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fraugwinska · 5 days

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What about the reader found and old radio, they thought the radio was broken but it's not, it's just antique.. when they play it at night time alastor broadcast was heard first they feel something is odd.. but they love to listen to his voice, heck they even like talking to each other, because of this encounter alastor talk about it to rosie, she was happy hearing alastor telling her stories but she feel odd when alastor mention that the person he talks to is a human, Rosie giving him advice to not fall for human because they're different species, and it will make him weak etc.

Alastor feel guilty and agree with rosie advice so he's stop contacting the reader from the radio, he thinks that the reader will be fine but no the reader take it personally.. they thought alastor don't want to talk to them anymore.. it drive them mad and lead to suicide..

So yeah angst :D

Oh Anon. What have you done.

I cried while I wrote that - it took two very good friends of mine to encourage me to post it (Thanks to @macabr3-barbi3 and @mysterypotatoink). But I think it's tragic and beautiful, and honestly - I'm kinda proud of it!

TW: Psychological Trauma, descend into madness, loss of self care and suicide - please take care of yourself and do not read if you aren't comfortable with any of the mentioned! MINORS DNI

Here we go.

❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️🦌❤️

Leap of Faith

You carried in the last box from you banged-up minivan. The old thing barely made it to your new home. A little cabin in the outskirts of New Orleans, a little off the grid and surrounded by the peaceful and whirring bayous of Louisiana.

A fixer-upper, just like yourself.

The online auction had intrigued you the second you found it, the photos were a bit blurry and you knew it was a risk to buy a place you've never set foot in, but something in you called you to get it. The price you paid was laughable, barely making a dent in your savings. Moving states sounded scary and impossible, but you felt oddly calm about it.

You didn't have a lot of stuff to move anyway. After all, you only lived with your late grandmother, and she never really cared for material things. Your parents left you at her doorstep, never to be seen again.

Caring for her in her last, sickness-ridden years had been a no-brainer - it felt like nothing in comparison to all she had done for you - but it also had been a bit lonely.

You had your friends, if you could even call them that, but you rarely saw them - guiding your nan through the last months of her life had been demanding and time-consuming. It had left you exhausted and emotionally unavailable, and after a while, calls and texts ceased, until it was just you and her. You felt lost, as if the world was slowly pulling away from you.

When she finally died, peacefully in her sleep, you felt sad, relieved and drained.

Detached from the city you lived in.

Lost.

So you decided to sell what little you inherited, except for a few sentimental mementos, and move away from it all. To start a new life, a happier one, finally one that was truly your own.

You took the final box inside, setting it on the coffee table and wiped the sweat from your brow. You looked around the little cabin: The roof had some spots that needed a patch, and the wood floors were a bit warped, but it was all yours. No more having to share anything with anyone.

The cabin came furnished, a lot of the stuff was old, but still usable. You figured that would change once you settled in and had a vision of what you wanted and needed to buy. The thought of thinking about no one but yourself made you nervous.

But a little excited, too.

The old furniture would do for the moment, but there was a particular piece that caught your eye: an old, vintage cathedral radio, sitting nestled in between a cracked wooden box and a tarnished, bronze candle holder in a bookcase that was a bit out of place in the tiny space. With a tilted head, you stepped closer to inspect it, drawn to it by it's unique character and beauty.

It looked as well-loved as it looked well-used, the mahogany a bit scuffed, the knobs a little worn from years of being turned. But there were golden details etched into the front, and you traced them lightly with a finger, strangely touched and intrigued.

You were certain the old thing didn't work, but when you plugged it into the nearby socket, static erupted from the speakers, making you jump back. You had to smile, though.

Tonight, you wouldn't be alone. You'd have this little device and a little music for good company.

***

"I'm home!" you announced to no one in particular, as you closed the door behind you, your hands full with overfilled grocery bags full of necessities, waiting to fill your empty cabinets.

The day had been hot, but a welcome breeze of the impending night break cooled the inside of your little cabin a bit. With a quiet grunt you set the paper bags down at the small kitchenette. Your groceries were quickly dispersed, and you put on an apron you saved from your grandmother as you got started on dinner.

You hummed as you cut vegetables and boiled water. It had been a long time since you had cooked, really cooked, your nan wasn't much for eating and had no problem living off of simple soups and toast. When you opened your fridge to get some butter, your glance fell onto the radio.

A little music would be nice, you decided, and you walked over, cleaning your hands on the red, frilly cloth around your waist before you turned the dial. The soft sound of static made you hum in contempt - yup. Still works. A little turn to the left, and the room was filled with a soft jazzy tune, the melody a bit grainy, but you didn't mind that at all. You returned to the stove, swaying your hips to the beat as you worked. The music made you feel at ease, and for a moment, the world seemed to be just right.

Just as the onions began to brown in the pan, the song faded out to a voice. You turned your head to the radio, intrigued by the unusual, eccentric accent of the host. It reminded you of the old, vintage films and recordings your grandmother had been fond of - wasn't it called 'transatlantic'?. Whatever it was, it made you smile.

"Now wasn't that a kick in the head, dearest listener? I sure hope you enjoyed the little musical interlude, but it's time to return to the real show! As usual, my name is Alastor, and you are listening to the best jazz, blues and swing music that Hell has to offer!"

You blinked, a little puzzled and yet amused. "Sure is hot as hell today, strange man in the radio.", you mumbled, chuckling as you stirred the bell peppers under the caramelized onions.

"Today we have a very special guest joining my humble broadcast, it seems. Pleasure to meet you, darling, quite the pleasure!"

"Oh who? Me?" you asked, looking theatrically over your shoulder with batted lashes, shaking your head over your own silliness. You weren't used to talking out loud to yourself, or even really thinking out loud. You were always alone, after all, but the little pretend-play was fun. You laughed a bit, waiting for the host's guest to speak.

"Of course you, little dove. Who else would I mean?"

You gasped, and nearly dropped the spoon as you whipped around, eyes glued to the humming, orange glow of the radio in the dim darkness of your living room.

"What's that? You're surprised, my dear? Don't worry, you're not the only one! This is a first for me, too. Never had a human join my program. I must say, I'm quite intrigued! Tell me, what is your name?"

Your eyes grew wide, and the hairs at the back of your neck stood up. You took a hesitant step backwards and hit the hot stove, making you curse under your breath. Was the heat finally getting to you?

"Don't be shy now, darling. I'm not gonna hurt you, cross my lil' old, blackened heart."

"I-I'm..." you began, swallowing as your fingers tightened around the wooden spoon. "My name is..."

"Yes?"

"I'm... crazy.", you mumbled, rubbing a hand over your face and chuckling a bit. You were just going insane, that's all. Must be the stress, combined with the intense heat. And lack of a companion, a tiny voice reminded you. Yes. Must be.

"Hello crazy, this is Alastor." The host laughed, together with a canned audience.

"Alastor...", you repeated, realization settling in - this wasn't a joke, or a trick of your mind.

"At your service, my dear.", the voice cooed. "Now, I believe you still owe me your name..."

***

You weren't crazy.

Or if you were, you didn't mind. Not with Alastor by your side - or, to be exact, in the radio on your bookcase.

After two weeks of ignoring the cursed radio after unplugging it in a wave of panic on your first night, your morbid curiosity got the better of you. You plugged it back in, and turned on the dial. Just once, you told yourself, then never ever again.

And that's how the two of you got in contact with each other once more. Alastor was as chipper as the first time you heard him, and after a bit of back-and-forth, he promised once again not to harm you, and you shared your name with him. The rest was history. He was very pleasant company. For a demon from hell.

You wouldn't classify the conversations you had with him as a real friendship in the beginning, but you did talk. Occasionally. Mostly in the evenings, when you cooked dinner: He'd ask you about your day and would pry eagerly for a little bit of gossip or new information about the modern New Orleans. When he let it slip that he lived in this very cabin in the 1920's, you weren't stopping with questions about what it was like back in his days, which he, in return, answered generously and enthusiastically.

The first few times he would try to coerce you into making a deal for your soul, casually sprinkling the offer into his small talk, but with enough blunt refusals and a few more days of radio silence (pun intended), he dropped the topic and seemed content on just talking. You, in return, found yourself relaxing into his charming company, your brain happily engaged with trying to wrap your head around him, or better, you tried to come to terms with it.

Weeks passed, and turning the radio on in the evenings became less of an occasional lapse of judgment but more of a routine you were looking forward to. You could tell the Alastor felt the same, his banter became less tense and acted, and a little more genuine.

It made your heart swell in happiness, that someone out there seemed to appreciate your company – even if that someone wasn't human.

Apprehension became amusement, and fascination became friendship. Oddly enough, you found common grounds in a lot of things: A love for cooking and good music. Preferring books over films. Red wine over white. A shared aversion of vulgarity, and appreciation for good manners.

Your nights were cut shorter and shorter, you would spend hours chatting on and on, until the deep darkness of night disappeared into a shade of blue on the horizon. Neither of you minded, at least that was what you thought. Alastor never ended the conversations with you. Either you had to say your goodbyes, or you would just fall asleep after hours of talking on your couch, and awake with a pained back to a shut-off radio. Then, after you'd realize that you would have a whole day ahead of you without hearing his voice, the loss would make your chest ache.

Two months into the 'thing', which was still a strange concept you could barely comprehend, the truth of the matter dawned on you: You liked him. Not just because he was a surprisingly amicable voice coming out of your vintage radio, a lively constant in the uneventful life you had made for yourself in Louisiana - he had become important to you, irreplaceable, even. An essential element to your life. You couldn't imagine how you'd gone so long without him, and yet, here you were, lost without him, scrambling through the hours until you could talk to him once more.

"Something on your mind, darling? You're awfully quiet today."

You held your fork and knife still above the salmon you had just been about to eat. It was the first meal of the evening in a long time where you weren't spending the entirety of the preparation time speaking to him, lost in thought about your blossoming feelings. He had gotten excellent at reading you like an open book - you should've gotten used to it after a couple of weeks of him catching on to every little change in your demeanor and knowing just what to say, when you were feeling happy, upset or nervous.

"Oh, um... no. It's nothing Al. Work had me in a wringer today."

"Is it your co-worker Susan again?" You could basically hear his eyes rolling, making you chuckle. "That name must be cursed, every single soul with that name is a menacing pain."

"Maybe,", you muttered, nibbling on a piece of the roasted fish. "This one is mostly just an ornery old bitch."

"Taking the words right out of my mouth, dear." he laughed.

There's was a comfortable pause, with just a gentle background noise of his ever-playing static and an easy, melodic tune coming from his program.

"Is that really all that preoccupies that pretty little head of yours?"

You blushed, picking at the food with your fork. "Bold for a guy who's never seen me to assume my head is pretty."

The radio crackled with pops and feedback. "Bold to assume I can't see you whenever I want, little dove." he said, his voice strangely deeper, tinged with something you didn't catch at the shock of his words.

"You... what?"

"And I can most assure you,", he purred out of the speakers, "pretty is a well fitting word to describe you."

He hummed in approval when your cheeks gained color, as if he knew his comment threw you off guard and made you turn a lovely shade of pink, but it didn't make it any less enticing.

***

"Alastor, if I didn't know better, I would say you have become smitten with this mysterious gal you're blabbing on and about."

Rosie giggled, hitting his shoulder in a playful, friendly swipe. "When will I meet her? Come on now, you can't hide her forever. Or are you afraid she'll like me better?"

She laughed, and Alastor forced a toothy grin. His long time friend was the only one he talked about you with, and he knew she was intrigued whenever she could smell a blooming dalliance, especially with a notoriously abstinent bachelor like himself. Normally, he would laugh at that thought with a healthy dose of mockery, but he found himself to be less and less aversed at the thought - if it would be you. Impossible, of course.

"Nonsense, Rosie dear, nonsense,", he chuckled, taking a large sip from his coffee cup, a heavy hand bringing up a plate stacked with finger sandwiches. "And I'm afraid you won't meet her for a long time, maybe never. Humans seldom traverse to hell in their lifetime, and who knows if the little darling will take on the trip downstairs?"

Rosie coughed in her tea, her blackened eyes wide in shock. "Human? It's a human girl you've been courting here? Oh, Alastor, you old fool."

Alastor scrunched his nose, "Talking, Rosie, talking is all we do. And yes, she's a human. I don't see the quandary in that. It's just a little fun."

"Well,", she huffed with a small, thoughtful frown. "I would've hoped for a little more sense in you." The tall demonesse set down her teacup with nimble fingers.

"You may not call it courting, but if it quacks like a duck, it's a duck, love." Rosie ignored the indignant look Alastor gave her. "You know as well as I do that such a connection is dangerous to entertain. Humans are fragile and fragile things tend to break. And when they do, the owner mostly follows. You need to break this connection off."

Rosie gave him a sad look as his ears flattened against his head. She would've been more than happy for her oldest and dearest friend to have a partner on his side, someone good and honest who really cared about him, maybe loved him even, as unlovable as he was. But she had to protect him from the silly idea of possibly falling for a living, breathing and supposedly untarnished soul, and the heartbreak that would surely follow. "Don't make the mistake of breaking your heart, dear friend." she smiled, a tint of melancholy hidden in the red of her lips.

"I think it's far too late for that."

She offered a handkerchief, but Alastor waved her off, his smile more faint and close to a frown than she's ever seen.

***

The first day where nothing but static noise came out of the radio, you were irritated but just thought: 'Maybe Alastor has something to do'.

The second day of static you grew concerned. 'What if something happened to Alastor? Was he okay?'.

On the third day, you were panicked. 'Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you anymore! Maybe he met someone in hell, someone that he could talk to whenever he wanted and not through an old, dusty radio?'.

"Please talk to me.", you whispered into the empty room. Your knees were pulled to your chest, and you sat on your couch, eyes fixed on the radio in the bookcase. Your eyes stung with the tears threatening to spill. "Please, Al. I miss you." You shook your head, chuckling sadly. It had only been 3 days, but they'd felt like an eternity. The world had seemed silent without Alastor's constant chatter.

When night fell for the fourth day, you were half asleep, eyes red and burning and tears still staining your cheeks. You talked for hours into the void of your house, the radio now moved to sit in front of you on the coffee table, growing more and more desperate as hours passed. Talking faded into pleading, and pleading into begging.

"Please, I'm sorry, if I did something wrong, I'm sorry...", you mumbled into the wooden furnishing, resting your cheek against the top of the machine, eyes slipping shut with fatigue and defeat. A dry sob slipped past your trembling lips, as your hands desperately grabbed the sides of the antique device.

"Alastor please, don't leave me alone here...", you whispered with the last of your strength, before your body succumbed to your exhaustion, your unconscious mind welcomed the darkness.

If you had stayed awake for just a moment more, you would've, maybe, heard the faint shuddering breath beyond the static rumble. But you didn't. So you had no chance at knowing that, Alastor, listening to every word, saw and heard you at your weakest, and all it did to him was stir the embers and give the blaze an opening for the flames of his anger at fate to rage.

Work had called, again. Susan of all people. Threats were made - either come back to work, or don't come back at all. You smashed your phone. It was useless anyway. What was the point without...

Alastor wasn't here, hadn't answered for seven days now. And you had spent the whole time talking, begging him to show himself, just show himself and tell you what you did wrong, just talk to you one last time and then you'd stop, if that was what he wanted. You became obsessed with the orange light of the illuminated screen, imagining the flickers were maybe signs from him.

You stopped eating, stopped drinking, stopped almost anything, you just sat, in front of the radio, unmoving and unwilling to miss the smallest sign of his return.

Every single minute stretched into agony, and every breath that left your lips made a fresh tear roll down your paling cheeks, until your body couldn't produce them anymore. Then, you cried wordless whimpers and moans, even started praying to an unknown entity.

It wasn't as if Alastor owed you anything. It's not as though you thought the two of you were anything other than two kindred souls, one human, one demon, talking to each other. As a result, it wasn't like you had the right to anything from him.

It was strange to consider the connection the two of you shared: Something more than acquaintances, something closer than friends, and yet never fully crossing the line beyond it. The unpenetrable boundary dividing life and death in between.

Your eyes fell on a large, old crucifix on your wall, staring back at you with pity.

For the first time in days, you left the sofa, took it from the wall and burned it on your gas stove, watching the face of the nailed figurine slowly melt in the fire.

***

It had been eight days of excruciating, one-sided silence.

Eight days Alastor cursed his cowardice as he sat, red eyed with claws digging into his scalp, as he listened to you plead for him to talk - To answer. To do anything. Anything, but leave you alone, he heard, as if the words were spoken right in his ear.

Eight days of watching you slowly detriment from the eyes of the shadows he was able to manifest above, tugging on the very fabric of the world to move you, to keep your mind from going where it shouldn't go.

He kept telling himself it was for the better. His shadows murmured persistent reminders that he should find entertainment in your growing lunacy. He was the radio demon, after all. He shouldn't care if this wisp of a human were to perish, should laugh at your wails of agony and despair.

But Alastor never felt less like laughing. Your dried sobs and pained apologies for things you never did wrong in the first place filled his head, taunting and gnawing on him with feelings he thought he was unable to feel: Guilt and Regret.

It was as Rosie had predicted - he was becoming weak. But weakness was something that should be avoided. Had to be. He knew. Being weak, being feeble, would make him vulnerable, make him into the prey his cruel from already portrayed to the world he had to inherit. He couldn't allow it. Couldn't let his feelings for you bring him down to the levels of the sinners in hell he would tear apart and laugh while he did it.

That's why he stayed silent. Endured it, all of it, every word, cry and plea. Stayed invisible and silent, waiting for you to move on, forget him, shut off and leave the radio, never to turn the dial again. For your sake and his.

When the connection broke, on that eight day, Alastor could feel your resignation, your peace with which your pale hands gripped the electrical cord at it's base to pull. And he was suddenly filled with the awareness of something horrible, like a premonition. It set his already battered, aching heart in an ice cold grasp of dread.

His room exploded in green light as he expanded into his full demonic form, his limbs threatening to pull and burst at the stitches and his smile splitting his face almost entirely in half. He had to reach out, had to reform the connection to the radio one last time, even though nearly impossible.

You were about to do something he would never be able to forgive himself for.

***

Your car broke down just where it needed to. You took the radio out of the trunk, knocking the hood two times for a goodbye, the key safely in the ignition. Maybe some other poor soul would find and repair it, make happier memories with it.

You clutched the wooden device closer and started to walk. Indigo blue faded into black as you looked up to the sky that was sprinkled with glowing, shimmering silver dust, stars blinking in the unimaginable distance. There, but out of reach.

Just like him.

Your dry sob stung in your throat, but you didn't really feel the pain. Your eyes were fixed on the path to your final destination, right in front of you.

The Crescent City Connection Bridge was mostly abandoned by traffic at this time of night and provided just enough covered spaces to hide you from some foolish saviors eyes.

You didn't need to be saved.

You didn't want to be saved.

Because you were about to save yourself.

There was nothing waiting for you in the other direction than the one you were going. So, with slow but steady steps, you walked towards the middle of the bridge, settling on a place next to a metal pillar and looked over the railing onto the shimmering waters of the Mississippi River.

Alastor had told you about the river, how he loved to watch the steam boats floating on it from the radio station where he worked at when he was alive. The station was long gone, you didn't even find out where it had been in the first place, but you liked to imagine that you were looking at the same scenery now that he had been looking at when he peered out of his booth in his radio tower.

It made you smile through the tears... You were glad the end was somehow connected to him, even if it was most likely just your naive imagination.

It felt like the device in your arms was emitting static energy, prickling over your arms, hands and fingers as you caressed the mahogany wood gently, feeling as though the radio was shaking in your hands, trying to pull you back from the fenced ledge.

A quiet sob escaped your lips, turning into a giggle and into hysterical laughter. You sat down between the railing, and hugged the radio close, trying to breathe as you closed your eyes, resting your temple on the worn, warm wood.

"It'll be okay, Al.", you said quietly, your voice unnaturally hoarse and rough from lack of use and dehydration. "I'm coming. I'm coming to you.”

With one arm around the radio, holding it tight against your chest, you turned to stand on shaky legs, gripping the railing with one arm and, with one final glance at the stars above you you smiled. You heard sirens in the distance, and some people shouting from a sparkling streamliner passing under the bridge. Time was running short, so you didn't wait to put first one foot over the fence, then the other, taking a deep breath.

"I guess doves were always meant to fly."

And, with that, your body twisted, turned and leaped, falling as the light on the radio, firmly pressed against your heart, began to glow in deepest crimson and swirls of green.

Falling like an angel would descend from grace.

Part 2 for closure

#hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #alastor #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel fanfiction #fraugwinskawrites #angst #trigger warnings #minors d #minors don't look #minors dont touch #yes I'm crying #you're crying too #we all cry here #no judgement #quickf #quickfic

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mooshywrites · 2 months

Text

Echoes of Love and Loss ~ Pt 4

Fem!Reader x Halsin

Masterlist

Art Commissions

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A/N - This is the second to last part! Because of that, I’m taking suggestions for another series since I really enjoy this format. Shoot me a DM or send in a request if you have a good prompt <3

Word count - 4.1K

Warnings - Lots of angst, grieving, pregnancy, miscommunication, happy ending incoming I promise

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Part 2 ~ NSFW

Part 3

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“I have to find her”

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Your days began to blur together in a haze of numbness. You’d long since shed all of the tears and felt all of the grief you could muster. All that was left was your survival instinct pushing you forward.

It took a considerably shorter amount of time to return to the Druids grove where you began your adventure, the road from Baldur’s Gate being far more safe now that The Absolute was gone.

Every settlement you passed through was filled with people celebrating. Their cheers and drunken ramblings washed over you without another thought, completely oblivious of what you had lost bringing them this new victory.

When you finally made it to the outskirts of the grove, something stopped you. You were so close. Close enough to even hear the faint chatter of the Druids that lived there.

But there seemed to be some sort of invisible wall between you and them. A heavy stone keeping you grounded from taking the few steps forward.

What would you say when the other Druids inevitably asked about Halsin? Would you be able to handle their unease and pity when it came to your condition? Would they see as you as anything more than the so-called hero who let their friend die?

You gritted your teeth, clutching at your chest as your heart began to pound. The world felt as if it was spinning as the turmoil hit you once again. You swallowed back bile, knowing you had only made your health worse by pushing yourself to get here more quickly.

With a few solidifying breaths, you sighed and turned away. You couldn’t stay here.

There was a small hut in the woods north of the grove. That would have to do for now.

The walk there was short, you might’ve even enjoyed the weather if the situation you found yourself in didn’t continue to bear down on you painfully. When the hut came into view, you grimaced.

It was… definitely a fixer-upper.

It was probably for the best, you’d have something to focus on. You could work through the day to make it a suitable home for you and the baby instead of wallowing in your grief.

You had to be strong for the little one after all.

You began work right away, throwing your bag on a rotted wooden table and surveying the inside of the shack. At least the walls seemed strong, the wood stood up to the elements. You could see a few patches that would need to be filled with straw for colder weather, but the wood burning stove in the corner gave you a little bit of hope.

Cobwebs littered the corners, a faint layer of dust settling over the entirety of the one room hut. You peered closer to find a straw broom tucked away, practically calling your name.

You set about cleaning the cabin, determined to make it a safe haven for you and your baby. The dust and cobwebs were easy enough to deal with, and you spent hours scraping the grime off the walls and furniture until you could hardly recognize the shack from when you first entered.

As night fell, you lit the wood burning stove, filling the small space with warmth and the scent of fire. You examined the table and decided it was too far gone, so you set to work constructing a new one from scraps of wood and nails, using the old table as a pattern. You worked tirelessly through the night, the pain in your legs and shoulders a constant reminder of the sacrifices you'd made to get this far.

The end product was definitely not a masterpiece, but you couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride in your lopsided creation.

The days turned into weeks, and slowly but surely, the hut began to take shape. You built shelves, repaired the roof, and even managed to create a small loft for you and the little one on the way.

By now, your bump was definitely more noticeable. A healthy swell of your stomach growing now that you were forcing yourself into a healthy diet of at least three meals a day.

With your hut becoming more of a home, you found yourself slipping into a routine. You would wake up early to tend to the garden you'd started behind the place, growing vegetables and herbs that would provide sustenance and comfort.

Afternoons were spent working on the cabin, always striving for perfection despite the humble beginnings. You discovered a sense of peace in the solitary task, even if you mostly didn’t know what you were doing.

As night fell, it was harder to ignore the ache of loneliness and loss that settled in your chest. You would try to ease the pain by humming a song to your growing bump or reciting all the children stories you knew out loud.

To your delight, sometimes you would even feel a flutter of recognition when you sang, a tiny stirring in your womb. It was barely perceptible, very much not a kick yet, but it was still a comforting reminder that you weren’t totally alone.

As the weeks turned into months, the hut became a testament to your strength and resilience. The once-dilapidated structure had blossomed into a cozy home, with warm lighting in the evenings and shelves laden with the vegetables and herbs you'd grown in your garden. A sense of contentment washed over you as you looked around your little sanctuary, realizing that no matter the heartache and loss, you had managed to build a life for yourself despite the circumstances you faced.

The days seemed to stretch into an endless cycle of gardening and remedying, and soon enough, you could feel the baby moving more frequently within you. The sensation was both reassuring and overwhelming, filling you with a mix of love and fear for the little person growing inside of you.

One morning, as you were picking vegetables from your garden, you caught a faint glimpse of movement at the edge of the woods. Your instincts kicked in, and you darted back to the door, retrieving the sword you kept hidden. It was probably long since dulled from not being used, but it was better than having nothing.

No one came close to this part of the woods, even with its close proximity to the Grove. It seemed you had found your own little patch of solitude and you were weary of having your first visitor since you moved in months ago.

You focused in on the movements at the tree line, your shoulders tight. A figure shambled out of the greenery and you choked out a breathless laugh of relief.

“I thought I might find you nearby.” Shadowheart giggled, calling out across the short clearing.

“What on earth are you doing here?” You smiled, relaxing your posture. “You gave me a scare.”

She gave you a bright smile as she approached, taking stock of your now very obvious baby bump.

“I couldn’t help but trying to check on you. The others and I got an invitation from Withers for a reunion.” Shadowheart said with a shrug.

“The others?” You prodded uneasily. You looked toward’s the tree line again, worried they would come crashing through as well.

“Relax.” Shadowheart assured, her smile a little sad. “I told them what you wanted me to. They don’t know a thing about your ‘miraculous survival’.”

“Oh, good.” You sighed, brushing yourself off. “Want to come in? I could scrounge up a breakfast for you.” You tried to keep the hopefulness out of your voice, mildly embarrassed by how excited you felt at the thought of having someone else to talk to.

“Sure,” Shadowheart grinned. “I‘ll ask you what I came to ask you over some food.”

You stepped back, allowing Shadowheart to enter the hut. It was cozy and warm, the wood burning stove crackling in the corner. She looked around in amazement. “You did all this?” she asked, looking at the handmade furniture and shelves laden with herbs and vegetables.

“Yes,” you said, wiping your sweaty palms on your pants. “I’ve been keeping myself busy.”

Shadowheart approached your makeshift table, running her hands along the rough surface. “It’s beautiful.” she murmured, looking at you with awe.

“Thanks.” You smiled shyly,

“So, how are you holding up?” She asked, sitting down on a hand-built stool. “And how’s the baby?”

“I’m doing okay.” You sighed, sitting across from the woman. “The baby is too. Although it’s grown so much that I can’t see my feet anymore.”

“You must be getting close then.”

“Mhm.” You responded, not offering anything else. You weren’t keen on discussing the actual birth. You still hadn’t decided on whether it was responsible to handle it on your own or not. In truth, you were completely out of your depth.

“So what is it you wanted to ask me?” You changed the subject with a grin.

Shadowheart’s face became guarded and she paused for a moment, as if trying to piece the words together.

“I want you to come with me to the reunion.” She whispered.

Your eyebrows furrowed as the words hung in the air.

“You can’t live alone forever.” Shadowheart continued after a moment of silence. “This place is wonderful and I’m glad you’re doing as well as you are, but you can’t force yourself into solitude.”

“Stop.” You cut her off, feeling the telltale dull ache of a migraine coming on. “You already know my answer.”

“Please, at least think about it.” Shadowheart pleaded, reaching across the table for your hand.

“Stop.” You repeated, slipping your hand away from her grasp. “Just stop.”

You felt tears threatening to well in your eyes and you cursed the hormones that made the tears so easy to spill.

“I’m not facing them. Not after losing Halsin.”

“But.” Shadowheart started before you cut her off with your hand.

“My answer is no.” You snapped before your voice softened. “I think you should leave.”

You adverted Shadowheart’s pointed gaze, feeling her eyes bore into you still. With a sigh, she nodded slowly. You looked back to see a mix of disappointment and understanding across her features.

She stood up and walked over to the door, her gaze still locked on you.

“I understand. Please know I’m here for you if you ever change your mind.” She said softly before leaving.

You watched her go through the open doorway, the silhouette of her figure disappearing into the dense forest. The words she’d said hung in the air, making you feel a twinge of guilt. There was probably a softer way to handle that conversation. A compromise you could have made.

For a moment you sat at the table in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the empty doorway. Your mind was whirling, trying to understand your own feelings and determine what was best for your tiny family.

It was a delicate balance, trying to protect your baby without pushing your grief and expectations onto it.

You took a deep breath and stood up, picking up your gardening tools once again.

There was no time for such idle thoughts.

After all. There were carrots to pick.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

As Halsin trudged his way toward’s the Druid’s grove, he couldn’t help but focus on the nagging sense of dread that filled his body. He had spent months looking for you, asking everyone he saw in Baldur’s Gate whether they had seen anyone of your description.

But the answer was the same every time, always a no. The letters to his past companions remained unanswered, his messaging spell falling on deaf ears.

The Druid almost felt as if he was a ghost, a memory of what he once was that no one could really see. He tried to make sense of it, maybe everyone truly thought he had died in that ocean. Maybe they thought his letters sent by some sort of imposter.

Halsin gritted his teeth, trying to will himself to think of other matters. He needed to find you.

All Halsin could see when he thought of you was the look of pure terror on your face as he hurtled over the edge of the Elder Brain. The silent scream ripping from your throat as he lost view of you. He needed to replace that with something.

With anything.

More than anything, Halsin wanted to replace it with the sight of your smile when you finally saw him again.

Halsin felt weak as he continued to lumber along the path, too weak to even shift into his cave bear form, though he’d be much more comfortable traveling that way.

He hadn’t been focusing on his own needs lately, skipping sleep and meals to focus on finding you again. He was out of options now, and all he could hope was to find some sort of hint of your whereabouts from his fellow Druids.

As Halsin reached the grove, his heart raced with anticipation and desperation. He took a deep breath and stepped through the entrance, scanning the faces of his fellow druids with hope-filled eyes.

One by one, he approached each of them, greeting them with a warm smile and asking if they knew of any adventurers who had disappeared recently or anyone who might be looking for a missing companion.

The Druids, surprised to see him well… alive and seemingly pained by Halsin's persistence to change the subject , shook their heads and offered sympathetic words. They hadn’t seen you pass through

Halsin's hope began to dwindle with each negative response, his heart aching with every new face that met his eyes. He felt the dread building inside him once more, suffocating him as he trudged further into the grove.

Suddenly, a familiar sound caught his attention. A laugh. A laugh he knew well but couldn’t seem to place it in his weary state.

He blindly followed the sound, brushing by people as he tried to find the source. Finally, a brown haired man came into view, the figure laughing at whatever the man in front of him was saying.

Halsin stumbled as he finally placed the voice.

“Gale?” Halsin murmured.

Gale spun around, the wizard raising his eyebrows in surprise. He reached out to steady himself by holding onto Wyll’s arm, his face paled as if he was looking into the eyes of a ghost.

“Halsin?” Gale whispered, his eyes wide.

Wyll mouth hung agape as he looked at Halsin, seemingly unable to fathom that the Druid was now standing before him. That he was alive after his fall into the murky depths.

“Halsin! By the gods, it is you!” Gale exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace the Druid, his eyes shining with disbelief and joy. Wyll stood beside him, a mix of shock and relief etched across his features.

Halsin returned the embrace warmly, feeling a rush of emotions flood through him at the sight of his old companions. It was a moment he had dreamt about during his long search, but he never dared to pause long enough to hope for.

“How? How are you here?” Wyll stuttered out, still trying to process the unexpected reunion.

Halsin took a step back, a smile spreading across his face. “It's a long story,” he began, “but seeing you both here is a sign that Silvanus has brought us back together.”

Gale clapped Halsin on the shoulder, his eyes bright with excitement. “You have no idea how much we've missed you, old friend. We thought we had lost you for good after that nasty tumble.”

“I tried to write.” Halsin muttered, a teasing tone of annoyance in his voice.

“Would you have answered a letter from someone you thought dead?” Wyll asked incredulously.

“Perhaps not.” Halsin chuckled, pulling the Duke into a hug.

The reunion lifted some of the weight that had been pressing down on Halsin for so long, if only for a moment. The two men before him began chattering on endlessly about what they had been up to, their adventures and misadventures.

But amidst the talking, a shadow continued to loom in Halsin’s mind. He couldn’t shake the thought of you, the one he had really set out to find in the first place. Despite the happiness of being back with his companions, he really only wanted to see one person. There were so many things he wanted to say. so many promises he wanted to make.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Halsin cut off the conversation for a moment, looking between both Gale and Wyll. “But is Tav with you? I’ve been looking for her everywhere, but it seems no one has seen even a glimpse of her.”

Gale and Wyll exchanged uneasy glances. Wyll cast his eyes off to the side, taking in a deep breath as Gale fidgeted uncomfortably.

Halsin couldn’t help but feel his stomach start to turn at the reaction. Unease starting to mix with agitation.

“Well?” He pressed.

“Halsin…” Wyll started, throwing Gale one more glance. “I think this is something we should speak of in private.”

Halsin’s eyebrows furrowed, unease quickly being replaced with dread. Whatever they had to say couldn’t at all be good. Not with the way Gale’s teeth ground tight and Wyll’s hands wrung against each other.

“No. Tell me now.” The Druid demanded.

“I really think-“ Gale started.

“She didn’t make it in the crash.” Wyll said quietly.

Halsin felt the world around him crumble at Wyll's words. The ground beneath his feet seemed to shift, the air around him growing heavy and suffocating.

You were gone.

The realization hit him like a physical blow, knocking the breath from his lungs.

His mind raced, trying to process the devastating words. You, the one he had searched for tirelessly, the one he had longed to see again, were no more? The image of your smile, your unwavering determination, your fierce loyalty flashed before his eyes, each memory twisting the knife of grief deeper into his heart.

Wyll's voice sounded distant as he continued to speak, explaining the details of your fate in the crash. Halsin felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake up from the cruel reality that had caught him.

Gale's hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present moment. The wizard's eyes pained. “You should talk to Shadowheart. She was the one to see it.”

Halsin's mind reeled, his heart heavy with grief and disbelief over your loss. The world around him seemed to blur as he struggled to come to terms with the crushing reality of your absence. Despite the comforting presence of Gale and Wyll, their words felt like a distant echo in the overwhelming silence that engulfed him.

Numbly, Halsin nodded at Gale's suggestion to speak with Shadowheart. He knew he needed answers, needed closure. Nothing else would convince him that he truly lost you. With leaden steps, he made his way through the grove, his thoughts a whirlwind of memories and shattered hopes.

When he finally found Shadowheart, she looked at him with utter shock. The two stood looking at each other in silence for a moment, rendered speechless for very different reasons.

“Halsin? But I thought you… but the crash…” Shadowheart stuttered, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Is she really gone?” Halsin choked out.

Shadowheart’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion before realization dawned on her. Halsin’s eyes stayed glued to the ground below him, not seeing the conflicted emotions playing across Shadowheart’s expression.

“I think you need a healer.” Shadowheart whispered softly.

Halsin shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “No healer can mend this kind of wound,” he replied hoarsely, his voice thick with grief. The thought of you bore down on him like a heavy cloak, suffocating him with memories of shared moments and unspoken words.

Shadowheart’s gaze softened with sympathy as she reached out to touch Halsin’s arm.

“You need a healer.” She repeated. “Rest and heal tonight. I’ll…” She paused, her face twisting in concentration as she was obviously conflicting with her thoughts. “I’ll take you to where we set up a shrine for her. But not until you’ve had some rest.”

Halsin felt a mix of gratitude and reluctance at Shadowheart's offer. The idea of seeking solace in a makeshift gravesite sounded like a temporary respite, a bandage on a wound that cut deep into his soul. But he knew he needed to gather his strength, to find a way to honor your memory even with the weight of your absence heavy in his heart.

As the night descended upon the grove, Halsin found himself alone in the quiet darkness, surrounded by the hushed whispers of nature. Memories of you flooded his mind, each one a bittersweet reminder of what once was and what could have been. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed you somehow, that he should have been there to protect you from whatever fate had befallen you.

Tears welled up in Halsin's eyes as he sat beneath the starlit sky, a silent prayer whispered into the night for your spirit to find peace wherever it may roam. That wherever you had passed on to would have a view of the same stars he gazed upon now.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

You awoke with a stretch, rubbing the ache out of your hips softly. It took a little more effort to get out of bed with your bump, your center of gravity becoming difficult to gauge.

With a yawn, you looked out the small open window, taking in the bright peace of the morning. Birds sang throughout the trees, melody winding through the sound of the leaves in the wind.

You let your eyes flutter shut as you ground yourself, inhaling the faintly sweet scent of wildflowers. You started most mornings off this way, determined to start the day with positive and uplifting thoughts.

That and because the serenity of nature made you feel closer to Halsin without the painful ache of longing.

You shuffled off the small bed, stretching once more. You had definitely overslept today, your morning chores would be getting a much later start than usual.

You went about your morning routine with a sense of purpose, softly chiding the swell of your belly to not make the day too hard on it’s mother.

Your mind drifted away as you worked, absentmindedly wondering whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. You’d heard old wives tales about whether the bump sat low or high correlating to the gender, but you really couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter too much in the end, all you could hope for was a safe delivery.

While you were tidying your makeshift kitchen, you heard the soft crunch of footsteps approaching the cabin door. You left it open during the day, letting the cool forest air in. It would be impossible to miss any movement with it open, your ears too trained to sense change.

You sighed, figuring it was Shadowheart trying to convince you to join the land of the living once again. You tried to steel yourself, silently promising to be a little more agreeable this time even if your answer hadn’t changed.

“It’s still a no, Shadowheart, I don’t-“

You turned to the doorway and your words caught in your throat.

You stood absolutely still and silent, sure that your eyes were playing tricks on you.

Could it be possible? There in your doorway…

There stood Halsin.

You clutched at your chest, taking a tentative step back as you tried to make sense of what you were seeing. Halsin’s expression seemed to match your own. Silence, tense and heavy settling between you.

“Halsin?” You whispered, your voice cracking with uncertainty.

He stood there in the doorway, his gaze locked with yours, a mix of similar emotions seeming to swirl in his own eyes. The weight of his presence in the room felt palpable, like a storm brewing on the horizon, ready to unleash its fury.

You felt a surge of conflicting emotions wash over you - disbelief, hope, confusion. How could he be here after all this time? After everything that had happened? Your heart pounded in your chest, the silence stretching between you like an unspoken barrier.

Halsin took a hesitant step forward, as if afraid that any sudden movement would shatter the fragile moment hanging between you. His voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke your name, as if testing the reality of the situation.

You found yourself at a loss for words, your mind reeling with questions and doubts. Was this some trick of fate, a cruel illusion playing with your heart? Or was he truly standing before you, his towering figure all too large for the tiny doorframe you had made your life in?

Halsin’s eyes remained glued to yours as you stood, his lips parted as he seemed to search for the words he wanted to say. His eyes flitted to the ground before he went rigid.

You watched, breath caught in your throat as Halsin’s gaze locked onto your stomach.

Onto the soft swell of his child growing inside of you.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Part 5 ~ End

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

323 notes · View notes

ma1dita · 1 month

Text

jo's 23rd birthday bash! - the collection

thanks for celebrating with me! (note that these titles are so half-assed but i needed a way to organize them for this list; adding as i update)

last edited: 4/6

luke castellan

long distance (mdni)

long distance pt 2 (mdni)

18 (suggestive)

alone in cabin 3 (mdni)

keeping score (mdni)

wounded pride (fluff)

sick!bf!luke hcs (fluff)

luke x thanatos!reader hcs (fluff)

counting sheep (fluff)

driver's seat (mdni)

pinky promise (fluff)

in sickness & in health (trouble!verse, fluff)

jason grace

fixer upper (fluff)

work hard, party harder (fluff)

jason x eris!reader hcs (fluff)

remus lupin

more than friends, less than lovers (fluff)

sirius black

shape of you (fluff)

farleigh start

farleigh x foreign!reader hcs (fluff)

misc.

luke castellan x aphrodite!reader moodboard

luke castellan x athena!reader moodboard

luke castellan x oc moodboard

college!aaron x reader moodboard

fred weasley x oc moodboard

child of apollo headcannons

#jo's 23rd birthday bash ⋆｡°✩#luke castellan x reader #jason grace x reader #aaron hotchner x reader #remus lupin x reader #sirius black x reader #farleigh start x reader

76 notes · View notes

bwabys-scenarios · 9 months

Text

Fixer Upper

Part 10

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

part 9

part 11

A/N: the next chapter will be a flashback to the Hunter Exam!!

taglist: @fabitheraven @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @lemonslut @homeinmydreams @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc @itszenava @fiightforlovee @mimi-sanisanidiot @monainanuttshell @wow-im-gay @whorermoviestar @lightshowerrr @mama-m1na

If you’d like to be ADDED to the taglist, please comment a red heart ❤️, make sure you’re able to be tagged/mentioned, and have your age in your bio(IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE TAGLIST, YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK TO BE ADDED AGAIN!!)

If you like my writing, come join my discord!! we watch HXH, play games, and spend all night writing sometimes!! there’s also lots of content there that I may never post here!!

As the sun began to rise over their small cabin, (Name) was already awake packing lunches and preparing breakfast.

“You’re up early.”

Kurapika sat down at the kitchen table, sending her a smile. “Oh, yeah, I needed to make sure everything was ready for today. We’ll be at the beach for quite a while, so I had to pack plenty of snacks.”

She looked cute in her matching set of pink pajamas. There wasn’t a time Kurapika could think of when he didn’t think she looked cute.

“Hmm, Kurapika, I’m brewing some coffee. Would you like a cup?”

He glanced up to see her walking forward, sitting down next to him. She seemed rather happy this morning, smiling as she leaned against his shoulder.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun today. I’m excited to spend lots of time with you!”

He pushed her away gently, looking away. She seemed just a little disappointed by this, but continued smiling. “I’ll go make you a cup of coffee.”

She hurried away to the kitchen. Kurapika caught her wiping at her eyes, his stomach twisting knowing he’d probably made her cry again.

He stood up suddenly and walked forward, unable to stop himself. She glanced up just in time to see Kurapika lift a hand and place it on her head in a gentle pat.

“… thank you.”

She blinked, looking up at him confused. He continued patting awkwardly, not able to look her in the eye.

“You’re… you’re welcome?”

(Name) also reached up and patted his head, not knowing what else she should do. They just stared at each other in confusion for a minute, neither willing to back down in fear it would make things even more awkward.

“Of course this is the first thing I see when I wake up at the buttcrack of dawn.”

Leorio stood in the doorway, scowling. He yawned loudly before pouring a cup of coffee for himself.

“Good morning Leorio! How did you sleep?”

“As good as someone can when your roommate is jer-“

Kurapika rushed forward and dragged Leorio away, leaving his cup on the table.

‘Was he about to say jerking off?’ (Name) thought, tilting her head. ‘It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Poor Pik- I mean Kurapika.’

“Hey, what’s the big d-“

Kurapika slammed Leorio against the wall, his eyes shining red in embarrassment. “What the hell were you thinking telling her that? She’s a girl, you know?”

Leorio raised an eyebrow. “Telling her what, that you were jerking off last night? Do you think she cares what you do in the privacy of your- well actually OUR bedroom? Speaking of which, do that in the bathroom next time.”

Kurapika turned red. “I thought you were asleep, and I didn’t want to get up and disturb you.”

Leorio snickered. “You sure did disturb me. Who’s name were you muttering? You got me curious, I thought you said you didn’t have a special someone?”

‘Oh god, he heard me saying (Name)’s name?!’

Kurapika groaned loudly. “It’s none of your business, that’s such a strange question to ask someone.”

He shrugged. “Hey, you’re the one that jerked off with your friend in the room.”

“You’re acting like you didn’t when you, me, and (Name) shared a room before the 4th Phase of the Hunter Exam.”

Leorio’s jaw dropped. “You… you knew!?”

“You’re not exactly quiet.”

The two frowned at each other.

“Let’s never talk about this again.”

“Agreed.”

By the time the two had finished their awkward conversation, Killua and Gon were sat at the table with a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of them.

“You two done making out or whatever? (Name) made breakfast.”

The two blinked. “I would rather die than make out with Leorio.”

Leorio gasped. “I’m offended. (Name), can you believe how mean he’s being to me??”

He ran to her and pulled her into a hug, sticking his tongue out at Kurapika. (Name) patted his back, rolling her eyes. “Well you did try to embarrass him earlier.”

Kurapika stiffened at this. ‘Did she hear enough to guess what he was going to say?’

He could feel the tips of his ears heat up, turning red.

“Ooo, we’re embarrassing Kurapika? I want in!”

(Name) placed Kurapika’s breakfast in front of him. “Don’t worry, you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone does it.”

She gave him a wink before walking away.

‘Does that mean, she…’

He shoved a pancake into his mouth so he could focus on not choking, instead of the thought of (Name) shoving her fingers into her pussy.

———————

It was still early when they arrived at the beach. (Name) set up a few towels along with a large umbrella. Kurapika and Leorio carried her cooler, the boys working on blowing up a beach ball.

“Sunscreen everyone. I don’t think I need to remind you of what happened last t-“

Killua started to sneak away while she was talking. “Gon, get him.”

Leorio and Kurapika glanced at each other before watching Gon chase Killua down the beach, kicking up sand behind them. She waited patiently, rubbing sunscreen on herself while she waited.

As Kurapika helped her rub sunscreen into her back, Gon returned with Killua in tow.

“Oh good, I was afraid I’d have to come after you myself.”

She grabbed Killua by the shoulders and sat him down on the towel to begin applying his sunscreen.

“Last time, you got so sunburned, you cried for days.”

Killua whipped his head around, his cheeks red. “Mom, don’t tell then th-“

When he realized what he said, it was much too late to take it back.

“Hmm? Don’t tell them what?”

The entire group was silent besides (Name). She didn’t seemed fazed at all, the same smile she had on before he began talking still on her face.

Killua’s face turned beet red, and he grabbed Gon’s hand before rushing into the waves.

(Name) watched as Gon asked Killua something, only for the white haired boy to throw him deeper into the ocean.

“Mom, huh?”

Kurapika snickered from his seat on (Name)’s towel. “Didn’t know you had children, (Name).”

She giggled. “Yeah, I have two actually, Gon and Killua. I don’t mind, really. They’re basically my kids already, it doesn’t matter what they call me.”

Kurapika’s eyes softened as (Name) watched the two play with a smile. ‘A mother… hmm.’

He knew she would be a good mom, from her interactions with the two boys alone.

‘She’s going to be an amazing mother, I’ll make sure of it.’

He continued to watch her for a moment before he realized what he’d just thought. Kurapika felt his entire body heat up, causing him to jump up and rush towards the water himself.

‘What am I thinking? I can’t make her a mother, not when I have my goals to complete…’

But the thought of someone else taking that role left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Kurapikaaa!”

(Name) and Leorio ran towards the waves, the former waving as she did. “We brought you your own boogie board!”

He wasn’t paying much attention to her words, his eyes were glued to her chest. She’d gotten a new bathing suit, and this one showed even more skin, if that was possible.

Kurapika was just glad his lower half was under water.

“Okay, so you get on this like…”

She laid the boogie board down in the water and climbed onto it, giggling as she road a wave. Leorio held onto the board by the rope attached to it so she wouldn’t go to far.

“You lie on your tummy and ride the waves!”

Kurapika held onto his own board, watching her with those observant brown eyes. “Hmm… seems easy enough.”

He followed her example, easily riding the wave. “It’s… pretty fun.”

The three played in the waves for a bit, laughing when Leorio got a face full of seaweed when he didn’t duck down quick enough.

Although, they weren’t laughing when a huge wave hit (Name).

“(Name)!”

Kurapika waded over to where she was swept under, his eyes scanning the water before he spotted Leorio pulling her close.

“Is she alright? She could have swallowed some water…”

He continued forward, stopping suddenly.

“Didn’t her top have a… tie in the back?”

(Name) coughed into Leorio’s chest, Kurapika tilting his head.

“Kurapika, she lost her top. Can you find it?”

The blonde paused. “Her… top?”

You could almost hear the sound of the gears turning in his head.

Kurapika’s face turned beet red. (Name) was topless right now, and her chest was pressed up against Leorio, who held her close with no visible reaction.

“Kurapika!”

The blonde snapped out of his thoughts to see Leorio staring at him, seemingly frustrated. “Find her top. We can’t move until you do.”

He nodded quickly, and using his nen he was able to find it. He held the garment up for a moment.

‘Huh. Why is holding this doing something for me?’

He stored that information away for later, making his way to the two quickly. Before, they’d been alone at the beach, but people were beginning to set up on the sand. He needed to get her top to her before some pervert(other than him and Leorio) saw her.

“Here it is.”

He handed the top to Leorio. Kurapika watched as (Name) pulled back a little, able to see a bit of side boob.

Even that was enough to get him rock hard.

“Kurapika, can you tie me up in the back?”

He stared, wide eyed for a few seconds, Leorio raising an eyebrow. “Can you hurry up? Some people are coming this way. You’re the only one that can tie good knots, right?”

Kurapika gulped, reaching down her sides to pick up the strings. “I’m going to tie it now.”

He pulled them taut, glancing down to tie it tightly. Although Kurapika wouldn’t mind her top coming off around him, this was a public beach. For some reason, the thought of anyone else seeing her naked body made him… uneasy. No, that wasn’t quite right.

‘…’

Jealous.

He finished the knot and stepped back. “It’s done.”

Leorio sighed and let (Name) go, the girl turning around to reveal she’d teared up a bit from the embarrassment.

“Thank you!”

She jumped towards him and gave him a hug. The thin fabric of her bathing suit was the only barrier between his bare chest and hers.

‘Leorio, that lucky bastard.’

But if he had been the one to pull her up, would he have been able to shield her body with his own?

‘I would have passed out.’

Kurapika did still send Leorio a suspicious look. Why wasn’t he becoming absolutely flustered from seeing (Name)’s bare chest? It didn’t make sense to him. Leorio was a pervert, that hit on any woman in his vicinity.

And that pervert didn’t so much as blush with her boobs pressed up against him.

‘If that had happened to me…’

He pictured the scenario in his mind, (Name)’s breasts pressed into his chest.

“Kurapika, you coming?”

(Name) had pulled away from the hug and walked away and joined Leorio on the boogie boards again.

“On my way.”

————————

The group gathered under her umbrella for lunch. Gon and Killua grabbed their premade sandwiches and a bag of chips each before Killua dragged him away again.

“Seems mommas boy is still embarrassed about earlier.”

(Name) smacked Kurapika’s arm playfully. “Oh stop it, don’t tease my baby.”

“Your baby?”

The image of (Name) carrying a baby on her hip, smiling in her kitchen as Kurapika returned home from work.

He shook the thought from his head. He didn’t want to think about how warm and fuzzy the thought of her carrying his child made him feel.

“Kurapika, you should eat your chips before Leorio does.”

The blonde blinked before snatching the small bag of chips from Leorio’s hands. “Just because I haven’t eaten them yet doesn’t mean you can have them.”

“You snooze you lose, bozo.”

Kurapika scowled before throwing a handful of chips into his mouth.

(Name), who thought he was acting like this because he was hangry, used her spoon to scoop a few of her strawberries onto Kurapika’s plate.

“Here, you like strawberries, right? You can have some of mine.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her he in fact didn’t like strawberries that much. The seeds got stuck in his teeth and he wasn’t a huge fan of the texture.

Kurapika popped one into his mouth, giving her a small smile. “Thank you.”

The three ate their lunch in silence, Leorio occasionally attempting to steal some of Kurapika’s chips. “Try that again and I’ll be biting off a finger.”

“Seems like Killua is rubbing off on you.”

(Name) stood up and stretched, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Anyone up for some volleyball?”

The two glanced at each other, then to her.

“What’s volleyball?”

(Name) explained volleyball to the two, mimicking the movements as she explained.

“But we’d need more players. It’s only the three of us.”

She nodded. “Yeah, so we’re going to ask around and see if anyone would like to play with us.”

She began to walk away to ask, but Kurapika grabbed her wrist. “Wait, I’ll go with you.”

“Hmm? I can handle myself, you know.”

Kurapika glanced around the area, easily spotting several men eyeing her from other spots on the beach. He shook his head. “I’m not saying you can’t, I just… want to walk with you.”

This seemed to make the girl perk up. “With me? Oh, okay!”

Leorio rolled his eyes as they walked away, hand in hand. ‘Manipulative bastard. He knows she can’t say no to him wanting to spend time with her.’

Leorio didn’t exactly love that Kurapika was using her affection for him to his advantage, but he wasn’t doing it to be cruel.

At least not now.

Kurapika had to admit, he didn’t mind walking hand in hand with (Name). She was so warm, her presence always seemed to exude warmth and comfort. It was hard to NOT relax when he was around her.

It was yet another thing he added to the list of reasons to get away as soon as possible.

But while he was here… he could indulge in her. Just a little.

“Hi!”

(Name) had stopped in front of a mixed group of men and women, who were all sitting under a tent.

A few of the people turned to look at her.

“We’re going to play some volleyball, and wanted to see if anyone here would like to join us!”

A few of the people stood up. Two women, and three men. “Sure, we’ve got nothing better to do!”

The two women warmed up to (Name) almost instantly as they walk back, chatting with her. Kurapika wasn’t sure why, but he felt… competitive at the moment.

“Your bathing suit is so cute, (Name)! Where did you get it from?” one of the women asks, looking (Name) up and down.

(Name) answered with a smile, the women nodding along as she talked. Kurapika had been subtlety pushed to the side so they two women could walk, one on each of her sides.

And he didn’t like that, not one bit.

“(Name).”

She looked back, the women stopping.

“Yes?”

Kurapika took the opportunity to lock arms with (Name), glancing between the two women. (Name) seemed happy that he was touching her all on his own.

“Is she your girlfriend or something?”

Kurapika began to answer, but noticed they were talking to (Name), not him.

‘Do they think… we are two women in a relationship?’

Kurapika blinked rapidly, now realizing the way they were looking at (Name). Their eyes were on her body, taking in her curves.

“Oh, no, he’s not my boyfriend. Just my…”

She glanced at him. “Just a friend.”

Kurapika didn’t know why, but her hesitation to call him a friend hurt his feelings. ‘Just a friend..’

The two women seemed to perk up. “Really, then you’re single?”

“Yeah!”

Kurapika noticed the three men sipping on some alcoholic beverages as they trailed behind them. It was clear they weren’t paying attention to the conversation. He wouldn’t have to worry about them, but obviously the women in front of him were interested in (Name).

The arrived at (Name)’s umbrella shortly after, Leorio jumping up to greet the two women.

“Hello, I’m Leorio, and what are you two lovely ladies names?”

The first woman, a tall blonde with sun kissed skin smiled. “I’m Mellow.”

“And I’m Tasha!” said the shorter brunette. Leorio shook both of their hands.

“You two ladies sing-“

“We’re lesbians.”

Kurapika and Leorio blinked, the two women once again standing by (Name)’s side. “Oh!”

(Name) didn’t seem surprised, smiling at the two. “So how should we split up teams?”

The teams went like this: (Name), Leorio, Mellow, and one of the men. The other team was Tasha, two of the men, and Kurapika.

The blonde scoffed as he joined the other team, watching (Name) talk with Mellow softly, occasionally giggling.

If he’d been holding the volleyball, it would have popped.

————————

After the game, (Name) exchanged numbers with Mellow and Tasha. They offered to take her out for drinks before they left town. “Just call if you’re interested! See you later, cutie.”

(Name) became flustered at that, waving as they left. Leorio glanced to Kurapika, raising an eyebrow at his irritated expression.

“What’s got your panties in a twist, Kurapika?”

The blonde huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m completely calm. Happy even.”

“Uh huh.”

(Name) ran back over, her breasts bouncing. Kurapika’s eyes followed her movements, staring at her chest.

“I think it’s about time to get back home. It’s better to leave a little early, so we don’t get caught up in the crowd.”

The blonde nodded, his irritation fading away. “That’s smart, if we were to leave later it would take much longer to get home.”

(Name) pulled her bikini top up a little, turning towards the water. “Let’s get a little more time in the water, then we’ll go!”

Without another word, the ran towards the waves, jumping in. Leorio followed right behind her. “Don’t get water in your no- oh she already did.”

Kurapika snickered from his place on their beach towel, watching as Leorio patted (Name)’s back. Her pouty face was cute, he had to admit.

“Why are you staring at (Name) like some sort of creep?”

Kurapika glanced up to see Killua and Gon walking towards him, carrying buckets of fish they’d caught. Was that a crab in Gon’s hair? Questions for later.

“(Name)? You must mean your mom, right?”

Killua turned red, dropping the bucket so water would splash onto the blonde. “Hey, you little-“

“Kurapika, watch me!”

He paused, looking out into the water as (Name) dived under, doing a handstand. She resurfaced, seeming proud of herself.

“Did… did you see me?”

Kurapika glanced to Leorio, who nodded. “… yes. It was um… cool?”

Her smile widened and she continued playing with Leorio, splashing and laughing.

‘Cute.’

Kurapika had forgotten about Killua’s actions, continuing to watch the girl with a fond smile on his face.

“Ew. He’s still watching her. Should I call the police? No, the pound.”

Gon pinched his friend’s cheek. “Oh, hush Killua. Don’t embarrass him. He’s already sitting all by himself.”

Kurapika glanced around to see he was, in fact, completely alone besides the two. “… I’m alone on purpose.”

“Sure you are. (Name) didn’t want to cuddle up with you?”

The blonde turned red, throwing a handful of sand in the boy’s face. “Shut up, you brat.”

“Oh no.”

Gon watched on as they threw sand at each other, just glad that Killua hadn’t resorted to biting off any fingers.

“And just what in the HELL do you two think you’re doing?”

Killua and Kurapika paused, the white haired boy just about to shove a handful of sand into the others mouth.

“Um… bonding?”

The two sat on their knees in front of (Name) as she chewed them out. “You god sand everywhere! Now it’s going to take twice as long to pack up!”

Kurapika didn’t want to admit how hot it was having her peer down at him, a scowl on her lips. It didn’t help that when she crossed her arms, it pushed up her breasts to show even more cleavage.

“… sorry (Name)…”

Killua stuck out at Kurapika as he apologized. “Yeah, sorry mo-“

Before he could even get the entire word out, Kurapika was laughing.

“Ugh… I’m sorry, (Name). It won’t happen a-“

“Don’t be sorry.”

Killua paused, his eyes widening ever so slightly when (Name) kneeled down in front of him. “Don’t you ever apologize for something like that. I love you, Killua, and if you wanted to call me mom, I wouldn’t mind at all. After all, if you can give me all these wrinkles, you’ve gotta be my baby, right?”

He takes a minute to process this, his eyes trained on (Name)’s face. She was being completely serious.

“…”

He didn’t respond, only sighing in contentment when she pulled him in for a hug. “It’s your choice, though. I don’t mind either way.”

She pulled away and kissed his forehead. “Though, I am honored that you think of me as a mother figure. I have a real special kid.”

She stood up, Leorio and Gon started packing up (Name)’s stuff so they wouldn’t be scolded too.

“Alright, it’s time to go. Let’s get to the car!!”

They raced off, (Name) being picked up by Leorio.

“You’re too slow, and you forgot your shoes in the car. The sand will burn your little toes.”

He held up one of her legs in the air, bending her into an awkward position.

“Leorio I think the entire beach can see my-“

He quickly pushed her leg back down. “Whoops, so-“

Kurapika snatched her out of his hands. “You probably did that on purpose, you filthy pervert.”

(Name) blinked. He’d thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ‘Well, he’s no Prince Charming but…’

She giggled, feeling his hand grip onto her thigh so she didn’t slip. ‘At least I know he cares.’

“(Name), you gonna cook these crabs for dinner?”

She glanced down a Gon, who had a crab stuck in his hair. “Sweetheart, are you aware that on of them is on your head?”

“Oh yeah, that’s Hanzo the third. He’s going to be my pet.”

‘Another Hanzo? This is getting out of hand.’

“That’s… wonderful.”

———————

“Oh no… Hanzo the third escaped!”

Killua shrugged. “I threw him in the pot.”

Gon collapsed to the floor. “NOO THAT WAS MY SECOND FAVORITE HANZO!”

“Is the real Hanzo the first?”

“Oh, no way. It’s Hanzo the Second.”

Kurapika watched this as he cut up celery and onions. If he was good at anything in the kitchen, it was slicing up vegetables.

“Killua, that was his pet. You apologize to Gon before i confiscate your chocolate robots.”

(Name) pointed a wooden spoon at the boy, a scowl on her face.

“… sorry Gon. Your friend will be delicious.”

‘Good enough, I guess.’

(Name) gave Kurapika a smile. “Thanks for helpful me out, I really appreciate it. Oh, and for carrying me earlier.”

He returned her smile, dumping the vegetables into a bowl. “It’s no trouble, you’re as light as a feather.”

She waved her hand. “Oh, you sweet talker, you!”

Leorio shrieked when a crab pinched his finger, waving it around. “SHIT! HANZO THE THIRD GOT ME!”

“HE’S STILL ALIVE!?”

Gon grabbed the crab and rushed out before Killua could take him again. The white haired boy shrugged. “Must of been one tough crab. Gotta go see this…”

He followed Gon outside.

Leorio blew on his injured finger, (Name) holding out her hand. “Want me to make it better, Leorio?”

He nodded, placing his hand in hers.

‘Oh, I’ll get to see her nen ability up close!’

Kurapika watched as Leorio’s fingers swelling went down almost immediately, the man sitting. “Yeesh, I forget how much your nen drains me.”

“Drains?” Kurapika asked, tilting his head.

“Well, drain is a bit excessive. When I use my nen, it takes some of the stamina of the person I’m helping to make their wounds heal faster. Technically I’m not healing, just speeding up the individuals healing time.”

Kurapika’s eyes widened. “So you use time based nen? I didn’t know that was possible.”

‘She’s more talented than I thought. An ability like that would be incredibly useful.’

“Can it only be used on humans?”

She blinked. “Well, I’ve used it on inanimate objects before, like doors, but haven’t tried it on anything else.”

He nodded slowly. ‘Interesting, so she can speed up the time of anything she touches? Or her aura touches..?’

“I have to be in at least a 15 foot proximity to my target for it to work. It’s not good for long range, I’m afraid.”

“Still, it’s an interesting ability.”

She smiled. “So I’ve been told. It helps me get a lot of work.”

Kurapika paused. “Work?”

“Yeah, I take on missions as a Support Hunter. That means people hire me to provide support in battles or missions. Oftentimes it’s fellow hunters that hire me, but occasionally I get a rich guy that wants a pretty lady taking care of him.”

Kurapika scowled. “That’s… hmm.”

She waved her hands. “Don’t worry, my customers aren’t perverts, they’d just prefer a woman caring for them than a man. And if I’m getting paid, I don’t care if they’re staring at my butt.”

He stopped himself from saying that HE cared. Why should he? And why should his opinion even matter?

“Well I care. If any of them lay a finger on you, tell me.”

Leorio patted her head, giving her a smile. Kurapika cursed himself for not speaking up, seeing (Name) blush at Leorio’s words.

“Aww, my sweet Leorio!”

She pulled him down and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hugging him right.

Kurapika could only watch, his hand twitching. Had he only voiced his thoughts, that could be him. But would she do that, even if he had said something? He had been pushing all of her affection away lately…

“Kurapika? Are the vegetables ready?”

“Oh- yes!”

The three continued cooking for a while longer, though Kurapika noticed (Name) wincing and rubbing her lower back throughout the night.

———————

After dinner, the group decided to turn in early. A day spent at the beach had even worn Killua out. (Name) tucked them in for bed, kissing each of their foreheads before grabbing a snack from the kitchen.

Kurapika was already there, munching on some cookies (Name) baked after dinner. He glanced up when she walked in, pausing mid bite.

“Oh, hi (Name). These are really good.”

She giggled, taking a cookie for herself. “I’m glad you like them. Have as many as you’d like.”

The blonde shook his head. “Oh, don’t say that. I’ll end up eating all of them.”

(Name) leaned against the counter raising an eyebrow. “How can you always eat so much and barely gain any weight? I’m jealous.”

She finished her cookie before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Well, my nen takes a lot of energy to produce, so I have to refuel by eating.”

Her expression shifted to one of concern. ‘Is that why he lost weight? His nen must be using more energy than he’s gaining back through eating…’

She walked forward, pouring some milk into a cup and handing it to him. “Here, drink up!”

“Oh, thank you.”

He sipped on his drink, watching her from the corner of his eye. She was tidying up the kitchen, putting away the dishes and wiping down the counters. Even on vacation, she was at work.

“Here, let me help.”

He grabbed the rag she’d been using to wipe down the counters, shooing her away. “I’ll finish up in here, you go get some rest.”

Usually, (Name) would protest, but she was feeling more tired than usual, and her body was aching. “Yeah, ok. Thank you.”

He watched her shuffle off to her bedroom, hissing as she rubbed her back again. ‘Did she hurt her back today? Our game of volleyball was pretty intense…’

Kurapika thought about going after her to offer to massage her back or grab her some medicine, but stopped halfway.

The Kurapika that diligently took care of her when she was hurt, rubbing soothing hands into the aching parts of her body was gone. He couldn’t let himself become that person again, not if it meant getting her hopes up that he was back, and there to stay.

He didn’t want to hurt her, he’d done enough already.

Instead, Kurapika walked to his and Leorio’s shared room. He knocked before stepping in.

“Come in.”

Kurapika sighed, plopping down onto his bed. Leorio was lying atop the covers, wearing only his boxers. “Why can’t you wear pajamas like a normal person? What if (Name) saw you?”

Leorio grunted, waving his hand. “It ain’t anything she hasn’t seen before.”

Kurapika shot up at this, his eyes wide. “She’s seen you in your underwear?!”

Leorio glanced at him, putting down the porn magazine he’d been looking at. “We lived together for a few months after the Hunter Exam, we’ve seen plenty of each other.”

‘Of each other? Does that mean…’

That made sense, considering Leorio’s reaction earlier today, or lack there of. If he’d already seen her naked, that would explain everything.

“How… how much have you seen? Of her, I mean.”

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know? It’s really none of your business.”

“It is. She’s my friend.”

“It’s a weird question to ask about a friend, but…”

Leorio groaned as he stretched, letting a loud yawn. “Just her chest, really. She’s seen everything of me, you know that from the Hunter Exam.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Kurapika sighed, partially relieved. ‘If he’s only seen her chest, that means they haven’t…’

He’d had his suspicions the two were together, unable to really tell, but with this it made sense how close they were. They’d lived together, and had been very close since York New.

When the group parted ways after rescuing Killua, Leorio and (Name) had tickets for the same airship, so they’d left together. He hadn’t thought much about it then, but perhaps on the way there they agreed to live with each other.

(Name) got an apartment in York New around July 2nd-4th, meaning the two spent at least four months living together. That was a lot of time to be around another person, more time he’d spent with the group all together.

Actually, the fourish weeks he’d spent at (Name)’s house was the longest he’d stayed with his friends.

Kurapika turned over, staring out the window at the ocean view. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, the past few weeks had been some of the best he’d had in years. (Name) really did know how to make him feel better.

She’d always been like that. Soft, kind, considerate. He wanted to protect that pretty smile of hers, more than anything he wanted to keep her happy forever.

Maybe in a different life, in a different body, he could be the person that followed her to her room and soothed her pain.

But he couldn’t be that person right now, and wasn’t sure he could ever be what she needed. His life was one of danger, bloodshed, and revenge. A pure soul such as herself had no place by his side.

She was an angel, and he was a lowly devil. He didn’t want to dirty her with his blood soaked hands, even if all he wanted was to touch, to hold her.

Kurapika felt his heart begin to race as he thought about her. He tried to calm himself, thinking about his mission.

Eventually, he was able to sleep. Not before masturbating to the picture they’d taken together at the beach, just him and her. She’d insisted on it, sending him the picture after. He wondered if she’d noticed how her nipples poked through her thin bikini top, or how cute her smile was.

Kurapika sighed, feeling relieved before passing out.

——————

The blonde awoke to the sound of creaking floorboards. He groaned, slipping on the house shoes (Name) brought for him before sliding towards the door, rubbing his tired eyes.

Creeping down the hallway was (Name), and Kurapika quickly noticed she was wearing a different pair of pants than she’d gone to sleep in.

“(Name) what are you doing up so late? I thought I told you to rest.”

He almost sounded cranky, fumbling for the light switch. She stood with her back to him, stiffening. “Oh, um… I just woke up, I’ll be going back to bed soon, promise.”

Kurapika rubbed his temple before walking over to her. “You-“

He blinked. She was carrying her sheets, and her pair of pants. He could see the distinct color of red staining the sheet.

“Oh.”

He let her go, the girl turning to him, looking embarrassed.

“I’ll go get Leorio.”

Kurapika patted her shoulder, trying to put her at ease. He knew it couldn’t exactly be fun for someone to see she’d bled through both her pants and the sheets in her sleep.

Thankfully, a similar situation had happened during the Hunter Exam, so he knew what to do this time.

Kurapika shook Leorio’s shoulder roughly, the dark haired man swatting his hand away before rolling over.

“Leorio, it’s (Name). She’s, um…”

At the mention of (Name)’s name, he shot up, eyes wide.

“What happened? She didn’t hurt herself, did she?”

Kurapika shook his head, blinking. “No? She just… she started… her…”

Leorio sighed, holding a hand to his chest. “You woke me up because she started her period? God, don’t scare me like that, Kurapika.”

Despite his words, Leorio stood and walked to the living room, where (Name) sat after putting the clothes and sheets on to wash.

“Hey, (Name).”

He plopped down in front of her, opening his suitcase. Because (Name) had irregular and heavy periods, he carried both pads and Midol with him.

“You have pads?”

She nodded slowly, looking uncomfortable with Kurapika lingering behind the couch. Although she didn’t mind talking to Leorio about these things due to how close they’d become, Kurapika had become close to a stranger.

“Oh, um. Do you need anything?” Kurapika asked, hovering around her. Despite hesitating to help her earlier that night, he couldn’t help but feel he needed to do SOMETHING. He’d seen how much pain her period caused her first hand.

“There’s a…” she held onto her abdomen, hissing in pain before continuing, “a heating pad in the storage closet down the hall. Could you grab it?”

“On it.”

While he walked away, Leorio grabbed her a cup of juice so she could take some pain medicine. He also made sure do a quick check up using the equipment he had on hand.

“You seem alright, fortunately. You should eat something before you go back to bed, though. How about some leftovers?”

She nodded, a sigh leaving her lips. “Yeah, make me a plate, please?”

“Of course.”

Kurapika returned with the heating pad, plugging it in before wrapping it in a towel and handing it to (Name). “Here.”

She sighed softly as she rested the heating pad against her abdomen. “Thank you, this always helps. You’re so sweet to me…”

Her hand held onto his, her thumb rubbing against his knuckles gently.

He felt his cheeks heat up. “I-it’s no problem, really. I know, at least during the Hunter Exam, your… it was very painful for you.”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, and you were there for me then, too. I love you, so much.”

He felt his entire body stiffen, his lips parting in a silent gasp. She’d told him this before, she’d said it to all of her friends, but it always caught him off guard.

He could tell she meant it, and it made his heart thump painfully against his chest.

“…”

Quietly, he sat down next to her. He kept his hand in hers, not saying anything when she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Remember when I chewed Hanzo out when he asked if I was on my period?”

Kurapika snickered. “Yeah. I wanted to slap him.”

“I mean, the answer was yes b-“

“He still had to no right to ask that. The crude bastard.”

(Name) felt her lips curl into a smile. Leorio came around the corner, (Name) poking her head up.

“Here you go, doll face. Eat up.”

He set the plate in front of her, (Name) happily munching away. “Mmm, I was barely able to eat dinner, but now that I’ve had some medicine I feel well enough to eat.”

‘She didn’t eat much at dinner? I didn’t even notice…’

But Leorio had. He plopped down on the other side of (Name), turning the TV on.

“I’ll stay with you until you’re ready to sleep. Wanna watch Sailor Moon or something?”

She nodded, unable to speak because her mouth was full.

“Thought so, it’s one of your favorites after all.”

Another thing Kurapika didn’t know about (Name). He stole a piece of fish from her plate, suddenly realizing he was hungry again.

“Hey!”

She sent him a glare, pulling her plate towards Leorio, who also stole a piece from her plate.

“Rude, go make your own if you’re hungry!”

Kurapika chuckled. He remembered just a few hours ago, she had no problem sharing one of her favorite fruits with him, and now she was being stingy with her food. It was cute, honestly.

“Leorio, I’m going to make myself a plate. Do you want anything?”

“I’ll come with.”

The two walked to the kitchen together, Leorio opening the fridge to take the leftovers out again.

“She’s going to be alright. I checked, nothing is out of the ordinary.”

Kurapika visibly relaxed, leaning against the counter. “Good, good. Last time, she got so… sick? I guess weak would be a better term. It was…”

“Scary?”

The blonde nodded, taking out two plates. “Yeah. I never knew a woman’s menstrual cycle could cause such symptoms.”

Leorio sighed. “Yeah, well I finally got her to see a doctor about it when she stayed with me. Now she takes medicine to regulate her period. The pain and nausea is still there, but at least it’s not as bad as… before.”

It felt a bit awkward to be discussing their female friend’s menstruation, but they’d both seen how badly it affected her during the Hunter Exam. Leorio didn’t want Kurapika to worry too much.

“I see. That’s good, I remember you were worried she might be anemic.”

Leorio nodded, pulling his heated food out of the microwave. “Thankfully she wasn’t, but having a period as heavy as hers can cause it.”

The two walked back to the living room, food in hand. They plopped down onto the couch, one on each side of (Name).

She seemed invested in her anime, barely acknowledging that they had come back.

“Hmm, guess we’ll be waking up late.” Leorio said with a yawn. (Name) shook her head.

“Actually, I’m getting up early to go collect seashells. Because I’m on my period, I probably won’t stay at the beach all day tomorrow.”

Kurapika frowned. “I can stay home with you, if-“

She shook her head again. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to do anyways. I’ll need everyone out of the house before lunch.”

The two glanced at each other. “Are you sure you should be alone all day?”

“I’ll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll send texts throughout the day.”

Leorio sighed. “Alright, but if I don’t get hourly texts I’m going to rush home, and I WILL treat you like a baby the rest of the trip.”

(Name) shivered. “Noted.”

They stayed up for a little longer, watching anime and eating leftovers before (Name) began to nod off.

“Hmm… (Name), I think it’s bedtime.”

Leorio scooped her up, only chuckling when she complained. “Hey, I let you stay up for an entire hour, it’s time to sleep.”

She pouted, but stayed quiet.

“… I can take her to bed.”

Leorio raised an eyebrow. “I’ve got it.”

And he was gone without another word. Kurapika watched, gripping onto the fabric of his shirt as Leorio entered her bedroom.

———————

(Name) woke up at around 5 am, yawning before pulling on a pair of shorts and a tshirt. She picked up a small bucket, walking down the hallway and sitting to slip on her shoes.

“(Name)? You’re up early.”

Killua stood in the doorway to his and Gon’s shared room, staring at her with this big, catlike eyes.

“Yeah, I wanted to go collect some shells before the beach got too crowded. They wash up during the night and in the mornings, then most of the pretty ones get snatched up before we would get there.”

She stretched, a small smile on her face when she glanced down at the strawberry patterned flip flops on her feet. They were a gift from Killua, and he seemed proud to see her wearing them.

“Oh, ok. Can I come with?”

“Yeah, just get dressed and meet me outside in 5 minutes.”

He tiptoed back into his room and got dressed as quickly as he could. (Name) offered him her hand when he met her outside, the boy taking it instantly.

They walked along the beach, Killua letting go of her hand to trail behind her.

He had only come to make sure she was safe, barely kicking the sand as he walked. Killua watched her pick up shell after shell, occasionally tossing some less desired ones back into the ocean.

But he noticed she’d missed a large shell, half buried in the sand. Killua caught up to her, handing (Name) the shell.

“Hey, you missed one.”

(Name) gasped, turning around the shell in her hands, beaming.

“Killua, this is the prettiest shell I’ve seen all morning! Good eye!”

She patted his head before continuing her search.

‘…’

Killua began running around the beach, finding shells she wouldn’t be able to see because of his superior eyesight. Every time, she gasped in delight, praising him for his finds.

He seemed to be having fun, making a game out of collecting bigger, shinier, prettier shells.

Within 20 minutes, the bucket she brought was full. “Wow, team work really makes the dream work. These are gorgeous, Killua!”

He blushed from her praise, kicking at the sand in embarrassment. “Thanks…”

She left her bucket on the beach, looking out at the water. “Oh, let’s wade in the waves, we might see some cool fish!”

He followed her into the water, the two crouching to watch fish swim by. They were quiet, but Killua couldn’t help but gasp when a small shark swam by, shaking (Name)’s shoulder.

“Mom, mom look!”

He paused, but this time tried not to run away in embarrassment. He didn’t want to scare the fish away, or spook the shark.

“Oh, wow! What a pretty shark.”

They continued this for a while, occasionally wading to different parts of the beach to see other creatures.

The sun was rising over the beach when (Name) stood. “Alright, it’s time to get home. If I don’t make breakfast, Gon will start chewing on the furniture again.”

He nodded, following her towards the beach. Killua enjoyed these moments with (Name), where he could have fun and enjoy what the world had to offer, without judgment. In front of her, he didn’t have to put up a front. He could be himself, completely.

“Killua, hop on!”

(Name) crouched down, looking back at him. Killua huffed. “I’m getting to big for piggyback rides.”

She tilted her head. “Now matter how big, or how small, you’ll always be my baby. Now hop on, we gotta hurry.”

She turned her head back around, and he had to clench his fist to keep himself from tearing up. Killua climbed on her back and she stood, holding onto his legs.

“See? Not too big. Still my little guy.”

He buried his face in her hair, sighing softly. She always made him feel safe, loved. It wasn’t often that Killua relaxed enough to fall asleep while being carried, but he easily dozed off as she carried him home.

(Name) held back a giggle at realization he’d fallen asleep. ‘He must if still been tired whne he agreed to come with me. My sweet Killua…’

As (Name) approached the Cabin, Kurapika was waking up. He stood and walked to the living room, noticing he felt (Name)’s aura outside, not inside.

The blonde peaked out the window to see her walking back from the beach, Killua asleep on her back. The sight made Kurapika’s heart race.

He couldn’t help but think of her carrying HIS offspring, not Killua. She really would make a great mother, and maybe she already was one.

Kurapika opened the door and ran down the stairs, meeting (Name) halfway.

“You shouldn’t be carrying anything heavy right now, (Name). Let me get him.”

She didn’t argue, allowing Kurapika to gently take Killua. “Just be careful, that’s my baby.”

Kurapika paused, his cheeks turning pink. ‘How cute.’

“… I’ll be careful.”

He took Killua to his room as (Name) began to cook breakfast, watching her when he returned.

“Kurapika, sweetheart, can you help me with breakfast?”

He hurried forward. “Yes!”

————————

After a quick breakfast, the boys all waved goodbye, carrying their beach equipment away. “Make sure Killua gets his sunscreen on, Leorio!”

“I will! Remember what I said last night, text me every hour!”

“Ugh, I will…”

She folded her arms, watching them go.

“Alright, it’s time…”

(Name) walked back in, closing the front door behind her. She snuck to her room and dug through her suitcase.

“There!”

She pulled out the package Illumi had given her, a big smile on her face. (Name) began to unwrap it slowly, giggling. “He’s going to be so surprised!”

At the beach, Kurapika and Leorio had just finished making sure the two boys were covered in sunscreen.

The blonde lied back on the towel, reading from the book (Name) had dropped at the pool. He’d already finished it a few days ago, but had begun rereading it.

It was definitely smutty, but besides that the plot was interesting. He could see why she liked it, in multiple ways.

‘I wonder if she masturbates while reading this…’

He turned the page before realizing what he’d just thought. He groaned and let the book fall onto his face, shielding his eyes.

Since she’d pretty much confirmed she masturbated, he couldn’t get his mind off of it. At night, he’d imagine how cute she’d look with her butt in the air, fingers pumping in and out of her plump cunt.

What he wouldn’t give to see her face when she orgasmed…

“Kurapika, are you aware you’re over there pitching a tent?”

Kurapika picked the book up and gave Leorio a confused look. “Pitching a hug?”

Leoruo pointed to his crotch. “You’ve got a boner.”

Kurapika looked down and turned red. He was, in fact hard. Leorio threw him a towel to cover himself. “I-I didn’t mean to-“

“It happens, don’t sweat it.”

Despite Leorio’s reassurance, Kurapika still felt incredibly embarrassed. He stood, using the large towel to wrap around himself. “I’m going to turn in early today.”

“By we’ve only been here an hour, and (Name) wanted us gone for a reason.” Leorio said, before taking a sip of the beer (Name) packed for him.

“I’m sure she won’t mind, besides I… need to take care of this.”

Leorio sighed. “Alright. I didn’t want (Name) to be by herself all day anyways.”

Kurapika grabbed a soda before leaving.

————————

(Name) hummed to herself as she began cooking. Although she couldn’t read the directions in the cookbook she’d gotten from Illumi, it had detailed drawings showing exactly what to do.

Thankfully, no one had suspected the few different ingredients she picked out. None of them were things she usually bought, but they weren’t anything she hadn’t worked with before.

She had to make a few substitutions, as she couldn’t include a vegetable only grown in the Lukso Province.

(Name) had in her hands, an official Kurtan Cookbook. It had taken her nearly a year to get it. At first, she planned on gifting it to Kurapika if he made it to Christmas, but not only did he not show up, she wasn’t able to get it on time.

The woman held her abdomen for a moment, feeling a cramp coming on. It was her body telling her she needed to take her medicine again.

She prepared herself a cup of juice and took her medicine before continuing her work.

Thankfully, there was just enough information in the cook book to make proper substitutions. The Lukso Province vegetable she couldn’t get could be substituted with onions and celery. One day, (Name) wanted to go there and propagate some of the plants to properly make this dish for Kurapika.

Well, that was if she ever saw him again after today.

(Name) tried not to tear up thinking about him. They’d been close, so close that up until a few weeks before York New, they’d been texting and calling constantly. Sometimes, they’d even fall asleep while on the phone.

But a few weeks leading up to their meeting, Kurapika slowly began to distance himself from her. At first it was just taking a few hours to message her with the excuse he was busy with training. Then his responses took days, and eventually, he stopped responding at all.

(Name) had been sad, but assumed it was only because of his busy schedule. After all, they would be meeting in just a few days! It shouldn’t matter that he hadn’t called her back in a week.

But even after he was supposed to call her when he arrived in York New, (Name) received nothing. No call, no text, not even an email. He’d essentially ghosted her.

Although they would meet multiple times in York New, not a single one of those meetings was a net positivite, honestly each one left her feeling drained and… useless.

She wiped a stray tear from her eye, pushing the memory of his angry and spiteful eyes out of her mind. So far, he hadn’t shown that side of him, and if he was really never going to see her again, she wanted to remember him for the sweet guy she knew he could be. Not the man who’d broken her heart.

Kurapika arrived at the cabin, blinking at the familiar scent in the air. It filled him with nostalgia, a strange ache in his chest causing him to walk into the cabin less stealthily than he had planned.

Thankfully, (Name) seemed distracted with what she was making in the kitchen.

“Kurapika?”

Or not. Sometimes he forgot she could use nen now, so no matter how sneaky, if he didn’t mask his presence she would sense him. “Sorry, I know you wanted us out of the house, but I… got too overheated.”

It was a quickly thought up lie, and he hoped she wouldn’t see though him. To his relief, she gave him a concerned look and ushered for him to sit down.

“Oh no, I’m sorry. I hope you didn’t feel pressured to stay out there because I asked for you all to be out of the house.”

She brought a wet paper towel to him, gently patting his red cheeks. “Don’t worry, I actually needed you here after all.”

He tilted his head. “For what?”

“First, sit down and I’ll bring you something cold to drink.”

He obliged, sitting at the kitchen table and saying a small thank you when she offered him a cold glass of water.

“Just a moment, I’ll bring you something to try!”

He watched her saunter off, sipping on his drink slowly. She seemed to be feeling better than last night, zooming around the kitchen, stirring pots and peeking in the oven.

Kurapika couldn’t quite tell what she was making from his position.

“Here!”

She blew on a spoon and offered it to him, that pretty smile on her face. “Tell me if you like it!”

Kurapika stared at the spoon. “What is it?”

She pouted. “It’s a surprise, now open up!”

He hesitantly opened his mouth, allowing her to feed him whatever she’d made.

It was some sort of broth, savory with a hint of sweetness.

“Mmm, it’s good. What is it?”

She quirked an eyebrow at the question, Kurapika quickly giving her a shy smile. “Oh yeah, it’s a surprise. Sorry.”

She bit her lip to hold back a laugh. “You’re awfully cute, you know that?”

“Cute?”

“Mhm.”

She ruffled his hair, giggling. He looked down, cheeks turning a light shade of pink before he pushed her hands away.

She sighed, stretching. “Alright, if you’re staying all I ask is you don’t come into the kitchen.”

“Because of the surprise?”

(Name) nodded, twirling around and heading back into the kitchen.

Unfortunately for her, he hadn’t agreed to not look in the kitchen. Kurapika was a curious man, to a fault. He peeked around a corner to see what she was doing.

(Name) had an apron on, humming softly as she moves around the kitchen. ‘If anyone’s cute, it’s her…’ he thought, watching the woman with soft eyes.

She tried a sip of the broth for herself, smiling. “If Kurapika thinks it tastes good that’s all that matters. But…”

She added a pinch of salt before walking away from the pot.

“Hmm…”

She seemed to be looking over a cookbook, but Kurapika couldn’t see what it was for.

“I don’t think I could even pronounce this… maybe Kurapika could…”

He perked up at this, a little flustered. Was it some long word she was having trouble pronouncing? Did she think he was smart?

Kurapika blushed. It wasn’t often that people recognized his intelligence, a trait he prided himself on.

(Name) tapped a finger against her chin, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the name of the dish. She began to pronounce it, Kurapika’s eyes going wide.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s quite right… I’ll have Kurapika teach me how to say it later.”

He stepped away slowly, feeling his entire body heat up.

‘Those… those words…’

He rushed to his bedroom, holding a hand over his mouth as his face went red.

‘That was the Kurtan language…’

But it was the specific words that had Kurapika so flustered.

“A dish for lovers.”

Kurapika gulped, wrapping his arms around himself. He’d heard of this dish from his mother, although she had seemed a bit flustered when explaining it.

It was a dish that consisted of a vegetable based broth, served with rice, poultry, and vegetables only found in Lukso Province. He’d smelled the dish being made for newlyweds before, but had never eaten it himself.

The newlyweds were to eat the dish after consummating their marriage. It was to be shared between the two, while they celebrated with family.

‘We both… we both…’

If two people consumed the dish together, whether married or not, it was said they would be bound together by fate.

Kurapika thought the legend was silly, but with the knowledge the two of them had shared this dish together, he couldn’t help his heart thumping against his chest painfully.

Part of him wanted to be angry she made the dish without knowing what she was doing, but he could tell she was doing it out of love. This was a surprise meant for Kurapika. Something she’d taken the time to do.

His only question was…

‘How did she get that book?’

————————

Leorio opened the front door, carrying Gon on his back. “(Name), we’re b- oh what are you making? That smells great!”

(Name) walked out of the kitchen, smiling. “Shh, come here Leorio.”

The man glanced at the two boys before following her into the kitchen. She smiled brightly before holding up the cookbook.

“Is that…”

Leorio took it from her hands, running his hand over the paper cover.

“Yep! A Kurtan cookbook! I finally got my hands on one!”

He leafed through the pages of the book, eyes wide. “How did you get it? Didn’t the lead you have a few months ago come up empty?”

She nodded, taking the book back and setting it aside. “Yes, it did, and you won’t believe who got this book for me.”

Kurapika tiptoed near the kitchen. He had heard Leorio walk in, and when he heard (Name) begin talking about the cookbook, he drew closer to hear better. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to her the name of the person that got her the book.

“Him? Wow…”

(Name) nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t get it either. Apparently he found it on a job. He killed a flesh collector, and one of the items they’d collected was a Kurtan Cookbook. It wasn’t something the flesh collector was interested in, so they planned on selling it, but thankfully he killed them before they could. I would have hated for this to end up in a collectors hands. It would be disrespectful to Kurapika.”

Could she be anymore considerate? The blonde held a hand over his chest, looking to the floor. He felt both loved and guilty. She’d done such a sweet, selfless thing for him, and in just a day he’d be leaving her for forever.

“(Name)…” Leorio said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re too kind. He’s done nothing to deserve this from you.”

Kurapika flinched, clutching the fabric of his shirt. Leorio wasn’t wrong. What had he done for her that she hadn’t already done for him a hundred times before?

He’d been helping her clean and cook out of guilt, she did this out of love.

“He doesn’t have to do anything. I love him, and I’d do the same for any of you.”

Kurapika walked away, heading back to his room. He couldn’t listen to another word. The blonde plopped down onto his bed, sighing into his pillow.

‘She’s making this so hard for me…’ he thought, tilting his head to stare at the clock above the doorway.

It was around 8:30 pm, meaning she’d spent all day preparing dinner, made specially for him. He blinked lazily, groaning when he heard the door open.

“What?”

“Woah, no need for the attitude dude. I just came to tell you dinner is ready.”

Leorio stood in the doorway, eyebrow raised. “(Name) went through all this trouble for you, so I expect to see you there soon.”

He stood slowly, rubbing his arm. “… I’m coming.”

———————

Kurapika washed his hands before leaving his room, eyes going wide when he saw the dining room.

It was lightly decorated, with a hand written banner saying “Kurapika Going Away Party” hanging from the ceiling.

The table was covered in food, the center being a small vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

He glanced around the room, seeing all of his friends gathered around.

“This… this is all for me?”

(Name) stepped forward, holding the cookbook in her arms. “Yes, and this is for you as well!”

He felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks, his eyes burning a soft red. (Name)’s face fell, reaching hand up to brush his tears away.

“Do you… do you not like it?”

He shook his head rapidly, leaning into her touch. “No, no it’s perfect, (Name). Thank you.”

He took the book from her arms, opening it. It wasn’t an authentic Kurtan handbook, instead a copy, but he still held it tenderly in his hands.

He leafed through it, smiling at the few recipes he recognized. Kurapika had never been a talented cook, but he had helped his mother cook some of the dishes before. Though, helped may have been an exaggeration, he just stirred the pan and dropped in ingredients she handed him.

He chucked at the memory, looking up to see (Name) smiling warmly. “(Name)?”

“Yes?”

He handed the book back, pushing it to her chest. “I want you to keep this.”

“But-“

He shushed her with a raised hand. “I would not be able to put it to proper use. Keep my clans memory alive, and cook these recipes to your hearts content. You have my blessing.”

He smiled, a real genuine smile. She stared up at him with wide eyes, holding the book to her chest. “I will! I’ll make so many of these that Killua will get sick of it!”

“Hey!”

The group laughed, before sitting down to eat.

————————

Sadly, even though they stayed up later than usually eating and watching movies, they eventually had to sleep, ending their vacation.

The next morning, (Name) was up early again getting the cabin cleaned up and packing the rest of her belongings.

Kurapika was also awake, but for different reasons.

He rubbed his eyes after answering the text, barely keeping himself from nodding off when he heard a notification.

Informant: There has been a change in plans.

Kurapika huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hated when plans changed, especially as suddenly as they had now. He was supposed to be leaving at 4 am Friday, and the informant had texted him only a day before they were supposed to be meeting.

Kurapika: What changes?

Informant: We’ll be meeting Saturday evening, not Friday evening.

Kurapika sighed. It was annoying, but nothing he couldn’t plan ar-

Informant: You will also need to bring a partner with you.

“Fuck.”

That wasn’t as easy to plan around. Kurapika didn’t have many friends or acquaintances in the first place, especially ones that would be able to accompany him on a potentially dangerous mission last minute.

He let out a deep breath. ‘I can’t ask Leorio, he has classes, and Gon is leaving for whale island the same day I am. Melody is in another country. Maybe Killua would go if I asked nicely…’

Kurapika: … is there a reason I’ll need a partner?

Informant: the place we’ll be meeting is a restaurant that serves couples only

‘Well, that rules out Killua.’

He thought about just hiring a random woman to accompany him, but knew it wouldn’t be right to put a woman with no experience in danger.

‘Wait… there is one person…’

Kurapika shook his head. ‘No, no I can’t ask her. I couldn’t put her in danger like that.’

He pushed his hair out of his face, sighing. ‘I guess I’ll have to cance-‘

Another text message appeared, this time a picture.

Informant: to make sure you know I’m legit, here is proof I know the information you need

Kurapika felt his eyes go wide, red seeping into them.

The picture was a pair of the scarlet eyes. It was blurry, obviously taken in a rush. The informant wasn’t lying, he knew where a pair of the eyes were.

Now that Kurapika knew this, he couldn’t give up. His mission always came first, after all.

Even if it would mean he’d have to ask (Name) to accompany him. He didn’t want to, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

Kurapika left his bed and walked out into the living room, spotting (Name) sweeping the floor.

‘I’ll ask her later… she’s busy right now.’

He fixed himself a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal, researching the restaurant the informant had sent him. He tried to find some kind of loophole where he could come alone, with no luck.

He sighed, only looking up when the rest of the group woke up and began packing.

——————

Kurapika waited until they were back at (Name)’s house to ask her.

“Hey, uh, (Name)?”

Leorio had left, and the boys were had left for the creek a few minutes before. They were alone, Kurapika having just sat next to her on the couch.

“Yes?”

He bit his lip, toying with his tabard. “Are you… are you busy this weekend?”

(Name) paused, turning away from the show she’d been watching. “Why do you ask?”

The blonde hesitated. “I… I have a favor to ask of you.”

She tilted her head, giving him her full attention. “Go on.”

He let out a breath. “I… I need you to accompany me on my mission.”

Silence. The two stared at each other, (Name) seeming confused, but curious. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“The informant wants to meet in a restaurant only open to couples, and…”

“And you need someone to serve as your date?”

He looked up, surprised to see a teasing smile on her lips. “… correct. He sent me confirmation today that he does in fact have solid information on the scarlet eyes.”

(Name) nodded slowly, curling a finger to her chin in thought. “While I’m not particularly busy this weekend, I will have to speak ask someone to keep an eye on Killua. Give me a moment.”

She stood, walking a way while pulling out her phone. He waited for her to close the door to the bathroom behind her before he followed. Ever curious, Kurapika wanted to know who she’d be calling.

“(Name)? Did you need something?”

It was Leorio. ‘Of course.’ Kurapika thought, pursing his lips.

“Hey, um… I have a favor to ask.”

“Go on.”

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. “Could you watch Killua this weekend? I um… I have some plans.”

Leorio made a confused sound on the other end. “Plans? You didn’t mention any plans to me when were at the beach.”

“Well, they’re a new development.”

Leorio sighed, and Kurapika could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Alright, I’ll do it, but tell me your plans.”

(Name) went quiet for a moment, the only noise the sound of her tapping her nails against the sink.

“Well… you know how Kurapika is leaving Friday?”

“Yeah?”

She twiddled her thumbs. “He… he asked if I could accompany him, because he needs someone to act as his date.”

“And you agreed to that!?”

Both (Name) and Kurapika flinched at the incredulous tone of his voice. “It’s a lead on the scarlet eyes, you know how important that is to him.”

“Yeah, more important than all of us apparently… (Name), you remember York New, right? Do you think accompanying him on a mission is good idea after everything he’s said to you? I can understand taking him in, he’s our friend, but this is too m-“

“Leorio.”

The man paused, sighing. “Sorry. I know, nothing is too much when helping friends, whatever. I’m just… I’m just worried he’ll hurt you again.”

(Name) sighed. “I appreciate your concern, but he hasn’t given me any reason to believe he’ll do it again. He’s been on his best behavior.”

“Besides storming out to chase the phantom troupe and not even bothering to call you back.”

This made (Name) pause. Kurapika looked at the floor.

“… I’m going. If I can help him, I want to.”

Leorio groaned, but didn’t protest any further. “Alright, I won’t stop you, but the moment he makes you uncomfortable you call me and I’ll come get you.”

“I will.”

Kurapika walked away at that, looking down at his phone.

‘I’m sorry, but I’ll be taking advantage of your kindness again, (Name). This is the last thing I’ll ask of you.’

—————

Killua grumbled as he helped (Name) carry her suitcase to the train. Kurapika ended up ordering tickets for late Thursday, not wanting to have (Name) wake up so early Friday.

“Can’t believe you’re doing this for that blonde tw-“

(Name) pinched Killua’s cheek. “Oh, hush. It’s only two days, I’ll be back Monday morning.”

Killua pouted, only calming down when (Name) pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you too, Killua. I’ll call you when we get there, okay?”

He nodded, burying his face in his shoulder.

Kurapika watched, grabbing (Name)’s suitcase from the white haired boy. Killua looked up, frowning.

“If she gets hurt, I swear to g-“

Kurapika held up a hand. “Her safety will be my top priority.”

“I thought your mission came before everything?”

Kurapika’s mouth hung open slightly at Killua’s words. (Name) looked down, sighing.

“I can take care of myself. Come on, let’s get seated.”

She gave Killua one last squeeze before boarding the train, Kurapika following behind.

“Kurapika.”

The blonde turned back, seeing Killua staring at him, his eyes serious.

“I will never forgive you if you let her get hurt. She’s doing this to help you, never forget that.”

Kurapika stayed quiet for a moment before answering.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He sat down next to (Name). They were in first class, sitting comfortably.

She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Ya know, this kind of reminds me of our Hunter Exam days.”

Kurapika leaned his head onto hers. “Yeah…”

The two rode the train in silence, on their way to York New, as (Name) thought back to the Hunter Exam…

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nervoushottee · 5 months

Text

Flaws and All | Joel Miller x F!Reader Series

Summary: You and Joel get caught in a blizzard while traveling. Cooped up in a cabin that is a bit of a fixer upper, the two of you learn how to grow with one another. In the process of waiting out the blizzard, you both have no choice but to accept each other, flaws and all. And maybe, just maybe find more in each other than just a travel partner.

Warnings: early!outbreak Joel, (if that’s even a thing on here? I’m sure it is somewhere), set in the early 2000s a couple years into the outbreak. So Joel still has his dark chocolate baby girl hair (I love his salt and pepper, its the main reason why I chose it for the cover, but for the story its younger Joel). kind of an AU story honestly. Will have SMUT in future chapters so mdni please and thank you

Note: If I’m being honest, this books will not have much editing since I am a working girlie now and hardly have the time to even write in general. Will just be writing for the fun of it and posting when I can. This series is really self-indulgent because I want to be cooped up in a snowy cabin with gruffy strong Joel and I will write it as such. So even though I am posting and writing this for me. I hope you can enjoy it also. <3

———————

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #flaws and all #joel miller x you #joel miller smut #joel fic #joel fanfic #joel smut #joel tlou #joel x reader #joel the last of us #joel #joel miller fluff #joel miller imagine #flaws and all JM

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strixcattus · 1 month

Text

Chapter III: Fight/Flight

Everything goes dark, and he dies.

History

It takes a few minutes of waiting to realize that no one is there.

He can’t blame himself for not making the connection, really. Sure, they could easily chat up a storm even when there’s only three of them, but he’s seen moments of silence before. Maybe the big guy was just taking a moment to assess the situation.

But he isn’t, and when Opportunist finally caves and tries to take a look around, his head turns at his own command.

The cabin is a… bit of a fixer-upper, to be sure. Its doorway is sagging into the ground, and the ceiling doesn’t seem to be the most stable, and the door itself is ragged at the edges and looks as though it might swing inward at any moment. It doesn’t even have a latch. That’s to say nothing of the lopsided, gaping windows that let in a breeze from outside, or the gaps between the logs making up its walls that he can tell are there even though he can’t see them all.

Still, it’s not a lost cause or anything. Log cabins are nice! They’re classic! And old homes are all the rage. With a bit of work to seal up the cracks and some glass in the windows and some insurance that the ceiling wouldn’t cave in and a new door and maybe replacing all the creaking floorboards that feel a moment away from snapping beneath his feet, this place could be a perfectly cozy woodland retreat!

He wonders what sort of Princess lives here. Maybe he should go down and talk to her about the real estate potential.

The blade is perched, as it occasionally is, on the edge of a table which wobbles as he lifts the blade from it. That’ll have to be looked at.

He keeps the blade hidden behind his back as he descends the clearly-aging staircase. If it comes to a fight, he’ll be glad to have it, but there’s no reason to put her off before they’ve even had a chance to speak.

The Princess’s voice, loud and low, reaches him before he can see the basement. “I can smell you,” she growls.

Well! She seems like she’s a very straightforward person. He’s sure they’ll be able to cooperate.

The basement itself is unusually dark, the only light coming from a grate in the ceiling. Even that root cavern, without a window at all, didn’t have shadows like these. Despite the darkness, thick plants press in from the sides of the room, providing a touch of life to the otherwise empty space.

Before his eyes can fully adjust to the lack of light, a shape rises in front of the far wall and disappears into the jungle. That must be the Princess!

“Hello,” he calls out before she can say anything. “Lovely place you’ve got down here!” She doesn’t answer, so he presses on. “The name’s—Broken. And you would be?”

She chuckles from somewhere he can’t see. “We have no need for names here, fledgeling. You’ll never survive if you keep stalling.” Her eyes appear between the leaves, glinting in what little light can reach them. The rest of her is still immersed in shadow.

“Oh, come on. I’m just trying to get things off to a friendly start here!” Opportunist squints, trying to pick out her silhouette. “I’m sure we can cooperate, yeah? You want out, right? I can get you out.”

“You’re right. You can.”

The Princess’s form vanishes, and Opportunist leans further into the darkness. His eyes should adjust soon enough, right? She’s clearly able to see just fine.

Then jaws appear, blotting out his vision, and everything goes dark.

…And he doesn’t die.

He wrenches one eye open to see stomach lining pressing in on all sides, every touch of it stinging his skin. How he’s getting enough light to tell this, he isn’t sure, and he’d rather not think about it too hard.

“I told you you wouldn’t survive if you stalled.” He can hear muffled footsteps through the walls of the Princess’s stomach. “You should have listened.”

He turns on instinct, arm rubbing against the wall of her stomach with a sting that can only mean it’s begun to eat through his sleeve. “Come on, now, I was just trying to start a rapport! I was perfectly happy to work with you. Actually, tell you what—you spit me out, and I still can.”

The Princess laughs, the sound echoing around him. “You are working with me. You’re going to let me out of here.”

“I can’t do that while I’m in your stomach, can I?” Maybe he can still talk his way out of this. Surely she has to listen to reason, right?

“No. But I can.” There’s a pause in the Princess’s movement, before it starts again with the sound of clanging metal. She must have broken the chain.

She does want to escape with him. By eating him.

Well. This may be a lost cause, but it always looks better if you go down fighting.

He digs into the inside of the Princess’s stomach with the blade, flesh parting easily even as his own screams in protest. The skin of his hands is raw and red by now, with most of the feathers on his arms absent. He tries not to look at them.

Gravity pulls him away from his work, and he struggles to regain his footing as all sensation from his legs is replaced by a monotone pain. She’s ascending the staircase.

Little by little, her stomach lining parts, and his hands grow weaker. He can almost see the motion of her heartbeat now. This is his chance to go out a hero.

And wake up in a new, weirder cabin, but that’s just another pro.

He almost swears this process feels familiar.

There’s a slam, jolting him as far as he can be jolted in such a confined space. No doubt the Princess is trying to break down the door. Why not just climb through the window? Surely it’s large enough.

Only seconds left, probably. He’ll have to make this count.

He plunges the blade into the Princess’s heart as sensation cuts out.

He wakes up in a cabin. Time clearly hasn’t treated it as well as it deserves—the ceiling and floor are both sagging, and the door doesn’t look like it latches. The windows are completely devoid of glass, and the logs making up its walls—

This is the same cabin. What’s up with that?

Oh well. A second chance is a second chance, and he’s not about to argue against whatever forces decided he deserved one.

He scoops the blade from the table on his way down. After meeting that Princess, he definitely wants a backup plan if negotiations go sour a second time.

“Back for more?” the Princess taunts, already invisible in the jungle. Her voice sounds as though it’s coming from deep in the basement.

“Now, I want you to know I hold absolutely no grudges.” He holds up his empty hand. “I’m more than willing to work with you. You don’t have to worry about fighting me.”

The Princess’s eyes appear between the leaves. “Why would I need to work with you? I already know how to leave.”

This is going to take more than a little convincing. “Yes, but wouldn’t it be easier if we came to some sort of mutual understanding? I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get you out of here.”

Her eyes flash. “Then hold still.”

No, he doesn’t think he will.

He dives out of the way as something immense hurtles past him, landing heavily behind him—or, behind most of him.

One of his legs crunches as some load-bearing part of the Princess comes down upon it, sending him to the floor. He doesn’t even get the chance to look up before he’s enveloped by her maw again.

“I can just dig my way out again, you know,” he calls to the Princess. “It’s not too late for us to reach a peaceful resolution!”

She chuckles. “It was always too late for that, fledgeling. If you want to dig your way out, then start digging.”

Hard to please, isn’t she? Ah well. He’ll just have to try again with whatever comes after this.

He doesn’t hesitate to dig with the blade, this time knowing exactly where to find the Princess’s heart. It’s exposed almost before sensation begins to drain from his hands.

“Just thought I’d let you know, this is your last chance!” he calls. The only response from the Princess is the jostle of her passing the threshold of the stairs.

Oh well. Third time’s the charm.

He plunges the blade into the Princess’s heart, and everything goes dark.

He wakes up in a cabin. The roof and floor are constructed from aging wooden planks, and the walls are formed from logs, framing a set of empty windows and a door that hangs loosely on its hinges. The corners of the room have dirt building up in them.

It’s the same cabin. He’s getting a third chance? Someone up there must really like him.

The routine continues with him picking up the blade as he steps over the threshold. Can’t have her eating him without an escape route at hand, not that he intends to be eaten a third time.

She is waiting, of course, the outline of her head just visible over the top of a bush.

“If you eat me again, it’s only going to go the same way,” he says.

The Princess’s silhouette vanishes only to reappear a moment later in a slightly different patch of jungle. She’s nearing the stairs, no doubt trying to cut off his escape. “I can accept that. Can you?”

What? “I’d like to think I’m the sort of person who follows through on his promises. And this is a promise.”

“So you kill me. And we wake up again. And then I eat you again, and you kill me again. And we wake up again.” The Princess vanishes again. “How many times will it take for you to give up on the cycle?”

“I think—” Opportunist begins, but the sound of pounding feet cuts him off and he dives out of the way, just in time for the Princess to catch nothing more than his shoulder. A set of gashes cut through his sleeve, bleeding red. She has claws, and they’re long.

His sunglasses clatter to the floor.

He turns to see the Princess—or what little of her form he can make out in the gloom—looming over him, directly next to the staircase.

“I can last a while,” he says, tightening his grip on the blade. There’s not much sense in keeping it behind his back now that she clearly knows he has it. “I’m pretty patient.”

“Pretty patient?” The Princess rises, looming over him. “If you are pretty patient, I am very patient. Incredibly patient. More patient than you can comprehend. Swallowing you three times is nothing. Ten times will be nothing. When we are down here for the fiftieth time, will you still have the will to stand against me?”

Opportunist blinks. The Princess is gone by the time his eyes reopen.

Then her claws—and he can see them this time, and they are very impressive—bear down on him, rending his blade arm open, and her jaws unfold into a cavern that swallows him whole. Again.

He swims around in her stomach, trying to ignore how he can feel the precise edge of every wound she inflicted on him. Maybe the blade is still here. He still has one working arm. He can still fight back.

The Princess shifts, motion once again catching before the chain breaks. It must have been repaired every time things reset. That’s good to know. Maybe he can use it on the fourth go-around.

She begins her journey up the stairs. The blade is nowhere to be found.

Time to bluff. He’s great at bluffing. “Better spit me out if you don’t want a repeat of the first two times!” he sings. The Princess doesn’t even slow down.

“You cannot tell me what happens and expect me to believe you, fledgeling,” she says. “Prove it or be proven a liar.”

…Rude. But fine. He can at least try his best.

He digs into the stomach lining with his sizzling hand, trying not to pay attention to how it bites at his fingertips and catches under his claws with every scratch he inflicts. Without the blade, it’s much slower going, and he’s jolted away from his work by the Princess slamming herself against the door before he can even inflict a respectable wound.

“It still won’t open,” she growls. “Let me out, fledgeling.”

No way. Not on her terms. “Only if you give me a trade. Spit me out, and we’ll leave. Deal?” It’s getting harder and harder to tell if he’s breathing deeply enough.

The Princess pauses for a moment. Coiling to batter down the door? Or considering his bargain?

“No.”

Everything goes red, then it goes dark, and then he dies.

He wakes up in a cabin, greeted with the by-now familiar sight of wooden planks doing their level best to hold themselves together when time failed them. It is chilly in here.

The Princess isn’t interested in negotiating while he’s in her stomach. Which means the only way to negotiate is to remain outside her stomach for long enough to do so.

He needs to channel that one flighty voice. Until he finds a way to win over the Princess, his motto is now WWHD: What Would Hunted Do?

He can almost hear his voice… just needs to get into the proper mindset and manifest him…

“Dodge her.”

Yeah, that sounds about right. Great advice, imaginary Hunted.

The Princess is waiting in the gloom when he arrives at the basement, her shape still just as hard to make out as it was the first time. “Are you ready to give up?” she asks.

“You know, I was really hoping you’d think more highly of me than that,” Opportunist says, straining to pick out any motion. If he can tell when she’s about to strike, then he can keep dodging, and talking, and eventually he’ll have to wear her down.

There. She’s disappeared from sight. That means she’s about to—

He leaps out of the way and rolls across the dirt floor as the Princess hurtles past him, bracing for the sting of her claws catching his arm or the snap of her weight hitting his leg. It… doesn’t come. The only pain is a slight scrape in his knee from where he landed.

He’s getting better at this!

The Princess coils by the staircase, cutting off his exit. That’s all right. He doesn’t need a way out when he can talk. “I know you think you can wait, but do you really want to?” he asks. “We could leave right now if we could just come to a mutually-agreeable conclusion.”

“I’ve waited for longer than you can imagine, fledgeling.” Her teeth glint in the darkness, the only features visible besides her eyes. “You cannot threaten me with time in a way that matters.”

He watches her. She does not move. “I’m not threatening you,” he begins. “Quite the opposite, in fact! I’m offering you the chance to cut out the long, arduous process of killing me over and over again until I give… up…”

Some time in the middle of his speech, she’s vanished. Any moment now, she’ll strike, and he’ll have to—

The air comes crashing down on him as he scrambles away, as do a set of needles digging into his back before the pressure is relieved. She’s mauled him. Badly. He needs to get away and regroup, before she can swallow him whole—

His legs fail to respond to his commands, and he hazards a glance behind him.

The edge of his jacket is frayed, blood and viscera seeping through it to the point that he can’t tell where it ends and the nothing begins. A shining trail leads from where the end of his spine should be, before it rises up into the Princess’s jaws.

Oh.

His intestines fall from the Princess’s mouth with a plap, leaving only a disappointed expression and a bloodstain on her face. She stares down at him in silence, viscera dripping from her chin.

Now would be a great time to say something, probably.

He doesn’t.

He wakes up in a cabin whose wooden ceiling looks about ready to give in. The logs framing the empty windows sag in defeat, and the floor is covered in a thin layer of soil. It was mostly-clean planks the first time around, wasn’t it?

It’s odd, but the cabin almost seems… tired. He can’t imagine why, given he isn’t.

When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, the Princess is nowhere to be seen. “Hello?” he calls out, scanning the room for her form. “Nice chat we had last time! I’d like to continue it.”

She doesn’t make a sound save for the rustling of her darting through a patch of underbrush. He knows where she is, now, or at least where she was.

“Again, I’m not trying to coerce you into anything.” Where is she? “I just want you to know that you have more options than you think. We want the same thing, you know.”

The feathers on the back of Opportunist’s neck prickle, and he whirls around. Nothing.

The Princess’s voice comes from behind him. “You cannot reason with me, fledgeling. I am so much more than you will ever be.”

She’s going to pounce. He has to move.

Air collides with him as he leaps away, Princess landing precisely where he stood a moment ago. Her chain clatters on the ground as she vanishes again.

That’s one.

“Yes, well, no man is an island.” It doesn’t sound like she’s moving. “And besides, more than me or not, you still can’t escape on your own. Which means, hate to break it to you, but I do have the bargaining chip here.”

The air shifts, and Opportunist finds himself diving on instinct, the Princess soaring past him. That’s two. That’s the first time he’s managed two. Thank you, imaginary Hunted.

He turns, trying to figure out where the Princess has disappeared to this time. “Just say the word, and I’ll march the two of us right up to that door and let you out,” he calls. “This can all end any time you want it to.”

Something in him screams to move, and move he does, but fangs clash on his arm all the same. It’s his blade arm. She’s taken his only weapon.

He scrambles backwards, gripping the stump of his former arm as though it will do anything to stop the bleeding. The Princess looms over him, in full view for the first time.

Her face is somewhere between human and animal, crown replaced with a horn in the center of her forehead, two buds flanking it as though about to emerge into its reflections. Her ears are pointed, and her hair—more like a mane now, really—hangs from her long neck.

Opportunist traces his eyes further down as he continues to crawl away from her. Despite her beastlike form, she’s still wearing a dress, formed from a strip of fabric that wraps around her torso. Her back half disappears into the shadows, the tip of a long tail emerging back into view.

She’s huge.

“I still haven’t given up,” he says as the Princess stretches open her jaw. “I want you to know that before you eat me.”

If she cares about that, she gives no sign before swallowing him whole. Again.

He wakes up in a cabin, ceiling and walls decaying into dirt. Shoots of new plant growth emerge from the floor, and the door looks to have been torn in half, already swinging into the basement.

…Maybe it’s past the point of no return now.

This Princess is far too stubborn to let him free based on talking alone. He needs to do something. Fight her, maybe. But how is he supposed to do that on his own? Her head is as big as his entire… him!

He needs to make a tactical retreat. See if there’s anyone else out there who can act as backup. Imaginary Hunted was helpful. Real Hunted would probably be enough to give him some force behind his words.

The door to the outside is still intact, and fits much more nicely in its frame than the other door, even before it was ripped apart. A quick try of the handle reveals it to be locked.

That’s fine. There’s more than one way out of a cabin.

Despite the clear collapse of the windows, the one on the left still looks plenty large to climb through. He’ll just slip out, fetch the first person he sees, and pop back into the cabin to finish what he star—

A force bars him from stepping more than halfway through the opening. He stands back, checks on the state of the window (folding in on itself, full of dirt) just in case it’s smaller than he thought (it isn’t), and tries again.

Again something stops him. The window may be little more than a hole in the wall letting in air, but he can run his hand across some sort of force. It won’t let him out.

No backup, then. That’s fine. He didn’t really need any help, it was just… it would have been helpful! Help is always helpful.

The only way out is down, back to the Princess. Does he need her to escape just as much as she needs him?

If he does, he’d best not let it slip. Let her think he still has the unambiguous upper hand.

She’s absent from view when he reaches the basement again. He swears the space is getting bigger and more exposed each time he comes down here, but she doesn’t seem to have any issues spotting him.

It’s fine. He’ll wait until he can pinpoint her location—which is to say, he’ll wait until she attacks him again—and then strike. Show her he’s more than just words.

And after that… he’ll think on his feet.

Shapes flicker at the edges of his vision. They’re probably tricks of the light—or lack thereof—but it doesn’t keep him from turning to look at them, trying to catch the Princess before she can catch him. They vanish every time.

There. A shift in the air. The Princess is about to attack. He needs to get out of the way, to keep himself intact. He needs to stay alive long enough to prove he’s not worth preying on.

He needs to show he can bite back.

As the Princess launches herself towards him, he ducks, slashing out with the blade. It connects with something, though he can’t tell what, and she connects with him in return, leaving a gash in one shoulder.

There’s blood on the edge of his blade. He actually did something!

The silhouette of the Princess looms over him, silent. He can’t see where he managed to wound her before she disappears back into the gloom.

“I don’t want to threaten you, but there’s more where that came from if you keep trying to eat me,” he calls out to the Princess. Still no response. Hopefully she hasn’t given up on taunting him. If she’s still talking, there’s at least a chance he can establish some sort of rapport, but with this silence…

Again the air shifts, and again he strikes as the Princess comes crashing down on him. There’s a sting in his other shoulder, and a spray of loose feathers—some black, some white. Probably all his, unless the Princess is hiding something he can’t guess at.

It’s only been a couple minutes, but already his energy is failing him. Is it the blood loss? He hasn’t been that badly injured. It can’t be the loops catching up to him, can it? His wounds reset every time, so he shouldn’t be exhausted just because he’s done a little dying.

The Princess doesn’t give him enough time to figure any of that out. She lunges again, and Opportunist can only feel his blade lodge into something hard and rip from his hand before there’s a crunch all around him, and everything goes dark, and he dies.

Again.

He wakes up in a cabin, if it can still be called a cabin after all the deterioration it’s gone through. The log walls, if they’re even under there anymore, are covered in dirt, and plants fill the edges of the space. The table that should be there is gone, replaced with a stump with the blade lodged into it.

Maybe he is tired. It’s been, how many go-arounds? Five? Six? That’s a lot, and even he has to admit he can’t keep this up forever. The Princess had more of a point than he’d like to admit.

Fighting her was a good idea. But it won’t get the Princess to cooperate with him, not unless he gets a lot better at fighting in the next few loops. And even if he technically might have infinite chances, does he really want to take that long?

He needs to end this, and he needs to do so before he can die a single time more. Which means he needs to be a little clever about things.

No more talking. No more fighting. He’s just going to draw her out and trick her into breaking down the door before she can get her claws on him.

He’s still taking the blade, though. If things go bad—they won’t, but if they go bad—he needs his second option.

The stairs are no longer stairs, but a sloped tunnel that narrows as it descends into the earth. How long have they been deteriorating? Did he just never notice them changing, or is this entirely new?

Doesn’t matter. What matters is winning.

When he steps out into the expanse of the basement, the Princess is nowhere to be seen. Neither are the plants that should be filling the space, or even the grate in the ceiling—just a featureless gloom. When did those vanish?

He’s completely exposed, and she could be anywhere. He’ll have to be quick.

“Yoo-hoo!” he calls out, voice echoing faintly throughout the space. The Princess shows no response. “I think I’m ready for you to eat me now! Just, I’d like for there to be one little caveat—”

The sound of thundering footsteps comes from somewhere deep within the basement, and Opportunist turns and breaks into a run, sparing only enough breath to finish speaking: “You’ll have to catch me first!”

He can feel the Princess gaining on him, floor shaking with every time her feet hit the ground. But she’s clearly massive, and while the tunnel may be wide enough to allow him through with little trouble, she should be slowed down enough for him to get into position.

The entire tunnel shudders as the Princess slams her shoulders against its opening, and Opportunist nearly loses his footing. The cabin is nearly there. A little further and he’ll be—

He bursts into the cabin proper and stands in front of the door, ready to leap away as soon as the Princess emerges. Any second now.

Any second now…

She isn’t leaving. Is this some sort of trick? It has to be a trick, right?

“I’m right at the top of the tunnel!” he shouts down after the Princess. “Come and get me, unless you’ve given up?”

There’s still no response. He hazards a peek down the tunnel.

The Princess was, in fact, caught up by the tunnel’s small size. So much so that only her face is visible, framed by a few clawed hands and some part of a wing, all wedged into a space much too small for her.

She stares up at him, wriggling as though trying to advance—no. She’s pushing in on herself. She means to make her way backwards out of the tunnel, but it’s too narrow even for that.

Her face is hardly human anymore, and her hands certainly aren’t. A trio of antlers rise from her head, blood fresh on two of them. It looks… painful.

It’s a trick. It has to be. If he comes closer, she’ll eat him and…

She can’t get out on her own, even if she were to swallow him whole. And neither can he.

He takes a few steps forward. The Princess tries to squirm away. She can’t.

He raises the blade and brings it down on the dirt of the tunnel wall.

The Princess watches as he carves away at the soil, leaning away to allow him access to each wall of the tunnel. Dirt rains down on her, covering her stray feathers, but she doesn’t make so much as a move to attack him.

Having loosened a ring of soil around the Princess, Opportunist steps back.

She creeps forward, straining against the tunnel. One of her arms breaks free and claws at the dirt he’s yet to address, raking away the walls.

Little by little, the tunnel is chipped away, and little by little, the Princess advances until her head and shoulders have emerged into the cabin. Opportunist barely has enough room to stand between her and the door.

The Princess rears up as much as she can in the relatively cramped space, and Opportunist dives out of the way before her full weight lands on the door.

Soil collapses onto both of them, Opportunist losing sight entirely as it covers his head. This is it, then? He’s going to die inches from freedom because of a landslide?

Something grabs him from his shoulders and hoists him out of the earth. He twists his head upwards to see the Princess, fangs around him. So that’s it. He’s going to die inches from freedom because she’s going to eat him.

The Princess gently lowers her head, setting him on the ground before releasing her jaws.

She’s not going to eat him. Is it because she already has what she wants?

The woods around them resembles a thick jungle, undergrowth barely making way for the path and tall trees rising overhead. Behind them is the fallout of a massive landslide, a tree jutting out sideways from the heap of loose earth.

He stares up at the Princess. She’s… massive. She wasn’t that big when he first saw her. That much he’s certain of.

The Princess stares back down at him.

Then she bounds off into the woods, tail flicking behind her. Her form vanishes within moments.

At least she isn’t eating him.

“Nice meeting you!” he calls after her. “Talk again sometime?”

There is no response. Oh well. You can’t win over them all.

#slay the princess #outside context problem #voice of the opportunist #the beast #the den #stp fanfic

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nonrevsims · 1 month

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Cam spotted this little cabin while out on a jog and thought it would be the perfect fixer upper now that the household is growing.

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rain-lavender-rain · 1 year

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"It Was Always You"(Steve x Reader)

Warnings: None.

Words: ~300

Summary: Fluffy lil drabble with Steve

The fire crackled quietly, embers creating an embrace of warmth throughout the small cabin.

This weekend you were staying with Steve in a cabin you both had bought a few years prior and fixed up. It was a fixer upper indeed, but with some hard work and a few weekends where your other teammates would come and help, it was whipped up into shape in no time.

Steve had his own finishing touches in the cabin. A radio and a record player sat in the corner of the room. A wooden bookshelf built into the wall held classic novels on the higher shelfs. Books like Tom Sawyer, The Great Gatsby, and Call of the Wild. Other books given to him by teammates and friends were mixed in as well. Sam had given him "The Outsiders" at some point, and Steve's all time favorite he had ever received was "The Hobbit" from Bucky. On the lower shelves sat varying sketchbooks, notebooks, and, journals, some finished and some not.

You sat on the couch, legs folded to the side as you closed your eyes- at peace. The sounds of the logs cracking, the wind blowing, and the graphite being stroked across the sketch pad with careful precision from Steve all lulling you into a quiet state of mind.

You pulled the blanket around your shoulders and the blonde silently took note of it, deciding he was done with sketching for the night anyway. He put the pad and pencil on the table next to him and walked over to your curled up form.

You smiled at him, moving a little to create more space. He smiled fondly back, sitting on the couch and leading you to lay your head on his chest.

You let out a sigh and Steve put his arm around you. He looked down to meet your eyes and gently pressed his lips to yours, filling you with warmth that had nothing to do with the fire nearby.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers drabble #marvel

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hometoursandotherstuff · 1 year

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I love this property in Roanoke, Virginia, but it’s being sold “as is,” and it does need work, but the price is high- $530K. It’s a large home- 8bd. 6ba. and there’re 3 buildings- a guest house, chalet and a main house. It was built in 1960, and hasn’t been updated, but there are 8.94 acres of land. See what you think.

The main house.

Entering the house, the first thing we notice are the painted floors. Okay, I like them. There are sliding glass doors to the living room that are very nice, but need some Windex.

Whoever currently lives here is a photographer and there’s also a musician b/c there’s a lot of equipment around. I like the stone fireplace.

Of course, the real estate has completely mixed up the photos, as usual, but I’m going to say this colorful kitchen is in the main house, judging by the floor.

Here’s a home gym.

Here’s the band room.

And, a bd.

I would say that this is another bd.

This bath is in bad shape, but it has a nice vintage tub.

I think this is part of the chalet. Look at the tree trunks.

This is a very nice living room.

Galley kitchen. The ceiling looks like it needs repair.

Is that a face in the ceiling?

This lofted space looks like newer construction.

This is an 1800 sq. ft. open air studio.

The property is high in the mountains.

There’s plenty of land, almost 9 acres.

Here’s the smaller guest house that looks like it’s not in use.

https://www.remax.com/va/roanoke/home-details/7460-solonevich-rd-roanoke-va-24018/987465899075517868

#rustic cabin #chalet #fixer upper #houses #house tours #home tour

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not-wholly-unheroic · 11 months

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I finally read the junior novelization of Disney’s new Peter Pan and Wendy and although for the most part, it sticks to the film, there are some really great moments that I’m guessing might have been in earlier drafts which got cut but made it into the book. A few of my favorite additions/changes include…

- I think this may have been in the background in the film but is more noticeable in the book… When John and Michael are playing, one of them says, “Watch out for the crocodile” as Nana is playfully nipping at their heels. I like the crocodile/Nana parallel, as in the stage version they typically use the same actor for both animal roles and it seems like a nice little nod to that.

- John says the watch helps him sleep when Mr. Darling asks for it back after their game. George reluctantly lets him keep it but tells him to be careful because “a man’s timepiece is of the utmost importance.” This almost seems to be going back to the stage idea of George as a kind of alternate for Hook. Here, both men have an interesting relationship with time which we don’t see in the final film.

- Nana is the one who catches the shadow as it goes downstairs. Another nod to the original here where Nana is the whole reason the shadow is pulled away from Peter to begin with.

- Although we see Mr. Smee use an ear horn in the film, in the novelization, it’s pretty explicitly spelled out that he is hard of hearing due to long-term exposure to canon-fire. There are several funny moments more reminiscent of the animated film, but the comedy is less “Smee is stupid” and more just, “Smee can’t hear well and often gets mixed up because of that.”

- When we first meet Hook, he is writing a letter in his cabin (Who is he writing to?) and the cabin is said to smell somewhat like incense. Also, for whatever reason, his hair is described as being dark, like the more traditional Hook. Maybe Law’s look hadn’t been finalized until after the book was written?

- We get to see paintings on the walls of the tunnel that Tiger Lily takes the kids through to get to Skull Rock. She explains that they tell the story of her ancestors and how her great-great grandmother led them to Neverland and helped everyone hide underground in safety when Hook first laid siege on the island until they were ready to fight back. It also seems that her tribe has a history of female chiefs.

- This is a little random but I have to wonder about the theme of hearing/being heard in this story, the novel especially. On one end of the spectrum, Hook seems to have especially acute hearing, picking up on the ticking as well as Wendy’s singing and later Peter’s return long before anyone else seems to notice. Then, of course, there’s Smee, who as we mentioned earlier, is very hard of hearing after years of listening to canon-fire. Peter CAN hear just fine but often CHOOSES not to, putting words in Tink’s mouth, for example. And then we have Wendy, who seems to try to hear everyone even if she can’t always easily do so. She listens to both Peter and Hook’s side of the story, and she repeatedly tries to understand Tink even if she can’t actually hear/understand what she’s saying until the very end. I don’t have a fully fleshed out idea of what exactly they may have been trying to say with all this, but it’s an interesting observation.

- Bellweather actually gets a personality! He is the fixer upper of both John’s watch (which he somehow got back from Hook??) and Michael’s teddy bear.

- In the book, it is said that Hook and Pan weren’t just friends…they ran away together and promised never to grow up or go back, and it makes the feelings of hurt and betrayal that much more painful.

- We get an extra scene on the way back to the ship after Hook “kills” Peter where the captain actually laments that Peter is really gone for good. He seems to recognize in that moment that revenge really didn’t feel as good as he expected it to and, like it or not, they need each other to function. He also seems surprised he actually drew blood. Apparently, they have rarely ever hurt one another in the past physically (with the major exception of his hand loss…) and it’s almost a game to Hook as much as it is to Peter. Hook speaks to the captured Tink at one point and asks her, since she was there at the beginning, if things would inevitably end up with one of them dying or if they might have gone differently. This Hook is very childlike at moments, and this is one of them.

- Mr. Smee flies!!!! During the final battle, Mr. Smee finds himself in a sticky situation and tells Tink he honestly never wanted to hurt anyone. He just wanted to fly. Tink apparently believes him to be harmless enough and allows it. Instead of asking at the end, “Did you see me, Cap’n?! I’m floatin’! I’m alive! I didn’t drown!” he asks if he saw him flying. I’ve always thought Smee had a kind, childlike heart, and if anybody deserves to fly, it’s him, so this part made my heart very happy.

- Wendy and Peter actually share a kiss (a real one!) near the end before he leaves. Wendy recognizes that Peter isn’t ready to grow up yet but tells him that maybe someday he will be and then they can be together again. It’s an incredibly sweet moment and gives a little more closure to things that Peter’s departure in the film does, and I wish we had gotten it in the final version.

- As they get back to Neverland, Peter spots Hook and Smee (who is still flying!) and pulls Hook up onto the ship, taking his friend with him back to the island for more adventures. While I do think the film’s ending with Law’s Hook smiling up at Peter works well as it is, this moment was just the icing on the cake for me. It cements that they are absolutely back on the same team again and all is forgiven.

#Peter pan and Wendy #disney peter pan and wendy #disney live action peter pan #disney live action remakes #disney live action #Disney books #Peter pan #captain hook #Disney

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nancydrewandthecluecrew · 11 months

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NANCY DREW CASE FILES: 7

GHOST DOGS OF MOON LAKE

A cold case comes ashore at Moon Lake, Pennsylvania, when a close friend purchases a lakeside Cabin, which is quite the fixer-upper. The cabin was once owned by a prohibition-era gangster by the name of Mickey Malone. Soon mysterious happenings start to occur at the cabin, now alone in the woods, Will these ghostly legends remain buried?...Find out when they come knocking at your door.

Lauren ash as Emily Griffen

The owner of Emily's Emporium, with an aversion to helping out, Is she possibly mudding the water of this case? Or is she simply strictly business?

Alfred Enoch as Jeff Akers

Local Park Ranger of Moon Lake, with access and knowledge of the area, constantly ensuring the protection of the park. Is the park really what he wants to keep safe ? Or is he simply protecting something he doesn't want anyone to find before he does?

Alfred Molina as Red Knott

An avid bird watcher, who sticks to the shroud of darkness and camouflage, what else could he be hiding from the light?

7.DOG 10.SHA 11.CUR 13.TRN 15.CRE 16.ICE 17.CRY 22.TOT

#ghost dogs of moon lake #nancy drew case files #nancy drew games #nancy drew aesthetic #nancy drew characters #nancy drew #nancy drew cast #nancy drew fancast #nancy drew dreamcast

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total-drama-takes-takes-2 · 3 months

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ttwt episode 14

“Last time on Total Takes, World Tour: Fiji, baby! Our remaining teams raced from island-to-island across this beautiful oceanic paradise, collecting flags- and losing teammates- along the way. Courtney and Ass had a heart-to-heart, which mended more than one nasty breakup… partially, anyway. In the end, Team Yaoi was handed their loss on a silver platter and Ass willingly took the jump. I know, right? Will anyone else have a sudden change of character? What’s in store for our remaining players? Find out now, on Total Takes: World Tour!”

Economy is tense, to say the least.

Everyone else is shrinking in on themselves as two very, very ticked off girls are seething on their respective sides of the cabin.

In one corner of the ring, Julia is mumbling under her breath, still hot-headed and scarlet-faced from the last challenge’s proceedings. Mal, as per usual, is nowhere to be found, and Courtney looks like death itself, pale and hunched over on the opposite end of the bench.

In the other corner, Albert warily watches Michela as she grumbles to herself, drumming her fingers on the splinter-infested wood of the bench.

---

ALBERT: “Honestly- the situation is resolved, can’t those two just get over themselves and move on?” he paused to shiver. “Human drama- is this how people saw me when I cared about the coalition? Stupid, petty, so wrapped up in trying to make a futile difference that I couldn’t look at the big picture and see how pointless it all is?”

---

First class isn’t much better. Max is sitting in one of the soft, plush seats, surrounded by conventional heating and plates of warm cookies, and he looks as miserable as can be.

Beside him, Kelly watches nervously, twiddling their thumbs and holding their breath. They look uncomfortable, to say the least.

After a long silence, they open their mouth. “Maybe you two-”

“No!” Max hisses sharply before groaning and sinking into his seat.

Despite the uncomfortable energy radiating out of the boy, Phillip is none the wiser. He’s lying on his stomach on the scratchy carpet of the aisle, kicking his legs back and forth and giggling menacingly. His face is contorted into a wicked grin as he scribbles in his notebook.

Kelly looks between the two boys- one’s eyes brimming with tears, the other’s with pure malice- and they hunch over, looking quite ill, as if taking psychic damage just from being around them.

---

KELLY: “I don’t handle relationship conflict very well- but there’s gotta be something I can do to put a sweet smile back on my boy’s faces!”

---

“Maybe she’ll understand if you just explain your side of the story to her!” they insist.

Max sinks lower in his seat. “No,”

“How about a heartfelt apology?”

“No,”

Kelly pouts, again put-off by his sullen demeanor. Nonetheless, they’re a non-stop ideas machine, and they smile again. “What if you came up with some grand romantic gesture for her? That always works!”

Max sighs and sits up, massaging his temples. “This isn’t a movie, Kelly. Chel is seriously mad at me, and I don’t know if I can bounce back. I’ve never messed up this badly,”

The blond, again, frowns.

---

KELLY: “Okay, so he’s a bit of a fixer-upper: I can still work with this!”

---

“Maybe you just need to look on the bright side of things,” they offer, gesturing around the warm, cushy interior of first class. Max shoves another plate of cookies away from him. “This can be a way to rekindle your flame, like renewing your vows!”

He grits his teeth. “Kelly. I don’t think you understand what I’m-”

“Tell me everything you like about her,” they don’t let him finish, clapping their hands. “It’ll remind you just how strong your bond is!”

Max opens his mouth to fire back a retort, but he can’t. He sighs instead. “I like everything about her. She’s smart, but not pretentious about it. She’s funny, and nice, and not even a little “intimidated” by me, even though I was of her for so long- not that I’d ever admit it to her face! She’s capable, but she’s down-to-earth, and she’s got the best laugh…”

He trails off again, and sighs. “I feel like if this doesn’t work out, nothing ever will,”

Kelly’s smile droops a bit and they turn away from Max.

---

KELLY: “I know it’s a bit selfish to make this about myself, but… I understand perfectly. Sometimes I feel like ever since Austin and I split- amicably!- everyone’s left me behind. I’m just... never anyone’s first choice,”

---

After a moment, they force a smile and turn back. “Great exercise! I’ll go get more cookies for you,”

“Wait-” Max tries to stop them, but it’s too late- they breeze out of the room.

---

“Welcome one, welcome all, back to the lovely country of Sweden! Hinga dinga durgen!” Chris chimes merrily, a horned helmet placed snugly on his perfectly coiffed head. “That’s right- after our little mix-up in Rome, we’re finally doing our throwback challenge!”

Courtney sighs with relief, a relaxed smile crossing their face.

---

COURTNEY: “I know that if we lose again, I’m next- no way Mal and Julia are gonna vote for each other. So for now, my strategy is… don’t lose,”

---

“This, I can do,” Courtney says cheerily, putting their hands on their hips. “In the original episode of Total Drama, the challenge was to build-”

“HUSHHHHHH!” Chris hisses, shoving a finger in their face. “Not everyone needs to know! You’re ruining my fun!”

Julia rolls her eyes.

“Anyway, as I was saying… we stand here at the edge of this epic taiga forest, a Scandinavian hallmark. Right up ahead you’ll find some building materials, as stated by Mr. Know-it-All,” the host pauses to glare. “...And no instructions. Your task is to find out what you’re building, how to build it, and what you’ll be doing next. Go!”

The teams immediately divulge, racing through the conifer trees to the mouth of a large, partially-frozen lake.

“I wish this was an eating challenge or something,” Albert says, picking up a mysteriously shaped plank of wood. “I could go for some vegan meatballs.”

Michela sighs, half-heartedly digging through a bag of screws and nails. “Yeah… I guess…”

Albert’s brow furrows.

Some distance away, Courtney stands before their teams supplies- each individual plank of wood, each nail, each tool has been sorted into its own category. They huff, admiring their handiwork, and turn back to the group. Julia looks thoroughly unamused.

“We’re building a boat,” they offer, holding out a wrench.

Julia grabs it from them. “Yeah. I figured,” she spats, breezing by. Courtney sighs.

Mal hums a familiar tune to herself as she hammers plank-to-plank, working with an expertise that leaves even Courtney slightly suspicious. “Where did you learn to do all that?”

“I’ve been brushing up on my carpentry. Jesus was a carpenter, you know,” she says merrily, attaching the bow to the hull as if the heavy pieces weighed nothing.

Courtney and Julia make fleeting eye contact, and then turn away.

“Well, it’s official. She’s really lost it this time,” the former whispers. “Just when I thought she couldn't get any crazier…”

“There’s something up with her,” Julia hisses, pushing two large sections of wood together. “Does no one else find it suspicious how she conveniently disappears every time we enter the plane? She knows something.”

Courtney looks off to the side- allying themselves with Julia was a risky move, but… “Usually, I would brush it off as her usual crazies, but I think you’re right. She’s been a little odd lately. More than she usually is,”

“Mhm. Then again, I thought you and Ass were acting normal, so what do I know?” the blonde retorts sharply, walking away.

---

“A house?” Kelly offers.

“A weapon?” Phillip says.

Max massages his temples. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be here,”

Michela and Albert’s bickering picks up across the space as they heatedly discuss what goes where. Their tense energy starkly contrasts Team Friendship’s slow, melancholy feel.

Max sighs, Kelly’s words from earlier echoing around in his mind. A romantic gesture…

“I think I have an idea,”

---

Albert squints, trying to see through the careful cover of trees at the other teams as Michela lugs planks of wood behind him.

“I’m getting nothing,”

She sighs, dropping a heavy bow at his feet. “There has to be some kind of logic to this, right? We’re in a forest, at the mouth of a lake…”

“Good, good, keep at it. Logic helps,” Albert says, smiling.

---

ALBERT: “Perhaps I underestimated Michela… she’s emotional, but it seems as if her anger drives her… I can work with this,”

---

Albert rushes to her side to help her with the rest of the curved pieces. As they lug the final plank into a single pile, he wipes the sweat off her forehead with his windbreaker sleeve.

“You’re doing very well for yourself, all things considered,” he says, momentarily tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. “Now, that’s the spirit- you should be showing that little traitor just what you’re made of.”

Michela frowns for a moment, her eyes drifting over to the thin spaces between the trees. She could just barely catch a glimpse at the moving colors of Team Friendship’s clothing against the green backdrop.

“You’re right, I suppose…”

“You suppose? I think you know,” Albert chuckles. “He humiliated you- both of us, really- and then he comes crawling back, demanding forgiveness as if he doesn’t even care how it affected you at all? You have every right to be angry.”

Her brow furrowed. “Yeah…”

“He had the gall to call you a traitor, without even letting you explain yourself. He’d take the word of a certifiable psych ward princess over his own girlfriend,” Albert egged her on, his grip on her chin never loosening. “You deserve the time to grieve. You deserve to let him squirm. It’s only fair.”

Michela’s gaze tightened, her eyes turning back to Team Friendship. “I just need time to consider some things. That’s all…”

And with that, she walked off. Albert smirked to himself and twirled a hammer between his fingers, whistling as he walked along.

---

Julia whistled. “Look at that,”

The three remaining Yaois stand before an admittedly impressive viking-styled ship, anchored in the shallow water at the mouth of the lake.

“Three sailing challenges in a row… you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Courtney shakes their head. “Our next better be on dry land, Chris is getting pretty lazy.”

“It’s the budget. Boat-based challenges are cheaper than something fancy like esports,” Mal says, wiggling her fingers while she scrolls through her phone. “They are in like, massive financial debt, LOL.”

Julia and Courtney make the same fleeting eye contact, sharing the same knowing gaze.

---

JULIA: “I’ve been suspicious of Mal for a while now, and seeing that she's essentially useless to the team again, I think it’s time to find out what’s up,” she pauses to sigh, slumping a bit. “I thought I was being a good leader… maybe I’m just meant to be the villain.”

---

“Time to set sail!” Chris’ voice appears out of nowhere as Albert struggles to nail another plank together.

“Sail… so this is another water-based challenge,” Michela raises an eyebrow. “Well… at least we have… something.”

She gestures to the tiny, shabbily-crafted raft in front of them.

Albert helps her push the craft into the water, and to both their relief (and amazement) it stays afloat.

The two turn to each other. “Let's do this thing,”

---

As Chris' voice fades out, Team Friendship turns to each other. None of them want to say it, but they're all thinking the same thing: they're screwed.

“Uh-oh,” Max says quietly, gazing up at the terrible Frankenstein’s Monster before him.

Kelly forces another grin. “It-it’s the thought that counts?”

“It’s just gotta float, right?” He looks at the blond. Behind them, Phillip raises a saw.

---

Team Yaoi pushes out first, their shimmering beacon of craftsmanship making Max grit his teeth. Both Kelly and Phillip wince. “A BOAT?!”

“Hey, I like what we built!” the blonde offers him the small words of praise, which he quickly shoots down with a glare.

Phillip twirls his thumbs. “I liked sawing the top off,”

“I should’ve known… am I stupid?” he kicks the inside of the wooden structure and yelps in pain. “DAMMIT! Stupid love! Stupid romance!”

Kelly winces.

Across the lake, Team Mojo’s tiny raft floats onto the frigid waters. Michela tightens their tiny sail as Albert picks up a plank of wood to row, before promptly dropping it in the water in shock. “Oh… my God…”

“What?” Michela asks, turning. Her face goes pale, an expression of pure horror taking it over. “Is that ME?”

---

Courtney snorts, watching a massive wooden replica of Michela’s head bob in the water behind their boat. They put their hands on their hips, a smile on their face. “History really does repeat itself, huh?”

Mal snaps a quick picture just as the wind picks up, careening their boat forward.

---

Back on the S.S. Michela, Max stomps his feet and groans. “FINE! I guess we can work with this!”

Kelly grins. “That’s the spirit! Think positive thoughts- manifest success!”

“CAN IT!”

Before Max can berate them any further, a distant ding makes him visibly cringe. He jabs his thumb out to Team Yaoi’s perfect ship.

“They’re way ahead, so we’ve got to go,” he sighs. “We should’ve built something to sail, something we can row-ow!”

“It doesn’t have to be a boat, as long as it stays afloat-” Kelly chimes in.

The three Team Friendship sing together, all exchanging glances. “Oh, why did we build Chel’s face?”

Across the water, Courtney grins. “We’re always ready, to set sail- just watch us win, we won’t fail!”

“We really did this fast-” Mal sings along, snapping a quick selfie.

Julia rolls her eyes. “We better be back in first class!”

“Because they built Chel’s face!”

Phillip blows in their hastily set-up sail, as if trying to summon the winds himself. Max smacks his forehead.

“We built Chel’s face!”

Even Team Mojo’s tiny raft breezes by their monstrous creation. Michela grins. “We’re gonna take first place-”

“Because we built Chel’s face!”

Kelly sighs, throwing out their arms. “Ah-ee-yeah-yeah-ah!”

“We built Chel’s face!”

“Yeah-ee-yeah-ee-yeah-ee-yeahhhhh!” Phillip screeches, forcing everyone on board to cover their ears.

The song slows to an end and Max sighs, falling backwards. He lands on the wooden floor of the boat- or, rather, head- with a thump and both Phillip and Kelly gasp.

---

“I can’t believe it,” Michela sighs, watching Team Friendship’s creation fall behind them. “They lobotomized me.”

“A tragic disfigurement of beauty,” Albert shakes his head. “They’re mocking you.”

“Really? I don’t think Max would… I mean, he’s seemed pretty torn up. Maybe he’s… coping?”

Albert sucks in his breath. “Eating a gallon of ice cream is coping. Going for a lame walk in your pj’s after sixteen hours of telenovelas is coping. Making a massive replica of your girlfriend’s head, then sawing the top off so you can live inside it? That might just be insanity,”

Michela sulks just as Chris’ voice blares from a loudspeaker back on shore. “Attention, passengers! You are now in a race to the DEATH! First intact boat to reach that buoy wins!”

Back in Team Friendship’s floating head, Max finally sits up, looking tired and disheveled. “Let’s just kill ourselves now and get it over with,”

Kelly bites their lip. “Did he say to the death?”

Phillip watches the two, and a sudden look of determination crosses his face. He stands, grabs a hold of the sail, and begins careening the boat-like-head forward.

---

PHILLIP: “The vikings were like, these super cool guys who plundered and pillaged and murdered, right? Maybe this is my chance to finally fulfill my destiny, and please my bloodline!”

---

The wind finally picks up and Michela’s head goes soaring past Team Mojo, much to the real Michela’s annoyance.

Kelly’s eyes light up. “Yes! Go Phillip! Go!”

“Heh, you’re welcome. I’m pretty sure I’m like, a direct descendent of Julius Caesar, by the way,” he smirks. Max groans and lies back down on the floor.

---

The finish line- a single red flag tied to a buoy- comes into view in the distance. Courtney cheers and does a tiny dance. “We’re gonna make it! We’re gonna make it!”

A small grin finally breaks across Julia’s face, but before she can reply, Mal scoffs. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,”

The pink-haired player turns, a mystified expression on their face. “What does that-”

A sudden explosion throws everyone off their feet. Their boat creaks and groans as it fills with water, the collision with Michela’s head having torn a sizable hole in their hull.

“Ha! Murder!” Phillip says, pointing from Team Friendship’s boat as it, too, fills with water.

“You idiot! You’re going to disqualify us both!” Julia snaps, throwing her arms out. Phillip’s smug expression drops as she begins pelting him with the ice chunks floating into the now-water covered deck.

Max sighs. “Just let me drown,”

As the two teams bicker (and as Phillip attempts, and fails, to dodge Julia’s ice storm), Team Mojo flies by, passing the designated buoy.

Michela cheers. “Take that, boat! Take that, my head!”

Albert rolls his eyes, though there’s a small, self-satisfied smile on his face.

“Team Mojo has won immunity- The rest of you will be up for a dual-team elimination, seeing as neither of you crossed the finish line at all!” Chris shouts. Julia growls, turning her sharp gaze on Courtney, before the host yells into his loudspeaker again. “That is- IF this were an elimination episode! Congrats, everyone is safe!”

Phillip stops scampering around the head to cheer, just to be hit in the back of the throat with a particularly hard chunk of ice. He chokes and falls over.

Kelly winces and helps him up, then pulls Max out of the lake. He’s dripping with ice water, barely moving. He blinks slowly.

---

Max rocks back and forth on the bench, swatting away Kelly whenever they try to console him. “Just leave me here to rot…”

“Action is always better than inaction, you know! Making a move raises a 0% chance- and anything above zero means it’s possible!” they insist, attempting to drag him out of his fetal position. He doesn’t budge.

Phillip shivers, wrapped in several blankets. Julia rolls her eyes at the display.

“Tsk… I’m gonna go search for a better connection. My favorite gacha game is having an event, and I can not miss out on this card,” Mal says, suddenly standing. She tucks her phone in her back pocket and saunters out, much to both Courtney and Julia’s annoyance.

The pink-haired player starts. “Should we-”

“Leave it. I’ll figure something out,”

---

JULIA: “You know what? Fine. Maybe I’m not a good leader. Maybe I can’t keep my team together. But I can sure as hell be a villain, and if that’s what they want, that’s what they’re going to get!” After a long pause, Julia sighs. She digs in her shirt, pulling out an obsidian necklace from under the cloth. She stares at it for a good, long while, and then forces her expression to harden.

---

Max swats Kelly away for the thousandth time, and they finally relent. No touching- got it! They could still work with this.

“I’ll go get you something to eat, then! Being low on energy never improves anyone’s mood,” they wink, offering a smile (which is quickly rebuffed by a dramatic sigh).

Kelly leaves the cabin, walking along the halls of the plane alone. As soon as they’re out of sight of the others, they let their shoulders droop and their smile disappear. A tired look crosses their face, worry wrinkles instantly aging them by at least twenty years.

“Something troubling you?” a voice asks. They jump, and quickly straighten their posture.

“No- who is it?”

Albert walks out of the galley, hands folded behind his back. “Really? You look pretty tired… been working overtime, have you?”

Kelly stiffens, and then crosses their arms. “My team works very hard, thank you,”

“Oh, please,” he says, leaning against the wall. “You know what I meant. Being everyone’s everything- their therapist, their mother, their nurse. You can’t save them, you know, and you’re just going to destroy yourself trying.”

“I’m-I’m just being a good friend,”

“You’re trying to prove something to yourself,” he rebuffs, rather sharply. “I would know. I’ve been in those shoes before. Trust me, it’s better to give up while you’re ahead.”

Albert looks away, staring at a cockroach as it scuttles across the floor. Kelly’s expression softens for a moment, and they take a cautious step closer.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He sighs. “You’re just not getting it. No matter,” he stands straight again quite abruptly, pushing past her. He hovers in the doorway to first class for a moment before turning back. “I know you’re hiding something repulsive down there. No one is this nice- not for long, anyway.”

And with that, he disappears. Kelly stares at the floor for a moment, letting his words settle in, before coming to their senses and hurrying back to economy.

#ttwt #total takes world tour

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