#OH NO THE SMORES ONE IS SOLD OUT

[elibean]

someone please stop me from making a very poor financial decision

[homeofhousechickens]

Thinking about Pinky and Hades those boys are so huge I wonder if I visited them if they would recognize me they would probably be pretty wild now though since they live a very free range life style with lots of hens. They probably have an exciting rooster life lol its such a shame White Toe passed away (taken by a predator) his owners loved him so much he would follow them around while they did chores. All of Scoots sisters still live with that family and they are all happy and healthy last time I heard.

Babybird and Nebby are still doing good with my friend and so is Karen. Karen wasn't my chicken for long but it's funny that her owner is insistent on keeping me updated and not her breeder. Karen is actually getting pretty old but doesn't really show it. Nebby had a sister named Celeste who passed away a week after her new owner had her and unfortunately that person got blacklisted since I believe it was mishandling that caused the death especially when she got nervous when I offered to take the body to be necropsied so far though that one person is the only person I have had issues with.

Oh Gizmo that "cockerel" I was going to cull a long while back was also bought by them but Gizmo is actually a hen she just crows and mates hens I kind of suspect she was intersex since her plumage resembles a rooster but she lays a green egg so who knows. Gizmos siblings went with a lady who bought my old coop off me and they are doing fine.

The various hatchery birds I have raised a few years ago are also doing well but unfortunately some have been taken by predators and by poor hatchery genetics Babybirds sister Sweetpea passed away from a sudden heart attack a long time ago for example and some birds I have also lost track of as one of my costumers had to sell off their flock due to very serious medical issues so that's unfortunate, they did go to local people as well so they are likely living a good average chicken life

Scoots daughters Lady Tide and Captain Flint died to a dog attack. It wasn't the owners fault it was a neighbors dog that was very large and very aggressive and also wiped out a lot of her very fancy birds.

Of course my serama I have sold are all doing well I don't think anyone has lost anyone and some birds are going on to make their own babies which is nice to see. Handsome little Behemoth and his ladies had some chicks in January and they were doing good last time they checked in. Hotdog and Frank are happy little house chickens who are very good broodies for their owner. I have posted Pegasus and Dragon a lot recently they are doing good to and are so happy with Smores.

The guy who bought the cull cockerel for his friend I think decided to keep that little cutie and wants another rooster in the future I guess that silly short tailed boy just has a lot of charisma haha he made someone who didn't believe in house chickens keep him indoors so he has something special about him.

I think it's so nice I live in an area with so many nice chicken owners who take good care of their birds I of course only sell to people who take good care but it's nice none of those flocks have had any serious disease outbreaks. I get pretty attached to the birds I raise as individuals, and I think of them as my friends when they leave.

[eirabach]

Starcrossed [1/1]

My contribution to @pen-and-ink-week-2020 day one, prompts: camping / steady.

Gordon’s got mud in his hair and splinters in his knees and a blood blister on his palm from a mallet he had absolutely no idea how to use and Virgil -- Virgil needs to wipe that look off his face right this damn second.

“I cannot believe I let you talk me into this.”

Virgil, the bastard, is grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, you asked for my advice and my advice was to do something different and memorable. Not go bury your excrement in the woods memorable. That’s on you, kid.”

Gordon drops back onto the crinkly nylon nest he’s fashioned from their sleeping bags, and presses the heels of his palms into his eyes.

“Oh this is a disaster. This is such a disaster. I need evac. A new name. Safe house. The works.”

Virgil sighs, and taps his tiny holographic foot against the painfully out of place pink leather overnight bag that’s jammed up against the tentpole.

“You’re being over dramatic. She hasn’t actually left.” He pauses, craning his head as though he can’t already see the entirety of the two man tent from the comm’s spot at Gordon’s feet. “Has she?”

“I have sent,” Gordon hisses between clenched teeth, “a member of the aristocracy to fetch firewood.”

“Sounds fair to me, she wants to eat right?” Virgil’s grin is so big it must physically pain him. Gordon hopes so. “Vive la revolution!”

“Vir--gil.”

“Gor-don.”

Beyond the gentle rustling of the wind through the redwoods and the sound of his own internal mental breakdown, comes a high pitched and familiar yelp. Gordon scrambles upright as best he can, clutching the comm to his chest with unsteady hands.

“Oh god, she’s coming back.”

“Yeah, that was the plan right? Gordon --” Virgil’s not grinning quite as big anymore and his voice turns gentle. “It’s gonna be okay. It’s Penelope. And you. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Gordon grimaces, peeling back the tent’s zipper far enough to see her, her hair tucked up under a worn IR branded bobble hat, her back to him as she drops an armful of kindling into the centre of the clearing. “Yeah, I mean, she could realise. And run. Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’m worried about.”

Virgil rolls his eyes. “Gordon --”

“Gordon!”

Virgil squarks unhappily as Gordon tosses the comm over his shoulder.

“Hey! Hi, yes. Hello.”

The tip of Penelope’s nose is pink from the autumn chill, and when she smiles it scrunches up tight as the band that seems to have appeared around his chest..

“You sound surprised to see me.” She moves to peer around him and into the tent proper. ”What are you up to in there?”

“Nothing?”

“Really?” She steps back, gesturing to the woodpile. “Well, since you’re a gentleman of leisure, does this meet with your approval?”

Gordon winces, and begins struggling to extradite himself from the really very much too small tent. Yet another plan that had seemed like such a good idea at the time.

“I didn’t mean like, nothing nothing.”

“Oh of course.” Penelope nods sagely. “The other sort of nothing.”

“Yeah exactl -- Bertie!” A tiny flash of cream and black comes barrelling into him as he tries to untangle the zip, sending Gordon flying back into the tent in a cacophony of tearing fabric. He scrambles back up and stares at the tent door, which is now hanging morosely in raggedy strips. “This is -- kinda a disaster isn’t it?”

Penelope pops her hands on her hips, and smiles down at him fondly. 

“Oh I don’t know, I can’t see any Thunderbirds swooping down to save the day.”

Gordon groans. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Oh come along, darling. Fresh air, nature, what’s not to love?” She steps forward, and drops to her knees in the leaf mulch before him. “You’re not getting spoiled by your tropical island lifestyle are you?”

“Uh, this was my idea?”

“So I recall. Sold to me on the promise of ‘smores and cuddling and really darling --” she taps her watch. “I seem to be suffering from a distinct lack of either.”

Gordon slaps at the remains of the tent doorway and clambers out, pulling Penelope to her feet as he does so. Behind them Bertie is busy tugging a tartan blanket free, his tail wagging frantically as he wraps himself up in it.

“Sorry,” he says, wrapping his arms around her waist and swaying slightly as she leans back to place her own arms around his neck. “That’s very remiss of me.”

“Very,” she says, and goes to rest her cheek on his shoulder. “Is there something wrong, Gordon?”

The leaves crunch under their feet and Gordon buries his nose in the soft wool of the ugly hat. It smells like her perfume and ozone and island heat and he’d wondered where she’d gone and got it from and huh, now he knows.

“You stole my hat.”

“I borrowed it.”

“That’s a crime, Penelope.”

“Are you trying to change the subject?”

“Are you trying to get away with stealing my hat?”

Penelope draws back, soft smile replaced by a line between her brows that makes Gordon’s chest hurt. “You can have it back, you know.”

“No -- god no. You look way better in it than I ever did anyway,” he smiles a little brighter for her, and kisses the line until it melts away. “Sorry if I’m being weird. I kinda -- I don’t know. Nervous, I guess.”

And then she’s smiling again, and the world rights itself slightly. “I am threateningly attractive in this hat.”

“Oh, very.”

“And you do have to prove your manliness to me.”

“Oh?” The world tilts again, but for very different reasons as Penny pushes her body against his. “I think I can probably --”

And then she’s gone, practically prancing across the clearing to the pile of wood. She holds two pieces up, her lip between her teeth, and wriggles her eyebrows at him.

“You promised me ‘smores.”

---

He proves his manly worth eventually, and the campfire he coaxed and wheedled into existence burns bright as the full moon rises overhead. 

He’d brought camp chairs, but they sit abandoned where he’d dumped them, and the two of them lie side by side on the blanket Bertie had liberated, cooling cups of tea at their sides, their breathing steady and rhythmic under a spinning, starbright sky.

“It rather puts everything into perspective, don’t you think?”

“Hmm?”

Penelope waves a hand up at the sky. “All -- all of everything. Sometimes it all can feel a little overwhelming, and then I think -- well.” She drops her hand, wriggles a little closer into his side. “I think that sometimes it’s all too easy to forget that this whole planet of ours -- every one on it -- we are so terribly tiny aren’t we?”

“Jesus, Pen.” He pinches her side slightly, squeezing his arm underneath her as she jumps and pulling her as tight against him as he can manage. “I get enough short jokes at home.”

“Oh ha ha, I don’t mean that in a bad way --”

“That I’m short?”

She smacks at his belly, and her laugh rings through the trees and out into the universe. “Gordon!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Penny shakes her head slightly. She’s lost the hat at some point during the evening, and her hair catches on the rough blanket, tickles his nose. “I just -- sometimes I need reminding that I’m allowed this, that’s all. That we have a place.”

“Tell me about it.” It’s hardly more than a breath, hardly out loud at all, but Penny’s hand settles on his where it lies at her waist and her fingers twist tight between his own.

The moonlight forms a silvery halo around her upturned face, her soft breaths forming little puffs of cloud that float and fizzle away in the chill night air, and it’s just the two of them, the rest of the world banished from the circle of the campfire’s light. It’s -- it’s a moment.

Gordon’s other hand settles in the pocket of his jacket, and he grips the velveteen box tightly as he tries to steady his nerves. Imagines Virgil, the way he’d rolled his eyes and said, what’s the worst that could happen?

And Gordon looks at Penelope and Penelope looks at the stars and he thinks forever.

I could lose this forever.

And he thinks -- he thinks -- he can’t.

He uncurls his fingers from the box, slips his hand free to thumb at a chocolatey smear on her cheek. Penelope turns her face into the palm of his hand and sighs.

“Thank you,” she says. “I needed this.” 

Gordon goes to scoff, but then she’s dipping her head to drop a kiss to his wrist and his heartbeat skitters and skips under her lips.

“Take me to bed?”

She doesn’t have to ask twice.

---

Morning has brought a bright autumnal dawn, perfect yellow light pouring through the poorly pinned doorway to settle on the dew damp curls at Penelope’s temples, freckles burnished gold against her cheeks.

He’s seen a lot of beautiful things in his life. Beautiful places. Corals, neon pink and orange in a turquoise sea, otherworldly sunsets, cave systems that glow lilac with phosphorescence, the way a mother’s face twists when he places their lost baby back in their arms.

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything as beautiful as this.

Penny’s all twisted up in the sleeping bags, the zips long abandoned, her hair wild with static, her arm thrown over her head. There’s a pug snoring between her knees, her elbow’s half an inch from his nose, her lips are chapped from the chill air, and he loves her. God, but he loves her.

And Gordon -- Gordon can’t help it. He leans over, kisses the tip of her cold nose and whispers;

“Marry me.”

Blue eyes snap open shrewd and bright, so bright, that the part of Gordon that’s not currently freaking the fuck out wonders, briefly, if her perfect peaceful sleep was just a bit too perfect. “Pardon?”

Oh, oh this is not the way this is meant to happen. No. No way. He wriggles away from her as best he can, backs himself right up until the tent is sticking to his back and Penny -- Penny is staring at him as though he’s actually lost the plot.

He’s totally lost the plot.

She’s worrying her lip between her teeth, that furrow back between her brows and oh god he’s fucking this up isn’t he. He knew he would. He knew it. “Gordon, did you --”

“No! No, not -- not no -- just hang on -- hang on I was meant to do this -- stand up.” He gestures, a tad wildly, and Penelope blinks at him. Maybe she had actually been sleeping after all. Maybe he can convince her this is some sort of terrible nightmare.

“I -- excuse me?”

He takes an unsteady breath, attempts to gather whatever wits he possesses, and scuffles around for his discarded jacket. His fingers finally close around the box, and he squeezes his eyes shut. At least he’s already on his knees. “You gotta -- you gotta stand up.”

“I don’t think -- “ she starts, but then he’s pulling the box out of his pocket and even though he literally would rather okay face a tsunami naked than open his eyes, he can still hear her sharp intake of breath. Oh god. 

“Okay -- okay darling, look at me all right?” He opens one eye, risks a glance upward to see her bent almost double, the cross pole of the tent across her shoulders. “There now, better?”

“Penelope --”

Maybe he feels the tension, or maybe he is just a tiny little asshole, but this, this moment, is the very moment Bertie chooses to rouse from his slumber and leap up at Penelope’s legs.

He launches himself with such force that the slippery nylon that makes up their bed shifts, and Penelope, already off balance and folded like a half shut knife, jumps in shock. The cross pole shudders and -- oh, shit.

Penelope lands in a heap, and the tent follows her collapsing on top of them like one of grandma’s souffles. Bertie whimpers unhappily, wriggling his way free of a sea of wet nylon to force himself bodily between them. He laps at Gordon’s shaking hand, then looks up at Penny with huge, innocent eyes.

Bertie, Gordon decides, has been spending far too much time with Parker. 

He goes to tell Penny as much, but to his horror he sees big, fat tears rolling down her cheeks, her eyes red and rimmed black with yesterday’s mascara. He scans her for wounds, protruding tent poles, anything that might explain the funny little gasping sounds she’s making, as though she can’t quite catch her breath.

“Are you hurt? What -- did you sprain something? Tell me where it hurts.”

Penelope shakes her head fiercely. “No, no I’m not hurt.”

She half laughs, a strained, breathless little thing, and moves to hover her hand over the little box. 

Gordon looks down. Penelope might be not quite touching it, but Bertie is resting his nose against the golden clasp holding it closed and looking up at Gordon like -- 

Like even the dog can’t quite believe the mess he’s making of this. 

“Oh don’t -- I’m sorry Penny, I’m sorry-- don’t cry. Oh wow, this has gone even worse than I expected.”

She laughs again, he can feel it against the crown of his head as he tries very hard to curl up into himself and disappear entirely. “Gordon Tracy, you are the most ridiculous man --”

“Don’t rub it in Pen, jeez.”

“Will you let me finish?” Her voice is sharp, and he snaps his head up. She’s smiling all the same, even though her cheeks are still streaked with tears “Thank you.” He just nods, lost for words, lost entirely and just waiting for her next words to set him back up. To show him where to go. They’re close enough in the wreckage of the tent for her to rest her forehead against his, her words quite as a whisper but all the clearer for them. “You asked me once if you were my favourite.”

Gordon swallows hard. “Yeah. I remember.”

She smiles, and their noses knock together. “Ask me again.”

“Am I your favourite?”

A huff of breath against his mouth. Irritable, but so close, so much closer than he’d ever thought he deserved. “Not that.”

“Wh--” And she pulls back, just enough. Just enough that he can see himself reflected in her pupils, blown wide and dark and waiting. “Oh.”

“Oh. And I’m not getting up.”

He spares a glance around them, the tent now more a cocoon than anything else. “Don’t think either of us are.”

“Gordon.” She reaches for the box with shaking hands, opens it, pulls out the ring and presses it into his hand. Rose gold. Pink, of course. Pretty and delicate and set with a stone that has outlived its last owner by some twenty years. There’s a scar across its surface, avalanche blue, but he kinda likes that. The promise of outlasting whatever the universe throws at them. Penelope’s breath catches, as she withdraws her right hand to scrub at flushed cheeks, leaves her left in his. “Ask me again.”

“Oh. Right.” There’s that. The asking. He takes another deep breath. Steadier. Certain. “Penelope,” he says, and man she’s still crying but she’s nodding and that -- that seems positive, right? He powers on. There’d been a speech. He’d practiced it on Alan, who’d swooned very beautifully right off the balcony and into the pool. He doesn’t bother with it now. Sticks to the basics. “I am an idiot.”

“Yes you are,” she agrees, and her smile, her smile is brighter than the sunshine, brighter than anything. It’s the only light he needs, the only hope.

“Do you think you could maybe marry me anyway?”

She kisses him, hot and open, tears salty on her lips and a plea on her tongue and together --

Together they taste like yes.

[petri808]

The Truth is not far from Fiction

@nalu-week bonus day AU prompt. Ghost story, modern setting, 7k words

Based on a real life experience.

One day late in the afternoon, Layla Heartfilia hears talking and pops her head into her toddlers bedroom. She sees the four-year-old playing with a doll in the middle of the floor, just babbling away and smiles. “Who are you talking to Lucy?”

The child’s brown eyes beam at her mother. “Mishi wanna pway wich doll.”

Assuming it was just an imaginary friend, the woman plays along. “I see. And are you being a good girl and sharing your toys?”

“Uh-huh, mommy.”

“That’s a good girl. I’ll be back shortly to get you for dinner, okay, you just keep playing nicely with your friend.”

“Otay,” Lucy giggles and looks at the girl sitting across from her, “Mishi you hungy too? Oh.” She then looks back at her mother, “Mishi say no can eat.”

“Why is that dear?”

“Mishis dead.”

><><><><><><><><><

From all outward appearances, Lucy Heartfilia was just your typical teenage girl. She had her tight-knit group of friends, a girly-girl when she wanted to be, but deep down was just as comfortable hanging with the guys. Fangirling over the latest manga heartthrob or relaxing with a good book were her two favorite things to do, well that and spending time with her best friend slash boyfriend Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu was born and raised in Hawaii whereas Lucy was a transplant to the islands. After her mother’s death, her father moved them to Hilo when the opportunity to invest in some new property developments came about. It was a small town compared to the big city they’d left behind, but it was a beautiful place and Lucy fell in love with it quickly. She knew her mother would have loved it because if there was one thing Layla Heartfilia had instilled in her daughter, it was a love of the stars.

Every cloudless night on the island provided a perfect opportunity for stargazing thanks to the role of the observatories on Mauna Kea; the islands largest volcanic mountain. Nothing brighter than an orange amber glow was allowed by law, cutting down on the amount of light pollution in Hawaii. Lucy loved it and took any opportunity to simply kick back under the stars picking out her favorite constellations.    

It was now the summer of their graduation from high school and the friends wanted to do something together to kick it off. A few options were thrown around, but when the idea of relaxing under the stars came to mind, Lucy suggested a camping trip. Campfires and smores, maybe some hiking, or even better, snuggling after dark. The group was sold.

“Gajeel’s dad said his contact will let us stay at K.O.E.C in volcano for the weekend since it’s not being used during the summer.” Levy McGarden was the first friend Lucy made after moving to the island and Gajeel Redfox was the girl’s boyfriend.

Lucy tips her head in confusion. “Where’s that? I don’t think I’ve heard of it before.”

“Oh,” Levy chuckles, “sometimes I forget you weren’t born here. In elementary school, all the kids are taken camping there. It’s like an educational retreat cause it’s right next to the national park.”

“Ah, gotcha. So, it’s a camping ground?”

“Mmm, sort of. There’s a building and a big grass area and a bonfire pit.  I don’t know the details if they’ll let us use the main building, but it’ll probably be fine if we just set up tents. Gajeel said the guy will give us a key to the gate when we arrive so we can go in and out.”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

Despite her father’s wishes for Lucy to go to a bigger college in the states, she decides to stay local for now, though that still meant relocating to a different island. It was true her decision was partially based on where her boyfriend was also attending school, but Chaminade University had a good reputation as well as the programs she was interested in. Natsu had graduated the year prior and received a football scholarship to attend the University of Manoa.  He’d be home for the summer in just a couple of days and she was excited to spend as much time with him as possible.

Starting fresh in a new place during middle school after leaving all of her friends behind in California can be tough on any young person, so it was really thanks to Levy and Natsu for making her feel so welcomed in Hawaii. On the first day of class Levy had befriended her and introduced Lucy into the group of kids that would stick together all the way from Waiakea Intermediate through Waiakea High. They’re like a second family for the girl who didn’t have any siblings and a father who was too busy to pay much attention.

But that was part of the beauty behind her and Natsu’s relationship. It wasn’t something that happened overnight, rather blossoming over several years from a friendship until one day their friend Gray Fullbuster pointed out they were already a pseudo couple so they might as well just make it official. Whenever Lucy thinks about that moment, it always makes her smile, because Natsu had simply chuckled, asked if she wanted to be his girl, she said yes, and they went on with the conversation as if nothing had changed.

Bright and early on a Friday morning, the group meets up at the local McDonald’s parking lot before the caravan heads out as a group to the Volcano area. Lucy rides with Natsu in his pickup truck, while everyone else were in other vehicles. There were eight of them total on their way for a fun filled weekend out in the countryside. It was the first time Lucy would be spending an extended amount of time in the area. Prior to this trip she’s only visited the park to do the typical tourist things like seeing the Jagger Museum or hiking the sulfur banks.

As they make their way to the area, no matter if the vehicle slows or accelerates, the road ahead blends as Lucy stares out the window. Greens, browns, mixed with multiple colors when they pass buildings. Her mind drifts with it, strangely lulled by an energy she cannot place, nor is even aware of its pull on her. The radio playing becomes a background noise with only the bass beats standing out… the drums especially calling to her and lulling her into a spell.  

“You okay, Luce?” Natsu questions her as she stares out the passenger window. The normally chatting girl was surprisingly quiet through the drive.

Lucy breaks out of her trance and looks over at her boyfriend. “Yeah, sorry I was just spacing out.” She smiles to allay his concerns. “I was so excited for this trip that I didn’t get much sleep.”

He reaches over and squeezes her hand with a smile. “How about I set up the tent first thing so you can take a nap?”

“I think I’ll be okay once we start doing stuff.”

“Whatever you say,” he winks.

She really wanted to enjoy this trip but the closer they got to the area the more a churning knot tightened in her stomach. It was a dubious feeling to place, not sick as if she were coming down with a cold, and she didn’t get motion sickness like her boyfriend, it was more like a foreboding feeling. Though a strange time to kick in, she had been a little stressed out about going off to college in the fall, so perhaps it was just a case of nerves.

That must be it, Lucy chalks up the weird feelings and rationalizes them as nothing more than a case of the jitters. Going away from home to a new place was a scary proposition, but she reminds herself she won’t be totally alone. Natsu will be on the island and so will Cana Alberona another close friend. And hey, thanks to the internet, those like Levy will be a simple click away too. She takes a deep breath and releases the churning emotions. It was time to focus on this camping trip and make it memorable.

When the caravan of vehicles pulls into the parking area, everyone waits with their vehicles while Gajeel settles up with the caretaker. Once that was complete, the group starts the task of setting up their gear. They break up the work, with the men focusing on the bigger jobs, erecting the tents, tables, and carrying the heavier items. The girls follow up with the sleeping bags, getting the food and other supplies squared away.

It was a nice place, just like Levy had described to Lucy. To the left of the parking lot was a large main building that housed expansive rooms used as classrooms. Downstairs were restrooms and showers, along with maintenance rooms. The caretaker had turned on the hot water and electricity for them to use on the bottom level, but the upstairs rooms were locked for security purposes. There was also security lighting around the building and on the street, but from what Lucy could gauge, once the sun goes down, the area would be quite dark. Good thing they brought a bunch of lanterns and flashlights.

In front of the building and parking lot, it opened up into a sprawling grassy area surrounded by trees. Beyond the trees were homes and subdivisions. At the very edge of the lawn, Lucy could see the bonfire area her friend had mentioned tucked in a corner. According to the caretaker, it was no longer used for full bonfires due to the threat of starting a forest fire, but they were allowed to make a small, normal sized campfire for doing things like roasting marshmallows or for warmth. The pit was also ringed with fallen Ohia tree logs to sit on.

The place was serene alright… but why was that nagging feeling eating away at her? As she stared towards the bon fire area, every fiber of her being was screaming at her to stay away from it. She didn’t like the vibes this place was giving off, which made absolutely no sense to her. It looked completely safe and quiet, they brought children here to camp for Pete’s sakes! Surely, the county wouldn’t allow visitors if this place wasn’t safe.

A shiver rushes along Lucy’s frame despite the lack of a breeze. Maybe she was just psyching herself out, so she turns away from the pit and focuses on something that did make her feel safe. Natsu had just finished setting up their tent. It was time for her to get their bedding down so they could settle in. Perfect, she could do that.

“So, how do you like it?” Natsu asks her as soon as she walks over to him. “Nice, right?”

“It’s a really scenic place,” Lucy agrees. She didn’t want to concern or spook him with her true thoughts of the place. “Is the tent ready?”

“Yup,” he grins, “pretty sure it won’t cave in.”

She chuckles, “I’ll get our sleeping bags and stuff set up.”

Natsu pulls her close and wraps his arms around her waist. “Just make sure I’ve got easy access to ya,” he wiggles his eyebrows. “After six months apart, I need to make up for lost time.”

That brings a flush to her cheeks and a giggle from the woman. “I think I can figure something out.”

He places a soft, lingering kiss on Lucy’s lips. “Remind me again how I managed to make you my girl?”

Lucy grins coyly, “by being an adorable dork.”

“Dork? Says the weirdo,” he chuckles and kisses her again. “Okay, you get cracking on this and I’ll be back in a bit after we set up the campfire for tonight.”

She just nods and watches him walk away for a moment, before turning her attention to the tent. Natsu had even added an additional tarp over the top in case it rained, how thoughtful and smart considering the weather here could turn without warning. Everyone had set up their tents, five in total, at distances from each other. Lucy chuckles in her head, knowing they weren’t the only ones with a little hanky-panky on the agenda.

Instead of using the sleeping bags as they were designed for, she unzips the two sets completely open, using one as the bottom and one as the blanket, finishing off their makeshift bed with the pillows. She then takes the bags that holds their clothing and toiletries and places it in the corner of the tent. Lastly, she double checks that their lantern was working properly and stores it near the entrance, so it was easy to turn on when needed.

With their accommodations ready, she could relax a little while she waited for Natsu to return. Since she didn’t know how long it would take the men to finish, Lucy decides to lay down and close her eyes. He’d suggested she take a short nap, and well, it seemed like a good idea now.

The moment she closes her eyes, the sunlight fades away behind her eyelids as her body slowly gives in. ‘This sleeping bag… is really comfortable…’ She felt peaceful, a sense of stilling calm like in the eye of a hurricane. The blue skies brought warmth streaming through the thin nylon fabric of the tent, pacifying the nervous pin pricks licking along her frame. Is that music playing somewhere? Lucy wonders as the edge of oblivion comes calling... Does someone have their bass cranked up?  

‘Did I sleep the afternoon away?’ Lucy looks around as the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge and the sickening feeling pitted in her stomach tightens. Something’s wrong, her mind screams. Where was the tent?! Why was she in the forest?! Where did everyone go? She was taking a nap and suddenly she was in the middle of the dark Ohia forest.

It was deathly silent save for the drumbeats and chanting getting louder— so loud that she felt it in her bones. No other signs of life, of crickets or coqui frogs, nor distant sounds of the homes she knew were laid out around the campsite. Only the drowning of drumbeats and the word kapu (sacred) repeated over and over. She covers her ears in a useless attempt to shield them from the noise, but it was as if they were coming from inside her head.

‘Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!’ Her voice cracked and trembling, desperate to get away from the torment. Fight or flight takes hold and she starts to back away, but her legs feel like rubber, her feet like dead weight. She looks down as a silent scream bubbles up in her throat. Why is her feet sinking into the mud! The ground had been solid a second ago!

She opens her mouth to cry out for Natsu, anybody, but no sound leaves her. Panic sets in, sending her mind into a tailspin, and energy surges through her body. She claws at her throat in desperation, why wasn’t her voice coming out! Her mind is begging for someone to please hear her screams. Natsu! Where was Natsu?!

Something grabs her from behind and her arms begin flailing out desperate to fight back.

“Lucy, wake up!”

“Natsu!” The blonde screams, kicking and punching as she sits straight up on the bedding. Still in a panicked fight for her life, she scrambles away until her back hits the wall of the tent. Her brain is struggling to take back control from the dreamworld, but the sounds were all she could hear roaring in her eardrums.

The hold around her center felt as if something very strong and powerful was squeezing the life out of her. All she could hear in her head were her own screams and that incessant drumbeat! Make it stop! Make it stop! The tears are pouring down, clouding her vision and marring the scene in front of her. Get me out of here!

“Lucy, Lucy!” Natsu grabs hold of her wrists to keep her from hitting him. “It’s a dream, Lucy, you’re okay now.” His own panic was rising faster than a flood. Why wasn’t she responding to him? Her eyes are open, but she was staring past him as if he didn’t exist just screaming for help.

“Lucy?” He feels what he can only equate to as sticking your hand in an electrical socket. His hands start to tingle and the air around them heats up. “W-What the hell is going on?!” Natsu squeaks out as a true fear takes hold. He could understand daymares, but this… this was abnormal!  

She thrashes against his hold for a few more seconds, shaking her head as tears pour in torrents down her cheeks. But despite the eerie shocks Lucy was giving him, he holds on tight until the opportunity presents itself to pull her into a fierce bear hug. Natsu had no idea what had set this off, so he fights off his own panic and does what he can, cooing and speaking softly to calm her. He couldn’t tell if his voice even had any weight behind it, but it was all he could muster.

“Shhh, babe I got ya now. Whatever it was, you’re safe.”

Natsu cradles her head, keeping it locked against his chest. There are footsteps around the tent along with a few ‘are you guys okay’ being asked. He responds that it was just a bad dream and not to worry. Lucy must have been much more tired than they’d realized for her to fall asleep so deeply and enter the dream stage in less than 30 minutes. He and Gray had only completed a third of the firepit when Levy had come to get him. The woman had heard distressing sounds coming from his girlfriend and they’d been enough to concern her.

Though Lucys mind was coming out of the dream world, and reality was taking hold again, a heavier panic sets in. How was she supposed to explain this to him? There was something about her life that she’d kept secret from everyone for fear of being looked at as a freak, and most of the time it wasn’t a problem to keep it hidden. Lucy fights to gain back control and to stop shaking. ‘It was just a dream Lucy,’ she tries to psyche up the lie in her head. ‘Nothing paranormal about a dream. It’s the stress manifesting itself.’ She didn’t want to worry anyone.

She takes several long, slow, deep breaths until the panic attack starts to wane. “Thank you, Natsu I-I’m fine now. I’m so sorry. I think all the anxiety of college is just getting to me.”

“No need to apologize Lucy, leaving home is scary. But you know I’ll be there for you right?”

“Yeah,” she cracks a smile. “I know you will be.”

“That was a pretty crazy dream though. Do you remember what it was about?”

Kapu… “No,” she shakes her head as if accentuating the word, but in reality, wishing the sounds echoing in her head would disappear.

“Okay.” His gut tells him not to push the topic until she was ready. Natsu kisses her forehead, “well if you do and you wanna talk about it, I’m all ears.” He smiles at her, “hey, why don’t you go wash your face, catch your breath, and maybe hang out with the girls to distract yourself while I finish up what I was doing?”

Lucy nods, “That’s a good idea.”

Of course, the moment she sat down with her concerned friends they bombarded her with questions about the daymare. Cana the ever-budding ‘spiritualist’ of the group pressing for information so she could discern the meanings behind what Lucy had seen. But she feigned not remembering anything once she’d been awoken by Natsu. She didn’t want to remember, rather forget it had ever happened. So, she falls back to the same excuse she’d used for him. Why not? At least if it were a consistent lie it would be easier to keep up.

“Are you sure Lu?” Levy reaches over and places a hand on her friends knee, “cause the way you were screaming… I swear even I was getting chills.”

“You literally sounded like you were being murdered.”

“Blunt enough, Cana?” Levy rolls her eyes. “She doesn’t need to be freaked out any more than necessary.”

“I really appreciate you’re guys concern, but I swear I’m fine now. I don’t remember what it was about and if it’s as bad as you’re saying, I’m glad I don’t remember.”

Levy fixes Lucy with a stare. “At least promise me if it happens again, you’ll talk to me.”

“I promise.” Lucy smiles back hoping to allay her friends concerns. “I think my nerves are just fried over college.”

To Lucy’s relief the rest of the group quickly switched into that topic. Juvia Lockser, Gray’s girlfriend was already a Sophomore in college, but she and the others shared their feelings of anxiety. It turns out they all felt similar to her, maybe even more so. Levy and Cana were born and raised in Hilo and had never travelled outside of the state before. Juvia is a transplant like Lucy except she came here for college from Seattle, Washington. It was only after meeting Gray at the University last year that she was folded into their group.      

“Lemme see if I can explain it,” Levy taps her chin. “A lot of islanders feel like they’re stuck here— okay maybe not stuck, but like… they don’t wanna leave their comfort zone. So, going away for college is really nerve wracking, that’s why I’m really anxious about it and excited at the same time.”

“Speak for yourself,” Cana chimes in, “I’m nervous sure, but I can’t wait to go to Honolulu! First thing I plan to do is hit the clubs! And I plan to drag you with me Lu.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Lucy waves her hands excitedly while laughing, “don’t drag me into that!”

“Aww, come on, think about it! I’ll get you all hot and bothered and unleash you on Natsu.” Cana winks, “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“OMG!” Lucy throws a handful of ripped grass at her friend as the other girls burst into laughter.

It’s not long in chatting with the girls that Lucy’s fears subside and the daymare is semi-forgotten. They talk about the rest of their plans for the weekend, like how tomorrow will be spent in the park checking out the latest volcanic activity and hiking the trails. Someone needs to stay behind to watch the camp, so Cana and Loke de Lioncourt agree to do it. Their reasoning is let the couples have fun exploring, but everyone else knows that the pair wanted some “fun time” to themselves.

Things were still quiet for Lucy by the time the men finish prepping the fire pit. The girls had made a simple lunch of sandwiches for the gang, so the guys join the conversation and things continue to flow smoothly into a relaxing afternoon. With Natsu by her side, Lucy feels an additional calming energy and that helps to settle the remnants of creepy sensations she was still having. She didn’t know how of why he was having that effect on her but welcomed it regardless.  

No matter where you go, there are spirits and because of her abilities, Lucy did what she could to acclimate to her surroundings. After moving to the islands, she familiarized herself with local legends and lore, about the gods and aumakua’s (spirit guardians), and so much more. There were tons of spirits here. But that didn’t mean she knew everything or when or where she may encounter them, and she certainly was no expert in how to deal with it. There’s no training manual for this stuff. The lucky ones find someone to mentor them, but beyond picking up tidbits where she could, Lucy worked by intuition most of the time.

After the incident in the tent, Natsu’s instincts were heightened. He couldn’t get a good read on what Lucy was thinking or feeling, but he could tell something was bothering her despite her downplays. But unless she was willing to tell him, he could only guess why her energy was spiking in an unusual manner and as darkness approached it was only increasing.

He watches her closely and starts to notice more troubling signs. Clearly, she was trying to hide them, but her mood was starting to change from engaged to removed. Where she was chatting normally at lunch, Lucy had slowed to only answering when spoken to. It was as if her mind was elsewhere and her energy level was waning. It reminded him of her behavior in the truck on their way to the site. Was it returning again?

“Here you go,” Natsu hands Lucy a plate of dinner. The group had barbecued some meat and thanks to the buildings electricity were able to make rice for a starch.

“Thanks,” she smiles, though the look behind it gave off a disinterested vibe.

Lucy had been holding her arm around her stomach as if it were bothering her. He’d just hoped she would say something if that were the case, but she never had. He sits down beside her, eating, and continuing his vigil. Was Lucy getting paler, or was it just the waning light? Even her eyes seemed dimmer.

“Are you feeling ill, you don’t look well.” Natsu finally whispers hoping not to gain attention from the group.

“Huh? Why?”

“You just look a little peaked is all.”

“I don’t know,” Lucy picks at the contents of her plate, “maybe I’m still tired… I kinda feel zapped all of a sudden.” She was feeling ill, as if an unexpected flu was kicking in, but she didn’t want to admit it. Her stomach was queasy, and her head was starting to get dizzy.  

“If you’re not feeling well, I don’t mind taking you home.”

“No, no,” she shakes her head determined to push through this bout. “I don’t wanna ruin your weekend.” But shaking her head was a bad idea and now she really felt dizzy. Why was this happening now? She’d been perfectly fine when they were in Hilo.

“Luce, helping my girl out isn’t gonna ruin my weekend.”

“Are you sure? Because…” her voice trails out and eyes roll back seconds before Lucy collapses forward. She never had a chance to finish.

The next 30 seconds is like a slow-motion scenes in a movie. Her name is screamed, and gasps ring out. Natsu reacts on instinct, dropping his plate and shooting his hand out to grab her before she face plants onto the ground. Everyone around them is on their feet in a flash, rushing over for support. When he lands partially under Lucy, Gajeel and Gray help him to get back into a sitting position with the unconscious woman still cradled in his lap.  

Natsu could feel a dark energy gathering around her that hadn’t been there before, triggering electrical sensations along his skin, similar to what he’d felt in the tent. This was not good… not good at all! Whatever had affected Lucy earlier in the day was intensifying. “I better get her to the hospital, somethings not right!” He scoops the unconscious woman up and gets to his feet.

Gray reaches out to support some of Lucy’s weight as Natsu stands up. “Yeah, man, do what you gotta do.”

“And don’t worry about your stuff, we’ll take care of it,” Gajeel chimes in. “You just worry about you’re woman.”

Levy places a hand on Natsu’s arm, her eyes clouded and barely holding back the pain of her concern. This was her best friend. With such an eventful afternoon, every worst-case scenario was running through her mind. Was Lucy sick? What kind of illness could strike a healthy young woman down so quickly? “Please call us as soon as you find out what’s wrong, okay, promise me.”

“Will do, Lev, I promise. Thanks guys.”

As Natsu secures Lucy into his truck, the girls grab the couple’s personal belongings like Lucy’s purse and a duffle bag of clothing for him. The camping gear, tent and such will be safe in the care of their friends. He was doing all he could to stay calm because the last thing he needed was to lose control and wreck his truck or something. When he climbs in and starts up the vehicle, he notices Lucy starting to stir a little. She was strapped in so she wouldn’t fall over, and her body stayed slumped, but her head was working to hold itself up. “Lucy? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah…” she mumbles with her eyes closed.

“I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“What… happened?”

“You collapsed.”

Once he makes it out of the country roads and clears the forest, the truck roars it down the highway. Natsu wanted to get Lucy to the hospital as quickly as possible since it was about 40-50 miles away. Lucy was healthy, so he was concerned with the speed this illness had hit her, fast and hard.

He keeps his eyes on the road but checks on the woman in his passenger seat every few seconds. When they’d put her in the truck, she was barely ambulatory and coherent. Lucy still had her eyes closed as she rested her head in the crook of the door frame and seat. She was breathing normally as far as he could tell and at least her arm had relaxed away from clenching around her abdomen.

If he didn’t know better, it was as if Lucy had fallen asleep again. But the longer he watched, the more he could tell the situation was changing. After 10 minutes of driving and reaching the Fern forest area, she had shifted in the seat, stretching out her legs and sitting upright.

“How ya feeling Lucy?”

“A little better,” she responds. It was strange, but the heavy pressure she had felt back at the camp was slowly lifting the further they got away from it. Her body still felt tired as if all the energy had been sucked from it, but at least the foreboding vibes were melting away and she could breathe easier again. It was a complete reversal of how she felt going to the area.

“That’s good to hear.” It wasn’t just her words that brought him some relief. Natsu could sense the shift. The aura around her was no longer as dark as it had been at the camp.

Another 10 minutes or so passes by and they’d reached the town of Mountain View. Here Natsu was forced to slow down due to a slower speed limit and higher traffic flow. They come to a red traffic signal, so he takes the opportunity to make a better assessment of his girlfriend. Not only was Lucy’s eyes open, but they looked bright and her skin wasn’t as pale anymore. She was sitting fully upright just looking around as if taking in the view. Certainly not the look of someone being rushed to the hospital.

“Could we stop and grab food,” Lucy asks out of the blue when they’re about to hit Keaau town. He turns and looks to see her smiling at him. “I’m really hungry all of a sudden.”

“Um, yeah sure,” his eyebrow raises in confusion, “we could stop at McDonalds.”

“Great!”

“You know,” he pauses, “you seem a lot better Lucy, like completely normal and that’s kind of freaking me out.”

Lucy averts her eyes and her lips curve down in a small frown. “I’m really sorry for worrying you Natsu.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I don’t really like to talk about it…”

“Well I think I deserve to know considering you just scared the hell out of me Luce.”

She sighs, “You’re right— I-I don’t know exactly what happened back there, but there is something I haven’t told you or anyone else.”

Natsu can see the moisture building in her eyes, she was clearly torn and upset over whatever it was. He wasn’t angry that she’d withheld something from him, maybe a little annoyed, but he assumed she had a good reason for it. Lucy was never one to lie to him, so this must be a big deal to her. “You know I’d never judge you, right? You can tell me anything.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” she sighs again. “You don’t need to take me to the hospital, there’s nothing medically wrong with me.”

“Are you sure?”

Lucy nods. “Can we grab food and go back to your house? Then I’ll come clean… a-about everything.”

He picks up her hand and kisses it, nodding before turning off into the shopping complex’s parking lot. They order food through the drive through, then set off for his parent’s house in Hilo. It takes them about 20 more minutes to arrive and after giving a half-hearted explanation of cutting their trip short to his parents, the pair settle upstairs in Natsu’s bedroom.

Starving had been an understatement as Natsu watched Lucy inhale her burger. Normally he would finish meals first and would have to wait for her to catch up. It was eye opening, and probably the first time in all the years they’ve known each other he’s witnessed it. Of course, the whole day has been filled with new experiences with her, and this was the least concerning of it all.

With her food gone, Lucy pushes herself up and sits back against his headboard contemplating exactly how she should explain things to Natsu. She didn’t know why she was so worried about telling him, since he’s never been judgmental before. In fact, he often teased that he found her quirks endearing. But this wasn’t exactly normal. For his part, Natsu just sat on the bed in front of her in a cross-legged position, patiently waiting.

With her fingers fidgeting in her lap and her eyes boring holes into his comforter, Lucy starts out with a question of her own. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“Never seen one before, but I believe it’s not impossible for them to exist.” He shifts in his position to let his legs stretch out and props himself with his arms behind his back. “I mean growing up here and being bombarded by the culture kind of gave me an open mind to it.”

“W-What if I told you that I’ve been able to see them since I was a kid? Would you think I’m weird?”

“You mean weirder than I already think you are? No,” he chuckles, “I wouldn’t.”

“I’m serious!” she pouts.

“So am I,” Natsu laughs harder. “Hey, I’m sorry,” he leans forward and pats her foot, his expression softening. “I’m just trying to show you that it doesn’t bother me. I’m not making fun of you, I promise. Is that what is was back there, a ghost?”

Lucy shakes her head. “I don’t think it was a regular ghost, and I still don’t fully understand what happened.”

“How about starting from the beginning. You were distracted before we even got to the place.”

“It was strange… like, as we drove into the area, I was getting a creepy feeling, you know, like when the hair stands up on the back of your neck? I tried to ignore it, but it only grew stronger once we reached the site. I kept telling myself it was nerves and then that daymare happened.” Lucy didn’t want to admit it, but in hindsight all the warning bells were there, and she’d chosen to ignore them. The creepy feelings, the energy drains, that daymare… If she’d listened to her instincts, she could have invoked a protection barrier. Of course, with how strong the energy source had been, she didn’t know if it would have worked, but trying would have been better than nothing.

“Yeah, the daymare. Do you remember it?”

She squeezes her eyes shut still wishing she couldn’t, but nods, “I do.” Sometimes her abilities came in handy and other times it was more like a curse. Lucy couldn’t see ghosts, but she could feel them, hear them, and being a sensitive attracted them to her. Most were benign, simply stuck in this realm, while others were angry and strong enough to affect the living world. As a sensitive, Lucy was more likely to become a target because just as she could sense them, they could sense her.

“Are you up to telling me? You don’t have to if you don’t want to cause you were pretty freaked out about it.”

“I should…”

Natsu realizes just thinking about it is triggering a small panic attack again. He sees her body start to shiver and shake. “H-Hey,” he quickly crawls over, pulls her into his lap and cradles her. “Don’t force yourself.”

“No, I-I want to. Maybe if I let it out, i-it’ll help.” Lucy releases an exhale. “I was in the forest hearing all these drumbeats and chanting and it was getting louder.” Her hands cover her ears as if she was re-living the dream. “I was so confused, no idea how I got there. My feet started to sink into the ground, and I couldn’t fight back when something grabbed me. I-I started to panic and the word kapu kept ringing in my head. I was screaming for you, for anyone… ugh the drums! A-and that’s when I woke up.”

He moves her hands away from her ears and tightens his embrace in a bid to make her feel safe again.

“After you calmed me down, I was able to forget about it for a while. I figured it was just a bad dream and moved on. But then during dinner I started to feel drained, like all my energy was being sucked away. I tried to ignore it thinking I was just tired and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the truck.”

“And this has never happened to you before?”

She shakes her head no. “At least not this bad before.” This wasn’t the first time Lucy had encountered an area heavy with spiritual energy. The islands were rife with it, but this was the first time that it had affected her to this extent.

“So, it has happened before?”

“Sort of… like once before when I went to a place that I learned later has evil spirits.” Lucy relaxes a little. “Best I can explain it, is when there’s really strong energies around me, it makes me feel weird, like zapped. Maybe there were powerful spirits around the camping area.” A chill runs along her spine causing her to shiver. “Definitely not going back to that place again.” Lucy looks up at Natsu. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Far from it.” He hugs her tighter. “You just have a gift and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Lucy snorts a laugh, “can I return this gift?”

“Mmmm,” he chuckles too, “probably not. But you know, you’re not alone, right? I mean, you’re the only person I know that’s actually seen stuff, but as far as being sensitive, you’re not the only one. My mom says that I have a little bit of empathic abilities. I don’t know,” he shrugs, “I just know I pick up on how people are feeling around me. That’s why I kept asking if you were okay.”

“Wow,” her eyes widen, “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, cause I don’t advertise it,” Natsu laughs. “The guys know about me, but it’s not something I talk about to others.”

She sighs, “guess we were both hiding something from each other.”

“I won’t hold it against you, if you won’t hold it against me.”

“Thank you Natsu.” Lucy leans up and kisses him softly. She cups his cheek in her hands, “I really appreciate you being so understanding.”

He places his hand over hers, eyes smiling, just holding the special moment. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He then pulls her head against his shoulder.

Lucy settles happily on his lap just relieved that the whole ordeal was over. It was disheartening that she wouldn’t get to hang out with their friends this weekend but having Natsu with her was enough for now. They still had the rest of the summer to spare.

While she recuperated in his arms, Natsu sends a text to Gray and Levy explaining what happened. To his surprise the girl sends a message back saying she may know what Lucy was experiencing. There was a Hawaiian legend from the volcano area that may explain it. So, he calls Levy and puts her on speakerphone.

According to the girls readings, during the time King Kamehameha the First was working to unify all of the islands, many battles took place with local chiefs, including in the volcano area. Legend holds that sometimes spirits of deceased soldiers will continue to march in death. Such ‘Night Marchers’ have been seen right around the area where K.O.E.C. is located. They come out at specific times, which Levy had no idea when that could be. But perhaps, that was the source of what affected Lucy?

It was as good a guess as any.

Levy, “Some say that if the living encounters them, unless there is an aumakua in the procession of marchers to protect that person, they can become ill or even die from exposure. Course no one’s ever verified any of that.”

“I remember reading about the night marchers. I always thought it was exaggerated like a lot of claims are.” Lucy frowns, “but it sure explains what I might have been sensing.” She’d studied local lore because it was interesting to her and the culture in Hawaii made it fairly easy to research things. Stories of ancient tales and ghostly encounters abound here, but there was so much information, it wasn’t always easy to tell fact from fiction.

“Do you think they were warning you or something?” Natsu questions. “Cause it wasn’t even fully nighttime yet and I heard they come out later in the evening.”

“Ugh,” Lucy groans, “I have no idea because I really don’t fully understand all this stuff yet. Like I said, I thought night marchers were just folklore, so I never believed all the stories. But thanks Levy, knowing what it might have been makes me feel a lot better that I wasn’t going crazy.”

Levy, “Aww, you’re welcome Lu! It’s kind of late to pack it in for the night, but everyone agrees we rather find somewhere else to camp so you guys can join us for the rest of the weekend.”

“Wow, really? That’ll be so great!”

Levy, “Of course! It’s always better when everyone’s together. Take care you guys, and don’t worry about us. I’ll text you as soon as we figure out the plan.”

Natsu hangs up the phone and bundles Lucy close. “So, what’dya say? Spend the night here with me?”

“Your parents won’t mind?”

“Pfft, my parents love you. Just kinda bummed we can’t… you know,” he grins.

“I’m just as bummed about that too,” she teases, “but there’s always tomorrow.” Lucy cuddles against him and closes her eyes. Natsu’s energy was so soothing to her and now she knew why. It was kind of amusing that she ended up with a guy who had gifts like her, albeit a different one. Still, it made her feel normal for once in her entire life. “Thank you again Natsu, you know, for everything.”

He kisses the top of her head and leans his against hers. “You’re welcome, weirdo.”

“Yeah, well a weirdo you’re stuck with.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

><><><>Notes<><><><

Much of the spookier elements are based off an experience I had when I was around the age of 11 when we were taken to this location for a school trip. By the end of the day I was getting so sick a chaperone had to take me home, but just like in the story, once we were away from the area, I was completely fine. I’ve had many experiences over the years, this one isn’t even the scariest. No idea how you label me, all I know is I am sensitive, possibly an empath, I absorb and affect energy. I don’t actually see spirits, I just sense them and generally unless they are strong like those in this story, they don’t bother me or can’t because I can repel them now. Oh, and the reason I made Natsu have something too is just because lol. My husband actually sees stuff, and I think it’s ironic that I picked someone that has gifts too. 

[dolantwinsfavss]

Fallin’ All In You {e.d}

Masterlist

Hot chocolate, pajamas, and cookies. A holiday tradition you’ve shared with your best friend for many years. But of course, the cookies always ended up being a complete disaster.

“Ethan!” You shouted from the kitchen.

“What?” Ethan said frantically as he ran into the kitchen. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

You picked up a cookie and handed it to him, smiling internally at the fact his first worry was if you got hurt. “Taste this.”

“Why? What’s wrong with them?”

“Just taste it.” 

He took a bite of the cookie and seconds later, Ethan was running to the sink to spit it out and rinse it out with some water, “Holy... Why is it? Why is it so s-”

“Salty?” You said laughing at the horror on his face.

“Yeah!” Ethan said walking over to you. “I followed the recipe exactly! It said 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of salt!”

You walked over to the cabinet and placed the salt and sugar containers in front of Ethan, “Point to me which one is the salt and which one’s the sugar.”

Ethan pointed to what he thought which was which, explaining the reason why the cookies were so salty.

“Ethan. You mixed up the sugar and the salt!” 

“Well how am I supposed to know?! You put them in the same exact container and they look exactly the same!” He attempted to explain himself. Maybe he was right about them easily getting mixed up and you should move them into different containers.

“You could’ve tasted them to make sure!”

“I just went with my gut! You know I don’t bake!” Ethan said.

“I think you made that pretty obvious tonight. Next time I’ll do the baking, like I do every year.” You laughed while getting the frosting.

“You still want to decorate the cookies?” Ethan questioned, knowing now that the cookies were no longer edible.

“Of course.” You smiled at him, meeting those hazel eyes you loved. “It’s a tradition, isn’t it?”

For the next 30 minutes, the two of you decorated cookies, showing each other the good and the bad ones.

“Look who it is.” Ethan said, showing you a cookie cutout of a man which he decorated with some clothes and a mustache.

“Is that supposed to be Grayson?” You laughed as he nodded his head, admiring the way you tilted your head back and the way your hair fell off your shoulders.

A few minutes later, silence fell between the two of you until Ethan said, “You know even though we somehow manage to ruin the cookies every year, I think this tradition is my favorite.”

There he was again with those kind words that never failed to make you smile. It was your favorite too. Every tradition you had with him was your favorite.

“It’s my favorite too.” You said in a hushed tone as he looked over and smiled at you.

“What?” You questioned, noticing his stare as you felt the blood rush to your cheeks.

“Nothing. I um I’m just wondering how you got frosting on your cheek.” He chuckled watching you miss the spot as you attempted to wipe it off.

“Here I got it.” Ethan said softly as he held your cheek while wiping the frosting off with his thumb.

Instinctively, you leaned into his warm hand, wishing this moment could last forever. But then fear struck the both of you. “I um... We should probably start cleaning up.” You said nervously, beginning to clean up your mess and leaving Ethan to sit there wondering what he did wrong.

Eventually the two of you settled into the living room and put on whatever movie you wanted to watch that night, but Ethan didn’t mind it. Just as long as you were happy. However, Ethan would be lying if he said he didn’t feel his heart skip a beat like those many other times he’s been desperately trying to ignore ever since he met you.

Like every year, the movie eventually ended up playing in the background as the two of you became too focused on the conversation you were having with each other. 

“Do you know what you’re getting Grayson this year?” You asked before taking a sip of your hot chocolate.

“He’s been really into speedos lately and I have no idea why. But I’m going to get him a razor as a joke to shave that mustache of his.” Ethan said, earning a laugh from you.

“Oh my gosh...I’ve seen so many tweets from fans about that. There was one that compared him to the Mr. Pringles logo and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference.” You said jokingly as the both of you laughed.

Eventually silence fell between the two of you, simply enjoying the comfort of each other’s presence until Ethan handed you a poorly wrapped box with a golden bow on top and said, “Hey I have something for you.”

“E... I thought we said no gifts this year.” You sighed feeling guilty since all you had to give him was a hoodie. 

“Yeah I know... I just wanted to get you something. You know just cause.” Ethan shrugged, anxiously waiting for you to open your gift.

“You know I hate when you spend money on me.”

Ethan turned to face you as the both of you sat cross-legged and leaned in a bit as he placed a hand on your knee, “I know. But... just open it.”

You unwrapped the gift and opened the box to reveal two tickets to see Shawn Mendes in concert, something you never thought you would be able to attend. “Ethan... H-How did you get these? I thought his concert was sold out!” 

“I may or may not have got them during the pre-sale after you had mentioned wanting to see him in concert.”

“I’ve only mentioned wanting to see him once.” You stated.

“Try twenty times in the past week.” Ethan jokingly said.

“Okay whatever. But these must have cost you so much money! Here let me pay you back. How much were they?” You said frantically grabbing your wallet before Ethan placed his hand on yours to stop you.

“Y/N it’s okay. Really. It’s my gift to you.” Ethan said with a smile on his face.

“Oh my god!” You said leaping up to give him a tight hug, catching him a bit off guard. “Thank you thank you thank you.”

You pulled away and stared at the tickets in your hand, “I can’t believe I’m actually going to see Shawn Mendes!”

“And I know they’re not front row or anything b-” Ethan said as he played with his thumb nervously.

“Ethan. I don’t care if they’re not front row or if they’re nosebleeds. I just... I can’t believe you got these for me.” You said smiling at him, “Thank you for the best gift anyone has ever given me.”

“Anything for you.” Ethan said, pulling you into his side and giving you a kiss on the top of your head. And he meant it. He would do anything in the world to see you so happy.

You cherished the moment for as long as you could, enjoying the warmth and comfort of your best friend. Honestly just movies and hanging out with your best friend would’ve been perfectly fine, but him going out of his way to get you something that made you happy, was a bonus. You would have never thought you’d be so lucky to find someone like him. 

“I got something for you too, but it’s not much.” You said pulling away and reaching for the bag by your feet.

You handed Ethan the bag as he accepted it from you and said, “I’ll be happy with whatever you got me. So I’m guessing we both broke our deal about no gifts this year?”

“I guess so.” You shrugged watching him take out the tissue paper, hoping he wouldn’t be too disappointed in what you got him.

“A hoodie! I’ve been meaning to buy more because I don’t know what hap-“ Ethan said as he took out the hoodie from the bag, but suddenly became confused when he realized what he was holding, “Wait. Isn’t this mine?”

“Yeah you gave it to me a while back so now I’m giving it back to you now.” You shrugged.

“So you gave me back my own hoodie? As a gift?” Ethan questioned you.

“Hey in my defense you said no gifts this year!”

“But I still got you something!” Ethan chuckled. He wasn’t mad. He just found it funny because this would be something you would totally do.

“So did I! It just happened to be something... I’m giving back to you.” The truth was the reason why you were giving it back to him was because it didn’t smell like him anymore.

Sure he had a closet full of them you could steal from, but this one reminded you of how lucky you were to have Ethan in your life.

*flashback*

It was freezing cold tonight and you were stupid enough not to bring a jacket to a bonfire with some friends. Some of them you only knew of, such as Ethan and Grayson Dolan.

You were so captivated by the story Grayson was telling that you didn’t realize your marshmallow caught on fire and that someone sat next to you until they grabbed your marshmallow stick, “Whoa. Careful.”

“Oh my gosh. I should’ve been paying attention. Thank you.” You said slightly embarrassed before looking up at who had saved your marshmallow. 

The moment you met his hazel eyes, you felt breathless. It was one of those moments you swore time had stopped. Those eyes. Those dreamy, hazel eyes you would soon learn to love.

“Here you can have mine.” He offered as he handed you his perfect smore. 

“Thanks Ethan.” You accepted the offer and took a bite, letting the combination of roasted marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker fill your mouth 

“You know who I am?” 

“Who doesn’t? I’m Y/N.” You said putting your hand out for him to shake as he did the same.

His large hand was probably twice as yours, crushing your much smaller hand, but somehow his hand was warm on this cold night. “You cold?” Ethan asked, feeling how cold your hand was.

You rubbed your arm, looking into the fire as you finished your smore. “Um no I’m go-”

Before you could finish, Ethan was taking off his hoodie and handing it to you. “Here. Take this. It’ll keep you warm.”

“Ethan it’s okay really. I’m fine.” You said, beginning to push the hoodie back towards him.

“You’re practically freezing right now.” Ethan chuckled.

“What about you? Won’t you be cold?” You asked.

“I’ll be okay. I was getting hot anyway.” Ethan reassured you with a smile.

“Thanks.” You said before putting on the sweatshirt as his scent surrounded you.

Ethan nodded his head as he listened to Grayson go on about his story, desperately trying to stop himself from staring at you. Even though he had met you just a few moments ago, there was just something about you that made him feel so drawn to you. Was it your smile? The way the fire made you glow? Maybe it was...everything.

Between the talking and stolen glances, somehow time passed by without you knowing until Grayson came over and put his arm around Ethan. “Hey man it’s getting pretty late. I think we should go soon.”

You could tell Ethan was surprised by the sudden touch of his brother as you watched his eyes widen, “So I guess I should get going.”

“Well it was nice talking to you Ethan.” You smiled at him as he did the same.

“Bye Y/N.” Ethan said before walking away towards Grayson.

Typically, it took you a very long time to feel comfortable around someone, despite how long you had known them for. But there was something about Ethan that made you feel so safe and comfortable around him, that you could be yourself without having to put on a fake smile. Maybe it’s the way his voice was so calming or maybe it was everything.

Looking down, you had realized you were still wearing his hoodie. But luckily he wasn’t too far away so you grabbed your things and jogged towards him, calling out his name. “Ethan!”

He quickly turned around and saw you approaching him, “You okay? Do you need a ride home?” 

“No. No, I'm all good. I drove here myself.” You were flattered by how caring he was. “I forgot I was still wearing your hoodie.”

You began taking the hoodie off when Ethan stopped you, “Y/N just keep it.”

“What? Why?”

“Just take it.” Ethan reassured you. “It looks better on you anyways.”

You could feel a smile form on your face, not knowing what to say. How can someone be so incredibly kind? “Thank you.” 

“I’ll see you later, Y/N. Drive safe, okay?” Ethan said as he began to walk backwards towards his car.

“Bye Ethan.” You said as the feeling of excitement and happiness consumed you before walking away towards your car, the smile never leaving your face.

Ethan got into his car as Grayson stared at him, “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just wondering why you just gave Y/N your favorite hoodie.” Grayson asked with a smug grin on his face.

“She was cold. That’s all.” Ethan said as he started up the car.

“Bro, you don’t even let me wear that hoodie and we’re twins!” Grayson laughed.

“Whatever man. It’s nothing. Let’s just go home.” Ethan said putting the car in reverse.

“If that’s your story.” Grayson chuckled at his brother, but he knew this was more than just nothing. 

And so did the both of you.

**end of flashback**

Since that day, you’ve learned to love his aroma. It somehow provided you comfort and filled the missing piece of Ethan when he was out of town. So when it started to lose his scent, why not give it back and have it smell like him again?

“Oh so it’s not even a gift for me? It’s really just for you? This was my favorite hoodie you know?” Ethan teased pointing to soft material he held in his other hand.

“And it’s my favorite too! I wear it all of the time.” You attempted to explain to him, but by the look on Ethan’s face, you knew he wasn’t going to budge. “Look, just think of it this way. You get your hoodie back... for now and when I ask to borrow a hoodie one night then I’ll just take that one! We’re sharing it!”

You couldn’t tell him the truth about why you loved the hoodie so much. Maybe you were afraid that he would think that it’s weird. Or maybe because you were afraid of him finding out about how much you loved him.

“Alright fine.” Ethan chuckled as he put the bag down before putting on the hoodie. “But you have to admit, this looks better on me anyways.”

You shoved him lightly and said, “You wish. You even said it yourself that it looks better on me.”

“Whatever.” Ethan said as he pulled you to his side, keeping his arm around your shoulders, “Let’s just finish the movie.”

As the two of you sat there watching the movie, Ethan had noticed a small little heart with your first initial and the letter E embroidered onto the wrist that wasn’t there before. He nudged you lightly and asked, “Hey what’s this?”

He held out the sleeve in front of you for you to see, “Um a little while ago I accidentally ripped a little hole there so I sewed it up. I hope you don’t mind. I can take it out if you want.” 

“No no It’s okay. I really like it.” Ethan said looking down at you with a smile on his face, intertwining his fingers with yours.. “It makes the hoodie really feel like it’s mine.”

He couldn’t focus on the movie anymore. All he could do was feel his heart pound against his chest. Everything in that moment had felt so right. Everything with you felt right.

Eventually you fell asleep as Ethan held you close beside him and stared at the heart on his sleeve. He knew from that night when you two met, you would be in his life for a while, but never like this. He never expected to be so drawn to someone, so captivated. He never expected to be so close to someone other than Grayson and he sure as hell never expected to fall in love with you.

[the-noodle-king]

Lance 15) Do they have nicknames or titles? How did they earn these? How do they feel about them? 17)Do they have any scars? How did they get these? 33) Give us an in-game interaction between your character and Reaper. 45) Give us an in-game interaction between your character and Reinhardt. 68) What is your character’s opinion of omnics? 74) Does your character have any enemies? What is their relationship like? 76) what are your characters hobbies? 84) favourite music genre? 88) can they cook?

15) Do they have nicknames or titles? How did they earn these? How do they feel about them?

He earned his title “Lancealot” when he started bringing vigilante justice to villains who would prey on the innocent, doing so by way of a custom order rocket-lance, and more than a few other pieces of experimental tech from all over the place (Paid for in earnest by Lance, but not, not stolen by the mysterious woman who sold it to him (It was Sombra)). He’s quite proud of the name he’s made for himself, proud of the noble deeds he performed to earn it.

17) Do they have any scars? How did they get these?

Yes quite a few, most noticeably on his face but also his arms and chest. Training to fight villains, armed or otherwise, is bound to bare a few scrapes and bruises in the early days, and the same goes for fighting villains, armed and otherwise. several of his facial scars are from explosions, some aimed at him, some not, some from his lance, in the early days. Many of his other scars are from bullets, knives, other explosions, his own lance again, once, and one on his left hand is from a cat none to happy about being “rescued” from a tree.

33) Give us an in-game interaction between your character and Reaper.

Reaper: “Great, another wannabe dragon fighter...”

Lancealot: “Like the edgy ghost thing’s so much more in fashion...”

or

Reaper: “Where do you even get this stuff, a museum?”

Lancealot: “Likewise, didn’t Hot Topic close down 30 years ago?”

Lore Note... I think?: I don’t know if Lance would actually be this bitchy, but the opportunity presented itself and I just had to do it to Gabe. Also I guess my headcannon is that Hot Topic went under around the start of the Omnic Crisis and never recovered? IDK man it’s more lore than Michael Chu will give you.

45) Give us an in-game interaction between your character and Reinhardt.

Lancealot: “Reinhardt! Er, I mean, Mr. Wilhelm, I mean... Lieutenant? I’m sorry it’s just good to see you again sir!”

Reinhardt: “Bwahaha! Calm yourself my exuberant friend! Reinhardt is fine!”

or

Lancealot: “I’ve tried to follow your example, to help those in need and protect the innocent, like a knight would.”

Reinhardt: “Hmm-hmm! And it seems you’ve done a fine job of it! Makes an old man proud!”

or

Reinhardt: “You know, I can see a lot of myself inside you.”

Lancealot: *Blushes, splutters, coughs, passes out*

Reinhardt: “What? Was it something I said?”

68) What is your character’s opinion of omnics?

He, like many people, was wary and distrustful of omnics after the Crisis, but he was never a hateful man. A couple years after he took up the mantle of knighthood he was confronted with the scene of some hateful humans harassing a pair of omnics, threatening violence, and knew in that moment which side he stood on. After he’d scared off the omnic-haters, he escorted the pair of omnics to their home where they invited him to stay for tea. Since then he has stood staunchly in defence of omnics and their rights.

74) Does your character have any enemies? What is their relationship like?

Lancealot actually has quite a following of enemies, a large portion of the criminal underbelly of his home country of The Netherlands making up not a small amount of them. A few larger crime bosses he has rather personally thwarted more than once, and privately thinks of himself like a comic superhero, and them his nemesis’. 

76) What are your characters hobbies?

Lance is a bit of a Gym Bunny, taking his spare moments between sleep and crime fighting to hit the weights, run on the treadmill and do pushups with his elderly neighbour Mrs. Pedersen perched on his back with her weeks shopping and a good book. (Mrs. Pedersen likes the company, and, in her own words, “Having a big strong man lift me up again”. Lance originally just wanted to help her with her bags...)

84) What’s their favourite music genre?

At the gym? Inspirational pop songs all the way. Hosting guests? Classical for neighbours, pop-punk for friends and family. Alone? Hard rock.

88) Can they cook?

Sure can! Oh wait you meant something other than microwave lasagne, protein shakes and the occasional campfire smore? Then... No. No not at all. Literally not to save his life.

[timelordthirteen]

Baby It’s Cold Outside - Chapter 3

Mr. Gold/Belle, Explicit (overall)

Chapter Summary: The "adventure" seems short lived, but is really just beginning as Belle and Gold share a dance and a moment. Rating goes up starting this chapter. For the 31 Days of Ficmas prompt #21 - holiday music.

Notes: Please don't kill me. You all know where this is going. ;) Also I'm stupid cheesy with the title of this fic, fight me. Unbeta'd so it's riddled with typos and all my terrible mistakes.

[AO3]

The short adventure turned out to be trudging through the snow on the back porch to bring in more firewood.

“Some adventure,” Belle muttered as she stomped the snow off her boots just inside the french doors. She gave Gold a wry smile and shook out her hair.

Gold chuckled and leaned against the wall to kick his boots off. “Apologies for the false advertisement, but it couldn’t be helped.”

It really couldn’t given the rate at which the snow was still falling. Belle had checked the app on her phone for Con Ed and while they were aware of the outage, they had no estimate for when it would be repaired. They had to assume they would be without electricity for the remainder of the evening, and had made four trips to create a sizable stack of wood in the bin by the fireplace. Gold contemplated hauling some of it upstairs his bedroom. It had the only other working fireplace in the house, and he would need heat to sleep tonight.

It was that thought which made him realize that at this point Belle was definitely going to have to spend the night. He supposed the sofa in the library would be a passable spot to sleep, god knows he’d napped on it a fair number of times, but he always woke stiff and regretful. He felt terrible relegating her to the same fate. Frowning, he set the last two logs on the fire and rubbed his hands together. The reasonable alternative was sleeping on the sofa himself, in spite of how much he’d feel it in the morning, because the only remaining option was -

He shook his head. The idea of Belle in his bed, and him in his bed, at the same time - was not happening. That was a fantasy that would remain in the deep recesses of his mind, only to be visited in moments of weakness and desperation. And he’d been entirely too much of both recently, giving in to his baser needs and stroking himself to lurid images of Belle writhing in his bed, or on her knees under his desk.

He felt his face flush, and he turned away from the fire, burying the tableau that was playing out in his mind just as Belle returned with an armful of blankets.

“This is all that was in the linen closet,” she said, dropping a quilt and two knit throw blankets over the back of the sofa with a soft thump. “I think it’s at least enough to build a pretty good fort.”

He gave her a strange look and she grinned. “Don’t tell me you’ve never made a blanket fort.”

“Not in quite some time,” Gold said, taking the poker from beside the fireplace and prodding the logs. The last time he’d constructed anything out of blankets, pillows, and furniture had been when his son was still just a boy, and those halcyon days were long gone.

The flames leapt up and the wood crackled and snapped. He watched it for a moment, his mouth curving slightly. “We have such a lovely open fire. Too bad there’s no chestnuts to be had.”

Belle giggled as a delicious idea formed. “No,” she said, drawing out the ‘o’ sound. “But there are marshmallows and graham crackers in the pantry. If we’re lucky there might be some chocolate too.”

He grinned. “The perfect dessert for being snowed in.”

“So, what’s the best Christmas gift you ever received?” Belle asked, carefully pressing down the second half of the graham cracker on top of the golden, roasted marshmallow. It made a lovely squishing sound and her mouth watered as the heat from the gooey inside started to melt the piece of chocolate.

Gold pulled his marshmallow out of the fireplace and examined it to see if it was done enough. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said, sticking the sweet back in the flames until it caught fire and he had to blow it out. “Probably something my Aunts gave me when I was a boy.”

It had been a long time since he’d gotten anything for Christmas that wasn’t a “present” to himself, which was really nothing more than buying whatever he wanted to buy anyway. He wasn’t lying exactly, but his Aunts hadn’t had much money, so the few gifts he did get were all precious to him. He knew Belle hadn’t meant to dredge up old hurts with her topic of conversation, but this time of year always made him a bit melancholy. It was never more apparent that he was alone in the world than at the holidays.

He sighed rather heavily as he broke his graham cracker in half, and Belle’s lips pressed together. “Will you tell me about them?” she asked, and he glanced sideways at her before pinching the marshmallow between the two halves and pulling it off the skewer. “Your Aunts?”

He smashed the treat together, smiling as he recalled doing a similar thing with his son. “Well, only one of them was actually my Aunt,” he said, taking a messy bite and crumbling cracker everywhere. He frowned down at his tie and waistcoat and brushed the crumbs away as he chewed.

“Mellie was my mother’s older sister,” he explained. “But Helen was just her, uh, her friend.”

Belle frowned for a second and then her eyes went wide. “Oh!” She grinned. “So they were -? And you were -?”

“Raised by two spinsters who called themselves sisters but were actually lesbians?” He stopped to stick another marshmallow on his skewer, and glanced at Belle who was grinned madly. “Yes.”

She laughed. “That sounds delightful.”

There were many parts of it that were not delightful. It was a hard enough existence for Mellie and Helen when he was dumped on their doorstep by his wayward father, but the two women loved him and cared for him as best they could. They were poor to say the least, surviving on a small pension from Mellie’s days in a textile factory, the temp work Helen did as a typist, and the knitting both of them sold from time to time. The two women were always looked at by others as being strange or suspicious, a few of the other children insisted they were witches of some form or other. He carried the shame of his father’s crimes, and the loss of his mother heavy in his heart even as a young boy, never understanding why he was cursed to such a life.

“It was.” Gold swallowed, watching the fire lick at the marshmallow. After a long moment, he pulled it out and offered it to Belle.

“Oh, I don’t think I could eat another,” she said.

“I suppose I’ll have to then,” he said, feigning a heavy sigh.

She shook her head, smiling, and he winked at her before popping the last of the smores in his mouth. Her face felt warm as she watched his tongue lap at the treat. It gave her entirely too many naughty ideas about what else he might do with that tongue, and she immediately turned away.

“I think we need some festive music,” Belle said, getting up to fetch her phone from the desk.

Gold groaned at the thought of the same old caroles or sappy, upbeat pop holiday tunes. “Must we?”

She gave him a look and pushed to her feet, setting the phone on the side table. “Hush, or I’ll put on the Mr. Grinch song since it seems to be your theme.”

He frowned as the first notes played, relaxing when he recognized it as an older song, something like he used to hear on Helen’s old radio. It was more about the wonders season, about winter and snow and children playing, and he smiled.

They spread out a blanket on the sofa, big enough to cover both of their laps though they were sitting at opposite ends. He might entertain the notion of snuggling with Belle under a fluffy blanket in his mind, but he was not about to impose on her in reality.

She told him about her favorite gift, a book from her grandmother. On the surface it seemed like your average historical romance novel, a bodice ripper she jested, with a princess and a handsome knight. But it was really about love making you brave. The whole idea of it was endearing and amusing at the same time. Of course her favorite gift would be a book she still kept with her, still read a couple of times a year, now dog-eared and well worn. And of course she would see the best possible message in it all because she was the best possible sort of person, and the kind who he couldn’t imagine ever giving a beast like him the time of day, much less sit here making the best of a snowstorm as if they were good friends. Or, in another life, perhaps even more.

“Do you know,” Belle said, stretching her legs out on the sofa until they almost touched Gold’s leg, “that in Iceland the traditional Christmas gift is a book?”

He glanced down at the lump made by her feet and fought the urge to rest his hands on them. “Is that so?”

“It’s called Jolabokaflod.”

Gold blinked. “Gesundheit,” he said dryly.

She daringly poked him with her toe and rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop it.”

“I’m serious,” she continued. “It means the Christmas Book Flood. They publish more books in Iceland, per capita, than any other country, and sell most of them between September and November, all because of people buying them for the holiday. Then, on Christmas Eve, you exchange books, and spend the rest of the night in bed, reading and eating chocolate.”

“That sounds - lovely,” he said, just a touch wistful. Then he smirked at her. “It also sounds like your idea of Utopia.”

Belle laughed. “It really does.” She laid her head against the back of the couch, looking up at the candles on the mantle. Her head rolled to the side so she could look at him, watching him in profile. The light from the fire glowed against his skin, casting shadows in the angles on his face. He looked beautiful, and she took a deep breath.

“Maybe I should move to Iceland,” she said softly. “Be among my book loving people.”

He nodded slowly, but the thought of her moving away put a pang in his chest. “Would you like to?” he asked, and her head tilted in question. “Live somewhere else, I mean.”

She shrugged. “Permanently? I don’t know.”

She didn’t think she could move right now, not with her father in the state that he was, and not with her feelings for Gold. Even if nothing were to come of them, if her love were unrequited forever, it would still hurt to leave him behind, knowing that he was alone in this big, old, castle of house.

“I’d love to travel, though,” she added, just as the music change to a light instrumental version of Jingle Bells. “But I think I’d always come back home, wherever that is.”

Gold nodded again, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I’d like that too.”

They sat in silence for a little while, until Gold had to put another log on the fire. He could hear the wind howling over the top of the chimney. Despite the cold, the snow, and the situation, it was a very nice evening with excellent company.

When he said so out loud, Belle blushed. “Thank you, I was - I was thinking the same thing.”

He smiled and then looked down, noticing a spot on his waistcoat. “Bugger,” he grumbled, scraping at it with his fingernail. “Marshmallow.”

“The hazards of smores.” She shook her head. “I suppose that will have to go to the dry cleaners this week."

“Indeed,” he muttered.

He unbuttoned the vest and slipped it off, not wanting to sit around with sticky, sugary marshmallow on his clothes. Which meant there wasn’t much point in still wearing his tie, so he undid that too and folded it before laying it on the table. He popped the top two buttons of his shirt and then his cuffs, which he rolled up to his elbows, stopping at the gold sleeve garters. When he was done, Belle was looking at him strangely. Her eyes were wide and her lips were parted slightly. She looked like she was holding on to the blanket for dear life.

“Are you alright?”

Belle blinked and shook herself. “Oh, yes, sorry, just -” Just imagining you naked since you’re practically there right now. “Just thinking.”

The music switch over to Baby It’s Cold Outside, the version sung by Dean Martin, and he started to smile. It was the kind of song that had him imagining a couple dancing, swaying slowly, the sexual undertones implicit in the lyrics making them anticipate what would come later. His mind wandered to dancing with Belle, her hand in his, his arm around her waist, holding her closer than he ever dared. He must have said something out loud because the next thing he knew, Belle was standing in front of him, holding out her hand.

“Would you care to dance, Mr. Gold?”

His brow furrowed and he looked from her face to her hand and back again.

She smirked. “I won’t bite.”

Gold smiled and took her hand, pushing to his feet. “I can’t promise I’ll be all that graceful,” he said, gesturing to his leg.

She waved her free hand, and shook her head. “I’ll probably step on your toes anyway.”

She moved them to the middle of the room, between the sofa and the desk, and turned. He stepped close and hesitantly placed his hand at her waist as she laid her arm on his shoulder. After a few seconds he realized she was waiting for him to lead, and he almost laughed as they finally started to move in an easy rhythm.

The words of the song made Belle feel loose all over, and called to mind the things she kept buried save for the late hours in her own apartment. Only then did she ever let herself entertain such wicked thoughts as her fingers slipped and pressed her body to release. Gold stepped back, letting go of her for a moment and lifting her hand and arm to spin her around. She smiled and laughed, and he pulled her back to him, his hand slipping down her side and sending a thrill through her. There wasn’t any hesitation this time, so she moved closer and let her arm circle his neck.

Gold’s eyes drifted down to meet Belle’s as the song faded out. They were bright blue and sparkling, and his breath caught. They stood, hands together, arms around each other and little space between them. He felt his head drawn down and he leaned into it as she licked her lips. Her fingers tightened on the back of his neck, pulling him in until -

Jingle Belle Rock blared from the phone, startling them apart. Belle brushed her hands over her dress, but before she could turn down the volume, the sound stopped altogether and the screen of her phone flashed just before it shut down.

“Well,” she said, frowning down at her phone as she tried to calm the rapid thrum of her pulse. “That was good timing.”

Gold swallowed hard and pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart pounding against his palm. “Yeah,” he breathed. “Good.”

[aab0289]

Rwby Chibi Xmas Skit Special. (Part 3)

Present Hunting.

“Weiss! Slow down!” Ruby calls out to Weiss who is ahead of her. Meanwhile, Blake, Yang & Zwei, who are trailing behind them, head into a grocery store to pick up some things from their shopping list.

Ruby moves past the busy crowd, (most are shadow people while others are the teachers and other chibi characters wearing scarfs/jumpers/mittens like Velvet and Oobleck), until she sees Jaune all beaten up and bruised.

“Jaune? What happened?” Ruby hastily rushes to him, while Weiss stops in her tracks.

“It was horrifying! So many feet! The trampling!” He mumbled as Weiss helps him up off the floor.

The scene cuts to earlier, with Jaune waiting patiently outside the store with a huge crowd behind him. The Shopkeeper opens the door, but Jaune is instantly knocked to the ground and stamped upon. As he manages to get back up, the Shopkeeper puts a sign in the window which reads ‘Sold Out’, to which Jaune sulks as he walks away empty handed.

Jaune tries another store, but the exact same sequence of events happens again, and again and then again, to which he cries out “Oh come on!”, with the Shopkeeper shaking his head as another store shuts for the day. Jaune lays face down in the street, as his bags fall on his head as people walk past.

The scene cuts back to Ruby putting plasters on Jaune’s face as he softly whimpers ‘ouchie’, with Weiss on her scroll. She smirks as she ends the call, with both Ruby and Jaune glancing worryingly at each other.

“What did you do?” Ruby begrudgingly asks.

“Just ordered everything on Jaune’s list, and a few extra gifts too, courtesy of the Schnee family account.” Weiss proclaimed as shadow people are seen taking wrapped presents and boxes to Beacon with labels saying, ‘To JNPR dorm at Beacon’. “We buy only the best and the stores always keep some items on standby for us.”

“Oh Weiss how can I ever-” Jaune merrily jumps up to hug Weiss.

“No hugging,-” Weiss holds one finger, as Jaune stops mid hug in the air. “No high fives-” She raises a second finger, with Jaune sheepishly lowering his hand. “And definitely no more singing, and I’ll call it your Christmas present.” Weiss raises a third finger, as Jaune nudges his banjo off screen with his foot. “Deal?” She out stretches her hand which he nods and takes to handshake.

“See Weiss, you’re already getting into the giving spirit.” Ruby smiled, but then saw Weiss had already left them without a word. “Why doesn’t she want to enjoy the season?”

Jaune shrugged as Ruby tilted her head with big puppy dog eyes, as the street light lit up above her as she jumped onto her feet. “I have an idea. Come on Jaune!”

(Transition scene: Yang is wrapping a present, but her eyes change colour to red as the wrapping doesn’t fold neatly. Yang bursts into flames, shredding the wrapping completely as she angrily stomps off. Blake finds Yang’s present box and instantly wraps it, finishing it off with a bow. She gives a satisfied smile before Zwei tugs at the ribbon and undoes the bow. The ribbon than pulls away the screen to the next skit.)

Grinches Who Stole Christmas.

It’s nighttime in Vale. Cinder is waiting on a rooftop, gazing out of binoculars waiting for a view of Santa. Emerald and Mercury are trying to make smores by a dwindling fire. Roman is hunched over, trying unsuccessfully to hold in an evil laugh, that comes out as tiny cackles. Neo holds up a sign ‘not creepy at all’, with a concerned expression on her face, as she waves to the others.

“Geez what’s with him? We’re supposed to be keeping quite.” Emerald leant across to Mercury.

“We’re hardly inconspicuous you know, with this fire and us camped up here.” Mercury shrugged it off, enjoying laying about.

“Will all of you zip it!” Cinder blurts out, her own flames blowing out the fire, with the others whimpering at their burnt stores. “We are so close to achieving this nefarious-”

“Shush!” Roman put a finger to his lips, as the sound of sleigh bells jiggled near them.

Neo’s sign reads ‘Look’, as she silently tiptoed to the side, revealing on screen Santa’s sleigh as a merry ‘ho-ho-ho’ came from the chimney.

“NOW!” Cinder bellowed, as she, Emerald and Mercury pulled at the red sack, straining to pull it from the sleigh, despite it being five times their size.

Roman grabs onto the sack as it descends down the building, with Neo’s parasol on the lip of the sack. They land, all laughing as they pull out all the presents that seems to never end coming out of the sack. Neo smirks as she pulls out a sign that states ‘Merry Xmas to us’, with Roman agreeing with nods as they see Cinder lays making snow angles amongst all the presents.

“This is our moment of victory! The citizens of Vale will wake up tomorrow and with no presents, they’ll all cry ‘boohoo’ as we-” Cinder maniacally smirks, until Emerald picks one present up.

“Hey wait- this one’s for me!” Emerald says with a surprise, as everyone stops what they’re doing in shock.

“What?” Cinder abruptly asks, looking at Emerald’s present, clearly with her name on it.

“Hey- you’re right, here’s one for me.” Mercury shook the box with his name on the tag.

“Did we… steal our own presents?!” Emerald spun around to Roman, confirming his present being there and as well as Neo’s.

“No!” Cinder worryingly glared at the present with her name on it, as she tore at the wrapping paper, a mountain of coal spew from the box.

“NO!” Cinder screamed as she tore at more presents, more coal spewing out as Mercury and Emerald likewise opened their presents only to find coal. “NO-NO-NO!” She continued to bellow as she became buried under coal.

“Ho-ho-ho.” Santa’s jolly voice filled the air as the sleigh is seen in the distance, disappearing off screen as Cinder cries and throws a tantrum after climbing out from under the coal. Mercury and Emerald try to cheer her up, saying that ‘they can try again next year.’

“I don’t understand, how did he know? WHEN did he switch the sacks?” Roman scratched at his head, puzzled by when Santa had swapped them with theirs.

He then notices another present with his name, and decides to open it.

“Lets get this over with.” He sulks, as he tears at the wrapping.

However, a tiny toy train falls out, making Roman gasp, his eyes being huge like puppy dog eyes. He hugs Neo, whose’s startled by his sudden change of demeanour.

“Neo, it’s my chu-chu! The one I asked Santa for as a kid, but never got.” Roman proclaimed as he joyfully mimics the sounds of a train as he plays with his toy. “It’s FINALLY gone my way!”

“Seriously, that’s what turned you into a villain?! Not getting a toy train?!” Mercury scoffed, as he tries to catch up with Emerald.

Neo smirks as she opens her present, inside is a brand new sign that reads ‘good deed to be on his nice list’ & ‘I switched the sacks so, Merry Xmas Vale’ (out of view of the others) as she mimics lips of whistling despite no sound.

She slowly sneaks off screen while it pans to Cinder still crying and calling out “how did he switch the sacks” & ‘my nefarious scheme’s ruined’. Cinder is completely unaware of Neo’s deed, with Mercury using the coal to make a fire, and Emerald helping Cinder up off the floor.

(Transition scene: Roman is driving a giant version of his toy train as he pulls the whistle and cheers as the train pulls the screen away for the next skit.)

Continues in Part 4...