hitched." And that was true, he didn't blame anyone for hitting on Jumin. He was an amazing package deal. Seven worked hard not to be jealous. He trusted Jumin and also knew that if someone were to actually wiggle their way into Jumin they had to be just as amazing. He knew this.

"Then I'll tell my father I already have a prospective mate." He said slipping on his dress shirt. Aw great. He wondered how far that single action dropped his win rate.

"You caaaaaan't" he whined out rolling his eyes, his head going along with the action.

"Why not?" He says as if he were addressing a child.

"Because. Your father will ground you for being a naughty gay boy." Him being a child. It was a fair analysis. Seven snorted pressing more against the door as Jumin neared the top of the shirt buttons. "Then where am I supposed to get all my hickeys? You're the only dealer that gets them just right."

"Then doing this will make me your private dealer." He doesn't miss a beat in replying as he finished with his buttons moving for his blazer. He looked up, openly studying his boyfriend. Seven hated when he did that. He felt so much smaller when he did that. Saeyoung crossed his arms tighter.

Despite that, his face didn't change from the amusement placed in it before. "Jumin, you've obviously never been a dealer before. Because you're not supposed to tell the police who your clients are!"

"Why are you so against my speaking with my father about us?" Jumin's voice was edging on annoyance and worry. Dancing on the line of done with being toyed around with on something so important.

"Well, I know you're w to the making stupid rash decisions club, but there's always that one guy who announces that there's a stupid rash decision being made. Nice to meet you, I'm your part time cap'n obvious. This is a stupid rash decision."

"..." Jumin looked at him, a slight glare in his eyes, but seeing Seven wasn't going to give in anytime soon, he lets out another sigh and steps towards the door with purpose. "If you need a serious discussion anytime soon, I will be with my father."

"Jumin…" He fought the urge to press his back into the door even more, his facade failing quickly as Jumin walked up to placing his hand on the door knob decisively. Still, he does wait for something else to follow his name. All Saeyoung can bring himself to do is set his jaw tighter.

"Goodbye, Luciel."

He pulls at the door. And despite Saeyoung being trained in combat he's not as strong as Jumin is. He knew he couldn't hold the door if Jumin was adamant about getting out, not for long. It isn't a quick pull either, as if he's still waiting. "Okay, fine!" He growled out, his mask falling in an instant as the door slammed shut. However, he didn't talk immediately. Just glare. And Jumin just smiles, or his equivalent, and waits patiently as Saeyoung opened his mouth to speak. It always took him longer to be emotionally open. While Jumin could just open his mouth and say spontaneous sentiments. Saeyoung never was able to come up with anything to say, not anything serious serious at least, back to his lover on the spot, usually giving a joke and Jumin would move on because he knows what the redhead means. Even by just silence. But there are times when he just waits, his eyes patient. It made him feel bad for not being better for Jumin. He really wouldn't be angry if one day Jumin finally realized he needed better. He opened and closed his mouth only twice before starting. His voice small."I don't…" Okay, so three times. His crossed arms were quickly turning less defensive and more hugging himself. "Your father means a lot to you. It's been like your life's mission from the age of being able to sit at the 'big people' table to live up to his expectations. And I'm not up to his expectations. I mean I make a pretty attractive female. But I don't have the working parts to… I can't add on to your family and if you tell your father about me I might just be tearing a part from it. I know how much family means to you..."

"Oh Saeyoung… it's been my life's mission way before that."

"Shut up." He continued his long fight with his unwanted laugh. He turned away as Jumin pull him into a hug. Calming down in his arms as he continued spilling his heart out. "I'm scared that… I don't know. I feel like it's my fault for being blinded by, well, you and not thinking this far ahead. I mean this is your whole life you can lose if you do this. I don't want that."

"...You will be adding onto my family. I only want to share that responsibility with you. And my father will come around given time and space, if him valuing family as much as I've been raised to is anything to go by." He hated not only being studied but also consoled. He hated how much he needed to lean on Jumin. He should really be stronger for him and not… whatever he was doing now. Jumin gives him so much and he really doesn't deserve him.

"You don't know that… I mean he-" Against his words he moves to hug him back tightly. He did manage not to cry however. Points for him.

"Of course I do, Saeyoung. I'm a 'know-it-all'. I know everything."

He said it so bluntly, it surprised a laugh out of the smaller male. "You are, aren't you?" He said more to himself as he nuzzled into Jumin's chest.

"Of course I am. And as soon as I speak to my father, I can publicly be your know-it-all. You have my word that my talk with my father won't change that either way it goes. I've already decided you're the one I want to be with. We will deal with whatever happens with 'Senior Moneybags' as it happens. I promise you." A determined Jumin and a weak willed Saeyoung most definitely meant one way or another things were getting done. He knew that, of course he did, but when Jumin said it he felt it was true. Unlike him Jumin is not a liar.

He opened his mouth, perhaps to say something that was warming the bottom of his stomach just thinking about it. But when he opened it all that escaped was another chuckle and "...I hope you know I can't marry you if you're this effective at talking me into your bad ideas."

"I figured you find amusement at my comically bad ideas? You've been laughing this entire 'heart-to-heart'. Actually now that I mention it you laugh a lot during these talks." He said teasingly. They both know Jumin did it on purpose. It was one of the many things he did to comfort the weak willed small man. One of the things he didn't deserve.

"It's not like I want to…"

"I know. But I prefer you smiling than distressed." He moved away from the other adjusting his tie. Actually one of the only things he didn't take off. Just that, his pants, and an undershirt. Saeyoung loved his casual Jumin, also his drunk Jumin. He just loved any Jumin that wasn't lonely or over worked.

He hugged the other from behind as he turned to leave. "I'm always distressed Jumin, take me to bed." He whispered.

"Of course, Luciel…" he unwrapped himself from his lover and turn once more to kiss his hand. "After I sit down with my father."

Golden eyes were needless to say unamused. "You're turning down distraction sex for an uncomfortable conversation with your father?" He knew what he was doing, Jumin surely knew what that was. There was no reason to pretend he intended on just sleeping, though he didn't fully intend sex. He was thinking pretty damn close.

"You're very good at your job, captain obvious." Jumin chuckled softly, picking up his phone. Most likely to contact Driver Kim to get out of there. Or to text his father directly. He'd personally bet on the former than the latter. Jumin rarely talked to his father without an appointment. And they often set it at random. It really screwed with Seven's knowledge on Jumin's schedule.

"There are a lot of things I'm good at that you'll miss out on if you leave~" he said, slipping past him and spreading his arms out to block the door.

"Call it a necessary sacrifice." he said this time staring down at him with amusement, maybe also in a way you would a child. It was affectionate, somewhere between ruffling red tuff of hair and pulling them in for a quick make out session before Driver Kim pulls up.

"I'll call it Jumin's signature stubbornness…"

"That's fine." He said leaning down for a kiss, Seven turned away. Making the kiss land on his cheek. Jumin didn't seem bothered however. Muttering softly against his skin. "I will be heading out now, perhaps I will return home after. I believe the order that your presence isn't a cause for alarm is still active. I don't remember redacting it." Seven knew what that meant.

"I'll keep that in mind as I pace in my room until I pass out from worry!" He's however not so easily swayed.

"As long as you sleep at a reasonable time that's also fine." Saeyoung could almost taste the amusement on his lips as he leaned down to rest his head on his shoulder."If you're not there when I get in, I'll call you as soon as I step foot inside."

The words were soft, and Seven found himself lowering his arms. There's the reason he calls himself weak willed. He would agree to anything his Jumin said if he spoke like that, right there, only to him. "Not if your father grounds you." Didn't mean he wouldn't poke fun though.

"Oh please, Luciel." The way his name slipped off the Millionaire's tongue when he got like this… Any other time he's sure he probably would have pounced on him. "I'm aware of the many, many ways to catch your attention. I will prove that thoroughly tonight. If you decide to drop by, that is." His lips were dancing on his neck in this position and The Ex Agent was hyper aware of the shapes they made on each syllable. He knows now isn't the time for this and so did Jumin apparently as he pulled away and at the door. This time it opened without problem. Of course Seven moved. "Good night, darling."

"'Night, babe…" He's so very weak.

……..

Saeyoung had left his own home to head to Jumin's not shortly after explaining what was going on to Saeran and Vanderwood. The younger Choi had called him a coward and questioned why he didn't go with Jumin if he was so worried. He had then proceeded to answer himself by restating his other half was a coward. Stark had a few words as well. Not all of them in his favor but Stark had never exactly been cruel to Seven. Not really. He'd nag and complain about him as an older brother would. But even with Saeran there he didn't really kick him while he was down.

There were times when he was thankful for Stark. This was one of those moments, because he had felt bad for leaving his boyfriend to handle himself alone. He wasn't being a great so called partner.

He knew it was for the best though. It would devolve into a full blown fight if Jumin had to crusade not only for their relationship but for his lover's honor. He'd defend his weak willed love and burn even more bridges in the pursuit.

So he found himself sitting on Jumin's couch about an hour later. Maybe an hour and a half. Waiting for Jumin, Elizabeth the Third perched on his lap as he lost time stroking her snow white fur.

Finally he heard the ding of the elevator. And the sound of high end dress shoes clacking against the hardwood. And Ruffling, as Jumin must have been working his clothes off on the way in. Saeyoung noticed him first as he rounded the corner passed the kitchen, removing his jacket. “Hey.”

His head popped up, and there was slight surprise on his face before that gave way to a small smile. Seven could feel his heart clench at the sight. “So, it seems I did in fact forget to call on guards out for you tonight?” His voice was quiet and Saeyoung stood, ushering Elly off his lap with a small pat.

“Nah, I made my way up scaling the building. You never get a higher respect for where birds can put their nests.” he said shifting his weight to one leg.

“Luciel…”

Finally he made his way to close the distance. Properly greeting his Silver Spoon with a hug. “I’m kidding, I went up the way you wanted me to. I also grabbed your mail.” Jumin hummed in response. It wasn't their usual hug hums so he added on, pulling away. “Nooo i didn’t open all of them.”

“You’re kidding.” it was a flat sentiment. His face not cluing The smaller mail into anything he was thinking.

He fought off the worried frown that was trying to grace his lips. Of course, while he didn't expect Jumin to be fine he wasn't ready for closed off Jumin to pay a visit either. “Was that a tired-of-me 'you're kidding' or, are you-”

“I was attempting to finish your thoughts.” The CEO stepped around him with practiced grace as he took a seat on the couch.

“You did pretty good.” Saeyoung said, moving over to lean over the back of the couch to wrap his arms around his lover's neck. Slowly he leaned down to place a kiss on his ear.

“Thank you.”

It was such a quiet remark, the ex agent couldn't place what he was actually thanking him for. Maybe he was slipping due to his mind running too fast. “So…” he almost wondered if Jumin could feel his heart pounding in dread for the answer to his next question. “Are you grounded?”

Jumin sighed. He couldn't tell if it was out of annoyance or relief that Saeyoung decided to make this a little serious of a subject that it comparably could have been. “No, midnight yaut racing for a year.”

“Oh is that all?” Truthfully he was just terrified of losing Jumin so soon. Perhaps that was part of the reason he hadn't gone with Jumin. The idea of losing him was too much.

“No. but I will deal with that on my own time. For now I’m just relieved to find you here… I thought you might have been too upset with me for pushing you into this to come. I half expected you not to.” Saeyoung wondered if that was in part because he also knew how weak Seven was. He had a bad habit of running from things that scared him and the man in his arms knew this. Came home with full intentions to take the burden all on his own for what was supposed to be his partner. He still was apparently. The Idiot dug his nails into his wrists not only to keep his hold on Jumin but to steel himself from his next question.

But Saeyoung was oh so weak. He couldn't ask it, not yet. And his chest grew tighter, not even knowing how to word the phrase. He took a breath and a laugh escaped one devoid of humor, he was almost disgusted at how unconvincing that one was. But continued anyway. “Of course I came. I had to at least hear out our premature divorce. I wanna keep the kids we’ll never have.”

“Firstly, no. I’m keeping the children, They will have a better life with me.” Jumin, for all his good grace, let the much smaller man, in oh so many ways, continue to keep up the charade slightly longer before sighing and continuing. “and furthermore, I am not prematurely divorcing you. I told you what I felt and I meant it. My father has about as much of a choice in my love life as I do his." He paused his voice much softer than it had been, Saeyoung finally being able to read emotion once again. They were taking a time out from their game. "It’s safe to discard the humor. I’m not going anywhere without you by my side.”

By pure reflex the grip on his neck tightened as red tufts of hair buried themselves into his shoulder. The words that came out were small, but were able to fit in the air just enough. “...What did he say?”

“Nothing really. It was quite a silent meal. I told him after we had received our drinks and he finished his first.”

“Makes sense…”

“Come sit with me. Have you had dinner?” Jumin put a hand to the linked arms around his neck, but didn't make a move to remove them.

“Jumin…” it was almost a plea. And it made Jumin hold his breath. The smaller male could feel his chest still.

“Yes, Luciel?” the words were raw, much more raw than Saeyoung had ever heard from him.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course I am, there is little cause of concern found in that of a tiff between father and son.” He had forced the confidence back into his voice. Perhaps not to concern the man he'd been supporting not 5 seconds ago.

“You talk 10 times as haughty when you are in fact not fine.”

“I will make do…” He gave in, Saeyoung having raised his win rate.

“You’re really brave and I'm really happy you did this. It makes me feel loved, and you’re one of the only people I've ever felt this for. Your dad will come around or he'll be missing out on the best and most faithful person to have in anyone's life. And luckily mine." He just wanted his contented Jumin back. He didn't enjoy watching him crawling in on himself to not cause worry to others. Everyone usually forgets Jumin and him have feelings other than their default state. But they both had times when they needed encouragement and a serious or emotional talk. And they've both seen that in each other long before they started dating. Saeyoung was just afraid of overstepping boundaries and letting his slight crush get too tangled up in the mess that was his life, and Jumin is shit at emotional talks and often got it wrong. Though his solutions were practical and had good intentions.

Now that they had each other, they had someone who never let them forget feelings exist and it's okay to talk about them. "Thank you, Luciel…"

"Jumin…" Saeyoung vowed to himself that he would never let Jumin forget this, and he felt as if Jumin would do the same for him as soon as he gets tired of his jokes.

"I would rather just retire for the night. Unless you've not had anything to eat."

"I am still distressed." He pouts and nuzzles into his neck. He was however not yet tired of his own jokes.

Jumin snorts and unwraps himself from Seven's hold. "Very well." He stands and Luciel propels himself over the back of his couch and onto the taller, and much stronger, one's back. The very expensive body of the CEO of C&R International doesn't fall however, he catches himself using the coffee table. "Luciel!"

"I said I'm distressed Jumin, you have to take me to bed." He hums out crossing his legs around his lover's waist.

"Whatever you require of me, my love." Jumin groans out shaking his head slightly at the antics of his personal psychopath. He made it down the hall without problem until suddenly Luciel jerked his weight to the left mid stride and Jumin had to hold an arm out to stop himself from hitting the wall. Taken off guard. "Luciel!" All he was greeted with was apparently very amused giggles

"I'm too distressed to control my depression impulses." Saeyoung whined out kissing behind his ear. He enjoyed messing with his Mr. Moneybags. And Jumin very rarely asked him to stop.

"Now, you're simply making things up." Doesn't mean he was agreeable.

"Jumin! You need to work on your bedside manners." He said leaning his head into the man's, who's quite literally carrying him through this, hair. "Also… you can call me Saeyoung, you know. Not just when you're scolding me."

"Nothing pulls your shit together faster, however."

"Are you using profanity with your patient!?" The arms under him tighten even before he starts thrashing around again. "Oh! The distress!"

"Saeyoung…" he says as they somehow manage to get to Jumin's door. Obediently Saeyoung does stop his thrashing about, almost instantly causing Jumin to sniff out his own amusement. "See?"

"Yeah, yeah." The embodiment of privilege lowers himself down to sit on the bed letting Saeyoung slip out and into the covers as Jumin begins undressing. Saeyoung, having been there longer, was already in his night clothes. Jumin insisted he have a pair, or twenty, here just in case. His own way of saying he wanted him over as much as possible as long as possible and this wasn't lost on him. "C'mere." He said as Jumin finished dressing and undressing, leaving his discarded clothes on the floor. They'll move it to the hamper tomorrow morning. He opened his arms and let Jumin settle down into his chest without a word. "I know I didn't want you to. But I really do appreciate what you did today." He said. Thinking Jumin might have needed to hear it again. So he kept talking, unsure but Jumin wrapping his arms around him helped with that slightly. "You know I won't judge you if you happen to cry or something when I fall asleep and I wake up with a wet spot on my shirt tomorrow morning."

"I know you wouldn't, Saeyoung. You Chois are exceptionally over emotional."

"It runs in our family." He relented. That was probably not untrue.

"I am aware to a certain extent."

"I'm serious though. You don't have to cry but I'm willing to hear you out. If you wanna talk about it." He was half expecting to be brushed off. But all he felt was Jumins press himself into his chest even more.

"I know, and that means the world to me that you are." Jumin has a voice he puts on when he lets himself get carried away in sentiment. One that's velvety, and far away as if he's not actually saying the words but letting Himself have his mind read aloud by a narrator that simply shares the same voice. "I love you so much. More than, I first saw possible, when I first decided to explore this feeling with you. Your willingness to tackle my emotional wellbeing… I appreciate that more than words could possibly express."

"Ah…" He couldn't think of anything to say but Jumin took notice quickly and kept going. He also had things he was beyond grateful to Jumin for. Ones stuck in his throat that needed to be said. One day.

"I was prepared for most any reaction from my father. He also has an eye for the dramatics, and a very quick temper. I was prepared to argue on behalf of us. I was not as prepared for silence as I thought. It seems."

"..." Jumin has very, very, very rarely sounded so vulnerable sober. In fact, he thinks there might have never been a time sober Jumin has spoken like this to him. So he just listens. Maybe he has to Jihyun. Actually there was a seriously large possibility that's happened many times between those two. Jumin keeps going however, oblivious to his boyfriend's inner monologue.

"I have never been so low as to not deserve words from my father. Even when I reject his or his girlfriend's ideas for wives for me, there are still words to be had. Even if he doesn't listen." His words where sharp, but there was no malice. After a short silence he adds on, most likely for what he wanted to appear to be, for Saeyoung's sake. "But at least I still have my phone."

It did get a chuckle. As a hand came down to play in dark locks absentmindedly. "At least he didn't throw his girlfriend's sons at you. It would have hurt more if he assumed you flocked to any man." He caught on to the silent invitation in his lover's words. He wanted to cheer him up almost as badly as the vise versa.

"At least, I kept 'daddy's credit card'." His voice calming all of the nerves in his weak willed body, as well as his hands. As he started rubbing Saeyoung's back.

"At least, he hasn't disowned you. You have to do that verbally to make it official, perhaps he's just trying to think. Space and time." He wanted to support Jumin in the ways Jumin has been proven to be able to support him.

"At least, I still have you."

"At least, that seems impossible to lose. You can't get rid of me, many a man has tried." He had to for himself prove he could be just as strong as Jumin when Jumin needed him to be.

"Yes, shame." He hums out distractedly

"Hey!" He tugs at the hair he was just playing in as a playful warning.

"I think I would like that distraction sex tomorrow after work."

"Sorry, that offer has run out."

Jumin shifts to look up into the golden eyes of the unworthy, then says cooly. "Then I would like to go out on a very public dinner with my partner."

"I'll see how my schedule is looking tomorrow and fill you in."

"You work for me. I quite literally control your schedule." his eyes narrow even though they hold no hostility.

"I thought this was a romantic dinner not a business affair?" Seven wasn't exactly unwilling to challenge Jumin's resolve to be a hypocrite tonight.

"Fine. Check your schedule." He says with a pout, or Jumin's equivalent which is just, cutely closing his eyes and turning away.

"I love you, Jumin."

"Ditto."

"Jumin!" Saeyoung felt a blush of embarrassment come along at remembering the words. He was caught off guard and hardly paying attention when it slipped out.

"I care about you a lot." The words were sweet enough but the teasing behind the words were not lost on either party in that bad. 707 also said that a lot before it was safe enough to come out with his feelings. The memory did not help the color rising to his cheeks.

"I'm going to the guest room." He said moving to sit up, causing Jumin to squeeze tighter and hold him there. There was really no amount of wiggling that could get him out of this.

"I love you too, babe."

"Jumin, I'm going to swear to god!"

But he had the rest of the night to try.

#jumin han #saeyoung choi #Juciel #Just some arguing really #mystic messenger #Hurt/comfort #Fluff #JuSeven #jumin x Luciel #Jumin x Saeyoung

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ryntaia · 6 years

Text

For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Title: For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Fandom: Rise of the Guardians

Rating: T (language)

Genre: Romance/Family

Pairing: E.Aster Bunnymund/Jack Frost, Nicholas St. North/Toothiana

Summary: Jack encounters Tooth and North refreshing their knowledge of the art of swordplay, and decides he wants to learn the skill for himself. He probably could not have predicted how intimate battle can truly be. (Oneshot)

A/N: I was listening to Valka and Stoick’s song from How to Train Your Dragon 2, and it got me really caught up in this idea. I’ve wanted to write a North/Tooth fic for a while that was focused on their swordplay, but I didn’t really have a good framework to work it around. When I did, it ended up being Christmas Cookie AND Jackrabbit. Because of course it did.

Don’t go looking into this looking for explicit confessions or anything. It’s all subtextual until the very damn end. And also Team Mom Tooth and Team Dad North.

I wrote this at like 4 in the morning I am so sorry lmao

To love and kiss, to sweetly hold

For the dancing and the dreaming

Through all life’s sorrows and delights

I’ll keep your laugh inside me.

Really, Jack had just gone to the Pole because he wanted to cause some standard havoc. Freeze an elf or twenty, something like that. It hadn’t been a particularly planned out excursion. Just a trip to the home of jolly old St. Nicholas himself to see what kind of trouble could be started there. The place was certainly big enough that any given place could become its own little disaster zone—with a chuckle he remembered the time he had iced all the hallways on the second floor, watching the jangling elves slide down them with shrieks catching in their throats. There had been quite a pileup by the time the day had rounded out. The little oddities had very lemming like tendencies to chase their companions off the metaphorical cliff.

Jack had expected to be yelled at; North had seemed to find it more amusing than anything, once the boy lifted the ice from the hallways. No matter the time of the year, Santa’s workshop was always teeming with activity and business. The sprite figured that its owner probably appreciated the break from all the work to have a little fun. Who else was better for it, really? He smiled broadly as he padded lightly down the long halls, cane twirling in his hand.

He paused at a distant sound. Pale chin tilted upwards as he listened carefully; with a start he recognized the sound of blades sharply clashing against others. A fight, it sounded like someone was having a fight. Immediately Jack leapt off his feet, careening off the walls and towards the racket. Bright blue eyes narrowed as his slim hands held the long staff affront him. All sorts of thoughts passed through his head—was it Pitch Black? Had the Nightmare King returned THAT quickly? Jack was sure they had put him down for longer than this.

The teenager barely noticed that he was curving down hallways with older designs, long out of use by the Yeti and the elves, dark and carved out in thick sturdy wood and deep reds. When Jack took a glance to the side he saw carvings of people in panels against the walls, worn ancient with time but carefully cared for nonetheless. He had no time to consider them as the clanging sound resonated again, so much closer than before.

With a shout, Jack burst through an imposing doorway with his crook facing forward and eyes narrowed. Immediately his stance loosened, looking up in confusion to the scene in front of him.

Staring back at him, equally confused, stood Nicholas St. North and Toothiana. North had his long sabers pulled from their holsters, firmly gripping one at his side and one in front of him. Both were trained in on the fluttering fairy in front of him. Yet she was not without defense; clutched in slim fingers were a large pair of elegant daggers. A line of bright white pearls shone from underneath the fingers covering the hilt. Both lacked cross-guards, with a slight but firm knuckle guard curving around the fist. One pointed at North’s face, while the other was trained against the saber curving by the woman’s neck.

Jack faltered for a moment; he wanted to ask why because he had been pretty sure that North and Tooth got along pretty well and he knew neither of them would betray their position of Guardianship. The sprite could think of no other reason the attack that was frozen before his eyes. The confusion and concern knit his brow as he slid one foot backwards. The tip of his staff shifted uneasily between the two.

“Jack! Why, you did not mention you were visiting today!” North dropped the sabers to a ground with a bellowing laugh, moving forward to clamp the spirit on his shoulders. A frown crossed his features when Jack’s shoulder’s stiffened under the touch, body almost instinctively moving away from the larger man. “Jack, what is wrong? You have look on your face like you are seeing death itself.”

“North.” Toothiana’s voice was firm but gentle, as if the voice of a mother. Which Jack supposed she was to her thousands of tooth fairies. Still, at the sound, the sprite’s shoulders instinctively calmed. His expression, however, remained perplexed and concerned. Violet eyes fixed on him sympathetically. “Jack, its good to see you. I’m…WE are sorry you saw this.”

“Why…are you fighting?” He asked, tone as flat as he could manage. From the look on Tooth’s face, it hadn’t work. His eyes travelled from her face to the shimmering daggers in her hand. “You, uh, you…have daggers?”

“Yes! Toothy is great warrior. A pride to all of the fae. That is what I tell her but she does not listen enough.” North announced, patting the boy’s chest as he caught onto the guarded tone in his voice. Tooth fluttered to Jack’s other side to pat his shoulder, rolling her eyes as North threw his arm out excitedly. “As Queen of the Fairy, Tooth is a glorious warrior trained by the best! She makes an excellent opponent when in a pinch, wouldn’t you say?”

“What?” Jack answered, raising a brow. He knew Tooth was tough; he didn’t know she was some sort of warrior princess. The fairy giggled nervously.

“Jack…did you think we were fighting?”

“Uh, yes? North had a sword at your throat.” The sprite said incredulously, pointing at the sabers that lay discarded in the middle of the bright room. Only now was he actually seeing it; a tiled room, three of the four walls covered in cathedral-esque windows to let in the bright sun. Behind him, on the wall by the door, was a selection of various swords and blunt weapons.

He didn’t have time to take it all in, though, because the fairy put his hands at his shoulders and spun him around, pushing him out the doors and into the hallway. The sprite threw his hands up in protest but the complaint died in his throat at the look in Tooth’s eyes.

“Let’s take a walk, Jack. Shall we?”

“Uh…sure, Tooth.”

North was left behind in the room, stroking his beard and shaking his head as he collected his sabers to place back in their holsters.

Toothiana had led Jack back down the carved hallways, the slower pace giving him more time to analyze his surroundings. The carving seemed to depict a village, numerous people sitting amount the olden buildings. His eyes trailed along the mystery faces, biting his lip to keep from laughing at the woman holding a large honking goose. She looked happy nonetheless. Nigh joyful, even.

“Jack.”

He looked away from the carved face into Tooth’s feathered one.

She looked almost apologetic. Sad, even.

“North and I were training.”

He blinked. What?

“He had his sword at your neck.”

“North and I train very seriously.” She bit her lip for a moment. “We are both at a level where we CAN train in such a way. Though…we haven’t, not in a long time. This is the first time I’ve met blades with him in almost a century and a half.”

Despite himself, Jack couldn’t help but ask. “Why?”

Tooth gave a huffing laugh. “The same reason I stopped collecting teeth in the field, I suppose. Business, business. When there’s so much to do and so little time, we all stopped making time for each other. But after Pitch…”

“You took up sparring with North again?” Jack supplied. The twists in his stomach from earlier had faded, replaced by a more cocky smirk. Tooth nodded exuberantly, then paused, sinking down from the air with a bit of a sordid smile on her features.

“I…was so out of practice that I could barely do anything when he took them.” Jack glanced at the fairy out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at her hands dejectedly. “A thousand years ago I would’ve slayed every one of Pitch’s lackeys and had the energy to go after him right afterwards. Instead I just flitted around like a frazzled little butterfly. Even when I attacked him with my own dagger, he smacked me away like I was a housefly.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Tooth.”

“Oh, but it was. It was just as much my fault as it was all of ours, for letting our guards down in brighter times. There was a time when was blade would’ve been expert enough to end that entire conflict then and there.” Tooth sighed, knuckles white as she gripped her hands together. “I knew right there and then that I was far, FAR too out of practice. So…I asked North if we could resume our practices. He was very surprised, let me tell you!”

“When was the last time you even practiced together?”

“Oh goodness, Jack, it had to have been at least five centuries ago. I’m still rather rusty. But don’t worry!” She hastily added. “I can definitely hold my own in practice, at the very least. And soon enough I’ll be back to the level I used to be!”

“Hmm.” Jack’s stiffened form had slacked completely; now he twirled his staff in his hands to let it finally come and rest on his shoulder. Bony hand ran up the hilt thoughtfully with blue eyes trained on the crooked wood. The fairy watched in confusion as the white haired teenager strolled casually down the hall—had it been something she had said? Did Jack object to this practice sparring THAT much? She knew it had probably shocked him…

“Tooth?”

“Yes? What is it, Jack?”

“Could, uh…” His tone had become quieter, almost bashful. “…do you think that he could train me too? North, I mean.”

“You…want to learn swordplay, Jack?” She said uncertainly. One delicate finger gestured at the ice covered staff resting on the boy’s shoulder. “But, your staff…”

“I know. My staff.” He stared down at it; the expression was nigh unreadable. Tooth didn’t pry; even if she had the ability to read memories, she knew it didn’t give her the right to pry into thoughts unshared. “You know what happened when I lost it? I was a freakin’ sitting duck. When it broke it was even worse. I might as well have been one of the little kids that we’re supposed to be protecting. And I mean…what the heck am I supposed to do if I don’t have it on hand? Wait for someone else to find me and motivate me, or wait for someone to save me?”

“Jack…” Whatever the fairy queen had to say died in her throat. There wasn’t much she could say to that. Really, all she could think of right now was that she wanted to cradle the poor boy’s head in her lap and tell him that everything would be alright. But she seriously doubted the motherly gesture would be appreciated; Jack was not a child, certainly not her child, and wasn’t looking for some sort of parental pity.

Ice blue eyes met violet ones, with an intensity the woman had not seen before in them.

“I don’t want to just rely on this staff. I’m not going to wait to be saved.”

“Keep stance firm, Jack. Swing blade with meaning. If you do not swing with meaning, then—” North paused, throwing out his own blade to block the razor sharp tips of Tooth’s daggers. With a strong push forward the fairy was thrown to the ground; fluttering wings brought her upwards for the attack again. Jack watched in fascination as the blades met, his own strokes forgotten. “—your opponent ALWAYS will win. Now practice stance! Is off!”

“Right, right.” Jack stumbled back into the correct position, holding the wooden weapon out in front of his body clumsily. One of the Yetis had quickly constructed a practice sword for the sprite; North had considered giving the boy a real metal sword but Tooth immediately objected. It was not safe, she had protested. Within the depths of his mind he thanked the fairy woman. Watching the way they went at it, Jack was pretty sure he wasn’t ready for that kind of combat yet.

“Jack, you have to remember that while being able to swing the sword is important, defense is just AS important!” Tooth added enthusiastically, eyes sparkling as her daggers crossed over each other to catch the sharp edge of North’s sword between them. With a quick flick of the wrist the sword was dislodged from the man’s hand, clattered across the floor and out of reach. North blinked then gave a hearty laugh. “A good defensive, you may have heard, is just as good as a good offensive. You are incomplete without it.”

“Tooth is right! You can know how to swing sword all you like, but if you have no sword then what is the good?” Jack averted his eyes for a moment, preferring to focus on whacking the straw dummy sat up across him. It couldn’t exactly provide him with any practice on defense so for now, he figured, he could focus on what he could do without a real opponent. His foot slid forward, slightly to the right, as the weapon resting by his ear slammed down precisely against the bale. It made a satisfying thunk.

“Ah-ha! That is the kind of response we like to hear from that dummy. That is the sound of power in the blow.” North commented as he jumped back to retrieve his lost weapon. Tooth was already charging at him, wings buzzing as violet eyes filled with excitement. Just in time to block the falling daggers, the bearded man pulled his arm above his head to meet her blow. “But try to be aiming a little higher, around where the neck would be. If you are fighting enemy, then you are wanting to go for the kill, da? Where you hit now is where you hit when you need something.”

“Need something?” Jack said curiously.

“When the person you fight has a secret you need, Jack, sometimes you cannot go for the kill. There will be a lot of times when you fight an opponent who is more useful alive than dead.” Tooth chirped in as she dive bombed North from the top of the room. The blades at her side curved inwards to meet her opponent’s neck on both sides; both sabers blocked her out and pushed back at her assault. With fervor she pushed back. To Jack’s surprise, North’s legs shook slightly, threatening to push back away from Tooth’s force. But with a quick slash he chased the bird away. Tooth landed elegantly on the tiled floor, eyes darting up and down the imposing form as if inspecting for any possible opening to take advantage of.

“I guess that makes sense.” Jack mused, absentmindedly whacking at the straw dummy again. North blocked one of Tooth’s precise blows with one saber and pointed the other at the young sprite.

“Never strike without meaning! Find thing in mind that you wish to strike, and strike it! Do not allow self to be distracted by other things. Dealing with more than one enemy, that is lesson for another day, I think.” Jack flushed violet at the statement. North had noticed his lack of focus.

But how could the man blame him? The glorious strike of Tooth’s gold lined daggers against the silver sabers, the glow of immaculately preened green feather circling and striking at a man best described as a behemoth, the expertise and precise nature of each and every slash of the blade—and to think he had been surprised when he found Tooth knew how to fight with such weaponry! It was a display impossible to tear his eyes away from, this practice that they indulged in.

It’s almost like a dance. Jack flushed again at the thought as he stepped forward to slam at the dummy again. A dance…? That’s a little intimate, isn’t it?

He watched from the corner of his eyes as he stepped forward this time, taking in the excitement on North’s face. It was met with equal vigorous passion as Tooth darted forward to pass between the twin blades. Her hand firmly grasped the man’s shoulder, dagger pointed away from his throat as she vaulted over his back and spun on her tiny feet to jab one of the sharp points against North’s back.

Jack stilled entirely, wide blue eyes watching enthralled at the motionless pair in front of him.

“Concede defeat.”

“You think so, already?”

“I do.”

“Ah, see, Jack, this is why you must practice. If you do not pay attention than opponent will have no trouble getting the upper hand, da?” North said with a silly grin. The boy cocked his head to one side. Tooth’s stance relaxed slightly to tilt her head, addressing Jack with a knowing nod. To her surprise, a hand came down on her wrist to knock the dagger against North’s back out of her hand. Something akin to a squawk spilled from her lips as North rounded on her to catch the other dagger in her hand. It toppled across the room and a saber rested on the fairy’s shoulder. She sat, shocked, on her knees at his feet.

“You should know better than any that I do not concede defeat, Toothiana.”

She was silent for a moment, then her thick lashes closed over her violet eyes and a smile spread over her face. North offered a hand and she pulled herself up aside him, smoothing out loose feathers from her crown using her thumb. Jack watched in shock at the reaction.

“Wait, he cheated!” Jack protested.

“That he did.” Tooth shot an amused glance at North.

“And, what, you’re okay with that?”

“Jack.” North clasped an arm down on the fairy’s shoulder and met Jack’s gaze. It was a far more serious one than he had given Tooth upon her defeat; it was closer to the severe face that the ice sprite had been given a glance of when the warrior had asked him about his core for the first time. “Do you think OPPONENT will fight fair?”

It had been about a month into North and Tooth’s sword training regime when, without any warning, they invited Bunnymund to join in on the whole secret training business. Though it wasn’t much of a secret with four of five guardians involved in it. And knowing Sandy, it was more than likely that the mysterious and silent man knew well about it. The Sandman had his ways to know just about any secret and it was no small task to keep it from him. Jack figured he mostly just wasn’t interested in sword training.

The rabbit, on the other hand, stood across from him rolling a shoulder and effortlessly sliding into the correct stance. Jack scowled as his own feet betrayed him, deciding that then of all times was the right one to not pay attention to the lessons lodged in his memories. Instead he found himself glancing repeatedly back at his feet to assure himself that he was where he needed to be. Even then it felt slightly off. The attentive daily training felt like farce when standing across from Bunnymund.

Still, he was not about to lose his façade. Instead he smirked at his opponent. “You know swords, Bunny? You never told me.”

“Ha. Don’t even try, Frost. I can see it in your eyes.”

See what? Jack wondered. Probably the trepidation eating away at his insides. The youth knew he wasn’t standing in front of a motionless hunk of hay this time. He was standing in front of a living, breathing, trained opponent with a practice sword like his own between his paws and a stance far more mature and refined than his own childish attempt. In the back of his mind he remembered something about the Easter Bunny bragging about knowing martial arts. At the time he hadn’t thought much of the blatant show of ego but now, on the other side of the rabbit’s blade, Jack was left wondering just how much Bunny knew about other fighting styles.

Don’t even try, Frost. He repeated Bunny’s words to himself humorlessly.

With that he stepped forward deftly to swing the sword towards the rabbit. But the doubt was obvious in his motions; he knew even before his arms moved that the rabbit would slam the sword up against his own. He didn’t expect for Bunny to pull downwards and force his entire upper body downwards, curving the blade in a circular motion. Both tips met with the ground. Jack’s arms shook with the effort to push back against the decidedly strong force that he pushed back against. Licking his lips, he looked up into his opponent’s eyes; bright green met icy blue and Bunny grinned as he pushed further against the sword. The strain was beginning to take its toll on the sprite’s arms and for a moment his smarmy expression faded to one of frustration.

“Y’can’t just keep yerself cornered, Frostbite.”

Jack cocked an eyebrow at the statement. Then, surprisingly quickly, his feet shifted underneath him and the wooden blade in his hand swung in the direction of the force Bunny was placing against it. Deftly, with more certain motions, Jack spun the weapon over the rabbit’s and slammed it against the other side of the blade. It slammed of Bunny’s grip and fell uselessly to the ground.

Not for a moment did his eyes leave his opponent’s, entranced with the view it served—an oppositional presence that Jack was so used to. Yet despite the familiarity it was a different sort of look than the sprite was used to the rabbit casting onto him. A year prior it would’ve been a look tainted with disgust and frustration. Now, though, it was filled with a sense of pride and trust.

It heated his normally ice cold form with a sense of determination. And a slight tinge of annoyance.

“You did that on purpose.” Jack stated matter-a-factly as the other went to retrieve the weapon. Bunny’s ear swiveled slightly towards him at the accusation.

“Wha’s yer point?”

Jack hadn’t thought that far ahead. He had just thought to the sense of determination in him elicited when fighting an opponent who wasn’t quite an opponent. Like a flash of lightning, clarity hit him: despite such a short period of a dance it had been, it still left him wrapped in that intimacy that he had seen in the practice of golden dagger against silver saber. For only a split second that experience that had been so personal as to make him flush while watching had been his own. And it had been his own. Not a green wing against dark red coat, but frost against blue-gray fur.

A smile spread his features again as he raised the practice blade again.

“Y’gonna answer me, ya little larrikin?”

“Sure.” Jack replied. His hands were firm on the surface of the sword now, unease boiling away from his mind. “When you make me concede defeat.”

Bunny barked out a laugh—a rough sound, a REAL sound, not like the laugh Jack was used to hearing from the other Guardian—and slid back into place across from the snow spirit. Vermillion green glinted back at the boy almost mischievously. And here Jack had been thinking that the other wasn’t capable of any such thing. Flashing back an equally tricky smile, he readied himself for the oncoming attack.

A good defensive, you may have heard, is just as good as a good offensive.

The Tooth Fairy’s words rung vibrantly in the back of his head.

The months continued to pass as he trained with the Guardians, sometimes with North and Tooth fighting each other at the same time. Jack was not surprised to realize that Bunny was holding back. Hell, he’d probably be dead if the ancient warrior wasn’t; the other was already a handful when he wasn’t putting his whole into it. Still, Jack could feel his control of the sword growing strong, the steps becoming less practiced and more subconscious. Yet at the end of every session with them, he returned to his staff, cradling it lovingly in his hands—memories flooding his being as a gentle reminder that it would always be part of him. Its icy touch was his true self, with the sword arts becoming something of a passion that developed far beyond what he anticipated.

He didn’t regret it, not even as a large bruise formed on his side from a particularly rough blow that he had failed to block from the rabbit one day. To his surprise, Bunny had halted immediately, eyes wide as Jack keeled down to his knees with a rough cough. He had leaned down next to the winter being, carefully checking on the forming bruise, asking him if he was okay, actually saying sorry to Jack Frost of all people…

Jack grinned.

“I didn’t concede.”

With that he pulled the wooden sword out of Bunny’s hand and, while the rabbit recovered from the shock, smacked him in the face with it. The hall was filled with loud and raucous Australian slang that day, all of which Jack was sure translated roughly to ‘you fucking little tricky bastard’. For once, Jack had a feeling that the irritable Guardian didn’t actually mean a word of it. Instead he had chuckled at the other, immediately grasping at his side when the shake of laughter shot pain through his bruised ribs. He got what he deserved, he supposed.

If you do not pay attention than opponent will have no trouble getting the upper hand, da?

Jack didn’t sleep often, so he didn’t dream often. Nowadays, though, when he did dream, they returned to the practices he had. It was preferable to the dreams about memories of old—as far as he was concerned the one memory from before his death that he had truly needed was the first one to come in his possession. He could wonder who Jackson Overland was with all his heart but in reality it only hurt to know what had once been. All he needed to know now WAS the now, and why he was where he was now. The rest was just cause for bitterness and frankly he wanted nothing to do with such feelings. He much preferred dreams of recent memories to dreams of olden memories.

The dreams he had were decidedly generous to his level of skill, his body moving at a pace that matched Bunnymund’s closer than reality. In them he had the strength and determination of North’s fine silver sabers coupled with the grace and elegance of Toothiana’s gold tipped daggers. The dance that had begun when they had started training was more evolved, closer, and more intimate. Their rhythm was matched and precise. Jack woke from that particular dream feeling almost embarrassed—and over nothing, none the less! It was just swordplay.

Still, his face would still turn that dark violet when he watched North and Tooth match blades. He hoped to learn from observing their practice more precisely but every time he tried, Jack just felt like he was intruding on something. Their eyes were lit with an emotion meant not just for the heat of battle but also for the heat of the other’s presence. Tooth had sparred with Bunny one day; the fire was there but the heat was not. They did everything the same, dodged just as precisely, but their eyes did not meet and hold as firmly as Tooth and North’s gazes when they locked weapons. There was not a completed bond of certainty that the other could raise their blade and fight back against the other. They practiced as allies and nothing more.

Jack wasn’t about to ask what the ‘something more’ was that missing from it, and why it was there in North and Tooth’s battles. He wasn’t exactly caught up on the ins and outs of more intimate emotions but he wasn’t stupid either. That gaze, the precise strikes, the absolute trust in the movements…and the smiles afterwards. Jack didn’t revisit his olden memories with haste, if at all, but in a flash second he was reminded of a plain looking man with his arm around the waist of a brunette woman, looking down at him when he was nothing but a overly curious toddler.

In his dream that night he had revisited that olden memory, the plain man replaced with ruddy featured and a thick beard and the brunette woman with green feathers and dark purple plumages. He woke up halfway through, blinking bleary eyes and looking up to a trail of quickly disappearing dream sand. In it sat a newly forming family with swords crossed above them. His eyes grew heavy as a content smile spread on his features.

Sure. He could live with that.

But as the intimate sword dance of his dream with Bunny became less fiction and more reality, Jack wondered if he was okay with THAT. He found himself averting his eyes now, missing the locking of green and blue eyes, breaking the concentration he had been building up. Instead he kept his head down in a concentrated effort to look at anything but his opponent, leading to him gaining more and more unexpected bruises. The rabbit had been predicting the spirit to block the strokes and Jack knew he COULD if only he could concentrate and meet the other in the dance.

It reached a fervor pitch when Jack and Bunny accidentally did lock eyes in that intimate dance of swords. The rabbit held his gaze firmly; Jack felt his entire face flush a deep violet as spikes of ice shot up from under his feet. He yelped in surprise, jumping back away from the small patch of frost that he had managed to summon without his staff. Such efforts were typically only possible when he was feeling much, much too much of an emotional rush. Jack was sure if he had been holding his staff that he would’ve accidentally buried them both under a snowdrift.

Jack hadn’t been able to meet Bunny’s gaze after that. He had just stared at the quickly melting cluster of ice, horrified and well aware of what he had just done. Instead he stayed on his knees, attention fully on his outburst until the soft touch of wood brushed against his ear. He didn’t look up, biting his lip harshly. But the sword tip was insistent, traveling from his ear to his chin to lift his face.

“Jack.”

An odd thrill coursed through his body. Even nowadays Bunny never called him by his first name. The nicknames had become less insulting and more affectionate but for some reason his name typically went unsaid. At that moment the sprite was glad of it, too; he wasn’t sure if he could handle that constant excited twist in his stomach. Instead he just stared up, lip jutted out obstinately, as his eyes were forced to once again meet with the one he fought.

“Do you concede?”

Jack twitched in surprise. “W…what?”

“Well? Do you concede defeat?” The rabbit knelt down next to Jack, face right up against the other’s. He could feel the heat radiating from Bunny’s fur, cerulean eyes lidding in the closely comforting defeat. It was the intimacy, he thought, with closed eyes, that he had seen in the battle between North and Tooth. It was that which had made him uncomfortable to watch. And it was uncomfortable, too, to force himself to concede into that same intimacy.

Chapped lips spoke.

“I concede defeat.”

The air caught in his throat as paws, rough from war and work, gently caressed the pale skin of his face. A nose pressed against his cheek, green eyes closing with the blue. They stayed there for what seemed like hours, Jack’s head rested against the furred shoulder as he was shrouded in that unusual sense of calm. And really, when was the last time he had ever truly felt calm? When had been the last time he had felt safe or protected?

Jack wasn’t familiar with intimacy. He wasn’t even all that familiar with affection, at least not the kind that didn’t come from family.

Now, though, he felt all of that—the calm, the protection, the affection that wasn’t really for family—and that previous worry seemed to melt away.

“So what’s m’answer, then? Y’said ya’d tell me when ya conceded defeat.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s ain’t no answer, Jack.”

“Hmm.” Jack was smiling now, that beat of mischief returning to his heart. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“…Cocky little shit.” Bunny groused, but there was a hint of humor in his tone. Jack laughed against the furred shoulder, craning his head downwards to hide the sound in his hands. The swords lay forgotten to the side, though not for long. Even when they rose again, though, they rose with a sense of mirth and a matched gaze.

And so they plunged back into the dancing and the dreaming.

194 notes · View notes

icequeenjules26 · 6 years

Text

A drop in the ocean

Summary: Dan had been ecstatic when his manager had informed him that strictly come dancing wanted him in the next season, until he found out HE would be there.

Word Count: 12,3k

Tags: Musician!Dan, Actor!Phil, Fluff, Angst, Strictly Come Dancing AU

A/n: Written for the @phandomficfests, crossing off the prompts Dancing with the stars (Writer's choice), 2012, Pen Pals, dog, second chance, birthday, communication, Starbucks sofa, commitment, picnic and #spon! (What a list, lol) As always the biggest ever thank you goes out to my angel @succubusphan for doing everything she could so this would get done on Phannies' day!!!

Read on AO3

August 2018

@DanIsAGod3918: This is happening oh my god

@PhilLikesMen: finally i waited forever for this

@dannyboiiiiiii: still can’t believe they worked alongside each other without ever meeting? wtf

@bisexualDan: @dannyboiiiiiii ikr but i’m so here for it

@phanwillbeathing: FUCKINGFINALLY they’ll be together and in front of cameras this is a dream come true

Dan groaned as he scrolled through the comments on his latest instagram post. It was honestly unbelievable. How could he not have known? He couldn’t do this - he couldn’t deal with this. It had been 6 years and Dan was still hung up about it - how was that even possible?

He didn’t want to be here, honestly, not anymore.

He had been ecstatic at first, when his manager had informed him that strictly come dancing, UK’s very own dancing with the stars show wanted him in the next season. He was a musician, so he hadn’t even bothered to ask them - musicians at least had the rhythm it took to dance, putting them into an advantage - but they had apparently seen the making of to his newest music video.

Which wasn’t bad, not particularly, at least - it just showed him attempting to do an easy dance routine his choreographer had designed just for him but failing miserably. He first and foremost was a pianist, with mediocre guitar skills, but even the singing part was pushing it from time to time. Dancing? Like actually, physically moving his long limbs in an attempt to look at least somewhat graceful? The word alone let laughter bubble up his chest.

But he had tried, for the sake of his team, and if it’s that what got him into this show in the first place then he was glad he did.

Or maybe not so much, anymore.

Not since… Him.

He had been invited under a bit of false pretences, Dan decided - they could’ve told him they were planning to get him as well, could they not? - as he stared at the coffee table in front of him, or more specifically, his laptop, displaying an article from some sort of gossip page. Headline:

The meeting the UK has been waiting for: Howell and Lester both starring in strictly come dancing.

He groaned again, shutting his laptop with his foot and letting his phone drop from his hand to sling an arm over his eyes instead, sliding down his sofa until his back laid flat on it, his butt hanging from the ledge in an awkward angle, feet propped up on his coffee table. This couldn’t be happening.

He had been good, so, so good for so long, he had momentarily forgotten what he has even good about. But, as always, life will come and fuck him over when he least expected it. He should be used to it by now.

He had nearly done it. Nearly forgotten those piercing blue eyes. Nearly forgotten this soothing voice, the blinding smile.

He had almost gotten over how his stomach would swoop on the sole mention of the name, how his heart would skip a beat before picking up its pace.

This brought it all back - and not in a good way. He couldn’t do it, it wasn’t fair. It had been years and the multiple edits of them together floating through the infinite space of the internet still made him feel like his heart would get squeezed harshly inside of his chest. He had accepted it by now; he would probably never be over him. He didn’t have the right to be, either, but meeting him now… Like this… It still hurt.

A lot.

Like a rusty knife in his chest.

He had managed to avoid meeting him even while working on the same movie, for fuck’s sake. He had even skipped the premiere and every other event and interview he knew he’d be present at. Now they were being forced together by a bloody dancing show, one he was excited about, sure, but not excited enough for this.

Never for this.

The reaction of his fandom didn’t make it any easier. He had seen the theories and shipping all over tumblr and twitter, of course, but it had been sort of inevitable, with all the stuff they had in common and the fact they were both open about their bisexuality. Now, with the movie long over, he had thought it would subside as fast as it had risen.

It didn’t, though, and Dan had no other choice than to go through with this.

He groaned again. Sometimes, he hated life.

:::

April 2004

Dan was ecstatic when he first learned of a thing called “Pen Pals”. His Nana had explained it to him and he loved the idea of having someone, somewhere, that he had never met but could share things with nonetheless, loved the idea of writing letters back and forth, of being excited to get home from school to check the mailbox, to see if something would be in there.

He was only ten, but he knew enough about writing letters to do it properly, he thought. He’d also get the first checked over by his Nana, that was for sure, to make sure he wouldn’t embarrass himself on the first try. He was so excited to get started, but when he took the time to go through the suggestions the teletext had for him he was gutted. Not one of the kids there seemed genuinely interesting, not enough. Some lived so close it wouldn’t be any fun to write letters, and others were just too old.

Then he got to the last page and a large grin erupted on his face. “Phil Lester, 12, Rawtenstall. I like Sonic and crash bandicoot and i love pokemon! buffy is the best tv show ever created. I’d love to gain a friend from far away!!!” it said, and Dan knew he’d found them. The person he’d write to.

:::

September 2018

So far Dan had done an incredible job at avoiding Phil. His shooting with his tall, but quirky and optimistic dancing teacher and partner Cathy went well and fast enough for him to evade Phil. He was there during the group foto, obviously, but Dan had made a point of wanting to stay on the opposite end and surprisingly, no one had caught up on it or commented on it in any kind of way. After a week of simple dancing lessons they were now about ready to start practicing for their group dance. He was running out of options.

That was the reason he allowed himself a chill night before the first group practice. A funny netflix show was running on the TV, he had a hot cup of tea on the coffee table and Jennah had her head resting on his thigh - he was relishing in the feeling of it.

When his phone vibrated from somewhere next to him he grumbled along with his lady. Picking it up with his left hand he brought his right one down to lazily stroke her head. “It’s okay,” he mumbled when she opened her eyes to look up at him, only paying attention to the still offensively vibrating phone when she nuzzled closer and closed her eyes again.

“Howell,” he answered it grouchily, head sinking against the back of his sofa. “I hope this is important.”

Apparently, life hated him.

“Dan? It’s Louise.”

He suppressed the urge to growl lowly in his chest, almost certain about what was to follow. “Louise,” he huffed out instead, closing his eyes and bringing his right hand up to gently massage his glabella. There was exactly one person who knew of the whole debacle Dan had had with him, and he really didn’t need to hear another lecture about it from her.

He knew it had been his fault.

He also knew there was no way of undoing it, even if there was nothing he wanted more than to set things right.

Yet, she kept pushing.

“I just got home from vacation and checked instagram.”

Oh. That’s what this was about. She hadn’t heard it before.

“Louise-” he started, but got interrupted almost immediately. “No! Do not Louise me, Dan! This is getting ridiculous! Why can’t you just talk to him? If not to make it right, then at least for closure. What do you think will happen, the fucking apocalypse?!” He could tell she was aggravated, gruntled. She had always wanted him to do something, to not just sit around and let it weigh heavily on his heart, and this show obviously only made it worse.

He couldn’t hold in the growl this time. He was gritting his teeth trying to keep himself from saying something that he’d regret later, but even that was getting harder. Jennah immediately reacted to his distrust, opening her eyes and sitting up next to him before moving closer, nuzzling his shoulder. She knew how well he reacted to cuddles, and she was willing to provide them. He could only move to stroke her back in a silent thank you. “I can’t, Louise. I fucking can’t, okay?”

He could already hear her, taking a deep breath, setting up for a monologue, but he was having none of it. “No, Louise, no. I can’t hear it anymore. You think I don’t wish for what you want me to do, every day of every fucking week? You think I like this, doing nothing, suffering in silence? Because that’s what I’ve been doing for the past six years. But as long as you haven’t miraculously invented a time machine on your vacation, there’s no way to undo this. Have you?”

His friend on the other end stayed silent, and he could feel the tears starting to pool into his eyes. “I thought so,” he closed, his voice breaking along the way. He managed to keep it together for as long as it took him to end the call, but then he broke down, sobbing violently. His body started shaking, he didn’t know what to do, how to make it better, so he did what he always did when he needed comfort: he threw his arms around Jennah and moved to press his face into her neck, hiding from the world.

:::

April 2007

It had been two years since Dan had send his first letter to Rawtenstall near Manchester.

Him and Phil had become fast friends and the amount of letters they were sending to each other had become ridiculous by now. Dan’s Dad had gotten mad at him for spending that much money on postal charges only a few months after the first letter and basically told him to stop being friends with Phil - or at least tone it down considerably - so they were now using his nana’s letter box so his dad wouldn’t catch him.

Even his nana had become agitated with it after a while, so they had a deal now. Dan did chores around the house or the garden, like doing the dishes or wiping the floor, and his nana would give him postal stamps as a payment. Other kids wanted to buy candy or save the money to spend it on games, but all he wanted was to write Phil. His nana could probably make him do anything if he’d get those postal stamps in return. To him, they were worth more than diamonds.

They had exchanged pictures of themselves and their homes, they shared their secrets with each other and knew everything there was to know about the other, and Dan reveled in it. The had even exchanged phone numbers, but they had to pay calls in minutes, so they usually didn’t call each other except for special occasions.

Today, apparently, was such a “special occasion”.

When Dan got out of school he didn’t even bother to go home. Instead, he walked directly to his nana, who lived right next to him. That was a normal occurrence by now - he spent most of his time here. His parents were barely home anyways and his nana was watching his little brother after school, so it didn’t even attract his parent’s attention,

Luckily. His dad would probably not like it. Especially not the reason behind it.

Because, obviously, Dan didn’t spend all his time at his nana’s just because he loved her so much. He did, but he was still an introvert; he loved having time for himself and not having to talk to other human beings - he did this for Phil.

Ridiculously much he did seemed to be for Phil nowadays.

He was waiting for a new letter that should probably arrive today or tomorrow. It usually took four or five days, sometimes six, from sending a letter to receiving one, and he had send one last wednesday. It was monday now.

When he opened his nana’s door with his key she was already sat in the kitchen, obviously waiting for him. After greeting her he sat down his bag on a kitchen chair before taking a seat himself, snatching an apple from the fruit bowl sat in the middle of the table. “Everything okay, nana?” he asked after taking the first bite. It wasn’t usual she was waiting for him like this, she was usually up and about around the house or reading in the living room when he got home from school.

A smirk slowly creeped onto her face as she obviously observed him closely. “A very agitated young man called around an hour ago. Said he wanted to talk to you,” she stated and he perked up immediately, eyes flying up to her face. “Phil?” he asked, almost breathlessly, and felt the heat rising through his neck all the way up to his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “I mean - Was it Phil?” He forced his voice to be calm this time, but the grin on his nana’s face had already widened and he knew she had picked up on his behaviour immediately. “It was. I told him you’d be back around now, he should be calling again in a few minutes.” She paused, raising an eyebrow mockingly. “Anything you’d like to tell me, son?”

He could feel his cheeks heating up even more and almost desperately avoided her eyes.

He was about to start saying something, anything, when a shrill ringing interrupted him. “I’ll go,” he practically squeaked out and jumped up to run to the hallway to get the phone.

“Phil?”, he answered it breathlessly and was rewarded with a laugh. “Dan! Take a guess who can now phone people as much as he wants without having to pay more?” greeted him an excited voice on the other line and a wide grin stretched his face in seconds. “Hm, I don’t know. Sarah Michelle Gellar?” Again there was laughter on the other side and Dan wished he’d have a way to look at the other boy’s face when he laughed. “It’s me!” was the answer and Dan could feel excitement bubbling up in his chest.

He looked around the hallway, realizing there was nothing to sit down on while talking on the phone. Maybe they should put a chair in there somewhere. He could see himself needing it a lot in the future.

:::::

September 2018

Dan’s day was not going great so far. He was exhausted, probably dehydrated and he hadn’t eaten in a few hours, but still did not have the time to catch a break. He hadn’t gotten any proper work done for months now - since he had written the music for the movie, actually - and his manager was getting nervous. Not that he could blame her, he’d promised her a line-up for his new album back in July - but that had been before Strictly come dancing had poked its head at him. He couldn’t have let this opportunity go, so he’d had to promise her he’d work while practicing for the show.

It wasn’t working. The whole idea had been rubbish to begin with, to be honest; he’d known the show needed his whole attention and utter commitment. Stef was just ridiculously persuasive, that was the problem here.

Still… He couldn't do it. He just couldn’t. He’d just have to talk to Stef, he decided when he let his pen drop and looked up for the first time for hours from his place on the ground in his music room, musical sheets and random pieces of lyrics scattered around him. His head was completely blank, not one idea breaking through properly.

He wasn’t used to this. Normally he sat a pen to paper and had an almost finished song mere hours later, but now all that came out of his head was crap.

Or a name, he realized when he got up, looking around him to get a general view of what he’d written. His name was smudged across random pages, written in large, black letters that instantly managed to catch his attention. His breath hitched. How had he not noticed he’d been doing that?

His heart hammered in his chest and tears were starting to pool in his eyes as he looked over the papers scattered across the floor. Without thinking he pulled out his phone, taking a picture and sending it to Louise. He would probably regret that later, but he didn’t even realize what he was doing in his horrified state.

He left his music room in a hurry, closing the door behind him in panic as if he could contain the ghost of his past relationship in there, trapping it inside. How was this still getting him? How was he still basically unable to function with the thought of it, after more than six years? Why was he still unable to let go?

Somewhere at the bottom of his heart he knew why. He knew why he couldn’t breathe at the prospect of being in the same room with him for hours - he knew what it meant that his heart was hammering in his chest every time he set foot into the studio they were practicing the group dance in.

He knew it. Had known it the whole time.

He was still in love with him. Six years later and the feelings he had been fighting against the whole time were still there, strong as ever.

He knew it, but - it didn’t change anything. Not really.

Not when he couldn’t even think his name without breaking down into tears.

Phil.

:::

April 2008

It had been four years since Dan had written his first letter to Phil. He was fourteen now, and he spent most of his time on the internet.

Actually, he spent the most time talking to Phil.

Through the internet.

He was lucky his family had still not caught up on it. He was pretty sure his nana was aware he had not just miraculously stopped talking to Phil, even though the hour long conversations in her hallway had lessened immensely; but the rest of them - especially his dad - were still in the dark about it.

And that was honestly the only thing that was important.

Today was a slow day so far. It was wednesday, which to him, was amazing, because it was a day he had only a few hours of school while his parents usually stayed out far longer than usual. Why, he had no idea; he just assumed it was the busiest day of their week.

He had gotten home around an hour ago, had made himself some lunch and settled down in front of his TV to watch some mind-numbing midday show to calm himself down after school.

Normally, he would already be talking to Phil, who usually had a slow wednesday as well, but for some reason he wasn’t picking up, neither on his skype nor on his cellphone. He wasn’t that worried yet, but he still thought it was odd. It happened from time to time that Phil wouldn’t be there that early on wednesdays, for example when his mum caught him before he could get into his room, forcing him to do stuff for her. Normally he’d at least let him know via text, so Dan was getting a little agitated by now.

When Phil still hadn’t texted him or picked up his phone three hours after their usual skyping-time he grew increasingly worried. He seriously considered calling Phil’s landline but was a bit scared to only reach Phil’s mum - the woman didn’t seem to like him much, not that he could blame her.

At the exact moment he was about to call, his laptop started making noises from its place next to him on his bed, indicating an incoming skype call. He accepted the call before even picking it up.

“Phil!” he called when the video finally loaded, revealing an obviously excited Phil, eyes sparkling and hair pushed up into a messy quiff in contrast to his usual, neatly arranged fringe. “Dan!” He grinned broadly, bouncing up and down, making the video jump along with him in the process. “You won’t believe what happened!”

Dan was unable to hide the fond smile sneaking its way onto his face. “Robert Downey Jr. joined a cult and you get to replace him in Iron Man 2?”

He almost choked on his own spit when Phil pouted in response. He could feel warmth wandering up his neck, settling in his cheeks and knew he was probably about as red as a lobster. How could someone be so goddamn cute and handsome at the same time?

“Sadly, no,” Phil answered before a new grin lit up his face as he clapped his hands excitedly. “But! I did just get a role!” he exclaimed, with a smile so wide Dan was surprised it didn’t split his face in half.

“What?” he asked, almost dumbfounded, staring at his best friend as if he’d just told him the sky was green. “Are you serious?”

“Yes! I just got home from casting, that’s why I couldn’t call earlier. I scored a role in the sixth series of Shameless!” Phil answered, excitedly bouncing up and down again, and Dan was left to do nothing but stare. The news hardly even reached his brain with the way Phil looked, excited and glowing and all focused on his screen. Focused on Dan. He secretly pressed the Print Screen key on his laptop, conserving this picture to look at it again and again and again.

That’s when Phil’s words properly registered in his brain. “Are you serious?”, he croaked, voice raw with the emotions coursing through him. When Phil nodded he started bouncing up and down as well, completely unconsciously, beaming so brightly in the process, the muscles in his cheeks started burning almost immediately.

“Yes! I get to act! And I’ll earn my own money!” he exclaimed, obviously still not completely able to believe it himself. Dan let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, eyes wide as he stared into the blue eyes of his best friend - the best friend who made his heart flutter and his breathing hitch. That was normal, right? That’s what best friends were supposed to do to you?

Deep inside, he knew they were not, but he enjoyed living in denial for just a few days longer.

“I’m so happy for you, Phil!” he replied, happiness seeping through him from his head all the way down to his toes. “What will you do with the money?” His voice was high pitched and giddy and his best friend chuckled in response.

“Well, there’s someone I know that’s in desperate need of train tickets for his birthday…”

Dan’s eyes sparkled so bright for the rest of the day, even his mum caught up on it hours later.

:::

September 2018

As the date for the launch show drew incredibly near so did the point where he’d finally have to talk to Phil. The amount of requests for interviews with them both together were growing ridiculous and the bbc hyped it up as much as possible. He was a professional, and he got the general idea of why the bbc reacted the way they did, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

Not really. Not at all.

Still, when the launch show was rolling he managed to not exchange a single word with Phil. Whenever there were cameras he was at least 20 meters away from Phil so they couldn’t force them both in frame with the little time they had backstage.

He got on stage sometimes in the middle of the show and was interviewed. It was mostly just general questions about his life at the moment, how his new album was coming along and if there was anything planned, but he truthfully answered that right now, he was entirely committed to this show. It meant a lot to him already. He was excited to learn even more about music and to dance, and when he announced that any money he’d make during it would be donated to Young Minds the audience basically flipped. He was amazed at the reaction it caused; he hadn’t expected it.

The questions got a bit more personal afterwards. They packed it nicely, sure, asking about any Ladies or Gentlemen in his life that could be offended with his dedication to the show, but it was still basically the question of if he was in a relationship or not.

So he decided to have a bit of fun with that.

“Well, there’s always Stef, my manager. Oh, and my queen, of course, she’s really not amused I’m spending so much time away from home,” he answered with a chuckle, all teasingly and with a suggestive wink, hinting at something that wasn’t there. He predicted that it would grant him protection from the bbc’s shipping attempts at least for the first few shows; it was also their own fault.

They didn’t know “my queen” ment a five year old Shakita Inu lady named Jennah after the queen in his favorite video game. Most of his fans would obviously know or at least assume that - she was all over his Instagram after all - but even that could take a while.

He looked around when he said it, gauging the reaction it caused in the audience. He had expected everything, really, from joy to devastation from his fans, some of who were clearly sat in the audience right now; but what he did not expect… Was Phil.

He caught sight of his face only briefly, but he could not believe what he found there.

Phil’s face was scrunched up, hurt written all over it, and when their eyes met for just a single blink, the blue was dull and washed down, more grey than colourful. He could have sworn there were tears glistening in the corner of them, threatening to fall any moment.

But that had to be some kind of coincidence.

It had to.

There was no other option.

After the interview he somehow successfully weaseled himself out of without giving away too much information, he performed his latest single, written for the movie Phil had played the leading role in. He could feel Phil’s eyes on him the whole time he played, the look burning on his skin like melted caramel, sweet and hurtful at the same time. His fingers prickled with the knowledge that those eyes were finally looking at him again, playing a song that was obviously based on their relationship.

Not that any song that Dan had written had not been somehow based on that.

For a brief moment, Dan wondered if Phil had realized, if he still cared. Cared that his career was basically solely based on the things Phil had told him when they were younger. Did he even realize how big his impact on Dan’s life had been? Or did he still believe the things Dan had told him six years ago to push him away?

He didn’t know. He only knew that it hurt.

A lot.

When the last, sorrowful notes of the song thrummed through his fingers and his throat as he pressed the keys and sang the words, his mind provided him with the fact that their anniversary was only a few weeks away and he couldn’t stop a single tear from making its way down his cheek. His heart was throbbing forcefully in his chest and his breathing hitched the exact moment the last note had rung out. He just hoped no camera had caught that.

Knowing his luck, they’d have it on closeup.

::::

October 2009

Dan didn’t know why, but this time things seemed to be different when he arrived at Manchester Train station. Phil seemed agitated, almost nervous when he greeted him, fiddling with his jacket and adjusting his fringe whenever his hands weren’t otherwise occupied. Dan wasn’t sure what to make of that, but decided to let it slide without much comment. He was sure whatever it was Phil would tell him as soon as he was ready. They knew each other for longer than 5 years at this point, Phil knew he could talk to him about everything.

Instead of taking the bus back to Rawtenstall Phil lead him on a journey through Manchester. They visited sights Dan had never payed attention to and afterwards they went to get a coffee at Starbucks, sitting together closely in the booth they always occupied when they were there; so closely their whole sides were touching. Dan’s right hand laid on the table as they talked, occasionally sipping on their caramel lattes, and he itched to take Phil’s left one into his, placed just a few centimeters apart. Did Phil realize he had his palm up, basically inviting Dan to take it, or was it just coincidence?

They continued their journey when they were both done with their coffees, talking and laughing as usual, yet, something seemed different. When they walked, their hands would brush together, and Dan could have sworn Phil’s fingertips were outstretched towards the back of his hand.

He knew it was probably nothing more than wishful thinking, but a guy could dream, right?

Phil still was straight up on edge when they arrived at their destination, which Dan quickly identified as the Manchester eye. Why they were there, he had no idea, but he liked it. He had been living close to London his whole life, yet never had had come around to take a ride on the London Eye.

“Did you do it on purpose?” he asked gently when they got into the cabin, both sat on the same bench, pressed up together. “Do you remember?” The view got better and better the higher they went, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Phil, whose blue eyes shone brightly in the light of the setting sun.

“Of course I remember,” Phil answered softly, eyes completely trained on Dan, “You always wanted to visit the London Eye, so I figured this is the next best thing.”

Dan couldn’t keep the eye contact any longer, so he turned his head, looking out the other side. He could feel tears rising, that’s how overwhelmed he was with the whole gesture, but he blinked them away. “This is better,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Then there was a hand on his cheek, gently taking a hold of his chin, turning him around until his sight was back on Phil. All the previous tension and nervousness seemed to have left his body. His movements now were confident and certain, determination shining in his eyes as they gazed into Dan’s. “Everything's better with you,” Phil whispered and Dan breathing hitched, his whole body shuddering with anticipation.

When they finally kissed Dan realized it had been inevitable from the start. Phil’s lips felt warm, velvety, right against his own and it was like the world finally set into place. Like everything had been unsure and wavering all his life, turning and spinning around him, leaving Dan unable to ever find his footing, but now it had clicked into place and everything stood still for the first time in his life.

After the kiss ended Phil didn’t let go of Dan. Instead he sat his hand on his cheek and pressed their foreheads together, his bright, blue eyes gazing into Dan’s as if he was the only one that would ever matter. “I like you, Dan,” he whispered, voice almost inaudible. “I really, really like you.”

Dan’s heart stopped for a few seconds, his breath caught in his throat and he felt like the world around them had come to a crashing halt, like time had stopped for everyone but them. Was this really happening? Or was it just one of the dreams that would keep him on edge for hours afterwards, knowing it would never come true?

He had hoped, wished for this for so long; had prayed to a god he didn’t even believe in - yet Phil had never made the first move. They had felt like a real possibility from the first time they met over a year ago on Dan’s 15th birthday, when Phil had stumbled over his words when they had hugged and his cheeks had burned crimson red. Dan would never forget that day; the day he had realized that he wanted them to end up together against all odds.

Then his neck started burning from the way it was bend and he realized - this was real.

It was raw, it wasn’t perfect, but it was real, and Dan could feel tears rising into his eyes. “I really, really like you too, Phil,” he answered and then Phil leaned in to kiss him again, a sob of relief breaking from his throat.

And for that one, single moment Dan felt like they could defeat everything that would ever stand in their way.

:::::

October 2018

Their anniversary had always been particularly hard on Dan. Normally he’d spent the day curled up on his couch with Jennah, eating a ridiculous amount of chocolate and drinking too much alcohol, Louise on the phone or somewhere in his flat, keeping him from doing things he would regret later on - like calling his dad; he’d done that one year, hadn’t ended well. Not really.

This year, Dan wouldn’t be able to do that. This year, he’d even have to meet Phil at some point of the day for rehearsal, probably for longer than he’d be able to endure.

Because that’s what he was doing, Dan realized as he checked into his hotel room, enduring Phil’s presence. It was still torture to even be in the same room as him, let alone talk to him. What would happen when Phil finally got tired of ignoring him; when his selferestrain would finally break and he’d unload six years of pent up aggression towards him?

Dan would crack at the first word, turn around and run, public appearance be damned.

He was just hoping it wouldn’t happen during a live broadcast.

This week Dan had decided to screw the hotel’s room policy and bring Jennah with him. He needed her today, more than ever, he wouldn’t survive the day without her - especially not the night, when he’d have gotten back from rehearsal - after seeing Phil. Fortunately, he didn’t even get one single negative comment when he lead the lady dog into the hotel, suitcase in tow. The pretty, courteous dog got nothing but positive comments from the staff, especially when they realized how well-trained she was, following his commands immediately even when he accidentally dropped her leash. She was wary towards strangers, still hadn’t even completely accepted Louise as his friend, but she trusted him with a burning passion that overshadowed everything else.

They finally made it up to their room and Dan didn’t feel energized enough to do anything else but flop down on the bed. Jennah, who knew she was not allowed to climb onto the bed without an explicit invitation, whined softly at him, and he didn’t have it in him to deny her request. She was incredibly sensitive of his emotions and sensed that he needed comfort, but was unable to provide it due to the distance Dan had put between them.

He softly patted the space next to him and she jumped up immediately, laying down cuddled into his side, head gently resting on his shoulder. He drapped his arm around her, stroking her soft fur. She continued to make quiet whimper like noises, but they were less needy now, more content.

The tears started rising without his consent. He didn’t even know what caused them, he just knew that suddenly, they were there, threatening to fall; and then there was a sob escaping his throat, the dam broke and the tears started flowing freely. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

A few more hours and it had been nine years on the dot. Exactly nine years since Phil had made the first step, kissing him on the Manchester eye.

Dan wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, like he had been able to until this faithful day six years ago, to kiss him and hug him and love him - but he couldn’t, and it was ripping him apart from the inside out.

It wasn’t fair. He was aware he hadn’t always been the best person, was aware he’d made mistakes, but didn’t everyone? What was it that entitled him specifically for this sorrow, this heartbreak; a pain you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemies?

When it was time to head over to the studio for the final rehearsal he was barely able to let go of Jennah. He knew he couldn’t bring her with him, but that didn’t make it any easier to leave her soft fur and gentle comfort behind.

He managed to though, eventually, tears dried and the puffiness of his eyes immensely decreased after crying for what felt like hours.

Maybe it had been hours. Or maybe he’d stopped crying halfway through and had just laid there, cuddling Jennah and staring off into space, into nothingness, into a time where he and Phil had been together and so happy Dan had thought he might just burst any second.

Before his world had been ripped into shreds.

Arriving at the studio he discovered that life definitely hated him. He and Phil had never really met on camera and he’d managed to avoid him during the aftershow and even the daily talk show, but now he saw this week’s order of dancHe didn’t have it in him to say much more, his heart was itching to tell the truth and he knew he couldn’t trust himself much longer.ers and he wanted to barf or cry or die on the spot.

It was just his luck that put him on seventh spot with Phil in eighth - the exact time they had kissed, half past seven - which meant that despite his best efforts he would definitely meet Phil today.

Out of all the shows, why did it have to be today? Wasn’t it enough he was already laying on the ground, broken beyond repair? No, life had to send someone after him to squash him, again and again and again until he would be unable to ever get up again.

While waiting for their turn Cathy, his dance partner, managed to keep his mind off of things. They talked and laughed and when she asked him about how his queen was doing he gladly took out his phone, showing her a few of the array of pictures he had taken on their walk last night. Her eyes started sparkling immediately. “She’s so beautiful. And she’s completely fixed on you, Dan, like you’re her everything, it’s so cute,” she gushed and Dan blushed.

Something crashed then and he looked up, only barely catching sight of a distraught looking Phil scurrying away in a hurry.

Surprisingly, his rehearsal went okay. He was a bit more nervous and jumpier than usual, but he was a professional, so he was able to act it off quite successfully.

When he was done with it, though, and turned to get backstage, that’s when it all went to hell.

Cathy had gone on ahead without him, claiming to desperately need water, so there was no one else around when he met Phil on the way. He was trying to get past him as fast as possible, but due to the passage backstage being so small there he had to brush Phil - that’s when he felt long, slender fingers reaching for him, closing around his wrist. For a moment, their eyes met and the blue was so vengeful, so cold Dan was left standing in a snowstorm.

He stopped dead in his track, eyes wide open, staring ahead, trying to not look at Phil, to not give him any more openings.

Because this was it, Dan thought; this was the moment his carefully mended heart would get smashed into pieces all over again.

Phil moved his face next to Dan, so close he could feel Phil’s breath on his skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “I hope she’s good enough for you,” he hissed into Dan’s ear, voice so cold it froze the remaining pieces of Dan’s heart. They clinked a melody as they burst, a melody sounding dangerously like the song Dan had written for the movie, the song Dan had written solely for the purpose of reaching Phil.

He didn’t even know how he got away. Maybe he hadn’t, maybe Phil had just moved past him and let him stand there, desperately clinging to the remaining shards of his heart. They seared him as he tried to hold on to them, but he didn’t even feel it anymore. The pain was gone, all that was left was a numbness that could’ve, should’ve scared him.

The next thing he knew he was sitting on a sofa in one of the resting rooms backstage, a bottle of water in his hands. He could hear people walking by in the hallway, but he was completely alone, which he was more than glad for. Streaks of tears were running down his cheeks as he sobbed quietly, and all he wanted to do was to get to Jennah, to press his face into her soft fur and accepting the knowledge that yes, he would never be okay again, but it didn’t matter as long is this amazing creature loved him.

The opening of a door tore him out of his thoughts and he stood up reflexively. He had hoped that maybe, it was Cathy checking in on him or one of the crew members informing him that he could go back to the hotel now, but no.

No. It was Phil.

Of course it was.

He looked horrible. His form was hunched over, as if he barely had the strength to hold himself up anymore and his eyes were red and swollen with tears running down his cheeks.

Dan took an unconscious step forwards, moving to comfort Phil, until he realized that he had lost all privilege to do so years ago.

How was he still not used to that, he wondered briefly when Phil finally raised his head and their eyes met.

“You know,” he started, voice hoarse and barely above a whisper, “I want to forgive you. I want to forgive you so that -” His voice broke and he took a deep breath - or maybe it was a sob. Dan couldn’t be sure. “So that I can stop.” He got louder, more confident and Dan wanted to say something, anything, but he was frozen, unable to move or even breathe.

“Stop thinking of what you did to me… Stop thinking of you,” he continued and fresh tears sprang into Dan’s eyes, a pain in his chest, so soaring he was sure it would consume him any moment.

“Forgive you, so that I never have to think of you ever again… Because I refuse to.” Phil’s voice broke again as a sob rattled him, new tears spilling from his eyes and he looked so broken Dan’s heart was pierced by a million spears all at once.

Just for a second it was quiet, complete silence engulfing them aside from the distinct chatter coming from somewhere down the hallway. Not that Dan even registered it as they continued to stare into each others eyes, a pain soaring through his body like howling flames, burning their way through his veins, leaving behind nothing but destruction.

“But I can’t.” Phil sobbed again and finally looked away, down to the ground before he lifted his gaze again, staring dead into Dan’s eyes. “I want to, so, so desperately, but I can’t.”

He didn’t even wait for Dan to react, not for the hurried “Phil, wait!” Dan finally managed to throw after him, only released from the spell that had kept him rooted to the spot when they broke eye contact, nor for the sob that fought its way up his throat. He just turned around and left Dan to break down on his own.

:::

June 2012

Dan’s nineteenth birthday was the most beautiful one he’d ever had.

Firstly, he was in a generally good place in life. He had finally started pursuing music as a real career option after Phil had practically begged him to for years and had gotten his first contract a few weeks ago. His parents were surprisingly okay with it - or at least his mum was - and his nana was the most encouraging he’d ever seen her.

Secondly, Phil was the most amazing boyfriend he ever could’ve asked for. He was supporting Dan’s every decision, he was thoughtful and attentive and, quite frankly, hot as fuck. He always took Dan’s opinions into account when he made decisions and was considerate of whatever problems Dan had - which were, mostly, about the fact that Dan’s parents still didn’t know of either the fact that he was still in contact with Phil, nor about Dan’s sexuality - let alone his relationship to Phil. It didn’t make things easy, but now that Phil earned a lot of money he sponsored Dan a train ticket every other weekend - at least when he wasn’t away for whatever acting role he was doing at the time. It was a system that worked for them, and Dan didn’t care about anything else.

And thirdly, his amazing boyfriend had managed to get some time off from filming so they could spend a few precious days together over his birthday.

Spending time together got increasingly difficult with Phil’s rising popularity, but they spent a week all alone in the cottage that Phil’s parents owned, a cottage on top of a cliff on the isle of man. They went on a picnic on the beach almost every day, and it was during one of those on monday, his actual birthday, when Phil gifted him with a key to his new flat in London and a speech soaked with the love he felt for him.

Dan had never felt more like flying than he did in this moment.

Unfortunately, that only made his fall even harder.

When he got home on thursday the atmosphere at home seemed weird from the very first moment he stepped through the door. He was well rested and had been in a bliss-like state the whole week, but now he got anxious when he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, suitcase in tow.

His suspicions got verified when he pushed the doors to his bedroom open and revealed his little brother, hunched over on the edge of his bed, clutching a pillow to his belly and sobbing loudly.

Dan closed the door behind him and hurdled over to his little brother. “Adrian!” he murmured apprehensively, moving to sling an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “My god, what’s wrong?”

“I-i’m s-so sorry, D-Dan,” he squeezed out in between sobs. Dan tried to comfort him, gently murmuring encouraging nonsense, until Adrian had calmed down a bit, at least enough to form semi-coherent sentences. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I swear, I was just looking at the pictures and dad came in and-”

Dan’s blood froze in his veins, his heart stopped and the hand on his brother’s arm clenched involuntarily. “What did he see,” he clenched out between gritted teeth, missing the questioning tone but Adrian answered him anyway. “One of the picture of you and Phil kissing. I’m so sorry.”

Dan didn’t even hear him anymore. He felt like the world had been pulled out from under his feet and he was falling, tumbling down an endless cliff he had no idea how to get out of.

His dad choose this exact moment to storm into the room, looking about ready to murder his innocent child. “We need to talk, Dan,” he said in a monotone voice, but his eyes were so aggressive Dan wanted nothing else but to curl up into a ball and hide. It’s fine, he wanted to make himself believe, you can just go and live with Phil if he throws you out.

But it went worse than he had feared.

It turned out his father didn’t want him out of the house, now that he was on his way to success in the music industry, and he had his way of forcing him to stay. Instead of screaming at him, threatening him to throw him out, he blackmailed Dan.

He still screamed, a lot, about what a disgrace he was and why, out of all the males in this country, it had to be this one. Dan strongly assumed it wouldn’t have made any difference if it would’ve been Prince Harry or whatever other male member of the royal family, but he kept his mouth shut.

He briefly toyed with the idea to jump in to defend Phil, to tell his father that he was a successful actor and an amazing person, but he didn’t give him the chance to say anything.

“I want him out of your life. You are going to cut every and all ties to that filth and will not contact him again in any kind of way. That clear?” His father’s voice had gone from screaming to hissing and the volume had gone down considerably, but his eyes stayed the same, fixing Dan in a gaze harder than steel. He took a deep breath. That was it. That was him standing up to his father for the first time in his life.

“Why?” he asked, eyes set dead on him, “Why would I do that? I love him, Dad. I’ll stay with him, no matter what you say. I don’t care what you’ll do to me.” He was proud his voice didn’t break or falter in the slightest, and for a moment he thought that he’d done it, that he’d won.

Then a smirk creeped onto his father’s face and he knew something was about to go terribly wrong.

“You might not care about yourself”, his father said, voice cheerful like he knew he was about to ruin Dan’s life, and he liked it. “But don’t you care about your boyfriend?” Dan hadn’t been aware that the term boyfriend could sound like a slur, but suddenly it did. “I have acquired some pictures the public might find incredibly interesting…”

Dan hadn’t noticed it before, but his father had Dan’s old laptop open on the table in front of him; the very laptop he had given his little brother because he had gotten himself a new one from his first self-earned money.

Dan already knew what he would see there when his father turned it around. He had transferred, but forgotten to delete all the pictures he had saved on there, including a variety of ones of Phil and him, cuddling, kissing - happy. Maybe he hadn’t even particularly cared to delete them, considering Adrian was aware of Dan’s relationship, had been for a long time. He had been happy for him and the warmth Dan had always felt at the prospect had frozen to solid ice now.

Tears started prickling in his eyes and it took all his willpower to suppress the sob that was threatening to rip from his throat. He knew what his father was suggesting. He was obviously waiting for Dan to make a choice - but they both knew there was no choice to make.

The crushing realization that he would give into his father’s blackmail made his heart shatter into a million pieces, but there was nothing he could do about it. The public had become much more open about those topics, but they both knew a sexuality scandal would be enough to destroy Phil’s entire career.

They also both knew Dan couldn’t do that to Phil - not even risk it. His father had his resources, and when he wanted to know of every interaction between Dan and Phil, then he would.

So Dan had to end it. For good.

He was given the chance of one last skype call to break up with Phil. He knew he wasn’t the best actor and that Phil would be able to tell he’d been crying and how incredibly crushed he was, so he had to make sure that Phil wouldn’t realize, make him preoccupied with himself.

He had to play into Phil’s insecurities. He hated himself for it, but it needed to be done; even if it tore him apart in the process.

Phil greeted him in his usual, cheerful voice when the call connected and Dan could already feel the tears starting to rise, a sob threatening to escape his throat. There was a weight on his chest, so heavy he didn’t know how he was able to stay in an upright position. He carefully plastered an indifferent mask onto his face while his mind went back in time to keep the tears at bay; back to his birthday, back when he’d been so happy he hadn’t even known what to do with all the happiness.

He cut right to the case, unable to put off the evil any longer.

“Phil.. I can’t do this any longer. I have tried, but… I can’t. You’re just…” His throat constricted and he almost had to gag. He had never said words more untrue in his entire life. “You’re not good enough for me.”

He couldn’t look Phil in the eyes as he said it. He didn’t want to see the pain, the sorrow; didn’t want to hear the sobs and the pleeds. He wanted away. Far, far away; to a place where he and Phil could be happy… Could be together.

He felt like a monster.

Would feel like one for a long time.

“But I love you!” Phil pleaded. Dan’s heart constricted in his chest. His palms were probably ripped open with the force he pressed his nails into them, trying to keep himself from breaking.

He didn’t have it in him to say much more, his heart was itching to tell the truth and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his facade much longer. He couldn’t help but let a tiny, incredibly quiet “I’m sorry, I love you” slip out, but it was drowned out by Phil’s cries.

Louder, he said “We’re done. Don’t contact me ever again,” ended the call and forced himself to block Phil on any and all social media.

Only then did he allow himself to break down.

He knocked the glass from his bedside table as he started wailing, crumbling apart; and he watched it fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces…

Just like his heart.

::::

October 2018

Dan didn’t know how he made it back to his hotel room. He only knew Jennah was already waiting for him by the door as he stumbled inside, whining when she saw his state. She was by his side immediately, whimpering as she pressed her head to his thigh.

He didn’t even make it to the bed. Instead, he sunk to the ground right there, back pressed against the door. Jennah didn’t waste any time to cuddle into his side nuzzling his shoulder. He raised his hand to stroke her ears and she rewarded him with a soft whimper, nearly drowning the sound of his sobs.

He couldn't do this any longer. He had endured the pain for six years but now It felt like he had reached his breaking point. he couldn't do it one single second longer. He was at his breaking point.

He skurried a bit to fumble out the phone hidden in the front pocket of his black skinny jeans. Jennah continued to provide comfort, and he appreciated it more than anything else, but he needed more. He needed his best friend.

He had to discover that the reception in the hotel was more than bad, though, so he had no other choice but to drag himself across the room to the balcony. He slumped down again when he was outside, sliding down with his back pressed against the glass. It was the middle of October and only around six pm, but it was almost completely dark outside already. He could see the stars from where he sat and briefly wished he would be up there, somewhere far, far away, where the way his heart had been crushed meant nothing anymore.

He was aware there was no such place, no matter how far away. But for a moment, he let himself dream.

Until Jennah’s wet snout nuzzled into his hands.

She was back at his side again, a chocolate bar held carefully in her snout, and he wanted to cry again, out of love for this wonderful creature. “Thank you. I love you so much,” he whispered and ruffled the fur between her ears affectionately, taking the chocolate and ripping the wrapping open to take a bite. It was a bit inconvenient with one hand, considering he still held his phone in the other, but -

Wait. Phone, balcony…

Right. Louise.

He dialed her number as he swallowed the first bite of chocolate.

She picked up on the first ring. “Dan. How are you doing?” she asked, gently and caring, and suddenly there was warmth spreading through his chest. “I’m okay,” he tried, but his voice was croaky and hollow and he didn’t even believe himself.

“Oh, honey. What happened?” Of course she wasn’t fooled. He shouldn’t even have tried.

“I.. He… He talked to me.” He cuddled into Jennah for the extra comfort as he talked, who sat pressed into his side, a bastion of calm in the middle of the storm that was his pain.

That’s how he told Louise everything that had happened. How they had passed each other in the entry to the stage. How Phil had come back to talk to him, what he had said, how broken he had looked. He started crying somewhere halfway through the story and there was some kind of rustling on the balcony beside his, indicating there was someone there, but he didn’t care.

“Oh, Dan,” she whispered when he was done, and he could almost feel her embrace. He was so accustomed to her present, especially on this particular day, and it was strange to not have her there with him. He sobbed again. “It’s just,” he croaked, new tears spilling from his eyes, “In the end he’s right. It’s my fault. What happened is my fault and I just -” He halted, unsure of how to continue. “How could I do this to him?”

“It’s not your fault, Dan,” Louise remarked, voice still soft, obviously scared to make his breakdown even worse by unsettling him.

In the end, maybe it was that what unsettled him the most. The carefulness, the way she treated him like he was a small child or a wild animal, like he could get spooked and run away every second. “But it was!” he cried, louder now, and Jennah next to him howled lowly. “There has to be something I could have done differently! I could’ve tried fighting my dad, or try to make him see reason! Or at least something to make Phil understand I did it just to save him and his career!”

It was silent for a while before he continued, and he knew she kept quiet just to let him get it out. “I was just so scared. I loved… Love him so much, Louise. Everything I did was just for him.” There was a broken sob from somewhere to his right and he froze immediately. For a second he thought it had been him, choking out a sob unintentionally, but Jennah’s head was turned over to the right too, staring intensely into the darkness. Again, there was rustling on the balcony there, a sound like a door sliding closed. His lady dog growled lowly for a second, but then complete silent engulfed them both, aside from the voice of Louise in his ear, murmuring soothing words.

He was starting to think he’d imagined it all when there was a harsh knock on his door. He sat there, frozen, head turned to look through the glass pane, across his room to where the sound came from. He sat completely still, a hand laid on top of Jennah’s head tentatively to keep her quiet. A few seconds the knock came back, louder this time, more insistent. “Dan, open the door!” a voice shouted from the outside and his breathing itched. That had almost sounded like…

“Phil?!” he questioned quietly, talking to himself, which made Louise quiet down on the other end of his still going phone call. “Louise I think… I think Phil is at my door,” he whispered into the device, unsure of how to proceed. “What are you doing still on the phone then?! Go talk to him!” she insisted in a high-pitched voice and had hung up on him before he could even react.

“Dan! I know you’re there! Open the goddamn door!” the voice shouted again and there was more knocking. For a second he looked between his phone and the door, unsure of what to do, but then he got up and made his way inside of the room. Jennah followed him cautiously, but he stopped by the bed. “Can you stay here for me, love?” he asked her, pointing to the ground she stood on, and she sat down reluctantly, throwing him a look that was clearly not amused and slightly worried. “I’ll be fine,” he whispered and moved forward. He turned on the soft light on the headboard of the bed through the switch by the door before he opened.

In front of it stood Phil, hair ruffled, cheeks reddened, if from the shouting or the obvious tears, Dan couldn’t be sure. He marched into the room, brushing past Dan as if he hadn’t even seen him, but stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the dog still patiently sitting next to the bed.

It was silent for a while after Dan had shut the door. Phil stared at his dog as she stared right back, silently estimating each other, and Dan stood slightly to the side, gaze switching between them like he was watching a tennis match.

“Come here, girl. It’s okay,” he said after a while in the direction of his dog, who stood up silently and made her way over to them. She let Dan stroke her fur before she bravely marched forward, right up to Phil. Dan held his breath as he watched her generously accepting Phil’s outstretched hand, letting him pet her.

“Phil, meet Jennah,” he introduced them, and Phil, who had crouched down to be on eyelevel with his dog, stopped dead in his track, head wiping up to meet Dan’s gaze for the first time since he marched through the door. His eyes were blue, so blue in the soft light and Dan’s heart constricted in his chest. He felt like drowning.

“Jennah?” Phil whispered questioningly, eyes wide, still stroking the dog’s fur, “as in… Queen Jennah?”

He whipped his head around, looking between Dan and his dog as he obviously made the connection. “She’s not a girl,” he stated, louder this time, “When you said your Queen you… You meant your dog?”

Dan just nodded. He didn’t trust his voice in this moment. The weight of the situation came crashing down on him, and he felt himself swaying a bit. He moved over to the couch in the corner of the room, sinking down on it, closely followed by Phil and Jennah.

“I thought…” Phil murmured to himself as he sat down quite close to Dan, not quite touching, but it was a close call. “You thought I was talking about my girlfriend,” Dan stated in a matter-of-fact tone as he pulled his legs up to his body, leaning against the backrest of the couch. Jennah sat right in front of it, her head cramped on the couch in the small space between his and Phil’s leg.

“Yes,” Phil answered breathlessly, absently stroking Jennah’s fur, staring at her like he couldn’t quite believe she was real. “She likes you,” Dan declared fondly, full of affection, “She doesn’t even let Louise that close. And she usually sits her when I’m gone.”

“Is that who you were talking to?” Phil asked softly, turning his head over to Dan now, who tensed up immediately at the question. This was it, then. They would talk about this, right now.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest and a light feeling bubbled up in the pit of his stomach, a feeling he couldn’t quite place… Not until he recognized it as something that he had deemed impossible for a long time now. Was that... Hope?

“Yeah,” he answered, and his voice was deep and husky and nearly broke halfway through this one single word. He was so nervous he couldn’t even hope to control his breathing and had to wrap his arms around his legs to keep his hands from shaking.

“How much did you hear?” he whispered, stoically staring ahead, avoiding Phil’s eyes. “Pretty much everything, I think,” Phil answered and Dan’s heart almost leaped out of his chest. Oh god, what was he supposed to do?

He started chewing on his lower lip as he took a deep, but quivering breath. “What happened back then, Dan?” Phil asked softly, body completely shifted into Dan’s direction now, one leg folded under the other to allow him to sit sideways. He was still stroking Jennah’s fur absently with one hand and the lady dog savoured it with closed eyes. Traitor.

For a second, Dan didn’t know how to breathe. He shot a quick glance over to Phil, to his eyes, and he wasn’t sure if the look in them made it easier or harder to say what he had to say. There was something in there… Something speaking of feelings Dan had contemplated as long-lost. He shuddered.

“I was… So happy with you that week, Phil,” Dan whispered, tears nearly choking him as they silently started rising into his eyes again. Where he even took them from anymore, he couldn’t be sure. “But when I came home I…” His throat constricted heavily and he had to suppress a retch. “My little brother sat on my bed, crying. Telling me he was sorry and that it was an accident.” His voice was unbelievably quiet now and completely breathless, and he felt Phil leaning in closer to understand what he was saying. “I had given him my old laptop before we went to the isle of man, do you remember?”

He took the courage to look over to Phil again, who nodded. “You were so proud you made money with your music,” Phil reminisced tentatively, matching his volume to Dan’s, “So you went and bought yourself a new laptop from it.” He chuckled lowly. “You were so excited, said you’d finally be able to see me when we skyped.”

Dan nodded back and had to close his eyes for a moment to keep the tears at bay. “I had forgotten to delete the old pictures still on there. Or maybe I just didn’t do it, I can’t even remember. Adrian knew and I didn’t-” A choking sound escaped his throat before he was able to continue. “I didn’t think it would matter,” he closed breathlessly, so quiet the blood pounding in his ears drowned out his own voice.

It was at this moment Phil obviously made the connection. He shot up from his hunched-over sitting and stared at Dan, wide-eyed. “Your father saw the pictures?” he asked and Dan could see the shock in his eyes.

“He barged in on Adrian as he looked through them,” Dan confirmed, his voice back to a slightly louder volume. He shook his head. “He was so shocked, Phil. Full of guilt.”

Phil sucked in a sharp breath. “What did your father do?”, he asked, tears clogging up his throat on their way up. Dan could feel his eyes on him as he moved to burrow his face against his knees. “Oh god, Dan, what did he do?” There was a panic in his voice now and Dan failed to keep the next sob from breaking out.

He raised his head, tears stinging in his eyes as he looked over to Phil. “He blackmailed me, Phil. My own father. He told me... “ His voice broke and Jennah whimpered from her place on the ground, sensing his pain. “He told me he’d out you in public if I wouldn’t cut all ties to you.” He was full-on crying now and before he knew it, Phil was suddenly there, taking him into his arms, gently stroking his back. Jennah nuzzled his thigh and he moved one hand to gently caress her head.

“I’m so, so sorry Phil,” he squeezed out in between sobs, burying his head in the crock of Phil’s neck. “I was so scared he would destroy your career. He would have found out when I would have tried talking to you in secret and I just... I couldn’t let him do that to you. I loved you so much.”

For some time he just sat there, crying as Phil held him in his arms, mumbling soothing words and gently rubbing his back.

It was Phil who eventually broke the silence, long after his cries and broken sobs had rung out. “Out there on the balcony, when you talked to Louise, you said…” He let his voice fade out and Dan could feel him swallowing heavily. “You corrected yourself. You said…”

Dan knew what he wanted to say. “I said I still love you.”

He felt Phil nodding, felt his hand tremble as it rubbed circles into his back. He uprighted himself, staring straight into Phil’s blue eyes.

I was now or never.

“It’s true, Phil,” he whispered, voice hoarse as he stared. “I love you. I never stopped. It’s been six years and I just...” He let his head hanging down, closing his eyes. “I could never forget you. You were always there. I couldn’t even watch you on TV without breaking into tears because of how much I missed you.”

Suddenly, there was a hand on his cheek and he opened his eyes, wordlessly staring into Phil’s. The blue was shining brightly and there was a smile on his face, so wide Dan was sure it hurt. “I love you too, Dan,” he said, his voice full of joy and happiness - and love. “I love you too, oh my god, I never stopped. I wanted to, so badly, but I couldn’t.”

There was a moment of silent communication, of Phil asking for permission and Dan granting it, and then they moved forward in utter synchronicity until their lips met in the middle in a kiss so sweet it would put every candyfloss to shame. Somewhere in the room the needle of the wall clock ticked half past seven.

When they broke the kiss to come up for air it was quiet for a moment as they looked into each other’s eyes, and then they were crying; crying and laughing and reveling in happiness, Jennah cheerfully barking back at them.

“Can you… Will you give us a second chance?” Dan asked when they both had calmed down considerably, holding Phil’s hands in his, thumbs moving over the smooth skin on their backs; still unbelieving of the fact that he was allowed to feel it again.

There were tears in his eyes as Phil looked at Dan, silently, and then he was laughing as the tears started falling. “Of course. Of course, Dan, of course. I would like nothing more than to be with you again.”

This time, the kiss was a bit less sweet, a bit more heated, and it lasted a lot longer - at least until Jennah, obviously dissatisfied of being left out, was suddenly there, running her tongue across both of their faces.

“Jennah!”, they both screeched in unison, laughing at the Shiba and Akita Inu Mix, who had her forelegs on the sofa to reach their faces, her tail energetically wagging around as she whoof-ed at them happily.

They all slept in Dan’s bed that night, closely cuddled together, Dan with his head on Phil’s chest with Jennah somewhere in between.

Four weeks later when, in the middle of a show, Dan heard about the fact that both him and Phil had been nominated for the german filmfest Berlinale, indicating that they were strong contestants for the upcoming Oscar-Nominations, he didn’t even hesitate. He ran right on stage after Phil’s dance, catching him in a bone-crushing hug. He told Phil what he had heard, tears of happiness in his eyes. Again, there was some sort of silent communication and then Phil was kissing Dan, right in the middle of the dance floor, in front of millions of viewers.

They didn’t care they all knew - all that mattered was the happiness radiating between them.

#phan #phanfiction #dnp #phanfic au #my writing

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kai-borg · 6 years

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Just a touch o' interesting bio-vids I found

Recently I've been gettin' a touch bored and just scrolling through the bio-motion vids on youtube to see if I can find anything fun, and I have to say I've actually found quite a bit! From just single videos, to entire series and channels I've literally never heard talked of despite how fantastic they are!So I decided I'd make a little list of the best ones, or just the ones I was personally impressed with/interested in I've found. Random order o' course, and some of these I've known of from years, from a number that actually inspired my love of bionicles years back, and just a few I've more recently discovered.1. 리스L https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD5XlPJl6OU Ok, now the fact I haven't seen much for this guy is understandable due to the majority of his channel being in a different language. Channels such as these while generally really awesome (for some reason...), and fairly popular aren't generally talked about too much in the English circle from what I can tell just because we can't understand anything, and it drives us nuts. (It sure does for me at least.) Either way, holy crap this guy is awesome! Not just because he's translated even some of the series which is my favourite so far out of his others, but because his scenes are well done, his special effects, while not used too often, when used are awesome (such as the bullet scene), and his fight scenes are smooth, and fun as 'eck to watch! 2. Gionganer grav https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRIJ2y7WL-k And another, non-english channel. This guy's mainly moc-vids and all that, not exactly my favorite type of vid, but his moc's are quite well done, and a fair amount of short stop-motions, which, as you can see above, are smooth, and utilize (from what I can tell is) some well-done green screening. He also has some kind of... trailer/short film things (don't really know 'cause I can't read the title) which make for a nice little watch each. He's even got a break down for at least one of the ones I've seen, and it's pretty interesting to watch, help gave me a few ideas m'self. 3. MrLegolover55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ySVBnjYCs So here's this guy, another bio-tube who I've never heard talked of, yet who has a number of fairly amazing series out! Now, while he may not use stopmotion (something fairly common now-a-days), quality wise his videos are good, the story was intriguing, his characters are understandable (if perhaps lacking a touch in the full range of the voice-acting spectrum that could've been used, but still a good range for the amount of characters), and in all I'd recommend giving him a look. 4. Masteryker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ3X-dLuemE And once again a channel my inability to understand any language beyond English drives me insane to watch, but I can't stop just because of how good it is! So, fully Hero-Factory to warn all you fuddy-duddies who hate that, but holy-crap I recommend you at least give him a look if just to see his character design! While a bit stereotypical in the 'everything is rusty/damaged/whatever-that-look-is-called' in the paint department I feel it works, his stop-motion itself is once again impressive, his video quality and effects are well-done, and the story (from what little I can gather) is enough to hook me... even despite how much I miss out on (a disheartening fate). 5. Robomaniac7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Vq2bnr7wE Ah, and this guy. While not one of the best at this time, he was at least amusing, and at the time of his videos, fairly impressive in his stop-motion (and age too from what I can tell). Just a guy I'd recommend giving a view if you want a laugh. 6. Jacob Daeath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLOD9z2ZB_s Really not a lot for this guy, in truth this was mainly it (counting the second of course) in his bio-vids that caught my eye (he did have a second I found humorous). From what I can tell I think he had some ties to Robomaniac7, but my memories terrible so don't trust anything I say. Its got some nice stop-motion for its age, a nice bit of humor, and just a generally fun to watch story. 7. Spinny SterTwelve https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZJ52dhfLpY Now, far from the best he may be, but the fact he got me at all interested in something that combined transformers with bionicles (before the bio-former craze too I think), and made a lengthy series was more than enough to at least deserve the mention for those who might want find an interest in the idea. 8. Plastic Arm Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihnu0N6-3Gg Now this guy, this guy I'm surprised I haven't heard of. While he may have the stereotypical 'my-self-moc-is-better-than-all-others' self-moc, but I feel that the fact he's made a 1-on-1 fight video between all of the Toa, and in every combination (I think at least, I gotta check again...) , all of which have well done fight animations, camera quality, and a kinda neutral win-loss chance (poll based) should've at least gotten him a touch more known. Perhaps he is, perhaps all of them are and it's my terrible luck at find anything bio-fandom related is just hitting me over the head once again. 9. Dinosaurs united https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMmzn1kuQy8 Chaotic, well done, well designed, and humorous? Give a check to all of them and you get a pretty nice series out of it! From star-wars to knights kingdom, from hero factory to both generations of bionicles, it all connects and it is a bizzare yet worthwhile watch! 10. AJ Roo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNC-0ovJHLk Odd, lacking stopmotion, and overpowered characters inspired by ManiaMac1613? Yes to all of them. While another bio-tube who's more obscure status I can understand he does at least have an amusing range of voices for his characters for a single voice-actor cast. Give a watch for perhaps some enjoyment, but do be warned, some of his stuff is even too chaotic, odd, or otherwise strangely added even for me. I can say I do at least greatly enjoy his demon problems series, and his other short-vid series despite the overall 'memetry' of the clips. What can I say? Once you get an understanding of how his 'world' runs its hard not to find some amusement, especially when paired with his chosen voices. 11. Bukkey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4xv19onY7I Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! Now Bukkey is a glorious fellow! He's anime all the way, even when using canon-sets he manages to get an anime-style feel to 'em, and his use of green screen effects (especially in his more recent tests) is brilliant! While not a lot of videos yet I cannot wait to see what he'll bring later, 'cause like, holy-crap, the effects! 12. TheNufinger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICPKWlHnBlM Ah, NuFinger. How is he not more popular?! Sure, sure, I can understand some of his... 'humor', and moc's are less than stellar, but just the relative originality (for a bio-series), absurdity of a number of his videos, and generally multiple minute long clips I feel should've gotten him a bit more love than he got. Can I agree his use of certain... 'humor', MMD, and kinda OPness of his self-moc dissapointed me? Yes. Of course the fact he took so much inspiration from anime made his self-moc seem a lot less OP in comparison with the rest of his characters did help counter that bit. The fact he used quite a number of clips from PurpleEyesWTF's abridged videos to make skit videos also helped my opinion 'cause it's so rare to find any sound-clip skits that don't come from a vine, family guy, or some other various related semi/fully-adult cartoon episode. Another point was that his channels all english, yet all of his videos are anime-inspired! His kinda au-ish, weird home-verse-esque, anime-world-thing he stuck his mocs in was also fun, for me, to see. (Of course what really got me into him, despite her small amount of appearances, and my favorite character of all, was Ember, the magical... whatever she is who can teleport entire pool tables with her mind.) 13. Garmagic2yFhenrakh9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MWbZ5jQLiM Another 'Arghhh!Why-must-you-inspire-me-to-try-and-learn-your-language-so-I-can-understand-your-story!' channel. Smooth motion, good fights, good camera angles, and bloody intriguing looking videos! Some problems with camera quality/saturation editing, but otherwise another fun watch if you want to see some nice animation. 14. Katsuhono https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-QcRFM_l5A And now this guy, this guy I am happy to have found! Do his various MLP videos bother me a bit? Yes, but I can assure you his stopmotion videos, any of them really, more than make up for any... discomfort being subbed to a channel with MLP on it brings. I mean, just look at all this! Smooth motion, brilliant effects, even giving his mixel videos a watch is beyond worthwhile! 15. Andrew Eusebi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE2ajOjbYmM Once again another channel I feel could be better, but hey, his story's intriguing enough for me! Yeah, another none/less bio-based channel, but its got some kinda crazy multiverse story thing going that I have to say does make it work. 16. TheSlimToa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMBRMDov1Cg A small channel sure, but ey! His stopmotion makes for a nice, inspiring watch! 17. Cy4Lego Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_wrXNVwfac GIVE THIS GUY LOVE! Sure, not a lot of bio-stuff, but holy crap! Look at what he does do! This guy deserves some chatter, especially for this thing! XD 18. BIOforge Studios https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu5CzuIyiPU Also this guy! His voice acting, and some of his choices in... effects may be a bit grating, but he more than deserves to be better known for the effort he's putting into his channel to keep it running at an active (more-so than my owns) rate of production! ---------------------------- And now a pair that have somehow stuck with me for years, and managed to be some of the biggest inspirations towards my love of bionicles, if less so towards my character and story. 1. ToaScarak44 - Heroes of Ora Nui https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJaMn0kE-zI Ah, heroes of Ora-Nui, the first series I ever found, and the one that became my first, and numerous following footholds into the bio-fandom. I remember whiling away ages as a kid just watching his stuff, 'ell, I can remember actually waiting for episodes to come out before I ended up forgetting the series name. It was disappointing to discover that the series would never be finished, and that one of my favorite biotubers, my first one at that, had quit. Will I ever know why I loved this series so much despite its... 'problems'? Who knows, all I do is that once I found it again after forgetting the name for years I was overjoyed to see it again, and I'll probably remain just as happy to watch it over, and over again. 2. Zadohk - Sirac`s journey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C10pgt-_0zY And so I continue to have no idea why I love this series! This was the second bio-series I'd ever watched, and essentially what got me back into the bio-tube portion of the fandom after I'd dropped out a year or so past my loss of ToaScarak's series, which I suppose can give you a fairly good concept of how long I was out of the fandom beyond books and sets. No stopmotion, nowhere near the best voice acting, and a disappointingly short series before he died off. I do have to say I did greatly enjoy the environment of his videos. Otherwise, I have no clue as to why this series has somehow managed to carry the place in my heart it still does. No matter what though, Sirac's journey will always remain memorable to me for its standing as the series that got me back into the fandom. ---------------------------- And last, but not least, the honourable mentions! From just single videos, to small, lesser quality channels I feel you might at least find some enjoyment in. 1. GeneralChroma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZyCFZc3TLI Fairly sized, not of the English persuasion, and far from the best, but hey, he's got a nice number of lil' skits to watch for fun. 2. WittyFox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RRb2XSWX-8 Another small channel, but at least they're not dead, and so far they got some nice bio-motion for a small channel. 3. Toynimation Studios https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpiduZwz9Yo Small, short, but well done, and with some nice use of motion and special effects. 4. Dia Mon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dBXiTfmKCM Now, while this video is the one that truly stood out to me (I must say I do find it amusing) that doesn't mean I don't recommend you see the other ones, in fact I recommend you do! They make for another bundle of fun little time-spenders. 5. Lamchops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP6YI06ZMTU Lamchops, short, smooth, and really very few bionicle animation videos. Another chaoticly-oriented channel, but at least his stop-motions are a good, albeit short watch! 6. Biomoron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1OAgsnqimo Ey, what can I say? I'm good at finding the disappointingly dead channels. Oh well, still a worthwhile couple of videos to see if you ask me. 7. Thriller Metru https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ramKDTirbAg You can understand why I put this one up. 8. George Carlin Robot Animation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhGSvorkjY Ok, now this is bloody brilliant! I mean, tell me you're still not unsure whether it's CGI or stopmotion after viewing it at least twice. 9. After hours - real life of working robot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isaU2Z0yLKo Eh, it's well done, and amuses me. A double win! 10. Jornova Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxzas9fJrx0 Alls I gotta say for this is that man am I ever glad he kept this channel mainly separate from what else its connected to. Also, voice acting, still needs work. 11. Uniters of Team Nova Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZLAuhyeVZs All's I gotta say for this is, at least the majority of this video is bionicle/lego/edited backgrounds compared to the only other video that used bionicles in the series this episode is included in. Pretty nice stop-motion and effects. Makes up for some... lacking quality in the voice-acting department. 12. New Age of Heroes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUFf4P3FAo Really, I'm only putting this up because the way they managed to edit in the special effects, and bionicles/lego-piece-things into an IRL setting actually impressed me a good bit despite the overall... disappointing quality of the video. Of course seeing how the trailer is more impressive than the actual video kinda manages to make the video even less worth giving the time to watch.

#bionicle #animation #stopmotion #just some youtube things

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gray-autumn-sky · 6 years

Text

Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter 7

February 17, 1993- Seattle, Washington:

Robin rings his hands as he sits in the booth, staring at the door and waiting for his date.

He cancelled a few days before, and really, he thought that Emma would call off the whole thing.

He felt a degree of guilt over using Roland as an excuse—saying that his son was sick and needed him at home, and though the excuse had sounded fake and flimsy to him, Emma didn’t argue with it. Instead, she said that she understood and that his son should always come first—and then, she confessed that she was feeling a little uncomfortable about that date, anyway. Valentine’s Day brought a certain amount of unnecessary pressure, suggesting that maybe later in the week would be better for them both.

He was glad for the less formal setting and for the proximity to home. This was a place he and Roland went often, and several of the wait staff knew him well—and when he regretfully informed them that he was not dining with his son and confessed that he was actually meeting a woman for a date, they offered pats on the back and high fives and congratulatory wishes that momentarily set him at ease and made him that that maybe this wasn’t the worst idea.

But still, he was nervous and his stomach was in knots—and of course, the two conflicting voices in his head didn’t help the situation. One told him to get up and leave, that he wasn’t ready for this and it wasn’t fair to anyone involved to carry on with a date if there was no chance at something more developing, and the other voice told him it was just pizza and conversation, that if anything, it’d be good for him to be social.

The second voice was winning out when Emma came in to the pizza shop and a slight smile tugged on to his lips as he spotted her.

Ruby and Belle were right—Emma was pretty, though not typically his type. She had long blonde hair that was curled at the ends and the boots she wore made her seem taller than she really was. She wore tight, dark jeans and a red leather jacket over a tucked in what shirt, and as she came closer, she offered him an awkward little wave and a grin.

“Robin?”

“Yes,” he nods. “You’re Emma, then.”

Nodding, she slides into the booth across from him. “I am.”

“You, um… you obviously found the place alright.”

She nods. “Yes, your directions were… very clear.”

For a moment, neither of them says anything and then a little laugh bubbles out of him, and she laughs, too.

“I’m sorry,” he says, “I’m a bit rusty.”

“I am, too.”

“My sister mentioned that you just got out a relationship? I’m sorry—“

“I’m not,” she cuts in. “I just wish I’d gotten out sooner.” He nods. “I’m new in town and staying with some friends from college—“

“David and Mary Margaret,” he supplies. “I am the architect designing the addition on their house.”

“Oh, now I feel the need to apologize. They are so indecisive about every last detail.”

“So the bay window fiasco wasn’t an act to try to put us in each other’s orbit?”

“Not entirely. I was running late, but after you left, they had tape up the walls, still debating where the window should go.”

“Oh no,” he laughs. “It’s really not that serious.”

“When you called to cancel, they were still debating and I didn’t have the heart to tell you you’d probably spend Valentine’s Day redrawing the blueprints for the addition.” His brow furrows and she laughs again, “There’s a new discussion about a skylight,” she tells him. “They didn’t tell you yet?”

“No,” he sighs. “They probably haven’t committed to it yet or they’re afraid I’ll quit.”

“You might as well just design a room for a teenager—put the window by the tree so he can sneak out in the middle of the night. That seems most considerate.”

“Or he’ll simply have to stay a baby forever.”

“I am sure Mary Margaret would have no arguments about that.”

Leaning back against the booth, Robin grins—talking to Emma is easier than he thought it’d be.

The waitress comes and they order a pizza—settling on pepperoni and jalapeño peppers—and by the time the waitress bring their beers to the table, they’ve fallen into a conversation that’s only mildly uncomfortable.

She asks about his son—a topic he could stay on forever—and so he takes the opportunity to brag. Emma listens and nods along, smiling when she should at cute little anecdotes about the antics of a six year old. She admits that she likes kids, but isn’t sure that she wants them for herself, and when he apologizes for going on and on, she brushes it off, telling him she enjoyed listening and Roland seems like a sweet boy—and that earners her a couple of points in his book.

He shifts the conversation as the pizza arrives, talking about movies and books and TV shows. Outside of a few random things, they don’t have many of the same interests, but in some ways, that’s refreshing and gives them more to talk about—and when Emma suggests a film they could maybe watch together, he takes it as a good sign, and again feels himself relax.

By the time they’ve finished their pizza and ordered slices of cheesecake for dessert, he’s feeling more at ease. And while he’s not entirely sure of its something about her that he likes or something about talking to someone who isn’t his sister or his child, he does like it and he finds himself mentally preparing a list of possible date ideas.

He likes serious films, like documentaries or comedies that he can laugh at, while she prefers mysteries or horror films; he likes leisurely hikes while she prefers rock climbing. He seems himself as a family man while she is more of a loner who occasionally likes company, and they both avoid cooking for themselves whenever they can.

She laughs at that part, telling him she now understands why Ruby is always over, and he smiles and nods and pretends that that’s the real reason.

Their dessert comes as Emma confesses that she’s never even seen a horse up close and the idea of riding one terrifies her—so, naturally he adds horseback riding to his list.

They part ways after they eat, agreeing that they’d like to do something like this again. Emma pulls out her pocketbook and suggests a movie date, and he finds himself nodding in agreement as he adds dinner—and just like that, he has a second date planned.

He spends his walk home weighing what this actually means, and by the time he arrives at his front door, he decides that it doesn’t really matter—the company is nice and he forgot how fun it could be just getting to know someone. Emma might not be someone he ended up with for a long time, but maybe that was the point—and maybe he’d spend the rest of his life with her.

That was the fun of it—the possibilities—and he’d completely forgotten how good it felt to have possibilities, to not have everything charted out and predetermined, to just see where life would take him.

In a lot of ways, Marian had been a wonderful surprise—they’d shared a cab ride on a particularly rainy day, and the only reason he’d been in that cab was because he’d lent his car to Belle so she could take a road trip to visit a friend from high school. By the end of that cab ride, he’d been convinced that he wanted to ask Marian out, and when he helped her out of the cab, he knew they’d have something special.

But that feeling hadn’t taken away from the spontaneity of it all—and maybe, he thought as he turned his key in the lock and braced himself for the onslaught of questions from Belle and Ruby that were sure to come as soon as the door opened—he really could get that lucky as second time… perhaps not with Emma, but someone.

Only time would tell, and for the first time in longer than he could remember, he was actually looking forward to uncertainty that lay ahead of him.

_____

February 17, 1993- Greenwich, Connecticut:

To her relief--and oddly, to her disappointment--Daniel did not propose to her on Valentine’s Day.

He’d taken her to a nice restaurant and they’d had a nice meal, and their dinner was filled with easy conversation. He seemed to sense her anxiety, so he kept things light. They’d gone into New York City for the evening, and he’d planned a walk in Central Part, but the rain foiled those plans, so instead, they rented a few movies and went back to the hotel, ordering ice cream and laying in bed, laughing until their sides hurt, thanks to Cary Grant and movies like Arsenic and Old Lace and Bringing Up Baby.

Daniel was out of town—some business meeting or something that came up a the last minute—so she invited Lily and Mal over to eat the meal she’d prepared.

As always, Lily and Henry went off to play video games—this time, giggling together as they played Duck Hunt in his bedroom while she and Mal settled in the living room with a bottle of wine.

“You should stay the night.”

Mal’s brows arch. “We're not sixteen. We don’t do sleepovers anymore.”

Regina shrugs. “The kids are having fun and it’s sleeting and I want to watch old movies, but I don’t want to alone.”

Mal grins. “Sounds like you’re subbing me in for your boyfriend.”

Regina shrugs. “Or maybe I was subbing my boyfriend in for you. I’m not really sure he’d be into the movie I picked. It’s… kind of a chick flick.”

“What is it?”

“An Affair to Remember. I’m… I’m kind of on a Cary Grant kick, so I got it and then I read the description.”

“That is absolutely a chick flick,” Mal says, nodding as she sighs. “I’ll stay if you give me ice cream.”

“Deal.”

“Do you have that snickerdoodle kind that—“

“That my kid is obsessed with? Of course.”

“Excellent. You get the ice cream and I’ll let Lily know we’re going to stay.” Getting up from the couch, she sighs. “I’m sure this will be an argument.”

“I've got some cookie dough, maybe that can sweeten the deal.”

“Maybe.”

“Henry is going to be thrilled, you know. He loves when Lily’s here… even if she doesn’t want to be.”

“Lily can move in, if you want. I swear, she’s no trouble at all… ever. She’s an absolute delight!”

Regina grins as she gets up. “I really do think she’s a delight.”

“That's because you’re not her mother so she likes you.”

“Things still rough after the smoking incident?”

Mal nods. “Rough is my new normal. This morning she and I got into a fight about eyeliner.”

“Was she wearing too much?”

“No,” Mal says, rolling her eyes. “I was, and apparently me dropping her off at school is embarrassing.”

At that, Regina giggles and shrugs, watching as Mal starts up the stairs.

She retreats into the kitchen and flicks on the radio before flicking on the oven—and all of the sudden the familiar voice of Doctor Archibald Hopper fills the room.

Grabbing the cookie dough from the refrigerator, she listens as he switches topics.

I’m sure you all remember our most famous caller from Christmas Eve, a little boy from Seattle who was worried about his dad not sleeping and being alone…

Looking up, she stares at the radio, listening more intently as she grabs a okie sheet from the drying Araceli and forms little balls of dough.

...I say most popular because since Christmas hundreds of women have called in for his address—hundreds of concerned women who want to help—

Regina’s eyes roll. “Yeah, help themselves into his bed,” she mutters.

Several of you have reached out to check in on him, calling into the station for an update, and while I would love to talk to Sleepless in Seattle again, he has not answered any of my calls…

“He has a name.”

“Who does?”

Regina looks up to see Mal standing in the kitchen. “Oh…”

“Is that that radio program again?”

Reigna nods. “They’re talking about Robin… about Sleepless in Seattle from…”

“Christmas.”

“Yeah? What are they saying?”

“Not much,” Regina says, lowering the volume dial so she can hear Mal, but not turning it down completely. “People are curious about him—“

“People like you.”

For a moment, she just glares. “I suppose.”

“Women have been writing to him.”

At that, Mal’s brow arches. “Soo, you’ve got some competition.”

“No—“

“Regina, come on. It’s not wrong to be curious about him. You heard his story and you felt something—“

“It was a sad story, Mal.”

“I’m not saying that it wasn’t. I’m just saying you felt a connection—“

“That’s a bit strong.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

“It’s ridiculous, Mal. I don’t know this man. I heard one story from his life, this one little thing—“

“This one huge thing.”

She shrugs. “Still, it was one thing that has to do with the life of a complete stranger.”

“So?”

“So… I… I’m involved with someone. Someone who is great and—“

“And you spend all of Valentine’s Day hoping wouldn’t propose to you.”

Regina bristles as she lops some Cookie dough onto the sheet. “I’m… I’m just not… not there I don’t want to rush things or—“

“Or maybe, despite the fact that you’re dating a great guy, he’s not the guy for you.” Regina’s shoulders square as she focuses on the cookies, trying to formulate some sort of zinger to reply with that’ll shut the conversation down. But before she can, Mal leans against the counter and completely derails her train of thought. “You should write to him.”

Regina's eyes widen. “You mean...write to…”

Mal’s eyes roll as Regina’s voice trails off. “To Sleepless in Seattle.”

“Robin.”

A grin twists onto her lips “Oh, so you’re a on a first name basis now?”

“Shut up.”

“No, I’m serious. You should write to him.”

“And sound like all the other crazy desperate women who want to bed him? No, thanks.”

“But you’re different.”

“Yeah,” Regina says, nodding as she spoons the last of the cookie dough onto the sheet. “I am different. I have a boyfriend. I shouldn't--”

“Regina--”

“Mal, this is insane. It’s unhealthy it’s--”

“You’re attracted to it. Admit it.”

“He’s a voice on the radio!”

“That you recorded so you could listen to him as a bedtime story.”

Regina’s eyes widen. “Oh god. Mal. I’m just as crazy and desperate as those other women. I’m--”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Mal sighs, taking the cookie sheet from her and sliding it into the over and spinning the timer. “Let’s change the subject. We’ll get some wine and watch a movie, and forget what a psycho you are for a little bit.”

Regina pouts as Mal grabs her hand and a bottle of wine, dragging her back into the living room. Regina curls her legs underneath herself as Mal puts on the movie, and aside from a very short break to take the cookies out of the oven, she doesn’t move--instead, she gets too invested in the movie and finishes off a bottle of wine before the its even over, and all the while, she pictures herself waiting for Sleepless in Seattle--for Robin--on top of the Empire State Building, and how terribly romantic that would be.

She sighs as the credits roll, and when she looks over to Mal, she finds her curled up in the armchair beside her, asleep. “So much for a movie marathon,” she says, setting down her glass and feeling a little wobbly as she stands, moving toward Mal and carefully pulling away the carton of ice cream from her--and when she does, Mal curls into a tighter ball.

She takes the empty wine glasses, bottles and Mal’s now-empty carton of ice cream into the kitchen and sets the on the counter to be dealt with in the morning, and she grins as the handful of cookies left--Lily and Henry obviously came down for seconds, and maybe even thirds. She transfers the rest of the cookies onto a plate and puts the cookie sheet into the sink, again leaving it for morning to clean.

Turning off the light in the kitchen, she goes back to the living room to toss a blanket over Mal, then dims the light and heads up the stairs. She finds Lily and Henry curled up on Henry’s bed, video game controllers still in their hand and the music to Mario Brothers playing as Game Over flashes repeatedly on the TV screen on Henry’s dresser. She turns off the TV and kisses them both on the forehead, pulling away the controllers as she dims Henry’s lamp--and then as she retreats down the hall toward her bedroom, she realizes she’s not tired.

Biting down on her lip, she turns toward her office. For a moment, she just stood there, feeling a bit dizzy as she stared at her Macintosh--and then, drawing in a breath, she pushed herself toward, pressing her fingers to the keyboard to boot it up. Chewing at her lip, she watched as the computer started, and she held her breath as she opened up the Word Processor, then once it was open, all she could do was stare at it.

It was… like magic, she thinks, remembering the soft yet hesitant way he described that very first moment he knew that he was in love with his wife--and it made her heart ache in the best possible way.

Pulling out her chair, she sat down at the computer and started to type…

Dear Sleepless in Seattle, she types, grimacing as she looked at the words. They sounded so.... Impersonal. And then she rolled her eyes. How else would it sound, writing to someone who didn’t even know she existed.

I’ve never done something like this before.

She blinks and rolls her eyes. “Of course, you haven’t--and neither has all the other psychos out there who are writing to him.” With a sigh, her head dips forward and her face falls into her hands, and she can’t do it--she can’t write this letter, much less send it. So, she powers down her computer and goes to sleep.

#oq ff #outlaw queen #advent 2018

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fallout4holmes · 6 years

Text

Far Harbor 8

We couldn't put off Dima’s plan any longer. Along the way we checked on the status of the Last Plank bartender's uncle, still living out on the island in the Fog thanks to some condensers, and we promised an enterprising young girl called Bertha to clear the old lumber mill of ferals for future settlers. A sole remaining trapper had claimed the mill as his own, but Bertha’s friends should have no trouble chasing him off.

We found Confessor Martin’s private… hermitage, I suppose. According to the tapes we found, Martin truly did have an amicable relationship with the strange synth that had welcomed them to their new home. He blamed himself for not realizing how bad Far Harbor’s hostility had become, and then blamed Dima when his own people turned against him because of Dima’s refusal to help drive the Harbormen off the island. Martin demanded Dima leave the Nucleus, and then when Tektus took over with his calls for blood, Martin retreated into seclusion. A few written notes revealed he was visited by Sister Gwyneth, early in her doubts. He started to believe she was right, and never regained his faith, quietly disappearing.

We returned to Acadia, our prize in hand. Dima was alone in his observatory. It was a… tense, moment. Neither brother was exactly certain how to interact with the other.

“You’ve returned,” Dima said, with some small surprise.

“We said we would. Will these suffice?” I handed him the tapes.

“Yes, these look like they’ll serve. Let me listen…” he smiled softly to himself, “It’s good to hear his voice aga- ah. Some… grim material to work with.” After a few moments, he had copied excerpts onto a new tape. “I take no pleasure from twisting the words of an old friend, but I believe Martin would understand. This tape should pique the interest of the High Confessor, but Tektus is nothing if not wary.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve set a trap,” I took the new tape. “How are preparations coming along for a replacement?”

“The initial stages have gone well. He should be ready in time.” Dima hesitated, but asked, “You said something when we last spoke, when you agreed to this plan. My mind keeps coming back to it… ‘In some corner of Hell, he’s laughing at me.’ May I ask…”

“The Director of the Institute.”

Dima was stunned, “I don’t understand.”

“The Institute used whatever means to their end, no matter the cost, the collateral damage caused. There were no questions of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ only ‘necessary.’ Unfortunately, the wrong of destroying a person often leads to the right of saving many.”

“… and the wrong of letting a person live who shouldn’t?”

“We’re going to find out, aren’t we?”

He winced. “So the Director is dead. And the Institute?”

“Destroyed.”

“Then it’s over?” Relief and hope filled him, “No more Courser hunts? No more slavery? Oh, but…” as suddenly as it seemed to come, the hope faded to something sadder. “But that also means the technology to make the synths is lost. Our origins have been buried. Not to mention, the loss of human life…” He glanced at us both with some chagrin, “I know that must sound disingenuous given my actions, but -”

“I sounded an evacuation before it was destroyed,” I said. “Everyone had a chance to get out. Not all of them did. It’s a truth I have to live with, that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”

Dima glanced at Valentine, “Nor should anyone.” He sighed, “I’m sorry if I sounded as though I was judging you. You’ve wiped out a great evil in the world, and knowing the Institute is gone will bring peace of mind to many of my people. I’m grateful.”

We were invited to stay the night before going to the Nucleus in the morning. I think he hoped to have a chance to speak to Valentine, and so I resolved to be close by and listen in, just in case. My partner wasn't going to make it easy on him. And yet, for all his doubts, Valentine still wants to know his brother, this piece of family he never knew he might have had.

So it was with some false flippancy later that he answered a simple, “How have you been, Nick?” with “Haven't woken up discovering any new missing parts in a while, so I call that a win.”

Dima smiled. “I stopped counting the number of repairs I had decades ago. I have bad actuators, frayed wires…”

Whether innate sibling rivalry, or simple relief at a safe topic, Valentine continued the list, “Rusty joints, patched power couplings, and don't even get my secretary started whenever I tell her I literally have a screw loose.”

Dima chuckled, “You know, it's actually pretty nice being able to complain about this with someone who understands.”

Valentine nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Silence settled a moment before Valentine asked, “Dima, why do you even call me Nick? Didn’t you know me from before the personality imprint?”

“We didn't have names inside the Institute. And after the personality experiments started, the only name you ever called yourself was Nick Valentine. If there's another name you'd prefer, I'd be happy to -”

“No. No, I... I like the name. When you wear something for a long time, it kind of seeps into ya, you know?”

“Of course. And yet your… friend, only calls you Valentine.”

“Habit. Calls me Nick when it’s important. So, what happened after the Institute? To you, I mean.”

“After our escape, after the… fight… I eventually made my way here, simply wandering North, hiding on a ship, anything to get as far away from the Institute as I could. Once my escape felt secured, I was left with nothing. No programmed task, no false memories. I spent a year just sitting in a cave. Just sitting. One day, it finally occurred that maybe I could decide for myself what to do, who I was. It was decades before I met another of my kind. At first, I didn't believe it. I thought the person I was talking to was deluded. And then I realized the truth. That we were the same. I didn't know it then, but that's when Acadia really started. And you, Nick? What happened after?”

“Woke up one day in a garbage heap, a body in tatters and a head full of memories belonging to a man who'd been dead for 200 years. Suffice to say it was a confusing couple of weeks.”

“I am sorry -”

“I know. I was still confused, you didn’t want to hurt me, but… anyway. My first human contact in the world was actually a kid. I think his name was Jim. Grilled me for an hour. Once they'd seen I wasn't going to hurt anyone, the other folks in the neighborhood came out to ogle the mechanical man. It eventually turned into a pretty swell soiree. Local mechanic even gave me a once over, free of charge. Those people, they treated me like a human being. I've been trying to return the favor ever since.”

“That sounds wonderful. It's… not what I expected.”

“Don’t get me wrong, took me a long damn time to get a feel for the Commonwealth. Eventually made my way to Diamond City. Plenty of people assumed I was just a saboteur, moving in to melt down the reactor or poison the drinking water. But they couldn't exactly turn me away.”

“Why?”

“Because I'd rescued the mayor's daughter.”

I softly laughed. “I'll never tire of hearing this story,” I said to Faraday behind me. “As you've been standing there a few minutes, I imagine you'd like to hear the rest?”

He sounded a bit embarrassed. “I was going to ask if you were spying again. I suppose you were, but not quite like I thought. I have to say, I hoped Nick would come back. Dima really is glad to see him again. But I don't quite understand why you want to help.”

“I am a man of my word, and I am not in the habit of abandoning those in need.”

We listened for a time. “Did he really pretend to be a bomb?” Faraday asked.

“So he says.”

“No one could be stupid enough to fall for that.”

“Clearly you haven't met many raiders.”

“Um. Well, no, I guess I haven't.”

We were joined by Chase. “What in the world are you two doing?”

We moved away before we could be discovered. “We didn't want to interrupt!” Faraday protested.

Chase rolled her eyes and turned to me, “You're a detective, right? You've had experience finding missing people.”

I must admit, there is a certain comfort that comes with the anticipation of a case. “What's happened?”

“A synth was supposed to arrive from the Commonwealth, but he's gone missing. Brooks in Far Harbor has all the details, he's the one who was supposed to watch for his arrival. Tell him I sent you.”

She gave me Brooks’ unit designation from the Institute, just in case he didn't want to cooperate. Valentine and Dima were still talking. The sun would be setting by the time I reached Far Harbor; hardly an ideal time to track down a missing person, but given the dangers of the island, there was no time to waste. I resolved to head into town at least, and see what Brooks could tell me. I left Valentine to catch up with his brother. I didn’t know if it would help or not, but I think it’s important he get some sense of the old synth on the mountain… and, more importantly, that Dima gets a sense of the sort of man his brother is.

I hurried into Far Harbor and found Brooks cleaning up. The missing synth, a young man called Derrick, had arrived ahead of schedule in a panic. Brooks tried to calm him down but Derrick, convinced he was being pursued, ran off. Brooks was unable to stop him, or find him when he disappeared. He feels terrible about it. The only information he could give me was that Derrick had white hair and had run off down the south road.

“Then I suppose I’ll head south,” I sighed.

“Sure you want to be out an' about in the dark, cap'n?”

I turned and saw Longfellow approaching from the Last Plank, a bottle of whiskey in hand. “The sun hasn't set just yet, and if there's the slightest chance that he is still alive we must move quickly.”

“We?”

“If I had my dog with me, tracking Derrick down would be simple, sunshine or no,” I grinned, “but I’d gladly take a septuagenarian hunter instead.”

“Hmph,” he seemed amused, I think, though honestly it’s hard to tell. “And where’s your friend?”

“Acadia. He’s catching up with his brother, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Brother, huh?” Longfellow was supremely skeptical, but shrugged and said, “Brooks, watch this for me.” He put his whiskey on the counter, “I’ll be back as soon as this young pup makes a fool of himself tracking at night.”

I did not, in fact, make a fool of myself. To the contrary, Longfellow was impressed with my ability to observe details, and only corrected me once when I confused the blood trail of a wounded radstag with the trail of blood we’d been following. Given the nature of the trail, I knew the young man was likely dead… but nothing prepared me for the grisly nature of his fate. We tracked him to a house where trappers had set up camp. They’d eaten him, and left his head among the remains.

The Institute was gone, what had he been running from? A lone Courser? The Brotherhood? An imagined foe born from paranoia? Whatever the reason for his fear, Brooks had been in no position to stop his flight, through no fault of his own. How many people have died trying to reach a place of refuge?

Longfellow was grim, “Damn shame. Suppose you’ll let Acadia know?”

“Yes. Will you tell Brooks?”

“I’ll tell him. He’ll probably blame himself, even though it’s not his fault. I'll see to him, don't worry.”

I thanked him, and hurried back to Acadia. Chase was distressed to hear the news. This does, in fact, happen often. I don't mean the cannibalism, specifically, but synths being killed en route to Acadia. The island is a death trap for those ill prepared. This place doesn’t need ideals of peace and isolation, it needs practical help for the physical challenges of survival.

Valentine just found me. I'd managed to find an empty spot to sleep for the night, and was writing the above as he sat down next to me.

“You snuck out on me,” he said, perhaps a touch put out.

“I didn't want to interrupt. I found Longfellow in town.”

“Just want to make sure you get home in one piece,” he held my hand. “Chase mentioned something about finding a missing synth?”

I told him what I'd found. He shook his head with a heavy sigh. “This place…”

“Acadia is a worthy idea severely lacking in execution.”

“Considering what they've got to work with, it's amazing they've got this much.” It was true, the resources are limited, the neighbors unfriendly… “If only there were some sort of organization that could lend a helping hand,” he finished sardonically.

I chuckled, “The thought had crossed my mind, but would Dima accept help?”

“It’ll be a surprise, that’s for sure. He’s not fond of the Railroad, doesn’t understand why they’d remove synth identities instead of embracing them, but no one here knows what the Minutemen under their current management are about.”

“It is a bit out of our jurisdiction,” I said with a grin, “but perhaps some trade could be set up at the very least. Did you enjoy talking to him?”

“It was… nice. Strange. He was alone on this rock for a long time before he met another person. He’s… removed from a lot of life. Most of what he knows about the Commonwealth is second-hand knowledge, what he’s heard and stored in his memory banks. I think he got more out of the conversation than I did, listening to stories about the world. I still can't quite crack what makes him tick.”

“Beyond protecting his people?”

“Protecting is fine and good, but every time he mentions ideals and synths having their own culture and way of life… well, that would be nice, but it'll take a long time for that to happen. Not sure the people here are as in it for the long haul as Dima is… or as willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

There certainly seems to be a disconnect. We'll find out soon enough if it's all worth it.

#fallout 4 #sherlock holmes #crossover #fan fiction #nick valentine #dima #far harbor

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italicwatches · 6 years

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I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job - Episode 03

Alright, I have actual time today, so let’s get to it. It’s I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job, episode 03! Here we GO!

-We begin with Fino’s clock reaching seven AM, and trying to wake her up. Which also gives us a good view of her shiny new apartment, which is…I mean, look, the kid’s had it for like a week, tops. It’s a futon, a table, and a couple boxes of crap she presumably managed to haul out of the old castle, and that’s about it. Her alarm clock’s not even on a table, it’s just kind of sitting by her. It’s also loud and Fino’s a deep sleeper, forcing Raul to come in and wake her up.

-A deep, naked sleeper.

-So the blushing comes. And then Fino has to try and find her clothes and is all squirmy and naked and Raul finally just throws one of his old t-shirts at her. And that’s all she’s wearing and well it’s the whole “wearing your boyfriend’s big t-shirt and nothing else” look and Raul’s brain just kinda cracks like an egg. He’s trying, guys, really.

-Opening!

-Episode 03: We Should be Careful When Handling Weird Products Sent to Us by Corporate.

-Raul and Fino are out and about, and Raul is kind of grumbly about that alarm clock. How the hell did you not wake up from it. It woke him up and he’s an entire apartment away. Also Fino has, instead of getting actual clothes that fit her, chosen to just tie off Raul’s t-shirt under her cleavage. It’s equal parts adorable and absurd and it even still smells a little like Raul. Shit, I think that means you’re engaged.

-To work! Where Seara tries to get them both to perk up despite Raul trying to complain about the whole “Fino is a terrible neighbor” situation, and Fino trying to steal herself a snack from the bowl of treats. Also Seara and Viser have to go off to the corporate offices for a meeting. Again.

-Hard cut to Fino working on an ad for the new washer they just got in. …Fino has, instead of drawing an actual ad, chosen to draw a horrifying warscape full of undead and dying and blood and just kind of put a washer in there. It’s like if you made Suzu from Comic Girls do ad copy. They are not putting that up on the wall, Fino. Just, no.

-Also there’s a customer who needs help. Seems she’s got an old, beat-up fan she’s hoping they could look at…And Raul can see it’s pretty old and battered. Might just be time to get a new one…But Fino sees the disappointment in the woman’s face, how even this small thing has so much sentiment tied up into it, and she wants to try and fix it! If there’s anything at all they can do…! Alright, into the back. No guarantees, but it’s not like they can make the situation worse, right?

-A blue haired woman disagrees. Meet Lore, the delivery and maintenance woman. She takes two seconds to look over the fan, sees the problem, and she can fix it. Come over here and she’ll get the paperwork ready. And of course the woman is ever so thankful, not just to Lore for being so confident she can fix the problem, but to Raul and Fino for being willing to take on the challenge at all instead of just trying to sell her something…

-And oh, dear sweet Fino, she’s so excited at the idea of being appreciated by someone. You’ve got a good heart, kid.

-Then over to corporate, where Seara is basically having to deal with the reality that her customer satisfaction ratings are amazing, but her sales are shit. And she pretty much stonewalls her boss, as she always does, to keep the stress of this from ever hitting her floor-staff…Sooo the orders come down hard. In short, they’re going to start carrying more budget items and do a big promo about all the new deals, and get people in the fucking door.

-Lunch break! Raul brought Fino over to the convenience store, and we get the name Elza for the busty woman who works the counter. Also, Lam-chan continues to try and be serious. It’s not working. Even as she…

-Well, I was going to say “sees Fino as a rival”, but considering the overwrought name, I can’t help but wonder if Lam-chan is also a refugee from the Demon Lord’s kingdom…

-So, lunch, then back to the shop, where it’s the kind of quiet part of the day. Sweep the floors, fix broken goods, and just kind of kill some time.

-And then All A walks in. And to be fair, that was a nickname. Now that she’s not in the heroing game, it’s just Airi. So what brings her in? Here to gloat over him? She’s out shopping, is all. Uh huh. …So where’d you end up, Airi? If you’re out shopping, that means you have real money. The kind you get from a job, not the petty cash their old classmates scrounge for.

-Well she’s all blushy so I suspect she’s lying when she says she ended up working security, but Raul is impressed. That’s good work, the kind that really puts her skills to use…Also out comes some long lingering hatred of demons. Don’t let Fino hear that kind of talk, Airi. She’ll get mad.

-Cue Fino. This is the worst possible time of all times. Also, Fino can only deduce that, seeing as Airi isn’t at the counter with anything to buy, but instead is acting all confrontational, that trouble is afoot! Fear not, Raul, she’ll save you from this would-be complainer! The most ferocious enemy of all corporate life! Stay behind her, Raul! She’ll take this foe down with her greatest demon magic!

-Please be quiet, Fino. And finally they manage to get her to walk off and start browsing…Aaaaand she’s totally watching how Raul interacts with Fino. I’m going to assume Raul was never that loose and casual with anyone back in the hero academy. (plus ultra)

-Cut to when some of the stuff from corporate arrives! Including a shiny new air purifier! They’ve never even carried air purifiers here, and Fino is all impressed! She wants to see it working! You, are not, going to be the one to turn it on. They’ll wait for the manager to get back, and that’s th—

-Cue Elza. Who’s gotten off work and come over to hang out. She wants to see the shiny new stuff! What’s this brand? Domos? She’s never heard of it…

-Must be small. And/or new. Well, corporate’s making them carry it, so, time to see if it—

-Click.

-It’s not doing anything.

-Did they get a DOA? Fino is so very disappointed that she tries turning it off and on again, wait dammit FINO NO—

-Shit.

-…Shit shit shit SHIT

-So let me paint you a word picture.

-The air purifier gets all sparky like the last thing Fino touched and overloaded with magic. But instead of just running into overdrive and burning itself out, the air purifier kicks out belches of black smoke, and from those emerge phantasmal claws! Claws that steal Elza into the air!

-Fino is still impressed. THAT IS NOT WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO YOU STUPID GIRL. Also it steals Nova too. …Wellllll shit.

-Okay they’ve got to turn it off! One problem, the countless grasping hands are trying to keep them from the actual air purifier! Fino manages to get behind the counter, while Raul grabs the mop and starts clearing some space…But fresh hands leap out of the clouds! They need an actual plan here…

-Which is when Airi sees what’s going on, and jumps straight in! And not just her, but Lore, who identifies this whole mess as witch’s arm. It’s one of the natural shapes magical build-up can take when it’s not properly gathered, shaped and stored, and can happen when the entire syntax of a magical item is damaged and cannot be shaped. And then she gets snatched up because she’s not a fighter.

-But fixing the problem is, if not easy, at least simple. The problem is that the purifier is drawing in magic relentlessly and spitting it out unshaped. You stop that by turning off the purifier. You get to the purifier by getting through the witch’s arms. That’s the rub.

-So Airi steals the mop, pours an enchantment in, and goes through with her THOUSAND BLAST! One strike propagates through the field, clearing out the witch’s arms for a split second! The girls are dropped, spilled away from the core of the purifier… If you can’t fight, get running, NOW!

-So that was the good news. The bad news is mops aren’t designed to have magic woven into them, and the thing just melted under the push Airi put on it. And then she gets caught by the next wave of arms, and is all fully tentacle-grasped! Oh dear. Oh DEAR. That, uh, I think that goes past ecchi.

-Raul needs options and methods, and now. He tries to think, to figure out his plan….When Fino races in to try and save Airi, only to get swarmed! Yet she won’t give up, because THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST! You’re taking your job too seriously, Fino.

-But that gets Raul to realize what he’s got to do, as he runs into the back…Pulls aside all the mops and brooms…And finds that which he buried here, to never be reminded of it. His sword.

-BOOT! A single charge of magic pours through the blade, and he cuts Fino free, before raising the charge! And then he’s in at full force, cutting Airi free in a flash! He didn’t even know if he still could do this, but it worked…And that’s when Fino really realizes, that was demon-killing magic.

-But Raul is too busy dealing with the aftershock, trying to focus. All he did was get them free. He’s out of shape, rusty. But the job’s not over—And then Airi gets caught again when she knocks Raul out of the way of the grasping hands. That’s…Not…Great.

-And Fino can’t actually do much. Her demonic powers haven’t awoken…

-Airi has a good view of the purifier, though, and she can see. It’s almost all coming from the front, where the purified air should be. If you strike from the back, it might just work! Okay. OKAY! They can do this! Fino races out in front to be a big distraction, trying to gather this natural force to come at her, while Raul pours everything he has in. BOOT! FIVE THOUSAND AMPERES! He pours it all into a single shot of raw magical force, blasting through in a flash down the aisle! The witch’s arms are torn to shreds, the entire core shattered, and Fino sprints in before it can reform, hitting the off switch in a flash! YES! THEY WI—

-Oh god it turned to white sticky goo. Oh god she’s covered in sticky white gooooooooo.

-While Raul is busy really parsing what he managed to do there…Until a goo-coated Fino latches onto him! They did it! That was so COOL, Raul! And then Airi’s words hit him, as he realizes that the very task of being a hero would mean one day having to strike this girl down…This kindhearted, ditzy, over-enthusiastic, sticky girl. Wait, sticky? Q-Quit clinging to him while you’re like that!

-And when it’s all over, Fino properly introduces herself to Airi. And Raul has to desperate keep Airi from realizing that Fino isn’t a demon. Fino is not listening in the slightest and he can only despair. I’m sorry, Raul.

-Credits! Full of KNIGHTLY FANTASY.

-Aftercredits! Raul has dragged Fino to the public bath to clean up, and she’s like a tiny child there. But after they leave…Fino really, really realizes the idea that her very nature is something humanity would suspect and hate…

Well that main episode was…Absurd. And then bam, they just slam in the feels and hard questions right after the credits just to make sure you can’t call the whole thing meaningless fluff. You’re sneaky, anime. But I’ve got my eye on you. We’ll see if they pull that trick again next time, in episode FOUR of I Couldn’t … Job! Wait for it!

#where I watch #recap #anime #I Couldn’t Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job

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taibu · 7 years

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Genyatta - KARAOKE MAYHEM 2.0 (Genyatta Week 2018 - Day 1)

Well! Here we are! Let’s hope I’m doing this right haha! Super long and really badly written, sorry. But my arm was literally falling off near the end so I needed to finish it fast! Enjoy!

WARNING: VERY fluffy. Like. Holy fuck. Obviously gay shit. OOC mostly because I'm still new to the franchise haha. Also headcanons. Loooads of them. Mostly for Zenyatta tho.

Other things to note: Most characters not seen in this fic are either working for the Talon or haven't joined Overwatch yet, or in some cases are just away atm. Mostly because I can't be fucked to add them ALL in the fic, there is like, gazillion of them, Jesus. I'm already pulling my hair with the amount I have uuuugh Iris embrace me...

Oh! Here’s also a Youtube-playlist to all the songs used in this fic! Listen to it for effect!

OVERWATCH - KARAOKE MAYHEM 2.0

"Seriously?" Genji asked, lowering the paper Hana had just handed him. "Yup!" Tracer chirped, jumping a bit. "I thought it would be fun to do something for the coming New Year and what better way than to revive the good old Karaoke Mayhem!" Genji let out a groan and threw his head back over-dramatically. Zenyatta, gently floating next to him, chuckled warmly as he took the paper handed to him. It was an invitation to the party Tracer had named Karaoke Mayhem back in the good old days of Overwatch. It had been when Genji was in Blackwatch, still young and hateful towards life, vengeful against his brother, lost and lonely. Back then he had stayed in the party just for the free drinks and snack, but as McCree had started singing Cotton Eye Joe he had locked himself in his room to brood. And McCree had been the THIRD to sing. But now things were different. Genji had found piece, he was full of life, and his relationship with his brother was getting better by the day now that Hanzo too worked to Overwatch. He mostly showed negative emotions for humoristic effect. But part of him still begged him to only go for the free food and NOT to sing anything. "It's a completely free-for-all experience!" Lúcio said. "I know there are some who will refuse to sing at all, but the invitation is always open and we have the whole night to use! So if you change your mind about wanting to participate of the stage, just hit me up and I'll find the songs ya need!" "The earlier you make your choice, the better, but no pressure!" Hana giggled. The tree said hasty byes to the two omnics as they still needed to give the invitations to many other members and to plaster the posters reminding everyone of the party in every free space on the walls. "Last time I wasn't able to enjoy any of it, mostly due my own discomfort with myself..." Genji said as he looked at the invitation, printed on bright pink paper, probably designed by D.Va. "What was the other reason then?" Zenyatta asked, folding his own invitation neatly and putting it in his pocket. "McCree's singing." Genji said with a smirk that was hidden by his mask, but Zenyatta laughed warmly which made Genji's heart flutter. "Well hopefully you'll stay long enough for my performance!" the monk said calmly, with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Whoa! You're going to sing, master?" Genji asked, positively surprised. He had known Zenyatta would participate, mostly to spent time with the team, but to actually go on the stage and sing? That made Genji's mind go all wild. He had never heard Zenyatta sing, and they had been spending a LOT of time together since they first met, and more now that they were with Overwatch. They trained together, their rooms were next to each other, they meditated every day for hours, Zenyatta would join the team in the cafeteria despite not needing to eat himself... yet not once had Genji heard his master more than hum occasionally when tending his plants or when cleaning. The thought of Zenyatta's warm and calm voice bursting into a full on song made Genji's legs shake. "Why yes! I am planning to. Just one song though. I'm quite rusty after not doing it for a while, but it will feel good to use my voice for it's original purpose after such a long time..." Zenyatta said, holding his hands together on his chest, clearly exited, despite his voice being so calm. "It's original purpose?" Genji asked. Zenyatta had mentioned that he was originally made into a worker for a restaurant, thus his calm and collected composure and lean and sleek build. He, and his late brother, had been replaced with the newer models soon tho and were abandoned, thus giving them all their time to experience tranquility. But where would Zenyatta need a good voice for if he was just a waiter? As if he was reading Genji's thoughts, Zenyatta answered: "Serving wasn't the only job I had in the good old joint... I also had to provide our guests with entertainment on occasion." "So you used to sing to them?" Genji asked, sitting in a lotus-position on the ground in front of his master to show that he was interested enough to sit and wait for the omnic to finish the story. Zenyatta floated slowly down until his body touched the ground. "Indeed. There was a stage in the restaurant where me and my brother often gave our best performances to our visitors. Many found it quite enjoyable. I had few admirers too!" Zenyatta let out a chuckle. "A young girl with short blonde hair once even asked for my autograph! I didn't have a name back then, so I just gave her a serial-number." Genji laughed, it seemed he wasn't the only fan his master had. "Did you enjoy it? Performing, that is?" he asked. Zenyatta let out what could have been seen as a happy sigh if he was a human. "Yes. Very much. Part of me misses it..." "Though not everyone found it that amazing. Some just didn't like omnics, but many also said that we were just build to spout songs out of our systems. That is not true though. Just like with humans, you need more than a good voice to sing! You also need to understand rhythm, leveling your voice, pitch... It takes some time to learn. Luckily I had all the time to learn in the kitchen while washing the dishes for the evening. My then boss heard me, and actually complimented me! Next week he pulled me off my own duty to cover for a singer who's voice-box had overheated suddenly. After that, I sang every once in a while to our guests." Zenyatta let out another sigh. "I... kinda miss those days." He lifted his hands in his lap, staring at them. "The late nights of me alone in the kitchen cleaning and singing to myself. My somber and dramatic performances. The "Happy Birthdays" I would sing to the children. The performances I would pull off with my dear Brother to make our guests laugh... I wish you could have heard him, Genji. Mondatta's voice was truly something else. If his speeches gathered crowds, his singing would have brought the world together in an instant!" Genji wanted to take Zenyatta's hand in his own. The omnic very rarely spoke of his late brother, especially like this. Last time the conversation had turned to Zenyatta overheating and hiccuping, only to excuse himself and lock himself in his room. Genji didn't know if Omnics could cry, but he was sure that was what Zenyatta had been doing for the following hours. Loosing Mondatta had been a huge blow to him. And Genji understood him perfectly. When his mother and father had died he had felt the same. Instead Genji decided to hold his hand on his master's shoulder instead. "I'm sure I would have enjoyed his performance greatly." he assured his master. Zenyatta lifted his head a bit, and even if he was physically unable to, Genji was sure the omnic was smiling to him. "What about you, my student? Will I find you on the stage as well?" he asked then, clearly ready to not think about his only family-member he had lost so painfully. Genji was taken back by the question. "Ah, I don't know... I've been in karaokes before, in my youth, but Hanzo said I sound like a dying whale when I sing..." Zenyatta laughed warmly. "That would be spirit-lifting!" "I suppose. And embarrassing." Genji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But... If I got few laughs out of people, it would be worth it!" Genji meant to say "few laughs out of YOU" but changed it last second, not wanting to seem too forward to his master. "I'm glad you think of everyone else before yourself, Genji!" Zenyatta chimed. "It only proves your progress. I'm proud of you, Sparrow" Genji felt butterflies in his stomach as he heard those words. Zenyatta had told him he was proud of Genji before, but every time was more magical than the last. Genji was glad he had his visor on, otherwise Zenyatta would have seen the deep red shade his face took on these words. He simply bowed a bit and muttered a hasty "thank you master". --- Rest of the day Genji walked around base and thought about his master. His sensual voice bending into rhythm of the music and finding the perfect pitch for every word. But no matter how hard he tried he could not imagine it. He had to hear it. And he would, in few days. But the wait felt abysmal... "Yo! Genji!" Cyborg turned to see Lúcio skate to him, carrying something that seemed like musical equipment. "Yo!" Genji said waving his hand. They would have done a high-five but Lúcio's hands were too full for that. "You seem busy with the preparations." ninja said as he started walking alongside his friend. "Yup! I've been keeping track of everyone's music-requests, putting up lights, preparing the back-drops... Now I'm little worried we won't get everything done before the big day!" Lúcio huffed. "If there is anything I can do, please ask!" Genji said. He needed something to do anyway, he might as well help his friend in need. Genji found that working with Lúcio, Lena and Hana was more play than work. Everything was a race with Hana, Lúcio would spew out jokes and give them appropriate music to work for and Lena just had that halo of happiness that shone wherever she went. Genji let out a content sigh. He was happy for friends like these. He felt bad for acting the way he did in the past, and would work his way to be better person for everyone! But he would not be this way without his master... At one point Genji saw his master talking with Lúcio. He thought about going and saying hi, but saw that their matter seemed personal, and concerted on his work, or at least tried to. Twenty minutes later Lúcio returned to the others, reading trough the notes he had taken when talking to Zenyatta. "Your master sure knows what he wants from his show!" Lúcio said, flipping the book close and stuffing it in his pocket. "I hope he isn't too demanding?" Genji said, laying down a box filled with old microphones. "Not at all! I actually prefer people who know exactly what they want and need. It helps preparations a big time!" the ebony man said, smiling. The four then started testing the mics. They needed multiple, some for people who wanted to sing together, some in case some would break during the mayhem itself. They got seven working mics and threw the rest in Lúcio's room for spare-parts. "So what about you, ninja-boy?" Lúcio asked once they were walking back to the stage. "Are ya gonna sing?" Genji chuckled. "I've never had such a good voice... Ask Hanzo." "Dude, he's your brother! Of course he would think you sound like a stuffed elephant! Maybe you're just little... rusty." Lúcio snickered, gently elbowing Genji's arm. Genji let out a wholehearted laugh. Just few years before, he would have strangled Lúcio for making fun of his looks, but Genji was okay with his new body now. He knew Lúcio didn't mean to make him feel uncomfortable, and if he ever did, he would be sure to apologize in a heartbeat. Zenyatta had told Genji that in order to learn how to truly laugh, you first needed to learn to laugh at yourself. "Maybe so. Want to help me wash it off?" the cyborg asked. "Sure man! And if you're more comfortable with your local songs, just ask and I'll find them for ya!" "Sounds like a plan!" --- Last few days Genji helped his friends to put up the stage, and they got it done just in time. In between preparations, Lúcio would give Genji some voice-training. He helped Genji to find a good pitch for his voice, follow the rhythm and even some sick dance-moves. Hana and Lena were an excellent audience, giving cheers as he did something right, and laughing wholeheartedly when he missed a mark or made a funny noise, most just to make the girls laugh. Lúcio was a great teacher. Patient and filled with optimism. It filled Genji with a feeling he could only describe as friendship. Genji would think of his old "friends" he had in school. Most were jerks that only wanted to hang out with a rich kid. Rest were ass-kissers and air-headed cheerleaders Genji kept around for looks. He had never had this much fun with other people, not even his own brother when they were kids. And it made him feel safe and content. "You're making good progress, bro!" Lúcio chimed happily. "Tho in my opinion you still need some practice to be perfect. Unfortunately we don't have time to perfect your act before the big moment, but I know you'll do great none the less!" "All thanks to you, man!" Genji said, lifting his hand and Lúcio high-fiving him gladly. He then looked behind Genji and chimed a quick hello to someone, running past the cyborg. Genji turned around to see that Zenyatta had entered the room, carrying a box of some kind. He whispered few words to Lúcio, who smiled and nodded, taking the box. Zenyatta waved a quick goodbye to Genji and the girls and left as swiftly as he had entered. "So when you gonna tell 'im, luv?" Tracer asked suddenly. "Hmh?" Genji hummed, barely turning his head. "You know. That you like him?" D.Va added, smirking. "Who?" Genji asked, confused. "Zenyatta!" both girls and Lúcio who had walked to them shouted. "WHAT!?" Genji felt his voice glitch with surprise. "How do you- I mean when- I mean-" "Genji. Buddy. Everyone knows." Lúcio said, holding the box on one hand and landing other on the cyborg's shoulder. "Everyone expect Zenny apparently." Hana giggled. "How... long have you..?" Genji stuttered. "Ever since you almost took a bullet for 'im on a mission." Lena said. "Ever since you gave him, "The look" to him on the dinner on my first week here." Hana said. "Ever since ya put so much effort into your new move just to make 'im proud." Lúcio said. Genji let out some steam from his seams. "Tho-those could all be seen as platonic things, you know!?" "The fact you said "could" kinda sealed the deal, luv." Tracer said, landing her hand on Genji's arm. Genji groaned and slumped on the near by sofa. Lúcio took the box under his desk and joined him and the girls on the sofa soon after. "So. When?" Hana continued where they started. "Never. He's too good for me." Genji said matter of factually. "What!? Luv! You're perfect for 'im!" Lena gasped. "He is calm, collected, sweet, you're loyal, brave and strong! You complete each other!" "Lena's right, dude. Besides, I'm sure he likes you just as much!" Lúcio said. "Really?" Genji asked, trying to keep another puff of steam in, failing. "Well I mean... I can't really read 'im, no face and all that, but he talks about ya a lot!" he answered. "True! Every time I talk to him he says how proud he is of you!" Hana chimed in. "Yup! Even when the conversation has NOTHIN' to do with you!" Lena laughed. Genji let out another puff of steam to hold himself from overheating. Zenyatta... really liked him back? He could scream. Indeed, he might actually just do that! "Who talks about who?" Hanzo's voice chimed in just when Genji was about to let out a glitched scream of excitement. "Zenny about Genji." Hana answered. "Ah, that. Yeah, he does. A lot." Hanzo sighed, rolling his eyes. Even Hanzo confirmed it! Genji no longer felt like screaming, he felt like crying. With happiness. "What, we talkin' 'bout Zenny and Genji-boy?" McCree asked walking in. Where did all of these people keep coming in!? "Yup." Hanzo simply said. McCree laughed hard. "It is a surprise ya'll aren't all over each other yet! He totally has a thing for you, partner!" Now Genji didn't know what to feel. Happiness, embarrassment, annoyance, glee... It all manifested with a steady stream of steam that finally escaped his vents and a deep sigh. "So... not planning on telling him?" Lúcio asked, landing his hand on the cooling shoulder of the cyborg. "I don't know anymore... I just... want him to be happy. I want to make him laugh. I want to... make sure he lives every day of his life in bliss..." Genji sighed. Thinking about Zenyatta and his warm voice, his cute laugh and sweet embrace made Genji momentary forget where he was, but luckily for him, he was surrounded by friends and family who were happy for him. "By the dragons, you ARE in love!" Hanzo exhaled with clear surprise in his voice, but soon smiled and put his little brother in a arm-lock. "And here I thought I'd never see the day you settle down!" Hanzo laughed, ruffling his brother's hair gently. Genji was surprised of his brother's sudden showing of love, but took it gladly. "I think you should tell 'im, luv. I'm sure he would like it a lot." Tracer giggled, glad to see the two brothers so close all of the sudden. "I know. But... I'm not sure how yet..." Genji said as Hanzo finally let him go. "You could do it in the Karaoke Mayhem! With a help of a song!" Hana nearly squeaked. "Oh God no!" Hanzo yelled, over-dramatically. "Zenyatta's audio receptors will burst!" "Hey man! Genji's gotten better with his voice by the day! He may not be perfect, but at least Zen won't need to be repaired right after!" Lúcio chimed in, putting his hands around Genji's shoulders proud of his work. "Still, I think a song would be bit... over-dramatic..." Hanzo said more seriously. "No it would not! It would be romantic!" Hana giggled, stars in her eyes. "I would love if someone I liked sang to me!" "You're a romantic tho." McCree said. "Zenyatta is more... down to earth. I'm sure just stating yer feelings will be enough to 'im!" "You blokes are boring!" Lena scoffed. "But Genji, it's your call. Sing to him or don't, that's your choice to make, luv." Genji thought about it a long while. Finally he laughed a bit. "I'll tell him of my feelings, but not with a song. I... want to think about this trough with more time. I want it to be perfect. For now, I only want to make him laugh and enjoy himself." cyborg finally said. He looked at Lúcio with a smirk under his visor. "I know what song I'm going to sing at the party. Will you help me with the backdrops?" "Ya don't even need to ask, my dude." Lúcio said, smiling widely. --- The evening begun with a low techno-tones booming from the speakers as people started gathering in one by one. Lúcio visited each, welcoming them and asking one last additions to their performances, possible song-changes etc. Tracer flashed around making sure everyone had enough drinks and snacks, and D.Va paced around both exited and nervous of her performances. She had taken two songs, one at the very beginning, one near the end. Genji's turn was around the middle, just before Hanzo, and the two brothers, sharing table with McCree, tried to guess each other's songs. Genji was glad none of their guesses were right. When it came time to guess McCree's song, both brothers simply looked at each other knowingly. McCree laughed and tried to convince them that Cotton Eye Joe was not his choice for the first song this time, and although Hanzo let out a sigh of relief, Genji knew Jesse better than that. When Zenyatta arrived, Genji waved to him and invited him to sit with them. Zenyatta complied happily floating in the chair next to Genji. "It's good to see you in such good spirits tonight my student." the omnic said happily, talking bit louder than usual to make his voice audible over the rumble of the techno. "I can't help it! We've made such an effort for this to be as perfect as we can, the least we can do is to enjoy it ourselves!" Genji laughed, and was delighted to hear Zenyatta join him. "I suppose you're right. Although I must confess I feel bit jealous of you friends who got to spend so much time with you during these few days." the omnic then said. Genji felt flustered. Zenyatta was... jealous? For him? He then realized that during the last three days he had been spending less and less time with his master, in helping his friends and the singing lessons from Lúcio. He barely had time for their daily meditation. "I'm sorry I've left you alone like that, master. I never realized our time together meant so much to you..." Genji said, leaning closer that Hanzo and McCree, engaged in a heated debate over which was better; sake or beer, would not hear them. "Don't apologize, my sparrow." Omnic said, clearly smiling despite the lack of mouth. "It has been a bliss to watch you interact with your friends. I'm glad that you share your friendship with other people as well and not just you old boring master." Genji blushed. He wanted to tell his master that he would always have time for the omnic, that spending time with him was such a bliss he would never trade it to anything else, that his master was the only one he let see his most hidden things of his personality... but he took a silent breath and simply replied: "You are far from boring, or old, master. You're ten years YOUNGER than me." Zenyatta laughed again, but before he could answer, they were interrupted by Lúcio stepping on the stage with a mic. "Thank you all so much for comin' to the Karaoke Mayhem 2.0!" he chimed, followed by a wave of applause. "The list of the performances is on the wall over there" he pointed at the wall near the tables "so feel free to get yourself ready for your own while you wait. For now, let's stop talking and start singing!" Applause again. Before they died off, Lúcio, deepening his voice a bit, mumbled in the mic: "Ladies and gentlemen... It's Mambo N. 5!" Cheers followed as a familiar song started to play off the speakers. Lúcio sang with his great voice, making dance-moves that would have seen impossible for any other person. As the chorus came, they soon noticed he had changed the lyrics a tad bit... "A little bit of Angela in my life A little bit of Mei by my side A little bit of Lena is all I need A little bit of D.Va is what I see A little bit of Zarya in the sun A little bit of Ana all night long A little bit of Fareeha here I am A little bit of you makes me your man" Everyone cheered and laughed, all the girls in the base having a different reactions to their names coming up in the song. Mercy blushed, Mei even harder, Tracer laughed and gave a thumbs-up, Hana, who was recording the performance with her phone simply smiled, Zarya gave a cheeky smile and took a sip of her drink, Ana gave the man a toast, Pharah covered her face embarrassed. There was a huge roar of cheers and applause as Lúcio finished, bowing. Hana was next. Much more braver than before, she jumped on the stage and a jumpy K-pop-song started booming from the speakers. Hana's high-pitched voice started singing in Korea some song Genji had never heard but enjoyed none the less. Next up was Tracer. She flashed on the stage and laughed. Soon the familiar beat of "Wannabe" started playing and everyone cheered again. Lena would flash back and forth in time, singing the whole song by herself, using different pitches for each spice, sometimes Genji would swear he saw more than one Tracer on the stage at once, but cheered for her like everyone else did. Next up was Fareeha who sang her version of Cher's Believe. Her performance was not as jumpy as the three others, but it was a nice change of pace after so many exiting songs. McCree was next, and Genji was little surprised that he was singing Country Road instead of Cotton Eye Joe. But everyone seemed slightly disappointed when he didn't. Not that they said it out loud. Reinhardt was next and he sang an old German ballad, tearing up at the end so much he could hardly breath anymore. Genji could feel the old-timely nostalgia the crusader must have felt when singing and found himself misty eyed as well. He clapped to Reinhardt louder than the others so far. Winston was next, and sang Man on the Moon. Knowing Winston's past with the said space-rock, it gave his song a nice twist of irony. Tracer had her second turn after that, singing MMMBop, now much more calm performance, jumpy and happy yes, but without flashes between time and space. Genji was little shocked to see his name pop up next on the big screen. He got up, embraced the cheers and applause he received, and jumped on the stage, taking the mic from Tracer who winked at him. She must have heard from Lúcio what he was about to sing. He nodded at the ebony man, who turned his music on, and the lights off. When the ambient chimed in, some "woo"-ed a little, recognizing the classic instantly. It wasn't until the electric voice on the background first sang "Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto" did Hanzo groan so loud it almost drowned the music. Genji smiled under his mask, and started the song. Thankfully the song didn't require amazing voice or perfect pitch, so he went overboard and acted out and dramatically on the stage, making everyone laugh. Except Hanzo who had hidden his face in his hands in shame for his blood-relative. With those cheers and laughs Genji heard his master's voice. The omnic would have dropped from his chair if he wasn't floating. That made Genji so happy he finished the song with as grace he had left, replacing the ending's "I'm Killroy"s with "I'm Genji!"s. Everyone cheered and clapped, Zenyatta even getting on his feel and standing to applause him. Genji was beaming under his visor. He had made his master laugh. His night could not get any better than this... "That was delightful, Genji!" Zenyatta said as Genji sat back on his spot between him and Hanzo, who still was hiding his face. "I didn't think you'd do it, but darn it boy, you did!" McCree chimed in. "I have no brother." Hanzo muttered getting up and making his way to the stage. Hanzo's song was much more serious than his brothers at least. Genji didn't remember the name of the song, but he recognized it as the same their father had often sang while driving, cooking or having a drink with friends. Tho Hanzo sounded much like their father (let alone LOOKED like him), Hanzo's tone was much more serious, somber, sad almost. Genji didn't even notice the tears that made their way down his face until Hanzo finally finished to the sound of loud applause. "At least one of us has some dignity left." he then said, sitting down on his place and taking his drink. Genji laughed a bit, noticing his voice cracking a bit. Hanzo noticed this and watched as his brother took of his visor to clean off the tears. "It's the song father used to sing, wasn't it?" Genji asked, still cleaning his face, Zenyatta handing him a tissue, wherever he pulled it from. Hanzo hummed and nodded. The elder brother smiled just a bit as he wrapped his arm around his younger brother's shoulder. "Didn't mean to make you cry tho." he said, almost as an apology as Mei began Donna Summer's Power of One with her meek and quiet voice. "You didn't. I got dust in my eyes." Genji lied, knowing he would not be believed. Hanzo laughed just a bit, holding his brother closer. Genji smiled back, his face exposed now and putting his mask on the table. With a content sigh he listened to Mei sing, getting braver by the word, soon going so strong and high that she seemed like a completely different person. If he wasn't so fixated on watching Mei's performance, he would have noticed how Zenyatta was looking at him, head bend slightly to the left, shoulders up, as if he was smiling... Angela and Zarya had almost refused to sing, Mercy due being embarrassed, Zarya because she didn't care, but Ana had been able to coax them into singing "I feel like a woman" with her, and all three seemed to enjoy the experience quite a lot, even having a group hug at the end. Maybe it was just because both Ana and Zarya were bit drunk and Mercy was just happy she had sang after all, or maybe the girls had forged a whole new friendship on the stage, Genji was eager to see. Ana's second turn was right after her first, and she embarassed her daughter by Singing Meredith Brook's "I'm a Bitch". Everyone else found it quite fitting however. Lucio would then sing one of his first singles, getting everyone pumped up again. Barely after Lúcio had finished, a familiar sound of bass started blasting off the speakers. Hana was standing on the stage soon, singing one of the most well known songs of her homeland. Gangnam Style. Most of the watchers got up to dance with her while Hana used her chirpy voice to make even Hanzo smile, despite no-one having any idea what she was saying. The beat and Hana's dancing was enough to get them pumped up. Even Genji got up to dance, and pulled Zenyatta to dance with him. The omnic was bit confused at first, but soon danced in perfect sync with his student. All too soon the song was over. When the party people finally calmed down, Genji saw Zenyatta's name pop up on the screen. His heart missed a beat. He had almost forgotten that his master would be singing too! And he had already thought his night would not get any better... Zenyatta's motor whirred louder than usual, and the omnic slowly got up, checking on his robes to make sure they were straight, and levitating his orbs on the table. "Watch over them while I'm on the stage, Genji." he whispered to him, making his way to to Lúcio who was holding the mic for him while everyone else cheered. Genji watched Lúcio whisper one last thing in Zenyatta's audio receptor, the Omnic nodding and taking the mic, slightly bowing. Ebony man bowed back and made his way back behind his desk. Zenyatta turned to face the crowd, seemingly eager to get to singing again. Genji didn't notice how he was at the edge of his seat, holding his breath. Slowly the lights dimmed to almost none at all, the only thing making light was Zenyatta's forehead-lights with their cold blue gleam. Silently the music started, and Genji recognized it soon as Owl City's Fireflies. Every time a little chime ringed in the song, the backdrop showed a colorful flash, adding more and more, until the room was filled with light. As the song kicked up, Zenyatta brought the mic to his face... and sang. "You would not believe your eyes If ten million fireflies Lit up the world as I fell asleep 'Cause they fill the open air And leave teardrops everywhere You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare" As the omnic's synthetic voice calmly made out the vocals of the song, Genji felt shivers on his back. Master's voice was... like that feeling you get when you see snow for the first time in your life, or when a bird lands on your hand to feed of the bread-scrums you're giving it, or when the first gleam of sun breaks its way trough the clouds after a rainfall. He watched the slow, subtle movements Zenyatta made while singing. Those small moves that were in perfect synch with the rhythm of the song. "I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep 'Cause everything is never as it seems" The first chorus was sang quietly, almost as a whisper. Whisper Genji wanted to believe was only for him. Just to his ears. "'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs From ten thousand lightning bugs As they tried to teach me how to dance A foxtrot above my head A sock hop beneath my bed A disco ball is just hanging by a thread" The second verse was much more pumping that the first one, Zenyatta moving much more openly, almost like he was dancing to the beat. Genji beamed, watching his master enjoy every step he took, every word he sang, every movement he made in the rhythm of the song... Genji knew that the second chorus was louder, almost booming, knowing it would be the "Wow"-moment of the song. Genji held his breath and waited to see what would happen. He noticed Lúcio bending under the counter and opening the box Zenyatta had given him earlier that day. What came out made more than just Genji gasp in awe. "I'd like to make myself believe That planet Earth turns slowly It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep 'Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)" From the box, thousands of small balls of light flew out, surrounding Zenyatta like fireflies he was singing of. They circled him like the orbs he had left behind just moments ago. Genji looked up to them fly around the room, and around the audience, gasping with wonder. As one landed on his nose, Genji saw that it indeed WAS a orb, just much, much smaller than the ones resting on the table right now. The light came from the shining symbols carved on them with great care. Genji wondered how long it had taken Zenyatta to make all of them, and where he had gotten the materials. He then noticed Mercy whisper something to Ana. Genji wasn't as good reading lips as Hanzo was, but he thought he saw her say "It took many hours to finish these little buggers. I'm glad they turned out so well!" Genji smiled. Of course. Angela would seem like a person with time, know-how and materials to help Zenyatta make all of these little things. "Leave my door open just a crack (Please take me away from here) 'Cause I feel like such an insomniac (Please take me away from here) Why do I tire of counting sheep? (Please take me away from here) When I'm far too tired to fall asleep (Haha)" The song went back to calm and collected again, Zenyatta now returning back to his more subtle ways of movement, interacting with the "fireflies" around him. All of the echoed lyrics in the background had a woman singing in them, and for a moment Genji though he could recognize the voice... But he brushed it off his mind as Zenyatta turned to face him on the stage. "To ten million fireflies I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes I got misty eyes as they said farewell But I'll know where several are If my dreams get real bizarre 'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar" All throughout the verse, Zenyatta was staring straight at Genji, face expressionless, but voice with a slight hint of thousand feelings all mixed into one. Pride, happiness, sadness, glee... Genji was only half listening to the words themselves and just staring at the Omnic with wide eyes and a gentle smile on his face. Zenyatta was singing JUST FOR HIM right now... those words were just for him to hear. Now the things everyone had told him were confirmed to be true. Zenyatta did have feelings for him. Genji felt his heart burst with joy as Zenyatta turned back to the other audience to finish the last chorus. "I'd like to make myself believe That planet Earth turns slowly It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep 'Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep) I'd like to make myself believe That planet Earth turns slowly It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep 'Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep) I'd like to make myself believe That planet Earth turns slowly It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep Because my dreams are bursting at the seams" As the last words disappeared into the night, Genji found himself standing and applauding as hard as he could, alongside everyone else on the base, cheering and whistling to the most amazing performance they had seen in a while. Even Zarya smiled and gave few genuine claps and a toast to the Omnic. Zenyatta simply bowed and thanked everyone on the mic before handing it to Lúcio. "Master... that was... absolutely amazing!" Genji gasped, taking the omnic's hands in his own without even realizing it first. "Thank you Genji. Your words mean a lot to me." Zenyatta said, sounding bit winded. He quietly squeezed Genji's hand, making the other notice he was indeed holding them, and quietly freed his other, waving it few times, gathering all the wandering orbs and retreating them back to their box. After he was done, he took a deep breath and sat down. Controlling all of those small orbs at once must have taken some wind out of him, Genji though, sitting back to his place. Hanzo smiled warmly at his brother, seeing how he was still holding on to his master's hand. But McCree had disappeared. "Thank ya all for coming tonight! You all made this night amazing!" Lúcio spoke to everyone trough the mic, and everyone cheered. "Now feel free to stay behind and enjoy the great company! But before we wrap the karaoke-portion of this night up, there is still one more song we have to hear for this party to truly be seen as a Overwatch's Karaoke Mayhem!" he continued, smirking. Genji put two and two together; McCree was nowhere to be seen, and there was still one more song to. "Nooooo" he groaned. And just few seconds later, Lúcio jumped off the stage and McCree's voice started residing the well known words of Cotton Eye Joe. The crowd either groaning, laughing or cheering with tears in their eyes. Some were happy to hear Jesse's gravely voice sing the old classic, and some could not believe he actually did it. Genji turned to Hanzo just to see him mouth "We're done!" to Jesse. It happened to be a silent moment in to song and McCree mouthed away from the mic "But baby, I love you!" looking heartbroken. Hanzo simply blushed and looked away. Genji felt a wash of realization over him. How Hanzo and McCree spend most of their time together nowadays, how Hanzo interacted with the cowboy much more different than anyone he knew, how they even spend most time in this party! Genji almost threw himself to Hanzo to hug him and tell him how happy he was for his brother, when Zenyatta tugged his arm. "Can I speak with you in private?" He whispered. Genji's heart skipped a beat. "Sure." he muttered, as they left McCree finish the song and Hanzo to blush. --- "I can't believe I didn't notice before!" Genji gasped as they walked outside the base, the faint ending notes of Cotton Eye Joe on the background. "Notice what?" Zenyatta asked. "Hanzo and Jesse! They've been together this whole time! And I didn't notice until now! Haha!" Genji laughed, grabbing Zenyatta from his waist and twirling them around a bit. Zenyatta yelped, but laughed them as Genji let him down embarased. "Sorry. I'm just so happy for them! Jesse was my best friend back in the Blackwatch days and Hanzo... well, is my brother! And I thought he would never find anyone he would be happy with! And they are perfect for each other!" cyborg said, walking around, not able to keep himself still. "Hanzo is serious, loyal and smart, but bit too grumpy at the times. Jesse is funny, laid back and strong willed, but has a bad habit of forgetting to work before play! They are made for each other!" Zenyatta chuckled. "I'm glad to see you so happy for your brother and friend. It really warms my motor to see you so happy for someone else." "Haha, about time I suppose..." Genji laughed, stopping his pacing to face his master. He took a silent breath. This was it. He didn't care anymore! He would tell his master his feelings, here and now! All he needed was an opening... "So. What did you want to talk with me?" Genji asked, taking Zenyatta's hands in his own again. Zenyatta sighed happily, lowering his face a bit, as to smile. But he lifted his head soon and said: "You're ready Genji." "Ready?" Genji asked. "Ready to face the world as who you are. You are happy, you are one with your new body, you have friends and your relationship with your brother can only get better from here. You're ready now." Zenyatta said, happily. But then he lowered his face again. This time he wasn't smiling. "You... don't need my teachings anymore. I... have no more to teach you. You're... ready." Genji felt his heart sink. THIS was what Zenyatta wanted to tell him? That he was no longer the cyborg's master!? Genji felt his breath shorten, and only then remembered that his mask was still on the table alongside Zenyatta's orbs. "Ma... Master?" Genji began, but Zenyatta lifted his hand gently to stop him. "Just Zenyatta will do from now on, Genji." "Z... Zenyatta? Does this mean... you won't be my teacher anymore?" Genji stuttered. "I'm sorry this affect you so badly, Genji. But that is only bigger reason to let go now..." the omnic sighed. "It's... okay..." Genji said, taking a deep breath. Zenyatta had been more like a friend to him for months already! In bigger picture nothing much would change. Plus! Now they would not have an awkward teacher-student-thing to get over once he would tell about his feelings! This was a good thing! "We... we can still have our daily meditation, can't we?" Genji laughed. His remaining skin scrawled when Zenyatta didn't laugh with him. "I'm afraid not, my friend. I'm... leaving the Overwatch tomorrow." Everything went dark in Genji's mind. He could not process the words he had just heard. On the background he could hear a somber love song, as if to mock him. "... no..." was the only thing Genji could say. "No, master... Zenyatta! You can't go! I- We need you here!" "I'm happy you wish for me to stay, but the world needs me out there, not here." Zenyatta said, his voice clearly somber with sorrow. "I'm a monk, Genji, not a fighter. I wish to return to the road, find more people to help, more students to give my time to. I can't do it here..." All of the sudden Genji's mind went back to the night they had just spent together: Zenyatta saying how he felt jealous to his friends, how Genji had ignored Zenyatta during these last few days, the words of the song when Zenyatta was singing only to him: "I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes. I got misty eyes as they said farewell"... Zenyatta had been planning his leaving for a long time already... "No, nonono, Zenyatta, you can't leave now! I... I..." the words got stuck in Genji's throat and were replaced by sobs. Zenyatta seemed like he wanted to take Genji in his arms, but in the last minute backed off. "I'm sorry Genji..." he sighed, walking away slowly. He didn't return to the party, and instead headed for his room, only levitating his orbs back to him. "I'll leave first think tomorrow. I... would like it if you came to say goodbye. But I understand if you feel too angry to." the omnic said, stopping for a second. With a shaky voice he finished: "If I don't see you anymore; I'm proud of you Genji. Goodbye..." Genji fell on his knees as the tears came hard. This was not how this night was supposed to go! He was supposed to make Zenyatta laugh and happy! He was supposed to tell how he loved him! He was supposed to LIKE him! Why was he pulling away!? "Genji?" he heard Lúcio's voice near by and soon felt his arms around him. "Genji! Man, what happened!? Where's Zen?" the ebony man shouted, trying to get Genji to stand up. "You were wrong. All of you were. He doesn't like me... He... He's leaving Overwatch tomorrow!" Genji almost screamed, tears flowing from his eyes. Lúcio let out a gasp, and called Hana and Lena. The two girls, alongside Hanzo, McCree and Angela were soon there. "Brother!" Hanzo shouted, seeing Genji on his knees on the ground. "What happened?" he asked, wrapping his arms around his little brother. Genji sobbed something about Zenyatta leaving, and Hanzo looked up to the others who all turned to each other, not believing their ears. "That... doesn't make sense..." Hana sobbed with tears in her eyes. "Zenny was so happy when talking about Genji! They were supposed to get together and married and---" the rest was choked up by the girl sobbing and crying and muttering something in Korean. Lena hugged her and sobbed herself. "I don't believe any of this!" she sighed sadly. "This is not how it was supposed to go!" "Actually..." Mercy whispered and everyone turned to her. "When Zenyatta and I were working on those orbs, I asked how he felt about you, Genji. He said so many beautiful things about you. In such a voice that could not be mistaken to anything else but undying love!" Angela sighed with tears in her eyes. "But... he also said something that made me worried... He said he was not good enough for you." Genji lifted his head from his brother's shoulder and looked at Mercy with confusion on his face. "He also said he misses the monastery, the road, the buzz of big cities, smiles of the people he has helped... He misses his old life. But he could not see how he could fit his old life and his love into one life. I told him we would find a way together, but he said he already knew the answer... I though when he sang to you and then took you out that he would confess all this to you... I... I'm sorry, I should have talked to him more..." Genji felt like he was more torn between happiness and sadness than ever in his life. More than when he first met his brother after their fateful fight, more than when he first joined Overwatch, more than when he first met Zenyatta... He wanted to go and take Zenyatta in his arms and tell him how much he loved him, leave Overwatch with him and travel back to the monastery... He also wanted to let Zenyatta go, wanted to let him live his own life in piece. He wanted to go to Zenyatta and yell at him for even thinking that he wasn't good enough for him! All of these feelings fought inside him while the others around him sobbed, cried or simply looked sad. Hana was wailing in Lena's arms, Jesse had tipped his hat over his eyes to hide them, Lúcio was pacing back and forth not knowing how to feel, Hanzo was still holding him, eyes hazy with tears, Angela was swallowing back her's. That was when Genji realized that these people cared for him as much as he cared for them, maybe even more! They wished happiness for him, and when it was stolen from him, they cried with him... Genji took a deep breath, wiped his eyes, nodded at his brother, showing he was fine enough to be let go of, got up and looked at his friends. "I know what to do." he said quietly. "But I need your help." "Anything, man!" "Of course luv!" "U-*sniff*-Uh-huh!" "Whatever ya need, partner!" "Tell us what you need Genji!" "Anything, brother." Genji smiled. He spew out simple commands to each. Hana and Mercy to wipe their tears and go get Zenyatta back to the party as soon as they could. Hanzo and McCree to sit him down and make sure he would stay put. Lena and Lúcio to follow him back on the stage and help him out to put up a show just for Zenyatta. --- It was fifteen minutes when Hana and Angela rushed trough the door, dragging confused Zenyatta between them. Hanzo and McCree gave the omnic a cold stare, pushing him down on his seat and sitting on his both sides to make sure he would stay there. Zenyatta looked around confused. Hana and Angela had just broke down his door, Hana, with red eyes and raspy voice, had screamed something in Korea that Zenyatta's translators now processed as "heart-breaker" and "Dumb monk" along many other not so nice words. Angela had just been quiet and asked Zenyatta to come with them once Hana was done screaming at him. Now Hanzo and McCree were giving him cold looks as if he had killed someone. When Zenyatta noticed Genji on the stage, the sorrow he had felt before the girls came bursting in came back to him. Genji was holding the microphone in his hand, and Zenyatta knew what would happen next... part of his was afraid... and part of him wanted to burst into tears with joy. A soft piano started to play on the background when Genji came to the light to everyone to see. Many were surprised and confused to see Genji on the stage. Wasn't the karaoke over already? But when they noticed Zenyatta sitting on the middle of the room, they all gasped softly and nailed their eyes to see what would happen. Even Zarya took a better position to see what these two weird omnics were up to... Genji started to sing, in Japanese, but thanks to his translator Zenyatta understood each word. So far only him and the Shimada-brothers could understand the words sang on to the air, and that was exactly how Genji wanted it to be. "I'll become a happy butterfly, and ride on the glittering wind I'll come to see you soon It's best to forget the unnecessary things There's no more time to be fooling around" Genji had partly chosen this song because it had Butterflies in it, and he knew Zenyatta loved them. "What do you mean, wow wow wow wow wow? I wonder if we'll reach the skies But, wow wow wow wow wow I don't even know what my plans are for tomorrow" On the chorus many recognized the song. "Hey, isn't this from that super old anime?" Hana asked from Lena, whispering over the music. "Yeah, sounds like it. But It's a pretty song, so, I think it'll work!" Tracer answered. "After an endless dream, in this world of nothingness It seems as if our beloved dreams will lose Even with these unreliable wings, covered in images that tend to stay I'm sure we can fly, on my love" The words "on my love" were in english, so everyone could understand exactly what Genji was singing about and a quiet "aaw" washed over the room. Zenyatta was still as a stone, optics watching Genji. "I'll become a merry butterfly, and ride on the earnest wind I'll come to see you where ever you are Ambiguous words are surprisingly handy I'll shout it out, while listening to a hit song What do you mean, wow wow wow wow wow? I wonder if it'll echo through this town But, wow wow wow wow wow There's no use anticipating" The slow tone of the song didn't really give Genji much free will to dance to the beat, not that he wanted to. Most of his concentration was on the words and not to burst into tears in the middle of the song. Not yet. Maybe at the end... "After an endless dream, in this miserable world That's right, maybe not using common sense isn't so bad after all Even with these awkward wings, dyed with images that seem to stay I'm sure we can fly, on my love" Zenyatta was as still as when the song began, but from the slit's of his optics Hanzo and McCree could see something clear, like tears, slowly fall on his face. It was coolant. Many omnics would start "crying" it when their feelings got them overheated. His internal cooling system was swirling hard, and the Omnic seemed to be slightly shaking. "After an endless dream, in this miserable world That's right, maybe not using common sense isn't so bad after all Even with these awkward wings, dyed with images that seem to stay I'm sure we can fly, on my love" Genji let out a gasp as the song was over, dropping the mic down in his hands. He looked at Zenyatta with tears flowing from his eyes. Neither of them moved an inch for what seemed like a minute. Everyone, even Zarya, were on the edge of their seats... Finally, so fast neither Hanzo or Jesse could react, Zenyatta got up and started running. But not away. Towards Genji. The cyborg let out a happy sigh, opened his arms and let the omnic run into them. Everyone started cheering wildly. McCree even took out his gun and shot the cealing few times. Genji held the shaking Omnic in his arms so tightly, as to never let him go. "I'm sorry..." was the only thing coming from Zenyatta's voice-box. Repeating over and over, more sad, more somber than before. "Don't apologize. You're confused. You don't know where you belong, where you should go. Should you stay or leave. You have no reason to apologize..." Genji reassured despite his own voice cracking multiple times. "Genji... I don't deserve you..." "And I don't deserve you." "I don't want to leave... you or any of these amazing people..." "You don't have to..." "But... I miss home... I miss my life..." "We can always visit monastery! And take holidays to travel together!" "You... how can you come up with the answers to all this so easily?" "Because I love you." Genji held Zenyatta's shoulders and his forehead against his own. "I love you Zenyatta. I love your laugh, I love your voice, I love you the way you are. I'll live my life making you happy, protecting you, and if I ever let you go, I would not be able to live!" Zenyatta let out what sounded like a cry. Burrying his face on Genji's shoulder he sobbed. "I'm sorry Genji... I... I thought you didn't... I was so lonely... I'm sorry... I love you. I love you too my Sparrow! I love you so much!" "I'm sorry I left you alone for such a long time. I promise I'll never leave your side again! I promise... I love you..." The two Omnics were the only ones who heard the words they exchanged, only few words slipping trough the team's cheers and roars. Hanzo tried, and failed, to keep tears in, and McCree gave him his hat to hide his eyes with, openly crying himself. Lena, Hana and Angela were hugging, jumping and creaming with joy. Lúcio played some calm love-music on the background, fighting back tears. "Oh my god, just KISS ALREADY!" they heard from the audience. Everyone looked up to Zarya who had shouted it. Zarya looked down on everyone. "What?" she asked, lifting her class. "That's what everyone I waiting for, right?" and took a sip from it. Genji chuckeled, melting when he heard Zenyatta join him. He lifted the Omnic's face straight to his and pressed his lips against the seam on Zenyatta's face. Zenyatta pressed gently against him as the team cheered and clapped for them. Genji swore he could hear his brother wailing with tears of happiness, suddenly muffled by something, most likely Jesse's shoulder. But he didn't turn to look. All he cared for now was Zenyatta. END So yeah. here ya go! Some fluff for you all! God this took whole day to write! And it suuucks and is super cheesy haha! XD If there are typos I don't care lel Before you say that Zenyatta was being mean or out of character, please remember that you only read Genji's point of view here. I didn't do that good of a work to explain how Zen felt about this, but I might write a mini-fic about it if enough people whine about it lol.

#genyatta week 2018 #genyatta #genji #zenyatta #overwatch #ow #babys first fanfic lel

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