#bear with me it's almost finished being crossposted

[boundinparchment]

Deus In Absentia - VIII

The first time was a coincidence. The second time was a fluke. But the third time? You were starting to think it was fate. Or, more likely, a calculated trap. Reposted from my previous blog, @/zhonglis-empty-wallet AO3

He was softest in the darkest hours of the morning, you discovered; when his mind and hands needed a reprieve and yearned for you instead of his precious creations.  Some nights, the title of lover lingered in your mind.  Those moments were glimpses at the person that, in a different, kinder world, he might have been.

“Everything has improved with you here,” he mumbled into your shoulder.  “So much easier, so much better.”

You enhanced him, his work.  You. 

Your name on his lips was probably the closest he ever came to uttering a prayer.

You weren’t a proper Archivist, certainly not by Akademiya standards, yet he found something of value in the quality of your work. In the comfort of your presence.  In you.

The Great Work kept you busy, long before the erosion of professionalism.  So much needed to be properly archived and preserved; a good chunk of it required transcribing because of centuries in a previous environment, one that was often a dank, moldy cavern.  Delegating only did so much.

Winter made everything harder.  You endured a broken radiator in your study, under the impression that maybe it just took a little time to turn on every unit (or perhaps Pantalone simply needed to be reminded that the cost was worth it).  A week passed before Dottore stormed in, muttering something about your notes being illegible.  You assured him you were well, suppressing a shiver all the while, but there was no hiding how cold your hands were when he pressed your palm to the corner of his mouth.

“No wonder your notes are sloppy,” he mumbled, eyes falling from you to the silent radiator in the corner.

Dottore gave the heater a swift kick, the device silent, without so much as a creak or click in response.

“Gather your things and use my office,” were his final words on the matter.

The next morning, you found a new radiator installed and a beautiful (too beautiful for the likes of the lab) coat draped on the back of your chair.  Soft, well-crafted, and warm.  Too expensive to accept, but you couldn’t not be without a coat in a Snezhnayan winter, either.

It was a statement, one more subtle than his usual boisterous behavior.  Then again, his scheming was never straight-forward.  While you were respected among the other Fatui when you spent time in the Palace above (or as respected as someone under a Harbinger could be), people talked. 

It was a delicate balance.

One Dottore cared little for.  Social convention meant almost nothing; what use did he have for it outside of diplomacy? 

He was particularly proud of the marks on your neck, his handiwork on display.

“Let them see,” he growled when you attempted to cover up the blatant teeth tracks on your neck one morning.  “I care not for the opinions or thoughts of those who could never understand.  Anyone who talks knows they’ll end up on my table anyway.”

That fear kept eyes from lingering too long, from whispers dying out as you approached.  It was especially noticeable when you joined Dottore for important dinner parties or other affairs, wherever he needed to be.  You were only ever introduced in your role but a silent undercurrent that you were close to Dottore ran through each interaction, each moment.  Every party was more lavish than the last, the status of a Harbinger extended to you in the form of fine clothing, finer wine, and exposure to the world you only ever heard of in storybooks.

It was clear that Dottore didn’t enjoy these things the way other Harbingers did.  He played the role he needed to, for the Tsaritsa, for the cause, but his mouth twitched in a frown for most of the events.  Useless wastes of time, he often muttered, before taking your hand and stealing you away as soon as convenient.

Not that you could really complain.  You had even less in common with your hosts, with fellow guests.  Dottore was simply sparing you the awkward moments, you rationalized.

Both of you worked together in a rhythm that no one else could follow or comprehend.

And even if they could, they wouldn’t, you knew. 

The world would never be that kind.

But that wasn’t a world you wanted to be part of.  Not anymore.

____________________________

He sang sometimes, when he thought no one was around, when he thought you weren’t listening.  One song was from Fontaine, you could tell by the rhythm; another from Sumeru, the cadence quicker, more jovial.  

Until one day, he told you to stay behind after receiving a missive from the Tsaritsa.  He returned with a blank expression, much like the one he wore in Mondstadt, and went back to work in his private study as if nothing happened, slamming the door behind him.

A crash.  A bang.  Something shattering.  Shouts.

Not an unusual occurrence, really.  Or perhaps you were just used to his mercurial nature.  He tended to cease his raging fairly quickly, or at least cool off just enough to form a plan of action and articulate it before trailing off into incomprehensible mutterings.  Usually, his tirades lasted all of ten minutes, often less.

This time, however…

The arm of the clock was long past the usual ten-minute mark.

And you could still make out shouts from below, no longer in familiar Sneznhayan.  The lab assistants were restless, no one brave enough to dip their head into your office and ask , but constantly walking past your door in an attempt to look busy.

Your connection to the Harbinger wasn’t exactly a mystery or a secret down here.  If Dottore could be heard ranting and raving, you were certain other things were heard as well.

Just when you thought he was finally finished and silence fell over Haeresys, you heard your title shouted at the top of the Harbinger’s lungs.

The trek down to his private study felt like a lifetime.  You entered after knocking and, once the door shut behind you, you came face to face with the results of Dottore’s wrath.  

Ink dripped down the wall where he’d thrown an almost-full bottle of the substance, staining the stone and everything else in its path.  Papers were strewn about, books dented and boxed from the force at which they were thrown (you tried not to wince at the way some of the spines were snapped and pages were bent).  Shards of porcelain and glass glittered along the floor and his desk, remnants of drinks and food among the remains.  A white coat was thrown haphazardly and laid alongside broken vials and test samples, most of which would have to be done again.

The man himself was slumped over the back of his chair from behind, as though he were looking over another’s shoulder.  His eyes were locked on the desk but they were glazed over with memory, lacking their usual sharp clarity.

You were used to his scars by now.  The map of his previous life laid bare.  

Harbingers were meant to abandon their former selves.

It felt sacrilegious, if such a thing applied, and yet a privilege all at once.

Something cracked underfoot as you took a single step forward; his mask, thrown with abandon, forgotten.  Dottore looked up, the fog of memory finally lifting from his gaze, crimson eyes as cold as blood-stained snow.

“Failure.  Complete and absolute failure.” 

He tacked on your name at the end of his sentence, dropping all pretense of titles.  After all, what power did they hold any longer in these four walls?  You knew each other as only lovers could, there was little left to hide.  

You knelt down and picked up the mask, brushing it off.  Upon inspection, the crack was only surface-level, repairable, a vein running across from the left eye, down the nose, and ending near the upper lip.  You laid it carefully upon the desk but the Harbinger made no attempt to reach for it.

“Inazuma was all but guaranteed, wasn’t it?” you asked, ignoring the will to mentally note what, exactly, would need to be reproduced now that most of his notes were ruined.

Dottore let out a derisive laugh, teeth bared.

“That’s just it, isn’t it?  It should have been.  And then some insolent Traveler snatched everything out from under us.”

He stood up and pulled his shoulders back, folding his arms behind his back as he began pacing.

“But perhaps it really isn’t that simple,” he muttered.  “Sending the Balladeer back to his homeland was a gamble, one I insisted upon.  Imagine, if you would, Archivist, a husk once intended for an Archon obtaining a Gnosis.  A puppet cast aside, too imperfect for such a divine device, defying the stars.  I was so close to finding the missing piece…”

Dottore brought his hands up and ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on the teal locks, his hands flexing as he sought his next train of thought.  He spoke quickly, trying to both process and come up with a solution, as if the latter was buried within the former.

“The Crimson Witch, defeated by an Outlander who controls elements without any kind of assistance.  Kunikuzushi is running around with a Gnosis and the capacity to become an Archon, assuming he managed to figure out how.  Years and years of carefully made plans, enacted with precision…only for betrayal and death to follow in their wake…there is no room for such imperfection…”

The weight of his words made your stomach drop.

La Signora…centuries snuffed out in an instant…

“Do be sure to cover her history, Archivist.  Rosalyne and I have… had …our differences but she was formidable and dedicated.  One did not think this day would come…least of all for the Crimson Witch of Flame.”

You stepped tentatively towards the Harbinger, careful to avoid glass and questionable substances.  His mind was elsewhere again.

“The only saving grace from Inazuma was the stock of fresh test subjects Pierro sent over.  The rest was fucking waste of time and resources.”

When you reached him, you pressed a tentative hand to his scarred cheek, not knowing what else to do or say.  The loss of two Harbingers, even if they all bickered and fought amongst themselves, was still a loss.  But there was no room for grief, to mourn.  Above all, the Gnoses must be collected.  Plans must remain in play.  That Dottore was absolutely pissed was understandable.

He leaned into the touch, posture sagging and arms falling to his sides.  For now, his rage had passed.  

“The plans for Sumeru and Fontaine cannot be anything other than absolute perfection, Archivist.”

“And they will be,” you reassured him.  “After all, aren’t failures simply prototypes for better versions?”

“One such as myself does not deserve your kindness, nor that of Nasha Tsaritsa,” Dottore whispered, his eyes locking onto yours as he cupped your hand and pressed his lips to your palm.  “Nothing lasts, Archivist.  But I am inherently selfish.  I want nothing more than to take these moments before they, too, vanish.”

[sometipsygnostalgic]

The WORST Persona Music

Crossposted from Reddit. Thankfully all the videos embedded properly on Tumblr, so you can have a live slug reaction to them.

Castle - Persona 4

The dungeon music from Persona 4 is hit and miss. The ones in the endgame are excellent, but the first few dungeons have.... really annoying repetitive music.

This track, Castle, from Yukiko's dungeon has a really nice quiet bit which is surrounded by agonizing repetitive synth noise.

The theme for Kanji's dungeon, Sauna, is also really annoying but not as grating to me. It at least feels like it should be suffocating, rather than accidentally being so.

Band song - Persona 4 Golden (Japanese version)

I think there are worse songs in the Persona 4 saga, and all of them are in the dancing games, but what makes this one egregious is you're pulled out of your normal activities to have this band meet moment, and Rise's singing isn't even that great. I do enjoy Laura Bailey's performance, but they didn't do her japanese actress much of a service. It sounds very out of tune.

Mementos - Persona 5

See, I actually like the Mementos more than the Tartarus theme. However... Tartarus's theme at least has the decency to evolve over time. Mementos's just stays like this forever in the original persona 5.

Persona 5 The Royal fixed this by making Mementos's theme evolve. I like Mementos's music in The Royal SIGNIFICANTLY MORE than Tartarus's theme in P3 Reload which drove me mildly insane by the end. It's too short.

Burning Men's Souls - Persona Trinity Soul

The funny part is that there isn't anything wrong with how this track SOUNDS. It's COMPLETLEY fine and a really good piece of music.

What's wrong is the lyrics. Oh dear god. It reminds me of the raps from Adventure Time's episode Son of Rap Bear.

"CHECK IT OUT, IM IN THE HOUSE LIKE CARPET!"

And with that, we can move onto the actually bad songs!

Shadow World (De De Mouse Remix) - Persona 4 Dancing

I have a special hatred for the persona dancing songs that are "remixes" of original songs that just slather another track on top of them. They all seem to be too busy and have the worst charting. Some of them work, like P3D's "Memories of You" Meguro Remix, but... Shadow World De De Mouse Remix doesn't even have any DANCING IN IT! How are you supposed to play to this monstrosity? It has a crappy video behind it instead. 0 out of 10 effort.

Mass Destruction (Remix) - Persona 3 Dancing

I am obsessed with this song. While most bad tracks have the reaction of "oh, I don't want to listen to that one again", this one? It is a masterpiece. Someone really thought that having epic death guitar behind Mass Destruction would make for a good dancing track.

The more you watch this video the more things wrong with it you find. The notes are so intense and almost impossible to hit, but they barely match the music at all. Nothing can path this atrocity. Ken tries dancing to this theme for about 0.5 seconds before he gives up and mashes his stick like an air guitar, and dances to some completely different song. By the end of it, the song has become keyboard mashing. You finish it. Finally you can breath.

I spent so much time trying to king crazy this song. Mass Destruction Remix has taken over my life. I listen to it again today. I end up making this post just so I can talk about it. Don't play Persona 3 Dancing. It will destroy you. All will submit to Mass Destruction Remix.

[sixeyesgojo]

New Year's surprise

Summary: You spend New Year's Eve with your favorite people. Something catches you by surprise...?

Pairing/Characters: Team Gojo + You

Word count: 2,3k

Content warning: -

A/N: crossposted on AO3 // published on New Year’s Eve + written for Megumi’s birthday // I tried to make it funny back then but now that I am reading it again... crrrrriiiiiiiiiiinge. I also used honorifics here to show the banter and relationship between the characters.

ou have been looking forward to this stress-relieving day for a month now. It was a well-deserved break for all this work you've been doing lately.

Last week particularly wore you out from using your cursed technique, the ability to manifest and manipulate light, repeatedly as the curses kept getting nastier and more annoying. Being one of the handful of Jujutsu Sorcerers was a pain sometimes. Just like Nanami, you hated working overtime but it was bound to happen as the branch you were working in was not exactly what the youth of today wanted to do - let alone even know of - understaffed as ever.

Not that you minded being on missions but sometimes you feared that your co-teacher, the most praised and famed Gojo Satoru, wouldn't properly teach the kids in your absence. You weren't even a teacher to begin with but some time after graduation, your teacher Yaga Masamichi - now principal of Jujutsu High in Tokyo - had asked you the favor of supporting that idiot Satoru... just in case. It's not like you could decline anyway, nobody else was up for the job, so you accepted. As time passed, you truly grew to love this job, especially this year's first-years had you enamored with them.

So it happened that your dear friend and ex-classmate suggested a Christmas party, which also served as Megumi's surprise birthday party, at your house. Coincidentally, this friend happened to have white hair and regularly wore a blindfold to work. Coincidentally, he was deemed the strongest. Coincidentally, his name was Gojo Satoru. “Do I not get a say in this, Satoru?” you had asked, your back facing him. His blunt answer was a simple “nope.”, which earned him a whack to his right shoulder. “I've already told the first-years about the time, date and location,” the man grinned sheepishly. And he knew you wouldn't be able to decline if it was about your beloved three students. You had no choice.

“Well, Satoru, since it's come to this,” you leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “why don't we use this opportunity to throw a surprise birthday party for you-know-who?”

The white-haired sorcerer grinned, “Sounds like you've been planning this all along, if you ask me.”

You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly. “Nobara; but give me one or two days - I'm still quite busy,” you said. He gave you a thumbs up before replying, “Then I'll handle Yuuji. Give me a second.”

He clapped once. Then, the man was gone from your sight. Like a poof.

Being able to communicate without words was one of your favorite things about Satoru's and your friendship.

And so, a little over a month passed ever since you and Satoru made that agreement. It was easy for Satoru to convince Yuuji but you had known from the beginning that it took a little more coaxing for Nobara. In the end, you also successfully managed to lure her in. Even though you had to postpone it, it ended up being a New Year’s Eve party instead.

Damn these higher-ups, giving you a 4-day mission a day before Christmas Eve. You have looked forward to this party too, it saddened you greatly to have it postponed. Fortunately, your students and Satoru decided to wish you a merry Christmas via video call. It was truly a delight on such dark days. Besides juggling your two jobs, you've also been preparing for the party diligently. After all, you didn't want it to be a flop.

It wasn't exactly easy to convince the higher-ups to let you and Satoru take a day off from missions and frankly, you didn't convince them at all; you both just ditched them, probably pushing them onto Nanami or whoever was on hand (sorry?). As for lessons, Satoru managed to persuade principal Yaga that you and him were planning an “important extracurricular class”. You weren't sure if Yaga had actually bought the excuse or just let it slide. It did not matter anyway, who would dare to stand in the mighty Gojo Satoru's way? Moreover, you rivaled this man in both stubbornness and authority. Nobody stood a chance when the two of you planned to see a plan through.

You've been cooking (and baking) since morning while Satoru was dancing around your house to decorate it. After all, he was no help in the kitchen and his long limbs made it easy to reach high places, so he was forced to placed in charge of decorating by you.

“Satoru, when are the kids coming again? What time?” you called out from the kitchen. A head popped up by the door, “8PM, so two hours from now,” it chirped. “Megumi will come half an hour later, as planned,” he added. “Good. That's plenty of time.”

It was not plenty of time. You should have known. Something was bound to go wrong. Especially with the way this idiot was skipping through your home with his lanky, long limbs. Of course, he'd knock over some things, including a big filled vase in the living room. There was screaming (from you) and roaring laughter from the culprit; chaos ensued as you chased the tall man around your house with a broom. “GOJO SATORU, WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS,” you yelled. “What happened to ‘plenty of time’?” he laughed, simultaneously running for his life.

“You dumbass, I would have been done with cooking a while ago if you didn't knock my shit over so I had to help clean this mess!” you shrieked and stopped running. Satoru looked back - he knew the look on your face: you were done chasing him around. Gulp. You took a step back with your right leg. “I ain't a pokemon trainer but I'll make sure to at least catch you, Gojo-sensei,” you said, just loud enough for him to hear, as a string of concentrated light appeared in your hands. The man on the run knew you weren't able to hurt him thanks to his Infinity but he knew damn well, you could at least restrict him.

Like a lasso, you threw rope in his direction. A clap. More claps. He was teleporting away from you. Yeah, things like this frequently happened with the two of you. “Multiply,” you murmured and your rope did as you commanded. It took the form of a spiderweb... or a fishnet.

“Stop running, so it will be easier for me to catch you, Toru-chan~”, you called.

“Ain't no way,” he said as he ran and turned his head to stick out his tongue. You clicked your tongue. Inhaling deeply, you positioned your leg even farther back. This kind of felt like the Olympic Games or something.

Using the force, you threw out the glowing net. In reality, you knew it was just a second but the moment seemed to stretch in your eyes. “Would it be a good catch today?” You almost heard the fishermen say at the riverbank.

The moment your net connected. The sound of a plop on the ground. Yes, it was indeed a good-looking catch, you mused. Not that your net actually touched him, thanks to his ability, but at least it caged him like a cocoon for the time being, only leaving out the head.

“You look so smug,” Satoru commented, pulling a face. The cocoon vibrated against him, compressing made difficult due to Infinity. “Of course, I just caught a big shiny Magikarp,” you retorted. “Wait, are you calling me useless-”

Ding dong. The sound of the doorbell had your eyes almost popping out of their sockets. A sigh left your lips and you stuck the light to a wall as you trudged your way to the entrance door to let in Yuuji and Nobara. At least you could expect some real and less chaotic help now.

The first thing that greeted them after putting down their presents in the living room was the sight of their white-haired teacher dangling from the ceiling by a mysterious, seemingly sticky and shiny rope thing. “Sorry to ask, sensei, but… did we interrupt something here? Or would it be better not to ask?” Nobara asked, Yuuji was agape. “Yeah, we were-” Satoru started but you quickly shushed him.

You shook your head, “No, but Gojo-sensei couldn’t refrain from pranks, so here we are.”

“Oooookay,” Yuuji said, still flabbergasted.

“So guys, we aren’t quite done yet. Me and Gojo-sensei require a little help… especially in the kitchen,” you said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“Sure, I’ll help in the kitchen then,” Nobara volunteered. The pink-haired boy raised his hand, a sign that he also wanted to help: “I can set the table.”

“Perfect! Nobara and Yuuji, come with me. We have 30 minutes until Megumi will be here. As for you, Satoru, you better clean the mess you made,” you commanded as you shot the cocooned man, who was smiling innocently, a sharp glare. With that, you and your two baby ducklings left the living room.

You showed Yuuji the cupboard where he would find everything he needed, from cups to plates, bowls and whatnot. Nobara helped clean the dishes while you finished up what you were doing before. A few finishing touches were left. Christmas music started playing in your house as you heard someone pace in your living room. Satoru was probably hanging up the remaining Christmas lights in your spacious living room. After all, it was clear as a day that the man would be able to free himself after a few minutes.

You and Nobara made it just in time: 28 minutes. Your pink-haired student, Yuuji, did a surprisingly excellent job, setting the table as beautifully as you had imagined. The dishes were laid out on the table, just waiting to be eaten.

The eagerly awaited guest arrived no sooner than expected, unlike a certain someone, even bearing presents as it seemed. “Christmas is over, why did you decide to play Christmas music?” Megumi remarked, not sounding like he was over the moon.

“Woah, Megumi, you look as grumpy as always!” his male teacher noticed.

“Lighten up a little, will ya?” Nobara added, while the adorable Yuuji gawked at the bag of gifts Megumi had brought with him. “Oh, stop it, you two. Megumi is just not that good at outwardly expressing his emotions,” you defended… and the student didn’t know whether that was an insult or not.

“You brought presents? So cool!” Yuuji was delighted, still looking at the bag and not even paying attention to whatever was happening, until Nobara tugged on his arm to lead him to the dinner table.

Dinner was a little chaotic; everyone was excited, some things were spilled, a lot of words were exchanged, a little banter happened, gales of laughter echoed through your four walls. It was joy. Chaotic joy.

Finally, it was time for the presents. After everyone received their presents, a malicious grin appeared on Satoru’s face from what was to come. Yuuji’s face also had a tinge of mischief to its expression. Yours and Nobara’s face were straight up devilish, the eyes in particular. All of you were looking at him.

An uneasy feeling rose in the dark-haired boy’s stomach. “Run as fast as you can,” it told him and his foot twitched a little, which was not missed by Satoru at all.

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere!” Nobara exclaimed, then ordered Yuuji to restrict Megumi (which he did) as you put one of Satoru’s blindfolds on your poor, baffled student. Satoru forcefully stuffed Megumi’s mouth with one - then two - mochis to prevent him from making any noisy ruckus. All he heard was feet shuffling through the room. After what felt like an eternity of nervosity to him, the blindfold was finally lifted and Yuuji loosened his grip on his friend.

Unitedly, the four of you, who had planned this surprise for him, wore party hats and chanted, “HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO YOU, FUSHIGURO/MEGUMI.”, holding more presents for him into his face. “Ooh, he is embarrassed!! Look at him, look at him~” Satoru teased and Megumi looked away, a blush spreading on his face. “Am not,” he attempted to retort before being ushered to open the gifts by Yuuji. One by one, they were unwrapped, revealing a nonfiction book from Yuuji, a comfortable hoodie from Nobara, a pair of brand new headphones from you and–…

“Gojo-sensei, I do not mean to impose but…”, you breathed out. “...is that a maid costume?”, Megumi finished what you wanted to ask. “Hell yes, I thought our Megumi would look so nice in it!” Satoru had that shit-eating grin on his face.

Silence.

“Sensei, can you hold him so I can give this perv a good beating?” Nobara asked as she turned to you. “Sure,” you replied with an innocent-looking smile. You heard someone cracking their knuckles. “I’ll help you,” Megumi said. So the sound came from Megumi. “Wait, wait, guys!” your same-aged friend fretted, head whipping in Yuuji’s direction, silently asking for some help. The latter rubbed his head, debating whether he wanted to be a part of this mess or not. He ultimately ended up trying to help his teacher but couldn’t tear away the glowing restraint you put upon your co-teacher.

However, before anyone could land a hit or be saved, a menacing roar could be heard. It was followed by multiple phones ringing and someone banging on your door. “Please, Y/N-san, it’s very urgent! A grade 1 curse is in the city… with a few of its friends!” It was Ijichi. For a moment, everything stood still and you looked at everyone. Satoru spoke up loud enough for Ijichi to hear, “We’ll head out.” He nullified your light technique.

You looked at the man and nodded, heading out with him.

“Wait, sensei, we are coming too,” Megumi said, his face determined as he, Nobara and Yuuji followed the two of you outside. “Fine by me, but don’t die on me,” you said.

[chubbymoongoddess]

Seal Milk

So, I’m finally finished! I’m so sorry if this doesn’t live up to the hype, but I really hope you guys enjoy it. I did really try my best. I wanted to get this done since I’m (hopefully) going back to work tomorrow night and I know if I do I won’t have too much motivation for anything. I apologize if this disappoints anyone after it’s been hyped up for so long.

This is crossposted on ao3!

“Has anyone seen Jimin? This is like the fifth time he’s gone missing today!” Taehyung pouted, his striped ears laying flat on his head. “Tae, he does this like.. Every day. Be patient, he’ll be back from whatever he’s doing soon.” Namjoon mumbled, legs crossed while he was doing his school work. The tiger hybrid pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah but he could at least tell us when he’s leaving! He’s so secretive and I’m his best friend! I should know what he’s doing!” The polar bear hybrid sighed, closing his books for a moment. “Come here. You can snuggle with me until he gets back so you don’t wake Yoongi hyung up. You know how he gets when that happens. Taehyung pouted more, standing in place for a moment before he slowly made his way into Namjoon’s lap, snuggling against him as he waited for Jimin to get back. It’s not like he was going to complain. Since Namjoon was a polar bear, he was pretty chubby. His thighs, belly and chest were always nice and soft, so he made a good pillow for whenever Jimin was absent.

  Meanwhile, Jimin was hiding in one of the showers down the hall, whining quietly to himself as he gently tugged at his engorged nipples. He had to milk himself a few times a day unfortunately and the university’s showers were the best place to do it. He had a small, private stall to himself without his friends checking in on him and asking him if he was okay. You see, Jimin was a hooded seal hybrid, which was pretty rare, especially in males. While he has a small, soft tummy and thick thighs and ass, he did his best to keep himself in shape. The only thing he couldn’t control were his tits. They had started out small once he hit puberty and had grown bigger each year after that. He had started to lactate his first day of highschool and since then he’s been hiding away to milk himself, reliving the pain of his tits being way too full. Once he was finished, he sighed, cleaning himself up and tugging his shirt back down before he made his way back to their shared dorm.

  The moment he walked into the room, Taehyung was up and already jumping onto the smaller male, rubbing his cheeks against him. “Jiminnie I missed you!” Jimin sighed softly, leaving a small peck on the tiger hybrid’s cheek. “I was gone for no more than ten minutes Tae.”

  “Yeah but.. You know I don’t like being away from you! And you leave a lot! What do you have going on where you have to leave like seven times a day?!” Jimin paused, peeking down at his friend who had now smushed his face against his chest. His face was covered but he could tell the younger was still pouting. “Well.. it’s really nothing. I.. I just go out for a little fresh air is all?” He lied, sucking in a breath. “Never mind that though. How about we go cuddle quietly so Namjoon hyung can finish his work and you don’t wake Yoongi hyung?” Taehyung’s head immediately popped up, his wide and boxy smile back. “Please!”

  That’s all it took for Jimin to pry Taehyung off of him, grab his hand and lead him into his room, shooting Namjoon an apologetic look as they walked past him. The older just smiled as the door to Jimin’s room shut, both him and Taehyung flopping onto the bed. It didn’t take the younger man very long before he was pressed right up against the older’s small frame, arms and legs wrapped around him with his face once again smushed against Jimin’s chest. Jimin always found this endearing. Sure, he kinda hated his chest sometimes but whenever Taehyung used it as a pillow, it made him super soft. Reaching up,  he pet through his best friend’s hair, cooing softly.  “You’re so cute. I hope you know that.” This made the tiger hybrid whine and peek up at the seal. “I know I am! You just make a good pillow.” Jimin chuckled at this, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Taehyung’s nose. “Take a nap with me then. We can study after dinner.”

  The two fell asleep pretty easily. They usually always did. Taehyung would sleep with his face buried between Jimin’s tits, arms and legs wrapped around the shorter male while Jimin would sleep with his arms around the tiger. It was always comfortable and usually they’d wake up well rested. Well, this time Jimin didn’t. He woke up in unbearable pain and Taehyung was still wrapped around him. Fuck. Jimin nudged his friend awake, squirming slightly. “Tae… Tae, roll over.. I gotta pee really bad.” He lied. It worked though, because Taehyung rolled over and grabbed a pillow to hug onto. Thank god. The seal hybrid got up as fast as he could, literally running toward the front door, calling on his way out. “Gotta pee! Be back!” before slamming the door shut.

  By time he got into the bathroom, he was in excruciating pain. He quickly stripped his shirt off and immediately started to tug on his nipples. The relief was almost instant. The emptier his tits got, the better he felt. He watched as the milk ran down the drain, making him sigh. Damn his genes. He was wasting perfectly good milk by doing this. He should be selling it honestly. Hooded seal milk was rare and Jimin could be cashing in on that, but he didn’t want his friends to know that he even had to milk himself. Would it be a waste if he drank it though? He had always wondered how it would taste, considering people went nuts for the stuff. A little bit wouldn’t..hurt right?

  Jimin lifted up one of his breasts, bringing his nipple to his mouth. He was blushing and honestly had no idea why he was even doing this. As soon as he started to suckle though, he moaned. The milk tasted so good, it was almost addicting. No wonder people paid so much for this stuff. He was only supposed to try a drop, but before he knew it, Jimin had completely emptied both of his tits and embarrassingly, he had gotten hard while doing so. Great. Now he was going to have to take care of that.

  Twenty minutes had passed before Jimin had gotten back to the dorm and the moment he walked in, Hoseok was waving him over to the dinner table. “I thought you just had to pee?” As Jimin sat, he shifted slightly in his seat. “I did!  But lunch must have messed my tummy up.” He pouted as the squirrel hybrid came over to hug his head against his stomach. “Poor Jimin-ah. I hope you feel better. We ordered takeout and it just arrived. 

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

Finals season came and with that came stress. For everyone in the dorm, except for Yoongi. The cat hybrid didn’t really care too much about finals or studying. He was usually sleeping. The last few weeks, Jimin had been milking himself with his mouth and then touching himself more than once a day. With that and the stress eating he had been doing, he had gotten a little… chubbier. See, nobody told him that his milk had a high percentage of fat and he was gulping it down multiple times a day. So now, none of his clothes fit right. His shirt stretched over his jiggly midsection, so stretched that you could see his belly button indent. He had trouble getting his pants over his softer thighs and jiggly ass and he was starting to get a small double chin. Not to mention his tits getting even heavier with his weight gain. Jimin didn’t mind it too much. He’d just work it off after finals. No big deal, right?

  What the seal hybrid didn’t know, was that his friends had noticed his gain too and that they gathered together one day while Jimin was in the bathroom yet again, to talk about it. “Have you guys seen Jiminnie lately? He’s all soft and jiggly.” Taehyung whined. “And he hasn’t been letting me nap with him and I wanna touch his tummy.” Yoongi yawned. “Maybe he’s insecure about it? It’s most likely just finals stress weight. He’ll work it off.”  The rest of the boys agreed but Hoseok spoke out afterward. “Still, maybe we should check on him? Make sure he’s actually okay? You know how Jiminnie is, he likes to deal with things on his own.” Again, they all agreed.  So, all of the boys had gathered around the kitchen table to wait for the seal hybrid to come back in, chattering amongst themselves.

  The door opened ten minutes later, Jimin walking in and tugging his now almost too tight shirt down over his stomach. When he looked up and saw the others staring at him, he raised a brow. “What?” Seokjin cleared his throat. “We just wanted to ask if you were okay? You know, you go to the bathroom a lot and.. Well, Jiminnie, to put it bluntly, you’ve gotten a little chubby.” Jimin frowned a little, reaching to grab onto his soft belly. “I mean.. Yeah but, I can get rid of it. I haven’t been eating that much.. A-and I’m okay! I’m just stressed!” Seokjin was about to reply when Taehyung got up and squinted at Jimin. “Minnie, what’s that on your chin?” The seal hybrid blinked in confusion, reaching to wipe his mouth and chin with his hand. He paled when he looked at it. Fuck. Fuck, he didn’t wipe all of the milk off of him. He stared at the other six boys, mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the right words. He was going to have to come clean sooner or later, so he took a deep breath and cupped his chest.

  “These.. Have been filling up with milk multiple times a day since I hit puberty. The reason I kept going to the bathroom was to milk myself. If I didn’t, I’d end up in excruciating pain.. I.. this is embarrassing but a few months ago, I had the bright idea to.. Try a little bit of it? I ended up getting addicted so.. I milk myself with my mouth and.. I take longer in the bathroom because.. It.. turns me on so.. Yeah.” Jimin exhaled, squeezing his eyes shut.

  There was a short, almost awkward silence before the other six started speaking all at once. “Aww, Jiminnie that’s so cute! Why didn’t you tell us before?!” Hoseok chattered as Taehyung chimed in. “Yeah! You could have relieved yourself in your room! We’d have left you alone!” The cooing over him had the seal hybrid red as a beet, but Yoongi’s voice had the room quiet again. “You guys do know that hooded seal milk is super high in fat? So all of that milking, multiple times a day.. Mixed in with the snacking is why you’ve gotten bigger, Jimin.” It had Jimin blushing and his eyes opening. “How come you never told me?! I mean.. I.. I don’t mind the weight but still!” the cat hybrid just shrugged. “Figured you knew about yourself already. It does make you look pretty cute though.” “Hey Jiminnie?” Namjoon piped up. “Next time you need to do it.. Do you think you could.. Do it in front of us? I think that would help with you being so embarrassed about it.” The seal hybrid paused, thinking for a minute or two before sighing quietly. “Yeah, Yeah I can.. Give me a few hours. When I need to I’ll call all of you out. For now, I need to get back to studying.” The others nodded as Jimin almost ran into his room. He just wanted to bury himself in his work.

  It was morning when Jimin finally came out of his room. He tried to do so quietly, but a few small whines ended up slipping past his lips. He really pushed himself the night before. Usually he would need to milk himself twice before morning, but after last night, he ignored the pain and tried to sleep, which was a terrible idea because now he was in excruciating pain and his tits were pretty swollen. The other boys were already sitting up at the table eating breakfast when Hoseok noticed the seal hybrid. The squirrel’s usual bright smile greeted him. “Jiminnie! You didn’t come out last night? Are you okay?” When Jimin didn’t answer and just stood there with the hem of his shirt bunched up in his hands, the older’s smile dropped. “Minnie? Are.. are you in pain?” He got up, escorting Jimin to the couch to sit while the others worriedly followed. “Sweetheart.. Tell me, did you milk yourself last night at all?” The younger shook his head, squirming a little. “N..No.. got embarrassed and.. And now it h..hurts..”

  Hoseok’s frown deepened as he looked around at the others, giving them a “what should we do?” type of look. Seokjin stepped in then and moved to gently pet through Jimin’s soft hair. “Can we take your shirt off for you, dear? That way it’s easier for you to milk yourself?” Jimin pouted and shook his head. “Don’t.. Don’t want you guys to make fun of me..” The peacock hybrid pouted, kneeling to cup Jimin’s chubby cheeks in his hands. “Jiminnie, we would never make fun of you. You know this. We never make fun of Namjoon when he eats a lot for winter hibernation, do we?” Slowly, Jimin shook his head, peeking from Seokjin up to the polar bear hybrid who gently smiled at the seal. “No…” “Right and we never make fun of Kookie when he goes into his heats, do we?” Again, Jimin shook his head no. “Alright.. Then just do what you need to do okay? We’re here to comfort you and help you.”

  With a small exhale, Jimin sat up and lifted his arms, wincing slightly as Seokjin lifted the younger’s shirt off. It took him a moment and a little more coaxing from the other boys before he lifted one of his tits, placing his mouth around his nipple and started to suckle. The others went quiet then, just watching as Jimin slowly started to get more into it, letting out soft moans and mewls. Quietly, Jungkook nudged Taehyung’s shoulder, pointing to the seal hybrid’s crotch where his pants had started to tent. This could fuck up everything, but the bunny hybrid was feeling a bit brave. “Does that feel good, Jiminnie hyung? I bet it does. You know.. You shouldn’t wait so long if you’re gonna be in pain. We’ll have to help you next time if you do this again.” It just made Jimin whine, squirming in his chair as he moved to the other nipple when he was finished with the first. 

  Jungkook slowly slid his hand up and over Jimin’s leg, trailing his fingers along his thigh before he started to slowly palm the older. “Jungkook st-” Yoongi was cut off by Namjoon gently shouldering him when Jimin mewled around his engorged nipple. “He likes it. Maybe we should help.” With that, the others moved in closer. As Jungkook continued to palm Jimin, Seokjin and Namjoon went to work on kissing at the younger’s head, neck and face, occasionally nipping and sucking at his skin. Taehyung moved to carefully set Jimin in his lap, letting him grind down against him as Yoongi kissed and nipped along Jimin’s belly and Hoseok went for his thighs. All of the stimulation had Jimin whimpering and moaning as he milked himself and just as he was about to finish, his body jerked and writhed in Taehyung’s lap as he found release. He laid again his best friend, panting hard for a few moments before he opened his eyes. He didn’t want to see how the others were looking at him just yet and he knew his own face was beet red.

  After a few more moments, he carefully peeked around, biting his lip. The other boys were smiling at him, almost cooing even. “Jimin-ah, you’re so cute. You know, we’ll help you like this every time you need to milk yourself right? Didn’t that feel so much better than doing it alone?” Jungkook purred up at him, making Jimin’s cheeks go red again. “P..Please.. It does feel so much better..I-” Jimin’s sentence was interrupted by a few hiccups. “Aww, does our baby have the hiccups? You must have drank way too fast. Come, we’ll get you cleaned up and give you little belly rubs to help.” Namjoon hummed.

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

 Months went by and Jimin basically had everyone at his command. Whenever he wanted snacks, he’d call on someone. Whenever he needed to be milked, he’d call on all of them. Over the months, the boys spoiled their little seal more often. They would bring him takeout, slide him treats and even feed him when he was studying and they were finished with their own work. All of the constant snacking and takeout made the seal hybrid balloon. He was a little over four-hundred and fifty pounds now and a lot of it settled on his bottom half. He had a rather large belly and his tits were at least a double F cup. Not that he wore bras. But his ass, his ass took up a good chunk of the couch when he sat and at the table he needed two chairs to sit in. The boys would fight over who’s lap Jimin got to sit on often as each of them loved getting crushed under all of the seal’s flab. Jimin couldn’t go a second without one of his now boyfriends with their face stuffed either between his tits or his soft stomach either. It made him beyond happy.

 With Jimin’s gain came a little bit of gas. He was eating a lot of junk so every now and then, the boys would hear a loud belch or an equally as loud fart come from wherever Jimin was in the house. Not that they minded of course. They found it rather hot whenever it would happen. There were.. A few problems that came with Jimin getting so big though. The fatter he got, the more the chairs creaked when he sat down on them. It was even worse when he stuffed himself during meals. Jimin would lay back, chair creaking dangerously as he rubbed his stuffed, taut gut. He never paid any mind to it, until the one day he absolutely had to.

  During a massive dinner stuffing, Jimin did his usual routine. Sat back, rubbed and patted his gut and tilted his head back to let out an ear rumbling burp. He must have eaten too much though because both of the chairs he was sitting on snapped and the seal hybrid fell with a hard thud onto the floor. His ass wobbled harshly with the fall, but it thankfully was padded enough to not have hurt him. The others rushed to their boyfriend, checking to see if he was alright. Though they were very aroused, Jimin’s safety came first. They were confused though, when he started to cackle. “Looks like I can’t sit at the table anymore huh? Come and.. And help me up. I can’t lift myself.” From then on, Jimin ate on the couch.

  Another instance of the seal’s weight gain was the day he got up for a class. “I’ll see you guys in a few hours!” He called out to the three that were home at the time. Jungkook, Yoongi and Taehyung. “Bye, Jiminnie! See you when you get back!” Taehyung called back as the other two waved. As Jimin went to walk through the front door, something stopped him. His hips and ass. They were wedged in the door frame, making him whine quietly. “Um.. guys? Come here a second?” The three got up to see what Jimin may have needed but stopped as soon as they saw. Jimin was trying to pull himself free from the door frame and it was just making his ass wobble up a storm. “Jiminnie. Hold on, you’re just making it worse!” Yoongi called out, making the younger stop struggling. “Hold on.. I’ll get some butter and I’ll have Taehyung and Jungkook push when I’m done.”

  After running to the fridge and grabbing the butter, Yoongi took some out with his fingers and slathered it on Jimin’s hips and ass where he was stuck. He managed to squeeze his fingers between the crack of the door frame and the younger’s flab, so he hoped that would help too. “Alright, you two. Get ready.” The two younger boys nodded, each resting their hands on one of Jimin’s massive ass cheeks. “Jimin, when I say push, you try to pull yourself out of there. Ready? One, two, three!” Both Taehyung and Jungkook grunted as they started to push, their hands sinking into the fat of Jimin’s ass slightly as the seal hybrid started to try and push himself forward. It took a few minutes and a bit of wriggling, but eventually Jimin was free. He was panting softly, leaning against the frame. “I wonder if the school will widen this for me.. Otherwise, I’m gonna have to start coming in sideways.”

  The other three looked at each other and then to Jimin. “Fuck your class today. We have other plans for you. Get back in here.” With a knowing smirk, Jimin turned himself sideways, carefully moving himself back into the dorm room. His ass and belly still brushed against the frame, but he didn’t get stuck. His day was going to consist of nothing but fucking, napping and sleeping. Especially when the other three found out what had happened. This was going to be fun.

[dothwrites]

2020 Writing in Review

Well, it’s been a shitshow of a year, ain’t it? The one bright spot in this year was that it left me a ton of time for writing! With no further ado, here are the fics I worked on the year of our lord, 2020. 

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the blood which we drew | Rated: M | Word Count: 7335 | COMPLETE

Castiel bears the Mark. And for a few months, it's fine.

It's fine until it isn't.

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ramble on | Rated: E | Word Count: 26,875 | WIP

A series of Season 15 codas, crossposted to tumblr. Tags, Warnings, and Rating may change, based on source material.

(Technically started this in 2019, but I added to it this year, so I’m counting it)

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protect and serve | Rated: E | Word Count: 49,953 | COMPLETE

Police officer Dean Winchester's next assignment seems easy enough: a protection detail on Assistant District Attorney Castiel Novak, who's been receiving death threats in conjunction with the case that he's prosecuting. Dean's assignment is to keep ADA Novak safe, alive, and in one piece so that he can start his trial against Dick Roman, notorious CEO charged with the death of at least eight people.

With threats that quickly spin out of control, a missing teenage genius, Dean's attraction to Novak, and Novak's mercurial attitude towards Dean--Dean Winchester's next assignment is anything but easy.

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what stays (and what fades away) | Rated: E | Word Count: 64,421 | COMPLETE

Cas Novak’s life is perfect. He has a job that he loves and friends who support him. Most importantly, he has his husband, Dean Winchester, and his two adopted children, Claire and Jack. With them, nothing could ever go wrong.

That is, until he starts having flashes of a life that isn’t his and meets someone who shares his husband’s face but not his personality, someone who insists that he’s someone, something, different altogether. Cas’ life shatters when he’s dragged into a world that he doesn’t belong to and doesn’t understand.

Dean Winchester’s life was already shattered when he lost Castiel.

---

thunder road | Rated: E | Word Count: 20,883 | COMPLETE

After Chuck is defeated and the Winchesters settle into life without God, Dean Winchester is bored.

OR: Dean and Cas take a road trip and figure out some stuff along the way.

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alone together | Rated: E | Word Count: 74, 239 | COMPLETE

Like the rest of the world, Dean Winchester’s job sent him home with the supplies necessary to work from home and a vague farewell of “We’ll see you when this all blows over”. Unlike the rest of the world, Dean Winchester is entering into a quarantine with Castiel Novak, his incredibly hot and incredibly uninterested roommate. How is Dean supposed to concentrate on his job while Cas is just a few feet away, being...well, Cas?

Castiel Novak was already working from home, so the news of social distancing doesn’t affect him that much. What does send him into a panic is the knowledge that Dean Winchester, his stunning and straight roommate, will also be working from home for the foreseeable future. After spending so long trying to distance himself from Dean, Castiel now has to face a future where Dean is present. All. The. Time.

They’ve got food, Internet, and all the toilet paper they need, but neither one of them is prepared for quarantine.

---

for a sinner released | Rated: E | Word Count: 8,800 | COMPLETE

Testing his theory, he runs his fingers over the soft skin of Dean’s wrist, until his thumb is pressed firmly against Dean’s hammering pulse. Cas pulls, gently but inexorably, until Dean is forced to take a step forward. The shift in positioning pushes the barrel of the gun into his forehead.

Cold metal touches overheated skin, and Cas inhales sharply at the contrasting sensations. The gun is unforgiving, relentless, beautiful.

It’s like Dean.

---

and all this devotion | Rated: M | Word Count: 10,572 | COMPLETE

Dean’s not stupid. He’s seen the looks Cas has aimed his way, when Cas thought he wasn’t paying attention. He’s leveled his share of looks back at Cas when the angel’s attention was elsewhere. More than once, he’s been caught in the act. At this point, they’re both dancing around the same elephant, too scared and caught in their ways to make the first move.

OR: Dean gets hurt on a hunt. Cas takes care of him. There's only one bed. Confessions ensue.

---

lost in translation | Rated: T | Word Count: 3,720 | COMPLETE 

Cas bites at his lower lip, looking uncommonly shy. Worry starts to stir in Dean’s gut, which is only compounded when Cas says something else in soft yet clear Enochian. As the new phrase doesn’t have the word stupid anywhere in it, Dean doesn’t have the slightest idea of what Cas is saying. The guilt squirming in his stomach gets worse when Cas looks at him, with gentle anticipation, as though he’s expecting a reply. Dean does what humans have been doing since the beginning of time when confronted with a language they don’t understand and smiles, wide and sunny, at Cas. Cas’ forehead creases but he returns the gesture. His eyes are still brimming over with emotion and the sight does something to Dean.

Dean begins to suspect that he may have started something which he is not equipped to finish.

---

a new song about a new life | Rated: E | Word Count: 21,282 | WIP

There is no happily ever after. Mostly because there is no after. Life is just a series of days and nothing ever really ends. It just continues on, even after the curtain closes, and while the struggles might not be epic, they're no less impressive. Domestic life isn't without its pitfalls and trials, but at the end of the day, Dean and Cas still have each other and in the end, that's enough.

A series of timestamps detailing the small adventures of Dean and Castiel. Will contain teensy amounts of angst and a heap of fluff and domesticity.

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angel in black | Rated: E | Word Count: 95,325 | COMPLETE

Bounty hunter Castiel Novak has simple rules for how he conducts his business. Get in, get out, deliver the fugitive, and do it all with the least amount of effort possible. Never become emotionally involved.

When he takes on the job of hunting down Sam and Dean Winchester in order to bring them to justice, his rules start shifting. Threatened by supernatural forces as well as his attraction to Dean, Castiel soon has to decide what he’s willing to stand for…and what he’s willing to die for.

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ghosts that we knew | Rated: E | Word Count: 89,411 | COMPLETE

Dean can’t help it. Castiel’s laugh is infectious, washing over him and sweeping him up in its tide. His throat and stomach ache with the feel of it, unfamiliar muscles worked past their endurance. He hasn’t laughed like this in weeks, maybe years.

Cas doesn’t stop laughing, and Dean relishes it. It’s such a good sound, deep and throaty. It rumbles over him the same way that Baby’s engine purrs, to where he can almost feel it in his gut. Dean’s giddy, the kind of happy that hunters don’t get to feel, and if it weren’t for the ceiling, he thinks he might float away. Cas’ eyes crinkle when he laughs, and his smile goes wide and gummy. He’s so brilliant, so alive—

But you’re dead, Dean thinks helplessly. But you’re dead.

---

Castiel Novak is one of the best hunters Dean Winchester has ever worked with. He's witty, whip-smart, and has enough knowledge about the supernatural to rival an encyclopedia. He's got humor dry enough to put the Sahara to shame and he's pretty easy on the eyes as well. All in all, he's the best partner Dean could have hoped for.

Too bad he's dead.

---

the best of things | Rated: G | Word Count: 2,494 | COMPLETE

There’s something.

This is significant because, for as long as Castiel can remember, there’s been nothing. --- Castiel finds a way out of the Empty.

---

freedom | Rated: G | Word Count: 4,804 | COMPLETE

Freedom.

Dean rolls the word around on the tip of his tongue and tastes how it feels. Freedom.

It’s a strange concept, especially since he always assumed that he was. Ever since Apocalypse Version 1.0 was averted, Michael and Lucifer locked in the cage, thanks very much, he’s always assumed that he was the one calling the shots. No matter how badly he fucked up (and he fucked up a lot), he could at least take comfort in the fact that those were his choices. No one’s hand up Dean Winchester’s ass, no siree.

And then Chuck came and ripped that certainty away from him in one quick motion and then...everything was suspect. Sam, Mom, Jack...Cas. Every word, every action, every emotion... He couldn’t trust anything, so he trusted nothing.

--- OR: Dean makes a choice.

---

at the end of the world | Rated: G | Word Count: 4,631 | COMPLETE

Rebuilding Heaven is slow work, but time doesn’t really mean anything here. It’s delicate to rebuild the walls separating billions of souls so that nothing collapses. Castiel works alongside Jack, making suggestions as his mind trips along to potential problems.

Though it’s never said aloud, Castiel knows why Jack is working tirelessly. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, the knowledge sits that Sam and Dean are going to die. One day, they will pass from the earth, and come to Heaven, and on that day, Castiel wants everything to be perfect for them. He wants to show them a true paradise, a place without walls or barriers, a place where emotion is genuine and not just a manufactured memory. Rebuilding Heaven is his last chore, the last of his penance to be performed.

--- OR: Team Free Will gets the soft epilogue which they deserve.

---

let your heart be light | Rated: M | Word Count: 31,651 | WIP

It's Dean and Cas' first official Christmas together as a couple. What could possibly go wrong?

Just Cas' weird family, his own personal hang-ups about Christmas, Dean's persistent belief that the miracle of Christmas can heal all wounds, and meddling friends and family.

Have a Merry Christmas.

[galaxwrites]

That time Kaito (accidentally) seduced a dragon

Yugioh writing, this time.

crossposted on my AO3

A mix of Zexal and Arc-V

Ship: ...what's the ship name for Kaito x Shun? that's the one

Dungeons and Dragons AU!

Please, enjoy~

-------

The very way Yuto Sakaki was sitting on the throne radiated power, but... His face looked sorrowful. Kaito had seen plenty of sorrowful kings, but never one this...gloomy. Almost as if in mourning.

He did find it weird how there was no advisor or queen that sat besides him. The last time the pirate was in front of the king, he had the Kurosaki siblings at his side. But now...He was alone.

Yuma's voice snapped the pirate out of his thoughts, as the paladin spoke to the dark-robed king. "Your majesty, I am Yuma Tsukumo, Paladin of Ellipas. And me and my gang have a proposition for you."

The king raised an eyebrow. "What kind of proposition, and what is in it for my people?"

"Well, you may already know about your brothers and their kingdoms. And...The threat that Yuri's kingdom poses." Yuma stated. "We believe it'd be best to reunite the kingdoms into one. We've got King Yuya of the Kingdom of Flames on board. We want to continue with you."

Yuto rose from his throne, and walked up to the party of four. Kaito noted that his cape was...well, pretty long. "Reuniting the kingdoms would be vital to our survival, but if I am to get on board with this plan...I need something in return." He stopped right in front of Kaito. The pirate gulped. "My advisor and my queen, Kurosaki Shun and Ruri.. They've gone missing and I am assuming it has to do with the two dragons that have shown up at the edge of my territory. I wish for you to find them, and get rid of my little dragon problem."

Ryouga nodded. "Piece of cake."

The king only narrowed his eyes, at Kaito in particular. "You've been in my kingdom before, and caused quite a stir.. I don't trust you, Tenjou."

"I assure you, your highness, I won't cause that sort of trouble again." Kaito replied, having to physically stop himself from shaking by gripping his arm.

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

Yuto had lead the group to a dark forest he called "Raptor's Hollow". It was thick and twisty and Kaito wondered how any creature could live here.

A distant roar, that steadily grew closer as the group pressed forward, was heard. One of the dragons, maybe.

It took about an hour of walking before the group had reached it-a large, dragon-made clearing. Stumps of wood and full trees were scattered around it. Two dragons sat in the middle, one roaring in pain and the other whimpering while trying to help the other.

The roaring one was much bigger than the other. Its scales a dark green, with a lighter teal underbelly and wings. Its gold eyes shimmered with a sort of familiarity.

The other was a deep purple, with hot pink eyes and pastel purple wings. A small ribbon was tied around its tail.

The bigger one lifted its snout, sniffed the air, and roared, heading straight towards the gang. Yuto and Kaito simply jumped out of the way, with Ryouga and Astral simply running.

But like always, Yuma was an idiot and froze up, getting rammed into a tree. He cried out in pain. "OW-"

"YUMA!!" Astral yelled, obviously concerned. The paladin flashed a thumbs up.

"I'm okay! I think I broke a few ribs but I'm okay!"

Kaito sighed. That's gonna be a Cure Wounds later. For now, he had a plan. A risky one, but when were his plans ever risk free?

He took his lute, and strummed a small tune, letting the spell he had prepared be cast on the dragon. The dragon tilted its head and looked at the bard, listening to the tune. Kaito continued to just...play. Not just for his spell, to to calm himself down as well. Playing music always seemed to help.

As his tune ended, the bard put his lute back, and held a hand out to the dragon. "Hello, there." He said. "Are you hurt?"

The dragon nodded, holding up its tail. A rather large bear trap was secured on it, and dark blood still steeped out of it. Kaito winced. The thing looked painful to even look at. But he nodded and walked over to the dragon's tail. He wasn't a formal healer, but he knew a thing or two about traps and how to get unstuck from them.

He barely even touched the trap when the dragon roared. He held out his hand again. "Easy, there." He said, softly. The dragon layed his head down next to Kaito, softly whimpering. Kaito placed his hand on his head. "Try and stay still."

The smaller dragon tilted its head in confusion as Kaito got to work. With all the strength he could muster, he opened up the bear trap. The dragon roared again and raised its tail, only for Kaito to push it back down. "Let me patch you up, first." He reached into his pack and took out two large rolls of gauze, and started wrapping it around the dragon's tail.

Meanwhile, Yuto turned to Ryouga. "Are your party members always like this?"

Ryouga nodded. "Sadly, yes."

"...I am deeply sorry for you."

The siren shrugged. "Eh, I'm used to it. Though Yuma's idiocy can be a bit much."

"I figured." Yuto said.

As that went on, Kaito finished wrapping the dragon's tail. "There. You should be good for now."

The dragon bowed his head in thanks, and made a sort of friendly growl.

"...I can't understand you, you know." Kaito stated, but he got an idea. "Hang on." With a snap of his fingers, he casted a spell; Speak With Animals. "Try now."

Thank you, kind stranger. The dragon said, in its growly voice. Who are you?

"My name is Kaito Tenjo, I'm the captain of the Starry-Eyed serpent." Kaito replied. "Part time bard. And your name?"

Kurosaki Shun. I was cursed to stay in this form until someone breaks the spell placed on me and my Sister.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "And how do I do that?"

Shun shrugged. I've no idea myself..

The bard thought for a moment. What breaks curses?

....A kiss? That might work!

"...I have an idea, but I have to ask if it's alright for me to kiss you."

In the background, Ryouga mumbled "Of course he's suggesting that." Yuto facepalmed, and Yuma just weakly cheered Kaito on.

Shun tilted his head. ...Why?

"In some of the old fairy tales I've read, the curse is broken with a kiss." Kaito explained. "It might be the case here."

...Just do it then. I can't take this form any longer,

Kaito nodded, and pressed a kiss to Shun's snout. In a flash of dark magic, the dragon-just the one, the other who Kaito guessed was Ruri was just hugging Yuto at this point-seemed to shift into a young man who was just Kaito's type. Dark hair of green and turquoise, yellow eyes, and dressed almost like a classy vampire.

Needless to say, it was pretty much love at first sight.

"Thank you, Kaito." Shun said, with a smile. His voice was smooth and deep.

Kaito took a bow. "You're welcome, Sir Shun."

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

After the incident, Yuto joined the alliance, and Shun joined the group. Turns out having a shapeshifting sorcerer as a teammate is a good idea. As night fell, the Starry-Eyed Serpent set sail once more, towards the Kingdom Of Winds. Kaito stood out on the main deck, the wind blowing in his coat. Most of the crew-minus Droite and Gauche- had gone to sleep. But, Kaito never slept. Not like he needed it, anyways.

As the moon and stars rose, Kaito held a hand up to one of the constellations. Gemini.

"Hang on, Gem." He whispered. "I'll find you.."

"What's all this about?" Shun asked, walking up behind Kaito.

The bard turned around, and smiled. "Shun. You need anything?"

The shapeshifter shrugged. "No, just...Couldn't sleep. Why you up?"

"I don't exactly need to sleep." Kaito stated, pointing at his pointy ears. "Just meditation every once in a while. Comes with being a half elf."

"Ah." Shun said. "...May I ask who Gem is?"

"...Gemini is one of my siblings." The bard stated. "Hart isn't my only one. We have ten others, and Gemini's one of them." Kaito explained. "...They'd be 15, today."

"...Did they die?" Shun asked.

Kaito shook his head. "No. Just...Father mistreated them and Virgo. So all of us ran away from him and...we somehow got separated. I'm still searching for them."

"What were they like?"

"Well, Gem's really bright and fun. They loved it when I sang. And Virgo was just really shy, but she got along well with basically everyone." Kaito said. "I miss them..."

"I know the feeling, dude." Shun said. "One time I lost Ruri, and I almost went insane trying to find her."

Kaito chuckled. "I can see it, I suppose."

"Yeah..." Shun gave a small laugh of his own. "One more question?"

"Yeah?"

"...Your siblings seemed to be named after the zodiacs, but you and Haruto aren't?"

"Oh, that. We chose these names to distance ourselves from our father." Kaito explained. "My real name is Sagittarius."

Shun smiled. "..Kaito fits you a bit better."

"I know, it does. Now I've got two questions of my own." Kaito stated. "One, mind calling me Kite? We're friends, now. You don't need to be so formal."

Shun nodded. "Sure, Kite. ..What's the second?"

Kaito-Kite-smiled. "....Is there anyone out there whom you like?"

The shapeshifter blushed. "..T-there's someone. Not s-sure if he reciprocates."

The pirate raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"...W-well, it's you.." Shun confessed.

Though Kite kept his cool, he was screaming on the inside. This hottie liked him? WHAT THE HELL?

He took a deep breath, and calmed himself. "What if I said I liked you back?"

Shun's face gained a dusting of red. "...Wait, seriously?"

Kite nodded. "Why wouldn't I? You seem like a nice fellow, and it helps that you look positively handsome."

"I.. I m-mean... Oh fuck it." Shun grabbed Kite by the coat, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Kite blushed heavily, but...well, he kissed back. His arms wrapped around Shun's waist and pulled him close.

It wasn't anything big, it was just a kiss, but Kite, in that moment, felt utterly elated.

When the two had to pull away for air, he smiled. "Look at that. I seduced the dragon."

Shun huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Guess you did.."

[cicadahaze]

Here’s my entry to the @pnatsecretsanta for 2020! @quarktrinity, I hope you enjoy! It’ll be crossposted to ao3, link will be in a reblog. Thank you for your patience!

Isabel: hey so

Isabel: when are u going to get here

Max: wat?

Max: its xmas ev

Isabel: you really need to get a new phone

Isabel: and remember? youre supposed to come to my place tonight, wait it out

Isabel: max?

Isabel: if you were spacing out again im going to kill you

Isabel: you WERE doing the face again now that i think about it

Max: u guys ned 2 mak imprtnt info cler. Y i spcd

Isabel: you need to listen! this time mr spender remembered to tell u and everything. youre not allowed to be mad at us this time

Isabel: in short, get ur butt over here before midnight. sneak out if u need to, thats what isaac does

Isabel: in long, if u dont santas gonna kill u

----

“Let me get this straight.” 11:30 P.M. December 24th, 20XX. Max sat in Ed’s room on a chair hastily drawn up, with a jacket pulled hastily over his pajamas and hat still jammed on his head, massaging his temples. “Santa’s real, he’s a spirit, and he hates all spectrals and is coming to kill us?”

“That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but yeah,” Isaac said, and Max shot him a glare. He could hear that smugness. “So like, there’s a lot of spirits that kinda grow from ideas humans have, right? I don’t know what’s up with Scrapdragon, but like, Muse came from the ideas around ancient Greek muses, like his name. They can be really off base but still have the same ideas- like Lucifer, Mr. Spender’s spirit, is just some lightbulb guy, but Lucifer does mean light and stuff, so they can just be along those lines. But like, a LOT of kids believe in Santa and think about him a lot, so there’ve been a few spirits that manifested around the idea of a guy who can get anywhere to deliver presents to good kids and punishments to bad ones, especially with stories like Krampus too.”

“But most spirits can’t interact with humans, so this guy mostly goes around to other spirits and ghosts and stuff,” Isabel said, distracted by her attempts to spin her umbrella like a top. “So he likes spirits a lot. And we kick a lot of spirit butt,” she punctuated this with a particular spirited spin of the umbrella, “so he hates us and comes to try to kill us every year. And because he can teleport, he can get inside the barrier. So gramps makes us all stay with him until sunrise every year so that all the adults can fight off santa and his reindeer so we don’t get put in a sack and teleported somewhere.”

Max groans and tries to fall backwards in his chair, but the chair doesn’t budge. “Your paint really isn’t good for drama,” Max informed Ed.

“Don’t be so dramatic then,” Ed snickered. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Says you, You just stay at home all night. I have to sneak out! My dad’ll kill me if he finds out!”

“I just put a pillow in my blankets and it’s fine,” Isaac says with a shrug. “If your dad looks harder than that, we probably have a tool lying around that can wipe memories or something.”

“I don’t want to mind wipe my dad,” Max grumbled, but resigned himself to slumping grumpily in his chair to watch Ed play some punching game or whatever. Bad enough that his own baseball bat might want to eat him, and he was trapped in this town with no way out- now Christmas hated him too. 

Isaac caught his eye and smiled sympathetically. “You get used to it,” he whispered.

“I thought I was used to it a month ago.”

Max jumped as a knock on the door sounded, glaring at Isabel’s laughter. The door opened without waiting for a response. Mr. Spender poked his head in through the door with a goofy grin. “Alright, kids! You all ready for this year’s Christmas night?”

Ed didn’t even look away from his video game, waving lazily. “We could use some snacks. That’d be nice.”

“Yeah, where are the snacks, old man? You want us to starve?” Isabel waved her umbrella at him like a grumpy old woman might a cane.

“You’re well fed enough already. I made sure of that.” It spoke wonders to how used to this existence Max had become that Mr. Spender knocking politely had scared him, but Isabel’s grandpa floating through the wall didn’t. The man’s bulk and imperious gaze still caused him some anxiety, though, and he had to consciously remind himself that he’s a punk, he’s cool, and he doesn’t respect anyone’s authority, even a scary ghost’s. Yeah, totally. 

The atmosphere of the room quickly shifted, and Isabel’s eyes dropped. “Yeah, I was just joking. Sorry, Grandpa.”

“Joke or not, this night is too much effort to make light of. My students and I are putting ourselves at risk for you,” Mr. Guerra said, looming over the room, “so only vocalize a need if you need it.”

Isabel glowered at the carpet. “Alright, Grandpa…”

“So. I will ask again. Are you all prepared? Midnight strikes soon.”

“We are, sir,” Isaac said. Max fought not to pull a face at Isaac’s please pay attention to me, authority figure tone, but for once it was helpful, so whatever. He could let it slide. 

Mr. Guerra eyed Isaac. “...good. We’ll get you once the sun begins to rise.” And with that, he turned away and slid down through the floor. Max could already hear him barking at the pupils below.

Mr. Spender grimaced. “Well… good! Everything’s all set then.”

Isabel grumbled, picking at the carpet.

“...trust me,” Mr. Spender said, forcing audibly fake cheer into his voice, “This isn’t a hassle at all. You guys getting stuffed into a sack- now, that would be quite the kerfuffle!”

They all stared as Mr. Spender slowly deflated. “...sure,” Max said. “Uh, we’ll be good, stay up here, it’s fine.”

“Great.” Mr. Spender nodded, stared awkwardly for a moment, and stepped out the door. “Well, Merry Christmas, children!” He shut the door behind him. Max listened with the others as his footsteps hurried down the hall to the stairwell.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, a distinctly uncomfortable experience for Max. It was almost impossible not to ramble, and he was reaching his breaking point and about to open the floodgates of inane and overly verbose chatter when Ed, thankfully, took point.

“That sucked,” he said simply, and Isabel groaned and fell back.

“I hate when he does that!” Isabel laid her umbrella by her side and waved her hands in the air exasperatedly. “It’s like he has no in between and I’m always either The Best And He’s So Disappointed In Me For Not Being Perfect or A Helpless Kid He Needs To Do Everything For! He always gets like this tonight!”

Ed paused his game, and reached around to pat her on the knee. “I mean, we could prove him wrong. We beat up spirits all the time, how hard could this be?”

“Okay, hold up, hand on,” Max said. “No? I- this is a terrible idea, you just got finished telling me about how if I wasn’t here I’d be killed by Santa, and now you want to go out there and fight Santa?”

“Well, not Santa,” Ed said. “Duh. He mostly just sends his reindeer to do everything and hangs out on rooftops.”

“And no offence Max, but uh…” Isaac scratched the back of his head.

“You’d totally get killed if you were on your own.” Isabel flipped herself upright. “All you got is that dinky bat, and magnet powers. You can’t even do a spec shot, dude, you’d get thrown in a sack in no time. We’d be fine.”

Max crossed his arms. “Alright, screw you too.”

“But other than that… that sounds like it could be pretty fun.” Isabel grinned. “Show the old man and his big dumb deer who’s boss. Maybe then he’ll stop coming to Mayview every year.”

“That would be pretty nice actually.” Isaac was clearly thinking hard- he had his broody face on. “I would like to stop having to sneak out every year. Sooner or later my parents will notice.”

Max shuddered. “Actually, yeah, Isaac has a point. I don’t want to die to Rudolph or anything, but if we keep having to do this, I’ll die to my dad, which is way worse honestly.”

“Your dad’s a teddy bear,” Isabel said, and rolled her eyes. “Stop complaining.”

“You haven’t seen him when I fail a test!”

“So are we going or what?” Isabel was already pulling her jacket back on, tucking her umbrella firmly under her arm. Ed bounced on the balls of his feet with a grin, already eyeing up the window and painting himself a rope. 

Max looked at Isaac, who shrugged and got to his feet. Max sighed, and stood up, regretfully leaving his scooter on the floor. “Yeah, alright. We’re going.”

Well, Max was regretting this. He was regretting this so much. He tromped through the snowy woods, eternally grateful for his boots. “Why in the world do we have to fight the spirits of Christmas in the woods? Why can’t we do it in town, or like, on the road at least? The roads we salted. The roads wouldn’t be as cold.”

“Cuz we’d get caught, dummy,” Isabel snorted. Or maybe it was a sniffle. “Either someone from the dojo would hear us and yell at us and get in the way before we can prove anything, or someone in town would yell at us and call the cops or something.”

“Maybe having people nearby to help isn’t a bad thing? You can’t just say that after saying that I’m the most likely person to die!”

“You came out here anyway,” Isaac pointed out, and looked all too unaffected by Max’s glare.

“I hate you. I hate you with everything in my being you- you chump elf.”

Isabel laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, this place looks pretty good, huh?” She stopped, looking around the snowy clearing they’d come into and turning in place. She nodded, satisfied. “There’s room to fight here, and we could come up with some pretty solid traps. Isaac wouldn’t have to worry too much about blasting a bunch of trees.”

“Looks pretty good!” Ed pulled off a mitten with his teeth and dug his paint brush out of his pocket. “What’re you thinkin, Izzy? Tripwire? Net?”

“Let’s go net,” Isaac said. “They can fly.”

“Plus, last time you tripped Isaac, remember?” Isabel elbowed Ed in the side. “Max and I are pretty fast, but Isaac needs some help.”

“Please. I can jump higher than your house is tall.”

“But you still fell just flat on your face,” she cooed. Isaac grumbled, cursing her just loud enough for Isabel to overhear, but she just batted her eyes and paid him no mind. “Okay, so,” she said, looking up at the sky through the hole in the canopy, “we probably only have a few more minutes before one of the reindeer finds us-”

And that’s when a dark shape, faster than cheetah and twice as forceful, barrelled into Max.  And off he went, hanging by the hood of his jacket on a wicked sharp antler prong, into the sky and away to the sound of jingling bells.

----

Things were quiet this year, Richard reflected. It was honestly a relief- maybe the spirit had finally given up. Probably too much to hope for, but, Christmas miracles and all. In any case, there seemed to be plenty of time to get the kids some mugs of hot cocoa and cookies to wait out the night with.

“Need any help balancing those?” Day asked, and Richard felt his mood become momentarily strained.

“Actually, that would be nice, if you think you could.” The tray of mugs and cookies he was balancing was quite the challenge, after all. Day reached up and somehow grabbed the plates of cookies perfectly- Spender could swear he saw her eyes flash for a moment, smart woman- and left him to balance the four mugs. A much easier task now.

“I really thought things would be more eventful, with how much Francisco was fussing over it, but everything’s pretty quiet, isn’t it?” Day smiled and followed Richard’s footsteps to the stairs.

“Well, usually there’s more cause for it, but the spirits seem to be laying low this year. Not an unwelcome reprieve in the slightest, but I do worry about Max… if this isn’t the new status quo, I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

“He’s a- well, he seems like a really smart kid,” Day reassured him. “I think he’ll make sure to be careful next year too!”

“I hope so. He does seem resourceful, but… he can be reckless.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” she said, before stopping with a small frown on her face. “They’re being pretty quiet…”

Spender listened for a moment himself. “Hm, they are… mayhaps they went to bed early?”

“That doesn’t sound like them.”

“No,” he said, dread creeping into his heart. “It doesn’t.”

He set the tray of cookies on the floor. He approached Ed’s room. He knocked.

He opened the door.

Richard’s lips thinned into a grim line as he surveyed the dark room. “They’re gone.”

------

Max screamed for his life as he was lifted faster than he could process into the sky. It was a clear, starry night, and they all looked like streaks as his captor circled through the sky, closer and closer to the top of the dome before colliding headfirst into it. Max didn’t have any more air in his lungs to scream as he was jostled loose and began to fall down, down- only to be caught again, this time like a sack of potatoes on the spirit’s back. He was overwhelmed by the sound of silver bells as he caught his breath, eyes screwed tightly shut.

Eventually, his lungs rallied to his call, and he was able to take in an unpleasant few gulps of animal-scented air. Max cracked his eyes open a peek- and immediately shut them again. Too high. He was way, way too high up. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest, and the wind burned his face and the tips of his ears.

Hold on.

“My hat,” he wheezed reaching one hand up to grope the top of his head. “My hat’s gone!”

“Soon that will be of no matter.”

Max screamed- even he was getting fed up with his own screams at this point, but instinct didn’t seem to be on the same page.

“Quiet,” the rumbling voice said, and the spirit turned to look at Max. “Your sounds irritate me.”

The spirit that held Max on its back was by far the biggest deer of any Max had ever seen. It was shaggy and majestic, even as its fur was electric yellow, and its huge rack of knife-like antlers shivered as if they were made of candle flame. Its many eyes blinked, and it beared serrated teeth- a stark contrast to the many silver bells that seemed a part of its pelt. Max looked away, avoiding its cruel gaze, to see three pairs of legs, hooves thundering over empty air. And below him, seven more enormous shapes were blazing their way towards the distant forest clearing, led by an eerie red light. “Oh no, oooooh no, no no no no no no…”

“But yes, child. At last you have been retrieved, and soon your friends will be as well. Then, you can all face your punishment.” The spirit laughed cruelly. “I am Dasher, and I was simply the herald.”

“So you’re just, you’re just Dasher? Like from the poem? One of those things down there is…” Jeez, this was surreal. “...Donner? And, Vixen?”

“Many tremble in fear before those names. It would do you right to show some respect.”

“What? No, nobody does! You guys are like, goofy little stop motion dolls, man, how’d you guys end up looking like this?”

“Our powers are untold by your human poems-”

“Aren’t you guys based on the poems?!”

Dasher snorted and tossed his head in anger. “That is an egregious oversimplification-”

“I thought your name was Dasher, not Dictionary.”

The spirit cried out in frustration, and Max felt something in him settle a bit better. Poking things with words, he could do that. Just don’t look down. “So, uh,” he began, shifting a bit so it was less like he was thrown over Dasher and more like he was riding him, “why am I not in a sack yet?”

“Our pilot is attending to his annual business in Mayview,” Dasher growled. “It is we who have the ability to fight and fly- so it is we who collect naughty children. Once your compatriots have been obtained, then we may return to our stations.”

“Wow,” Max drawled. “I can’t believe Santa needs his reindeer to deal with three preteens.”

“You do have a teenager within your ranks. That does provide some extra challenge.”

“Whoa, wait, really?”

“Yes. He cannot fully be counted as a child by our pilot any longer- he has aged enough to become a teenager. It is not he that we seek.”

“Wow, that’s weirdly arbitrary and nitpicky.” Max was so going to tease Isaac about this later. If he didn’t, well, get thrown into a sack and… baked into a pie? Eaten alive? Thrown into a dungeon? Whatever. Try to be positive.

“If you take issue, you may air your complaints to our pilot.”

“Taking it straight to the manager, alright.” Max stared at his hands, balled in bright yellow fur, and took a deep breath as he relaxed them. He wasn’t going to fall, he was certain Dasher wouldn’t allow him, channel a Karen- and he released the fur, balancing on the spirit’s back with only his legs. Before he could lose his nerve, he swung his backpack off his shoulder and grabbed his bat. Okay, weapon acquired. Just… what to do with it.

Dasher huffed. “Puny weapon. Even with the power of an enslaved spirit, you cannot defeat me. Especially not with a spirit as weak as that one.”

“Ugh, not you too,” Max grumbled. At least this thing wasn’t getting aggressive. “I’m kinda tired of being called the weak one, it’s getting old.”

“It would have been better, then, if you had kept your power to yourself, and not bothered the true denizens of this world, as the other child does.”

“Other child-? You know what, I don’t know what you’re talking about and I do not care. Now let me think.” Max re-gripped Dasher tightly, this time grabbing the reigns, and looked around. Man, of course Max got magnet powers in the place where there’s no tall buildings anywhere- it would be great if they could pass by a skyscraper or two for Max to attach himself to. But alas… then, his eyes caught a gleam, a dark silhouette against the colorful lights of Mayview. 

A transmission tower in the woods. And they were heading right for it. Max shrugged his backpack back on to his shoulder and gripped his bat as tight as he could.

“Thinking will get you nowhere, child.”

“Yeah, but it’ll keep me quiet,” Max mumbled.

“True,” Dasher said. And started to turn back towards the clearing.

“No!” Max yelped, holding his bat out desperately- he knew the tower was too distant still, but he put all his will into the bat, trying to extend its power as far as he can-

Dasher lurched beneath him with a confused cry, the bells jangled, and Max’s focus was broken with a shout. Immediately, Dasher steadied beneath him.

“Child, if you do that again I will throw you off into the ground-”

“What- I don’t even know what I did-” Max’s breath caught as he realized what happened. The bells. They were metal, and he had what was definitely a terrible idea. But it was his only idea.

Quickly, before Dasher could retaliate, Max activated his bat. Dasher howled with rage as all the bells in his body strained in the direction of the magnetic center, and Max laughed with panic. 

“RELEASE ME AT ONCE-”

“No,” Max said, filled with thrill and panic, and directed Dasher back towards the clearing. The spirit barrelled towards it at supernatural speeds, a furious scream echoing through the night as he crashed into the snow like a comet. Max tumbled off of the spirit’s back, and the bat’s angle changed wildly, forcing Dasher in mad circles.

The other seven deer spirits, crowded in the woods, were as thrown into chaos as Isabel, Ed, and Isaac were, but Ed recovered fastest. “Max!” He crowed, head popping out of the snow. “You’re alive!”

“Somehow!” Max laughed, voice squeaky with panic. “For now!” In the corner of his eye, he noticed another spirit- a large one that was on fucking fire, so must be either Comet or Blitzen- and quickly swung his bat around to point at it. Dasher was forced to charge full speed into the other spirit, which dissolved into a wisp with a cry of shock.

Isabel whooped. “I can’t believe it! Magnet powers are good for something!”

“Serves you right!” He felt about to shake apart, and still dizzy from the crash, but spinning Dasher around like a top was easy enough- and the other jingling spirits were drawn in too. It was a glorious explosion of color, sound, and christmas spirits as one by one they melted each other away into whisps. Finally, only Dasher stood in the snow, puffing furious, cloudy breaths into the air.

“You will pay,” Dasher hissed. “Naughty children. You will not escape your punishment, this I swear to you.”

“Whatever you say, bub,” Ed chirped, and raised his scythe above his head.

“Wait!”

Max and the others turned back to look just in time to watch an arrow streak through the night and imbed itself in Dasher’s forehead. “No, no,” he groaned, watching Isabel’s face light up with glee.

Agent Day and Mr. Spender ran into the clearing, both panting and exhausted. “Thank goodness we found you,” Agent Day breathed, hands on her knees. “We were so worried that you were taken…”

“But I saw Dasher fall from the sky!” Spender’s chest heaved, and he swayed with effort, but he somehow managed to stay upright. “I’m so glad you’re all alright, even Dasher alone is quite the challenge to combat…”

“Nah, we got all of them.” Isabel grinned and punched her palm. “Max was able to yank ‘em around by the bells with his bat, and he got em all to poof each other. It was really easy to hit ‘em when they were all clumped up, too.”

“You- you really beat them all? Where are their tools?!”

“Right here, Mr. Spender!” Isaac called, arms full of a few rocks and sticks. “They’re, uh, not much to look at, but…”

“Amazing! Wonderful job, all of you- these will be great for the club’s stores!”

“But you shouldn’t have snuck out. We were so worried about you, and you’re glad we found you! Your grandfather is worried sick!” Agent Day wrung her hands together, cane stuck in the snow.

“Yes, he’s… not happy,” Spender admitted. “But, surely he’ll be proud when he finds out what you’ve accomplished?”

“Probably not,” Isabel sighed, sticking her hands in her pockets.

“...probably not.” Spender came over to put a hand on her shoulder. “But, for what it’s worth, I am.” Isabel looked up at him, then threw her arms around him. Spender smiled softly and hugged her in return.

“This is great,” Max groaned. “But I’m being crushed by a flippin’ reindeer, so can I get some help?”

Oblivious to Max’s irritation, Dasher continued licking Max’s hair life the reindeer he resembled. “You’re not so bad, I suppose. Resourceful child.”

“It always happens to me.”

“The arrow will at least last the night,” Agent Day said thoughtfully. “It should be safe for you to go home, in that case- you too, I think, Isaac! Since all the others are gone, after all… Maybe Dasher can take you home!”

“Nooooo!”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Ms. Day,” Spender said. “You could perhaps take Isaac and Ed back to the dojo, and I can take Isaac back to his home…?”

“Yes sir!” Day smiled. “Merry Christmas, Max, Isaac,” she said. “I hope you get back undetected.”

“Thank you, Ms. Day,” Isaac said. “You too.”

“You guys suck,” Max grumbled.

----

It took a bit for Max to wrangle Dasher into taking him home, but under Day’s spell, the spirit was a fairly easygoing ride. As Max climbed back in through his window to his undisturbed bed, he heard the spirit settle on the roof to keep watch for the sunrise. And, taking comfort in not being discovered and in the knowledge that next year, when he’s a teen, he won’t have to worry about any of this, Max changed back into his pajamas, settled into bed, and slipped into a deep sleep.

[bleedinghearthalstead]

SWAT!Jay / Upstead AU

A/N: Part 3! Crossposted on AO3. Takes place right after Trudy Got a Gun, but is mostly unrelated plotwise. Enjoy!

Five blocks from their house, Hailey's phone vibrates in her pocket. When she pulls out the phone and sees the caller ID, she can't help but sigh – it's Hank.

"Upton," she answers. Jay watches her out of the corner of his eye as she hums and nods to what is being relayed to her until she hangs up the phone with, "I'll be right there." So much for a free afternoon with his wife.

Five blocks from their house, Hailey's phone vibrates in her pocket. When she pulls out the phone and sees the caller ID, she can't help but sigh – it's Hank.

"Upton," she answers. Jay watches her out of the corner of his eye as she hums and nods to what is being relayed to her until she hangs up the phone with, "I'll be right there." So much for a free afternoon with his wife.

"Where are we going?" Jay asks, already checking for places where he could potentially u-turn.

"Jay, you don't have to drive me there-"

"It'll be quicker," he cuts her off, "just tell me the address." And Hailey knows not to argue because she knows that look on his face that reads 'mission mode', so she just tells him the address and they're on their way.

When they pull up at the crime scene, Hank's car is already there and Hailey wonders how he beat them here, since they were only ten minutes away and Hank was still at the district when Hailey left. She doesn't say anything when Jay parks and also gets out of the car. Hailey's already got her badge clipped on her belt and Jay slips the chain with his badge around his neck. The patrol officer standing guard at the red police tape is giving Jay a weird look, but the officer doesn't stop them when Jay holds up the tape so he and Hailey can duck under it. Jay momentarily thinks about changing, he might have another shirt in the trunk, but actually no, who cares.

They find Hailey's sergeant at the loading dock of what appears to be a logistics center, semi-trailers parked in front of the gates. Hank and the medical examiner are standing over a body, a man in his late forties with a single bullet hole that sits neatly in the middle of his forehead. A clean kill. Not that much to do here for the ME.

"Hey, Sarge." Hailey stops next to Hank, peering down at the victim. Jay is looking around the crime scene behind them, studying the blood splatter on the ground behind the man. "Listen, I was on my way home, so my-"

Before she can finish her sentence, Hank turns to Jay and sticks out his hand. "Halstead, didn't know we needed SWAT support today." They shake hands.

"Voight," Jay returns, "yeah, unless you're cool with instigating a sniper standoff, I'm kinda looking forward to my afternoon off." Hank raises an eyebrow at him in question. "Distance, wind conditions, narrow angle between the trucks… this wasn't an easy shot."

"What makes you think this was a sniper?" Hank asks, intrigued.

"Well, I don't know if you've talked to any witnesses yet, so I don't know if anyone saw a shooter, but with that blood spatter, this definitely was a high-powered rifle." Jay tilts his head, examining the blood spatter closer, then turns around, scanning the horizon. Obviously looking for something, he moves to stand right behind where their victim must have stood, mindful not to step on the blood. He points at a building in the distance. "Angle suggests…" He squints, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun with this hand. "That mid-rise structure about a klick south. Looks like a parking garage, but I can't say for sure."

Hank grunts at him in agreement, then turns to his detective. "Hailey, you wanna go confirm your husband's theory?"

And of course Hank knows, Hailey thinks. She has been quietly watching the exchange between the two men, but when Hank calls her name, she perks up. "You sure that's alright, Sarge?"

"Take some uniforms with you, canvass the area." That's all the confirmation she gets.

They get back into Jay's car and he drives them in the direction of the building that he spotted earlier, a couple of patrol cars trailing them. While he is driving, Jay keeps leaning forward over the steering wheel, trying to glimpse the building he saw from the crime scene.

"Sooo…" Hailey starts, "Hank knows."

"Didn't think he cared." Jay shrugs, still looking around. "And it's in your personnel file, so I'm pretty sure he's always known."

"Yeah, you're probably right… it's just weird that the whole team knows now. Trudy knows! And why am I not surprised that Hank already knew, but never thought to mention it to me?" Hailey frowns. "I've been in this unit for two years now and I'm not close enough to anyone that they know I'm married."

Jay raises an eyebrow at her. "Babe, you can be incredibly aloof about your personal life."

Hailey pouts. "Are you saying I'm an antisocial freak?"

"More like international woman of mystery."

"Good, my plan is working." They both glance at each other and grin.

They keep driving in silence, until Jay asks, "But you trust them, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. They're all good police."

"And good people too?"

"Sure," Hailey answers after a moment's hesitation. And she does mean it. They all have their issues, but what makes the unit work is that they all have each other's backs, no matter what.

"Then why don't you let them in a little?" Jay suggests. And truthfully, Hailey doesn't know how to answer that.

After some twists and turns, but not more than five minutes later, they arrive at what Jay has rightly identified as a parking garage. Hailey has one patrol car wait on the ground floor, telling them to find the manager in case they need to look at the security camera footage. The other cruiser follows them as they drive up to the top floor.

Jay parks and gets out, walking around to the trunk of his jeep. Rummaging around in a box, he pulls out a spotting scope. He quickly orients himself and goes to the north side of the garage, looking for an open space. A few cars over, there is a free parking spot. He walks right up to the edge, which is a half-height concrete wall, and peers through the scope. "Looks good." He hands the scope to Hailey, who, at Jay's direction, finds the logistics center they were at earlier, although their crime scene is hidden between two big trucks. "It's not the exact angle from here, but it's pretty damn close."

Still looking through the scope, she can see the crime lab techs still cataloguing the scene, but sees that Hank's car is already gone. Jay takes the scope back from her and determinedly walks to the northeast corner of the structure. He stops right at the corner of the building and looks through the scope again, then nods. "Got it." He turns to Hailey. "Roll a crime lab to our location."

Hailey nods in confirmation and relays the info through her radio. As she watches him examine the scene and then tell the two patrol officers to cordon off the scene, she thinks about how in another life Jay could've been a great detective.

* * * * *

When Jay drives her back to the district and again doesn't just drop her off, but parks and gets out with her, Hailey almost stops him. It was one thing for him to come with her at the crime scene since he was already there and she thinks that he wanted to back her up just in case, but to join the briefing? She isn't sure how that's going to go down with the team.

He is a few paces ahead when he notices that Hailey is still standing next to the car. Jay thinks he's gotten pretty good at reading his wife's mind and backtracks. "Is it okay with you if I join the briefing?"

She thinks about it for just a second, then nods her head 'yes'. It was Jay who figured out that it was a sniper and it was also him who found the point of origin within minutes. If not for her husband, they would have had to wait for hours until the crime techs processed the scene and then it would have taken even longer to find the parking garage.

Entering the district, Trudy just nods at them and Hailey uses the hand scanner and pass code to buzz them up to Intelligence. Upstairs, the team is already putting up info on the white board, Kevin sticking a picture of their victim onto the board and Kim writing down his stats.

"So what do we have on the victim so far?" Hailey skips the greeting and gets straight to business. When the others notice that she has a tag-along, they all perk up, first and foremost Kevin, who comes over to give Jay a bear hug.

Jay laughs. "Hey, buddy."

"'Sup, man? How you doing?" Kevin pulls back and they do a special handshake. Hailey can only wonder when they had the chance to learn that? She didn't see them do that at the bar.

Adam also joins the group. "Nice catch, man."

"Ah, it's nothing." Jay brushes off. "Total team effort."

Hailey marvels at how easy it is for Jay to fit into the group, almost a little envious that Jay has been able to build a comfortable rapport with her team mates on one single night out drinking, while it has taken her two years of working with them to achieve that sort of comfort level. He can be a charming bastard when he wants to.

Hank comes out of his office and breaks up the chitchat. He acknowledges Jay with a nod, then turns to his unit. "We got a dead body, what do we have?"

Their victim is Frank Moretti, the logistics coordinator at the center where he was found murdered. No priors, no obvious gang or organized crime connections, he seems like an odd assassination target. The team is going through the crime lab and medical examiner's reports, collecting their findings on the board. Jay's sniper theory is proven right, the recovered bullet's caliber suggesting a long range rifle. Unfortunately for them, the round is a .300 Winchester Magnum, which is popular in game hunting as well as military and police use.

Jay nods, "Popular is an understatement. Hell, even I use them."

When they get around to talking about the shooter's location, Hailey summarizes the report. "No conclusive evidence found at the parking garage, no notches or indentations from the rifle, no bullet casings, although we assume it was a single shot, no nothing."

Kim adds, "We're still going through the security camera footage, but no luck yet."

"I still think this was a professional hit," Jay interjects. "It's just too clean. If it was me, I would've done it from the cover of a van. Set up, open up the door, hit the target and drive off. If you know your target's schedule, that would've taken a few minutes tops." The others look at him with various degrees of alarm, Hailey included, but Jay just shrugs. "Just saying that you should be looking for a van arriving and leaving the garage within an hour of time of death."

"Alright, you heard the expert, let's get to work," Hank orders. "Upton, Ruzek, you go check out Moretti's home. Burgess, Atwater, you check out the footage and his financials. See what we can find."

The sergeant then turns to Jay and shakes his hand. "I guess I did need SWAT support today." Then Hank adds, "Don't tell your commanding officer."

Jay grins. He didn't have an afternoon off, but he was able to help with their case and he did get to spend some quality time with his wife. "Anytime, Sarge."

[gwenbrightly]

Nya Wins an All Expense Paid Trip to the Hospital (and gives everyone else a heart attack) - Of Milk and Cookies Chapter 16

Crossposted from ffnet. Someone once requested I write about post tomorrow’s tea Lloyd comforting a hurt Nya, and this was the result of that suggestion. Please enjoy what is probably the most relatable thing I’ve written so far:

Nya glared at the stack of worksheets in front of her as though it would magically grade them for her. After the day she’d had, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know if any of her students had bothered to learn anything. Sneaking off to her room to curl up into a ball with her heat pad and sleep sounded much more appealing.  

“C’mon Aaron,” she muttered as she examined the paper at the top of the stack, only to discover that the student in question had dotted his eyes with hearts in a very uncharacteristic way, “if you’re gonna copy off of Sally, at least be subtle about it.”

They’d have to have another discussion about the evils of cheating. Not that it would do any good. Before meeting the students that currently roamed the halls of Master Wu’s Academy, Nya and the others had occasionally referred to Lloyd as demon spawn. But now? He was more like an angel compared to the hooligans she was expected to put up with each and every day. She sighed and set the worksheet aside to deal with later. The next one was no better; it was covered with doodles of wine glasses.

“Really, Megan? Again?”

These children almost made her wish she were old enough to drink actual wine. Maybe it would help with the headache grading these worksheets was giving her. And the stabbing pain that had been plaguing her side since early that morning. She was going to have to find some midol, soon, if it didn’t let up. It had been difficult to survive a full day of teaching like this. And the worst part was that none of her usual strategies for dealing with cramps seemed to be helping.

“Nya?” someone called as they knocked on the door to her classroom. She got up from her desk, grimacing as pain shot through her side once again.

“I’m coming!” she called back. Nya opened the door to find her brother waiting outside.

“Heya, sis. Just wanted to check in on you. Jay said you skipped out on your lunch date earlier…” Kai explained with a quizzical expression.

“Of course he did.” she said in annoyance. He frowned.

“Everything okay between you?” he asked after a moment.

“Just peachy.” she replied through gritted teeth. Why couldn’t Jay keep his mouth shut?

“Nya… are you sure you’re okay?” Kai pressed, “It’s not like you to skip meals…”

“I’m just… tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night and it’s been a long day. That’s all.” she told him, doing her best to shoot him a weak smile. There was no need to worry him by mentioning her abnormally bad stomach pain. Everyone would make a huge fuss and all she really wanted was some peace and quiet.  

“It’s almost dinner time. Why don’t you take a break from grading and come grab a bite to eat? You’re looking a little pale.” suggested Kai. He looked at her searchingly, still not completely convinced she was alright.

“Okay. I guess that would probably be a good idea.” Nya agreed. Maybe some food would help her feel better. She hadn’t had anything to eat other than the granola bar she’d choked down at breakfast; lunch had been forgone in favor of a nap that had ultimately done absolutely nothing to improve her state. She followed Kai down the hall that lead to the cafeteria, doing her best to distract herself by telling him about Aaron’s latest attempt at cheating.

“Don’t take it too personally, sis,” Kai told her supportively, “these kids are really rough around the edges. It’s hard to teach someone who flat out doesn’t wanna learn anything.”

“I know. I just wish they’d listen to me better.” Nya commented, pushing the door to the cafeteria open. A wave of nausea hit her as she stepped inside. The smell was too much for her. She swayed uncertainly for a moment before shaking it off and heading over to the counter where the food was served. Kai, who was waving to a few of their more tolerable students, didn’t seem to notice. They each grabbed a plate and piled it with macaroni and cheese along with freshly steamed broccoli before slipping off to the teacher’s lounge so they could eat in peace.

“I’m telling you, the kid’s a psychopath in the making. Something about him is not normal.” Jay was insisting when they arrived.  

“I can’t argue with you, there, but at least he doesn’t think you’re boring,” Cole countered, “if he decides to kill all of us in our sleep, he’ll probably come after me first.”

“Well, this is a great conversation to walk into.” Kai commented with a wry grin.

“Hello!” Zane greeted brightly.

“We’re commiserating over Finn again, I see.” Nya observed, delicately seating herself on an unoccupied couch. It was a relief to sit down again.  

“Yup.” Cole confirmed.

“What did he do this time?” she asked. She took a small bite of her food as Jay launched into his overzealous storytelling, but regretted it almost instantly. Her stomach rebelled and she felt another wave of pain wrack her body. What was wrong with her? Was this what dying felt like? She set her plate aside and curled into herself. The room was suddenly too hot, the sound of the others talking too loud. She felt like she was on the verge of throwing up.  

“Nya? You’re not looking so good…” Jay’s voice floated through her pain filled haze.  

“It’s j-just girl issues…” she gasped out, “please just let me die in peace…”

The others exchanged worried looks. Zane came over and put a hand to her forehead.  

“A fever would not be consistent with ‘girl problems’ as you put it.” he told her.

“Fever?” she repeated. This was news to her. He nodded, saying,  

“Your temperature is currently 101.4 degrees Fahrenheit.”

“Oh.”

“Nya, are you able to hop on one foot?” the nindroid asked. Nya glared at him in confusion.  

“What? Why would you ask that? It’s stupid! You’re stupid.”  

She paused when she realized what she’d just said.  

“Oh, Zane, I’m sorry… that wasn’t-”

“Please try. I promise there’s a good reason for this.” Zane insisted. She stared at him without responding for a moment. Trying to do as he suggested was only going to make things worse. He stared back, unrelenting, as if he knew something she didn’t. Finally, Nya gave in and pushed herself up with great effort. Still not fully buying into whatever Zane was pulling, she gave a half-hearted attempt at hopping on her right foot.  

“I can’t,” she cried agonizedly, collapsing back onto the couch, “fsm it hurts…”  

Zane didn’t seem surprised by this revelation.  

“I believe it would be wise to get you to the hospital. Your appendix appears to be on the verge of rupturing.” he announced. For the first time in a long time, Nya heard her brother swear loudly.  

*-*-*-*-*

Epic Ninja Family Group Chat

Jay: Hey, Greenie! Just wanted to let you know that we’re taking Nya to the HOSPITAL!!!!  

Jay: She’s in SURGERY now.  

Jay: Pick up your hecking phone, man.  

Jay: This is getting ridiculous… where ARE you???????  

Jay: L l o y d

Jay:??????  

*-*-*-*-*-*

Lloyd reread the series of text messages Jay had sent him for what must have been at least the 15th time. It was clear the master of lightning had panicked when he didn’t immediately respond. Or, more likely, had panicked more. Not that Lloyd could blame him. The fact that he was the only one who had been invited to go on this victory tour already hurt enough without the added guilt of not being there for his family when they needed him. He’d been attending a ceremony in a town he had never heard of before when Jay had first started texting him. He hadn’t even heard his phone go off, hadn’t seen the messages until much later. Of course, he had immediately summoned his golden dragon and headed for Ninjago City when he did see them, but that didn’t change the fact that he should’ve been there all along. So he did what any reasonable person would do and stopped for something with which to bribe-and-or cheer up his siblings with before heading to the hospital itself.  

The cashier of the little gas station Lloyd had stopped at finished ringing up his purchase with a yawn. The green ninja pocketed his phone and paid for the assortment of candy and frosted sugar cookies, along with the little stuffed narwhal he couldn’t bear to leave behind, wondering if Kai was ever going to get back to him with more details. The radio silence was a bit concerning; he wanted to know what to expect before he arrived at the hospital. If things were bad as bad as Jay made them out to be, if Nya was dying or something… but surely he was just being overdramatic… right? His pocket buzzed as he stepped out onto the empty sidewalk. A lone car drove by. A cat meowed in the distance. Lloyd glanced at his phone once more, unable to handle the suspense.  

Kai: She’s out of surgery and recovering now. Visiting hours are over, but I’m sure she’d love to see you. Rm 246. Eastern wing.  

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the message. Nya wasn’t dead after all. That was promising. Now he just had to find his way to the hospital. According to the GPS app on his phone, it shouldn’t be more than a few minutes away. Lloyd summoned his golden dragon and shot into the sky once more. It was much easier to navigate when one could simply fly over the houses and buildings that lined the streets of the city. He flew towards the hospital, his phone blaring warnings at him as it tried to keep up with his unusual route. Make a U-turn when possible, it beeped every so often. But he ignored it. Soon, his destination loomed in the distance.

Lloyd circled the building until he was on the correct side. Kai hadn’t given him any suggestions on how exactly he was supposed to get inside without the nursing staff kicking him out. Even the Green Ninja would be expected to adhere to hospital regulations. Had he assumed that Lloyd would just sneak in somehow? He absent-mindedly scanned the windows of the hospital while he tried to decide what to do next. And then he saw it; someone had taped what appeared to be a green piece of paper onto one of the panes. Kai did want him to sneak in, apparently. He flew closer so that he could examine the window more carefully. It was cracked open slightly. Shaking his head at his brother’s questionable plan, Lloyd opened the window the rest of the way. Being that it was some time after 11:00, the hospital room was pitch black. He stumbled as he climbed inside, unable to see clearly.

“Well, now… which of my idiot siblings decided to add breaking and entering to their list of crimes against humanity?” Lloyd heard Nya murmur sleepily. He froze.

“It’s um, Lloyd.” he replied. There was a small click and a dim light turned on.

“Lloyd? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be off on your victory tour…” she began to protest, now that she could see that the intruder was in fact who he said he was. “Did Kai put you up to this?”

“In his defense, there’s no way to prove that window was left open intentionally.” Lloyd pointed out, with a small smile. He made his way over to her bed and sat in the empty chair next to it. She rolled her eyes, but returned his smile with a tired one of her own.  

“It is good to see you.” Nya admitted, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at the grocery bags he was sporting.  

“It’s good to see you, too. Oh, here. Got something for you!” he pulled out the stuffed narwhal and set it on the bed next to her.  

“You know, you might just be my favorite person ever.” Nya decided, examining it. She hugged it close, looking years younger than she actually was.  

“You mean I wasn’t already?” Lloyd pretended to be offended. She stuck her tongue out at him.  

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” she retorted with a laugh. Although she was clearly trying to hide it, he couldn’t help but notice her wincing as she did so.  

“So, what happened?” he asked eventually, “I had my phone on silent for a few hours and when I finally had a chance to check it, Jay was acting like you were dying…”

“Ehhh turns out that it wasn’t super bad cramps that had been bugging me all day; it was appendicitis,” stated Nya, sounding as though she were tired of having to explain this, “Everyone overreacted. I’m fine, I swear. It’s not a big deal-”

“Not a big deal, huh? You scare me sometimes, Nya.” Lloyd muttered. He shook his head in bemusement.

“Hm?”  

“I don’t think anyone else could be in that much pain and think ‘yeah, this is fine’.” he explained, wondering how on earth she had lasted more than a few hours before finally succumbing to the pain.  

“Says the boy who walked off a broken leg.” she said pointedly.

“That’s different. I only did that because I was more worried about how I was going to fight my father.” he reminded her. There really hadn’t been another option. Well, aside from giving up and dying, he supposed. Nya didn’t seem to think this was a very convincing argument.  

“And I was more worried about getting today’s worksheets graded so I could figure out how to put the kibosh on all the cheating that’s been happening lately.” she told him without missing a beat. Lloyd raised an eyebrow and asked,

“That bad?”

Nya nodded and made a face.

“Honestly. And if it’s not cheating, it’s weird drawings. Oh, if I was gonna be the first member of the group to be hospitalized, why count it have been for something exciting?” she complained. He chose not to point out that her definition of exciting probably differed from most other people’s. Or that there had been plenty of times that Kai, Jay, and even Cole should have ended up in the hospital, but didn’t.  

“For the record, when we agreed to having lots of adventures, this isn’t what I pictured.” Lloyd offered wryly. He thought back to his first night on the Destiny’s Bounty. Things had been so different, then. Neither of them had known what the future held.

“Well, it’s good to know you haven’t been plotting against me this whole time.” teased Nya, biting back a yawn. He could tell her energy was beginning to wane.  

“Maybe I should let you sleep… sounds like it’s been a really long day for you.” he suggested. Now that he knew she was okay, he wanted her to stay that way. And that meant cutting their reunion short so she could get some rest.  

“Unfortunately, you’re right… It definitely has,” she agreed, “But Lloyd? Thank you. For coming. I’ve missed you.”

“Of course, Nya. It turns out traveling around Ninjago like this gets pretty lonely after awhile...” said Lloyd, wishing he’d been able to visit sooner. He missed being able to see his family whenever he wanted. Missed being a part of the action. Nya nodded sagely.  

“I’m sure it does. You got a place to stay, or should we call Kai to come pick you up?”  

“Let’s call Kai. I… didn’t exactly plan out what was gonna happen after I got here.” he admitted. He pulled out his phone.  

“I guess you don’t know how long you’re staying, then?” she asked, seeming a little disappointed. Lloyd shrugged. Oh, how he wanted to give up his victory tour and stay as long as he liked. But somehow, he doubted his uncle or the people of Ninjago would think very highly of him evading his commitments like that.  

“I dunno. I guess it couldn’t hurt to stay a few days. Just to make sure you’re okay?” he answered after a moments consideration. It would take a bunch of phone calls and rearranging of his schedule tomorrow morning, but it was doable. After all, now that he was here, there was no point in leaving too quickly. Staying the weekend would give him plenty of time catch up with Kai and the others. The more he thought about his decision, the more certain Lloyd became that it was the right call. The feeling of homesickness he’d been fighting since leaving his family was already beginning to fade away as he realized just how badly he’d needed to be home again.

[youcancallmecirce]

Imaari’s Tale, part 2

Crossposted to Ao3, but the structure is a little different.

Imaari shifted her pack on her shoulders and frowned at the man walking just ahead of her.  He reminded her a bit of gruff, laconic Rathil, actually.  But this man wasn’t old at all, no matter what Dirty Jerkin had said.  His skin was weathered, his face scarred, and steel gray threaded liberally through his dark hair, but he had the brawny build that came from hard manual labor..  He looked like he’d lived a hard life.  As a farmer?  No, probably not. At least, not just a farmer.  She’d never seen a farmer fight the way that he had, and he carried himself with the same bearing she’d seen in the Shinwaud Elite Guard.  

So a fighter, of one sort or another.  And apparently accustomed to being alone.  He hadn’t said a thing to her since he’d agreed to let her go with him (his terse “if you can keep up” tossed over his shoulder without slowing) and the silence was about to make her insane.  She’d lived her entire life in the serene quiet of a druid enclave, and she was still used to more in the way of conversation than this.  Maybe he was waiting for her?  Imaari hustled a bit, so that she could walk beside him.  “So, um.  I appreciate you letting me come with you.”  She looked at him expectantly, but he only glanced at her.  “I’m pretty sure,” she went on, “that the merchants were going to hand me over as a scapegoat, if I went with them.”

“Probably.”

“I”m Imaari, by the way.”

“Hardwin.”

“So, where are we going?”

“Towards Tessignton.”

Imaari stopped in her tracks.  “What?”

He glanced back at her, a slight frown drawing his brows together.  “Towards Tessington.  We’re close to the border, and the authorities in Sister Lakes are unlikely to follow us into Shindwaud.”

Hardwin hadn’t stopped with her, and Imaari ran to catch up with him again.  “But I just came from Tessington!”

“Then it should be easy to get you home.”

“But I don’t want to go home!”  Imaari winced.  That had sounded embarrassingly close to a whine.  She cleared her throat and tried again.  “I left Tessington to escape the prejudice there.  I have no intention of running back to it at the first bump in the road.”

Hardwin shrugged.  “So don’t go back.”

Imaari opened her mouth to argue, then snapped it shut again.  There was nothing to argue against.  “I won’t,” she said lamely, and wasn’t surprised this time when Hardwin had nothing more to say.  She cast about for something else to talk about, and remembered that she had never broken her fast that morning.  “Do you have food in your pack?” she asked.

He shot her another frown.  “I have jerky and dried fruit, but I intend to save it.  I will teach you to eat off of the land, but it will have to wait until we’re across the border.”

“No, I--I have food,” Imaari said, bristling.  “I can feed myself.  I was offering to share my breakfast.”

Hardwin shrugged again. “Already ate.”

Imaari glared.  “Brute,” she muttered, digging a bit of jerky from her own pack.  If Hardwin heard her, he was polite enough to ignore her and neither said anything more until they stopped to make camp that night.  

Imaari would have been willing to stop sooner, but she hadn’t needed to and there was no way she was going to suggest stopping before he did.  She’d spent the day in thought, as there’d been nothing else to occupy her mind, and she realized that Hardwin must see her as a weaker creature in need of help and protection.  He wasn’t totally wrong; Imaari had no illusions about her situation. She was a sheltered young woman out in the wider world for the first time, and she needed someone on her side.  That was why she’d chosen to follow him in the first place. She was not, however, weak, stupid or inept.  

He would learn.

The quiet was another matter.  Well, not the quiet.  She could spend days on end alone in the mountains around Tessignton, keeping company with all those in Rillifane Rallathil’s domain.  It was different when she was with people.  She missed the camaraderie of her relationship with Andeana, the easy conversations she’d had with Corrilane and sparring with Galadril.  Even with the merchant train, she’d at least been able to observe the interactions between the others.  Hardwin was just--a blank wall.  Imaari felt more isolated traveling with him than she did when traveling alone, and by the time they stopped just after dusk, she just couldn’t take it anymore.

He’d stopped abruptly, eying the clearing they’d just entered, and nodded.  “We can camp here, then cut back to the main road in the morning.”

It was a good place to camp, and Imaari dropped her pack gratefully. “You think it’s safe for us to travel on the road?” she asked, frowning.

“Should be.”  Hardwin lowered his own pack and rummaged through it.  “I’m going to set a few snares.  Stay here.”

Imaari rolled her eyes.  He had definitely assumed she was useless, but when he returned it was to find that she’d already prepared and set a fire, gathered what early berries she could fine, and retrieved water from a nearby stream.  He stopped for a moment to take in her efforts, grunted in approval, and bent to unclasp his bedroll.

Imaari gave a mental shrug.  At least he’d noticed.  “You were in the army?” she prompted, and at his nod, she asked, “for how long?”

Hardwin gave her a repressive look, but seemed resigned to her need for conversation and answered her.  “Twenty years.”  

“Retired?” Another nod.  “Did you buy that land when you got out?”

He scoffed, shaking his head, and Imaari wondered what it was about that question which had finally inspired something like emotion.  “My parents’ land.”

“Ah.”  She picked idly at her blanket, thinking that through as he spread his bedroll.  He’d left his family home behind that morning, possibly for good; did that bother him at all? He hadn’t hesitated, and had even seemed ready to leave.  “It didn’t take you long to pack this morning,” she observed.

“I keep a pack ready.  Not much else to take.”

She digested that as well.  “Where will you go now?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugged, settling onto his spread blankets and draping his wrists over his bent knees. Then he surprised her, and spoke again without prompting. “You’re not new to this.”

“What?”  Imaari’s fingers stilled on her bedding, her eyes lifting to meet his. “Oh.  No,” she said.  “I spent as much time in the wilderness as I did in the Enclave.”

“You’re a druid,” he guessed.

“More or less.” Imaari sighed.  “The druids took me in when I was a baby and taught me what they know, but I never cared enough to take it very seriously.  Rathil says I’m a lost cause.”

Hardwin’s brows shot up. “Rathil is still there?”

“You know Rathil?”

“Yeah, I know Rathil.  A lot of my men went to him for healing, myself included.” Hardwin chuckled dryly, his gaze losing focus as he fingered the scar bisecting his face.  “Rathil is the reason I didn’t lose this eye.”

Imaari’s eyes widened. “During the war, you mean?”  She’d heard about the infirmary the druids had run during the War of Desperation, but no one had ever been willing to talk about that time.  Of all the people she might have met in Arch, what were the odds that she’d end up traveling with someone who had been there?  

Hardwin’s gaze sharpened on her again, and his expression shuttered.  “Cut myself shaving,” he muttered, rising. “Time to check the snares.”

Imaari snorted at the obvious lie, but couldn’t really blame him. Even the people she knew well didn’t want to talk about the war.  Besides, that had been a lot of words for the obviously taciturn man, and she would be grateful he’d had anything to say at all.

His traps yielded only a small rabbit, but it was better than more dried rations.  She insisted on cooking it, since he’d already trapped and skinned the thing. He shrugged his indifference, then watched her prepare their dinner in silence.  

For some reason, it didn’t bother her as much now as it had earlier.  She worked quietly, first to prepare the meal and then to clean up when they’d finished.  She slipped away long enough to dispose of the bones a safe distance from camp and to see to her personal needs.

Hardwin banked the fire while she was gone.  It was full dark by that point, and clouds obscured the moonlight.  Had she been fully Human she might have had a hard time finding her way back in the dark, but her dark vision was nearly as good as that of a full Elf.  Imaari had no trouble identifying the low glow of the coals, and could clearly see Hardwin seated on a large stone nearby.

“Get some sleep,” he said when she was close enough, jerking his chin toward her bedroll.  “I’ll take first watch.”  Imaari nodded gratefully, and was asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.  

Hardwin woke her around one.  She’d slept deeply for the first time since leaving Tessington.  She wondered at this, but only briefly.  She’d decided to trust Hardwin, and her intuition obviously agreed. Everything would be all right, she thought to herself.

Everything would be all right.

[slightly-nerdy-rambles]

TTA Oneshot: Creature Feature

This oneshot was spawned from me wondering why, if Beast Boy can become alien animals, he never takes advantage of that fact to morph into sapient alien animals with superpowers of their own. I still don't have an answer for why he never tried going dragon after the team fought Malchior, though. Maybe that form is too big to maneuver through the city?

Fun fact: the episode Betrothed is immediately followed by Crash, which actually gives this story a neat little niche to fit in. You'll see what I mean later in the story.

(This oneshot is crossposted on fanfiction.net, as part of the Moments series)

Creature Feature Beast Boy narrowed his eyes and stared at his hand. He was alone in the common room, sprawled out on the couch with a forgotten comic tossed to the side.

The Titans had recently returned from their first-ever trip to Tamaran, and it had certainly been… an experience. A good experience in the end, mind you, but the whole wedding thing and Starfire being a princess and Blackfire having at some point taken over the planet and then the wedding thing being a trap that they stopped and Starfire kicking her sister’s sorry butt and taking the crown… It had all been kinda overwhelming.

Pretty cool though. Even if Beast Boy still couldn’t figure out how half the furniture on that planet worked. Was that what Star had felt like when she first came to Earth?

Anyway, point was, so much had happened during their little space trip that he had almost forgotten something cool he’d learned about himself. Now that he remembered, though, he couldn’t get the thought out of his head.

A low whoosh signaled the entrance of another Titan, and Beast Boy’s ears pricked. He sat up and looked over the back of the couch to see Starfire floating through the doorway.

A wide grin split his face. “Hey, Star! You got a sec? I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Starfire perked up at the sound of his voice, and she made her way over. “What is it?”

Beast Boy started bouncing in his seat. “So, you know those giant freaky Tamaranean guard dogs?”

Starfire blinked. “Guard do- You mean the gloorgs?”

“Sure, the gloogs or whatever. Point is, when we were trying to crash your wedding, I was able to morph into one! How cool is that?”

Starfire’s eyes widened a fraction, and she sat down and scooted closer to him. “Fascinating. So, you wish to learn more about Tamaranean wildlife so you may better wield their forms?”

Beast Boy shook his head, still grinning. “Not exactly. See, sentient lifeforms like humans are just really smart animals, right? So if I can turn into Tamaranean animals, then I should be able to turn into a Tamaranean. How cool is that?!”

Now, when he had pictured this conversation in his head, this part had led to a lot of gobsmacked awe and maybe a call for celebration over the sheer potential of his newfound power. Tamaraneans were, after all, a plainly powerful race – and not the only one, either. With a little effort, he could probably morph into a Martian, or an Atlantean, or even a freaking Kryptonian.

He could be ALL the superheroes.

Instead, Starfire’s response was simply to clap once and smile at him. “Oh, that does sound interesting! I would be quite happy to share more of my heritage with you, if that is what you wish.”

Well… That wasn’t quite the expected level of enthusiasm. Beast Boy deflated a little, but he shook it off. She probably just hadn’t considered all the ramifications yet.

“Okay, just sit tight,” he said instead, adjusting his position. “I’m gonna try it.”

Starfire nodded, and Beast Boy squinted and tried to focus. His shapeshifting was more-or-less an instinctive thing, but he needed a firm grasp of the animal in question to do it. He was too used to thinking of Star as just another person with powers, rather than a whole different species.

After a few moments, he pinpointed what he wanted and stretched. That was the only way he could ever think of to describe it, even when he was shrinking his form.

It was a… bizarre sensation. He was used to changing shape completely, his flesh warping around itself in a way that was a lot less unpleasant than it sounded. This time the shift was much more subtle – little more than a vague tingling sensation and a few more noticeable shifts in his face and gut. That was… probably a good sign?

Not sure what else to do, he held up a hand and looked at it again, flexing and curling his fingers. He couldn’t see any difference, but no real surprise there. Still…

“Hey, do I look any different to you?” he asked her. “Taller, maybe? I feel like Tamaraneans are all really tall.”

Starfire looked him over and hummed in thought, then smiled. She zipped over to the kitchen and rummaged around for a few moments before returning with a large metal platter and holding it up to him.

Beast Boy squinted at his reflection. It took him a moment to notice what with all the green already on his face, but then his eyes widened.

The whites of said eyes weren’t so white anymore. Also, his eyebrows had shrunk to little dots.

With a triumphant cackle, he leaped up on the couch. “Dude! It really worked! I’m a Tamaranean now!” He started punching the air.

“Okay, when do I get to start chucking starbolts at bad guys?”

Starfire set the platter down and commented, “I very much doubt that you will be able to do that.”

Beast Boy froze mid-punch. “Huh? Why not?”

Starfire leaned back on her hands. “It takes a significant amount of power to generate enough stellar energy for ranged use. It bears similarities to training the muscles to increase your strength.” She shrugged. “I required several years of training to use starbolts with any consistency.”

Beast Boy frowned. “Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

Well, bummer. Still, he wasn’t about to be deterred. Hopping down to the floor, he asked, “So what about flying then? I could still fly around and punch stuff and not have to worry about my arms getting tired!”

Starfire perked up. “Oh, that is much simpler! For that you must focus on the unbridled joy of flight. If you feel flight, and allow that feeling to buoy you, then it will come to you naturally.”

Joy? Piece of cake. Beast Boy squeezed his eyes shut and pictured himself zooming through the air, doing loop-de-loops and punching through walls and all the other cool stuff he’d seen Star do even when she wasn’t hurling glowey green lasers around.

It was going to be awesome.

With that last thought, something clicked in his head and he felt his feet leave the ground. His eyes snapped open to find himself halfway to the ceiling.

“Ha-hah!” he shouted, pumping both fists in the air. “Behold the mighty Space Boy! I am invincible! I am –”

And that was when he smacked his head hard against the ceiling.

“So that’s how I learned that stopping and steering with weird mental flight powers is a lot harder when you haven’t grown up doing it.”

Beast Boy, human again, held an ice pack against the back of his head as he finished his story. From where she was meditating a few feet away, Raven cracked an eye open and turned it on him.

“Did you really hit yourself hard enough to need that?” she asked.

Beast Boy shrugged. “Eh, not really. Tamaraneans are pretty tough.” With a grumble he added, “And now I know why.”

He pulled the ice pack away and frowned at it. “Also, apparently they need to focus on something to make super strength work, too? What is even up with that?”

“Considering Starfire can tear through solid concrete with the muscle mass of a bean pole, I’d imagine a lot.”

Beast Boy’s eyes slid over to her, and a smirk made its way to his mouth. “Buuut, you know what does make sense as something you need focus for?”

Raven opened her other eye and narrowed both at him. “I don’t like where this is going.”

Beast Boy jumped to his feet and started bouncing on his heels. “Seriously! You’re from, like, another dimension, right? And your magic kinda works on its own, so it’s gotta come from whatever species you are instead of being something you have to study for like a wizard. Tell me I’m wrong!”

His companion simply crossed her arms. “I’m half human.”

“Really? Oh, well, the other half then.” He gasped. “Or maybe I could actually be a hybrid! Why did I never think of that before? I could mix together all the best species and become some sort of ultra-beast!”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Hybrids don’t work that way.” Sighing with the air of defeat that said she’d never get her meditation done now, she swung her legs out of the lotus position and stood up.

For his part, Beast Boy shook his head. “Right. One thing at a time.” He returned his full attention to her.

“Sooo, spill the details. What do I need to know about your super-cool interdimensional magic half?”

Raven looked suddenly very uncomfortable, for reasons he couldn’t quite place. Looking back on the conversation later, he’d come to conclude that it probably had something to do with the freaky giant probably-not-the-human-parent “father” he’d once seen in her mindscape (and much later he’d understand that it had everything to do with him). But for now, all he knew was that she was avoiding eye contact and hesitating as if looking for an excuse to change the subject.

Finally, she shook her head and settled on a simple, “Forget it. It’s way too dangerous, and if you couldn’t handle Tamaranean powers then there’s no way you’d be able to handle mine.”

Beast Boy deflated. “Aww, how come? Your powers are a straightforward ‘think a thing, make a shield or whatever,’ right? No special physical training or weird emotion games.”

Raven let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. “First off, it’s not that simple. But more importantly, let’s put it this way. You remember the incident with the Puppet King, when Starfire and I had to save you with our bodies switched?”

Beast Boy shuddered a little at the memory. “It’s kinda hard to forget.”

“You might not have noticed considering your… condition at the time, but the differences in our training and emotional states meant we both had trouble with each other’s powers. In my case, I had a hard time accessing her powers because of the emotional energy they required.”

Beast Boy snorted and muttered, “Yeah, no wonder,” under his breath. Raven turned a withering glare on him, and after a few moments of squirming he cleared his throat.

“Uh, sorry. Go on.”

The sorceress just kept her warning look on him as she continued. “In her case, she was in a constant struggle to keep from accidentally blowing us up.”

It took him a few seconds for that to fully sink in.

“…Oh.”

“Aww, come on, you gotta have something!”

Hot Spot let out a low sigh over the communicator. “I don’t know what to tell you. I was raised by human parents, my powers and the ones the other hybrid kids have are all different, and I haven’t exactly taken the time to study H’san Natall biology. For all I know, you wouldn’t get any new powers at all.”

Beast Boy groaned dramatically and flopped over on his chair. “Duude, I’m having like no luck with this!” He huffed. “Thanks anyway.”

Hot Spot gave him a flat look. “Yeeeeah, next time you want to learn more about the vicious alien invaders who secretly sired and later kidnapped me, just feel free to hit me up.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Have you tried Aqualad yet? You guys are buddies or something, right?”

Beast Boy chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, turns out like half of his powers are some kinda magic that doesn’t come with the species.”

There was a long awkward moment where neither hero knew where to take the conversation. “So, is that everything?” Hot Spot finally asked. “Because if you didn’t need anything else…”

Beast Boy sighed. “Yeah, that was it. Talk to you later.”

The line went out, and he looked morosely over his list of non-human Titans. It wasn’t too short considering there were only five core members and a handful of honoraries, and he’d been so sure he could find something that worked. But Hot Spot had been his last hope. Maybe he should just try morphing into a H’san Natall and see what happened?

He tried that, squeezing his eyes shut and focusing on what he knew about Hot Spot. He strained for several seconds, but nothing clicked, nothing stretched, and in the end, he probably just looked like an idiot.

Well, nuts. Either he couldn’t do hybrids after all and Hot Spot wasn’t enough to give him the full species, or whatever had let him morph Tamaranean didn’t apply here.

Technically, he could still ask Robin to hook him up with the Justice League’s alien members. But if he couldn’t even work out how to mimic his own teammates, what was the point?

With nothing else to do now that his little project had failed, Beast Boy found himself heading toward the garage. Cyborg was there, making yet more upgrades to the T-car.

“This is delicate work, don’t touch anything,” he said by rote as he saw his friend enter.

Beast Boy sighed again and plopped down on a workbench. “Yeah, I know.”

Cyborg looked up from his work. “No luck with ‘Space Boy,’ I’m guessing? Because I hate to tell you, but I don’t think robots count as a species.”

“You heard about that?”

“The girls filled me in.” Cyborg switched tools and got back to work.

Beast Boy flopped back on the bench. “You know what’s really nice? Animal instincts. Not having to work out how to fly, or pounce, or use your teeth and claws, because you just know.”

Cyborg raised a brow at him. “You have to train with your animal forms all the time.”

The shapeshifter frowned. “I guess. But they still make more sense than starbolts or magic.”

Cyborg snorted and wiped his hands off with a cloth. “Coulda told you that.” He frowned thoughtfully.

“You know, maybe you’ve been going about this all wrong. That Tamaranean guard thing was impressive. Have you tried anything new other than sapient beings with complex powersets of their own?”

Beast Boy’s ears perked, and he sat up slowly. “I guess I haven’t really thought a lot about it yet. You think I could do more alien animals?”

Without another thought he shifted back into a gloorg. Cyborg yelped and ran around to shield the car with his body, but the now-alien creature just shifted his weight a little and trotted in place, testing out the new form.

Morphing back, he hummed in thought. “Not too different from some of my dinosaurs, but I still don’t know all of its tricks and there’s a whole planet of probably terrifying animals to explore. I gotta talk to Star!”

Cyborg glared at him, still pressed against his baby. “Please don’t experiment like that next to the delicate machinery.”

Beast Boy waved off the comment, barely registering it. “Yeah, sure thing. Ooh! Maybe I can do hybrids, like a liger or something. Would that be any better than a regular tiger? Oh! Or what if I go the opposite way? Maybe I could be an amoeba. It’d be the perfect infiltrator!”

Peeling himself off the car, Cyborg frowned. “Does that even count as an animal?”

“Not according to modern taxonomy, but neither should alien creatures, so who knows!” Beast Boy cackled and started vaulting up the stairs to the tower proper, two steps at a time. “Space Boy, AWAY!”

He couldn’t see the look on his friend’s face as he ran off to find Starfire again, but as much as he wanted it to be awe and maybe a little envy over his mad skills, he knew it was probably something more akin to pure bafflement. That was okay. As far as he was concerned, Beast Boy had a whole world – no, a whole galaxy of options just waiting to be tried. He didn’t know how many of those options he’d end up using on a regular basis, but that was okay too.

Because whatever happened, it was going to be awesome.

[dingoes8myrp]

Supernatural: The Man with No Name, Chapter 22

This is a chaptered fanfiction piece taking place during season 14 of Supernatural.

Premise

This story takes place after episode 14.02 “Gods and Monsters.”

The arrival of John Winchester raises many questions, and gives us a glimpse into a world in which a few vital moments went a different way.

Notes: This piece is being crossposted on my Ao3.

Twenty-Two

“Tell me about Jack,” John said. “What’s his deal?”

He’d been curious about the boy since he shook his hand at the diner. There was something off about him he couldn’t quite place.

“Jack is… complicated,” Mary warned.

“Ain’t it always complicated?”

John smiled.

“Jack is a nephilim,” Mary said. “He’s the son of a woman named Kelly Kline, who died. And Lucifer.”

John straightened.

“Lucifer? He has a son here?”

“Jack wants no part of him,” Mary said. “He considers Castiel his father. He’s a good kid. New. His aging process is… Well, he’s technically only a year old. So, he’s still wrapping his head around things.”

John didn’t know what to make of that.

“Is he… I mean, what the hell is he?”

“He’s a boy, John. A good boy. He used to be powerful, but he’s weakened now. Basically a mortal until he… recharges.”

She didn’t know if that was the right word.

John felt uneasy about that, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. The kid had seemed alright to him. Kind. Pleasant.

Mary finished her beer, standing to toss the can in the trash and grab another.

“I’m trying to figure out why we have a Castiel and you don’t,” she said.

“Well, how’d he wind up here in the first place?” John asked.

Mary closed the fridge, cracked her beer, and sat back down on the bed.

“That’s…”

“Complicated,” John finished.

Mary smiled. She took a swig of her beer before she answered.

“He, uh… He pulled Dean out of Hell.”

John’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Hell?”

Mary nodded.

“Azazel, he threw Sam into this… competition. Him and other people who were fed Azazel’s blood as children.”

John nodded slowly.

“And they all died one by one,” he said. “That happened on our side, too.”

“It did?”

John nodded.

“Did Sam… Did Sam die in your version, too?” Mary asked.

John frowned.

“What? No. Sam, he… Well, he had to kill some people, but he came out of that one on top.”

“So, Dean never made his deal on your end.”

“What deal?”

Mary sighed, trying to recalibrate.

“Sam didn’t make it to the end of Azazel’s game,” she explained. “So, Dean made a deal to bring him back. He went to Hell, and Castiel brought him back.”

John sat back against the headboard.

“God damn.”

“Wait, then how did the seals start on your side?” Mary asked.

“What?”

“The first seal, the one that set everything in motion. It was ‘a righteous man spilling blood in Hell.’ Dean. He was the first seal. If he never went to Hell, what kicked it off for you?”

John ran a hand along his jaw.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Mary wondered if that was true, or if there was something he was leaving out.

“Explain something to me,” John said. “If you died back in nineteen-eighty-three, how am I sitting here talking to you?”

“Honestly? Divine intervention.”

John blinked.

“Run that by me again?”

She threw up her free hand.

“The short answer is God’s sister.”

“God’s… sister?” John asked.

He had to wrap his head around ‘God’ and then ‘sister’ on top of that.

“Yeah,” Mary said. “There was this whole thing with these upper-tier demons called Knights of Hell, and that led to Cain. ‘Cain and Abel’ Cain. He was, like, the leader of the Knights of Hell. Dean, at some point, was given the Mark of Cain. He hasn’t told me the details. But, through the Mark of Cain, the darkness was released. God’s sister, Amara.”

“Holy shit,” John muttered.

It was like learning to hunt all over again. He couldn’t keep up.

“She wanted to destroy the world,” Mary continued. “Instead, God left with her so she wouldn’t be alone, and she - or they, I’m not really sure. Somebody brought me back. I don’t know why.”

John studied her.

“Why do you think?” he asked. “If you had to guess?”

Mary thought about it. She’d thought about it a lot since she’d been back, gone back and forth from one theory to another.

“To fix things,” she said. “Right my wrongs.”

“Right your wrongs?” John asked.

He sounded baffled. Mary smiled.

“I made that deal with Azazel,” she said. “Then I left you all, dragged you into this world of monsters and apocalypses. Plural fucking apocalypses. In another world, I didn’t make the deal and the earth fell to Michael. That world’s horrific. People are barely hanging on over there. In your world, I didn’t die the night Azazel visited Sam. But I died when Lucifer rose, and that world went to shit.”

She took a shaky breath, trying not to sob. John sat up, setting his beer on the bedside table.

“Mary.”

“No matter what I do, what I did or didn’t do in whatever universe, it’s always the wrong fucking thing!”

Her voice came out small and shaky and John put his arms around her without a thought, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Mary clung to him tight, sobbing quietly into his shirt.

“I don’t think that’s true,” John said.

His voice was quiet, soothing.

“I have one world where you died and Sam and Dean were never born because I didn’t make a deal. Another one where Dean and I died and Sam became Lucifer. This one where we both died and they’ve lost almost everyone they ever cared about. Now I’m back, and I know all of it. That every choice I ever make somehow leads to something horrible. It’s like… It’s like this is some kind of punishment.”

John frowned, pulling away slightly to look down at her.

“What?”

She wiped at her face.

“I don’t remember dying,” she said. “I mean, I remember Azazel, and I remember being dead. I was in Heaven. With you, and little Dean, and baby Sam. Mom. Dad. We were together, and we were normal, and we were happy. And now I’m here, and every day’s a fight. Some days every second. Just a fight to keep going, not to give up. And every morning I wake up and for about five seconds, I forget where I am. For five seconds you’re still alive, and my sons are still babies, and there are no monsters. And then I open my eyes, and I lose all of you all over again. I lose my whole family every day, and from that moment on every second is just keeping busy. Keeping moving. Filling the day up with endless things to do so I don’t have to think about everything I’ve lost. And there’s not even anyone to blame, because it’s all my fault. Every time, no matter how you slice it, it’s always because of something I did or didn’t do, and I just…”

John took her face gently in his hands. Her cheeks were damp and red with tears. His heart broke for her.

“I don’t know how to do this, John,” she said.

“Yes you do,” he whispered. “You’re doing it. You’ve always done it.”

He moved her hair out of her face so he could see her eyes.

“You fight,” he said. “You fight like Hell. Because the second you stop, the bad guys win.”

Mary sniffed, trying to collect herself.

“Maybe you are here to fix things,” John reasoned. “But, maybe not for you. Mary, out of the three worlds we’ve talked about, this is the only one where our sons are still our sons. Still alive and fighting hard for a world that hasn’t gone to shit yet. This is the only world where you, Sam, and Dean are all here together. Maybe you’re here because they need you, Mary.”

“They don’t,” she muttered.

“Of course they do,” John insisted. “You’re their mother.”

“I don’t even know them, John. When I died, Dean was four. Sam was just a baby. I missed their entire childhood. They’re grown men now and I have no idea who they are.”

“They’re your sons,” he said simply. “So, fight for them. Fight tooth and nail for them, Mary, because that’s who you are. A badass mama bear who’d do anything to protect her family.”

She closed her eyes tight against tears and nodded, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. She pulled away from him.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to turn into a total basket case.”

John smiled.

“You’re not.”

He couldn't imagine what it was like for her to have fast-forwarded through their entire childhood. He remembered her decorating for birthday parties, dinosaur themed and Indiana Jones themed. There had been one with cowboys. She'd opened Christmas presents with the kids in the morning, taught Sam how to ride a bike. Mary had nursed their fevers, kissed their boo-boos better, helped Dean through his first break-up. John couldn't believe there was a version of him who had raised the boys without her.

-

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Seventeen, Chapter Eighteen, Chapter Nineteen, Chapter Twenty, Chapter Twenty-One, Chapter Twenty-Three,  Chapter Twenty-Four, Chapter Twenty-Five, Chapter Twenty-Six, Chapter Twenty-Seven

[catflowerqueen]

You will not... believe... how hard it was for me to get this out...

This is currently up on fanfiction.net, and I’ll crosspost more chapters onto ao3 later... i’m going to bed now...

Missing Scenes

Chapter 44: Safe

Despite the unfortunate fact that he had seen the direct aftermath of Laura’s “incidents” many times before, the Dark-type couldn’t shake the feeling that this one would be far, far worse than usual.

 In fact, he had a sinking feeling that it may even be worse than the first one he’d born witness to—which in itself had been legendary. A small part of his reasoning was because in the ten minutes since he had rescued her from falling into the ocean’s unforgiving waves she had not stopped convulsing or sparking with energy … but most of his reasoning lay in the fact that, even though it was very hard to see her shape through the darkness lit only by her mess of sparking energy and the occasional flash of lightning, her form looked… different than usual.

           As he lowered her to the sand and eased her into a seated position, her upper body leaning against his chest as he cradled her in his arms, heedless of the sparks she was emitting, he did his best to shield her from the driving winds and rain of the storm. Since they were a shock to his own system after having resided in that dark, weather-less world for so long, he could only imagine what it must have felt like for Laura, especially in her current condition. But, admittedly, it wasn’t as much of a shock to him as one would expect since he was far too distracted anxiously awaiting the girl’s sparking to die down long enough to fully assess her condition and see what exactly about her was making her look so strange. His anxiety and guilt only grew the longer it took, and when the sparking died down enough that he could finally see her more clearly, his heart all but plummeted in his chest at what he found.

           She was no longer human. She had turned into a treecko—a pokémon.

           But before he had a chance to do anything about this fact—not that he really knew what could be done, since he had no idea if the sudden species change was the only problem currently plaguing her, or how complete the change was—she opened her eyes to stare directly at him. He winced at the expression she was making. Not only was her face contorted in obvious pain, her eyes—usually so brilliant and lovely—seemed almost pupil-less in the intense glow they were giving off, and were staring intently into his own. She wasn’t glaring at him, but he almost would have preferred it to the utterly lost, helpless, and… disappointed look she bestowed him instead.

           “Why?” she asked, her voice cracking at the end.

           He looked away in shame, unable to bear that sad, betrayed gaze any longer. But it was answer enough for her. Her gaze hardened infinitesimally. “This won’t stop him,” she warned.

           “I know,” he assured her softly, finding the courage to meet her eyes again just in time to see them widen slightly in surprise before softening in understanding.

           “Oh,” she breathed, bringing one of her arms up as if to lay it on his cradling ones in comfort before pausing at the last minute, wary of burning him even more with the sparks she was giving off. “So, then,” she began, seeking clarification, “this was because…” she trailed off, and her eyes widened briefly before she clenched them again in pain as another set of powerful sparking racked her body. He cradled her closer, not caring about the fact that he was getting burned. Besides, he knew her well enough that he could guess the gist of what she was going to ask, and the very fact that she was going to ask it, that she still felt she wasn’t worthy enough to deserve such care and consideration left him feeling so hollow inside that he couldn’t not give her some measure of reassurance.

           “Of course it was,” he told her, his anger and his guilt at this entire situation, his desperate need to get it through her thick skull that she was worth so much more than she gave herself credit for leaking through and making his hushed whisper sound much harsher than he’d intended. “Of course it was!”

           She gave a soft chuckle before raising her arm again and setting a soft hand on the side of his face, apparently deciding that the physical contact might comfort him more than holding back in an attempt to mitigate his physical injuries. “In that case… I’m sorry,” she apologized, “but this won’t stop me either, Cr… Cr…” She trailed off, her brow furrowing as her eyes, whose glow had finally begun to dim, suddenly brightened again.

           But he didn’t notice. He was too busy seeing red at her words and the utter stupidity and stubbornness of her self-sacrificing nature and insistence that she fix everyone’s problems, even to her own detriment. But then his anger suddenly extinguished itself as he realized that her sparking had died down to almost nothing, indicating that the next stage in the cycle of her “incidents” was quickly approaching, and would then be followed by…

           His eyes narrowed, and his gaze hardened. “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” he challenged. “But first… ” he said as he secured his grip on her and smoothly lifted her back up off the sand, cradling her closer to his chest, “tell me: where do you think is the safest and most idyllic place for a young, amnesiac treecko like yourself to wait out the saving of the world?”

           But instead of a glare or a frown like he expected, the answer he received instead was a chuckled, “Over… there. A little to… your right. Between that wall and… those small rocks.”

           He was stunned at the response, and it must have reflected in his expression since the slightly-dazed pokémon he was holding snuggled deeper into his arms and explained, “Just now I… had a Dimensional… S-scream… of me… lying there… and you… hiding… and watching… as a pikachu comes up to me and… wakes me up.” Laura paused there momentarily before she chuckled again, rather brokenly this time, and wearily finished, “She’ll ask me… who I am… and I’ll tell her… I used… to be human… and that my name… is Laura… and… nothing else. I won’t r-remember… anything else.”

           He was quiet for a moment, grief and guilt briefly pooling within him once more—both at the realization that she still, after everything that had happened, shared a bond of trust with him that allowed him to activate her ability, and for the fact that, as it always seemed to be the case with the two of them, he’d had to be cruel to be kind in order to truly help her and keep her safe. “I see,” he said softly, honestly regretful for the treecko’s upcoming trials. But the feelings were swiftly washed away by a tide of relief. “I see,” he said again, gently carrying the soon-to-be-amnesiac to the predetermined spot to see what he could do to ensure she would be comfortable there during wait for the destined pikachu. But he soon stopped when the hand that had once been pressed against his face in comfort suddenly grabbed harshly at his arm.

           “Even… so…” she struggled to say, a glare firmly in place as she looked at him with quickly dimming eyes, “th-this… won’t… s-stop me.”

           With that, her arm fell limp and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. The sparking finally stopped, and the new Grass-type fell completely unconscious. The Dark-type felt a moment’s pang of worry and regret, but it was quickly brushed aside in favor of continuing his self-appointed task to ensure the girl’s comfort and protection while they awaited the stranger she had foreseen.

           As was always the case with Laura’s visions of the future, it was unclear exactly how far off those futures were, so the Dark-type wasn’t sure how long he would have to keep watch over his charge before the pikachu would appear. But Laura had, at least, been clear that the Electric-type’s appearance would be the catalyst for her awakening, so there was one surefire way he knew of to speed up the process. However, he wasn’t sure if it would be worth the risk since it would involve leaving Laura alone and unprotected while he searched for the item in question. Admittedly, she would only have to be left alone for a very short period of time since he knew where multiple stockpiles were and he had… ways of getting to them quickly, despite some of them being in semi-dangerous locations. But even so… he was wary of leaving her alone in her helpless state. Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t possess endless patience when it came to this particular girl. He could afford to wait however long it took—and, given how much energy she had just wasted, it would likely take a long, long time without his intervention. But there was also Laura herself to consider. While he was fully capable of taking care of her for as long as she needed him to, there was also the fact that the longer she stayed unconscious, the more problems she would have in the long run when it came to her health—especially since she had gained a new body.

           Eventually he decided that, as Laura had mentioned that he had witnessed the pikachu waking her up in the vision and she hadn’t mentioned the pikachu worrying over any injuries or other health issues, it would probably be safe to leave her alone while he went in search of the special items. Once the rain stopped, of course, as it wouldn’t due to risk her catching pneumonia (or accidentally drowning) by getting wet because he wasn’t there to shield her from it.

           He returned from his errand just as the sun began rising on a new day, and as he used the precious items on her he was relieved to see her beginning to breathe more deeply and flutter her eyelids open. She muttered something too soft for him to hear, and he watched as her eyes—which, he was saddened to see, had lost their beautiful coloring and become just as ordinary as any other treecko’s—sluggishly moved around to take in her surroundings, focusing briefly on the brilliant sunrise, before shutting once more as she quickly sank back into unconsciousness. Given his experience with her “Incidents,” he knew that she would likely have more of these brief moments of awareness before her true awakening, and he also knew they would be colored by confusion and, likely, panic as she tried to figure out what was going and why she seemed to be missing memories. So as the sun slowly began its journey overhead, he did the best he could to comfort her and assure her that she wasn’t alone.

           He talked to her. He told her stories. He sang her songs. As he shifted his positions accordingly with the sun’s path, ensuring that she was always within his protective shadow and shielded from the sun’s harsh and unyielding rays, he even hummed the lullaby whose melody—though not the proper lyrics—had been passed down from generation to generation since the dawn of the world’s creation. Then, as the sun began its descent back beyond the horizon and krabby appeared in the distance to blow their bubbles, he backed off just the slightest bit so that her body would be able to soak up the last of its rays to use for photosynthesis. But even as he moved away, he kept a vigilant watch for the promised pikachu.

           His patience paid off when, just as the sunset had begun in earnest, a yellow-furred pokémon began to walk down the shoreline and admire the bubbles sparkling in the light and gently floating into the air. He quickly retreated further, hiding himself completely from her view, and, after a brief moment where the light seemed to reflect off of the waves and bubbles in such a way that momentarily blinded him and obscured the pokémon from his sight, he watched as Laura’s vision played out.

But despite knowing the outcome, and despite knowing that this was what was best for her in the long run, he still couldn’t help but be disheartened by the extent of Laura’s memory loss.

           As the two girls continued to talk, he pondered what his next move should be. Laura’s Dimensional Scream hadn’t revealed what she or the pikachu—who was apparently named Paula—would do after she woke up, and he didn’t want to stray too far from her side until he could be certain that she was safe. But just as he was contemplating the benefits of making his presence known, Paula was assaulted, and then mugged, by a duo of Poison-types. He bit back a snarl of anger as Laura was inadvertently shoved aside in the process, and his simmering rage was such that he almost missed the girls’ mad dash past his hiding place in pursuit of the thieves. But he quickly snapped out of it in deference to following them so that he could ensure Laura’s safety.

           He kept at a distance and stayed safely in the shadows, not wanting to interfere unless is help was truly needed. But it turned out that his caution and worry weren’t even necessary; for someone who had just been thrust into a foreign body with foreign capabilities, Laura seemed almost unnaturally good at exploring the cave and defeating enemies. Aside from the way she insisted on walking, it was almost as if she had been a treecko her entire life. Though, given who she was, he supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised by the outcome. In any case, Paula and Laura quickly located the thieves and retrieved Paula’s item, and the two of them—with their unseen tagalong—managed to return to the Beach before the sun had even completed setting. He watched as the two discussed the item—which he was too far away to identify—before Paula broached the topic of forming an exploration team together and joining the nearby Wigglytuff Guild.

           The Dark-type considered the idea. He remembered all of the stories he’d heard about the place; it was considered to be the best institution for learning how to be an explorer, which would mean that, if Laura did end up joining, she would receive excellent training and would be able to learn the ins and outs of her new body and how to strengthen and protect herself. She would also have easy access to food, shelter, and—though she would hopefully never need it—medical care. Guildmaster Wigglytuff was also known to be incredibly strong, so he would easily be able to protect her from harm. The Dark-type was still loath to leave her, but… he knew that, with the world in its current state, leaving her was the only feasible option to ensure that things progressed as they should, and that the opportunity Paula was suggesting was the best scenario that he could think of. Still, though, he couldn’t help but follow the two as they made their way to the guild, and, even once they entered, he still waited patiently outside the gates for a while. But after a half hour had passed and the duo did not come back out, he assumed that they had, indeed, been accepted into the guild.

Even then, he still lingered for a while, staring up at the gorgeous moon in contemplation. He knew there was no more need for him here, but he could not bring himself to leave just yet. A part of it, he knew, was lingering worry over Laura’s safety, but most of it was guilt over the entire situation and how quickly everything had escalated… and how powerless he was to stop it.

“Though, considering how it all started,” he thought with a resigned sigh, “I suppose I should not be surprised…”

He sighed again before tearing his gaze from the moon and shaking his head in sadness. It was time to leave. In light of recent events, there were many things which had just been added to his “to-do” list to ensure that things proceeded smoothly—the first item being locating the other pokémon who had been involved in the fiasco from the previous evening. He was fairly certain that Grovyle would be fine, but still—he just had to see it with his own eyes… even if he had no intention of revealing himself to the Grass-type when he did so. Besides… assuming that things went as they should, it might be his last chance to see Grovyle before he… well.

The Dark-type shook his head again, as if the action would dissipate such morbid thoughts, before he sighed in resignation. He stood up and brushed himself off before giving one last, lingering look at the gate separating him from his friend, and he was unsurprised to feel the pinpricks of tears beginning to form in his eyes as he set off to begin his search.

“Please, please forgive me, Laura,” he silently begged. “But this was the only way for you to stay safe…”

[shooting-stars-library]

Marry Me

Masterlist

PLEASE COMMENT/REBLOG, IT LETS ME KNOW IF Y'ALL LIKE MY WRITING/WANT MORE AND HELPS MORE PEOPLE SEE IT

Based on the song by Thomas Rhett

Plot based on the music video

Yeah, she wanna get married, but she don’t wanna marry me.

(Summaries are spoilers so that’s all you’re getting ;-P)

Crossposted on AO3

Notes: I like country music okay? Leave me be.

Pairing: Yoongi/Fem!Reader

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Words: 2,780 (ugh so short)

Warnings: None

A little girl, about seven years old, comes down the stairs, wearing a gold sparkly dress, and a white tutu, dragging a giant teddy bear behind her. She enters the living room, where she has all her dress-up items and stuffed animals lying around. She organizes the animals so they are leaning up against the couch, looking like an audience waiting for something important to happen. She talks to them, almost like she’s trying to soothe an impatient crowd. “Yes, Mrs. Perkins, we will be starting soon. Yes, Mr. Adams, there will be food after.”

She turns around, seeming satisfied that she has calmed the audience.

“Charlie!” she calls the family dog into the room, has him sit next to the rows of stuffed animals, and gently clips a bow tie into his fur. Then she pulls on white gloves, and puts on a string of pearls, looping it around several times so it doesn’t hang too low. She puts on a pair of oversized heels, and picks up a bouquet of fabric flowers. Then, she walks down the length of the living room in front of her audience, and curtsies. She’s getting married today. The little girl is so focused on her make-believe wedding, that she doesn’t see the eight-year-old boy watching her from the window. Soon, the boy pulls his face away from the window, and heads back home to his piano.

~~~~~~

Ten years later, the boy is about to go on stage and compete in the regional music competition. If he wins, his school will keep their title of reigning champions. He tries to calm his nerves, to no avail. He starts pacing, running a hand through his neatly styled black hair.

“Yoongi!” He hears his name being called by a familiar voice, his racing heart skipping a beat at the sound. He turns, and is greeted by the smiling face of his best friend, (Y/N). Her smile drops when she sees how upset he is. “Oh, Yoongi.”

“I can’t do this. I should just tell them I’m sick. I can’t perform today. What if I mess up? What if-”

“Hey, hey. Look at me,” (Y/N) cups his face with her hands, looking into his eyes. “You’ll do great. You’ve literally practiced for days on end, you know the piece by heart. There’s no way you’ll mess up. And I’ll be in the front row, cheering you on.”

She releases his face, much to his disappointment, and her gaze moves to his hair. She smiles, and shakes her head. “Look what you’ve done to your hair. You’re lucky I brought a comb with me, just in case.”

She digs in her bag, and pulls out said comb, and fixes his hair, making sure to style it off his forehead so that it stays out of his eyes when he is playing, using her fingers to smooth it out once in a while. He closes his eyes, enjoying the feel of her fingers in his hair. She steps back when she is finished, admiring her work. She nods, satisfied, slipping the comb into his jacket pocket. “You’re good to go.”

He smiles at her. “Thank you. For everything.”

She grins back. “You’re welcome. Now get on out there and show them how amazing you are. I’ll see you after you win.”

He smiles, a bit unsure, but encouraged by her belief in him. “Sure.”

She waves, and leaves to find her seat. He waves after her, his heart aching a little. Then he hears the announcer calling his name, and he takes a deep breath, before stepping on stage into the lights.

~~~~~~

“I told you you could do it!” (Y/N) jumps on him, throwing her arms around his neck. He wraps his arms around her, both to return the hug, and to make sure she doesn’t topple them both over. He chuckles.

“Yes, you did. Thank you for believing in me.”

“I’ll always believe in you.” She pulls back, smiling at him, her eyes shining with happiness. They  stared at each other for a few seconds, before she pulls away, grabbing his wrist. “Come on, let’s go out and celebrate! Our favorite diner should still be open, it’s not too late after all.”

She begins pulling him along, and he chuckles again. “Okay, okay, let’s go.”

He removes his wrist from her grasp, only to grasp her hand in his, and switches their roles so now he is the one leading her, weaving in and out of the crowd, smiling and thanking those who offer him their congratulations. Finally they make it out of the mass of people, and out of the building. He looks back at her and they both laugh, before making a run for his car, hands still intertwined. He opens the passenger door for her, gesturing for her to get in. She giggles, and curtsies. “Thank you, kind sir.”

He grins. “You’re quite welcome fair lady.”

Unfortunately, it was too dark to see, but if he could have, he would have seen a blush on her cheeks at his words. But he didn’t, so he just waits patiently for her to get in, then shuts the door behind her, before walking to the driver’s side and getting in himself. He starts the car, and immediately the radio turns on. (Y/N) shot up in her seat.

“I love this song!” she exclaimed, and began singing along.

Yoongi just smiled and turned up the volume, before pulling out and heading towards the diner. (Y/N) continued singing along with the radio, even after the first song had ended, her melodic voice filling the car. When they arrived at their destination, (Y/N) rushed out of the car and stood in front of it, bouncing on her heels, waiting for Yoongi to get out and lock it. “Hurry up Yoongi!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. What’s the rush? They won’t close for another few hours yet.”

“I know, but I want to make sure we can get our normal booth.” She grabbed his hand and nearly drug him the rest of the way to the diner. They entered, Yoongi holding the door for (Y/N), making her giggle, and asked the waitress for their regular booth.They sat next to each other, and after ordering their food, they sat talking and laughing, as they tended to do whenever they were together. Yoongi’s hand was on the seat next to him, and while laughing at something  Yoongi had said, (Y/N) put her hand down on the seat as well, very near to his. Neither of them knew whether it was purposeful or not, but eventually their hands moved towards each other and met in the middle, fingers intertwining. They both looked down, then back up at each other, neither one saying a word. Finally Yoongi broke the silence.

“Thank you, again, for, y’know, believing in me.”

“Of course, Yoongi. That’s what I’m here for.”

“No, I mean really. Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I probably never would have gotten on that stage. I would have just left and forgotten about the whole thing.”

(Y/N) didn’t say anything, just squeezed his hand. They both stared at each other, before starting to lean in. Suddenly there was a loud bang on the window next to them, and they both jumped and turned to see their friend Jungkook, one of their school’s star dancers, outside the window. He grinned cheekily before making kissing gestures with his hands, teasing them. Yoongi covered his face and rubbed his temples, while (Y/N) got up and ran out, smacking Jungkook on the shoulder, and running him off. Once he left she turned back to Yoongi, and shrugged her shoulders, smiling at him from the other side of the glass.

~~~~~~

That was seven years ago, and Yoongi was now twenty-four, and a producer for a big entertainment company. He still lived in the same town he grew up in, and he still saw (Y/N) fairly often. However, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to see her anymore. He got a letter in the mail a few months ago. It had a fancy design on the front of it, and what the envelope contained shook him to his core.

It was a wedding invite. (Y/N) was getting married. Yoongi was heartbroken. The girl of his dreams was getting married, and it wasn’t to him. He had no one to blame but himself really, he’d never actually gotten the courage to tell her how he felt, but it still hurt. He couldn’t even be mad at the man she was engaged to. He was a nice guy, at least, he seemed nice when Yoongi met him at the engagement party. He saw (Y/N) there too, of course, but he couldn’t make himself go over and talk to her. So instead he just nodded and raised his glass of champagne when she looked his way. She smiled, and then was called away by one of the bridesmaids. Yoongi left right after. What he didn’t get to see, was (Y/N) standing by herself, looking at her ring, starting to take it off, before changing her mind and leaving it on.

~~~~~~

Today is the wedding, and Yoongi isn’t sure that he can do this. He’s seated in the back of the venue, wearing his black suit and tie, and trying not to cry. All he can think about is that (Y/N) is probably already in her dress, and is just finishing getting ready to get married to another man. He takes a quick shot of whiskey out of a small flask, trying to calm down. He sees (Y/N)’s dad, who spots him as well, and makes his way over.

“Yoongi. It’s good to see you.”

“You too sir. Is your father officiating the wedding?”

“Yes, (Y/N)’s always said she wanted him to do it.”

“I remember.”

(Y/N)’s dad smiles, but there are tears in his eyes. “I’m not sure I can do this. I’ve been dreading giving her away for so long.”

‘You’re not the only one giving her away,’ Yoongi thinks, but out loud he says, “I’m sure you’ll do great. And he’s a great guy; he’ll take care of her.”

The elder gives him a meaningful look. “It should be you up there with her.”

Yoongi is speechless, but before he can think of what to say, (Y/N)’s dad squeezes his shoulder then leaves, leaving Yoongi dumbfounded. It should be him? Did he not like (Y/N)’s fiance? Or did he know that Yoongi loved her? …Did (Y/N) know? Before Yoongi could think about it anymore, a piano started playing, and the guests were starting to sit down. Suddenly the room seemed too small, too crowded, and he felt way too overwhelmed. He got up and left the room, weaving in out out of the crowd of guests. He got out into the foyer, and moved to a quiet corner, trying to steady his rapid breathing. Once he had calmed down somewhat, he looked around. Everyone was already in the main hall where the ceremony would take place, and he was the only one left outside. He thought about going back in now that he wasn’t about to have a panic attack in front of all those people, but he knew he couldn’t. He just couldn’t make himself go back in there. He spotted the table with the guest list, and knew what he had to do. He flipped to the back of the book, and gently tore out a page. He grabbed one of the pens on the table, and wrote:

‘(Y/N),

I’m sorry I couldn’t stay, but I wish you all the best.

Love,

Yoongi’

He folded up the paper, and wrote her name on the top of it, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the comb she had used on his hair all those years ago, and set it on top of the note. Then, Yoongi quietly slipped out of the building, heading to the only place he could think of to go at the moment: the diner.

Not three minutes after he left, (Y/N) exited the room she was getting ready in, and entered the foyer, her bridesmaids behind her. She stopped a few feet from the door, her bridesmaids getting in line in front of her. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and a flower crown veil. She looked down at her engagement ring, twirling it around her finger. She sighs, then looks around the room. Her gaze falls on the table next to the door, and she sees a comb and note laying on it. Curious, she walks over and picks them up. Immediately, she recognized the comb, and looks wide-eyed at the note. Seeing her name on it, she unfolds it quickly, and reads it. Tears well up in her eyes, and she covers her mouth, holding back a sob. Suddenly, she realizes what she has to do. She folds up the letter, and holds onto it and the comb with one hand, pulling off her veil with the other. She drops the veil to the floor, and her bridesmaids all look at her.

“(Y/N)? What’s going on? What are you doing?”

“What I should have done a long time ago.” She takes off her engagement ring, and hands it to one of the bridesmaids. “Tell everyone I’m sorry, but the wedding is off.”

With that, she turns, picks up her dress, and runs out of the building, kicking off her heels as she goes. And she knew exactly where to go.

~~~~~~

Yoongi sat in the diner, a cup of coffee in front of him. Of course the waitress sat him at the booth that he and (Y/N) would always sit in together. Talk about adding insult to injury. He took out his flask and poured some of the contents into his coffee. He sat there a while, just staring into space. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was, happened to glance out of the window, and did a double-take. There, standing outside, was (Y/N). She shrugged just like she did all those years ago, and covered her mouth, trying to keep herself from crying. Yoongi rushed out of the diner, completely forgetting about his coffee, and ran to her. He stopped a couple feet in front of her, eyes wide and questioning. She removed her hand from her mouth, and raised the other one. Yoongi looked, and saw that she was holding his note and the comb. She smiled a watery smile, and stepped toward him, Yoongi following suit. Once they were only a few inches apart, (Y/N) raised her left hand, showing her bare ring finger. He looked up at her, shocked.

“I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t ignore my true feelings anymore. Not after I realized how you felt about me.”

Yoongi was still confused. “So, you aren’t married?”

(Y/N) laughed, and Yoongi’s heart skipped a beat, like it always did when he heard her laugh. She shook her head. “No, I’m not married. At least, not yet.”

“Yet?”

(Y/N) just smiled and held up the comb. ““Look what you’ve done to your hair. You’re lucky I brought a comb with me, just in case.”

This time Yoongi was the one to laugh. “Would you mind fixing it for me then?”

(Y/N) smiled, her eyes full of love and did as he asked. Yoongi’s eyes slipped closed at the feeling of her hands in his hair, his mind going back to that piano recital that seemed like a lifetime ago.

“(Y/N)?”

She hummed, finishing styling his hair; off of his forehead, so it wouldn’t get in his eyes. Yoongi opened his eyes, and looked into hers, taking her hand. He bent down on one knee, and (Y/N)’s eyes welled up with tears again. Yoongi looked up at her, tears glistening in his own eyes.

“I don’t have a ring, but, would you consider marrying me anyway?”

(Y/N) laughed, tears streaming down her face. She nodded, pulling him up to his feet. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”

Yoongi beamed, his own tears finally falling down his face, and pulled her into an embrace. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you too, Yoongi.”

They pulled back slightly, just enough to press their lips together for their first kiss, one that was seven years in the making.

Copyright © 2018 Shooting Stars Library. All rights reserved.

[artificervaldi]

Velvet Apartments [1/?]

Characters (this chapter): P3 MaMC(Minato Arisato), P3 FeMC (Minako Arisato), Akihiko Sanada, Margaret, Theodore, Teddie, Shinjiro Aragaki, Ryoji Mochizuki 

Ships (this chapter): Barebone start to Minato/Akihiko, Minako/Teddie, and Shinjiro/Theodore if you squint

Summary: The Arisato twins just wanted to get away from their cousin and live on their own. A strange man's offer leads them to the Velvet Apartments and gets them involved with something inhuman...

Ao3 Link | Next Chapter

A/N: I’ve been posting this fic to Ao3 for a bit and thought why not crosspost it? Better to have backups, right? All warnings are included in the link, but I will warn as I slowly post this to tumblr for each chapter. Expect a lot of weird ships with a few less-weird sprinkled in. I’ll only tag the Personas characters in the chapter appear in originally, so don’t expect a P5 character in a chapter tagged only P3 and P4, that type of thing. It does include characters from P3 to P5.

Minato Arisato wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking at when he looked up at Velvet Apartments, but he wasn’t sure he liked it. How he’d ended up here, he wasn’t sure, it had all happened in a blur, really. He and his sister had been living with their cousin Ryoji and it’d gotten to be too much, so they started looking for their own place. A man had approached him and told him about this place.

He’d found it kind of odd to start, but Minako was this close to killing Ryoji that he didn’t have much choice. Minato didn’t want to be in charge of hiding a body for his sister, that would be...troublesome, to say the least. An apartment was a much better idea.

“Minato, earth to Minato!” Minako waved a hand in front of her brother’s face, pulling him out of his thoughts. “You were doing that spacing out thing again.”

“You say that like it’s all I do.”

“Have you seen yourself when you have headphones in? You’re dead to the world.”

Minato rolled his eyes a bit, but there was a small smile on his face. “You’re just as bad, though.”

“I am not!”

He shook his head and looked away. “Whatever you say.”

“I know you’re smiling.” Minako frowned, watching Minato carefully.

“I am not.”

The twins seemed to carry on with this, bickering the way most siblings do, for quite awhile. At least until someone came out of the apartment and made their way over to the moving van.

“New tenants? Need any help with all your things?” The man who’d come out smiled at them, casual as could be despite the bandage on his face. Either this guy got himself injured through a lot of fighting or he was clumsy, that was the only thought that passed through Minato’s mind.

“Well, I’ll be able to handle most of my stuff, but feel free to help my brother,” Minako sent him a grin, “he’s very frail.”

“I am not, but help wouldn’t be turned down.” Minato decided now was not the time to quip back. He would do that later, when he wasn’t in the middle of a first impression. Unlike Minako, when he said something that was meant to tease, it sounded kind of rude.

“Great! Well, I’m Akihiko Sanada, nice to meet you!” When he smiled Minato had to note that it was a nice one. It could give almost anyone a warm, fuzzy feeling (though it was odd, it was kinda...different than the feeling his sister’s smile gave him).

“I’m Minako Arisato, and this is my twin brother, Minato. Pleasure to meet you!” Minako sent Minato a grin and he grimaced. He knew that look, that was the look of Minako doing all in her power to set him up with someone.

“Minato and Minako, should be easy to remember,” he flashed that smile at both of them and Minato looked away. He couldn’t give his sister any satisfaction in all of this. If he did, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Let’s get going, then.” He made his way to the back of the moving truck and pulled out a few boxes, only for Akihiko to take them from his hands. Why did he have a feeling he believed Minako saying he was frail over his denial of that? That was totally the case.

Minato just shook his head and took some other boxes and started for the door. There was a lot to get up to the apartment, so there wasn’t time to pout about it. There was more important things to pout about, anyway.

He watched Minako make her way to the front desk and chat with the woman behind it for a moment. There she was, in her natural habitat, becoming friendly with just about anyone she met. It was always helpful when she did that, but Minato had to think now was not the time. They had so much to get up to the apartment…

“So,” Akihiko made his way over to Minato as Minako finished up her chat, “you’re twins, right? Which one of you is older?”

“That doesn’t really matter, does it?” Minako gave a laugh, “I mean, we were basically born at the same--”

“I’m older.” Minato was always too happy to tell people that, wasn’t he?

“Really, Minato?”

“Yeah, he asked, so I told him.” He shrugged his shoulders and pressed the button for the fourth floor on the elevator.

“I’m sorry,” the woman behind the desk smiled at Minato, looking him over with oddly yellow eyes, “the elevator is out of order, I’m afraid you’ll have to use the stairs.”

Minato sighed. Alright, that wasn’t the best news, but it could be worse. They could be on the sixth of seventh floor instead. It might just take a while to get everything up there, was all.

“Thank you for the information, well, let’s get to the--”

“One moment, I’ll call down some more help.” The smile was still on her face, but Minato couldn’t help but be a bit put off. She was so professional, so… unhuman. The eyes didn’t help kill that vibe, either.

“Alright, thank you!” Minako smiled at her and punched Minato in the side, as if telling him to stop staring. “We’ll wait right here, then.”

The woman smiled and turned away for a moment, picking up the phone and seemingly calling someone. All that could really be caught was “quickly now” and “I’ll be waiting,” it seemed she was talking as quietly as she could then? It was hard to blame her, Minato wasn’t too keen on others listening in on him, either.

Soon enough, a man who looked a lot like the woman behind the desk came running down the stairs. His hair was slicked back in order to look neat and he looked like a bellboy or door greeter or something like that. Overall he looked like any average employee, if it wasn’t for the fact he had the same yellow, inhuman eyes.

“There you are, Theodore. Do be a dear and help them carry their items to their apartment, seeing as you weren’t at the door.”

“I’m sorry Margaret! Elizabeth was asking me to--”

Margaret held up a hand and shook her head. “Just go, Theo. They seem to have plenty of things they could need help carrying, we don’t want to make them wait any longer.”

“Yes sister, of course.” He turned to face them and smiled. “Hello, I’m Theodore, but you may call me Theo. Could I take some of those boxes for you?”

“Oh, sure!” Minako dumped her boxes in his hands as if this was the most normal thing to happen to her. After living with Ryoji, though, Minato could see why this wasn’t affecting her much. “I’ll go grab some more boxes and we’ll be done a lot faster!”

“Should we wait for her?” Akihiko raised an eyebrow and looked to Minato for an answer.

“Yeah, if we don’t I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Do you two not get along?” Theodore frowned and tilted his head to the side, as if Margaret didn’t have a look on her face like she wouldn’t be letting Theodore hear the end of something after he was done with this.

“Oh, we get along great. We’re best friends, really.”

“So it’s that kind of sibling bond!” That seemed to excite Theodore, for some reason, as he nodded with a huge smile on his face. Odd, but hey, whatever made him happy.

“Alright!” And there was Minako, carrying way too many boxes for her tiny body. “Let’s get going!”

“Need some help?” Akihiko rose and eyebrow and Theodore reached for one of the boxes.

“Nope, I have this under control.” She smiled at them from around the boxes and stepped out of Theodore’s reach.

“Are you sure, you seem to be having some trouble--”

“I’m sure!”

Akihiko turned to look at Minato. “Can you...say something about all of this?”

“She gets her stubbornness from me.”

“Not what I was looking for, but alright.” Akihiko seemed to already know there was no point in arguing with such a statement. One twin being stubborn was enough to deal with at once.

 --

 About two flights of stairs up and things went wrong, fast. Minako was stumbling, the boxes stacked way too high for her to even really see ahead of her. It was a miracle that she only tripped when they made it to the last step up onto the second floor. That didn’t make Minato feel any better about her falling though.

Minato was just about ready to throw the boxes and move to help her up when a blond man came bolting down the hall. Guess he’d seen her fall and wanted to be helpful, that or he was looking for a chance to flirt. Maybe both, but Minato found people who wanted to do both of those things far and few between.

“Are you alright? That seemed like a beary bad fall!” He held out a hand to Minako, a smile on his face.

Minako blinked a few times before laughing at the (really bad) bear pun and taking his hand. “I’m fine, it wasn’t unbearable or anything!”

The blond’s eyes lit up, catching onto the stress she’d put on bear. “I-I’m Teddie, it’s nice to meet you miss!”

“I’m Minako Arisato!” She smiled at him and shook his hand, seeing as she was already holding it.

“A pretty name for a pretty lady!” Teddie kissed her hand and Minako blushed a bit. “Are you moving into the building?”

“That we are! My brother and I!” She pointed over at Minato and smiled at him, her eyes bright.

“What’s going on, exactly?” Theodore leaned over to Minato, confusion clear on his face. Oh, that was right, Minako hadn’t been that excited around this guy before now, huh?

“She just found her soulmate, probably.”

Theodore blinked. “Really?”

“That’s my best guess, at the very least.” His sister was an enigma sometimes, you know? He didn’t know everything about her.

“I see…”

By the time Minato looked back over at his sister, she’d gotten Teddie to help her carry some boxes. Well, she liked the guy well enough if she was letting him help her out, right? She usually would’ve brushed anyone trying to help off… Maybe the fall scared her, actually. It was hard to tell why she was accepting help.

Oh well, she seemed to be having a good time and that was all that mattered. Minato would just check for injuries when they made it up there. He couldn’t help but be worried, even if he was sure deep down she was alright.

“Minato…” Minako moved over to him and bumped against him. “Minato, are you okay?”

He blinked a few times and shook his head. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” They just needed to start up the next set of stairs already.

Too bad for him, Akihiko had ended up noticing when Minako walked over to Minato. He was totally going to take the boxes from him, wasn’t he? All because he let his guard down for a split second…

“Let me take a few of those.” At least Akihiko only took about half his boxes. Anymore than that and Minato would have mirrored his sister’s insistence about how many boxes they could carry from earlier.

“Thanks…” Minato sighed, shaking his head. If there was one thing he hated, it was being treated like this. Akihiko didn’t know that, though, so he’d let it pass for now. If Minako had anything to say about it, they’d be chatting a lot more anyway.

Speaking of Minako, though… This Teddie guy was going to help him distract himself right now. Minako wanted to set him up with Akihiko? Fine, but he wasn’t going to let Minako do that without having some fun of his own.

He made his way over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, watching for her reactions carefully.

“Minato? What are you--” A gentle push towards Teddie cut her right off and Minato knew he wouldn’t be hearing the end of this later. Did that mean he would regret the choice? No, no it didn’t.

“Whoa,” Teddie caught Minako easily with one arm, “I’m the luckiest guy around today!”

Minako blushed and cleared her throat, standing up. “Don’t be silly, Teddie!” She turned to Minato. “You are so dead.”

“I know I am.”

Minako sighed and shook her head, steadying herself fully. “Let’s just get going, there’s still more down in the van!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So this is what it’s like when both siblings participate in the teasing…?” Theodore titled his head to the side for a moment before nodding. “Interesting…”

“...Is that guy okay?” Minato just had to ask now, leaning over to Akihiko.

“As far as I know, mostly? His sisters are just the type to bully, I guess.” Akihiko shrugged and started up the stairs. “Most of the residents don’t think about it much.”

“I see…” Then he’d just try and follow that example. Getting caught up with too many people wouldn’t be good for him. It never was.

“Minato!” How did his sister always know when he was thinking something negative? Was it a sixth, twin-related, sense or something? If it was, why did his never seem to be as good as hers was?

“What is it, Minako?”

“You keep over thinking like that and you’ll fall down the stairs!” She paused before giving him a smile and fluttering her eyelashes. “Unless you want Sanada-kun to have to catch you!”

“You know that’s not what it is, you brat.” He frowned, or maybe it was more pouted, at her.

“It was a joke, you brat!” She stuck her tongue out at him and kept moving up the stairs. “I mean, come on, you know it was!”

“Yeah, doesn’t mean I have to like it. Besides, weren’t you the one who just had to be caught by Teddie…?”

“That was your fault!”

Teddie blinked a few times, peeking around Minako at Minato. “Whoa, your relationship bearly seems healthy.”

“You just haven’t seen us when we’re not tired and in the middle of a move, I promise it’s usually much better than this.” Minako gave an awkward laugh and looked back at Teddie. “It’s been a long day, is all.”

“Besides, some bickering between siblings is healthy, isn’t it?” Akihiko looked behind himself, only to lose his footing and fall.

Minato, without even thinking about it, dropped the boxes in his hands and caught Akihiko at the last moment, barely keeping himself on the step. That could’ve been really bad, if he hadn’t kept his footing, ugh. Minako and Teddie would’ve gone down too--

As if the world was against him, though, he slipped back just far enough that he went falling down. Soon enough he was hitting into Minako and they were falling further, Teddie trying and failing to catch them. Next was going to be Theodore and then there would be injuries and pain all around. Just what Minato had wanted to avoid with this move.

He closed his eyes and decided if he couldn’t stop the fall he’d at least brace himself as best he could and try to lessen the injuries to Akihiko (Minako and Teddie being under him made it basically impossible to help them without more quick thinking than he had at the moment). He took a deep breath, throwing his hands in front of himself to try and push Akihiko up the stairs, away from the fall and--

And they never hit the ground. In fact, they stopped moving, as if they’d all been caught by something or someone. Cracking an eye open, he glanced over his shoulder and there was Theodore, having not budged an inch, holding Teddie up with one hand. How in the hell could he support them all with one hand? No one could be that strong, could they.

“Are you all alright? That seemed like it was going to end badly!” And he was acting so casual about this too, was this normal here? Judging by the look on Teddie’s face, it wasn’t.

“W-Well!” As if realizing a huge mistake Theodore stumbled back a bit and fell over in such a way that no one really got hurt. “We should hurry up and make it to your apartment, before someone falls again!”

 --

 Finally they made it to the apartment and Minato sighed. That had been an adventure, to say the least, and something about Theodore was really off to him after the incident on the stairs. Was this apartment really a good idea?

“Minato, you’re doing it again…” Minako sighed and shook her head. “How to deal with this…?”

Before he could ask what she meant, she gave him a push of her own, right into Akihiko. Unlike Teddie, though, he wasn’t able to prepare himself to catch Minato and went stumbling back himself. Soon enough it was like a bad snowball effect, hitting into Teddie and then into Theodore, who happened to have his back turned this time.

“Oh, you guys…!” Minako paused and jumped back a step, seemingly in fear of something.

“What is it, a monster?” Minato hoped his joke helped Minako calm down about...whatever it was.

Akihiko looked behind him and laughed. “No, it’s not a monster, just Shinji. His face is kinda scary, though.”

Minato peeked over Akihiko’s shoulder and blinked. Looked like someone had stopped Theodore from face planting, and that someone must’ve been that Shinji guy.

“Oh, Shinjiro, thank you very much!” Theodore straightened himself quickly and took a step back.

Shinjiro shrugged a bit and looked over at Akihiko, a frown on his face. “Aki, new friend of yours?”

Akihiko blinked a few times before both he and Minato realized they were pressed up against each other still. Well, that wouldn’t have mattered if someone hadn’t pointed it out, right? Minato told himself that that was the case.

“Wow, Sanada-kun, your face is really red right now!” Minako just had to note that as she moved in front of them to help Teddie up, didn’t she?

“Don’t know who this lady is, but she’d right Aki, your face is about the shade of a tomato right now,” Shinjiro seemed to say that with a laugh held back.

“Like you can talk, Shinji!” Akihiko seemed raring to go now, yet didn’t move to push Minato away. “Did you not notice the new addition to your arm?”

Shinjiro glanced over and shrugged when he noticed Theodore standing very close to his side. “Doesn’t he always do this to people?”

“I mean, fair enough, but still. Seems to usually be you.” Akihiko rose an eyebrow, as if he was challenging Shinjiro to deny it.

Shinjiro, however, just shook his head (though Minato was pretty sure he could see a glint of Shinjiro thinking about saying something before that) and turned to look at the twins. “So you two are moving in, huh?”

Minako, still looking at least a little putoff by this all, smiled and nodded. “Yep, yes we are!”

“...I see.” Shinjiro nodded a bit and looked around at the people nearby. “Quite the group you have helping with the move, huh?”

“We just kept getting more and more help, I guess.” Minato shrugged, moving to stand next to his sister. She had the key right now and needed to open the door…

“I see, well--”

“Minato! Minako! I knew I’d find you two here!”

Minato wasted no time taking the boxes from Minako. If he hadn’t done that, he was sure they’d be smashed into almost nothing from Minako’s anger. Of course, of course this was going to happen.

“Ryoji…”

[homoerotixx]

The Closer (You Are To the Top, the Faster You'll Go)

[TCoR] [ONESHOT]

pairing: hakyeon/nayoung, vague undertones of navi/haken, notes: it’s hakyeon-centric // a followup to this, crossposted on AO3 words: 3,589

The cards directed him to a neutral god who only played by his own hand for his own ends, and they said he could help him.

Quick footsteps—running—echoed through the open halls of the stone tower. Where shoes clicked against the concrete, panting followed.

The tower rose above the forest line, so tall that it cut the sky into the clouds. An entrance to the realm of the gods, people said—it was dangerous, a one-way trip. He didn't care about that. What he did care about was if he was too late or not.

The cards—the nasty little things—had told him he might be, that he was up against someone who had an advantage over him, who was superior to him in almost every way. He didn't doubt it, but he hated that it was someone he knew. Someone he thought he could trust.

Taekwoon.

That bastard.

Wind whistled a low, ominous tune in his ears as he ran up floor after floor. The levels seemed infinite, but he wouldn't stop until he found who he was looking for. The cards directed him to a neutral god who only played by his own hand for his own ends, and they said he could help him. For who he was up against, he would take all the help he could get.

He considered more than once calling out the god's name; Ravi was what the people knew him as, but there was another, more personal name that would ensnare his attention for sure. Here though, it was dangerous; he didn't know what else could be lurking in the shadows. He passed a level where there seemed to be a setup for a ghostly banquet. It would be safer not to disturb the eerie peace, and even though he was sure his imagination was only overreacting, he swore eyes were trailing him around.

In a ramped corridor where the walls were curtained with vines, a sudden flash of lighting startled him. Pausing, he leaned into one of the entangled weaves to catch his breath. How long had he been running? His eyes fell closed so he could level himself out again, but the image of the one he loved—gentle waves of brown, smooth skin, shining eyes that seemed to see everything inside of him—darted through his mind. He inhaled sharply.

There was no time to rest.

With a last, calming breath, he set off again. He was close, he could feel it. Thunder rumbled low in the distance.

Higher and higher, he could tell he was far up because the air was thinner. The vague thought of finding where the gods called home crossed his mind, the twinkling of crystal chandeliers in the corners of his vision, but when he heard a deep sigh, he stopped again. He slid closer to the edge of the center.

Willing the vertigo away, he looked up and twisted his neck. A few more floors up, there it was: A vibrant red light pouring from one of the room openings. That had to be it.

Thoughtlessly, he climbed up the ledge with the idea that he could get up there without needing to ascend more. If he could just—reach—

"F-Fuck!"

His foot slipped and in a last ditch attempt to catch himself, spun around on the ledge. His heart lodged itself into his throat and his stomach plummeted down before—

Air was not flying past his ears as he fell. In fact, he wasn't falling at all.

His eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the topless tower. It went for levels and layers and floors until there was nothing but an endless darkness. His hand was outreached. His body was suspended in midair, only the ball of his foot still clinging against the ledge.

He shakily lifted his head to look back at the ground in front of him, and he saw her. Her. His eyes widened.

"Nayou—"

His voice was caught against the walls of his throat before he could finish blurting her name, as if something stopped him up. She stared wordlessly at him, bewitching eyes raking over his form before settling on his hand. Every move of hers was calculated and graceful as she reached forward, her dainty hand reaching out for his own, and he almost closed his eyes again in bliss at her touch when their fingers threaded.

Strength inhuman, she pulled him forward. Slung in disbelief, his breathing was shallow while his foot reached out to step back onto the concrete. Impalpable air surrounded her wholly expressionless form.

And when he reached forward to cup her face, she disintegrated into glittering dust.

He gasped, reality slamming back into him. He fell back against the wall, bracing himself on weak legs, and looked around for her. She was gone. There was no one, not a single trace of her or that anyone might've been there. Painfully, his heart clenched. She'd just been an illusion.

The rumors were true. This tower was dangerous, gateway to the gods or not.

Wearily, he looked over his shoulder to seek out the red room that caught his attention before. Why had he thought he could climb up there from here? It must've been a trick—he was going to fall to his death at this rate. Still, the red room shone brighter and beckoned him.

Shakily inhaling, he pushed himself off the wall and started into a slow walk to regain his bearings. As he did, he pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed away the thoughts of how this place produced such a cruel mirage tailored just to him. Then again, it was enough that he was alive right now and he couldn't let this get in his way.

She was the reason he'd come here, after all.

When he finally reached the floor with the red room, he stopped to calm himself again. His heart raced at an alarming rate and doubt unforgivably shrouded him. To come to such a place for this reason . . . He was desperate, but it could cost him more than he was willing to pay. But what wasn't she worth to him? He asked himself that, and the answer was clear: He would give his life for her.

Determination renewed, he set off to circle the floor to reach the red room.

The echos of his footsteps were drowned out by his heart that worked its way up to a hammering. He didn't know what he would find here, but something told him his life would never be the same after this.

The room had two openings, straining vermillion flooding out from both of them. He stopped just short of the first, wondering if anyone was inside. He pressed up against the wall and then sidled against it, and when he reached the edge, he took a deep breath. He peeked around the corner.

Water pooled in many parts of the floor, surface glassy and rendering it too much like a portal to another dimension. On a single, raised platform with thin stairs on either side was a leather couch that looked more for lounging than for resting up against. Glinting in the light were various glass bottles, large vials, crowned with vines that seemed to grow from thin air. This room most certainly belonged to the person he was looking for.

He pulled back from around the wall and smoothed himself out. He could do this. He would do this. For her.

Straightening out, he dauntlessly turned the corner.

A gasp got caught in his throat when he saw a man with one leg thrown over the other sitting on the couch. Instinct wanted him to leap behind the wall again, but he was frozen to his spot in a foolish fear of being seen.

Even though he was surely heard, the man didn't spare a glance his way. In one hand was a square crystal bottle filled a liquid he couldn't quite tell the color of because of the stark lighting, but the man was pouring it into a thin goblet.

That's it.

He took a look over the man—the god. His hair was shaved close on the sides and longer on top, it was jelled neatly and parted at the side. His body was long in every definition of the word, and despite knowing what he was, he could never be mistaken for a mere mortal. He had to be among the most beautiful beings in the world.

The thick, regal air made it hard to decide how to approach him. If he did this wrong, he knew he could be struck down on the spot—gods could be horribly temperamental, and some of the stories he'd heard were nothing short of terrifying. The best way, they said, was to be direct and gallant. It gave the god the sense that one held themselves to a high esteem.

However, before he could open his mouth, the god spoke first.

"Are you just going to stand there, human?"

He widened his eyes. Of course the god knew he was standing and gaping. He shook himself from his stupor and stepped forward, the tips of his shoes splashing against the water.

"Taekwoon, did he come?"

The god paused. He lowered his bottle and goblet and then deliberately turned to look at him. An amused smirk tugged at his small lips, as if recalling a fond incident.

"It's funny you should ask like that. He also asked like that." he responded.

Dread soaked through him at the words. Taekwoon had already come. Taekwoon beat him here. The cards were right. His legs almost gave out under him in the want to fall to his knees.

"State your name and purpose." Ravi suddenly said.

He came back to himself, blinking. He needed to stay steeled. If he wavered for even a moment, everything would come to an end. He took a deep breath.

"I am Cha Hakyeon. I'm here to reclaim the love of my life."

Ravi shook his head. "That tells me nothing, human. How does your reclamation plan include me and my powers?"

Hakyeon faltered. He thought it would be obvious, but now he was treading on thin ice. "I . . ."

Ravi raised a judgmental, perfect eyebrow at him, eyes dark.

He cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders. "I want you to make me a love potion."

A moment when only dripping water filled the tower passed. Then, Ravi opened his mouth—but before he could say anything, lightning flashed through the three wide windows behind him. He closed his mouth. Hakyeon blinked several times, the after images of the lighting temporarily blinding him.

Ravi sighed, looking away from behind him.

Hakyeon wasn't pleased.

"So what will it be? Will you help me?" he all but demanded.

Ravi lazily rose from the couch and took the steps down from his platform. Hakyeon fortified his nerves, unsure of what he was doing. Ravi's shining leather shoes stepped through a puddle, only no water splashed in his wake and the shoes weren't wet when he stepped out of it.

The new proximity had Hakyeon's heart working double time; he never thought, in his whole life, that he'd be face to face with a god, demanding things he didn't know if he could demand or not. The fact that he was still alive was astounding. He hadn't come here expecting to die.

Ravi eventually came toe to toe with him—he was taller than Hakyeon, broader in the shoulders, and if that wasn't intimidating enough, his eyes were dark and impossible to read, swirling like the abyss. If he wasn't trying so hard to keep his composure, Hakyeon would start shaking on the spot.

The next moment saw Ravi raising a hand to skim down the side of his face. The touch froze Hakyeon and he set his jaw, clenching his fists.

Ravi tilted his head. "Tell me, human, is your resolve strong enough? Are you strong enough?"

His touch was warm but not comforting—it was a warmth that threatened to burn him if he closed in on it.

"My resolve is stronger than you'll ever know. I am strong enough."

The way Ravi's fingers skimmed his neck made him want to melt on the spot; whether that was out of being soothed or wanting to disappear, he wasn't sure. Ravi smirked, as if reading his mind. He leaned in. Hakyeon couldn't collect enough of his mind to make himself move.

When Ravi spoke again, his lips brushed against Hakyeon's. "We'll see, Cha Hakyeon."

His name on Ravi's breath was unlike anything Hakyeon had ever experienced before. It was as if his core flooded the rest of his body, launching him to a higher plane of existence, if only for a moment—a god said his name, and it felt like he was trying to snatch it away from him, snatch his very being away from himself. Hakyeon gasped.

"Show me your resolve." Ravi said, leaning in even more. Their cheeks skimmed until Ravi's lips were brushing the shell of his ear. "She's behind you and she has what you want."

Entirely forgetting who he was in front of, a surge of adrenaline spun Hakyeon around, and sure enough, there she was. In her hand was a glass vial that glowed a menacing red. That's it.

As if sensing his desperation to have it, she turned away and began running. The sound of her heels clicking against the concrete triggered him into a sprint.

Had he looked over his shoulder, he would've seen another man manifest from behind the wall to come up next to Ravi.

Now, his focus was on her. She was here. When he'd seen her earlier (when she saved him), had she been real then? Did she know what he was doing here? Did she know he was here for her?

No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't seem to close their gap. His heart pounded in his chest, legs working to the point of burning. She was a blur in his sight, weaving through the corridors as if she was born in this place and lived here her entire life. The flicker of the vial would distract Hakyeon and panic would shock his system every time he thought he lost sight of her.

Before he knew what was happening, more footsteps had joined the fray—behind him. They were somewhere in a mid-tier level when he picked up on them, and he was almost too frightened to look over his shoulder and check. He might lose sight of her if he did.

A glare of orange caught his peripheral when sliding around a corner, and that's when he had to look. There were two of them, one bigger than the other, dressed in the same kind of rich mauve uniform like servants with oversized, black bow ties around their white collars, buckled with a gold-encrusted broach. The smaller one's eyes glowed a fiery orange, and Hakyeon couldn't help noticing the aura of a flame surrounding him. The other was opposite, with midnight hair and cold eyes to match, shoulders staunch in his chase.

Spurred by urgency, Hakyeon ran much faster than his body wanted, desperate to keep up with her who had what he needed. If he could just head her off . . .

He jumped over smaller walls to cut their distance shorter and shorter, and he could hear the thumps of bodies dropping, following his path to keep up. If he could just catch up and escape this place—

"Nayo—" Like before, her name was cut off at the tip of his tongue and his attempts to catch her attention failed.

They rushed past empty banquet sets and crystal chandeliers, and Hakyeon knew they were in the lower levels now. How had they run so many in what seemed like such a short time?

"Please, wait!" he shouted hoarsely. She didn't, of course.

"Give up." one of the men from behind him called.

"You won't catch her." the other said. Neither of them sounded out of breath and it made Hakyeon think neither of them were human too, but he didn't have time for that—

His attention caught when the flow of her black dress filled his vision. She was stopped on one of the ramps he'd passed earlier.

"Nayou—!" he cried, knowing it was useless to try and get her whole name out of his mouth.

"Show us your resolve." the two chasing him said simultaneously, and their words rang through his head, sending chills up his spine.

His eyes widened when she began fading away into dust like she had before, and the vial in her hand shone even brighter. In a final attempt to have her and it, he launched himself forward.

And then, church bells. Loud, bellowing, all-encompassing church bells filled Hakyeon's entire world. His vision dimmed. She scattered away before his eyes, the vial disappearing with her. His body didn't hit the floor. The church bells were the only thing blaring in his existence.

⚜

"You'll do it for me, won't you Wonsikie?" Jaehwan asked in a sweet voice, trailing ever closer to Wonsik.

Wonsik sat back on his couch, eying his bottles of mixtures and potions spread across the small table and platform.

He lounged back. "I will." he responded. "But don't misunderstand . . . I'm doing it because I want to see how it plays out."

Jaehwan chuckled, a sound that was on the border of dangerous. "Don't we all?" He began to walk off, hands easily sliding into the pockets of his white coat. The light gleamed off his pristine blonde hair, casting an almost angelic glow around his head. "I'll see you there then, hmm?"

Wonsik remained nonchalant, but he watched Jaehwan leave the room, off to do who knew what.

No matter what Wonsik thought, or even how he felt, he was tangled in this now, and once it started, there was no stopping until the end. It didn't matter though; he was interested to see how it ended. Jaehwan's pawn was in the middle of it all, and he'd made playthings of the two humans—Taekwoon, the beautiful not-so-human human, and Hakyeon, the pitiful human with all the cards stacked against him.

Sanghyuk and Hongbin were wrapped up in this ordeal as well. Poor, woeful Hongbin—it must pain him so to have to work against his beloved humans like this.

Church bells pervaded the endless tower.

"Show us your resolve."

⚜

Jaehwan descended the tower without trouble, taking his sweet time now that all of the pieces had been set in motion. They would see who triumphed—Hongbin's humans, who he so adored that he would steal a miracle of the gods themselves to gift to them, or him, who would prove that humans were nothing but weak-willed and at the edge of extinction.

The prospect of losing stirred a life in him that he hadn't felt in a long while . . . It was exciting. He wanted to know who would win. Then again, Jaehwan knew he would dominate no matter who Nayoung chose.

His shoes clicked leisurely throughout the tower, him having to do little more than stand to fill the entire place with his presence. Lightning flashed outside and thunder followed, and the closer he got to the human, Hongbin, and Sanghyuk, the more power he exuded. He was thrilled.

Finally, he found the scene just around the waist-high wall of the ramp: A frozen image of the disadvantaged human, Cha Hakyeon, throwing himself at something that wasn't there, and Hongbin and Sanghyuk diving after him on Jaehwan's command. He glided between his two servants and then around Hakyeon, observing the exquisite image of his body laid out in desperation to covet what he desired and who he loved.

Hakyeon must know that his chances of prevailing over Taekwoon were slim. Nothing was in his favor. He would undoubtedly lose. That was part of what delighted Jaehwan so much—that Hakyeon was going to try and try and try, and he would fail.

However.

However. Jaehwan was a generous god, and no one said the game had to be played fair. Taekwoon had his advantages, and so he could all too easily tempt Hakyeon into giving up himself for the woman they so foolishly loved.

It would be magnificent.

He snapped his fingers. Hakyeon disappeared. Hongbin and Sanghyuk collapsed to the floor.

"Fuck!" Sanghyuk exclaimed. He glared up at Jaehwan. "I hate it when you do that."

Hongbin, on the other hand, wasn't so verbal. He pushed himself up and dusted himself off. He wouldn't even look at Jaehwan.

"Come now, Binie." Jaehwan cooed, stepping closer. Hongbin looked away even further. "You know you want to see how it ends . . ." His voice dropped lower and became baleful. "You did this. Now you have to see how it ends."

Hongbin went rigid under the touch of fingertips effortlessly lifting his chin. ". . . Yes."

Jaehwan's hand was gone in an instant. He turned to Sanghyuk. "Sanghyogie, it's time for you to write a letter to our dear champion."

Sanghyuk was grumbling to himself about being dropped on the concrete, but came to attention at the mention of delivering a message. "What kind of letter?"

A smirk tugged Jaehwan's full lips. "An invitation. It may be the first of many." In his mind's eye, he saw a marble pantheon in another part of the forest, wide open and airy, and Hakyeon was waking up from what might've been a dream of his wild, deprived imagination.

"Show me your resolve."