#ch: chuck brown

[dcmultiverse]

Can we get a HELL YEAH?! Get ready for all of Kite Man’s saucy adventures in Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, a spin-off of Harley Quinn, coming in 2024 to @streamonmax.

[psychic-pigeons]

hey if you write a pattern for the chilchuck amigurumi I will buy it instantly

ive gotten multiple asks about this, so ill just answer them all here in one go.

i wrote down everything while i was working on it, but i theres some stuff that i would do diffrently and i also didnt take a lot of process pics so it wont be a full proper pattern for those reasons, but ill add all that i have under the cut!

i dont want any compensation, but if you wanna do me a favor you can donate to esims for gaza, unrwa, any of these gefundme's, or another trusted charity of your choice.

now to the pattern! i would love to see the results of anyone making a squeakychuck, feel free to tag or dm me :)

the dimensions of this depend on the size of ur squeaker and yarn, i had a 4ish cm squeaker and somewhat thick 4/8 cotton yarn (kinda 6/8ish thickness). depending on ur yarn and squeaker u might need to follow a different pattern for the body.

if youre using a different body base pattern, the tunic and blouse pattern are pretty easily adjustable. ill add some notes for that at those sections of the pattern. ill also link some videos i used at relevant sections.

if theres an Action store near where u live, see pic below for the yarn i used for the skin, reddish brown, black and light brown. i got 3 of these but 2 packs was enough. the dark brown and creme were from my stash. i also got the squeaker from a donut dog toy from Action.

-

abreviations list (all in us terms):

mr = magic ring

sc = single crochet

hdc = half dubble crochet

slst = slipstitch

ch = chain

bobble = 5 double crochet in one stitch

4inc = 4 sc in one

4 inc = increase in the next four stitches

BLO = back loop only

FLO = front loop only

what you need:

-skin color of choice yarn

-creme/white yarn (normal for body, thin for blouse)

-greyish creme (for boot flaps)

-black yarn

-dark brown yarn

-light brown yarn

-reddish brown yarn

-green yarn

-4 tiny buttons (for arm joints)

-cardboard (for shoe sole

-3.5mm hook

-squeaker

-needlefelt needle

-stuffing

-stitchmarker (optional, i always mark the first stitch of the round)

-

once again disclaimer, this is not a propper pattern, this is just what i wrote down while i was crochetting. it may not nessecarily be the best way to do it. i wanted most clothes to be removable, but you have to partially disassemble the doll if you want to remove them. if you dont like how something looks or works ur free to do whatever you want. big fan of fucking around and finding out personally.

if you have any questions feel free to dm me, might take me a while to reply though.

-

SQUEAKY CHUCK PATTERN 3.5mm hook

head (skin)

r1: sc 6 in mr

r2: (inc) x6

r3: (sc 1, inc) x6

r4: (sc 2, inc) x6

r5: (sc3, inc) x6

r6: (sc4, inc) x6

r7: (sc 5, inc) x6

r8-15 : sc 42

r16: (sc 5, dec) x6

r17: (sc 4, dec) x6

r18: (sc3, dec) x6

r19: (sc2, dec) x6

r20: (sc 1, dec) x6

r21: sc 12

slst, fasten off

ears x2 (skin)

r1: sc6 in mc

r2: (inc) x6

r3: (sc, inc) x6

r4-6: sc 18

r7: dec 9. slst fatsen off.

Body - leg up (skin, black, thick creme)

start with skin

r1: ch 6, inc in 2nd from hook, sc 3, 4inc, sc 3, inc

r2: inc 2, sc 3, inc 4, sc 3, inc 2

r3: inc 3, sc 5, inc 6, sc 5, inc 3

r4: BLO sc in all

r5: sc 3, dec 2, sc 3, dec 2, sc 6, dec 2, sc 3, dec 2, sc 3

r6: sc 1, dec, sc 4, dec 6, sc 4, dec, sc 1.

r7: sc 6, dec 3, sc 6

stuff

-r8 dec, sc in all

change color to black [color change video]

r9-23: sc in all

1st leg: fasten off

2nd leg [joining legs video]:

r24: sc7, ch 1, sc join in 1st leg after last sc, sc13, sc1 in visible v loop of ch1, sc 7

r25: sc7, sc 1 in remaining v loop of ch1, sc21

r26-31: sc 28

r32: sc 7, change color to creme/white, slst 1, sc 20

r33-35: sc 29

r36: (sc 8, dec) x3

r37: (sc7, dec) x3

r38: (sc6, dec)x3

add squeaker

r39: sc21

r40: (sc 5, dec) x3

r41-42: sc18

r43: (sc 1, dec) x6

fasten off

Arms (skin, dark brown)

i made the arms movable with button joints, but after looking at some videos i discovered that what i did is not called a button joint and i dont have a video explaining it, so i hope this drawing helps.

the red bits are the buttons inside of the arms and body, and the thread (blue for clarity, i matched it w the skin) should be pulled tight and finished off with a double or tripple knot inside the body.

or you could just sew on the arms that also works. but wait with doing that until youve finished the blouse as the hands dont fit through the sleeves. i have a seperate section on assembly at the end of the pattern.

start with skin

r1:sc6 in mc

r2: inc x6

r3(sc, inc)x6

r4 : sc 18

change color to brown

r5: sc 18

1st arm r6: sc 3, bobble, sc 14.

2nd arm r6.2: sc 14, boble, sc 3

[i matched the top loop to the bobble color but i think it would look better if u didnt]

r7: sc 18

r8: (sc 4, dec)x3

r9: (sc 3, dec)x3

r10 sc12

color switch to skin (you might want to do this a round earlier, i didnt initially plan on making the gloves flared, and this color change part can sometimes be seen and look kinda weird)

r11-14: sc 12

r15: (sc4, dec)x2

r16-19 : sc 10

r20: (sc3, dec)x2

r21: sc8

insert button joint

r28: (sc2, dec)x2

slst, sew shut

glove flare (dark brown)

r1: ch 15, slst join LONG TAIL

r2: (sc4, inc)x3

r3: sc4, inc, sc8, inc, sc 4

r4: sc 2, slst fasten off

sew 2 rows below thumb bobble

boots (light brown, dark brown, greyish creme) [video]

these are removable but they dont go on easily, so you gotta patiently massage the feet in there.

start with light brown

ch 7, start in 2nd from hook:

r1: sc 5, 3inc, sc 4, inc

r2: inc, sc 4, inc 3, sc 4, inc 2

r3: inc, sc 5, hdc inc 7, sc 5, inc 2

r4: slst fasten off. sew in holes/tails, fray ends for flat gluejob. trace onto cardboard for sole.

switch color to dark brown

r1: BLO join slst, BLO sc in all

r2-3: sc in all

glue in sole

r4: sc 8, dec 5, sc 12

r5: sc 7, dec 4, sc 10

r6: sc7, dec2, sc 10

r7-10: sc in all

switch color to greyish creme

r11-12: sc in all

r13: slst, FLO sc in all

r14-16: sc all

slst fasten off

flip the greyish creme flap over.

blouse (thinner creme)

this is a standard raglan pattern, if you need the whole thing bigger/smaller you need to have more/less chains at the beginning. this change also carries over to the collar. the increases are evenly spaced for me, and unless your doll has a very broad chest this shouldnt have to change.

if the arms need more space you need to either add more rows to the r3-7 part and/or add more chains in r8 (this part should fit pretty sugg around the body)

i was experimenting a bit w using BLO to minimize the gap where the sleeve and body seperate (r8). it worked p good but you can ignore it if you dont understand it and just sc in all.

(edit: if this confuses you, understandable. I answered an ask abt it here but feel free to ask if its still unclear)

r1: ch24, slst join.

r2: (sc 5, inc) x4

r3-7: inc in first of previous inc. last row should have 10 sc between increases.

r8: sc5, blo sc 1, ch 5, blo sc join in 1st of next inc, sc 11, blo sc1, ch5, blo sc join in 1st st of next inc, sc 5

r9: sc6, blo sc 1, sc 5, blo sc1, sc11, blo sc 1, sc 5, blo sc 1, sc 6

r10-13: sc in all (36)

r14: (sc8, inc)x4

r15: sc in all (40)

slst finish off

Sleeve

r1: join mid armpit, slst ,sc2, sc in the leftover bits from the BLO stitches, sc 11, sc in leftover BLO bits, sc2

r2-6: sc in all

collar

join left-middle front, sc 7, inc, sc8, inc, sc 7. turn

r2: sc7, inc, sc 10, inc, sc 7. turn

r3: sc8, inc, sc 10, inc, sc 8. turn

cuffs

r1: join mid body-facing side, FLO sc 20

r2-4: sc 20, slst fatsen off

Tunic (red brown) [tunesian entrelac crochet]

if you want to make this bigger i recommend keeping the same square layout, but making the squares bigger. its a bit of measuring and math to figure it out.

the tunic is made in tunesian crochet and i dont really know what written patterns for that look like so i hope this makes sense.

for a single square:

r1: ch4, start in 2nd back bump from hook. pull up a loop from ever back bump. you should have 4 loops on your hook total. simplestitch in all

r2-4: simplestitch in all.

r5: slst in all. fasten off

for the slanted parts i did the decrease by pulling through the middle 2 loops in one go on the back pass

this is how the full thing should look, its worked from bottom left to top right.

sew together the shoulders together, then sew in all of the ends

:) good luck

tunesian crochet has a tendancy to curl, so if you used cotton i def recommend blocking it

i defined the grid a little bit with a dark brown pencil.

cowl (green)

BLO sc 7, repeat till desired lenght, then BLO slst join the last row to the first.

scalp undercut bit (dark brown)

r1: sc 6 in mr

r2: (inc) x6

r3: (sc 1, inc) x6

r4: (sc 2, inc) x6

r5: (sc3, inc) x6

r6: (sc 4, inc)x6

r7: sc36

sew on back of the head (recommend doing this before the ears and face, see end for more detailed assembly instructions)

hair (reddish brown) [hair video]

disclaimer, this is kind of a mess. the lenghts didnt line up the way i intended so i improvised by adding loose strands and spent a lot of time pinning every strand in place before glueing them down.

i used bison kit contact glue since its sturdy, transparant, flexible and waterproof. you can use hot glue as well, i just personally dont like it because its bulky.

r1: sc 21 in mc. join BLO slst

r2: ch 12, sc in 2nd from hook, gdc10, BLO slst join

r3: ch 12, sc in 2nd from hook, gdc10, BLO slst join

r4: ch13, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 11, BLO slst join

r5: ch13, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 11, BLO slst join

r6: ch 14, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 12, BLO slst join

r7: ch16, sc in 2nd form hook, hdc 14, BLO slst join

r8: ch 18, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 16, BLO slst join

r9: ch 18, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 16, BLO slst join

r10: ch 14, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 12, BLO slst join

r11: ch 12, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 10, BLO slst join

r12: ch 10, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 8, BLO slst join

from now on, join in the FLO's of previous round

r13: ch10, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 8, FLO slst join

r14: ch10, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 8 , FLO slst join

r15: ch12, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 10 , FLO slst join

r16: ch12, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 10 , FLO slst join

r17: ch14, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 12 , FLO slst join

r18: ch16, sc in 2nd form hook, hdc 14, FLO slst join

r19: ch 18, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 16, FLO slst join

r20: ch16, sc in 2nd form hook, hdc 14, FLO slst join

r21: ch14, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 12 , FLO slst join

1x ch 6, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 4

2x ch8, sc in 2nd from hook, hdc 6

2x ch 10, sc in 2nd from chain, hdc 8, slst in same, fasten off.

2x ch 12, sc in 2nd from chain, hdc 10, slst in same, fasten off.

3x ch14

pin all in place until it looks good, tie +glue loose strands first. then glue back pieces, crown, and lastly bangs/ top back layer. some of the lose strands go behind the ears, one is the left sideburn, and the rest is to cover up the crown. these pics are the best i can do as a guide, this was my first time doing this so i was struggling lol.

i didnt fully glue down the bangs and the top back layer bc i thought it would be fun if u could ruffle his hair, but my friend who i gave the plush to has significantly abused him (its been 2 days) and his hair is a mess so im gonna have to glue it down again lol. might as well do it all the first time if u plan on throwing him down the stairs or something.

Face

for eyes + eyebrows, embroider outline with dark brown, then needle felt [video] the inner parts w unraveled dark brown fluff. the dark brown i used was probably acrylic. cotton doesnt really work well for this.

Belt and pouch (dark brown)

the belt is a 3 strand basic friendship bracelet! [video]

sew together the ends and hide it with by sewing the pouch on top.

i didnt write down the pattern for the pouch, but from the top of my head its the same start as the squares for the tunic

r1-9: simple stitch in all

r10: simple stitch 1, decrease by putting your hook through 2 vertical bars when pulling up a loop, simple stitch edge 1.

r11: slst in all, finish with a long tail

use tail to sew together the sides, and sew the pouch onto the belt. use some yellow thread to make a button.

ASSEMBLY.

put on the blouse, put the arms in their place and finish the button joints.

put on the tunic, lace the sides with dark brown yarn, finish with a knot and hide the tails underneath the chest part of the tunic.

slide on the belt and boots.

sew the scalp undercut bit to the head

sew the ears to the head

tie + glue the loose hair strands behind the ears

glue the back of the hair

glue the back of the hair

glue the middle circle part of the hair

glue the top back layer and bangs

sew the head to the body

put on the cowl

i hope this is somewhat clear, feel free to dm me is you have questions.

enjoy your squeakychuck :D

[eggcompany]

Hannibal's puppy

Hannibal goes to a pound to find a pet. He chooses a day at random to come in, however the day he picks is the day all the pets are getting slicked! That means all the pets have to get their slick glands emptied. He finds the perfect boy, Will. Will is sweet and perfect in every way. However Will has problems with getting slicked because of a nurse. Hannibal to the rescue.

Cute, sweet, lots of cuddling and comfort. Fluffy.

“Hello, yes I’m here to look around. I’m looking for a puppy!” Hannibal said to the young man sitting behind the counter. He was quite excited. 

“Wonderful! We’re actually going through and slicking them right now so you can see them doing that today too. We do have full chalk ups of their medicals though once you pay the adoption fees.” The boy  explained cheerfully. He wasn’t dressed like the nurses so Hannibal assumed he was just a secretary for the pound. He happily stood up and showed Hannibal to the back. 

There were vets in two of the kennels and whining pets everywhere. The smell of slick was heavy in the air. There were two cute little bunny girls getting their go at the knotting toys right then. So Hannibal looked around trying to find some pups. Lots of bunnies, cats, and thin things that looked to be much too playful and bouncy for his taste. 

Then he spotted him. Big round eyes, flopped over ears, curly messy mop of brown hair, rough looking stubble, and a slim perfectly lean muscles body. 

Hannibal made a beeline for that kennel. He stopped in front of it and the little pup looked up at him. 

“Hello darling, what’s your name?” Hannibal asked as he got down on one knee. The puppy was playing with his own toes and waggling a little bit. 

“‘M Will. You talk funny but you pretty so it’s okay.” Will explained. Hannibal chucked a bit. This was definitely his pup. Blunt, dumb, but witty. 

“Yes I suppose I do sound funny to you. I think you’re pretty too, Will. Why don’t you come sit over here so I can really see you and we can talk.” Hannibal said as he sat down on the floor in front of the kennel. Will just rolled over and around so he was laying on his back with his face near the door. His belly looked thin, too thin for Hannibal’s taste but not like he suffered from malnutrition. 

“Oh silly pup. Have you been slicked yet? Have you eaten lunch yet?” Hannibal asked. Will was coming with him today, Hannibal already decided, and wanted him to be perfectly alright before they left. Though Hannibal was already coming up with meal plans for the pup. Plenty of nice fattening foods and sweets. 

“Nope. Nurse Ashley always slicks me last cause I take a long time. I hate it.” Will said. He popped the p when he said nope. Nurse Ashley must be either the bubbly brunette woman or the strong looking blonde. 

“Why do you hate it? Do they hurt you?” Hannibal asked. He wanted to make sure these people weren’t abusing these sweet little creatures. Will was gazing up at him. Just to look. Hannibal was pretty handsome. He looked strong and he had… an air about him. Something sharp yet rounded, it made Will want to lick his face. 

“Nah, don’t hurt. Just takes forever. I don’t get nothin hold onto. Like cuddlin’ things when I get slicked. I gets nervous.” Will said and rolled onto his tummy. He pushed himself up and sat on his knees. He was so cute, though Hannibal. 

“Well darling how about you hold onto me because I think you will be coming home with me today. I’ll keep you nice and safe so you don’t have to be as nervous, poor little pup-pup.” Hannibal said and smiled. He watched the puppy cock his head and then gasp. Will broke out in a big toothy smile. His sharp canines caused Hannibal a sharp intake of breath. They were so… perfect. Sharp and feral. Will rocked back and forth excitedly. 

“Really! You take me? Home? Home with Hammibal?!” Will yipped happily. His tail was swooshing behind him. Will howled lightly but a worker ‘Ch”ed him. He shut his mouth but his ears were perky in his mess of hair on his head. Hannibal chuckled and smiled as he stood up. He would go retrieve the papers and fill them out while sitting with Will. Hannibal stood and looked down at the pup. 

“Yes, baby. You’re coming home with Hannibal. Is that what you want to call me?” Hannibal asked. Pets like to call their owners all sorts of stuff. Master, Owner, Mister or Mistress, Mama or Dada, Daddy or Mommy, or just their names. Hannibal assumed Will wouldn’t want to call him by his name since he couldn’t even exactly say it.

Will looked over Hannibal again with a thoughtful expression. Then he looked back up at the older man’s face and smiled. 

“How ‘bout Daddy? Can I call Hammibal Daddy?” Will asked and wagged his tail slowly. Hannibal couldn’t help but blush a bit. He had hoped that was what Will wanted. 

“Of course Will. Now let me go get the papers, my sweet baby.” Hannibal said and pushed his fingers through the spaces in the kennel door. Will happily leaned to shove his head against Hannibal’s fingers. Hannibal scratched at his curly hair for a moment before leaving to the front desk. 

“I think I found the one I want. Kennel 7, Will.” Hannibal said and soon he was walking back to Will, clipboard in hand. 

“Will, you aren’t neutered? You haven’t had anything done and you’re almost thirty five? Were you a farm dog?” Hannibal asked as he read over Will’s papers. He wasn’t docked, cropped, or cut. His papers say he was given up because his past owners, breeders probably, got too old to take care of him. Usually older pets got cut once they arrived at places like this. Will was smiling as he pulled and palmed at his chew ring. 

“Yep! I watched the porch. My ole owner tried to use me to breed but I didn’t like it so I didn’t. Does you do that or am I get to be a house doggy?” Will questioned. Hannibal was so glad Will spoke freely, some pets didn’t.

“Well you’re going to be a house pet but we can go on walks whenever you like. You can have anything you want now Will. I’m going to take really good care of you, my pretty pup.” Hannibal said as he signed where he needed. Will perked up and wagged, his ears straight on his head. 

“Anything?! Can you buy me a tebby bear and crackers? I love teddies but I never get one. They only give the cute ones the nice toys. I got my nice chewy though! I really like it but I like cuddly toys more. And and crackers! The long rectangle ones with salt cause those are my favorites. Can I have those Daddy? Will you get ‘em for me?” Will said excitedly. Hannibal smiled at him. Will really was perfect. So bouncy yet not overly like younger pets, smart and talkative and able to say most words properly. All he wanted was a stuffed animal and some club crackers?

“I’ll get you as many bears as you want. We can stop by the store on our way home and pick you up some crackers, too. Is there anything else you want? You can have anything.” Hannibal said. Surely the pup could think of something else he want-

“Nope. Just a bear and some cackers pease! Can I go home yet?” Will said and looked at Hannibal with his bottom lip stuck out. Hannibal stood up with his newly signed papers. 

“I’ll see if you can get slicked soon. You gotta get all empty before you leave, it’s just the rules. Next time I’ll take care of it, okay? I’ll go see.” Hannibal explained and Will humphed and nodded. He wanted to go home with daddy already. He wanted to get his new bear and he wanted his crackers. Daddy said he would get them for him. Will liked Hannibal. 

Will looked at the other pets who were getting slicked. A thin red scaled snake boy and a chubby fluffy white haired ragdoll boy. Will liked the kitty boy, he was nice and smart and liked to talk during play time. 

When Hannibal returned he had Will’s full attention. 

“Once these two are done they’re going to let you go ahead. Do you want me to help you still? If you do, they're going to take you to an exam room instead of out here.” Hannibal explained to Will. Will bit his lip and thought for a moment. 

“Yep, I still want daddy to hode me. Is they taking me to the doctor room so I can be on the table?” Will asked. He had been in the exam room before. When he got a stick stuck in his mouth or when that snake boy bit him. Hannibal smiled. 

“What a smart boy you are! Yes, so you can be on the table. That way you can hold onto my chest and be closer to my neck if you want. I know doggy noses are so sensitive.” Hannibal said and reached through and booped Will’s nose. Hannibal couldn’t be happier with the pup. Hannibal sat down onto his butt and looked over at the nurses who were coaching the two pets who were getting their turn on the shaking machines. The nurses seemed to be being kind to them. They let the two hold hands and they were wiping away sweat from their faces. Hannibal even heard one encouraging the thinner one to keep going. 

“Will, do they treat you like that? Do they treat the other pups like that when you get all congested?” Hannibal asked. 

“Not really. They don’t treat us or da bears as good as the not us. They really like them two though cause they’re old and they usually take care of each udder. They don’t like older pups doe…” Will ended sadly. Hannibal nodded. It made him almost mad to know the people here don’t treat all these perfect wonderful creatures the same. 

“That’s alright baby. They shouldn't do that but soon you’ll be living with me and I’ll treat you like the little prince you are.“ Hannibal said and Will clunked his head against the bars so Hannibal could scratch at his hair and rub his ears. 

“Mrs. Lecter you can use the exam room now. Nurse Ashley’s waiting in there. We’ll have a little take home kit for you up from when you’re done! Happy adoption day Will! I hope this is a good fit! Make sure to eat lots of crackers for me!” Said the young man who had shown Hannibal back. He looked like he had tears in his eyes. Hannibal looked at him for a moment. 

“Sorry I just-” He got choked up for a moment but waved it off for a moment and continued in a forced crackling voice.”Will’s been here for a while and sometimes I let him sit by the desk because he’s so well behaved. I’m not allowed to come and actually help or anything but I’ve snuck him crackers from my lunches a few times and he just-” The boy let out a few tears but smiled as he dabbed them away with his sleeves. “He just lights up like it’s Christmas. I hope you take real good care of him. The nurses and techs don’t really care for him but I - I sure do. Sorry I’m such a wreck.” The boy said and pushed his hand to pet Will before unlocking the kennel. Will stretched and stood up on his feet. He pressed his face into the side of the young man who continued crying but spoke softly to the pup. 

“You have fun now Will. You’re going to a nice new home. Behave, remember your manners, and make sure to be polite.” The young man said and looked at Will’s smiley face before turning and hurrying away. 

“That my friend. He feeds me cheesy poofies.” Will said flumped onto Hannibal’s chest. Hannibal put his arms under Will’s and nuzzled into the pup’s hair. 

“Come on my dear, let’s get you all empty then we can go home. How does that sound?” Hannibal said as he ran his hands around Will’s back, he was surprised at how muscular it felt under the thin white shirt. Will wagged and raised his head to give Hannibal a small lick on his cheek. 

“Yes please, daddy.” Will said moved to stand behind Hannibal with his hand on Hannibal’s waist. ‘ Follow’ position. A good trained position that kept pet’s close to owner’s especially in crowded or stressful spaces. 

“Good boy!” Hannibal said and walked to the exam room door and pushed it open. The strong looking blonde woman stood with a sour look on her face, Ashley. 

“On the table. Why do you constantly wear these when you know you’re geting slicked.” the nurse said in a mean voice  as Will hurried to get on the table. She roughly pulled down Will’s shorts. Hannibal was furious when the vet turned to him and said 

“You know we have other pets who aren’t so difficult. Prettier and much younger too.” Hannibal had to school his emotions. Once this was over and Will was home and settled he would put in a complaint about this woman. Will got positioned so he was facing away from the nurse on his knees spread, hands on the table. 

“I find that I am already quite attached to Will. I do not need a younger dog, I need a companion to accompany me home.” Hannibal said and moved so he could scratch at Will’s stumbly chin. The pup relaxed and leaned into Hannibal’s hand but jumped when something slammed onto the table. 

“Well, Mr. Lecter, I’m just trying to help. Will is the worst dog I’ve ever had to deal with. He’s rude, stubborn, he complains constantly, and he’s so needy. While all the other pets we have happily and gratefully accept the chance to get slicked and have some fun, Will here complains and whines and then on top of all that he cries. I really think you should look around again.” Ashley explained as the messily put a large vial of something clear, a large syringe, and a much too large for Will vibrator. Hannibal was furious and he got close to Will so he could cover his flopped over ear. Will was so stiff, so tense, but he let Hannibal silence the world to him.

“I will have your head on a stake if you say anything so rude and uncalled for about my dog. If you do not leave right now I will sink this entire establishment. Go.” Hannibal growled at the woman whose face rapidly lost all color. She walked back toward the door hurriedly. 

“Ok-kay sir, I’ll go get Linni. Sorry Sir.” Ahsley said and slipped out of the door. Hannibal uncovered Will’s ears and petted them. He bent and kissed Will’s forehead through the loose curls that sat there. The pup looked up at him with a confused face.

“What happened? We going home now?” Will asked, his eyes looked hopeful. Hannibal got even closer so Will’s face was near his shoulder and he ran his fingers through the curly hair. Will happily moved his hands to wrap around Hannibal’s shoulders, sitting up on his knees. Will gently placed his chin over Hannibal’s shoulder, breathing deeply. 

“No Miss Ashley decided that the other vet is going to come take care of us. Just try to stay relax, baby.” Hannibal whispered into Will’s ear. Will was resting relaxed and warm against him. Hannibal could feel the pup’s hot breath against his neck. After a moment the brunette woman walked in quietly. She looked nervous but smiled still at Hannibal. 

“Hello… Doctor Lecter! Ashley told me that you’d prefer it if she didn’t administer this procedure. Well I’m Linni Cown, I usually don’t tend to the dogs. I actually take care of the birds, reptiles, and half the felines but I’m happy to do this last one for Will. William, how’re we doing?” the blue scrub clad woman said as she looked over what had been sat out. She picked up and looked at the instrument that was used for the slicking process with drawn up eyebrows and confused look. Will stayed rather relaxed and leaned his head against Hannibal’s neck. 

“‘M cold. I ‘anna go home wif daddy already.” Will said and shivered a small bit. The exam room was somewhat cold and Ashely had bared his bottom and genitals to the cold air. Linni hummed and slipped on a new pair of blue medical gloves. 

“Well I think we have a blankie around here somewhere you can have until you’re done. I think I need to use a different sized instrument though. Will, sweety, do you remember what number class you’re in?” Linni said and turned to dig through the cabinets. She pulled out what looked like a thermal pink towel and looked back at him. Hannibal rubbed up and down Will’s back. 

“I dunno. Nurse Ashley nev’r told me nothin’.” Will muttered and scooted a little closer to Hannibal so his chest was against Hannibal’s. The vet nodded and looked at Hannibal mouthing ‘ Do you have his papers’. Hannibal nodded and pulled out the papers he had received. He handed them over to the vet who read them over quickly before looking at the toy that had been placed out in disbelief and then at Will. She shook her head and went to retrieve a different vibrator. 

“You’re doing super well. You can throw that blanket up over you however you want. Just leave your tail out the bottom, okay? I think the other vet accidentally left out the wrong slicker. You’re in the blue B class for your size and weight and age. Silly Miss Ashley left a red B class toy out. That’s far too big.” The vet said. Hannibal could tell she was angry but Will was none the wiser as he sat back on his heels to get the pink blanket. Will smiled as he unfolded it and threw it up over his head so it covered his back. The pup then went right back to holding himself close to his daddy. 

“Oh, If it doesn’t mention in his papers, usually on any dog over the age of twenty five we use artificial slick to help them kinda get stimulated and get their own glands goin’.” The vet said as she used the syringe to draw up a decent amount of the clear fluid, lubricant. 

“Where should I get that from? Pet stores or is it prescription?” Hannibal asked and watched the nurse put away the vial and grab a wet wipe. 

“We’ll give you a vial that should last about two years, that is if you’re slicking every six months as we recommend. After that you can get it from any pet supply store and I’ve seen many people start ordering the thicker mixes from the internet. The thicker stuff is usually used for… stiffer patients. Like Will! Will, sweety, I’m gonna go ahead and put this inside and push it in okay?” Linni explained as she used one gloved had to hold his tail and open him up so she had access to his hole. She quickly used the wet wipe to clean around his hole. Will whined and squeezed his arms tighter around Hannibal’s shoulders. 

“Yeah… it’s ‘ight.” Will mumbled and tried to flick his tail to the side. 

The vet grabbed the syringe and placed it at Will’s entrance. Hannibal whispered into Will’s ear. 

“Breathe Will. It’s alright, daddy’s here.” The older man said and Will went slack. The vet smiled and gently pushed the small nib at the end of the syringe into Will’s body. Hannibal rubbed up and down the pup’s back, cooing lightly. The nurse pulled back after a few moments. 

“You did such a good job, Will. You are getting a treat after this! You’re doing such a good job. I’m going to position it under you now. You know what to do.” Linni said and moved the smaller blue toy, which had buttons on the wine flared base and a much smoother texture than the one previous to it. Once the tip of it touched Will’s now slick hole he sighed. 

“Daddy…” Will whimpered and eased back a bit. Hannibal shushed him and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. Will stopped for a moment and Hannibal could feel his eyebrows scrunch together. Will sat back a bit quicker until he was sitting on his heels, completely down on the instrument. He flicked his head back to throw the pink fabric off of him. 

“That it? It usually hurt more. Wha happened?” Will said and looked at the nurse and then at Hannibal, switching a few times. He rose up and sat back down a few times. Nurse Linni smiled and pressed the first of four buttons, a slight hum filled the room. Will hugged Hannibal’s stomach and pressed his face into his owner’s chest. 

“We’ll send you guys home with this size. I don’t know why she was forcing him onto that thing. That is for like… well bears your size and bigger. Poor baby.” Linni whispered to the doctor as she wrote a note on a small paper pad on the counter behind her. 

Will was whining and panting while Hannibal pulled the blanket back up over his head like he had done moments before. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Hnnn- Go- go ‘way. Go ‘way. Don’t g-get ick-y” Will stuttered and struggled out as he put his arms against Hannibal’s abdomen. He didn’t push but he let all his weight lean onto the doctor. Hannibal just shushed him and rubbed his back. 

“You’re doing so well! What a good ki- doggy! Good doggy!” Linni said. She corrected herself and looked at Hannibal mouthing ‘ Sorry, used to cats.’ and Hannibal waved it off. Will hadn’t even noticed. He just whined and wiggled around. The vet had gotten what looked similar to a toilet seat cover, it was bigger though and much thicker,  and placed it all around underneath Will. 

“Babe I just put a pad down so daddy won’t get anything on him. You’re doing really well. Do you think I need to measure or can you tell me when you’re done?” Linni said to Will as she petted lightly on Will’s fluffy tail. Will relaxed completely and let his own slick easily slip past his rim and onto the pad below. 

“I… I can tell you? I fought you tode me?” Will asked. He’d never gotten to say when he was done before. Linni closed her eyes and looked down for a moment. Hannibal could feel the anger radiating from her. Perhaps he should let her take the lead on… handling the other vet. She then took a deep breath and rubbed the small of Will’s back. 

“Yes sweet sweet Will, you tell me when you feel like you don’t need this anymore and we’ll clean you up and get you going with daddy. If you get too sensitive or you feel tired or you start feeling a little nauseous, we’ll stop. If you just don’t feel like you need it, we’ll stop. You’re being so good so far so I’m trusting you to tell me or daddy okay?” Linni explained and continued to pet calmly down the brown tail. 

Will nodded and let out loud breaths and small ‘uh’ and ‘ah ah’s as he wiggled around. Hannibal alternated between rubbing Will’s shoulders and back to petting his hair and rubbing his ears. 

“N’more please. I don’t- I feel puk-y” Will muttered and clunked his head against Hannibal’s chest. The vet quickly turned off the shaking tool and slid it down out from where it sat shallowly inside the pup. Will whined and was swaying a bit. A big glob of slick slipped out of him and he gagged. 

Hannibal quickly looked over to where a trash can but Linni was already handing him a blue barf bag to hold over Will’s mouth. 

“Shhh, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. Poor thing.” Hannibal whispered as Will turned a rather rude pale color and gagged again. 

“Here! Here! Drink.” Linni said as she quickly brought over a bottle filled with something fizzy and clear. Linni put the bottle to Will’s lips and looked at him sternly. Will reluctantly sipped it for a few seconds before the vet pulled it away and handed him a few crackers. “Eat.” She said in a solid no argument way. Will nibbled the two crackers and then burped. 

“Sometimes Dogs can get nauseous during this. It’s nothing concerning. Some ginger ale and a few crackers usually helps. Um, ginger and peppermint can also help. I’ve heard that baby food can also help, but I’ve never tried it. I would always keep a trash can nearby just in case.” Linni said to Hannibal as she pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser. She wiped Will’s legs and his bottom as she spoke to the tired looking pup. Will’s eyelids drooped and he was leaning heavily on Hannibal’s chest again. 

“You did so well! Good job telling me when you started to feel bad! That’s what you should always do. We never want you to get sick.” Linni said and threw away the soaked pad. She quickly pulled a pad of paper towels to hold under Will’s bum. 

‘ Is he still awake? I think we need either a pad for his shorts or a pull up. He’s still really drippy. ’ Linni whispered. Hannibal looked down to see Will barely awake and drifting. Hannibal smiled and petted Will’s head for a moment. 

“Go ahead and get a pull up. I’ll carry him out. Would you be a dear and go get all his send home stuff for me? I don’t want to have to put him down and pick him up again and again.” Hannibal whispered back with a charming smile. The vet nodded and turned around. She looked for a moment in the cabinet before turning back around to look at Will and then back at the cabinet before pulling out a white diaper and a dark green fabric cover. 

“We’ll just wrap this on him and I’ll gather your things up in a bag. Let’s get him into the lobby, it’s much warmer.” Linni whispered and winked at the Doctor. She quickly wiped Will again before fixing the thick material around his hips and then covering it with the green cover. She slipped his shorts up to his knees and then to his hips when Hannibal picked him up off the table. Hannibal positioned him so his arms and head were over his shoulders and he could hold him with one arm under his bottom and one around his shoulders. 

Soon Hannibal had a cheap blue tote full of papers and supplies and Will was getting a kiss from the secretary boy. 

Will slept the entire time they drove home, all bundled in the blanket he had from his kennel. Hannibal was nervous but he left Will in the car as he ran into a toy store for a total of seven minutes. He had purchased a large dark brown teddy bear and put it in the back seat. Will stirred but he rolled and little and continued to sleep. Hannibal drove home smiling. 

“Will, darling, perfect little puppy wuppy, we’re home.” Hannibal said in a silly voice as he rubbed Will’s shoulder. Will blinked away and turned his head to look at Hannibal. His hair was a mess and one of his ears was flipped backwards. “‘Ome?” Will said and looked to see his new house and brightened up and sat to look. Hannibal flipped his ear back and pulled him up from the car. 

“Yep, you’re new home. I already went and put everything away so you can come on in.” Hannibal said as he brought Will to the door and watched the pup bounce slightly and wag excitedly. 

“I’m so e’cited! Can I have crackers now? The rec’angle ones?” Will yapped happily as Hannibal led him through the entry. Will wagged and looked around with his mouth open as he walked through the house. Hannibal stopped by the kitchen. There was a box of plain ole club crackers sitting on the counter. Will spotted them and jumped around. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Crackers! Crackers!” Will said and stood with his fingers holding the edge of the counter. He tapped his feet happily and his tail swished back and forth.  

“Yup. I’ll get you a bowl and you can eat as many as you want and then we can just put a lid on them and you can keep them in your room.” Hannibal said and dug out a large blue tupperware out and opened the crackers, filling the bowl. Will looked like he could hardly contain himself, he bounced and wagged and smiled brightly, with his ears and up as they could get.

Soon Will was munching on his crackers happily as he looked around his new house with Hannibal. Hannibal opened one of the doors saying “This is yours”. 

Will looked inside and gasped running over to climb onto the bed. Putting the bowl onto the floor haphazardly. The bear was sat atop plain blue flannel sheets. Will whined and yipped loudly. 

“BEAR ” and Hannibal smiled. 

This was a perfect fit.

[aquarium-ina-bag]

Where Danger Finds Me, it Follows with Tides - 7

'Cause you live in my day dreams ch. 7

Word count: 2.7k

Relationships: Wednesday x Reader (She/they)

Warnings: Mention of blood, pain, bullets.

A/N: So sorry I took so long had a project anyyywaayyyy, if I do breaks again Im able to do drabbles so ask away. I have an Idea for a side au with Jenna, just confused about how I'm gonna use this character R and actor R (Gasp spoilers, wtv) enjoy, give suggestions yatta yatta.

Small conversations spread among the bar, bottles hitting stained, polished wood and smooth granite countertops, and low music playing. It definitely wasn’t a big bar, but it was the home of drunken souls in the outskirts of Jericho. And tonight it housed hopeful, evil, and grieving souls. 

The door swung open, hitting the bell. A small three-man group raised their heads to see the newcomer as the bartender gave his regular warm smile to the eccentric man. 

"Evenin’ James, usual?" The bartender cleaned a glass, ready to serve. 

"Nah nah, I need somethin’ tougher; I’m ina surprising mood tahnigh’ hit me hard." James was practically jumping and shaking. 

The bartender started to pour him a fireball.

"Well, gee, it seems like you've got something heavy already." He slid the glass across the counter.

James quickly caught it and brought himself to the table of three men. He threw his head back and drank with speed. "Fellas, I got that damn thing that's been killin’ my livestock." He slammed his hands on the wooden table. 

The three of them laughed, and one spoke up. "The fucking big creature you saw, with the big claws and skin like a lagoon?" Dune made gestures to mock James' description. 

"Nah na! It’s real, but this one had wings! My god, the size of them nevah seen before, the tips nosebleed red, and it-it-it got deeper colah at the base." James tossed around his arms to depict this creature of the night "OH! And-and-and when I shot the bitch, the speed it took was incredible! Even though I shot it in the wing, damn it was moving maybay 300 miles?"

The group looked at the man in front of them like he was on shrooms, he sure acted like it. The bigger male chuckled, "So you’re saying some big ass peregrine falcon, has been taking your sheep, and when you shot it, it left at the speed of 300 miles per hour?" 

"No, no, Harlow, it gave me my sheep back! It done dropped the sheep back in the pen, ALIVE! The damn hooves were painted pink! Fuckin pink!" James explained.

The men were invested now. "You got two creatures in your fences now?" Harlow asked. 

"Yes! One is killing them, the other is saving them. Like an angel." James fawned over his findings.

Chuck took a sip of his beer before speaking. "Well, you said it was dark and bloody lookin’, don’t sound like no angel to me." 

"What would I call it then?" James questioned his ideas.

"I say call it a blood hawk, it’s easy to identify," Harlow said as he toyed with the ring of condensation on the wood.  "Also, go buy one of them cameras that videos motion." 

The bartender couldn’t hold his words anymore. "Say, you know what’s known for having creepy abnormalities, that Nevermore school miles away. That lagoon creature you were talking about James, I think it’s been seen there plenty of times." 

The bartender pushed a glass towards a shaggy brown-haired man, his hair long, as were the scars on his face as if he were mauled by a beast. The man’s clothes looked so mismatched and ripped; he had a beard starting to grow; and he looked homeless but still had money to buy a drink. This man couldn’t help but listen to the conversation; he made clear, surprised expressions at the words ‘Nevermore’ ‘Blood hawk’ ‘sheep’ and ‘alive’. All this man could do was hum in acknowledgment. 

"I’ll look into it once I get home." James smiled and continued to change the subject.

—————-

"Wednesday I know you usually don’t regret things, but I honestly feel so awful about hurting Y/n," Enid said with her chin on her school desk, her body droopy.

Sure, that is true Wednesday doesn’t feel regret, but everything she regrets on her mind is rooted in because of you, she regrets ever talking to you, accepting your dual, working on the project with you, letting you see something vulnerable in her—she regrets a lot when it comes to you. 

"They said it was fine." What Wednesday really regretted was letting you leave and trusting that you would take care of yourself. She hasn’t seen you all morning. The thought of you bleeding out that whole night banged on her cranium. 

Enid turned to face the goth, laying her cheek on the cold wood. "You don’t really believe that." Wednesday regrets not smothering her roommate, and Enid started to understand Wednesday’s ‘signs’. The raven stayed silent, keeping it that way the whole period. 

When it was over, she took her free period to confirm that Enid hadn’t murdered you. She checked the gym; you weren’t there. Wednesday looked where you feed birds; no luck. She entered your dorm to find clutters of paper and files scattered around your desk. As if a voice was pulling her into the room, Wednesday walked in and shut the door behind her, making a careful walk across the room to your desk. The floorboards creaking had an unusual pattern as if someone were in the room with her. The raven was on edge but still curious; determined to find out why you were gone. 

The goth inspected the papers on your desk. Pictures of the farm you two went to, papers containing information about the owner of said farm. What really stuck out were documents from the U.S. government. How in the world were you able to access something like this? The thought that you were taken by the FBI could make her chuckle. Wednesday shuffled the small stack, trying to get them back in order. When the order was found, Wednesday couldn’t stop reading.

In brief, the documents explain how an ‘anomaly’ that was captured in December of last year escaped a government vehicle, killing four of the six men in said vehicle. This creature never made it to the lab for testing, questioning, and possible execution. This creature could be conjured by American citizen Tyler Galpin. 

Tyler was out, and that was him; he was still lurking in the towns, waiting for his next victim.  

Wednesday looked around for anything that could reveal she was here, and when she turned to the glass screen door, a shine drew her in like everything else in this room. 

Unlocking it and stepping onto the concrete, she looked down to find a bullet that was almost perfectly clean. Why would you have a perfect bullet here? The casing was gone, so this was fired. 

This curious black cat bent down to pick up the fired bullet. Her head was shot backward, and scenes dashed and flashed across her vision.

Fingers that weren’t yours loading ammunition in a firearm; the bullet flying into feathered flesh, then deeper into warm blood and muscle; with her perspective being the bullet, Wednesday felt layers decompressing her. From what she could guess, it was feathers falling off, then skin, then muscles. The bullet dropped in a pool of blood; something or more of a surplus made a horrific shriek as if it was getting brutally attacked. She couldn’t tell what made it, and the warmth of blood left her after the vision ended.

Once the vision was over, Wednesday moved her head back. It felt as if someone was beating her skull; that never happens with visions, but that aside, what did she just see? Wednesday began to make a hypothesis, clearly, this was past, not future, and this bullet wasn’t yours, but she couldn’t be sure if you fired the weapon, it was shot in some bird, but why was the bullet removed like that, layer by layer? What was that screaming? 

The girl’s head was pounding, and before she left your room, she took the bullet, the papers. She wanted to find some type of DNA in the room, but her head said otherwise. 

—————-

Something was wrong; your brain was triggering some sort of defensive reaction, and you didn’t understand what was triggering it. You’re trained to keep your brain in full control, to know when you’re being psychologically attacked, and currently, the right and left sides of your brain are disagreeing with something. Before you can get the problem fixed, you need to know the problem. That could wait though.

"I really need to train back home again." You muttered to the wind, and it raced past as if responding.

You smiled as you continued to walk along the side of a gravel road. This scenery wasn’t better than the woods with Wednesday; did you even look at the view when you were with Wednesday? What were you focused on? 

This constant questioning of yourself was scaring you. Your family described you as a person, with no limits, but you had to be in control of your whole body, and recently you weren't. Maybe that’s why you're triggering a defensive response.

You stopped at a small home surrounded by flat, crop-growing land, knocking on the door before you looked yourself up and down. With a small smirk, you thought the outfit looked like a hitman in the winter decked out in dark, puffy clothes. Hey, it was close to the beginning of winter.

Once the door opened, a taller man, maybe 2 inches taller than you, greeted you with a grimace.

"Well, who the hell is you? Matrix-looking kid. All these damn new fashion trends." His accent was a deep Southern one.

You chuckled before speaking, "You, James Turner?" Your hands shuffled in that dark, puffy jacket, pulling out a picture of the man in front of you. 

"Who’s asking?" He got closer to you, and smelled like booze. 

You've shown him the photo now. "There’s a problem if someone did." You murdered someone, sir?" He could have the other night if your thesis was right. 

"I ain’t kill nobody, did I?" Bingo. James started to get a little scared, you could read it off his body language.

"Well, I heard a complaint about some gunfire, and when I asked around for you, I heard you shot something." Part of that was a lie, you didn't really ask, just lots of tabs closing at a bar. 

James looked like a child getting caught with their hand in a cookie jar; he was going to break. "Listen, somethin’ been stealing my animals. I was waiting to shoot it last night, then this big bird-like person dropped a sheep in the pen, and I shot at it."

Your face scrunched in confusion. "Why would you shoot something, dropping your sheep back off? And you said human-looking? You were going to just kill a person like that?" You took steps forward, and James kept backing up until both of you were in the house. 

"I jus wan-tah to catch em’ , Ay I don’t even think that was them! Something else was killing my animals, it was green and-and-and large, eyes like a bug." Tsk tsk James, the hole he dug just kept getting bigger.

You were so close in his space that he tripped into a seat. "So you shot something that you wanted to catch even though it helped you; it wasn’t even the creature that was killing! What were you going to do, James? When you caught it, that is." 

"I I I." He sure does stutter you noted, "I was gonna report it for stealing." 

You gripped the table, did it crunch? James questioned. "What’s the story, Turner? You said it gave back…" 

"You’re right It was, it was." He was sweating badly. 

"Good, so you understand that you committed attempted murder? Correct?" Your voice was deathly low. "It can be a pretty hefty sentence, James." 

He watched you move around his house, preparing a glass of water, before sitting across from him.

"I’m going to jail?" He looked on the verge of tears. 

You paused before speaking, a clicking sound filled your silence. "Yes, if you refuse to comply with me." You took a long sip of water, making Turner wait in anguish. "Heard you’re gonna set up cameras around this place, I want you to set up cameras around the woods, set up baits, get as much footage of this killing creature as you can, and hand all of the footage, pictures, and what you baited with to me. Sound simple?" 

"Course, anything yes, please, I jus don’t wanna go to jail." He nodded like a bobblehead.

"Perfect, and don’t think you can escape this; I've got all the information to make a court session last less than 10 minutes." You smiled and finished the glass. Quickly grabbing a pen and paper, you wrote one of your numbers and labeled it, 'Turn in footage work and info here' 

"Cya round James Turner." And just like that, after scaring this older male, you left, walking back to Nevermore. 

———————

This headache wanted to make Wednesday have a lobotomy or struck like Zeus to get Athena out. She could barely piece together the papers in front of her. Enid watched her struggle to work, pointing it out like always.

"What’s up with you? I feel like this is easy." 

"My head has been in pain since I had that vision, usually that doesn’t happen," Wednesday explained as she moved the sheets and note cards around the board. 

Enid knew that if the pain was really bothering her, this headache was something from hell. "Hm, do you want to take something? Or maybe take a break?" 

"I did; it got worse." Wednesday's face barely scrunched as she spoke. "I don’t need a break either." 

Thumps on the door broke the conversation; they both looked at each other, then Enid went to open it. 

You stood there with a toothy grin and said, "Hey Sinclair, where’s Wednesday?" 

"I don’t know if she would be up for a date, Y/n, she’s got a raging headache." Enid knew Wednesday stole from you, so she had to make somewhat of an excuse. 

You paused for a second. "I, uhm, no, I’m not here for that, she has something I ne-" 

Enid shut the door in your face and said, "They know!" Whisper yelling to the goth. All she did was nod and signal to let you in.

Enid slowly opened the door to let you in; once you did, Wednesday’s now migraine blared. She gripped the side table near her. 

"Evening Addams, I’m guessing you know why I’m here." You walked closer to her, maybe 5 inches away from her now. 

"Why," she paused to take a breath, "why do you have them?" 

You raised a brow and said, "I could ask the same." You whispered, getting closer to her ear. "You can get in trouble if you have them; I know how to take care of them." Also, you have a vision?" 

Wednesday wanted to make sure this wasn’t some fake whispering again, so she clutched the bottom of your shirt. For you, it seemed like desperation. She released you and went to take the papers.  

"Yes." Wednesday handed the papers back. Just like that, the pain was gone, and she could think straight now. 

"Doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?" This no-distance whispering with you was going to kill Wednesday; it made her feel sick again. 

She slowly nodded, and with that, you backed up and said your goodbyes, then left.

So many holes—how did you know about the papers? Where have you been all day? How did the vision connect with the headaches? How did you fix it? What trouble did you mean? Why do you have those papers? What were you going to do with it? Her loud thinking was blocked.

"So no more evidence?" Enid asked. 

"The bullet—I still have it."

"Well, it is like almost 12. Let’s look at it tomorrow. Also, who comes to someone’s door at 11? Also,  what did she tell you? I couldn’t hear, over the sound of you two practically making out with each other's whispering. Wait a minute, you didn’t even whisper; you just nodded. What was that about? Whatever, that's a question for tomorrow. I’m too tired, night Addams." Enid threw herself onto her bed and crashed to sleep. 

Wednesday, on the other hand, couldn’t do the same; she needed to get answers.

[teenagesmoking]

A Frosted New World

Summary- The cold slowly seeped into Francine. You might think she would love it, as winter is her favorite season, but it may be too much for her now.

Ch. 1 Chp. 2 Chp. 3 Chp. 4

Chapter 5- Transformation

Time was at a standstill; the restraints were still tight on Francine’s arms and legs. She tried her best to keep her eyes open, but the pain was too much for her. It felt as though air pumped through her veins. She rubbed her chin against her elbow; it felt cold. 

“My shoulder is cold… maybe cause room cold…” Francine looked up at the ceiling. The moss pattern and stone remained in place.

Zhang, now called Shang Tsung, only walks into the room a few times daily. He injected Francine with the same blue liquids, only feeding her porridge and water. He also inspected Francine’s body, even removing her clothing to touch her body. Francine shook her head. 

“Get out…, ya, out…” Francine’s head fell back down onto the table. 

While falling asleep, Francine heard the room door open. The light hit her eyes, and a shadowy figure stood at the door. Francine heard the clinks of bottles, and her eyes shot open. 

Dear God, no…

The figure came beside the table and placed a tray on the other table next to Francine. Francine looked towards the figure. He pinched her cheek.

“You are taking this well, Francine. It may be time to test your new body.” Shang Tsung said.

“I…no…don’t wanna…” Francine mustered up the courage to speak to Shang Tsung. His looks and behavior contrasted drastically from before. 

He was oriental from head to toe, wearing a red robe and brown pants. A gold chest plate and shoulder pads sculpted his body. Two pieces of fabric cut into red and gold ribbons hung from each shoulder, traveling down his body. He was wearing gray boots with black and gold armor. 

Shang Tsung held a spoon to Francine’s face. She scrunched her face, having porridge again as if in prison. 

“No, thanks…” Francine said.

“You must! No guest of mine will stare,” Shang Tsung shoved the spoon into Francine’s mouth, and the porridge pooled on her tongue. “Besides, you will need energy to regain your strength.”

Francine chewed on the porridge; her eyes lit up.

“Apple?... Cinnamon?” Francine swallowed the porridge.

“A small reward for you.” Shang Tsung said.

It makes it bearable, I guess…

Shang Tsung rubbed the back of Francine’s head, her brown hair disheveled. The porridge was hot, but Francine had limited options. 

“No… more…” Francine turned her head and shut her mouth.

Shang Tsung pressed his thumb on Francine’s chin, and a smile crept onto his face.

“We will see what you can do…” Shang Tsung chucked the spoon into the bowl and picked up the syringe. He gave it a couple of flicks. 

Francine braced for what was to come. She felt a prick in her left arm, and the pain she already felt grew tenfold. Francine held her breath for a minute, which helped a bit with the pain. She gasped for air; it’s as if arctic waves were hitting her with shrapnel. Francine glanced over to Shang Tsung, the same smile still on his face. She stared into his eyes, and as she stared into them, she felt the pain disappear. 

“Hm, your body is taking the serum well.” Shang Tsung said. 

“Ah-uh…” Francine pulled up on her restraints.

Shang Tsung pinched Francine’s arm, a reminder of what Shang Tsung could do to her. She stopped.

“Good… you are truly obedient.” Shang Tsung said.

He walked to the other side of the room and picked up Francine’s hockey gear. He placed it on the ground next to the table and unbuckled the restraints around Francine’s arms and legs. The blood finally flowed to these body parts, regaining some much-needed warmth.

A surge of adrenaline hit Francine; she flung her hand and attacked Shang Tsung’s crotch. He gripped Francine’s hand and clutched it down; a slight crunch came from her hand. Francine screamed, pulling her hand out of Shang Tsung’s grasp and hiding it under her armpit.

Shang Tsung picked Francine up from the table.

“By the Elder Gods! I may have fed you far too much!” Shang Tsung pinched at Francine’s sides, though there’s not much fat there.

“Not… fat… asshole…” Francine nearly fell over but caught herself on Shang Tsung’s shoulders.

“No, but quite heavy nonetheless.” 

Shang Tsung snaked his hand underneath Francine’s shirt, feeling her body up and down. Francine grunted, trying to remove his hands from her. He removed her shirt and rubbed her sides. The veins were sticking through her skin like someone had come in with a dark blue marker on her body.

Shang Tsung pressed his fingernail into one of these veins, gaining a grimace from Francine. She squeezed Shang Tsung’s shoulders harder.

Francine experienced repeated bouts of nausea, asking, “Why you… do that?”

Silence filled the air, only interrupted by the rustling of Francine’s clothing. Like a doll, Shang Tsung dressed Francine in her hockey attire. As Shang Tsung hovered the hockey mask over her face, Francine gripped his wrist.

“Do not make such a fuse.” Shang Tsung pinched Francine’s cheek. He then fitted the mask’s strap to Francine’s face.

Francine looked like her usual self but was a shell of her former self. Her eyes glazed over as she lifted her hands to the mask.

Need… to leave this place… door…

Francine turned her head to the large wooden door. She stared into Shang Tsung’s eyes, trying to figure out what to do.

Fuck it!

She landed a blow on Shang Tsung, leaving a scratch mark. Francine tried her best to run to the door, but with no ice underneath her, it’s like rubbing knives against rockets. Shang Tsung regained his composure. He lifted his head to see Francine desperately twisting the doorknob back and forth. 

He dusted himself off, walking himself to Francine with a pleased look.

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

A gloved hand cupped at Francine’s shoulder, giving it a gentle rub. Her heart sank, and all the blood in her body drained to her legs. 

“That was a decent attempt, but we can not win them all.” Shang Tsung said, jiggling keys next to Francine’s ear.

Oh, sweet Lord above, if you’re listening to me, for the love of all things holy… FUCKING SAVE ME!!

Francine experienced a subtle elevation, hardly noticeable yet present. She looked down, and a layer of ice formed beneath her.

“Ah, it seems that the serum is working!” Shang Tsung said.

“... What… you do to my body…?” Francine felt her arms and legs become cold and numb.

“Putting your body to use.” Shang Tsung turned Francine’s body to face him; she almost fell over, but he caught her. 

“Hm… you will need quite a bit of work.” Shang Tsung said. 

Francine had limited options. She tried to grab the keys from the man, but all the strength in her body disappeared. Francine wanted, no, needed, to discard everything from her body. She flung her skates and hockey gear off, then her gloves, black jersey, and black pants. Once she reached for her hockey mask, she undid each strap. But the mask didn’t budge. She tried lifting it off, but it’s no use.

“My mask…why not…come off?” Francine said.

Shang Tsung rubbed his beard. A demonic smile spread across his face.

“Are you having trouble, Francine?” Shang Tsung pulled on the mask, but it didn’t move.

“Oh my! It is stuck.”

“How…get…off?”

“I am not sure. But surely, you cannot eat or drink if you do not remove this mask.” Shang Tsung flicked the mask, startling Francine. 

What the fuck, what do I do?!

“Either you die of dehydration or starvation, whichever comes first. Or you sacrifice a bit of yourself to remove the mask.” Shang Tsung moved his hands behind him, waiting for Francine’s decision.

What the hell’s wrong with me?! Fuck! No! Oh God, why?! FUCK–!!

The skin of Francine’s face peeled off as she slowly pulled on the mask, and a muffled, agonizing scream rushed out of her mouth. Blood pooled at the bottom of the mask and covered her jersey and hands. The pain was indescribable; the adrenaline was the only thing protecting her body. She only got halfway through before collapsing onto the ground.

Shang Tsung was still smiling, though he wondered if this would be another failed experiment. He stooped down to view the show going on. Francine’s breath was shallow, and her eyes half-lidded. The torn skin revealed the red muscle fibers underneath, though some skin stuck around where the mask hadn’t touched it.

“Impressive. But let us finish this!” Shang Tsung said.

He shoved his foot into Francine’s face; she let out a gargled whimper. Shang Tsung then grabbed the mask, pulling it off quickly. 

The experiment had finally ended; Francine transformed into her new self. Shang Tsung tapped his foot on the young woman’s face. To his shock, she let out another whimper—a wave of accomplishment and glee washed over Shang Tsung.

“Ah, I have done it! An Earthrealmer transformed into a necromancer! Though I must admit, it may have been too early to use the mask. But, no matter!” Shang Tsung said.

Francine lay motionless on the ground, and Shang Tsung lifted her. Francine’s blood painted Shang Tsung’s back, but he didn’t mind. After all, it’s possible to wash out blood. A failed experiment, however, wouldn’t be so easy to repeat.

“I am disappointed we could not play today, but there is always next time.” Shang Tsung said. 

[untilthenextencore]

Nights To Remember Ch 2.: Flashes & Flickers: Light & Shade~...

~

~

In the car, Robert saw a transformation occur in Dahlia. A fire lit in her eyes. Her body grew tight. Expectant. As his was too, albeit for a completely different reason.

As a familiar DJ howled over the radio, she called out. "Mag, mind changing the channel? I love Wolfman, but I'm in the mood for something else. Try KRLA or something."

"Mag" or Magnet obliged. He turned the dial as he turned the corner.

A voice crooned from over ten years ago.

"Those Oldies But Goodies remind me of you~..."

He knew who it was.

Knew what she wanted.

Magnet knew too, hence his turning the dial in just the right direction.

Art Laboe.

Dahlia proved them both right as she recognized the station instantly.

"Yesssss…" Dahlia hissed.

Magnet flicked an amused grin back at her through the rear view mirror.

Robert's eyes were drawn to her too. In full. Closely watching. He saw her toes curl. Her fingers tightening over her small clutch purse & book. Fingers tightening. Toes tightening. Body tightening. Anxious. Expectant. Excited.

Was this how girls were like in making their way to their concerts?

Perhaps.

He saw an aura grow around her. Bated breath & something swirling about her in the smoky haze in the car. Cracks in the veneer. Little glimmers of light peeking through from within.

She was coming alive.

Or about to.

Memories of her dancing & carrying on with her friends at the Chuco flash through his head. Drinks & dancing.

Robert dancing with dusky maidens under the stars. Making him feel home sweet home. Little Mexican Maureen facsimiles. More Indian beauties. More weaknesses. More indiscretions. More things to apologize to the actual, original, one & only true Maureen to.

Robert danced with her too. Dahlia. Bopping around to the rock'n'roll songs they grew up & cut their teeth on. Robert even managed to snag a few slow dances with her. Under the same stars & streetlights.

Until Jimmy appeared out of the ether seemingly. Sidling up to them & spiriting his girlfriend and then fiancee away & into his own arms. Slowdancing with her himself under the stars & streetlights. The flashes of lights both from that & the headlights & taillights of the classic cars that surrounded them all bathed them in a flickering warm glow that matched the warm glow that seemed to emanate from the couple themselves.

Just as Jimmy would want & the only way he'd have it.

Light and shade.

That memory sent him rocketing back to the present. The present that had him beside Dahlia in the backseat as she went from allowing her body to flit from two extremes in her response to the best Art Laboe could play; melting at ballads to winding back up at the rocking tracks as they played. All the while, that same sharp, inscrutable look remained in her eyes. Deep brown depths alight with more than the passing flicker of a streetlight. All as they were similarly surrounded by a tight phalanx of headlights & taillights.

That last bit quirked the corners of his mouth & would've made him laugh had he not been otherwise occupied.

No, instead as Dahlia's head craned back & let yet another sweet ballad from yesteryear wash over her, Robert's head craned back, peering myopically into the following headlights & trying to make out any familiar faces amongst the blinding beams.

No luck.

He thought he saw a familiar town car. Perhaps even a familiar curly black head. But would he ride in the front seat? Was he just seeing things? He didn't know.

All he knew was that as ever, a half an hour or so alone with the lovely young Miss Dahlia was never enough for him. But now he found it stood true for a whole different reason entirely.

As Magnet gunned the engine along with the twanging guitar of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" Robert's stomach clenched to match his fist. Twanging guitar. Mentions of someone who could "play guitar like ringing a bell". He knew someone like that. Someone who was hot on their tail. Whose smoky dragon breath curled hot on the back of his neck, tickling the golden curls there.

Magnet's driving chugged the car along like the train alluded to in the lyrics. Robert was the conductor. Or at least he had been. The chain of cigarettes he took down produced the smoke.

Dahlia's fingers on her right hand stayed "strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made". Her left hand shifted over Robert's. Clearly, she sensed his nerves. Even if she didn't understand them or why he was in their clutches. He just was. She wanted to help. That was that. Even if he didn't want to talk. Wasn't ready to talk. She was there for him as a friend. That was all that mattered.

The contact elicited two reactions in him at once. It both soothed his soul. And inflamed him. In a way she seemingly had no idea. To paraphrase Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the very song that was playing then as she did that; "If she didn't know by now, she'd never, ever know."

She didn't know.

But he did.

Magnet did.

Peter did.

Virtually everyone else did.

Especially a special someone.

One whose stately diamond ring glinted in the flickering light as it circled her left hand's delicate third finger. One whose slim delicate fingers paired with his massive fucking hands in strumming with the rhythm that the drivers in his head made, playing his guitar like ringing a bell, like a fuckin' menace.

The PreRaphaelitic faced, star-suited dragon lord himself.

Paganini with a pick.

James Patrick Page.

The one Robert remained keenly aware of as he verily sensed the town car trailing them mimicking each twist & turn his "getaway man" Magnet made behind the wheel. Johnny B. Goode himself. Hot on the trail of a "country boy" who - despite his best impulses - always seemed to telegraph his wants & needs to be a little bad. Impish. Impulsive. Impetuous.

Peck's bad boy.

Plant's bad boy. Anthony Plant's bad boy. With Page's good girl. His best girl. His wife. His fuckin wife!

And though he never did anything really. Though never crossed the line. Never behaved untoward with Dahlia. Page knew.

Page knew.

He knew.

He knew Planty.

He knew Plant's tastes in women. Hell, he knew Planty's fuckin' wife! He knew Dahlia fit right in line with Planty's tastes. How sometimes the only thing saving some stupid journalists from telling Mrs. Page from Mrs. Plant was that Dahlia was just a few inches taller.

He knew Robert. He knew how he took to loneliness. He knew how it was on the road & how easy it was for Robert to go looking for company. How easy it was for his eyes to go astray.

And how easy he found it & how often it was that Robert's eyes found themselves straying to her. Straying on her. Her face, her eyes, her curves, her entire figure, her hair, her smile, her whole self, her entire being.

He saw. Even when Dahlia didn't.

He saw how he looked at her. How often he looked at her. The way he looked at her. He knew that look. He'd seen Robert give it to other women before. Women he intended to take to bed.

Jimmy had given girls that look before himself. He'd had similar results. But that was before Dahlia. Before he gave it to Dahlia. And after a slow seduction, months of letters & calls & a pen pal friendship that blossomed in between her on and off relationship with Jim Morrison, that he found himself the first to take Dahlia to bed. Not just any bed either. His bed. When she visited England in the spring of '67 & stayed in his then new house. Pangbourne.

Prize won.

But he found there was no moving on from that point. She was in his blood. One taste. And that's all it took. She was his. No matter what. Even if it took a while sealing the deal. No matter. He'd do whatever it took to ensure that. The deal was done.

Robert knew the whole story of course.

He also knew that it was Jimmy's knowing that look, and knowing those results, first hand no less, that only made it so Jimmy did his damndest to ensure that only he could get such a result when giving Dahlia that look. Not anyone else. And certainly NOT Robert.

And as Robert registered another pat of his hand by Dahlia, he smiled. Both from the tenderness shown. Classic Dahlia as ever. And for how succinctly Eric Burdon was then summing up the many things that had been whirling about his mind then, in yet another old song from years past.

"Well, don't you know that no-one alive…

Can always be an angel…

When things go wrong I seem to be bad…

I'm just a soul who's intentions are good…

Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood…"

The situation found itself more succinctly - if vaguely - summed up when Magnet slowed the car to a stop & parked, announcing. "We're here." Then "Mag" jerked the handle shortly, opening the door wide and supplanting the last strains of Eric Burdon & the Animals with a slow, slinky bluesy intro.

Dahlia instantly perked up, recognizing the sound & crooning. "Ohhh! I love that song. C'mon Robert, let's go!" And with a series of clicks, the unclicking of her belt, opening of her door by Magnet & the hurried clicks of her heels towards the music as it swelled, she was gone.

Robert was left to finish his last cig, brooding, contemplating, mulling over Big Jay McNeely voice as it drawled out the first line. The words teasing him in their seeming concise reading of him upon arrival.

"There is something on your mind~..."

~

As ever, this is forever under construction~...

Hope y'all enjoy~!...

[submarinerwrites]

do you have any book recs?

ofc! these’ll be pretty general, but they’re all books i’ll recommend to basically anyone. for nonfiction and theory:

thomas nail, marx in motion (reading marx through new materialism. especially recommend ch. 1, 3, and 5)

henri lefebvre, writings on cities (it’s poetic praxis babes. always obsessed with this tbh)

karl marx, early writings (from penguin classics—i find this a lot more approachable and clear than capital)

jon levenson, sinai and zion (this book made me become a religious studies major, and it’s an incredibly clear and insightful look at early judaism. i personally found it really affecting)

georges bataille, erotism (duh)

for fiction (these are just my favorite books of all time lol):

matthew gregory lewis, the monk (this is the subject of my thesis so im a little biased)

t.h. white, the once and future king (funny and heartfelt and it makes me cry)

c.s. lewis, the screwtape letters (not to overstate things but this is one of the central works of contemporary christian thought. to ME)

charles brockden brown, wieland (seminal text of the american gothic my beloved)

chuck palahniuk, choke (ive said this before but people read this way less frequently than fight club or invisible monsters and i love it)

patricia grace, potiki (holy shit this book is so good)

[sofiiel]

Ch.1: The Era Crasher

Chapter Theme | Masterlist | Next

"Hey, Y/n!" A voice called out to you, quick steps echoing down the hall after you. "No Zed, I've got less than thirty minutes to get this money down to the bank, or I'm going to lose the sale on that house, my first house!" You raged.

But the toffee skinned girl was peering up at you with those large brown eyes was just something you could never say no too. With a playful scowl, you sighed, "I hate you, Prasad." You said. Zed smirked up at you and shrugged, "Doesn't seem like it, does it? It's room 205, the freshmen are going through type assessment and Professor Wilkes needs a bit of help." Zed said.

You look down at the watch on your wrist.

"I know getting your first place is a big deal. It'll only be about 15 minutes. There are only about four freshmen this year." Zed said. "I also kind of already promised that you'd help out." she added in quickly nipping at the side of her finger.

"Zed....what did I say about loaning me out without my permission!" You barked.

"Hey! It's a lot of pressure having my name 'round here, alright! Sometimes a girl needs a little help, from her very best friend in the whole wide universe." Zed pushed back.

You watch her with a flat gaze pointing at her as you head for room 205, "You're lucky I don't ghost you." You said.

"You don't have to be scared, alright. You can't hurt me, I'm a seasoned pro at this by now. Just focus, close your eyes, and think of your very best memory. Use that moment and feed your power." You instructed the nervous freshman as the two of you stood in a small LED ring in the floor.

Focused on the handheld monitor, you watched the student's energy level's spike as they tried to focus.

A sharp crackle shook the room, the air became thin, and a vortex slowly turned in the center of the room.

"Oh my god! I didn't mean to! I swear!" A student's frantic voice cried out. "Y/n help me get the students evacuated, and then we'll seal the tear!" Professor Wilkes shouted out to you over the tearing crackles.

"R-right." You stammered, ushering the freshmen away from the vortex and towards the large glass doors. "Single file, remain calm. There is a procedure for this, everything will be fine." You called after them.

Once the students were safe, you turned to Wilkes. "Are you ready?" He asked. You smirked, "of course, I wasn't top of my class for nothing." you boasted, Wilkes frowned deeply, "yes, but time manipulation is..." Wilkes sighed.

"Hey, never let them see you sweat. They're watching. Let's get this done." You said. Wilkes gave a nod and you each took a side of the vortex, arms extended forward.

It'd been years since you suffered a nosebleed. But as your arms trembled and your head throbbed, you couldn't help but think, "Maybe I was too confident."

Blood dripped from booth nostrils, and Wilkes seemed to be tiring as well.

With a loud burst, the vortex spread. "It's growing!" you gasped.

"The room can contain it, we should leave and go seek Professor Sarah." Wilkes said. Making a run for the door, you feel yourself being pulled backward.

"Professor!" You yelled, grabbing for his hands. Wilkes clung to the doorway. The vortex ever-growing was fighting against the pull you used to hold yourself grounded. Your eyes threaded to bleed from the exertion of mental strain.

"Wait! Let me through!" Zed's faint calls sounded from beyond the thick glass of the room. Looking into Wilkes eyes, you knew he couldn't help you. "If he were to move or let go, it would get him to." You thought.

Your pulse was loud in your ears, "where does this vortex go?" You wondered. "Professor!" called one of the chair members of UGI. She tossed him a small black compact mirror.

Catching it, Wilkes chucked it into the room, the pull of the vortex guiding it to you. "A communicator..." you muttered, looking up to Wilkes. "We will contact you and get you back home, Y/n." He said, and not a moment after you were swallowed by the time tear.

Eddie sulked as he returned from a sale, counting his money while on the way to his van. It wasn't a bad deal, that wasn't the reason for the frown.

Down the street in the video store, two buildings down from where he'd met his client. Chrissy Cunningham stood cuddled up to Jason Carver. Her arm wrapped around his as her bright eyes looked up at him, filled with stars.

That was the problem.

"If she knew what you did, she'd never even look your way." He thought, "not that she ever has." Eddie muttered.

The surrounding air changed, it felt colder and frail. Popping like static echoed faintly. Before his eyes, the air rippled like heat waves on the road.

"What the hell?" Eddie gasped, stepping back.

"Shit." you cursed quietly, stumbling and swaying as you tried to keep your balance. With your wrist, you wiped the blood from your nose. It took a lot of effort to stop yourself from crashing to the ground as the vortex kicked you out.

A sharp scream filled your ears, and your eyes fell on the boy on the ground. He watched you wide-eyed as all the color drained from his face.

"Easy there big fella, I know this is a little strange but. It's ok. I just really need you not to-"

He opened his mouth wide and out came that same scream.

"Nonono, Sh. Here look." You flounder, trying to hush the boy you tapped buttons on your watch. Quickly bring up a hologram of your favorite concert.

The boy's screaming stopped as his mouth tumbled open. He looked from the neon light show to you. "What the hell are you?" he asked. Turning his attention to his arm, he rolled up his sleeve and pinched himself hard.

"What are you doing?" You asked him flatly. "Jesus, I'm not dreaming, why am I not dreaming!" He sang in panic. Leaving him to his panic, you took the chance to look around. "Oh, this isn't good." you murmured.

"I thought maybe he just had a strange taste in fashion, one of those cyberpunk revivalist, but..." You looked down at the boy, "You, fluffy. What's the year?" You asked him.

His eyes were still focused on the hologram and your clothing. With a sigh, you turned the hologram off. "Focus, fluffy. What year is it?" You asked again. "uhhh, 1986, right on the dot - New Year's Day." He stammered.

Your hands fly up to your head, "oh, this is bad." you whispered. "100 years, the last time tear incident only took the person back twenty years." You said to yourself quietly.

"Time tear?" the boy asked. "100 years?" He slowly got to his feet and in a long, quiet exhale of air said, "holy shit."

"You like a martian or something?" He asked

You squint at him, "what? No, I - how does time travel equate to martian to you?" You question making a face. "Well, it's usually space people who time travel, right? Except in back to the future." He rambled.

"I'm not a martian, Back to the Future is a terrible example of how time travel works. And...sorry to break your heart, Fluffy, but martians don't exist. The little green men, are people colored and just smarter versions of us, who figure space shit out centuries before the rest of us." You said.

"So what...like the Mayans?" He asked.

You watch him blinking silently, "yeah, sure like the Mayans." you sighed looking about. "What are you going to do, y/n." you utter to yourself. You flip open the little black mirror and looked around, holding it in the air, "I can't get a signal here." you muttered.

"You need a signal....for a mirror?" the boy asked.

"It's not a mir- you know what, never mind. Thank you for your help, if that's what it can be called. I need to go undoom myself." You said, walking away with the compact still held to the sky.

"Hey wait! You could use a guild, right? I mean, they'll haul you to Area 51 dressed like that." He called after you. "I can help," He added. With a sigh, you turned to face him again, "What you name, fluffy?" You asked.

"Eddie, um...Munson." He said. Walking closer, you point at him, "I may be out of my element but if you try anything I'll lay you out." You warned. Eddie grinned slowly, "On my best behavior." he said. You sized him up one more time and held out your hand, "Y/n" you said simply.

"Y/n of the year 2085." He said. "Just, y/n. Not that other part, you watch too much TV." You sighed.

"I might." Eddie admitted, "um...are you hungry? Sleepy? You can crash in the back of my van while I swing by my house and get you something to eat." He offered.

"Oh, my lord, I'm a stray cat." you groaned.

--- ---------------------------------ONE MONTH AFTER-----------------------------------

You groan as the van doors open, "It's six am! You need to get up and try for a signal again!" Eddie spoke loudly. "Leave me alone, I'd like to be sleep and miserable." you murmured.

"Sorry but control is looking for you major Y/n" Eddie sang.

"I hate you." you grumbled. "I'm all you got." Eddie teased, laying down a plate of toaster strudels. "I made you breakfast." He offered.

Sitting up, you frowned at him as he flashed you a hopeful smile. "Everyday you bring these sad throwbacks and everyday I'm not thrilled." You said. "I thought I could be sour, sometimes, but you really take the cake." said Eddie.

With a frown you look down at the strudels on the paper plate, "I'm not ungrateful, I'm just..."

"Homesick?" Eddie asked. "A little." you admitted. Crawling out of the van, you stood outside, holding your compact to the sky. it didn't so much as light up.

"Well... I figured you must be bored wandering around town all day. I asked my supli- um... my friend to work some magic and you," Eddie sang with pride on his face, passing you a backpack. "Have school today." he hummed.

You glared, "school? As in? Your school, the high school?" you asked.

"Um yeah." He said.

"I was in my final year at my university, granted. Yeah, I was let in early, but still. Why would I want to go back to high school?" You asked. Eddie simply shrugged, "better than being left in my van all day looking at that mirror thing like a kicked puppy." he said.

You fell silent, you couldn't argue that.

"Look, you probably miss your friends and shit, right? You don't seem to like me much. Maybe you can make some other friends? If you're stuck here, you can't stay in my van forever." Eddie said.

He chuckled quietly, "not that I mind, I always wanted a pet. You're like a cat." He teased.

"Yeah? Then why are you the one called Fluffy?" You shot.

"Because you're mean, but my Uncle just left, you can go inside now. I left you something to make you look less...weird, in the bathroom." as he spoke, you continued to watch him with halfhearted contempt. Eddie smirked in amusement, "get dressed. It's your first day of school!" He cheered mockingly.

"Maybe he's not serious." you thought, eyes still trained on him.

"Seriously, you need to go, we've got an hour before we need to hit the road." he said.

"Shit, he's serious." you whispered, tucking your compact in your pocket. "Fine." you groaned, heading for the Munson trailer.

"You could look happier, I shelled out twenty bucks on those two shirts." Eddie said as he walked at your side down the busy hallways. "That's actually pretty expensive for this time, why?" You asked.

Eddie shrugged, "because a quick way to get cussed out is to bring a girl back some cheap shit. That way, at least if you hated it, it had a nice price." He hummed.

"No wonder you're single." You muttered. "How would you know?" he shot, "because you managed to keep a girl hidden in your Van for a month. If you had a partner, they would have found out by now and given you all kinds of hell for it." You reasoned.

"Oh...maybe they're just understanding?" He stammered. You tossed him a look and rubbed at your arms. "Actual flannel was this scratchy? I thought it was supposed to be comfortable." You muttered.

"It's only a percent flannel, and I'm sorry, was?" Eddie asked.

"In about 100 years flannel was swapped out for something more flexible, cost-effective and warming. It's there, just, used less." You said.

"So...the pretty or expensive rule doesn't apply in 100 years?" Eddie asked you. "Oh no, it's still there, it's just stupid to assume that's how every girl is." You said. You take a look down at yourself and realize just how poorly the two tops went with your original bottoms and shoes. "I for one, would have appreciated if they halfway matched." you murmur.

"You're just grumpy because you had to get up and do something this morning," He said. Drawing in a breath, you begin to protest. "Other than wallow in woe." Eddie added quickly.

Across the hall, a girl stood near her locker muttering to herself as if she was annoyed, silently sulking. You quietly watched her from the corner of your eye as you passed. For a moment, the honey blonde's eyes caught your gaze.

First period, you looked out over the cluster of students in the room with your mind silently screaming, "They still put people through this, huh." You thought. Standing before the front of the classroom. "Well go on don't be shy, tell us your name and a bit about yourself." The teacher urged for the second time.

Quietly running late, the girl from the hallway slipped into class, or she was trying to. She lingered at the door, hoping for a chance to go in unnoticed.

She wasn't doing so very well, as several students snickered, and you'd spotted her instantly from the side of your eye.

"My name is Y/n and, um, I'm from The Fountain City." You said.

"The Fountain City? Where the hell is that?" A student called out. "Hey, language!" the teacher barked back. You shrugged your shoulders, "who really cares?" You said.

"I do, if that's where you got those rad shoes." A girl called out with a grin. "Are those leather?" she asked. "Mushrooms." You said. "Mushrooms?" another student questioned.

"She's lying through her teeth, man!"

Your eyes followed the girl from the hallway as she managed to go unseen, settling in a desk in the back of the class. Looking up, she noticed you looking at her, a faint smirk on your face. Your eyes reading, "You're welcome."

"You may sit down," The teacher sighed. Pleased with yourself, you take the chance to steal the desk next to the hallway girl. Once the teacher started to speak and turned towards the board, she slipped a note onto your desk.

You went to speak, but the teacher turned your way, and you fell silent, instead quickly scrawling on the back of the note.

"Nice start to a first day, right? Save a cutie. Sorry, sorry. Don't mind me, I'm shameless."

The girl's eyes were wide as she read the reply. She bashfully glanced your way.

Eddie lead you through the cafeteria, trying his best to explain things. He meant well, but you'd tuned him out long ago as your eyes searched the cafeteria.

"Are you listening?" Eddie asked.

"Not in the slightest, fuzzy." You hummed. "I'm looking for someone."

Eddie turned to you and smirked, "aw, make new friends already? I'm proud." He mocked. "Here's hoping." You said. But among the crowded room you could not find her face.

"Shit." You murmured in a sigh.

"What do they look like, maybe I can help." Eddie offered.

"About so, tall" You said with a gesture of your hand, "bobbed dirty strawberry hair, blue eyes, forgiving freckles, criminally cute." You explained.

Eddie blinked a few times, "I don't know anyone who looks like that." He said. "Then help me look." you said. "Sounds a fresh crush." Eddie teased.

"Who is he?" He asked.

"Bold of you to assume it's a he." You said.

Eddie paused in his steps and watched you continue down the row of tables, "whoa, wait!" he called after you.

"So do you like Dnd?" Gareth asked. Eddie lead you to his usual table and was quick to introduce you to his friends. You could see on his face, it was taking everything he had not to tell about your time traveling mishap.

"Not the way it's played here." You answered absently. Your eyes still scanned the room. Just as you began to sulk, you spotted her. She laughed from her seat next to a younger girl with long vivid red hair, who looked uninterested in the conversation.

"Well, how do you play it where you're from?" asked Mike.

"With virtual dice and computer screens." You lulled.

"You know Max and Robin?" Lucas asked, following your gaze. "No, who's who?" You asked, the cluster of boys had finally gained your attention. "That one who looks to be in a different land in her head. That's Max, the older one is, Robin." He explained.

You gave a sigh, and the boys glanced at each other. "Go over and say hello." Eddie urged you. "I'm bad at making new g- I mean friends." You quickly changed your words, looking over the group. It made you sick, but you knew for now it was best to keep it quiet.

With no real hope of getting home yet, the last thing you needed was to be ostracized away from potential aid. "fuckin backwards neon hellhole." you thought.

"Robin's nice, and Max is too. You don't have to worry." said Dustin.

"Maybe tomorrow," You said, turning back to the conversation. "So who's the worst teachers and do I want to know what this orange mush is on my tray?" You asked them.

A small smile forms on your face as, from the corner of your eye, you caught Robin looking your way. "She might be looking at one of them, you remember that." You told yourself, but it was doing little to stop the butterflies.

Her eyes weren't trained on the others, they were fixed on you.

----------------------------------- MASTER LIST | NEXT ---------------------------------------

[aranarumei]

tagged by @hua-fei-hua! it’s been ages since I’ve done one of these it was kind of fun lol! sorry for the delayed answers...

1. are you named after anyone?

a couple of ppl assume my name is kiri because it’s like, referencing kirishima from bnha. i haven’t kept up with bnha properly since. honestly since the dabi reveal ch dropped so that’s… nov 5th 2020 lol. I’ve got residual feelings abt it but not much interest in actually reading it (sorry). nowadays I don’t get as much of that anymore—my name is just like. digimon dusk only lets your character have a 4 character name max so I hit various syllables together and keysmashed until it sounded good. im attached to it now.

2. when was the last time you cried?

…today lol. i cry easy when i'm frustrated.

3. do you have kids?

no. I have a Feeling this will be rather unrelatable to whoever I tag so. electing to present my own question:

3 (again). [FREE SPACE] recommend a song?

im gonna recommend Tsuru (en: Bowstring) by koyori / denbolP bc it’s great. I love this producer actually.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

mm I think im probably averagely sarcastic but like. I do have a habit of like. ex: someone will be like oh where’s [kiri]? when I’m literally right there and I have the immediate impulse to say, completely straightfaced, like “oh [kiri]? sorry they’ve been dead for seven years. they’ve never been in this room in your entire life.” so essentially I like doubling down on things when I think it’s funny.

5. what sports do you play/have played

i played basketball for six years!

6. what's the first thing you notice about people?

i think the first like, physical detail I pay proper Attention to is earrings. just cause I like em. apart from that it’s probably their voice and what they find funny.

7. eye color?

brown. comparatively I think it’s rather dark to the point of looking black.

8. scary movies or happy endings?

i mean I feel like this is a. false dichotomy but I really don’t have a good stomach for horror and stuff so. happy endings ig.

9. any special talents?

talents… I’ve memorized my squares up to 30-ish, so like if for example if someone says 28 I can rattle off 784. I’ve been told I have a talent for talking abt media I like but that’s also something said by my lovely friends lol.

10. where were you born?

on earth. im also electing to replace this with my own question:

10 (again). what made you make a tumblr account?

if ppl look at my blog they shall think I showed up in 2020 but I’ve actually been here since 2015. I just… deactivated my acct by accident when I meant to delete a sideblog. ok. so obviously I remade in that case. I made one back in 2015, though, because I was like, really into hxh and ran into some hxh blogs I was like. in love with. also some fairy tail fic authors I rly respected were on here. and I wanted to discuss hxh and post fic. so I joined.

11. what are your hobbies?

writing! and reading! and drawing! and playlist making. im basic. writing is probably #1 to me tho I rly enjoy it. like for all I complain about it I actually really enjoy the act of like putting down words and crafting stuff and editing. I’d actually love to beta fic more regularly. and get reallllly good at grammar (seriously if anyone has any resources on that chuck it at me) and action scenes. those r my big two dreams.

12. do you have any pets?

nope! i do have a depressing amount of wips I have not taken care of, tho…

13. how tall are you?

5’2” or about 158 cm, i haven't measured myself lately. I’ve been told my various sources that I have “tall person energy” tho. im not as good abt it nowadays but I tend to be a bit careful abt keeping my back straight. at the very least I’m pretty aware of it. I wanna say it was just cool of me to be that way bc I was into having good posture but I’m like 90% sure it was because I read skip beat and I really liked that kyoko stood that way.

14. favorite subject in school?

math by farrrr. literature is dependent on the teacher for quality imo and while I enjoyed it I was always a bit sad that we never did any creative writing. math is just very nicely methodical.

15. dream job?

honestly I don’t have one. like I’d love to publish a book some day but I don’t want it to be my Job. im pretty satisfied just doing smthing productive-feeling and where I have enough free time tbh.

no obligation to answer ofc to anyone tagged. also if you don’t want to answer any of the questions just reject them... I just provided alternates bc I felt like it. i think this is supposed to be 15 questions for 15 mutuals but i dont want to tag that many people... @icharchivist @sunnnfish @dirtbra1n @mxddyhero @heartsdash @watcher-ofthe-sky @estradasphere

[rubythecrimsonwriter]

Flipping Legacies, ch 6 pt 1 (again)

I scrapped my first chapter 6 because I couldn’t get anywhere past it. It was leading into a collapsing spiral and eventually I’d lead myself into a dead end. So! New chapter 6, the beginning of arc 2 of 3. I’ve finally got a rough outline of where I want the rest of the story to go (yay!).

Anyway.

First five chapters on ao3

Previously:

“I’m staying in Gotham for the foreseeable future,” Natasha says with finality. There is no room for arguments over who is allowed in whose city, and frankly, she would love to see Batman try to kick her out. “I have your sons with me. I have both eyes on both you and them. If you fuck up again, I’m tracking down your current Robin and adding him to my pile of kids-with-issues. If you become too big of an issue, I’m taking everyone back to New York. Once they hit eighteen, they can decide if they want to interact with you. I have a very rigid stance against child soldiers that I let slide with you, because it was frankly hilarious watching you run around trying to child proof Gotham for Grayson.”

She leans forward to make an impression of how deadly serious she is. “Your second Robin died. Your second Robin wants to be Avenged.” 

~

Natasha stops at Starbucks and gets the frilliest frappe they have on the menu, because it’s been that kind of day. Driving back to her apartment takes longer than it should, mostly because she missed two turn offs with how distracted she is.

The current Robin is a conundrum. On one hand, she’s tempted to go ahead and track him down. On the other hand, Hood would react extremely badly.

The first Robin is also a conundrum, for the exact same reasons.

She’s so distracted with mulling over the Bat Family Issues that she goes up to the apartment, unlocks the door, steps inside, closes it, and relocks it automatically.

A minute and a half later, she’s halfway out of her suit, thanked JARVIS for his assistance, and is updating Drakov on what drama she can give him when there’s a knock at the door.

Drakov opens the door, since Natasha is only half dressed. A young voice, male, possibly on the edge of starting to break, or possibly at the very end, says, “I’m here to speak to Natasha Romanoff,” with only the slightest waver of nervousness.

What.

She shucks off the rest of the suit and throws on the nearest things—a lightly armored silk vest and leggings, she’ll look a bit odd, but oh well—and rushes to the door.

Short. Dark brown hair on the verge of black, blue eyes, pale skin, angular features. Nondescript leather jacket and jeans, well-worn sneakers. Maybe fourteen at a stretch.

She mentally pastes a domino over his eyes on a hunch and realizes that she has the current Robin standing in front of her. Wonderful.

“Drakov,” she says, staring at the kid, “go make sure that Hood isn’t up, and if he is, distract him.” She grabs her watch, keys, and comms. “I’ll be back in an hour or less.”

“Who the fuck is he,” Drakov says.

“I’ll be back,” she promises, and shuts the door in his face. She turns to Robin, brushing by him and gently tugging him along. “You’re in a really bad place. For you, not for anyone else.”

“I know,” he says miserably. “I had to take that chance.”

“Whatever for?” she asks. “I have a phone. You have an Oracle.”

“Oracle would have ratted me out so fast that I’d have been chucked into the quarantine cells in the Cave before I even finished the conversation with her,” he says. “This is easier.”

Easier to risk his own life? When, if Hood had been awake, he could have answered the door and known immediately who this kid was?

“Rob,” she says quietly, “please don’t do that again.”

“How is he?” he asks instead of answering.

“Not quite catatonic with shock,” she says. “Sleeping, for now. I had a pointed conversation with B just an hour ago or so. I’m hoping that with the Joker dead, he’ll level out some in his extracurricular activities.”

Robin mulls that over as they walk. “Do you,” he starts, and then shuts his mouth.

She waits a minute, and then gently prompts, “Do I…?”

“Do you think he and B will ever make up?” he rushes out all at once.

She looks at this poor kid, caught in a grudge match that he had literally nothing to do with. “Maybe,” she says eventually. “Eventually. Probably a few years down the line, if a lot of things happen.”

Like Hood abiding by Batman’s no killing rule. Like Batman actually talking about his grief. Like Nightwing showing up to harass his brother.

Like Robin trying to make amends for something he didn’t intend to do.

Maybe pigs can fly.

“B was going crazy,” he whispers to his shoes. “You know, after. People used to get bruises and sprains and the occasional concussion before, but after, it was broken bones almost every night. Hope tried, you know.”

Hope? As in the name?

“He stopped some of the worst stuff, like B breaking his main rule, what with the Joker.” Oh, Hope must refer to Superman. Interesting. She wonders vaguely how Hope correlated to Superman. “But he’s so invulnerable most of the time that he doesn’t really realize the damage a broken bone does. And obviously he had Metropolis to watch, so he really only showed up for the really big stuff and it was just getting…bad. Commissioner Gordon was wondering if he’d have to actually start hunting B down, and had already stopped lighting the signal.”

This is all very interesting, but Natasha is really wondering what the point is.

“I...already knew,” he says. He says it like he’s admitting something important. “But it didn’t matter, really? I wouldn’t tell anyone. But then Jay died, or we thought he did, and B lost it, and I didn’t really see another way. I tried to convince N to come back--”

Hold up.

“—but he was still mad that B didn’t tell him that Jay had died and missed the subsequent funeral and refused to have to do anything with him.”

This kid knew who Batman was before he became Robin? He knew who Nightwing was? Where he was? How to find him?

“So I, uh, showed up on B’s doorstep and told him that I was going to be,” he says, leaving the word ‘Robin’ out, but so clearly saying it to her disbelieving ears. “He, well, he didn’t believe me at first,” damn, kid, she barely believes him, “and told me to go home but I kind of just showed up? On patrol?”

Natasha snorts a laugh. Oh, what she would have given to see his face.

“That’s not important,” he says hastily. “But. I didn’t mean to take his place.”

Oh. Oh, kid, you couldn’t have predicted this whole clusterfuck. No matter how insanely, brilliantly, stupidly smart you are.

He shrugs off his backpack and hands it to her. It’s light, with something in it that’s flexible but hard, shaped oddly to her fingers.

“He was my light in the darkness, too, you know?” he says. “Not just B’s. I’m not B’s son, just an interloper trying to make him chill for a minute. I’d be pretty mad if I’d died and came back and had a weirdo wearing my uniform, too.”

He looks at the backpack for just a moment, with something odd in his eyes, like wistful, longing grief.

“Rob,” she says quietly. “He might have been mad about the weirdo in his uniform, but he was definitely madder about another kid in the same uniform that he’d died in. That that poor girl had already died in.”

He looked stricken. “Oh,” he whispers.

“He’s not mad at you,” she says. “He’s mad at B, for allowing you.”

“I didn’t give him much--”

“B has kept his identity secret for decades, now,” she says, gently but firmly. “Through four troublemaking Robins,” she adds, booping his nose, “invasive press, founding a whole nosy, crime-fighting League, and the general chaos that surrounds Gotham. He can take care of himself.”

He looks like he doesn’t know what the hell to make of that.

She holds out her hand. “Phone.”

“What?”

“Give me your phone.”

He looks sheepish. “I didn’t bring it with me. B and Oracle can track it, even if I turn the location off.”

She sighs and starts patting down her vest for any writing utensils. There’s a pen, thankfully, leftover from the last time she’d worn it. She opens the very front pocket on the bookbag, where she’d been fairly—yes, there’s a notebook in there. She writes down her phone number and hands him the booklet. “Call me,” she instructs. “Whenever. If B’s doing something stupid and you need back up to help sit on him, if you’re doing something dangerous that B can’t know about, if you need a legal ride somewhere or a fake aunt to write you a school note, or someone to commiserate with over B’s stupidity—call me. I’ll pick up. I’ll try to be there. Don’t show up at my doorstep right now, because Jay’s still pissed and I’d hate to put either you or him in the ground.”

He takes the notebook. Natasha thinks that he’d have looked more comfortable if she’d slapped him with a live flounder.

“Go home,” she continues, slightly gentler. “Let B know that you’re okay. Say hi to Alfred. I have Jay.”

“You’re not going to ask how I found you?” he asks after a long moment of astonished silence. “Or—or--”

She grins wryly. “If you could figure out B before you embarked on the most metal stubbornness competition ever, I’m pretty sure you can follow me without me noticing very easily while I’m distracted.” She hefts the bag up. “I’ll tell Jay what you told me. I’ll give him this and deal with the fallout. Go talk to B, okay?”

He—nods. And then darts forward to hug her, so briefly and so quickly that she could have almost imagined it. Then he turns towards Bristol and starts speedwalking.

[dcmultiverse]

Oh, how the tables have turned.

[hecatemoon87]

Avast! Love on the High Seas - An Ian Eames Pirate Adventure

Part I: What Do You Do With a Drunken Eames?

The year was 1661 and the town of Port Royal was booming. It hadn’t been colonized for very long by the British, but it was already known as the wickedest city on earth. That, however, did not deter swaths of English men and women from flocking there. It was a place where you could either gain a vast amount of wealth or find yourself an early grave. This kind of lifestyle was the exact thing that Ian Abel Eames was looking for when he left England. Ian’s father was a merchant who was doing well in England and wanted to expand his business to the newly colonized islands in the West Indies.

The old merchant knew his days of jumping on and off ships were done, so he sent his son to Port Royal instead. Eames was highly intelligent, calculative and quick witted. His father knew his son would do very well at Port Royal. Ian had arrived a few months prior and had already established a clientele for Eames & Son Co. In London, his father operated the transportation of goods from India and Africa, ensuring the cargo arrived safely to England. Now, Ian would do the same for the West Indies.

Ian handled the vessel logs and cargo manifests as well as the security detail as ships navigated through the treacherous waters of the Caribbean Sea and the turbulent Atlantic. Pirate raids were becoming more frequent, so many were willing to pay Ian’s high rates to ensure their valuable wares reached the home country. Ian, therefore, assembled a close inner circle of men, two of them he trusted more than the others. Dominic Cobb, a dark blonde hair man with brilliant blue eyes, was the first to join his endeavor. Dom, as he preferred to be called, was from a wealthy family and could provide men as well as finances.

The second man, Arthur Hatt, was a dark haired man with soft brown eyes that took himself too seriously. His family had been in the cargo business for sometime and was experienced in the handling of security detail. He, however, took more time being convinced to join Ian’s team. Dom and Arthur were friends and Arthur said he didn’t much care for Ian’s character. Eventually, he finally agreed to partner with Ian.

It was another hot Caribbean night and the men sat around a wooden table in a pub not far from the port, sweating and drinking rum. Ian’s shirt, he only wore his white tunic after working hours, was damp from a mix of the humidity and his own perspiration. Dom and Arthur were in the same predicament. The men would be boarding a ship in the early morning, as all three had been requested to charter a very important vessel holding stolen Spanish gold doubloons to a nearby port to be transloaded onto a larger vessel heading to England.

This important job, however, did not stop Ian from drinking a bottle of rum that night.

“Bloody hell, Eames, really? How are you to function in the morn?” Arthur quipped.

“You worry too much, darling,” Ian said, taking another swig from the clay bottle.

“Really, he is so infuriating,” Arthur said, getting up from the table to go pay his tab.

Dom laughed softly. “Eames, old chum, enjoy yourself, but in the morn, I will not hesitate to throw a bucket of water on you if I must.”

And that is exactly what Dom had to do. He took a wooden bucket, went outside to the well and filled it with water. When he was about to dump the liquid onto Ian, Arthur stayed his hand.

“Let me do it,” Arthur said.

He cheerfully chucked the water out from the bucket, splashing Ian directly in the face.

“Fuckin’ hell!” Ian roared, bolting out of his cot.

Dom and Arthur laughed with amusement as their friend and colleague stood before them dripping with water.

“Go on, get dressed then. We have work to do,” Dom said.

They left Ian to get dressed hurriedly then the trio walked together down to the port. The three were dressed in their finer clothing, topped with a three cornered hat. Their long hair was neatly tied behind their heads, perfect examples of Englishmen. After doing the basic checks for vessel transport they confirmed with the Captain they could begin departure. The wind was high and the day was clear, it would be good sailing this day. The men did not think anything could possibly go wrong, but off the coast, just on the horizon a ship was waiting for them. A ship that was ready to hoist the jolly roger.

[dancingthesambaa]

The Smell of Plum Blossom Tea Ch 14

Summary: Just like a butterfly wing, a single act of kindness can change the course of the future, it certainly did for MK as a black furred monkey put out a hand towards him.

Rating: Teen and up

Also as a heads up, since college started back up for me I decided to change my posting to every Thursday night rather than Friday Mornings. There also might be times where I won't be able to post that week or be late due to schooling, so this is an apology in advance!!!

Chapter 14: Memories Intertwined

A clear cut path was set for the public eye as it stood between rows upon rows of Plum Blossom trees and flowers spread all around. There were quite an abundance of people along these paths as families came together for a picnic, couples went for a stroll together as they held hands, or the occasional jogger or artist that ran or drew as they wandered in. Many don’t try to venture off the path, not because of its danger, but rather in fear of getting lost in the woods.

Well except for two people, a human and a Monkey, as they stood on the outskirts of the forest.

“Well this is it, welcome to the Plum Blossom Forest,” MK said as with his arms raised high. “The most awesomest place to be.”

It took a few minutes for Wukong to respond as he took in the beautiful view, but also felt that there was something else rooted in the leaves, along the branches, and deep into the ground within the forest. It wasn’t bad, just something different. Normal trees don't usually have any types of aura on them unless they are spiritual in nature, these aren’t those types of trees. At the same time though it does, he can’t quite put his fingers on it, but it just feels like…like safety. “Yeah, it is.”

“Monkey King?”

“O-oh yeah,” he snapped out of it, “this place looks absolutely amazing.”

“It sure is, now follow me,” MK went into the forest as the Monkey King followed.

“It would probably be faster if I used my cloud instead of going through the forest, you know,” he pointed out.

“Sure, but this is your first time, so you have to experience it on foot at least for your very first experience!” He countered.

“You got me there,” he grinned, “on foot it is. So, tell me more about this place, anything interesting about it besides the abundance of trees?”

“Tons! Like this forest doesn’t just have regular animals, but it also has so many mythical creatures living here!”

“Really? What kind?”

“Well we have a few Qilins that like to roam around here.”

“Qilin, haven’t seen one of those in a hot second,” he muttered.

“They sometimes come and go, but some even make a den here,” MK continued.

The further they went in the clearer it was that MK really knew the forest as he began to excitedly tell all sorts of things to his mentor.

“So the faeries tribe get along with the Xianglu? Now that is something I didn’t think was possible, the faeries are especially a…crafty bunch,” which was Wukong's way of saying manipulative sons of bitches. He got lost in a forest for a month because of those little bastards.

“Not really surprisingly, they both like to collect shiny things so they usually like to show the other what they have found, bargained, and/or stolen,” he shrugged. “And-oh hey BaBa!” He cheerily waved to his long time friend.

Wukong just blinked as he looked at her and just nodded, “Okay, not even gonna ask how or why he managed to get a Bashe here.”

“Dad says that apparently she just came here one day and decided to stay.”

The monkey opened his mouth and promptly closed it instead to bow to her, “It’s nice to meet you.”

BaBa gave a shallow nod to him and laid her giant head back down and curled up in the sun rays.

“Come on! We’re almost there,” he grabbed the Monkey King's hand and dragged him back on track, or at least they tried to get back on track as not even twenty minutes later, MK was ambushed by a couple of macaque monkeys.

“Guys! Guys! I’ll play with you all later,” he tried to push them away, but they held a tight grip on him. “Guys! Why are-don’t you even think about it,” he snatched one by the tail, who was sneakily digging into his pockets and hanged him upside down. “Really?”

They all just grinned at him as the infants attempted once more.

“That’s-okay, no! You can’t just steal from me like that unless you have a distraction in place,” he managed to gather all four of them in his arms and put them down. “A distraction helps a lot, it will steer your target attention away from the pickpocketer and towards something else.”

The monkeys were paying very much attention to his impromptu lecture as they stared wide eyed.

Wukong, on the other hand, was holding back his laugh as he looked on in the scene with fondness and amusement as he was drawn into a familiar memory.

“I can easily steal from those people no problem, why do I have to disguise myself and sneak in?” Wukong groaned out as they made their way to the edge of the market.

“Just because they look weak doesn’t mean they are, haven’t you heard the phrase ‘Don’t judge things on how they look.’” Macaque argued back.

“No.”

“Of course you haven’t,” he rolled his eyes, “well how about this, you distract them, I’ll grab the food from the assholes.”

“Works for me!” He happily threw away his brown cloak and gave a loud screech as he dashed through the market causing a huge commotion when he ran into people.

“I didn’t mean now,” he hissed to himself as he quickly grabbed the fallen cloak, but nonetheless got to work as he stole from the fruit vendor, who cussed them both out yesterday, grabbed a few loaves of bread from the bitch who decided to stomp on Wukong tail, and took a few things here and there from customers who he recognized from other days that always sneered in disgust when they saw him.

He was just about done wrapping up, and with such a nice haul, all that was left now was to sneak around and look for Wukong, quickly tug on his shadow to bail out and make way to the forest.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out quite like that as not even twenty paces in he heard sounds of a fight occurring as many scruffed up looking people were all going at it at each other, and guess which reckless monkey is in the middle of it all.

“Damn it Wukong,” his eye twitched as he once again contemplated about leaving his reckless ass, but begrudgingly moved his way to the front. The first, and last, time he had tried that, he got side tackled hard by the monkey and he swears the bruises haven’t left him since.

When he reached the point where he was not entirely in the front, but still had a good angle on the fight, he saw that it wasn’t just humans that were drunkenly fighting each other, but also demons…who were wielding weapons.

“Shit!” The monkey shrieked as he dodged a flaming spear to the back of the head.

Weapons that happened to be enchanted…great.

“How does he even get himself into these messes,” Macaque lowly growled as he made sure everyone's attention was focused on the fight before slipping into the shadows, something he has recently been learning when he saw something on the rooftop. There was a figure standing there and in his hands was a bow and arrow that was aimed right towards the fighting monkey.

Now this wouldn’t usually worry him, he has seen him tussle with deities for fun, but then he noticed that the arrow too was also enchanted as he heard a soft crackle and saw a shimmering blue glow as he soon released it.

“Shit!” He quickly, and he will admit a bit recklessly, dived into the shadows and straight in the middle of the brawl.

Good news, he made it to the middle of the brawl and tackled his friend out of the way. Bad news, he currently has an arrow stuck in his right shoulder that hurt worse than the time he got stabbed by the selkie.

“Fuck!” He grunted as he laid on top of Wukong and promptly winced when everyone started screaming at the arrow that came out of nowhere.

“Mac! What do you do that for-your shoulder!” He screeched as he got the monkey off of him and sat him up and saw his shoulder was currently smoking. He didn’t even look back to use his tail to throw the man about to attack them from behind as he was focused on the arrow. “What happened?!”

“We can worry about this later,” he gritted as he tried to stand up, only for his head to feel dizzy and he stumbled.

Wukong quickly grabbed him before he could fall and set him back down. He knew that he had to get the arrow out of him soon, but now was not the best time to do that as he gazed upon the people looming over them. He looked to see his friend trying to stand back up despite his injuries and was fully ready to fight back with him.

It was time to go.

The monkey stopped his black furred companion from moving, “Shall we bail?”

Macaque gave a nod as he grabbed his friend and sank him down into the shadows once more and managed to travel all the way to the outskirts of the fight. They didn’t stop there though as Macaque quickly gave Wukong his cloak back and the two began to make their way through the town, past the entrance, and back into the field with a large tree stood, which is where they agreed to meet up in case things went south, like a lot of times before.

“Well,” the injured monkey grunted as he sat down, “that could have gone a lot worse.”

“You're telling me,” the bruised simian agreed as he began to look over the arrow that was still embedded in his friend's back. “Sit still, I’m about to take this out.”

“Yeahhh, it hurts like hell,” he grumbled as he sat in place as Wukong got the arrow out and only flinched when he began to lick the wound shut. The first time he found out that this was a thing was when he pricked his hand against a thorny bush and the impulsive simian decided to put his finger in his mouth without warning. He had almost chucked the monkey for that. Soon enough it was over as the bleeding stopped and the tongue left his back.

“That should be good, though you were an idiot for getting struck in the first place,” he said.

“Me?! I was only doing that to save your stupid ass,” he indignantly said.

“I would have been fine!”

“Maybe, but I wasn’t about to take that chance with an enchanted weapon,” he shot back.

“That does explain the weird marking, wait there was another one?” He was already interested in that flaming stick that the demon used, but now there was another weapon he didn’t even see…that had struck his friend…he really wants a round two with those fuckers. “Who even were they?”

“Hopefully people we don’t have to meet anytime soon,” Mac grunted as he took the sack that he managed to quickly snag on their way back and grabbed himself a nice looking mango. “Come to papa,” he said and took a big bite.

“Bring it here,” he said and he caught the bag thrown at him and rummaged through it a bit before he found some nice looking loquat.

After that, they filled the two rested up in the tree, and dozed off in a peaceful slumber. Though the same couldn’t be said for a certain group of people as in the middle of the night they were ambushed by a cloaked figure and proceeded to get thoroughly pummeled into unconsciousness, the archer especially as his hands were broken beyond use and his bow shattered. Then the figure slipped off into the night with his hoard of coins and trinket stashed into his pocket and bounded his back to the tree where his friend laid.

No one was allowed to mess with anything that was claimed by the great Monkey King after all.

“Bye! Now use that to mess with everyone else!” He was snapped back to reality as he saw the monkeys leaving and MK waving to them. “But don’t use it on the faeries please, they tend to hold grudges!”

They got screeches of confirmation as they eventually vanished from sight and were ready to commence their new found knowledge amongst the wildlife.

“Alrighty,” his protege clapped his hands, “let’s back on track.”

“I’m just gonna assume that means we’re heading to that big tree over there,” he pointed to the enormous tree they were heading towards.

“Yup! It’s the very first Plum Blossom Tree that was grown here!” He stated as they continued onward, “and it’s where our home is.”

“You guys live in a treehouse,” Monkey King amusedly said.

“Yup!” He exclaimed as he began to climb up the tree and leap towards the house, “race ya there!”

“You're trying to challenge a monkey?” He grinned as he easily began to catch up to him. “You don’t stand a chance!”

“Home Field advantage!”

“Dream on!”

“First!” Wukong cheered as he landed on the wooden porch.

“Damnit!” MK said not even a second after, “you cheated! You pulled me down!”

“All is fair in love and races,” he cockily grins then he stilled as he felt a killer intent behind him. He swiveled around only to stop and see a smiling child behind him. “Hel-”

“MK, it’s about time you got here,” the girl playfully rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arm around him. “It took you long enough.”

“Says the one who was lazing about here waiting for us, speaking of us,” he wiggled out of his sister's arm and pointed to the monkey. “Mei meet the Monkey King!”

It could have just been Wukong, but he swore that her grin seemed to grow a little wider when their eyes met. “It’s nice to meet you Mei,” he tried to play off that weird feeling.

“Same,” she said as she stepped forward and pushed MK towards the kitchen, “it’s your turn to help pops in the kitchen.”

“Why? Can’t you do it?” He whined, he literally just finished walking here.

“I already did my part, now wash those nasty hands of yours,” she fully pushed him out the room.

“But-”

“Bye~”

“Ugh fine!,” he huffed and turned to his mentor, “You can wait in the living room with Mei! I’m pretty sure there are still some plums if you want, we have plenty of those.”

“You're telling me,” Wukong chuckled as he saw his student leave the room, so he turned back to Mei. “So how long have you-” he paused as he saw the pigtailed girl hold up a small piece of paper in front of him with words saying.

I don’t like you

“Umm,” he paused as Mei continued to smile.

“Well let me show you the living room,” she said as she went to the next card.

You may be MK mentor, the great and powerful Monkey King, and Dad old friend, and they may have both forgiven you, but I will not

“Thank you,” he managed to wrangle out as he followed Mei who began to walk forward.

“It’s no problem,” she said as they made it to the living room and held out the last card. “Just promise me to remember where it is next time monkey man.”

I know what happened and I’m keeping an eye on you, cause if you fuck up again then it won’t be pretty

Her eyes glowed a dark green as she stared down with wary golden eyes.

“I promise,” he nodded his head.

She looked at him for a few moments before walking away, passing by a trash can filled with torn up letters, and to the kitchen, but not before calling out, “I do hope you keep that in mind.”

It was only after she had left that Wukong sank down into his seat and breathed. ‘Well that wasn’t frightening at all,’ he sarcastically said to himself as he picked up a plum from the middle of the table and began to eat it. ‘I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I expected it to be from the awkwardness, not the girl who looked like she would gladly see me twenty feet under.’

He would continue his train of thought, but then he smelled something delicious making his way to him and saw Mac walk towards him with a plate in hand.

“Hope you still like dumplings,” he said as he plopped a huge tray of dumplings, filled with various fillings, in the middle of the table.

“Hell yeah…So you learned how to cook?” He was about to reach for the chopstick but paused and waited until the other monkey sat down first.

“Kinda had to with everything and all,” he didn’t specify as he sat down on a chair adjacent to the couch Wukong was on.

“Do you know how to cook?” Wukong was momentarily surprised at MK's voice as he and Mei were actually following behind the monkey and carrying plates, cups, and a pot.

“In a way yes, thank you,” he nodded his head to Mei as she gave him a wide grin.

“Hair food does not count,” Mac deadpanned.

“Hair food?” Both teenagers looked in confusion.

“He uses his hair to make food.”

“It’s not that bad,” he tried to defend himself.

“It’s fast I’ll admit, but it’s bland as hell,” he stated.

“It’s still not that bad.”

“I’ll take your word for that,” MK said as he sat down next to his mentor and happily began to eat the dumpling.

Wukong, after seeing everyone starting to eat, began to follow suit and his eyes widened as he quickly grabbed another dumpling. “This is delicious!”

“More than your hair food,” the black simian smirk.

Wukong stuffed another dumpling in his mouth in place of answering and drank some Plum tea, only to blink in surprise. “What kind of tea is spicy?”

“Pffft,” Mac couldn’t help himself as he barked out a laugh that was quickly followed by MK giggles.

And that’s how it was for the rest of the lunch, small chatter here and there, mostly from MK as he talked about his week or Wukong in his small questions from ‘What he likes to grow in his garden?’ to ‘How long did he take to build his home?’ It was nothing too invasive, just simple questions here and there and they finished up the plate, though there was a small fight between both humans and the sage monkey over who would get the last beef dumpling. It was a tense match, but it was MK who won in the end after a serious battle of Jan Ken Po.

“Victory tastes so good,” he smirked as he devoured the dumpling.

“I will remember this,” Mei hissed as she messed with her pigtails.

“Maybe it’s time we review the basics again,” Wukong huffed and he slurped down the tea.

“You're just mad that I won.”

“Children all of you,” Mac said as he got his clone to put the plates in the sink.

“You're not wrong,” she said as she leaned back against him.

The simian hands then began to unconsciously undo her messed up pigtails and groom her hair. Both parties didn’t really take note of the change as this was a daily routine for anyone who has known them long enough.

Wukong just eyed the scene with mirth and a small bit of jealousy, that he will forever deny, as he watched his friend groom his child.

“Can I groom your fur,” he was startled by MK’s question.

“Wha-I mean, sure,” he quickly agreed after getting caught off by the question.

He smiled widely as he pushed the great sage Monkey King to the floor and began to gently groom his hair as well. He couldn’t help himself slowly become relaxed as the fingers gently caressed his fur. He has done this multiple times with his tribe, but this feeling will never get old.

“What is up with your fur being so soft?” The boy commented, “Dad’s fur is super soft and now yours? Is there a rule that demon monkey fur has to be soft?”

“Technically not a demon, but that is just the side effect of quality grooming,” he had to stop himself from letting a purr out as the kid continued. “Makes the fur nice and silky.”

He didn’t really pay attention to what his student said next as he closed his eyes and let the soft hands thread through his fur then when he opened his eyes once more it was dark and the hands had stopped.

He took a quick glance around and saw that he must have dozed off during their impromptu grooming session as he saw MK was now leaning against him in deep sleep and Mei curled up like a small cat on the couch with a pillow under her head. Yet there was no Macaque insight, his eyes flashed a bright golden as he scanned the area and saw the familiar outline of violet aura sitting on the railing outside.

So, he carefully dislodged himself from his student grip, laid him down gently with a blanket, and softly padded his way outside the warm home and into the cool night air.

“Could have sworn you were passed out,” Mac said as Wukong sat down next to him.

“What can I say, grooming plus silence equals sleepy time,” he shrugged, kicking his feet as he looked around, “you do have a nice home.”

“Thanks,” he awkwardly answered.

“Must have taken quite some time to build.”

“A few years.”

“Oh,” he said, then an awkward silence filled the air as neither side knew what to do without the kids acting as some sort of buffer between the two. Neither monkeys knew how to go from here despite one inviting the other over, they didn't know where exactly how to start nor, which is both their biggest worry, how it might end. But the inevitable conversation did need to start, so Wukong turned to his friend.

“Look, about the whole fight the other day and me saying you were just trying to use MK, I’m sorry,” he really knew he did a major fuck up then. “You really do care for the both of them and I can tell that they really love you as well.”

“…thanks, I got really lucky having them in my life,” he smiled then he winced, “Sorry about almost killing your friends back then, that was stupid of me.”

“Yeahhh, about that,” he turned his whole body to face him, “that has been nagging me for the longest of times. Why did you attack them?” He surprisingly watched the black furred monkey groan and put his face in his hands.

“It was both parts stupidly and sheer impulsiveness. I came to find you after Guanyin freed you and I heard you screaming and I saw you in pain, I thought you were being tortured,” he quietly replied.

Wukong's eyes were shot wide open as the truth of this finally came to light. This whole time he thought rage towards humans finally erupted in one huge explosion and attacked them, but it wasn’t. That wasn’t it. Macaque attacked them because he thought they were hurting him, he attacked his friends because he thought he was in pain because of them. Everything that happened, from the fight to their long separation was due to a fucking screwed-up misunderstanding!

“Oh,” yet he didn’t know how to voice any of that out, which is ironic considering he is known for being a loudmouth after his impulsiveness.

“I am sorry,” he reiterated as he barely got a reaction out of his friend. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, but I just heard screams and I saw you lying there, that I couldn’t stop myself from listening to the voices,” he admitted. Wukong is one of the few people he has ever told about the voices that like to whisper in his ears all their malicious intent and their cruel lust.

“…we both are truly hot messes huh,” he finally said as he looked back to the moon and gave him a small nudge. “Just look at the two of us, you somehow became the recluse medicine man that lives in the forest alone, but still somehow ends up with two kids, and me, who lives up in the tallest of mountains and became the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.”

“You forgot to add reckless idiot, somewhere there,” Mac lightly jokes.

“Heh yeah…I forgive you,” he quietly stated.

Macaque whipped his head to him, “Just like that? I almost killed you and your friends back then and that whole fight, and the words-” they both winced at the reminder of those damned words they spoke to the other. “What I did was horrible.”

“And we fought and I made you fucking blind!” He hissed out as he tried to see past the glamor in place to look at his hazy eye.

“I’m pretty sure I left you with a few scars yourself,” he shot back.

“A few scars are nothing compared to being blind!”

“That is just one injury compared to the multitude!”

“It doesn’t work like that, you are literally a physician?!” He threw his hands up.

“And I do declare myself completely capable despite my disability!” He barked back.

“I never said you weren’t capable, I know better than to underestimate you. Remember back with the fire spirits.”

“Which ones?”

“The arrogant bastard ones.”

“Which ones? There are numerous of them,” he deadpanned.

“The ones centered by the river, you know the spirits who thought they were powerful enough-”

“To take on the deity that commanded that puddle of water,” he said with him and continued. “I still can’t believe that those words came out of his mouth,” he snorted.

“And after we kicked their asses,” Wukong reminded him with a wide grin, “remember the look on their faces when the river goddess heard what they said.”

“I have never seen a fire spirit look like they want to piss themselves that fast before,” he barked out his laughter.

“Right!”

The two shared a laugh at the memory of the deity whooping their asses once more as the arrogant spirits either ran away screaming or died beneath her thundering waves. Both of them were completely safe as they watched the entire thing from on top of a tree and made bets over which idiots would survive. Their laughter eventually died down as the night silence took over once more, but it wasn’t the awkward silence that greeted them but a kindling of familiar comfort they shared before.

“We really are idiots,” the medicine monkey faintly commented.

“Glad to hear you finally admit it,” the sage monkey replied then he paused as he thought for a moment, but pushed forward. “After our many years of friendship, I would have never thought I would ever hear the day.”

Mac's eyes widened at his admission, “Friends?”

“Yep,” he boldly looked him in the eyes, “I mean I have spent centuries with you, so I think we are way past that level you know.”

“Despite not seeing each other in between those centuries,” the simian retorted.

“Well friends do have stupid fights with each other sometimes, it’s just not specifically for mortals you know,” the monkey slightly grinned.

“You're not wrong,” he swung his feet, “do…do you want to start over? Maybe try anew?” Thinking that maybe they couldn’t go back to how things were before, how the easy smiles and laughter that they used to share between the two of them and thoroughly dissipated. That maybe, if they begin right here and right now, there can be some resemblance of that bond that was once shattered.

Wukong let that answer sink in and ponder it only for a few moments before shuddering. “I…no I really don’t,” he said with a surprising harshness in his tone. “You were the one person who has known me longer than anyone other than the ones that still reside on the mountain, you are the only one who knows me the best out of anyone, and call me selfish, but I don’t want to start over with the only person who knew me from the inside out and still give a damn about me.” He can’t even imagine just throwing away all those years that he spent with moonshine, it would be easier if they ripped his head out instead, at least then the pain won’t be so bad. “So how about we both agree we made and did stupid ass decisions and continue on, cause if I’m being honest here, I really missed your grooming,” he teased.

“You just want me for my hands,” he couldn’t help but say.

“You do have very lovely hands,” he didn’t deny.

Macaque snorted before nodding, “Yeah, I like that peaches.”

“It’s been a while, mango,” Wukong grinned as he took in his friend form once more. He really had changed a lot since the last time he saw him, who he was is still the same, but he has opened up his soul a little wider and has beautifully flourished. Just how, well he just has to see more for himself. But not just his soul, but his whole outer appearance and he’s not talking about his ‘feminine’ clothing, both of them aren’t ones who care for gender roles or whatever the humans have decided their identity is based around. Rather his long fur that is swaying gently in the breeze under the moonlight night.

He couldn’t stop himself from taking glances at that fur each time he looked at the black furred simian. From just the sheer size to the fluffiness, as his student had proclaimed (though he can’t help but agree) he really just wants to thread his fingers through his fur. Maybe it’s just the absence of not grooming his friend fur in a long ass time, but he wants to remember how soft his fur is, to gently smooth out any tangles, to let him sit in between his legs as Mac sinks into his ministration and purr once more, to hold him as long as he can as they gently relax in each other arms to have his hands move down from his gorgeous fur and to his beautiful face and tilt his head up so that his golden eyes meet his own and ben his head down to meet-…oh.

And it was at this moment as he stared at Liu Er face did the thought occur to him as their tails unconsciously had entwined for the first time in over five hundred years and sat together beneath the stars.

‘I still love him,’ he faintly thought and his own heart pounded in confirmation. Not even when they have been separated for five hundred years did he stop loving his moonlight. ‘I really won’t stop loving him…and for some reason, I don’t mind.’

But instead of saying anything, he instead put his face on top of Macque's head and playfully nuzzled him. He can see his moon fondly rolling his eyes at his antics, but lean in as he feels his smaller friend rest his head on his shoulder.

‘This is enough,’ both simians privately thought as they cuddled close together.

Though they weren’t quite alone as two pairs of eyes were trained on them from the living room and they haven’t moved an inch since they heard Monkey King walk outside for the first time.

Mei and MK looked at each other in complete shock as they took in the scene. The surprise wasn’t from their conversation nor from the harmonious aura that surrounded them, but rather from the black and brown tails that were intertwined with each other. Now they may not know how romantic love feels and looks except from t.v, movies, couples strolling, and the scarce amount of times Mei parents come around, but they can tell there is something definitely there as it was hanging around the two monkeys and seeing them like this, it clicked.

‘Holy shit, Monkey King is the old flame!’ MK exclaimed with his eyes as he looked toward Mei.

‘It would seem so,’ her eyes flickered.

‘And he likes Dad back!’ His eyes widened.

‘Indeed he does,’ she narrowed her viridian eyes.

‘What do we do?’ He blinked three times as he was happy that they reconciled, but was unsure of what’s to come.

‘Watch for now and see what happens,’ she breathed as they both turned to look at the two silent monkeys basking together in the night.

Slow burn? Slow Burn?! They have been slow burning for countless centuries that even the polar bears are starting to feel the heat

HAHAHAHA I’m turning up the fucking heat for these damn monkeys

[strideofpride]

what do you personally think dan and blair finding their way back to each other post-6x10/flash forward would look like? we got a little taste a la the “confidant-esque relationship” comment, but i’m curious how you think it might go down

Alright not to self-promote but I hinted at this a little vaguely in my first Dair fic. I think seeing Dan around Henry, especially as Henry gets a little older and becomes a person, and with Dan being around more cause he’s married to Serena, would set Blair off and cause her to re-examine things. 

Like to be frank, I don’t think Chuck has what it takes to be a good father. I don’t think he’d be straight up abusive or withholding like Bart to his kid, but I also think he’s just way too selfish of a person to ever put his kid first. He would probably be kind of an absent father, but the kind who always swoops back in with gifts and playtime and be the fun one while Blair always has to get stuck being the bad guy. 

So I think seeing Dan with Henry (being a father figure to him) would be a very confusing experience for Blair, especially cause with the brown hair and brown eyes, Blair could almost pretend that Henry was Dan’s if she wanted to (key word: almost). 

And then it would probably snowball from there: Chuck and Serena would both be out of town, they’d run into each other at a museum or some event or whatever, they’d open up to each other emotionally, they’d start a physical affair...

I don’t think Dan would expect anything from Blair in terms of the affair. He just feels lucky enough to get to have her in any way he can anymore. He probably wouldn’t have the courage to leave Serena until Blair told him she was leaving Chuck, too scared that Blair was just going to go back to him again. 

But then once Blair does commit to leaving Chuck, Dan is behind her 100%. He and Serena divorce, Blair gets sole custody of Henry, and they become a blended little family of three until another baby comes along (because again, I’ll always be a sucker for dad!Dan). 

So yeah, that’s kinda how I see it. I think with everything that went down in canon, it would not be an amicable split between Ch*ir or D*rena, and unfortunately I don’t think Serena & Blair’s friendship could come back from that. 

[oloreaa]

Vencuyanir Ch.4 - The Jawas

vencuyanir [ven-COO-yah-neer]: sustain, keep alive, preserve

Summary: Negotiating with Jawas turns out to be easier than negotiating with a Mandalorian

Words: 5.2k

Notes: Thank you all for reading this and giving it a chance! I may or may not have made up stuff about Jawas and made them cute, Elana is being petty and Mando has had a very long day and is sick of it.

Warnings:  canon-typical violence (gun violence), separation from children

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……………

The four of them rode through the whole night, the storm thankfully letting up after a few hours and the rest of the night was spent under clear skies.

It was unbearably cold; the wet clothes stuck to Elana’s skin; her limbs were completely chilled through, she was constantly shivering, and goosebumps covered every inch of her body. Her fingers were almost blue, nails digging painfully into her palms but she could not bring herself to loosen them. Elana knew that if the Mandalorian had not given her his cape, the cold night of Arvala-7 would have finished her hours ago, the cold amplified by the damp clothes and the icy breeze.

She did everything to muffle the way her teeth were chattering, burying her face in her propped up knees, trying to preserve what little body warmth she still possessed. From what she could feel, Bean was soundly asleep even after the nasty shock he had received with the violent storm, and she tried to draw some of the fuzzy warm feelings over the bond, wrapping herself in a bubble of warmth. It was like a blanket placed around her, weighing her down and keeping the cold at bay. It felt like a warm rush through her entire body the more she drew on the bond, grasping it with shaky and unpractised fingers, trying not to grasp it too tightly so it would not slip between her fingers like sand. Maybe it was a placebo effect, maybe it truly helped, but Elana had a niggling feeling that without the bond she probably would not have survived the night.

When the sun finally rose after long hours of darkness, she could have cried in joy. The first rays of light were like a tender kiss, chasing the lingering cold away, and with every inch of the star in the Arvala system rising over the jagged mountain range on the horizon, Elana started to properly warm up, able to lessen her grip on the bond. It was not long, maybe a quarter of an hour before Kuiil cleared his throat, and spoke up.

"The Sandcrawler should not be far now, Mandalorian."

"Good," was the only thing he said, voice raspy from the night. Elana stared at what was in front of her, observing the reddish brown rocks bypassing them while chewing nervously at her lower lip. Was it childish of her to hope that the Jawas would not trade his parts back? To hope that they would deny the Mandalorian his request?

It probably would not help at all but she started praying to the Maker, unable to help her own pettiness. Please don't let him get his parts back, please don't let him get his parts back, please let the Jawas be little annoying hellions that refuse him, please, please, please.

Elana opened the pram with still frozen fingers, checking on the baby, who was still snoring, his blanket lying haphazardly across his body. She tucked them into his side to keep him warm, and he just let out a loud snore in response. Bean woke up some time later, cooing loudly as he opened his eyes and frowned at the daylight. Sitting up and peering over the edge, he made another displeased squeak and laid down. He tumbled around in his pod until he finally settled down, burying his face in his pillow. Elana watched in amusement as his ears twitched and his claws kneaded his blankets until he turned around again, sat up, and put on the face of the grumpiest baby in the parsec.

He evidently did not want to be awake and was making that very clear by whining loudly, stretching his arms out to her. Elana was over by his side in a second, and placed him in her lap as best as she could with the cuffs, and she maneuvered her arms so he would be engulfed by them, pulling him close to her. He leaned his head back against her chest, and after a short fussy period, started to watch the sunrise.

The whole sky appeared as if it was aflame, orange melting into gold, the few stray clouds reflecting the light beautifully, and she could understand why Bean was enraptured with the sight. He looked up at her, and pointed towards the sky with a excited coo, and a faint Pretty! was conveyed across the bond. She smiled at his reaction, and rested her cheek on top of his head, turning her face towards the Mandalorian. 

Judging by the tilt of his helmet, he had been watching them, and she just looked back, face blank, studying his helmet. 

It was so simple, she thought. Just plain, unadorned silver beskar with a black T-visor, and the characteristic Mandalorian curve of the helmet at where the cheeks would be. And yet it was terrifying in its simplicity, a warning of its own. It seemed to scream stay away, radiating an uncanny sense of danger that could be due to the beskar, maybe even due to the wearer underneath. Regardless of what it actually was, the fact remained that the bounty hunter was straight up terrifying.

How Bean was not scared of him, she would never know, because even she was scared of the Mandalorian.

 Elana was ripped out of her musings as Kuiil spoke up. "The Sandcrawler is there," he said, pointing towards a tiny visible bit of the Sandcrawler that peeked out from behind some rock formations. 

The Mandalorian sat up straight, and readjusted the rifle resting on his thighs, hand twisting around a piece, making a quiet click.

"The rifle is not something the Jawas will like to see," Kuiil warned, turning around with a frown. 

The Mandalorian scoffed. "I don't care," was the only thing he said, and his hands tightened on the rifle.

It took about an hour more until they rounded the last corner, and the Sandcrawler came into sight once again. Elana had to swallow as she stared up at the huge structure, having been too far away to truly appreciate the absolute size of it. How did creatures as tiny as Jawas manage to build something like that? There had to have been a whole Jawa village hidden inside the structure, every nook and cranny filled with the creatures.

Kuiil started to wave, and spoke something in a language she assumed to be Jawa, but hearing it from a species with a lower register than theirs was jarring. The Jawas started to stir while yells filled the air, and they propped up their blasters directly at them, the hostility in the air weighing down the interaction. "They really don't like you for some reason," Kuiil said while he turned around on his blurrg, raising an eyebrow at the Mandalorian, who sighed. 

"Well, I did disintegrate a few of them," the Mandalorian said wryly, and Elana huffed at the deadpan answer. That was the understatement of the century.

"You need to drop your rifle," the Ugnaught instructed.

"I'm a Mandalorian," he said, "Weapons are part of my religion."

Elana could not help but stare at him. Was having absolutely no sense in diplomacy also a part of his religion?, she snarked in her mind, rolling her eyes subtly. How did he expect to be able to get any of his parts back if he immediately went on the offensive? It was not that she actually wanted him to get his parts back. Elana couldn’t care less about the Mandalorian. It would actually benefit her and Bean if the negotiations failed, and she was glad for anything that would set him back a bit. And if he wanted to be aggressive towards the Jawas, fine.

The Mandalorian was not only severely outnumbered, but outgunned as well. And if they got involved in a shootout, the only one that could be of help was Kuiil, as she was cuffed and her first priority would have been to get Bean to safety.

"Then you're not getting your parts back," Kuiil said, tone dry as bones, agreeing with her thoughts.

The Mandalorian sighed deeply. "Fine," he said, and in that singular word he managed to perfectly convey the level of his annoyance.

The clamouring of the Jawas became louder, and they yelled at each other, crowing voices filling the air. Bean shrank back in her arms, overwhelmed with the sudden increase in noises. The Mandalorian put the rifle down as Kuiil dismounted the blurrg, and dropped down from the sledge, trailing after the Ugnaught. The Jawas raised their guns at them, and Kuiil sighed heavily.

"And the blaster," he spelled out, and with an annoyed grunt, the Mandalorian chucked the gun right in front of her on the sledge, making her flinch from the sudden motion. And it was probably on purpose too, that asshole. Glaring up at him, he had already turned around, the sunlight reflecting off the back of his beskar helmet. She watched as both of them sat down with the Jawas, Kuiil with grace, the Mandalorian begrudgingly.

The negotiations started. 

Elana kept a careful eye on her companions, holding Bean close as some of the other Jawas started to advance, probably curious about the unlikely pair Bean and her made. She was aware that Jawas only stole parts and not creatures, thus she was not overly worried, but she still shielded Bean subtly, just in case one wanted to make a grab for her baby.

"They will trade all the parts for the beskar," she heard Kuiil say.

"I'm not gonna trade anything," the Mandalorian scoffed, venom dropping from his words, "These are my parts. They stole them from me." Then he started to stutter a phrase in Jawa, pointing accusingly at the little robed creatures.

They replied something back in a mocking tone, the only word she was able to catch was "Wookie". Elana inwardly winced, recognising an insult when it was spoken, and with how tense the Mandalorian suddenly became, she prepared herself for an incoming confrontation. But still, she did not expect for him to snarl: "You understand this?" and the blast of fire bursting from his vambrace right at the Jawas.

Even from the distance, she flinched back, suddenly glad that she had not talked back too much if that was the reaction he could have given. Mentally noting that she should shut her mouth in the future, Elana shifted Bean on her lap, who gave a concerned coo at her.

"No!" Kuiil yelled, and grabbed the Mandalorian's arm, "Whoa, easy, easy."

He started to talk in Jawa again, presumably apologising for the Mandalorian trying to roast them alive. The Jawas near her started to creep closer as the negotiations went on, the Mandalorian and Jawas having settled down, and she shrank back from the edge of the sled, slowly beginning to feel worried by the hungry gazes in the Jawa's shadowed faces.

"Get away from them!" The Mandalorian suddenly roared, and she gave a full body jerk at the rage in his voice, heart skipping a beat, the colour draining from her face. The Jawas scatter at the command, slinking away to mutter amongst them.

"There must be something else," she heard Kuiil say, voice relaxed, but she was too busy in calming her thundering heart after the scare the Mandalorian gave her. The Jawa turned around, starting to discuss amongst themselves, then turned back around. Had a solution been found?

The only word she could make out over the distance was "Suga". Elana frowned. What was that?

Kuiil groaned and let his face fall into his hand. 

"The Egg? What Egg?" The Mandalorian asked, head whipping around, confusion in his voice.

The Jawas started to chant gleefully: "Suga! Suga, suga, suga!"

They were quick in ushering all of them up into the Sandcrawler, shouting and crowing as they went, the excitement in every Jawa palpable. The inside of the Sandcrawler was surprisingly clean, Elana thought, the parts that they had scavenged actually stacked carefully and sorted after size and use. Bean was sitting safe in his pram again and Elana kept a sharp eye on the floating pod while the Jawas were moving, parting like water around them.

The sled and the blurrg were also moved into the hull of the Sandcrawler, and as the ramp was lifted, dim orange lights inside flickered on, casting them all in soft, warm light. Shadows lingered in the corners of the structure, and every now and then glowing eyes stared back from the dark, making a shiver run down her back.

"Suga," a Jawa told her, whooping in joy as she hesitantly nodded, and waved his arms around, "Suga!"

Elana leaned over to the Mandalorian, seeing Bean wriggle in his pram. "What does suga mean?" Elana asked, looking up at the beskar helmet.< /> The bounty hunter sighed deeply. "An egg," he explained, "They say it's a Mudhorn egg."

"A Mudhorn?" Elana stared at him, before letting out an incredulous laugh, "Are you serious?"

He said nothing, just tilted his head at her, and she realised that yes, he was serious.

"You do know what a Mudhorn is, right?" 

No response.

Ehe gawked at him, wide eyed, trying to understand what was happening behind that beskar, inside his head. "You know, huge, aggressive, territorial, and not to mention terrifying beasts?"

"What of it?" The Mandalorian asked, tone infuriatingly calm.

"Are you perhaps short of a marble?" Elana barely managed to get her voice under control so she would not outright screech at him, "You want to go steal a Mudhorn egg for them?"

"I want my parts back," he said, voice tense.

"You won't get them back if you're dead!" Elana hissed, her cuffed hands clenched into fists, and she did not know why she was even bothering with the senseless bounty hunter. If he had a death wish, so be it.

"I can handle it." He moved, and was suddenly towering above her, the air around him becoming dangerous.

Purposely ignoring the way he was fuming, she shouldered on, barely resisting the urge to poke him in the chestplate.

"You can handle it?" Elana asked, barely able to keep the mocking tone out of her voice, "Like you handled the Sandcrawler?"

"I lived, didn't I."

She scoffed incredulously, "You fell from a height like that and you want to take on a Mudhorn next? The horn alone is as tall as you are!"

"Cut it out, caretaker," the Mandalorian suddenly snarled, and she flinched away when he stepped into her personal space, oh, maybe she had gone too far, what was it about that flamethrower again?, his anger filled the air, "Don't you have better things to do, like look after the baby?"

Elana gaped at him, fury rising in her chest at his patronising tone. Her trepidation for the Mandalorian vaporized into thin air. "At least the baby has more common sense than you," she said, lifting her chin at him in a challenging manner.

He gave an angry grunt, and his body twitched towards her, which made her flinch back, the white hot anger in her being replaced by ice cold fear once again.

Bean gave a loud, worried coo, and it broke the tension between them. Quickly turning around to the baby in the pram, Elana used the opportunity to put some distance between them, backing away from the bounty hunter as far as she could, adrenaline pumping through her veins. For a moment she truly expected that he would smack her or silence her in some manner, her heart beating fast in her chest at the thought. 

If I had not been this confrontational--

But it was too late, anyways, and the best thing she could do was to stay the hell out of his path. Stomping past her, the Mandalorian barked a sharp question at some Jawas, and they pointed him to another part of the ship.

Watching him go, Elana let out a sigh of relief, and it was not long before Kuiil approached her and asked her to sit with him, clearly having witnessed the fight. But the old farmer did not reference it in any way, for which she was glad. Calming her racing heart down, she tried her best to forget about the interaction, figuring that what was done, was done. Sitting down on a crate, Bean in his pram next to them, she sighed deeply, and looked around when silence fell between the two of them.

Fiddling with the sleeves of her shirt, Elana figured that there would be a lot of waiting around with little to occupy her mind. Kuiil seemed to be content, standing up with a few Jawas after a while and conversing with them, his nodding animated as he told some tale.

One Jawa started to approach her, and Elana kept them in her sight. Sitting up even straighter, she folded her hands in her lap, trying to appear non-threatening, and smiled as best as she could.

The little creature was unnerving, the glowing eyes not revealing what they were thinking about. They kept coming closer, and then started to ask something, voice surprisingly hesitant.

Elana looked at them in surprise, eyes wide, and said: "I'm terribly sorry, I don't understand you."

Kuiil appeared next to her, huffing in amusement. The Jawa started to talk to him, and he replied in the universal Wait sign, one forefinger held up high. "She is asking what kind of baby the child is," Kuiil explained, and Elana startled, completely bewildered. 

"To be entirely honest, I don't know either," she told Kuiil, and waited for the Ugnaught to translate.

The Jawa exclaimed, and then asked something different, head tilted almost shyly, hands shuffling together. Elana could not help her slightly nervous giggle at that, the sight adorable if still unnerving.

"She asks if she can play with him a bit," Kuiil said, nodding slightly, "She's very fond of little ones." Getting Bean out of the pram as best as she could and putting him on her lap, Elana gave the Jawa a smile, and the creature inched closer, holding out a pitch black hand towards Bean.

Bean cooed and tilted his head in a questioning manner before he reached out his own hand to the Jawa's. The Jawa giggled in response and it was honestly one of the cutest things Elana had ever witnessed, and she stared at the Jawa, completely delighted.

"I didn't know they would sound so sweet," she whispered to Kuiil, who gave her a smile in response.

"The Jawas are a fiercely protective species," Kuiil explained as the Jawa started to make encouraging sounds at Bean, "an insult to one of them means the fury of the entire tribe. They are closely knitted together and they dearly love each other."

Elana looked down at Bean and the Jawa and watched their interaction. The creature was playing peekaboo with the green child and Bean was laughing so hard he started to hiccup, making grabby hands at the Jawa.

"They raise their children in communities, and everyone cares for them in equal measures, even if they're not the parents."

"That sounds lovely, that they're all sticking together."

Kuiil nodded, patting her on the shoulder slightly, but before he could continue, the blurrg started to roar, something bothering it. As the old Ugnaught walked over to it, Elana had to think about what he just told her. The Jawa tickled Bean’s feet, and the child laughed brightly, his voice echoing loud and clear through the Sandcrawler, attracting the attention of the other inhabitants in there. With absolute delight Elana saw a few small Jawas peeking out behind their taller companions, looking at Bean in curiosity.

With some nudging from their parents, the small creatures in tiny brown robes made their way to Bean, and started squeaking up at him. Elana set Bean down on the floor, and he started to waddle towards the Jawa children, cooing loudly at them. They seemed to have come to some kind of agreement because they started to chase each other, stumbling over their short legs and clumsy limbs, screeching in delight.

The initial worry about them being too rough with her baby was quickly replaced with fondness as Elana watched them play. It was the first time that she had seen Bean with others his age, and the visible change from him timidly holding back at first to pure unrestrained joy warmed her heart. As she looked over her shoulder, opening her mouth to talk to Kuiil, she spotted the Mandalorian standing near the closed ramp of the Sandcrawler, helmet turned towards them. He was evidently watching Bean having fun. His hands were resting on his belt, and he actually looked relaxed for once. But as soon as his helmet tilted towards her and their gazes met, he tensed up and straightened again, striding over to her. The Jawa children saw him arriving, and scattered quickly, hiding behind their parents backs as they backed away from the Mandalorian.

"Caretaker," he said, not even looking at the retreating Jawas around them, "The kid will come with me when we arrive."

She squinted up at him, anger starting to rise in her again at the tone in his voice. "What the hell makes you think that?" Elana asked flatly, silently fuming.

"I won't leave the quarry on the Sandcrawler with the Jawas."

"Oh, but a Mudhorn is better?" Standing up quickly, she squared her shoulders, puffing herself up the best she could.

"You're not coming," he said, "I don't have time nor patience for your complaints."

Elana scoffed. "Well, too bad," she said sarcastically, "I would hate to miss out on the Mudhorn egg. I wonder how the Jawas figured out that it is a delicacy."

"You're staying here. He comes with me," the Mandalorian repeated, sounding annoyed.

"What do you mean, I'm staying while you take him?" Elana asked, all anger draining out of her as she realised his intent, and she stared at the Mandalorian in disbelief. The reality of what he was asking sank in, and she felt her heart drop at the prospect.

"Exactly what I said," the bounty hunter said, voice dry.

"You can't do that!" Elana exclaimed and shook her head violently, eyes wide, panic bubbling up in her. "He's too small!"

"He's quarry," was all the Mandalorian said, before he strapped the rifle onto his back, and pressed the button on the vambrace for the pram. 

"Put him in," he ordered, pointing at Bean on the floor, who was staring up at them, his ears flattening as he picked up on the tension between them.

Elana picked him up to the best of her abilities and cradled him protectively, turning slightly away from him. "No, he is not going anywhere without me." She started to shake in fear as she realized that he was dead serious, and Elana knew that the Mandalorian could see it. 

"You don't get a say in this, caretaker," the bounty hunter said, making an aborted motion to take Bean out from her arms.

Elana flinched back, stumbling over her feet as she backed away. "Don't touch him," she snapped at him, fear in her voice.

He squared his shoulders, tilting his head in annoyance.

"Don't make this difficult," he sighed, and reached out again. Elana blindly batted out, slapping his hands away.

"Touch my child and--"

"And what?" The Mandalorian snapped back, irritated now, "You're gonna fight me?"

Elana stared up at him, brows pulled together, bottom lip trembling. She knew the level of skill the Mandalorian had, had seen him fighting against the other bounty hunters, had seen his excellent marksmanship, and he had killed all of the Nikto guards. She clenched her jaw, knowing that it was futile to even try to fight against him.

"If that’s what it takes," she croaked out, clutching Bean so tightly it must hurt the little one, but he did not make a noise, looking between them in worry, ears hanging low.

"Don't be stupid. Give him to me," the Mandalorian sighed, and moved the pram right in front of her.

"No," she stood her ground, trying desperately to hold back her tears.

Kuiil appeared, frowning at the both of them. "If you want your bounty to cooperate, you need to adopt another technique," the Ugnaught said dryly, shaking his head at the Mandalorian.

"I don't need cooperation, I need to get that karkin' egg to get my parts back," the Mandalorian growled, "She's staying here, and it comes with me."

He turned to her again, and pointed at the pram, snarling, his entire body language threatening. "Put. Him. In."

"No."

Something in him seemed to snap, and before she could blink, he had a blaster drawn on her, clicking ominously. Elana's heart skipped a beat, and she clenched her jaw so tightly it hurt.

"Mandalorian," Kuiil started to say, but the bounty hunter just stepped closer, the blaster pointing right at her chest.

"I've had a shit few days, and I don't need you to add to it," the bounty hunter said, voice terrifyingly calm, "Put the quarry into the pram or I'll shoot you."

"Promise me he will be safe first," Elana said, jutting her jaw out, ignoring the way her heart was hammering against her chest and how faint from fear she felt.

He just tilted his helmet menacingly.

"Promise me," she pressed, trying to suppress her shaking.

"I'll swear on my Creed if I have to, put the damn baby into the pram," the Mandalorian commanded through gritted teeth.

Bean cooed, and patted her arm as if to say It's okay. She brought the little one up, and pressed his forehead against hers. "Listen to what he says, okay? Behave for him, and if the Mudhorn appears, play the hiding game," Elana told Bean quietly, staring into those huge dark eyes, her own watering and blurring the view, and Bean, that beautiful, smart baby, gave a nod and a reassuring coo. Then, she sat him down onto his blankets, blinking away furious tears, glaring at the ground, fists clenched tightly.

The Mandalorian put his blaster away, and she felt a shiver running down her back as he pressed the button on his vambrace so the pran floated to him. Inside, she was seething, cursing him in every language she knew and then some more. Outside she was pale, eyes fixed onto the little baby who smiled at her, ears raised high in his pram. "If you come back without him, I'll kill you," Elana said, voice tense.

"I'd like to see you try," was his only response as he turned around, facing the ramp of the Sandcrawler.

"You're a cruel man," she whispered, blinking furiously, feeling hot tears threatening to spill over.

The Mandalorian scoffed, half turning his head back to her. "Does that bother you?" It was the only thing he said before the ramp lowered, the sunlight from Arvala-7 streaming in. The Mandalorian left as soon as the ramp touched the ground, stalking across the rocky terrain of the desert, cutting an impressive figure with his rifle slung across the back and the glinting beskar helmet, the pram floating next to him.

Elana stared behind them until they disappeared behind a ledge, cut off from her view. Something did not sit right within her, and she did not know if it was a bad feeling only because of the Mandalorian, the Mudhorn, or everything together. Kuiil put a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched from the contact.

"Do not think that your rage is unjustified," he told her, a deep frown on his face. "He might be my guest, but that was below what I thought him capable of."

She just stared at him, eyes hard.  "He threatened me while I was holding Bean," she spelled out, shoulders starting to shake in her fury, "He took my baby away for some fool's errand, to fetch a Mudhorn egg for Jawas!" 

Elana straightened, fists clenched together, and she had to restrain herself from yelling at Kuiil. 

The Ugnaught farmer had done nothing to deserve her ire, but it was hard, it was so hard to not just simply start screeching, to  let out every frustration she had built up in the last few days. Elana was tired of being constantly scared, constantly dragged around, not even being sure that the Mandalorian would not hurt Bean. The only thing she knew for sure was that Bean was away from her, and probably in danger. There was no way that it would end well.

And she could do nothing against it. There was nothing she could do to help him if something happened. And something would happen, her gut told her. Every instinct in her was screaming that something was wrongwrongwrong, something bad would happen.

In the end, Elana did not know how much time had passed while she paced, bit her nails, fiddled with her hair, doing whatever kept her slightly busy until something flickered across the bond.

Fear.

She gave a start, and her head whipped around to where she suddenly knew Bean was. Some deep part in her reached across the bond, and felt him, sitting in his pram, whimpering to himself. There was an impression of the Mandalorian being hurt. Badly. Heart pounding, she debated over what to do, panic swelling up in her. She was too far away to help, and if it was the Mudhorn, something that could hurt a Mandalorian, she had no chance against it anyways.

Elana was close to ripping her own hair out when another impression from Bean appeared in front of her eyes. Her stomach dropped.

The Mudhorn.

"Bean," it escaped her, wide eyes staring at where Bean would be, miles away from her.  Elana started to walk, her feet taking one step in front of another, slowly and stumbling at first, until she was running.

"Bean!" Elana yelled out, and in her mind she could see Bean turning his head, meeting her gaze. He shrunk into himself, very scared of what was happening. She tried to run, get to her baby, but she was too far away, and Elana would never reach him in time, no matter how hard she tried.

"Bean!"

He stared at something she could not see, lifted his hand, and started to hold.

It was like running into a wall, the breath knocked out of her. She dropped to her knees without realising it, gasping for air that would not fill her lungs.

Elana could hear her name being called, but her ears were ringing too loudly for her to identify who was currently rattling at her frame.

It felt as if every fibre inside her had started to swell with some power, blood rushing in her veins, an instant connection to, well, everything. It surrounded everything around her, everything that was was inside her, an energy field, and it came directly from Bean.

The power flooded each one of her senses, and she could feel Bean straining, shaking as he was holding something back, held an entire Mudhorn back, all by himself and his little mind expanding rapidly around his environment, forcing the Mudhorn to hover above the ground, stay in place for long enough so the Mandalorian could stab it.

Elana did not remember passing out.

……………

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it!

@mndalorians you're. You're just the literal best. I really don't know what I would do without you. You're is the magic that tells me if I have been writing in the wrong tense once again, if stuff sounds good, and you're constantly enabling me in my shenanigans. Ily❤

Tags: @binggrae-banana-milk @b0n-chann @pisss-offf-ghostt @chibi-liz05 @din-damn-djarin @soldade @yourexcellentboiiii @chaotic-noceur @ezrasarm @hdlynn @mndalorians @over300books @agirllovespasta @crookedmoonsaultpunk @teaofpeach @shadylightbearherring @mitchi-c @concussed-to-pieces @adikaofmandalore @buckythewhitewolfx

[anotherhamiltonblog]

Foreign Touch ch 4

Chapter Summary: Adeline and Thomas finally meet and go out! What do you think is gonna happen? Will things go smoothly or will things end in disaster?

Warnings: Once again, I didn’t proofread. Sorry <3 cursing? FLUFF annnnd Alexander being an asshat.

Word Count: 1,850 (Give or take)

Previously 

(new cover! made by ME. I like it!)

Enjoy!

Y/N really didn’t have much time to process what was going on when she was being woken up on Sunday. After spending all of Saturday with a group of kids to help them study at the public library. Only to come home and help Alex with his speech and work on the posters. Y/N was tired, her Saturday turned out to be busy, it didn’t help that she stayed up texting Thomas. In fact, that’s how she fell asleep. Phone on the pillow besides her head.

“Y/N!” a voice yelled out and Y/N groaned in response.

Opening an eye, she saw the time before narrowing her eyes. Who the hell was bothering her at 8 o’clock in the morning on Sunday?

“Y/N! Why the HELL are you texting Jefferson!” the voice yelled out again and this time Y/N sat up.

Seeing Alexander standing beside her bed, with her phone in his hand. Y/N’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “I mean, I’m helping him with something.” She said slowly and shrugged.

“What? Why the fuck would you do that? He’s an asshole, remember? We all agreed on that!” Alex ranted off while Y/N got up and slipped on her house slippers.

As she walked out of her room, Alex right behind her. Y/N rolled her eyes.

“No, Alex… YOU said he’s an asshole because he beat you in the debate from History class in sophomore year!” she narrowed her eyes at her brother. Knowing full well their parents and friends were around and listening to them. “He never did shit to me. I ignored him so I wouldn’t put up with your bullshit complaining.”

“Now wait a minute….”

But Y/N never let him finish. “If the shoe fits wear it, Alex. You are the biggest drama queen I know. And I’m around cheerleaders all the time!”

Thanking her mom for the vitamin shake, she kissed her parents cheeks before turning around and heading back to her bedroom. Ignoring the boys as they tried to hide their laughter.

Y/N: ‘Wanna meet up to go over the plans?’ T. Jeff: ‘Thought you were gonna relax today? We can plan another day.’

Y/N found herself smiling at the text and stopped looking for an outfit to wear for the day to reply.

Y/N: ‘Well, Alex found out we’re talking. Got pissy… I need a distraction.’ T. Jeff: ‘Alright… stop by my house and we can plan. Thanks for this again.’

After they finished texting, Y/N pulled on some black skinny jeans and her black booties. A red tank top and black jacket over it. Deciding to add a colorful scarf along. With minimal makeup, just mascara, some concealer and lipstick (after brushing her teeth), Y/N made sure to spray some perfume.

As soon as Y/N was ready, she grabbed her purse and made sure to chuck her phone into the small bag before putting the strap around her shoulder. Placing sunglasses over her eyes, Y/N left her room and ignored the boys who were all sitting around the living room.

After leaving the cup she had taken to her room in the sink in the kitchen, she passed by the boys again to walk towards the front door.

“Hey! Y/N, where you going?”

“Oui, mon ange… why not stay with us?”

Y/N smiled at Hercules and Lafayette; she could always trust those two to want to hang out with her. “Sorry boys, I have plans.” She smiled waving. “But, lets get coffee tomorrow before school?” she raised an eyebrow and grinned at them.

Walking out of the house, to her car. Y/N froze when Alex called out to her.

“Tell me you aren’t going to see Jeffershit?” he asked, and Y/N had to bit down on her lip to not go off on Alex.

“Actually, I am. I promised I’d help him plan something. That’s what I plan on doing.” She sent her brother a fake smile before getting into her car.

“Oh, COME ON! He’s….” but Alex stopped talking when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Y/N glanced over and saw John was speaking to Alex. By the look on the boys face, he was not happy. Which made Y/N grin and nod to John who glanced at her.

Backing the car out of the driveway, Y/N was soon driving to the Jefferson’s house. The GPS in her car turned on and guiding her. Not that it took long, ten minutes later she was pulling up to a gate and she had to stop herself from laughing.

Pressing on the intercom button. Y/N waited. “How may I help you?” she heard a voice and with a sigh, Y/N leaned her head out the window.

“I’m here to see Thomas Jeffershi…. Uh Jefferson. My name is Y/N Hamilton.” She shook her head and waited a few more seconds before the gates opened.

Driving forward, Y/N finally parked in front of the house and got out. Rolling her eyes when she saw Thomas leaning against the front door frame with a house robe, slippers and his hair a mess.

“Jesus… you could have told me you weren’t even ready for the day!” Y/N laughed when stepping out of the car. Glancing at her watch on her wrist, it was just past 9:30.

Watching Thomas shrug, he grinned. “It seemed like you needed to get out of the house. Come on, breakfast is getting cold.” He nodded only to stand up straight as Y/N walked up the steps and finally reaching the front door.

“Breakfast? Trying to get on my good side, Tommy?” she wiggled her eyebrows and laughed at the scowl on his face at the nickname she called him.

“That ain’t cute. Don’t call me that, sweetheart.” He stepped inside and waited till Y/N was in before closing the door.

After breakfast, the two making small talk about what they did on Saturday. Y/N finding out that Thomas was at football practice almost all day, while she was tutoring all day before helping her brother.

“Can he not do his own speech?” Thomas asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, he does. But he has all of us over and hear it to make sure it sounds good… so it’s us sitting around, making his posters while he reads for six hours.” Y/N shrugged. The two laughed.

Once the food was devoured, Thomas showed Y/N around the house, only to stop at the backyard. “This is where I was thinking of having the party. Lots of space, my parents love barbeques, so we could do something simple, not too fancy.” He suggested, watching as Y/N had out a small notebook and pen. Writing down ideas, only to glance down and see she had done a simple sketch of his backyard.

The sketch was simple, it had the huge pool, the lots of space and the trees. “Right, so we could do something at night… we string up lights and balloons...” she spoke softly, walking around and looking at everything and down at her notepad. “Twenty-five years represents silver… so that would be lovely. It would be in December as well. So perfect for the wintertime.” She went on, not noticing the smile Thomas had on his face as he watched her.

After a few more minutes, she set down her things and turned to Thomas, grinning. “What?” she asked, laughing quietly under her breath.

“Nothing… it’s just. You are so adorable when you plan. It’s like you forget about everything. You get a cute smile on your face as well.” He shrugged, on to notice the light pink spreading on her cheeks. “Are…. Are you blushing?” he stepped forward and Y/N shook her head.

“Whaaaat… no.”

Gulping slightly, watching Thomas, Y/N snapped out of whatever trance he had her in and turned around. “Right, uh…” she blinked a few times, trying to think of what to even say.

“Come on, lets hang out a bit. Then I’ll treat you to dinner. You know, for being so kind to help me.”

With that, the two spent the next few hours laughing and watching tv. Talking about school, Thomas’ trip to Paris and spending a whole year there.

A little past 6:30 that evening, they agreed on a pizza place to have dinner at and left the house.

Never in a million years would Y/N have thought that she would spend a whole day with Thomas Jefferson and actually enjoy herself.

»»-————　♡　————-««

The next day when Y/N, Lafayette and Hercules were walking towards the football field, Y/N dressed in her cheer workout clothes. Which was just a pair of plain black leggings, a hot pink crop sports bra and her white tennis shoes. Her H/C hair was up in a ponytail. They were each complaining about the last class with Professor George Frederick. The big-headed idiot who thought too much of himself. That and his love for giving as much homework as he possibly can.

“It’s like he wants us to get held back!” Hercules was complaining and frowning as they sat down on the beachers and Y/N passing her bag and jacket over to them.

“It’ll be alright!” She laughed and winked at the two before jogging over to the girls. Only to turn quickly on her heal when someone called out her name.

Sadly, for Y/N, the grass of the field was slightly wet and as she turned, she slipped the slightest and was about to fall. Only the fall never came. Two hands grabbed onto her waist and her own hands grabbed onto a muscular set of arms.

With a gasp, eyes wide as she looked at the man in front of her. Her body feeling like she was shocked from the touch. Y/N watched as the skin where she had grabbed onto, had handprints that matched hers. The print slowly disappearing before her eyes and so her E/C eyes looked into the wide, brown eyed male who held onto her.

She focused on his eyes, which were darting back and fourth, shining in the sunlight. They were a deep, earthy brown- the intense gaze making it, so Y/N held her breath.

“Alexander is going to kill me…” Y/N said softly, a small smile coming onto her lips.

Thomas just grinned at the girl and he shrugged. “Not if he kills me first.” Was his response before he leaned down and captured her lips against his.

The dreams now made sense, why she kept dreaming of Thomas since he came back. The pull towards him whenever they were together. He was her soulmate, the one she was supposed to be with.

Cheering could be heard from the girls, the football team whistling and hooting. Y/N could even hear Lafayette and Hercules laughing and singing about how Alexander ‘ain’t gonna be happy now’ not that any of that mattered.

Wrapping her arms around Thomas shoulders, fingers making their way into his curly hair. Y/N pressed herself closer to his body as the kiss deepened.

Monday, who would have thought that Mondays would be Y/N’s new favorite day of the week?

                                                                                                   Next Chapter

Don’t forget to Like, Reblog and send Feedback! My asks are also opened and so is my IM! This was a rollercoaster to write.... I can’t wait to post the next chapter. 

Much love from me to you!!  ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

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