#THE LIGHT ON HER AND THE SEAGULLS ARE COMING FROM COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS

[whiskeyswifty]

.

[crowdedimagines]

Worse Days - Aaron Hotchner

The faint dripping of water pulls me back to reality. The same sploosh happening over and over. Minute after minute. I pull my eyes open blinking, forcing them to focus. The swaying back and forth, left to right, doesn’t help ease the dizziness I feel.

“Looks like your girl is finally up.”

I look around, searching for the source of the voice.

“Wake up, sunshine!” He finally sits in front of me, taking my head in his hand. His fingers are coarse and strong. He forces me to look him in the eyes, his grip tight on my cheeks. He tilts my head to the tripod over his shoulder. The red light on the camera blinks back at me.

“Smile for the camera.”

This is not at all how today was supposed to go…

Twenty-Two Hours Ago.

“Alright, we’re looking at four women, murdered and found on the beach in Miami. All from different classes and backgrounds, but similar age groups” JJ hands us each our files.

“He takes them for three days, before brutally dismembering them. The morning of the fourth day, the woman is always found.”

“He takes risks. Each of these women were taken from high traffic areas.” I comment.

“There’s more.” Garcia suddenly takes over.

“He also sends a live feed to the family of the victim.” She reluctantly pulls it up on the TV, a live feed of the women pleading for their lives. Saying their goodbyes.

“He’s definitely a sexual sadist. He finds pleasure in knowing that families are watching their loved ones last moments.” I clear my throat, pulling my eyes away from the screen.

“That’s what he gets off on.” Derek agrees. “He likes knowing that there’s people in distress on the other end of the camera.”

“Wheels up in thirty.” Hotchner simply says before excusing us all.

As soon as we land we start the process to find the unsub. It begins with all of us splitting up and going to the scenes where the bodies were found. All of them were ditched on the beach, early morning before anyone was out.

We get nothing from the populated beaches other than sand in our shoes.

We sit down and look at the profile and determine the man is bold and try to analyze the footage we have from the previous victims. Penelope is trying to find any identifying marks from the videos to see where they come from. Based on the way he treats the bodies, we’ve determined he’s likely a white male in his early thirties. 

“It looks like they’re on a boat.” I say, we’ve been watching the videos on an endless loop. Trying to catch any new details. 

“The camera is steady.” Morgan argues, looking at the TV now too.

“But look at her hair, it’s moving when she’s not. It’s like the rocking of a boat.”

“It’s possible considering he’s ditching them on the beach.” Reid comments. 

“That’s why no one sees him dragging a body all across the beach. He already had them on a boat.” Ross puzzles together. 

“The most recent body was found this morning, that means he’s going to take his next victim tonight.” Morgan says.

“We should visit where each of the women were taken. Try and get an understanding of how he was able to do so in such populated areas.” Hoctchner announces, “Prentiss and Morgan, go to the grocery store where Hannah Lane was taken, Y/n and Spencer, go to the parking garage where Amy Bryant was abducted and Rossi and I will go to the last two locations.”

We all nod and go off in our separate directions. Spencer and I get in the car and drive to the parking garage where Amy was taken. We drive around until we reach the second level and get out.

“Even for a parking garage, it’s bold. It’s packed with cars on this level. Anyone could show up at any time.” I look around.

“You’re right, they could.” A voice calls out behind me before everything goes dark.

Present time.

“Morgan, you owe me twenty bucks. I told you it was a boat.” I stretch out my neck that has a kink from hanging loosely while sitting up in the chair for so long. It feels heavy, like I’ve been in this position a long time.

The man in front of me rolls his eyes, huffing loudly.

“You picked the wrong girl if you were counting on me melting like puddy in your hands. You forget that I know exactly what you want. You want the tears and the begging.”

“Trust me. You’ll get to that point.” He smirks. “They all do.”

He leaves the room, loudly pulling the door shut behind him as he goes.

“I promise, it’s not as bad as it looks.” I plead with the camera, knowing that my team is on the other side of it. I can only imagine what they’re all feeling. We’ve had close calls with team members, it’s not any easier to be in their position right now. You feel helpless. 

“Definitely on a boat, but I think we’re just at a marina or a pier. I can hear seagulls, we aren’t rocking that much.”

I lean forward as best as I can while still being tied to a chair. There’s a small window along the ceiling allowing me to see blue skies.

“It might be a ship. I’m above sea level, I can see the sky.” I try to give the team as much information as I can possibly gather. Anything could help.

“Sorry that’s about all I have right now to help.” I look around the bare room for any other details that could help, “I think I have a concussion, and maybe a cracked rib. I can’t take a deep breath.”

Suddenly the man comes back in, just as quickly as he left, he takes the camera in his hands.

“That’s all of your Y/n time today. You should get to trying to find me, because I am going to have a lot of fun in the meantime.”

Back with the team at the Miami police department...

The feed cuts out leaving the team in silence and shock.

“There’s nothing we could’ve done. We couldn’t have known-”

“We could have waited.

Spencer looks down at the ice pack in his lap. As if the guilt wasn’t eating away at him enough before. He also received a concussion. Only he woke up on the ground, relatively nothing compared to the person he was sent out with.

“There was no way for us to know that the unsub was going to come back to visit the last scene of the crime.” Emily defends. She can see the pure anger in Aaron’s eyes. Completely unwavering, and only focused on getting Y/n back to the team.

“But that’s the thing. He wouldn’t, that’s not in his MO. He moves on to his next target. Once he kills these women he feels nothing, it’s all in the buildup, he feels nothing at the scene of the crime.” Rossi says, thinking out loud.

“Y/n helped JJ talk to the press. The unsub could have seen her then. It’s likely that he would follow the case, especially once it was announced that the FBI had joined the case.” Spencer rapidly explains.

“She’s the right age, she fits his type.” Rossi nods.

“So, he sees her as more of a challenge. He’s escalated. He knows that she is a higher risk person to take.” Emily comments. 

“Y/n, said she’s on a boat.” Morgan says, bringing up the clue that Y/n gave them before the feed cut out. 

“We’re in southern Florida, there’s thousands of boats within just a hundred miles of us.” JJ sighs, looking around to the group around her.

“Four thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two within 75 miles of here.” Spencer pipes up.

Hotchner cuts him a look. Still trying to find anyone to blame, but himself. He’s the one who sent her in to that parking garage. 

“Garcia, can you locate her based on the feed the unsub has sent us?” Aaron asks, looking at the plain black screen, hoping to see it come back on so he can see the girl behind the camera. 

“No sir, he’s using a different routing server, just like he did with all of his previous victims.”

“Y/n is not a victim.”

---

It takes some time while the team continues to try and work out locations and who the unsub could even be. He wasn’t afraid to show his face on camera, which makes things a little more difficult. He has no record, making Garcia’s life a little harder. 

The TV in the conference room lets out a crackle before the familiar room comes into their view. Everyone sets down what they had been working on and halts all conversation. It’s been several hours since we’ve seen anything from him. Y/n has been gone for eleven hours at this point.

“Welcome back to the show!” The unsub grins. 

He moves out of the way to finally put Y/n in the frame. She’s hunched over, she doesn’t look as good as she did before. It’s evident that things have changed off camera. 

“His name is Nick.” Y/n mutters, picking up her head as best as she can. “He’s five ten and approximately a hundred ninety pounds.” 

“Don’t you learn to shut up?” Nick pulls back on the hair at the back of her head. In doing so it reveals new bruises that have taken home on her. 

“Baby, we talked about this. No more sharing with them, or else you know what happens.” Nick brushes her hair out of her face now. 

“This is his dads boat.” Y/n looks at the man who has taken her with spite in her eyes. It seems in his hours spent with her, he hasn’t learned that Y/n doesn’t like to be told what to do. And that she’s tougher than she looks. 

He lands a sharp fist into the side of her head and takes a step back. He lets himself take a deep breath, trying to gain control. He doesn’t want to kill her yet, that would be over too soon. Now he can step closer again, he lets one hand wrap around her throat, halting any oxygen of reaching her lungs.

He waits for Y/n to start to struggle in her chair before he lets up. 

“You just don’t like to learn, that’s okay. I’ll fix you.” Nick takes her hand, which is still tied to the arms of the chair she’s sat in. He pulls her pointer finger with care, before sharply pushing it straight up, breaking it. 

“Garcia-” Y/n picks up her head struggling to fight against his hands, she’s coughing now still trying to gain her breath back, “You don’t need to see this. Please. Turn it off.”

“Of course, Y/n is the one being tortured and she’s worried about other people.” Morgan turns away, himself unable to watch this continue. Listening to Y/n’s screams and shouts are going to be enough to stick with him. Rossi forces himself to watch the girl he’s grown so close to since joining the team, brutally tortured in front of him. 

Everyone on this team has love for this girl. She’s managed to worm her way into everyone’s life in some way or another. Y/n always knows exactly what each person needs, and she meets it. She holds the team together when they’re all falling apart. If anything were to happen to her, it would destroy them all. 

Especially Aaron. As reluctant as he would be to admit it, this girl has wormed her way into his heart. Different to everyone else on the team, though. He saw her beauty and kindness. It was hard to him to imagine a woman ever entering his life like Haley did, but Y/n did it with such grace, and without even trying. Y/n helped him out with Jack when he needed it, and made them meals when Aaron just needed to catch a break. She didn’t even need a thank you, it was just part of her.

Without even trying, Y/n became his person and all he can think now is that he never got the chance to tell her, never even got the chance to thank her, and that he won’t let happen.  He wants to see Y/n’s face in person, not bruised and bloody through the screen on the wall. He needs to get out to save her.

“Garcia, does that help you narrow your search.” Hotchner asks their tech who is still on speaker. 

“We’ve got twenty-two Nicks with boats in the Miami area.” She explains. 

“What about Nicks who have wealthy fathers? Or boats that weren’t originally in their name.” Spencer asks. 

“That leaves me with one. Nick Hoffman.” Garcia cheers, “Sunset Harbour on 1928 Sunset Harbour Drive” 

The team takes off without a second thought, quickly trying to save their girl. They manage to get there in record time and find the boat with success. Y/n was right, it’s more like a ship with its size. 

“Morgan, Rossi, work your way around the main levels and then below. Emily and I will lead the upper level.” 

The team takes off to clear the boat. It took a few empty rooms until Emily finally opens the door to where they are. Nick holds a knife to Y/n’s throat. He’s essentially using her as a shield, ducking behind her. 

“If you take one more step in here, I will slit her throat.” Nick shouts. 

“We don’t want that to happen.” Emily negotiates, Hotch finally stepping into the room. 

“Hey! I told you guys not to move!” He presses the blade down tight against Y/n’s neck while she lets out a shudder. 

“Let her go.” Hotch declares. 

“I want a deal.” Nick grovels. 

“Men like you don’t get deals.” Emily says, her eyes trained on him and all of his movements. 

“Not even for your precious Y/n’s life?” He grins, looking down at the girl below him now. 

“Go to hell.” She mutters as best she can., 

“Maybe killing you would be worth it.” He smirks, “Then we could go out together.” 

“I’ve got better plans.” Y/n throws her head back into Nick’s disorienting him enough that Hotch has a clear shot, and he takes it. Nick’s body falls and Emily kicks his knife out of reach.

“Get me out of this chair.” Y/n shakes, squirming to get out of the spot she’s been constrained to. “Get me out of here, please.” 

Hotch and Emily both holster their weapons and rush to help her. They quickly untie her and when her legs fail her, Hotch scoops her up. He quickly walks her down the stairs and doesn’t stop once he reaches the dock, he takes her all the way up to the ambulance. 

Without hesitation, Hotch gets in with her. There isn’t anything that could keep him from leaving her now. 

“Wow, that was a dramatic ending, huh?” Y/n grins. 

“You can’t seriously be cracking jokes about this now.” He sighs. 

“I mean come on, aren’t you going to even ask how I figured out his name was Nick? I figured it out when he ow-” 

Y/n cuts herself off when the paramedic starts feeling her ribs to see which are cracked and if any are broken.

“Y/n, we can talk about this later.” Aaron smiles. 

“Am I hallucinating? Is it the lack of oxygen, because you’re smiling.” Y/n comments, finally turning to look at her boss who has a smile that she knows he saves for Jack. 

“You’re back. That’s reason to smile.” 

They make it to the hospital to find out that Y/n has a concussion, one broken rib and three cracked ribs, and one broken finger. Not to mention the trauma to the trachea. 

“The gangs all here.” Y/n smiles, noticing Garcia has flown down to join the group. Everyone has been gathered in the room since everything settled down, “What are you doing here?” 

“Y/n, you were kidnapped.” Garcia states, still in shock, “You could’ve died.” 

Tears fill Penelope’s eyes and Y/n opens her arms from her hospital bed for a hug, which she easily accepts. 

“Ehh, I knew you guys would find me.” Y/n grins. “I’m fine Pen, I’m getting discharged in the morning and we can all go home.” 

“Yes, speaking of, we should all get some rest. Especially Y/n.”

Slowly, the rest of the team clears out, giving hugs on their way. 

“Not taking your own orders?” Y/n asks, noticing her boss making himself comfortable on the small couch in her hospital room. 

“I don’t think I could leave if I tried.” Aaron admits. 

“And why’s that?” Y/n asks, carefully turning to lay on her side to face him. 

“Because I love you.” He confesses, “I have for a while now, and it’s alright if you don’t feel the same, or if my position with this team makes you uncomfortable. I just don’t think I can go any longer without you at least knowing.”

“You love me?” Y/n asks, her voice cracking. Aaron finally has the courage to look over and she has tears in her eyes. 

“Yes.” He clears his throat, “The way you have become a part of my life, and Jack’s for that matter. You bring so much light with you everywhere you go, even after a day like you’ve had today. You manage to still be the brightest person I have ever met.”

“Please don’t make me get out of bed to kiss you, because I think I would crack another rib.” Y/n sighs. 

Hotch lets out a soft chuckle before getting up from his spot. 

“Only if you promise to go to bed after this, you need rest.” 

“Promise.” 

He leans down to connect their lips, it’s soft. Y/n can tell that he’s being gentle with her. She reaches up a hand to thread them through Aaron’s short hair, using it to her advantage to hold him there and pull him a little closer. They pull away eventually, Y/n stealing one more peck before fully letting go of him.

“Ok, maybe I’ve had worse days.” 

---

AHHHHHH my first time writing for criminal minds! i hope you guys liked it! 🥺

[saphirered]

The Wizard and the Warrior

Boy it’s been busy. Double shifts whenever I’ve been free and uni starting again have really been a hassle but I managed to get in some writing so I hope you enjoy this final instalment of the Eldritch Knight series! Was going to split this one in two parts but didn’t work out so sorry for that. Hope you like it! 😘

You didn’t know what to expect when you were pulled through the world away from the homey Xhorhaus but you definitely didn’t expect the sound of waves in the distance and seagulls, the subtile smell of salt water and sand and an ocean breeze to hit you when you reappeared. Upon your vision taking in the new surroundings you find yourself standing under one of the opal archways looking out over a covered market selling all sorts of goods from street foods and drinks to knickknacks and jewellery, merchants calling for the attention of the people strolling about, negotiating prices or shouting their latest discount to pull in new customers. You’re in Nicodranas. 

Essek knew he made the right decision when he sees the joy and excitement on your face. His feet tap the ground and he walks instead of floating, not wanting to draw any more attention that necessary and instead just enjoy these moments with you without the possibility of people finding out who you really are. Today you’d just be normal people without the weight of the world balanced on your shoulders. Today you got to be ordinary tourists exploring a city you otherwise never could. Nobody knows you’d be here. 

You stroll about the market arm in arm moving from shop to shop and stand to stand inspecting wares, admiring them and listening to the stories the merchants tried to sell you. Both of you knew better and were able to easily distinguish truth from lies but that didn’t mean you didn’t like playing along every so often. 

When you reached near the end of the market square the canopies started leaving gaps and eventually disappeared. Essek did his best to hide his winces whenever the sunlight was particularly bright. The sun was setting but it would still be another hour or so until it was fully set and he might have underestimated the brightness of the light. He didn’t let it bother him and pulled through. The slight discomfort is one-hundred percent worth looking upon your face as you bartered with another merchant. 

Essek was partially blinded from where he stood while you browsed the wares of a man selling all sorts of curiosities but he couldn’t really move elsewhere without leaving your side or stepping into the path of walking people so he stuck and stayed relying on his hearing instead. You were bartering with the man as he put prices to the things you showed interest in and you tried to get a better price because you were fully aware you could get something similar if not the same for much cheaper. Essek couldn’t do anything but admire your skill and careful navigation of this encounter showing you had not left your wits with your armour back in Rosohna.

Once you got a good deal you bought your findings; a wide sheer shawl more like a thin blanket to wrap around your shoulders as you knew upon nightfall the breeze could bring a chill, a decorated silver bracelet with an inset purple gem that showed silver specks like stars whenever it caught the light just right and something else… Once done you pulled Essek aside into the full cover of one of the canopies and Essek was thankful for the break.

You’d expected Essek to have broken or admitted to his discomfort before when you noticed him wince every time the canopy lifted upon the wind and allowed the sun to bleed through right where he stood. You knew drow senses are attuned to darker spaces and in turn therefor experience a sensitivity to daylight. 

“Will you stop being stubborn and just admit when something bothers you?” You say sternly as Essek rubs his eyes to get rid of the dark spots clouding his vision. When he sees the look you give him he bites his lip in shame. Apparently he hadn’t done such a good job of hiding it after all. 

“I may not be able to do anything about the sunlight but I can do this.” You take out a parasol of a dark grey almost black colour with ornate lace designs added to it. It does enough to shield those under from the light and should prevent Essek from experiencing downsides of his drow heritage. Before he can protest you link your arm with his again holding the parasol above the two of you and shield yourselves from the light. 

“Don’t worry. You can thank me by providing your company over a meal with me until the sun sets and we can go outside again without you burning off your retinas. I know just the place.” You smile as you begin leading Essek away to a different part of the city. You may not be the most familiar with Nicodranas but you know how to get to most places you’ve been before. You know your way from this market square to the Lavish Chateau so you begin leading Essek in that direction. 

“There’s a great fish and chips shop on the way near Tidepeak I don’t think that kind of street food is really your style.” You say as the Tidepeak comes into view. 

—————

Meanwhile the Nein and Verin stumble out into the teleportation circle room at the Tidepeak. They cracked the code and figured it out based on the list of places Verin had found among Essek’s notes. They knew exactly where Essek was going so it wouldn’t be much effort to find you two right? What harm has a little spying ever done to anyone? Maybe don’t answer that question. They had come for their own reasons be that to watch an epic romance unravel, dig up some dirt to tease or blackmail either of you with, or simply to keep the others in check. 

“Shit. Should we have send a message?” Jester panics looking around for the goblin that usually helps them on their way and informs Yussa of their arrival. 

“Not again.” Beau exclaims in exasperation. Yes again. And again they explain to Wensforth this is a matter of the utmost importance and expediency and they couldn’t have sent a message beforehand or lost too much time. Wensforth luckily for them didn’t have it within him to question their strange reasonings as he escorted them out of the tower and left the to their business.

—————

Within the Lavish Chateau you found out Essek had made a reservation and the guards and servers seemed to be extremely welcoming and attentive to the both of you for some reason you raised an eyebrow when a top shelf bottle of wine was brought out and left at your table once your glasses were poured and you awaited your food. 

“Do I want to ask how you did all this?” You swirl your finger around gesturing to your surroundings. “Because last I was here, not even the daughter of the Ruby of the Sea and her friends get this kind of attendance.” 

“Then perhaps it’s best you don’t ask.” Essek smiles proudly. 

“How many of the Nicodranian nobility have cleared their debt with the Dynasty or reminded of their indiscretions then?” You ask giving him a look over your glass as you take a sip of delicious wine. Top shelf really is worth it. 

“I thought you weren’t going to ask.” You hook your ankle around his from under the table and pull your leg back, Essek briefly loses balance but not enough to throw him off and fall from his seat. He gives you a disapproving and teasing look as you laugh. Food is served and just like everything, it’s perfect. Essek really put in the work to make this all happen and if the sunlight hadn’t thrown you off his schedule you can’t even fantom what else he had planed for your date. Though, he didn’t seem to mind the change of plans a single bit. 

Pleasant conversation about everything and nothing all the same, asking questions so trivial you didn’t think Essek would ever even have been capable of being so relaxed and free of responsibility. When it falls silent for a second and Essek catches you staring at him in thought he studies you closer.

“What?” Essek asks as you hum. 

“Just thinking?” 

“A copper for your thoughts then?” Essek puts his glass down. He doesn’t want to pry or ask out of turn but he is curious as of what got that dreamy expression on your face when you retreated within your own mind for that moment. 

“All of them?” You grin.

“If you are willing to reveal them.” Essek returns to your surprise, fully aware of the meaning behind your words and yet he still plays along. These kind of moments are rare with Essek unless you are completely alone so you’ll revel in the fact that he lets go like he does right now and hope you’d be able to see this side more often.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to get all flustered upon my voicing certain thoughts.” You tease, mischievous look in his eyes as he leans in on his elbows on the table and tilts his head amused. 

“Then perhaps keep it limited to your most recent ones? For now at least.” You snort and almost choke on the sip of wine you took bur recover quickly. You definitely didn’t see that one coming.

“Oh so he does play the game in public without shame. You are full of surprises today, aren’t you?” You drop the teasing and turn to your observation. “I was just thinking I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so carefree. I’d love to see this side of you more often if you’ll let me.” The teasing drops from Essek’s face and his expression turns into one of genuine affection. 

“I’d love nothing more.” Your glasses are refilled as the crowd begins gathering for the performance of the Ruby of the Sea.

—————

The Mighty Nein and Verin follow Jester leading them from place to place on the list but no matter how much they search they can’t find you. Last they heard you were seen buying some stuff from a merchant and then nothing so they had resorted to going down the list until they’d found you but still nothing. Over an hour had passed and the sun long since set, lanterns lit to lead the ways.

They search high and low following the list Verin had found but don’t find you and Essek anywhere. Nicordanas is a big city and turns out finding a buff pretty person and a hot boi drow are a lot harder to find than they initially thought. So, having given up the search they instead turn to a place to drink and wallow in self pity for not spying on the date. Jester knows just the place… No better place than the Lavish Chateau. Maybe her mom will even perform tonight! 

When they reach the Lavish Chateau the crowd’s already gathering but with sheer determination and the threatening of some they make it through and find a table, their drinks served as Jester goes off to say hi to her mom before the performance. Then of course Verin and Beau ask about a couple, describing you and Essek having come through here. Instead they’re pointed to a private table out of the direct sight of the entrance but in full view of what is to be the Ruby’s performance space, and if Beau knows anything, a really really expensive bottle of wine shared between the two of you as you sit around laughing and engaging in happy conversation.

As they watch, Essek and you suddenly being the most interesting thing in the entire room they notice a blush creeping up your face as you twirl one of the flowers in your hair returning an equally daring comment of your own, your fingers dancing over the back of Essek’s hand outstretched towards you until he closes his hand and grasps them. You gasp and giggle as he intwines your fingers with his and you making a comment that sends a deep purple crawling up the wizard’s cheeks. The Nein watch, some swooning at the cuteness, the others in surprise and a hint of disgust akin to that of watching your sibling be sugary sweet romantic with their partner you do not want to witness, and the rest like encouraging friends glad their friends have found happiness within each other. 

The performance is about to begin and you spot a blue tiefling running down the stairs as quick as she can darting to one of the tables. You already had the feeling you were being watched for the past fifteen minutes but thought nothing of it as since no action was taken yet and the crowd grew, if it were assassins or the likes again, they’d have come for you before as to not make a scene. Getting confirmation your friends had tracked you to Nicodranas and found you here. You’re not surprised but rather impressed and the addition of what clearly looks like a drow soldier of some repute with features similar to Essek lead you to believe this must be his infamous brother he’d been complaining about plenty of times. You move your chair as if to get a better view of the performance to come and sit right next to Essek. You weren’t the only one who noticed them.

“Do you think they know we know they’re here.” Essek leans into your shoulder as he speaks.

“No. Not this time but if you weren’t so caught up in admiring me you’d have noticed them first.” You lean in closer, whispering into his ear as you speak. 

“You are quite distracting.” Essek defends with a laugh. 

“I’ve seen Beau and your brother gag and complain twice now. Is this the point where we return the favour and give them a show to remember?” You suggest with a glint of mischief within your eyes. 

“How could I refuse?” Essek’s word are enough for you to further provoke the Nein and take it up a notch, or several. 

“Tell me if something makes you uncomfortable and I’ll stop.” You halt your teasing and allow your tone to turn more serious. Essek does the same when you do. 

“Only if you promise to do the same.” Essek doesn’t know if it’s the wine or your shared desire to make them suffer for interrupting your date like they did. Probably the latter. Most definitely the latter. Let them squirm. 

The Ruby comes down the stairs singing and everyone hangs onto her every word, her entire being like she’s a siren from the depths ready to lure in hopeless sailors. As her performance continues you move yourself closer to Essek until your sides are pressed together. Essek’s arm wraps around you pulling you close into his side and to your surprise, onto his lap. You lean your head against his shoulder and whisper sweet nothings, as you play with the fingers of his free hand lovingly. You pay attention to the performance, little attention needed for this display of affection as it comes surprisingly natural and unrestrained to the both of you. 

You lift your head and lean towards Essek, but an inch away from his lips, making eye contact as you whisper something to him but the Nein can’t hear over the singing and you’re too far away to lip read for anyone. It’s so frustrating but holy hells, they never knew Essek had a romantic bone in his body, let alone the guts to drop his composed and emotionally constipated side completely around you. They definitely didn’t see this coming and even Beau could relate to Jester’s possible ideas of turning this into some kind of smutty romance novel because that’s what it looked like. 

When you leaned back, always teasing and never close enough to actually kiss, you watched the performance more. Both you and Essek admired the show the Ruby was putting on. Her song as beautiful as she is but you might have connected with her a little more than anyone else in the room because when she passed your table and saw you and Essek she gave you a knowing smile. A knowing smile that showed she knew exactly when a performance was being put on, the courtesan’s ability to read people shining through once more when she winked at you before she turned around and found her way to the table of the Nein, distracting them from you and pulling the attention to herself. 

Essek was surprised and didn’t really know what to make of what just happened but next he knows he’s being pulled away from his seat by you and dragged to a side exit, abandoning the table mid performance. Out in the street you take off running and then it hits him; a moment of privacy. You played everyone, even him in the end when you appeared to have your attention fully on the Ruby of the Sea but instead you had a nonverbal agreement with the woman. Regardless of his thoughts you kept running towards the eastern edge of the city, through the gates and to the beach. Freedom. 

The moon and stars and city lights within the walls as your light source you pulled Essek along to the shoreline, laughing your asses off. You’ll have to remember to give Marion a big thanks next time you see her. Once safely away from the city sure you’re far enough away from the city you slow your pace and walk side by side along the beach.

“As clever as ever.” Essek compliments as you bump your shoulder into his with a grin. You offer Essek a hand as you climb over some rocks blocking your path. Essek takes it but instead of climbing he just hoovers over without any difficulty. 

“While, I’d gladly take credit I think you deserve at least half. Did you see the looks on their faces?” Your laughter rings like chimes in reminisce of your friends. It’s music to Essek’s ears. 

“I could never forget.” You stop and lower yourself onto the sand, gently pulling Essek’s arm inviting him to join. He does and sits down next to you as stare at him.

“Today was a good day. We should do this more often.” You sigh in content. There’s just something about the drow and the starry night sky behind him that makes him look so ethereal, you could look at him for ages and never get bored. 

“Being run out of a city by our friends for a moment of privacy?” Essek deadpans and you playfully shove him.

“While it was certainly eventful I think I could do without uninvited company next time.” In comfortable silence you both watch the view. Moon reflecting on the ocean, sound of gentle push and pull of the water against the shore and the thousands of stars scattered throughout the sky giving the both of you a sense of warmth and comfort. 

“You certainly found your courage tonight. I never thought you capable of such intimate displays of affection.” You comment and Essek turns his gaze to you. Despite the low light you notice the slight darkening of his cheeks a he takes in a breath. 

“I partially blame the determination to push my brother’s buttons.” You snort.

“And the other part?” Essek decides to humour you with and answer even though you hadn’t expected one. 

“You, as my partner in crime as some might say, made it easy to put on such a display. Though, I will admit to not being so open and frivolous in my affection with an audience, I did enjoy them nonetheless.” 

“Well then, I’m glad my frivolous affection brings you joy.” You say and Essek is about to correct himself for his words but stops when he notices you holding back your smile. You know exactly what he meant and when Essek notices it’s his turn to gently shove you. You gasp even though you’re physically unmoved. 

“Aren’y you all courage tonight? Careful now or I’ll toss you into the ocean.” You jest. 

“It seems both of us have not been lacking any courage this night.” Essek comments and he’s right. With the antics of the day, and your grand escape, you might never have had it been any other situation. You really did enjoy it and wouldn’t change a single thing. Well, maybe add something but there’s no time like the present so maybe you’ll just ask. 

“Then, in a bout of courage, I will ask you this. May I kiss you?” Essek does a double take in case he heard your words wrong but the expression written all over you confirms he has in fact heard you loud and clear. Still he doesn’t miss a beat in his answer. He’s already made up his min. 

“You certainly may.” With that you close your eyes and lean in placing your lips onto Essek’s in a gentle kiss. No pretend, no faked lust or intimacy but honest, clear and unrestrained emotion. When you pull away you’re both smiling like fools. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” You whisper as Essek leans in carefully to kiss you this time, lips moving together in a slightly deeper kiss. His hand finds your cheek holding your face lightly caressing a thumb over your cheekbone. 

“I could say the same.” Essek speaks when you pull apart for a moment, foreheads leaning against each other. Many more kisses follow, varying from gentle and sweet to passionate and deep, whatever suits your needs. You have no intention of getting off this beach near Nicodranas any time soon nor do you have anywhere to be so here you’ll stay enjoying each other’s company until the sun rises. 

From behind the rocks not too far away, eight people watch the wizard and the warrior finally do what some of them had hoped they would in the months they’ve gotten closer. Others are turning away while maybe peaking through at times, solely to see their friends happy with each other despite the chaos of the world but not without going right back to quieting their gagging noises of ‘not wanting to see the people who they consider their family making out’. 

“Oh my god! This is going to be so good, you guys. They’re so cute!” Jester whispers already taking notes and working out the story in her head. It’s going to be an epic love tale of two star-crossed lovers for sure. Maybe she can question you on the more spicier details later, get this book to sell at the Chastity's Nook some day? 

“Ugh. Let’s go. I can’t watch this any longer. Drinks?” Verin doesn’t resist and follows Beau, Yasha and Fjord back to Nicodranas. Caduceus has a bit more difficult of a time to drag the cleric and rogue away as the latter enabling her actions instead of giving you some much deserved privacy. He succeeds eventually leaving you and Essek behind to enjoy the rest of your night with a smile. Nothing better than people finding their own happiness. 

[charmingwords23]

Fanfic: Exponential Growth

Teresa hadn’t been expecting her family to grow by two members in one day. 

- OR - 

Teresa was already pregnant in the finale and I’ll prove it with this fic...

Link

Teresa couldn’t sleep. Each time she would close her eyes and try to relax, something would distract her. The side of the pillow against her cheek wasn’t cold enough, so she’d flipped it. James was too far away, so she’d snuggled closer. Then she was too hot, so she’d shifted away. Her back was aching from lying on it too long, so she’d rolled onto her side. The waves crashing outside the bedroom window were unusually loud - had they always been like that? Maybe they needed noise-reducing drapes. Did those exist? She had tossed and turned so much last night that James had eventually grumbled in his sleep and thrown his arm over her waist in a vain attempt at keeping her still.

By the time the dark of night started to fade to gray, Teresa had tried counting sheep, counting the seconds between the breaking waves, and counting the whiskers between James’s ear and chin (she lost count on that one). When nothing worked, she had mostly just lain with her eyes on the ceiling, mind racing but never settling on a complete thought. So when the clock turned to 5:30 AM and the seagulls outside started to squawk, Teresa gave up and decided she might as well just get up.   

Teresa turned her head toward the sleeping man beside her. James was lying on his side, his right arm slung lazily over the bottom of her ribcage so that his fingertips brushed her hip bone. His soft hair flopped over his forehead and jutted out in different directions, in a disarray still from when she had run her fingers though it the night before. She studied the way his dark lashes rested against his cheek and how his lips parted so slightly with his slow, rhythmic breaths that anyone who wasn’t looking wouldn’t even notice. 

He always looked so peaceful when he slept.

She didn’t know she could love a person so much. Teresa’s chest felt tight, compressed by the overwhelming urge to draw so close she wouldn’t be able to tell where she ended and he began. She wanted to wrap herself under his skin and tie their souls together. 

Instead, she gingerly reached out a hand to smooth her fingers over his brow, careful to keep her touch light as a butterfly wing. 

He didn’t stir. With a silent sigh, Teresa carefully withdrew her hand and slid her body out from under his arm. She perched on the edge of the bed and reached for James’s shirt on the floor. She remembered throwing it off of him the night before, and a ghost of a smile formed on her lips. She shrugged into the shirt and stood up, swiping her hand over the back of her neck to free her long curls from the neckline of the shirt. 

James groaned quietly behind her, rolled onto his stomach, and ran his hand over the bare sheets that were still warm from her body. “What are you doing?” His voice was low and muffled against the pillow where his face was half-buried. 

“I’m going to take a bath,” she whispered, shifting the shirt so that it sat evenly on her shoulders instead of gaping off to one side because of its size. 

James grumbled in protest. He grabbed a hold of the edge of the shirt and tugged at it. “Come back to bed,” he mumbled, never opening his eyes. 

Teresa shifted around to smile at him and shook her head. “Can’t. Too much to do today.” He huffed and buried his face further in his pillow. Teresa leaned down to kiss his bare shoulder once, then padded across the floor to the adjoining bathroom. She clicked the door shut behind her before turning on the light. 

As she drew the bath and added her favorite oils to the water, she drummed her fingers against her thigh - her restless energy increasing. She moved around the bathroom, collecting fresh towels and wash rags to set on the stool next to the tub. 

Today was the day. 

Finally, after four years, her entire family was going to be together again. 

She, James, Kelly Anne, and Kelly Anne’s daughter Lena had lived a quiet, content life together since disappearing from their old lives. They ate meals together, they played in the sun together, and they watched movies together; but no amount of happiness had been able to completely fill the Pote-shaped void in their lives. Since the moment James and Kelly Anne had joined Teresa at the beach, Teresa had felt both a happiness she had never fathomed and a longing for the day when Pote would be reunited with them to make their family whole. 

Teresa had teared up when they got the news last month that Pote would be released with time served in the upcoming weeks. 

In the present, Teresa dipped a hand into the bathwater to check the temperature. Satisfied that it was hot enough to relax her muscles but cool enough to not cause a sweat, she stirred the water around with her fingers and then shed James’s shirt, letting it fall to its most common resting place: the floor. She dipped her toes into the water, then slowly sunk her body in - letting the warmth caress her skin. 

Teresa tried to allow the calming lavender scent she had added to the water relax her. She began massaging her skin with her favorite scrub and making a mental list of what she needed to do today to get ready for Pote’s homecoming. 

She would need to refresh the sheets in Kelly Anne’s room so Pote would have a nice, fresh bed to sleep in. Kelly Anne had already washed the small starter-collection of clothes they’d purchased for Pote, so that was done at least. She wondered if she should ask James to go into town to buy a couple of bottles of Pote’s favorite Mexican whiskey? Teresa had already prepped the meat for the soup she would make tonight - letting it marinate overnight for extra flavor. She did need to bake the bread this morning so the dough would have time to rise this afternoon, but that wouldn’t be too difficult. 

Teresa had been making preparations for Pote’s return for over a week, and still she felt the nagging in the back of her mind like she was forgetting something important. 

She rinsed her face in the bathwater, then massaged her washrag over her forehead and cheeks. 

She had thought of everything, right? She had made his travel arrangements - all at a premium to ensure the highest discretion. Despite Teresa’s mixed feelings on the matter, James had successfully infiltrated the prison and passed off coded travel directions to Pote. Teresa and Kelly Anne had stocked up on Pote’s favorite foods and ingredients, and Teresa had even helped Kelly Anne start compiling a list of potential houses on the island where she and Pote could move with their daughter when Pote was ready. They had started leaving an empty chair at their dinner table and telling Lena it was where her Papi would sit when he arrived home, so she wouldn’t be confused. 

Teresa shook her head. No, she was sure she had covered her bases. Pote would be home today and everything was almost ready for his arrival. 

When she had scrubbed her skin clean and the water started to turn more tepid than warm, she swam her hand to the bottom to unplug the stopper, then lifted herself from the water. She grabbed her clean towel and patted it against the rivulets of water that trickled down her body. Shaking off as much water as she could, she stepped out of the tub and exchanged her towel for the fluffy white robe hanging on a nearby wall hook.  

Teresa made her way to her designated sink at the bathroom vanity and released her hair from where she had tied it up before her bath. The soft strands of curls cascaded over the shoulders and back of her robe. She ran her fingers through it and decided it might need a few spritzes of the leave-in conditioner she kept on hand. 

She scanned the vanity top - eyes passing over her most-used lotions, soaps, and moisturizers. Where had she put it? She glanced at James's sink. The only supply he kept out was his hand-soap, and Teresa knew she wouldn’t have put her conditioner in any of the drawers that held his razor, aftershave, nail trimmers, or any of his other things. Her lips pursed together in consternation as she started opening the various vanity drawers and rifling through them. 

Not with the nail polish; she would have never put it there. 

Not with the extra hand towels. 

Not with the cold medication, ibuprofen, and cough drops on hand for the occasional illness. 

She opened the largest under-sink drawer and began to root through the little shelves that held her blow dryer, hair straightener, and additional hair and skin products. In her digging, she bumped something onto the floor with her elbow. Teresa huffed and crouched down on her heels to gather up the tampons that were spilling out of their box and onto the floor. She made a mental note that she needed to get more of them soon. She’d been meaning to pick some up but - 

Wait. 

Teresa froze just as she was setting the little box back under the sink. She blinked a few times, her eyes flitting to the side, trying to recall a memory. 

What day was it again?

How long had it been?

She tried to count backwards in her mind and felt an uncomfortable crease forming in her brow. 

Wait, wait, wait.

She shut the cabinet door and scrambled to her feet. There was a buzzing in her ear, and she could feel her heart starting to beat against her ribcage. She swung the bathroom door open. James was still lying on his stomach with his face half buried in a pillow. He grimaced at the bright yellow light from the bathroom but didn’t open his eyes. The gray-blue light of dawn filtered through the drapes to illuminate the curves of his exposed back where the sheet had ridden down to his hips.  

“James,” she whispered, a hint of urgency in her tone. 

“Mmm?” 

“What day is it?”

“Wednesday,” he rumbled, his voice heavy with sleep and still muffled by his pillow. 

“No,” she prompted, “I mean the date.” She brought her thumb up to her lip and started chewing on her fingernail - still trying to mentally calculate the passage of time. Out here on the beach, everything moved so slowly that Teresa barely ever kept track of the day of the week, much less the day of the month. The only time she ever really checked was when she knew her cycle must be coming up - 

James frowned and opened one sleepy eye to glance at her. “The ninth.” Teresa’s gaze drifted down, lost in her counting. “Why?” he prodded, voice thick and lazy. 

The answer to the most important math problem she’d done in years - maybe in her whole life - sprung to her mind. It had been 36 days. James must have noticed something in her expression, because he started to shift himself up onto one arm. She swallowed. “No reason,” she whispered in a rush, backing into the bathroom and shutting the door again, resting her back against it for a second. She heard James huff and then settle back into the bed. 

She needed to be sure. 

She rushed forward to her vanity again and threw open the drawer where she knew she had stocked a few pregnancy tests in the back. Lena’s surprise appearance in Kelly Anne’s life had convinced Teresa to always keep one or two tests on hand. After all, she had always been one to plan for all contingencies. 

It turned out she had accumulated three slim boxes. Teresa scanned her eyes over the instructions and then yanked the packages open. 

The three minutes between when she set the last used test on the counter top and when she could pick them up to see the results felt like the seconds were wading through quicksand. Teresa sat on the edge of the bathtub and stared off into space. 

Her mind went back to a handful of weeks ago when she and James had watched from a short distance on the beach as Kelly Anne told Lena about her Papi and how he would be coming home soon. The words had tumbled out of her mouth before she’d even really registered them. I think I want that. James had assessed her, surprise and something else clear on his face. 

“A kid?” he’d asked. She’d nodded. He’d grinned and pulled her into his side, planting a kiss on the top of her head. 

They hadn’t been trying, technically. But they also hadn’t been not trying. 

When her birth control pills had run out shortly after that, she had just stopped refilling them. When the moment had come each time they had sex the last few weeks, they’d just skipped the condom. They weren’t in a rush, but they weren’t preventing anything anymore either. 

She always thought it would take longer. 

James was going to be so smug. 

When the three minutes had passed and it was time to look at her results, Teresa already knew in her heart what the tests would say. She stood, ignoring the slight tremor in her hand, and took the two steps to the vanity where the tests were laid out. 

Two lines. 

A plus sign. 

Pregnant. 

Teresa sucked in a breath and backed up to sit on the edge of the tub again. Her eyes pointed toward the bathroom door, unfocused, and her hand drifted absently to press against her stomach. A baby. A new life to love and be responsible for. Old Teresa rarely let herself dream of the possibility, but here in her new life, she was starting to get used to dreams becoming reality. 

She was going to be a mother. 

A soft knock rapped against the door. 

“Teresa?” James’s voice was gravelly, like he’d just climbed his way out of a deep slumber and his voice wasn’t ready to forfeit the sleep yet. Teresa wasn’t prepared to say anything, so she didn’t. Her mind was too distracted by a barrage of images: tiny toes, teddy bears, lullabies, pink lips and soft eyelashes. 

She heard the door click open and saw James stepping inside while scratching a hand over his bare stomach where the elastic of his sweatpants hung low on his hips. His hair looked like a charming mess, and he squinted his eyes against the light. Her vision was starting to smear around the edges. Somewhere in the depths of her mind she realized the blurriness was a side effect of gathering tears.

“Teresa, what -” She could feel the moment James’s eyes landed on her, and even through her blurry vision she could see him stop his movements. His voice was awake and demanding in the next heartbeat. “Are you ok? What’s going on?”

She blinked rapidly and lifted her eyes to his face. Her chest was starting to burn with something that even after four years, she was only just starting to recognize: joy.

His brow was furrowed and his lips were turned down at the corners. She supposed she’d be worried too if she walked into the bathroom and saw him crying in a robe on the edge of the bathtub. He crossed the distance between them and crouched in front of her. His hand automatically reached up to press the back of his palm against her forehead. “Hey,” he breathed, searching her eyes. “Are you feeling ok? What’s wrong?”

She planted her hands on the sides of his neck, his bare skin warming her palms. Her own lips wobbled into some semblance of a smile. “Nothing,” she exhaled. “We -” she cleared her throat and jutted her chin toward the vanity. “Look.” 

James stared at her for a beat, confusion written on his brows. He stood and stepped away from her grasp. She watched his eyes connect with what was on the sink and stop moving. He spun back around to face her, his eyes wide and his mouth dropping open slightly. She laughed then and clasped her hands together over her heart, the elation that had been bubbling in her lungs spilling over to the surface. “Teresa,” he murmured, turning to the sink again and stepping closer. His eyes scanned through the tests, and his hand reached out as if to grab one of them, but he pulled it back. 

He spun to face her again, taking steps toward her as if in a trance. She felt his eyes boring into her face. “You’re pregnant?” His voice was soft, like the words were a prayer. 

Teresa bit her lip, but even that couldn’t hinder the corners from turning up in a smile. James laughed and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes bright. In a moment, he was crouching in front of her again, his palms smoothing up her neck and his fingers cradling the back of her head. “You’re serious?”

Teresa bent her elbows to grab onto his forearms below his wrists. “Yes,” she confirmed, her voice sounding light and breathless. 

His answering grin matched her own. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, then kissed her nose and pulled back enough to meet her eyes again. “How do you feel?”

Teresa knew he didn’t mean physically. She blinked again, and the tears building up in one of her eyes finally snuck over the edge and onto her cheek. James wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. “Happy,” she admitted, her smile growing. 

“Me too,” he confirmed, the emotion in his eyes dancing. Teresa moved one of her hands from his arm to his face, smoothing her thumb over his lips and then brushing his hair back from his face. She hoped their child had his deep brown eyes and soft dark hair. 

Teresa leaned forward to capture his lips with her own. By now, kissing James was as familiar as breathing, yet somehow her stomach still turned over when one of his hands fisted in her hair and the other one skimmed down her back to steady her where she still sat on the edge of the tub. She planted one of her hands against his jaw, relishing the tickle of his short beard against her flesh. 

His lips against hers were joy. Adoration. Reverence. 

“We’re having a baby,” she mumbled against his lips, her own curving against his. When he pulled back a few blissful moments later and grinned at her, she mirrored his expression. He laughed softly and tucked some loose curls behind her ear. 

“What?” she wondered aloud, her skin barely able to contain the euphoria bursting forth from deep inside her chest. 

James focused on that same strand of curls and ran his fingers down it, his grin turning into a smirk. He met her eyes again. “I just remembered when you said we shouldn’t get our hopes up because it might take me a while.” 

Teresa wasn’t sure whether she wanted to pinch his side in rebellion or devour the smirk from his face. 

 ---

The morning and afternoon passed in a flurry of activity preparing for Pote’s arrival.  Kelly Anne was a basket of nerves, cleaning and then recleaning every surface in the house - wanting everything to be perfect. James had offered to take Lena swimming after lunch to occupy the little girl, and Kelly Anne had almost cried in appreciation. A few minutes later, James had changed into his swim trunks and had hoisted a cackling Lena onto his shoulders. 

He had squeezed Teresa’s hand and thrown her a wink when the pair passed her on their way outside. 

It was a miracle that Kelly Anne hadn’t noticed the dreamy smile that had clawed its way onto Teresa’s face, but then again, Kelly Anne had other things on her mind, Teresa supposed. 

A few hours later, Teresa decided she needed a break when Kelly Anne asked her opinion on the fifth outfit she had changed into. James and Lena had returned from their swim, and James had headed for the shower while Lena joined her mom and tía in Kelly Anne’s bedroom. 

“Is this one too much?” Kelly Anne was babbling. “It’s too much, isn’t it. Ugh, I knew it.” 

Kelly Anne started tearing off her most recent tank top despite Teresa’s assurances that it looked great. 

“Mommy, when is Papi coming?” Lena whined, kicking her feet over the edge of the bed. 

“Soon, baby. Why don’t you go brush your teeth?”

Lena pouted and flopped onto the mattress. “I did that already!”

Kelly Anne barely spared her daughter a glance in the mirror. “Well brush them again, then.” 

“But I don’t wanna!” Lena wailed. 

Teresa grabbed the little girl’s hand. “It’s ok. I’ll take her outside for a while. We’ll build a sandcastle.” 

Kelly Anne nodded at Teresa and mouthed “thank-you.” Teresa nodded at her friend, then let the tiny brunette out of the house. 

Kneeling in the sand and watching Lena dig around and build her dream castle, Teresa couldn’t help imagining a few years down the road when she might be doing the same with her old child. Lena prattled on about dragons and moats and princesses, and Teresa humored her - helping her decide on the best place for her drawbridge. Once, James had helped the girl build a sandcastle and had insisted that she place her towers and drawbridges in tactically sound places. Lena had no idea what that meant, so now she constantly asked “Here?” before altering her creation with additional structures. They scoured the beach together for shells to decorate the castle, and Teresa relished the feel of little Lena’s hand in hers. 

Not long after, Teresa looked up to see Kelly Anne waving to her from the back porch. Deciding she really did need to run inside and check on her bread before Pote’s arrival, Teresa ruffled Lena’s hair and made her promise to wait right there until her mom got to her. The girl nodded, and Teresa started walking back up the boardwalk toward her house. Kelly Anne gave her arm an appreciative squeeze as they passed one another on the boardwalk. 

When Teresa walked into her air conditioned living room, James set his glass of water down on the coffee table and stood up from the couch to meet her. 

“Hey,” he’d said casually, reaching out to grab her by the elbow gently. She’d stepped toward him automatically, letting her eyes roam over him. He wore a light button-up shirt with polka dots and the pink shorts with tiny lobsters on them she’d given to him for his birthday. His hair was soft and windswept, despite his shower not long ago. He looked as handsome as ever. She signed, a soft smile blooming on her face. James wrapped his arms around her waist, locking her in place in front of him. “You made sure Lena put the towers in the best strategic places, right?”

She threw her head back and laughed. He watched her with a grin on his lips. 

“You doing ok?” he added quietly, a secret smile lighting his eyes. 

She reached up and kissed his cheek in response. “Yes. I’m going to check on the bread.” She patted his cheek with her hand, and he turned his face to kiss her fingers before he dropped his arms and let her step away from him. 

Only two minutes later, just as Teresa was peeking under the dish towel she had draped over the bread dough while it rose, Lena ran into the kitchen. 

“Tía Teresa! Papi is here!”

Eager, Teresa had and made her way to the back door. She could see James hugging Pote just before she stepped out onto the porch. “Welcome home,” she called, her face breaking into a happy smile at seeing her dearest friend again after so long. She approached him and pulled him into a tight hug, the wind tousling her hair. 

“Teresita,” he said, crushing her against him. 

“Hola,” she breathed with a shaky voice, rubbing his back. She had gotten regular updates on Pote throughout the last 4 years, but having him back home with her was exactly the emotional powderkeg she had expected. Her insides screamed between excitement, guilt, happiness, and regret. The happiness was winning. She pulled in a breath and stepped back from him. “You look good,” she pointed out, keeping her hand on his shoulder. 

Pote regarded her with a smile for half a second. “You look different,” he appraised. Something about the twinkle in his eye made her blink. Could he tell? Was she...glowing...or something? She shook her head slightly, her smile basically permanent at this point. 

“Four years,” she mused.

“Better late than never,” he assured her. “Your plan worked, Teresita.” 

Teresa’s smile turned sad. “I’m sorry you missed so much time with your daughter.” For a moment, she thought about her own child. She had always felt remorse over Pote not being around for the first few years of Lena’s life, but now...the thought of James not being here for their child and how she knew it would tear him apart brought a new level of understanding to the pain. 

Pote shook his head and glanced around between the three people standing on the porch with him. “Nah. If something had to go wrong, I’d rather it be on my end.” 

“So Teresa’s plan worked,” Kelly Anne supplied, “We’re safe.” 

Safe. There were only a few loose ends left, and Teresa needed to know they were tied up. She had to make sure it was all really over. She wouldn’t let her child be born into a world where having Teresa Mendoza as a mother could be a death sentence. So she inquired about Boaz. About Chicho and Marcel. Pote assured her that everything was taken care of. No one suspected she was alive, and there were no past enemies left out there who would come looking anyway. 

They were really and truly free. 

Teresa could feel James’s eyes on her. She knew he would be thinking the same thing as her. How today their freedom meant even more to them than it did yesterday. 

When Pote rubbed his hands together and asked to be shown to the kitchen, the group laughed. Teresa’s brilliant smile bubbled up again. “Actually,” she pointed out, “I’m cooking for you tonight.” 

While Kelly Anne explained to Pote some of the biggest changes in their lives, James had pulled Teresa into his side and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. She laid her head on his shoulder and her palm on his chest, letting the familiar beat of his heart drown out the demons that had tried to peek through the crevices of her mind moments ago.  The biggest and most consequential change in her and James’s life was something neither of their friends knew about yet. In time, James and Teresa would tell them, but now was not the moment. 

At dinner, no one but James seemed to notice that she brought a pitcher of a local, tropical fruit juice to the table instead of the cocktail she had mixed up the day before. Kelly Anne and Pote were too distracted about being together to take in much else, but James had squeezed her hand under the table and given her a conspiratorial smile. 

When Pote talked about how happy he was to be eating as a family, Teresa zoned out. If only her past self could see her now, surrounded by her family and preparing to start a little one of her own. She imagined how a year from now there would be a high chair added to the table for family dinners, and she felt her lips tilt up at the corners wistfully. She thought the Old Teresa would be proud of her. 

Kelly Anne and Pote were lost in their own conversation. James, the one who always saw through her, squeezed her hand again and asked if she was ok. The knowing glint in his eye made her think maybe he had had the same flash to the future when envisioning how their family dinners were about to change. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, content, before leaning forward and connecting her lips to his for just a moment. An “I love you” kiss for no reason other than that, that she loved him and she was happy and she couldn’t stop herself. She caressed his cheek softly before leaning away, and he stared at her in the way that always turned her stomach over. Like he adored her. Like he was in awe of her. 

Pressing his lips together to keep his grin at bay, he turned back to the group. “A toast,” he proclaimed, grabbing his glass. Pote and Kelly Anne looked away from one another and grabbed their own glasses. Teresa followed suit. James raised his glass up. “To a new life,” he declared, a sly glance her way. 

Cheeky bastard, she thought, fighting to control her smile. 

---

That evening, Teresa sat side by side with James on the stairs of their private boardwalk. She was pressed into his shoulder, one hand hugging his bicep and the other held gently between his palms. The wind blew strands of her hair against her neck and cheeks. The late evening sun was starting to begin its descent, but she was snuggled close enough to James that the chill of the sea breeze didn’t bother her. 

Together they watched Pote and Kelly Anne play in the waves with their daughter. 

Teresa didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that she and James were thinking the same thing. The notion of parenthood had only lived inside of them for about 12 hours, but already she could see it so clearly. How they would hold their child’s hands - one of them on each side - and swing him or her over the tiny incoming waves. How their child would laugh, and play in the sand, and enjoy the feel of the cool sea water on his or her feet. 

How together they would move heaven and earth to make sure their child was safe, and happy, and loved every single day. 

Teresa looked over at James, and let her smile overtake her. 

This will be us, she said without speaking. 

She knew he would understand. 

His answering smile was one part bashful and one part enamored. She knew with certainty that his dreams of their future matched her own. He rubbed his thumb over her hand that he held, letting his eyes make his promises to her. 

She snuggled impossibly closer and leaned her head against his shoulder. “So,” she started, a hint of humor creeping into her voice. “I guess we need to encourage Pote and Kelly Anne to start house hunting sooner rather than later. I wasn’t expecting our family to grow by fifty percent in one day when I bought this house.” 

James chuckled and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. “Do they call that exponential growth?” 

Teresa buried her nose in his shoulder, inhaling the scent of the sea that now permanently clung to him. “No, you’re thinking of one-hundred fifty percent.” 

He started playing with her fingers in his hands. He didn’t look at her this time, but the corners of his mouth turned up. “Yeah? So what’s that, like 3 more kids?” She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “Give me some time and I’ll make it happen.” 

Teresa threw her head back and laughed. When he pulled her in more tightly and pressed his lips against her hairline, she thought exponential growth didn’t sound too bad.

[darkhymns-fic]

Sword Games

Maybe it wasn't proper for her to play games so often, clothes scuffed by the dirt, her palms developing calluses from the toy weapons she and Lloyd used - but even an up-and-coming Chosen can only be a child once.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: This was written for Day 1: Childhood Friends of this year’s Colloyd Week! Starting off with my favorite trope :D This fic references a small comment made by Colette in Altamira about how her and Lloyd used to play sword games when they were little, and the image of it just wouldn't leave me.

--

During a routine prayer at the temple, Colette felt she owed her very life to Lloyd. 

"Chosen, please read from the top of the page," spoke one priest, the eldest of the group of four who stood with her in a certain atrium of the temple, which was shadowed due to the thick curtains from the slit windows made in the stone. Martel's symbol was woven onto the fabric, faded with time, yet still the pattern so embedded into Colette's memory. There were few accessories for comfort in the Iselia Chapel, with only the assembled cobblestone at her feet, and the aged daises that had been placed in front of a corridor that led deeper into the temple.

But Colette could barely pay attention to any of that. Her eyes were fixated on the priest who had the bushiest eyebrows she had ever seen on a person! And she had recently met the funny dwarf that had come into town the other day, ruffling her hair with a warm hand.

She stared too long, resulting in a clearing of the throat from the elder. With a start, the eight-year old shook her head and stood up straight. "Yes, Father." 

Colette took a breath as she looked at the book of Angels, which was held on a stand in front of her, too big for her small arms to carry. "Our Goddess Martel blesses us with the mana of heaven… When her Chosen prays before the seal of light…"

A sound to the right, one that an acolyte priest to her right noticed, but was unsure. Colette tried to hold back the excitement from her voice.

"The Angels descend to the earth, to lead the Chosen to heaven…"

"What was..?" The same priest wondered aloud, while the man next to him shushed him. Colette could barely pay attention to what she was reading.

“The earth will swallow up the Desians whole with a great roar…”

And once her recitation was answered with a loud yell, perhaps one or two priests that the description of the Oracle had finally come true.

"Sneak attack!"

A boy in red, suspenders holding up his dark shorts, his hair a mess of brown spikes and cow licks, jumped from a stone pillar and swung down two wooden swords that already had nicks along the edges. His shout echoed inside the atrium, bouncing across the walls.

As the flurry of old men scattered at the shout, Colette stood her ground...and reached down to grab a small staff (one of her grandmother's spare walking sticks) that she had hidden underneath the book stand before her lesson.

"Nope!" she yelled back, blocking Lloyd's double sword attack. The feel of it made her arms shake, spiking sudden adrenaline in her as she shoved him away. "Gotta do better than that!" 

"No way!" Lloyd jumped back. One of the swords was cracked slightly, yet still he tried to brandish it with a flourish. Though his right hand was bandaged around the center of his palm, covering part of his knuckles, he held onto his weapon with barely a flinch as he rushed towards Colette. "I'm still going to win!"

She laughed as she blocked his attack. There was another satisfying thwack! sound, repeating each time their swords made contact. There was once a time when such play would slightly sting her hands, but she had long grown used to it now, holding her weapons with comfort.

"Chosen! This is preposterous!" The elder priest huffed, calling from the side of the room where he had run off earlier in fright. "And no one of the populace is to be allowed in the temple!"

Colette thought on such words, feeling guilty to have made her mentors so upset... and then rushed toward the direction of the exit. "Then we'll take this outside!"

"Hey, wait up!" Lloyd shouted, grinning with ecstatic glee. He kept waving around his swords, more than once nearly throwing them out of his hands. 

"Chosen!" But even as the other priests shouted for her, she kept running, knowing that it was only Lloyd who would follow her all the way.

--

Down the moss-covered stairs of the temple, out onto the shoreline that she was typically not allowed near, both her and Lloyd continued their sword fights until both of their arms felt like they had been turned to jelly.

"No fair!" Lloyd was shouting as he tried to perfect his new technique on her! One that he had explained to her once of how he would charge up a spin in the air for extra power, but he mostly just stumbled on the sand instead. "You can't use double swords too!"

Colette stuck out her tongue at him. She held out a stick she had found in her backyard that morning and kept hidden in her dress at the side. "I want to use two just like you! I think it looks really cool."

The compliment completely changed Lloyd's tune, a flush on his cheeks. "Well...it is cool! You're right!"

Yet even with her newfound double sword power, neither could outmaneuver the other. The sound of the slamming wood punctured the air, so sharp, mingling with the cries of the seagulls that hovered near the water. Lloyd held his own, spinning and slashing with his swords, and she mimicked him, nearly always tumbling down before she righted herself up.

Until one time she didn't – and slammed her body right into Lloyd until both fell onto the sand in defeat.

"Heeey!" Lloyd whined, his swords falling out of his hands, far from reach. "No tackling!"

But Colette had lost her swords (staff and stick) as well, both of them stuck in the dunes far off to her right. And so with nothing left to hold, she gave herself to fall flat onto the ground, just a few inches from Lloyd who laid down next to her, his hair dusted with so, so much sand. Both of their arms were outstretched, taking in deep breaths of the sea-salt air.

"Sorry…" she said with a pant. Her eyes were directed to the sky, where the sun shone so bright, the waves crashing nearby. "I tripped again."

"You gotta be careful.." Lloyd's voice was gentle, losing the luster from before when exhaustion finally caught up with him. "So, who won this round then?"

"Well, we both dropped our swords at the same time." Colette scrunched her forehead, thinking of the hazy set of rules she and Lloyd had set up for their fight. "Maybe it's a tie!"

"Again?" Lloyd whined, and from her corner of her eyes, she could just barely make out a pout from him. "We need Genis to referee our next battle."

Colette kept taking in big breaths, watching the arc of sea birds fluttering in the air, occasionally blocking out the sun. "I think that would be nice."

"Hm, we'd have to explain the rules to him though." Lloyd was kicking the back of his shoes into the ground, scuffing up sand with each motion. "And he only knows about those ken… k… the kendo-whatever things he always uses instead of swords."

"I didn't know much about swords either." Colette made sure to turn around on her side to face him. "Not until you told me about them."

There was something then in the way he laid there, not too far from her, his face soaking up the sunshine. His arms and legs were already tanned from the outside, in comparison to her pale skin. She just liked noticing that, the small little differences between them. Every morning, her grandmother would painstakingly brush her hair until it was straight and reached down to the middle of her back, while Lloyd’s hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. And his clothes would be stained with dirt marks and remnants of grass, while her own would barely get a wrinkle… except for now…

"Yeah… and you're really good with them!" Lloyd grinned at her, the sight of it making her chest tighten in a very strange and new way. Maybe it was the way the sun hit his hair, or how his grin looked different from last week after losing one of his baby teeth. 

"Only because you've been teaching me!" Colette gripped the sand between her fingers, letting them sift out again as she relaxed them. "Do you think I could have my own swords someday?"

"Yeah, why not? The only thing you're better at than swords are the frisbees you throw for Noishe".

To Colette, that was the highest compliment anyone had ever given her. She gazed at Lloyd, shuffling just a bit closer to him. There would be sand all over her clean dress, but she didn't care. "Really?"

"Yep!" At that, Lloyd moved until he was flat on his stomach instead, but kept his chin above the sand so that he could keep looking at Colette. "You're really cool, Colette."

Hearing that, Colette looked straight at him, seeing the wind pull at a lock of that messy hair.

"Why do you think that?" she asked, half-afraid of what he'd say. Because I'm the Chosen? It was all anyone ever called her first, her name second. She swallowed, unsure why there was sadness in her suddenly.

"Huh? Well… because you are!" Lloyd laughed, some of the sand getting onto his lips. "You're really funny, and you know about every dog there is… and you're the only one who'll play swords with me." At that last one, his voice had gone softer with half-shame. "Everyone else thinks I'm weird for bringing mine everywhere…"

"But it's not weird! It.. makes you look really cool, too." She shifted her legs in the sand, bare legs tickled by the feel of it. "And you always want to play with me and show me pictures of doggies, and.." 

She started to hear herself and clamped up. A priest would tell her when she should trim her words down for the Goddess. The less said, the better, for the Martel didn't want empty words...

"Yeah, why wouldn't I want to play with you?” His laugh tickled her ears. “See, you really are funny when you talk like that, Colette."

It was such moments like these that Colette would keep with her until the day of the Oracle. The feel of the salt on her tongue from the nearby ocean that she wasn't allowed to swim in, the wind tugging at her collar, and the russet brown of Lloyd's eyes, always so warm and wide.

"You know, when you're like this...you look kinda like a turtle." She smiled at the thought, kicking her legs from side to side. 

At that, Lloyd looked entirely confused. "Huh? But I'm not a turtle…"

"I meant like one, not that you are one! Because you're on your stomach, and have your head sticking out like they do."

"Why only turtles though?" Lloyd frowned, but she could still see the precious grin held in its shape. "I'm just laying down like Noishe does!"

"No, he lays like this!" Colette rolled onto her back again, holding up both arms and legs. Her dress fluttered in the wind, and in the back of her head, she could hear the word improper and childish echo, but the waves drowned it away, worries for another day. "See?"

"That's only when you're petting him!"

This conversation kept going in all its strange tangents until eventually they exhausted themselves, laughing themselves silly. And because of that, she suddenly wanted to ask him what had been on her mind since the priests handed her the scriptures to memorize.

"Hey, Lloyd?"

Lloyd was now making little sand piles with his hands, showing it off to Colette until her voice stopped him. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Do you think...you'll remember me?" she asked him, looking away. "And what we did today?"

All she did was keep confusing Lloyd, going by the blink of his eyes then. But even with that, Lloyd only did what he always did best - making her feel better without even realizing it.  

"I won't ever forget you," Lloyd spoke with the confidence that only a nine-year old could ever have. "We're best friends!"

She knew, even as Lloyd laughed and she soaked in the sounds like a hand clutching her own, that this was a day she was going to remember. Even when eight years later, she'd walk up the stairs to the final seal by herself, she'd remember the splinters of the ‘swords’ on her palms, the grains of sand stuck in her hair.

Her childhood would have been more plain, much lonelier without Lloyd. And she thanked Martel for putting him in her life, if not for anything else.

"Yeah…" she told him, matching her grin to his. "I won't forget you either."

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

RWBY V8E02 - Refuge

Who needs "refuge" besides our protagonists? Well, besides the entirety of Mantle. I have no idea, so let's do this!

Watching the OP again I just realized what these lights remind me of:

Welp.

Looks like the friendly scene from the opening is not happening any time soon.

ooh, now it makes sense.

It also probably reflects Qrow's state of mind with the camera framing him during that line. Blaming himself and all that.

I wonder. Having Jacques in jail is a perfect excuse for Whitley to transfer the SDC to himself if he wanted.

Other characters wiping Jacques's smirk still is very satisfying.

Well, I didn't expect this scene from the OP to happen so quickly. I guess Ironwood is making recovering Penny a priority. Nothing like working with a former enemy (who made him lose an arm) to keep making it clear he's willing to do anything and everything to defend Atlas, "no matter the cost"

note: there's no exciting music

Would that be Ironwood or Tyrian? Probably the latter, unless he sees Ironwood ordering their arrest as the ultimate cause for Clover's death. Which is a bit of a jump but it's not like it doesn't make sense, especially from the point of view of someone grieving.

Okay, she's awesome.

Not so subtle reminder of their motto(?) with the graffiti behind her.

The previous episode (and the previous scenes of this one) were so serious that Yang's face looks reaaally weird in context.

And so short too. Which I guess is good, but it just makes it feel more out of place.

"Refer to owners manual for diagnostic information"

Can't wait for the bike to explode because no one found the manual.

That's ominous. The grimm hunting for Oscar?

I'm glad someone volunteered to stay as bait.

You know this is fiction because she didn't continue arguing.

This really feels like the set up for something bad to happen. Which is probably unavoidable with Salem being up there.

I really, really hope this pan up to show Atlas doesn't mean they'll end up working together with Ironwood.

big fan of weiss's face

Doesn't help that she left her only "friend" behind.

I think I spent most of last season saying that Penny was trapped in Atlas by her responsibilities. Her being the Winter Maiden means she'll never be free. Which kinda makes me want to try and think of ways for her to escape.

If she dies (again * shakes fist at RT's general direction *), would her powers go away before Pietro revives her soul? I guess it depends on the exact way Pietro's semblance works. Did he give part of his soul to Penny's memory core (so now it's a different soul inhabiting the same body, with the same memories) or did he kickstart Penny's surviving soul in her core? Would the powers look for a successor during that state of limbo?

Interesting expression there for Penny, even if I don't what it's supposed to mean. Maybe she doesn't really believe Ruby yet? With Ironwood being her "boss" all her life, it's probably rather hard for her to go "yeah, he's wrong"

Simply amazing

very capable sheep

but still cute

oof, not very tactful though

Yeah, bad approach there

It feels like the animators/writers really took to heart the complaint of Fiona's semblance not being very clear last season.

And here's the fight scene we didn't get last episode. Is Oscar going to get kidnapped while everyone is distracted?

That was way faster than I expected.

ah

...what scares Grimm?

I like this, good source of tension, because really, what makes Grimm turn the other way? Maybe the Grimm hunting for Oscar?

lol at me saying this Grimm needed a distraction. Couldn't care less about anything

1) that was really fast

2) why does it look like his body is made of play-doh

They learned their lesson with the Nuckelavee: adding some bone cracking sounds really amps up the creepiness

And it's smart too!

It reminds me of the more advanced nomus from My Hero Academia. Grimm are already scary, add some smarts or even sentience and they jump to horrifying. And it's a good way to add some difficulty to beating them. The show just showed us how fast they can beat the normal Grimm after all.

"my baby"

ew

Wow. I really didn't expect Oscar to get kidnapped right away. I guess the season taking place in a couple of days makes it a necessity to move things faster than usual.

I didn't quite pick it up while watching this episode, but thinking about it, the heart of it seems to be Penny's chat with Ruby. Sure, Oscar getting picked up like a fry by a hungry seagull is more exciting but we know where's that's going. Penny though? I'm not so sure.

Was it only me or did it feel like Ruby was talking past Penny?

Penny has never been able to choose what to do. First she was told to participate in the tournament, then after getting revived she was told to protect Mantle and then she had to take the Winter Maiden's powers. Which, sure, she could have chosen to say no but in that situation there was no other acceptable alternative for her. She did choose to leave with Ruby but that doesn't erase the weight of everything else in her back. So now she's finally learned enough about herself and her feelings to realize she doesn't like the roles and responsibilities she has been thrust into. But Ruby completely misunderstood what she was talking about and just reinforced that being The Protector of Mantle is her job.

There's a painful look to the side before Penny thanks Ruby. A look that screams to me "you don't get it." Which, oof. Let the poor girl be happy before she gets hacked, please.

Something interesting is Qrow's new quest for revenge. That usually never works for anyone in fiction, always ending in never-ending cycles, suffering and being consumed by hate, the dark side and all that bad juju. Hopefully Qrow can reign it in and kill Tyrian just enough feel satisfied. Because, really, who can say that Tyrian doesn't deserve to be very dead and buried? Qrow already stopped drinking, let him have a little murder instead.

Unless he meant Ironwood. Which, sure. It could happen. And it has a ton more possibilities for drama since they were "friends" before, but I don't know. While with Tyrian feels more cut and closed, with Ironwood it feels like the show would go for Qrow being stopped or realizing revenge is wrong or something like that.

The last thing I wanted to talk about is Yang's team and storyline. They are having many more problems than Ruby's, their interactions having a lot more friction between them.

They are not really "saving" people, they are preparing for a last stand. We know Salem, we know it's hopeless unless something or someone comes to saves them. I mean, where do you go story wise when your goal is to get everyone inside a crater?

And the show knows it too, making their scenes the most serious of the episode. The few moments of humor are some quips and Yang enjoying her motorbike, and even those feel slightly out of place, probably on purpose, compared to the humor in Ruby's scenes. They are tired, frustrated with their friends, and they have to know they are just delaying the inevitable. Oscar getting kidnapped almost felt like a respite.

I think the episode struggled a bit with all the parallel storylines to the point it didn't feel cohesive but I guess those are the struggles of being an extremely serialized show.

Very happy to see the Happy Huntresses having more of a role this season.

I'm going to stop myself from reading too much into how Ozpin's comment about how they everyone needed to work together seemed to imply they need to work with Ironwood. I think that ship already sailed and to do it now would feel very "we have to compromise, hear all sides" which ugh.

I'm really curious about where this is going, especially Penny's arc, so that's all for now. Until next time!

[aaluminiumas]

Merry Christmas Chopper

Time flows differently at sea, especially on the Grand Line: the weather in this part of the world never followed the ordinary calendar people had outside the ocean, so a blizzard in the middle of the summer wouldn’t surprise anyone. The climate depended on the island itself, and the inhabitants stuck to their specific routine maintained throughout the years: the holidays of the Fish-Men didn’t coincide with those of the Minks thus a lucky traveler may get a chance to become acquainted with rituals and traditions of all races.

The Straw Hat Pirates had already seen a lot. That’s why Nami yearning for Christmas she last celebrated a couple of years ago, made sure that the ship steered for another Winter Island and then ordered to throw a real party. Initially, only two latched on the idea: Sanji who agreed to do anything offered by Nami, and Robin, as usual peacefully calm, whose multiple hands immediately embarked to festoon Sunny. Luffy seemed to worried about one thing only – whether they were going to have meat; Zoro followed his Captain’s suit and asked about drinks – again, following Luffy’s suit, he got punched in the head and crawled away with gloomy grumbling. As a result of the powerful blow, the swordsman deigned to hang a garland over his mat on the deck. Sanji waspishly advised not to remove it in the future in order to define the borders of the improvised botanical garden and what is the vantage point to feast the eyes upon the ugliest plant.

While Brook, Usopp and Franky were trying to part the fighters to the rippling laughter of their Captain, Chopper took advantage of the common turmoil and ran over to Nami. He had first-hand knowledge of Christmas: as resident of a Winter Island, he often celebrated the holiday. Even when other reindeer atrociously lambasted him, he kept believing in miracles and never doubted Santa and his presents. However, the presents weren’t the main concern: absolutely unspoiled, he was waiting for some other guest – the red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph, who was claimed to have been mocked himself. Since childhood he swore he would stay up till morning to see Santa and his famous sleigh; he was sure he would talk to Rudolph in the animal language asking how he managed to take the lead, to turn his flaw into an assert and to overcome the sneers. Unfortunately, Chopper kept falling asleep – and woke up with bitter frustration written upon the snout. Later in the morning he disappeared in his lab and crammed another book borrowed from shrewd Kureha who unexpectedly failed to grasp what ate him away every winter so desperately.

Nami wasn’t paying attention to the skirmish between the cook and the swordsman: she continued decorating her tangerine trees and enlaced the boughs with colored garlands even though they hadn’t yet reach the island.

“Nami,” Chopped called in a low voice awkwardly tapping his hooves against each other and snuffling, “Is… Santa coming to us?”

Puzzled by the question, the navigator nodded.

“Of course, Chopper. Santa comes to all good kids… and adults. To the bad ones too,” she narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips and slowly turned her head in the direction of the bickering friends. “But there is not enough coal for those in the whole world. It’s easier to send them to a mine.”

“Are there deer, too?” he went on, still meek and at the same time more enthusiastic. “Or is he traveling by ship? He can’t get here by his sleigh, right?..”

Nami looked at him, clearly perplexed: she wasn’t ready for such questions; practically deprived of childhood herself, she never had illusions as to Santa’s personality but the girl didn’t venture to shatter her friend’s faith in this mythological figure. To her Christmas was a day when she could finally express her gratitude and affection towards all the crew members (and to get a nice present for her outstanding navigation skills) but for Chopper it was an evening of miracles and didn’t want to wreck it all.

“Doctor-san,” Robin suddenly came to rescue with her low voice pierced with confidence, “his sleigh runs across the sky, not by the sea. Why would he need a ship if it is safer to travel above multiple dangers of the Grand Line?”

The archeologist’s words mollified the reindeer: his large woeful eyes beamed in a heartbeat. If Nami was able to fib a little, Robin would rather remain silent or elude.

“Don’t you happen to know,” Chopper hesitated for another moment rattling his hooves again, “when is he coming? I would… I would love to just have a peep… at Rudolph. I heard that he was… different from others. Just like me. But I have a blue nose…”

Even if Robin was taken aback, she didn’t reveal her astonishment in the slightest: her face remained serene and tranquil. With a small apologetic smile upon the lips, the woman shook her head and adorned his tiny antlers with a garland interwoven with a sparkling tinsel.

“Unfortunately, Doctor-san, I cannot give you a proper answer to that. The number of good kids changes from year to year, and he has to pay a visit to them all. But I am certain this time he will stay a little longer: after all, you have done so many good things that you deserve a special present.”

Encouraged by the praise, Chopper was about to start dancing: the reindeer still couldn’t get used to the fact that he was genuinely loved and cherished even though aloof and unsociable Law tended to commend him every once in a while. And if Nami expressed her emotions in quite a ribald way, Robin tried to find the right approach to everyone not resorting to punches and manipulations – even a rejection didn’t sound adamant though her voice was always firm.

“Then,” the doctor scratched his blue nose, “If you see him… can you please wake me up? I promise not to fall asleep but,” here he got embarrassed completely, “Every year I just pass out and… I would love to…”

“Of course Doctor-san,” Robin interrupted him soflty, “We’ll be on guard.”

“Don’t worry Chopper,” Nami bolstered her friend, “A mouse won’t slip by Zoro, let alone an old man with a flock of deer. We’ll take care of it!”

As soon as their inspired friend rushed to his little laboratory equipped with all the necessary things for his endless experiments, Nami crossed her arms in the chest staring at Robin with a suspicious grimace on the visage.

“I certainly love your idea,” she muttered in a low voice, “But what is that you suggest us doing? We cannot steal a deer, put a red nose on it and introduce it as Rudolph. I couldn’t even think that he’s so…”

“Flustered? Excited? This is quite obvious,” the woman adjusted a glossy purple ball on the tangerine branch so its ribbon didn’t cover the image. “He doesn’t really have someone… to share his experience with. Whether we want it or not, we… do not fully understand him.”

“So what are we supposed to do? To turn ourselves into deer?” said Nami sarcastically. “Can’t even imagine myself… this way. I’m no doe. What kind of doe… would I be?..”

“The most beautiful doe in the world, Nami-swan! You will be the most charming female deer in th–”

Robin chuckled: Sanji didn’t manage to accomplish his laudatory ode as he got maimed which nonetheless failed to cool him down.

“You’re just in time, Sanji-kun,” the woman smiled thus provoking another bout of jitter. “Do you know the legend about Rudolph the Deer?”

Soon enough the whole crew began to arrange the Christmas party for Chopper. Nami, as usual, was in charge: she succeeded to draw attention to the discussion by heavy blows and threatening stares while Robin put forward various proposals that seemed suitable. Luffy only comprehended that Chopper ‘had some wrong Christmas’ and offered to pile the deer with presents but the idea implying a thousand of meat dishes didn’t sit well with the rest of the crew. Zoro supported his Captain on the topic of presents but added on his own behalf: let the swirlybrow make a present to them all by locking himself up in the kitchen throughout the celebration. Sanji pledged to cut the swordsman in pieces and feed seagulls, deprecated. Brook proposed to compose a song – and Robin’s hands writing down more or less reasonable suggestions, started jotting something in her notebook.

“Why not write him a letter?” exclaimed Usopp out of the blue. “It won’t replace Rudolph of course but… at least we will show we care about him.”

“And then he’ll eventually understand that Marimo is a good-for-nothing sentinel who hasn’t heard the thud of the hooves,” Sanji noticed melancholically, lighting another cigarette. “What a remarkably useless plant. Shall we toss it overboard?”

“I don’t need my swords to beat the shit out of you,” hissed Zoro flaring up. “Damn you, ero-cook!..”

It didn’t take much time to put things in apple pie order and reassert the breached discipline: Nami scattered the two in different directions, and both the swordsman and the cook rubbed their heads and squabbled in hushed voices not to instigate the navigator who seemed to like Usopp’s offer.

The preparations lasted for the whole day: Robin sneaked into the farthest corner of the deck to write the letter; Sanji wearing a funny apron garnished the desserts with cotton candy. As for Zoro, he had risked to get a carver knife between the eyes and now imitated some frenzied activity – according to the cook, it was ‘frenzied enough to outshine the quickest algae drifting with the stream’. Brook, laughing, was playing a song by ear while Usopp was wrapping the presents. Nami kept things tidy: she prevented Luffy from pushing his nose into every single box he saw. Franky, though, took care of it himself: he had cut out several wooden boxes for various trinkets. Now he improved his invention and fit locks into them – exclusively by the navigator’s request so eager to keep the spirit of Christmas. Albeit none of the tasks looked hard to finish, they appeared to be time-consuming, so none of the pirated noticed when and how the warm climate gave way to pleasant frost and slight snowfall.

Chopper went out to the deck only in the evening and started perusing snowflakes, so brittle and peculiar that they seemed to be knitted. They sank into his auburn fur and didn’t melt at all as if they morphed into a scintillating garland. Back at home they looked less fragile and yet bigger; accustomed to blizzards and cold, he learnt to ignore them and now, after all those visits to hot countries, a simply snowstorms morphed into a hibernal miracle.

He remembered the first time he saw himself in the reflection of the frozen river. He remembered his resentment for himself, that blue nose, and roared smashing whatever he could smash. He remembered how he nuzzled into white and fluffy snow hoping that the color of the nose would alter, and he, Chopper, would be just like others.

He also recollected the frosty redolence Hululuk’s fur coat exuded; he recalled Kureha’s perfume mingled with the fragrance of the wind. Her hands were always tender and smelled ice while Hululuk reminded him of the first snowflakes’ scent. It dawned upon him how much he actually could reminisce: that cheerful laughter, ridiculous stories the Doctor used to tell, and those midnight talks – they spoke about everything in the world. It was almost eternity ago when Chopper lost his best friend – and they still had so much to discuss. Hiluluk always supported him, and, probably in his own manner, taught the little reindeer to keep his head up.

“Merry Christmas,” a familiar gentle voice came; Chopper sharply turned in the direction of the sound and instantly noticed a figure he knew so well: it was a tad shorter than he remembered and moved angularly but the kind smile and warm eyes made everything clear. It was exactly the person who encouraged Chopper to become a doctor.

“Doctor Hiluluk!” the reindeer darted towards the man feeling he was barely able to squelch the tears that were about gush out from the eyes. “Doctor Hiluluk!.. How did you..? You are...”

The intruder laughed in a low tone and embraced his friend caringly.

“You’ve become so big and strong,” the doctor patted Chopper by the shoulder, “Are you happy with them?.. I’ve heard a lot about you, Chopper. I am exceedingly proud of you. You have become a talented physician. You are definitely second to none.”

The little reindeer didn’t release his friend – and almost ignored the praise. Millions of questions were swarming in his head but he didn’t hurry to ask them. Hiluluk didn’t insist on a decent conversation: he kept smiling looking at the reindeer cursing himself for the cruelty he had shown in the past. How could throw him out sugarcoating his atrocity and calling it care? Why didn’t he tell the truth letting Chopper make his own decision whether to stick around or to deal with his own life? Yes, that notorious quack felt ashamed and couldn’t disappoint his friend, but at the moment, after all those years, he finally realized that it may have been the only blunder he regretted so much. If he could turn back time, nothing of it would have happened.

“They do love you,” the guest drawled squatting before Chopper. “And protect you too. I am glad to know that you have found a family… despite everything. I am so sorry that I cannot be near.”

“But you are here!” the reindeer exclaimed blinking his watery eyes. “I’ll introduce you to my nakamas. They’ll like, I assure you! Sanji will cook the pies you are so fond of, Brook will sing for you, you’ll talk to Robin and–”

With a sad smile on the lips Hiluluk shook his head.

“Alas, it won’t do.” He sighed heavily. “You have a different life now… But,” he straightened up, “I have a little surprise for you, Chopper. I know who you are waiting for. Unfortunately, he cannot…”

Robin’s soft hand touched the glossy fur. Flummoxed, Nami noticed that Chopper finally awoke and placed a small box near the adoze reindeer: it was different from those that Franky had created. This one had incised ornaments and a carving of a certain mushroom on the lid. Still sleepy, Chopper kept staring at the present: did someone do that specifically for him?

“Open it, Doctor-san. This undoubtedly belongs to you.”

Robin’s honeyed mellow voice seemed to have pushed him, and the little hooves lifted the lid. Inside, there was a handful of pink powder – the same powder his friend had been working on, – and a letter with a stamp of a deer hoof. The whole crew gathered around: Usopp failed to wake him up, and panicked alarming the rest – even Zoro, normally apathetic and detached, scowled and rushed to rescue.

The whole ship was emblazoned and festooned. Nami had cleared the place underneath her tangerines, and now neatly wrapped presents were peacefully lying there revealing the cards written in Usopp’s and Franky’s untidy yet diligent hands. Sanji was serving cocoa with little cloud of marshmallow. Exclusively for Chopper he had created rosy petals of cotton candy. Robin, normally calm, adjusted bows, knots and decorations striving to make everything look like a picture. The evergreen lawn where the crew used to sprawl and relax, turned white: no one even tried to get rid of the glistening snow which reflected all Sunny’s embers and glimmers.

“Merry Christmas, Chopper,” Nami flashed him a broad smile.

“Merry Christmas!” shouted both Zoro and Sanji and looked daggers at each other.

“Su-u-u-u-u-u-per-r-r-r-r Christmas!” Franky struck a pose raising both his arms in the air.

“Mefwy Fuwissmas!” pronounced Luffy proudly munching on the ham he’d just stolen from the kitchen. A sound of Sanji’s powerful kick muffled another sentence he was about to utter.

“We love you, Chopper!” candidly declared Usopp.

“Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!.. Merry Christmas, Chopper-san. Thank you for suturing our wounds! Though… yo-ho-ho… I don’t have skin to be sutured! Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!”

The little reindeer sniveled. Probably he should let his past go – to let it get dispersed in a blur of pink petals.

[harrowharkboygf]

double trouble and the one (1) time they were good with kids

Double Trouble has never thought of themself as a “kid person”. All of the creatures they could choose to interact with on Etheria, children were certainly not at the top of the list. But for Finn, they would make an exception. read on ao3 | blm donation commissions

As they flipped through the pages of their notebook, Double Trouble became increasingly irritated. All they had wanted to do was research for their latest play—a harrowing tale of love between two First Ones—and word on the street was that Madame Razz was the only person left on Etheria who remembered what the long-gone civilization had actually been like.

But talking to her was absolutely incomprehensible. She spouted more nonsense than anyone Double Trouble had ever met, and they’d met Entrapta. How in the world were they supposed to properly act when they were incapable of understanding who their character was? They were a method actor, for fuck’s sake!

They sighed. At least the pie Razz had made had tasted good. They reclined back in their perch amongst the treetops, marking up their script with what little information they had. Worst come to worst, Double Trouble could always pay a visit to Brightmoon. Surely Adora knew something about the First Ones, being She-Ra and all that.

“I think we’re lost,” a little voice said from below them.

“We’re not lost, Luna!” a different voice declared. “I know where we’re going!”

“Suuuuuure,” said a third voice skeptically.

“We aren’t!” the second voice protested.

Double Trouble sat up and peered curiously down to the forest floor, searching for the source of this argument. To their surprise, they saw four little kids slowly making their way through the Whispering Woods.

“We’re going on an adventure,” whined the owner of the second voice, who, they realized, was Catra and Adora’s little kitten, Finn. Double Trouble wondered if the play-sword Finn was holding was one of the ones from the toy weapons set they had given them as a gift when they were born. They were particularly proud of that set—they loved being the one to bring the biggest, most expensive present to a party, and here they had certainly succeeded.

Finn hopped over a tree root with ease. “An adventure means you have to be brave, guys. ”

“I’m brave!” said one of the other kids, who they were also able to recognize by the short, poofy purple hair that popped against her dark skin; this was one of the Princesses of Brightmoon. Archie crossed her arms, looking exactly like Glimmer. “I think you don’t know where the castle is.”

Finn huffed. “Finding it is part of the adventure!”

Archie’s twin, who was nearly identical save for her hair, which was just as poofy but bright pink and pulled into two pigtails, clutched her sister’s hand nervously. “The forest is kind of scary,” she whispered.

The fourth kid—Double Trouble didn’t recognize him, but judging by the pale blonde hair, the scorpion tail and claws, and the flower tucked behind his ear, he was clearly one of Scorpia and Perfuma’s brood—took her tiny hand in his. “The forest isn’t scary, Luna,” he said earnestly. “My moms said that things are only scary if you make them that way.”

Finn grinned, triumphant. “And Archie and Luna’s dad says that all you need is your friends! We have each other, so we can do this! Let’s go!”

Archie still looked unconvinced. “Our parents are really busy today. What if we miss something fun?” she asked.

Luna’s eyes widened. “Do you think so?”

Finn poked at the ground with their toy sword. “No! Today is when all the adults do all the boring stuff, and tomorrow is when everyone else gets here and we do the fun stuff. We can spend a whole day in the castle and they won’ even miss us.”

Luna’s lip had begun to tremble. “I wanna go home,” she whimpered. She tugged at the scorpion boy’s hand. “Ol’ander, let’s go home.”

Oleander gave her a hug. “Don’t cry, Luna!” he said. “I’ll tell you a joke Uncle Sea Hawk told me! What does a seagull say to a—No, wait, I forgot it…”

Finn yanked their sword out of the ground and held it up, looking a little like a mini-Adora. “Come on! We’re on an adventure to the magic castle! We’ll be super brave and do super fun things! Then we go home and have dinner! It’ll be fun.”

The other kids exchanged looks. But then Finn tapped Archie on the nose. “Tag!” they shouted. “Race you to the castle!” They turned and ran through the bushes.

Instantly, the group dissolved into laughter. They squealed and shrieked as they chased after Finn, all worries vanishing immediately.

Double Trouble turned back to their script. A little unsupervised excursion was good for kids. Healthy, even. After all, they’d mostly been left to their own devices as a child, and they’d turned out wonderfully! These little children would be fine. And Double Trouble was not exactly tripping over themself to go spend time with a bunch of kiddies anyway.

But then they had an idea. They assumed that the “magic castle” the kids were referring to was the Crystal Castle—also known as a First Ones artifact. It could be the missing piece in the puzzle that was their script! Just one tour around the place and they could learn so much about their character. It was perfect!

Double Trouble transformed into a bird and flew towards the castle. It wasn’t hard to find, being a huge crystal structure in the middle of the wilderness. They landed in front of it and shifted back into their usual form.

The castle itself was shut tight against the outside world, with no obvious signs of entry. They could see a few tiny footprints in the grass near the front of the building, but it was unclear how—or if—the kids had gotten inside. Double Trouble sighed. The life of an actor was one of suffering.

They shifted back into a bird, flying themself to the top of the castle. Maybe they could find an entry point that way. It took some poking and prodding, but they finally managed to find a square of crystal that seemed loose enough to pry off—

The piece they were standing on shattered, sending them crashing through the roof.

Double Trouble stood up, trying to adjust to the dim light. The room was lit with tiny glowing panels along the walls; it was completely empty. They pulled out their notebook, reaching out carefully to touch the wall.

A scream split the air.

Double Trouble whirled around, searching for the source of distress. Then they remembered—the kids.

They quickly sprinted out of the room, not even bothering to transform. Double Trouble may have been a vicious mercenary, but they weren’t nearly heartless enough to let a bunch of five-year-olds die.

They turned a corner, following the sounds of shrieks. The hallways seemed to stretch on endlessly, a twisting, winding maze. After what seemed like an eternity, they came upon the source of the commotion:

A huge, angry spider was advancing on the kids, who were backed into a corner. Separating them and Double Trouble was a gaping, cavernous hole. The only way across was by a narrow, partially eroded pillar that had fallen and landed over the hole.

As the spider clicked it’s pincers, Archie shouted, “Use your magic!”

Luna, who was being clung to by Oleander and her sister, clapped her hands together frantically. “Can’t!” she wailed, tears gushing down her cheeks. “I don’t know how!”

Double Trouble began to make their way across the pillar, moving gingerly to avoid it breaking down even more. They clearly weren’t moving enough; the spider lunged at the kids, and they howled in fear, pressing closer together. All of them shrunk back, until their backs touched the wall.

All of them except Finn, who jumped forward, shielding the other children.

“For the honor of Grayskull!” they screamed, holding out their toy sword with such confidence that for a second, Double Trouble actually expected them to transform into a glowing warrior.

The spider hesitated for the briefest second, and Finn used that opportunity to thrust their sword towards its face. The blade grazed the creature’s skin harmlessly. (Next time, Double Trouble decided, they would get the kid something actually sharp).

Undeterred, Finn hurled the sword at its face as hard as they could. It bounced off its nose, knocking the toy several feet away. The spider made a horrid, grating noise of anger. Fear crossed Finn’s face for the first time.

Luckily, Double Trouble had just reached the end of the plank. They leapt off of it, tackling the spider. It hissed and thrashed under their grip. They used all their might to hurl it against the wall, before jumping off quickly and landing in front of the kids.

“Hi, Mx. Double Trouble!” said Finn cheerfully. Meanwhile, the spider managed to free itself from the wall, shaking its head. It gargled in anger. It was clearly disoriented, but for how much longer?

“Hello, little darlings!” they chirped. “Time to go!” They threw their entire weight against a nearby pillar, causing it to tip and careen into the pillar next to it. The pillars crashed into each other slowly, falling like dominoes.

Double Trouble grabbed Finn and one of the twins by the backs of their shirts and hauled them out of the way. They swept the other two children along with their tail. As the pillars fell, building a wall of stone and rubble between them and the spider, Double Trouble herded the small children out of the room. “Which way to the exit, little explorers?” they asked.

Archie pointed down a hallway. “I think…”

They immediately sprinted in that direction, their little gaggle stumbling after them, all holding each other’s hands.

The group reached a room that looked identical to the others. But Finn said, “This is where the ramp is!” And sure enough, a ramp descended from the ceiling, letting a beam of sunlight from the outside.

They all ran up the ramp and out of the castle. Once they reached the surface, the ramp closed behind them, sealing up the castle once more. The kids all collapsed onto the grass, obviously exhausted and shaking.

Oleander pulled a flower out of the ground and tucked it behind his ear, to replace the one that had fallen out during their mad dash. “We did go on an adventure,” he said, with the optimism that his family was apparently incapable of losing.

Archie poked Finn in the stomach. “How come you didn’ turn into She-Ra like your mommy does?”

Finn frowned, looking annoyed. “I dunno!”

Double Trouble laughed. They patted the kid on the head. “A bunch of scared little children are no match for one of those spiders, even if you’d had She-Ra’s sword. You’re lucky I found you in time, little one.”

Finn’s pout grew bigger. “I wasn’t scared!”

“Sure you weren’t.” They got to their feet, dusting off the grass sticking to their clothes. “Come along, children. Back to Brightmoon we go.”

“This’s one of Mommy and Daddy’s friends,” Luna explained to Oleander in a whisper as they walked. “They visit sometimes and tell Mommy things.”

“What sort of things?” asked Oleander.

“Secrets,” said Double Trouble, and winked. Being the queen’s spy was not their full time job—that would always be the theater, of course—but it was a good way to keep themself entertained in between shows. And they loved sharing the gossip around Etheria, so it worked out very well.

Finn bounced over to Double Trouble’s side. “I wasn’t scared!” they announced. “I was just pretending.”

They snorted. “Well then you’re quite the actor.”

The kid stomped their foot. “I can act! I’m the best at the pretend games we play.”

Double Trouble shook their head sagely. “True acting isn’t just pretending…” they said. They tipped their head back as they transformed, shrinking down and sprouting fur and blond hair that was thicker and lighter than their own. Finn gasped as they came face-to-face with their mirror image.

“…You gotta become your character,” Double Trouble told them, delighting in the look of awe that spread across their face, and the shock that permeated the air around the rest of the group. They lingered in that form for a minute before shifting back.

“That’s not fair,” Finn protested as they continued walking. “Not everyone can do that. You’re cheating.”

“Not cheating, darling—simply utilizing my full potential.” They winked, enjoying the way the kid got increasingly irritated with every word. Meanwhile, the other children chattered on behind them, engaged in their own conversation. Double Trouble made sure to glance back every few seconds, to make sure no other creatures had attempted to sweep them away.

Finn crossed their arms determinedly. “I can’t do that, but I can act!”

“Oh? Prove it then, why don’t you?”

Finn cocked their head, standing up straighter. Their eyes widened just slightly, their tail curling in a motion that was decidedly uncat-like. They put their right hand on their hip, which jutted out slightly, and they used their left hand to examine their nails, an air of aloofness eminenting from the young child. “Hello, little darling,” they hissed at Double Trouble.

Double Trouble gasped. That was an almost perfect imitation of their voice and mannerisms! The kid was a natural. “Well played, little one. I’m sure your mothers will love to see you reenact this dramatic tale—”

The kids all gasped in unison. “Don’t tell our parents!” Archie begged.

Double Trouble raised an eyebrow. “Are we, perhaps, going to be yelled at when we return, children?”

“Not yelled at,” said Finn. “My moms don’t yell! They say we have to use our nice words when we’re upset.”

“But…” Luna trailed off, biting her lip.

“But?” Double Trouble prompted.

“But…our parents don’t know we’re not at Brightmoon,” Oleander confessed, looking down at the ground.

“We snuck out,” Archie chimed in. “It was Finn’s idea!”

“Was not!” Finn snapped, scuffing the dirt with their feet. “You all wanted to go on an adventure! Besides, everyone’s super busy with that whole ann-verse-ree thing tomorrow.”

Ah, the yearly anniversary of the defeat of Horde Prime. It was quite a big celebration that was hosted at Brightmoon, and Double Trouble could easily see how the kids could feel ignored during the hustle and bustle of the preparations. They knew how it felt to not be the center of attention, after all.

“And,” Oleander added, a pout on his face, “my sisters won’t let us play iceball with them.”

“They said we’re too young!” Archie said indignantly. “Melody and Hope are only three years older than us!”

“Please don’t tell our parents!” Finn pleaded, putting on their sweetest face. “My moms will be so worried . They don’t let me do anything fun already. Uncle Sea Hawk was gonna show us how’t ride a flaming boat and my moms said no!”

“Gee, little one, I wonder why.”

Archie stared at them, a surprisingly calculated look on her baby face. “Aren’t you going to get in trouble, too?” she asked.

Double Trouble blinked. “Pardon?”

“No one’s s’posed to go in the castle,” Archie said, slowly. “Adora says it’s dangerous and no one’s allowed in it. Doesn’t that mean you too?”

Finn picked up on where she was going with this. “If you don’t tell on us, we won’t tell on you!” they said. “Then Glimmer won’t be mad at you.”

Double Trouble stared at the two of them incredulously. “Are you… manipulating me into deceiving your parents for your own gain?”

“I don’t know what that means,” said Finn, “but yes!”

They gave a dramatic sigh. “Alright, children, you win.”

——

Glimmer crossed her arms, glaring down at them. “Where in the world have you four been all afternoon?”

Archie blinked up at her innocently. “Playing hide ‘n’ seek right here in the gardens.”

“I won!” chirped Luna.

“I almost won,” added Oleander.

“And why didn’t you come out when we were calling for you?” Bow asked.

“Uh, ‘cause we were hiding?” Finn pointed out, with a lot of cockiness for a five-year-old.

“Riiiiiight,” said Catra, staring down at her child with a hefty amount of skepticism. “And none of Oleander’s sisters saw you guys playing, despite them also being in the gardens? What’s the reason for that, kiddo?”

Finn blanched. Perfuma knelt down in front of the kids. “You can tell us where you’ve really been, sweet ones,” she promised. “We just want your honesty.”

“We were!” insisted Finn. “We have proof! Swift Wind!”

That was their cue. Double Trouble huffed, feeling utterly humiliated at having to play the talking horse. But it wasn’t the worse role they’d had to play—being a Horde clone had been completely abhorrent.

“Did someone say… Swift Wind!” they shouted as they trotted out of the bush. At least the horse shared their passion for theatrics.

Adora perked up. “Hey, Swiftie,” she said. “Have you been playing hide-and-seek with the kids this afternoon?” It was obvious that she was not the disciplinarian.

“Indeed I have,” Double Trouble proclaimed, lifting one hoof for emphasis. “And they’re quite the good hiders, too! Isn’t that right!” They nudged Finn lightly. The kid nudged them back.

“I had the best hiding spot, Mommy!” they told Adora.

Scorpia relaxed. “Alright, we believe you!” If anyone was less thrilled than Adora about having to be the bad guy, it was her. She scooped the children up in her arms, squeezing them tightly as they giggled, squirming around in her hug. “Next time, add a rule that makes it okay to come out of your hiding spots when we call you for ice cream.”

They all perked up. “Is there still ice cream left?” Luna asked.

“You betcha!”

Adora smiled. “Come on, let’s go inside and get some,” she said. The group turned and started heading towards the castle door. The events of the day clearly hadn’t left any lasting trauma on the children—they were as bouncy and bubbly as ever, asking the adults a million questions about the anniversary celebration and the desserts they’d be serving. It was kind of cute, Double Trouble admitted. They watched Catra fondly adjust the red scarf tied around Finn’s neck, as they babbled on without taking a breath.

Adora was the last to leave. She paused, looked over her shoulder. “And for future reference, Double Trouble,” she said, a gleam in her eye, “next time, choose someone to impersonate that I don’t have a sacred magical connection with.” Then she followed after the rest of her family, leaving them gaping.

But Double Trouble wasn’t even miffed at being found out. Because they’d discovered something extraordinary—an actor with talent that could one day rival theirs. They had finally found a protégé!

[quentinblack]

Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 5: Andromeda II - Wotcher! (link to fully story on FF.net)

Featuring: Andromeda Tonks, Teddy Lupin, Bobby Tonks.

Word Count: 2.4K words

Warnings: References to Alzheimer's

Andromeda shuffled down the street with Teddy as quickly as she could.

It had started spitting, which was something she hadn’t counted on when she’d left the house just ten minutes ago. It looked like it was going to be a nice spring day, with the sun shining and barely a cloud in the sky, but then the sun had cowered behind one of those clouds and now it looked as though the heavens may open.

This was the trouble with travelling the muggle way. You didn’t have to worry about taking an extra coat or umbrella if you were using the Floo network or apparating. Andromeda couldn’t fathom how the muggles managed to cope with the unpredictability of the weather. You’d probably be alright if you lived in a place that was perpetually cold or hot, but not in Britain where the weather seemed to change on a complete whim whenever it fancied it.

Andromeda couldn’t see much of the pavement that she was walking on as Teddy was held tight to her waist in his blue baby sling, which meant he took up most of her peripheral vision. This was a particularly large risk as they were walking the streets of Fratton, which quite possibly has the largest ratio of dog-shit to pavement in all of England.

If avoiding dog-poo wasn’t enough of a challenge in itself – Andromeda also had to navigate the absolutely bewildering road system. There were some stretches of pavement on the way to Fratton Station where when crossing a road, or merely just from pavement to pavement - you would have four different directions of oncoming traffic potentially coming at you!

Andromeda struggled to understand the way muggle roads worked at the best of times, but Portsmouth was by far and away the most difficult. Ted had always said that if you could learn to drive in Fratton you could work out how to drive anywhere. Nymphadora had never had the patience for it and had much preferred apparating everywhere once she was of age.  

Andromeda caught a slight glimpse of the train approaching in the distance. The platform was pretty busy with lots of families bustling here, there and everywhere. The red and blue train sauntering into the station almost resembled a sliced-open Battenberg, with the front of it dead flat and the rest of it sort of curving out.

Ted always said the modern electric locomotive trains were a wonderful feat of British engineering, but looking at the industrial, ugly train as it approached the platform – well, it certainly lacked the glamour and pizzazz of the Hogwarts Express.  

The journey that they’d be taking would probably take them the best part of four hours, with their initial train to Waterloo clocking in half of that time. There was something about being on muggle trains that Andromeda found quite relaxing and enjoyable, perhaps it was just the nostalgia of those long journeys to school when she was younger.

In truth, Andromeda was just glad to be out of the house. It was a chance to get some fresh air and to be around lots of people, even if those people were only there for a passing moment. She’d been cooped up in that house for almost a year in hiding and barely seen more than a handful of people in that time – and half of the people she had seen had been there solely to torture her.  

The time on the London bound train flew by and before she knew it they’d gone right through the Hampshire countryside and into Guildford, before eventually docking into Waterloo. The station was absolutely heaving with people and Andromeda struggled to work out where exactly they were meant to be going, but eventually a kind station guard directed her to the Jubilee underground line, which would take them to West Ham where they could make their connecting train.

It wasn’t her first foray on the London underground as she’d travelled on it many times with her late husband, but it was her first time along and she felt quite uncomfortable. The tube was jam-packed with foreign tourists and Andromeda could barely even fit on the carriage when she first got on.

The one silver lining of travelling with Teddy was that almost immediately a tall, bald man wearing a white t-shirt that read “ATLANTA 96” offered his seat to her. Andromeda thanked the man and noticed that the 5 multi-coloured rings on his shirt very much looked like Quidditch hoops, but she quickly learned that he was definitely a muggle when she saw him reach for his portable telephone and start talking into it.

It took a lot of sweat and a few tears from Teddy, but it wasn’t too long before they found themselves on the C2C train heading to Southend. Andromeda was very thankful when a dark skinned man offered up his seat to her and she stared out of the window as the train departed the East-London platform. It had been an early start for the both of them and Teddy soon nodded off in her lap – and it wasn’t long before Andromeda herself followed suit.

~ ~ ~ 

Andromeda’s eyes shot open as Ted’s cry gradually shifted into that of her grandson’s. She looked down into her lap and saw little Teddy’s tears dry up slightly when he noticed that she was awake again.

She shifted uncomfortably on her seat and as she saw the sea outside her window noted that they were almost there now. Andromeda felt her bum and back ache a little as she moved. Their carriage was now virtually empty, with only a mother and small son a few seats down and a greasy looking teenager in the corner for company.

The lad in the corner had short, spikey gelled hair and was wearing a black t-shirt with ‘Austin 3:16’ in block caps on it. Andromeda assumed his t-shirt must be some sort of religious reference – he didn’t particularly personify what she’d come to think of as the Christian-type, but she still struggled to get her head around muggle customs despite being married to Ted for the best part of 25 years.

The little boy a few seats down was fully engrossed in playing with his spaceman plastic action-figure, whilst his Mother read a book called Bridget Jones. This thankfully left Andromeda free to daydream outside the window as she stared into the sea and Teddy rested his eyes again in her lap.

This is the LTS Rail Service to Shoeburyness. The next station is… Westcliff. Please ensure you take all of your belongings with you when alighting the train.

“That’s our stop Mummy, isn’t it?!”

“No, no, Harry, Southend is one more after this one sweetheart”

Andromeda couldn’t stop herself looking over at the excited little muggle boy and his mother a few seats down from them.

“Mummy?! Mummy?!”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Are me and Buzz allowed to get some sweets when we’re out in town? We promise we’ll be good!”

“What do you say, Harry?”

“PLEASE!”

“That’s better! Now if you promise you’ll be a good little boy and are on your best behaviour whilst Mummy gets her eyes tested and pops into Boots for her prescription, then I’ll let you get some pick and mix in Woolies.”

“YAY!! Thanks Mummy! You’re the best!”

Andromeda almost allowed a slight smile to escape her permanent poker face. It did warm her heart to see the little boy’s face filled with such joy as he embraced his mother, but unfortunately it also served to remind her that Teddy would never experience such joy with his own mother, which made her feel very dejected as she glanced down at him.

She supposed at least in his Godfather he would have a positive male role model – and someone who actually understood what it was like to have no parents.

~ ~ ~ 

Teddy stirred slightly at the sound of the seagulls scuffling over some discarded vinegar-soaked chips on the pavement. The sudden movement from her grandson caught Andromeda by surprise and she instinctively reached out to grab him, forgetting that he was tightly secured in the muggle baby-carrier that Ted had originally bought for Nymphadora.

The mini panic caused her to momentarily stop in her stride, but Teddy didn’t notice as he was already back to sleep. He wasn’t as light as he once was. It was only really that he’d been such a tiny new-born to begin with that meant she was still able to carry him when walking in the first place.

Andromeda found the turning she was looking for and headed down it. Their destination wasn’t far now and she’d soon be able to have a nice sit down and a cup of tea. She saw the giant cherry tree in the distance and headed towards it, quickening her stride and walking into the road momentarily to avoid the litter on the pavement.

It looked like a fox had a fight with a black sack full of rubbish the night before – and the fox had won, quite comfortably, as the street was littered with empty juice cartons, crisp packets and banana skins. The middle aged-witch had to double take, as she could’ve sworn that one of the crisp packets proclaimed to contain Vanilla Ice Cream flavour crisps. It must be a strange muggle thing, she thought.

The tree came fully into view and shaded them from the sun, as Andromeda walked up the path towards the big red front door of Stapleton House. She pulled the door-knocker back a few times and after a few moments the door made a buzzing noise, indicating it was now unlocked.

A slightly tanned lady with a friendly smile on her face greeted them at the door.

“Oh hello,” she said in that very distinctive voice adults only ever use when talking to babies. “And what lucky person are you here to see today?” she asked Teddy warmly, although of course she was really addressing Andromeda.

“Robert Tonks,” Andromeda said.

“Robert Tonks…err… Robert… OH! You mean Bobby!”

“Yes.”

“Oh that’s fantastic! It’s been a little while since he’s had any visitors. I’m sure it will make his day to see you both. He’s down in room 14. Follow the hallway all the way down, take the first left, then right and he’ll be in the room next to the garden.”

“Thank you,” Andromeda replied courteously, not wanting to make too much of an impression on the nurse in-case she started asking any questions.

Andromeda opened the door to room 14 and saw Robert Tonks sitting in a brown armchair facing away from the door. He was staring at the television that was bizarrely not actually showing anything on it at all. It was just a black screen, with lots of yellow and blue writing on it.

She looked over at his bed frame which read:

ROBERT “BOBBY” TONKS.

ALZHEIMER’S.

DOUBLE INCONTINENT.

“Hello Robert,” Andromeda said warmly. The elderly man, now in his 70s with not a spot of hair on his head turned around instantly and looked at her curiously through his glasses.

“Hello,” he said blankly. “Who are you?”

“It’s me, Robert, Andromeda. Ted’s wife,” she said calmly. He had been losing his memory for the best part of three years now, so she was used to having to be patient with him.

“Andromeda…Ted’s wife… Ted. Ted…” he pondered to himself. It was evident that he was trying very hard, but could not quite put it together in his mind.

“Your son, Ted,” she prompted.

“My son…Ted…Ted…Ted! My son Ted! Yes. Yes of course. Chip off the old block, just like his old man. Kind and loving like his mother, too. Are they here too? Ted and Agata”

“No… no not today Robert. They’re busy today, but I am sure they’ll be here tomorrow,” she lied.

It was much easier that way.

Ted’s mother had died of cancer about five years ago, long before Robert had started losing his memory and had to be put in a care home. But he often forgot. The first few times her and Ted had taken the painstaking trouble of telling him that she wouldn’t be visiting him that day, or ever again, because she was dead – and it was horrible. It was like he had to go through the whole grieving process all over again.

The least they could do was spare him from that, although now it wasn’t just Agata who was dead. It was his son and granddaughter too. But Andromeda had barely been able to grieve properly for either of them herself yet. She was hardly about to stroll on in and announce to him that they were dead.  

“Oh. Well, at least you made the trip ehh, Andromeda? And wow… my goodness. Is that? Is that little Nymphadora? Haven’t you grown sweetheart?” he said in amazement at Teddy.

“No, Robert. This is Nymphadora’s son, Teddy. He’s your great-grandson,” she said smiling and lifting Teddy up and taking him over to meet Robert.

“Great? Great-grandson?” Robert uttered in disbelief, as he took Teddy into his arms.

“You see that, lad,” he said, pointing to the television screen with lots of writing on it. “That’s the Premier League table. The 20 best football teams in England play each other twice, then whoever gets the most points at the end wins the title. And look at that. It’s the last day of the season and look who sits at the top…The Arsenal! That crazy French fella Arsene Wenger has only gone and won it for us hasn’t he?!”

“I said to Ted we were mad to hire him. Should have gone for Johan Cruyff. But look at that – he was right. Said all along Wenger would win us the league!” Robert mused to nobody in particular.

Andromeda was always amazed at how no matter how badly Robert’s memory deteriorated – he would never forget anything to do with football, or conversations he’d had with Ted in relation to it.

Robert suddenly looked over at Andromeda in slight panic and fear. He ushered for her so he could hand Teddy back.

“Are you okay, Robert?” she asked worriedly.

His face was fluxed with shame and anguish.

“I’m sorry Andromeda. I think you’ll have to call for a nurse…I’ve messed myself.”

[monsteronfire]

A Mystery | Pt 24

College Student!Jungkook x Reader/OC

Sometimes life presents the things you need in a mysterious way. Jungkook is a college student with a sketchy past and a debt on the rise. If he can’t get his life together he could lose not only his last year of tuition, but his future and the well-being of those he loves as well. Then along comes a ghost named A and he’s left feeling constantly uneasy and in possible danger whenever they interact, but it could be that A has what he needs to keep his life going

———

The car goes dark as soon as your screen does and you toss the phone into the glove compartment with all the others. There’s probably close to a dozen there, all of them little shields that kept the real you safe from your enemies- and your friends. It’s strange to see them now, all dark in a box. One you’ll probably never look into again once this is all over. You feel a small sense of loss. Like letting go of old friends after so many years.

But sometimes such things were necessary.

“M-miss?”

The woman behind you still trembles with fear, even after a nearly two hour drive. Parts of her face are red and slightly swollen, but thankfully you’d gotten there soon enough that they hadn’t done too much damage to her. She sits in the backseat of your car and as you stare at her in the rear view mirror now, you see a bit of Taehyung in her and it kills you a little.

“Don’t worry. I’m taking you to see your son. Get out.”

She hesitates, but you don’t, climbing out of the driver’s seat and walking to the door just behind you. You pull it open and she flinches away, making you wish she remembered you at least a little from before. Your hand goes out to her gently, beckoning her to you.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you anymore.”

Again she hesitates, but finally takes your hand and let’s you lift her out of the car. You drag her along down the back street, empty cars and old buildings giving the area an abandoned feel. You spot Jimin’s easily enough, remembering the picture when you looked it up before. It looks empty from this far and you panic for a split second, afraid that something happened or they were dumb enough to leave its safety. However, when you get closer you see them both laying back in the seats speaking quietly to each other. You almost stop when you see Taehyung, his face a storm of emotion and none of it good or happy in anyway. It tugs at your heart, but you can’t make excuses anymore. What happened, happened. All you can do now is make it right.

You rap your knuckles against the driver’s side window and both nearly jump out of their skin at the sound. Taehyung’s face instantly changes to a full on glare while Jimin works to open the window. Taehyung is too impatient to shout at you and gets out instead, only pausing when he spots his mother behind you. Just as he’s shouting for her, Jimin is opening his door and climbing out. His face holds kinder emotions for you and he hugs you when he shouts your name.

“A!”

“Oh Taehyungie!”

“Mom! Are you okay?”

Taehyung and his mom embrace each other, and you release her so that they can have their moment together. He pulls away and holds her at arm’s length, looking her over and whispering apologies to her. As if it were his fault this all happened. You only look away when Jimin releases you, his sweet smile more than you deserve.

“Are you okay? You made it out safe?”

“I’m fine. We made it out okay, but,” you pause and turn to the other two, “... we need to get you two into hiding for now.”

“For now? How long is that?” Taehyung’s anger is potent in his words and had you been anyone else it would hurt more than it does.

“You’re both still in danger. I need to keep you safe while-“

“Safe? Keep us safe?!”

Both Jimin and Taehyung’s mother speak his name lowly, trying to calm him.

“You were supposed to keep us safe years ago, A! I’m inclined to believe you don’t actually know what that word means!”

“Tae, please,” Jimin says again, putting himself halfway between you and his friend. How wonderful this boy must be to trust you so even after what you did.

“It’s okay, Jimin. He has every right, but save it for another few minutes. I need to get you into hiding. We can’t be out in the open like this for too long.”

“I’m sorry, you want me to put my anger on hold right now? Do you even have any idea-“

Your eyes close, your fear mounting into frustration.

“Taehyung!” He falls silent.

“Don’t make me knock you out again.”

He remains silent, albeit a glare still sits on his face. Regardless, you’re satisfied. You turn from the group, walking in a different direction without looking back. Jimin will make sure they follow. He trusts you for whatever reason.

“Crone will be scouring the fucking Earth looking for you two. Until he’s dealt with you need to stay hidden.”

“Why does he care so much about us anyway? Why can’t he just leave us alone?”

“Because he is a man of power. In his life he controls all. Except you two. I took that from him.”

“Not well enough it seems...”

You take them further down the street, the sound of seafulls putting you a bit more at ease. A brick wall built higher than you runs along the end of the road, a fence gate in the center and piles of massive shipping crates in the distance beyond it. The seagulls circle in the sky and off to one side behind the wall is a massive warehouse. The scent of water fills your lungs.

“A shipping yard?” Jimin asks sweetly.

“My shipping yard. Bought it years ago, though it’s set up to still look like it’s run by the city. It functions normally, still runs like it used to, but I’ve added a few tweaks to make it more useful for me.”

“What kind of tweaks?” Jimin almost sounds excited, though you suppose that doesn’t surprise you. He seems to enjoy a more atypical type of life than most, no matter how much he tries to hide it. Out of anyone he’d probably be the most curious about the inner workings of your old life.

“Mostly storage, in the crates and underground, a couple safe rooms and a holding cell. A fallout shelter.”

“Fallout shelter? Holding cell?” Jimin speeds to catch up and walk next to you. You give him a sidelong glance and smirk a little. He’s cute.

“Holding cell for those I need to lock up for a while and fallout shelter mainly in case I need to go into hiding for a bit, but not permanently. But you never know,” you wink at him and he grins, skipping closer to you.

“What’s all in there? How long can you survive down there? Have you ever used it?”

“Is that where you’re taking us?”

You glance behind you, Taheyung’s arm around his mother and a glare still on his face.

“Yes. I was going to put you in one of the safe rooms, but they’re above ground and can still be penetrated by heat detection devices. The fallout shelter is built underground far enough that nothing can detect you down there. Plus there’s first aid stuff down there so you can look after you mom.”

“Who are you,” his mother finally asks meekly. To your surprise Taehyung remains silent, looking from her back to you. Almost as if he’s curious to see how you will actually answer. You turn your attention back to the path in front of you, your expression starting to match his.

“Someone that was supposed to keep you safe the first time you ran from Crone.”

No one says anything else and you’re glad for it. You finally stop at a row of shipping crates, pausing to look around for a moment. A habit. When it looks like the coast is clear, you press your hand into the side of the blue painted container. A rectangle gives way under your touch to reveal a number pad, your fingers punching in the numbers from muscle memory alone. Nine digits and an enter button has the ground beneath you rumbling. You pull Jimin back closer to you as the earth lowers and pulls back under the crate, revealing stairs down to a small door.

“Hurry now,” you say and motion them down the stairs. The old fashioned, pressurized door opens to an elevator that takes you 30 feet underground, giving you an extra few feet to avoid thermal detection. The shelter is small, but equipped with the basics for living underground for a time; up to a year. You flip a large switch when you exit the elevator and lights flicker on one after the other to reveal the sparsely decorated interior.

“Quaint,” Taehyung mocks, leading his mother to the nearest chair.

“It was never meant to be a home.” You reply mechanically, heading past them to find the first aid kit. Jimin is silent while he looks around, awe on his face and his eyes sparkling with wonder. Now that they’re here you realize your mind is beginning to shut down. You got them to safety, but there’s still more to do and if you let emotions get involved, your chances of death and failure heighten. You have a process, like a computer working through the paths of programming when you click on something. When you leave here you’ll become a machine.

As you’d been raised to be.

You return with the white and red box, passing it to Taehyung and stepping back. You likely know more about anything medical than him, but you know if you’re ever going to win back some semblance of your friendship then you need to do this. Let him take care of his own mother.

“You ever gonna give me these answers you keep promising me? Or is it just another empty one?”

His words are harsh and they sting. It takes you a moment, your mind giving you every red flag to not open up like this. But this was a necessity; just like standing back and letting him tend to his mother. Finally you start, your fingers fiddling with themselves for just a second before your hands fall to your sides.

“I have never completely been who you thought I was. For the most part it’s always been me, but there’s always been so much more. I have never been normal-“

“That’s pretty clear,” he mumbles and your eyes narrow a bit.

“I have never been normal, nor have I ever been ordinary. I do not have parents like you do, or sisters, or brothers. Not a family, not in the traditional sense. My brothers and sisters are warriors like me. Killers, assassins, mercenaries. We are rigorously trained from the age of 7 to the age of 20 to be... the best. Combat training, weapons training, intelligence, espionage, sabotage, camouflage, all of it. Whatever’s in your books to describe a ‘spy,’ we learn. We are meant to be soldiers, to fight for her. Whatever her means, we carry them out.”

“Who is she?” Jimin asks, sitting in a chair near the other two.

“Her tale is for another time. All you need to know now is that she trained me to be deadly and I was very proficient at it. Well... all, but the killing part. It was not something I did lightly. I was better at other things. And then I left her at the age of 18.”

“Why?”

“Near the end of my time with the troupe, she grew too old to continue collecting power. She left it to her son, an idiot who was sure to botch everything up. In the transition of power from her to him, many of us left. He tried to send others out after us. Some died, some were captured and returned, and the rest- like me- were lost. We split up, intent on making new lives. I fell into information.”

“Informant,” Taehyung almost spits.

“Yes, in a way. I was a freelance information specialist. I gathered and sold info on the blackmarket.”

“So what made you start working for Crone?”

He’s still so angry, his voice still so full of venom and disdain. You pause a beat before speaking again, your eyes looking up from your hands to your friend.

“You.”

He falls silent, the anger melting away and shock taking its place. Jimin looks much the same, his gaze switching from you to his friend and then back again. Almost comically.

“When I met you and we became friends; when you asked me to help you, I did. I was only a few years out of the troupe so while I had the money and tools to save you, it was not completely. I knew Crone could still find you and I wouldn’t be able to protect you if he did. So I made a deal with him. I could give him the power he so desired as long as he left you and your mother be. He could keep tabs on you, but always out of sight and out of mind. So long as I fed him the info he needed to rise to power, he was to leave you alone.”

Everyone is silent for a long moment, Jimin looking a bit uneasy of what could happen next. Taehyung stares at his lap, quiet, thinking. You straighten as you watch him, your story coming to an end and your task coming to its beginning. You’re not finished yet.

“Why did he come to me then, what changed his mind?” Taehyung asks, but doesn’t look up at you. Jimin stares at you and you motion for him to head to the elevator. He hesitates, but then rises silently and takes slow steps.

“I’ve been working for a few years now... To complete my promise. I could never really keep you safe before, so I started working to do so. If I take down Crone, then there will be no one left to hunt you.”

He looks up at that, shocked. Did he really not expect that of you? For you not to finish this? So many emotions pass through his eyes that for a moment you see your friend. The old Taehyung that knew none of this and still cared for you as you cared for him. And so you do not stay.

Let me keep this moment, you think to yourself.

“Stay here, don’t leave this place until I send someone for you.”

“A?” He speaks as you leave.

You turn and head for the elevator where Jimin stands almost dutifully.

“I told you I had more to do.”

“A wait,” he reaches for you, standing just as he catches your wrist. You pause, but look back at him.

“I’m going to finish this, Tae. When I’m done, you’ll be able to go back to your normal life.”

He opens his mouth to speak again, but you tug your wrist from his grip and continue on. You walk quickly, shoving Jimin into the elevator and pressing the button to go back up. Taehyung calls for you again, trying to reach you before you go, but the door closes and you are left in peace. The ride up is silent and it isn’t until you reach the surface again that Jimin speaks.

“A?”

“Jimin, I have one last favor of you.”

“Anything,” he replies quietly, reaching out for your hand. You don’t have the heart to look at him, instead staring off into the distance.

“I will give you word when I take care of Crone. I’ll need you to come get Taehyung. Can you do that for me?”

He’s silent for a long moment, his other hand coming to clasp yours and squeezing it comfortingly.

“I will.”

“Thank you. Go home. Get some rest, tell the others their friend is fine.”

“Good luck, A. Come back to us.”

Finally you look at him.

“I aim to.”

———

Previous :: Next

A/N: Whew! Okay! So this turned out way longer than I expected! Like I need to learn some restraint I guess. 😅 Anyway, the next part should be out on time tomorrow. It will be much shorter. I hope you guys enjoy this one!

@deolly, @mygukandonly, @doilooklikeinoe, @j-i-m-i-n-e, @ask-blogger-miss-prussia, @titillandux, @d-noona

[narniaandplowmen]

Mysterious Fathoms Below (6/8)

Fandom: OUAT Pairing: Captain Swan Also on AO3

Rated: General Audiences Complete Full Fic is 12005 words

Summary:  When a storm throws Killian overboard, a mysterious mermaid who saves him. Now it is up to him to save her and bring her back home.

[first chapter]  •   [previous chapter]  •  [next chapter]

CHAPTER 6 - Mistakes

The moment they arrived in the waters of the Enchanted Forest, they were surrounded by guards. Emma ignored them and swam up as fast as possible, trying to get Killian the air he needed. She had created the portal as close to shore as possible. When they arrived at the surface, Emma smiled at the by now familiar movements of Killian shaking his head and moving his hair out of his face. Suddenly, the faces of several guards popped up out of the water beside them.

“Princess!”  one shouted, and suddenly it was chaos. One of the men next to her grabbed her wrist, stating something about being ‘worried sick’ and ‘your parents’ and ‘the kingdom’ but Emma did not listen. Instead, she tried to free herself from his grip, get away from the guards and get ho- Emma gasped and froze. She had not thought of Killian as a pirate, nor as the man that brought her back home to her parents, but as home. And the weirdest part was that she was not scared. She did not want to run or hide or get away and forget. She wanted to stay. Suddenly, she was dragged down by several hands and surrounded by angry, relieved, tired and annoyed voices. She was walled in and the feeling of home immediately got replaced by an overwhelming feeling of terror.

“Get off me!”  she shouted, but her words were drowned out by the guards shouting orders to each other. Suddenly, a blast of light emerged from her, blowing every guard several feet away from her. Emma winced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you- are you guys okay?” 

    ~   ~   ~   ~ 

The trip back to the castle was relatively uneventful, although the guards kept a distance and looked at her with a hint of fear in their eyes. She couldn’t blame them, she just blasted them with magic she only recently learned she had. Sure, all mermaids could create portals, talk to fish and in some realms even control the weather, but this was something different. She was happy none of them got severely injured, but at the same time scared and confused. She couldn’t stop apologising, which, Emma now realised, made the guards even more uncomfortable. Right before they entered the castle gates, their leader finally quipped “Well, I guess you don’t need us to protect you” , drawing laughs from the entire group. Emma looked at the old soldier and mouthed her thanks before entering the place she only recently had desperately escaped from.

    ~   ~   ~   ~ 

Killian didn’t know how much he had had, but it was enough for the room to be spinning and his insides to be warm. The last time he was this drunk was a long time ago, it was during – after? – something special. Not that he could remember what, because his brain was all too muddied to think straight. In other words: his brain was in the perfect state to come up with ridiculous ideas. Which happened to be just the kind of ideas he liked best. Killian remembered one of the captains he served under, some fellow named- named- captain? Something bird. He shook his head. Anyway, cap-captain flamingo had always said, when the crew complained his plan was far too ridiculous, that that was exactly the reason why the plan would work. Which it usually did. Genius man, that captain pelican. And, now that Killian thought about it, always drunk too. He accepted another glass from a barmaid and considered his options. He could tell the crew about the riches hidden on that beach Emma told him about, but that was not a guarantee that they wouldn’t just run away with the money and leave him stranded, literally and figuratively. Or, he could just turn into a mermaid and join Emma as her prince consort. He hiccupped and looked down at his legs, and for the first time in his life he realised he had 4 of them, which might make the task a little more difficult if it didn’t look so hilarious. Four legs. That was half an Ursula. Half an Ariel-cursing Ursula. Suddenly, Killian’s mind became as clear as it possibly could, given the circumstances it had to work in. Ariel. Didn’t she have some magical bracelet allowing her to switch between tail and legs? Mermaid Queen Snow had gifted it to her. Staggering, Killian got up and left the tavern, determined to find Ariel and- and- Killian heaved the insides of his stomach in a nearby barrel and collapsed.

    ~   ~   ~   ~ 

Emma had feared that the King and Queen – she still found it weird that they were her mom and her dad – would be furious at her. She had ran away, left everyone worried and probably destroyed her entire room. She had been thrown out of foster homes for much less than that. Turned out, however, that her parents were just glad she was back and angry more at the danger she could have been in than at her. She had told them where she was, and, after a bit of hesitation, with who and why. She could see that Snow and David were hurt by her words, but when she spoke of Killian all worries were forgotten and replaced by the hope that their daughter had found her true love. Emma had scoffed at those words and warned them that she did not know yet, but her mother was satisfied. Still, Emma went to bed early with as an excuse that she was tired. The fact that an extraordinary number of servants followed her into her room did not go unnoticed, and neither did the fear Emma could clearly see in their eyes. Emma tried to ignore it as she covered her head with the covers and desperately tried not to think of a certain handsome pirate with a strange tendency to drown whenever she was around.

    ~   ~   ~   ~ 

Killian woke up with one of the biggest headaches he had had in years. Maybe, he thought after opening and immediately closing his eyes again, the biggest headache ever. Not for the first time he wondered how captain sp- su- seagull? No, that was not it. How captain whichever-other-bird-started-with-an-S managed to drink so much rum and not get horrendously hungover. He groaned when he heard a loud noise behind him. When he slowly opened his eyes again Killian discovered he had collapsed in an alleyway next to the main street, where a woman carrying a child was loudly cursing at a street vendor, complaining about the quality of his products (too low) and the prices he charged for them (too high). Slowly, the happenings of the previous night started to come back to him. After Emma had dropped him off and disappeared, a large wave had sent him in the direction of the coast. There, he had met Blackbeard, and Killian discovered that the tale of his crew’s mutiny had spread fast. After a verbal fight, which Killian feared to admit he had lost, he had walked into the nearest pub and started drinking. And it had obviously taken a long while before he had stopped. Killian looked around and found that he was still holding a half-full bottle of rum. After chugging it he got up. He seemed to remember wanting to find a certain mermaid.

    ~   ~   ~   ~ 

Today, Emma did not have to attend any etiquette lessons. Instead, she was told that the King and Queen had invited her for a ride. Curious, Emma swam to the throne room, where her parents stood waiting. Emma was surprised, she had barely ever seen them in casual clothing.

“Good morning Emma!”  her mother greeted in her ever-cheery voice.

“We- We wanted to apologise”  her father continued, clearly uncomfortable. “We shouldn’t have thrown you into this like we did.” Emma whispered a quiet thanks, and Snow and David started to elaborate on the day’s plans. They would go out on a ride, show her their favourite places, “Just some us-time, no rules, no kingdom-stuff, just fun”. Just fun. Emma nodded. That, she should be able to do, right?

[brownskinsugarplum76]

Eye of the Storm, Ch 7

I want to start by saying that I'm excited and thankful to have almost completed 10 chapters of this story! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 I really wasn't sure if I had it in me to do a longer story and keep coming up with ideas. It's been a fun process to imagine and write the scenes and chapters. I have more ideas, but I'm curious to see where this goes as I write. Thank you for putting up with my fits and starts.

So... The smut is going down next chapter, but there are a couple of instances of making out in this chapter... I hope you enjoy it! ❤️❤️❤️

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

Despite Maggie's head start, Robert was victorious in making it to the house first, thanks to his long legs and the experience that soccer gave him with sprinting. 

"Way to go, Broadway Joe!" Maggie caressed Robert's back when she reached him. 

"Bloody Joe Namath? Really? I've rubbed elbows with him from time to time in New York… I think you'll find Englishmen are more sophisticated and entertaining…" he snarked. 

"Calm down, baby, there's only one confirmed bachelor I have my eyes on." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Robert's cheek. 

"Mmmmm…" He smiled at the feel of Maggie's lips on his clean-shaven skin. "But I'm starting to think the single life can be overrated, love…" He kissed her on her forehead. 

Maggie was surprised to hear Robert muse about settling down. "You? Trading all this in for a house with a white picket fence?" 

"I'll never return to suburbia. I had my fill of it with my childhood… No, what I'm thinking of is more like a farm… A horse, a goat or two, chickens… Bonzo's living the gentleman farmer dream right now, with his family, and I'd love to have that one day… The farm and the family…"

"OK… I can't picture you doing either the suburbs or a farm. But now I'd love to see you try!" 

"Stranger things have happened, dear…" He put an arm around Maggie's shoulders. "And who knows, you might be the one to see it all play out."

Maggie was too surprised by everything Robert was saying to respond. Her smile said it all, while she pondered going through life as Mrs. Plant. 

"I hope that wasn't too taxing, though? The running?" She needed to change the subject quickly, before she started naming children and picking out china patterns in her head. She knew that Robert's attention span and resolve could be as unpredictable as the timing of California's earthquakes. 

She searched his eyes and took in his facial expression, afraid to find traces of pain. "I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have made you--"

"--I'm fine, Mags. In fact, I think that was just what the doctor ordered. Everyone has been babying me after the accident, myself included. But maybe that hasn't been the best idea… I've got to start getting back to life, you know? You just forced me to do it in a small way. And eye thank yew," he drawled. 

"One small run for Robert…" Maggie intoned. 

"...One giant step forward for ye olde Golden God!" Robert lifted Maggie in an embrace and swung her around as they kissed. "Thank you."

Maggie smiled shyly. 

"Oi, Strider!" Robert whistled loudly for his dog, who had started racing toward a seagull again. His pup bounded swiftly over the sand to return to his master's side. 

"Let's go in, Maggie love. I believe there's an unfinished matter to attend to?" 

"I think so. But maybe we should get some dinner first, and make sure we have enough energy."

"I like the way you think, woman. It is going to be a long night, innit?" 

"If I have my way…"

"And mine, too…" Robert backed Maggie up against the glass patio doors, pressing his body into hers. He teased his tongue between her lips and communicated all of his feelings--past, present, and future--to her with his steamy actions. Her sighs and her tight embrace acknowledged that she understood and agreed.

***

"You must really love fajitas," said Maggie, carrying both of their plates to the table at the same time. She'd never touched a microwave before, but with Robert's direction, she became a master of using it to heat the food. Robert's quick tour of the drawers and cabinets enabled her to find everything they needed to set the table. She smiled to herself at how easy it felt to blend their lives together. 

"Bloody hell, just like the first night! I forgot we still had some left until you found them." Robert couldn't help but smile when he thought of the meal she had served him back in San Diego. "I'm sorry that I don't have any tequila, though…"

"No worries, I think this wine will do nicely." She took one of the three bottles of California cabernet sauvignon out of its ice water bath and handed it to Robert. 

"I suppose we can have a tequila-soaked moment on the beach whenever we want now, yeah?" He picked up the corkscrew from the table and opened the bottle. 

"Mmmmm hmm…" Maggie nodded her head. 

"We'll have to take advantage of that soon." Robert poured the glasses and handed one to Maggie. 

"This is wonderful," Maggie gushed. She sipped the wine as Robert loaded a tortilla with steak strips and grilled vegetables.

"I'm friends with the owner of the winery. I'll have to take you there sometime."

"Is there anyone that you don't know?"

"Well, I never got to meet any of your presidents, or their kids, even though several of the presidential youth have dug our music." He bit into the fajita.

Maggie laughed. "Well, at least we know your influence didn't bring down the Nixon administration." She added some more grilled vegetables to her tortilla and took a bite.

"No, there's only two hotels at which we've caused newsworthy levels of scandal, and neither's in your nation's capital… Well, maybe three, if you're fool enough to believe Carmine Appice's fishwife's tale…"

Maggie sipped the wine while Robert paused to polish off his first fajita. 

"Your country, and your state, in particular, have been wonderful to me. And not just because of the concerts and, uh, the night life. It just feels like home, you know? Tons of sunshine, easy access to the beach, the woods, the desert, the mountains… Very little rain… I've met so many wonderful people here, made so many pleasant memories… The Los Angeles area has been our home base for the tours, but I could see myself making permanent roots here. And I would love to come home to you, most of all…" He held Maggie's gaze while he readied a second tortilla and then sipped some wine. 

"You know you don't have to say all these things to get me to sleep with you, Robert."

"I know! I mean every word. I'm almost 30, for Christ's sake. Freedom is nice, but living freely with someone dear…" He drained his glass and set to work on his food again. 

"I just need something more. Maggie, do you know how close I came to losing it all? Some of the doctors thought I'd never walk normally again. And it will happen someday, our band will become a thing of the past. The press never fully loved us, and now the winds are shifting a bit with the fans…"

"What do you mean?" Maggie finished her food while Robert gathered his words. 

"I've seen the teen magazines. Somehow they kept showing up here, when I didn't have anything better to do. It seems some of the younger kids are getting tired of the light shows and 30-minute improvisations. They'd rather see their stars in black and white face paint and vinyl or, I don't know, torn shirts and safety pins, rather than me in my ladies' kimonos, or Jagger in some blue eye shadow, or Townsend destroying another guitar that they can only dream to afford…"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't going to go on forever… I need to start thinking about a second act for myself. And that goes for my personal life as much as my professional one."

Maggie poured herself some more wine. "You know what I think, Robert?" She took a healthy sip from the glass.

“What’s that?”

She finished the glass. “I think you'll find that you have nothing to worry about. There's only one Led Zeppelin. No one else can do what you all can do. I think you've sealed your place in the history books many times over. And whenever it might end--and I don't think it'll be soon--I'm sure you'll get back on your feet quickly. I know you. You can't stop singing. It's too much a part of you."

Robert smiled softly.

"And I also think you have all the time in the world to think about the future of the band and your personal future. Nothing is going to be solved in one night… I think that maybe I need to help you forget about all that for now.” She grabbed his plate and finished the last bite of his third tortilla. Then, she took their plates and cutlery to the sink.

Robert, realizing the bottle of wine was almost empty, grabbed it and finished it in one swallow. He uncorked the next one.

“I'd like that a lot, Maggie dear. It will be much more fun to focus on the different ways I can make you come one time after another…" He chuckled devilishly. "Let's pick up where we left off.”

He stood and grabbed the fresh bottle, wrapping his fist around the neck, and turned toward the bedroom. But he relinquished control of the wine when Maggie caressed his hand and took the bottle, placing it back on the table.

“I’m going to need both of your hands right now.” She traced his jawline with one hand.

"I'm all yours… Every. Last. Inch…" He bent down, fisted her hair with one hand and pulled her closer by the waist with the other. All of the energy of his fear quickly transmuted to lust with a savage kiss. 

As Robert peeled off her shirt, fondled her breasts, and dove in for another hungry kiss, Maggie knew that he was back with her in the present and ready to fill each second of the next several hours with rapture rather than dread.

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

The rest of my stories are here, or search for the hashtag #brownskinsugarplumlibrary

[mobashirfatimah]

Film Review - LA LA LAND...

La La Land – Life Is Dreamy Until Reality Intervenes…

Often in life we want the things to be a certain way, what we picturise and imagine them to be are actually our ‘DREAMS’. Movie La La Land directed and written by Damien Chazielle beautifully shows the journey from the dreamy world (La La Land) to the real world. The music(by Justin Hurwitz) is the binding force of the movie , it never fails to give us a taste of nostalgia. The word ‘beautiful’ is not just good enough to describe the cinematography of the movie. It looks like a painting in every scene. Another alluring thing about the movie is how the story proceeds with change of seasons and according to the mood and flavor of the season like the spring marks the signaling of the new beginnings , in this case the couple is about to start dating, Summers would be a happy time, winters would be sad. La la land is a magical story of passion, dreams, love and music.

The movie stares ‘Ryan Gosling’ and ‘Emma Stone’ as Sebastian and Mia who have done a remarkable job. Mia is a struggling actress who also has an aptitude of writing and works in a coffee shop An early verse, sung by a chipper young woman in a yellow dress, is a kind of overture, hinting at the theme of the bittersweet fairy tale to follow. She recalls leaving her hometown boyfriend behind to pursue fame and fortune here in La La Land, a quaint old nickname for Los Angeles that is also the name of Damien Chazelle’s charming new movie. Sebastian is musician who has a special taste in jazz. He is distressed by people’s ignorance to jazz and dreams to open a club where this art form will be celebrated and respected and not treated as some background score to people chatting and wine glasses clinking. Along with a lot of other things, the one thing that really attracts Sebastian and  Mia to each other is there strong passion towards their respected careers. The song which they sing together “City of lights, are you just shining for me?” completely justifies their passion for their art and career. Mia and Sebastian communicate through melody and dance throughout the movie which has a magical feel.

After multiple times of running into each other accidentally, Mia and Sebastian end up dating each other in spite of repeatedly entitling each other with no importance initially. It’s not until their third chance encounter that affection begins to bloom. And even this meeting is bookended by Mia making fun of Sebastian’s participation in an ’80s cover band—moral: never ask a self-described “serious musician” to play A Flock of Seagulls—and by the two soft-shoeing their way through a song expressing their mutual lack of romantic interest: “We’ve stumbled on a view that’s tailor-made for two, What a shame the two are you and me”. Sebastian makes Mia like Jazz which later becomes the essence of Sebastian’s presence for Mia. Now coming to the brutal reality part, like every other couple Sebastian and Mia too face shortcomings and maintenance of their relationship become difficult. Although not liking the type of music, Sebastian accepts to play in a band presuming that Mia wants him to have stable career and life with her. His plan for the club takes a backseat and the band starts to rise in fame. Between all this Mia finds herself left behind in Sebastian’s life. In the course of misunderstandings Sebastian entitles Mia that she is feeling bad because an unsuccessful Sebastian makes her feel good about herself who has herself not achieved much in life yet. The very first play written by Mia which was supposed to be her big turning point turns out to be a big flop which shatters her completely and the fact that Sebastian was not there with her in her toughest time as he was busy with his own things breaks her even more. Events turn out to be in such a way that Mia gets a very big movie break in Paris.  The couple decides to separate their ways completely as they could see the shortcomings which were about to come if  they continue to stay together as Sebastian would have to stay in band tours and Mia would have had to be in different shooting locations. The last time they spoke before separating was about how there is nothing they could do as if they want to succeed in their respective careers, they will have to give it everything they have which would leave them with  nothing for each other.

La la land is not just a love story. It throws light on the underlying layers of life in a way we could have never thought before watching the film. When the climax starts the thirst of knowing what would happen further in the story goes away and what is left is just the essence of that very moment in the minds’ of the audience. This is a story which is going to stay with me for a long time.

The biggest message from this movie is that when we are young and at the start of our journey , all we dream about is what should happen in future but as we grow older and proceed towards the end of our journeys all we dream about is how things could have turned out with an ‘if’ in our minds.

Time unfolds destiny and brings Mia and Sebastian in front of each other again through music, this time a rather melancholic one. The music takes both of them on a ride to past and rewinds everything in a way things should have actually happened and when the music comes towards an end they are thrown back to reality with Mia sitting beside her now husband watching Sebastian perform in the same club which he named after the name which Mia created. In the end  Sebastian and Mia just exchange a smile to each other with eyes full of tears and leaves the audience heartbroken and enchanted…

 Work cited: La La Land. Written &  directed by Damien Chazielle. Summit Entertainment Marc Platt Productions Impostor Pictures Black Label Media. August 31, 2016 (Venice) December 9, 2016 (United States).

[headoverjojo]

How about some headcanons about Giorno(and the whole crew if you want) giving theirselfs something like "a day for theirselfs" alone(i mean: what giorno/bruno/nara/fugo/abba/mista would do to enjoy a relaxing day alone?)

Hello there, love! Oh, finally the boys can take a break, they deserve it!

Bruno’s gang giving themselves a day off

(Under the cut for lenght!)

Bruno Bucciarati

When Bruno, finally, has a day all for himself, he’s going to unplug his phone and leave the team in Fugo’s hands -he’s not the oldest, yes, but he’s the senior among all the teammates and the smartest- to enjoy a quiet day all for himself. It’s so unusual that it seems a dream.

He tries not to wake up at dawn, but his internal clock is setted for that time, so his eyes snaps open when the sun has just risen. However, he smiles, blissfully sighing, knowing that today he’ll not have to deal with his team shenanigans. He loves them, of course, but sometimes it’s beautiful to have a day alone.

He’s out of home early, wearing absolutely normal and comfy clothes, directed to the port. He rents a little boat, exchanging few chit-chats with the renter -an old friend of his-, then he’s out on open sea, with a cool bag full of water and his lunch and a fishing pole.

He throws the anchor at a good distance from the land, then he comfortably sits and starts to fish. He loves the quietness of the sea, its smell, the seagulls’ screams: it all reminds him of his happy childhood, when, with his father Paolo, he woke up when the sun wasn’t still risen and went with him to fish. He smiles, lost in sweet and distant memories, while the sun slowly reaches the zenith.

After a fresh lunch, he usually enjoys a boat trip around Naples’ bay. He loves to find the most suggestive foreshortening and take photos of them, all while relaxing, lulled by the waves’ dance. When the sun is finally setting, he goes back to the harbor and then heads home. He often invites the others for dinner, cooking the fish he caught that day, enjoying the meal with his family.

Leone Abbacchio

Leone can’t literally wait to have a day off, but he never asks for it. He has to help Bruno as much as he can, so Bruno has to almost send him home forcefully, telling him to take a day off. He grumbles and complains, but truth is he couldn’t have desired anything more than this. His team is his family, of course, but sometimes he needs a break from his family and their cheerful chaos.

Leone is not a morning person, especially because he tends to fall asleep late -or almost at dawn- due to his light insomnia. This doesn’t mean that he wakes up at noon, but he neither likes to get up at dawn. He sleeps soundly ‘till eight-nine o’clock, when he wakes up, finally rested and relaxed. He enjoys a bit more of time in bed, relishing in the softness of the sheets, before getting up and preparing breakfast.

The day is spent relaxing and chilling. In the morning, he puts on some of his vinyls, while reading or doing some chores, in complete relax and without rushing. Then, after a light lunch, he goes out, usually to his favourite music store, to buy a new vinyl or two. He always has interesting conversations with the owner, a music enthusiast like him, and often follows their suggestions, discovering new bands and albums that even make him smile.

After that, he often calls Trish and with her goes to skin products and make-up shopping. After all the mess, he became like a sort of uncle for her and she gladly goes with him on shopping. She always know the last news about products and can advice him really well, while he has really good tastes and always advice her for best combos of colors. They spend a good and relaxed uncle-niece afternoon and, before the sun sets down, he takes her to the HQ, just to be dragged to dine with everyone. He again complains, but has to restrain a little smile. All in all, he missed his dorks, even if just a little.

Guido Mista

Guido sleeps. Finally he can sleep as much as he wants!! He hates to wake up early, he loves so much sleeping! However, even if he declares that he’s going to wake up at noon, he’s up at nine o’clock, since he reached his maximum amount of sleeping hours. The day is dedicated to enjoying the simple joys of life: the warm sun, the light breeze, the neighborhood quietness. He goes out and roams around almost for the entire day, just chilling and enjoying his beloved city.

At noon, he buys something to eat while he’s walking, relaxed and carefree. Then, if he wants to have company, he calls Giorno -he’s his best friend, all in all!- to hang out together. They have a really different aptitude, it’s true, but they like each other’s company: Giorno’s too quiet to start a conversation, while Mista is good at prompts but needs someone who’s willing to talk with him long enough to enjoy the topic. They chill around, chit-chatting and eating an ice cream, like the teenager they are.

Sometimes they hang out with Narancia too, if Fugo lets him go earlier than usual from his tutoring sessions. When he’s with them, the day is way more lively: it wouldn’t be otherwise with Narancia! Even Giorno finds himself laughing and relaxing, slipping from his usual serious and composed demeanour, seeming, for a bit, a teenager. Mista simply loves this all: he’s having fun with his friends, he couldn’t ask for more!

In the evening, he rejoins the team to dine all together. It’s like a sacred tradition, for him: if he’s not on mission, he has to dine with them all. They’re his family! He doesn’t like to dine alone: even the most delicious food seems tasteless if he can’t eat with the most important people of his life.

Narancia Ghirga

Narancia’s the one who sleeps ‘till noon. Finally nor Bruno amused voice nor Fugo’s calling disturb him! Hooray! He loves to sleep, he’d sleep forever. He wakes up when the sun is almost at its zenith because he’s too hungry to sleep more, so he gets up and shuffles to the kitchen to eat something, rested and relaxed, with a lazy smile and his hair all ruffled.

When he’s finally full and changed, he immediately goes out. He loves so much to stay outside, to breath fresh air and to have fun! The first thing he does, however, isn’t roaming around or going to have fun: he goes to see his mom at the graveyard. He takes her favourite flowers and sits for a bit near her grave, talking about his new family, the pranks he does, Fugo’s tutoring lessons, how he’s grateful to have Bucciarati as father figure. He always feels better after it: it’s like having her near again, at least for a bit. He even can imagine her laughing at some stories or trying to hide a smirk while she scolds him, like she did when she was alive.

After that, he calls Mista to spend the rest of the afternoon chilling around. He loves to go to see movies, especially superheroes movies -and Mista is the only one willing to go with him- or to music stores, squealing when he sees that a new album of his favourite rapper(s) is out. If he feels like he wants to really relax -maybe because he’s back from a mission- he’ll just chill in Giorno’s garden, call Aerosmith out and make it fly and do backflips and spectacular tricks, encouraged by the others -if present-, even bowing when the show is ended.

He jumps to the kitchen, when it’s time to dine, hungry and happy. He can’t have a meal alone, he doesn’t even bear the idea! He dined alone too many times, after his mother’s death, so he associates a lonely dinner to that horrible period. He loves the warmth, the laughs and even the brawls that live up the dinner: he feels part of a family, a real family, in this way.

Pannacotta Fugo

Fugo yearns so much for a day off that he vibrates when Bruno allows him to take a day off. He’s, in the end, his second in command -even if Abbacchio will always be Bruno’s armed arm- and it’s stressful to deal with the gang’s affairs, Narancia’s daily tutoring lessons and missions. He usually never asks for a day off, not wanting to private Bruno of a pair of useful hands, but Capo knows his children, he knows Fugo and notices when the boy is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and that is the moment to send him home to relax.

Fugo’s up a little after dawn. He always was a morning person, since his parents obliged him to get up early to study before going to school and that habit persists even now. So, he’s shuffling around at really early hours, when everyone at the HQ is still asleep. He quietly prepares himself breakfast, before dressing and going out. He loves to walk in the quietness of the morning, when the major part of the city is still half asleep. He loves to go by the sea and watch the fishermen coming back with boxes full of fish, to admire the city as it slowly wakes up, becoming more and more lively. He bears with Naples’ cheerful chaos for a bit, before retiring again in more quiet areas, to prevent snaps and accidental rage bursts.

When the quiet of the early morning is faded away, he often hides in one of Naples’ many parks, with a book, peacefully reading on a bench. He grabs something to eat for lunch and, in the afternoon, he goes to the library or to a museum. He loves libraries’ quietness and smell of paper, ink and wood, he feels home. Same for museums: he loves the small ones, where tourists don’t go. He loves how tranquil they are and the gems they hide: he finds them way more interesting than the bigger ones and they feed his immense curiosity and desire to know more.

In the evening, he heads back to the HQ, grabbing, on the way, one of the boys’ favourite dessert. He doesn’t say it, but he wouldn’t ever skip dinners with his team: he never dined with his family -aside from his grandma-, so he feels so warm and loved, when he’s with all of them, that he simply can’t give it up. These are the family dinner he always imagined and dreamed: cheerful, noisy, maybe also chaotic, but lively and sincere, full of laughs and chit-chats, sometimes even brawls. He can’t ask for a better closure of his free day.

Giorno Giovanna

Giorno is another one who never asks a day off. He’s the newbie, he has to learn -even if he already did so much, like, for example, kill the Boss, things like that- but still he doesn’t know a lot about how the organization works in details, so he has to learn and to make experience, in order to properly guide Passione, one day. He’s still too young for it and Bruno knows it too well: he wants him to still be a boy, now that he can, so, when he sees that Giorno is too focused, he sends him home for a day off. He knows that, with a rested mind, he’d learn better and faster.

Giorno rises with the sun, when he’s working and when it’s his day off, so, by the time the sun is up the horizon, he’s up too, already dressing for the new day. When he’s off duties, however, his clothes are comfy and casual, while his hair aren’t styled in his iconic donuts but simply braided. Now that the sun still isn’t scorching, he goes to his precious garden to tend to his beloved plants. Gold Experience helps him, yes, but he mostly likes to do it by himself, dirtying his hands, as it’s said. It makes him feel more connected to the plants, to life, making him feel immensely calm.

Then, after lunch, he loves to stay under the trees’ fresh shadow, reading or studying. He doesn’t feel studying like a burden -as Narancia does- but like a pleasant activity. He can pass hours -as Fugo does- reading and studying, ‘till the sun sets down. When dusk falls, he gets up, heading back inside.

Giorno needed a bit to adjust to the group dinners: he was always used to dine alone, since his mother was always out with her husband -and, when he was barely a child, out with her new crush who changed from week to week-, so, for the first times, it was a bit overwhelming. All the chaos, the laughs, the noise… it was too much. Now, however, he’s used to it and he can’t imagine to dine without all of this. He now feels warm, he feels part of a clan, of a family: he can’t even think about a better way to dine.

[grailbot143]

Welcome Back Everyone!

Thank @daiskken for this week's artwork! I really love the style of this picture.

As I was not the biggest fan of last week’s episode and had every intention of wiping it entirely from my memory, this week, we are going to do something a little different. Instead of a recap of last week, we are going to focus on:

Briefcap Beach Party

Consolidated lingering Questions The Steven Universe World Characters Places Things Likes and Dislikes So Far Briefcap from Steven Universe: Beach Party (S1:Ep18)

Beach Party opens with the Gems fighting a Blowfish. Steven throws his boogie board to try to distract it for Garnet. Garnet gets blown into town where she destroys the front of the pizzeria. Amethyst turns into a baseball bat and hits the blowfish out to the ocean. The Gems argue with each other. Mr. Pizza gets upset about the pizzeria. The Gems go home. Kofi tells Steven the Gems are banned. He goes home to tell them because he's so sad.

Steven sets up a really boring beach party to bring the Pizzas and Gems together. The Gems dress appropriately at Steven's behest. He pairs up the Gems with Pizzas for a volleyball game that dwindles into a cheating match. . . . I told some jokes.

The blowfish returns and Nanafua directs everybody through a really ridiculous fight and the blowfish is defeated. Kofi wraps up the episode faster than Dumbledore wrapped up the Sorcerer's Stone and about as haphazardly.

AND . . . Episode Over (thank goodness)

Episode Random Noticings

Fish Stew Pizza never got fixed.

Fish Stew Pizza still sounds disgusting.

Nanafua is commanding and the Gems are oddly compliant.

Consolidated lingering Questions

The Gems:

Where do they come from? How is power derived from them? Are all the gems the same, but act differently according to… something? How is magic embued into the gems? Who is chosen to wear them and why? Why is a pearl considered a gem? What about the gemmed enemies? How do they get gems? Or are they created out of gems? Assumption: each has unique powers, i.e., Amethyst can’t project a plan from her gem_ If the above assumption is correct, what exactly is Garnet’s superpower? What are Steven's powers? s Amethyst's strange relationship with gravity a po Who all can fu?se?w old are each of them? It’s suggested that they're centuries old. Amethyst acts a bit like a teenager. Is she that much younger than Pearl? Where does Garnet fall? Why is Steven the only boy? How many boy gems are there everywhere? Why is Garnet the boss? Is it because she's older and wiser?

The World:

The Lunar Sea Spire was known as the Oasis for Gems on Earth, so I know it’s Earth, but… Is it in the same Earth that we are in, but hidden from us, or some sort of alternate universe Are the gems ONLY on Earth? This would make the nomenclature Oasis for Gems on Earth redundant, so probably notar, everything seems to be happening in this town… are there other Gems in other towns? Like every town has a team of Crystal Gems protecting it? Or is this town some center for universal negativity, so the Gems are focused here? Why do people in anime scream out the names of their attacks? Where did Lion take Steven and Connie for training? Is that place, or a similar one, available to all gems? Do you need a familiar to take you there?

The House on the Beach:

This is more a curiosity, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the fight that took off that statues hands What is up with the living temple inside the house? Beating hearts, waterfalls, a pool for getting rid of evil spirits. Need much more history and understanding here. BTW, it's been more than 10 episodes and none of these have been answered. Why not? The Steven Universe World This is just a quick list of things that make this place unique… no explanations.

Townies:

What's up with Onion and his dad? Are they from some other place? Why would you make a place called Fish Stew Pizza? What is the name of the fry place?

Rose Quartz:

Why does Rose have to die to give Steven his superpowers? Is Rose even dead?? I don’t remember that explicitly being stated What would make her choose that? a prophesy? desire to give Greg a kid? gonna die anyway? Did she give up her gem to HAVE a kid or to EMBUE a kid with the gem? Did she get to KNOW Steven?

Lion:

What all does Lion know? How did he get his powers?

Characters

The Crystal Gems

Pearl Garnet Amethyst (dead?) Rose Quartz Steven

The Townsfolk

Sadie Lars FryMan PeeDee Fryman Rinaldo Fryman Greg Mailman Barb (not seen) Nanafua Pizza Kofi Pizza Jenny Pizza Kiki Pizza Sour Cream Buck Dewey Onion Onion's Dad Guy that runs the Arcade Suitcase Sam? Mayor Dewey

Monsters/Creatures

Centipeedles and their mother Red Eye (offscreen) A giant bird with a giant polka-dot egg The Spirit from the painting that possessed Together Breakfast The Crystal Shrimp (deceased) Frybo Steven with Cats The Eel that liked shiny stuff Lion Starfish Drills and their MOM? Giant Bird from Giant Woman The Geode Beetles from Heaven and Earth The carnivorous moss that turns into beautiful flowers Holo-Pearl Training Robot from the cavern Blow/Pufferfish Blood Polyp (offscreen)

Places

Around Town

Big Donut the fry shop the arcade the boardwalk Fish Stew Pizza Greg’s van the car wash the storage facility the Crystal Gem’s house on the beach Suitcase Sam's T-Shirt store Amusement Park Dock Wrestling Arena Movie Theatre (in town?) Pearl's favorite tree (deceased) Under the Ocean

Mystical

The Temple with a beating heart the storage unit? Greg said it was magical (destroyed) The Lunar Sea Spire the teleporter thing in Steven’s living room The Training Cavern Upside Pyramid in the Strawberry Fields Sand Castles that the Dessert Glass built The cave in Arcade Mania The Sky Spire The Lava place where Garnet retrieved the Geode Beetle of Earth Deadman's Mouth The cloud/Pillar place in Steven The Sword Fighter

Things

Gems

Rose Quartz 2 Garnets Amethyst (not a gem) Pearl Centipeedles’ Mothers gem (pants animating) Gem Shards (maybe? pretty sure) The Lunar Goddess Statue Eel's Gem Gem from Upside Down Pyramid Dessert Glass Starfish Mother Gem The ROC in Giant Woman Blowfish Gem

Mystical Items

Summoned Weapons Laser Light Cannon Red Eye? Lunar Goddess Statue Cursed Painting Replicator Wand (destroyed) Button in the Cavern (and all that stuff)

Food (as it’s seemingly important to our little hero)

(discontinued) Cookie Cats Fry Bits (Cat Fingers enjoy this too) Together Breakfast (offscreen) Pizza (unmentioned) Cupcakes in jars (not food) Cheeseburger backpack Donuts Fish Stew Pizza Giant Strawberries Margarine to slick hair back Sodas that he threw all over the place in Tiger Millionaire Coconuts Sandwich Cereal (Arcade Mania) Steven (for the bird in Giant Woman) Cake Aqua Mexico Burrito Cream Pies (more a prop than food) Bag of Chips Burger for Onion's Dad Seagull's banana peel and pizza Cheeseburger Backpack full of snacks for the movie Popcorn Hot Dogs Burgers (with a ridiculous amount of buns, lettuce, and silverware)

Likes and Dislikes Far

Dislikes

Not a fan of the important role junk food plays in the show I don’t relate to Steven much. He mostly annoys me. Why is there not a main antagonist? Are we going to be playing monster of the week forever? Surely we’ll get one antagonist we can loath… (this is still an issue 18 episodes in. . . ) Season 1: Episode 5 Frybo Season 1: Episode 18 Beach Party

Likes

I like that all the answers to everything are not conveniently packaged in an episode I like Garnet… and sometimes Amethyst… and I often relate to Pearl I like Greg and his super awesome van I like that it seemed like we landed in the middle of a life, rather than the beginning of a story. . . this continues to be true through every episode. I like the most of the townspeople and their relationships with Steven I appreciate that though there are some references a kid wouldn’t understand completely, there is so far no blatantly adult humor or sexuality even in undertones - still true after 18 episodes. . . I like the whole living temple thing - but it is frustrating that we have only explored it once and so many questions remain. I like Connie alot. She is funny and smart and a perfect non-super for the story. I like the random swords sticking up in multiple places. I like arcade games. . . I like that there are so many details in the background like everywhere . . . and it's obvious the creators are nerds I like Sour Cream

I just want to remind everyone, I write these recaps after having only seen the episode once, a week ago, and often interrupted by my whole blogging thing. I mainly do it for myself to refresh my memory for the next episode, but since I post it, I thought I should ask your forgiveness if it isn’t exactly perfect (or even close). Don't forget if you have a submission for artwork for today's episode, submit before Friday using the link above, and I'll pick one to use as the cover art.

[ask-glados]

A Trip to the Beach

Just a funny little TeslaDOS RP turned into a drabble. XD Written by me ( @ask-glados​ ) and @myinventions​

—————

“So, where ARE we headed, anyway?” GLaDOS asked, her hologram giving a smirk.

Tesla shared with her an unusually impish smirk. “To give you the most memorable night of your life, of course~ there’s a frenzy of high societal parties going on just waiting for us to arrive uninvited!” He laughed. “I jest, of course.”

“Well, if you want to make this night memorable, you're going to have to try pretty hard, because so far, it's been pretty typical,” she teased. 

“Well, there’s a sandy beach not too far by the River Thames that I discovered last time I was here. I found it most tranquil for thinking - it was actually at that spot that I was inspired to create that weekend project which started this whole ordeal to begin with. I thought you might enjoy it.”

“So, you HAVE thought this through after all.”

“Of course, I have. It’s not every day I’m honored with such impeccable company on my side of the time portal.” He really didn’t know how to express how much he appreciated her being here with him in the ‘past’ - or, his ‘present’.

“By the way, did you know that salt water is highly damaging to electronics and machines? It's quite possibly the worst thing you can expose them to, due to its corrosiveness.”

Tesla blinked and stared at GLaDOS for a moment, his eyes widening. Of course. She was made of metal. How had he forgotten such a crucial detail? 

However, she then let out a laugh. “Oh, don't worry. I'll still go. Just make sure you keep my core far away from the water.”

After looking out at the sparkle of city lights along their path, he patted his breast pocket where her core was safely kept and smiled at her hologram. “I’ll make sure of it.”

When they reached the beach, it was dark and completely empty, as expected, lit up just enough by the lights of the city and the glow of the moon. After checking that the coast was clear, GLaDOS turned her hologram off and on, dropping her era-appropriate disguise clothing into a neat pile, re-exposing her holographic white dress and red ascot. She had also removed her hologram’s shoes, leaving her barefoot. 

“Ah, that’s much better,” she said, shaking her head and hair around, stretching her arms out before walking out across the sand, enjoying the feel of it between her toes.

“Efficient,” Tesla remarked at her quick-change, smiling admiringly at her. He meanwhile remained in complete ensemble as he walked closely behind her along the sandy shore. With a long stick he picked up, he gestured to a rocky area near the docks. “It was in that spot the idea struck me - like a bolt of lightning - and where I remained so until dawn visualizing the entire project in my mind.”

She simply smiled at him as she began heading toward the water. She walked in long, confident strides — neither too fast nor too slow.

Tesla looked down, smiling at her core in at his pocket, happily sighing. 

“Who would have imagined. This is where it all started... and now, here you are," he thought aloud, before watching GLaDOS's hologram get closer to the water. "—Say, where are you going?”

Her hologram stopped and turned to smirk at him. Luckily, since her voice still came out of her core, her hologram’s distance wasn’t an issue in regards to hearing her. 

”Forgive me. I was under the impression that humans usually come to the beach to go in the water. Well, except for the boring ones who’d rather laze on the shore like blubber-filled sea cows.”

“Heh~” Inevitably his cheeks were going to start hurting from smiling so much - that, or a premature development of crow's feet around his eyes - not like any of that mattered at all. "Are you implying that I'm a blubber-filled sea cow?" He laughed aloud, walking closer to her. "I would greatly enjoy accompanying you — but I might have to consult your genius, given this," he pointed to her core in his breast pocket, "as well as my lack of appropriate swim attire."

“Just leave me on the shore, genius. I’ll survive. Along with the top layers of your incredibly excessive getup.” She gestured to the fancy suit that he wore.

She was serious. Tesla just stood there awkwardly as his face suddenly grew ruddy. To someone from her time, it was really no big deal. His so-called ‘underwear’ was really just the equivalent of shorts and a T-shirt. But to him, the mere thought of being so underdressed in public — what scandal! 

“But—” And yet, he found himself unable to find any words to object. “...Alright,” he conceded after a pause. 

Heading back to where the pile of her disguise was, he gave her core a serious look, and turned his back to her hologram, placing his jacket — and her core — in a safe place. “Don't look.”

She chuckled at his silliness, but complied with his request and looked away as he ‘changed.’

Once completed — and, face ruddier than ever — he returned to her hologram, taking her hologram's hand, and trying to laugh off his embarrassment. “Well?”

She gave a fake gasp, putting a hand to her mouth. "A different layer of clothing! Oh, the horror!" She gave a laugh. 

Tesla's face momentarily went redder, before joining her laughter at just how absurd it all was.

“In case you’re worried, though, my sensors will detect anyone long before they approach.”

Squeezing her hand tighter, he tapped her nose with his other index finger “I certainly hope so. Worst case, we'll make history on tomorrow's front page of the gossip column being called out as lunatics taking a night swim in the River Thames.”

She chuckled. “Well, come on, then,” she said, pulling him along as she stepped toward the oncoming waves, the sea foam brushing her toes.

He followed close behind, his smile unwavering. The mix of sand and splash of waves under his feet was splendid. And her — right here. 

Without warning, he suddenly swept her up princess-style and rushed straight into the oncoming wave. She yelped in delight and laughed as she was pulled under the splashing wave with him, her voice undeterred by the water or any need for breath. 

When they resurfaced, Tesla shook his head, blowing his wet hair from his face, though some of it still stuck to his forehead. Looking down at her in his arms, he blinked. Water dripped off of her, but her hair and dress still flapped in the wind, dry as ever. “How peculiar. Water seems to impenetrably slide off of you!” 

“Hard light doesn't retain water, Mr. Tesla," she said, smirking at him. "I thought that someone as intelligent as yourself would have deduced such a simple science fact.”

“Deduction is one thing, empirical observation is another,” he replied with a smirk, setting her back on her feet.

GLaDOS smiled, then suddenly her eyes went wide in panic. ”AHH! BIRD! BIRD! OH GOD, IT'S GOT ME! KILL IT! KILL IT!!!” She pointed frantically toward the shore where a seagull could be seen with GLaDOS's core in its beak, chain still attached, dragging Tesla's vest behind it like an anchor as the gull tried to fly away with her. 

“Unhand her, you fiend!” Tesla shouted, running on the beach after the bird — that was now clearly seeing this as some sort of game.

“KILL IT! KILL IT!” she continued to yell. 

As he tried to corner it, Tesla glanced back at GLaDOS' hologram—just one holographic jolt over here and it would be over in an instant. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that was going to happen. She was frozen—paralyzed by fear. 

Taking a heavy breath, he fixated his gaze on the bird. “I'LL SAVE YOU!” he declared valiantly, increasing his speed and catching up to the bird in its circuitous pattern. And then, he found his opportunity as the gull was making curve along its circumference. With careful calculation, gallantly, he intercepted the bird's path, leaping for the creature itself, rather than the vest—for if he aimed simply for his vest, he risked the chain snapping. He managed to gently tackle the bird to the ground, crashing into the sand as the bird squirmed and squawked in his grasp. 

“GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!” her core shrieked in his ear, still being held in the bird's mouth. Apparently, the bird had a very tight grip on her.

Between GLaDOS' shrieks and the seagull's caws, he winced at the loud noise in his ear. “Steady now, steady!” It wasn't certain just who Tesla was exactly speaking to as he wrestled with the bird. His arm wrapped around its belly and his hand trying to pry her core from its beak. He coughed as both sand and feathers were swatted in his face, until he finally was able to pin the bird down under his weight.

“Easy there, little thing.” Ever so gentle, making sure the fragility of both the bird and the core were safe—and even with the gull putting up a stubborn fight, surprisingly, he maintained a level of calm in such a tumultuous moment. “Let her go—Ow! Don't bite me! Just let it go easy—No! I know it's shiny... and you like shiny things—Stop!—Stop trying to swallow it! You'll suffocate yourself, you bird brain! Let... her... go!”

Finally, after much struggling, her core finally came just loose enough for him to slip her out of the bird’s grasp.

“About time!” Without wasting another moment, Tesla seized the opportunity to free GLaDOS’ core from its beak. Her core safe in the tight grip of his hand, he lifted his weight off the seagull, and it scrambled out from under him and flew away - most likely squawking outraged expletives at him. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Tesla rolled over on the sand onto his back, groaning to catch his breath. He had a few very minor scratches around his arms from the gull’s talons and pecks, but it was hardly anything even noticeable. He tilted his head in her core’s direction. “Well, that was certainly eventful. How are you holding up?”

Her core was vibrating erratically in his hand, trembling. ”Eugh. Disgusting thing. Pure evil.” She let out a sigh of relief.  ”Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome.” Looking between her and the night’s sky, he took another breath, softly hushing her. His hand’s grip loosened and tightened around her core, trying to comfort her. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

She gave another shaky sigh of relief at his touch. She felt gross—her core all covered in wet sand and gull saliva. Out in the distance, her hologram vanished as she deactivated it temporarily.

“Come here.” Pulling her core onto his chest—right above his pacing heart, he nestled her close... safe. He equally felt gross. Who knew what diseases that fowl carried. And he had sand stuck all over his wet form, given he had run right into the sand straight from the water. His fingers traced the rim of her core—like a hug, but not covering her optic. "We'll get you all cleaned up in a little bit. Just... look... up." He gestured with his other hand to the canopy of bright stars above them.

She hummed in contentment at his embrace as she gazed up at the stars. A split second glance was all it took for her to match up the star patterns with the star charts in her database, instantly identifying all the visible constellations and astral bodies. Her hologram suddenly appeared next to him, her head laid against his chest.

Stars twinkled above them like powdered sugar on a dessert. Tesla recognized a few constellations—they were on the same hemisphere as his hometown and New York after all—and soon grew lost in thought gazing at the vast expanse of it. "Oh! Why, hello again~" Tesla smiled warmly at her hologram's reappearance. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her in tighter to keep her cuddled close. "Aren't you a little Cuddle Core~?"

She chuckled, turning toward him and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Ha~ Thank you~" He blushed, giving a soft chuckle as well. Such public displays of affection feeling almost so... foreign to him. Or was his sensitivity simply due to the fact that their care and endearing perception of each other was mutual? Regardless... he greatly enjoyed it—far more than he cared to admit. 

She leaned on his chest with folded arms, propping her head up, gazing at him as her core continued gazing up at the stars. ”I can identify every one of those astral bodies and constellations, you know.”

Tesla tilted his head in her hologram's direction, admiring the details of her face, before gesturing his look back to the sky, "Is that so~?" He played dumb. Of course she knew, but it was still fun to put it to the test.  "Then... what is...” He hummed aloud indecisively "That one, that's directly above us?"

"Vega. One of the brightest stars in the night sky. Part of the constellation Lyra, the Lyre. Vega also forms one corner of the Summer Triangle, which is made up of itself, Altair, and Cygnus," she recited, continuing to gaze at him, her head casually propped up on her arms. "It was also the first star—other than the Sun—to be photographed, in 1850."

"Yes... Alpha Lyrae, as it’s also designated..." Tesla pulled out his handkerchief and began cleaning the gull saliva off her core. “And what about... that one, close to the horizon?” 

Honestly, he wouldn’t mind staying here forever, with her, joking around, talking science, doing crazy things he’d never have done otherwise. It was nice. He’d only known her a little over a year now, but already, he was beginning to find it difficult to imagine his life without her. 

GLaDOS couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. Even the thrill of testing seemed to pale in comparison. She’d always hated humans and been ashamed of her own humanity. Yet, being with him made her feel so good—better than testing ever had, and for the first time since her activation, she felt truly loved and appreciated. Like somebody actually wanted her around. It made her think that perhaps, maybe humanity wasn't so bad after all.