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kettouryuujin · 2 years

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Nobility AU - Mai

[Inspired by @monsoon-of-art's Pokérus AU and @jade-nargacuga's Pokérus: Ghosts]

Warden Mai stared at her charge, blinking - and wobbling a bit, given her weakening legs. “You… want me to walk with you?”

*Snort* “Wyr.”

“...alright then… I…guess we’ll get going.” A sigh as the pair started off from the middle of the Fieldlands. The Diamond Clan member wasn’t sure why her Lord had called her here. Something about a sacrifice to Sinnoh, for power to protect her Clan and loved ones?

If there was any time Mai disliked how her Lord rarely used his psychic powers to talk with her, this would be it. She couldn’t tell if he was just being cryptic or if he was struggling with what to say!

Well. If the Lord of the Hills wanted her to go on one last walk before her legs became Crobat wings, then who was she to stop him?

—-

As they trekked into the Mirelands, the Warden couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. She’d been going for quite a ways, and yet her legs weren’t giving out the way a future wing would. If anything, they felt a bit heavier…and stronger! The opposite of how they’d been changing before!

But when she looked down to check, they looked just as purple-tinted and thin as she’d started the walk with. It was… honestly quite the inconsistency. Was her Lord playing a trick on her?

No. When she looked up to check, the Wyrdeer’s orbs weren’t glowing - meaning he wasn’t using any illusions. Maybe she was just getting her hopes up… well, if doing so made this trek more enjoyable, then so be it.

—-

Approaching the “hand” of the lower Coastlands, the pair stopped to take a breather. Thankfully, Mai had brought some water with her on their trek - something both Noble and Warden appreciated. Still, was it her, or did the Noble seem slightly…smaller? No, everything seemed a bit smaller. How strange.

The Lord still wasn’t using any illusions, but…something still felt off about this whole thing. She just couldn’t put a finger on exactly why. She had no doubt that her Noble had the best interests in mind, however, and soon they set off once more.

As Firespit Island came into view, happy barking could be heard across the plateau. Sounds like that Pearl Clan warden finally wised up…

But as they crested the slope, the sights didn’t quite match the sounds. For one, she could still see the young Growlithe there, playing with a larger - and slightly clumsy - Arcanine. A sibling? No, the Arcanine was female. To her knowledge, there weren’t any female Growlithes that had been deemed worthy of succession. And over there, in the water - since when did Lord Basculegion have a blue stripe? For that matter, why would a male Basculegion have a blue stripe? Weren’t they supposed to be pink?

Before she could ponder this more, a nudge from the side sent her stumbling. “Deer.” Apparently, the Lord of the Hills wanted them to get moving once more. So with a sigh, Mai continued on her trek - thinking about what she’d seen the whole way through.

—-

They continued into the Icelands, the low temperatures making Wyrdeer’s Warden shiver. Ugh, how could those Pearl Clan people survive this? Even Sabi had to wear so many layers to do her job here.

Then again, maybe she remembered the temperature being worse than it was? The persistent shivering wasn’t quite as bad as she was recalled, even though her coat felt taut against her.

…taut? That wasn't right. She had to shrink to become a Crobat, not grow… maybe her size was just further down the line? Possible, but as Mai looked to her Lord’s softly glowing orbs and recalled the path they’d taken so far, she was starting to suspect something else was going on.

—-

They did not enter Jubilife Village - Showing there, even slightly changed, would only end poorly with the prejudices those people had. Instead, they wrapped around, past the Fieldlands border and into the Highlands of Mt. Coronet.

Climbing the treacherous cliffs was difficult enough without the aid of Lady Sneasaler, but Lord Wyrdeer led one nevertheless. Mai did her best to follow, stepping with the utmost caution.

For most of the way, she held firm. For most of the way, she was able to slowly follow the Wyrdeer’s measured pace. For most of the way, when he looked back Mai was still there, if not unsteady.

For most of the way, her legs didn’t give out from under her.

—-

Crying out as she fell, Mai tried her best to grab onto something - anything - but it was like it was all out of reach! A tear came to her eye - was this the end? Passing whilst following the Lord of the Hills on a trek along his Trial route?

Well… it was far from the worst way to go, at least.

“WYR!” Uff! Or maybe her Lord could catch her in Extrasensory…that worked too.

As she was gently lowered down, Mai looked at her legs… and winced. They were both bending at a rather odd angle, yet the sharp pain of broken bones wasn’t there. Instead, it was a dull ache - a weaker version of the pain she’d been used to.

Once she was on the ground, she grunted, trying to stand…and failing. Of course. “...Lord Wyrdeer… what are you doing?”

The Lord blinked, then sighed as his orbs ceased their glow. As the light faded, the Warden saw a small white muzzle in her field of view, her nose brown and engorged. Looking down, she saw the fingers of each hand shrinking away into her tan wrists - all but one, which was extending and darkening.

“...Are you…bringing me into your herd? Why?” This was…a peculiar action for any Lord to take. Then again, turning into a Pokémon was peculiar to begin with.

The Lord just approached, a sad look in his eyes as he nuzzled his changing Warden. Sensations of fear pulsed through her mind, followed by an urge to protect. “You… you think I’ll be safer like this?”

Affirmation. “But…it still leaves me a Pokémon, not a human…” Irrelevance. “It’s for something else?” Affirmation once more. “...me becoming a Stantler… lets you protect me, huh?” The Lord let out an amused chuff and backed away. The soon-to-be-ex-human sighed, slowly getting onto four pseudo-hooves. “Well… I suppose if this is how the Lord of the Woods wishes to protect a member of his Clan, who am I to deny him?”

The said Lord looked a bit startled but nodded, turning around. The pair had fortuitously landed back in the Fieldlands, and Deertrack Heights was not far away.

—-

As the Wyrdeer and changing Stantler climbed up the heights, Mai found each step easier and easier to take. It was almost as if her changing body was guiding her along, sprouting instincts ensuring that each brown-ringed hoof landed safely and securely. A welcome change from her slow, unstable walk through the Highlands.

Her mind turned back to the Coastlands - specifically, the Lord and Lady there. Perhaps she was mistaken, and those weren’t the actual Nobles? Lord Growlithe would surely have done something like this to protect his Warden, doting as she was. And she could see the oddly-colored Basculegion as being Iscan, fully changed by his Lord for the same reason Wyrdeer was changing her.

Eventually, they reached the summit, where a familiar pillar of stone had been erected. Once the future Lord of the Hills had trekked to all corners of Hisui, he would come to the top of Deertrack Heights. Once there, he would use his Psyshield Bash to topple the pillar, signifying the completion of the Trial and triggering the new Lord’s evolution. And the first thing the new Lord would do with his Warden was to gather up rocks to make a new pillar, which would stay until the next Trial of the Hills.

The Warden couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the pillar that she and Lord Wyrdeer had years ago. However, the Lord apparently had different ideas as he took position behind and to the side of the pillar. “Er.”

Blinkblink. “W-what is it? You don’t expect me to knock the pillar over, do you?”

“Deer. Wyr-de.” A sensation of consternation.

“You…do? Why? We need it for the next Trial-”

“DEER.” Annoyance and irritation, spiked with a bit of fear.

“...ok then… I…suppose it’s symbolic or something…” Mai sighed, shaking her head - thankfully, her antlers had grown in. Brow furrowed in concentration, she could feel power pooling in her mind, flowing into the twin orbs she now carried.

With a flash, a cloak of energy formed around the almost-Stantler. Not willing to open her eyes and risk losing focus, she charged into the pillar with a *wham!*.

Impact banished the veil of psychic power as the “Warden” (eh? Why the quotes?) was sent flying back, landing near the summit’s edge.

“Er.” Again? A-alright, she’d go again… Getting her limbs under her, Mai stood, concentrating once more. Again, she charged, the field bursting upon impact.

This time, however, she only skidded back a few feet. Opening her eyes, she saw a sizable crack in the pillar. “Umm… right, this is enough rig-”

“ER.” Message received…did her Lord want her to take the whole Trial of the Hills?

“Finally…” Hrm? That…sounded like the Lord, but a bit younger? Ah, no time to dwell on that. She had a Trial to complete.

Closing her eyes once more, she felt the now-familiar crackle of the psychic veil form around her. Taking a deep breath, the cervid centered herself, focusing on the pillar - specifically, toppling it in this blow.

“WYR!” *CRACK!* Indeed, with one final Bash, the pillar had fallen. Opening her eyes, the changed “Warden” (again?) looked at the shattered pillar. It was done… although she wasn’t sure where to get stone for a new pillar.

Wait, wouldn’t the Lady - no, the Lady - the… “What in Sinnoh’s name is going on here!”

“Ler!” Mai’s planned tirade was discarded as the familiar sound of a startled Stantler struck her ears. Turning to face the source, she found what was definitely a spooked Stantler - but he was in the same place her “Lo-”...ugh. Where Wyrdeer was standing earlier. Well, worry later. Comfort now.

Bending down (why was she bigger?), the new Pokémon nuzzled the more experienced one. “I’m sorry for startling you…”

“I-it’s fine…” It took Mai one moment to realize ‘Oh yeah, I can understand other Pokémon now.' Then another to note that the voice was surprisingly young-sounding for the weight it carried. “I wasn’t used to hearing a Lord or Lady’s yells as a Stantler.”

…What.

As she locked up, trying to process what those words could mean, the smaller deer gave the key to the code. “I must say, though, y-you make for a stunning Lady of the Hills, miss Mai.”

A nervous laugh. “N-no, you have it wrong…” But if he had it wrong, then why did that feel so…right? Oh, and she sure sounded like she didn’t believe the younger ‘mon’s word’s either.

So instead, she just looked down at her hooves. The sight of white fur where there had been brown made her backpedal a bit more, stopping just before the cliff edge. Looking back, she was greeted by the familiar light gray of a Wyrdeer’s body, with a snow-white tail at the end.

As the new Lady’s jaw worked in shock, the Stantler - the former Lord - sat. “I-it was the only way to make sure you’d be safe from the things to come, m-ma’am.” Oh, she’d forgotten how much of a scaredy-cat the ex-Lord was before his Trial…and it seems like those old habits had made a comeback.

Welp. Time to woman up and take the lead. “A-alright. I assume the other Nobles are taking similar action?”

“Y-yes’m. We’ve been blessed by Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia to perform these modified Rites.”

“...Who, who, and who?” Blink and head-tilt.

“Ah. Erm… we can talk about them while we get some new stone for your pillar. C’mon.” The now-a-Stantler began descending from the Heights, his old personality at odds with his (ex-)Noble knowledge and experience. With a shrug, Lady Mai followed. Hopefully this wouldn’t be too dramatic a discussion… she didn’t want to startle the young one any further.

#pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #pla #pokerus au #nobility au #warden mai #Lord Wyrdeer #Wyrdeer #Stantler #Small cameo #The Trial's structure made it hard to keep Mai unaware of her changes the whole time #So I just worked with it.#The bit with the pillar was my own idea #Stantler evolve to Wyrdeer after using agile style Psyshield Bash 20 times #So I wanted an element that reflected that #transformation

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journalxxx · 3 years

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By Hook or by Crook (7)

“So! How does it look?” Toshinori asked, with a booming voice and his best hands-on-hips pose to kickstart the endeavor with a healthy dose of enthusiasm.

He wasn’t particularly successful.

“Daunting. Impossible. Like I’m gonna die of old age before I’m anywhere close to making a change.”

“A little optimism goes a long way, you know?”

“...I may not die before I’ve lugged away some of this.” Midoriya amended tentatively, scanning the extensive length of garbage-filled beach stretching before them. “And… what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger?”

“That’s the spirit!” Toshinori gave him a pat on the back, strong enough to make the boy stammer forwards. He walked around the back of the truck and started unloading the few supplies he’d brought.

“Wear these.” Toshinori threw him a pair of work gloves. He hoped he’d eyeballed the size right. “I trust you’re up to date with all your vaccines.”

“Uhm.”

“Hopefully no one’s dumping organic waste in here, but I’ll bring some traps if you see any rats. They won’t solve the problem, but it’s better than letting them scurry around freely.”

Midoriya’s eyes darted between the gloves and the beach with muted horror. “R-Rats?”

“Scared of rats?” Toshinori couldn’t help but tease. “Did I mention that I had to wade through the sewers for half an hour before finding you and the sludge villain the other day?”

Midoriya instantly looked mortified. “I-I’m sorry-”

“Not your fault! Don’t apologize!” Toshinori tossed his hands in the air. This kid desperately needed to learn the basic mechanics of humor. “I’m just saying that heroes can’t be squeamish! Rats come with the job, as well as a variety of nasty stuff and filth.”

“Right.” Midoriya followed him as Toshinori, cooler in one hand and bag of papers in the other, sat down on the last steps of the stairs. He picked an egg sandwich for himself and fished a folder out of the bag, opening it on his thighs and starting to read it.

It took him a few seconds to realize that Midoriya was still staring at him, as if awaiting further instructions.

“Well? Have at it!” Toshinori gestured widely at his new playground.

“Oh, uhm, okay.” The kid donned the gloves and took a single step towards the piles before pausing to look at Toshinori again. “I thought you wanted to ask me… stuff.”

“Yes, but I��m not sure you can handle working and talking at the same time without building up some stamina first.” Toshinori answered, eyeing the boy’s scrawny frame critically. “We’ll talk while you’ll be taking a break to catch a breather, which is probably going to happen sooner rather than later.”

“Oh… All right.” Midoriya turned away, his arms hanging limply from hunched shoulders as he muttered to himself. “...Where do I even start...?”

“From the small things. Working your way up to the heavier objects.” Toshinori explained patiently, then gave him a pointed look. “I get the feeling you’re procrastinating.”

The boy approached the closest stack… and did nothing. Was he ever going to stop waffling and get cracking? “Meanwhile, you’ll just, uh… do your own thing?”

“Surely you don’t need me to guide you through the elaborate process of moving objects from point A to point B, do you?” Maybe the kid detected the hint of annoyance in Toshinori’s voice, because he finally, finally set to grab the closest piece of junk- “...Oh. Okay, that’s not a great start.”

“What?” Midoriya stopped halfway through picking up what was probably the first electric fan ever invented, all the way back in the Iron Age. “I haven’t even done anything yet!”

“Bend your knees, not your back. Otherwise you’re going to- do you really not know this? Isn’t the correct way to lift weights Household Chores 101?”

“Oh, right, I know.” Midoriya rearranged his stance in a way that was less likely to earn him a slipped disk within the next two hours. “Do people really lift things like this though? It’s… a lot harder than the normal way.”

“For your legs, yes. For your back, no. You’ll thank me when you’ll be old enough to realize you aren’t made out of rubber.”

Toshinori munched slowly while he watched the kid carry his first loads to the truck. That act alone seemed to distract Midoriya to an amusing degree, his gaze often flicking to meet Toshinori’s eyes for just a moment before shooting back in front of him with blatant self-consciousness. Toshinori allowed the boy a few minutes of warm-up, just the time for him to finish his sandwich and sip a small cup of apple juice, before deciding to kick things into proper gear.

“Running from the truck to the heaps and vice versa would help you gain some endurance too, rather than leisurely strolling back and forth.” Toshinori commented as Midoriya walked past him.

The kid stopped in his tracks and regarded him with a mix of horror and aversion that vaguely reminded him of death-row inmates when faced with their executioners.

“What?” Toshinori went on, unperturbed. “Are you expecting to get fit without getting tired?”

“No, of course not-”

“Besides, you’ll need to keep a swift pace if you want to clear the whole beach before the admission exam.”

“Wha- All of it?! Before the…” Midoriya sputtered, arms wrapping more tightly around the broken chair he was holding as if that was supporting him instead of the other way around. “Y-You never said…”

“But of course! They don’t do things by half measures in U.A., so why should you?” Toshinori grinned. “Plus Ultra, am I right?”

Midoriya let out an incredulous chuckle. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way I can do something like that...”

“Depends on how much elbow grease you’re willing to put into it.”

Midoriya’s expression shifted minutely as he caught onto Toshinori’s seriousness. “But… but that’s impossible! No matter how hard I work, I can’t- I can’t move stuff like that!” He griped, pointing at the wrecked husk of a van half-buried under a mound of assorted refuse. “Even if I do my best-”

“And pray tell, what’s your best?” Toshinori stood up and walked to the kid, ditching the whimsical demeanor. If playful cajoling wasn’t enough to stir him, maybe it was time to bust out the big guns. “What’s the heaviest you can lift? The fastest you can run? The hardest you can push yourself? When’s the last time you actually tried your very best, and how did it fall short?”

Toshinori was already well and truly spent for the day, but he let the provocation and drive in his words stoke the fire within him, and it flared. The Symbol of Peace broke out of his diminutive shell among dramatic wisps of steam, ready to bestow his wisdom more effectively than his rickety counterpart ever could.

“Do you know what’s the only way to gauge your limits? Reaching them. And the only way to get stronger?“ Toshinori held out his arm between them, and clenched his fist resolutely. He relished the sensation of unyielding muscles tensing and bulging under his skin, tangible proof of the truth of his assertions. “Gritting your teeth and smashing past them! Little by little, but constantly!”

Midoriya had only witnessed that transformation once, poorly and by accident, and it showed. The chair had slipped from his hands without him even noticing, and now lay forgotten at his feet on the bare sand. The kid was gawking at him with wide eyes and mouth agape, the very picture of spellbound rapture. It was far from an unfamiliar reaction from whoever was graced by the Symbol of Peace’s presence, and yet it was still flattering, every time.

“You’ll never improve if you keep dwelling on what you think you can do now. Focus on what you want to do next. Visualize it as a clear goal. Build an image out of it, and then carve it in reality. If you really want that van to move, then it will move. If you really want this beach to be clear, then it will be. But you have to put your back, sweat and heart into making it happen!”

All Might captivated his one-man audience with the usual effortlessness, boisterous showmanship and honest positivity deeply intertwined in a way that boggled his detractors’ minds, but that felt so natural and appropriate to Toshinori. He’d made an art out of it, down to the rumble of his voice and the firmness of his gestures and the levity of his attitude, the art of highlighting and displaying the very best parts of himself so that they could resonate louder, better, brighter.

“So what will it be, young Midoriya? Will you clean up this place within the next ten months or not?”

“Y-Yes. I will.” That had done the trick. It was obvious from the way Midoriya’s back straightened and his expression toughened. It was obvious from the spark kindled in his eyes, a reflection of Toshinori’s own passion, still lacking in heat but full of potential.

“Then you’d better get down to it!” The hero sealed the deal with a radiant smile and a thumbs up. “Time’s a-wastin’!”

“Yes, sir!” Midoriya picked up the chair and dashed towards the truck to unload it there, then he immediately bounced back down the stairs and towards the nearest heap of waste. Toshinori observed the boy’s next rounds with his unwavering smile and few approving nods that kept the kid a bit lighter on his feet.

How much easier it was for All Might to touch people’s hearts. How much easier to inspire, to reassure, to nurture. How much easier everything was for All Might, really. If only that shining beacon of hope wasn’t shackled by the whims of a withering body, how much richer society at large would be for it.

Toshinori let out a deep exhale that took more than just air out of him, and the flame settled down to a low glow. He couldn’t hold back a few wet coughs, and he promptly turned his shrunken back on Midoriya’s concerned glance to sit back on the cool steps.

Unfortunately, there was a lot more than motivation to strength training. Right off the bat, Toshinori could tell that Midoriya wasn’t going to last twenty full minutes of workout. He honestly didn’t know that an ostensibly healthy individual could reach the ripe age of fourteen with such poor body awareness. The boy had coordination and balance on par with a toddler’s: he stumbled on his feet, he tripped on sand, he nearly fell off the stairs twice before realizing that trying to climb them while his view was obstructed by the very items he was carrying might be a less than optimal solution. He seemed to be unaware of the existence of entire muscle groups, and Toshinori had to physically get up and mime movements for him to understand how to exert force more efficiently. Not to mention that he needed incessant needling lest his sprints quickly devolved into lax jogs.

This whole training thing was going to be… an interesting experience, Toshinori could already tell.

Exactly sixteen and a half minutes later, the boy all but collapsed on the stairs beside Toshinori, gasping for air and wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

“B-Break?” He pleaded, quite redundantly.

Toshinori took pity on his plight and pushed the cooler in his direction. “Have a drink.”

“Oh, thank you…” The lack of polite refusal made Toshinori suspect that Midoriya had forgotten to bring his own water.

“There’s sports drinks and fruit juice in there too. Save the snacks for after you’re finished, food and heavy workouts don’t always agree with each other.” Toshinori had packed food primarily for himself, expecting their after-school meeting to last long enough for him to slot in one or two meals in the meantime, but he had taken care of adding a few extras for the kid. A good idea, because the possibility of Midoriya face planting on the ground halfway through out of sheer exhaustion seemed more and more likely by the minute.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to…”

“I promised bribes, didn’t I?”

Midoriya flashed him the tiniest smile, and eagerly drank some water while Toshinori retrieved a small journal and a pen from the other bag. He skimmed through the list of preliminary topics he’d scribbled on the first page under Tsukauchi’s advice, wondering which one he should tackle first.

“All right.” Deciding to follow his instinct in spite of basic common sense, Toshinori decided to begin from the end. “These phone calls of yours. Give me an idea of what they’re like. The last one you had with your father was on April 1st, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me about it. Everything you talked about, as precisely as you can remember it.”

The good thing was that Midoriya’s memory was very accurate, and he was able to recall the whole conversation basically step by step. The less good thing was that said conversation was largely commonplace and unremarkable, consisting of very ordinary small talk and inquiries about school, grades, news, local events-

“Quirks?”

“Mh-hm.” The boy nodded. “We always end up talking about quirks, in one way or another. Quirks and heroes. It’s always been… a common interest.”

“Always, uh?”

“Yeah, we’ve been doing it since… forever, really. I’ve always found quirks fascinating, and he has lots of great insight to offer.”

“I can imagine...” Toshinori mumbled. Asking who had initiated that habit was probably pointless, it sounded like it had started too early in the boy’s life for him to remember - or even to understand if he had been deliberately led to develop that interest. Some intriguing nature-versus-nurture speculations could be made on the matter, but they weren’t likely to aid Tsukauchi’s case. “And in what way do you talk about them?”

“We… analyze them, discuss them. What is known for sure about a certain quirk, what can be deduced from footage and descriptions of its use, what its unmentioned limitations might be, how it could be further developed… You saw my notebook, right? Basically the kind of stuff that’s in there.”

“Wait.” Toshinori blinked. Could he have already stumbled into a treasure trove of All For One-certified information? “You mean that all that’s written in that notebook was dictated by your father?”

The kid almost choked on his next gulp of water, and shot Toshinori an almost offended look. “No! No, no, it’s all stuff I found out on my own! Well, almost all of it, there are some additions of his here and there, but… Uh, I’d say at least 90% of it is mine, and 10% of it is his… Actually, more like 95% and 5%-”

Well, that sounded less promising, but it was still a lead. “So he’s been basically teaching you how to conduct your own quirk analyses?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say teaching. I wish our school teachers were that engaging...” Midoriya let out a small sigh. “But I guess we do go about it a little like with school essays. Research, deadline, discussion and all that…”

“Pardon?”

“Well, every month we decide which heroes or quirks we’re going to talk about the next time - back in March we chose Hawks, Kido and Snatch for last month’s call, for example. During the rest of the month we gather information and draw our conclusions, and then we compare them during the next chat.”

“You’ve got quite the well-oiled routine going on there, haven’t you?”

“Actually, I think it’s just to give me a chance to make my own deductions with a clear head instead of on the fly.” Midoriya scratched said tousled head in embarrassment. “I bet he doesn’t even need to do any research, he’s always on the top of his game. I’ve never been able to, uh… one-up him, you know? He always knows what I’m driving at, and somehow he always brings my hypotheses two or three steps further than where I stop.”

Toshinori answered with a non-committal hum. No surprise there, the man was a living quirk storeroom complete with its own self-congratulatory, sentient database. “You don’t seem too bothered by it though.”

“Oh, I’m not. It’s not like he’s ever… disappointed or angry or anything, even if I don’t get stuff. He just enjoys chatting, I guess.” That he surely did, Toshinori grimly thought. Way too much. “And I do too. It’s kind of like a game. Or a challenge.”

“A challenge?”

“Yeah, uh… How can I explain…?” The boy drummed his fingers on the bottle as he collected his thoughts. “Okay, for example: one of the first things dad asked me about Hawks was what shape his wings are, and what I could deduce from that about his flight capabilities. Which was a trick question! I knew it as soon as I heard it, because I’d already figured out the real answer during my research.”

“Ah.” Toshinori blinked. “And… how is that a trick question, exactly?”

“Because Hawks doesn’t actually fly! Not like a bird, at least, so his wing shape doesn’t matter!” Midoriya beamed, and suddenly Toshinori realized that that was the first real, genuine, enthusiastic smile the boy had given him since they’d met. And, without exaggeration, not crying, panicking or grimacing made him look almost like an entirely different person. “He simply can’t! Humans can’t fly even if you stick a pair of wings to them, they’re just too heavy! Other heroes who can fly properly are mostly transformers, like Ryukyu - their whole bodies change when they shift, bone structure and all - but Hawks’ body is entirely human if you exclude his wings.”

Midoriya reached for his backpack and drew out the same charred notebook Toshinori had signed days earlier. An item so vital to the kid’s daily life that he always had it with him, apparently, even more essential than beverages during a workout session. A peculiar, if questionable, trait.

“What Hawks actually does isn’t flying, it’s levitating!” The kid held the notebook open before Toshinori’s eyes on a spread page dedicated to the hero in question. “He uses the second facet of his quirk, the telekinesis that allows him to control his feathers singularly! That also explains his incredible speed, which is completely unjustifiable if you only take into account normal bird flight aerodynamics. His propulsion is powered by his feathers - and each of them is quite speedy and powerful on its own, so it stands to reason that he would be lightning-fast when his wings contain so many of them pushing him in unison!”

Toshinori politely elected to wait for the onslaught of words to subside on its own, although he already suspected that it was a little like standing right under a waterfall and waiting for someone higher up to turn off the faucet.

“That said, that doesn’t explain everything about his quirk… For example, a single feather of his is capable of lifting and transporting an adult person, that has been extensively documented. Yet, he loses the ability to levitate relatively soon after dispatching too many of them - he becomes unable to float even when he still has at least several dozens of them attached to his body. We couldn’t figure out why that happens with the information we have. Maybe it’s harder for him to apply his power to himself, that is often the case for emitters. Maybe it messes with his proprioception, and he can’t control the feathers he hasn’t detached as finely as all the others…”

If there was one thing Toshinori was absolutely certain of at this point, it was that the kid wasn’t short on breath any more. “And this is the part you inferred on your own.”

“Yep! And dad agreed with all of it!” Midoriya’s smile grew even wider. It was astonishing how much it didn’t look like dad’s deranged, shark-like, nightmare-inducing sneer, and Toshinori could only send a quiet thanks to the heavens for that. “This is all guesswork though. Do you… by any chance, do you know if we were on the right track? I’d be really curious to know…”

“Ah, I can’t help you there, kid.” Toshinori felt suddenly on the spot. “I’m not acquainted with Hawks, nor do I know more about his quirk than the average person.”

“Oh, I thought… Since you’re both- I mean, I thought All Might may have met him during the billboard chart events, what with them both being in the top ten.”

“We passed by each other, yes, but we were never properly introduced. He wasn’t particularly interested in rubbing elbows with the old guard, I suppose.”

“Oh. Well, that’s his loss, for sure.” Midoriya, funnily enough, pouted. “Pity, I was wondering… Even if he doesn’t fly, he does flap his wings in a way that resembles a bird’s. I wonder if that’s intentional, to mislead opponents and prevent them from figuring out how he actually moves. Or maybe he does it subconsciously…”

“I’m afraid I really don’t know…” Toshinori had never met Hawks on the field either, it wasn’t common for accidents to require more than a single big-name hero to intervene these days. Especially if one of them was the number one, who often showed up first and invariably solved any incident in mere minutes-

Toshinori suddenly came back to himself and almost facepalmed in frustration. Why was he letting himself be interrogated about completely irrelevant hero trivia? He was the one asking questions! God, he was bad at this. “And your father had nothing to contribute about all this?”

“Not about this specifically, but he did raise a point I hadn’t considered.” Midoriya looked up at the sky, once again lost in his very wordy, very deep lucubrations. “Hawks has an astonishing control on his quirk. He can use his telekinesis to move hundreds of feathers at once, to sense his surroundings, he can even harden them and turn them into weapons. He made Fierce Wings into an incredibly versatile ability, and he’s so young too… And yet, there’s no record of him attending any hero school or training facility in Japan, nor abroad. He claims to be self-taught, but… admittedly, it is hard to believe. One would think he must have had some excellent education and tutoring to make it into the top ten when he was only eighteen…”

Toshinori didn’t reply. Midoriya looked back at him when the silence stretched, and whatever he spied on Toshinori’s face made him immediately backpedal. “I-I mean, it’s odd, but, uh… not suspicious per se, nor a sign of anything… weird or bad about him. There are many heroes who, ehr, prefer to keep their personal history private, especially geniuses, and that’s fine! They have all the right to! Same goes for their quirks, it makes total sense-”

Toshinori massaged his left temple slowly. Right, better just nip this topic in the bud before it got irredeemably out of hand.

He peered again at the notebook in Midoriya’s hands. So All For One had been imparting occasional, amicable quirk analysis lessons to the kid for a good decade, which sounded suspiciously like the kind of knowledge a potential underling or successor might use. On the other hand, Toshinori could think of a million other ways for the Symbol of Fear to instil skills in his son - all of them remarkably more efficient, safe, manageable and ruthless. The whole thing was contradictory in a way that didn’t sit right with Toshinori.

“Mind if I take another look at that?” Toshinori had been in a bit of a rush the first time round, and he’d only taken a cursory glance at the contents of Midoriya’s notes. But if there was a chance of those pages containing words uttered by All For One himself, a more thorough examination was in order.

“Not at all! But, uh…” Midoriya was fast to hand out the item, but his eagerness to assist was even faster to dampen. “Are you going to retain this as evidence too?”

“Mh, I don’t think that will be necessary...” Right, the poor kid’s house had probably been ransacked even further after Toshinori and Tsukauchi’s first pass. No wonder he was worried about losing this prized possession too. “But if it will be, I can make a copy of it for you to keep, so you won’t lose all your, uh, data.”

“Oh, thanks! That would be great!” The kid perked up instantly. He was so easy to please. “Although… I guess I should make a copy of it myself anyway. It’s already kind of… unrecoverable. I could detach the pages with All Might’s sign and preserve those separately, and just photocopy everything else…”

Toshinori’s imagination mercilessly supplied him with the picture of a new addition to Midoriya’s bedroom decor, his five-second poorly-made signature hung to a wall in an elegant frame. He repressed a groan, deliberately neglected to point out that he could simply provide as many new authentic signs as needed, and directed his attention back to the scorched edges of the notebook. “Right… What happened to this thing, anyway? Did someone put it in a toaster?”

Midoriya let out a totally not nervous chuckle as he wrung his hands in a totally not nervous fashion. “Oh, uhm... You know…” Toshinori didn’t, actually, but the kid didn’t elaborate either.

Well, he was allowed to have a modicum of privacy, still. Toshinori let the issue drop, and nudged the boy with his foot. “You seem well rested. Back to the trash you go.”

Midoriya shuffled to his feet less than enthusiastically, and resumed toiling away at his task. While still checking on him often, ready to poke and prod at the first hint of sluggishness, Toshinori browsed through the kid’s notebook. While the contents were indeed worthy of attention, they were scarce in quantity. It must be rather new, since less than a quarter of the pages had been filled. However, the promise of more material to be discovered made Toshinori withhold his judgement on the matter for the time being.

Once that was done, he continued his perusal of the few files Tsukauchi had already put together about the Midoriya case. Toshinori had practically begged his friend to let him have an active role, any active role in the case: he simply couldn’t bear to twiddle his thumbs until someone else kindly pointed him to All For One’s hideout for another overdue thrashing. He simply needed to be involved, or he’d probably start crawling up walls within a week.

Questioning the kid was pretty much the only suitable occupation for him, currently… Well, it was either that or questioning Mrs. Midoriya, and Toshinori was fairly sure that his brain would leak out of his ears if he heard any more details about All For One’s romantic escapades. He wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to investigative work, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he was going to spare no effort to earn some results. If that meant poring over reams of police reports in the hopes of spotting some helpful clue, so be it. At least it would keep him busy, and busy was good, especially in trying times.

He’d applied the same logic to Midoriya, in a sense. The boy seemed the kind of person who’d very easily overthink himself into a negative spiral, even in less dire circumstances than the messy family drama he’d found himself into. It would do him good to focus on a better future, rather than on his depressing present. Giving him a goal to set his sights on would keep him going more smoothly.

At first Toshinori had thought to motivate him towards his dream career, but it turned out that the boy’s strategy about the admission test was… nebulous at best. Not that he could truly blame him for it: fourteen-year-old Toshinori didn’t exactly have a multi-step plan towards becoming the Symbol of Peace either, one couldn’t help being somewhat scatterbrained at that age.

The illegal dumping site had been a serendipitous discovery, and cleaning it up was the perfect type of goal to incite the boy towards. It was very obvious and straightforward, and required no intricate planning: he simply needed to roll up his sleeves and buckle down. And the muscle he’d build while doing it would serve him well for heroic purposes too, so it was a win-win on all fronts. Not to mention that some good old physical exertion would help him sleep at night, which he was still struggling with, if the persistent bags under his eyes were of any indication. Toshinori dearly missed the times when that trick still worked on him too, when driving himself to the brink of exhaustion was a guaranteed one-way ticket to restful and regenerative dreamland. Nowadays, if he accumulated even a sliver of excessive fatigue, all he got was… well, fatigue. And a metric ton of unrelenting body pains and lasting debilitation.

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly and unremarkably. Midoriya drudged through many rounds of garbage disposal with decreasing energy and verve, but that was to be expected. Toshinori collected more barely relevant and generally useless information, but that was to be expected too. They were both in for the long haul, there was no point in getting upset about it. Eventually the sun started to set, and Toshinori beckoned the boy back to him with a handwave.

“You have more of these?” Toshinori said, tapping his index on the big 13 on the cover of the notebook still on his lap.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Could you bring them with you next time?”

“All of them?” Midoriya seemed frazzled.

“If you still have them, yes. Would that be a problem?”

The boy scratched his head as his cheek reddened slightly. “N-No, not a problem, but some of them are really… I finished the first one when I was seven. They aren't just outdated, they’re… ehr, childish. Just doodles and misspelled ramblings.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’ll be grading them.” Not yet, at least. Toshinori smirked at his own private joke. Maybe he should grade them, as a small practice run. “I just want to give a quick read to a few things here and there.”

“O-Okay…”

“Good. Well, I think we can call it a day.” Toshinori rummaged in his cooler to fetch a chocolate energy bar, and tossed it to the exhausted boy. “Catch.”

Despite the warning, Midoriya did not catch, and the snack bumped against his chest and fell to the ground with a sad clack. Reflexes were MIA too, apparently. What a rare specimen of a prospective hero Toshinori had crossed paths with.

“T-Thank you!” Midoriya immediately picked it up, unwrapped it and shoved it into his mouth as he hopped into the passenger seat of the truck. Whether it was real hunger or fear of passing as rude, Toshinori couldn’t tell.

The drive to Midoriya’s house was brief. The boy was too tired to chat - as if they hadn’t already had their fill for the day. When they arrived and Midoriya climbed out of the vehicle to be on his way, Toshinori finally addressed one last pressing issue.

“Tomorrow your father is going to call you.”

“Yeah.” The kid’s eyes dropped to the ground. Maybe Toshinori should have brought it up sooner. Way to end the meeting on a sour note.

“How are you going to handle that?”

“I’m not.” The boy shrugged. “Mom will tell him I just got my tonsils removed. It's… safer for now. I think.”

Toshinori nodded. “Let’s take a day off then. Even if you can’t speak, he might want to say something to you, and it would be strange for you not to be at home while recovering.”

“Okay.”

He looked so very small, and so very young like that, bathed in the warm hues of sunset, but with no real warmth to his eyes and demeanor. He was too small and too young to be dealing with this shit. No one was old or big enough to deal with any of All For One’s shit, really. Toshinori would have to make sure no one would have to ever again.

“Thank you for your help today. It’s very appreciated, believe me.” Toshinori offered, with his most sincere smile. “Feel free to text me or Tsukauchi if anything comes up, you should be able to reach at least one of us at any hour of day or night.”

“Okay. Thank you. Have a good evening.”

“You too, kid.” Toshinori watched him until the door of his house closed behind his back, then he drove off.

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #deku #izuku midoriya #All Might #Toshinori Yagi

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bobateastay · 3 years

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Omg you have so many WIPs you're working so hard 😭👏

Just remember it's okay to take breaks and breathers because writing shouldn't be stressful :) if anyone bothers you about not writing quick enough I'll beat them up for you!!

I have a question ✨ Which genre (angst, fluff ect..) is your fav to write?? - 🐸

thank you :'] kfjskjfjk you're so sweet, i'll try not to overdo it <333

hmm i'd say angst is my favourite!! i like writing things that don't seem like angst at first but slowly get heavier and heavier. i reallyy love writing smut too but i don't do it a lot lately 😭😭 i'm always worried about writing something that people will find gross or that people will expect specific tropes/kinks that i won't include, so i feel like i'm avoiding it rn.

honestly whatever my readers seem to enjoy most is what i like to put out <333 i like sharing things we can all enjoy <33

i hope you're having a lovely day/night!!! <3<3<3<3<3

#asks #🐸 anon #lovely anon

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spooky-ghost-boi · 4 years

Text

Damn shawty, you definitely thicc.

A ReddNook weight gain fic.

Words: 2306

Description: Tom gets injured and has to sit on his ass for a couple months and work from home and Redd is making sure Tom doesn’t “Starve”

Warnings: people with climacophobia/traumatophobia this is definitely not your jam, mentions of a blowjob (I’m too unsure to actually write it out, I’m sorry), weight gain (duh), Tom Nook vs Ladder, prOfAniTieS, Redd AND Isabelle enjoy groping Tom’s fat don’t @ me on that.

A/N: depending on how well this does, I might write a part two. Also I had help brainstorming!

Ps: Imagine how good my grades would be if I wrote my assignments this quick and handed them in before the deadline.

Tom had rushed out of the door, realizing he was about to be too late if he didn’t hurry up to the Resident Services. His large breakfast still sat rather heavy in his stomach which made his stomach hurt slightly as he speed walked but he had a lot to get done today.

He was a little surprised to see that Isabelle hadn’t arrived yet, in the meantime he walked to the backroom so he could brew himself some coffee. He heard a dripping noise, thanks to his enhanced hearing. Looking up he noticed a hole in one of the pipes and sighed to himself.

Tom still felt rather tired and his movements were rather slow and sluggish as he made his way to the basement to get a ladder. He put the ladder against the wall and climbed it up, surprised by how.. Exhausting it seemed now.

Meanwhile Isabelle came in and smiled softly to herself when she saw Tom’s stuff already on his desk.

Crash!

A slight groan in both pain and annoyance.

Her smile faded immediately and she rushed into the backroom, she noticed the chunky Tanuki lying on the floor under a leaking pipe and a broken ladder.

“Tom! Are you alright?!” Isabelle asked in shock.

“I’m doing splendid! It’s not like my leg is twisted at an unnatural angle, hm?.. Couldn’t be me! Yes, yes.” Tom said in slight annoyance.

_._._.

After a couple nights in the hospital Tom was back home, his leg was broken.. Which obviously wasn’t ideal. He had to work from home and either Redd, Timmy or Tommy had to deliver his paperwork to Isabelle every evening.

He’d been spending roughly a week at home and it had been rather peaceful to his surprise, Redd was distracting him sometimes for.. Other things or he was making Tom food. Good food, a lot of food and of course Tom lacked self-restraint so he often just ended up accidentally stuffing himself when he was working. Sometimes to the point he had to unbutton his progressively tighter pants.

“Hey, Nookie~ I got you your favorite coffee and doughnuts, they’re still warm.” Redd said to his quite chunky boyfriend.

“I told you to not call me that! But, thank you, hm.” He said, as he filed papers. Eyeing the mess on the desk.

“Enjoy your doughnuts, I’ll be in the kitchen making lunch for you.” Redd said, smirking to himself before leaving the room. His plan was working.

After a couple of minutes of diligently working, Tom grabbed a donut and ate it. He moaned as the incredible flavor hit him. He had a huge sweet tooth, especially when it came to pastries.

Therefore he devoured those 6 doughnuts within 30 minutes, feeling quite stuffed. His pants were uncomfortable and he just unbuttoned them. The coffee gave him a boost of energy which is something he desperately needed as the huge snack he just had seemed to make him tired. He groaned and rubbed his stomach.

He took a breather. Then returned to filing papers and making the occasional call.

He wasn’t even hungry before Redd barged in with a nice and full plate of pasta and tomato sauce.. With loads of cheese on it.

“Redd.. I’m actually still quite stuffed.” Tom said as he shifted his weight in his chair, it creaked slightly and he didn’t actually pay attention to it.

“Awe, come on Tom. You wouldn’t want to eat cold pasta now, do you? You don’t have to eat all of it, just eat as much as you can! ” Redd told him.

“Fine! Just put it on the table.. I’ll eat it. Thank you, yes, yes.” Tom said and continued with his work. He somehow felt hungry again.. Or did he just feel the need to eat? Or was it boredom.

Redd smiled at the Tanuki, “I’ll pick up Timmy and Tommy later, but I’ll tell you before I leave. “ Redd said.

“That’s splendid..” Tom said as he grabbed the plate of pasta and began to eat. He was eating out of stress and boredom more than anything else. He failed to notice how much his belly was pushing out, making the fact evident he unbuttoned his pants.

“You need some bigger pants, Nookie~?” Redd said in a slightly teasing tone.

“No.. I’m just bloated. I guess it’s the lack of movement, hm?” Tom said, he ACTUALLY was convinced that was the reason and Redd found it cute.

“I see.. You don’t have that much to do right now, do you?” Redd asked and winked slightly at his boyfriend.

“That depends on what you mean.. Hm.?” Tom asked as he put a few papers aside. He totally understood what Redd meant but he wanted him to be more direct. For his entertainment of course.

“I could suck your dick.” Redd said, not really embarrassed because he’s.. Well, Redd.

“Why don’t you just say so?” Tom asked as he somehow managed to pull down his pants.

_._._

After giving Tom a decent blowjob, Redd had gotten him another snack.

“Have this while I’m gone, so you don’t waste away.” Redd chuckled as he said that to Tom, which just earned him a scoff.

“-And don’t miss me too much.” Redd promptly added before walking away.

“Trust me, I most definitely won’t!” Tom yelled after him.

Tom finished off all calls and paperwork he had to do for the day and leaned back in his chair, rather satisfied with himself as he ate the big slice of cheesecake and coffee Redd had gotten him.

He sighed softly and put a paw on his already pretty chubby belly, he felt bloated and honestly a little heavier than he was used to but he didn’t mind. It was probably the lack of movement as he didn’t walk to work or play with the boys. He had to rely on Redd to help him around the house, which seemed awkward since Redd was such a twink and he himself was probably almost twice as heavy as the Kitsune.

He actually hated being dependent on Redd, however he couldn’t do much.

After a little while Redd came back with the boys who rushed to the kitchen to eat dinner and Redd walked to Tom’s office.

“Hiya, Nookie! You wanna eat dinner on the kitchen? Need help to get there?” Redd asked.

“I would..” Tom said as he leaned onto the table for some support to get up, then leaned onto Redd. They both managed to make it to the kitchen and Tom plopped onto a chair opposing Timmy.

“How was work for you two?” Tom asked softly. Tom usually disliked showing vulnerability to other people, even Redd at times but that was slightly different with the boys, he wanted to be the best father figure for them, despite them being his employees. Afterall they were still kids and needed guidance in their life.

“Good! We’ve had lots of customers.. Customers.” They both said in unison.

“I’m glad.” Tom said as he ate his dinner, trying his best to ignore the Kitsune.

“You two want to watch a movie later?” Tom asked his boys. He felt guilty for being unable to play with them so he hoped watching a movie would make both of them and himself happier.

“Sure!” They replied.

After a couple of months he finally could walk again and go back to work, he wasn’t supposed to lift up heavy things still.

He took a shower the day prior and was getting ready for work, feeling good about himself again.

Redd watched his chonky boyfriend put on his khaki shorts, he noticed Tom struggle getting them over his hips. Oh shit, there was no way Tom was gonna get them buttoned.

“.. Redd? They don’t fit.” Tom said, deciding that maybe He’d have more luck with his work shirt.

He managed to get the two upper buttons buttoned but not the rest.

He looked a little panicked at Redd, who didn’t know what to do either. “.. What if you wore a sweater? It’s not that warm yet-“ Redd suggested.

“I guess that could work..” Tom said as he looked through his closet to get a sweater with the Nook Inc logo on it.

Redd despised the logo at this point, really.

The sweater fit, but it was really tight and giving Tom a muffin top along with the pants he was wearing. He didn’t have much time to worry about that right now as he had to head to work. Pretty ironic that this happened to the man making people wear their work uniforms because “clothes are a big part of business.”

In the mean time Redd headed to the Sable Sisters to make sure to get Tom some bigger clothes.

Tom was a little out of breath when he walked to the Residential Services, he opened the door and just sighed. He pulled down his sweater and walked into the backroom where Isabelle was waiting for him.

“Good morning, Tom!” She said as she handed him his coffee.

“Good morning and thanks for the coffee! Yes, yes.” Tom said, his stomach growled again and it also hurt.

“Seems like somebody is hungry! I made you some “welcome back ”cookies!” Isabelle said as she handed him a plate.

“That’s splendid, thank you.” Tom replied, before blushing a little. “Do you know whether we still have.. Err, bigger sized work uniforms?” Tom asked.

“For what?” Isabelle asked, pretending to be oblivious. She of course noticed how much bigger the Tanuki looked, he was so chunky and it surprised her.

“I put on a few and this.. Isn’t exactly the most comfortable outfit.” Tom said as he tried to pull his sweater down again.

“See for yourself! I’m pretty sure there is something at least.” Isabelle said and smiled at Tom.

Tom sighed as he went to the work uniform shelf and looked through various shirts, to his luck he found the exact same shirt he owned just a couple sizes bigger. He immediately slipped it on along with a pair of khaki shorts he had found.

To his surprise the shirt was a little loose on him.

Isabelle was already at the desk, working.

He walked to his own desk and plopped on the chair, which creaked under all the new weight. While doing his usual work he ate the cookies Isabelle had made for him and downed several cups of coffee. Occasionally He’d get snacks from the vending machine but he was still so oddly hungry.

He felt a little exhausted at the end of the day and especially after his walk home. Getting pampered by like everyone really affected his already in first place wide waistline, but now he was getting lazier too.

“Good evening, Nookie!” Redd said as Tom came home, he obviously noticed the change in attire and how bloated Tom looked. Despite being so bloated, Tom’s stomach growled.

“You sure you want dinner? You look like you just feasted. My, my, Nookie~” Redd teased, he just really wanted to unbutton Tom’s shirt and feel how much Tom let himself go.

“Busy and stressing day at work to be honest.. Isabelle made a lot of cookies for me as welcome back gift or something. I’m actually quite hungry though.” Tom said as he patted his belly.

“I’m not surprised.” Redd said as he practically shoved Tom into the kitchen. “It’s still a bit until dinner but I made you some cake.” He told him.

Tom lazily sat on a chair, “thanks, hmm.” He said as he ate a slice and then another.

“Do you want some coffee?” Redd asked.

“Sure.” Tom said and leaned back into his chair.

Redd put the coffee onto the table and smiled at his boyfriend. “There you go, Nookie~” He said.

Tom grumbled but drank his coffee.

What he didn’t know was that Redd had put some melted butter along with the milk and sugar in there, so he’d have a bigger boyfriend much faster.

Eventually the kids arrived and they all ate dinner together. After that they played with Tom and Redd, it made Tom happy that he could be there for the kids again.

Tom had brought them to bed at around 21 pm and then made his way to Redd’s and his bedroom. Tom’s stomach growled and he sighed softly as he sat on the bed, which creaked slightly under his weight.

“I got you doughnuts~” Redd mused, as he handed Tom the box.

“Thank you, yes.. Ye-“ Tom yawned and began eating a couple of doughnuts.

“Can’t stop eating lately, am I right, Nookie?” Redd teased as he unbuttoned Tom’s shorts and shirt and began rubbing his belly.

“I told you to stop calling me that since months now.. “ Tom complained and he would’ve pushed Redd away if he weren’t so godforsaken tired.

“Too tired to properly move?” Redd teased.

“Just.. Shut up for once, hm.” Tom huffed, as he closed the empty doughnut box. He then also drifted off to sleep, with Redd rubbing his belly gently.

After a couple months the Tanuki had to size up. . Again. It seemed that both Isabelle and Redd loved to pamper him.

His gut was well hanging over his waistband and he was way lazier and more easily exhausted.

Isabelle was closing off the shop and then walked over to Tom, playing with his hefty and bloated belly. Earning several moans in pleasure from him, he was so stuffed that it felt good to have somebody with his belly.

“It’s softer than I expected!” Isabelle said, smiling at the Tanuki.

“Yeah.. Everyone says that, hm.” He just replied, making no effort to fight her as it felt good.

Isabelle chuckled and patted the Tanuki’s soft tummy.

#acnh #animal crosing new horizons #animal crossing: new horizons #reddnook #tom nook x redd #tom nook x Crazy redd #t.om nook #chubby! Tom Nook #fat tom nook #fat! Tom Nook #weight gain fic #weight gain fanfiction #chonky

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mackinmacki · 4 years

Text

Be Mine, Valentine (White Rose Week #3)

Fandom: RWBY

Pairing: White Rose

Word Count: 6871

Rating: G

Synopsis: Weiss and Ruby figure out how to do Valentine’s Day together.

Prompt: Valentine

Links: FFN | AO3

Notes: I’ve made my edits, added the links, and changed the title, because it made no sense.

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

"So, Valentine's Day is around the corner, huh? Bet you're pretty excited about buying some chocolates for your crush." Team RWBY had separated into pairs, in order to diversify their training. Weiss and Yang had gone to the training room to practice hand to hand combat, which doubled as strengthening Weiss's arms. Of course, Yang being Yang, it hadn't taken her long to start trying to distract both of them with unnecessary topics like 'Valentine's Day'.

"First off, I do not have a crush on anyone. I do not know where you get such ridiculous ideas." Weiss huffed as she threw another punch at the punching bag Yang was holding. She understood that hand to hand combat was important, because one couldn't always rely on having their weapon at the ready. However, her body wasn't built for such things. At that point, she was sweating from her exertions, which didn't benefit someone as prim and proper as her. Her clothes were becoming soaked through with it, sticking to her cold, sweaty arms and legs. She definitely needed a shower the moment they were done. "Secondly, we are training to become huntresses. Where do you find the time to celebrate such trivialities?"

"On the day of that triviality," Yang replied, smirking as she watched Weiss wipe sweat from her forehead. She was close to making her teammate take a break, because otherwise she would force herself to continue until she collapsed. Weiss sure was lucky she had someone as cool and thoughtful as Yang looking out for her. They weren't Freezerbros for nothing. "Life isn't entirely just us training to be huntresses. We're allowed to have fun, ya know?"

"I am aware," she replied tersely, throwing a fist at the punching bag. Her punches were becoming weaker, her breathing noticeably heavier. "But what's the point of Valentine's Day anyway? It's just a day for people in relationships to throw their happiness in the face of those who are without companions." That had come out more bitter than she'd meant it to, and she quickly deviated from that path. "In case you weren't aware, I do not have a partner, nor a crush to make a fool of myself towards. This sort of holiday is more for you."

"You do have a partner, though: Ruby." Yang pulled the bag back, out of Weiss's reach. By the way the poor girl looked like she was about to collapse, it was clearly time to take a breather. She let the bag swing back and forth as it tried to come to a stop, beckoning Weiss over to the nearby wall. "C'mon Weiss, time to take a breather. Have some water before we get back to practice."

"She is my partner, not my partner." Weiss pursed her lips, realizing how strange that sounded. Sighing, she followed Yang over to the wall, where she watched as her teammate flopped down on her butt and popped open the tab top on her water bottle. She waterfalled it, water dripping down her chin and onto her tank top before she offered it to Weiss. "Thank you." She took the water and drank it with more prose, slowly sitting down next to Yang.

"You can be real with me, you know?" Yang slung a sweaty arm around Weiss's shoulders, which made her instinctively recoil. "We're Freezerbros, right?" Weiss rolled her eyes at the cutesy nickname: a bastardization of their duo attack name that Ruby had come up with. "You can tell me that you like Ruby. I'm not gonna be mad, promise."

"If you think I care about how you would react to something like that, you ought to think otherwise." This was a good time to not mention that she had a few stray thoughts concerning Yang using her strength to shatter her like one of her summons. "I really don't understand why you think I have feelings for Ruby. What could have possibly made you believe that to be the truth?" She saw a glimmer appear in Yang's eyes: one that showed a challenge had been thrown down, and she was ready to compete.

"Let's see..." Sticking out her hand, Yang started to count off the reasons on her fingers. "You act like being around Ruby is such a bother, but you're constantly watching over her whenever she gets in over her head. I've caught you staring at her when she isn't looking multiple times. For example, you were watching her talk to Blake about what the two of them were going to do just this morning, with the most longing look I've ever seen."

"That... That is not what happened!" Weiss's blush said otherwise. As pale as she was, when she grew embarrassed, her blush took over her entire face. It flooded with a deep red, letting Yang know everything she needed to. "I just happened to be staring in the direction she was standing. I was not staring at her, and you would do well to remember that!" She could deflect all she wanted, but her blush told the true story, and she couldn't hide that.

"Whenever we're training, you're always looking over at Ruby rather than at Blake or I. Honestly, I feel hurt." She didn't seem hurt, though, grinning all the while. Weiss made sure to stick her tongue out at her, like a mature young adult. "You talk about her all the time, and I mean all the time. I'm surprised you don't even realize how often her name is on your lips."

"I... do not know..." The fact that she was malfunctioning right in front of Yang almost made her feel bad for being so blunt. However, Weiss was a blunt girl herself. Surely she could take her own medicine. She coughed into her fist, trying to straighten herself up. "Yang, I do not have a crush on your sister. I do not talk excessively about her, nor do I look out for her any more than another partner would do. By that logic, Pyrrha and Nora must have crushes on their partners, and I find that hard to believe." Suddenly, Yang yanked her arm away from her shoulder, having taken a drink of water and then spit it out all over the bottle and the floor. "What the hell, Yang?!"

"Bwahaha, oh my... You... Bwahaha!" She lost control of herself, spilling water all over the floor as she convulsed with laughter. For a full minute, she couldn't answer any of Weiss's questions: the way her face switched between concerned and annoyed just made it better. Finally, she was able to speak while flat on her back, her shirt now drenched in water. "Did you just say that it's hard to believe that Pyrrha and Nora have crushes on their partners?"

"What's so funny about that?" Blushing deeper, Weiss shrunk back as the realization of what Yang was trying to say struck her. "No way... Oh come on! You can't tell me that Pyrrha has a crush on Jaune!" Yang just grinned at her, telling her all she needed to know. "Unbelievable... She could do so much better." Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair, feeling overheated. "W-Well, I don't care how they feel about their partners. It's completely different between Ruby and myself. We're just friends!"

"Uh huh, just like Blake and I, right?" She was sure that if she made Weiss blush any more, the blood might actually burst from her cheeks. "Look, this Valentine's Day, just call me Cupid Xiao Long, alright? I'm gonna get Pyrrha and Nora to confess to their partners, and I'll do the same with you before the day is done. Everybody will be happy, and you three will thank me. Perhaps with a steak dinner or two. Your treat, of course."

"In your dreams." Weiss rolled her eyes, standing up and punching her fist into her palm. "Now come on. Are we here to train or gossip about things that you made up inside that silly little mind of yours?" Grunting, Yang got up on her feet and shrugged her shoulders, heading over towards the punching bag. It didn't matter how much Weiss pretended that she wasn't interested in Ruby. Everyone within a twenty mile radius could see the truth, and she was going to show Weiss that fact, even if she had to drag her kicking and screaming towards it.

As for Weiss, she resumed punching the bag Yang was holding, if only to ignore the embarrassment that had grown like weeds inside of her. There was no way Yang was right. She absolutely did not have feelings for Ruby. Just because her heart felt like it did weird things whenever she was around didn't mean anything. She was not going to give Yang the satisfaction of being right. Her and Ruby were just friends, nothing more. Besides, she was positive that Ruby felt the same way. If Ruby had anything close to a crush on her, she surely would have noticed.

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"Ugh, I can't believe Valentine's Day snuck up on me like this!" Ruby pressed her forehead against the nearest tree, threatening to bonk the two of them together. Luckily, Blake was there to keep her from doing anything too stupid. "How did I not realize what month it was?! I was so focused on trying to be a good leader, and all of the Grimm attacks, and it just..." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly, pulling her head away to look at Blake. "I've gotta figure out what to do, and fast!"

"I think you're taking this too seriously," Blake responded, arms crossed as she watched Ruby run the gamut of emotional distress. The two of them had only been about halfway through their training when Blake had decided to put a stop to it. Ruby was clearly distracted, and they weren't going to get anything done unless she let out what was going on. It had been easier than she had expected, to be honest: the moment she put a halt to the training and asked Ruby why she was so distracted, everything came out. "This is Weiss we're talking about here. She has the romantic range of an Ursa."

"But she's rich, Blake! And cultured too. She probably has all these expectations of what Valentine's Day should be, and I don't know if I can fulfill them." Sighing, Ruby dropped down onto the grass, leaning against the tree. Truth be told, she'd had feelings for Weiss for quite some time now. It had happened so naturally that she didn't even question it. She just knew that Weiss was the one for her. Now, her being the one for Weiss? That was the tricky part.

"Yes, but have you ever seen her show any ounce of interest in those romantic trappings?" It was hard to believe that she was involved in this conversation. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had her feet in Weiss's camp on this one. Valentine's Day wasn't that important to her. Even though she had a partner, having one specific day to shower each other in love was superfluous. It did make sense that the two sisters would feel differently, though. They were alike in more ways than one might expect. "Besides, she already likes you. You doing anything for her will be fine."

"Wait, what?!" Ruby shot up like a rocket, staring at Blake with wide, disbelieving eyes. "She likes me?!" Suddenly she was right in front of Blake, grabbing her shoulders with a pleading expression. "Blake, how could she like me?! I'm the weird kid who knocked over all her stuff and stole her leadership role! There's no way! I mean, sure, she's become nicer to me over these last few months, but..." She scratched her head, then started furiously running her fingers through her hair. "For real?! Weiss Schnee likes me?!"

"Do you know any other Weisses?" Blake replied dryly. Though she had grown used to the antics of her teammates over their time together, she still often felt the struggle to best help them. Being a psychiatrist or a sounding board wasn't something she ever grew up being. She could barely understand Yang sometimes, and she loved her. Trying to figure out how to tie together the unnecessary dance Ruby and Weiss were always going through took less shots from Gambol Shroud than she was used to. "Have you really not noticed all the times she's openly stared at you?"

"Well, no..." Ruby tapped her fingers together awkwardly, a hint of pink on her cheeks. "But I've stared at her all the time! I would've noticed if she did too, right?" Blake just stared impassively at her, which told her all she needed to know. "Oh... But, I... We..." She sputtered out multiple attempts at a proper sentence, but kept failing. "Me and Weiss? She likes me? I-I have to do something huge for her, then!"

"You really aren't listening to me." Sighing, Blake rubbed her temples. This was a lot of trouble for a relationship that she was sure would end up highly combustible. Truthfully, she had never understood Ruby's infatuation for Weiss. It had always been patently obvious, but... why? Yes, Weiss had become a nicer, more understanding person over their time as teammates, but she was still a Schnee, no matter how many changes she tried to make. Her and Ruby were just such different people.

"I gotta get started!" Ruby shouted, inadvertently admitting that she wasn't listening. "We'll practice later, okay? I promise! I gotta figure out what to do for Weiss, though! She'll want to date me for sure after this!" In a flash, she was gone, leaving a few rose petals in her wake. Blake just sighed, flicking a petal that was floating down in front of her.

"How are we going to survive these two trying to ask each other out?"

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'This is ridiculous!' Weiss was in the shower, washing off the sweat and grime from her and Yang's intense training session. Standing underneath the shower head, she was stewing from what Yang had told her while they were taking a break. 'She doesn't know anything! I don't have feelings for Ruby!' Yang thought she was so smart, and that she knew everything. Well this time, she was dead wrong. Just because she thought that she had caught Weiss staring at Ruby a few times didn't amount to anything.

Okay, so maybe she was finding herself more respectful towards Ruby in recent times. Despite her original hang-ups, Ruby had proven herself to be a competent leader. While she didn't have the leadership style Weiss would have, it did seem to work for her. All four of them had become some kind of family, as odd as that may sound. Sure, she and Ruby were closer than she was with Blake or Yang, but that was just because they were partners. It was only natural that they would be more comfortable with each other.

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to shake the words that Yang had said out of her brain, but she couldn't. That obnoxious woman was now making her revisit her prior interactions with Ruby in a new light, and she didn't like what she was coming to realize. She couldn't stop thinking of Ruby now: the way she led the team, the way she threw herself into everything she did, the way her eyes shined when she smiled-

'Stop it!' she scolded herself, stepping out of the way of the water. This entire concept was ridiculous, and she was being ridiculous for even entertaining it. Ruby was her partner on their team, and that was all. There was nothing going on between them in terms of romance. They didn't like each other like Yang thought they did. Besides, there was no way someone like Ruby would like someone like her. Especially after all the times she had treated Ruby so poorly in the past.

Wait, what was she saying? Was she feeling guilty? Sure, she had been a bit hard to handle in the past, but she had definitely improved since them. She had told Ruby early on that she would be the best teammate Ruby ever had, and she felt that she had lived up to her side of the bargain. There was no reason to feel any sort of negativity towards how she acted in the past.

Then why did she feel like it didn't make any sense for Ruby to like her? She placed a hand on her chest, feeling her heart beating faster just from the thought of her team leader. That made her frown, wondering just what in the world was going on. Yang couldn't possibly have a point. She didn't like Ruby, right? At least, not like Yang was saying she did. Sure, she liked her as a partner, and as a friend, but more than that? Blasphemous.

And yet, now all she was thinking about was Ruby. She was the only thing on her mind. Maybe, just maybe she'd had a few stray thoughts about Ruby. Just a few, mind you! It wasn't wrong to think of other people, even if it wasn't something to be expected of her. She was too much of an aloof princess to be thinking of other people, especially in ways that would make her blush from embarrassment. Which was why she absolutely was not thinking of someone as cute as Ruby-

Oh, who was she kidding? Shutting her eyes, she slid down onto the shower floor, hiding her head on her knees as the water kept falling around her. It was a terrible thing to admit, but... Yang was right, dammit! She did like Ruby! More than was appropriate, and more than she should. How long had she held such feelings for Ruby? She honestly wasn't sure, as she'd been so adamant on denying the truth that her mind had completely wiped out any exact dates. All she knew was that it had been a problem for longer than she cared to admit.

The truth was, she held back on those feelings for a bigger reason than having Yang tease her endlessly for them. She had come to realize just how wonderful and innocent of a soul Ruby was. Of course, that might have been because she made it into Beacon two years early, but she knew that it was more than that. She just lived her entire life with an incredible amount of optimism: more than Weiss had ever seen in her life. The way she had taken Weiss on as a partner and dealt with all of her crap for so long was impressive, to say the least. She knew for a fact that she didn't have so much patience. How many times had she lost her temper with Ruby and said something she didn't mean? Too many times to count. In all of those moments, never once had Ruby raised her voice at her or admonished her in return. She had patience well beyond her years, and cared so much more than could possibly fit inside her body.

To think of herself having something resembling a romantic relationship with Ruby was laughable, but not because of the reasons she would say out loud. Not for any of the reasons she would think of either, when she was trying to strong-arm her brain into ignoring the truth. In reality, she didn't deserve Ruby. How could someone who had been so rude to Ruby turn around and say she deserved her? It was a laughable concept. Honestly, there were so many problems with her thinking that she could be in a relationship with Ruby that it made her laugh out loud. That laughter was lost in the sea of tears that were falling from her eyes, however.

She stayed in the shower crying for longer than she intended. It was unusual for her to zone out like she had, but when she returned to reality, she was momentarily confused about where she was. When she realized that the shower was still running, she stood up to turn it off. Then she just stood there, staring at the floor with an empty expression while water dripped off her body and down the drain.

For the first time in her life, she needed to talk to Yang. She needed advice from Yang. Admitting what she was going to admit was going to be embarrassing: worse, it would be terrifying. However, if she wanted to stop the crazy thoughts that were swirling around her head in that moment, she knew Yang was the only person she could talk to. Stepping out of the shower she wrapped a towel around her body and her hair, tightening them up before walking slowly into the dorm room.

"Wow, even for you that was a long shower," Yang remarked, looking up from her scroll. However, her teasing petered off when she saw Weiss standing there in a towel with a dejected look on her face. "Hey, uh, you alright?" She expected Weiss to say that she was, and that she needed to mind her own business. When she gave her head a slight shake, that was when Yang knew something was wrong.

Immediately she was on her feet, heading over to put an arm around Weiss's shoulder. "Hey, hey, what's wrong, Weiss?" She guided Weiss over to Ruby's bed, where the two of them sat down next to each other. While waiting for Weiss to respond, she gently rubbed her shoulders, trying to make her feel more comfortable. This was Weiss she was dealing with. Something major was obviously going on for her to be in such a state in front of other people.

"You were right," Weiss whispered, unable to look Yang in the eye. "I like Ruby. I've tried so hard to not think about those feelings, and they suddenly ate me up inside while I was taking my shower." She clutched her towel to her body, feeling tears threatening to come out again. The last thing she wanted to do in that moment was cry in front of someone, even if she was spilling her secrets to them. "It's terrible, Yang..."

"How is that terrible?" Yang blinked in confusion, wondering what the hell Weiss was talking about. Hearing that Weiss did have feelings for her sister was great! She had been right, and since she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ruby felt the same, her job as Cupid was going to be super easy. "That's great! Think about it: it's Valentine's Day soon. That'll be the perfect day for you to confess your feelings to Ruby. She's going to be so happy!"

"I doubt it," she scoffed, shaking her head sadly. "After the way I've treated her, there's no way she would feel the same about me."

"What are you talking about? Of course she likes you!" Yang was being thrown for a loop. No, several loops, like one of those roller coaster-building simulators she played on the school computer as a kid. Hearing the complete lack of confidence in Weiss's voice was foreign to her. It was like someone else was talking, and using Weiss like a ventriloquist dummy.

"I didn't say she didn't. I'm saying she won't feel the same about me as I do about her." Weiss shrugged off Yang's arm, standing up to head back to the bathroom. "She likes me as a friend and as a teammate. That's all I can expect from her, and I should be able to respect that." As she was walking away, Yang just watched her in complete disbelief. She suddenly jumped up and ran after Weiss, grabbing the bathroom door before she could lock herself in.

"Woah, woah, hold up! You really think Ruby doesn't like you like that?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

"That's debatable, but anyway, you're wrong. Ruby does like you. She likes you a whole lot. Honestly, the two of you are the last to know that you like each other." It was a wonder either of those girls were as smart as they were. When it came to picking up on romantic cues from their literal team partner, they sure were dumb. Being Cupid wasn't as easy as she imagined. She needed a long vacation after Valentine's Day.

"Did you not hear anything that I said? There is nothing about me that she could possibly be interested in. You've been around me long enough to know how difficult I am, haven't you?" She was huffy enough that she somehow avoided the embarrassment of admitting that she was a difficult person to get along with. Ironically, she was being difficult about being difficult. That was just the way a Schnee worked.

"Well, yes. You are the most difficult person I've ever met." She laughed at how Weiss glared at her, as if she hadn't been the one to bring up the topic. "It doesn't matter what I think, though. I'm not the one trying to get with you. That's all Rubes, and she is definitely into you. I promise you, if you ask her out on Valentine's Day, she'll say yes. That's a Yang Xiao Long promise, and those are ironclad, my lady."

"I'm sure they are." Weiss rolled her eyes, still holding doubts about Yang's words. However, it did give her enough doubt towards her own doubt to make her wonder if she should take that advice. Maybe she should actually do something for Ruby for Valentine's Day. There was a first time for everything, after all. If she got rejected, though? If Yang was wrong? She would be laughed out of Beacon. "Can I go dry off or what?"

"Sure, sure," Yang laughed, stepping aside to let Weiss into the bathroom. "Think about it, Weiss!" Weiss just rolled her eyes and shut the door, making sure to lock it before she set about getting fully dried off. Now she couldn't stop thinking about what Yang had said. Ruby liked her? As in, she really liked her? That seemed too incredulous to believe, and yet Yang had said it without a hint of teasing. It was one of those moments where she was being serious, and it made Weiss question if her doubts were wrong. Maybe Ruby actually did like her. If she did, then wouldn't she be a fool for not at least attempting to ask her out?

What if Yang was wrong, though? Or at least, what if she was overstating things? If she tried this on Valentine's Day of all days, and she was rejected, she would never live it down. Even if only Ruby and herself knew the truth, she'd be driven to insanity thinking about how mortifying her life had become. Yang had seemed so sure, though... Augh, this was so confusing! Why did romance even exist?

She leaned against the sink, staring at her reflection and sighing deeply. This was going to take some figuring out, and she didn't have much time to do it.

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'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Weiss was walking towards the dorms, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. It was Valentine's Day, and she had finished up one last practice of her glyphs. She had come up with this grand plan to show Ruby just how much she meant to her, and she had gone out of her way to make sure everything would go off without a hitch. That didn't make her any less nervous, though.

'I can't believe I'm doing this!' Ruby was jogging out of the dorms, too excited to take things at a regular pace. She had come up with this great idea for how to ask Weiss to be her valentine, and it felt romantic while still having her own personal charm. Her entire being was vibrating with excitement over what could happen and nervousness over being rejected. Blake had convinced her that her feelings were mutual, though, so she was ready to go for broke that day.

As it turned out, the two of them were inadvertently heading right for each other. They saw each other across the courtyard, both of them stopping with wide eyes. The two of them stood in place, as if waiting for the other to make a move. Eventually, they just decided that it was pointless to wait, which meant they ended up walking towards each other again at the same time.

"Ruby," Weiss greeted courteously, feeling her drive to speak her mind falling apart. Staring into those wide, bright silver eyes, she felt like she could see everything she admired about Ruby on display, and it was blinding. It made her feel as if all of her faults were being exposed, proving that there was no way she could ever deserve someone like her.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby responded awkwardly, scratching her head. "I, uh..." She swallowed nervously, attempting to shake herself out of those feelings. "I wanted to show you something, if you weren't too busy. I mean, if you are, that's okay. I can show you another time. Even though it's Valentine's Day, and it's kinda a Valentine's Day thing..." She just kept rambling and rambling, but Weiss was focused on Ruby's mentioning that she wanted to show her something for Valentine's Day. Could it really be true?

"Ruby, if there's something you wanted to give to me for Valentine's Day, wouldn't it be best to not wait until Valentine's Day is over?" She found herself smirking slightly when she saw realization cross Ruby's face. "Besides, I... I also have something that I wanted to show you." Now the smirk was gone, and she was feeling just as awkward as Ruby.

"Is it for Valentine's Day?" There was so much hope in Ruby's voice. Weiss could only nod, her vocal chords deciding they didn't want to work anymore. That made Ruby's eyes light up, and her entire demeanor changed. "Oh, oh goodness, oh, okay, okay! Well, can I show you mine first? I promise it's worthwhile! I mean, I hope it's worthwhile. You can tell me if you don't like it. It's okay if you don't-"

"Ruby, you're rambling again." Somehow, it actually made her feel better to hear Ruby going off the rails. At least she wasn't the only one struggling to get the right words out. "Yes, you can show me whatever it is you have." There was a worry that, if Ruby's gift was so much better than her own, she would be outstaged before getting to show what she had. Though, if she went first, and then Ruby blew her out of the water afterwards, she'd still be in the same boat.

"Okay! Well then, uh... I need you to hold onto my hand." Weiss stared at her skeptically, which she seemed to have expected. "I know it's weird, but I need to use my semblance, and it'll only work if both of us are moving together." She held out her hand, looking Weiss right in the eyes. "Do you trust me?" Well, when she put it like that, how was she supposed to say otherwise?

"Of course I trust you." Rolling her eyes, she grabbed Ruby's hand and held on tight. "You owe me a new wardrobe if I throw up." Ruby giggled, both of them knowing that Weiss wouldn't follow through on that threat. Squeezing Weiss's hand, Ruby gave her one last reassuring look before activating her semblance.

Suddenly, the world was passing them by like someone had smashed the fast forward button. Everything in the courtyard was a blur, flying around so fast that Weiss was forced to close her eyes. She kept them closed even after the world stopped spinning, which meant that Ruby had to gently tap her shoulder before she would open them again.

When she opened her eyes, they immediately widened. Floating in the air above them was a heart, created out of red and white petals. As the petals slowly floated down to the ground, she looked over at Ruby. She was practically bursting at the seams, trying to see whether or not Weiss actually liked it.

"Ruby, I..." She was fascinated by the white petals dancing along with Ruby's normal red petals. Was that why she needed her: to get those specific petals? "It's beautiful..." She was in awe of what Ruby had created. Her semblance had always been useful, but she hadn't expected to see it be used for something so artistic. It was making her heart thump loudly.

"Really? I'm glad you think so!" There was a blush on Ruby's face, which was a rare sight to see. Normally she was fine with anything she did, even if it embarrassed her. "I wanted to do something special for you, but I didn't know what to get you. I mean, you're rich and all, and you can have anything you want! This was my best idea for something that you might not have." She tapped her foot on the ground, looking at Weiss hopefully.

"I assure you that I don't need anything special." She shook her head fondly, turning to watch the petals continue to fall. They hit the ground and started drifting away on the breeze. "You're right, though: I am rich, and I can get anything I want, so... it's nice to receive something that only you can give me." She started to blush, but she felt compelled to keep speaking. "It's actually not important to me what it is that you give me. It's just... important that it comes from you."

"Oh, well then, I guess that was a pretty good gift, then." Ruby giggled, blushing deeper. "I was hoping you'd like it, and that it'd make you want to be my Valentine." Something Weiss had come to notice about Ruby was that when she was bored or nervous, she would fidget in place. The more she would fidget, the more bored or nervous she was. At that moment, she was shaking so much, it looked like she was about to disappear in a blur. "I-If you want to, of course!"

It was hard to believe what she was hearing. After all those days suffering through her insecurities, wondering if Ruby really would want to be with someone like her, it turned out she wasn't the only one in such a mood. Not only did Ruby want to be her Valentine, but she was nervous about her saying no. Out of all the ridiculous thoughts... She couldn't believe how it had come to this.

"Unbelievable..." When she noticed Ruby was staring at her, she shook her head and prepared to put her own plan into action. "Ruby, rather than answering that, I think it would be better if I showed you what I wanted to give you. Is that alright?" Ruby nodded, suddenly mute. It was cute in a way. "Alright, please stand back." Doing as she was told, Ruby gave her room to work. She pulled out Myrtenaster and started her summoning.

A glyph formed beneath her as she stuck her sword into it. Ruby watched with wide eyes as an icy knight appeared in front of her, holding what appeared to be a bouquet of flowers. The knight bent down on one knee, offering the flowers to her. She took them, stunned into silence. They were cool to the touch, but she didn't mind. All she could do was continue staring at the icy flowers in her hands.

"Woah... That's incredible!" She was positively beaming, smiling brightly around the knight at Weiss. "That was awesome, Weiss! I didn't know you could summon this kinda thing!" She put the flowers up to her nose and sniffed them. They smelled like ice. "I thought you could only summon things that you defeated."

"That's true..." She started to sweat internally, deciding it was best to not mention how she had demolished an entire garden of flowers the day before in order to get that summon to work. "B-But anyway, I wasn't sure what to get you either. I wanted to give you something that was special, but I've never done this kind of thing before." If she wasn't careful, she was going to start rambling like Ruby did. "I hope you appreciate the effort." Wait, that sounded rude. "That didn't come out like I meant it to..."

"It's okay, Weiss," Ruby giggled, stepping past the knight to stand in front of Weiss. "I really like the flowers, but I like that they came from you more." She couldn't stop staring at Weiss, which let her see that Weiss couldn't either. That was what gave her the confidence to say what she wanted to say. "So, does that mean you want to be my Valentine, Weiss?"

"Yes. I would love nothing more than to be your Valentine." Smiling, Weiss let her summon dissipate. The knight disappeared, as well as the flowers in Ruby's hands. However, the cool feeling still remained tingling on her skin. Both of their gifts had disappeared on the wind, but the sights remained imprinted on their memories. "If you will be my Valentine as well."

"Yes!" Ruby grabbed Weiss and pulled her into a tight hug, surprising her when she lifted her off the ground. "Yes yes yes! I want to be your Valentine, Weiss!" She started to spin Weiss around, having a deceptive amount of strength in those arms. That's what happened when she lugged around a heavy metal scythe as a weapon.

"Ruby! Put me down this instant!" She was finally put down after another couple of spins, and she made sure to glower at Ruby for that. However, she couldn't stay mad at her for too long. After all, they were officially Valentines. That was something she hadn't believed could ever be true just that morning.

"So, now that we're Valentines... what do we do?" Still nervous despite their current status as Valentines, Ruby was bouncing from foot to foot, as if she was trying to get some quick cardio in while they spoke.

"We don't have to do anything. Isn't it just enough that we're together?" Weiss smoothed down her skirt, rolling her eyes at Ruby's wild behavior. "Besides, I don't think either of us know what we're supposed to do now that we've told each other how we feel."

"Well, I can think of one thing." Ruby smiled, suddenly looking very shy. It didn't suit her at all. "Maybe, now that we're Valentines and all, we could maybe... kiss?" They both blushed one after the other, with Ruby realizing what she had just asked and Weiss realizing what had been asked of her.

"I suppose that would be a good way of consummating us being Valentines." She couldn't stop blushing, not wanting to admit that she really just wanted to kiss Ruby, regardless of what day it was. Her lips looked so inviting... "If you're going to kiss me, then hurry up and do it."

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby put her hands on Weiss's shoulders and kissed her, not even thinking about what she was doing. Of course, Weiss was overthinking things, and she didn't reciprocate at first. All she could do was think of the fact that Ruby's lips were on hers. She was actually kissing Ruby. They were Valentines, Ruby liked her, and she was kissing her. This couldn't be real, could it?

It felt real, though. There was no doubt that the soft, pliable lips pressed against her own were Ruby's. That was when she finally kissed her back, letting her hands fall to Ruby's hips as they both got lost in each other's lips. They didn't pull away until they both were losing their breath. Gasping for air, they looked in each other's eyes, neither of them able to deny the truth in their gazes. They both really did like each other, and there wasn't a need to worry anymore. At least, not about starting a relationship, anyway.

"So, shall we go back to the dorm, Valentine?" Ruby giggled, loving the way that sounded on the tip of her tongue. It made her feel a tingling sensation on her lips, and she wanted to say it again and again. So of course, she did. "Valentine. Valentine..."

"Yes yes, I think we get the picture." Weiss cut her off, blushing somewhat. She was smiling, though, happy to hear those words coming from Ruby's mouth. It made everything feel more real. If there had been any doubts about what she was to Ruby, they were gone in that moment. Ruby wanted to be her Valentine, and she found herself believing her a hundred percent. "Yes, let's return to the dorm, Valentine."

"Eeee!" Squealing excitedly, Ruby took Weiss's hand and headed back towards the dorms. Rolling her eyes fondly, Weiss followed her, holding onto her hand the entire way. Neither of them felt like letting go, even if some of their fellow hunters and huntresses saw them. It would be quite the gossip, they were sure, but in that moment, neither of them cared. Today was Valentine's Day, and that meant it was just about the two of them. What other people thought didn't matter.

#White Rose Week #RWBY #White Rose #Weiss Schnee #Ruby Rose #Bumbleby #Yang Xiao Long #Blake Belladonna #My Writing

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youarejesting · 4 years

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Quarantine.25

[Masterlist] Pairing: BTS x reader Friends2Lovers But as slow as you can go until the anticipation kills us all… Genres: friendship, drama, romance SLOWEST OF BURNS BUT IT WILL BE BURNING AN ETERNAL FLAME!!! Rating: PG-13 and above Summary: Your brother works with a few BigHit dance teams and whilst having permission to accompany him at work the city shuts down banning anyone from stepping outside for a whole WEEK while they disinfect the streets. If you step outside you might get arrested, shot or poisoned by the chemicals they are emitting through the city. Words: 1.2k Announcement: This is dedicated to @tinyunknownflower who took the time to give some really nice comments regarding the story. I hope you are always inspired and are never scared to express yourself physically and emotionally. I hope you get support from this chapter to help you through these times. Everyone stay safe.

This chapter is all about owning up and being brave even when things seem scary stand your ground. If you know whats right, do whats right. Stand your ground. Don’t give in to fear.

[Part 1] [Part 24] [Part 26] [Tag Yourself Here]

Dressed and armed with your backpack filled with medical supplies and the smallest gun the men were willing to hand you. You set out on foot, Seokjin was hesitant walking through the fog, so biting your lip you took his free hand. At first, it was awkward very stiff like two teens at a high school dance, trying to get the courage to dance. But after a few obstacles, it felt like an extension of yourself.

“Step up on the curb?” “Ne” he mumbled following your guiding figure. He thought you looked cute in waddling around in an over sized suit. He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. The soldiers soon told you to wait behind the building across the road and stay as this was the meeting point. You let go of Seokjin’s hand and holding the gun ready.

“That makes me nervous if you shoot me I will smack you upside the head, we will whistle when we are coming?” The soldier demonstrated with the opening from DNA causing Seokjin to chuckle. “We will get him and leave as quickly as we can, try not to cause any trouble” “You got it mister uh… weird I don’t know your names?” You threw a salute and the shorter one who you believed to lead the team frowned while the youngest turned your hand the correct way. “That’s not how you salute in Korea so stop” The leader grinned “and we are going to keep it that way”

You shrugged, “Alright then have fun at school don’t fight with the other boys but if they try anything, kick their asses, you hear me?” “Yes ma’am” the youngest grinned earning a smack to the back of his helmet and he sheepishly waved running off. You can’t believe you hadn’t taken notice of the cadets before this point, but honestly, you were like that, you didn’t recognize people easily. Having trouble remembering faces and names.

They were swallowed by the clouds in the street and you sighed leaning back against the wall and trying not to stress about the unknown. It was quiet for about ten minutes before the handsome young man beside you literally couldn’t take it any more and whispered a joke to you. One became two and soon he was giggling to himself the fabric of his suit did little to cover up the squeaks that fell from his mouth and every time his shoulders would bounce making the suit crinkle audibly.

You heard something, something tiny and brief but you grabbed Seokjin’s arm and pulled him down and shushed him whispering to him. “Don’t make a noise someone is coming” He didn’t want to admit it but he became nervous and froze his gun pointing into the opaque distance. Noticing you pushed the front of his gun down and turned off your breather, Jin followed turning off his and the two of you listened. You were more experienced and could pinpoint the source eyes following the hidden figure as they moved. They passed by heading down the street on your right, you sighed audibly, filing the information away for future use. Looking at Jin who appeared alarmed and seriously stressed.

“Breathe, you are okay?” You whispered turning on your breathers he nodded following you to take a few breaths, there was the sound of gunshots from the direction of the building making the two jump. You didn’t even get a chance to think about running off before Seokjin’s gloved hand grabbed you around the wrist and his stare held you in place. It was then you had realized you hadn’t looked him in the eyes since before you left the BigHit building to take Mister Lee to the hospital.

He took your breath away but not in a good way, his eyes looked back in shock. Something about him was off and the way his eyes widened showed he was surprised you even looked at him. His eyes lowered and gave a small laugh. “I am not brave, so don’t leave where I can’t see you” This seemed a lot heavier than just telling you not to run off into the fog and you twisted your wrist from his grip and grasped his hand.

“I am not going to leave you alone” You tried not to lead him on to think you meant forever because you knew that was too much to promise. “I wish I wasn’t such a coward” He hummed relieved by your words “I don’t know how you do it, but I am trying my hardest. I need the courage to be myself, to take responsibility for my actions, to overcome the fear of rejection and disapproval. To admit mistakes and then do what must be done. But I lack the courage to support my convictions. I can’t say one thing and never back it up with my actions. I can’t say I love you and then roll over when I am faced with adversity.”

You were frozen, he said the ‘L’ word. You tried to pull yourself free from his grasp, standing and struggling to get him to let go. “Jin please don’t say that… I really, I really can’t right now” “I kissed you and I meant it, I still mean it and what I didn’t mean were those god damn words I said to you that day. This is it this is me be brave and admitting to my mistakes and let me tell you this is the scariest thing I have ever done”

“Jin really I can’t right now, I don’t feel that way about you” LIES. “I need time okay, words can hurt pretty badly and it’s not something an I’m sorry can fix” He pinned you to the wall looking at you through his visor and into yours. “I know one apology won’t fix anything but listen to me I am willing to stand by your side and say it until we grow old and die. I have never fallen in love before and that in itself was scary the company and then the boys and the situation. We thought we were protecting you. But it wasn’t real. Jimin he hasn’t been eating. Namjoon hasn’t been sleeping, we are a mess without you”

“Jin. Stop.” You were upset but you held firm. “I don’t want to hear this right now if you say that you give me false hope” “I want you to hope and dream and this is what I have to say so maybe it’s not what you want to hear but it might be what you need. “God you brought a smile to my face every day and I was so happy to just have you by my side but every day I wanted more, I wanted to see you when I woke up and as I fell asleep, I wanted to see you when you weren’t there and hold you when you were”

You heard loud footsteps and a loud whistle, you turned down the lane and heard shouting “Move! go, get moving we got him now RUN!” Seokjin seemed frozen in place but you grabbed his hand and ran heading in the direction of the BigHit building, off to the right feeling yourself forgetting something important.

[Part 1] [Part 24] [Part 26] [Tag Yourself Here]

Tags: @hi-itstt @bubbletae7 @lovemusicandotps @taetaebq @seveniefive @w0lfqu33n @anaiss97 @moccahobi @maddymal @lilacdreams-00 @lethargicalyssa @knjkitten @pieislife @bunnyboyenthusiast @vividwoosan @seesawsmin-flower @tinyunknownflower @gguksfilter @fawnzilla @passionate-love-57911 @btrombley13

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marvel-noms · 5 years

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After School Snack

Have my sleep deprived hot mess -snexy))

When Scott first got the instinct he wanted to lock himself away from his family, scared he'd end up hurting them. Time went on however and Hope told him he was a dumbass for trying to hide from them, they loved him after all.

Despite trying to keep his work away from his home life he ended up having to gulp his little family down during a mission. He still remembered how horrified he had been when he had to swallow them down. It was a lot different than when he had to tuck Hope away, it was heavier and a bit distracting when Cassie told him to kick butt every so often.

He honestly had expected to never be able to see his daughter away but they had accepted it, knowing he didn’t want to and that it was safe, besides Cassie had absolutely loved it. Scott wasn’t too surprised, his kid had a habit of liking the weirdest things after all. It did make finding a babysitter hard though, most didn’t particularly like a child going on about the insides of a human being, it had been a godsend when he met Peter parker, the kid knowing exactly what Cassie was talking about and why. The little web crawler had actually given him tips about how to handle his kiddo when she was small.

The only issue was the fact that Peter had taught her how to use very effective puppy eyes which she used a lot on him. A good example would be when she came home from school.

Scott grins when he hears the door open and slam shut, thrilled his kid was finally back from school.

"Hey munchkin how was school?" He calls out, finishing putting the last of the band aides on his scratches. He still had issues with being small and hitting the dirt wrong.

"I don't like it." Cassie whines, making a beeline to her dad. She thought it was burning and the teachers just wanted them to learn useless stuff. She was pretty sure he daddy didn't need to know the 7th's presidents name when he went out on missions.

"No one does, but we have to go." Scotts says sympathetically, grunting when Cassie practically threw herself onto him. She wasn't afraid of announcing what she wanted that was for sure.

"It's not fair." She grumbles, burying her face into her dad's chest. All she got to do was go to boring school, her dad however got to do super fun stuff with Hope and sometimes he'd even show her the video of what he did.

"I know, I know." He murrurs softly, running a hand through her hair gently. At this point he took it as a win that he was able to see his kid even after everything that happened. He sighs happily and kisses the top of her head, just relishing the fact they were together.

"But hey, at least you're home!" He says nudging her with a small smile, his smile growing wider when she giggles slightly in agreement. He takes the moment of vulnerability to hit her tickle spots, grinning when she squeals with laughter.

"Daddy! Stooop!" She begs thrashing around as he tickled her mercilessly. It was little moments like these that just made the day.

"Or what?" Scott says teasingly, slowly letting up to give his kid a breather. God she was so small and young, before he knew it she would be an adult. He sighs wistfully hanging onto this moment as long as he could, smiling again when tiny hands grasped at his.

"You're a meanie!" Cassie says still giggling slightly from the attack. Scott wasn't sure what triggered him but the instinct screamed in the back of his mind as his kid cuddled closer to him. God he hated this, it felt so wrong to want to eat his child.

He shudders slightly, trying to act normal for now. "At least it got you giggling grumpy pants!" He says playfully, his stomach growling impatiently as he pushed off the urge.

He hated the way Cassie's eyes went wide at the sound, a look of confusion before she started grinning. Out of everyone he knew Cassie had an odd reaction to being tucked away, then again Stark's littlest didn't mind it either. Maybe it was just a kid thing.

"Oh! Are you gonna eat me?" She asks excitedly, squirming in place. She always knew exactly when he was having trouble squashing the urge down, hell the little crapper would even aggravate it more to get herself gulped up.

"I'm going to try not to." Scott sighs, playfully booping her nose. He wasn't too surprised when she sighs dramatically and buries her face into his chest, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Yep she knew exactly what to do to get his urge to flare up.

"Now you're playing dirty munchkin." He says with a small grin. He kisses her forehead, trying to ignore his stomachs loud protests of not immediately swallowing his little girl up.

"M' not." Cassie says innocently, her grin everything but innocent. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it was taking everything in him to not just swallow her up that moment.

He sighs heavily and shifts up slightly, focusing on adjusting her size to something more manageable. He hated that he was making her a target being this small, but she didn't seem to mind, just excitedly bouncing. She really was something else.

"Alright you win." Scott says with a nervous smile, shifting Cassie into his hand. God she was so small like this, it always freaked him out that he could just hold his kid in one hand like this. He relaxes slightly when she cheers, grinning widely up at him.

"You lil pooper you knew exactly what you were doing didn't you?" He says teasingly. He smiles a bit bringing her up to his mouth. She was so fragile like this, that of course didn't help the ever present urge screaming at him to just tuck her away. He cringes slightly and opens his mouth mentally bracing himself.

"Maaaybe." Cassie chirps, giggling excitedly when she was plopped inside her dad's mouth. She wasn't sure why he hated this so much, it was soft and warm! It got dark and sometimes that was scary but Peter suggested that she use glow sticks which was always fun!

She grins widely, squirming around when she was squished around, squealing with laughter when her daddy started tickling her again. He was always so much fun when he was like this, she wasn't sure why her daddy hated it.

"Stoop! N-no Moore!" She squeals wriggling around as she was mercilessly tickled.

Cassie's little chest heaves as she tries to catch her breath, still giggling slightly as she tried to calm down. She wriggles around a bit as she reaches into her pocket keeping a death grip on her glowstick, she would probably need it soon.

She squeaks slightly as she was pressed up against the roof of her dad's mouth. She grins widely when the muscle under the twitched unsafely, like Scott was having second thoughts, like always. Before she could reassure her daddy that it was alright and that she was a big girl, she was squashed down into his throat.

She smiles brightly as she slipped down with a small squelch. The trip down was always squishy and tight but it was like a water slide so it wasn't too bad. Besides she got to hear Scott's heart as she slipped down into his stomach, she liked that part a lot.

"You alright munchkin?" Scott questions softly, lightly resting a hand over his stomach. He felt Cassie plop in a second ago so she should be fine right? The waiting always killed him, he never liked having to wait to know if he accidently hurt his kid.

"Yeah! Peter gave me glow sticks, is it kay if I use them?"

He sighs in relief melting back into the couch. She was alright, he hadn't hurt her. And the angry yelling in the back of his mind had gone away, so bonus. He hadn't exactly heard what she said over the loud very pleased gurgles of his stomach but figured it wasn't anything yo bad.

"Go ahead sweetheart." Scott says with a pleased sigh. He tenses up when he hears something snapping but before he could panic entirely he saw a soft glow coming from his middle.

Yeah he would so be talking to Peter later about glow sticks.

#s//scott #c//cassie #soft vore #admin snexy

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renatlia · 5 years

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Dawn of the 1st Day

“Where’d the Time go?”

(Part 1/2)

Sensing a looming danger but no immediate threat, they allowed themselves a moment to regain composure. Whatever magic it was pulling them around had never had such an effect before. While sometimes enough to make one falter, this one in particular left them all with vertigo. The miserable Hero of Legend looked ready to crumble under the migraine he typically was able to grit and bear.

The Hero of the Sky was the first to recover. While working at his friend’s neck in hopes of helping, he tried to assess the situation. They were in a new area, one that somehow felt more ominous than anything he’d ever encountered. An intense, sinister hate that sent shivers up his spine.

Those who needed to rest while crawling dungeons, raiding temples, and being wide open to attack develop a keen sense of atmosphere. The absolute rage radiating from all sides set the party of heroes on high alert.

The sky child was reminded of Demise, and yet, the sensation felt heavier. Personal. The demon king may have had targeted his hatred on the goddess and her hero directly, but he hadn’t originally fought out of hatred. That evil sought power and would only hold anger for those actively in his way. Though the curse had twisted into pure malice by the Hero of the Wild’s era, most reappearances focused primarily on attaining power, the other two reincarnations affected by the curse merely put under surveillance.

“Wasn’t it just past noon?” The question snapped the Skyloftian out of his musings. Glancing back at the clock tower, he found it read 6:07, the scent of dew indicating early morn. The youngest of them was correct. It had been just after lunch when the worlds shifted.

“Odd? That’s never happened before,” the Hero of Twilight grunted.

The area wasn’t familiar at all either, judging by the faces shared amongst his comrades. It raised suspicion. The strong aftereffects of the magic that brought them there, the time of day changing, the storm of emotion that made the humid air even heavier. A gut feeling told him that the shadow they’d been following wasn’t behind this.

“Those construction workers look like my own, but that doesn’t lend much. I mean, we did have to drag away the old man before he spent all his rupees on milk after meeting my era’s Malon,” the most colorful among them smirked.

Unfortunately, the reaction they’d hoped to catch was nonexistent. Their unofficial leader was nowhere to be seen. The notion of anyone getting left behind had to be the most disturbing aspect of the last fifteen minutes. The missing hero’s protege looked beside himself with worry and lost on what to do.

“Look!” The Hero of Ages clapped for attention. “Just because the shift was harsher than usual, it doesn’t mean he got left behind. We’d see him again if he had been anyways. We were brought together for a reason, after all. The old man knows how to take care of himself, and he wouldn’t want us fussing over his absence instead of focusing on the matter at hand.

“Something strange is going on-different than usual, but we can’t panic over the unknown. Let’s split up and ask around. Where are we? What and where is the danger? Has anyone seen the old man? He may have only wandered off. It wouldn’t be the first time any of us had.”

Huh. He sure knew how to boost everyone’s morale. Must come from being a captain where he’s from.

“It would be unlike him to wander?” The Hero of Hyrule spoke up.

“Yeah, but... maybe he knows the place? He could’a gotten caught up in his head and forgot the plot. Okay, we’ll keep an eye out,” the farm hand nodded. He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

The eight left of them paired off to cover more ground. As the saying goes, it’s dangerous to go alone. One pair stayed put as the others went separate ways.

~*~

Link let the young hero wrap himself in the end of his scarf once again, the sudden changes in temperature chilling the island dweller. Having become fairly close, Link found it a small comfort to have the boy near. The teen was more than capable on his own, but something in the air raised the hairs off his neck.

The air cooled further as they passed the threshold to an open playground. The dew had yet to dry from the grass sealing in the night’s chill for a bit longer.

“Tingle!” his excitable friend whispered. He jutted his head towards an odd fellow spinning in place. It was a wonder the guy didn’t get dizzy.

The man, who had to be in his mid to late thirties, wore what Link could only describe as dark red undergarments over a skin-tight, full-body suit of a vibrant green. A hood exposed only his face and came to a point sticking up on the top of his head. Finally clueing Link in to what he was doing, he had a pen and parchment in hand and a compass dangling from his neck.

Okay, a map maker. Spinning explained. Gaudy costume? Still weird.

The little sailor tugged him over by the scarf he had wrapped tightly around his arms and was still firmly tucked around Link’s neck. The “forest fairy” was rather nice if a little bizarre. He told them that he sold maps of current locations at a discount, and so, the pair sat down next to a slide to get a better look at “Clock Town.”

Link frowned. The name tickled something in the back of his mind, and Tingle also seemed vaguely familiar. He quit thinking on it when felt a sharp sting in his neck, which had been happening frequently as of late. He must’ve jumped, because he received a concerned glance that he had to wave off.

Link knew the sting wasn’t a bad thing. He could recall his adventures just fine, but names, faces, and locations had become foggy since meeting the others. He remembered traveling across different eras and meeting many people of legend and myth. He figured out that the sting would stop him from thinking on them, and he pieced together that they were probably people his companions knew on their adventures (and likely lost). The goddesses sure had peculiar ways to protect their heroes. He just hoped the fog would clear once it was all over, feeling a sense of loss over his amnesia.

He blinked to focus on the map. The town was sectioned off in four areas, convenient that they’d paired off. “South Clock Town” held the clock tower with little else but the banker they had passed on their way north. To the west was what looked like an alley for shopping and other errands. The east, however, was far larger and most likely housed the local inn, which Link made a quick mental note of. The playground they were in didn’t have much, but they decided to ask around a bit more before ditching the place.

The little boy shooting darts at a balloon didn’t tell them anything. He had refused to listen to them and yelled at them to leave him alone to his practice. Not wanting to anger the child anymore, they proceeded to speak with the guard positioned at the town exit. After flailing for a moment at having found such a decorated knight in Clock Town, he managed to collect himself enough to direct them towards a cave past where Tingle... had been? “If anything, surely the Great Fairy can guide you!”

Entering the Fairy Fountain was just as refreshing as ever. The temperature was always comfortable no matter the weather outside. A calm would wash over you like a serene spring morning. Tall arches layered in vines surrounded a shallow pool of crystal clear water. The same water cascading down the circular wall parting at the entrance.

Link heard a squawk beside him, and he gasped also catching sight of a swirling cluster of fairies. Typically, there may be three or four fairies milling about at any given time, but there had to be around twenty circling in the center of the fountain.

“Heroes! Please hear my plea!” a warbled voice squealed from the mass. “I have been broken and shattered to pieces by the masked Skull Kid. Please find the one Stray Fairy lost in town, and bring her to this Fairy Fountain.”

Without hesitation, they spun on their heels and sprinted away to hunt down the missing fairy.

~*~

Link sighed as his childhood hero spent another handful of rupees to retry a game for the umpteenth time. For one who treasures his wallet so much, the Hero of Legend sure loved gambling. He’d tried prying him away, but the stubborn veteran just kept getting more red and hell-bent with every loss.

“I’ll be right outside when you’re done!” Link shouted over the loud music. The only acknowledgment he received was a shooing motion.

Taking a breather, he watched two performers juggling to each other in a daze. They were actually really good. The balls were thrown high and were in order of color. Maintaining that had to be difficult.

Link ruffled his hair. He really shouldn’t be spacing out like that, especially in unknown territory. Deciding to at least start on their original task, Link made his way over to the jugglers and overheard their conversation.

“My, my! Funny things are happening in town, aren’t they? Funny. Funny.”

“You’re telling me! Like the rumors about the swamp to the south? Did you hear about the kidnapping?”

What? Kidnapping? Link worried his bottom lip. Should I grab the others? We should help, right?

“Oh, my! The kidnapping?”

“Yep! But then the kid woke up. Get it? Kid napping? Hooo... I got a million of ‘em!”

He glared at the twins’ laughter. Though honestly, it wasn’t even a bad joke. Relax, Link. You’re just on edge. He rolled his shoulders back and coughed. “Excuse me. New around here. Could you tell me what’s going on?”

“We’re the twin jugglers from the Gorman Troupe! We’re practicing for the big carnival! It happens once in a blue moon!”

“Or in this year’s case, once in a really, really scary, red-eyed moon!”

“Ho! Ho! I hear it’s gonna fall harder than the way my clumsy brother is always dropping our juggling balls!”

“You see, we’re entertainers. We must keep people smiling. No matter how grim things get, we must always be optimistic!”

They proceeded to talk about some fellow performers, but Link’s mind was elsewhere. Scary moon? What do they mean it’s gonna fall? He turned around to go get his partner but found him standing only a couple feet away.

“Sorry, come again? ‘Red-eyed moon?’ What’s fallin’?” the Hero of Legend asked.

“Why, just look up!”

“Frightening, isn’t it? Hooo...”

AN: I feel like it’s been at least a month since I posted the Prologue, and I felt kinda bad about it. At least this part was fairly finished in my opinion, so I wanted to go ahead and post it. I don’t really have the other half fleshed out as much as I’d like it to be, but I’ll continue to work on it. Hope you like! (The majority of the dialogue for the npcs are taken straight from the game. That’s something taking up a huge part of my time trying to incorporate their words in scenes.)

#legend of zelda #linkeduniverse #linked universe #LU in MM #Ch 1 Pt 1 #only tagging the prevelant characters #Sky #Legend #Twilight #Ages #Wind #Hyrule #Tingle #Jugglers #sorry i took so long #enjoy

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casualexpansionthings · 4 years

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Inflation Potion for Cat

Oh dear, she’d really agreed to this, hadn’t she? What did one even do when it came to this sort of thing? Was she supposed to get naked first? These clothes were rather expensive, but then, all women’s clothes were, undoubtedly because men knew they’d pay more for them to look good.

Yet there wasn’t time to fume about that at the moment. No, she held the tiny vial between her fingers, the clear purple liquid within practically taunting her. Well, at least it wasn’t pink. Was she meant to drink it all? Or just a little? There wasn’t much of it. Maybe she’d grow only a bit?

Well, Cat Grant had never, ever been a woman to do things halfway. Whatever happened, she’d drink. Popping off the top with a perfectly manicured nail, the scent of cherry was easily noticed. Hopefully it didn’t taste like those terrible medicines they tried to feed kids. Honestly, downing weird fruit smelling liquids like this reminded her of college, mostly the bad mistakes that she made doing shots off people’s stomachs.

Here went nothing.

Cat tilted her head back and downed the vial; it did in fact taste of cherries, but real cherries, rather than the fake kind that they used for flavoring. Luckily for her, it didn’t have an aftertaste either, something she was thankful for. No matter how decent the flavor, lasting ones were not welcome in her mouth.

Not that she had much time to think on it. Cat could feel it as soon as the liquid hit her belly; a hand moved to her stomach, feeling it bubble and gurgle quietly. Sounded a lot like she’d swallowed a mentos and drank soda, if she was being honest. With the bubbling came the sudden feeling of gas; her belly bloated outward, pressing against her hand.

Much to her chagrin, the feeling of gassiness did not abate. Instead, it grew more pronounced, as her belly puffed out before her eyes. It grew round, like a bubble, as she felt her stomach expand; her shirt untucked itself from her pants, resembling how she’d looked when she was pregnant.

But there was nothing in her belly, save for air. A slight pain was forming inside her; her stomach probably looked like a filled balloon right about now. Suddenly, she felt a slight pop inside her, followed by a sudden powerful swelling of her belly, and the audible popping of one of her shirt buttons as it sprang forth.

Eyes widened as her middle expanded. Gone was the feeling of tightness; replaced instead by the sensation that she’d developed a great deal more room somehow. Her belly burst another button on her shirt, and then another; she was at least twice as large as she’d been while pregnant, and yet she was still growing. Furthermore, she didn’t feel any heavier; if anything, Cat felt lighter somehow, and the idea that she might keep getting lighter filled her with dread. Getting huge was bad enough; bobbing off the ceiling would be mortifying.

Cat felt her breast swelling as well, putting to bed the hopes that this would be confined to her belly. At least her breasts were swelling uniformly, even if her bra was not designed for breasts this size. Her arms scrambled to undo her bra; with an unladylike grunt, she managed to unclasp it behind her, causing her breasts the bounce forth like two beach balls. Her shirt, strained already, lost a few more buttons, and Cat wasn’t sad to see them go. At this rate, they would have just been denying the inevitable.

The feeling of lightness hadn’t gone away though. To Cat’s horror, she was starting to feel like she was floating; her feet were starting to struggle to remain on the ground. Cat flapped her arms, trying to find something, anything, to grasp on to, in order to keep her on the ground.

This was significantly harder than Cat expected, a result of her breasts and belly pulling her upwards as they swelled. At the same time, Cat felt her back starting to blow up, straining her shirt even more, as well as her arms, which quickly began to fill her sleeves. With horror, she waters her hands, and then her fingers plump up, looking like rubber gloves someone had blown into. Using them was going to be nearly impossible now.

As Cat began to rise, she felt her butt puffing up in her pants, her thighs quickly following suit. A pop followed by a ripping sound was heard, as her pants quickly began to give up their resistance to her body. The cool air from behind told her what she needed to know; her underwear was now on display for the world. Or, whoever saw her next anyway. It didn’t last long. Her legs continued to fill up, as did her arms, making her look like some kind of bloated starfish; her sleeves bursting off her now massive arms, followed by the sound of her legs bursting through the legs of her pants. Even her feet swelled, her shoes falling off as each toe puffed up like a tiny marshmallow.

Up Cat floated, the sound of her underwear finally tearing off of her massive, bulbous figure as she floated towards the ceiling. Her socks too, the last article of clothing left, stretched as best they could, before fraying and tearing as well. Naked, the queen of media’s belly bumped against the ceiling, her body continuing to swell unabated.

Her curves were the first things to go. Distinction between breasts and belly faded, and then vanished. Her back and rear became one curve, as did her sides and hips. Then her arms and legs began to vanish, as her body swelled and her skin stretched, further and further. She really felt like a balloon, even though it wasn’t nearly over. Soon, all that remained were her hands and feet, even if they were bloated and distorted in their form. And then, they too began to vanish, until they were simply bloated nubs, and then nothing at all. Cat felt her body becoming one round orb, save for her head, and yet that too was beginning to change. Her neck gone, her head was pushed up as her body seemed to press against it. Cat’s face filled, as her lips and cheeks became fate and bloated, a comical farce of an appearance for her.

Surely, this was it? Surely, there would be no more?

Unfortunately, this was not the case. Cat’s body, now as wide as she was tall, continued to swell, her skin stretching and creaking with ominous sounds. Red stress marks formed, as she stretched, further and further, becoming slightly transparent as she felt the pressure growing inside of her. She felt even more massive than she was, and Cat really hoped that, if nothing else, she didn’t explode all over her office. What an ignoble way to go out, being forced to be a balloon by a random person she didn’t know.

Luckily for her, the swelling soon began to abate. Cat’s form, massive and round, bore little to no resemblance to her former self. Instead, she looked like some kind of blimp that someone had let go of, left to bob helplessly and silently against her ceiling, until someone, anyone, came to find her, or she deflated on her own.

Oh, how much she hoped it was the latter. She couldn’t bear the embarrassment of being pulled down by some of the mouth breathers she hired...

#Anonymous #answered

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ellieaelious · 6 years

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Elf Bee Eye Pt. Two {Smile}

Part: 2 of ? Verse: Bright 2017 Movie Characters: Ellie (OC), Haldir (OC/Canon), Nick Jakoby (Canon), Daryl Ward (Canon), Dark Lord (OC/Canon) Honorable mentions/Cameos: Kandomere (Canon) Rating: 18+ Summary: We take a look back at how this all started and Haldir learns something troubling about his new partner. This chapter will contain violence, death, and all that good stuff!

Not every feeling was of disdain as Haldir and Ellie made their way down the hallway. While he found it a bit unnerving that she smiled so earnestly at everyone, apparently some found it very attractive. Mostly human males, the occasional female, would pause for a brief moment as she greeted them in passing. To anyone that didn’t know better, she had a similar ethereal beauty that elves did. Humans became easily flustered by it, especially since it was a rare sight to see an elf be genuinely happy and so open about it. It really didn’t bother him until an small collection of elves by the elevator made it a point to press the elevator button for them, and even give her a lingering glance. Disgraceful.

Everything went right over her little head, from the slight tint changes of cheeks, the overly friendly greetings, even when one elf was so bold as to take her hand in greeting before she boarded the elevator. It did make her feel more welcomed. No one really caught her eye until she saw a distant blue form, not far from the office that she had met Haldir in front of. Her pupils dilated, expanding the distance in which she could see. Haldir noticed the odd look on her face, following her gaze while pressing the button to close the doors.

“He’s with the magic division.” Haldir broke the silence, causing the small woman to look up at him.

“He has blue hair.” she commented quietly.

“Quite magical, don’t you think?” he smirked a bit, wondering how she could be so easily amused by a different shade of hair color.

“Well...he probably goes to a salon, or if he’s particular might even do it himself. I thought it might be natural at first, seeing as he even took the time to have his eyebrows done. But then when he lifted his hand I saw his arm. The hair on it’s black. Takes a little mysticism out of it once you connect the dots.” Ellie listed through her detective reasoning, finishing with her now trademark grin as she looked up at him.

He almost punched the stop button before he had her pinned against the wall. She was so much shorter than him, it wasn’t to hard. He watched the smile fade slowly from her face as she bit her bottom lip, confusion firmly in place.

“I want you to understand one thing. I’m not in this elevator willingly. I’m not in the same building as you willingly. We are not friends. We are not even allies.” he leaned down close to her, sniffing the air around her face as she started to cower down the closer he got. It was a defense mechanism if she was being honest. Make her eyes large, small, quivering mouth, cower to appear more helpless. Animal instinct.

Haldir pushed himself away from her and crossed his arms, still looking down, lavender eyes almost glowing. “There is something familiar in your scent.” he leaned down closer again. “What exactly are you?”

It was a very personal question, one that she wouldn’t answer under normal circumstances. Despite his crude manner though, she still needed to try and make peace.

“I’m a sub species of Realmain, is the simple answer but...” she paused for a moment, trying to get a feel for what answer he was looking for. “I found out a few years ago that an ancestor came from another dimension a few thousand years ago. He was part something called Dunmer. A type of elf.” judging from the look on his face, she guessed correctly in what he was snooping for.

He’d never heard of a Dunmer before, but then again he’d never heard of anything else that showed up over the last few months. But it made more sense now. Since he’d actually been in her presence, he could feel something familiar about her. Maybe that’s why she was the one doing all the talking when the two worlds were negotiating.

“I’m not going to attack you. It’s what your ultimate goal is. Isn’t it?” her tone changed as he mulled over her initial response. His eyes widened as immense dread overcame him. Suddenly, he felt two feet tall in her presence.

It was her doing, a simple trick of reversing emotions. She had looked in his eyes long enough to perform a quick exchange. Now, he could feel how he had tried to make her.

The fabric of her vest heaved in and out, air moving between the carefully woven threads that allowed her skin to still breath. She had been giving chase for a while now and neither of them seemed to be slowing down anytime soon. Ellie’s eyes narrowed and teeth gritted as she picked up speed, hand reaching out to grab the fabric of the runner’s jacket. As her fingertips grazed the polyester blend, the Dark Saer shed the body in the middle of a leap across another building. The human host began to plummet while the formless mass of tentacles landed on the other side. There was still plenty of time to save the former host, but not enough to where another wouldn’t be taken.

Acceptable loss.

The splat of the body hitting the concrete alleyway was muffled by the laughter the creature gave as she continued to chase it over rooftops. Although it was faster in this form, she no longer had any reason to hold back.

She let out a furious grunt, leaping into the air as her naginata formed in her hands. A few spins and she managed to land with the single bladed end embedded in a tendril. The monster let out a shriek and paused, allowing her to tackle it. It was hard to land a blow on something made of goop, but she still gave it her best shots. She made sure to keep her mouth closed tightly and visor across her eyes to avoid becoming taken over herself. It was a struggle that she took to the sky, launching them both high into the atmosphere. It may have been midnight where they were, but if she could get high enough maybe she could catch the sun over the horizon.

The mass of tendrils and goo began to engulf her, finding every nook and cranny it could to consume of her. As her torso became engulfed, her skin took one more gasp of air before it was completely encased. They stayed floating like that for a moment, the creature tightening and becoming smaller, folding the ruler in on herself. It let out a satisfied chuckle before shrieking in pain. She managed to break a flash grenade before her hands were completely immobile. They both began to plummet towards the ground, a crackle and flash of light surrounding them as they did.

“When did the sun come out? How long were we like that?” Ellie thought to herself as she began to struggling with the smoking creature. It didn’t matter. She had the upper hand now.

She landed on a guardrail, right between her bottom rip and hip bone. It knocked the air right out of her as they both bounced along the pavement, making small craters from the impact. The dust that kicked up shielded the nocturnal creature as it took a breather. Ellie barely had time to assess the damage before she was back in the game, forcing herself to her feet and trying to see through the dirt. Luckily her visor began to scan the area, showing her an outline of the beast.

They both came tumbling out, surrounded by onlookers. For a brief moment, the Dark Saer took on it’s regular form, a half snake half woman, before shrieking and dissolving back into the tar mass. Ellie wasted no time in grabbing the only solid thing she could find on it and began flinging it back and forth on the ground like a rag doll. As she went to stomp it, tendrils shot up and impaled her, sending her flying back into a now abandoned taxi. The force was enough to send both her and the vehicle into a department store window.

“Help.....meeeee.” the Dark Saer took on the form of a half snake again, hissing and reaching for the pointy eared crowd. There was something...different about these beings. Not human. Something much better. Slit eyes scanned the crowd until they fell onto a hulking form. Coiling back on her tail, it launched forward for an Orc, holding the screaming male down as it forced it’s way into his mouth.

Ellie managed to limp her way back into the street, her bones snapping back into place and wounds healing as she marched forward. The look on her face was stern and frightening. She scanned the area, locking in on the new host just in time to be smacked by a traffic light it decided to use as a weapon. She fell to her knee, holding her forearm up to protect her head. The deep laugh it let out was disturbing to say the least. And honestly, she was getting miffed it kept getting the upper hand. As it brought the light back for a heavier hit, Ellie stood and lifted her foot, planting it firmly on the chest of the host. A loud CRACK filled the air as the Orc flew back, it’s entire rib cage breaking from the impact. Ellie let out a huff, she’d heal him, if it even left the host alive.

The Dark Saer quickly abandoned ship, trying to slither it’s way towards screaming bystanders. A firm boot to it’s tail halted it, bring the attention back on her. Reaching down she began to pull it back to her, flicking her wrist as a metal rod slid from her sleeve. It extended into three points, and with a swift swing she managed to stab the creature in the eyes, pulling on the rod to allow the third point to sever the tongue. The creature twitched for a few moments before falling and bubbling away into ash. Ellie let out a relieved sigh before making her way to the host. She knelt down, placing her hand on his forehead. A small white light came from her hand and traveled through the Orc, healing him before he succumbed to his wounds. She was about to begin a memory wipe she she noticed...he was not human.

Slowly she began to look around, noticing none of them were human. This was bad. She noticed the sounds of sirens growing louder, flashes from cellphones going off all around her. In panic, she closed her eyes and teleported. In a small puff of air she was gone, reforming on the top of the empire state building.

“IDA, mind telling me where I am?” she asked the automated assistant from her world.

“New York City.”

“Not. Funny.”

“Well, not your New York City. But Someone’s.”

Ellie huffed angrily as the sky grew dark. Black portals began to open in the sky, dropping dark figures down to the earth below. Ellie went wide eyed, immediately calling for back-up.

With their own war at home, none one ruler could spare their troops. Except the grand phoenix known as Bennu. She graciously offered her support, so long as Ellie remained in command. Small price to pay. And even smaller one was wearing the leather straps on her hands. It was finally agreed that spires would be placed in all the Elven districts, the most secure of cities around the world. It was a lengthy process, but finally both worlds came to an agreement. Ellie, Bennu, and the phoenixes would stay until they managed to hunt down every Dark Saer that managed to slip through. They would also aid in the local government investigations.

The soft ding of the elevator sounded as they reached the ground level. Haldir seemed visibly shaken, and Ellie continued to smile as she stepped out.

“Our vehicle is waiting out front. We wouldn’t want to be late.” she looked back at him, smiling.

There was something sinister behind her innocence. Something that terrified him. He just hoped he would survive this assignment.

End of Chapter A/N: That has to be one of the quickest chapters I’ve ever done! Holy cow x.x Part three will probably be up sometime next week. I’ll also start including a soundtrack to go along with your reading :3

@wewingedchildren-of-outcasts

#brightverse #bright movie 2017 #kandomere #Haldir #Orcs #Elves #Evil #Epic battle yo #ellie aelious #fanfiction

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artificialqueens · 6 years

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Hold On To Me Chapter 13 {Biadore} - imafuckinglibra

Hello darkness my old friend…The end is near people, like, ‘the end is here’ near. Also apparently I made my beta cry (woops) sorry babe. And sorry but for once there’s no smut in this I apologize. That’s all I have to say about this chapter enjoy, k bye.

“No. Out. Now!” Roy harshly yelled pointing to the exit.

He had stopped dead in his tracks when he opened the door to the backstage area of the club and spotted a familiar face sitting on his vanity’s surface.

Kicking his long lanky legs hanging off the counter cheerfully and grinning at him bigger than someone who’s just won the lottery.

“Uh-uh.” Danny bit his lip shaking his head like a disobedient child.

“You look retarded. Who the fuck even let in here?” He stood his ground crossing his arms. Danny’s adorably endearing charm was not getting him out of this one. He knew the rules - no meeting in public settings.

“I did.” Detox emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but her nude tights looking like some naked burned barbie doll.

“Of course you did.” He rolled his eyes. “Daniel…”

“Don’t hurt our baby!” Detox interjected throwing her arms around his shoulders, shielding him from the grumpy cuban queen.

“Your…no. No. You’re not working here so help me.” Roy warned dropping his bags next to Danny on the vanity. He stopped to put his hands either side of him and look him dead in the eyes. “Go home.”

“Uh-uh.”

“I’m serious. You’re not being as cute or funny as you think.”

“I’m very cute.” Danny smiled.

“I am going to strangle you one of these days.” Roy shook his head maintaining his authoritative stare.

Actually he didn’t mind having Danny there, he liked having the company and he hadn’t seen him a couple of days so he missed the little fucker. But being way too stubborn for his own good Roy wasn’t going to admit that and give Danny the satisfaction.

“Nobody’s buying the tough guy act pussyface, we all know about the lovin’.” Courtney magically appeared from behind another vanity.

“You have no proof.” Roy frowned at Danny. His bright smile only growing bigger the longer Roy glared at him which eventually made him cave and give him a quick peck. “Hi, now go home.”

Detox let go of him once she saw Roy wasn’t going to maul the poor boy and went back through the door leading to the bar. Once he was freed from the arms around him Danny placed his hands on either side of Roy’s hips pulling him closer. Trailing his hands back to hold onto his ass when Roy’s body hit his.

“I missed you.” He sighed dropping his head against Roy’s chest to listen to his heartbeat.

“If you still went to school you’d see me more.” Roy looked down at him, tucking a few strands of unruly hair behind his ears. “Regretting anything yet?”

While waiting for his answer Roy’s heart began growing heavier as he thought back on their conversation in the kitchen the first night Danny told him about dropping out.

“You’re what?” Roy shrieked letting go of his hold on Danny.

His eyes wide and his mouth flapping open unable to form a proper sentence.

‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’

“I’m dropping out. I won’t be your student anymore.” Danny shrugged lowering his hands from Roy’s neck to his waist.

“Is it because of me?” Roy’s hands went up to his head, running his fingers through his hair as he took a step back to take a breather. “Shit. Daniel if this is about me then, then…”

“It’s not.” Danny said calmly, standing there idly watching Roy’s pacing.

“You couldn’t wait 2 fucking months?”

“It’s not about you! I swear!” He tried walking back up to Roy, grabbing hold of his hands to stop his frantic to and fro.

Roy’s mind was a mess, a jumble of confusion and worry. If Danny were to drop out yes he wouldn’t be his student anymore but he’d be throwing his life away.

This beautiful young man standing in front of him, so bright with so much ahead of him, would be throwing his life away. He didn’t know how to react except staring blankly at him.

This is stupid. He was being unbelievably stupid! Why would he throw his life away like this? Yes people who drop out can still be successful but he knew Danny too well by now to know he doesn’t always make the most rational decisions.

“Hey, calm down.” Picking up on his internal freak out being worse than he was letting on Danny’s grip on his hands gave a tight squeeze before they went up to his face. His thumbs caressing his cheekbones to calm him down as much as he could.

Searching for any sense of comfort wherever he could get it his body instinctively relaxed into the warmth of his hands, his own coming up to hold onto his boney wrists for some stability.

“Is there any way I can talk you out of this?” He sighed trying to stop his mind from racing and just accept what was happening.

“No.” Danny shook his head with a faint smile on his face. “My mom and I talked about it during the days I missed school and I’ve been planning on dropping out since…”

“Sophomore year.” Roy finished his sentence.

“Yeah.” Danny nodded, leaning down to place a soft peck on Roy’s full lips.

A very smart way of getting him to calm down, the distraction of Danny’s lips gently brushing against his made Roy melt right on the spot.

‘I don’t want you to go…’ Roy thought.

He didn’t have the balls to admit to Danny that his resistance came from the fear that if he left school he’d leave him too.

He had grown far too attached for his own good to ever let him go at this point, a fear he never realized he had or could have till he so nearly lost him thanks to Raja’s mishap.

‘I don’t want you to go…I can’t say goodbye.’ He repeated in his mind hoping if he repeated it to himself enough eventually it would come out.

“If I let go will you run? Or you good?” Danny teased smushing his features together in his hands.

“Alright, alright. I’m good.” Roy placed his hands on Danny’s hips, his head a little clearer now after the initial shock fading. “When’s your last day? Do you even have a last day or…I don’t know, I don’t know how any of this works honestly.”

Danny smiled draping his arms over his shoulders again as they were previously. “I’m not sure yet, I had to talk to the guidance counselor the other day and they’re making me take these tests and get my GED. If I fail that then I can’t drop out.”

“Okay, so there’s still time before everything’s final?” Roy cocked a brow getting a nod from Danny after he thought it over a while. “And you’re sure I can’t talk you out of this?”

Danny shook his head. Can’t blame a guy for trying, he had to at least give it one final go to clear his conscious.

“I won’t freak out, again. Just tell me why you’re doing this.”

“Pizza.”

“What?” Roy snorted.

Was he really fucking dropping out for pizza? I mean it wouldn’t surprise him or anyone really it seemed to be the only thing on his mind 90% of the time. Roy’s dick apparently filling the other 10%.

No pun intended.

“Oh, pizza!” Roy ran back to the counter where their frozen dinner was sitting after Danny’s loud rumbling stomach answered for him.

Danny followed him resting his elbows on the countertop where Roy and his friends had been watching his old youtube videos a week earlier. Watching Roy’s every move as he thought of why he was leaving school.

If he had to be completely honest Roy did play a big part in his decision to give up on his education but it wasn’t just because of him.

School was packed with too many painful memories that he didn’t want to face anymore. The bullying, teasing, teachers telling him his attitude would get him in rehab, stress of all the assignments those were all so common they didn’t even matter to him anymore.

It was the pain beneath the surface, or in the case of his poor locker, it was the surface. Every time he’d walk past his freshman locker he’d be reminded of the pain he felt the last day of the year when he got the call of his father’s passing. Out of blind rage and sorrow he punched it so hard he broke 2 of his knuckles and his index finger.

But there was more.

Around every corner plastered on the blue walls he’d see the face of the pissed off jock who followed him home after school to yell obscenities in his ear after he bombed on Idols. Honoring this asshole who made his life hell for his athletic prowess.

The nurses office where he had cried in Michelle’s arms till he threw up after a bad trip from some fucked up drugs laced with something unknown that made him sick.

Of course the steps leading into the school were the worse. It’s been month since his fall and the concrete was still stained brown with his blood.

He couldn’t face any of it anymore. It wasn’t like he was running away from any of those bad times, he was just finally letting go.

The prospect of getting to be with Roy as his boyfriend and not just his quick fuck in a supply closet or goodnight FaceTimes was just the cherry on top.

“My grades suck, I mean you know that you gave them.” He started speaking while Roy unwrapped their meal. “And I’m not planning on ever going to college, like I want to be a performer. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do so, yeah. What’s the point? Kurt Cobain didn’t need to graduate.“

Roy got up from the oven slowly and turned around, his brows furrowed in a very amused ‘really bitch’ look. He leaned back against his sink with his hands next to him in the edge.

“Kurt Cobain is who you’re basing this decision on?”

“Nh-yeah.”

“The same guy who shot himself at 27? And wrote Polly wants a cracker I think I should get off her first?”

“Meow.” Danny nodded with a chuckle. Roy knew the words to Polly? The fuck?

“Seems uh…logical.”

“Neither did Courtney Love or David Bowie or Cher or Ozzy Osbourne or Pink or…” Danny quickly blurted out names.

“I get it.”

“You’re mad?” Danny’s smile fell.

“I’m a little disappointed not gonna lie, but uh, no. I’m not…I don’t think I’m mad.” Roy stepped closer to lean over the same countertop as Danny and take hold of his hands. “If you know what you’re doing and it makes you happy then, I’m happy. Just give me some time to think it over.”

“You know what would make me really happy right now?” Danny smirked. “If I get to blow you again.”

Roy rolled his eyes every annoyingly as he pushed himself off the counter and mumbled some obscurities under his breath while walking into the bedroom.

When he came back a minute later with the object he went to fetch he found Danny sitting outside on the balcony in the same chair as the first time he was there. His knees shaking and a freshly lit cigarette between his lips.

“You like balconies huh?”

“I like smoking. You won’t let me smoke inside.” His demeanor was suddenly completely different. Cold almost.

“What’s wrong?” Roy took a seat across from him, placing his hand on Danny’s knee to stop it’s shaking.

“Nothing.”

“Talk to me.”

“I know you think I’m a child and I don’t know what I want or what I’m doing,” Danny’s voice cracked and with trembling hands he took another drag from his cigarette hiding his mouth behind his hand as he usually did when he started crying. “But I’m not.”

“I don’t think that…I just,” Roy sighed. “You’re young. I remember being your age and how scary everything feels, but you have to try and look at things from my perspective. See how fucked up I feel.”

“Cher was 11 years younger than Sonny too.”

Roy nodded and decided this was just a losing battle. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.” Danny mouthed.

Seeing the boy he loved so much made Roy’s heart physically ache. How could someone so bright and full of possibilities fall so easily into despair?

“Hey. I got you babe.” Roy joked trying to lighten the mood as he shook his knee. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Danny just smiled halfheartedly and wiped away the tear that rolled down his cheek before any more could follow. “I didn’t mean to fuck up your life too.”

“You didn’t.” Roy quickly got up to go kneel between his legs, with a hand on each knee he spread his thighs so he could get closer to him. Hugging him tightly to reassure him everything would be okay. “I love you no matter what. I promise.”

“Love you too.”

“You want to come eat or stay outside, it’s cold as a witches tit out here. And I’m a fucking witch, I know how cold my tit is.”

Danny laughed a little at his stupidity bringing a smile to Roy’s face. “Can we just stay outside a bit?”

“Sure. But then show me your hand.” He held an open palm out waiting for Danny to put his injured hand on it.

Reluctantly he obliged and Roy went to work examining how bad the damage actually was. It hadn’t gotten bluer which was good, it was pretty swollen though which made him worry.

“I had to hit him. I told you you’re my only man, I wouldn’t let anyone else touch me even if we were open or you know, not together.” Danny whispered looking down to his lap.

“Good boy.” Roy praised releasing his hand to cup his face instead. “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell you what to do, I’ll let you make this decision on your own. But all I ask is think everything over clearly okay?”

“Okay.” Danny nodded into his warm palm. “Can I blow you now?”

Roy laughed off his comment and wrapped his arms around him again, lifting not only himself but Danny as well to spin them so he’d be seated with Danny on his lap all in one seamless move.

They stayed snuggled up outside till Danny’s fine tuned pizza senses tingled and he made Roy get up to go feed them. The few minutes outside did give them enough time to discuss what’s next however and give Roy the opportunity to begin concocting a plan for the future.

“Hm…Nope. No regrets.” Danny shook his head.

“You said you got your scores back right?”

“Yeah.”

He obviously didn’t get the hint so after a few seconds of silence Roy spelled it out for him. “I’m waiting for your results bitch. How did it go?”

“I um…” Danny dropped his head making Roy’s heart drop straight out of his ass.

‘Oh god he failed it.’ Roy began panicking.

He knew Danny would be absolutely crushed if this didn’t pan out as hoped and no amount of pizza, terrible 80’s movies or bj’s would be able to patch that wound.

He took a deep inhale bracing himself for the worst and out of habit placed a reassuring hand on Danny’s.

“I got a 2 605!”

“You little fucker.” Roy laughed when Danny sprung up grabbing onto him so he could spin him. “I’m so proud!”

Roy grabbed onto his upper thighs so he could hold him up better as he continued peppering loud kisses all over face making him giggle uncontrollably.

“You are?” Danny’s giggles died down and he looked into his eyes.

“Of course I am. Mwah! Mwah! I’m so fucking proud.”

And he was. Roy had watched Danny, and of course helped him a few times, study for his GED tests. They were 5 in total and even after just the first one he was spent, but he never doubted that he could pull it off. He didn’t believe it about himself but Danny was a smart boy.

Which is why the news also saddened Roy if he had to be brutally honest. In the few weeks since dropping the bomb on him Roy had been a mess too, which he buried as deep down as possible away from Danny.

He still had his reservations about the whole idea and wether Danny was making the right decision, but he had vowed to be there for him every step of the way and he intended on honoring that.

On the bright side Danny was now technically just a regular 19 year old guy. They were no longer teacher and student. Which in some fucked up way Roy missed about their relationship. Relationship.

Fuck. They could actually have a relationship now.

“Proud enough to buy me a drink.” Danny cocked his brow with a shit eating grin bringing him abruptly back to reality.

“Hey.” Roy dropped him back onto the vanity’s counter. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Do I get a drink if I tell you mom thinks I’m out with the guys tonight which means I can stay at your place?”

“One.” Roy gave him another quick peck and went to sit down. Starting the daunting process of turning himself into the erotic clown, Bianca del Rio herself. “But you’re not working here.”

“Wasn’t planning on working in your stupid club anyway.” Danny pouted crossing his arms

“Sure, princess.”

“Coño.” He muttered under his breath sticking his bottom lip out further.

“Language, Noriega.”

“Why can’t I?” He angrily huffed through his nostrils.

“Because this is my club, bitch.”

“Actually…” Raja jumped into the conversation emerging from behind the door to the bar with his arm around Raven.

“It’s ours, bitch.” Raven waved a finger between them.

Roy dramatically rolled his eyes and decided to prioritize and focus on getting ready instead of arguing over something stupid with Danny.

“Hi, gorgeous.” Raja glided over in her trademark ethereal fashion to Danny and taking his hands in hers she lifted him up to hug him warmly. “Congratulations on being a little dropout baby.”

“And you’re welcome to perform here any time you want, sweetheart.” Raven chimed in throwing her arms around him to sandwich the boy between them.

“Stop trying to get on his good side because you drove him into…that thing’s, arms.” Roy snarled in Raja’s direction without ever looking at the already painted queen.

“Hey! That was weeks ago and I apologized.”

“It’s all good I forgive you.” Danny returned the hug before tilting his head to whisper directly into Raja’s ear. “But I’ll never forget.”

Raja shivered at his words and almost instantly let go of him.

“And this is for you.” Danny turned back to the now eyebrow less Roy dangling a key with a Manson keychain between his index finger and thumb.

“What’s that?” Roy asked without bothering to turn around to look at it.

“Your key.”

Roy had given Danny a key to his apartment the very night he told him he was dropping out when they were on the balcony, on the condition that it was for emergency cram sessions only.

“You know, if parents or friends or tests or…or life, I guess gets too much and you need to study in peace. You have a place.” Were his exact words. What Danny could make out at least, he was too distracted by the way he was nervously blushing to be paying attention.

Which of course meant he completely abused his new toy and showed up at the most seemingly random times at his apartment, a few times even when Roy wasn’t home.

Like the first week after he gave it to him when Roy came home from work and found Danny sleeping in his bed next to candy wrappers like some fucked up version of Goldilocks.

“Don’t need it anymore.” Danny shrugged.

“Hold on to it.” Roy finally looked up at him, smiling at him with those beautiful dimples.

“Huh?”

Roy placed the key back in his palms ad closed his fist around the small metal object. “Keep it. The offer still stands.”

Danny went blank for a moment to process that Roy had actually given him a key to his apartment. He was so caught up in everything else these last few weeks he didn’t even realize it till now.

When the lightbulb finally did spark to life however he lunged for Roy squealing uncontrollably. “You love me!”

“I take it back.” Roy groaned and tried to swipe it from him but Danny was quicker and held the key tighter between both palms like it was some precious jewel.

“No! Mine.” He pouted which made Roy laugh a little.

“I love you, you moron.” Roy pulled him down by his collar and gave him a quick kiss. “Go play with the other crossdressers while I get pretty.”

Danny turned on his heels and walked away to the bar where Detox had disappeared to earlier. Smiling over his shoulder as he did which made Roy shake his head.

He was wearing the same pastel shirt as one of the videos they’d watched of him and a tiara that he got god knows where which made him look absolutely adorable - or like a child. Probably both.

“He did it…” Roy’s smiled dropped when Danny was out the door and slowly dread began setting in which made his mood sink as low as he did into his palms.

His mind was racing again with the guilt of being the reason Danny was dropping weighing unbearably heavy on him. He had explained to him several times he wasn’t the reason but Roy couldn’t help but feel responsible.

Like if he had just left Danny alone and never engaged with him in the first place he might still be trying to graduate.

He looked up into the mirror at his reflection, intensely glaring at the man staring back at him. Was he being selfish for wanting a relationship with Danny if this was what it took?

And was he being selfish for hoping he’d want to move back to New York with him instead of staying here with his family and persuing his own life?

“Oh God…What have I done?”

Roy - 14:03

I should be home in 30, come pick up your jeans

Danny - 14:04

Or you can keep them and I’ll never wear pants again 😉😉😉

Roy looked down smiling at his phone waving his last student walking out the door goodbye after the final bell for the day rang.

Danny did end up spending the night, and getting his drink, as a reward for getting his GED and now being free from any school related duties.

But somewhere in the heat of the moment Danny’s jeans went flying god knows where and in the frenzy of it all the zipper’s button snapped off. So being the gentleman he is Roy fixed it up for him after sending him home with one of his sweatpants.

Roy - 14:04

I wouldn’t be mad at it

He was surprised Danny even had any clothes left to wear at this point. He had an annoying habit of leaving everything around Roy’s apartment as he went along, like he was leaving a trail of discarded flannels and hoodies in case he got lost and needed to find his way back.

Roy dropped his phone onto his desk after turning it on vibrate to try and finish the last few papers he had left as quickly as possible so he could get home before Danny.

While reading Matt, one of Danny’s friends’, piss poor report on his analysis of Macbeth he got so discouraged by his insane ignorance he dropped his head into his palms and completely missed the fact that someone had entered the empty classroom.

Danny saw Roy was too lost in his work lazily chewing on his pen so instead of announcing his arrival he tip toed to the front of his desk.

He couldn’t help the bright smile and pink tint forming on his cheeks as he watched his boyfriend’s concentrated reading. He leaned forward ever so slightly closer and rested his hands on each side of Roy’s work.

“Mr. Haylock?”

Just as planned when Roy lifted his head to answer whoever called him his lips hit Danny’s strategically hovering over him.

“Hi.” Danny smiled when Roy jumped back from their kiss.

“What are you?” Roy nervously laughed quickly jumping up to close the class’s door. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to empty out my locker and figured maybe you could give me a ride home?”

“It’s real then.” Roy thought out loud, crossing his arms and looking down at the floor. This was real. Danny was officially a high school drop out.

“Yeah, it…it is.” Danny’s eyes started stinging.

As if he registered the fall in emotions the moment it happened Roy stepped closer, embracing him warmly.

“Hey, no crying anymore. I’m so, so proud of you. You’re so brave for doing this and you know I’m here behind you every step of the way.”

“It’s over.” Was all Danny seemed to be able to muster.

Truth be told the reality of what he had done finally hit him too. The reality of everything actually did.

He was a drop out, Roy’s 3 months as the substitute was soon over…everything was ending. It felt so surreal yet so freeing, so liberating.

In another month Roy would no longer be a teacher, at all, and they would be…normal.

In the course of the 2 months he had gone from feeling helpless and afraid of the future to actually being optimistic about what was to come, all because of Roy.

Because of all the lessons he had taught him not just the literal ones in these now empty desks but the kind he’d cherish forever.

He had taught him to never doubt himself, never listen to that voice inside yourself telling you your not good enough even if those voices were coming as snide remarks from others.

He had also learned never to take Raja, or Sutan he finally discovered, too seriously but that was another matter.

And he had learned that those who love you, truly wholeheartedly love you, will stick by you through everything regardless of their approval of your plans.

Unlike Jay who wrote him off after telling him he’s dropping out. Roy, his mom, Aaron and the rest of his friends as well as his new drag sisters were all there for him and supported him through every hard weekend of relentless cramming for his tests.

Still, a fucking whirlwind of a chapter of his life was coming to an end and it had crept up on him far sooner than anticipated.

As everything was tumbling around in his mind his emotions got the better of him and he found himself weeping uncontrollably into the collar of the arm so protectively around him.

Instead of letting up Roy kept his hold as secure as ever on him, whispering sweet words of praise and encouragement into his ear.

“I don’t want you to leave.” Roy whispered having finally built up the courage to say the words after weeks of heart ache.

“School?”

“Me.”

“Never.” Danny’s fingers clung tighter into the shirt he was holding onto. Crinkling the fabric in his balled up fists.

How could Roy ever say that? Ever think he’d leave him like that after everything they’d been through?

“I never want to leave you. Ever, ever, ever.” He kept repeating with his tears now flowing heavier than before till his collar was completed drenched. He buried his face into Roy’s neck and brought his hand up to the back of his head. “I can’t ever leave you. I love you too much it would k…ki..”

When the lump in his throat from sobbing got the better of him he was unable to even finish his sentence, instead he lifted his head to kiss Roy as passionately as he could. His difficult, strained breathing and the tears from his face dampening Roy’s cheek didn’t stop deter either though.

“How much time do you have before going home?” Roy finally broke up their kiss, taking a second to wipe away the tears from Danny’s cheeks with his sleeve.

“I got some time.” Danny answered through his sniffling. “Why you want a final go in the supply closet?”

“You whore.” Roy laughed which made Danny laugh weakly a little too. “No. Because I thought while you’re over at my place picking up your shit you can stay for lunch maybe. I um…I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure. I’d like that.” Danny smiled. “Can I just do one last thing?”

“What?”

Danny kissed him softly again and took his hand, leading him to the door of the supply closet. “It’s not what you think. Do you have a key or something sharp?”

“Something…no.” Roy nervously laughed. “Danny, you’re asking for trouble here.”

“I’m not. And this is our spot, isn’t it?”

“That’s sadder than I think you realize.”

“Whatever.” Danny rolled his eyes and held his palm out with a raised brow waiting for Roy to give him his key.

“I am going to miss this closet though.” Roy sighed. Fucked up as it was it was their spot, they had always found themselves behind that very door many an afternoon even during Danny’s busy studying schedule.

“Sames. D…plus…R” Danny began carving their initials into the wood at the bottom of the door as Roy watched waiting for that little tongue to poke out any moment.

“Forever.” Roy added making Danny blush.

“Forever.” He added and incased their message in a heart. Very cliche, very cheesy, but very worth it.

“Now what?” Roy took a deep inhale as Danny stood back up next to him.

As they made their way through the deserted corridors the younger took the time to reminisce.

Pointing at seemingly unimportant random spots and locations. For example, the girl’s bathroom where he smoked weed with chola’s so their boyfriends wouldn’t beat him up. The class where he had world politics sophomore year and blew a guy for the first time. The locker he had freshman year that still had he dent in it.

When they approached his current locker, now completely empty and looking somberly abandoned they both stopped to mourn having to leave behind the spot they met.

The same spot where Danny had sat kicking his boots many afternoons, sometimes even for an hour after the final bell rang, contemplating what he was doing with his life.

Unimportant and mundane to the average person but unbelievably sentimental to both since the day Roy caught him mid day dream and asked for directions to the principal’s office.

Too lost staring at this significant spot where they first laid eyes on each other their bodies worked on their own and reached for the other. Their fingers grazing over each other for a split second searching for some comfort as the silently said goodbye to it.

Roy never imagined in a million years that the first day he’d walk into the small Californian town he’d meet someone who’d become such a big part of his life.

Someone who would break down the 10ft iron walls he had surrounded himself with so easily. Someone who made him feel so safe that he doubted he’d ever need them again.

Despite the rocky start to their relationship and the fact that Danny seemed so fragile at times Roy never regretted any second of it, he wanted to be the one who picked up any broken pieces of him.

Or any discarded candy wrappers and clothing on the bed or couch which was a much more regular occurrence.

With a final deep sigh Danny picked up the box of his belongings and with Roy’s hand on his back very similar to the first night in the bar that Roy had saved him they walked out the school’s big metal doors into the parking lot together for the last time.

“I can totally see why they call her the shady elephant! How she even manages to teach anything when she’s probably spending all day thinking about sandwiches is a miracle.” Roy laughed into the the phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder as he poured himself some wine.

Darriene Lake, the real full time english teacher at the school had decided to return 2 weeks early claiming that although motherhood was fun, she was over it.

Roy didn’t mind one bit though. He had had it with trying to teach idiot stoners, jocks and everything in between the difference between they’re, there and their.

As soon as his meeting ended with the principal and Darienne, which lasted 2 fucking hours after school, he stopped by a thrift store that had a System Of A Down shirt in the window to buy it for Danny as a surprise.

He then rushed home and called Sutan and Shane to celebrate his new freedom as well as the official beginning of his life as a full time costumier.

“Alright, alright, pussyface.” Shane laughed over the speaker on the other end. “Sutan is picking me up in 5 minutes so we’ll probably be there in like 15 hold off on the shade till then.”

“Fine, but bring wine, I’m officially out.” He laughed tipping the bottle on its head letting the single drop of red wine fall on the floor.

“Aye aye. Love you.”

“Love you.” Roy clicked the little red icon on his phone and hung up.

He began scrolling through his recent history looking for Danny’s number to fill him in on the good news and maybe invite him too when the doorbell rang.

‘Maybe Shane misunderstood?’ Roy tried debating in his head over who it could be.

He expected one of his loud mouth hippy neighbors or Sutan or even Raven for that matter to open the door but instead he was met with a far more disastrous face.

“Hi.” Danny whispered from behind the hand hovering in front of his mouth. His eyes puffy and a deep shade of red presumably from crying for a couple of hours.

“Baby.” Roy quickly pulled him into the apartment the minute tears began pouring and embraced him as securely as possible. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

As Roy tried his best to calm the body shivering and shaking between his arms Danny struggled to find the words he needed.

“Roy…” He breathed out between sniffles. “Roy, I’m…”

“What’s wrong?” Roy took his face in his hands. “Talk to me.”

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered shaking his head. Somehow by the grace of whoever or whatever deity he managed to get his emotions under control as he took the wrists of the hands holding on to him. “I just talked to um, my mom…and Chris and, yeah.”

Roy could feel his heart drop between them and shatter into a million tiny pieces - this couldn’t be good.

As soon as his fragile heart hit the cold hard floor the first bricks of the wall he previously had demolished began reassembling themselves piece by piece.

“About what?” His demeanor changed, probably not too noticeable but he felt it. The way his cold side was bubbling up to the surface as a shield in case the answer was too painful.

“Can we uh, can we sit? Outside maybe?” Danny tilted his head back. Once Roy nodded and let go of his face the pair made their way to their usual seats out on the balcony.

Danny took out a cigarette from the small carton in his oversized coat pocket and with trembling hands he tried lighting it till Roy took the lighter and did it for him.

“Thanks.” He smiled blowing out the first puff of smoke.

“So?” Okay now it was noticeable, shit.

Danny had to take another deep inhale of thick nicotine laced smoke to shield himself from the harsher side of Roy coming out already.

“We, we talked about it for a while and since I no longer have school or anything interfering, okay wait. Let me start from the beginning. Chris and I have always had this very like Romy and Michelle plan after graduation.”

As he was speaking he picked up on Roy subtly leaning further and further back into his chair, distancing himself from Danny’s words.

“I’m moving to Texas, with Chris. My mom already planned everything out for me.” He blurted out the bad news as fast as he could scared if he didn’t he would make it.

Roy slowly nodded, his face and body language remaining completely neutral to hide the chaos raging inside him.

He was leaving, to Texas. A whole 27 hours’ drive away from New York and away from him. He wasn’t sure if he should fight or flee, and how could he fight? It wasn’t like Danny would ever choose living in a shoebox apartment in a strange, scary big city with him rather than be with his best friend.

“Roy?” Danny’s voice cracked again after breaking the awkward silence. “Say something.”

“Is this goodbye?”

“No, no it doesn’t have to…”

“Then why does it feel like it.” He snapped cutting his defense short, scowling under hazy eyes.

Nothing could’ve prepared Danny for this, he knew this wouldn’t go down well but he was so thrown back by just how earth shattering Roy’s callousness was that he didn’t even know how to respond.

Maybe this was goodbye after all.

“Wh-when?” Roy quickly wiped his eyes to hide the fact that they were tearing up.

“Um, Saturday.”

“Okay.” Roy sighed deeply unsure of what to say or how to react.

“Roy I…I tried fighting it I promise I did! But my mom wouldn’t listen she said that was the plan before I fucked it up with dropping out and I’m not allowed to bail again or some shit and, and, and I’m so fucking sorry.” The more he tried explaining why this was happening the more his voice disappeared into the background noises of cars passing.

“Okay.” Roy nodded again looking down at his lap brushing away the teardrop that sunk into his pants.

Danny knew what his standoffish behavior was masking. He had seen how sensitive Roy could be behind closed doors and how quickly he could shut down to avoid pain. But he couldn’t stay, having to tell Roy was bad enough but having to see his reaction was just unbearable.

Before Roy could react Danny had lifted himself off the chair. He leaned down cupping Roy’s cheeks to say goodbye one last time.

“I have to go.” He mouthed against his lips when Roy’s hands came up to hold onto his.

Slowly Roy watched him straighten up and pull his hands out of his grip, his pale long fingers slipping through his. He was a english teacher for christ sake and knew this was probably some deep metaphor type shit but fuck that.

Fuck everything.

He couldn’t focus or care about anything right now except the intense shooting pain through his chest. As if Danny had grabbed his heart through his chest during their kiss and was now going to leave with it forever.

His fight instincts finally taking over he ran after him just before he got to the door. He grabbed onto him from the back with all his might and began crying against his shoulders.

Crying like he never has before or even knew he was capable of. But that’s what Danny did, he brought out every aspect of Roy he didn’t even know he possessed.

He made him whole and the hopeless, soul crushing feeling of losing him was something he had experienced one too many times in the recent past and it had finally pushed him over the edge.

“Don’t go, please don’t go.” He screamed into his shoulders as tears began staining the thin fabric of his shirt.

Danny didn’t respond.

Instead he just stood there with his hands on the arms around his waist and wept. He was caught between the worlds most stubborn rock and a hard place.

His mother being the rock. He loved her too much to ever go against anything she said and she was far too stubborn to ever change her mind about him going off on his own.

He was too exhausted to react to anything or feel anything anymore, he had spent the last 4 hours trying to explain to his mom he needed some time to just be himself and do what he want before deciding anything but she kept telling him that was no longer an option.

On the other hand listening to her meant leaving Roy behind. And leaving behind the man he loved more than anything in the whole world, the whole galaxy, was even more painful.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to think anymore.

While he was shutting down Roy had dropped to his knees a complete mess of a man behind him still clinging onto his waist, pulling on any fabric his hands could reach to keep him from going. “Danny…Don’t leave, please.”

“I have to.” Danny whispered without turning around to look at him. He couldn’t. Seeing Roy that disheveled and brought to his lowest of lows was too excruciating.

When the door closed behind Danny Roy’s arms fell limply to his sides and he was left simple staring at the door as tears continued streaming down his cheeks. Still on his knees and completely paralyzed.

Every bone, every muscle, every fibre of his being felt numb. He felt numb. Everything felt cold and distant, like he was in a trance and there was now way out. No light at the end of the tunnel anymore.

“Howdy how…” Shane greeted when he and Raja arrived at his apartment a few minutes later but when they spotted the empty shell that Roy once was still as Danny had left him they quickly dropped everything and surrounded him.

“What’s wrong!?” Sutan took his jaw in both of his tan tattooed hands and looked straight into Roy’s dead brown eyes.

“He left…”

Saying those words felt to surreal, but hearing them sent Roy even further down his new found bottomless pit.

He fell back away from Sutan’s grip onto the hardwood floor covering his face with his hands bursting into uncontainable crying.

Sutan and Shane looked up at each other knowing exactly what he meant without needing any context. Shane took his head and lifted it into his lap like a mother soothing her child running his fingers across his temples.

Sutan on the other hand called Raven and asked him to stay home till they had sorted everything out before he joined them on the floor again.

Trying his best to coach Roy’s breathing as he heaved in Shane’s lap with his hands now on his chest clutching Sutan’s gasping for air between his wails.

“He…le-left…he’s gone…”

#hold on to me #imafuckinglibra #high school au #student/teacher #m/m au #angst #bianca del rio #adore delano #rpdr fanfiction #submission #tw swearing #queen au

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violetbard · 7 years

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RP Hivemind: A 16+ Homestuck Roleplay Mun Server!

This Discord server is a small out of character space for Homestuck/Hiveswap roleplayers to chat, share muse happenings, or hang out! That’s honestly as simple as it gets. It is also to encourage further communication and interaction between players and characters alike!

We include separate channels for things such as general chat, a spoilers chat, an art channel, self promos, muse ramblings, events, and so on!

Members must be 16 years or older. To request an invite to this server please message @violetbard through ask or IM. This is to prevent a public invite from allowing too many people all at once, as well as preventing spammers from entering! If you have any questions about the server or of Discord itself, feel free to contact me about that as well!

Read the rules below before requesting an invite! They are important!

—

|RULES|

These rules are here so there can be order and lack of discord, in the Discord. We will not micromanage or bite off anyone’s heads for simple mistakes, though please be mindful of how you act!

1. Make sure you put your intro down in the #intro channel so we know who you are, your pronouns, your roleplay blogs, etc.

2. You MUST be a Homestuck/Hiveswap rp blog, or an OC (including original characters, fantrolls, and fankids) heavily affiliated with Homestuck interaction; no personals who happens to rp Homestuck. It’s recommended that you have info pages on your blog but not required.

3. Do not attack or ridicule others based on their different headcanons, ships, favored characters, associated AUs, or art. If you can not tolerate others for having contrasting interest in the roleplay environment, then this server might not be for you.

4. Know the difference between IC versus OOC before you join. You are responsible for your own comfort and safety. There are going to be bad, ill-intentioned, morally gray characters and more. If anything in RP affects you negatively OOCly, it is your responsibility to care for yourself and communicate.

5. Refrain from excessive talk on heavier/personal topics such as politics, kin identity, media coverage, or common trigger topics.

6. Keep OOC drama out; if you can’t handle a person because of recent tension than you can either take a breather from the server, leave, or even vent to the mods in PM. Arguments started in here will issue a warning. That being said, do not be purposely petty or cocky towards someone you dislike or disagree with. The only time someone may be asked to leave is if they are a legit threat or enabler of harassment.

7. NSFW talk AND NSFW art belong in the #nsfw channel. Mature conversation of a mild tone is allowed in #general-chat , but be mindful of how far you go and the folks around you. If it could get you fired it’s probably nsfw. Additionally, if you are found out to be a minor receiving nsfw content from the server, or you’re an adult sharing nsfw content with a minor, you will automatically be kicked from the server.

8. Please keep from spamming any of the channels with walls of stanzas or many pictures posted in a row.

9. The #ic-chat-client is for muses to interact in a public room. Make sure rp courtesy is still present, such as asking a mun for permission to do something to their muse.

10. Do not negatively vague about/blatantly call out anyone in relation to what happens in this server. This counts as starting drama, and you will be given a warning.

11. Please respect the moderators (Scamper Masters) when they ask things of you. Do not block them or ignore PMs in relation to the server.

12. Please refrain from heavy slurs, and absolutely no racist/homophobic/transphobic slurs or jokes.

13. Check the push pin icons of each channel for their brief descriptions, or the descriptions in the channel topic.

|WARNINGS|

After three warnings (one per incident) you are muted for 24 hrs before being allowed to speak again. After five warnings you will be kicked from the server.

If you have any concerns during the time of a consequence, you can message the mods, but there is not always a guarantee that warnings will be revoked unless it’s through a series of miscommunication or misdirection.

Carefully consider if you are comfortable being in a server with individuals that you will not always get along with.

If you have any drama existing outside of the server with someone, keep it OUT of the server. I will not be playing first come first server and will not kick anyone out unless they are an actual threat, or problem in the server itself. You either have the choice of ignoring, blocking, dealing with their presence, or leaving.

Once more, this is 16+. Do not lie about your age, as it will be an instant kick.

#ooc #wipes hands #this only took my a whole month and more to finally post who ops #but yeah its just a mun hangout with potential roleplay planning and sharing my dudes #play nice pls

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elleberquist6 · 6 years

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Believe in Me - chapter twenty-one

Summary: Dan Howell is living at home while he’s saving money for college, which isn’t easy since his parents don’t understand him. Unlike them, he loves dogs, is a vegetarian, has no interest in the family business, and he despises the supernatural. He struggles to accept things that are illogical, even though he is a kitsune. Kitsune are foxes whose powers involve the ability to cast illusions, but Dan just wants to be normal. Phil Lester has just moved to London, where he works as a dog walker. When his path crosses with Dan, Phil is eager to get to know him. Unfortunately, Phil soon finds that being friends with Dan is far more complicated than he could have imagined.

Rating: Mature Word Count: 1809 Warnings: Slow Burn, Eventual Smut

—

Kitsune fact: Kitsune Seduction - A form of mind control, the kitsune ability of 'seduction' is one of the most commonly-mentioned skills in legends. By using their tail or tails in a swaying manner, or by meeting the gaze of a target, the kitsune is capable of taking over their mind. While under the control of the kitsune, the victim sees, thinks, and lives in a world designed by the kitsune, all inside the target's mind. The target is controlled until someone breaks the magic the kitsune's using. [https://littlespacefox.weebly.com/kitsune-mythology.html]

~ 15 days ~

Dan didn’t seem to be in the best place emotionally as they left the museum – he was quiet and had a distant look on his face. As Phil checked the time on his phone, he bit his lip. Dan asked, “Do you have to go back to work?”

The words startled him, and Phil nearly dropped his phone as he looked at Dan. “Yeah, actually. I don’t want to leave yet. Where are you headed? I can walk you there.”

“I don’t have anywhere to be.” Dan said with a shrug. Then he looked up with a hopeful glance at Phil. “Hey, do you think that dog would mind if I tagged along?”

Phil beamed at him. “That sounds perfect. I think Rotty liked you. Let’s go.”

The dog gave Dan a few suspicious glances, but he didn’t growl. Dan didn’t risk trying to pet him again while they were in public, in case Rotty became agitated and caused Dan’s tail to appear, and so the walk went without incident while they strolled through the park.

Dan and Phil purposely kept talk to inconsequential things, seeming wary of the heavier topics after the museum. This changed only after Phil took the dog back home and brought up the subject of where they were going next. “So,” Phil said as they started strolling in the direction of his apartment. “Do you have somewhere else you want to be? You’ve seen a lot of me today. I’ll understand if you need a breather.”

Dan shook his head. “No, no breather. If you’re not tired of me, I’d like to go back to your place with you. Phil… you know how I keep saying things are going to happen ‘in a couple weeks’? Well, the countdown officially starts tomorrow. I’m turning 21 in exactly 14 days from tomorrow, and I’ve been thinking about how I want to spend those days. I want to see you every day and I want to spend every night in your arms. Please?”

Phil had wanted to deny again that something bad was going to happen, but as he saw the vulnerability and desperation in Dan’s eyes, all he could do was nod. He reached for Dan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Of course. I want to be with you as much as possible, too.”

They jogged up the stairs of the apartment and Phil opened the door for them. As Phil opened his mouth to suggest something for dinner, Dan lunged and clamped his mouth down on Phil’s. He was stiff with surprise, but Dan’s lips were soft and Phil relaxed against him and enjoyed the moment.

Phil allowed Dan to lead him to the next room between kisses, and then they were on the sofa. Dan tugged off his black t-shirt before working on the buttons of Phil’s shirt while Phil stared at him, taking in the sight of his flushed cheeks, unkempt curls, and the slight way his hands were shaking as he worked on removing Phil’s shirt.

They had only been together once so far, and it had been perfect – soft, and slow, and sweet. It seemed like Dan wanted a quick fuck right now, and Phil wasn’t sure if he could do that since he cared so much about Dan. Did Dan feel the same way? He had said that he liked Phil when they first started dating, but Phil’s memory of that moment was now colored by what he had learned about Dan. It seemed like convenient timing that he had come into Dan’s life at this moment when Dan most wanted to spend his nights in someone’s bed. What if Dan didn’t really care about him at all? What if Dan was only here for sex?

As Dan undid the last button of Phil’s shirt, he looked up at Phil, his chocolate-brown eyes shimmering. All Dan said was, “Please.”

Phil took a small bottle of lube from the pocket of his jeans before removing them. As he watched Dan shimmy out of his own jeans and toss his t-shirt onto the floor, Phil decided that he would do anything Dan wanted. If Dan didn’t really care about him, then that was okay – he cared enough for the both of them. In fact, Phil had to admit to himself that he didn’t just care about Dan. He loved him, but he didn’t think that Dan wanted to hear that right now. Dan leaned back into the sofa, smiling as Phil came closer. Phil drizzled some lube on his fingertips and rubbed them together to warm it. He placed the bottle aside and them ran his free hand over Dan’s side, admiring the softness of his skin. This seemed to make Dan impatient, as he huffed with a soft sigh. “Please, I need you.”

“Okay,” Phil said, moving his other hand between them.

Dan opened his thighs for Phil and gasped as Phil pushed a lubed finger into him. As the finger moved gently in and out of him, a crease appeared between his eyebrows. “I can take another. Please, go faster.”

He gave Dan what he wanted, pushing a second finger into him and then a third a moment later – he knew that Dan wanted this fast and didn’t care if his body had fully adjusted, but Phil was still being careful not to hurt him. Finally when Phil was sure that Dan was ready, he climbed on top of him, slicked lube over his length, and sunk into Dan’s body. Dan shifted his hips up and put his hands against the small of Phil’s back, pressing there as he wanted Phil kept going until he was fully inside. So, Phil gave him what he wanted.

When Phil paused to give Dan a moment, Dan only allowed himself a few seconds before urging Phil to start moving. As Phil tried to soften what they were doing with kisses to the side of Dan’s neck, Dan begged for it to be rougher as he scratched Phil’s back. And Phil couldn’t refuse. He slammed himself harder into Dan’s body, and honestly he had to admit that he loved the sounds that Dan was making: soft groans that melted to moans when Phil found his prostate.

Then Dan was shuddering beneath him as he came with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. The eyes opened when he felt Phil, who was still hard, starting to pull out of him. He pressed his thighs together to hold Phil in place. “No, don’t go. Use me.”

“Alright. I’m close.” Phil started moving again at a gentler pace, and Dan allowed it as whatever desperate need in him that had wanted it rough had been sated. Then, Phil buried himself deep inside Dan’s body when he came. As Phil brushed the curls back from Dan’s sweaty forehead, his heart gave a painful squeeze when Dan smiled at him. In that moment, he could almost believe that Dan loved him too.

A familiar buzzing roused Phil from his dreams. It wasn’t the sound of his alarm. Someone was calling him. He was still half-asleep when he picked up his phone from the nightstand and accepted the call, saying in a scratchy voice, “Hello?”

“Child!” It was his mum, and the cheeriness in her voice made him wince. He loved her, but something about her peppiness made him wish he had some coffee before attempting to have a conversation this early in the morning. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Yes, but it’s okay.” He said after clearing his throat. Honestly, he had wanted to sleep for a couple more hours, but he was awake now and wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep easily. His mum was a morning person, and he had long ago accepted the fact that she often woke him before his alarm. “Was there something you needed?”

“Yes, I was just making sure that you were able to get off work.” When he didn’t say anything, she clarified, “For your brother’s birthday?”

Phil sat bolt upright with a gasp. He had forgotten about Martyn’s birthday. Well, not completely. He remembered to schedule time off work weeks in advance and he had even glanced at the train schedule and planned what ticket he would buy – it was only recently that he forgot. Phil glanced beside him in bed to where Dan was lying. He was on his stomach, naked with just a tangled sheet wrapped around his hips. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, so Phil’s phone call hadn’t woken him yet. Phil thought about slipping out of bed to finish the call, but the movement might wake Dan, so Phil decided to just keep his voice down.

He hadn’t responded, so Mum asked, “You weren’t able to get off work?”

“Oh, I did,” Phil said in a low voice. “It’s just that… I forgot about it after.”

“Is something wrong?” Mum asked in concerned.

Phil sighed and decided to tell the truth because he hated worrying her. “I’ve been seeing someone, and I sort of promised him that I would be hanging out with him on those days.”

“Oh!” Mum said in a bright voice. “Well, it’s nice that you’re seeing someone. So, you have plans to go somewhere on the day of your brother’s party? Or could you just bring this person with you?”

He gaped at the suggestion while staring at Dan. Would Dan want to come with him? Phil told his mum, “I’ll have to ask him first. Maybe. You and Martyn wouldn’t mind if I brought him?”

“Of course not, especially not if that’s the only way you can come. We miss you,” she said, and then he heard a teapot whistling in the background. “I have to go. Let me know once you know if you’re able to come. Bye, Child. Love you.”

“Bye, Mum. Love you, too.” He hung up and placed the phone back on his nightstand. Phil still didn’t think that he would be able to fall asleep again now that he was awake, but he was happy to settle back against his pillows. Dan continued to breathe evenly in his sleep. Phil watched him, memorizing the placement of the freckles on his cheeks.

#phandom #phanfiction #dan and phil #dan x phil #kitsune #magical realism #illusion

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phgq · 4 years

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Christmas tree fit for bookworms

#PHnews: Christmas tree fit for bookworms

MANILA – Filipino bookworms are getting into the holiday season by incorporating their love of reading into their Christmas decor. Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites have inspired them to create their own versions of “book trees” or books piled on top of each other to form the shape of a tree.

Since environmentalists are discouraging the use of both real and artificial (plastic) trees, putting up a book tree is a great way to display your favorite literary works while welcoming the yuletide season.

Solejoy Cariaso, 29, first started building her book tree when her book collection reached 100 in 2019. Now she has around 200 books, she decorated this year’s book tree with Christmas balls and poinsettias.

“As a book collector and lover, I decided to make a bookworm-themed Christmas tree because this is the only time I get to showcase my collection,” she said in an interview with Philippine News Agency.

Most of the books she used to build the book tree were novels and encyclopedias. She topped this year’s tree with a Bible.

Solejoy, an elementary and senior high school teacher, has a child of her own now, but her love for young adult books will never grow old. She said it was the Harry Potter series that got her into reading.

BOOK TREE. Solejoy Cariaso decorates her book tree with Christmas balls and poinsettias. She topped it off with a Bible (Photo courtesy of Soleyjoy Cariaso)

“Parang nakikita ko kasi ung sarili ko kay Harry. Minsan nabu-bully pero push pa rin (I sort of see myself in Harry. He gets bullied but keeps going on). Honestly speaking, sobrang ganda lang din kasi ng plot niya (it just really has a good plot),” she said.

This Christmas, she’s hoping to receive the complete Harry Potter set since she only read the e-book version of the series. If not Harry Potter, she said “any (Colleen) Hoover book” will also do the trick.

Jay Teck, 30, decided to skip putting up a book tree this year since their house is currently under renovation. Prior to having a home makeover, Jay said he has been stacking books on top of each other since 2014.

His 2014 book tree was small -- it consisted of roughly 50 books. He decorated his tree using lights, bulbs, and candy canes.

Jay also shared a photo of his book tree on Instagram with the caption quoting American author and radio personality Garrison Keillor, "a book is a gift you can open again and again." Unlike most bookworms who start young, Jay considers himself a late to the party when it came to loving books. Video games were enough to keep him happy back then.

Photo courtesy of Jay Teck

“Before, I never imagined myself willingly reading a book. Then isang araw (one day), I went home from school at kaka-start lang ng pinsan ko gamitin yung (and my cousin started using the) computer. I was so bored sa paghihintay matapos siya. May book siya na baon. Nasa kama lang sa room (waiting for him to finish. He brought a book with him. It was on the bed). It was Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan. I opened it and read it to kill time and next thing I knew, time flew by so quickly,” he said.

Jay, a sales representative, finds comfort in reading books in the fantasy or dystopian genre as a way to escape reality and take a breather from stress.

“I always imagine alternate realities, kaya siguro ako hooked sa mga (that’s why I’m hooked in the) dystopian genre. Also books that inspire. The next book I want to have is The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom,” he said.

Once renovations are finished, Jay looks forward to building a bigger book tree. As a frequent book fair attendee, he’s also hoping to add more books to his growing collection.

To make your own book tree, you must first get your hands on books with different sizes, dimensions, and colors. You can save your favorite books for the top of the tree.

Larger, heavier books like hardbound books can make the base of the tree, while smaller books can be used for the body. Make sure they're sturdy enough so they don't end up crashing down. Keep piling up books in a pyramid-like fashion and stop once you've reached your desired height.

The top of your tree could be your favorite book or ornament of choice. Once done, you can decorate the book tree by draping lights, wrapping it with tinsel, and other ornaments.

Of course, there are other ways to "deck the halls" using books. They can also be stacked to form the shape of Santa, a snowman, or reindeer.

Creating a book tree isn't as difficult as it looks. However, when decorating with lights, bookworms should also remember not to keep them on for too long or overnight. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Christmas tree fit for bookworms." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125293 (accessed December 21, 2020 at 12:07AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Christmas tree fit for bookworms." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125293 (archived).

#Philippines #News #Filipino #Pinoy #Tourism #Politics #Culture #Editorial #Environment #Society #History

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dani-ellie03 · 7 years

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Fic: Wednesday’s Child (15/?)

Title: Wednesday’s Child Summary: The next time Emma Swan wanted magical help, she was on her own. Because now they were stuck with a pint-sized savior who clearly had an attitude problem and a terrified but pretending not to be pre-pirate. Spoilers: If you’re current, we’re good. Rating/Warning: PG-13, mostly for safety. Family angst/fluff, as per usual. Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time and its characters were created by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I’m just borrowing them but I’ll put them back when I’m finished! Author's Note: This ended up a bit heavier than my normal fluff but it was clearly time for it because it came out on its own.

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{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9} {10} {11} {12} {13} {14}

At ff.net and below.

Tagging @shealivedarnit (If anyone else wants to be tagged, let me know!)

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After a bit of soft conversation among the adults, little Robin began to fuss, which Regina took as her cue to usher her sister and her niece back to the vault. "We still have a lot of work to do," she explained, "and we were on the cusp of something before lunch. I don't want to lose that momentum."

"Of course," Charming agreed. The two magical experts losing their momentum was not high on the list of things he wanted, either.

"Thank you for letting us come over," Zelena said, her tone surprisingly sincere. "They're precious." After letting the sentiment settle for a beat, she resumed her typical teasing. "Plus, now I have the perfect blackmail pictures."

"Hard to blackmail people with pictures you've already sent everyone," Regina reminded her, rolling her eyes.

"Everyone in this house, maybe. Not everyone in Storybrooke."

Charming and Snow both swallowed snickers. Zelena wasn't going to do a single thing with those pictures except aww over them occasionally and they both knew it.

After walking the Mills ladies to the door and making sure they left safely, Charming and Snow headed back to the living room to check on their charges. Henry had engaged little Neal in a rudimentary game of catch that involved rolling a ball across the floor to each other. A surprised Snow raised her eyebrows, clearly wondering how Henry had gotten the baby to sit still that long. Now that Neal was walking, keeping him in one place for more than a few minutes at a time had become ridiculously difficult.

Evidently not wanting to interrupt the miracle happening between nephew and uncle, Snow instead ducked into the blanket fort to tend to the sleeping children. It seemed little Emma was every bit the bed hog as her adult self; she'd already vacated her own sleeping spot and had taken over half of Killian's.

His heart exploding with love, Charming watched as Snow gently guided Emma back onto her own pillow to give Killian a little more room and then spread one of the blankets padding the floor at the outer edge of the fort over them. "Sleep well, sweethearts," Snow murmured, ghosting each of their temples with a kiss.

Whether it was coincidence, Charming would never know, but both children snuggled deeper under the covers at Snow's gentle touch.

By the time Charming and Snow ducked out of the fort and stood up straight, Neal had decided he'd had enough catch. He toddled toward the blanket fort only to be scooped up by his father before he could enter. The poor baby frowned, babbled some gibberish that sounded awfully insistent, and thrust a chubby hand towards the fort.

It took Charming a beat to recognize that his son was annoyed with being thwarted. "I know you want to play with your big sister and Killian," he said, swallowing a snicker, "but they're napping now and you'd just wake them up."

Now that he didn't have a baby or two ten-year-olds to entertain, Henry begged off to read in his room upstairs. "And no, I'm not reading Bunnicula without them," he teasingly assured his grandparents.

Since Henry and the kids shoving the armchairs aside to make room for the fort meant said armchairs were free for sitting, Charming and Snow plopped down themselves to take a well-deserved breather. Snow set Neal up with some Mega Blocks on the floor at her feet where she could keep an eye on him.

For a long moment, Charming and Snow sat in comfortable silence. From his vantage point, Charming could look out onto the front yard through the window and was pleased to see the sun peeking through the remainder of the clouds. The occasional strong gust of wind and the puddles in the driveway were the only indications that a storm was raging less than an hour ago.

"Looks like Killian will be a bit calmer when he wakes up," Charming said, nodding towards the window.

Snow turned in her seat to look out the window as well. "Yes, looks like." Facing forward, she caught her husband's gaze. "Is it weird that I find it a little unsettling to see him so … hesitant? He's always so decisive and he has so much experience behind him that it's easy to forget that he was once a scared little kid, too."

"It's not weird at all," Charming assured her.

She gave him a small, grateful smile. "I just hope we're doing enough to make him feel comfortable with us."

"I hope so, too," Charming agreed honestly. "He seems to have settled in decently enough; they both have. It's just … he seems so lost. He and I talked a little bit when we were feeding the animals this morning and it's abundantly clear that he misses Liam terribly. All he wants is his brother back and Snow, that's the one thing we can't give him."

Charming had so far managed to dodge all of little Killian's questions about Liam but he wouldn't be able to dodge them forever.

"No, we can't," Snow agreed, swallowing hard as her gaze traveled to the fort where the boy in question lay sleeping. "All we can do is try to help him get through the next couple of days. When Regina and Zelena turn them back to adults, the question of Liam will be moot anyway."

Snow had a point, one that Charming strangely kept forgetting. That the children would eventually return to their adult incarnations was always there in the back of his mind but it was hard to keep that certainty in the forefront when looking at them and talking to them and worrying about them.

Almost as if she could read her husband's thoughts, Snow heaved a sigh. "I didn't expect it to be this hard."

Without even having to ask, Charming knew she was still feeling guilty about the misunderstanding that had sent Emma running. "Snow, this morning wasn't your fault."

A small but unconvincing smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe but I should have been more careful. Before yesterday we only knew the generalities of their childhoods but now we can plainly see how utterly lonely they were. It hurts to see how tentative they are, how hesitant they are to trust. The way Emma examines my face every time she asks me a question guts me, Charming."

Oh, gods, how he knew exactly what she meant. It gutted him, too.

"And it's not even just that! I miss them, the adult them. I want the Emma and Killian we know back but I also don't want to let go of the little kids in that fort." Snow finally tore her eyes from the fort, shaking her head and dropping a pained gaze to her hands. "I don't know, I'm not making any sense."

"Snow, you're making perfect sense," Charming assured her, and gods, she was. She'd just spoken of the conflict in his own heart, the conflict of adoring this opportunity to be with these children and not wanting it to end while also wishing he could have adult Emma and adult Killian back. Of wishing he had an eternity with the children while being aware of the ticking of the clock counting the seconds since he'd last seen his adult baby girl and son-in-law.

He longed to make everything sunshine and puppies and rainbows for the kids while also knowing that all the sunshine and puppies and rainbows in the world wouldn't take away the pain they'd already lived.

After a brief glance over at the fort to make sure the kids were still asleep, he murmured to Snow, "I don't want to let them go, either. These are the moments we should have had with her and I am clinging to every single one of them. I'm treasuring every second I spend with them, trying to commit every detail to memory because I don't want to lose any of it. But at the same time, I'm counting down the minutes until Regina calls us and says she's figured out how to turn them back because I miss our Emma and Killian so much it hurts."

He paused to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat and blink back the tears that had welled in his eyes. "This is hard, Snow. It's hard looking at our baby and seeing a hurt, reticent, frightened little girl looking back. It's hard looking into her eyes and seeing no recognition of who we really are to her. It's hard watching our baby learn how to trust all over again when all I want to do is just pull her into a crushing hug and never let her go. And Killian … he makes me profoundly sad. Seeing him as a little boy who just misses his brother has made me realize that he spent centuries like that. He turned to piracy after losing Liam and revenge after losing Milah and all the while, he was just a lost little boy who missed his family."

Snow tried to no avail to blink back her own tears. "I knew they both had it bad, Charming, but seeing them like this? Gods, I don't know how they survived it."

"They survived it in any way they could," Charming told her softly. "They survived it by putting up those walls of theirs. They didn't let anybody get too close because of how much it would hurt when that somebody went away."

"Such an unimaginably brutal way to grow up."

What else was there to say to that? Snow had spoken the absolute truth.

Charming again glanced over at the silent fort and smiled when he caught Emma once again infringing on poor Killian's personal space in her sleep. Once a bed hog, always a bed hog, apparently.

"Which is exactly why we're doing what we can now, Snow," Charming reminded her. "It was your idea to take this time and give them some of the happy experiences that, as is blatantly obvious, they very much need. No, it won't fix everything. It can't rewind time or change the past or keep them from feeling any of the pain they've experienced but it will help. These kids now know that someone somewhere loves them and when they turn back, if we've eased even an iota of that pain for them, it'll be worth it."

Snow took a shaky breath in and held it a moment before exhaling and drying her eyes with her index fingers. "Thank you."

"What, for telling you your idea was brilliant?" Charming teased. "You're welcome."

That thankfully got her to chuckle, which had been his intention. After taking a moment to settle her emotions, Snow cleared her throat, nodded towards the fort, and asked, "What should we do with them when they wake up?"

Charming considered their options. It was still too wet from the rain for outdoor play, though he did need to check the animals now that the storm had passed and let Wilby run around for a bit. As much as Wilby enjoyed taking care of his new lost lamb, he was typically an outside dog and was itching for the time and space to run free. Henry might be up for another round of video games but Charming wasn't sure he wanted the children to spend a second afternoon in front of the television.

The memory of making dinner with Emma the night before rose to the surface and suddenly Charming knew of the perfect activity. "Emma did ask yesterday if we could make pasta from scratch."

Since Snow enjoyed leading cooking lessons of any kind, it was not a surprise that she jumped readily aboard his train of thought. "I'm prepared for the impending mess if you are."

"The dustpan and broom will be at the ready," he chuckled. "I know Emma will pretty much be in food heaven having spaghetti twice in a row but we'll just have to make sure no one else minds."

Snow ticked family members off on her fingers as she made her way down the list. "Neal's a baby who eats what we give him, Henry's a fourteen-year-old boy who eats anything and everything as long as it's food, and Killian, even in his little state, is fine with whatever Emma is fine with. I have a funny feeling no one's going to complain."

"Well, when you put it like that," Charming said, chuckling, "I think another cooking lesson is just what the doctor ordered."

Snow let her gaze drift to the blanket fort, where her tiny daughter and son-in-law lay sleeping. Preparing dinner as a family was the perfect way to make the children feel even more at home. "Yes, I think it is, too."

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Chapter Sixteen

#ouat fic #charming family ff #cs ff #cs fic #mama snow #daddy charming #henry mills #regina mills #zelena #my fic

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