#i: ah! a cactus?! no no no see this is you messing with the magic again!

[kansasjustgotgayer]

Can we have someone other than lin manuel miranda writing songs for disney now? Theres a lot i did not like in encanto.

[dat-town]

wish you were here

Characters: Mark Lee & you

Setting: wish dragon au (and a bit of aladdin because mark even has a tiger in their garden like jasmine did. don’t ask why, just blame the regular mv), childhood best friends to lovers (at least there’s potential?)

Genre: fluff and humour

Warnings: mentions of a sick animal and a wild animal kept as a pet in a huge garden (just like jasmine’s tiger, it’s very tamed)

Summary: A magical teapot, a dragon that wants everyone to be happy and an old friendship being revived. Oh yeah, have I told you that you have 3 wishes?

Words: 6.4k

For @restlessmaknae​ 💕

When your mother told you you got delivery to your childhood home, you certainly did not expect this: a brown box as big as a small watermelon with your old Canadian address and MARK LEE scrabbled next to your name as another recipient but no sender. Not to mention, the first stamp on the thing was dating back to the early 2010s. Where the hell was this package for 10 years? And what would you and your old neighbour slash best friend have gotten together?

Okay, first things first:

You and this clumsy, kind of cute kid, Mark had been quite tight while growing up. You were born in the same year, only a month apart, and his family lived in the house next to yours in the suburbs of Vancouver, so it was kind of natural. You two might have been against the world kind of comrades, playing hide and seek when you were six and wondering about whether time travelling was possible through black holes at twelve. But no matter how close you used to be, you fell out of touch when Mark's family moved to the other end of the world, back to Korea, their roots when you were fourteen. You slowly forgot about him, and started university in the city, moving away from home, so nothing really reminded you of him ⎼ and your stupid, big fat crush on him that you had no courage to tell him about in middle school ⎼, nothing until this box.

You put the delivered package on your kitchen table while you make some dinner for yourself out of what you have gotten during grocery shopping earlier just before you picked up the mysterious stuff at the post office. You eye it suspiciously over your pasta, really not wrapping your mind about what it could be but instead of annoying yourself with this pointless curiosity, you put your fork down and stand up to open it. It’s a struggle at first, the box being secured with multiple adhesive tapes over the years but when you finally get rid of all that and can look inside of it, an intense feeling rushes through you… immerse disappointment.

“A teapot? For real? What were we thinking?” you furrow your brows taking the small, green and pretty old teapot into your hands. It looks like a piece of a traditional Asian set with its jade colour and dragon pattern. It couldn’t have been in a much better shape 10 years ago either seeing how wayworn it is but still, you expected something more… exciting? Something funny that might or might not give you an excuse to look up Mark Lee on the internet and message him for the sake of old times. But how lame it would be to befriend him on Facebook only to tell him that you got delivered a teapot under both your names. Hah, you would rather not embarrass yourself like that.

You shoot one last glance at the teapot before leaving it on your counter and going back to your food, you successfully forget about the whole ordeal. You carry your life on with only one small difference: Mark Lee back on your mind after long, long years.

It was just a small crush, you tell yourself, sighing as you look into the mirror, absentmindedly wondering how he’s doing. Does he think of you sometimes as well? Did he go to music college like he has always wanted? Is he happy? You wish he was even if he’s half a world away and with that thought you think it’s time to go to sleep despite the upcoming weekend days. You don’t want to mess up your sleep schedule over some boy but as soon as you pull the blanket over your chest and close your eyes, something explodes in your kitchen.

You jump out of bed faster than lightning, in slight panic over the fact that your neighbours will hate you for bothering them late at night and your landlord would kill you if you managed to blow up your microwave. But the sight that welcomes you is like no other that you imagined. The whole room is covered in thick pink glittery smoke. Like your worst Barbie nightmare.

“What the⎼” you cough, waving your hands to clear the air and once it dissolves into nothingness with its weirdly cotton candy smell, there’s a boy in the middle of it all, sitting cross legged on your kitchen counter so casually as if he owned the place. His pink-ish purple hair hangs into his eyes and he seems to find your coffee machine strangely interesting. You grab the first thing you can ⎼ a blender ⎼ and hold it up in defensive before yelling at the boy: “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my apartment?”

The stranger’s mouth pulls up in a charming smile, his eyes sparkle as he turns his attention to you, hopping off the counter. He’s all thin and long limbs, so you hate how you hate to look up at him as he walks towards you before bowing ceremoniously.

“Hello, sorry for the sudden appearance, I just couldn’t wait any longer! I’ve been stuck in that teapot waaay too long. I didn’t mean to be rude or anything. My name is Taeyong, I’m a wish dragon and you’re my new owner,” he smiles and what he says makes absolutely no sense.

“A wish dragon?” you mumble in shock, looking around to see if this is just another prank of Johnny. You wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump out from under one of the cupboards. Or maybe you just fell asleep and you’re dreaming. Yeah, that seems like a realistic scenario.

“Ah, yes! I know I don’t look like it but modern times require modern solutions. Most people freak out because of my dragon form, so human it is,” the boy who seems only a few years older than you grins as he’s chatting and you have to give it to him, he takes this role pretty seriously. “You have three wishes as my owner. You can ask for anything as long as it’s not about death or love.”

So you got yourself someone who thinks he’s basically a genie? Oh gosh, is he that drunk?

“Aha, very funny. I’m too tired for this prank, so I would appreciate it if you left the same way you came...” you point towards your window because there’s no way he came through the door. Putting down your blender because the guy looks pretty harmless despite his crazy blabbering, you move to go back to your bedroom.

“No, no, no, I can’t do that,” the boy, Taeyong as he introduced himself, appears in front of you within a second and grabs your shoulder as if he could shake some sense into you. He looks pretty desperate. “I can only get a new owner if I fulfill all wishes of yours. It was super stuffy in that box the last decade, you know.”

At that excuse you let out a laugh.

“You don’t even fit it the⎼”

“You were saying?” Taeyong is suddenly nowhere near ahead of you but instead a small creature, supposedly a dragon, in the size of your palm flies in front of your eye level. “It’s magic!”

Okay, now that sight makes you feel like it’s you who is drunk. Or worse.

“Am I dead?” you have to ask in a small, uncertain voice, trying to think back what could have happened. Maybe that explosion literally blew your apartment up? But it hurts when you pinch your arm and turning back into his human form, Taeyong wants to prove the very same thing. Not the hurting but the not dead part, obviously.

“No, you’re very much alive and a happy owner of a wish dragon. Not permanently, of course, but still,” he tells you as he drags you onto your couch in the living room. As if sitting down could help processing all this.

So you have a wish dragon in your home, a magical creature that can casually switch between its dragon and human form and he says you should wish for three things, so he could leave and you could go back to your old, boring life without magic and things that scare you to death at 11PM.

“Can I ask… why? Why me? I’m not really owner-material,” you whisper because heck yeah, you even managed to kill your cactus before. Taeyong purses his lips as he sits down, a hand at his chin.

“Well, it’s unusual indeed to have a peasant girl, no offence, as my owner but as far as I know, you and your friend asked for a sign that magic was real.”

Oh, you remember that, being so obsessed with shooting stars and other stuff like that, you two used Mark’s brother’s computer to browse the internet, trying to find evidence about all that. You were kids wanting to believe in a world beyond the one you knew. But...

“That was like 10 years ago,” you furrow your eyebrows, not getting the timing.

“Well, sorry, you weren’t put on the top of the Heaven wish list and the shipping from Shanghai to Vancouver isn’t the fastest either,” Taeyong shrugs as if it was supposed to be natural. As if that was the most unbelievable thing. Well, delivery services are sometimes a pain in the ass, that’s true but getting a wish delivered by Heaven was something you would have never thought of and it all drains down on you. Strangest realisation of your life.

“So… it’s all real,” you whisper ahead of yourself: magic, dragons and all that. You could basically see your old best friend’s I told you so smile and let out a soft chuckle. “I wish Mark could meet with you, too.”

At that the guy ahead of you claps his hands and rubs them together, creating the same purple smoke from before. You look at him alarmed.

“Your wish, my command,” Taeyong grins and lifts his hands and before you could make a sound of protest because gosh, you didn’t mean it literally, you feel the ground move under your feet and you’re falling, into the darkness but despite shutting your eyes automatically, fearing the impact of the crash, nothing comes. Only the smell of soy sauce in the air and warm sunshine on your skin… Wait, what?

Your eyelids fly open and you notice in shock that you’re not in your flat anymore, ready to sleep. Instead, you stand in the middle of a goddamn street somewhere in Korea based on the signs still in your PJ shorts and tee. Oh my gosh! You hide in an alley right away and yank the seemingly proud Taeyong with you.

“I didn’t tell you that I meant right now! I can’t meet Mark in my PJs and I need my phone and wallet to function anyways. Not to mention, I don’t speak Korean at all...” you ramble panicking, the realisation that you’re indeed on the other side of the Earth due to some magic is yet to register. But the awkwardness from the stares you have just gotten has already turned you bashful.

Listening to you, the wish dragon seems sheepish and slightly embarrassed as he scratched his nape, his colourful hair falling into his cast down eyes.

“Oh… sorry. I got so excited over the wish that I didn’t think about it! It’s been a while since I did teleport magic but hey, I still have it in me. Anyways, sorry. Phone and wallet, you said? Here you go,” he pulls out something from his pants which magically seems to be indeed your belongings. That definitely makes things earlier.

“Uhm, thanks. Where are we exactly?”

“Ah, well you mentioned your friend Mark Lee, so we’re here. Well, one bell away because I did remember that it’s rude to intrude other’s houses without permission first,” oh now, you know, you snicker internally and gulp because hell, even if you wanted to see Mark, you wouldn’t have thought that the meeting would come so soon. You didn’t have enough time to prepare yourself mentally.

“So… you’re telling me that this… is where Mark lives?” you point at the impressive apartment complex on the corner of the street but Taeyong shakes his head.

“Nope, This is where your Mark lives,” he says and before you could object about the ‘your’ part, the dragon points at the other side of the road at a luxurious house with a huge garden, basically a palace. Seeing the beautiful fountain, the modern and yet traditional Korean style building beyond the fences makes your jaw drop.

“Hahaha, alright for a magic dragon you must have made a mistake. There’s no way the Mark Lee I know lives here,” you look back at Taeyong finding it funny that the kid who used to wore his favourite tees until his mother basically threw them out would live at such a place.

“Mark Lee, korean name Minhyung, supposed to be 22 years old internationally soon. Bad eyesight, contagious laugh, clumsy but has surprisingly good reflexes, gets embarrassed easily. Sound familiar?” Taeyong crooks a brow at you as he reads the information off from a parchment he just took out of his pants. Everything he listed is just so Mark that you’re left in disbelief.

“Uuh… that sounds about right.”

“His father hit it big in 2016 with a tech company, their net worth has too many zeros to count,” Taeyong explains, seeing how surprised you were over the fact that he lived a lavish life like this. Not that he doesn’t deserve it! Mark is such a sweetheart, so of course, you would only want the best for him but as if half the world wasn’t enough, now you have another huge gap between you.

“Gosh, I really can’t believe this. How am I supposed to just ring the bell and say hello after so much time?” you sighed with your head in your hands. “Argh, I need to buy some clothes and change.”

Taeyong approves the idea based on how enthusiastically he hollers, you wonder why nobody on the street seems to pay no attention to him. Maybe only you see him, just more reason for you to be crazy.

“Good idea because we’re having dinner with Mark!”

“What?” you look up in shock, not following through. Taeyong grins down at you, flashing a giddy smile and with a twirl he’s changed from his baggy, casual clothes to something more chic but still laidback.

“Your wish was him meeting me, so I arranged everything. I can't meet him without you and the teapot there, you know,” he explains as if it was supposed to be obvious. You aren't ready yet though.

“You just want to eat all the fancy delicious food he has,” you squint at him suspiciously and the dragon stays silent, so you must be right. He laughs nervously.

“Maybe, but can you blame me? I haven’t had a feast since a literal decade!” he hollers and somehow you really cannot find it in yourself to be angry at him. You are in Seoul for god's sake after all and magic is real, you can put up with the inconvenience of buying clothes and making yourself look decent before dumping all this surprise on Mark.

An hour later you stand in front of the gates of the Lee mansion and nervously you wipe your sweating hands into your dress. You can totally do this, you just say hi to an old friend, it's not like you're afraid he wouldn't remember you, hah, of course not–

"Y/N!" 

You whip your head at the call of your name to the source of that all too familiar voice. Sure it's deeper than you remember but there's no mistake in whose it is. Plus, who else would call your name in South Korea of all places.

"Mark, hey!" you wave the boy who just got out of one of the fanciest cars you've ever seen in your life. And yet, despite the Prada suit and expensive shoes, styled hair and Swiss watch on wrist, Mark Lee still has that goofy little smile and the doe eyes that used to make you weak in the knees. Hah, who are you kidding? They still do.

"Oh my god, dude, you… you got pretty," Mark jogs up to you and having no filter like always he blabbers immediately only to stutter as his ears turn red. It was so him talking before thinking, so you didn’t really mean to dwell on his words. Although you felt your cheeks dusted with pink soon enough. "I mean, it's really good to see you! I was so surprised to see your name in my calendar for today's dinner! You should have told me you were coming to Korea, I would have picked you up at the airport."

His calendar? Ah, of course, he must have been busy and all that. You wouldn’t have been surprised to see an assistant run after him at this point, so you wonder how your wish dragon magically put you onto his list of important people to meet. Gosh, it was so weird.

"Ah, I have a funny story about that…" you chuckled to yourself but before you could have get out anything, even a please, can we go to a more private place? Mark’s eyes zero on the guy next to you and his eyes grow comically wide.

"And uhm, who is your friend?" he points at Taeyong who waves him in exchange with a kilowatt smile. He looks back at you with his mouth agapé. "Oh my god, you came to invite me to your wedding?"

He says oh my god way too many times for an eloquent rich kid, he really is the Mark Lee you knew.

"No, never! I mean, of course, I would invite you but Taeyong and I– I literally met him on my way here," you explain hastily cursing yourself for the silly lie. You came to tell him the news not to try to make it believable. 

“I heard there’s food,” the wish dragon pipes in very helpful and you shoot him a disapproving glance he doesn’t notice. Luckily, Mark doesn’t seem to mind.

“Oh, yeah, of course, dinner! Come on in, let’s get you two settled,” he grins albeit a bit awkwardly as he leads you through the gate after opening it with his card.

On the way through the very, very, very big garden, he’s chattering about how he misses the Vancouver weather, especially on humid, hot days like this and talks about how he thinks the fountain in their yard is a bit too much but his mom loved it and then before you know it, you sit by a huge dining table with fine food in front of you. Suddenly you can’t decide whether you're grateful for Taeyong’s shameless presence – he digs into the jjigae right away – because at least the situation isn’t awkward because of your silence or you’re annoyed by it because you must seem like a weirdo because of him. That’s why you decide to rip off the bandage and tell Mark as soon as the last maid has disappeared too.

“Okay, so actually I came here because I have a surprise,” you speak up, probably too serious because the boy almost chokes on his food due to how fast he turns his head towards you.

“More surprise?” he coughs out and you offer him a glass of water which he takes with a smile.

“You literally won’t believe this one!” you assure him and wait until he gulps down the drink. Only then you point to Taeyong and tell him that your childhood wish has come true. 

Mark almost falls off his chair this time.

Not after you tell him that though. He laughs at that with that wheezing laugh of his as if you told the joke of the century then pats you on the shoulder murmuring That was a good one, bro and turning back to his food. But then you look at the magic dragon pointedly and Taeyong puts down his chopsticks with an exaggerated sign. Then he flexes his magic: turning into his dragon form among additional sparkles and Mark suddenly looks like he’s about to faint. He reaches out to tap on your shoulder while not taking his eyes off the wish dragon.

“Am I dreaming?” he whispers and honestly, you totally get his reaction while Taeyong mumbles something about ‘people these days not believing in dragons’ as he shows off all the things he could do: gift riches, make one stronger than they are, giving skills of whatever one wants. He starts rambling about how this one Chinese emperor became wealthy thanks to this, how that one actor in martial arts and all this before changing back to his human form and he continues eating his pasta like nothing ever happened.

“I can do this all day,” he shrugs as if he didn’t just perform the coolest magic tricks.

“This… this is the best thing ever!” Mark exclaims with those sparkles in his eyes you missed so much. He was always so excited about new things and it automatically makes you smile how he bombards Taeyong with million questions like: ‘So you are the wish dragon that grants wishes?’ or asking him about his scales, his unique color, how it feels to live in such a small teapot, how old he is and the dragon glows under all the attention. Can’t blame him but Mark has always been so curious about the world, it’s endearing.

“So your first wish was to meet me?” he turns to you after long minutes of interrogating Taeyong and suddenly, under the spotlight you don’t know what to do with yourself. You can feel yourself blushing because you didn’t necessarily mean to wish for that but it’s not like you’re regretting it, it’s just… you don’t want him to misunderstand.

“I thought you should meet him, too, after all the package was delivered for the two of us,” you look down, trying to sound nonchalant while picking your food, avoiding Mark’s gaze. No matter how open armed he welcomed you, you still aren’t convinced that it’s okay to be here because the more time you spend with him, the more you would like to stay a part of his life. “It’s just… I wasn’t really sure we could ever meet again. We didn’t keep contact after you left.”

With dropped shoulders, you try not to sound too downhearted because of what happened because you know all too well, it wasn’t his fault, it was a family decision and look at him, it did good for him! He seems happy, they live in a practically mansion but most importantly, he didn’t seem to change with the wealth. He might wear expensive clothes but under it all he’s still the boy with the most loveable smile.

“I… I was thinking about you a lot, I just thought you forgot about me,” Mark admits with a sheepish smile, tucking his hair behind his ear shyly. He really still is the same and it’s playing silly little games with your heart. If this was a cheesy Disney movie, a slow bgm would start to play as you look into each other but your moment is broken when Taeyong accidentally kicks into his chair as he stands up. At first he looks alarmed but then giggles.

“I will just… go. Don’t mind me,” he disappears like smoke with a wink, leaving you two alone at which Mark lets out a woah. You chuckle at his cute reaction, heart doing somersaults in your chest.

You thought it would be awkward, just the two of you alone after long years but Mark has this thing that he makes people feel comfortable around him, so it’s actually quite nice. You catch up on everything and anything that comes to your mind: old neighbours, studies, friends, what are you doing now and what would you like to do, too.

After finishing the delicious dinner, Mark offers a home tour which you would never refuse and you jaw drops at the huge crystal chandelier in their living room as well as their swimming pool but your favourite place in the whole mansion is Mark’s room because it’s just so him. You can’t describe it well but the moment you step inside, it feels like home. It’s cozy to the point it makes you want to cuddle a pillow. It has colours of pastels, a synthesizer here, a guitar there, posters of singers framed on his wall and vinyl records hanging down. His window has a view of sunset and Namsan above their green garden and although you haven’t been in Seoul before, you’re pretty sure it’s your favourite place in the whole damn city, too.

“Wait, there’s someone I would like you to meet,” Mark suddenly exclaims while you’re looking through his pictures and he pulls you out of his room, out of the house, into the garden: You giggle all the way as he’s being so secretive about it but then your steps halt unexpectedly and the hand you have in Mark’s yanks him back.

“Mark… why is there a tiger in your garden in the middle of Seoul?” you ask as quietly and as immobile as you can. You don’t want to attract the sleeping animal’s attention to yourself. But to your biggest surprise, the boy just laughs, his thumb caressing your skin soothingly.

“She’s Jasmine and she won’t hurt you,” he reassures you but needless to say, you’re not too calm and you’re pulled close to the wild animal that lifts its huge head towards you lazily. “She was abandoned by her mother as a cub and she was outcast in the zoo because she’s a bit sick, so she has always been weaker than her siblings. Dad made a donation and we have raised her since she was young.”

You hiss when Mark reaches out without fear but the tiger basically purrs as he strokes down his fur at the neck. You watch in awe as this big wild animal becomes a soft cat under the hands of Mark Lee. When the boy encourages you to pat her too, you hesitate but he promises you that it’s gonna be alright and you take a leap of faith. 

“What’s her sickness?” you wonder aloud as your fingers get lost in the soft fur of the tiger. You hope she’s not in a lot of pain.

“It’s an immune system thing, not sure what exactly but she wouldn’t have survived this long in the wild,” the boy tells you and his mouth curls up in a smile when Jasmine licks your hand. It seems like you’re tiger-approved. You look into its warm brown eyes and your heart churns at the thought of her condition.

Mark tells you stories of Jasmine, about that one time she crashed his birthday cake or how much she likes to swim with him in their pool during summer and gosh, you could listen to him go on and on forever. You’re only reminded of the reality, that all this is just a possible one-time thing, a weekend getaway with magic when Taeyong shows up in swimwear, ready to crash in said pool.

“I guess he might have been bored in that teapot,” Mark laughs, not minding at all. He even offers you to join but you have a better idea.

“Taeyong, I have my second wish!” you call out for the wish dragon who’s suddenly much more excited about that than the water. He’s beside you in a moment, beaming and curious. You glance at Mark with a soft smile before looking at your personal genie confidently.

“I wish Jasmine would be healthy,” you whisper, playing with the tiger’s furry ears which she seems to enjoy. You were a little bit afraid the dragon would say it’s not possible, that he can’t cure sickness but to your relief, he just grins.

“Your wish, my command,” he nods and puts a hand over the animal. Nothing but a smoke of purple signals the magic being done but you believe in it and so does Mark by the looks of it. He reaches out for your hand and squeezes it gently. 

“Thank you,” he smiles and you smile back. He used to be your best friend after all, it’s the least you can do for him.

Mark convinces you to stay the weekend and there’s no way you could tell no to him, not when he clears his schedule just for you. He never complains about how busy he must be working for his father’s business while being a music major at a local university. All he ever talks about is the places he wishes to show you and he takes you around Seoul as if he was your certificated tour guide. It’s lovely how enthusiastic he is about it while what really matters to you is the time you spend together. He makes sure you two take a million photos to remember by, Taeyong posing on half of them since he joins you on your little trips and sometimes it’s just the two of you watching the wish dragon being genuinely in awe by modern technology, 10 years is a long time after all.

On the last day before you have to go back to Vancouver (thanks to Taeyong’s kind offer to take you the same way you came back since he misunderstood you, you don’t have to sit through a 10+ hours flight and you have more time), Mark not only tries to make you breakfast despite having an in-house chef (his eggs are ugly as heck but you appreciate his efforts and can’t help but coo at his dreamy smile under that grey hoodie when you tell him it tastes yummy) but he also introduces you to his friends in Korea. Of course, they tease you (mostly Mark) about where he has been hiding you but it’s all chill and fun you’re not quite ready to say goodbye. But you should go because the more you stay, the more you don’t want to leave. You’re lucky enough for this chance to reunite with Mark but all good things end eventually.

“Let’s not disappear from each other’s life again, okay?” the boy grins at you as you’re ready to go, Taeyong already working on his magic.

“Yeah, let’s not,” you agree easily, looking forward to your video chatting and constant texting even if it’s from the two opposite ends of the Earth with a terrible time zone difference.

You glance at the wish dragon who’s drumming with his fingers while pursing his lips as if he was waiting for something and you let out a huff before working up the courage to actually do something about these feelings inside of you. You might have regretted not confessing in middle school, you have spent years wondering about the what ifs, so you don’t want to make the same mistake twice but still, you want to give Mark a chance to ignore it all if he wants to. So you step forward and wrap your hands around him as you hug him close. It’s obvious that your action takes him aback, he suddenly doesn’t know what to do with his hands and his body tenses under you but it all melts as you say those words that have been threatening to fall from your lips all this time:

“I have missed you.” you confess, honest and based on the hitch in his breathing, Mark must be surprised. You can’t blame him though, you just wanted him to know. You step back with a weary smile, his big Bambi eyes on you but before he could say anything you nod at Taeyong and you feel yourself falling, purple fog pulling you in. A few moments later you’re back in Vancouver, in your apartment, without him.

The first few days pass in a blurr, you can still barely believe what just happened. Your weekend with Mark feels like a too good dream but Mark kept his side of promise and texted you almost immediately as you left. He sends you selfies, songs that remind him of you and you talk about your days like you never did before. Still, it feels like you’re dancing around certain topics which are basically the elephant in the room and maybe that’s why Taeyong tries to cheer you up in his own way. Though, he soon realizes that you not being happy isn’t the problem, you are happy, you just… miss Mark more than you ever did.

“Enough of moping, you still have a wish left!” Taeyong exclaims, throwing himself onto your bed. “Come on, close your eyes, imagine what you want the most in the world and make a wish!" he singsongs. However, before you could even just indulge him, your phone pings with a new notification.

fullsun00 tagged you in their post!

You click on it right away, wondering what Mark’s friend Donghyuck is doing online at 1AM. The uploaded post turns out to be a photo of you and Mark when you all hang out near Han river. You were too busy at the time laughing at how the boy almost lost his whole scoop of ice cream before he could have had a single bite to notice his smile while looking at you. Based on his caption Donghyuck apparently wasn’t.

fullsun00: just old friends, they say. friends my ass @buttercupyn @onyourm__ark

You click your tongue wondering what Mark thinks of the callout but you press like on the post anyways. You put your phone aside before you could see how his other friends join the teasing in the comment section.

“Actually, I do have my third wish,” you speak up as you turn to Taeyong before he could make a remark on your tinted cheeks.

You’ve been thinking a lot about it during the past days. You could wish for anything but you’re at a point of your life where no riches or fame would make you happier because you’re happy enough just the way it is. It might not be perfect but you don’t want to be selfish and you want to make decisions you won’t regret: like catching up with Mark, curing his tiger and bringing happiness into the life of somebody who only ever served other people in his life.

“Ooh, what is it?” Taeyong claps, giddy as if he was waiting for this to happen. He probably did.

“I wish you would go on a vacation and enjoy life,” you tell him but unlike his usual reaction, this time the dragon’s smile fades and he blinks at you, confused.

“You could ask for anything in the world and that’s what you want? Are you sure?” he furrows his brows, not quite believing your words but you just smile, knowingly.

“Yes, Taeyong, I’m sure.”

“Your wish, my command,” he bows with his hands put together and with a twirl suddenly he’s in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, looking as ready for a holiday as one can be. You chuckle and tell him to just go, you’ll be fine.

You’re fine, you really are. Life goes on, you study and work, you laugh with your friends, you video call with Mark regularly and his friends are regulars on your social media, too. It’s just sometimes the feeling of missing something hits you harder than other days. Especially when you’re looking through the pictures you have from your Seoul weekend.

“I wish you were here,” you whisper ahead of you at one particularly good photo of Mark and the sunset, smiling at you behind the camera. You miss his smile, the cute wrinkles around his eyes when he crunches his nose, the sound of his laughter, his hand on your wrist… you miss him.

Ding-dong.

You stand up startled at the sound of your flat’s bell, running to the door to open it even though you have no idea who it could be so early on a Saturday morning. Not having a better idea, you expect it to be either a neighbour of your landlord but on the other side of your doorstep stands a boy who you thought was a continent away. He’s dressed semi-casually this time, his shirt tucked in his jeans, hair lightly falling onto his forehead and a nervous smile on his thin lips.

“Mark! But I⎼ I don’t even have more wishes,” you blink, taken aback, looking around to look for Taeyong in case he came back. But your behaviour just manages to confuse Mark instead.

“What?”

“I just wished you were here,” you blurt out without thinking, your words only processing later in your brain and it’s then when heat creeps onto your cheeks. Mark tries to but can’t really hide his growing smile at that.

“Really? I’m glad then. I just took my new private plane on a test drive,” he says bashfully, a silly excuse for real.

“All the way to Vancouver?” you tease, watching Mark fumble with the hem of his shirt. Your heart beats overtime just because of the fact that he’s there. 

“Well, what can I say? I did miss the weather here,” he plays along with a shrug but he’s more serious when he looks deep into your eye and adds: “And you left without letting me answer.”

Oh yes, you did. You were kind of afraid of his reaction but seeing how he was ready to travel across the world just to see you, maybe there’s no reason for you to be so afraid. It feels like deja vu but a reversed one in a way as Mark gently pulls you into a hug, his lips grazing your hair with a whisper that makes your heart skip a beat: “I have missed you too.”

You really wouldn’t wish for anything more.

[twstarchives]

Epel Felmier・Voice Lines

Additional Voice Lines

Dress-Up Groom event card

Scary Dress event card

School Uniform - R

Unlock Card “What’s wrong? ...Is there something on my face?”

Groovy “I’ll peel an apple for you too. I can promise you they taste delicious.”

Home Setting “I wonder what kind of magic we’re going to learn today.”

Home Transitions “I only wear this frilly blouse because the dorm leader told me to. It’s not because I like it... or anything.”

“I like magic... I think. I mean, the strength of your magic doesn’t have anything to do with your stature, so...”

“It’s really nippy where I live, so—oh, huh? You don’t know what nippy means? It means ‘very cold’... kind of.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “You’re staring at me really hard; do you need something... maybe?”

Home Taps “If I got taller, I’d look like an even more powerful mage... I think.”

“Meemaw—ah, I mean, my grandmother sent a bunch of apples from home. Do you want one too... maybe?”

“Apples can grow in harsh winter conditions. They’re a very strong, durable fruit. Did you know that?”

“Living in a dorm isn’t really that inconvenient... I think. There were always a lot of people in my house back home anyway.”

“Look here, the hell were you——....Ahh, I mean, are you teasing me like I’m weak...?”

PE Uniform - R

Unlock Card “I like these clothes. And I’m not just saying that ‘cause I have to or anything...”

Groovy “Are you tired? Hehe, being a mage is a real test of strength.”

Home Setting “Clothes that are easy to move in are nice, huh?”

Home Transitions “I decided when I first came to this school to try out some sports. 'Cause I wasn’t really able to do them back home...”

“The magical shift club leader Leona told me that winning depends on strategy, not your physique.”

“I’m good at flying... I think. A lot of the sweet, delicious apples grow in high places, right where the sun hits, so I have to ride a broom when I pick them.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “A lot of people say I don’t look like I’d be good at sports, but I kind of like them...”

Home Taps “I don’t really have any muscles, even though I work out. I wish I had muscles like Coach Vargas...”

“Apples are good to eat after exercising. I heard the acids in them help you cool off.”

“I’m not really good at dancing... I think. I’ve only danced a little at the festivals in my village...”

“My muscles are sore after working out with the dorm leader... He told me I wasn’t flexible and tried to stretch me out like pie dough.”

“Y’know, I’m real tired of you jabbin’ at me like tha—ah! Um, could you maybe not poke me like that?”

Lab Coat - SR

Unlock Card “We have a lab...? If I mess it up, the dorm leader’ll get mad at me... probably.”

Groovy “I want to be a master at making potions someday too.”

Home Setting “I want to learn about potions that grow plants...”

Home Transitions “The work at Night Raven College is hard... kind of. I can never remember those long plant names...”

“Whenever Professor Crewel teaches, you can tell he knows a lot about color-changing potions and flowers that can dye things really pretty colors.”

“The library at this school is full of books from all around the world. The dorm leader told me I need to read one every week.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “There’s a lot of fruits I’ve never seen before in the Botanical Garden; it’s fun looking at them all... kind of.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “It’s frustrating when I can’t solve a hard problem... kind of. I was going to go try researching in the library. Want to come too?”

Home Taps “There’s a lot of people in Pomefiore who are good at magic potions. But I’m not really there yet... I think.”

“One bite of the poisoned apple and you fall into an eternal slumber... I need to be careful when making strong potions.”

“If I made a potion that could strengthen weak apple trees, it’d make Pawpaw really happy.”

“Rook’s an amazing person; he’s so good at sports and his studies too... I think. It’s just, he’s really, really weird...”

“Are you blind or somethin’? I’m busy brewing here so leave me alone for now—...ah! I mean, it’s dangerous if you’re not careful, so please don’t touch, okay?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Have you grown any plants before? ...Oh, I see. Want me to split seedlings that are easy to grow for you?”

Ceremony Robes - SR

Unlock Card “Don’t worry about me. ...He does this for the both of us.”

Groovy “I’m going to surpass the dorm leaders in no time. I swear it...!” 

Home Setting “It feels like my robes are dragging on the floor... kind of.”

Home Transitions “They say the hoods of these robes are supposed to give off the impression of the Beautiful Queen when she turned into an old woman... Did you know that?”

“The Queen was even willing to make herself ugly in order to be the fairest in the land... She’s real marvy.”

“The Mirror of Darkness is supposed to pick your dorm based on the qualities of your soul, but does my soul really match Pomefiore...?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Students with all kinds of natural power go to this school... I want to get stronger here too!”

Home Transition (Groovy) “When I sent my grandma pictures of me from the entrance ceremony, she said ‘You look real smart ‘n spruce’! Meemaw’s just exaggerating...”

Home Taps “I feel like there’s a whole lotta ballsy guys at this school. It’s a little different from what I’d pictured before coming here.”

“When the black carriage came to pick me up, all my relatives and the villagers came to wish me off... Hehe.”

“Neither of my parents can use magic, but Big Maw and Meemaw⁠—ah, I mean, my great-grandma and my grandma are both witches.”

“I didn’t grow up around a lot of mages, so life at this school feels very new... kind of.”

“Ah? The hell do you want? Stop actin’ like we’re so close.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “This makeup Vil put on me won’t smudge at all... How is it now? Did it come off?”

Dorm Uniform - SSR

Unlock Card “Want a bite of an apple so sweet you’ll think you’re dreaming?”

“I’m just obeying what the dorm leader asks of me. ...For now.”

Groovy “I may be in Pomefiore, but... I’m still me!”

Home Setting “Welcome to Pomefiore! ...Hah.”

Home Transitions “I’ve got a lot of weird seniors in Pomefiore. It still feels kind of hard to fit in here...”

“I’ve never really cared that much about how I dress, but I love apples that are shaped nicely... I think.”

“I always thought Pomefiore was all about enforcing beautiful looks, but not everyone’s like that. The dorm leader is just a special case.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Wearing the Pomefiore dorm uniforms isn’t just about being beautiful. The dorm leader told me ‘You must get strong,’ too.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “I wish people would tell me I’m cool instead of saying things like ‘pretty’ or ‘cute.’”

Home Taps “The deep indigo used for our dorm uniforms is said to be the same color as the Beautiful Queen’s dress.”

“I once got lost in the dorm and ended up at this creepy basement. I wonder what that room is used for...”

“Did you see the huge apple trees in our dorm’s courtyard? Back home, we’ve got apple trees too. ...But I’m not homesick or anything.”

“Keep this a secret from the dorm leader, but... I actually wanted to get into Savanaclaw. They seem kinda bad and tough. I like it.”

“Quit pokin’ at me so casually! ...I’m kidding. I just don’t really like being touched, I think.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Ramshackle must be so nice. I’d love to be alone and free.”

Duo Magic Epel: “Let’s go, Rook!” Rook: “How daring you are, Monsieur Cherry Apple.”

Birthday Celebration Outfit - SSR

This card was only obtainable during Epel’s birthday event (May 5 - May 12, 2021).

Unlock Card “I can’t believe you guys are throwing such a huge celebration for me... Thank you, everyone!”

“I want this year to be fruitful, like the way fresh apples grow every year.”

Groovy “I hope that next year I can have a blast with you and everyone else again!”

Home Setting “How do I look? Cool, right? ...Huh?! I’m ‘cute’?”

Home Transitions “Deuce gave me a cap with really cool patches on it. I’m gonna wear it next time I go see him.”

“Ruggie told me ‘I’m expecting a little something back from ya!’ when he handed me a present... I have no idea what I’d get for a senior.”

“Everyone looked so shocked when I blew out my birthday candles in one breath... Do I really seem that weak?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “It’s my birthday party today, so maybe I can act like myself a little bit, and have fun...”

Home Transition (Groovy) “I’ve still gotta do homework after this... Ah! Maybe it’d fun if I worked with you. It’d be like we’re keeping the party going!”

Home Taps “Jack gave me a cactus. I hear it’s hard to get them to bloom flowers, but I’ll try my best to grow one!”

“I used to mark my height on a pillar to see how tall I’d gotten. But I stopped because I wasn’t really growing...”

“Huh?! There’s cream near my mouth? That could’ve been bad... Vil was about t’get real hacked off at me!”

“It makes me happy to get presents, but I don’t really have a use for makeup and fluttery clothes and stuff like that...”

“You want to see me carve an apple? Then I’ll give a go at carving a portrait. Will you be my model?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “I like how the party really picks up when you and Grim are here. I don’t do so great when the mood’s all stiff.”

Duo Magic Epel: “Vil! There’s something a bit different about me today.” Vil: “Happy birthday, Epel. Let’s see it.”

Tutorial “Let’s go! I’ll leave you behind if you don’t keep up.”

Lv Up “Ehehe, I made some progress... I think.”

“If I do my best, someday I’ll definitely make it...!”

“Let’s try our hardest from now on. Okay?”

Max Lv Up “I feel a strong power rising in me, like an ice-cold poison. It feels like I could put anyone to sleep... maybe?”

Episode Lv Up “Why’re you even botherin’ with me? If it’s ‘cause you think I’m strong ‘n reliable, then... that’d make me happy.”

Magic Lv Up “With this power, I’ll even take on the dorm leader!”

Limit Break “I’m getting stronger. Do you believe in me too...? Maybe?”

Groovy “I wish I could grow slowly and steadily, like an apple.”

Select Lesson “What subject are you going to take? ...I like flying, I think.”

“Do you want to take a class with me? It doesn’t really matter to me, though... hehe.”

“Seriously, how long are you just gonna stand there? Pick already.”

Lesson Start “Mm, hello everyone.”

Lesson End “I’m drained from all that studying!”

Battle Start “You’ve got some nerve biting at me...!”

Battle Win “Guess I’m not as soft as I look! Maybe.”

Other

Profile Quote “Apples are awkward and hard to handle... just like...”

January 2020 Trailer “Are you by chance waiting for your prince on a white horse to come?”

Countdown Poster “Would you like a bite of this red apple?”

Login Bonus “It’s important to keep up at something everyday. Apples won’t ripen either if you don’t take care of them everyday... you know?”

Player Birthday Wish “It’s your birthday, ain’t it! I made some jam outta the apples my family sent me... Here! Ah... Um... What’s wrong? You’re making a funny face... Did I say something weird... maybe?”

Epel sometimes slips into speaking in Tsugaru dialect, which is so different than standard Japanese that sometimes it’s impossible to understand unless you’re familiar with it. I’d describe it as a “heavy country dialect.” There’s no perfect way to translate it, and I don’t really have a good grasp on different English dialects anyway, but I tried 🙆‍♀️ If anything was worded strangely, it was probably intentional!

[delusionalbiatch]

Jack’s Birthday Story

This came to mind and it’s because I love him so much and good boi deserves the best. I love him. And he came home too. Although I’m late because I have school stuff to do sksksk

With a female MC!reader~ who has a crush on him. Because I DO AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH BABY BOY DESERVES THE BEST.

Y/N looked at the time, waiting for the clock to strike 12. She had been waiting for October 11th to arrive, since she knew it is Jack’s birthday. She didn't feel intimidated by him and befriended him anyway, although he's such a tsundere. She loves how he always denies helping although he's already doing it anyway. Aside from her crush on him she always felt that he helped her a lot of times, even when things were a disaster, due to Ace, Deuce, and Grim making a complete mess of themselves. She knew he’s got a kind heart, and she respects how he’s very determined.

Y/N had gone out to buy a thermos water bottle with little cactus pictures on it. It maintains the temperature of anything inside it pretty well, so that when he finishes his training his water is still cold enough to be refreshing, or if he wants to store hot water, cocoa, or tea inside it’ll be kept warm and nice. She contained it inside a paper gift bag. She fiddled her fingers to contain her excitement. It’s only 1 minute more!

Ding ding ding~!

The ringtone on her phone rang. She sprung from her room, quickly running towards his room at the Savanaclaw Dorm. She had made a promise with Leona to buy him bread during lunch for a week straight so that he’d let her in at night and she’ll be able to give Jack a surprise.

When she arrived to the dorm, she saw Ruggie still up, probably done with his chores. “Ah, Ruggie-senpai!” She greeted him with a smile. He smiled back at her, saying, “Jack is probably asleep. I heard from Leona that you wanted to give him a surprise? At night?” He asked with a concerned look. She grinned at him, her eyes glinting with confidence. “Yes, I planned to give it in secret so he’d be surprised by the morning!” She said. Ruggie laughed at her. “Oh really? Good luck then, Y/N-san.” He waved his hand and went back to his room, yawning.

She fast-tiptoed all the way to his room, gently and very carefully opening the door, peeking her eye through the crack to see if he was sleeping or not.

She saw a flurry of white on the bed, softly rising up and down. “So he’s asleep…” Her heart warmed at the thought of seeing him in a vulnerable state like this.

She slowly closed the door behind her and gently placed the bag beside his bed. She had inserted a letter inside it.

She slowly looked up to see him still sleeping. Her heart thumps loudly, seeing him in this state.

"What if I..."

Y/N leaned closer to him, her face only mere centimeters away from his. Then...

*chu*

She kissed him softly. On the cheek.

Immediately, her face went beet red, retreating after that soft touch of her skin against his.

"W-what did I just...Oh God...!" She thought, as she quickly ran and, still slowly, closed the door behind her, her face redder than Riddle's hair.

"Stupid, hahahaha how stupid! If he found out, it's confirmed you'll ruin your friendship with your best friend you idiot!!!!!" The devil on her right shoulder said, laughing as she dashed back to her dorm.

"It is alright, child. You conveyed your honest feelings to him and you will be rewarded." The angel on her left said, although not too promising in her ears.

"You both..." Y/N said in her head..

"SHUT UP!!!!"

......

Meanwhile...

The door to Jack's room opened, revealing Leona yawning and looking at the small present on the floor.

"You can stop pretending." He said. "Y/N left."

Jack's ears twitched, as he sat up, his face already red. "Y-yes. I...didn't expect her to actually come...this late at night." He murmured.

"She's very persistent, so..." Leona's word trailed as he saw the look on Jack's face.

"What the--what happened? Did you hit your face or something?" Leona asked, his eyes narrowing.

Jack immediately shook his head. "N-no, I'm okay, Leona-senpai! I was just feeling a bit hot!" He denied, shaking his hands.

Leona huffed and scratched his head. "Fine. I'm going back to sleep. Remember, you asked for me to tell you all this. So you be responsible with your actions. Happy Birthday. Tomorrow you're in for a treat, pup." He grinned and closed the door.

Jack was again, left alone in his room. He reached down and took the bag. He opened it to see a letter and a water bottle.

He took the water bottle, examining it. Cute cactuses with little faces smiling decorating the bottle. It was cutesy...unlike the whole perception of who he is.

Big. Intimidating. Delinquent.

But she didn't think of him that way. Y/N, although unable to use magic, always challenges him to be better. Her determination, hard-working self taught him that, she's strong. Maybe even stronger than him in will. She was kind to everyone, especially him. He felt special.

He even went far as to ask Leona's opinion about it a few days ago. The lion only laughed. "It looks like she cares about you. No one would ever give you care and love like that, except for her, don’t you think?" He asked.

Jack had thought about it for a while. Her smile always seemed to brighten his day. Her laugh, her voice. Everything about her. Made his day a lot more brighter.

"I...I want to see her smile. Make her smile." He said. 

The lion only nodded. "Then...what will you do as a brave, responsible man?” He asked. “You are one, aren’t you?”

Jack’s golden orbs looked up to his dorm leader. “I-I am! I...have to talk to her.”

Leona smirked. “Heh. Didn’t know you had it in you. Thought you were just a little pup who only knows how to bark and bite.” 

Jack ignored that comment, and he prepared himself. He thought about how Y/N, though seemingly fragile, is strong-hearted and always so supportive. How he would convey his feelings.

People usually pick on him because he's big. They pick meaningless fights with him. He never expected for anyone to accept him, though. He just wanted to constantly improve himself and one day prove he's the best. And she knew that, she understood that, she rooted for him.

He read the letter, written in cute little cursive handwriting.

"Happy Birthday, Jackie! May all your wishes come true. I know you'll get stronger and stronger every day! That's why, you're so cool and reliable! But, once in a while, don't forget to rely on me too! After all I'm the very dependable prefect! And I can teach you stuff you don't know, too! So don't be too hard on yourself, okay? Best of everything for you! ♥️"

P.S. I hope this will be useful to you! Good luck with Track and Field Club! └( ＾ω＾)」

-XOXO- Guess who this is (＾3＾) ♪

“Of course I know who this is. Idiot...” Jack blushed.

His heart bursted at the seams when he read the letter. Aside from the letters he got from his younger siblings, he never received something as cute as this.

Cute... He blushed, tail wagging as he read the letter and held the bottle dear. He had to struggle to sleep as he couldn’t contain the excitement to see Y/N again in the morning.

6 hours later...

Y/N snored softly on her bed, the late night mission she did had worn her out. Grim, instead, is snoring loudly, still asleep on the edge of her bed, curling into a cute ball.

Little did she know, that Jack had wanted to see her in the morning to give her his thanks.

He stopped by the front gate of Ramshackle Dorm, ears a bit drooping.

Is this too forward? Will this break the relationship they have?

He shook his head and went inside, asking the ghosts where Y/N is.

“Fufufu~ She’s still sleeping, big boy.” One said.

“Yes, yes, you want to spoOOk her?” The other said.

Jack shook his head. “N-no, I just... I wanted to thank her for giving me a gift...” He explained to the ghosts.

“Huh, boring~ Okay then be our guest! Fufufu~”

The wolf trudged up the stairs, being extra careful to not make a sound.

He opened the door to Y/N’s bedroom, blushing a bit, thinking as if he’s doing a crime. He gently walked in, looking at her sleeping form.

Oh, how the tables have turned, huh?

He gently nudged her, though, he didn’t want to...erm, secretly kiss her. He knew what she did last night was quite accidental so he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries.

“Um...Y/N, wake up, please.” He said.

The girl stirred, flinching a little and opening her eyes. To her surprise, her crush is standing there, all 192 cm of him.

“J--J-Jack!!” She shouted, her body toppling to the floor, an “Oomph!” flying out of her mouth as she landed with a thump.

“Y-Y/N are you okay?!”

He helped her get up, her full height not even reaching close to his face, so she had to look up.

“J-Jack...Why are you here?” She asked, trying to fix her hair and rub her eyes to look at LEAST presentable. “You know, I haven’t taken a bath yet and I look so disheveled!” She complained, patting the creases on her pajamas.

Pajamas. She looks so cute...She wears pajamas to bed! Jack screamed internally, holding back a smile as he blushes and covers his face with his right hand.

“That’s...That’s okay! I don’t mind.” He grunted out.

She looked up at him, stopping to see his yellowish-golden eyes staring into her. He’s so...handsome. She inwardly thought.

She looked back at the bed, seeing Grim still sleeping soundly despite the noise. It’s after all, still 6 a.m.

“Why don’t we take this to the living room? I don’t want to wake Grim up, he’s grouchy this early in the morning.” She smiled. Jack nodded and followed suit.

Once they’re back downstairs, she sat on the sofa, patting the spot beside her. “Come sit down.” She softly said, yawning a bit, holding a glass of water she had taken from the kitchen on the way.

As they sat beside each other, Jack balled his fists. “How do I start this...”

“Uh...Y/N.” He started. She looked up at him. “I--”

“OH! I forgot. Happy Birthday, Jack!” She said, cutting him off. “I hope you’ll achieve your dreams, become a great person...even though you’re already great as you are.” She giggled.

That’s when his heart skipped a beat. He looked into her eyes, beaming at him with adoration and kindness.

“Y/N...Sorry, but...let me...” He whispered. She nodded. “What?”

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, hugging her.

“W-wha-Jack!” She squeaked, placing her small hands on his chest, but letting them slide to his back, returning the hug.

“Thank you. For being kind to me. For being nice to me. For being supportive. Thank you for the gift. I will cherish it. You’re the best..uh..you’re the best.” He stammered, Y/N not being able to see how red his face is.

“N-NO need to thank me that much, Jack! I mean...it is your birthday. And I act that way to you because, well...everyone should be treated well! And...I admire you. You’re a great person. You’re hardworking and serious but kind. Seeing you gave me motivation and it challenged me to become better too. I...”

They paused, looking at each other.

If I don’t say it now... Y/N thought.

If I don’t tell her now... Jack thought.

“I like you, Y/N / I like you, Jack!” They said in unison, blushing furiously.

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

They looked blankly at each other, not believing their ears.

“I...You like me?” Y/N asked.

“So you really like me?” Jack asked.

A pause went on, before Y/N burst out laughing.

“Ahahahahaha! Oh my that was so funny! I didn’t know that these things could happen in real life! We confessed to each other at the same time!” She laughed, her voice filling Jack’s ears.

She’s smiling. She’s laughing. His tail wagged with happiness.

“D--don’t laugh at me! I--I said what I said, okay?” He huffed, crossing his arms. He thought she didn’t realize how badly his tail is wagging right now...

“Hehehe, I’m sorry! Now, let me freshen up and we can do anything you want today! And meet our friends too! It’s your birthday!” Y/N stood up and brushed a stray hair away from her face.

Jack smiled, looking at her with awe. “Then...are we...dating?” He asked.

She blushed. “Well, if you want to, Jack. I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to.” She shyly said.

He shook his head and stood up. “No. I’m a man, and I don’t want this to have no meaning. I...want to be your lover.” He said, a bit stumbling on his words but gently holding her hand.

EEEE he’s so cute! Y/N thought, squealing inside.

“Then...I’m in your care, Jack.” She said.

“Me...Me too.”

.

.

.

“Oh...and...Y/N?”

“Yeah, Jack?”

*chu*

“This is payback.” He grinned.

And that’s when Y/N combusted from the overload of cuteness from him.

And thus, Y/N and Jack met their friends with blushes on their faces. No one knew yet...except for Leona. He knew what’s going on. He could really consider being a cupid now and then.

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

And it’s done! Oh goodness it’s been so long since I last wrote something. I hope you guys enjoy this short story!

[savethelastdan]

Any more of that sweet sweet Good Morning Call content?

Jane on Ao3 requested "When nao and uehara break up she decides to be with daichi”: 

Like most things that have happened since high school, Nao did not plan the aftermath of breaking up with Uehara.

Her intentions were obvious. Either she'd become Uehara's ideal girl (no, woman), mature and self-confident and totally fine with centering her entire existence around Uehara's often unspoken feelings, which she would also magically be able to understand without any communication necessary; or he would realize how much he loved having her there to make him lunch and beg him to tutor her in math and awkwardly kiss goodnight in the space between their apartments.

Instead, what happens is that twenty times a day, Nao checks their messages in her phone, and there's nothing new waiting for her. When she waits outside his apartment in her patented disguise, he doesn't even look in her direction when he passes by.

It hurts even worse, because Nao knows Uehara doesn't even want Saeko. It means he'd have no one, rather than have her.

One night, she's walking home in the rain and going through all the ways that she's ruined it — why couldn't you just put up with it, why did you have to be selfish, why haven't you gone to beg on your hands and knees for his forgiveness — when a hand grabs her shoulder.

"Yoshikawa Nao, what are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold."

She turns, blinking away raindrops (not tears, she's definitely not crying, nope) that have gathered on her eyelashes. Daichi looks down at her, and even though he's wearing a hooded team sweatshirt instead of a jacket and she's carrying an armful of textbooks instead of a collapsing cake, it feels just like the time before.

She throws herself into Daichi's arms, sobbing. And, just like before, he wastes no time in holding her tight.

—

"How are things with Nanase?" She asks, snuggling deeper into the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

From where he's hanging Nao's textbooks over his drying rack, Daichi gives her a smile (the one he wears just for you, Mitsuishi mutters under his breath and Nao pretends she didn't hear).

"Awkward, honestly. We're trying to stay friends, but that's hard to do when you already know the other person's feelings."

Nao bites her lip, remembering against her will the days after she'd realized Daichi saw her as a woman. The shift had been startling; she'd panicked, pulled away from him, only accepting his comfort when Uehara let her down.  

And now she was reliving the same experience with Natsume; except this time, things with Uehara were even more of a mess.

"I'm sorry, Dai-chan."

"It's alright." He smiles again, and despite her guilt it does its job—making Nao feel warm and safe, like being with Daichi always has. From the days he would help her write her letters to Santa, to pushing her on the swings, to teaching her to put her face in the water during swim class even though she was scared, Daichi has always made her feel safe.  

"Nao." He comes over to sit beside her. For the first time, Nao registers the cup of tea on the table in front of her, when he gently pushes it closer. "I'm sorry for not reaching out to you more last year."

"Ah! Please don't apologize!" She laughs, despite the growing ache in her head. Perhaps he was right, and she's getting ill. "You must have been so busy, right after graduation…And we hang out all the time now, so it's okay!"

Daichi nods slowly, waiting for her to take a sip, before drinking out of a matching mug. After a moment, he speaks again. "I think I needed that time for myself, to be honest. When I confessed to you, I thought that things would remain the same, no matter what your answer was. That I could be by your side in the same way that I'd always been. But it was strange, wasn't it?" His tone holds no bitterness. "When I went to university, it was a good time to find out who Shinozaki Daichi was, just on his own. Without centering it all on what he meant to someone else."

Tea warming her tongue, Nao nods slowly in understanding.

"Because of that year, it was possible for me to be the best friend that I could to you, when we saw each other again. Maybe you need that time, to be that person for Uehara."

Nao glances at his face, out of the corner of her eye. He's not smiling when he says it, making it obvious what he's thinking. Daichi's never liked Uehara, beyond just the typical jealousy; and now, almost two years on with nothing to show for it, all of the defenses that Nao has spent her time crafting feel painfully hollow.

But she knows he's trying to encourage her happiness. She knows she wants to be brave.

Clinking their mugs together, she says with as much cheerfulness as she can muster in this moment, "You are so wise, Dai-chan."

He laughs and ruffles her hair, and Nao tells herself the warm feeling in her stomach is just tea and nothing else.

—

One thing Nao's realized about her relationship with Uehara is just how much time she has on her hands, now that things are over between them.

She gets a new job at a coffee shop to avoid Natsume (and his constant questions about whether Uehara has texted her yet), but it barely helps to fill the hours she has left. With what seems like endless empty weekends yawning before her, she pencils in each of Daichi's games on her calendar. Nao might not understand sports too much, but she has a competitive spirit and can cheer with the best of them.

Even though it's a little uncomfortable to have Nanase sulking a few rows down, she has a good time; the games are fast-paced and exciting. Daichi practically beams when he notices her there, even after it becomes routine.

It feels good, to be looked at like that.

Nao starts to bring him treats from work, as rewards for all of his hard work. They're walking back to the parking lot, Daichi halfway through a box of chocolate covered madeleines, when she realizes that she has an exam on Monday and starts panicking.

Daichi smiles that smile again. "Want some help studying? I took it last semester, it was a cinch."

She smiles (Your knight in shining armor, Marina teases, and Nao shushes her loudly) and ignores the pounding of her heart.

—

"Am I a bad person?" Nao says, before shaking the magic eight ball aggressively. From the couch behind her where she's painting her nails, Ota looks up with a frown.

"Nao, don't think that! You're a great friend."

Nao ignores her, not wanting to explain that the question was originally a lot more detailed in her head (am I a bad person for inviting Dai-chan's team to dinner and taking the chair next to his, and even though I felt bad when I saw Nanase's face I still didn't move?).

My sources say no.

Taking a deep breath, she shakes the toy vigorously. "Will I pass finals?" (Will I pass finals even though while I was studying with Daichi all I could think about was the way he chews on the end of the pencil, and how he's always done that but I never seemed to notice before, and that just made me wonder what else I haven't noticed?)

Most likely.

"That's good, Nao!" Ota cheers, leaning over to see the result. Nao smiles weakly and mumbles, "One more turn…was dating Uehara a mistake?"

Ota goes quiet. Nao doesn't want to turn to look at her face, instead flipping the magic eight ball over. (Was dating Uehara a mistake, because it means I wasted years on someone who wanted me to read their mind, instead of finding someone who was brave enough to tell me what was in their heart? Or was it good because at least I know I tried, so no one can ever say that's why it didn't work between us?)

Better not tell you now.

—

Nao ducks behind the pillar, breathing hard. She pulls the hat on either side of her head down harder, resisting the urge to scream.

Uehara (who won't look at her, talk to her, text her) repeats himself, fist tight against Daichi's collar. "I said, are you dating Yoshikawa?"

Daichi (who walks her home after work, held her when she cried over failing her math exam, took her to a greenhouse and bought her an adorable little cactus just last weekend) stands firm, back against a pillar that's twenty feet away from the one Nao's using to hide. "We're friends, not that it's any of your business."

Uehara says something else, but Nao can't hear him; her heart's pounding so hard, it's painful.

Every muscle in her body is screaming to go over there—but to do what? Push Uehara away? Scream at him for daring to accost the men in her life for being there when he wouldn't? Defend Daichi, who Uehara's always looked at with such disdain, as though Daichi hasn't spent the better part of his life making sure Nao was happy?

Friends. Friends.

It feels wrong to hear Daichi say that, and Nao's rooted to the spot in terror of what that has to mean.

—

"What?"

Scrambling back from the couch, Daichi laughs. It's the laugh he always uses to hide his nerves (that time he broke the potted plant when we were seven and his mom asked what happened, when he gave me a Valentine card for the first time, when he had to give a speech in his history class and he couldn't remember his opening line).

Nao stares back, unfazed. "I said that I like you, Dai-chan."

He stammers, face turning pink. "You're—you don't mean that."

"Yes I do." She recites it, everything she planned in her bathroom mirror last night as she went through the rebuttals he might give. "It's not because I'm lonely without Uehara, or because I'm scared of being alone, or because I like hanging out with you and I've confused that with being in love."

Daichi's hands fold and unfold. He's looking at her like he always does (like Nao's the moon and he dreads the moment when she'll disappear to let morning take her place) and when he speaks, it's not at all what she expected him to say. 

“Did you know Uehara's the only person I've ever hit in anger?"

She blinks once, twice. "Huh?"

He chuckles in embarrassment, one hand sliding against the back of his neck. "I just couldn't stand—knowing that you loved him so much, that you were so brave for him, and he wouldn't be that for you—"

Nao's heart shudders. There's probably something wrong, that even her love confession has been usurped by her ex, but this feels like the kind of thing that he needs to say.

So she waits.

"I thought that if he could just—if he would love you, the way that I would have loved you, then I could deal with it," Daichi blurts; his hand tears through his hair to turn it into a mess. "I could be your friend and be there for you and be happy for you. But Nao, seeing you unhappy and heartbroken and trying so hard, it absolutely breaks me."

Tears fill her eyes. Daichi moves forward on reflex, moving to wipe them away with his thumbs as he cups her face.

"Nao," he breathes. "You deserve the world. You deserve so much."

I don't want the world, she thinks, curling both hands in his sweater. I don't need romantic platitudes or promises of forever or the dream boyfriend. I want to feel safe. "Dai-chan. You said that I needed space. That might change things, and it did. But not for me and Uehara. Dai-chan, please, I love—"

He presses her close.

Nao's lips meet his. And it's not the first time they've ever kissed, but it’s the first time that she feels it's right.

[writing-the-end]

WS Chapter 38: Red Raid

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

I love this chapter, and you’re all gonna hate me after this. I promise, things are better than they seem- i mean, we still have more than twenty chapters to go!

Red Belongs to @theguardiansofredland

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block 

Warning: This chapter contains violence, battle scene, mentions of blood, and character death 

Avon cuts Xisuma free of the vines, letting his elytra open up so he can keep some dignity with landing. Keralis and the other hermits quickly explain why they’re at his base, as well as who the strangers are. 

“I knew that portal was tampering with world magic. At the time I was just happy to think that Doc might become another wizard with me. I could always use a helping hand breaking the natural laws.” Xisuma picks some dirt from his helmet, the yellow mask mimicking that of a bee. Antennae flick dirt away, moving independently of the wind billowing from the savanna. “I just can’t believe it still works. That must be one strong portal.” 

“You know Doc. When he does something, he does something right. GOAT, and all that.” Scar waves his hands flippantly. 

“But I assume you three aren’t really interested in the mechanics of world hoppin’, are ya?” X sighs, looking at the wanderers. The group follows him down the white walkway, entering into a hexagonal building. Red gasps, eyes widening to see that it’s filled with bees, bumbling around busily with butts full of pollen. X offers his visitors some tea- of course with lots of honey. 

“We wanted to ask if you knew anything about someone who attacked us.” Avon states, sipping on the warm drink. It’s a comforting taste, practically healing her from inside out. 

“They came through a nether portal. His hair was like fire, flickering and moving like flames. Anywhere he walked, things would smolder or catch fire. And we always smelled brimstone when things happened.” Ecto recounts, pouring her tea out. She’s focused on the mission right now. 

“That definitely sounds like something from the nether, though...I’ll say I’m thoroughly stumped. I’ve been to a lot of worlds, and never heard of these...these hellspawns you’re talking about.” Xisuma shrugs. “A lot of worlds have something unique, or something that is only shared between a few other worlds. Take these bees for example. In the last world we called home, we didn’t have the little buggers.” 

“Do you think this is something only our world has?” Red questions. “Because he...he looked a bit like me. Short, with similar face structure. But completely different.” 

Xisuma hums. “Y’know, the nether is an unusual place. It’s smaller than our world, a parallel dimension to the Overworld. Distance works different there, as does time. It’s a hellscape, but a mimicry of this dimension. Perhaps in mimicking the Overworld, it also mimics the people that call it home.” 

“This is hurting my brain.” Grian whispers, and all three Wanderers nod in agreement. 

“Sheshwamey, didn't Tango do a lot of work in the nether? Didn’t he spend a lot of time there?" Keralis questions. 

“Ah, that’s right. His base a few worlds back was nether inspired. He knows a lot about the nether. ” Xisuma sets down his cup, eyes blinking rapidly as he begins to piece things together. He stands up, so abrupt that it knocks over his chair and spills his tea. “We have to go talk to Tango. Right now. To the Nether portal!” 

The hermits jump to their feet, Mumbo, Grian, and Stress a lot more careful with their tea than the others. Red and Ecto are also quick to stand, following Xisuma up the vines of a tree. But Avon hangs back, nervous. They’re really going to the nether? After just talking about a danger that could be lurking among it? She’s from the End, the exact opposite place. She hates quartz because it’s from the nether, it’s all unnatural for her. It’s only with Ecto and Red’s help are they able to drag Avon into the hell dimension. 

But luckily for Avon, they aren’t really in the nether. They’re atop of it. The hermits step out calmly, searching the radiating lines of carpet, dirt, and glass for Tango’s path. All across the roof of the nether, in the liminal space between dimensions. The eternal heat of hell below their feet still percolates through the bedrock, causing the group to sweat as they walk on the flat surface. But Avon would rather deal with the inferno than all the monsters that call hell home. 

“How’d you guys do this?” Ecto questions, impressed by the unusual form of transportation. She gazes down a small hole in the roof, the bedrock blown apart. Blast marks still mar the grey material. She was sure that bedrock was unbreakable. And yet these hermits manage to do it. Magic? Science? 

“Get high enough into the sky, and you end up standing on the roof of the nether.” Mumbo states.

“I think it was Impulse that was the first to pioneer this in the new world, but I could be wrong.” Iskall pulls on the collar of his hoodie, starting to sweat against the rising heat. 

“Here we go. If this ain’t Tango’s, then it’s definitely one of the other members of ZIT. Either way, we’ll be close enough.” Xisuma motions, holding his hand into the rift like he’s holding open the door. 

“Such a gentleman.” Stress chuckles, hopping into the open portal. She’s quick to escape the confines of the frame, because a minute later it’s packed full of the boys. Swearing and struggling to all get through at once, they are pushed out when the wanderers come crashing in. Stress was starting to wonder if the teleporting would mix bodies at that point. 

The arguing pauses only when a low bugle mutes their voices. “Does...does Tango have a raid farm?” 

“He wouldn’t have one so close to his iron farm, would he?” Iskall rubs his head, having knocked it against Grian’s thick skull. 

Rockets shoot into the sky, the silhouette of a flying person blasting towards space before leveling out. Red eyes, framed by a mess of fiery hair. “Hey! You guys come to join the party?” 

“Tango! We were coming here to ask questions...but it seems you’re busy!” Xisuma calls, already pulling out his sword and strapping on armor. 

“It’s nothing I can’t- gah!” Tango flutters as a crossbow bolt tears a hole through his elytra, grounding him among more than a dozen pillagers. High up, the hermits and wanderers watch as the raid party swarms towards Tango.

Grian is the first to leap from the platform. “I call the evokers!” 

Everyone else jumps after, even Ecto. Despite being wingless, she manages to survive the fall. And that leaves Red at the top, biting her nails as the battle rages beneath her. She shrugs off her backpack, leaving it at the entrance of the portal. Leaving Fred safe from harm. She’s always stayed far away from pillagers. Most creatures that live in the overworld want no quarrel, even creepers just want to be left alone most of the time.

But not pillagers. They thrive off of the pain of others. Evoker magic is a dark art, relying on the death of others to fuel their spells. Selene told Red that the scholar she learned magic from was raided by pillagers. Any spellbook that they deemed worthy was stolen back to their mansion. The rest was burned. 

Red’s instincts say to stay far away from the raid below, to let the warriors take care of the swarm of illagers. To stay out of their way, out of trouble. But Red grimaces as Ecto barely escapes the fangs, snapping from the ground and ripping at her scarf. He needs to get into the fight, to be helpful. To not be useless. He may not be able to fight, but maybe he can help with distracting the attackers, or bring potions between those that need it. Even Scar, the worst hermit combatant, is in the midst of aiding Tango with ravager wrangling. He should help. 

Avon throws her trident into the tough hide of a ravager, ducking under the iron hatchet swinging for her neck. She kicks the vindicator into Ecto’s awaiting blade. The two may bicker and train by fighting each other, but when it comes to being on the same side they are a masterful team. While Avon waits for her trident to return to her hand, Ecto glances across the battle. “Avon! Red’s falling!” 

At the mere mention of their friend, Avon takes to the sky. Red’s tucked into a small ball, protecting his head from the ground below. The two let out a  simultaneous groan as they collide, Avon’s fingers grabbing onto Red’s vest and landing them both on the ground. “What are you doing?”

“I came to help! Maybe I can kite the pillagers into traps? Or hand out potions and food?” Red winces as Avon raises her wings like a curtain, stopping vex from reaching Red. Iskall leaps from a tree, spearing three of the summoned spirits with a single arrow. 

“You don’t even have a weapon! What if they attack you?” Ecto hisses, retreating behind Avon’s wings. Avon turns, finally grabbing her trident only to throw it back into the mix. Hopefully, it will hit a few raiders on the way out as well as the way back. 

“I’m small! I’ll be fine.” Red squeeze between Ecto and Avon, charging into battle with an armful of food stolen from Mumbo’s farms. She slips between the legs of a ravager and the flanks of vindicators, tossing the heated spuds to the hermits in battle. She yelps as an axe comes terrifyingly close to hitting her, but manages to dodge away with less than a scratch. 

Ecto and Avon can only continue to battle, and keep watch of their friend. Try to stay as close as possible in case Red needs help. But he’s holding his own. His small stature is just under axe swinging height, and he’s creative enough to find passages through the battle no one else would think of. 

“Scar! Take some potions!” Red croons, holding up a bottle of regeneration swiped from Mumbo’s base. 

“Thanks, little fish!” Scar chuckles, removing the stopper and chugging the ambrosia. “Whoa, watch out!” Scar shoots an arrow, downing a vex from hurting Red. He’s not about to let them get a bad rep among any more of his friends. 

Red smiles, and scampers away. Towards Keralis, holding his own against not one but two ravagers. For such a sweet, shocked face, he’s quite the warrior when he wants to be. Red’s path becomes blocked, grey skin and severe vest of a vindicator between her and her friends. The malicious face only grins at the sight of an easy kill. He laughs, and raises his axe to kill the kipling. 

“Red! No!” Ecto screams, running down a pillager and stumbling through the crowd of fighters. One moment, she sees the glimmer of the sunlight against the iron blade. Her vision is blocked by a ravager, chasing after Tango as he kites it towards a mine trap. And when she looks again, the axe has fallen. 

The hatchet lays useless in the grass, metal dirty but not bloody. The vindicator’s arm is still raised, but he’s frozen. Quite literally. Across the field, water has solidified into ice, capturing a number of illagers within it’s cold grasp. And completely encasing the one about to kill Red. Relief floods across Ecto, and Avon above banks to congratulate Red. For standing up for himself.

Red rises to his feet, brushing off the dirt on his trousers. “I told you I could handle on my-”

The world stops with Red’s voice. The sounds of battle die back for all the wanderers, the only ones who see the sudden charge. Across the plain, Ecto and Avon can hear the ragged breath escape Red’s lips. From over Red’s shoulder, a pillager lowers his crossbow, the cables still humming with release. 

Red’s face doesn’t quite register what she feels. Eyes gaze across the battlefield, to her friends. Hurt, but standing. She sinks to her knees, gasping for a breath but still strung with shock. A blank face, even as a shaking hand reaches up to grasp the tip of the bolt. Red finally looks down, seeing the metal tip protruding from her chest. A perfect hit, blood blossoming like a poppy across her vest. He can taste metal in his mouth again, lips turning a new shade with each breath out. The color of Red’s name. 

Avon and Ecto scramble to reach Red, anything to cross the distance between them and their friend. But no matter what they do, no matter how fast they reach him. It’s already too late. Red is gone by the time Avon crashes into the ground. Gone from life. 

And gone from the battle. All that’s left is the bolt, bloody and broken.

[fanfoolishness]

Rambling thoughts for Little Graduation/Prickly Pair

My heart can’t even handle it, you guys.  I just... I can’t.  *cries forever* Thoughts behind the jump for spoilers/length, and please feel free to yell at me or reblog with your own thoughts!

Steven is singing along to an old Sadie Killer song because it’s old and familiar

Really the only time we’ve seen him sing this season

Because his feelings are too muddled up and painful to dare put to song

So he sticks to others’ music instead, safer that way

OMG he adds a little “Hey” to “Teens by day” so cute

OMG he does a falsetto part to the first Sadie Killer and Suspects and then a goofy as FUCK deep voice for the second Sadie Killer and the Suspects

I just… Zach Callison’s voice work this season has been so good and it sounds like he’s having such a good time at the silly parts and he’s been so emotional on the rough parts, if he doesn’t get recognized for his work on the show by the end it’ll be criminal

This is gonna be the last time we really see Steven happy for a long time, isn’t it? And it’s so sad because it such a joy to see him that way again for a second, no eye bags, no stress. My heart.

Aww Sadie got a neck too!

YEAH STEVEN REALLY DID DIAMOND EYES FROM EXCITEMENT, not stars!!!

I’m sad for Lars and Sadie that their growth took them different places but I’m so proud of them too!!!

“Don’t you wanna try something new?”

“Well, hm.”

“Except for me! I’ll still be… right here.”

Steven is losing control of his floating powers. Tried to be cool guy floating around with his friends and failed. This is really concerning. The last time he couldn’t float well was way back in season 4. Stevennnnnnn….

Shep DOES seem so cool!

Look at Rebecca Sugar, they truly just be out there like “last season, what are they gonna do to me if I put non-binary humans in the show, that’s right, they won’t do jack SHIT” bwahaha

And it’s lovely that it’s just no biggie

Steven your ship didn’t sail, I’m sorry but you can’t write AUs for real people

Lars is more worried about the cake than about his ex

“Are YOU okay?”

Finally someone is asking and of course Steven is like”what? My problems are visible externally? WHAT problems???”

“Everyone but me…”

Buck got into medical school??? Holy shit, so he was in college before? Dang. Also his bedside manner will be soooooo weird and cool

Actually I can see him as one of the weird internal medicine doctors who’s super smart so you want them on your case but he only says the occasional weird thing like “your gallbladder is an illusion” or “your hormones are like, totally out of sync. Lemme fix that” or wow, I don’t even know, I may have to write a drabble of an intern just being wowed by how weird he is

Classic Steven would definitely buy a jacket for his phone

Awww Sadie you should have told him 😭😭😭

Lars watching Steven slow motion self-destruct like “oh god is this how I was”

“Ah, well… you should have asked me, I’m-I’m really good at naming bands…”

Jesus Christ Steven that sound was my heart breaking for you

What the fuck is Shep’s instrument? Anyone know?

Okay this is actually a really good graduation song and while Sadie Killer is still awesome I love that Sadie can also tap into more personal emotions for her work now, she’s just so good!

I know how Lars feels, sometimes those big events are just overwhelming

I love his leather jacket!

So uhhhh maybe Steven doesn’t control Diamond Mode as well as we had thought given the last few episodes

It’s really fascinating because it’s clear in the animation and voice work Steven’s struggling with so many feelings right now

He’s scared Lars and the others are slipping away

He’s ashamed he feels so aimless beside them

He’s angry that Lars isn’t listening and is going to leave him

He’s sad that everyone’s changing

The way Steven yells at Lars to stop is just so fucking desperate, his shaking fist, holy shit kid you do not do goodbyes well do you

Aaaaaaand that’s new. What the hell is it??? We’ve never seen this from any other gem or Diamond before. DAMMIT STEVEN THIS IS NOT HEALTHY

It shredded the stage and the banner 😭

Digging that scary as fuck musical motif

It has the Diamond mode machine noise in the background — that flickering humming power sound

Seriously Steven!!! How the hell would Lars’ feelings— so much denial

“When did this happen, I didn’t see any of this!”

I love that he touched on this, like of course people don’t have to live their private lives in front of you, dingbat! But so much of his life has been lived with the Gems who did display all their trauma and problems that he can’t help but feel he’s entitled to see how things work out

It’s also concerning because it suggests he is having some trouble viewing people as independent to him, as having their own agency

WHITE DIAMOND ANYONE

I love that Lars is so excited to be back in space with his friends!!

Oh man the way everyone stares at Steven like “bro, clearly you are the only magical pink person in the room”

Some really gorgeous frames of Steven’s face here, wish Apple TV let you cap them 😢

“I can’t help it if my dumb heart misses you guys” I’m CRYING FOREVER

AMAZING use of “squash and stretch” Disney animation theory here hahahaha

Lars and Steven hug gives me so much life waaaaaah

I still can’t get over how grownup that boy looks behind the wheel. I love his hand tapping on the wheel.

So pensive. Poor Steven.

And now Prickly Pair, if you thought your heart hurt before well lemme tell you what!

How much time has passed since Snow Day?

Dammit, I predicted in one of my fics that Steven would feel weird about gardening magically and want to do it all the old-fashioned way…

But I haven’t finished it, alas. And Steven is doing much better emotionally by that point in MY story thank you hahahaha

Also it’s Connverse and adorable

Okay really should work on it

Well, okay, Connie is a cute smart blue flower so at least Steven’s still thinking of her? I really wish she had been here but I guess she’s gonna have to save Steven from himself soon enough.

I’m now kind of uneasy about the idea of them dating… I really wanted them to get together but Steven isn’t healthy right now. He’s really messed up and kind of worse than I was even thinking with all my angsting. If they try to get together now Steven might be weird and controlling and secretive and that is not the Connverse I want! Maybe we’ll get something cute and sweet after Steven starts recovering and getting mentally healthier?

Because not to say you can’t be in a relationship and be mentally ill… but the low point of your illness is NOT a time to START a relationship, and if they’d really been dating this whole time I have to imagine we’d have heard about it. So my guess would be not dating, Steven was too busy to hang out a lot of the time, but still friends.

Dammit I really wanted cute date episodes and the big dance from Chille Tid 😭

DON’T NAME YOUR PLANTS AFTER PEOPLE

Garnet tried to warn him… I wonder how the cactus acted in other timelines.

Does Zach voice the cactus too?

Yep: confirmed, Zach is a cactus.

FINALLY we’re in Steven’s head and it’s an uncomfortable place to be

“I used to be helpful, but the Gems don’t need me anymore! Why do I need to be needed? Stevennnn, pull it together!!!”

And again with the head clutching and yeah it really seems like White’s pulling a Steven in the intro doesn’t it???

Oh god I assumed the cactus was going to be a monster because of repressed feelings manifesting in Steven’s spit but it’s so much more painful that it repeats after him and THAT’s what makes it upset waaaaaaah

Cactus Steven screaming why do I need to be needed!!!

The Gems are finally asking the right questions but Steven is so paranoid he can’t help but view them in the worst way

Steven venting about the gems hurts but he DID have to deal with them at their worst

Oh no, he went diamond mode on Cactus Steven!

The powering up noise diamond mode makes is so ominous, I love it

I can’t believe Steven didn’t almost lose an eye from his own shield right then and there

“Those are my real private thoughts! I can’t let them hear!”

Noooo his house!

Nooooo Steven the Gems can take listening to you a lot better than a magical cactus could, you’ve GOT to talk to someone or this will get SO. MUCH. WOrse.

Yeah. It’s gonna get so much worse. ;_;

[mooberg]

Among the Statues

Chapter 4: Polishing Stones

And here’s chapter 4 friends! Not much to say about this one except I’m sorry. Don’t read if you’ve had a bad day but I feel like that’s just standard operation with my stuff now...

Word Count: 4017

No warnings except angst

Enjoy!

The sky was just barely beginning to lighten when they arrived back on campus. Gamma didn't say much. She had learned pretty early on that when Horns got like this, he just needed space. But that was a commodity they couldn’t afford in that moment, so she kept him moving forward, but at his own speed. The sprawling fields that made up the campus grounds came slowly into view as they crested a hill. Between trees and buildings, statues dotted the greenspaces. This was a sight they had become uncomfortably familiar with in such a short span of time. Gone was the hope for some sort of movement, some sort of break from this curse. But replacing it was determination. As they walked in step, Gamma glanced over to him, seeing that same emotion spark in him.

“We have to keep strong.” She murmured. “For them.”

Horns nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath. “For them.”

The dorm's curtains were drawn shut, no light slipping past to give away their position. With the violent confirmation of another unfrozen virus existing somewhere in the Capitol, and likely the one who caused this whole mess, they couldn't risk being found. Gamma had even elected to ditch the motorcycle early and walk into campus, avoiding any attention drawn by the noise. If the two of them were responsible for leading someone back to their team, they’d never forgive themselves.

The team was still awake when they entered, collapsed in the living room defeated and deflated. It was easy to read the worry and frustration on their faces. They had never done anything to quite this scale before, and the toll it took on them was great. Psi stood when he caught sight of Horns, his expression unreadable.

“I know, I know.” Horns sighed, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “That was stupid and reckless and impulsive, and I shouldn't have run. I just...”

Psi remained neutral as Horns' hands dropped to his sides, the rest of him deflating along with them.

“I've never... I haven't... all those people. Gone. And we were too late- I was too late... I just don't know.”

“I understand.” Psi's softened tone had Horns looking up in surprise. “That is no easy thing for anyone, particularly the lot of you. It is different for us. Gamma, myself, and... the others. We have seen... we know. In your case, I should not forget that. I am thankful you have not experienced these things, until today in any case, and I hope they only change you for the better. Many lives were lost because of this, let us continue forward for them.”

“We have to keep going.” Gamma added. “With all the craziness going on this is far from the last thing we'll be up against.”

“But we don't even know what we're up against.” Equo countered. “Or who.”

“Maybe if Horns has another vision...?” Jolly offered.

Horns nodded. “Could be some more clues, I guess.”

“Then you should all get some rest, if you can.” Psi said. “I can see in your faces how tired you are. You have done good work today. We will strategize where to go from here when you wake.”

For the second time that night, the team split to their respective rooms. Horns shut his door with a sigh, resisting the urge to hit his head against it. He let his emotions get the better of him, and that could have cost them so much more than just some wasted time. This was not going to be an easy situation, and he needed to keep his head on straight or there was no telling what could happen. He turned, heading to his bed, as a calming scent met him. The little spider plant Psi had given him sat on his desk, now inexplicably sprouting lavender. It reminded Horns of the numerous times Psi had aided him in his meditations, including that fateful day he discovered his mind diving powers. The very power that now possibly held the key to ending this curse. He smiled as he turned off the light, thanking his mentor silently as a deep sleep took him.

 ~~~*~~~

 “... which begs the question of why. Why would someone freeze an entire city- or... well we still don't know how far this goes. But why freeze an entire city and just do nothing?”

“But they didn't do nothing.”

“True. But then. Then. If you're going to freeze and then... smash an entire city, why do it little pieces at a time? Why not just steamroll everything? If that is your intention. And then if that's not your intention, why freeze anybody at all? Someone with access to magic this powerful could easily have controlled everyone in a multitude of different ways. Why frozen?”

“Maybe it's Elsa.” Horns suggested, groggily stepping out of his room to Jolly's conspiracy rambles. She, Callow and Glitch were in the living room.

“But if it was Elsa, she wouldn't have frozen everybody, now would she?” Jolly continued, a wild glint in her eye. “And when she realized what she'd done, wouldn't she have tried to reverse it? Or reached out for help? Or made her presence known in some way?”

“Well there aren't any reanimated snowmen wandering around and the skies are clear so I think we can rule that one out.” Callow said, his voice suggesting Jolly had been at this for a while.

“So then if it's not Elsa, who is it?” Jolly asked. “Who would have frozen an entire city- or is it not freezing at all? Is it something else? Is it-”

“Jolly?” Horns softly cut her off and she glanced over at him with wild eyes. “I don't have nearly enough coffee in me for this. Do you think you could cool it on the Unsolved rambles here?”

“Fine, but we'll continue this later.” She pointed at him in a way that somehow managed to be threatening.

He just nodded, heading into the kitchen as his nose registered the smell of coffee. Callow watched him go, popping up on his knees on the couch to ask over the cushions,

“How'd you sleep? Get any spooky-ooky visions?”

“They are premonitions, you dick, and no. Nothing.” Horns replied. “Where're Gamma and Psi?”

“Sleeping.” Glitch said, glancing over at the closed office door. “Cal and I kicked 'em out when we woke up a couple hours ago. Figured we'd let them rest too, they need it just as much as we do.”

Horns just nodded in understanding, pouring way too much sugar for anyone but him into his coffee before returning to the living room. A small alert noise sounded from Callow's tablet where it rested on the coffee table, drawing everyone's attention.

“Ah shit.” Callow dove for the device, swiping it open quickly.

“What does your padlet have to say?” Horns asked.

“It's a tablet, Horns.” Jolly corrected.

“Whatever, technology's weird.” Horns dismissed her.

“Ok Victorian-er.” Glitch smirked.

“Movement detected in Que Village. I synced our surveillance to my tablet so I could monitor on the go. Even after all this is done, I'll be able to see anywhere in the Capitol any time I-” Callow cut himself off, quickly glancing between his teammates. “Uh... Psi definitely does not know about this.”

“Cal-”

“And it's going to stay that way unless a certain someone wants Psi to find out what happened to the cactus Sammy bought us.” Callow said pointedly. Glitch's mouth shut with an audible click.

“Should we wake the others?” Jolly asked. “What's the commotion?”

“I just got coffee...” Horns grumbled quietly.

Callow was silent for a few moments, swiping quickly between things on his screen. Finally, he sighed, “no. It was just some deer.”

“Good. I'm finishing this coffee.” Horns continued to grumble.

“So what you're saying is, we have no new leads.” Glitch huffed, staring dejectedly at the ceiling.

“Yes, but why is this happening anyway?” Jolly asked. “What possible motive-”

“Jolly oh my god.” Callow cut her off.

“Look, I'm just saying.” Jolly held her hands up innocently.

“If it were me, and I had that kind of power, there's definitely a few dozen people I'd want to freeze so I didn't have to worry about them being mean to me, or getting to me, or think about them in any way ever again. I'm not saying I'd smash them, necessarily, but-” Horns cut himself off, glancing up to three surprised expressions as he registered what he was actually saying. “Uh... I mean... y'know, people suck and all and some people wouldn't be missed- uh not that I'd do anything to them or anything, but it's crossed my mind- I'm just going to shut up.”

“Might wanna chug the rest of that coffee, Horny.” Glitch suggested. “You have no filter when you're tired.”

“He makes a fair point though.” Callow said. “For someone to go after everyone in a city, they aren't trying to get back at specific individuals, they're trying to get back at the city itself.”

“We're looking for a deeply angry person.” Jolly agreed. “Someone like that... there's really no telling what they'd do next.”

 ~~~*~~~

 The two of them slept a dreamless sleep, limbs tangled together in a desperate attempt to hang on to something. Anything. Whatever they still had left. Psi grabbed hold of Gamma the minute they found warmth under the comforter of his futon, not letting go even as the two fell asleep. An exhausted kind of rest that came from a day of suppressed raw emotions. Fear, anxiety, loneliness. Their family had been bigger once. They, the 99 that remained, couldn't afford to lose another. But staring into that courtyard and not knowing if that orange was Tripoli or the shop owner three doors down...

And Psi, in his deepest thoughts, can't help but think how much easier it would be with her there. Tripoli, Foxtrot, anyone. And he wakes, tears silently sliding down his cheeks, mingling with Gamma's. He wants his family. He wants Rho. Yoke. Kilogramme. He wants his parents. With his eyes closed, he can almost pretend the arms wrapped around him are Sammy's. At least he knew Sammy was safe. But everyone else...

Gamma's arms tighten around him in her groggy state, thinking for just a moment it's Beta. Waiting for just a moment for the twins to burst in and demand her attention. But she knows. She's already felt the absences across the mind link. She just wants to talk to Juliette again. Hear her comforting voice soothing her worries. She can almost feel the warmth of Quebec wrapping her up in one of those hugs that makes the world melt away. But the world doesn't melt away. She opens her eyes and blinks groggily until the fog of tears clears. Until she can look up and see Psi. Her brother. The only other one left.

Slowly his eyes open too. Slowly, the two of them face the world. Slowly, he pulls her in closer. And the tears don't stop. Not yet. Loss doesn't work like that, even if it's not technically loss. It's as good as.

These are the thoughts that sustain their grief until there's no tears left.

But then Psi remembers Sammy's laugh. Gamma remembers Quebec's proud smile. Psi remembers Sammy's soft voice in the morning. Gamma remembers Beta playing fetch with all their dogs. They remember the mansion, and how it was never truly quiet. They remember Victor humming to himself as something bubbled on the stove. They remember Prep scaring them in the middle of the night when she hung from the ceiling. They remember Liverpool singing to his heart’s content. They remember feeling at home. Finding a family. Feeling safe.

And they get up. They wipe away the tears and square their shoulders. They have a job to do. They have a city to save.

They have a family to save.

 ~~~*~~~

 The rest of the team woke eventually, slowly filing into the now quiet living room. The mood was still low from their nighttime excursion, the memories fresh in their minds. They kept themselves distracted in their own ways, but the waiting was uncomfortable.

“See anything last night?” Equo asked Horns cautiously when she flopped into an armchair, somehow managing not to spill her coffee.

“No, but... now that I’ve had some time to wake up and think about it…” He frowned, letting out a nasally sigh. “I felt weird all night.”

“Weird how?” Gamma leaned over the back of the couch.

“Like... restless.” Horns said. “Like I couldn't relax, I didn't feel safe.”

“I mean... we kind of all feel like that right now.” Glitch replied.

“Yeah... I guess so.”

“What're we supposed to do now?” Jolly asked Psi as he, too, slipped into the living room, sitting on the ottoman under the TV.

Psi and Gamma shared a glance. “With no new leads or inclinations, our best bet would be to patrol the city.”

“The whole city?” Equo exclaimed.

“But,” Gamma cut in, “since most of you are inexperienced in that field, and since Callow's set up surveillance, that doesn't seem necessary.”

“Besides, this person could strike anywhere in Dashland.” Psi added.

“So... we just sit here?” Glitch slumped into the couch.

“That about sums it up.” Gamma confirmed.

“Well I’m going to meditate.” Horns said. “If I dive any of you, I'm so-”

His words were cut off by the sharp alert once again blaring from Callow's tablet.

“What is that?” Psi asked cautiously, familiar with Callow's antics.

“Surveillance.” The gator virus responded quickly, not focusing on his mentor. “Linked the two. Movement detected...”

“Is it deer again?” Glitch asked wryly.

Callow ignored her, swiping furiously at his tablet in a completely different manner from last time. At his silence, the whole team tensed.

“I don't... know.” He said finally. “There's movement but I can't tell what. And it's getting closer.”

“How close?” Gamma asked lowly.

“About... 50 kilometers from here.”

“That's close.” Equo breathed.

“We should go investigate.” Gamma decided, standing straighter to assume a more authoritative image. “Everyone gear up, I want us out in ten or less.”

The team rushed away quickly, gathering any necessary equipment. Horns stopped Callow in the hallway.

“Are there... any densely populated areas near there?” He asked.

“No, it's mostly just forest. Let me see...” Callow buried his nose back in his device and Horns waited with little patience. “Actually, here. It's close to campus. Rotherglen Park, it's got a lot of picnickers.”

“Let me see.” Horns reached for the tablet, thankful when Callow released it easily.

“No, you can't- Horns, hold it by the edges so you don't swipe-”

“I got it, I got it-”

“Just- come on, let me get you back to the right screen-”

“I can do it-”

“No you can't-”

“Yes I can-”

“We've been over this. Just- there.”

Horns shot him a half glare before focusing in on the screen. His pulse peaked violently as he gasped, “I know this place. I know- I've seen it before. Gamma, Psi!”

“What?” Gamma spun around to him, Psi leaned out from behind her, his interest also piqued.

“They're going to hit Rotherglen Park.” Horns said. “I'm sure of it.”

“How sure?” Psi asked.

“I'd bet my life.” He replied, the echo of “you may have to” clear in his mind.

 ~~~*~~~

 Clouds had blown over the sky, heavy with the promise of rain, by the time the team hit the woods. It was hard to tell whether the stillness of the forest was due to an impending storm, or something bigger. Horns had never experienced such quiet among these trees before, and he found himself bracing for impact.

“How much further?” Peony asked over the comms.

“Just over a kilometer. Should start to see the trees thin soon.” Callow replied, tucking his tablet back inside his bag.

“Get low and stay quiet.” Gamma ordered. “We're not going to let whoever's doing this harm anyone else, but we need to get a read on them before spooking them off.”

Horns gave a nervous hum. “Got a bad feeling about this...”

“Let's just hope it's not like last time.” Callow said.

The trees did start to thin a few minutes later, allowing glimpses into the field beyond. Through the branches, they began to make out shapes. Faces. People; still as intact and frozen as the rest. In their own ways, the members of Gamma-Psi reacted in relief.

“Looks like we beat 'em here.” Glitch commented.

“And somehow I don't like that thought.” Equo replied.

“Now we wait.” Psi said. “Fan out and hide.”

The team did as directed, scattering along the northeastern edge of the park. Their footsteps were dulled by the now gently falling rain, and they were all secretly thankful for at least something to cut the silence. Thunder rolled far off in the distance, solidifying the threat of a heavy storm.

“You gotta admit, the ambiance is pretty dope.” Glitch said.

“Quiet, Glitch.” Psi scolded over a smattering of agreements from the team. Gamma just smiled at his ever-suffering sigh.

A resounding crack echoed from the south end of the park, louder than thunder but just as alarming. A maelstrom of swirling wind and debris broke free of the trees, leaving a swatch of broken branches in its wake. One of these trees, a large old oak, broke toward the parkland.

“That family...”

“It's gonna smash them!”

“Psi...”

The 99er acted with barely a twitch, branches from a nearby tree growing rapidly to entwine with the oak. The whole team let out a breath of relief. The small windstorm slowed in the middle of the field, noticing the change in the treeline. There was an area clear of any viruses, and it began to lower itself down into the clearing, shrinking in size as it approached the ground. It burst with a nearly audible pop, dropping the virus who had been inside the last few feet to the ground. And finally, Gamma-Psi could see just who they were up against.

Her dark brown hair fell about her shoulders haphazardly with the dying wind, coming to rest on a black cloak covering a simple red and black dress. Her dark skin was accented by fine features, and dark red veins, which pulsed quickly as she looked around with eyes that could not keep her soul at bay. The deep red wisps floated up to mingle with the falling rain.

“There's no use hiding from me!” She called out, voice strong but soft. “I know you are there.”

“What do we do?” Glitch asked over the comms.

Psi and Gamma shared the briefest of looks before he stood, striding his way out of the treeline.

“There you are.” The woman greeted almost warmly. “I must say you are not what I was expecting.”

“I am sorry to disappoint.” Psi replied, crossing his arms in front of him. “What, perchance, were you expecting?”

She just hummed thoughtfully. “So, do you have a name, tall dark and handsome?”

“Call me Nightshade.” Psi said. “And yourself?”

“You may call me Dragon, my dear.” She offered. “Now are you going to bring out your friends, or shall I?”

“How do you know I am not alone?” He asked.

“I know who resisted my spell.” Dragon leaned forward with a smile just a little too sweet. “And you are definitely not it.”

Psi held her gaze for a moment as he mulled over the decision. Eventually he let out a small sigh, waving the team forward without looking.

Dragon took in the team as they emerged with an exaggerated expression of surprise. “My, my, quite the group you have here.”

“Well, you have raised some concern.” Psi said.

“What do you want?” Jolly asked. “Why are you doing this?”

“My reasons are my own, sweetheart. I just want to know-” She cut herself off as her eyes landed on Horns. He had picked his way through the grass slowly as his stomach roiled with nerves. He looked up and froze as their gazes locked, intrigue washing over her face as she finished, “if you're going to stop me.” He squirmed under her gaze. It felt like she was dissecting him and undressing him at the same time.

“You're hurting innocent people.” He spoke up, trying to steel himself. “We can't let that stand.”

“Oh, my dear.” She jeered. “No one in this world is ever truly innocent.”

Psi cleared his throat and Dragon looked back to him. “Regardless, we wish to see this taking of lives come to an end. What can we do?”

“What can you do?” Dragon echoed mockingly. “You can stay out of my way.”

Psi barely had time to react as she slammed her foot into the ground, spikes of ice erupting forward to barrel into his chest. He managed to lessen the blow with vines sprouting from his arms but hit the ground hard as Dragon swiveled to face the others. Gamma shot up into the air, ready to strike as the team on the ground moved to retaliate. They all went to strike, falling back on the meticulous training of their mentors. She had quick reflexes, however, managing to rebuke them with a gust of wind, or a flash of ice.

The team froze at the familiar sound of Gamma’s laser canons firing off, waiting for the shots to land. Dragon threw up a wall of ice just in time, blocking her attack. When Gamma paused, Dragon threw the ice her way, freezing her wings solid. Psi and his venus fly traps rushed to catch her, the rest of the team momentarily distracted. That was all the time Dragon needed. Horns' attention had not wavered from her, but her intensity scared him, so he'd kept his distance. He watched with absolute dread as wind began to swirl around her, giving her a moment of protection as she murmured something too soft for anyone to hear. And he knew. Somehow, he just knew.

“No, don't-!”

There was a flash of bright blue-white energy, the wind bursting around her once again with an audible pop. The field once again lay still, seven new statues added to the garden. Horns had shied away from the blast, curling in on himself for protection from the debris caught up in the wind. He stood, taking in the sight of his team back in the terrifying state he'd found them just a day before.

“What did you do- what did you do to them?” Horns shouted. “Stop, let them go!”

“Hush now, my little psychic.” Dragon cooed at him. “It's just you and me.”

“What do you want?” Horns asked, stepping back guardedly.

She matched his step, not letting him gain any distance. “Oh, nothing yet. Soon, but not yet. I still have more to do before I can deal with you.”

“What are you planning?” He gripped his dagger tighter.

She brushed his question off, instead humming in amusement as she began to circle him. “How powerful you must be, little psychic, to resist my spell. Twice now, in fact. Not powerful yet, no, but the talent is there. Hidden. Oh, how I would love to shape that mind of yours. I could teach you so much. More than these people ever could. That potential is just waiting to be unleashed.”

“How would you know?” He scoffed. “You don't know anything about me.”

“Oh, I know more than you think.” She whispered smoothly.

“How?”

“You'll find out.” She said. “In due time.”

“Why in due time?” He asked. “You've got me here, without my team. Why don't you just finish it?”

She circled back around in front of him and he glared in her direction. “Because I am curious to see what you make of what's to come.”

With a twist of wind, she was gone, her figure disappearing with the falling sand that had been kicked up. Letting out a panicked breath, Horns turned to his team; frozen again. He was alone.

Again.

[iamalivenow]

It starts as a joke, probably. A quick thrown out “eat me” in the middle of an argument that Accord overhears late one night. This particular branch is so slow moving she just had to involve herself. It's definitely not at all that she was too bored or anything. No definitely not- It had everything to do with the fact that this one required a sort of hands-on approach. A little bit of nudging, that's all.

The derivation occurred when the Intoner known as Three had gotten away, run off to hide in the Land of Sands with all of her countless army. So the anomaly known as Zero had no chance to take a break between her corrections. The search was... tedious. Either way, it started as a joke. She thinks. For all of Zero's exclamations, she can be shockingly dry in her humor. One of her disciples- not her's “just loaners, don't put that shit on me”- spreads his fingers in a V and sticks his tongue between it and Zero kicks him in the shin. Hard, presumably, as he almost doubles over and starts complaining in a higher pitched voice than usual. Another disciple makes groaning noises, and Zero rolls her eyes. And yet another remarks on how his bone is certainly strong enough to- “Hey, do you eat?” Accord's optics click once between she turns to look at Zero. “Oh, only recreationally.” “Just say no, god.” But it's not sharp- she doesn't believe it to be. “I'm hungry!” Her dragon says, tail whipping the sand around and making half of the party groan. “Stop- I know-” Accord stands through the night, watching them quietly, feeling sand graze against her face and get stuck in her hair. Zero coils around her dragon, the three disciples lay on their sides near the fire. She watches the sun slowly rise over the horizon, and the sky shift colors. This branch really is a waste of time.

…

“Lady Zero?” Accord stands on a dune, heels sinking into the sand slowly. It is mid-afternoon, and the sun hangs heavy in the sky, her system flashing a tiny alert every time the temperature rises by a degree. If worse comes to worst, she supposes she could remove her armor, but the disadvantage to her personal safety to doing so seems worse then any heat damage this model could sustain. “What?” “Well,” The disciple looks around, directionless. “There doesn't seem to be any food- or anything that can function as food. Nearby.” “And?” “Just worrying about your strength, Lady Zero. That's all.” “Worry about yourself.” Accord makes a note, for her personal future convenience that showing concern for the anomaly will result in a pleasant micro-expression. She will save a picture of it at a later time, when the lighting is not as harsh. “And Lady Zero, Mikhail is-” “He's fine!” She snaps and flings her sword at the disciple, just a few degrees off mark, which must be intentional. “Instead of acting like a baby, you could make yourself useful, for once, and dig up a cactus or some shit.” “R-right away, Lady Zero.”

…

A week later is the first day they do not find food, and the whining is audible from a mile away. Of course, it doesn't matter, as it seems like everything in the nearby area is either dead or scared enough of the whining to risk starvation. Which does seem to be the imminent end of this branch- forced to wander the deserts until madness, the regular human kind not the flower induced kind, takes them. It's rather bleak, definitely not her taste, but she's already decided to see this one out to the end. And even with the sand getting in places that will definitely require maintenance later, she gets to spend time with Zero. Doing valuable recorder work,  finding out how the anomaly operates in a different kind of stressful situation. It's fascinating. And Accord is glad that she's the model to get to do it. The party sits around a fire at night with the large disciple trying frantically to bring up the food scarcity and Zero getting more and more irritated by the moment. “We're all just one step away from resorting to cannibalism.” The older disciple says and the other three sound off instantly, Zero shouting them all down. “Get over yourselves for fucks sake-” “I call dibs on your thighs.” “Keep talking, and you won't have any fucking legs.” She walks away from them, in Accord's direction, a few steps past her before stopping. “Why are they so fucking stupid?” “Ah- Poor animation magic.” She says, her head tilting to ensure she could see all of Zero's angles in the moonlight. For research of course. “Piece of shit weed can't do anything right.” Accord doesn't say anything while Zero stands there and fumes and doesn't say anything when Zero sits down on the sand dune. “If it does come to cannibalism, do you have a preference?” Zero throws her arms up. “Just for the record.” “No, I don't. Decadus is too gamey, Dito doesn't have any meat on him, and Octa's basically leather.” “I think I would prefer eating you too. Objectively. If I am presented with no other options.” “Yeah well.” She gets sand in her face, and she supposes that's deserved, but Zero's so close that if she were to jack up her skin's pressure sensitivity, she could feel the petals on her face. “Good thing you don't eat.”

…

Four days after that, Zero makes the executive decision to hack her legs off and regenerate. Accord stares at her from a distance, just like the disciples stare at her up close and the Dragon makes pathetic sobbing noises until she yells “Enough.” and the desert becomes exceptionally silent. “You need to eat.” She jabs the dragon on the face. “Otherwise you're useless to me.” “B-but Zero- But Zero it's- it's you!” “Yes.” “And you're- But Zero!” “End of conversation.” And then she turns to the angry one and holds her sword out, pommel first. “Happy birthday.” It's not anyone's birthday, but the disciple looks so elated Accord doesn't feel the need to correct anyone. “Lady Zero-” “The idiot gets one and a half, you can split what's left.” “Can't I take more? I mean-” “Be grateful I'm feeding you at all.” She doesn't scream, when they finally decide to do it. It's good data, even when faced with such horrific bodily harm, that the anomaly will sooner grit her teeth and bear it then yell. Though, Accord hypothesizes that it might be for the dragon's sake. The sound of dragon bone against intoner skin and muscle and finally bone is good data too, considering their models are so rarely present when an intoner gets put down. Later, Zero sits next to Accord and watches them try and hack the meat off of the bone. The smell of burning flesh must spread out for miles. “Don't want to join them?” “Would you like me too?” “...It'd be weird to have you lord this over me. In other timelines.” “It would just be more information.” And they do so love their information. “You're really weird.” “Maybe to you.”

…

Five days later, when Zero's new stomach starts to ache with a desperation, she lets her disciple take an arm in addition. “Does it hurt?” Accord asks, once she crawls out of the flower tacky and naked. “If you could describe it in detail, that would be so very advantageous. For future branches.” “It just sucks at the end.” Zero tries to fix her hair and yells when the ribbon keeps slipping in the viscera. “Crawling out. The reformation is- not nice but.” She tries again, and the ribbon slips down into the sand through her hands. “Do it for me.” Accord sets her suitcase down, and once she's sure it won't slip down the dune and damage the contents, she walks over and picks up the black ribbon. The smell is even more metallic than usual, and the sickly sweetness of rot and the faint hints of chilled lily overwhelm her. She remembers that she altered her sensitivity almost as a passive thought but now? Why lower it. Zero's hair is soft, even under the gore, and she pulls it tight like how Zero prefers to wear it- but then there's no need to rush. She must have a few more seconds before Zero's hairline temper flares up so if she allows herself an unnecessary run of the fingers so that the hair slips along her wrist and makes her sensors flare with so much information it almost makes her organic dizzy then no one other than the Recorder models have to know. “You're very indifferent to the cannibalism.” She says instead of anything else. “Yeah well, been there done that. And moral gripping is for piss babies.” Zero turns around, and Accord remember vaguely that Zero is still naked. “It's just meat.” “Don't want to know what you taste like?” “Better they get extra and don't whine about it later.” Accord takes a step back and picks up her suitcase again. The familiar weight is what she chooses to latch on to while she lowers her sensitivity back down to its designated range. “Is it care or convenience?” “Ha.” She says without a hint of amusement. “Can't you tell?”

…

“Are we ever going to get out of here?” “You always do,” Accord says after another messy resurrection. “We're full of faith in you.” “We, huh?” Accord doesn't answer, so Zero gets up and goes to sit with her group. Accord sits for an hour alone before Zero finally comes back. “Here.” There's a sliver of meat between her fingers. “Recreationally.” “Professionally, if anything.” And she opens her mouth and lets Zero place it in her mouth. Her tastebuds aren't exactly designed for flavor profiles so much as they are designed to separate components, to analyze, and she can, at least on a surface level tell that it's Zero's thigh, that Zero's blood sugar was low and that she was dehydrated and that there was no fear ruining the meat. But it's really rather hard to read the popups when Zero's fingers are still in her mouth. They prod along her teeth, along the inside of her cheeks, almost all the way down her tongue. “Professionally?” She asks tracing the sensors at the back of her throat. “Who needed you to eat people professionally?” She means to say 'classified', but again, long, pretty, sharp fingers in her mouth, so who knows what jumbled mess comes out instead. “And?” Her mouth is empty, and she feels woefully hollow. “And?” “How do I taste?” “I'm unsure.” Accord lies for the first time since her model's creation. “More experimentation is required for an adequate answer.” “Professionally.” Zero nods along slowly. “Of course.” She really shouldn't be surprised when Zero pushes her down until she's sitting on the edge of her suitcase and Zero pulls at the lacing of her shorts. Maybe there's something to be said about the grim and dull routes after all. She doesn't taste of anything other than skin until Accord does something she has at the very back of her data logs with her tongue and then she tastes miserably human. She dismisses the absolutely useless information of ph value, blood pressure, somehow still low blood sugar, and focuses instead on how much she wants to burry inside of her and never leave. “Did 'They' give you something fun to play with?” Zero whispers, those long fingers coiling in her hair and tugging her around. “Or am I going to have to make do?” Accord doesn't bother answering, just keeps licking her open, trying to learn more and more and more about this thing that doesn't make sense, that doesn't function normally, that breaks time and space apart just because the end goal doesn't work for her. She learns Zero doesn't mind gloved hands. Which is, of course, nothing short of vital information.

[aizawa-yamada-shinsou]

Easing you in

Summary- Doctor Iplier is ready to start Ethan’s journey into the madness. 

Part 1- What do you mean real? 

Part 2- Welcome to the Office, Blueberry!

“Doctor~” Wilford sang, banging the double teal metal doors into a large room, filled of freshly made beds and large white curtains. A large crash sounded from one of the corners.

“GODDAMMIT NURSE!” They whipped around in time to see a dark blur vanish through one of the many doors around the premier. Mark and Amy ran ahead, others following on their heels. There was a man on the ground, surrounded by a bunch of scattered bandages and shattered bottles.

“Having fun down there Doc?” Kathryn asked, shaking with laughter. He glared at her as he sat up, brushing his dark hair out of his face.

“Less Sass, more helping me,” He snapped. Tyler held out a hand and he gave a half smile as he was hefted upright. His grin grew larger as he spotted Ethan.

“Ah, the elusive Ethan! I’m Doctor Iplier, but feel free to call me Doctor or just Doc, almost everyone here does,” He greets holding out a hand for the boy to shake, “I’ve heard a lot about you from everyone.” Ethan couldn’t help but smile, grabbing the man’s hand. He jumped back, shock painting his face as he gazed down at his blood covered hand. The doctor raised his own hand for all to see without a second thought.

“How did you miss that you slit your palm open?” Mark asked, smirking teasingly at the man.

Wilford giggled, leaning on Mark’s shoulder with an identical look on his face.“You sure you’re a doctor, doc?”

Dr. Iplier growled at both of them. With a soft white glow, Ethan yelped as he watched the man’s skin knit itself back together. After a second all that remained was the drying blood. After it sealed the doctor pointed a finger at the giggling pair, eyes narrowed.

“Shut up both of you, or do I need to mention I had both of you in here at the same time,” Mark and Wilford held their hands up in surrender.

“In my defense,” Wilford said, “I had no idea you could break a stripper pole,”

“We swore we’d never speak of that again!” Mark growled, the tips of his ears flushing pink.

“I’m curious now,” Amy said, bending down and picking up the glass and bandages off the floor with Kathryn’s help, “Name your price, Doc.” He smirked evilly at the others, before shaking his head.

“We’ll discuss that later, right now I need to clean this up and start Ethan’s exam,” A whirl behind them announced another ego entering the room.

“I’ll han-handle the mess, Doc-Doctor,” Google said, entering from one of the side rooms, “It’d be advis-able to st-art his exam now so they may show him the rest of the egos,“ Doc screwed up his mouth, but nodded.

"Alright,” He allowed, before turning to the rest of them, hands on his hips, “Now out, all of you. I’m sure Ethan doesn’t want you present during his exam.” Mark crossed his arms over his chest, eyebrow raised.

“You know the rules Doc,” He said. Doc blinked then rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Any new human in on the secret stays with another human during the first visit to ensure no confusion or accidents occur,” The doctor recited as if the rule had pounded into his head. He waved a hand dismissive hand at them and started walking away, “Alright decide which one of you is staying. Wil, get out before Bim gets anxious about you leaving without telling him and accidentally turns something into a cactus.  Ethan’s bed is between King’s and Kathryn’s,”

Ethan just stares at all of them as Wilford pouts and poofs away.

“I don’t get a say on if I have a medical exam do I?”

Kat laughs. “He’ll hunt you down with a syringe of elephant tranquilizer if you try and skip your appointments,” She told him. He turned to Mark, worry making his voice rise in pitch.

“Please tell me he’s not as crazy as Medic from Team Fortress 2.” For a split second they grow silent before Amy falls back on the bed they’re in front of pearls of laughter trickling out of her lips. The rest of the group hang onto each other to keep themselves upright. Even Google bends his head, shoulders shaking.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” He said dully, feeling better even as they laughed at him.

“No ani-animal bo-dy parts will-will be add-added to your per-son,” Google responded.

“Good enough for me,”  he sighed, “who’s staying with me?”

“I’ll stay,” Kat said, linking arms with Ethan, “Come on Blue boy, Doc will get impatient with we take too long,”

“We’ll meet you back in the living room,” Amy said as she linked her hand with Mark’s head out, Tyler waving at them as he followed them out. Ethan blinked in shock, but let himself be lead through the maze of curtains.

“Uhhh…” He started, pink rising into his cheeks,  “Isn’t this going to be awkward?” She rolled her eyes.

“If Doc tells you that you need to take off anything more than your shirt then he’s messing with you,”

“Take away all my fun, why don’t you Kathryn?” Ethan jumped as Mark’s face appeared from behind one of the curtains. Not Mark, his mind corrected, the Doctor’s. He forced his blush down as Kathryn waltzed into the makeshift room. It was a decent size, three of the four sides were blocked off my huge white sheets, a cabinet in one corner and a plush chair in the other, a bed in the middle.

“He asked if he had to worry about you sticking a baboon heart in him, Doc,” She smirked evilly, “I think he deserves a bit of a break.” Doc’s face split into a wide grin, eyes sparkling as Ethan blushed.

“I’m flattered you’d compare me to the Medic but I try not to open up people unless it’s necessary,”

Kat hummed as she wandered over to the chair, “Or Wil pisses you off,”

His grin turned cheeky and he didn’t even deny the editor’s comment. “Let’s get started, shall we?” Ethan blinked and there was suddenly a scale next to him.

“Whoa…” He whispered. The doc looked overly pleased with his reaction.

“All egos have minor reality warping abilities, the closer an object is related with our ‘persona’ the less energy it takes to bring it into creation,” He said as Ethan toed off his shoes and stepped on the scale, standing as straight and shoulders back. Doc raised his eyebrows but went to work.

“You seem to know the drill when it comes to a regular physical,” the ego broke the silence after writing down the measurements.

“Had to have one every year since third grade so that I could compete in gymnastics,” Ethan said with a shrug. The doctor perked up.

“A gymnast? That explains the muscle definition and flexibility,” He mumbled to himself taking that down, “On the bed, shirt off.”

“Buttering him up before you get your claws in him, Doc?” Kathryn asked from her chair making both men laugh.

“Oh yes,” Ethan chuckled, “This whole thing is  a ploy to make crankiplier canon.” Iplier couldn’t help but giggle as Ethan pronounced his name at the end instead of how Mark used the word.

“I’m sure the fangirls would love to see this,” He laughed, placing his hands lightly on Ethan’s sides, prodding at the organs under the thin barrier, fingers glowing. Ethan gasped as the movement sent an almost pins and needle feeling through him, warmth spreading over his body.

“What are you doing?” He asked, trying not to squirm.

“My magic details the inner workings through skin to skin contact,” the even reply came, hands running over his ribs, and Ethan noticed Doc’s eyes were closed as he moved around the back of the bed, hands tracing up the younger man’s spine, “I can see all your organs, bones and tissues, as well as feel if there are any problems in a matter of seconds.” The hands pull back and the doc is back to his clipboard.

“Allergic to Peanuts,” he heard the ego whispering, “has glasses, but can get along fine without them. No internal injuries currently, but should stay away from mushrooms this week,”

“Wait, mushrooms?” The doctor looked up startled as if he forgot Ethan was in front of him. Kathryn snorted at their shocked faces.

“You went off on a tangent again Doc,” She teased, “predicting his death already?”

He blushed, pulling at his ear,“Not death, a bad case of food poisoning.”

Ethan stared at him in disbelief,“You can see the future?” The doctor waved his hand from side to side in an uncertain manner.

“Not quite,” He corrected, “That’s more of the Host’s domain. I just see what’s most likely to lead to health problems, physical and mental, or death for those I use my magic on, ”

“So you see bad mushrooms messing with me sometime this week?” The nod Ethan’s question received was hesitant. At his questioning look, Doc sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“I don’t normally like telling people in advance about these things unless they’re fatal,” He explained, “Sickness and accidents happen, but living paranoid of anything I mention can be more detrimental to someone’s health than a twisted ankle or food poisoning,”

“You should have seen Bim when Doc let slip that he’d have an allergic reaction to an unknown plant,” Kat told Ethan, “The kid wouldn’t sleep or eat for three days before Wilford tied him down and force fed him a hamburger.”

The doctor winced,“We were changing things back from lava lamps for a week.” Ethan snorted.

“That sounds like an interesting time,” he said, pulling his shirt back on.

Kat shrugged, “You get used to it after awhile, blue boy,”

“That’s what I’m worried about,”

She patted him on the back, grinning at Doc,“Anything else you need to record?” He shook his head and smiled.

“I think I’m good for now. Make sure you both don’t overwork yourselves today. Introducing someone to this place is stressful for everyone involved,” He said, glancing over the top of his clipboard at them, “Any questions from you Ethan?” 

Ethan bit his lip before asking, “Is the Nurse like another egos or…” He trailed off as Kathryn sighed, burying her head in her hands. The Doctor laughed, eyes twinkling darkly. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” 

“Don’t even try,” Kathryn’s muffled voice just makes smirk wider, “He refuses to tell anyone, and no one has ever seen the Nurse before, past a hecking blur running away after knocking things over,” 

“Not my fault none of you can figure it out,” Doctor told them before leading Ethan and a reluctant Kat out of the makeshift room and back towards the outer wall,“Speaking of the Nurse, I need to go make sure she hasn’t broken anything else, but it was nice to meet you, Ethan. I can see why Mark was so excited to have you come and join us.” 

Ethan flushed lightly and smiled at the doctor.“Yeah, it was fun meeting you too,”  

The doctor gave him a lopsided grin before disappearing into the maze of white once more. Kat grinned, ruffling Ethan’s hair.

“One down, seven more to go,” She said, making him wince, “But Doc is probably the easiest ego to get along with,”

“Well that’s lovely,” He grouched, as they made their way to the entrance of the clinic.

“Hey it could be worse,” She told him, “You already kinda know Wil and Google which means you got two of the worst out of the way,”

“I kinda get why Wilford would be considered bad, but what’s wrong with Google?” He questioned, “He didn’t seem too bad despite the whole secondary objective thing.” Kat smiled at him.

“You’re not wrong,” She says, “The whole ‘emotionless android’ thing just takes some getting used to. He’s still learning social cues and stuff, but then again he’s not the only one.” He nodded as he pushed open the doors.

“Yeah, but this whole situation takes some getting used to,” He countered and she laughed.

“Don’t I know it.” Before their conversation could continue a puff of pink smoke engulfed Ethan. He felt an arm wrap around his waist.

“Wilford!” He heard Kat yell angrily into the cloud before he felt his body going deathly cold. He met Wilford’s grinning eyes in confusion. Kathryn stood next to him, frozen an angry scowl etched on her face. The air around him was dark and still, the whole hallway around them muted in shadows.

“Hello, Blueberry!” Wilford greeted, “Come on we have the studio ready for your first interview!” Ethan gazed slightly fearful at the journalist, before turning back to the shady hallway.

“Ummmm, where are we?” He asked, making the ego blink glancing around as if he didn’t realize anything different until the other man pointed it out.

“Ah!” Wilford gasped, twirling a finger in his mustache, “This is my limbo realm! It allows me to move anywhere without time passing, personal strain on my part, or anyone being able to see me!” So that explained a good amount about the man’s abilities, “But enough about that we have an interview to get to!”

“Wait!” He squawked as the pink mustachio tried to drag him off, “Isn’t there a rule that I have to have another person with me?” Wilford scoffed.

“Rules, smules,” He said, “That’s just to make sure you don’t get overwhelmed or hurt, but you’ll be fine!” The young man bit his lip but decided to just let the ego lead him forward. He only half listened to the tangent Wilford was going off on about the interview as he heard garbled whispers around him, the walls warping.

"How dare you try and steal what’s Amy’s!” was heard in a large kitchen.

“Promise you won’t tell Kat and Mark about this?” came from the outside of the clinic, didn’t they just leave there?

"Is it stealing if I’m technically you?”  Wasn’t that what Wilford said the last time he was in this hall?

“I don’t normally have to explain things, the others usually take care of that,”  a different hall, right next to the kitchen it seemed.

“Lean back and relax. You’re not alone in this,” a cozy looking living room echoed with the words fading to a different angle on the same room as the next voice piped up.

“We didn’t want to worry you,”

“I am happy, thank you for this Mark,”  The mechanical whirl of the futuristic room almost drowned out the words.

“Our creator needs a word with us, Warfstache,” They seemed to stop in the studio where these words danced in his ears.

Each voice sounded oddly like Mark’s but not quite, was that the egos’ voices coming from thin air? A flash of pink overtook his senses pulling him back to the real world, literally. He stumbled as the intensity of sounds and lights on the stage made his head spin, a blanket of white overtaking his vision. Two strong arms grabbed his shoulders as he forced his eyes to refocus.

He came face to face with Mark who stared at him in concern,“Are you alright? Going through Wilford’s fast travel can be pretty disorienting the first time.”

He squinted his eyes at the man, feeling like he was off,“Didn’t you wear your contacts this morning?”

The man in front him furrows his eyebrows until something dawns on him and he laughs. Ethan then realizes he made another mistake, this guy wasn’t wearing the tee-shirt and jeans Mark had left the house in, instead donning a striking black suit.

“Sorry for the confusion,” The new ego told Ethan with a big grin, “The names Bim Trimmer,”

I got this one done sooner than expected and thought “Might as well just do a double upload.” So enjoy!