#Shards of a forgotten past part 4

[elizabeth-holland24]

The Beast Within - Chapter 4 (Part 1)

Content Warning: Mentions of blood, there is yelling and two fights, Curses, Magic, Regret, Angst, some fluff. I think that's everything, but please let me know if I've missed something!

The night was thick with an almost suffocating stillness, the kind that seemed to press against the stone walls of the castle and seep into its very bones. Mausi felt it in her chest as she was escorted back to her room, her steps heavy and her thoughts even heavier. Dinner had been an unusual blend of camaraderie and sorrow, the enchanted staff eagerly sharing pieces of their pasts. They had once been vibrant, human, full of dreams. Now, they were trapped, prisoners like her, tethered by a curse she couldn’t yet comprehend. Her mind reeled with conflicting emotions: anger at Jake—at Hangman, as they called him—for holding them all captive, and a strange ache of pity for the same man. Who was he to condemn not only her, but everyone else to this fate? The flickering light of the sconces cast haunting shadows along the corridor. As they approached her door, Mausi slowed, glancing over her shoulder. The west wing. The mysterious west wing, which the staff refused to speak of and everyone had explicitly forbidden her from entering. That alone made it irresistible. She feigned a stumble, muttering a quick apology to Bradley, who was guiding her. As it turned to help, she slipped quietly down another hallway. Her breath quickened as she approached the wing, the air growing colder with every step. The grand double doors loomed before her, their carved wood warped and cracked with age, an ominous contrast to the rest of the pristine castle. She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the iron handle. Why does this place feel different? The doors creaked open with a groan, revealing a space that was in complete disarray. Dust blanketed the floor, furniture lay overturned, and torn curtains swayed with the wind. The moonlight spilling through shattered windows illuminated jagged shards of glass and splinters of wood. The air was heavy, carrying the faint scent of decay and forgotten memories. As Mausi stepped further inside, her eyes landed on a large, tattered portrait leaning against the wall. She crouched down, brushing away layers of dust and cobwebs. The image that emerged stopped her breath. It was a young man, perhaps in his late teens, with soft features that spoke of kindness and unguarded joy. His eyes, though painted, seemed to meet hers, stirring something deep within her. She couldn’t place it, but he felt… familiar. A strange sensation tugged at her, like a melody half-remembered from a dream. Who are you? she thought, her fingertips grazing the canvas. But before she could dwell further, her gaze was pulled to a faint glow deeper in the room.

She rose, drawn to the light like a moth to a flame. It led her to a balcony, where she found a glass dome standing alone on a pedestal. Inside, suspended in its own quiet radiance, was a single red rose. Mausi’s breath hitched. The rose shimmered faintly, as though alive, its delicate petals untouched by time or decay. She reached out, her hand trembling. There was something achingly beautiful—and heartbreakingly fragile—about it. The urge to touch it was overwhelming, as if by doing so, she might uncover the answers to questions she didn’t even know she had. The moment her fingers hovered near the glass, a feral roar ripped through the silence. “What do you think you’re doing?” Mausi spun around, her heart slamming against her ribs. Jake loomed in the doorway, his monstrous silhouette illuminated by the moonlight behind him. His green eyes, usually sharp and mocking, now burned with a mix of rage and fear. “What did you do?” he growled, striding toward her with dangerous purpose. “I-I didn’t touch it!” Mausi stammered, stumbling back. “I swear!” Jake reached her in two long strides, his clawed hand wrapping around her wrist with terrifying ease. She gasped as the tips of his claws dug into her skin, sharp enough to sting. “Do you have any idea what you could have done?” he snarled, his voice low and menacing. “You could have damned us all. For eternity.” “I didn’t do anything!” she cried, struggling against his grip. “Let me go! You’re hurting me!” Her words seemed to cut through his rage. Jake’s eyes flicked down to where his claws pressed into her wrist, a thin line of blood beading on her skin. The sight froze him, his grip loosening as a new emotion flickered across his face—horror. The scent of her blood hit him, sharp and metallic. He recoiled, as though burned, releasing her entirely. But he couldn’t stop the shame from flooding through him. “Get out,” he growled, his voice breaking slightly. “Go. Now.” Mausi didn’t hesitate. She bolted, clutching her wrist as she fled the room, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. The castle seemed to come alive around her, its enchanted inhabitants urging her to stay, to not venture into the night. But she couldn’t stay—not after that. She grabbed her coat from the entry hall, ignored the pleading voices of the staff, and slipped through a narrow side door into the freezing winter night. The cold bit at her cheeks as she mounted Philip, her horse, and urged him into a gallop.

Part 2

A/N: So I had to divide into two parts again. I had a bit of inspiration before going to sleep. I also wanted to distract myself from the Bengals vs Chargers game. I'll edit and clean up the post better tomorrow. Also thank you so much for the love and support on this story. Don't forget to comment, like and reblog, so I know if you are enjoying it. I might do a tag list if you guys want. But yeah, I think that's all. Thanks for reading <3

[undertale-museum]

Skele

Comic - Fanfiction - Video

Honorable Mentions

[Last updated 18April24]

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1. sticks & stones

By oneType

Stretch, Red, Edge, Underfell Ensemble, Underswap Ensemble

~Stretch gets stuck in Underfell~

TW: discussion of attempted s**cide prior go story

.

2. Karmic Retribution

By Mercy_Run (203k)

Sans, Red, Edge

Sans gets thrown from a Genocide timeline into Underfell.

Note: skip wedding, smut from beginning

.

3. Broken bones multiverse

By Lady_kit  (339k)

[10] Broken Bones

Stretch, Edge, Blue, Red

Papyrus centric, spicyhoney

[11] Bone Shards

Stretch, Edge, Blue, Red

drabbles

[12] Compound Fracture

Stretch, Edge, Blue, Red, Slim (Swapfell Papyrus) , Razz (Swapfell Sans)

Papyrus centric, spicyhoney

.

4. Ain’t this the life

By nilchance (524k)

Sans, Red, Edge

Sans x Red, Edge x Red, Sans x Red x Edge

Uptight asshole x shameless tumblr sexy man

39 parts

.

5. That space pirate au

by nilchance (116k)

Red x Edge, Edge x Stretch, Red x Edge x Stretch

[a] Killing the moon

Red, Papyrus

Brain washing recovery

[b] starry eyed

Sans, Red, Edge, Stretch, Gaster (AI)

Prison recovery, soulmates, domestic

.

6. Meant to be Mine

By Catsitta (14k)

Sans, Red

smut, kink, non-con, stalking

[a] Mine to Keep

[b] Mine to Break

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7. just buisness

Catsitta (37k)

Sans, Papyrus, Red

Mature themes (no sex), sugar daddy red

_9 parts_

.

8. The Forgotten Ones

By I’m_Sorry_Buddy (491k)

Ink, Nightmare, Killer, Horror, Dust, Cross, UTMV ensemble

~Ink showed up late and the universe is overwhelmed with corruption, lot of work to do~

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9. His Wish

Unknown (translation)

Ink x Error

smut, non con, dub con, drug use

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10. Sweet and Spicy

By Ravvi (25k)

Swapfell Papyrus, Swapfell Sans, Swapfell Grillby

non-con, kidnapping

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11. Firsts and Seconds

by Skerb (103k)

Sticks (Farmtale Sans), Bitey/Buddy (Horrortale Sans)

Injury recovery, strangers to lovers

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12. Life Cycles

by Lady_Kit

Edge, Stretch, Papyrus, Red, Slim, Skeleton OCs

Edge x Stretch, Papyrus x Red, Slim x Cash x Twist

coping with heat, references to past s3xual trauma, eating disorder (Edge chapters), smut (fairly tame tbh)

.

[lancerious]

now I ask YOU questions! >:3

40, 46, 29, 23, and 31

YUS more questions >:D

Q: Favorite memory

A: Um. Uh. Ok I have a lot of "favorite" memories which nullifies the meaning of the word lol, BUT considering how a huge part of my online presence is me obsessing over Lancer, I'll mention a memory that relates to him :>

The memory is...simply my first playthrough of Deltarune Chapter 1! I knew a decent amnt of the game at that point, including the general plot lol, but I wanted to see what the game was truly like. I know I played it in either my junior or senior year of highschool, can't remember which one it was. I also believe it was on a school break, whether it was summer break or a smaller one

ANYWAY, I played the game in the dead of night, everyone else at home was asleep. I had to play quietly as to not wake up anyone lol, and...oh my GOD, I fell in LOVE with the game even MORE after that, its characters included! Actually PLAYING Chapter 1 made me love nearly ALL characters SO MUCH more, ESPECIALLY Lancer. I kid you not, I remember laughing at every single line Lancer had, he was just so therapeutic for me. I have such a vivid recollection of my first playthrough, and there's TONS more I would say but then this post would be a goddamn novel & I'm still only on the first question lol

But yeah, I still adore this memory, and I always come back to Deltarune Chapter 1 if I ever feel down, because man, it works WONDERS <3

Q: What my last text message says

A: It's a link to a page for tickets to watch Coraline in theaters this August. If links don't count, my last text message is...literally just "Ok", that is actually it lol

Q: Favorite film(s)

A: YESYESYES I was hoping for this one!! I have two fav films, one animation & one live-action

My fav animated film is...Coraline, who would've guessed! I do prefer the book but the film is GORGEOUS, and it's in stopmotion which I also love! Coraline as a whole is such a wonderful story & has a very important lesson in it too, hidden behind all the pure insanity the movie has. It's just so great <3

My fav live-action film is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children! It's based on the books of the same name, and while I DO have the books, I haven't gotten around to reading them just yet. Therefore, I don't know how accurate the film is, but I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. The movie NEEDS more attention it is hands-DOWN my favorite fantasy movie! It's not perfect, nothing truly is, but I absolutely ADORE it ^-^

Q: Fear(s)

A: I have a fair amnt of these! I'll list a bunch here

Any sudden sounds, ESPECIALLY if they're loud. A couple notable examples are the fear of balloons popping, alongside fireworks! I LOVE both of them, ESPECIALLY fireworks they are SO beautiful, but I'm always worried of the inevitable loud sound that will follow. For balloons I'm much more wary bcs I don't know WHEN the balloon will pop, whereas for fireworks it's mostly a concern of how LOUD each firework will be

Broken glass! The reasoning for this fear is that I cut the big toe on my left foot when I was a young kid from a broken glass shard from a shattered lightbulb. Ever since then I've been SUPER nervous around SHATTERED glass. I'm fine if the glass is intact, but once it's shattered I stay FAR away from it

Being forgotten is a big worry of mine. I think a decent amnt of people can relate to this. I've had past experiences where this occurred, so I'm extra sensitive to this, even if I don't show my worry outwardly

This somewhat goes with number 3: being rejected. I do NOT mean this in a romantic way, this is purely platonic. I have had SO many instances where I was rejected in some way & I don't have a lot of tolerance for it anymore

Overloading is another one. This primarily focuses on me bombarding people with the things I'm interested in, which has resulted in a few people rejecting me, see fear #4. This causes me to intentionally hold back EVERYWHERE, even in places where going on positive rants is encouraged

Finally, to end this list on another relatively "goofy" fear, there's bees, wasps, hornets, anything that stings! People have different reasons for being afraid of these insects, but mine is simply the fact that I have NEVER been stung, not once. I don't know if I'm allergic or not; I'm mostly afraid of the pain it could cause me as I have a VERY low pain tolerance. I literally panic every time a stinging insect comes into my field of view

Q: 3 random facts

All right, time to bring out the randomness in me >:D

When I was VERY young, probably toddler age at most, my head got whacked by a tree/branch, it was definitely some part of a tree at least lol. I got a tiny bump on my head as a result, it's still present to this day :P

I DESPISE melted cheese. It's obscene. Get it out of my sight. IhateitIhateitIhateitIhateitIhateit

My favorite candy bar is Kit-Kat! Funny enough, that's actually my nickname to some people bcs of how much I love them

Bonus fact bcs I felt like it, I've written stuff, Ik some people know this already lol but still. I have abt 10 rotating ideas constantly in my mind that I've never put to paper but I hope to do so someday <3

TY FOR THE ASK <3

[igotopinions]

Books I Read in 2023

* = Re-read

Check out past years: 2012, 2013 (skipped), 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018,  2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Follow me on Goodreads to get these reviews as they happen. 1) A Book of Blades: Rogues in the House Presents edited by L.D. Whitney This book, assembled by the great guys behind the premier podcast in the genre, is an excellent way to sample a breadth of contemporary Sword & Sorcery fiction! My favorite story was "The Blood of Old Shard" by John R. Fultz, with Scott Oden and Howard Andrew Jones' tales close behind, and there were no duds in the mix. "The Blood..." really surprised me with a heart and inventiveness which the opening doesn't give away yet, you realize upon finishing, deftly sets up. 2) Fires of Azeroth by C.J. Cherryh Left my big ol’ spoiler-laden review on Goodreads for ya. 3) Black Paper: Writing in a Dark Time by Teju Cole 4) The Citadel of Forgotten Myths by Michael Moorcock *5) Neuromancer by William Gibson 6) The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky 7) The Expert System’s Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky I confess I finished the first book in this series having enjoyed myself, but wondering if I'd remember what I'd read a year from now. I don't have that concern with its follow-up. Tchaikovsky has enriched the world he set up in the first installment quite nicely, and I hope I get to explore it further in a third. 8) Old Moon Quarterly: Issue 3 9) Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner 10) The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain 11) The Dreamthief's Daughter: A Tale of the Albino by Michael Moorcock 12) Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino Do you think you’d enjoy hearing Tarantino discuss mainly his childhood and adolescence re: movies that meant a lot to him during that period? Congrats, this is extremely that. It could not be more that. 13) The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe 14) Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different by Chuck Palahniuk Roughly 70/30 instructional / biographical. Has a lot of good advice, focusing on a more literary mode than classic genre stylings, all in a voice and coming from a place any Palahniuk fan will be familiar with (I would have been stunned NOT to find something like the "Voice of Authority" snippet in a writing book by Palahniuk). Entertaining and providing what mostly felt like useful, actionable advice, I'd say it can be handy for writers who aren't knowledgeable of the author's works, but knowing at least a couple of his books can help contextualize his advice so you can determine which parts are right for you or not. 15) Death Angel's Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner 16) Night Winds by Karl Edward Wagner 17) Wyngraf Issue #1 Edited by Nathaniel Webb 18) Rakefire and Other Stories by Jason Ray Carney 19) The White Lion by Scott Oden 20) Werner's Nomenclature of Colours: Adapted to Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Anatomy, and the Arts by Patrick Syme, Abraham Gottlob Werner (Illustrator) 21) Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin 22) Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones *23) Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer 24) Authority by Jeff VanderMeer 25) Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer *26) The Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Michael Moorcock 27) Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain 28) Swords in the Shadows, Edited by Cullen Bunn 29) The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi 30) Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein 31) The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era by Jessica Amanda Salmonson 32) New Edge Sword & Sorcery #1, Edited by Oliver Brackenbury 33) New Edge Sword & Sorcery #2, Edited by Oliver Brackenbury 34) A Book of Blades: Volume II: Rogues in the House Podcast Presents, Edited by L.D. Whitney 35) Old Moon Quarterly: Issue 4, Spring 2023: A Magazine of Dark Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery, Edited by OMQ 36) The Wingspan of Severed Hands by Joe Koch 37) The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett 38) Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle 39) Old Moon Quarterly: Issue 5, Edited by OMQ STATS Non-Fiction: 6 Fiction: 33 Poetry Collections: 0 Comic Trades: 0 Wrote Myself: 2

[handelplayssims]

Blast from the Past – Part 2

We return! To another week of Blast from the Past? Will Cameron begin to find the truth to mysterious time travel? Lets find out…

Oooo, glad I got a Genius sim on the case then! Right, next goals are to read the History of Time Travel at the library. (We have that book!?) And then study a historical display at a museum. We’re back from work and have plenty of energy. To the library!

...so evidently, by someone aiming to travel through time, time became this material object. And that it’s speculated that while books, movies, (heh, tv shows made from Sims 3) and video games being windows into the past, others believe they are a form of time travel. Hmm. You do know that the Sims 4 is considered an alternative timeline from the original Sims and the Sims 2 and 3. Wonder if that’s going to be touched in on…

Anyway we need some fun and so let’s see what fun thing Cameron comes up with an- -gasp- he’s going for the computer to play a game. Lo and behold, the Sims Archives volume 2 is available! Let’s see…

Mysterious figure spotted! And he has a strange crystal of some sort. All purple-y and broken and a very familiar diamond shape… weird! Anyway, fun gained. To a museum!

I typically count the Van Haunt estate as museum-lite but I don’t think that’ll work for Cameron. So we’re off on a trip to Brindleton Bay!

...oh dear. It’s not clearing off with this uh, display case with a minaturized version of this island in the center. Uhhh, let’s try some art. And if not! PANIC! ...though I think I remember studying historical displays being a Research and Debate skill? Looking through the skills and its...ah! Level 2 Research & Debate! Sh-shouldn’t we have that? Well that’s not good!

Browsing the forums game me some additional ideas and since Cameron needs to eat and sleep at this point, might as well head home.

Ah! Izzy’s home and wants to play chess. The chess table is in Cameron’s room. The room he’s sleeping in. The dad she’s currently feeling hurt by. Leeeets go to the cool chess topiary area in the middle of town! That’s a fun place to do chess with. And get to know chess teammate Molly while at it. Oh hey, she’s a fellow genius! Let’s strike up a friendship!

Right, let’s see. Past 8PM, past library time and she’s sleepy so let’s head home and do homework before turning in.

Now! Let’s see if heading over to Willow Creek or Oasis Spring’s museum fixes the issue for Cameron not being able to progress in the quest! Ahh, the jazz art of Willow Creek. Annnd it does. Huh. Weird. Would make sense that these were designed by base game lots first and foremost but weird.

Next is to ask an elderly sim about the shard! They know things! They’ve been around awhile! Let’s see… we have our late night barkeep but we also have someone Cameron’s been friends with on his list for awhile now. Miguel Baron. Let’s bring him over to Willow Creek’s lounge.

OH YEAH! That’s why Cameron knows this guy. He’s a nanny! Probably personally looked after Isabelle. Annnd oh man! Evidently there are tales of weird crystals that allow for time travel. Well well now. And we have a name now. Shards of Time. To the computer to research!

...evidently the research is corroborated. Maybe.

When your first sentence is “It’s right there on the internet!” I would have doubts but heeeey, this is fringe science and also this is the Sims. This family literally has a space ship ontop of their roof.

Shards found! Now it’s time to report to Emit. He may be tired but I think I can eek out this one last goal and invite him over.

...annnd Emit is surprised we can see them and then that means...we can make our own time machine! WOW. This family just holds allll the cool tech!

Hey, you know what I just remembered to do?

Neighborhood Watch!

Emit Relevart in the Oliva household is now a Home Organizer in the Interior Decorator career.

...what a side-job to pick up Emit.

Forgotten Hollow: The Conroy household recently moved in.

Krista and Vaea have become friends.

Alonzo and Cassie have become friends.

...yeah I gotta highlight this centrepiece of this collectable series. Because this is a Sims 2 reference to Bella somehow disappearing in a weird way from her family.

Anyway, it’s time to gain some logic and time for something to break so we can repair it. ...that’ll take a bit. WAIT. He has the sabatoge ability! Eh, let’s just snooze first.

Right! So! Lara Fletcher needs a new aspiration since I just passively got past the money making one. I’m thinking...she’s suddenly feeling the pressure of her daughter. And wanting her to enjoy the outside with her. So I feel like the best aspiration to combo for that is Successful Lineage. ...aww man. Can’t force a gal to skill build gardening or work out. Man! I guess Izzy is just going to cry in her room to manage her hurt moodlet. And then write in a journal.

Ooo, since Cameron’s asleep, I suppose we can work from home today with Lara. Dabble with Circuit Boards and Design New Computer Hardware. Might as well! Just as the work from home stuff is finished, Cameron is up and at em! And we have a wind generator in need of repair!

Right! Next goals involve finding metals. I am likely going to have to have a wander around Windenburg’s various bits and bobs first to see about collectables. ...and we got one from the rock pile outside our house! Nice! And suspiciously convenient ...went over to a dirt pile and got an electronic component. Veeeeery convenient… Ohp. Cameron has work so off he shall go.

Right! Izzy is up and at ‘em. Mm. Let’s do some yoga before we just head out to the park to hang out. Like all the late-night teens. But first!

Neighborhood Watch!

Gustadov and Sam have started dating!

Miguel and Marina have started dating!

Satoru and Nanami have a closer relationship!

...I had a feeling a lot of the names would just roll off my mind. Problem with so many random townies in this file.

...6AM and we’re seeing a kid pop in. DANG IT! No more late-night teens. Ohp! Wait, Noah Kane is here! That’ll do for a hello! She keeps running into the Goofballs! And he’s a party animal as well. ...should really set her up with liking Funny Sims. And you know what? I reference that one post on the Sims forums enough. It’s time to make my own document of Social Compatibility, so I don’t have to keep constantly running online for it.

Right! After that long break of sorting out information, it’s time to go to the library! Izzy’s whim is still related to her aspiration but alas, we have done our homework. It’s time to study! And research! Might as well head to the local library for that! And who’s also there but her father! Reading his own Theoretical Electronics book. (Man I picked such a good Sim for this event) ...having said that, it seems like it’s one of those ones where I have to go to base game, and then such, Willow Creek for this. TO WILLOW CREEK!

Theoretical Electronics read, it’s just the ingredient list for the time travel device. Could have done this first before getting the odds and ends but eh. Also we still need one metal so that’ll be his goal...once he gets more sleep.

...so what the heck to do with Izzy then? I’m thinking...perhaps an arcade visit? But I don’t have any dedicated arcades. Only bowling alleys with arcades in them. But hey, that’ll do. Ah, literally one of the only reasons I pop by Magnolia Promedade is that there is a bowling alley bar there. Anyway, let’s return home and get Izzy to bed. Let Cameron pick up the metal and then...time travel component! Annd created it looks like we’re going to be done this week!

...hey you know what we don’t have as a career track for the Sims? Game dev. We have freelance programming work for games but not actual game development career. Granted, that’s rather unsteady work...anyway, things I think of as I have Lara make a game of her own.

Right, curry made for supper and I nearly had all the family eat at once! (Izzy needed to go to the restroom) Right, back to bed for everyone for it’s time to snooze! ...well expect that the Oracle must go to his dark hackerman deeds.

And with that, another day and a week of this event is finished! Looking forward to whatever time travel will entail. Likely...a secret basement. Mwehehe… anyway! Time for-!

Neighborhood Watch!

Nalani and Facundo have become friends.

Ooo, names I recognize for once! Facundo is an arts guy from Uni that Cassandra Goth is desperately going to try to get to move in with her. She lost her best uni-friend so let's not lose her boyfriend!

Aitana and Tai have become friends.

Sione and Olivia have started dating!

Woahoho! Olivia’s finding another fun new boyfriends to hang out with. Nice. Anyway, see you all next week!

Ohp! Wait! Nearly forgot!

Hmm. Don’t think this works on Cameron as is.

There. Pudge is still obvious but the extranious lines aren’t there.

[yugiohmdx]

Starborn: The Celestial Prophecy

In the distant future, humanity has spread across the stars, living in vast space cities and colonized planets. But beyond the reach of technology and reason lies the ancient and mysterious Celestial Realm, a dimension of magic, where powerful beings known as Starborn wield cosmic forces.

Chapter 1: The Forgotten Legend

The galaxy thrives under the rule of the Astral Federation, a coalition of planets that uses advanced technology to maintain peace. Yet, despite their efforts, there is unrest. Whispers of rebellion stir in the dark corners of space. Ancient prophecies, long forgotten, speak of a time when the Starborn would return to balance the scales between magic and technology. Most dismiss these as myths, but on the edge of the known galaxy, something stirs.

On the desolate moon of Ithara, where the sky shimmers with distant stars, a young scavenger named Kira Valen finds herself in possession of an ancient artifact — a crystalline shard radiating otherworldly power. Kira, a scrappy survivor with dreams of escaping her mundane existence, soon learns that the shard is part of a greater whole, a key to unlocking an age-old prophecy.

The moment Kira touches the shard, she experiences a vision of the Celestial Realm — a dimension filled with colossal beings bathed in starlight, where planets are born and destroyed with a mere thought. A voice, distant yet powerful, speaks to her: “You are the Starborn, the last of the chosen. You must awaken your power, for the balance of the cosmos is at stake.”

Chapter 2: The Celestial Seekers

Unknown to Kira, her discovery sends ripples across the galaxy. A secret organization known as the Celestial Seekers, who have spent centuries searching for traces of the Starborn, sense the awakening of her powers. Led by the enigmatic Lord Erevan, they hunt for ancient artifacts that can control the Celestial Realm, believing they can harness its power to rule the galaxy.

But Kira isn’t alone. Soon, she meets a rogue pilot, Jax Taryn, a former Federation soldier who now works as a smuggler. Jax is rough around the edges, but he has his own reasons for seeking the Celestial Realm. Together, they must navigate the treacherous politics of the Astral Federation, avoid the relentless pursuit of the Celestial Seekers, and seek out the remaining shards that will unlock Kira’s full potential.

Along the way, they encounter a motley crew of allies: Lira, a cybernetic warrior with a mysterious past, and Zephyr, an eccentric starship engineer obsessed with ancient myths. Each member of the crew has their own reasons for joining Kira’s quest, but they all share one thing in common — the fate of the galaxy lies in their hands.

Chapter 3: Battle for the Cosmos

As Kira learns to harness her Starborn abilities, she uncovers the truth behind the ancient war between the Celestials and an evil force known as the Voidbringers. Eons ago, the Starborn were created to protect the galaxy from the Voidbringers, who sought to plunge the universe into eternal darkness. Now, the Voidbringers are stirring once again, and the only thing that can stop them is the power of the Starborn.

The Celestial Seekers, however, believe they can control the Voidbringers and use their power to reshape the galaxy in their image. As they gather the remaining shards, Kira and her crew must race against time to stop them from awakening the ancient evil.

In an epic confrontation on the edge of the Celestial Realm, Kira faces Lord Erevan, who reveals that he too is a Starborn, but one who was corrupted by the Voidbringers. The battle between light and darkness unfolds, not just in the physical realm, but across the fabric of space and time.

Chapter 4: Ascendance

With the final shard in her possession, Kira undergoes the ultimate transformation. She ascends into the Celestial Realm, becoming a full-fledged Starborn. In her hands lies the power to create and destroy worlds, to bend the stars to her will. But with great power comes great responsibility. She must choose: wield the power to annihilate the Voidbringers once and for all or risk losing herself to the corruption that once consumed her enemies.

In a climactic battle, Kira unites the magic of the Celestial Realm with the technology of the Astral Federation. With the help of her friends, she manages to seal the Voidbringers away, ensuring peace for the galaxy — but at a great personal cost.

In the aftermath, Kira is hailed as a hero, but she remains haunted by the visions of what is yet to come. For though the Voidbringers have been defeated, the balance between magic and technology remains fragile. The galaxy is safe, for now, but Kira knows that one day, the Starborn will be called upon once more.

End of Book One.

Themes:

• The struggle between magic and technology

• The burden of power and responsibility

• Friendship and loyalty against the backdrop of cosmic conflict

• Destiny vs. free will

Sequel Teasers:

• New threats emerge from the far reaches of space

• The Celestial Realm holds deeper mysteries yet to be uncovered

• The Voidbringers’ true origin is revealed, and the final battle for the universe looms

[fromthebeddesk]

Character Intros for A Shard Of Memory

Shaellyn Vethya

Shaellyn Annika Vethya is Emrys's older sister, proprietor of the Land's End Alehouse, and likes her peace and quiet, thanks very much. Her brother often teases her about being an old lady because of the last part. She's fiercely loyal to the people she cares about, a natural leader, an okay strategist, and can keep a cool head during a crisis. Even though she's got all the qualities of a great leader, she'd rather just run her tavern. She rarely gets involved in major events unless she has no other choice. Once she commits to a goal, she's relentlessly stubborn and won't stop until she achieves it.

Evylaina Khozin

Evylaina, aka Laina, is Shaellyn's best friend, a bit of a social butterfly, and their group's resident mad scientist. She's bubbly and cheerful most of the time, and has a penchant for using deliberately bad grammar for emphasis when she wants to make a point. She is also the original inventor of C-4 style putty explosives in their world.

Emrys Vethya

Emrys is Shaellyn's younger brother. He's very gay, a bit of a goober and loves to tease his sister and anyone else within reach, but is also pretty empathetic and caring when need be. Shaellyn basically raised him from age eight and is his primary support person, but as a consequence he started rebelling against her as he got older, like a teen normally would with their parent, which drives a bit of a wedge into their relationship.

Twister

Twister is a traveling healer, storyteller, and as she calls it, "serial meddler and disturber of the peace". She has a friendly, colorful, larger-than-life personality, and uses many aliases and false identities to hide the fact that she's immortal. She became an immortal naturally rather than magically, and views it as a blessing because she has plenty of time to explore. Twister studied medicine and anatomy at the Great University in the Flying City as a young woman, but never put that training to use in a formal job, preferring to offer free medical care to those in need. She knows interesting facts or interesting people just about everywhere due to her adventurous itinerant lifestyle, and is also an avid tea enthusiast.

Albin Tork Qanim

Albin Tork is Evylaina's adoptive father, a jack-of-all-trades repairman and inventor. He uses a wheelchair, a manual one at first, but later invents a motorized version that can also fly with a bit of magical help. He's mostly very crotchety and antisocial, but has a major soft spot for Evylaina, and tolerates her friends. He later marries Ruza Qanim, a widowed seamstress and craft mage, and takes her last name, making his new name Albin Qanim.

Ironhead

The nonbinary mage known as Ironhead is the oldest known immortal still living. While their body is still pretty agile and spry for their vast age, being alive for so long has done quite a number on their brain. They're very smart, but they talk in riddles, have memory issues, laugh at socially unacceptable times, and harbor minor delusions such as being allergic to armor. They also tend to have odd taste in food, with sliced pickled beets being a favorite snack. They're very fond of Sasha, their skittish talking cat who's likewise immortal, and enjoy confusing and annoying most other people.

They became immortal by accident through putting on a cursed iron crown, which has been stuck on their head ever since, giving them their name. Ironhead's birth name is unknown, Ironhead themself has likely forgotten it.

They've lived in a sea stack cave near Raqut for the past century or so, long enough to have become something of a local boogeyman legend.

[theincaprincess]

Shards of a forgotten past *part 9*

Afternoon darlings, here is part 9 for you! Hope you enjoy it! 

Tag list @amyf20​ @blankdblank​ @deepestfirefun​ @catthefearless​ @moonfaery​ @meyoko10​ @tolkienprincess​ @starlightintherain89​ @southsidesarcasticwriter​  @sdavid09​​ @thorinanddwalinsdwarrowdam​ @nikolett3​ @j25m18c24​ @letsbeinspiredby​ @shanty-lol​ @miabee0706​ @aspiringtranslator​ @fuer-immer-jetzt​ @phanaelion​ @xxbyimm​ @fizzyxcustard​ @lady-of-lies​ @soradragon​ 

Shard tag list @yes-captainstark​ @thetrappednerd​ @vorpal-queen​

Main masterlist here 

Thorin Oakneshield masterlist here 

 Catch up here 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Word count 1,184

Running through the forest Thennith stopped and lifted her head up trying to hear anything, when she heard the shout of Fili for his brother, turning to the right she ran towards the shouts and her eyes landed on the company fight off the spiders, taken a breath Thennith was about to charge forward when something caught her eyes in the top of the trees, looking up she saw the flash of blonde hair, and she knew it belonged to her nephew Legolas, hiding around the tree Thennith slow climbed up and watched the scene unfold below her. 

“Do not think I won’t kill you, Dwarf. It would be my pleasure” Legolas barked at the company, making Thennith roll her eyes at the tone.

“Search them!” Legolas ordered as Thennith looked around and saw Bilbo hiding behind a tree looking around until his eyes landed on her, given a hand signal to stay put, as one of the other elves took Thorin’s sword and handed it to Legolas.

“This is an ancient Elvish blade, it was forged by my kin” Legolas spoke as he twisted orcrist around “where did you get this?” He asked while giving Thorin a dirty look.

“It was given to me” Thorin proclaimed remembering the day when Thennith handed it over to him saying it was made by her kin and it would serve him well. 

Pointing orcrist at him Legolas wet his lips “not just a thief, but a liar as well” he hissed before telling the elves to lead them towards Mirkwood as the company was pushed past Thorin until Balin reached his side and they walked together. 

Waiting until everyone was out of sight Thennith climbed down the tree and met with Bilbo in the clearing, she could see the hobbit was anxious and unsure at what they could do “Bilbo everything will be fine” Thennith spoke trying to claim the hobbit. 

“How can you say that? We’re lost in a forest, Thorin has been taken to Mirkwood and I doubt they would be happy if we walk up to the door and knock on it asking for our friends back” Bilbo huffed. 

“My dear Bilbo, all is not lost” Thennith started but stopped she was still unsure if she should say anything but when Bilbo turned to face her with tears slowly started to pool behind his eyes, her walls crumbled “I Thennith, daughter of Oropher, Twin and younger sister to King Thranduil, Princess of the woodland realm, promise you we will get our friends back.”

Staring at her Bilbo felt his mouth drop open as he searched for anything to say to her when he finally spoke he was sure she didn’t hear him “You are the lost princess?” 

“Lost and thought dead for 60 years” Thennith said as she raised her hand and placed it on Bilbo’s shoulder “Thorin doesn't know, Balin and Gandalf do, but you must keep my secret and I will keep yours” she added. 

“I don’t have any” Bilbo said sharcting his head. 

“Hobbits can go unseen by many folk, but to disappear entirely, you have a rare gift Mr. Baggains” Thennith smiled at him. 

“Oh, yeah so erm I won't tell if you don’t” Bilbo muttered. 

“I’m counting on it” Thennith laughed, “Right I have an idea and if we pull this off we should be in Laketown by tonight, so listen closely” She added before explaining her plan to the hobbit.

….

In the cells of Mirkwood, all the company was throwing themselves against the doors trying to open them to break free, but nothing was working.

“Leave it, there is no way out of here, this is no Orc dungeon! These are the Halls of the Woodland Realm and that means no one leaves here, but, by the King’s consent” Balin shouted from his cell to the others.

Standing in the middle of the throne room Thorin watched as Thranduil started to descend the stairs from the Thorne “Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand, a Quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon” Thranduil spoke as he reached the bottom of the stairs, “I myself, suspect a more prosaic motive, attempted burglary, or something of that ilk” He added while staring down at Thorin.

Taken closely look at the King, Thorin was confused he was sure he was looking at Thennith, but he hadn’t seen her since she climbed the tree at the bridge within the forest.

Tilting his head Thranduil wet his lips and continued speaking at Thorin, rather then to him “you have found a way in, you seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule, a King’s jewel, the Arkenstone, It is precious to you beyond measure, I understand that there are gems in the mountain that I too desire, white gems of pure starlight, I offer you my help” he finished with a bow of his head.

“I am listening” Thorin said holding a sarcastic smile.

“I will let you go if you but return what is mine” Thranduil demanded.

“A favour for a favour” Thorin spat.

“You have my word, One King to another” Thranduil spat back.

Smirking to himself Thorin lowered his head before looking back up to Thranduil “I would not trust, Thranduil, the great King, to only his word, till the end of all days be upon us! You lack all honor! I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless, seeking your help, but you turned your back, You, turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us! May you die in dragon fire!” Thorin shouted at Thranduil.

“Do not talk to me of dragon fire! I know its wrath and ruin, I have faced the great serpents of the North” Thranduil shouted back as he got in Thorin’s face, letting the illusion drop and showing his burned scared face, before stepping away from the dwarf and pulling his shield back up “I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen, You are just like him” Thranduil mocked as he turned and walked back towards his throne motioning to his guards with a head tight as they grabbed a hold of Thorin as started to drag him away “Stay here if you will, and rot a hundred years is a mere blink in a life of an Elf, I’m patient, I can wait” Thranduil hissed with venom as Thorin was dragged out of his sight.

Balin watched as the guards dragged Thorin down the stairs and threw him into the cell, after they walked away he asked “Did he offer you a deal?”

“He did, I told him he could go ishkh khakfe andu null, him and all his kin!” Thorin shouted making Balin roll his eyes.

“Well, that’s that then, The deal was our only hope” Balin muttered as he sat against the wall.

“It’s not our only hope” Thorin whispered hoping Thennith and Bilbo were nearby and not in a different cell. 

*Part 10 coming soon*

[ambrossart]

DANCING WITH MYSELF

— PART TEN (FINALE)

summary: eddie crashes senior prom hoping to steal a dance with his dream girl, chrissy cunningham. instead, he spends the night stuck in the women’s restroom with you—her snarky, insecure best friend.

❖ pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader  ❖ word count: 11,785 ❖ genre: fluff with some angst ❖ series status: complete ❖ warnings: no season 4 spoilers, some coarse language, body image issues, allusions to eating disorders, typical teenage insecurities, angst, jealousy, anxiety, secret crushes, childhood memories, happy ending, lots of 80s music

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten

Stepping back into that dance hall was a lot like being jolted awake from a sweet sleep.

For a moment you were stuck, caught somewhere on the threshold between the real world and the dream world with one foot on either side: half awake, half asleep, barely there… if you were even there at all. While you were sleeping, reality had continued playing like a movie you had forgotten to turn off. It hadn’t stopped for you, hadn’t paused, and now you were struggling to comprehend the plot, fighting to find your place in a world that had left you behind. You stood outside of it, looking in, but you couldn’t muster the strength to take that final step, to wake up fully and abandon the dream forever.

Because it was such a lovely dream, wasn’t it?

And now it was over—dead and soon to be forgotten like so many dreams before it. Already, you could feel the memories fading further and further away. Sitting next to Eddie. Hearing his laughter. Seeing his smile. Feeling the warm press of his lips against yours. (You touched your finger to your lips. They felt so cold now.) These images drifted through your mind like a slowed-down piece of film; then they were just… gone. They abandoned you cruelly, slipped through your fingers like tiny grains of sand. You couldn’t get them back now even if you tried. They were floating away: back down that long hallway, back to that closed door that seemed so far from reach. You knew there was no going back, not anymore. Even if you laid your head down, even if you forced your eyes closed, you would never be able to return to that same dream. The door was shut, locked, sealed away forever.

So now here you stood on this threshold, unwilling to go but unable to stay. What choice did you have but to get up and face reality?

You walked into the hall on unsteady legs, feeling a step out of sync with everyone else. In the background, “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs chimed hypnotically and made the room feel sleepy and surreal, as if the whole world was moving in slow motion and you alone were unaffected. People brushed past your elbow and seemed not to feel you. Eyes met yours and looked straight through you. Could they not see the red streaks in your eyes? The blotchiness of your makeup? Could they not tell that you were one “Are you okay?” away from a total breakdown? Did anyone even care?

Here you were, experiencing the greatest tragedy of your teenage life and—nothing, not even a ripple in the water!

You could feel your heart shattering into a million pieces, feel the shards of it tearing you up inside, but no one else could see your suffering. It was like that old philosophical thought experiment: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If no one else could sense your heartache, was it even real?

You placed your foot on the step below and felt your heel slip out from underneath you:

down,

down,

down!

A gasp escaped you. Your broken heart leaped into your throat. You caught yourself on the railing, looked down, and saw that your shoe had come loose. It was lying on its side, the faux leather strap barely clinging to your ankle. You must have missed a notch when you re-buckled it, after you…

Here ya go, Cinderella.

Eddie’s voice made you jump. It came to your mind so clearly, as if he was standing right next to you. You sat down and buckled your shoe, then looked over your shoulder and wondered, Is it too late for me to turn back? Is he still there, waiting for me?

(No, probably not.)

Yeah, probably not… I wouldn’t wait for me, either.

You pushed the thought away and walked on. Down the stairs. Along the edge of the dance floor. To the table—your table—where Chrissy Cunningham was sitting alone with her back to you. She was slouching in her chair. Such a terrible habit.

You dropped down beside your best friend, molded your lips into something of a smile. “Oh my god, Chris, you would not believe the line in the ladies’ room…”

Chrissy turned at once, startled, her eyes red and glassy, bottom lip trembling. “I thought you left,” she said, her brows drawn together in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “I thought… I thought…”

“What?” you said, and gently swept one of her loose hairs back into place. “You thought I’d miss your coronation? Come on, Chris, I’m not that self-absorbed.”

Chrissy shook her head as fresh tears filled her eyes. “I don’t care about the stupid coronation! It’s a cheap, plastic crown that I’ll just throw away in the morning.” She bent her head and sniffed, then wiped her runny nose on the back of her hand. “I didn’t come here to be named prom queen. I came here to have fun with my friends, with my best friend, and I’ve completely ruined everything! This night has been a total disaster, and it’s all my fault. All that stuff with Chance… and with Eddie…”

Your whole body stiffened with dread. No, please, no… I don’t wanna do this right now, not when I’m finally starting to…

Chrissy seized both of your hands in a desperate grip. “I’m so, so sorry! I swear I had no idea he came here for me. If I’d known, I never would’ve encouraged you like I did. Oh my god, I feel so stupid! Here I am, telling you to go for it and put your heart out there, while he…” She squeezed her mouth shut, choking back emotion. “I didn’t know he liked me. I swear I didn’t. I don’t even know why he likes me. I mean… I mean… I think I said good luck to him once at some talent show back in middle school, but that didn’t mean anything! I was saying good luck to everybody that night—everybody, even that kid with the creepy puppet, and he almost threw up all over me. Do you remember that?”

“Yeah,” you said, and managed a laugh. “It was hilarious.”

Chrissy laughed too, despite her tears. “No, it wasn’t. It was disgusting.”

“You’re disgusting,” you said in a teasing voice. “Look at you, Cunningham, you’re a total mess. Come here.” You grabbed a napkin and started blotting her eyes dry. “Your nose is running. Your mascara’s all over the place. If you go on stage looking like this, everyone’s gonna think you’re a lunatic.”

Another tear slipped down Chrissy’s cheek, painting a black line down her face. You wiped that away, too.

“I just don’t want you to hate me,” she said.

“What? Hate you?” Those two words didn’t even belong in the same sentence. “Chris, I could never hate you. You could go on a massive killing spree tomorrow and I still wouldn’t hate you. In fact, I’d be right there with you. Be the Bonnie to your Clyde. And then I’d take the rap for you because you’re way too soft for prison.”

Chrissy breathed out a laugh, but the misery never left her face. “I feel like I’m always taking things from you,” she said. “And you like him so much and—”

“Chris, if it wasn’t you, it was just gonna be someone else. And I’d rather it be you. I really mean that.” It hurt you deeply, but it was the truth. “Besides, I can’t say I blame him. I mean, look at you. You’re sweet and smart, and gorgeous. And yeah, your jokes are corny as shit, but hey, no one’s perfect, right?”

No, Chrissy Cunningham wasn’t perfect, but she was probably about as close as anyone was ever going to get.

“Everyone likes you, Chris, and I love you to death, so… it just makes sense, doesn’t it?” A lump formed in your throat as you said this. You tried to force it down, but…

Chrissy’s face tightened with concern. “Hey, are you okay?”

Finally. There it was, the question you’d been craving and dreading all at the same time. You felt so wonderfully vindicated—vindicated and a little relieved, and now you didn’t know whether to pump your fist in victory or fall into Chrissy’s arms, sobbing like a child.

“See, this is why you’re my best friend, Chris. You’re the only one who can see through all my bullshit. You’re like Superman with that X-ray vision.”

“What happened?” Chrissy asked. Her hands were still holding yours—a looser grip, but somehow no less strong.

You cast your eyes away, started chewing on your bottom lip. “I just… You know, tonight’s been very eye-opening for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself. Swallowed some hard truths. They certainly didn’t go down easy, but… I think I’m finally starting to get it.”

It had all snapped perfectly into place, like a bullet into a chamber.

“You know, this whole time I thought my weight was the issue. I thought that was the one thing holding me back in life, and if I could just fix that one thing, then I’d be happy like everyone else. I thought I would blossom overnight like in all those dumb movies.” Your expression darkened, wilted. “Well, that didn’t happen, did it? I lost the weight and nothing changed. I didn’t get any happier. I didn’t get any more confident. I’m exactly the same. So now what’s my excuse, huh? If it’s not my weight, then what is it? What’s wrong with me? I couldn’t figure it out before, but I see it now. In fact, it’s become pretty fucking obvious. I think I’m just a really unlikable person.”

Chrissy winced at those words. “No, you’re not…”

“Yes, I am! I’m a really, really nasty person. I know I act like I’m just joking around, but I’m not. I’m a massive bitch to everyone, especially myself. You were right, Chris. I’m the one getting in the way of my own happiness. Life gives me lemons, and I just eat them raw, like an idiot. And you know, I bet whoever’s giving me those lemons is standing there thinking, Bitch, what are you doing? Are you trying to make yourself suffer? Yeah, that’s exactly it! I think I’m determined to stay miserable. That’s why I keep eating those lemons instead of, you know, making lemonade or lemon tarts or whatever the hell else you make with lemons. I dunno, I’ve never really understood that expression. I mean, some people actually prefer sour things. And I hate lemonade. It makes my throat all scratchy whenever I drink it.”

Chrissy’s hands tightened around yours and pulled, drawing you close, forcing you to meet her determined gaze.

“What happened?” she asked once more.

Once more was all it took.

Suddenly, you felt the dam break, blurring your vision and making your dry eyes sting. “I fucked up again, Chris,” you said in a high, squeaky voice. “I tried really hard, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t make that paper fortune come true.”

Chrissy raised her eyebrows quizzically. Right, she had probably forgotten about that.

“It’s that voice, man,” you went on, dragging your forearm across your tear-drenched cheek. “I know you tell me not to listen to it, but it’s so hard! It just whispers and whispers and whispers, telling you all these little half-truths. And after a while, you start to believe them because they make just enough sense, you know?”

Six years ago, that’s exactly how it got you. Yeah, Scott Sloman wasn’t the only demon trying to tempt you that day. There was a second demon—a dangerous, deceitful one—and unlike Scottie, it never broke character.

It whispered to you sweetly, sounding almost like a friend, like a good ole pal just trying to look out for your best interest (because that’s what friends are for, right?). It reminded you, so considerately, that summer was ending soon. In a few weeks, the campaign would be over. Eddie would be going off to high school and you would be left alone with nothing but this stupid journal that you clung to so tightly. A lovely little souvenir of your time together, that’s what these three months had given you. Congratulations, kiddo. Now you get to spend the next two years flipping through it while he moves on and forgets all about you. And Eddie would forget about you. That was all but guaranteed. Sure, maybe he would wait for someone else—someone prettier, someone like Chrissy, but certainly not for you. No, he would probably forget about you within a week’s time. Y/N, who? Sorry, that name’s not ringin’ a bell…

And then you began to think this was all a huge mistake. You’d waded too far into the deep end of the pool and your feet could no longer touch the bottom. Now you were left with two choices: stay in the deep end and risk drowning or reach for the life preserver that Scott Sloman had just cast into the water.

Deep down, you knew the right choice, but your survival instincts were way too strong. You accepted the demon’s bargain. Signed your name in blood.

After that, there was no going back.

Scottie’s eyes widened when he unfolded the paper and saw your answer.

“The deal is done,” he announced, and then discreetly tucked the paper behind his screen. “The demon’s offer has been accepted.”

The room went so quiet after that. All you could hear was the sound of a single pencil scratching against notebook paper. Eddie had no idea what was going on. Everyone at the table was staring at him, and he was just scribbling away like everything was fine, like you hadn’t just sharpened your dagger and plunged it straight into his back. His foot kept brushing against yours. Every once in a while, he would throw you a little smile. Meanwhile, you sank deeper and deeper into your chair, hoping the seat would collapse and suck you in like a vacuum, send you spinning through time and space and trap you in an alternate dimension. Your left arm hugged your stomach. Your right hand found its way to your mouth and hovered over it.

“Shit,” you whispered into your palm, and that’s when Eddie finally put down his pencil and looked up.

“What?” he said to everyone. “Is it my turn already?”

“Dude,” said Gareth, his face long and grim, “did you not see what just happened?”

“No,” Eddie answered slowly, with a touch of unease. “What? Did I miss something big?”

Gareth’s head bobbed. “Yeah, I’ll say… You’re dead, man. She killed you.”

Eddie’s back straightened in surprise. Then his eyes fell on you, heavy yet hopeful, like he was waiting for you to bust out laughing and tell him it was all a friendly little joke.

“What’s going on?”

The innocence in his voice made your stomach churn with regret. You kept your hand over your mouth, muffling your words with your knuckles. “I sacrificed… the ultimate power.”

Eddie leaned closer, squinting. “What?”

You lowered your hand and cleared your throat. “I sacrificed you to a demon for the ultimate power,” you said, and saw Eddie recoil from you, his eyes widening into an expression of startled hurt. It was the same stunned look he gave you tonight, right before you walked out of the restroom.

I’m really sorry, you said with your eyes, but that apology was soon drowned out by the sound of laughter. Your laughter. It came out of nowhere and spread through you like wildfire. You laughed while Eddie yelled at Scottie and demanded he intervene. You laughed while he huffed and puffed, muttered something about you being dead to him.

(Oh, shit, there it is, you thought now with a sudden spark of clarity. Yep, now I remember that.)

You told him to quit being such a baby. “Come on, it’s just a game, Munson!”

Then he tore up the stairs with his backpack half-zipped and flopping behind him. It’s better this way, that little voice told you. I know it hurts now, kid, but just think of how bad it could’ve been. Think of the pain you would’ve suffered once summer ended. Just think of it and you’ll understand. This wasn’t an act of betrayal. No, this was an act of mercy. You just did yourself a huge favor.

You wanted to believe that, you did, but then you noticed the piece of paper lying on the floor. It was Eddie’s character sheet, the one you had made for him. It must have slipped out of his binder while he was hurrying to leave.

(Or maybe he left it behind on purpose.)

Then you remembered how hard you had worked on it, how nervous you were to show it to him. You almost chickened out and went home with it in your backpack, but you were so glad you didn’t because the smile he gave you made everything worth it. It felt like your first major breakthrough, like you were finally on the right path with him.

And now…

You snatched the paper and ran after him. Nearly tripped on the steps, you were going so fast.

Eddie must have assumed you would come after him because he was waiting for you at the top of the stairs. This made your heart flutter with such hope… until you noticed the anger smoldering in his eyes.

“Why’d you do it?” he asked in a sharp, demanding voice. The strength of it almost knocked you off balance.

“What do you mean, why did I do it?” you said. “My character’s chaotic, Munson. She’s a wild card! God, you’re acting like this is the first time I’ve ever betrayed you.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and took off again. Blew through the Slomans’ kitchen like a fierce winter storm. You went too, and turned quickly to avoid hitting the counter’s sharp corner. Meanwhile, Mrs. Sloman was at the stove, stirring a pot of tomato sauce for dinner. She looked up as you two passed, then sighed and went back to stirring.

To Eddie’s back, you said, “Oh come on, Munson, I betray you on a weekly basis. It’s part of what makes our dynamic so special. I betray you, get us both into a lotta trouble, and then you save the day and we laugh it off and forget it ever happened. Wash, rinse, repeat.”

“Yeah, well, this is different,” Eddie said. “Yeah, this is the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

“Seriously? It’s worse than the time I abandoned you in that sand trap? Worse than the time I stole all your money and gambled it away? Worse than the time I tripped you when we were being chased by goblins in the never-ending caves? Come on, don’t be so overdramatic.”

“I’m not being overdramatic,” he said, and cut through the living room. Mr. Sloman was napping on the couch while Sunday afternoon football played on the television. Eddie saw him and lowered his voice into a harsh whisper. “I mean, do you even realize what you just did? My character’s dead now. I can’t play as him anymore.”

“So create a new character!”

“Create a new character? Are you fucking kidding?”

You cringed at the abrupt shift in Eddie’s tone. Mr. Sloman snorted in his sleep and rolled over.

“Okay, so don’t create a new character,” you replied in a waning voice. “How ’bout we make a brand new adventure out of it? We can call it ‘Journey into the Underworld: The Quest for Munson’s Soul.’ It’ll be kinda like the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, but don’t worry, I promise I won’t look back.”

“I don’t know what that means!” Eddie yelled, frustration straining his throat. “God, you keep making all these weird, obscure references that nobody else understands… Besides, my soul isn’t even in the underworld. I dunno where my soul is. You sold it to a demon for some stupid, made-up power!”

“SO THEN WE’LL GO GET IT BACK!” you screamed, making Eddie stop and whip around. You staggered backward, shrinking away from him in shame. His brown eyes were hard and cold, colder than you had ever seen.

That’s when it finally hit you: This isn’t like all those other times, is it? This isn’t something we’re gonna laugh about later.

Then Eddie saw the character sheet and—“Hey, gimme that!”—ripped it right out of your hand. You flinched as the paper sliced across your skin, and flinched again as Eddie’s fist closed around it, crushing the little rectangle beyond repair.

“I was gonna give that back,” you started to say, but then you realized it didn’t matter. The paper disappeared into Eddie’s backpack, and you never saw it again. You figured he had probably thrown it away.

This is it, isn’t it? Somehow, you could just feel it. This is the end of everything.

All these heavy thoughts crept into your heart like water seeping into a cracked ship hull. Now you were sinking in these ice-cold feelings, and there was nothing you could do but try to buy yourself some time. Try to stay afloat long enough to safely reach the shore. And that’s when you felt a familiar instinct take over. Limb by limb, your body started to seal itself off, shut all the watertight doors. It began at your feet and slowly worked its way up until your whole body felt perfectly numb to everything. That little paper cut on your finger, it didn’t sting anymore. You watched it bleed with a hazy fascination and thought of the demon’s contract, of the red pen you had used to sign it.

“Why are you here?” Eddie asked, but his voice sounded so muted, so far away. It was like he was talking to you underwater.

You turned and stared at him with a queer gaze, as if perplexed. “You already asked me that.”

“Yeah, well… you never really answered.”

Because it doesn’t matter, you thought. None of it matters. I’ve already accepted that, Eddie. Why can’t you?

Your silence made him sigh. “I don’t get it,” he said under his breath. “Why can’t you answer one simple question? There’s a reason you joined, isn’t there? You didn’t just wake up one morning and decide you love roleplaying games. So what is it? Huh? Why’d you wanna join our campaign so bad?”

It was painful to think back on this moment now, knowing what you knew. Part of you wished that you had been born two years earlier. Maybe if you were a little older, a little wiser, you would have handled things differently.

But you weren’t older. You were twelve, and in way over your head. You weren’t prepared to handle situations like this. You were too young, too immature, too caught up in your own fears and feelings that you couldn’t see what now seemed so glaringly obvious.

It never occurred to you—not once, not even for a second—that maybe the reason Eddie so desperately needed your answer was the same reason you were so terrified to give it.

Maybe if you knew that, you wouldn’t have said what you said:

“My best friend’s at cheer camp. I needed something to do.”

Eddie cast his eyes up and away, as far away from you as he could. “So you were just bored, then?”

Your shoulders moved on their own, up and down. “Pretty much.”

Eddie took your answer and swallowed it down with a hard gulp. “Gotcha,” he said. “Well, that’s just… great. Yeah, that actually makes perfect sense.”

He hung his head and chuckled at that for a minute; then he started dragging his feet backward, toward the front door. His departing smile was sad and defeated.

“Well, I’m glad I was able to entertain you.” He pushed open the screen door and went out. “See ya around.”

“And do you know what the funny thing is?” you said to Chrissy now, as the memory faded away. “You know what really cracks me up? That should’ve been the end for me. Yeah, that should’ve been game over, insert a coin and try again, but for some bizarre reason, it wasn’t. Yeah, for some reason, he let me keep playing right where I left off. And I got really close this time, Chris. You would’ve been so proud of me. Victory was in sight. The grand prize was right there. All I had to do was reach out and take it.” You made a snatching motion with your hand, then curled your fingers into a fist. “And do you know what I did? I took it and threw it straight into the trash! Isn’t that hilarious? I mean, isn’t that just like me?”

You laughed out loud—a weak, strangled sound. “Fuck me, man!” you said, and wiped your hands across the dampened apples of your cheeks. “God, I need a shrink… Hey, maybe I should have your mom get me the number for hers ’cause, lemme tell ya, that guy is doing wonders for her. Yeah, that woman’s just full of confidence now, isn’t she?” You gnashed your teeth and cursed. “God, I wanna fight your mom.”

Chrissy cracked a small smile but said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around you, pulling you in for one of those perfect, put-you-back-together hugs. Except this one wasn’t so perfect. This one was Scotch Tape when you really needed Super Glue. It wouldn’t hold for long, but it was strong enough to get you through the night in one piece.

Chrissy rested her head against yours. “Look,” she whispered, “I don’t know what happened and I don’t know what you did, but I’m sure it’s not too late to fix it.”

A tear escaped your eye when you heard that. “Yeah, but I think it is,” you said. “I chose to walk out that door, Chris, and now I think it’s closed for good.”

Chrissy released a compassionate sigh. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe this is the end. But you know what? Even if it is, I promise everything’s gonna be fine. Okay? No matter what happens, you’re gonna be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

You took a deep breath through your nose, exhaled through your mouth, and broke away. While drying your eyes, you said, “How am I supposed to survive college without you? I could barely make it through a single summer on my own, so I dunno how I’m gonna last four years.”

“You and me both,” Chrissy replied with a bittersweet smile. “We’ll figure it out.”

She wiped a tiny flake of mascara off your left cheek. Blushing, you quickly cleaned up the rest.

That’s when you noticed Jason Carver standing far off to the side, patiently waiting for the appropriate time to come over. Once you locked eyes, he took a tentative step toward you and said, “Is everything… okay?”

“Yeah,” Chrissy told him. “Everything’s fine now.”

“Good,” Jason said. Then he turned toward you. “Look, I’m really sorry for—”

You put up your hand. “Jason, it’s fine. I don’t like what you did, but I get why you did it, so… we’re good. Let’s just move on and try to enjoy the rest of the night, okay?”

Jason’s eyes softened with gratitude. “Sure. Thanks.”

He turned away and—

“But,” you rang out, drawing him back, “since you did kinda humiliate me in front of the entire class, I think I’m entitled to some compensation, wouldn’t you agree? That’s why you’ll be buying me lunch every day for the rest of the year… and that includes all à la carte items, too. I do love those fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.”

Jason pursed his lips together. “The rest of the year, huh?”

“You can afford it,” you said, and his eyes narrowed with displeasure.

Jason opened his mouth to further protest… only to close it again when he heard Chrissy giggling quietly into her hand. He drank in her laughter with a crooked little smile and said to you, “All right, fine, you’ve got a deal. But you better not take advantage of it, okay?”

“Oh, I plan to. Wholeheartedly.” You put your hands behind your back and beamed at him.

Shortly after, Ms. Kelley came over and said it was time for all the nominees to gather on stage for the announcement of prom king and queen. Chrissy gave you a guilty look and seemed hesitant to go. You nudged her along with your elbow.

“Go,” you told her. “I’m fine, really. Go get your crown, superstar.”

“I don’t care about the crown.”

“I know you don’t, but I do… because I live vicariously through you, remember? I’m like a crazy stage mom and you’re my pageant queen daughter.”

Chrissy rolled her eyes amiably. “You’re such a goof.”

“I know,” you said, and laughed. “Now, don’t forget to act surprised when you win, okay? You wanna appear gracious and humble, but not too humble. Otherwise, you’ll be like Sally Field at the Oscars and everyone will think you’re a total whack-job.”

You beckoned her closer and lowered your voice. “Oh, and please don’t let Jason hog the mic for too long, okay? You know how he gets when he has a captive audience. He just goes on and on and on… I mean, we’ll be stuck here all night.”

“I heard that,” said Jason, making you smirk.

“Hey, I’m just saying… keep it under a minute, Carver, or else I’ll have the DJ play you off the stage.”

For that, Jason shot you a playful glare. “Yeah, you’re definitely feeling better. Come on, Chris, let’s go.”

He led her away by her elbow. All the while, Chrissy looked back at you with a worried frown.

You made a shooing motion with your hand. “Go! Go! I’m fine now, I promise. Watch, I’m gonna go grab a cup of punch and then take my place among the rest of the commoners. Seriously, don’t worry about me, Chris. I’m fine. I’m fine.”

Maybe if you said it enough, it would become true.

And maybe you would stop looking over your shoulder, hoping Eddie would be there.

It was nine fifty-eight. Only one more hour to go.

With your cup of punch in hand, you wandered over to Jeff’s table and found him and Grant conversing quietly while Megan Mulrooney lay snoring upon a bed of clumsily arranged chairs.

“Wow, Grant, looks like your date danced herself into a coma.”

Grant put his finger to his lips, then gestured toward his sleeping prom date. “If she wakes up, she’s gonna wanna dance again, and my feet can’t handle that, so…” He swept his hand across his mouth, pretending to seal it shut.

“Got it,” you said, and zipped your lips, too. You sat down next to Jeff. “So, your date still AWOL?”

“Mhm,” said Jeff with an unbothered nod. “You know who I saw her dancing with earlier?”

“Who?”

“Patrick McKinney.”

You put your hand over your mouth, feigning surprise. “How scandalous! Well, I guess we know who she’s going home with.”

“Ha ha. Very funny.” Jeff smiled at you, his eyes glowing with sympathy. “We saw what happened earlier. Man, that was tough to watch… How you holding up?”

“Eh, I’m okay,” you said. “Honestly, I don’t really care about that anymore. I mean, what the hell was I thinking, anyway? Chance Gallagher? The guy’s a dumbass. It’s a miracle he’s even graduating.”

Chuckling, you raised the plastic cup to your mouth and

This is kinda my last shot, y’know? If I don’t get that diploma this year, I’m gonna have to get my GED like every other Munson before me, and I really don’t wanna be another cliché…

felt your lips curl against the rim. This tender smile, unbidden and unexpected, remained on your face while you sipped your drink and cradled the cup against your chest.

To Jeff, you said, “You know, I never really thanked you.”

“For what?”

“For putting up with me all these years. And for sticking your neck out for me.”

“Sticking my neck out? What, you mean back in middle school?”

You nodded, blushing.

Jeff and Grant exchanged bewildered looks. Then Jeff turned back to you with a huge grin. “What’s this?” he said. “You finally getting hit with some of that senior year nostalgia?”

You laughed. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, you don’t have to thank me. We’re friends, right? I’d stick my neck out for you any day.” Jeff’s smile faded. When it returned, it was tinged with regret. “You know, I always felt kinda bad about how things ended that summer, and… well, I dunno… I guess I just wish I could’ve done more for you.”

You shook your head doubtfully. “You already did everything you could. I mean, you gave me a shot, right? It’s not your fault I missed.”

You frowned. All this talk was making your heart throb again. With every painful pulse, you could feel the Scotch Tape losing its grip and peeling away. You quickly finished the rest of your punch and slammed your empty cup on the table.

“Wow!” you said. “Look at me making sports analogies… I think I’ve been hanging out with Jason way too much.”

And now the DJ’s filler music was fading into silence. Principal Higgins had taken the stage and was struggling to adjust the height of the mic stand. Some of the students snickered. Principal Higgins gave them a twitchy little smile. Then he straightened his tie, cleared his throat into the mic, and jerked away from the sudden feedback whine.

“Umm, excuse me? Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”

Finally, you thought with a relieved sigh. You rose to your feet and pushed in your chair. “Well, looks like it’s time for me to head over. Enjoy the rest of your night, gentlemen. I’ll see you two on Monday.”

You waved goodbye, took a few steps and

“Hey, Y/N?”

turned back to look at Grant. “Yeah?”

“Look, this probably won’t help much, but I think it’s something you need to hear.” Grant rubbed his neck pensively for a minute. He glanced at Jeff and received an encouraging nod. “Umm, that day, I know Eddie said he was quitting the campaign and everything, but you gotta know he didn’t really mean it. He was just mad and needed to go home and blow off some steam. He came back for the next session.”

You sucked in a breath. “He did?”

“Yeah, he did,” said Grant, while Jeff looked at you with a pitying frown. “And, umm, obviously I can’t really say for sure, but… I think he was hoping you’d be there.”

“Really?” you said, and let Grant’s words sink in for a minute. “So, basically, you’re saying if I’d just sucked it up and gone to the next session, I might’ve—” You clenched your jaw tightly, fighting back the tears that threatened to rip you apart. “Wow… You’re right, Grant, that didn’t help at all.”

You spun around and shouldered your way onto the dance floor, desperate to lose yourself among the gathering crowd. On stage, Principal Higgins was rambling about the future, talking about how far you’d all come, how you were about to move on to bigger and better things…

But I’m not ready to move on, you thought. Not yet. Not without—

You looked over your shoulder, squeezed your eyes shut, and turned back around.

God dammit! Why did I have to join that stupid campaign? If I hadn’t, maybe this would’ve been just another meaningless crush. Maybe I would’ve actually moved on during those two years. Maybe I would’ve noticed someone else. Been noticed by someone else. Shit, maybe I would’ve felt something when Teddy Brubacher kissed me at Katie McDillon’s New Year’s Eve party. Maybe he would’ve been my prom date tonight and—

You whipped around and hissed: “What? What, Teddy?”

Teddy Brubacher flinched away from you, startled. “Well, you were looking at me like you wanted me to come over.”

“What? No, I wasn’t!”

“Yes, you were. I saw you. You were beckoning me with your eyes.”

Teddy’s gaze shifted as he spoke, traveling lower and lower. Disgust churned in your stomach. Anger burned through you like fire. You squirmed away and crossed your arms over your chest.

“Oh my god, I was not beckoning you with my eyes, Teddy. I was just glancing in your general direction, okay? Now, can you please go bother someone else? I’m really not in the mood to talk to you right now.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You sure? ’Cause you look like you’re about to cry.”

“Teddy, go!”

“All right, fine…” Teddy stuffed his hands into his pockets and sauntered away. “You know, maybe you should stop sending me so many mixed signals. Ever think of that?”

“What? I’m not sending you mixed signals. I’m not sending you any signals! I don’t like you, Teddy. I’ve never liked you. You’re a perverted little cretin that refuses to leave me alone. There. You happy now? Is that a clear enough signal for you?”

Teddy sneered at you. “God, you’re such a bitch.”

“Yeah, well…”

Your throat closed. For a moment, you thought you might break down and start sobbing right in the middle of the dance floor. You didn’t, but your eyes were wet and glistening like mirrors. You hid your face so no one would see and moved closer to the stage.

Keep it together, keep it together… You’re so close. Don’t fall apart now.

It was a quarter past ten, and you were unraveling.

But you put on a brave face for your best friend. Chrissy was standing off to the side with the other prom queen candidates: Sarah Twinley, Jennifer Warner, and Kara Scott. Chrissy didn’t know what to do with herself on stage. She kept shifting her weight around. Crossing her ankles. Folding and unfolding her arms. But all that fidgeting came to a stop when she spotted you in the crowd. Chrissy smiled and gave you a cute little wave. It was such a precious gesture, like a child waving at her parents during a school play. At that moment, all your problems seemed so insignificant.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students were growing restless. A boy cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted from the back row: “Come on, save the sappy shit for graduation. We wanna party!”

The crowd cheered and hollered. Principal Higgins motioned for silence.

“Quiet! Quiet, please. You can all return to your party in just a minute, but first let’s have a round of applause for this year’s prom court!” The audience applauded half-heartedly. Principal Higgins stepped away and began clapping himself. Then he drew a card from his breast pocket and returned to the mic. “All right, seniors, and now the moment you’ve all been waiting for… The votes are in. We counted them twice. Your 1986 Prom King and Queen are… drum roll, please… Jason CARVER and Chrissy CUNNINGHAM.”

Applause broke out and filled the hall, honest and proud. You were clapping from the third row, a placid smile tugging at your lips. Congratulations, Chris. No one deserves it more than you.

Jason and Chrissy stepped forward with gracious smiles. Sashes were draped over them. Crowns were brought out and placed on their heads. Chrissy’s landed a little crooked. She gently nudged it into place with her hand, then blinked as a bouquet of red roses was suddenly thrust upon her.

Principal Higgins boomed into the mic: “LET’S HEAR IT FOR YOUR KING AND QUEEN!”

Applause swelled and the crowd surged. All the basketball players were going wild. The cheerleaders were whooping and whistling with their fingers. You were still clapping, but no longer smiling. All the commotion was giving you a bit of a headache. Then an old, scratchy recording of the school fight song blared over the speakers, and you really started to get a headache.

Back on stage, Chrissy and Jason were posing for yearbook photos: flash after flash after flash. Chrissy’s smile kept slipping between shots. Her eyes darted around helplessly. She wanted to leave. She needed to leave. The lights were too bright. The music was too loud. And this stupid crown refused to stay put! It kept tipping and sliding down her head like it was trying to run away from her, like it knew she was a fraud—a false queen, who was undeserving of its majesty. Chrissy may have been able to fool her classmates, but she couldn’t fool the crown. It had weighed her, judged her, and declared her unworthy.

But still the applause came. It never stopped. The sound poured into Chrissy’s ears and made her feel dizzy, made her feel sick, made her want to pull away and…

And then she felt Jason’s gentle touch on her head, effortlessly gliding the stubborn crown back into place.

“There,” he said with a satisfied nod. “Much better… Man, that must’ve been driving you crazy, huh?”

Chrissy stared up at him, speechless.

“Thank you, by the way, for suffering through this with me. There’s no one else I’d rather be standing next to right now.”

Jason’s smile was confident and his eyes unwavering. Chrissy’s heart soared. She reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“What was that for?” Jason asked, bemused.

“Nothing,” Chrissy said, “I just feel the same way. Come on.”

She took his hand and led him across the stage, down the stairs, to the middle of the dance floor. The audience parted around them naturally, moving in great waves that rippled outward in every direction. You stood still, grounded like a stone. Then the applause died and the lights dimmed, covering the hall in a veil of shadow that made everything feel so painfully romantic. You sighed as it fell over you, and sighed again when the DJ played Cyndi Lauper’s famous bittersweet ballad, “Time After Time.”

It was ten twenty-three, and you were ready to leave.

You stole one last glimpse of your best friend’s smiling face and felt your chest clench with guilt. Sorry to bail on you early, Chris, but I toughed it out for as long as I could.

Now it was time to go home and put this night behind you. Take that long walk up your driveway. Drag your feet up those creaky porch steps. Swipe your hand along the top of the doorframe and hope with all your heart that your parents hadn’t moved the spare key like they always said they were going to, because you didn’t want to knock on the door and face your parents head-on. Have your dad look into your tear-filled eyes and say with panic in his voice, Oh my god, sweetie, what happened? Did someone hurt you? Yeah, because for him that was the worst possible thing that could have happened to you. That was his greatest fear. And then you would feel so embarrassed to admit the truth: No, Dad, nobody hurt me. Nobody wanted anything to do with me! And then you would run upstairs and spend the rest of the night crying into your pillow, just like you did back in middle school.

You weren’t going to do that tonight. You weren’t going to cry in front of your father. You weren’t going to sit through another one of your mother’s useless pep talks, listen to her blather on and on about how beautiful you were, inside and out, and how one day some lucky guy was going to see it. And when that happens, you’re gonna feel really silly for crying over some dumb school dance. Then you would smirk and say something witty and self-deprecating like, So you’re saying I’m gonna fall in love with a blind guy? And your mother would pretend to laugh and say, Yes, honey, and he’ll even think your jokes are funny.

No, you weren’t going to do any of that tonight because you weren’t that pathetic thirteen-year-old girl anymore. You were an adult and fully capable of accepting the consequences of your actions. You fucked up. You made a mistake. It happened. It’s over. Now all you wanted to do was suffer alone in silence.

So, with any luck, that spare key was going to be exactly where it was supposed to be. That way, you could unlock the door and slip inside like everything was fine.

Your mother would hear the door open and tell your father to turn down the volume on the TV. Then she would catch a glimpse of your shadow in the entryway and say, You’re home early. What happened? I thought you were going to the after-party with Chris.

Yeah, I was, but I’m just really tired. Too much dancing, I guess.

Oh… Well, did you have fun?

Yeah, I did.

Then your mother would smile, perhaps even get a little bit smug. See? I told you you’d have a good time, and that would break your heart all over again.

Yeah, you were right, Mom, you would say. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was gonna be.

And you would think, It was so, so much worse.

Then you would tell your parents good night and go upstairs. Wash all the product out of your hair; clean the makeup off your face. Put on your comfiest pajamas, turn out the lights, crawl into bed, and listen to one of your Journey albums because, one way or another, you were going to have your Journey moment tonight. You just wished it was under better circumstances.

And while you lay in bed listening to Steve Perry sing “Only the Young,” while your tears dried on your cheeks and your wet hair drenched your pillow, your thoughts would eventually start to wander; then your eyes would start to wander… over to the tiny crack in your closet door, and suddenly a strange impulse would come over you. You would get up and start rummaging through your closet. Find your old D&D journal inside a cardboard box of long-forgotten keepsakes. Dust it off, flip through a couple of pages, and think,

I could’ve gone back.

No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t shake that thought from your head. You could’ve gone back. You could’ve gone back. The door wasn’t locked that day. It wasn’t. You could’ve opened it and walked through it, but you didn’t. Instead, you ran away and avoided the problem like you always did; told Scottie you were done with the campaign and spent the rest of the summer wasting away in your bedroom, alone, waiting for Chrissy to come home and put you back together again, because you thought the door was closed, locked, sealed away forever.

You

could’ve gone back

were wrong.

And that’s when you felt a hot burst of adrenaline shoot through your veins, making your whole body buzz with nervous, excited energy.

Well, shit! If you were wrong then, maybe you were wrong now. And now that you knew this, how could you possibly move forward?

I could’ve gone back.

I could’ve gone back.

This single intrusive thought was going to haunt you for the rest of your life: while you returned to class on Monday and begged your teacher to let you change seats; while you studied for finals; while you stood on stage and received your diploma, had the principal move the little tassel on your graduation cap; while you packed for college; while you unpacked for college; while you wandered around campus for the first time and discovered a D&D club flyer pinned to the student activity board; while you snuck a peek into one of their meetings, got caught, and said with a furious blush, Sorry, I think I’m in the wrong room.

Then, eventually, maybe in a month, maybe in a year, maybe in (God forbid) ten years, you were going to meet someone and—yep, sure enough, that thought was still going to be in the back of your mind. Even on your wedding day, it was going to be there. You could see it now so clearly: you standing at the altar in a white gown, staring at some sorry sonofabitch in a black tux; and right before you said, I do, you would pause for half a second and think,

I could’ve gone back.

I should’ve gone back.

I should’ve

I should

I…

Boom! Another blast of adrenaline. This one knocked you backwards and sent you crashing into another student.

“Oh, shit! I’m—”

You spun around and came face to face with Brittany Wirth’s snooty little smirk.

“Jeez,” she said, “walk much?”

“No,” you replied with a wide, open-mouthed grin. “Actually, this is my very first time. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it eventually.”

You walked away, giggling madly as you did. Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m doing this. Wait, am I really doing this? Because this could end very badly for me. Yeah, I could be heading into a real shitstorm right now…

And then you felt your legs get heavy, so heavy, and your steps gradually slowed to a stop. It was back again, just like that. With one thought, the anxiety had snuck back into your heart and seized it with a cold, crushing grip. You couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

What if you’re wrong? that little voice said. What if Eddie wants nothing to do with you now? What if he tells you to get lost and slams the door in your face?

God, that would suck, you thought. Yeah, I’m not sure I could handle that.

But then Chrissy’s words came back to you, quieting all your fears. No matter what happens, you’re gonna be fine, and you knew she was right.

Regardless of how this night ended, you were going to be just fine.

So you took a deep breath, picked up your feet, and kept walking. Pushed through the crowd. Flew past your empty table. Raced up the stairs and saw the door. The closed door.

Closed, but not locked.

You could still open it.

You would open it.

You surged forward… and suddenly Chance Gallagher was standing in front of you, blocking your path, smiling at you with those perfectly straight, blindly white teeth.

“Hey, I—”

“Yeah, you can fuck right off,” you said to Chance, and went around him. Then, over your shoulder: “Oh, and by the way, you owe me forty-five bucks, asshole!”

Laughter exploded from your chest, full and free. You surrendered to it willingly, eagerly, let it consume you, let it fill you, let it roll off your tongue, off your lips, and float into the air as you kept walking. Nervous as you were, you kept walking towards that door. And once you finally reached it, once you felt the cool metal handle beneath your fingertips, you

stopped.

It had stopped.

Cyndi Lauper.

Music.

The music, it had stopped.

Why had it stopped?

The entire hall was dead silent for a moment; then, suddenly, it was alive with the sound of hushed voices, sighs, and stifled laughter. You looked over your shoulder and felt your breath catch in your throat.

It was ten twenty-six, and Eddie Munson was on stage with the mic in his hand.

It took Principal Higgins all of five seconds to realize what was happening. He put down his punch, slid the silver flask back into his jacket, stormed the stage, and went straight for the microphone.

“Nope. Nope, we’re not doing this tonight. Come on, hand over the mic. Yeah, give it here, son. How about showing some respect for your fellow classmates, huh?”

Principal Higgins reached for the mic. Eddie yanked it away.

“Actually, I have tons of respect for my classmates,” Eddie told him. “That’s why I waited so patiently for you guys to finish. And you… yes, you, sir… you talked for a really, really long time, and now… yeah, now it’s my turn, so…”

He raised the mic to his lips and turned back to the crowd, his eyes clear and focused.

Searching…

Searching…

… and not finding.

“Well, shit,” Eddie said under his breath. The mic caught it anyway and drew contemptuous laughter from the audience. Eddie covered the mic with his hand, then flashed a sheepish smile in the principal’s direction. “Sorry,” he said. “Forgot the mic was on.”

Principal Higgins sighed, put his head in his hand, and started counting the days until graduation.

Meanwhile, Edith Layne was watching anxiously from the fourth row. She sank into herself like a frightened turtle and wondered if she was partly to blame for this disaster. Then she looked over at her prom co-chair and knew she was definitely going to get blamed for this. I’m just way too nice.

On the other side of the room, Brittany Wirth was clawing at her face in terror. Her prom… oh no, her picture-perfect prom! All those months she spent planning, obsessing over every little detail: picking the venue, planning the menu, buying all the decorations, folding all those little white place cards that everyone kept throwing on the floor!

This wasn’t supposed to be happening right now. She was supposed to be humming along with Cyndi Lauper and, instead, she was watching Eddie Munson light the torch and burn all her efforts to the ground!

No, this can’t be happening. This can’t be happening!

Brittany threw down her hands and growled. “Ugh, I knew it… I fucking knew it! I knew that freak was gonna pull a stunt like this.” She turned and took off like a charging bull, knocking everyone out of her path. “Outta my way. Outta my way! Move. Move!”

Brittany blew past you on the staircase and almost knocked you over.

“Jeez,” you said to her, “walk much?”

Brittany stopped and sucked in a startled gasp, eyes wide, mouth hanging open in a silent scream. “You’re part of the problem,” she whispered hotly, and then went scrambling up the stairs and out the door.

You watched Brittany go with a befuddled frown. “What did I do?”

Shrugging, you proceeded down the stairs and started pushing your way toward the stage.

“Well, this is embarrassing,” Eddie said, staring at a wall of unamused and irritated faces, none so furious as Jason Carver in his gold sash and red velvet crown. Chrissy Cunningham was beside him, grimacing with second-hand embarrassment.

Sweat trickled down the back of Eddie’s neck. “Uhh… let’s have one more round of applause for the king and queen!” He lowered the mic and started beating his hand against his wrist, prompting half the audience to applaud in a stiff, awkward manner. “You two look great, by the way, with the sashes and the crowns. Yeah, they make you both look very… uhh… regal.”

Eddie let the mic fall to his side. It went thump, thump, thump against his thigh.

Down on the dance floor, Jason Carver had heard enough. “Man, this guy just can’t help himself, can he?” He lunged forward… only to be drawn back by Chrissy’s gentle but firm hand.

“Don’t,” she said. “Please?”

Jason gave her a confused look, but did as she asked. Then Chrissy stepped forward herself and started searching for you in the crowd. When she couldn’t find you, her heart sank with despair. Oh, no… please, no… tell me you didn’t really leave. You’ll hate yourself forever if you did.

And now Principal Higgins was trying to grab the mic again.

“All right, son, you’ve had your fun—”

Eddie thrust out his hand defensively and jumped back. “No, just wait, okay? Gimme a second, just one second. Look, I had a plan, and I know it’s kinda blowing up in my face right now, but I’m not getting off this stage until I say what I need to say, and I can’t say what I need to say until she gets here, okay? So, with all due respect, right now I need you to back off and have a little patience, man, ’cause she’s gonna be here soon. I know she’s gonna be here… or, uhh, at least I hope she will.” Eddie pushed his hand through his hair and frowned. “Actually, she’s probably doing this on purpose ’cause, between you and me, she’s kinda vindictive like that. Yeah, she just loves embarrassing me and, y’know, making me look like an asshole in front of everyone…”

And then you wedged yourself between two students and forced your way into the front row. Eddie found you instantly. His chest rose and fell in a deep, shaky breath. You crossed your arms in front of you and raised your hand in a timid, apologetic wave.

“Hi,” you mouthed.

“Hi,” Eddie said back.

Maybe it was due to the lights, maybe it was due to the intense rush of relief he felt when he finally saw you, but at that moment you never looked more beautiful.

Eddie’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly. He cracked a tiny smile. “It’s funny,” he said into the mic, “I had this whole speech prepared, but now… yeah, now I can’t seem to remember any of it.” He breathed out a quiet laugh, then started tracing his bottom lip with his tongue. All the while, his eyes never left yours.

In the silence, someone shouted, “Get off the stage, freak!” and pockets of laughter broke out among the audience. You winced at the sound, turned, and saw Andy Hauffman give Clay Howard a high five.

Eddie acknowledged the boy’s comment with a bitter, resigned smirk. Then he immediately turned back to you.

“Y’know, that word used to bother me a lot when I was younger, and I guess it still stings a little, but…” He slipped into a brooding silence for a moment, his expression reflecting years of loneliness and shame. “All my life, I’ve had people telling me to tone it down, telling me to stop, to ‘try to act more normal’… except you… yeah, for you, I wasn’t weird enough.”

His face broke into a bright, misty-eyed smile.

“And I wish I could put into words what that meant to me back then, what it still means to me now, ’cause I think if you knew how I really felt, you’d understand why none of this makes any sense to me. You really thought I’d forget you? Man, I wish I could forget you. Yeah, I wish I could move on and, y’know, kill you off in my head, but no matter what I do, you refuse to die. I dunno, you’re like a zombie or something.”

You scrunched up your nose. Did this man seriously just compare you to an undead, flesh-eating monster?

Eddie saw your face and panicked. “Wait, hold on, that… I didn’t mean to say that. Yeah, I dunno why I…”

He closed his eyes and took a deep, deep breath. “Look, you were right. I did come here for someone else… but I stayed for you. I was gonna leave. Yeah, I was getting ready to go home and forget this night ever happened, but then you came running out those doors and you blew right past me, just bawling your eyes out. And I didn’t know why you were crying or why it bothered me so much, but I just knew I couldn’t leave you alone.”

Eddie’s words wrapped around your heart and squeezed so tightly it made you want to cry. You thought back to the moment he came stumbling into the restroom. The way his eyes bulged when they met yours. You thought he was shocked to see you, but…

“Yeah… I lied,” he said. “See, I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet, too. Not nearly as good as you, of course, but I can hold my own.” Eddie chuckled a little to himself, his lips curling into that cheeky little grin that always made your brain short-circuit. “Security was never after me. I just made all that up. Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t even think security knows I’m here… well, now they probably do, which means I’ve got about thirty seconds before they come and give me the hook, so I better make this quick.”

Eddie glanced at the door, saw it swing open, then his eyes raced right back to you. The corner of his mouth lifted into a tranquil, tenderhearted smile.

“You said you robbed me of my one great memory, but you didn’t… you couldn’t… because you are my great memory. You’re my greatest memory.”

Your heart swelled, overflowing with more emotions than you could process: joy, gratitude, love… most of all, love. You stared up at Eddie with tears in your eyes, wanting nothing more than for him to jump down from the stage, take you in his arms, and kiss you right in front of everyone. If this was a movie like Pretty in Pink, that might have happened, and then you would have danced the night away in a kick-ass closing credit scene.

Unfortunately, this was reality, and in reality, perfect little moments like this always got ruined by big-haired, bumptious bitches like Brittany Wirth.

She marched into the hall with two security guards in tow, pointed at the stage, and said, “There. There he is. Now can you please get that jackass out of here?”

Eddie saw them coming and his shoulders sank in defeat. “Ah, shit, here we go…” His time had officially run out. He’d sung his last song and now they were about to drop the curtain on Eddie Munson’s one-man show.

But first… first, he had one last request to fulfill.

Eddie lifted the mic once more and smiled at you. “I know you really wanted to hear me play my guitar tonight, but uhh, given the circumstances, I hope this is the next best thing.”

He lowered the mic and let it drop to the floor. Over the speakers, a piano began softly, playing a simple but beautiful chord progression that made you clasp your hands over your mouth in surprise. It was “Open Arms.” You were finally getting your Journey moment. It took all your strength to keep from squealing like an idiot. You wanted to laugh. You wanted to cry. You wanted to smack the person next to you and say, See? The perfect prom song. Those bitches should’ve listened to me.

But you didn’t have time to do any of that because Eddie had climbed down from the stage and was about to be taken away by security.

A burly man in a blue suit said to him, “Come on, kid, it’s late. I’m really not in the mood to get physical with you. So how ’bout you just leave quietly on your own and make my life a little easier, okay? There’s no need to cause a big scene.”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” said Brittany Wirth with an uppity little smirk.

The other guard turned to her. “Miss, please, let us handle this.”

Brittany’s face flushed a deep, rosy pink. She huffed and walked away.

“God, she’s such a bitch,” Eddie mumbled under his breath. Then to the guards, he said, “Look, I’m not here to argue with you guys, okay? I know I’m not supposed to be here, and I know it’s your job to keep guys like me out. It’s cool, I get it. We’re all on the same page. All I’m asking for is a little time to say goodbye to someone. That’s it. Just a quick goodbye and you guys can drag me on outta here. You can even cuff me, if you want.”

“Do we need to cuff you?”

“Well, no, I’m just…” Eddie dragged his eyes away, saw you, and grew restless, desperate to get to you. He clenched his jaw, clenched his fists, and let out a frustrated groan. “Look, you see that really pretty girl over there? She and I were having a very romantic moment, and you guys, uhh… yeah, you kinda ruined it, so the least you can do is let me go say bye to her.”

The guard heaved an exasperated sigh. “Kid, come on…”

“Hey, man, I’ve already been here for like three hours. What’s another three minutes, right?”

“You can’t stay here. You don’t have a ticket.”

That’s when your hand flew to your chest, and you gasped. “Yes, he does,” you said. “He has a ticket. I… I have his ticket.”

You dove into the bodice of your dress, causing the guards to avert their eyes.

“Uhh, miss—”

“Oh, what?” you said to them. “You think I’m gonna flash you or something? Relax, okay? I just didn’t feel like carrying around a purse all night.” You pulled out the ticket, walked over, and handed it to the blue suit. “There. See?”

The guard casually examined the ticket, front and back, then looked at you. “He’s your date?”

“Yep,” you said. “He’s my date.”

Eddie gestured toward you and said with a boastful grin, “I’m her date.”

The guard rolled his eyes and grumbled in response. He flipped the ticket back and forth one more time, glanced at his co-worker, and they both shrugged. “Whatever,” he said, “I don’t really care,” and they both left.

Eddie turned to you with grateful eyes. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

“Well, I figured it’s the least I could do…” You smiled up at him, nerves fluttering in your stomach. “That was quite the performance you gave back there. Highly entertaining.”

“Yeah, I thought you might enjoy it…”

“Oh, I did,” you said. “Yeah, it’s definitely in my top three.”

“Your top three, huh?” Eddie fought back a smile. “And what, dare I ask, is number one?”

Your smile grew into a mischievous grin. “The speech you always give right before finals—you know, the one where you talk about flipping off the principal at graduation?” You bit your lip to keep from laughing but ended up giggling anyway. “I swear, that speech gets funnier and funnier every year you don’t graduate. Turns out ’84 wasn’t your year, Munson. Neither was ’85.”

“Yeah, I guess they weren’t,” Eddie said while staring at you. “I’ve got a good feeling about this year, though.”

His soft, dreamy gaze made you blush.

Then he pointed toward the overhead speaker. “See, I got you Journey,” he said. “Wait, this is Journey, right?”

You laughed. “Yes, this is Journey.”

“Okay, good, ’cause the DJ gave me a really weird look, probably ’cause I don’t look like the kinda guy who would ever request Journey, which is fair… Anyway, since we’re on the topic of uhh, Journey, I think you might be a little too obsessed with Steve Perry, which is cool and all, but uhh… yeah, we’re definitely gonna have to set some ground rules, y’know, once we actually start dating.”

Your heart jumped. “Dating?”

“Wait, I didn’t tell you? Shit, sorry, I’m getting a little ahead of myself.” Eddie folded his arms over his chest and gave a thoughtful nod. “Yeah, way I see it, I’ve gotta squeeze about four years of dating into like four months, so… yeah, I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me.”

“Four years, huh?” Inside, you were screaming. “You really think we would’ve been dating for that long?”

“You don’t think so? Well, I think so… Yeah, I definitely would’ve swooped in during your freshman year. No doubt in my mind. I mean, I would’ve given you a couple weeks to settle in. Then, when you least expected it…”

You made a motion with your hand. “Swoop.”

“Mhm,” Eddie said, and you both laughed. “So, I dunno what your plans are for the summer, but sorry, they’re all going out the window ’cause I intend to monopolize all of your time.”

A giddy feeling rose within you. You had to sneak in a quick breath to calm yourself down. “Well, I’ve been warned.”

That made him smirk. “I love how you’re trying really hard to act like you’re not happy right now, but I can easily tell you are, so…”

Eddie went quiet for a second, his eyes shifting back and forth in thought. Then, out of nowhere, he leaned toward you and said in a low voice, “Hey, you wanna get outta here?”

His deep brown eyes pulled you in like a magnet. “Yes,” you said, “definitely.”

“Good, ’cause… honestly, I’ve been wanting to leave since I got here.”

“Yeah, me too,” you said breathlessly, unable to break his gaze. “I just, umm, I need to say goodbye to someone first.”

“Sure,” he replied with a nod. “Take your time. I’ll just be, uhh, waiting for you by the door.”

Eddie backed away from you slowly, giving you a lingering look that made you feel dizzy and light-headed. Once he was gone, you pressed your hands against your burning cheeks and thought, Oh my god! Oh my god!

You spun around and spotted Chrissy across the dance floor, watching you with the biggest, brightest smile. You rushed up to her and grabbed both her hands, squeezing them tightly with excitement.

“Hey, I’m—”

“Leaving, I’m assuming?”

“Yeah,” you said. “Yeah, I am…”

Chrissy’s eyes sparkled with unrestrained joy. She pulled you in for a tight hug and said to you, “See? I told you you’re the lottery.”

You pulled away and pecked her cheek. “You’re a goddess.”

“Oh, I like that…” Chrissy touched her face and grinned. “Yeah, let’s keep that one.”

You both giggled, hugged one last time, and broke away.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, you better!” Chrissy yelled, and then she watched you leave with a warm, tender feeling in her heart.

Once you were out of earshot, Jason Carver leaned over and said to her, “You’re not seriously letting her leave with that guy, are you?”

And Chrissy said, “Yes. Yes, I am.” She smiled up at him. “This was a good night.”

“You had fun?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I did.”

Jason nodded, looked away, and smiled a little to himself. “Good.”

_________________________

PREV // CURRENT // EPILOGUE

*cries happy tears* It’s finally over!

Okay, I realize some of you may be disappointed that there was no big kiss at the end, but I left it out for two reasons: 1) they already had their kiss 2) it’s incredibly cliched, and I didn’t want to go that route. Don’t worry, though, because there will be plenty of kissing (and then some) in the epilogue “Post Prom,” which will be the first of many, many side stories I have planned for this fic.

Thank you so much for reading! ❤︎

[prosaic-bun]

Sal Vindagnyr odds and ends

Pairing: Kaeya x Mc x Albedo

Novelette

Genre: Fluff - Angst (just a little) - Post 1 year timeskip

Author Notes: it's 3:45 in the morning, but I didn't want to risk delaying posting any longer. I avoided a bit writting this and I think it shows a little in the first part, but I really picked up some steam by the end of the chapter. As mentioned Chapter 9 will be a 'beach episode' filler. I'll also add a quick Google Form in its Author Notes, consisting of really straightfoarward questions to gauge the interest for my ideas and future projects.

Trigger Warning: momentarly inapropriate physical touching

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 (you are here) - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10

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Chapter 8

5k words Mc had his hands on his knees failing to catch his breath panting heavily while looking at the ground. Kaeya, Albedo and him just cleared all the monsters in the Forsaken rift, right after completing Valley of remembrance. Mc focused on his quick shallow breaths to lengthen them the more his impatient lungs would allow; inhaling through his nostrils and exhaling through pursed lips helped even his breathing. To clear this domain they had the steel of their blades and Albedo’s geo attacks since they were facing off with cryo slimes and cryo abyss mages. Piercing through the thick cryo elemental shield of many slimes while dodging falling ice shards really drained the group’s stamina.

Mc straightened his posture and sneaked a quick glance at his Knights of Favonius companions. In the past, they often minimized their condition or hid their injuries, so the nymph took it upon himself to make sure he healed the superficial scratches and soothe any remaining pain after their expeditions. Albedo was massaging his wrist and shoulder; the nymph did notice the alchemist's elemental skill and burst seemed to have a drawback on his joints. The cavalry captain seemed pretty much alright, some drops of sweat on his temples. His face looked particularly smug while he leaned towards Albedo’s ear to either brag about his physical prowess or either tell a joke to humour the stern alchemist. To give credit where credit is due, Mc would agree they can boast a little since the two swordsmen had perfected their attacks to a point it looks beautiful without rendering the strikes any weaker, both had precision and efficiency.

Mc made his way towards the other two and noticed the proximity of their bodies; he wasn’t naive enough to believe the cold was responsible for their closeness. Kaeya noticed the nymph in his peripheral vision prompting him to praise the Sal Vindagnyr native.

«Who would have guessed our little prodigy would be able to render abyss mages harmless by using their ley line sprout against them; truly, I'm impressed Mc.» Kaeya complimented.

«Neither would I have guessed myself. I just tried it without expectations and I got lucky, it seems like those mages have a fragmented understanding of the power they use.» Mc answered sheepishly.

«You always find new ways to amaze us, Mc.» Albedo commented, pensive eyes gliding on the nymph features as if other wonders would bloom this very instant.

« Come on, let's get moving. We're not frozen in place, after all.» The cryo vision bearer advised, leading them to the altar.

« I stumbled upon an interesting excerpt from a book referencing this domain. If my memory serves me well it goes as follows: It is said in ancient times, people would venture into the valley to seek out the ancient tree on the altar. They would whisper their secrets into the tree hole, relieving themselves of the burden of keeping the secrets to themselves. The Forsaken Rift is filled with long-forgotten secrets. » Albedo detailed. «So it’s safe to assume it’s from this tradition that the domain got its name.» Mc commented. Mc faced the frozen altar as he looked intently at the tree. He investigated the trunk circumference in search of the hole where secrets were presumably whispered. «Hum maybe the tree hollow was meant to be understood figuratively so there isn’t any tangible semi-enclosed cavity in the tree.» The nymph posited.

«Will you try to fuse nymphæ style with the silver tree like in the last domain.» Kaeya asked.

«Sure, I hope we get to learn about more useful things than the fate of a white knight and a maiden.» Mc mumbled under his breath.

Albedo let out a small ‘be careful’ at his companion, who answered by a small nod. Mc placed his hands on the sturdy silver trunk and closed his eyes to focus. The tree seemed to react positively to his touch, inviting him in like an old friend. The nymph dove into the knowledge stored in the Forsaken Rift domain’s ley lines. The domain itself seemed to encourage him to go beyond the teachings and philosophies it usually dispenses.

The tree first shared images of murals in a dim lit room. It was easy for Mc to identify the work of the Princess. Moving on, the tree showed a succession of various mental images of Varuch going up the mountains in search of pieces of advice and Ukko trying to heal the ley lines. Everything went pitch black and whispers filled the nymph's mind:

«...its soul, and Starsilver its bones. But the one who could wield it, the ice-breaking outlander, Imunlau...attempted to heal the Leylines, but the tree had already withered. After burying the princess...without result or reply, Varuch proceeded on to the summit...snow whipped across the skies. The pillar that fell from the heavens was riven in three...far from snow and strife, and came upon this verdant paradise. A monument was laid down in this place, and it was named Sal Vind...dreamed of the black dragon that blotted down the sun, and knew it to be an omen of doom. That same month, the outlander...guided to where the pale white tree stood. That month, the underground waterway...ended. There is no more need for records. Yet I regret nothing more than having been unable to watch her finish the fresco within that great hall...»

Mental images of Imunlaukr replaced the previous darkness; they showed the outlander returning to the mountain only to find that the kingdom’s people were already dead. Swirling red colours assailed Mc’s mind and new whispers took on the duty to tell another story: «He had a very, very long dream...

He dreamed that he and everyone else had gone on a long, long journey, Into a land where green grass grew, and where soulful songs were sung. He dreamed that he sang along with the gentle people of this land, And danced in the skies with a dragon as beauteous as a jewel.

When he opened his eyes, he was in the sky above a mountain swept by roaring snowstorms. The green, tranquil land had already been painted crimson by fire and blood, And the song of that sky-blue bard's lyre was almost drowned in the howling tumult.

And that bejeweled, lovely dragon, like a tender lover, Had now pierced his neck through with its sharp fangs.

"Farewell, Mother! My journey has ended."

"I shall sleep beneath this white, shining silver... and perhaps this, too, is good."

"Farewell, O lovely bard! And farewell, O lovely dragon!"

"Would that we had met in a different time and place,"

"To meet, to song and dance together!" So he thought most sincerely as he lay dying.

"Now then, this great blessing that pulses through my veins,"

"And lovely sight of the dark universe that gave me birth..."

"They are now yours to inherit."»

Mc tried to slow the flux of information the tree was pouring into his mind. Realising he had no control over it, the nymph felt the engorging knowledge translate into pressure into his skull and sinuses mimicking the fall of a nail into the rocky peak of a mountain. As he was about to sever the connection, the tumult evanesced into a single general feeling - a beacon from a higher altitude combined with the need to visit the domain at the apex of Dragonspine. Images of the crater caused by the Skyfrost Nail gave him a foretaste of what was waiting for him. While the last mental image was fading away, Mc discerned an ominous aura pooling around the entry doors of the top of the mountain domain.

The nymph reopened his eyes, blinking to moisten them and to reintroduce himself with his surroundings. Turning around he saw Kaeya seated at the base of the three, eyes closed and Albedo standing a few steps away seemingly examining the ceiling.

«For how long did I merge with the tree?» Mc asked, straightening himself up.

Kaeya inhaled sharply as if woken up by the voice of the nymph ~~~ although he was only briefly resting his eyes. «Hum I’d say about 20 minutes tops.» Kaeya answered with a smile and dozy eyes. «Did you learn anything noteworthy?»

«Hum, it's just a lot. Powerful and complex components resulted in the current situation; sheer cold is an example of that. I can tell the ley lines remember many endeavours that took place on these snowy slopes.» Mc pensively answered, the last landscape he witnessed imposing itself in his mind. «When I’ve got some time I’ll meditate on what was shared with me. For now my brain is too tired.»

«You are right, we should leave for now. It was quite a journey and we are all tired, even our little alchemist is silent.» Kaeya noted.

Mc turned around to look at a motionless Albedo still staring at the ceiling. The nymph closed the distance and gently taped on the Alchemist’s shoulder. Without earning any reaction from the man, Mc tried again but this time saying his name and shaking his shoulder with a little bit more emphasis.

The nymph’s second attempt seemed to snap Albedo out of his dissonant state, making him stumble forward. Light headed, Albedo’s movements were sluggish making it impossible for him to catch himself up, resulting in him skipping the flight of stairs that connects the altar with the platform. The alchemist was properly catapulted onto the cold domain floor.

Mc lurched forward with kaeya hot on his heels. The nymph kneeled down and helped Albedo to turn on his back, one hand under his nape to keep the alchemist's head off the floor in the process. Albedo’s eyelids fluttered and he brought his hand to cover his forehead. Mc started kneading the tendons at the base of the alchemist skull bringing energy to his fingertip to infuse the connective tissue with healing.

Albedo lowered his hand from his face only for Kaeya to trap it gently in his hands, squeezing it lightly to show his support. «What happened?» Albedo grunted.

«It looked like you were in some kind of trance, you really surprised us there. If you want to go to the stars just tell us and we’ll make it happen.» Even though Kaeya talked with his usual wit, his livid expression showed how much he worried over Albedo collapsing without any warning. Albedo chuckled and apologized. «Don’t you apologize, it wasn’t your fault. Now let me take a look at your lips, it seems like you bite it when you fell» Mc scolded. The nymph then concentrated energy in his free hand and with a feathery touch healed the alchemist’s lips. Albedo’s cheeks got dusted with pink, only for him to avert his eyes and try to sit himself more properly.

«Thank you for that, I feel much better.» Albedo stammered. «You don’t have any idea what triggered your trance?» Mc inquired while swatting Albedo’s hand away to finish closing up superficial scratches interspersed along his chin and jaw. «I don’t remember very well what happened after Kaeya sat next to the tree to wait.» «Could it be that you were sensing something threatening over us?» Kaeya asked. «I really don’t know, everything felt like a dream. That was quite a peculiar experience.» Albedo answered. A pause followed, the trio remained quiet and they took in what just happened. «So I presume we will not grace the Angel’s Share of our presence tonight after all. We’ll make sure you get some rest, Albedo.» Kaeya indicated. «On the contrary, I believe dandelion wine and good company would be perfect to put my mind at ease.» Albedo admitted.

«Only months ago, I would have never thought such words would come out of the mouth of the esteemed Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius.» Kaeya pointed out. «It seems the roguish behaviours of none other than the Cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius have rubbed off on me. That is quite an appalling outcome.»

«Don’t paint me out to be a wretched hooligan. After all, Angel’s Share is a wonderful place to glean information.»

«Ah yes i can picture it nicely, the Frostwind Swordsman parading in such an establishment like a puff up peacock.»

The two continued to bicker back and forth on the way back. Although Mc was still worried, their lively mood helped him loosen up and rule off the strange occurrence as a harmless one time deal.

****

Kaeya walked back from the bar with appetizers, a whole bottle of dandelion wine and a glass of cider for his treasured nymph. The knight seemed in his element, dodging drunkards that started drinking well before the evening even started. Kaeya slalomed in between the tables eager to reach his destination; only an informed eye would notice the added pep in his walk. The Cavalry Captain seated himself next to Albedo and in diagonal with the nymph. He proceeded to give Mc his drink and opened the bottle of wine to pour it into two glasses.

The trio reveled in the intimacy of the crowded room. The general chatter made them continuously lean forward to better converse bringing another layer of proximity between the three. If Mc noticed Kaeya being fonder of physical touches than usual, he blamed it on the general atmosphere of the bar. Maybe it was a way to lessen the distance created by the sturdy wooden table. If the nymph still held worries about the alchemist's condition, it didn’t show; especially since he was snickering at Kaeya’s current antics. The levity of his circumscribed audience only fueled his desire to make them laugh even more.

When evening turned into night, Kaeya had already replenished everybody’s cups many times and also ordered small servings of meals to share amongst themselves. This time Kaeya had left the table to relieve himself and probably freshen up.

«You know, with all that I didn’t get to give you my thanks for taking care of me after I met with the floor.» Albedo acknowledged. Mc was at a loss for words. Albedo was facing him fully, leaning forward to make sure his words reached the nymph’s ears. His eyelids seemed heavy with alcohol or something else maybe, but his eyes were glued onto the Sal Vindagnyr native. Even in the dim light, Mc was able to discern a faint blush on the cheeks of the Kreideprinz. As the nymph remained motionless, Albedo slowly reached for the hand of his interlocutor that was cluttering the table amidst disparate empty mugs and glasses. Meticulously, the alchemist drew in the nymph’s hand until his lips met with the other’s knuckles. He maintained a steady eye contact, an uncomplicated ‘thank you’ escaped his alluring lips.

«Hum…right, I’m glad I could be of assistance. Usually I rely so much on you two.» Mc stammered.

«Shush, you don’t give yourself enough credit.» Albedo corrected as he returned Mc’s hand to the table without letting go however.

Kaeya returned to the table, excusing himself for having left for such a long time. Kaeya briefly stole a glance at his companions' joined hands and then tried to hide his impending smirk by painting a quizzical smile on his face.

«Ahem, so if I sum it up, you two are going on an investigation regarding Hilichurl activity on Thursday and Friday. So that let us Saturday to prepare and Sunday to go on our Dragonspine summit investigation.» Mc commented trying to maintain his composure while harboring a dimple smile.

«Precisely, but we might be back before Friday afternoon. Make sure you are free…» Kaeya began only to be interrupted by a large shadow more or less collapsing on Mc. Both knights jumped to their feets, almost knocking back the table. «Oups, sorry sorry, I didn’t see ya there.» Let out a gruff voice behind the nymph. «Hey it’s you!» The newcomer continued. «I’m Cyrus the Branch Master of the Adventurers' Guild in Mondstadt.» He exclaimed while harshly patting down Mc’s shoulder. «Jack! Jack com’ere! Come see the pretty little thing that Dragonspine ditched out a few months ago!»

«Little?» Mc deadpanned at the adjective that was never really used to describe him. «Well maybe compared to him…» He mumbled under his breath.

«Pretty?» Sputtered both Kaeya and Albedo at the same time, exchanging an insightful look. Before the two knights had the time to do anything, Cyrus brought back his attention to Mc and brazenly let himself crash on the wooden bench next to him. He passed a muscular arm around the nymph's shoulders and drew him in. «You know you ‘er’ look even more interesting up close. Those green shapes on the skin of yours makes you look more… exotic, yes that… exotic. Maybe you could be part of my next Dragonspine expedition since you know the place like you would ‘er’ your hometown.» Mc pleaded with his eye at the two knights to help him out. «Is that so Master Cyrus? Nobody ever described me as exotic before. That’s a first.» Mc replied, trying to get out of the adventurer’s muscular hold. Sadly Cyrus seemed to think the nymph said the funniest thing in the world and uproared in laughter pulling in Mc even more, pressing the subject of his attraction into his sturdy chest.

On the other side of the table Kaeya and Albedo - who up until now displayed a befuddled expression, had the exact same reaction as if Lisa used her electro vision on them.

Kaeya made his way on the other side of Cyrus trying to get his attention. «Master Cyrus, fancy seeing you here! Oh look at that mug, you are all out of alcohol you should ask Jack to refill it for you.» Kaeya suggested. «You’re right my boy! Jack! Jack! More adventure and wine!» Screaming in an ambiguous direction, the branch master turned on his seat, freeing the nymph.

During that time, Albedo stealthily helped Mc detangle himself from the man and signaled Kaeya they were ready to bail. They all made it out briefly after, the cool air of the night contrasting with the tavern's more heavy atmosphere.

«Whew, that guy shouldn’t be drinking like that!» Mc stated while adjusting his jacket on his shoulder as he walked in the general direction of the Knight of Favonius Headquarters.

«He was truly out of line, are you ok Mc?» Albedo asked, speeding up his pace to follow him. «Oh no worries, he actually reminded me of how Varuch - the King-Priest, used to act with me. Sure I would prefer he would be more respectful of my personal space bubble, but they mean no harm.» Mc commented. «And in the end my knights in shining armor easily devised a plan to get me out of there.» With that Mc harbored a facetious smile. «I believe in our case we already established that this kind of physical contact was ok.» Mc swinged both of his arms around the two knights shoulder almost making them fall onward. They walked in what Mc thought was comfortable silence, but a certain Knight was still mulling over the last events that took place at Angel’s Share. The trio was midway through the last flight of stairs before reaching their destination when Kaeya abruptly halted his progression.

«Are you ok Kaeya? Are you going to throw up?» Albedo asked worriedly.

«Only thing that would make me throw up right now, is how Cyrus acted like a buffoon.» Kaeya stated, bubbles of anger making their way into his throat making his speech quaver. «The damn guy ruined everything, treating you like some exotic boy toy.» «Hey hey, no it did not ruin anything. It was only 2 minutes out of many hours during which we enjoyed ourselves.» Mc reassured. «Mc you’re too considerate, he didn’t have the right to grab you like that.» Kaeya argued with a gloomy expression.

«Kaeya, if it makes you feel better I can get Cyrus to apologize to Mc once he isn’t drunk tomorrow. Would you like that?» Albedo interjected.

«Maybe. But first I've got something to say or rather confess to both of you. I didn’t visualize this moment like that, but it doesn’t matter, I'm too upset, I just need to do it especially after what happened.» Kaeya blurted out, his erratic thoughts not aligning properly into coherent sentences. «Albedo, Mc, I need to tell you something of capital importance!» Kaeya straightened up and raised his chin to garner some formality. «The thing is… The thing is that I-» In a flurry of movement, Kaeya found himself tackled against the stone wall, one hand protecting the back of his head from the impact, the other covering his mouth. As a bystander, even Albedo was surprised at the swiftness with which Mc dealt with the Frostwind Swordsman.

«I’m sorry Kaeya, but I can’t let you do that. You see I’m under the impression, maybe unjustifiably so, that this is a case of right words, wrong time.» Mc stated while keeping his stare on Kaeya wide eyes. «Besides, I’m not going to let you blame the alcohol for any confession.» The Cavalry Captain seemed to think thoroughly about what Mc just said. After some time, his eyes crinkled at the corner and he hummed as a way to show his agreement. «Are you sure I can let you open your big mouth?» Mc taunted with a coy smile. «Ah stop!» Kaeya retaliated by licking the nymph’s palm that was covering his mouth, prompting the nymph to release him and step back. A few stairs higher, Albedo was witnessing their shenanigans with amusement evident in his adoring eyes.

«Fair enough Mc, you made a good case and I shall obliged.» Kaeya solemnly announced while bowing a little like he was accepting defeat.

«Great, that’s what I like to hear.» Mc approved.

«But I have one condition.» Kaeya let his sentence float in the crisp night air, passing by Mc then Albedo to climb up the last remaining stairs. He turned around to face the two people that made his days brighter and put his hands on his hips to add a more dramatic effect. «These nights I have trouble finding sleep. It seems that my blankets are not enough to keep me warm at night. I’ve also warned the headquarter maintenance staff that the Quartermaster bedroom is not sufficiently insulated.» Kaeya paused to raise the suspense. «Would you do me the honours of warming up my bed tonight?» «If I remember correctly, the perks of being the quartermaster of the Knights of Favonius means you have a king sized bed?» Mc stated more than inquired.

«Yes, it also happens to be a canopy bed. I guess the owner of the room believes it adds some flair.» Albedo corroborated as he moved up the stairs. «Wait until you try it before passing judgements. It is elegant, but also playful and makes the bed more intimate. Oh and less light filters through.» Kaeya claimed.

****

Mc woke up in a sea of soft bed linen and blankets. He would have to agree, the room needed better insulation. The nymph tensed his muscles and stretched before bundling up once more into the covers. Few minutes passed before he heard the door swing open as complicit chuckles filled the room.

«Good morning sleepy head.» Kaeya exclaimed as he came into view with trays filled with food. Mc seated himself in bed to greet them, only to earn himself a kiss on the head from Kaeya and a little peck on the cheek ~ awfully close to the corner of his mouth ~ from Albedo.

The nymph blinked owlishly at the two men making them burst into laughter, content of the reaction they got rewarded with. Mc smiled: «Oh I see what’s up, that’s how it is now, uh.» «You should dig in while it’s hot.» Albedo suggested, vaguely gesturing at the numerous meals.» The trays contained servings of mint jelly, appetizing Adventurer's Breakfast Sandwiches, pancakes with yellow berries and sliced sunsettia neatly gathered in some bowls.

«Oh and I also managed to get these.» Kaeya exclaimed, bringing into view a plate of half a dozen croissants. «It’s not everyday we can have a batch of these Fontaine specialties here at Good Hunter.»

They all dug in, making themselves a plate from the many options appearing in front of them. After Mc tasted the buttery, flaky pastry Kaeya had to reassure the nymph that if he earned a good reputation with Sara, he could have inside scoops of when batches of croissants would be baked. Soon after the three finished their breakfast in bed, Mc brought them to the roof of the headquarters under the guise of having something to show to them. On the rooftop, the two knights were introduced to a modest garden composed of wooden boxes containing a variety of plants, namely: Mint, Valberries, Cecillias, Daisies and a plant unknown to the two knights.

«I don’t believe I recognize this particular plant, Mc.» Albedo commented while inspecting the leaves and the trumpet-shaped flowers of a climbing plant that was sprawling to the close-by battlements of the headquarters.

«To give a little context, these vines are morning-glories. They are resilient plants that like direct exposition from the sun. Their distinctive characteristic is that they will only bloom in the morning and only for a day. I wasn’t sure if any flowers would have bloomed today since it’s only the beginning of their flowering, but a total of about 20 flowers is pretty lucky.»

«Wait, these flowers are gonna wither away at the end of the day?.» Kaeya exclaimed. «They might even be gone by the afternoon. That’s transience for you.» Mc added with an affectionate smile. «Don’t worry some of the buds you see hanging from the peduncles will bloom tomorrow and overmorrow. And even more will grow.»

«They are truly beautiful Mc, you are very good with plants.» Albedo complimented as he brushed the outline of a flower.

«The most perfect gardener in all of Teyvat.» Kaeya added with a wink.

«It was a requirement for the nymphæ application.» Mc laughed.

«And what is supposed to be in this empty box?» Kaeya asked inquisitively. «Well it is supposed to contain none other than roses, but the seeds I got from a travelling merchant sadly left me with barren soil. That’s unfortunate since roses shrubs would have emulated a more romantic atmosphere don’t you think?» Mc baited. «Hum… romance. The word seems to roll quite nicely off my tongue, but it also gives me the feeling I’m forgetting something.» Albedo caught on.

Both the nymph and the alchemist stared at Kaeya, the first one with half lidded eyes and the second with a cocked eyebrow. The Cavalry Captain could feel the tip of his ears burn, knowing they probably turned incarnat at this point. The knight swallowed and cleared his throat before beginning: «You both are already here by my side, what more could I ask for? I feel guilty even thinking about it. Mc thank you for stopping me yesterday. Right words, wrong time right?» As much as Mc liked to put the knight on the spot a few seconds ago, he was now completely attentive to Kaeya, his eyes glinting from anticipation. If Albedo was impassive on the outside, there was a torrent of emotions inside of him. «I value you both so much. Spending time with you might just be the most fun I've had in my whole life. I hope it stays that way. I never feel lonely thanks to you. At this point the stage of my avowal is all set, I can’t just continue enumerating everything I like about you or the morning-glories will be no more when I finish.» Kaeya took one deep breath and went for it. «Albedo, Mc, would you indulge an imperfect sinner like me and grant me the bliss of forming a relationship? As in us being partners. Well not business partners. Like lovers. Boyfriends.»

The efflorescence of Mc’s smile rivaled the blooming plants around him, while Albedo was beaming, almost radiating his inner elation. Kaeya extended his hands in their respective direction feeling like his ribcage would fail to keep in the butterflies that whirled in his stomach. Albedo and Mc briefly looked at each other as a way to confirm what they already knew - everybody was on the same page. They took Kaeya’s hand and formed a tight cluster of limbs embracing each other. After the first rush of emotions dissipated, the muffled voice of Kaeya reverberated: «So is that a yes?» Earning chuckles and the explicit formal approval from his boyfriends.

«Does that mean we need to get used to having you in between us when we cuddle like last night?» Mc asked tongue in cheek. Kaeya didn’t answer, face flushed and glancing away not too sure how to counter. «Don’t be bashful about what you like, Kaeya.» Albedo advised bringing back his attention. «While we are on the subject of our preferences, I’d like to mention I really enjoyed the way you played with my hair before I fell asleep against you.» Mc wasn’t really able to tell if Albedo’s blunt yet candid declaration alleviated Kaeya’s blush or worsened it. The nymph smiled to himself thinking about how one of his boyfriends didn’t see the appeal of relationships until somewhat recently and is currently able to be so sincerely forthright. His other boyfriend, if at first appearing provocatively flirty, becomes the most disarmingly unassuming when things get serious. What’s the saying? In like a lion, out like a lamb? Cc. @creatorofstars

[wish-i-wasnt-a-coward]

Books and Anxiety: Dating edition

a/n: sooo, I know this isn’t actually in the right order BUT. This story absolute slaps, like I’ve never been prouder of my writing. Historical AUs my beloved. If you enjoy this shit to give it some love folks, pls. 

Parings: analogical,  very background brotherly prinxiety and dukexiety as well as platonic logicality 

Warnings: a little bit of self deprecation, anxiety (this is Virgils pov), and one sex mention at the very end (just skip the bonus to avoid it) 

Word count: 1,260

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

Virgil tapped his foot. Why had he thought this was a good idea. Stupid. Too many things could go wrong, they could get kicked out of the Library, Logan could decide he wasn’t worth the energy, Logan might not even show up! Maybe he had already realized how awful Virgil was and never wanted to see him again.  

He glanced at his watch, 4:46. Okay, Logan was 15 minutes late, there are worse things to be. Plenty of things could have happened between the printing press and the downtown library. 

Virgil watched as the horses trotted happily down the cobblestone street. Oh to be a horse. Free of cute boys who make your heart feel like it's gonna explode and then stand you up. 

It was shocking that Logan even saw something in Vigil. He didn’t particularly like standing out. His dirty grey trench coat and cap helped him blend into the grimy shadows. He wasn’t good-looking or particularly smart and worked in a factory. Whereas Logan was a brilliant budding writer who was, to put it lightly, ridiculously gorgeous. Yet he had asked Virgil out.

Virgil rubbed his face, in his rush to get to the library he had forgotten to wash it (shut up, he was excited). He had used a ‘borrowed’ kerchief from his brother Roman but there was probably soot covering his entire body. If Logan was to show up who’s to say he wouldn’t take one look at Virgil and leave.

  The man leaned against the tree behind him. Nodding to passersby and trying to look like he wasn’t screaming inside. 

Few more minutes of torture later, Logan made an appearance. His worn brown jacket and blue tie flapped behind him as he sprinted across the street towards Virgil. He was missing his hat and his brown hair was disheveled. “I am so sorry” he panted. 

Virgil put a hand on his shoulder, “s’ fine, I wasn’t here long” he said softly. Logan smiled, catching his breath, “thank goodness, I- well, I got caught up in an article and time escaped me, again” Virgil chuckled gently, “I could tell” he said, pointing to Logan’s ink-stained hands. 

Logan flushed a little and accepted the offered kerchief, wiping his hands vigorously. “So uh, the library” Virgil nodded, “after you” he murmured and smiled down at Logan as the lovely man’s blush only deepened. 

The downtown library was much smaller than the uptown one. It housed more rebellious volumes and the librarians were far nicer. It was an old brownstone that had been sold to the town a few years ago. The once lovely building was sorely neglected and had fallen into disrepair. The town didn’t want to spend much money on it, so they stuck some books inside. 

All in all a perfect first date for two gay men in the early 1900’s.

The librarian waved happily at Logan as he entered the building, “well how do ya do Mr. Berry” Logan smiled “I’m quite well Mx. Heart, this is my um- this is Virgil Storm” Mx. Heat beamed. “Oh my! I heard so much about you, would it be alright if I hugged you. Ohhh” Virgil looked at Logan, baffled, who shrugged. Mx. Heart wrapped Virgil in an impressively strong hug before ushering the two away. After all, it was a date. 

Virgil carefully walked through the crowded rows of books. Books were placed haphazardly on every available surface, the few desks had piles of books on and/or underneath them. 

Despite the chaos, Logan seemed to know exactly where everything was. Virgil nervously looked away from his date towards one of the books on top of the pile. 

‘The wild olive; by the basil king,’ someone liked food, goodness. Virgil put down the book and continued his search. His attention was caught by a big black book ‘spiders’ which was printed on the back in spindly silver font. Virgil’s breath caught slightly, as he picked up the heavy volume. 

“Found something?” Logan asked, Virgil startled and nearly dropped the book, “sorry,” Logan said scratching his neck, Virgil shook his head, “It's fine, I did, uh- it’s a book on arachnids. When I lived in the country I had a pet spider but it was um- killed…” 

“I’m sorry,” Logan said touching Virgil’s arm softly, “s fine, I mean- I wasn’t fine then” Virgil laughed awkwardly, “but it’s fine now” he shrugged. “Are we gonna find a desk or..” Logan shook his head, “no, I want to show you something”. He held out his hand, Virgil took it without hesitation.

Logan led Virgil across the room and into a small corner blocked off by a shelf. With his free hand, he pushed on the panels and it swung open like a door. 

The stairs going down were broken and blocked off but those going up seemed sturdy. Virgil stayed alert and ready to grab Logan should something was to go wrong. That would be a great way to spend a date, falling through a staircase and dying. 

The two made it up the stairs without incident. The room the staircase led to was also in disrepair but it had been patched up enough that no-one would be falling through the floor, though you never could tell. Virgil's brother Remus had taught him that. 

There was a cracked stained glass window that let in shards of colored light illuminating the room with beautiful hues of blue and purple. Cushions lined the room as well as quite a few blankets. A coffee table pressed up against the wall held an assortment of pens and pads of paper all decorated with the same slanted handwriting. There were also quite a few cups of cold tea across the room which made Virgil smile. 

“Well?” Logan asked a little nervously. “It’s beautiful” Virgil beamed. Logan looked very pleased with himself and led the man to a well-worn spot directly beneath the window. 

Virgil followed dutifully sitting just close enough to Logan for it to be flirty without invading personal space. He was adamant about respecting boundaries and at this point, Logan hadn’t set quite enough for him to initiate anything, though he wanted to. 

Logan shifted towards him (yeeessss) opening his book, it was on psychology, one of Logan’s many interests. Virgil opened his book, and let himself relax a little. 

Virgil’s watch ticked past 12, Logan was fully seated on Virgil’s lap and was reading excerpts from his book out loud. Virgil was smiling like a fool, absentmindedly branding the longer parts of Logan’s unruly chestnut hair. 

“While dreams are the compilation of memories and fantasy when studied mean- meaning can be derived from them *yawn* furthermore” Logan mumbled sleepily. 

Virgil laughed lightly, “Lo?” Logan hummed, letting the book fall onto his lap. “You need to go home?” Logan shook his head, “not really I- *yawn* no one’s expecting me” he said grinning up at Virgil who smiled right back down, “no one’s expecting me either” Logan hummed happily and leaned back into Virgil’s chest. 

The added weight surprised Virgil. He held Logan tightly as he lost his balance. They slid down the wall and landed with an oof onto Virgil’s back. The two tired men dissolved into giggles. 

Logan flipped onto his stomach and tucked his head into Virgil’s chest. “Night verge” Virgil smiled, “good night” he pressed a kiss into Logan’s hair and closed his eyes. 

*Bonus

“hem-hem” Logan blearily opened his eyes and was met with an angry Patton Heart. “did you have sex in my library!!!!”

[nissanmaxima]

Split Personalities

(Y/N) lifted her head from her laptop to the sound of her door unlocking and opening. Coming from the other side was her lover, Levi Ackerman, with a brown satchel over his chest that he didn't leave with this morning. Placing her laptop down, she walked up to him while he was taking off his shoes and hugged him. Leaning in for a kiss, she baited him and yanked the satchel off of him

"What's this?"

Opening the satchel, a giant crystal was in her hands once she brought it out. Her eyes shined in the reflection of said jewel. Levi snarled and snatched the crystal away, being careful not to drop it,

"Careful, moron."

"Well what is it, asshole?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. Hanje couldn't examine it 'cause she's going to go fuck her boyfriend's brains out."

"Jesus Levi..."

"What?"

"Your language!"

"And?"

"Watch your tone."

"Wait what?"

"Don't get all worked up."

"I'm... Not worked up."

"Oh it's hard to tell with your delivery sometimes, babe."

"Tch, whatever.  Just don't touch that. I have to go clean up."

"Yeah yeah, I'll cook dinner."

Placing the crystal back in the satchel, Levi left it on the table near the door and walked to go get ready for dinner, leaving (Y/N) to control her curiosity.

-------------------------------------------------------

While cooking she stared at the satchel, almost letting the food burn. She heard a voice for the back of the apartment,

"Oi! I smell burnt potatoes!"

"Boy hush! I swear they're not burned!"

Soon the food was done and ready to serve. Levi came in with semi casual clothes and damp hair, waiting for his significant other to stop being extra. She lifted the cloche and spoke with enthusiasm,

"And now! For today's dinner, I have butter-poached lobster with sautéed potatoes and asparagus!"

"Holy shit that actually sounds good."

"Why'd you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"So boring like... I slaved over that food..."

Levi sighed and sat down, getting ready to eat while his girlfriend tried to hide her tears while she ate with him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Cleaning the dishes, (Y/N) took glances at the satchel minding it's business. She let her mind wander while washing,

'I wonder what that thing does?'

'I wonder how much I could get for selling it?'

'Oh but Levi told me not to touch it...'

'Who the fuck cares about what Levi thinks?'

'I do, I'm his woman after all...'

'You wanna know what else you are to him?'

Her personalities clashed as she stared at the satchel now, having completely forgotten about the dishes and the rest of the kitchen being cleaned. She stayed quiet and listened to her personalities clash before exhaling and walking up to the table the satchel was resting on. Picking up the satchel and taking out the giant crystal, she admired it before,

"I told you not to touch it-"

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST LEVI YOU CAN'T DO THAT! I ALMOST SWUNG OFF YOU,"

"NO DON'T DROP THE CRYSTA-"

Too late. The giant crystal slipped from her hands and it fell to the floor, making it shatter. (Y/N) covered her mouth to hide a whimper. Levi snarled and went down to pick up a shard. But once he touched a sharp, in a flash, he was sucked into a sharp and was spit back out. (Y/N) uncovered her mouth but nothing came out. She noticed there were 6 of Levi but they were wearing different colored cravats. One looked angry, one looked bored, one looked... Aroused... One looked around with disgust, one looked extremely tired, and the last one looked invested in the remains of the crystal.

The one who looked angry had a red cravat and screamed at her,

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH THE DAMN CRYSTAL BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"BOY DON'T GET LOUD WITH ME I PAY HALF THE BILLS HERE-"

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM?!"

"LOWER THE TONE OR WE'LL BOTH BE FIST FIGHTING AT 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT-"

The bored looking Levi had a green cravat and was still looking around,

"This place is lame, there's no explosions, no guns or anything fun related..."

(Y/N) pushed red Levi to the side and answered back to Green,

"Weren't you the one who wanted this place to be 'habitable'?"

"Psh, not me, that one does-"

Green pointed to the Levi who had a grey cravat with a disgusted look on his face. (Y/N) walked up to him,

"And who're you supposed to be?"

"Everything has to be clean. This place is filthy-"

Walking past her, he walked into the semi-cleaned kitchen and began cleaning,

"Okay? That was rude..."

Another Levi wearing a faded purple came up behind her and purred in her ear,

"Would you like to know who I am?"

Before she could answer, he nibbled at her neck and pulled her closer to his body and she could feel something poking her rear. She struggled in his hold before he ultimately let her go. She looked at the other 2 Levi's standing there and completely gave up,

"Lemme guess. You're his intelligence and you're his... bluntness?"

"Fuckin' right,"

The orange cravat shined with this one,

"That is correct."

A bright yellow cravat glowed when this one spoke,

(Y/N) sighed and walked into their shared bedroom and closed the door,

"The fucking crystal split him into the main parts of his personality..."

She ran to a desk and grabbed a pencil as well as some paper. Remembering each cravat color so she could match it with each personality she engaged with,

Red = Anger/Rage

Green = Bravery/Activeness

Grey = Clean Freak

Purple = Horniness/Passion

Orange = Bluntness/Rudeness

Yellow = Intelligence

Folding the paper and putting it into her bra, she inhaled and exhaled for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight before leaving the bedroom The first thing that she noticed was the strong smell of bleach and pine sol with a faint... Ajax? She groaned and continued on, looking for Yellow, he seems to be the more analytical and intelligent one. She walked past a workout room and saw Red basically destroying a punching bag before going to a treadmill, putting it on the highest setting, she heard him snarl as he started on the highest level.

Sneaking past, she exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding, being thankful Red never heard her. Heading for the kitchen, she noticed a door was closed and walked up to it. Placing her ear on the door, she heard soft moans and her face burned coming from her blush. Obviously Purple was in there handling himself, she thought. Running along, she finally got to the kitchen and saw Yellow still inspecting the shard that was broken. She approached him cautiously,

"Did you find anything?"

"No. And it'd be wise to not sneak up on someone when dealing with something this fragile. I would ask Hanji for help, but I do believe she stated she's... 'Preoccupied' now, yes?"

"Uhh yeah that's right..."

"Now I know I'm intelligence, but don't think I know for sure what would happen if we so happen to touch the shards again."

"Let's try it-"

Grabbing a shard she screamed at the top of her lungs-

"FIRE!"

Green came out of nowhere and panted like a beast,

"WHERE'S THE FIRE?!"

"Here-"

Poking the point of the shard into the side of Green, a bright green light shined and he was sucked into the shard, making it emit a dark green color. (Y/N) looked at yellow,

"Yeah I think it works-"

"See if you can gather the rest of them. They won't listen to me if I tried to. You know how people treat nerds. Plus if I touch it, I'll get sucked into a shard,"

(Y/N) nodded and went around the house to look for the rest of the Levi's.

———————————————————————- Walking down the hall inspecting the different rooms in their shared apartment, she peeked through each one until she found the same Levi still in the training room going at it on the punching bag again. She stepped away from the room and did something she constantly does already.

Make herself angry.

'Yo who the fuck this white man think he is?'

'Right? He talks like he pays bills!'

'I pay 5 cents more therefore I pay more'

'Talm' bout' "you always fussin' every 5 seconds" now it's every 2 seconds'

She took a deep breath and ran in guns blazing, not caring what happened-

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

He screamed back,

"WHO'RE YOU YELLING AT?"

"YOU. LEVI FUCKING ACKERMAN."

"DON'T SAY MY NAME LIKE THAT!"

"I CAN SAY WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANNA SAY."

"COME AT ME-"

With the shard in her right hand, she raised her hand to slap him with her left hand, making him catching it with a stupid smirk on his face,

"Missed."

She innocently smiled back,

"Did I?"

She threw the shard and it poked him in the eye, making him let go of her hand. She watched him get sucked into the shard. The shard shined a powerful red as she picked it up and placed it in her pocket.

2 down, 4 to go. ———————————————————————- The apartment was eerily quiet, so quiet she could hear footsteps. Following them, (Y/N) stumbled upon Purple in the bathroom making kissy faces in the mirror. The face you make when someone says something stupid appeared on your face. Purple realized you were behind him in the mirror and turned to face you,

"Hello love!"

"Hey..."

"Babe, I just wanna say, I really appreciate you cooking dinner for you and I and I do appreciate you. It's just really hard cause y'know... My past..."

Her heart melted hearing his words and Purple could tell. He hugged her, his hands on her lower back. She felt his... 'rolling pin' poking her and she sighed.

"Come on, (Y/N), let me make it up to you..."

"Mmm... Okay..."

He lead her towards their bedroom and locked the door once they entered. Leading her to the bed, he made her feel... 'protected'. Like there was nothing that could get in between them to hurt them. Once on the bed, he kissed her while his hands warmed her sides, warming her. She slowly melted away and let go of everything...

The anger...

The tension...

The sadness...

The shard-

(Y/N)'s eyes shot open and pushed Purple off of her, making him land on the floor. Grabbing the shard out of her pocket, she chucked it at him and he caught it, making a bright purple light as he was sucked in the shard. The shard emitted a beautiful passionate purple. (Y/N), exhausted this point, sighed and spoke aloud,

"Well, at least you care..."

3 down, 3 to go.

———————————————————————-

(Y/N) wandered the house until she found herself back into the kitchen where she was bombarded with the strong scent of cleaning liquids. Bleach, Pinesol, Fabuloso, etc. It was all just swirling together. Covering her nose she walked farther into the kitchen where she could see Grey cleaning the walls of the kitchen without breaking a sweat.

She groaned and took out a shard. Walking up to him from behind, she poked the shard into his back, sucking him into it and emitting a grey color.

"Damn house is a toxic gas at this point..."

4 down, 2 to g-

"Just fucking put me in the fucking shard already."

(Y/N) turned around to find Orange and Yellow just standing next to each other-

"Uhh... Okay?"

Taking the last 2 shards out of her pocket, she tossed them to the two colors and watched as they were sucked into the shard and their shards emitted both bright yellow in one and a bright orange in the other.

The shard from her pocket started to glow as well. Taking them out, she ran to the other two and placed them in the center of the room and watched as the shards came together in a bright flash, making (Y/N) cover her eyes.

When she opened them again, she saw her Levi had returned. She ran to him and hugged him tightly, tears flowing from them,

"What happened?"

"Nothing! I'm just glad your back..."

"Oh... Okay?"

"Just know that I know it's difficult for you to show emotion but I do know you mean well for me okay?"

Levi hugged her back even tighter. Not knowing what exactly happened, he assumed for the worst but never pressed her. They just sat in silence as they hugged each other. ————————————————————————

[yugiohmdx]

The Starborn Chronicles: Shards of Eternity

Prologue:

In the distant future, humanity has spread across the stars, carving out empires on distant planets, some governed by technology, others ruled by magic. Yet beyond the known galaxy lies the Eternal Rift, an ancient tear in the fabric of reality that has long been thought a myth. Legends say the Rift is the cradle of forgotten gods, home to the Shards of Eternity—fragments of a cosmic power that can bend time, space, and even fate.

For centuries, the existence of these shards has been mere rumor, until a cataclysmic event begins shifting star systems, destabilizing planets, and awakening an ancient evil thought long dead. Now, a crew of unlikely heroes must band together to search for the Shards, the only power capable of restoring balance before the galaxy collapses into chaos.

Characters:

1. Kara Novalight – A battle-hardened captain with a mysterious past. She commands the Starseeker, an agile vessel equipped with both high-tech weaponry and ancient enchantments. Kara was once a part of the Celestial Order, a secretive group tasked with protecting the galaxy’s most powerful relics, but she left after a betrayal shattered her faith in them.

2. Zhyran – An exiled prince from the planet of Dralor, a world where magic and technology coexist in delicate harmony. Zhyran is the last of his bloodline, gifted with the ability to manipulate stardust—a rare and potent form of magic that binds cosmic energies. He seeks revenge on the warlords who destroyed his people but must come to terms with his desire for vengeance as the mission unfolds.

3. Elianna – A brilliant mechanic and inventor from the industrial moon of Kepler-9, Elianna specializes in hybrid tech—machines fused with arcane runes. Though she comes from a lineage of scientists, Elianna secretly harbors magical abilities that have made her an outcast. She joins Kara’s crew to uncover her true origins and understand the source of her hidden powers.

4. Kaelos – A mysterious wanderer who has lived for centuries. He is one of the Starborn, a race of immortal beings created by the gods to guard the universe. However, Kaelos has forsaken his duties and now searches for redemption. His knowledge of the Shards of Eternity makes him a key player in the crew, though his motivations remain unclear.

5. Rook – A cybernetic mercenary whose body is more machine than human. Rook once fought in the galactic wars that ravaged the outer rim but now works as a bounty hunter. Despite his cold exterior, Rook has a deep sense of loyalty to Kara after she saved his life in a battle long ago. He provides the muscle for the crew but carries the weight of his past like a shadow.

Plot:

After the eruption of a starquake—a phenomenon that should be impossible—Kara is hired by an enigmatic figure from the Celestial Order to investigate the event. Rumors point to one of the Shards of Eternity being uncovered, causing a ripple across the galaxy. This sets Kara and her crew on a perilous journey to find the Shards before they fall into the wrong hands.

Their path leads them through forgotten star systems, ancient ruins, and into confrontations with dangerous galactic factions who all seek the Shards for their own ends: the Imperial Legion, the Astral Syndicate, and even rogue sorcerers from forbidden dimensions.

As they uncover more about the Shards, they learn that each one is tied to a primordial force—Time, Space, Life, Death, and Destiny. Whoever controls the Shards can reshape reality itself. But each shard exacts a heavy toll on its bearer, warping their mind and soul with power beyond comprehension.

At the heart of their journey is the Eternal Rift. The crew must face their deepest fears and desires as they venture into the Rift, where reality blurs and the gods themselves may still linger. There, they discover that the cataclysm threatening the galaxy is the result of a rogue god seeking to reclaim their dominion over the universe, using the Shards as keys to break free from their cosmic prison.

Kara’s ultimate challenge is not just to find the Shards but to decide whether any being—herself included—should wield such power. The line between savior and destroyer blurs, and alliances shift as each member of the crew grapples with the temptation of godhood.

Themes:

• Power and Corruption: The Shards of Eternity offer unimaginable power, but at a cost. The characters must confront their own weaknesses and desires as they come closer to wielding these godlike abilities.

• Redemption and Forgiveness: Each character carries the weight of past mistakes, whether it’s Kara’s betrayal, Zhyran’s lust for revenge, or Kaelos’s abandonment of his duty. The journey forces them to reckon with their pasts.

• Unity in Diversity: The crew, hailing from vastly different worlds and backgrounds, must learn to trust and rely on each other in the face of cosmic threats.

• The Nature of Reality: As the crew delves deeper into the mysteries of the Shards, they question the nature of the universe itself. What is real, and what is merely perception? Is fate immutable, or can it be rewritten?

Climax:

In the final confrontation, Kara and her crew face off against the rogue god within the heart of the Eternal Rift. Time bends, realities merge, and they are forced to battle not only external enemies but the darkest versions of themselves. In a desperate bid to save the galaxy, Kara must make the ultimate sacrifice: bind her soul to the Shards of Eternity, sealing them away forever and ending the threat once and for all—but losing her humanity in the process.

As the Starseeker drifts away from the Rift, the crew looks on in silence, knowing they’ve saved the galaxy but lost their captain. Yet, in the distant reaches of space, the stars seem to flicker with a familiar light… Kara’s journey, it seems, is far from over.

Epilogue:

The galaxy is at peace—for now. But whispers of a new star rising in the Eternal Rift suggest that something, or someone, may yet return. And as the crew of the Starseeker sets off on a new adventure, they know the cosmos is full of mysteries still waiting to be uncovered.

[whump-tr0pes]

Honor Bound 5 - 5

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, Honor Bound 4, and the prequel Vera.

AO3

Ok @eatyourdamnpears, @who-needs-a-life-anyways, and @ashintheairlikesnow, there was a vote for Finn angst vs. Gavin angst, and Finn angst won. However comma. In an unprecedented turn of events, the muse provided for me fluff instead.

Content warning: permanent injury, chronic pain, brief description of surgery, body image issues with scars, implied captivity

~

At Finn’s side, Isaac jumped as if he’d been shocked. “Y-yeah,” he mumbled, still staring at Sam. “Sure.” He stood and looked around numbly, as if he’d already forgotten what Gray had asked him to do.

Finn turned their attention back to Sam. They seemed to be doing better now. There was a faint sheen of sweat on their face, and they still clutched at their wrist, but their breathing was slowing down, easing, and their tears were drying on their cheeks. Finn bit their lip as they reached up and wiped Sam’s tears away with their thumbs.

Sam looked behind Finn forlornly as Isaac began to pick up the biggest shards of the shattered bowl. “I guess I won’t be able to get up until that’s clean,” they murmured.

“Yeah,” Finn said distantly. “Probably a good idea to wait until it’s clean, yeah.”

“So I guess…” Sam sniffed. “I guess we should… talk it about it now.” They looked down at their lap.

Finn groaned and moved to Sam’s side, sitting down and leaning back against the cabinets beside them. Whipped cream dried on the bottoms of Finn’s shoes. “We don’t have to, Sam,” they said softly. “We don’t… e-ever have to talk about it, if you, um… don’t…” They trailed off and trembled as a wave of guilt washed over them. They buried their face in their hands.

Sam was silent for a long time. The drying whipped cream under Isaac’s shoes make a tacky sound as he criss-crossed the kitchen picking up pieces of the bowl that seemed to lay in every corner.

“Finn?” Sam said softly. Finn raised their head to look at them. Fresh tears stained their cheeks. “I’m… I’m s-sorry.”

“Don’t be, Sam,” Finn said heavily. Edrissa and Zachariah were busy wiping up the whipped cream with towels. Gavin had maneuvered past the mess and into the living room. Finn could hear a bucket being filled with water in the laundry room. “I… understand.”

“But—” Sam bit their lip. “I didn’t want you to find out… like this. I was hoping you’d never have to, um, f-find out at all. I thought… I thought maybe…”

Finn dragged their shoulders up around their ears. “It still might get better, I guess,” they croaked. “If… if it’s caused by, um, by inflammation, or, or s-something like that, then once the, ah, swelling goes down, you might… might get…” Finn looked down at their hands. “I don’t… think…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Sam whispered.

Finn’s hands slowly curled into fists. “You don’t, um… d-don’t know that, Sam. I could have… while I was, um, fixing you up, I found a nerve that was in the way… I was careful, I was—” Their voice twisted. Their cleared their throat, swallowed against the hot lump there. “I was so fucking careful. I thought… I stayed clear of it. I thought I…” They let their head fall back against the cabinets with a thump. “I thought I did it right,” they whispered.

“You did,” Sam said weakly. “I’m… I’m p-pretty sure…” They cleared their throat. “I’m pretty sure the nerve was, um… already messed up. By the bullet.”

Finn’s head snapped forward, and they stared at Sam. “What… do you mean?”

“Um…” Sam’s throat worked, and they swallowed noisily. “I… th-think I remember… even before the surgery, I…” They looked down at their right hand. “It… hurt. In my hand, and right here…” They drew their pointer finger across the inside of their forearm. “All the way up to here.” They gently ran their finger over the inside of their arm, all the way up to the sleeve of their t-shirt. “I… think I remember… feeling like something was wrong.”

Finn stared at Sam. Their heart squeezed painfully in their chest, hope washing through them, flushing the bitter shame out of their veins. “Sam… are you… You’re not just saying that because—”

“No,” Sam said, and met Finn’s eyes. “I’m not.”

Finn slumped back against the cabinets. “Then… then it’s not…” They wet their lips. “Then it’s not… my… fault?”

Edrissa drew near, wiping the floor clean of whipped cream. Sam glanced at her for a moment before they returned their gaze to Finn. “No,” they rasped. “It’s not your fault.”

Finn’s breath rushed out from between their lips, leaving their chest aching. “O-oh,” they murmured. Tears burned in their eyes.

“You did a good job, Finn,” Sam said softly.

“Oh,” Finn said again. They jerked the collar of their shirt up and wiped their eyes. “Oh.” When they dropped their shirt again, Isaac stood over them both.

“Um…” Isaac bit his lip. “We’re about done, Gray just needs to, um, to mop.” Isaac glanced behind him just as Gray walked back into the kitchen carrying a bucket of steaming water and a mop. The smell of lemon washed over Finn, drowning out the sweet smell of the whipped cream.

“Yeah,” Finn mumbled. They pushed themself to their feet. They glanced up to see Ellis standing at the counter, looking in from the living room. Their hands were locked on the counter and their gaze was concerned and fixed on Sam. Gavin stood beside them, looking stricken. Ellis didn’t even seem to notice him.

Finn blinked and reached down for Sam. Sam took their hand, and Finn pulled Sam to their feet. Sam wobbled, holding their injured foot up, and looked across the expanse of the kitchen floor towards the hallway to the bedrooms.

“I… can, can hop, but I’ll get the floor all whipped-cream-y,” Sam said, glancing at the foot they were balanced on. Whipped cream clung to the sides of their foot.

“I can carry you,” Isaac said at Finn’s shoulder. His voice was pitched low, his gaze moving over Sam’s clothes. Sam chewed their lip and nodded once.

Finn suddenly burst out laughing as they realized Sam was covered in whipped cream from head to toe. They bent forward at the waist, cackling and gasping for air. “Oh my… how did you three even… manage to make this mess?” they wheezed, holding their side. “How… holy shit?”

“We won, though,” Edrissa said quietly, standing by Zachariah by the sink, scrubbing the bottom of her foot with a wet towel.

“Yeah, because there were two of you!” Sam cried, scandalized, their eyes wide in a look of mock hurt. “It wasn’t fair!”

“You can discuss the legality of their win once the kitchen is all cleaned up,” Gray said with a smile, dipping the mop into the bucket of steaming water and whatever it was that smelled like lemon. They wrung out the mop and let it fall to the floor with a smack.

“And once I’m cleaned up, too,” Sam said. They wiped at their face, where a streak of whipped cream was now drying. “I need a shower. Holy crap.”

Gray laid a towel down on a clean patch of floor at the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. “Here, Isaac,” they said. “Take off your shoes here as you take them to the bathroom. Finn, you need to wipe your feet there, too. Unless you’d like to wipe down the cabinets.”

Finn blinked and realized there were spatters of whipped cream on the cabinets closest to where the bowl had fallen. “Damn,” they breathed. “Sure, I’ll help with the cabinets.”

Finn turned as the front door opened and watched Tori and Vera step into the house.

Tori froze as she saw everyone standing in the kitchen, covered in various degrees with whipped cream. Vera was right behind her carrying two canvas bags. She glanced at Tori and followed her gaze into the kitchen. Her eyebrows slowly pulled together.

“Uh… what’d I miss?”

“Edrissa and Zachariah cheated,” Sam grumbled good-naturedly.

“She jumped on my back,” Zachariah said, his gaze flicking between Sam and Edrissa. “As you’ll recall, I wanted no part on this. I only wanted to save myself.” He pressed his lips together, but a smile still pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I am merely a casualty of war.”

“Did you use up all the whipped cream?” Tori gasped. “What… no!”

“I told Gray I would make more!” Edrissa protested.

“We leave for two hours, and the whole house goes to shit,” Vera muttered as she set the bags on the floor and bent down to tug off her shoes.

“What’d you bring us?” Ellis said as they made their way from the counter back to the couch. Gavin remained at the counter, glancing at Sam every now and then, but mostly keeping his gaze down. Ellis shrugged. “I hope you had more luck than Finn did.”

Finn’s heart twinged. Maybe Crayton could get the nausea meds sooner. I wonder if I should call their general store…?

“Made some inquiries in Burmingham,” Vera said as she bent to pick up the bags. “They didn’t get any apples this week, which makes them think there was a disturbance in the southwest supply lines. No news yet about who’s taking over the western sector.” She walked over to the kitchen and stopped at the towel Gray had laid down in the walkway from the living room. “Do I need a password?” she said sardonically, and cocked an eyebrow at Gray.

Gray snorted. “The password is, ‘I don’t want my socks getting sticky.’ I’ll take the bags.” They leaned the mop against the counter and took the bags from Vera’s hands. They set them on the counter and picked up the mop again. Vera wandered into the living room. “Isaac, Finn, this would be the ideal time to leave the kitchen.”

Isaac nodded and looked to Sam. “Ready?” he said softly. Pain flickered in his eyes, tightened in his mouth.

They met his gaze and nodded. “Sure.”

Isaac bent and let Sam wrap their arm around his neck. He gently lifted Sam in his arms and didn’t even seem to notice the whipped cream smearing on his own shirt. He walked with Sam to the towel and kicked off his sticky shoes. He disappeared with them down the hall. Isaac came back around the corner with an armload of Sam’s clothes. After a moment, Finn heard the sound of water rushing through the pipes.

“These need to be washed, I guess,” Isaac said as he stopped at the towel that now served to bar entry to anyone with clean feet. He held out the clothes. “Here are these, I can go grab them some clean ones from their room.”

“Your shirt has whipped cream all over it,” Vera said from the couch, where she sat with her arm around Tori’s shoulders.

Isaac glanced down. “Oh,” he said, and pulled at the hem. “How… This got everywhere, Jesus,” he huffed. He dropped Sam’s clothes onto the towel and pulled his own shirt in one fluid motion.

Everyone in the house seemed to go silent at once. Isaac stared at the shirt in his hand as if dumbfounded at what he’d just done. His scars shone white against his skin, crossing his chest, his arms, his back. He shivered and folded his arms across his chest. A flush crept up his neck.

Finn couldn’t even remember the last time Isaac had had his shirt off around the others. It certainly hadn’t been since he’d been captured by Gavin – almost exactly a year ago, now.

Gray took the shirt from Isaac’s hand and let it fall onto the small pile of Sam’s clothes. “Thank you, Isaac,” they said casually, as if nothing had happened. “We’ll get these in the wash.”

Isaac blinked and took a step back. “Yeah… okay, thanks, Gray,” he murmured. He turned and disappeared down the hall towards the bedrooms. When he emerged again, he had a long-sleeved shirt on. He went to Gavin’s side at the counter and pulled him close. Isaac pressed his lips to Gavin’s forehead, his gaze unfocused.

Edrissa all but materialized in front of Finn, holding a towel. That girl walks so quietly, I swear to god… Finn shivered as they realized why it might have suited Edrissa to learn to walk so quietly in the first place. They wet the towel at the sink and began to scrub the whipped cream from the cabinets.

Gray carried the mop to the far corner of the kitchen and began to clean the floor of the last of the sticky residue. Edrissa grabbed the small pile of clothes, and the large pile of sticky towels, and took them into the laundry room to start a load of laundry in the washing machine.

A washing machine. I’ve never even had one of those before.

Finn cleaned the cabinets, and Gray mopped the floor, dipping the mop back into the bucket, squeezing it out, wiping the floor clean again. The whole room smelled of lemon, now.

Finn finished with the cabinets and took off their shoes to avoid tracking the whipped cream any further into the house. Gray got all the traces of whipped cream off the floor and took the mop and bucket back into the laundry room to be cleaned out.

Sam wandered back into the living room, limping slightly on their injured foot. Finn practically leapt forward to help them before Sam held out a hand.

“I’m good,” they said softly. “And I, um, figured out how to take the bandages off and put them back on once I was clean.” They lifted their head and grinned at Finn and Isaac in turn.

“Oh,” Finn said, and a smile spread slowly across their face. “That’s… geez, Sam, you trying to force me out of the job?”

“Oh, I gave you a run for your money,” Sam said with a laugh.

“Hey, um, Sam?” Edrissa said softly from the kitchen. Her cheeks flushed red. “Do you and Zachariah, um… want to help me make more?”

Sam’s grin widened. “You bet,” they said, and limped back into the kitchen.

Edrissa pointed to a high shelf. “Zachariah, could you…? The big bowl.”

Zachariah smiled gently, and reached up to get the bowl Edrissa was pointing at.

Continued here

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[theincaprincess]

Shards of a forgotten past *part 7*

Yes, my brain has finally decided to give me the next part to this adventure, I hope you all enjoy this part! 

Forever taglist @amyf20 @blankdblank @deepestfirefun @catthefearless @moonfaery @meyoko10 @tolkienprincess @starlightintherain89  @southsidesarcasticwriter  @sdavid09 @thorinanddwalinsdwarrowdam  @nikolett3 @j25m18c24 @letsbeinspiredby @shanty-lol @miabee0706 @aspiringtranslator @fuer-immer-jetzt @fizzyxcustard @lady-of-lies

Thorin taglist @phanaelion @soradragon

Shards tag list @yes-captainstark

Main masterlist here 

As always catch up here 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Word Count 1,188

Trying to get  word in edgeways was proving difficult with the stubbornness of the dwarf and wizard in front of her, they didn't even seem to notice she was standing there rolling her eyes, she sat down on the chair at the table and just had to  wait until their discussion was over, looking over the company Thennith saw how exhausted most of them looked and poor Bilbo looked well he looked so out of place and tried she couldn't help but smile at him, rising to her feet she went to Beorn pantry and started to pull some of the aging meat and vegetables out and bring them to the kitchen table, working her way around the kitchen she collected all the cutlery, pans and utensils she needed to complete the meal, ignoring the fact she had 15 pair of eyes on her. 

"Bomber, can you help me?" Thennith spoke and watched as the round dwarf sprung to his feet and walked over to her with a large smile on his face.

Soon enough Beorn cottage was filled with the smell of cooked meat making everyone's mouth water including Gandalf's, stepping from the stove Thennith picked up the plates and cutlery "Bilbo, can you set the table for me?" She asked the hobbit and watched as he smiled and nodded his head taking them from her and making his way around the table as she went back to the stove to finish the meal.

....

Standing at the sink Thennith was drying her hands after cleaning up, smiling at the happy faces of the company, even Thorin looked happy, making her smile a little bigger. 

"Was it wise?" 

Turning her head to the voice Thennith looked at Gandalf sitting at the table lighting up his pipe, placing the towel back on the sink she walked over to the chair next to him "was it wise, what?" 

"Using our hosts food? And showing the company you can cook, you might be expected to do it more often now" Gandalf said holding a small smile. 

Sitting down Thennith smiled for a second and turned to face the company again before turning back to Gandalf  "Mithrandir,  our host is an old friend of mine, I know his home like my own and I'll pay him back when the quest is over" Thennith explained. 

Getting a nod from Gandalf, as he pointed his head to Thorin. 

Thorin stood up gaining everyone's attention "find a comfortable place to sleep, we all need it as we are to leave in the morning" getting agreed hums from everyone as most of them were falling asleep where they were sitting. 

....

Standing up Thennith looked over the sleeping forms of the company, walking over to Bilbo and Ori, she pulled the covers higher up their bodies and got little hums of approval, turning around she walked to the sink knowing Beorn kept some of his sweet treats in the cupboard under it, pulling the jar out she opened it and took a handful, before replacing it and making her way to the ladder that would allow her access to the roof, one of her favourite places climbing it she sat just to the right of the opening and took a deep breath of the night air letting it fill her lungs as the night wind wrapped around her like a blanket.  

A small movement made her ears twitched as the smell of wet fur and honey hit her nostrils "How close is the pack?" She asked. 

"They won't attack tonight, they still think I'm on guard" a heavy ruff voice answered her question. 

Picking up some of the sweet treats she turned and handed them to Beorn, "it is great to see you again old friend" smiling an honest smile her blue eyes twinkled in the moonlight as she took in the sight of him in his human-like form. 

"Princess, why are orcs chasing you?" Beorn asked as he pulled himself up on the roof and sat next to her sniffing the air, "and why do I smell dwarf?"  

"Because there is 13 currently sleeping in your home" Thennith answered and watched Beorn look down into his home and back to her, "also a wizard and a halfling" she added as the golden eyes of the skin-changer landed back onto her blue ones, feeling Beorn body language change Thennith extended her hand to his shoulder "They are good, we only need a place to rest we are the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

"Oakenshield.... The king under the mountain" Beorn said sniffing the air again, "did they eat my food?" he asked suddenly making Thennith giggle. 

"About that, I cooked it and I will repay you" she said after she finished giggling. 

"Its an honour to have you as my guest princess, your brother would be pleased to know you are still alive and so...." Beorn was saying before Thennith cut in. 

"He can never know Beorn, you must promise me you won't tell him!" 

"But princess" Beorn started to protest when a creek alerted the both of them, turning to the ladder the grey hair of Gandalf appeared making them both breath a sigh of relief.

"Good evening" Gandalf said to the pair of them once he had climbed out on to the roof, getting a good evening from both of them as the three of them sat in silence watching the morning sun rising over the horizon. 

Using her elven eyes Thennith turned her head and saw the forest of Mirkwood, feeling pulling in her heart at finally seeing her home she felt an uneasy feeling turning to face the wizard she wet her lips ready to ask her question. 

"The forest is sick Thennith after you left and Thranduil received the news of your so-called death, the forest started to change its not the same as you remember" Gandalf explained as Beorn climbed down from the roof.

"I'll let the wizard talk while I'll make breakfast for my guests" Beorn muttered getting a nod from them. 

"The elven road?" Thennith said as she turned back to Gandalf pulling her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. 

"It is the only safe road through the forest now, there is a dark spell that entries a persons mind many people have been bought in front of your brother muttering words that they don't understand, it takes a few days for the spell to lift" Gandalf said as Thennith turned her head back to the forest. 

Hearing the dwarves waking up Thennith and Gandalf stood to return to the house, Stepping on the ladder Gandalf started to descend it looking back up at Thennith, "you are the only one that can get them through the forest alive" he spoke before disappearing into the house, making Thennith tilting her head in confusing at what he meant by that, they had him and he had been through the forest countless of times, shaking the thought out of her mind she stepped on the ladder and returned inside the house smelling the food Beorn had cooked for them.

Part 8

[starrosefics-archive]

Demon Customs, Chapter 4

Summary: Dinner goes badly.

Notes: @blitzswolf, @roxyray28, @purble-turble

-_-

The food was good.

MK couldn’t help but be annoyed by that fact. The table had been filled with dishes of food, allowing the two of them to pick and choose. And, to his even greater annoyance, about half of the foods were his favorites. That was nothing compared to Red Son.

The differences between them were stark. While MK tried his best not to shovel food into his mouth, slouching slightly with a frown, Red’s posture was perfect. He barely ate, too busy staring at him to take more than tiny bites. The silence between them was increasingly awkward until MK finally snapped “What?”

“What?”

“You keep staring at me.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Red’s eyes dropped to his plate. MK gaped at the bashful tone he had spoken in before the redhead cleared his throat. “How is your room? I meant to ask that. Is there anything I can do?”

“You could take me home.”

Red frowned. “You are home.”

“No, my home is my apartment. Where my family is.” Apparently, calling his apartment home seemed to be a delicate subject. MK yelped when Red’s hands slammed down on the table, the demon rising as his eyes and hair flamed in fury.

“Your ‘home’ was nothing but a pathetic tiny space above a stinking noodle shop where the owner constantly hung the threat of taking it away over your head!” The insult to Pigsy was a harsh blow. (MK never told anyone about the conversation he had heard once between Pigsy and Tang- the threat was an empty one. Pigsy was too afraid of MK dying alone on the streets to ever do that.) “You are a mortal caught up in a fight that was never yours!”

That was an even worse blow. MK slammed his hands on the table as well, mirroring Red’s pose. “You made it my fight when you tried to take over the city! When you tried to hurt my family! When you blew up my apartment!”

“WELL, I SHOULD’VE DONE IT BETTER!”

Later, MK would be confused about which part he was talking about. But, right now, that was the last straw. MK’s hand formed a fist and it snapped out, hitting Red right in the nose. Just like before, there was the snap of bone and he fell back. The young man stormed out of the room, ignoring the shriek of rage that came from the dining room.

He stormed through the hall, ignoring the staff he walked past. MK slammed the door to the room behind him. Unsure of what else to do, he looked around for something to vent on. The mirror he had examined himself in before dinner caught his eye. He walked to it, staring his reflection right in the eye.

Then he slammed his fist into it.

The shatter of glass sounded good. So MK hit it again. And again and again until his knuckles were sore and bleeding and the mirror was nothing but shards. As if the mirror held it, his fury was suddenly gone. MK knelt there, sobbing into his knees and just wanting to go home. 

When the worst of his sobs were over and done with and all that was left was sniffling, MK carefully picked himself off the floor. He scooped up the biggest pieces of glass and threw them away. Once that was done, he found the closet and changed out of his sweater and slacks into red silk pajamas, depositing the staff and his headband and the bracelet on the dresser. He collapsed into bed, unsure of what else to do.

As the lanterns dimmed, MK sobbed himself to sleep.

-_-

In his room, Red Son furiously paced.

When he had realized MK had left and he had upset him, Red had given into his fury and marched back to his room. The master bedroom, cleaned up and modernized, was now in pieces. He would clean it up later, but right now he needed to vent. He finally collapsed at his vanity, face thudding as sadness took over.

“I messed up…” he admitted to the wood.

He really had a tendency to drive away the people who’s opinion really mattered to him. His parents were the only ones left, but that didn’t change the facts. Red finally pulled his face away, standing up with a groan.

He changed out of his finery into his old clothes, smoothing down his shirt. A steward was waiting outside. “I’m leaving. I should be back in an hour.” Red said calmly as he strolled past. He needed to check in on his parents and see what he had to do in order to keep Sun Wukong away from the boy safely ensconced in his room. It wouldn’t hurt as well to see if there was anything he could bring back from MK’s ‘apartment’ to make the complex feel a little more like home. He paused next to MK’s door, weighing his options, giving into opening it.

The mirror was broken. The lanterns were dim. The bed had a distinct MK-shaped lump. Red stepped inside and carefully stepped to the bedside. He resisted the urge to tsk at the sight of the blood on MK’s hands. Instead, he headed to the bathroom and found the first aid kit.

Carefully, to avoid waking up MK, Red bandaged his darling’s knuckles. He pressed a kiss to his brow and carefully walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Muscle memory guided him through the hallways until Red Son had reached the entryway. It was faintly raining, shrouding the mountains and pine woods in mist. He had forgotten how much he liked this place. Red took a deep breath in, smiling at the scenery.

He disappeared into flame and ash, speeding through the night until he had reached the gleam of the city built on the base of Flowerfruit Mountain. He reformed on the roof of Pigsy’s Noodles, taking a deep breath. Long distances always wore him out when traveling like that. He let the breath out and headed down the stairs until he had reached the window of MK’s room.

Red was so focused on opening the window he didn’t realize someone was behind him until a fist hit the glass, an inch from his face. The redhead yelped, moving out of the way to dodge the sword. When he looked up it was to meet the furious gazes of both Sun Wukong and Dragon Horse Girl.

“WHERE IS HE?!” Mei demanded, swiping at him from her position on Wukong’s back. The monkey himself didn’t say a word, glaring at Red Son.

“YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!” He yelled back, throwing fire their way. He knew he could fight the Dragon, but he certainly wasn’t prepared for the Monkey King himself. Red scrambled away as Wukong moved to shield Mei, hopping onto the roof.

He didn’t bother to stick around after that.