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onceinabluehanguangjun · 3 years

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moon in my window

Summary: for the @mdzsnet Lan Wangji birthday celebration, have some chronically depressed Lan Zhan and how his family (main focus on his husband) helps support him

Word Count: ~4k

Tags: depression, post-canon

ao3

“Ah, Er-gege, you’re too kind.”

Lan Wangji sat on the edge of the bed, a cup of tea in his hand which he held out to Wei Wuxian. He smiled in thanks, but couldn’t hide the wince. Mo Xuanyu’s body was admittedly very good at putting up with Wei Wuxian’s spirit, but it was still much less accustomed to him than Wei Wuxian’s previous body and therefore was much more susceptible to silly things. Like runny noses and never-ending headaches. Apparently Mo Xuanyu didn’t overwork his brain in the same way Wei Wuxian did. Who would’ve guessed?

With the wave of Lan Wangji’s hand, the little bit of light that shined through the paper windows was gone and they were engulfed in darkness. It lessened the pressure on his temples just enough to be thankful even more.

“Is this medicinal?” Wei Wuxian asked softly. Lan Wangji hummed his confirmation. “Ah, we should talk to Wen Ning and see if he remembered the tea Wen Qing would make me whenever I wouldn’t let her stick me with needles. It always worked for whatever was messing with me.”

“I will,” Lan Wangji said softly, voice low and careful as to not make it worse.

Wei Wuxian drank the tea as fast as his body would allow before he put the cup back in Lan Wangji’s hands and tipped forward. His head rested against the soft, expensive fabric that all the Lans wore and it just made him want to pull him into bed and trap him there for hours. Well, most things about him made him want to do that.

“Can Er-gege stay in today? Sleep sounds so nice.”

“I cannot,” Lan Wangji said softly, his arm wrapping around him and his warm hand pressing to his lower back. Wei Wuxian whined quietly, as much as his headache would allow.

“You’re Chief Cultivator, no one can tell you what to do,” Wei Wuxian said. Lan Zhan hummed, holding him carefully and closely.

“Senior Wei is the one who has a class to teach,” he said. Wei Wuxian blinked a few times as his thoughts shifted back into focus. Sometimes it was too easy to forget how good things had become. He had a husband, he had a garden, he got to teach cute little Lans about using their heads instead of just reciting rules.

All of which he loved, but a whine still found its way out into the world as he thought about having to teach when even the shielded sun of the Cloud Recesses hurt him.

“Lan Zhan, who let me have responsibilities?”

Lan Wangji breathed in slowly, head bowing to rest against Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. He sat there for a moment and, truthfully, for a moment he thought he might’ve convinced him to spend all day in bed.

“Er-gege,” Wei Wuxian breathed, sliding his hand beneath his hair to touch the nape of his neck. Lan Wangji seemed to rest a little more weight on Wei Wuxian which was admittedly out of character. He turned his head a bit to look at him, squinting in the darkness to get a better look at his face, headache be damned. He looked fine, if only just laying against Wei Wuxian. “Ah, Lan Zhan, I see. You do want to stay in bed.”

There was a long stretch of silence before a low grunt of agreement. Wei Wuxian smiled and scratched at where his hair met his neck.

“I can’t, you see,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Lan Wangji’s clothed shoulder, “This humble one has a class to teach.”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji said. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and Wei Wuxian felt warmed at how much he’d been able to wear him down even if they did have to get up.

Still, they sat long enough for Lan Wangji to pass him some spiritual energy to help him power through his headache and then he was pulled to his feet.

“Ready, Wei-qianbei?”

“As ever. Give it a try.”

Wei Wuxian leaned back on his palms as he watched Lan Jingyi focus very hard to activate the talisman he’d invented. Their assignment for the week was to create a new spell or talisman of some sort inspired by the word ‘alarm’. He shouldn’t have been surprised when a piercing noise wailed through the room in one short burst before the talisman disintegrated. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but laugh at the hoard of Lans all covering their ears with wide, annoyed eyes turned to Jingyi who sat with red cheeks as if that wasn’t what he intended. They all knew it was.

“Perfect! That’ll startle anything,” Wei Wuxian praised, leaning forward to scribble notes for grading later. Jingyi smiled, any embarrassment gone away to make room for pride as he went to sit back beside Sizhui.

It’d taken awhile to get Lan Qiren to let him teach for real. Weeks of having him shadow every single thing Wei Wuxian did around the littlest juniors, constant grunts of disapproval, a whole separate sheet for grading Wei Wuxian that he would bring to his attention over tea every evening. But, honestly, he didn’t mind it too much. After everything, it felt somewhat normal. Besides, he was sure Lan Qiren liked him a bit more by the time he willingly handed over a few classes.

Convincing him of this class specifically, though, was a bit tougher and had to be discussed with all of the Lan Elders in a very formal meeting that required Wei Wuxian to break out his single set of white robes. They’d waited until Lan Wangji was off on a night hunt, getting rid of his unrelentingly protective gaze before bringing Wei Wuxian in to discuss giving the older disciples lessons on creating new things so they’d be better equipped to come up with something if they ever got stuck‒or at least that’s how he sold it. The minimum age they’d agreed on was the group that were done with all other sit-down classes and tended to be the main ones going on night hunts which was fair enough. It meant he got to spend more time with Lan Sizhui and he’d never complain about that.

“Alright, who’s next?”

Before anyone could even respond, the doors to the lanshi burst open. Lan Wangji stood in the doorway, tall and regal and intimidating and every bit Hanguang-Jun. Wei Wuxian felt his heart flutter childishly in his chest as if that wasn’t his husband. Husband. Ah, wasn’t that incredible?

The juniors’ eyes followed Lan Wangji as he basically glided down the walkway. Wei Wuxian smiled as he came near despite the rigid set to his features. He knew he had some important‒which typically translated to annoying‒business today.

“Have you come to learn on your break, Hanguang-Jun?” Wei Wuxian teased. Somehow, though, the crease between his eyebrows deepened and worry pricked at Wei Wuxian. Was he angry with him for some reason?

Lan Wangji walked up to the teacher’s platform and to the side of his desk before kneeling on the ground. Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened as Lan Wangji bowed his head into his lap before adjusting himself. And there he was, the great Hanguang-Jun, laying on the floor with his face buried in his husband’s stomach and his arms wrapped around his torso. Wei Wuxian wondered if Lan Wangji could feel how hard his heart was beating.

Considering this was rather unprecedented, Wei Wuxian dumbly looked up at the juniors to guard their reactions. All of them with one exception were looking anywhere in the room other than the scene on the platform. Wei Wuxian locked eyes with Lan Sizhui‒who, for once, didn’t seem too flustered by such a bold display‒and watched as he gave a curt little nod. He wasn’t sure what he was nodding about, but he assumed it was a subtle way of saying to just let it happen. As if he needed approval to do that.

“Ah, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said softly, resting his hand on his husband’s cheek. He used his thumb to smooth out his already perfect eyebrows and couldn’t help his smile as Lan Wangji visibly relaxed a little. His eyes stayed closed and he looked every bit like the jade everyone said he was. “Alright. Sleep well.”

Wei Wuxian looked back up, his hands sliding to cradle the back of Lan Wangji’s head against his stomach.

“Anyone got a quieter one to try next?”

Lan Wangji stayed put for the entire length of his break before silently getting up and walking back out.

His class was nearly over at this point, but it was clear everyone had questions that he couldn’t answer. Their Hanguang-Jun had definitely changed and gotten more bold since Wei Wuxian came to live in the Cloud Recesses, but not like that. That was… Well, there was something wrong, to say the least. Even if it was sweet to just have him lay there for at least four incense sticks worth of time. He would have to ask him once they got back to the jingshi.

“You all did great today. For next week, how about something inspired by the word ‘heat’,” Wei Wuxian said.

“Wei-qianbei, don’t we already have at least a few different existing talismans for that?” Lan Huizhong asked. He grinned as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Looks like you’ll have to think quite hard to come up with something, hm?” he said. Lan Huizhong smiled just a little bit‒no excessive smiling and all‒and bowed.

Wei Wuxian gathered his things and started to walk out of the lanshi. He was going to drop these off at the jingshi and then he planned to slip in on one of Lan Xichen’s sword forms classes. He did that relatively often and could feel the way that was slowly but surely helping to build Mo Xuanyu’s core. If he played it off like he was just there because he was bored, no one needed to call him out on it.

“Wei-qianbei, may this disciple speak with you for a moment?” Lan Sizhui called. Wei Wuxian grinned as he spun to see him, though stopped himself from teasing him about the formal way he called him when he saw the serious set of his features. It seemed everyone was very serious today.

“You don’t even need to ask,” he said. Lan Sizhui looked around to make sure they were alone and still took a step closer. He was breaking some rule, Wei Wuxian thought‒impropriety, personal space, secrecy, something. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s Hanguang-Jun,” he said softly. Wei Wuxian was very interested at this point and stepped even closer. “He is… melancholy.”

Wei Wuxian searched his face as he slowly repeated, “Melancholy?”

That didn’t sound right. Lan Wangji had made him tea this morning and shared his spiritual energy. Lan Wangji had smiled when Wei Wuxian had braided his hair the night before and had smiled before he bedded him. Lan Wangji had shared a bath with him, had washed his hair, had done many, many things for him as he did every day. That didn’t seem melancholy.

“Forgive this disciple’s forwardness,” Sizhui said, though he didn’t sound like he was sorry. He sounded, Wei Wuxian thought with untimely fondness, like the man who raised him. “This humble one does not mean to insinuate that Wei-qianbei does not know his husband well. Wei-qianbei is attentive and thoughtful, that is obvious. But… Xian-gege, for all that you may know him and see him and spend time with him, I know him better than anyone.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t even be hurt by that statement. It was the truth that Lan Sizhui had probably spent more time with Lan Wangji than anyone else in the world, perhaps even rivalling Zewu-Jun at this point. Lan Wangji had admitted in the dark of one night that he’d spent many years paranoid that people would find out his A-Yuan was a Wen and that they’d go after him, so he kept him out of the dormitories until he was nearly fourteen and even then made a point to watch over him as often as he could just in case. Of course he knew him well.

“He’s always been… sad, I suppose, but some days are worse than others. Sometimes he can seem happy and other days it’s…” Lan Sizhui trailed off, looking to the side and swallowing. Wei Wuxian’s stomach twisted in his gut. “He’s been very well since you got back, but today is one of those… other days. Zewu-Jun and I handled it in the past, but now it’s sort of your duty as his husband, isn’t it?”

“Yes, A-Yuan, I think it is,” Wei Wuxian agreed. Sizhui’s shoulders relaxed a bit and that familiar smile found his lips.

“If you need help, just ask. It isn’t something you can fix completely, it’s more of making sure he doesn’t feel worse and alone. I think he’d appreciate your company. He did come to you,” Lan Sizhui said. Wei Wuxian nodded and tried to smile through the guilt in his stomach. How blind he’d been to his husband’s feelings.

“He did. I’ll do my best, thank you,” Wei Wuxian said.

“Xian-gege,” Sizhui said before he could walk too far away, reaching out to grab his arm, “It really isn’t your fault, it’s no one’s fault. It just… is.”

“It is a bit my fault,” Wei Wuxian suggested, laughing softly to try to make the guilt sound less, well, guilty, “I didn’t see it before.”

“How could you see something you weren’t looking for, though?” Lan Sizhui said, “And, really, he has been much happier since you came back.”

“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian said, trying his best to get rid of the guilt. There was no place for that when he needed to just take care of his husband in the way he took care of him. “We’ll have tea tomorrow, all three of us.”

Lan Sizhui smiled and nodded, “I’d like that.”

Wei Wuxian had to convince himself to not skip Zewu-Jun’s sword forms class. Lan Wangji still had meetings and Wei Wuxian would be helping no one by pacing around the jingshi for hours. Besides, he would still need his strength, wouldn’t he?

His mind, however, wasn’t all there as he thought about Lan Wangji and started dissecting every moment to see what he’d missed. This morning when it took him longer than usual to get out of bed, was that a sign and something he would need to look for? That distraction, however, led to a small, eight year old Lan accidentally nicking Wei Wuxian’s cheek with his sword. It wasn’t even enough to bleed, but Young Lans crying in guilt was not a part of the agenda and class ended early.

That left Wei Wuxian to go back to the jingshi and wait for Lan Wangji to be done for the day so he could do his best to make up for all the times he’d had Lan Wangji coddle him when he was the one who needed to be coddled. He prepared a bath, talismans on it to keep it warm, and stripped to nothing but his underrobe. After letting his hair down entirely, Wei Wuxian decided to meditate. He hated it, but it passed the time while also helping his core, so he settled in.

It was easy to slip out of it the moment Lan Wangji walked in, eyes visibly tired and shoulders rigid. Wei Wuxian rose to his feet and met him near the door, conjuring an easy grin.

“Ah, Lan Zhan,” he said softly, reaching up to hold his face in his hands. Wei Wuxian didn’t even need to pull him down, Lan Wangji’s body moved towards him as he wrapped him up into a hug. He had to stand on his toes, but he didn’t mind. “Your husband already drew you a bath. Come, let me bathe you, hm?”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji hummed. Wei Wuxian smiled and left a kiss on his shoulder before beginning to tug him behind the privacy screen.

Wei Wuxian reached up to remove his forehead ribbon first and folded it neatly to get it out of the way. His hands worked to strip him of his layers and it was hard not to see how much he was putting in to seem like he wasn’t struggling. That crease between his brow, the way his entire body was full of tension, the way he looked exhausted. How hadn’t he noticed before?

“My Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian breathed, leaving a soft kiss to his chest as he rid him of his last layer, “My love.”

He got rid of his own last layer and got in the bath first before ushering him in. Lan Wangji got in without even one playful look and laid against Wei Wuxian’s chest without any convincing. He sunk into the water up to his chin, his knees poking above the surface in response. Wei Wuxian didn’t know what else to do other than wrap his arms around him and bathe him slowly.

He thought of Sizhui’s words, how there wasn’t anything to actually do. Just make sure he didn’t feel worse or alone. Though Wei Wuxian could remember‒albeit faintly‒times when he’d felt very lonely despite being surrounded by people. He wasn’t sure his presence alone would be helpful.

“Let me hold you tonight,” Wei Wuxian told him, rubbing his hands over his chest, “Is that something you would like?”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji hummed. Not even a ‘whatever Wei Ying likes’. Wei Wuxian raked his fingers through his hair.

Wei Wuxian worked at his body slowly. He didn’t have much spiritual energy to give him, but he tried his best to make up for it in rubbing at all the tense spots and paying extra attention to places Wei Wuxian knew he liked to be touched. The back of his neck, his arms, his hands, things that felt present.

They eventually decided to get out of the bath and move to bed. Lan Wangji seemed to be moving in slow motion as he got out of the bath. Wei Wuxian didn’t bother with drying him off with a cloth, instead making a talisman to dry them both.

“Did you eat anything, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asked as they both got dressed in night robes. Lan Wangji made a noise that translated to no. “Should I go get something from the kitchens?” Another ‘no’ noise. “Lan Wangji, you have to eat something.”

Then there were no noises.

Wei Wuxian looked over to his husband to see him staring at him, all that tension he’d tried to get out of his body filling him right back up like it’d never left. It seemed he’d done something wrong. Or, perhaps he’d always been doing something wrong if simply being an attentive husband set off alarm bells in Lan Wangji’s mind.

“Ah, Lan Zhan, what are you staring at?” Wei Wuxian asked, hoping to play it off as he sat in bed, “Am I not allowed to be responsible for once?”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said and maybe Wei Wuxian was being a little bit more obvious than he thought.

With a sigh, Wei Wuxian patted the bed and Lan Wangji climbed in beside him. Wei Wuxian led his head to his chest and held him there for a moment while he thought of a way to say what he was thinking and not be insulting.

“Sizhui and I had a talk today,” Wei Wuxian told him, running his fingers through his hair slowly, “And he said that you were sad. He said that you were always sad. What kind of husband have I been if I haven’t noticed, ah?”

Lan Wangji had gone tense again, but he didn’t try to pull away. His fingers slipped over Wei Wuxian’s collarbone, careful as silk.

“Does it bother you?” Lan Wangji asked carefully. Wei Wuxian made a hurt noise, trying to keep the situation as light as he could.

“Aiya, Hanguang-Jun, how could you accuse me of such a thing? As if anything about you could bother me!” Wei Wuxian said, reaching out with his other arm to grab his thigh. He pulled Lan Wangji until he was all but cradled in his lap like a baby, regardless of how much bigger than Wei Wuxian he actually was.

“Wei Ying…”

“No,” Wei Wuxian said, sighing as he allowed himself to be a little serious. He rubbed his thumb in small circles against his husband’s thigh, still keeping him in his arms, “No, it doesn’t bother me. I… Obviously it isn’t the same, but I do understand the constant of it, I guess. Shijie was, for as long as I can remember, nearly always ill, some days worse than others. The way Sizhui explained it made it seem like that’s how it is for you, only… melancholy.”

“There is nothing left to mourn that is more powerful than Wei Ying breathing,” Lan Wangji said slowly, hesitantly, “And yet I still… It seems I forgot it was this way since the beginning.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan, don’t let that make you worse, alright? I understand, I do! There is nothing worse than feeling bad when you have every reason to be happy, I understand,” Wei Ying said, trying his damnedest not to crawl out of his skin while saying that aloud. But Lan Zhan needed it. He was meant to make him feel less lonely, wasn’t he? “I do apologize for being so needy this morning. I didn’t realize.”

Lan Wangji shook his head. “No apologies.”

“Yes, but‒”

“Wei Ying will have whatever he desires.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan, don’t say things like that, I might take advantage,” Wei Wuxian said warmly, nuzzling his nose into the top of his head, “But, truly, it’s alright. I’m here and I plan to annoy you for the rest of this life and probably a few more, so of course it doesn’t bother me. You may have to tell me sometimes if I don’t notice right away, but I will never mind it. I get to cuddle you during class and everything. Do you know what I would’ve done in my first life if you cuddled me in class? I would’ve fainted!”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji hummed. But his eyes had closed and he let his body relax a bit more in Wei Wuxian’s grip.

Wei Wuxian smiled and traced his jaw with his thumb, pulling his legs a bit closer so he could cover him up with a blanket. If this is how bad days ended for the rest of their life, he wouldn’t mind.

“My cute little Hanguang-Jun, so small,” Wei Wuxian cooed, kissing the side of his face as he tucked the blanket around him. A smile pulled at Lan Wangji’s lips and although it didn’t stay, it still was worth everything. “Ah, you like that? Should I baby you more, my love? My A-Zhan, hm?”

It was easy to just hold him and cover him in kisses and cuddles without any expectation for him to say anything back or even smle if he didn’t want to. Wei Wuxian held him until he fell asleep and then held him a bit longer before he eventually had to slowly get up and find something to eat. There were some loquats in a bowl that were there for any late night snacking on Wei Wuxian’s part or just if he forgot to eat in the first place, so he sat and ate a few while staring where Lan Wangji laid the entire time. It wasn’t until he crawled back into bed that Wei Wuxian realized he no longer felt guilty.

It simply was and would be and Wei Wuxian was more than willing to take it in stride.

#mdzsnet #wangxian #wangxian fic #lan wangji #wei wuxian #the untamed #mdzs #my fic #actor/character birthday fic

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purpli-writes · 3 years

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Makoto Naegi's Normal School Life

Summary:

Makoto Naegi had always wanted to go to Hope's Peak Academy but when he was informed he'd be one of a kind in his class?

He wasn't so sure.

Day One of My Naeishi Week: Monster AU

You can read it on AO3 here

“Are you paying attention, Naegi-kun?” Nanami asked, staring at Makoto a little worried. “This is important information, I think.”

“Y-yes, I am Nanami-senpai,” Makoto replied quickly. “It’s… a lot to take in, though.”

“That’s normal, probably,” Nanami responded, pulling out her Gamegirl. “It was with me, anyway…”

“But, I think the golden rule is just to treat them as you would anyone else,” Nanami added. “They’re after all still your classmates, Naegi-kun.”

Makoto nodded. If Nanami could handle her class he would probably be fine.

Assuming his luck didn’t go against him, of course.

Entering his class for the first time was going to be the hardest, that Nanami had promised.

Makoto had always thought of himself as a somewhat sociable person but now all he wished is that he could go hide away in his dorm.

They might buy that I’m sick, right? Makoto thought desperately as he stared at the classroom door.

Still, despite his nerves, Makoto reached for the handle.

He was sure he had never been more nervous in his life.

That was sad, wasn’t it?

Makoto slowly opened the door, ignoring the beating of his heart.

“Ah, Naegi-kun,” a mature voice greeted, startling Makoto. “I see you’ve made it here in one piece.”

Makoto dumbly nodded, staring at his teacher.

“Would you like to introduce yourself?” the teacher prodded, smiling softly.

Slowly but surely, Makoto made his way to the front of the classroom, ignoring the stares he felt on his back.

“My name is Makoto Naegi,” Makoto began, staring straight ahead. “I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student and I’m pleased to make your acquaintances.”

“If you could find your seat, Naegi-kun,” the teacher said. “We could start a more formal meeting.”

So far, Makoto thought as he made his way to the one empty desk, school seems pretty normal…

Maybe it won’t be so bad after all!

Makoto found that his classes for the most part passed smoothly, however it was a bit awkward not knowing anyone at first.

Luckily, Maizono, Ikusaba, and Hagakure were quick to talk to Makoto, claiming that he had seemed interesting.

“Naegi-chi,” Hagakure had said, beginning a question he had already asked several times before. “Do you have any magic?”

“No,” Makoto answered, getting a bit annoyed. “Up until a few weeks ago, I had no clue that magic was even real.”

“Huh…?” Maizono had said. “Humansssssss really have no clue?”

“It would make sense,” Ikusaba said. “They have explanations for everything, why would magical instances be any different?”

“I mean little kids believe in magic,” Makoto said. “But as we get older we just stop believing…”

“That’sssssssss horrible!” Maizono gasped, tail shaking slightly.

“Perhaps it’s just part of their lives,” Ikusaba said calmly.

Makoto nodded at that, not knowing what else to say.

“Well, Naegi-chi,” Hagakure began. “If you ever want to learn magic, learn it from me!”

Glancing at Maizono and Ikusaba told him that he might not want to take Hagakure up on his offer, yet Hagakure had looked so excited. Saying no outright would be like kicking a puppy...

“Thanks, Hagakure-kun,” Makoto said. “I’ll… think about it?”

Hagakure smiled brightly, and slowly the conversation turned to more normal things.

chiaki nanami:

nanami: naegi, how was your first day?

naegi: it was… interesting but not bad.

nanami: see? i told you it wouldnt be that bad

nanami: probably

naegi: i mean i havent really talked to most of them yet

nanami: you might do it eventually, naegi! i believe in you

nanami: maybe…

naegi: ...thanks?

nanami: no problem!

Makoto slowly tried to introduce himself to the rest of his class, some more successful than others.

But there was someone who kept gaining Makoto’s interest despite Makoto not talking to him.

Ishimaru Kiyotaka.

It seemed his small friend group had noticed his interest although Maizono and Ikusaba didn’t seem exactly eager to mention it.

Makoto didn’t know whether to be thankful or worried.

“Naegi-chi,” Hagakure said as they walked to lunch. “Are you ever going to talk to Ishimaru-chi?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek. “I do talk to him, Hagakure-kun.”

“That’s not what I mean, man,” Hagakure whined out. “Since it’s obvious you have a crush on him why don’t you talk to him?”

“What…?” Makoto asked. “I don’t-”

“It’s obvious, man,” Hagakure said. “I could predict your future with him for a measly 100,000 yen!”

“...I’ll pass, Hagakure-kun,” Makoto said.

As Hagakure and Makoto made their way to the lunch table Makoto couldn’t help but ponder Hagakure’s words.

I can’t have a crush on Ishimaru, I haven’t even really spoken to him…! Makoto thought. ...Right?

Makoto went through the rest of his day, trying not to think of Ishimaru.

If anything, it’s a bit creepy, right? Makoto thought to himself. I mean, we don’t even know each other!

“Naegi-kun,” Maizono began, slithering up to Makoto at the end of their final class. “Did ssssssssomething happen?”

“Huh?” Makoto asked, looking at Maizono. “I don’t think so, why?”

“You ssssssssssseemed a bit out of it,” Maizono explained. “Thissssssssss doesn’t have anything to do with Ishimaru-kun, doessssssssss it?”

“W-wha…?” Makoto said. “How did you-”

“I’m pssssssssssychic, ssssssssssssillly!” Maizono smiled. “Jusssssssssst kidding, I jussssssssssst have good intuition!”

Makoto stared at Maizono in a bit of a shock.

“Maizono-san,” Makoto began. “I think I might have a bit of a problem…”

“And you have a crush on him?” Ikusaba asked plainly. “Despite not interacting with him other than superficial moments?”

“When you say it like that…” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek.

“Hey! Humans have short life spans!” Hagakure said. “So of course he’d fall in love quickly!”

I didn’t think my lifespan was that short… Makoto thought.

“I think it’sssssssssssss ssssssssssssweet,” Maizono added. “Love at firsssssssssssst ssssssssssssight, right?”

“It isn’t love!” Makoto protested. “I… just… I don’t know.”

“Well you won’t find out if you don’t talk to him,” Hagakure said.

“Hagakure-kun is right, for once,” Ikusaba said. “You’re going to have to talk to Ishimaru-kun to confirm your feelings.”

“It won’t be sssssssssssso bad, Naegi-kun,” Maizono said. “Ishimaru-kun can’t be that bad to talk to.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Makoto said. “Well, wish me luck.”

“Hopefully we don’t have to man,” Hagakure said. “You are the Ultimate Lucky Student aren’t you?”

Finding Ishimaru wasn’t hard. From the little interaction Makoto had with him he knew the guy liked to study.

Religiously.

Makoto went to the library and unsurprisingly Ishimaru was there. At least his intuition wasn’t wrong.

“Ishimaru-kun?” Makoto said, walking up to Ishimaru. “Could we talk?”

“Of course, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru said in his usual loud voice. “Students communicating is fundamental for a working school environment!”

“It’s more of a personal matter,” Makoto said, looking away.

“Oh? Please do share, Naegi-kun!”

“I realized I don’t really know a lot of my classmates that well,” Makoto said. “So I wanted to get to know you better, Ishimaru-kun.”

What a copout… Makoto thought sullenly to himself.

“I would also be interested in furthering our relationship, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru responded, smiling with his arms out.

chiaki nanami:

naegi: ...i need your help, nanami

nanami: huh…? what do you need naegi?

naegi: i dont know how to flirt with one of my classmates

nanami: oh? youre already flirting with one of your classmates?

nanami: um… thats… a problem

naegi: i know

nanami: just flirt with them like you would a normal person, probably

naegi: i dont know how to flirt with people

nanami: im not good at dating sims, naegi…

Slowly but surely Makoto was sure he was making progress with befriending Ishimaru. His friends offered him tips on what they had learned about Ishimaru but he wasn’t exactly sure he could accept all of their help.

“I could have one of my minions follow him, man,” Hagakure offered during lunch.

“There’s probably a love spell I could cast on him,” Ikusaba said during the middle of their third period. “Although I would have to go to the dragon realm…”

“You could alwayssssssss trap him, Naegi-kun!” Maizono had said cheerfully at the end of the day.

Yeah, his friends were probably not the best people to consult on this matter.

“Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru yelled after Maizono had left him for the day. “I think it would be pertinent for us to study!”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Study…?”

“Yes!” Ishimaru said. “It would help us better understand each other while still keeping on top of our school work!”

“We could… just hang out?” Makoto offered. “That would also help us better our friendship…”

“But what about our studies?!”

“Studying isn’t everything in a friendship…” Makoto said. “I mean it’s also important for friends to relax with each other.”

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!” Ishimaru cried out, looking shocked.

Did Makoto… break him?

Did I really say something that weird…? Makoto thought.

“I understand, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru said, starting to cry. “Thank you for teaching me, Naegi-kun!”

“You’re… welcome?” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek.

“Naegi-kun! You can decide the place we relax!”

As Makoto led Ishimaru to a park he had discovered nearby he noticed Ishimaru’s tail wagging.

Huh, I didn’t know that he could do that… Makoto thought. It’s kind of cute…

The routine of hanging out with Ishimaru continued for a few weeks and Makoto found himself happy with how things were going thus far.

Too scared to make a move, Makoto had accepted that he was resigned to only being friends with Ishimaru.

Not that that was a bad thing, despite how his friends had teased him.

Yet today, Ishimaru had been acting a bit weird to Makoto. More red-faced and loud, almost as if he was annoyed.

Did Makoto do something?

“Are you really that dense, Naegi-kun?” Ikusaba asked, blinking at Makoto. “I wonder how you’ve made it this far.”

“Huh…? What do you mean?” Makoto asked, tilting his head.

“I think it’s pretty obvious, man,” Hagakure answered unhelpfully. “Are you going to eat that, Naegi-chi?”

Makoto pushed his tray towards Hagakure who accepted it wordlessly.

“I think Ishimaru-kun might be reciprocating your feelingssssssssss, Naegi-kun,” Maizono explained. “It would explain his recent behavior.”

“H-huh…? You think?” Makoto asked.

“It’s obvious,” Ikusaba said. “Even Hagakure gets it.”

“Mhm!” Hagakure agreed, muffled by food.

“Don’t worry too much, Naegi-kun,” Maizono said. “It’sssssssssss going to work out perfectly!”

chiaki nanami:

nanami: heard from one of my classmates that you have some good news incoming

nanami: ….probably

nanami: it’s probably pointless to wish you good luck, naegi, but i told you it’d be fine.

nanami: ...maybe

“Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru yelled at the end of the school day, startling Makoto.

“Ishimaru-kun…?” Makoto asked, trying to ignore what his friends had told him during lunch. “What’s up?”

“I have something to tell you, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru said, continuing to yell.

“I don’t think you have to be so loud, Ishimaru-kun…” Makoto said. “Unless you want to tell everyone in the school…”

“I know these feelings are not exactly wholesome but I can no longer deny my attraction to you, Naegi Makoto-kun!”

“Huh…?!” Makoto said, feeling his face redden rapidly.

“I understand that you may not reciprocate these feelings….!” Ishimaru said, trailing off as Makoto stared blankly at Ishimaru.

Before Ishimaru could say anymore Makoto closed the gap between the two of them connecting their lips.

“Ishimaru-san, I think I might like you too.”

naegi phan klub:

Soldier Girl: Looks like they finally got together.

Snake Songstress: Finally! I’m happy for them!

speak to the dead: ...maybe we should add him to the group chat now?

Snake Songstress: No…! Think about how embarrassed he’ll be.

Soldier Girl: Adding him now.

Naegi Makoto was added to the group chat

#my naeishi week #naeishi #makoto naegi #kiyotaka ishimaru #monster au

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heckatomb · 4 years

Text

it’s not easy being green :)

there was a time and place for everything and you were starting to fall back on scheduled events. you used to be by the book, literally. the life of ezra herrera was recorded in several booklets over many years. this year’s planner was a a green spiral one with a single frog on the cover. regina had given it to you as a part of secret santa. it saved you $12 and the kermit was amusing to see every time you removed it from your bag.

the planner held everything for you. appointments ranging from personal to school related, birthdays of coworkers, faculty meetings and a driver’s license renewal for mid july. you had a time slot for everything you needed to do at a given time --- except now. you had to come up with something to avenge the injustice taken against them.

something had to be done about a person like daniel. they should not be allowed to roam school halls or the world with a power as dangerous as this at disposal. it was clear he lacked the intention to use it for good or even in casual moderation. he sought to use it for selfish purposes, to pain and abuse those who could not defend themselves.

now, how does one orchestrate the usage of powers upon a student for own reasons ? the answer, apparently, is you don’t. it has to be a spur of the moment ordeal with just the slightest preparation included. so you swallow your pride the evening after you take valentina home and dial marquez’s number.

you’re surprised your best friend had answered the phone. things had been tense, near agitated between both of you. though, you are relieved when he does and relay the plan at hand. the only way to snag the summers boy was on school property and the teacher’s lounge happened to be one of the few rooms without power proofing. it was a simple trap, you would ask him for help carrying useless items into the room and after he was in, diego was guard the door.

it is easy enough to hold composure that monday morning. you attend your classes without fault. much to own surprise, you remain impassive upon seeing him exit with the masses at the end of the day. his face is smug and unassuming when you usher him over, pretending to struggle with a stack of textbooks. as he enters, there is a beat before you hear the door shut and his surprised gasp. single chair in the center of the room, ready for him, is where you push him down by the shoulders to start.

he looks afraid, probably for the first time in his life and it makes you nearly proud you had been the cause of it. he deserves this, you declared in your head, he abuses his gifts. you swallow thickly, fingers grasping at his chin. his powers are similar to your own, yet you hold all his focus the second eyes morph into black and white.

he goes, almost limp in your grasp --- the telling sign that you have him completely under your authority. your words are rough, so unlike the calm tone usually echoed, “ what did you do to the girls, daniel ? “

it is obvious he wants to fight your influence. possibly battle it with his own, but you are much older and more familiar with your own capabilities to allow him the chance to slip away like this. after mere seconds of tension, his mouth opens and closes. he struggles to find his words until you give a firm jerk to his face. he blinks dumbly before he starts.

“ i ... it was consensual at first— valentina and me. she was easy to manipulate. all i had to do was tell her she was pretty and then she would come to me ... she would want it so bad. “ the corners of his lips perk up, almost gloating before his brows furrow, “ it wasn’t always fun with her. sometimes she wouldn’t stop crying so i had to make her shut up until i was done. “

everything in you runs hot --- a fiery red rage washes over you. you can feel the solid, strong bone of his jaw against your fingertips as you grip it to the point where it is discomforting to even you. to imagine the pain and fear the ambrosio girl had endured when all she needed was security and safety was heart wrenching. it makes you regret having not been more involved or seeking her out earlier than previous blowout.

if you had just manned up, taken control of your own life and been the man she had thought you to be, things would have never escalated this way. she would have been healing further and on the path to a smooth recovery. you exhale through your nose, nodding once to get him to continue.

he does, his smile falls into a frown. it unnerves you how it presented an amount humanity as if there was regret for this part and not the other. “ it stopped when i got emily to trust me. it was so hard to get her to relax around me but when she did it was easy to get her to do what i said. i never got to finish with her. i looked passed all the cuts and bruises, but i didn’t like seeing her cry. “

you remove your hand from his skin as if he burns you. slight indentations remain on his chin and cheek, pink now but surely purple by tomorrow. though you debate on letting him see the following day. your jaw is tight and your body buzzes with an anger you have never felt before. you clench fists at sides and look over your shoulder to where diego resides behind you a few feet away. brow rises, head cocks. it is half an invitation and half a question. you would give him final word before next phase.

#ezra herrera drabbles.#daniel summers drabbles.#h.mmmm.

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gofordrakgo · 5 years

Text

Dwelling Chapter Four

“ ‘Is it just your hands?’ ‘What?’ ‘I mean,’ he let go of her wrist and her hand stopped burning, ‘does anything else catch fire? Or is it just your hands? Can you breathe fire?’ ‘I’m not a dragon!’ ‘Right, of course not. Sorry. Can you shoot the plasma away from you, or does it stay on your hands?’ ‘I can shoot it.’ ‘Will you?’ ‘No.’ ”

Dwelling Summary

Dwelling Chapter One

Dwelling Chapter Three

Dwelling Chapter Five

“I need to show you something,” Shea said, standing in front of Drew who seemed not to notice her until she spoke, “and you have to promise not to freak out. Or tell anyone.”

“I-uh-I- What?” He stammered, glancing up at her with the same sort of nervous, trapped look the villain of the week gave her when she caught them instead of her brothers. He cleared his throat, trying to force a calm look to his face. “What do you mean?”

“Just promise,” she urged him. Ideally, before she lost her courage.

He put the pen down and held up his hands. “Alright, alright, I promise.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, and held her hands out in front of her. “Just- don’t freak out,” she muttered again, and then she lit her hands on fire.

She expected him to scream, or gasp, or… or something, but she heard nothing. Finally, she opened her eyes. He sat there staring dumbly at her hands, his eyes wide.

“How are you doing that?” He asked, after a painfully long moment. She let the flames die, and he looked up at her face. “How did you do that?”

She’d expected him to be scared, not intrigued. She’d expected to have to try and calm him down. “It’s, well, it’s a long story.” Drew reached forward and flipped over the test he’d been grading, and gestured for her to continue. She sighed, ran a hand through her hair and sat down.

“When I was eight,” she began, “my treehouse, well, technically my oldest brothers but we all used it, anyway… Um. Yeah, so, we were up in the treehouse after school one day and one minute we were all arguing over whether we wanted to ask mom to make pasta for dinner or if we wanted pizza, and then the next minute I was waking up in the hospital.” She continued on to tell him, stammering and rewording her sentences constantly, the story of how the treehouse was struck by a radioactive comet, and they all woke up again having gained superpowers. She didn’t go into how their parents forced the hero lifestyle on them, or how they spent nearly two years holed up in various hospitals being tested and trained like lab rats. “My brothers all have a pretty good handle on their powers, but then, theirs can’t really do the damage that mine can. I mean, I’ve got a good handle on mine too, just sometimes… My point is I guess I figured you should know since you let me stay here and everything.”

Drew remained silent for a long enough time that she very nearly slapped him, just to get him to react somehow. Slowly, he nodded. “Can you do it again?” He asked, his face splitting into a grin, like a small child.

“Wha- seriously?” His head bobbed up and down in an overly enthusiastic nod. “Ugh, fine.” She held out her right hand and lit it.

“If I touch your hand now, it’ll burn me?”

“I feel like that’s obvious.”

“But it’s not burning you?”

Shea shrugged. “My hands calloused over years ago. And even if they hadn’t it does take a lot to burn me now.”

“Fascinating. What if I touched your wrist, or something else not burning?”

“Then you won’t burn. You can get as close as you want without touching, heat doesn’t really radiate out of the plasma.” Drew reached forward before she’d even finished speaking, and grabbed a hold of her wrist. “Be careful!” Shea protested. “The burn will seriously suck if you do get hit.”

“Is it just your hands?”

“What?”

“I mean,” he let go of her wrist and her hand stopped burning, “does anything else catch fire? Or is it just your hands? Can you breathe fire?”

“I’m not a dragon!”

“Right, of course not. Sorry. Can you shoot the- you called it plasma?- can you shoot the plasma away from you, or does it stay on your hands?”

“I can shoot it.”

“Will you?”

“No.”

“Aww, why not?”

She poked his shoulder, causing him to wince and jerk away from her, rubbing at the spot. “Doy! Cause I don’t want to burn a hole in your walls?”

“Right! Can you-”

“You know,” she interrupted, “I kinda figured this would scare you. I didn’t think I’d be playing twenty questions.”

“Your attempt to threaten me last night would have been a lot more frightening had I known about this if that makes you feel any better. But by now you’re just Shea, a runaway pest hiding away in the spare bedroom of my apartment. Even if you do have superpowers.” Somehow, though she felt like she should be offended, that seemed to have been exactly the right thing to say. She barely stopped herself from throwing her arms around him and hugging him. “Is- is this why you ran away?” He asked cautiously, clearly trying not to upset her again.

“Sort of,” she sighed. She lit up her hand and held it close to him again, “but I’m still not getting into that!”

“Alright, alright.” Instead of cowering, he just laughed.

“I just told you something huge, you know,” Shea said. “I feel like you should do the same.”

“That’s not how this usually works.”

“Can’t you just tell me what your deal was earlier?”

Drew frowned, looking much less like an excited child than he had just moments before. He pulled his knees up to his chest and sighed.

“I’m not an undergrad student,” he sighed. “I skipped a number of grades and was fifteen when I started my first year of college. I’m in my third year of grad school now.”

“This just sounds like bragging to me.”

“Nygh- gah- I’m getting to my point!”

“Fine, jeez, just hurry up!”

“It’s just- everyone expects that I’m some sort of genius because I understand math and science. And I- I can’t read.”

“What do you mean you can’t read? Obviously, you can read.”

“Nygh-no- I- it’s just- it’s just that.” Drew stopped to take a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I know how to read. It’s just that I’m… I’m dyslexic, alright? And nobody knows but me, and now you, and nobody else can know, got it? I have to work harder than anyone else to make sure I don’t misread something and mess everything up, and it’s not easy. And if I get caught making stupid mistakes like misspelling words while grading tests then everyone is going to know and any chance I have at becoming a chemist will be ruined because nobody wants to hire some loser who can’t even read.”

Shea caught herself staring at him as he ranted, teetering between feeling bad for him and thinking that that was the dumbest thing she’d ever heard. “If you’re good enough at math and science to skip so many grades nobody is going to care that you take a little longer to read things that everyone else,” she finally said.

He smiled at her, but not a real smile. It was a watery sort of smile, a little grateful and a lot sad. “It would be nice if I could believe that, but you have no idea how many teachers I had growing up who wanted to hold me back because of one thing I couldn’t do, instead of focusing on what I could do. How do you expect me to believe it won’t be the same everywhere else?”

“I- I guess I don’t know. I read a lot. Honestly, my books are the only thing I wish I’d brought with me when I left. I guess if you want me to I can edit stuff for you. Make sure your spellings correct and whatnot.” The offer left her mouth before she even realized she was thinking of it, but she found she didn’t regret it. What harm could it do, anyway, to do that?

“Really?” He asked. “I wouldn’t be able to give you anything, you know if you did that.”

Shea shrugged. “Yeah, why not I guess. I’ve got nothing better going on.”

“Oh,” Drew gasped all of a sudden. “I do know what I could do if you did that for me.”

“What?”

“Come with me,” he said, jumping off the couch. She watched as he stuffed his wallet and keys into his pocket. “Come on.”

She stood up and followed him out the door. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!”

Though he never touched her it felt as though he practically dragged her down the steps and out the door before the sleazy doorman even had the chance to see them.

“It’s just around the corner,” he assured her, after three and a half blocks. A moment later he began marching up the steps of a large brick building, so quickly she didn’t even get the chance to see the sign outside.

When she walked in she was greeted by the sight of thousands upon thousands of books lined up in rows and rows of shelves. “A library?” She asked, turning to look at Drew, and she hated hearing the excitement in her voice.

He grinned at her. “It’s not much, I know. But it’s the college library, so you can pick out any books you want, and I’ll check them out for you. There’s a limit of six books, but that’s only for textbooks. Free reading books you can take as many as you want. Although, everything is due in two weeks, so only take as many as you think you’ll read in that time. Though we can come back, of course, whenever you want.”

“I- uh- wow. Okay. Um. Thank you.” It was something so simple, yet she never would have expected anyone let alone someone she barely knew, to do something like this for her. Her parents tried taking away her books and movies at least once a month, determined to make her focus on her hero work,

He seemed to be bouncing in place as he watched her. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go pick out some books, I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Needing no more prompting, she nodded at him and forced herself not to literally run down the aisles in excitement. An hour later she’d collected a number of books that she’d been wanting to get around to, and a number more she’d never heard of before. All in all, she’d grabbed around ten books. She wondered if she should ask Drew if this meant she could stay with him, at least until the books were done, but she decided not to push it.

It took her another fifteen minutes to find Drew, panic growing as she started to worry that he’d tricked her, and left while she was searching for books. Relief flooded her when she spotted him sitting at one of the tables. He had a puzzle in front of him, pieces scattered everywhere. She watched him, before going over. He put the pieces together like some sort of puzzle machine, he didn’t seem to mix anything up or confuse one piece for another. It didn’t even look like he’d blinked. All in all, it took him maybe four minutes to finish the whole thing. She hated that she found that impressive.

He jumped when she sat across from him, letting the books fall across the table. “Are you ready, then?”

“I think so.”

“Alright, let's go.”

The librarian, a blonde girl with huge blue eyes and a pin in the shape of a bubbling beaker on her shirt, seemed rather shocked to see Drew checking out something that wasn't a book on robotics or chemistry. Shea didn’t like the way she looked at him, though she couldn’t quite place why.

Walking back to the apartment felt very reminiscent of the night before, though now they carried books for her instead of him. And also, she only realized later, the fact that she was still wearing his Mighty Martian t-shirt.

The main difference, however, came as they passed a small pizza parlor. Drew paused in the middle of babbling to her about some chemistry concept she couldn’t understand. “Do you want pizza?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding vehemently. She hadn’t been allowed pizza or anything her parents considered junk food, in years. ‘A hero should be healthy in all aspects of life,’ they insisted. “Can we?”

“I suppose we can. Although… ah well, just one slice, okay?” She nodded again and hurried inside, deciding at the last second before the door slammed into his face, to hold the door for him.

#drakgo #drakken #drew lipsky #shego #shea go #drakken x shego #shego x drakken #drakken and shego #drakken and shego origin story #kim possible #Dwelling #chapter four #gofordrakgo #8 pages #2105 words

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kronecker-delta · 7 years

Text

Burning Pain Skeleton Part 2

The continuing adventures of my infernal undead alteration to fanfic canon.

The last tip of the Sun was sinking below the horizon, the red light fading from the treetops, only the blue sky and the eternal self-conflagration of one skeletal horror illuminating the six people standing upon the winter-dried and now singed grass as the flaming undead mage monster was surrounded by a slowly expanding circle of scorched ground, near a vacant cage on whose floor lay an empty, tattered cloak. Harry felt... well, normal again. Sane-ish. Or as much as he had since he first entered class and began to receive his lessons from Professor Burning Pain Skeleton. The spell hadn't undone the day and its damage, hadn't made the injuries as if they had never been, but his hurts had been... bandaged, meliorated? It was hard to describe. Dumbledore was also looking healthier, though not fully restored. The old wizard's head turned for a moment, bravely attempting to lock eyes with Professor Burning Pain Skeleton before wincing from the tyrannical hate-rays they exuded, then looked back to Harry. "Harry," Dumbledore said, "are you about to collapse in exhaustion and possibly die?" "No, strangely enough," Harry said. "That took something out of me, but a lot less than I thought it would." Or maybe it gave something back, as well as taking... "Honestly, I expected my body to be hitting the ground with a thud about now." There was a distinct body-hitting-the-ground-with-a-thuddish sort of sound. "Thank you for taking care of that, Nigel," said Dumbledore to Professor Burning Pain Skeleton receiving a truly soul flinching hell-stare in response for using his forbidden first name, who was now standing above and behind the seemingly unconscious forms of the three Aurors, bluish smoke rising from their corpse like forms. "I confess I am still feeling a bit peaky. Though I shall handle the Memory Charms myself." “NO NEED AILING DUMBLE-FOOL, I WILL DISPOSE OF THIS TRIFLING PROBLEM.” Professor Burning Pain Skeleton then inclined his head as a light breeze blew the corona back and black-light embers drifted away to sizzle till the sun died, and then looked at Harry. "I WILL SKIP THE WEAK MORTAL FLESH ACTS OF SURPRISE! AND BESEECHMENTS TO YOUR FALSE AND WORTHLESS DEITIES," said Professor Burning Pain Skeleton, "POINTLESS WORDS OF HOW GREAT THE HALF-BRED INCUBUS WAS, AND OTHER SUCH EMPTY WORD FILTH! LET ME ASK THE TRUE QUESTION, TERRIBLE AND NECESSARY… WHAT DID YOU DO DISCIPLE? " "The Patronus Charm," Harry said as he recoiled from the unbearable heat exuded by his favorite… and technically only teacher since Professor Burning Pain Skeleton wouldn’t let him leave and no one else wanted him around. "Version 2.0." "I rejoice to see that you are your usual self again," said Dumbledore. "But you are not going anywhere, young Ravenclaw, until you tell me what exactly was that warm and happy thought." "Hm..." said Harry. He tapped a contemplative finger on his cheek. "I wonder if I should?" Professor Burning Pain Skeleton suddenly grinned. This was not a good thing, as the act rippled outward in a wave of anti-life. Milk curdled, birds fell from the sky, and had Hogwarts not been warded well and filled with children and healthy adults the death toll would have been horrendous. "Please?" said the Headmaster. "Pretty please with sugar on top?" Harry felt an impulse and decided to go with it. It was dangerous, but there might not ever be a better opportunity until the end of time. "Three sodas," Harry said to his pouch, then looked up at the eternally burning Defense Professor and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. "Gentlemen," Harry said, "I bought these sodas on my first visit to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, on the day I entered into Hogwarts. I have been saving them for special occasions; there is a minor enchantment on them to ensure they are drunk at the right time. This is the last of my supply, but I do not think there will ever come a finer occasion. Shall we?" Dumbledore took a soda can from Harry, and Harry tossed another to Professor Burning Pain Skeleton. Whereupon it instantly burst, the liquid steaming away. Leaving his taloned claw grasping the now last boiling traces. The two older men each muttered identical charms over the can and frowned briefly at the result, one for protection and the other out of practice at pretending to need to eat, drink, sleep, breath, and a variety of other things. Harry, for his part, simply popped the top and drank. The Headmaster of Hogwarts politely followed suit. The Defense Professor simply tossed his can over his shoulder, where the now melting aluminum flowed as a tiny stream along the ground. Harry said, "I thought of my absolute rejection of death as the natural order." It might not be the right kind of warm feeling you needed to cast a Patronus Charm, but it was going into Harry's Top 10 nonetheless. The looks he got from the Defense Professor and the Headmaster briefly made Harry nervous, as the spilled Comed-Tea faded out of existence on one, and the other’s baleful blood orbs briefly faded away. Leaving naught but an infinite void, into which one could see the face of the Anti-God if you looked long enough; but then the two of them each glanced at the other and both apparently decided that they couldn't get away with doing anything really awful to Harry in the other's presence. Well Dumbledore couldn’t, and Professor Burning Pain skeleton was lacking the instruments he used to touch human flesh without instantly incinerating them. "EMPTY HEADED CHILD," screamed Professor Burning Pain Skeleton as his eyes reappeared, now brighter for their first darkening in twenty thousand years, since he watched fabled Hyboria freeze over and claim his first empire of nightmares, "THAT IS NOT THE ORDER OF THINGS! FIRST THERE IS THE TINDEER-FLESH!! THEN THERE IS THE FIRE, THAT FREES AND PURIFIES TILL ALL IS ASH!!! THEN THERE IS THE DEATH, PERFECT AND ETERNAL GREY UNMAKING!!!!" "Indeed," said Dumbledore. "Explain." Harry opened his mouth, and then, as realization hit him, rapidly snapped his mouth shut again. Godric hadn't told anyone, nor had Rowena if she'd known; there might have been any number of wizards who'd figured it out and kept their mouths shut. You couldn't forget if you knew that was what you were trying to do; once you realized how it worked, the animal form of the Patronus Charm would never work for you again - and most wizards didn't have the right upbringing to turn on Dementors and destroy them - "Erm, sorry about this," said Harry. "But I've just this instant realized that explaining would be an incredibly bad idea until you work some things out on your own." "Is that the truth, Harry?" Dumbledore said slowly. "Or are you just pretending to be wise -" "BRAINLESS WHELP! " screamed out Professor Burning Pain Skeleton, sounding genuinely shocked, furious, and somehow even more on fire in that moment. Flame itself now burning in impossible cannibalism of the concept of heat. "MY DISCIPLE HAS FOUND A DARK SECRET, AND HIDDEN IT INSIDE HIS SOUL SO IT MIGHT FESTER AND MAKE HIM LIKE UNTO THE PIPERS OF THE THRONE!! WOULD YOU MAKE THE MAD ARAB SPEAK FROM HIS TORN OUT TONGUE?!?!" "If I told you -" Harry began. "NO," Professor Burning Pain Skeleton screamed ever louder, vomiting sound and gouts of pure killing light that struck the ground around him and burned the soil black and dead, his baleful death tone sounding rather like a million great iron bells, each as large as a castle knocking together to herald the end of creation. "YOU DO NOT SHARE SECRETS! YOU DO NOT SHARE DARK KNOWLEDGE!! YOU HIDE THE LIGHT WITHIN YOU UNTIL IT BURNS OUTWARD!! UNTIL IT IS YOUR STRENGTH AND NO ONE ELSE'S!!! WHEN YOU SHARE IT, IT WILL BE AS A TEST TO TAKE OTHERS INTO YOUR THRALL... OR TO LAY A TRAP TO DESTROY YOUR WORTHLESS ADVERSARIES!!!" Harry nodded. "But," said the Headmaster, having stumbled next to Harry during the outburst and shielding them both with the most powerful magics he knew as the world around them was dragged into Hades. "But, but what am I to tell the Ministry? You can't just lose a Dementor!" "TELL YOUR TINDER STICK BONE LEADERS I DEVOURED THE SHADOW, CONSUMING DARKNESS ITSELF TO FEED ME,” said Professor Burning Pain Skeleton, slower and quieter now as his voice became unto the sound of molten ore pouring across land, a wave of hellish destruction erasing all of Man's work, causing Harry to choke on the soda he had unthinkingly raised to his parched lips. "IT IS MORE TRUTH THEN THEY DESERVE! WE LEAVE NOW DISCIPLE!!" The two of them began to walk the dirt path back to Hogwarts, leaving behind Albus Dumbledore staring forlornly at the empty cage and the three hopefully sleeping Aurors awaiting their Memory Charms. Aftermath, Harry Potter and Professor Burning Pain Skeleton: They walked for a while before Professor Burning Pain Skeleton spoke, and all background noise dropped into silence when he did. This was a common occurrence, as if reality itself were afraid of him. "YOU ARE A TALENTED ASSASSIN, DISCIPLE! PERHAPS WE SHOULD HUNT THE PRINCIPLES OF REALITY ITSELF ONE DAY," said Professor Burning Pain Skeleton, actually exuding pride… or something like it towards his student. Though it felt like molten iron pouring into his ears. "Thank you," Harry said sincerely, sweating profusely from standing so long so close to the burning skeleton robbed in torn sky of some alien world. "I! MUST! KNOW!!!" Professor Burning Pain Skeleton said, louder and more forceful with each word screamed out, "BUT IF ONLY DEAD-DUMBLE-MAN-WALKING WAS NOT WORTHY OF YOUR DARK SECRET…?" Harry considered this. Professor Burning Pain Skeleton already couldn't cast the animal Patronus Charm. Or he had at least said- screamed such so loudly that several students had had their eardrums burst. But you couldn't untell a secret, and Harry was a fast enough learner to realize that he ought to at least think for a while before unleashing this one upon the world. He might need a Dark Secret or two if he things Professor Burning Pain Skeleton told him at night, deep in the darkest dungeons beneath Hogwarts were true. Harry shook his head, and Professor Burning Pain Skeleton nodded acceptance. But for the briefest instant Harry felt/saw the other hims, across a thousand million billion worlds die as the rage of that momentary annoyance struck out, a curse upon totality. He saw in Professor Burning Pain Skeleton's eternal flaming skull face the wish to murder a portion of the infinite with his face for daring to obstruct him. Harry swallowed slowly before speaking again. "Out of curiosity, Professor Burning Pain Skeleton," said Harry, "if your bringing the Dementor to Hogwarts had been part of an evil plot, what would have been its goal?" "KILL THE ALBUS DUMBLE-DUMB WHEN HE WAS EVEN MORE WORTHLESS THAN NORMAL," Professor Burning Pain Skeleton said without even hesitating. It had been his plan before his disciple had unmade the Dementor by unknown and no doubt vile methods. Enough of a victory in and of itself to state his need to see creation smolder for the moment. "HAS THE SENILE DOLT FINALLY SEEN THROUGH ME YET!?! DOES HE KNOW HOW CLOSE HE STANDS TO THE END!!?" Harry said nothing for a second while he tried to think of a reply, and then gave up when he realized he'd already answered. He had spoken… but he had not spoken. It was like the words had just tumbled out of him as his will and soul were bent against the force of Professor Burning Pain Skeleton’s desires. Not but unworked metal to be reforged into a proper weapon to kill the world. "A FASCINATING CONJECTURE LESSER MEAT MIND,” Professor Burning Pain Skeleton said with hell scorched humor invested in each word. "DISCIPLE THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT SOMEONE PLOTTED YOUR END TODAY! YOUR SPELL STICK FALLING SO CLOSE TO THE SHADE WAS NO MISTAKE! ONE OF THOSE NAMELESS DREGS COULD HAVE BEEN SMOKE ADDLED TO SERVE ANOTHER. THE TOO SHORT FOOL AND EVEN MYSELF MIGHT HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE, PERHAPS A TEST THAT YOU MANAGED TO PASS. THE POISON MAKER MIGHT HAVE BEEN PRESENT, HIS BODY OCCLUDED FROM MORTAL SIGHT AND HIS HATE THOUGHTS BENT AGAINST YOU AND TAKEN ACTION!! EVEN THE ANCIENT FOSSIL MAN MIGHT HAVE MEANT TO END YOU!! HIS LIE OF KINDNESS TORN OFF LIKE A FAKE SKIN TO SHOW YOU THE TRUTH IN HIS BONES!!!" They walked on for a few steps, a trail of fire behind one. "But why would he?" Harry said. The Defense Professor stayed quiet a moment, not quite sure on the nature of the question, as why wouldn’t one wish to kill another, and then finally said, "DISCIPLE, HAVE YOU NOT YET INVESTIGATED THE NATURE OF THIS SCHOOL’S MASTER!?! SPENT EVEN A FEW MOMENTS OF YOUR SHORT LIFE CANDLE TO PROPHECIZE HIS GOALS?!!" "Not many," said Harry. He'd only recently realized... "Not nearly enough." "THEN OBSERVE FOOL," cried out Professor Burning Pain Skeleton in a great flourish of sparks and foul smelling ashy smoke that covered the world about them in burning soot, "THAT YOU DO NOT ONLY LEARN OF THOSE THAT MIGHT OBSTRUCT YOU FROM THEIR SIMPERING ALLIES!!!" Now it was Harry's turn to walk a few steps in silence on the slightly beaten dirt path that led back to Hogwarts. He'd really been supposed to know better than that already. Confirmation bias was the technical term; it meant, among other things, that when you chose your information sources, there was a notable tendency to choose information sources that agreed with your current opinions. It did well to listen to others, like the screaming fire shade that stood next to him, or his nightmare cult worshiping friend Draco. "Thank you," Harry said. "Actually... I didn't say it earlier, did I? Thank you for everything. Your lessons have brought me so much closer to optimizing the world," Harry said, earning a dreadfully approving glimmer of acknowledgement in the incandescent orbs of Professor Burning Pain Skeleton's eyes. "If another Dementor ever threatens you, or for that matter, slightly annoys you, just let me know and I'll introduce it to Mister Glowy Person. I don't like it when Dementors slightly annoy my friends." That got him an blessedly indecipherable glance from Professor Burning Pain Skeleton. "YOU UNMADE A DEATH SHADE BECAUSE IT ANNOYED ME!?" "Erm," Harry said, "I'd sort of decided on it before then, but yes, that would have been sufficient reason by itself." "I SEE THEN," said Professor Burning Pain Skeleton. "HOW WOULD YOU HAVE DEALT WITH AN UNDYING FOE IF YOU COULD NOT REJECT REALITY ITSELF!?!" "Plan B," said Harry. "Encase the Dementor in dense metal with a high melting point, probably tungsten, drop it into an active volcano, and hope it ends up inside Earth's mantle. Ah, the whole planet is filled with molten lava under its surface -" "I AM AWARE OF THIS IDIOT," said Professor Burning Pain Skeleton. "I HAVE PLANS TO WAKE THE SLEEPING PILLARS OF FLAME AND IGNITE THE SKY ALREADY, YOU NEEDN’T REMIND ME!!!" The Defense Professor was wearing a very odd smile as the flames formed into fangs and liquid fire dripped off of them. "I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF HOW WEAK YOUR FLESH MAKES YOU TO THE BURNING BLOOD OF THE EARTH!! TELL ME DISCIPLE, WERE YOU TO WISH SOMETHING UNFOUND, HOW WOULD YOU DO IT!?!!" Harry considered this question. "I suppose I shouldn't ask what you've found that needs losing -" "NO! YOU SHOULD DARE NOT TOO," hell screeched Professor Burning Pain Skeleton, as Harry winced and backed away from the expected response; and then, "PERHAPS WE SHALL TRADE SECRETS AND FAVORS BEFORE THE ENDING," which Harry hadn't. Though he trembled at the thought of the day Professor Burning Pain Skeleton regarded him as worthy of his notice. Better a worm before the beast-killer than a mouse that might make a sport to play with. "Well," said Harry, "besides trying to get it into the molten core of the planet, you could bury it in solid rock a kilometer underground in a randomly selected location - maybe teleport it in, if there's some way to do that blindly, or drill a hole and repair the hole afterward; the important thing would be not to leave any traces leading there, so it's just an anonymous cubic meter somewhere in the Earth's crust. You could drop it into the Mariana Trench, that's the deepest depth of ocean on the planet - or just pick some random other ocean trench, to make it less obvious. If you could make it buoyant and invisible, then you could throw it into the stratosphere. Or ideally you would launch it into space, with a cloak against detection, and a randomly fluctuating acceleration factor that would take it out of the Solar System. And afterward, of course, you'd Obliviate yourself, so even you didn't know exactly where it was." The Defense Professor was laughing, and it sounded even odder than his smile. It was a merciless force, each twisting noise warping the world around them. Making Harry feel sick, as if gravity was wrong. His legs were weak, and his blood felt funny in his veins. "Professor Burning Pain Skeleton?" Harry said. "EXCELLENT IDEAS FOR HIDING THAT WHICH YOU MUST HIDE!! THAT WHICH MUST NOT BE FOUND LESS RUIN COME TO THREADS OF FATE YOU WISH TO KINDLE," cried out the dreadful triumphant voice of Professor Burning Pain Skeleton. His mirth the very antithesis of living joy. The backwards scratches of a newborn babes laughter upon existence. "TELL ME DISCIPLE, WHY THOSE ONES!?!" "Huh?" said Harry. "They just seemed like the obvious sorts of ideas." "THEY DO!?" cried out the possibly laughing, likely maddening voice of Professor Burning Pain Skeleton as his smoke robes bellowed out and ate the shadows around them. Leaving him a pillar of bone and fire in an ocean of the Nothing. "BUT IT IS INTERESTING TO THINK THAT YOU INTEND TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT ALWAYS DISCIPLE. IT IS GOOD TO… FINISHED THINGS! TO LET THE FIRE FULLY CONSUME ALL, TILL NOT BUT ASH REMAINS!!! DISCIPLE, IT HAS BEEN AMUSING TO ME TO SEE SO MANY OF YOUR MAGGOT FEED FELLOWS CRY AND TO WATCH YOU KILL THAT WHICH WAS NEVER BORN!! THE BALEFUL LIFE FIRE SLIDES BEHIND THE BLEAK HILLS, AND I AM CONTENT FOR THE MOMENT!! TAKE PRIDE IN THAT DISCIPLE!! TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR SERVICE TO ME!!!" And they continued walking down the path that led to the gates of Hogwarts, quite some distance apart, more so then normal as the shroud of hell was quite strong; as Harry, without even thinking about it, automatically stayed far enough away from the Defense Professor not to trigger that sense of doom that foretold his imminent combustion, which for some reason seemed unusually strong right now. As if at any moment he too would be engulfed in fire. Forever.

#HP MOR #writing #my dumb fanfic stuff #burning pain skeleton

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