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rorywritesjunk · 5 months

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There's no race, no ending in sight

r rating. title comes from "two of us on the run" by lucius

(some Buggy now. The clown always falls fast in my works and of course he's a bit of a mess)

Taglist: @hey-august

pt 1 + pt 2 + p3 + p4 + pt 5 + p6 + pt 7 +Pt 8 + Pt 9 + Pt 10 + Pt 11 + Pt 12 + Pt 13 + Pt 14 + Pt 15 + pt 16 + Pt 17 (End)

Pt 4

Nothing was going right for Buggy since Crocodile, Sunny, and Mihawk showed up. Not only did Buggy constantly get reminded of his debt to Crocodile, the clown accidentally became the face of the Cross Guild due to his followers enthusiasm and loyalty. But for him, that really wasn't even the worse part.

For Buggy, the worse part was he found himself thinking about Sunny a little too much in the two weeks since they met.

She was Crocodile's wife. She wasn't always nice to Buggy, but there were little things she did that made Buggy see her in a different light.

She asked him to show her how to juggle after his failed attempt at wowing her. He had hesitated, thinking this was a joke to her, but she seemed to genuinely want to learn so he did, being mindful of how he taught her, trying to keep the touching to a minimum as he first showed her with a ball first, thinking it was easier.

The accidental joke about her handling his balls had her laughing. An actual, genuine laugh that Buggy thought was the prettiest sound.

That led to her judging the state of his jacket, noticing one of the cuffs coming loose from the jacket. After explaining Richie snagged it while Buggy was trying to get him to perform before Sunny showed up, she offered to fix it for him. No charge or anything. He must look his best after all.

When she returned it a few days later, the jacket looked brand new. She cleaned and ironed it for him, insisting that she did it because if he was to put on a proper performance for her then she wanted him to dazzle her.

She insisted he put it on to make sure it fit and he hated that he listened to her. He hated it even more how red in the face he got when she crowded him, buttoning it up to make sure it looked right on him.

Days later she showed up again, asking him to keep teaching her fun little tricks like juggling and plate spinning. Did she think this was a playground? He and his men had work to do! But she actually asked nicely, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, looking a bit uncertain, and he found himself agreeing to it.

"As a kid I thought it would be fun to run away and join the circus." Sunny told him as she practiced juggling two balls in the air. "My mom caught me trying to sneak away one night."

"Why, were your parents awful or something?" Buggy asked, catching one of the balls when she miscalculated a throw. He tossed it back to her. "Watch what you're doing."

"My parents are absolutely lovely." Sunny smiled as she tried again to juggle. "I was just excited after seeing the show. My dad is a big softy and cried when he found out while my mom thought it was funny. She said if my dad hadn't been so upset she would have let me sneak away."

Buggy frowned at that. As a kid on Roger's ship, he threatened to run away multiple times when he was upset. Shanks always offered to join him and often as soon as the boys hatched the plan, the ship was already sailing away from the port, preventing them from following through. He couldn't imagine doing it just for fun.

"Huh." Buggy shrugged and suddenly tossed her a third ball, catching her by surprise. "Well, never too late to run away and join the circus, you know."

"Oh? Your circus is the only one around. Maybe I'll run away and join yours." Sunny chuckled as she failed to maintain her rhythm, dropping them. "Maybe I'm not meant to juggle."

"You just started learning." Buggy rolled his eyes as his hands went to collect them. He tried not to think of her showing up at the tent with a bag, ready to leave her husband to join him instead. "Don't give up yet."

"As long as you keep teaching me then I won't." She smiled at him and Buggy paused, swallowing heavily as his face started to turn red. She looked so pretty when she smiled.

Now he was sulking in the tent, nursing his injuries Mihawk and Crocodile inflicted upon him after the fliers were dropped, showing him as the head of the organization. They both laid into him and the bumps and bruises all over would certainly take some time to heal. He had a bottle of rum in one hand and an ice pack in the other, cursing their names.

It didn't make it any better that Sunny showed up shortly after, frowning when she saw the clown's head hanging from Crocodile's hook while his body lay at his feet. Buggy couldn't believe she was scolding her husband, but not for hurting Buggy so much, more on the fact that she just finished getting stains out of Crocodile's shirt and now it was dirty again.

Of course, she had no reason to worry about Buggy. She had her husband after all. Why would Buggy think she would show any interest in his safety when she had her husband to think about?

He huffed in annoyance, taking a few drinks of his rum as he sulked on the couch. He didn't want to think about her at all because he felt that would just get him into trouble. She just... She was so pretty. That was the first thing that came to mind. When she smiled, her face would light up and eyes sparkled and Buggy thought that was almost as wonderful as all the treasure in the world. Almost.

But he just met her a few weeks ago. He shouldn't be thinking about her this way when her husband wouldn't hesitate killing him.

And why would he think she would even consider him? If she was bored of her husband she would go to someone like Mihawk, wouldn't she? Not some pathetic clown who she saw crying in front of her husband, begging for his life to be spared. Buggy wouldn't be surprised if she started keeping her distance after that. Maybe he needed to tell her to, but would that do any good? She was stubborn and would probably ignore him if he told her that.

He finished the bottle and threw it aside, grumbling to himself as he tried to not think about her.

It was dumb to do it.

Dumb, dumb, dumb. He was a dead clown for sure but he couldn't stop himself.

Mihawk and Sunny were outside together, actually gardening. Sunny was in her overalls and a duck printed tank top. Buggy tried not to stare at her exposed arms, free of marks and bruises from a night with her husband. She had a big floppy hat on, shielding her face from the sun. He noticed her hair was in two braids, though a few strands were loose that she kept brushing out of her eyes. She looked... Cute.

Mihawk noticed Buggy first, looking up from his task with narrowed eyes. Sunny was standing, leaning on a rake as she turned to look at Buggy. She grinned when she saw him.

"The clown lives!" She chuckled as she looked him over. He wasn't in that goofy red outfit now, instead in pants and a shirt, something a little more practical. "I hadn't seen you in a while. Thought you may have run off or something."

"I was busy, okay?!" He shot back, only to recoil slightly under Mihawk's glare. Buggy straightened up and cleared his throat. "You stopped coming around to bug me about teaching you tricks. I... Was just checking on you."

"Checking on me?" Sunny repeated with a frown. "Oh, sorry, I figured you wanted space after everything that happened. And Mihawk wanted to start a garden and I asked to help him."

Buggy tried to ignore the swordsman, choosing to keep his attention on Sunny instead. "Yea, well, how are you going to get better at juggling if you stop talking to me, huh?! Didn't you want to learn all of this stuff?!"

"I do..." Sunny frowned. "But why don't you help us out and then you can teach me some more? I wouldn't mind learning more tricks from you, if you're free."

"What sort of 'tricks' are you teaching, clown?" Mihawk asked. Sunny laughed as Buggy tried not to shake with fear in front of him.

"I want him to teach me to juggle and spin plates, Mihawk!" She told him with a smile. "I get so bored sometimes. I thought it would be fun and he's a great teacher."

Mihawk looked between the two before his gaze fell on Buggy. "Is that all you're doing?"

""Y-Yes! What else would it be?!" Buggy exclaimed nervously, any remaining calm now gone from his body. He didn't want Mihawk getting the wrong impression and telling Crocodile. He would be dead for sure. "That's all! Nothing else, understand?! Just some little tricks!"

"Very well." Mihawk pointed to the rake Sunny was leaning on. "Help her with some of the weeds. The sooner this is done the sooner you can 'teach her little tricks'."

Sunny handed Buggy the rake before going over to where she left some bottles of water. Once she was out of earshot, Mihawk stood up and grabbed Buggy by the front of his shirt, startling him.

"What game are you playing?" He asked Buggy.

He put his hands up, shaking his head. "Nothing, I swear, she wants me to teach her things and... And if she's happy then her husband will be happy, right? Less chance of him killing me, right?"

Mihawk narrowed his eyes, studying Buggy's face for any signs of ulterior motives. Supposedly the clown was telling the truth, that this was just to entertain Sunny, but he didn't trust Buggy. He released him and pushed him back.

"Yes, keep her happy, that's the best thing you can do, clown." Mihawk told him before he returned to his task. Sunny came back over, adjusting her hat as she smiled.

"C'mon, Buggy. I'll show you what to do." She told him, touching his arm, causing him to stiffen up for a moment. He glanced at Mihawk who was watching them, so Buggy pulled his arm away and let Sunny show him what to do.

Oh, he was a dead man for this. Mihawk wasn't stupid.

#mini fic #sunny x buggy #sunny x crocodile #buggy the clown #sir crocodile #buggy the clown x oc #buggy x oc #sir crocodile x oc #crocodile x oc

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bepisbee · 2 months

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read on on ao3

CHAPTERS

PLEASE HEED TAGS FOR THIS CHAPTER

SH tag for ritulaistic blood sacrifice but please use discretion!

The Summoning

[I've got a river running right into you

I've got a blood trail, red in the blue

Something you say or something you do

The taste of the divine

You've got my body, flesh, and bone, yeah

The sky above, the Earth below

Raise me up again

I want to see the other side

See the other side

You've got my body, flesh, and bone

The sky above, the Earth below

Raise me up again

Takе me past the edgе

I want to see the other side

Won't you show me what it's like?

Oh, and my love

Did I mistake you for a sign from God

Or are you really here to cast me off?

Or maybe just to turn me on

'Cause these days

I would be lying if I told you that

I didn't wish that I could be your man

Or maybe make a good girl bad

I've got a river running right into you

I've got a blood trail, red in the blue

Something you say or something you do

The taste of the divine

You've got my body, flesh, and bone

The sky above, the Earth below

Nothing to say and nowhere to go

The taste of the divine]

He knew it would be close. Perfect timing required or else everything was fucked. Especially in his recent behavior he knew they would suspect him first.

Getting sleeping potion into the jail guards booze was the easy part. Knocking out and tying up several convicted felons is a different feat. Running on pure adrenaline, somehow he’d done it. They dragged behind him and his.horse in a wagon. Three bodies. His cat, he had since affectionately named Frejya, sat on the back behind him. The rock of the horse’s movement seemed fluid to her as if she had done gbis her whole life. He reached back and rubbed her ear before returning to his mission. He was deep in the forest by the time the guards woke up, and if he was lucky they wouldn’t notice the missing rots of society until morning roll call.

He had a feeling he would be lucky.

Vio had a long way to go, to the spot he had chosen. It was behind the four sword sanctuary, a ways in but close enough to draw on its power. As the trees thickened, he let his mind wander.

Shadow beamed at him, ecstatic. “I am so excited to show you!” they pulled Vio by his hand up the tower stairs.

“Slow down!” he panted. “I can’t float like you do!” So. Many. Steps.

“Whoops!” Shadow flushed, “That’s right. Here!”

“Woah wait- WOAH!” Shadow lifted him up effortlessly into their arms, using their shadow magic to levitate him.

“Haha, see?” They floated them up to the very top of the tower. They set Vio down, who had gone unusually quiet. “Hey, you okay?” they frowned.

“Huh? Oh- uhh y-yes! yeah I’m okay. Sorry, love.” he said softly, “A lot on my mind.” he fidgeted with something in his pocket. Shadow’s concern melted into unadulterated affection at the pet name. They hated it at first. It started as ways to get under each other's skin. Now they loved it. “What did you want to show me?”

Shadow switched back into gear, opening the roof hatch for them. They led him up onto the top of the tower. They were above the clouds, but just barely. It was sunset, a safe time for Shadow to be out and right enough for Vio to see. Above them was a cacophony of stars and midnight blue, turning into purple and reds and oranges below. Vio stopped, staring up, mouth agape. There were so many stars . They could see them all!

He grabbed his upper arm, looking between him and the sky. “Holy shit.”

“I thought you might like this, you nerd.” Shadow teased. “Sit with me?” They take them to a laid out blanket.

“It’s gorgeous.” Vio stumbled as he couldn’t keep his eyes down. “They sort of look like your freckles, Shadow.”

“Whuh- nuh- no! I don’t have those.” they crossed their arms. “Only light creatures have those! From the sun!”

Vio caresses a thumb across their cheek and cups their face. “Hm. If you say so,” They were very faint, but they were there. Vio pressed a kiss to that cheek, and then their soft lips. They both sat there for a long time, until the sun set and a chill swept over. Vio pressed closer to them.

“Hey…” he began, Shadow turned their attention to him. “I have something I wanted to show you, too.”

“Why do you sound nervous?” they snorted. “I won’t bite… unless you say please,” they flashed their tiny fangs in a grin and laughed.

“...” Vio fidgeted again. “I…” it took a lot to come to this decision. He truly was okay with this. “Close your eyes.” He got a raised eyebrow instead. “Oh just do it!” Shadow rolled and then shut their eyes. Vio picked up their left hand, sure that Shadow could hear his heart pounding.

His hands were shaking. Blood rushed through his ears. He took a ring out of his pocket. Tunnel vision into just them as he…

As he picked a hammer.

As he slid a ring onto their finger

At the same time, two of Shadow’s most vulnerable expressions. One in awe and boundless love. Another tear streaked, hurt, soulbroken.

How could he have done this?

“Did you ever even actually love me!?”

The sound of shattering glass reverberates in his head. A mix of both of those expressions as they lay dying. Vio, hunched over them. Shadow placed their ring in his palm. Barely audible labored breathing. A soft whispered:

“Still… love… you…”

Their final breath.

Their final exhale.

Shadow’s final exhale.

Vio’s body trembled. He had to make it right. He had to. His horrible lapse in judgment from pressure. He was a horrible person. He betrayed Red and Blue and Green. Then he turned around and betrayed the one who meant the most to him in this world. What did they do in return? They turned out good. They redeemed themselves. And Died. He glanced at his bag, filled with supplies. It was almost time.

The moon rose above him, full. A large solstice moon. It seemed to have a blue tint, a manner of light reflection. Although some prefer to think of it as Nayru’s light. To guide them in the darkness. Vio scoffed, no Goddess of light would have anything to do with him. He was certain. The cat gave an inquisitive look at his back, not that he noticed.

Vio stopped the horse and cart at the mouth of a huge cave. From there he wheeled the men, with some effort, inside. It was pitch dark for a solid five minutes before a hole in the ceiling shone moonlight down. He placed the prisoners and his bag down, fishing out his book, a few red bottles, and a brush. Using the book as a reference, he began to paint the stone floor. Intricate symbols, sigils, and circles were laid. Five outer circles, one in the middle, symbols drawn in his own blood he collected over a few days, mixed with an agent to keep it. He placed purple and black dipped candles in designated spots.

At the largest circle on top, he placed his offerings. A fresh bread loaf, more blackberry jam, salted baked fish, a cup of green tea, and a bottle of spirits. He crumpled the tied Hylians onto three circles. Out of his bag, he pulled something wrapped in a cloth. In the very middle, he placed the largest shard of the dark mirror he could find. He surrounded it with four moon pearls that glowed in the light. Vio noticed in his perfiere Frejya, walking to the top circle, careful not to smudge the markings. Odd.

He lit the candles, and began to chant. His eyes glazed over, black sclera and purple iris. It had to be now. He would never get another chance after this attempt. He knelt in the last circle at the bottom. The cat stared at him. The began to pull the force from the three men, watching as their skin ashened.

It was not quick. Purple flames flared around them, a mist surrounding the circle

Flowing out from the bodies, into Vio, into the sigils, into the mirror shard. He stammers and almost fails when he notices the woman where the cat had been.

A large beautiful woman, robed in blue and black silks. Her face was obscured by the large hat. She sat, one leg folded over the other, watching him. And eating the offerings. Her deep dulcet voice swam into his mind like molasses.

“Child of darkness, I hear your plight. I have been watching you for many lights. Your power grows, and your offerings suffice. I will grant you that which you seek tonight.”

Vio felt a tug, taking his sharp blade he slit his palm. It dripped into the circle he kneeled in. Suddenly the wisps swirled around him and rushed into the mirror shard. Everything blurred as the life forces he sucked tore out of him. Blue magic from the top of the circle fed into the mass. It sounded like a train whistle was blown next to his ears. At the peak of the magic, Vio fell and crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Chirping birds above him woke him up. Vio sat up so suddenly he hurt himself. “!?” something throbbed under his skin at his chest over his heart.

He looked at the circle. Nothing remained of the three bodies but remaining blood stains. The bowls and plates empty to the last drop.

A body in the center where the shard used to lay. Lying on its back. Vio scrambled and crawled over.

Looking more aged, like himself, was Shadow. Their face was slimmer, cheekbones more profound, longer ears with a notch in the top of each. Freckles scattered all across their nose and cheeks. Their thick eyelashes always gave the impression they were wearing eyeliner. Purple soft locks on top. Their eyes flickered behind the lids. It was about then Vio noticed.

Shadow was naked.

“Fuck.” Of course! There was no reason their new body would be reincarnated with clothes on! How could he be so stupid? Vio flushed bright red and was about to look away when he caught something. A black tattoo on their chest, over their heart. He wasn’t sure what the symbol was. Vio gently traced it. It must have to do with the ritual, or their new body. He was chastising himself for not thinking about bringing clothes. Or buying them clothes! He had nothing at the house but his own.

A groan focused him back.

“....Sh…Shadow…?” He knelt by their head, running fingers through their hair.

“Hmm. That feels nice.” They slurred out, blearily opening their eyes. They looked normal, one red and one blue. They came into focus at Vio.

Older than they remembered, weathered. The bags under his eyes are dark purple and his skin as pale as parchment. He seemed gaunt, and haunted. His hair was a mess, braided and forgotten and slept on several times. Something desperate sparked behind his ice blue eyes as they met. Vio grabbed their hand and held tight.

“Shadow?” He tried once again.

“V-vio?” Shadow tried sitting up, Vio helped them. “What is…? Where…?” They didn’t understand. The last thing they remembered was looking up just like this. As they died. “I’m alive?” Shadow looked around panicked. “I’m naked!?”

“Ah- ahaha ahem. Uhm. I didn’t really think about that part…” Vio sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and gave Shadow his tunic. “This will have to work for now. Sorry, love.” The two rings jangled as he took it off and passed it over. They noticed.

“O-oh” Shadow started, “The rings. A tattoo?” They reached out.

“Tattoo??” Vio looked down. The spot that ached. It bore a symbol matching the one on Shadow’s chest. Frantic glances between the marks clued them in.

“What does it mean?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered. He wasn’t even sure he would ever get this far. “This is new territory for me, magic wise.” Vio held firm to their hand, only letting go so Shadow could put the shirt on. “How do you feel?”

“I…” a small growl interrupted them and they laughed. “Hungry I guess.” Sunlight danced on their pretty face. Wait…

“Holy shit.” Vio froze.

“What?”

“ You’re sitting in the sun! ”

Shadow looked up and winced. “Ow!” They covered their face.

“Don’t look directly into the sun!” Vio chastised, open mouth.

“I’m really…” Shadow reached a hand out, swiping it through the beams lighting the cave. “Wow.” Vio helped Shadow stand up, they were unsteady on their feet.

“Well, step one is go home and uh. Maybe have a bath, clothes, then food?” It felt unreal to him. Shadow nodded and Vio led them out of the cave. Orvar was waiting, Frejya on her backside. The cat gave a sly knowing look. Vio was unnerved. Was there really a Goddess in his cat??

Vio helped Shadow up onto the seat so they would be comfortable. He sat behind them. Shadow made him look away while they adjusted their junk to be both covered and not in danger during the ride’s movements. Vio was too embarrassed by the junk itself and his oversight to peep anyways.

The ride back was silent. Words weighing heavy on both their tongues without the courage to say them just yet. There was a lot to talk through.

It all felt like a blur. The bath, giving Shadow his clothes, cooking dinner for them both. He knew sooner or later he would be getting questioned. Red, Blue and Green would be sure to show up to talk about that night a few weeks ago. He would need to go into town and buy Shadow clothing and items, and more food supply for two people. What would happen when they found out? Should he tell the truth about his magic? They knew something was with him. He was mindlessly stirring the soup.

Shadow sat in the dining chair, watching his gears turn.

“You’re overthinking about something.” It was the best they could do. “What’s going on up there?”

“Shadow I… don’t even know where to begin.” Vio sat in the chair opposite. “I… I’m sorry. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness for what I did to you. I am an awful horrible Hylain being and I have no right whatsoever to even ask you to.” Vio rambles, it all just pouring out. “I love you. I love you so much and I always have, I swear. You have no idea what I would do for you. What I have done for you. Please, Shadow,” he took their hands, their eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Tears were dripping down his face as the tension inside him finally snapped. “When you broke that mirror… You must have hated me so much. I hear your last breath every fucking night and I- I-” he hiccuped.

“Vio.” Shadow said firmly, getting his attention. “You’re right. It was really shitty. But I didn’t smash that mirror because I hated you,” They squeezed his hand. “I was devastated. It hurt. It still hurts, because I love you.” They look at the rings around his neck. “You really meant it, when you proposed.” It was a fact, not a question. “That you would leave everything and everyone behind to be with me.”

“ Yes. ”

“Take off the necklace.”

“Huh?” His heart stopped.

“Take off the necklace, Vio.” Shadow held out their hand. He took it off, after a few tries. His hands were shaking. He assumed the worst. Shadow slid the rings off, one onyx, one amethyst. They took their purple ring.

They slid it onto their left hand. Vio’s breath stopped for that moment. Shadow took the other and slid it onto Vio’s. The magic in the ring shrunk to fit his smaller finger size now.

“Sh-Shadow.” Vio managed, his voice gravely as a different kind of tears welled up in his eyes.

“I love you. It might take longer to be able to forgive you fully, Vio. But I love you.” Shadow sat back in the chair, exhausted. The smell of burnt flew Vio back to the kitchen.

“Shit! the soup!”

Shadow laughed. “Oops,”

Vio nervously checked the mailbox the next morning. Shadow was inside brewing tea. Well, trying to. A single letter, sealed with wax. He gulped.

He slid it open to familiar schooled scrawl.

“Vio,

We need to talk. Now.

-Zelda”

He knew, with a sinking feeling in his gut, as he glanced through the window at Shadow, who stuck their finger in their mouth after burning it on the hot metal kettle. He was in so much fucking trouble.

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 10 months

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The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Decisions

Chapter Six of Sweet Home Alabama

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x OC (Linley Mitchell/Floyd), Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x OC (Linley Mitchell/Floyd)

Description: You're starting to really hate being back in Pigeon Creek. You'd know it wouldn't be easy to get Jake to give you what you so desperately want. But you're not expecting a night filled with alcohol and old friends. Nor are you expecting Jake to be as frustrating as he is at this moment. There's a reason why they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions after all. Your intentions are good. But your decisions aren't.

Themes: angst, love, smut, attraction

Warnings: This is where my warning of cheating from way back when comes true.

Word Count: 3381

A/N: This is officially the chapter where this Sweet Home Alabama AU diverges from the canon events of Sweet Home Alabama. Anyone who remembers the movie will remember that Mel outs Bobby Ray during the scene in the bar. I hate that scene so I rewrote it to be something more like what Linley and Jake would fight over. Because it's not Bob.

AO3: Cross-posted here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

Previous Part | Series Masterlist | Next Part

You don’t even get the chance to order the drink you so desperately want before you’re folded into a tight embrace. You stiffen automatically before the scent of lilacs and hoppy beer fills your nose. It’s a scent you’d know anywhere and you relax into the only motherly embrace you’ve ever known. When you finally pull away, you’re smiling from ear to ear as you see Penny Benjamin before you.

“Batten down the hatches, boys! Trouble just walked straight back into my life disguised as my favorite daughter-in-law!” You have to laugh at her words, even as you hug her again.

“Hi, Penny. I’m not going to be your daughter-in-law for long, actually.” You waggle your left hand at her, smiling as she grabs your hand and whistles approvingly.

“Who’s the lucky guy, sugar?” You can’t read the sudden serious turn on her face with how fast it morphs back into Penny’s normally smiling countenance.

“His name’s Bradley. He’s in politics and I love him so much.”

“It’s good to see you, sugar, and not just cause you’re here for Jake.” She cups your face in her hands, dragging you in and kissing your forehead, before proclaiming to the bartender, “You give her whatever she wants, it’s all on me”, before turning back to you with beers in her hands and disappearing through the crowd.

You walk up to the bar, absently noting the girl with her head buried in a textbook next to you, and order a Grey Goose Martini. If your drinks are on Penny, then they’re damn well going to be good ones. It's as you're looking for Jake that you feel a hand on your bare arm. You turn in that direction, surprised to see that it’s the teenager who has her hand on you. Something about her is familiar. Her green eyes and upturned nose are just like someone else you know. You stare at her in shock, your brain working overtime because you should know who she is. It’s not until you’ve gotten your martini that you remember the sweetheart who this teenager used to be.

"Amelia? Amelia Benjamin is that you? You've grown up, kid!" You can barely recognize the lanky girl sitting on the stool in front of you. "And you're in a bar?!"

"Yeah, Linley. It's been seven years since you saw me. I'm not the same four-year-old who was the flower girl at your wedding." The anger in her voice is something you definitely weren’t expecting. Amelia used to look at you like you were one of her favorite people. There isn’t even a hint of affection in her gaze now.

"And, of course, I'm in the bar. Mom owns it. Or did you forget that the same way you forgot all of us? Dad's driving an eighteen-wheeler somewhere in Kansas, Mom's got the closing shift here, Jake's on a date, and Mom hasn't let me spend time with Mav since you ran out on Pigeon Creek. So where else am I supposed to get my homework done?"

You really don't have an answer to that. Her entire family is really on the premises.

"Anyways," God, you can hear every bit of sass in her tone. "You look great. Are you here to finally divorce my brother and run off into the sunset with your new boyfriend? Brady or Brandon or whoever, right?"

"It's Bradley, actually." You sip on your martini to hide your discomfort. You're getting called out on your decisions and life by an eleven-year-old!

"Huh, whatever. Mom tells me you're designing clothes now?" At your nod, she continues. "Did you design that top? I hope not, 'cause it looks like something you could buy at K-Mart."

You have actually designed and sewn the top you're wearing, and that comment cuts deep. You down the rest of the martini in one swig and ask for another, tuning out how Amelia seems intent on getting on your last nerve.

"Anyways, if you're looking for my brother, he and his date are over by the pool tables." You turn to go but are stopped by one more insistent tug on your arm. "If you do this, that's it. You will never be welcome in our family again. My brother's the best man in the world, and if you can't see that, it's your loss."

You know she's right that you're closing a door for the last time, but there's another one open for you. Bradley's waiting for you. You haven’t wanted another thing like Bradley since you were a new bride with a new life growing to the beat of your heart and Jake at the tips of your fingers. Those feelings don't stick around very long once you see the perky blonde hanging on Jake's every word. Instead, you're filled with something cloying that sticks jagged spikes in your chest, a bitter taste lying on your tongue that all the swigs of your martini can't wash away.

You can't help cataloging all of the ways this girl, because she is a girl, is different from you. She's young and giggly; the shirt she's wearing is tied under her breasts, paired with low-rise jeans and cowboy boots. The idiots you've known all of your life are drooling over her, but Jake, Jake just looks bored. Meanwhile, you know you couldn’t ever hope to be that naive, that innocent, not anymore. You plaster an easy smile on your face and make a beeline for the pool tables. The guys you’ve known your whole life are whispering the minute they see you, but you’re a woman on a mission. It’s high time Jake remembers what you can be like when you’re going after what you want. You let Bob wrap an arm around your shoulders and kiss your temple in hello before you stalk towards Jake, martini held limply in your hand.

“Hey, y’all! Mind if I join you?” You’re exuding Southern charm yet again. Jake ignores you, as expected, but the blonde, his sweet, innocent blonde date, just dimples at you.

“Hiya!” Even her voice is too sweet for words. “I’m Leigh-Anne! I don’t think I’ve seen you around the Hard Deck before.”

“C’mon darling,” Jake drapes himself over her before you can say a single word. “You don’t need to introduce yourself to her. She’s not anybody important.”

Looking at the smirk on his face, you decide tonight will be fun, no matter how much he thinks he will win.

“Naw, he’s right. I’m not anybody important.” It gives you a vindictive sense of joy to see how taken aback Jake looks. “Leigh-Anne, was it?” You stir your martini primly with the skewered olives and take a sip. “I’m his wife. He calls me a snotty, Yankee bitch, but he refuses to give me a divorce even though I’m engaged to be married to another man!”

Leigh-Anne, bless her heart, is immediately fawning over your left hand, and the glower on Jake’s face makes having her cloying perfume in your space worth it.

“Honey,” He’s got an insincere smile on his face as he tows Leigh-Anne close. “D’you want to go refresh our drinks?”

“Sure!” Bless her because she chirpily asks you what you want instead of realizing that Jake meant her drink and his own! You hide your snicker as she walks past you, but you can’t resist laughing in Jake’s face.

“Where the hell did you get her from, Jake?” He looks uncomfortable at your frank question. “What, have you blown through every other girl in Pigeon Creek, and she’s all that’s left?”

Before you can let loose at him, Bob’s tugging you under his arm and handing you a pool cue.

“Calm down, Lin. I know you want answers from him, but don’t go about getting ‘em like how Old Man Fowler’s bulldog used to go for his favorite bones.” You grumble under your breath but accept his words as he says, “You’re with me, New York. Let’s see if you still remember how to hustle.”

“That’s not something I’m likely to forget.” It’s true. You can’t count the number of times you and Natasha have hustled drinks out of guys in bars in New York.

But just like you haven’t forgotten how to play, neither has Jake. If anything, he’s even better than he was when you left. He looks so calm and collected, despite the crowd around the table. There’s just enough of a perimeter around the table for you and Jake to move about as you play. The alcohol’s been flowing all night, and if you don’t focus on the table, you can see two of everything floating in front of your eyes. You’re not sure where Leigh-Anne went, but you frankly don’t care. Good riddance. Maybe she can find another country hick to sink her claws into. But Jake’s yours, at least as long as it takes to get the divorce you’re so desperate for.

“Jake, c’mon! One more shot and you can win it! It’s just like our last football game in high school! One touch down, and we’re undefeated for the season!” It’s one of the guys from the football team, somebody who, as drunk as you are, you can’t remember the name of. “Hey Linley! Do you remember that game? It was a great one, wasn’t it?”

"Of course, I remember that game. Why, that was the night that your old buddy Jake, here, got me pregnant." Your tone must be far louder than you think because it goes silent around the pool table.

"What, you trying to go public with all this shit?" You remember a time, probably on or around the night, when your whole life changed when you would never have wanted to make Jake angry. Or hurt him. Or make him sad. But that was when you didn’t care about how you felt and hid everything to make Jake happy - because he was yours, and you were his. But you’re not that Linley anymore. She died when her baby did.

"It's not like everyone here doesn't know anyway." You shrug sloppily, having to catch yourself on your pool cue before you fall.

"And," Your voice is cruel as you spit the words out, "it's not like you weren't fucking every woman in sight even afterward, right? I mean, it figures that nobody in this town can keep secrets because you remember Missy? She worked reception at the Doctor’s office when I went in to see Dr. Grace about the baby. She let it all spill.”

You’ve been waiting seven years to tell Jake exactly how little an impact he’s had on your life. You knock back one of the shots of whiskey Bob carries by, blowing him a kiss.

“About how you used to go to the old barn up past the Peterson Farm and roll around in the hay.” You can see his face flush, red rising up his neck as your words hit the target, exactly how your dad told you he used to hit the enemy with the jets he flew when he was with the Navy. You turn, leaning towards one of Jake’s old teammates, someone who looks way too interested in what you’re saying. “Say Jake, did any of those other girls cotton on to how if you get really, really excited …”

But you don’t get to finish blurting the words out since there’s a hand covering your mouth. It takes you far too long to fight your way out of the grip holding you close, and you’re seeing red when you whirl around.

“Shut up.” It’s Jake, because of course it is, and he looks angry, sad, and lonely all at once.

“Why the hell should I, Seresin?” You pretend not to notice the pain in his eyes when you spit his last name out like you can’t stand to have it in your mouth.

“Because what happened is between you and me, not anybody else.” His eyes flash dangerously, and you want nothing more than to see him snap. But instead, he raises his voice and, oh so loudly, condescendingly says, “Now, now, darlin’, let the nice folks at the bar here have a good time. Ain’t nobody wants to hear your squeaky little voice when you’re having a snit.”

Now you know you must’ve entered an alternate universe. Jake was the only person who you’d told when a bunch of the girls at school used to pick on you about everything about you, from your hand-me-down cast-offs, things your dad got from Mrs. Floyd from Bob’s sisters while working as a mechanic for the family, to your unruly pigtail hair and the way your voice always got high pitched when Jake was around. Of course, you’d never told him why your voice sometimes got a little squeaky. You’ve never known what happened because you walked into school one day and those girls ignored you. And that was just fine by you. So the fact that Jake resorts to childish insults and taunts has you seeing red.

He is the only person who knows that those girls had told everyone how poor your family was when you were in school. Jake is the only person who knows how much it hurt when the guidance counselor dragged you out of class to find out if you were getting enough food to eat. That same guidance counselor had the gall to accuse your dad of being unable to take care of you. Which was false for anybody who knew Pete Mitchell to assume. He’d rather go hungry than see you go without something you needed.

You’re still seeing red when he walks away. You just know he’s got a smirk on his face and that there’s a toothpick in his mouth. As you list on your feet, you're not sure what possesses you, but you grab one of the pool balls and launch it at his head. It doesn't hit its mark because, well, your aim isn't all that great, to begin with, forget when mostly drunk, but it does thwack solidly into the back of his shoulder, the sound ringing in your ears.

When he turns around, you’re not surprised at all to see the rage on his face as he tugs a splintered toothpick out of his mouth.

“Now, now, darlin’. Watch what you do.” He’s got this superior look on his face like he knows exactly how and when to shut you up. And maybe he used to. But not anymore.

“Or what?” You don’t know why you’re taunting him, but there is something unspeakable bursting in your veins that you haven’t felt in years. Even Bob’s harsh whisper of, “Don’t do something you’ll regret in the morning, doll.” goes unheeded.

“Or, everyone will know exactly what you sounded like the night of that big football game you were so eager to lambast me over. Do you really want all of Pigeon Creek to know just how bad you were in bed?” Instead of deigning him with a response, you pluck Bob’s half-empty pint out of his hand, step forward, and launch the liquid right into Jake’s smug, smiling face. To add insult to injury, you hand him the empty pint glass before you flounce away.

Standing back up near the bar, you order shot after shot, intent on ignoring the whispering your rage-fueled retreat from the pool tables have sent up throughout the bar. The stinging burn of the liquor dripping down your throat is echoed by the stinging pain in your heart. How could Jake do that to you? Say those things to you? When you thought he knew you better than anyone else.

As you walk back towards the pool tables, everything swims in front of your eyes. Jake’s not wearing that sage green plaid shirt anymore. It’s hanging off of his belt loops, drying out from the beer bath you’d given it, and Leigh-Anne is hanging off of him again. It’s not a conscious decision that has you walking up to her and socking her right in her pretty little face. She goes down hard, and when she stands back up again, unsteadily, there are tears dripping from her pretty blue eyes and a bruise coming up around her eye.

You lunge at her again but meet solid skin. It’s Jake because, of course, it is, and seeing him defend Leigh-Anne makes the flames of your anger burn even hotter. You start screeching and yelling and clawing in earnest because you’re damned if you let someone else have him. Jake’s right in your face, yelling right back. But you’re crying yourself and babbling about how he never loved you, and honestly, it feels like all the thoughts are too much.

That’s when everything flips upside down. Your mind is spinning, your stomach roiling when you’re finally set back on your feet. Your eyes can barely comprehend what you’re seeing. But your heart has known what you’re seeing far longer than it has known what love is.

“Jake.” Your hands are alcohol dazed as they clutch at his arms as you regain your balance.

He’s livid, looming over you, with his hands grasping at air by his side.

“You know, sweetheart, I can forgive a lot of things. But the one thing I could never forgive is that you didn’t realize how much I loved you. How much I’ve always loved you. I never once strayed with another woman, not once I had you.” There’s something that looks a lot like pain in his green eyes.

“Bullshit.” You have to fight the bile crawling up your esophagus as you heave the word out.

“Missy was lying. She wanted to break us up.” His voice is so quiet that if it weren’t for how close he is to you, you’re sure you wouldn’t have heard him at all.

“We didn’t need Missy at all, Jake. All we needed was my stupid fucking body. And my stupid fucking smart mouth. That was enough. My world fell apart, and the one person who was supposed to be there suddenly couldn’t stand to see me around anymore. What was I supposed to think?”

“So you left.” You’ve never been able to read this particular emotion on his face.

“So I left.” Your voice is a soft whisper in the humid night air.

Your head is swimming, captivated by the fading scents of Jake’s cologne in the air, as well as the alcohol in your system.

“What would you have said if I told you back then how much what happened gutted me, too?” Why’s he dredging up all of this now? When you’re finally happy? When you’ve finally put aside the pain in your past? When you have finally fallen in love again? Why?

“It doesn’t matter, Seresin.” You push past him, trying to wrestle your bag from the secure grasp he’s got on it. “I’m going home.”

But you might as well be a kitten fighting against a tiger. Your weak tugs don’t budge the bag, no matter what you do.

"No. You are not driving when you're this drunk and killing yourself." Jake sounds fondly patient, like a parent with their toddler, and you kind of hate it. Even if, in your drunken state, you know it’s a bad idea, you give up on pulling on your bag and get right into his space.

Jake’s eyes glow in the low light like lamps. His lips are chapped yet glistening in the low light. All you can smell is Jake’s cologne and the scent of the laundry detergent he still uses, even after all these years. At one glance, everything around you seems to go silent. It feels like you’re the only two people in the world. You feel like that young girl again, the one who was in love, the one so sure she had the love that was supposed to conquer all. Your fingers are gentle as you trail the pads across his cheek.

Jake’s mouth parts like he’s going to say something, but before he does, you curl your hand around the back of his neck and smash your mouth to his. If Bradley’s kisses feel good, Jake’s kisses feel like getting struck by lightning.

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR ON AO3 BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR AO3, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

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#star writes #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun imagine #sweet home alabama #a top gun au #star's sweet home alabama top gun au #jake hangman seresin x oc #hangman x oc #jake seresin x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #rooster x oc #bradley rooster bradshaw x oc

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erimeows · 2 years

Text

Rising Action

Shikamaru sits on the rooftop of the Nara compound with a cup of hot tea in his hands as the wind blows through his long, damp hair. He’s fresh from a shower, so the raven locks are loose and flowing over the back of his shoulder blades. A dark long-sleeved shirt and matching sweatpants adorn his thin frame.

It’s a cold, stormy day. The grey and puffy clouds in the sky above him signal the storm that’s sure to come. He shivers and moves to sit criss-cross-applesauce.

Naruto has always hated this kind of weather… Shikamaru can imagine the Jinchuriki now, whining about how the rain is going to mess up his hair and impede his training. He laughs at the thought and takes a sip from the mug clasped in his hands.

Just then, the hatch to the roof is opened. Shikamaru peers behind his shoulder to see no other than his father, Shikaku Nara, coming onto the roof with a lit blunt held between two fingers. Either he wants to come enjoy the view of the clouds as well, or he wants to talk to Shikamaru about something. Shikamaru shifts uncomfortably at the latter thought and stares back up at the clouds as Shikaku sits next to him.

“Hey, kiddo,” The older man greets with half a smile and stares at him with curious onyx eyes. “What are you up to?”

Shikamaru struggles to answer him. He tries not to lie- lying to his father has always been difficult- but he doesn’t want to tell the truth either, because the truth is that he’s thinking about Naruto yet again. The Akatsuki keep attacking, Sasuke keeps showing his face, more and more Jinchuriki have been captured… And Shikamaru is fully aware that this is going to be a full on war between the five major ninja villages and the Akatsuki. That thought is a terrifying one in itself. Even more terrifying, however, is the thought of dying in this upcoming war without getting to tell Naruto that he’s in love with him.

They’ve been friends since they were children with Shikamaru being one of the few children in their academy class to accept and love Naruto for who he was. Maybe his love wasn’t- isn’t- so open and gushy like Hinata’s or Choji’s, but it’s always been there. It’ll always be there. Naruto is a kind and passionate person. Shikamaru can’t help but be in love with him, even after all these years.

Saying something about it is the logical thing to do, it always has been. He should’ve told Naruto the second he realized back when they were still kids about to graduate from the ninja academy. Love isn’t logical, though, and Shikamaru is as terrified of rejection as most people are. He resigned himself to silence in hopes that being on different cell units and being apart for years on end would make the intense crush fizzle out. It didn’t work, as his feelings only got stronger, morphing from a childish crush to genuine love.

After far too long of not saying anything, Shikamaru answers.

“Just thinking.”

A pause, and then, Shikaku is holding out his blunt in front of Shikamaru.

“...Want some?”

Shikamaru blinks. His mother would kill both of them if she knew about this, she’s already lost her shit the few times Shikamaru has come home smelling of cigarette smoke.

“Uh, are you sure? I don’t think I’m old enough for that,” Shikamaru nervously laughs and scratches the back of his neck.

“I know you smoke cigarettes, don’t pretend you haven’t smoked weed too,” Shikaku scoffs. “You’re old enough to be a Jonin, old enough to kill people for your job, you’re old enough to smoke and drink. I won’t tell your mom.”

“Eh, okay, then. Sure.”

And so, Shikamaru takes the blunt and smokes it. The two men pass it back and forth while falling into a comfortable silence. Occasionally, the wind will blow smoke from Shikaku’s drags into Shikamaru’s face, but he doesn’t mind it all too much. The weed itself isn’t that strong- not strong enough to make him feel anything, at least. The act of smoking itself is comforting, though. It reminds him of Asuma.

Things are quiet for long enough to provide Shikamaru with a false sense of relief. He thinks that maybe his father really did just want to come hang out with him and watch the clouds on this peaceful evening. That relief is shattered when Shikaku places a hand on his shoulder and looks at him intensely.

“Shikamaru, what’s wrong?”

Shikamaru’s stomach drops. Against his better judgment, he averts his gaze and lies through his teeth.

“Nothing.”

“You’re my son, I know you better than most people do,” Shikaku sighs. He sounds more concerned than anything. “That lie may work on your friends, but it won’t work on me. You’ve been so in your feelings lately that everyone has noticed, and that’s not like you. Your composure is slipping. Do I need to get you in with a therapist? Ino and Choji are worried about you. Your mom’s worried about you, I’m worried about you, and I know it’s not about the Akatsuki.”

“How could that not be what it’s about?” Shikamaru huffs. He crosses his arms defensively. How is it that his family is able to see right through him? He finds it so incredibly frustrating. At the same time, though, he internally scolds himself for even thinking that way. There are so many people he knows that don’t have the privilege of having stupid conflicts with their parents- Kiba, whose father was never around, Naruto and Sasuke, who lost both sets of their parents so tragically, Lee, whose parents disowned him for his inability to use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, Neji and Hinata, who both lost their parents to the inner turmoil of their clan. “There’s a chance that we’re all going to die in the next few days. That doesn’t scare you?”

“Tch, of course not,” Shikaku answers like death has no consequence. Shikamaru stares at him with wide eyes as he puts the blunt out against the top of the roof. “I’ve been faced with death enough times to come to terms with the idea of it, and I know the same applies to you. So, what is it that you’re actually scared of, son?”

Shikamaru starts to crack. His father is going to get the truth out of him whether he likes it or not, just like he always does.

“Compared to everything else that’s going on right now, it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid if it’s bothering you this much.”

“It’s about Naruto.”

Much to Shikamaru’s embarrassment, Shikaku laughs. His ears and cheeks burn bright red at the loud cackle that comes from between the older man’s chapped lips. He pouts and looks away.

“You still haven’t told him how you feel?” Shikaku asks while wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, having been fully aware of Shikamaru’s predicament since the younger man came home from the academy one day panicking because of his crush.

Shikamaru still remembers that day and how he so childishly spat out his feelings for Naruto in the form of word vomit to his parents at the kitchen table over a bowl of his mom’s overly salted udon. Thankfully, his parents are more accepting than most. That night, they reassured him that it was okay to love or like someone- even someone of the same gender. They wiped his tears, patted his back, and let him have his favorite mochi for dessert.

“Why would I? He has a million other things going on right now, Dad,” Shikamaru argues. For his own sake, he should tell Naruto the truth, but he knows it would be incredibly selfish. Naruto has the weight of the world on his shoulders right now. Why would Naruto want him of all people, anyway? He has Hinata, who has loved him for even longer than Shikamaru has. Even if the two aren’t dating yet, Shikamaru is just waiting for it to happen. Surely, if Naruto doesn’t end up reciprocating Hinata’s obvious feelings in the end, he’ll find someone else. There are plenty of girls their age who have shown interest in him since he saved the village from Pain. “Plus… He’s special. He’s the Jinchuriki who’s saved the village time and time again, and I’m just a regular ninja. I’m fine with that- I have no qualms about it. All I’ve ever wanted is a normal, boring life, but… Naruto probably wants more, and he probably wants someone who’s as special as he is, which I’m not.”

“Look, I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but you’ve had a crush on that boy since you were in the academy together,” Shikaku points out and pats Shikamaru’s back just like he did that one night over udon and mochi. “Ignoring how you feel clearly hasn’t worked at all, has it?”

“Sadly, no. It hasn’t.”

“Then neither will wallowing in self-pity about it, Shikamaru. You’re just going to put yourself through more pain than it’s worth for a childhood crush that may not even return your feelings.”

Shikamaru winces. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to be rejected like Naruto… No, he doesn’t want to imagine it. He knows it would be God awful with the blond tripping over himself to apologize for not returning the feelings while insisting that they can still be friends and that it won’t change anything. Shikamaru knows that relationships don’t work like that, though. Friendships are forever changed once romantic feelings are put on the table. Him confessing will make things awkward if Naruto doesn’t reciprocate.

“Ouch. Aren’t you supposed to reassure me that he loves me back because I’m so smart and amazing? I thought that’s what parents were supposed to do.”

“Well, I’m not going to lie to you,” Shikaku shrugs, as blunt as ever. It’s something that Shikamaru has always appreciated about him. “I have no idea how he feels, that’s why you need to man up and talk to him already.”

“You’re right… That’s what’s been bothering me these last few days. I’m not afraid of death, but I am afraid of one of us dying before I get the chance to tell him the truth.”

“Then tell him now,” Shikaku says like it’s that easy.

“I know that’s what I need to do, I’m just…” For the first time since Asuma died, Shikamaru cries. He tries to swallow the tears that are welling up in his eyes only for them to come pouring out at the same time that a sob falls from his lips. Once more, he spews word vomit about this stupid bullshit to his poor father who probably has much more important things to be worried about right now. As soon as the first tear falls from his onyx eyes, Shikaku is leaning over to wrap his long arms around Shikamaru’s smaller frame to envelop him in a warm hug. “God, I’m so scared. What if I say something and it changes everything between the two of us?”

“Shikamaru, I promise it’ll be okay no matter how he reacts,” Shikaku reassures Shikamaru while running his thin, scarred fingers through the younger man’s tangled hair. Shikamaru leans into the touch and cries even harder. “But you need to do this for your own sake. It’s hard to see you struggling like this.”

“I know,” He sniffles.

“...Why don’t we clear our minds over a game of shogi? Your mom should have dinner finished in a little bit.”

Shikaku lets go, so Shikamaru pulls away and wipes the tears from his eyes before nodding.

“I’d like that.”

Unsurprisingly, Shikamaru’s resolve is strengthened by the conversation with his father. He’s scared shitless, but he knows that if he’s to have any peace before things get worse with the Akatsuki, he needs to tell Naruto the truth.

Naruto is the most beautiful soul on the planet, though, so Shikamaru can’t make a fool of himself by showing up at the man’s doorstep with nothing in hand so he can burden him with his feelings. He stops by Yamanaka Flowers to get a bouquet of marigolds the following evening. He doesn’t know if Naruto likes flowers or what his favorite kind of flower would be if he did, but marigolds are bright and pretty just like Naruto himself, so Shikamaru figures they’ll work just fine for what he’s trying to accomplish.

When he gets to Naruto’s apartment, he’s surprised to find that Naruto isn’t there despite it being past six in the evening. He knows that the Jinchuriki isn’t out of town or assigned on any missions right now since he’s focusing on training for the upcoming conflict, so he must be somewhere else. After checking Ichiraku Ramen and finding the place void of anyone (except for Tsunade and Sakura), he goes to the next place that Naruto frequently inhabits; that lonely wooden swing outside of the academy.

The sun sets over the horizon as Shikamaru approaches Naruto from behind and taps his shoulder. The blond damn near falls out of the swing before managing to gain his composure and turning to face Shikamaru with a grin.

“Hey,” Shikamaru greets while holding the bouquet of flowers behind his back. “I thought I’d find you here.”

“Shikamaru!” Naruto, as warm and as welcoming as ever, wraps his arms around Shikamaru for a hug without even thinking about it. He pulls away too fast for Shikamaru’s liking, though. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

“It’s complicated, but first,” Shikamaru pauses to scrutinize Naruto’s expression. From far away, he was so distracted that he didn’t notice Shikamaru approaching, and he looked pretty deep in thought. Then, as soon as Shikamaru made his presence known, he forced a smile onto his face. “What’s up with you? You look pretty depressed.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just…” Naruto laughs, then shakes his head. It’s clear that he’s a lot more melancholy than usual and Shikamaru wants to get to the bottom of why before adding any additional stress into the Genin’s already stressful life. “No, it’s nothing.”

“Seriously? You can talk to me, you know. I won’t tell anyone.”

“I’m just stressed. I know everyone is depending on me…” Naruto admits and stares down at the ground to avoid Shikamaru’s gaze. It’s true that everyone is banking on Naruto being able to pull through this without allowing the Akatsuki to capture him and the Nine Tails. Naruto is constantly energetic and spouting nonsense about how he’s not going to give up, about how he’s going to persevere no matter what. With all of the pressure that he’s facing to stay strong in the face of this adversity, Shikamaru isn’t surprised that Naruto crumbles like this when he’s alone. I know all our friends are going to be trying to protect me, too. What if I fail? What if I’m not good enough?”

“Naruto…” Shikamaru doesn’t know exactly what to say because he can’t understand anything that Naruto is going through. Naruto is in a unique positon, and most of the others who would understand are dead. All Shikamaru can do is reach forward, place a reassuring hand on Naruto’s shoulder, and offer his own perspective. “I can’t promise you we’ll be okay at the end of this because I have no way of telling the future. What I can promise you is that you’re plenty good enough. None of this that has happened lately has been your fault and it shouldn’t be your responsibility… It just so happens that there are people in this world who want the power of the tailed beasts for their own selfish desires. It’s unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean the weight of the world should have to be on your shoulders alone. You have so many friends who are backing you, including myself, so don’t think you have to act strong all the time.”

Naruto starts to cry. Shikamaru has no idea how to handle it, so he does what he’s always been best at and stands there awkwardly after setting the bouquet of flowers down on the grass beneath their feet. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to confess, after all…

“Shikamaru, you’re so cool…!” Naruto exclaims while frantically wiping his tears with the obnoxiously orange sleeves of his sweatsuit. “How come you can be so calm and collected during all this and I can’t?”

“Believe it or not, Naruto, I have problems, too. They may not be as convoluted as yours, but still… I’m not a stone wall either. I’m a human being who’s weak at times and feels negative emotions very strongly. And that’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You know, I’m still not over Asuma’s death… I still feel like it’s my fault. I have nightmares about it almost every time I try to sleep. Avenging him did nothing to bring me any sort of closure. I’m killing my lungs by smoking daily because it’s the only thing that makes me feel like I’m close to him again now that he’s gone,” Shikamaru sighs and wipes the tears that are welling up in his own eyes. To his relief, Naruto seems to gather his composure enough to stop crying. “We’re all struggling like you are, Naruto… As ninja, we’ve all gone through significant loss, through pain. That’s why we should rely on each other instead of trying to shoulder the burden of it all by ourselves.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

“Uh, Naruto… Speaking of,” Shikamaru clears his throat and bends down to pick up the bouquet of marigolds. Then, he pushes it into Naruto’s hands. The blond holds the flowers and stares down at them with a baffled expression. “I guess doing this tonight is kind of a dick move on my end, but with everything that’s been going down with the Akatsuki lately, I’m concerned that there’s a chance we don’t have much time left. So, I’m just gonna go ahead and get it out of the way.”

“Shikamaru, don’t say that-!”

“Naruto, I appreciate you trying to reassure me, but please just listen. I need you to hear me out- this is important to me.”

“Oh… Okay, sorry. Go ahead.”

“If anything happens to either of us- or both of us- I want you to know that I love you very, very much, and that will never change.”

“I love you, too!” Naruto exclaims, and it hurts. Shikamaru knows that Naruto means those words in the kindest, most sincere, friendliest way possible. They’re so far from what Shikamaru means when he thinks them. “You know that, don’t ‘cha, Shikamaru?”

“Of course, but… That’s not what I meant. I know you love me platonically, we’ve been friends for a very long time, and I wouldn’t change that for anything in the world,” Shikamaru clarifies. Naruto stares back at him like a dumb, confused puppy, his ocean blue eyes still sparkling with tears and his tan cheeks bright red. “However, the love I feel for you is different. I’m sure you get offers all the time, especially after the incident with Pain, but… I’m in love with you. I’ve loved you since we were kids.”

“Shikamaru, that’s not funny!” Naruto pouts, seemingly convinced that Shikamaru must be joking.

Shikamaru can’t help but be frustrated. He holds his head in his hands and tugs at his hair before raising his voice in a desperate attempt to get his point across.

“I’m not joking! Why would I joke about something like this? It’s serious shit, Naruto!”

“Okay, okay, sorry!” Naruto rushes out an apology and nervously shifts his weight between his toes and the heels of his feet while passing the marigolds back and forth between his hands. “I’m just confused, okay?”

“What is there to be confused about? I’m in love with you and I have been for a long time. It’s pretty simple.”

Shikamaru expects a lot of things; a kind rejection that ends with something like ‘but let’s still stay friends’, an awkward offer to go on a date, questions about how long he’s been gay for and why. What he couldn’t have possibly prepared himself for or expected was Naruto’s actual response.

“You’re so smart and capable, and there’s a ton of girls who chase after you that you don’t pay any attention to! So, out of everyone in the village you could have, why me? You’re a Jonin! You could have just about anyone you wanted! I swear, I thought you and Temari had a thing going on.”

“Temari and I have never been anything more than close friends, but… I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to understand. I’m gay, I don’t like women like that. I don’t even like most people like that. You’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”

“No, you don’t get it!” Naruto huffs. It seems like he’s getting fed up with trying to get his point across, but Shikamaru just doesn’t understand. “I’m not good enough for you- compared to you, I’m a loser! You’ve always been smarter than me, more talented than me… People just like you better, y’know?”

“None of that shit matters, though! People don’t like you because they’re fucking stupid and they don’t get how amazing you are, Naruto. It’s a privilege to be your friend. You are smart, and you are talented, it’s just that no one gets that because you’re not conventional,” Shikamaru insists through the blinding anger that tries to consume him when he hears Naruto spew this uncharacteristically self-deprecating horseshit. “Look, if you don’t love me back, that’s fine. I was fully prepared for you to reject me. Me confessing was more for my peace of mind than it was an attempt to get you to date me or something, so it’s fine, really. What isn’t fine is you talking down on yourself and saying you’re not good enough for me. It’s fucking bullshit.”

Shikamaru turns his back to leave, only for Naruto to grab him by the wrist with his spare hand. Shikamaru looks over his shoulder as a flicker of hope ignites deep in his chest and makes his heart skip a beat.

“But I- I think I do love you, Shikamaru!”

“You think?” Shikamaru deadpans. How could he have not guessed that confessing his love to Naruto would turn into something so ridiculous? He should’ve known. “Love isn’t a ‘maybe’, ‘I think’ sort of emotion. You’re either in love with me or you’re not. You don’t have to pretend to love me like that to spare my feelings, I can handle rejection.”

“I… I am in love with you,” Naruto whispers. The expression that takes over his face is a cross between bafflement and utter confusion that makes Shikamaru’s face burn red with a mixture of relief, adoration, and secondhand embarrassment. “I guess I’ve just been so busy that I never thought about it, but of course I’m in love with you! It all makes sense now!”

“You can’t be serious,” Shikamaru groans and facepalms. If he never would’ve said anything… Naruto may have never realized. “You’re in love with me and you’re only just now realizing it?”

“Yes?” Naruto answers so loudly that it echoes in the clear night. “I just- I always felt different around you than with all my other friends! Like that gushy feeling and your heart skipping a beat that you see in the romance novels, you know?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I know,” Naruto smiles from ear to ear, so beautifully that Shikamaru can’t help but pull the blond into his arms and hug him as tightly as possible.

“I love you,” He says against Naruto’s ear as the blond hugs him back.

The marigolds are a little crushed, but neither of them care.

“I love you, too.”

After a few minutes, Shikamaru pulls away and looks down at Naruto, who is staring up at him with stars in his ocean blue eyes.

“Shit’s about to get real soon… I doubt we’ll have a lot of time to hang out,” Shikamaru starts. “Do you… Maybe want to come stay at my place? You could eat dinner with my family. I’m sure they’d love to get to know you.”

“Really? Are you sure? You’re not like, embarrassed by me?”

“Really, Naruto… I just confessed my undying love to you and you think I’m going to be embarrassed to bring you to my family? That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard,” Shikamaru laughs. “Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have asked if I weren’t.”

“Okay! If you’re sure about this, then let’s go!”

The two start walking away from the academy and in the direction of the Nara compound, side by side.

“...Can I hold your hand?”

Naruto doesn’t answer out loud. Instead, he offers Shikamaru a calming smile and reaches over to hold his hand. Shikamaru can’t help but smile back as he intertwines their fingers and laughs.

Maybe things will be okay in the end, after all.

#shikamaru nara #Naruto Uzumaki #shikanaru #naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto fanfiction #oneshot #oneshots #drabble #drabbles #fluff #shikaku nara

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polina-me · 11 months

Text

This damn Halloween and a lovely seamstress

— Pointless and annoying. — Scrooge stated it bluntly.

He was driving to work in his limo, arms crossed over his chest and looking out the window with disdain.

— Sir, please.. — Quackmore sighed with tired exasperation.

— Just another way to make money for me, I don't see any reason to enjoy this day anymore.. night.. bah! — Scrooge threw up his hands and at that moment they arrived at bin.

Quackmore rolled his eyes up at them as they climbed. He didn't understand why he didn't like this holiday?

He hoped that at least Donald could improve his uncle's mood.

— Hi, unca Scrooge! — But his hopes were dashed when he saw Donald hanging a black garland with pumpkins on the walls.

"Well, what else should I have expected?" — Quackmore knew that Donald was a family man and it was foolish to assume that he would miss such a holiday. So he turned around and went to do his business outside the office, where there might be a fight.

_________________________

— Don't you want to celebrate Halloween too, Uncle Scrooge? — there was a woman's scream and a loud crunch on the TV.

— Too? — Scrooge put his hand on the arm of the sofa and propped his head on it and looked at the boys sitting on the floor with an eyebrow raised.

— Yeah, we don't want to celebrate it either. — Dewey lay with his head on his crossed arms.

— Yeah, that's childish. — Huey leaned on the sofa.

— And we are not children — Louie was sitting on a pillow.

Scrooge chuckled to himself.

— What a good reason. — he looked up at the TV again. — Did you find that photo?

— YES!!! — all the triplets jumped up and one of the boys took out 'that photo'.

It was their first Halloween as a real family.

There were the newly hatched boys on it, Donald and himself.

Donald was dressed like a queen bee. The black and yellow dress, like an inverted flower bud, sat perfectly on him and created a truly royal look. And the same black and yellow makeup made him look more like a princess. And as an addition, Donald wore a homemade crown and black shoes.

They held the triplets in their arms in turn.

Donald held Louie, in a comfortable caterpillar suit, in his right hand. Huey, in a bee costume, was holding Scrooge himself in his left hand. And Dewey, in a butterfly costume, was sitting on both of his uncles' arms.

And Scrooge...

(Scrooge frowned in embarrassment when he saw himself)

Scrooge was dressed in a green suit, with a floral headband on his head and his sideburns were tied with the same floral elastic bands.

In principle, this photo would never have existed if Ludwig had not then come with Matilda to see the boys.

Matilda laughed non-stop, even when she calmed down, she continued to giggle. Ludwig's reaction didn't help; he was touched by them and said they were the cutest flower garden he had ever seen.

— Have you even seen this photo, Unca Scrooge? — Dewey turned the photo toward him and glared at it with disgust on his face.

— I hate this. — Louie crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

— Who sewed our costumes at all? They're disgusting! — As soon as Huey finished speaking, something broke and all four of them turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

It was a bowl, which now lay in fragments on the floor along with sweets.

But the one who broke it.. There was Donald.

He stood motionless, in the position when he held the bowl. His eyes were wide open and was on the verge of tears.

— Terrible?... — his voice was low because of a whisper and watery because of unshed tears.

Scrooge jumped up from the sofa and walked over to him, stepping over the shards.

— Donny, nephew! You're just in time, we found our old photo by the way! — he pulled Donald by the shoulders and showed him the photo. — Aren't we cute, mm?

— But... But the boys.. — Donald looked at his children again. They only lowered their heads in shame when they noticed their uncle's tears.

— They were joking! Yes, boys? — Scrooge hugged his nephew again.

— Of course! — the children immediately ran up to them, avoiding the shards. — We're just kidding!

— Y.. Yes?.. — they nodded their heads furiously — And you.. Don't you think I'm a bad seamstress?

— Of course not! — Scrooge intervened again. — You're a great seamstress, man! To be honest, this Halloween I wanted you to sew us costumes again!

— Really? — his voice gained hope.

— Yeah!

Donald 's face brightened.

He quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked at his uncle again.

— Well, you're in luck. — Scrooge and the boys looked at him questioningly. — I have something for you in the attic.

— ?

_________________________

— You look good, cousin. — Gladstone in a sorcerer's costume, praised Fethry.

— Hehe, I know! — Fetri was giggling and waving his vampire cloak.

— Have you boys seen Scrooge, Donald and the kids? I thought they were going to collect sweets with us. — Grandma Duck in a stuffed suit, came out with a basket for sweets. She came because she couldn't convince Gus to go with them.

— I think soon. — As soon as Gladstone finished, they heard someone coming. — See?

— Hey, are you all ready for a night of "Trick or treat"? — It was Donald's voice.

— Of course, we are! — grandma turned in his direction, but suddenly her eyes widened in surprise. She covered her beak with her hand to stifle laughter.

The cutest she'd ever seen was their first Halloween.

They were wearing the same theme again!

The boys came forward, embarrassed.

Dewey in a mermaid costume awkwardly washed his hand. His skirt was blue, which was decorated with red and yellow beads, especially a lot of it was on the hem. A T-shirt of a delicate sea-green color with drawings of shells. And cute makeup, with purple shadows and a light blue blush.

Louie stood in the middle of his brothers, his hands just as awkwardly hidden behind his back in his mermaid costume. He also had a floor-length skirt, but already green in color and the beads were pink and purple. T-shirt of soft turquoise color and with a pattern of starfish. And also light makeup with pink shadows and a light green blush.

And Huey, in a pirate costume, looked more confident than his brothers, but still awkward. He was wearing a black and white striped T-shirt with a burgundy sweatshirt on it and brown and red shorts. On one of his legs was a long brown knee-length sock with patterned lines to show that it was a wooden leg and a red and maroon bandana with white patterns. And like a true pirate, Huey held a sword.

Behind, but not too far away, were Donald and Scrooge. The last one, who was also dressed as a pirate!

Scrooge was wearing a white and black T-shirt and a deep red long jacket, brick-colored pants. On his head was a black pirate hat with a white skull and feather, and a black patch over one eye. However, he didn't have a sword or an ordinary cane, he was holding a candy basket.

So he held Donald's hand.

Donald himself was in a chest suit, although, without all the context, his costume looked more like a princess or something like that.

He was wearing a short brown dress, with the same short sleeves, while the rest was golden, or more precisely yellow, in color. The golden part of the skirt was also floor-length, but decorated with white, red, green and blue beads. The golden part of the sleeves was covered with glitter. And makeup with golden shadows and arrows on the eyes.

— You look... great together — Elvira could not hide her smile of emotion.

— Thank you, I tried! — Donald smiled proudly.

— Oh, yeah? — Gladstone decided not to say the joke that came into his head.

— You're all so cute! All the candies will be yours! — Fethry was still waving his cloak.

— Aww, thanks.

_________________________

— Trick or treat! — the children crowded around the door and pulled out their candy bags.

— What wonderful costumes! Keep your treats, darlings! — an elderly woman took sweets from a bowl and poured each child.

— Thanks! Happy Halloween! — the children fled to their parents and to other homes.

— Unca Donald, look! — Donald turned around and slightly bent down to the boys running up to him.

They all showed and showed off their sweets again.

— You'll run up to me after every house, won't you? — After the praise, he asked this question with a smile.

— Yes! — in response, the boys mockingly showed him their tongues.

Although it was awkward for them to walk like this at first, after a couple of houses they immediately got used to their costumes and calmly ran and had fun.

Donald had to hold Scrooge's hand because his cane didn't fit the suit (which was nonsense, the cane fit the suit), but he didn't complain much.

— After all, your suit suits you. — suddenly Scrooge said and Donald took a look away from the children.

— What?

— He suits you. Your suit. — he spoke calmly while eating his candy.

— Why did you say that all of a sudden? — A smile and a slight blush played on Donald's beak.

— Well.. — Scrooge hesitated a little. — You also make us happy. — he looked at his nephew and smiled. — And you're just as handsome.

Donald giggled.

— You want to go get some more candy, don't you? — Scrooge twitched.

— Yes, but! — he indignantly at the words — I'm trying to be nice, damn it! — he was outraged by this accusation, albeit true.

This time Donald laughed.

— Yeah, yeah.. — he wiped away a tear from laughing and leaned over to his uncle — Thank you.. — and kissed him on the cheek.

Scrooge froze for a moment, but still smiled.

— Happy Halloween, nephew.

— Happy Halloween, unckie.

__________________________

Happy Halloween!

#donald duck #scrooge mcduck #huey duck #dewey duck #louie duck #huey dewey and louie #gladstone gander #fethry duck #grandma duck #uncle scrooge #disney ducks #disney duck comics #duck comics #son and dad??#what about the daughter and dad?!#hehehe >:)

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spamtoon · 3 months

Text

DCRC week 4.. in week 5. paperinik

i am behind. you know this by now. let's read paperinik

love the cross hatching in these first few panels something's gonna happen for sure!

JFEAJFOIEAJFIEAJ ill be so real the walt disney logo and OMBRE SU VENERE caught me off guard so hard. the way its in the corner and yellow and Not Fitting At All. the word art ahh look of the text (though i understand why they couldnt replace it in a way that looks good) im so. what a beautiful panel

donald is so sad.... the way that theres so many screens and they're all donald. duckblr user (not that angus fangus would be allowed on duckblr. he doesnt even deserve to call lyla luv)

great to learn that this donald is computer generated. he doesnt have five hands though so this clearly isnt the ai art issue. also ever since last issue learning that lyla is a robot whos become so acclimated to her environment she loves playing the part of the reporter and is still passionate despite technically being made to literally call the time police whenever things go wrong she ough. ohohoh. i appreciate her so much more

i think uno deserves to spy on people. as a treat

one's face... he's so silly....... he's so insanely silly....

the evronians should get angus fangus i think. destroy him agron of evron. i know they're trying to team up to make duck avenger look bad or something but please

the action panels in this comic are also lovely but maybe thats because i havent read a superhero comic before. that isnt darkwing duck

JOIFEAOIFJ THE WAY DONALD LOOKS UP LIKE Xadhoom! (: haha glad to see you here! and then she just. comes down in a firey rage its beautiful.

excellent wisdom donald. im so glad he smokes weed (I AM JOKING I EDITED THIS AS A JOKE)

okay hello for context i am writing this almost a full week later. my ahh did not wanna do this but cog it. we ball. i think i need to just like. stop treating this as an obligation because like it's literally fine spam. you dont have school rn you deserve to chill.

ughhghghg donald loves uno so much already. he's so glad for uno dude... dudeeeeee... artificial or not you're a genius

oguhghh. donald's determination to save angus despite everything because nobody deserves to have Them sucked out of them. ough

this whole page is so cool but i love how they visualize the search okay. sorry i'm just appreciating the Comic-ness. of this comic. you know? when the comic play with panels...

he's so tired.... you're so right uno. i should go to bed after this. oughhghgh he's so silly when he's tired.

i think uno deserves to be done with people's crap more often

oughoghgnghng seeing uno happy again and laughing at donald im so. uno... hi uno... little uno...

im so happy we're four issues in and already donald and xadhoom are going to space to take down aliens. its beautiful... sorry if my commentary gets worse i may just be tired but i know if i dont do it now i'll never do it

hi camera 9... i do not care one bit about this red hair character so far but hello camera 9 you're just little (unaware of the camera 9 lore)

the way that all three of them are slouching here. nobody is stnaidng their ahh up straight when they got incomprehensible angus to worry about

good for him he got on megavolt's good side. bribed him with a lightbulb (SORRY i like making darkwing duck references. i know its not) UFOEAIJFOIEAJ lyla being in the shadow i'm so. she's so silly here ough

the fight scenes in this comic are so.. maybe thats just because i havent read a non-darkwing comic before but like. i dont know im admiring the art and the art style and the time period and the medium and such you know

i dont know what they wanna do with angus fangus other than just like. set him up against the duck avenger and make the earth go against him but like. i suppose he knows he cant kill paperinik here which alright. fair

xadhoom... gnngngnng she's so distressed in these panels

HELP IM SO MAD he really is just a hateful guy. okay they're candace flynning him i see

luckily for us, the universe sucks so much lots of people hate life

xadhoom............................... she deserves so much

glad even angus fangus hates this guy. like great. i wanted that crime to happen and you just. messed it up.

uno with party hat... they really decided y'know what? he's aiing us? let's just ai him back. okay thats the end of the comic maybe next time i'll be more coherent but i hope this satisfies puffy i'm tired man. i was procrastinating on this so hard but this comic... good...

#dcrc #dcrc paperinik #dcrc week 4 #this might be a bad idea to post when im this tired but oh well #i wonder if you can tell my sleepy getting wowrse and worse

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anxiously-sidequesting · 1 year

Text

I keep thinking about that Schismist Soldier (because he's a meow meow) and in the possible event that we may never see him again I decided to add a PART THREE to his saga to eventually marry i mean defeat the Young Wizard once and for all. So buckle up for this messed up love/hate story.

We start off on his relaxing vacation that he promised everyone he would take after his second defeat at the hands of his One True Nemesis. He needed a break from his obsession i mean his career and all those thoughts about us isn't really good for him now is it??? So he's going to go to whatever the Wizard version is for Peru to take his mind off things! What fun!

But it doesn't work :((( because everything, EVERYTHING reminds him of The Young Wizard. The sheer AUDACITY to haunt his every waking moment, his thoughts and dreams when he was trying to FORGET you!!! He can't even relax when he's thinking about YOU all the time!!! Ugh!!!

So he just says "Alright fuck it I guess" and he decides (for the 80th time) that he's going to get rid of you PERMANENTLY this time, so that he could finally triumph over you and then be free! So he hatches up a plan, see? A genius plan, a plan that will SURELY cause you the most humiliation and agony possible!!!

He is going to enroll. In the very school that you started out as a fledgling. He will apply to study in your primary Magic School and he will quickly climb the ranks, proving to be a BETTER wizard than you ever were!! He'll RUIN your reputation amongst your peers using his dazzling intellect and unmatched skills, and then when the time is right he'll BEAT you at your own game, making you weep and cry in shame and fright before he FINALLY finishes you off!!! IT'S THE PERFECT CRIME!!!!

Que the Schismist Soldier learning the third rank spell of your primary magic school (Storm Shark in my case) and then he just cackles maniacally with crazed eyes before he fucks off into his dorm to bask in his future glory. The people that know him think he's funny and weird. He mutters our name over and over again at lunch and people just think he's a fan. He draws multiple pictures of us and furiously crosses them out with red ink and nobody gives a shit. Let him have his fun I guess

(I like to imagine that he doesn't even unmask himself when he goes undercover as a student of Ravenwood, he just straight up shows in his Schism armor and people think he's cosplaying as someone they've never heard of before. He truly is pathetic and I love him dearly for it)

#imagine the wizard was a necromancer so he trains under malorn #malorn is just like ''😐 so i have another duncan grimwater huh''#the schismist soldier would be the one that would make cyrus drake hate again #does he actually succeed in his plan to defeat us?? YOU decide! (no he doesnt)#unrelated but gotta stop switching between 'us' and 'you' and 'the young wizard' and just pick one LMAO its confusing #can you guys tell im in love with this guy. hes the lamest motherfucker ever and thats hot and attractive #i live for the 'villain is obsessed with hero but hero could care less' dynamic #hes like ''DO YOU REMEMBER ME!?!?'' like no we dont #(yes we do remember him because we could never forget him)#wizard101 #w101 #wiz101 #what the hell is his name how do i tag him? the schismist soldier? schismist soldier? okay fine #wizard101 schismist soldier #text post

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kjack89 · 2 years

Note

ooh, 7 e/R for the spotify wrapped meme? :)

7. "Yoü and I" by Lady Gaga.

E/R, modern AU.

Even though it had been two years since he’d last set foot in the Musain, the familiar jingle of the bell when Enjolras opened the door still sounded like coming home. He had barely taken two steps into the bar when he heard a low whistle as familiar as the bell above the door, and it also felt a lot like coming home. “Batten down the hatches, boys,” Grantaire crowed with a grin, even though at 2 in the afternoon, there were only a handful of people to even hear him. “Trouble done just walked back into my life.”

Enjolras just shook his head, though he couldn’t stop his own grin from spreading across his face as Grantaire stepped out from around the bar. “I’ll take it Bossuet made you watch Sweet Home Alabama again recently?”

Grantaire scowled. “Excuse me, ‘made’ me?” he asked, mock-insulted, even as he pulled Enjolras into a hug and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. “I resent the implication that I am not capable of deciding to watch Reese Witherspoon’s best film all on my own.”

“I think most critics and Reese herself might disagree with that assessment,” Enjolras said mildly.

“They can have their incorrect opinion,” Grantaire said with a shrug. He gestured toward the bar. “Take a seat, I’ll bring your usual.”

Enjolras headed obediently toward the bar, sitting down on a bar stool as he remarked, “I wasn’t aware I had a usual.”

Grantaire just winked at him, and Enjolras’s stomach gave a traitorous little flip-flop. He watched, intrigued, as Grantaire bustled with something on the back of the bar before turning around to present a steaming mug with a flourish. “Irish coffee, hold the Irish.”

Enjolras laughed lightly. “Did you—”

“Put in enough sugar to give a bull elephant diabetes?” Grantaire finished, grinning as he leaned against the bar. “Of course. You know I know how you like it.”

Enjolras did know, just as he still knew Grantaire’s coffee order, and how he liked his pillows arranged on his bed, and the hundreds of other little details he’d learned from when they were together, the hundreds of other little details he would never forget, no matter how long they’d been apart.

He took a sip of coffee, closing his eyes as he savored the taste. When he opened them, Grantaire was still grinning at him, but something had softened in his expression. “What?” Enjolras asked, and Grantaire just shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just missed your face, that’s all.”

“But not the rest of me?” Enjolras teased, mostly to hide the way his heart leapt at the words.

Grantaire laughed. “Nah, I can do without most of the rest.”

Enjolras cradled the coffee mug between both of his hands. “So do you have a break anytime soon? I hate to monopolize you while you’re working.”

“Bullshit,” Grantaire said good-naturedly. “You love nothing more than work disruptions.” Still he crossed over to where the few other patrons were finishing their drinks. “Give us a few minutes, would you?” he said. “Next round’s on me for the inconvenience.”

There was only mild grumbling as they stood and filed out, and Grantaire rolled his eyes, but with affection. “Perks of being a neighborhood bar,” he said, coming out from around the bar and crossing to the door to lock it before sliding onto the bar stool next to Enjolras. “And now you can monopolize me as you feel fit.”

Despite this being the exact reason why he’d came, Enjolras felt suddenly strangely tongue-tied. “So Courfeyrac told me you bought the place,” he said finally.

Grantaire shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Yeah, well, you know. When Madame Houcheloup decided to sell, I figured, fuck it.”

Enjolras nodded slowly. “The basis of all good business decisions.”

“Like you would know,” Grantaire shot back.

It was exactly like old times, exactly as if Enjolras had never left two years ago. “Touché.”

Almost as if he sensed Enjolras thoughts, Grantaire looked away and cleared his throat before continuing, “But in any case, there was no way I could let her sell this place.”

“Too many memories,” Enjolras said softly.

“Yeah,” Grantaire said. “Like the time I took your virginity on that couch.”

Enjolras choked on his sip of coffee. “That is emphatically not what happened,” he spluttered with a laugh.

Grantaire grinned. “C’mon. We all know that what happened with you and Combeferre when you were both 16 doesn’t count.”

Enjolras rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “You’re using a very loose interpretation of ‘we all’.”

Grantaire just shrugged blithely. “Maybe so.”

It was Enjolras’s turn to clear his throat, to steer things away from touching too closely on what they’d had – what they’d been. “Well the bar looks great,” he said, surprised to find he meant it. “Still feels like home.” He hesitated. “Dare I ask what you did with our meeting room?”

Grantaire brightened. “Oh, that’s the best part,” he said, hopping off his bar stool. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”

He held his hand out to Enjolras, who took it, letting Grantaire lead him to the back room, treading the same familiar path they’d walked hundreds of times before.

But the back room looked nothing like the dingy space they’d used, which had the main benefit of being free as long as they bought drinks and kept the noise mostly down. Now, it was bright and airy, with a small stage along one wall, books and art supplies along another, and even a few computers set up in the corner.

“Turned it into a community meeting center,” Grantaire told him as Enjolras looked around, impressed. “There’s a little library with all kinds of anti-racist and pro-trans propaganda. Jehan leads a poetry workshop twice a month, and Feuilly has a weekly art class that he teaches.” He shrugged as if it was nothing. “And of course we do a monthly drag reading hour for the kids.”

Enjolras nodded approvingly. “Any threats?”

Grantaire shrugged again. “Yeah but you know Bahorel thrives on that shit,” he said brightly. “Last time he did a TikTok basically daring the proud boys to show up.”

“Of course he did,” Enjolras said with a laugh.

Grantaire grinned. “Thankfully they didn’t, and Cosette had a really great story time.”

Enjolras frowned slightly. “Cosette?”

“She wanted to try being a drag king.”

Enjolras considered that mental image for a moment. “How’d that go?”

Grantaire laughed. “She loved it. Marius…I mean, he might’ve started the evening as a 0 on the Kinsey Scale but he definitely did not end that way.”

He sounded almost gleeful and Enjolras could only imagine. Still, he couldn��t help but counter. “Please. Marius lived with Courfeyrac for like 3 years. There’s no way he was ever a 0 on the Kinsey Scale.”

Grantaire barked a laugh. “Yeah, you’re probably not wrong.”

“Well this is really incredible,” Enjolras told Grantaire, sincerity in every word. “You’ve done amazing work.”

Grantaire waved him off, gesturing for them to head back to the bar. “Thanks,” he said, a little gruffly. “And we, uh, we might be expanding.”

“Really?”

Grantaire nodded as they sat back down at the bar. “Rumor has it Mabeuf is thinking of selling the Corinthe.” His grin turned sly. “We had some good memories there too, remember?”

“How could I possibly forget?” Enjolras said dryly. “That time where we got arrested?”

Grantaire’s grin widened. “Oh, I was actually thinking of that other time that we got arrested. Or maybe, uh—”

“That time?” Enjolras supplied, grinning as well.

“When we got arrested?” Grantaire said, and they both laughed.

Enjolras shook his head. “Our ill-spent youth.”

Grantaire’s smile slipped just slightly. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “It doesn’t seem all that ill-spent looking back on it.” Enjolras didn’t know what to say, and stared down into his mug of coffee until Grantaire added, “And I definitely don’t think we were all that young either.”

Enjolras laughed again and Grantaire smiled at him before saying, in an attempt at casual, “All that said, I doubt you came all this way just to take a look at the bar.” He arched an eyebrow at Enjolras. “So why are you here?”

“For starters, you still make a killer cup of coffee,” Enjolras said, lifting his mug in a mock-toast. Grantaire’s expression didn’t change, and he sighed. “Truth be told, I’ve been thinking about us recently.”

Grantaire’s expression tightened. “Enj—”

“You let me go when I needed to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life,” Enjolras said, hoping it didn’t sound rehearsed, even if he had gone over this twenty times in his head and twice with Combeferre before finally coming over. “And I’m not pretending that we can just jump back in, but I want us to try.”

Grantaire shook his head slowly. “Enjolras, when you left—” He broke off with a sigh. “We left things between us on the best possible note. Why would you want to ruin that now?”

“I didn’t come here to ruin anything,” Enjolras said quietly.

“Then maybe it’s time to let things go,” Grantaire said with a sigh. “What you and I had—” His tone turned wistful. “I’m not gonna pretend like I don’t miss it, but it’s not as simple as you walking back into this bar and us trying again. It’s been two years. We’re both different people now.”

“Maybe,” Enjolras said. “But in my case at least, different means better. And I want the chance to prove that to you.” Grantaire was silent and Enjolras hesitated before adding, “I know what mistakes I made last time, and I know you have no reason to believe me, but I’m not going to make the same mistakes this time.”

Grantaire sighed again and shook his head slowly. “I do believe you,” he said softly. “I’ve always believed in you. But it’s not so simple—”

“It is,” Enjolras interrupted. “This time it is.”

“Enj—”

“The mistake that I made last time was leaving without you,” Enjolras told him. “And I’m definitely not making that mistake every again.”

Grantaire snorted but didn’t quite meet his eyes as he said, “Then you’re gonna be here an awfully long time.”

Despite himself, Enjolras smiled, just slightly. “Yeah,” he agreed. “That’s kind of the point.”

Something in his tone seemed to take Grantaire aback, and he frowned. “What do you mean?”

Enjolras met his eyes squarely. “I mean what I said. I’m not leaving without you this time.”

Abruptly, Grantaire stood, making his way behind the bar and grabbing a rag like he was going to start cleaning, though he just twisted it between his hands as if he needed something to do with them. “Enjolras, as romantic as it may be in the movies to swoop back in someplace and whisk some guy you used to fuck away to the big city with you, reality’s a little different.” Enjolras started to interrupt, but Grantaire didn’t let him. “I own this place, and I know it’s not the amazing living you’ve made for yourself, but it’s mine and I love it. I’m not just going to pack up and leave because you came back and– and smiled at me.”

He obviously hadn’t meant to end on that note, and despite everything, Enjolras couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Smiled at you?” he repeated.

Grantaire jerked a shrug. “What can I say, I’m still a weak man,” he said.

Enjolras nodded slowly. “A weak man without great comprehension skills to boot.”

Grantaire scowled. “What—”

“I know you’re not going anywhere,” Enjolras told him. “I know you’ve made a life for yourself.” Grantaire still looked confused, and Enjolras reached out for his hand, his heart beating double-time when Grantaire let him take it. “I’m not asking you to come away with me. I’m asking to be a part of it.”

For a moment, Grantaire still looked confused, but then realization dawned on Grantaire’s face. “This time you’re not leaving without me.”

Enjolras nodded. “Exactly.”

A slow grin started to spread across Grantaire’s face before it faltered. “But what about your life in the city?”

Enjolras shrugged. “It wasn’t what I wanted,” he said simply. “Besides, there’s so much organizing work that needs to be done in the suburbs, exurbs and rural areas ahead of 2024, and—”

“And I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it,” Grantaire interrupted, but his smile was gentle as he raised their clasped hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to Enjolras’s knuckles. “So you’re really back.”

“Yeah,” Enjolras said softly. “Yeah, I’m home.”

Now Grantaire’s smile was blinding, and Enjolras let himself grin as well, leaning in to close the space between them, to finally do what he’d wanted to do ever since he saw Grantaire again, to—

Someone pounded on the door and Grantaire groaned. “Clearly our 15 minutes are up,” he said, but he was still grinning.

“Capitalism once again ruins everything,” Enjolras told him, and Grantaire laughed as he stood.

“Well,” he said, reaching out to cup Enjolras’s cheek, “maybe not everything.”

He kissed the top of Enjolras’s head and went to unlock the door. Enjolras stood, figuring he should probably leave, but Grantaire frowned at him as he returned to the bar. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I was just—”

“Sit your ass back down,” Grantaire whispered. “Musichetta’s shift starts at 5, and then you’re gonna take me to dinner.”

Enjolras hesitated. He had a million and one things that he needed to do, and— “Enjolras,” Grantaire said quietly. “You said you weren’t going to make the same mistakes.”

“And I’m not,” Enjolras promised. He drained his mug of coffee. “And in that case, I’ll have another.”

Grantaire grinned again. “Your usual, coming right up,” he said.

Enjolras grinned as well as he watched Grantaire pouring him another cup of coffee. They still had a lot to talk about, but Enjolras was a man of his word, and he’d never anything more than what he’d promised Grantaire.

This time, he wasn’t leaving without him.

#exr #enjolras x grantaire #enjoltaire #enjolras #grantaire #fanfiction #les miserables #modern au #reunion #former relationship #but is it really former?#ask #answered #stoppit-keepout #hey nonny #spotify wrapped meme #fic meme #ask meme

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cosmicisms · 1 year

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random diluc drabble

gn!reader

synopsis: you and diluc relaxing outside :)

warnings: none really. angst if you squint.

authors note: the weather’s been really nice and i wanna spend it with diluc :(

the sun warmed up the idyllic nation of freedom, with a pleasant breeze to cool it down. a cloudless blue sky lay above you, and the lush green grass sat below you. a textbook example of a perfect summer’s day.

diluc ragnivindr, your partner, sat next to you, taking in the serenity of the moment. you two were in windrise, the spot you had chosen for your date.

during weather like this, many either flocked to falcon coast to cool down, or stayed inside, leaving the both of you with the place to yourselves. hearing the rustle of the leaves while you rested against the trunk of the archaic tree, and tasting the wind which carried promises of a nice relaxing day was just what you needed.

diluc, although he didn’t really show it with his crimson eyes constantly on the lookout for trouble, was equally as calm as you. it had taken some convincing for him to leave his work and spend some time outside with you. diluc hated idling around, but the redhead’s complaints died down the minute you rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes.

his arm was wrapped around your shoulders, keeping you close to him as you both sat there. his free hand held yours, tracing small circles into the skin with his thumb. his shoulders and jaw had loosened up as well, a sign that he wasn’t stressed. neither of you spoke, simply enjoying each other’s presence.

it was a rare sight to see diluc in such a casual state, but you enjoyed every second of it. the calm rise and fall of his chest, the steady beat of his heart, and the pleasant warmth of his body heat. all of those factors brought you more joy and relaxation than any amount of sunny days.

“you asleep down there?” diluc’s low and sultry voice brought you back to your surroundings. moving to sit up and look at him, you gave him a smile. “nope.”

“good, because there’s something i wish to ask of you, my dear.” diluc said, looking into your eyes. you tilted your head to the side and raised your eyebrow. “yeah?”

“can i make a flower crown for you?” he spoke with a tinge of shyness to his voice whilst squeezing your hand. the request caught you by surprise, making you giggle.

“sure, go for it.” you smiled and watched as diluc plucked some nearby flowers to weave into a simple, yet beautiful crown. you patiently waited, enamoured with his every move. his experience as a bartender meant his skilled hands worked carefully as to not damage the flowers in any way.

“where’d you learn how to make these anyway?” you asked as he worked. diluc glanced up at you before returning his attention to the flowers. “during a simpler time.” he replied after a moment. he left it at that, so you decided to drop it.

“i wonder if the turtles have hatched yet.” you wondered aloud. diluc once again looked up a you. “most likely. summer is the time around which they hatch.” he murmured, adding another flower to the crown.

“you had a pet turtle, right?” you loved hearing him talk. diluc despised small talk, but with you… he could make an exception.

“yeah, i did.” he nodded, and you could’ve sworn you caught the smallest glimpse of a fond smile on his face. “turtles are great pets. smart, interesting…”, he trailed off before adding quietly, “cute”.

“how about we get a pet turtle?” you proposed, only half joking. diluc eyed you warily. “no thanks. you’re already enough to manage as is.”

you scoffed and slapped his arm playfully. “thanks so much.” you said dryly, crossing your arms. diluc only chuckled, the sound of which made you blush.

“you know i’m joking.” he said, mirth in his eyes. “here you are.” diluc placed the flower crown, woven with care and love, onto your head. you smiled despite his playful slight at you.

“it’s beautiful.” you murmured, giving him a grateful look. “also… why did you ask if i was awake to make it? would you not just put it on me if i was asleep?” you asked curiously.

diluc looked at you with a noticeable blush on his cheeks. “i wanted to watch how your eyes lit up.” he stated earnestly, giving you a tiny smile. his words made your heart flutter, and you moved to sit even closer to him.

“well, thank you. it’s a really nice gift.” you said, pressing a kiss to his slightly chapped lips. diluc returned it with equal softness, cupping your face in his scarred hand. “you look wonderful.” he breathed and took a moment to admire the sight of you in front of him.

the birds sang the song of a peaceful day while you and diluc relaxed in the shade of the symbol of mondstadt’s hero.

with you in his arms, diluc closed his eyes for a moment, casting his mind back to when him and kaeya were young and making flower crowns for each other, hiding in the coolness of the grape vineyards. it had been such a long time since then.

opening his eyes to place a featherlight kiss on your forehead, diluc felt his mouth twist into a smile. you were his future, so he would no longer think of his past.

#✩°｡⋆⸜ ✮ genshin #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #diluc x you #diluc x yn #genshin impact #diluc genshin impact

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nothums-from-tj · 11 months

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@cloudywithachanceofautism hi I can’t find it for the LIFE of me otherwise I’d reblog it so I know you made a post a while back saying that you saw this hc of Raph having extreme body dysmorphia after the Kraang brain swap and Shredder’s mind controlling and that you want it in a fic

Anyway so I have most of a fic on this concept it's just not ready yet, in the time being here's a scrapped scene from it <3 I just couldn't figure out a way to actually put it in the work as much as I love it so uhh here's Leo worrying abt his brother, takes place like a week or so after "Plan 10" (Kraang brain swap ep)

WARNINGS: mentions of a panic attack, low-key anxiety attack, sickeningly sweet affection from Splinter to his kiddo

T- and Hamato-c/st shippers you will be blocked on sight dnfi

Leonardo, being the little tattletale he is, tells Splinter about the breakdown once the others are in bed—once he knows Raph is, at least.

"I know you're trying to meditate," he says shyly, hesitantly stepping into the dojo, "and I apologize for disturbing you, it's...this is important. May we talk for a minute?"

Splinter opens one eye to look at him for a second, and sensing that his son is truly disturbed by something, he pulls himself fully out of his meditative stance to pay attention to his kid before gesturing for him to sit down next to him.

"It's about Raphael," the turtle continues after crossing the room, sitting down as his sensei suppresses a frustrated sigh.

"Was this something to do with his temper, or impatience, again?"

Leo shakes his head, swallowing hard and staring at the mat below as he gathers his thoughts.

"I...don't really know what happened, actually," the teenager confesses. "During the fight, he seemed almost...absent—as if he blacked out. We were fine—he was fine, he just...didn't seem to be in the moment—he hardly said anything, too. At the end, the Kraang were fleeing, and one was pinned under him, and that's when he sort of...'came to', I guess."

There's a pause as Leo seems to gather his thoughts some more. Splinter, quite frankly, isn't as shocked as he wants to be—he knows his second hatched blacks out semi-frequently from his anger, though a neutral depersonalization experience is one he hasn't seen in him.

With a calming breath, Leo carries on.

"The Kraang got free and caught up with the rest of them, though Raph didn't seem to notice. He was staring at the street, and he just looked so...terrified. He was shaking, hyperventilating—he started crying, Sensei. I'd...I'd never seen that in him before. I think his temper makes him black out, Donnie said he and Mike have both seen that kind of terror in his eyes, and that's just it, Sensei—we've seen parts of it, just not the actual scene that we saw today."

Leo looks up at him then, and the worry—the fear in his eyes is so intense Splinter almost wants to look away.

"Donnie thinks it was a panic attack. We don't know if something caused it, or what's going through his head, though he does think it might have to do with the brain-switching event last week. Raph doesn't want to talk about earlier, and Mikey said he's noticed some odd behaviors from him, and—I don't know what to do, Sensei."

The rat holds his son's face as the turtle blinks away tears pricking at his eyes.

"We don't know if this has been going on for longer and we never noticed it," the leader continues, "or if this is new and the Kraang is doing something to him, or—how can we save him if he's being attacked from inside?"

Splinter looks away while he gathers his thoughts, still holding Leo's face in one paw. After a few moments, he sighs again.

"The best we can do," he says solemnly, locking eyes with his son again, "is to keep a close eye on him until we have more information. We can not risk hurting him further, even if the intent is positive."

Leo blinks away tears again, looking down and nodding his head while his heart shatters for his brother.

"Hai, Sensei."

Splinter, frankly, hates seeing any of his kids like this. Leo, as the leader, is responsible for all of his brothers when they're out and about on missions, and he feels the same sense of failure said son is feeling right now. The city—the world needs to be kept safe, and he just wants to be able to keep his kids safe with it. Still, the most helpful option in the moment is to research and observe, so that's what they'll do.

His other hand reaches out to hold the other side of Leonardo's face, and pulls him closer as he leans in to give a gentle kiss atop his head.

"Do not blame yourself," he assures as he pulls back. "There is nothing you could have done to prevent it."

Leo nods his head again, feeling even marginally better than before. Silence passes between them for only another moment or so, then the turtle feels confident enough to cave into his father for a hug, which is instantly returned with another featherlight kiss on his head.

"Get some rest, Leonardo," Splinter says gently, and his eldest nods against him. The two share a smile when they pull apart before the teen sees himself out, hoping to actually get to sleep now that he's not bottling everything up.

#tj writes #tmnt 2012 #2012 leo #2012 splinter #2012 raph #he's mentioned anyway #tmnt #mentioned panic attack #slight anxiety attack #splinter being a good dad #he's trying to be at least

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crashdevlin · 1 year

Text

Appointment in Samarra

Author’s Note: This is part Thirty of The Best Laid Plans series

Summary: Dean goes to Death in an effort to save Sam. Everything falls apart from there.

Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader

Word count: 4018

Story Warnings: angst...A/B/O dynamics, canon divergence, mentions of physical violence against the reader, Sam is a douchebag because no soul, there's some drugs in the mix but not recreationally

~~~

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" you asked, watching Dean toss his bag into the back of the Impala.

"No. This is the right call, Y/n."

"Ya know, I could kinda support working for a demon to get Sam's soul back, and I could kinda see working with another one to get him back for you, but Death? Really?" You slammed your hand on the driver's door to stop him from opening it and driving away. "You want to kill yourself to call a reaper in the hopes of getting ahold of-"

"Of the only Horseman who cared about setting shit back to normal after Lucifer popped out? Yeah! You got a problem with that, Y/n?" Dean snapped.

"Yes! I do. Death does not owe you a favor! Death is fucking Death! You're really gonna ask him to save Sam?! He's part of why Sam ended up in the Cage in the first damn place!"

"Sam ended up-" Dean shook his head and grabbed your wrist. "Come with me or don't."

You pulled your hand back and crossed your arms over your chest. "I'm not going to watch you die to save Sam again."

"Then I'll see you when I got Sam back."

You watched him drive away until you couldn’t see the taillights anymore.

"He just won't let it go." Sam's voice made you jump and turn to find him leaning against the motel door. "Even after both Cas and Crowley said my soul is probably shredded, he still wants to put it-"

"We've done Hell, Sam. If we could live with it, then you-"

"Shouldn't have to. After everything I've been through, you really think I deserve-"

You rolled your eyes and pulled out the motel key. "You don't get to make that decision, Sam. You chose to die. After everything, you chose to die. Someone brought you back. You don't get to decide that you don't have to feel it."

"You know I could kill you without giving it a second thought, and you still have the balls to talk to me like that?"

You pushed the key into the lock and twisted it, looking over your shoulder at him as you pushed the door open. "You could have killed me a hundred times. You don’t have the balls to go through with it."

"Omega, stop," he growled, and your body stopped in its tracks. Sam's arm wrapped around your chest and yanked you back into his body. Fear flooded you as you tried to resist the Voice. "You forget how easy I could turn you into exactly what you've been trying not to be. A few simple words in the right tone, and you're fucking putty. You wanna act all big and bad, but without Dean and Dad around to stop me, you are just another weak little omega who doesn't know her place. I could mark you all over again if-"

"I will cut you out of me again if you try," you promised.

"Not if I took you somewhere secret and locked you up. Knocked you up. Leave you naked and pregnant, just like an omega's supposed to be."

"You're gonna hate yourself for this shit when Dean gets your soul back," you growled out as John's voice rang out across the parking lot.

"The hell's wrong with you?! Let 'er go!" John's scent enveloped you as his hand wrapped around your upper arm and pulled you from Sam's grasp. "What, as soon as your brother drives away, you take a stab at Y/n? You might not have a soul, but you know better than to take another alpha's-"

"She doesn't belong to him. I don't have a soul, and that's why I can see this for what it is: a lovesick omega following around an alpha who might love her with everything in him but will never make her his because he will never take away her escape hatch." Your heart fell into your stomach at Sam's words. Why did they have to seem so fucking accurate? "She's gonna die waiting for him," Sam finished before walking away and jumping into the back of John's truck.

"He doesn't mean that. He's just tryin' to hurt you. Dean loves you, girl."

"Yeah, I know...but…” You smiled up at John and shrugged. “Sam’s not wrong. He’s an asshole, but he’s not wrong, John. Dean’s never going to mark me. I’ve made my peace with that.”

“You can’t have. You’re-”

You patted his shoulder and reached down to pick up your duffel bag from inside the door. “One day, I’m gonna go into heat, and I’m not gonna be able to come down. The fever is gonna boil my brain, and my organs are gonna shut down, and it’ll be because Dean wanted to give me the opportunity to find an Alpha better than him. I know that. I know that’s how I’m gonna go out. More than Dean knows he’s gonna go out on a hunt someday. I have made my peace. Because I have his love, I don’t need his mark.” You laughed a little sadly and looked into his eyes. “Tell me you feel anything else in me.”

“It’s not fair,” he said, eventually.

“Life never is.” You walked past him and climbed into the cab of the truck, your bag at your feet.

~~~~

"Death agreed to get his soul back?” John asked, shaking his head.

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “I got him to agree to go down and pluck-”

“You what?!” Sam exploded.

“Just hear me out,” Dean implored.

“I heard Cas and Crowley when they said it would either kill me or turn me to Jell-o, Dean! I heard enough!”

“Death said he can put up a wall.”

“A wall?”

“Yes. Yes, a wall that--that, basically, you wouldn’t remember Hell.”

You rolled your eyes at the idea that Sam would get away without any of the damage of Hellfire.

“Really?”

“Really,” Dean confirmed.

“For good? Like a cure?”

Dean looked over to you, Bobby, and John. “No, it’s not a cure. It...he said it could last a lifetime.”

“Great. So, playin’ pretty fast and loose with my life here, don’t you think, Dean?”

“I’m trying to save your life!”

“Exactly, Dean! It’s my life! It’s my life, it’s my soul...and it sure as hell ain’t your head that’s gonna explode when this whole scheme of yours goes sideways!” Sam exclaimed.

You shook your head and stood. “Here’s a question. Death isn’t really the type to just do this kind of major thing out of the goodness of his Horseman heart. What’s on the line on your end, Dean?”

Sam looked like he hadn’t even considered it, but Bobby and John both leaned forward as Dean looked away, uncomfortable. “Sorry, we didn’t get that,” Bobby urged.

“I have to wear the ring for a day,” Dean answered.

“Why the hell would he want you to do that?” Bobby asked.

“Get his rocks off. I don’t know. But I’m doin’ it.” Sam scoffed and started to walk out of the study. “Where you goin’?” Dean asked.

“Look, I hear you, all right? I get it. I just need a minute to wrap my head around it, all right?”

You watched as Sam grabbed his jacket and disappeared out the door into the salvage yard. “You know he went to-”

“Yeah,” Dean interrupted, before patting his pocket. “Way ahead of ‘im.”

You looked up into his eyes and licked your lips. “Okay. So...Death for a day, huh?”

“Gonna try to talk me out of it?”

“Nope.” You leaned against Bobby’s desk and shrugged. “I’d never win.”

“Damn right.” Dean grabbed his jacket and slipped it on as he headed out the door, Bobby following him.

John stayed behind. “Wow. I can’t even imagine doing Death’s job.”

You licked your lips and looked over at the bookshelf. “I can. I’ve...I’ve had long conversations with Hades and Charon about...reaping...death.” You scoffed and spun to grab a book. “It’s so unfair. I remember...I remember Hell. I remember the Underworld. I remember the torture and the fear and the hopelessness and Sam...Sam gets to forget. How unfair.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” You flipped open the book and looked down at a classical drawing of Hades. “Life’s unfair.”

~~~~

Your bed seemed too soft. The pillows hurt your neck. You stared at the ceiling above you but it didn’t matter. No sleep would come with Dean playing Death and Sam...somewhere. You turned on your side and looked across the room.

Dean would do anything for that jerk. Sam had been horrible to you in so many ways. With his soul, without his soul, on demon blood, sober...none of it seemed to really matter. Sam could do anything and Dean would still risk life and limb for him.

“Sam’s back. Wouldn’t tell us where he went,” Bobby said, stepping into your doorway.

“Doesn’t matter. When Dean gets back, everything will go back to how it used to be...which will be...just fine, I suppose.”

"You don't really sound too keen on that, girl."

You sat up and shrugged. "Sam has been...five different kinds of...he hasn't really respected me in a long time, Bobby. He went off to Stanford, became a 'normal' jerk, and forgot who he was...forgot who I was. Every once in a while, I'll get a glimmer of the old Sam but...the surface Sam...even when he has a soul...when we get him back…"

"Then maybe you shouldn't be with them boys anymore, Y/n." You rolled your eyes and looked away. "No, I know. You love Dean. We all know you love Dean but look at it clear." Bobby stepped in and kneeled down in front of you. "You can always love again. There is an alpha out there that'll love you every bit of what Dean does, who will mark you and not leave you twisted like this...who won't leave you to die...who won't pick his brother over you. Those boys are family and I love 'em, you know I do, but Dean will always put Sam ahead of everythin' else and Sam will always kinda feel like you shoulda been his."

You shook your head. "Bobby, you can’t lecture me about all the fish in the sea." You looked away and focused on the clock on your side table. "You never remarried. You don't date. You found your love and you have-"

"That's not the same thing. What happened to...my wife, it was traumatic...and it ain't like there's a lot of women my age who'd understand my life."

"And who is gonna understand my life, huh?" You stood and leaned against your dresser as Bobby stood. "No one would. Not even other hunters."

"Well, maybe you don't go fer a hunter this time, Y/n." Bobby's words made your eyebrows come together in confusion. "Yer daddy didn't want you in this life. He didn't want you with some asshole hunter alpha and he didn't-"

"It's too late! We already fucked that up years ago and-" You interrupted but Bobby talked over you.

"He didn't want you to be a hunter either and it ain't too late for you to get out of the game and set up in a-"

"It is too late!" You threw your hands up and stomped around him, irritation pouring off of you. "I am too damaged to even attempt normal."

"No, you are not. If Dean could do normal for a year with Lisa and her boy, then you can-"

"Did you bring that up just to hurt me?" you snapped.

Bobby’s entire demeanor softened. “No, of course not.” He reached out and gently grabbed your shoulders. “I never want to hurt you. I’m just sayin’...Dean has been through the same thing you’ve been through...and he was able to-to spend all that time...he was able to be normal, Y/n, for a year. You could be normal, too.”

“Why are you pushing for this now? Huh?”

“Because Dean’s never gonna abandon Sam...and Sam’s always going to be a sore subject for you...and you…” Bobby sighed and looked pointedly at your neck. “You’re free, Y/n. You don’t have marks. You don’t have scars. You have love and devotion for a man who has finally admitted he feels the same and I know that is an amazing thing for you but why don’t you take your freedom and-”

Fear and anger flooded you and it took you a moment to realize that the feelings weren’t your reaction to Bobby’s words. A flash of Sam standing over John with a large wrench hit you and you flew into action, slapping Bobby’s hands off of you and diving for the box of medicine under your bed.

“What’s going on?”

“Sam’s off his nut, go stop him!” you said, pulling out a syringe and a small glass vial. You didn’t even try to calculate how much propofol would be required for an alpha with 200 pounds of pure muscle; you just filled the syringe and followed Bobby down the stairs and into the kitchen. You gasped at the image of Bobby trying to wrestle the heavy wrench away from Sam as John lay bleeding on the floor in front of the fridge. You jumped at him, jamming the needle into his carotid. He growled and you fell back as he thrashed to get Bobby off of him.

“Get off! I have to do this!”

“You’re insane! That’s your father!” Bobby grunted out as you stood and jammed the plunger of the syringe down, flooding Sam’s system with sedatives.

You dropped to your knees next to John, putting your hand over the gaping wound on the side of his head. “Oh, god, John. Bobby, get me a towel as soon as Sam drops!”

“What’d you give ‘im?” Bobby’s voice strained as Sam went limp against him.

“Propofol.”

“Why do you have propofol?”

“Why do you have opium?” you snapped as you snatched the towel he offered you from his hand. “I thought it might knock me out long enough to get through a heat, but it only worked for a few hours.”

Bobby didn’t ask for further explanation as he checked John’s pulse and stepped away to grab Sam’s arms and pull him toward the basement.

“W’happen?” John groaned as his eyes fluttered open.

“Sam tried to kill you. Can you sit up?”

“Yeah.” John set his hands down and tried to sit up, but failed. “Guess not.”

“You’re probably concussed. We’ll get you onto the couch in the study in a minute. What the fuck happened?"

“Um...he said...he had to. He said that...he had to make his vessel...unfit or…”

You sighed heavily. “Of course. If he makes his vessel unclean, his soul won’t go back. Patricide.” You shook your head and stood, planting your feet on the tile and grabbing his hands, pulling him to his feet.

“How’d you stop ‘im?” John asked, limping toward the couch in the study.

“I gave him a bunch of propofol.”

“What, really? How’d you know how much to give him?”

“I didn’t.”

“Wait.” John grabbed your elbow as he stopped in front of the couch. “Is he gonna die? Isn’t that what killed Michael Jackson?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m pretty sure that doctor gave Jackson too much-”

“I don’t know if Sam is going to die, John,” you clarified. “And I don’t care. I didn’t have time to calculate how much to give him, I just saved your life.”

“Thank you. I...can’t…”

“Just lay down and get some rest. Bobby and I will deal with Sam.”

John nodded slowly and sat down, resting his head against the arm of the couch. His eyes fluttered closed and you ran your hand down your face before turning to head down into the basement.

~~~~

"How long's he gonna be out?"

You shrugged and ran the tip of your knife under your thumbnail. "I don't know. I've never shot up a full-grown, soulless monster before."

"Ya know, you're real fucking nonchalant about the fact that you might've killed my brother," Dean growled.

"Next time, I'll let him kill everybody in a bid to keep your plan to restore his soul from working out," you responded, clicking the knife closed and tucking it in your pocket. "Speaking of failures, when he does wake up, we just gonna leave him locked in the panic room for the rest of his life or what?"

"I didn’t fail," Dean protested. “And I learned...I went back...I fixed…”

"Didn't succeed," you argued. "You couldn’t hack it as Death and I think I saw that coming because you've never been able to really handle anyone's passing...especially Sam...and isn't that the lesson Death was going for? All things must end, all things must die, stop obsessively trying to skirt death?"

"I didn’t bring Sam back this time. I...I stayed in Cicero. I did what I promised! Someone else brought him back and I'm supposed to pay for it?"

"Of course. It's your job, isn't it? You've always been responsible for that kid."

"She's very smart, isn't she?" a voice with a proper tone made your head snap to the right, where a skinny man in black was suddenly sitting at the table. “Dean, join me. Brought you one.” The Horseman offered Dean a hotdog wrapped in foil. “From a little stand in Los Angeles known for their bacon dogs. Sit.”

“Should I?” You motioned at the door to the study.

“No, no. Stay. I didn’t bring a dog for you, unfortunately.” He gestured at the seat on his left as Dean sat in the one on his right.

“Wow, what’s with you and cheap food?” Dean asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Death replied. “Thought I’d have a treat before I put the ring back on.” Dean pulled the ring out of his pocket and rolled it between his fingers. “Heavier than it looks, isn’t it? Sometimes, you just want the thing off. But you know that.” Death picked up a beer and looked down at Dean’s unopened hot dog. “Not hungry?”

“Look. I think you know that I flunked. So there.” Dean thunked the ring down on the table between them. “Oh, and by the way, I, uh...I sucked at bein’ you. Really screwed up the whole ‘natural order’ thing. But I’m sure you knew about that, too.”

“So, if you could go back, would you simply kill the little girl? No fuss, no stompling your feet?”

“Knowing what I know now, yeah.”

“I’m surprised to hear that,” Death said, before taking a drink of his beer. “Surprised and glad.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get excited. I would saved the nurse, okay? That’s it.”

“I think it’s a little more than that. Today, you got a hard look behind the curtain. Wrecking the natural order's not quite such fun when you have to mop up the mess, is it? This is hard for you, Dean. You throw away your life because you've come to assume that it'll bounce right back into your lap. But the human soul is not a rubber ball. It's vulnerable, impermanent, but stronger than you know. And more valuable than you can imagine.” The way those words were said, it seemed like Death was trying to convey some cryptic message. “So...I think you've learned something today.”

“Want to know what I think? I think you knew that I wouldn't last a day,” Dean accused.

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“I lost. Fine. But at least have the balls to admit that it was rigged from the jump.”

The chill that went through Dean at the look Death gave him was felt by you from across the table. “Most people speak to me with more respect,” Death warned.

“I didn't mean…”

“We're done here. It's been lovely.” Death stood, obviously unhappy with Dean’s attitude. “But now I'm going to go to hell to get your brother's soul.”

Both of you looked up at Death with wide eyes. “Why would you do that for me?” Dean asked.

“I wouldn't do it for you. You and your brother and this one keep coming back. You're an affront to the balance of the universe, and you cause disruption on a global scale.

“Apologize for that.”

“But you have use. Right now, you're digging at something. The intrepid detective. I want you to keep digging, Dean.”

“So you're just gonna be cryptic, or…”

Death leaned over Dean, picking up the ring from the table. “It's about the souls. You'll understand when you need to.”

“Wait,” Dean urged as Death started to slip the ring onto his finger. “With Sam...Is this wall thing really gonna work?

“Call it 75 percent.”

As Death disappeared, you and Dean stared at each other. “So, that was Death? Seems nice enough,” you eventually said.

“How long do you think-”

“He’s Death.” You stood and started for the basement, Dean rushing ahead as soon as you hit the bottom of the stairs. You watched from the corner as Sam screamed and Death gave him his soul and the wall. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that he’d get to not remember. You walked up the stairs and into the study, looking down at John as he slept.

“It’s not fair, is it?” You gasped as you turned to see Death standing in the doorway, leaning on his cane.

“Life’s not-”

“Yes, I’ve been around long enough to have garnered that gem of wisdom,” he said, a bit condescendingly. “You were sent to Hell. Your soul was rescued, given new life. You died trying to prevent the End. Your soul was rescued, given new life. You are a scarred and scared young woman who never wanted to be a twice-dead, thrice-alive omega Hunter in the first place.”

“I’m not a young woman,” you whispered.

“I’ve been around longer than almost anything in the universe, Y/n. You’re an embryo compared to me.” Death stepped forward, tilting his head slightly as he examined you. “But you’re right. Why should you have to remember what has damaged you when Sam gets to forget?”

“I’m not the special Winchester Lucifer vessel that saved the world. That’s why Sam gets-”

“That isn’t what I’m asking. I’m asking if you want to forget as well.”

Your eyebrows came together at the question. If he could make you forget Hell, you could sleep again. You could dream again. You could move forward, move on. “Yes, but why would you?”

“I’m a fan of equality,” Death said, reaching out his hand.

“Will I remember not to scratch at the wall?”

“Oh, I’m doing something slightly different for you, my dear,” he responded, before fitting his palm against your forehead.

~~~~

You woke up and stretched. Today was going to be a good day. New city, new job, new start. You wished your dad was alive to see this. Or Bobby. You missed them both fiercely, but they were Hunters. Hunters never survived for long.

That’s why you promised your dad you would never pick up the rock salt, because he wanted his little girl to live a long, happy, normal life.

“31 years down, 70 more to go,” you whispered to the Heavens as you got out of bed and headed for the shower. As you undressed, your focus pinpointed the smooth skin of your neck. You suddenly yearned for a mark, but that was silly. You didn’t have an alpha. You didn’t know any alphas worth being marked. The only alphas you’d ever spent any real time with were Sam and Dean but you hadn’t seen them since you were a teen. “Silly omega bullshit.” You shook your head at yourself and got into the shower to get ready for your first day as a curator for the Natural History Museum.

“It’s gonna be a good day.”

#cassie writes stuff #spn fanfic #a/b/o dynamics #alpha!dean #alpha!john #alpha!sam #omega!reader #soulless sam

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lostonehero · 2 months

Text

What remains after eternity

Leaving

Jonny hugs the last of his kids standing outside Aurora. "Look, I know you guys are waiting for the rest of your crew. My offer is open now and forever. I love you guys."

Trevor broke from the others. "Fuck it." Eyes look to him. "It's been over fifty years, fifty fucking years, and they never are this fucking late. You guys can wait, I'm heading out with dad and you fuckers can find me."

Janet broke next. "Fuck he's right, and I already left a note in the cave. I wanna travel with dad. I still have questions for Raphaella and Ivy, and Brian is from that weird nightmare planet."

Thomas launched himself at Jonny. "I don't want to say bye yet."

Jonny could feel tears fall down his cheeks. "For fucks sake you brats just get in. You still have to meet your great aunts, and I'm sure Tim would love to have you guys around."

"I get first dibs on rooms!" Alex runs inside.

"Fuck you! You don't even have your stuff!" Mae runs after them.

"Hey! That's not fair! You got a headstart." Janet huffs running after both of them.

Jonny pulls away. "Go ahead." He watches both his sons run onto Aurora.

"I have room for their crew." Aurora sounds smug.

"Don't fucking push it." Jonny smiles wide. "You asked for this. They're my kids. I hope you're happy."

Aurora beeps and chips like an excited child.

"You're as bad as them." Jonny walks in as the hatch shuts. "Thank you." He says softly.

"Nastya says you're soft." Aurora hums.

"So what?" Jonny smiles, following the sound of his children.

.......

Janet stares at the open panel, revealing a screen. Alex is next to her also staring.

"Janet D'ville and Alex D'ville, what can I help you with?" Aurora's voice chimes.

Janet hums. "Ok I have to ask are you fucking Nastya or was dad lying."

"Dad doesn't lie to us." Alex rolls their eyes.

"Nastya and myself are in a relationship, yes. I have attempted to court your great aunts, but they don't leave your grandmothers ship." Aurora pauses. "Why do you ask? Do you not have an ai on your ship?"

"We do..." Alex makes a face. "However, they aren't um... he..."

"So there's this thing called hate sex, and our pilot Izzy well." Janet thins her lips.

"Izzy and Hal, get along as well as a house on fire." Alex pauses. "Do we need oxygen masks if you get into fights with Nastya?"

"I can not turn off the oxygen due to our garden and Gunpowder Tim. I have tried." Aurora hums.

"Weird." Janet shrugs. "What's your policy on violence?"

Aurora chirps excitedly. "Allowd!"

"You answered that way too excitedly." Alex looks at Janet.

"Don't look at me, I think Mae is going to try to start her game again." Janet shrugs.

"Game?" Aurora questions.

Janet and Alex smile at each other.

"You'll figure it out." Alex snickers.

"I highly doubt she'll win even if it's been a while." Janet crosses her arms. "Wait, wait, wait, Aurora, do you have any hallways covered, or is it all metal hallways?"

"Except for Jonny's and your kids' room being carpeted, my halls all have smooth metal halls."

Janet giggles.

Alex rubs her hands together. "I know our plans tonight."

Aurora chirps excitedly ready for chaos. She misses the violence dearly.

.........

Jonny ducks, and there's an arrow embedded in the wall next to him. "I appreciate your wish to keep playing your game, but you're going to have to try harder than that. Also, Nastya is normally in the vents and try not to bother her." He sips his mug of tea.

Mae groans and jumps down from the ceiling. "How did you even know?" She whines.

Jonny chuckles. "I've been at this."

"I've been at this a long time, Yada Yada." Mae huffs. "You can't just say that for everything."

"Watch me." Jonny smiles, taking another sip. "Points for the silent weapon, though."

"Stop being supportive. I'm trying to kill you by surprise." Mae huffs.

"I know, and I love you, my little hammer head." Jonny chuckles again as she groans louder.

Mae put the bow on her back. She gently side headbutts her dad.

"What's on your mind? I know you're not mad or even annoyed about losing again." Jonny gently headbutts back.

Mae sighs. "Are you ok with us? With me?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm annoyed about the gods, but I'm not mad that I have you guys back." Jonny faces his daughter. "Im proud of you guys. You all became better than me. You have your own crew, your own ship, and your own family to cause chaos."

"I'm kind of a slut." Mae rubs her arm. "I've murdered for nothing, gambled, and lied."

"I've been there and done that." Jonny smiles and presses his forehead against hers. "There is nothing that can make me hate you guys."

Mae presses back. "I just.... dad, I never thought we would ever cross paths again. There's so much I want to tell you. I want to show you so much. I just... I'm scared that you'll be disappointed."

"Sallie Mae, the only way you could disappoint me is if you sleep with Ashes. I don't care what you've done, but I will not allow you to become another notch on their belt. They've been trying to fuck my mother too." Jonny sighs and smiles hearing Mae start to giggle.

"Grandma is kind of a milf." Mae chuckles.

"Don't you start." Jonny headbutts them hard and and walks off.

"W- wait." Mae giggles louder. "How about I sleep with Brian?"

"I'm done with this, you brat." Jonny was grinning.

"I can always sleep with another cop." Mae walks next to her dad.

"A cop really? Marius is bad enough with Lyf. I raised you better. Fuck the police, Sallie Mae, not fuck the police." Jonny laughs as Mae pushes him.

"Instructions aren't clear." Mae laughs along.

........

"On your left!" Alex giggles sliding past Lyf.

Lyf jumps back. "I uh... Aurora, did you get waxed floors?"

"No. New Texans have feet made for hot desert sands and rocks. Rough terrain and those features do not translate to flat, smooth surfaces." Aurora sounds bemused.

"Is that why - Whoa!" Lyf stumbles forward as Janet slides on his other side.

"You make a better wall than a path, space cop!" Janet shouts, holding up her middle finger.

"She's right!" Trevor uses a cane to stop himself. "However, that doesn't much matter."

"Why?" Lyf stares at him.

"It's fun and a fast way to get places. It pisses Aiden off as well back on our ship." Trevor sighs. "How's Marius?"

Lyf frowns. "Still out of it. He's in Raphaella lab if you want to say hi."

"Is Carmillia there?" Trevor frowns when Lyf nods. "Then no. She scares me."

"She creeps me out as well." Lyf pauses. "Do you know about this acolyte stuff?"

"Of course I do." Trevor raised a brow. "Do you not?"

"Just because I am one apparently doesn't mean I got instructions." Lyf scowls.

Trevor nods. "Alright, sure, I can tell you the stuff I know. It's not a happy tale, though. Our crew are all ones of different gods. Didn't touch me or my siblings in that way. Hope they never do." He pulls out a pair of socks with rubber bottoms. "There's a common room, right?"

"Yes." Lyf motions for him to follow. "We can talk there. Raphaella will have Marius for a while."

Trevor nods and follows behind.

......

"So?" Lyf watches Trevor pull his knees up, getting comfortable in the corner of the couch.

Trevor frowns. "After the god killer, the gods got smart. Izzy calls it an infection, she felt it happen, and she tried to cut out those parts and replace them with machines it didn't work, but we found her in a lab. She doesn't talk much about it. She was once known as the most brilliant scientist of her galaxy before she went mad, but going mad would have been much kinder." He rubs his arm. "Izzy is kind. I help her with her mechanical parts, but it's getting harder and harder to tell where they start and the flesh ends."

Lyf pales. "She felt it happen?"

"She tried to fight it." Trevor sighs. "We found her by chance. We were tasked with finding the missing scientist. Nobody bothered to check her lab."

"Oh gods." Lyf covers his mouth. "Why haven't I changed?"

"You have." Trevor's tail flicks back and forth like a nervous tic. "Your blood is like rainbow static, ain't it? It's not so much of a physical change as the others, but you have the power of Yog Sogoth on your fingertips. It's a part of you."

Lyf looks away. "I rather not think about it like that."

Trevor nods. "Lazarus was the first to join us. He can't tell you what he looked like before the god Scratch got involved, but he thinks he was human once, but that's all you'll get out of him. He's old he talks about a ship called Apollo, whatever that means. He's close to Thomas, and they don't have a label, but everyone knows they have a thing for each other. He's weird, but he makes Thomas happy. Don't ask him about earth, though. It always makes him upset."

"Noted, but I think Tim would be the one to ask about earth. He's the only other human I know." Lyf hums. "He knows his god?"

"He always says, unfortunately, when asked and never elaborates. He has a cross too, it's old, like really, really old. He never takes the thing off." Trevor shrugs. "As I said, he's weird. He has complete co troll over his powers if you ever want a lesson, but I think that's because he's been at it a long time."

"That's good to know. I will have to learn what I'm capable of eventually." Lyf sighs.

"There's...." Trevor stops as the sound of violin comes through. "I um huh." He spots Marius eyes unfocused, and he was playing as he walked. Raphaella was behind him.

"How curious." Raphaella smirks and writes something down.

"Is he ok?" Lyf gets up quickly.

"Healing has halted the virus has changed, but it hasn't gotten worse. I just have to change my approach. I've never dealt with a virus that evolves to fight a cure. It's quite amazing, actually, but I took enough samples, and I... well, his questions hurt." Raphaella doesn't need to elaborate.

Lyf nods. "Why were you following him?"

"I wanted to see where he was going." Raphaella pauses. "He seems to know where you are for what that's worth. I'm going to go back to my lab and try again. If I need any more samples, I'll come to collect them."

Trevor watches Raphaella leave and then look back to Marius, whose back was to them as he played. "Maybe when Izzy comes by she can help."

"That would be nice." Lyf sighs. "We can continue this another time, I have to make sure he eats."

Trevor nods. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Lyf smiles sadly. "I made a promise to the man I love, and I'll be there till it's impossible, but impossible isn't something I ever plan on finding."

........

Mae walked down the halls, stopping hearing violin and gutair. It could be her siblings, but the voice wasn't... someone was singing. She followed the tune to a music room. Tim was strumming on his gutair, and Marius was playing his eyes were unfocused like he really wasn't there. He was singing something, but in a language she didn't understand.

Tim didn't notice, Mae creep in. He was focused on playing.

Mae wasn't certain Tim was even aware of Marius next to him. A screen popped open with text.

"They have been playing for hours. Your father is unavailable, and Lyf is asleep. I can not get them to stop."

Mae pales realizing both men's hands were bleeding. "Dad wasn't..." She takes a breath. "Wait a moment." She runs off down the hall and returns with Thomas.

"I don't think this will work." Thomas looks uncomfortable.

"You're the only one of us who can mimic dad's voice perfectly." Mae frowns. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but dad's busy, and you remember what Trevor told us."

Thomas sighs and nods. "Ok ok ok. I don't even know if this will work."

"It's worth a shot. Dad always told us stories about his days with Tim. I mean, dad even calls him his husband." Mae shifted uncomfortably. "His hands are bleeding."

Thomas grimaced. "They are." He takes a breath. "Don't tell dad."

"I won't." Mae frowns.

Thomas clears his throat, and his voice perfectly mimics his father's. "Tim the fuck are you doing?"

Tim misses the next note, and his hand rests blood dripping to the floor. He looks up at Thomas. The only warning was a loud beeping from Aurora, and they were shoved out of the room as a vine went through the solid metal door.

Thomas skittered backward, and so did Mae. He grabs her hand as a second vine goes through the door.

Mae shakes her head as alarms begin to blare. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck." She pulls her twin up. "Run!"

Thomas didn't need to be told twice as they ran hands locked.

........

Valerie frowns as she puts her mug down. "What's wrong?"

Jonny furrows his brows. "Auntie Audrey, why do you look worried?"

"The alarms have gone off in Aurora." Audrey crosses her arms. "Unfortunately, I do not know why."

Jonny gets up. "She doesn't do that unless something is wrong. Fuck did some assholes try to board us?"

"Don't worry." Valerie smiles. "We can handle it."

"Damn right, my kids are on board. I ain't letting them touch my babies." Jonny started to run to the exit to get on Aurora.

"He did not take a gun." Audrey raised a brow.

"I don't think he needs one." Valerie walks after him. "He also knows his kids can handle themselves."

"You raised him well." Audrey smiles. "He's a good dad."

"Damn right." Valerie chuckles.

........

Janet stumbled back, watching Brian get torn in half. "Shit. What the fuck did you two do?" She held a gun in her hand but bullets did next to nothing against the vines.

"I just wanted to fucking help." Mae pulls Janet back from another vine. "Aurora asked me to help."

"Well it didn't fucking work." Ashes huffs as their flamethrower is taken and broken. "Fuck, Raphaella any...." They stop as they are splattered with purple blood. "Nevermind."

A rainbow static sputters as Lyf is grabbed, and his arms forcefully rip from his body. He screams in pain as he is slammed against a wall.

"He really sucks at his power control." Alex suddenly shrieks as a vine goes through their shoulder, pinning them against a metal wall.

"No!" Mae runs with a growl. Barely making it to Alex, she chops through the vine and pushes Alex away as one goes straight through her chest.

Alex stared up at her sister. "Sallie?"

Mae wheezes. "I'm... I'm..." The vine twists. She screams.

"Liar!" He growls he goes to attack once more.

Thomas's leg is ripped off. "F-fuck." He falls to the floor.

Trevor took a breath as Ivy's attack did nothing, and she was ripped to shreds. He really didn't want to do this. He reached in his mouth and pulled out a tooth. He winced but held it firm. "This is going to suck." Before a vine can even touch him, it disintegrated.

A female voice is heard laughing. "Darling sweet baby boy." She has short white hair, red eyes, and purple skin. A long tail six arms and two rows of spines down her back that seem to spark.

"Li -" He turns to a pile of ash, leaving mechanical eyes in the pile.

"Really?" Thomas groans. "Really Trevor?"

"What else did you want me to do? Mae is impaled." Trevor points to Mae, who just looked annoyed.

"Yeah, under my heart and between my lungs." Mae shudders as it is healed. "You really had to summon her."

"You still have such a cute little attitude." She giggles like nails on a chalkboard and explodes Carmillia and Nastya.

Trevor wipes the blood off his face.

Thomas crosses his arm as his leg regrows. "Ok, first off, it's not like we were going to die, you fuckers won't let us."

"True even that you've found the mechs and your father, speaking of which." She turns. "Hello Jonny."

Jonny looked at the carnage. He takes a deep breath. "Why the fuck is she here?"

"You know her?" Jonny's children stare at him.

"Do you really think we haven't faced a god or two in Aurora?" Jonny pinched his brow. "Nexus what the fuck do you want?"

Nexus giggles. "What I always want." She licks her lips with a very long tongue.

"Disgusting as always, the answer is still no. Mae, what happened?" Jonny steps over a severed arm.

"I asked for her to-"

"I didn't ask you, Aurora." Jonny sighs on a disappointed tone.

"I heard guitar and violin, so I followed the sound, and I saw Tim and Marius playing. Both of their hands were bleeding, and Aurora asked me to help since you were with grandma and Lyf was asleep. I asked Thomas to help because he can mimic your voice and you always talked about how you two were close and it did get his attention and he stopped but he didn't like that it was Thomas and not you." Mae looks away.

Jonny frowns. "Next time, please get me, and I'll handle him. I told you that Tim's still recovering and some days are better than others." He sighs, helping Mae up. "I'm not mad you did the best you could with what you knew, but there's a reason why I haven't told you or any of you what really happened to him."

"Dad, I'm i." Mae stops as her father hugs her tightly.

"We'll have a talk, but in the meantime." Jonny glares at Nexus. "My mother will be here shortly."

Nexus pauses. "Ah." She snaps, and all the gore vanishes, leaving just the mechanized parts. Trevor holds his mouth as the tooth is replaced. "Yog Sogoth is such a cunt." She vanishes.

Lyf gasps as he sits up. "What.... what happened." He looks around and freezes seeing Marius's arm on the floor.

"They're fine." Jonny sighs. "Trust me, I've thrown myself into a volcano before. It doesn't stick." His children stare at him as he picks up Tim's eyes. "Come on, I'll tell you what happened. I'll make you guys dinner."

The five follow silently.

Lyf hugs Marius's arm as Valerie finally enters.

"What happened?" Valerie frowns.

"Tim was upset, but I don't know what happened after." Lyf takes a breath. "Jonny took his kids to the kitchen."

Valerie nods and walks over to sit next to Lyf.

"Aren't you going to follow?" Lyf takes a breath.

"He can always explain it to me later. He's allowed to be a father to his children." Valerie pats Lyf's back. "He'll be back within the week."

"Thank you." Lyf sighs in relief.

"And unfortunately, Carmillia will be back within the hour." Valerie rolls her eyes.

Lyf gives a small smile. "That is unfortunate."

........

Jonny slices the meat on the table for a final time, creating his plate as his kids look horrified. Tim's eyes have stared to get bloody, so he put them on a towel. "That's the truth. Humanity is a different, more awful type of species when it comes to cruelty to their own kind."

"I'm...." Thomas stops as Jonny holds his hand up as he sits.

"None of it is your fault. None of this is any of your faults." Jonny frowns. "You did what you thought was right, and I can't fault you for that."

Alex takes a breath after finishing their food. "You know Nexus?"

"She's gross." Trevor crossed his arms and sits back. "I hate bringing her here. I panicked, ok!"

Mae smiles softly. "Fuck with my impalement I would rather her than someone else appear."

Thomas grimaced. "Yeah fuck that at least she's something we're used to."

Janet blinks. "Wait, why did grandma make her leave? Not that I'm complaining, but it's weird."

"That's a story for your grandmother to tell you guys." Jonny sighs. "And for how we met, it was right after the death of King Cole. We stumbled upon a church that we thought had the making of another story. It didn't really turn out like that. She found us charming and did her best to keep us, but it didn't work. Now, this is the only story of the last that I can think of that I will not tell fully, and I'm sure you can figure out why. However, I will tell you not to trust a single thing Nexus claims albeit her power or what she's done with us."

The five nod.

.......

"Are you awake?" Aurora's voice chimes.

Nastya blinks, staring at the ceiling. "How did I get back in my room?"

"Ah, Sallie Mae carried you back when there was enough to carry. Jonny's children have helped clean up the mess and carried the rest of the crew back to their rooms except Tim and Marius." Aurora chirps. "You are the first to wake. Shall I tell the ones who were not affected by Tim's rampage?"

"What happened?" Nastya pulls herself up to sit.

"I asked Sallie Mae for help with Gunpowder Tim. The outcome was not forseen. However, we have kept the course to Marius's planet that Jonny confirmed was his planet." Aurora pauses. "Are you alright?"

Nastya nods. "Yeah, Jonny's ok?"

"Yes, he is." Aurora hums. "Would you like me to set up a video call?"

"Please." Nastya takes a breath as the screen comes to life.

"I'm following the fucking directions." Jonny huffs as giggles are heard.

Valerie pinches her brow. "Obviously not because you set the fucking batter on fire."

Nastya clears her throat. "What are you doing?"

Jonny rubs his face. "Baking."

"No, he's creating a health hazard." Valerie corrects. "Welcome back."

More giggles and laughter in the background.

"You have no right to laugh. You brats ate my baking." Jonny huffs.

Nastya smiles softly. "How is Tim?"

Jonny frowns and crosses his arms. "He isn't awake yet. You're the first to wake up. Lyf is with Marius, I don't think he has properly slept since."

"He hasn't, but I'm sure once Marius is awake, he will." Valerie raised a brow. "Why is it moving?"

"Will you stop.... oh, it is moving." Jonny thins his lips. "It's never done that before."

"I'm honestly impressed." Valerie blinks. "Kids, how about you go check on the others, and I'm going to figure out how to kill this thing with your father."

"That would be smart." Jonny has a look of concern on his features. "Anyway, we have to go. Talk to you later, Nastya." He cuts off as something pounces on his face.

"I did not like that." Aurora sounded concerned. "Jonny is now banned from baking. I will inform Ashes of this new rule."

"Agreed." Nastya looked somewhat horrified. "I will take Tim rampaging any day. Fuck me I'll even take another moonbeast."

"Yes." Aurora chirps.

.......

Someone was speaking, and Lyf didn't understand. He furrowed his brows as he opened his eyes, and the brown of Marius's stared down at him. He curses as he pushes himself back so he won't hit him as he gets up. "Marius?"

Marius blinks and tilts his head. He begins to speak, but it's a language Lyf was not familiar with. He points to his metal arm and continues to speak.

"Common? Marius, I don't understand what language you're speaking." Lyf frowns as Marius stopped matching the confused expression.

Marius pointed to himself. "Byron." He then pointed at Lyf. He motioned for lyf to say his name.

"Lyf." Lyf shakes his head. "Marius i-"

Marius points at himself again. "Byron." He repeats. He points at Lyf. "Lyf."

Lyf takes a breath. He does recall one of the mechs saying offhand that Marius want actually Marius's name at one point, but he really thought they were fucking with him. They weren't, and he needed to focus. "Ok, Byron, do you know where you are?"

Marius blinks, not understanding a single word spoken.

Lyf pinches his brow. "Aurora, do you know what Mar - Byron's native language is, and can you translate?"

"Marius's native tongue is not in my database or any known records. I have no ability to translate for you." Aurora chirps back.

"Fuck." Lyf takes a breath. "Is Ivy up?"

"Yes, she is with Raphaella in her lab." Aurora hums. "I shall inform them of the situation."

"Thank you." Lyf gets out of bed and cracks his back. "I miss the violin." He turns to Marius. He was dressed with the clothes he put on him, a bit more dressed down actually like the entire outfit was too much. "Ok, Byron."

Marius looked at Lyf and nodded.

Lyf holds out his hand, waiting for Marius to take it.

Marius reaches with his metal hand but hesitates and switches to his flesh one. "Lyf."

Lyf nods and pulls him out to the halls.

......

"So you never took Marius seriously when he described his home planet or when he tried to show you where it was, nor did you either of you ask him about his language." Lyf looked ready to pull his hair out.

"Marius kept telling us about a planet that was long abandoned due to colonizers polluting the planet to the point that no viable life could even live there. It's irradiated as fuck not to mention the toxic waste, and bio hazard materials that litter the surface." Ivy crossed her arms.

"I would have to make specialized suits for us to just land and explore on that planet which I am working on because Jonny insisted that's the correct place. I'm scared to even set foot there, and I don't even want to test anything on that place." Raphaella frowns. "Frankly, whatever happened, I don't even think I'm ready to push past that limit of science."

"That doesn't excuse any of you just ignoring the fact that Marius is a different species with a different culture and language. Maybe you shouldn't have discredited him. His species seems so fucking weird don't you think the environment is why?" Lyf throws his hands up as Ivy looks away embarrassed.

"We didn't even get along in the beginning." Ivy huffs. "I mean... um.... sorry, Janet, you know the language." Ivy stared at Janet, who was in a conversation with Marius, Carmillia was also there, but she had no idea what they were even saying.

Janet says something before switching back to common. "Yeah, I mean, I kind of expect I should know it when I was first taken by the gods I was flung onto a ship run by his kind. They called themselves pirates, but they were more like humanitarian aid workers. I'm a bit rusty, but Byron git the gist of everything." She points to Marius, who nodded. "It's kind of cute he has a crush on you, Lyf, and was shocked when I said you two were together. Anyway I'm going to take him to the kitchen to make some food and stuff. Surprisingly, he took to the whole mechanism thing pretty well." She switches back to the other language, and Byron nods, waves goodbye, and follows her. They seem to be in a deep discussion about something.

Lyf blinks.

Ivy opens her mouth than shuts it trying to process this.

"I have so many questions." Raphaella rubs her temples.

Carmillia hums. "Yeah, I was going to have Janet work on something with me, but then they just started talking. Also, do either of you have a sample of Jonny's baking disaster creature?"

"What?" Raphaella looks even more lost.

"I'm just going to take that as a no. I should ask Valerie. I want to replicate it." Carmilla just turns and walks down the hall.

The three exchange glances and head down the hall to corner Janet and Marius.

.......

"For the last time it's my turn to make lunch." Thomas scowls.

"You always make the food too bland." Mae huffs.

"You over spice everything! Sometimes, I want to actually taste the food." Thomas scoffs.

Mae rolls her eyes. "That's because you're a fucking baby and can't handle flavor."

Thomas growls and tackles Mae to the floor. "At least I have taste buds!"

"Oh fuck off mine are obviously better than yours." Mae headbutts him.

Ashes cracks open a beer. "And you're here because?"

Jonny sipped on a smoothie. "They asked me to come. They expect me to refree their fights, but they are adults and they haven't changed from when they were kids."

"So who normally wins?" Ashes pursed their lips.

"Neither of them." Jonny rolled his eyes. "What normally happens is either myself or one of their siblings make food while they fight. They can go at this for hours. Neither of them are right."

Janet steps around the two. "Hi, dad, Ashes." She motions for Marius to follow. She switches back to the other language.

Marius nods along and continues the conversation as Janet begins to pull out food to cook.

"You weren't kidding." Ashes chuckles.

"For as much as they have grown and changed some things, just don't change." Jonny chuckles. "Don't forget to make the idiots food."

Janet gives a thumbs up.

.......

Byron raised his brow. "Is this normal?"

"My siblings can be idiots. They do this whenever either one has cooking duties, which on our ship they are removed from that list." Janet hums. "So are you ok with I told you?"

"I have evidence I can not refute, but I can not imagine why I would become a doctor. I am much better with machines than the health of others. But are you certain that man is my partner?" Byron crosses his arms. "I can accept this metal arm, It's not unheard of for a soldier to lose a limb, and I know my mech wasn't the safest thing. However, how in the galaxy did I get that man to fall in love with me? We aren't even the same species. I could kill him by accident. My blood is toxic."

"I think he would think it was cute on how concerned you were for him. He can't die, and I know he has probably tried to. You can't either." Janet pauses as Byron snorts. "Even if you don't believe it, it's true. The gods won't me or my siblings die either." She motions to Jonny. "That's my dad. He can't die either. He's really different than how he once was. I've met him before us. Time travel is weird."

"I can agree with that. Does he know that?" Byron pauses when Janet shakes his head. "Will you tell him?"

"Probably not." Janet sighs. "He already feels guilty about us, but it's not his fault. The gods are awful, selfish creatures."

"I can agree with that." Byron sighs. "So, can you tell me more about this crew? The ship. I've never been somewhere this... I don't know what to call it. It's so empty."

"Yeah, I can tell you. My dad's told me countless stories about you guys, and now living with you guys, he wasn't wrong either." Janet smiles, handing Byron a plate. "We can discuss over food."

"That sounds quite nice." Byron nods. "And do tell me more about that, Lyf. I want to know about him and where he's from. I should know if we are together. I have to make an effort. I'm not even a doctor. I hope he won't mind that."

Janet chuckles. "Again, if only he could understand you, he would probably be embarrassed on how much that would turn him on. Just how you're acting."

"You flatter me, miss, but I can assure you confusion isn't that attractive. I'm not even confident in my own abilities compared to this older me." Byron rubs the back of his neck. "I'm good with machines, not people. My siblings would tease me mercilessly for this situation."

"That I can relate to." Janet chuckles.

.......

Lyf spots Marius finishing his meal. He sighs in relief. "See, that's all I wanted to do is talk to him."

"He seems perfectly fine speaking to Janet." Alex crossed their arms. "And.... fuck you two already finished fighting. I wanted to watch."

Thomas and Mae stick their middle fingers at them.

"Damn." Alex snaps.

Lyf sighs and ignores the conversation approaching the table with Marius and Janet. "May I sit?"

Janet translates and pauses as Marius answers. "Of course, but he wants to know if it's ok if I stay so I can translate for him."

"Oh yes, of course." Lyf smiles and pulls out a chair. "So I didn't excatly introduce myself properly, I'm Lyfrassir Edda, former first class inspector of asgard. I know you don't remember, but I wouldn't mind telling you how we met."

Janet translates wiggling her brows.

Marius's face lights up in a dark blush. He mutters something to Janet.

Janet snicker. "He doesn't know how he could have got someone like you to like him. He's very insistent that he is just a dumb engineer and pilot soldier. He's also very concerned that he has hurt you because he is poisonous."

Marius covers his face.

Lyf lights up with a rainbow static blush. "You have absolutely no right being shy! Fuck you look adorable."

Janet shakes her head. "I'm not going to translate that. However...." she begins to speak to Marius again.

Marius uncovers his face and nervously looks over at Lyf. He pauses and takes a breath before he begins to speak.

Janet nods. "Lyf, you seem like a fine man, but I can't be the man you knew me as because I'm not him, but if you like, we could try this for however long I'm here with you. Not that I know what I'm doing, but if you would have me, I wouldn't mind."

Lyf lights up again brighter. "Y-yes." He quickly nods and covers his face which does not help the glowing.

Marius quickly starts talking again.

Janet nods and reaches out. "Byron is very concerned that the glowing is hurting you, and he's sorry. He didn't mean to hurt you."

Lyf groans. "He needs to go back to the fucking man I know because I'm about to jump him across the table.... wait WAIT!"

Janet has an evil smirk and begins to tell Marius that Lyf wants to bend him over a table if he keeps being cute.

Marius's tail slices through the back of the metal chair he is sitting in. His face is all blush.

"You really are Jonny's kid." Lyf groans. "I don't need a fucking translator to know that you said something completely different."

Janet giggles, giving finger guns as she gets up. "Have fun."

#the mechanisms #the mechs

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