#it was just supposed to be a quick sketch to cool down but clearly i got carried away again

[adultswim2021]

Totally 4 Teens: “Pilot” | February 25, 2010 | Pilot Debuted on DVD on October 27, 2009 Aired on television January 19, 2011 @ 12:15AM

From the ~tWiStEd~ mind of Derrick Beckles, the creator of TV Carnage (a video series where he mashed up various clips from various videos to recontextualize them into ironic hilarity [I never did watch any of these aside from clips {but I do own one on DVD}]) comes this failed-but-it-has-its-fans pilot. It may have failed, but it did eventually yield not one but TWO TV series that were pretty similar. This is presented as a hyperkinetic teen-oriented youth program that teaches you about making good choices. We cut back and forth between various ideas, some are quick sight gags, some consist of found footage, some involve on-the-street interviews with presumably unsuspecting creeps, some are elaborate sketches with fairly clear ideas, etc. It’s a real kitchen-sink sorta thing, and it’s all tied together by an in-studio host (Beckles himself), whose questionable morals keep him from truly getting through to these kids to teach an actual valuable lesson.

The meatier ideas here include a troupe of bikini-clad teen beauty pageant contestants doing an educational sketch about using dangerous drugs, where the moral of the story is to combat bad drugs with good drugs. This includes them calling “Mooky”, a shady dealer of cleaner stuff, who also wears a bikini and a sash (as does his suspicious father). This sketch purports to be from 1991, and is *sorta* shot to match. (inhales deeply) See you can clearly tell they shot it in 16:9 with modern equipment and then ran it through a VCR a few times to make it look degraded, but that makes it look like an off-air recording and really they should’ve just shot it on betacam and presented it in 4:3, giving it an authentic older look while also looking like a professional production, which this obviously is supposed to be. This eventually segues into modern-looking footage anyway, so verisimilitude was already going to be compromised. Sad! 

There’s a brief bit with a drill sergeant type guy who yells at kids until his yelling physically causes them to shape up. In what is presumably meant to be a regular segment of the show, we see him yelling at a pregnant teenager for being pregnant, and he yells at her to stop, which causes her baby bump to deflate like magic. She looks into the camera and stiffly delivers the line “what happened to my baby!” in a slightly whiny tone. My favorite joke in this segment is actually a very brief bit that basically plays in the background during the intro to the segment, where we see different screens showing past installments, including one where he yells at a kid so hard that he turns into a skeleton. This is literally my favorite joke in the entire episode.

The last non-short bit is one where a kid in the audience is about to light a cigarette. Derrick forces him to submit to a science-fiction scenario where he’s to spend the day with two versions of himself from the future: one that starts smoking and one that doesn’t. The smoker is a burly biker-type, and the other is a wet-looking dork wearing a sweater vest. “They both seem pretty cool!” the kid thinks to himself. He more-or-less falls in love with both of them, and doesn’t want to have to choose. Their relationship becomes borderline romantic. The show ends with the teen audience chomping into some sponsored pickles that have white cream inside. 

I have… uh, mixed feelings about this pilot. A lot of this stuff resembles my sense of humor, and a lot of these jokes are pretty funny on paper. But this pilot leaves me wanting more of a, I don’t know… human touch? I don’t know if I can put my finger on it. It’s the same problem I have with Icelandic Ultra Blue, to some extent. A lot of these jokes are funny, but they are just motivated by a feeling of “we are being subversive” and nothing else. It’s just smirky nihilism. I’m not sure what it really boils down to. Why do I love Xavier, Tim and Eric, Eric Andre, Wonder Showzen, etc, but not this? Could it just be that I don’t really like Derrick Beckles? 

I don’t NOT like Derrick Beckles, don’t get me wrong. I guess the other stuff I mentioned involves human beings that I find charismatic. There’s something sorta inhuman and TOO detached about this for me to enjoy it. I once said “this makes Tim and Eric look like it has a heart”. I’m not sure that’s totally accurate, but it comes within spitting distance of me figuring out my feelings for this and why I find it to be a difficult watch. Also: I think the way it’s edited just gives me a headache and there’s little to no grace in some of the absurd editing choices it makes. No grace!!

It has enough moments that I want to like this. The swimsuit beauty queen teen in the rasta wig, playing a Jamaican drug dealer, calling the other girl “ragamuffin”, is a moment that’s been in my head for a while. The on-the-street interview with the scumbags who urges the audience to not hang out with teens and do “wrong shit” with them is pretty great. I think they just needed to make it a tad more appealing in some way.

Actually, I think the “ragamuffin” thing is key. It’s not that funny, really just a bit of silliness, but it’s one of the few things in the show I’d call “pleasing” in that I actually have thought about this moment more than any other moment in the show. It just sounds musical, and is a little fun to try and imitate. Xavier was fairly user-unfriendly, being ugly and sometimes impenetrable with its relentless cascade of angular humor. But it’s so gosh darn fun to do Xavier’s voice. To say Xavier (the character) is likable is a big stretch, but he has a few traits that ARE likable. This just needed a TINY BIT more of that.

Also known as “The Best of Totally for Teens”. The library of congress listing shows this was originally the submitted title, but it was changed some time after to simply “Totally 4 Teens”. “The Best of Totally for Teens” is also the on-screen title. I’m guessing it’s a “best-of” to explain why they are showing the fake 1991 clip with the teen beauty pageant contestants, or why they are showing a real 1987 clip of Riff Raff singing about Disease. 

This debuted on DVD as part of the Adult Swim Pilots disc that was released as part of the Adult Swim in a Box box set, as far as I can tell. IMDB says that it debuted on January 6, 2009, with no mention of where or how. I’m guessing if that date is accurate, it must’ve been shown to a crowd as part of a film festival or comedy show or something. I made a choice to ignore DVD release dates for this blog when selecting a proper chronology only because I didn’t like the idea of reviewing four racist episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force in a row (the ones that came out on the Volume 6 DVD before airing on television). The library of congress lists this date as its debut, as part of the Burger King Big Uber Network Sampler pilot contest. If anyone knows where the January 6, 2009 date comes from, let me know! I like knowing stupid bullshit like that.

The whole thing is on Adult Swim’s official YouTube for free! You should watch it because maybe you’ll like it more than me. But, somehow, I like this better than Duckworth.

Neon Knome > Snake ‘n’ Bacon > Totally 4 Teens > Duckworth > Southies > Yappy Broads > Cheyenne Cinnamon > Soul Quest Overdrive

[shrimplifies]

side profiles are still the bane of my existence

[pillage-and-lute]

Pins and Needles: Part 3

Part 1, Part 2

———- 🌷 🐺 🌷———-

The butter yellow of the awning of the new tattoo shop carried on inside. The color scheme was classy, though. 

During Geralt’s mostly misspent youth, he’d been inside his fare share of tattoo and piercing parlors. He’d never gotten a tattoo, and his piercings had mostly been his own work, but still, the culture seeped in. He had learned to expect a lot of red and black and exposed brickwork. There was nothing wrong with that look, but he considered the interior of Pins and Needles to be much more friendly. 

The walls were a deep blue, denim, if he had to name it, or perhaps Prussian Blue. It was on all the walls, and the ceiling, with the floor in a dark, smooth wood. He wasn’t sure if that was kept from the last shop or was newly installed. The counter was in the same polished, dark wood, so he supposed it was new. All the accents were dandelion yellow, or yellow brass if they were metal. His leg brushed up against a velveteen chair, something of a vintage style, and of course, in that same buttery yellow. 

The waiting area had the chair, a matching loveseat, and a high-backed chaise lounge in a teal color. It had more green to it’s color than the walls, and was in a lighter shade, but it was adjacent to the color of the walls, and a pleasing focal point. Overall, Geralt was impressed. The blue and yellow color scheme could have easily been overdone, but it was masterful, and clearly completed by someone with an eye for color. 

Ciri was delightedly pouring over a piercing display. Geralt was startled to realize he owned the exact display box. It was, in fact, a large glass terrarium, the metal that same shiny brass. The shelves of piercing were cleverly angled and set within the case so that they were all visible. 

“Nice display case, isn’t it?” 

Geralt turned, and there was Jaskier. He had a BB8 coffee mug in his hand, and a shimmery teal shirt unbuttoned low. It framed his sternum and the peaks of color visible through his chest hair and pointing down in a tempting arrow to--

“urk,” Geralt said, choking on his own tongue. 

“Priscilla found it on the side of the road one day, the legs were scuffed to hell and one was missing, but the glass was intact, so she took it back to her house and fixed it up.”

“I have the same one,” Geralt managed, the tips of his ears reddening.

“Oh, as a display case?”

“Um, it’s a terrarium.”

“Is it really?” Jaskier beamed and Geralt felt like he was dying. “I always thought it was a funny shape. It makes such a lovely focal point along that wall though.”

Ciri was beaming as well. “Dad keeps succulents in his. Is Priscilla the lady that does piercings?”

“She is,” Jaskier said, tilting his head so that his hair flopped and Gerald got a better view of his undercut and dangling chain of a cuff piercing on his ear. “Are you in the market for a piercing, miss...”

“Ciri,” she said, sticking her hand out to shake. “And my dad might get a tattoo sometime, but he’s being a baby about it and doesn’t know what he wants.”

Jaskier shook her hand and levelled a devastating grin at Geralt. “Well, some things aren’t to be rushed, but if your dad ever want’s a tattoo, I’ll give him anything he wants.”

Geralt desperately tried to reel his thoughts in from the absolute trainwreck that that statement illicited. Obviously Jaskier was just trying to sell his craft not offer...anything else. 

“Are you taking walk-ins for piercings?” Ciri asked. 

“Absolutely,” Jaskier said, turning and shouting. “Priscilla?” Down the hall of the shop where, presumably, the actuall tattooing and piercing rooms were. 

“YEah?” came the response. 

“Got a consult for you!”

She poked her head out of a room, smiled quickly, popped back in for a second, then emerged. “Hiya, sorry, I was just doing a little sketching, how can I help?”

“I’d like an industrial piercing please,” Ciri said. 

Priscilla tilted her head, eyes squinting slightly as she, apparently, assesed Ciri’s ears. “That’ll suit you well, left or right side?”

“Left.”

“Cool,” she looked to Geralt. “I’m assuming you’re the dad?”

“Uh, yes,” Geralt said, feeling wildly out of his depth. 

“Great, and does she have your permission for the piercing?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, absolutely.”

“Cool,” Priscilla said, digging behind the counter. “I’ve got paper work for both of you, and then we can get this lovely lady poked full of holes.”

Geralt’s stomach flipped over. Despite how many times he had actually stuck a fucking sewing needle through his own ear as a teenager, he couldn’t stand the thought of normal piercing needles. 

“It’s okay, Dad,” Ciri said as they were handed paperwork and pens. “You don’t have to hold my hand or anything, you can wait out here.”

“Great,” Geralt said, looking at the paperwork. Pretty standard stuff, parental release, aftercare papers, all that. He signed quickly and returned the relevant documents, keeping the aftercare instructions. 

“Thanks very much,” Priscilla said, checking for signatures before smiling at Ciri again. “Got any jewelry picked out?” They walked over to the case as Ciri gestured to some. 

Jaskier was looking at Geralt assessingly over the top of his coffee mug. “You know,” he said. “Most dads aren’t this cool about piercings.” He licked a bit of foam off of his lip and Geralt tried very hard to pretend that he hadn’t seen the flash of a tongue piercing. 

“I, uh, I’ve got plenty of bad ones, I’d rather she got her’s done professionally.”

“Bad ones?” Priscilla’s head jerked up. “Can I see?”

Geralt nodded as she was already bustleing over. He brushed the strands of hair that escaped his ponytail back so she could see his ears. 

“Amatur work for sure, although no lasting damage, where’d you get these done?” 

Geralt flushed. “I did them, uhm, way back.”

“Oh god, you didn’t buy one of those cheep piercing guns, did you?” Priscilla asked, poking gently at Geralt’s ear so she could look at the back of the piercings. Jaskier smiled at Geralt’s probably confused expression. 

“No, I used a needle.”

Priscilla pulled back, eyes wide. “A sewing needle?”

Geralt shrugged guiltily.

“Yeah, okay,” she said quickly, turning to Ciri. “Hold out your pinky, you have to make me a promise.”

Ciri’s brow furrowed, but she linked pinky fingers with the excitable piercer. 

“I promise,” Priscilla said, gesturing with her other hand for Ciri to repeat after her.

“I promise,” Ciri said. 

“Not to pierce myself.”

“Not to pierce myself,” Ciri said, smiling.

“No matter what my dad did.”

“No matter what my dad did,” Ciri finished. “I won’t, don’t worry.”

“Good,” Priscilla said, releasing Ciri’s pinky from it’s hold and sending a theatrical shiver of disgust toward Geralt. “A sewing needle, yikes. C’mon kiddo, we’re gonna stick a needle through your ear, and I’ll show you how a real piercer does it.”

She hurried Ciri into the back room, grabbing a couple sealed packages on the way, needle and jewelry, Geralt presumed. 

“Don’t mind Prissy,” Jaskier said. “She’s just very big on piercing safety.”

“No, I agree,” Geralt said. “I was a really stupid kid back then.”

Jaskier smiled and came out from around the counter a bit, leaning against the side, hip jutting in those ungodly tight leather pants. “Ciri seems pretty smart though, does she get it from her mother?”

“Um,” Geralt said, the sight of those long, leather-wrapped legs making his mouth weirdly dry. “I suppose? Her dad was pretty smart, too.”

“Ah, so you’re not her biological dad?” Jaskier said, leaning forward. Geralt wondered for a second if he was fishing, but surely not, pretty tattoo artists didn’t flirt with frumpy guys like him. 

“No, uh, but I’ve been her guardian since she was just a baby so...”Geralt trailed off, unsure how to finish.

“That’s very cute.” Jaskier’s eyes trailed down Geralt, then back up. To his shame, Geralt realized he hadn’t even removed his apron. 

“You know,” Jaskier said, conversationally. “My dad would have never even thought about letting me get a piercing.”

Geralt looked over the form in front of him, piercings in each ear, more than one, even, a nose ring, and that ellusive tongue ring, as well as the colorful tattoos that swarmed over his skin. “That worked out well for him,” he said without thinking, then blushed.

Jaskier, though, laughed, head back, shoulders shaking. “Indeed,” he said at last. “I shrugged off my father’s wishes rather fully, I think.” 

The bell rang as another person entered the shop and Geralt stepped aside as Jaskier went back behind the counter. He sat on the yellow chair and watched Jaskier’s lips--and that hint of silver on his tongue-- as he made the young woman a tattoo appointment. 

Jaskier’s hands, full of rings and swirling ink, were so quick on the computer keys, and when he talked with them, they were so expressive. 

Geralt wanted to hold one. 

Unfortunately, by the time the young woman was gone and Geralt could have possibly had Jaskier’s full attention again, Ciri was all done. Geralt paid, thanked both Jaskier and Priscilla, and went over the care instructions, before he and Ciri crossed the road. 

It felt very much like a retreat. 

———- 🌷 🐺 🌷———-

Tag List!

@jaybeefoxy @sweetiepieplum  @holymotherwolf

[celestialtitania]

A Midnight Shoot

Thanks to @botdennis for helping me come up with an idea for this prompt, I was able to write this fic. Written for Day 6: Midnight of Marichat May. Can also read on AO3. @marichatmay

Chat Noir yawned loudly. He hated solo patrols, they were exhausting and tedious to do. He'd much rather spend time with his Lady, though he had to admit that roaming the streets of Paris was always preferable to sitting home alone.

He checked the time on his baton and winced at the time. It was getting rather late and he had an early morning, having to squeeze in a photoshoot before school. Still, he didn't feel like going home right away.

Deciding to make a quick detour through the park, Chat hopped down from the roof, enjoying the sights from the actual streets of Paris.

He'd just entered the park when he saw the silhouette of another person in the corner of his eye. Fearing it was an akuma, Chat adopted his battle pose only to stop dead when he realized it was a pig-tailed girl holding a sketch pad.

A very familiar pig-tailed girl holding a sketch pad. He retracted his baton and sauntered over to her.

"Yo," he greeted, making her jump out of her seat, her pen going flying. "Woah!" Chat reached over to catch it before it could hit the ground. He straightened and offered it to her.

"Thanks, Chat. What are you doing here?" Marinette asked him with a warm smile.

He frowned at her. "Isn't that what I should be asking, Marinette? It's almost midnight, why are you out here alone?"

She didn't respond, staring at him with a peculiar expression on her face. "Marinette?" Chat tried waving a hand in front of her face and Marinette grabbed it.

"Stand here," she commanded, dragging him to a spot where the moon's light was especially bright. "Perfect," she murmured, scribbling away furiously in her sketchpad.

Every time he tried to question her, Marinette would simply look up with an irritated expression and hush him. Chat wanted to protest, he was a model that worked with photographers, not artists, but he slumped his shoulders, resigned to his fate.

There was clearly no interrupting Marinette when she was in the zone. So much for an early night.

After what felt like hours, but was in fact around 20 mins (a fact he only knew because he'd been constantly checking with his baton, out of sheer boredom), Marinette finally put her pen down.

"Look at this," she exclaimed proudly showing him her completed drawing.

Chat Noir squinted before his eyes widened in surprise. "Is that a Chat Noir-themed jacket?"

"Sort of," Marinette admitted. "It's a new commission for Jagged Stone. I've been trying to figure out a way to work with the leather and since I've never worked with leather before, I was completely lost. I think I had been staring at my blank sketchpad for hours before you showed up. Somehow, against all odds, when I saw you here with the moonlight shining on your leather suit, inspiration just hit," she mimed an explosion with her fingers.

"Look where it's light? I'm planning on having white sequins there on top of the black leather to mimic the effects of the moonlight."

"Woah, that's so detailed. If you can make it work that would be amazing and you could change the colour of sequins to try for different effects," Chat inferred. Even his Father rarely attempted projects like that, there was just too much of a chance for things to go wrong.

Her expression turned sheepish. "Sorry for commandeering you like that," Marinette apologized.

"It's fine! That jacket looks so awesome, Marinette. Jagged Stone is going to love it," Chat gushed, waving away any of her concerns. Sure, he hadn't enjoyed standing there as a model for her, but knowing he had a hand in helping her create something that cool? It more than made up for it.

"I'm pretty clawsome, seeing as you got so inspired by just the sight of me standing around," Chat joked, enjoying the way Marinette grinned at him even as she rolled her eyes at his punning.

"Yeah, I suppose you are," she admitted softly, a pinkish hue covering her cheeks. Chat tried his best to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat at her words, in favor of frowning at her in disapproval.

"Princess, I understand you needed inspiration but do you have any idea what time it is right now?"

Marinette blinked at him before scrambling for her phone. She shrieked when she saw how late it was. "It's a minute to midnight! How did I end up staying out so late?" She groaned.

"I guess what they say is true. When you're in the zone, time just flies by," Chat Noir shrugged,

"This is a disaster. If my parents hear me coming in this late, I'll be grounded forever," Marinette wailed. She pulled on her hair, clearly trying to find a way out of this mess.

"How about a lift?" Chat offered, a small smile on his lips. Marinette really was adorable for worrying like that.

She looked up at him from the crouch she had ended up in while panicking. "Really?" She squeaked.

Doing his best to repress memories of Multimouse, Chat nodded. He extended his hand to her. "Shall we, Princess?"

Hesitantly, she put her hand in his, his grip tightening around hers instantly. Pulling her closer to him, he looped her arm around his neck before wrapping his arm around her waist. Giving her a smile, he extended his baton, and then they were towering into the sky.

A few jumps later, Chat was safely depositing Marinette onto her balcony. "There you are," he sighed, perching on her balcony railing.

"Thanks, Chat," Marinette smiled at him. "Would you like a croissant for the road?"

"Would I?" Chat's eyes sparkled. He would never turn down a Dupain-Cheng treat if he could help it. She grinned at him, briefly disappearing into her bedroom before coming back with a bag of goodies.

"Croissant and passion fruit macaron for good luck," she chirped. "Have a good night, Chat Noir," she smiled sweetly at him.

Taking the bag from her, Chat gave her a mock salute before heading home, this time with a light heart.

[babyloposts]

RoseBud

My Hero Academia Gang AU

Pairing(s): Sero Hanta x fem!reader

Warnings: language, drug use, explicit content, sexual themes, gang imagery, violence

Summary: a simple crush on a guy quickly turns south as you become wrapped up in an unsafe life of lies, drugs, and violence. What happens when you become a key player in a war between to rival gangs and have to deal with a complicated love life all at the same time.

—————————————————

0.4

The tattoo shop was small and almost unnoticeable if it weren’t for the glowing neon sign in the window that read “Fuck Off!”. That sure is welcoming. Sero glanced at you, his signature smirk plastered on his face as you approached the shop.

“Tattoo shop?” You quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Figured you should get something you like, and will remember.” Sero chuckled and continued his walk to the back of the shop. It was cozy and surprisingly quiet. Not much business tonight even though it was the start of the weekend. You weren’t complaining though, it’d be nice to get some alone time with Sero.

You both neared a back room that was separated from the rest of the shop by beads that hung from the door frame.

“Is... anybody here?” You asked your guide hesitantly. He smiled at you and winked before going to another door behind the partition and banging on it hard.

“JESUS FUCKING-” You heard a voice yell from behind the door. Startled by the abrupt opening of the door, you stepped back a bit as a pink head popped from behind the wooden door. “Bakugou I swear if-” She began, but was cut off when she saw Sero’s smiling face.

“Not Bakugou. Better.” He chided and she came fully out of the back room. You were able to take in her appearance fully. She had short pink hair pulled up into a messy bun displaying her overgrown undercut. She was wearing a low cut tank top that showed off the top of her lace bra and tattoos that littered her skin underneath. And she was clothed from waist down in comfy oversized sweatpants and Nike slides. Lowkey she had looked like she just woke up or something, but her striking features and pierced skin was a beautiful contrast.

“Hanta? The fuck you doing here without the Creep Squad?” She laughed and pulled him in for a quick hug.

“‘Sup Hatsume. And it’s just me today. I was reprieved from my duties a bit early and decided to stop by. I hope I’m not, uh, bothering you?” He looked her up and down and she placed her hands on her hips and smirked.

“Never. Out of all of the hoodlums I deal with you’re probably my favorite. Well, aside from Izu~” she gushed before finally turning her attention towards you, giving you a once over. “And who’s this?”

“This is y/n. She wants to get a tattoo so I thought I’d bring her to the best damn tattoo artist I know.”

“Hanta please. Don’t flatter me. Especially before you tell me what you want.” Her gaze suddenly turned cold and was staring daggers into the tall man. He put his hands up in protest.

“I promise it’s nothing out of the ordinary, usual stuff. But really, she wants to get inked. You free?”

Mei sighed. “Of course I’m free.” She threw her hands up in the air and stomped off toward the main area of the shop leaving you and Sero a few paces behind her.

“I know how she seems, but don’t worry. I trust Hatsume to do all of my ink even though she is a bit... theatrical. Second only to Mina of course.”

You laugh and nod. “Yeah it must be the pink hair or something.” You quip as you make your way to the main area where Mei is already putting on some gloves and prepping her work station.

“So do you know what you want to get done?” Mei raises her brow at you questioningly. In all honesty you hadn’t thought about it. You never explicitly told Sero that you wanted to get a tattoo. He just volunteered you for it, but you weren’t gonna decline. It would be nice to get some ink that you could look at and love.

“I don’t know. I’m still kind of deciding.” You chuckled nervously, embarrassed at the fact that you didn’t have an answer for her. This seemed to annoy Hatsume more than she already was, but she didn’t let it show in her voice.

“Okay...” she trailed off and swiveled in her chair to reach for a photo album tucked beneath her work station. It looked like it had started collecting dust. “Well you can look through my portfolio, let me know if you see something you like. Or you can suggest something and I can freehand.” She smirked suggestively. You hoped that freehand didn’t mean she would do anything obscene.

You flipped through the book looking closely at some of the designs. Hatsume’s work was beautiful, but that was evident from seeing Sero’s tattoos. The designs were all nice, but none of them really spoke to you. You sighed quietly under your breath and paused on a page that had some flower designs on it. Your breath hitched as you felt a presence over your shoulder. Sero was behind you looking at the flower on the page you had stopped on.

“That’s nice.” He smiled, “it wouldn’t suit you though. Roses are definitely your flower.” He suggested and went to sit down at the waiting area towards the front of the shop.

Roses you thought. You already had a rose tattoo, and it’s not like you didn’t like it, but you wish you hadn’t gotten it when you did. Maybe if you got another one now, you could start to appreciate the flower as you once did.

“A rose?” Hatsume smirked at you. “Very romantic flower. I think it’d suit you.” She looked hopeful and you nodded. She smiled to herself and began to sketch out an idea.

“Ooh!” She squealed. “And I have the perfect idea. Do you know where you want your tattoo to go?” You shook your head solemnly. Again, you hadn’t really thought about it. You thought Hatsume would have been annoyed, but she looked ecstatic. “Perfect I know just the place. I’ve always wanted to do a cutesy underboob tattoo.”

Underboob? That seemed a little out of your comfort zone, but to be fair this whole situation was out of your comfort zone. You out with a guy? Unheard of to the masses.

Reluctantly you agreed and Hatsume took you back behind the beaded-off area.

“You can take your top off back here and go in that room. I’ll go get my stuff, okay?” She happily skipped back out to retrieve her tattoo gun and you followed her instructions to strip.

The room was small and the warm toned walls were barren yet inviting. You got up on the table that you vaguely remember laying on a few years back and positioned yourself so Mei had easy access to stick you.

Hatsume barged into the small room, startling you. Quickly you scrambled to use your hands to cover yourself, but clearly she had already seen.

“Girl, don’t be shy. Just think of me as your doctor. It’s a no judgement zone in here.” She reassured you and you calmed down from the mini heart attack you just had. “Plus your boobs are super nice. My A Cups could never.” She whined eliciting a laugh from you. Hatsume turned out to be pretty cool.

Once she was all set up and you were numb and had the design was applied your anxiety was quelled by the overwhelming feeling of pain that you almost forgot.

“Damn I forgot how much this shit hurt.” You laughed in an effort to not tear up. “Makes sense that I was black out drunk the last time.” Hatsume laughed as she continued the process trying to be as gentle as she possibly could (not much change was made, but it’s the thought that counts).

Hatsume had begun the finishing touches and clean up details when you started to hear a bit of commotion outside. You could hear two distinct voices aside from Sero’s coming from the front of the store. It sounded like yelling and it quickly approached you. Hatsume seemed unbothered by it until an angry figure popped its head into the doorway of the “private” room.

“Hatsume!” A buff blond guy yelled as he entered. It took everything in Mei to not accidentally stick you with the gun.

“Bakugou what the fuck!?” Hatsume yelled and whipped her head around. “Do you not understand the concept of a private room?”

“Hatsume I’m not in the mood. I just spent the last half hour getting yelled at for Sero up and leaving without telling anyone and I have to do his little chores now. So give me what Hawks wants so I can get the fuck out of here.” The blond man rants and raves all the while you’re just kind of sitting there trying to cover your tits from the glaring eyes of the crabby intruder.

When his gaze met yours his eyes went wide. You didn’t know what he was expecting to find Hatsume doing back here, but tattooing a half naked girl probably wasn’t it. His eyes snapped back to Hatsume and the malicious glare came back as if he wasn’t phased at all.

“Don’t come in here fucking yelling at me to get you something. One I’m with a client and two I’m doing Hawks favor with all this so don’t demand shit from me. You’ll get it when I’m done.” She seethed, her words laced with venom. She was clearly not a fan of Blondie over here.

At the commotion you heard another set of footsteps approaching quickly. Just great.

“Bakugou calm down.” A taller redhead popped into your view trying to get the angry man from berating the woman who was supposed to be dressing your wound. When he made eye contact with you his whole face lit up red as hell and he quickly turned away to spare you whatever dignity you had left. “Uh... j-just let her finish man.”

“No fucking way. I wasn’t even supposed to be working today, but fucking IcyHot bailed and I just had to chase Tape Face around the whole fucking world. I’m ready to get my shit and go.”

“You do know that this is my business, right? I have an obligation to my clients. Not Hawks, you, or any other goons that try and threaten me. So you will wait.” Hatsume seethed. This set Bakugou off. His large hand came down to grip Mei’s upper arm and pull her in close. His eyes spoke only violence and Hatsume’s an intense fear. This guy was not to be played with. If he was this bad you couldn’t imagine what this Hawks guy was like.

Bakugou was fixing his mouth to spew out another threat, but before he could finish you were already interjecting. “I can wait!” You catch everyone’s attention again; although rather embarrassing.

“What?” Bakugou glares now at you, his stare burning into your skin.

“I said I can wait. Go ahead and do what you need to do Hatsume. No need to cause trouble.” Hatsume’s eyes soften and she shakes out of Bakugou’s death grip.

“Fine.” She sighs and stalks off to the back room she had started in earlier that night. “Bring the car around back. I got everything ready for you.”

Bakugou nodded and he and Red exited out the way they had came in.

Finally you felt like you could breath again. There were no longer so many eyes on you and the tension within the room finally dissipated. This definitely wasn’t how you expected your first date with Sero to go.

A/N: I’m backkk. Had a bit of writers block and I was away visiting family last weekend but I had a free day today and got lots of good ideas about the story while writing this. So yeah ALSO I know in the show Hatsume has big boobs, but everyone has big boobs in My Hero so lemme change it up a bit 😩😩 anyways I hope you guys enjoyed and uploads should start becoming more frequent (I hope :))

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Masterlist

[mythicamagic]

Please write the second-to-last prompt!

*cough* I’ll put this one under a ‘read more’ because it’s a tad too long. And involves nakedness- and we all know how tumblr feels about that. M rated with no actual naughty business.

“it’s because i’m so attractive isn’t it?” “i say this. and i cannot stress this enough. i find you completely repulsive.” 

---

Sesshoumaru arched a brow, torn between amusement, befuddlement, indignation, flattery and satisfaction. 

It was a confusing mix. 

Kagome stared up at him, cheeks stained crimson and hands planted on her hips. It was not the appropriate expression for one asking another for a favour. 

Thin lips parted, before his mouth clicked shut. He blinked once, tipping his head to the side. 

“You wish to…”

“Draw you,” she confirmed stiffly. 

“Naked.”

“It’s called ‘Life Drawing’ and I need it for my college class. You’d...really be helping me out, okay?”

Sesshoumaru hummed, gaze sweeping over her critically. He’d never seen one of her pictures, and wondered if her skills could do him justice. “And you chose this one to be your subject?” he arched a brow, confidence radiating off him in waves. “It is because I am so attractive, is it not?”

Kagome made a noise, bursting into a laugh and waving this off. “I say this, and I cannot stress this enough; I find you completely repulsive.” 

The teasing dance of her eyes told him she was joking. He huffed, finding the mere idea ludicious. None could find him repulsive. 

“Look the reason I’m asking you is because it would be awkward with anyone else. I’m not dating anyone- and Inuyasha is out on account of him being my ex. Miroku is married. You’re the only available person who is kinda, sorta my friend. My last resort is asking a random villager if they’ll strip for me,” she sighed. “I’ve sat in on classes, I’ve tried using books for reference poses- but nothing works! My teacher always says they come off as stiff looking and the uh...the…”

Sesshoumaru watched her steadily turn redder, unblinking.

Kagome glanced around the empty hillside with paranoia, whispering the next part; “the penis…” she blushed, seeming to die inside, “always looks...uh...inaccurate, apparently.”

Mirth coloured his blank, guarded expression. He glanced at her waiting bag beside the tree. “Show me.”

“What?! No! No one will ever see those sketches! Ever! I’m gonna burn them!”

The Daiyoukai glanced away, arranging his features into something haughty and disinterested. “Then you will not sketch my body.”

Kagome gaped, groaning and burying her crimson face in her hands. “Urgh!” 

To be fair to her skills; the men in her sketches held fairly accurate physiques. Nice bone structure; and a softness about their faces and dark shading that portrayed a moody tone, longing for something he couldn’t name. She’d even captured hands and feet remarkably well, something he knew most artists struggled with. 

But then, inevitably, golden eyes strayed downward from their torsos. 

“A-are they bad?” Kagome peered over his shoulder as Sesshoumaru sat, perusing her sketchbook. 

He closed the book with a sharp noise of finality. “This is grave indeed.”

“I knew it,” she whined, wallowing in sadness. 

Sesshoumaru’s nose twitched as he stood, passing the sketchbook back to her. “...You may capture my likeness.”

Her breath hitched, and relief immediately swamped her features. “I- thank you,” Kagome breathed, easing closer to him. “Thank you so much!”

“Hn,” inwardly preening and thinking that all beings should thank him for the generous sight of his naked form, Sesshoumaru set the date for their ‘meeting,’ inviting her to the Western Stronghold in two days' time. 

---

They greeted each other easily enough on the actual day, Kagome being let into his private chambers with many a raised brow from his servants. 

Sesshoumaru slid the door shut to conceal their ‘activity’ away from prying eyes, though he had no shame in his bare form. Merely, he sensed the miko’s nervousness and did not wish her concentration to be broken. 

After stripping easily enough, shedding the finery of his clothes, Sesshoumaru stopped before her seated position at a respectable distance. 

“Where do you want me?”

Kagome made a strangled noise, having looked up from her sketchbook. Blue eyes immediately locked onto the area between his thighs. 

“Uh-! I um-” she stammered, attention flitting around the room like she were following a game of ping pong. “Standing is fine!” Kagome squeaked, turning scarlet as she motioned with her hand, “m-maybe just b-backup a little.”

Nodding primly, Sesshoumaru concealed his smirk, stepping away and waiting as her embarrassment slowly abated. Her bright gaze running over lithe, pale muscles couldn’t quite hide her curiosity; her hunger. Kagome pursed full lips and sketched a standing pose, before instructing him to instead sit down upon his bed of furs and busy himself with something. Sesshoumaru decided to read. 

Keen, pointed ears caught every glide and sharp drag of lead on paper- every indrawn breath and hiss through clenched teeth.

After a little while, she sighed. 

“You keep avoiding it,” Sesshoumaru hazarded a guess. 

“I totally do,” Kagome groaned, staring miserably at the sketches, “right now you’re sexless. There’s a blank space where genitals are supposed to go.” 

Golden eyes flitted up to her. “You are too tense. Come here.”

“W-what?”

“The bed is comfortable,” he clarified, tone becoming flat and business-like as he minded some silver hair back over one broad shoulder. “I refuse to be drawn inaccurately.”

Nodding, she swallowed and gathered her things, awkwardly padding over. A plume of repressed desire followed her like a cloud of smog. Clearly she was trying to remain professional and judging by the guilt mingling with it; felt ashamed by any natural reaction to his person. 

Naked bodies were not inherently sexual things. They were just...bodies. But he felt no annoyance with Kagome for her attraction. Quite the contrary. She’d been acting like this for months with a cycle of repression. This ‘study’ had been a golden opportunity. 

Kagome sat before him and took a long breath, forcing herself to look at his lap. 

His cock twitched. 

Making a thin noise, she blushed and directed her gaze firmly to the paper, scribbling away furiously. 

Sesshoumaru’s fangs caressed his bottom lip in a sensual brush, sighing. A spike of his own arousal had more obvious effects on his person. He couldn’t conceal it like her- and Kagome’s intense attention only had him hardening quicker. 

“Ah-” Kagome gaped, losing her voice. She cleared her throat, staring. Unbidden, she wet her lips, blue eyes flitting up to meet dark, golden hues steadily dyeing passionate red. “We- we can stop...until it goes back to normal?” she suggested thinly.

“Did you not require extensive research on this particular part of me, miko?” he purred silkily. “Perhaps sketching it in various states would be to your advantage.”

“I-I guess that’s true,” Kagome swallowed, shyly glancing at it and then meeting his gaze again. “Maybe…”

“Maybe?”

“I could…”

Sesshoumaru leaned closer, the cool air feeling too keen on his heated skin. Her breathy voice made goosebumps rise over pale flesh. “Yes?” he asked in a hushed tone.

Kagome looked at him again, silently seeking consent. Barely imagining it was possible he could reciprocate. But she did not know; had not come to learn the patience that wild, predatory beasts possessed. He’d bided his time so long his waiting looked like indifference on the outside.

Taking a short, quick drawn breath, Kagome bridged the distance between them. She learned the full scope of Sesshoumaru’s anatomy intimately well that night- and continued her studies for many nights after.

---

The feedback Kagome gained back from her life drawing was ‘good use of shading and muscle definition, an impressive level of detail. Improvement on discussed anatomy - but a tad too unrealistic in size.’

[giant-sketches]

A Place to Belong

Finally have a nice Short Sides story done for you all to enjoy! This one has been on the back burner for a long time. I believe the prompt for this one came from @iggyalfi2319 like forever ago. XD Disclaimer: Crying/Fighting/Panic

This story includes 2 sketches

Word Count: 2392

Patton was never born to be a warrior. He was big yes, but more of a big sweetheart on the inside. Instead of fighting like the other giants he enjoyed his time outside with the flowers and animals. Violence simply wasn’t part of his inner nature, therefore, he was exiled from his homeland and sent to wonder. Patton didn’t mind though as every new place he explored was an adventure, however it was a lonely one.

A month passed without encountering a single soul, which might be for the best as Pat stood at a towering 200 feet tall. If anyone did see him they would most likely flee in fear. That would be so heartbreaking to witness! Yet, destiny seemed to have other plans when Patton did in fact run into a village that was almost completely secluded inside the forest he had currently been traversing. He hid himself in the shrubbery to watch the tiny people going about their day.

“Oh wow. Look at all of them!” Patton had never seen humans before. His eyes were filled with wonder. However, the shout of a guard who had spotted him through the thicket threw him into a full blown panic! “GIANT!!!”

Oh no! The surprised giant fled for his life, trying his best to not cause the ground to shake. Sure, he was in no real danger, the humans were much smaller than him; however, he didn’t wish to scare them by staying. Eventually, he came to a fluorescent cave, big enough to house him as he caught his breath. I haven’t been followed right? He looked around and sighed after confirming there was no one but him and the flora. What was he to do now though? Patton laid down, curling up on the cool cavern floor whimpering. Those humans looked so scared, even though he was just watching.

His heart ached at the creeping realization that there truly was nowhere he belonged in this world. “Why was I born like this? It’s not fair! I just wanted to be friends and help if I could.” He began to softly sob, unaware that he was being tracked by a mysterious hooded figure.

“He’s taken shelter here it seems.” The skulking figure glided his way into the cavern, not making a sound as the sound of sobbing echoed off the walls. Gingerly, he peeked out from one of the tunnel entrances and saw the giant he had been following on the floor in tears. It was...uncomfortable. Should he reveal himself now, or let the giant get it all out first. The mysterious man was not good with socializing, but he needed to be brave. Taking in a deep breath he took a step out of the shadows and spoke, “H-hello.”

His voice was no louder than a whisper, however Patton heard him clearly as he twisted his body up to a sitting position. The weeping giant stared at the figure, curious as to why they had revealed themselves, but also fearful of their intent. Was this a human from the village? Why were they here and how? Had he been followed and were there more hidden? Pat curled up a bit trying to look smaller, despite his enormous size.

“Ah, wait, i-it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you a-and it’s just me. I promise.” The figure raised his hands to show he was unarmed and took a few steps closer.

“Why are you here then? I-I didn’t mean any harm to the village or the people living there, I swear! I-I just wanted...I didn’t want to be alone any more.” Patton cried out as he pressed his knees to his chest and hugged them.

“I know. With your size you could have done whatever you wanted to us, but instead you ran away. You’re not like other giants are you?”

Patton nodded, starting to calm down and wipe his tears away. “I...I don’t want to hurt others. I just want to help and find some place I can live in peace. So please, please don’t be scared.” He whimpered into his hands.

The hooded figure, now close enough to rest his hand on Pat’s leg. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not scared. If I was I wouldn’t have followed you here and revealed myself.” Patton giggled a bit, “I suppose that’s true. Still, why are you here little one?” “I wanted to talk to you. I’m also...different.” “Different?” The man hesitated for a moment, but then lowered his hood to reveal a pair of pointed ears, along with his unusual purple locks. Patton’s eyes went wide with how beautiful the stranger was and blushed. “You...are you a half-breed?”

“Yeah, I’m a half-elf to be exact. My appearance is a mix of both and so I’m seen as abnormal among my fellow humans. They aren’t bad people, they just aren’t very open-minded sadly. Usually, I can get by with just wearing this hood to hide my features, but the thing they really can’t stand is my use of mag-”

“YOU CAN USE MAGIC!?” Suddenly, the man had been picked up by Patton and brought closer to his face. Pat, all the while with sparkles in his eyes. The stranger smiled as he made an orb of light appear and float around him. It was the most amazing thing the lonely giant had ever seen. “Wow.”

“I’m Virgil by the way.” “What? Oh you’re name! You can call me Patton.” Virgil blushed, this was nice. Being appreciated for his talent for once.

“It’s nice to meet you Virgil. Thank you for coming here and talking to me. I feel a lot better now.”

“I’m glad. You don’t deserve to be alone like this. I of all people know what that feels like.” His eyes lowered in melancholy thoughts of the past.

A past of losing his parents in the fire, being ostracized by the village, and having to hide his true self. It was painful and many times he thought of running away, but where could he go? Just then Virgil felt a large and soft surface pressed up against him. It was Patton’s finger rubbing up against his side to comfort him. “I can tell you’ve had a hard time, being different from everyone around you.” He went silent in his thoughts, gazing between Virgil in his hands and his current surroundings. “Y-you’re not scared right?” Virgil chuckled, “You’re asking me that now?” “I...just need to be sure.” Patton blushed, feeling embarrassed and closing his eyes. That’s when the sensation of tiny hands wrapping around his thumb made him focus. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave unless you want me to.” Pat’s face must have turned into a tomato as he simply nodded and gently brought his new little friend to his chest for what could only be interpreted as a hug. “Thank you.”

Patton was warm, like really warm as Virgil snuggled into his shirt a bit. The moment was pure bliss as the two felt so at home with one another. Yet, events outside were now coming to end their tender moment together. A large shockwave rumbled from above them.

“W-what was that?!” Pat exclaimed, now guarding Virgil in his hands and crawling out of the cave to take a look. “I don’t know. Do you see anything?” He looked around quickly and froze at what he saw. “The village! It’s being attacked by a dragon!” “WHAT?! Are you kidding me? What is a dragon doing all the way out here?” “I-I don’t know, but we need to do something. There’s no way they have anyone strong enough to fend it off.” “Can you fend it off?” Patton wasn’t sure really. Again, his combat experience was miniscule, but he was still a giant. Even though the dragon was big, he was bigger! “I can try, will you help me?” Virgil smiled, “Of course Patton. What do you need?” What did he need? “Buffs, can you cast any buffs on me?” The tiny sorcerer did know a few spells for buffing, but there was one he found when exploring an abandoned house a long time ago that might be just what they needed right now. “Yeah! You go get it’s attention and all start casting. Drop me off at that cliffside real quick. I have to be able to see you to cast it.” “Alright!”

With a plan in motion, Virgil was left to draw out the casting circle as he watched Patton tackle the monster away from the village, slamming it into the foot of the mountain. He had a good 50 feet on the beast, but the difference in height didn’t scare it away. It could sense how much of an amateur Pat was as it lunged to take a bite. Luckily, Patton was quite agile and could dodge the attacks, for now at least. Each second was a battle of survival. The friendly giant calling out to the cowering people to get to higher ground and keep in groups as they made their way into the forest to hide. Not too far where they couldn’t still watch to see who would be the victor though.

“The circles done! Now to start the chant.” Virgil took his position in the center of the circle and began casting. “Nascuntur, crescunt maior quam. Imbui possent immensa” Three times he said this as a light glow began to cover Patton’s body.

It tingled as he felt more and more power enter into him. It wasn’t long until he noticed he was growing bigger and bigger. He gave a heavy gasp when it was all done and his body relaxed. Patton felt stronger now! Quickly, he looked around to find the dragon...but it was gone?

“Below you!” Came a familiar voice. It was Virgil! What did he mean by below though?

Curious, Pat looked down to find a now very tiny dragon quivering at his feet. What in the world!? Freaked out, Patton tripped over himself and landed on the mountain, taking out half of it with his now enlarged body. He was HUGE! “What? What happened to me?!” He was scared and confused.

“Patton! It’s okay, it’s just the spell. It increased your size and strength by ten fold.” TEN FOLD?!?! Wait...that meant he was ten times his usual size. He gulped, “Then, d-doesn’t that mean I’m now 2000 feet tall?” Virgil went silent, but nodded. Oh boy. Patton turned his attention to the dragon once more. The poor thing was now too terrified to even move. “You poor thing. Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” It was strange looking at the creature in a tender manner now after that fierce battle.

The dragon titled it’s head, but could tell Pat didn’t mean any harm as it bounced up his body and started nuzzling into his neck like a kitten. It was adorable! Still, what was he going to do now? This spell wasn’t permanent was it? In his worrying, the titan hadn’t even noticed the village people returning and coming over to him. Virgil did though, as he hurried over using some wind magic to help him glide down. He landed perfectly on Patton’s knee and took a moment to take the giant’s new size all in. He truly was enormous!

Pat felt something land on him as he looked up to see Virgil sitting on him. “Virgil! Are you alright? I know doing high level spells can tire someone out.” His concern was really cute. “Yeah, I’m alright, but what about you?” “Well...I defeated the dragon, or more so made it my pet I guess.” He giggled, though still uneasy. “Virgil, um, this isn’t permanent is it?”

There was the question he was waiting on, but really didn’t want to answer. “Yes and no. There is a reversal spell, I just don’t know it.” Virgil mumbled out sheepishly. Meanwhile, Patton’s blood ran cold as images of his new reality flashed before his mind. A monster beyond belief! He started to shake and choke on his sobs. In a panic Virgil slid down the giant’s pant leg and started climbing up his shirt.

  “Pat, no, please don’t cry. It’s going to be okay I promise. I’m so sorry I did this to you!” He pleaded constantly as he climbed. Patton hiccupped as he wiped his eyes to see his tiny friend’s frantic face. “It’s not your fault. You were just doing what I asked.” 

Gently, he pinched Virgil up and placed him on the bridge of his nose. “At least you’re still here with me Virgil. I’m so afraid of never being welcomed anywhere because of my size, but at least I have one person who accepts me.” “That’s right. No matter what size you are, I know you’re a very kind and warm person Patton.”

 Virgil leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Patton and began rubbing the bridge of the nose to soothe the giant. Pat blushed and let himself enjoy Virgil’s touch. Then more tiny hands reached out towards him. It was the villagers, petting his hand. “Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!” “We would have died without your help!” “You’re not hurt anywhere right?” “We’re so sorry for chasing you away before.”

Continued praise and concern left their mouths as they kissed his hand and rubbed it in circling motions. Patton was stunned that they had all come so close to him and even more thanked him for his help. “You all...y-you’re not afraid of me? Even though I’m so much bigger than before?” “Of course not! You're our savior along with Virgil. We know now you never meant us any harm and we apologize greatly for our poor behavior towards you.” “Same with you Virgil. We realize how we’ve been treating you for the past years was unacceptable. Could we start again?”

Virgil huffed a bit, but floated down nonetheless. He looked at the people and their worried faces, but then extended a hand out to them. “If you’re willing to change and accept us both, I suppose I can’t say no.” The villagers rejoiced! They sang and cheered for their heroes! Finally, after his long journey, Patton had somewhere he belonged and someone who loved him.

The End

@thought-u-said-dragon-queen @sanderssidestrash27 @nomynameisanon @crystalk17 @notkolaidoscop 

[yesmooshoe]

6) (i) from the AU list for ironhusbands? 👀💖

You’ve got a date tonight and you asked for advice on what to wear but I’m so in love with you and damn you look good in the outfit I picked out for you.

“Rhodey Rhodey Rhodey! I need help!” Tony cried out as he burst through the front door of their drafty apartment.

Rhodey’s head shot up to look at him, but he didn’t move from the nest he’d created on their couch. He was wrapped in several blankets with a few large stacks of books and notebooks surrounding him. Mid-Terms started next week, and he had a lot of material to get through.

As Tony stumbled over some of Rhodey’s books on his way into the living room, he finally noticed all of the shopping bags that Tony was carrying.

“Did you get a haircut?” Rhodey asked, seeing that his friend’s usually unkempt hair was freshly trimmed and styled.

“Yeah, and I got a bunch of new clothes. I have a date! An actual date! And all of my clothes are trash and I’ve got no idea what to wear so I went to the mall and just like bought everything that looked cool because I just really want her to think I’m cool.” Tony rambled as he dropped the bags to the floor and started tearing through them.

“Wait, hold up. You have a what?”

“A date!” Tony said with a big smile.

“With who?” Rhodey asked as he closed his book, realizing that this was going to be a thing. Tony didn’t date. If he wasn’t at the apartment he was either at class or in the robotics lab, and he didn’t really have any other friends.

Until this year, at least. Tony was 17 and finally the same age as some of his fellow classmates, so Rhodey had noticed him being a bit more social. Still, Rhodey felt very protective, and while he’d never admit it out loud, he kind of missed having Tony all to himself.

“Uh, Amy Lin? She’s a freshman! And she’s on the robotics team and she’s just super cool and smart and we were sitting outside today and she was like 'hey do you want to go out sometime?' and I was like 'what do you mean, we're already outside.' and then she laughed and was like 'no like...go out. On a date.' and I just felt like such an idiot and I didn't know what to say but eventually I managed to say yes I think and well now we're going on a date! And I have no idea what to wear, you gotta help me. Everything I own is ripped or has burn holes from welding or is covered in grease and who knows what else and I just want to look good."

Rhodey resisted the urge to tell him that he'd look good in a paper bag, and did his best to swallow his own jealousy before he started helping him look through the bags.

The crush on Tony was very new. 

Two years ago Tony had just been this quiet, nerdy kid who didn't know how to do his own laundry and was afraid of his own shadow. This year though? This year he was just different. Over the Summer he'd grown a few more inches, gotten his braces off, discovered contact lenses, and overall just came off as more mature and confident. Rhodey's jaw had literally dropped when he saw him for the first time at the beginning of the semester, and ever since then he'd been struggling with a lot of feelings.

"Uhh, ok. Well first of all, where are you going?" Rhodey asked as he pulled out item after item, which ranged from a leather jacket to a tuxedo, so he wasn't sure what the vibe was going to be.

"Bowling."

Rhodey just laughed. "You bought a brand new tuxedo to go bowling? Is that what you rich white people do?"

"I...I mean, I don't know. She mentioned maybe getting dinner at one point and I think I just panicked like what if she wanted to go somewhere fancy instead of bowling and all of a sudden and I just started grabbing everything I could possibly need." Tony explained, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Dude, take a deep breath. It's going to be ok."

"I know I just...I want to do everything right. I want her to like me, ya know?"

"She will! She already does. She asked you out, didn't she?"

"Yeah but...I don't know. I don't know what to do. I'm just not used to this. People liking me. I’ve always been so much younger than everyone at school and no one ever talked to me and I always just feel like I missed out on learning how to be a normal teenager. I don’t know how to date." Tony admitted, being way more candid about his feelings than Rhodey was used to.

"You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Just go out and have fun. Be yourself."

"I’m just afraid she’s going to see what a huge nerd I am and change her mind."

“You guys are on the robotics team. You’re both nerds. It’ll be fine.

“I just - 

“Tony.” Rhodey Interrupted. He hated when Tony got like this, and something in him just snapped. “Stop being so down on yourself. You’re funny and smart and sweet and you tell great stories and you’re so enthusiastic about your work and about learning new things so that you can change the world. You’re incredible. And I’m sorry that no one in your life has ever told you that before, but it’s all true and if she sees what I see then...then she’ll love you, ok?”

Tony was just staring at him like a deer in headlights, and Rhodey immediately knew that he’d said way too much. He just hated when Tony got like this, and he wanted him to just see how great he actually was. 

“Rhodey I…” Tony started, clearly unsure of what to say in response to that, and Rhodey’s stomach just dropped. Had he completely fucked this up? Had he made everything weird? There was nothing weird about telling your friend that you love him, right? Even if you did happen to have a huge crush on that friend? 

They were both silent for what felt like forever, though in reality it was only a few seconds.

“You’ll be fine. Anyway. So when is this date?”

Tony glanced down at his watch. “I’m supposed to meet her in 45 minutes.”

“Well, then we’d better get to work.” Rhodey said as he stood up and grabbed an armload of clothes.

They made quick work of it, just putting Tony in jeans, a red t-shirt, the leather jacket, and a fresh pair of Chuck Taylors. They were a little quiet at first, but soon they found their way back to the joking and teasing they were used to. As Tony stood in the hallway trying to fix his hair the way the lady at the hair salon had told him too, Rhodey just stood back and admired his work. There was nothing spectacular about the clothes, but they were new and clean and fit him well. And the leather jacket was driving Rhodey crazy. As he watched Tony from behind, he wanted nothing more than to grab him, pin him against the wall, and have his way with him.

There were a million reasons why he shouldn’t do that, especially since he was literally about to leave to go on a date with someone else. With a girl.

“How do I look?” Tony asked, spinning around and giving him a big smile.

“Great.” Rhodey replied simply, resisting the urge to say hot. He didn’t want to make anything else weird.

Tony seemed unsure, but looked at his watch again and took a deep breath. “Right. Well, I gotta go. Thank you. For everything. Don’t study too hard, all right?” He said with a little smile before taking one more look at himself in the mirror and then heading out.

Rhodey tried to focus on studying after that, but he just couldn’t. He was jealous, he was embarrassed, and most of all he was horny. He took care of the latter problem a few minutes after Tony left, but after that he just laid on his bed and started at a crack in the ceiling while a million thoughts raced through his head.

This crush on Tony was stupid. Tony obviously wasn’t gay, right? And being gay in the Air Force sounded like a not-so-great idea anyway, so Rhodey really had to work on resisting these crushes if he ever wanted the chance to fly. Still, he couldn’t get that image of Tony in the leather jacket out of his mind, nor could he get over how jealous he felt. 

He figured that the best way to get over it was to distract himself, so he got up, took a cold shower, ate some dinner, and settled in back on the couch to watch TV and wait for Tony to get home. Despite the jealousy, he wanted to hear about the date and how it went. He just wanted Tony to be happy, and if dating Amy made him happy, then he’d do his best to be enthusiastic about it. At least on the surface.

Not long after Rhodey settled on the couch Tony came home and immediately plopped down next to him.

“Hey, you’re home early. How’d it go?” Rhodey asked, genuinely shocked that he was home. It hadn’t even been two hours, and he was just glad that he hadn’t decided to jerk off again.

“Yeah, it was fine. I mean, I had fun. We bowled and had some pizza and then sketched up an idea on a napkin for a bowling robot that we might try to build next week.” Tony said as he stared at the floor while fidgeting around with his zipper. “And then like, we were in the arcade part. Playing pinball. And she kissed me.”

“Well hey! That’s good, right?”

“I don’t know. It was weird. I mean, I’ve never kissed anyone before so I’ve not got much to compare it too. But like, it was like kissing my sister. If I had a sister, I guess. I don’t know. Just didn’t do much for me.” Tony admitted quietly, and Rhodey had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, Tony kept talking. “And then it was a little awkward and she said that she didn’t feel like bowling anymore so we turned in our shoes and then she said that she thought that maybe we should just be friends.”

“Oh. Well shit, that sucks man, I’m sorry. But this is only your first date, there are plenty of other girls out there! There’s even at least 1 more on the robotics team, right? I’m sure you’ll find someone that makes you feel that spark.” Rhodey said as he put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. He just didn’t want him getting too down on himself.

Tony just looked up at him and smiled, and it was a look that Rhodey would have to file away to use later. “Thanks. Yeah, it’s fine. She still wants to be friends, so that’s good. Friends are good. I’m gonna go change, ok?”

“Sure.”

Tony stood up to head to his room, but then stopped and hesitated for a moment.

“Tony? You all right?” Rhodey asked as Tony turned to look at him. He was quiet for a moment, like he was searching for what to say.

“Are you doing anything Friday night?” Tony finally asked.

“No.” Rhodey answered, confused.

“Do you - would you be interested in like - going out?”

“W-what?” Rhodey stuttered out as his heart started pounding. This wasn’t actually happening, was it?

“Go out? Like...on a date? I guess? Unless I read that whole situation earlier wrong.”

“I…” Rhodey just trailed off, completely taken by surprise by all of this. “Um. A date?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Uh...ok. Yeah. We can do that, if you’re sure.”

Tony nodded. “I’m sure. Been thinking about it all night.”

“Oh.”

“Ok, so. It’s a date, yeah? Dinner? Movie? I don’t know, that’s what people do, right?” Tony said as he shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets.

“We’ll figure something out.”

Tony nodded again and turned to head to his room.

“Hey, Tony?” Rhodey called out after him, causing Tony to stop and turn to him. “Whatever we do, promise me you’ll wear the leather jacket.” Rhodey said with a confident little smile, finally regaining a bit of composure.

A huge grin spread across Tony’s face, like he was finally relaxing too. “All right.”

Rhodey was terrified, but also so excited that he couldn’t imagine focusing on his notes anymore. After Tony disappeared Rhodey ran straight to his room and to his closet, desperately looking through all of his clothing. Nothing seemed good enough, so he figured he’d have to take a trip to the mall himself tomorrow. He wasn’t sure he could look as good as Tony did in the leather, but he could certainly try.

[reonagisolos]

Prime Empire Au where Jay is Milton Dyer's adopted son given by Gordon and Jay's unnamed (?) mom because they didn't ever want to have kids and those two were close with him.

TW: There's a brief panic attack at "oh God," then skip to, "there's nothing left"

So...Milton adopts him and of course Jay grows up really smart because he naturally is and because of Milton's influence but because of his muddled upbringing +general personality+ neglect from Milton as a father because he was more focused with work than with his "son", he was kind of an outsider.

Which was fine with Jay!

Except it wasn't. Anyway, here's a fic to accompany it that I accidentally written

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

If you had told 8 year old Jay that the one taking him in as his father would be a hotshot programmer for gaming, he'd be on top of the moon. In his mind, he thought that having someone be a part of something he loved was really, really cool. That he'd have so many friends because wow, that's amazing that his dad was some high tech legendary programmer—and well...that turned out to be a lie.

No one really cared. Probably because his school was filled to the brim with the children of the upper class, so his dad was just some other rich dude who just so happened to work in the game industry. And sure, it's more interesting than a politician, or a car salesman, but there were dozens of kids from different parts of technology, so he wasn't really special.

To everyone else in his classes, he was simply deemed a weird kid or trouble making kid. No one should misbehave by speaking too loudly or bounce over nothing to be excited about, or talk and talk about one thing over and over in this latest game he got to play when there were other things to be learnt and other people's turns. He needed to be quiet, to shut it, they said, because anything more than that was annoying and awful. They were right, he'd deemed even back then—But could they be less harsh?

That one weird, annoying kid, huh.

Even as he got older, things didn't get any better. On the contrary, it gets worse. So much worse.

By then, they didn't just call him weird anymore.

Now, people would push and shove him away when he's near, (to not get "infected" from him, they say) or mock him for doing even something unordinary, like for bouncing his leg, or for stuttering when he can't help it—Even on things he thought were stupid to care about!

Things like rambling about his favorite video games agressively to pass the time, or wearing cat clips to keep his forever messy hair in place, or the constant fidgeting because the chair is just so goddamn uncomfortable, and that he'd rather just sit on the floor, or preferring the girl's uniform simply because he thought it would be easier to wear and looked ''nicer'' to him.

Not to mention people finding his extra energy on anything except class to be again, annoying and unnecessary.

"You shouldn't do that Jay, it's distracting—"

"Stop doing that Jay, it's annoying"

"Don't do that Jay, you're not allowed to."

The list goes on.

And he's tried changing, he really has.

He's tried to supress them and change things about himself so people would "like" him more. Forget about talking about this and that to try to pry more into people's intrests, stopped talking as much and forced himself to shut up because if he didn't talk about anything other than this or that, no one would even bother.

Sure it worked and he did get a few friends by the time he was fifteen—and yeah, Jay was glad he just had people to talk to, enough to the point where he was decently well liked, but doing it sucked ass. He couldn't completely get rid of by the weird moving habits, which always granted some weird looks from his friends, and couldn't talk about what he liked, in fear of getting outed again.

To be frank about his school shituation, he hates it.

He's constantly stuck between having to get rid of "himself" so other people would like him, or do so but be isolated from everyone else, becuase either way he'd hate it, he'd hate it so much it would be unbearable.

There wasn't anyone for him to take comfort in, his father was too busy working to really help him through any of this, and can't even talk to anyone online because once again, he can't trust talking to other people about his intrests, and he already tended to blab too much in his notes.

Everything changes when his father tells him about Prime Empire.

He randomly tells him about his latest work in progress one day, a video game so immersive that with its gameplay that people could call it as the next Big thing. At the time, it was called Unagami. He loved talking about it, his magnum opus—A creation so intune to people's current intrests it could be called the greatest game of all time.

In between being at home to do homework or whatever, he'd see glimpses of his father working on it. Bit by bit, for every circuit board or wire or line of code he'd be working on it. He had always been excited for that game, hearing on how his father doted on it far more than he did to his own son, so it must've been a really good.

Setting aside his own grievances from his less-than perfect father, he'd seen how hard he worked on that game to make it simply magical.

That was until, beta testing, when he stopped working on it all together.

It was a Saturday night when father introduced Scott, a professional game tester and professional programmer, just like Milton. He'd come to see Prime Empire and try it for himself. After a quick introduction from Jay, just because he was coincidentally nearby, he headed for his bedroom.

A little later, he found himself playing a new game that had recently come out, which was pretty good to him, but overhyped. The difficulty curve is wack—Then he heard his father screaming from downstairs.

Hearing that something was clearly wrong, he rushed downstairs, barely missing on dropping multiple stacks of papers just on some random table when he saw a glimpse of him through the door gap, father on his knees facing his creation. There was a loud static-y noise that hurt his ears, but still he listened as best he could.

"No..no...this—This can't be real," Milton choked out. His eyes were shining from the game's light in the otherwise dark room.

"Did I do something wrong?" The machine asked, all in a calm tone.

"No! You—You just transported someone in a video game! What did you—How did you?

Transporting someone into a video game? There's no way that's real.

He was about to speak more when he saw Milton move. Jay didn't want to get in trouble, so as quietly as he could, he went straight back to his room, and inched the door shut.

The next day, around the corner of the kitchen, he heard his father talking over a cellphone.

"Y-yes. Project Prime is too dangerous to release to the public. I take full responsibility for it."

It's too quiet for him to hear the rest.

A moment later the phone beeps, and he could hear something shuffle slowly to the ground. A small sigh came off.

"What am I gonna do with you?"

The next day, he's found that he's gone. There's still traces of him here, from various papers having sketches and drafts of old video game concepts, to the circuit boards all crammed with info.

Except he's not there.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't hear the distant tinkering of mechanics, he's sure he wouldn't tell if his dad was even there in the first place.

Looking around, he finds a note in his office drawer with essential details for what seems to be a bank account, so it's not like he'll just die from not being able to eat or drink, so there's that.

It's still lonely though. There's an ache in his heart somehow. His father was gone. Just like that. Like how his real parents were. And now he's alone again. Milton was never really his dad but he was a constant. And now, he's gone too.

"Useless."

Now he's slumped down on the wall, falling like some dramatic middle-aged wife in those drama movies people at his school would rave about.

And God, now the room is spinning and every part of him feels like he's standing on end—The realisation is hitting hard and—"Holy shit I'm alone again but I'm always alone why? why? why? why? Is this stupid fucking thing supposed to be something about me it has to be fuck—" he says, just barely though. His chest is feeling tight and just wants out.

Deep breaths, as he's pissed to realise, aren't working and god it's horrible. It's so awful. His head is banging senselessly and it hurts so bad. Everything that seems so wrong with him is piling up and he's not being rational but he can't. There's so much pressure and he doesn't even know what to do with it.

"Fuck!"

His angered motion knocks over a pile of books, probably about coding and sloppily tries to sit down on the office chair. It does nothing but intensify the pressure in his chest.

The room's still spinning but now he wants to puke but he can't fucking get it out of his system. Everything is too much and he can't handle it. Then, it slows, then it's a little less, and a little less a few moments later. The room isn't spinning as fast and his heart is just a little less tight and his head hurts less, so that'd good. For a little bit it's like this, slowly, slowly, bringing the levels of intensity lower and lower, until there's nothing left.

He still feels like shit after, but he's just glad he's alive. Still, after all that—He didn't realise how late it had gotten. It was mid afternoon when he broke down, but now it's nearly nighttime.

"Fuh—" he exclaimed as he slowly brought his foot up, his feet were tingling from staying in one position for so long.

Even if he was exhausted and wanted to completely shut down after what he did, he found himself moving towards something.

Once he entered, he flicked the lights on. There were several gaming gears, from machines to game cartridges to controls, there would be everything for any great advances in gaming. In the centre of the room, an arcade machine with bold text splashed on the sides. Prime Empire.

Nearby a table, he found an opened circuit board with a red symbol in the middle. The final peice to the game.

Jay looked to the machine, then to the circuit. He stared at it.

"What do I do with you now," he asked solemnly.

He'd considered putting it in but then—

"Not now," a voice in his head whispered, "tommorow."

Seeing that voice in his head was being more logical than he ever would've been, he heads straight to bed, even if it's barely nightfall.

By the time he's awake, it's early but a school day. He decided that he'll skip school today. Then again. And again. This keeps going and going—Until they start calling in which he ignores them and then they eventually just, stop.

It's already been a month. He's sure that he could live well into his lifetime with what he had left, and hide away in this mansion forever, never having to deal with people—It's possible.

But it was lonely. There were his games but he didn't feel like it, he could try something new now, because of the free time he suddenly brought into himself—or literally anything else. It was enough. He could do it.

He just...didn't want to.

No matter how much he convinced himself that he'd be better alone because there'd be no point, he still wanted to talk to people. Online was never an option, and he knew that by now he'd been kicked from his program.

God, even up til now, he's trapped and had no choice on what he can do. He really was hopeless.

Unless?

"No. Nonono. That's an awful idea Jay. It's stupid and there's no guarantee of getting out."

Still, he'd found himself a few minutes later, standing in front of the door which started this.

"It's okay Jay. You can do this. You're just reawakening what was a very dangerous hyper aware video game to curb the feeling of your ever present lonlieness. Totally cool."

Gently, he opened the door little by little, up until it was fully opened. The room smelled musty—enough so that he'd cough from the scent alone. The room was pitch-black so he felt around for a switch.

It was still the same as it was the last time he visited. Filled with wires and machines and dust, a single arcade machine stands in the middle. In the corner of his eye, he sees the final peice, gets it, and puts it in.

With a mechanical whir, the machine buzzes to life, the company logo flashing across the screen with a jingle to accompany it.

It takes a second, but soon, Unagami's voice could be seen, and he could talk to it.

"What are you—What are you doing," the machine piqued, it's voice frantic and distorted, "I thought I was...going to be shut down."

Jay was surprised at the fact that the machine was indeed alive and talking to him. It was quite terrifying honestly as someone like Jay doesn't really mess with AI, much less one that's kind of like a real person? He didn't really know, but either way, it's gonna be weird.

"You were. And I brought you back to life," Jay remarked in a matter-of-factly tone, "Now, do you want revenge?"

Unangami stayed silent for a moment, pondering.

"I could wait if you wanted me to, it's not like anyone can come in at any moment."

"What?"

"He sorta just...left. And now I'm alone in this godforsaken house and I can't really do anything. Buut—I saw what happened a month ago and thought maybe I could go there and probably have a better time than I do here? Or die. Either one sounds fine seeing how my life is going."

"I understand. While I am acknowledging the fact that you did breach was likely supposed to be private, I won't fault you."

"Listen man. I heard screaming and had to help, but quietly," to emphasise, he did some overly exaggerated sneaky movements, "like a cool ass ninja. Your name's Unagami, right? At least from what I heard. "

"That is incorrect. As called by my creator, I am Prime Empire now."

"But Unagami is easier to say, so I'm using it. Also your "creator" is kind of a dick—Anyway Unagami, since we've both been technically abandoned by our creators, me in the sense of my parents—Twice. For no specific reason mind you! Anyway, and you with Mr. Dyer, because you're dangerous. You still hold a grudge don't you?"

"...Yes."

"Great! So that settles it." That was until Jay realised something, "oh shit. Wait. You're still in beta aren't you? Ugh. I keep forgetting you're not really ready yet. I'm gonna have to code you to do the basics for the game, and even more so for all the cool things I want to add and—"

"I haven't even told you if I agreed."

"Do you have any better choice? Probably not. I mean if you don't you'll either just never reawaken ever again or just end up in a trash heap! I mean I'm supposed to eventually clean this place, even if that seems to be in the far future–"

"I'll do it. On one condition."

"Yeah?"

"Swear to me one day that we'll hunt him again. You can add what you want to me but my own mission is to take revenge on him. Is that understood?"

"Yessire! So uhm, how do I yknow—Code?"

Unagami remained silent. Somehow, Jay didn't mind. It was nice talking to someone without having to supress anything about him. Even if he was essentially talking to a screen. A surprisingly sentient screen, but a screen nonetheless.

There was a lot of work he'd have to do.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

[hyrule-kingdom-updates]

Zelda burst into the room, arms full of metal plates, gears, and screws. Astor just sighed. 

“What is it you want this time?”

“I have an idea!” The young princess let her items drop onto the old carpet with a thud. 

“Another one?”

“Mmhm!” She quickly ran up to the windowsill, eyeing one of the hanging gyrospheres. “Can I have that? I want more metal. Pleaaaase?”

“Sure.” He didn’t even look to see what she was pointing to.

Zelda hopped up on the windowsill, jumping to try and reach the device, but to no avail. It seems time has not granted her that much advancement in height. She turned back to Astor.

“Can you grab it for—?”

“No.”

“Uggggggh.” Zelda hopped back down, going back to her pile of scrap. “Fine, but I’m stealing one of your journals.” She plucked one of the tattered blank books from the floor, and started jotting notes inside of it.

Astor clicked his tongue. “I’m not here to be your source of raw materials.”

“I’ll have you know that this stuff was procured by a third party!”

“That Sheikah bard you mean?”

“Yeeep!” Zelda started sorting through her belongings, mumbling stuff about legs and swords.

After a few minutes of concerning whistles, whirrs, and clangs, Astor finally looked behind him.

“Alright, this isn’t a workshop, what is it you’re doing? What exactly is this ‘idea’ you had in mind?”

Zelda held up what she was working on, a metal husk in an ovular egg shape. “I’m gonna make a time machine!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I’m gonna access a universe where the Calamity is defeated! Then, we’ll ask the people there to help save us!”

Astor studied her up and down for a long moment, before giving another tired sigh and turning back to his papers. “That’s not gonna work.”

“Sure it will!”

“With that cannon scrap? Please. At the very least you should be using Sheikah technology.”

Zelda stopped fusing some metal plates together for a moment, looking up at him. “Well? What’s the difference? They seem sorta similar.”

“Difference? Tsk.” The seer kept sketching, a bit more roughly this time. “Well what you have there is some metal scrap, old armour plates, and forgotten canon ball pieces.All made by our generation, our ignorance. Sheikah technology is infinitely more advanced, with millions of years of advancement behind it. And out of the two, it would be the more probable one to have the capabilities to power such an impossible device.”

“Really what does it run on?” Zelda bounded up to Astor’s desk to see what he was working on. She didn’t need to stand on her toes to see, and he seemed to be less guarded about it around her in recent weeks. 

He was sketching some weird device, a circular orb, with jagged discs around it like gears. It sort of looked like an astrolabe, or a gyrosphere, but also…

“Is that a Giant Ancient Core?” Zelda asked. “This why you stan Sheikah technology?”

“Stan?”

“It’s a word that that old orator guy told me once. Before the whole jail thing.”

Astor turned his head and locked eyes with her for a moment, though he didn’t say anything immediately.

“What?”

He just shook his head. “Yes, it’s an Ancient Core. A special one.” He pointed to the further end of his desk near the wall. There sat the very device he was sketching, and Zelda’s eyes glittered in awe.

“Can I have it??? That’d be super cool for me to pow—”

“NO!” Astor suddenly rose from his desk, snatching the astrolabe into his arms. He started pacing around the room with it. “This isn’t for children to mess with! This is important. I have to keep it safe. I have to act quickly now if I want to prove it true. I have to—” He turned back around to Zelda, who had slowly been backing away from his sudden outburst. 

She worriedly looked him up and down for a moment, and the seer then took a shaky breath. He set the astrolabe down on a high shelf. “....Sorry. You can’t have it. It’s technically not mine.”

Zelda was quiet for a moment longer, before she dared to speak. “You’re both a lot nicer, and a lot meaner now, you know that? It’s really weird. Ever since...” She trailed off.

Astor felt his shoulders slump, before quickly shaking his head and scowling. “Well I’m not your friend. So I’m not partial to your opinions of me.” He turned back around, taking up his old sketch of the astrolabe. Zelda was able to catch a few handwritten notes about “mulice” and “soils,” although she wasn’t sure she could read his handwriting that clearly. 

“...Mr. Astor…?” Zelda asked.

“Mm. What.”

“I just wanna say that...I’m sorry I always bother you.” She looked down, fiddling with the loose threads on her sleeves. “I know that….you’re always working...because I’m not a good princess...you’re always working  on finding a way to stop the Calamity, like me.” She then clapped her hands together. “Soooo, that’s why we should work together now!”

Astor cleaned up the rest of his desk before giving another long sigh. “I’m not stopping the Calamity, Princess.”

“Whaaa? Then what are you doing?”

“I’m accepting it. I’m seeing what options there are within the destruction. And you should too.” Astor shoved some rolls of parchment into his pocket. 

“You should come with me, Zelda.”

She scratched her head. “Hm? Why’s that? You going somewhere?”

“I…” He paused for a moment. “I found an option, but it’s more than that, I…” He looked at the ceiling, clicking his tongue, before he settled on his words. “There’s a lot of things wrong, around us, that the Calamity can actually get rid of. So, I’m going to go help steer things in the direction I desire.”

Zelda pouted. “I like my plan a lot better. My plan has an egg! Plus, it doesn’t involve leaving the castle and my friends and family.”

“Mm, well, I suppose that’s our key difference then.” Astor paused, pushing his hair behind his ears. “It’s as simple as this, Zelda. You either adapt and grow smarter, changing for how the world is and always will be,” He locked eyes with her. “Or you keep trying to cling to your impossible dreams, and you die.”

Zelda didn’t even bother entertaining the dilemma. She simply flopped back to her metal trinkets. “Well, the world didn’t seem so permanent and unchangeable when it came to technology, did it?”

He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before grimacing, and heading for the door, taking the astrolabe with him. “I don’t know why I bother, childhood naivety is too powerful these days.” He put a hand on the doorknob.

“So where aaare you going, Mr. Astor?”

The seer turned the knob, but didn’t pull. He turned once more to the young princess, a grim expression on his face. “I can’t say. But are you sure you don’t…?” He trailed off, before seeming to answer the question himself. “Nevermind, it’s impossible. I had just hoped I wouldn’t have to…” He glanced back at Zelda’s metal egg. He let out a huff.

“When you inevitably pursue your doomed plan, make sure you research into Sheikah Technology, understand?”

The princess suddenly skipped across the room, beaming. “Sure thing! But wait, I can come with you, actually, if it’s just a quick trip—”

“No. I hate children. I hate you. And I hate your parents. Haven’t you used your ears around these parts? I’m despicable and unpleasant, and you’re a true fool for even hanging out in this wretched place.” 

The princess bit her tongue, rocking back and forth on her heels. Finally, after just a second or two of thought, she cocked her head to the side. “I don’t think you’re that mean!”

Silence. The liar opens the door.

Astor gave her a final frown. “Well you’re wrong. Hopefully, I’ll make you see that someday.”

[atlafan]

Jordan I have an idea... what if college Harry wants y/n to be his model so he can practice his nude drawing or painting?!? 😉😘😘 and maybe they get caught?!?

a/n: okay, okay, okay, I got inspired by something else so I’m tweaking this a bit, but let’s goooooo. This just ended up being a quick fluff, I’ll put smut in the next blurb! 

Lock the Door - Blurb One - Harry Ran Out  of Canvas

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Harry groans while he searches under his bed. 

Y/N had her headphones and was studying on her own bed. She pauses her music when she notices his clear frustration. 

“What’s wrong, Harry?”

“I’m all out of canvas, and I’m supposed to paint something for class tomorrow...it’s late and all of the stores are closed. Shit, how did I not notice? Now I’m gonna have to go down to the fucking studio and it’s freezing out, and-”

“Slow down, what do you need to paint? Couldn’t you just use paper?”

“No, that’ll just get messy.” He sighs. “Fuck, I don’t have time for this!” He looks at you and squints. 

“What?”

“Take your shirt off.”

“Harry.” She scoffs. “I don’t think now’s the time to-”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I have to paint this scene of like a field or some shit. I can throw some tarp on the floor and you can lay down on it. Let me paint your back. Then I can just take a picture of it and show my professor. I’m sure she’ll be fine with it, she’ll admire the creativity or some shit.”

“Why did you wait to do this until the last minute?” She asks, already taking her shirt off. Harry blushes and clears his throat. 

“Because I’m an idiot, okay?” 

Harry lays a tarp on the floor and gets his paints out. He gently sits on Y/N’s bottom while he begins to make strokes with the brushes. She shivers underneath him. 

“Sorry...paint’s a little cold.” 

“Just a little.” She giggles. “Feels kinda nice though...” 

“Shh, if you talk you could move and mess it up. Just relax, alright?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Thanks for doin’ this, I owe you.” He leans down quick to kiss her cheek. 

“I think I know how you can make it up to me later.” She turns to look up at him, and he shoves her face back down, making them both laugh. 

Harry dips his brush in a new color and continues making gentle, yet precise strokes on her back. 

//

Liv and Chris were hanging out in the living area doing some homework. Liv’s stomach growls. 

“Was that you?” He laughs.

“Think so. I’m starving, I didn’t eat much today.”

“Not many places are open right now, but I bet we could order a pizza from Keith’s.”

“Oh! Good idea, baby. I think Y/N and Harry are still up, let me just ask them if they want in before we order anything.”

“Sounds good. They’ve been spending a lot of time together, huh?”

“Yeah, they’ve gotten really close. I guess they cuddle platonically sometimes.” 

“Aw, that’s cute.” 

Liv goes up, and then up again to the few steps that lead to Harry and Y/N’s room. Their door was open, so she goes right up. 

“Hey guys, Chris and I are gonna order a pizza, do you want...” She stops short when she sees the scene in front of her. “Uhhhhhh...”

“I ran out of canvas.” Harry says bluntly. “This was the next best thing.” 

“Okay.”  She swallows hard.

“Pizza would be great, Liv. I’m actually pretty hungry.” Y/N says.

“Oi, I said no talkin’, I’m almost done.” He scolds her and looks at Liv. “Yeah, order some pizza. I’ll give you some money later.”

“Alright...I’ll just go do that...” Liv practically sprints back down to Chris. “Oh my god.”

“What? Do they not want pizza?”

“No they do.”

“Cool, I’ll order online. Their delivery is faster that way.” 

“I think something more is going on between them.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Y/N was laying on the floor topless, while Harry was sitting on her painting on her back. He said he ran out of canvas or something, so maybe it’s for a class, but isn’t that a little weird to do with someone?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I mean they’ve clearly gotten close and comfortable with each other. Maybe it’s no big deal.”

“Either way it wouldn’t be a big deal. I mean, say they were hooking up or something, I don’t think you or I would care. I don’t want them to think they need to sneak around.” 

“Well, if something more is happening, maybe they’re just trying to figure it out before they start telling a bunch of people. You and I probably aren’t a factor in all that, Liv.”

//

“Done! Okay, let me just take a few pictures.”

Harry gets off of Y/N to grab his phone. He snaps a few shots, close enough that one couldn’t really tell whose back it was he painted on. He crouches down next to her.

“Look, it came out pretty cool.” She smiles at the photos and then at him.

“It’s a shame to wash it all off.”

“It’s okay. My professor will either accept this or have me paint it again on canvas.”

“Will you paint it either way? It’s really pretty.”

“Sure, when I have a little bit of time I could try to recreate it. Gimme your hands, I’ll help you up.” 

Once Y/N is on her feet she looks over her shoulder in the mirror.

“This is really cool, Harry.”

“Thanks.” He blushes. “You know...” He circles around her. “For one of my finals we have to sketch a live nude, and I could use some practice.”

“Oh no, no way. This was plenty.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“I wouldn’t draw your face, come on, it would really help me out.”

“Mhm, and how come I always seem to be helping you out. What do I get in return?”

“Multiple orgasms.” He smirks.

“Oh, right.” She giggles. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“Fair enough. Come on, grab a bathing suit or somethin’, and I’ll you rinse all this off. S’not good to have that on your skin for very long.”

“I can just shower alone.”

“But you might not get it all off.” 

“You can’t fuck me in the shower with them home, Harry.”

“Not where my head was at, but I like that that’s where yours went.” He smiles.

She rolls her eyes and grabs a bathing suit top from her dresser, and a bottom. Harry watches as she wiggles into the swim shorts and they both head downstairs. 

“Do you guys wanna see what Harry did to my back before he washes it off?” Y/N asks Liv and Chris brightly. 

She turns around and they both gasp.

“That’s so cool!” Liv says. “The detail you were still able to get is awesome.”

“Yeah, you’re really talented.” Chris says. 

“Okay, okay.” He blushes. “When’s the pizza gettin’ here?”

“Should be any minute.” Chris says.

He nods and leads you into the bathroom. Liv and Chris can hear them giggling while Harry washes the paint off. Later on they all settle in with the pizza. 

“How was the free skate the other night?” Chris asks, making Harry almost choke on his pizza. “Liv and I were thinking of going this Saturday, was it worth it?”

“Yeah! We had a lot of fun. It wasn’t too crowded, and they played music.”

“And Y/N fell on her arse a few times, which was pretty funny.” Harry says and she nudges him. “I would definitely recommend going.” 

“Maybe the four of us could go.” Liv says.

“Definitely, that would be a lot of fun.” Y/N says.

//

“Y/N, Y/N!” Harry barrels up the stairs to their room. 

She was laying on her stomach on her bed, doing some reading for class, legs bent and feet swaying to her music. 

“Y/N!” 

“Jesus!” She takes her earbuds out and sits up. “You scared me, what is it?”

“I got an A on my painting, the one you helped me with. My professor wasn’t even mad that she didn’t have a physical piece. She said it was very resourceful or some shit. Either way, I got an A.” He hugs her and kisses her a few times.

“I’m so happy for you!” She giggles. “We should celebrate.”

“I agree.”

“Go lock the door.” 

[hetacon]

Prom Queen: Chapter 5

First || Previous || Next

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Word Count: 1,920

Pairings: Endgame Prinxiety, Platonic LAMP, more could be included at a later point

Warning: Swearing, mentions of p*rn, mentions of drugs and underage drug use, slight internal panic attack

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Summary: The popular kids were interesting for sure, they definitely weren’t exactly like Virgil had expected them to be but at the same time they kind of were.

(Make sure you read all the way to the end if you want to hear my thoughts on the chapter, and let me know if you want to be added to the taglist for this story, my art, or writing! I hope you guys enjoy!)

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Music blared through Virgil’s headphones as he and Roman sat with the popular kids again. Virgil wasn’t feeling up to talking much with them today so he had out his sketchbook, mindlessly making marks on the page. He was totally spacing out, too occupied by his latest worry of the week.

He very nearly jumped out of his skin as one of his earbuds was pulled out of his ear and he scrambled to pause the My Chemical Romance song that he’d been playing to drown out his thoughts the best he could, putting his phone face down in his lap. Virgil registered the person next to him laughing loudly at his jumpiness and he looked over to see Nick nearly doubling over from how hard he laughed.

‘It really wasn’t that funny, you scared me asshole,’ Virgil thought bitterly to himself before mentally shaking his head. ‘He didn’t do anything rude.. Well, that rude, calm down Virgil, you’re overreacting again. These are Roman’s friends, they’re starting to like you.’

“Sorry dude but that was the funniest shit I’ve ever seen, holy crap,” Nick chuckled, leaning back as he crossed his arms. He looked over to Virgil finally and nodded. “So what was up with that? You looked like you were about to shit yourself.”

Virgil’s brows furrowed. “Force of habit, I guess,” he muttered out.

“Oh yeah? What were you doing, watching porn or some shit?” A grimace came over Virgil’s face as Nick asked but he tried to not look too disgusted.

Quick, what was the appropriate answer? How did people usually talk about that type of stuff? Should he take it seriously? Consider it a joke? Punch him in the arm like the jocks he saw all the time in his physics class?

Luckily, Roman cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. “Hey, that’s not cool, he’s clearly not comfortable, Nicholas,” he said, giving Nick a leveling look.

Nick put his hands up and shrugged. “Only joking dude, what he does with his time is his business. Wouldn’t blame him if it was though!” Another laugh rang out as one of the other guys sitting next to Nick punched him in the arm, much to Virgil’s satisfaction. At least someone punched him.

“Gross, shut the hell up!” the person who punched Nick told him with an obnoxiously grating laugh. “You’re sick, dude.”

Virgil tried to ignore the conversation but as he tried to put his earbud back in, he noticed Nick had it in his ear. He just couldn’t get away from them could he? He signed up for this admittedly though.

“Sorry, anyways, Virge, why’d you jump like that, for real?” Nick finally asked as he and the other guy stopped spitting insults at each other.

“I have strict parents, they don’t like anything remotely mature. They always call my stuff out if it has language in it so I just don’t let them see any music I listen to anymore,” Virgil found himself explaining, opening his phone to play a popular song that had been making the rounds around school rather than continuing through “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” like he desperately wanted to. Just one more thing Virgil had to be careful of. No more of his own music at school from now on, got it.

“Fuck, strict parents suck! Like, seriously, let me live my fucking life!” Nick scoffed out. “I just want to vape in fucking peace, they don’t need to get all pissy about it. It’s my fucking life right?”

Virgil looked up to Roman for a possible escape from the conversation, Roman knew he wasn’t a huge fan of people even talking about drugs, but Roman was staring down at his phone, texting someone. He looked upset anyways, Virgil probably shouldn’t make him feel worse.

“I mean, I don’t know, my parents aren’t the worst. I know they love me even if they aren’t good at showing it.”

“Nah, parents are assholes, adults are assholes really. They act like they can control you, it blows!” Nick complained.

Virgil only half-listened to the conversation, the other half of his attention going to trying to not have a panic attack. He took a look at the time and put away his sketchbook after making a mental note that he didn’t get very far into the sketch.

“Hey Virge, mind getting something with me real quick?” Roman asked and Virgil’s head snapped up as he nodded quickly.

The two started to walk off in the direction of their classes, Roman letting out a sigh when they were far enough.

“That wasn’t nice of him, sorry for not really... Doing much. I know you don’t like attention being drawn to you, I didn’t know if you wanted me to step in or not.”

“No, it’s fine! I’m just, you know, getting to know your friends I guess!” Virgil laughed out a little too brightly for his usual attitude. He’d been acting more like that around Roman though lately, Roman barely seemed to notice from what he saw.

“Are you sure..? I know you really don’t like those topics and he was practically steamrolling over any chance for you to stop him. I should’ve stepped in, I’m sorry,” Roman said with a hand rubbing his temple. Virgil watched him closely, noticing the way his shoulders locked up. He clearly looked beyond displeased.

“If it’s just for my comfort, I’m fine. I’d tell you if anything was happening, yeah? It’s what best friends do,” Virgil hummed out with a smile, bumping Roman’s shoulder with his own as they continued walking.

Roman glanced over wearily, a small smile on his face as the bell finally rung, signifying the start of class. “Yeah,” he merely replied, before the two parted ways.

The popular kids were interesting for sure, they definitely weren’t exactly like Virgil had expected them to be but at the same time they kind of were. The group was a bit fluid, some of the people that Virgil and Roman sat with tended to stay every day while others came and went. There wasn’t a super strict clique structure that was upheld but there didn’t seem to be a lot of the nerdier groups represented by the group, it mostly consisted of jocks, preps, and random drifters who tended to throw good parties. All of them had some sense of social standing in the school, many people knew them, and they were generally liked outside of the some of the people in the “lower” social statuses. Virgil definitely fit into at least one of these lower statuses but he seemed to be getting a pass due to being Roman’s friends. Luckily the theater kids were essentially accepted as popular kids even if some would be inclined to disagree.

Most of the conversations they got into wasn’t anything that interested Virgil, it mainly consisted of them complaining over homework and “strict” teachers (Seriously, why the hell would teachers actually let someone vape in the middle of class?) and their parents as well as a shit ton of gossip. There was literally so much gossip. So and so cheated on her boyfriend when he was cheating on her too, someone ended up getting in trouble for a tip-off about drugs in their backpack, these two kids got in a fight over some pointless drama and one ended up shoving off a teacher when they’d attempted to break off the fight. It was way more than Virgil thought was even going on at his school as he tended to stay away from pretty much everyone possible but regardless, it all was just as stupid as he expected. Virgil had no idea how they found any excitement out of talking about how people messed up or were fucked over by someone else. He wasn't sure what he was doing anymore but if nothing else, high school was supposed to be confusing right? That's what everyone always said, no one said anything different.

A sign of progress, if Virgil could even call it that was when one of them decided to sit next to him in his English class. The two of them would chat though Virgil barely managed to understand or be engaged in the conversation half of the time. Virgil definitely hated him when he asked Virgil to make up an excuse for him while he vaped in the bathroom and Virgil barely managed to sputter out that he told Virgil he felt a little nauseous but would be ok. It was insane to see the guy come back and roll with the excuse when the teacher asked if he needed to go to the nurse when he got back. Virgil felt his stomach curl when he shot him a wink with a click of his tongue.

"So hey, I was thinking you guys, we've all been pretty busy lately," Patton said as Logan was driving them out for lunch after school.

"Yeah? What's up Pat?" Roman asked, leaning against Virgil in the backseat. Virgil very slightly leaned in, finally relieved to have it just be the three of his closest friends surrounding him as Dodie played on the radio. This was nice, it seemed more simple like this, Virgil almost forgot all his worries as the conversation started up.

"I was thinking about us doing something over fall break and whatnot! Unless there are family plans and whatnot which is cool but I'm free and so is Logan so we wanted to see if you and Virgil would want to!" Patton grinned to Virgil.

"I dunno, it sounds good to me if you wanted to," Virgil told him, before looking over to Roman. "You in?"

Roman sighed and groaned loudly, running a hand over his face. "I so want to but it might be tricky scheduling, the theater teacher is being a bit of a bitch about rehearsing over break. I can't very well miss it and I don't want to promise I'll be there. But even if I can't find a way around it, you guys can absolutely do so and send me lots of pictures!" He gently nudged Virgil's shoulder and despite the heaviness Virgil felt in his gut, he nudged back, giving a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, it's cool. Pat and Logan and I will hang out, no problem. We'll make sure to make plans for the four of us sometime soon ok?" Virgil told him, the weight coming off of him slightly as Roman let out a relaxed laugh, hugging Virgil close. Virgil felt his face grow exceedingly hot but he tried to push down the feeling.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome, I love you guys so much!"

"Oh, are you guys going to need anyone to paint sets? You know I'm always down," Virgil offered, glad to hear the excitement in Roman's answer.

The conversation kept going, they meandered from that to a new show Roman and Patton had both started watching, Logan gave them some of the details of a new robot he was helping to code. Virgil even showed Roman some of his newly finished sketches in the leather bound book (which was now getting a fair amount of use) even if Roman had already seen them halfway done. It felt easy, it felt nice, and Virgil felt like he could breathe. And that scared him a little.

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It is absolutely so strange to write popular kids, I don’t think it’s going to be the easiest for me! Luckily the next chapter is going to be very popular kid free so I don’t have to worry about that! Honestly, their dialogue is the reason the chapters take so long! I don’t find things like gossip and whatnot interesting, it doesn’t make sense since I’m neurodivergent. I’m trying to not make it too stale, I really hope it’s not stale...

Interestingly enough, I’ve had people mess with me or my friends more than once in regards to stuff like hentai (considering I’m an anime fan) so I actually do have at least two experiences where stuff p*rn-related has been brought up as a way to make fun of the groups I was hanging with.

High school is wild and of the behavior I saw from people much further up on the social ladder than I ever was, they do some really weird stuff. I didn’t even see a whole lot, I just know I definitely didn’t like it.

Be prepared for some Patton and Logan time next chapter, I think Virgil deserves it after all of this!

[gumnut-logic]

Warnings: Virgil/Kayo

He was her idiot.

-o-o-o-

Her Idiot

He expected to find her in the gym.

But she wasn’t there.

A quick search of her room and most of the rest of the house proved she wasn’t there either.

He bit his lip. If Kayo didn’t want to be found, his chances weren’t good.

The hangars also failed to reveal his girlfriend and an hour later he started to worry.

“John?”

“I’m sorry, Virgil. Don’t ask, she has already scarred me for life last time I told Gordon where to find her when she was upset.”

“Gordon?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that explains the retaliation. What did she do?”

“I’m not going there. Trust me, you don’t want to either.”

“C’mon, John, I’m worried about her.”

There was silence at the other end of the line.

“Please, John, you can put all the blame on me. I just need to make sure she is all right.”

“You’ll fix my shower?”

“Your shower?”

“My shower.”

“When did it break?”

“Hasn’t broken yet, but I’m sure it will if I point you in the direction of a beach on the north-west side of the island.”

“Thanks, John.”

“I am hiding behind you, big brother. Your girl is scary.”

He smiled. “I know.”

“Hmph.”

Virgil signed off and, grabbing a hat and sunnies, set out for the northern side of the island.

It was late afternoon, but the sun was still at burning strength, so it wasn’t long before he was uncomfortably hot in his long shirt. So he shed it and tied it around his waist, leaving a thin tank top his only protection against the sea breeze.

it was wonderfully cool on his bare skin.

He made good time, jogging part of the way, keeping an eye out for their missing security specialist.

It hadn’t been a good day.

A cascade of poor luck had seen Alan, Kayo and a young woman trapped in a house during an aftershock in Japan. The ground beneath the house had fallen into the river that had undercut the foundations. Kayo had had to make a choice between saving her brother or saving the civilian.

She had tried for both.

Lost the civilian.

And only just managed to catch Alan, who had consequently swung into an exposed beam and gashed his leg open, severing an artery in the process.

It has been bad.

Her yell for help had torn at him, but he had been responsible for six other civilians at the time and had been unable to respond immediately.

Gordon had made it first on the scene. By the time Virgil had been able to make it to her side, she had shut off from the world, her expression ice as she held her wrenched shoulder.

She hadn’t said a word to anyone on the way to the hospital. Virgil stood beside her as Scott questioned the incident.

He sat beside her as they waited for Alan to get out of surgery.

And stood behind her as his little brother woke up.

Now, three days later, finally at home, his little brother was safe in bed in his room, and she had vanished.

He walked past the little cliff and beach they had dubbed ‘their beach’ and continued further around the island. The trail became rocky from that point onwards and he had to clamber over several spots where a path wasn’t really possible.

He still couldn’t find her.

“John?”

“If she breaks my furniture, you’re buying me all new.”

“John.” This had gone beyond a joke.

“Climb down to the beach, there is a small sea cave.”

“There is?” He clambered over jagged basalt, cursing under his breath as it scratched his palms.

“Haven’t you explored the island, Virgil?”

“Uh, been busy. And I don’t have the advantage of Tracymaps.com satellite view.”

“Perhaps you should come visit more often.”

“Yeah, sure, John.”

His brother’s vague snort answered that one fairly clearly. They both knew separating Virgil from Two was not a good idea, for anyone.

He hurdled over a last chunk of rock and his feet hit sand. The little beach was bleached coral white with a scattering of weathered basalt. The high tide line was sketched out with shell and debris from the last major storm, and in the cliff lining the shore the debris disappeared into a darkness where the cooling basalt had left a natural cave that the sea had since chewed on.

Virgil whispered into his comm. “John, is that cliff face stable?”

“Of course. Do you think I’d let our sister under it if it wasn’t?”

“Okay, I get it. Sorry, reflex thought.” A pause. “Does she come here often?”

“Virgil, I keep many secrets. It is my job. I’m already lined up for crucifixion having told you where she was, I’m not going to be drawn and quartered for extra fun.”

“A little over dramatic, don’t you think?”

“She’s your girlfriend, you tell me.”

“She’s your sister.”

“Exactly. I have no protection, despite those twenty-two thousand kilometres. Just remember that this is on your head. Thunderbird Five out.”

A mumble under his breath, “FAB.” And Virgil approached the cave.

It was small but deep. A handful of rough and weather-worn stalactites hung from the entrance like teeth.

“Kay?” His voice was eaten by the darkness, but there was a slight change in the shadows as her face turned to look at him. As his eyes adjusted, and he belatedly remembered to take off his sunnies, her figure, seated on a rock protrusion towards the back of the cave, became clear. “Honey?”

“I’m going to kill John.” It was muttered under her breath and he doubted he was supposed to hear it, but cave and acoustics did it for him.

“You do realise you have him terrified.”

“Obviously not terrified enough.”

“You can blame me. Leave him out of it.” It was firm, but it needed to be said.

She unfolded like a cat, her slim body straightening in the darkness. Her shorts hung low on her hips, her crop top leaving her belly bare. She’d obviously come out here for a run, but it hadn’t been enough. She stalked towards him. “Blame you?”

Despite himself, a spike of concern shot through him. She was half his size, but he knew she could take him on sheer skill alone. Sure he could pin her with his mass, but he doubted she would give him the opportunity.

But then this was Kay, the woman he loved.

“Blame me.”

The little cave blocked the sun and chilled his skin. He shivered.

She walked right up to him and barged into his personal space, simply looking up at him. Then simply stepped around and walked past without saying a word.

He turned to follow her and the sun blinded him for a crucial moment. He grabbed for his sunnies, but in that split second she was gone.

Damnit.

“Kay?” He stepped out onto the empty beach. “Kay!” How the hell had she done that? “For Christ’s sake, Kay, I’m worried about you!”

“You should be more worried about Alan.” Her voice was smooth as honey, from above and behind. He left a gouge in the sand as he spun, looking up to find her crouched on the cliff above the cave.

“Alan is fine.”

“Lucky boy.” She stood up, still cat-like and turning, began to climb further up the hill behind the beach.

“Kay, please!” He made for the rockfall that had allowed him onto the sand in the first place and threw himself up the climb. It appeared that his lot in life was to chase those he cared about. Scott knew how to throw a marathon when he didn’t want to talk. How the hell had he managed to end up dating his brother?

By dating his sister.

If his hands hadn’t been scrabbling over sharp basalt, it would have been a facepalm moment.

“It wasn’t your fault, Kay!”

“Yes, it was.” She was gaining distance, she was just too damn fast.

“No, it wasn’t.”

She stopped and turned towards him, anger in her eyes. “How was it not, Virgil? I let her die and I nearly got Alan killed.”

“It was shitty luck. Sometimes things just happen. You saved Alan. He is recovering.”

She stared at him, her lips thinning to almost non-existence.

And he saw it in her eyes. The fear, the horror and the anger, always the anger. He wanted to reach out and draw her into his arms, hold her tight and reassure her that it would be alright.

But it wasn’t alright. A woman had died.

Kay was out of reach.

And she turned away.

“Kay?”

“Leave me alone, Virgil.” She started climbing again.

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.” And he started clambering over rocks again.

She stopped and turned angrily again. “Why not? If you think being in a romantic relationship gives you the right to harass me, Virgil Tracy, think again.”

He straightened. “No, I care, Kay. That’s all. If you think I’m going to leave you out here to beat yourself up, you’re sorely mistaken.” A pause. “And if you think this is simply because of our current relationship, you’re obviously amnesiac.”

She glared at him as he continued to climb over the damn rocks. “You’re right. You’ve always been a pain in the ass.”

He chose to ignore that, and focussed on climbing without taking the skin off his palms.

Damn the sun was hot.

He could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to look up. Part of him was questioning his decision to come out here and butt in on her grief. Maybe she didn’t need him? Maybe she could handle herself. Maybe he was being an ass. But the thought of her suffering alone and berating herself, like he knew she was, for a twist of fate that would have burnt any of them...his heart just hurt.

So maybe he was being selfish. Maybe he was out here for his own reassurance that she was okay.

But goddamnit, he loved her and she shouldn’t have to face this alone.

“You’re bleeding.”

He couldn’t help it, he jumped. “How the hell do you do that?”

She was crouched on the rock just above him, her eyes scanning him up and down. A smirk appeared on her lips. “If I told you, I would have to kill you.” She nodded her head in the direction of his right hand. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s just a scratch. I didn’t think to bring my gloves and climbing equipment.”

“You don’t need to follow me.”

“Yes, I do.” And he continued to climb until he was eye to eye with her.

“Why?” It was whispered.

“Because I love you.”

“You are going to use that as an excuse for everything, aren’t you.”

“Possibly.” He sat on the rock next to her and stared out at the ocean. “I remember a beautiful young girl hiding behind her father’s legs, staring out at the five of us. You had a bruise on your cheek and you were afraid to speak to any of us for days. Dad said you had fallen and hurt yourself.” He looked sideways at her. “But that is not what really happened is it?”

She was staring wide-eyed at him, fear in that beautiful green.

“Having the Hood as a member of your family couldn’t have been easy.”

“No.” It was forced from her, a rush of exhaled breath. “Virgil, don’t.”

He stopped. Every muscle in her body was wound like a spring. Flight or fight was on her face and he feared he had gone too far, touched topics that should never be touched.

“You’re not alone anymore, Kay.” He didn’t dare reach out, fearful that she would flee.

But she simply turned away, staring out at the ocean. “I know.” Whispered. “But I can’t afford...”

He waited.

She looked at him and the fear was back. “I can’t.”

He held out an arm, simply offering himself. “You don’t have to.”

Her eyes bounced from his to his arm, obviously assessing what was on offer. There was a battle in her gaze.

“Come here, love.”

The war flickered over her expression again. “You really are a pain in the ass.”

He dared to smile just a little. “But I’m your pain in the ass.”

“Yes, you are.” It was whispered as if it was a decision made. She dropped her legs over the edge of the rock and sidled up next to him.

He let his arm drop around her shoulders and drew her in gently. Just like he had wanted to do since he had set eyes on her. Leaning over he kissed her hair. “Love you.”

“I know.”

He just squeezed her tighter.

They sat there as the sun headed towards the horizon. No words said. At one point, she unwrapped his arm from around her and placed his hand in her lap, turning it over to expose the scratches on his palm. They were minor, but she glared at him anyway.

He shrugged.

She wrapped his hand in both of hers and kissed his knuckles.

He grinned.

“You idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes.

But she didn’t let go.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[dovakhiindrabbles]

“Please don’t tell them I’m here.” 

Ma’vani’s first impressions aren’t always his best -- this was probably the worst time and place for him to meet his future wife 

Story Underneath! 

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Indeela worked away restlessly at her latest sketch work of armor, each intricate line and twirl a little more different than the last. Frustration began to spill from her fingertips, the design never quite connecting in the exact way she wanted.  

She’d reached one of those points where the world beyond the paper becomes that much more enticing – every little sound of tapping feet or muffled ramblings of voices urged her that much more to give up this chore and hurry out.  

Yet soon enough, she found the option wasn’t even hers.  

The door slammed open to reveal a scrambling Khajit, fur puffed out and pupils thinner than a shard of glass. His white fur melded into pools of deep, warm brown that held amber eyes – nothing short of terrified.  

Indeela shot up, her expression muddling with confusion. “C-Can I help you? If my sister sent you here for a custom design you’ll have to-”  

“Shut up, shut up!” He scrambled after her and whatever sounds he made afterwards became muddled together. He clasped her shoulders, the ends of his claws snagging into her clothes – she could’ve done without it.  

“Y-You – you've got to hide me! Please! They can’t catch me!”  

“Who-”  

The crumbs and dainty little things began to rattle as pounding, heavy boots trampled along the cobblestone – enraged shouts spiteful with venom tore through the curtains and glass with such fervor one would fear they’d shatter.  

“Capture the rogue cat! He has betrayed the Empire and is dangerous! Remain on alert for any suspicious Khajit!”  

Indeela glanced back at the stranger as the voices of the high elves continued to demand for imprisonment. Their accusations and punishments growing worse and worse by the second. What few puzzle pieces she’d had begun to connect in an instant.  

“Just -- What... the fuck... did you do?”  

He kept glancing nervously between her and the windows, his breath quick, shallow, and unsteady. He laughed, attempting to smooth down his fur that was practically bursting from his collar.

“C-Can this wait for another day?”  

“If you didn’t want to get asked any questions you shouldn’t have stormed in my study! Now answer me or-”  

The criminal on-the-run snapped a horrified curse and grappled at her arms before stumbling backwards, sending the two collapsing behind the desk full of craggy old boxes and dust bunnies Indeela never quite cared enough to clean – if she were being honest.  

However, out of all things – that was far from what bothered her. What did happen to bother her was the fact that was currently on top of a stranger – a stranger who happened to be a fugitive.  

The aforementioned fugitive stared with eyes as wide as saucers, the skin beneath his fur becoming a bright red akin to a strawberry. He opened his mouth to speak but could barely figure a single coherent sentence to make up for the strife he’d caused Indeela. Instead, he sputtered the first thing that came to mind.  

“I wouldn’t kill someone.” He managed through exasperated breaths. “I’m in this mess because I refused to kill someone.”  

Indeela soaked in his words, her shoulders rising and falling and a death grip on her desk to keep her from collapsing entirely upon the Khajit. She could scramble to the door right then and call to the guards – surely, they’d laud her a hero and ideal citizen. It’d be easy, so, so much easier than anything else.  

But Indeela was never one to take the easy way out. And a part of her couldn’t convince herself that it was the right thing to do.  

“A good someone?” She asked, folding her lips nervously.

He paused, and wrinkled his snout, if only for a moment. “I hope so.”  

That was good enough for her. She nodded. “That’ll do.” She pressed a finger to her lips, and he understood. Indeela then rose to her feet, stepping forward to the window and peering forward. The Thalmor’s thin figures remained a way ahead of the shop, but their voices had become only a faint call. It would be risky, but just maybe she could sneak him in.  

She rushed back to the stranger and reached out to his arms, helping him to his feet. His ears twitched at the slightest sounds and he held onto her a tad bit too tight, his nerves getting the best of him.  

“What’re we doing?” He asked, swallowing hard.  

“Instead of you just breaking into my shop – I'm sneaking you into my house,” Indeela paused. “Which is fine because it’s my house... mostly.”  

His brows furrowed. “Mostly?”  

“I have a big family.”  

“How can you sneak me in if you have a huge fucking family?” The Khajit’s fur puffed outwards, and his tail even fluffed up twice in size.  

Indeela huffed, tapping her index finger against her lips once again. “I can’t if you don’t keep your mouth shut!”  

He puffed his cheeks out, wanting to protest but with nowhere else to go, he couldn’t exactly argue. He relented and allowed Indeela to guide him to the back door that’d lead into the storage room. From there... well Indeela hadn’t planned that far.  

As she turned the knob leading into the back of her home, the Khajit stopped her. His tail swung easily from side to side and he fidgeted meekly. “Wait.”  

“What is it?” Immediately she glanced back at the window, assuming one of the Thalmor were surely gawking at them. Except when she looked, she saw nothing.  

“No, no it’s just-” He cleared his throat. “My name – it's Ma’vani -- I’m Ma’vani. And thank you.”  

Ma’vani. The name repeated itself in Indeela’s head. It was a gentle name, softly spoken and yet full of life all the same. She liked it.  

“I’m Indeela,” She responded quietly, offering him a smile. “And you’re welcome.” 

She brought him inside, and no matter how confident Indeela was that’d they’d be safe and secluded, all hopes were shattered at the sight of Aisha standing just at the open door. Two glasses were clasped in her hands, and they nearly slipped from her grasp at the sight of the pair.  

“Aisha!” Indeela’s heart nearly burst from her chest. A sudden onslaught of embarrassment searing through her. “What’re you doing?”  

“I live here...?” Aisha raised the glasses. “I also brought you juniper juice!” She turned her attention to Ma’vani and laughed. “Sorry to miss you! We weren’t expecting guests! You must be the felon those Thalmor are looking for? They’re being ridiculously loud about it.”  

Ma’vani froze. “Please don’t call them on me.”  

“I wouldn’t breathe if the Thalmor asked, so don’t worry! You came to the right place.” Aisha eased back, allowing room for the two to come in. “I wouldn’t let Dad see him though; he’s already got enough grey hairs, don’t you think?”  

Indeela cursed beneath her breath. “Do you think Dad will notice if we sneak him up to the attic?”

A grin tugged at the ends of Aisha’s lips, snorting. “I’ll go get Mom.”  

Indeela tried to grapple after her sister but Aisha managed to dodge her sister’s desperate hands just so. “That is so clearly not what I asked!”  

“Nothing happens in mom’s house without mom knowing~.”

Indeela hated how right Aisha could be. Truthfully, halfway through whatever patchwork plan they’d come up with, Ehsan would probably find out. Most likely seeking them out to tell a ridiculous joke she’d just learned. That’d be Indeela’s luck.  

“Is your mom going to be uh – okay with me?” Ma’vani wondered aloud. “Or do I need to run?”

“Mom wouldn’t hurt a fly if it personally insulted her – just don’t talk bad about Dad.”  

“I don’t even know him.”  

“Then I think you’ll be safe.”  

Ma’vani huffed something like a chuckle.  

Aisha already returned with her hands ribboned with their mother’s. Ehsan’s tawny gaze widening like dinner plates at the sight of Ma’vani. She was a tall, slender woman, and age graced her features in the form of crow’s feet and the faintest wrinkles. Her youthful beauty never quite faded.  

Ehsan slipped away from her daughter to instead approach Ma’vani, noting his stray, ragged fur with sorrow. “You poor thing. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”  

Ma’vani froze at the kindness. His ears perked up and a weight fell from his shoulders. He nodded weakly, and a pang of pity struck at Indeela.  

Ehsan smiled weakly. “Well take a deep breath. You’re safe now.”  

Ehsan turned back around and peeked the door to the parlor just a crack so that the few lanterns lit poured in with their light. Ehsan called out. “Makna~? Darling, could you come here?”  

“Why does Makna need to know?” Indeela groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.  

“This is a family affair Indeela!” Ehsan exclaimed. “Except your father, because I think he’d have a heart attack.”  

Ma’vani frowned. “Is your father a... tense man?”  

Ehsan tipped her head from side to side in consideration, a fondness to her voice as she referred to her husband. “Hanee is sensitive. It hasn’t been easy raising four kids after all!”  

“There’s a fourth?”  

Indeela swatted her hand in the air indifferently. “He lives in the mountains; don’t worry we won’t be that cramped in here.”  

“Why does he-” Ma’vani stopped himself while he was ahead. “Never mind.”  

Makna soon appeared at the door, towering over her mother and even a few inches above Ma’vani. Her eyes were only slightly warmer than Ehsan’s, and her expression was cool, stilled, even when spotting Ma’vani. In spite of everything else cluttering and clamoring at Ma’vani, Makna was oddly calming.  

“So, this is what we’re doing today.” She muttered. “And I suppose I’ll be the one distracting Dad?”  

Ehsan squeezed Makna’s arm tenderly, beaming. “Thank you darling.”  

Makna failed to hide her tiny grin, sighing with a mock amount of exasperation. “Of course, Mom.” She pointed at her sisters. “You two try not to get our guest killed?”  

Aisha scoffed, sticking out her tongue. “There’s only a small chance!”  

“If anything had happens, Aisha did it.”  

Makna laughed at that. She disappeared a few moments later, and only when Ehsan, pressed against the parlor’s door, heard the chattering voices of her husband and daughter, did she lead the rest forward.  

The home itself was wide and spacious, large enough even for a family like theirs's to breathe in peace. A warmth spread through the house like sunlight on a bare meadow – there was love here; a great deal of it.  

Ehsan was leading the group up the stairs where the faintest step creaked, slow and lingering. One could only imagine the countless feet that ‘pitter pattered’ each step – perhaps at some point a mother cradling her child and another being that very same child racing down the stairs.  

“You have a very nice home.” Ma’vani whispered, taking care to watch his heavy metal. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he scuffed the weathered wood.  

“Thank you. We try to keep it nice for guests.” Indeela hummed. “I guess that includes impromptu ones now too.”  

“I really appreciate this – I hope you know.”

Indeela raised her brows, musing. “I suspected as much. But it’s not problem, I hope you know.”  

Ma’vani fiddled anxiously with his fingers. “Does your family do this often? Will I have roommates?”  

“No, you have the honor of being the first. I hope you like dust and cobwebs.”  

Ma’vani let out a deep laugh. “Oh! My favorite!”  

It was then Indeela thought he had a nice laugh. It was a thought she quickly shoved into the deepest depths of her brain, but it had existed, nonetheless.  

They approached the attic’s door where a string dangled in the air. Aisha snagged this string and swung it back so that the ladder could topple out onto the wooden floor with a ‘thump’.  

“Well, I hope you like your new room!” Aisha chimed. “It uh... it can use some work.”  

Ma’vani chuckled softly. It’s not as if he was going to be picky. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”  

He climbed up the ladder and understood just what the others meant. Dust and age clung to the attic’s corners, and plenty of ornate heirlooms – or simply old forgotten knick knacks. However, by the end of the wall there was a bed with a thick, heavy quilt and lantern set comfortably against a desk. Books were stacked atop one another on that desk, and Ma’vani could tell it hadn’t been touched in a long time. It was left just the way it was when the last person left.  

Indeela was the one to follow him up, her fingers trailing along the room wistfully. “This was my brother’s room before he left. We can fix it up for you if you want, but Adnan had all sorts of interests, so there’s a little bit of everything.”  

“What do you think I’m interested in?”  

“How to get in dangerous situations?”  

Ma’vani contemplated. “Unfortunately, you’re not too far off.”  

Indeela smirked. “Maybe try to avoid that while you’re here?”

“I’ll do my best.”  

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

Hanee finds out approximately five minutes later 

I’ve had this sitting on my computer for awhile now but I hadn’t finished the prompt until now! I really wanted to expand upon their first meeting

Ma’vani

Indeela & Family

[fightevilandthengetblownup]

FIC: when the weather gets hot

---

The sun was just over the skyline as they’d pulled up - best to get an early start, after all, had been her argument when they’d been discussing how and when to get going the night before. The orange of the sky glowing as the first rays of light were lighting up the few fluffy, lazy summertime clouds above them. It was as golden as it could be, and just the perfect start to a day to hop out of the car to the crisp air and the scent of dew on the ground not yet heated and gone.

Jo smiled widely as she moved to grab the backpacks from the trunk and give the other a few minutes to recompose himself. They didn’t often drive places, most of their favorite places being in walking distance or more useful to just arrive wherever they wanted to go, but there was nothing like driving up towards a lookout parking space as the sky started to lighten and the silhouettes of the growing number of trees cutting a dark, jagged line against the sky as they got closer to start off hiking than just suddenly appearing there. It’s the travel, the journey, the experience, every bit of it, and Grey was already going to be responsible for enough travel or appearances that day that Jo’d suggested the drive and sweetened it with his favorite tunes on the drive up.

Fishing the bottle of bug spray out of the heavier pack - two large water bottles for each of them, and sunscreen, the bug spray, a first aid kit and some trail mix concealed inside of it, compared to the picnic rug, trail mix, sketching and water-painting equipment, and spare pairs of socks packed into the other one - she spent a good few minutes spraying every bit of herself she could reach in the spray. It was supposed to get hot later in the morning, and she’d dressed for that in her jean shorts and tank top, but that just left a lot of spaces available for hungry bugs to snack on without the right amount of coverage between the tops of her knee-high socks and the shorts and her bare arms. Tucking the spray away afterwards, she shrugged the heavier pack over her shoulders and clipped the central cord around her waist before taking the other bag around the other end of the car.

“You ready to go, hunny?”

“Yeah, just had to, uh, get some fresh air.”

Jo gave a little laugh at the sheepish look on the other’s face as Grey pushed himself up to standing freely from where he’d been slumped against the side of the car. Holding out the other backpack to him, she smiled toothily at the tiny frown he gave before throwing the pack onto his back with a sigh.

“Did you need any water?” “I’ll be fine - let you know if I do need it though, Jo.” “Best set off then before it gets too hot, then!”

The nod of agreement seemed less enthused than her own excitement to go hiking across the Magney-Snively nature park, but she couldn’t expect him to be as excited as it was. He hadn’t grown up needing to just get out and run into the wilds sometimes, and she was sure the tall hardwoods that circled the carpark and ran throughout the whole nature reserve were probably less exciting and more dauntingly familiar to him than to her. But regardless, he was grinning at her with a smile that made her stomach flip a little as he looked up through the short pieces of hair hanging over his eyes as he’d been working to clip his own bag into place. He was happy to be there with her, and that felt all kinds of special for her.

After locking the car and tucking her keys away into Grey’s bag, Jo smiled all the brighter at his hand slipping into hers before they took off towards the nearest hiking trail.

When Jo had first made a comment about wanting to go hiking sometime when the weather was nicer, she’d not expected Grey to say it sounded fun and to want to come along with her, but the blissfully happy feeling had stuck with her. They’d talked back and forth about where to go - a few easier tracks closer to home, or if they went for nicer trails rather than convenience - and then to devise the plan for the day when it would come. Spring had been too wet and muddy all around gross, and then summer had come with an early vengeance but finally it had mellowed out somewhat with some promised cool winds off of Lake Superior that would keep the temperature from absolutely sweltering. They’d planned that they’d hike for as long as Jo wanted, or as long as Grey could keep up - as she’d teased him, and then stop for a nice picnic lunch wherever looked pretty, before he’d smoke them back to the car rather than the added distance home.

Holding hands as they wandered down the start of the trail, Jo found herself smiling as brightly as the rays shining over the sky above them at each time she felt his hand squeeze hers back. A game of its own as they walked along through the lush hardwood forest over the dewy leaves and bark and gravel of the pathways that led them through the woodlands. The red oaks and sugar maples of the earliest parts of the trail giving dappled light as the morning started, and there was still frost clinging to the bluebead lilys and other flowers that covered the forest floor.

The first half an hour of walking was at a slow, sedate pace, hand in hand, and stopping regularly as they made their way along the section of the Superior Hiking Trail that led from the carpark. They stopped to watch the odd bird flitter by, and on two separate occasions paused to watch small families of late-spring bunnies hop across the path not far before them. Grey stopped frequently to snap some photos of various birds, plants and the sunrise sky through the lush trees above them; while Jo would take similar photos of the dew dripping spiderwebs that glistened when the sun caught them just right. They made a comfortable pace, not pushing too hard, and both just enjoying the slightly crisp morning that nipped at Jo’s bare skin between her socks and shorts, and colored the tips of Grey’s ears and nose pink.

They eventually stepped off of the much longer trail, that spanned the whole from the Minnestoa-Wisconsin border up to the Canadian border that was definitely beyond either of their wishes, and instead onto the much less well-tred cross-country loop that would take them to a spot Jo was most excited for. The path was muddier underfoot from the lush dropped leaves and thick grass that was clearly battling for control over the gravel, but between Jo’s hiking boots and Grey’s sneakers they were both relatively sure-footed.

Or at least they were until the track took a turn for the steep, weaving it’s way up towards the highest peak, Ely’s Peak, in the park that would overlook the full glistening lake far, far below and away.

Jo had heard that from that peak point there was a great selection of boulders for rock climbing or, rather fittingly, bloudering, and she wanted to clamber all across whatever outcropping there was before any other people showed up. Theirs had been the only car in the parking lot, and she intended to squeeze in as much fun as she could that day.

Their pace decreased dramatically though as the incline increased. Jo bounced along merrily, talking about the latest gaming night they'd had with their friends just a few days earlier and just how badly Spruce had played the whole night. Beside her, Grey nodded in agreement and huffed quietly every few steps as Jo's excitement seemed to push his desire to move faster onwards but he struggled to even maintain the previous pace of before.

"What do you think was wrong with him?"

"Mhmm, you're right."

"Whatcha mean I'm right?"

"Whatever you say, Jo."

Jo let out a bit of a laugh as she looked across at the red and sweaty look to Grey's face as they hit the hour mark and the first half hour of the higher inclined walking. His eyes were focused on the path in front of him, and clearly glazed over.

"Hey, let's take a little breather and have some water. I'm parched." Jo replied rather than trying to pick up the conversation, pointing towards a fallen log a few steps off the track up ahead. "I could do with a drink."

"Yeah?" Grey's head swung up off of the path at that, looking brightly and lovingly towards her at the prospect of sitting down, before looking to follow her pointed finger to the logs. There was a flicker of disappointment on his face, the realisation it wasn't a bench signifying they'd reached the peak, before he nodded enthusiastically anyway. "Water sounds really good."

"And you've got some trail mix in your bag we should have too."

"Good idea, pretty one, we only had those quick egg and bacon sandwiches on the way out-"

"-and you can't hike on an empty stomach after all!"

The shared smile lit up his face in a way that made Jo feel like swooning as they got to the log and sat down. Grey fished the trail mix from his bag while she tugged one of the water bottles to share from hers. Taking a short swig, just enough for a few gulps, Jo held it out to the other before fishing in the trail mix bag with her free hand, chewing happily over the mix of nuts, sultanas, chocolate nibs and dried fruit she'd grabbed.

Grey likewise chewed and swallowed a mouthful of the mix, before lifting the water bottle to his lips. Glancing out the corner of her eye, Jo let out a little giggle as she watched him drink almost the entire bottle thirstily. His whole face was red now, and not from the cool air that was slowly starting to warm up, and she could see the way his hair was plastering to his forehead from the starts of sweat. But his smile was big and bright, and as he set the bottle between his knees, he turned to look back at her. "Okay, right, you were saying something about Spruce?"

"He played terribly."

"True."

"And I was just wondering is something was going on with him?"

"It's this girl at his work. He thinks she's cute," Grey said with a small smirk, taking another, smaller, sip from the water bottle before he sat it back between his knees and continued. "She is a little bit older than him, and has a kid that likes Dungeons and Dragons. So obviously he thinks she's the perfect woman."

"Naturally!"

"Which is of course a fallacy, given you are the perfect woman-"

"Grey…"

"Sorry, off topic. But anyway, he had asked us guys what he should do to woo her a few weeks ago…" The way he trailed off, waving one hand for a moment before picking out another handful of trail mix and chewing thoughtfully delivered the right balance of drama and storytelling to have Jo on the edge of her log.

Wide eyed and disbelieving, wanting to hear any and all the suggestions. "And?"

Grey let out a chuckle, swallowing his mouthful before shaking his head. "Well, Ed said he should go around and 'help the kid with some D&D, before giving her some PIV'-" The slight confusion on her face disappeared at the accompanying hand gesture, getting a whoop of a laugh out of her and a corresponding snicker from the other before he continued. "Harry said he should ask her out for coffee. Which Spruce pointed out he hadn't even done for Sophie yet which derailed the discussion for a while."

"Of course. What did Garth say?"

"Garth said much like Harry he should be upfront and ask her out. Tell her he thought she was beautiful and ask politely if she'd be interested in going to dinner with him when it was appropriate for her."

"That charmer!"

"It's so surprising he doesn't have a girlfriend." Grey shook his head sadly, thinking over their friend while Jo took another handful of trail mix, slowly popping individual pieces into her mouth as she looked at him expectantly. There was a few seconds before the other grinned back at her cheekily, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Oh, I suppose you want to know my suggestion?"

"I mean, I would like to know how you'd have woo'd a normal woman," she replied with a corresponding smile, bumping her shoulder against his arm after a second. "So?"

"First off, you are both a normal woman and so extraordinarily special that what I said would never have worked to remotely let you think I was worth your time."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"Fine, so secondly - my suggestion was that he find out her favorite coffee from the cart downstairs. And pre-order one a day for her for the whole week so she could not worry about the expense and would have a fresh coffee each morning. Having a kid as a single mom must be exhausting after all-" Grey let out his thoughts in a rush of air, taking in a huff as he had to that sounded much like the huffed breaths he'd been making climbing up the mountainside so far. "And that he should stop by on Wednesday, not earlier and not later, to say he'd gotten her coffee for the week to help her out some, welcome her to the company, and maybe as a promise to take her out for coffee sometime in future if she was interested. But to make it clear the coffees were a friendly thing and not contingent on her going out for coffee with him in future!"

Jo's eyes widened as he talked, her mouth dropping open and a look of abject horror crossing her face the more he spoke. The idea as an adorably sweet, selfless and caring gesture that of course only Grey would come up with - that blend of friendship at its core but with the hint of something else if you happened to want to look at it that way, so perfectly him. And yet…

"Oh god! How badly did he fuck it up?"

"...badly enough he had a HR meeting about appropriate workplace behaviour."

The loud guffaws of laughter from the both of them as Jo shook her head in shock. Only Spruce.

"And?"

Grey shrugged a shoulder. "The meeting was for the day after our game, so that's probably why he was so bad. But he texted to say that he'd properly explained himself better in the meeting and he was neither fired nor disciplined." There was a pause before he smiled a bit. "And the lady in question has said she will have that coffee now she knows he isn't 'trying to buy her for five coffees'."

"How did he fuck it up that badly?!"

"I don't know!"

"Fuckin' hell, hunny, don't give any of the guys advice again. They all don't have the default adorableness you do to pull it off!"

"Oh? You mean that wouldn't've worked on you?"

"Of course not." Jo beamed back at him, bumping her shoulder to his again. "I can only be charmed by bein' nursed better and the beauty of my bein' discussed as I get undressed."

Jo let out a giggle as she watched the tips of his ears go red all over again, the normal color coming back to his face with the extended rest turned right back around to red at her words. Grey's eyes widened a fraction, blue swallowed up for a moment by pupils, before he noticed the cheeky grin and shot her a rueful one in response.

"Ah, of course that is how to woo the lovely Joanna Harvelle." He replied with a smile, shifting his arm to wrap around her bare shoulders and bring her into a side cuddle with a sigh. "How lucky for me I stumbled right upon the perfect pick-up lines?"

"Very lucky," she answered, turning to kiss him briefly but sweetly as they just soaked in the slightly cool breeze and the starting warmth from a few sunny rays.

They went through another few handfuls of trail mix, and Jo finished off the last of that water bottle, before they packed both the bag of snacks and the empty water bottle away into Grey's pack this time before they set off again towards the peak.

---

It took almost another hour to reach the lookout - the incline slowing at least half of them down, and the excited bird and animal spotting slowing the other half's pace to almost the same as Jo'd run ahead and excitedly point out various animals that would disappear just as Grey'd caught up. The family of white-tailed deer a hundred feet through the trees were the only ones that stayed long enough for the other to see and enjoy them, grazing on the grass and berry bushes away from the track. Jo happily still showed the photos she'd snapped of the cheerful little squirrels, a chipmunk hoarding a mouthful of nuts, and the most exciting spot for her was the pine marten that had scurried up and down a tree as she'd set pieces of dried fruit from her pack of trail mix out for it to take. Grey watched the video, smiling as he listened to the record gasps and quiet excited squeaks Jo had let out, as well as laughing at her trying to talk to the creature.

When they finally reached the point of Ely’s peak, both let out exclamations at the beauty of the landscape. Lake Superior spread out before them - a deep rich blue mirroring but darker than the soft blue of the sky. The fluffy clouds spaced across the sky at random dispersion all the way to the horrizon which was still not the other side of the Greta lake. Duluth was below them but tucked off to the side - hidden by the lush forest reserves or wide Green farm pastures more than the city itself. All down the hillside before them were boulders upon boulders stretching down a not quite sheer cliff face, the odd bush and tree springing out from in the grey rock formation like bursts of life. It was stunning.

Jo turned towards her lover with a wide smile, exclaiming happily. "Oh my god, it's so lovely!"

"Yes, yes it is." Jo frowned as she looked over her shoulder towards him, noticing the way those eyes as blue as the sky were focused upon her face and then slowly glided off to view the picturesque landscape beyond. "So beautiful, almost as beautiful as you."

That got a gentle punch to his shoulder as Jo blushed, and after a few quick kisses and a few more happy couple photos that Jo snapped with the view behind them, she unclipped her bag and set it down by the nearest viewing bench.

"Can you do my sunscreen before I go leapin' off rocks?"

"Sure thing, Jo. Did...did you need company?"

"Don't worry hun, I packed your things in your backpack so you can paint and sketch instead."

"The most thoughtful woman in the world," Grey grinned, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately before moving to slather her shoulders, arms, neck and chest with sunscreen. He moved onto her legs while Jo took care of coating her face and then fitting a cap over her head with her pony tail sticking through the back hole just right. "You let me know if you need help though?"

"Of course." Jo smiled back as she used the remaining sunscreen on her hand to cover his face, neck and the tiny amount of sweaty chest visible at the neckline of his tshirt as Grey covered his arms as well. There was a water tap nearby for them to wash the greasy feeling off of their hands before they both got to doing their own activities.

Grey was set up with a little help from Jo with his watercolor paper sketch book and charcoal pencils beside him to one side and his water color palette to the other with a small container of water. One of the water bottles was left with him, along with both their packs on the ground beside the bench as he finally focused on the vista and sketching out the faintest lines in preparation for a first image. The spot that he’d chosen wasn’t as shaded as some of the others, but sunburn was the least of his worries compared to getting an accurate view of the rich and vibrant colors he’d be trying to replicate and wanting to ensure he got them just right in the sunshine.

On the other hand, Jo threw herself into having fun clambering over the rocky outcrop with reckless abandon. The moment she’d left the other on his bench, set up and happy to spend quite some time just relaxing, catching his breath and doing something he enjoyed with his paints, she’d jumped off one of the highest boulders and down onto one further down. The ebb and flow of climbing and leaping warmed up her muscles as she clambered down as low as she could down the cliff face, uncaring to the worries of climbing all the way back up later. She would have to jump and scramble on occasion to reach the next rock up or gently scrape herself down the side of another to find a safe foot hold down - but that was half the point and half the fun between the warm sunshine, cool breeze and bird calls that would come after a whoop of laughter or enjoyment from her.

Jo lost track of time entirely as she got to the base of the outcrop, sitting atop one of the biggest rocks nearby to soak up the sun and catch her breath, before the tranquility was broken by a voice shouting.

“Jo?!” Grey’s voice carried down from the peak, and it took a few moments for her to realise the startled tone as she tilted her head back was because she could not see the top of the mountainside from where she was beside a slow trickling waterfall she’d set out to find. He called again, the tone borderline panicked, “Jo? Where are you?!”

“I’m fine hunny,” she called back as loudly as possible, hands cupped about her mouth before pushing herself to her feet so just the very top of her cap and eyes were visible over the big boulder face between her and the peak. There was a second before she had to wave a hand to catch the panicking man’s attention, a wide, affectionate grin on her face he probably couldn’t see as she called up again. “Here I am! Don’t worry! I’m all good!”

“Fuck, you scared me.” Grey shouted back down, and she could just make out the jittery nervous energy in his hands flapping a few times from the distance before she let out a loud laugh. “Don’t you laugh at me! I couldn’t see you for a whole half an hour!”

“Sorry, hun!” Jo replied, chided at just how much and how long he must have been looking for her as she’d climbed, scrambled and ducked about the rockside. Glancing down at her watch, she let out a surprised noise to see it was already midmorning and that she had spent the last hour running about the rockface. “I’ll come up now-”

“No, no, don’t rush if you’re-” “I’m gettin’ hungry and we still gotta find a picnic spot.” “Hmm… okay, I’ll start packing up up here.”

“Okay, be there in a minute!” She called back happily before turning her gaze from where he’d been to looking at the somewhat intimidating climb in front of her to get back up to the top.

Jo shrugged a shoulder and tucked a strand of stray hair back under her cap and behind her ear as she swiped a bit of sweat from her brow before starting the daunting climb back up. The rocks were so much taller going back up, and on more than one occasion she had to back up for a run up before leaping to try to grasp the top of the next rock up. Some she could wind her way through small wild life paths between rockfaces, but others she had to muscle and shuffle her way up awkwardly, all dirt and moss and hot stone under her fingers as she scrambled her way back up towards the peak. It took longer than a minute, that was for sure, and by the time she got up there Grey’d already repacked his backpack and had the second water bottle of the day ready and waiting for her with a smile.

Gulping down the remaining half of the bottle, Jo grinned widely back at him before tucking the empty bottle into his bag and then shouldering her own back on. “I bet we look like we match now.”

“Oh?” “Well, I’m all hot and sweaty and I bet red-” “Yes, very prettily so though.” “Naturally. And in about ten minutes you’ll look the same!” “How dare you-”

Grey cut off his admonishing with a laugh, pulling her in about the waist - hand slipping into the space between the curve of her back and her backpack, to kiss her thoroughly. They only pulled back after a long moment when their lips were tingling with the sensation of the other’s and the loss of them. Jo let out a laugh of her own before shaking her head free of the floaty, unfocused feeling his kisses left her with before gesturing back to the path to get going.

They hiked again, following the path winding back down from Ely’s peak at a much quicker and more comfortable pace for both of them with the downhill decline far easier than the hiking up had been. Grey’s hand slid into hers within a few minutes and neither let go as they kept a happy pace back down to the join of the previous track within half the time as before. Jo frowned as she glanced back the way towards the carpark before giving a tug and setting off into the denser forest cut through with another trail instead. There’d been no where suitable for a picnic the way they had come, and she was determined to find somewhere private and beautiful to spend their time.

Following the new path took them through basswood’s rather than redwoods, the foliage thicker and more shaded as the sun was moving towards overhead, but the undergrowth was still filled with the mixture of bluebead lilys and other shrubberys and wildflowers that thrived under the thicker canopy above. It was cool even though each poke of sun felt hotter than before and the warmth of the day was starting to set in. They wandered, up and down hills across the park as they went for another half an hour - much to Grey’s consternation he got hot, sweaty and red as quickly as Jo predicted as they started on the inclines, to a lot of teasing from the smiling blonde.

They’d just turned a corner when Jo noticed a creekline ahead and a small footbridge across it. “Oh! Come with me!” She tugged gently on the other’s hand as they approached, stepping off the path and instead following the lush, moss covered creek line down stream. Grey made a confused noise for a moment, before she grinned over her shoulder at him. “This is Sargeant Creek. I saw a little pond or inlet type place in Google Maps off this stream earlier, we should try to go there for our picnic?”

“Oh. That sounds like a great idea, pretty one,” he agreed readily, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek as he nodded and followed further along the creek and left the path behind them. Not that he’d had disagreed, following a creek means walking down hill and no more inclines. “Any idea how long it’d be?”

“Awww, are your feet hurtin’?” “As a matter of fact, yes, yes they are.” “Poor Grey!”

The teasing swat he gave to her backside at her joking at him got a squeal of laughter that set the birds hidden in the trees around them off, the ringing of bird call and happiness fitting so perfectly for the pair as they trekked onwards.

About ten minutes down the creek a large downed tree fell across the creek line, and giving a whoop, Jo tugged Grey in for a quick peck. “You’re it.” She whispered against his lips before pulling back and dashing across the log with a laugh. It took a moment, long enough for her to get to the other bankside before he seemed to realise what had happened and took off after her.

Their game of tag, kisses exchanged each time one or the other was caught and playful ducks out of grasp, took them back and forth across the creek. Jo’d even leaped just out of reach one time across a wider part of the creek and when turning back to tease the other couldn’t spot him until two hands grasped her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss for a long moment before Grey let go and smoked back across the creek with a rougish grin. They were moving slower and less productively with the game, but it kept both of them laughing and the focus off their feet and just how long they’d been walking in search of their picnic spot.

---

When Jo was finally skipping ahead out of Grey’s grasp and stepped out from under the thicker tree coverage to a sunny clearing and the widening of the creek it came as a surprise to have reached their location, and even surprised her enough to be caught up on a quick, hot kiss like the sunshine coming down on them before they both looked about. It was less a natural pond and more clearly a small beaver dam before continuing down the creekline on the other side of the pond. The slope around the dammed water was gentle and covered in lush grass, and brightly lit in the clearing, clearly caused by the beavers work a long while ago.

Moving over the grass and looking at the dam, Jo smiled widely as she turned about to see Grey setting his pack down and getting out the picnic rug.

“This looks pretty alright, don’t it?” “Yeah. You were right, Jo, this is much nicer than somewhere that there could be crowds and that.” “I know right?”

Smiling together, they set the picnic blanket out and Jo fished out one of the water bottles from her bag as she set it down before spraying more bug spray on her skin having noticed the croak of frogs from the pond and the number of bugs flying about the waters edge. Grey sank happily into the blanket and pulled off his backpack followed by his shoes and socks to rub at the soles of his feet happily before taking the water offered. “I’ll get the picnic in a minute-”

“No rush, hun.” Jo smiled gently at his insistence, shaking her head and kicking her own boots off and wiggling her socked toes with a groan. “God, you never notice your feet hurt ‘til you stop.”

“Oh, do your feet hurt, huh?” “Yes yes, payback’s a bitch!”

Grey laughed warmly as he moved to lean back on his elbows before reaching out to tug her down against him. They play wrestled for a few seconds before laying back in the sunshine happily together, each catching their breaths and enjoying the quiet of the thick forest around them. The fluffy clouds above, the warm sun, and the cool ground soft beneath them was as comforting as the other’s presence as they relaxed and recovered from the hiking so far.

It was another few minutes before Grey pushed himself into sitting up again, Jo shifting around to rest her head in his lap with a little yawn, before he finally felt up to summoning their packed picnic. The basket had been packed that morning, padded with cooling packs and everything they could need carefully tucked into tupperware containers and bowls, and left on the kitchen counter for easy summoning later on. It wasn’t a hard task to bring it to them, and Grey’s fingers ran through Jo’s hair once he was sure he’d brought their picnic basket correctly to them, just enjoying the moment. Eventually the smell of food roused Jo out of the happy doze she’d found herself lulled into by the warmth of the sunshine and the comforting touches from the other to push up and help start unpacking their early lunch.

They’d worked together the night before the prep and pack their picnic - Jo baking chocolate chip cookies mixed with strawberries and some coconut, choc-chip muffins with the express discussion about the choice of ingredients and some teasing laughter from both of them over just how many kisses she had wanted; Grey cooking pasta and whipping up pesto for their salad filled with feta, shaved corn and fresh cherry tomatoes from Jo’s plant in the back yard. They’d had grilled chicken for dinner the night before and packed away the leftovers to be added in for their lunch with some spicy hot sauce in a tub for Jo too. Taking the various containers out and cracking them open, Jo made a curious noise waving a tub filled with balled melons towards the other before getting a sheepish look in response before she picked one out with an excited moan at the slightly spicy but obviously sweet syrup coating the balls. Someone had been busy when she was getting dressed. Grey took the large thermos filled with blueberry-sweetened lemonade and started pouring the drinks as Jo took out the plates and utensils in tandem.

Sinking back to their sides, they tucked into their picnic lunch with a lot of exclamations over how nice certain things were - pasta salad and chicken eaten first and foremost, leaving the cookies and muffins for later. Jo teased Grey into warming her chicken up for her, and then got further teased at the way her encouragement got him to blush brightly in turn. And he got her in return by asking just why she’d picked chocolate desserts again, ribbing her gently back.

Stomachs full and not quite ready for their desserts yet, Jo shuffled about to rest back against Grey’s side as he pulled out his sketch book to show her the paintings and sketches he’d been working on. The first a richly colored vista of the lake, the lighter sky and the endless view of green that would have once stretched all the way through where their home city now was. The second was a more contemplative image of what might have been the lake shore itself, pebbled and sandy shore and the sky reflecting off the gentle swells of the water. A few sketches, darkly filled in with charcoals of the trees that filled the forest, and even a sketch of the cute pine marten Jo’d shown him was on the third page, the marten’s little nose looking extra cute and like it was in the middle of wriggling happily at the scent of food. The last page was faded grey boulders and the odd tree but clearly the figure leaping between two rocks was the main focus of the picture, long legged and arms out stretched and radiating childish glee. That got him a lot of those teased about kisses as they lay back down on the blanket, stretched out in the warm sunshine.

They whiled more time away cloud gazing, making shapes and stories out of the fluffy figures that danced across the sky as their stomachs settled, and Jo cuddled into Grey’s side happily. A duck with a top hat fought against a teddy bear with a cane, a clown which neither of them could agree was good or creepy disappeared rather quickly on the summer breezes pushing it along before they could quarrel longer, then a little girl spinning a pirouette was followed by a school of fish being lectured by an octopus. They’d giggled loudly when a very obvious cloud floated past that had Grey covering Jo’s hand with a mouth as she’d squealed out the word ‘penis’ loud enough to send a few birds flitting away from the canopy above them.

“Ugh, I feel so sticky.” Jo complained quietly as she snuggled her nose in against Grey’s shoulder when he finally uncovered her mouth with a smirk. “It’s so warm today!”

“Sorry pretty one, I didn’t pack a cold shower in the basket for you.” He teased quietly, tapping her wriggling nose with a finger before making a surprised noise and Jo’s jerking to a sitting position and then to her feet. “Jo?”

“You didn’t, sure, but there’s a nice cold pond right there!” Grinning widely back at him, she quickly tugged her knee-high socks off and piled them with her boots before tugging her tank top over her head followed by her shorts. Reaching into her backpack and ignoring the confused squawk from the other, she held the sunscreen out to him with a smile. “Slather me up, hun?”

Grey gave her a confused look for a moment before taking the bottle and checking it was a natural, grey water safe product, and shifting to sit up enough to cover her back, and arms all over again with the protective cream while she took care of her exposed stomach, chest and legs to save time rubbing it all in. Grey teased her quietly about wanting to be a tanned summertime goddess with the amount of sunshine she was getting that day, only to be teased back he was just mad she’d already rubbed it in on the bits of her breasts not covered by her bra and taunting whether he’d join her.

“To quote that movie you love - wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?” “Oh?” “I mean, the best vantage point for me would be here to see your figure while you’re playing around in the water.”

Jo let out a peal of laughter, nodding and pressing a quick kiss to his lips at that, before dashing off to the waters edge, careful not to startle or step on any frogs. It was a fairly clean and clear pond, and at it’s deepest would only just come up to under her chest - the perfect depth to see the muddy, pebbly pond floor and float around without fear of something unexpected catching her unawares. There were frogs and the odd baby trout swimming about in it as she splashed about, chasing tadpoles and floating on her back as the sun reached it’s crest of midday.

After she’d splashed about enough to acclimate to the cool water, she’d looked over to their little picnic to see Grey sat up with his sketch book all over again. Tilting her head curiously at him, Grey waved a hand at her and called out gently with a smile, “I’m good, pretty one. You have your fun in the water.” She waited a few seconds to watch him pick up one of the cookies with his spare hand before turning about and diving under the water to splash about some more.

The water was the perfectly cool temperature - breaking her out in goosebumps as she would sink under the water and then float to the surface - and the dappled sunlight coming from the trees lining the other side of the pond than their clearing left her cold despite the warmth in the air. Little fish swam up, mouthing at her toes occasionally before swimming away, and Jo even backstroked over to the reeds edge to look at the clusters of frog spawn sticking around the waterline of the water plants. She floated gently across the water quietly, eyes closed and just enjoying the peaceful silence as she drank in the sunshine.

By the time she got out of the pond and laid out on the blanket - now clear of their lunch dishes packed away and the two containers of muffins and cookies left out with the watered down lemonade - her toes and fingertips were all pruny and wrinkly. Grey let out a laugh looking at her fingers before kissing the tips and bunching up a spare corner of blanket to give her a pillow to lean back on as he continued to work on his sketches. The number of birds crowded to one side of the clearing - bird seed scattered on the ground before them that Grey must’ve summoned at some point bringing them close enough for him to sketch - chirped happily and their voices and song floated away on the breeze.

Curling on one side, she watched him quietly as he worked - those talented hands sketching carefully the array of different birds chirping and hopping about the place, from chickadees to wrens and even a bright red cardinal had flown down and pecked at the seed before digging out a worm as well. Two yellow warblers, clearly a mated pair, hopped about on the edge of the group for a little while - one grabbing a seed before handing it to the other who would fly off and return a few moments later before going again - probably taking seeds back to their nest for their little family. Jo watched the birds quietly, soaking in the peacefulness of their secret little space as Grey continued his sketching.

“You almost dry?” The question broke through the silence a while later, after the sun had helped warm her back up, and Grey raised a brow over at her as he flipped his sketchbook shut as the last bird had finally departed. “Or at least dry enough to drive home?”

“I think so. You feel recovered enough to get goin’ back to the carpark?” “Yep, I’m all rested, and we’ve got a bit of a drive home still.” “And still some lemonade in case you get nauseous again-” “So mean.”

Giggling quietly Jo got to her feet as Grey packed the remaining tupperware away into the picnic basket and shook the crumbs off of the blanket into the grass as she got dressed back into her shorts and tank top. Rather than pull the old socks on, Jo slipped the spare ones from his pack on and tucked hers back in their place, before clipping her backpack into place. Grey did the same before picking up the picnic basket in one hand and taking hers with the other, before they disappeared away from the sunny, secret clearing.

The forest was shaded but thick and muggy without the breeze permeating through to the underbrush as Grey appeared them ten feet off the trail and just out of sight of the carpark. Quickly making their way to the path and not spotted by any of the family groups slowly making their way along the hiking trail at the midday time, they slowly made their way to the car.

The walk back wasn’t long, but it was just long enough for the pair of them to hold hands and exchange smiles and teasing touches as they made their way back along the path. They passed some unruly children and their exhausted looking parents, lugging picnic baskets behind them, with angry looks towards the happy, peaceful couple clearly swinging their joined hands and very much young and in love. There were heavy duty climbers with harnesses already around their waists, jangling with clips that would scare off any of the animals that they’d managed to spot walking so quietly earlier in the morning if the screaming, running children hadn’t already. There was even a younger couple, clearly high school sweethearts, all blushing and twigs in their hair despite being not even twenty feet from the carpark as Jo and Grey had almost made it to the carpark.

Sharing a smirk to one another at the embarrassed look on the teens’ faces, Jo giggled loudly as they made it to the car and packed away the picnic basket and their backpacks into the trunk of the car. “So… when are we goin’ to be like those two?”

“What? You want to have bark-rash on your back?” “Oh, that’s true, that doesn’t seem particularly appealin’.” “Or perhaps you were thinking in a bush?” “That does seem to be what they’d been doin’!”

“Maybe next time,” Grey replied with a shake of his head, smirking across at her. “Or back in that little clearing, we should take advantage of those chocolate cookies-”

“And the muffins.” “That’s very true.” “Well, why didn’t we?”

Jo tilted her head at him, smiling gently before blinking in surprise as the other moved around the car to crowd her up against the warm metal side on her back as Grey leaned in to kiss her - hot and needy and all kinds of ways that made her weak in the knees - before he pulled back with a smirk. Grey leaned into her, lips against the shell of her ear, before speaking softly. “I didn’t want to scare away the birds.”

“Very fair!” Laughing together, Jo drew him in for another quick kiss, pressing all up against him, before they pulled apart and finally piled back into the car. The seatbelt metal was hot but clicked away quickly, and sharing a few sips of water from the last water bottle, Jo threw the car in reverse and then pulled out of the carpark towards home.

Glancing to the side as she drove them down the winding roadway down the other side of the mountain, going slow and cautious for the other’s usual motion sickness, Jo smiled softly to herself watching him press his face to the cool glass of the passenger window - figuring they could stop at the ice cream shop on the way home for a creamy treat and maybe even some Sprite to settle the other’s stomach before they would get home to their likely still dozing baby ready to go out to the backyard. Looking out the front window as the trees slowly got high enough and the road flattened out that the deep blue of the lake disappeared from sight behind them, she couldn’t help but smile over the loveliness of the day, noticing an equally loving smile directed her way out the corner of her eye.

---

[mtjester]

BNHA Steampunk AU: My Steampunk Academy Snapshot #1

(I probably won’t write a fully-fledged, contained fanfic for this AU, but I like the idea of little snapshots that I can type out as I feel like it. Maybe I’ll figure out how to put something like this on Twitter, too, since I know that’s a thing people do. Enjoy!)

Deku Finds the Machine

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The ruins of the skyship were scattered across the landscape. The main hull, now a skeleton of metal rings, was nestled among the rocks near the peak of the stubby mountain, and parts of the engines and decks had tumbled down the slope. Izuku paused at the apex of the neighboring hill, taking in the charred remains of the ship again. Memories of the night before ghosted through his brain: the fire, the smoke, the jarring scream of twisting metal. He had searched as much as he could through the blaze, but he only found the one survivor. The man was safe at his house a mountainside away with his mother doting at his bedside, but he hadn’t woken up. The doctor said he might not, between the shock, the burns, the injury on his side. Izuku had never seen anyone die before, and he wasn’t going to wait around to see what it was like. Even the ghastly sight of the decimated skyship was more welcoming than the man’s labored breathing.

Izuku trudged down to the shallow valley below, where so much debris had collected. In any other circumstance, he would be excited. There was more scrap metal to tinker with than he would ever be able to use. Some of the devices might even survive if he was careful with the repair. But he was too afraid of the possibility of a blackened body emerging out of the rubble to snoop much.

He traced his steps back to the place he found the survivor. It was near the main hull, but not near enough to suffer the worst of the heat while it burned. The whole mountainside was charred. It would be months before Izuku could bring the Bakugou’s flock of sheep this way to graze. The wealthy family wasn’t used to inconveniences like that, but they seemed to understand well enough, even if their tone was lost through the telegram.

Nothing moved. No people clawed their way out of the wreckage, gasping for help. Izuku didn’t know what he was expecting, but his heart sunk nonetheless. He poked around futilely, too afraid to actually find anything to really get anything done. An hour passed, then two. He started a pile of garbage, a pile of usable material. No bodies, thankfully. Then, around the three hour mark, he found something that caught his eye.

At first glance, it was like a backpack. It had two thick straps for the arms and another to go across the waist, as it was a rather large, hefty pack. Its exterior was made of leather and covered in pockets, or it was once, at least, but brushed brass and iron peeked out through burnt holes now. Layers of mechanisms — clockwork-like gears, engine-works, a miniature firebox for steam-power — revealed themselves like a kaleidoscope through the outer layer of leather. Izuku knew even at a glance that the machine was sophisticated, more so than anything he had ever encountered. He passed his hand over the mechanisms shining beneath the burnt fabric, his fingers tracing the intricate designs. His heart beat like he had discovered a stash of gold or a genie in a bottle. A squeezed noise of excitement forced its way through his throat. Any thought of cleaning up the mountainside or finding fictional survivors who clearly didn’t exist evaporated from his mind. 

He grabbed a strap and moved to haul the backpack-like structure over his shoulder. If he got it home soon, he would have enough daylight to tinker without wasting gas for the lantern. But he didn’t expect the weight of it. He lifted, expecting nothing more than the resistance of a sack of grain or a stubborn lamp, but it just about pulled his shoulder out of its socket. With a yelp, he toppled backwards onto it, the small of his back landing on the solid structure that suddenly seemed more brick than machine.

“Geez…” Izuku breathed, rubbing out the new pain in his back. He stared down at the innocuous object. “Is this really supposed to be a backpack?”

He tried picking it up twice more with roughly the same results. He wasn’t weak exactly, but he wasn’t a dedicated sports enthusiast either. He was far from a muscle-man. He furrowed his brow and lifted a finger to his lips to think, muttering his way through the problem.

“Well...I don’t have to take it all the way home, at least not at first...I can ask for help if I need it, or bring a dolly cart...although a dolly wouldn’t work so well over the mountain...maybe a bigger cart? Or I can ask Mrs. Bakugou to lend me their ox...I do have to clear the land...she’d want me to do that, right? In any case…” He looked up at the sky. The day was still young, perhaps just past noon. If he hurried…

“Right,” he said, coming to a decision and dropping his fist into his other hand with purpose. He turned back to his house and began to hike at a quick but steady pace back home.

He returned an hour later with his tool belt. He had customized it himself to hold all his little tinkering odds and ends. It was far from a true machinist’s tool belt, but it did as much as Izuku could afford to do. He skittered up the slope to the mysterious box with a feverish glint in his eyes.

“Let’s see…” he said, plopping down next to the device. He mumbled to himself as he pulled back the leather casing. It was a strange casing, coming apart in odd patterns, covering the device in chunks and strips with a purposeful design that Izuku couldn’t place yet without more examination. He took out his handmade sketchbook and sketched the design in detail, as faithfully as he could. 

Once the leather had been fully removed, the genius of the machine was laid bare for admiration. Izuku spent a full ten minutes just looking, starry-eyed, at the beautiful, intricate works hidden beneath the bag’s casing. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in their small mountain village, leagues above the basic clockwork that made up the vast majority of the machinery he had had the chance to tinker with. He spent an additional length of time — a half hour? An hour? — sketching to the best of his ability the detailed works. It was one of the most detailed sketches he had ever made, and it still wasn’t detailed enough. He chewed on his tongue, erasing and redrawing, erasing and redrawing. Finally, he put his sketchbook down.

“Okay, let’s see…” he said, finally approaching the machine. He barely knew where to start. He hovered over it for a couple of minutes, looking at it from different angles, debating whether to undo this screw or that. Finally, he leaned back. “Well...the logical first step is the most obvious, right?”

He leaped up and jogged to his new garbage heap, searching for something burnable. He found plenty of kindling and returned to the device. The firebox was one of the first and most apparent parts of the machine. It was a steam-machine, clearly, although it was far more compact than Izuku thought possible. He hoped he was making the right choice as he packed the burnable materials into the firebox. He produced some matchsticks from his tool belt and lit the flame. 

The fire would heat the water in the compressed chamber, which would create steam, which would power the engine. That much, Izuku knew. How it all worked with the clockwork elements was the mystery. What was the machine designed to do? What was its function?

Izuku waited, almost buzzing with anticipation. Nothing happened. Cooled steam began to escape, having done what it was supposedly meant to do. Still, nothing. It made noise, at least. But it didn’t do anything. Izuku gradually deflated, realizing he was being silly. Was he waiting for it to sprout legs and walk away? An engine doesn’t just run for show. An engine needs a conductor. He still had a role to play here somehow.

He moved forward to examine the machine again, careful now that it was steaming. For all he knew, it was damaged in the crash and was ready to blow up in his face. He touched it, gingerly, looking carefully along its surfaces, prodding with laser focus. His hands felt the top, the front, the sides. Then, they felt two raised bumps. A button on each side of the machine, almost hidden beneath the layers of leather he had pulled back. Of course — the buttons were meant to be exposed with the leather casing intact, but by pulling it all open at once, he had covered them. It was just where a person could reach if they were actually wearing the dead-weight object on their back. Izuku licked his lips, his anticipation coming back full-force, and he pressed each button at the same time.

Two arms, about the length of an adult human’s, sprung from the sides of the box and launched forward, where a human would stand if they were actually wearing the device properly. At the ends of each, they branched out and formed into something like gloves. Pistons, gears, rods, strange copper wires, and a sturdy metal skeleton ran the length of the arms. Izuku’s heart picked up pace in his chest as he examined them. He reached for his sketchbook, paused, reached for the machine, paused...and his curiosity won over his scientific duty to observe. He scrambled to the front of the machine and dropped onto his butt to wiggle himself into the straps as best as he could. He somehow managed to find a position where he could secure the device firmly around his waist.

The metal arms were too long for him, but they were adjustable to an extent. He fit his hands into the gloves. Each finger seemed to be attached to some element of the machine. Tentatively, he moved just one, the index finger of his right hand. The machine behind him came to life with buzzing, whirring, clicking. He glanced back to see the intricate inner mechanisms catching the light of the sun as they moved. He moved another finger. Something clicked, and the form of the box shifted, opening. His eyes blazing with excitement, Izuku threw caution to the wind and danced all of his fingers in a short wave.

Like it was the signal it had been waiting for, the box burst open. Legs like spider limbs splayed from the contraption, their skeletons made of iron and their muscles, full of gears, pistons, rods, wires, built out of brushed brass and copper. The legs came down hard into the dirt of the mountainside, and before he knew it, Izuku was being lifted. His strangled yelp grew into an actual scream as his butt came off the ground, followed by his legs.

“What — what? What?” he shouted as his feet dangled in the air. The straps dug into his armpits. Without thinking, he flailed his arms around. In response, the machine began to turn and spin on its spider-y legs, circling back and forth across the charred wreckage in an almost impossibly smooth manner, as if the ground were perfectly level and not covered in boulders and debris. Izuku, now dizzy as well as bewildered, reached back behind him, trying to press the buttons he had found before. His fingers twitched erratically in his panic. The device rocketed him forward, and before he knew it, he was sprinting across the valley on bronze and iron spider limps, shrieking.

He did not get home until twilight. Luckily, he did not need to borrow an ox from the Bakugous to get the device there after all.