#its like barely too small to fit a 15 when i get a new one for uni

[kittycatcarla]

Every. Single. Time. I leave my shoulder bag on the floor my cat just comes to it WITHIN SECONDS and just.. sits on it

And it's always this specifc bag. Regardless if its empty or full. But just this ome bag. Not my school backpack, nu my mom's or sister's bags, but just this one blue bag

Granted, he did piss on it like 3 years ago but im not so sure whether its related or if they have a common cause

But he just likes to sit on it

[thesunnysunsun]

So uh.. I blinked and a new Isat au happened (Ima call it a lighthouse au cause Loop's a light that guides Sif's way :3) MER LOOP MER LOOP MER LOOP!!!! And itty bitty baby Siffrin :) Look at them their so smallll (Spoilers) The general premise is when Loop makes the wish, they wished specifically for a light to guide them home. Instead of waking up at dormont Loop wakes up in the middle of the ocean on the day the Island was wished away, and sees itty bitty Siffrin running away. Anyways au ramblings are under the cut if you want more vv

So for the Au I was thinking Loop used a very specific kind of wishcraft. They did the blowing on a leaf thing, but this time they set it in a pool of water and then submerged themselves in the water. Like a baptism but funky and wishcraft. This is Loop, so they were really just trying to drown, and ended up performing the wishcraft on instinct. They've pretty much given up at the start of the au. Loop proceeds to wake up in the middle of a raging black ocean, very confused, and sees the island with a giant red tear in the sky over it. They naturally race towards it, but as soon as soon as they get close the timeloop resets and their right back in that raging ocean. A few failed tries later they spot a small rowboat sailing away in the storm and follow it, finding none other than a young Siffrin. Loop slowly bonds with Siffrin as they try to get Sif back to the island over the span of several more loops. The first time Siffrin catches Loop they throw their big net over Loop, forcing a very stubborn loop over like their a big fish or something. They spent a lot of loops bonding, talking, catching fish and stuff. Loop knows Siffrin is suppose to go to vanguard, but that just leads to tragedy and suffering, so obviously the answer must be getting to the island.. right? Siffrin can recall the loops, though he is very young and thats a lot to process for a little kid. Their slowly forgetting about the country and history, and are very scared, but they got a pretty mermaid friend, so maybe it's not all bad? The Au is about Loop's thoughts and feelings about their home and them not wanting to move forward with their life. They know what kind life awaits Siffrin. They know all the scary, tragic things that happen to them, how alone they are. But no matter how hard they try, trying to drag Siffrin back to the island always leads to a reset. Deep down Loop knows their avoiding their own future too. They've spent a long, long time in the timeloops, an unpredictable future, one their sure will be filled with tragedy is terrifying to them. But over the span of the au they begin to realize scary things do happen, and they can't help that. But someone will always come along and light their way. In the same way Loop guides Siffrin someone will come along and guide them they just have to accept the help. and at the end Loop finally gives in and takes Siffrin to Vanguard, leaving their past behind. Loop is Sif's lighthouse now, guiding their way, and when at long last Loop lets go and returns to their own timeline, they look up and find an older version of the Siffrin they knew waiting to guide them into the unknown.

uh.. COUGH COUGH ANYWAYS! Some design notes!!

Loop -Loop's head is suppose to look deep sea creature-esq mixed with a bit of angler fish -Loop's star is shaped like a compass now :3 -Their tail is a broken star!! -The stars on Loop's skin are glowing scales now Siffrin -Siffrin wears a compass around their neck to match Loop's star (When they grow up they eventually use it to find Loop again) -His clothes like.. barely fit. To a cartoonish degree. Siffrin is SO small. -They tried to tie a rope around their cloak so it doesn't fall off. Its.. somewhat working. -The Net is an excuse to make Net puns every 10 seconds. Loop has heard "Are we there Net? >:3" Like 15 times. Mostly though Siffrin just thinks it makes them look like a proper sailor. Sif isn't a very fashionable kid. (I think Loop would ask about it once, and Sif would be like "I wanna look like my da- .. d." And just sorta, trail off.) -Sif's hair is longer and matches Loop's fins

I have more ideas for this au, I might make more for it later i'll put it under the lighthouse au if I do

[cleighwrites]

Sam/Dean - exploration ;)

Thanks, Buffy!! This one kinda got away from me (1100 words!) I took some liberties, I hope you don't mind! Enjoy!! Fluff ahead!

Read about Dean's (19) dilemma and Sam's (15) curiosity under the cut!

They were in the backseat of the Impala, because where else would they be with their dad doing interview for his job and they hadn’t checked into their motel yet. They were sleeping in after driving through the night to get to this new city, curled up around each other in the back seat. 

Dean was getting tall enough he had to bend his knees to fit in the back, but Sam was still small enough to fit without too much geometry involved. Dean had his back against the back of the seat, while Sammy laid in front of him with Dean’s arm draped across his middle holding him securely on the bench seat. 

This wasn’t the first time they’d been left sleeping in the car. It was, however, the first time being left alone in the car after The Conversation that Sam tried to have with Dean a few days prior. Dean had shot it down so fast, hardly giving it any thought. Of course, that had led to having to share a car with a very grumpy, 15 year old Sam.

“It’s just a kiss, Dean, it’s no big deal!” he’d whined in his pubescent voice. 

“It is a big deal, Sammy, and I’m not going there with you, end of story, so drop it!”

That conversation had happened two days ago and Sammy had barely talked to him since. Even John had noticed that something was up between them. His baby brother had asked him to teach him how to kiss, which was sweet in its own way, but Dean would be too fucked up to take Sam’s first kiss. That should be with someone special, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. It was a right of passage. 

Sam grumbled and rolled over, tucking his forehead against Dean’s shoulder to block out the sun streaming in through the cracked windows along with the early spring breeze. He nuzzled his nose against Dean’s skin and Dean brought his hand up to cup the back of his brother’s head. He secretly missed when Sammy had been so little that he’d have to carry him, and even when he was a baby, Dean would have to cradle his head to keep his neck right. Soon enough, his little brother may likely be bigger than him. He was not ready for that to happen yet. 

Wrapping a leg and an arm around Dean, Sam pulled himself closer, snuggling in tightly to Dean. He was sleeping, so Dean let him get away with it. When he’s awake he’s had to start putting up boundaries, there’s just certain things they couldn’t do anymore now that they’re older. Certain things people that weren’t them, wouldn’t understand. 

Sam let out a little noise, and Dean started running his fingers through his hair. He really needed to get the kid a haircut, and soon. 

Dean jolted into the back of the seat when Sam’s lips pursed against his collar bone. His shirt was thread bare and the neck was so loose it hung down to his shoulder when he laid on his side. So the feel of Sam’s lips on his skin was a shock. He didn’t think anything of it, because Sammy was asleep; until it happened again, this time with purpose behind it. Sam was kissing his collar bone. 

“Sammy,” Dean said in quiet admonishment. 

“Let me,” Sammy begged in his cracking, whinny voice. “Please, De. I just want to see what it’s like.” 

His plea broke Dean’s heart, and if he hadn’t been sleeping and holding him in his arms for the past few hours, he probably would have had the balls to tell him “no.” As it was, Dean could never truly deprive Sam of anything he needed. And right now, it seemed, that this was what he needed. 

Pulling his face back so that he could look down at his baby brother, Dean lifted Sam’s chin so he could look him in the eyes. “You get one kiss, then I’ll answer any questions you have, but you only get one shot.” 

Sammy’s eyes lit up like he’d just found Santa putting real presents under their actual Christmas tree. “Deal,” Sam quickly agreed. He licked his lips then rushed toward Dean’s face. 

Dean put a hand on his chest and held him at bay. “Easy, Tiger. There’s a few things first.” 

Sam went to sit up, but Dean shook his head with his hand on his shoulder, telling him not to. 

“There are cues to look for if someone wants to kiss you. You can test these cues. One way is to lick your lips. If they watch you do it, and they keep looking at your mouth, they’re thinking about kissing you. If someone licks their lips while looking at your lips, they’re probably testing to see if you’re looking at their lips to know whether or not you want to kiss.”

“You lick your lips all the time though,” Sam pointed out. 

“Yeah, well, I have dry lips. That’s not the point.” Dean licked his lips, out of habit from talking so much about it. He watched as Sam followed his tongue with his eyes, then licked his own lips in response. 

This was a dangerous game they were playing.

“So when you know you’re gonna kiss someone, you can lick your lips again if you want, because you want your lips to be a little wet so they don’t just rub together and get stuck.”

“Can I kiss you now?” he asked in the way only an innocent fifteen-year-old could manage. 

Dean rolled his eyes, but cradled Sam’s face with one hand. He held his eye contact until he licked his lips, then he let his eyes flutter to Sam responding by licking his own. Slowly, so slowly, because he couldn’t believe he was actually going through with this, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Sam’s. 

His gut tightened, but not in a bad way, and the light flickered behind his closed eyes. Sam pressed just as hard as Dean did, and when Dean moved his lips, Sam mimicked him. Everything Dean did, Sam did. He was a quick study, and when Dean flicked his tongue out to goad Sam into doing the same, Sam’s tongue was right there, exploring and figuring out what to do with this new found skill he could develop. 

Dean was going to go straight to Hell, but helping his little brother explore his mouth with innocent, greedy kisses was probably one of the best decisions he’d ever made in his life.

[onthegreatsea]

idk man that income poll has rly fucked with me because it feels like suddenly all the dumbass shit i've seen on this site over the years makes so much more sense.

the majority of you arent poor. most of you didnt grow up around poverty. no wonder you're all so judgemental about criminals, and drug addicts and sex work and care way too much about fucking shoplifting and have the dumbest opinions on lgbt crap and place so much morality on shipping and stupid fandom bullshit and- fuck me. i didnt even think i was poor growing up because i always knew people who had it so much worse. i had a roof over my head and regular food and maybe on a birthday i'd get something nice.

i wasnt living in a place so small my room could barely fit a single bed. i wasnt homeless. i wasnt going to sleep hungry. i wasnt living right next to constant police raids and drug deals and stabbings. i never had to turn to sex work, i never became an alcholic to deal with the stress, i didnt have a kid at 15 years old, it wasnt my friend who died at 16 from an overdose, it wasnt my friends forcing me to jack cars and traffic drugs and- ... i was incredibly lucky when i was 13 because i got into a private school on a scholarship. that was the first time i actually felt poor. everyone had new phones and they went on holidays and had all this expensive makeup and clothes (that fit!)... they had all this wealth and they just took it for granted. and in their complete ignorance judged me for not being able to keep up. 'just get your parents to buy you a new one' 'why arent you coming on the school trip, its only £200' 'stop borrowing stationary, just get your own' ...some years later i decided to look up kids i knew on facebook. everyone from the state schools i went to, all the kids i knew who grew up poor... they were still poor. some had served time. most of the girls had kids as teens. all of them smoked. some were addicts. if they werent a single mother they were working in a grocery store or mc donalds. but the kids from the private school? they were lawyers and doctors and politicians. they owned big houses and their own companies or worked in silicon valley or whatever. one kid who bullied me ended up as the head of the immigration office. and none of kids from that private school were smarter or wiser. they werent more talented or harder working. and they sure as fuck werent nicer, better people; they were just fucking rich.

sorry "middle class" but the trajectory of their lives was basically decided before they were born. thats what generational wealth is. not being in poverty is such an absurdly privileged position and the fact that so many people on this site would rather channel their guilt into denial than recognising how fucking lucky they are is driving me insane

[queen-of-the-misfit-toys]

That's All

Another little ficlet from last year but needed new life since Luke talked about his love of piano in an interview released today. This is short...about 662 words...but sweet ☺️ and based on one of my favorite Michael Buble songs.

____________________________________________

"I'm going to maim that man one of these days," Sophie mumbled as she struggled up the stairs with the shopping, "Why can't he ever answer his phone when I need him?"

She heard the faint sound of soft piano and sighed. He was lost in his music again.

Benedict was often at the piano these days. Unlike his painting, which fed his passion and his wallet, playing the piano fed his soul. It gave him solace. It had been several months since Sophie had moved in and his world turned topsy-turvy. She'd needed a place to go when her boyfriend decided to sell their home and move back in with his, surprise to Sophie, wife. Ben had welcomed her with open arms declaring that this was her home as long as she wanted. He never realized how hard it would be to live with your unrequited love.

"Ben, I could use some help with the shopping," Sophie called to him. "There's just a few more in the car to get and then you can go back to your keys."

The music stopped. "Coming, Soph. What all did you buy? We're only having a few friends and family 'round", he laughed as he bounded down the stairs.

" Well, the human disposal known as your dear brother Colin is coming so we must have enough for him plus the other 15 or so of us. What were you playing when I walked in? It sounded beautiful."

He blushed slightly, "Oh, nothing much. Just something I've been messing around a bit. Not fit for ears yet I'm afraid."

"Well, it seemed lovely and I can't wait to hear the finished piece", she kissed him on the cheek, "I'm going to bathe before we get to work on the food."

Sophie settled on a bath instead of a shower. She tried to relax into the steamy water and let it work its magic on her sore muscles. She'd been so tense since the breakup and moving in with Benedict. She knew how he felt about her and, while she did love him in her own way, she was nowhere near ready for another relationship.

She heard the piano start again and the lovely tune he'd played earlier drifted upstairs. Except this time Benedict was singing along,

" I can only give you love to last forever and a promise to be near each time you call…la da da de da da da…la dah de da da dum…."*

Sophie sat mesmerized by the beautiful words she'd just heard and, moreso, by his voice. She'd never really heard him sing, hum yes, and drunken karaoke didn't count. Benedict had a rich, deep, almost sultry singing voice and she needed to hear more. Stepping out of the bath, she tiptoed into the hall.

"If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear. You'll be glad to know that my demands are small. Say it's me that you'll adore, for now and evermore. That's all. That's all."*

Sophie stood trying to keep the tears from running down her face. She clutched her towel tighter and made her way down to his music room.

"Benedict", she whispered very softly, so low he could barely hear her. He spun around.

"Sophie! You're soaking wet and…crying. Did you hurt yourself in the bath? Are you alright? He jumped up to look her over for injuries.

"I'm fine, Ben, I just heard you playing and singing and wanted to hear more. A private concert if you will."

"Are you sure you're not hurt? You didn't hit your head, did you? You're acting a bit strange right now," he laughed nervously. "It's not like you to run around half starkers just to hear me play."

"Don't forget I wanted to hear you sing too."

"That's all then? You really just want to watch and hear me?

"That's all, Darling. That's all."

*Song is "That's All" by Bob Haymes*

*My favorite version is by Michael Buble*

[e17omm]

So ever since HoO appeared in game I have been thinking of how it could have otherwise gone down.

Not just for Mei, but for Bronya too.

Because HoO feels like it would have fit in with the end of the Elysian Realm instead of randomly in the middle of Project Stigma.

Which got me thinking.

Should the Herrscher transformations been spread out more? Im not talking chapter 15 HoTr Bronya, and there would have to be extensions to the story. I just have some off the top of my head ideas.

So, Bronya and True Herrscher of Reason / Herrscher of Truth. I would have put this probably in the Herrscher of Dominance Arc. Which would have been extended. Chapter 23 focused on Seele and Bronya at the start. We follow Seele and Bronya gets her powers stolen.

Now before this arc I would have put a bit more focus on Bronya. All her fights are barely victories, even with the core. She doesnt defeat Tlaloc, she just incapacitates it or stuns it and barely gets away. I get that Cyberangel is a hype moment, but this is just hypotheticals. I would have her lose something else too, probably against the Herrscher of Sentience, and I mean really lose. She gets mindtricked and stomped basically.

And I would keep giving her moments where she feels/complains that, even with the help of the Core of Reason, she doesnt feel like she can reach her full potentional.

So back to the HoDom arc. I would extend it to 6 chapters. Which is *a lot*. But the chapter 23 would focus on Seele and Seele, and Bronya losing her powers trying to fight the puppets. Chapters 24 and 25 would focus on Bronya regaining her powers, similar to how Mei did it chapter 17 in regards of accepting her Herrscher self of her own will, by becoming the True Herrscher of Reason. This would also give her the finalé of defeating all the 1,000 puppets.

Because in-game where we kill all the puppets halfway through chapter 24, its like defeating the final boss halfway through the second movie in a trilogy. It just doesnt work.

So we trick the players with another 3 chapter arc with Bronya in the spotlight. Except we leave enough uncleared as to whether or not we actually defeated HoDom for good. Something like, we only found evidence the puppets can work in small groups, yet they seemed to be overseen by something to work well on a larger scale. But its not made clear either way.

This chapter 26 would start with some downtime. Bronya and Welt chatting about Bronya's new Reason powers. Some Kiana in there because she still has to deal with HoV. She has those Sirin dreams and asks around. Theyre all still on the lookout for HoDom so they havent fully celebrated yet since they arent sure, so when the puppets return for round 2 its not out of nowhere. This chapter would also have us follow Mei and the WS crew as they research the puppet cores, and they slowly uncover that the puppets were connected to a central figure, and this is where the puppets return.

Now we have Kiana being taken to the Theater. Maybe go through the Second Eruption and post-K-423 rescue events in slightly more detail? But for the rest, Bronya and Mei reenter the Theater, but we also follow Seele and the twins because the puppets are figting two fronts, one in reality where they are attacking and one in the Theater where they are defending. Vice-versa for our protagonists. They have to break through in the Theater before the puppets can win on Earth. Just for some extra tension and scenes for chapter 27. Chapter 28 happens pretty much the same but Im unsure for Everlasting Flames. I want HoTr Bronya there - Flamescion still takes center stage - but Bronya's past victory did kinda get undermined by the puppets not staying dead, so I want her fighting side by side with Kiana so Bronya can also get a true victory. Im just not sure how that would go down, and again, Flamescion would still take center stage.

Kolosten would basically be unchanged in events. Its Otto's finalé.

Elysian Realm and Elysium Everlasting. Oh boy. I wont dwell on this.

Less focus on Elysia. More focus on Mei. More focus on all the Flame Chaser as a united group in terms of how much Mei gets to know them. Some explaination as to what Origin actually means.

This can still end with a fight against HoC, but it is Mei who fight it. The Flame Chasers helping her along through all the signets Mei has collected (since *all* of them would have been deleted at this point). They can appear as ghosts to help out, doesnt matter. During the final parts of what would be chapter 34 (HoDom 23-28, Kolosten 29-31, EE 32-34) all the Flame Chasers induvidually gives Mei their full signets. Not Elysia narrating it all, we hear all the Flame Chasers, but yes it still ends with Elysia giving Mei the signet of the Herrscher of Origin and Mei defeats HoC, either through her new powers or through deleting the Realm.

And now, the part 1 finale is cleared up for Project Stigma and Kiana becoming the Herrscher of the End. Hopefully without this sudden change in the Project since in this theoretical timeline it would have actually been set up beforehand.

Because showing 3 new Herrscher battlesuits into 1 chapter each along with reexplaining and reintroducing a brand new Project Stigma in the finale of the story does not work as well as the writers wish it did.

This ultimately got longer and more off the top of my head than I originally planned for it.

Ultimately I just needed to vent a bit. Dont take any as I said as 100% set in stone this is what I would have done... But the HoO powerup really would have fit so much better at the end of the Elysian Realm arc imo.

[parchmentknight]

my custom keeb + sounds:

more info below, if u wanna see what i did

its around 65 CAD dollars on amazon, but i got it for 15 using a giftcard my old teacher gave me (i cleaned my highschools fish tanks for 3 years, wasnt expecting any payment but she gave me some money seeing as i would work 1-3 hours daily, sometimes all 5 days of the school week to keep those fish from dying, its a long story eurrr).

it came with the matcha keycaps + some extra keycaps for customization, rgb backlights, and some generic red linear switches (felt like 55g springs) which i later switched out for aliexpress fake holy pandas (67g springs), which are considered one of the best tactile switches out there, and the fake ones are honestly pretty close to the real ones. The stock red linears were good, especially for a starter enthusiast i think, but they were barely lubed and the springs inside were so LOUD. i thought the case was empty because of how loud the spring ping was LOL. to fix it, just l.ube the springs well.

they came factory lu.bed but i still went over them with my own aliexpress (again. i did not want to spend a lot of money) l.ube. they have crazy thock and when over-lub.ed, become creamy.

i did the foam mod using thick felt foam (also from ali.... it was precut to fit perfectly okay) plus another layer of that thin white packaging foam from the keyboard box. Unfortunately, the keyboard, despite saying it can be customized in its description, had the plate and the back case welded :/// i had to cut around the foam to slip it through the welded parts.

i added the thin white foam and some painters tape to the inside of the spacebar keycap to create more thock, which worked very well.

the new ali switches also didnt fit in the front plate?? they fit in the pcb just fine, but the front plate was a little too small or something so when i would push the switches in, theyd fly out. i had to put the thing on the floor and step on it to get some of the keys to stay. i eventually had to frankenstein the original red linear switch cases with the internals of the pandas to get the spacebar and enter keys to sit right and fit with the stabilizers.

the stabilizers are white plastic and removable, as long as you unsrew the entire top part of the case first LOL. they work fine with the stock switches, but struggle to move the keys up or down without sticking if you use any other switch.

the fekker holy pandas worked well, especially since they were fakes and a lot cheaper than the real ones - real pandas cost about 83 CAD for 70 pcs, while i got 110 for 25 CAD! there were a few in the bag that didnt work, and they were shipped in a plain plastic bag, but they give you extras so you have enough working ones for a full size keyboard (which has 104 keys).

i accidentally damaged the pcb copper wiring stuff by pushing in a switch without checking if the pins were aligned; the pins bent instead of going into the holes and scratched the wires. because of this, i lost function in both the f11 function key and the print screen key. i dont ever use those so im fine with it.

long post over. i love her so much

[missywritesfor7]

🌙Moon’s Light | JJK🌙

Synopsis: Luna is a young paralegal trying to maintain her new found independence and enjoy life. Too bad her job sucks and her boss is the worst. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she encounters a vampire named Jungkook who changes her life in more ways than one.

Jungkook is a shield and protector of the vampire kingdom of Korealis. He’s trained his entire life to block out any and all distractions and focus solely on becoming the strongest. While investigating a potential threat to the kingdom, he encounters Luna who turns out to be more than he could have ever imagined. It becomes his job to protect her, but he can’t tell if what he’s feeling is his devotion to the job or perhaps something deeper.

Secrets are uncovered. Lives are on the line. Hearts are tested.

Pairing: Vampire!Jungkook x Fem!OC

Warnings: Violence, character death, eventual smut, tragedy, some angst, strong language, MINORS DNI

Previous chapter | Next chapter | Masterlist

|| Ch 3: Bunny ||

It’s been another stressful day in the office as Luna finally heads down the elevator at 10:45 pm. She runs out of the building hoping she can catch the last bus of the evening and save herself the 15 minute walk home. When she arrives at the stop she learns that the bus is running late. She takes a seat on the bench thankful for this stroke of luck.

As she waits she notices a small bunny nearby. She smiles thinking how soft and cute it looks. She wishes she could hold it in her arms and pet it. Like an emotional support animal that will keep her from wanting to commit a variety of crimes against Mr. Choi. The bus arrives cutting through her fantasy and she hops on once again thankful she doesn’t have to walk home.

She’s barely eaten all day so she can’t wait to get inside, eat, then go to bed. On her way to her front door she notices the bunny bouncing along behind her.

“How?” She asks in disbelief. “You’re not the same bunny are you? No way you made it all the way here that fast.”

She’s confused, but continues on to her apartment anyway. Once she’s inside she starts to head to her bedroom until a small scratching sound catches her ear and causes her to turn around. The adorable fluffy bunny has made its way into her apartment and is staring back up at her.

“What the fuck?!” She shouts. “How did you get in here??”

She turns to find something she can use to shoo the bunny off, but when she turns back she sees Jungkook standing in place of the bunny. She lets out a loud scream and flails her arms.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” She yells. “Did you transform yourself into a bunny?!”

“Yeah,” Jungkook says. “It’s so I fit in.”

“You couldn’t just be a human??”

“You keep yelling at me when I’m in my human form!”

“That’s because you’re a creepy fucking human!”

“That sounds more like a you problem and not a me problem.”

“Ugh!!” Luna stomps. “What are you doing here?!”

“I’m still working on my investigation.”

“Why do you have to bother me to do it?”

“I need answers from you.”

“I have none. Go away.”

“What do you know about your boss?”

“My boss?” She asks unsure why he’s bringing him up.

“Choi Yeonjun. What do you know about him?”

“Aside from him being a garbage person? He’s also one of the best attorneys in the country. I liked him better when I wasn’t working for him though.”

“Then why do you keep working for him?”

“It’s only until I get enough experience to find a better firm to work for. Why are you asking about him?”

“Have you ever seen him eat anything?”

“Weird question, but I don’t know. He’s always in his office.”

“What is he doing in there so much?”

“I don’t know, working I guess.”

“How could he be working when you said he’s lazy and never does anything?”

“What? When did I say that?”

“The other night when you were walking home. I heard you mumbling something about how he’s a lazy fuck who never works and only comes out to yell at people and go home.”

“Why were you listening to me?!”

“You were talking out loud! I thought you were talking to me!”

“Why would I be talking to you when you were hidden in the shadows you creepy weirdo! I didn’t even know you were around!”

“You were the one talking to yourself on the street OUT LOUD! I’d say you’re the weirdo,” he huffs crossing his arms.

“Ugh! You’re such a pain in the ass! What do you want with Mr. Choi and can you bother him and not me about it?”

“Mr. Choi isn’t human.”

“Right, just like you thought I wasn’t human.”

“You’re not,” he says matter of factly. “At least not fully.”

“Get out.”

“Have you ever wondered why he’s always in his office? You had to have questioned why he keeps the room so dark with black curtains over his windows.”

“How would you even know what his office is like?”

“This little bunny followed him around today,” he says scrunching his nose and puffing out his chest in pride. “By the way, someone should really check the vents in that place. I killed everything up there and sucked them dry, but someone may want to clear the bodies out of there before they start to smell.”

“Ew! You ate them??”

“No, just drank their blood.”

“You’re so gross!”

“I’m a vampire trying to SURVIVE in this hell hole! You’re stingy with your blood so I was being NICE and feasting on your precious office’s pest problem so you spastic humans won’t freak out when one escapes the vents and terrorizes everyone. You’re welcome!”

“Ugh, anyway! What do you want with Mr. Choi?”

“I think he may be the key to what I’m looking for. I thought it was you but you just turned out to be some weird human vampire hybrid.”

“I’m not a vampire!” She huffs.

“Tell that to the vampire venom in your blood.”

“What even is vampire venom?”

“I have to explain everything to you,” Jungkook sighs. “It’s what converts humans to vampires. If we just want to feed we’ll suck you dry and leave you dead. If we want to convert you we’ll replace your blood with the venom by injecting it in you as we feed.”

“And you’re saying that venom is in me? Wouldn’t I have like vampire thirst for blood or some other vampire characteristics?”

“You have a RED EYE! Is that not enough proof??”

“It’s a birth defect.”

“You fool.”

“I’ve never drank blood either! Wouldn’t I die without blood?”

“You have blood, therefore the vampire side of you is always fed. Come on, use your head,” he says tapping the tip of her nose with his finger.

“Ok, then what about the transforming in to shit? You were a bunny, why can’t I transform into something cuddly and cute?”

“Have you tried?”

“Well…no, not really.”

“Good, cause it wouldn’t work,” he chuckles. “You’re not fully a vampire, so there’s a lot of things you probably can’t do.”

While none of this makes sense to Luna, it actually does make sense. It’s almost annoying to her how much it makes sense, but how? She’s never encountered a vampire before, and she certainly hasn’t been bit by one. Her parents never gave off any vampire vibes either so she doubts one of them could be a vampire.

“So,” she starts still confused and a little apprehensive. “If Mr. Choi isn’t human, then are you saying he’s a vampire?”

“Most likely. I just need to find out for sure, then find out why he’s a vampire and why he’s here.”

“Are you some kind of vampire detective or something?”

“Sure you could say that,” he shrugs.

“What are you investigating anyway? Did something happen?”

“You’re filled with a lot of questions.”

“Well no one told you to just appear all creepy and shit without explaining why you’re here.”

“For safety reasons I couldn’t just tell you from the start. If you were the enemy then that would be a big problem.”

“Who is this enemy? And why on earth does any of this involve me??”

“Sit down,” he says pointing to the couch. “It’s kind of a long story and I don’t need you fainting on me again.”

Luna rolls her eyes but does as told. Jungkook sits down next to her and takes a deep breath. He still has no idea what Luna is or how she’s part human and part vampire, but at this point he truly believes she’s not a threat to anyone, especially not the kingdom.

He begins telling her about the Saakhan Venom crime syndicate and how they tried to take over the throne. He told her how his father fought to bring them down after killing the king and how he was born to service the prince as his shield. Luna listens to every word he says in complete shock and awe. She hasn’t even fully processed the fact that vampires are real, but now she’s getting a brief history lesson of their world and the evils within it.

Jungkook continues on telling her about SV possibly trying to resurrect their organization and likely coming to the human world to convert new recruits. He tells her that he only followed her thinking she was one of their converts since he couldn’t smell her blood. While following her he noticed Mr. Choi and realized he couldn’t smell his blood either.

“How are they even getting here? I mean, how did you get here?” Luna asks.

“We have portals to travel back and forth. I don’t think SV is using the official portals though.”

“Portals? Like some secret door?”

“Something like that,” he shrugs. “When we’re in the location of the portal we tap into a special brain wave which allows us to transport.”

“Vampires have brains?”

“We’re vampires, not zombies! Jeez human tv is filled with so much misinformation!”

“Ok ok I get it. So where is this portal?”

“There’s a number of them around the world. I use one in a spot in the woods a few miles away.”

“How does the brain wave work? Do you just close your eyes really tight and then you’re where you want to be?”

“Not exactly,” Jungkook chuckles, starting to feel amused by her childlike curiosity, even if it is based on human misconceptions of vampires. “I just concentrate a bit until I can feel the portal. Then I’m gone.”

“How long does it take to concentrate enough?”

“No time at all,” he smiles. “All I really have to do is just think about it. If I’m near a portal then I’ll be gone the moment I-“

Suddenly he vanishes. Just as he was in the middle of speaking, Luna watched him disappear right before her eyes.

“What the fuck just happened?” She says trying to figure out where he went.

She stands up and as soon as she does Jungkook reappears in front of her. He’s looking at her with wide eyes as if he just saw the end of the world. He grabs her by the shoulders and stares into her eyes.

“Holy shit, LuLuLuna!” He shouts. “What the fuck was that?!”

“I don’t know! You tell me! You were the one trying to go through a portal.”

“There’s no portal here! There’s not supposed to be! How the fuck did that just happen?”

“Why are you asking me??”

“Hang on,” he says still grasping her shoulders.

He looks at her a second longer then disappears again. She’s still confused and starting to get freaked out by the way he keeps vanishing. He reappears a second later still staring at her in shock.

“It’s you,” he whispers.

“What’s me?” She asks having no idea what’s going on.

“You’re a portal. Holy shit, LuLuLuna, you’re a fucking portal!”

“How? What does that mean?”

“All portals go to the same place in the kingdom, it’s how we keep track of people going between here and there. But you, going through you takes me somewhere else. You’re an unofficial portal between these worlds.”

“Is that good or bad?” She asks still unsure of anything he’s telling her.

“Well,” he whispers. “It’s not good.”

“That doesn’t put me at ease.”

“Neither does what I just saw.”

“What did you see??”

“Your portal took me somewhere I’ve never seen before. It definitely looked like a well hidden place and I’m not sure the people that go to that place are up to anything good.”

“Why me? Why am I a portal? What does any of this mean??” She’s trying not to panic, but it’s hard for her not to. She can’t comprehend anything that’s going on.

“I need to know if anyone else knows about this.” He pulls her close to his face and looks her over a few good times. “Have you noticed any people or creatures suddenly appearing around you at times?”

“You mean besides you? I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“Your boss is a vampire. I swear he is. If he’s bad, and he learns you’re a portal…”

“What?”

“You need to quit your job.”

“What?! No I can’t quit! I’ve only been there a month, I need this.”

“Why? You can’t work anywhere else?”

“People would die to get the chance I have! This is the greatest firm in the country. Even if Mr. Choi is the absolute worst, it’s still an opportunity that I can’t just throw away like that.”

“What’s more important, your job or your life?”

She can’t answer him. She knows the right answer, but she’s unable to say it. Her entire life feels like it’s spiraling out of control suddenly. It makes her feel dizzy.

“What would happen to me?” She asks trying to control the trembling in her voice.

“I don’t know. But you need to be somewhere safe. Somewhere where we can do more investigating without any potential threats looming.”

“Where would that be?”

“The Kingdom.”

“You mean in your world? In vampire world?”

“It’s better than being here with no protection.”

“Are you not protection enough?”

“Not here,” he sighs. “You’re a portal and we can’t stop anyone from going through it. But if you’re with me back home anyone going through the portal would end up in the palace and there we could catch them off guard and capture them.”

“Ok, but I can’t go to vampire world. I’m human, wouldn’t everyone be trying to eat me or something?”

“First of all,” he says offended. “We drink blood, we don’t eat people. What the fuck kind of animals do you think we are??”

“I-“

“And second!” He continues, raising a finger. “You’re part vampire. No one will smell your blood. You just have to make sure you don’t bleed anywhere.”

“Oh great, good thing my period ended last week,” Luna says sarcastically.

“Gross,” Jungkook says cringing.

“Gross? You drink blood! Wouldn’t that be like a buffet for you?”

“Ew no, I’m very particular about where I get my blood.”

“It’s still blood! Isn’t it all the same?”

“All blood is NOT the same!” He pouts. “There’s a difference in taste and I prefer blood from anywhere above the waist.”

“Alright, calm down big baby,” she teases. “I didn’t realize vampires were such picky eaters.”

“I’m not picky!” He says crossing his arms.

“Aw if you say so,” she laughs enjoying his little temper tantrum. “You must be the baby of the family?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It just explains so much about you,” she laughs.

“Can you focus! I need to take you out of here!”

“Look, I know what you’re saying and all, but I can’t just leave. I have a job and all my stuff is here, and my family would be looking for me. I can’t just disappear without a word.”

“LuLuLuna please, you could save the world!”

“It’s LUNA!” She corrects him for the millionth time. “And no. Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Just one day,” he says closing in on her face. “Give me one day to prove to you how serious this is. It’s the weekend so I’ll bring you back with plenty of time to get back to work.”

“One day?”

“24 hours and I promise I’ll bring you back,” he pleads.

She’s terrified. What would the vampire world be like? Would she even be safe there? What if he just abandons her?

“I don’t know,” she hesitates.

“I promise,” he says standing upright with this arms by his side like a soldier at attention. “As the sworn shield of Prince Kim Seokjin and the Kim Dynasty, I, Jeon Jungkook, swear to protect you for the entirety of the 24 hours that you remain in the Kingdom of Korealis.”

“Wow,” she says a little taken aback. He was just having a temper tantrum about his preferred blood, and now he’s like a completely different person. A man. A grown ass man. “I um…well…I guess umm 24 hours...”

“Is that a yes?” He asks unsure of what she just tried to say.

“Y-yeah, you can take me for only 24 hours.” She can’t even believe she’s agreeing to this. What’s gotten into her?

“Perfect!” He shouts clapping. “Now we need to do something about that weird brown eye of yours.”

“What?”

“Let’s go!” He grabs her arm and quickly rushes out of the door.

[nightmaretist]

BARK BARK BARK // Van & Inge

PARTIES: Van @vanoincidence & Inge LOCATION: A park. TIMING: 15 june. CONTENT WARNINGS: None. SUMMARY: A dog didn't like Inge's mare-ish vibes and chased her into a tree. Van bares witness and tries to help a little, but she's pretty exhausted and mostly amused.

The string of curses that left Inge’s mouth was a combination of English and Dutch and somehow some third language, too. It was hardly like she was occupied with the linguistic nature of her cursing, though, as she was at present being chased by a massive dog. The creature seemed to have gone rabid from its unease and saw it fit to yank free from its owner and start sprinting, flashing its shiny teeth.

Now, it wasn’t like she was afraid. Ingeborg Endeman created fear, invented trauma and terrified for a living, so she did not get scared. She was just worried about the very real threat of this dog burrowing its teeth in her leg and revealing a lack of red blood, as well as its teeth ruining her delicate decades-old skirt. She didn’t mind a scene, but she would mind one like that. And so she ran, heeled leather boots hitting the ground.

It would be perfect if a storefront appeared on either side, but the park offered little places of shelter. There was nowhere to go but up. So up Inge went, clambering into a tree with haste, watching as the dog jumped up and down, trying to nip at her feet. When her eyes fell on a passerby she yelled: “Hey, you! Help!” She was not afraid, please remember that.

Van stuck the straw from her drink into her mouth, jabbing down at the leftover tapioca pearls at the bottom. They were a little too squishy to go through the straw now, so it was a stab and jab kind of deal. Once she’d gotten one, she let go of the straw from her mouth and pulled it out through the small hole she’d poked through the plastic, biting off the pearl. She wasn’t normally a taro kind of girl, and it never tasted right, but she’d been in the mood for something purple to match her outfit. Except she’d sucked down the entire drink within ten minutes and now she was at the beginning of a tummy ache. “Should have gotten it with soy.” She frowned as she found a trashcan to throw the near empty cup into. 

The sound of a dog barking made her look up, exhaustion evident beneath her eyes. The dog was chasing somebody and that… somebody was climbing up a tree. Suddenly, Van was amused. It was like something straight out of a cartoon. Maybe if she’d been a little less tired, she would have been more concerned. 

The woman began to shout, and with Van being the only one in the vicinity, she assumed that it was she who was being beckoned. “Me?” She pointed at herself with her index finger, then looked at the dog, its front paws scratching into the tree trunk while its jaws snapped wildly, spit flying from its jowls. “What did you do to him?” Because he wasn’t reacting to her, which meant that the brunette in the tree had done something. “Did you pretend to give him a treat and take it away? Is it your dog?” 

Give it a few days, perhaps even one of them, and Inge would laugh at this. It would be a moment to look back at fondly, to potentially recount when she met someone new and wanted to exchange exciting anecdotes. In the moment, however, she was nothing if not agitated. She was too unfocused and frazzled and in public to elevate her spirit and body into the astral plane and this entire ordeal was bound to become the source of at least some public ridicule. She really hoped no teenager was filming this. Or worse, a student.

The dog kept snapping and barking, tireless in its stupid rage and ferocity. If she wasn’t so annoyed, she’d pay a little more attention and focus on the details of that jaw snapping, the spit flying. Instead, it was just the young woman she was trying to get her to help that she focused on.

“I did nothing!” The words were exclaimed, her voice an octave higher than she had intended for it to be. “Not my dog either. Its owner has to be fucking somewhere, but it just must’ve whiffed something and —” Inge’s hands pointed wildly at the dog before grabbing the branch she was sitting on again, making sure not to lose her balance. Now that would be even worse. “Can you, I don’t know, throw a stick? Find its owner?” 

The woman’s voice was shrill, full of desperation for somebody to believe her. Van had been there before many times. Only, not in public. She looked at the dog as it continued snapping its jaws, tail low to the ground, ears peeled back. Whatever it saw in the woman, it didn’t like it. At the woman’s suggestion she do something, Van sighed. “Yeah, sure.” She looked over her shoulder, tired gaze sweeping the green behind them, but there was nobody looking slightly upset that their dog was up a tree. Instead, all either she or the other woman gained were stares. 

“I don’t think they’re owner is here and like, I don’t… want to get bit.” Van tried her best to get the dog’s attention by clapping her hands together, but it did nothing. She had some of her slim jim left, the plastic folded over itself to keep it from getting fuzz from her backpack on it. “Hold on.” She dug it out and unwrapped it. “Dude, I hope you’re not on a diet.” She waved the meat stick around, but the dog didn’t even look in her direction. Van looked up at the woman in the tree with a helpless expression. “Any other ideas? You a cat person or something?” If she weren’t so tired, maybe she’d take the situation more seriously. Anxiety, for once, was on the backburner. 

She really wasn’t afraid. Of course, it was easy to claim such a thing when you lacked the flow of blood of mortals and your heart didn’t tend to start pumping excitedly. When you had seen terror in its purest form and caused it. Inge refused to be afraid, even if her voice jumped higher and there was an edge of panic to it. No, this was nothing but pure frustration. Her own gaze drifted over their surroundings, trying to find whatever idiot owned a dog this aggressive, but finding nothing.

“Their owner is a shit, then.” It was fair enough that the other didn’t want to get bit, but Ingeborg found she couldn’t care as much as she perhaps ought to. Her eyes were hopeful when the other waved a meat-stick around, but the dog didn’t budge. Inge steadied herself on the branch she was perched on, breaking off a stick and tossing it down. Hitting the dog on the face did nothing if not infuriate it more. “Yes, sure, I’m a cat-person, but that doesn’t warrant this kind of response, does it?” She was a plant-person, actually, but this could already look suspicious enough for someone in the know of mares. She let out a bark of laughter, ironically. “Fuck! I mean, that’s hardly on you, sorry. But can you believe this?” 

Van made sure to keep her distance from the dog, just in case it decided to turn and chase her instead. She really wasn’t sure what had happened to make the dog so upset in the first place, but she wasn’t sure that she believed the woman in the tree had done nothing to elicit this kind of response from it. 

As the woman broke off a stick from the tree, Van winced, watching it fall down to the ground, but not before smacking the poor animal in the face. Honestly, it probably didn’t hurt very much at all, but she couldn’t help but understand the dog’s rage a little better. The woman spoke again and Van lifted her gaze up to meet the brunette. “Maybe it can sense that you don’t like dogs. Dogs are like, weirdly in tune with that kind of shit.” With a sigh, she looked over her shoulder, scanning for anybody who might be upset that their dog was off leash and barking at some random woman. Still, nobody came into view. “I’m not sure what I believe anymore.” There was some truth to her words, but they weren’t meant for this situation. “I mean..” Van cleared her throat, pausing only momentarily, “do you have any snacks in your pockets? Maybe it wants those.” 

Maybe this was her own fault, for having called out to the stranger. But what was a panicked mare to do? She could have tried to remain calm and wait for the area to clear so she could go into the astral plane and back home, but in stead here she was. Attention on her. The dog still fucking barking. Inge was starting to get a headache. 

“Yes, maybe that’s it,” she said, knowing full well that that was it. Sanne had explained it to her, all those years ago: animals don’t like us, they think there’s something wrong with us. It had been a nightmare to walk around her hometown, with all the cattle and other animals. Inge patted down her jacket, which did have multiple pockets of which she didn’t always remember the content. “Just chocolates, don’t think I should poison the thing, right?” No, she had little interest in that. Despite her tendency to scare the bejeezus out of people who others might consider innocents, she had little interest in harming animals. Hell, she didn’t even eat them. Just as she was about to open her mouth, a stout man ran in their direction, a leash swinging in the air, apologies falling off his tongue.

“Sorry, sorry, don’t know what got into her, this never happens!” He did look genuinely apologetic. Inge didn’t care. If he couldn’t handle a big dog, he shouldn’t have gotten one. The dog’s head turned at the sound of his voice, though, and that, at least, was something good. “Come here, girl, come to dad.” It took all her might not to gag at that.

“No, I don’t think so.” Van’s frown deepened as she craned her neck to get a better look at the woman in the tree. It didn’t seem like she was carrying any bundles of salami, either. She’d seen it in a cartoon once. Van was silently grateful that it hadn’t been her up in the tree. What would she have done? Would anyone have stopped?

Just as Van was about to suggest that the woman get out of the tree to try and pet the dog to show it that she was kind, a man jogged up to them. Van turned around to look at him, his expression melding from fearful to relieved. The dog turned around at the sound of his voice and let out a high pitched whine before returning its attention to the brunette in the tree. The barking had stopped, at least. 

“Can you get your dog? She’s stuck.” Van’s voice came out a little more monotone than intended. The exhaustion really was catching up to her. The man nodded, desperate in his movements as he approached the dog, picking her up without issue. If Van had tried that, she had no doubt that she’d have gotten bit. The man apologized again before he began to coo to the dog who was wiggling in his arms. 

At least the man was strong enough to carry his stupidly big dog himself. Inge watched him from where she sat in the tree, eyes near-blazing with indignation now that her panic was subsiding. “You should really get a stronger leash, or one with a stronger grip, you know! This is outrageous. Look at me!” She gestured at her position in the three. It was his fault, really, and not hers. How could she help it that her nature upset animals? 

“I really am sorry, you’re right — but please understand, it’s never happened before, I’m telling you, I have no idea — well, I’ll just get out of your hair and get her out of here, alright? So sorry.” 

She watched him try and traipse off, the dog struggling in his arms but at least on his leash again, now. Inge stared at his back, hard, but eventually tried to let go of her frustration and focus on getting out of the tree. At least her limbs were still as nimble as they had been when she was thirty three, because if she’d had to do this in an actual 77 year old’s body, she would have been majorly fucked. Still, there was a lack of some grace as she jumped from the last bit of the tree.

“Well.” She looked at the other. “I appreciate you not laughing at me.” She really did, though she did think that in a few months - or perhaps years - she would be laughing about this herself. “I really thought it would never leave me alone and I’d just have to sleep there.” Inge wanted to get away from this horridly embarrassing scene. She tried to pat her hair, wondered if there was a stick in there. “Right.”

Van couldn’t blame the woman in the tree for talking sternly to the man with the wiggling dog. Even as he walked away with it, it still barked and let out high pitched whines that made her ears hurt. 

She watched with mild amusement as the brunette slid out of the tree, half-expecting her to scrape her backside on a rogue branch. She didn’t, however, and her feet were firmly planted on the ground. Van watched her for a moment before shrugging. “It would have been funnier if the dog had been smaller.” With a raised brow, Van tilted her head to the side. “You would have actually slept up there? Really?” She looked back up at the tree and shook her head. “At that point, let the dog bite you. Think about the bugs that could have gotten you instead.” She scrunched her nose. 

Van took a small step away from the woman and shoved the beef stick into her pocket (something she’d started doing in an attempt to mirror Nora), and let out a small breath. “I’m just glad it didn’t turn on me. Then we’d both be stuck up there.” 

Inge tried to look at her backside, trying to gauge if there was any green stuck to her trousers but unable to get very far. She still tried beating some off the dirt off regardless, having given up on trying to seem like a graceful person. Tomorrow she’d try again.

“I wouldn’t have had to climb as high if it was a smaller dog, too. But its barks would’ve been much more grating, so.” She let out a sound of amusement and frustration, somehow conveying both emotions into one. “God, maybe I would have. I’d prefer some bugs over potential rabies.” Besides, there wasn’t really any blood for mosquitos to suck from her veins anyway. What she left unsaid was that she’d just have astral projected herself home.

“Either way, nice of you to stick around and not let me sort-of-fight this battle alone. And fair enough, I wouldn’t wish being stuck in a tree as a dog barks up to it to my worst enemy.” She absolutely would. “Anyway. I’m running late to my appointment as is, so I really should go. Have a nice day without any other feral dogs, will you?”

[the-firebird69]

We came up with a fantastic electric motorcycle introductory version and it's similar to the ds100 and it's appearance and height and seat capacity and tank port look at it looks nice but it's more of an electric motorcycle look with the fairings that match and it is not huge it's not small it is the size of that particular bike and it's a lighter bike like the electric dirt bikes and why pray tell because it's an introductory electric motorcycle

Range 150 miles per charge 15 minute recharges at gas stations etc yes

Wait about 220 lb including the batteries and there are two one is large and one is a backup small battery

Motor 3000 w and it is a single gear

Top speed 80 mph the 150 mph calculated at 60 MPH if you weigh 140 to 160 lb

Maximum load capacity and that's what you can carry additional is 250 lb and a son just barely makes it and he wouldn't be able to carry groceries unless you wore the battery down quicker and he doesn't care about that and you can buy a spare battery and add 50 miles it does fit

3000 w motor and the new battery system of ours it does not explode or burn this bike has no gears it's not an automatic transmission

This particular motorcycle and it is not an Enduro that does come in Enduro form and it can go a little bit further this is a starter e motorcycle and it looks like a trim down sport bike and the reason we did it is because it's less expensive and it is a beginner motorcycle and the motorcycles at 0 or way overpriced and they can hardly do it this does

The motor is in the motor compartment and we have one with gears too this base price for this introductory model motorcycle

1500.00

Add a gearbox system and it is 1750 US dollars

This year is the top speed is 130 mph but we sell it without the gears and it goes 80 and it is not a scooter although in some states because of its 3,000 w capacity it could be registered and insured as a scooter there are five states in the United States when is California when does Arizona when is Wisconsin and when is New York .

I'm so happy with this motorcycle that I think you should get one today that doesn't have gears and you can order the gearbox and upgrade it it is a snazzy little bike for this very fast off the line and he says it too very quickly and of course it will go a little faster than this but we don't want to have something and the motor it is electric motor mounted where the regular motor goes it's chain drive and the starting price is with no gears and adding the gears is not a big deal. Now where do you get it we're getting some of the parts from China no it is the recycled motors company, and it is his name for it and it really caught on and it's RMC and it is a very nice vehicle it will get you where you need to go there's a whole bunch of people calling from tourist places who want no gears okay this is one use that everybody wants a Time for Bahamas and Bermuda and Sarasota and my son wants to rent one in Sarasota and he's saying no way and you can resell them as a reseller and I don't know if they require a license probably but there you could resell for a higher amount because they everything is 20 30% more but there you could you could probably sell more than that of course I would say probably $175% or so it's like $1,500 and sell it for $4,500 it's not Chinese and he says wow that's great? And it's not. That's how it goes too with the floor model so a lot of people trying tinker with it when they test it but this is how it goes it is a great idea for all sorts of tourism applications and fleets of motorcycles that are used for regular use in factories inside the factory these motorcycles cuz they're so big and also for security patrols. And the gear version can be used for police use and Mac wants to see it it's a very light bike but it's used for riding around in places that the other bikes can't get and it's quiet and you can do spot you do your monitoring it's a wonderful idea and he said this you get your motorcycle license on it inside to laugh and said that's an interesting sales thing so we can actually donate motorcycles to motorcycle classes and we're going to go ahead and do that after we get it approved and he said you can do it put in that entertainment centers for people who know how to ride they can ride the electric bike around like a circuit we can use the same one that we use for the kids with the cars and have an electric car is great it's a good idea there's no exhaust it's not loud and rank us and the kids might really like that a lot and it won't explode and catch on fire huge numbers of people want that and they want to know what to make for a course for the rally and it's really a time to race where you wanted to match the time and you want to be four or after. There's a lot of people calling for this bike and we're going to publish now

Thor Freya

Just remember it comes stock maximum speed 80 mph with no gears at $1,500 if you want gears you have to mention it when you're ordering it and it's only 1750 give or take a few dollars but not above 2000

Olympus

[visionofhope04]

Hii I was lowkey wondering if you would do something maybe like a one shot of neglected where reader is older (18-20) and dipped out of the house and became a singer and one of her songs basically exposed them for how they treated reader and in like an interview she full on tells them how she doesn’t even talk to them and like only Jason

This is literally perfect. I love this idea! I was planning on making a singer batsis reader anyway so here you go! I'll be making this part 4 of the series instead of a one shot. There’s a bit of angst. Btw, thanks so much for your support everyone! I'm glad you enjoy this series! Feel free to request anything you'd like besides smut as well!

This is the longest thing I have ever written so there will be a part 5. I planned on this being the last part but it's just so much. It’s not proofread and neither are all of the other parts because I post at 1 am most of the time lol. Hope you like it!

f/n = friend name

Y/G/N = your group name

N/S = news station

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 (Current) Part 5

---

You were sick of it. Sick of how even after confronting them about how you felt and almost dying because of it, they still neglected you. You couldn't wait to move out at the age of 18, even if it proved to be a struggle. You had taken mini jobs since you turned 15 and saved up since then. You just couldn't see them anymore as it would remind you of how they treated you that day at that hospital. None of them apologized either. They just pretended it never happened and continued to ignore you. The media had a field day with speculation of what had happened but eventually stopped because Bruce had claimed it was “just a bad case of the flu” which they believed.

Jason was always the only one that would talk to you. He was the only one that actually cared enough to make sure you were taking proper care of yourself and that you wouldn't have a repeat of what happened. He took you places, spent time with you and gave you advice. You even had a tradition where you'd always meet up at the manor's library every week at the same time that same day every week and just have a mini book club together. He always made time for you and never bailed on you.

So on your 18th birthday, he helped you move out. You managed to rent a small apartment in Star City with the money you had saved up. It wasn’t that close to the manor which was a good thing. The neighborhood wasn’t good but it wasn’t as bad as Gotham’s neighborhoods so you would be fine. You could handle yourself with your assassin training if needed. You also managed to get hired at a cafe which was about a five minutes walking distance from your apartment.

It had taken a while but eventually, you had packed all of your belongings into color coded containers and moved them into Jason’s car with his help. You didn’t say goodbye to anyone as you had no friends to say bye to and you knew that your so called “family” couldn’t care less about what you did with your life. ‘This is it, hopefully the last time I’ll ever be near this place.’ You thought. You didn’t plan on stepping foot in Gotham ever again after you left. It would bring back too many memories you prefer to keep buried away deep inside your mind.

The car ride to Star City was entertaining. You and Jason conversed the whole time, telling jokes and listening to his funny tales with the radio playing softly in the background. Eventually, a song you both loved came on and you both started yell-singing along to the lyrics. You wished those moments could be permanent. You were both so carefree and nothing else mattered besides having fun and enjoying yourselves.

You now stood in the doorway of your new apartment, admiring your new home. Jason and yourself had just finished unpacking all of your belongings. You really liked how it looked and thought you both did an amazing job at designing the place perfectly according to your style. Jason, unfortunately, had to leave in order to avoid raising suspicions. Once you both said your byes, he left you to your apartment.

Jason drove back home in silence. He hated to admit it but he would miss you dearly. You were always there for him and helped him with anything. You tried your best to always comfort him and make him feel better on his darkest days and it would always work. Somehow you seemed to always have the right words to say or knew exactly what to do to help him. Out of everyone he was closest to you. He assumed it was because he could relate to you the most. More so how you felt. He’d felt like the black sheep of the family before you came, and he was. When you came, you took that role from him. It pained him to see how much their insults would affect you, even if you were good at hiding it. He could just tell.

Jason made it back to the manor after a while and went straight to the library. He didn't want to deal with the others. After the whole hospital situation, he'd never really bother interacting with them. He hated how they treated you as if you didn’t exist and hated how much pain they had caused you and that they didn’t even care. He guessed that they'd probably be doing something for Damian's birthday and forgot that you were his twin. They probably couldn’t even remember that Damian had a twin.

He made it to the library and pulled out one of his favorite books. He’d read it so many times you’d often joke that he could probably recite the whole book by heart at this point. Sitting down in a chair, he started to read. However, he couldn’t bring himself to stop thinking about what it would’ve been like if they treated you how they did Damian. The both of you were Bruce’s real children. You both even looked like clones of him! At first, Jason thought you would’ve been the favorite twin due to your personality. Even though you were twins, your personalities were polar opposites. You even refused to kill! You were trained by the League so why didn’t you kill as Damian did?

Jason knew you would benefit them greatly if you joined. You had self control, didn’t kill, could act perfectly, lie perfectly, do well under pressure, and not to mention your skills. Being raised by the League may have been torture, but you managed to gain incredible skills out of it. You could take on at least ten guys who doubled you in size and beat them within five minutes. You even bested Damian in spars and he was supposedly dubbed the “better twin” by Talia, so why hadn’t they let you join their nightly crusades like they had let Damian when the both of you first arrived?

Damian passed by your room but noticed something was off. He decided to take a look. He twisted the doorknob and pushed. The room which was once occupied by you now looked extremely plain and bare, stripped of all of its accessories. The only things left were the bed itself, multiple dressers, and a vanity. It looked as if it had been vacant the whole time. It might as well have been. Damian couldn’t really remember what it had looked like since he’s never paid much mind to it but he could tell there was a drastic difference. He knew that you disliked just leaving your room plain unlike himself and wanted at least something to make it look less boring.

He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Had you finally been kicked out by Bruce? Did you get shipped off to a boarding school like he had been suggesting to your father for years? He decided to go ask. He exited the room and closed the door behind him, taking off for Bruce’s office. Walking down the hall, he suddenly remembered that he had seen you leave with Jason. This meant that you were not at a boarding school like he had originally thought. But then why was your room vacant?

Instead of going to see Bruce, he decided to go see Jason and bring up the matter with him instead. He changed directions and headed to the library where he knew he’d find Jason. It was no secret that Jason was a book worm so Damian had a fifty percent chance of finding him there.

He entered the library and was immediately greeted with the sight of Jason sitting comfortably on a chair, legs crossed with a book opened in his hands. Jason didn’t bother to look up from his book as he spoke.

“What do you want Demon Spawn?”

“I’ve come to obtain the whereabouts of my sister.”

“You mean my sister?���

“She’s not your sister!” Damian exclaimed.

“Well I act more like a brother than you do.”

“Where is Y/N? Her whole room is bare.”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“Just tell me, you imbecile!” Damian said, growing increasingly frustrated by Jason’s blunt answers.

“She’s not here.”

“Then where is she?”

“Not here.”

“Just tell me already Todd, I have no time for your foolish games!”

“She moved out.” Jason said, giving in.

“What?! Where.” Damian demanded.

“Why would I tell you?”

“Because I demand to know!”

“Okay and?”

“Tell me!”

“No.”

“Why not!”

“Because you don’t even care.”

“And you do?”

“Yes, I actually do Damian! I’m there for her when she needs me the most. I’m there for her while she’s watching you live the perfect life that she’s just a background character in! While you and the others ignore that she even exists! I’m there for her when she breaks down and has panic attacks! And what were you all doing to try and help her? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!” Jason snapped.

“Y/N’s fine, I know my twin!” Damian screamed.

“Do you even know what her favorite color is?” Jason questioned in a harsh tone.

“...” Was Damian’s reply.

“Exactly! You don’t! You and the others have never cared about her, so why all of a sudden do you care now? You don’t know anything about her so don’t act like you do!” Jason then stood up and walked out of the room in a fit of rage.

Damian stood there, shocked. Had Jason just refused to answer his question? He was about to follow him but decided against it. Why was Damian going to chase Jason down just for her? She was just an annoyance, a mistake, imperfect. He had been wanting to get rid of her for so long, so why doesn’t he feel relieved? Why does he feel guilty? He decided to stop dwelling on it and get on with life. He figured it would happen eventually if it hadn’t happened then.

---

It had been a year since that day. The day you left your old life behind and started a new life, a better one. One where you weren’t constantly ignored. One where you actually had more than one person care about you. Instead of seeing yourself as a failure and disappointment, you now saw yourself as an amazing person (which you always were). You had been going to a community college in Star City. You made many friends there and started up a music career with three of them.

Their names were f/n, f/n and f/n. You all started off by taking random gigs anywhere you could. You performed covers of songs and would receive standing ovations all the time. Seeing as your group was well liked, you decided to write and produce your own songs. At the age of 19, Y/G/N released their first album. It went viral within a day and everyone was talking about it. After a week, several articles were posted, praising your work. News Stations talked about all the records Y/G/N managed to break. People started to stream it like crazy, and you couldn’t be happier with all the positive feedback you were receiving.

You had been a Wayne once, meaning you had experience in dealing with the media. Since you had already been used to it, you knew you’d all eventually be invited to interviews. So, when you had received an email stating how N/S wanted a one on one interview with you, you weren’t sure how to feel. You weren’t looking forward to interviews with your whole group, let alone one where you would be alone. You knew how unfiltered interviewers could be and didn’t feel comfortable with it.

However, you decided it would be best to go. So here you were, sitting in front of the interviewer in an uncomfortable chair preparing for the interview to start. You had somehow managed to keep a smile plastered on your face the entire time while you were a nervous wreck on the inside. You hoped none of the questions would be sexist as they usually were towards women. However, you had no more time to think about that. You heard clicking, signaling that you were about to go live. Once you heard the last click, you knew you were live and the interview had begun.

“Hello everyone, welcome back to N/S. My name is Jerald Tangleberry and I’m here today with songwriter, singer, and celebrity, Y/N Wayne! How are you?”

You waved to the camera and then answered, “Hello everyone! I’m doing good, how about you?”

“I’m doing great, thanks for asking! So by now I’d assume everyone knows that you’ve released an album with your group. How does it feel to gain more fame?”

“It doesn’t feel any different. Fame wasn’t our goal when we released the album. It was to express ourselves.”

“Mhm, well Ms. Wayne, what inspired you to write songs?”

“Well we know people may be in a tough spot in their life right now and want them to know they aren’t alone.”

“That’s so true. Some fans have been speculating that every member has three songs that specifically relate to them since there are twelve songs in total and three of the songs have the same group member as the introduction part of the song. Is this true?”

“Yes, it is true.”

“So all three of your songs relate to family issues of some sort. Is that hinting that you have family issues?”

“Yes, actually. My family isn’t the best. They ignored me all the time, even when they weren't busy. The only person who didn’t was Jason.”

“You’re saying it in the past tense.”

“I moved out about a year ago. When I was around 14, I suffered from anorexia. My family would always ignore me since they were either busy doing work or hanging out with each other. The only family member that acknowledged me was Jason. I assumed it was because there was something wrong with me. I started to hate myself so much to the point of starvation. One day, I passed out right before a gala and my oldest brother Dick found me passed out on the floor. They took me to the hospital and when I woke up, Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Damian started fussing about how I’d ruin their image if the media knew what actually happened. They started to yell at me and told me how I was a useless burden. I started to have a panic attack so I kicked them out. Jason stayed behind with me and comforted me. Ever since then I made a planed to save enough money so I could move out when I turned 18, which I did.”

“Oh, wow. So Jason was the only one who interacted with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Looks like the Wayne family isn’t as perfect as they seem.”

“No family is actually perfect.”

“Did your family try contacting you at all after they found out about Y/G/N?”

“Not yet. They’re probably too busy or don’t care.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright, I got over it. What’s the next question.”

“Oh-” He cleared his throat and continued the interview. (So basically I don’t wanna bore you all lol)

---

Jason had woken up late into the afternoon that day. Patrol that morning had exhausted him. There was a huge breakout at Arkham they had assisted with. They successfully locked up every escapee, so today, Jason just wanted to relax until it would be time for patrol again. Even though he was exhausted, he knew he couldn’t take a break. The others wouldn’t and it would be unfair to them if he did.

He headed over to his couch with his phone and a bowl of popcorn in hand, ready to watch random movies the entirety of the day. He set down his phone on the coffee tables and grabbed the TV remote. When he turned on the TV, he almost dropped the popcorn and remote. You were sitting on a chair, giving an award winning smile while you politely answered the man’s questions. He was baffled. He didn’t know why you were being interviewed, let alone on TV at all! You made it clear you didn’t want to have any relations with your family any longer and you couldn’t stand publicity, so what were you doing?

He placed the bowl down and snatched his phone off the table. Unlocking his phone, he quickly dialed your phone number. However, he realized that the interview was live and that he would be interrupting it if he called you then. Deciding to wait, he placed his phone back down, picked up the bowl, and then got comfortable.

---

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[buckybarnesdiaries]

secrets

© credits to the author, i found it on pinterest. if you are the author, please send me a message to add your @.

bucky barnes x reader. ⎢ masterlist.

request made by @homesicam: hi maria!! can I have prompt 15, feels mysterious and all and god bless bucky's soul (ofc) !! and thank you so much for your work !! ❤️

prompt: “Will be our secret”.

word count: 1.165 words.

warnings/tags: none. bucky feeling like a lost puppy trying to fit in.

author notes: none of my stories contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

Join the tag list here.

Like every time you came back from a mission, where you needed a little calm, you waited for the small hours to hit the clock. Walking out from your dorm, you led your feet through the hallways to downstairs. Crossing the huge large living room, you stepped to the back garden of the compound. As soon as you took off your house slippers, you continued along the grass, feeling the strands of grass beneath your toes tickling you. The sky was covered by shining stars all around and for a split second your mind went blank. There wasn’t any horror, any danger, any pain. The wounds and the scratches in your face and arms went to the background, as you closed your eyes to breathe the soft breeze fluttering your hair. You felt free.

Taking a seat on the grass, you put your knees against your chest and wrapped them with both arms. Sometimes you used to think about what made you so special to be part of the Avengers. You weren’t like Natasha, a professional spy. You weren’t like Tony, a genius. And of course, you weren’t a god, nor a witch, nor a supersoldier. Not even just a soldier like Sam. Of course, they were more than those skills. You were just an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that survived its destruction and falling. It was inevitable to feel small when you joined them in their missions. Even so, it was better if any of them heard you talk about yourself like that, or they’d end up kicking your ass to be too humble and unfair with yourself and how much you train and work hard every single day. With no excuses.

“A broken heart is all that’s left, I’m still fixing all the cracks. Lost a couple of pieces when I carried it, carried it, carried it home…” Like a defense mechanism against your own hurtful thoughts, you started to sing with your eyes put on a starry night above your head.

A few days ago, you discovered that song and got really obsessed for some reason you didn’t know. It was like picking at the scab, thinking about your parents, about how much you missed them, about what they could be thinking about you. Would they feel proud? Would they feel scared?

“I’m afraid of all I am. My mind feels like a foreign land, silence ringing inside my head. Please, carry me… carry me… carry me home”.

“You sound like my mother”.

Those words raced your heart, more because of the surprise of someone else being there than for the confession. You couldn’t help but jump up from the floor, shaking the strands of grass from your clothes. Bucky was in front of you, a couple of steps away. He had his head slightly tilted to the right, squinting with some kind of confusion running through his mind. You crossed your arms on your chest a little ashamed, rubbing your nose with a side of your hand as you tried to hold back a tear.

Then, you dawn on and your brain reproduced his words again. For you, it meant a shock. You could count with the fingers of both hands the times you had shared a couple of words, maybe a small talk in a meeting before a mission. And you were sure it was the first time you two were alone. Bucky was pretty quiet, even shy you’d dare to say. After all the shit he lived in for many years, the fear of coming back to those dark days was still chasing him. Steve told you that he used to try and speak to anyone, to be normal, to be trusted. But after what he was forced to do, no one really trusted in him. And it wasn’t like you didn’t care about his past, because you’d be lying to yourself, but you were of those kinds of persons who thought that everybody deserves a second chance. If you didn’t give them anything to believe in, how would they be believers?

“Did she…?” You intoned slowly driven by curiosity, now that Bucky seemed interested in starting a conversation either way. But you didn’t want to sound disrespectful.

“She used to sing for my sister and me”. You watched him keep his hands inside the pockets of his sweatpants, coming closer to you as he noticed you weren’t afraid of him.

“My mom did it too”. You replied then, showing him a fleeting smile curving up your lips.

As soon as Bucky witnessed the sweet gesture from you and the way you were continuing the conversation, he felt relaxed. He felt welcomed from the first time he stepped into the compound. You waved a hand towards him, urging him to sit down as you went back to your seat on the grass. He joined you without hesitation, cheered up inside for making a new friend.

You lost track of time talking about everything and anything at the same time. Talking about your families, discovering he had a sister called Rebecca. Talking to you about the old good times where Steve and he were just a couple of punk wreak havoc all around Brooklyn. You couldn’t stop laughing, showing him how excited you were to know more about him and his adventures. You told him about the farm where you used to live and how you built something like a training camp to prepare yourself to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Bucky was fascinated by your determination and perseverance, comparing you to Steve when he wanted to join the army, before being Captain America.

Inevitably, you yawned when the sunset was about to happen, earning a soft nudge from the soldier. “C’mon, you should rest”.

“Yeah, I’m pretty dead… drawbacks of being only human”.

He stood up before you, helping you to get up from the ground. You walked indoors keeping silent, not knowing actually how to say goodbye. It was an awkward situation that barely lasted two seconds.

“Listen, about before… I’d appreciate it if you don’t say anyt—”.

“Sure”. Bucky interrupted you. The gesture of his face suddenly changed to a sad grimace with a feigned smile on his lips. “You don’t have to worry about”.

“Good! Uh… thank you. I bet Stark will bully me about the singing thing all the time. He can be a pain in the ass sometimes”. You couldn’t help but sigh with relief when his blue eyes, placed on his boots, were raised with a special shine on them. There, you understood what he thought about your uncompleted petition. “And about… you know, talking, I wouldn’t mind repeating it anytime else”.

“Only if you sing for me”. Bucky’s voice was like a soft breeze caressing your face, filled with hope and enthusiasm. You tilted your head, narrowing your eyes towards him. “Will be our secret”.

“Okay, deal”. You chuckled nodding. “Good night, Bucky���.

“Good night, (Y/N)”.

feedback is appreciated, please, leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.

and REBLOG!!! 🤍

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[vibraniumwing]

my heart belongs to you.

a neville longbottom x reader wherein despite of everyone wanting the reader, the reader’s heart only belongs to a certain gryffindor.

WARNING: long fic (really), slow burn, mentions of blood (nothing too bad) but aside from that, nothing else.

A/N: okay so this is an anon request and i honestly just got carried away in writing this. this is so adorable and akdfnksjf okay nonnie i hope you like this. also, this is the first long fic i’ll be posting so aaaa yay for me i guess ?? anyways here, let me shower you with neville fluff. also do you like the banner ?? its kinda bad i know, but i made it uwu

word count: 5.6k

---

The Sorting Ceremony is always exciting for any person who shall start their journey in any Magical school, but if you were a 15 year old in the middle of small 11 year olds, it was hard to say that you could feel the excitement due to the shyness that took over you; sticking out like a sore thumb wasn’t exactly all that pleasing. 

As you reached the front of the Great Hall alongside the tiny children, almost all the boys had their eyes on you, instantly swooning at how elegant you carried yourself; causing half the girls inside the room to roll their eyes at how many men were already having heart-eyes at you. 

You didn’t have a clue what the other students were thinking but it made you shift uncomfortably, feeling everyone’s eyes at you and how the whispers seemingly all arrow down at you.

“I wonder who’s that,” Ron whispered to Harry, motioning to the front, his eyes trained on you, “Seems like she’s in our year.” the ginger continued, lifting his head to get a better view of you.

“(Y/N) (L/N)!” You were called by Mcgonagall, motioning you to sit as the Sorting Hat was placed on your head, the pounding that your heart had is ringing through your ears; the anxiousness settling in as the hat made its judgement, “GRYFFINDOR!” it exclaimed, causing the long table of students who had red adoring their robes to cheer quite loudly. 

Slowly getting up, you made your way to the long table where a few cheers and greetings came across your way from the students. Your eyes were frantic in searching for an empty spot at the table, spotting one to next to a boy with round glasses. 

You walked over to the available seat, hesitantly motioning if the spot was taken by anyone, to which the brunette replied with, “I-It’s not taken.” as he barely spared you a glance. Quietly thanking him, you sat down; it was an awkward encounter, no doubt, but you couldn’t blame him You were as timid as he is when it comes to meeting new people. 

“Seriously Harry- Alright let me switch places with you.” The girl next to him said, motioning the two of them to swap places which the other happily complied with. She then turned to face you with a warm smile, “I’m Hermione Granger” She introduced herself, offering her hand which you gratefully accepted and shook. 

“I know you’ve heard already but I’m (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N). I studied in Ilvermorny for the first four years before moving back here because of my dad’s work,” You properly introduce yourself, now settling down on the bench as the food popped up from the table, making you jump lightly. “Pleasure to meet you, Hermione.”

She smiled once more, “The pleasure’s mine.” her words calming the nerves that had been bugging you since the start of the night. As the two of you turned to silence, you took this moment to finally munch on some snacks.

The two males next to her nudged her from behind, making the girl look at them with a serious face, discussing something in a hushed tone before turning back to you, “So (Y/N), these two are my friends” Her words making you look at her with a small smile. 

“I’m Ron Weasley.” The ginger introduced, giving you a single nod which you returned.

The one with round glasses then spoke up, “I’m Harry, Harry Potter” as he mirrored the smile you had. 

You looked at the both of him with a happy expression, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” 

The night then rolled on normally—with the exception of Umbridge’s interruption of Dumbledore’s speech— and you soon found yourself walking up the moving staircase with the trio. Usually, it was hard for you to converse with anyone at first meet but something about these three just made you blend in so well.

That’s when you knew you would fit right in.

---

The next day soon came and you were skipping your way down to the Common Room to go head for breakfast when a tiny firework that burst in front of your face made you stop in your tracks. The quiet little pop it made resonated throughout the room of what seems to be rather sleepy first years who were also waiting on their friends. 

“Oh sorry about that!” A rather tall ginger approached you, giving you a sheepish grin as he rubbed the nape of his neck. Your eyes observed how he shared the freckle-littered skin Ron has and how he sported the same fiery orange your friend has. ‘Must be his brother’ You thought, shrugging lightly as you sat down by the table. “No harm done, Weasley.”

The surprised look on his face was dead give away that your guess was correct, “How’d you know I was a Weasley?” he questioned, grabbing the seat next to you as he squinted his eyes, “Are you a Legilimens?”

His question made you laugh, shaking your head the thought he had, “Sadly, I’m not. The freckles and the hair were pretty solid evidence that you are— not to mention, the reaction you had when I called you by your last name.” You explained, the shit-eating grin never leaving your lips as his face contorted into one of amazement. 

He was about to open his mouth when someone who looked exactly like him popped up from behind him, “Freddie, getting along already with the new girl?” making ‘Freddie’ look at him with a smirk similar to yours, nodding. “Well I was about to, George.”

“You two are twins?” You suddenly asked, making the two of them stop in their conversation to look at you; the realization of how stupid your question was made you visibly cringe, your nose scrunching up as you shook your head, “Okay wait, let me rephrase that queston— who’s who?” 

The two chuckled lightly, the one standing leaning against the backrest of the chair as the other one leaned forward on the table. “Try to guess who is who” they both replied at the same time, confused even more.

“Oh stop it you two” Another ginger spoke up, making you look at her in surprise. You took note of how she had the same features the twins and Ron had, thinking that maybe she was their sibling as well. She was with Hermione who was looking at you rather curiously. 

“Sister dearest, we were only asking if she could tell who is who” the one standing answered, giving you a knowing look to which you rolled your eyes playfully at the way he was so laid-back with his actions. 

“Just so you know, I don’t even know your proper names. I only heard you say Georgie and Freddie.” You retorted, standing up and walking over to the two girls who were already giving them smirks. 

The girl from earlier spoke up as you joined them, “I’m Ginny, by the way. Theirs and Ron’s youngest sister.” She introduced herself, giving you a warm smile to which you mirrored, offering your hand, “I’m (Y/N)” 

“The one standing is George and that one on the chair is Fred.” Ginny explained, pointing at the twins who were playfully scowling at the girl for giving away their identity so easily. 

You turned back to look at them, “Pleasure to meet the both of you” You say, bowing playfully before looking back at Ginny and Hermione who were quietly snickering, “Right, shall we go get breakfast now?”

---

The rest of the day flew by rather quickly, you’ve enjoyed all your classes except your Defense Against the Dark Arts (for obvious reasons) but that didn’t really affect your day. 

You were now lounging around the Common Room with Ginny, watching how Fred and George were selling their products to first years, laughing at the effects of the treats they were giving them. “Your brothers are natural businessmen, Ginny.” you commented, sitting back down on the seat comfortably.

Ginny shrugged lightly as a proud expression painted over her face, “They’ve got a knack for trouble that’s for sure, but their inventions are no doubt the best.” She said, getting comfortable on the floor as she leaned back into the seat that you were in. 

Your eyes roamed the room and you saw a brunette quietly tending to his Mimbulus Mimbletonia alone, you didn’t know what it was but he immediately piqued your interest as you remembered him to be the one to speak up after Harry and Seamus’ feud the night before, making you tap Ginny’s shoulder, “Who’s that?” as you motioned to the male.

Ginny looked over to where you pointed at, “Oh that’s Neville Longbottom” she replied, looking at you curiously, “What’s up with him?”

You shook your head, eyes never leaving his peaceful expression while caring for his plant, “He does quite well in taking care of his plant. It just intrigued me, that’s all.” you lied, shrugging as you tore your gaze from him to look back at Ginny. 

She nodded, “I’m guessing you have a thing for plants as well. You’d get along with him, he’s invested in Herbology.” Ginny shared, munching on the muffin she had sneaked out from the kitchens and looked back at you. “He’s very shy at first but he’s no harm.”

You hummed softly, pretending to look back on the book that was resting on your lap as your eyes glanced at him from time to time, biting down on your lip in an attempt to stop the smile that the butterflies in your stomach are starting to give you. 

“Oh just go over there and stop being a wuss and go talk to him, I’m sure he’ll like you.” Ginny nudged, head secretly pointing at the male with a devilish smile on her lips. 

Knowing that devious smile of hers meant trouble, you gave in and stood up, glancing down at her with a ‘if this fails i will jinx you’ look before making your way towards the quiet Gryffindor. You were always nervous when approaching people for the first time, but nothing could compare to how you were feeling right now.

“That’s a Mimbulus Mimbletonia, right? Those are very rare.” You spoke up as you reached the table, giving Neville a small smile as he looked at you with a surprised expression. “My mom only saw that once back at my aunt’s place in America, the nasty little thing spurted out this sap that smelled so rancid.” You shared, laughing softly at the memory. 

“I’m (Y/N), by the way” You introduced yourself, giving him a warm smile as you grabbed the vacant chair and sat across him, playfully peering through the magical plant. 

“I’m Neville, Neville Longbottom” he introduced himself, carefully moving the plant to the side to get a better view of you. His cheeks were flared at the realization that the girl everyone was talking about was talking to him, let alone be the first to approach. “Y-You seem like you know a lot about magical plants.” He continued, placing the tweezers he was using on the table, putting his attention on you.

“My mom’s a Herbologist so I’ve started young, honestly” You told him, looking at the plant before looking back at him with a grin, “Where on earth did you get this plant in the first place?”

His eyes glanced at the plant before looking back at you with a proud expression, “This was a gift to me” making your lips form a small ‘o’ in amazement.

“Actually, did you know that…” 

The conversation that soon followed was so natural and fun that you didn’t even notice the Common Room slowly being emptied out, until Neville brought it up. “Oh, we’re the only ones left” he said, making you look around to see that indeed, the two of you were left. 

“Oh we should head back to our dorms then” You told him, standing up from your seat and gave him a smile, walking towards the stairs and turning around to look at him, “See you tomorrow, Nev”

This made the male turn around and sported a toothy grin, “See you, (Y/N).”

---

“Okay fifth-years, today we are learning about the Chinese Chomping Cabbage and how to re-pot them.” Professor Sprout’s voice echoed through the Greenhouse, making all of you look at the teacher, peering over to see the plant chomping on a carrot. You’ve encountered this plant numerous times due to your mother’s side-job of growing these to brew Skele-Gros.

You leaned to your side to whisper to Neville about your experience with the said magical plant, but when you turned around, Neville was pushed to the far back and was placed with an unfamiliar face, making you furrow your eyebrows in confusion, “Uh, not to be rude or anything but who are you exactly?” you questioned the boy, upset that your friend had been kicked to the back of him and his side goons. 

A confident smirk washed over his lips and stood proudly, “I’m Callum Williams, a Ravenclaw.” the young boy introduced, making you smile at him with disinterest, turning back to listen to Professor Sprout who was already showing everyone how to carefully re-pot the biting creature without getting hurt or breaking anything.

“Alright now, carefully-” Her voice was drowned out with the same boy whispering in your ear, “These are Chinese Chomping Cabbages. Saw a few of them myself back in the summer.” Callum shared, making you look back at him with an irritated expression, nodding and turning back to listen to the teacher in front.

“Now, do it yourselves” Was Professor Sprout's last instruction, giving everyone the leeway to do their own thing in replacing the biting vegetable. Your eyes looked back at Neville who was already readying the next pot for the plant, looking up to meet your gaze and shoot you a grin, making you shoot him an apologetic one in return.

You heard the male next to you clear his throat, making you sigh and look back at him, “As I was saying, these plants couldn’t do no harm to me at all. Look.” Callum boasted, playfully waving the wand at the calm cabbage making you widen your eyes, knowing better than to do something as foolish as that.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you-” but your words were too late for the poor boy as the plant reached over and chomped on the wand, effectively bending it in half, making you cringe and snicker at his own ignorance of the subject. 

“Mr. Williams! Haven’t you been listening to what I instructed? 5 points from Ravenclaw” Professor Sprout said, making everyone from his house groan and the male blush a deep hue in shame for his actions, making you look at him with a teasing grin, patting his shoulder.

“Maybe try not to be a show-off next time and listen to the professor’s instruction.” you said, your tone a very teasing one as your irritation from earlier was slowly fading away, seeing Neville laughing quietly to himself.

The sight gave you the same butterflies you felt the first time you saw him, making you smile as you tended to the plant in front of you.

---

After William’s attempt in flirting with you, a lot of other boys tried to sway your emotions with gifts and Herbology facts after knowing your love for the subject, but all of them deemed ineffective as your eyes were only trained to one person, who was actually sitting in front of you.

“Hey (Y/N), are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?” McLaggen suddenly approached, plopping down on the seat next to you, his awful cologne hitting your senses way too soon making you shift away from him. 

“Uh yes, I am actually.” You answered, trying to be polite as you went back to your dinner, praying to Godric that he leaves you alone. His mere presence annoys the living light out of you and you aren't sure how long you can keep up this kindness for him. “I’m actually going with someone, if you were going to ask that.”

This came as a surprise for the male, making him look at you in disbelief, “and who might that be?”

“Neville. I’m very much excited for tomorrow, actually.” You were quick to answer, making the boy in front of you choke on his dinner, caught off guard at the mention of his name, but was quick to catch on, coughing as he sipped on his pumpkin juice. 

“I can’t believe this,” Cormac said, shaking his head as he stood up, retreating back to his original spot, making you sigh in relaxation, actually happy that he was gone. 

“I’m so sorry about dragging into this mess, Nev.” you apologized, giving him a sad smile, feeling bad about using him to get away from a male yet again.

He shook his head, brows furrowing lightly as he leaned into the table, a small smile on his lips, “I was actually planning on asking you after dinner.” Neville said, making you blush in surprise, the butterflies in your stomach. 

“See you tomorrow then.”

---

“A little bird told me you scored a date with your lil ol’ crush” Ginny’s voice bounced through your dorms, making you bump your head against the cover of your trunk. You looked back at her with a slight glare as you rubbed the spot you’ve hit. 

You then looked at Hermione who was pretending to read a book, failing to hide the smile that was on her lips, “It’s not a date!” You told Ginny, resuming to find a sweater you were going to wear for tomorrow’s event with Neville.

“Oh sure it’s not and I’m not a Weasley” Ginny answered back, sitting down beside you with the same shit-eating grin plastered on her lips, “If it’s not a date, why are you desperately looking for something to wear tomorrow, hmm?” 

This made you drop whatever you were doing and looked at the ginger, realizing that you were, in fact, a worried mess for tomorrow. You never cared for what you wore during your weekends at Hogsmeade, usually throwing on whatever was for the weather and headed down with Ginny and her friends, but there was something different with Neville.

“Okay maybe I am worried for tomorrow, what if I look ugly and he takes it back and goes with his friends instead?” You sighed, shoulders slumping at the thought.

This was where Hermione chimed in, looking at the mess of clothes before sitting on your bed, “That’s where you’re wrong, (Y/N). Have you seen how Neville looks at you? He’s clearly mad for you.” She exclaimed, quite surprised that you’ve said that about yourself.

“Clearly, you haven’t seen the amount of boys who try to hit on you because you’re all googly eyes for him.” Ginny continued, also looking into the trunk when she saw the perfect gray knitted sweater for you to wear. “Now how about this?”

You turned to look and saw the sweater, making you nod in agreement, “Alright. I’ll wear this one then.” taking clothing from her and folding it by your lap, looking at the both of them with a smile, “I don’t know how I’d survive without the two of you.”

“We know.”

---

You looked at yourself once more in the mirror, straightening out the jacket you wore over your knitted sweater and headed on down to the Common Room to see Neville waiting for you by the end of the stairs. 

“Good morning, (Y/N)” he greeted, giving you a smile as you stood beside him, securing his scarf before motioning you to walk with him, “Ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Nev.”

---

“Where on earth are you taking me, Mr. Longbottom?” You asked him, following his brisk movement along the village, your teeth chattering from the cold wind gushing through your face. 

He stopped in his tracks, facing you with a small smile, “You’ll see soon enou- wait are you cold? Why didn’t you tell me?” Neville said, quickly taking off his scarf to wrap it around your neck, securing it with a loose knot.

“B-but what about you?” You asked him, eyes wide at his gesture. 

He shook his head and replied, “I’m not that cold anyways. Keep that as long as you need it.”

And with that, the two of you kept walking until you reached a somewhat run-down inn, your eyes reading ‘Hog’s Head Inn’ sign before noticing Dean who was waiting by the door, “Took the two of you long enough! Let’s go in, it’s freezing in here.” He shouted, opening the door to the pub before turning back to the both of you, “By the way, nice matching sweaters,” He teased, making the two of you look down to see that indeed, you were wearing the same clothing.

“L-let’s go in, shall we?” You asked, motioning to the door. Neville shyly nodded, walking towards the door and opening it for you, “After you, (Y/N)”

You smiled, walking inside the shabby looking place with him behind you.

---

The next sort of events happened in such a whirlwind, finding your eyes wide in surprise at what Harry had gone through within his stay at Hogwarts. You believed that You-Know-Who was back because of your Aunt’s warnings to stay in America rather than to go back to London; but you didn’t know that it was Harry who had faced him the flesh. 

You had this big resentment towards Umbridge as well so you were completely on-board with joining this secret organization your friends have made. “D-did he really kill a Basilisk?” you whispered to Neville, eyes still on Harry as he explained what could possibly happen when you’re actually in battle. Neville nodded, “He did, it was amazing how he did it honestly.” he replied, making you nod in agreement.

“That’s why we need your help, because if we’re going to have any chance at beating—” Hermione explained, stumbling over her words “—Voldemort.” she finished, glancing at all of you before looking back at Harry.

“He’s really back?” The boy in front of you (which you learned his name to be Nigel) asked, making Harry nod once. 

“Well then, if You-Know-Who’s really somewhere out there, I’m here to support Harry any way I can.” You spoke up, giving the trio a knowing smile which they returned with grateful faces. 

You were now writing your name on the list of students who would join Dumbledore’s Army when Ron leaned in to whisper, “You and Neville look great together” making you look at him in shock, shaking your head immediately as his assumption. Your head snapped up and looked at Ron, then at Hermione and Harry who were agreeing with Ron. 

“W-we’re just friends, nothing else.” You denied, knowing that he doesn’t feel the same way as you do. You shot the three a small smile as you set the pencil down, walking over to Neville who was chatting with Dean. 

“Blimey (Y/N), you even have Neville’s scarf? Is there something going on between the two of you?” The talled boy asked, making the both of you shake your head in disagreement, cheeks both flushed red at the question. 

“We’re friends, Dean.” Neville was the one to answer this time, giving you a tight-lipped smile as he looked back at his friend to resume whatever topic they were speaking about.

You were the first one to deny any speculations about the two of you, but why were you so hurt when Neville was the one to say it?

---

The holiday break was over and all of you were back at Hogwarts, meaning that the D.A meetings were back on track and you were more than ecstatic to learn more spells. You were arranging your clothes back into your drawer when you caught sight of an unfamiliar scarf, grabbing it from under the heap of clothes, you finally saw the scribbled “Longbottom” on one of the ends.

You smiled fondly, recalling how he gave it to you without hesitation, making your heart flutter at the gesture. Bringing the piece of clothing up to your nose, you can barely pick up Neville’s minty scent, making you smile even more.

“I guess it’s time to give you back, I guess.”

---

You carefully looked around the hallway, eyeing for anyone from the Inquistorial Squad before entering the Room of Requirement. 

Instead of seeing a room filled with students, you were greeted by Neville and Harry’s backs, deep in conversation. “I’m quite proud to be their son.” Neville’s voice echoed through the empty space, “but i’m not sure if i’m ready for anyone to know just yet.” He continued, his voice laced with sadness. 

You knew what he meant, remembering every story he’s ever told you about his parents, how his mother would give him gum wrappers whenever they visit— even showing you how many he’s kept over the years of him visiting with his grandmother— and your heart swelled even more for the boy, knowing that what he’s doing is not only for himself, but for his parents as well. 

“We’re gonna make them proud, Neville. That’s a promise.” Harry’s voice soon followed and as their conversation stopped, you stepped in, clearing your throat. The both of them looked back, relieved to see that it was only you. 

“Mind if I have a word with Neville, Potter?” You asked, to which he shook his head, stepping aside and playfully motioning his hand over to the latter, patting him on the shoulder before leaving the two of you alone. 

Your heart was pounding at the sudden quietness that enveloped the two of you, your hand gripping the scarf tighter, “Neville, just so you know, I think your mum and dad are very proud of you.” you said gently, stepping towards him with a warm smile, to which he returned with a similar one. 

His eyes avoided yours, the tip of his ears red that you’ve caught him in such a vulnerable state, “And if it means anything, I’m also very proud of you.” you added, stepping another inch closer, now making him look at you. 

When he looked into your eyes, Neville only saw sincerity and love filling them, making his heartbeat quicken in its pace. He’s always had a crush on you but he never really put anything into action because of the fear that you might not feel the same way. He was about to open his mouth, about to admit his feelings when you heard the door open once again, the voices of the other members filling the room. 

He shut his mouth and sighed in defeat, thinking that maybe it wasn’t the right time for his feelings. 

“H-here’s your scarf, by the way. I accidentally brought it home for the break.” You spoke up, coughing lightly as your cheeks reddened, realizing how close the two of you were before stepping back to hand him his scarf, “Good luck with today’s spells, Nev.” You bid him before turning your back to run towards Ginny and Hermione.

---

“A full-bodied patronus is the most difficult to produce but shield forms can also be queally useful against a variety of opponents.” Harry explained, walking around the litter of students who were trying their hardest to conjure their patronus. 

You were by the corner, struggling to even produce a single stream of light when Harry spoke up again, “Fantastic, Ginny!”, making you look her way to see that she had actually conjured a full-grown horse while you couldn’t even make anything out of it. Your shoulders were slumped at the frustration you feel for yourself. 

“Think of the happiest thing you can.” You heard the golden boy’s voice once more, causing you to avert your attention to Neville who was also struggling to make his patronus, smiling at how adorable his focused look was. 

Your eyes lingered around everyone who was fascinated by the animals that filled the Room of Requirement, amazed at how powerful happy memories are to protect a person. As you turned to look at Ron, you were surprised to see the figure of a Jack Russell Terrier run and knocking an unsuspecting Neville down. 

You snickered quietly at your friend’s unfortunate set-up, you closed your eyes to try and focus on something that truly made you happy; head raking through the endless memories you have made with different people that made your heart bounce with joy.

Until Neville’s goofy smile popped up in your mind, making you smile at the small memory of his features carved deep within your mind and heart.

As you opened your eyes, you muttered the incantation and with the flick of your wand, a St. Bernard dog leaped from the ray of light and wagged its tail, walking around the people in the room.

Your head turned around to call Neville, wanting him to witness this moment when a sudden boom echoed from the other side of the wall, making everyone stop in their tracks. The spirit animals of the students slowly vanished as the wall of their entrance continued to create noise. 

As Harry and Nigel got closer to the source of the noise, Neville was quick to rush to your side and put you behind his back as small pieces of the wall flew around the room. You peeked against his side, heart racing as his subtle minty smell filled your senses, managing to calm down your fast heartbeat. 

The next thing you knew, the whole wall imploded and Neville’s arms were around you, shielding you from the big chunks of the wall. As he let go, you saw Umbridge, Flich, The Inquisitorial Squad and a guilty looking Cho on the other side. 

---

You balled your hand into a fist as you walked out of the Great Hall, jaw clenched as you tried to fight back the tears that welled up.

Dumbledore’s Army had been caught by the Inquisitorial Squad and all of you were sent into detention, forced to use the black quill that engraved deep scars into your hands, as “a reminder of what happens to students who disobey the rules”

As you reached the Common Room, you sat down by the couch, letting your wounded hand’s blood freely drip down. You were too tired to even cast a basic healing spell on yourself, drained from Umbridge’s horrid ways. 

Almost lulled into slumber, you’ve been awakened by Neville who grabbed your wounded hand and continued to clean up the mess, gently wiping away the blood with his handkerchief. Silence wrapped the both of you up comfortably, his wordless actions making a warm feeling spread across your chest, sending you into a wholesome state of euphoria at the realization of how much you adored the dark-haired boy.

“Neville” You whispered, making his brown eyes meet yours for a split second before placing your lips against his slightly chapped ones, capturing it in a sweet kiss.

His eyes were wide with your sudden gesture, remaining still as the both of you stayed in that position. Neville was in more than just disbelief, his heart beating out of his ribcage when he felt you slowly pull away from his lips, frowning subtly at the loss of your warmth against him. He searched for the adoration that he’s always seen in your (E/C) orbs, finding comfort in knowing that his feelings were reciprocated.

That the girl who had everyone wrapped around her finger, returned the emotions he swore to keep under the carpet. 

His silence broke your heart, thinking that you were rejected and you ruined the only thing that made you happy. “N-Nev, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what came over me, you just looked so perfect and-” but what you didn’t expect was for his lips to be reconnected with yours, his larger hand holding your smaller ones gently, thumb coaxing against your knuckles.

Neville broke away from the kiss, opting to rest his forehead against yours as he asked, “Y-you like me too?” his voice laced with hope and happiness as his eyes met yours once again. 

You hummed in agreement, letting your other hand reach up to place it against his neck, the pad of your thumb coaxing his soft skin, “I’ve always had, Neville.”

Leaning back, you saw the confusion etched on his features, “But there were so many boys who are much more good looking and worthy than me, s-so why?” He asked, tone now filled with worry at the realization that he might not be the right person for you.

“Because it was always you Neville. In the sea of people who liked me for my physical appearance, you were the only one who looked passed that and saw me for who I really was. You are worth so much more than what you think of, my love.” comes your answer, heart fluttering at the sight of him leaning into your palm, feeling the tension of his body release. 

“I may not come from much, (Y/N), but I promise to always protect you. I promise that my heart only belongs to you.” Neville said, showing you the same smile that filled your heart with joy, the memory that made you the happiest. 

“So does my heart, Neville. My heart belongs to you.”

---

BONUS:

“Oi Fred! George! You owe us four sickles” a certain Weasley and a brown haired girl whispered, overlooking the sweet moment the two of you shared by the stairs.

As much as they loved the slow burn the two of you had, they needed their own fun by placing bets who would confess their love first and how it would go down. Your two friends betted that you were the first to move while the twins went with Neville.

“Merlin, remind me to never trust Longbottom again.”

“I swear this is your fault, Freddie.”

---

TAGS: @theweasleyslut​ @eunoia-kth​ @starlightweasley​ @minty-malfoy​ @glimmering-darling-dolly​ @sailor-maddie101​ @slytherinsunrise​ @gcdric​ @ge0rgeweasley​ @loony-loopy-lupinn​ 

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2021 #15: Thunderous

((A longer one. Violence, blood, and fire. Not safe for heretics or dragoons as we step back to last week and the aftermath of “Heady”...))

“There they are!” X’rhun exclaimed. “Thank the gods!”

Alberic only puffed a breath in agreement as they ran across and down the ravine to where Aeryn was tending to an ashen-faced Heustienne.

“The cavalry has arrived,” the injured dragoon said dryly, her damaged chainmail removed to allow Aeryn access to the wound. Not the worst Heustienne had ever taken, but more than bad enough.

“Thank Halone you’re safe,” Alberic said as X’rhun dropped to his knees next to the women to lend his own aid if needed. “We heard from Kal Myhk you’d tangled with a group of heretics—”

“They took us to Avengret,” Aeryn’s voice cut him off; quiet, too steady, too calm.

For a moment the world paused, until X’rhun’s tail lashed as he turned to look up at Alberic.

Aeryn wasn’t looking at him, her hands resting on her knees now, feet tucked under her. Heustienne’s gaze flicked between Aeryn and Alberic, her own questions barely held back.

“Let’s get Heustienne upright,” X’rhun said gently. “And then get back to—”

“Anyx Trine?” Aeryn interrupted. “Will they tell me the truth if I ask? They must know. If what she said is true.” She turned her head slightly toward Alberic without raising her face, looking at his boots. “She said I should ask you.”

“Aeryn…” His mouth was dry.

She looked up finally, lips parting to say more, but instead she drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide and shining silver, not seeing Alberic or anything else around her now.

He groaned, whether in fear or agony or relief, he wasn’t certain.

——

Alberic followed Corran Striker into the house. It was a pleasant little place, clean and airy. The edges of the walls were lined with brightly painted flower and vine designs, and small pieces of colored glass bordered the custom-framed windows to allow some of the light to also reflect rainbows into the rooms--that couldn’t have been cheap, Alberic thought.

“Please, leave your helm and lance by the door. I think my wife will forgive the boots this time.”

“I keep the lance close to hand, you understand,” Alberic replied as he at least set down his helm on the table by the door.

There was evidence of children; their house slippers by the door, a doll on a chair, a set of tin knights cluttering the low table in the sitting room. His heart ached. “What a lovely home,” he said. “Will the missus and children be joining us?”

Corran shook his head. “Emelia’s running some of her crafts all the way to Fallgourd in the Shroud, and took Zaine and Aeryn with her for the fun. They’ve been cooped up too long, she thought.” He smiled fondly. “It’s a way she deals with her homesickness, and shares that part of herself with our children; she grew up traveling part of the year selling wares as a girl in Thavnair.”

Relief, but also renewed wariness prickled along Alberic’s spine as he followed Corran to the kitchen, leaning his lance on the wall right behind his chair as he took the offered seat at the dining table. “Thavnair? That’s a ways away. Explains the colors though.”

“I got rather lucky,” Corran replied, his tone warm and genuine. “She misses it, but is somehow willing to stay with me.”

“Ever think of visiting?” Alberic asked casually as Corran went about the motions of preparing the lunch he had offered the tired dragoon when they had accidentally met in the treacherous priest’s chapel. Corran had seemed surprised to learn of Comfraire’s heresy, but had offered hospitality despite his own shaken state.

“If there wasn’t always so much work to do, perhaps someday we could,” Corran said quietly.

“I think I’d take the chance, perhaps even move permanently, were I a common man with a family. Get the children far from the war, among the wife’s people.”

“I won’t lie; the thought has occurred to me,” Corran said. “Though I’m surprised, Ser Azure; I’d think one like you would want to keep promising future soldiers for the war in Ishgard.”

Alberic shrugged. “As I said; were I a common man, with a foreign wife who misses her home and children with futures to think of.”

The chronometer in the hall ticked steadily as Corran worked. “Perhaps. Though much as she misses Thavnair, I’d miss Coerthas. I love my home, Ser Azure. There’s little I wouldn't do to see our homeland prosper.”

Alberic did not reply, not trusting his tongue to respond to the man’s gall.

As Corran came to the table with sandwiches and a decent-looking ale, Alberic smiled. “Then perhaps you can aid me in protecting our homeland,” he said. He hoped he was wrong about Corran. “I am tracking a dangerous creature I believe the false priest Comfraire was working with, coordinating an imminent attack from the Horde.”

Corran raised an eyebrow. “I’m but a simple farmer, Ser. I don’t know what help I could be.” He glanced down at his plate.

The chronometer in the hall continued to tick.

“Know you of anyone Comfraire spent time with, when not pretending to holy duties? Places the priest liked to go when not tending the church? I hear you were among those who escorted the fellow on his daily walks.”

“A duty many of us in the community shared,” Corran replied, tone growing strident. “Do you accuse me of heresy merely for minding an old man on his daily constitutional?”

“No of course not,” Alberic answered. He pulled the correspondence he had found in Comfraire’s hidden desk drawer from his pack. “These letters however do indicate guilt.”

“Well that is another story, isn’t it?” Corran asked, leaning back in his chair. The humble farmer demeanor fell away as he crossed his arms. “Why play along?”

“I wanted to be wrong. You seemed like a decent man with a family you love.”

“I do love them,” Corran replied, voice low and cold. “You’re very unlucky you came this day.”

“She doesn’t know what you really do, does she?”

“And once we’re rid of you, she never will,” Corran said bluntly. “Our war doesn’t concern her.”

“And the children?”

Corran’s grey eyes clouded like thunderstorms, his lips drawn into a snarl. “You’ll never touch them.”

They both leapt, chairs clattering to the ground. Alberic reached for his lance while Corran moved with preternatural speed to the sideboard, pulling a hidden blade he managed to raise in time to block Alberic’s swing.

The house was torn and broken as they fought, Alberic barely able to acknowledge the damage as they threw each other against walls and through furnishings. Corran had an advantage with his shorter blade in the cramped space, but Alberic was a far more practiced fighter. If he could get hold of a sword--or better disarm Corran of his--then the heretic would soon be at his mercy.

He finally saw his moment, spinning his lance to baffle Corran’s blade before using his more heavily armored frame to knock the taller man through a door and into what had to be the master bedroom.

The sword went sliding the opposite way down the hall, and Corran laughed bitterly.

“Give it up, Striker,” Alberic said, pointing his lance. He could see Corran’s waist and legs, but the broken door obscured his head. “Tell me about the coming attack!”

Corran's laugh only continued, growing deeper and more growling. Alberic’s eyes widened as he saw Corran’s body jerk, bones cracking and skin tearing, swelling as scales overtook skin.

He swung to drive his lance down through the man as a roar shook the windows, and through the back wall an aevis tore its way inside, the colorfully bordered window panes shattering across the bedding. The dragon leapt at Alberic, and he swung up, barely blocking the creature’s jaws from clamping onto his still helm-less head as they skid down the hall from the momentum of its impact.

Alberic managed to roll out of the way as the aevis let loose a gout of flame, the fire catching on broken furniture. It came for him again but he had made it to his feet, dashing back toward the kitchen for room to move. The aevis lunged at him as Alberic braced himself, a heel against the base of the sink.

His lance caught the beast’s chest and with a roar of his own from his Inner Dragon surging forth, he used the dragon’s momentum to pierce it deeper, throwing it over his shoulder and halfway through the large window, more bright glass breaking as the thing flailed, screaming flames across the yard as it bled out around the lance through it.

Alberic had no time to retrieve his weapon as Corran came for him, tearing apart the walls to fit his new bulk through them to get to the dragoon. He was larger than most transformations Alberic had seen, a heavy red wyvern, powerful and burning, his eyes filled with the same intelligence they had held as a man.

Alberic swore and dove out of the way of claws longer than his own hands. He managed to duck and roll under and past Corran and back into the hallway, needing the smaller space to disadvantage the dragon. Assuming said dragon didn’t just shoulder the walls out of his way, his fiery head rearing back to blast Alberic.

He barely managed to dodge, the heat unbearable as the walls with their pretty flower paint warped, melted, and crisped in the heat, flames now filling the house. He couldn’t last in here much longer, but also couldn’t let this fight further endanger the rest of the village, the commotion surely drawing attention, though any other knights would be too far away while Corran likely had more allies nearby.

His feet hit more metal that clattered, and he remembered Corran’s sword. As the beast came for him again, Alberic ducked to retrieve it, rolling in low as Corran leaped at him. With another shout, Alberic swung up, sliding along the floor on his knees as Corran passed overhead, the sword slicing down the wyvern’s side.

Corran screeched, landing heavily against the door in a tangle, blood flowing freely, wings and talons unable to get purchase in the too small space.

Alberic breathed heavily as he stood and hurried into the kitchen. The aevis was still jerking through its death throes, making a pathetic, pained cry as he yanked his lance from it, more blood pumping onto the sink and floor.

Alberic returned to the hall. Corran watched him, panting himself, lifesblood pooling around him as smoke filled the air.

“Finish me,” the dragon rumbled, in something resembling Corran’s voice. “But I want a promise first.”

“A promise?” Alberic asked. “Why should I pledge aught to a heretic?”

A weary claw gestured, holding a limp, blood-covered ragdoll. Alberic went cold. “For...them. They’re innocent. But we both know...Inquisitors….”

Alberic coughed as he shivered. They wouldn’t care that the children were only children. They wouldn’t care if Mistress Striker was Thavnairian--if anything, that would make it worse for her, no matter if she truly was unaware of her husband’s sins.

“Maybe...she’ll take them home,” Corran said. “She misses it. They could have…Not this.” His eyes met Alberic’s.

They were the grey eyes of a man.

Alberic nodded. “I promise,” he answered, as he pushed his lance through the wyvern’s heart. “Your family won’t pay for your sins.”

When he opened his smoke-stung eyes again, the dragon was gone, Corran Striker’s lifeless form before him, eyes colorless glass, smiling in relief.

Alberic considered for a moment, then drug Corran’s body toward the heaviest flames devouring the house, throwing him into the fire. With luck it would be so burned as to obscure how he had truly died, if Alberic was to keep his reckless promise.

The aevis in the kitchen was dead finally. Alberic retrieved the correspondence knocked to the floor during the scuffle, and gritting his teeth, threw all but one sheet into the flame as well; there was mention of a tower. If nothing else he could salvage something from this mess.

The heat and smoke were too much now, and people outside were shouting and trying to put out the flames, a woman screaming as she glimpsed the dragon half-hanging from the kitchen.

Alberic stumbled outside, battered and bloodied, and fell unconscious at the feet of the Strikers’ neighbors.

—————

It took only a few eye blinks before Aeryn’s groan echoed Alberic’s from a moment before. X’rhun tried to call to her, but she was on her feet in the next eye blink. She whirled in Alberic’s direction, braid whipping so quickly the end came back around to strike her cheek, unnoticed. Her eyes were a storm, lightning crackling in them.

Alberic did not move. He distantly realized that there was nothing any of the three of them could do to stop her of all people.

She flung herself forward and he took the weight of her body slamming into his, her hands gripping at his coat.

That was all.

Alberic didn’t dare move as she trembled against him, head down. X’rhun and Heustienne watched, breath held. Perhaps they had realized the same thing he had.

"I'd forgotten the windows,” Aeryn said hoarsely. “They were almost new; a Starlight gift from him, for Mama."

Alberic said nothing. What could he say?

“You didn’t tell me.”

He sighed. It took a moment to make sound. “By the time I’d realized who you were, why you were so familiar...Well, we had that mess with Estinien and neither of us were in any shape for more terrible revelations. Not the easiest thing to tell a girl you’re the man that killed her father, regardless of the why. And...If the Inquisition, the Ward, if any of them had found out…”

“I’d have handled them,” she said. Neutral, a matter of fact. She wasn’t one to boast.

“Perhaps,” he said. “I thought...Your mother took you to Thavnair. You would have a life there, away from the war. I never expected you to return. To be...this.”

“You should have told me.”

“I know. And you know I’m a sentimental, craven fool.”

She laughed, a wild, bitter noise, finally looking up. Her eyes locked with his, and he thought for as much as she looked like her mother, her eyes were too much like her father’s.

“X’rhun, can you make sure Heustienne gets back to Anyx Trine?” She said, not breaking her gaze with Alberic. The storm still rumbled in her eyes, but all he could see was old smoke.

“Of course,” the Seeker answered. “Aeryn—”

“I’m going home,” she said, shoving Alberic away. He staggered, barely managing to keep his footing. She was stronger than she looked. “I need time to think and rest.”

“You mean Revenant’s Toll, yes?” X’rhun demanded, tail still lashing.

Aeryn only nodded once as she retrieved her pack from next to Heustienne.

“Call me via ‘pearl when you arrive,” X’rhun insisted.

She paused for a moment, then nodded again, shouldering her pack and walking away.

“What the seven hells am I missing?” Heustienne asked after they watched Aeryn’s red coat vanish among the hills. “What did she see? What did you do?”

“Later,” X’rhun said, helping her to her feet. “Let’s get back to something resembling civilization first; Avengret’s heretics may still be on the trail.”

Alberic said nothing, simply following along as they made their way across the wilderness.

[anerdinallherglory]

Approaching Sun (31)

Author’s Note: Surprise readers! I wanted to celebrate the start of Spring Break (a very much needed break) by posting an update sooner than I expected. Also, it’s double the length, too. It’s practically two chapters in one!

Thank you always to my loyal readers. If I do not get back to you, please know that I see every review, every comment, and every mention. I am grateful for all of you!

Also, I have had a few readers tell me of songs they associate with A.S. and I just think that is so cool, because I too, connect music to books and fanfics that I read. I’d like to make a list of all my readers’ songs that they think fit A.S. and share them on my next update as the “soundtrack” for this story. Please let me know yours in the comments or through message.

Pairing: SasuSaku

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

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Chapter 31: Not Enough

Sakura spun the sword, adjusting it on her left forearm as she pivoted on her heel to bring it around her in another protective arc. The blackness that hovered before her again instantly shielded her enemies from view which could be considered both advantageous and disadvantageous for her.

For the first, Mako and Hisa immediately rushed forward, using the ninjutsu as a cloak. They crisscrossed her, one taking a swipe at her from the front right and the other coming from the left. When Hisa’s blade came from the right, Sakura’s first instinct was to dodge and strike her foe in the side with her fists as she passed. But with her chakra currently restricted, Sakura ducked, pushed up on the handle of her assault weapon with her forearm, and brought her own blade naturally to Hisa’s right flank as she redirected the attack. Sakura hissed in disappointment because the cut was interrupted when she retreated and the result was shallow, not slicing deep enough to incapacitate her. When Hisa took a step back, clutching her flank, Mako suddenly appeared like a breaching shark from the deep only inches before Sakura’s face. He kicked her, quite hard, and Sakura fell into the sand, her weapon tossed aside from the blow. She scrambled for it as Mako grabbed hold of her ankle. She kicked free of his hold, but he was upon he, knees straddling her, and Sakura had no choice but to turn and face him.

He cuffed her hands above her head, saying quietly, “Don’t make this difficult! You will lose your life if you continue to resist. They’ll kill you. Stop struggling!”

Sakura cursed herself for drinking that damn tea, because if she had chakra, she would headbutt his face so far back into his skull that the impact would instantly kill him. Hisa’s face suddenly appeared above Mako’s rights shoulder.

“Killing her is the only option. We don’t have time to hold her hostage,” she chastised Mako with venom in her voice. “We have to get back to base quickly with the news of her death.”

“We could use her. She’s too important to kill immediately.” Came Mako’s response as he sat down hard against her bucking legs.  

“We don’t have time for this! The drug effects won’t last on her all the way back to Tanigakure!”

Perfect, Sakura thought. The confirmation she had been looking for. They were in fact the same party of ninja who had attacked her and Sasuke on their journey to Suna. Sakura still wasn’t entirely sure just how many belonged to their group.

“Reach in my pocket for the second dose. We will knock her back out if we have to!” came Mako’s reply, but it was too late. Sakura had been calling, calling, calling her chakra to her wrists this entire time and used that small amount of sudden strength to overpower Mako’s hold, swinging her arms quickly back down to her sides which caused Mako’s own arms to follow. His head hit the ground to the left of her neck and Sakura immediately rolled him, bestriding him the same way he had just held her.

Hisa didn’t hesitate a second as her weapon came swiping horizontally across Sakura’s back. Sakura predicted this and used Mako’s struggling momentum to once again roll him back on top of her. The blade bit into the flesh of his back and he screamed. In the same moment, Sakura used the last of her strength to wedge her knees between herself and Mako’s chest, shoving him out and back toward a surprised Hisa. They both fell tangled back into the shadowy mist, hitting sand somewhere out of sight.

Within seconds, Sakura scrambled toward the lost weapon and the sword she had dropped was within Sakura’s reach. But when she fisted the pommel, a foot stepped down on the blade. The black mist cleared to reveal the eyeless depths of the shadow demon above her.

“Enough of this,” he hissed. Shadows leaked from his eyes, down his face, and crawled down his chest, legs, and over the length of the weapon, icing Sakura’s fingers when they touched the handle. Sakura immediately recoiled in pain as her fingers turned a sickening black. She screamed, backing away from his advancing figure, hand tucked protectively in the crook between her arm and side.

Rage more than fear boiled beneath Sakura’s skin. What sick ninjutsu was this? It reminded her of a combination between Zabuza’s Hidden Mist technique and Shikamaru’s Shadow Control. But the damage was entirely unexpectedt, as if the shadows inside his body were made of a poisonous substance that bleached out the life of whatever it touched. This phantom before her controlled darkness directly, thickening what already existed in the air around them, and then leaking black chakra directly from his body which destroyed whatever came in contact with it. Like the shadows of death itself, Sakura was certain it had stollen all life from her immovable hand.

Sakura cursed and bolted to the left, seeking out the jagged rocks that she had created earlier. She had to test a theory. Sakura slowed as she clutched her hand, listening, keeping an eye on her feet at all times in fear of creeping black, knowing the phantom would pursue.

When his steps came closer, Sakura turned and faced him. A chakra-manipulated path cleared the darkness between them, allowing the two ninja to see each other in the surrounding haze. This confirmed one thing for Sakura: no one, including the ninja user himself, could see through the darkness he created. That was good to know.

Just one more thing then. She waited and the shade sneered as he approached. When he came withing a few feet away, shadows reached for her like grasping fingers. Just as she had seen Temari do all those years ago during the Chunin exams, Sakura backed away until the shadows stopped and retreated back into the skull of the demon who had projected them. She drew a line in the sand, confirming the distance of ten feet between them.

Ha. She thought to herself. Just like Shikamaru’s justsu then. Similarly, it had a limited reach, although it was much shorter than Shikamaru’s range and didn’t seem to be able to use the shadows in the air around it to lengthen or widen. It explained the purpose of the shadows in the air though; the phantom ninja needed to be in close range where individuals couldn’t see the approaching black tentacles of death.

Sakura scoffed. Apparently, this ninja couldn’t measure up to Shikamaru’s intelligence either, considering the fact that she had just figured out how his ninjutsu worked.

There was only one problem, though. Sakura was a close-combat shinobi as well, and her number one battle technique was her chakra enhanced strength. She needed a plan that would allow her to take a different approach.

She ran and her attacker pursued her, thickening the air before her but leaving the trail behind her completely clear.

Suddenly, Mako’s words from earlier came back to her, which gave Sakura an idea. It was the only thing Sakura could think of. She doubled back to where Mako and Hisa had been disposed. She followed the blood in the sand to the precipice of a jagged chunk of earth. When she came upon Mako, Sakura noted that Hisa was already gone, having abandoned him immediately. Hisa was probably blindly searching for Sakura among the shadow-cloaked mountains of ground and sand.

Sakura didn’t have much time. She placed her hand over Mako’s mouth so he wouldn’t scream and give away their location; not that it would do much good. If the phantom had room for a brain somewhere next to that pit of darkness in his skull, he would follow the blood as she had, or trace her tracks in the sand.

Mako, laying on his bloody back in the sand, shot his eyes open when Sakura’s hand pressed down hard on his mouth with her black hand. It was barely more than a useless appendage at this point, but with the help of her good hand, Sakura shoved her fingers in his mouth to silence him. He tried biting them, tearing into her blackened flesh. But Sakura couldn’t feel them at all, the deadening so complete that Sakura was afraid she would never regain use of it again.

With her free hand, Sakura searched Mako’s person. Her hand fisted triumphantly in his back pocket around something long and cylindrical. She pulled it free, praying frantically that it was what she theorized it to be. Bless you for being thorough and for telling me you had it, she thought to Mako as she surveyed the capped yellow injection tube. Whether it was Ashuwa or a second dose of whatever he had put in her tea, Sakura didn’t know. But whatever it was, Mako had revealed its purpose to Hisa which was to incapacitate her again once the current drug in her system stopped working.

Mako squirmed beneath her and Sakura contemplated killing him right then and there. But she just didn’t have time. Lucky bastard. She sprinted from him, the phantom stepping over the boulder in the same moment she darted from the concealed spot.

Did he see what she grabbed? Sakura wasn’t confident but couldn’t stop to try to interpret the eye-less facial expression the ninja wore. Remaining hopeful, she kept running.

Spotting a smaller set of tracks in the sand leaving the location, Sakura followed them, tracing them all the way to their source. When Sakura came upon Hisa, she almost collided with her directly, the blackened air only revealing her in the last second. Hisa didn’t even have a chance to react before Sakura uncapped the needle and dispensed a third of the dose into her neck, enough for her weight. The woman dropped to the ground and Sakura thanked Mako again for designing the perfect drug. Sakura didn’t estimate that she would remain unconscious for long, though, not having the full dose.

Sakura moved quickly. There was only a matter of minutes before the phantom caught up to her once again. Sakura quickly removed the cloak from Hisa’s shoulders and wrapped Hisa’s face covering around her own. She picked up Hisa’s small rapier from the ground.

She turned and walked toward the approaching footsteps, using the black at her back to her advantage this time, thankful for once that it would conceal Hisa’s body completely.

When she came into his view, the ninja balked, taken aback at her familiar presence. “Hisa?” came the hissing whisper. Sakura kept her head down long enough. Long enough to come parallel with him and turn the blade to relieve him of his head.  

He ducked as Sakura knew he would. Dropping the shortsword, she came back toward his face with the hidden syringe in the same hand. Like with Hisa, she caught him in the neck with the needle neck, and his black sockets widened as she fully pressed in the plunger.

Deathly black shot out of his eye sockets, gripping her remaining hand with blackness as it traveled up her arm. She cried out in both pain and fury as the medicine injected into the demon’s skin. He screamed and she pulled away as he dropped to his knees.

His consciousness remained momentarily, and Sakura turned, arms limp and useless from damage like Orochimaru’s had been. Turning, Sakura found the sword she had dropped. Bending down, she gripped it between her teeth, the taste of metal and sand coating her tongue. It tasted so, so sweet in that second.

Like another mist demon she remembered, Zabuza Momochi, Sakura wielded the blade between her teeth and pivoted to face this monster who was solely responsible for torturing Isao, spreading hatred and pain, and most of all, underestimating her.

Sakura would never be weak enough that anyone without substance, anyone who couldn’t consider themselves subpar to a legendary Sanin, could dispose of her easily. She didn’t need abilities. She didn’t even need chakra to make it out triumphant in these futile attempts on her life.

“You will regret your choices,” the phantom hissed disorientated. “The next generation won’t be able to handle what is coming.”

Sakura began to advance toward him, ready to mimic Zabuza’s killing blows with a fang-wielded blade. When she reached him, she glared down at him, bloodlust in her veins.

“War is a good thing. Anger is a tool to be used. Vengeance is necessary to strengthen.”

Sakura gripped onto her own blood-bent mind, talking to herself as she looked at this man…beast…whatever he was. And as she had done with Satou, Sakura now too, thought of Sasuke. A person so wrapped in darkness that the darkness presented itself in his very nature.

“You, like everyone else, deserve mercy,” Sakura announced after she dropped the sword from her mouth. Sakura had once blamed herself for being too weak to kill Sasuke, but in this moment, Sakura had an enlightening clarification. When someone so vile deserves death and you can find it in yourself to drop your too-ready hand of justice and offer them a second chance—that is real strength. It’s what Naruto would have done. It’s what Sakura chose to do now.

The man slumped forward, eyes level with the blade that stuck up from the sand. “You will see one day that I am right,” he hissed in finality.

“You have us confused with one another,” she announced to the fading darkness that began to disintegrate into light, the final sign signaling his unconsciousness. Sakura could just make out the sunrise in the east and it was beautiful, pale, and rosy. Sakura pretended it was her victory banner. She also believed it was a sign of hope.  

………………………………….

The second chakra pill worked another miracle. Sasuke felt replenished as he practically flew across the sand path in Isao’s memory. He had only run this fast a few times in his life and most recently, it was because of this same scenario. Kido, too, had kidnapped Sakura, and when Sasuke had found out, he had run.

Sasuke cursed himself now for his stupidity. His pride. His mission. He had left in anger and confusion after their kiss, left her alone in Suna despite his promise to never let this sort of thing happen again. Each step he took into the sand was echoed in his mind with an apology. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. He lost count of how many times he said it.

Chakra coursed through his limbs and Sasuke mentally prepared himself for war. Bones enveloped his body, ribs caging around him as he activated an incomplete Susanoo. Purple chakra radiated from him, a threatening beacon to the kidnappers he knew would be nearby.

Sasuke instantly recognized the projections of broken ground that penetrated up from the sand like a golden crown. Unlike in Isao’s shadowy memories, the morning light illuminated each pillar, revealing the sheer length and size of every new peak that Sakura had brought forth with her inhuman strength.  Sasuke didn’t even think of concealing his presence; he didn’t need to. He charged into the center of the fray, looking about him everywhere.

He looked behind a few of the crags, eyes finally landing on an individual. Bloody, but not unconscious, Mako lay with his face projected to the sky. His eyes shot open when Sasuke placed a heavy foot on his chest. He wanted to light him up with his Amaterasu and let the flames devour him alive until the ninja was nothing more than the sand beneath him.

Mako groaned and Sasuke unsheathed his katana, stabbing into this ninja’s shoulder. Although he didn’t need to pin him to the ground, it felt good to watch Mako clutch at the blade near his collar bone. The medic ninja was still alive despite his blood loss, but Sasuke relished in the thought that he wouldn’t be for long. Gaara might be mad at him for this later, but Sasuke didn’t care.

“Where is she?” The Uchiha hissed as he sent electricity down the length of his blade into Mako’s chest muscles. He began to spasm.

“Stop!” Mako screamed in pain.

“It will stop when you answer!” he yelled back, losing control of his own emotions. He twisted the metal for emphasis.

“Sasuke, stop!” came a familiar voice and Sasuke’s dropped the blade in shock as Sakura threw her shoulder into him.

“I don’t have enough chakra to spare to heal any more wounds,” she reprimanded him as if she were talking to a patient.

Sasuke blinked in chastisement at the pink-haired woman standing whole before him. He instantly pulled her into his Susanoo, crushing her to his side as he extended the ribcage of the Susanoo to include her. He looked around warily as if he couldn’t quite believe there was no current threat to Sakura’s person. He finally spoke, both relief and annoyance edging his words. “You’re okay?! Where are the others?!”

“I’m fine!” she announced, face suddenly red in embarrassment at their close proximity. Sasuke didn’t notice it at first as he held her back at arm’s length to check her current state. His stomach dropped when he saw her dangling arms, blackened, charred, and bruised. One of them currently had a small halo of green around it and its color paled in comparison to the other.

“Who did this to you?” he rumbled lowly, flashing a red and purple glare back down at Mako, who whimpered pathetically from his wounds. Sakura pulled from his hand and moved in front of the Uchiha, cutting off his direction of blame.

“Not him,” she excused, and her defense thoroughly pissed Sasuke off. Whatever Mako’s role was in this, Sasuke was certain that he was to blame for all of it.

Sasuke did his best to swallow his murdering thirst, eyes landing back on her like a lifeline to his sanity. “Tell me what happened,” he ordered. It was the only words that he could force past his teeth.

“I will explain everything to you, but I need your help first.” She made to step away from him, but Sasuke prevented it. Careful not to aggravate her injuries by touching her arm, Sasuke grabbed her shirt on reflex instead, pulling her back into the safety of the Susanoo.

“It’s okay. We are safe.” she breathed, smiling at him for the first time since he had left her, which brought Sasuke back some soothing clarity of mind. “They are all incapacitated.”

Sasuke’s eyebrow shot up into his bangs. “All of them?”

“It’s insulting that you are surprised,” she nudged him with her shoulder, turning her shoulders to face Mako. She bent to medically assess his new stab wound.

“I wasn’t expecting,” he admitted, but then fell into silence at her targeted look. “I mean, I thought that you were drugged!”

“I am,” she announced, narrowing her eyes further. “But I don’t know how you know that.”

Sasuke cursed at his slip. He couldn’t tell her just yet about how he practically forced Isao to spill all the information earlier. Instead, he said half-truthfully, “I ran into the kid.”

“Isao?” Sakura’s face lit up. “He’s okay? He made it back?” She slumped into the sand at Mako’s side. She practically deflated as her concern for the boy evaporated. “Bless that child.”

Sasuke had to agree. If it weren’t for him, Sasuke wouldn’t have been able to find his teammate this quickly. Even though Sakura hadn’t really needed his help after all. How strange that felt for Sasuke, to not be needed in the ways that he had once been. It was an unexpected jolt to his mindset toward Sakura. She had proved her strength repeatedly to him and he continued to see her as someone to protect.

Before he could even offer an apology, Sakura motioned toward Mako’s body. “My arms are a little preoccupied at the moment. Do you mind flipping him?”

Sasuke’s thoughts instantly darkened at the mention of both her arms and Mako. “What for?”

“I need to look at his back. See how deep the wound is.”

“He doesn’t deserve your help,” he replied instantly, wishing for the ninja to suffer in the same ways he had made his friend.

“I remember a time when you didn’t either,” Sakura replied with a smiling voice, “but I helped you back then, too. Now flip him.”

Sasuke scoffed at her statement, stooped, and flipped the ninja on his stomach. Mako let out a pained groan and Sakura “tsked” at his blatant carelessness. He kneeled beside her, ready to be her hands despite how much he hated the thought of her trying to help him.

“It’s not as deep as I thought. Hold his flesh together,” she ordered and Sasuke did so as she summoned a small stream of chakra to the gray fingertips of her semi-healed hand. The small amount did not last long, but it was enough. Just enough to stop the bleeding.

“Why are you helping me?” Mako asked faintly into the sand, and Sasuke immediately responded for her.

“You don’t need to know, so just shut your mouth so I don’t have to hear your voice.”

Sakura nudged him for his harsh words. “You sure have a lot to say today.” And Sasuke blinked at her again in surprise. She was right; he was talking a lot…for him. He responded with another scoff.

Sakura answered Mako’s question despite Sasuke’s threat. “You believe in war. I believe in peace. We are stronger united than when we are divided. This is how I create peace.”

Sasuke wasn’t following entirely, but he knew that Sakura was referencing words that had been exchanged between them, and Sasuke recognized them as the poison from a mindset consumed in darkness.

Standing again, Sakura said, “The hard part is going to be getting them all back to Sunagakure.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked.

“They’re drugged. Not all of them are dead. They’ll wake soon,” she clarified for him.

Sasuke didn’t even think before saying, “I can remedy that.”

She ignored him, continuing, “We might have to make a couple trips. How many can you carry?”

Sasuke didn’t even respond to that ridiculous notion. Instead, he activated his Rinnegan once more, feeding it with the chakra from the chakra pill. A spiral appeared before them, revealing the central red-dune dimension. Sakura didn’t even have time to protest before Sasuke was throwing Mako’s limp body inside the hole.

“What are you doing?” Sakura asked, confused and stunned by his actions.

“They can remain in this dimension until we make it back to Suna. They can’t flee inside. They have nowhere to go.”

Sakura nodded in understanding. “Good idea!” she praised him, obviously relieved she wasn’t going to have to try to carry anyone with her arms practically useless.

“I’ll take you to the others.”

A female kunoichi Sakura called Hisa was the second to be transported to Kaguya’s center dimension. Then a different sort of being Sasuke considered warily. He didn’t look to be human. Sakura explained that he had been the most dangerous of them all. Sakura believed him to be the ringleader, though she wasn’t sure how many group members he truly led. It was still a confusing web of connections.

Sakura left out the fact that this ninja must be the one to have damaged her arms, but no good would come from Sasuke demanding that she confirm that for him. The Uchiha made a mental note of it as he tossed the unconscious ninja inside, already contemplating on ways to make him talk.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“One more,” she replied, and she led Sasuke toward a small adobe house that he hadn’t noticed before. It was alone in the desert, one wall completely destroyed, revealing the building’s stark clay interior.

Just before they reached the ruins, Sakura stopped when they approached the body of a large man. Sasuke was surprised to find this man not just unconscious; he was dead.

“He hurt Isao,” she defended automatically, ashamed that death had been necessary.

But Sasuke didn’t need an explanation from her. If she wouldn’t have, Saskue was pretty sure that he would have killed him. “Let the sand have him,” he declared, but Sakura shook her head.

“He belongs with them. They must be able to bury and grieve to find peace. We don’t want to give them cause for any further resentment.”

Sasuke wanted to say “you can’t be serious,” but he didn’t feel like arguing, because no matter what Sasuke could come up with to say next, Sakura would still be right in the end. She had a bigger vision in mind that Sasuke couldn’t quite connect sometimes. He just knew that he would always trust her to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t sensible, or in most cases, not what Sasuke would have done.

“Fine,” he declared, opening the portal once more. His breathing became labored as he pushed the effects of the chakra pill. Like with the others, Sasuke dragged the man’s body into the portal.

Sasuke also stepped through, leaving the gateway open between realms. He directed his attention to Mako, ice already coating his next words.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t wander too far from this spot. The dimension is endless and not of our world. You will only lose yourself and die in this place.”

Mako swallowed deeply in fear as he watched Sasuke’s form from his stomach.

“On second thought,” Sasuke sneered under his breath. “Feel free.” The portal closed behind the Uchiha as he exited. He would deal with all of them later, he thought. He needed to get Sakura back to Sunagakure first.  

………………………………

Sakura couldn’t help but whimper when her left arm wasn’t responding as quickly to her healing chakra. Her right hand—the very same one she had shoved into Mako’s mouth to keep him from screaming—had almost fully recovered as the medicine suppressing her chakra began to wear off and her healing abilities returned to her. Her left hand, however, was at first very numb, which Sakura knew was a very bad sign. But the longer she worked at healing, the more the pain began to intensify. It was almost unbearable, but Sakura was ultimately relieved at the burning sensation that indicated life. Sakura considered the differences between the two hands and all she could conclude was that distance must have had something to do with it since her right hand had a grabbed the blackened sword at his feet and her left had been near his face when she plunged the needle in his neck.

Sasuke supported her as they walked back to the Sand Village, though he suddenly seemed to her like he was the one that needed supporting. He stumbled in the sand and Sakura removed her good arm from his shoulders.

“I’m good. But are you okay?” she asked, noticing his strenuous breathing for the first time.

“Yes,” he fibbed, and Sakura knew it was a lie the minute he clutched his head to support it.

Redirecting her chakra back to her healed hand, Sakura immediately sought out Sasuke’s brow with her fingertips. He moaned with relief as green chakra lighted over it, but he instantly pushed her hand away. “Heal yourself.”

“What happened?” she responded, ignoring his demand. She found his forehead again. “There’s nothing I can do if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I took two chakra pills. I’ll be fine though. I just need rest.” He removed her hand again.

Sakura inhaled sharply at the confession. “Why did you do that?”

“I had already depleted my chakra reserves when I found out you weren’t in the village. I panicked.”

“Overdosing on chakra pills is one thing,” she scolded, “but using them recklessly to overexert your Rinnegan is another. No matter how much chakra you have, you have limits with the Rinnegan.”

“It was my only choice,” he defended sharply, obviously masking his embarrassment with annoyance.

Sakura placed her glowing palm over his eyes, now certain of the source of his discomfort. Sasuke made to move her hand away once more, but she fussed like a mother when he tried. “Let me have my way, or we’ll be here longer.”

Sasuke released a small laugh that sounded like another scoff. Only Team 7 could tell the difference between Sasuke’s derisiveness and his sense of humor.  Sakura couldn’t believe he had the energy to laugh. But then something changed in the air around them and Sasuke grew very serious as he inhaled—the type of inhale someone made before having something important to say.

Sasuke finally managed to grab her fingers and he tugged them away after Sakura was satisfied with his treatment. But he didn’t let go. Instead, he held them for a moment that suggested tenderness. It was different from how their hands had brushed so many times before, like how they rested them against each other as they watched Suna’s desert sunset. This time, it was more like how Sasuke had held her hand between them in the medicine preparation room.

Finally working up the courage, Sasuke looked down at her feet and said, “I’m sorry.”

Sakura stared at the firm hold his fingers had on hers in wonder. And the truly amazing part was that he stillwasn’t letting go. “For what?” she whispered, not knowing what else to say for fear of him moving away.

“For leaving you behind in Suna. For leaving in anger. For not being there and letting this happen.”

Sakura didn’t let him continue. “Sasuke,” she began, catching his guilty eyes with her own. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I hope I have proved that to you, today. Please don’t burden yourself with worry for me. I can carry my own burdens and some. You already have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

Sasuke searched her eyes with his. Sakura knew this was a rare occasion. Not many people would see the Uchiha open, unguarded, with care etched in every feature of his expression.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said suddenly, still holding her fingers tightly, and Sakura felt the whole world suddenly still around them. Even the desert wind seemed to stop. Was this the Sasuke she had always known was inside, no matter how roughly he displayed himself to the world?

“I’m sorry for what happened,” Sakura interrupted, afraid for another impending denial of her feelings. She knew what was coming and she didn’t want this small moment to end. “I won’t do that again.”

He paused and Sakura wondered if he was unsettled by the open acknowledgement of her stollen kiss.

He sighed and Sakura’s stomach dropped. She felt him hesitate, saw it in his face. But he resolved himself, declaring, “I came to a conclusion while I was away, and I have to say this while I have the nerve.”

Sakura nodded, ready for disappointment. She was more afraid of what he would say next than she had ever felt going toe-to-toe with her enemies just moments ago.

“Can it be enough for us to care for one another?” he asked, desperation cloaked with mock annoyance on his breath. “Can it just be enough for us to be friends as long as we are in each other’s lives sometimes? Can it be enough for us to be united in the same goal?”

Sakura’s heart sank and unhappiness hit her like the wave she was expecting. Tears threatened to brim her eyelids, but Sakura swallowed them down. Would he ever not be this thickheaded and stubborn? Would he ever let them be what they could be? Whether or not Sakura was simply high on victory or if she was genuinely losing her meekness in Sasuke’s presence, Sakura wasn’t sure.

She removed her hand from his. “Is it enough for you?” she finally asked, taking a step away from him. But he caught her fingers again, pulling her back gently to face him.

“Is that a no?” he asked emotionlessly, but Sakura saw the struggle in his eyes.

“When the answer becomes ‘yes’ for you, I will accept it as mine as well.” She pulled away, firmly this time. He couldn’t respond. Sakura knew why: he wanted to put this on her; he was always putting it back on her, afraid “because of her,” hesitant “because of her.” These were his excuses, but Sakura wouldn’t give him an out this time. It was his turn to choose.

They both knew that it was far too late for Sasuke to pretend he didn’t love her in the same way that Sakura loved him. But Sakura had learned that people love in many ways and not all people wanted to express that love romantically. Kissing Sasuke had been a mistake. She hated to call it that, but it was the truth of it. She didn’t want to steal from him what he wasn’t ready to give—what he wasn’t at peace with. It was his turn; he now knew where she stood.

………………………………..

When they finally made it back to the Hidden Sand Village, Kankuro was there to intercept them just as Sasuke had expected he would. The puppet-wielding ninja was beside himself with worry at seeing Sakura’s injuries, insisting that Sakura promptly return to the hospital. Sakura had insisted she tend to her own wounds back in their lodgings so she could rest. She immediately requested to see Isao, but Kankuro insisted she get some rest first.

It wasn’t until Sasuke insisted that he have an audience with him and Gaara, that he left Sakura to her own desires. As they parted, Sasuke tried to say something or grab her eyes with his, but she didn’t look at him. Not even once. And Sasuke ran his hand exhaustedly through his hair. He couldn’t think about them right now. A conference with the Kazekage would be the perfect distraction.

Gaara, miraculously, had returned before he and Sakura had, and Sasuke wondered just how fast news could travel. Sasuke privately joked with himself that the desert shared its secrets with the Kazekage. The wind and sand must speak to him if he found out things so quickly. It was a hypothesis that could explain a lot at least.

Sasuke shook his head as he followed Kankuro into the Kazekage’s office. He must be getting delirious from the effects of the chakra pills.

“Sasuke,” came Gaara’s raspy acknowledgement when the Uchiha stepped into the room. Gaara was surprisingly alone, which relieved Sasuke. He thought he would have to face Gaara with the “support” of his council. It would be easier to speak of recent events if only Gaara and Kankuro were present.

Sasuke nodded respectfully despite his feelings of resentment toward the two men at the moment for having let Sakura be kidnapped under their watch. As a ninja that was a part of this unpredictable shinobi world, Sasuke knew his anger was unjustified, but he wanted to be mad at anyone and everyone right now. 99% of his own anger was directed at himself, because Sasuke knew that he was more responsible for what happened than the Kazekage and his brother were. The Kazekage had been trying to be proactive and prevent something like this from happening. It just didn’t turn out that way.

The Kazekage seemed to share Sasuke concern for discreetness, because he cloaked the room in sand as he had done the first day of Sasuke arrival. It filled every crevice, thickening to soundproof the room.

Sasuke opened the portal into Kaguya’s central dimension without further delay. He walked into the vortex, not surprised the group remained exactly where he had left them. The only difference was that they were conscious, a fact that slightly irked the Uchiha.

One by one, he grabbed each ninja, tossing them forward into the Kazekage’s domain. Hisa clutched at her dead counterpart, holding onto the deceased brute. Sasuke found grim satisfaction in Mako’s subdued, yielding persona. Being present before the Kazekage was far more terrifying than being stuck in a desolate dimension.

But the individual that held both Sasuke and the Kazekage’s attention was the wraith-like individual that bled darkness from a small spot on his neck. It was his only injury.

Gaara carefully considered him, crossing his arms and surveying him emotionlessly as he did most enemies that he regarded.

Darkness suddenly began to ooze from the man’s eye sockets and Sasuke’s temper suddenly flared. He looked to Gaara, and the ninja nodded his permission.

“Only demons don’t seem to know when they’re in the presence of other demons. Shall I show you hell?”

Sasuke’s eye suddenly began to bleed as he formed the tiger seal for fire release. “Amaterasu!”

The black flames clung to the phantom, incinerating what Sasuke realized was dark masses of sinewing, vaporized flesh. The phantom hissed. Then screamed, then began to plead for mercy. Hisa began to cry and Mako turned his face away from their leader.

Gaara came up beside Sasuke to speak to the wraith as he writhed. Sasuke released the Amaterasu and the flames receded.

The Kazekage crouched, an arm on his knee. “From one demon to another, I urge you to leave your shadows behind in hell and step out into the light. Only demons desire war. And war breeds more demons.”

Sasuke clutched his eye in silent suffering, and Gaara dismissed him. “I’ll handle the rest. I’ll let you know what we find out.”

Sasuke nodded, not waiting for any further excuses to depart. He had delivered them into the Kazekage’s care. But what those ninja didn’t know was that Sakura’s mercy held Sasuke more confined than it did the Kazekage, a demon just as he had said, whose territory had been breached.

……………………

Sakura was finishing binding her tender left hand in medical bandaging, using up the last of her burn solvent that she had created at Suna’s hospital, when Sasuke walked in.

He opened the door, caught her eyes with his, and tried to hide the bloody track down his face from her with his hand. She was on her feet instantly, pulling him to the bed that he had staked his claim on.

She felt his forehead and it was hot, too hot. He had done it this time. She sighed, summoning the small reserve of chakra behind the diamond mark on her forehead.

She expected Sasuke to scold her for using what little she had left on him, but he didn’t seem to notice in his extreme exhaustion. “Thank you,” he whispered, and Sakura retreated to fetch water for him.

He gulped it greedily and Sakura helped him shrug out of his outer layer of clothing. Sand fell from his hair and clothes in the same way hers had earlier. “I’m better now,” he whispered, the first words spoken between them since their disagreement in the desert.

Sakura nodded, making to move away, but he grabbed her hand for the third time that day.

“Don’t be angry,” he begged, his exhaustion making him suddenly careless to conceal his true intentions with fake displeasure and irritation.

“Why do you think I am angry?” she asked emotionlessly.

“I just want what’s best for you. I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered in defeat. This side of Sasuke startled Sakura. He was becoming more undefended, open with emotions in a way she had never seen him before. Was it because he didn’t have anything to hide anymore? Was he past his denials and his pretending?

“I know,” she squeezed his hand back. “But your concerns are groundless.”

“Tell me how,” he pleaded.

She sat beside him on his bed, and he tilted his ear to her, never removing his hand from hers. She took a breath and told him the truth. Told him everything he needed to know. “I do not love you sacrificially, Sasuke. I do not choose you knowing that my life or happiness could be forfeit by doing so. I choose you because I can keep up with you. Because something like your absence wouldn’t be enough to determine my permanent happiness. I will choose to go on, content with only the thought that I know you are out there somewhere loving me if that is all that I have in the moment.”

She took a breath and continued before he could respond. “I am strong enough to handle whatever comes my way as a result of loving you. And I have absolutely no doubts in my feelings, my happiness, and what I am willing to compromise to be with the person I love most.”

Sakura reached tenderly to turn his face to hers and their eyes met. She touched his forehead in the same way he had done to her many times before. “That person is you,” she reassured him, offering him a sincere smile as she removed her hand from his forehead.

Then Sasuke leaned forward. Very close to her, and Sakura bit her lip to keep from reaching for his with her own. “Is all of that true?” he requested again, suddenly breathless. And Sakura knew later that it was just to be sure before what came next.

“Yes,” she breathed. And she didn’t have to reach for him, because he was suddenly reaching for her. His hand found her chin and Sakura waited for his choice. She waited for him to move. And he did.

“Then my answer is no; it’s not enough for me either.” When his lips carefully parted her own, Sakura knew without a doubt that he had decided to find some way possible for them, a path where he could choose her, too.

[tearsofgrace]

written for destiel december day 15: lights

this is the last day ! thanks so much @jellydeans and @galaxycastiel for hosting this

word count: 1k, tags: MILD hurt/comfort, fluff, stars, outside, established relationship, human!cas, the no caps is cuz i was on my phone not for the aesthetic (also probably so many mistakes i’m sorry)

dean was starting to think this wasn’t his best idea. hell, might be his worst one yet. it was below freezing outside and despite their shared sleeping bag and layers of blankets on top of it, dean was shivering.

leave it to him to try to spring some last minute christmas surprise and have it all be miserable. 

cas nuzzled into his neck, his nose freezing against his skin, and he sighed. 

“sorry i dragged you out here,” he said into the freezing air, watching his breath rise toward the stars. 

“‘s okay,” cas responded, his body quivering next to dean’s. then he mumbled something, so soft that for a second, dean wasn’t sure he had actually spoken. 

“what was that, sweetheart?” he’d lost all feeling in his ears, and his fingers were only warm because they were intertwined in cas’. 

“nothing.”

some of the stupor, the trance from the cold faded away and he felt a note of concern wash through him. “what?” 

“i said it was nothing.” cas’ voice was definitely sharp that time. and maybe a little apologetic too. dean tightened his grip on cas’ hands and ran his thumb soothingly over them, staring up at the night sky as if it would tell him the answers. 

“cas,” he whispered softly. cas shuddered again from the cold and pressed further into dean, but he felt more relaxed now.

“i said,” he took a deep breath and sighed, the air hot against dean’s exposed skin, “if i still had my grace, we wouldn’t need to be cold. if i still had my grace, you wouldn’t be miserable. if i still had my grace, i wouldn’t be useless. i wouldn’t be-”

“hey, hey- wait,” dean cut in, rolling so their noses were brushing together and he could look into cas’ wide eyes. “not useful? cas, you’re on the same level as sam and i. you’re a good hunter now, you know that, right?” 

cas shrugged at him and tried to drop his eyes, looking down into the sleeping bag. dean reached out and lifted his face so their eyes could meet, their frozen breath mixing together before leaving for the heavens. 

“and that doesn’t matter anyway,” dean went on. he wished he could make cas see, make him understand. he’d probably never be able to. “where the hell did you get the idea that you had to be useful for us to want you around?” his voice was rising now and he took a breath to steady himself. “fuck, cas, i want- i need you around because you’re you. because you’re sweet and powerful and adorable and funny and you make me feel weightless in a way i never have. you are everything to me. without you-“ he paused, shaking his head. “I’d much rather have you here. like this.” 

cas was just staring at him, leaning into the hand still on his jaw, his eyes wide and vulnerable. when he didn’t say anything, dean reached into his shirt, wincing as his ice cold fingers hit his skin, and pulled out the necklace he was wearing. the grace swirled in between them, lighting their faces with an almost ethereal glow. 

“this was a part of you,” he whispered quietly. “and i know it’s been hard for you to lose. i’m not trying to minimize that. i hate seeing you in pain.” he paused again, searching for the words. he never knew what exactly to say, how to not fuck things up like he always did. “but, cas. you’re still you. grace, no grace. angel, human. cursed or not,” he added with a chuckle. “and i’ll take you however you are.” 

“dean,” cas said quietly, drawing them closer together so their lips barely ghosted over each other. 

“i love you, cas.” fearing his message didn’t get across, he shifted his hand so a finger was on cas’ lips, stopping his response. “i love you. got it?” 

cas nodded silently and dean removed his finger right as cas slid their lips together.

dean tried to remember when the cold left him. when he started feeling warm, like he was floating. then, as cas deepened their kiss, he realized he didn’t care. 

they fit together perfectly, each of them knowing every inch of the other. there were no questions, no fears, just love, drawing them impossibly close to each other. dean felt himself relax completely, dropping the grace to rest on his chest, his arms pulling cas closer and closer-

a soft beeping cut through their trance and he looked down at his watch. 

“midnight,” he said to cas’ questioning eyes. “merry christmas, sweetheart.”

“merry christmas, dean,” cas said seriously. he looked at peace now. happy in a way that made dean’s heart soar. 

“your first christmas as a human and we don’t even got any lights,” he said jokingly, his hand smoothing back through cas’ hair. 

“we have lights,” cas said, looking upward. “we have the best lights on earth.” 

dean rolled to his back and pulled cas close, both of them lost in the endless sky above them. each star twinkled fiercely, burning hot millions of miles away. they were beautiful. 

cas snuggled further into him and dean glanced down at him. his eyes were fixed on the heavens, glowing in the light of the reflected cosmos. 

“thank you, dean,” cas said softly. 

dean felt the full weight behind the words. knew what he was trying to say with so little. he just rubbed his hand over cas’ back, a small assurance that he was here. he was here and not heaven, not hell, not some new eternal being they’d yet to take down, would be able to drag him away. 

they watched the stars for hours, not speaking, not sleeping, just basking in the power of creation. creation without its creator. just the universe putting on a light show that was meant only for them. 

this might have been a good idea. maybe even his best.