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tentamissilebrat · 2 years

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I love you, I just don't trust you

.....Sooooooo @house-of-laminations, uh, you mentioned I should send you a link when I have some writing up but I haven't finished any of the stories I have for Obey Me. I will post them, though, to this account when I finally, uh, get the courage to finish them, I guess. Probably to an Ao3 too. But just in case you wanted a sample of some of my writing? I went kind of ham on this so, uh…

Content: Poly!MC with the brothers, Solomon, and Lord Diavolo (Although I guess you can read everything outside of Lord Diavolo as platonic, but generally I write and think of this MC as poly), MC is nonbinary, MC has been given an honesty potion and trust issues are revealed with Diavolo.

Warnings: Reader/MC under the influence, mentions of previous and somewhat current drug use, panic attacks, despair, and lots of ANGST. If you like fluff, there's a ton of it with the brothers in the beginning but once it gets to Diavolo, it's all downhill. There’s a little peak of spice but I promise it’s half a teaspoon of it.

Sidenote: I uh, due to personal reasons, I have a hard time saying the boys names out loud, so I either used their in-game nicknames or made up some of my own. So like Levi, Beel, Belphie, and Asmo all have their usual nicknames but Mammon is now almost always "Mamo" (Not sure if that's his canon nickname or not anymore) and Satan is "Sati" (Saw-tee) and Lucifer is "Luce" (Lu-say). The reason the MC (technically my MC) of this fic uses them is because they have a "rule" (it's not a real rule but the brothers act like it) where MC only gives nicknames to those they have a pact with. It's not true! But it's funny to go along with it, so my MC does. Hope that clears anything up!

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You have learned quite a few things tonight. For one, you know how honesty potions taste like and, honestly, they taste like getting high. You feel like you're swimming in fog, your attention slipping and sliding off of everything as you sink below misty gray only to resurface back up again a second later. The boys hover you as you bob along in the floating sea, hands shaking you gently and fingers running through your short curls. Someone (maybe Sati?) holds your face between his hands and starts asking you the mundane questions: "Do you know who you are?", "How are you feeling?", "How many fingers am I holding up?", "Do you want us to kill Paimon for you? We'd really like to."

You state your name but giggle as you tell them you're the human exchange student, because it seems so funny to tell them who you are. You giggle some more and say, "I feel great! Never better! I must have taken sooooo much though! I can't tell what this is! Is it weed? Or Morphine? Is this what mushrooms feels like?"

You squint when he holds up some fingers but you laugh and say, "Two! For peace!"

But at the last question, you frown and shake your head, "No, no killing please." You're not even sure why they'd kill him, he's just that nice demon boy who gave you the pretty green and pink drink that made you feel this nice! They must not like him and you repeat again that they can't kill him.

Everyone settles around you for a while after that. They ask you who your favorite brother is (they all become annoyed when you answer you don't have one, but are somewhat mollified when you add that you love them all), Mamo asks you if he's secretly your favorite (you repeat you don't have favorites, but tell me he is special because he's your first. Luce has to put an end to the favorite questions after that train wreck of a six way argument, giving you a side eye when you sloppily encourage the chaos), and finally, all the boys start picking strange, silly questions to ask you. Your favorite human, Devildom, and Celestial foods? Your favorite color and nail polish design? Your favorite place to go in the human world and the Devildom? And so much more, under that strange, little vein. You laugh and laugh because they could have just asked you before all of this. Truthfully, you do feel a little more....open to answering some of them and the giddiness is only made better when they accept your answers, when they tease you but ultimately accept those quirky things about you. You can tell the distance you put in between yourself and every single person you talk to melts away, the fear of rejection or humiliation eases in you, and you feel amazing,

You feel like you're bouncing on clouds and it makes you babble, carelessly spilling out anything and everything that pops into your head; some of it shooting out like fireworks, loud bursts that ring out in the middle of the common room. Mamo and Asmo laugh and goad you into some sillier questions but they get curbed by the all seeing eye of their older brother, who gives off quite the mean glare from over your shoulder. You answer Levi's every question about animes you like, manga you read, and manhwa you have on your list. None of the brothers seem to understand why he asks you such normal questions, but you understand. Levi wants to know your real thoughts on it all and to see if he's been caught in some of the lies you tell other people. You feel even more giggly when he realizes you've always been truthful to him, you've always been good to him. Sati and Belphie try to get you to say something bad about Luce, but after your sticky sweet gushing about how much you love him and the Anti-Luce league for five solid minutes, all three boys beg you to stop, blushing hotly and wildly as the others all laugh. Beel asks you normal things, things he would if you were sober, and you kiss his cheek in a fit of love, which means you're kissing a whole bunch of dumb, demon boy cheeks after that.

Purgatory Hall gets a few texts on the situation and while Asmo is left in charge of your phone, he does ask you a few of the questions from the four of them (Raphael is there too and, shockingly, is worried about you. Asmo down right cackles as he sends your surprise at his concern and Raphael straight up tries to call your phone). Luke and Simeon are just worried---along with Raphael---but Solomon gets in a cheeky "Am I your favorite human?" which is answered with a video Asmo took of you saying "I suppose someone ought to be and I guess it should be you".

You were leaning heavily on Beel as you said it and even he can't stop his own laughter as the room erupts with it. Despite that, Solomon apparently saved the video and considers it a victory.

It's a little after this that Barbados and Lord Diavolo come over, whom you greet with a few over eager waves of hello. They are their usual polite smiles and mundane questions themselves, but by that time in the night (day? afternoon?) that they've come over to check on you, your high is starting to reach a particular phase for you: the time distortion. Five minutes fly by in what feels like several seconds and three minutes feels like fifteen in another instant. Sometimes you take big, shaky breaths until someone always reaches for your hand to grab it, to pull you back to reality. Soon, big shaky breaths turn into someone having to walk you through calming your breathing every minute or so. You smile and tell them you’re fine, but your heart beats wildly in the drop of a second and you babble because your anxiety has entered the high.

You register that everyone needs to go or something for a few minutes (you keep asking and they try and tell you, soft and slow, that they need to find a way to stop the honesty potion, but you keep slipping and they can see it in your eyes, when they lose you to the foggy waves) and all you register is everyone's concern. Everyone decides you can't be left alone and you agree, but being that honest doesn't pull a giggle out of you. You feel uncomfortable now, the fog running through your mind is less like a fun romp and much more frightening and malevolent now; dark shapes lurking between the gray waves. The questions become simpler, more humdrum again. It robs you of all the giggles but you're afraid to tip over now, because you don't know how long you'll dive down into the waves before you can resurface.

You blink and look around and see only Lord Diavolo there, sitting next to you on the couch, holding your hand and smiling at you. It looks a little sad so you bring your free hand up to cup his face. It's a little clumsier than normal so it looks like you're pawing at him, something that brings a little more light to his smile as he presses his face into that hand, holding his hand over yours. You purr and marvel at the heat.

"I love that," you breathe and lean in, hoping you can catch the scent of cinnamon and smoke.

His eyes burn when he looks at you, "What do you love?"

"Your warmth and your heat," you say simply but you feel your mouth running away from you as you continue, "the smell of you, the way you spin me around when you hug me, the way you encourage me to challenge you at every game, they way you never let me win so when I do win it feels like a real victory, when you hold me in the dark of your room and tell me---"

His mouth is searing hot and your tongue slips in to feel his teeth, running the tip along the edges of his not-so-hidden fangs. He gets you to stop the same way he always does, by breaking the kiss off only to start kissing you anew. He worries about your lips and tongue on his teeth, worries he'll cut you, and you wish you could tell him right now that you hope so. Honestly, all the boys are like this and it frustrates you; why do they even have claws, teeth, and tails if they won't use them on you? You wanted them to treat you better when you all first met and now, years into loving them, you wish they would be a little more rough with you again.

When Lord Diavolo pulls away once more (and you chase after one last peck before settling heavily into the couch) you give a slurred reply of "I rreeeeaaaaalllly loooooove those kisses~!"

He laughs but it trickles into something painful and he squeezes your hand, "Forgive me, I...I definitely shouldn't have done that while you're like this."

"I don't mind kissing when I'm like this," you say, because your heart is hammering all of a sudden because you messed up, didn't you? Now he feels bad because you never had this talk with him. You've talked to the boys about this and even Solomon, but you never said to Lord Diavolo that he can do this. You like kissing when you're drunk or high, but only with the people you're dating. You don't regret kissing when you…feel comfortable with the person.

"I like it actually," you whisper, embarrassed but suddenly worried, frantic, and the fog lifts a little as the panic spreads, "I do, I promise, please don't---"

Lord Diavolo rubs the back of your hand, shushing you gently. He leans over to kiss the middle of your forehead. You close your eyes and breathe in; you don't smell the cinnamon, but there's something like incense in his smell along with the smoke. You breathe in again and it’s familiar enough to help you dip back down, the fog surrounding you once again.

“It's okay, you're okay," he coos, taking your other hand and giving both of your hands another squeeze, "Just let me know when I make you uncomfortable."

And you know what you want to say, Of course! You never need to worry about that! And you know you would have said that if you were sober because you have, you have said something to that exact concern during one of these talks. You would have said that because you mean what you say, mostly, and you don't really feel guilty (mostly) when you tell him something like that because you're not lying---mostly.

But your mouth moves beyond you and you, instead, say, "I can't always do that."

His face falls and so does your stomach. You pull away to slap your hands over your mouth and the fog is gone, gone, gone but the sluggishness is still trapped in your bones so when you try to get up, you just fall back down. You almost try again but Lord Diavolo's hands are on your arms and you feel the panic surging.

He calls your name but you shake your head and you can hear the strain of your harsh breathing through your nose. He calls your name again, more commanding, and you look at him and he doesn't look like the Lord Diavolo you know. He doesn't even look like the man you nicknamed "Dia" at the amusement park. No, he looks just as frantic, just as hurt, as you are. More of the fog is cut down but you can feel it now, the compulsion to say more, to keep going and going and going---

"You lie," you say and you can't move your hands, you can't bite your lips, you can't stop this, "You lie or you don't tell me things and then it's hard for me to know that you care, that you want me."

Your breathing is scraping at your throat and you feel heat behind your eyes. His expression is cracking, bursting at the seams, and it's the saddest you've ever seen him. You can't stop and he can't stop you.

"You replaced me," and your voice breaks as tears start running down your cheeks. He flinches and you give another cry as you say, "You knew I would die if I saw Belphie so the me from this timeline was replaced. I wonder, so often, if you'll have me replaced by another version of me."

He squeezes your arms tight, "I would never replace you."

"But you did," you sob and then you sob harder when he stays silent, when he says nothing. His expression and the truth of his silence hangs between the both of you. Still, the compulsion isn't satisfied.

"Y-you didn't t-t-tell me...about--" Your voice is trying to push through as you cry, the feeling of tears running tracks all the way down to your chin and your neck, and you struggle to breathe, struggle to find anything past this ripping, tearing feeling in your chest, "About my powers! You-you d-d-d-didn't tell me all p-p-pain I was causing! And-and then Luce almost---" And then there's more sobbing, more hard and loud cries as you remember holding the Night Daggar above the two of you. Luce, with an expression of pure love and acceptance, but his eyes lacked the history between you two. He barely knew you but still loved you and was willing to die. And for what? So that the pacts he and his brother's made with you could be ripped to shreds? Those very same pacts you almost died for? The pacts that one version of you did die for.

You know what a bad trip is and you know what it's like to have a panic attack while in the middle of a high; this is a thousand times worse. You gasp and choke and cry, Lord Diavolo still trying to hold you but he looks even more miserable, eyes wide and with despair even more inconsolable than the wailing mess that you've become. You want to run, you want to escape but you can't stop---you just can't stop---

"W-w-when you t-...told me...t-told me you loved me," and you wish someone would stop this, would come in and stop this, "I...I wanted to believe you, I want to believe you."

His hands reach up to cup yours and he brings you closer, "I love you. Please, please, believe me when I tell you I love you. I love and I---I had to. I'm sorry but I couldn't---I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't want you and Lucifer to worry and I---"

You want to soak in these words because he's giving you an out. Blame me, he's telling you, blame it all on me. I did this, let me take responsibility. I won't ever do this again. But the compulsion cuts through and your words reveal your deepest thoughts.

"You didn't trust what I would do…” He freezes, his hands shake as they let go of your face, taking your forearms again, and you look at him. You take in the fear in his golden eyes, the trembling of his mouth, the pale of his complexion washing him out, and you feel the last of the fog leave you for one, heart stopping second. You know. You see it now and you can hear the rush of feet coming towards you, but you focus on the truth written plain on his face.

“You don’t trust me…do you?" your voice comes out in a whisper, in a breathless and detached calm. He let's go of you and pulls back like you hit him. You watch his features contort from the pain of your words but you can feel your own pain sinking in when he doesn't deny it. He doesn't even fight it. He looks at you, as though on the verge of his own tears, and tries to hold you again with those shaky hands, but the full realization that after everything you've done, everything you have put into this program and the work you’ve exhausted yourself over in trying to meet his ridiculous expectations. All of that, all of that suffering, and he doesn't even trust you.

Your wailing alerts everyone and when the boys and Barbados finally appear, that's how they find the two of you. You are screaming and clutching at your chest, wailing and crying because the compulsion makes you honest and, honestly, the level of pain you're in feels like you’re dying. Lord Diavolo is trying to hold you, trying to stop your fingers from clawing at your skin, but you scream and cry harder, and he looks like a man on the brink of devastation. Mamo and Sati pull you away, hold you as you grip their clothes, balling and gasping as the fog comes over but only makes you feel like you're falling into nothingness. Asmo and Levi are running around for things to get you while Beel holds Belphie back, who seethes and rages and looks ready to jump Lord Diavolo. Luce tries to calm his dearest friend down while trying to keep Belphie's attention and anger on himself instead, all while your crying causes him visible pain. Barbados attends to his lord and Lord Diavolo says nothing, to any of this, just sinks his face into his hands as you continue to cry and cry and cry.

#shall we date #shall we date: obey me #obey me #obey me swd #Obey Me MC #God this is just a mess but like yeah this is how I write #Oh man this is very over dramatic but like #If you've even been high #Sidenote kids don't do drugs until you're of age and then be very careful drugs are a lot okay like #Any time I've been high my emotions run rampant so I was like #Gosh wouldn't it be fun to be high and reveal how much you don't rust the person you love?#Lord Diavolo just being like #'I'm so secure in all my relationships now! :D'#This fic happens #'Nevermind! My life is awful and I hate it here :DDDDDD'#Wait till you guys read other fics I have in store #Flesh blobs and spitting up whole and alive frogs #It's either emotional stew or body horror with me #and Then it's always got a weird level of monster fuckery

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lunar-insanity · 2 years

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Whispering Water: Martinez Off The Air

Lucy rolled up to Agent Martinez' office door, staring at it in apprehension. This was going to be a tricky conversation, after all she is going up to him and saying "I know Malcallor was Razputin, you could you tell me why the comics painted him as a villain?"

But with such a whirlwind of questions swirling around her head, if she could at least get one of those questions answered, then it's a step towards sorting it all out further.

Stretching out for a moment, she psyched herself up and went through the door.

She saw Morris was still by his finely tuned radios, but his levitation ball was not underneath his chair and the aura he was emitting was now smaller, seemed duller. He was rubbing circles into his temples, like he was getting a headache.

"Agent Martinez?"

The older man blinked, and he tried to put on his usual easy going smile, but it appeared strained as even his lev ball failed to fully materialize.

"Ah hey chiquita, what brings you here so late in the day?"

"Are uh... Are you okay?"

Morris let out a heavy sigh, "Could be better but I just need a break for a bit."

Lucy looked down, a tad guilty now that she wouldn't really be giving Morris that break. The older man noticed and reached out, tipping her chin back up and leaning forward onto his legs.

"What is it Luce?"

She cast her gaze everywhere but at Morris' face, doubts crowding in as to whether she should really be putting this question before him. Well! Nothing for it but to burn the doubts away.

So she throws it out as fast as she can.

"I know Malcallor was Razputin."

The radios crackled with static. That grew louder. and Louder. And LOUDER-

"Agent Martinez?" Lucy yelled, trying to be heard over the static, to no avail. His eyes looked far away as his skin paled.

She looked nervously at the radios, there was whispering coming from them now! That same... eerie whispering she remembered from the last time she was in Morris' mind. Lucy took in another breath to yell louder!

"AGENT MARTINEZ!"

The static stopped.

Morris slowly leaned back in his chair, his hands were shaking a bit.

"wh-... Where did you learn that?" He asked, his voice a bit quiet and shaky.

"Uh..." Lucy thought about her answer, Lizzie asked her to not tell anyone she was back, and Sam didn't give anything away. She certainly can't tell Morris that she had been in Lili's mind and found the information there.

"Not... from the comics..." She eventually said. Morris gave an exasperated sigh at that.

"Of course not from the comics, they didn't know any of that."

"But why? He was your friend! And what you had to do... What Lili had to do..."

"We all know what happened Lucrecia-"

"But it's not correct! They... they made him to be this... big bad villain but- you guys... you had to- Why! Why didn't they include the fact that he was your- MM!"

Morris suddenly reached out and put his hand over her mouth. He looked around the room, caution and worry on his face. He sighed and looked her in the eyes.

"Lucrecia... do you really want to talk about this." His face was serious, voice solemn.

She nodded, face turning serious as well.

Morris hung his head for a moment, then summoned his Psyportal, placing it on his head. He leaned back in his chair and looked down at her.

"Meet me in the room then."

Lucy pulled up her hood, "Which room?"

"You know the one. You got there before. The one I kept telling you to leave."

"Oh... right. That one. Sorry about that..."

The portal door opened, and Lucy's eyes began to glow as she projected herself through the door.

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There was no music when she landed.

Well not quite. There was something. Quiet and just out of hearing range, but it was such a change from how it was before that it was stark in contrast.

No matter. She has an agent to meet up with. Fortunately the room, that she dubbed the Nightmare Room, was close by.

She rolled and floated her way past familiar obstacles, ignoring the censors she barged past with her wrecking ball. Soon enough, she floated and landed on the balcony to the only open side-room in this part of his mind.

She saw Morris was already there, pulling away cobwebs and looking through dusty projector wheels. He looked up at Lucy's entrance and gestured for her to take a seat.

Hopping onto a bean bag, she looked around, the room was unchanged from her memory, including the chest that was shoved to the back of the room.

Morris found the reel he was looking for and rolled over to her, taking place opposite to her, with the projector behind them both.

"Alright mija. Why do you want to know this."

"It just.... It seemed wrong."

"Wrong?"

"The comics put the battle like it was some... great struggle between good and evil. They said Malcallor was this genocidal monster but... They never said he used to be your friend."

Morris sighed, placing the reel in the projector. The light came on and showed the Enigmatic 8, all together, hand in hand in front of a dome like building. And there was Razputin, right next to Lili and Gisu.

"Yeah. He was. He was this... hyper brain sponge. He could pick up new things in no time, but loved to goof off and be mischevious with us. He was fun, and eager, and..." Morris cut himself off.

"He was great..."

"So why didn't they mention that?"

Morris looked at her as the projector changed slides on it's own, now showing the battle between the 7 and Malcallor. It looked cartoony, compared to the slide before.

"I... I get that what happened to him is complicated, and things went wrong but... isn't it just as important to tell that part of the story? That he was your friend, and something went wrong, and it ended up with you having to fight him?"

"Of course it was important... But... not to the world."

"Why not!"

"Because the world didn't see that!" the slide changed to the 7 gathered around papers as official military looking guys begged with them, "They didn't see it the way we did. All they saw was a big bad villain who had to be stopped. They didn't see Raz. Didn't see the pain and hurt and mania we saw in his eyes."

"Didn't you guys try to tell them? Set the record straight?"

"We couldn't."

"Why not! You guys didn't want your friend remembered like that! Right!"

" 'Course we didn't but... You don-"

"If you tell me I don't understand, I'll punch you! I want to understand!"

Morris blinked, and then nodded. The slide changed to a familiar scene, the grand opening of the motherlobe, still cartoony, with Gisu, Morris, and Adam front and center. Gisu and Morris had wide smiles that Adam tried to match.

"We had just gotten recognition from the whole world Luce. But with that comes eyes. They were all looking at us, at what we stood for, at psychics."

The slide changed, far less cartoony and instead more like frantic scribbles. Eyes staring at the remaining 6.

"Anything we did, everything we said. It was all under scrutiny. And all they wanted to hear was that! How did we defeat Malcallor, what was the battle like, where was Lizzie. That's it."

There was a sad scoff, as Morris shook his head, "I'd always wanted that recognition. But not like this. Never like this."

"Morris..."

Still the older man pressed on, "You know how you said your family hated psychics?"

"Yeah?"

"That was the world at the time. Cal's parents tried to have him lobotomized because he was psychic, and his story isn't the only one on the air. Being Psychic was.... dangerous. Until that battle."

Another slide: Indistinct figures with the brains in white relief, the eyes shifting from condemnation to praise.

"Suddenly we were held in high regard, we were heroes! Opinions were beginning to shift and change for the better. Because of us, the Psychic Protection Act was put in order. The next generation would never have to deal with what we went through again."

Morris then turned to face Lucy. Lucy turned to face him as well, briefly fiddling with her ears. She thought she was hearing a faint whine and static

"But if they knew? If they knew that Malcallor used to be our friend, one of us and not just a psychic from Grulovia?" Morris' hands mimed an explosion, "Poof! If anything we'd have even worse publicity, people asking if we'd turn genocidal too."

Another slide: Morris and Gisu talking with each other, worry and determination on their faces, while Adam walks away from them in the background. The static sound grew slightly.

"So... Gisu and I agreed. For the good of everyone, we'd take that narrative and roll with it. Broadcast it to the world and take the scrutiny ourselves. We'd do our best to make sure the public saw the best in us."

There was a rattle behind them. The slide changed, but Morris noticed neither of these, focused on Lucy and his hands. The slide had gone back to the battle, but the cartoon feel was gone, instead the frantic scribbles were back. The static was louder, the whine more piercing.

"But... It... It still hurts! We lost two friends that day! And the worst part is he was THERE!"

A frantic scribble of Malcallor, a vague figure in the midst of it; the rattle getting louder.

"I made this... this stupid speech, trying to bring him back and for a brief second he was there! He was there Luce! And- and-"

The chest flew open-

"I was useless that day!"

"Agent Martinez I don't- aaAAH!"

A hand shot out of the chest and grabbed Lucy! It began dragging her back to the chest as she frantically tried to grab onto the projector!

"LUCY!" Morris grabbed the other end of the projector, both now struggling against the nightmarish hand that had a hold on her!

"I don't think you were useless Morris!"

"I was though! I-AAAAAAAAH!"

One hard yank and they both were pulled into the chest.

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Morris landed with a harsh 'OOF!' Pushing himself up onto his arms, he grimaced at the sight before him. The cage he had built to protect himself from the nightmares was broken, twisted sharp metal the only things left that showed the cage was even there. Pale ice blue fire raged around the platform he laid on. The ground was covered in ash or snow, he was never sure, the air as cold as that day in Grulovia.

And the static. The sky was nothing but static, auditory and visual snow.

He summoned a levitation ball and hauled himself onto it, pulled his legs in and crossed to make sure they wouldn't catch on the ground. He looked around again, trying to find a splash of colour in the pale world.

"Lucy! Mija! Where are you!"

He strained his ears to hear anything beyond the static, but the noise was the only thing filling his ears.

Wait...

Where were the nightmares.

Morris pulled himself upright and spun around, seeing nothing but icy flames and static snow.

He was alone.

No this isn't right.

There should be nightmares here!

Where'd they go!

And where's Lucy!

"LUCRECIA! WHERE ARE YOU MIJA!"

Nothing. Nothing but static. Oooh that's not good. He's always had a handle on his nightmares, and it definitely wasn't like this when he pulled Lucy from this place a few days ago.

But a few days ago the cage had still been here and he hadn't been listening to the world, listening to people dredge up a past he can never escape.

Morris spins around on his lev ball more, rolling around the sides trying to see further through the flames and static. As he rolled straight across the platform, his lev ball ran over something!

Using TK, he brushed the snow away and uncovered the projector. They had both held onto it when they were pulled in so...

Morris looked around anxiously, he hoped that Lucy had left his mind using smelling salts, but he couldn't take the chance in case she was still in here. The problem is he can't see or hear anything beyond the static...

But maybe the projector can.

Picking it up, Morris aimed the projector at the static, the light shining into the static and-

'Help me Morris!'

There they are.

Morris swallowed uneasily, adjusting his TK grip on the projector and slow turned around, letting the light reveal his nightmares to him.

'I'm here!'

'Help me please!'

'Why aren't you helping Morris?'

'Why did you watch me die Morris?'

'I'm still here.'

"I'M HERE!"

That one was louder, and in a voice he could pick out of a crowd. He refocuses the projector and sees only a churning deep purple, moves it up-

Up.

Up...

Up.....

A large Nightmare, far bigger than the ones the light had revealed before, now fades into view ever so slightly. The light reveals the head in full colour but the rest is a translucent silhouette. And in a hand-

"Luce!"

"Agent Martinez!"

She's less translucent than the nightmare, and he can hear her more clearly through the static, but the nightmare has her, and he can't reach her.

"N-Nightmares aren't supposed to be like this... right?"

Morris takes a breath and shakes his head, "No they're not... but it's been a rough couple of days."

"Listen Morris! You weren't- LOOK OUT!"

He spins to see what she's pointing at but it's a bit too late, as something invisible snags at his jacket and pulls him down off the ball! The projector falls from his hands and the light shows a Nightmare right on top of him!

He puts his fingers back to his temples, ready to fire a PSI Blast to get this thing off him when bright violet shots strike the beast from behind! The Nightmare is stunned long enough for him to squirm his way out from underneath it and get back on his ball.

He grabs the projector again and spins around, trying to keep an eye on all the nightmares he can't see while Lucy shouts out warnings as best she can.

In between PSI Blasts he can still hear the voices. And Lucy can hear them too. She keeps trying to contradict them.

'You left me to die Morris!'

"No you didn't!"

'Useless, so useless'

"You weren't useless Morris!"

He tries to fire on the big Nightmare that has Lucy but the shots just glance off it like nothing.

And the swirling purple miasma it's made out of just looks like a swirling fur coat.

'You couldn't do anything against me.'

"I don't know what to say to that one! But don't believe it!"

"Chiquita," He stops, clutching the legs of the projector tight, "I know you're trying to help but it just..."

He hangs his head and lets out a humorless laugh, "I couldn't do anything that day!"

"You made a speech!"

"For what! He was there for a brief moment, and it threw everyone off! Maybe if we focused we wouldn't have lost them both! My stupid speech just-"

"Gave you hope!"

Morris looked up, seeing Lucy's desperate and yet determined eyes, even through the transparency.

"That's what you all were there for right? To help Razputin!"

"I... We- We thought that maybe if we just froze his ice, we'd be able to talk him down..."

"And you showed everyone that there was still someone to try for!"

The static seemed to quiet for a moment.

"You all wanted to help your friend, and you showed everyone there was still a friend left to help! You gave them hope! That's not useless!"

Morris' mouth pulled into a tight frown, "But hope... hope hurts sometimes..."

"I hoped that I'd find my place at Whispering Rock!"

The static quieted a bit more.

"And... yeah it got chaotic and messy and... I think I may need to talk to someone about it later but! I got to learn my dad didn't really hate me! And I got to be a Psychonaut! I got to be here! That tiny pamphlet gave me hope and I'm here now!"

"You weren't useless Agent Martinez! And you're not now! You can do this! Fight off these nightmares!"

Morris stared at her for a beat, the static dying down a bit more. He looked around him, seeing nothing but knowing they were there. He can't fight them well enough while holding the projector but...

"Lucy! Catch!"

He threw the projector at her and she caught it in her blue TK hand, immediately turning it around and shining it on the platform. The light shone on a bigger radius, and now he can see them. See them and fight them.

"You got this Agent Martinez!"

He bobbed and weaved through the Nightmares, past their reaching hands and fired on those closest. One of them suddenly froze up and exploded into fragments, leaving inner demon bombs behind.

When the nightmare exploded, the big one suddenly roared in anger as he became more opaque, and a mouth began to open up! Morris' eyes locked with Lucy for a brief moment before he turned to summon a trampoline and began chucking the bombs into it!

Lucy threw the projector up as high as she could, and then began to catch the flying bombs! Tossing them into the giant nightmare's gaping mouth!

It closed suddenly as the nightmare bent forward and roared again at Morris, slamming a big claw down to try and crush him! Morris darted away quick as he could, levitating high over the claw sweep! Lucy caught the falling projector again and shined the light in the big one's eyes, stunning it and ceasing it's attack.

Shining the light around Morris again, the Nightmare's own attack had destroyed more of the others, leaving 2 stragglers left. With a nod towards each other, they restarted the cycle! Destroying the next Nightmare and using the ammo provided to give the big one it's own medicine!

The next attack from the big Nightmare destroyed the last small one, but in Morris' haste to dodge the next attack, he and Lucy fired at the sweeping arm. The Nightmare reared back in pain suddenly as it solidified and broke off under it's own weight.

The arm came crashing down, fracturing on impact! Two shots broke the arm open and more bombs came spilling out.

Morris felt a cold gaze on him and he turned to see the Nightmare staring directly at him, head a meter away from him. Morris turned to face the scrutiny, glaring up at it.

'What exactly do you think you're doing Martinez?'

The voice was chilling, the eerie cadence of the inner demon that had taken over his friend.

But that voice didn't belong to his friend. Because he remembers a brighter voice, one full of mischief and warm waters.

A voice he brought back for a brief moment.

"Not letting you taint the memory of my closest friend."

Morris summoned the strongest blast he could and aimed it squarely in the Nightmare's jaw! The blast made the Nightmare rear back! He heard Lucy's jubilant cheer, and it brought a smile to his face.

"Keep it's jaws open wide Luce!"

Lucy nodded eagerly and tossed the projector back to Morris. Pushing as much of her psychic focus into her TK as possible, she managed to summon two hands, imagining she was trying to rip open a bag of chips!

The strain hurt but she heard Morris' begin to throw the bombs into, and she used her jubilation to keep her TK strong.

The Nightmare suddenly seized up, it's roars choking up as it finally let her go! She yelled as she fell before being caught in Morris' cyan blue TK hand. He pulled her back to solid ground and put her down gently. The two looked up as the Nightmare solidified fully, and Morris rolled forward bit.

"I may not have had much to contribute to that battle... But I gave us hope. Gave the rest of the Psychic world hope through our work here."

Lucy looked on as Morris prepared one last PSI Blast, a small smile on his face.

"You know. I think that's the best I could ever ask for."

He let the PSI Blast loose, filled with the anger he felt the past 20 years every time he had to hear about that battle, re-written to hide the true tragedy of it all.

Underneath it, an undercurrent of the love he still feels for his friends, strengthening the shot more than anger ever could.

The shot goes straight through the Nightmare, piercing a hole right through the heart of it. There's stillness for a moment. Then cracks form outwards from the hole, racing outwards until finally the whole thing crumbles into dust.

Morris lets out a breath, feeling a weight suddenly lift from his shoulders. He turns to look at Lucy, who is smiling brightly at him, and he can't help but return it.

The snow on the ground parts suddenly, revealing the exit he had made for this room before. Morris gestures to it.

"C'mon chiquita, let's get out of here."

===========================================

Morris puts the film reel away as Lucy straightens the projector back in it's place.

"So basically, the world would've never changed its mind on psychics if you all told the truth?"

"Unfortunately. It's the way of the biz. Things are always rewritten or redacted. Some for better, some for worse. All depends on the context. Sometimes you really shouldn't regale the public with gorey details."

"Mmm..." Lucy nodded, understanding better, "Do... Do you think that... maybe someday you could tell the real story?"

Morris sighed and rolled over to her, "I'd like to some day. Bet Adam would like that. But... that day isn't anytime soon I think. 20 years is... funny enough, still too soon. The Psychonauts, and Psychic opinion for that matter, need more time to be stabilized in the world. Things don't move that fast unfortunately."

Lucy heaved a sigh, feeling a bit down at that. Morris placed a hand on her shoulder to get her to re-focus on him, "But for now... You and I know the truth. And that's enough. That we know who Razputin was. Memories are what make us."

'Memories kid, it's the story of our lives. Sometimes they're not all good. Thanks for helping me remember the ones that are.'

Lizzie said that, and it makes Lucy smile, "So we carry the good ones."

"Keep them loud and alive in your mind while acknowledging the bad, use them as light to move forward."

"Got it."

"Right. Let's get out of her, because I don't know about you, but I think it's time this talk show went off the air."

Lucy nodded and pulled out her smelling salts, holding them under her nose. She looked around the room one last time and frowned, "Sorry again... about coming in here when you asked me not to."

"Eh, you were curious mija, and it wasn't exactly well hidden."

"Still. It was your private memories. I shouldn't have barged in."

"Well, you learned. That's all I ask."

Lucy nodded, and pulled the salts open

===========================================

Lucy's astral projection flew out of the door and back into her own mind. With a blink, her eyes stopped glowing and she pulled her hood back down.

Morris rolled his head and stretched his arms out, rubbing his neck to get the kinks out.

"Well... Did not mean for that to happen."

"You did say the past couple days have been rough. I guess it would wear on you, searching the world for signs of Malcallor."

"Yeah. I definitely need that break now," He summoned his lev ball, lifting him and the chair back up. He rolled off towards the door.

"I think I'll go see Gisu, catch up a bit ya know? You," he turned back around to see her, "Take a break huh? Rest up, it's been a breathless few days."

"I will! Soon," Lucy nodded. Morris nodded in response and rolled out the door.

"Morris!"

He looked back through the open door, Lucy had her hands behind her back and looked grateful, "Thank you. For answering my questions. It helped."

He smiled, "Glad it did mija."

And with that, Morris rolled away out of sight. Lucy took in a deep breath and flopped down on one of the cushions in the room. She rubbed her face and sorted through the new info.

She did feel better actually, other than the slight headache from the dual TK hands. She was finally able to get an answer for something, and now she could sort it away.

All that left now was the last piece of Lili Zanotto. Taking a few more moments of rest, she steeled herself for whatever was to come.

#whispering water au #psychonauts 2 au #lucrecia aquato #morris martinez #i looked up terms of endearment for this #hopefully it's okay #I like to think that PSI Blast can be powered by more than just anger #just depends on what you use.#and love is powerful #i spent all day on this i hope y'all enjoy ;w;#writings

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sgtbradfords · 3 years

Note

"Sorry, were you sleeping ?" with Chenford ?

Love your writing

Thank you for the prompt anon, I hope you enjoy! :)

Tim Bradford’s Thursday shift had been one of the longest he had experienced in a while. Not that it was a hectic night, especially for a Thursday but it all started after he had dismissed his officers on the nightshift to hit the streets.

“Hey Sarge, got a second?” Officer Amelia Hatch asked as she walked to the front of the room, the room clearing out as everyone went their own way. “That kid from that domestic the other night, can I contact the school, see if she will talk to me or maybe the guidance counselor?”

Tim sighed, “It wouldn’t be a bad idea, the kid doesn’t need to be bottling that shit up.”

“I think she would have talked to me the other night, but the mother pulled her away before I could ask any questions.”

Tim took a second to think before giving her advice, his lips forming a thin line, “Swing by the elementary school near their address tomorrow after shift, see if that’s where she attends and go from there. But Hatch, don’t blame yourself if she has no intentions of talking now.”

“Understood Sir.” The officer told him before walking away.

Tim had a pile of paperwork in the metal basket on his corner of his desk that grows by the minute that he knew he needed to get a start on, but being a man of few habits, he had gotten in the habit of visiting booking just after the start of the shift.

“Evening Luke, any regulars in yet?” He asked the intake officer who was typing away at the computer behind the counter.

“Not yet Bradford. But there is a full moon and a bad batch of drugs going around.” The officer spoke, never looking up.

Being the nightshift Sergeant of the Mid-Wilshire prescient of the LAPD, Tim had gotten to know his fair share of regulars, the junkies, druggies, and the few prostitutes that frequented one of the three holding cells.

“Great.” He mumbled under his breath. When you work in law enforcement, you always keep track of the moon cycle, the brighter and full phased the moon was, the crazier everyone got. Though it is not a proven fact, it is just a well-known fact that you learn comes with the job. “Let’s get those in, processed out soon, the quicker the better.”

“Wreck on I-10, van’s stuck in traffic. According to radio traffic they should be here within the next thirty or so minutes.”

Tim was about to thank the officer for keeping him updated when a loud disturbance stopped him, the door of the garage flying open.

“I didn’t do shit, you motherfucker!” yelled the man that was being escorted through the door.

The Sergeant moved closer to assist, the man fighting the two officers every step of the way.

“Harper, you good?” Tim asked, grabbing onto the other man’s upper arm.

“Fine. Found this one defacing the side of the church on Harrison Avenue, drunker than a skunk.” She told him as she secured him to the bench.

“You bitch, I told you I had to piss! You can’t prove nothin’.”

Nyla rolled her eyes. “There’s footage on the camera in the alley and on my vest.”

“You fuckin’ lyin bitch.”

“Enough.” Tim glared. “Get him booked, then throw him in the drunk tank to sober up.”

Nyla nodded as Tim walked away, heading back to his office.

He sat down behind his desk, keeping an ear open on the scanner that sat in the corner of the bookshelf in his office. He picked up the reports, reading them one by one as he began sorting through the pile in the basket, checking, filling, and signing the reports filled out by his officers. The report in his hand was particularly captivating when the shaky voice of Officer Hunt came over the radio.

‘7-Adam-22. Shots fired at my location. Suspect gave chase but is now in custody. Roll back-up and EMS.’

Tim stood, grabbing the keys for his shop out of the top drawer of his desk. The rest of the evening was spent documenting the crime scene and making reports before he headed to the hospital, checking on the suspect and now patient, the man getting stitched after cutting his leg while hopping over a fence. Tim made it back to the station thirty minutes after his shift was intended to end, preforming the daily maintenance on the shop before he made his way inside, heading for the office of the day shift’s Sergeant, Wade Grey. He brought the other man up to speed, filling him in on what occurred overnight, by the time he was done updating his fellow superior it was well past eight in the morning and Tim was dead on his feet.

Tim hastily went to the locker room, changing out of his uniform and back into his normal clothes before heading out of the department. He was lucky that he only lived twenty-three minutes away (on a good day) from the department and for a Friday morning, his commute was harmless besides the lingering effects of the morning rush hour traffic.

He pulled the vehicle in, parking his truck in the drive, reaching over for his duffle bag from the passenger seat before he exited the extended cab. He pulled the ring of keys from his front right pocket, unlocking the wooden door as he made his way inside, disabling the alarm system before reengaging the security system as he kicked off his shoes. The silence of the house had always been strangely comforting, the quietness enveloping him as his sock clad feet padded through the dark bedroom, heading for the bathroom. He tiredly stripped of the clothes, throwing them into the hamper before he walked back out into the bedroom, blindly grabbing a pair of black boxer briefs from the top drawer of the dresser, sliding them on before he pulled the covers back and falling into bed.

He stretched out, laying on his stomach, an arm under the pillow and one over his head, sleep claiming him within minutes of his head hitting the pillow, the comfort of the memory foam mattress with the coolness of the multitude of pillows creating the perfect combination.

The dream he was having was one he wanted to stay in forever, the scene his dreaming brain had concocted was perfect, the sunset hitting the woman in front of him, casting her in the hues it was projecting.

“Lucy, I-“

Lucy smiled as she stepped forward, moving towards him. “It’s perfect.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” She grinned, staring at him the sounds of the ocean before them began fading into the background as she leaned in, the buzzing in his ears growing louder.

“What the hell?” he mumbled in his dream as the image began to dissipate.

The buzzing of his phone bringing his sleep addled brain back to reality. There were only four people that could get past his do not disturb settings, and out of the four of them he could immediately eliminate two.

“Hello.” He grumbled into the phone, sitting up as he let out a yawn.

“Tim! You are not going to believe this. Wait- shit.“ she said as the sound of shuffling came through the receiver. “Sorry, were you sleeping?”

“No I wasn- actually yeah, I was.”

He could picture Lucy grimacing on the other end. “Shit. I’m so sorry, I forgot that you worked last night, and that tonight is your night off. I got my days mixed up. I��m just- I’ll just hang up now.”

“Lucy.” He sighed, laying back onto his pillows. “What did you need?”

“It’s not important, I can just tell you tonight wh-“

“Luce, I’m awake now, might as well tell me.”

“Are you sure?” she hesitated as he grunted on the other end. “Ok, so remember me telling you about that high-speed chase we had the other day on I-10? The whole thing is about to get weirder…”

Tim grunted, listening as she continued in her story, her voice becoming softer and softer the longer she spoke and before he knew it, he had fallen back asleep, lulled by the sound of her voice.

“Tim? Babe?” she asked, smiling when she heard the even breaths and soft snore coming from the other end. She ended the call, placing her phone back into her pocket as she made a mental note to make it up to him when she seen him after shift tonight.

Working on two separate shifts and trying to maintain a relationship was difficult, sometimes they would call the other, forgetting that they were likely asleep. Other times, one of them would stay awake for the other, long after their shift had ended, just to catch up. Tim and Lucy have always been a different couple but when all the pieces fall into place, it makes the perfect puzzle.

#the rookie fic #tim bradford x lucy chen #chenford fanfic #chenford fic #chenford #fanfic

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darkdevasofdestruction · 4 years

Text

Eternal Love ~ Diavolo x Reader

Today was supposed to be just an ordinary day of school, until I was informed by Lucifer that Diavolo wants me to attend the council meeting as well, so who am I to deny such a gracious invitation?

Apparently, we were supposed to discuss the plans for the school’s festival, and they picked me to be the leader, which should be pretty fun!

“That sounds like fun! Thank you for trusting me with something as big as this! But...What do I have to do? Is there anything fixed already, or do we brainstorm and come up with the most exciting thing?” I asked, giving the prince a cat-like smile of excitement. “We change ideas yearly, so I’d like to hear all your thoughts and ideas that come into your mind.” Diavolo asked us, which made us all ponder.

After discussing the official problems, like budget, what each class wanted to do, if there were any problems, or two classes who wanted to do the same things, any objections, we started coming up with ideas.

“How about a band? I’ve seen you during Karaoke nights, and Asmo’s voice is amazing! Besides, you’re all thousands of years old, I’m sure all of you know how to play at least one instrument. And Levi, if you don’t want to take this as a Guitar Hero type of game, and are too socially anxious, you can make the band’s costumes!” I suggest, which made the brothers talk between themselves. “I wanna be the vocalist! And we gotta sell lots of merch...How much are we gonna charge for admission?” Mammon got incredibly excited, which made Lucifer sigh and shake his head. “Well, that settles it. The idea is rejected.” he muttered, making me sigh as well. “Great...No more music...But how about a play? Doing little plays is quite a thing down there in the human world. What do you say?” I asked, snapping my fingers in realisation. “Ohh, I bet that would be fun!” Asmo chimed in, along with his brothers. “And it means we can cosplay! I’m all in!” Levi grinned in glee. “Sounds like fun! Y/N, you’ll be in charge of putting together the production.” Diavolo nodded at us, giving the approval. “That means I am allowed to come up with the play’s script? And the roles? What to do with the background, music, costumes, magic effects and all that?” my grin widened even more, as did his. “Of course! Have fun, that’s the most important thing! By the way you’re so enthusiastic, I’m sure the end result is going to be great. Do you already have an idea?” he asked, which made me nod vigorously. “Y/N, what are you going to work on first? Also, you’re going to have to give all of us an assignment.” Lucifer pointed out, but most of it got overlooked. “I’m going to write the script! I am inspired by a beautiful story from the human world, written a century ago, but only published recently. Is that okay?” I asked, trying to hold on to my excitement. “Ohhh! Is it a tragic love story, like Romeo and Juliet?” Asmo asked, jump behind me, and hugging me. “Yes, much so much better! It has romance, it has fantasy, it has adventure, it has tragedy, it has despair, it has sorrow...It has everything you can think of, all thread together in such a wholesome story!” I explain, which made Asmo take a hold of my hands, waltzing together messily. “I love it! Let’s do it! Can I be the prince charming?” he giggled, which made me stop and smirk. “I...Had something else in mind. Diavolo, do you want to be in our play?” I let out a low chuckle, which seemed to make him widen his eyes. “Of course! I would be honoured to get included in it!” he grinned, giving a mirthful laugh. “Sweet, then it’s settled! I will do my best to work on the script and give everyone their roles, come up with some music, special effects, the background decor and costume ideas. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, I have to go have a talk with Simeon.” I smirked mischievously as I skipped out of the council room, not caring about Lucifer’s protests, since I wasn’t officially dismissed.

The whole night I spent revisiting the book I had in mind that would be the influence for the script, and started writing on my laptop everything, while listening to Eurielle’s many angelic songs and sending them to Simeon, so he would know what to do.

Needless to say, I was nothing short of excited beyond borders of imagination, clearly never having expected to be able to take part in something so great, as to create and take part in a play of such caliber...There’s no way I won’t make this anything more than perfect, that’s for sure, especially since this book has been so close to my heart and soul for a long time now.

And so, days passed, Simeon agreed to be the harp player, since he’s an angel and nobody could best him, and the narrator was Solomon, who would help me and Satan with the magic effects.

I would be the female protagonist, while Diavolo would be the male protagonist. Barbatos would be the one to sacrifice his life to save Diavolo. Satan was going to be the frenzied werewolf, while Lucifer will be the enemy hound turned ally that would fight alongside Diavolo.

Belphegor will be the evil king, and Beel will play the role of his most loyal servant, while Asmodeus shall be the girl’s father, and Mammon would be one of the Gods, the Judge of the Dead, Master of Doom.

This left Luke to be one of the enemy werewolves, while Levi, who would have as few lines as possible, considering he would be too busy with the costumes, would be the owner of the Hound.

And so, we began rehearsal for the play, earning lots of praises from everyone for writing something so great in such a small amount of time, while also keeping it short, making sure nobody would forget their lines and timings by mistake.

“You’re doing very well, Diavolo! But try to be a little less stiff, okay? Try to relax, it will make things more natural.” I started massaging his shoulders as soon as I gave everyone a little break. “Sorry, I guess I’m a bit intimidated since you are a natural at this.” he chuckled lightly, offering me a thankful smile. “Hmm...I wouldn’t say I’m a natural, per se, but I read the original book a few times before, and I wrote the script. Or maybe it’s because I’m a human...I don’t know, it’s always been easy for me to act.” I shrugged, dragging a chair to sit in front of him. “That much is obvious. Look at them, you inspire all of them to learn their lines and come up with the best version of themselves. It’s very rare when I see everyone working together so diligently...Thank you for you effort, Y/N.” Diavolo took ahold of my hands, squeezing them lightly. “No need to thank me, Dia...I’ve always dreamt of doing something like this, but I never really had an opportunity to do anything more than 1 minute skits. This is a dream come true...So really, I should be the one thanking you instead.” I chuckled, tilting my head slightly. “I’m glad to hear that, then. There is no doubt in my mind that the festival is going to have more success than it ever has before.” he grinned, making him look something like a Golden Retriever puppy. “And you don’t even know about my Trump Card. Well, in truth, nobody really does...Except for Simeon, but I have a reason to that, so you better be eager and awaiting for that.” I winked at him playfully, which seemed to get him in an even more curious and cheerful mood. “I certainly can’t wait until we perform on stage.” he nodded, making me take a deep breath and smile softly. “Yeah...Me too.”

I said that, and yet, time sure flies so fast that I barely realised today was the day of the play, and Asmo and Levi were helping me into my costume, doing my hair and make up, while the others were in their demon forms - Except for Diavolo, of course - and so, we went backstage, checking that the lights were perfect, the background decor was in check, Solomon had his lines written down, since he will be backstage, yet his voice will resound throughout the room regardless.

“Is everyone ready?” I clapped my hands together, grinning and biting my lip, trying to keep my nervousness in check. “I’m a nervous wreck!” Levi whined, and yet, he was thankful he didn’t have to do too much on stage. “I can’t wait to get up on stage and SHINE!” Asmo chimed in, pushing Levi to the side. “Diavolo...Are YOU ready? You are the protagonist, after all. You have the most lines, the most interactions with everyone and so on.” I look at him with a gentle smile. “Y/N, Diavolo has been doing public speeches for centuries and longer, I doubt he’d be as anxious as others are...Or you, that is.” Lucifer gave a side smirk. “Don’t speak for others, Luce~!” I thrilled playfully, earning nothing more than an amused scoff. “I am more excited, than nervous, but Lucifer isn’t wrong.” the prince chuckled softly, giving me a nod of thanks. “Very well, then, the play is going to start now. Solomon, Simeon, it’s your cue.” Lucifer pointed out as Levi and Satan raised the curtains just as Diavolo got on the stage, and was surrounded by fire and some magic-made enemies.

Diavolo’s make up made him look as if he had been fighting long and bravely, and yet, he and his army lost, his father was defeated by the enemies, and now, he was trying his best to escape with his life.

“Diavolo, the son of the Leader of Men, was the sole survivor of the attack from the Dark Lord, the feared Belphegor, the once God of Valar, who turned evil and stole the Sacred Jewels, the ones who gave immense power to Elves, the pure Silmarils, and so, he was able to easily wipe out every village of men, dwarves, dunedain, trents and elves alike, with no such thing as discrimination. And so, the brave Diavolo ran away from the place he once called home, that was now nothing more than fire, ruin and ashes flowing in the sky, and found himself in another place altogether. It was the realm of Elves, the most beautiful and gracious beings alive, and here, in Doriath, he ended up in a glade, filled with so many colourful flowers, illuminated by the silver light of Mother Moon...And there he saw her.” Solomon narrated the story, and then stopped for a few seconds, allowing him, Satan and myself to mutter some spells so the background will change, along with the holograms and the lights.

There was nothing more than darkness, for just a split second, which allowed me to jump up on the stage, and thus, a gentle light appeared, with me in the spotlight, as I did a small dance, while surrounded by holographic forest critters and a unicorn.

“There, his eyes found her, a maiden more fair than any he has seen before, and he was unsure whether he was being cheated by some spell, or if what he was seeing was reality, for the pain he felt was no more...And he was wondering whether seeing her cured if of all wounds. Blue was her raiment, as the unclouded heaven, but her eyes were grey, as the starlit evening; her mantle was sewn with golden flowers, but her hair was dark as the shadows of twilight. As the light upon the leaves of trees, as the voice of clear waters, as the stars above the mists of the world, such was her glory and her loveliness ; and in her face was a shining light...And so, Diavolo fell in love with the Elleth dancing in front of him.” Solomon continued the story, which was my cue to stop dancing.

“What is this I am seeing? A mortal ranger, wounded, seeking refuge in Doriath, the Realm of Elves? You must be rather bold, are you not?” I stopped dancing, and approached him, circling and interrogating him. “I had nowhere else to go, My Lady, for the Dark Lord, Belphegor, has laid waste to my home and my family. I am the sole survivor, yet my heart burns with sorrow and need to wreak vengeance upon the enemy who took my father’s life so cruelly.” he explained, regaining his senses and breath. “I see...So Belphegor has started his rampaging once again...It truly is a pity that life cannot be without death inflicted before its time. Very well, then...I shall welcome you in my home, so you can feed yourself and have your wounds treated.” I nodded at him, motioning for him to follow me, only for him to stop me with his questioning. “My Lady...May I know the name of the fairest elleth in the world?” he asked with such a gentle and sweet tone, that it made my heart skip a few beats. “My name...Is Luthien.” I answered, looking down for a few seconds, before turning away once again. “Y/N...Y/N...Such a beautiful name, for such a beautiful woman...And your voice rivals any nightingale. You are a wonder among wonders.” he spoke out, making me widen my eyes and blush, flustered, turning around to face him properly. “You should not speak such sweet words without telling your name first, stranger. It would be nothing less than disrespectful, especially should my father be informed of this folly of yours.” I spoke a bit harshly, yet the jesting tone was obvious in my voice. “My name is Diavolo, my dear, and from the moment I laid my eyes upon you, I fell in love with you. You will have to forgive me for being so bold and rash with my words, I am but a simple mortal man, yet my heart will know no more joy unless you know my feelings for you.” he spoke, kneeling in front of me, which took a lot of effort not to blush more than I already was. “Raise up, brave warrior, and let me heal your wounds, both the flesh ones, and the ones your heart felt so far, for I seem to share the same feelings as you do.” as so, I put my hands over his, and humming a little song, I made a spell to remove the dirt and make up from him, so it would look as if his he had his wounds treated.

The lights went down once again, the background changed to that of a kingdom, and Asmo, wearing a crown, as he was the Elven King, sitting on a throne, and of course, he was shining, beautiful, glorious, just as he always is.

“You think you are worthy of my daughter’s heart? How foolish! You, nothing more than a mere human, whose life is hanging by the thin thread of a spider that could be so easily severed, even by something as insignificant as an illness? I commend you for your braveness, so I would not say, foolishness! I shall allow you to stay here, but you are a mortal, and your place is not here, among the elves!” Asmo’s voice was serious and booming, which was something not many would expect from someone as soft and adorable as him. “My Lord...With all due respect, but my heart belongs to your daughter, and no power in this world is strong enough to erase my love for her. I beg of you, Lord Asmodeus, allow me to marry your darling Tinuviel, and if you need me to prove my worth, give me any task, and it shall be done!” Diavolo kneeled in front of the throne of the lord, who frowned in displeasure. “Tinuviel...? Now you went as far as to give my daughter the nickname of a Nightingale...You heard her angelic voice...You are truly undeserving!” he leaned forwards in the throne, slamming his fist on one of the armrests. “Father, please, hear him out! His love for him is as true as the beauty of the stars, and so is mine for him! You will doom me to an eternal life of sorrow, should you not accept him, so father, please be reasonable!” I fell to his feet, hugging his legs, and I was sure Asmo’s face softened with conflict, as he put his hand on my head, as a way to make me raise my gaze. “My daughter...You, an immortal, fell for someone who will die before you can even realise you were courting him. However, if you are so sure of your own feelings for him, then I shall give him a task, to prove himself worthy of you, my darling. Listen carefully, Diavolo, for I will only say it once - Should you succeed in getting back at least one of the Sacred Jewels, I will allow you to wed my wife.” he spoke, which made me jolt to my feet in an instant. “But father...! The Three Silmarils were all stolen by the Dark Lord Belphegor, the very foe who destroyed his family and village! You are dooming him to sure death!” I gasped, letting a few tears fall down my face. “If that means I will be allowed to marry you, then I will do anything you wish me to. I thank thee for this opportunity, and I shall depart at morn, at the earliest hour.” Diavolo nodded, sharing a look with Asmodeus, which made me throw myself at the man. “No, Diavolo, don’t go! You will perish, if not by the Dark Belphegor, but by his lackey, Sauron, or one of the countless orcs he’s making! You cannot succeed...Not on your own!” my eyes were wide with fear, and he only smiled softly, kissing my forehead gingerly. “Have faith in my, my darling nightingale, for I shall return to you, no matter what. I vow on my pride as a human, so wait for me, and if I shall not return, I beg of you to sing me a wonderful requiem, but not to mourn for me. I love you, Y/N.” he spoke, before leaving off the stage, and so, the lights went off once more.

The stage became now an elvish stronghold in the middle of a wasteland, where Diavolo met Barbatos, Leviathan, Lucifer and a few more generic elf-holograms, and they talked about how to get inside the enemy’s garrison.

“And so, Diavolo arrived in the wasteland, the territory of the enemy, only to stumble upon an elvish stronghold, where he met Barbatos, another Elven King, Leviathan, one of the sons of the Elven Lord who once created the Silmarils, and his loyal Hound, Lucifer, the most powerful Hound, dating from the First Ages. Prophecy has it that only the most powerful werewolf could ever defeat Lucifer, so Leviathan knew that he could trust his companion. While Lord Barbatos agreed to join Diavolo’s cause, as he once swore an oath to Diavolo’s father, to aid his kin if in need, so they took a few warriors and went to the enemy territory disguised as nasty orcs. Leviathan, however, was very much against their quest, as he believed the Silmarils belong to him, legacy from his father, so he took Lucifer and went after them.” the white haired wizard spoke out, letting the scene unfold before him.

“Are you with me, brothers? I will be honest, my quest is a selfish one, and by taking the Jewel, I will be allowed by Asmodeus, the Elven King, to marry his daughter, the fairest maiden to exist. However, I am sure that no matter what, as soon as the Jewels are out of Belphegor’s posession, the world will have less peril and ruin.” Diavolo spoke out, which seemed to impress the Elven King. “As per the oath I swore to your father long ago, when we first fought side by side in wars, I shall aid you in any quest you will find yourself, young Diavolo. To hear that my old and dear friend met his doom by the hands of the Belphegor’s lackeys is nothing short than an insult! I am with you.” Barbatos spoke out, patting Diavolo on the shoulder and taking a few trusted men by his side. “You cannot take the Silmarils from the Dark Lord, Diavolo, no matter with how many men you march to his garrison. The Silmarils belong to my family, for my father forged them, and they gave power to the Two Sacred Trees of Valar! You have no right to take them, no matter the affections your mortal heart holds for some elleth you don’t deserve!” Leviathan frowned, at them, but Diavolo didn’t heed any of his warnings. “I am sorry, Leviathan, but this must be done. I shall not allow Belphegor to wipe more innocent lives from Arda, out Earth!” Diavolo spoke with much confidence, fire and conviction, leaving the place, while also igniting a fighting spirit in his men. “Not fair...That’s not fair! How could they even think of doing something like that?! Lucifer...We must stop them at all cost! And did you hear that? That stupid, wretched human wants the hand of the daughter of King Asmodeus! Ha, as if! But imagine...If we take the Silmarils, and I give the King only one, without him knowing that I possess the other two, he will surely let me wed Y/N, and we will create a strong alliance this way! Everyone will bow down to me, the Mighty Leviathan!” he chuckled darkly, motioning for Lucifer to join him as they ran away after Diavolo’s party.

“What nobody was aware of, however, was that Y/N, afraid for her paramour’s fate, fled from home in search of Diavolo, to aid in the task he was given - And yet, just as she arrived on the enemy’s territory, she was found by Lucifer’s keen sense of smell, which allowed his owner to kidnap her and imprison her in a tower, guarded by Luke, one of the most powerful werewolves in Beelzebub’s army. As she was left alone, in a cell, she pleaded to Lucifer to let her escape, and it seems he, for once in his long life, felt pity for the elleth, and decided to aid her.” Solomon continued the story, and so, the stage changed to the prison tower I was held captive in, with Luke, dressed very uncharacteristically evil, was guarding me, and Lucifer’s eyes bore straight into my soul.

“Why would one, so strong and great as yourself, aid the cause of evil? Leviathan, a once proud elf of benevolent will...His heart became darker than the nightly abyss. Look at what he is doing - Trying to cheat my father, to deceive him, only for his own selfish desire to quench his thirst for power. He is miserable, that one, but he is more pitiful than ever. I wonder, my poor Diavolo...Have you seen him? Is he still alive and well? Oh, how I miss him so, and fear for his life, for he is fragile, and brittle, nothing more than a human resembling the first Snowdrop of Spring. May the great Eru Illuvatar watch over him, for I cannot but mourn and sing for his glory the way I am now.” I grabbed the bars of the cells, letting tears fall down my face as soft sobs escaped my throat. “Tell me, Y/N...” Lucifer spoke, for the first time in ages, as he crouched down to my level, and said, in a softer voice, as to not alarm the enemy. “Are you willing to do anything to save your beloved mortal? You speak of my master’s pitiful state, and yet, you do not see yourself and the misery in which you wallow as we speak. I can sense your magic is strong, and you could aid the one you hold so dear to yourself. Should you lend me your power, I will be able to properly defeat your enemies and help your reunite with him. Will you accept me, Elleth Princess?” his voice was velvety, as with one hand he raised my chin up, to look into my glistering eyes. “Yes.” was the only answer I gave him, as he raised with a smirk, piercing poor Luke with his glare.

Muttering a spell, I proceeded in putting a protective shield around Lucifer, that grated an improvement in his powers, and so, he was easily able to take down Luke. However, sensing danger, Beelzebub, the Dark Lord’s most powerful vassal, came forth to attack him, in the form of a werewolf, knowing the prophecy, the only way of defeating the Great Hound Lucifer.

But it was in vain, for my power, combined with Lucifer’s, meant for nothing short of greatness, and so, we were able to defeat him.

“Beelzebub, you have been defeated, and so, you must free all the prisoners you have taken! There is nothing more for you to do, except to obey!” my voice was firm, and clear, and with a growl from the defeated lord, he begrudgingly freed the prisoners, before he became one himself. “You will not escape this place with your lives still your own, you silly elleth! You think anyone can defeat the Dark Lord? Never! Belphegor is undefeated!” Beel’s dark, booming voice echoed throughout the dark prison tower. “We seek not to defeat him, but deprive him of most of his power. And we will succeed, without question, nor fail.” I spoke with grace, sure of myself, until Lucifer guided me away from the cell. “Maiden, you must flee. Enemies are making their way here. Take this passageway and be reunited with your lover. I will make sure not even one of these disgusting orcs may come and hinder your path.” Lucifer said, staying on high alert. “I will eternally be grateful for your aid, Lucifer. I wish to see you soon, and well.” I nodded at him, running away, and the scene cut with Lucifer getting ready to fight some holograms, while Beel was able to flee by transforming into a fly and getting out through the barred window.

“But not everything turned out as great on Diavolo’s side, as he, too, was ambushed by enemies, and his whole little army was taken captive, and executed one by one, until only Diavolo himself, and King Barbatos remained. Enraged by this folly, just as the human was about to get mangled by the great werewolf executing them, the Elven King managed to break the shackles and wrestled the beast with all his might, until both of them perished, and thus, successfully completing the vow he swore to his father.” Solomon continued on the narration, as the stage showed, for just a little bit, the heroic act of Barbatos sacrificing himself, allowing Diavolo to escape with his life.

“Go, and complete the task you set yourself on! Be successful, and reunite with your lover once more. There may came a day when you will die, but I assure you, today is not that day. I have already foreseen your greatness.” were the Elf’s last words, as Diavolo thanked him, and the scene was cut once again, to where I and Diavolo are reunited at the gates of the throne room.

“Diavolo, my darling, you are alive! I prayed and prayed for the great Eru Illuvatar to shine his light upon you and protect you from harm...And here you are, alive, and in my arms once more! I cannot but weep in joy, seeing you before me, my beloved Diavolo!” I cupped his face, examining him for any wound, before kissing his face, not caring that the height difference was making it pretty difficult. “Y/N...! My beautiful nightingale, what fareth thou in this terrible place? You should be safe, at home, with your father, not on this plagued wasteland of death, in the heart of the very enemy we fear the most!” he was shocked, and afraid for my well-being, but before I could reply, a long tail swept him away from my embrace, throwing him to the ground, and the enemy was revealed none other than Leviathan, who wore an evil smirk on his face, looking down at the mortal. “You...! How dare you do such a thing! First, you imprison me, wanting to use me for my father’s power and title, and now, you try to destroy the one being I love the most in this life? Unforgivable! You will never be welcomed back to Valinor, not matter how much you beg and grovel on your knees!” I threatened him, but he only seemed to laugh mockingly. “How adorable of you, some weak elleth, to think that you could come between me and my aspirations. You truly believed some mortal would be able to take the great Silmarils, feat that so many armies of Elves failed to do? You have lost your mind, Y/N! But here, with his death, you will have no more reason to be here. I heard your voice is truly magical...If your voice was to put to sleep the whole place, stealing the Silmarils would be an easy feat, and so, I will be the most powerful an Elf can get!” Levi spoke out, his long tail swishing left and right, as I ran to Diavolo, holding him to my chest as I healed his wounds...Only to notice a figure rushing towards us, and it was now my turn to smirk, as the enemy was trampled to the ground, easily destroyed. “Lucifer, you have returned so fast! The enemies proved to be no match for your might, did they?” I grinned brightly at him, as he only scoffed in amusement. “And your paramour seems to be doing great now that you’ve healed him. It seems that my former master became driven by evil more than I anticipated...It truly is a pity that he turned this way, but there was no way to live the way he did.” Lucifer spoke, and so, the place went dark, so the stage would change to Belphegor’s throne room, him, wearing a crown.

Taking a deep breath, I started singing a spell, just as Leviathan previously suggested, which put to sleep every living being in the place, and so, Diavolo was able to cut away one of the Jewels from his crown. He continued with the second one, but misfortune seemed to follow us, as a little piece from the crown fell on the Dark One’s face, waking him up from his slumber.

“You...! You, puny worms, truly think you could defeat me? Steal away the Silmarils from my possession, and walk away, unscathed?! How impertinent of you! You shall be tortured for an eternity, and even longer than that!” Belphie’s growl resounded through the place with an even graver tone, thanks to Solomon’s magic.

Diavolo took my hand, and we started running, the light flashing, to make it look as if we were going for a longer pace, until we arrived at the gates, guarded by none other than Satan, a werewolf bred specifically to kill Lucifer, to complete the long-foreseen prophecy.

“Satan attacked Diavolo, and before he, or Lucifer, could retaliate, Satan bit off the hand that was gripping the Jewel tightly. As Diavolo ell to the ground, gripping his hand and wailing in agony, the purity of the jewel emanated a strong light in the werewolf’s belly, which set him on a frenzy. He was berserk, clearly lost his mind, and there was nothing that anybody could do to reverse the process. This feat of luck, however, allowed the maiden to call out to the mighty Eagles, who flew them back home. Together, they spoke the tale of their adventure to King Asmodeus whose heart softened by everything they have been through, and despite not completing the task, allowed the two lovers to marry.” the sorcerer spoke the tale, that seemed to be the happy end...

The scene cut to just a few weeks later, the background showing the Kingdom getting destroyed by the Werewolf Satan, and Diavolo and Lucifer going to bravely destroy it, but unfortunately, the triad ended up perishing altogether.

“The story that was fated to have a happy ending, became drenched in blood, as both her beloved Diavolo, and her trusted companion, Lucifer, died together to prevent the rampaging Satan from destroying anything more in his path. The girl, who was waiting by her father’s side, was worried beyond belief, as her father embraced her, trying to sooth her concerns, as Diavolo was a strong human, and had Lucifer by his side... But not long afterwards, a ravaged Diavolo, barely dragging himself upwards, grabbed Asmodeus’s hand, putting the Sacred Jewel that he extracted from the Werewolf’s belly.” Solomon continued the story, as the music turned even graver.

“No...No...! Diavolo, my darling, hang on, please, I will heal you! You cannot die! You cannot leave me like this...After everything we went through! We weren’t even given the time to marry...!” I sobbed, holding Diavolo’s body to my chest. “My beautiful Y/N, all I did, was for you, and now, I am truly worthy of even daring to ask you to marry me. It is selfish, I am aware, but I am but a mere mortal, and thus, as my life ends, I ask you to please hold me in your heart and memory, as dear as I hold you. I love you, Y/N” he spoke with his last breath, before going limp in my arms. “Y/N, my sweetling, I’m so sorry this happened...” Asmodeus knew no words were going to stop my wailing, take away my sorrow, or mend my irredeemably broken heart, and only held me, as I screamed to the sky, cursing fate, and the Illuvatar, the stars, the moon and the sun. I cursed everything in existence, even time, for taking away the one I loved the most, until the scene was cut by the lights, and we could hear the audience gasping, some of them lightly weeping, some even cursing as well and telling their pity.

“There was nothing more her father could do to bring back the joy in his darling daughter’s life, and with his heart broken, just like hers, he allowed her to leave his home, and watched her walk away, to the Halls of Mammon, until he could see her no more, and the horizon was overshadowing her unseeable form. So, she arrived at the Halls of Mammon, the Judge of Death, the one who was stoic and unmovable in front of everyone, never wavering from his judgement of anyone’s souls. The walls were covered by tapestries woven by his wife, depicting life as it is, from the beginning of times, until the present. Y/N laid on the ground, singing the song of her ill fate, of how she will never be able to meet her beloved once more, not even to properly say goodbye to him, feat that would break her heart even more.” the scene revealed only myself, in the Halls of Mammon, in front of the stairs to his throne, as Simeon’s harp started slowly mellowing everybody’s senses, giving them a sense of amplified sorrow, as if the play so far didn’t already play with their heartstrings.

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“Oh great Mammon High among Valar I come to you in sorrow And with a broken heart Long has been my journey That led me to these halls But now I kneel before thee As grief my spirit calls I seek a man named Diavolo Whom I bid await me here I pledged that I would find him Before he leaves this sphere This man of whom I speak He gave his life for me But thence my soul grew weak And at last it too broke free So borne upon an urgent breeze I travelled to this place Where only one thing could appease The torment I now face Oh tell me I am not too late To see my love once more For that would be too cruel a fate I beg him be restored That we may take a little time To bid our last farewell And remember all we shared erstwhile Such joy no one could quell For never was a greater love Than that within our hearts Once born, forever binding us E’en though through death we part”

My voice was powerful, mournful, my face wet from the river of tears streaming my cheeks, and I am sure I shocked all the demons present, for sans a few basic, simple songs, I never showed them my skill in singing, nor that my voice was, as Simeon described it, pretty angelic, so adding the harp was nothing short of heavenly.

The scene ended with me, dying, as I laid on the stairs of the throne, and through the silence, as the lights were slowly dimming, I could hear Mammon sniffing and trying his best not to sob.

“I cannot let this be the end of you and your fateful love story. With the power that has been bestowed upon me, I shall change this dreadful fate, into one more wonderful, as you deserve. You have fought and braved such a storm to be together, and death will not be the place of your eternity.” Mammon spoke, his voice wavering, barely able to keep himself straight.

“The Great Mammon, for the first time in his eternal life, felt his heart moved by the elleth’s song, feeling pity for the fate of the two lovers, so ruthlessly torn apart, so he allowed himself a tiny bit of self-indulgence, for as soon as the fair maiden’s life ended, from her broken heart, he restored both her and Diavolo’s life, yet this time, he awarded her mortality, so she would be able to live her whole life together with him, in happiness, as they deserved.” Solomon’s words were the cue for the scene to change back again, to the glade where he first laid his eyes upon me, and we were embraced in each other’s arms, gazing at each other with love.

“Why ever would you give up your immortality, my darling Tinuviel? You were immortal, had the time on your side, and your father, and people, there for you. I do not understand, my sweetling, so please explain to me.” he asked, looking down at me, brushing away a strand of hair from my face. “I would rather spend one short life time with you, then be teased with a few years by your side, that would pass for me similar to blinking, and then realising that you are in my life no more. Life without you is meaningless, my beloved Diavolo. I love you, and this time, an untimely death is not going to keep me away from letting you know my feelings loud and clear.” I spoke out in a soft voice, getting on my tip toes and pulling him into a loving kiss, which he reciprocated. “I will love you forever, with all my heart, my beautiful Y/N.” he said, as so, the curtains were closed, indicating that the play was over.

The audience started cheering, whistling and clapping loudly, as I motioned for everyone to come on stage so we could give the final courtesy to them, as a thank you for watching our play.

As we got off the stage, Asmo jumped on me, kissing my cheeks, and continuously praising me for how amazing I was. “You, my darling, were truly the star of the play! Why did you never tell me you had such an angelic voice?! Honestly, we should definitely go to karaoke and have you sing more!” “Sure, Y/N’s voice was a shocking surprise for everyone, but we have to applaud how amazing Lord Diavolo’s performance was as well, don’t you think?” Lucifer mused, earning an agreement from the butler. “And let’s not forget that Levi’s costumes were absolutely amazing. And the magic was amazing.” I pointed out, clapping for everyone. “Everyone was completely awesome today. Thank you for doing your absolute best...You managed to make my dream come true, and I’m very happy.”

And so, we all changed into our comfortable clothes, and went to celebrate at Diavolo’s castle, drinking and eating things we ordered from Hell’s Kitchen, setting off some fireworks, doing karaoke and all that...

But for some reason, I was feeling rather...Off, so I went out in the garden, taking a nice and relaxing stroll through the flower-guarded path, until I reached a nice gazebo by a pond and I sat down on the grass, dipping my feet in the cool water, looking up at the moon and letting my thoughts wander.

I wasn’t sure for how long I was there, alone, until a voice woke me up from my trance, and Diavolo sat down next to me.

“It’s not safe for a human to go wandering carefree in Devildom, you know?” he spoke jokingly after a few seconds of silence. “I am in your gardens, aren’t I? I find this the most dangerous, and yet, the safest place in Hell.” I let out an amused breath, which he seemed to mimick. “You wouldn’t be wrong to believe that. Why did you leave?” he asked, looking at the reflection of the silver moon’s on the mirror sheen of the water. “I needed some fresh air, I guess. And you?” I asked back, doing the same as him. “I noticed you weren’t around, so I went to look for you.” he smiled softly, leaning back a bit. “Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. Go back there and have fun. You earned it, after the amazing performance you put there. You were absolutely terrific.” I tilted my head to give him a small smile. “But there is something on your mind, isn’t it? You can talk to me, if you want and feel like it.” I tried to encourage him, as he nodded to me. “You are unbelievably perceptive for a human, aren’t you? No wonder you managed to get Lucifer’s brothers to finally get along. I was just thinking why you chose me to be the lead of the play. I wasn’t expecting that, to be fair. I thought you’d choose Lucifer, or Satan or maybe even Asmodeus...But you didn’t, and I’d like to know your reasoning.” he asked, his voice going softer with each sentence he spoke. “...I wonder if anyone noticed how lonely you are. You try so hard to have the brothers, and others, forget that you are a Prince, and act with you normally, to include you in their activities, so chat with you leisurely...And yet, they all get intimidated by your status. I know what it’s like to be an outcast, and it’s the last thing I’d want you to feel like. I know you like to have fun, so I thought that maybe, for once, you would have enjoyed playing the mortal, while I am the immortal one.” I chuckled softly, hugging my knees, I was met with more seconds of silence. “I was right when I said you would be an amazing influence on us. You are right in everything you said. I’m grateful. If I think about it, it has been a long while since anyone said such nice things about me, without wanting to gain something...Especially since I am a demon. The Demon Prince, nonetheless.” he explained, making me sigh, shifting my gaze to the moon. “I...Well...I think I drank a bit too much champagne, so I guess telling you this won’t hurt, in the long run, anyway. You don’t even have to acknowledge anything I say. Just play it off as a tipsy rant or something...But honestly...You are amazing. You are the kindest person I’ve ever met in my life. I know it’s very short compared to yours, but it’s much more meaningful and impactful to us. You have showed me nothing but kindness and understanding, lots of opportunities to have fun with events, and pranks, jokes, trips...You looked out for me all the time...Especially when Lucifer almost killed me...Which wasn’t few times, really. And you try to bring everyone together, no matter their race or ranks...You are like a big golden retriever who just wants hugs, attention and affection...And your smile and laugh is to die for. If only you’d see the way your eyes sparkle when you’re happy, or feel the warmth of your embraces and how soothing they are. I picked you for more than one reason, Diavolo, and I’m pretty sure it’s obvious now.” I chuckle lightly, not caring about the consequences of my words. “I...Am speechless. Nobody managed to stir such feelings inside me since I first saw Lucifer as an archangel, and this tops it. I cannot but thank you...But now it seems like you’re the one who has things on her mind.” he pointed out, wiping away a stray tear going down my face. “My performance on the stage was so great because those feelings of mine were genuine...But reverse. I am going to die before you even realise it, and just a little later, you’re going to forget me. There is no place for my feelings, no matter how I look at it. I’m mortal, and you’re not. I’m a simple, ordinary human, while you’re the Demon Prince. I will never even be close to being as great as you are. I’m selfish, I’m a jerk, I’m mean, I’m jealous, I’m not talented, I’m not smart, I’m not beautiful...I’m nowhere close to your level, no matter how much I try to get better. Soon, I will have to return back to the human world, and you will still be here, becoming the best Demon King the Devildom ever had...” I shook my head, smiling sadly. “How long have you felt this way?” he asked softly, putting his arm around me, pulling me close to his chest. “A long time...And it only got stronger since then.” I sighed, leaning my head on his chest. “I’m glad to hear that...Because my emotions from the stage were as true as yours. Every word I spoke up there, is true. For a while now, I have been thinking about you and how we could make this work without any of us having to suffer like Beren and Luthien from your story. You are the most unique and beautiful person I’ve met, and I don’t mean only your looks, but your personality and heart as well. I hate it when you bring yourself down and compare yourself to me, because everyone has their own traits that make them who they are.” Diavolo’s voice was gentle and heartfelt, making me raise my head to look at him, searching for the truth in his eyes. “Did you know that this story was written as a tribute to the author’s wife, whom he nicknamed Luthien? The author, Tolkien, fell in love with her when she danced and sang for him in the glade, and since then, he has been very much in love with her...Going as far as to have her nickname, Luthien, written under her name on her grave stone. If that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.” I smiled softly, feeling my heart skipping quickly. “Humans are truly capable of the most incredible things. They never cease to amaze me, no matter how much time passes. In your short, mortal lives, you are capable of unbelievable potential and wonders. You praised me so much today, but trust me when I say it, I could go for ages complimenting you, and I wouldn’t run out of nice things to say about you. Y/N, trust me when I say it, I love you, and I promise you that your feelings are safe with me, and I won’t let you die. I know a way to make it work.” Diavolo said, putting his hands on my face, as his eyes held only love. “If you’re certain you are okay with it, and aren’t afraid of any consequences, then I can say with no fear that I love you as well, Diavolo. Endlessly.” I grin at him, chuckling lightly as he leaned in, sharing a loving kiss, yet this time, the emotions were flowing much more powerfully than on the stage.

It was true, it was pure, it was ethereal, and definitely, it was eternal.

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sleepingcrisis · 3 years

Text

Cherry and Adam taking Langa out for fathers day and being bad parents 😎

This one definitely needs a lot of editing but I really don't think Cherry and Adam would be good at stepping into a parental role, or maybe normally they would but knowing that it is purposeful I think they would just kinda fall apart. My Adam is probably super ooc but in my defense I haven't really written these three together before.

Anyway I didn't edit this at all!!!! Sorry if it is illegible :)

*****

"Well it is his first year without his father," Reki mentioned after having reluctantly approaching Adam and Cherry. Did he like Adam guy? No, not really. Reki was a laid back guy but not laid back enough to be completely okay after what happened during their beef. Yeah yeah — anything goes at S so he had basically been asking for it — but that didn't mean he had to be friendly with the guy. Still. He knew that Langa, one; thought Cherry and Adam were badasses, and two; had grown quite close with them.

"He might just want to be home alone then," Cherry pointed out. As rough as that sounded it wasn't like it was there place to get involved in his grieving process.

"He doesn't," Reki insisted.

"Sure little Red —"

"He asked me to go out with him," Reki explained, "He asked me to go skating but my family wants me to stay home."

"So you want us to take him out?" Adam asked with a small grin on his face.

"Don't be weird about it Adam," Cherry elbowed him before crossing his arms and considering it.

"Please?" Reki asked.

"Fine, fine, we will see if he wants to go out—"

"Thanks!"

And with that their fate was sealed.

***

That is how they ended up in Cherry’s car. Cherry and Adam sitting in the front with Langa in the back as he listened to the two discuss...

"What are you two talking about?" Langa asked. He couldn't hear them over the radio. Maybe that was the point.

After a few taps on the shoulders he finally got them to turn it down.

"What are you two talking about?" He asked again.

"Just trying to figure out what we should do," Cherry explained. Covering for what their actual conversation had been about.

"Skating would have been fine," Langa said.

"Well we should shake it up a little," Adam mentioned and decided he was going to strangle Joe for talking them into not just going skating.

"Alright, if you say so," Langa didn't seem to believe that either of the devoted skaters cared much if they shook it up or not.

Awkward silence passed. Silence that normally would have been filled by one of their louder friends. Adam was a completely different person without the mask on. Hair slicked back and a dress shirt and dress pants on (apparently this was him dressing casual though). Then Cherry was in a navy yukata and his hair was in some complicated half up half down look. Neither of them knew how to dress casually. Langa resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he leaned against the door.

"Is there anything you wanted to do Langa?" Cherry eventually caved. Neither of them wanted to ask, but they also just didn't know what to do with him.

"...Can we go get something to eat?" Langa suggested.

"Yeah sure," Adam chuckled softly. He supposed they should have known that much. This also bought them time to find something else for them to do afterwards.

When asked where he wanted to eat Langa said he didn't really care. This might have been a mistake since Cherry wanted to go to Sia la Luce for lunch and Adam mentioned some fancy place that sounded expensive enough to the point that Langa might feel bad about them paying.

"Where did you two go when you weren't so—" he is about to say 'old' but doesn't know if that will cause them to spiral into a midlife crisis and doesn't want to risk it. "When you were my age?" He finishes instead.

This is how he finds out that the two have always had quite a lot of money.

"Well my parents would never let me put processes crap into my stomach..." is how Cherry starts before going on some long talk about how processed food is bad for you before eventually listing some sushi place.

"Yeah," Adam agrees, "and I wouldn't be caught dead at—"

Langa doesn't let him finish since most of those places will probably be places he frequents.

"You two both knew Joe when you were younger right? Where would he drag you—"

"Most often to his house," Cherry explains.

This is how Langa ends up deciding as he carefully knocks his forehead against the window of the door.

A&W is probably on the list of places that Adam wouldn't be caught dead in, and considering how they go through the drive through as opposed to inside, Langa decides that he is right.

Regardless, they get their food (Langa orders for all of them after Cherry asks about their healthier options) and leave. Langa let's them find a place to park when Cherry doesn't want them eating in the car and they wind up at an old drive-in. It is run down and the edge looks out over some water.

"Why would you bring us here?" Adam asked in a hushed voice.

"I like coming here sometimes," Cherry fills in quietly.

Langa just knows that there is more to this place then what he is aware of. It isn’t just some run down place. Marks left from skateboarding proves that. He doesn't question it though. Doesn't dig up old memories that they seem to believe are best left forgotten, maybe normally he would. Today of all days though? He isn't sure he should have even left the house. Instead he sits on the curb as he eats and sighs softly when Adam and Cherry walk off to the railing to go talk.

Langa hates to admit it when his mother is right but she is indeed correct that he found it hard to let in any sort of father-like presence in his life after his dad died. Until today he never thought of it like that though. He didn't have to look at the adult males in his life and think that the way Cherry scolds, or the way Adam seeks a thrill, or the way Joe seems to always have a handle on a situation, or the way Shadow is able to cheer him up in his own weird way, or the way Oka is always ready to talk were anything like his father. Now it is all glaringly obvious, but at least it is countered by how out of depth they are. How they clearly don't know what they are doing. How could they? This isn't their fault. They are trying and Langa is old enough, nearly an adult, that he shouldn't need this. And he likes to think he doesn't.

He chuckled softly at the thought because, what the hell had they done so far that make it seem like they are helping?

Langa eats his food and cleans his face before taking in a breath and pushing himself back up so he could go see what Cherry and Adam decided to do since clearly they didn't want to eat.

"You know it doesn't taste that bad, although your body might go into shock," Langa said. He is joking but the other two don't seem to catch onto it.

"You two really are rich—" Langa is about to make fun of their years growing up when he catches a glimpse of the water. It is hot out and the light reflecting off of it is blinding. He wants to jump in though. He wants nothing more then to jump in and let the cold water freeze him.

So he begins to kick his shoes off and undo the buttons.

"What are you doing?" Cherry asked. He looks like he is about to scold. About to tell Langa to keep his clothes on and put his shoes back on.

"I don't want to get my clothes off," Langa replies.

"Langa you are going to have to swim a long way to climb back up—" Adam is the one scolding him now. Trying to make him see reason so he doesn't jump off the edge of the drive in.

"Carry my clothes over then?" Langa suggests and pushed his shirt into Adam’s hand.

"Langa—"

"Oh the two biggest adrenaline junkies at S are scared of getting wet," Langa starts. He is in some kind of mood today apparently because he doesn't stop there, "Joe would jump in, and Joe would have eaten the food I chose and he wouldn't have argued over where to eat. In fact, Shadow and Oka probably would too."

Langa is climbing over the railing and before a reply can be said he jumps out.

"The idiot doesn't even care to check how deep the water is," Cherry grumbled.

"Oh because you did when we were growing up?" Adam asked with an eye roll. He grabs Langa’s shoes and soon the two are heading around to where a ladder dips down into the water so that Langa knows where to go.

It is a mistake though because when they do make their way over Langa is grinning at the two.

"You found the ladder very quick."

"We have been here before," Adam defended.

"In the water or just looking at it?" Langa asked. There was sarcasm in his voice that normally wasn't there.

"Don't answer that," Cherry said to Adam since that was a trap.

"Cherry and Joe convinced me into it back when we were younger," Adam explained against Cherry’s wishes. He smiled slightly and set Langa’s clothes down.

"And you two can't do that now because..?"

"Because it will wreck our clothes and this isn't where we are supposed to be swimming. Besides have you ever tried to swim in a yukata?" Cherry countered.

"Only that last point is valid," Langa decided.

"You certainly got a mouth when little Red isn't here to speak for you hm?" Adam suggested as he sat on the edge. A dangerous choice.

"His name is Reki, he doesn't like you calling him that," Langa informed.

"He lets Joe—"

"That is different," Langa cut Adam off before he could argue.

"Alright, alright," Adam put up his hands defensively as Cherry sat down next to him. Well not right next to him, it was a safe distance so he couldn't be pushed in.

They were like this for awhile. Langa swimming around in water that was most likely freezing while he chatted away with Adam and Cherry. It was mainly the two adults filling empty space as he listened though.

He swam and swam and swam until the cold water had numbed him and the chattering of his teeth had ceased. At least now he wasn't thinking about anything other then — wait, what were the other two talking about? He wasn't sure he cared.

"Langa? You look cold, I think it is time to get out," one of their voices came.

He turned to argue but when they both saw the state he was in they looked worried.

So he let them help him out without pulling them in like he originally intended. Cherry brought the car around and took a blanket out of the trunk before he had a chance to put his clothes back on. Instead they helped him dry off and once he was wrapped up in the blanket he sat in the back with his shoes and shirt off to the side.

"Thanks," Langa muttered as he began to realize how cold he was. It wasn't the same as the chill of a Canadian winter, but still.

"Yeah no problem," Cherry whispered as Adam stepped away to have a smoke.

"Did I stress him out?" Langa asked.

"No it isnt like that, he just hasn't had a smoke since we picked you up and he has been addicted since we were teens," Cherry supplied with a soft chuckle.

"I don't care if he smokes around me," Langa mumbled.

"I guess he is just trying to be considerate."

A breeze passed by.

A breeze that had Langa shivering again.

"We should get going," Cherry mumbled and went to turn up the heat and get into the front seat again.

Once they have Adam back into the car Langa convinces them to eat (in Cherry’s car too) as they begin to head out. Cherry suggests Sia la Luce since apparently Miya will be around and Langa agrees immediately.

It isn’t that he wants this to be over, but he knows they are out of their comfort zone. They all are.

Still... it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

#sk8 the infinity #sakurayashiki kaoru #shindo ainosuke #reki kyan #hasegawa langa #cherry blossom #adam #sk8 adam #fathersday

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wickedsrest-rp-archive · 3 years

Text

New Year’s Mischief || Group Chatzy

Timing: New Year’s Eve Night Summary: Don’t trust balloons or mimes or hanyo Warnings: Sauce

The Common was alit. There was no evidence of the chaos that had befallen the Christmas market not that long ago, although a fire engine and ambulance are parked nearby. Instead, stalls were lit up in every colour imaginable, offering hot meals and hot drinks, even the occasional alcoholic drink. Sparklers and popping toys were being sold alongside glow sticks and neon jewellery. There was even a stall run by mimes which charged you three dollars to stick your hand into a strange box which may contain prizes. This was particularly popular. Further on, there were a couple men in plain brown suits at a stall with mysterious stains on it. The men were making the most incredible balloon sculptures, more detailed than any balloon sculpture had any right to be. Beside them was a sign that read “WARNING: DO NOT POP BALLOONS”. Aunt Jolene, however, who ran the brownie stall, claimed she’d popped hers and found a check for a thousand dollars in hers. It was a beautiful, lively evening, ready to ring in the new year, as if the black ocean, eye sun, sandman and all else could be left in this one.

Nora insisted that her and Remmy had to be the first at the Mime event. Remmy may have told Nora that it wasn't a complete mime event, but Nora wasn't hearing any of it. If anyone was going to watch the silent ball drop, it was going to be Nora. As they approached the commons, Nora was craning her neck wondering if Marie-Jeanne was going to grace them with her presence. Nora was a big fan of her.

Dakota had heard about what was happening at The Common through a few people at work—excited chatter between coworkers grabbing a cup of stale coffee before returning to their desks, or their offices, or their labs. Originally, she hadn’t been planning on showing up because New Year’s Eve happened to be the busiest night of year for most people at the precinct. For Dakota, the disasters usually followed a few days after, because that’s when you found the bodies. But tonight she was feeling more adventurous than she’d had in weeks—mainly due to the fact that she was bored, but she had also never been to The Common, why not check it out? So, she showed up. There was a bit of commotion concerning someone popping a balloon and finding money, but she decided to spend a bit of cash and grab a cup of hot chocolate and watch the events unfold, much like a wallflower would do.

Ally debated the whole day as to whether to or not she would be in attendance at the ball drop. She could’ve sat in the office all night, waiting for the calls that would inevitably come in the closer that they got to midnight, or she could get dressed up and be on call at the party. Every time she decided she wasn’t going and took off her dress she remembered what Christmas alone felt like, and she sure as hell didn’t want that again. So eventually she got herself into her car and drove to The Common. Best case scenario, she made a new friend, worst case scenario she wasted a few hours. When she arrived she walked around, looking at all the activities and nervously staying far away from the mimes, especially after what Regan had told her.

After the kitchen incident with Nadia, Arthur really hadn't been planning to leave the house. But it was New Year's Eve, and whenever the mimes were out in force he couldn't entirely control the morbid curiosity to witness them. The issue he had presently was trying to get his wallet out to pay for a hot chocolate with one arm presently held in a sling and cast. "Ah shoot" he muttered as he dropped the wallet on the floor crouching down to grab it and glancing over to a lady who was also stood nearby. "Sorry- Could- Would you mind helping me?"

Being first to the ball drop hadn’t been important to Remmy, but it was to Nora, and so they’d donned their nicest clothes that weren’t packed, and had headed out before the sun was even beginning to set with Nora. They noticed her looking around for someone and raised a brow. “Who are you looking for?” they asked, casting a glance around as well, seeing if they could spot anyone they recognized as well. Wondered if Luce might show, wondered if they’d want to see her, even. They rubbed the back of their head as they walked along. “What do you wanna do first? Looks like there’s some sort of carnival game stuff. Wanna check that out?

This was the last place Kaden wanted to be. Ringing in the New Years surrounded by goddamn mimes. He was going to be at home with his dog and some wine and cheese. It was going to be simple. But no. Nor was going to steal a fucking ball from the ball drop. And he had a feeling he had to be there to either stop her or help her. He wasn’t sure which right now. Either way, he had a flask on hand. He didn’t know what he needed but he knew he needed that. When he saw Nora he waved. She could call the shots. And she was hanging out with that other hunter, Remmy. Interesting. “Hey,” he said with a nod.

"Marie-Jeanne." Nora answered without explanation. Nora cracked her neck. It hurt after so much craning. "I gotta go steal the ball before it drops. Will you be good?" Nora asked. Nora wasn't sure Remmy would want to help. Nora had met them whilst they were working security and the conversation about thieving public displays of new year bringing. Just then Kaden showed up. "Good." Nora gave him an approving nod. She thought he'd be too chicken to show up. "Step one. Don't get seen by any mimes. Step two. Steal the ball. Got it?"

Never having been very good at dealing with the unknown, the moment Solomon learned that they were warned to not pop the balloons, the ache to rip them all to bits was almost overwhelming. He was perched on a bench, his attention flicking between that stall and the one with the mimes and mystery box, trying to decide which one would be more satisfying to wreck. The fact that he was surrounded by people, something that would normally make him extremely antsy, was completely overshadowed by the need to reveal whatever those men in the suits were hiding. In what he thought was a sly manner (but probably wasn’t), Solomon sidled his way toward the balloon stand, still eyeballing the creations as they were whipped together at record speed and handed off to their buyers. As one of them passed hands from the artist to the commissioner, Solomon made a quick gesture with one hand, sending a couple thorns hurtling from his fingertips and bursting the thing right in the woman’s face. The delighted laugh was barely muffled as he relished the loud sound (which had been unexpected) and sudden burst of glittery bits of... whatever it was that exploded in her face. Which of course drew attention to him, so he quickly turned tail and slipped off to find more people with those balloons.

“Steal the...ball?” Remmy asked, blinking. They looked around again, when a familiar voice piped in. It was Kaden, the guy from the cooking class that Remmy was pretty sure was another zombie. They wondered if Morgan knew him, hadn’t she mentioned him once? They smiled, waving back. “Hey-- oh,” glanced over at Nora again. “Uh, yeah, I’ll be good. Just try not to get into too much tro--” they paused, snapped their jaw shut, “never mind. Just don’t get yourself hurt, okay?” they said, sighing and shaking their head. But they were smiling.

Connor wasn't sure how long he was going to stay, mostly for the sake of his new companion, Nico. So far she'd seemed to be a well-adjusted and friendly dog, but he didn't want to put her in a situation that would be overwhelming, so was more than ready to head home early and have a quiet night instead. “Come on, girl,” he said, scratching behind her ear as they walked. So far, so good. He headed over to the common, looking around for someone he might recognize.

The celebration of the coming year was a strange, but pleasant thing. Kevin couldn’t quite recall the last year she had seen come and go. Glamor in place, she wandered about, making her way over to the stand with the mystery box. Such an enchanting idea… even if the people running it were clearly abominations. She was never one to leave much to chance, but there was a certain appeal to the surprise. Still, this was for the people of White Crest to enjoy, she was content to simply observe… at least for the moment.

“This is Hell. I’m dead - for real this time - and I’ve gone to Hell.” Mercy had a very deep hatred for mimes. Not humans playing at being mimes, but Mimes. Of the White Crest variety. The kind that had shot her and tried - see: very nearly succeeded - in murdering Arthur. Not to mention a slew of others. So while she waited on Arthur to come back from the hot chocolate line - Mercy had opted for beer, which she sipped thoughtfully from her perch on the back of one of the Common’s benches - she took in her surroundings, noting all the strangeness (both normal and suspicious in nature) and thinking that maybe the four knives and her pistol (for which she was properly permitted thanks much) that she currently had hidden on her person might not be enough if shit went sour. Which there was a fifty-fifty chance of. The sharp pop of a balloon caught her attention, and her gaze cut across the crowd, locking on an unfamiliar face that was quickly exiting the scene. “I’d be careful popping those,” Mercy said, hopping off her bench as the stranger passed by. “Some of them might not be so… sparkly.”

Savannah would have happily been at home with a bottle of wine, but she was trying, perhaps in vain, to be a little more social. Every time she went out into the world, something unexpected seemed to happen, and not all of them were welcomed. Still, anything this event and its mimes could offer had to be better than ringing in the New Year alone, right? She spotted a few people she knew, but opted to quietly observe for a while.

Kaden sighed deeply before bringing the flask to his lips and taking a swig. He held it out in case Nora or Remmy wanted any, too. “Lead the way.” This was a mistake. “You want to help? I feel like this is a terrible idea and could probably use more hands,” he asked Remmy.

If only Marley could’ve used the excuse of working the party to come, but as it were, she wasn’t allowed in the field anyway, but she sure as hell wanted to show up to what would likely be a disastrous event. If only for the free food. People around here either loved mimes or hated them, and with hate often came fear. Donning her glasses, she strolled into the Common with hands tucked in pockets, glancing around to see who else was going to show up to this place. Kept to the fringes of the crowd for now, spotting Kaden with two others, including that nuisance bugbear who kept bothering all the cops at the precinct. Solano was on the other side, idling around as awkwardly as Marley, as if trying to blend in, and over at one of the drink stations was Dakota. Marley made a mental note to stay far away from there for now. Maybe after a few shots of tequila she’d gather up enough courage to go over to her.

Remmy looked at the flask Kaden was holding out to them, then up to his face as he asked if they wanted to help. “Oh, uh-- n-no, that’s okay. I’ll just...I mean i guess I could keep an eye out to make sure ya’ll are good, but I’d rather not.”

All at once, there was a screech of violins. The college band fell silent as the mime band began to play real music, despite the apparent lack of real instruments. Even more unnervingly, the mime lead singer's lips did not move, but they sang with the exact vocal cords of the college band singer, who was clutching at his throat in distress.

Dakota hadn’t really been paying much attention to the guy with his arm in a sling—at least not until he dropped the damned thing and she was the closest person who could help in the least bit. “Shit, yeah,” she said. Dakota did sort of feel bad for him, crouching down like that, so she kneeled and grabbed his wallet, handing it back to him. “The hell happened to you arm?”

Nora took a large swig of the flask then grabbed Kaden by the arm to pull him behind a stall. Reaching into her coat she pulled out two berets and some face paint. "We need to get in disguise. Paint up." Nora started applying copious amounts of white face paint onto her already pale face. In retrospect, she should have brought a hand mirror. Oh well, much like this year, hindsight was 2020.

Slowing his roll as he heard someone speaking to him, Solomon whipped around to look at the woman, offering his best innocent shrug. “I don’t know what you meeeaan!” he lied, snickering all the while. “What else could they possibly stuff in there, bees?” There was a pause, and he raised his eyebrows. “Actually, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. Bad for the bees, though. I gotta free them!” He sucked in an unusually energetic breath, ready to take off again in pursuit of another target, but rattled to a stop before he’d even gotten started. “... Aren!” He waved both arms when he spotted his friend just a short distance off, beckoning him over. “Aren, come help me rescue some bees!”

Connor spotted the person with who had the giant fluffy dog that he'd seen at Nell's party, although no dog in tow this time. "Hey," he greeted. "Nice to see you again." The strange noise brought his attention over to the stage and he cocked his head curiously. "Oh. That's... normal."

Ally heard the screech of violins and spun around to look at the band. When she heard the sound coming from the mime band she scrunched her eyebrows trying to comprehend how sound was coming from the mimes. The stall nearest to her was selling drinks, and although alcohol certainly wasn’t going to explain what she just saw, she suddenly felt like she needed a drink. She downed it and leaned toward the person nearest to her, “Is this like a performance piece or something?” She whispered.

Savannah spotted Marley, but she didn't want to approach her given the last encounter they'd had. Probably better to talk in a one on one environment. She saw Kaden, and a couple of people from the station, one of whom she thought she remembered was called Alejandra. "A performance piece... that's one way of putting it," Savannah said, grateful she'd already grabbed a drink. "You're new here, right?"

As the woman handed back his wallet Arthur smiled awkwardly as he stood up, "thanks, sorry- I'm not normally this much of a clutz." He took the wallet back, awkwardly trying to fish a couple of dollar bills out to pay the disgruntled looking hot chocolatier. "Oh this? I was involved in an accident-" not the total truth, but near enough all things considered. Taking the bills he finally handed them over. “Sorry again- thanks.” Catching a figure waving in his periphery Arthur grinned and waved back "Hey Sol- Bees? What bees?"

Mercy tipped an eyebrow, unable to help her own amusement. “Bees would… be preferable actually,” she said. Before she could say anything else, he was going on about freeing said bees and Mercy was… thinking her night was getting just a little bit better. This could only end in glorious chaos. But it took a slightly unexpected turn when the stranger called to someone in the crowd… and used a name had never heard anyone else use. Not in a very, very long time. “You know, Arth- Aren?” Mercy said, grabbing one of the excited stranger’s flailing limbs. “There aren’t bees…” she told him. “No bees,” she said to Arthur as he approached. Mercy took a long sip of her beer. “Not yet at least.”

Was he drunk or did Nora just pull out fucking berets and facepaint? “No. I’m not doing that. You can’t make me. I’ll just put up my hood or something.” Kaden tugged it up and hoped that was enough. After being striped for about a week, there was no way in fucking hell he was putting on any more goddamn facepaint. “This way,” he said quietly as he led the past a few crowds of people and around some tables and decorations. They reached a group of “performers.” He sure as shit wasn’t going to work to blend in. He made a gesture that he’d just go around, but it was too late. One of the mimes grabbed his arm and then made a gesture, pulling their finger across their throat. Uhhh. He looked to Nora for help.

Ally nodded in agreement with what the woman next to her said. When she asked if she was new she turned toward her. “Right, yeah, I’ve seen you around the station. I’m Ally.” She said sticking her hand out. “Do they do this every year?”

"Savannah," she introduced herself. "Yeah, I consult on cases there sometimes. I'm FBI." Apparently the White Crest Police Department was just a bunch of attractive women and one weird Sergeant. "I wouldn't know, this is my first time here. I only came to town a little over six months ago. Still long enough to no longer be surprised by these things."

“The bees in the balloons!” Solomon bleated over Mercy’s attempts to stifle him, though the wind did seem to get sucked out of his sails after another brief moment of consideration. “Fine… but I still want to see what’s in them. “Yeah, yeah, we met, uh… a long time ago. Y’know.” He gave her a shrug, beaming at Arthur as he approached. “I’m breaking stuff, d’you want to help?” He glanced at Mercy, giving her a quick once over. Any friend of Aren’s was a friend of his. “You too!”

It was the fatal error of refusing to put makeup on that caused Kaden to get grabbed and noticed by the mimes. As the mimes made a slit throat gesture to Kaden, Nora, now a true mime, made the gesture of a tear rolling down her face. Deciding she'd better do her best to help her tall friend Nora decided to speak up for Kaden. The mime sequence was intended to say "I was chasing him, and he got away, then you caught him, and now I'll kick him out." In Nora's mind, she was convinced it looked brilliant. Truly she was a mime natural but to a person who could actually perceive Nora's actions, Nora looked like a flopping dead fish. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Nora summoned an illusioned mime bear to scare the mime and pull Kaden away in that moment of shock. Nora grabbed Kaden's arm and made a run for it.

Wandering over to his old friend Arthur's brow pinched in confusion as he looked over the crowd and realised what Solomon was referencing. Balloons. Oh right. "You're breaking stuff? That tracks..." his smile grew a tad devious as he glanced at Mercy and back to Solomon. "Do you need help with that?" As if to emphasise the point he glanced at the nearby balloon stand where a black balloon was in the process of being placed in the extended hands of a middle-aged woman. It didn't take too much focus to warm the air around it just enough to make it explode, sliming the recipient's hands in lumpy hanyo.

“Nice to meet you. Do all towns have a dedicated FBI agent or is it just this one on account of the…” Ally motioned to the mimes bizarre behavior. “Alright so six months until this is normal. Great. Another drink?” She suggested. She had moved across an ocean for a new start, and the new start was fucking weird. She heard a balloon pop and glanced over, watching what looked like mayonnaise cover a woman’s hands. “That’s going on the ‘not illegal but it should be’ list.”

What a curious thing, how the music changed, seemingly stolen away from the poor child trying his best. Best not to interfere. Kevin instead busied herself, walking over to the delightful bunch of balloons. Her eyes widened as one of them suddenly popped, a delighted smile curling onto her face as she drew near the strangers at the stand. “Ah, I thought the sign said not to pop them. How strange. Do they all have that… substance inside them, do you think?”

Jared was only there to support one of the mimes in the band. He was a regular at the restaurant in town and the nymph always tried his best to mime back with enthusiasm when he was ordering. It seemed to have won him some favour when he was slipped a flier for the event in the commons, the mime silently letting him know that they were to be there. And so there he was, miming clapping along to the supposed beat of the silent band, only to swap to real clapping when the band burst into sound.

Savannah snickered. White Crest's dedicated FBI Agent. That was a funny way of looking at things. She certainly felt like that, at times. Although she was beginning to get the feeling it wouldn't last much longer. "I came for one specific case, and found several more. Missing people, cults, a ridiculously large death toll for a town this side. What could be better?" she said, playfully sarcastic. "I like the accent," Savannah said. "England, right?"

“No, I didn’t.” Mercy didn’t seem to know a lot of things these days. Not that she expected to know everything about Arthur’s life here in town. But if this guy knew him as Aren… then he was old like they were. He had to be. Mercy thought at least something like that would be worth her knowing. Her mind drifted off to places she didn’t want it to be, places that held nothing but self-doubt and bitterness, but her new acquaintances excitement pulled her out of it. “Oh, you don’t want my help…” she huffed, glancing between Arthur and his mysterious friend as she finished off her drink. “Unless you like fire. Lots of fire.” Another balloon popped, this time at Arthur’s bidding, and Mercy shook her head. “And people say I’m a bad influence…” Though the air around her hummed slightly, sounding ironically… like bees.

Kaden wasn’t sure what the hell was going to happen. Or what Nora was trying to convey in what he assumed was mime gestures. It looked like a lot of flopping around. From the looks of it, the mimes weren’t convinced. Putain de merde, this was how they died. Or became striped again. He wasn’t sure which was worse. Before any of them could reveal extra teeth or stripes under stripes, a mime bear appeared and chased the mimes. Kaden was prepared to high tail it and run the opposite direction, but the actual bugbear pulled him away. He wasn’t sure where the fuck they were running, but he kept going. Straight into Marie-Jeanne. Putain de fucking merde.

Kevin let her attention wander, humming along to the music. It was a pleasant sound, but it was being stolen. So very rude. Well, two could play at that game. A twist of her fingers was all she needed. As the mime band continued on, their music seemed to spread. It spilled out of the mystery box and echoed from the balloons, sounding almost as if it was trapped inside. As the melody went on, it grew stranger, louder, almost as though it were at odds with itself. Impossible instruments joined in, a few discordant voices joining into the mix. Now this was what a party was supposed to sound like.

Looking absolutely thrilled as Arthur joined in on the balloon-bursting fun, Solomon tut-tutted at Mercy. “Come on, it’s not often you get to cause a little mischief and not worry about repercussions. Also no, not the biggest fan of fire, but… a little seems to work just fine,” he added with a grin. Extending his hand to the woman, he figured a proper introduction was in order. “I’m Solomon, by the way. Aren and I met back in the… gods, what was it?” He glanced to Arthur, cocking his head to the side. “1700?” Then he noticed the sound around them was changing, and made a face. “The hell is that?”

Ally sipped on the next drink she was handed, feeling a little more comfortable. “Cults?” She said, perking up. In London there had been a cult that she had suspected was actually just a clan of vampires. “I’ll have to look into that. At least it’s not boring.” She said simply, glancing back down at her drink. “Yes, yes I’m from London. And you?”

Marie-Jeanne grinned at Nora and Kaden, swivelling her hips salaciously. Unfortunately, she saw what they were going to do and that was ever so unacceptable. She peeled one of the stripes off her body to reveal more stripes underneath. She'd gotten ever so many more stripes since the last time they'd met. With the stripe of questionable material, she tried to tie the pair of them up.

Witnessing all these people seeming to run a muck made Dakota truly wonder why she had moved to White Crest in the first place. Sipping her hot chocolate, she did happen to see Marley, and she promptly choked on her drink and made a bee-line in the other direction, stumbling in to someone else’s conversation. Oh, wait… She’d seen this person before. FBI agent, right? “Uh, sorry, I heard there was commotion about bees.” She looked between the FBI agent and the other person she was speaking with, whom she had not the faintest idea of a name. “Sorry to interrupt. Are you guys talking about London?” Please be a normal conversation…

"Yeah, my colleague who worked here before he passed away was an expert in cults," Savannah said, as plainly as she might when talking about the weather. "I'm from Massachusetts," she said. "I was working at the Field Office in Boston for a few years prior to moving here. I'm sure the place will leave an impression..." She turned to the newest person who'd entered the conversation, someone from the crime lab. "Yeah," she said. "You been there?" She wrinkled her face in confusion. “Bees?”

“London? No, no. I do know there’s like, a big clock. And a ferris wheel. And I’m not sure what I heard, but there was definitely someone shouting about bees…” Yeah, Dakota, that’s why you tried to make yourself look busy. “Have you?”

"Big Ben and the London Eye," Savannah said, nodding. "Yeah, I went to a few places around the UK on my Honeymoon," she answered, but was quick to lift her drink to draw attention to her empty ring finger.

Nell had come to this event for one reason, and one reason only. To ruin as much of it as she could. The mimes thought they ruled this town, holding it under the tip of their striped thumbs, but in her mind they could stand to be brought down a few pegs or more. As she finally arrived, her eyes narrowed, nose scrunching at the cursed sound the band was emitting. Without a second thought she murmured a spell under her breath, snickering as the strings of the mime band’s violins snapped to slash back across the musicians faces in a light slap. Already in a much better mood, she made her way through the crowd looking for more opportunities to soil the mimes.

Ally made a mental note to ask Savannah about her colleague, interrupted by a new person in the conversation. “I mean, bees aren’t usually out in the winter. Have you seen any?” she asked, looking around. “Oh, well, I’m from there.” Ally explained. She looked at Savannah’s empty ring finger and nodded. “Ah, sorry.” she said awkwardly, unsure what to say.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Savannah answered. “It just means I’m single.”

Remmy was instantly relieved when they spotted Nell across the way, and started making their way to her. Picked up a drink on the way and watched out of the corner of their eye as Kade and Nora went off to do their mime shenanigans. The screeching of the new violins were lost on Remmy’s ears, and they smiled brightly as they found their way over to Nell, waving. “Hey! Nell!” they called out, “I didn’t think you were gonna come. I thought you hated mimes?”

Connor was grateful that someone else he knew had shown up; someone in a similar age range. It was weird when everyone around him was in their thirties or forties. "Nell!" He called, unaware of what she had just done to upset the mimes, waving her over. "Come meet Nico!" The Golden Retriever seemed all too happy to make a new friend.

"Oh! You haven't met? Mercy this is Solomon. Solomon this is Mercy now you know one another." Arthur would've clapped, except, he couldn't so he grinned instead looking between his compatriots tonight. "Oh come on," he nudged Mercy "let's be the chaos crew." Another balloon nearby popped and a plastic necklace dropped into the hands of a pleased looking little girl.

Dakota furrowed her brow, not exactly sure what had happened with Savannah and her ex. “Damn, was the honeymoon that bad?” she joked, then drew her attention to Ally. “Sorry, I totally butted in. I’m Dakota. And I heard London is nice. Except for when you’re having bad honeymoons, apparently.”

He heard a familiar laugh and turned to spot Remmy and Nell across the way. Jared gave a small smile to his mime pal in the band, giving them a thumbs up before heading over. Overhearing Remmy’s words he frowned, however. “Hate mimes? Why?”

Savannah rolled her eyes with a snicker. "No, the honeymoon was great. The marriage was just average," she said, shrugging. "No huge angst, no broken hearts. Just better off as acquaintances these days."

Nora was ready to book it over to the ball to steal it when the most beautiful person Nora had ever seen stepped in front of them. Of course, Nora had seen this person before but that didn't make her appearance any less breathtaking. Nora skidded to a stop, not willing to brush past Marie-Jeanne. It was with rapt attention Nora watched as Marie-Jeanne took off one of her many stripes. It was with no quarrel that Noar let Marie-Jeanne wrap her in the stripe. It was with a weird sense of belonging that she thanks Marie-Jeanne for tying her up. "Thanks." Nora let out. Of course, that came with complete forgetfulness of having been pretending to be a mime. Nora looked expectantly to Kaden, expecting him to get tied up as well.

“Oh, you fucking bet I hate mimes. That’s why I came to destroy everything they love,” Nell quickly replied to Remmy, her voice bright despite the doom promised in her words. “Why are you here?” There was, without a doubt, one thing that could momentarily turn her head from her current mime mission in life, and that was one singular golden dog that was approaching with Connor. “Nico?” Nell asked excitedly, already bending to pet the pup. “Since when do you have a dog?” Then she turned to Jared, confusion and judgement plain on her features. “Jared- you know I literally despise mimes.”

After several drinks, Marley finally felt confident enough to join the group without either accidentally feeding off someone or saying something stupid or rude. She made her way over to the group of people she recognized all together-- Savannah, Ally, Dakota. Only two out of three of them would be awkward to talk to, so that was a win. In most situations, they all would be. Grabbing another spiced eggnog, Marley headed over, pausing just short when the violins began screeching, turning to glance back over at them. Disaster one, she supposed. Opting to ignore it, she leaned against the table. “If we’re all here, who’s working the lines?”

“A partner is usually more trouble than they’re worth, I’ve found. Except it would certainly lower my rent.” Ally offered. “Maybe one of those are looking for a roommate.” she joked, watching the mimes lose control of their violins. Another sip of her drink. “I’m Ally, nice to meet you.” she smiled. She was heading toward best case scenario territory. Even with the mimes and maybe bees. When Marley approached Ally smiled, glad to see someone she recognized. “I’m on call.” She said, tapping her earpiece. “I’ll have to arrest someone in a dress tonight, I’m sure of it.”

Remmy felt a tad overwhelmed as the boy from Nell’s birthday party that had wanted to pet Moose came up to them as well as Jared. Nell confirmed her hated for mimes and Remmy shrugged. “I came with Nora, she was really excited to be here. I think she’s trying to con that guy Kaden into stealing the ball for the ball drop with her,” they said, looking at the other two. “You brought your dog? Are they okay with fireworks? I heard there might be some later.”

"They are kind of weird, aren't they?" Connor said about the mimes. There was something even more unsettling about the White Crest version of mimes than the usual ones. "I adopted her right before Christmas.” He looked to Remmy. “I'm gonna leave if she gets antsy about the crowds and fireworks, and probably head away before they go off, so I can see how she is at a distance, but she's a gundog, so she might be alright."

Savannah shrugged, unaware of the situation with Marley and Dakota, and also not really caring. She was just happy Marley wasn't avoiding her. "I dunno, Keene, maybe?"

Ah so there was another witch about. How sweet. Kevin found the woman quickly, feeling the magic in the air trailing from the broken instrument to the caster in question. It was a decent spell, clever and rounded at the edges. Still, her own had already reached the music, and Kevin wasn’t particularly interested in letting others cross paths with hers. Her hand turned, hidden in her glamor. The music grew louder, horns and bells chiming in, whispers of voices in a dozen unknowable tongues joining in. All of it centered around that sweet, young caster. The musical notes began to take shape around her, turning into birds, into bubbles that popped with a scream, and all the while, the volume continued to grow.

Jared spared a bright smile for Remmy and the stranger before mumbling a soft “I hoped you’d grown out of hating mimes… We haven’t really spoken about them all that much since you got back…” He glanced back at his mime friend in the band hoping they weren’t hearing this; he’d hate to offend such a new friend like this. “They’re just trying to get along like everyone else.”

The mention of the word partner made Marley’s skin vibrate and she nodded perhaps a bit more enthusiastically than she should’ve. “Agreed. People aren’t worth the trouble,” before shooting back another chug. “Oh, right. Agatha.” She should’ve known that, Agatha had practically tripped over herself to volunteer tonight. She was a real teacher’s pet, but for whatever reason, Marley only found the trait endearing, whereas usually she hated it. She watched Dakota back away and head off, wondering if it was because of her, frowning. She glanced at Savannah, only for a moment, before turning her eyes away. “What do you think of the band? Kinda eerie, huh?”

“You’d be surprised,” Mercy said to Solomon, eyeing the stranger with even more curiosity. “Though it has been awhile I suppose.” Besides, Mercy’s brand of mischief might utterly ruin the mimes’ night. How could she resist? Especially as Arthur so eagerly introduced her and the stranger. “It’s an honor to meet you, Solomon,” she said, shaking hands. “But you can call me Freyja if you like. I’ve known Aren… well, forever really.” And that was the truth. Idly she wondered if she and Solomon had perhaps met in passing when she’d been in Maine herself in the early 1700s. Or if the man had known Arthur’s family. His children. But the dour thoughts passed easily as she was jostled by Arthur. She sighed in a pseudo-put upon fashion, smiling faintly as the little girl showed her necklace to her father. “You really want me to do this?” she asked, looking first at Arthur then at Solomon, who seemed a bit worried all of a sudden.

“Kind of weird is an understatement,” Nell replied dryly, glaring at a passing mime as if she were daring it to say, or sign something. “Steal the ball?” she asked with renewed curiosity. Surely that would be a good way to throw a wrench in the mimes’ celebration. Unfortunately Jared’s words were lost as the music swelled around her, and her skin prickled as another magic blossomed. Apparently someone wasn’t all too thrilled with her antics around the band. “I can’t hear you!” she yelled over the music towards her friends, but that didn’t matter now. If someone was upset she was messing with the band, deafening her was the wrong way to make her stop. Instead it fueled her hatred of the mimes even further, and in another moment she let her magic fly again, targeting the mime band with renewed vigor as she flipped the chairs of the first row, sending mimes tumbling.

It was her. The mime who had given him the lapdance on his birthday. The one with too many teeth and stripes under her stripes. He tried to get away, make a run for it, but she had peeled off her stripes and was tying him up. Shit. Shit fucking shit. Of course Nora was thrilled. Kaden tried to pull his hands away, but she had a vice grip on his wrist and wasn’t letting up. Even with hunter strength it was hard to pull away. He heard strange sounds coming from the center of the Common from the band, seemingly. Like someone threw something at the musicians. “Hey, uh, this was, this is great but I gotta go.”

Remmy glanced between Nell and Jared, wondering what was going on between them that someone would think Nell liked mimes. Anyone who knew Nell knew she hated them. It was strange to think she ever did or ever would like them. But then she was shouting and Remmy was glancing around anxiously. “Nell, are you okay?” they asked, reaching out for her, but she was already doing something else, and Remmy watched as the front row of the mime band was upturned. They winced. “Nell, was that--”

"Kaden's here, too," Savannah said. She knew she'd spotted him talking to a goth-looking person earlier. Speaking of the band, Savannah's head turned as the front row of the orchestra seemed to all be thrown off their chairs. "The band are... interesting, but... Oh. Well, I don't think that's part of the show."

Quickly forgetting the bizarre sound he’d heard in favor of getting up to no good, Solomon nodded enthusiastically. This wasn’t normally his brand of activity, but something about running into such an old friend had rekindled a spark in him that had been snuffed out long ago. “Well then, Freyja, yes! We do!” He scanned the crowd for another unsuspecting guest, spotting a balloon gripped in the hands of a young boy, and grinned. “It’s easy… like this!” Letting loose another small volley of thorns, Solomon’s delight quickly turned to confusion as the balloon burst and out fell… dust? What was that? “Huh,” he grunted, a little disappointed. But then the dust was on the move, balling up in clumps as it rolled along the ground, with alarming… intelligence. “Uh oh.”

There was a horrific clatter of musical instruments (including the ting of a strangely loud triangle). The mimes stopped all at once, helping their brethren to their feet. In unison, they turned to face Nell in particular, and frowned as one in perfect synchronisation, drawing a sad face onto theirs. There was a ripple of perfect silence across the crowd before the music started up again. Unbeknownst to Nell, changes were beginning to happen at the Vural household. Then they sat down, picked up new mime instruments and began to play once more.

“Single cops who spend all their time at the precinct. Aren’t we stereotypes.” Ally noticed Marley frown when Dakota disappeared and wondered if there was a story there. “Very eerie here. How do you think they’re doing it? Hidden speakers.” She said, leaning over to see if she could spot them. She noticed them get thrown off their chair. “What is happening?” she said, wondering if they should do something.

Jared whipped around to see the chairs fly and his smile vanished. “Nell what the hell! Stop that, what have they done? They haven’t done anything, stop that.” He glared at her and stomped over to help pick up the chairs. He missed the eerie stop of the music completely in his anger.

As the mimes looked to Nell in unison, she raised a single finger. A very carefully chosen finger. The most offensive finger a person could raise as she collectively flipped them the bird.

Remmy, noticing the mimes all staring at Nell, backed away slowly, taking Connor and his dog with them. “We should...go.”

Connor didn't need to be a genius (he definitely wasn't one) to figure out that Nell was the one messing with the band. He raised an eyebrow, chuckling as she gave them the finger. "Careful. I've heard they can be pretty dangerous." He nodded to Remmy. “Yeah, good idea,” he teased. “You’re on your own, Penelope.” Miriam had made him promise, after all, not to let the dog get into any dangerous situations.

Nell’s finger began to develop stripes.

Wincing, Marley took another long sip of her eggnog, watching the turmoil begin to crescendo-- pun intended. All the mimes were focusing on one single person, and Marley noticed it was the little jailbird, Nell. Chuckling, Marley relaxed little, excited to see how this might play out. She glanced over at Ally and Savannah. “Well, here’s to being single and dedicating our lives to shit like this, yeah?” she raised her glass to them both, not bothering to answer the unasked question of whether they should intervene. She wasn’t on duty, she had no obligation to act, just like with the Dullahan. Instead, she’d enjoy the show, and the free meal. She deserved it.

Oblivious to the ensuing chaos by the bandstand, Arthur watched the strange clumps of dust rolling across the floor mildly entranced by the dust bunnies. "Huuuh, weird." As if on cue another couple of balloons popped, but this time instead of their owners suffering the repercussions he heard a pop too close for comfort and felt the wet slide of something down his face; which was now covered in a stream of white mayo. "Ewwwww- I hate mayonnaise Disgusting."

Nell couldn’t deny that her first thought upon seeing her finger develop stripes was ‘chop it off.’ Thankfully, she did no such thing and made the very wise decision to raise her other middle finger, brandishing it as she stuck out her tongue to the mime band. “I have two, bitch!”

Her other finger began to develop stripes. So did her tongue.

Sam Rainsbottom grinned for a camera as he posed in front of the New Years party panorama. “Hello everyone! This is WC Student Broadcasting coming to you from the Coooomon!” Sam’s blue eyes flicked up to where the Yearbook students manning the camera switched to a new cue card. “We’d like to officially thank the Striped Club, The Quiet Place, and Your Mime and Ours, and whole Silent Thespian community for sponsoring this civic event!”

Sam looked back at chaos of stands being tipped over “shit shit” he side shuffled and made motions with his hands for the camera to pan away to some non-destruction scenes of this New Years party.

Marie-Jeanne giggled silently, tapping Nora's nose that developed some stripes of their own. She did not do the same to Kaden, holding him tightly as she pulled a balloon out of her pocket. Don't ask how she has pockets. Don't ask how a large balloon fit in the pocket. All Kaden and Nora needed to worry about was that the balloon was slowly expanding, getting ready to pop.

Mercy glanced over at the ruckus from near the ‘mime band’, but since it was actual sound being made, she didn’t pay much attention. She turned back to watch Solomon send a volley of… was it thorns??... through the air and pop another balloon. “Good shot,” Mercy grinned, squinting at the balls of dust that rolled away. “Oh… it’s just some dust bunnies. Nothing to worry about.” The air hummed with chaotic energy, the brisk chill of the evening and the sounds of the crowd - barring whatever was happening with the ‘band’ - along with the contagiousness of her companions’ mischief was quickly taking over any good sense she might’ve shown. The balloon that popped nearby only got a passing glance from the Fury, though she did grimace a little at substance that coated Arthur’s face. “Are you sure it’s mayo?” she asked, scooping a bit onto her finger to taste. “Yeah… yuck. Definitely mayo. With undertones of birb.” But… with no harm done from yet another balloon, Mercy finally handed Arthur her drink. “Those were both great shots, boys…” she said of their individual balloon-popping. “Now it’s my turn…” With that, she turned and walked off into the crowd. A brush of a hand here… a tap of a finger there… and when she returned a minute or so later, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright with mischief and the effects of her power. Mercy glanced at her watch. “You wanted chaos…” It read about a minute or so til somewhere nearby a bell would toll. “You’ll get chaos…”

Nora giggled. Nora actually fully giggled as Marie-Jeanne tapped her nose. She might have actually giggled more if she'd known that her nose was now striped. It was like mime themed freckles. Her eyes followed the balloon, looking up at it. The roundness of the balloon reminded Nora that she was on a mission. "I'm sorry. I have something I need to do." Nora rolled to her side and started rolling towards the giant ball. Not very fast, to be fair. Definitely not fast enough to get away from the balloon. The balloon popped above her in a shower of rainbows. It was a beautiful effect. It was less beautiful as Nora noticed that her outfit went from the signature black to colorful rainbow.

Looking a little grossed out when the new substance appeared on Arthur’s face, Solomon only looked more aghast when Mercy tasted it. “That… could have been one hundred percent bird poop! You’re brave,” he laughed. Happy to see that she’d finally decided to join in, the leshy watched curious as she walked away, nudging Arthur gently in the side. “Cool friend you got there, Aren. She seems like fun!” His eyebrows raised again as she came back into view, and that struggle with the unknown took hold once again. “What did you do?” he gasped excitedly, eyes widening.

Tired of being unable to hear the voices of those surrounding her, and currently angered by the mimes audacity at stripe-ing her, Nell cast another bit of magic to disrupt whatever spell it was the other caster in the crowd had thrown at her. The music returned to its normal, albeit still disturbing volume, but at least she was no longer being taken over by sound. Unfortunately...there was no saving her fingers. In rebuttal, she magicked a few of the mimes into the opposite of her fingers...rendering them solemnly solid rather than striped.

Kaden tried to pull away and swore he could have made it, but it was too late. It didn’t matter. The balloon exploded and rained down color on them. Great. That was fine. Just a nice pretty balloon. And he seemed to be free to walk away. “Great. Nice seeing you again. I guess.” And while Nora rolled away, Kaden just walked around Marie-Jeanne as she blew him a kiss and headed towards the ball. He looked down briefly and noticed the color seemed to be following him. Hmm, no it was on him. He looked down at his clothes and noticed, like Nora’s they were all rainbow. He look at his hands and his fingernails were rainbow colored. With a deep dread, he sighed and leaned over to take a quick look at himself in a pane of glass nearby. He saw his hair. It, too, was rainbow colored. “Putain de merde!” he screamed. Loudly. It wasn’t Regan loud, but it was loud. He heard balloons popping in the distance. And what sounded like flesh exploding closer by. He looked to his left and black sludge was splattered across the way.

Whilst trying to help the first row of chairs up again Jared tripped. He’d never been super sure in his step when he was wearing shoes. So, as he tripped a balloon tied off to one of the nearby benches popped. In the rain of confetti Jared blinked. And then he blinked again. His entire being was striped. But it wasn’t static. He was flashing stripes that moved up and down his body as if to the beat of the remaining music from the band. He was a disco mime.

Nell's stripes began to extend down her fingers and her arms. They extended into her clothes. She would notice that, but the more sinister change, she would not notice later tonight, once she was out of these stripey clothes. She could only speak when dressed as a mime.

Solomon's statement made Arthur snicker even if he was kind of disgusted by the sentiment. "That's rank, ew." But his disgust was forgotten as Mercy wandered off into the crowd attempting to roughly track her movements but she was lost for a few and so he turned back to Solomon. "She is. Like the coolest." There was a small swell of warm pride as Mercy returned and whatever she had done he knew it was bound to be great. In for a penny in for a pound, he popped another three balloons. One of which splattered a white substance on the ground into which a young boy stepped... And got stuck. "Mummy!” the boy screamed “Mummy! Help! I'm stuck!" The second balloon popped, and a rotten banana peel fell out of the sky landing on Mercy’s head with a wet squelch.

Marie-Jeanne exploded at the sound of Kaden's yell. She would be back.

Sam listed off more town facts and corporate sponsors as the sparkler burned in his hand. His eyes briefly strayed to the sparkler ignition. Pure white and black flames poured from the sparkler, strange umbral fire and pale fluoresce weaved together in a mydriatic dance that caused an ecliptic blur across Sam’s vision when he focused on it.

How..did…how could fire? That's not how light works..right?

A cough from the camera guy brought Sam back to reality, away from questions, and unwelcome thoughts suppressed across generations. Sam grinned with a thumbs up as the mime-flame burned without a sound.

A rainbow tear slid down Nora's face as Marie-Jeanne exploded in front of them. Nora, tied up, defeated, lay there. Was there a point to stealing the ball? This was a bad end to the year.

Nora looked defeated. Which was probably for the best. They likely didn’t need to anger the mimes anymore. “Come on, let’s go back to the party or whatever you’d call this,” Kaden said as he tugged on Nora’s arm to lead them back to the center of the Common. As they made their way back to the center of the Common, he saw Nell. Covered in stripes. “Putain de merde, what the hell happened to you?” he said in between laughter. It was horrifying, sure. But it was also fucking hilarious.

The gayest bear to ever exist, covered in rainbows and stripes, followed Kaden without complaint. Not a word would come from Nora’s mourning mouth for the rest of the night. The rest of the new year was in memory of Marie-Jeanne.

An enthralling quiet descended across the crowd as the mimes began to mime out the minute long countdown. Even if you wanted to yell (with two colourful exceptions) you would barely speak louder than a whisper. On top of a tall spire, a striped black and white ball slowly descended. The silence rang like an orchestral harmony, which was a strange experience for everyone who hadn't heard loud silence before. When the clock hit midnight, the silence was loudest of all. Then the ball burst, and black sauce the hadn't been seen since the Sauce had dried up exploded over the whole common, covering many people. Those who got some in their mouths would soon come to regret it.

“What happened to me? What happened to you?” Nell cackled as she took in his rainbow stripes. But Nell certainly wasn’t about to let Kaden have the last laugh, and with another narrow of her eyes and quick spellwork, she wasted no time in hauling a metric fuck-ton of Sauce towards the hunter, pouring it over Kaden in a cursed and sticky waterfall, but purposefully leaving his rainbow hair on full display.

Snickering as the banana peel dropped on his new friend’s head, Solomon gave Arthur a nod in solidarity. Not wanting to fall behind, he made sure to get another popped balloon under his belt, but… nothing happened? He was certainly close enough to have seen it, the young man was passing right by them, balloon tucked beneath his arm when Solomon reached out and burst it with a prick of his thorned finger. Disappointed, he gave the two of them a shrug. “Guess it was a dud…?” Glancing up as a sudden hush fell over the crowd, he watched with interest as the mimes counted down silently, the ball slowly started to slide down, and then… exploded? Alarmed, he raised his arms to cover his face, sidestepping behind Arthur quickly as he could.

“Nah. Bird poops all runny. Was too thick for that.” Mercy wiped her hand on her jeans as she departed for the crowd. It wasn’t often that she used her power to such an extent, but tonight, with so much chaotic energy thrumming around them, the pull was… irresistible. Add Arthur’s gleeful encouragement - along with that of her new friend Solomon - and nothing could stop her from tipping the scales in favor of letting chaos reign supreme. She gave Arthur a warm, knowing smirk as she returned, and glanced at Solomon as the moment the bell would toll drew closer. “You’ll see…” She looked up as the little boy got stuck in the glue, but his mother got him out eventually, sans a shoe she didn’t bother to retrieve. “Eww!” she laughed, swiping the banana peel off her head… “That’s so gro-...” Mercy’s voice fell to a whisper. She frowned. She looked at her watch.

There was only silence where a bell should’ve sounded the time…

Silence that was deafening… until...

...pop… pop… pop-pop… POP

The sound of balloons.

Because in the crowd that Mercy had ducked through moments earlier, people were raising whatever they could find to the floating bits of plastic… and as the New Year began… they were popping them, one by one. Not all of them, and not everyone, but enough.

Mercy wasn’t sure what was happening. Only that she was covered in…. glitter. So much glitter… but it could've been worse. So much worse. So in true Fury fashion, she embraced the chaos she’d helped create… and laughed.

The echo of pops broke the otherwise eerie silence and Arthur didn't even bother to stifle his chuckle. "No no no!" he protested as Solomon tried to hide, grabbing his friends arm and scuffling to get behind him instead... Right as a balloon popped over his head and covered him in glitter. Well, that was the weirdest New Year’s he’d ever experienced.

Even the camera footage has been tainted with the Sauce as Sam and his camera crew tried the playback function on soggy recording device. Everything just played back in black and white without any sound, like an old silent film.

Sam tried to give an updated new report on what happened for the Camera after trying to wipe black goo from his hair and gag it off his tongue. But he couldn’t speak. Sam raised his voice and even shouted until he was red in the face, but not even a rasping sound left his throat.

Eventually the sauce-sodden student was reduced to forlornly scribbling on the cue card with markers and holding them up to the camera.

HAPPY NEW YEAR WHITE CREST

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

#wickedswriting

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dontasktheradiodemon · 3 years

Text

Sitting Room #1 (12/31/2020)

Click here if you’re like “what the heck is this about?”

Alastor decides that today is a good day to lay on top of a piano and sing. Valera @autokrates decides to accompany by playing the piano. Angel @sluttyspiderpolkacock plummets out of the sky and kills Alastor in one shot.

Alastor

What do we have here!

Alastor's been wandering the estate scouting out sources of entertainment—when he crosses paths with a sitting room stocked with a gorgeous grand piano. Entertainment located.

He trots over, plays a few keys to make sure it's in tune, considers his options, and then hops up to sit on top of the piano. Nice! Sturdy. He lays down on the piano.

What kind of song is appropriate to play while laying on a piano?

He thinks for a moment; then summons up his microphone, kills the lights, sends his shadow to play a dramatic arpeggio, rolls dramatically onto his back, and sings into the mic, "At first I was afraid~ I was petrified~"

Valera

Valera was happily sitting in the gardens, enjoying the ocean breeze of their home planet, the rustling of the leaves and the perfume of the flowers. It was only them and their thoughts out here.

How serene, how calm. You'd never guess their house was full of overpowered sinners hiding from a mass execution. All their fears were assuaged, not a single of the myriad of terrible incidents they'd expected had come to pass...

Wait. Was that... The opening bars for I Will Survive? Was that *Alastor* they saw through the gauzy curtains?

Fuck being alone with their thoughts, they *had* to get in on that good time. Hope Alastor doesn't mind if they hop right through an open window to offer some backing brass for his piano!

Alastor

Alastor sits up when the room is suddenly invaded—oh, how wonderful! There aren’t all that many places where you can start a musical number and fitting musical accompaniment just barges in! He’d thought he’d have to summon up his own private brass band.

Hand on his chest and hamming up as much as he can, he goes on, “Kept thinking *I* could never *live* without you *by my side*~”

Valera

Look at the man go, Gloria Gaynor would be proud. They plop themselves down next to his shadow on the bench, humming along under their breath while they ready themselves for their cue. In fact, while they're here...

A twitch of a fin, and a hazy amber spotlight flickers into existence to shine down on Alastor. There, mood lighting for the star of the show. Nothing but the best for a guest!

Alastor

Oh! Look at that! Proper lighting! They could be in Hell’s finest jazz club. Alastor’s really warming to his new role as a diva. “But then I spent so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong~ I learned how to get along~”

He winks at Valera—time to really let loose—and belts out, “And now you’re *back*, from *outer space*—!”

Angel

Shielding his face from the glass, Angel continues to fall as he wildly fishes through his fluff for the charm Valera gave him for emergencies. It was so nice ( for his once human aesthetic appreciation ) that he told himself he'd never have to use it.

Then again, putting himself in this predicament wasn't exactly a conscious decision of his either. Making a clean enough break to salvage as he fell to his certain death was an unorthodox placement of priorities, but time was wasting. SOMETHING flashed before his eyes.

_ " ... And now you're **back!** From **outer space - !** " _

_Alastor...? I thought this was gonna be takin' me to Valer -_

And DOWN he sailed like a crimson comet into a cacophonous landing of glass, rattling keys, strings, once immaculately polished wood, and ( 1 ) local Radio Demon. A singular beat of moaning and groaning before he locked eyes with the island's Hostess with the Galactic Mostest and sprung to his feet, hip popped and arms dramatically jazzed.

" CIAO, MI LUCE DEI MIEI OTTO OCCHI ~ !! How's my BABY ~ ? "

Valera

An inhale as Valera prepares to start laying into the trumpet, smiling around the mouthpiece as Alastor belts out the lyrics. An inhale, and-- uh oh.

A tingle runs up their spine, eyes widening as they drop the instrument and jolt to their feet. Too late for any warning, here comes Angel, streaking from the ceiling in a blaze of glory and glass and splinters flying up from the shattered remains of their poor undeserving piano. They'd be more upset if they weren't immediately distracted by Angel Dust's darling voice.

Beaming fin to fin, Valera lunges forward to wrap their arms around their friend, tail all awiggle behind them as they bury their face in tit fluff. "Il mio amore! Mio caro! I'm so glad you could make it! Seapup is doing great, he'll be over the moon to see you here." A happy sigh, and they look up at Angel through his fluff and purr... Wait. Shit. Pull back, they have to peer around him to the wreck of the piano where their diva had once been.

"Alastor, do you need a medic?"

Alastor

Of all the ways to go, Alastor wasn’t expecting a meteor made out of red velvet.

And then the meteor climbs off of him and starts speaking Italian.

Alastor blinks up at the ceiling, half-dazed. “Probably, but that’s never stopped me before.” He sits up gingerly, leveraging himself out of the pile of devastated piano. “You know—I actually came to this universe to *avoid* getting murdered by an angel.”

Angel

It was very possible to not have enough arms with which to hug a dear friend, even when you had six. Angel gave her a big squeeze, tight enough to momentarily lift clawed feet from the floor as he nuzzled his face between her horns.

" GREAT! Place blew like ya wouldn't BELIEVE, Babe. Emergency getaway fa SURE ~ " he sang with a flash of an open palm of charm debris, which would promptly disappear into his fluff before he swept his cloak behind him.

" ALASTOR! THERE ya went! " Angel extended his hands to offer some help. " Ya ok? Sorry about that, uh, sudden change a plans. "

Valera

Oh to be a fish wrapped in the arms of a spider. What warmth, what comfort. A few seconds of bliss leave Valera's hearts feeling ready to melt, what could be better! A mental note to see about getting Angel Dust another charm, and she moves around to look Alastor over from a barely respectful distance. Poor thing got GOT.

Alastor

He sure did get got. He actually takes Angel’s hand to help haul himself up. “It’s not the change of plans I mind so much as your choice of landing pad!” Audience laughter. He cracks his back a few odd angles, then straightens out and starts brushing himself off. “You were at some big overlord shindig, weren’t you? Did the exterminators get in?” Oh, wouldn’t that be a delightful way to ring in the new year, getting rid of that rotten lot. The only overlords he cared about were either not the type to go to such a party or else excluded from the exterminations anyway. “Glad *you* made it out.”

Angel

" Uh... " It was settling in little by little, now. The foreboden consequences of his actions. " Yeah! They did! Uh, I wouldn't check into the place right now! Y'know, signals goin' haywire, S. O. S. 's off the shitshow... Thinkin' of it's givin' ME a headache, so I can't IMAGINE what it'd be doin' t' YOU, Smiles... Lucky ME though, ah? " _He used to be a much better liar._ Angel's ceaselessly sheepish smile left little to be assumed. Knowing this, he whipped back towards Valera, arms wildly animated as ever. " SO! How's e'ryone holdin' up over here? " He started a strut about the room, testing the soreness of his leading leg. " Ya DO have room fa one more in this fancy schmancy pad, yeah? "

Valera

She steps back, satisfied that Alastor wasn't about to keel over dead, and reaches out to take two of Angel's hands in hers to squeeze. Friend is here, nothing else matters yet! Even if the way he's acting is super sus, he's probably in shock from his DYNAMIC ENTRY to an ALIEN PLANET. That's the story she's sticking with until proven otherwise. Nobody needs that stress.

"Everyone's doing great, Angel! We've got four different Alastors, two Pentiouses, and we haven't even had any..." A glance towards her ex-piano. Another glance towards the radio demon brushing himself off. "... *Major* damage! I'll show you your room, if you want!"

Alastor

“No major damage *yet,* anyway! There’s still time to knock down a lighthouse or two!” He sounds absolutely gleeful.

At the moment, he doesn’t trust Angel at all. The dramatic entrance is perfectly fine, of course—he’d do no less himself—it’s this *insistence* that Alastor not check in on their universe. He absolutely needs to check in on it, as soon as possible.

But he’d rather hear about it from Angel first.

Not in front of their host, though. For the moment, he continues quietly straightening out his clothes and bones.

Angel

" PROPERTY DAMAGE ~ " he sang with a playful swing of their clasped hands, " Ain't a party wit'out a HEFFER of a BILL... " Angel then shadowed Valera's glances. Might be true of _some_ places, but certainly not HERE, his best friend's grand estate they've opened to such a handful of sinners out of the goodness of their heart.

" Sorry... about ya piano, though. I'll get ya a new one! " _No, you won't._ " I've got connections! " _Not anymore._ " Might not 'ave any special Veci designin' on it, but I'll do ya good! " _You just made THE worst mistake of your life. You're fresh OUT of GOOD._

**_YOU'RE never gonna know peace AGAIN._**

" I'm ON YA TAIL. Lead the way ~ " Angel belted playfully with a brush of those flickering fins and a glance back at Alastor. " Ya all good, there? If y'all wanna finish ya song later, I've got m'strings on me ~ "

Valera

"What, you want to replace my piano?" She scoffs, arms reaching up to give Angel's shoulders a gentle squeeze before dropping down to twine a hand with his. "Darling. Mio caro, I don't care about that old thing. You're alive! You made it here! You're in one piece! That's all that matters to me."

Trilling cheerfully, she rocks in place. Hand in hand with her best friend, safe in her home, decidedly not murdered by Heaven's dogs. The ominous stress could come later, for now she had to be a host. "We'll get you set up with a room, get you a warm meal, and then we can all play some music together, since you've so *generously* offered. Sound good to you two?"

Alastor

"Considering what happened the last time I tried to sing it, I think continuing 'I Will Survive' would be tempting fate." He plays the whistling sound of a falling missile and a distant explosion. "You don't both need me there to assign a room, do you? Perhaps I should head down to the kitchen and get that warm meal going!" Angel certainly hadn't gotten anything to eat at that big overlord function, Alastor would bet anything on that.

Angel

Angel clung to Valera's words and the way she fussed over him with such tender loving care like a lifeline. _This_ was what he deserved, ( wasn't it? ) He planted a kiss off her temple and smiled meekly. " Sounds good t' me! But uh, " he started with a sweep of a free arm in Alastor's direction, " Ya just gonna up an' be a host e'rywhere ya go? Valera ain't got this place staffed better than ours so you can chill? I'm already here, an' no one CRASHES as hard as ME ~ "

Valera

"Oh, I don't know, Alastor. Maybe tempting fate is where the REAL entertainment is."

Valera snorts, idly plucking a few stray splinters off of Angel's fluff. "I'm pretty sure I'd have to hold him at gunpoint to keep Alastor out of the kitchen. And unlike you, I simply don't have enough arms to keep all four in check. You might as well accept your fate of trying alien cuisine prepared by the radio host himself."

Alastor

“TEMPTING fate, sure! But it loses some of its charm when fate succumbs to temptation and pile drives me!” He pauses thoughtfully. “Although ‘falling man lands on innocent grand piano’ is a delightfully ironic twist, isn’t it?”

He flings an arm around Angel’s shoulders. “You’d rather have me cooking, anyway! Valera’s helpfully provided a list of Veci recipes that are *edible* to humans—but I’ve been tweaking them to make them *palatable* to humans.” Palatable by Alastor’s standards, anyway, which are either “freakishly high” or “raw bloody meat” with basically nothing in between.

Angel

Angel combed some more splinters from his chest with his hand before abruptly bending his knees to level with Alastor's pull. " Guinea piggin' it is, then! I don't think ya ever made anythin' I passed on. " Raw bloody meat included. _Everything_ was appetizing after a hard day's work. " DO ya worst ~ " With a pat of his back, he again took Valera's hand. " I'll sample the edible stuff anyways, t' compare an' not let all ya hard work go wastin' ~ "

Valera

Gods, Angel was comically tall compared to the other two, it was easy to forget that the spindly spider was slouching all the time. She purrs and gives Angel's hand a squeeze, bumping her nose to his cheek in the approximation of a kiss. "You're a peach."

A moment, and she turns to lead Angel away. So much to do! Did she have brushes..? Yes, she could brush him off, make sure he was splinter free without needing a whole shower... Don't mind her, she's already ten steps ahead trying to figure out how many extra pillows she should put on his bed.

Alastor

“Sample shmample! You’re getting a full plate. I’ll bet the closest thing you got to a proper meal at that party of yours was an olive in your martini.” He half-bows in farewell, and leaves them to head for the kitchen.

Angel

_Well he wasn't WRONG._ If memory served him, that last shot wasn't meant for his taking, either. Lightly chewing the inside of his cheek, he gave Alastor a shallow curtsy and fell into Valera's stride.

" So ~ ! " Angel whistled as he panned his sights over the architecture and decor of the hallway, affectionately hooking his arms about Valera's elbow and shoulders. " How big IS this place? I been t' Hell's palace fa a job before, but if I learned ANYTHIN' about VECI... " He snorted to himself before he could even finish his joke. " Y'all's style is... _outta this world ~_ "

Valera

Valera saunters along, an arm looping around Angel in return to give him the gentlest squeeze. "That joke was *terrible*, darling. As far as the estate goes? Fifty bedrooms, twenty of which are meant for guests, twenty nine for staff, and then the master bedroom. Though I'd call it more of a master apartment, the previous owner sure liked having plenty of space to themselves."

The size of the place was really one of the reasons Val barely ever visited this place, too much room. But that made it perfect for this visit. Space, isolation, plenty of areas for sinners to hide away if they needed privacy... And bedrooms big enough for the stupidly tall sinners to feel comfortable in. Here's Angel's! A twelve by ten four poster bed, white marble and gold from floor to ceiling, a balcony suitable for any necessary brooding or swooning over a sea view... Just what a spider needed. Plus a tiny orange ball comfortably sleeping in the middle of that luxurious bed, but don't mind him.

#extermination party palace #autokrates #sluttyspiderpolkacock #chat log

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filliteapot · 3 years

Note

top five or top ten romances or couples

I think your ask was sent twice, but I’m gonna take it as an opportunity to answer to both points :D Because there are couples I loved in stories I can’t call my favourite, and the other way round, there are good romance stories I love but have no real attachment to characters or just cannot say I had a strong ship there or just appreciated other things in them.

Basara - I never shipped the main characters and I’m not sure I do even now, but I find fascinating the way their storylines went, the development they got, and yeah, how raw and unique their romance felt to me once I could get into them both as characters.

Honey and Clover - the definition of youth, bitterness of unrequieted love and yet happiness that it happened in your life (as I write this, Spitz’ “Inaka no Seikatsu” starts playing and I start crying)

Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi. - made me laugh, made me cry, made me buy the manga and google translate furiously some parts to get who are the characters whose stories the anime didn’t cover. I’m still amazed how the anime managed to be so good and made me feel so many things, when it obviously didn’t have the biggest budget. And also how sad and tragic it could be, while staying light and full of humour in its tone.

Sakamichi no Apollon - the anime version, I still haven’t read the original. I didn’t have any ships there, but the way the story was told and the atmosphere of it is just the definition of Shouwa romance, and I’d like to have more stories similar to it.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - similar to Sakamichi, I didn’t have ships (except “everyone and healing”), but the first things that come to my mind when I think about rakugo are “tragic romance with rakugo in the Shouwa era”. It left such a deep trace in my heart.

Kiyoku Yawaku - it’s basically a collection of stories of different people connected by the fact they know the main two characters, who themselves meet for the first time in volume 10 :D Ikuemi Ryo is very good at making her characters real and three-dimensional and making an amazing thing of any plot people like to call tropey if they read the annotations, so I really loved the relationships in this story, flawed and so very familiar from everyday life.

Usemono Yado - this one messed with my heart a lot, and though the reveal and the ending were not so original as I expected, I still remember it as something heart-tearing and overall good.

NG Life - shoujo with the best shoujo male narrator ever, and also Kusanagi’s story that made me feel so much more than Yona everyone talked about then I laid my hands on NG Life. I loved it with all its weirness, illogical things and tropes - for the nostalgic feeling, the blooming almond, the humour, the message (that reminded me of Furuba), and the main character. The way he was falling in love and dealing with this fact and hardships related to this were just so earnest and intense that I felt a certain ache in my hands,it sometimes happens when I read good romances.

NANA - life being life, complicated situations and bad desisons, the narration that got deep into my heart (special mention of Taiyou ga miteiru which wrecked my soul in a very similar way).

Pierre et Luce by Romain Rolland - I love it tenderly and with a heartache, if only for the scene of the main characters’ first meeting.

(Ask me my top 5-10 anything)

#replies #ask memes

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beyondtheciouds · 4 years

Text

.18.

The sun had set and risen; delicately determined like the birds to start a new day on the threshold of the dawn. They chriped and sang the merry melodies; the familar sounds echoed in Matthew's head.

Memories of waking up to Lucie's angelic, sleeping face on a frosty morning struck his heart. He had memorized the way her skin felt; warm and soft like a soothing blanket. He loved the way her eyelashes fluttered in the early morning autumn light, giving him a peek of the blue iris inside like the night opening to day. Her hair; soft earthen curls spilled carelessly across his arm. Her petite body pressed heavily against his; fitting in like the missing piece of the puzzle of his soul.

Winter was on its way like a villain and like in all good fairytale fashion, the prince had yet to find the princess.

No sign of Lucie had been found; no trail of bread crumbs or broken branches to lead them through the night.

The small group of Shadowhunters had set off on their mission, starting with the heavily prostituted streets of downtown London.

They were hopeful but that soon turned to fearful frustration and outspoken aggravation in their hands.

Matthew paced the floor; his expensive Italian leather shoes made short shuffled movements. James scowled as the soles of Matthew's shoes made the floorboards creak and groan. He worried Math would wear out the oriental carpet.

James groaned as he sat down on his bed and pulled off his favored worn out shoes. "Math, please stop. Bridget will have a fit if you wear that rug down to the wood."

Matthew stopped short, his head spun towards James. His hair stuck out from all sides of his head as if he'd been unconsciously yanking at the blonde strands. Matthew's green eyes were nearly as gray as his face. "She's out there, Jamie. I know it."

James didn't disagree one bit. He had his own suspicions of where Lucie was now that he knew Belial had her. He was worried, of course but he didn't want to show it, especially when Matthew was an unexpected complete train wreck.

The light filtered in through the glass, sending a cold draft through the cracks and James could think of nothing more than trains colliding. His calloused fingers rubbed his temples. His brain was mush and he was starving. No sleep and anorexic stress had him struggling to stay awake.

James had wanted to stay out searching with Will and his uncles, but Gabriel had immediately rejected the idea the second he watched all four of the boys doze on the carriage ride back to the Institute. He had been in charge of seeing that they made it back in one piece.

Now James watched his parabatai closely with narrowed eyes. Something was off.

"Do you think my sister got cold feet?" James asked, feeling odd as he pulled off his sweaty socks. After a night out searching with no luck, Gideon had sent the exhausted band of Merry Theives packing back to the Institute.

Matthew tried desperately to keep his emotions at bay, but he was terrified Belial had done some awful thing to Lucie.

James frowned at Matthew's lack of response, his gold eyes serious as he tossed his socks to the floor. "Why her sudden change of heart? I mean...what is actually going on between you and Luce?"

Matthew failed and his features looked stunned. A desperate near forced laugh escaped his scratchy throat. "Jamie, it's just going steady---I'm not marrying her."

This was the awkward question that both James and Cordelia had been dying to know. It didn't seem right to either of them that suddenly these two total opposites were a couple in the making.

"That's not what I asked, Math." He surprised himself with his voice stern; his father's demanding edge. "What is going on with you and my sister?"

Matthew turned away, hands twisting themselves sheepishly in front of him. "Well," he began, the heart beats of silence after deafening. "Often when a boy likes a girl, they court. James, please don't make me explain the birds and bees to you."

A snap of his fingers and a smile made Matthew look and sound like his old self.

James wasn't convinced.

#cassandra clare #the last hours #matthew fairchild #james herondale #the shadowhunter chronicles #fanfiction

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nelllraiser · 4 years

Text

before i go | jared & nell

TIMING: before luke and layla’s birthday party, and before the resurrection of bea LOCATION: jared’s farmhouse. PARTIES: @nelllraiser and @themidnightfarmer. SUMMARY: nell tries to tell jared goodbye in case the necromancy ritual goes wrong...with mixed results.

It seemed somewhat ironic that there was such a big birthday taking place on the day Bea was meant to rise, a celebration of life and coming into this world that somewhat mirrored what Nell, Luce, Winston, and Blanche would be trying to accomplish that evening. For once in her life...Nell had nerves eating away at her stomach like little termites. She wasn’t usually one to get anxious before something like this, but this ritual would be different. There was so much more at risk. And even though she could very well die if anything went wrong, that wasn’t what worried her most. It was the lives of Winston, Luce, and Bea that hung heavy on her mind. Or at least, it had been until Jared came into view, already hilariously dressed in his cheerleader costume. She quickly forced a smile to her lips, trying to act normal for the time being. Nell had gone back and forth with whether or not to tell him of what was happening tonight, what they would be attempting. After all, he deserved to go to the party with little on his mind, to simply have fun and enjoy the moment. But it was the thought of him coming home to an empty house, and a world that no longer had Nell in it that pushed her hand. She would tell him. If she was going to leave, willing or not— she wouldn’t do it without saying some form of goodbye. “I knew you had the legs for it,” she teased gently, her mind elsewhere. Walking up to him, she traced the word that was emblazoned on his chest. “An angel, huh?” As she spoke she looked meaningfully up towards where his horns would have been had his glamour not been up.

On Jared’s side of the coin he was focused on the party, he had yet to be informed what was going to happen that night apart from a birthday party and as such his spirits reflected that. He appeared around the door leg first, just in the hopes of making Nell laugh. He extended a leg and then followed it with his head before he fully came into view. “All that running around after you.” he joked back, smoothing out the costume top - a cropped top of sorts in baby blue showing his stomach a little. He was definitely built differently than the manufacturer envisioned when producing it. To compensate Jared hiked the skirt a little higher as well as Nell made her way over. He was lost for only a split second when she repeated the word on the front. Then caught her gaze and stuck his tongue out at her. “Are you telling me I’m not an angel? I could be an angel! Angels sometimes have horns….or maybe they do and no one has ever seen one!”

Even though Nell’s emotions were in something of a whirlwind, as always, Jared seemed to ground a portion of them, earning a more genuine smile from her as he spoke. However, the corners of it were still small, unable to truly rid herself of the worries that were plaguing her. “You love it,” she teased vaguely before reaching up to gently swipe at the shoulder of his costume, wiping away imaginary lint as an excuse to keep touching him. This could very well be their last moments together if things went horribly wrong, and she wanted to remember him and the warmth he’d always given her, filling her soul with it ever since they’d met her freshman year at that party. “You tell me.” Her quips weren’t as quick or fast as usual, Nell’s mind being elsewhere in these moments. All this talk of angels though— it only reminded her of what she needed to tell him. “You’ll have fun tonight, right? You deserve to go have some fun.” Especially after dealing with the shit show she’d been bringing home as of late between all the necromancy and squid demons. “Even if-” she hesitated, trying to find the right words. “We’re doing something tonight— with Bea. But I don’t want you to worry about that.” Her tone was unusually somber, a rare moment of seriousness between them.

His mood took a small dive downwards when he started to catch on to her distracted mood. His eyes started to focus on her face with increased intensity, as if he could see her thoughts displayed clearly on her forehead. His good mood hit the floor when she started her thought with ‘even if’, he was usually so dense, so easily missing bits and pieces of conversation for what they were. Never with Nell. Jared tried to catch every little piece of emotion her words presented to him. He was always avidly listening, so that he could drink in her laughs, as well as her sobs whether she showed them outwardly or not. “What are you doing tonight?” he asked, his heart sinking. She looked so tense now that he thought about it. Smiling for him earlier, but was that what she was truly feeling? She was so serious now. He took a hold of her arms, sliding his hands down from her shoulders to take her hands. “Can you tell me? Should I stay home? I can stay home?” he offered with hardly a breath between the questions and the offers. “I can come? If that won’t ruin whatever it is you need to be doing?” The thought of potentially seeing what had become of Bea terrified him, but if she needed him he’d go. All she had to say was she needed him.

Damn it. This was exactly what Nell had been trying to avoid, even if she’d known it was inevitable. She would have done the same in Jared’s position, would have mirrored the expression on his face if something this heavy had been happening with him. “It’s the big one.” She tried her best to put the smile back on her lips. Maybe if she acted like everything was going to be okay, he’d be less worried. There was a reason she hadn’t told him exactly how serious the magic was, how dangerous it would be to play with literal lives. More often than not, the caster paid with their own life when it came to things like this. She couldn’t be the one to tell him that she might leave him again, not after last time— not after his family had been ones to leave him, as well. “We’re gonna try and bring Bea back tonight.” Her head shook reflexively, it’s movements fervent as she gripped his hands in her’s, lacing her fingers through his to give them a little squeeze. “No- no, I want you to go enjoy yourself, like I said.” Plus the idea of having Jared near such volatile magic was...unacceptable, not when he didn’t need to be there, even if she selfishly wanted him there. “I just- I wanted you to know. So you’re not worried if- I’m gone longer than you expect tonight.” If she didn’t return at all. “I’ll message you as soon as it’s done, alright?”

It was hard to process, but the nights that had led up to this moment were starting to make sense in his head. This was it. This was the night they put everything into play. The night they’d attempt to bring back their sister. And Jared had no idea how dangerous this all was, in his mind the risk was the same as it had been every night before this. Just this time they were doing it for real because they’d gathered all they needed. And that was his mistake, a misunderstanding he had no idea he was making. Her smile did a little to ease his mind, this was fine, crazy in the grand scheme of things, but fine. They’d get Bea back, he was confident in them all. They were all excellent and dedicated. Bea would be here by tomorrow. Or at least that’s what he was trying to tell himself. If it didn’t work, he knew none of them would be the same, all that was holding most of them together at the moment was the hope of seeing their sister alive again. “Are you sure I shouldn’t come? What if you need someone to...I don’t know...drive?” he was grasping at straws. He squeezed her fingers. “You’ll text me as soon as it’s done? Tell me what happened?” He was almost tempted to ask her to promise him, but that would be cruel and manipulative of him. And she’d never do it. He wouldn’t want her to. He never wanted it to be like that between them. “As soon as?”

“No- it’s okay, really.” There was that big chunk of Nell that wanted him there simply for comfort, security, but beyond the magic that could potentially lash out and damage him...if things did go badly. He didn’t need to see that, didn’t need just how much havoc magic would wreck on a fragile, human body if it wasn’t properly harnessed or controlled. “Blanche is going to drive.” The clearing wasn’t all that close to a road anyway, and they’d have to walk from the car to the place where they’d be casting. The squeeze of his fingers felt like a little squeeze on her heart, lending it both the strength that she needed, but also plunging it into the pit of her stomach. He’d always had such an effect on her, though not a control. And she knew that he never would have wanted to have a control. That was why he’d always been given all of her, not bits and pieces, nothing to hide away from the man in front of her. Because she knew there was nothing he’d ever want to change, nothing he’d try to pin to the ground and harness like others might try to do. She wished she could make him understand, to let him know just how thankful she was for that— the ability to breathe freely around him and not wonder whether or not she’d be met with judgment or disdain, whether it was silent or not. Her hands left him to trail their way back north, hands going to either side of his face not unlike she’d done the night she’d come to tell him of Bea’s death. How to tell him goodbye when it might not even be needed, and without him realising it? Was it kinder to leave him in the dark when it came to the way her feelings had been trying to rear their head once again ever since she’d been home, since she’d first seen him back on his tractor nearly a month ago, the way her very soul had seemed to leap at the sight of his, eager and wanting to dance with his once more? “I…” But what would be the point in telling him? Either he’d return the sentiment, and he’d be left with a bleeding heart if she didn’t come back right, or he’d feel awkward and deny her, coloring these possible last moments with guilt and uncertainty. No. She wanted them to be as they were. Maybe there was an in between, though. “You know how much I care about you...right, Jared?”

Jared knew he wasn’t any use to them. He wasn’t a spellcaster, he wasn’t a person who could see spirits. He was just a nymph. A nymph that couldn’t do anything for them apart from try and provide support, a welcome home when she came home from a hard night, a light topic to change to when it was a bad night, a mindless task to distract her and make her smile at him when it was obvious the whole thing was taking a toll. He bent his head down to meet her hands, tilted to the side slightly to weigh heavily into her right hand. He didn’t know that this was more than nerves, that her acting so serious wasn’t just simple anxiety for the work they were about to put in, in the hopes that it would bring Bea back. She had searched for comfort like this before, when she’d told him Bea was gone. He’d extend the same care he had then to her now. Jared caught her eye and looked at her confused by the question. “Not near as much as I care about you,” he said in return with a levity to his words that her’s had lacked. He searched her face for a moment before answering more seriously. “I know Penelope. And I cherish you, you’re the best person I’ve ever met, or had stick with me.” he said it seriously before pulling back and wrapping her in his arms tightly. “It’ll be okay, no matter what happens you can come back here and we can try and work through it okay? I’ll always be here when you’re done doing what you need to be doing. Always. Whatever happens tonight I’ll be home when you get back, and we can figure it out.”

“That’s a lie. Impossible,” Nell replied, following his suit of casualty when it came to tone. Maybe this was how it should be. If they were saying goodbye, it should be how their relationship had always been— ridiculous, loyal, like two magnets that kept being drawn together no matter how far they might go. Nell’s thumb traced a gentle line over his cheek as he matched the severity in her voice, remembering how there’d been that split second the other evening where she’d thought he’d been trying to kiss her. Now as she stood here with his face nestled in her hands, she took a tentative step closer, her heart in the driver’s seat for a moment as she looked up at him. Maybe there was an easier way than telling him- maybe if she simply showed him it wouldn’t hurt as much if she was rejected? And how long had she wanted to lean into him? Sometimes actions could speak where words couldn’t, and she didn’t know how to tell him thank you as the beautiful words fell from him. But maybe she could show him. Her arms moved to loop around the back of his neck, toes standing on end as she ever so briefly let her gaze flicker to his mouth. But then her brain was back in control, reminding her of all the reasons she’d just gone over when it came to not acting on this burning that was in her chest, that had seemed to have been there ever since she’d been in highschool. Nell grounded herself once again, heels connecting with the floor as she instead leaned forward against him, bringing him in for a close hug. “You remember what I said when I first went to travel? After I graduated?” It had been five years ago, but the sentiment still held true. “Nothing’s gonna keep us apart for long. We’re always gonna find a way back.” Even if it wasn’t in a physical sense. “You’re- you’re the best thing that happened to me, Jared. I’m not letting that go, no matter what.”

His heart was in his throat as she looked at him, she was speaking with an awful tone. Her voice was painting a completely different picture than Jared had concluded about what would happen that night in his head. He felt the words she was telling him rather than hearing the, with each syllable spoken into his very being, sending a new little stab of emotion his way. Blue eyes held hers as she drew closer, searching for the answer that he wanted. Too incredibly distracted by what she was saying to be sent reeling by the intensity she’d had in her gaze seconds before wrapping her arms around him in return. “You said that because you were leaving.” It was an obvious thing to point out but Jared’s brain was working overtime to connect the dots from then to now. “Why do you sound like you’re saying goodbye?” His words were barely a whisper, muffled by her hair. He was becoming so lost and confused. He felt like they were having completely different conversations. And in reality it was true, although he didn’t know it. So he made the easiest connection he could, the one that would hurt the least, in the hopes that voicing it would confirm that it was the most that could happen and wasn’t the worst that he could come up with. “If you’re worried about moving out again when it’s over don’t worry about that either, we can talk about it. Just….could you please come back here at least tonight to just tell me how it went?”

Shit, Nell had gone too heavy, hadn’t she? He knew something was up, though that was hardly surprising. After all he was one of the people on this planet who was best at reading her, knowing her mannerisms and tones. Because she was leaving. For all she knew, she might be. But she’d fight with every piece of her not to. Too late she realized he’d gotten the wrong impression from her attempted, under that radar goodbye. He thought she was leaving the farm? To be honest, she hadn’t even thought of what would happen if they managed to resurrect Bea, hadn’t gotten that far in her plans. What would come after Bea was back? Nell had been so busy working towards this point, that she forgot there would be an after. “It’s not-” she hesitated, not wanting to tell him he was wrong, but not wanting to tell him the truth, either. Nell didn’t know if she’d be back tonight, didn’t know if she’d be back any night. “I’ll message you,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say. “And let you know how it went.” And if she could come back she would. She felt like her efforts when it came to achieving what she’d wanted tonight had fallen flat, though had there been any possibility of success in the first play? Was there any good way to tell someone you might die without actually saying as much? It was time to abort the mission, to soothe the worried look she’d accidentally made on Jared’s face. Forcing a brighter grin on her lips, she broke their hug, batting playfully at this skirt. “White Crest isn’t ready for cheerleader-Jared. Have fun, okay? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do...which we both know isn’t that much.” She didn’t know what the night would hold for her, but what she did know was that she’d always come back, one way or another. She’d always find her way back to Jared.

#before i go #wickedswriting #ch:jared #chatzy

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mamabearcatfanfics · 4 years

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Initiation of Fire

Another chapter for my new modern AU NaLu serial Welcome to Fatherhood! (Last one for a while, so don’t get too excited) But yeah, that first week with a new baby? Crazy town. As in everyone feels like they’re on the edge of insanity - there’s a reason sleep deprivation is a method of torture.

💕💗💕

Natsu watched as Lucy frantically checked her books and online forums again to find out some clue as to why Layla continued to cry. They’d both been up all night, with Layla feeding and crying and refusing to sleep, rinse and repeat, and Lucy had worked herself up into an emotional wreck. He rocked his wailing daughter in his arms, making the shushing noise that usually worked, but she continued to cry.

Suddenly Lucy burst into tears. “I don’t know what to do Natsu!” she sobbed. Natsu moved over to her, stroking her back with one hand while he rocked Layla in the other. The sun was finally peeking into their bedroom window, signaling the beginning of a new day. A new day where they were all tired, exhausted and at their wits end. Something was gonna have to give.

“Luce, I want you to go have a shower, and then you’re gonna take a nap, okay.”

“What? No, I can’t do that while she’s crying Natsu! She needs me!”

“Of course she does”, he soothed. “But she needs a Mumma who’s clean and fresh and not headed towards crazy town from lack of sleep. I can hold the fort for a few hours.”

“But…”

“No buts, off you go.”

He headed over to the change table, grabbing one of the muslin cloths they used as a wrap and gently placed Layla down on it. She’d been changed just before Lucy had fed her twenty minutes ago, but he took a quick peek inside her nappy, just to be sure. All clean. Ignoring Lucy’s tearful protests, he wrapped his daughter up snugly in a muslin wrap so she resembled a tiny burrito the way the nurse at the birthing centre had shown him, then rocked her in his arms as she continued to wail.

“C’mon pumpkin, give your Dad just a tiny break here. Sleep is amazing. One of the best things - you really need to give it another try. If you heard someone say sleep is for the weak, they were lyin’. Sleep makes you strong, makes you grow.” He sighed as Layla continued to cry hysterically. “C’mon baby girl. Your Mumma is tryin’ so hard for you, really and truly. We all need to have a little sleep, and then everythin’ will look better when we wake up. I promise.”

He heard the sound of the shower, and he sighed even harder as he heard the sound of Lucy sobbing. This had been a hard week on her. It had been hard for him too, but at least he didn’t have physically recovering from the birth, as well as hormones and breastfeeding to deal with as well. Natsu had always thought of breastfeeding as something that just happened, but just like any skill, it was something that had to be learned. Poor Lucy’s bruised and battered nipples were a testament to the steep learning curve, but she’d stuck at it despite the pain, and things seemed to be settling down now on that front at least.

Was he doing enough to make sure Lucy was sleeping enough? When Layla woke several times a night, he would get up, change her quickly and then present her to Lucy so she could feed her. He tried very hard to stay awake while Lucy was breastfeeding, but sometimes he nodded off – there was something so amazingly peaceful about watching his wife feed his daughter.

He thought he’d loved Lucy before, but now… words really couldn’t describe how he felt – love didn’t seem enough. Lucy was so beautiful sometimes it took his breath away. He remembered the night before last, watching as she’d fed Layla, her blonde hair illuminated by the night light near the bed, cooing softly down at their tiny round cheeked baby girl.

His musing was interrupted when a still slightly tearful Lucy appeared from the bathroom, her damp blonde hair up in a ponytail, wearing clean shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes were red rimmed, and she looked so very tired, more tired than he’d ever seen her. She did her best to smile for him, but he could see she was still feeling panicky.

“Natsu, thank you for looking after her while I had a shower. I’m feeling much better already. Why don’t you give Layla to me and go and have one too?”

Natsu smiled tiredly at her, continuing to rock Layla. “Nuh uh. That wasn’t the deal. Bed for you. She’s not due for another feed for two hours, so go sleep.”

Lucy bit her lip. “Natsu, do you think I’m a bad mother?”

“What? Fuck no!”

“It’s just… I’m her mother, I should know what’s wrong, I should just know! What if I’m not making enough milk and I’m starving her? What if I’ve eaten something that she’s allergic to? What if she’s getting sick, because I’ve missed something important?”

“Lucy”, he replied gently. “Just because your her mother doesn’t mean you need to know everything straight away, not anymore than I should because I’m her dad. We’re still learning, we’ll work it out okay? But right now, I want you to get some sleep, and then once you’ve had a rest and you’re feelin’ more like yourself, I’ll take a nap. I promise if I really need you, I’ll wake you up.”

“You promise?”

“Yup. Go sleep. Layla and I are just gonna go for a little wander around the hallway. Listen to some music, it’ll help you relax.”

He moved into the hallway and shut the bedroom door firmly. “Alright Layla - ‘Operation Sleepy Time Because Mumma and Dad are Going Slightly Cuckoo’ is commencing now. Ya gotta get with the family program pumpkin. You’re part of team Dragneel now, okay?” He heard a small giggle from the other side of the bedroom door. “That doesn’t sound like you’re sleepin’ Lucy! Get with the family program!”

The tiny girl wailed in Natsu’s arms, and he cuddled her closer as he walked up and down the hallway. He’d be panicking too if he weren’t so exhausted. He begun singing random nonsense, hoping that would calm their tiny week old daughter down. But it seemed like Layla was having none of it. Who would have thought such a tiny thing was capable of making so much noise? Their neighbours must love them right now.

He wished he knew what to do. Layla was warm, fed, burped, changed. They’d checked her fingers and toes to make sure there were no little threads wrapped around them from her onesie - a possibility that had not even occurred to them until Lucy had seen it suggested on an online forum. She didn’t have a fever. No nappy rash. He tried to think of things from Layla’s point of view. The world was probably still a scary place. Was she frightened? He smoothed his hand over his tiny daughter’s back, wishing there was some way he could communicate to her that she was safe and loved. So loved.

He couldn’t believe she’d been here for a whole week already, and that it was really only a week. How could he love someone so much when he’d only known them a week? He couldn’t wait until she finally smiled, laughed, called him Daddy. He was sure his heart would shatter and be remade with how much adoration he felt. But according to Lucy’s books, that first smile was still nearly a month or so away. And she definitely wasn’t smiling now.

He knew this would be hard, the first few weeks with a new baby. Everyone had told them, Lucy’s parenting books were full of warnings that the first weeks were hard, but living it was something else. And it made it even harder that his and Lucy’s parents weren’t alive anymore. He would give anything to be able to call his Mum and ask questions about whether he was doing things right, or if he’d done something similar when he was a baby, and he was sure Lucy felt the same. He pictured his Mum, her warm smile, her tight hugs. She would have loved Layla so much, and it didn’t seem fair that she had missed this, and that Layla wouldn’t have the doting grandmother she deserved. He sighed, shifting Layla in his arms so her tiny head was resting on his shoulder, his hand patting softly and rhythmically on her bottom.

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring don’t shine, Papa’s gonna buy you a bottle of wine…” Wait, no that couldn’t be right. Although if someone offered him a glass right now…

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill tone of his phone ringing. He wasn’t sure who would be ringing around breakfast time on a Saturday morning, but he didn’t want Lucy to wake up if she was finally asleep, so he moved quickly to the kitchen where his mobile was plugged into the charger, carefully tucking Layla into the crook of his arm so he had a free hand.

“Hello”, he said gruffly, hoping whoever was on the other end of the line could hear him over Layla’s cries.

“Hi Natsu.” Levy’s voice sounded annoyingly cheerful. “I just wanted to check in to see if today was a good day to pop around for a visit. I’ve got some casseroles that I made for you and… is Layla okay?”

Natsu sighed in relief. Levy was a mother. He could ask her questions. “She’s been crying and feeding all night Levy. Luce was exhausted, so I made her have a shower and take a nap, but… I don’t know if I’m doing this right. She won’t calm down, even though I’ve got her wrapped up, and that usually works, and I’m…” he gulped a little, realising he was starting to feel a little teary himself.

“Hey, it’s okay”, soothed Levy on the other end of the phone. “She’s a week old; she’s probably going through a little growth spurt. And sometimes a baby will cluster feed to increase their mother’s milk supply. You’re not doing anything wrong Natsu, neither is Lucy. It might last a day or two and then she’ll settle down again. It happened with the twins too.”

“God that must have been fucking awful”, groaned Natsu, rocking Layla as she whimpered in his arms. “How did you manage it with two! Lucy and I are barely surviving Levy – I know everyone said it would be hard, but…”

“Yeah, until you’re actually doing it, there’s no way to describe it is there”, said Levy sympathetically. “In fact, listen… I think Layla’s calming down. Keep talking to me, I think hearing you speak is helping.”

Natsu could have wept in relief. “Thank fucking Christ”, he whispered. “I’m so tired Levy. How’s Gajeel going at work? Is Erik working out okay?” He was there during the interview; he’d personally examined the guy’s portfolio, and was happy with it, but the tattoo parlour had been picking up business and could get really busy at times.

“It’s all good – they’ve had a few arguments, but everything’s calmed down now”, giggled Levy. “When Layla’s a bit more settled, you should pop in and see them.” Natsu grinned.

“Yeah, I’d like to do that, for sure. Whaddya think baby girl, would ya like to come and see Daddy’s work?” The tiny sleeping baby tucked into his arm nuzzled her head into the crook of his elbow, and he couldn’t help the single tear that rolled down his cheek. “She’s asleep.”

“Good work Natsu”, said Levy softly. “I’ll pop around after lunch with those casseroles if that’s okay?”

“Sure, sure”, answered Natsu softly. He walked slowly over to the big winged armchair near the lounge room window that they’d bought specifically for Lucy to feed their baby in, and sat down carefully. “I’m sure Lucy would love to see you. She’s been a bit down on herself this morning. Thinks she should know everything about bein’ a mum and she freaked herself out a bit. Can you talk to her?”

“Of course I can! I’d love to see her, and I can’t wait to give Layla another snuggle. You’ve got this Natsu. You’ve both got this, you’re doing great.”

Another tear rolled down Natsu’s cheek. “I… thanks Levy” he whispered, his voice cracking a little.

He could hear the smile in Levy’s voice. “It’s an initiation of fire, I know, but being a parent… there’s nothing better. Welcome to fatherhood Natsu.”

#bearpluscat fanfics #nalu fanfic #nalu family #nalu modern AU #Welcome to Fatherhood

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lucefrs · 4 years

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𝘼𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝘾𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙀'𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙃, Gallagher’s therapist gave her a journal to write in. She hasn’t used it until today. Incapable of doing anything without an audience (real or imaginary), she writes as if someone will be reading it, in the form of an unsent letter.

I am once again asking is it ever gonna change, am I gonna feel this way forever? Look up I am once again asking meme to get the tone, then, in your head superimpose a picture of Clairo over Bernie’s head. Hi, you son of a gun. How are ya? I miss you. Dearly, with all the tension that’s in the hand touches of Jane Austen movie adaptations. The last few months can only be described as a series of unfortunate events (no copyright infringement intended). You’ll be happy to know I have a new lease on the English language, mainly that’s it’s totally and completely inadequate in describing anything I feel. But I’ll try. I feel like a collection of voices. The low, exasperated, drawl of Matt Berninger, and the brassy exhaustion of Fiona Apple and FKA Twig’s unparalleled high notes in Cellophane. I also feel like Mac DeMarco’s Baby You’re Out. Do you understand how I’m feeling? Knowing how I truly feel, which very few people at the moment do, how long do I have before people start to think I’m milking it? I can feel the clock ticking already. I hope these feelings pass before people start to stop loving me.

When I was a kid, no maybe a tween, god that reminds me of the Twinkies. Do you remember the Twinkies? Wait, the Tweenies. Oh my god. They looked weird as hell. Anyways. My mom took me to a ballet. Because she was into all that stuff, and I guess I was to. I just like hanging out with her. Mostly I liked looking at her while she watched. But we went and it was, they were so beautiful. Like swans. Everything was elongated and graceful, and I think I decided then and there I wanted to be like that. Not a ballerina, but effortless. For a while I thought they could just, do that. Which was obviously like, super silly. It wasn’t until, I don’t know how I stumbled across it, probably on YouTube or something. Where they showed the dancer’s feet, all mangled and bruised. But it never like, made their performance any less beautiful. Because you couldn’t see it. Their feet would always be covered by ballet slippers, and the only people who would ever have to look at themselves were themselves. And I remember thinking, that’s a bloody good deal. Because no one goes to a ballet and thinks about how irrevocably wrecked the dancer’s feet are, everyone’s too busy being in awe of how they tiptoe and plie. I think that’s how I wanna be. Being effortless takes effort but you don’t have to show it if you don’t want to. I always thought I had the one-up knowing that. But I don’t know...Lately I sort of feel like knowing doesn’t mean shit. The whole, I know what you’re doing and I’m allowing it to happen. It’s a trick, especially for girls I think, deludes us into thinking we have a semblance of control, I think it dilutes the pain. You probably haven’t seen Sharp Objects, ‘tis really good if you wanna check it out. But one of the characters, Amma, says: “if you let people do things to you, you’re really doing it to them.” But so what? Permission’s not that strong and knowing doesn’t make you feel any more powerful. I talk a lot, but I think I might always be silent under consumption. Like the girl’s on stage with mangled feet. I could be more careful, but being careful’s not effortless, and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than The Nutcracker.

The thing is, I don’t know how to come out of this unscathed. I don’t think I will. And just like that, everybody will see my disgustingly, grotesque, mangled, feet.

And none of them will like me anymore, but they won’t be sad, they’ll just wipe their foreheads and go, phew, close call, it’s always the girls with daddy issues that are the most fucked. Daddy issues is obviously used as a synonym for slut because it’s 2020 and it sounds, in a backwards way, more progressive, and it’ll be tragic because I don’t even have daddy issues and I do have really nice feet, you can attest to that.

I’ll be back in D.C soon-ish, I’m pretty sure. But I’ve gotta go home for the holidays this year. I just have to. I miss my parents so much that I wanna cry. And I’ve gotta get an apartment even though financially responsible would be staying in Ireland for the summer so I don’t have to pay rent, but I have no friends there. Sad face. But that’s okay ‘cos I wanna hang out with you anyways. Happy face. I was maybe wondering if you could cover my rent for the summer, and then I’ll work a bunch so I can buy the plane tickets myself. In return, you can put me in your bedroom and I’ll sing a little song (Clairo, 4Ever).

As always, a music rec, and this one’s a doozy. The Magnetic Fields. Two albums, 50 Song Memoir and 69 Love Songs. I chose a few for you, that relate to me, in case you’re not like me and don’t have time to be listening to 119 songs.

Washington, D.C - Washington, D.C, it’s paradise to me! :) ‘12: You Can Never Go Back to New York - I think you’d like the whole album, a 50 song memoir for each year of the lead singer’s life. I hope my life is as colourful as his when I’m fifty. Meaningless - The people I could send this to! But I won’t!

If you’d been to Pluto before, and no one else had, would you be disappointed to return to Earth? I wouldn’t be. I met some Plutonians and they were all very nice and charming, and I even slept with some of them and loved some of them (in my own way, the same way I love you). I didn’t know how to tell them, because I didn’t want to brag or gloat, that Earth is the best place in the universe. Mostly I felt sad that they’d never get to experience Earth the same way I do. Do you think that makes Earthians and Plutonians incompatible?

It’s better if you don’t overthink it, really just a roundabout way of getting you to tell me whether you’d fuck an alien. ♥

Hope you still think of me sometimes, hope you’re not lonely. Yours, before I am mine, - Luce

P.S. We both know that’s not true, but it looks so romantic, don’t you think?

#we are . Jumping on the self para train !#phew . emotionally constipated even in writing . good for ha #mostly all i got out of this is that her priorities are wack if main thing she cares about is if the gallagher kids will still like her /:#luce 2 luce spending the majority of this writing about feet : this better not awaken anything in me #meaningless truly does go out to all the gallagher kids tho! <3

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coralstories · 4 years

Text

Assignment: Supergirl

CW Supergirl x OC Aurelia Castillo, eventual Winn Schott x OC Aurelia Castillo

A/N: Will probably do a part 2 of this. Maybe. Probably. Maybe.

Word count: 1614

Aurelia Castillo sometimes regretted moving to National City. It was fine before Kara Danvers became Supergirl, but after that, it was like the city became a hotspot for weird. And don’t get it wrong, she was pretty weird herself. But usually, her weird didn’t lead to people being admitted to the hospital in droves, like after Supergirl battled a colorful human-hating alien.

Oh, you caught that? Yes, Aurelia Castillo knew Supergirl’s true identity. No, she wasn’t an alien herself, or some sort of evil mastermind; she worked as a photojournalist under James Olsen at Catco Worldwide Media. Kara Danvers, Jimmy Olsen, and Winn Schott weren’t exactly subtle when they talked about Supergirl.

“Hey, Aurelia, can you bring these new spreads up to James?”

“Sure. I’ll head up now.”

Aurelia took the stairs one floor up, then turned the corner onto the busy floor. Phones were always ringing here, Kara Danvers was always running to and fro and people were always coming and going in and out of the elevators. Aurelia personally liked it better downstairs, but she always got a laugh when she saw Kara, Winn, Cat, and James.

She made her way past the pink lion statue and started towards James’ office. She glanced in Ms. Grant’s office on her way and saw the blonde shark sitting at her desk.

“Kira!” she called.

Aurelia quickened her pace towards the art department, pushing the door open to find James talking to Lucy.

“Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?” Aurelia said.

“No, it’s fine,” Lucy said. “I was just saying hi. I see that you’re busy, so I’ll let you get back to work.”

“See you, Luce,” James said. “Did you need something, Lia?”

“Nope. Just dropping off my team’s new layout.” She placed them on his desk with a smile.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a plane to Japan?”

“Nah, they needed my help, so I postponed that until next week.” She leaned on a cabinet and looked out over the city.

“Well, we always love having you here when you’re not flying around the world,” he said.

Aurelia laughed. She saw a red and blue blur streak by the window. Speaking of flying around the world, she thought.

“Oh, come on, James, you know I love it. Don’t be jealous, honey.” She winked at him.

“Alright, well, in any case, I’m glad you’re on our team,” he said, laughing.

“Me too.”

She closed the door behind her and made her way to Winn’s desk. He was too focused on whatever he was doing on his computer to realize she was coming up behind him. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg as she waited for him to notice her. She saw that he was looking at radiation signatures for different elements. Finally, he saw her silhouette in the reflection on his screen. He looked up.

“Oh, Lia!” he exclaimed. “You almost gave me a heart attack, I thought for a second you were Ms. Grant.”

“Nope, just me. Took you long enough to notice me, though.” Aurelia laughed.

She took out the packet of French dragees from her back pocket and handed them to Winn. He gasped excitedly and took them with a silent thank you.

“For helping me last month,” Aurelia said. “You saved my trip. Cat would have killed me if I couldn’t bring her those photos before the deadline.”

“Hey, anything for a friend,” Winn said with false modesty.

“Well, there’s more where that came from if you stop by my desk later.”

“Really?”

“Yup. You’ve always helped me out, ever since my first day here. The least I can do is be your drug supplier, right?”

“Mmm, you do know I need my sugar kick to function at my best. Thanks.”

“No problem, Winn.”

She patted his shoulder and made her way back to the stairs. She noticed Kara was still not at her desk. Aurelia figured she’d probably hear what she was doing later on the news. She went back to her desk, which was decidedly superhero-free.

Her lunch hour was brightened by a meeting with her best friend in all of National City: Ingram Capello. Aurelia and Ingram were basically complete opposites. Whereas Aurelia was tall with light brown hair, dark olive skin, a strong build, and a shapely figure, Ingram was of average height with pale, almost sickly-looking skin and black hair, and she was almost as thin as a stick. Added to that, Aurelia was the outgoing and friendly daughter of an Air Force pilot, while Ingram was the reserved (and often misread as condescending) daughter of two powerhouse business leaders. Aurelia laughed and smiled a lot, while Ingram’s smiles were rare. There was one thing they both had in common though: they both had supernatural abilities. Aurelia had a regenerative healing ability and could heal others at will. Ingram was a witch with the power to alter the fabric of reality itself. Neither of them used their powers often for fear of being exposed and persecuted, but it was becoming harder and harder for them to ignore the sense of responsibility that came with these powers.

“So how was that wedding in Paris?” Ingram asked as she sipped the last of her drink.

“It was a wreck,” Aurelia groaned. “I mean, the wedding was great, I got some great shots and everything, so that part was fine. But, oh my Lord, if I never have to see any of those people again it will be too soon.”

“Uh oh. What happened?”

Aurelia waited to respond until Ingram finished crunching on one of the ice cubes at the bottom of her cup.

“The women in attendance were all bubbleheads and the men were all gross, entitled snobs.” Aurelia shivered.

“Did they touch you?” Ingram asked in a dangerously calm voice.

“Yes, but it’s okay, I handled it.”

“But still, you wouldn’t mind giving me the names of a few of these sticky-handed men, would you?” Ingram’s gaze was innocent.

“Yes, I would. Besides, if you ever read Catco magazine, you would see them there.” Aurelia smiled.

“Ugh, you’re no fun.”

“Listen, I just don’t want to see you go to jail for killing someone whose only crime was to call me a bitch.”

“It’s a punishable offense.”

“So is murder.”

Ingram crunched an ice cube. They sat quietly for a minute after they finished eating, digesting their meals.

“How was it seeing everyone again?” Ingram asked.

“Like I’d never left. What’s the golden girl been up to?”

“Well, today, I saw her thwart some bank robbers.”

“Oh, is that what she was doing earlier? I thought I saw her zip out of the building.”

“Yes, the bank was across from my dry cleaners. J’onn let me go to lunch early so I stopped there first.”

“How unfortunate for you.”

“She actually kept it pretty contained this time. The only thing that left the building was the criminals.”

Aurelia snorted.

Aurelia dropped Ingram off at the bus station before returning to Catco. Winn greeted her at the elevator upon her return.

“Lia!”

“Winn? What’s going on?”

“Ms. Grant was looking for you!”

The color drained from Aurelia’s face. She dragged Winn to the stairway before saying anything further.

“Why is Cat Grant looking for me?” she demanded.

“I don’t-I don’t know, but you should probably go to her office right now. James already told her you were on your lunch break,” Winn said nervously.

Aurelia took a deep breath. She spun away from Winn and marched up the stairs, heading to Cat Grant’s office. She knocked on the glass door before entering. The blond media mogul glanced up.

“Ah, Miss Castillo,” Cat said. “Come in.”

Aurelia cringed at the way she pronounced her last name. She stood a foot away from Cat’s desk.

“Did you enjoy your lunch?” Cat asked, still writing.

“I did, thank you for asking. I just went down to that diner on the corner to meet my friend and catch up. I told her about the assignment I was on.”

“Ah, yes, the super wedding in Paris. It doesn’t seem so super now that we have our own Supergirl, now does it?”

Aurelia chuckled nervously.

“But I looked at your articles. You had some good prose in there and good points. The pictures were beautifully done.”

“Thank you.”

“You did so well on that, I’m going to have to ground you,” Cat said.

Aurelia blinked owlishly, stunned.

“Excuse me?” Was all she could say.

“From now on, you’re not going to be jetting around the world. I have a special assignment for you here at home,” Cat said.

She finally stood and walked around the table. Cat smiled victoriously, one hand on her hip as the other supported her weight on the desk. It made Aurelia curious and slightly nervous.

“What’s the assignment?” Aurelia asked.

“I want you to photograph and write articles about… Supergirl.”

Aurelia burst into laughter. As Cat’s expression fell and her brows drew together, she quickly recovered.

“I’m sorry, but… how do you expect me to photograph Supergirl? She flies at the speed of the wind,” Aurelia said reasonably.

“Not when she’s apprehending criminals or helping babies stuck in cars,” Cat countered.

Aurelia’s mind was racing. It’s not that she was wholly opposed to the assignment. She had been traveling so much for work lately, staying in one place, and not living out of a suitcase, would be a nice change. However, the problem lied with the fact that she knew Supergirl’s secret identity. She didn’t know if she could write articles about the hero without accidentally revealing something.

“You start tomorrow,” Cat continued.

#supergirl #supergirl fanfiction #cw supergirl #kara danvers #jimmy olsen #winn schott #cat grant #oc #original character #aurelia castillo #supergirl x oc #winn schott x oc #reader insert

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mamabearcat · 5 years

Note

37. Welcome to Fatherhood

I’m so sorry this took so looooong. This ended up being a Nalu one-shot, set a few weeks after The Not So Good Very Bad Day. Hope you like it! Taken from this Drabble Challenge list

The tiny girl wailed in Natsu’s arms, and he cuddled her closer as he walked up and down the hallway. He’d be panicking if he weren’t so exhausted; his daughter had hardly stopped crying all night, constantly feeding, and Lucy was an emotional wreck. Was she doing something wrong? What if she wasn’t making enough milk and the baby was starving. What if she’d eaten something that Layla was allergic to? What if she was getting sick!?

When the sun finally started peeking in their bedroom window, Natsu had gently taken Layla from Lucy’s arms and told her firmly that she needed to have a shower and a nap, and he would look after Layla for a little while. Ignoring her tired protests, he’d wrapped his daughter up snugly in a muslin wrap so she resembled a tiny burrito the way the nurse at the birthing centre had shown him, listening to the sound of the shower. As soon as a still slightly tearful Lucy was tucked up in bed, he’d shut the bedroom door firmly and begun pacing the hallway, singing random nonsense and hoping that would calm their tiny week old daughter down. But it seemed like Layla was having none of it.

He wished he knew what to do. Was he doing enough? When Layla woke at night, he would get up, change her quickly and then present her to Lucy so she could feed her. He tried very hard to stay awake while Lucy was breastfeeding, but sometimes he nodded off – there was something so amazingly peaceful about watching his wife feed his daughter.

He thought he’d loved Lucy before, but now… words really couldn’t describe how he felt – love didn’t seem enough really. Lucy was so beautiful – her blonde hair illuminated by the night light near the bed, cooing softly down at the tiny round cheeked baby girl as she concentrated fiercely on feeding, eyes closed and her little arms swooping in jerky uncontrolled movements. And he already loved Layla so much. He couldn’t wait until she finally smiled, laughed, called him Daddy. He was sure his heart would break with how much adoration he felt. But according to the books, that first smile was still nearly a month or so away. And she definitely wasn’t smiling now.

He knew this would be hard, the first few weeks with a new baby. Everyone had told them, but living it was something totally different. And it made it even harder that his and Lucy’s parents weren’t alive anymore. He would give anything to be able to call his Mum and ask questions about whether he was doing things right, or if he’d done something similar when he was a baby. She would have loved Layla so much, and it didn’t seem fair that she had missed this, and that Layla wouldn’t have the doting grandmother she deserved. He sighed, shifting Layla in his arms so her tiny head was resting on his shoulder, his hand patting softly and rhythmically on her bottom.

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill tone of his phone ringing. He wasn’t sure who would be ringing around breakfast time on a Saturday morning, but he didn’t want Lucy to wake up, so he moved quickly to the kitchen where his mobile was plugged into the charger, carefully tucking Layla into the crook of his arm so he had a free hand.

“Hello”, he said gruffly, hoping whoever was on the other end of the line could hear him over Layla’s cries.

“Hey, it’s okay”, soothed Levy on the other end of the phone. “She’s a week old; she’s probably going through a little growth spurt. You’re not doing anything wrong Natsu, neither is Lucy. It might last a day or two and then she’ll settle down again. It happened with the twins too.”

“It’s all good – they’ve had a few arguments, but everything’s settled down now”, giggled Levy. “When Layla’s a bit more settled, you should pop in and see them.” Natsu grinned.

“Yeah, I’d like to do that, for sure. Whaddya think pumpkin, would ya like to come and see Daddy’s work?” The tiny sleeping baby tucked into his arm nuzzled her head into the crook of his elbow, and he couldn’t help the single tear that rolled down his cheek. “She’s asleep.”

“Good work Natsu”, said Levy softly. “I’ll pop around after lunch with those casseroles if that’s okay?”

“I’d love to see her too, and I can’t wait to give Layla another snuggle. You’ve got this Natsu, you’re doing great.”

Another tear rolled down Natsu’s cheek. “I… thanks Levy” he whispered, his voice cracking a little.

He could hear the smile in Levy’s voice. “It’s an initiation of fire, I know, but being a parent… there’s nothing better. Welcome to fatherhood Natsu.”

#drabble challenge #natsu and lucy #nalu #nalu family #new baby #natsu x lucy #nalu drabble #nalu one-shot

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theskystillwakesup · 4 years

Text

MERRY PITCHMAS @introvert-luce !!!!

I hope you have wonderful day and a beautiful year ahead of you! I was your secret santa and I hope you enjoy your gift :) !!

Words: 2410 Rating: T Pairing: Beca/Chloe AO3: coming soon!

Beca Mitchell does not like Christmas.

She doesn’t hate it, but she's neither fond of the holiday nor the days around it. The stretch from late December to early January is just a melancholic, monotonic blur that bleeds into itself and it’s not exactly a good time for her. The days are cold, dull and depressive, doing nothing to help her already pensive mood around that time of the year.

She’s just never celebrated the holidays, period. Her family was as messed up as it could get right before a divorce, and nobody really wants to celebrate a thing like that, not even a five-year-old who was all too aware of what was going on around her.

Back at Barden, she just used to take part in the gift exchange with everyone else and help with errands if they were short on people – it didn’t hurt to do any of that. Afterwards, she used to chill out with the Bellas that didn’t celebrate the holiday either, and that’s the way she liked it.

She’d normally not be invested in the occasion at all, just simply mail a few cards to her Bellas and call it a day.

But this year, it’s her first Christmas together with Chloe, and she doesn’t know what it’ll hold.

(She has a hard time believing that Chloe’s actually her girlfriend as it is.)

Chloe understands her perfectly and wouldn’t prod her about doing something. If Beca doesn’t want to do anything with her, she knows she can tell Chloe and two will plan the day according to both their wishes and reach a compromise.

But that’s the thing: this year, she wants to spend the holiday with Chloe. She wants to see where it takes them and what it’s like when it’s just the two of them.

Most of all, she wants to make sure Chloe loves it.

The first thing they do is go Christmas shopping.

Chloe’s face is gleaming as she looks around the streets, eyes drawn to those shops that are already way too decked up even if the holiday’s less than 2 weeks away. Beca deems it too early for any sort of decoration, and honestly, it’s a bit of an eyesore.

But she glances at Chloe again, noticing how content the woman looks and smiles to herself. If it’s making Chloe smile, it’s not stupid.

“Beca, are you alright?” Chloe voice shakes her from her musings, and she shakes her head before meeting Chloe’s eyes. “What? Yeah, I’m fine.” “You kind of zoned out for a while there, are you sure?”

Beca doesn’t even think before she replies.

“Yeah, it’s just that you were looking, like, really pretty, so…”

Color rushes to her cheeks, and she can’t believe she just said that out loud. Smooth, Mitchell, she thinks. She looks at her feet, shuffling them together to break the silence and wonders how awkward Chloe felt.

(Okay, fuck it, Chloe’s her girlfriend, she’ll tell her she’s pretty anytime. But still, that doesn’t make her feel any less embarrassed. Her college self is facepalming herself big time.)

Soft fingers lace with hers, and she looks down to see their intertwined hands. There’s a press of lips against her cheek, and Chloe’s face splits into a soft smile. Beca knows Chloe’s understood what she was trying to say – she doesn’t need words to know that.

Giving their hands a quick squeeze, Chloe tugs her into her into a huge, overly red and white shop.

As daunting as the rows upon rows of weird trinkets and eatables look, Beca thinks she’ll just about do anything and go anywhere as long as she’s with Chloe.

Beca’s bored three minutes into their shopping trip.

Frankly, the displays of red, white and green are making her sick and every time she sees a gallant looking Christmassy sculpture she wants to barf. What happened to the simplicity of decorations?

Chloe seems to be entirely unaffected by any of this, and easily picks out whatever she needs. Beca can recognize the basics, like fairy lights and tree ornaments, but most of the other things in the cart are a mystery to her.

For her, the holiday’s never been more than what she’s seen in movies, and it’s not like she has any memorable times from when her father tried to celebrate it with her. There’s a snippet in her mind, of what it would have been like to celebrate the holiday like most other families do. It’s enough to make her feel like she’s missed out on a lot, and sometimes she wonders if she’ll ever get to feel that.

She guesses that growing and maturing in life really does make you want the things you couldn’t have cared less about ten years ago.

Chloe’s voice snaps her out of her brooding thoughts yet again, and she sees the woman waving her over, probably asking for her opinion on something she has no idea about.

Chloe explains to her that they’re in a grave situation, and that Beca must help her pick the best flavour of marshmallows or everything will absolutely go to hell.

(Beca thinks, that with Chloe and the bellas, she’s already got the family she’d never had.

And with Chloe, the future she wants doesn’t seem too far off.)

Beca had thought shopping was going to be the most tedious part about the festive season. But half an hour into their attempt to hang up some fairy lights, she’s done.

“Chloe, I can’t do this anymore. Why are the walls so high? I knew we shouldn’t have bought this place.” She whines, shakily balancing herself on a ladder that is bound to fall any second.

“You’re just short, Beca.” Chloe replies from the other side of the room, neatly winding the wires around nails and over picture frames.

“It’s not like you’re any taller.” Beca mutters under her breath. “I heard that. It’s why we use something called ladders, Becs.” “Can’t I just do something else? I really don’t think I’m doing it right.” “How can you possibly mess up hanging a fairy light?” “Try me.”

Sure enough, when Chloe turns around and sees the lopsided mess of wires and bulbs that was supposed to be cute and organized, she sighs and shakes her head.

Chloe tells her to hold the stream of lights for her while she tacks them to the wall, which basically means that all Beca has to do is stand by the ladder and pull the wire when Chloe asks her to.

In the three hours that it takes for them to finish, Beca nearly remains silent, while Chloe does the talking. She talks about everything – her vet school life, the animals she’s treated, that one puppy that wouldn’t stop clinging to her and Beca listens promptly, drinking it all up, eyes never leaving Chloe.

She’s positive that it’s at least the third time she’s hearing Chloe bring up the same incidents, but she could listen to the redhead talk all day. Their time together is already limited, with Chloe still having a few months more of vet school all the way in Davis, and Beca’s producing career just on the verge of taking off.

She’ll take what she can get for now.

Chloe’s laughter interjects the conversation every now and then, her eyes filled with mirth, and it makes Beca feel warm in a way she’s never felt before.

There are boxes open all over the floor, bits of paper strewn across the rug, pieces of tape stuck to her pants and lights illuminating the whole room.

(She could probably stay like this forever, she thinks, depressing holiday season be damned.)

They do their gift shopping separately, and Beca absolutely wrecks her brain trying to find Chloe a perfect one. Chloe’s the kind of person who’d be perfectly content with anything Beca gets her, and that doesn’t exactly help her narrow down her options.

Ultimately, a bracelet in a jewelry shop catches her eye, silver and glistening. It’s expensive, but not exactly unaffordable thanks to her salary. It has certain tiny engravings on it that she knows Chloe will love, and at this point, not buying the bracelet is out of the question – she herself loves it.

As she pulls out her card and pays, she thinks of Chloe’s smile, of sunlight glinting off the band in the early mornings, of the cool metal resting against her skin.

Yeah, she can’t wait for Christmas to come around and give Chloe her present.

Christmas day comes around faster than any of them had anticipated, and before they know it, they’re getting ready to host Stacie and Aubrey for the evening. The two were the only two Bellas who were close enough to visit them, with all the others promising to visit some other time.

They’d spent the morning lazing around and doing absolutely nothing - Beca’s ideal morning - which naturally meant that their entire afternoon is spent preparing dinner and doing other errands around the house.

A few minutes after they’ve just wrapped up and Chloe’s busy getting ready, Beca answers the door to reveal Stacie and Aubrey. Stacie pulls her into a bone crushing hug, while the blonde is too busy checking out her loft, admiring the place as soon as Beca ushers her in.

“Okay, I think I now understand why Chloe’s dating you.” Aubrey remarks.

Stacie lets out a snort at that, and Beca simply rolls her eyes. She knows Aubrey’s pulling her leg, but she can’t resist a little jab at the woman either.

“Are you jealous? I can set up a trust fund for you if you want.”

This time, Stacie laughs at the retort, clearly amused by the two, while Aubrey simply glares at her.

Chloe walks in just as Aubrey’s about to respond, dressed in a flattering sweater and jeans. She gives an exasperated sigh as soon as she sees the two women glaring at each other - she’s seen this scene play out in front of her too many times before.

“Are you two seriously doing this? On Christmas?” “Aubrey started it!” “Nobody asked you to continue it!”

“Sometimes I still have trouble believing you’re both adults.” Chloe states, and Aubrey cracks a smile before rushing over to Chloe and hugging her tightly.

They drink a little wine before dinner, and once they’re done eating Chloe says words that makes Beca’s blood run cold.

“Beca, it’s time for you to put on your sweater.”

Chloe doesn’t have to specify which sweater she’s talking about.

The color drains from Beca’s face and she sits rooted to her spot.

“No.” She answers resolutely. She’s dodged the weird tradition of gaudy Christmas sweaters all her life and she’ll be damned if she wears one this year.

“Beca, please?” Chloe asks, her voice syrupy sweet and eyes softened. Usually, a pout is enough for Chloe to get what she wants, but this is a serious matter. Beca is not going to wear a hideous, bright turtleneck no matter what.

She spares a glance at Stacie and Aubrey, and Aubrey’s having way too much fun stiffling her laughter, while Stacie grins and looks on. Everyone except her is clad in ugly red, white, green and brown Christmas sweaters, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to wear one too.

“No.”

“Come on, Beca, even Aubrey’s wearing one! You can take it off later, just put it on for now.” Chloe insists, clutching a brown paper bag in her hand. Beca doesn’t even know where Chloe procured that from, and frankly, she’s a little scared.

Beca shakes her head again.

“Alright, you know what.”

Chloe grabs her hand and drags her to their bedroom. Beca would be amazed by the feat of strength under different circumstances, mostly ones that didn’t involve ugly sweaters.

The redhead trudges closer to her, backing her up against one of the walls, until their bodies are almost touching. “Wear it, and I’ll make it up to you later.” She whispers in a sultry tone that she knows makes Beca weak.

“I-“

“Thanks.” Chloe says sweetly, before swiftly turning on her heel and walking away, shutting the door on her way out.

Beca glares at the packet lying on the bed and tries not to rip apart the fabric the moment she lays her eyes on it.

It’s the ugliest thing Beca has ever seen.

It’s chunky and gaudy and has a horrendous reindeer sewn into the front of it. The colors make Beca’s eyes hurt and she knows she’s never going to live it down once she walks out the door. The things she does for Chloe…

The moment she walks out the door, to Aubrey’s laughter, Chloe’s giggles and Stacie’s camera going off, she knows there’s no going back.

She resigns herself to wearing the monstrosity for the rest of the evening, and sulks in the corner while the three women finish laughing over her.

She looks at Chloe, doubled over in laughter, clearly enjoying the sight of her wearing something so silly, and decides that maybe it isn’t so bad after all.

(On second thought, she takes it back. The sweater is fucking horrible.)

Stacie and Aubrey leave a few minutes to midnight, and Beca realizes that she never actually got around to giving Chloe her gift. Chloe had given hers in the morning only, but Beca had insisted on waiting till the evening to give hers.

She rushes into their bedroom, rummaging through her closet until she finds the box and runs out to a confused Chloe, standing dazed in the kitchen.

“Close your eyes.” The redhead promptly does as instructed, and Beca takes her right hand in hers.

Beca takes the bracelet and clasps it on Chloe’s wrist. Chloe’s eyes open the moment she feels the cool metal against her skin, and her eyes visibly widen as she takes in the sleek, silvery piece adorning her hand.

“Do you like it?” Beca asks, a little thrown off by Chloe’s lack of a response.Did she go too far?

“I love it, it’s beautiful. You know you didn’t have to get me this.” Chloe lifts the bracelet to her face and examines it closely, awed by its make and design. I know, I wanted to.”

She detaches the hand holding Chloe’s and brings it up to the redhead’s cheek instead, stroking it softly.

“Merry Christmas, Chloe.” She’s never felt this happy greeting someone.

“Merry Christmas, Beca.”

Chloe’s happy, the kind of happy that comes from within your bones, and Beca knows it because Chloe’s eyes are shining and her hands are shaking and she can’t stop smiling.

It’s alright, Beca thinks.

She wouldn’t mind a million more days like this, as long as Chloe’s with her.

#merry pitchmas 2019 #merry pitchmas #bechloe #pp #hope you like this #i might make some edits to it later #introvert-luce #:)

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