#i’m so excited for tomorrow because tomorrow i’ll get to unveil what i think is my favorite piece i’ve made for this week

[goldendoodlerlockerlove]

Roudise Week Day 5: Inhaler/Breathless

Happy Day 5!! I can’t believe we made it to Day 5 already. You guys get another piece where I did hand lettering, which is why the words look atrocious, pfffffft. Rudy’s expression was definitely very fun to draw.

[ravixen]

I’m glad to hear you’re taking care of yourself! And yes school is a struggle, I got my final exam tomorrow then I’ll officially done. I’m also really sorry about the link! I found two of them just as reference since this trend isn’t quite clear. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdfUVpwB/ and https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdfUHyH7/ I guess overall take away is that it’s them reacting to the poster you made for them of you modeling for their fav alcoholic drink 😂

-👑

svt + alcohol poster trend

➔ reaction || reaction || hip hop unit

➔ 738 words ➔ notes: fluff ; wait wowow that trend is super cute!! people out here being so creative,,,,anyway i hope you like <3 i definitely liked writing this. pls reblog!

SEUNGCHEOL: you tried keeping the editing a secret, but he's so nosy. when he found out that you were working on something for him, he said he'd give you space...but then kept asking about your progress. "how's it going today, love?" you roll your eyes and pass over a poster tube. "see for yourself." is one of the most dramatic lmfao bye. he drops the tube in his excitement to take out the poster, and when it's unrolled, he actually gasps. "this looks amazing???" he spends so long staring at every detail, which only feeds into your ego. asks you to walk him through your process and that's how you find yourself leaning back against his chest, his chin hooked over your shoulder and your laptop propped on your knees. he doesn't quite understand everything you're saying, but he still thinks you're cool. debates hanging it behind his bedroom door so your face is the first and last thing he sees everyday or in the living room so he can show you off.

WONWOO: you and mingyu hang out sometimes because you're both interested in photography, but when wonwoo asks his friend what the subject of the day is, it's the first time mingyu says y/n. "what do you mean? y/n doesn't like to model." mingyu freezes. "you must've misheard me. i didn't say y/n; i said...uh, bye, gotta go!" really? he couldn't be any less suspicious?? wonwoo thinks about it all day, and with how secretive you are after getting home, his sulking is inevitable. you really want to just tell him, but it'll be a fun surprise. you can hold out for a few days, right? his little pout is motivation to work faster. (pls work fast. each passing day, his expression gets sadder </3) when you finally unveil your project, he freezes. "do you not like it?" no, no, he loves it. "i'm relieved, i guess," he says, laughing in his hands. give him a few seconds to collect his thoughts and feelings before he presses a kiss to your cheek. "c'mere and let me look at it up close."

MINGYU: you asked your favorite restaurant owner to put the poster up in place of her current soju ad for a night, and because you and mingyu are some of her fave regulars, she easily agreed. the plan was to take him out, get a table right by the poster, and see how long it takes him to notice. unfortunately, the check was just brought out and he still hasn't mentioned it. part of you is happy that he was more interested in your day than good-looking ads. but the other part of you is disappointed that he didn't recognize you at all?? "gyu, what do you think of that picture?" you finally say as the waiter takes his card. he barely glances at it. "they look okay, i guess." you. are. screaming. you get up and untape it from the wall. "take a closer look," you say, holding it under your chin. his eyes go up and down from your face to the face on the poster — edited, yes, but yours nonetheless — before he lets out a silent oh. "baby, it looks so good!"

VERNON: there's a poster sale that he can't make, so he asked you last week to pick some up for him and hang them in his room while he's out. nothing much, just an optical illusion he had his eye on, a limited edition print he thinks his friend would like, and whatever else you think he'd want. you don't mind — it's perfect for your plan anyway. you put up the posters, and yours is strategically placed on the side so that it's not the first thing he sees when he walks in. he comes home right as you flop onto his bed. "you can rearrange them," you say, faking disinterest in how he stares at the first poster. "i'm gonna nap for a bit." "i'll join you soon," he says, smiling and moving onto the next poster. and the next. and then he gets to your favorite. "i don't remember asking for — wait." his nose is practically against the wall. "is this you??" his shook expression is even better than you expected. "baby, is this you?????" you laugh into his pillows. you laugh harder when he jumps on you, pulling you into his arms.

[teaandatale]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO @geekynerddemon who so lovingly wished for me to finish Layer on Layer. And though I haven’t been able to do so, I thought I would whet your appetite with a preview of Part 1 of my 2 Part Epilogue.

Please note this is a rough draft & subject to thorough revisions when I get the writing muse under control again.

Layer on Layer: Epilogue- PART ONE

“You see one painting, I see another, […] it’ll never strike anybody the same way and the great majority of people it’ll never strike in any deep way at all but—a really great painting is fluid enough to work its way into the mind and heart through all kinds of different angles, in ways that are unique and very particular. Yours, yours. I was painted for you.” ― Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch

Despite the scorching heat radiating from the sudden summer outside, Steve had turned the AC off while the sun blazed in through the windows of the loft’s living room where he’d been painting. He had his music turned up and he was humming as he worked.

Peggy had given him the custom made easel, sturdy, adjustable, gorgeous, no doubt pricey, as a gift. He’d been painting so much that Peggy had deemed it necessary he have an easel at her place, a designated space to work since he spent so much time there anyway. She had claimed is a selfish gift after he voiced concern about her being too generous, assuring him she looked forward to watching him paint from the comfort of her couch. And she often did, taking breaks from her work by watching him mix colors and paint broad strokes.

The first thing he had painted at his new easel was for her, another detailed flower arrangement, just for her.

After unveiling the final product of Ana’s anniversary painting, which reportedly made Ana cry, happy tears Jarvis assured, she had given Steve a tremendous hug and after their double date dinner, they discussed art for a long time, their significant others at their sides sipping tea opting to discuss the dessert spread instead. He’d been so happy and warm to sit there among her friends, her make-shift family, accepting and open to him. How he could possibly love Peggy more he didn’t fully understand other than that he was learning he did it with every passing day.

Not long after that, Peggy started suggesting dates at more art museums and galleries. She watched him paint and encouraged him to do it more broadly. To show his work. To do more commissions. He wasn’t sure about all that, but he did start to paint more and more. He’d started even transferring images out of his therapy journal into oils. He’d done several, even brought one in to show his art therapy group. They encouraged him to make a series, to show his stories on canvas.

Steve swirls his paintbrush into his yellows, ochres melding with browns.

He’s deep in concentration getting her warm brown eyes just right, the right shade, the touch of a knowing glimmer in them. He remembers the first time they locked eyes, across her bedroom, just down the hall from where he stood right then.

He’s so deep in concentration, he doesn’t think twice at the sound of the front door opening and then when he hears footsteps approaching.

“Hey Peg, aren’t you late?” he asks distractedly without looking up.

“She sure is,” a voice that’s not Peggy’s startles him. He nearly drops his palette, tipping it over and paint gets on his bare chest.

He looks up and sees Angie.

“Sorry!” she cries out, and he notices she’s not looking at his face when he sets the palette down, trying to wipe at the pint on his skin. “Wow. This is a look. Go English!”

Steve blushes, grabbing his rag and using it as a make-shift cover for at least part of his bare torso.

“I thought you two were meeting at your hotel for drinks,” Steve said, reaching over to the couch for his shirt. Angie is still staring when he slips it on.

“We were but she was running late. And so when she didn’t show I thought I’d see if we got our wires crossed and see if she was here. Sorry for scaring you. I still had my key, and I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m sure Peggy just got caught up or stuck in traffic. You know how her work is.”

Angie nodded. “Yeah, she’s always going at a hundred miles a minute.” She stepped further into the room until she was right in front of the canvas. “You’re painting Peggy! You’ve been painting a perfect portrait of her half-naked looking like a Greek God. Unreal.”

Steve blushed further. “It’s hot in here but I prefer the breeze and the sunlight filtering in while painting so I turned the air conditioning off.”

“Oh don’t apologize, Steve. This has been the best surprise to walk into. I can’t imagine how Peg handles coming home to this every day.”

“We’re not living together.”

The yet goes without saying.

She giggled. “Yeah and when’s the last time you were at your place?”

“This morning,” he said defensively.

She just smirked and continue to devolve into giggles.

“You’re an amazing artist. That looks just like Peggy, down to that spark in her eye. I might need to hire you to paint me.”

He laughed. “Free of charge Angie. Friends and family plan.”

She grinned. “You’re as sweet as a button, you know that?”

“Can I get you something? Water?” he asked, already headed into the kitchen.

“Water’s good.”

They say down in the living room together chatting.

“How was your flight? Did you have press today?”

“Yup. Did a few of the morning shows. I have a late-night show appearance tomorrow afternoon that I’m pretty excited about. I can’t believe they’re having me on it!”

“We’ll have to record it. Peggy and I have been watching every episode by the way. But we’re a few behind because I have to wait and watch them with her. But you’re our favorite!”

“Aw, shucks. I cannot believe you got Peggy watching network TV.”

He laughed. “No I got her to use Netflix. You got her into network TV. She says you’re the most believable, though she always figures out the plot twists before I do. Are you giving her spoilers?”

“No way! And give away the impact of my performances before she sees them? That’s definitely all English. How’s she been? Super busy?”

“A little, but less so recently. She had a busy few weeks before her conference with the EU but she’s been keeping a regular schedule lately, coming home for dinner most nights.”

“Guess I just got unlucky with my timing,” Angie replied. “But I’m glad Peggy’s been taking some time for herself.”

Steve nodded. He’d seen Peggy in all sorts of ranges of stress in the last ten months. He’d been so glad that she’d been taking more personal time off, delegating, taking care of her well-being, seeking out his support when she needed it. Of course she was a busy woman. That was a given. But she always tried to make time. She always took the effort to stay present when they spent quality time together.

She’d gone out of her way to support his painting. They’d spent so many evenings out, sipping wine and swinging by the latest “hot” opening only for Peggy to proclaim that his work was much better, more moving, worthy of his own showing.

He still wasn’t all too sure about the whole artist career, but he loved how supportive she had been. How much she cared. How much she believe in him. It was nice to know if nothing else, he had a fan in Peggy.

“I’ve been trying to make sure she’s been taking care of herself better.”

“Good. I already know how good you are to her. She’s always happy to talk about you. I wouldn’t have believed it before actually meeting you.”

He shrugs off the compliment, after all he didn’t want the praise for just being there for someone he loved. Besides she deserved it and more.

“Maybe she’s got held up in a meeting. I’m sure she remembers our reservation,” Steve said after another fifteen minutes without hearing from her. “I’ll try to call her again.”

He didn’t catch her, but he did leave her a message reminding her of their reservation and that he and Angie would meet her there. Steve changed quickly in Peggy’s room and then the two of them hailed a cab. Angie filled him in on some L.A. gossip and some stories of her cast mates. He liked how bright and bubbly Angie was. He liked hearing stories of how she and Peggy became friends. How Peggy had always believed in Angie becoming an actress, and how the two always had each other’s backs. He liked knowing there were people apart from himself that cared so much for her.

They were early for their reservation, opting for the bar while they continued to swap stories. He checked his phone once they were seated but there were no messages. Angie convinced him to split an appetizer as she was starving and he hadn’t eaten since lunch.

“Must be some hell of a meeting English is stuck in for her to respond to my texts for like five hours.”

Steve hummed, checking his phone.

“Wait. What did you say? You haven’t heard from her in that long?”

[xbunnybunz]

Daybreak (4/?) [Wolf Keum x Reader x Alex Go)

Summary: The day brings to you Alex Go, and in the night, Wolf Keum. Your past is inescapable. They build you up and tear you back down, but this is what you need to survive.

Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama —–

When you pick up the call, Alex is talking to someone else in the background.

The flame of excitement you feel flickers, and for a second you deflate. You stop your stride down the street, shadow falling long from your feet and quivering in the glow of the moon.

Did he dial you by accident?

You hear his voice, but it sounds distant. “—Shut up Ben, I know what I’m doing!”

Another voice you don’t recognize cuts in, sounding like he was holding in laughter.

“Man, Gogo, I think you pressed the call button already.”

“What? Oh shit, you—”

There’s distant, hushed arguing, then loud rustling. Suddenly, Alex Go’s voice is right by your ear, breathy, sounding as sheepish and awkward as ever.

“Oh, hey there! What’s up?”

You feel your lips turn up again, the burning in your chest and cheeks slowly returning. You press a hand to your mouth to stop yourself from laughing.

“You tell me, Alex Go. You’re the one who called, after all.”

There’s a pause, and you can almost see his face now, eyes darting, a dumb smile, leg bobbing with a nervous jitter.

“Hah! Haha. Yep, that’s me. Me who called you.”

He pauses- a thing he does when he’s nervous, and you count, one, two, three seconds until he speaks again.  

“So, ha, what are you up to tonight?”

You think you hear someone give an exasperated sigh in the background, but it could just be a car passing by a street down.

“Not much. Pretty much the same night as all the others.”

You swing one foot in front of another, less focused on taking steps and more focused on balancing on the curb. Wonder if you always felt this way talking on the phone, wonder if it’s just Alex.

Alex hums on the other end, the sound tickling your ear.

“And what about tomorrow afternoon?”

A cartwheel flips in your stomach, and you almost loose footing on the curb. It sounds too smooth, and you bet he’s been practicing it in the mirror. It almost takes you off guard, but you keep a level head.

“What about it?”

There’s a dare in the question, and it sits boldly in the silence hanging between you and him.

He flounders, like you expect him to, but you smile regardless.

“Well I, uh,” He gives a nervous chuckle and your eyes soften. “I was wondering if you’d want to hang out tomorrow."

You give your head a tiny shake, feeling your eyelashes brushing your cheekbones. “Are you asking me on a date, Alex Go?”

He laughs gently, it’s sweet, but there’s a bit of a raw edge from nerves. “It depends how you answer.”

“And if I say yes?”

“Then I’d tell you to meet me at Eungang High School at two thirty, tomorrow.”

The fingers curled around your phone are alight with tingles and you flex your grasp on it, wiggling your toes in your shoes.

“I’ll be there.”

You catch Alex breathing a sigh of relief, attempting to dilute it with an airy chuckle. It’s cute, you think, and funny.

“That’s great- it’ll be great, I promise. I know just the place.”

“Anything’s better than another cup noodle lunch, so I’ll take your word on it.”

Alex laughs, and this time he’s not holding back. It’s real and it’s sunny, warm. It reminds you of something, but you can’t put your finger on it.

“I should’ve known you were still eating that stuff. You’re in for a treat tomorrow, I’ve heard people say their cakes are the best in Yeongduengpo.”

“Sweets, huh? I haven’t eaten out in a while.”

You turn a corner and stop at a red light, the dim scarlet glow splashes over the street, the sidewalk, colors your shoes. When was the last time you hung out with a group of friends? Hung out with anyone?

A thought pops into your mind and you turn back and look at the restaurant you came from.

“No way!” Alex’s voice sings into your ear again, just as the light turns green. “There are so many good places that opened recently, we gotta check them out!”

Your lips curl at his enthusiasm, and you turn back to cross the road. Listen to the tik tok tik tok of the countdown. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too.”

You can almost hear him smiling through the phone when he pauses, trying to find more things to convey his excitement. But he reels himself back in.

“Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your night, so I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yessir, unless you get cold feet.”

Alex laughs again. “Nothing to worry about then, seeya later.”

“Goodnight, Alex Go.”

You pull the phone away from your ear and stare at the call time, crawling up second by second, until the call drops and the screen goes dim.

The next day rolls around without much nuance. Your head is pounding when you wake up, but not as much as it usually does after a night out.

Was it because you had something to look forward to today, or because you couldn’t drink with Wolf staring you down?

The question bounces around in your head for the duration of your morning classes, but fades by the time you’re pulling up directions to Eunjang High.

The school is relatively easy to find, given it was the only all-boys academies in the area. You wait outside the main gate, and chuckle at all the strange looks you’re getting, no doubt wondering what a student with your uniform was doing at Eunjang.

Eventually you catch a glimpse of black hair and a shock of green eyes in the upcoming wave of students, and wave. Alex perks up and throws up an arm in greeting as well, almost hitting a familiar, bowling-alley-carpet-eating redhead beside him.

Alex claps him a few times on the back in apology, and a taller boy with green hair taps his shoulder and points in your direction, lips moving to form a question.

Your gaze wanders and catches a purple one. The way his eyes shoot through you sends a cold shiver down your spine. His eyes pierce you, like he’s trying to remember something. Then his eyes snap up to your outstretched hand, in a wave. Unnerved, you retract your hand and pull your arms back into your body, turning and placing your back flush against the stone gate.

What the hell was that? You wonder, wringing your hands. Why was there so much space between Alex and his friends from the rest of the kids? Did they have a reputation or something?

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Alex’s face pops up from behind the stone gate, plastered with his usual goofy smile and all your thoughts melt away. Alex Go? A reputation?

“Haha, nothing. Just something silly.” You uncross your arms, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. “Where did your friends go? They were with you a second ago.”

Alex folds his arms behind his head, leaning back a bit to peer back towards the school. His button down rises a bit, and you have to snatch your eyes away from the tantalizing sliver of skin that unveils itself.

“Ben said he left something in the classroom and made everyone go back with him to get it. He’s so scatterbrained, I don’t know what to do with him.”

You don’t have the heart to tell Alex what the real reason probably was, so you don’t.

You both begin your walk to the location, Alex leading the way.

“So, that uniform is pretty fancy huh?”

You look down at what you’re wearing. “Oh, this?” You tug a bit at the hem of the blazer. “Right, you haven’t seen me in my school uniform yet, huh?”

Alex shakes his head with a smile, his hands in his pockets. “Nope! To be honest, I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s like you’re a whole different person with an academy uniform on.”

You watch your feet next to Alex’s, faux leather uniform shoes beside brand name sneakers, both falling into sync. A bit of a half-smile slips onto your lips, teasing.

“Oh? My clubbing dress isn’t that flattering, is it?”

Alex holds his hands up, pink tinging his ears. “H-hey! You know I didn’t mean it like that!” He rubs the back of his neck abashedly, casting his gaze elsewhere.

“I was just a bit surprised you attend Jagga Academy. I mean, I’ve heard they’re super selective.”

Your smile takes a gentler curve, and you sigh. “Yeah, I studied really hard my eighth year to get in. Those were the days.”

Memories of your younger self flood your mind. You were fresh out of middle school, hopeful, bright, and stubborn. Unstoppable, that’s what all your teachers had used to describe you. A fighter. A writer. And memories they would stay.

His face flashes in your mind, like a haze, like a dream. One second he’s there, then he’s gone. You push the thought back into your mind.

Right now was about having a good time, and you didn’t want to ruin that.

Alex takes a turn and you follow him, willing yourself out of your thoughts.

You look up, skimming the area, unsure of where you were.

You look to the left, just past Alex, and see a familiar karaoke center. You look to your right and see the flash of a familiar scaffolding, leading to a bank you knew the name of without reading the sign.

A cold wash of something creeps up your body, something that feels like a licking flame, a cold fire. It inches up your back and into your fingers, and you ball them up, pressing your nails into your palms until the force has you trembling.

Something in your chest aches, and it keeps twisting, turning, throttling itself in your body and this can’t happen here, not now, not with him, not after being alone for so long.

A hand appears in front of your face, waving.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

You jerk your head up, pearls of sweat beading down your back and dotting your temples.

“Huh? Yeah?”

Alex gives you a look, brows furrowed, and lips pressed together. “Are you alright? You’ve been looking kind of out of it for a while.”

You swallow thickly and give what you hope is a convincing smile, but you can see a glimmer of yourself in Alex’s eyes. Shaking, scared, and shrinking, shrinking, shrinking away.

“Hah, yeah. Sorry, I’m just…”

You trail off. Don’t let yourself finish. You hate that your voice sounds so thin, so weak. You hate how you can’t even finish a sentence because of how your words sound like they’re teetering on the edge of oblivion, scared of falling into that dark, endless pool of vulnerability.

“…Tired.” You choke out, and it sounds like a cough. Feeble and sick.

Alex looks concerned now, but doesn’t ask any more questions.

He looks around, like he’s looking for a distraction, and you hate that he has to do that, hate that you’ve made this awkward, made him feel strange, fucked up this shit, again. It’s just past this block, you think. Then you’ll be fine, this will be fine.

“Hey!” Alex’s fingers graze your arm, and his fingers feel like freezing static on your body. “Look at that!”

He points a finger at something, you don’t know what, so you follow his gaze upward.

“Check it out!”

He jumps up and slaps the hard plastic backing harshly, the sound booms against your ears like a car crash, like any crash, like--

“Me and Ben used to do this all the time!”

Your lips feel dry when they part, you want to ask what he’s talking about, why he did that. But when you speak, no questions come out. Just a small and pathetic squeak,

“Huh?”

His green eyes glitter in the sun, his black hair is tousled, he’s happy and laughing and beautiful but you feel so so cold.

“We’ve been doing it since middle school, haha! We used to have competitions to see who could hit it first on the way home from classes.” He demonstrates with a few swings, but you’re not looking at him.

You turn around to focus on the traffic light again, remembering the noise it made when Alex’s hand struck it, like unrelenting thunder.

“The traffic light?” Voice like crinkling paper.

“Yeah, but there’s kind of a funny story here. There was a day Ben said I wouldn’t be able to slap the top of the traffic light, so I took a running start from half a block down and struck that baby right where it hurts.”

He laughs and it hollows your heart like a great echoing cavern.

“I hit it way too hard though, and the thing started spazzing out. I think it took them like a whole three months to get it replaced!”

Alex smiles fondly at the memory and you try hard to smile with him, but turning up your lips feels like a dreadful task. Your heart thrums in your chest and it feels strained with each beat, like it’s imploring you to run.

There’s a huge storm now, whipping into a hurricane in your head. Two pieces of the same broken person trying to pull themselves together by tearing someone else apart. It’s not his fault, you know. You think this, but you keep seeing his face, those eyes, and the memories stay with you, make it impossible to move on.

You want someone to blame for everything that’s been lost, for every day you’ve had to live with blaming yourself not reacting fast enough, for not doing something.

The screech of tire, the scent of burning rubber, the beeping of the heart monitor echoes in your mind, the clicking of hospital tiles underfoot.

And then you see him. He’s there, illuminated by the halo of yellow light, flickering, flickering, then gone- and instead now you see green eyes, black hair, a radiant smile, and it’s so blinding.

The tik tik tik of a broken stoplight echoes in the back of your mind, like a haunting melody in the abyss of a night.

It couldn’t be Alex, you think, but you can’t stop clenching your jaw. Alex is too sweet, you reason, too kind, too oblivious, too careless, too reckless-

You stop yourself and take a shaky breath in, no. When would you ever learn to stop pointing fingers, to move on from this? Would you ever even get there? This wasn’t anyone’s fault, you think, but it was also yours. No one but yours, who was there and failed to stop it.

And Alex? Well…

You take in another stuttering breath of air and it floods your lungs, and you wonder how long you’ve been holding it. Your hands are shaking, so you push them into your pockets, carefully.

Alex has his gaze turned away from you, but his arm is hovering a bit, like he’s ready to grab you in case you pass out, and only then do you realize how pallid you look, you feel.

…Alex Go, silly, thoughtful, bright Alex Go.

And you remember his smile, the way he shines like the sun when he smiles at you.

Smiles.

At you.

He helped you feel things you hadn’t felt in what seemed like years, he had given you wings to fly with again. And for the temporary moment you were with him, you were free to soar through the endless sky.

You gulp, and feel the warmth of his arm hovering over your body. Like an offer, an invitation. You want to lean in, to lose yourself in his touch, in his grasp. But something is stopping you, and you don’t.

For now, being afar is good enough, it’s as much as you deserve.

You both make another turn and he slows beside you, pulling you out of your trance, a gentle smile on his face, patient, and warm.

“We’re here, (y/n).”

[kiwi-tai]

I might have forgotten about my Lucas fic Champagne Problems oop but I worked on it today instead of doing homework so that new chapter is coming soon.

Here’s a sneak peak tho with a moment between Elena and Bobby because I love their friendship.

Up in the dressing room, she finds Lottie brushing her hair who is quick to ask, “Well, how is the future miss Koh?”

“Oh please, gag me,” Elena says, grabbing a makeup remover wipe as she sits in front of one of the mirrors, “This whole night is gonna make these next few days the worst in the villa.”

“Or maybe something good will come out of it. You should let me read your tea leaves tomorrow morning,” the blonde suggested, unusually optimistic for the other girl’s liking.

“Maybe. I’m gonna talk to Bobby. I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet,” knowing Marisol was in the bathroom area beside them she calls out to her, “You don't mind do you, Marisol?”

Through brushing her teeth she responds by saying what Elena believes is ‘no go ahead’ but it sounded a lot more like ‘num guh hahud’.

Before leaving the dressing room she changes out of her dress and into the nicest PJ set she had yet to unveil. Tugging to fix the black satin set she glances over at her appearance in the mirror ‘eat your heart out, Koh’ she thinks. 

When she reaches the bed the Scot was occupying, the brunette drops herself atop the bunched-up duvet like a pile of loose bones, “Hey Bobbert,” she greets, causing him to scrunch up his face. He greets her back in the annoying nickname he’d given her, making her mimic the same face.

“Eleniekins,” 

“How’s being coupled up with Marisol treating you? Excited to spend the night together?”

“Probably not as excited as you are,” he smiles over at her as she rolls her eyes, “I think this could be good for you.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Well I can be quite insightful so I see things maybe you don't,” he suggests.

“Sure when you're not making jokes about your toe fetish or baking puns.”

“I was going to say I’ll miss being coupled up with you, but actually, I reckon I won't now,” he speaks a bit louder so Lucas who was spreading out the duvet neatly a few beds away can hear him, “Thanks for taking her off my hands, Lucas!”

The physiotherapist responds in a lazy salute while Elena gasps mockingly at Bobby clutching her hand to her heart, “How rude!”

“Now out,” Bobby kicks his cold leg at her from under the duvet, “My new boo thing is coming.”

“You get one warning Bobby— I can tell you right now that if anyone calls me boo then I'm running for the hills,” Marisol threatens him as she sidesteps the brunette who begrudgingly makes her walk toward her new bed.

[be11atrixthestrange]

Step 1: Getting To Know Her

From 12 Fail-Safe Ways To Charm Hermione Granger

Step 1: Getting To Know Her

All witches are unique. Before pouring effort into charming a witch, it’s important to get to know her well, Aim to understand why you like her, and stay observant, because there will always be more to learn.

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Ron was lying awake in bed, flipping through the old and tattered book, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when he read part one, ‘Getting To Know Her’. Like that’s remotely possible.

He smiled softly at her sleeping form beside him. Her dark and bushy hair splayed wildy across both pillows, and the stress lines that appeared on her face throughout the day seemed to vanish in the night. She looked peaceful and calm, and it was contagious. Funny how the same girl that could rile him up and ignite his passion could also ease his anxiety. Her effect on him was undeniable, even this far along in their relationship.

Ron had a date planned for tomorrow, and he was pretty damn excited about it— so much that he couldn’t sleep, which is why he had picked up the old book again. His anticipation for tomorrow resembled a kid’s on Christmas Eve. He’d taken Hermione on plenty of dates before, but this one was going to be a surprise for her, and it had to go well. Maybe it was time to refresh his memory in the art of charming witches.

He nearly skipped this chapter the first time he read the book. It was in his sixth year, back at Hogwarts, and he scoffed at the book’s assumption that he would be interested in trying to charm a witch he didn’t know. He figured he could skip it because, well, he knew Hermione. They had already been through so much together, and he knew her like the back of his hand, or so he thought. But it turned out that Hermione was a complex witch, and even after years of friendship, she still managed to surprise Ron. Even now— they lived together, spent the majority of their time together, and could finish each other's sentences, but sometimes she still left him scratching his head, working new details into his understanding of her.

He recently learned that the scar on her knee was from a biking accident when she was younger. It needed stitches to heal. Muggle doctors actually sewed her skin back together. He was horrified when she told him— His parents had always been able to cast a cushioning charm around the Burrow’s grounds in case someone fell from their broomstick, and any cuts and scratches could be easily repaired with a dab of dittany— no needles required. Although it was a minor detail of her life, it further differentiated his childhood experience from hers, and unveiled that a lot of his knowledge of her upbringing was based on assumptions, not facts.

She surprised him again the first time he threw her a birthday party at their new flat. They had recently moved in together, and Hermione had insisted on living in Muggle London so her parents could have easier access to their new place. To go with the theme of their home, he decided to throw her an entirely muggle party, complete with muggle decorations and games and a cake baked the hard way— magic-free. He was quite proud of the result, and definitely didn’t expect her panicked reaction when she came home to find their apartment bursting with balloons. Hermione— who fought dark wizards as early as age sixteen, was afraid of balloons simply because they could pop anytime. Mental.

Ron’s perception of Hermione was constantly expanding with more information— Hermione had grown into a new person over the past decade and a half. The witch he met on the Hogwarts Express was completely different from the one sleeping next to him, and he had no idea what to expect in another fifteen years. This thought used to terrify him. He remembered discussing this with his brother Bill the summer before his wedding, after learning he was going to marry Fleur.

“What if you fall in love with someone, and then they change?”

Bill’s answer left Ron quite confused at first. “That’s the most exciting part,” he had said.

Of course, now Ron understood exactly what Bill had meant and agreed whole-heartedly. There was something exciting yet reassuring about how truly unknowable people were. Hermione was like an ocean— well studied and explored, yet ever-changing and mysterious.

At this point he had known her for fifteen years, and the words “Get To Know Her” made him laugh for completely different reasons that they did at age seventeen. This time, he laughed because he knew he never would.

******

There were many moments that stood out as turning points for Ron— moments when his knowledge of Hermione expanded, and his feelings for her strengthened.

There was a clear shift when he discovered her crying in the bathroom on that first Halloween, Hermione was no longer a “nightmare”, but a vulnerable, insecure kid who simply wanted to fit in— just like him. He saw her in a new light, and realized her commitment to studying so much, and showing off her knowledge wasn’t intended to be condescending, it was her attempt to make sense of a world of which she knew nothing. Knowing nothing meant knowing no one and the hurtfulness of his words took on an entirely new dimension. He had teased her for having no friends, but he also had the power to change that. On October 30th, she had been an annoying know-it-all, and by November 1st, she was his best friend, and he thanked Merlin every day that his eleven year old self had changed his opinion.

Things changed again in his fourth year. By the Yule Ball, Hermione had outgrown the young, precocious, socially awkward first year that pointed out dirt on his nose, and corrected his pronunciation of wingardium leviosa. She was a brilliant, confident, and strikingly pretty young woman, but his 14 year-old self was stuck to his original perception. He was forced to reassess when he saw her dancing with Victor Krum at the ball, looking magnificent in her periwinkle dress. He watched her laughing, dancing, and carrying herself with poise and confidence, while other girls lurked nearby, their faces contorted with envy. Victor Krum effortlessly ignored them because he was so drawn to Hermione, and he wasn’t the only one— Ron couldn’t take his eyes off of her either. Her words swam back his mind, suddenly changing everything.

“Just because it’s taken you three years to notice, doesn’t mean no one else has spotted I’m a girl.”

Why hadn’t he noticed before? And now that he had, what the bloody hell was he supposed to do about it? Hermione had evolved from a friend to a girl to a girl he fancied and Ron was left with the daunting task of moving forward with that revelation, somehow.

Although unsure how to proceed, he grew accustomed to his new feelings about Hermione. He edited her character profile in his mind to reflect this new person, someone who was infuriatingly clever, beautiful, and confident. This was Hermione, not that.

He kept learning, and her definitions expanded over time. He added both fearless and terrifying in their fifth year, when she risked her prefect badge to help form Dumbledore’s Army, jinxed Marrietta Edgecombe, and fought valiantly at the Ministry of Magic. He added flirtatious during their sixth year, when he could have sworn he saw her eyes that lingering on his taller, scruffier, more athletic-looking body, thanks to a combination of puberty and Quidditch. That same year, he briefly added not interested when her signals became too vague for him to trust, and completely fucking mental when she set a flock of canaries on him. Those descriptions changed again when they reconciled, and he fell right back into his old pattern of wanting her, this time slightly more confident that she felt the same way.

At that point he was convinced that knew her. He had adjusted his definitions so many times and finally felt that he had landed on something all-encompassing. But of course, he was wrong.

It was at the Burrow before Bill and Fleur’s wedding when she alerted him to another unexplored cavern of her personality. It had been a few months since the Lavender incident and they’d been dancing around their feelings for one another since then. Ron wasn’t sure how he was supposed to make the first move, or if it had been an appropriate amount of time to date someone new after breaking up with Lavender, so he just continued to hang around her, lamely hoping something would just happen between them.

His mother made an effort to keep them apart that summer, as she was— rightfully— scared they were planning something dangerous, so in order to spend any time together, they had to be sneaky about it. One day, his mother sent Hermione and Ginny to change all the sheets without realizing she had already asked them to, and instead of asking for a new chore, Hermione wandered up to Ron’s attic bedroom where he was busy tidying up.

“Hi,” she said before jumping and landing prone on his bed. “What are you doing?”

“Cleaning up my room,” he replied. “Not sure why I have to do it, it’s not like any of the guests will come in here.”

“You know why,” said Hermione. “To keep us busy.”

“Oh I know,” replied Ron, laughing at his mother’s antics. “Care to help me?”

“No, I think I’ll just sit here and watch,” she said with a coy smile.

Ron looked over and grinned at her. She was so cute lying on his bed like that. He couldn’t help but think she looked quite sexy too, with her skirt riding up, revealing more parts of her leg that kept him up at night. Sexy was another word Ron had added to her profile, one he found himself noticing much more frequently as of late.

He shook his head as if to jumble the randy expression that had undoubtedly formed his face, giving away thoughts that were best kept to himself— at least for now. At this point, they had not discussed where they stood relationship-wise, and gawking at her exposed thigh could easily ruin anything that remained unsaid.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. He winced as he said it, hearing the unintended flirtatiousness of the words only after they left his mouth.

Fortunately his comment was well received. “Well, maybe take me to dinner first..,” she said playfully before shifting toward the edge of his bed, making room for him to sit down.

He felt his face warming as he lowered himself to the bed beside her and realized he had nothing to say. Dreading an awkward silence, he spluttered the first question that came to mind. “So uh, have you ever been to a wedding before?”

She turned onto her side to face him before nodding. “A few, but only muggle weddings. I was actually a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding last summer.”

Ron had expected that she’d attended a wedding before, as most people had. He was surprised by the other part of her answer. “You… have a cousin?”

“Yeah,” said Hermione. “This was Ellie’s wedding. She’s about five years older than me. Have I not told you about her?”

“No, I thought it was just you.”

“Hmm,” she said contemplatively. “I don’t have any siblings, but I have a lot of cousins. My extended family’s actually quite big.”

It wasn’t a personality-altering detail, but it revealed a sudden gap in his data. Ron wracked his mind for any missed conversations where he could have learned more about her family. “I never knew that. Are you close to your cousins?”

She shrugged. “Well I guess I just don’t talk about them that much. But growing up they felt like my siblings.”

“Do you visit them a lot?”

She hesitated before answering. “I used to,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Ron suddenly regretted asking about her family, remembering what she had just done to keep them safe. “I probably won’t see them much anymore. At least not for a while.”

In a moment of courage, he reached for her hand, which was lying on his bed between them. He squeezed it gently and smiled. She returned the gesture, caressing the back of his hand in a way that sent shivers down his spine, but Ron was distracted by the glisten in her eyes as she reflected back on her family.

Also, his head was spinning. Hermione knew his family so well after their years of friendship, it almost felt like she was part of it. How had she never mentioned this detail about hers? Had he never even asked?

He had only met her parents once or twice, and he didn’t really converse with them when he did. Hermione had spent holidays with his family. His mum would send birthday and Christmas presents. Fred and George would take the mickey out of her like she was their own sister. She felt comfortable waltzing into his bedroom and sitting on his bed, and he had never even been to her house. He didn’t even know what it looked like.

“Can I meet them someday?” he asked boldly. “Your cousins, I mean.”

She paused in thought before answering cautiously. “Well, they don’t know I’m a witch. They think I attend a muggle boarding school. Whenever I visit them, I have to lie about everything. It’s a lot of work. A lot of stress.”

Ron hadn’t thought of that— she lived in a world that her family knew nothing about. Even if they got through this war, and she reunited with them, he would have to learn a whole lot more about muggles in order to keep up the lies she must have developed over the years. “I’m a good liar,” he said. “And a quick learner.”

“I’m happy to hear it,” she laughed.

Ron chuckled too, glad he could cheer her up, even if temporarily. But he was overwhelmed by this new information. There was a lot he didn’t know. He wondered what she told her cousins she studied at school, and what they thought she was planning to do after graduating. He didn’t even know how many cousins she had, how old they all were, or their names.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know her parents’ names.

“What are your parents’ names?” he asked.

“Jean and Hugo,” she answered. “Why?”

“I’m just curious.” He looked down at her hand, which he was still casually holding. He gave it another squeeze and saw her smile brightly at him when he did it, and he grinned softly back at her. It was the same Hermione, yet there was still even more about her to discover— things about her that he had never even thought about.

He felt a bit guilty learning exactly how many questions he’d never bothered to ask. But his guilt was overshadowed by his excitement to learn more. He really was a quick learner when the topic held his interest, and nothing held his interest quite like Hermione Granger.

[spookybreadstick]

Week in the Life of Breadstick: 5

Sunday: This was a bad day for me, unfortunately. My mental health plummeted, and I had a hard time with everything. Not fun. 

Monday: I was still trying to recover from yesterday. I got a milkshake today, a rare treat, to try to lift my spirits a bit. Milkshakes always help put you in a good mood! 

Tuesday: I was hit hard again today. I had to have an important meeting with my psychiatrist, but the link (since it’s all online) wasn’t working for me and I couldn’t get in touch with a real person when I called the office line. I started to panic because they have a strict policy on being late which involves forfeiting the time slot, paying for it, and paying a hefty additional fee. Not only can I not afford to pay this large amount for nothing in return (because I’d still have to set up another meeting and pay for that), but the meeting was important for personal reasons and I needed it. I was very fortunate to finally get in touch with somebody after five or ten minutes (they are so strict about times though, if you’re more than one or two minutes late then you get charged) and I explained the situation. They apologized for sending the wrong link and said I wouldn’t be charged which was a huge relief. I did have to wait a little longer, but I did have my meeting after all, which was needed. It was a whole big ordeal though, and I was already not doing so hot, so this was definitely not needed to add to my plate. The good thing about today though was that I finished season two of Grey’s Anatomy, although I did have to stay up a little late to do so, but it was worth it!

Wednesday: I had my classes in the morning, some chores to complete in the afternoon, and I started season three of Grey’s Anatomy this evening. It was a pretty solid day. My client had to cancel (again) but at least I got a free afternoon out of it! 

Thursday: I woke up earlier than I usually do and it was nice to enjoy to some quiet time in the morning before everyone wakes up (usually I’m the last one to wake up on the weekends, and during the weekday I’m up first but I’m rushing around to get ready so I don’t have time to sit and relax). I had a lovely virtual chat with a friend this afternoon where we had a very deep philosophical discussion. I had a therapy appointment after my classes, and I’m pleased to say I think I really made some progress during my session! Afterwards, I played Animal Crossing and I spend a while decorating my little house so I’m happy with it. It was warm today so I took my dog on a walk around the neighborhood as well, which was nice except for the ridiculous amount of puddles everywhere! 

Friday: I had classes in the morning, then had to take a trip in the afternoon to run an errand. I’ll be honest and say that I did have a hard time. I was feeling very anxious, but I managed to keep it together and I didn’t even cry on the ride home! Improvement! I had pizza Friday with my family, but it wasn’t the same without a new episode of Wandavision, so we decided to put on the Lord of the Rings. I’m excited to unveil a little surprise for you guys tomorrow! 

Saturday: I slept in until noon, then had some delicious fruit for a brunch. I played Animal Crossing for a while and then scrolled around on my phone. I made some preparations for the surprise unveiling today, and responded to some asks that were a bit lengthy on my part. Today was a pretty chill day, a lazy day if you will, except for I hurt my pinkie pretty bad because I pinched it on something (I don’t even know what it was, but it hurt!) 

Thus concludes my week! Feel free to tell me about yours if you’d like, I love hearing about it and interacting with you guys! 

- breadstick 🥖

[bluezey]

Inside Onward - Magic Gift

Third part of the Inside Out/Onward crossover.  I must warn you, this ended up longer than I thought.  I blame Ian’s emotions, they wouldn’t stop arguing in this one!  But, I do like how I incorporated magic into the mind of one who’s magically gifted, so there’s that.  Also, we’re finally on the quest!

No promises on either, but I’ll try to hammer out the next chapter this weekend, and I’ll try not to make it too long.

“What do you mean it’s from dad?” Barley asked, following Ian upstairs.

“I dunno,” Ian replied. “Mom said it was for both of us.”

Laurel just returned from the attic, in her possession was a large, long object wrapped in brown fabric. In confusion and curiosity, Ian and Barely took one side of the long awaiting present and carried it into Ian’s room.  “Dad said to wait and give this to you when you both turned sixteen,” Laurel explained, also curious, but also excited with anticipation.  “I have no idea what it is.”

Joy was bouncing on his heels in excitement.  “Ooh, I love surprises.  What do you think it is?” he asked the other emotions at the console.

“What makes you think we know?” Anger replied.

“I’m just as lost as you are,” Disgust shrugged.

Fear was just as affixed to the screen as the emotions watched Ian and Barley gently place the present on Ian’s bed.  Ian pulled the string, untying the present, loosening what was inside.  As the fabric quietly unfurled, it unveiled the top of a wooden staff, complete with three prongs twisting around themselves.

The emotions were just as puzzled as Ian was.  Acting like he knew exactly what it was, Barley pushed Ian out of the way as he picked up the wooden staff.  “It’s a wizard’s staff,” Barley said in awe, followed by excitement.  “Dad was a wizard!”

“What?” Ian exclaimed in shock.

“What??” his emotions echoed, just as lost.

Laurel stepped in, clearing things up with Barley.  “Your dad was an accountant.  Sure, he got into some weird things when he got sick…”

“Hey, look.”  Sadness pointed to a small, aged letter tucked into the fabric.  Believing it could have answers, Fear input the commands into the console.

“It’s a note.”  Ian took the note and began reading it aloud. “Dear Ian and Barley.  Long ago, the world was full of wonder.  It was adventurous, exciting, and best of all, there was magic.  And that magic helped all those in need.  But, it wasn’t easy to master, so others found a different way to get by.  And over time, magic faded away.  But, I hope there’s a little magic left in you.  I wrote this spell to see for myself just who my sons grew up to be.”

Headquarters was silent for a brief moment before Disgust broke the mood.  “Magic?  I thought that was just made up garbage in Barley’s stupid games.”

But more questions were answered when Ian found another note.  “Visitation spell.”

“Magic is real?” Sadness asked.

“No no no no,” Fear tried to convince himself more than the others.  “It’s just make believe, like the tooth sprite, or the Solstice troll.”

Joy didn’t need convincing, as he was glowing with enough happiness to light Headquarters for days.

Barley took the spell parchment and glanced over it for a second before his face lit up.  “Says here, with this spell, we can bring dad back. For one whole day, dad will be back!”

“Back to life?” Ian took the note back and read it over, seeing if this was misread, or just too unbelievable to be true.  “That’s not possible!”

“It is with this,” Barley declared, holding the staff in hand.

“No!”  Anger barked.  “It’s just impossible!”

The emotions immediately turned when they felt that warm glow from an island behind him.  They saw Dad Island light up as they heard Ian’s voice echo with wonder, “I’m going to meet dad?”

Disgust waved his hands, frowning in disbelief.  “Okay guys, seriously?  Who believes this junk?”

“Why would dad lie to us?” Sadness asked quietly.

“Who would believe magic is going to bring back a dead guy?” Anger argued.

“Guys!”  Joy pointed to the island off in the near distance. “Ian clearly wants to give this a chance.”

“Because he’s desperate. We all are, Joy,” Disgust explained. “But magic isn’t going to work because it’s not real.”

“And if it doesn’t work, then nothing happens, but if it does…” Joy’s smile was beginning to fade as he realized he wasn’t winning over Disgust or Anger.  Even Sadness was beginning to waver back into hopelessness. “Uh, Fear.  You believe this could work, right?”

Fear simply stepped back before shrugging, lost in the confusion of all this chaos.  One minute Ian was stitching up a sweater after his catastrophe of a birthday, and now there’s talk of magic and raising the dead??

“A spell this advanced would need an assist element,” Barley explained.  “For that, dad would have had to find a- Phoenix gem!” he interrupted himself triumphantly as he pulled a glowing orange gem out of the cloth.

“Something’s happening!” Fear pointed to the screen, and the emotions went back to the console.

“Wait a minute, is this dangerous?” Laurel asked.

Fear froze in place. “Da- da- da- did she just say-?”

“We’re about to find out,” Barley declared, firmly placing the Phoenix gem within the nest of twisted wooden prongs at the end of the staff.

Fear gulped, wide eyed, hands under his arms.

Barley slowly stepped back, gradually gripping the staff as if he was savoring this very moment.  He suddenly drew his hand back with a yelp of pain.

Fear screamed, the other emotions reacted with shock and worry.

“What?” Laurel asked in fear.

Barley replied sheepishly, “Splinter.”

“Oh come on!” Anger spat.

“Seriously?” Disgust declared exasperated.  “Is he serious?  Are you serious?”

Even Joy wasn’t so amused with Barley this time, while Fear tried to keep from fainting in relief.

Barley quickly glanced over the spell on the parchment before confidently holding the staff in the air.  Ian and Laurel waited in anticipation, while the emotions leaned forward, wondering what was going to happen next.

“Only once is all we get, grant me this rebirth,” Barley recited.  “Until tomorrow’s sun as set, one day to walk the earth!”

And…. Nothing.

The emotions blinked, confusing gradually washing over them, before they saw Barley try again.

“Only once is all we get, grant me this rebirth.  Until tomorrow’s sun has set, one day to walk the earth.”

Nothing.

Barley tried again… and again, and again, and again….

One by one, the emotions left the console.  First Anger, reading over a mind manual.  Then Disgust, who’d rather check on his hair and give it a quick touch up with his comb. Then Sadness, who sadly flopped face down on the couch in defeat.  Then Joy, who was playing with a kaleidoscope.  All that was left at the console was Fear, who was staring at the screen, losing his hope as he watched Ian hopelessly sit on his bed, softly petting the resting dragon Blazey.

Laurel finally, softly, spoke up.  “Barley…”

That’s all Barley needed to hear to finally give up.  He lowered the staff against Ian’s desk, then sat down on the bed.

Laurel glanced at both her boys, feeling their sorrow.  She then picked up the letter and explained, “Your dad fought so badly to see you boys, that he tried anything.  That’s something, right?”

Sadness approached the console and rested a hand on a button. “Yeah,” Ian replied, faking a smile.

Laurel was about to say something to Barley, but he was already leaving the bedroom quietly.  She turned back to Ian, trying to muster a smile. “Hey, you want to come with me to pick up your cake?”

“No, that’s okay,” Ian replied, faking a smile back.  “Thanks, mom.”

Laurel gave Ian a soft kiss on his cheek before he left him alone in his room.

Resigning in defeat, Fear turned and walked to the back of Headquarters.  He placed his hands on the window as he looked over at Dad Island, sighing to himself, his nerve hanging so low against his back it was almost uncurled. Of course, just what they needed to top the worst sixteenth birthday ever:  false hope.

Ian was left alone, sitting at his desk.  About twenty minutes passed, but they felt so long and empty.  He didn’t even bother to lift his head, just looking down at the two pieces of parchment with dad’s handwriting on them.

Sadness turned his head, then sat up, then stood up.  He squinted his eyes, trying to get a good look at dad’s handwriting.  It’s so neat, yet so fancy, and so faded over time. Feeling called to the console, Sadness crept up to the controls.  He placed a hand on a small lever, looked up at the letter onscreen, and gently pushed the lever forward.

With a sigh, Ian lazily and sorrowfully picked up a paper and read.  “Only once is all we get… grant me this rebirth…”

Fear took a double take as he heard Ian’s words.  “Sadness!” Fear bolted towards the console, the other emotions right behind him. “What are you doing?”

Sadness tried to keep his balance as Fear pushed him away from the console.  “I’m sorry,” he whimpered, placing his hands under his arms. “Ian was just so sad, and I was reading dad’s writings, and-“

“Look!” Joy gasped, pointing just at the edge of Ian’s line of sight.

Ian glanced over at the staff leaning against his desk.  Nestled atop amongst the three branching prongs, the Phoenix gem glowed, and began to shake with life.  Ian nearly knocked over his desk chair as he jumped back in shock.

Fear let go of the console as he stared up at the gem, mouth agape, letting his hands drop to his sides.

“Am I seeing this?” Disgust told Anger and Sadness.  “I can’t be seeing this.  We’re seeing this, right?”

“It’s working,” Joy whispered in awe, approaching the console and activating a few buttons and switches.

Ian continued, “Until tomorrow’s sun has set…”

Joy was suddenly pulled away from the console by Fear.  “Joy!” Fear gave a double take as he watched the whole console begin to glow.  Not just the controls, not just the base.  The whole thing.  And not just the normal five colors that specified each prominent emotion.  A bright, ominous aura of white.

The wild thrashing of the Phoenix gem caused the staff to roll, falling off the table.  Acting fast, Fear reached the console, making Ian reach for the staff, catching it before it hit the ground.  As Ian lifted the staff, his eyes were wide in wonder as he saw the carvings on the wizard’s staff wooden body light up in a magic blue light.

Expanding from the console, a bright aura of white coated the headquarters from floor to ceiling, expanding over objects, even the emotions.  Joy shivered with delight as if she was being tickled when the aura enveloped her.  Disgust and Sadness ran to the windows as they watched the aura extend into the mind world, coating every last inch of the landscape and anything within in the cooling, bright, magical glow.  Though far away, they could barely make out the mind workers reacting in shock and confusion.

“Shantar’s Talon!” Anger exclaimed.  “This junk is real??”

“Guys, what do we do?” Disgust asked, out of ideas due to the confusion of this new power overcoming Ian’s mind world.

Fear was trembling, lost in his daze of fright, worry and fear.  He felt a hand on his shoulder break him out of his trance, then slowly turned to Joy, giving him a nod and a smile.  Fear closed his eyes, grit his teeth, prayed that he wasn’t making a big mistake, and pushed two big levers forward.

“One day to walk the earth!” Ian finished reciting the spell.

Ian gripped both hands on the wizard staff as the magic whipped wildly around the room, catching any little object in the cyclone of power, with Ian in the dead center.

Fear pulled back on the big levers, holding on for dear life so Ian could keep holding on.  Around them, the sparkling shine of the magic flew around them in a whirlwind of power.  The emotions could feel the ground below them trembling as Headquarters seemed to quake.

“This is madness!” Anger shouted.

“This is amazing!” Joy shouted.

“Everyone!” Fear ordered. “Just focus on Ian!  We need to keep him safe!”

Just then, the bedroom door creaked open.  “Hey, what are you doing in here- Holy Tooth of Zadar!” Barley exclaimed as he saw the chaos.

“You?  Now?  Why?” Disgust snapped at Barley.

“Focus!” Fear shouted at Disgust.  “Ian needs us!”

A sharp stream of lightning shot from the Phoenix gem and onto the ground.  Sparks of magic swirled around the ground before finally revealing feet inside a pair of striped purple socks inside a pair of loafers.

“It’s the socks!” Joy cheered.  “It’s the hideous purple socks!”

“Joy, not now!” Fear snapped.

The magic rose, the aura forming into legs clothed in beige slacks.  As it passed the belt, the magic began to struggle.  Suddenly, the magic glow grew a darker, bolder gold, the Phoenix gem rose from the staff as the magic became more violent, more powerful. Overpowering him, Ian felt his body being pushed back.  He planted the staff base first on the ground and forced his body upright, despite how the rug was failing him from standing his ground.

Seeing Fear struggle, Joy grabbed Fear by the waist and pulled back.  “Guys, it’s too strong!” Fear choked out from his gritted teeth. The other emotions were going to help, but stopped when they heard that familiar, annoying voice.

“Wait!” Barley called out, running up towards Ian.  “I can help!”

“No!!” the emotions shouted as Fear let go of the levers and slammed his hand on a button.

“Barley!  No!” Ian shouted, pulling the wizard staff away from Barley.

Crack!

An overpowering bright white light shot from the console, throwing the emotions back.

………

Fear’s head was in a daze, he felt sore all over.  He felt like he had to will his eyes open.  When he did, all he could see was white.  He tried to sit up, pushing through the pain with a groan.  He could barely see his hands planted on the ground through the pristine white… mist?  Smoke?  Fog?

“Joy?” he called out into the vapors.  He tried to stand up, but between his sore body and lacking balance, he fell back onto his knees.  “Sadness?” Fear tried crawling, immediately bumping his head into a pane of glass.  He looked up to see the fog had dissipated enough so he could make out a cluster of cracks on the window, shaped like his silhouette, if he was thrown back, upside down, splayed out and terrified.  That explains the aches and disorientation.  Trying again to will his bearing back, Fear stood up again, wobbling a bit like his legs were made of jelly.  He took one slow, cautious step, holding his hands out into the smoky void. “Anger?”

Out of the fog, a thick red hand shot towards Fear.  He gripped tight around Fear’s slender neck and shook violently.  “Don’t touch me!!” an irate voice roared, while the fog cleared to reveal a growling red Anger.

Fear finally struggled free from Anger’s grasp, taking a big breath of precious air.  “Hello, Anger,” he gagged.

“Where is everybody?” Disgust’s voice called out from the fog.

“Oh no,” Sadness sighed. “We’re blind.”

“Found it!” Joy exclaimed. “Found the console!  Everybody, just follow my glow!”

Fear squinted his eyes to make out a yellow aura filtering through the haze.  He carefully crept forward, thankfully the fog fading with every step.  The light took the form of Joy, before becoming Joy waving his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“That’s right, just focus on me,” Joy encouraged.  “You’re doing great.  Let’s see, one, two, three, four,” Joy counted as the emotions emerged from the smoke. “And, we’re back.”

Now that they were all together, the emotions glanced at each other with confused, uncertain looks on their faces.  “What was that?” Fear finally spoke up.  “What just happened?  And… Ian!” Fear pushed Joy out of the way as he looked up at the screen.  There was smoke in the bedroom too, and he could make out that Ian was on the floor, coughing. “No no no no no, Ian.  Quick, someone check if he’s hurt!  Is his airway obstructed?”

Joy looked over the vitals. “Ian’s a bit shaken, but he’s fine.” The sight onscreen shifted as Ian got up onto his feet.  For a brief moment, Barley was visible onscreen, helping his brother up.  “Oh, he’s such a nice brother,” Joy smiled.

“No, this is terrible,” Disgust gasped, holding up his hand to his gaping mouth.

Sadness sighed as he agreed with Disgust, “It didn’t work.”

“Not that!  Ian’s room is a mess!” Disgust threw both hands out to exaggerate the mess of clothes, books and knick knacks strewn around the room. “This is going to take hours to organize.”

Fear suddenly tensed up. “What was that?”

The emotions were silent, staring at Fear awkwardly.  Some of them looked concerned, others skeptical.

“That noise?  What was that noise?”  Feeling his self conscious doubts rising up his spine, Fear squealed with fright, “Please tell me I’m not the only one who heard that!”

All five emotions tensed up this time, they all heard that thunk.

Ian and Barley glanced over at Ian’s closet.  The gaping alcove looked almost barren now, say for a pile of clothes balled up in a corner.  They gazed curiously as the pile moved, like there was something underneath.  It was confirmed someone, when a brown loafer brushed its way out, followed by a khaki covered leg.

“Tell me I’m not the only one imagining this, guys,” Disgust commented, wide eyed.

Joy happily hugged Fear to his side.  “Look, it’s the socks!” Joy pointed out with great joy.

Ian and Barley watched as the entire pile stood up, Ian’s emotions anticipating the very second that was to come next.

The pile flumped backwards, revealing nothing but a pair of slacks standing on their own.

“Ahh!!” Ian and Barley shouted in surprise.

The emotions echoed the same response, followed by Fear’s body going limp as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head.  “Not now, not now,” Joy told him, calmly, cheerfully, holding Fear up by the collar. “Stay with me, Fear.  Ian needs us.”

Fear was nothing but a mumble of random words as his faint body flopped forward onto the console.

“There’s supposed to be a top part!” Barley whispered in utter confusion and fright.  “I remember dad having a top part!”

Ian’s knees nearly buckled as his mind felt like it was at a loss of this whole situation.  “Oh, what did I do?  This is horrible!”

The longest brief pause passed before the legs finally moved, the pants beginning to slowly walk forward.  Every other step was cautious, feeling around for ground.  The pants eventually stopped, by coincidence right in front of dad.

Fear was finally standing onto his knees, draping one arm over the console while his other hand rubbed the faintness out of his eye.  Once he was back into consciousness, he glanced around at the other emotions, frozen, unsure. “What are we supposed to do?” Anger whispered aloud.

Joy decided to break the uneasiness, he approached the console, inputing a few keys next to Fear’s arm.  “Wait, what?” he asked, before turning his sight towards the screen.

Slowly, Ian knelt down, stretching out a hand.  He could get a good look at the waistline, and saw where the belt ends there was nothing but a blue aura of magic.  He placed his hand over top, feeling nothing but the occasional coolness emanating from the glow.

“Woah,” Joy was in awe.

Ian immediately stepped back as the pants moved again, this time walking a different direction, away from the boys.

“It’s really him,” Barley muttered to himself before attempting to call out, “Dad, we are in your house!”  No response, or whatever response could you get from pants?  Hm, response… Barley knelt down and carefully approached the feet. He tapped his hand softly on a loafer, the leg fidgeted in response.

“What are you doing?” Ian asked.

Barley drummed softly on the foot, like he used to do on his dad’s feet when he was a kid.  The pants stepped back, then a brief pause, then responds with two taps on the floor.

The emotions softly gasped, echoing Ian’s reaction.

Cautiously, the legs moved forward, one foot feeling around until it brushed up against Barley’s foot. Once it found the top of Barley’s shoe, he gave a similar soft drum cadence.  Barley smiled, the few memories he had flooding back into his mind at once. “Yeah, dad,” he said softly, tapping his foot in return.  “It’s me.”

The feet took a step back, then began to feel around on the floor again.  Lost in its blind search, the sentient pair of pants found its way back to Ian.  While it was just near, the foot felt around until it brushed up against Ian’s foot. As if realizing what it may be touching, the foot pushed down just a bit, in an attempt to be a loving kind of touch.

“Yeah, dad,” Barley whispered.  “That’s Ian.”

Ian was still as the moment overcame him.  His first moment with his dad.  “Hi… dad.” He hesitated at first, but then placed his hand on the top of the foot.

The emotions were in a silent awe, as behind them they could hear Dad Island being the liveliest it’s ever been.  “No way,” Joy whispered.

Dad stepped back, stumbling for a moment as he tripped on a pen, before getting his bearings back.

Fear’s smile faded, as reality finally returned to him.  “No… no, this isn’t right.”  He took the controls as the emotions spoke out in confusion.

After enjoying his first moment with Dad, or half of him, Ian stepped back into the reality of the situation.  “Oh, no. I messed this whole thing up. Dad’s going to be legs forever.”

“No, not forever,” Barley pointed out.  “The spell only lasts for one day.  Once the sun sets tomorrow he’ll be gone, and we won’t bring him back again.”

Ian looked out the window at the setting sun, then down at his digital watch.  “Okay, twenty four hours.  That doesn’t give us much time.”

“No time at all,” Fear thought aloud as he looked down at his own digital watch.  “What are we supposed to do with a pair of legs for twenty four hours?”

“Oh!  I know!” Joy perked up before taking control.

“We’ll just have to do the spell again,” Ian said.

“What??” the other emotions exclaimed.

“You mean you’ll have to,” Barley clarified.  “A person can only do magic if they have the gift, and my brother has the magic gift!!” he exclaimed.

“Okay, this is getting nuts!” Fear said, grappling for the controls.  He tried to grab Joy by the shoulder and push him away, but this time Joy pushed back, causing Fear to momentarily pause in shock, before trying again to push for control.

“But I couldn’t finish the spell,” Ian argued.

“Well, you’re going to have plenty of time to practice, cause we’re going to have to find another Phoenix gem,” Barley commented, noticing the remains of the shattered gem on the wizard staff.  Almost immediately, Barley’s face lit up with an idea and he ran downstairs.

Joy and Fear finally gave up their shoving match and faced each other.  “What is your problem?” Joy exclaimed.

Fear paused a moment, still shocked that Joy talked back to him, before getting back to the subject. “’We’ll have to do the spell again?’”

“Well, yeah,” Joy shrugged. “What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that about two minutes ago magic was just some hokum from Barley’s silly little games,” Fear explained, “and now Ian just used an ancient stick and resurrected dad’s pants!”

“And your point is…?” Joy asked.

Fear gasped. “What?  Seriously?  I mean, isn’t this a lot to take in?”

“That is a lot,” Sadness spoke up.

“See?” Fear pointed out. “Sadness agrees with me.”

“I think we should do the spell again,” Sadness added.

Fear took a double take towards Sadness.  “You too?”

“I thought I’d never say this ever again,” Disgust added in his thoughts, “but Fear’s right.  I don’t want Ian messing with nerdy magic mumbo jumbo.”

“But he is a nerd,” Joy clarified.

“Ian’s not going to become a table top role playing geek!” Anger snapped.

“He’s not playing a game!” Joy argued.  “Guys, you saw it!  You saw the sparkly stuff, you saw dad’s legs!  Magic is real!”

“And dangerous!” Fear argued back.

“But if there’s a chance to bring dad back, even for one day,” Joy asked, “shouldn’t we try it?”

Fear, Anger and Disgust were about to rebut, but paused at that very question.  They looked at each other, then at Dad Island, then up at the screen, where they could see Ian gently tapping on Dad’s foot, almost as if he was checking if he was really there.

“Guys,” Joy told them all, “we could finally give Ian memories of his dad.”

Before the emotions could discuss this any further, the bedroom door flung wide open as Barley ran inside, slamming a box of Quests of Yore cards onto the desk.  “We’ll start where all quests begin, the Manticore’s Tavern.”  He plucked a few selected cards from the box and presented them to Ian.  Ian stood up and took the cards with a puzzled look. “The place is run by a fearless adventurer.  She can show us where to find any gem, talisman, totem…”

“This again?” Anger snapped, with Disgust flipping a few switches on the controls.

“Barley, this is for a game,” Ian explained.

“Based on real life,” Barley explained right back.

“How do you know this place is still there?” Ian asked.

“It’s there.”  Barley dumped out the box and dug through the pile of cards for the exact one.  “My years of training have prepared me for this very moment, and this is the only way we are going to find a Phoenix gem,” he declared, holding up the Phoenix gem card.

“There’s no way we’re trusting this guy,” Disgust said.

“But he’s the expert,” Joy told Disgust.

“The expert in a geeky game,” Disgust clarified.

“Based on real life,” Joy clarified right back.

“What part of this is real life, Joy?” Anger snapped.  “What part?”

“Well, we know the magic is real.  Right, Fear? Fear?”  Joy looked around, finding Fear’s not at the console.  She turned around to see Fear pacing back and forth across the floor, hands squeezing his sides and mumbling nervously to himself. His eyes were wide, as he couldn’t believe this is happening.  “Fear!”

“Ah!” Fear jumped, then tried to collect himself.  “Oh, heh, uh, sorry.  I was just thinking…”

“… Thinking we should do this?” Joy asked with an encouraging, trusting smile.

Fear was unsure of anything anymore.  All he could do was glance at the emotions, then Ian, then back at Joy, then at Dad Island, then at Ian, then back at Joy.  Taking a deep breath, followed by a gulp, Fear approached the console, pleaded under his breath, “please don’t let me regret this…” the jumped a mile as he heard Dad Island whir to life.

“Whatever it takes,” Ian decided, “I am going to meet my dad.”

“Did you hear that dad?” Barley boasted triumphantly.  “We’re going on a quest!”

-----

Before they knew it, Ian was in the back of the van with Dad, Barley was at the wheel driving down the interstate through the city.  Fear and Sadness were at the controls, Disgust watching the screen next to an idea bulb she just recently inserted into the console.

“Guys!  Guys!  Look!” Joy raced up to the other emotions, cradling a purple memory orb.  “It’s Ian’s first memory of dad!”

Fear peered into the ball as it played an image of Ian reacting to first seeing the pair of sentient legs.  “Uhh… I don’t think it counts until we get all of dad back.”

“Oh, all right,” Joy replied with a playful huff before placing the memory back on the short term shelves.

As Sadness finished returning a memory of Ian’s math award up the recall tube, Fear took the controls to help Ian finish another list of his.

“What are you two chatty charlies up to back there?” Barley asked Ian.

Ian picked up a mannequin top made out of pieces of clothing and stuffing.  “Well, I felt weird talking to dad without a top half so… ta-da.” Ian placed the mannequin top on top of the bottom half of Dad.

“That’s great!” Barley exclaimed.  “Dad, you look just the way I remember you.”

Disgust smirked as he removed the idea bulb from the console.  “Told you it was a good idea.”

“Don’t worry dad, soon we’ll have you all back together, and I’ll introduce you to Guinevere,” Barley said, implying his van.  “Rebuilt this old girl myself, from the lug nuts to the air conditioning.”  With one flick of a switch, the inside of the van was hit hard with a blast of cold air.

Fear shrieked and grappled at the controls.  “Ian! Need!  Seat belt!”

Ian managed to fight through the gust and turn off the overpowering A/C unit.  “Showing dad your van?  That’s your whole list?” Ian asked as he sat down in the passenger seat.

“What list?” Barley asked, before noticing a small notebook in Ian’s hand.  “What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s just a list of things I want to do with dad,” Ian explained.  “You know, play catch, take a walk, driving lesson, share my whole life story with him…”

Fear nodded, reading over every single one that he wrote on his exact copy of Ian’s list in his notebook. Play catch.  Take a walk.  Laugh together.  Heart to heart.  Driving Lesson.  Share my life story with him.

“That’s good,” Barley nodded with a smile, before his smile lit up with excitement.  “Oh, but before you cast dad’s spell again, you need to practice your magic.”

Ian caught the book Barley casually tossed at him.  The Quests of Yore game book.  “This is for a game.”

“Everything in Quests of Yore is historically accurate, even the spells.  So,” Barley boldly presented Ian with the wizard staff, “Start practicing, young sorcerer.”

Fear froze, looking up at the staff, overpowered with the overbearing weight that this is real, and this is really happening.  “Are we really going to do this?” he asked.

Anger and Disgust were on one side, arms crossed, not liking the game book is involved.  Sadness on the other, standing next to Fear, placing his hand on Fear’s.  Joy placed his hand on Fear’s shoulder, giving him a confident, assuring smile.

Trying to ignore the feeling that he’s already regretting this, Fear closed his eyes, and pressed a button.

“Well, dad,” Ian said, in a less confident tone, as he cracked opened the book.  “Let’s practice some magic.”

[bnhablessings]

All Together

This past month and last month were hard on me. I don’t do well during the holiday season and I know a lot of us in this community don’t have great families, unable to see their families, or have people to call their family during this time so I thought I would contribute to the holiday with a comfort piece.

With that said since it is a comfort piece, the villains are going to be soft as heck towards the reader

It’s also because I thirst for the villains lmao

I’m tired af I’ll look over this tomorrow and fix any mistakes

I send my love to everyone and I hope you all have a good holiday if you celebrate!

Taglist of Lovelies: @chrismarium​ @i-need-a-life-from-life-2-0​ @gentlechainsaws​ @uncle-sev​ @hibari18fan​ @spicyramenbakugou​ @specialagentlokitty​ @fangirljazzy​ @crystal-birds-love​

League of Villains x Reader (Gender-Neutral/Non-Binary)

Warnings: Profanity, Fluff for days I hope, Dabi and Tomura being themselves

Words: 1761

 “Whoa, who the fuck died?” Shigaraki asks, his voice is loud as the door to the bar is slammed shut behind him.

When you glance up you are surprised to see Shigaraki displeased that you are well… not yourself. Dabi is beside him a bit worried. Why? You for once are completely silenced. You are almost never silent, especially in the morning unless it is too early. You haven’t even given them any retort or welcome. It is odd and it nerves them.

That is until a small smile forms on your face. You have an idea for them and if they don’t agree to it, you may very well throw a fit, give Shigaraki a taste of his own medicine or something.

“Wipe that idiotic look off your face,” Shigaraki hisses when your smile grew.

You don’t say a single word as Toga who somehow absolutely adores you, gets in their faces with a happy crazed look in her eyes. You told her of a plan and she immediately fell in love with it so if they don’t like it they will have to deal with her unusual crazy way of getting her way which consisted of begging like a five-year-old.

“(Name), had the best idea ever! They suggested we celebrate the upcoming holiday together!” Toga says jumping up and down with glee.

Shigaraki immediately says, “Fuck that. Why in the hell would we do that?”

Toga’s face falls at the answer but she isn’t the type to give up. Immediately she wraps her arms around herself in a self-hug and starts to swing. “Because silly! We don’t have anywhere else to be! I can’t ever go home, my parents hate who I am so all I have is you guys! It would be so not fun if we didn’t do anything!” She says as she eagerly gives them her puppy dog eyes that have no effect.

“Where are the others and their thoughts on this?” Shigaraki questions with a hiss.

He’s really not having a good time with this idea but thankfully you have another member up your sleeve. Spinner who was watching the scene fold-out and awaited his cue beside Kurogiri stands with ease to be with you and Toga.

His voice is soft and full of thought as he says, “I agree. I would like to spend the holidays here with everyone. The way (Name) had said it earlier moved me and reminded me that we all are in quite the serious predicament of not being able to return home. This is our home now since we are dedicate-“

“Shut the fuck up. If I say yes, will you stop talking before you get to that dumb Stain nonsense?” Shigaraki questions and you light up with Toga.

You finally speak for the first time since they stepped into the room and you resemble an excited animal. “So, it is a yes?”

“For fuck’s sake. Just tell me what your idea is. I don’t want to hear it from the Stain loving freaks,” Shigaraki says in a grumble as he goes to take his normal seat at the counter.

You are quick to speak as to not further aggravate him. “Simple. Let’s celebrate the holiday together! Obviously, we are rather lacking in the money department so any gifts are a no go. I figured Kurogiri can use his resources to get us all the ingredients needed to create a feast. We can do other things as well! What the… Why are you making that face jerk! Listen… What I am trying to say is I consider you my family and I want a night of normalcy.”

Dabi observes you with cold eyes before he lets out a snort.

You somehow amazed him. He wouldn’t ever admit that but just the way you are so caring to them, it’s refreshing to see. He’s thankful that you share similar views about the world and somehow even Shigaraki saw something in you. Your genuine kindness towards them did something and now they all have a soft spot for you.

It was just an obvious yes to begin with.

“Creepy face, just say yes already and stop making it sound like they were asking your hand in marriage. Ain’t nobody want to marry your crusty ass,” Dabi says the smirk on his face prominent.

For once, Shigaraki doesn’t even have a comeback. Instead, he seems intrigued now by the idea of celebrating a holiday. He glances at Kurogiri and asks, “What do you think?”

“It is always good to have a moment together in a family-like way. You haven’t had the taste of something quite like that so I agree with this. Shall I go get ingredients? It will only take but a moment then I can start cooking whatever (Name) and Toga conjure up from their family experiences,” Kurogiri says waiting for approval.

With a simple nod from Shigaraki, Kurogiri leaves to do as planned. Toga jumps up and down with excitement as Spinner has a soft smile on his face.

Dabi places a hand on your head before tousling your hair. “Well, you got the yes. What’s the set-up we’re doing?”

“We need to wait for Twice, Magne, and Mr. Compress. Twice and Magne went to go get the movies and comfort items for this since this place is… well y’know. We’re moving everything to the back in that old room besides Shigaraki’s room,” You explain the plan for the utmost comfort.

Dabi laughs or huffs at the thought before he asks, “How is Mr. Compress contributing?”

“Take a wild guess.”

When Dabi doesn’t say a word you give a small pout before unveiling the answer, “Games! Okay, I am sort of kidding. He’s insisted on bringing a surprise so I’m just trusting him and before you say anything Dabi the answer is no. I do not trust any of your surprises.”

“Ouch.”

~*~

“Did I do this right?” Shigaraki asks his eyes bright with genuine curiosity as he glances over at your own cookie that is being frosted.

You take a look at his and offer him a brilliant smile before saying, “Yes! Yours looks amazing!”

“What the fuck is it supposed to be?” Dabi asks looking over Shigaraki’s shoulder.

Immediately, a sigh escapes you as Shigaraki insults Dabi’s own cookie. You take a moment and look at the rest of the Leauge on your right side. Toga is on her tenth cookie. Hers are so cute in animal shapes. Magne only decorated a few but her cookies are all one colored frosting.

To your left is Shigaraki’s cookie that resembles All for One somehow. Dabi is beside him and his is well… A for effort? You have no idea what it is so he can’t be dissing Shigaraki’s cookie like that. Twice is just chaotically making the different colored frostings mix and match. Spinner at the end has frosted one cookie to resemble Stain.

Kurogiri and Mr. Compress refused to take part in this activity as they were the ones who made the cookies since they had very little trust in you all and baking. To be fair, they had a valid point. After all, cookies have been frosted, dried, and stacked on a plate it was time for something else.

“That was so much fun! I never want to do that again dumbass,” Twice says as he looks at you eagerly for the next move.

You smile and turn to Mr. Compress and speaking softly, “Thank you for getting the cookie supplies. That was a great surprise indeed!”

“My pleasure! Though I am intrigued by the game you had brought for everyone!” Mr. Compress states as you immediately pull out a board game from god knows where.

Twice and Toga do a gasp of surprise before they immediately clear off the table so it can be played by the first four players who want to play which is obviously going to be you, them, and Spinner who helped picked the game. Anyone else will have to wait.

As the game goes on you are surprised you haven’t heard a complaint from Dabi or Tomura in quite a while...

~*~

“Thank you!” You, Twice, Toga, Magne all thank Kurogiri after eating the wonderful dinner he slaved over.

He really did try hard for everyone and it turned out amazing despite every ingredient being stolen. Dabi nods his head towards Kurogiri and Shigaraki looks conflicted. Spinner and Mr. Compress look to be at peace for the first time in a long time.

“Now, I believe we have a few movies don’t we?” You ask getting excited to see what Magne and Twice got.

Everyone piles up together in the room next to Shigaraki’s where a huge television awaits. The movies the two got ranged from horror all the way to romance-comedy. The fighting had started and Kurogiri had to compromise with them like kids until you slyly put a movie in.

Despite how excited you were only moments after the movie started, yours and a few other snores can be heard throughout the room. The movie is paused by Mr. Compress so Kurogiri can toss some blankets at those who had fallen asleep. Which had been you, Toga, Twice, and Magne.

“Weren’t they the one who wanted to watch it that badly?” Dabi scoffs but he has that smirk on his face that shows that he is in fact content at the moment.

Kurogiri is staring at Shigaraki as he asks, “How did this make you feel? Being here all together and celebrating as a family? Indulging in a few of the member’s wishes?”

“I… It was odd. I didn’t like it but I also did. It felt nice to do something together but I wasn’t used to it,” Shigaraki murmurs.

He doesn’t need to explain what else. Those that are awake understand. It was nice spending the day celebrating the holiday as if they were a real family. Seeing everyone happy and at ease felt great but it brought up old and painful memories.

That was the odd thing they weren’t used to. Dabi is watching his boss with a careful eye as his boss watches the ring leader of the idea, sleep. They’re sharing the same idea. Thanks to (Name) they were able to create happy memories for the holiday. This is just what they needed, to spend time all together, without the judgment and pain of people who didn’t care for them. It was odd but they have never felt this content in a long while.

[saiilorstars]

The Beginning of Everything

Ch. 29:  Metamorphosis

// Story Masterlist //

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 10th Doctor x Female OC

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Chapter summary: Gabby gets to unveil her first artwork and what it is might be powerful enough to make new decisions.

The day had come. Today was Gabby's official unveiling of her first artwork. Zhe's gallery was a busy, busy place. People were running around setting up things that needed to be ready by the scheduled hour. Everyone was following Renata's orders to the last detail. And Renata? She was quite at home doing what she did best: organizing.

"I am going to need this entire area to be covered by those fancy little light bulbs humans are so fond of," the Time Lady was in the middle of instructing several employees when the Doctor and Gabby arrived. "You know the ones that are like strings? What are they called? String light bulbs! And make them lavender - that's Gabby's favorite color."

"She is really good at that," Gabby chuckled to the Doctor as they continued to watch Renata command the entire area.

"Yeah she is," the Doctor agreed, nodding proudly. That was one thing he always loved about her. He loved watching her take the reigns of an entire room with just a clipboard and a waving hand. It was even more curious back then because Renata's first incarnation was a petite figure while this current incarnation was much taller.

"Should we tell her we're here?" Gabby's question pulled the Doctor back to the present. She was absolutely excited to get the show started.

"Not yet, I need to see Zhe first," he said and turned away from the garden. "But you can go and say hello to her." Gabby nodded, her smile faltering when she realized what e was doing: diagnostic checks.

Zhe was the only person the Doctor trusted completely in when it came to Renata's health. The Time Lady was used to lying about her health left to right, but Zhe would not.

Gabby sprinted down the hill leading to the garden - probably not her best idea but she was so excited - and called for Renata's attention. "Ren! We're here!"

Renata's eyes widened with delight. She opened her arms in time for Gabby who came hugging her. "Gabriella, I'm so happy you're here!"

"Me too!" Gabby pulled away and turned her attention to the stage across them.

The stage was only recently finished since Gabby watched the employees barely getting off it. It was a deep blue (almost TARDIS blue) colored stage with dark purple curtains tied on the sides. Gabby's eyes flickered to the chairless tables set around them. All of them were an iridescent purple-blue with bright lavender poppies as the centerpieces. And now the employees were setting up the string light bulbs that were going to hang over their event, each tied to the wooden poles set in a square around the garden.

"This place looks amazing!" Gabby laughed so loud that some of the employees stopped to give her a look. She blushed with embarrassment and turned to Renata.

The Time Lady looked nervous for some reason. "You think so?" Renata asked, her tone matching the nervous expression on her face. "This is the first event I plan for humans so...let me know if anything's wrong."

"Absolutely nothing!" Gabby fervently shook her head. "When the Doctor said you were good at planning, he didn't mention is was really good! You would be such a good wedding planner - plan mine in the future, okay?"

Renata chuckled. "Oh Gabriella, you're too young. Let's hold off on those wedding plans for a while, okay?"

"Fine, then plan yours!"

Renata coughed awkwardly, her smile fading completely. Her eyes now seemed to think that her clipboard was the only thing worth looking at. "I'm never getting married again."

"Mhm," Gabby rolled her eyes.

"So then," Renata gently pulled Gabby into a walk so she could better see the garden. "I have your parents set up at the closest table to the stage. I've made sure there's plenty of food that they can recognize, although between you and me...I don't think your mother's going to be happy that you didn't let her cook for this event."

Gabby chuckled. "I didn't want her to work tonight."

"And I also have your artwork being brought to the stage promptly at 8pm. Don't worry, I have the best employees carrying it secretly. Zhe will introduce you and she mentioned that she's bringing over some highly influential artists from different galaxies to see your piece."

"No pressure there," Gabby sucked in a sharp breath.

"You'll be fine," Renata patted the girl's back. "And now we've come to the best part of your event, besides introducing your first artwork...your wardrobe."

"I was just thinking I'd use something from the TARDIS - I already asked the Doctor and he definitely doesn't mind—"

"—right, and believe me when I say that I am more of a simple kind of woman."

"Simple but elegant," Gabby muttered and smiled when Renata mock-glared. "What? It's just who you are. You're a classy kind of woman."

"So I've been told," Renata rolled her eyes, clearly disbelieving such a statement. "Anyways, Zhe has prepared a wardrobe for you, herself…" her face scrunched suddenly, "...and me," she added in a mutter. Gabby snorted until she burst into laughter. Renata shook her head and picked up her walking pace.

~ 0 ~

Zhe had locked her office in case Renata stopped by, but she doubted that it would stop Renata from trying to get in if she wanted to.

"I've kept track of all the times Renata's expelled energy," she was handing the Doctor her records of Renata's health. "She doesn't exactly know and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate it."

"Mhm," the Doctor agreed with a hum. He let himself fall into one of the desk chairs as he scanned every line of what Zhe wrote. "According to this, she's expelling more and more each day."

"I've also taken liberty of categorizing her energy levels each time. On the next page," Zhe motioned him to turn the page.

"How'd you manage to do that?" he briefly looked up after turning the page.

"I'm not proud of it but I did set up a couple devices around the gallery to calculate Renata's energy levels and her biological state whenever she expells energy." Zhe's shoulders slumped at the Doctor's surprised reaction. "I know, I'm not proud of it…"

"You did what you had to do," the Doctor said and went back to the report in front of him. "And by the looks of it, you did good. Her energy's strength is getting too strong for one person. I'm frankly amazed she's made it this far without…" he swallowed hard, unable to bring himself to finish that thought.

But Zhe knew exactly what he was going to say. It was a miracle that Renata was making it to this point. Her life was hanging by a string.

"Do you think this could help in creating a cure for her?" she asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor confessed, frustrated that it was always the same answer. "But it's at least warning me that she needs to take it far easier than what she's been doing. After this, I may just need to put her on bed rest."

"Good luck with that," Zhe leaned against her desk. "You think you have a chance?"

The Doctor shook his head. That would be a battle all on its own.

"I propose we have a calm night for Renata and then tomorrow you can discuss with her about the next step she needs to take."

"I guess so," the Doctor sighed. He had no other choice.

~ 0 ~

Gabby, honestly, felt overwhelmed with all the wardrobe employees hanging around her. She would much rather be a simple but elegant woman right now.

"Don't you think this is all...a bit flashy?" she asked one of the employees doing her cheeks.

"Of course not! This is what's necessary!" the woman responded and continued applying blush.

"Really? All of this is necessary?"

"Yes!" went the entire set of employees.

Gabby really doubted that, even more so when one of the jewels hanging from her ridiculously huge headpiece smacked her in the eyes.

"Gabby, just let them finish," Renata was writing something on her clipboard while the employees worked around her. "You look fantastic."

Gabby narrowed her eyes at the woman but Renata was so engrossed in her clipboard that she never noticed. "Yeah? Then how come you're not getting ready?"

Renata swayed her head innocently and turned for the door. "Later, later," she said. "I have to go check on how everything else is doing." She headed for the door but stopped to cough rather aggressively.

Gabby wanted to get off the chair as soon as she heard Renata, but the stylists kept her still. "Ren? Are you okay?"

Renata brought a hand to her mouth in hopes of muffling the volume. The last thing she needed was to ruin Gabby's night. She took in a deep breath and lowered her hand, only to see a couple spots of blood on her palm. That's new, she blinked and quickly rubbed it away on her pants. "I'm fine, Gabriella. I'll be back to check up on you." She left the room in a hurry but ended up crashing into someone. She yelped when she felt the metal of her clipboard smack her chin. "OW!"

"Renata?" she heard Gabby's call from the other side.

"I'm fine!" Renata said quickly then faced the person she crashed into. "Oh of course it's you," she shook her head at the Doctor. "Were you running down a hallway?"

"If you're going for the 'teacher vibe', you've definitely got it," the Doctor nodded and looked her over with a degree of amusement.

She was not amused. She brought her hand to rub her chin. "I only say that because every time you run down a hallway, I end up hurt. Remember that night we snuck into the Academy's library?"

The Doctor definitely remembered judging his quick laughter. "And you slipped on a piece of paper. I still don't get how someone does that - I mean, it's just paper."

Renata dropped her hand to her side, balling it into a fist. "It happens!"

"Right," the Doctor would only agree for her sake. He eyed her chin and saw the light red spot on it from her clipboard's metal. "Sorry about that," he touched her chin suddenly that it startled her. "I was actually trying to find you."

Renata stared at him with blushed cheeks. She knew that fond look of his anywhere because in the beginning, he always made sure to point out himself. 'This is the look of someone you have wrapped around your finger' he would tell her with that idiot smile of his.

"What, uh, what did you need?" she finally managed to put her words together after a few minutes, but just for good measure she took a step away from him.

The Doctor awkwardly let his hand hang on his side. "I wanted to check on you, of course, see how you're doing?"

Renata rolled her eyes. "I'm doing just fine. I'm busy, but I'm fine." She started walking because she didn't want Gabby to overhear any of her health conversations. "I'm planning, what I always used to do."

"And a fairly good job you're doing," the Doctor followed her and easily caught up to walk beside her. "I've just been out to the garden and you did a fantastic job. No surprise there."

Renata smiled. "Thank you. I made sure that everything was perfect and I intend on keeping it that way."

"But you're not over-exerting yourself, right?" the Doctor stopped walking and grabbed her arm to make sure she didn't try running off on him. "That was one of the conditions Gabby put too."

"Yes, I'm fine," Renata shook her head, although her eyes did linger on the faded blood she'd rubbed off on her pants. "I'm smiling aren't I?"

"Yes but you're very well trained with that," the Doctor smiled himself for show. "It's kind of annoying, actually."

"You don't think I find many things about you annoying too?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes, and it's vice versa, but I still care about your health and I am going to make sure that you don't overexert yourself. I've talked to Zhe and—"

"—oh no, not this again," Renata wrenched her arm free of his grip. "I am not talking about my health on an important day like this."

"Renata-"

"—no, and that's final. If you're just going to talk about that with me then...I'd rather you not speak to me at all," she frowned and walked off.

The Doctor watched her go but he wasn't going to let her get off that easily. She could try to ignore him but he would be near her to oversee that nothing too stressful came her way.

~ 0 ~

"Gabby you look wonderful," Zhe clapped her four hands together for a small applause.

"Do you think Zhe would mind if I took off these shoes in about 10 minutes?" Gabby felt safe confiding that only to the Doctor.

The Time Lord couldn't help but chuckle as he helped Gabby come out to the garden. "You look wonderful."

Gabby blushed but gladly took the compliment. She was just making it out of the gallery building where the others were waiting, including her family.

"¡Ay pero que grande está esa cosa!" her mother cried at the incredibly large headpiece resting over Gabby's head. "It's so big!"

Gabby had been styled in an irridescent blue-purple gown with a modest slit going up to her knee. It was a dress with a Grecian neckline made up of only one string of turquoise beads. The same beads went around her arms and we're connected to a dark blue, flowy cape in the back. On top of Gabby's head was a huge headpiece made out of the same turquoise beads paired with a silver background. It was in the shape of tree branches and from those branches hung iridescent butterfly-shaped gems that would knock against Gabby's face every once in a while.

It was ridiculous, Gabby thought. But according to Zhe, it was high fashion for events like these. Plus, Renata had to wear the same type of dresses so Gabby thought it was all fair.

"This is honestly so ridiculous," she heard Renata huff behind.

Renata was escorted out of the building by Zhe herself and as soon as Gabby saw Renata, she knew nobody else could wear that dress. Zhe knew exactly what she was doing when she ordered their gowns.

Renata had been assigned a beautiful peach colored gown that faded into a soft yellow towards the bottom of the a-line skirt. What truly made it Renata were the dozens of beautifully adorned butterflies on it. There were separate wings of soft greens and blues and oranges decorating the skirt. There were more butterfly wings collected at the bodice to look as if the dress had a mesh over it, but each of the wing's tips poked up to create a sleeveless neckline. One thin white, beaded belt went around her waist. And, just like Gabby, Renata was also forced into a large headpiece. Renata's headpiece was of course a butterfly with swinging golden gems at the tips of the wings.

"This is ridiculous!" Renata repeated just to make a point.

"No it's not!" Gabby finally understood and laughed in delight. "You look so pretty! Doctor, wouldn't you agree?"

The man could only nod silently for now. He was too busy looking Renata over as if he'd never seen her before. She'd absolutely taken his breath away. "Beautiful," he settled on the word for the moment until he could string more words together.

Renata blushed and matched the soft hues of her dress. "It's honestly, uh, a bit too much…" she found it hard to breath as well, so she looked to Zhe for some distractions. "Is this truly necessary?"

Zhe nodded her head fervently. "Very. This is high society we're dealing with, ladies."

"High space society," Gabby murmured and swallowed hard just thinking about everybody waiting for them in the garden.

"Exactly," Zhe nodded. "And we must give them a show. Shall we get started? There is a list of people I want you to meet before the unveiling."

"R-right now?" Gabby blinked. Her gaze switched to Renata for some help but the Time Lady only motioned her to go along with Zhe.

"This is your night, go and make the best of it," Renata smiled but Gabby didn't seem entirely convinced as she and her family were led away by Zhe.

"Renée," the Doctor stepped to her side, looking just as nervous as she was. "I'm sorry about earlier—"

Renata raised a hand to stop him from talking. "You don't have to. I'm sorry. I've been a bit under duress from planning and keeping my own symptoms away from Gabby, I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"You have to know that I only want to make sure you're okay. It's hard watching you go through all this because I can't find a proper cure."

"Absolutely not your fault!" Renata turned to face him. "And please, I would really appreciate if we kept all this talk away from Gabby tonight. I don't want anything to ruin her night."

The Doctor nodded at her, but he was going to keep a close eye on her all night in case she would need him. "Well then, can I escort you to the garden, miss?"

Renata smiled with flushed cheeks. "I'd like that." She interlocked arms with his and headed down for the garden.

~0~

The garden was indeed full of high class people as Zhe had said. Renata knew exactly the type of people she had met and she could honestly count the ones she'd actually liked. She didn't reach past five.

"They're all snobs," she told the Doctor who chuckled beside her. "They remind me so much of some of the people I used to deal with back on Gallifrey. It's sad, really."

"Well, at least Gabby seems to be enjoying herself," the Doctor directed Renata's attention to the young girl across them. She looked animated in the conversation she was having with a young humanoid woman.

"That's the point," Renata said, content and relieved to see the evening going so well. Of course that's when she started to feel a funny tickle in her throat. Before she could even turn away, she started coughing.

"Renée," the Doctor acted fast and turned her back in his direction. She was waving him away with her free hand, the other was trying to keep her coughs muffled from the people.

"Doctor, Renata!" Zhe approached them without a clue of what was happening. "Gabby's unveiling is going to happen in a couple minutes."

"That's great, Zhe, but we're having a bit of a situation right now," the Doctor took Renata by the shoulders and tilted her chin up so he could she her face. "You're overexertion has caught up with you."

"Is she having another relapse?" Zhe entered almost the same panicked state as the Doctor.

"No! Stop it!" Renata swatted all of their hands away from them. "I'm fine! Just a bit of a cough!" She took in a deep breath and exhaled without anymore coughing. However, she put her hands behind her back and rubbed her right hand against her dress. The soft red hue of her dress should make the blood blend right in.

Zhe exchanges a look with the Doctor, both of them worried where Renata could end up if she kept going like this.

"Prepare Gabby's unveiling," Renata instructed Zhe as if nothing had happened. "I'll bring Gabby to the stage myself." She didn't leave room for protests as she left in a hurry to reach Gabby.

"What do we do?" Zhe asked the Doctor afterwards.

The Doctor was watching after Renata as she made her way through the crowd of people. She was smiling and greeting people as if she hadn't just had coughed for her life. She truly knew how to maneuver herself through high-class society. "We keep a very close eye on her," he told Zhe in the end. He didn't care how much heat he would get from Renata, he would pull her away if she got worse.

~0~

Gabby's entire body was shaking when she was brought up on stage to address the crowd. Suddenly, she thought they all had beedy eyes. She only calmed down when she saw her family, Renata and the Doctor in the front row just like she wanted.

"Thank you everyone for coming," Zhe spoke first, which gave Gabby some time to ease her nerves. "I'm sure it was quite a shock to hear from me after, what? A few centuries give or take?" there was a light laugh that broke through the crowd. "I owe it all to some good friends that includes Gabby herself. Now let me just tell you a little bit about her and her unique story. Is that alright, dear?" Gabby nodded fervently. More minutes meant more time and more time meant she could possibly make herself look less of a fool.

"Gabby Gonzalez is a human," Zhe said, so proudly that it almost reminded Gabby of the Doctor. They were so animated over the silliest of things. "She is the first human to ever absorb the Quantum Matrix that allows for one to sculpt. You may have heard of the 27 planets that were stolen a couple months back? My friend Gabby, along with an amazing team, were responsible for putting them back in their place." There was a round of applause from the crowd that brought out the deepest red on Gabby's cheeks.

"To help aid her team, Gabby used her unique abilities - the Quantum Matrix itself in the form of butterflies. It's entirely new; it's never been seen before. Ladies and gentlemen, the Cosmic Butterfly," Zhe gestured with two of her arms at the young girl who was ready to die of embarrassment. Zhe leaned close to Gabby and motioned her to take the stage now. "All yours, dear."

"Th-thanks," Gabby took in a deep breath as Zhe started walking off stage. Gabby glanced over her shoulder and saw her creation hidden under a gray tarp. Well, it was now or never. "Zhe is right, I'm human and, to be honest, it's nothing special. There are tons of humans out there, literally. The reason that I'm unique is because there's no one else like me, and I'm fortunate to know that...and to remember that." She briefly crossed gazes with Renata and the Doctor, all of them taking a moment to remember Donna. "Some of us don't have that luxury, so I'm going to make sure my work represents the people who have done so much for us. However my first piece here, I want to dedicate to someone who has completely changed my perspective on things, on the world. Without that person, I would've never been able to open my eyes to the world.

"She's done so much for me, for our friends. She always gives and yet she's so hard on herself for past choices that are just that: past choices." Gabby's gaze somehow wound up on Renata and the moment the Time Lady realized it, she began to get a funny feeling in her stomach. "The meaning of butterflies on Earth sometimes varies. Some people think that butterflies represent the souls of people. Others think that a butterfly can symbolize the life struggles that people have endured only to emerge as a better person. It's metamorphosis. And the person I have dedicated this work to has had a few rebirths and life cycles. And in each life I think she's done better than the last one. This precise life she's lived...she's had a few struggles but I think in the end she will be someone the universe has been waiting for."

Renata turned her head to see what the Doctor was thinking but he was far too enthralled with the speech - looking mighty proud of Gabby, almost like a father - to notice Renata's lingering gaze. So, she turned her attention back to Gabby who was still so animatedly speaking. Butterflies…

"So, without further ado, my first piece," Gabby made a gesture for the employees to drop the tarp from her statue. There was a collective gasp from the crowd when the tarp hit the ground, but none as deep as Renata. Nobody could outdo Gabby's huge grin, not even the Doctor. "I call it the Vortex Butterfly."

Gabby's statue was all bronze. The woman she had sculpted stood tall and proud with her arms slightly extended on her sides and her head tilted up to the sky. She wore a bronze colored tunic with one sleeve going around her left shoulder. Her long hair cascaded down on her right shoulder with a few stray strands framing her face and her left shoulder. What really took the crowd away were the beautiful large butterfly wings on her back. They looked ready to flutter and fly. Gabby had sculpted every last feature of Renata so delicately it could pass off as the real Time Lady.

Renata was left speechless. In fact, there was a huge silence all around her until somebody let out a fervent applause.

"That is just amazing!" the Doctor was so excited over the piece that he had made Renata blush without even noticing. "Well done, Gabby! Well done!"

Soon, the whole crowd started applauding. The only one who didn't was Renata and that was only because she was still in shock. Tears came to her eyes instead as she began to realize how Gabby had chosen her for her first piece of artwork.

Gabby heard his praise and laughed with embarrassment. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Vortex Butterfly...or as I like to call her, Renata. She helped save the entire universe - the universes - and I think she deserves some peace knowing that she is loved and forgiven." She looked directly at Renata for the last words, truly hoping that Renata understood how honest those words were. The crowd erupted into a second round of applause, making Gabby's grin grow wider. This is what she wanted; people should know about Renata and her extraordinary abilities, but most of all her personality. Gabby firmly believed that everyone should have at least one Renata in their life. She was lucky to have hers and she was sure that the Doctor was just as grateful as her.

Renata was naturally teary eyed. The applause around her slowly faded from her ears. She couldn't take her eyes off the statue and much less Gabby. The young girl was grinning from ear to ear and it was all directed towards Renata. When did Gabby ever get the idea to do something like that? At what point did Gabby put all of her faith in her? Why? In all those incredulous thoughts, a little voice started asking the hard questions again. How could she dare to leave Gabby behind like that? If she so willingly went and died, she would be leaving a young girl who...truly loved her that much.

She snuck a look at the Doctor who was still one of the most prominent applauders amongst the audience. He was just as proud of Gabby as Renata was. It warmed Renata's hearts. Somehow Gabby had claimed all of their hearts and Renata found herself wanting more of this. She wanted to see what other artwork Gabby would come up with. She wanted to see where the Doctor would take them and what sure trouble would follow them. She wanted to keep teaching Gabby and introducing her to the galaxies. She didn't want to leave them behind.

When Gabby met Renata's gaze again, the Time Lady mouthed a 'thank you' with a teary-eyed smile.

~ 0 ~

Needless to say that after Gabby's unveiling, Renata was sought out by nearly all the guests. Everyone wanted to get to know the last Time Lady in existence. How they even learned of her species Renata had no idea, but she was trained for all the bombarding in noble events.

"That was a really nice speech, Gabby," the Doctor remarked while he and Gabby watched Renata converse with yet another of the guests. The man seemed positively entranced with her, something the Doctor was watching perhaps a bit too narrow-eyed.

"I thought it would be," Gabby chuckled. "I just thought that after everything that's happened, Renata should know that not everyone looks at her like she's done something wrong."

"Well, no one does," the Doctor murmured, somewhat distant. His mind went straight to the infamous night before his wedding. He used to remember that night as the most painful moment of his lives, but now every time he thought of it he saw the blackmail behind it. He saw the Assessor. He used to think that Renata was just stuck in her traditional ways and while that may have been partially the reason, she was driven by the fact her sister could've found him and hurt him.

"You okay, Doctor?" Gabby asked softly. She could tell he was off lost in his deep thoughts and wondered if they were all about him and Renata. "Did I go too far?"

The Doctor blinked once and switched to happiness like that. "Absolutely not. I think you're right. How's about we go talk to Renata for a few? I get the feeling she's starting to feel the full effects of your work."

Gabby chuckled. "Of course." She wouldn't point out that the man Renata was talking to had gotten a bit handsy with her. She was sure the Doctor had long ago noticed.

The Doctor didn't waste a second more. He darted for Renata, pulling Gabby - who laughed - with him. "Scuse me, mind if we cut in?"

The man's face morphed into utter disdain for the two newcomers. As far as he was concerned, they were intruders in what could turn out to be a very nice evening. "Actually, yeah."

Gabby was amazed at how the Doctor so swiftly changed his polite smile to a dark one in only two seconds, and the way it was so subtle too. She checked for Renata's reaction and was momentarily confused to find the Time Lady surprised. But slowly, Renata began to smile and Gabby dared to think it was a fond smile.

"I am so sorry," the Doctor began to say but there was no hiding the sarcasm in his voice. "What I meant to say was...Gabby, the whole reason you're even here, would like a word with Miss Renata."

"What? And you're their body guard?" the man sneered.

"Actually, yeah. I like to think I am. Goodbye," the Doctor promptly grabbed Renata's hand then Gabby's and led them away from the stunned man.

"That was too funny!" Gabby's giggle quickly turned into a laugh.

"And rather rude," Renata added but the smile on her face didn't exactly portray someone who was upset her conversation had been cut short. "Thank you, Doctor. I think I'm a little rusty on how to mingle with people."

"That was being rusty?" Gabby gaped with one thumb jerked over her shoulder. "You basically talked to everyone here!"

"For a short time each," Renata argued weakly. "A proper conversation should last a bit longer than just a few minutes."

"You don't have to abide by the rules anymore, Renée," the Doctor reminded her. She was still thinking the way her parents raised her. "You're free." In what fits.

"I suppose you're right," Renata chuckled when the thought really hit her. "But Gabriella, while I have you here, I wanted to thank you for such a beautiful gift. I have no idea why you decided to do your first piece on me but...I'm very touched."

"I'm glad you loved it! I was a bit nervous but I think it all came out the way I wanted it to," Gabby moved over to give Renata a big hug. "Plus, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done since we met. You're my hero, Ren."

"Don't know why I would be," Renata said while looking directly at the Doctor. He was watching her with a soft smile. "I'm no...well, you know…" Gabby had pulled away in time to see Renata nodding towards the Doctor. "I'm just me."

"And we wouldn't you to be anyone else," Gabby stepped back to stand beside the Doctor. "Right, Doctor?" she looked up at him expectantly.

"Quite right," he agreed, nodding lightly with a gaze that didn't seem to see anything but Renata. "You picked the perfect subject, Gabby."

Renata felt her face warm as the seconds ticked by and the Doctor was still staring at her. Gabby picked up on it and smirked. "I'm going to find my parents, don't mind me…" She was sure that neither had really heard her.

Renata would've kept her eyes on the Doctor too had it not been for the sharp pain that struck through her chest. Her gasp came out strained, as if someone had cut her air short.

"Renée?" the Doctor picked up on her sudden jerk and presumed what she was struggling to contain.

"I-I need to get out of here," she managed to say and turned away. With the Doctor's help, they maneuvered through the crowd until they were a safe distance away.

That was when Renata pushed him away from her. "You have to stay away from me!"

"Renata we're not doing that! Let me help you!" the Doctor argued in vain as the woman continued to wobble away from him. With a groan - although unsurprised by her resistance - he followed after her.

Renata had collapsed on the ground, one leg partly over the fabric of her dress. She didn't even hear part of its tear with her scream. The Doctor was forced back with the intensity of the energy.

The energy was burning her again, inside out really. Her skin felt as if there were a thousand needles poking through, pushing through the layers underneath. And yet all the Doctor could do was watch and wait for it to pass. His body would inch towards her but would have to retreat for fear of being caught up with the energy. It wasn't getting caught in her crossfire that stopped him from getting closer, it was the fact that he could make it worse for her that did it. He may not carry the same amount of the Vortex inside him but he still carried some, which would just add to the levels inside Renata. When the energy finally died, it left a shaking Renata on the ground. Her arms that were sustaining her from fully collapsing were wobbly, alerting her that in a few seconds she would go down.

"Renata!" the Doctor finally ran to her side, letting himself fall right next to her. "I've got you, I've got you!" His arms worked fast to wrap around her with the intentions of helping her stand, but she couldn't even make it halfway up.

She had no strength anymore.

"I just want it to...stop…" Renata struggled to breath normally. She felt so tired and the worst part is now she had a little bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, she would get to survive and do the things she thought about earlier; what she wanted in life. Maybe it'd been too late to make up her mind. "I can't...I can't move…"

"It's okay, I've got you," the Doctor was about to pick her up when she yelled at him not to.

"I don't...I don't want...Gabby to s-see me...like this," her chest heaved up and down. "I'm not... going to ruin...her p-party."

"Renée, we need to get you to your room. Or even the TARDIS so I can run more tests." But as the Doctor went on about what they should do, she shook her head in refusal.

"No, no, we know what the tests will say. We know it's getting worse. I'm just waiting for the big bang, literally."

"Don't say that, Renée. There's still the possibility of regeneration after this."

Renata wouldn't say anything about that. It now scared her that there quite possibly might not be a chance anymore. "I just want to...stay here," she exhaled slightly better. "Until I can move."

The Doctor sighed. He knew better than to argue with her. "You're still stubborn as ever," he muttered, making her smile, while he fixed himself on the ground to sit better. He then gathered her body and brought her over his lap. He may not be able to move her where he wanted to but this was a close second.

"Don't you make me mad," she warned, her voice a whisper when she rested her head - or rather her head fell from exhaustion - on his chest.

"Me? Never," the Doctor sarcastically quipped. He smiled when he heard her low laugh. "Story of my life, huh?"

"Nah, I was too preoccupied being uptight to ever have fun like you did." Renata shook her head as much as she could, which wasn't much because her head never left the Doctor's body. "I was always so uptight."

"You were just...deeply committed to a specific way of doing things," the Doctor cleverly rearranged the words despite it still meaning the same thing for her. "You wanted things done the right way."

"Doesn't mean it was always the best way," she hardly tilted her head up to be able to look at him. "You were always better at that. Better at being a good person than me."

"Oh don't say that Renée. You were an amazing woman on Gallifrey. Everybody loved you, including me," he brought a hand to stroke the warm skin of her cheek. "Only you had a charity, only you thought of helping people. The rest...the rest were always so pompous. There was no one like you."

Renata smiled and once more rested her head against his chest. "But I still had my moments. Do you remember…" she paused to catch her breath, "Do you remember when-when I ordered a shipment of special Valerian glasses for an event and they brought me the wrong type?"

The Doctor tilted his head when he thought back to that moment. "Ah yes. I've never seen someone get so mad over a different type of glass." Renata actually managed to laugh, something that relieved the Doctor. If she was able to laugh then it meant she was going to get better. "You yelled at the poor delivery guy until your face matched your ginger hair. You did that quite often, mind you. You had a temper. You threw things at people but no one would ever think that of you. Your first incarnation was a sneaky one, actually.

"What?" she momentarily frowned. "Sneaky? I was many things but being sneaky was never one of my talents."

"No, but you were," the Doctor insisted. "You were small and polite but God help anyone who made you mad." He specifically remembered the brief slips of her temper where she would actually throw things at him. He didn't feel like that was something she should remember right now. He had no doubt that if she did remember, she would started apologizing like there was no tomorrow. "And I would know because I got you plenty mad." His arms wrapped around her a little tight suddenly. "I loved it sometimes, you know. Apart from it being funny, you would look so adorable."

Renata rolled her eyes under his chin. "You're an idiot. You actually liked it when I yelled at you? I literally wanted to kill you sometimes."

"Not like you could've done much. You were too small!"

"If I could hit you, I would."

The Doctor leaned back to be able to meet her gaze. "And you always made the same threats."

"Was that 'adorable' too?"

"In a way," he answered particularly quietly. Her eyes met his and realized he wasn't truly looking at her, at least not the entire time. His eyes would meet hers but then would linger below her, to her lips.

They were actually pretty close but up until now Renata hadn't thought about it. She only knew that she was nice and warm with him. It was how she always felt with him, so at home. "We can't," she whispered, knowing exactly where his thoughts were...because her mind was quick to jump to the same things.

"It seems like we never can." His words rang a sad truth between them, but there was one big difference that he didn't think of back on Gallifrey.

"If things don't work out for me, I don't want to hurt you again."

"There was always a risk of heartbreak for us," he countered with more of their truth. "In the end. And we took the risk—"

"—and we lost."

"But the thing about it, Renée, is that I just don't care. I'll always play the game even if there's heartbreak in the end, which is why I'll go ahead and kiss you right now without a care of what comes next." Keeping true to his word, he closed the small gap between them with a soft kiss. He brought one of his hands to cup the side of her face, partially to tilt her head back but the other reason being he simply loved to touch her skin. He always did.

Renata could resist all she wanted but the truth was that she loved it. She loved feeling his fingers touch her skin, she always did. She loved his warm lips over hers, moving along in such a sweet, slow rhythm. It was like he had her in a trance. He led and she followed without a moment's thought.

Like right now.

Her hands had somehow gone up to his neck to rest. Her fingers soon found his hair and only then did she realize he had amazing hair to pull. Soon as she concluded that, her fingers did the work. And with each pull, their kiss became harder. Each time she pulled his hair, the Doctor would pull her body closer to his even though there was no more room left. Their bodies firmly pressed against each other and it still wasn't enough. It was as if their feelings for one another had been reignited and they were the young couple Time Lords back on Gallifrey, in Zuriah's charity. One was reckless, one was far too careful but when they were together, they became one.

There was only one way they could end that type of kiss and Renata unintentionally found the way. She'd pulled away to take in some air. Only when she did, her eyes struggled to stay open. The Doctor knew what would happen before it actually did. She passed out, her body falling limp against his.

The Doctor held her tightly there for a few minutes. He dropped a kiss to her hair and despite his efforts, he couldn't help the tears in his eyes. He was scared. He was really, properly scared that this was an indication the "big bang" was finally coming.

~ 0 ~

After Gabby's unveiling, Renata felt like time was passing quicker but in short intervals. Her eyes would open and she would be lucid for what seemed forever, only to everyone else around her it was just a few minutes where she actually talked. The most Renata had been awake after Gabby's party was 15 minutes. And Renata had spent those 15 minutes asking where the Doctor was.

"Ren, you need to calm down," Gabby would try her best each time. Though weakened, Renata still had more strength than a human and would manage to push Gabby's hands away a few times. She would lose the battle against Zhe with her four arms, but it wouldn't stop her from asking dozens of questions.

"Your body is entering a sort of, uh, reset phase," Zhe didn't exactly know how to best tell Renata that her body was beginning to shut down. Granted the Doctor had already told Renata this but the Time Lady couldn't remember after passing out so many times.

"Reset…?" Renata felt her lungs were squished. Breathing became a struggle soon enough.

A few days later, they had planted an oxygen mask over her. Despite Renata's insistence that she had a bypass system, the truth was that her lungs were shutting down. The vortex energy inside her was getting to an unbearable level. It was destroying her from the inside but now she wasn't even expelling the energy. Every once in a while she would release wisps of golden-orange hues but nobody was sure if it was the Vortex or regeneration energy.

"Could this be it? Is she going to regenerate?" Gabby quietly asked the Doctor one day in Renata's room while they watched over her sleeping form. To their luck, Renata hadn't woken up that day. It meant she was resting fully.

"I don't know," the Doctor hated that most of the questions regarding Renata's body ended with him saying he didn't know. What kind of "Doctor" was he if he couldn't help out the most important woman to him?

"She's been like this for a month now but I feel like now it's worse," sighed Gabby. "What can we do for her?"

The Doctor passed a gentle hand over Renata's cool forehead. "Just make sure she's as comfortable as she can be. I'm going to take a thorough absence from this place." He looked up at Gabby's confused face and explained. "I need to research if something like this has ever happened before. How could just find one similar case, even if it wasn't someone from our same species, then maybe I could come up with a cure. At the very least, there has to be some type of procedure that I can do to make this stop. No more going out on trips until Renata is cured. I can drop you off on Earth if you'd like while I do this-"

Gabby's eyebrows knitted together as a fierce anger crossed her face. "Don't you dare!" she snapped. " I'm going to stay right here with her until you get back."

"Gabby, it could be a while." Although the Doctor wasn't sure if Renata would make it for "a while" if he didn't hurry up. She already had gone through 6 months of this. "I can't leave you here."

"Doctor, it's my choice. I understand the risks but I want to be here with Renata. Besides, wouldn't you feel better if I stayed with Renata?"

The Doctor didn't want to straight up say yes but...it was true. There was only a select few people he could trust to look after Renata and Gabby was one of them. Zhe would offer her full support but Gabby sticking around would mean an easier communication through the TARDIS.

"Are you sure, Gabby?"

Gabby nodded her head. "Yes, Doctor. I'll stay."

"Thank you." The Doctor gazed down at Renata and sighed. Already he could feel his hearts constricting at the idea of going months without seeing her. There wasn't another way, though. He would just have to work really hard so that it wouldn't be so long. "I'll be back," he whispered to her. He leaned closer to her and gently stroked her cheek. "I promise." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and took one last look at her before straightening up to leave.

"I'll take care of her," Gabby reassured him as he moved away from the bed.

"If anything bad happens, or is about to happen, use this," the Doctor pulled out Renata's sonic screwdriver. "I've tweaked it so that it works like a pager. You press this—" he showed Gabby the precise button she would need to push, "—and I'll know you want to speak. I'm keeping Martha's phone in case she or Jack come up with something I can use for Renée."

"Got it," Gabby took the sonic from him and held it to her chest. "Good luck, Doctor."

"Likewise," he nodded. He spared Renata one last glance then forced himself to walk out of the room.

That would be the last time Gabby (and Renata) would see him for a very long time.

[goodnightallwhites]

Paying Pilots by Zenalite

Chapter 1 - America, America... Asuka kept glancing out the window and shifting in the car seat. That damn Misato. Why is she taking so long? Outside, Americans were walking the sunburned streets, going about their day. No doubt EVAs, NERV, and sync tests were the last thing on their minds. And here she was, one of the few people in the world capable of handling the damned things, important enough to be brought in special to test the American units, only to be left waiting with blank-staring Rei who sat in the backseat saying nothing. All Asuka wanted was to sleep after the long flight. People came and went through the reflective doors of the hotel, none being Misato. The whole place smacked of pure decadence - just an obsidian pillar rising high into the sky, like a black middle finger flipping off the whole world. Asuka brought her feet up against the dash and knocked at the window in exasperation, hoping to summon Misato with sheer willpower. Come on, come on... At lengh, Misato came rushing out of the hotel, her hair stirring in the light breeze, her huge breasts bouncing with every step that she took. All the men either glanced or stared, but if Misato noticed it she would only smile with feigned embarrassment. What a whore, judged Asuka. Why does she always have to show off? Her hands instinctively groped at her own chest, feeling up the doughy breasts that had developed in the last few months. Mine aren't nearly that vulgar and unflattering. Misato playfully tapped her foot againt the car. "Come on, girls! Time to go!" Rei got out with Asuka, jumping when the latter slammed the door in annoyance. Her gaze remained focused on the diverse looks of the passersby. So many types of people, so many lives unfolding... They grabbed their bags from the trunk and went up the stairs that led to the entrance. Inside, Rei stared curiously at the high ceiling. The whole place resembled a mausoleum, cool and dark, with a marmoreal surface running down the floor and up the walls to the ceiling.   Misato ran up to talk to the people behind the desk while they waited by the elevator. The employees checked them out, giving Rei a long look. Asuka glared at her. "I told you not to wear your school uniform, you stupid idiot." What else would I wear? Rei wondered, uncomprehending. Misato came back and used a keycard on the elevator, then hit the button for the penthouse suites."It's wonderful here, girls, you'll see... We're privileged to stay in a place like this." Asuka made a face. "I'd rather we go out."   "Soon, soon... Maybe tomorrow. I'll" - she smiled - "try to get some funds together for us by then." Asuka clicked her tongue and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face. "Tomorrow," she mumbled. "How can we have money to stay here but no money to go visiting?" Misato gave a shrewd smirk. "Because NERV covers the hotel bill. Unfortunately, they don't pay for booze." One apartment was assigned to Rei and Asuka, while the other went to Misato. Each had a luxurious living room that connected to a bathroom and a kitchen, with windows running the whole length of the walls. There was, however, a shared bed. "What the hell is this!" cried Asuka."All this luxury, to share a bed? Seriously?" Misato patted them on the head. "You two be good. I have some business to attend to. When I'm back, maybe we can go out together." Once she departed, Rei found herself staring at Asuka's grumpy face. "What the hell are you looking at?" snapped the ginger. She dropped the heavy bags to the floor and crashed inelegantly on the bed, falling asleep within the minute. Rei got on the other side of the bed, leaving as much space between them as possible. She, too, fell asleep. Darkness. An unfamiliar ceiling. Rei awoke to find Asuka gone, the place where she had slept now cold. The cityscape's sea of lights stretched below as far as her eyes could see, far beyond the horizon. She got up and wandered in search of Asuka, only to find the bathroom door a centimeter or so ajar, the bright light flooding into the living room. Rei padded over. Asuka stood in front of the mirror with one leng propped over the sink, inspecting herself over her shoulder. Her hand kept going down, testing the firmness of her bubbly butt. She stared at it, squeezing and kneading it between her fingers, pulling it up to check for stretch marks, then slapped and tested its wobbling potential. "What are you doing?" . Asuka whirled, twisting her leg in the process, and nearly crashed to the floor. She tottered towards the wall and pressed against it with her back, as if threatened, her blooming-red face seething with rage. "You idiot! You stupid idiot!" "Are you ill?" Asuka went and shoved her away, then shut the door. That little freak! As if this trip wasn't bad enough - as if she needed the added embarrassment of being caught by some bakayarou.   She smoothed her tank top and relaxed. With a deep breath, she headed back out. Rei stood right where she had left her. What the hell is wrong with her? "The city," said Rei, pointing to the world beyond the window. "Yeah, I see it." Asuka crossed her arms and moved her head from side to side in restless annoyance. "I want to go too. I'm bored out of my goddamn mind!" She sniffed indignantly and threw her head back. "You know what, let's just go. Get dressed." The outfit for the night would be a pair jean shorts that showed her lower ass, a tank top worn without a bra that hugged her breasts, and a pair of shiny stiletto heels that she could barely walk in. Only when she had finished applying makeup and lipstick did she look over to see Rei still dressed in her loose uniform. "I can give you something of mine to wear," she offered. Rei stared at her said nothing. 467. Definitely the right number. Asuka stood before the door and knocked. "Misato-san!" No reply. "Hey! Open up!" The insistent knocking drew the attention of a maid going by, but she said nothing. "I'm not going anywhere until you come out here!" The door opened, but what appeared was no Misato. It was a towering guy with dark skin, holding a towel around his waist and looking them down contemptuously. Long dreads wound down his bulky shoulders. Much of his chest had been tattooed with intricate patterns that writhed in the low light. Who... Asuka swallowed, somewhat surprised. But this was the right apartment. And she wouldn't let anyone intimidate her, not even if he stood two heads taller and weighed three times as much as her. He could probably kill me with a single blow, she realized. And yet, the very next moment, she yelled into his face: "If you don't get Misato here, I'll break this door down!" So much for opting for safety. He sniffed in disgust and began to push the door back, when Asuka rushed in and blocked the gap with her body. "Misato! Now!" Would he hit her? He said nothing. He simply walked off and left the door open for them. Asuka grabbed Rei by the arm and dragged her into the empty living room. A series of low cries echoed through the apartment. Asuka gave Rei a questioning look. Of course she has nothing to contribute. Was Misato hurt? Was this guy bad? But how could he have gotten in here? Heart drumming in her chest, Asuka towed Rei with her and ran after the guy. You don't scare me! They followed him through the doorway into an unlit bedroom filled by the stench of alcohol. The two walls that made up the far corner of the wall were made of glass and through them flooded the lights of distant signs and skylights. A gigantic bed crouched in that corner, surrounded by bottles, some of which rolled empty. Misato lay facedown on the bed, dressed only in some black lingerie, groaning in pain. For a split-second Asuka thought she might be in dire condition. But when two coal-black hands came up to squeeze her ass and drive it down harder on his cock, things became clearer. When the hands went down again, Asuka caught the writing in English on Misato's asscheeks: BLACK OWNED. And following that written in smaller letters: FACEFUCK $25, PUSSYFUCK $50, ASSFUCK $100. All three were marked several times over. M-M-Misato-san?... "They're here for you," the first guy, then whipped her ass to attention. Misato lifted her face to look at them. Runny makeup ran down her face, creating a black web of dried tears that reached all the way down to her glossy lips and smudged lipstick. Only now did Asuka notice that her large breasts were getting sucked on greedily by the guy below her. "Girls..." The guy that had led them into the room got behind her and let go of his towel. It unfurled from the back, taking a few seconds to run down his cock and theatrically unveil its length. A black cock as big as a horse's hung between his muscular thighs, strings of cum dripping from the engorged head. Asuka stared at it dumbfounded. W-What... A colossal pair of balls sagged and swayed beneath the shaft, dripping wet. The whole thing brought back the memory of Shinji flashing her by accident when his towel dropped. Back then, she had felt both grossed out and a little excited to see a boy's cock for real - never mind the teasing she gave Shinji for letting it happen, calling him "limp" and "too small" and whatever else she could think of to humiliate him. In truth, she had no real standard by which to compare it, she only wanted to drive him crazy. Compared to this, though, it barely reached a quarter in size. Were Asian dicks really that small, as people said? Or were these guys modified? How could they be so... so fucking big? A tingle spread from her pussy up to her stomach, making her itch and shiver all over. "I..." Misato started, but right at that moment the guy pushed his cock in all the way to the balls, slapping them against her vulnerable Asian pussy. "God..." The captain shuddered in despair her anal partner took it out only to thrust it in even harder than before. Asuka could only imagine the level of agony. Out of all the toys she kept at home, not even the smallest could fit her tight white asshole. Even the slender vibrator half the size of her pinky killed her when she tried to shove it inside... That must've been unbearable. Looking at them, Misato tried to smile through it. "Girls, what's wrong?" Asuka needed to remember how to speak herself. "We wanted some money to go out..." Misato whimpered like a puppy as the black cock splintered her asshole without care and sent electrifying bolts through her body. The guy below rushed his in and out of her pussy as fast as he could, readying to come.   "Just let me finish with these nice gentlemen, and then I'll have some money to give you... Just sit down, we'll be done soon." "But..." "Sit your ass down!" barked the guy on top of her. Asuka stepped back, her spine coming apart with terror. She glanced at the door, thinking of making a run for it. This wasn't Misato, not by any means. Drunk or not, cash-strapped or not, surely Misato wouldn't do - her eyes flickered to the fragile Asian body sandwiched tightly between the black ones - this for cash. She tugged on Rei's arm. "Let's go! Come on!" But Rei did not even turn her gaze around. She only stared at the spectacle in front of them, so taken in by it that she seemed unable to react with anything but unabashed fascination. Asuka spotted a small armchair behind them. She made Rei sit down, then took her place beside her, their two young and slender frames still leaving enough room between them for a third person. As much as she tried, she simply couldn't look away. It was so shameful an embarrassing. She might've used toys on herself and watched porn at home, but she did that alone. How could she just... watch them do it? The guy put his entire weight into his arms, using every single working muscle of his ripped body to assfuck his way into Misato and stretch her asshole bloody. Sweat glistened and flew off of his back, while his dread's got grabbed onto by a weeping Asian girl begging for mercy for her sensitive ass that in no way resembled Captain Katsuragi. This was only was only a fertile black cock slut that got what she deserved. Breeding by two strong bulls. And no mercy. They both increased the speed of their thrusts, the double penetration getting Misato from every angle and causing her entire body to twist and turn for a way out as she shrieked in indescribable pain. The two only pressed and squeezed her between them, groaning and laughing as they began to dump their seed into her ready womb and broken body. Asuka pushed her thighs together nervously, trying to fight the irresistible urge to touch herself. She lowered her purse between her thighs and squeezed it hard, letting the corner rub against the lips of her pussy, tingles spreading throughout her body all the way up to her hardened nipples. They, too, begged to be touched. A final low, drawled-out moan left Misato's lips as they pulled out, her toes curling as the biggest orgasm of her life kept ripping through her asshole and pussy. Her raw pussy and gaping asshole leaked with their thick seed. The guy with dreads stepped away and wiped the sweat from his face with the towel. The other rolled Misato over and got out, grimly excited at her current state and how far they had managed to humiliate her. Misato rolled back onto her chest, now panting and smiling like a mental patient, looking at Asuka without seeing a thing, giggling as the after-effects of the breeding continued how have an effect on her unprepared body. The towel guy stepped up to Rei. "You there." Rei found his eyes. He pointed down to his dripping cock. "Clean this up. Get on those fucking knees, and clean my cock up with that little Japanese mouth." Are you stupid? Asuka wanted to shout at him. She can't understand you! Not only that, but she wouldn't do it. How could he ask her to do something so disgusting?   Rei dropped to the floor and folded her legs under her bottom, then brought her mouth to his hanging cock. She rolled her tongue over the surface without knowing of what she was doing or how to do it.   "That's a good girl. Does your friend asshole taste good?" "Yes," answered Rei, without a hint of emotion. He cackled grimly. "I bet it is." Asuka gaped at her vile display, unable to believe it. She's licking Misato's ass juices off his cock. With me right here. Then the second thought came: Why did he choose her over me? But as much as it offended her, the intensity of her cravings only grew, and she wondered what it would be like just to touch it. It really is so big... Not a single toy of the tens at home compared to that. Not even close... He slapped Rei playfully with his cock as she struggled to clean it. "Are you a virgin? Have you ever had sex?" Asuka answered for her: "Of course she hasn't!" The guy suddenly reached down and grabbed Rei by the hair, then pulled her over to the bed. "Time you and I have a little lesson." ... while the other guy strolled happily towards Asuka, cock whipping back and forth with his steps. This was one was lanky where the other was beefy, with the long and sinewy limbs that made his already knee-down cock look that much bigger. Skin so dark that all she could see was his pearly smile. "Well, who might you be, darling girl?" He came to stand in front of her, the ebon shaft of his manhood only inches away from her face. Unlike the other, this one was uncircumcised, the head tapering down to a small point of foreskin. It still throbbed powerfully, enlarged veins struggling to keep it running. Cum dripped steadily from the tip, now directly onto Asuka's bare legs. She avoided looking into his eyes... but that only led her to stare at his cock. It's so fucking big, she thought breathlessly. At home, she had once tried to fuck herself with a dildo perhaps only a third of its size, and even that had been a painful experience. Asuka flinched as his fingers touched her skin, gently caressing her smooth cheek. "You looking real pretty, you know that?" His eyes went down to her breasts and the way they shot through the tank top. Chills. She lowered her eyes, feeling watched and vulnerable. Why did I have to dress this way... His dark fingers went through her hair, running down the ginger strands with sexual exhiliration. "You're so young and beautiful. I've always wanted to be with a redhead like you..." No! resounded the determination in her head. No, no, no, no, no! But even as she rationalized how terrible it was to get touched by this stranger, by this random guy that had just creampied Misato, she couldn't quiet her body down. Her mind might not have wanted this, but her pussy seemed to ache for it. Not that she would tell him such a thing. "Stand up," he ordered. "To hell with that!" "I told you to stand up. Do you want me to make you?" At length, she decided it would be best to stand up and get it over with. But that was it. That was the end of the orders she would take from this uncouth insect. Propped up on her heels, their eyes almost met at the same level. She could sense the intent in his dark gaze... "Take off your clothes." "What?" barked Asuka. "You must be joking." "You can take them off, or I can take them off for you." She crossed her arms. "You can try." Before she react, he reached down and ripped apart her shorts, popping the buttons with a pull and that sent them flying across the floor... So strong, she thought, feeling a little woozy. The shorts fell to the ground, leaving Asuka exposed in her undersized cotton panties. They were patterned with strawberries. But they were already moist around the outline of her pussy. Asuka looked to the bed for help, but Misato could barely be counted as conscious. Rei was on her knees looking up at the other guy with his cock in her small hand, seemingly captivated with being a subservient slut. "Take your top off," the guy ordered Asuka. Asuka swallowed. He could do whatever he wanted with her, but she would never break before him. You'll have to kill me. "Never, asshole," she dared to say. The guy nodded sagely. Then smacked the side of her with one savage blow. Her face burned. Her ear rang. Her gaze swam. He grabbed onto her tank top and tore it off with one motion, throwing the rags to the floor. "I told you to listen. Stupid white girl." Asuka stood before him, trying to suppress the tears that came, trembling as he reached up to touch her pale skin. "Awww, don't cry," he said, bringing his large hands up to cup her cheeks. The black palms slithered down, stopping for a moment over her long and frail neck, then coming down to her full breasts. Asuka could feel his rough fingers kneading the flesh of her breasts, pinching and tugging at the bullet-hard nipples. Stop... The harder he handled them, the stronger the waves of arousal came - goosebumps spreading over her weakening body. "Does that feel good?" "No, you b-baka... To hell with you!" she forced herself to say. He took her hand brought it down to his swollen cock. The tips of her fingers went over the wet skin, sensing the power the power that came with it, instinctively wanting to grab and pleasure such a beautiful big dick. "Is that nice?" "D-D-Disgusting," she stammered. "It's so big and gross. And so dark." He grinned. "You got something against dark?" "It's ugly," she insisted. He took a handful of her ginger locks and yanked her head down. A moment later he spit in her face. "You sure like that, don't you?" He dragged her off before she could respond, Asuka tottering perilously in her heels on the way to the bed. Just who did he think he was to treat her like... like this?... You asshole! He pushed her on the mattress. Within arm's reach she could see Misato, whose eyes had closed and seemed to be passed out. The stench of alcohol that came from her breath was enough to make Asuka want to throw up. You drunken whore! This is your fault! He pushed her face down against the bed, raising her ass and spreading her legs. One of his fingers brushed over her pussy, passing through the ginger fuzz spread around them. Asuka let out a soft moan. She cursed herself, hoping he hadn't heard it. She hated his guts for this treatment and wanted to ward off his attacks, but the rest of her wouldn't listen. His touch only made her weaker and wetter, spamming her with wave after wave of pleasure and bringing about a mad desire to feel his cock again... "What do you think, should I fuck you?" Asuka tittered, though she did not sound confident. "You can try, asshole. A little cock like yours is never going to satisfy me." "Oh. You've been with bigger guys, have you?" She forced the facade further. "Bigger than you can ever imagine. But I guess I can do you the favor and think of them to help you out..." His black fingers tore her panties apart. Only her heels were left now. Her soft and fertile white pussy dripped, all wet and ready for his hard cock, glimmering beads of her juices mingling through the ginger hairs. An exhilarating shudder went through her when the tip of his cock touched her lips. But instead of pushing it in, he simply left it there, making her all that much more desperate... Does he want me to beg? I won't, I.... She was an EVA pilot. Quite literally one of the most gifted individuals to have ever existed, one whose very existence humanity depended upon. And she was supposed to beg for... for... for a black cock?  "Too scared to put it inside?" she muttered. "Hmmm," he said. Then he grabbed onto her ass, and with an expert thrust, pushed it deep inside. Asuka shrieked. Rei knelt before the dark-skinned man, trying to understand this this new predicament. She kept licking and sucking on the thing between his legs, but he seemed displeased. Every so often as he drank from the bottle he would drip some down over his cock and into his mouth. Rei had never tasted alcohol before, but though its strident taste and odor burned, she could feel herself relaxing... He put a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to him. "You need to take it deeper, do you understand? You can't just keep sucking on the head. You need to clean it all up. Do you understand?" She grabbed the shaft between her hands and held it, while her lips wrapped around the tip. The head went snugly into her mouth. Rather than force it down, she waited for the ticklish sensation at the back of her throat and the ceiling of her mouth to diminish, then went on pushing it deeper with precision. When she was about a quarter of the way down, she looked up to seek his approval. He took another swig of the bottle and fluffed her hair. "That's my girl." But the movement made the thing jerk inside her mouth and nearly activated her gag reflex. "Ah, my bad, my bad... You just do your thing. See, can you take it all the way to the base?" He tapped his finger to the scraggly bush of dark hair from where the shaft originated. I will try, decided Rei resolutely. She was not quite sure what this was all about. At home, she had received training and instructions in so many things, but never in this. Why? Strangest of all was the itching sensation that originated from between her legs and went all over her body. The only other thing comparable was when Shinji had asked her to wait for him on a bench, only for her to sit down patiently even as a host of ants began to make her way under her uniform and crawl all over her skin. But this was different. To that she had remained indifferent, while Shinji screamed as soon as he saw it happening. But now she discovered that she could not simply do as ordered and nothing else. An intense desire made its way to the front of her consciousness, an itching need to rub between her legs. Rei did so, but rather than feel release, it only worsened. Why? There was no incident in her memory that could account for this or allow for an inductive explanation. Yet the more her fingers rubbed at it to make it stop, the stronger it became, till she could not cease at all. Meanwhile, her heart drummed, and Rei realized that her whole body was entering some sort of overheated and unstable state, making her worry. She went on pushing the thick shaft down her throat, tilting and angling her head in such away to do it without any sort of malfunction. But the deeper she took it, the tighter her throat got. And now the thing itself seemed to throb harder than ever, its veins tickling the walls of her interior. "That's right, keep going..." he ordered. "You're doing great." Rei slowly brought it down till she reached the base, her face buried into the musky-smelling hairs that scratched at her face and entered her nostrils. She struggled to hold it down, till she finally heard him say, "Release." Rei came up breathlessly. Looking at his cock now, as it had swollen to a size even larger than before, she could not understand how she managed it at all, or where it could fit inside her tight Asian throat. She even choked on food at home sometimes. Yet, she could do this. An odd sense of pride came over her. "Now lick my cock again. I think there's still some juices left from your whore friend. You tell me when it stops tasting like her." Rei wasn't sure what part of it tasted of Misato, but she did as ordered. To her, it all tasted good. Though it had come out of Misato's anal hole, it tasted surprisingly wholesome and satisfying. "You like suckind black cock, don't you?" "I don't know..." "Yeah, you do. Say it. Tell me you love me to suck black cock." "I love to suck black cock," repeated Rei expressionlessly. He laughed. "Tell me you would never suck off an Asian or white dick. That they're small and pathetic." "I'd never suck off an Asian or white dick. They're small and pathetic." "Tell me you want to get black bred." Rei whispered as she sucked on the tip of his cock, cum bubbles frothing around her lips. "I want to get black bred." "Beg me to put a black baby in your Asian womb." "Please put a black baby in my Asian womb." Rei had no idea what exactly he meant by all this, but it repeating what she was told seemed like the right call. She went on treating his cock with care, stroking it up and down with her small hands. The contrast between their skins was striking and fascinating, almost otherworldly. She put a hand over his tattooed chest as she licked his shaft, watching the way it outlined her pale fingers perfectly. She could feel the muscles working under his dark skin. And yet again, the need to touch herself grew stronger still. He grabbed her hair and held her. "You gotta be a good girl now. I need to fuck your throat, and you have to take it all. You understand? Don't you dare choke or gag." Rei swallowed his cock, this time upping the speed as it went deep down her throat. But her muscles had learned from the previous exercise, and now from the second, and soon she began to take it in and out without much issue, keeping herself relaxed while he guided her head up and down. She could feel his member pulsing harder and harder against her throat, till his hands stopped moving her head altogether. Instead, he held her down as he lifted himself up, fucking her throat fast and hard from below. Every time, as soon as she felt close to choking and gagging it went out, only to come back inside even faster and harder, eager to ruin her throat and keep her guessing. Her open mouth and lolling tongue unleashed a steady stream of warm drool that oozed down his godly shaft. Then he rose and began to stroke his cock, ordering her to massage his balls, while he aimed the head over her head. A rope of thick cum shot into her mouth, followed by another, then another, and another, filling it all up. "Don't you swallow," he said between groans. At last, he milked the final drops right into the pool of cum her tongue swam in, and gave her another order.... Asuka did her utmost not to react from the pounding she received. The guy had simply stabbed into her unexpectedly, and ever since continued to pummel her white pussy hard, eviscerating her insides. The hot, wet insides of her pussy felt numb and tingly, while a soft warmth spread through her body all the way up to her desperate nipples... She could feel her resolve weakening. Her mouth kept opening on its own, looking to moan, while her eyes rolled back each time he went inside. It hurt, but she loved it. Of course, she couldn't say that... She wouldn't give this absolute nobody the satisfaction of making her feel a thing like this... I'm an EVA pilot... One of the few in the world... But the more he pushed her, the harder it became to control herself. Sooner or later a moan escaped her mouth, and once it did, the others flooded out, her self-control no longer able to combat the black cock that took control of her senses. Her heel flew off her foot as her whole leg quivered from the hard fucking, hitting the window and clattering down to the floor. "You like that, don't you? You fucking ginger slut. You love that big black cock filling up your white pussy." She panted in a daze of pleasure. Yes, I love it... Her head rested on the bed and her hands squeezed the sheets hard. He yanked her up by the hair and tilted her head so far back that he made eye contact with him upside down. Yes! Give me that big black cock! Fuck my ginger pussy me! Like a bitch in heat, she moaned wildly, giving him syrupy eyes, unable to restrain herself. But even as her body trembled from the wracking effect of that big black cock going through her, she still found enough focus to whisper, "I'll kill you for this." But first fuck me, oh, please, fuck me... Rei appeared into view out of nowhere. The front of her uniform was wet, her hair all over the place. How embarrassing... To be seen like this by such a damned baka. "Don't you look at me..." Rei took a step closer, her face drawing near. Asuka, in the throes of pleasure, did nothing to avert her face nor to close her mouth as Rei leaned in and kissed her. WHAT!!! She tried to fight her off but it didn't work. Rei used an unexpected amount of physical force to hold her in place and keep the kiss going. She could feel Rei's tongue bumping against hers, and with it... something salty and gooey, passing from one mouth into the other, slowly trickling down Asuka's throat as they kissed. Cum, it's cum!! She felt so angry and humiliated that tears came to her eyes, but there was nothing she could do. She used her remaining force to punch Rei in the side of the head, but that did nothing. Rei only went on facefucking her, raping her with her tongue, while both the guys could be heard laughing, one egging the other on to fuck Asuka that much harder and make her scream. My first kiss... The taste of black cum lingered in her mouth as she surrendered to Rei probing tentacle-tongue. The guy squeezed his hold on her asscheeks, and began to piston her pussy while the other guy bent down and tickled her feet, further adding to the insane amount of feeling her body was asked to endure. A scorching heat emanated from her lower body, swallowing her up... But just as she prepared to let go and come, the guy pulled and released her, while Rei stepped back. They left her there, desperate and close to exploding, her insides thoroughly melted, her pussy and legs glistening with ropes of his cum. She could see more of it oozing out of her pussy, and that the guy's cock still dripped, not yet done... She reached down, trying to make herself come in haste... ... but it was no use. She needed his big black cock. "You!" she screamed. "I told you you couldn't do it! I told you! You can't make me come!" He shrugged. "I don't care." Asuka got up, hopping about in her one heel, rushing towards him. "You finish what you started! Right now!" She pushed him. "Look at her!" the other guy yelled. "Feisty little thing." "Beg me and I'll do it." "W-What?!" stammered Asuka. "Beg you? In your dreams, asshole!" But even as she put on the brave pose, every part of her body ached for it. She needed it, more than anything. Just looking at his cock made her legs open up instinctively for him. So big. So black. So beautiful. I need it inside of me... At last, realizing there was no other way... Asuka lowered her head. "Please," she whispered, a deep frown scarring the overbearingly proud face. Being this pathetic put her in physical pain. Just how much of a degenerate had she become to do this... At least no one will know... "What was that?" "Please..." "Please what?" "Please fuck me with your big black cock... Please..." "You're sure that's what you want?" "Yes..." He put her on the bed again on all fours. As she waited for him to go inside, Asuka watched how the other guy undressed Rei, slowly, romantically, kissing her snow-white skin, running his black fingers over the small waist, the little butt, and her delicately small breasts. Asuka suddenly felt arms going over her legs and linking up behind her head. "Uhhh, what are you doing?" she asked, panicked. But the guy simply raised her in that hold, keeping her pressed against his chest. Asuka ended up caught in his full nelson, while she watched Rei slowly mount up her own big black cock and start riding it cowgirl style. A tickle came the area of her asshole as he tried to put it inside her. "Wrong hole!" she cried, terrified. "What are you doing..." It wasn't the wrong hole. He angled it so that it would go precisely in her ass as he lowered her. He was having none of her resistance. He simply pushed his cock into her asshole, stretching out as he went, ignoring her pleas and screams, digging deep into her insides and demolishing her virgin hole with his big black cock. Asuka shrieked as tears ran down her face, but no one was interested. Rei rode her own big black cock with uncharacteristic excitement, her hands gently caressing the face of the bull, her own having on what looked like a slight smile, her head tilting back in bliss. The little breasts bounced up and down as she rode... The bull carried Asuka towards the window, where through the tears she could see nothing but a spread of light. He began to fuck her harder, ignoring her cries, while she helplessly slapped against him, begging for mercy. "Please, stop..." she mewled. "I can't take this anymore..." How humiliating would it be if anyone saw her like this? I'm an EVA pilot... returned the crashing thought. You can't use me like this... Her asshole endured the assault, and as time went on, her muscles relaxed and the pain turned into pleasure... ...  a little while longer and she began to enjoy it fully, taking comfort in the feeling of being assraped against her will, utterly unable to move as this alpha male prepared to break her apart and fill her with every drop of his black seed.... "Please..." she started. "Faster."   She had no control whatsoever - and that's a good thing. She relished the feeling of total submission before this primal force that decided to have its way with her, before this monster that stripped her of dignity and took her virginity by pumping her violently with his black cock. "Yes, fuck my ass with your big black cock. Please ruin me however you like, master! I love your big black cock! I need it!" She learned to flex her hole and squeeze him as he went in and out, making sure he got the very best from from her virgin asshole. Only I can make him feel this way. I was made for this. I was made for his cock. This is better than being a pilot. More important... I'm the one and only... "Please, don't stop, sir..." Her toes curled and her body quivered from his crazed assfucking like an instrument in the hands of a master. Her eyes rolled back and she nearly passed out from the intensity of it all, when his hold tightened enough to make her joints pop and his cock buried itself as deep as it could go, striking parts of her she never knew existed. Every strike of that big black cock reverberated in her young being, till the last holds on her sanity came undone and her lust for him became the most dominant, central part of her personality. "FUUUUUUCK!!!!" she howled. Her pussy unleashed by itself without a single touch, showering her juices over the glass wall in a mad spray that went everywhere. She had never squirted in her life, and now she had done so only from being assfucked. "I love you," she confessed, weak and soft - white clay to be moulded and broken in strong black hands like his for years to come. For the first time in her life, Rei felt intensely about something: her newfound love for black cock. She herself was shocked at the sudden change in her mode of being. She lay on the bed kissing her bull while he held her down in a mating press, her skinny arms and legs wrapped around his muscle-bound back, caressing his beautiful dark skin as he filled her up to the brim. Each thrust of his cock spilled seed from her full womb. Around the point when she had ridden him, she realized that she loved him. That she loved being fucked by him. That she could never go back to not feeling this way. The feeling of his cock was overbearing and his body was so strong and beautiful. Rei felt so grateful to him for teaching her all of this... For giving her a real purpose.   "I want to be your Asian slut forever," she whispered lovingly, using her tongue to lick at his face. "I want your big black cock inside me. I want to carry all your babies." He thrust with all his power, sending splintering pain into her stomach and up her spine. "Doesn't it hurt to be such a whore?" "I want it to hurt," said Rei, her mouth opening in total cocklust. She licked her lips, still tasting his cum. "Big black cock should always hurt. Asian pussies were made to be broken." The next thing she knew Asuka was thrown on the bed next to her. The two were side by side, each one resting her head against a passed out Misato. The ever-angry Asuka glanced at her, blissfully zen. She seemed to have discovered the joy of surrendering as well. A moment later she screamed, proclaiming herself and her white pussy to be made for breeding. Hearing her made Rei that much wetter. Even she has found herself... She searched for Asuka's hand and grabbed it, giving her an encouraging squeeze. Asuka squeezed back. The two exchanged a loving glance, finally able to appreciate each other as total BBC sluts. The two school girls kissed deeply, happy to be in this together, to be bred at once by such amazing cocks... The bulls came inside them again and again as the teens begged for every drop of their cum, for greater pain and punishment, for a lifetime of service in the service of BBC and nothing else. "Please breed us," they said in unison, showing them the eternal peace sign. "Please let us carry your black babies." "You need to come to Japan with us," said Asuka, crying with pleasure. "We need you there so desperately..." "We don't want those small dicks!" added Rei, eyes burning with worship for their BBCs. The two bulls grabbed a marker and drew a Queen of Spades over both their wombs, officially accepting them as breedable cocksluts that belonged to BBC and BBC only. A lifetime of black breeding awaited the white and Asian duo. Their heavy balls spent every drop of cum towards that goal, lavishing their wombs with scorching seed, feeding their hungry mouths, and coming all over their tight bodies.   When all was said and done the two bulls rose and left behind a mess. Asuka lay on her side, somehow still wearing her one heel, her body twitching. She sucked on her finger and mumbled incomprehensibly about being a pilot. Rei lay face down, completely exhausted, a gooey puddle of hot cum forming at the base of her pussy, spams still wrecking her cum-covered body. The gobs of cum planted all over her ass shone brightly in the predawn gloom. Misato snored softly, just as before, too fucked up to come out of her coma blacked. The bulls dropped fluttering dollars all over the bed, covering all three of them in green, taking pity on the stupid foreign bitches. "Go get yourself a soda or something, kiddo," said Asuka's partner, then gave her a final merciless slap on her abused asscheeks.

[thorne93]

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 9)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count: 1171

Warnings: Language

Note: This is a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story. 

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My dear, Shannon,

Haha I am sorry he scared Lucky, I will try to tell him to be more careful. That's great Tony let you two have a place at the tower! I bet that makes everything a ton easier! And hahah, I always knew Tony was a softey for dogs. 

Oh my god, Shannon that is amazing news! Congratulations. I know you'll have so much fun! You need to wear the yellow dress, that short number, with the red pumps. Get your hair styled, and go for a natural look. Tony will die for that. Oh, I wish I was there to see your face when he asked…. 

Yes, please do tell me about Jane. I will tell Thor of her success, I’m sure he would be happy to hear about her.

No, Odin never smiles. Unless Queen Frigga is talking to him, haha. Other than that he is very stern, and I try to avoid him. 

But the good news is that Loki is finally talking to me. He found me in the palace library… well I should say he scared me in the library. I was reading and he suddenly appeared and had asked, “So you're adopted as well?” He seemed shy, or hesitant at the time. But he made me jump, nonetheless. But now… Shannon, we spend nearly every minute together. Unless I’m training with Thor and his friends, I'm with Loki. He is quite the character once you get him to open up. He still hasn't divulged all of his feelings, but we touched the surface of the issues with his family. After that, he seemed interested in my work on earth and when he found out I studied their culture he offered to show me everything. Their history, their laws, their societal rules. He is a great teacher. Now that I have the phone back, he promised me some selfies with him, so I’m very excited for that.

Speaking of teaching, I am doing much better with my swordsmanship. I didn't defeat Fandral in our practice, but came close. Loki asked if he could teach me how to use his daggers and throw them, and I, of course, said yes. He seems to like having a companion that hangs on his every word. 

And don't be mad, but yes, both the queen and prince are trying to teach me magic. I’m sorry! I couldn't resist. I am doing well so far! But I swear I won't go into battle. My weapon is my mind, I'm not made for the battlefield.  I’m sure your powers would be of great use here. In fact when I get back I'll show you everything they taught me. 

However, there is news of my parentage - they found record if a baby girl with my hair and eye color born the same week as my birthday. They're gathering what they can on the parents. So here's to hoping. 

Yes, please send Thor pop tarts. He has asked about them five times, it’s driving me mad.  Do not worry about sending the books. I have notebooks here that I am taking generous notes on. Thank you though. 

I start work with the Asgardians tomorrow. I am very nervous.

Tell me all about the date! I can't wait to hear every detail! 

Your sister from an (possible) Asgardian mister, 

Y/N/N

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

Y/N, my dear sister

Living at the tower is a whole new thing and even more different now that Tony and I are going out. It does make things easier when it comes to work because sometimes I’ll figure something out and can quickly head to the lab and continue my work. With everything that I’ve done already I was able to pay off the last of what we needed for the apartment so now it’s officially ours. Y/N, we own an apartment now! Who would have thought that the great Tony Stark would be a total softie for a dog?

It’s still a shock to me that Tony and I are going to be dating it feels like a dream, Y/N/N, a really wonderful dream. Thanks for the suggestion. I do believe that I’ll wear that dress and the heels even though I’m pretty sure he has a heel kink but he won’t admit it. I wish you’d been here to record it so that I could look back on him asking me out!

You would not believe how shocked she was when she found out she would be funded for the next 8 years for whatever research she does. I think Darcy had to get her to sit down and drink some water and she was completely okay with the conditions of what she would do with her results also I gave her access to whatever tech she might need I recorded a video her face looks hilarious! Bet he would be very impressed with her accomplishment.

He’s serious but is he a good ruler? I haven’t read much about him but there is a lot about his wife. You have to get a picture of them two maybe him smiling? Maybe Loki can help you.

 I’m so glad to hear that you two are finally talking! Aww, Y/N, you always were an easy scare when you’re reading, sounds like you two are getting really cozy (wink wink), guess I’m going to get to tease you too. I always knew you’d get a man hooked to you because of your genius brain, hehe. I bet you’ve become the teacher’s pet 😉.

Maybe when you come back we can have a good little practice fight between my abilities and your swordsmanship. Mmm, Y/N, my girl getting a private practice session with Loki? Well how could he not like a companion like you? You’re the whole package and if he doesn’t see that then I’m gonna have to get there and knock it into him.

Y/N, My GOSH! You know I’m gonna be worried about you a lot more now that I have no way of being there to make sure I can keep you safe, what if something happens? Maybe we can have a one on one in the new training floor Tony is having built for some reason.

Here is to hope that you’re at the final step to unveiling the truth as to where you come from but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you and you’re always family no matter what.

I don’t think the raven will be able to carry the pop tarts. See if you can find Thor and find a way to open the Bifrost to receive the package?

I’ll keep the book with me in hopes to find anything that you might be able to take photos of. I hope to hear all about working with the Asgardians soon enough.

And I’ll definitely let you know all the details about the date we’re both just as nervous about big events.

See you soon,

Shannon

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Tag List:

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Loki:

@lostinspace33​​

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@lenawiinchester​​

@esoltis280​​

@tngrayson​​

@wangdeasang​​

@harrymewmew

@jayfantasyatyourservice​

[sharpnothashtag]

Chapter 41, The Good Ship CrushWay

If you’re keeping track at home (as I’m sure none of you are) this is the beginning of season three!  This began as an idea back in the summer of 2018, when I read all of my friend’s CrushWay fanfic (a considerable amount) in one day. (https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieD?fbclid=IwAR3H_Q6kcXZThegwEHFBsggHvRXzjNORwNCBTAWq-Fmzmxp5yD1XXrCdO70)  I thought to myself: “What if I took that ship and MADE IT MY OWN?!”  Out of that was birthed whatever this has become.  It has been a great source of solace and silliness in 2020, which could have used more of both of those things. As a general PSA, I should probably state here what I’ve said multiple times in conversation about this fic: I do not claim that this fic is actually any good.  It is, however, a ship-ton of fun! (Author’s note: I’m ret-coning something from the very very first episode.  It is the year 2375.  The first episode occurs in 2373.) With that being said, let’s start off season three the way it should be started: with a Data episode!

Data is practicing violin in his quarters.  His doorbell rings.

Data: (putting down his violin) Enter. Bev: (entering, clearly excited) I got it! Data: (mirroring her excitement) May I see it? (Bev nods excitedly.  She pulls out a golden band with a single emerald in the center.) Was it altered?  Other than it being sized, of course. Bev: It was my idea to include her birthstone, but her father’s ring was just the perfect idea.  I am a bit jealous that I didn’t think of that before Gretchen mentioned it. Data: Kathryn will love it.  Beverly, may I pose a semi-rhetorical question to you? (Bev giggles a little and nods.) Who would have thought that you would be marrying again--and for that matter, marrying someone younger than you? Bev: (feigning insult) You don’t have to rub it in.  (small smile to show that she’s kidding) Just because Kate is 39 and I’m...(she can’t bring herself to say it)  Data: 51 years, two months-- Bev: Yes.  Somehow I always forget that you do that.  Now...is everything prepared? Data: Yes, Beverly.  The crew is to report to the Promenade at 2100 hours to celebrate.  Worf and DeAnna are making a trip for this occasion.   Bev: He’s been baking, hasn’t he? Data: Yes.  He seems quite pleased with his efforts.  DeAnna is, of course, supplying a chocolate bar of sorts. Bev: Wesley said he’s bringing his dom-jot board. (Data moves his head in a very Data way.) What is it? Data: I made a connection I had not made before.  Wesley is twenty seven now, correct? Bev: (blinking, realizing Wesley is older than she was when she had him) Yes.  Well, 26.  His birthday is next week, though. Data: And he is coming in on the Rogelio with the graduates of Counselor Troi’s program? Bev: Yes, the academy is hosting the graduation.  Wesley has been catching up with Boothby for a few days, so he decided to go to the graduation to support Patrick and then come back here for the party.  What is the connection? Data: You know about Kathryn’s new post, correct? Bev: Of course I do; it’s OUR new post--all three of us.  (impatiently) What connection did you make, Data? Data: One of our newest academy graduates is coming to be a part of the crew.  Their name is Daneel Akares. Bev: Hmm, strong Bajoran name.  Why him, though? Data: Them, Beverly. Bev: Sorry, them.  Why did you make the connection from them to Wesley? Data: They have the same January 11th birthday.  And they bear a striking resemblance to Wesley. Bev: ...is that all? Data: No.  There is one more curious similarity. Bev: Which is? Data: When Daneel was 13, they ran away to go undercover to the Cardassians in disguise.   Bev: (horrified) They’re a  Zoma Devo’tá? Data: (gently) They were.  Daneel did some damage, escaped, and returned to their parents.  Together, they fled to an underground shelter, built ages before the occupation.  While they were there, the story goes that Daneel built an undetectable communications system, where they could intercept messages from the Cardassian military and alter them to redirect troops away from Bajoran forces.  They became an exceptional strategist--unparalleled in tactical skills.  From there, the story turns to legend. Bev: Legend?  Do tell. Data: The Traveler appeared. Bev: The Traveler?  There’s a name I haven’t heard in ages. Data: One day, there was a bit of a cave-in.  Daneel had managed to fit a few families into their shelter, and the militia had been leaving food at an undisclosed location.  Each night, one person would sneak out of the shelter, retrieve the food, and bring it back.  It was Daneel’s turn.  When Daneel was almost to the food, the Traveler appeared.   Bev: What did the Traveler say? Data: The Traveler said he was looking for you. Bev: Wait.  Me?  Me, Beverly Crusher? Data: Yes. Bev: Why me? Data: The Traveler noticed you were caught in that warp bubble Wesley created, and he was looking for you to try to get you out.  Daneel was greatly frightened. Bev: Did their emotions activate the sequence? Data: Yes.  This is frightened them even more.  The Traveler realized he had frightened Daneel and reached out to touch them.  Something in his touch diffused the bomb. Bev: What happened then?  Why did The Traveler appear there--Starbase 133 isn’t close to Bajor at all. Data: As no one completely understands The Traveler’s ways, I am unsure.  As for the next part of the story, Daneel is the only living Zoma Devo’tá.  Maybe when they get here, you can ask them.  They are the Chief Tactical Officer. Bev: That’s a big position for a recent academy graduate. Data: As I said, they are unparalleled in their tactical strategies.  They are said to be unorthodox.  When dealing with the Borg, that is sure to be an invaluable trait. Bev: Well, it sounds as if our newest crew member is sure to be a wonderful addition to the team.  I’ll see you later, Data--I should really go prepare to propose now (smiling broadly). Data: I will see you on the Promenade this evening!  The best of luck to you, Beverly.

Beverly grins, nods, and exits.  Data exits and reenters the room with an easel, one featuring an almost finished impressionist rendering of Bev and KJ holding hands and walking in the snow into the Northern Lights..

Data: First Officer’s Personal Log, Stardate 37044.763.  Today, two of my friends are getting engaged.  I have spent several months challenging myself to paint in an impressionist style, and Kathryn encouraged me to paint the Northern Lights.  As their wedding gift, I am playing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” on the violin and then unveiling this painting. I am looking forward to getting together with this crew tomorrow morning for our first briefing on the new assignment.  While not a crew of traditional taste, the people promise to pose an interesting dynamic for my first real venture into command.  Serving under Kathryn Janeway with me are several returning crew members from the Enterprise and a few from Voyager as well: Communications Officer Seven of Nine, Security Chief Tasha Yar, Chief Engineers Miles O’Brien and B’Elanna Torres, Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher, Ensign Tom Paris on the helm, and Ensign Ro Laren at the conn.  While we are unsure of our need for one, we also have a ship’s counselor on this voyage: Patrick TusNua.  His new last name is Gaelic for “New Beginning.”  I cannot think of a more fitting way to begin his journey.

Data finishes his last brush stroke and hangs the painting on the highest point in his room.  He eyes Spot, who is licking his paws.

Data: (picking up Spot) This is up.  Up is no.  (Spot struggles, so Data lets him go.)  Bev: Dr. Crusher to Data. Data: Proceed, Doctor. Bev: Data, could you come to my quarters right away?  I need your help with something. Data: On my way, Doctor. Bev: Data? Data: Yes? Bev: Would you bring your violin? Data: Of course.  Data out.

Bev and KJ’s quarters.  Bev is sitting on the ground, rocking back and forth in an attempt to calm herself down.  Data enters.

Data: Doctor, would you like me to help you up? Bev: No, Data.  Would you come sit with me? (Data sits down, laying his violin at his side.  Bev takes a deep breath.) What if she says no? Data: (confusion) Kathryn loves you.   Bev: Yes, but what if she doesn’t want to be with me in that way?  She’s going to be the Captain, after all.  She shouldn’t be compromised by her feelings toward her crew, especially if one is her wife. Data: Most species are compromised by feelings toward their loved ones.  Humans especially, in my experience.  Also, I believe she understands the risks she would be taking.  If she did not understand that risk, she would not have accepted the command. Bev: What if I’m too old for her? Data: (moving his head in a Data way) She has made absolutely no remarks to me about your age, and you have not told me of her mentioning your age at any point in your relationship. Bev: I know she hasn’t mentioned it, but it’s 12 years.  That’s significant. Data: It is only significant if you require it to be.  Beverly, Kathryn loves you for who you are: age, Wesley, depression, dead husband, and all.  I do not know if she will say yes, but it is highly probable that she will respond in the affirmative based on her past behavior patterns.  Now, why did you ask me to bring my violin?

Bev has laid out a trail of rose petals to the bedroom, where she is sitting in the center of a heart made of fresh-cut roses with the ring next to her.  Data is standing in the corner, tuning his violin.  KJ is walking down the hall and sees a padd on the ground outside the door to her quarters.  It says, “Ring the doorbell first.”  She shrugs and rings the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opens to Data’s playing, accompanied by the computer’s piano, trombone, and saxophone trio: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.  KJ follows the trail of rose petals to Bev.  She kneels down with her.

Bev: Kate, I’ve tried to plan out this speech.  I’ve tried to quantify in words how much I love you.  I’ve tried to make this some inspiring, sweeping declaration and it never comes out the way I want it to.  But, I’m 51 years old, and I am lucky enough to have found a woman better than my wildest dreams.  We...fit.  And I don’t want to spend another day of my life without you by my side.  (pulling out the ring) Your mom gave me your father’s ring and her blessing.  I had it sized for your (teasing) tiny fingers, and I put your birthstone in it. KJ: (wiping a tear away) It’s perfect. Bev: Will you marry me, Kathryn O’Dell Janeway? KJ: (nodding, putting the ring on) Yes, of course I will. (Kiss) Thank you, Data. Data: You are welcome.  I will leave now to allow for you to have time alone.  Congratulations.

The Promenade: Miles, Molly, and Keiko, DeAnna, Alexander, and Worf, Tom and B’Elanna, Tasha, Ro, GJ, Wesley, Patrick, Seven, and Data are waiting impatiently.

Miles: Data, when are we starting, again? Data: 2100 hours, Chief.  We have two minutes. Miles: Shouldn’t we be hiding, then? Ro: Don’t be an idiot, Miles.  It isn’t like she doesn’t know it’s coming. GJ: As her mother, I honestly don’t think she does. Tasha: I agree.  She knows most of us are on board, but in her mind, we’re here to be briefed on our mission and to disembark next week. Miles: If we’re going to hide, we need to do it now. Ro: I’m not hiding. Alexander: Come on, Ro.  Please? Ro: It’s something one would do for a child! Alexander: So, do it for me? Ro: (taking a second to ponder.  Since she has a soft spot for Alexander) Okay.  Let’s hide!

A fair amount of commotion as they all try to hide behind various furniture.  Since it’s the Promenade, there’s not much to hide behind.  Worf comically stands directly behind a fichus that does not remotely hide him.  As Ro and Alexander crouch down behind the jumja stick cart, they run into Tasha, who has curled up inside the cart and looks extremely uncomfortable.  Wesley crouches behind a chair, and Seven lays down flat behind a very long ottoman.  A door opens, and Bev and KJ are holding hands, KJ clearly not expecting the lights to be off. 

KJ:...The hell? Computer, lights! Everyone: Surprise! 

Tasha tries to pop out of the jumja stick cart and ends up tipping it over in the process.  It lands with a big crash. Worf knocks over the fichus, and dirt flies everywhere.  Seven sits up suddenly, and she knocks her head on the edge of the ottoman.  KJ laughs a bit too hard at all the ridiculousness, and Bev runs to Tasha to make sure she’s ok.  Since Wesley is closest to Seven, he springs up to help her.  GJ, also laughing far too hard, goes over to her daughter.

GJ: Congratulations, Katie.  Your friends/crew love you so much that they decided to injure themselves in an attempt to surprise you. KJ: I’d have it no other way.

Tasha is ok, but definitely has a concussion.  She and Seven go to Sick Bay for a quick healing and then return to the party.

[spookbusters]

Daddy’s Little Ghoul

Summary: Ray takes your daughter to the station for take your child to work day!

Pairing: Ray Stantz x Reader // Word Count: 1.7k // Warnings: None!

A/N: Sorry this took forever to get out! Should be getting back to work on some of my other requests soon :)

"Daddy, daddy, wake up! Wake up!"

Note to Y/N Stantz from Y/N Stantz, just get rid of your alarm clock. Your daughter has got this handled.

A sleepy groan hums in the back of your husband’s throat as he stirs. Your little girl was apparently loud enough to register with him, but not loud enough to actually get him up. "Elodie, honey,” you murmur, fully awakened by your child’s excited tone, "It’s before seven, you should still be in bed." Your five-year-old bounces over to your side of the bed and throws herself into your lap, knocking a bit of the wind out of you. She looks up at you with smiling eyes like those of the man you love. Her hair was frizzy from sleep; distinctly inherited from you, you knew the color and texture all too well. "But, mommy, it’s take your child to work day, remember? I’m gonna go with daddy!" The sentence makes you smile as best you can in your sleepy haze. She took after her father in many ways, and had been looking forward to this for days. "Yes, sweetie, I remember. You know I have something special planned for you." Elodie wraps her small arms around you in a tight hug, "I didn’t forget, I promise." You give your daughter a squeeze, and kiss her forehead. "Go ahead and brush your teeth and get dressed, I’ll get your surprise ready." She lets out an excited squeal, then jumps off the bed and runs to her room on the other side of the apartment. A massive, exhausted huff leaves your lips before you collapse back down on your pillow. Ray is still snoring lightly beside you.

God, you wished you could sleep as heavily as him. You prop yourself on an elbow and admire him for just a moment before you have to get him up. He’s a mess. His face is smashed against the pillowcase, and his hair is stuck to his forehead. It’s adorable, and you remind yourself how blessed you are to have him. Ray only wakes up after a full minute of you peppering kisses all over his face, and once he hears you giggle at the way he wriggles his nose sleepily, he knows he can’t waste any more time snoozing. You're greeted by a gentle hand reaching up to smooth out your hair and, before you know it, you're being pulled down for a loving kiss. A small noise of contentment seeps from your being at the feel of your husband. When the need for air rears its head, you pull away and press your forehead against his. "Elodie woke me up this morning," is the first thing you tell him. "Did she?" "She's beyond excited to go to the firehouse with you. Speaking of which, you need to get up, mister." Ray groans, muttering something about how he hasn’t even left bed, but he already misses it. One sleepy stretch later you’re out of bed, brushing your teeth and throwing some curlers in your hair. You go about your morning routine, getting dressed in your usual outfit of jeans, sneakers, and a button-down from your husband’s drawer. The routine continues with you setting out Ray’s uniform, then going to whip up a quick breakfast. You pull off all those morning responsibilities with perfected efficiency, and you’re finally able to unveil the surprise you had planned for your daughter. “Ok, Ellie, you’re gonna have to close your eyes for this one,” Ray explains, knowing full well what you’ve got behind your back. She seems to vibrate from all the excitement she has to contain, covering her eyes with her hands. Once you think the suspense has gotten to her enough, you unfurl the outfit and hold it in front of you. “Alright, sweetie,” you say, “Open!” 

The moment she gets sight of the jumpsuit, just her size, she lets out something like a screech and jumps out of her chair to inspect it. “It’s got your name on it and everything,” you explain, pointing to the new patch you’d been embroidering the past couple days. It looked just like the ones you had made for the original suits. 

It doesn’t take much effort to get the suit on over her leggings, and when she zips it up the middle you marvel at how much she looks like her dad. “I love it, mommy,” she chimes, “Thank you!” The way she hugs you tightly makes all the time you spent working on it so worth it. “You’re so welcome, honey.” You take a second to look at the watch on your wrist and it’s not until then that you realize what the time is. “I gotta head to work,” you gasp, “I’ll be late for opening!” You grab your purse and the keys to the car, which you toss to your husband. “Lunch for you two is in the fridge, don’t forget it before you leave,” you mention, walking up to Ray and readjust his constantly unruly hair. “We won’t,” he assures. With a kiss for him and your daughter, you’re off to manage Ray’s Occult Books, like you do every day. “C’mon, daddy, we gotta go too,” Elodie urges, lightly tugging on her father’s sleeve. Ray grabs the lunch from the fridge, handing his daughter the Slimer lunchbox she insisted on having for school. Truth be told, he was just as excited for take your child to work day as his daughter! He loved the fact she was so interested in the business and, deep down, he hoped Elodie would take it over one day. The drive to the firehouse was as it would be every morning. Except instead of having some typical pop songs fueling the journey, the cabin of Ecto-1 was filled by Elodie and Ray’s singing.

They had brought her favorite cassette along; Ellie’s little voice would take the lead and her dad would fill in what she couldn’t yet remember. Whenever he did those deep, caricature-like voices, she would giggle loudly. They had to be the two happiest people on the streets of Manhattan. Elodie had just finished a rather lovely rendition of the Unbirthday Song when they pulled into the garage of the firehouse. It took some genuine effort to prevent the young Stantz from launching herself from her car booster seat and taking off into Ghostbuster HQ. But Ray was successful in getting her in without her forgetting anything or getting ahead of herself. At least he knew if the guys needed to take the car for a case, none of her important stuff would get left in there. But when she got inside, it was a totally different story. There was nearly no way he’d be able to manage that much enthusiasm. He was borderline overwhelmed by the sheer will and exhilaration of his five-year-old. As soon as the rest of the guys heard Janine’s playful comment of, “I didn’t know there was a new Ghostbuster on the team,” followed by a small laugh, they knew exactly who had just arrived. “Guess who,” Ray said, the biggest smile on his face as he walked into the lab, Elodie right behind him. “In case you couldn’t guess, it’s my dad and me,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Hey, it’s the Stantz clan,” Peter said, dropping the file he was reading onto the lab table with a genuine smile. Egon glances over his shoulder for a moment before returning his attention to the odd contraption that sat like a helmet on Winston, “You brought my niece with you. Rather unusual.” Elodie skipped around the room saying 'hi' to all her ‘unca’s, managing to tell all three of them separately that it was take your child to work day and that she was spending it with her dad. It wasn’t completely atypical for there to be a child in the firehouse, as Peter had Oscar over plenty of times. But Oscar took after his mother who tended to be rather quiet, unlike Elodie who took after both her parents’ extroversion. So, it was always a learning experience for both her and the team when there was a kid around who was actually interested in what they were doing. Ray couldn’t have been prouder of her. He could see throughout the day’s activities that she was having tons of fun, learning a lot, and really putting the smarts he knew she had to work. She would end up having a lot to tell you when she got home. Like, how Winston would explain to her how to clean a trap once a ghost was caught in it. “This is how your dad taught me how to do it. Ok, so, after you’ve caught the ghost-.” “How do you catch the ghost?” How Venkman taught her how to negotiate when working with a customer. “Ok, so if you just caught the ghost in my house and I want to give you four pieces of candy, what would you think?” “Sorry ‘unca Venkman, but I’ll need five pieces of candy, because, uh... ghosts are expensive?” Or how Egon would explain total protonic reversal to her. “So, Elodie, when two or more particle beams meet, what happens?” “All the nearby molecules stop at the same time and blow up real fast!” For a five-year-old, she sure had a good grasp of that. “I’m really glad she came with me today, Y/N,” Ray told you that night. He sat on the island in your kitchen in his old, faded sweatpants. You were prepping Ellie’s lunch for school tomorrow. “She was so... invested in the things she was learning.” “Well,” you look up from the bag of baby carrots you were zipping up, “She’s been interested in it from the day she could walk.” Your husband kicks his feet a little, looking up to the ceiling with a hint of a proud smile on his lips. “She’s a genius, I think.” The refrigerator door creaks as you place the Slimer lunchbox in its usual spot. “I’m talking Spengler-levels of intelligence.” It’s your turn to grin as you turn to Ray and place your hands on the counter, nestling yourself between his knees. “That’s because she’s got one hell of a dad to take after,” you praise. Ray pushes some of the hair from your forehead, pressing a kiss to your warm skin. “She’s got some smarts from her dad maybe, but she’s really brilliant and beautiful like her mother.” You giggle and place your hand on top of his; the whole moment makes you feel cozy. “We made one great kid, didn’t we Stantz?”

 “You know what, Stantz,” he mimics your playful tone, “I think you’re right.”

[mrs-dragneel-stark-solo]

Unforseen Chasm (part 9)

Part 9 of Unforseen Chasm

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together. Word Count: 1171 Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my other fic series). first major Collab with my best friend @thorne93​​ what was first a simple “what if” moment turned into a two year writing session and I’ve never been more prouder of myself than when i started my first series. goes through most of the MCU plots there are some changes to accommodate for what we wanted and there is a bit of a crossover between the MCU and other characters. I hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

My dear, Shannon,

Haha I am sorry he scared Lucky, I will try to tell him to be more careful. That's great Tony let you two have a place at the tower! I bet that makes everything a ton easier! And hahah, I always knew Tony was a softey for dogs. 

Oh my god, Shannon that is amazing news! Congratulations. I know you'll have so much fun! You need to wear the yellow dress, that short number, with the red pumps. Get your hair styled, and go for a natural look. Tony will die for that. Oh, I wish I was there to see your face when he asked…. 

Yes, please do tell me about Jane. I will tell Thor of her success, I’m sure he would be happy to hear about her.

No, Odin never smiles. Unless Queen Frigga is talking to him, haha. Other than that he is very stern, and I try to avoid him. 

But the good news is that Loki is finally talking to me. He found me in the palace library… well I should say he scared me in the library. I was reading and he suddenly appeared and had asked, “So you're adopted as well?” He seemed shy, or hesitant at the time. But he made me jump, nonetheless. But now… Shannon, we spend nearly every minute together. Unless I’m training with Thor and his friends, I'm with Loki. He is quite the character once you get him to open up. He still hasn't divulged all of his feelings, but we touched the surface of the issues with his family. After that, he seemed interested in my work on earth and when he found out I studied their culture he offered to show me everything. Their history, their laws, their societal rules. He is a great teacher. Now that I have the phone back, he promised me some selfies with him, so I’m very excited for that.

Speaking of teaching, I am doing much better with my swordsmanship. I didn't defeat Fandral in our practice, but came close. Loki asked if he could teach me how to use his daggers and throw them, and I, of course, said yes. He seems to like having a companion that hangs on his every word. 

And don't be mad, but yes, both the queen and prince are trying to teach me magic. I’m sorry! I couldn't resist. I am doing well so far! But I swear I won't go into battle. My weapon is my mind, I'm not made for the battlefield.  I’m sure your powers would be of great use here. In fact when I get back I'll show you everything they taught me. 

However, there is news of my parentage - they found record if a baby girl with my hair and eye color born the same week as my birthday. They're gathering what they can on the parents. So here's to hoping. 

Yes, please send Thor pop tarts. He has asked about them five times, it’s driving me mad.  Do not worry about sending the books. I have notebooks here that I am taking generous notes on. Thank you though. 

I start work with the Asgardians tomorrow. I am very nervous.

Tell me all about the date! I can't wait to hear every detail! 

Your sister from an (possible) Asgardian mister, 

Y/N/N

Y/N, my dear sister

Living at the tower is a whole new thing and even more different now that Tony and I are going out. It does make things easier when it comes to work because sometimes I’ll figure something out and can quickly head to the lab and continue my work. With everything that I’ve done already I was able to pay off the last of what we needed for the apartment so now it’s officially ours. Y/N, we own an apartment now! Who would have thought that the great Tony Stark would be a total softie for a dog?

It’s still a shock to me that Tony and I are going to be dating it feels like a dream, Y/N/N, a really wonderful dream. Thanks for the suggestion. I do believe that I’ll wear that dress and the heels even though I’m pretty sure he has a heel kink but he won’t admit it. I wish you’d been here to record it so that I could look back on him asking me out!

You would not believe how shocked she was when she found out she would be funded for the next 8 years for whatever research she does. I think Darcy had to get her to sit down and drink some water and she was completely okay with the conditions of what she would do with her results also I gave her access to whatever tech she might need I recorded a video her face looks hilarious! Bet he would be very impressed with her accomplishment.

He’s serious but is he a good ruler? I haven’t read much about him but there is a lot about his wife. You have to get a picture of them two maybe him smiling? Maybe Loki can help you.

 I’m so glad to hear that you two are finally talking! Aww, Y/N, you always were an easy scare when you’re reading, sounds like you two are getting really cozy (wink wink), guess I’m going to get to tease you too. I always knew you’d get a man hooked to you because of your genius brain, hehe. I bet you’ve become the teacher’s pet 😉.

Maybe when you come back we can have a good little practice fight between my abilities and your swordsmanship. Mmm, Y/N, my girl getting a private practice session with Loki? Well how could he not like a companion like you? You’re the whole package and if he doesn’t see that then I’m gonna have to get there and knock it into him.

Y/N, My GOSH! You know I’m gonna be worried about you a lot more now that I have no way of being there to make sure I can keep you safe, what if something happens? Maybe we can have a one on one in the new training floor Tony is having built for some reason.

Here is to hope that you’re at the final step to unveiling the truth as to where you come from but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you and you’re always family no matter what.

I don’t think the raven will be able to carry the pop tarts. See if you can find Thor and find a way to open the Bifrost to receive the package?

I’ll keep the book with me in hopes to find anything that you might be able to take photos of. I hope to hear all about working with the Asgardians soon enough.

And I’ll definitely let you know all the details about the date we’re both just as nervous about big events.

See you soon,

Shannon

Unforseen Chasm Tag list- @reigningqueenofwords​ @oldfreakything​

Tag list- @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you​ @winchester-writes​ @winchesterenthusiast​ @georgialouisea​ @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog​ @livelikeawinchester​ @sammysbuttcheek​ @bran2015 @misz-adrii​ @sandlee44​ @womanxofletters​ @natsuccs​ @childishhoebinoo​ @depressed-moose-78 @expecteddifferent​ @girl-next-door-writes​ @fanaticfanfiction​ @dakotapaigelove​ @sassy-spn-knight-of-hell​ @weclassygirl​ @adefectivedetective​

[datheetjoella]

Meeting Royalty

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Summary: When they were younger, Haruka and Makoto made a promise to each other. Now, thirty years later, their promise is one step closer to being fulfilled.

In which Haruka and Makoto surprise their children with a visit to the shelter, where they meet two cats who might just become the new members of their little family. Word count: 5,766 Part: 1/3 Notes: This fic is a gift for my friend @softmakoharus! Everything she does is amazing, please check out all of her work.

Read at: AO3, FFn, or here!

                                                Part 1: The Surprise

"Sleep well, sweetie. I love you," Makoto murmured as he tucked Umiko in and kissed her goodnight.

"Love you too. Goodnight," she replied drowsily, clearly on the verge of losing consciousness yet fighting to stay awake just a tad longer so she could return her parents' wishes of sweet dreams.

Meanwhile, Haruka whispered similar words to Mizuki and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. The poor boy was so exhausted from playing around on the beach all day that he had fallen asleep halfway through Makoto's anecdote-bedtime story. And he had been so excited about this particular story too; when he and his sister heard that their parents had starred in a short film back in high school to help recruit new members for the swim team, their eyes lit up with curiosity and they were all ears. Haruka smiled to himself as he recalled how their adorable faces had twisted in disbelief when it was revealed that their kind, sweet father had been assigned the part of the evil king. Admittedly, it hadn't exactly been a fitting role, as Makoto had proven with his acting skills - or lack thereof. The end result was cute, though. Haruka made a mental note to ask Nagisa later if he still had a copy of all the footage saved somewhere.

They would fill Mizuki in on the details he missed during breakfast tomorrow, but for now, he could conjure up his own fairytales in his dreams.

Once Makoto and Haruka were done saying goodnight to both of their children, they left the room to let them sleep. The small star-shaped light that illuminated the darkness was kept on just in case Mizuki woke up at some point during the night; while Umiko claimed that she was a big girl who wasn't afraid of the dark and therefore no longer needed the nightlight, Haruka was pretty sure that she hid her own fear behind Mizuki's and very much appreciated the glowing star. He would never call her out on this, but it was amusing and quite endearing nonetheless.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" Haruka wondered as they walked down the stairs together.

"Coffee," Makoto said, "but wait."

"On what?" Haruka questioned sceptically, following his husband into the living room but doing so with confusion. There wasn't much time left before the tv show that Makoto had been looking forward to watching would start, and he wanted them to be on the couch with a hot beverage before then.

When Makoto made sure the door was closed behind them to prevent their children from possibly overhearing - which seemed highly unlikely considering the sleepy states they had been in - a wide grin stretched his handsome face. "The shelter got back to us."

"Already?" Haruka asked, eyebrows raising in surprise, "That's fast."

While they were painting yesterday afternoon, Umiko had casually opened up the topic of adopting a dog for discussion. Her brother had supported the idea wholeheartedly, but dogs needed a lot of specific care and attention that they unfortunately wouldn't be able to give at this point in time. As a compromise, Haruka had offered that they could maybe get a cat instead. Makoto and he had already wanted a cat for as long as he could remember, and they had promised each other when they were kids that they would get one together when they were older.

Alas, after thirty years, that promise hadn't been fulfilled yet because it never seemed like the right time to get a pet; either they were too busy with school and training, or their careers caused them to be away from home too often, or every waking moment was dedicated to taking care of their adorable but needy infants.

But that was all in the past now; the children were a little older and didn't need round the clock care anymore, work at the swim club was calm and stable and they had a neat, orderly schedule. Their lives had reached a comfortable and steady point so he concluded that the time to expand their family with a cat had finally come.

As soon as Makoto heard about the conversation that was held when he was still at work, he scoured the internet in secrecy in search for a feline friend or two. Somewhere along the way, he stumbled upon a pair, seven-year-old Princess and five-year-old Duchess, who had been left in the shelter's care after their previous owner passed away. The instant Makoto saw the white cat and her orange tabby companion, he fell in love with their cute faces and thought that they were the perfect additions to their family.

After the children had gone to bed that evening, he showed them to his husband and fortunately for him, Haruka had immediately taken a liking to them as well. So they had written up an email explaining their situation and expressing their interest in meeting them, as the shelter required approval and a visitation before they allowed anyone to adopt a pet. Because of that, they decided to keep it a secret until the shelter gave them the green light. It would be bad if Umiko and Mizuki fell in love with them too but the shelter didn't think they were the right fit for Princess and Duchess.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Makoto muttered as he fished his phone out of his pocket, "I already saw it before dinner but I didn't get the chance to tell you sooner. I was afraid the kids might hear something, and you know how inquisitive Umiko has been lately…"

Haruka understood where he was coming from; while they encouraged her curiosity and stimulated her zealousness, in situations like these they had to be careful. If she somehow got the idea that they had their sights set on two cats then they wouldn't hear the end of it until she saw them and they were hers. Of course, Mizuki would be dragged along with his older sister's interrogation and that wouldn't exactly make it easier. Precaution was key when it came to things like this.

"And, what did they say?"

An excited gleam appeared in Makoto's gorgeous eyes. "They said we can come to meet them anytime they're open."

A small yet nonetheless joyous smile appeared on Haruka's lips at that confirmation. They were approved on paper and were allowed to see them in person. The chances of the shelter denying their adoption request was significantly smaller now, given that they would like the cats and the cats liked them too - though he honestly didn't see why either wouldn't. "That's great."

"Right? I'm so happy," Makoto said, his entire face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

If it weren't the cats and their childhood promise being closer to being fulfilled that made Haruka smile, then seeing his husband so genuinely thrilled definitely would have done the trick. After so many years, that blinding smile still ignited sparks in his stomach. "Me too," he murmured softly, "So when do you want to go?"

"I was thinking Tuesday afternoon," Makoto replied without missing a beat, proving that he had already thought about that - not that Haruka had expected otherwise. "My classes end early on Tuesday, so that's when we have the most time to see them and play with them before the shelter closes."

"Sounds good," Haruka agreed, though he couldn't help but tease him a little, "If you can keep it a secret until then." They wanted it to be a surprise for the kids, but that wouldn't work if Makoto's unerasable grin revealed it all.

"I think I can manage three days," he argued, wanting to seem offended yet failing miserably when he smiled again.

"Are you sure, because your face says otherwise." Haruka jokingly poked at the curled up corner of Makoto's mouth, because that thoroughly elated expression held no secrets at all, not from Haruka and surely not from Umiko and Mizuki either.

Hearty laughter erupted from Makoto's chest as he swatted his husband's hand away. "I'm sure," he declared solemnly as he swiped his palm in front of his face and unveiled the serious look that was left in its wake. He was able to maintain that demeanour for about half a second before it crumbled with a chuckle. He bit his lip in an attempt to repress it, but it was in vain.

Haruka could only smile at his giddiness. In Makoto's defense, he had been able to not only keep Princess and Duchess a secret for the children for an entire day, but he had also successfully kept this information hidden for a few hours from none other than his own husband, who knew him through and through. He could do anything he set his mind to.

"Anyway," Makoto mumbled as he tried to recover from his giggles, fumbling with his phone for a bit and then he gave it to Haruka. "Here's the email if you want to read it."

Haruka quickly scanned the text with his eyes, his own smile softening when he read the confirmation for himself. But when he opened his mouth to reply, the tv in the background blared a familiar tune.

"It's started!" Makoto gasped and his eyes widened comically.

"Here," Haruka snorted as he handed him his phone, "You can email them back later. Go sit down, I'll get us our drinks."

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked, knowing that Haruka didn't like to watch something if he missed the beginning. When Haruka didn't waver, he muttered, "Thanks, Haru. You're the best!"

Before Haruka had the chance to stutter an objection to that, Makoto blessed him with a quick kiss of gratitude. There was truly no better way to silence him than that.

"Ah, I'm so excited!" Makoto sighed, and it was obvious that he wasn't talking about the tv show.

As always, Haruka couldn't do anything but smile in response to his husband's almost childlike enthusiasm. He was really too cute. "Me too."

The sea of children that had poured through the seams of Iwatobi Elementary's doors had long since dissipated, yet Umiko was still nowhere in sight. When Haruka pulled out his phone to check the clock, he confirmed that she was indeed running late. It was no point of concern for him, because he knew just how easily she could get caught up in conversation and lose track of time, but the small hand that was clutching his was slowly growing more and more jittery with impatience.

While Umiko had the tendency to be a bit tardy if she got distracted, Mizuki was very punctual, always ready with his little backpack firmly around his shoulders by the time one of his parents came to pick him up from kindergarten. He despised waiting and therefore made sure no one would have to wait on him either. While Haruka thought both of their habits were endearing in their own way and didn't mind waiting on Umiko for a couple of minutes when they weren't in a hurry, Mizuki got visibly annoyed if his older sister was taking too long for his liking.

Haruka averted his gaze from where it had been glued to the doors, that his husband and he had passed through countless of times when they were just children themselves, in favour of looking at their grumpy son. Most people probably wouldn't notice anything off about him, since a bright smile wasn't exactly part of his default expression, but Haruka could tell that his bottom lip was protruding slightly more than it did when he got here. That pout would surely disappear instantly if Mizuki knew what was ahead of him today.

"She'll be here soon," Haruka tried to appease him, smiling when Mizuki only huffed in response. "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No."

He wasn't going to insist; Mizuki would change his mind if his legs got tired, but Haruka didn't think it would get to that point. Even though Umiko was taking her sweet time, he was sure it wouldn't be long now. It wasn't like she would make her family wait forever.

Almost like he had sensed it, at that moment a familiar mop of black hair left the building and, as predicted, Umiko wasn't alone: three other children were with her, some of which Haruka recognised from playdates at their house.

The instant Umiko spotted her dad and little brother standing near the gate, she quickly said goodbye to her friends and ran towards them, red bag jostling on her back. It seemed like her face had trouble deciding which emotion to display; remorse for being late or the excitement that was the cause of it.

"Why are you late?" Mizuki demanded to know the second Umiko was within earshot, sounding like he was her dad instead of Haruka and Umiko owed him an explanation.

"Sorry," she apologised and though it was sincere, as soon as the word was past her lips, her enthusiasm won the battle and a wide, radiating grin appeared. "I was talking with Suzu-chan and Hiro-kun and Mari-chan. Suzu-chan got a guinea pig!"

"A guinea pig, huh?" Haruka muttered as he ruffled her hair in greeting before crouching down to kiss her head. Then his hand found one of hers so he could lead the three of them safely across the street to where the car was parked.

"Yeah! She got one, and her older sister got one too! She said guinea pigs need to have a friend."

"It's always nice to have a friend," Haruka agreed, but before he had the chance to say anything else about rodents, Umiko chimed in.

"Why are we taking the car?"

Usually, Makoto and he would drop off the kids at their respective destinations together before driving to the swim club in the morning. When school was finished, Haruka would pick them up again and the three of them would walk to their house, or wherever they happened to be going, so that Makoto could drive home after a long day of hard work.

"We're going to the swim club," Haruka replied, "I thought it would be nice to pick Papa up together. He still has one class, so we can watch him while he works."

It was technically the answer to what she had asked, but it wasn't the full truth either. Fortunately, it seemed like the kids hadn't noticed that.

"Can we swim too?" Mizuki wondered, although his way of moving through the water could hardly be called swimming just yet, as it was more like wading.

"Not today, I'm afraid," Haruka said, hoping that they wouldn't inquire further, "I thought you would still be tired of swimming after swimming all day last Saturday."

"I'll never get tired of swimming!" Umiko proclaimed.

"Me neither!"

Truly spoken like they were his own, Haruka thought to himself with a small snort. "Me neither," he echoed as he took his keyring out of his pocket and unlocked the car. Before they had the opportunity to ask him if he had already swum today - the answer to which was yes - he tried to change topics. "So, what colour is Suzu-chan's guinea pig?"

"White with brown spots, and her sister's guinea pig is black with brown spots!"

Successfully diverged.

While Umiko rambled on about every detail her friend had told her about the new pets, Haruka put Mizuki into his carseat and fastened the belts. Then he went to check if Umiko had strapped herself into hers properly, not wanting to take any chances when she was so busy chattering. Once they were both secured, Haruka buckled himself up and started the car to drive the route that had become more than familiar over the past decades.

After a short drive, they arrived at their family's business. Though the entire way here had been dyed with Umiko's high-pitched voice as she talked about anything and everything noteworthy about her day at school - though it was mostly still about Suzu-chan's guinea pig -, the second they came to a halt in the parking lot, she freed herself of her seatbelt and leapt out of the car to run inside.

"Wait for me!" Mizuki called after her, impatiently trying to unbuckle himself too but he couldn't quite figure out the somewhat complicated system.

Not wanting him to be left behind, Haruka helped him and lifted him out of the car so he could chase after his sister. He wasn't in a hurry like the kids were, so Haruka calmly grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder before he followed them inside.

They were far ahead of him, but Haruka wasn't bothered. The swim club was their second home and they knew this place like the back of their hands. Even the other staff members weren't fazed at all by their presence, as they had long since gotten used to the six-year-old and her four-year-old brother roaming around the halls. Knowing just where they were going, Haruka took a detour to the break room, the fridge of which contained some juice boxes reserved for occasions like these. Along with two of them and a bottle of water for himself, Haruka went to join the children.

Their faces were already smudged up against the glass, looking out over the pool area where a handful of instructors were having classes in different lanes, amongst whom their very own father. It didn't matter how often they were here to witness it, for some reason this remained to be a spectacular sight to see. Haruka got it though; Makoto did look really cool helping kids from all ages through the water - and really hot in his wetsuit, the design of which hadn't changed at all since he wore it for the very first time a little under twenty years ago.

"You'll stain the glass if you press up against it like this," Haruka remarked. Even though their enthusiasm was cute, it hadn't been long since he had last cleaned these windows and he wasn't eager to have to do it again tomorrow.

"Sorry," Umiko and Mizuki muttered in unison, immediately stepping away like the glass had burned their palms and noses.

Haruka smiled, bidding them a small nod of appreciation. "Here," he said as he handed them each a juicebox. Then he sat down on the bench right behind them and put his bag down beside him.

"Thanks!" they replied as they followed his example and plopped down.

After taking a swig of his water, Haruka rummaged through his bag a bit and pulled out a box of leftover vanilla muffins from last Sunday. They wouldn't be home until it was time for dinner, so he made sure to bring their afterschool snack with them. It would be bad if Umiko and Mizuki got hungry and cranky on a day as important as this one.

The same response sounded out again as the children grabbed a proffered muffin, nibbling mindlessly as they peered out over the pool. It was an occurrence as common as the next, but when Haruka looked at them, he was reminded of Ran and Ren, who he had taken here back when Makoto was first working as a swim instructor to help out Coach Sasabe. The twins had been a couple of years older then than Umiko and Mizuki were now, but the glint of excitement shimmering in their eyes was the exact same.

Suddenly, his hands began to itch with the need to capture this sight; the unawareness of the world around them as they were fixated on their father guiding other children through the water, with nothing to distract from it than the combined flavours of sweet vanilla muffins and apple juice. But a good dad always came prepared, and Haruka searched for his camera in his bag, trying not to rustle it too much in fear of disturbing the atmosphere.

He carefully scooted over to the edge of the bench and held the camera at an angle so that their vague reflections in the windows were within frame too. As soon as the shutter clicked, the spell was broken and their faces instantly turned to him. The excited glimmer was replaced by adorable confusion, their eyebrows twisting into a frown to complete the look.

Knowing they were just startled, Haruka said, "Smile," as he snapped another photo. He had already gotten the perfect, almost entranced-like picture, so a couple of goofy ones were a nice follow up to that.

A dozen or so photos were shot, some of which the children demanded be taken in front of the windows in the hopes of catching their father in action. The results weren't that great, but it was a task that was pretty much impossible to execute well, so Haruka simply obliged without protest. They'd forget about it sooner or later anyway.

Eventually the kids were reminded of their treats left abandoned on the bench and returned to them. Haruka put the camera away. He could continue to take pictures forever, but he didn't want the memory card to get too cluttered just yet. There were certainly more endearing moments coming up, ones that were rarer than these, and it would be a shame to miss out on eternalising them.

Time flew by as Umiko and Mizuki finished their snacks and babbled with their dad. Before they knew it, Makoto and his students were already standing on land again as today's class was ended. The children trickled out of the room and Makoto was left to clear away the kickboards and floaties that were used.

"Come on," Haruka said as he got up, collecting the empty snack packages to discard into a bin along the way, "Let's go to Papa."

The kids didn't need to be told twice.

They quickly traded their shoes for slippers and entered through the staff locker room, where Haruka grabbed the laid-out towel to hand to his husband. Unlike before, Umiko and Mizuki now slowly followed behind him, knowing that they weren't allowed to run anywhere near the pool because it was dangerous.

"Good work," Haruka murmured as he stepped into the room.

Upon hearing that voice, Makoto came to a halt and a bright smile stretched his face when he saw him. "Haru!"

A matching smile naturally broke through Haruka's demeanour and he threw the towel to Makoto, who caught it as effortlessly as always.

"Papa!"

"We came to pick you up!"

The chiming voices of their children drew Makoto's gaze downwards and his smile widened. "Is that so?" he chuckled, roughly drying his brown locks with the towel before letting it slip to his shoulders. "Thank you, I really appreciate it!"

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Haruka offered. He convinced himself that he asked it to help his husband out, but he couldn't deny the excitement that bubbled up in his stomach as he thought about where they were heading next.

"No, that's okay," Makoto declined with the cute head tilt that he never grew out of, "I just need to put away some stuff and get dressed and then I'm ready to go."

But instead of doing either of those things, he stepped closer to them and swiftly stole a kiss from his husband's lips. Before Haruka could ever register the contact, let alone respond, Makoto had already pulled back again with a cheeky grin on those enticing lips. The flame of playfulness that was ignited in his eyes went out as quickly as it was lit and swooped down to kiss Umiko and Mizuki's crowns before he turned around and strolled off.

"See you soon," he called over his shoulder with a wave of his hand, and Haruka couldn't help but snort.

He really loved that adorable idiot with all his heart.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the Tachibana family was seated in the car and conversation was alive as per usual, mainly thanks to Makoto and Umiko; the latter was telling the former all about her friend's newly acquired guinea pig. Because Haruka and Mizuki had already heard everything there was to know about it, they didn't feel the need to partake in the same discussion again. Since Makoto would always humour her and, like Haruka himself, was genuinely interested in everything she and her brother had to say, this was no issue at all.

On the contrary, Haruka was actually kind of glad he didn't have to engage so he could focus all his attention on driving. Though he was pretty certain he knew the exact road they needed to take to their destination, it had been quite a while since the last time he was there so he wanted to make sure that he didn't accidentally take a wrong turn.

The children hadn't noticed anything yet, and Haruka was glad about that. It meant that the surprise would only be greater when they arrived.

"And Suzu-chan's dad made a big cage, and also a big… thing so they could run outside in the yard!"

"Guinea pigs can get pretty big, huh?" Makoto commented, amused by their daughter's enthusiasm, "So it's good that they have a lot of space to move around and play."

"Yeah," Umiko affirmed, vigorously nodding her head, "Her and her sister's are still small because they're babies, but she said they can get this big." She made an indication with her hands, that might have been a teeny bit exaggerated, but Makoto only chuckled along.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" she repeated excitedly, "And she said that I can come over to see them sometime!"

"That's nice of her," Makoto said with his sunny smile, "When did you plan to do that?"

"I don't know yet. Hiro-kun and Mari-chan also wanted to see them, but Suzu-chan says she can only have one friend at a time over at her house."

"Why is that?" Haruka questioned with a frown at this new piece of information.

"I don't know," Umiko shrugged, "She said her mom said so."

"Maybe it'll be too busy for the guinea pigs otherwise. They might feel scared if they're surrounded by a lot of people, trying to hold them all at once," Makoto tried, but Umiko shook her head.

"I don't think it's because of the guinea pigs. Before she had them we could never play at her house together either."

"Maybe her mom's the one who gets scared if she's surrounded by a lot of people," Haruka joked, coaxing chuckles out of everyone. While Haruka knew better than anyone else that children could be a handful, he didn't really understand parents who had rules like that. Those types of playdates occurred every once in a while and lasted for no more than a few hours at a time at best, so it wasn't like there was much of a difference between having one kid over or two or three - at least, not to him. It only caused for some children to get excluded from playing with their group of friends.

And because he never wanted Umiko and Mizuki to get excluded, he wouldn't cause for other kids to get excluded either. The more the merrier, or something corny like that.

"Oh, and I told Suzu-chan and Hiro-kun and Mari-chan that we're going to get a cat, and they asked if they could see it when we get it!"

Makoto's eyes darted to the corner to shoot his husband an inquiring look, but Haruka just pursed his lips as a subtle sign that he didn't know either. It must have been a coincidence, for Umiko would surely speak up if she caught wind of what was going on.

"Of course!" Makoto replied, trying his best not to let his expression betray him and expose their secret, "You can invite them over when we get one."

"Or two," Mizuki added, so out of nowhere that it almost seemed like he was onto something. The look of indifference on his face, however, contradicted this.

"Can they all come over at the same time?" Umiko asked, diverting the subject from the cats they were going to get back to her friends, much to her parents' joy.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Haruka said. In his opinion, it was easier to have all three of Umiko's closest friends come over at once than to plan three separate cat-viewing playdates. "You can invite Tomo-kun over too," he told Mizuki, knowing that Mizuki only had one friend he was close enough with for him to invite into their house. He had been told multiple times that he was allowed to bring more friends than just Tomo-kun, but Mizuki always declined and said that he just wanted his best friend to come. It seemed like the other children in his kindergarten class hadn't unlocked the stage of friendship yet in which Mizuki felt comfortable having them over.

But even his best friend was not on Mizuki's mind right then. "Where are we going?" he questioned in confusion. The car ride home wasn't supposed to take this long, and he didn't recognise the buildings around him either.

"Are we going to the store?" Umiko wondered, since taking the car and picking up her father made sense in that scenario.

Makoto just shook his head.

"Then where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh no," she gasped in horror, "we're not going to the dentist, are we?"

"No," Makoto chuckled at the fact that that was her first guess for some reason, "we just went to the check-up appointment a few weeks ago, and your teeth don't hurt, right?"

"No," Umiko said, and even if she could have expected that outcome, she was still visibly relieved.

"I promise that you'll both like where we are going," he revealed, and that would be the sole hint he would give them.

Then it was Mizuki's turn to gasp. "Disneyland?"

That was probably the only place that would make them even happier, but he couldn't have been more wrong. If that was their expectation, then they were surely going to be disappointed; any place paled in comparison to Disneyland.

Thankfully, Umiko was the voice of reason. "Of course we're not going to Disneyland!" she argued, "Disneyland is super far away and we have to go to school tomorrow, and Papa and Daddy have to work."

"Oh yeah," Mizuki mumbled dejectedly, pouting as he averted his head to stare out the window. Haruka hoped that his frown would soon be turned upside down when he found out where they were actually going.

"No, unfortunately we're not going to Disneyland," Makoto regretfully confirmed, "but the place where we are going is a lot of fun too."

"The playground?" Mizuki tried, as it was technically a smaller, plainer version of Disneyland.

"Oh, I know!" Umiko suddenly exclaimed, the metaphorical light bulb switching on beside her head as she had an epiphany, finally able to connect all the dots. "We're going to get a cat!"

"Ding-ding-ding, we have a winner," Makoto announced like a game show host, making the children cheer like they just won a hundred million yen. "We're going to the shelter!"

Instantly, Mizuki's pout morphed into a large grin. "Yes!"

"Are we going to pick out a cat?" Umiko asked, her brown eyes wide and gleaming with excitement.

"No, we're going to meet two cats that Daddy and I picked out already."

Before the kids had the chance to moan and complain about not being allowed to help pick out the cats, Haruka cut in, "Papa found these cats on the website and thought they were perfect for us, so he showed them to me. And I thought so too, so we sent a message to the shelter, because before we are allowed to adopt them, we have to meet them in person. They said we could come today, so we wanted it to be a surprise for you until now."

Fortunately, that explanation satisfied them, and they began to rapidly fire questions at their parents about the cats' identities.

"Are they boys or girls?"

"What do they look like?"

"What are their names?"

Their passion was so endearing that Makoto couldn't do anything but laugh merrily, and Haruka's heart swelled with fondness upon consuming the cocktail of rambled curiosity and bellowing joy.

"Okay, okay," Makoto hushed with remnants of giggles, "Their names are Princess and Duchess, and they're both girls. Princess is white and Duchess is orange. That's what you both wanted, right?"

"Yes!" they yelled in unison, excitement dripping from their faces as they visualised their ideal cat in their heads.

"But Papa," Umiko mumbled as she recalled the conversation they had about their desired cats last Friday afternoon, "I thought you wanted a black cat."

If Makoto was going to say what Haruka expected him to, he was going to kick him as soon as the car came to a halt. But it seemed like Makoto had left his playfulness behind at the swim club and he answered earnestly, "It doesn't really matter to me, I'm happy with any cat."

Umiko smiled at that - if anything, she was probably just glad that at least one of the cats had fur in her desired colour. "How old are they?"

"Princess is seven and Duchess is five."

"That's older than me!" Mizuki gasped in surprise, like he had never even considered the possibility of that.

"That's right, and Princess is even older than Umiko," Makoto said, and their son's mind was positively blown by that fact.

"Wow."

"We're almost there," Haruka informed, disrupting their elated chattering. He hated to be the spoilsport, but the children were getting a little too excited about the idea of having Princess and Duchess as their cats and he had to remind them that they weren't theirs just yet. "Remember that we're going to meet them to see if we like them, but if we don't for some reason or if they don't like us, then we'll continue to look for a different cat."

"But," Makoto added before their grins could be wiped away by their dad's words to make place for crestfallen frowns, "I think we're going to like them a lot."

To support this claim, Makoto elaborated and shared all the details he knew about the royalty they were about to meet. It was safe to say that Umiko and Mizuki had already fallen in love with the descriptions they were given, just like their parents had. Now they probably wouldn't settle for anything less than Princess and Duchess - and fortunately, they didn't have to either.