#currently frowing up actually

[crybaby-bkg]

every once in a while I get soooo obsessed with gojo all over again and it makes me literally wanna pluck my eyeballs out I love him so much I’m gonna be sick

[twigwing]

pacing around like a little beast. wrroough. harooourf. i’ll blow up no matter what the conclusion of the surge & kit arc is but i rreeeeeeeeally hope they get reformed… or at least just become characters like rough and tumble but more threatening. if they stay as antagonists i’d be perfectly content. but if they get reformed (or at least declawed and stop trying to kill everyone)… the character study potential for surge & tails and sonic & kit teamups… aghhGRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[frickinsleepdeprived]

Inverse of the last ask, the current hashira (and maybe the others if you want) are springboarded into the epilouge future. How would they react to seeing the reincarnations/descendents and the lives they have (I really wanna see how giyuu would react to the reincarnated Sabito and Makomo and how Obanai would react see his and Mitsuri reincarnations children)?

By this I'm assuming you mean that they travel forward in time to see where they end up, so I'll definitely see what I can do lol hope you enjoy!

(Note: For all of these; assume no canon deaths have occurred, everyone is safe and sound. Think of this as a foreshadowing dream. Time eras of reincarnation are not specified so feel free to get creative with the time periods.)

......

Muichiro:

He kinda just woke up in his family home, not really sure of how he got there

Frankly, he remembers nothing from last night, but that's kind of a given

His brother wasn't there, which kind of saddened him because the memories kept flooding back to him like a crashing wave

However, what he did see was himself (or at least a version of himself) and a beautiful woman who he could only assume was his wife

They couldn't see him though, which was perfect because Muichiro decided to follow himself around for the day

He found out that he owns a small stall in a market selling various types of produce and even little wooden dolls for children that his wife makes

He also found out he owns a cat, courtesy of Gyomei who breeds them

He was elated to find out that he gets to live a normal life with a wife and hopefully a future child

When he woke up, he was back in his quarters at the hashira base, looking around for the life that he knew was going to happen in the future

At least now, he has something to look forward to in the future. Something to be his drive

...

Mitsuri:

Mitsuri woke up in a strange bed, it definitely wasn't her's but it was wayyyy warmer than it should've been

So she looks to her left and saw a familiar head of black hair, and when the person rolled over, her heart filled with joy but also extreme confusion

Obanai, apparently, is her future husband? It's not that she has a problem with that, it's more so she didn't think that they'd survive to get to that point, or at least be reincarnated to get to this point

Then she heard an infant's cry, to which her future self woke up to go check on. It was a little girl, with her pink hair with black strands throughout. And heterochromic eyes, one blue and one green.

And when I tell you this girl is in tears-

Sobbing crying frowing up-

For the first time, she finally has the relief of not having to worry about finding a husband, because now she knows it's someone that will love her for her

She found out that she herself is a matchmaker! She also owns a small sweets shop as a side hustle

When she woke up, she smiled with tears in her eyes. There wasn't anything to worry about for the future. Because she knows everything will turn out okay.

...

Obanai:

Mans was strangely warmer than usual when he woke up, but seeing the pink and green hair, he knew exactly who he was with

"Mitsuri? There's no way... we actually survive as hashiras? Or is this just another version of me?"

Yeah he's so fucking confused lol

It's not like he's unhappy about it though, if anything he'd only trust and love Mitsuri enough to be his wife, let alone the mother of his child

Speaking of children...

When Mitsuri hears their child crying, and brings their daughter to Obanai to get her to calm down enough to go back to sleep

This man is completely overjoyed, to the point where he actually sheds a few tears

Like damn he actually has a future with her? That was insane to him, in the best way possible of course

Obviously he knows that this isn't exactly him per say but he could tell by mannerisms that it was definitely himself and Mitsuri with their child

He found out he's a bassist for a band with Sanemi, Rengoku, and Giyuu, with Tengen acting as their manager

When he woke up, there was no Mitsuri, no child, and definitely no band

However, he found Mitsuri as soon as he could and swung her into a huge hug knowing that one day, in this lifetime or not, he'd be with her for life

...

Gyomei:

He knew something was very off when he woke up

However, he did hear a female calling for him, so he decided to follow this weird version of himself

Hearing the words "babe" and "my love" only made him assume that this female was either his girlfriend or his wife, either way he couldn't tell

And again, he's not opposed to it at all. He knows that at some point in the future, or in another lifetime, that there will be someone who will accept him for who he is

He found out that he's a youth minister at a local temple, helping kids through their strife and guiding them on the right path in life. Even doing therapy with them with the aid of cats

When he woke up, he immediately got to praying. Thanking the gods for the foreshadowing of one of his future lives

...

Sanemi:

Sanemi was a little terrified to say the least

I mean come on, waking up in a bed with a strange woman?

He didn't remember having a one night stand like at all

But upon realization, he figured out that this wasn't his timeline, rather it was a future version of him

And the girl in his bed was his girlfriend... awkwardddd

Either way, he kinda wanted to figure out what the hell this was all about, so he did some deep diving

His girlfriend is a costume designer, a pretty renowned one at that.

He plays lead guitar and vocals in a band with Obanai, Rengoku, and Giyuu also

I mean he's not complaining or anything, if anything he finds that kind of life ideal in a weird way

His band performed that night, which was pretty cool to witness despite it being his future self

When he woke up though, he was a little bummed out. Given how he'd have to wait multiple lifetimes to achieve what he witnessed

But at least he had something to look forward to, and that's all that mattered to him

...

Shinobu:

The poor girl was startled to find Giyuu in her bed, but at least it was someone she trusts

Upon further evaluation, the room she was in was definitely more futuristic than she remembers it being

And Giyuu has tattoos? Unbelievable

And she only knows it's Giyuu because there's no way in hell she'd mistake anyone else for having black hair that's that long and spiky

But she wakes up, quietly snakes her way to the kitchen to start cooking, and tries to get over how bizarre this feels

When Giyuu wakes up and hugs her from behind, he knew this definitely was not her timeline

Because there's no way that in the timeline she's from she'd date Giyuu, unless it came down to it of course (nudge nudge wink wink)

But shoe goes about it as usual, allowing whatever the dream had to offer happen

She found herself running a flower shop and apothecary in one, which she felt was rather befitting

Then the evening came around and somehow in some weird way she found herself at a concert? At least Giyuu was performing so she must've had a reason to be there

When the day ended in the dream, she wakes up to her own bed. Relieved that it was just a dream

Although, she couldn't help but wonder if that was a foreshadowing of her future life. Be it in this time line or otherwise

...

Giyuu:

"Why the fuck is Shinobu in my bed-"

Yup, that's his immediate thought

Then he notices the tattoos running all down his arms and realizes he's not in his own home

Although, he couldn't complain because he knew that this was out of his control, so he rolls with it

He found out he's the lead singer and harmonic guitarist of a band with Rengoku, Sanemi, Obanai, and Tanjiro. Kind of a weird mix but hey the performance he had that night went really well

As a side hustle he figured out he works for a music store as a vocal teacher, how he got into music he has no idea

But, the real kicker was that he got to see Sabito and Makomo again

Yeah the tears were real-

But like always, he wakes up. Saddened that it was a dream but hopeful it might become a reality someday

...

Rengoku:

"Well, this is not what I was expecting..."

He was wondering how he got here, was he kidnapped? Or was this a dream? Hell he wouldn't know

Then he saw the most beautiful girl laying next to him, so naturally, he pulls her in for cuddles lol

"Kyo, what're you doing up so early it's 2 in the morning..."

"Apologies my love, I didn't mean to wake you, just go back to sleep okay?"

Yeah despite the unusual nature of the situation, he decided to take it in stride and embrace the moment, in typical Rengoku fashion

When daylight hit, and he went to go get dressed, he saw a military uniform in his closet, it was a Marine uniform too, perhaps he was a part of the military in this dream?

He definitely wasn't expecting to be a part of a band, playing drums for them and whatnot. But Obanai and Sanemi proved to be skilled guitarists and who knew Giyuu has a beautiful voice? Rengoku didn't that's for sure

When he awoke though, he was soaked in sweat, unsure of what to do with himself

Regardless though, despite how creepy the situation was he was definitely grateful he got to see what his future life would look like

...

Tengen:

Of course his wives were there, or at least some version of them were

But little did he know that there was a fourth

Ah yes, mans has the rizz but he didn't expect to have a fourth wife in his life, or maybe this is a dream and he's just basking in the moment

Either way, he went about his business as usual, little did he know that three dogs would be running around rampant

"This is definitely a dream..."

Then he proceeded to get dressed, though his hashira uniform wasn't there. Only a lot of black shirts, pants, and a pair of tactical boots along with a tactical belt to match. Not so flashy in his opinion but it would have to do until he figures out what the hell is going on

Then work came around, hence the reason for the tactical belt

"Babe! I don't think you wanna leave this behind again."

I'm sorry is that a gun?

Yeah he didn't know how dangerous managing a band would be. But he had to say the boys did do really good.

When he woke up from the supposed "nightmare", he found his wives safe and sound with him, no dogs in sight, and his flashy clothes were still in his closet

He didn't really know how to view that, but he knew that if it ever happened, it would be the best thing that's ever happened to him

......

This took a while lol I had a hard time figuring out what kind of occupations they'd have. I guess you'd consider this another modern AU? I'm not too sure tbh but I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you want to see next!

[dazzlerazz]

i wanna know about your ocs 👀

VAR??? IN THE ASKBOX???

Aight well for now I got that fe3h house I've mentioned occasionally

I call them the Violet Vipers, because I like Violet and I like snakes, shut up

It's supposed to be a House just for commoners specifically, only one of them has a crest and that's only because she's a VERY distant relative of the Gloucester bloodline (Crest of Gloucester of course)

Everything below the cut sgfdfdoghbdfodpdsajiofkbjdf

(edit, VERY long post incoming)

So for more information on the house:

The church decided it wanted to bring in more students from all over, specifically commoners, to gain favor with the general populous. The Violet Vipers are having their first year, the year that the game takes place in The Vipers are very church-aligned, and if they had a "canon" path, it'd be Silver Snow, specifically for my house leader (more on her in just a second) A mass letter of sorts was sent out, and that's how students are picked. Students are still required to pay tuition, but because of their commoner status, they can take loans from the church. This is only so I can make Student Loan Debt jokes

For students, we have:

Ciel Izaac Aldis, the House Leader

Ciel was born a commoner in the Kingdom, but her family would travel around occasionally. She used to visit a church in the kingdom and showed extreme promise and skill. About a year before the start of the game, she was contacted by the Central Church who asked her if she would be the House leader for the commoner trial house. Ciel spent a year in Garreg Mach, leaning from the professors and training under them. She gained a special fondness for Rhea, because she was the person who made this all happen. After Ciel graduates from the Officers Academy, she is expected to become a student helper there, and then soon become a Professor But she doesn't actually want to be a Professor. This is just what is expected of her, she wants to make her family proud. She was gifted a wonderful opportunity, she shouldn't squander it. She THINKS becoming a professor is what she wants, but in a few of her supports she admits that it isn't

Chloe Gloria Benjamin-Frowe, the Retainer

Chloe is the only daughter of a merchant family from Fhirdiad, her family is very very rich. She has three older brothers and two younger ones, who kind of coddle her some. Chloe is very spoiled, she'd probably be good friends with Hilda. Chloe occasionally expects people around her to remind her to do things. She and Ciel became good friends at the class trip camp (like the one at the start of Hopes that's mentioned in Houses). They become very very close over the course of the game Chloe wanted to go to the Officers Academy just because she could. She didn't want to become a knight, she just wanted to go because it sounded fun. She's currently engaged to the minor noble of the kingdom, their wedding will take place after graduation. She's excited, but is this really what she wants? When the war kicks off, her engagement is put on hold until after the war. In her solo endings, she will be married to them

Silvestre Garrit

Silvestre was born to a mistress of some random guy in Hevring territory. When his mother realized she was pregnant, she fled to live with her sister in Alliance territory, where Silvestre was born. When Silvestre's father realized he had a child - because it was unlikely he would even be able to have one - he got into contact with Silvestre's mother and demand she send him back to Hevring territory Silvestre's father was always obsessed with the nobility and crests, he was a relative of nobles after all. He was most obsessed with the Hevring family, he idolized them. When Silvestre was 7, his aunt died in a bandit attack, and his mother couldn't provide a good life for him without her help. Reluctantly, she sent him to Hevring territory, to live with his father. Before he left, she gave him a small locket with a small portrait of the pair in it. As soon as Silvestre was in the care of his father, said father immediately cut all contact with Silvestre's mother, basically kicking her out of Sil's life completely. When Silvestre's father heard of the new commoner trial house, and that Linhardt von Hevring, the heir of Hevring, was attending the Academy, Silvestre's father knew right then that he had to get his son into the academy. He did everything in his power to get an offer from the Church, going so far as to steal the chance from another commoner of student age in the empire. Silvestre can't confirm he did this, but he suspects as much. While Silvestre was growing up, his father would constantly compare him to the Hevring heir. "Linhardt can do this, why can't you?" "The Hevring heir could do this better." Because of this, Silvestre gained a bad habit of constantly comparing himself to Linhardt, and it only got worse when they were schooling together

Ivor Riskin Foucher

Ivor was born in the same town that Silvestre lived in, in fact, they were childhood friends. Ivor was born to a single mother who died at his birth, but he was soon adopted by his two fathers When he and Silvestre were around 12, Ivor attempted to do magic, but a magical accident left him with scars all long the palms of his hands, miasma burns. He can do magic, but now it causes him extreme pain to do so. As a magic unit, his dialogue would change to grunts and groans to show this. Ivor works best when he's punching things however, at the core he's a brawling unit. When Ivor heard that Silvestre was getting into the academy, he showed interest in going as well, and his fathers agreed. Ivor's a big ol softy, literally. He's 6'4 and continues to grow, and will comment on this in passing. Another line of dialogue for him that I like it "Risk is my middle name! No, really, my middle name is Riskin."

Everett Wayne Heymer

Everett has lived on the streets ever since he could remember. along with his older sister. When Everett was still a toddler, a bishop of the church found them, and took them both in. After a year of living in the church, Everett was adopted out to the Heymer family (not canon) in Gideon territory, but his older sister was left behind and eventually became a bishop of the church herself Everett wanted to find his sister. As he grew up, he never stopped looking. He contacted churches, mayors, even other regions, but got nothing. When news about the Viper House swept Fodlan, he decided to go there, as the Central Church was housed at Garreg Mach, he'd have a better time finding her. He didn't care about schooling, he just wanted to find his sister Only in his solo ending will he ever actually find her Everett is an artsy student, he carries a sketchbook around with him wherever he goes. He's a fan of stuffed animals, he even has a teddy bear he keeps in his room. He's very shy, and prefers to be in places where the least people are

Juniper Eloise Ilberd

Juniper was born the only child to a couple in Gloucester territory. Before you ask, yes, she’s the one I mentioned earlier Her bloodline is a very very distant relative of Gloucester. In fact, it was thought no crests would ever show themselves ever, but here she is, born with one. When Juniper was 15, she was almost murdered. An assassin was sent after her, but she was able to survive and get away. Ever since then, she’s been hyper paranoid, and has been held up indoors most of her life and she’s never left home after dark. The stress of this event tore her parents apart, or rather, it was the straw that broke their camel’s back. They separated quickly, as they were never married. Juniper was bounced back and forth between their two houses, her parents were constantly fighting with each other. She was living with her mother when the news about the new trial house was sent out, and she decided to apply JUST so she could get somewhere else, away from the fighting. She thought that it would be the safest place in all of Fodlan, with so many knights there It’s implied that Count Gloucester sent this assassin after her because her existence was a threat to Lorenz becoming the next Count, somehow, but tbh this idea is a bit wobbly after Hopes’ release (yes, this was all thought about before the release of Three Hopes) She was two different paths depending on the Three Houses or Three Hopes universe, because yes, I made an entire other universe for Three Hopes. In Three Houses, she buddies up with Shamir and follows her around Fodlan. In Three Hopes, she becomes a knight under Lorenz, same as Ignatz

And now we have the last one, my favorite

Robin Galter

Robin’s origins are completely unknown. It’s not even stated on their student file where they’re from. Their birthday, their age, it’s all a mystery. They’re a fan of the stars, and love to go out at night to stargaze. While they’re in the Viper house, they tend to hang around Edelgard a lot. The two aren’t exactly friends, but they’re not strangers. Robin loves cats, one of their lost items is a cat toy that can be found in Felix’s room. They love the idea of going sailing, and have crafted small model boats, which is another possible lost item. They’re on course to become the most studious student of the academy to date, they do almost nothing but work and work and work. They’re not close with anyone, they don’t seem to have time for friends Their backstory is EXTREMELY long and would require a whole other post to get into, so I’m gonna cut off here. Let me know if you guys want that, I’d be happy to talk about them!

[sankttealeaf]

take a chance, roll the dice

read on ao3 here ; originally posted in july '22

fandom ; stranger things

characters ; steve harrington, robin buckley, eddie munson, dustin henderson

summary ; With scheduling conflicts causing a brief hiatus in the Hellfire Club's usual campaign, Eddie and Dustin search for others to play D&D with. Robin and Steve are the unfortunate souls they are dragging to a game.

8.3k words / the gang play d&d

"Come on, one game, if you aren't into it, I'll stop bugging you." 

Eddie had been asking Robin and Steve to join one of Hellfire's games for weeks now, and the two had refused to accept his invitation. He had even brought in back up - Dustin. Getting the kid to follow Steve around (not like that was hard) and try and convince him that he would enjoy it. No matter how hard they tried, the two always said no. Still, he wasn’t backing down, determined to convince the duo that they would actually enjoy it if they sat down to play.

"No offence, Eddie, but I just don't see the fun in sitting in a dimly lit room, rolling dice and doing math," Robin said, shaking her head as she picked up a stack of VHS' to put back. He had approached them in their most vulnerable place - work, and had told himself he wasn't going to leave until they said yes.

"It builds atmosphere, Buckley! Which, you wouldn't understand until you play it!" Eddie exclaimed with a wide grin. Robin looked at him, and sighed, walking out from behind the counter. 

"You're really not taking no for an answer, huh?" She walked past him, knowing full well he was going to tail her. How she wished Steve would come out from the back so Eddie could bug him. That was probably the reason he had gone into the back, now that she thought about it. The little shit…

"With the other club members' schedules not lining up, and finding it increasingly difficult to get sub-ins, I think life would be a lot easier if I drag you two into the pits of the nine hells with me," Eddie explained, picking up each VHS Robin put away to examine it, before placing it back. 

"What if I'm suddenly busy every single evening from now until, I don't know, next decade?" Robin turned the corner, looking for the right section for this tape.

"Are you?" Eddie raised an eyebrow as she stopped walking. She looked down at the VHS she was holding, before shoving it towards him.

"Go put this in the romance section, Munson." She turned on her heel, heading back to the counter as Eddie stood there, holding a copy of The Jewel of the Nile . He took a moment to glance around, noticing that he, currently, was not in the romance section. He also didn't work here, which Robin didn't seem to care about. 

"Hey, I'm not getting paid for this!" He called out, waving the VHS up in the air to grab her attention. She was back at the counter now, and cupped her ear, miming to him that she couldn't hear him. The bell above the door rang, and she was now preoccupied with helping out a customer. Eddie sighed, taking a step back to see if the romance section was in his eyeline. It wasn't, he was in the horror section that seemed to go on for rows and rows. Rom-coms were basically horrors, right? He shoved the case next to Fright Night and walked back to the counter.

Robin thanked whatever was out there watching over her that she had to do her job and help these people find an oddly specific movie, because now Eddie couldn't bug her about D&D, at least for the next few minutes. She decided to take her time, making small comments about how the computer system is being slow today to buy herself more time. Plan B was to hide in the back with Steve.

The screen flashed, showing no results for the movie the lady was after. With a smile, she offered to see if it was in the back, though there was a slim chance it would be, to which the lady shook her head and said it was okay, and that she will browse for something else instead. The counter was now empty. Eddie began to walk back over. Robin pointed at him with a frown, shaking her head. He raised his hands in mock defence, before shoving them into his jacket pocket, still walking to the counter.

"Alright, I'll drop it for today. But if Harrington comes out-"

"Go nuts, my guy. In fact, why don't I go get him, huh? If I'm remembering correctly I think he did tell me in full confidence that he really wants to give this D&D thing a go!" She said, grinning widely, which caused Eddie's mood to shift to one of excitement.

"I don't care if you're lying, go get him and I promise you I will convince him."

Robin smiled. "Great. And you'll stop bugging me?"

"You two are a package deal, Buckley. If he plays, you play."

Her face dropped, and she gave him a look. There was a moment where she began to say something, but shook her head, walking back out from behind the counter and heading towards the employee's only door. 

The 'back' was small, consisting of a little break room and a storage cupboard that had some boxes that needed to be unpacked and shelved up. Steve was sitting on one of the dingy couches, a PB&J in hand, deep in thought. He didn't even look up when Robin opened the door, instead he gestured at her with his sandwich.

"Do you think Katie Smith still lives around here? And would she like… apple picking…?" He asked, frowning as he began to think through this pretend date scenario in his mind.

"What?" Robin stood there, closing the door with her foot as she waved a hand in front of Steve's face. "Are you high or something?"

Steve blinked, now back in the moment as he looked up at Robin, then to his sandwich and took a bite from it. "I was just thinking-" he paused to chew, "my date with Tara Fields went so badly I need a plan B, so I was thinking-"

"You're on Plan W by now," Robin interrupted.

"Plan B. " Steve finished eating and took another bite. "So, I was thinking I should see if Katie was around to hang out. I had forgotten all about her until just now."

"And you think 'apple picking' is an ideal date?" She raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips like a disapproving parent.

"I don't see you coming up with better date ideas," he replied, shoving the last of his sandwich in his mouth. He brushed off any crumbs from his lap, and pushed himself up from the couch. 

"Well, you may be super busy for the foreseeable future, so cancel those plans with Katie Smith!" Robin said, as Steve gave her a look of confusion. "Eddie is here. I told him you were interested in playing D&D with him. I've had my daily dose of Eddie, and now-" She walked behind him, gently pushing him towards the door. "Now it's your turn! I'm going to sit in here, with the lights off. Don't talk to me until he is gone, thank you!"

Steve was pushed out from the back room, and took a moment to process what had just happened. He heard the sound of the door locking from the inside and wondered if they had always had a lock, before he heard his name being called out. 

"Harrington!" Eddie Munson stood leaning against the counter, waving at him. Steve sighed softly, mentally preparing himself, and began to walk over, lifting up the side of the counter to stand in the middle.

"Hey, Eddie. You want a movie or something?" Steve asked, glancing around to take count of who else was in here. 

Eddie shook his head, and rummaged around in his jacket pocket for a moment. He held up a finger, and Steve looked at him curiously. With a flourish, Eddie pulled out a single, red D20 die, gently placing it on the counter. Steve looked between the two.

"You, me, Buckley, Henderson, D&D?" He said, gesturing between the die and his friend. "Robin said you were super into the idea, though she was most likely lying."

Steve sighed, picking up the die cautiously and rotating it in his hand. "Hate to break it to you, Munson, but Dustin already tells me everything about your game. I know what happens, it's not gonna be fun if I know how it ends." He shrugged.

Eddie faked being hurt, and shook his head. "Do you take me as a fool, Harrington? No, no, no , my dear friend. D&D is a forever changing game - no two campaigns are the same. I will make a new story for you all to help tell, something that you have never seen before!"

"So… it's not like a pre-built story?" Steve asked, pulling at the string of curiosity he had about this game. Dustin never stopped going on about Eddie's games, would it really be so bad to try it out?

"I mean, it can be. I usually add my own flair to it, to keep everyone on their toes, but if you want to run through a pre-built game, I can do that." Eddie watched as Steve studied the die, finding it amusing when he started to count the numbered sides. 

He nodded, lost in thought for a moment. Eddie could hear the cogs whirring inside Steve's head, and he leaned in closer, waiting for him to agree. Steve placed the die down.

"I think I'm busy for the next few years," he said, watching Eddie's smile fall and he placed his head against the counter top.

"Robin said the exact same thing. You both are conspiring against me," he mumbled, feeling Steve pat the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah, we are. Are you done? Can I get back to work now?" 

Eddie stood back upright, frowning as he grabbed the die. "You weren't working before." He pointed at his chest. "You have some jelly on your shirt." Shoving the die in his pocket, he gave Steve a mock salute. "I'll leave you to it, I guess! Don't come crying to me when you're bored out of your mind this evening!" He turned on his heel, heading out of the store. 

Steve took a deep breath, dragging a hand down his face. Sometimes, Eddie felt worse than Dustin to be around, especially when it came to D&D. Maybe it would just be easier to give in, play a game and then Eddie would stop bugging them. 

Outside, down the street, sitting on a bench, was Dustin. He had planned with Eddie the exact things to say and do to get Steve and Robin to play D&D with them, and was now anxiously waiting for the results of it. With each minute that passed, he checked his watch, wondering what was taking Eddie so long. The plan was flawless, they should've agreed by now. Should he go in? No, that would ruin it… He gave Eddie a time limit of half an hour. If there was no sign of him, then he would go himself.

Dustin watched as the seconds ticked by, coming up to the twenty minute mark. He looked down the street, and stood up in excitement when he saw Eddie walking towards him. He rushed to meet him halfway.

"How did it go? Did they say yes? Please tell me that they said yes?" Dustin fell into step next to Eddie, who shook his head, deep in thought. 

"Two no's, yet again." 

"Motherfuckers! I know they'll love it, what else can we do to convince them?" Dustin asked, thinking through all possible things they could say. 

The two arrived back at the bench Dustin had been sitting on moments before, and they both sat down with a sigh. Eddie leaned his head in his hands, tapping his fingers against his skull to try and think of something. 

"Have you told them it'll just be us four?" Dustin asked, getting a thumbs up from Eddie. "Snacks are provided?" Another thumbs up. "Goddamnit. There goes all my ideas."

Eddie sat upright, tapping his hands against his knees now. Was this it? An indefinite hiatus of the Hellfire Club? With everyone being busy doing separate things, it seemed like the future of the club was up in the air, spinning for a moment before crashing down in a fiery pit of flames. All of Eddie's hard work, burning in front of him. 

"If Will was here, he'd be down to play," Dustin said defeatedly, wishing he could ride down to the Byers' old house, knock for Will and tell him about how cool Eddie was and how they needed someone else to play D&D with. 

"Will's the one in California, right? Will the Wise?" Eddie asked, and Dustin nodded.

"Yeah, he loves D&D. You two gotta meet one day. He'll probably stay awake for a week straight if it means he could play." 

The sessions Eddie usually ran never lasted more than a few hours, just because they had to be out of the school by eight, but the thought of a week-long game made him go insane. Think of how much story could be told! How many monsters could be slain, how much loot and XP they could get! If only they had players free…

An idea struck. 

Eddie grabbed Dustin's shoulder, the pieces of the idea forming in his mind. "Dustin. Dustin. I got it."

"Yeah?? What is it! What is the plan!" He turned to face Eddie, who had leaned in, lowering his voice.

"What did the party do to get some of the cultists away from the room you needed to get into last session?" Eddie asked, smiling widely.

When the idea hit Dustin as well, he smiled back. "We lured them away." He jumped up, the same idea clicking in his mind. "We lure them into playing! That's gotta work!"

Eddie stood up too, patting Dustin's shoulders. He told him to stay put, before walking back to Family Video. A plan had been formed, and he knew exactly how to execute it. 

The bell on the door signalled a customer walking in, and Robin turned away from the computer to see who it was. She was not expecting to see Eddie again, and was ready to greet him, until he turned away into the rows of VHS'. Confused, she moved to hit Steve on the arm, pointing Eddie out to him.

"He's looking for a movie? So what?" Steve asked in a hushed voice, as they both watched their friend browse through the horror section.

"Why would he come back? Especially after we both said no to his game?" 

Steve gestured around them. "To get a movie? Seriously, Robin, you're looking too deep into this." There was a call for help, and Steve was quick to leave the counter to assist the person who needed help, leaving Robin alone, watching Eddie curiously.

Eddie knew exactly what movie he was looking for, and it didn't take him long to find the out of place rom-com in the horror section. He picked up the movie next to it, Fright Night , and made his way towards the counter, smiling at Robin. 

"Hey, I just wanted to come back and say sorry for putting pressure on you and Steve to play my little game." He placed the box on the counter, sliding it over to Robin to scan. "And I was wondering if you both were free tonight, we could watch a movie, maybe?"

Robin picked up the box, looking over to where Steve was currently trying to recommend a good family-friendly movie for someone to watch, and nodded. "Sure, sounds good. Normal movie night time?" She scanned the back of the box, typing up on the computer that it was currently rented out to Eddie for three days. 

"Normal movie night time. Make sure you let Harrington know," he said with a grin, taking the VHS from Robin when she passed it back to him. "See you at 7!" 

Hearing his name, Steve looked over at Eddie and gave him a slight wave, and Eddie waved back, before turning and leaving. The customer was pretty happy with their movie choice, so Steve walked with them to the counter to get them all ready to leave. As he scanned and registered the person to the VHS, Robin let him know that they were having a movie night at Eddie's. He nodded, thinking nothing of it.

7PM rolled around pretty quickly, and Eddie had made his best attempts at cleaning the trailer and setting it up for a D&D game, with Dustin's help. His DM screen was nicely stood up, hiding all of his important notes regarding plot, monsters and other things he may need to keep secret. Dustin had been running through a new character idea, a human paladin, who had been trained to fight evil in the name of good, but actually had other feelings towards his mission. It was something he had been working on for a while, and as the two waited for Steve and Robin to show up, they fleshed out this character some more until it was almost playable. Dustin decided to test it out in tonight's game, just to see what it was like, and Eddie had no issues with that at all. He had made some premade characters for Robin and Steve to choose from, because he knew how long character creation could take, especially with new players. 

Eddie had stocked up on snacks and drinks, too, and was in the process of grabbing a Coke for Dustin when there was a knock at the door. With the bottle in hand, Eddie went and answered it, grinning widely when he saw his two friends standing there, both with other various snacks in hand.

"Sorry we're late, someone decided to speed," Robin said, glaring at Steve as she walked inside, kicking off her shoes and removing her jacket. 

"I wasn't speeding, that officer clearly had it out for me." Steve shook his head, following Robin inside, who had now stopped and was pointing at Dustin.

"What happened to ' movie night will never involve babysitting' huh?" She asked, taking note of the set up she had seen once before when she accompanied Steve to pick everyone up from Hellfire one night. She turned, just to see Eddie close the door and lock it, a smile on his face.

"Look, all we ask is for one game! It may not even take that long, and Henderson can then go home and we can watch the movie, okay?" Eddie said, patting them both on the shoulder as he sat down opposite Dustin, gesturing for the others to sit as well.

Steve looked at Dustin in shock. "You're involved in this too? I can't believe this betrayal. No more free rides for a month, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Dustin gave him a salute. "But you did promise to my mom to drive me home when I'm out late with you."

"No, you're walking home tonight." Steve moved to sit by Dustin, admitting defeat. A game couldn’t take that long, right? Though, the amount of paper scattered on the table and - were those miniature figurines? The sight didn't ease Steve’s hesitations about the game.

Robin was still standing there, a bag of popcorn in one hand as she looked at Steve. "Are you just ignoring the part where we're being forced to play this game, Steve?"

"Sit down, Robin. It'll be over quicker if we just comply," Steve said, opening his backpack to take out the various snacks he had brought with him. Dustin immediately grabbed a box of cheese flavoured crackers from his hands, opening them up and keeping them by his side.

"If you are finding that you aren't enjoying yourself during the game, just say the word and we'll stop, I promise you," Eddie said, placing a hand over his heart. "However, you aren't going to know until you try it out."

Robin stood there for a few more moments, all eyes on her, before sighing and taking a seat next to Steve. "Fine. But I want to play a hot elf."

Eddie grinned, shuffling through his various sheets of paper he had behind his screen. "Lucky for you, Buckley, I have just the kind of character you're looking for." He pulled out the premade characters, handing Robin the one that was filled out for an elf thief. She took it and looked over it, immediately getting confused at what was going on.

"Got anything good for me? Like, uh… a fighter? Or a wizard with a pointy hat?" Steve asked, watching Eddie go through the sheets he had.

"Well, Dustin is trying out a paladin, if you wanted to go down a similar route to him…" He pulled out three sheets. "Or if you want someone who is in tune with nature, a ranger could be a good start. Or maybe you really want to be a wizard in a pointy hat, I have one prepared for you."

“Like a park ranger?” Steve asked, getting nudged at his side by Dustin, who shook his head.

Through a mouthful of crackers, he spoke, “like a nature fighter. You are like, really in tune with nature and can hide in the bushes and stuff.”

Steve thought for a moment, peering over Robin’s shoulder to get an idea of what the character sheets looked like. For a game that was apparently full of devil worshipping and ritual sacrifices, there were a lot of numbers involved. “What’s the easiest one to start with?”

“Probably the ranger?” Dustin looked over at Eddie for confirmation, who nodded. “But if you wanna do spells and shit, a wizard is your best bet. Or you can be a cleric, I think we could use some proper healing, but don’t let that stop you from choosing a class.”

“Do I get to choose who I heal?” Steve asked, watching as Eddie handed him three different character sheets, one of a ranger, a cleric and a wizard. The sheets meant nothing to him at the moment, it all blurred into one clump of numbers and letters.

“Yeah, you can choose,” Eddie replied, and Steve handed back two sheets, and kept the cleric sheet. “You’re going for the cleric, then?” He looked at the sheets, putting them back into the binder with the rest of the premade characters he had.

“Just so when Dustin is dying I can hold back any healing from him.” He gave a grin to Dustin, who threw a handful of crackers towards Steve, a fake hurt look on his face. “Hey man, it’s your own fault, you’re an accomplice in this-” he gestured around the table, “crime.”

“Dude, not fair.” Dustin pouted. 

During this exchange, Robin had been studying her character sheet, reading through the abilities and actions she could do. Her mind went from trying to learn the system (without really knowing what it was she was supposed to do) to figuring out who her character was. They were an elf, and she had decided that they were going to have the most emotionally devastating backstory ever. Why do they use poison arrows? Their parents were killed by poison, of course! Turned to a life of adventure to escape the stress put upon her by society, so she could be free to be whoever she wanted to be… Maybe she was projecting on that part.

Eddie, noticing Robin spacing out, waved a hand in front of her face to make sure she was still on this plane of reality. She blinked, looking at him.

“How much detail do we need for our characters?” She asked, and the sudden look of confusion on Eddie’s face told her that that was not what he was expecting. “Like, obviously we need a backstory, but like, their motivations? Their biggest flaws? What else do you want?”

Eddie was taken back by that. “Woah, well, this is just a one shot game,” he paused, looking at Dustin, “for now . So I don’t think you need to go super in depth for this? Don’t let me stop you, though.”

Robin nodded, picking up a pencil and scribbling something down quickly on a blank sheet of paper. “So I don’t get extra points if I come up with a super interesting backstory for my character?”

“If it wows me, then sure,” Eddie replied. At this point, Steve and Dustin turned to him, hearing the words ‘points’ and ‘winning’. 

“What’s this about extra points?” Steve asked, leaning over Robin’s shoulder to see what she was writing down. She pulled the paper to her chest, hitting him away. “I want extra points.”

“I get extra points for my character backstory,” Robin said smugly, tapping Steve’s nose with the end of her pencil.

“No fair, I want extra points.” Steve grabbed the pencil, holding it above his head so that she couldn’t reach it. Robin nudged his side. Steve yelped in pain, throwing the pencil at her. “I’m going to steal your points. And everything your character owns.”

“Children, please,” Eddie said, cutting Robin off before she could retaliate. “You can all get extra points if you want. I’m going to give you ten minutes, think of a killer backstory, and extra points are up for grabs. They mean absolutely nothing in terms of gameplay, but maybe I’ll let you do something cool with them.”

The duo went quiet, the sound of pencil against paper was the only thing coming from them. Dustin sat there, peering over Steve’s shoulder every now and then to see what he was writing. He gave Eddie a nod of approval, and Eddie gave him a thumbs up. Dustin’s character already had an okay backstory, and if it was for a long term campaign he would’ve joined in on this task to try and win ‘extra points’, but he was happy with what he had given Eddie previously. Anyway, this game was about Steve and Robin, he didn't want to throw his hat into the ring and obliterate them both with his amazing character backstory. 

Ten minute passed, and Steve and Robin hand Eddie over their paper with their backstories written on it. Robin had an intense past, full of scheming, familial death, sabotage, the classic things you would find in a rogue-type character. It was brilliant, and slightly terrifying. Steve had a simple past, a holy man, had friends, a pet dog, nothing as intense as his friend. They were both equally as good, especially for first timers. Eddie gave them both a nod. 

“They’re great,” he said, getting two smiles back from them both. “You both get points, they’re both good in their own ways to choose.”

“We’ll take that,” the duo said, taking back their papers. 

The group settled, as it was now time for the game to begin. Eddie had sat upright, giving Dustin a knowing nod as he cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. With a flourish of his hands, Eddie began to set the scene of the game. The party had been tasked to investigate a sudden rise in cult-like groups, figure out who they were praising and, if possible, eradicate any threat. A simple enough task, really. 

The trio were hooked on every word, describing the land they were currently walking through, the weather, the time of day, how far they had been travelling already. It was hypnotising, almost, and when Eddie pointed at Dustin to describe what his character looked like, it took him a moment to get back into the zone. 

“Oh, yeah, uh, right.” He cleared his throat. “So, my character, Sir Harry Tonne, is a human man, great hair, tall, a lady’s man even though we all know how pathetic his attempts at picking up girls is.” He paused to see everyone’s reactions - Robin and Eddie had caught on, and Steve was sitting there, waiting for Dustin to finish. “He’s got armour on, a greatsword, a shield. The usual stuff. Yeah, that’s me.”

“Wonderful. Harrington, your turn. Who are you?” Eddie asked, leaning his head on his hands.

“Okay- wait, hold on, Henderson, are you playing as me ??” Steve asked, causing the group to laugh, Dustin nodding with a wide grin. “Motherfucker. You’re dead, like, so dead now, you know that?”

“Try and kill me. I have an AC of 18, you can’t hit me.” Dustin tapped his character sheet. “Who are you playing then, Steve?”

“My name is Joe. Uh, Joe Quinn… I’m a-” He picked up his sheet, scanning the page to find out what he was again. “Ah, a half-elf cleric. Yeah.”

There was a silence, as the group expected Steve to keep talking. When he didn't, Eddie nodded, and with a clap of his hands, pointed to Robin. “Great job, Steve. Robin. What do you have?”

“Right, okay.” She reread through her backstory, nodding as it stuck in her mind. “My name is Stephanie Rington, I’m an elf thief, and I also have great hair. I am also a lady’s… woman… so I think she and Sir Harry Tonne are going to get on well.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Robin?” Steve looked at her, utterly disappointed. He knew Dustin would do something like this, but Robin as well? This was uncalled for. Robin laughed, leaning over Steve to give Dustin a high five. They hadn’t planned it, but when Robin heard Sir Harry Tonne, she knew what had to be done. 

The group settled down, as Eddie began to describe what they were up to - currently on the path of tracking down a group that they knew worked from a nearby city. He described rolling hills, thick forests, a warm summer’s day with a cool breeze passing by every now and then. It felt familiar, the heat of summer was still around them as they played, all windows opened in Eddie’s trailer to try and cool them all off. With the first rolls of the dice heard, the game was well underway, and so far, Steve and Robin seemed to be enjoying it.

When the clock reached 9PM, the group were still playing, more relaxed now as everyone got a grasp on the rules and how the game works. Eddie’s words were still keeping everyone in the zone, like a siren luring its victims into the ocean, the group were hanging on every last word he spoke, which wasn’t unusual for an Eddie-ran game. He had a way with words to bring worlds alive, a talent Dustin had spoken to Steve about a lot. Steve finally understood what Dustin meant.

"... You reach the river you need to cross in order to reach the city of Aravich. It's fast moving, the water rushing and crashing in front of you. In the distance, you see the tall, imposing buildings of the city line the horizon. There's a bridge on your path, it seems stable, and wide enough for you all to walk across it as a group. The sun is starting to dip, you have a few hours of light left. What are you doing?" Eddie leaned back in his chair, waiting as the group started to converse.

"There's gotta be something coming if he's mentioning the bridge," Robin said, flicking back through her messy notes she had taken throughout the game. Her notes started with NPC names, locations they needed to visit, and ended up a cluttered mess of all her character’s internal thoughts. Eddie, although he had yet to read them, was impressed.

"It's just a bridge, I'm sure it's fine to cross?" Steve turned to Eddie. "Does the bridge look damaged? Can we cross it?"

"Roll a perception check." 

Steve picked up the die, dropping it as it landed on the table, rolling for a moment before stopping on a 16. "I add the… ah, yeah, 17 total."

"17… Nice. Have you rolled below a 10 this game yet, Harrington?" Eddie raised an eyebrow as Steve shrugged. "Anyway. You take a few steps closer to the bridge, and from this distance, it looks pretty stable."

"I don't trust it." Robin held her head in her hands. "It could be trapped, something could be waiting to grab us, anything could happen."

"Or, it's a normal bridge and we're overthinking this." Steve looked over at Dustin, who was one die away from completing a dice tower. "What do you think?"

Dustin held his hands up, moving the D4 between his fingers as he carefully placed it on top of the tower. "I'm just tagging along, you two are the one in charge. However, I agree with Robin, something feels off."

"You know, I read somewhere that it's always the normal looking bridges that are more prone to collapsing or breaking apart as you move over it," Robin said quickly, causing Steve to laugh.

"Maybe in real life, this isn't real." He paused for a moment. "Fuck it, I'm walking across the bridge."

Eddie raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk appearing across his face. "You sure?" 

Dustin shook his head, pointing at Eddie's face. "Don't do it, Steve! He's conspiring! That's the face he pulls!" The sudden movement knocked over his dice tower, and he frowned in annoyance at the scattered dice on the table.

"Yeah, it's just a bridge. I'm walking over the bridge." Steve watched Eddie nod, ignoring the exclaims of protest from Dustin, telling him that it’s so obviously a trap and that they’re all going to die now.

Eddie took a second to pull out another sheet of paper, reading through it quickly to refresh his memory. "You start to walk across the bridge, one foot after the other." He moved his hands in a similar walking motion. "And you walk. And walk. You get halfway across the bridge, when suddenly-" He mimics the sound of wood splintering, cracking under the weight. "You feel the wood start to break under you quite quickly, and you instinctively go to move away. But something's grabbing your leg, Steve. You look- it's a long, spindly hand, coming from between the gaps in the wood. I need a strength saving throw from you, to see if you can escape this creature's grasp.."

Dustin and Robin had their hands on their heads at this point, muttering to each other about how this was a mistake, how Steve's character was going to fall into the river and maybe drown. Their talking stopped as Steve dropped the die, and all four of them watched it roll, teetering between two numbers, before finally settling on…

"I got an 11."

Eddie hummed in thought, nodding. "It takes you a little while, you're kicking and yelling to try and get this creature's hand off of you, but it's not budging." He pointed to Dustin and Robin. "What are you both up to?"

"Fuck. Uh, shit, okay, I'm gonna run over," Robin said, shifting in her seat to almost be crouching on the chair. "Gonna run over to try and help Steve out."

There was a clattering of dice from behind the screen, and Eddie grinned. "Alright. You run, making your way onto the bridge, when suddenly, the wood breaks again, another hand reaching out to grab your leg. Strength saving throw from you, please."

Robin panicked for a second, fearing she may have misplaced her dice set. She lifted up sheets of paper, looked around on the floor and couldn't immediately see them. But she did see Steve's dice, and grabbed the D20 and rolled it. It bounced, before settling on-

"A 20! I got a 20!" She exclaimed, hitting the table in excitement and pointing at the die. Eddie peered over his screen to double check and nodded, giving Robin a thumbs up.

"You're skilled at moving quickly, and move quickly you do. You feel this creature grab onto your leg but you kick it away, not even hesitating, and you hear a splash in the water as whatever it was retreats back down. You're now at Steve's side. How are you helping him?" Eddie said, taking a moment to roll another die. A 15. Not bad. He'll have to throw something at Dustin now, thanks to that roll.

"Uh… Ah… Wait… Can I like… kick the creature's arm? Or- wait no! I want to stab it with my dagger!" Robin stabbed the air, looking at Eddie to see if he approved of her action.

"Roll an attack, then."

Another roll, and it landed on a 7. Robin looked at Eddie sheepishly, apologising for being unable to help him. Eddie began to explain the consequences to that roll, and asked them all to roll initiative, as creatures began to climb up on the bridge from under the water. 

A short combat round happened, Eddie and Dustin guiding the two newcomers throughout it, explaining the rules and how combat works. They picked it up pretty quickly, and it was over after three rounds. The party carried on across the bridge, entering the city in search for these cultists.

It was getting late, around 11PM at this point, and the game was still going. Various empty wrappers and boxes of snacks were pushed to the side of the table to make room for a giant, gridded map. Placed on top were three miniatures, each representing one of the trio's characters, as well as an assortment of other minis that were the enemies, a group of cultists they had tracked down. The group were currently in the middle of a tense combat round. Steve and Dustin were discussing ways to optimise damage against the enemies, while Robin was trying to work out what would be the best thing to do for her turn. She was currently surrounded, no matter where she moved the cultists would all get an attack of opportunity on her, and she wasn't sure if she could survive three different attacks at once. 

"I have one attack, right?" She asked, looking at Eddie for clarification.

"Yes, unless you're duel-wielding, then you can use a bonus action to make an attack with your off-hand." He assessed the situation Stephanie Rington was in, trying to give her some advice for what would be best.

"And if I move… these guys will all attack me?" She gestured to the cultists.

"Potentially…" Eddie frowned in thought. "Hold on, you're a thief, right? You can disengage as a bonus action. If you do that, it doesn't provoke opportunity attacks and you'll be safe."

"Wait, for real??" She double checked her character sheet, as Eddie pulled out the rulebook to just make sure he was correct.

Eddie nodded, tapping the page he was reading and leaned over to show Robin the rules. "Right here! My suggestion is to attack one of them, and then disengage and move away.” He closed the book up, placing it by his side as Robin nodded, pointing out the one she wanted to attack and rolling to hit. Her attack landed, dealt some pretty decent damage to one of the cultists and she moved 30ft away, closer to Sir Harry Tonne.

Cultists also surrounded Joe Quinn, and Eddie smiled, announcing it was now their turn. A few spells were cast, a few hits were made, and on the last cultist’s turn, he turned to attack Joe Quinn. Dustin leaned over Steve’s shoulder, noticing he only had a handful of HP left. He crossed his fingers and hoped Eddie missed.

“Yikes, uh, that’s a natural 20,” Eddie said, and Dustin sank in his seat.

Steve raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean again?”

“It means-” Eddie paused to take out some more dice, letting them fall from his hands. “Double the damage. Pretty gnarly if you’re low on health, but fine if you are. That’s 20 points of damage.”

“Okay, okay, I’m at minus fifteen? How does minus numbers work- wait, am I dead?” Steve erased the 5HP from his sheet, and listened as Eddie gasped in shock, horror and slight excitement at the idea of killing a player.

“Oh, you aren’t dead yet. This is the fun part - death saving throws. Your next turn, you roll a D20. If it’s ten or above, you pass one save, if it’s nine or below, you fail. You have to get three of either to live or die. We’ll get to crits if and when they happen,” Eddie explained, as Steve nodded, watching as Eddie leaned over his screen to move Joe Quinn’s mini to its side, originally that it was knocked unconscious. He pointed to Dustin, letting him know it was his turn.

Dustin took a moment to think. He had spell slots left, and could quite easily go and heal Steve, but he remembered Eddie saying some of the cultists looked low on health, and with Steve’s track record of not rolling below a ten, he decided to risk it. He attacked the cultists. 

Another round went by, and Joe Quinn ended up taking fallout damage from an exploding Ice Knife, causing one failed death save already. Robin said she had no way of healing, as Stephanie Rington had already consumed her healing potion earlier on in the fight. It rolled back to Steve’s turn, and Eddie took a deep breath.

"Make a death saving throw, please."

Steve dropped his die again, the trio leaning over him and watching as it rolled, and rolled, and landed. Dustin gasped in shock, making eye contact with Robin, who looked confused.

"I got a 1?" Steve looked at Eddie.

"Oh, how the mighty fall, Harrington…" Eddie shook his head, hand over his heart. “A natural one counts as two failed saves.”

Robin gasped, shaking her head. “No. That’s not a real rule, you just made that up.”

“It’s a real rule. Crit failures, you lose two saves. Crit successes, you are back up on 1HP,” Dustin told her, as she sank in her seat, looking from Eddie to Steve.

Eddie gestured to the miniature on the gridded paper laying on its side, the battle on going around it. "You feel life slip away into darkness, Steve. The cold, inviting arms of death welcoming you, as you are slowly dying." He paused for dramatic effect, taking in the scene. Steve was on the edge of his seat, Robin was tearing up and Dustin was in a state of shock.

"There's a moment where you see memories flash before you, good memories, bad ones, neutral ones. You watch your life go by you in seconds, yet it feels like years. You're ready to go, when you hear a voice echoing around you."

Dustin's eyes widened. Robin bit at her pencil, giving Dustin a confused look.

Eddie's voice went lower, a more gutteral sound coming out from him. "I can help you get back."

Steve blinked. "Wait, who is this?" Eddie shrugged. "I call out - who are you?"

Eddie leaned in closer to the group. "You hear the voice reply - I am Orcus, Lord of the Undead, the Shadow That Was. I have brought you a deal."

Steve looked at Dustin, who had sunken into his chair, shaking his head. "No, no, no, this is bad," he mumbled, before looking back through his sheet to see if he had anything he could do to help.

"An… offer?" Steve asked, confused. "But I'm dead, right?"

"You feel a warmth spread over you, Steve, and the faint sound of crackling fire. The voice, Orcus, continues - You are not quite dead yet, child. The fate of your soul hangs with me, and how you answer my bargain. I can bring you back, to your friends, or - the sound of the fire stops. Or you can disappear into the aether, forever."

"What do you want?"

"You are a devoted man already. All I ask is that you switch your devotion to me, instead of your pathetic deity. You feel as though you have little time left, 

The group were enchanted by Eddie's performance, as they huddled up for a brief moment to discuss what Orcus could possibly want in return. It was a stressful situation, and Eddie allowed them this moment to think it through. Robin suggested that Orcus could want power.

"Maybe he wants a way into our world? These cultists are trying to summon him, he could piggyback off of Steve to get in?" She explained, and Dustin shook his head.

"He's a demon lord, he already has mega power!" Dustin said, before frowning as he started to think about that theory more. "Unless he is trying to get into our world through Steve."

"Right? It makes sense! Make a bargain with the guy who's dying, he's going to be desperate!" Robin and Dustin looked at Steve, who frowned.

"Hey, I'm not desperate. I have zero emotional attachment to this guy." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Bullshit! I heard you sniffle back a tear when you fell unconscious!" Dustin poked at his cheek, causing Steve to swat his hand away defensively.

Eddie spoke up before the two had time to argue. "I hate to break up your little meeting, but time is ticking." He leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. "Are you agreeing to Orcus' deal?"

Silence fell over the group, all eyes were on Steve. He was deep in thought, eyes focused on his toppled mini. There were pros and cons to this deal, he knew that. On the one hand, his character would be safe and back alive again, there was a fight still going on, and he was almost certain Robin and Dustin were looking pretty hurt as well. On the other hand… he had no idea what Orcus would do. Dustin was shaking his head, staying quiet but letting Steve know that he shouldn’t agree. He looked at Robin, who gave him a slight shrug, biting on her pencil nervously.

“I’m going to agree to the deal,” Steve said after a few more moments of silence. 

Eddie gave a nod. “You agree to the deal, Joe Quinn, and suddenly - your eyes flash open, and you’re laying on the cold stone floor, the sound of fighting around you. You are alive, on 1HP.”

Steve’s turn ended, and with a few good attacks from Dustin and Robin, the cultists were dead. Combat was over. The trio took a moment to recompose themselves, which was when Eddie spoke up.

“Stephanie, Harry, you two notice something… odd about Joe. On his forehead, two, small horns begin to protrude from his skin,” Eddie said, using his fingers to show on his own forehead where the horns are growing.

“Joe, dude, you’re turning into a devil or something,” Robin said, poking Steve’s forehead, as if the horns were there.

“Hey, I don’t think that’s a good sign,” Dustin added, giving Eddie a look to try and work out what he was planning.

“Joe, you feel a presence around you. Warm and comforting, like the feeling of sitting by a fire. You aren’t sure what’s to come with your deal with Orcus, and we may never find out.” Eddie looked at his watch. “And I think it’s way past Henderson’s bedtime. We’ll end the session there.”

Immediately, there were yells of protest from the group, their voices overlapping one another as each wanted to know more, like if there were any other cultists? If so, were they linked with Orcus? What’s going to happen to Joe Quinn? Pleads for them to keep going for another hour made Eddie laugh. He held his hands up to silence the group.

“Hey, D&D is super lame, I’m sure you guys don’t want to play again. I’ve shown you what it’s like, mine and Dustin’s jobs are done here,” he said, a wide smirk on his face.

“He’s gloating - Robs, he’s gloating.” Steve looked at Robin who was shaking her head in disbelief. “He’s way too proud that he got us into this nerd game.”

“I can’t believe it. You know what?” Robin looked back at Steve, and smiled. “We’ll just find another guy to run a game for us, right?”

“Right. Hey, when Will next visits, we’ll ask him! I’m sure he’s great at D&D, Dustin seems to think so.”

“Yeah! We’ll get Will, we don’t need you, Eds, if you aren’t going to give us a satisfying ending.”

Robin and Steve continued their empty threats of finding another D&D game to join, and Eddie just sat there, head in his hands, watching the back and forth. It was amusing. These two went from denying to ever play the game to begging for another hour of it. He made eye contact with Dustin, and smiled. Dustin smacked Steve’s arm, making a comment about how his mom would kill him if he got home after midnight, and was in the process of climbing over him to get ready to leave. 

The group packed everything up, throwing away trash and making sure they had everything with them. Eddie allowed Steve and Robin to keep the sets of dice he had loaned them, and they gladly accepted. Eddie walked out with them to Steve’s car, the cool night breeze a welcome change from the warmth of his trailer.

“You know, with Hellfire being on a small hiatus… I could fit in another game with you nerds,” Eddie said as the group were saying their goodbyes. “I’ll grace you both with my presence tomorrow at work to discuss your schedules.”

“Oh, great, can’t wait,” Steve said, leaning against the driver’s side door. “For the next game. Not you annoying us at work. You may as well apply to work there with the amount of time you spend there.”

“Maybe I will? Then you’ll never get rid of me.” Eddie grinned, as Steve rolled his eyes playfully and got inside his car.

He waved the group off as they left.

The newspaper articles about D&D were right, it was like a cult. But a good cult, obviously. One that did math. Eddie walked back inside, wondering if he could convince Nancy to run an article about how D&D was a good thing to improve math skills.

[contentstarved]

based on these asks from anon!!

i probably should’ve used more description, but, eh. maybe next time LMAO. i feel like you can really tell that i started to lose steam near the end but i REALLY wanted to get this done. sorry for the lackluster ending!

contains: cloud feeling a little suicidal, hunger, stomach growling, cloud actually eating for once. caretaking. i don’t necessarily wanna file this under stuffing because that doesn’t really happen here. it’s more like eating w/o much satisfaction because starvation is a bitch.

---

In Aerith's opinion, it was incredibly easy to tell that her new friend-slash-bodyguard was feeling rather starved again.

She could tell he was trying to hide it, but truthfully, subtlety didn't really seem to be something Cloud was good at. Aerith was pretty sure he was more expressive than he let on; it just happened that most of the time, he felt miserable. Currently, Cloud's brows had been furrowed slightly in an expression of pain, lips downturned slightly and posture slightly hunched, glowing blue eyes twitching from side to side. Truth be told, that was how he had looked most of the day since he'd come to in the church.

The real tell, however, was that Cloud's gaze was constantly snapping towards every food stall they'd passed by, quickly followed up by his brows furrowing deeper over his eyes and looking away in shame. He hadn't said anything, and probably had been hoping that she wasn't watching him at all, but how couldn't she pay attention? When he wasn't looking vaguely shellshocked by maneuvering through the crowds of people enjoying themselves in Wall Market's neon-lit streets, he was obviously forcing himself to stay focused and alert.

Aerith couldn't blame him, really. He couldn't have gotten that much sleep before he'd tried to sneak out of her home - which she knew was because of her mother's own "suggestion", something she hadn't been happy about in the first place, as though setting up the guest room was a task far enough away to not overhear the conversation - and between Cloud picking awkwardly at his food during dinner, and all the fighting and walking they'd been doing now, plus... her own brows furrowed. Actually, after Madam M had dolled her up in her new fancy dress, she'd tracked Cloud down at the gym, shaky and out of breath, but holding a champion's belt.

She frowned as she looked him over. He really didn't know how to take a break, did he?

Come to think of it, she was feeling pretty hungry, too, though she was pretty sure she had nothing on how awful Cloud probably felt. If he wasn't going to look after himself, well, someone had to, right?

Luckily, she wouldn't have to take them out of their way to get something to eat. The materia vendor had directed them to the restaurant, saying that last he knew, the owner had the dress maker's "inspiration".

A restaurant that they were pretty close to, now, nestled in a corner right behind the materia pops. Beside her, Cloud seemed to recognize where they were, and gave a quiet groan. "Do we have to."

She smiled sweetly. "Well, the guy said he has the inspiration, right? We might as well ask while we're here!"

"I guess. Let's make this quick."

Aerith made sure to take Cloud by the hand as she led him inside. The restaurant was well-lit, though only a few people were inside. The smell of cooking meat had gotten to Cloud quickly, his stomach giving a deep, longing groan. He quickly folded his arms across his chest and looked away, face turning red. She couldn't help but think about how the noise had honestly been a little impressive, before shoving the thought away.

The restaurant owner looked up from behind the counter. "Welcome! Feel free to take any open seats."

Before she could say anything, Cloud responded, "We're not here to eat." A statement his stomach loudly voiced its displeasure with, which he tried to pretend not to hear. "The materia seller said you had someone's inspiration. We need it."

"Materia seller?" The older man frowned in thought, before laughing. "Ohhh, you're here for that. I'm surprised -- didn't take you for the type." Before Cloud could ask what he meant by that, he said, "Lemme ask you something. Either of you know anything about cooking?"

Cloud released a hand from its post against his stomach to wiggle it from side to side.

Aerith, however, nodded. "I know enough! I help my mom with it."

"Glad to hear it." Cloud started to frown when he sensed that this was going to lead into a request for help. "For some reason, my food doesn't taste nearly as good as it used to. I was hoping one of the two of you could help me out. I've narrowed it down to the fridge, the stove, or the power supply, but I'm not sure what's to blame."

Aerith could tell Cloud was mentally checking out of the conversation when he pulled out some materia, rotating it in his hand and trying very hard to ignore his stomach's complaints. Fair enough; of the two of them, she was probably the most confident with this. "I can probably help, but we don't work for free!"

That caught Cloud's attention; he shot her a bewildered look.

Ignoring it, Aerith set their terms. "If we help you, you'll let us eat for free, right? As thanks?"

Cloud balked. "What? But what about--"

"It's a deal, young lady," the restaranteur said with a smile.

Cloud's shoulders sank as he watched Aerith bounce over to the older man, anxiety bubbling up in his chest. They didn't have the time to wait here. Not that they had anything else really left on their agenda, so it wasn't like he could fuck off somewhere and get something else done... and if Aerith was going to insist on helping this man, then there really wasn't anything he could do. He wasn't going to just leave her alone in Wall Market, even if she knew more about the area than he did. He was still technically on the clock for bodyguarding, anyway.

He hadn't noticed Aerith return to his side until she carefully took him by the arm, causing him to flinch slightly before remembering who he was with. "Uh. Where to now?"

Aerith turned her lips down in a little pout, vivid green eyes looking stubbornly into his. "We're gonna sit, first."

He didn't move as Aerith tried to pull him to the counter. "What about Tifa? We don't have *time* for this."

Another tug. "Actually, since we're still waiting for the third candidate to be approved, we do. Corneo already knows to wait until they get approval or not. Besides, he's already waiting for me, right?"

"I... guess." Cloud was relenting a little bit, but not enough to actually sit. "Wait. What do you mean, third candidate."

Aerith shrugged innocently. "Someone might've caught Andrea Rhodea's eye. Anyway, I get the feeling we're going to have a long night ahead of us." And then she turned on the pleading puppy eyes. "Come on, Cloud. Please?"

Cloud stared at her for a few moments before sighing. "Fine. But I'm not eating." Feeling a little defeated, he finally sat on a stool at the counter, quietly praying that his stomach wouldn't betray him again. Really, he'd been doing fine going without! It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter, and he was pretty sure he felt too on edge to change that now. Aerith sat beside him, and he noticed that she looked just a little frustrated. He... supposed he didn't really blame her.

And she was a little frustrated. She didn't understand why he was fighting her on this so hard. He got hungry like anybody else would, right? It wasn't a big deal! They'd been so busy here anyway, between all the fighting in the colosseum and all the running around town, that she would've wanted to stop for a little while just to not feel totally exhausted.

Was he just... used to working like this? Aerith didn't like that thought. If that was the case, then she definitely needed to make sure that Cloud got an actually substantial meal in him. They sat quietly together for a few minutes before Cloud's stomach decided it had been ignored for long enough, and decided to break the silence.

GrrrrrgrgrrgrgrgrOOOWwl... rr-rr grroooohlg... ggggGROOOWL...

She couldn't stop herself from abruptly turning her head to look at Cloud, who looked absolutely mortified, eyes wider than she'd ever seen them, one hand pressed hard against his stomach and the other now trying to hide his expression from her, acting as though he could disappear if she couldn't see him. That had sounded off for... at least 15 seconds. Way longer and louder than he was okay with.

"Sorry," he said in a voice quiet enough that she almost didn't hear him. Really, what Cloud wanted to say was 'I'm gonna go kill myself now', but he figured that probably would be less acceptable. Worse still was that his stomach apparently had no qualms about humiliating him further by continuing to grumble and growl far too audibly for his taste, like it was a freshly turned on coffee maker. He sunk a little further down towards the counter, trying to avoid all eye contact.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Aerith said, keeping her voice low for Cloud's benefit. She reached for the hand covering his face to take it; Cloud didn't fight her, instead fidgeting a little when she held his hand between both of hers. "It's normal, you know? We've been pretty busy tonight."

The most Cloud did was make a skeptical noise and keep his head turned away. Finally, he admitted, "Guess we have been."

"So it's only natural that we're hungry again," Aerith said, choosing her words carefully. Maybe it'd be less embarrassing for him if she included herself? Really, though, she was still worried the most about him; he was just so skinny, and she was surprised that he could fight as hard as he did, considering how unwell he looked. That, and he certainly didn't act like a person who had anyone actively looking out for him... not that she really had any expectations there, but he was skittish and resistant enough that she got the feeling that people paying attention to how he was actually doing was a rare thing for him. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

Cloud looked at her long enough to make a face - frowning and furrowing one of his brows, like this concept was a new one to him - before glancing away again.

And then his expression quickly shifted into one of more active interest when the owner came back with a large wooden platter and set it down on the counter in front of him; he had to force himself to stamp down the interest and look more neutral as the emptiness of his stomach contracted in on itself painfully. No, he had absolutely no interest whatsoever in any of the sushi on the plate; the larger, bright orange sweet potatoes wrapped in rice and seaweed didn't catch his attention, nor did the rolls topped with verdant green avocado and barbecue-slathered eel and rice surrounding tempura shrimp. Off to the side was cold fried tofu pockets with rice inside, and...

...this was a lot, actually. There was a lot of sushi. Definitely more than remotely reasonable for one person to have on their own, and possibly even for two people. Aerith was determined on this front, wasn't she?

Even if Cloud was trying hard not to look interested... well, he was still staring.

He was brought back to his senses when Aerith put a pair of chopsticks in one of his hands and poured out some soy sauce for the both of them. He opened his mouth to protest, but all he could manage was a quiet, "I, uh..."

Any protests Cloud had were dying in his throat. The pout Aerith was shooting his way wasn't helping him any, but... ugh. His stomach felt like it was going to implode in on itself, and... if he didn't eat this, it would be a waste, wouldn't it? This wasn't exactly something that would keep for anyone who went dumpster diving later... and it was getting increasingly more difficult to deny that he was starving. Now that there was food in front of them, his stomach was cramping and twisting relentlessly, growling continuously and ravenously.

He didn't miss the smile that spread across Aerith's face when he finally took a piece of a dragon roll, and embarrassment colored his cheeks with a tinge of pink. Briefly dipping it into the soy sauce dish, he popped it into his mouth, and-- oh. He couldn't stop himself from quietly moaning over the soft sweetness of the eel, the slight vinegar of the rice combined with the saltiness of the soy sauce. Looking a little mortified, he looked away, but... still. Cloud couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten anything that'd tasted so good.

Even better, his stomach hadn't rebelled against having something finally inside it. It felt weird, but it hadn't made him nauseous, either.

Breaking out into a purr, he started to eat faster, instead of eyeing it all like it might kill him. He didn't even stop to take a drink, all of his attention span now focused solely on filling his stomach with as much as he comfortably could. His visceral hunger quickly overrode his anxiety, shoveling in the sweet and slightly tangy sushi into his mouth and having to force himself to chew instead of swallowing it all down whole.

What finally stopped him was the sudden pressure in his stomach that informed him that he wasn't going to have much luck in the way of eating more than an entire maki roll and some of the inari. He felt a little better... he felt, at least for the moment, full, though he still felt the strong pull of not feeling satiated, of wanting to eat more. He supposed he wasn't surprised that his stomach had shrunk significantly over the years, whatever he'd been doing in them, but...

Cloud gave a quiet sigh.

He still felt deeply, deeply hungry.

It was better than feeling so achingly hollow, though, and the growling had finally dissipated.

It'd have to be good enough.

[slow-burn-sally]

OH! PLEASE! A SEGUNDUS/STEPHEN GOOD MORNING KISS!

Friend, I wrote a lot. I like these two together.

John rolls over and the first thing he sees is Stephen Black, warm and rumpled and fast asleep in bed next to him.

Last night they'd finally gotten together, after months of stolen glances over the edge of their computer monitors, and so, so many flirty emails that were still work appropriate enough to have plausible deniability should one or the other not actually be interested.

It was a careful dance, and it went on for bloody months. Who knew that Stephen was demisexual? Who knew that he was slow as honey rolling uphill when it came to courtship? All John Segundus knew was that Stephen Black's large, dark eyes, with their long, thick lashes made him feel dizzy, and that Stephen's soft voice and elegant, clearly capable hands made all sorts of filthy imaginings flood John's mind if he didn't keep a tight cap on his libido at work.

He knew that Stephen loved Kurosawa films and Gene Wilder comedies. That he adored sushi and was allergic to radishes. He knew Stephen's thoughts on a wide variety of topics, as they'd shared an office space for the past six months. He knew what Stephen's cologne smelled like, spicy and a little bit floral. He knew that Stephen took his green tea with lemon and two sugars, that his mother called him "Stevie", and that his sister called him "bumbo" for some unfathomable reason. He knew that Stephen adored corny Christmas carols, and hated coriander, and that he got sad when he talked about his grandfather who passed away two years prior.

John Segundus knew a lot about Stephen Black, but one very key thing he didn't yet know, was what it would feel like to kiss him. It was a piece of information he was very invested in discovering.

They'd had the company holiday party, and John swore to himself that that night would be the night he kissed Stephen Black. Only if Stephen wanted it, of course. He'd ask. But if the answer was yes, well then by jove! he'd do it!

He spent a full two hours letting Emma from Accounting and a rather too drunk Vinculus chat him up about workplace gossip, all whilst making eyes at Stephen at every possible opportunity. Stephen looked back, too. Held John's gaze with his own in a way that utterly made John lose track of his place in his current conversation.

Just when he'd made up his mind to ask Stephen to step down to the street with him for a stroll, Walter Pole walks up and engages him in a far too long conversation about end of year projections for the company, and he couldn't escape for an additional fifteen minutes.

Finally, he'd managed to get Stephen to accompany him downstairs, and then, as soon as they'd walked across the street to a little nearby park, they'd simply turned to each other and begun kissing. It had been the easiest, simplest, loveliest moment.

The kissing had turned into a very handsy cab ride, which had turned into a two hour make out session on John's sofa, then an earnest discussion of boundaries and expectations and sti status, and then several hours of extended love making. The sort of love making that leaves you sore and loose the next day.

Now, John is lying naked, in a warm, mussed up bed, next to an equally warm, equally loose (and probably equally sore), Stephen Black, and he silently thanks his lucky stars for this fact. He moves over, plastering himself against Stephen's sleepy, sheet shrouded body and wraps his arm around Stephen's middle. He buries his face in the back of Stephen's soft neck and breathes in the lovely smell of him while he waits for him to wake up.

He doesn't have long to wait, for not five minutes later, Stephen stirs, and his gorgeous cow-lashes flutter open. John can only watch in love-drunk awe as Stephen turns his warm, sleepy gaze toward him.

"Morning, beautiful," John says through a smile.

"Mnn?" Stephen's brow knits in obvious discomfort. He looks pained. "What bloody time is it?" he asks grumpily.

John frowns. Oh no. Stephen isn't a morning person. How had John been so lax in discovering this vital information? John of course, is a raging morning person. Up at 5am every day with whistle and a smile.

"It's half past five," he says sheepishly. "I must have slept in."

"You must have slept in??" Stephen looks horrified, and confused.

"What time do you usually wake up?" John asks politely, still feeling a nagging sense of shame over forcing his (hopefully) new boyfriend into consciousness far earlier than he'd have liked.

"Quarter to eight, and on weekends, whenever I damned well please," Stephen says, blinking as his eyes adjust to the light. Jesus. How long are one man's lashes allowed to be by law? Because Stephen Black is beyond that limit for sure.

"How do you make it to work on time?" John asks, astounded.

"I shower and shave and dress while still half asleep. By the time I walk to my desk and say good morning to you, I'm only partially conscious," Stephen explains, then he grins. It makes John's heart hurt how pretty Stephen's smile is.

"I want to kiss you, is that alright?" John asks, still shy with the newness of it all. "I've been told my morning breath is quite tolerable."

"Is that so?" Stephen asks, already locking eyes with John's lips and moving closer to him. Those deadly lashes already lowering in preparation for their mouths to meet.

"Yes," John says weakly, moments before they kiss. Oh what a kiss it is too. Soft and sweet with just a hint of spice. There's a promise of imminent morning sex in that gentle press of lips on lips.

The rest of the morning is spent reminding each other of how good it had felt to make love the night before. It's three in the afternoon by the time they drag themselves out of bed to go get coffees and pastries at the cafe down the street. They hold hands, Stephen's fingers so warm, interlaced with his, and John thinks it will be a glorious day.

[mr-walkingrainbow]

imma slide in your asks, i would like limited mobility for abimel :)

“Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Wanna watch something?”

“No.”

“A board game?”

“WHO in their right mind VOLUNTARILY plays board games?!”

Abigael sighed, although annoying, her girlfriend had a point.

However, their wasn’t much she could offer currently to to Mels situation.

To be frank, somehow a trip to the doctor to get Maggie’s flu shot ended up with Mel having a broken ankle.

Apparently, when confronted with needles, shorty spice either feinted like a sack of potatoes, or transformed into a higher being of savagery and desperation.

Macy had informed her that this time it had been both.

She wasn’t even going to ask how that was physically possible.

Unfortunately, Mel now was on strict bed rest, and her normal ADHD tunnel vision girlfriend, was ridden to a grumpy miserable couch potato.

“Come on,” Abby cajoled in her British accent, “I bet theirs something we can do to make you feel better?”

Mel got a sneaky look in her eyes, hand snaking up Abbys head and giving a quick teasing tug to her locks.

Bloody hell.

Abigael bit her lip, hand grasping Mels remaining one violently. Ignoring the near desperate urge to moan and fall into her girlfriends wonderful arms, she took a long shuddering breath.

“N-no Melanie. N-not that. You can’t do anything involving much movement besides go to the loo.”

Mels smile immediately turned to a scowl once again, which gave Abby the time to regroup. Hand fluttering upwards to touch the area she had tugged.

Damn Melanie and her knowledge of her weakest points. It made scenarios like this exceptionally hard.

“Besides that, what else can you think of that would lift your spirits?”

“I don’t know!” The Latina crankily exclaimed, “You tell me! Your my girlfriend you should know these things!”

Abby raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, “Now I will excuse that comment because your grumpy and your in pain. But if your going to be a grump about it, I will quickly just as leave.”

Mel relaxed slightly, frowing, “Sorry Cariño, I’m just so miserable!”

“I understand the feeling love,” she smiled soothingly, “But we’ll figure something out!”

She took a scrutinizing eye to the witch, studying her every move. Mel was obviously more clingy then usual, never letting go of Abigaels hand once while she sat perched on the edge of the couch.

It gave her an idea.

“I know how to turn that frown upside down!”

The laters eyebrows furrowed, “How?”

“AGQS!”

“Scuzi?”

Abby laughed slightly at her girlfriends shortened version of ‘excuse me’,

“AGQS, aka A good quality snuggle! Theirs nothing like it! A real mood changer.”

Mel seemed to ponder this, “Well Im not saying no?”

“Snuggles it is!”

She then proceeded to wedge herself in the space between Mel and the couch, being extra careful not to jostle the injured ankle in the process.

“Their!” She cooed softly, her head resting on the laters shoulder, “Do you feel a bit better now?”

Mel sighed contently, “Ai! Mi querida, you always know how to make me feel better.”

“Good! Now, we can find some Halloween movies on the box because Halloween movies are superior to anything.”

The Latina smiled, soon breaking into a frown and wailing.

“B-but were out of popcornnnnn!”

Deary me, Abigael might have misjudged how emotional Mel currently was.

“Don’t worry Atlantis, I’ll get you some popcorn.” She assured.

The fat tears soon rolled down the lesbians face, something Abby had assumed would happen eventually. Whenever her girlfriend was sick or hurt, her emotions would go all over the place and all rational thinking was out the door. And that would lead to tears of hysteria.

Something Abby was still struggling to figure out.

“What is it?” She questioned worriedly, “What’s wrong? Does your ankle hurt? Do you need more painkillers? Are you hungry? What’s wrong Melanie?!”

“I-I don’t w-want you to Le-eave!” Mel cried, arms flailing uselessly.

“Hey, hey! It’s ok,” Abigael placated, it was both endearing and grating how unpredictable Mel became when hurt, “I won’t leave ok? I’ll stay right here.”

The Latina looked at her with glassy eyes, “B-but who will get the popcorn?”

GRAGGH! Abby fought the urge to scream, instead taking a deep breath and returning the gaze with love and care.

“I’ll ring up Jordy. He’d gladly do anything for you Mel.”

“You too!” Her girlfriend exclaimed.

“Huh?”

The witch looked at her sadly, “He’d do it for you too!”

“That’s lovely of you to say,” Abby grinned fondly, “But Jordy doesn’t hold me to that standard”.

To her chagrin, the laters eyes filled up with even more tears, prompt bursting into loud sobs.

“Oh god! Mel what is it?”

She sat up in a panic, checking Mels ankle to see if it had shifted any way. To her knowledge everything looked the same.

She looked back at her girlfriend desperately, “Mel I don’t know why your so upset? Please tell me?”

“B-because y-you don’t t-think your good en-nough for f-friendship!” Mel choked out between sobs.

“What?! Why would you think that?”

“Because y-you don’t think j-jordys your friend!”

“Ugh! Fine! Bloody hell Mel, me and Jordy are the bestest besties in all the besties in the world? Satisfied?!”

Her girlfriend flashed her a teary smile, “Very.”

With another groan and something muttered under her breath, Abigael rang up her ‘Bestie’ saying it was a popcorn emergency and if Jordan didn’t get their in the next five minutes, he was gonna have two angry witch’s at his door.

“Hey, Abby?” Jordan’s voice crackled through the phone.

She paused, unsure of wether to answer.

“I just wanted to say it’s good to hear from you.” He stated, “We should meet up sometime, and try and get through an actual convo without any of us getting into some Magical based trouble.”

“I’d like that.” The hybrid answered softly. Immediately shutting off her phone afterwards.

It was hard for her to let her walls down, to allow people inside. To even consider the possibility that someone cared for her.

But aside from Melanie, Jordy had been that one other person who’d managed to evade all her carefully laid traps and walls.

So she guess, in this case, she at least owed him a friendly conversation.

Her attention turned back to her already wailing girlfriend, who was literally clawing at her clothes to get her back on the couch with her.

“Alright already, geez,” she cursed silently, “Watch the clothes Melanie. You know I’d be livid if you ripped anything.”

The clawing stopped, but the Latina got a cheesy smile on her face.

“Nooo you won’t!”

Abby blushed, eyebrows crinkling, “Whatever do you mean?”

“You loooove me,” the lesbian cheered, “You loooove me and caaaare for me and wanna kiiiiss me and-“

-“God your childish when your in pain!”

Mel pouted slightly, sticking her lower lip out.

Bloody hell.

Mel knows she can’t say no to her puppy dog eyes.

Abigael rolled her eyes fondly, head coming to a rest back on Mels chest.

“Oh all right. I love you. But if you tell anyone I’ll roast your head on a spit. I have a reputation to uphold.”

The witch grinned like a maniac, “Your secrets safe with me.”

[zuffer-weird-girl]

Sick day

"Is just allergies."

"Is the dust in this dirty place that is making me sneeze."

"My throat is fine. I just choked."

"I am not sick."

You heard those for at least one week and a half right now. And what seemee to be left of your prideful and arrogant boyfriend was only a brat that REFUSED to let you in your own shared room.

"Kai for God's sake..." you almost whined while banging the door. Chrono arched one eyebrow passing by before coming near you.

"Trust me. He is not answering neither letting anyone in." He muttered as he enjoyed the rest of his snack as you groaned.

"This all could be avoided if someone admited that they were getting SICK!" This time your eye twitched at hearing a faint scoff on the following of three abrutal sneezes.

You sighed and looked at Chrono for help... but the man only shrugged and gave you a look of pity before both of you left.

"I'm going to get some meds for him..." you sighed as you grabbed your belongings as Chrono nodded.

"Want any company?"

"Is better if you guys stay in here in case he needs something... but I know Kai would freak out if I go out alone."

"I will text the others to keep an eye on here. Pops is already know of Chisaki's current situation so this way I can accompany you."

"Thank you Kurono-kun..." you gave the man a smiel before retreating the Hassaikai house in your search for medice.

~~~~~

"I can't believe they had only DRINKING medicine!" You exclaimed in horror as Kurono snorted.

"The dude is going to throw a fit." You glared at him for that and he quickly lifted his hands up in surrender.

Not even two minutes inside the house you were greeted by Pops... whose carried an expression of both amusement and desperation.

"There you are (Y/n)." The elder sighed and kurono excused himself out of there "Please help me out, will you?"

"What's the matter? Is Kai okay?" Worry creeped through your veins as you followed the elder.

He stopped by the front of you and Kai's shared room with a sigh as he pointed with his palm.

"He won't let anyone in but is asking where were you for a couple of times by now... His voice indicates that clearly he isn't on the most comfortable right now..." he smirked at your frow before giving a two knocks, learning a few violent coughs and Kai's rough and raspy voice demanding to know who was it.

"Is me and (Y/n) my boy. Stop slbeing so stubborn for once. Didn't you want to see your angel?" You blushed at the mocking tone of the elder as the man inside the room groaned.

With changed looks with Pops, you entered the once locked room amd your heart literally clenched at the sign of the man lying on the bed. Chest rising up and down as small puff of air left his uncovered lips... sweat creeping his forehead amking his dark brow bangs cling to his skin and give the so irritable hives he so despised.

He seemed cold, even despite by the amount of sheets and blankets on the bed he layed on... cheeks and nose are with a dust of pink as his eyebrows were furrowed due to his current stage.

"Gosh sweetheart..." you said almost in a whisper as you aproached slowly the bed... Your voice seemed to have startled him a bit due to how he jolted for one second on the bed. He opened a bit his amber eyes and relaxed his tense shoulders at moticing your presence.

"(Y/n).." his husky voice manifested and your heart clenched once again.

"Hi." You softly spoke, setting the baggage you were carrying aside to sit besides his laying body. Laying one hand on his foregead you winced at how hot and sweaty it was.

"You've got a high fever..." you mused worriedly before attempting to get up... if it wasn't for a hand gripping on your wrist you would have gotten away.

"Don't..." he tried to sound demanding, but due to how weak his voice was it sounded more like... a begging.

"I need to get the medicine or something else to ease the fever down Kai... you're burning up." His grip only tightened at that.

"Hey... by any time Nemoto will bring your favorite kind of tea, but you should drink the medice first."

"You want me to drink that shi-a-a-ATCHO-!" you yelped a bit by the force of his sneeze before grabbing the near package of tissues.

"Bless you." You softly spoke as he grumply stood up with his back on the mattress, snapping one of the tissues to wipe his running and stiffy nose. "Still don't want the medice?"

"... just give it already." He mumbled before wincing at the headache that was tormeting him for a couple of hours now. Handing the cup wuth the colorful liquid you heard Nemoto's voice.

You got up and thanked the man for the tray before returning to sit besides your boyfriend.

"This taste like shit." He mumbled as you handed the cup to him.

"I told you were getting sick." You carresed the side of his face, his cheeks and ears getting warmer by the touch.

"Had enough of rubbung this to my f-" and he sneezed again... thankfully you snatched his mug before it could cause a mess.

The groan he let out as he buried his face on his hands was almost pitiful. You cooed desspite knowing the glare he tried to send you before tangling gently your fingers in his hair.

"There's something I can do for you my capoo?"

A moment of silence, the only sounds being his breaths as he got up and layed his head on yours. The effect of the medice was drowsiness, but still the sudden act caught you a bit off of guard.

"... can I rest.. my head on your lap?" His voice was so soft... you thought for a moment and never once Chisaki had seemed so... vulnerable. You looked at him wide eyed as he lowered his gaze down "Just for a minute..."

You slowly nodded your head, watching in shock as he adjusted himself to lay his head on your lap, face towards you as his hands, usually covered by his white gloves, rested as well on the same place where his head was.

"Feel any better?" You whispered, in fear his headache was still there before he hummed. Shifting a bit, Chisaki layed his cheek on your neck as his nose slightly tickled your tummy, arms circling around your waist.

"I know at this time you should know about your hygenic habbits, so I will give a votr of confidence..."

"... I am honored?" You giggled before starting to rub at his scalp, your temperature rising up to how Kai seemed to finally get some relax as his small sighs escaped.

".. You're warm... so warm angel..." he mumbled incoherent and you blushed a bit "It feels like... like heaven." A cough interrupted him before he hoarsly spoke again "For some reason... laying here... brings me relief. Like I am cared for... more than just a boss of an mafia... but somehow... as a person."

You arched onne eyebrow in confusion, but hsi eyes were peacefully closed as he nuzzled a bit on you again.

"Remember when you asked me if I wanted anything else (Y/n)?"

"Yes? Is it something to eat? I acn grab i-"

"Please don't leave." You furrowed hsi eyebrows before gasping a bit at how his grip tightened the slightest as he burried his face on you "Please... please don't leave me."

Your eyes widened and burned a bit at knowing that the boss of the Hassaikai wasn't referring of you just leaving the room... but actually abandoned him.

As if you ever could.

"I always want to able to rest here... with you, my angel." he mumbled, voice full of sleep before he got conpletely knocked out.

You smile despite your eyebrows furrowing, lowering down to peck his forehead a bit as you whispered:

"Rest Kai... I will always be here. And I always will love you."

Bonus!

"You seem better from your flu." Chrono mumbled as Kai passed by reading some documents.

"Precisely."

The door suddenly was slammed open. Woth a very pouty and angry even (Y/n) fumming as Kai groaned a bit.

"Get your ass back in bed Chisaki Kai." You glared back at those monotonous golden eyes as he dared to sit down on his chair near his desk.

"I will just have a couple of work done for God's sake. Stop being so disrespectful and a brat."

"Chrono take over his job." You growled as the man himself got a bit scared on how angry you seemed. You aproached Chisaki and whispered something in his ear that made his eyes go wide open for a second before he sighed and got up to follow you.

"What the- H-How?!" Chrono said in awestruck at how fast Chisaki complied for once in his life a order.

"I lost on an argument... If I still have the symptoms I can't get a kiss." He nonchalantly spoke as he begrudgingly left the room with you waiting with arms crossed.

You smirked at Chrono who looked at you in shock before bowing a bit.

"I take my hat out for you."

"... Kurono you don't have a hat-"

[canyousevmyheavydirtysoul]

Bodyguard IV: Vegas Lights (Chapter Three) (B. Urie x Reader)

"FIVE P.M. PERFECT. THANK YOU."

The telephonic conversation now over, Brendon clicked off the phone and placed it on the table. From across the way, you and The Hounds gazed at the brooding agent expectantly.

Straightening his posture, he gave a small nod. "Hotel's booked. They're expecting us – in all of our lovebird glory – at five tomorrow afternoon."

"The plan's set, then," you said, pushing yourself off of the wall you'd been leaning against, "Perfect. Who's hungry?"

A chorus of 'me!'s' echoed around the conference room, courtesy of The Hounds, and you beckoned them to follow you as you shuffled to the kitchen. Brendon hung back, despite the pang of hunger he'd felt in his stomach, and pulled out one of the desk chairs.

There were a million and one things on his mind, each more of a problem than the next, and he needed a couple of minutes to himself to decompress. He folded his arms on the tabletop and with a heavy sigh, let his head drop onto them.

The situation regarding his mother was bothering him more than he'd let on, and he was stuck in a tug-of-war between the two sides of himself; one half wanted to see her, but the other wanted to stay as far away as possible.

Brendon sat there – mind racing and thoughts spiralling – until he physically could not bear it any longer, then pushed himself away from the table and sprang to his feet.

Mumbling a "fuck it", he ran a hand through his hair and headed for the door.

✧✧✧

Fifteen minutes later. The kitchen.

"Okay, okay, okay, I got one!"

Holding both hands up, Ambrose swallowed the food in his mouth before proceeding with his offering to the game. He ran his tongue over his teeth as he pointed between you, Rollins and Reigns.

"Give up music or give up sex?"

The three of you answered without hesitation and in unison.

"Music."

"Music."

"Sex."

All three agents immediately turned to stare at you with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows, clearly not in favor of your answer. Looking up from your sandwich, your eyes darted between the three men.

"What?"

Reaching out one hand, Rollins touched the back of his calloused fingers to your forehead, seemingly checking for a fever. Clicking your tongue, you swatted the Architect's hand away and rolled your eyes.

"You can't be serious," Ambrose laughed in disbelief, blue eyes wide, "You'd really give up ever getting laid again just for a couple tunes?"

You raised one brow.

"Jesus," the Hound mumbled, shaking his head as he flicked around the remainder of his sandwich, "You've obviously never been in bed with me."

Reigns and Rollins tossed their friend an unimpressed glare. He simply wiggled his eyebrows and held out his hands.

"Y'all know it's true."

A soft chuckle slipped past your lips at the juvenile antics of your company, followed by a small smile as you thought about how grateful you were to have met them. You missed your old friends dearly, and having The Hounds around made you feel slightly less depressed over the fact that your days of socialising were a thing of the past.

"But seriously, though..." Ambrose leaned in across the table, face as serious as can be as he posed his question, "Is Urie that bad?"

Heavily amused, you opened your mouth to respond but you were interrupted by the chime sounding from your phone. Seeing that it was a text from Brendon, you frowned.

"Speak of the devil."

✧✧✧

Two minutes later. The garage.

"Hey," you called as you approached Brendon, who was leaning against the bonnet of the SUV. Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you waved it around. "What's with the summoning texts? We're in the same house; you literally could've just walked to the kitchen."

"Didn't feel like The Hounds' questions," he answered simply.

"Okay," you nodded, "So let me ask one: What's going on?"

Stepping to the side, he reached over and opened the passenger door for you. "I wanna take you somewhere."

Slowly, you made your way into the seat. "Okay... may I ask where?"

"It's a surprise."

Tilting your head to the side, you gave him a condescending look. "Last time you said that, I ended up falling off of a cliff."

"Did you die, though?" He didn't give you a chance to reply, instead shutting the car door before you could get a syllable out. "Exactly."

✧✧✧

Twenty minutes later. Oakey Boulevard, Las Vegas.

"Wait... you're serious?" You glanced between Brendon and the building ahead apprehensively, trailing slightly behind the agent as he started up the path to the entrance. "You're actually doing this?"

"Yes."

There was the usual coldness to his tone, as well as to his expression, but you knew him well enough to know that the minute creasing of his forehead and the ever-so-slight twitching of his fingers meant that he wasn't entirely confident about his decision.

Frowing to yourself, you put a skip in your step and rushed forward to catch up to him.

"And you... want me to come with you?"

"Yes."

Brendon took a couple more steps before coming to an adrupt halt. You nearly bumped into him, but stopped yourself just in time and tossed him a confused look.

He turned his head to look at you, and a hint of unsurety flashed across his chocolate eyes.

"That okay?" he asked, realising then that he probably should've taken the initiative to gauge your willingness to participate in his little errand beforehand, instead of simply assuming that you'd want to go along with it.

Fortunately for him, you'd be willing to follow him anywhere.

"More than," you said softly, slipping your hand into his and squeezing.

The agent squeezed back, then gave a small nod and continued forward. Following suit, you trudged up the rest of the cobblestone path and toward the high, spiked front gate.

A security guard was perched in a hut to the right of the gate and when he caught sight of the two of you, nodded in greeting before stepping out and extending a register form.

Brendon took the clipboard and began filling out the required information, while you stood back and took a moment to survey the building properly. Stuffing your hands in your back pockets, you peered through the openings in the gate.

The place looked nice enough – slightly modern, but with a certain charm that made it evident that quite a few years had passed since its construction. The plaque fixed to the fencing-wall confirmed your suspicions; it listed the year of establishment as 2004.

There was a low hum as the gate swung open, and you walked behind Brendon as he led the way through the now-open space. The light scratching of your shoes against the stone ground was the only sound between the two of you, joined soon after by the creak of the wooden front door as it opened.

Most reception areas followed the same blueprint, and this one was no different. There was a seating area to your left, centered by a coffee table and a potted plant. And to your right, a semi-circular desk behind which the receptionist sat, gaze cast downward and voice hushed as she spoke into the reciever held to her ear.

Brendon's bulky frame cast a slight shadow over the top of the desk, catching the receptionist's attention and prompting her to look up. Acknowledging the both of you with a small smile, she held up one finger as if to say 'one moment'.

"Just a second, Mrs Brown." After excusing herself from her telephonic conversation for a beat, she pressed the reciever to her chest and raised her brows as she addressed you. "Here for visitation?"

"We are," Brendon confirmed.

"You can head on through," she smiled, handing over two vistor badges before extending a hand down the hall to direct you, "The courtyard is where you want to be. Down the hall to the end, last right and then the last left."

You and Brendon started down the hall as the receptionist resumed her call, and you scoffed at her nonchalance.

"You'd think they'd have a better first line of defense," you chided, shaking your head.

"We probably don't seem like too much of a threat," Brendon said coolly, peering down each turn the two of you passed by, "Young couple in Vegas... we scream harmless and naïve."

"Which is what we're going for, right?"

The agent glanced at you briefly. "Exactly."

Coming to a halt in front of an antique oak and glass door, the both of you bent down to peer through at the outside. There was a large expanse of green grass and tall trees, surrounding a quaint courtyard area in which the building's occupants were currently enjoying some downtime with their visitors.

You gave Brendon's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You ready?"

He exhaled heavily. "As I'll ever be."

With one solid push, Brendon opened the door, allowing you to exit first and following closely behind. The bright sunrays blinded you momentarily, and you lifted a hand to shield your eyes from the harsh light.

Brendon seemed unaffected – the only show of discomfort on his part was the slight narrowing of his eyes, but even that was more due to the fact that he was avidly scanning the garden in search of that one familiar face amongst a sea of strangers.

His gaze stalled on a figure at the far end of the lawn, sitting on a bench underneath a flowering Jacaranda tree, and his body tensed up instantaneously. They were too far away to see their face, but there wasn't a shadow of a doubt in his mind that it was who he was looking for.

"There she is."

Attention now fully on Brendon, you followed his gaze, letting your mouth fall open into a small 'o' once you spotted her. Without saying a word, the two of you fell into stride next to each other as you started towards her.

As you walked, you couldn't help but let out a short, almost inaudible chuckle at the situation. Never in a million years would you have envisioned that you would be in Las Vegas, with Brendon, seconds away from meeting his mother. In fact, if someone had told you a couple months ago that this would be the case, you'd have laughed in their face and called them crazy.

And yet, here you were.

There was a slight tremor in your hands, and you quickly hid them in your pockets so that Brendon couldn't see. He was noticeably (and understandably) on edge; the last thing you wanted was for him to be focused on you and your emotions.

Accompanying the agent on such a precarious outing, you felt somewhat out of place. Not nervous or anxious, exactly – more like you shouldn't be there. This was the height of 'familial business', and you were afraid that being there with him during his first encounter with his mother in almost ten years would seem intrusive.

But... he wanted you there. He asked for you to come.

He needed you there.

And if he needed you, then that was the only thing that mattered. To hell with feelings and circumstance. This wasn't about you, in any case.

Ten feet away from her now, you drew in a deep breath in an effort to steady yourself. Although steady was the last thing you were a moment later, when a middle-aged woman in staff attire accidently bumped into you. She had been carrying a bundle of seat cushions in her hands, and the impact caused them to go sprawling across the grass.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie," she smiled apologetically, already half-way to the ground to start picking up the scattered items, "Damn sun's been blinding me all day, already."

"No worries," you assured her, immediately reaching down to help with the collection of the cushions.

Brendon hadn't even noticed the ordeal; his focus and attention was solely on his mother. He continued forward as you stayed back to help, taking purposeful yet cautious steps in her direction.

Once he was close enough to touch her, he reached out and with a shaky breath, lightly touched her shoulder.

"Mom?"

His voice was soft, timid. A striking opposite to the icy hardness it usually held. It flittered through the air slowly; once it reached Grace's ears, she perked up.

"Mason?"

Brendon felt a pang in his chest – partly due to the fact that it was the first time in nine years that he was hearing his mother's voice, and partly because the first thing that came out of her mouth had been his name.

The brooding agent's eyebrows knitted together as he frowned, wondering why the hell his mother had uttered his brother's name. He couldn't think of a single reason why she would have.

"No," he started, shaking his head lightly, "it's-"

She had turned around then, coming face-to-face with her youngest for the first time after what had felt like an eternity, and finished his sentence for him.

"Brendon," she said, his name coming out as a breathy gasp as she struggled to contain her emotion.

Getting to her feet, she covered her mouth with a shaky hand as the tears started forming, before throwing her arms around his towering frame as they began cascading down her cheeks.

Ever so slowly, Brendon wrapped his arms around her too, causing her to tighten her hold and keep him even closer. Turning her head, she gave him a tear-filled kiss on the cheek, then once again buried herself in his embrace.

"Oh, my boy," she whispered, more to herself than to him; she couldn't believe that he was there with her, "My sweet boy."

After another little while, the two of them pulled back from one another. But Grace still kept her grip on him, holding her hands to his cheeks.

"Look at you," she laughed, eyes still watery, "You're so... big."

"Yeah," the agent wheezed.

You approached them, tentatively sidling up next to Brendon with a soft smile. His tense body language softened with your prescence, and you saw him exhale in relief.

"Mom, this is (Y/N)," he introduced, tilting his head in your direction a tiny bit.

She looked at him in surprise, but that surprise turned to glee a second later, and she pinched his cheek ever so slightly. Looking to you, she gave a warm smile, her eyes crinkling as she did so. She was beautiful; Brendon looked just like her.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mrs Urie," you said politely.

"Call me Grace. Please," she rectified, giving another wide smile.

"Grace," you repeated.

"Come sit, both of you."

Waving you over to a white, stone picnic bench, she slid into one end as you and Brendon took a seat on the other side.

"I can't tell you how unbelievably happy I am to see you," Grace gushed, still staring at her son as if she were expecting him to vanish into air at any moment.

Sucking on his teeth, Brendon nodded. "Yeah, it's...been a while."

"Nine long years," she specified, and you caught a flash of sadness in her eyes; but it was quickly replaced by the sparkle that accompanied her smile, "What do you do? Are you in the military? I remember you were so intent on enlisting..."

"I, uh... I was. For a little bit. But then I got this job offer that I... well, I couldn't refuse." He scoffed, running a hand through his hair.

Grace nodded, listening intently to each and every word that slipped past her son's lips, as if each syllable would help close the void that had developed since he'd left.

"He's phenomenal at his work," you reported, earning a big grin from the woman seated across from you. Brendon gave you a look, too, but it was the exact opposite of his mother's. "The best, actually."

"I don't doubt it," she murmured, looking from you to him and then back again.

For the next half an hour or so, the conversation flowed steadily. There was still apprehensiveness on Brendon's part, but he was trying, and made a concerted effort to answer any and all questions tossed his way.

Now and then you'd reach under the table to give his hand a squeeze, just out of reassurance; you thought you had been subtle enough that Grace wouldn't notice, but she did. She was thoughtful enough to not point it out, instead smiling to herself each time she caught it.

The sharp sound of your ringtone cut through the air, prompting you to hastily fish your phone out of your pocket. Reigns' name flashed across the screen, and you swung your legs off of the bench, starting to get up.

"Excuse me, I have to get this," you excused yourself from the conversation, then scurried off in search of some privacy, just in case the call was mission-related.

Grace watched you fondly, turning back to her son once you were out of her direct line of sight.

"She's lovely."

Tossing a brief look at you, Brendon nodded. "She is."

"I want to give you something."

The agent's forehead creased at his mother's words, perplexion deepening as she unclipped the necklace around her neck. The pendant-like piece had been hidden underneath her blouse, and once Brendon saw it, his jaw tensed.

Reaching for his hand, Grace held it in her own as she gently lowered the piece of jewellery into his grasp. Closing his grip with her other hand, she held on tightly.

"For when the time's right."

Mustering up a weak smile, Brendon nodded once and gripped her hand tighter. He pulled back soon after, depositing the necklace into his pocket and frowning as a bothersome thought re-entered his mind.

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"When I first called out to you... you thought I was Mason." He looked at her with a blank expression. "What made you think that it could be him?"

Grace stared at him, genuinely perplexed. "You mean... you don't know?"

Brendon frowned. "Know what?"

"Mason's back home, too."

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

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[heave-hyung]

Could you do something where jimin is a little he gets a bellyache and either jungkook or hobi takes care of him/one of them is his daddy and ends up puking all over the place? Thank you so much

A/N: So I don’t know how good this is and I don’t know if I’ll really write much littlespace, but I wanted to post this anyway. I guess if this is a hit I can take little requests, I just can’t promise that I’ll write them all? Though of course I’ll do my best! 

Jimin is the type to overestimate himself. He thinks he can hide things and handle things on his own on the daily. If he’s injured or ill, he doesn’t want to feel like a burden, so he tries his best not to mention it and to hide his pain, not that he ever succeeds. He’s super obvious, and he always has been.

When he’s little, however, everything changes. He doesn’t make any move to hide it. Which is exactly how he ended up in Hoseok’s lap, currently sitting and whining about having a bad bellyache. 

“Poor puppy,” Hoseok coos, running his hand through Jimin’s hair. “What’s got my baby’s tummy so upset?” 

Jimin shrugs. “Dunno…” His tone is subdued--downright sad, even. They’ve been sitting on the couch for a while. Jimin hasn’t mentioned that he feels nauseous yet, and he also hasn’t allowed himself the relief of...blowing off any steam, either. Even as a little, he’s super embarrassed about burping and farting, and that’s never changed, though he has gotten the tiniest bit better at it. 

Jimin buries his face in Hoseok’s shoulder, whining pitifully. Hoseok hums in sympathy, snaking the hand on his back around his waist to start rubbing light, gentle circles into the taut flesh there. The little freezes, stiffening up.

“Am I hurting you, baby boy?” Hoseok asks, pausing.

Jimin stays quiet, knowing that if he lets his hyung keep doing that, he’ll end up doing something embarrassing. Still, it does feel nice...so he shakes his head. “N-No.” 

Hoseok nods in acknowledgement to his response before resuming his soft ministrations. Jimin shifts a bit, trying to keep some control on his body, but when Hoseok runs a hand down his spine and pats his back gently out of caregiver instinct, he ends up releasing a loud belch he couldn’t hold back.

“S-Sorry!” Jimin quickly apologizes, muffled by Hoseok’s shoulder. 

The older boy chuckles softly. “Silly Jiminie...you don’t have to be embarrassed.” Hoseok stays quiet for a moment before making a realization. “Do you have to…” He presses into Jimin’s lower stomach, which immediately encourages a bubbling outburst of gas from his other end and makes him whine basfully. 

“Excuse me…” He mumbles, shame heavy in his voice.

“Baby, I don’t mind...I just want you to feel better, sweet boy,” Hoseok does his best to comfort him. He knows just how temperamental his baby’s tummy can get, and just how gassy he can get when his stomach is upset. Hoseok doesn’t like to see his baby boy all shameful (or, worse, guilty.) But he also doesn’t like seeing him in so much pain, and he knows that getting him to let it out might alleviate some of his issue, so he reluctantly starts to press harder. 

Jimin loses all control from that, a much louder and longer fart escaping him, followed quickly by a much deeper belch and a whine. He leans heavier on Hoseok, hiding his face even more, if that’s even possible as another muffled belch rolls up his throat. 

“That’s it, baby,” Hoseok encourages. “Just let it all out…” 

The little really doesn’t have much of a choice, belch after belch, fart after fart escaping him in rapid succession. He moans and whines, though Hoseok can’t tell his it’s out of embarrassment or pain or both. 

“Daddy,” Jimin suddenly whines. “I don’ feel good…” 

“I know, puppy, I know,” Hoseok says, not entirely understanding exactly what Jimin means. Well, until Jimin jerks with another belch and Hoseok feels something wet and warm on his back. He freezes up for a moment, the realization of what just happened not fully setting in--probably because he doesn’t want it to. As much as he loves Jimin, he can’t say he loves getting puked on, even if everything about his baby is adorable to him.

Hoseok is brought back to reality by Jimin suddenly starting to sob and hiccup. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please d-don’t be mad, I’m sorry! Diminie is sorryy,” he repeats, words gradually becoming more slurred and childlike as he gets himself all worked up. 

“Oh, no, no, sweet boy, don’t cry...shh, it’s alright, okay? You’re feeling icky, you can’t help it. You didn’t choose for this to happen,” Hoseok comforts, totally forgetting about his extreme dislike for vomit. “Come, let’s get to the bathroom.” Hoseok picks his little up, quickly making his way to the bathroom with Jimin in his arms, who’s still mumbling apologies and sniffling into his shoulder. 

Hoseok sets him down in front of the toilet, taking off his soiled shirt so as not to get himself all uncomfortable and lose track of his baby who needs him right now. He rubs Jimin’s back with one hand, pulling his bangs back with the other as he lurches towards the toilet with a much sicker belch, followed by a full-blown heave. 

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Hoseok whispers sweet nothings, trying to make this as painless as possible. “Let it all up...get it out, baby, you’re okay.” 

Jimin hiccups and chokes, sobbing between heaves and losing the ability to breathe as he retches again and again, bringing up copious waves of sick one after the other, and Hoseok wonders how he has all of that in him despite a breakfast of dino nuggets and apple juice. The caregiver places gentle kisses on Jimin’s neck and jawline when he takes his head out of the bowl every so often, carding fingers through his hair while keeping his long, light brown bangs out of his face so he doesn’t get sick in them. He glances down at the soiled water for a minute, seeing just how fogged and almost opaque it is from the sheer amount of sick his little is bringing up, and he feels his heart break, realizing just how much he must be hurting. He tries his best to figure out why he’s so sick, but he can’t think straight enough to actually come back with a valid answer; all that’s on his mind is how much he wants Jimin to feel better. 

Eventually, Jimin is burping up small mouthfuls of sick that turn into more bile than half-digested food, before he’s finally diminished to hollow belches and dry heaves that are only made all the more painful and dramatic by the sobs that still wrack his frame. It’s not at all helped by the embarrassment he still feels from the gas escaping his other end that he can’t control at all and is only made louder by his spot on the cold bathroom floor. “I’m sorry, daddy, I’m sorry,” he still mumbles. “Diminie didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean it, promise! I’m sorry,” he sobs. 

“Jiminie, it’s alright! I swear it’s okay, daddy isn’t mad,” Hoseok coos. “Daddy isn’t mad at all...my poor baby boy, I’m sorry you feel so sick…shhh, baby, shh, don’t cry.” 

Jimin jerks forward again with a few quieter, pitiful belches and quiet gags before he finally calms down, sniffling as he leans into Hoseok. The older boy takes his little’s shirt off too, hoping the skin to skin contact will do something to help him before pulling him close to his chest. 

The little slumps against him, whimpering sadly. “Don’ feel good, daddy…” 

“I know you don’t, I’m sorry…”

“Dinos don’ taste good to throw up.”

Hoseok nods, before suddenly, realization hits him. “Jiminie, did you read the numbers on the box like daddy told you to while I poured apple juice in your sippy?” 

Jimin nods. “Yeah! They were...three...three...two zero one five…”

Hoseok facepalms. “Shit, that’s why they were in the back of the freezer…”

“You curs-ed!”

Hoseok thinks over what he just said before laughing. “Sorry, baby! Didn’t mean too.”

“S’okay…” Jimin yawns. “I’m tired.” 

“I bet you are,” the older man agrees. “Do you want to go lay in bed?”

“I still feel icky tho…” Jimin mumbles defeatedly, sighing. 

“Okay, baby, we can stay here,” Hoseok says, starting to rock the smaller boy gently. “We can stay here as long as you need.”

The next time he looked down, his little was fast asleep in his arms. 

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Why? ~ F.W. (part 8)

A/n: I've run out of gifs for Fred in Prisoner of Azkaban someone help me

Word Count: 5900+ (I'm trying here)

MASTERLIST

The trip back to Hogwarts was pleasant. It would have been better if Fred hadn't kissed my cheek in front of his whole family, nearly giving me a heart attack. I pulled him aside where no one could see us, telling him I wasn't comfortable with PDA. He wasn't sure why. "Fred, you know that when you show affection in front of people, it's like screaming that you're... you're..." I swallowed, my throat thick with emotion.

Fred frowed, losing the happiness and lightheartedness he'd had before. "Do you regret yesterday?"

"No!" I rushed, my hands on his face as I pulled him close. He began to lean into my touch but then stopped himself and I frowned. "Oh Fred." I shook my head, huffing. "I wish I could be ready for everything you deserve. Cuddling and kissing all the time. I love PDA, I really do, but I'm not ready for a relationship right now. I- I just- Oh I'm so sorry." He pulled me close, beginning to comfort me before I stopped him. "No, it's not okay. You have to understand, I'm not.. used to affection. For people even caring about me. It's hard to believe that Ron and Hermione even care about me and that Harry can forget who my father is despite everything he knows to be my friend and have such a relationship with me, but... but to think you of all people. With your smile and your confidence and your flirting and how well you kiss." I struggled. "When I first came to Hogwarts, everyone told me that everyone hated Slytherins. Nearly my whole house, who were supposed to be the people who were the only ones to care about me, hate me because I'm not a pureblood and I'm not picky about who's my friend and because of who my dad is... Bloody hell, on top of everything happening this year-" I cut off and I knew he had a million questions about some of the things I'd said but he didn't ask any questions. Something about my current state kept him silent. "It's just a lot. And you deserve better, I just-"

He rested his forehead against mine, hushing me with just his proximity. "It's okay." His hand found mine and his thumb brushed over top of my hand, reassuring me further. "I just forget sometimes. But I don't mind. Really." He leaned away, my heavy eyelids opening to see his smile. "It's only fair that I have to deal with your taking things so slow." He was teasing now. "After all, I keep rushing you and forgetting how you must feel." He brushed his finger tips along my forehead, moving hair away from my face. "Think of all the people I've done wrong to as well! You're serving brilliant justice, Liv, brilliant justice!" He widened his eyes, shaking his head to dramatize the whole thing. I laughed which what he seemed to be aiming for. He pulled my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles.

It was then I realized we were alone. My eyes flickered to the corner that would turn to the front of the house where the others were waiting. Grinning, I moved further behind the house, grabbing Fred's collar and pulling his lips to mine. He hummed, grinning and sining again when we parted. "You may kiss me when you're sure we're alone," I told him too smoothly. My confidence was already growing and we were both reaping the benefits as he blushed, letting gout a sharp breath. I reached out, my thumb moving against the curve of his cheek, touching the warm, pink skin. "It's really a good look for you Weasley. Even if they don't get to see me kiss you, I don't mind them seeing the effect of me kissing you." I giggled as he moved closer again, backing me up against the wall to kiss me again.

"Liv! Fred! Where are you, we have to go."

Fred groaned which made me laugh harder before I slipped away from him, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the cars. I dropped his hand as we rounded the corner, pulling him closer as I did so, allowing me to ram into his shoulder. He stumbled and I erupted into laughter.

Everyone was looking between us and each other as the two of us approached but I didn't care.

It wasn't much better on the train. It was me, Fred, Cedric, George, Ginny, Luna, Lee Jordan, and Neville. Sam saw me through the door and that's when he and Beth joined as well. It wasn't even awkward for a second as my friendship with the Gryffindors and the two Slytherins drew everyone to a meeting place through me, hitting it off without a pause (and with a lot of open minded help from Fred). We were laughing and messing with each other the whole time, and I couldn't have been happier. Well maybe if Harry, Ron, and Hermione was here... but if they had, the compartment have have exploded with the amount of people it was holding, so I this would have to do.

-

Along with Lupin giving Harry lessons about his Patronas in defense against the Dementors, I visited him occasionally. I felt bad because I know he must be busy between Harry, being a teacher, and the wolf thing. Despite that though, he seemed thrilled every time I dropped by and if I didn't at least once every three days or so, he pulled me aside after class and asked if I was okay. Today, I finally asked him something that had been on my mind for a bit. "Professor." He looked over to let me know he was listening. "Did your friends know? About... the moon thing?"

Lupin actually smiled. It boggled me how he was so pleasant about everything. It made everything easier to bare. "They did."

"What did they do, when you'd leave? Came back?" I scooted forward in my chair.

He looked at me, curiosity and hesitation on his face. He wasn't sure why I was asking this question so he didn't know what the consequences would be if he answered it. "Well," he began slowly. "As a werewolf, I don't care who you are, if you're a person, I'm likely to kill you." His expression was serious but not dark. "But, other animals have a lot better luck with me. So, when I'd turn up, they worried about me. They actually..." He smiled and I imagined it was a fond memory. "Can you keep a secret?" I nodded. "They became animagi." When my face twisted with confusion he sighed, taking a seat across from me, resting from the care and organizing he was doing for the next animal we would be learning about in Defense Against the Dark Arts. "My friends learned how to turn into animals on will to accompany me while I was a wolf, having my back and keeping an eye on me."

My eyes widened as he spoke. "My dad too?" He nodded slowly, his smile wavering. "What were they each?"

"Your dad was a black dog," he answered first. "James - I'm sure you know that's Harry's dad - was a stag. Peter was a rat."

My eyes narrowed at him. "And why do I have to keep this a secret?"

His smile turned suddenly boyish, growing and lilting with a sort of troublesome light in his eyes. I was stunned with how wonderfully young he looked. It made me feel younger as well, like in this time we were both children, running through a field, some mischievous plans in our minds as we raced to carry them out. "They didn't register. Which is, of course, illegal, and could get you sent to Azkaban."

I laughed, loud. His smile grew into a brilliant grin. "I see!" I calmed, my eyes falling to the floor as an idea came across my mind. "Professor." He hummed. "How does one become an animagi?"

"Animagus, for singular use," he corrected. I nodded. He then seemed to realize my words and gave me a look that chilled me to my bone. "I won't have you out there turned into some animal. It's dangerous around these grounds- especially if word gets around within hearing range of a certain escaped prisoner." I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the way, Lupin and I had silently vowed never to say his name out loud.

I waved my hand through the air, dismissing his words. "I'm not, I just..." My body sagged. "I would like to have something like that similar with him. Not my knack for trouble or my subconscious habits and reactions or the way I look. Nothing that I can't control. I want something that is mine and his. Something positive." I swallowed. "Is that mad, Professor? To want to connect to a murderer?"

Lupin paused. "I don't think there's anything wrong with doing something to bring the memory of something pleasant and happy to life. You're not celebrating HIM, you're celebrating the good memories of him I have. I think reaching out for a connection you deeply crave isn't mad at all." His expression was soft when I met it.

"So how do I do it?"

Another hesitation. "Do you want to do it legally?"

The mischievous smile I wore now mirrored the one he'd had before. "Would he have?"

Lupin laughed. "Okay, well, as your professor, I have to say that I'm going to tell you how to do it but you're going to tell me that you're going to register. And if anyone happens to specifically ask if you, Ylva Black, are an animagus, I will have to tell them that I'm not sure what actions you took but that I did give you information on it. Understood?" I nodded and he pulled out a bit of parchment, picking up a quill and dipping it in ink before he began writing. "There's a book..." He finished it, handing it to me. "There. What I know, and at least two books that they used back then to fill in what I may have forgotten."

Grinning, I took the parchment from him. "Thank you Professor." I stood, making my way to the door. I then stopped, turning to face him. "If I was to... join you on full moons, and take the place of what they used to do back then... would that anger you?"

He seemed touched by the offer. "It would not anger me, but please don't. I would hate if anything went wrong and you were hurt. I told you about the potion, yes?" I nodded. He had, a few visits back. I'd been building up to this point for a while. "So I'm fine. Safe."

"But you're lonely," I shot back. "If you're safe, why would it be a problem if I came? In animal form?"

He sighed, half chuckling under his breath. "If you really set your mind to it, I don't think I could stop you no matter how hard I tried. All I say is that I would advise against it. But, seeing as I know I would do it if I was in your position, and seeing as your dad has done it before you, I can't bring myself to be angry if it was a choice you made."

That was all I needed to know. I left, a plan hatching in my mind.

-

Coincidentally, right after I asked Lupin about it. It all seemed very driven by fate, learning about the potion. Keeping a Mandrake leaf in my mouth for a month might be ridiculously hard, and I had to wait for the next full moon because only then could I begin the process. Then I could only drink it in a lightning storm? This was ridiculous! But, it was worth it, and I was determined.

Fred approached me as I was reading about the process, memorizing the incantation and figuring out what I'd need next, as I'd begun to gather the ingredients. I had the leaf and a hair, and I'd snagged a vial from Snape's room while he wasn't looking during class. Now I needed a silver teaspoon with dew that had not seen sunlight or been stepped on by a living being. The chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawk Moth was the one I was struggling to get at the moment. I had three of their books open as I cross checked the name of the thing the spell called for and the creature in the book. I even had a box I was prepared to put the vial in once the potion once it was complete- a quiet, dark place under my bed awaiting the boxed vial so it wouldn't be disturbed until the next storm.

"What are you doing, Love?" I jumped and Fred put his hands in the air, giving me my space. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

Closing the books and stacking them on top of each other so he wouldn't know what they were, I pretended to make room for him, standing and pushing them aside to face him and keep his attention on me. "Sorry, I was just focused. What's up?"

He gave me a look full of suspicion, but it didn't make me nervous. He was more curious, seeing through my attempts at being secretive, more than he didn't trust me and was about to dig for information in a malicious way. "Nothing much. What are you up to?"

Breathing in slowly, I debated telling him. "Fred, do you trust me?"

That question seemed to not settle well with him. "Yes," he finally said, slowly.

"I'm doing something I need to do alone. Something that you can't do with me because it's... well it's illegal, first of all. But also because I'm doing it for a really weird reason I don't think you'd really understand. And it's going to require some weird things but I just need you to trust me.

He was smiling. "If you need to do something without me intervening, that's fine. But if you're telling me because of those reasons, it seems you're the one who doesn't trust me."

My shoulders sagged. He was right. What was I so scared of? He'd stop me? He'd think I was crazy and ditch me? This was Fred Weasley- by this point, I could grow a tail and he wouldn't care. Taking a breath, I pulled the Animagus book off the pile, handing it to him. He looked at it. "I do trust you. It's myself I don't trust." I took a shaky breath in. "I want to become an animagus. But... But I want to do it because my dad's one." He shot me a startled look. "I know how terrible that sounds," I rushed. "I'm not doing it to connect to him now, I'm... Oh Merlin. I met an old friend of his." I didn't want to give Lupin away. ur conversations were so private, it didn't seem right. Especially because he'd helped me out too. No, I'd keep the connection to myself. "From when he was at Hogwarts. They told me all these stories and... and at some point he wasn't a follower of Voldemort." Fred flinched but didn't say anything, and I appreciated it. "I want to fill this void inside of me. With good things about him. Make it easier to be connected to me as he is, maybe by connecting to him as he was. Did you know he was a Gryffindor? And he got into trouble all the time." I laughed, only just realized that I was crying. "The stories about him make me think of you actually."

Fred moved closer, his thumb wiping away the few tears off my cheeks. "I think this is all really cool, and I can't imagine what you're feeling but it does make sense in a way. I can help you with the process? I mean, being an animagus might be fun maybe I can do it with you." He grinned and I honestly felt so much better. I thought about us sneaking around as animals and it made my heart race. He was really willing to stick out his neck for me.

"If you wanted to..." I mumbled.

His smile grew. "I would love nothing more."

And that's when Fred and I made the biggest decisions of our lives and changed nearly everything in the smallest way possible, without even knowing it.

-

The next full moon, Fred and I put the leaves in our mouths. We were unsure if it was going to go according to plan since Fred rarely stopped talking and having him with his mouth closed or his speech so limited for so long (we didn't want to chance him accidentally spitting it out or swallowing it, since then he'd have to start over) but he seemed as determined as I was so I wasn't too worried. That month was spent with us gathering the rest of the ingredients - not anywhere as easy as it sounds, with us having to sneak out late at night, just before dawn, to collect dew with our silver spoons and then spill it very carefully into the vials and then shut the nearly completed potions into our boxes as we raced back to our dorms to hide it in a blanket under my bed, since his dorm might be too loud. Lupin kept shooting me looks and I would smile as innocently as possible and then he'd bust up laughing, and I knew it was because I was reminding him of my dad in his prime Hogwarts years again. It reminded me why I was doing this and made everything wonderfully easier

New Years was the last time either of us had kissed and I could see it was bothering Fred. The moment had been wonderful, full of blushing and sneaking around and dodging people. He had brought fire whiskey and I'm sure the whole castle must have known what we were doing by the time we got back to our own dorms and fell asleep as our last night of freedom from careful treading came to an end. It was obvious that people thought something major had happened between me and Fred that night as they teased about it the next day and then saw the drastic change in both of us as we grew attached at the hip. Fred didn't speak even half as much as usual, nor did he plan pranks with George. I wasn't inserting myself into problems and getting in fights with Pansy- I wasn't even bothered by Snape anymore, settling on tutoring Neville after class hours on potions and how to deal with anxiety alike to battle his struggles in class. We were both doing better because of it.

I don't know what everyone thought was happening, but it was hilarious any way their minds went.

Echo and Lohran (my pure black owl) were the most irritated by my absence. Every time I'd go to visit Lohran, he wouldn't come near me and would screech and peck at my fingers. I knew it was because I'd begun to visit him significantly less, busied by the animagus stuff as well as classes and my visits with Lupin. Between all of that and trying to maintain a relationship with Fred and Harry and my father, I didn't seem to ever have time to do anything. I was feeling so much stress that Echo began to avoid me, unwilling to partake so much in my heavy emotions.

When the next moon came, it was a relief. It was a cold February morning when Fred and I met with our boxes. We took our tubes out, smiling at each other before spitting our leaves into the tubes. "Ugh!" Fred groaned quietly. We put the tubes in the boxes and wrapped them up in the blanket, both in my arms as we walked away as they had been when we'd first come here a few minutes ago. With me keeping Fred's box, he had to do it with me, so I'd been waiting and made it all so we could do it together. As we walked, our hands found each other. "That thing's been in my mouth so long! Horrible, really. I have a weird taste on my tongue. Figure it'll go away?"

"Eventually." We'd both figured out that chewing it was fine, so Fred had taken advantage of this by biting it between his teeth when he talked- it limited his speech, but allowed him some elbow room. Me, on the other hand, had gone nearly completely silent. It showed now in the way my voice rasped and my throat burned, both from disuse.

"So we drink them during the next storm?"

I nodded. "Meet me, same place, same." I went to part down the way we usually did to go to our separate common rooms, but he caught my wrist. He pulled me to him and quickly pressed his lips to mine. It had been a month since he'd done that and now I was grinning, a shiver running up my spine.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

Lightheaded, I returned a weak, "Night," and then we went our different ways. Despite my elation I still took very serious care- if anything went wrong, we'd have to start the potion all over again, even if it was completed now. Along the way, things could go wrong too, and if we didn't know, it could have horrific consequences. That sobered me up a bit, but my lips were still tingling and my cheeks were still warm as I crawled into bed, pulling my sheets to my neck as Echo curled up with me for the first time in two and a half weeks. Good night indeed.

-

I'd been so caught up in schoolwork, I missed the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Luna was prattling off things that had happened during the match and I wasn't listening enough to process that it had been Gryffindor against them. I kept humming as I did my divinations homework, trying to remember what each of the symbols meant. My thoughts were interrupted when Fred snapped, "Are you even listening?"

My eyes slowly found his. Everyone looked surprised by the outburst but my head was swimming with too much information and I was only confused. "Quidditch match. Draco and his goons dressed up as goons to scare Harry but he used the patronus spell and it backfired on those Slytherin idiots." George, who was with us, blushed. He probably hadn't realized I'd caught that particular comment. "Harry." My eyes widened. "Oh, I missed the game-"

"Gryffindor against Ravenclaw," Fred grumbled.

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes for a second. "I'm so sorry Fred. I've had so much on my plate - my brain's been so many places- you see even Echo's ignoring me." I motioned helplessly to the white cat. She'd been so loud and annoying when I'd tried to leave her that I'd just taken her with me. Now she was restlessly pacing, twisting around Fred's leg over and completely avoiding me, no matter how hard I tried to get her attention.

"It's okay, Liv," George soothed.

Fred glared at he got nudged by his twin but then sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I understand."

Under the table, I grabbed Fred's hand. My eyes met his, my expression full of guilt. "I'll try to make future matches, promise."

He waved his hand through the air, dismissing it. "I'd just like to have my good luck charm at my games." He eased. He liked to have me come and with me being torn between everything, he had suffered as much as everyone else from my absence. Things hadn't gotten better after we finished the potions and that's when he'd realized it was more than just the leaves keeping me from kissing him. I felt bad and he could tell that I meant more than what I said when I promised to be there for his games.

Unfortunately, things were only about to get crazier.

-

"Black was WHERE?" I demanded, near hysterics. My hands were shaking and I couldn't breathe.

Harry took hold of my hands. "I know, I know! But I'm fine."

"You could be dead though, Harry! Don't you dare try and calm me down." He let go of my hands, putting his own in the air in surrender. I took a moment to collect myself before squeezing my eyes closed, taking deep, slow breaths. When I opened my eyes against I whispered a, "I'm sorry." He shrugged it off, offering a little smile. I opened my arms and he came into them, giving me a hug.

To put it simply, I wasn't nearly as calmed by his hug as I usually would have been. Sirius Black had been in the castle. My father had been in Harry's dorm room with a knife. Why attack Ron though? Maybe he'd gotten the wrong bed? Oh heaven. It all weighed heavy on my chest and I was pushed steadily closer to my breaking point.

-

I missed the trip to Hogsmead. Harry didn't offer and I didn't ask- we were both in our own little worlds. I spent the trip as I had the first time: in the library doing homework. This time I had echo in my lap. I'd been taking her everywhere I could and since her presence calmed me down and she had no one else to distract her, she was happy enough to just sit in my lap and sleep.

The next full moon was coming up and I wanted to have my animagus form figured out by then, but I didn't know when the next storm was going to be. It really might not happen ever this year. Or, not until much later. Unable to focus on anything I took my things to visit Lupin- another person I'd been neglecting recently. When he saw me, bag over my shoulder and Echo in my arms, he frowned. "Liv," he greeted solemnly. "You look as tired as me."

Echo struggled to get out of my arms so I let her fall. She nuzzled against my legs. "I'm afraid I've got a lot going on in my head, Professor." He motioned to a chair and I sat. "I'm anxious I'll mess up the potion. Or never get to use it. Or my dad will kill one of my best friends as Harry refuses to watch his own back. I feel like I'm always forgetting homework. I've been sort of pulled into myself. I feel tired all the time. Lohran and Echo are jumpy around me. My friends are feeling neglected. I know you're worried about me. And all the while, every step my father takes gives people - the Slytherins especially - ammo to shove in my face and down my throat. Even Pansy's bother by how much I've been ignoring her. And Fred-" My ut off, choking on my words. "And- and George. And Ginny. Sam and Beth-"

Lupin rolled his eyes and it was an expression that de-aged him again. Being around me in general seemed to make him relax and seem years younger. I wondered if it was because I reminded him of my father. "Don't pretend I'm not as aware of your and Fred's affiliation." He said the last word teasingly. I blushed.

"I just feel so worn out, Professor."

He sighed, no longer smiling. "Maybe take a break from things. I've noticed you have a habit of getting so engrossed in things that you forget about the people around you. Focus on what you can control and if you can't control it, let it go." I groaned and he nodded. "I know it's hard. But it'll be worth it." He paused. "Have you eaten today?" I gave him a sheepish look, shaking my head. "Go remedy that. You know that painting with the fruits?" I nodded. "Tickle the pair. It'll laugh and turn into a doorknob. The houseelves are always excited to feed a soul in need. Take some time away while everyone's at Hogsmead. Take Echo if you feel you need to. Take today for yourself. It's important."

I stood slowly. "Thanks Professor." He nodded, smiling, and I left. I did as he told me to and by the time the day ended I hadn't seen any of my friends but I felt infinitely better, so I suppose it was worth it.

The news I received from the trio about both the skirmish between Ron and Draco and then Harry and Snape and then Ron, Harry, and Snape as well as the lost case that would lead to Buckbeak's execution, ruined my good mood.

I visited Lupin again to ask about the map. "Of course you knew about it," he sighed. I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. He gave me a look. "Liv, I know there's a lot on your plate right now, but I'm going to add some more, okay?" I nodded hesitantly. "I want you to keep a close eye on Harry. Between you and Hermione, you may keep him safe if he doesn't learn how dangerous..." He paused. "How dangerous Sirius Black is." I swallowed and his face sparked with pain. "Or, if he can convinced, I believe it will be you two to do the job. Can you do that for me?" I nodded. "Thank you. Now no more talk about years passed or illegal potions I should have never told you about. I'm your teacher. Yes?" I nodded again and he dismissed me on that note.

-

Finally the night came.

It was a surprise storm. Rain and snow bashed against the windows mercilessly, but I waited until I heard thunder to get out of bed. I grabbed the boxes and raced to the meeting place. It was after the time Fred and I would usually meet so I didn't let myself get too bent out of shape when he didn't show up. After an hour I began to worry he wouldn't come at all. I couldn't wait too long, the storm might pass. I clutched the vials in each of my hands, pacing.

When Fred came crashing around the corner I tried not to lose it on him as my body released my anxiety and was flooded with relief. "Oy!" I called, half angry. "Took you long enough!"

He grinned at me. "Sorry Love. Let's do this before the storm passes. He reached his hand toward me and I gave him the potion. We uncapped it. "On three?" He offered.

I shook my head and knocked back my head. He chuckled and followed suit, both of us swallowing at the same time. It had an odd taste. It was like eating electricity. Like the lightning in the air had been captured on our taste buds. It was metallic and tangy- sort of like how rain smelled as well.

"Do you feel any different?" I asked. He shrugged. I sighed, looking at myself. "Guess there's only one way to figure it out." I let out a deep breath before picturing my form... changing. I had no idea what I would become so I had no idea what to imagine but the second I thought about not being as I was, I was suddenly something else. The change was fluid, though extremely unpleasant. Uncomfortable. Then I leaned back, trying to stretch only to realize I no longer had arms. I had wings.

Fred stood far over me, eyes wide. "Wicked!" He breathed. He followed my example, closing his own eyes to follow my example. The air seemed to shift, his shadow flickering as his body easily sifted surely into a new form. It was strange to watch and I felt myself skitter back a bit, nervous despite myself. When the air settled again, Fred was a jackal. I parted what felt more like a beak than a mouth and an odd sound came out of me. A caw. What kind of bird was I?

My clothes were discarded on the floor around me and I squawked again and again at Fred, picking at my clothes until he got the hint, turning around. I then turned back, dressing quicker than I ever had in my life. "Okay, I'm good," I told him. He faced me again, moving to me in his jackal form. He twisted around my legs and I laughed. "Oh lord, you're cute, you're cute. Now turn back and get dressed." I turned my back to where his clothes were and I heard a strange noise as he moved out of sight- I assumed the quiet sort of swishing was him turning back as well.

"I'm decent," he told me. I turned around and immediately froze. He was picking his shirt off the ground, grinning excitedly. "That was amazing! You were a crow! How cool is that? I felt like I was a... dog? Or something?" He paused as he noticed my eyes on him. When I noticed his smirk I cleared my throat, looking away. I could see him pulling his shirt on out of the corner of my eyes, grabbing for his robes next. I turned away from him again, pretending I was pacing as I thought rather than giving away that I was trying to hide my blush.

"You were a jackal," I told him. "Sort of a coyote-looking thing but more wolf-ish." I sighed. "If that makes sense."

Arms wrapped around my waist and I jumped, gasping. But then I realized it was Fred as he went to step away. "Sorr-" But I reached back, bringing his arms around me again. He hummed, lips hovering above my neck. "So what mow?" he asked after second of silence.

I thought about wrapping him up in my plan to accompany Lupin during full moons, but I realized that might reveal Lupin's secret and that wasn't okay. So I lied. "Now we're totally awesome," I answered. He laughed. "And its time for bed." I turned to face him, my arms going around his neck. "You should go to bed," I said again.

He took a step back but my arms didn't drop. "I'm trapped." The attempt had been weak and his voice was tainted by his smile.

"Oh no," I whispered lamely. The thunder outside echoed against the walls. We stood there and held each other a long time before parting ways, and even then we walked slowly, hand in hand, as long as we could. He kissed me before we left and I whispered soft apologies and he told me he understood and that it didn't matter and so on and so forth.

I went right to sleep that night and didn't wake up until morning for the first time in weeks. I looked at the sunshine falling through the window and realized that I'd thought I was better alone because I'd never had anyone like Fred in my life. He made me want to be around people. Made me smile more and get out there and socialize and care easier. He made it all worth it.

I pitied anyone who didn't have someone like that. Oh how incredibly lucky I was.

-

Tags: @reddie-steddie-go

[hopefadeskg]

How do the hype house AU girls react to having a crush/someone finding out they have a crush?

A/N: Ohoho ;) Get fucking ready for this shit, boiii. It’s time for a rollercoaster ride

HYPE GIRLS REACTING TO HAVING A CRUSH

KATSUMI:

Katsumi is gonna have some difficulty coming to terms with developing a crush

She’s definitely a romantic, but due to her status and her job she doesn’t know if it would be a good idea to act on it

At first, she would most likely avoid you to try and let the feelings fade over time on their own

However as time passes, she’ll realize it at the most inopportune time

She’s on stage, midway through a song she wrote when she realizes she can’t get her mind off of this one person. This one, stupid person.

It’s not until after the concert when she’s on her way back home that she realizes

“Fuck. I’m in love.”

This girl would die for you, okay

She’ll be spending all of her time buying whatever you likes

If you look at it with the slightest bit of interest while you’re out out, she’s going back by herself and buying it regardless of the price

She would probably stay quiet about her feelings for the most part, not wanting to risk losing a friendship if you were to reject her feelings

But, of course, people make mistakes and her biggest mistake was getting drunk at an afterparty

Everything was going fine until she looked over and saw her coworker practically rubbing all over you

If looks could kill, that poor coworker would be dead

Katsumi would stomp up to them and drag you over to her side while possessively hugging your arm

After a long staring contest between the two, the coworker would leave with a scoff and a few choice, bitter words

Katsumi lazily watched as the blonde stomped off with steam practically pouring out of her ears, a sense of pride swelling in her chest having just won that contest while drunk. With a hum, she lifted her head to look up at you with an endearing smile, her hands trailing up your arms to your shoulders and her body leaning into yours to help keep her upright.

You stared down at her with a sense of confusion and burrowed a frow, but felt your heartbeat pick up once she leaned a bit too close into your personal space. She giggled softly and pressed soft, drunken kisses along your jaw and cheek as her fingers twirled around in your hair.

Before she could do anything she might regret, you firmly placed your hands on her hips and put a couple of inches of space between the two of you. You stared down at her with worry and concern, scanning her face for any sign of anger or sadness. She never did that before, she was always so carefree and went with the flow of everything.

“Katsumi, what was that?” You said softly, your voice above a whisper as if anything louder would break her. “Why did you do that?”

Her response was definitely not one that you would forget. She practically flung her body back onto yours and buried her face into your chest, arms wrapping around your torso tightly while she breathed in your scent. 

“Because (Y/N)! She wanted to steal you away from me~” She spit out with a grin, voice slightly muffled and words slurred from the alcohol. “I couldn’t let her do that, I love you too much… I want you to only kiss me, to only touch me.”

It was like your heart stopped in her chest when she looked back up at you with doe-like eyes. The pure and raw emotion in them caused your stomach to do flips. She looked helpless and scared, as if she was terrified of her own feelings. With a breathy whisper of your name, she leaned up and brushed her lips against yours.

“Is it selfish of me to ask you to love me back?”

SUKI:

Hoo boi, uh

We’re gonna age this girl up to like seventeen because that seems reasonable

Suki would be the kind of person to unintentionally break hearts because of her oblivious nature

She wouldn’t even realize she had a crush herself until her older sister explained it to her one night

Afterwards, she’d do everything to make sure that you were spoiled and did her best to make you fall in love with her

She would go from getting you VIP spots to her sister’s concerts, to asking her sister on how to make cookies, to even offering to tutor you even though she was failing in her own classes

She would be hopelessly in love with the person who caught her attention and she wouldn’t even try to hide it

It’s better if you know anyway, right?

However, after months of doing whatever she could to get you to like her back, so suddenly felt like giving up

You didn’t do anything in response to all that she did for you

So, with teary eyes and an angry pout, she would stomp right up to you

You stumbled back with a grunt as Suki firmly shoved you with tear-stained cheeks. She looked completely devastated, the sight alone tore at your heart. You reached out to place a hand on her cheek and winced when she slapped it away, only to let out a soft sob while she wiped her tears away.

“You’re such a jerk!” She cried out, voice quivering with each word. “I did so much for you and you don’t even care!” Taking in quick breaths of air, she furiously rubbed her eyes before shoving you once more. She was much stronger than you thought.

“Say something, you idiot!” It sounded more like a plea than a command. You stared at her with wide eyes and stood there, frozen. You didn’t know what to say. What could someone say when the cheery and bubbly person everyone loved was sobbing in front of you. 

Taking in your silence, she let out another heavy, painful cry and hid her face in the crook of her arm. You snapped yourself out of it and hurriedly yanked her into a hug by her arm, ignoring the way her claws dug into your back and how your shirt slowly dampened from her tears. You lifted a hand to card through her messied hair and quietly shushed her, firmly holding her in place while you listened to her sobs slowly quiet down.

After what seemed like hours had passed, she heaved out a sigh and pulled away to rub her eyes once again. Looking up at you, she felt her lip quiver again just at the sight of your face.

“Why couldn’t you like me back?”

RIKA:

Rika.exe has stopped working

Much like Suki, she probably wouldn’t even realize it at first

She’s just so caring and kind and would do anything for the people that she cares about

She’d probably realize when she notices that she pays more attention to you than anyone else

Is probably v awkward after coming to accept it

Will most likely end up not paying that much attention during your “therapy sessions” as she’s too busy admiring you than listening to you

Immediately feels bad when you realize she isn’t paying attention

Offers to make it up to you by taking you out for lunch or something

Super, super nervous

Doesn’t know if she should act on it or not

But after a pep talk from Katsumi, she thinks it’s about time to say something

“Hey, (Y/N).” Rika said softly, you almost wouldn’t have heard it if you didn’t break out of your thoughts at the sound of the door opening. You had been staying at the Hype House for the weekend due to your roommates family visiting. It was nice, but it got a little too chaotic for your choice.

Smiling, you close your book after marking your place and set it down, scooting over a bit to offer the seat next to you to her. She seemed to hesitate before accepting it, sitting with a flushed face. She made sure to keep a good amount of space between you, always mindful of your boundaries and your comfort. She looked as if she was having a war in her mind, eyes glazing over when she got lost in her thoughts.

You reached out and grabbed her hand with a reassuring smile, nodding as if to tell her everything was alright. This seemed to shake whatever doubt she had out of her mind and she grasped your hand desperately. You opened your mouth to speak, but out of a sudden rush of confidence, she leaned forward and caught your lips with hers. 

Heat rushed to your cheeks as your heart skipped a beat, eyes widening while you watched her pull away with a shy and sheepish smile.

“(Y/N), I’m… In love with you.”

RENSAKI:

Absolutely refuses it at first

“That’s impossible. They’re stupid”

Stupidly ADORABLE

She would definitely be a little pissed off that she let herself catch feelings

“Fuck”

“This is gay”

“Are you fucking kidding me-”

Would be inspired by you to make a ton of art

Catch her staring you down to get your proportions just right so she can make a new masterpiece

Doesn’t know how to handle emotions so one day, she just-

Today was a strange day to say the least. It started with a text from Rensaki, telling you to get your shit together because the two of you were going to the store for supplies. Most of the time you two only ever hung out because you were close friends with Katsumi, but as time passed you found yourself going over to the Hype House to talk with Rensaki.

Now, you sat on her bed in her room while she rummaged around in her art corner, leaving you to your own devices. You had taken your coat off and relaxed completely by the time she reemerged behind the large canvases and curtains that hid away her current projects from the naked eye. She had one hand behind her back and the other was scratching at her chin as if she was deep in thought. Glancing over to you, she rose a brow.

“Sit up.” She commanded, voice level and steady. You being used to her behavior listened without issue and sat at the edge of her bed, watching as she approached carefully and quietly. If it were anyone else, you’d be unsettled at the way she eyed you as if you were a mouse just waiting to be caught in a trap. 

Without another word, she grabbed you by the front of your shirt and pulled you up to your feet, lips pressing firmly against yours. It had lasted only a second, leaving you to wonder if it had actually happened. Soon enough, she shoved you back down onto the bed and revealed her other hand to you.

It was… you. A mini you. She made a small sculpture of you with every tiny detail imaginable. 

“Take this if you want it. You’ve been my muse for a while and I thought I should thank you.”

ASPEN:

I’m sorry, how does this work

Would not know what to do

Ends up just staring at you a lot

Would probably buy you flowers but forget so by the time you get them they’re already kind of dead

Really bad at emotions so they kind of just

Gives you a thumbs up if you ask them

You glanced over towards Aspen again to see them hurriedly glance away, practically panicking until you look away. One, two, three… You looked over once more to see Aspen staring at you just like they have been for the past thirty minutes. With a huff, you approached them and put your hands on your hips, staring down at them.

“You know, you should take a picture! It lasts longer!” You said, though there was no real malice in your voice. Only teasing and a slight hint of annoyance. It was obvious about how they felt if the staring wasn’t enough, the horrible gifts they gave you confirmed your suspicions. You didn’t mind, though. You loved that they were trying.

Aspen seemed to panic once more and hurriedly shook their hands while shaking violently, eyes going wide.

“I-It’s not like that! You’re just--! Your hair! It’s.. messy!” They stumbled over their words while pitifully trying to come up with an excuse for their excessive staring. Moments have passed, maybe even a couple of minutes, but to Aspen it felt like hours. You sighed heavily and flopped onto the couch next to them.

“I want you to be honest with me, okay?” You asked, not bothering to wait for their answer. “Do you like me? And I mean like-like me.”

The two of you fell into another heavy silence as they debated on how to answer your question, though eventually their hands lifted up to give you a thumbs up and they gave you an awkward smile. 

You sighed.

They’re lucky they’re cute.

[crazyzaika]

Love on Detours Chapter 10

Guys. So here we are with Chapter 10.

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It took a while, I know. However, a big block had me firmly under control and then there was stress in my private life. Reallife *shrug*

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At the request of my german readers, I mix this chapter with two of the four pairings. Actually, I was planning to add Miraxus as well, but the two didn't want to do like I wanted. AND after this chapter I will make a time jump with you ;) Let's see what you think about this.

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Greets Z

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Chapter 10

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She was incredibly sad. Her heart hurt only at the thought of him, of his behaviour towards her. But she simply couldn't change it. And she did not want to change her behaviour. She loved him, and she couldn't and wouldn't change that. Even if it killed her. Because she knew that he could not hate her. Before it came out how her family relations were, he had liked her, even presumably loved her. He had introduced her to his family. And if his father hadn' t told him that she was the daughter of an Oyabun, they would probably still be a couple. Gray had been so angry four years ago. And he had thrown a lot of insults at her head. But only if she really dared to approach him. Otherwise he had always ignored her, punished her with icy cold.

Juvia straightened up. Tiredness hung in her limbs and she lowered her gaze, looking out the window. Outside it was cloudy, rainy. Matching her mood. Everything seemed so much bleaker since he had told her about a month ago that he had a fiancée. She felt so lifeless, impassive. These words had destroyed so much in her, had ruined her. Another tear ran down her sore skin. She didn't even have to look in the mirror to know what she looked like. She knew that too. Her skin would be red from all the crying and irritation from the tears, her eyes swollen and bloated, stuck with tears. Her skin pale and sickly. She seemed ill and for a good month she had barely made it out of bed two days in a row. Juvia felt headaches throbbing behind her forehead and her throat laced up. Her heart was aching, burning and her body began to tremble.

A muffled knock on her door made her flinch violently, but still her gaze hung on the flowers on her windowsill. Back then, about 5 years ago, Gray had given her a flower for her birthday and she had cared for it all the time. The blue blossoms of the gentian never seemed to want to wither properly and never let themselves be withered. At that time it had only been a single flower. For five years a whole flower box had been growing cheerfully. Juvia bent slightly forward and inhaled the scent of the flowers and a sad smile plucked on her lips.

"Juvia-sama?", Acnologia's voice muffled through the door and sighed softly. Should she answer him? She didn't know. However, she also knew exactly how he would react if he saw her. The otherwise quite polite and mostly emotionless, good house spirit of the family would be angry. He would be furious and she wanted to avoid that. Nevertheless, she slowly rose. The soft fabric of the knee-length nightgown gently played around her skin and the white fabric almost adapted to her pale skin. She slowly opened the door and looked up at the servant of her family, blinking slightly. For a moment he stared at her and she saw the rage flashing in his dark eyes as he took a closer look at her appearance. Then he sighed softly.

"Ojou-sama," he said and sadness resonated in his voice as she looked at him wordlessly and waited. She knew what he was thinking, even without him saying it. She knew what everyone was thinking. Her clan thought she should finally forget Gray. That he was not worthy of her love at all. But she didn't think so and she just couldn't let him go.

"Breakfast is ready, do you want to take it with the others at the table, or in your room?", surprise briefly drove through her body as he did not address the subject, as usual, but simply continued. But she didn't go into it. That wasn't necessary in itself. She lowered her eyes slightly and shrugged her shoulders. She had not spoken for almost a month. Did she want to eat with the others? Did she want to eat at all? Dullness lay over her senses and she blinked slightly, then she braced back to her bed, crawled silently back under the blanket and buried herself in the warmth of the soft fabric. Tiredness spread throughout her body and dragged her down into a deaf, bleak sleep.

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" Morning," he growled and dropped his bag on the bench next to Ultear. She looked up from the book in her hands and smiled coolly at him. Just like always. His cousin wasn't exactly the warmest person, so this reaction didn't really surprise him. Restlessness filled his senses and aggression surged in him. But he couldn't really put the whole thing together, didn't know why he had been permanently irritated for almost a month.

"Wow, still such a sunshine, mhm?" she asked and sarcasm seemed to drip from her words. Gray snorted and clenched his teeth so tightly that his jaw crunched. Icy rage crept up in him and he didn't even really know why. He hadn't been at peace with himself the whole time, had lost his balance. His inner peace and that worms him animalistically. But he also didn't know why and he didn't want to make a fool of anyone or get into a constant argument. Or in fights, but that was exactly the case. Gray let himself fall next to his cousin and drove with his hands irritated through his hair.

"Again so extremely aggro", his brother Lyon's voice penetrated his ears and he raised his gaze to him. A dark growl rolled up his throat. He knew what Lyon was alluding to, but he refused to believe it. It couldn't be Juvia's absence. Since he treated her so coldly, since he had rejected her, he hadn't been so aggressive after all. Cool yes and he admitted that for the last four years he had laughed less than before. It couldn't be because he had told that lie. Nor was it because Juvia hadn't come to university for a month, had it? He pulled his eyebrows so tightly that they were a single stroke. Thinking of their shattered facial expression, his heart contracted painfully for a moment. But the fact was: she was the daughter of criminals. Of scum. His father had said at the time that such a person was not tolerated in his house. He was a policeman and as such avoided scum like the Dragneels. He let his head hang, rubbed his neck and stared at the patterns of the stone slabs.

"Yes, but he won't believe us that this is connected with his nonsensical dislike of someone very special," Ultear said, shrugging her shoulders. She herself didn't mind in the least spending her time with the social scum. Ultear did her thing and sometimes Gray envied her for it. His aunt Ul's daughter wouldn't let herself be pushed around, not even by her own mother. Even though sometimes he didn't quite understand what she found in such criminal scum. On the one hand, he still loved Juvia. That had never changed over that long time. But Gray didn't want to disgrace his family either. Whereby his father had nothing against Meredy, Lyons girlfriend. Sometimes he just didn't understand his father's reasons.

"He just doesn't want to admit it. I know that he even has a secret picture folder of Juvia on his computer and on his cell phone," Lyon said, and Gray literally froze. His heartbeat speeded up and slowly he raised his gaze, staring angrily at his brother. How did he get his data? Apart from that ... why did he tell it around, please? He felt the strong urge to smash the white-haired man's face in. His muscles tightened, but Lyon simply didn't pay him any attention, otherwise he would have noticed that he was staring at him as if he wanted to kill him. His heartbeat quickened more, rage made his blood boil, and the urge to beat Lyon grew stronger with every second. Gray's hands clenched to fists, he grabbed his bag and rose jerkily.

"I'm not in the mood for your bullshit, I'm going home," he rumbled and marched off with stiff steps. He didn't want to harm his family. Why was he so angry?

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Levy sighed as she stared at her cell phone. Juvia's behavior was to tussle hair. Not only was she currently the Dragneel clan's problem child, Lucy also worried and she worried herself. Juvia and Gajeel were friends and each of them watched with growing concern as she sank deeper and deeper into this depression. She barely ate properly, rarely came out of bed for several days in a row, let alone out of her room, and she basically cried all the time. Apart from the fact that she hadn't said a word the whole time. That worried everyone and the only thing that kept the Dragneel clan men from filleting Gray was Juvia's heart that would break even more. She turned to her side and sighed deeply. It was Monday afternoon and she wondered how to make Juvia a little happier again. It was already summer and she had opened the balcony door so some wind could blow through the apartment. The soft ringing of the wind chime that Gajeel had hung up was almost meditative and she closed her eyes for a moment, the smartphone in her hand on her forehead. Maybe they should have a picnic?

For Lucy that would be quite good again. She was mothered by everyone all the time and Levy knew she felt like a glass doll. Because that's how she was treated. Like a raw egg on a battlefield. Levy knew that her best friend was working very hard. She was now in her 13th week of pregnancy and in the meantime you could already see a light belly that wasn't there otherwise. The school did not necessarily react to pregnancies. Makarov was a very tolerant headmaster. However, Levy had encouraged Natsu and Lucy to talk to him on their own. In the end Lucy was allowed to finish the school, but he had taken Natsu to prayer for a long time. Then her cell phone vibrated again and she lifted herself up, stood up and went over to the fridge, took out some cooled Sencha and sat down on the sofa again. She opened Line and scrolled to the end of the group chat, frowning.

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Lucy, 14:45: We clearly have to distract her.

Gajeel, 14:50: Yes, we all know that, Bunnygirl.

Lucy, 14:50: DO NOT CALL ME BUNNYGIRL!

Gajeel, 14:52: Stop crying.

Natsu, 1452: Metal face, if you call Lucy that again, I'll sink you in Tokyo Bay!

Gajeel, 14:53: Of course. Calm down again, Salamander.

Lucy, 14:53: Naaaatssuuuuuu *sniff* Cuddling

Natsu, 14:53: Wait a minute, I'll be right there. Give me a second, okay? Won't be long.

Gajeel, 14:55: HAHAHA, you are such a slipper hero.

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Levy sighed and snorted slightly. Then she started typing. It couldn't be that they couldn't all get it together to calm Juvia down and bring her to other thoughts.

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Levy, 14:57: Guys ... let's please concentrate on the actual topic again. Juvia suffers under Gray and I don't want a friend to break down like she does. Accordingly, I suggest a picnic. This is good for her, then she comes out and Lucy also comes with her. You don't have any right to have a say, Natsu.

Natsu, 14:57: Please what?

Lucy, 14:58: That's a wonderful idea, Levy!

Natsu, 14:59: Honey! I'll be right there, let's discuss it!

Lucy, 14:59: There's nothing to discuss, I'm not a raw egg. I'm just pregnant!

Natsu, 15:00: With ma twins!

Lucy, 15:01: The one I carry, not you. By the way, where are you?

Gajeel, 15:01: As imma say, yer full under the slipper

Natsu, 15:02: Shut up, metal face!

Lucy, 15:03: NATSU DRAGNEEL! IF YOU'RE NOT HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE GONNA GET SOMETHING!

Natsu, 15:04: Almost there, darling. Only a few steps left! Wait, Luuuuceeeee

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Levy sighed and shook her head. She laid her head slightly on her neck. Her friends were sometimes really exhausting, but she loved them all. Despite their strange quirks. The bluenette girl rose from the couch with another sigh, went straight into her bedroom and dug out a big cooler bag and a blanket carrier bag from her closet. Then she went into the kitchen and picked out ingredients.

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Soft sunlight fell through the dense canopy of leaves, the tree under which the small group had settled. The chirping sound of cicadas filled the hot summer air. Everyone seemed to be looser than usual. Only Juvia was sitting in a simple blue dress that reached down to her knees, not saying a word, not even pulling a face. Levy had the impression that Natsu had forced her to come along. And she wouldn't be surprised. Juvia's otherwise soft, shimmering blue curls seemed dull and lackluster, and her deep blue eyes also had a cool emptiness in them. She would never admit it, but Levy was afraid for Juvia. Could she ever make it out of this depression?

She knew what words could do. Her own father had always kept her small until she met Gajeel. Restlessness surged and sorrow surfaced. Had Juvia eaten anything at all? She had not yet touched the sandwich Levy had given her.

"Juvia?," she asked carefully and looked at her waiting. Her heartbeat accelerated as the other bluenette one slowly turned her gaze, looking at her with that empty gaze. Levy smiled uncertainly.

"I hope you like it," she asked and knew perfectly well that Juvia couldn't really answer that question. After all, she hadn't taken a bite yet. For a moment her eyes wandered over to Lucy and Natsu sitting on the other side of the cloak. Natsu had drawn his girlfriend to him. She sat leaning against him on a soft cushion between his legs while he held her plate and fed her all the time. Something the blonde kept complaining about. And Levy knew that was simply because her best friend felt like she was being fattened. Because not only Natsu fed her constantly. Everyone stuffed food into Lucy's mouth all the time. And even now Lucy had to force Natsu not to put something in her mouth all the time so that she wouldn't fall off his meat. Levy turned her attention from the quietly squabbling couple back to Juvia. She stared at the paper plate on her lap. Then she looked back at Levy and nodded. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, the beginning of a smile. Levy's heart made a jump. That alone was a rare reaction from her. And yet Levy was careful, she didn't want to frighten Juvia, didn't want her to retreat back into her cold, impenetrable shell of sadness and silence.

Because even if it was only the twitching of her mouth corners, it was a fact that it had been the hint of a smile. And that was progress in the right direction, as the bluenette found. Juvia slowly took a tiny bite, and for a few seconds Levy saw the touch of a glimmer in her blue eyes. Since Gray's harsh words, they seemed empty and desolate, like two endlessly deep tunnels of blue. But now a tiny spark of life had shimmered in them. Levy's heartbeat accelerated and she beamed at Juvia as she continued to eat. The others didn't hide it either, but nobody said anything. They secretly kept an eye on Juvia for fear that she would stop immediately when she realized she was being watched. A warm summer breeze came up and plucked her blue hair. She immediately seemed more alive. Then Juvia handed Levy her paper plate and Levy looked at her questioningly. The breath of an invitation was in her eyes and Levy's eyes widened.

"W-would you like some more?" she asked cautiously and to the delight of the others, Juvia nodded after a short hesitation. Levy beamed at her friend and immediately nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course, Juvs. Another sandwich or some sushi?" she looked at her waiting and Juvia pointed at the sandwiches with a lowered gaze and shimmering pink cheeks. Levy immediately put two on her plate and handed it back to her. Then Gajeel leaned forward. He had leaned against the tree all the time behind Levy.

"You see, it's slowly getting better again, Shrimp", he hummed softly into her ear and Levy nodded slightly. Juvia ate little and only in small bites, but slowly a touch of colour seemed to come into her pale cheeks again. And that made her incredibly happy.

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"See you tomorrow", Levy beamed a big smile at the others. Gajeel looked as grim as ever while carrying the cooler and the carrier bag with the second blanket. Lucy smiled while Natsu had an arm wrapped around her waist. Juvia stood next to the two, but said nothing. She indicated a slight bow.

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Levy. Come home well and write if you're home okay," concern shimmered in Lucy's chocolate brown eyes and Levy nodded, grinned broadly.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to us," she replied. Then they got on their socks and left the Dragneels' property. The air was a bit humid, it was still hot and the chirping of the cicadas filled the evening air. Music came muffled from some houses and in the distance you could hear the sounds of trains and cars.

"Do you think she can do it," Levy asked and worry lay in her features, her posture and her voice. Gajeel sighed deeply. Slowly it annoyed him. He knew that Juvia felt like shit, but he knew that she was stronger than that and got back on her feet. Of course it would take time to get over Gray, but she would make it. He knew that.

"Will be, believe me. She'll be fine," he returned and Levy looked up at him as he gave her a smirking grin. Redness spread in her cheeks and she giggled, then she nodded approvingly.

"Yes, I think so, too. And she still has her family," she agreed. Then Gajeel pushed himself in her way, bent down to her and kissed her. She leaned towards him, returned the kiss and heat crept through her body. His scent rose into her nose, filled her senses and both slowly separated again.

"And you have my old man and me, don't forget that," he said and his voice was deeper. The smile on her lips widened and she kissed him again as a consenting hum left her lips.

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Juvia knew everyone was worried. And she understood it too. But she still needed some distance. It just couldn't be any other way. She couldn't pretend that she didn't care any more. That didn't work like that. She simply loved Gray too much for that. Natsu and Lucy had already gone inside and she pulled the brows together as she walked through the long corridors. The dark wood and the paneled walls were as always well maintained, shimmering softly in the light of the lamps. She stepped into the entrance area and to the telephone desk, writing down a short note that she was taking a little walk to clear her head. Then she slipped into her wedge heel sandals and left the property. Both Acnologia and his foster son Zeref would notice that she had left a message. Probably the latter rather than Acnologia, because she knew that Zeref was always keeping an eye on her. If she ever left the house. She followed the narrow side streets, listening to the chirping of crickets and cicadas, the muffled music, the laughter of families. Like a hushed shadow she walked almost silently through the poorly lit streets. But she had absolutely no fear. No one here would hurt her. They all knew her too well as a daughter of the Dragneel clan. Even though she had been adopted all these years ago.

She didn't have her phone with her, but she wouldn't have really paid attention to the time and so she just kept wandering around. She stepped into the light of a lantern and her gaze glided over the entrance of a smaller park. She didn't know how long she had been walking around, but she was less familiar with the area. Her gaze glided over a wide square. Moths danced in the lantern light and then grunting noises, dull moaning and the sounds of blows penetrated her ears. Confusion gripped her senses. She knew these kinds of noises and knew there was a fight going on.

A touch of curiosity surged inside her and her heartbeat accelerated slightly. The sand crunched quietly under her soles as she walked further into the park. She saw a modern toilet house, saw park benches and then she saw darkly dressed figures fighting each other.

Her eyes widened as she recognized who was messing with a group of thugs. Her heartbeat speeded up and fear painfully hit the claws in her stomach. She saw him skilfully dodging, handing out and seldom taking a blow. Time on Fairy Tail had made him harder.

She swallowed, felt a thick lump in her throat and again tears came to her eyes. Deep dark anger paired with an intense, concentrated look lay on his face. Blood was stuck on his right cheek because of a laceration and his lip was chapped. She saw in the dim light of the lanterns the blood on his hands, saw his injured ankles. Her heartbeat accelerated as he took a kick in the side. She heard the deep, painful grunt and her vision blurred. Her heart felt like it was made of shattered glass. She could barely breathe so much it hurt.

I shouldn't be here, she thought, swallowed and wanted to turn away when she saw something flashing. Her eyes widened and her body reacted all by itself. She sprinted to the beating adults and threw herself before Gray's unprotected back. The smacking sound of flesh and blood filled the air and pain roared in her body. Her vision blurred and as the attacker pulled out the knife she growled and struck. An animalistic screech came loose from her lips as she moved on to attack. Her instincts ordered her to protect him, defend him and eliminate any enemy who stood in her way. Roaring, hot rage roared through her body, burning with adrenaline through her veins. She jumped on the stranger and beat him up. Then she turned away from the unconscious one and turned to the next enemy. Even as she stood up and turned around, her vision blurred for a few seconds and Gray's horrified cry reached her ears. Everything began to spin and she blinked slightly.

Someone grabbed her by her upper arms and as she felt pain and warm wetness, she blinked violently, looking down. Blood colored the long blue dress continuously red and slowly she felt the pain through the adrenaline. Gray held her upright on her arms and for a moment stared only at the wound on her stomach. Then she slumped down.

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Gray whirled around, one of those stupid idiots in the mangle, saw blue hair, a long blue dress. His eyes widened and he simply beat the guy unconscious, dropped him. The others started the retreat and he didn't quite know why, perceived it only marginally. He saw her go at one of the guys angrily like a fury, beating him into unconsciousness. His heartbeat speeded up and as she swirled around looking for her next opponent, his eyes widened in shock. Not because of her murderous facial expression, but because his gaze was magically drawn to the ever-increasing bloodstain.

"JUVIA", her name left his lips without him being able to prevent it and he passed the few meters. He saw her wobble slightly and grabbed her by the arms, holding her as she realized she had a wound. His heart pounded painfully loudly against his ribs and icy anxiety surged inside him as she collapsed. She had acted in adrenaline.

"No ... Ju ... oh fuck," he cursed, bringing out only vague words while his thoughts rested. Where was the nearest hospital? He went down on his knees slightly, shoved one hand under her knees and lifted her up skilfully. She weighed almost nothing. He swallowed and his panicked gaze flew across the side streets that bordered the park entrance. He didn't have a mobile phone with him and didn't take any money either. So he couldn't call a taxi, let alone call an ambulance. Gray gritted his teeth firmly together, tightened his grip around Juvias narrow figure and set himself in motion. He had been an asshole, he knew that, but he wouldn't let her die like that. And with this thought, he started running.

.

.

.

His body hurt, sweat stuck to his skin, his breathing was panting and although Juvia clearly weighed too little, it seemed to him that she was getting heavier with every step. Sweat was burning in his eyes as he came half jogging half stumbling through the automatic sliding doors of the hospital. He looked around hectically. His clothes were soaked with her blood and the panic crushed him. The roar of his heart drowned out the bustle of some nurses and a few doctors and other patients in the entrance area. But even if he had noticed these other people, he would not have really paid attention to them.

"HELP! FAST! SHE NEEDS A DOCTOR NOW," he roared like a madman. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. He felt the eyes of the strangers on him, felt the immediate silence, but his behavior and appearance, desperate, sweaty and bloody, set some of the nurses in motion immediately. A few seconds later, two emergency doctors came running up with a couch and helped him to gently place Juvia on it. He was pushed aside while Juvia was taken away and a doctor examined him, asked him questions, but he didn't listened to any of them. His gaze was fixed on the door behind which the doctors and nurses with Juvia had disappeared. Everything around him turned slightly, but he ignored the swindle. Dull, he heard someone talking to him, but his gaze was fixed on the door. Then a violent pain struck his cheek and his head flew to the side. He stared with big eyes at a doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you were too fixed and barely responsive. What is your name, how do you feel?", the doctor was smaller than him, but scrutinized him with a firm gaze, examining and conscientious. He blinked violently and swallowed, felt the burning in his throat.

"I ... Gray Fullbuster," he then said, "my name is Gray Fullbuster."

"Mr. Fullbuster, please sit down."

"No," he shook his head slightly and swayed slightly, but looked back at the door.

"It wasn't a request," the sound in her voice pulled his eyes back on her, and Gray saw the slender doctor's hard, stern gaze in front of him and swallowing lightly. Cold shivers crept up his back and he let her push him to a seating group. He examined her a little more closely. She had cyan hair, deep blue eyes and her skin was quite pale. The wide white gown and the sky blue doctor's clothes did not hide her female figure, though. His eyes briefly scurried to the name tag on her clothes. Dr. Aquarius Star. Then his eyes turned back to hers.

"So ... ", she began and pulled out a pen, made a note, " You' re Gray Fullbuster. Age?

"19," he said and rubbed his chest. He felt an unpleasant pulling in his heart and knew it was because Juvia was hurt. It was all his fault. His lips pressed into a tight line.

"And the young woman you brought us?"

"Juv-Juvia Dragneel, 18 years old," he said and his voice seemed shakier than it should. His hands clenched into fists and his gaze fell on the linoleum floor.

"Mhm ...," she grumbled and when he raised his gaze, he saw her eagerly writing down what he said.

"You wouldn't happen to know the phone number of her family?"

"I-I ...," he began and swallowed. Dr. Star looked at him with a waiting, cool look. Gray drove his trembling fingers through his hair, spreading some slowly dried blood on his face. He felt the exhaustion in his bones.

"I do ..." he said and did not dare to look at her. His gaze fell on his shoes and he gave her the number and address of Juvia's family. They would kill him. He somehow hoped so. He didn't deserve anything else. Feelings of guilt literally crushed him and pain pervaded his heart with every beat that it did. He was to blame for this accident. The doctor said she would send him a nurse to treat his wounds, but he didn't hear it. Then she rose to inform the family. She already felt sorry for Gray because she had also asked how it had happened and he had said it was his fault. She didn't necessarily believe that, but she recognized feelings of guilt when she saw them and he seemed to be literally crushed by his. Still, she clearly had more important things to do than look after a young adult. Sighing, she leaned against the reception desk and grabbed the phone without even looking at the sister in charge. Her eyebrows shrunk slightly as she typed in the number. It only rang twice when her call was answered.

"Dragneel."

"Good evening, this is Dr Star from Komazawa Hospital. Does a Juvia Dragneel live with you?" she asked, and there was a moment of silence.

"BOSS!", Aquarius held the phone a bit away from her ear as the stranger who had taken the call yelled for someone. And then it wasn't long before she heard the rustle of cloth at the other end and someone called again. Apparently the stranger had passed on the phone.

"Yes?"

"Good evening, this is Dr. Star from Komazawa Hospital. Does a Juvia Dragneel live with you?" she asked again and felt impatience rising inside her. She wasn't exactly the most patient person.

"Yes, she is my daughter."

"Ah, all right. I'm sorry to have to tell you, but she was brought in a few minutes ago. My colleagues have already started treatment. When can-"

"We're coming," Mr. Dragneel interrupted her with a deep growl and hung up. The only thing she could hear from the receiver was the sound of a broken connection and her eyes narrowed. She growled quietly and hung up. The nurse behind the reception area moved back a little.

"Rude pack," she growled and started to move again to take care of Juvia as well.

.

.

.

Hours seemed to have passed while Gray was sitting here. He had refused any treatment and could not be forced. His senses were numb, and when he had agreed to wash his hands and face, he had been allowed to wait in front of the room where Juvia had been placed. She was connected to machines that controlled her heartbeat and breathing. Gray didn't even notice that his hands were still shaking and whenever he stared at his now clean hands, he could still see her blood on them.

Steps resounded, reverberating quietly on the linoleum floor. He swallowed lightly and cautiously raised his gaze, staring at the angry face of Natsu Dragneel, her brother. A thick lump formed in his throat and his hands began to tremble even more. Pain burned through his chest and he barely managed to breathe properly.

"What.happened?" his voice was full of suppressed anger as Natsu choked those words out. Gray took a trembling breath. She seemed so fragile as she lay in that big bed and his heart seemed to break. He had never wanted to hurt her so badly. He had only wanted her to stay away from him. Gray had tried to protect her from his father's hatred, had lied about his feelings and had pretended something to everyone. He had also wanted to fulfill his father's expectations, but something like that happened that he hadn't wanted.

"I-I-I ...J-Juv- ...s-she ..." he stuttered and his voice broke away. Uncryed tears were burning in his eyes and his whole body was tense as his hands dug into his dark hair and clung to it. He should have prevented this.

"I-I... I'm sorry," hot tears rolled down his cheeks and dripped to the floor, his body began to tremble. He didn't know what to say to make it better. Everything he did was wrong. Then someone grabbed him by the collar, he was pulled to his feet and pain raced through his chin. Someone then rammed him against the wall in his back. Natsu's normally dark green eyes looked deep black with rage as he pressed Gray against the wall.

"Yes, it's your fault because all you're doing is hurting her. It would be better if you didn't exist at all. And believe me, the only reason you're still alive is that Juvia loves you too much, asshole," he growled.

"Natsu", a soft voice reached both their ears and when Gray slowly released the gaze and looked in that direction, there was a girl standing there. She was incredibly beautiful. She had hip-length, golden blonde hair, chocolate brown big eyes over high, majestic cheekbones, framed by a dense fine eyelash wreath, a pale, honey-gold skin, a female figure others only dreamed of. Even the simple, pink strap dress didn't change anything and didn't like to hide her beauty. But in his eyes she could hardly take on Juvia. Not even now. She seemed to be radiant while standing in the electric ceiling light. Natsu let Gray go immediately and hurried to her side. His knees gave way and he let himself slide down the wall, his hands still trembled and then further steps sounded. Without looking up, he knew the Dragneel clan had arrived. Gray looked up and a doctor came down the aisle, holding a clipboard and a coffee in the other. He looked tired, but most doctors looked tired in that department. While sipping the coffee, he read the papers he had in his hand. He stopped at Juvia's room, looked up, blinked and stared at the many people for a moment. And then Igneel Dragneel stormed towards the poor doctor.

"WHAT IS WITH MY DAUGHTER?" he yelled and before the frightened doctor could escape, the Oyabun of the Dragneel clan grabbed him by the collar. He stood well over the man's head and it was easy for him to lift him up and shake him. Gray stared stunned at the scene. Anger seemed to come out of him in waves. Anger and concern for his daughter lying in that room. Unconscious and connected to machines. Gray again lowered his guilty gaze to the ground, pulling his legs to his upper body. He wanted to sit here until she woke up so he could ask her forgiveness. No matter whether it killed him or not.

[maggie-the-ghoul]

Into the Nuka-Verse: Familiar Echoes (chapter one)

Hello! 

Here is chapter one my incredibly self-indulgent Ghoul Crew fic, based loosely on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Why? Because I felt like it XD

Thank you to everyone for trusting me with their OCs! Specifically @threegoblinsinatrenchcoat @ghoulhugs @arcanemimesis @rosegaarden @vectober @railroad-blues @spacialkiwi <3 love y’all :)

(under a read-more because it’s kinda long!)

Into the Nuka-Verse: Familiar Echoes

Chapter One: Famous Last Words

The Slog

“Eleanor.”

Eleanor Adams gasped awake, already reaching for the dagger at her bedside table as she sat up. She had been dreaming- pleasant dreams, of warm arms around her and a soothing voice in her ear, but then the voice turned into a raspy whisper that had sent a shiver down her spine.  

Her room was dark, and empty. Or so it seemed. Years of experience meant she knew better. Steadying her breathing, she called out, “friend or foe, show yourself!”

Something shifted at the foot of Eleanor's bed, and suddenly she could feel an eerie, but familiar presence. “It's me, child. Apologies for startling you.”

“V?” In her sleepy haze, Eleanor hadn't recognized the voice. She rubbed her eyes, but even as they adjusted to the dark, there was no sign of the eldritch's shadowy silhouette. “I can't see you.”

“It's better if I stay hidden,” V answered tersely. “Something is happening, and there isn't much time to warn you.”

Frowning, Eleanor set her dagger back down. “I'm listening. What's going on?”

“Convergence. The fabric between realities is being torn down,” V replied. “I don't know who or what is causing it, but if they're not stopped, everything could be destroyed. This reality, and countless others like it, gone in a moment.”

Eleanor blew out her cheeks. 'No pressure, then.' “So, what do we do?”

“For now, stay alert. I need to find the source of this disturbance before we have any chance of stopping it.”

“You're going alone? Will you be alright?”

V chuckled. “Yes. I'm more worried about you, and the others here. The longer this goes on, the more chaos it will bring. Hold still for a moment, please.”

Eleanor obliged, keeping still as she felt V's presence draw closer. When a sudden cold touched the left side of her face, she didn't flinch. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you can protect yourself,” V replied. “Every reality has a distinct aura. If you look at anyone or anything that's not from here, you'll be able to tell it apart with the eye I gave you. Until we find out where the danger is coming from, only trust those who are close to you.”

“Understood.” 'Barely,' Eleanor thought to herself, trying to make sense of what V was telling her. Multiple realities? Sounded more like science than the supernatural. She'd need to do her research for this. “What should I do if someone from another reality shows up?”

“Trust your judgment.” V's presence drifted away, their last words lingering in the silent room.  

“Gee, thanks,” Eleanor muttered with a sigh as she got out of bed. There was no way she'd be getting back to sleep tonight.

As she waited for the kettle to heat up for her tea, Eleanor grabbed a few books she thought might be useful, and made a mental note to visit her mother later. While her tea steeped, she processed V's warning, which hadn't held much information, and even less instruction.  'Step one: learn more about multiple dimensions. Step two: keep an eye out for people or creatures who don't belong in this reality. Step three...' well, she still needed to figure that part out. Detain them? Send them back? Have them over for tea? Eleanor let out an amused snort at that. On second thought, though, the idea didn't seem that far-fetched. Perhaps patience and kindness would be the key to this.

'Besides,' Eleanor thought as she opened one of her books, 'how much trouble could someone from a different dimension even cause?'

The Commonwealth

The wasteland could be vast and barren, but it also held limitless potential, if one knew where to look for it. One particular person was currently on a journey to find that potential. Deep in thought as he sipped his coffee and basked in the early morning sun, he reviewed his findings. The immediate area was quiet, which suited him. The main road wasn't too far, so it saw decent foot traffic from traders and travellers, and this particular part of the Commonwealth was quite safe: the Minutemen had seen to that. Two days he'd been camped here, and he hadn't seen so much as a mole rat. So, not a bad location.  

Looking up from his blueprints, Bastion Graham squinted at the open plot of land in front of him, trying to picture the structure he had in mind. Without warning a strong gust of wind whipped up from behind him, blowing his hat clear off his head. “Hey!” As he reached up to catch it, his blueprints and pages of notes scattered off the stump they'd been resting on. “Oh sh...” He managed to grab them out of the air, before they landed in his campfire.

While he settled back into his seat, he could hear someone approaching behind him, but he was too preoccupied getting his papers back in order to bother looking. He didn't sense any immediate danger, which was good enough for him. Either his instincts were just that good, or just that lazy. Heavy booted footprints drew closer, until they stopped directly behind him. “Um, 'scuse me?”

Bastion's head jolted up at the familiar twang, the accent easily placed but the voice less so. Had he been gone from his brothers so long he'd forgotten what they sounded like? The thought was so distressing he jumped to his feet and spun, ready to offer apologies and an eager greeting. But the face that came into view wasn't Mike's, nor Elliott's, nor either of the twins'. For a split second he thought he was looking at the ghoulified visage of his very human, very dead brother Patrick. Somehow, that actually would've been easier to explain.

Bastion was staring at himself.

Himself, but not quite. The Bastion standing in front of him still had long hair flowing down his back, instead of the shorter cut he now sported, and was wearing a Minuteman uniform. No, he was wearing the General's uniform, or a different version of it. If it weren't for the variations in its appearance, he'd swear he was looking at an image of himself from fifty years ago. This man had the same height, same build, same weight on his shoulders, and all the physical features that he was used to seeing in a mirror.

What was going on? Had his mind finally given in to the weight of his loneliness? The doppelganger at least had the courtesy to look equally confused. He took a step back, visibly collecting his thoughts before speaking again. “Sorry to, um, disturb ya. I was out with a patrol, when suddenly I found myself alone. Saw yer campfire, so I figured...” he shook his head. “But now I'm feelin' even more lost.”

“Well...” Bastion glanced around, racking his brain for an appropriate response, before settling for what he knew best. “Have a seat, while ya get yer bearings. Would ya like some coffee?”

“Oh.” Other Bastion smiled, not at all surprised by the offer. “Thank ya kindly, that would be nice.” Unshouldering his rifle and setting it aside, he flopped to the ground by the fire. “Nice lil camp ya've got here.”

“It's not much, but it's comfy enough.” Bastion rustled around in his pack until he found another empty cup. Perhaps he was being too calm, but his mama had been thorough when she taught him proper hospitality. “I'm, um, workin' on a project, tryin' to find the perfect spot fer it.” They fell into silence for a minute as Bastion poured what was left of his coffee and handed it to... himself. 'This is so fuckin' weird.' “So, General, huh?” He gestured at the other man's getup. “That was me fer a time. Work yer way up in the ranks?”

The General smiled again, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. “Not exactly. It just sorta fell in my lap, and I've been doin' it ever since. Guessin' that isn't the case fer ya, though. Are ya retired, or are the Minutemen no longer a thing here? Wherever 'here' is?” His hand flung out in a sweeping gesture.

“Oh they're goin' strong,” Bastion beamed. “Mikey's the General now, and he's done a lot of real good fer the ghouls, hell fer the whole Commonwealth. The Minutemen are so stretched out they've got two headquarters, at the Castle an' at the Slog.”

Other Bastion's expression flickered to sadness when Mike was mentioned, but in an instant it was gone. “That's wonderful. Makes me real happy to hear that, ya've got no idea.” He took a sip of coffee, and hummed in satisfaction. “So, the Slog is thrivin'?”

“Gets bigger an' busier every month. As a matter of fact, Lottie's the sheriff-” Bastion was interrupted by his doppelganger suddenly choking on his coffee. “Wh-what!?” He sputtered in-between coughs. “Elliott is a what?”

“Heh, it's true. Don't blame ya fer findin' it hard to believe though.”

“...Elliott, a sheriff?” The General shook his head. “Just when I was beginnin' to think our two worlds weren't that different...”

Bastion felt a slight indignation on Elliott's behalf, but he ignored it. “Two worlds, eh? I s'pose as theories go, it's the one that makes the most sense. Maybe we should get ya to the Slog, find someone who might know more.”

Taking off his hat, the General ran a hand through his hair. “Far as I know, this sorta thing hasn't happened before where I'm from. Guessin' it's the same on this end. Who would be able to help?”

“Honestly, I ain't got no idea.” Bastion exhaled hard. “Start at the beginnin'. What exactly happened?”

“I was with one of my squads, we'd gotten some chatter 'bout Raiders gatherin' strength north of Red Guard territory-”

“Red Guard?” Bastion interrupted.

“They're former Gunners, based in, um, Quincy.” The General cringed. “We have a shaky alliance, so I wanted to check the reports out myself. A scout was givin' me a rundown when the wind started pickin' up sumthin' fierce. And then...” He trailed off, frowning in thought, then snapped his fingers. “Purple! Everythin' around me turned purple fer a second. Next thing I knew, I was here.” He looked around. “Come to think of it, it didn't feel like I'd moved at all. Are we near Finch Farm, by any chance?” When Bastion nodded, the General grinned. “So I'm in the same spot, just... in a different place. That clears things up a bit.” “Uhhhh, does it?”

“Gotta admit, this is kinda fascinatin',” The doppelganger continued. “Like sumthin' outta those comic books Vinny liked as a kid.”

“He still likes 'em,” Bastion muttered quietly, just as the wind began to pick up behind him again. Both men turned to watch as a patch of air shimmered and warped several feet away. A hole opened up, widening until it was large enough for several people to walk through. It was deep purple and opaque; nothing could be seen on the other side of it except darkness.

“That's it!” Other Bastion sprang to his feet. “That's what I came through. I should go back through it, might be my only shot home.”

“Wait!” Bastion's hand shot out, grabbing his counterpart's arm. “Are ya sure it's safe?”

“No.” General Bastion tugged his arm out of the grip, squaring his shoulders as he strode towards the strange rift. “But I need to get back, an' stickin' around won't solve anythin'.” As he got closer he lost his footing from the strong gusts blowing around him, but the phenomenon seemed to pull him in. When he reached the threshold he glanced back to shout, “thanks fer the coffee!” before he was gone.

As the anomaly vanished, Bastion let out a huff. 'He's more impulsive than me.' And of course he'd be worried about a version of himself that he'd only just met. Well, there was no way to know if the General had made it home safe, so he'd have to take it on faith. “Alright, now what?” he muttered to himself. Either he'd just hallucinated the last ten minutes, or they'd really happened. The right thing to do was equal parts obvious and difficult: he had to tell someone.

It was a few day's walk to the Slog, the closest he'd been to the place in months, and he was long overdue for a visit anyways. He could hardly bury his head in the sand and pretend he hadn't just seen a different version of himself walk through some inter-dimensional portal. That felt like information he needed to share. As he started to pack up his camp, he thought about who he should go to with this. He didn't have to think very long. 'Michael. This sorta thing probably falls under Minuteman jurisdiction, right?' Within minutes he was packed up and ready to go.

As his feet started to carry him home, he took one last look at the area he'd been surveying. 'Hmm, maybe it's not a very convenient location after all. Should probably choose somewhere a bit closer...'

Two days later...

The Slog

“I am a maaaaan o' constant sorroooow, I've seen troooouble all my days~”

Elliott was singing to himself as he bustled about his office, trying to tidy up now that the day was nearly over. Amazing how chaotic his place of work could get in just a few hours. Empty nuka cola bottles, disorganized files, and some of Eris' effects were strewn across his and Sharon's desks. He picked up his daughter's sketch book, chuckling at the drawing of her as one of his deputies. That one's goin' up on the fridge. He tore out the page as gently as he could and tucked it into his breast pocket, knowing Eris wouldn't mind. She loved it when he and Ave fawned over her artwork.

“Elliott, you in here?” Sharon, his deputy, called out as she opened the office door, and beckoned him over when she caught sight of him. “Hey, might need your help with a situation.”

“What's goin' on?” He set the sketchbook back down.

Sharon blew out her cheeks. “Well, some folks reported a 'purple thing' appearing in the market, and then a guy that's no one's seen before appeared and started freaking out.”

Of all the things he was expecting her to say, it hadn't been that. “Purple thing? The fuck does that mean?”

She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, I'm only telling you what the guard told me. But it sounds like the man's making people nervous, and he might need our help.”

Elliott sighed. He'd been ready to get home and go horseback riding along the river with Avery and Eris. Guess that was too much to ask. “Alright, well we better go quick then.”

*

Public disturbances weren't uncommon in the Slog. Whether it was the occasional drunk, or unruly merc, or upset customer, or bigoted asshole, there was usually a common thread: they always had a big mouth and need for attention. Residents knew to let the sheriff's office or a Minuteman soldier know, then keep their heads down while it was dealt with. Sometimes the situation could be entertaining, in which case Lance or Vincent would inevitably show up to watch and crack jokes. Sometimes it could be dangerous. This time, it was certainly both.

It was easy for Elliott and Sharon to find the culprit. He stood out among the crowd that had gathered around him, dressed in some kind of military uniform that Elliott found vaguely familiar. He thought it looked old-fashioned, but otherwise he couldn't place it. “This guy is, uh, not from around here,” Sharon muttered. “His clothes look like something out of a history textbook.” She tilted her head as she studied him. “Maybe he's an actor? I don't recognize him from the troupe, though, and none of them have ever gotten violent. I don't think this is an act.”

Elliott hummed. “I don't think it's an act either. But ya've seen the getup Mayor Hancock wears. We shouldn't assume-” “Demon creatures!” The man shrieked in a high-pitched voice. His hand trembled as he brandished a rapier at the (mostly ghoul) audience. “Satan's spawn!” He was met by boos from the onlookers, and several of the merchants, upset that their business was being interrupted, added insults to the mix.

“...Okay, yeah, he's not from around here,” Elliott agreed quietly, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture as he took a tentative step forwards. “Dunno how he's never seen a ghoul before.” A former vault dweller, maybe, like Abby? Elliott raised his voice as he addressed the man. “Uh, sir? Imma need ya to put yer sword down, please?”

Sharon let out a loud snort that barely covered up her laugh. “Now there's a sentence I bet you'd never thought you'd say, sheriff.” Elliot huffed, his patience already wearing thin. “This ain't funny, I dunno how to fight off someone with a sword!” He was ready to draw his sidearm if needed, but he didn't want to escalate to that. This man was definitely scared enough without having a gun pointed at him.

“Stay back!” The stranger warned as Elliott and Sharon slowly approached. “Whatever evil this is, it will not break us. The Minutemen will not be defeated by witchcraft!”

Elliott froze. “Minutemen?” He shared a skeptical look with Sharon. “There's no way this guy is one of Mike's...” “Oi, Lottie!” Vincent's head popped out of the crowd. “Maybe ya need to challenge him to a duel! I got five caps on the other guy, any takers?”

“Fer fuck's sake,” Elliott grumbled, as a wave of laughter rippled around him. The situation was only getting more confusing, and more irritating, by the second. He snapped his fingers at the nearest guard. “Go get the General. Tell him the sheriff needs his help.”

Elliott watched the soldier dart off, intent on stalling as long as possible. Whoever this stranger was, he was more interested in defending himself than outright attacking anyone, so the danger was not immediate. Maybe Mike would be able to calm him down, Minuteman to Minuteman, otherwise they would have to subdue him. Risky, but it was their only other option.

Or not. As the distraught man waved his weapon around, a dark purple light seemed to emerge from where he was standing, and before he could even become aware of it he vanished. In his place was a person-sized hole, which promptly disappeared.

“Um.” Around him, Elliott could hear people muttering to each other about what they'd just seen, their tones confused and scared. His feelings mirrored theirs, though he tried not to show it. “What was that?”

“I've never seen anything like it before,” Sharon said in a low tone. “I guess that was the 'purple thing' that was reported, but... Elliott, what the hell's going on here?”

Before he could answer, a shocked gasp drew his attention. He turned to look at its source, an older man who was pointing skyward, and his stomach dropped as his gaze followed to see another thing, another rift, appear, this time several feet up off the ground. Its diameter rapidly expanded until it was much bigger than the last one, and as it grew, roaring winds accompanied it. The market stalls started to shudder and creak, while anything not tied down flew straight up into the sky, swirling around the unnatural threshold in a whirlwind of objects. Curious murmurings quickly turned into panicked shouting as the crowd scattered.

“Everyone stay back, get outta here!” Elliott waved people away, stumbling as he fought against the wind, which was furiously picking up speed. Sharon reached out to steady him, and he gave her a grateful nod. “This whole area ain't safe. We're gonna need the Minutemen's help to close down the market- damnit!” He lost his balance, and suddenly his feet skidded over the gravel as he was tugged towards the middle of the market. As hard as he tried, he couldn't fight against the rift's pull, and he only stopped himself by crashing full-on into a merchant's stand. “Ow!”

As he braced himself against the tempest, a scream pierced the cacophony, and Elliott's blood ran cold when he saw its source: a young girl, alone, in the midst of the chaos. She was clinging to a sign post as tightly as she could, trying to keep herself from being blown away. The wind was so strong her feet weren't even touching the ground, and Elliott could see her hands already slipping. “Shit!” Without thinking he ran, letting himself be dragged closer to the eye of the storm so he could get to her faster. He was able to reach the child just as she lost her grip, and he held her close as he clung to the sign post with his other hand, digging his heels into the dirt best he could for any kind of leverage.

“Elliott!” Sharon let herself be drawn forward until she was at the stall closest to him, using it for support. “Hold on!” Thinking quickly, she grabbed the stall's banner and tied it tightly around her arm to anchor herself.

The post bent dangerously and began to splinter. This won't hold much longer. He looked down, forcing a smile for the girl. “S'gonna be okay.” He promised, looking to Sharon, who had her hand outstretched. He let go of the sign post, and with all his strength, threw the child towards his deputy. Sharon managed to catch her without any difficulty, staying securely tied to the stall.

Elliott was able to get a grasp on the post again, but it broke as soon as he did, and the last thing he heard was people calling his name as he got pulled into the sky and swallowed up by the rift, which vanished behind him a few moments later.

*

The world stilled. Sharon lay on her back, breathing hard from exertion. Anything that had been in the air when the rift disappeared immediately fell back to earth, and she covered the child's head instinctively, though nothing fell on them. They were lucky; the rain of merchandise and debris was unavoidable for almost everyone else, and any Minutemen present or just arriving began to clear the area of people, or help anyone who'd been hurt. The entire market was a mess of debris and collapsed stands and scattered goods, and even some of the roofs of nearby buildings had been damaged. It would take days to clear up the mess.

“Make way!” A deep, commanding voice called out. “Anyone not a Minuteman, leave the market now! If yer hurt, wait fer help!” Michael Graham, sounding every bit the General as he directed his subordinates as necessary, had arrived.

Sharon sat up, unwrapping the banner from her arm before carefully checking the girl over. She was scared, but unhurt. Her mother ran over, crying tears of relief and thanking Sharon profusely for her help. As the deputy suggested they get to the clinic, Cory, a familiar and welcome sight, came into view. “Sharon! Gods, are you okay!?”

“Sharon!” Mike appeared alongside Cory. “Y'alright?”

“I'm okay.” Sharon dusted herself off as she stood, waving away their worry and making sure the mother and child were escorted to safety by a guard. “Really.”

“We were being told about a disturbance, then suddenly everyone was panicking and we saw the storm, or whatever it was...” Cory surveyed the area with a grimace. “This is a disaster.”

“We'll take things from here,” Mike said, gently but firmly. “Ya an' Elliott'll hafta catch us up on what happened. Where is he?” Mike glanced around, expecting Elliott to appear at his side, as always. When he didn't, his expression shifted. “Where's Elliott?”

“Mike...” Sharon rested a hand on the General's arm. “I- I'm sorry...”

“Sharon.” Mike's voice trembled with worry. “Where the hell is my brother?”

*

[dontfeeddaelves]

Quoth the Raven

A Thunderbirds (are Go!) fanfic

Read on AO3.

I’m a piece of shit who fandom hops every week, sorry ya’ll.

Virgil knew that all hope was lost when Gordon’s fingers started tapping against the hood of the car he was sitting atop.

To be completely fair, he had lasted much longer than Virgil had thought. After being stuck out in the middle of nowhere for three hours, two of which he, Virgil, and John had been left alone while Scott and Alan walked back the way they had come for help at the gas station.

Just as well that they were all stranded without reception.

Still, Gordon had been blessedly quiet… until he became bored.

It was only a matter of time. Virgil let out a sigh from where he was leaning against the driver’s door, chin dropping to his chest. John’s blond head did not move from its position against the passenger’s headrest, the door wide open to let in the cool breeze. His eyes were closed, and Virgil envied his brother’s cool detachment from their predicament.

Gordon’s finger tapping got louder, no rhyme or reason behind it. Gordon himself didn’t even seem aware of the tick, copper eyes staring out into the desert horizon, mind a million miles away. It wouldn’t have bothered Virgil so much if there was an actual beat to the taps, but the rhythm was completely random and out of time and Virgil was going to go crazy if they didn’t stop soon.

But, he reasoned, if the finger tapping stopped, then Gordon would be forced to find another outlet for his energy, and Virgil cringed at that thought.

They were in the middle of nowhere, and Virgil and John were the only people Gordon could… annoy.

Scrunching his eyes tight, Virgil was weighing his options when his thoughts were interrupted.

“Don’t feel sorry for yourself,” John’s voice floated through the open window at Virgil’s back. He started slightly, craning his neck to look around his torso at his brother. “Only assholes do that.”

On the hood, Gordon’s head snapped around, eyes wide as he stared at John. To his credit, John hadn’t opened an eye, and if Gordon hadn’t reacted the way he did, Virgil would have been sure that he had imagined the blond’s words altogether.

“What?” he asked.

But as it was, John seemed to have Gordon’s full attention now. Virgil turned so that he was facing the car, arms folded across the top, the metal warm under his skin.

John opened an eye, but instead of answering Virgil, he focused on Gordon. Virgil let his eyes slide over; Gordon was staring at John, expression unreadable.

“Tomorrow is always fresh,” Gordon said after a still moment, “with no mistakes in it yet.”

Virgil blinked. Had Gordon just quote Anne of Green Gables?

“It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that,” John replied a minute later.

Gordon burst out laughing. “Harry Potter?” he chuckled. “Really?”

John merely grinned in response.

“What are you doing?” Virgil asked, frowning. “Gordo, I didn’t know you read Anne of Green Gables…”

Gordon’s reply was a shrug, eyes flicking briefly to Virgil before resettling on John.

Okay… that was odd. As far as Virgil had been aware, the only books Gordon had read were 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Moby Dick.

“Your move, George.”

“Please, I am at least a James,” Gordon scoffed, though there was a hint of a grin on his face. Thoroughly confused, Virgil’s flabbergasted brain nearly stopped when Gordon went on to say, “It sounds plausible enough tonight, but wait until tomorrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning.”

H. G. Wells?

John actually sat up at that, at full attention while Gordon remained smirking on the hood of the car. John’s eyes narrowed.

"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true."

As Virgil watched, Gordon’s smirk dropped like a ton of lead. He glared at John’s smug face.

“What is this?” Virgil asked.

But, alas, he was ignored in favor of Oscar Wilde.

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

John’s eyes flashed. “You’re going there, huh?”

Gordon held up his hands in mock surrender. “You started it, not me. All’s fair in love and war, Johnny.”

Pointing at finger at Gordon, John growled, “Wait your turn.”

Virgil was stood staring, thoroughly confused and questioning his place in this world.

Gordon shrugged, lowering his arms and leaning back on them, unfolding his legs from under him and stretching them out on the car. John was quiet for a moment before he answered.

“When a stone is dropped into a pond, the water continues quivering even after the stone has sunk to the bottom.”

Gordon catapulted himself into a sitting position, face distorted in a way that Virgil had never seen before. He glanced at John, and the blond seemed briefly apologetic… but that was before Gordon retaliated with, “It’s better to look at the sky than live there.”

Before he could even say a word, John was on the offense. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Gordon slammed a hand on the hood, causing Virgil to jump. Without waiting, he practically spat, “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Shakespeare… huh…

John seemed to pause, regarding Gordon with a cool, calculating look. The silence was tense, and Virgil was about to speak, to ask, once more, what in the world was happening, when John finally spoke.

“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.”

Virgil threw up his hands, looking to sky for answers. The orange of the sunset did nothing to comfort him when Gordon replied with Steinbeck.

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

“She says nothing at all, but simply stares upward into the dark sky and watches, with sad eyes, the slow dance of the infinite stars.”

“And in that moment, I swear, we were infinite.”

John burst out laughing this time, a rare occurrence that had Virgil questioning everything else he thought he knew. Gordon watched with a proud smile.

“Okay, okay,” John said, returning the grin when he collected himself. “You win.”

Win?

Gordon pumped the air. “Yes! What’s that make it, thirty-six to thirty five?”

John waved a hand in the air, settling back down in his previous position, shutting his eyes once more. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead and gloat.”

“Good round, though,” Gordon said, shifting himself so that his back was against the windshield as he crossed his arms behind his head and bent his knees. He propped one ankle on top of the the other knee and gently bounced his foot.

At least he wasn’t tapping his fingers any more.

“I have to say, I’m impressed with the Oscar Wilde. I wasn’t expecting that one.”

Virgil reached a hand to his forehead and rubbed at the spot between his eyes. He was going insane, that was the only explanation.

“I’m surprised about the copious amount of young adult genre you had,” Gordon said. He tilted his head slightly. “What’s up with that?”

John shrugged. “Alan left a bunch of books up on Five and I finished all mine before I came down. I had nothing better to do.”

Gordon grinned widely and shut his eyes as well.

“Are you two going to tell me what just happened?” Virgil asked, raising his head and looking at his two younger brothers.

“A game,” they replied in unison.

Now Virgil was positive he was losing it. And they called Scott old. “What?”

“A game,” Gordon said slowly, turning to look at Virgil. “Something one plays for entertainment.”

Not in the mood for his brother’s antics, Virgil simply glared.

It seemed that John took pity and explained. “When Gordon… was in the hospital....” code for: hydrofoil accident… “He got bored when everyone was out and the only books the hospital had were children’s books. I lent him some of mine and we’d spend some time discussing them.”

“And then we’d pick out our favorite quotes,” Gordon added, settling back down against the windshield. “At first we tried quoting it and having the other guess the author. But it was too easy, so we upped the ante.”

“Retaliate with quotes,” John resumed. “Nothing’s off limits. But sometimes, the quotes hit too close to home, and those times end in a draw if it can’t be resolved. First person to admit defeat loses.”

Virgil looked between his two lounging brothers, utterly flabbergasted. He had no idea that John and Gordon even talked, let alone did… this. It was rare that the two got along, their interests and personalities clashing more often than not. Gordon was loud, outgoing, and clingy. John was quiet, introverted, and didn’t like human contact. Gordon loved the sea and John adored the sky. The two of them were rarely seen alone, and it was even rarer to seem them talking voluntarily together outside of business-related affairs.

The two of them just clashed in every way, but to see them playing a game-a literary game-was enough to make Virgil’s head spin.

“And you two do this all the time?” he asked, frowing.

“Yup,” Gordon said, popping the “p”.

“Is that a problem?” John asked, and the slight defensive tone of his voice had Virgil blinking.

“No, not at all,” he said. He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m just surprised that Gordon voluntarily reads past the tenth grade level on his own.”

“I’m not stupid,” Gordon frowned, sitting up and leveling a stare at Virgil.

“That’s not what I meant,” Virgil replied, backtracking. Finding himself on the end of two angry brothers who normally did not team up was suddenly unsettling.

“Then what did you mean?” John questioned.

“Just… that Gordon, you surprised me, is all. I wasn’t expecting it. Why didn’t you say something, I love H. G. Wells.”

Gordon grinned at him and held up a finger. “One must be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

Virgil threw up his hands at the loud laughter erupted from his brothers and decided the world had gone mad.