#anyway. read black nightshade. do it. it’s so good

[zellink]

all the bells say

a pre-calamity zelink longfic. [chapter 1 of 28 // Act 0 of 5]

>> Read Act 0: "Genesis / Heavy" on AO3

Summary:

Rating: M Main Tags: canon compliant / angst with a happy ending / character study / romance / slow burn / all the goddamn tension. / mutual pining / self-doubt / following all the botw memories / Zelda is an unreliable narrator / Link is so hopelessly in love (until it's not) What will you do with what you've been given when the story forever tolls the same way? Link and Zelda, the Calamity, and their tale of inevitability and doom, and most of all, of love.

Notes:

Here I am, 7 years late to the party, 3 years after witnessing my boyfriend first play BOTW, with a Starbucks in hand and yet another pre-Calamity long fic that absolutely nobody asked for. But I have to do it. I have to bounce these two blonde elves in my head indefinitely and breathe life into my many, many headcanons.

All my love and thanks to my trench buddy and writing soulmate @1up-girl for all your invaluable beta'ing, brainrotting, and everything in between—I seriously owe you forever and ever. Thousands of thanks to the lovely @mustardcheesedog for your amazing energy and hype as an early reader and the daily zelink brainrot.

I also wanna to thank @milkywayes for doing the beautiful banner art for Bells; for understanding my vision and for all the conversations we've had about zelink—headcanons concocted in our DMs that I eventually adopted into this fic.

Fic title taken from the famous John Berryman poem, "Dream Song 29".

~~~ Please go to the fic page on AO3 and read the extended author's note in the beginning for warnings! ~~~

Anyway..... here's Act 0, y'all!

Act 0: Genesis / Heavy

There sat down, once, a thing on Henry's heart só heavy, if he had a hundred years & more, & weeping, sleepless, in all them time Henry could not make good. […] Ghastly, with open eyes, he attends, blind. All the bells say: too late. This is not for tears; thinking. “Dream Song 29” - John Berryman

Link is no stranger to death.

At five years old, he’s already witnessed more than his peers ever would. Growing up at a farm can do that to a kid. Cows, lambs, cuccos—all to the slaughter for sustenance, for profit. He stations himself beside Father and Mother as they butcher them to sell at the family shop. He’s also seen Father shoot countless deers and elk during their leisure hunts whenever Father is back home from Castle Town. More often than not, Father would let him borrow his old bow, and Link would contribute to their hunt, too.

But then Link’s pet fish dies one afternoon—a fat white freshwater carp with gold and black splotches he named Goldie—and he weeps and weeps in Mother’s lap. Goldie was his friend. Goldie was always there in the morning when he would wake up, and was there at night before he’d go to bed. But now Goldie is floating in the pond, its tiny mouth agape.

Mother strokes his hair. “It’s okay, Link. Goldie is with the Goddess, now.”

“Can I be with the Goddess, too?” he asks. Snot runs down his nose.

“Well, no.” Mother huffs a laugh. “Where Goldie is… we cannot go there. But what you can do is pray.”

Link withdraws his head from Mother’s lap. He wipes the tears from his face with the heel of his palms.

“Can we pray together, Mom?”

At that, something unreadable passes through Mother’s face. Her blue eyes turn steely.

“You can pray, Link,” she says, something sad about her small smile. “I won’t join. But we can arrange a funeral for Goldie, if you would like that?”

So they spend the rest of the day gathering flowers from the brambles that surround their estate until Mother’s wicker basket is full of white roses, blue nightshades, and armoranths. Mother also allows him to use the small wooden box that sits atop her vanity—a coffin perfect for Goldie. Mother says that it’s a box that used to house a necklace she bought and gave to Father long ago, but that necklace is long lost, so she has no use for it now.

Link wraps Goldie in an old rag and lays it gently inside the box. Then, they dig a hole in their backyard and bury the box and Goldie in it. He cries again, but not as hard as earlier. He clasps his hands in front of his chest, shuts his eyes, and utters his prayers aloud.

“Goddess Hylia, please welcome Goldie in your loving arms, give it many, many worms to eat, and bring it back as a strong and healthy fish in its next life.” Let its next life start tomorrow, please, Link does not say aloud.

When they make it back inside the living room, Father is already there, sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee. He asks about what they have been up to, and Link answers honestly. Father doesn’t press on, and he looks rather exhausted, so Link goes back into his bedroom and closes the door behind him.

He climbs into his bed and crawls toward the far end of the wall, looking out from the window and into the backyard. He sees it—a small grave by the shrubs, complete with a rock roughly the shape of an oval as the tombstone, with flowers surrounding the little plot of land.

He hears voices from beyond his bedroom door.

“I don’t think it is best for us to go soft on him.”

“Wha— soft? He is five and his pet just died!”

“And you helped him throw a funeral. For a fish.”

“Because he’s just a child!”

There’s a grating sound—a chair being dragged on the floor. “Well, he’s always said that he wants to become a knight. Then we must prepare him for such an occupation.”

“Being a knight does not mean he can’t feel emotions.”

“Eleana, being a knight is not easy. He will see hundreds of deaths in his lifetime. The next death he’ll witness won’t be of a fish, but of a comrade. I just want to prepare him for when he eventually becomes one.”

“Well—” a pause, “—then I hope, for Link’s sake, he never becomes one.”

Link, however, doesn’t pay much attention to his parents’ conversation. Instead, he imagines Goldie wiggling its way past the layers of cloth and wood and soil, flopping around the backyard until it finds its way to the pond again. Once everybody is asleep Goldie will rise up from its grave, he thinks. He prayed to the Goddess, after all.

But come morning, the pond is still empty, and Goldie remains lifeless in its little coffin.

And he never sheds another tear after that.

****************

Link is no stranger to death, and no stranger to funerals, either.

A year after Goldie’s humble funeral in his backyard in Hateno Village, Father must attend one of the most important funerals in the kingdom for as long as Link can remember.

(Well, six years is quite long for him, anyway.)

So here he is, holding Mother’s gloved hand, in the congregation at the Grand Chapel of Hyrule Castle. It’s a sad occasion, of course—everyone’s wearing black, all the women have their faces obscured with a veil, and he can hear sniffles from the crowd. But Link also can’t wait to tell his friends back home of his first real experience in the castle.

There are speeches, sermons, hymns, and many, many other long-drawn-out processions that he has no choice but to zone out on. But once the burial is over, Link is rather excited, because the Royal Guards (and by extension, Father) must accompany the Prince Consort to the Sanctum for an intimate reception.

The Sanctum is grand—big, luxurious, grand. Red velvet is draped everywhere—the thrones, the floor, the curtains, the banners. There’s also a lot of gold, and streaks of blue here and there. Link likes the blue the most.

When Father makes his way through the crowd to find Link and Mother, Link knows it’s time. He straightens his back, draws his chin a little bit higher, and follows Father.

“This is pretty exciting, right, Mom?” Link whispers. “Meeting the Prince!”

“The King,” Father corrects him. “He was the Prince, and now, without the Queen, he has become the King.” He sounds annoyed. “Please don’t make that mistake in front of His Majesty.”

Link clears his throat. “Sorry, Father.”

He gazes up at Mother again, but she’s quiet, and it’s hard to look past her veil.

They climb the grand marble staircase leading to the floating dais above the room, and find a large man standing in front of the throne.

Father and Mother immediately drop to their knees. Link follows suit.

“Your Majesty,” Father says, his head bowed.

“Sir William! Please, no need for this,” the King’s voice booms. Father rises, followed by Mother, and then Link. “I am very pleased to see you again, Lady Eleana. It’s been too long.” The King sounds friendly, but there’s a lot of sadness at the edge of his voice. That makes sense, Link thinks. He just lost his wife.

Then, the King sets his eyes on Link.

Link’s hands feel clammy, all of a sudden.

“And you, young boy—how you have grown! It was not that long ago when your father brought you as an infant to the Castle to celebrate my daughter’s birth,” he says. Link can only muster up a nod and a shaky smile. “Speaking of—” the King turns around to shoo something from his back. “Don’t just hide! Introduce yourself.”

From behind the King’s robe, a little girl emerges, clad in a black dress and a black surcoat. Her face, however, isn’t covered with a veil like the other women, and the first thing Link notices is how golden her hair is compared to the rest of her outfit. It’s almost blinding.

The second thing Link notices is how green her eyes are. Very green. Like grass, like trees. Like the forests that he likes to spend time in.

The girl extends a gloved hand. Palm facing down.

“I’m Princess Zelda,” she says. “Nice to meet you.”

Link takes her hand in a gentlemanly way that Father has taught him when greeting noblewomen. His thumb pad rests on her knuckles. His left hand rises to splay over his right breast. Then, he puts one foot in front of the other and bends his knees, bowing his head.

“Nice to meet you, Princess,” he says. “My name is Link.”

As he straightens up again, Link finds it hard to let go of her hand. The Princess doesn’t, either; her forest green gaze is still piercing through his eyes. It feels like vines are growing out of his wrist and twining around his hand and the Princess’.

“Hello, Link,” she says.

Oh, his heart is racing.

Father lets out a cough, and the vines vanish. Link withdraws his hand as if shocked by a jolt of electricity. The Princess lets her arm fall limp at her side once more, but her eyes are still on him. Mother grabs him by his shoulders, pulling him back to stand next to her again.

“Your Majesty, once again, Eleana, Link, and I would like to offer our deepest condolences for your loss,” Father says. “For this kingdom’s loss. The Queen is—was—a strong and wise monarch, and as a people, we shall mourn her absence forevermore.” His lips are trembling a little, Link notes. He’s never seen that on Father before.

“Thank you, Sir William,” the King says. “You were a steadfast presence in her life, truly.” At that, Mother’s grip tightens. Link tilts his head up to look at her, but is met with that layer of veil again. “Well, I must be on my way. Duty calls upon us all, after all.”

With one last bow from Father, Mother, and Link himself, the King makes his way toward the other end of the dais and descends the opposite staircase. The Princess follows, her back straight and steps never once faltering.

She doesn’t turn back to cast one last glance at his family, but Link watches and watches and watches. He’s still watching as she disappears beneath the grand archway that leads further into the castle.

On the walk back to Castle Town where Father resides, Link feels something heavy settling in his gut. Like his little inconsequential life makes sense, all of a sudden. Like being six years old doesn’t really matter because, in that moment, he feels like there are hundreds of ancient men residing within the confines of his bones. And all those men are whispering the same name over and over.

The name he heard just a half hour ago.

So he speaks up.

“Father, I think I’m ready to really train,” he says. “I really wanna be in the Royal Guard.”

Father laughs.

Mother, beneath her black veil, stays quiet.

>> Continue reading on AO3

[ellssbellss]

Lavender Roses ~ (K. Ootori x Reader)

pairing- Kyoya Ootori x Reader

In which a rational head hides a generous heart, but you have always known how to see past his walls and help him bloom into the gorgeous rose he is. Enjoy a slow burn between an honor student and our beloved glasses character!

-> summary: You expected him to whine a bit, yelling at the twins to stop playing unfairly while rubbing the bump on his head.

However, you didn’t expect the tiki statue to light up.

-> word count: 17.3k (she a long one)

-> tw!: mentions of small injury (including blood, scrapes, ankle injury, and being knocked unconsious), mentions of drowning sensations (no oxygen, trapped underwater). please read if your comfortable!

-> legend:

(f/h/f) - favorite hot food

(f/f) - favorite fruit

(f/c) - favorite color

see masterlist!: masterlist

taglist: @abbysblogsstuff @sunukissed @kisskissshutmydoor @idonia-dovahkiin @greensnakegoblep @vervainnnn @desert-fern @delievia @obeythemasters @luca-nightshade

Jungle Pool SOS!

“Haruhi!”

The brunette turned slightly at your voice, and she watched with a small smile as you picked up speed behind her, your leisurely pace molding into a speed walk to catch up with your friend. A drink carrier balanced in your arms as you made your way to her side.

Ringing bells of gold signaled the end of the school day and crisp, early spring air blew through the cherry blossoms of the courtyard. Uniforms, both yellow and lavender, covered the space, the crowd heading to the cars lined up along the road. Students were excited to go home and spend the evening doing whatever they chose. 

In your case, however, instead of taking this evening to perfect one of your many engineering projects, the Host Club collectively decided to meet up after school. Kyoya had informed everyone that he had a sort of field trip planned for everyone, and he needed your input on it. He had stated that everyone’s perspective was appreciated, and mandatory.

“Hey, (Y/n).” Haruhi says as you walk with her, her deep tone relaxing as you match her stride. “How are you?”

“Good!” You reply, and she quirks an eyebrow up at the bounce of your step and the brightness in your voice. No one should be this cheery after an entire school day. 

Before she can speak on the matter, though, you reach into the pile of to-go cups balancing on your forearms and produce a medium sized coffee, the words “Love of my life” written in black sharpie on the side. 

“Here, this one’s yours.” You say as you hand her the drink, your fingers clamping around the top of the cup like a toy crane. She laughs a little at the name. “I figured since we are being forced to work on our time off, I thought everyone might want a hot drink as a nice pick me up! I asked them to make a coffee with equal amounts of milk and sugar for you. They even used the instant coffee that you like.” 

The coffee is warm in Haruhi’s hands as she takes it from your grasp. She breathes in the steam, grateful for the heat it provides. “Wow, (Y/n), thank you. You didn’t have to do this.” 

Smiling at her appreciation, you shake your head. “That’s what friends are for. Plus, I thought you might need the energy boost, considering our esteemed company this afternoon.” You joke, and Haruhi chuckles as she brings the drink to her lips.

The honor student takes a sip, relishing in the taste of the cream and the coffee beans blending together. She swallows, and as the warmth blossoms in her chest, she registers just how many drinks you have in your arms.

“How did you have enough time to get these? Didn’t school let out a few minutes ago?”

You smiled, joyfully working to rearrange the pyramid of drink orders so that they didn’t spill out of your grasp. “My engineering teacher gave us a lot of freedom today. She said that as long as we had everything ready for tomorrow’s presentation, we could leave class early.” You shrugged as you assessed the organization of cups. “I figured since I had to come back here anyway, the least I could do is buy everyone a few drinks.”

Haruhi squinted her eyes at you over her cup of joe, suspicions firing from both sides of her brain. They trailed over the glint in your (e/c) irises, the extra spark in your movements as you both continue to walk towards your agreed meeting place.

“You’re extra cheery this afternoon.” The brunette bluntly stated.

You turn to look at her this time, a little confusion gracing your features. “Am I?” Your glance then roams around the academy’s property. “Just excited to get started, I guess.”

She hums in thought for a second before turning her attention back to her drink. “I think it’s because you’re excited to see Kyoya.” 

At the sputtering that occurred to her right, she was surprised none of the drinks made it onto the ground.

Haruhi laughs a little as she sees you trip over yourself, and she reaches out to help you, making sure the cups are stable in your grasp. “Do you want me to hold some for you?” 

You heaved a light-hearted, defeated sigh as you passed her two cups, one that said “Thing One” and another that read “Princey”. “Am I really that obvious?”

She shakes her head lovingly as you both continue to walk. “No, not to most people. But I know you.”

Scoffing playfully, you nudge her with your shoulder as you both arrive under a beautiful archway that has been built on Ouran’s property. As you both wait underneath it, you see two limousines appear, but ignore them, as limos are a very common occurrence when it comes to rich students. 

After a few minutes passed the agreed meet up time, you look at Haruhi. 

“Maybe we should call them? See where they are?” You say, but right when you’re about to fish your phone out of your pocket, an arm loops under yours, picking you up by the shoulder.

“Targets-” You hear a familiar voice beside you.

“Captured.” When you look over, you see that Haruhi is in the same position that you are, except she has Hikaru to her left, while you have Kaoru to your right.

“What the hell?” You say as you tighten your grip on the drink carrier.

Haruhi is thrashing a little in Hikaru’s grasp. “Wait! What is-”

Before she can ask her question, the window of one of the limousines rolls down, revealing Tamaki. To add to your growing confusion, he was wearing a red lei and sunglasses, looking very smug in his seat. 

“Good work.” He says, and gestures to the limo behind him. “(Y/n) goes in that one.”

“Roger!” Shout the twins, and off you go. Kaoru is suddenly dragging you away from Haruhi as you watch her get pushed into Tamaki’s car.

“You better tell me where we are going right now, Kaoru, or I’ll-”

He interrupts you by opening the passenger door to the second limousine and shoves you inside, a large smirk on his face. Before he shuts the door, he grabs a cup out of your carrier, the one labeled “Thing Two”.

“Don’t be such a brat, (Y/n).” He teases with his cheshire grin. “Patience is a virtue.” 

And with that, he closes the door, trapping you inside. 

Your brow ticks with annoyance as you stare angrily out the tinted window, watching him return to the limo in front of you, and you sway as you feel the car start to move. 

“I take it that's for me?” 

You cannot catch a break as another surprising voice sounds across from you. You jump slightly before processing the fact that Kyoya is sitting across from you, hands folded neatly over a brown journal resting on his lap. 

“What?” You ask, still reeling from the events prior.

“The drink. In your hand?” His gaze rests on one of the only two drinks left, a small earl gray tea labeled “Shadow King”.

“While I find the name intolerable, I will take the beverage.” The ravenet speaks again, a smirk resting on his sharp features, and you sigh, accepting your fate.

Thrusting the drink tray out in front of you, you roll your eyes playfully. “Just take it.” And when he does, you add. “After all this, I find the name to be quite fitting.”

Kyoya’s smirk never left his face after that. 

After an hour or so passes, coffee cups lay discarded in a themed trash can, the bin looking very similar to a Tiki statue. Even the remains of a small black coffee labeled “Mori'' and a strawberry frappuccino with “Cutie” scribbled on the side lay atop the pile. 

Instead, the sunlight reflects through crystal glasses filled with tropical drinks and refreshing ice. As the scene pans out, tropical birds fly through a domed space, winding through tall palm trees and intricately built water slides. 

A certain red bird trained his eyes on a bright, yellow shape, and his excitement and curiosity heightened tenfold. He had never seen that big of a flower before, but it looked soft and inviting. The bird dove for it, his red color blurring in the air as he moved closer to his target, thinking that he might be able to break off a petal or two for his wife back at their nest-

“Squawk!” Haruhi shooed the winged-pest away from her yellow pullover casually, the red bird sounding its surprise as it flew away quickly. She was too distracted to care though as she shielded her eyes from sunlight beaming through the waterparks glass ceiling, still racking her brain as to how exactly she got there. 

‘Am I dreaming?’ The honor student asked herself when no rational answer appeared in her logical mind. ‘We’re still in Japan, right? It’s not really known for its tropical locals.’

Before she could question herself further, a manicured hand settled onto her shoulder, kicking her off her train of thought.

She looked to her side to see a shirtless Tamaki, and even she had to admit that he absolutely glowed in the sun’s path. His blonde hair shined, and the light rivaled the sparkle of his violet irises. It was hard for her to look away, that is, until the prince opened his mouth.

Then it was very easy. 

“Behold, Haruhi, bask in the beauty of tropical birds!” He sighed dreamily as he followed the feathered things in their flight. “Aren’t they breathtaking? I wonder what they’re called.”

She shook him off of her slightly as she felt a migraine already forming behind her eyes. The brunette took a moment before turning to the blonde once more, only to find that he was already lounging in a long chair, sunglasses over his face. 

“Right, so…��� She said, getting his attention. “Where’s the exit?”

She could feel the eyeroll the prince gave her before settling into his seat more comfortably. “Try to make the most of this down time and just relax.” A smirk made its way on his chiseled features as he raised the drink in his hand. “We’re so worried about keeping our good looks day and night, we deserve a little vacation.”

The headache began to wrap around her skull to nuzzle into her brainstem, but her face didn’t have enough energy to convey anything other than a deadpan expression.

“Personally, I think this is pointless and a waste of time, so can I go home now?” She chided, fully turning away from the prince to talk to the actual person in charge. “I should really be studying, and I’ve got a ton of laundry to do today.”

Her bare feet take her to a certain ravenet lounging under the shade, his little brown book open on his lap while his fingers expertly work his pen onto the pages. The seat next to him is empty, only a towel draped over the back of it giving any evidence that someone might be sitting there.

He seems busy, but Haruhi decides to interrupt his thoughts for the sake of her freedom. “Senpai, where are we anyway?” 

Kyoya barely gives her a sparing glance before returning his focus to his notes, but answers her question. “This place is a brand new theme park that my family, the Ootori group, runs. It’s called the Tropical Aqua Garden.”

She takes in the resort in front of her, watching as the lazy river a few feet away glides and ripples against the tile walls. 

“I don’t understand, I thought the Ootori Group ran hospitals and that they’re focused on the medical business, Kyoya-senpai.”

The Ootori son feels the corners of his mouth tilt up slightly at her correct observation, and finally meets her eyes before his next statement. “Yes, but my family likes to diversify and try different things. Besides, this place could be classified as a healing facility.”

Haruhi hums in thought, and Kyoya is about to expand his explanation before the sound of wet footsteps are heard behind him. Haruhi has barely any time to move out of the way before you are barreling past her, feet slapping against the concrete before they are leaving the ground. The twins in the pool jump at your fast approaching figure while Honey sits on Mori’s shoulders cheering you on. The Hitachiians rush to move out of your way, making room for the inevitable.

You laugh and squeal as you push off the balls of your toes when you reach the pool’s edge, quickly hugging your knees to your chest and screaming Cannonball! in mid air before becoming submerged in the water below. 

Kyoya uses his book to shield himself from the, frankly impressive, splash before making another note on the page, his smile a little bigger now. 

“It can also be therapeutic.” He says, gesturing to you and the twins splashing each other once you come up for air. “Think of the people who are overworked who would just love a vacation in the south tropics. However, they may not be able to get time off, or they may not be able to afford it.” He put his book down and reached for his tropical glass, adjusting his glasses to his nose.

“Those people can now come here and reduce their stress levels. The Ootori group's primary concern has always been for the good health and well-being of the general public.” At the end of his speech, he flashes Haruhi a host grin, and she feels a weird shiver up her spine.

“Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all.”

At your voice, the two hosts direct your attention to you, and Haruhi notices Kyoya’s Adam's apple bob slowly at the sight of you, his smile faltering into something more real.

With your palms placed in front of you, you pushed yourself over the ledge, stretching your back slightly to feel the sun on your newly exposed skin. He didn’t dare to breathe in case it disturbed your peaceful image.

But as you walked out of the pool and towards him, Kyoya just stopped breathing.

Earlier, when you had emerged from the changing room in your new two-piece, Kyoya had been on the phone with his family’s managers, too distracted to fully take in your appearance.

But now, his eyes followed stray droplets as they fell off your wet eyelashes, down the perfect shape of your cheekbones before slipping in between your parted lips, a sight that made him lose his breath. 

More cascaded over your shoulder and across your arms, finding a home on your bare stomach. Another drop streaked over your chin and down your neck before disappearing somewhere he refused to look, out of his immense respect for you and, of course, his own sanity. 

Cooly, he locked eyes with the twins following behind you before turning back to Haruhi, silently cursing them in his head for helping you pick out such an exquisite swimsuit. One that flatters every curve and dip in your body. One that lit his nerves on fire at the site.

Clearing his throat, it takes Kyoya a little more than a second to organize his composure, mind still hazy from your appearance. 

“The park doesn’t officially open until next month, but the host club was given a special advance invitation.”

Your laugh sounded again, closer this time as you stopped in front of him and oh, why would you do that? How could you laugh like that and look like that and not expect him to be bursting at the seams?

“Oh, so we are just a bunch of guinea pigs for your new waterpark?” You ask, cocking an eyebrow at the man below you. “I’d expect nothing less from the Ootori’s.”

Kyoya rolls his eyes, reaching over to your chair to hand you your towel. “Never expect anything less from the Ootori’s.”

You chuckled again and reached out to take the towel from his grasp, feeling the graze of his fingertips when a sweet, higher pitched voice calls for your attention.

“(N/n)-chan! (N/n)-chan!”

As you dab your head to get rid of the excess moisture, you turn to see Honey-senpai skipping towards you with pure delight on his features, and your face softens at the sight of a pink floaty around his waist. 

“What’s up, Honey-senpai?”

When he gets to you, he grabs your arms and tugs on your wrist, making you smile even wider at his antics. “Wanna share some coconut juice with me? Or some mango cake?”

He suddenly runs around you, spinning you off your balance so that you fall into the chair next to Kyoya. Another laugh pushes past your lips as you adjust yourself to recline a little bit. 

“I’d love to have some coconut juice with you, Honey-senpai.”

And if you thought his face couldn’t get any brighter, you were proven wrong as his eyes widened into happy saucers as he giggled away happily, appeased at your choice.

The energy that Honey had brought you was collected into a moment of calmness as your gaze traveled to Mori, who watched a bird fly over his head in the distance. 

The stoic host turned and looked at you directly, as if he felt your eyes on him. Knowing him, he probably had. 

You smiled at him and waved, and got a simple smile and nod in return. 

He was precise and to the point. Something that you admire about Mori-senpai, but something that admittedly took a little getting used to. 

You sigh and lean back. “This is so nice.”

“Does this mean you forgive me for not telling you where we were going?” Kyoya asked beside you, a knowing look playing on his lips.

Wiggling deeper into your chair, you throw an arm over your eyes, completely content with the sun warming your skin as your favorite megane sits beside you. “If it means you take me to places like this, you can surprise me all you want.”

Unbeknownst to you, gray eyes lingered on your form before another content simper made its way onto the club director’s visage, happy to see you happy. 

“Hey Haruhi!” The peace was broken as the twins finally made their way towards your group, a banana in Hikaru’s hand. 

Kaoru points to the large yellow slide in the distance. “You wanna go check out the water slide?” His offer falters, though, when he notices Haruhi’s yellow sweatshirt and green checkered shorts. 

True to his character, Hikaru reads his brother’s mind. “Hang on, what’s the deal with the pullover you’re wearing?”

Haruhi pulls at the elastic band at the bottom of her jumper. “Oh, this thing?”

“Tamaki made her wear it.” You say, hearing an offended, betrayed gasp from the table next to you, your eyes shielded from the dirty look the prince was giving you. 

The twins spun to face the boss. 

“Why would you do that?” Hikaru asks, discarding his banana peel into some unknown area. 

“Yeah, we even brought all of our mother’s latest designs for (Y/n) and Haruhi to try!”

“Meh.” The gingered brothers turned again, surprised at Haruhi’s disinterest. “I didn’t really like any of them. I mean, one of them was only a couple of strings.”

Another strangled cry from the lounge chair Tamaki occupied.

You pulled your arm away from your face to join the conversation. “Oh yeah, I tried that one on. It was a really good material, but it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.”

A gurgled cough sounded to your left as Kyoya brought his drink away from his lips, covering his mouth as he tried to swallow without difficulty. The twins smirked evilly at his reaction.

“You okay, Kyoya-senpai?” They said in sync, a mocking tone hidden in their smiles.

“I’m just fine.” The third son said darkly, clearing his throat as his glasses flashed at their attempt to fluster him even more than he was. “It just went down the wrong pipe.”

“A proper lady should not show that much skin until after she’s married.” Tamaki said, his face beet red at the topic of conversation.

“Oh yeah?” Hikaru starts.

“Then why is it okay that (Y/n) isn’t covered up?” Kaoru finishes. 

You and Tamaki meet glances, and you see him nervously trying to find some sort of excuse as to why he cared so much about Haruhi’s privacy and respect. You simper a little bit, sensing his dilemma before saving him from answering. As his best friend, you knew that Tamaki hadn’t confronted that aspect of his feelings for Haruhi yet, and you didn’t want him to explode on that lounge chair.

Hopefully, though, he will be able to answer that for himself eventually. 

“I wouldn’t let him. Why would I hide your mother’s amazing talent under some sweatshirt?” You say, adjusting the bikini on your hips.

“Plus,” You say looking over at Kyoya, a newfound confidence taking over you. That’s what the power of a good swimsuit holds. “I look amazing.” You state matter of factly, winking at your favorite ravenet.

With an air of nonchalance, Kyoya merely arched a brow at your antics before shaking his head and turning away. Mentally, you fist pumped when you notice the light pink dusting the tip of his ears, and you knew you got him. 

Oblivious to your small victory, the twins turned back to Haruhi. “So you’re not going to swim?” Hikaru asked, a complete deadpan on his face. What was the point of coming out to a huge waterpark if you weren’t going to swim?

Unless…

Kaoru asked the question he was thinking. “Hold on. You do swim, don’t you?”

Haruhi lets out a groan of annoyance at her two classmates. “I can swim just as good as the next guy, but this isn’t my idea of fun. We’re just gonna spend the day goofing off.” She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Honestly, I’d rather be home. I don’t understand what’s so great about this place, and really all you need to swim is a plastic pool.”

You prop yourself up a little more. “A plastic pool? What’s that?”

She turns to you before her face shifts into a thoughtful look. “Hm, let’s see.” She starts making a large circle with her arms, trying to demonstrate the size of the toy without actually having it in front of her. 

“I guess they’re about this big, and uh, and this round. And you pump it full of air.”

Hikaru and Kaoru look at her like she just said the sky was red instead of blue. 

“You dunce.”

“That’s an inflatable boat, dummy.”

Haruhi’s mood turns foul again as she yells at the brothers. “Guys, it’s an inflatable pool! Haven’t you ever seen kids playing in one?” 

“But isn’t that too small?” You ask, taking a sip of your coconut juice. “There’s no way something that size could be used as a pool, it would be too cramped.” 

Your drink is knocked out of your hand as Tamaki pulls you out of your chair, much to your distaste. Next to you, the twins stumble to catch up in his grasp as Tamaki crouches, speaking to you in a sharp, hushed voice. 

“You idiots! If Haruhi thinks it’s a pool, then it’s a pool, got it?” His eyes are wide, and his lips pucker with his attempt to keep his voice down. “Don’t go embarrassing her! She can’t help it if she’s an ignorant commoner.”

“She’s far from ignorant.” You say under your breath, knowing that if you turned in your crouched position, you would see Haruhi staring right back at the three of you, her arms folded or tapping her foot. 

“So, you just want us to lie to her?” The twins asked simultaneously, and Tamaki nodded firmly.

The twins blinked at him before a smile crept onto their faces. 

“Nevermind that, we’ve got a question for ya.” Hikaru asks, looking between Tamaki and his brother.

Kaoru continues. “Why did you make Haruhi put on that monstrosity?” 

Hikaru just shrugs. “I mean, I’m sure you would’ve been all ‘I wanna see Haruhi in a swimsuit!’.” It wasn’t that hard to imagine, and you found yourself grateful that Tamaki didn’t throw a tantrum for once. “Not making her cover up like that.”

“It was surprising.” You admit before standing back up and brushing yourself off. You didn’t need to tease Tamaki into telling you something you already knew. 

“What are they saying?” Haruhi asked when you made your way back to her and Kyoya.

“Uh,” A sheepish smile stretched your face. “Would you believe me if I said nothing?”

She rolled her eyes and grunted, making her way over right behind Tamaki before the twins pointed at her. The prince jumped in surprise, slowly turning to face only to cower at her deadpan energy.

“Well,” you sigh, leaning against your chair. “That’s what he gets for telling Haruhi what to do.”

You look over at the hum of agreement that emits from Kyoya’s throat, and you catch his cursive lines from over his shoulder as he continues to record the world around him in his notebook.

“What are you writing about?” 

He looks at you before clicking his pen closed and handing you the book, allowing you to flip through its pages. Notes like ‘too many palm trees’, ‘diversify drink menu’, and ‘add diving board’ covered the lines, and you sent a confused glance his way.

“Referring to yourselves as my guinea pigs isn’t straying too far from the truth. This trip doubles as a test run for my family, to see if there are any kinks that need to be worked out before the park officially opens to the public.”

You nod with a knowing smile – because of course Kyoya could never just take a break and enjoy himself for once – and continue to look through the leather-clad booklet.

“And thanks to you guys, I’ve gotten some great data today.” The ravenet uses a delicate finger to support his lenses, and you see a flash of the business man he is already becoming. 

Your heart beats a little faster.

Kyoya opens his palm for his notes, and you move to hand it back for him, only to hold it just out of his reach.

“While I appreciate your ability to multitask, I’m sure you’ve taken the necessary data to report back to your father.” Your eyes are sincere when they meet his. “Promise me that for the rest of the day, you’ll actually relax.”

His eyes squint narrowly while his jawline ticks, and you see his mind working out a debate to your request. 

“Please?” You beg, and what could he do, really? When you were looking at him like that?

The argument he had loaded in his throat dies at his lips. 

“Fine.” Kyoya says, his voice warm as he reaches over and closes the gap between him and his book, and you realize he could’ve done that the whole time. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.” Now you’re beaming at him, and he knew it was worth it. 

“(N/n)-chan!” Your eyes leave Kyoya’s as you see Honey-senpai bounding towards you, this time with Mori-senpai in tow. “Let’s play! Wanna go swimming in the current pool with me?”

“Maybe in a sec? I’m taking a break for a minute.” Truthfully, you were enjoying relaxing with Kyoya, being in each other’s space. You didn’t want to leave him just yet. 

For a moment, Honey’s eyes drooped and you were about to give in, but he got over it quickly as he skipped over to Haruhi to ask her the same question.

But Haruhi shook her head too. “Nah, I’m not gonna swim today.” She smiled before noticing Honey’s attire. “Hold on, you know how to swim, don’t you? Do you still need that float?”

At the talk of his floaty, Honey did another little spin, but this time he shook his head. “Nope! It just looks cuter this way, ya know?”

You chuckle lovingly. “He’s right, those bunnies are pretty cute.”

“He’s so innocent.” The twins remark, and your whole group watches in peace as Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai play in the pool together, a heartwarming scene. 

Unfortunately, though, you were about to experience the complete opposite in just a few moments

As a shrill ‘No way! You’re wrong!’ sounded over the intercoms of the waterpark, your body stiffened like a toothpick, spikes of pure panic surging up through your veins. 

You could recognize that voice anywhere. 

“Is that…” You say, forcing your tongue to form the syllables, dreading to even mention her name on your vacation. “Renge?”

Out from the abyss, the dark angel that is Renge Houshakuji rises out of her lair. She poses at the top of her tiered rig, holding an umbrella and looking as smug as ever. 

Your laugh is strained as more panic swirls in your irises. Swiftly, you launch yourself out of your chair, rushing a quick explanation to Kyoya before rushing over to the current pool with Honey and Mori. “You know what? I think I will join Honey-senpai for a swim. Watch my stuff, yeah?” 

And you’re gone. Ignoring the unspoken rule of not running near a pool, you hike it to the water, diving deep, hoping Renge didn’t see you hide. 

This is why you couldn’t have nice things. 

Rising out of the water to catch your breath, you find the group in a forced chat with Renge, and you blow out a sigh of relief.

“(N/n)-chan? Do you not like Renge-chan?” Honey says as he floats next to you, kicking his little legs as much as he could so he didn’t cruise down the river.

Your mouth opens agape, but then you close it. Honey may look delicate, but he has impressive observational skills. Nothing gets past him. 

“Uh, I’m still trying to get along with her.” A closed-mouth smile appears on your face, hoping to convince him

“So you jumped in the pool? That’s not a good way to make friends, (N/n)-chan.” 

Mori nodded his head next to his cousin. “Yeah.” 

You deadpanned at the two of them before sucking some water in your mouth and spitting it back at the duo. “Could you two not gang up on me? Isn’t there a game you wanted to play?”

Ever the scatter-brained boy, the third year’s face lights up at your suggestion, and he immediately climbs out of the pool. He takes his floaty off and throws it back at you.

Shooting an amused look to Mori, you catch the pink, plastic ring and hold it, waiting for your next order from your senpai.

“I want to practice jumping through the floaty! Can you hold it steady for me, (N/n)-chan? I bet I could jump in the hole!”

It takes you a moment, but you finally understand what he is getting at. “I can do that! And maybe, each time you’re able to jump through the ring, I can step back a bit to make it more challenging?”

“Yeah!” Honey agrees excitedly, happy that you’re taking an interest in his game. “And Takashi could create obstacles for me to jump over!”

The tall host nods, sticking his arm out between Honey and you to create a jump for Honey. “Okay.”

“Okay, ready?” Honey backs up a little before charging at the two of you. His legs jump out and over Mori’s arm, only to come to a point as he changes his pose to fit perfectly in the middle of his floaty. With a splash, the ring bounces against the water at the force, and Honey’s head goes under before he comes back up.

“You did it!” You exclaim as he pulls his arm through the center, resting his body onto the floaty. 

Honey looks at Mori, water dropping off of his blonde hair. “What would you rate it, Takashi?”

The black-haired host allows himself another smirk as he holds up both hands, spreading his fingers out wide. “Ten out of ten.”

“A perfect score.” You say proudly as Honey’s excited energy becomes contagious. “Wanna do it again?”

Expectedly, he nods his head, and Mori helps him out of the pool only for Honey-senpai to jump back in the ring again, this time a little farther than he was in the first round. You all played this again and again, Honey getting a perfect score from Mori each time, until the small host was bored with his floaty and wanted to play something else.

While the cute host spun himself into his thoughts, searching for another game to play, you took the opportunity to take in the moment. 

As sad as it was to admit, being able to spend time with Mori and Honey like this was rare. They had their graduation to think about, as well as their martial art training and other responsibilities that come from training police forces and overseas militia. 

You were just as busy, honing your engineering skill and preparing to inherit the company your mother had built from the ground up. 

But now, as the water swished between your fingers and Mori’s signature smirk secured its place on his lips, you found it hard to accept that as a valid excuse. Especially when Honey got another gleam in his eye, splashing around so that he could face his cousin dead-on. 

“Takashi! Can we play Surfboard?” The boy lolita’s warm brown eyes morphed into stars as he begged his cousin to accept. The usually agreeable Mori wrinkled his brow, and you could tell he did not like Surfboard.

“What’s that?” You ask. 

“I get to stand on Takashi’s back while he swims! It’s like I’m surfing!”

“Oh, I see.” You say knowingly, making eye contact with the taller host to show him that you understand why that wouldn’t be the best idea. “Do you maybe want a break, Mori-senpai? I could play with him for a little bit while you get a drink.”

Mori looked back at the hosts, seeing Haruhi fiddle with her glass alone under the canopy. 

“Yeah, thanks.” His deep voice answered you simply, and soon he was out of the pool walking towards the honor student, who had a drink in her hand. 

Honey looked a little sad at the loss of his cousin, but he turned back to you with renewed energy. Did this kid ever run out of gas?

“Do you wanna play Surfboard?”

A sweatdrop appeared on your forehead as you waded in the water. “Sure, but you can stand on my stomach as I backstroke. Sound good?”

You really didn’t feel like drowning today. 

But he agreed with an enthusiastic ‘Okay!’ as you readied yourself to float on your back. You breathed in and filled your lungs with air, the buoyancy of the organ making it easier for you to stay a float. Honey sat, then stood on your ribs and stomach as you started to swim backwards in the water, keeping your face above the surface. 

You were lucky he was light. 

“Look!” Honey called to the group of hosts and Renge, drawing attention to your game. “Check this out! Even though we’re swimming really fast, we never go any further than we are now!”

‘We’ was a generous term as he stood on top of you, happy as a clam to be along for the ride. 

You stayed like that for a while until your arms hurt, and you tapped on Honey’s leg to tell him that you were done. You propped yourself against the wall of the current pool as Honey kicked for himself, smiling slightly at the content look on his face. You never wanted to see this kid unhappy.

Shuddering, you pushed the thought from your mind.

“Watch out, (Y/n)!” You hear the twins yell as they run past you with water guns, trying to get away from Tamaki with a vengeance. They playfully sprayed you with their water guns before skidding around and leaping around Tamaki’s shots. Luckily, you notice, Renge has left as well. 

A small voice spoke beside you. “You wanna go play water guns? You can if you want.” 

Turning your attention back to Honey, you saw the most genuine look of selflessness in his eyes. He would be totally okay if you said yes right now and left him to his own devices.

But that made you want to stay even more. “Of course not, Senpai.” You said, swimming back alongside him. “I’ll stay here with you.” Honey saw a sweet grin illuminate your lips and he cheered, forgetting about the force of the pool as he stopped kicking. Catching him around his middle, your heart warmed at his eagerness to keep playing with you. 

In the distance, you hear Tamaki yell “Sideways-leaping shot!” His figure blurs as he leaps to the side, trying to catch the twins by surprise as they hide behind decorative surfboards.

But he doesn’t stop. 

You watch as Tamaki’s feet land on Hikaru’s discarded banana peel and propel him forward, and you wince when he lands head first into the tiki statue outside of the bathrooms. 

You expected him to whine a bit, yelling at the twins to stop playing unfairly while rubbing the bump on his head.

However, you didn’t expect the tiki statue to light up.

Like a tripwire had been activated, the eyes of the statue began to glow a deep red, setting off a chain reaction within the waterparks mechanics. 

A rumble split through the concrete of the resort, and you hugged Honey closer to your body, not liking the sound of this at all. 

You learned to always trust your instincts as a huge wave suddenly appeared in front of the both of you, towering to great heights above your heads.

Eyes widening, you spin your head around, seeing if there was any time, any at all to at least push the third year out of the way. But the water was coming at you too fast, and separating yourself from your friend was the last thing you needed to do. 

The host club is sprinting towards you both now, meeting your (e/c) eyes as you register that they’re too far away.

“Mitsukuni!”

“(Y/n)!”

Kyoya is too far away. 

So with almost no time to react, you wrap your arms around the boy, your body rounding to shield Honey from the barrage of water whirling at you at high speeds. You will your heartbeat to slow as you hug the student to your middle, whispering in his ear before bracing for impact. 

“Deep breath, Honey.”

Then the world was blue.

Water surrounded you. Even with your eyes closed you could feel it pour into your nostrils, rushing against your closed lips as you held onto your precious breath. The waves flooded in between the grip of your arms, but you refused to let Honey go. With every attempt that the pool gave to rip the boy-lolita away from you, you strengthened your hold, straining your muscles against the onslaught of water.

You were sent flipping, crashing against sides of the pool, scraping over sharp twigs and fallen branches. A sting shot up your right arm as you hit it roughly, and the coolness of the liquid surrounding you seeped into the open skin. 

In the blind surge, your foot got caught in one of the drainage divots in the resort, and it twisted painfully before the water forced you back again. You opened your mouth to cry out when another giant wave pushed you roughly into a rock, and instead of blue, the world was black. 

The host club was in a panic on the shore as they saw the wave about to swallow you two.

Mori-senpai raced with all his might, hoping to beat the concept of time and get to his cousin and his friend as quickly as possible. He saw Haruhi running next to him, yelling for you and the boy-lolita. “Honey-Senpai! (Y/n)!”

“Mitsukuni!”

“(Y/n)!” Journal forgotten, Kyoya leaped out of his chair, the rim of his glasses creating the perfect frame to see a shadow cast over your figures, blocking the light that was reflecting off your skin just minutes ago. 

Swim, (Y/n)! Get out of there! He cried in his head as he raced for the pool’s edge. Why were you just sitting there? Why weren’t you making a break for it?

But his lungs deflated when your body language gave him his answer. You met his eyes, and the emotions that warped through them were almost apologetic as you turned away from him. Distressed, Kyoya saw your shoulders hunch protectively around Honey-senpai, your palms spreading over the boy’s chest as you pushed him flush against you in brace for the impact. He still willed his legs to pump faster.

Damn it, of course you wouldn’t leave Honey-senpai. If you couldn’t protect him, you’d go down trying. 

Kyoya’s fingers were drenched with the splash as he reached out, desperate to try and get to you, his heart thumping with his effort.

But in an instant, you were gone, washed away with the tide.

And at the edge of the current pool, the Ootori son froze, his feet rooted to the decorative flooring as he watched the water swish back into its original shape. It was unaware of the drama it had just started, splashing up against the cool blue tiles. 

Kyoya worked to catch his breath, the adrenaline in his body oscillating between the valves of his heart and the nerves in his mind. He closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling in more controlled manners as his brain fired, trying not to imagine the water rushing into your lungs. The force of the wave replayed in his mind, your gasp and Honey’s cry as it overtook you haunting his ears.

His tongue was too big for his mouth as it pressed against his soft palette, internally channeling all his tension so his persona wouldn’t shatter. But with one final exhale, his eyes snapped open, and the downward spiral he was sinking into was interrupted by a new determination.

Black hair whipped as Kyoya spun on his heel, making a beeline for the waterpark’s directory. If there was one thing he learned as an Ootori, it was that nothing could be solved if you didn’t push forward.

“Gentlemen!” Tamaki yelled as Kyoya brushed past him, the blonde’s finger pointing high into the sky. “We’re going after Honey-senpai and (Y/n)!” He points towards the path that was near the pool that swept you away. “That pool looks like the quickest way! Charge!”

Everyone except for Kyoya rushed at Tamaki’s orders. But Kyoya was the one looking at the map.

“Wait!” He called, still studying the sign. “I wouldn’t go-!”

Just as he anticipated, the club came running back to their starting point, alligators emerging from the edges of the path they had chosen. “There are alligators in there!”

Tamaki thinks before shouting out another command. “Okay, so we can’t use the pool, let’s try this way!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya sighed as another alligator blocked Tamaki’s path, and the prince scrambled back to his group. 

“What’s with all the alligators?” Haruhi called as the group of hosts put their hands on  their knees, trying to catch their breath. 

Sharply, he answers them with a monotone voice, eyes sweeping the map to find the best way back to you. “Those alligators belong to the park’s tropical animal exhibit. I guess it is dangerous to let them run in the wild.” 

He works his jaw when he spares a glance at the totem pole. “Though, the cause of our present situation seems to be the location for the switch of the current pool.” He pushes back a headache as he revisits the map. “I’ll have to have a little chat with our designers.”

Haruhi and the idiotic trio shivered at what his tone suggested, and they prayed for the designers’ safety when talking to the Shadow King. They were going to need it. 

Kyoya brings a hand to his chin and relaxes slightly, grateful to at least have a plan formulated in his mind. 

Turning to the rest of the hosts, he points to the map. “This is a map of the Tropical Aqua Garden.” He points to a red circle near the bottom of the signage, and the host’s eyes follow his finger. “This is our current location, but we need to get here. I have a feeling that’s where Honey-senpai and (Y/n) ended up.”

His hand raises to the top of the banner, passing several spaces marked with a large question mark. “It might be tough, because to get there, we will have to pass this jungle area here in the southern block. Distance wise, we’re talking about 800 meters.”

Haruhi walked up to the map wanting to get a closer look. “Looks like there are a lot of undeveloped areas.” She observes, gesturing to the question marks. “Any idea what might be lurking in those parts of the jungle?”

A deep sigh escaped him as he shook his head. “Since they’re still being developed, I’m afraid I don't know.”

The twins are staring at the map too, picturing you and Honey in the vastness of the unknown jungle.

“Whatever’s out there…” Kaoru trails off.

“It could be even more dangerous than alligators.” Hikaru finishes, swallowing thickly. 

Tamaki squares his shoulders. His best friends were lost, their safety undetermined. Haruhi was amazed at the hard glint in his eye as he called out to the rest of the host club. “Alright! Now this is a mission of survival!”

Instead of the intimidating, worried glare that Kyoya gave to his friends, Tamaki gave them a look meant for heroes stepping onto a battlefield, one full of confidence and resolve. 

“It is our sworn duty to save Honey-senpai and (Y/n)!”

So, with a plan in place, the club walked into the sea of twisting vegetation and branches , hoping to spot you amongst the vines.

The first thing you hear is rustling.

Leaves brush against one another in the wind that brushes across your damp face, creating an aura of calmness. It’s enticing, the ambience drawing your senses out from your slumber. 

After another second, the white noise is painted with more sounds. Some pop out more than others, like the song of a cricket, or the jostling of a parrot hopping from one branch to the next. But they all surround you, and your ears stretch to hear birds and insects, all singing to you. Maybe even for you. 

Your eyelids feel heavy as you work to open them, but you immediately squint them closed, wincing at the daylight that threatens to disturb your peace. Coming up with a compromise with the sun, you slowly open one eye before the other, allowing both of them to adjust to the brightness. 

Above you are trees, and even if they are still a little blurry, they are gorgeous. They tower royally over you, mercifully, as the sunlight drips through the holes in their shade like thick honey.

Honey.

Completely blissed out, your tired eyes crinkle for a bit before the effort makes you close your eyes again. Why does that word feel so familiar?

An image of a bright smile and a pink floaty flash behind your eyelids, and soon you are taking a deep inhale, your eyes snapping open as the moist air of the tropical forest propels you back to your reality. 

Instead of speaking though, you’re coughing. As you bend over, your body heaves water out from deep in your lungs, and you watch it sink into the deep soil below. You don’t register the reassuring hand on your back. 

After your airway was cleared, you whipped your head around, desperate to find your friend. “Honey-senpai!”

“(N/n)-chan!”

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the proximity of his voice, and you turned your head to your left to find Honey kneeling beside you, his eyes wet with water and worry. 

“Oh my god, Honey.” You say, trying to reach out for him with your right arm before feeling your skin stretch painfully. You bar your teeth, your lips drawing back in a hiss as you cover the scrape with your left hand. Putting pressure on the scrape, you turn back to the host.

“Are you okay?” Pleadingly, you stare into his eyes to find that they crinkle even more, relief and uncertainty mixed within his irises. 

“(N/n)-chan!” Honey crumples as he flings himself on top of you, and you feel your next bout of pain.

“Ah-!” Feeling you tense under him, Honey gets off almost immediately, and follows your line of sight. 

As he scans your body, both of your visions rest on your left ankle, which is no longer symmetrical to your right. Instead, it’s purple and bruised, swelling as if a lemon had been wrapped around your ankle. 

“Oh no! Does it hurt, (N/n)-chan?” Honey whines, and he watches in alarm as you nod your head slightly. 

The movement causes a drop of red to fall past your vision, and you hurriedly place your palm the side of your head, only for it to be colored a light red when you pull it away. 

“I was worried about that.” Honey cooed. “You hit your head pretty hard.”

That’s when you notice the pounding.

A persistent beat has settled itself on the inside of your skull, pulsating as your blood cells rush to the spot where you hit your head, trying desperately to reconcile any damage that might’ve taken place. 

Honey’s soft voice broke through the insistent pressure as his face came back into focus. “(N/n)-chan?”

In his eyes, you were propped up using your left arm to lean on the ground as your legs straightened out in front of you. A small streak of dried blood appeared on your forehead and your ankle was bruised. Now you cradled your skull, trying to get your wits together.

Because your swimsuit gave no protection from being washed away, there were mild scratches across your body, especially your back as you both were flung backwards into the pool. 

“Honey-senpai,” you caught his attention, your voice low and strained, “do you know where we are?”

He puffed out his cheeks before looking around. When you both had landed, he was still wrapped into your grasp. He quickly had gotten off to check if you were alright, only to find you unconscious. After that, he had been by your side, touching certain pressure points on your body that would help you wake up faster, something his dojo master had taught him. 

He hadn’t really thought of anything else. 

But you see him point with assurance towards an open path that was glistening, wet after a wave came and crashed through the opening. 

The third year’s face turned serious, and he looked his age for a moment. “We came from that way, so that’s where we’ll find Takashi.” 

“How do you know?” You ask wearingly, and Honey reaches out to hold your hand as you get up with a limp, the height difference hindering him from totally supporting you. 

Despite your situation, a soft smile made its way onto his face. “Takashi will always find me!”

The twins huddle together clasping hands as the host club walks through the path, the screeches and hums of the jungle putting them on edge. 

“Kyoya-senpai, you don’t think all those animal sounds..” Hikaru starts, a quiver in his voice. 

“..Could belong to the real thing, do you?” Kaoru finishes, just as shaken.

The megane inhales sharply as the twins pull him out of his thoughts, and the host club hears him clear his throat before answering the twins. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure, but I do know that my family always strives for authenticity.” 

Kyoya looks up at the towering trees overhead, as another rush of concern surges through his body. It caves into his chest as he breathes to try and stop the feeling. The only thing that truly helps it is when Tamaki places a hand on his shoulder. 

“She’ll be alright, Kyoya. She has Honey-senpai with her! Everything will be fine.”

His eyes widen a bit as he takes in his best friend’s reassuring stance, before lightly shaking off his hand. “I’m aware.” But Tamaki listens to the tense tone of his voice and his gaze softens as he plants himself by Kyoya’s side. 

The club’s director is grateful.

Haruhi comes up to walk with the two of them, drawing their attention to a certain tall host who is lacking behind the rest of the group.

“Mori-senpai is always so straight-faced, I can never tell what he is thinking.” She states quietly, turning to look at him out of the corner of her eye. “Even though he is doing a good job at staying calm, I can tell he is worried.”

As if on cue, Mori slips on a banana peel, his usual signature stability faltering as he tumbles to the ground to fall flat on his face. 

The club is in shock at his lack of balance, and it doesn’t take the twins long to comment on it.

“Mori-senpai is…” Hikaru states, astonished. 

“Acting as clumsy as you do, boss!” Kaoru exclaims as Haruhi reaches out a hand to help Mori up. 

Tamaki rolls his eyes next to Kyoya, folding his arms across his chest. “Wha-, shut up!” And the normalcy of the interaction lifts the meganes spirits, if only slightly. 

As Mori sits up, a banana peel still on his head, he sniffs the air. Kyoya watches him with a calculated gaze before bringing his eyes up to an ever darkening sky.

His realization catches in his throat. “Oh. Oh no.” Kyoya glances down at his watch then back up at the sky, arms hanging with a sort of defeat. 

“It’s time for the squall.”

As if electrocuted, the twins exclaim a shocked ‘Huh?’ before rain begins to fall over them. One drop on the nose, two on the shoulder, until raindrops are pelting them from all angles. Luckily, they were still in their swimsuits.

“Over here!” Kyoya shouts over the rain, pointing to a grass gazebo that could provide shelter from the weather. The hosts huddle under it, dripping and shivering slightly at the dampness on their skin. 

Haruhi ducks under the roof of the gazebo and assesses her friends. She watches as Kyoya and Mori lean against separate walls of the gazebo, both lost in thought as the rain pours on the other side.

Her gaze stays on Mori the longest, though, as she approaches him with a tentative pace, hoping to distract him by helping him think about better times. Kyoya could take care of himself. 

“Hey Mori-senpai, you seem to be really close with Honey-senpai. Are you two childhood friends?”

Hikaru and Kaoru look up at you from their seated positions, both feet flat on the ground as they take a breather from all the walking. 

“You mean you don’t know…”

“...That they’re cousins?”

Her jaw drops as her eyes widen, a struggled noise sounding before voicing her amazement. “You’re kidding me, they’re related?”

Distracted on his phone, Kyoya never misses an opportunity to share information. “The Morinozuka’s have been serving the Haninozuka family for generations.” He explains, then dials a number on his cell, pulling the phone up to his ear. 

“But the two families became relatives by marriage, and the master-servant relationship became a thing of the past…” Kaoru points out.

“...But even so, Mori-senpai has always made a point to protect Honey-senpai.” Hikaru stated, and the host club caught a glimpse of the stoic man, still resting his elbows on top of the railing of the gazebo, trying to sense Honey in the rain. 

“Must get his blood boiling,” Tamaki pointed out. “The blood of a loyal servant flows like a mighty river through Mori-senpai’s veins.”

Sympathy reaches Haruhi’s features as she makes her way behind Mori, trying to give him more comfort. 

“Hey, Mori-senpai, it’s going to be alright.” She says, and Mori’s shoulders open a little more to her presence. “I’m sure that Honey-senpai is safe. He has (Y/n) for some company, and he’s a lot tougher than you might think he is, and if he gets hungry, the trees are full of bananas!”

In the background, the twins look at eachother incredulously. “Bananas?”

But Tamaki is on the edge of his seat. “What’s he going to say?”

Haruhi shrinks as Mori turns and stands to his full height, which is multiple heads over her own. His face is unreadable, and it looks like he is about to scold her before a small smile finds its way to his face. 

The idiotic trio watches in astonishment as Mori reaches out and pats the honor student on the head, ruffling her hair as he states a simple, “You’re right.” 

His rare but warm smile surprises Haruhi, but spins the twins and Tamaki into a frenzy.

On the other side of the gazebo, Kyoya huffs at his phone, pressing the ‘end-call’ button with more force than necessary. 

He has talked with all of the managers of this park about their situation and every single one of them was utterly useless. His fingers dig into the buttons on his phone as he dials the number of his last resort.

Kyoya closes his eyes as he listens to the ring, once again urging his voice to sound normal when his police force answers on the other line. 

“Hello? It’s me.” He breathes a small breath of relief when the phone is passed to the chief. “Well, we’ve had an incident that’s caused some trouble.”

His casual tone betrays the anxiety in his chest, but he stays professional, giving them orders on how to find you. 

“My friends, a small boy and a (h/c) girl, have gone missing in the resort. I’ve not a single idea where they are, but they could be hurt or in danger.” Kyoya swallows at the notion, but it only drives him to continue. “You need to find them, eliminating any suspicious figures in the way. Do you understand?”

There is an affirmative yell on the other end of the line before the chief speaks. “You want us to go now, sir?”

Kyoya has to pinch the bridge of his nose to stop himself from yelling at their obliviousness. “Yes. At once, please.”

The sun comes out from behind the clouds as he ends his call, and he turns to the other hosts in the gazebo. 

Tamaki is red in the face, waving his arms at the twins as he whines. “Would you jerks quit calling me a perv?!”

The ravenet considers leaving them here. 

Clearing his throat, Kyoya grabs the trio’s attention. “My family’s police force is going to send in a search and rescue team to help us.” He sighs as he adjusts his glasses. “It pains me to say this, but they are better equipped at finding (Y/n) and Honey-senpai than we are. We should go back to the gate and wait there.”

But as he goes to relay the message to Haruhi and Mori, his gaze sweeps the gazebo, finding no trace of the other two hosts. 

“Where are Haruhi and Mori?” Kyoya asks, and the twins and the prince stop their fighting, only just realizing their friends’ absence. 

“What?!”

The three of them jump up and run out into the drying daylight as Kyoya tiredly follows behind, exhausted at having lost, not two, but four friends in the span of ten minutes. 

His tired movements pause as he looks out into the vastness of the jungle, remembering a crucial detail. 

“You know, I don’t believe I mentioned that there are other visitors here.” Kyoya blinks for a second before his priorities come back into play and he catches up to the hosts. “Oh well.”

You wipe your forehead once more, the rain acting as a carrier liquid to the blood dripping down your face.

You were certain you looked terrifying, drenched from head to toe as you limped through the humidity and shadows of the jungle, limping next to the equally drenched student beside you. 

If anyone saw your silhouette in the rain, you were sure they would run screaming. 

“Of course it had to start pouring.” You said, shivering slightly at the water running down your bare back. 

Honey looked up at your strained gaze, your face calm and pleasant despite the slight wince in your eyes at every step. He saw that you were trying to be strong despite the pain you felt. His heart tightened at the thought, and he looked around the jungle before an idea came to his mind.

“Here, (N/n)-chan, hold on for a sec.” He said sweetly, helping you lean against a tree before running towards one opposite you. Your jaw fell open when he propelled himself off the dirt with a strength you had forgotten about, landing on the second to lowest branch before climbing upwards. Soon, he was in the tree, swinging from limb to limb before jumping down in front of you. 

With his knees bent, he straightened up into a pose, reminding you of a gymnast who had finished their bar routine.

You clapped lightly with relief, glad he didn’t slip on the wet bark, before realizing what was in his hands.

Bananas.

“Here ya go, (N/n)-chan!” Honey said, and you took the yellow fruit from his grasp, your mood brightened by the fact that you had something to eat with great company. 

“Wow, what did you go and do that for?” You said, peeling the banana before ruffling his hair and thanking him. 

“So you wouldn’t be sad anymore. Did it work?”

You paused your chewing while your heart grew at his words, threatening to burst completely as it pressed against your sternum. 

“I’m not sad.” You say softly, swallowing the bit of banana in your mouth. To reassure him, you force your lips into a smile. “Why would you think that?” 

Honey just blinks at you before turning to his own banana, the fringe covering his eyes. “Because you keep lying to me. Why would you lie to me if you were feeling happy?”

It’s times like these when you’re reminded that he is a year older than you. 

Wincing, you lay your aching head onto the trunk behind you. “I’m sorry, Senpai, I’m just…” Your chest hitches, the wetness in your voice halting your speech. “It’s just a little painful to walk.” You chuckle breathlessly, the sound coming out a little gurgled by your emotion.

“Plus, we’re lost in a very accurate jungle, and I think I saw an alligator or two on the way here.” Emotion drenches your words as you try to keep your tears back, laughing through it to lighten the mood. “I just want to get you back to Mori safely.”

You feel a pressure on your good leg, and you see Honey hugging you around your calf. A wobbly smile adorns your face as his actions, but his next words really hit close to home. 

“You’re so sweet, (N/n)-chan! We will get there, don’t worry. I’m sure the others will find us, and in the meantime, I’ll be there for you, just like you’ll be there for me!” 

There’s a bright strength in his tone, and you realize why he and Tamaki get along so well. Both boys represent the quintessence of optimism. 

Humid air filled your lungs as you took in his words, but you were too focused on the dark side of your situation to be affected by them. Letting your knees give out from under you, the tree supports your back as you lean against it, giving your body time to focus on your wounds. The hammering in your head quickly exhausts your willingness to look on the bright side. 

You were embarrassed. Here you were, in the presence of an incredibly skilled martial artist, and yet you were crumpled to the ground, defeated by a bad ankle and a few scratches.

“Maybe you could go find the others and bring them back here? I might be too weak to make it.” You asked him, and you were thankful for the rain as a few tears managed to escape your eyes. Your chest started to rise rapidly as anxiety started to seep into you through the rain, starting at your toes and rushing to the pain in your head.  

You cursed the pulse in your ankle as you tried to roll it. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, just sprained.

It was fixable.

There was crinkling next to you as Honey sat himself down, plopping right by your side. His blonde hair tickled the nape of your neck as he rested his head on your shoulder. With the weight on your chest, it forced you to focus on your breathing. Your heartbeat slowed as you took deeper inhales and longer exhales, each one becoming clearer than the last. 

Heat radiated off your skin as the sun finally peaked out from the clouds, and you relished in the dry air. 

“You’re not weak, (N/n)-chan. You’re strong.” His light voice vibrates through you, embracing the anxiety of your feeling with a warmth that is welcomed and needed. “People who let themselves feel are the strongest people in the world.”

He takes a bite of his banana while still snuggling with you. “Plus, you always help me when I need it. Why would I leave you alone?” 

The comfort of his words started to push out your previous unease, but his next sentence was the one to motivate you. “I think Kyo-chan might be really worried about you.”

You pivoted your head to him against the bark of the tree, puzzled by his seemingly random statement. “What makes you say that?”

Honey set his banana peel on his lap, spreading out the sections of the peel to look like an octopus as he fiddled with its tentacles. “If someone I cared about got washed away right in front of me, I’d be worried too.”

Your throat was dry when you swallowed. “I’m sure he’s fine.” A passive smile found its way to your face. “Kyoya’s good at keeping his cool.” 

“Not when it comes to you. That time when you two weren’t talking because of the otaku lady? I’d never seen him like that before. And that time you cut your knee on the vase? Or that mean doctor was in your room? He acts differently when he’s with you.”

Your heart started beating a little faster as you breathed a sigh. “We’ve known each other a long time, Honey-senpai. There isn’t much else to it.” 

He gave you a childish shrug at your side, and you know he doesn’t believe you. “Maybe, but if I leave you here, then that means Kyo-chan will worry some more, and I don’t want to see him like that. Do you?”

And, oh, this is what it felt like to be guilt-tripped. 

Innocent brown eyes looked up at you, cheeks filled with banana mush and eyes wide and questioning, but you noticed a deep knowing in his eyes. As if he knew just the way to pluck your heartstrings. 

A teasing, exasperated simper curves your lips as your lazily poke at his side, emitting a series of giggles from him. “Oh-ho, you little mix.” He squirms your hold, and you ruffle his hair again. 

Smiling brightly, you could see bits of banana in his teeth. “Did it work?”

Suddenly, your belly is full and your heart is as warm as the sun on your skin, and the emotional pain subsides, giving you strength to push through the physical.

“You know what? You’re right. Let’s make sure Kyo-chan doesn’t worry.” As you jostle next to him, Honey springs up and grabs your good arm, pulling you the rest of the way into a standing position. 

You take a step with your new found confidence before immediately teetering to the side, cringing as you accidentally put pressure on your ankle.

Honey takes satisfaction to see you laugh at this instead of cry, and he glows when you turn to him. 

“It still hurts a little though.” You say through a strained chuckle.

“It means your body is healing.” He says as he giggles at your sheepish look, glad to know that your heart was happier. 

Emotions make you stronger, not weaker. They are rooted into your DNA, their vines reinforcing your pulse and your mind, their leaves turning towards the light of your heart.

They are powerful, you realize as you glance down at the sensitive boy in front of you, the picture of a certain director flashing through your memory. 

You continue to limp through the small opening that the wave made through the artificial jungle before Honey stops you, an arm shooting out to block your knees. 

“What is it?”

“You there!” You flinch from the sudden voice, but can’t tell where it’s coming from. “Put the boy down immediately! If you refuse, we’ll remove him forcefully!”

A bush in front of you crackles, movement making it jostle from the otherside. In the cramped twigs and leaves, you and Honey carefully creep over to the bush, still hiding behind it as you peek your eyes over.

The ground beyond the bush opened into a clearing, creating a perfect view for you and Honey to observe the action before you. 

Honey’s eyes lit up when he saw Mori, who was standing tall in the middle of a circle of police officers, although they were dressed in very protective SWAT gear. You were touched to see that he was cradling Haruhi to his chest, but then had to stifle your laughter at the fact that the officer had just referred to her as a boy.

Honey was about to call out to them before one of the officers reached for Haruhi, roughly tugging on her arm to rip her from Mori’s grasp. You put both hands over your mouth this time when the stoic host punches the officer in the face, the force shooting the guard into the forest behind him.

“The suspect is resisting! Prepare to fire warning shots!”

Warning shots?!

Honey had decided that the line had been crossed, and with a smirk, he helped to prop you up against another tree before tugging on a vine hanging from it. Checking the integrity, he hopped on it and climbed high, bracing himself against the tree as he wrapped his ankles around the plant. 

You watched as he straightened his legs, leaning out before pushing off the tree, swinging through the air.

“Takashi, Haru-chan! Out of the way!”

With no reply, Honey swung across their heads like Tarzan, throwing his foot out before kicking one of the guards square in the nose and knocking him out. Once the vine oscillated back to the center of the opening, the boy-lolita flipped off, doing another gymnast-like finish before bouncing up to his cousin and friend. 

But before he could have his reunion, another guard interrupted him. 

“Hey pipsqueak, what do you think you’re doing?”

The third year simply turned around, giggled, and then proved his martial arts title by sending every guard around him to the mat. Or, in this case, the grass. 

When there are no more enemies to fight, Honey laughs a little, his voice bright and careless to the fact that he just took on an entire force by himself. “You guys should be more careful who you mess with. Picking on my friends is bad, got it?”

Your jaw dropped as you began to gently climb down the slope, wincing as your foot twisted a little more on the descent, before hopping over unconscious guards. 

“Haruhi! Haruhi! Are you alright?” Tamaki rushes around the bend as you all turn your heads to see him, the twins and Kyoya running towards you. 

“Oh wow, it’s Tama-chan!” Honey states as they step closer and closer.

When you push past the bush and come into their sights, they see nothing but your presence as their faces light up. 

“Mon ami!” Tamaki says as he wraps his arms around you, tears in his eyes before calming down instantly at your embrace. “I was so worried.”

His smile goes away when he feels you flinch against his touch. “Tamaki, I love you, but could you please get off?”

The prince’s hands shoot up into a surrender motion as his face crinkles at your raspy voice. 

And that’s when they see it. 

A deep, barely healed scrape on your arm. 

A trail of blood drying on your forehead.

And an angry purple color around your left ankle. 

Tamaki lets out a dramatic gasp while the twins surround you in concern “Oh wow.” Hikaru states, taking in your figure.

“Are you okay, Senpai?” Kaoru asks, touching your shoulder, only to have it brushed off as a figure steps in front of him. 

“Give her space, please.” His voice was calm but firm as Kyoya stepped into your line of sight.

Relief had flooded him the moment he saw you in that clearing, glad to see you standing and smiling, even if it didn’t seem as bright as before. 

But the minute he spotted blood stains covering your delicate features, his heart had dropped from his throat to his stomach, becoming a thing of stone at the exhaustion and subtle pain in your eyes. 

“(Y/n), are you alright?” At an arm's length, Kyoya waves a finger in front of your face, prompting you to follow it with your stare. You did so fluidly, albeit hesitantly, as the quick movement encouraged the headache seeping behind your sockets. 

Good, he thought, no concussion.

“I’m fine, I’m good.” You say, laughing weakly as you cover the scrape on your shoulder, hoping to hide it from concerned eyes. 

“Kyo-chan! (N/n)-chan can’t walk!” 

Betrayed and offended by your partner through this whole experience, you turn to Honey with wide eyes, asking him to please shut up.

“What?” Kyoya hissed, and he looked down, seeing the swelled joint. You didn’t think his jaw could take any more tension.

“It’s nothing, really-”

But Honey kept going, a not so innocent look in his eye. “And she hit her head on a rock, and she coughed up a lot of water after she passed out! Aren’t you worried?” His doe eyes turned as big as the moon as you watched Kyoya purse his mouth after the last sentence.

Here it comes.

“You were unconscious?” His tone was calm, calculating, but his energy wasn’t. His gaze dropped a net, wrapping around your form as he scanned it head to toe. The movements of his pupils were sharp, and your stomach twisted at the array of questions that were firing in his mind.

“Kyoya.” A weak smile crossed your lips at his refined concern as he met your eye once more. “I’ll be okay. I’m just tired. And my head hurts.”

At the mention of your head, Kyoya reaches out and turns your wound to the light, his breath slowing when he saw it really wasn’t bad at all, just a small gash at where the rock had made impact. 

The pale hand at the top of your head trailed down to your face, lingering there before dropping completely. 

Finally, after his examination, Kyoya emits a conclusive sigh. “Well, you at least shouldn’t be walking. You can’t put pressure on that ankle.”

All of your energy went into quirking an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, well I figured as much. But unless you brought any crutches with you, I don’t think I really have a choi-”

At your waist, a sudden force brought your left side against a Hawaiian shirt, and a gasp involuntarily escaped your lips at the contact. Stretching your arm, Kyoya gently reached it over his shoulders, encouraging you to put your entire weight against him. 

You started to protest, betraying the sudden want to stay as close to him as possible. “Kyo, I can-”

But when you tried to pull away, the fingers at your side tightened, pulling you closer against him. “Let me help you.”

Tamaki and the twins flinched at the way the pain flashed in your eyes when your feet dragged across the soil. “We need to get you to a doctor, (Y/n).” The prince said. “You can’t walk out of here by yourself.”

Your heartbeat caught in your throat, and even though your jaw had dropped open slightly, no words came to debate the men in front of you. 

Inhaling, the moisture of the jungle was replaced with the air of Kyoya’s cologne, and the safety of his arm wrapped around you suddenly made you realize how exhausted you were. Your vision blurred slightly as you watched the rest of the hosts begin to walk out of the clearing, leaving you and Kyoya behind to get adjusted. 

Your muscles ached, your wounds pulsed, and when the crutch of your best friend released the pressure on your injured ankle, you let out a sigh as the pain lessened. 

Fatigue rushed through you, and your head felt too heavy on your shoulders, so you dropped it down, slightly nuzzling into the crook of his neck. 

The muscles under your cheek strained at the contact, and out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya saw your eyes drop closed as your entire body relaxed against his. 

His breath rippled across your forehead as he turned his head to face you, his lips almost grazing your skin. “(Y/n)? Are you okay to walk?”

Swallowing, another sigh blew past your lips as you hummed an affirmative tone, but your body leaned more onto him, and he felt the weight of your weariness at his side. 

His eyes scanned you for a few more moments before he detached from you. “Here.”

Startled by the lack of warmth, your eyes shot open, only to widen when you saw Kyoya bend down slightly in front of you, his hands held out behind him in a welcoming gesture. 

“Kyo-”

“The others are already down the path, and there is no way that we will catch up to them if you can barely stand. There aren’t any other options.” The ravanet turned to look at you over his shoulder, his glasses glinting in the high rise of the sun. “I’ll have to carry you.”

Your lungs filled with apprehension, not just over the fact that you would definitely enjoy it a little too much if he carried you out of here, but because you know how resistant Kyoya can be to physical connection. A series of excuses and protests bubbled up in your throat, only to be popped by the sensation of Kyoya hands on your bare thighs.

Kyoya had used your moment of shock to his advantage as he grabbed you around your lower thigh, right above the knee. Force vibrated through his arms as he hauled you onto his back, and he smirked at the squeak that came out of you as your chest came into contact with his back. 

Your arms came around his neck instinctively, and you pulled yourself around him in an attempt to make sure you didn’t fall. Your ankles locked at the front of his waist, and his hands had slipped up, now resting higher on your leg. 

It took a moment for each of you to register the position that you were in when he straightened up, and a blush raged over the tips of your ears to the small of your back. You might’ve even spotted a reddish hue on the back of Kyoya’s neck, but you were too flustered to care.

You didn’t think that it could get any worse – or better – until Kyoya started walking. 

Even though your ankle pulsed, the rocking of his movements distracted you from any pain that you might’ve been feeling. Your headache was eased as your cheekbone dropped onto his shoulder blade, and the sounds of the rainforest around you lulled you into a restful sleep as you immediately relaxed against him once more. 

Kyoya could feel the rise and fall of your chest slow alongside his back, and he stole a glance of your restful features that made his heart skip, washing away any hesitance he had of being this close to you. 

“You know, maybe we should go to the beach next.” Hikaru said after Kyoya had rejoined the group, and the twins shared a knowing look when they saw you draped over his back. 

“Yeah, the beach would be nice.” Kaoru said, sharing a smile with his brother when Kyoya caught their gaze. 

“What are you two smiling about?” The megane asked, a bored look on his face. 

They both shrugged in sync and they shook their heads as Tamaki and Haruhi made their way over to the three of them. “Nothin’.”

Kyoya debated egging them on, but the warmth behind him kept his frustration at bay, and he feared that him talking too much might wake you.

“You idiots, Haruhi wouldn’t be interested in anything like that.” Tamaki said in a low tone, coming over to one side of Kyoya to look you over, seeing each scratch and mark on your skin.

“Actually, I might like to go to the beach.” The four hosts turn to look at the brunette that stopped in front of Kyoya. “I may not be into this silly water park, but I like the ocean. No offense, Senpai.”

A huff came out of the ravenet as he rolled his eyes. “None taken.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“It’d be really nice to go to the beach,” she continued. “It’s so pretty.”

Kyoya watched a flash of light pass through his best friend's violet eyes as Tamaki looked at the honor student with adoration. His lips curled up slightly as he watched the prince’s resolve melt completely at her request. 

“Yeah, alright. Then that’s where we will go next time.” 

Haruhi had Tamaki wrapped around her finger. 

“We’re all going to the beach Tama-chan?” Honey’s voice pierced the moment as he rode on Mori’s shoulders with a large grin. “That’ll be fun, don’t you think?”

Mori glanced up at his cousin with the same emotion that Tamaki had just held in his gaze moments before. The gentle giant smiled, rare and soft, as he nodded. “Yeah.”

This was the second time today where you had woken up and you didn’t know where you were. 

Your back sunk into something soft, and you blinked your eyes open to a familiar ceiling. Warmth engulfed your body as a quilt laid across your body, and you felt the cloth against the fabric of your swimsuit. Pillows of your choosing sprawled out from under you, and you found one resting under your bandaged ankle.

Immediately, your eyebrows drew together at the gauze that wrapped around the joint. When had you…?

An itch pulled your hand to your forehead, and you jerked at the gauze under your fingertips. 

You turned to your shoulder, which had multiple bandaids stretched across the wound that had a shiny film over it. Antibiotics.

Letting your head fall back onto the mattress, you flipped through your memory of the past few hours. Hazy images replayed themselves in your mind, and a distinct sense of rocking and cologne filled the air. You remembered leather seats and the touch of a shirt as the rocking turned into a constant rumble. Then, the sound of doors, opening and shutting gently. 

Cool air filled your lungs at the memory of the same touch that had been at your things seemingly minutes before now coming under your knees and across your upper back, pulling you towards a hard chest. A blurry sight of black hair and a sharp jawline appearing above you, and you remember feeling your lips move before your eyes closed once more. 

Kyoya had carried you back here. 

“Oh my god…” Whining, you brought your hands up to rub your face before the rush of embarrassment rose too high. 

You always knew Kyoya was a gentleman first and a friend later, but for him to have to deal with your lack of consciousness all evening must’ve been the last thing he had wanted to do.

Groaning, you placed your palms on the duvet, pushing yourself up to a sitting position when something caught your gaze in the corner of your eye. 

Tylenol, an ice pack, and a cup of water rested on your bedside table, and your heart glowed at the sight. 

A gentleman indeed. 

The quilt slid down your body as you reached over for the glass, exposing the top of your bikini when you brought it to your lips, hoping it would ease some of the dryness in your throat. 

You almost choked on the drink when the door opened. 

Having used his back to prop the door open, Kyoya stepped in, letting light from the hallway enter the dim room. He hadn’t turned on the big light in your room, but had opted to turn on a few lamps and light a candle so that you could sleep peacefully.  As if you hadn’t taken a single sip of the beverage in your hands, your mouth dried at the white sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows, jacket and tie discarded with two buttons of the top undone. He had untucked it, and his glasses slipped low on his nose as he turned to your bed.

Kyoya’s eyebrows rose in surprise when he met your awake gaze, and his finger tightened on the tray he held out in front of him.

It was the TV dinner tray that you had bought for your dad when he had come home from his back surgery. He had had you disinfect it multiple times before setting anything on it, his germaphobia running rampant even in his medicated state. 

Instead of his favorite foods though, it was decorated with yours. A hot plate of (f/h/f) sat in the center as a small bowl of (f/f) accompanied it, sliced and diced in perfect proportions. Hot tea steamed in the upper corner, a small dish of honey placed to the side. 

Your tongue darted out to wet your hungry lips before smiling when you took in the whole picture. A warm giggle ran through you as you set the cup back on the nightstand.

Kyoya looked like a domesticated house-husband.

And if that thought didn’t make your nerves tingle across your ribcage, nothing would.

“What are you laughing at?” Kyoya said, his shocked visage morphing into something gentle. 

“The fact that I thought someone had broken into my house when you opened that door.” You lied, swallowing the heartbeat in your throat.

“And you would’ve just sat there?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice as he came to your side, setting the tray over your legs, helping it balance on the soft surface. “Seems foolish.”

You rolled your eyes and gestured at your ankle. “It’s not like I would’ve made it very far.”

The megane hummed, moving to sit on the edge of your bed, back arching slightly as he rested his elbows on his thighs. “Fair enough.”

He peered over his glasses, and you felt his gaze on the patch at the top of your head as well as the bruise that had formed at your shoulder.

“How do you feel?”

You almost wanted to laugh again, the answer too complex as plenty of emotions ran tracked into your heart. The fact that he had stayed, bandaged you up, carried you to your bed, made food for you. He had done something that no one had done in a very long time. 

He took care of you.

But you just shook your head and looked at the dinner in front of you. “I feel fine, I’m just…what are you still doing here?”

His adam's apple bobbed as he pushed his glasses back on his nose, and you took in the picture-perfect moment of him resting on your bedside, the dusky sunset glowing against his raven feathered hair. 

“I wanted to make sure that you had everything you needed before I left.”

The butterflies in your stomach flurried at that, batting their wings every time you took a breath. “How long have I been asleep for?” 

“In your bed? Or are we starting from when you fell asleep on me?” 

Scoffing at the teasing smirk on his face, your head lulled as you covered your face again. A defeated groan rumbled the back of your throat as you peaked at him through your fingers. 

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been taxing.” 

Kyoya’s smirk only deepened as he turned his head back to the front. “I wouldn’t say that.” His clasped hands unraveled themselves as his thumb traced his palm. “It was more entertaining than anything.”

Oh, god. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you talk in your sleep?”

Butterflies were released into your chest, spiraling up your sternum as dread enveloped you. “Stop it, no I don’t.”

“Oh yes, (Y/n), you do.”

Your hands slid down your face, dragging your lips as he looked at you with amusement in his eyes. 

“What did I say?” 

His eyes met yours for a moment before dropping down to your shoulder. Following his gaze, you saw that the strap of your bathing suit had slinked off your shoulder in your embarrassment to favor resting on your bicep. 

Before you could fix it, though, Kyoya’s hand reached out and hooked his finger under the strap. 

Your breath hitched when you realized he had leaned around the tray, and his smile had grown so much that a hint of his front teeth had appeared. You felt the strap be situated into place as his attention was back on you.

“You said that I smelled nice.”

Your eyes closed in a wince, not only to hide from the shame, but to hide from that smile that teased and teased, but pulled you in for more every time. 

“Oh my god.”

The bed shifted, and his touch left your skin ablaze as you felt him sit back. You opened your eyes at a deep chuckle being pressed out of his chest, then stopped at his closed mouth. 

“And I would hope so, considering that this cologne is very expensive.”

You huffed, the energy in your body needing some kind of escape as you rolled your eyes at him. 

“I’m glad you’re proud of yourself.” You said, shaking your head, picking up the utensils on the plate to stab a piece of food and taking a bite. 

A sensation racked through you, as well as surprise, while any tension in your body melted away, and you went for another bite before speaking again. “This is delicious, Kyo, thank you.”

The curve in his mouth was back as he shook his head. “You should be thanking your kitchen staff. I simply cut the fruit.”

Laughing, you nodded before taking a sip of the tea. “Ah, that makes more sense.”

“Do you doubt my cooking skills?”

“I doubt the cooking skills of anyone with a personal chef, even my own.” You explain, pointing your fork at yourself before eating more of the entreé. “Except for maybe Tamaki. I feel like that man could make a mean french dish.” 

Bursts of air left his nose in amusement as Kyoya agreed, but his lips smacked in recollection as he brought out his phone. “That reminds me. Tamaki asked me to ask you to call him when you were feeling better.”

“Oh? What for?”

Blue light from his phone reflected off his glasses as he adjusted them, reading over the text message on his screen. “He wants to know when you’re available to go to the beach.”

You swallowed the last piece of fruit. “The beach?”

Kyoya nodded, not looking up from his phone as he texted his friend. “Haruhi wanted to go to the beach, saying that it was better than a ‘silly waterpark’.”

Snorting, you stacked your empty plates on top of each other to get it our of the way, reaching for what was left of your tea. “I’m sure that was fun to hear.”

He gave you a blank look before sending the message and stuffing the phone back into his pocket. “It was.”

Your giggle made a home at the back of your throat before the hot drink washed it down. Licking your lips to get the excess drops off the corner of your mouth, you hummed. “The beach could be fun. I’ve never been before.”

That earned a surprised look from the club’s director. “You haven’t?”

Warming the mug in your hands, you shook your head. “No. I’ve had the chance, but something always got in the way.”

His brow raised as he fiddled with the rim of his glasses once more. “Interesting. I’m glad you’ll be able to go, then.”

“Me too.”

Sipping the last of your tea, the flavors exploded on your tongue as they accompany the comfortable silence that fell between you two. Side-eyeing him, you watched him perched at your side, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves. You look at the medicine, the bandages, the dinner he prepared for you. 

Suspicion fills you. The man who only acts on self-interest has made sure that you were comfortable and properly cared for. Liquid honey swishes around in your mouth as you squint at him before swallowing. 

Kyoya glances at you before undoing the roll on his other sleeve. His smirk falls a little as he shakes his arm slightly, loosening the cotton around his elbow. 

“What?” He asks before becoming distracted with his sleeve again.

The shirt makes it all the way to his wrist when you ask him. “Why did you do all of this?”

His eyebrow goes up when he looks at you again, and confusion shadows the gray in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

Reaching out, you fiddle with the mug on the tray before lifting the whole thing and setting it aside. “I mean, you really went above and beyond. Is there something you need me to do for you? Because I don’t know if I can sneak around taking pictures again, and I’m definitely not working with the set crew for Renge.”

“Firstly,” Kyoya replies, his arm nearest to you coming over your legs as he props himself up to face you. “I would never ask you to work with Renge again, considering that you nearly drowned yourself today just to get away from the poor thing.” 

“Poor thing?” You ask, exasperated.

“Secondly,” He continues, and he suddenly became serious. “I don’t need anything from you.”

You arch an eyebrow at him. “So this was all just from the kindness of your own heart?”

“You don’t think I’m capable of such acts?”

You shrug, picking another piece of fruit from the bowl. “I didn’t say that.” Biting the inside of your cheek, memories flash through your mind, your headache becoming a little more apparent with each one.  

‘I am very helpful. Without me, you would’ve slept through every alarm you set.’

~

’And I told you, (Y/n), that that’s not the only motivation I have for complimenting you.’

~

’You’re okay, (Y/n). You’re okay.’

~

’If you are ever in need of support, please don’t hesitate to ask.’

~

‘Mind if I join you?’

~

’Let me help you.’

~

You smiled at the ever increasing times Kyoya had offered his help to you. If every single time he had opened up to you was only out of his own self-interest, he was very good at hiding it. It seemed like years of being around his group of friends had influenced him to open up to them, to you, more often than not. That was something you couldn’t ignore.

Even if the term friend didn’t fit very well in your mind. 

You set the mug on the try, a teasing tone woven throughout your next sentence. “I just thought you might be out for one of the favors I owe you.”

A look of recall painted his face as he hummed. “Oh yes, you’re right.”

Deadpanning, you look at him. Why did I have to say anything? “I didn’t mean right this minute.”

“But I do have a favor to ask you.”

You held his stare for a minute before giving up a sigh. “Fine. What is it?”

“You need to take a shower. Your entire room smells like chlorine.”

Your nose twitched as you inhaled slightly. An unnatural scent raced through your nostrils with abandon, and you cringed at the scent of the water park. You looked at your fingernails to see mud packed underneath them and you nearly gagged. 

While you were glad that Kyoya hadn’t given you a quick spit-bath, you realized that you had been sleeping in the filth of the jungle and the chemicals of the waterpark for at least a few hours.

“Oh my god, you’re right, get up.” Waving Kyoya off the bed, you toss the blanket to the side, careful of the tray of food as you swing your legs over the side.  

“Wait, (Y/n)-”

You landed with both of your feet on the floor, only for a strike of pain to shoot up your calf. Startled by the sudden spark, you lost your balance as you rushed to ease your weight off your foot. 

You reached your hands out blindly, and the same shirt you had been admiring minutes ago appeared under your fingertips.

In front of you, Kyoya’s hands gripped your forearms as he worked to balance you while you gripped his biceps for support, trying not to think of how they feel under your touch. 

“I don’t know if you remember this, but you sprained your ankle.” He said as he did what he tried initially in the jungle. Your arm draped over his shoulders and he tugged you gently against him, leading you to your en suite bathroom. 

You winced as you tried to keep up with him, your ankle pulsating from the sudden pressure. “I think I was just reminded.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw at your pained tone when Kyoya got an idea. “You said something else in your sleep, you know.”

Struggling to be in the mood to be teased right now, you gave him a blank stare. “Oh yes, please embarrass me further.”

Your side ignites from the deep rumble of his snicker. “I don’t think this is as embarrassing as it is touching.” 

As you enter the bathroom, Kyoya sets you down on the edge of the bathtub before reaching towards the faucet, setting the temperature to a comforting warmth.

Bending your knee, you slowly prop your foot up on your knee to rub at it to ease the pain. “What did I say?”

“That I was your favorite person.”

You froze. The hand massaging your ankle paused as you slowly looked at him when he stopped in front of you, a washcloth drying his hand from testing the water. 

“What? When?”

“When I was pulling you out of my car.” His smirk returned when he saw the tension in your face lessen from pain and wrinkle in confusion. 

Thinking back, you knew you felt your lips moving to say something. You just wished it wasn’t so…affectionate.

Tucking your head back down to your ankle, you tried to hide your blush in the steam. “I guess that’s not too far from the truth.” Clearing your throat, you try to force your shock into something more nonchalant when you raise your gaze again. “You’re pretty tolerable when you want to be, Ootori.”

His grin enhanced at your deflection. “Am I? I was hoping I frustrated you to no end.”

Squinting your eyes at him, you laughed a little. Frustrated isn’t the word that you would choose.

He simpered down at you, a gentler tone coming from him. “Are you okay on your own? I’m going to give you some privacy for the rest of the night.” 

“You’re leaving?” 

He nods and checks his watch through his uncuffed sleeves. “It’s later than I expected. I enjoyed being here, but I do have my own home to return to.” 

Even if your stomach dropped from the constant excitement of him being here with you, you understood. Plus, you wouldn’t want him to be just outside while you cleaned yourself up. Who knows what kind of thoughts could enter your mind then?

“That makes sense.” You smile up at him. “Go get some rest, I know you weren’t able to relax much like I hoped you would.”

He just shrugged and turned to walk out the door. “If you hadn’t ended up nearly drowning, maybe I could have.”

“Wait!” Leaning off of the very edge of the tub, you were careful of your ankle as you grabbed his wrist, stopping him from leaving.  

He immediately looked over his shoulder, the same sharp look in his eye from earlier as he scanned your face. “What is it? Does your head hurt again?”

Your grip lowered into his hand while you shook your head. “No, no, it’s not that. I just wanted to say thank you, Kyo.” You lightly gestured around you with your injured shoulder. “For everything.”

Kyoya’s gaze softened as he squeezed your hand once more before letting go. “As long as you are alright.” 

Your heart jumped when he let go, and you watched him leave, your eyes meeting for a final time before he closed the door behind him.

Peeling off your bathing suit, you sighed as you sank into the water, propping your ankle and arm out of the water so the bandages didn’t get wet. Of course, the bath was the perfect temperature.

Gratitude suddenly shined within you, making the smile that you felt coming on hard to fight as it took over your face. How you had gotten someone so perfect to care about you even a little completely left you speechless, but you weren’t complaining. 

Thoughts of him didn’t leave you as you soaked and bathed, and they stayed as you toweled yourself off, dressing in a (f/c) satin robe that your mother brought back from Florence. Steam billowed into your bedroom as you walked in, bare feet leaving small water puddles on the hardwood floor. 

When you saw your bed, you couldn’t help the small gasp that left your lungs.

The quilt had been folded and laid across the edge of your bed, and the tray of empty dishes was gone. One of your favorite shirts and a pair of oversized pajama pants folded on top of your straightened duvet, and when you got closer you noticed a note propped beside them.

You bit your lip to stop your smile from getting wider as you read the perfect cursive drawn onto the page.

You’re my favorite person too. Goodnight.

Next Time on Lavender Roses!

“We come to the beach like she wanted, and suddenly everyone starts fighting!”

“I thought you weren’t going to talk to me anymore, Senpai?”

“I cannot believe you, Kyoya!”

The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club!

[weemsfreak]

The Board Pt 3: Trivia

Tw: smoking cigarettes? Alcohol consumption

Note: Apologies if any language is wrong, I only speak english :( ~3000 words

Pt 2: The Woman

Thursday, a pleasant September day. You loved this month and the next, you loved the fall. You woke up rather late, though it didn't matter much as everyone would already be in Jericho. You were kind of excited to explore Nevermore with nobody else around, no interruptions. Playing Arabella by Arctic Monkeys and throwing on a black tight fitting dress with a corset, you were feeling rather feminine today, as opposed to how you felt yesterday. You found yourself in the library, wanting to read every single book on the shelves. You did that at your old school in Italy, but the library there was maybe half the size of this one. Making your way to the Botany classroom, Sciences, English, History, Math, Fencing, and electives within the school, you found everything up to standard and nothing that the school could be written up for. Heading down to the main entrance, you realized there were many ways to get outside. Taking a minute to remember the school map in your head, you went outside into the quad. A large statue of Edgar Allan Poe was found down a somewhat lit alleyway. "Hm, fitting" you said to yourself. Looking it over, you read the book held in the statues hand. "The opposite of moon, a world between ours,  two months before June, what kind of poem is this Edgar?" You kept reading and realized that it must be a riddle. Writing the answers down in your phone, you stared at the words. Your stomach growled, and you figured you would make your way to meal hall.

Sitting down with a salad and cookie, you kept thinking about the riddle, if it even was one. After eating, you looked around, trying to find something else to do for the day. Just then you thought, acrostic. You looked to the words in your phone and realized as an acrostic poem, it would spell 'snap twice'. Finding your way back to the statue you stood in front of it. Was this just a poem? What if you snapped and nothing happened? Remembering nobody was around, you picked up your hand and snapped twice, loudly. The statue opened slowly, and you walked down some creepy stairs. The room that you thought would be a dirty old cellar was filled with more books and old photos. There was an old fencing photograph, and a photograph of Morticia Frump and Gomez Addams, whoever they were. A photo of Cousin It was on the wall too, you knew who that was. You opened a few books, observing the same symbol on each. After looking through most of the room, you concluded that there was a group called the 'Nightshades'. Was this group still a thing, or was it old? The board couldn't already know about this, or you would've been instructed to check it out. It also wasn't on the school map. Taking a few photos with your phone, you went back upstairs and into the main part of the school. You were happy that Larissa was so on top of everything around here, and that you found nothing that the school could be written up for, until this.

You stepped out of the front doors, nobody was around. You pulled a pack of cigarettes from your bag, another bad habit. Well, I guess you can't quit them all at once. Lighting it, you walked along the main entrance grass and found yourself standing among some interesting flowers. Sitting down, you observed the types of flowers that you haven't seen before. You took in the slightly chilly atmosphere. You didn't like it when it was hot and sunny anyway, so you were content for awhile. As you pulled out and lit another cigarette, you heard a door behind you slam and you turned around quickly, till sitting down. Principal Weems, what was she doing back? She caught you in the flowers and started towards you. You felt like the student now, doing something you weren't supposed to be doing. Panicking, you went to throw your cigarette away, but remembered you were in a garden, so you held onto it. "Good afternoon Mx. Ricci, smoking in the flowers I see" she said with a grin and tilt of her head. Your mind was somewhere else, busy thinking about the way she walked, like a model would. How she wore heels even though she was always on the go, and even though she was already so tall. How the scarf she wore around her done up hair today looked so good on her, even though in general you hated that style. Standing up you carefully walked out of the flowers to her. "Yes, a bad coping mechanism I wish to quit actually" you spoke with fake confidence. "What, admiring the pretty flowers?" she laughed which in turn made you laugh louder. Most people wouldn't normally find this funny, but you loved the middle age woman's sense of humor. "Oh yes, my bad habit of admiring flowers always gets the best of me. How is Jericho treating the students today?" She started walking toward the school, so you followed. "Very good actually, I am pleased as they seem interested and eager. Perhaps they don’t get out much" she turns and smiles at you. "I am grabbing something from my office, then going back to round them up for dinner. Would you like to come for the drive?" Pondering, you remembered the nightshades library. You weren't sure you wanted to bring that up honestly, but you had to have an answer for anything questionable for the board. "Yes, I would love to accompany you."

On the drive to Jericho, Larissa asked you about yourself. She asked about where you lived, if you had a partner, and if your first name meant anything. "Yes actually, Anura means a few things in Sanskrit origin, but mainly it means 'knowledge'." She looked at you, pleased with your response. "So, are you knowledgeable?" she questioned. You smiled, knowing she would have figured out your ability sooner or later. "Extremely. Actually, I'm the most knowledgeable person I know, and I don't care if that makes me sound cocky. Try me" you quipped, proud of your ability. She laughed and thought for a moment. "Well, tonight the staff from Nevermore are going to Trivia in Jericho, would you like to come? If you do though, you must be on my team, it's the rules." You got excited, trivia was your favorite because you ALWAYS won. "Bet, can't wait" you said, turning toward the window as she pulled into the town.

You found yourself in the Weathervane again while waiting for Larissa to round up the kids. You were thinking about ordering a tea when a short red head walked in and up to the counter. "Good afternoon, can I have a matcha latte please" she said with a bubbly smile, then paid and turned to wait. She saw you looking at her, she didn't recognize you and wasn't aware of what you thought about outcasts. Not that she was one, but she worked at the school. Walking over to her you introduced yourself and held out your hand. "Hi, I'm Anura Ricci, from the outcast school board." She took it and smiled, "Marilyn Thornhill, botany teacher at Nevermore." Just as her drink was served to her, Larissa walked in and over to you both. "Ah Mx. Ricci, I see you have met Ms. Thornhill" you shook your head yes and Marilyn turned to look at Larissa. "I didn't know we were getting a visit from the board so soon" she said worriedly. Why is everyone so worried around here, you weren't mean, you didn't think. "Don’t worry Marilyn, Anura is very friendly. I asked her to join us at trivia tonight, hopefully we will get to know her a bit better!" she looked excited for tonight. You smiled, happy that she seemed happy, but caught something. "I'm excited for tonight! Um- I thought I would let you both know, if you're okay with it, I like to use they/them pronouns." You looked at Larissa as her smile dropped. Shit, they weren't woke you guessed. Her face changed to worry as she hurried and said "Oh Anura I'm so sorry, I didn’t even think to ask. Of course darling, that's perfect with us." Marilyn then left to go back to the school with the students. Turning to you, Larissa asked if you want to sit for a bit. "Yes, I actually wanted to talk to you about something" you said as you saw her real smile convert to her fake one. "Yes of course dear. You should try the hot chocolate, it's really good."

Telling Larissa you didn't like hot chocolate probably wasn't the best idea before bringing this up. She quite obviously loved it, considering the faces she made when she sipped on it. "So Principal Weems, there are a couple things that I didn't want to bring up, but feel that I should." She looked at you like she was ready to defend the school with her life, even if that meant to lie.  "I don't want to be a snitch, but I also don't want to start our relationship off with any lies. When I said that Sydney and Bella were showing me to your office, that was a lie. I found them here at the Weathervane during lunch and drove them back to the school." She looked relieved when you said this, then you could see a bit of anger creep up. "Oh dear, they do sneak off every once in awhile. Thank you for bringing them back, I will have to talk to them." "Don't tell them I told you" you said with a wink. "Secondly, I would like to know what the 'Nightshades' are." When you asked her this her smile dropped and she looked like she was trying to form a response. Nobody from the board had found out about the Nightshades before. "Mx. Ricci, I don't want to start our relationship out with any lies either. The Nightshades were a secret society years ago. It was disbanded due to the death of a boy, a normie, back when I attended Nevermore as a student. I do believe that the Nightshades are no longer a society, but we haven't done anything with the room." "So, why does the room look like it's been used and kept clean?" you asked. "Honestly, I haven't been down there in years, but I assure you, it’s not being used." Feeling like this wasn't honest, you figured her reasoning was good enough for you to report to the board. "Thank you for being honest with me Principal Weems. Well, otherwise I've found nothing at your school of any concern and nothing worth writing you up about." Smiling big at her, you took a drink of your tea. "That is wonderful news!" she looked relieved, and that made you extremely glad. As she took a big drink of her hot chocolate, you focused on her features. She had big eyes, the color of Lapis lazuli. Her hair light, like silk made in Italy. Being tan yourself, you took in her skin; pale, soft, a blank canvas you wanted to draw on with your fingers. White teeth, almost as white as her eyes. You found interest in her chunky gold jewelry and wondered if it meant anything. The lip brooch on her jacket was really interesting, kind of fruity you thought. Just joking, unless? Grabbing your attention with her soothing British accent, "Are you ready to get back to the school? We have to get ready for trivia soon!"

Lost in your Latin papers, you took a drink of your mixed rum and coke. If you were drunk at trivia you thought, others would have a better chance at winning. Not a very good chance, but a better one. You chuckled, excited to show Larissa and the others what you had. You made your way to Larissa's office and knocked. She opened the door, glass of wine in hand. "Hello you, come in for a glass?" Sitting down on the couch beside her, you took in the warmth from the fire. It was rather chilly out now, perhaps you should've put on a jacket. Passing you some wine, Larissa stated, "Mx. Ricci, I do apologize for earlier. I should've thought to ask you your pronouns. I thought I was getting better at being more open and accepting lately." Looking over at her, there was disappointment on her face. You felt bad, you could tell she was a sweet woman. "Oh Principal Weems, no worries at all! It's hard to keep up with change sometimes, I know you have a lot on your mind. I appreciate you trying." She smiled with her teeth and took a sip of her wine. "I appreciate your confidence, and your kindness. I was super stressed about this board visit, but I'm so glad that you're here. And please, call me Larissa." You smirked and blush crept up to your cheeks, you looked to the fire to try and hide it. "Thanks Larissa. You can call me Anura, I like the way it sounds when you say it."

Sitting down at Trivia, you were on a team with Larissa, Marilyn, Coach Vlad, and the Math teacher. There were two other teams consisting of Nevermore staff who were having a fun duel with each other. "We got the full shebang on our team. The Sciences, English, History, and Potions. You're going down Principal Weems" the history teacher yelled across the room. When you heard this you laugh snorted by accident. You turned to Larissa, who was pulling you close to her to whisper in your ear. "Help us win and I'll buy you as many drinks as you want" she grinned and winked at you. Hell, she didn't know what was coming. You were the whole package, all the subjects in one. On top of that, you knew many different languages. A bit unfortunately, this was the type of trivia where you didn't write the answers down and total them up, but where whoever screamed the answer first got the point. Unfortunate, you thought, for everyone else. The first few questions were easy, as they always are. Some people from your table hollered them out as people from other tables screamed them too. It was fun to see stupid fights break out. Laughing at their eagerness, you didn't want to answer anything yet. It was always annoying when one person answered every single question. Larissa got a couple right, and the other tables got a few right. They called a small break and you went to grab a drink. When you got back to the table, Larissa was giving you a look. "Anura, I thought you said you were good at trivia, you haven't answered anything yet" Larissa was faking being mad. "Oh Rissa, I'm just waiting for the questions that you can't answer" you quipped at her, fake pouting. You looked her up and down, she looked less like Principal Weems tonight and more like Larissa. You could see how long her legs really were in her light green satin blouse and grey dress pants.

This was general trivia, questions of all levels were asked about a variety of subjects, so it really wasn't hard. You answered a few times, figuring you better step in to keep your teams points up. The last two subjects came up, languages and chemistry, two random subjects you thought. "What is a subatomic particle that is similar to an electron, but has no electrical charge and a very small mass, which might even be zero?" Looking around you figured someone would get this. "A neutron?" the English teacher guessed. Smiling, you knew that was wrong. You were surprised when nobody else guessed, so you said "a neutrino." Ding, ding, a point for your table. "What is the English translation for the Italian saying 'Occhio non vede, cuore non duole'?" You waited for an answer. Nobody spoke Italian, cool. "Eye does not see, heart does not hurt" you said quickly. Marilyn turned to you and gave you a "good job." Larissa looked to you with a sly smile on her face, but didn't say anything. Perhaps she knew she would owe you multiple drinks by the end of the night. "On the periodic table, the names of which two elements, besides iodine, begin with two vowels?" You thought for a few seconds, going through the periodic table in your mind. When nobody else guessed it, you leaned to Marilyn and whispered, "europium and einsteinium."  "OUU europium and einsteinium!" she shouted. Everyone at your table laughed at her eagerness. "Aaaand another point for Einstein's table" screamed the trivia host. "Last question, what does the Latin phrase 'Responsum non habemus' translate to in English?" Oh my god, you were just learning Latin. Responsum must mean response, non habemus? You were stumped. Larissa turned to you, mouth dropping open at your lack of answer. You laughed embarrassed, you didn’t want to be all talk. She leaned close to you and said "I guess I won't be buying you any drinks then" and you acted disgusted with her. Just then, you thought of something. As if your brain wouldn't let you be embarrassed in front of the statuesque beauty sitting next to you offering you drinks, let alone her time of day, you had the answer. The answer was going to sound stupid, but you thought that it was right. Excitedly, you grabbed Larissa's face and leaned close to her. You did have to be professional, but you were a higher up and you moved around a lot, so you knew you could be pretty flirty sometimes. You whispered loudly in Larissa's ear "We do not have an answer!" She looked you in the eye and said "Yes, I know, we don’t know Latin." You let out a loud laugh and hid your face, did they ask this question to make us sound stupid? "No Larissa, that's the translation. Yell out 'We do not have an answer'." She yelled it out and the other tables laughed at her. "No shit, nobody here knows Latin" said the history teacher. "We have a winner!!" exclaimed the trivia host. Everybody else looked super confused, but your table was ecstatic. You hugged Larissa and whispered "You owe me a rum and coke, and make it strong."

Link to Pt 4

[goldenamberhoney]

Change of Style

Warnings: Angst 😱

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x fem!reader

Summary: Not telling 😖😖

That was 2 months ago. And now, in the present, it is one day after Wednesday Addams has joined the school and your best friend had already saved her life. Emphasis on the your. You weren’t jealous, you just preferred to keep him to yourself, sharing never having been a thing you were good at. Well, end of the day, he was still your best friend. As per usual, you had planned another of your painting sessions to hang out with Xavier and you were looking forward to it. 

That was until your phone decided to ping during lunch, making you put your fork down. It simply read: Cant come tonight, busy. Really? That was all he had said to you? And he hadn’t even added your usual 🎨 emoji. Or used an apostrophe between the n and t for can’t. Wow, he must truly be busy. It was probably a one off anyways, so you shrugged it off and resumed your chatter with Enid. Later than night, you found yourself in your room, all by yourself.What were you supposed to do, without Xavier? You thought to yourself all of the possibilities where he could be, your finger landing on it immediately. 

“With Wednesday,” you cursed quietly, grabbing your bag and running to the Nightshade library where Ajax often was. “Hey Ajax,” you smiled, walking in and seeing the boy. “Hey,” he looked up from the book he was reading, eyebrows narrowed immediately. “Why are you here, you’re supposed to be with Xavier,” he said, placing the book down on the table as you chuckled quietly, looking down. “Cancelled,” you shrugged, biting your lip. Ajax got the message, nodding slowly and inviting you to sit down. 

“Well, I’m sure he’ll be free for you tomorrow,” the boy said, after you finished discussing your topics. Both of you stood up, biding each other good night before walking off, opting to go to sleep on your part. You woke up the next day, half relieved to see the text from Xavier and half seething. Again, he had failed to put any emotion or remorse into the text, a simple: See u. 

You rolled your eyes, of course he had a crush. 

The only thing you could think about was seeing Xavier, he wasn’t in any of your classes that day and it was seriously pissing you off. Finally, when the bell went, making you jump slightly as you ran to your room, grabbing your assortment or brightly coloured paints. Slinging the shoulder bag over your right shoulder, you hurried into the woods, going to your usual cabin in the woods. 

The lights were already on, thank goodness Xavier hadn’t cancelled at the last minute. You walked in immediately, seeing Xavier’s canvas already laid out with his array of blues, reds and yellows in his paint pallet. “Hey,” he said, seeing you already there as you laid your stuff down. He had only ditched you once, so you decided to forget it, after all, it must have been a mistake. 

“Hi, Xavi,” you smiled, hugging your best friend. “Soooo, anything in mind to paint?” he asked, returning the sign of affection gratefully as you sat down. “I’m just gonna see what my brain can come up with,” you shrugged, the boy nodding and sitting opposite. A small exchange of words were given between each other, the same as usual as your brush glided against the canvas. 

You had decided on a simple thing, your favourite plant, a pink dahlia. Your brush easily drew all the streaks and lines, your eyes occasionally flickering unto Xavier. He had his canvas turned away from you as he always did, preferring to keep his work to himself. “Hey, you got any black?” he asked, looking at his bright links and reds. “What?” you yelled, thinking you had misheard him. Never in his life had he used black as a colour for his painting.

“Black,” he repeated, eyebrows furrowed at your confused state. “It’s not a massive deal, Y/N,” he rolled his eyes, leaning over to look at your selection. “What are you painting, that needs black?” you asked, almost shocked as your voice came back to you all of a sudden. “Because I need it for what I’m painting,” he said, like it was obvious. Which was true, in fact, but he knew what you meant by your question.

“Yes, but what are you painting?” you asked, voice getting more annoyed at his completely careless state. “I always tell you at the end, why do you care now?” Xavier asked, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes at you suspiciously. “I’m allowed to be curious,” you shrugged, you were not in the mood to give in to him. “Just something I like,” he replied. Oh, he knew he was getting on your nerves.

“Wow, Xavier! Congratulations, you have finally grasped the fundamentals of painting your interests,” you scoffed, standing up. “Where are you going?” he asked, standing up as well as his arm blocked the door. “You can’t stop me from going anywhere,” you huffed, attempting to move his arm but he wasn’t having it. Taking the opportunity, you quickly ducked under him and grabbed his painting, a look of pure anger coming onto your face when you saw it.

“You drew Wednesday?!” you screamed, dropping it as he flinched at the sound. “So?” he asked, trying to act as if he didn’t care. “So? So? You are unbelievable, Thorpe,” you scoffed, looking at the boy before shoving him out of the way. You didn’t look back as you carried on walking away from him, oh you hated his guts. The next day, you made a point of ignoring Xavier, he didn’t deserve your attention. You walked into the Quad with Enid and Yoko, taking your seat at your usual table.

“Hey, Enid,” a voice said as you rolled your eyes to yourself. “I’m gonna head down to Botany,” you smiled as Enid squeezed your hand. You slung your bag over your left shoulder, walking down the hallway by yourself. The bell went a few seconds later as you put your stuff down. Instead of sitting at your usual table at the front of the classroom, you opted to sit at one where you knew there was an empty seat next to Yoko.

Yoko walked in, seeing the nod from you. She understood immediately, rushing to sit next to you as Xavier walked in, his bright green eyes landing on you before they flickered back to the board in front of him. Taking his usual seat at the front, he laid his stuff down as you looked everywhere but at him. Yoko practically sensed the tension between you two as she opened her mouth uneasily. “So, are you okay, Y/N?” she asked slowly as you turned to her.

“Oh, you know, just some friendship issues,” you shrugged, smiling reassuringly at the girl as she returned it. “Oh okay,” the vampire nodded, laying her pencil case out in front of her. Miss Thornhill walked into the classroom, a few seconds later, clapping her hands with a massive grin on her face. “Alright, students,” the red-haired lady smiled, “today we’ll be doing a group project!”. Mostly everyone cheered, finally, enough essays and presentations. 

“I’ve already assigned groups for you,” she said as everyone groaned. You didn’t mind, you almost liked the excitement of not knowing who you’d be with. The whole class bundled to the front of the room, squeals and groans being mixed together. “Y/N, you’re with me!” Yoko cried, grabbing your hand and pulling you out of the mass of bodies. 

“Who else is with us?” you asked as you both chose a desk at the back, manoeuvring all of your stuff to the other desk. “Uhhhh, let me check,” the vampire said, running back to see the list. When she came back, he face was ghostly pale. And not in the usual vampire way. “What?” you asked, confused. “It’s-“ she began but a voice interrupted. “Hey , I’m in your group?” a voice said, making you freeze. 

You stifled the groan that had crept up your throat and opted to turn away, moving your stuff to the very end of the table. “Y/N, seriously, what’s your problem?” the brunette rolled his eyes, sitting next to Yoko as you huffed, picking up your pen. You exchanged a few words with Yoko, she was almost a messenger between you two, telling you the other’s ideas and vice versa. As soon as the lesson ended, you hurried back to your dorm, your roommate, Jaycee, already sitting on the bed. 

“Hey babes, you look exhausted,” she said, sitting up and placing the back of her hand on your forehead. “Jayce, I’m fine,” you said, moving your head away from her as she clicked her tongue. “Don’t look fine,” she muttered, grabbing a cup of water from the side and handing it to you. You always knew you could come back to her, she was your cuckoo best friend, after all. 

“What about a sleepover?” she suggested, a massive grin appearing on your face. “You know it,” you high fived her as she pulled her phone out, sitting next to you. “Enid, Yoko, Divina, what about Wednesday?” she asked, adding the name to the group chat. Your face hardened at the name as you shook your head silently, letting her understand your feelings. Jaycee muttered a small ‘oh’ before deleting the girl’s name, and replacing it with Bianca. 

A few seconds later, after catching up on each other’s gossip, Jaycee’s phone pinged, making her pick it up excitedly. “Y/N?” she said cautiously, handing the phone to her. It was a text from Enid, and it read: OMG, I’d love to come! But what abt Wednesday, can she come 2? 🫶. You didn’t know what to say, so you rolled your eyes and handed the phone back to your best friend. “Should I say no?” she whispered, almost scared to even speak. 

“Let her come,” you said, walking to the window and staring out at the cold, grey sky. The sleepover started later that night, Yoko and the two sirens being there just on time as you all waited for Enid and Wednesday. “Can’t believe Wednesday actually agreed,” Jaycee said, eyebrows raised. “Speak of the devil…” you whispered to yourself as Wednesday walked in.  

You rolled your eyes, you had no clue what Xavier saw in the girl who completely ignored and disregarded him. “Let’s do manicures,” Divina said, breaking the uncomfortable silence as you nodded, going over to Jaycee’s special nail polish drawer. “Can I have your Silver Moon one, please?!” Enid squealed, making you all laugh. “Of course,” Jaycee smiled, handing the bottle to her as she clapped her hands, dragging Yoko away.

“Aqua Scales?” Bianca asked as you handed it to her. “Black,” a monotone voice said as you rolled your eyes. “Sorry, we don’t own bottle of sadness,” you said sarcastically as Jaycee punched your shoulder. The girl didn’t seem fazed by your comment as your best friend put on a fake smile. “Yeah, um, sure, take this,” she said, handing the never-opened bottle to the goth girl.

You rolled your eyes, settling on ‘Leaf Green’ as you and Jaycee joined Yoko and Enid. Wednesday was sitting alone in a corner by herself, as Bianca and Divina joined your group. “Hey,” Bianca nodded, brushing the long hairs onto her nail. “What the hell is she doing?” Yoko asked, looking at Wednesday staring at the bottle before opening the lid loudly. “She’s weird ASF,” Enid said, shaking her head.

“Don’t know what Xavier sees in her,” you muttered, not realising you were speaking out loud. “Dude,” Divina said, raising an eyebrow as you rolled your eyes, looking away. “Never mind,” you mumbled as everyone laughed. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking, Nightsh-“ Yoko began but you slammed your hand on her mouth, shooting her a warning glare. “What?” Enid asked, blinking at the pair of you.

“Never mind, anyways, how about we order some food?” you asked, changing the subject immediately as everyone nodded in agreement. You all settled on pizza, not even bothering to ask Wednesday as she opted to use her loud type writer. As you all chatted, Yoko’s phone rang, making her blush and pick it up. You saw Xavier’s name. The cold look on your face made her put the call on speaker you could hear what your so-called best friend had to say.

“Hey, Yoko, I need to speak to Y/N and she isn’t picking up,” he said, his voice airy and almost worried, you rolled your eyes, he didn’t seem to care about you yesterday. “Please,” he pleaded, the sadness evident in her voice. You nodded and Yoko banged her hands around to make it sound like she was looking for you. “What?” you snapped, taking the phone. “Y/N, it’s just-“ he began before Wednesday interrupted. “Xavier? I was meaning to speak with you,” she said, taking the phone as you scoffed. “Go fuck Wednesday, Xavier!” you yelled, running to the bathroom and slamming the door as the raven-haired girl looked unfazed.

You pointedly refused to open the door the entire time Wednesday was there, you couldn’t stand her face in general. Finally, a small knock on the door made you look up from your phone and respond with a knock. “Wednesday’s gone,” Jaycee whispered as you opened the door, tears streaming down your face. “Oh honey,” she whispered, pulling you into a hug as the rest of the girls looked at you, worried. “You’re a mess,” Enid said, lifting some of your damp hair up and brushing it with her fingers. 

You sniffed onto your best friend’s shoulder, ignoring Enid’s words as Jaycee guided you to your bed. “Get her a cup of water, please,” she said to Bianca as you grabbed your pillow, hugging it as the tears came back. “What about we watch a movie?” Yoko suggested, knowing you loved movies when you were feeling down. You nodded and she grabbed her laptop, going onto Netflix and scrolling through the options. “This one?” Bianca asked, showing you one of them. Your eyes were too misty with tears to actually read what it said. 

You just nodded and she laid the laptop on the bed, everyone huddling onto your large bed. She was right, the movie easily distracted you as you fell asleep, everyone leaving eventually. You woke up early in the morning, hearing your phone ringing as you groaned, picking it up. “Y/N?” a voice said, making you sigh. “Xavier,” you said slowly, the name feeling unfamiliar on your tongue. “Hey, we need to talk, please come to the shed,” he said as you muttered an okay, pulling your coat on. 

“Hi?” you said, now fully awake and standing opposite Xavier. “Y/N, I’m so sorry,” he said, stepping forwards as you frowned. “You forgot me for Wednesday,” you blinked at him, a soft sigh escaping his lips. “I didn’t mean to,” he whispered, blinking tears away as you took a breath. “Was I not good enough? D-did you need someone else to make you feel the way I made you feel?” you sobbed, a gasp coming from Xavier. 

“Y/N, don’t say that, you’re all I ever need,” he cooed, hugging you as you wrapped your eyes around his stomach. “Please don’t leave me again,” you cried as he wiped your tears, smiling gently. “Promise?” you whimpered, lower lip quivering slightly. “I prom-“ he began, before the doors banged open. “Xavier Thorpe, you’re under arrest,” Sheriff Galpin said, pointing his gun at Xavier. 

[tathrin]

Tagged by @sallysavestheday thank you!

*So I fucked-up and thought it meant the last ten fanfics I had READ, not the last ten fanfics of MINE, and didn’t realize that until I was like 80% done with the list so uh...I’m going to do it both ways, because oops.

Share the first lines of the ten most recent fanfics you’ve read...

In the beginning, Annatar travels through the Void. [x]

My name is Tom.  Just Tom, I guess, although you all know who I am.  And I was infested for over three years. [x]

Mom heaved her duffle bag into the trunk of the car, dusting off her hands.  “Emergency cash?” [x]

Legolas pulled himself up onto the branch, sat down with his feet dangling, and leaned his cheek against the trunk. [x]

“Legolas?” The voice was faint in Legolas’s ears, as though it came from a great distance or through a thick wall of water, and he hardly recognized the sound as his own name. [x]

This had not gone the way that R2 had hoped it would go. [x]

It happens by accident, the kind of ridiculous, painful accident that could only be possible for a Hobbit, in Aman. [x]

It had been a long and dusty march down from the Black Gate, even though their spirits were much lighter on this return journey than they had been going north. [x]

Before we left Rivendell, my father told me to keep my distance from you. [x]

MajorTom: that story was supposed to be heartwarming!!! can you just take five seconds to let something through the impenetrable cloak of sadness why are you like this [x]

Anyway so I did that completely wrong BUT those are all really good fics, so please go and read them even though I apparently can’t read!

Now moving on to how I was supposed to do this...

Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people.

Don’t have ten? No problem! Share one you love.

Gimli glanced at the Elf running at his side. [x]

Gimli opened his eyes in darkness. [x]

Mirkwood lay before them—or the forest that had once been known as Mirkwood, at least; indeed, as long as Legolas had been alive his home had been called Taur-nu-Fuin, the Forest Under Nightshade. [x]

Gimli had been enjoying his time in Mirkwood—no, he corrected himself,  Eryn Lasgalen now; he had to remember that, lest he insult his hosts—his time in Eryn Lasgalen more than he had expected to, when first he had agreed to accompany Legolas on his return home. [x]

Gimli had no idea how Legolas had managed this. [x]

Elves were clean. [x]

Gimli barked a hearty laugh in response to the dry jest. [x]

Gimli was shocked enough that he took the pipe from his mouth so that he could fix his full attention on the elf sitting perched upon the log beside him. [x]

The celebrations for the wedding of Arwen Undómiel, daughter of Elrond and Celebrían, the Evenstar of her people, and Aragorn Elessar, King of Gondor, son of Arathorn and Gilraen, who was called Wingfoot and Strider and many other names beside, were deep in preparation. [x]

This is probably the strangest thing I've ever written and posted here, not in content but in genesis. [x]

I really did not expect them to all be LotR—I thought surely at least one Star Warsfic would sneak in at the end—but it appears I’ve been more prolific in my recent obsession than I expected. I am also amused by the fact that if you rearranged those sentences a little, you’d almost end up with a little story of its own. Also I’m going to continue to not do this right, because I think that almost everyone I know on here who writes fanfiction has already been tagged, so.

Tagging anybody who hasn’t already been tagged yet who writes, and also: @roselightfairy @storytellingdreamer @galadrielspeaks @mirkwoodcore

[sandwich2451]

The Violinist, chapter 1: The Meet-And-Greet

1. The Meet-And-Greet "A memory would be enough."

Vezi first saw Wednesday Addams in the courtyard. And Vezi thought she was terrifying.

Her neat braids, her straight posture, her pale skin, her dark eyes - everything about her screamed perfect. And the way she stared apathetically at other students? Terrifying. As if she didn't care. Jesus, she probably liked that they thought she was weird. Long story short, Vezi decided to steer clear of Wednesday Addams.

But, oh how fun, Ajax is an idiot, and Vezi would pay for it. He immediately walked up to Enid, not seeing Wednesday who oh so clearly stood behind his crush.

"Yo, Enid!" he started. "You're not going to believe the dirt I heard about your new roommate." Vezi grimaced as he continued: "She eats human flesh. Totally chowed down on that kid she murdered" Vezi sighed as Enid stepped aside to show Wednesday glaring at Ajax. "You are such a dumbass," Vezi whispered under her breath.

"Quite the contrary," Wednesday said. Damn it, her voice? Vezi thought to herself. "I fillet the bodies of my victims, then feed them to my menagerie of pets." An uncomfortable silence ensued.

"Ajax, Vezi, meet my new roommate, Wednesday." Vezi wanted to sink into the ground. "Nice to meet you," she said instead. Ajax only stared in half-fear-half-curiosity. "You're in black and white," he said in awe. Or in fear. Vezi couldn't tell. "Like  a living Instagram filter-"

"Ignore him," Enid said, cutting him off. Vezi groaned at his idiocy. "Gorgons spend way too much time getting stoned." Vezi blinked at Ajax as he walked away, but didn't move. What the fuck?

"He's cute, but clueless," Enid continued. Wednesday raised an eyebrow and Vezi tried to leave, but Enid clutched her arm. "But this is Vezi - she's, like, Xavier's female counterpart. Another tortured artist." Wednesday didn't react at all at Enid's introduction. Vezi raised an eyebrow. "Tortured artist's how you describe Xavier? More like antisocial hopeless romantic with a touch of toxicity." "He's not that bad," Enid said, but she left the topic and turned to Wednesday again.

"You should get an Instagram account, you know. And of course, Tiktok, Snapchat, BeReal. The works." Wednesday remained eerily poised. "I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation," she responded dryly and walked away.

"Well, good luck with her," Vezi commented once Wednesday was out of earshot. "Seems like a handful." Enid laughed. "I'll get her to befriend me. Wait and see." "Uh-huh, and I'll find a partner in the next two weeks." Enid frowned. "You're still hung-up on Yoko?" "Not my fault she's really pretty. How was I supposed to know she was taken and would never date someone with four arms?"

"It's not the weirdest thing in the world, you know," Enid muttered. Vezi scoffed. "Oh okay, miss I-have-a-crush-on-a-gorgon. They have snakes for hair, and four arms are weird? They're artificial. Basically magical prosthetics, really." "Still," Enid said. "You're one of the few types of outcast with more than the average limb-count." "All those snakes have brains, and yet Ajax can't keep up with one conversation." "That's because he's stoned, Vezi." "Still."

« »

Vezi has never liked Xavier. Well, in her first year he was alright. They sat together in herbology, and it was fun to discuss their similar power - 'gift', whatever. And, well, he did know Yoko through Bianca. That was a plus at the time.

But some fun, dramatic shit happened, and now, long story short, they didn't sit together in herbology - mostly to do with the Nightshades, actually. Vezi still has access to the library (because it's not like they changed the password) though, so sometimes she gets caught and has to go through the whole I'm-not-a-nightshade-but-fuck-you-you-don't-read-the-books-anyway. The Nightshades really should get another lock.

But putting the drama aside, the reason Xavier was brought up was that they were fencing together. Paired up by the teacher, not Vezi's first choice - Xavier still seemed to like her enough. They parried half-heartedly for a while. Fencing wasn't Vezi's strongest suit - she didn't see it as the most practical. Also, she had to modify her suit herself for her second set of arms, which annoyed her. Her school uniform, at least, was modified for her.  

Vezi won, but only because Xavier stopped parrying her attacks at all. She looked to the left and saw why. Wednesday.

The second time Vezi saw Wednesday, she was in all black and white again. She'd had a black fencing suit made for her, apparently. She strode towards the mats on which Bianca was fencing with Rowan, helmet in her hand. Bianca had beat Rowan  - he'd gone to sit on the side, watching Bianca call out if anyone would challenge her.

Wednesday didn't miss a beat. "I do," she said. Vezi looked at Xavier, who was practically making heart-eyes at Wednesday. "She's been here for a less than a day," Vezi commented. "We have history," Xavier said. "Like we had history? You mean you met once and you decided to fall in love because she's pretty and perfect." Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Pretty and perfect? And I'm the one with a crush." "Shut it, tortured artist."

« »

The third time Vezi saw Wednesday Addams, she actually heard her first.

As a musical person, she was very attentive to music. Very often, if someone played their music a decibel too loud, she'd stay awake all night listening to it, or accidentally make it appear. She'd had butter appear because of an ARMY, which wasn't that bad. She'd also, however, had accidentally made three students severe alcoholics because someone had decided to be edgy. They dropped out last year.

The sounds of a cello reverberated around the castle - specifically a rendition of Paint it Black, Vezi noted. It was difficult to control her gift sometimes - tonight was one of those nights.

She immediately went out onto her balcony. Her roommate wasn't there - a gorgon called Mel. Must've slipped out to, well, get stoned. The way Wednesday played was beautiful - the notes even, the crescendos and diminuendos artfully executed. Splotches of black spaint started appearing on her balcony - first in the corners, then growing onto the railing, shining as it dried. As the song continued, black splotches started appearing on the grass in the courtyard as well - first only dots that were almost indistinguishable, then they started appearing more, forming letters. "Damn it," Vezi whispered. She'd have to explain to whoever, and she'd have to clean it up in the morning. Or she could just put a song on and do it later tonight. Still, it left an impression. The words made a fairly predictable sentence -

Paint It Black was written on the courtyard in thick black paint. The music swelled to an ending. At least that was done. She quickly got to work to turn on a song that could make the grass green again - and her balcony. Well, her and Mel's. She'd have to explain in the morning.

« »

[Transcript of Enid's Vlog]

It's not everyday your new roommate plays a song and the title of it appears on the grass while she's playing. I can't imagine anyone who would actually like her - I mean really? The half-dead thing does it for you? I won't judge really, but still. It's kind of weird isn't it? Xavier was painting in the courtyard - you've seen his new piece of course, on the wall. But he says he saw Vezi, you know, the music girl, on her balcony, and she seemed to be listening pretty intensely! Apparently, the song was 'Paint it Black', by the way, I forgot to mention that. Very fitting, seeing as it is Wednesday playing - she got her own school uniform to be monochrome! Special treatment, I say. But I'm cutting it here. See you till the next video!

[luminouschaotic]

arankita fic recs with el !!

so if you’ve stuck around since my glee phase you might’ve seen me do one of these posts with wevid fic recs. since i’ve gotten myself invested in another ship w the same energy i decided to do another post so we can all share in the brainrot. feel free to reblog w your own recommendations !!

i wanna know what happens when we’re bored in love by ab_inito | t | 2.5k

kita character study w a very nice relationship study that builds off canon !! made me :( at the beginning but very sweet, i love kita sm

forever and always by iwaoist | not rated | 2k

another character study, this time aran-centric and angstier (aka: MY KINDA SHIT). remember my “sometimes self care is reading an arankita fic and screaming in your car” post? yeah this is that fic. the ending made me wanna go feral in the best way possible

up no more by venxvon | g | 7.6k

*slams fists on table* IDIOTS TO LOVERS !! inject that shit into my VEINS. good ol’ fake dating trope. they’re smart until they hold hands (or, more accurately, until someone says they should hold hands). very cute and funny, an excellent feel good read. i actually found this one from another fic rec post so. passing it on to you :)

black nightshade by asynchrony | t | 13.5k (7 chapters + epilogue)

holy shit. guys. holy fucking shit. this fic. it fucking HURTS but it hurts so mf good. it’s a hanahaki fic which ik isn’t everyone’s thing, but the author has their own unique interpretation of it that’s really interesting. it’s got the perfect mix of angst and h/c and found family to hit you right in the heart. also PLEASE read the twitter thread linked at the end. especially if you’re a theatre kid. you will cry but it’s so good and i just. ough

happy reading !! :)

[mallowstep]

ig to expand on what i mean by nsfw this is similar to my complaints about "no minor" "minor" not being a helpful dichotomy for dnis &c. (except for legal reasons, but that's a different thing.)

like "nsfw" in a basic sense means "you probably don't want this open in work/school/etc. [for more than just 'it's fanfic' type reasons]" which is true for things like "i see the moonlight" because of "daddy" and "nothing you do" because of the scene that contains the line "Nightshade smells like a forest after rain, and something sharp and citrus woven in. It surrounds Mistyfoot, leaving her feeling owned and warm and cherished."

right like, btbm and "sweet as cherry wine" are nsfw even tho they aren't smut, because, well, that's still Content. but if you say nsfw and mean smut, then they somehow loop around to not being nsfw, even though that's not true.

which is why i often say 18+ content, fun fact! i don't know how to label things in a way that makes it clear what i mean, and this isn't something i want to mislead people on, for obvious reasons.

but anyway, this is just a little ramble about now "nsfw" is supposed to mean one thing but it's used in a different way a lot. i think most of my bdsm fics are nsfw because they involve kink and that's almost always nsfw (abb is probably the MOST sfw lmao), but i mean if you're uncomfortable reading smut i don't think it's going to make you uncomfortable!

(i do occasionally write scenes that sound like fade to blacks, which, like, is never my Intention, because if i was going to write that i'd man up and fucking write it*, but they could be read that way, so ig that's a thing. btbm isn't a part of this because it's not a kink fic, i just brought it up for the struggles in labelling things as nsfw overall.)

* i am talking to myself and meming obviously this isn't how we should view masculinity, sexuality, etc., but i'm allowed to meme.

so, like, i often feel stuck because i WANT to clearly communicate what's going on. y'know i can't say "this is nonsexual kink" when shit like "“Be a good girl,” he hums. “Stay still.” He reaches up, licking her cheek. “Daddy wants to play with you.”" is right there, but it's not smut.

the cats fuck, but i am not writing them fucking.

so, uh, this was a lot of words to say absolutely nothing, but it's just a little ramble on frustrations i've had.

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

For the Alex Rider ask game: A, I, Z

Hi!! Sorry my answer us so late, only being able to blog on weekends is really annoying at times. That's the price for being a Korean student I guess...

A. When and how did you first start reading AR?

I was 12 at the time, almost exactly, since it was summer and my birthday's in summer.

My town has an "English Library", which is just a library with a few shelf-loads of English books besides the Korean books. (tbh they have way more manhwa.)

Anyway, I was looking for something good to read, when I found a book with a glossy black spine. I pulled it out, and saw the cover was a holographic blue, with the words 'Alex Rider: Stormbreaker' written on it. Because I'm the kind of person who reads back covers, I turned it over, and instantly decided it was my kind of book. I have never regretted it. 💕

I. What are your thoughts on Ian Rider?

I think of him as an inexperienced parent. He's never had to take care of a child, even on missions, and he has *no* idea how to raise one. He tries his best, he really does, but being raised in a military family, he doesn't know what normal kids do. He thinks taking 9-year-old kids to Everest base camp is okay.

I think he tried to be a good guardian, he really did, but just didn't figure out what he was doing isn't the way. The fact that he wasn't around a lot didn't help either.

In conclusion, Jack was the queen Ian and Alex both needed in their lives, she deserves a stiff drink a big hand.

Z. Theorize on what book 13 would be about. >:3

Aksfjwsjhsksjdksk I didn't think anyone would actually ask this... Here goes I guess?

(Note: everything is pure theory!! Nothing is confirmed!!!)

1. Freddy and Sofia will start attending Brooklands at some point.

(They'll have to go to school eventually, and where better than the school Alex goes to?)

2. Tom will be used as bait/blackmail/whatever by Nightshade, as a playing card.

(AH says that Nightshade knew all about Alex, including his school/friends, so this one is fairly probable.)

3. Benjamin the monkey has a hidden microphone/camera in him.

(Reference: this old post I made)

4. Alex "so done" Rider with Tom "Are you going to kill them?" Harris and Freddy "My plan is to kill everybody" Gray

(Alex will 100% be absolutely paranoid that Freddy will do/say smth stupid and by stupid I mean borderline psychopathic. Tom is gonna be like "My best friend is teenage spy, not like assassin child is any weirder" and just roll with it.)

5. At least Sofia is mostly sane...*crash* *screaming in the background* ...or not

Thanks for the ask, I appreciate them! And if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask!

-Lilly xx

[notfeelingthyaster]

Imagine (based on the incomplete fanfic Son of Underworld) (3/5) (Son of Hades! Percy AU)

Before reading, check the masterpost - and read the warnings before proceeding :)) Good reading!

Percy goes back to Yancy, and things proceed as normal. He has nightmares, he misses his mom, who he only saw for a week. He thinks back on last summer and asks himself if it's worth going back to.

Annabeth tries to go back to her father's family. It doesn't go well, but at least they could keep contact using a landline for the three months she can deal with the monsters in her father's new location. There's a weekend he tries to visit her in San Francisco - but he still isn't perfect and lands in Sacramento.

It takes him an hour and a half to reach her - and it's the best weekend of the year, even if he doesn't meet anyone in her family - she is afraid they'll double the monsters in her house.

And her stepmom is racist. So there's that.

Annabeth makes fun of his Academy Uniform, the blazer and the black gloves, the red tie that he hates, and he calls her Wise Girl - he is two grades over her because of her years as a runaway.

It feels a little like a date. There's pizza, and they hold hands when she takes him to see the Golden Gate. He notices that Annie's eyes look literally like molten silver - every demigod carries a trace of their parent, he finally notices.

He can't come back after that - they were attacked by a Hydra, and killing it was only possible because he managed to use fire - a green, weird fire that he did not know he had - to cauterize the stumps.

Blackjack shadow travels him back to Yancy Academy and he and Annie keep the contact for another two weeks before she has to go back to Camp since San Francisco is becoming too dangerous.

It's his last year of middle school. Next year, he doesn't know if he'll continue in Yancy or go for a scholarship at Phillips Academy, in Massachusetts.

It's far. It's almost four hours from his mother, it's six hours from Camp. But it's the best school on the East Coast.

He does his midterms exams. He is in all high of A+ in Geometry, Algebra II, Economics and Government, Ancient World History, and Health&PE.

U.S. History and Science keep between B- and D+, and he is okay with that.

Language Arts and World Cultures can go die in a hole. He hates reading, writing makes him anxious and the only language he can get a C+ is Latin.

They give him a tutor for English - his GPA is only sustained by math. His grades raise a little: They go from F to E+.

There's a girl being tutored with him. She is Cherokee and a grade below him - her name is Piper.

He hates verbs. He hates To Kill a Mockingbird. He will kill a mockingbird if it stops them asking him to read again.

He cheats in his essays - makes skeletons write them for him. They suspect - it's not his handwriting, it's not the way he writes, it has no errors.

They can't prove it, so he scrapes Language Arts with a D+.

His midterm GPA is amazing. He goes see his mother for Christmas, even though he thinks there's no Christ. Maybe. Who knows? He is not celebrating Jupiternalia anyway.

He barely put his bag down when his four weeks with his Mom go down the drain - Thalia and Annabeth appear in his door. He grabs his backpack, his weapons, and go.

Annabeth looks at his hands with wonder - it's the first time she sees them bare in two years, but he puts his gloves back quickly enough.

Thalia is less skittish around him, and that's good. Better, at least. He notices that her eyes aren't only green - there are waves in them, it's like looking at the sea. It changes with her humor, perhaps? He doesn't know.

They make fun of his uniform - but they are going to Westover Hall, and he will merge better if he looks like a preppy kid from a boarding school.

Percy knows about the Mist this time. He helps Thalia to control it - his heart aches when he thinks of his friends. Its been a year and a half now. He misses them.

The daughter of Zeus asks him who taught him.

"The same person who taught you"

She looks at him appreciatively now, but he knows he'll come short of whoever she is measuring him against.

They see the kids. There's a girl looking nervous and overlooking the gym, and a boy by her side fiddling with his cards. Their hair is black just like his - he wishes for a brother and a sister.

Their skin is not like his - but it doesn't matter that they have a different mom, does it? In the end, it's family. Grover says they're powerful - so Big Three might be a possibility.

They're not children of Poseidon - their skin lacks the tan and the hair lacks the messiness, the windswept look - And Zeus is a lot of things, but a hypocrite isn't one of them, is?

Percy dances with Annabeth, and he feels alive. Then, he is running to save the children.

He doesn't shadow travel them. Shadowtravelling with more than one person is tricky, and he still hasn't mastered not going to Wyoming.

He kills the manticore with his Warhammer, but as it crumbles to dust, Annabeth falls.

The earth trembles at his feet - but it's Thalia's hand in his shoulder that remembers him there's two kids here, and Artemis Hunt is all looking at him with varying degrees of disgust and fear.

It's nothing he is not acquainted with. For being black (and not even a normal shade of black), for his clothes, for not having a father, for having a father and it being Hades. Just now, he was being judged for being a man.

Misandry is news for him. His mother raised him to respect all genders (even when he discovered a few months ago there's more than two), that women deserve the same as men. Annabeth fights alongside him frequently enough. Clarisse wipes the floor with his ass. Katie Gardner doesn't - it doesn't make her weaker, or less deserving of respect.

He knows women have to fight for their place in society much more than he has to. He knows these women are probably traumatized by violent men and unable to fight back.

It still doesn't make it right for them to be bullies. It gives a reason, but not a justification.

And when they take Bianca Di Angelo, who has a little brother and barely has any idea of what she is doing, who was just attacked by a thing that shouldn't exist and is probably still in shock, he wants to scream.

Artemis sees something in Bianca - and he finally looks at the girl's eyes. There's a storm raging in them.

Zeus is a hypocrite, after all.

But it's not his place to say anything, nor to the children, nor against Artemis, so he just leaves the tent and goes ask the only other boy here to teach him Mythomagic.

Nico Di Angelo asks way too many questions and has an infinite source of energy. He is prideful - a trace common of all Zeus children. His eyes aren't stormy like his sisters, there aren't clouds in his irises. They are white, like his probable father's lighting bolt.

Nico asks him why he has green eyes - and why they turned black after the question. He doesn't know the answer.

Apollo appears and says something about flying in the sun car - it's the first time he and Thalia agree on something.

But calls for Blackjack. He is not flying, not even under a god's asking. Apollo understands.

Thalia goes with him. Better through shadows than through air. He doesn't want to leave Nico with the misandry archers - but he has Grover, and Percy would probably land them in Iowa.

The daughter of Poseidon holds his waist while they ride on the hellhound. He focuses the best he can - and, for the first time, he lands exactly where he wants to land: in the woods at Camp.

Thalia helps him get to the Big House under weird looks of the year-rounders. They are there at least three hours before Apollo.

"You're kinda heavy, Corpse Breath. But that was cool."

"Shut it, Kelp Head"

He is anxious to just leave and go back to his mother, but Annabeth is in danger: They need a quest.

He has dreams. He can't fault Annabeth for doing what he would've done without a second of hesitation. It's Luke.

He helps Nico settle at Cabin 11, and avoids the huntresses. Connor hugs him, and Clarisse wipes the floor with him in wrestling - they are his friends now.

Clarisse, Connor, Annabeth, Grover, Charles. Luke, Ethan, Alabaster. The scales are tipping. He doesn't care for masters - he cares who is the defending.

Artemis goes missing, and they finally get a quest. Zoe Nightshade doesn't want a boy in the quest but tough luck: He is the most experienced camper here right now AND the quest goes through a desert, so he is going.

There's some doubt about taking Thalia - she is a daughter of Poseidon and can't do much in the wasteland.

So it's decided: Phoebe, Bianca, Zoe, Perseus, and Grover. No one is happy about it, and Percy knows Thalia is going to follow them.

He introduces himself as Perseus to them. He is stoic and doesn't smile around the girls.

Capture the Flag is horrible. He doesn't leave his post and blocks Zoe with skeletons for enough time that Thalia manages to snag the flag and cross the river.

The huntresses get mad and try to fight the campers - Phoebe tries to hit Nico with the pommel of her sword and a lightning bolt hits her, putting her out of commission.

He is claimed. Bianca isn't, but it doesn't matter: She is not a camper, she is a hunter. Her loyalty is to her half-sister now.

They leave in the morning without Phoebe before anyone wakes up.

Bianca looks at him weirdly because of his soft white and blue sweaters and scrunchies that he started using to take off hair from his face, and the contrast it makes with his dark skin and demeanor.

Newsflash: He doesn't care for a prejudiced daughter of Zeus's opinion.

Zoe doesn't even look at him twice: They have trans girls in the hunt, they're caught up with modern times. Except for the misandry and the exclusion of genderfluid, agender and non-binary people. But sure, caught up.

Nico asks him to protect his sister. He says he is going to try, but he understands death better than some. He says it'll be dangerous, but he'll do his best.

For some reason, Nico doesn't look worried.

Thalia joins them in the Space museum. She came in her Pegasus, Porkpie, and they fight the Nemean Lion together. His hellhound startles the hunters, and Thalia laughs.

They kill the Nemean Lion, and Perseus thinks he finally perfects his power over the earth when he uses a stone spike to pierce the monster through the mouth and barely gets tired.

The duster is not his style, but beggars can't be choosers. Zoe is warming up to them, he thinks, but he doesn't care either way: his objective is Annabeth.

He still hasn't managed to open the ground or to control metal's proprieties, but he controls the earth beneath his feet, shadow travels (very badly controlled, but sure), raises armies of skeletons and money and gems just sprout when he wants them. He has power.

But he isn't completely in control yet, so he doesn't want anyone touching him. And it's been such a long time since anyone except his mother ever been close to any skin below his neck.

Perseus has dreams. He is grateful that Artemis took the sky for Annabeth, so he burns the coat in her name.

Thalia says she has met Apollo, and Perseus is glad at least one god is on their side.

Perseus feels in the air: life. This town is cloying with the smell of life, of forests and waterfalls. He hates it on principle but wishes she could enjoy it.

He kills a spartoi. He doesn't manage to kill more, but now he knows. He wishes he could open the ground and swallow all of them, but even his own skeletons he only manages to turn them into piles of bones.

The boar carries most of them: it's still just a boar and they are five, so both he and Thalia enjoy Blackjack, who now is almost the size of a small rhino.

Perseus meets Ares awake this time. He didn't snitch on him to the gods, but he wishes he did.

Meeting Aphrodite is awful. Percy looks at her, and he sees blonde hair that he can't decide if it's golden or brownish, he looks at her eyes and see the blue and grey fight for dominance in the irises. Her skin flicks, and he sees a scar crossing her eye.

For a moment, her skin turns as black as his - his desire for family.

He hates her more than he hates Ares when she looks at him with a smile and says that his love life will be the most interesting tale she has ever woven.

They cross the junkyard. Bianca dies for a figurine of Zeus, and Perseus wants to scream at the skies for the injustice. He isn't close to Bianca, he won't miss her, but he blames himself.

What if he was good enough at shadow traveling to take all of them away? What if he was able to kill Talos before? If he saw the figurine in her hand, if he was clearer in his warning, if, if, if.

He is a son of Hades, and death follows him. The stench of it grabs at his clothes, but he doesn't cry. Bianca is not the first to die in the name of the gods - she won't be the last one.

Perseus tries and tries to reach for any part of her body - everything is gone.

The Hoover Dam goes exactly the same way - Percy finds the mortal girl cute, but he doesn't ponder on it. It's not the time. He tells her his name is Percy, because why not. He is not seeing her again.

He laughs at the dam joke and feels a little freer. He cares about Zoe. It's difficult not to.

They fly away, and Perseus doesn't like it, but he barely flinches.

They get closer - all of them. Perseus always makes friends in quests, and he is happier for it.

Thalia catches Nereus - and she tells them all about Bessie, the ophiotaurus. Percy thinks that, for a serpent cow, it's pretty cute.

Grover leaves with it back to Camp Half-Blood and away from the temptation that Thalia feels. He knows it - he feels it too, deep inside of him, the urge to kill all of them.

But is Kronos any better?

They meet Annabeth's father. Her stepmom caught a glance at him and sneers like he is covered in blood.

Luke is in Mount Othrys. Percy doesn't join him. He wants to. The drachma is still in his pocket. But Luke needs to pay for what he has done to Annabeth. This is not about the war that looms on the horizon, this is about his best friend.

They fight. Perseus holds the sky, but the thing in his fingertips is not the earth, it's something older and harder, that presses him to his knees. He draws strength from the earth, and he holds on.

They win, but at what cost? Luke falls. He cries and throws the drachma over the cliff - a promise gone with one of his first friends.

Zoe is dead. Three people dead, for a goddess who couldn't care less about them. Perseus wants to go back in time and accept Luke's proposal.

He wants to cry and he doesn't. They go to Olympus. Thalia joins Artemis, and he feels betrayed: just because she is afraid of power, she is going to throw the weight of this prophecy on him?

And on top, she just joined the eternal misandry group, and something in his heart festers. He thought he had one more friend in her, but she was just another pawn.

Annabeth basks in her mother's praise. He wants to vomit - two people are dead, but who cares.

Thalia pleads for the ophiotaurus life, but she doesn't lift a finger when they talk about his death. He hates her. He holds a grudge for his cousin just like his father holds one for his brother.

He just saved their asses for the third time, and they're talking about murdering him because he might not save them a fourth.

The gods. They take and they take and they take and the demigods keep giving.

His father saves him - no one dares to go against Hades' vote to let him live, because he is a hero.

They go back to camp, and Perseus is charged with the task to tell Nico.

"Well, so bring her back"

The boy says it non-chanlantly like he is counting on it. Percy feels guilt creep at his heart like a plague, all the ways he failed to save Bianca. If he just had a better grasp in his powers, if he was just better. And here it was, something else he couldn't do.

"I can't, Nico"

Nico yells at him. He screams that he killed his sister. Percy starts to retract, and they end up in the pavilion. Everyone is there, and they don't lift a finger to help.

Percy is so tired. He hasn't seen his mom since October. He just lost one of his best friends. He was on a mission for a week. He held the sky in his hands. Zoe is dead. Thalia is gone. Death follows him. The guilt claws at him - for not being enough.

Nico shouts and shouts. The final straw is when he says that he shouldn't have trusted a son of Hades, how everyone told him not to. He tells no one wants him here, and before anyone can say anything to contest it, spartoi appear.

People scramble for their weapons, but Percy opens the ground and swallows all of the skeletons. When they're gone, so is Percy.

Turns out? Percy doesn't want to be here anymore either.

Nico is prideful. People in camp scrambled for his attention. A couple of kids of Aphrodite tell him that Perseus wasn't a good company, trying to get in his good graces. This time around, there's no one to sing the praises of Percy Jackson.

Grover takes him aside and explains, a little against him own will, what happened with Bianca. He gives him the figurine.

Nico feels guilty. He is too prideful to admit, but he feels it burning in his heart - so he tries to understand what he just did. Grover tells him about the last two years. The guilt now fights with admiration, and resentment battles with adoration.

Some people steer clear of him for a while. Charles Beckendorf is too kind to isolate him - but Nico sees the sadness in his eyes. Annabeth doesn't talk with him - she just lost three best friends in a swoop. Grover reluctantly tells him more about Percy. Clarisse wipes the floor with him - and he doesn't complain when he wakes up and his makeshift bed in Cabin 1 is crawling with bugs - He is pretty sure Connor hates him.

Katie Gardner doesn't talk to him anymore. Will Solace - who is his best friend - consolates him. He tells Nico he was pretty awful to Percy last summer, and Percy still came back.

Pretty awful doesn't even begin to cover what Nico did. But he nods and settles. It's going to be fine.

Perseus wanders the Underworld. He plays with Cerberus, and it's finally time to go make peace with his father and meet Persephone.

There's the heavy weight of a drachma in his pocket.

[currywaifu]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: escape room 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: minagi tsuzuru/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 3.4k words, 3 images

𝐚𝐧: the combi of my love for this tsuzuru sr card + a certain enabler + my first time wearing handcuffs being in an escape room = the birth of this fic. it’s chaotic, but so is every escape room experience i’ve had. wtf is this fic.

One of the perks of having Tsuzuru as a boyfriend was that the two of you always found ways to have fun and go out on dates without spending a lot of money. Neither of you were big on splurging out a bunch of money anyway— not with you rather spending your allowance on necessities and Tsuzuru being the King of Part-timers™.

Watching community and college plays, having picnics, movie marathons, making dinner together, going grocery shopping, taking advantage of coupon sites, couples promos and happy hours to get great deals on things you wouldn’t normally be able to just for the ultimate discount...

It was domestic, it was homey, and it was Tsuzuru through and through; you loved every single second of it.

Which was why you were surprised when he suggested going to an escape room together.

“Those can be kind of pricey, right?” you replied, raising your voice slightly to make sure he could hear you despite the noise you were making in the kitchen. You turned the burner to high heat, scooching the veggies over to one side of the pan, melting the remaining butter in the other half.

“Oh, well, a friend gave me a 20% discount coupon. Apparently he didn’t need it anymore,” Tsuzuru’s voice was a little quiet coming from your phone’s speaker, and you quickly put down the soy sauce to adjust the volume before going back to the stove.

“I figured there was some kind of catch,” you replied with a soft chuckle as you continued stirring the veggies and sautéing the rice. “When do you wanna go? I know we’re both busy over the weekend, and that’s when we usually—“

Your hand halted its motions as soon as Tsuzuru uttered the word, “tomorrow.”

It wasn’t like you weren’t free, thankfully you only had one, albeit three hour, lecture during Tuesdays, but wasn’t he saying it a bit suddenly? It was a Monday evening, after all.

“Why tomorrow?”

Your boyfriend’s awkward laughter rang, but he remained undeterred as he explained to you his reasoning— going to an escape room would be a good way to get more writing experience, especially in terms of creating and feeling the ambience.

“Plus, not only is it cheaper if we go together, but the rates are also lower Monday to Thursday,” after a few seconds of silence on your part, he quickly added in, “and! And, we usually don’t have dates like this… so it’ll be fun, right?”

That thought process was so like Tsuzuru that you couldn’t help but smile.

Oh, the rice and veggies were already turning brown?

“You know what? I’m not even surprised,” you commented, adding and stirring in the rest of the ingredients. Ahhh, it was starting to smell heavenly, “by the way, have you had dinner yet?”

“About to. Excited to figure out what kind of curry we’re having,” a giggle escaped you upon hearing Tsuzuru’s deadpan voice, “are you almost done cooking?”

“Just about done!” after giving the rice a taste, you decided to season it with a pinch of salt and pepper, “thanks for giving me your fried rice recipe, by the way. Even though I’m the one cooking it, it feels like I’m about to eat something you made with love~”

As you were pretty much done with the kitchen, Tsuzuru’s exhale was a lot more audible to you. You could already envision the slight quiver in his tight-lipped grin and the way he would avert his eyes for a few seconds as he addressed you.

“Seriously, don’t be so cute,” he said, sounding a little exasperated, “sometimes I don’t know how to respond anymore.”

“A writer at a loss for words?” it was steadily getting difficult to keep the bubbling up amusement in check— you should probably be serving yourself dinner and accomplish your work for the night, but in the same manner it was always fun to flirt with the brunet. “When you put it that way, it makes me want to act even cuter for y—“

“Anyway!” you couldn’t hold back your laughter at his sudden interruption. Alright, that was enough for the both of you tonight.

“So are you free tomorrow?” he asked.

Well, who were you to be able to say no to that?

You completed signing the waiver the staff asked you to fill out, before turning to Tsuzuru.

“I forgot to ask, but which room are we playing? They have, like, 3 different ones here.”

Your eyes followed where Tsuzuru’s pointer finger landed— a simple but eerie poster in black and white, the three masks you could commonly see in craft stores plain and copies of one another, save for one thing. The first mask had gloved hands atop its eyeholes, the second had them covering where the ears would be, and the third had them placed over the lips.

Domain of Discernment.

“I don’t know much about it, but it’s one of the more popular ones. Apparently we’ll be held captive by some serial killer named Sire Maniac, and we’ll have one of our senses taken away,” he explained. Before he could potentially say anymore, one of the personnel went over to bring you right by the room entrance.

After giving a brief rundown of rules and some info about the room itself, she brought out an unused pair of foam earplugs and a blindfold. “Since there’s only two of you, we’ll be taking out the not being able to speak part. Both of you, choose who gets their sight or hearing removed for 50 minutes.”

You and Tsuzuru turned to look at each other, quietly discussing amongst yourselves which option would be more beneficial, coming to the conclusion that you would be the one to don the blindfold and he’d be the one with the earplugs.

“You might accidentally fall asleep if you had the blindfold,” you joked, “besides, I trust you to be able to guide me.”

Not one to be a killjoy or cheat, he plugged in the foam properly as you get your blindfold tied securely by the woman, making sure it definitely wouldn’t loosen up midway through the game.

When the both of you are within the room already, the both of you hear (well, Tsuzuru lip-reads) the woman say one more thing.

“After hand-cuffing you two and I leave the room, the timer will start. Good luck.”

… hand-cuffing?

With a sound of a click and seeing the door shutting from the distance, the both of you knew the timer would be counting down from 50 right about now.

You’re the first to speak up. You’re unsure where he’s facing right now, so you pulled your left hand knowing the pull of the metal chain would catch his attention, and you were right.

At the slight pressure on his right hand, he turned to face you with a hum leaving his mouth, and unexpectedly finding himself stupefied at the sight of you. You opened your mouth to say something, and he can excuse himself all he wanted that it was him not used to lip-reading yet, but he knew it wasn’t the truth.

He felt a little guilty, really. You both knew how flustered or embarrassed he could get around you, but how blissfully unaware you must be right now that his brain was literally mush because of your blindfolded self and how you were handcuffed to him. He, well, he never thought… no, he could never—

Time to kill that train of thought. Right now.

He should really be responding to you right now. What… what were you saying?

“You want me to describe our… surroundings?” he sighed in relief as you nodded. Okay, at least a part of him was still functioning properly. All he had to do was focus on that and not hyper focus on you.

The two of you were in a cell of sorts— barred, jail doors preventing your exit into a much larger room, which inevitably would lead to a door the both of you would escape to.

Though the jail room was significantly smaller, there were an assortment of items to sift and look through— boxes with and without locks, some papers scattered on a small desk, a lampshade that was left turned off, and a CD player were what stood out the most to him.

After relaying it to you, you pulled him again by your shared shackles as you asked him to read out what was in the papers—the first, a hint on how to figure out the number combination to unlock one of the boxes and a code decryption guide.

The second, a torn page from a “book” of either plants or poisons, based on the content and stylisation. Atropa belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade.

“Why are shade and floor highlighted though?”

Another pull on the cuffs. Another look at you— and trying not to be awkward about it as he combined his lip-reading with whatever the earplugs couldn’t block out of your voice.

“Shade? You said there was a lamp shade, right? Maybe a key or something is hidden under there?” you suggested, a pout set on your lips, “don’t know what the relevance of floor is, though.”

He didn’t have to look very far, the papers being situated on the desk beside the lampshade. It’s in his second time staring though that he realised something’s off with it. “You’re right, there’s something in the lampshade.”

When he lifted the bell-shaped cover, he’d come to find that there was no lightbulb in the first place, but a thin flashlight cleverly inserted within a vase. “If there’s a flashlight in the vase, then—“

“Shine a light on the floor!” you exclaimed, excited at the prospect of being able to move forward with the game, despite not being able to see.

Doing just that, he swished the flashlight left and right, verbally listing all the letters he could see.

“X, O, I, C, T…” you repeated, before trying to clap your hands (keyword: trying to, handcuffs say no), “the order is toxic! So the encrypt—“

“I’ll decode it ASAP,” Tsuzuru replied, immediately referring to the guide the “killer” oh so graciously left there.

“The passcode is… 420652,” he fumbled with the digits on the only 6 numbered padlocked box, before grinning, “alright, we got it!”

Another tug, and at this point he’s already aware that tug or pull on the cuff equals you having something to say.

“If they were gonna do a 420 joke, they should’ve inserted a 666 joke for the full eerie, creepy effect.”

Okay, just how was he able to lip read that perfectly? Was he just that used to the dumb jokes you made?

“I can just imagine your dream escape room— all the hints and puzzles are meme related,” the earplugs were unable to block your laugh, ringing through the room as he opened the box. A key, and a CD.

Knowing that between the two remaining boxes left, one of them needed a key so that was pretty much solved. The disc, on the other hand…

He called your name, you turning to face him based on the direction of his voice. “Since there’s a CD player and a CD, and unless I go really close I wouldn’t be able to hear anything—“

“I’ll listen carefully, no sweat!”

“I swear, if I hear the word wall another time, I will scream... and this isn’t even a horror room!”

The two of you came across your first real obstacle. Your audio just talked about poisonous vines growing on walls and other surfaces, while his box just contained another note that neither of you could decipher whatsoever. For five minutes, the two of you stood there, pondering.

Every once in a while, Tsuzuru would check the giant timer— currently displaying that 35 minutes were left.

“… honestly, just give it to me,” you suddenly spoke, Tsuzuru’s shoulders going up in shock.

“Give what?”

“The box! While we try to figure it out, I’ll use my nonexistent luck to just guess the passcode somehow,” you explained, feeling up the type of padlock it was “it’s just rolling everything around anyway until it magically opens.”

Within less than a minute, you had figured out the passcode.

“I’m—“ Tsuzuru trailed off, clearly just as shocked as you were. Your eyes probably would’ve been wide open right now.

“Eye… so this is where all my luck went,” you said, before shaking your head to refocus yourself, “okay! So inside the box is a… another key? It has buttons… car key?”

You hand the object to the brunet, who, upon taking it from you spared no second in his next actions.

“Wall,” he said out loud, pointing the car keys at the wall. With one press of a button, the wall, slowly but surely, opened to reveal another room. Though you couldn’t see it, the sound was loud enough to amaze you as well.

“Worm,” you breathed out, “pretty lit, not gonna lie.”

You wouldn’t know but the room was actually extremely dark, so not lit at all. Thank god he had a flashlight or else the handcuff + your blindfold + him not being able to lip read combo would be… particularly deadly.

The misunderstandings, he could already imagine it. Ah, well, for the writing experience.

“I don’t know what worm means, but yeah, lit.”

“Sorry,” Tsuzuru apologised as he bumped into you for the nth time.

Obstacle number two was unlike any other. It wasn’t another audio recording, neither a puzzle nor riddle.

“Ah, shit, sorry!” you shouted for the nth time, raising your voice as much as you could so Tsuzuru would be able to hear you properly.

This was getting ridiculous. You were able to figure out the meaning of an audio file after a few loops, while Tsuzuru got to work reading more clues and unlocking locks. The real problem, however, was since the room was dark and had limited space, the two of you tended to crash against one another even with what limited movement you could make.

You had to wonder— did the staff get some sort of amusement or feel any pity watching people stumble around in this room through the CCTV? It wasn’t so bad in the jail room, but this closet? storage? room gave you two a run for your money. How did other people get through this room, genuinely? Especially the bigger parties?

“… I have an idea,” Tsuzuru mentioned. You wait for him to tell you what it is, his hesitance confusing you. However, before you could have said anything, you felt his strong arms wrapped around you.

Was… was there an equivalent to a verbal keyboard smash? Even if you weren’t saying it out loud to save you the embarrassment, the fact still stood that your brain was legit going ztesxrdctijmoljhnge right now. Help—

“How does this… help?” you asked, still a little confused by his motive. He wasn’t really one for PDA, and despite the two of you being the only ones in the room the fact still stood that the escape room staff are probably required to glance at the CCTV monitors every once in a while to check up on you two.

“Since we’re… handcuffed, and there’s barely any space it’d be better to just stay together,” he explained as nonchalantly as possible, “sorry, it’s just for this room. We’ll go back to normal when we get to the last room.”

See, if your brain was working right now, you’d be able to think of a counter or a better solution— actually, if you could see right now maybe you could point out something about Tsuzuru’s face that screamed he was lying, but something about escape rooms just made your logic go brrr.

That, or you were just a simp for your own boyfriend.

… not gonna lie, the chances of it being both were pretty high.

“Makes sense. Can’t bump into each other when you’re already stuck together,” you said, already convincing yourself.

Sorry to whoever’s manning the CCTV monitor, it was their fault for handcuffing the two of you anyway.

Well, this set up wasn’t that bad. Other than, you know, getting to hug Tsuzuru, you were able to still keep doing your task while he did—

You heard the padlock unlock after your fingers pressed a certain combination of numbers. Pushing the device upwards, the cabinet doors opened as you removed the lock.

“It’s a digit push combination padlock! How are you doing this? Blindfolded?”

“I… I have guessing powers. For locks.”

“I’m considering robbing a bank or business with you now.”

“Awww, cute couple’s date idea!”

After two or three minutes of Tsuzuru doing some last minute riddle solving, the sound of jingling keys and him letting go of you let you know of one thing— you two were almost out.

With a writer compromising one half of the team, and an exceptional guesser and context clue figure-outer as the other half, you weren’t gonna lie— the last room was kind of anti-climatic to go through.

…

SIKE!

Every time the two of you ever accomplished anything, be it decrypting a message, unlocking something, or finding a hidden item the two of you still reacted to it— Tsuzuru being more on the shookt side and you being on the hype side.

With fifteen minutes to spare, only one thing was left to do— finding who Sire Maniac’s real name, and then decoding that name into number form so you could use it on the exit’s number pad lock. It was pretty obvious to you that you had to use the number equivalents of the name, but first… you needed to know the name.

“You sure you don’t want to try your luck?” Tsuzuru teased, procuring a huff out of you.

There were only two clues. The first was a letter to an A. R. Nicolas, detailing something about being thankful for a book.

Initially, the two of you thought that that A. R. Nicolas would be his real name, but clearly it was some sort of pen name based on the second clue— several torn pages from a book penned by the very same A. R. Nicolas the letter was addressed to.

It was clear— Sire Maniac and A. R. Nicolas were the same person, but what was his third identity? His real identity?

“What are the poisons on the torn pages again? Those usually have something to do with the answer,” you asked Tsuzuru. The sound of shuffling of paper entered your ears as he began listing them off.

“Ricin, amatoxin, tetradotoxin, chloropicrin, batrachotoxin… and arsenic.”

“Huh… arsenic is the only one that ends differently, lol,” you pointed out with a laugh, before it quickly died as the realisation dawned on you, “no fucking way.”

“Okay what the hell, I think you’re on to something,” Tsuzuru replied hastily, “because A. R. Nicolas, as in A. R. Nic. Arsenic.”

“Tsuzuru. Tsuzuru. Tsuzuru—“ you chanted, before laying out one last game-changer, “Sire Maniac. Is a fucking anagram. For I am Arsenic.”

With a speedy enter of the number 2773642, the two of you had achieved freedom.

“Not gonna lie, some parts of it were a little cliche, but… I had fun,” you told him, the two of you walking home together, “I felt simultaneously dumb and a genius at the same time.”

“Same to both, honestly,” Tsuzuru replied, before looking down at your hand linked with his. “Huh, haven’t you had enough of being stuck with me?”

You rolled your eyes. “I could say the same to you— didn’t you totally take advantage of us being handcuffed together? Or me being blindfolded?”

It was just a joke, but Tsuzuru’s sudden sputtering caught you off guard. Did… aha, no way, did he actually enjoy that gimmick?

“Tsu~ zu~ ru~”

“Whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it—“

“Are you sure? Because—“

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

“I’m just saying, it’s better to be honest~”

As the stoplight turned red, the two of you finally found the time to take a good look at each other. The laughter that erupted was instantaneous.

“Thanks for going out with me today,” Tsuzuru said softly, the blooming smile on his face impossible for you to not mirror.

“Thank you for inviting me,” you replied, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

After a few seconds, the stoplight turned green, and the two of you continue making your way back home.

want to order again?

𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬: ⤷ curium fairway (the person who sent arsenic the letter) is an anagram for “i am currywaifu”.

⤷ the “reader is good at guessing part” is just based off of me. being really good at guessing padlock combinations.  ⤷ the hugging part was based on my two irl friends (who are dating) hugging in front of the cctv

⤷ the “one sense gets removed” and “being handcuffed to someone” part is based on two different escape rooms i played

⤷ i wasn’t supposed to make a whole concept for the escape room with media and riddles... but i decided to finally make use of all the research i did before on poison. am i on a watchlist?

[ryttu3k]

Hello naughty children it's Gehenna time.

...which means I'm going to read the book properly this time and write notes on each scenario, partially for my own reference, partially in answer to an ask from @rayshell22livejournalcom​ from about a zillion years ago. Sorry about that!

Mood soundtrack: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F# A# ∞; Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven; Yanqui U.X.O.

Prelude: Netchurch is an interesting character. Very skeptical, despite, well, the entire setting, although that's definitely, uh, broken by the end. Feel very sad for Afifa, who was a pawn in all this. Creepy babies galore!

Introduction: "While Vampire favors that futile, tragic, and - we'll say it - angst-heavy conclusion" - lmao you don't say. Although I do like how they have the consistent golden rule that if you don't like it, just ditch it! (Of course, the Gehenna scenarios as a whole have been completely retconned anyway by v20 and v5, so this entire book is a good example of taking what you want from it and ignoring the rest.)

"Some people are on opposite sides of this thing. They're elders who don't want to knuckle under to the Antediluvians (most elders will accept their proper place in the heirarchy again with the rising of their progenitors) and poor, misled souls who bought into the lie and are pissed about it (paging Mr. Pieterzoon). Bottom line: the Camarilla collapses like Enron/WorldCom as the worthlessness of its foundation becomes public knowledge. Chaos ensues among the vampire community, princes find themselves besieged by their own locals, and it's all a big clusterfuck."

Have I ever mentioned I love how VtM phrases stuff? Also F to Jan.

I like how they have a masterlist of what's actually going on with the Antediluvians. Spoilers ;D "For example, note that [Tzimisce] is simply referred to as [Tzimisce]. Even here at the game studio, our limited mortal minds weren't able to comphrenend the creature's real name." Lovecraft only WISHES he had eldritch abominations this spooky! Ennoia is 'Active and scary' and apparently spooks the devs just thinking about it. Makes sense. "Giovanni (Augustus Giovanni): Augustus is a pig, and he should probably die as one of the early events of Gehenna. He's the youngest of the Antediluvians and probably possessed the greatest ego (in mortal terms), so it'll be cosmic justice when he eats it." I love how no one likes Giovanni, even his creators. Malkav may or may not BE the Madness Network, in which case they cease to be an Antediluvian and just become... a part of the Malkavians, I guess? Absimiliard may or may not be chilling at the bottom of the ocean, because mood. Tremere / Saulot is definitely a fun one to play with, yeah. Although, oof, if Saulot ever gets control of their shared body, he's going to be fucked up if [Tzimisce] activates, so. Probably better to create a nice fresh body, like what BJD suggests with the child Saulot.

Chapter 1 - the lead-up: Basically a rundown of the signs and how they're interpreted. "An angel dies: How does an angel die? Who has the gall to rise up and slay one of God's firstborn? Or perhaps this is another metaphor. An angel could be a pure and gentle creature, or then again, it need not be one of God's angels (not that God's angels are necessarily pure and gentle). A feared and particularly vicious Necronomist Tzimisce, Sascha Vykos is sometimes referred to as the Angel of Caine. Many would rejoice the night that Vykos died." Hey rude :( I vote they kill Michael instead. He wants to be an Archangel? Fine, he can fulfill a prophesy XD

Honestly I really do dig that Ennoia Earthmelded with the entire planet. You can go so many directions with that, good or bad! Ennoia as The Beast Below, or Ennoia as Gaia? (Wow, that'd really fuck with the Garou XD) I love how the general consensus on Haqim is like, no one knows if he exists or not but lbr Ur-Shulgi is bad enough. Kinda dig the idea of the Toreador ante, Ishtar/Arikel, being genderfluid? I mean yeah essentially demigods have no need for gender anyway, but the constant debates over whether the Toreador ante is the female Ishtar or the male Arikel (or, uh, was it vice versa?) does lead to some interesting concepts. Ooh, similar to [Tzimisce] being linked to its entire clan (and the Tremere, anyone who's ever taken part in the Vaulderie, and anyone who knows Vicissitude), [Lasombra] may be connected to anyone who knows Obtenebration? [Ravnos]... yeah, probably dead. F to the clan. And yeah I think [Tzimisce] is flat-out the scariest one of all, and probably the one most likely to actually start the apocalypse, lbr.

Ugh this is one of the books that calls Sascha 'it' :-\ Do not like. ...Also do not like the suggestion that they're an unknowing agent of the Eldest, given, uh, the last chapter of the DA Tzimisce novel. Shoo! Shoo! You've ruined their unlife enough as it is!

Epistolary material! I do dig those. Most interesting: a letter to Sascha mentioning apocalyptic visions of New York but with the Carpathians in the background, and an anonymous letter to Hardestadt warning him of one of his line tearing down a castle that the writer feels believes the Camarilla. GO JAN FUCK IT UP.

And on to the scenarios themselves!

Chapter 2 - Wormwood: This is an interesting one. Literally a Biblical vengeance - God takes a good look at the Children of Caine and goes, "Well, this is fucked up", acknowledges that Caine never really sought true forgiveness and repentance, and sets forth Wormwood, the Red Star. The truly repentant are saved, the rest just. Die.

Herald here is a dhampir girl named Alia - thinblood father, human mother. When she's twelve, she becomes God's chosen, basically. Traveling with three thinblood guardians, one night, she's approached a Gargoyle named Ferox with True Faith, who sees himself as a fallen angel. And Alia offers him a way of redemption - find the chosen true believers, wait out Wormwood, receive judgement. Anyone can seek sanctuary, only the true believers and the ones genuinely willing to repent will survive the judgement itself. Alia and Ferox set out to find the other chosen ones.

Whew. Very full-on - the players remain in one place with a whole bunch of other vampires for forty nights. I mean, that's a test in and of itself XD All welcome! (Except infernalists and the antediluvians and Caine himself. They're fucked no matter what.)

Like. All welcome XD "Some Storytellers might feel that this character roundup could get too silly, suddenly having all these celebrity Kindred get together for a big slumber party, and they would be correct." Fuck that give me a slumber party AU XD

Am very glad about the note that the vampires inside only lose one blood point per 10 days, rather than every day. Otherwise, uh, it'd get gory.

Yeah, this is a really interesting scenario. Very character-focused, very introspective. All about the characters trying to work out what it means to be good people - not the strongest vampires, not the most powerful, but good people. Are they worthy of salvation? That's the crux of the story. Of course, it's very, uh, Biblical, heh, but it's first and foremost about morality and redemption. I dig it.

Also, giant vampire slumber party.

Chapter 3 - Fair is Foul: Ooh, this is a Lilith vs Caine scenario.

This one has the Withering hit in weird ways, including clan-specific ones - like the Banu Haqim only able to feed on vitae, then only able to gain sustenance from diablerie. Gangrel turn even more animalistic. Lasombra take to the seas, Obtenebration ripping holes straight to the Abyss. Malks, uh, leak madness. Nosferatu get even uglier, Toreador devolve into debauchery. Tremere develop third eyes, and yes, I did laugh out loud when I read that. Tzimisce... hmm... get a bit, uh, uncontrolled. And Ventrue find they can now only feed on... other Ventrue. Fun times!

"At your discretion, Lilith might be particularly vulnerable to Jewish True Faith, as the Jewish tales about her are the source of nearly every negative sentiment ever directed against her in writing. As a result, most orthodox Jews bear Lilith great contempt for defying her husband and her God." Yeah ngl I think she's pretty dang cool and I can just see, like, most of my ancestors facepalming at the idea XD;; Fuck obediance you do your own thing.

"Trying to work out traits for Lilith, Lucifer, Caine, or any of the Antediluvians would just be a waste of our word count and your time." I like the time they published a guide for fighting Caine. It was two words. "You lose."

Ah. Okay, Saulot in Tremere's body being taken over by the Eldest = scary, because have you ever been attacked by an Antediluvian wielding Thaumaturgy, Valeran, and Vicissitude at the SAME :) TIME? :) Yeah :)

Really dig the idea of Abel showing up as the first Wraith. The forgiveness element.

Overall, this isn't my favourite scenario, I think? It feels very chaotic, and while it's probably the most traditional to play, I'm not sure how much it literally challenges the characters, unlike the sheer soul-searching...ness of Wormwood?

Chapter 4 - Nightshade: Chapter starts with, "We all wear masks" and my first thought was "boy you have no idea" XD

Awww yes this is the masquerade break scenario! See here for my thoughts on that and how the Nephtali could be adapted to v5, heh.

Yeah okay earthquakes, volcanoes, and riots are normal enough. A horrible blood virus where it appears some flesh-like thing is living in people's veins and feeding off their blood sounds like something that starts with T and rhymes with Shzimitze. ...Probably. No one knows how the fuck it's pronounced anyway. Oops, those riots are apparently over the existence of vampires. Yeah that'd be... unfortunate. And more earthquakes, this time due to Kupala vs the Eldest. Whew. Red star, yep, standard. MORE earthquakes, this time due to the Second City rising. Sounds legit. Bad times all around!

The details on breaking the Masquerade are interesting. Basic emotions: denial, rationalisation, fear, anger, acceptance. The acceptance one is interesting, because I can definitely see some jumping to it straight away.

So, on to the scenario itself! Jan recruits the players to fight the... uh, mass under NYC. This is the corpse of the Eldest, which is more or less a giant fungal infection held together with Vicissitude, which frankly is just icky. This actually is  canon-compliant with BJD, since it apparently has only just... dissipated? or whatever there, or if it still remains, it's no longer conscious. In this one, its soul flicks back to Tremere's/Saulot's body and wakes up, and basically every Tzimisce, Tremere, and anyone who has ever drank Tzimisce blood (which would be the entire Sabbat via Vaulderie) spontaneously frenzies. Godspeed. Cyscek, a Tzimisce methuselah, helps defeat the, uh, blob at the expense of his life, and warns with his last words, "The Dragon rises. You must stop it. Find Vykos. [They] know." (Okay yeah the text says 'it knows' but also fuck that.) Ooh, plot point!

Aaaand then they retreat from the battle, exhausted, only to find the whole damn thing broadcast on every TV screen, vampiric Disciplines and Cyscek dusting and all. W h o o p s.

Lots and lots of details of a major masquerade breach here. Hardestadt shows up and tells Jan he's proooobably gonna get Final Death for, you know, trying to save the world. Gonna share this bit because it's Very Satisfying.

Please refer to my tag #hardestadt has no rights ;D

Anyway! The characters now recruited, Jan leads them back to London for the Convention of Fire. He's working with Calebros and... like a bunch of others, probably anyone can end up here, so long as they want to actually help and not just fall apart like the remnants of the Camarilla (trying to diablerise their way into keeping power) and the Sabbat (...ditto tbh). Those definitely in attendance are Ambrogino Giovanni, Hesha Ruhadze, and Fatima! And lbr the Nod Squad are probably there too. As if Beckett would pass up the chance to NOT witness what's happening with Gehenna. And Anatole is literally a prophet of Gehenna! They found the Nephtali, led by a council of twelve, with Jan at the head. Name means 'the highest point' or 'no further' - as in, Gehenna goes no further than this.

Oh lmao here we go, the scene I mentioned earlier - Jan vs talk shows.

F to Jan.

Tremere's body (inhabited by Saulot) disappears from beneath the Vienna chantry. Tremere's body, with [Tzimisce] now well in control (having overtaken Saulot; Tremere, meanwhile, has taken over Goratrix's body, with Goratrix's mind stuck in a mirror... it's complicated), wipes out the Vienna chantry. RIP to the Vienna chantry, which doesn't survive in either timeline tbh. Hey, I wonder if that means that Saulot (in Tremere's body) is dead in v5? Etrius manages to escape and reports that the Eldest is now on the way to Ceoris, where it'll call all the remaining Tzimisce to it to become, uh, a part. Pleasant.

Everything between Krakow and Bucharest is straight fukk’d. Ceoris is the centre of all this - IIRC it's somewhere in the southern Carpathians, nearish Brasov. Either way, hell of a fight results with what can only be described as an eldritch abomination, finally both managing to destroy Kupala (the Eldest's goal) and reducing The Thing down to a human-looking body. This bit is interesting! Tremere (in Goratrix' body) and Etrius take one look at each other. "Master..." "I... I know. But where the hell is Saulot?!" Good question, because he sure ain't in Tremere's, uh, former body any more, which was in fact what was fighting them the whole time. Either way, Tremere-in-Goratrix'-body leaps at [Tzimisce]-in-Tremere's-body and diablerises his, um, former body, which must be weird as hell, then tries to turn on the characters and his powers fuckiNG FAIL. EAT SHIT TREMERE. And then the players kill him too and realise that over the course of one night they've destroyed the demon Kupala and two Antediluvians, Tremere and the Eldest. Not bad. This is the battle that causes that second lot of earthquakes I mentioned earlier.

Back to London! They find the mirror containing Goratrix amongst Tremere's belongings. Poor fucker sorry not sorry.

And now the players receive a summons to escort someone from Montreal to the Nephtali headquarters in London! Namely, a Tzimisce named Myca Vykos~ They've recently defected from the Sabbat and want to help take the Antediluvians tf down. (Note: the book here has reverted to using he/him pronouns since they're back in their original form, I'm going to keep using they/them because biological sex does not determine gender identity or pronouns goddammit. ...Anyway. I AM going to use the name Myca since that's the name they're using themself, mostly because, uh, 'Myca' is a bit less noticeable than 'Sascha Vykos', haha.)

So Gehenna has started. Myca's woken up in their original form and being like, "Hey you know what I am preTTY SURE I don't want to serve the Eldest" and promptly joins the Nephtali.

From New York to London to Romania to London to Montreal to London (...London is a hub world apparently), now off to Turkey, to Kaymakli! Which is actually a real place, my brother's been on a tour there. Anyway, this is the part of Kaymakli that they don't show the tourist and that's been sealed shut with lots of angry Cappadocians instead, so that was fun. Presumably Kapaneus hasn't been chilling out there in this one.

Also Colombia has completely been overtaken by the Sabbat so that sucks.

Into Kaymakli! Which usually doesn't let Cainites back out so it may be one-way. Don't worry, there's a ritual for that. At the bottom, they find Augustus Giovanni! Who is pissed off he never actually got to eat Cappadocius' soul and so wants to eat God instead.

As you do.

The book very strongly encourages the players to kill him. Just 'cause. Which is a mood, tbh. Killing him also reveals a beaten, bound Nosferatu, having been Giovanni's most recent food source. An F for Okulos. He's been there for four years, having managed to get a lost fragment of the Book of Nod for Beckett, who promised to come back for him and. Didn't. Which is just rude tbh and I can kind of understand why Okulos ends up betraying Beckett in the Gehenna novel but anyway. (Not canon as of v20, he's perfectly present and chill in BJD.)

End results - the fragment that Okulos went to retrieve shows how to restore the Second City, which holds a complete Book of Nod and may hold the key to stopping Gehenna. It's in Enochian so your player characters probably won't be able to read it (book suggests asking Sascha or Ambrogino). Next stop, Egypt, and a meeting with Hesha Ruhadze! Man this scenario has a lot of signature characters. It also suggests getting third parties in here too, so Beckett would actually be a really good choice. Either way, they find the probable site, and suddenly, a Second City.

Archeologists make grabby hands. Beckett, somewhere, is probably crying in joy. They find a vial with some very old blood in it that they definitely shouldn't drink because otherwise they'll explode (the book uses Sascha as the example here XD;; ). Along with some mystical enscriptions, they return to London and get to work on the prophecy - namely, it suggests that 'the gentle one' (likely Saulot) will die at the hands of another, but arise in a new form, and will stop Gehenna that way. Etrius, one of the only Tremere left and having joined the Nephtali, goes 'fuck it what do I have to lose?' and goes to find whatever new form Saulot is in (potentially can also involve Goratrix here).

Hm. Well. Saulot is apparently in a research centre outside Sydney. Apparently we're mostly chill with vampires, aside from Christians XD Go figure!

Apparently it's a cloning facility. One of the rooms had, past tense, a child, successfully cloned six-year-old, who was in perfect physical form but vegetative from birth. Religious characters will pick up that it's because the kid's body didn't have a soul. Now, it does - Saulot's. Having been thrown out of Tremere's body when the Eldest took over, his soul fled until it could find the most suitable vessel - a soulless cloned body. No actual soul to have to subdue. Saulot ends up reborn, albeit in the form of a six-year-old and without any memories. Turns out, the child was taken by a cult of Thinbloods, believing him to be the messiah.

Sydney's messy situation gets described here! Short version, Sydney's Prince is/was Sarrasine, who was a Toreador. Except he wasn't a Toreador, it was a fairly open secret he was only POSING as a Toreador - he was actually a Caitiff. (Except he's not actually a Caitiff. He's a sixth-gen Setite. Sydney is Like That, yes.) Given Sydney's independence from the sects and its apparent Caitiff Prince, it's become a major site of Caitiff and Thinbloods, which Sarrasine is just thrilled about but can't do anything about because he doesn't want to actually go 'lol I'm a Setite'. Anyway, either way, everyone is unaware of Saulot's return, so the players seek out the little boy, who's pretty spooked and confused. Asks the characters, "Who are you? What is this place? What do all these people want?" and his third eye opens. Tada! Salubri Antediluvian, and like the prophecy mentioned, he's 'unholy' and 'a mockery in the face of God' - a clone.

Back to London with kid!Saulot. The Nephtali have been trying to work out what tf is going on. A researcher tried drinking from the vial. It was messy. The characters might get some downtime. Sarrasine's followers may attack to try and get the kiddo back. Either way, everyone goes to bed, and wakes up to find a Darkness having overtaken the sun, which is generally not good for anyone, and Lasombra characters are just, feels bad man. The Veil of Darkness means vampires can be up 24/7, along with other things that don't like sunlight, and I imagine things like... plants not being thrilled. Also probably very confused animals. I'm not sure if it's like a dark atmosphere, or a physical body between the sun and Earth that just eclipses it whatever vantage point you look from, or what? Disciplines like Auspex, Obfuscate, and Obtenebration go a bit fucky. Then, a few days later, everyone feels a... Summons. For low-generation vampires with still-living Antediluvians, it's strongest. Higher gens with destroyed Antes, not so bad. So I'm sure you can guess what's summoning them.

Yep. Antediluvians. Banu Haqim are getting summoned to Alamut instead so Ur-Shulgi can turn them into an army against the Antediluvians, so godspeed resisting that, Elijah.

Off to the city of Gehenna (it's nearish Jerusalem). Elders of all stripes have been heading there to kill their childer in hope of being rewarded by their Antediluvians to get their powers restored, which is terribly rude. Indeed, the Antediluvians basically go, hey, can you not, and also can you start Embracing more childer for our armies, because they're not very nice either. Pretty much all the characters have been summoned for their crimes against the Antediluvians, and now they're gathered before them - Set, [Lasombra], Ennoia, Absimiliard, Malkav (as like... a cluster of identical little girls with glowing eyes because of course Malkav would use the Creepy Child trope), and [Toreador], who's so beautiful no one can tell if they're male or female. When the players and child!Saulot get there, they question him, but he's literally a six-year-old boy and is spooked. He also has the vial, somehow. Set takes it, and Kiddo says, "Don't drink it. You'll burn up." So Set makes Kiddo drink it instead, because he's a nice guy like that.

Kiddo's third eye opens. A giant black throne appears. The dozen small girls that are Malkav say, "Father's home." Kiddo!Saulot says, "No, Father's dead." Girls start screaming so loud people start bleeding thick black blood from their ears and doesn't stop until Set kills all twelve. A random stranger, now with their glowing eyes, steps forward and basically goes 'wow rude'.

Powerful beam of light appears. The Antes (aside from Kiddo!Saulot) writhe in pain. Angel appears, asks Saulot if he's willing to atone for all vampires. He agrees. Throne explodes, Antes fuckin' die, and everyone promptly frenzies and tries to eat each other, because vampires. In the aftermath of that, vampirism basically... ends. The player characters may be rewarded by becoming human again, as do a lot of Thinbloods, but most everyone older just, uh, dies. Vampirism ends, but the Earth has been saved.

That is... hmm, bittersweet, I think. It's a pretty compelling chronicle, very dramatic, but it's much less character-based and is more, 'the characters get dragged along to Do Shit'. I kind of like the idea of it being a story involving the characters we know, but for original characters, I think Wormwood is a much more compelling scenario so far.

Chapter 5 - The Crucible of God: Okay I'm tired now and this is the 'rocks fall everyone dies' scenario so gonna skim-read this one.

This is the chapter that introduces the level 10 power for all disciplines - Plot Device. The Antediluvians can do shit because they feel like it. Whew. Also, if an Ante spots anyone of their blood line, they can just make them... explode and their blood gushes into their mouth. Monch monch. Spot another clan mate? Roll to avoid frenzy. Just woke up? Roll to avoid frenzy. Good times!

And then the Tzimisce Antediluvian awoke as a mass of Vicissitude flesh fungal infestation with tentacles and lampray mouths and stuff and ate anything in reach until it ate, uh, every living thing in Manhattan. In one night. Bad day tbh. Eventually it burns when the sun rises, but what's left underground is still there and shit's still messed up. Like picking a leaf off a dandelion and it starts bleeding. Trees with faces, swarms of insects forming into eyes and watching. Nice and creepy. In the aftermath, it's basically infecting every life form on Earth with Vicissitude, which is distinctly uncool.

Absimliard has an animal army and currently looks like a giant humanoid jellyfish.

Oh boy here's the Banu Haqim part XD;; Interestingly, it's a lot better for them! Haqim doesn't eat his childer, they feel themselves strongly bonded to him but still maintain their own minds and wills. Downside, anyone who doesn't follow Haqim alone gets hunted down so he can eat them, so Ur-Shulgi's probably having a field day at being vindicated and poor Pyre/Elijah is hiding tf under the bed. Plus side, it only lasts a few months before something kills Haqim, so hey! And there's genuinely a way to become human again, especially for high-humanity, high-gen vampires, so that actually would be a genuinely good outcome for Pyre/Elijah.

Malkavians end up as a giant hive mind. Like, more than usual. [Lasombra] covers the world in darkness, then it stops. Ennoia merges with the entire planet and starts eating people. And vampires. And Methuselah. And other Antediluvians. She's kinda hangry at this point.

Tremere attempts to rule the entire world using the Human Genome Project as the true name of the entirety of humanity. It lasts about two minutes before [Tzimisce] turns him into a meat crime, along with, uh, the entire rest of the world, aside from the players, who were part of Tremere's ritual and thus immune from it.

Also Saulot, who they just met in the form of a little old man.

Turns out, he planned it all along. Lured Tremere to him, knowing that his body was tainted by using Tzimisce blood to become a vampire. Knew that when the Eldest returned, he'd be succeptable, and Saulot would be able to bounce out when the Eldest took over. Now, he can lead the characters in the only way to stop Planet Tzimisce, which is, uh, prayer and letting themselves get eaten. Could actually work! And you end up human again in the bargain!

End result - all vampires gone. Some of the more human ones do end up human again. Either way, world's still fucked. Open Antediluvian rule for several months has destroyed most of humanity. There are still remnants - former Malkavians who are still a bit weird, former Tzimisce who are a bit... Vicissitudey. Ennoia's still around! She's mostly chill except when she occasionally feels like rearranging landscapes. Otherwise, it's time to recover.

Alternate endings - that last one wasn't depressing enough, so here's a scenario where All Is Tzimisce, here's one where there's global extinction of literally everything except the player characters who gradually drop into torpor and never recover (or just flat out burn if they're outside), or there's one where the players are the only vampires left and start a new cycle with them as the new Antediluvians or something, oh and Caine's still kicking and is Very Displeased that God won't let him die already. Gooood times!

Rest is how to basically play it, and character sheets. Which go back to calling Sascha ‘it’ again *sigh* (And using the whole alien look despite explicitly mentioning that they look human again. Of course.)

So, final thoughts! Gehenna is... an interesting scenario. Lots of possibility for introspection. It’s very... apocalyptic, and that may bother a lot of people, since, well, for the most part, it’s going to be the end of playing your character as a vampire. Which I figure most people are playing Vampire the Masquerade for. So it’s basically either a hell of a finale, or you just don’t make use of it.

Favourite scenario did end up being Wormwood. I just really like the introspection and opportunity for hope. Did also enjoy Nightshade, but in a different way, I think? Like for Nightshade, I’d rather read it as existing characters working together, maybe as a novel, whereas for Wormwood I’d want to play it since it’s such an intensely personal kind of thing.

(I also still want a slumber party AU ngl.)

[feverinfeveroutfic]

chapter thirty two: that man is on fire

heh. what a way to end souls of black and go into veritas, gang. probably the most explicit chapter of them all, but not enough to warrant a change of rating all together, though. really big smut warning regardless 😘

Sam rolled over in her bed and for a second, she swore that she was still within her dream about the mysterious man. She had hardly any memory of the dream whatsoever but all she knew was he stood there before her like a shadow. She could only feel him over her body, right over her feet. But she swore that she had dreamed about him: it was the first time in a while she had dreamed about him, and the first time in an even longer while where she had dreamed about him and she couldn't recall any other part of it.

She caught the soft strumming of acoustic strings on the edge of the room and she lifted her head for a better look at Alex there. His hair was a disheveled frizzy mess and the minute tuft of gray stood up over his brow like a little radio antenna. The gray morning light through the window on the side of the room cast a shadow over one side of his face, as if he wore half of a mask. He reached down to the low stool right next to the chair and he picked up a glass of what looked like liqueur.

“Happy Hanukkah, Samantha,” he greeted her as he raised his glass to her. “Early Hanukkah, actually—it starts when the sun goes down tonight.” She had hardly any memory of him walking in that room. She also had hardly any memory of him being there in the room with her the night before.

“Alex, what are you doing here?” she asked him as she reclined up on her elbows. The bed sheet covered her otherwise bare chest: the only clothes she wore under the covers were in fact her panties and some little shorts that she had dug up upon going down the Central Valley to stay with her mother for a bit before she returned up to her father's house. Alex sat there in the chair with his guitar cradled in his lap and that glass in one hand.

“Alex—” Sam sputtered. “Alex, why are you drinking at this time of the morning?”

“This is iced coffee,” he replied as he held the glass close to his lips.

“Oh—I thought it was liqueur,” she confessed.

“Nah, your mom's got that dessert wine but there's none of that here.” He took another sip from the glass and then he set it back down on the stool next to his feet. He sat upright once again and ran his fingers through his inky black hair: the morning light shone upon the little tuft over his forehead so it resembled to an icicle. He strummed the fine nylon strings of that black acoustic guitar some riff that she hadn't heard of yet.

“Damn it—” he muttered, and he tried it again.

“Damn it!”

“What is it?” she asked him as she sat upright and pulled her knees up towards her chest.

“Eh, Greg threw this riff out at me before we left for L.A. last night,” he explained. “It was a bass riff, though, so I'm not sure as to how to translate it over to an acoustic guitar. All I know is you go like this—”

He plucked the strings with the point of his pick: it almost sounded as though the strings were skipping. He played it for about five seconds and then he turned one string sideways.

“I feel like it'd sound better plugged in,” she remarked.

“Agreed,” he said as he clasped his fingers across the fret board to silence his guitar. His eyes drifted down to her chest: she looked down herself, at her nipples as they poked out a bit from underneath the bed sheet. She looked up at him and the little bit of skin exposed from his button up shirt. Two buttons undone and it was all she needed to see for herself as he leaned over for his glass of iced coffee.

“There's another band from New York that we haven't met while on tour,” he told her.

“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows at that.

“Yeah. They're called Death. I just think about the Cherry Suicides' early Christmas card to us—the mention that they might be marketed as a 'death metal' band. That's where that term came from—from a band from New York called Death. I hear they're cool guys, though.”

“Bands from New York to be as such,” she noted and he shook his head about before he took another, much heartier swig of coffee.

“Also, your mom definitely has the hots for me,” he said in a low voice.

“Not surprised,” she confessed with a shrug of her shoulders.

“She has the hots for me. Of all people.”

“Again, I'm not at all surprised, Alex.”

“Why's that?” he asked her as he took another sip of the iced coffee and she let the sheet slide down her breasts a bit.

“Whoa—easy there,” he teased her with a wag of his finger.

“You know, I just woke up,” she scoffed at him.

“Still—easy there,” he teased her. “You also didn't answer my question. Why are you not at all surprised?”

She could see it in his eyes, especially once she tugged the sheet back up over her chest. She knew what he was thinking by a mere glimpse into those deep eyes.

“Why are you not at all surprised?” he asked her in a near whisper.

“Because she's an erotica writer,” she replied, and he squinted his eyes at her before he took another sip of his coffee.

“There's gotta be more than that,” he said, his voice still down in a near whisper.

“There is nothing more than that, though,” she retorted.

“Samantha,” he said.

“Alex,” she echoed him.

“Samantha.”

“Alexander.”

“Samantha Rose.”

“Alexander Nathan.”

“Rose.”

“Nathan.”

“You're good,” he said with a wink.

“So are you!”

“Anyways, Samantha, how long has it been since you've seen Joey?”

“A while. Since we came back from the tour. I think about him.” She froze. “Why?”

“Just curious,” he replied in a small voice and he took another sip of coffee.

“I sent him a care package,” she told him.

“Mmm?” He raised his eyebrows as he downed the rest of that iced coffee.

“One of my Death Angel shirts, some sugar cookies, and a little piece of—erotic art.”

Alex held the glass before his chest and he looked down at her chest once again, albeit from clear across the room. He set the empty glass down on the stool right next to him once again.

“Whipped it up right on the spot,” she continued, “I know he'll be pleasantly surprised upon seeing it for himself. A nice li'l aphrodisiac for Christmas and for the new decade if he so wishes. It's art, after all. It can't hurt anyone.”

“By the way, did you know coffee is an aphrodisiac?” He raised his eyebrows at that.

“Oh, yeah?” she asked him.

“So is chocolate. Tomatoes, oysters, chili peppers and I think—some teas are, too.”

“Mother Nature knows what we want,” she said to him in a singsong voice. “All the plants and creatures.”

“Speaking of plants—I got to reading about this sort of thing, just 'cause you and Louie's whole thing about poison plants and whatnot—there's a plant called 'angel's trumpet', and it's an aphrodisiac right before it kills you.”

“Hot,” she said.

“Apparently, it's also a member of the nightshade family,” he continued, and he raised his eyebrows at that. The mention of nightshade made her stop right in her tracks. She sent that care package to Joey and she hoped he had gotten it in the meantime. “I also read about the Wandering Jew, too—the plant, that is.”

“Is that an aphrodisiac?” she asked him with a sly smirk.

“Nah. Makes you itchy, but—” He shrugged. “You know. That word right there is all contingent on your interpretation of it.” He then gave his hair a slight toss back with a flick of his head. “Apparently, that plant also helps with stomach pains. And it changes color when exposed to pollutants.”

“Makes you itchy, helps your tummy, and tells you when shit's about to go down—that sounds like you and me,” she said, to which he chuckled.

“And it's called the Wandering Jew, too,” he added as he plucked at the strings again. He gasped and his face lit up.

“What?”

He plucked again and that time around, he had the riff in the palm of his hands. It wandered and ground around and tempted fate, and it all coalesced right there on the acoustic guitar upon his lap. Sam lightly clapped her hands together and he nodded his head and gritted his teeth out of excitement.

“That's our titular track!” he declared.

She slid out of bed and hurried over to him with her arms wide open. He cracked her a nervous smile and he kept his gaze locked onto her face.

“Something else is titular!” he added, as she embraced him right there.

He looked down at her chest, at those pointed nipples and her bare stomach.

“You like what you see here, Alejandro?” she teased him.

“You did just wake up after all,” he pointed out.

“Hey, now, it's usually you with the wet dreams,” she hit back at him.

“Girls can get 'em, too—so I'm told anyways.”

“How do you find out about these things? You seem so innocent.”

“Samantha, as I've said before—when you're this smart and you grow up isolated and sheltered, you're going to have questions as you get older and things below the belt start doing their thing. You've also seen me on acid—and you've seen me drunk. I'm not even close to innocent.”

Sam lowered her gaze to his chest and the guitar cradled upon his lap. She lifted her gaze back up to his face, right as he bowed his head which accentuated the depth of his eyes.

“I know what you're thinking,” she told him in a hushed voice.

“What am I thinking?” he teased her.

“You're thinking what I hope you're thinking.”

He snorted at that.

“Do you know what I'm thinking?” she asked him.

“I hope I do?” he said as he lowered his gaze to her chest again.

“You like what you see here?”

He reached up and undid a couple more buttons on his shirt, which in turn showed off some more of that milky skin on his chest.

“I should ask you the same thing,” he said in a husky voice. He then set the guitar down on the floor next to him, and he undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt so he exposed his whole upper body to her. His waist was slender but slightly thick still.

As far as she knew the two of them were alone at the house together.

“You're hot,” she noted. “I never thought anyone would be so hot before but you definitely are.”

“So are you,” he retorted back to her.

“You wanna go on the bed or here on the floor?” she asked him.

“The bed—I want to be surrounded by you and—everything that makes up you. I want you to suffocate me for being so bad.”

He let his shirt dangle wide open as she led him back to her bed. She lay back down on the warm spot there on the mattress.

“What'd you say that plant was?” she asked him as he climbed onto the bed next to her. “The one that's an aphrodisiac before it kills you?”

“Angel's trumpet,” he repeated. “Yeah, I'd like for you to touch my angel's trumpet.”

“Not if I make you touch my angel's trumpet first,” she teased him as she opened her legs for him. He showed her a devilish grin as he loomed right over her body.

“Alex—Alex—are you drunk?”

“No—why would I be drunk?” he asked her, confused.

“Well, 'cause we usually fool around when you've had a few,” she pointed out.

“Well, what if this time around, I wanted to be sober? I want to be sober and relish in it.”

He leaned over her body: his skin was smooth and soft to the feeling. His body itself was so warm from the coffee, and from sitting there nestled in a corner with his guitar.

“You smell of coffee,” she whispered to him.

“Good—” he whispered back to her in between kisses on her lips.

He was on top of her. Their whole thing was that he lay underneath her. But she let him kiss her on the neck and all over her chest. She felt herself tightening up when he sat upright: the crotch of his shorts hung right above her own. A pair of mere pieces of fabric separated themselves from each other.

Alex peeled off his shirt all the way and she eyed his body.

“You still wanna draw this absolute wreck here?” he asked her as he pointed to his bare chest.

“You are not a wreck, baby,” she insisted. “Far from it. Look at you! Look at how gorgeous you are! I wanna make love to this beautiful body and then draw it up.”

“We're gonna be doin' more than making love, dearest Samantha.”

She reached up and ran her fingers down his chest and his stomach all the way down to his shorts.

“So soft,” she noted.

“Soft!”

“Quite soft. Like caressing silk. Silk compared to the iron making up your arms.”

He inched back so he was between her legs. He peeled back her shorts so her bare thighs and hips were exposed to him.

“Gonna be playing around with an angel's trumpet right here,” he joked with a little gyration of his head. He ran his tongue over the top row of his teeth as he peeled back the fabric some more.

“Eight ball in the corner—” He showed her a devilish grin at that.

Those lanky fingers slipped inside. Sam gasped at the sensation there. She gazed into those deep eyes: those eyes as cold as the snowstorm that stranded them at Lake Tahoe for a whole night and that little tuft of gray hair high above his brow like what awaited her right between his legs.

Where was this side of him all along.

Alex bowed his head and brought his lips back to her bare chest once again. She closed her eyes. He kissed her and fingered her at the same time: the aroma of coffee was still very much riddled about him. To think that there was a poison plant in existence that got the motor going right before it killed its victim.

He ran his hand down her sides to feel the full curvature of her body.

“Mmm—”

“You like what you feel here, big boy?” she teased him.

“And you think I have nice curves,” he teased back at her between kisses.

“You do!”

She ran her hands over his lower back and all around his waist.

“Milk and cookies,” he breathed into her ear.

“Milk and cookies, baby,” she breathed back to him.

“Poison garden,” he added.

“Poison garden!”

He buried his face into her chest.

All so deadly and so hot at the same time.

Joey burst into her mind right then. The venom of which he crawled out from himself. Alex emerged from the cold earth and the rustling leaves of the Wandering Jew.

It was going to be something going into the New Year caught up between these two young men. She remembered Joey was literally going to turn thirty the next October. Him at thirty and Alex at twenty two the next September.

Two young men on either side of her in this strange messy game called life. And all she had for either of them was her paint brush and the work of her hands.

She reached down to Alex's waist, down his shorts. He whimpered a bit at the feeling of her fingers upon him.

He then fell right onto his back, right next to her. Breathing hard, he opened up his body for her.

“What?” she asked him, out of breath herself.

“Get on top of me,” he said in a broken voice.

“Get on top of you.”

“I want you to do it to me,” he begged her as he pushed his shorts down his legs. “I picked the bottom. Make me into a man, Samantha. Turn me from a bad boy to a man.”

She sat up and tossed her hair back from her neck before she climbed on top of Alex's hips.

“Gotta be careful,” he advised her in a broken voice.

“As long as neither of us are sick, we've got this,” she assured him.

“No, I mean, I didn't bring protection. I didn't think you'd want a nice wake up call.”

“We'll be okay, I promise. Something about the rawness, too.”

She was already down over him. Lucky for the both of them, her bed had no springs. She kept her knees flat on either side of him.

“Mama—” he blurted out.

He pinched his eyes shut and he gritted those prominent teeth. A part of her wanted to hold onto that gray streak but she knew it was too small right then. All she could was focus on it as she moved about. Her knees flat on the surface of the bed. Her legs wide open for him.

“Mama—Mama!” he gasped.

“You like that, baby?” she teased him.

“Let me just—I—what—what the hell—FUCK—”

The only thing she could see was the look of euphoria on his face. She could only feel him, and she could only feel him more with each and every gyration. He let out a soft groan.

She lifted up just in time, and by the mere skin of her teeth.

“I oughtta spank you for that,” she teased him.

“For what?” he asked her in a broken voice.

“For coming.”

“For coming or for coming?”

“Both.”

“Shit,” he said in a broken voice.

“I'm gonna let you touch my girls first,” she said as she crawled over his body again. Her bare chest loomed over him. “Go ahead.”

“My fingers or my teeth?” he sputtered as he ran his fingers through his jet black hair.

“Whichever one you want, baby.”

Those calluses caressed over her bare skin and then he hoisted himself up onto his elbows for her. Those lips. That tongue. Her skin. His skin.

She thought about the times she put her lips around Joey and also Greg. It was only fair for him to have at it as well as her.

Before he got any further, she crawled back around him so she was wide open for him.

“Jesus Christ—!” he sputtered.

“Drink up, baby doll,” she croaked back at him. “Drink your poison.”

She brought her mouth down on him and he returned the favor for her.

For a few seconds, they had coalesced better than that acoustic riff he had played for her. Drinking up each other's milk and having their cookies at the same time in the poison garden.

His body was warm, almost too warm the more she felt him up.

He was so warm, away from the cool appearance of his face and those deep set eyes. So warm as if he ran a fever.

He was running a fever with each lick on her skin. She was running a fever with each caress of his flesh.

A fever that burned with the both of them like a fire. That man was on fire right underneath her.

He gasped and whimpered with the feeling. She groaned in her throat with each run of her tongue. She was going further than she did with Joey, even though she owed it to him as well. She was going further than she did with Cliff, too.

Alex let out a soft moan from the back of his throat. She lifted up right as she had a small taste.

Sam rolled over, off of his body and back onto the bed. She hoisted herself up onto her elbows and she gazed right into his face.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he parted his lips for her. Sam crawled over his body and planted a little kiss there on his lips.

“We did it, baby,” she breathed to him in a broken voice.

“We—fucking did it. Quite the way to go into the New Year, that's for sure.”

“Happy Hanukkah,” she said.

“Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and welcome to the Nineties, Samantha.”

“Hold still,” she encouraged him, and she rolled off of the bed and headed over to the other side of the room for her journal and her pencil.

“Oh, I see,” he muttered in a broken voice, and then he frowned at her. “Did I—did I cream on you earlier? When you riding me like a horse?”

“Nah—I'm gonna have more cream in my coffee than you gave to me back there.”

Still completely nude, Sam stood there with her journal right before her. The sole light came from the window on the other side of the room, but it was enough for her to sketch out his euphoric, slightly sleepy face and his disheveled jet black hair, the latter of which was spread out on either side of his head like the tentacles of an octopus. His shirt was wide open, all around his otherwise naked body.

Beautiful milky skin. The way the light caressed over his delicate waist: even after a month, he still had the vampire bite she gave him next to his belly button.

She would have to use her lighter and harder of pencils for the shading around his hip bones and the lower part of his belly.

“Yeah—yeah, curves in all the right places, Alex,” she teased him.

“I oughta just get you for that.” He was slightly scorn, and she giggled at him for that.

“Remember, I said I should spank you,” she recalled as she ran the side of the graphite over the outline of his hip.

“Spank me—bite me—fatten me up—and you're the one who's baffled by me,” he teased her.

“It's all 'cause I wanna please you as well as me,” she confessed to him. She then set the journal back down and she crawled back onto the bed next to him. She put her arms around his waist and he put his arm around her.

Her heart with Joey. Her ventures with Alex. She had definitely ascended to the level of the art vixen at that point.

And then she woke up. She was back at her mother's house and for all she knew, it was the morning before the first night of Hanukkah.

Alex was gone.

“No,” she muttered. “He can't be—he can't be the mysterious man. There's no way.”

It was so real to her. She swore that he was there right above her. He was right there. He was right there with his fingers right between her legs. He did it to her and she returned the favor to him.

They made love to each other's bodies.

She was sure of it.

Indeed, she shifted her legs. She was still damp right in between there. Still damp as a sponge. Still sore from where he fingered her with those calluses. She was still completely naked.

She spotted her journal still in place there. She climbed out of bed and opened it to that page.

That drawing still there, and yet she didn't sign it because she would come back to it. The look of sexy euphoria on his face. The way the sketchy graphite accentuated the shape of his body. The way the bed sheet draped all around his hips and thighs, and the way his open shirt made him even more gorgeous. She could still feel him. She could still feel his warmth. His fever.

How she yearned to feel Joey again, however.

Two men with raging fevers, about to rage even more for her. These two men were about to burst into flames for her.

And she had the art to prove it as well.

But she made the promise to never tell anyone about the whole affair between her and him. She knew he wouldn't say anything about it to anyone, either, especially since her mother had her eyes on him all the while. She couldn't hardly speak about Joey with him, either, albeit not without a distant look on his face.

She couldn't tell either one about the other. She couldn't anyone about either of them.

Not a soul.

[serararku]

The Writhing Prize

This was the first time Mizuna had to actively work alongside a blind woman, which brought its own host of unique challenges. 

Truth be told, Dawn probably wasn’t the easiest woman to work with before she lost her sight. Even in the best of moods she was easily agitated and quick to anger, and it wouldn’t take much to get on her bad side. She could walk around the clinic without the use of her outstretched hands just after a few weeks, memorizing how many steps she needed to take to get around easily enough, but all it took was Mizuna forgetting to push in a chair or rearrange a table near the wall to upset the blonde she-devil. After the third or fourth time she stubbed her toe on the leg of furniture, Mizuna felt she had no other choice but to buy soft covers to prevent Dawn from hurting herself. It was also impossible to tell if she was sleeping or awake, and more often than not Mizuna suspected Dawn would pretend to rest so she could listen in on her conversations during her many checkups. 

Every tincture, remedy, elixir, potion, cupboard and drawer had two labels each- one in Doman prepared by Mizuna, and the other in Braille by Dawn. The fear of Dawn using the wrong medicine for the job and seriously injuring or even killing a patient compelled the Auri to learn the language of the blind in order to ensure she could double-check the Braille to make sure they remained accurate. On the other hand, if Mizuna needed something fetched- and she hadn’t left it where it wasn’t supposed to be- Dawn always knew exactly where to go to find it. Losing her sight seemed to sharpen her other senses as well, giving her an uncanny sense of smell, touch, taste, and hearing; she could smell an infected wound minutes before Mizuna did, applied stitches just as good as the best of them, and could rattle off the ingredients of a potion with a simple taste of a single droplet. Mizuna also theorized Dawn could listen in on conversations going on beyond the clinic’s walls- why else would she zone out so often?

Despite Dawn’s volatile temper and spiteful nature- at least from Mizuna’s perspective, she couldn’t help but watch and study her associate as she went about her duties. It had only been a few moons since her grievous injury but she had long discarded the few habits just about everyone else would easily overlook; when she read from her braille book, she no longer tilted her head to point her glazed eyes down at the pages, because she no longer needed to. Instead Mizuna would watch her silently mouth the words as if she was reading out loud, her delicate hand brushing across the dotted parchment a dozen times before she would turn to the next page. She wouldn’t even turn her head toward the person she was speaking to- unless she was angry. Mizuna would often deliberately wear different types of shoes to see if hearing her approach would throw her off, but she always knew it was her.

“Mizuna? We need to have a talk.” dreadful words escaped the woman’s lips. Words no one ever wants to hear and inspires anxiety even in the most aloof personalities. Mizuna stiffened in her seat, her attention yanked away from a particularly raunchy romance novel she had borrowed from one of Lord Isenhart’s students.

She braced herself for the topic at play, silently praying to Azim the Dawn Father that she wasn’t going to bring up her untimely outburst in Ul’dah again. “Yes? I’m listening.” 

“Mn? Well, it’s Osric.” she held up a vial full of black goo that Mizuna swore was writhing and squirming in her grasp. “I managed to extract this from him, from what I can gather it’s parasitic and while not immediately toxic, it’s not doing him any favors. I sense something sinister from this, like… like the thing that took my sight.”

The more everyone brought up that encounter up north in the Coerthas Highlands, the happier Mizuna was for missing out. “Disgusting.” She blurted out, pursing her lips and furrowing her brow at the vial. “Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s natural. But if that’s what was causing Osric so many problems, it seems you already took care of it, yes…?”

“From what I can tell, I managed to forcibly extract half of it. I have a plan for a procedure but I wanted a second opinion. Seeing as this is using him as some kind of host, I figured making him inhospitable might be enough to make it want to leave- but not only just that, we should have bait for it to want to leave on top of that.”

Mizuna slowly nodded, doing her best to keep pace with this wild conversation. “We don’t know what this thing is. It could be a parasite, or a curse. Or maybe some voidsent illness that could react poorly if we tamper with it further.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms; whatever Dawn was planning, she didn’t like it. Fumbling around in the dark is Dawn’s specialty, after all. “Let’s hear the rest of it.”

Dawn continued to explain her plan, “I managed to mix in some essence of nightshade and belladonna into a concoction that is just below lethal levels of toxicity, it should render him into a near-death state. Slowed heart rate, lowered body temperature, by all means it would appear that he was dead, even to his little guest. Then I can use some dark-aspected aether to draw it out, the same type of aether that the monstrosity had when we fought it- assuming the infectious thing came from that monster.”

“No.” Mizuna’s face hardened into a scowl. “Even if you managed to figure out Osric’s tolerance to nightshade, even if this thing behaves like you assume, and even with you casually mentioning dark aether, it’s still a far cry from a reliable plan. Nothing ever goes according to plan… and if our gamble deviates even a little bit, Osric will die. There has to be another way…”

Dawn knitted her brow, “And while we’re grasping at hopes and dreams this is the closest thing to a reliable plan. Measured and weighed. I have experience extracting this thing before. I’m glad you’re all for criticism but I’m not sure you trivializing things makes anything any better- did you have a better plan? Time is against us.” 

The Raen seemed taken aback, seemingly ignoring her question entirely. “Dawn… you can control dark aether…?”

Seemed entirely annoyed by Mizuna’s question. “If I couldn’t manage the plan, do you think I would’ve proposed it?” she brought out a necklace from her shirt, a small crystal glistened. “I’m borrowing this from a friend.” With her other hand she sparked a brilliant purple hue of aether, small specks gently floating to the floor like dark snowflakes.

Mizuna once thought she understood this woman. She believed her ability to use her own life force to empower her aether was the darkest secret she kept, but this was something else entirely. Swallowing dryly, her eyes darted from the crystal in one hand, and the umbral aether in the other; her stomach twisted into a knot, and she suddenly felt lightheaded. “Alright…” She muttered out before quickly clearing her throat. “If you’re absolutely sure you can control this… then we should consult with Osric to get his consent for this procedure.” Mizuna nervously ran her hand through her hair while shifting in her seat. “What do we plan to do with this creature once we’ve successfully removed it from his body?”

“Collect it in a vial for further research. I know how it affects him in the short term, we don’t know what lasting damage it could leave. Even if the dark aspected aether doesn’t work, we have the other half and might use it to attract what’s left…. Are you okay, you’re moving around more than usual. I know this isn’t normal but desperate times call for desperate measures, Mizuna.”

“I’m just surprised, is all…” Once again she forgot about that razor-sharp hearing. “I’ve only known Black Magi and Necromancers with the ability to manipulate dark-aether. It’s… not something anyone can just pick up.” Mizuna pursed her lips and straightened in her seat. “Alright then… shall we ring him up right now? Or should we wait to do this on the morrow?”

Dawn sighed, “Or Dark Knights. Anyway, that’s why I asked for a second opinion. I know you’re skeptical but I wanted to know if you felt it was doable… I feel confident but… I’d feel better if I knew you checked the dosage and saw some sort of sense in my plan. But if you don’t… maybe it’s better that we just scrap this idea altogether…”

She scraped her nails along the scales on her wrists as she sat on her thoughts for a moment. She didn’t know how to answer this without bruising Dawn’s confidence in her plan, but lying hasn’t exactly helped their relationship in the past. Begrudgingly, she ultimately went with honesty.

“I’m terrified of dark aether.” Mizuna paused just long enough to gauge Dawn’s reaction. “I’ve never once heard or seen it used as a form of healing. It’s out of my expertise, unfortunately, so I honestly don't know what to think of this plan. But…” She leaned forward and rested her chin on her palms to keep her hands busy without making needless noise. “If you’re confident this will work, I will follow your lead. I know you have Osric’s best interests in mind, so… I’ll trust you to lead this operation. Just tell me what to do and keep me in the loop, okay?”

“The aether is a lure. Aside from that, we’ll be using typical conjury and good old fashioned medical knowledge.” she tried to assure Mizuna. “I think we should do this as soon as possible. If you think it’s manageable. If my plan doesn’t work, we’ll need to be quick on our feet and think of another method. Otherwise we’re back at square one and tearing him open again for no reason.” Mizuna’s brow cocked at that veiled insult; that foreign object she pulled from the Dragoon’s chest was dangerously close to his heart, and she still felt justified in removing it. Instead of inciting another argument, she decided to let this one slide.

After sharply inhaling, Mizuna reached up and pressed her thumb against her temple, activating her linkpearl. “This is Mizuna Kusakari, requesting two volunteers to bring Sir Osric Slater to the operation room immediately. Requesting two volunteers to bring Sir Osric Slater to the operation room. If he isn’t in the downstairs bar, he will be in his apartment, over.”

Another nap on another couch - Osric groaned as he sat up, the message waking him from one of the rare moments of quality sleep that he’d been able to have in recent weeks. With a tired sigh he pushed himself up off the couch, taking a moment to steady himself before making his way towards the clinic - still barely half awake.

“No need for an escort...I was right downstairs.” Osric declared, taking a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes. “Message said I was needed in the operation room?”

Mizuna gave him a gentle smile while she pushed her chair out and rose to her feet. “Yes… Dawn-... we have a plan to cure you once and for all, but it’s… a tad unorthodox. We wanted to explain it to you before we began, is that okay with you?”

“I… explained the gist of it to him earlier today… But I wanted to delay until I got a second opinion. Can you double check the tincture?” Dawn added. “I’m confident… like I said, but I’d rather not let my certainty risk Osric’s well-being.” Potions made with the essence of nightshade aren’t something one should underestimate; a single drop too much could be the difference between a deep slumber... and a permanent one. Mizuna had to reach way back in her memory to recall her experience with alchemy for this one. She poured just enough of the contents into her hand and rubbed it between her now stained fingers, checking both the quality and consistency of this nightshade tincture.

The man in question looked between the two women, loosely crossing his arms over his chest. “She did explain a majority of what she wanted to do - if you’re both in agreement then I’m fine with it. Mira had the right of it earlier - well, mostly right. I can tolerate the pain, but the sleep issues are going to lead to more issues down the road. If the two of you can remove this thing, I trust you both to remove it.” He gave a tired sigh. “I get the sense that either it’s addressed, or it gets significantly worse - and I’d prefer not to find out what that looks like.”

“Then we don’t have much time to sit around.” Mizuna pushed the cork back down onto Dawn’s nightshade tincture. “I’m going to prepare the operating room… it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.” And with that, the Raen woman stepped out of the lobby, and disappeared behind the thick curtain on the other side of the room.

“Well, best case scenario you wake up and we’ll have been successful; worst case, and it’s suddenly not your problem anymore.” Dawn said in a grim tone. “It’s going to start taking a toll. I’m sure it already has. Take a seat until the room is ready…”

Osric reached up and rubbed the center of his chest, exhaling sharply before sitting down as directed. Anxiety wasn’t something that he typically struggled with, but the idea of being in a ‘near-death’ state was a bit nerve wracking. He laced his hands together - primarily to stop the shaking while he tried to think of something else… anything else - but his attention was drawn to the sound of movement behind the curtain.

That unaccustomed anxiety crept in as time itself seemed to dilate - the moment prolonging and speeding up at the same time. A reassuring hand rested on Osric’s shoulder which grounded him in the moment. He wasn’t sure whether seconds or minutes had passed, as it was difficult to keep his mind away from this imminent procedure; but when he looked up at Dawn’s soft lips and sloped jawline, he found the strength he needed to steal his nerves and keep his worries in check. 

“Alright, we’re ready to proceed.” Mizuna gently called out, causing Osric’s stomach to drop into his lap.

“Let’s go inside.” a wispy tone drifted from Dawn as she softly yet firmly pulled at his shirt sleeve.

“R-right.” Shaking hands ran over his face as he stood, stumbling forward as a sharp pain rocked through his chest - as if the damn thing knew what was about to happen. Another moment to breathe through the discomfort, and he was able to turn his attention back to Dawn. “After you…”

The room was dimly lit- not exactly what he expected to see in the heart of the Ashen Wolves’ clinic. Only a handful of candles sat on empty shelves and on top of vacant cupboards, with the large rectangular table beckoning him closer, pastel white as everything else. Mizuna was flicking the tip of a syringe and squeezing out any potential air bubbles when Dawn and Osric pulled aside the curtain to join her.

“Take your shirt off.” commanded the blind woman, before exchanging a few utterances with Mizuna. The Dragoon swallowed dryly but complied, gripping the bottom of his shirt with both hands to pull it over his head in one single motion. The same reassuring touch from earlier found his shoulder when he lowered himself onto the edge of the table. Dawn peered blankly in his direction while pulling his hand up by the wrist, “Here…” she handed him a vial, smiling warmly. “You’ll be sleepy, and it’ll be over before you know it. You’ll be dreaming and everything will be fine.” Osric wanted to be relieved by her kind words, but he was no fool; he may not feel any pain with this medicine coursing through his system, true, but he would definitely know what was happening. Manipulating a living person’s aether was never a comfortable endeavor. A furtive glance went to her as Osric inspected the vial. It was now or never, and he already said he trusted them. It was now a matter of following through. He was getting cold feet despite what he told them- going under and leaving everything to them was easier said than done. After removing the cork, a shaking hand guided the contents to his lips.

It tasted far worse than he expected.

“Lay down.” Mizuna moved to help Dawn rest the Dragoon’s body against the table, almost letting him slam down when she lost her grip due to his waning consciousness. The potion was quick, and effective, but so were the effects’ longevity; now the race against time began. A finger ran along the scar on his chest that she created the first time to partly remove the affliction; “Mizuna,” Dawn spoke, “Can you make an incision here over the same area, I’d rather not create another scar unless necessary…”

“Just breathe, Ric. Close your eyes and count to ten.” Mizuna reached over to hold his head steady. Osric looked up at her face, seeing the colors bleed and tear like a dripping painting, and before he knew it, his sight was gone.

Tha-thump! Tha-thump…! Tha… thump….! … tha… thump...

“Fifteen minutes until we pull him back. Let me know if we start losing him.” Mizuna ordered, flicking her wrist to unroll the sterilized surgical tools. She took a piece of antiseptic dressing and rubbed his chest clean, before tracing her fingernail along the thin scar and holding the skin down. “Okay… here we go.”

Dawn kept a hand along his neck, feeling for a faintest of pulses. His core temperature seemed to be dropping as well, just as planned. His slowing circulation would also slow and stem the loss of blood, especially if they managed to avoid nicking any arteries. Mizuna ran her knife down the scar and cut through his chest like it was the first stroke of a painting. Just as she expected, the slowed heart rate kept blood from making a huge mess; a cut this deep would have sprayed the woman’s face in almost any other situation. While she worked her magic figuratively, Dawn went at it literally; she removed her necklace and wrapped the chain of it around her hand, holding the soul crystal tightly within her palm. She drew from its deeply embedded and fathomless aether, her eyes glowing a bright blue as she examined Osric’s form; now she could see Osric- the real Osric, his silhouette shimmering and brimming with life against the backdrop of absolute darkness. Her plan was to use the stone’s aether to convert to her own life force, and then use it as fuel to see the aether around her. Beneath the myriad of dancing colors and twinkling lights she saw it- a black parasite slithering about in liquid form through his chest cavity. A burst of purple aether fought to escape her fist, exuding dark aether as she held it above his incision.

“Come on…” Dawn goaded the infestation, “Come get it…” she continued.

The infection didn’t seem to move, but instead embedded itself deeper into his chest and around his heart as if to preserve itself as best it could. 

“It’s… it’s not taking the bait…” Dawn said with a tone riddled of reserved distress.

Mizuna shot Dawn a glare, and in between bated breaths she said, “Describe what it’s doing.”

“It’s… wrapping itself around his heart, as if it’s… trying to keep itself warm or… tie itself to his vital functions. Either it’s trying to preserve itself through basic biology or it’s trying to keep us from extracting it- both are dangerous implications…” she reached for another vial she kept on her person, the other half of the parasite squirming within. Her hand trembled as she stared at the object in her grasp, bright blue eyes slowly shifted to regard Mizuna. “I think I have a plan…”

“Spit it out, we’re running out of time.”

“Self-preservation… that’s what’s motivating it. I have half of it right here, and if we give it a more suitable host than it has right now…” her eyes darted back to the thing around Osric’s heart. She brought the vial up to her lips and smirked.  

Mizuna hissed at the woman, her scowl twisting into a grimace. “Stop! What are you doing?!” She almost leapt across the table and grabbed Dawn’s hand. “Your aether is fading enough already- and you’re the only one who can remove it!”

Her thumbnail pressed against the cork, ready to pop the top off any second. “If you don’t have a better idea here in the next few seconds, this is the only thing I can imagine might work. My internal aether manipulation is clearly better than Osric’s, and if I bring this thing into myself, it will attract the other half out of pure survival instinct. A healthy host, making itself whole again- Do you have a better plan?”

“The greatest surgeon in the world can’t operate on themself. If this thing latches onto you, it won’t ever let go until you’re killed.”

“Then you’ll have to remove it for me. Or I live with it and control it better than Osric can, we don’t have many options here and the clock is ticking.”

Mizuna swallowed hard before speaking. “Give me the vial. I’ll be the host.”

“You have ten seconds to explain to me why that’s a better idea and why you’d be a better host.” Dawn shot at her.

The woman shot Osric a worried glance- his eyelids were flickering and his fingers were twitching; this parasite was wrapped around his heart and hindering it from beating. “Because I’m healthier. My aether is perfectly normal- which means we buy everyone more time if I take it. You will be unhindered to remove it from me, and Osric can recover enough to help us. You’ve shaved epochs from your life already- this one last sacrifice may use up what’s left.”

“... Why waste a full life when you have a fraction of one right here?... Bottoms up.” she popped off the top and drank the contents. She heaved and retched a couple times, her free hand grasping at her throat. She gasped for air but found no purchase as she struggled to swallow down the ichor. After pounding at her chest and forcibly swallowing, she found herself grounded enough to focus and do what needed to be done. She took the soul crystal in her left and used it as a rudimentary blade to carve into her other hand, creating an open wound. She brought the hand onto Osric’s laceration and watched- the infestation kept still on his heart for the longest moment before twitching and loosening its grip. It now swam across his chest to reunite with its other half.

Her associate watched helplessly from the other side of the table, her face deadpanned as she seethed. It was too late to do anything about it now, so she was forced to go along with it.

“Ugh… Hng… Nng!” she sounded out as she felt the infestation slide through her wound. The other half seemed to be aware of what had transpired and directly tied itself to Dawn’s heart as well. This answered her question as to whether there was true intelligence or purely an instinct for survival driving the infection. The two were simply halves of a whole disconnected.

Mizuna muttered in the native language of her tribe. “You stupid little girl. Blind, and deaf, and stupid.” WIth nothing left to do, and Osric officially free from his affliction, she lifted the syringe she had been preparing and jammed it into his chest. With hardly any blood flow, injecting the antidote directly into his heart was the only option she had left.

Tha… thump… tha…. thump…! Tha-thump…! Tha-thump! Tha-thump! Tha-thump!

“... Don’t you dare say a word of this to anyone…” Dawn stared at Mizuna. For a blind person, she looked piercingly straight into her eyes. The Raen woman clasped her hands over Osric’s ears, ensuring he wouldn’t catch the tail-end of her comment when he started coming to.

“If you’re so eager to kill yourself, there are better ways to go about it.” Mizuna hissed, shaking her head. “I hope you have another genius scheme up your sleeve to get rid of that thing. I won’t be helping you throw your life away next time.”

Dawn felt an irritation overcome her; hate welled in her heart from perhaps the stone or the discomfort within her chest now- regardless, her dislike for Mizuna seemed to amplify itself exponentially. “You’ll help me if I tell you to, and you’ll keep my secrets if I tell you to. Or I’ll tell everyone how you lied about your application, how you don’t have a residence, and sleep in the sewers. I can smell it on you, no matter how many times you bathe yourself, the stench still sickens me. Every. Day. How are you going to get a job if I let everyone know about the unclean healer who’s lost everything and has nothing to give or lose anymore? Nothing to live for… nothing to offer.” her voice hatefully rasped out.

"Lied?" Mizuna repeated, grimacing. "You read my application, did you? What makes you think the Isenharts don't already know? Because they didn't tell you?"

The woman slowly blinked, biting back what she really wanted to tell Dawn; two outbursts would only make this clinic unmanageable, even if their relationship was already torn to pieces. "Tell who you like, Ms. Aethwyn. If you think insults and blackmail will make me do your bidding, then you've greatly overestimated the control you have over me." Sharply she inhaled, realizing she was squeezing Osric's head between her hands. "And for the record… I still have plenty to live for… like Osric- a man who deserves better than a hateful woman like you."

Dawn’s eyes widened, her hands moved to cover her mouth. What did she just say to Mizuna? She just knew she felt so angry. But she was cruel in her words and her mild distaste for the other healer had festered inside exponentially until it burst; it wasn’t Mizuna’s fault but she couldn’t stop feeling so overwhelmed by an emotion she wasn’t used to being bombarded with. She couldn’t see Mizuna’s scornful expression but she could almost picture it. Dawn shook her head to try and regain some bearing; she wanted to apologize but she had neither the words or time. It was too late to take back any words spoken. Quickly, she uttered a small incantation under her breath to heal her hand before Osric regained control over his mental faculties.

The Dragoon groaned, eyes shifting and moving under his eyelids as the antidote did its work. Slowly it brought him back to consciousness, and his gentle stirring caused Mizuna to release her death grip on his ears. His head turned from side to side, fingers wiggling as he started to wake, eyes slowly opening.

"You're awake." Mizuna beamed, folding her trembling hands behind her back. "How are you feeling, Ric…? Better?"

“A...a bit.Still out of sorts…” He blinked, trying to focus on the two forms near the bed - his vision still foggy. He attempted to lift his arms, finding the limbs still too heavy to shift, and settling for turning his head to try to look around the darkened room. “...Where is it? The...thing? I know you pulled at least some of it out before and I’d...like to know what’s caused me such grief the last few months.”

Dawn was turned away, her hands shaking as she was trying to catch her breath. She wrung her hands and kept them close to her chest. She turned her head in Mizuna’s direction, and she didn’t know what to say- she was quickly drained of her concentration and strength, and all she could muster was a bit of a stressed, apologetic, and pleading look, with guilt and tension seasoned in nicely to top it all off. She just needed time to burn the thing inside out with holy magic, at least, in theory she thought she could. But if Mizuna caused a scene she worried it wouldn’t help anyone. Alas, she was still at a loss for words- she could make up a story like she planned but Mizuna was right there to contradict her on the spot. She also had no right to ask that of Mizuna- to go along with a story, not after the way she spoke to her- she was sensible enough to know that. She decided to choose her words carefully.

“We… have it stored, in a container for now. We might be able to get more information from it now without it hurting you anymore… and I can start working on destroying it.”

“You need to worry about recovering.” Mizuna plucked the needle and thread from her toolbag and pinched the cut on Osric’s chest closed. “I’m going to give you some medicine to help you sleep. Hmn…. perhaps a bottle of brandy would be more appropriate? You can finally rest easy now, and soon you’ll be back on your feet, Ric. Speaking of which…” The woman pierced his skin and began threading the needle again and again. “Once I know you’re fully recovered… how about I grant you permission to leave the Goblet? I’m sure you’re dying to stretch your legs.”

“Bourbon might be the better choice...but I wouldn’t turn away decent brandy.” He offered Mizuna a tired smile before his gaze shifted over to Dawn, despite the woman being turned away. “I...feel different - so I know it’s not there…” He paused, taking a moment to flex his hands, the heavy feeling finally lifting. “But I’d still sleep better having seen it - is that not a possibility?”

“You can’t see into the container. And we don’t want to let it out, unless you wanted it right back where it started. Rest.” Dawn looked over her shoulder and gave a smile. “I’ll leave you in Mizuna’s capable hands. I need to give Hadriel back something important I borrowed for the operation...” she moved fluidly from the situation. Mizuna clenched her jaw shut as she watched the woman slip out behind the curtain. Her face was still flushed green and her tail lashed back and forth behind her, but she held her tongue and her temper for Osric’s sake.

The last thing he needed was to get roped into their feuding, and she certainly didn’t want him to take a side.

“Drink.” Mizuna insisted, pressing a vial into his flexing hand. “Let’s get you to a warm bed… we’ll talk all about this ordeal in the morning.”

Osric’s gaze followed the blonde woman as she disappeared from the room before turning back to Mizuna once again. With a wince, and with significant effort, he managed to sit up before drinking from the vial as he’d been instructed to do and handing the empty container back to Mizuna. “...As you say - you two are the professionals. Which way to the beds? I feel like I could sleep for another few hours…” He trailed off, glancing back towards the curtain again. His chest felt lighter and he certainly felt better, but he could shake the nagging feeling that something still wasn’t just quite right…

His focused attention didn’t go unnoticed by Mizuna. She furtively watched him in silence from the corner of her vision, as her stomach churned and twisted. “How can he love someone who treats him so poorly? Do they have a history? Or is it something more… simple?” Thinking about it only made her headache worse, and she wasn’t eager to dwell on it for much longer. “Ric…” She started, unfolding a collapsible wheelchair and setting it near the side of the table. “I’ll take you there. Come.”

With a nod the Dragoon shifted from the bed to the wheelchair, exhaling as he relaxed against the back of the chair. “...Thank you, Mizuna.”

---

Collaborated with @dawn-aethwyn​ @osric-slater-ffxiv​

[ootori-sibs]

Kyoya's second shot

Episode three: Dawn of a new day

There was something off about Haruhi the next day, none of the hosts knew what was up with her- no one but Kyoya. He smiled the moment he saw her walk in, face curled into a look of disgust. He noted it down as she sat down, frowning.

11:30 - Haruhi has arrived, it's evident Nekozawa has done his job. It's my turn.

He approached her, trying to not to react to the smell. "Are you alright Haruhi? You look troubled." She looked up at him curiously, tilting her head slightly.

"I think Nekozawa-senpai did something to my bag." Oh. She got it instantly, that was unexpected. Kyoya hummed nonchalantly, not wanting to give anything away.

"What did he-"

"Oh heavens!" Here came the darling king, swooping in to save his precious 'princess'. "Are you alright Haruhi? You aren't cursed are you??" Both Haruhi and Kyoya sighed at that, Kyoya instantly feeling furious at her for sighing- why don't you appreciate your boyfriend's care? Huh? Bitch? Kyoya would love and appreciate that kind of care so much, he's only sighing because his plan is already failing.

"Nah I'm not cursed, I think he put something super stinky in my bag…" she hummed in thought, rummaging through the bag. She pulled out a black envelope, the source of the smell. It was closed with a wax seal and written on in crimson ink, a curse in latin.

Dominus soporem in tenebris, et funiculus iste coccineus et habitatores figure non amare Princeps Ouran. classis superioris, dimiserunt eam cadere a gratia Dei.

Kyoya knew Latin, and he found it amusing what Nekozawa had said, making sure to not show any signs of amusement as Tamaki panicked over the clear curse and Haruhi carefully opened the envelope. The curse read: 'Dark lord in slumber, let this scarlet figure never settle in love with the prince of Ouran. Let her fall from the graces of the upper class'. Kyoya absolutely loved the little nod to his own command, Umehito was always one for poetic justice.

Haruhi pulled a burnt stick of elderwood, the rest of the envelope was filled with dodder and deadly nightshade. It was soaked through with a horrendous perfume, Nekozawa's handiwork, with which he'd gotten Kirimis help, the younger a child the more evil, Kyoya's own brother had told him that. She looked at it with a frown, ignoring Tamaki's wide eyes and blabbering expression, instead heading straight to the bin to dispose of the curse. "What a weird guy, wonder how I annoyed him." But it wasn't him she'd pissed off, and she'd soon be made aware.

"How are you not worried!?" The king cried out, clearly genuinely scared his princess would be hurt. "You were cursed!!" Kyoya sighed, he was unbelievably bitter that Haruhi was already fucking things up for him, but also didn't want Tamaki to fret too much.

"And she got rid of it, therefore: no longer cursed." He hated to admit that his plan was already failing but it was ok, he was sure Nekozawa could up his game on the same day. In fact he quickly sent a text to the councils newly made group chat to ensure it.

Shadow king: Nekozawa. You're not doing well enough, Haruhi has located and dispelled your "curse" within seconds. Do better or we'll move forward without you.

Sorcerer: Of course, it shall be done.

Kyoya was glad Nekozawa was taking his job seriously, although it wasn't a real threat, Kyoya needed him for the plan to work. He returned to his seat, silently continuing with the finances.

Not an hour later, Haruhi was sweating like a pig, looking exhausted and so much more what Kyoya had expected from a curse. She told Tamaki she didn't know what was wrong, he clutched her close, cradling her softly. It made Kyoya feel sick… then Tamaki yelped, pulling his hand away from Haruhi's middle back.

"What the hell was that? You're boiling!" He points to a place at Haruhi's back, and the twins come swooping in, pulling her shirt up just so. Salts, a cloth laden with hot water and salts- a fake fever. Kyoya couldn't believe Haruhi hadn't noticed that before now, it was stupid.

"Huh… that's weird, do you think it was Nekozawa again?" Haruhi asked, holding the cloth, the twins shrugged, tilting their heads in unison.

"Not sure, probably." They spoke in unison, clearly feeling something off. "Why is he suddenly targeting you… did you do something to the puppet?"

"Not that I know of…" The four of them began theorising ways Haruhi could have pissed Nekozawa off, perfect, Kyoya had a willing scapegoat.

Shadow king: Do you have a scoop yet, Komatsuzawa?

Bitchboy: I have a few ideas, but I'd like to change my nickname first.

Child: but it's so fitting

Bitchboy: Silence child.

Shadow king: You may change your name once you prove yourself useful. What's your scoop?

Bitchboy: Well her father's "career" is certainly one sure to cause a stir.

Shadow king: Absolutely not, we will not be insulting Ranka in order to bring Haruhi down. He doesn't deserve that.

Bitchboy: What? Ugh, fine. There's also, we could imply she's been with the twins?

Shadow king: But the twins have done nothing wrong.

Kyoya sighed, sure his plan would hurt them all, but he didn't want to hurt his friends unnecessarily. They didn't deserve that… he could feel the guilt building up again. He was never the best with emotions…

"Mommy dear?"

Tamaki's voice rang in Kyoya's ears, startling him slightly, not looking over but just staring at the numbers on his screen, clutching his phone tightly, as if it would suppress the notification sound. "Yes Daddy?" The stupid nicknames Tamaki insisted on using, it just reminded Kyoya of how things should be. He should be the one by Tamaki's side, club mother, vice president, shadow king. They were the monarchs of Ouran, the most powerful students there, why weren't they together..?

"Are you alright?" Tamaki frowned, leaning closer, wrapping his arms around Kyoya and resting his head on his shoulder. Kyoya felt his cheeks heat up, but he was likely wearing enough makeup to hide it. "I was going to ask about the finances but you seem a little on edge mon ami, is everything okay?"

Kyoya felt guilty, Tamaki was so sweet, so good. Kyoya was doing such evil acts, and his beloved had no idea… he had no idea he was even the one Kyoya loved. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to battle the feelings into submission, lest the tears well up. "I'm fine, Tamaki, don't be ridiculous."

"Why are you on edge then?" Kyoya felt his phone buzz gently, putting him even more on edge, luckily it didn't seem like Tamaki noticed. Kyoya wasn't quite sure how to respond to the king's question, he couldn't think of a good excuse.

"Why is it important? There's nothing wrong with simply being startled, I can't always be on high alert, I'm no guard dog." His words bit back at the princeling with venom, he couldn't think of a good defence, so he faked spite and hoped it would work.

Surprisingly, Tamaki did indeed back off, looking confused, and slightly hurt. It was ok though, Kyoya told himself, this was all for Tamaki's sake in the end. He checked his phone.

Bitchboy: We could say she's a lesbian? She did kiss a girl after all.

Not to mention all the hosting she'd done with the ladies… oh, Kyoya could see the headline already. He was almost positive she was bisexual anyway, it wasn't that much of a strech… he paused, what was Akira saying though? Was he suggesting Haruhi didn't really love Tamaki like would be perfect, or was he trying to be homophobic?

Shadow king: Elaborate?

Bitchboy: Do I really need to?

Peasant: well it does sound kinda homophobic to claim that sort of thing could ruin her image…

Bitchboy: Ruining her image is the whole point, moron.

Shadow king: How do you entirely miss the point like that?

It's almost impressive.

But you're the moron Komatsuzawa.

You better find something a little less incriminating of your own mind.

Kyoya sighed heavily, why must he surround himself with such disgusting people. It wasn't hard to find good people, hell, he was surrounded by at least folks good enough at pretending to be good, the issue was that good people never wanted to do bad things. So this was what he must do.

13:30 - The folks I surround myself with make me sick. But it must be done. Tamaki has begun to show slight worry towards my more nervous mannerisms, I managed to get him to stand down. I have yet to perform my duty.

Bitchboy: Of course you'd support that kind of behaviour, Ootori.

Kyoya frowned down at his phone, this little dick… He glanced over at Tamaki, who had just asked him a question, although he had failed to process it. "I'm sorry Tamaki, what was that?"

"I said; are you coming to lunch with us? You haven't joined us at all this week."

"Ah," Kyoya began, it was true he hadn't joined them at all, but that was simply because he hadn't had lunch all week, "I'm afraid I won't be joining you today either, please enjoy yourself." He smiles, a polite, designed to placate, smile. Turning back to his phone, he replied to Akira's message.

Shadow king: And what exactly does that mean?

Bitchboy: Well you're the same aren't you?

Sorcerer: Aw, don't be mean just because you're correct. He's Souh-san's best friend.

Akira had sent another text after that, but Kyoya didn't want to think about it, he'd used a word he didn't even think people used unless they were openly violent, or gay themselves. So that was just wonderful, Kyoya was working with a homophobe, lovely. He decided to at least note this down before doing his own part of the deal.

13:32 - Akira Komatsuzawa is a homophobe.

He left his phone on silent and in his bag, before standing and walking over to Haruhi's bag, digging through carefully, not wanting to make it look too obvious things had been looked through. He took her phone out of the bag, looking it over carefully, oh, she had a cute set of phone charms… little plastic roses, and there was one in each of the host's colours. Even purple. Kyoya took great care with removing that charm, tucking it into his pocket gently. He may mean malice towards the commoner, but he wouldn't hurt anything with sentimental value, at least if it could be avoided.

He made his way to the window, looking out. There were too many people, he couldn't achieve it like this. So he instead went out into the hallway, walking in the opposite direction from the canteen, making his way down to the ground floor and then outside. He knew exactly where to go.

He was a lover of poetic justice, just like Umehito, and he could remember Haruhi's first week. The poor, poor commoner was bullied by one of Tamaki's regulars. That girl had thrown Haruhi's bag in the fountain to the east of the club room, the one with the cherub without wings. As Kyoya made his way to that very fountain, he thought about how ironic it would be if he put her phone in that very fountain. So that's what he would do.

When he got there, he saw the exact girl he'd been thinking about, sat there, with a little bento box her maids had made for her. She looked up at him and frowned. "What are you doing out here? Why aren't you with the rest of your club?"

"Hello Ayanokoji, do you know who this belongs to?" He holds up the phone, knowing full well she knew who's it was.

"That's Fujioka's phone… why do you have it?" She asked him, clearly on the defensive, not understanding why he was here. To answer her question, Kyoya simply lifted his hand and tossed the phone into the water idly. Looking her in the eyes as he does so, watching hers go wide "Wha-? Huh??" It seemed she'd assumed all the hosts were under Haruhi's thumb.

"Help me, Seika Ayanokoji, we have the same goals in mind." He offered her entrance to the council, without letting her know it existed. Kyoya even held his hand out to her, it was obvious from his body language that he was offering her an opportunity, but his words seemed like the deal would only benefit him. So he wasn't surprised to hear her response:

"What's in it for me?" She'd glanced down at his hand in suspicion, before looking back up at him, not trusting his words one bit.

"Oh let's see…" he pretended to think, already knowing exactly what to offer her. "I'll remove you from the club's black list." He knew for a fact that that'd get her going, she was the same as all the other girls after all. Her eyes widening at the prospect of being hosted by Tamaki once again proved him right, although he couldn't say he didn't blame her- they did have similar motives.

She took his hand, standing and giving him a smirk. "You've got a deal, what do you need me to do?"

Kyoya just smiled wickedly in response.

"I want you to do anything in your power to make that commoner suffer. Don't let anyone know I'm involved, but get anyone you want involved. Cause her trouble, make her look bad, make her out to be just what you think of her."

"A little mutt with no pedigree?" She asked, eyes sparkling maliciously, she already knew the answer.

"Precisely, we both know she's not. But the general student body don't need to know that, do they?" He shrugs, casually turning away from her, preparing to walk away.

"You can count on me." She assured, voice full of confidence and spite, exactly what Kyoya needed from his council. He'd originally hated her for being so uppity, then she'd done all that to Haruhi and he'd decided he hated her for being a bully… but bullies can be awfully useful, if you have them on your team.

He got back to the club room, silently tapping his foot on the floor as he took his phone out in order to add her to the group, pausing when he saw Akira's reply.

Bitchboy: Well there is that manager of your club, didn't she pursue the girl?

Kyoya smiled, of course, Renge. She was the perfect scapegoat, it was clear the duo had chemistry. Haruhi had gone to Renge's place after all, no one knows what could have possibly happened there…

Shadow king: Alright then, write your article.

But I will be reading it before it's published.

Kyoya sighed, adding the newest council member to the group chat.

>Seika Ayanokoji joined the group

>Shadow king changed Seika Ayanokoji to Woman#2

Woman#2: Wh

Why do I have to be woman two??

Woman: Bonjour.

Child: Holy shit there are girls here?

Bitchboy: How did we not notice this before?

Shadow king: Miss Ayanokoji will be helping us from now on, she will be present at the next meeting.

I want you all to get along.

He put his phone down just as the other hosts walked back in, combing their hair and adjusting their uniform in preparation to open the club to the guests. Kyoya smiled softly, this was going to be a fun term...

14:12 - Seika Ayanokoji has joined the council, she has been removed from the club blacklist.

A very fun term…

[mhdiaries]

Journal of Clawd Wolf

If you can’t be honorable then be smart and keep your snout out of my journal.

September the 18th

I don’t think I’ve ever been hit in a game as hard as I got hit last night and oh monster was I sore this morning. We won the game which makes the pain a little more bearable. The worst part was I saw the hit coming and had to stand there and take it. The play was 13 Weak Bootleg Goblin - I made a perfect fake and rolled right which fooled everybody on the defense except the ogre playing outside linebacker who hit me as soon as the pass left my hand. Not only did he hit me, he drove me into the turf and landed on top of me. The only thing worse than the hit was the ogre stink that came with it. When I say stink I mean he smelled like the inside of a rubber boot filed with stinky cheese and raw fish that had been left in the trunk of a black car during the hottest week of summer. I’m sure I probably notice it more being a werewolf because of my enhanced sense of smell but I honestly think ogres must turn up their scent glands for games. I couldn’t even see how the play turned out because he’s laying on top of me yelling “How’d you like that wolf boy?” Then I hear the crowd going crazy and I just said, “Scoreboard.” Funny how the pain goes away, at least momentarily, when you complete a big play. Of course on the field you never want to let another monster know they hurt you... just like real life.

September the 21st

Rockseena chewed up a pair of Clawdeen’s shoes. Clawdeen accused Howleen, in Clawdeen’s defense it did kind of look like Howleen’s work, and I had to break up the fight and fork over some cash so Clawdeen could replace them. There goes my money for the month. Why are girl’s shoes so howling expensive?

October the 1st

I went to the furmatologist to see if he could do something about my shedding problem, which seems to be getting worse lately. It’s so screeching embarrassing I don’t even want to wear short sleeve shirts any more. Of course being a werewolf means it grows back as fast as it falls out so I’ve got an endless supply. I’m like a hairy snow globe. Anyway, I wish I could say that I walked away with a solution, cream, pill or heroic quest that would allow me to finally leave the house without a lint brush but that didn’t happen. The doctor said that some werewolves are genetically afflicted with this and that there is no cure. He gave me some ideas on how to manage the condition and a pamphlet about a support group. I was like, “A support group?” Come on monster, give me a break. The last thing i want to do is spend an evening hanging out in some back room at a community center listening to other werewolves howl about fur loss. I’ve just got to monster up and deal with it. What i wouldn’t give to switch problems with Clawdeen.

October the 7th

Somebody at Monster High is trying to reopen old tombs regarding Cleo’s past relationship with me and by “some body” I mean Spectra Vondergeist. I probably should have ignored it but I didn’t. I found her and told her to knock it off since she didn’t know what she was talking about, she called me a dumb jock, I called her a lying phantom and she wailed a path across the school pretesting her innocence and demanding an apology. We both ended up in the Headmistress’s office where I was lectured about the “responsibility of being an example to younger monsters who look up to me.” She told Spectra to stop involving the whole school whenever she has a problem and that almost caused her to go off again but she managed to keep it together.  I know every monster wants to know what happened but it’s really none of their business.

October the 12th

HH Bloodgood has decided that every monster in school has to write an essay on our haunted heritage. She wants to put them all in a big book and pass it out to the students at the end of the year. In her words this will “better help you to understand yourselves and your fellow monsters.” I’m not so sure about the “understand yourselves” part but it might be interesting to read about my “fellow monsters.” I need to ask dad and mom how much information I’m allowed to give since there are some things we don’t talk about outside the pack. Our history is written in the Valde Lupus Libri and even within the book there are sections I’m not allowed to read until I have a pack of my own. One of those sections tells what happened to cause the bad blood between werewolves and vampires. I asked dad about it one time and he just gave me “the look” so I let it go. I can probably write about the things every monster already knows; like how during the full moon our senses get sharper while our strength and speed doubles or how we’re allergic to sive and wolf’s bane. We’re not undead so we don’t live forever, but 400+ years isn’t just a drop in the coffin either. I guess I could also put down where we’re from and how our original alpha became a werewolf but I definitely need to get permission before giving out that kind of info.

October the 18th

The stink from my confrontation with Spectra continues to linger and today I had to stop Clawdeen from going after Cleo because Clawdeen still thinks Cleo dumped me for Deuce and broke my heart. That’s not how it happened so I told Clawdeen the real story. When Cleo and I first started going out I had just been voted captain of the football team and Cleo had taken over her sister Nefera’s spot as captain of the fear squad. I was the BMOC - Big Monster on Campus and she was Her Royal Hawtness. It was like living the perfect nightmare. Even then I think we were enjoying the attention more than the relationship. We were friends, still are in fact, but the spark just wasn’t there. There was a spark between her and Deuce though. You couldn’t help but see it when they were around each other. I confess I was a little jealous but I soon got over that as our perfect nightmare suddenly came to an end. My wake up call came in the form of a season where we lost every game but one and I completed more passes to the other team than I did to my own. For Cleo, it was thinking she could just pick up her sister’s pom poms and not miss a fear except she was so bossy half the team quit and the half that stayed just did their own thing. We probably would have broken up then but the thought of adding any more drama to what was already going on was too much to think about. So we stayed together and kind of leaned on each other through it all. Eventually I started to make better decisions on the field and Cleo learned that leadership involved more than barking orders. So on the night before the last game of the year we decided to break up. Cleo told me that she knew Deuce wanted to ask her out but didn’t dare because she was still dating me and that she wouldn’t say yes for the same reason. That was that, except Cleo wanted to be able to tell everyone she broke it off because she didn’t want anyone thinking that the captain of the fear squad got dumped. I told her I wouldn’t lie about what happened but I wouldn’t say anything to contradict it either. Looking back I think it was dumb on her part to care so much about social status and it was equally dumb on my part to be “heroic” about it. When I finished, Clawdeen called me a monster jerk, punched me in the arm and then gave me a hug. Girls are so weird.

October the 25th

I’ve got a pretty big test in Biteology coming soon and since it’s impossible to find a quiet spot in our house I went to the library to study. I finished up there and just as I was leaving a storm blew in and it started raining. The temperature came down with the rain and by the time I got to my car I could already see my breath. On the way home my sweet fang started to howl so I stopped at this coffee place and grabbed a large coffinccino with whip cream cause, you know, that’s what I like. I got about a half mile down the road when I couldn’t find my iCoffin so I pulled over to see if it had fallen in between the seats. As I was looking for it I happened to glance across the street and saw this freaky cute monster standing on the sidewalk. It was raining pretty hard by then and I couldn’t quite make out her face. I rolled down the window just as the wind changed direction and for a brief moment I caught the scent of nightshade and lilac shampoo. Draculaura? I got out and yelled her name. She looked up and I said to myself, “Oh monster, what’s she doing out in this weather without a coat or umbrella?” Good thing dad always keeps one of his “eventuality” kits in his car with everything a monster might need in an emergency, including one of those compact umbrellas. I grabbed it and ran across the street where Draculaura was standing. Ordinarily I would have cracked some kind of joke but she looked so miserable I just opened the umbrella and helped her back to the car. Once we got in I handed her the coffinccino and turned up the heater. We sat there for a moment with the car running and I asked her if she wanted me to take her home. She nodded and I drove her back to her house. They don’t have a covered drive so I walked her up to the door and made sure she got in. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and darted inside before I could say anything which is a good thing because it felt like I’d been hit by that ogre again only all I could smell this time was nightshade and lilacs. After I got home mom asked me where I’d been. When I told her the library she just looked at me and said, “If you say so.” I thought that was weird until I caught my reflection in the hall mirror and saw a perfect imprint of lips in Draculaura red.