#oh heck i think her legs were supposed to be shorter

[dailypearldoodles]

Day 372

week 2 of @shepscapades hermitcraft design event! i chose to draw Pearl as a zonai from tears of the kingdom :D

iunno i think she needs more beads

[nishi-noyas]

hiiii, i heve that your request are open so i was thinking about some of the boys reacting to you in shor shorts? i'd love to see that, i love your work 💖💞💟💝 don't feel like u need to do this right now, rake your time bby byeee

(2/2) (i'm the same person of short shorts) the boys can maybe be noya and kenma (or just who u like i just love them all)

A/N: I hope you don’t mind that I added a little yamaguchi and that Kenma’ did a little shorter 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 I was trying to get this out as soon as possible.

Yamaguchi T. x Reader

Yamaguchi didn't know how to act at first. You had joined the volleyball team as their team manager around the same time as Yachi did. He had thought you were so pretty when Kiyoko had first introduced the two of you to the team. While Yachi was shy and utterly terrified of them, you were the complete opposite. It wasn't like you were loud and outgoing, but you made sure to try to keep the first years in line and tried to help Yachi get out of her shell more. He was so incredibly grateful that you weren't afraid to talk to them becuase Yamaguchi knew that he didn't have the guts to try and speak to you himself. You laughed at his jokes and cheered for him when he managed to land a serve during practice. 

So yeah, the boy had a massive crush on you. 

Said crush was not very helpful at the moment. The team was currently in Tokyo. Training with Nekoma and other amazing Tokyo teams. 

The team had been in the middle of a practice game with Nekoma. Yamaguchi had just been sent out as a pinch server when he spotted you across the gym in the shortest running shorts he had ever seen you wear. Tadashi's brain short-circuited. He had seen you in the school's skirt uniform, but you had always came to practice in the tracksuit that all the managers wore. It made sense for you to be wearing them, though, it was hot and humid, and everyone was trying to do their best to fight the heat. 

That still didn't mean that Yamaguchi was ready for it. He was so caught off guard by you that he forgot where he was. Ultimately, the whistle got him out of his stupor, but even then, the poor boy was so flustered that he just ended up hitting the ball into the net. 

"Ah," Yamaguchi winced. "S-Sorry! Sorry guys!" 

"It's okay!" 

"Don't sweat it, Yams!" Nishinoya reassured, giving Yamaguchi a hard slap to the back. 

Tsukki tsked, and Yamaguchi couldn't help but blush under the knowing look that his best friend was giving him. "Just make sure to keep your attention on the game."

"He's not focused on the game?" Hinata asked, honestly so confused. Having anything other than volleyball in your head? Impossible. "Then what are you thinking about?"

"I-I, n-nothing," Yamaguchi flushed under the questioning eyes of the rest of his teammates. His eyes moved back and forth from Y/N to back to his teammates. "I'm not thinking about anything."

The team quickly figured out what was happening when they caught sight of you in short shorts. All of them (except for Tsukkishima) collectively let out an "Ooh."

"Oh my god!" Nishinoya gushed excitedly. 

"Ha, Ha!" Tanaka laughed. He had a proud grin on his face as he slapped Yamaguchi on the back. He oddly resembled a proud older brother. "Yamaguchi, you dog you." 

"No, no!" Yamaguchi hurriedly denied. "That's not-you got it all wrong!"

"Alright, alright," Daichi said, dad voice at use. He finally decided to intervene when it looked like Yamaguchi was going to pass out from embarrassment. "Leave him alone, guys."

Daichi laid a hand on Yamaguchi's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. 

"No one will blame you for having a crush."

"I don't-"

Yamaguchi stopped midsentence when Daichi gave him his best "bullshit" look. The look shifted to a fond and understanding one when the first year shyly looked down at his feet. 

"Just try to keep your head in the game, okay?"

"Okay."

Yamaguchi managed to focus long enough to score some points for the team until he was subbed out. As he jogged off the court, you were there to greet him with a smile and a water bottle. 

"You did great out there!" 

"Thanks, Y/N," Yamaguchi said, his eyes looking everywhere but at you. Yamaguchi was sure that he was close to getting a heat stroke from how warm his face was. 

You knew that Yamaguchi wasn't always very talkative compared to Nishinoya. Still, the fact that he was obviously trying hard to not look at you was weird.  

"Are you okay, Yamaguchi?" 

"Y-yeah!" Yamaguchi stuttered out. He made an effort to look at you to try and play off how attracted to you he was right now. Yamaguchi tried, he really did, but his eyes wandered down to your legs before he not so subtly looked away. "Of course! Wh-why wouldn't I be?" 

That's when it clicked. 

"Then...why aren't you looking at me?" You asked, even though you were sure you had figured it out. You suddenly felt yourself get just as shy as Yamaguchi. Your heartbeat started to the race, and your cheeks started to warm up. 

"I... It's just that... you...you're really pretty, and you’re making me really nervous right now." 

Nishinoya Y. x Reader

Nishinoya flirting with you was a daily occurrence. The guy had to say at least one flirty comment to you or Kiyoko a day. You were sure that Nishinoy would keel over and die if he didn't. So let's just say that you were very confused when it seemed like Nishinoya was avoiding you.It started in the morning while you and all the other managers helped feed the teams whatever was made for breakfast that day. It was a humid day so you had decided to wear a pair of your old volleyball shorts to fight off the heat. 

You talked with the libro from Ubugawa high when the clatter of a tray hit the floor from behind you. Embarrassingly, it startled you unfortunate enough to make you scream and clutch at your chest. 

"Nishinoya!" You yelled when you saw who the culprit was. "You scared me! Be more careful."You expected Nishinoya to something around the lines of "Don't worry, sweet cheeks. I'll keep you safe." 

Instead, all Nishinoya did was look at you with wide eyes, stutter out an "S-sorry" before running out of the cafeteria. It was weird, but you didn't think much of it at first. You believed that Nishinoya had just been preoccupied with that setting move he was trying to get down. The next time that Nishinoya acted out of character was before a practice game. Coach Ukai entrusted you with passing along some advice he had for Nishinoya.

"Hey, Noya!" You called out as you walked onto the court, where the boys were stretching. You immediately caught Nishinoya's attention, but instead of him happily bouncing his way towards you, the boy got up from his leg stretches and ran straight out of the gym. 

"Hey! Nishinoya!" Daichi yelled after him. "Where are you going?!"

"Bathroom!" Nishinoya yelled back, never looking back. "Gotta take a shit!"

"What's up with him?" You heard Kageyama ask. 

"Maybe he's nervous," Hinata answered, a tone of empathy in his voice.

The whole day continued like that, with you trying to talk to Nishinoya only to lead to him running away from you. At some point, he even threw poor Hinata to get the chance to run away from you during lunch. After making sure that Hinata wasn't hurt, you went to the person you sure had some idea of why Nishinoya was acting like this.

"Tanaka!" Tanaka stopped mid winding up for a spike when you called out to him. It was after the training camp was over for the day. The other half of Karasuno's chaos duo was doing some extra practice. 

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Tanaka jogged up to you. "What's up, Y/N?"

"Alright," You said, resting your hands on your hips to let Tanaka know that you meant business. "What's Nishinoya's deal?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Don't lie to me," You poked a finger against Tanaka's chest and made sure to stare him down, so Tanaka knew you were serious. "Nishinoya has been avoiding me all day, and I want to know why."

Tanaka groaned in frustration. He was visibly uncomfortable with spilling any of his best friend's secrets, and you honestly felt bad for him. "I...I really think you should be asking him this."

"And how am I supposed to be doing that?" You asked. "Again, he's been avoiding me."

Tanaka shrugged. "I guess you're just going to have to catch him."

And that's precisely what you did. You waited for Nishinoya to finish his practice and hid from sight as you waited for him to get out of the showers. Nishinoya was too busy towel drying his hair to notice you, and that's when you took your chance and tackled him to the ground. 

"Ow!" Nishinoya groaned out from under you. "Y/N? What the heck?"

Nishinoya tried to sit up, but you pushed him back down his legs putting more pressure on your own. Nishinoya fought back a blush. 

"Why are you ignoring me?" You glared at him. "Did I do something? Are you mad at me?" 

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Then why do you keep running from me?" 

Nishinoya looked away from your intense glare. He wouldn't meet your eyes, and he sported a bright blush on his cheeks and cute pout on his lips. The sight of him like this, combined with his hair down, made you blush. You always thought Nishinoya was cute, but at this moment, you couldn't deny he was pretty.

You snapped out of your thoughts when you realized Nishinoya had mumbled something. 

"Um, sorry, what?" You blinked. 

"I...I didn't want to be a creep," Nishinoya repeated.

"A creep? Why would you be a creep?"

At your question, Nishnoya groaned and gently knocked his head against the floor in frustration. His eyes still not meeting yours.

"You just... "Nishnoya took a deep breath and let it out before he continued, "You look really good in those shorts Y/N. I guess you just made me really nervous."

Kozume K.

You and Kenma have been dating for a couple of months now. The two of you had bonded over the latest game that Kenma had gotten and how stupidly hard the water level was. The two of you rarely hanged out after school with his volleyball practice, and your studying it was hard for the two of you to meet up. When the two of you did have time, you would spend the day at each other's houses. This Saturday, Kenma was coming over to yours.

Kenma was waiting outside your door, playing a random game on his phone as he waited for you. The game had his full attention until Kenma heard the sound of your door open, and you're cheery "Hey!" 

"Hey, babe-" Kenma choked on his tongue when he found you in the shortest shorts he had ever seen you wear. They weren't anything drastic, but there was the most leg he had ever seen from you, and Kenma could feel himself short circuit. 

"You ready for me to kick your butt at Mario Kart?" You teased, unknowingly bringing Kenma back to earth. 

"I don't think you have any room to be cocky," Kenma replied, never giving you a clue that the sight of your legs had an effect on him. "You only ever manage to win once every time we play."

"Rude," You pouted as you let him in. 

The whole day was spent similarly to how you guys usually hung out, but you did notice that Kenma was a little more touchy than usual. While the two of you played a couple rounds of Mario kart and other video games, the two of you felt like playing Kenma sat closer to you, so your legs were touching. When the two of you were hungry, Kenma kept his arms wrapped around you from behind as he watched you make food. 

Once the two of you settled down for a movie, Kenma shocked you by snuggling onto your lap. You weren't used to this much attention from Kenma, so your face had been in a constant state of red taint. You were sure that Kenma would have curled up on the other side of the couch lazily playing a game on his phone, but here he was on your lap like a cat. 

Your chest was warm with fondness, and your heart wouldn't stop racing. 

"You've been really cuddly today," You said as you ran your hands through his hair. "Don't get me wrong! I'm not complaining. I was just wondering."

Kenma squeezed your legs and snuggled up against them. "I just really like your legs."

Once you learned about Kenma's thing for your legs, you made an effort to show off your legs. It always managed to get Kenma to get blushy and get touchy. He couldn't help himself much to Kenma's embarrassment and much to Kuroo and the team's enjoyment. 

[the-bee-graveyard]

The Fine Line

Chapter Two

Hello! So this is my first chapter fic. It’s a Newt's and Brendresa fic (I’m hoping to write a Kitty one soon, sorry for my neglect to the TDA fandom recently) so um yeah I hope you like it

Sorry for any misspellings/grammar errors I did proofread, but I’m super inattentive so I probably missed stuff.

WARNING: Major Spoilers for The Death Cure

Story Summary: Newt and Teresa both survive the destruction of the last city and are brought to the safe haven with all their friends. Newt is welcomed back with open arms, and most people learn to forgive Teresa, all but the one person she wants to forgive her the most. Oblivious!Newtmas and Enemies-to-lovers!Brendresa. Minho and Sonya are sick of their friend’s being stupid. A little bit of Soniet and Mingally because I’m weak for them. Sonya and Minho are an unexpected Brotp I now can’t live without. Might actually be even more chaotic than my last fic. Combining movie and book logic because I feel like it. Pining because I said so. I might make a playlist for this fic because I like playlists.

Chapter Summary: both Teresa and Newt unexpectedly wake up in the safe haven, and Minho and Sonya don’t even give them time to catch their breaths because they’ve spotted their OTP’s and they won’t stop until they get them together. 

Chapter One: Fine Line Between Love and Hate

Part One: Teresa’s POV

Teresa used to think she knew everything. She’d been told so by many people. Those same people fed her so many lies, but it took her long to figure out that was one of them, maybe because that was the only lie she’d ever truly believed down deep in her heart. Thomas used to say she knew everything too, and maybe once he stopped believing that she did too. No matter the cause, she  now knew that there were a lot of things she didn’t know, but she did know this one thing:

She was supposed to be dead.

The last thing she remembered were the walls of her lab in the last city coming down on her. She saw a large chunk of concrete hit Janson right in the face right before she hit her head on the floor and blacked out . She could assume the rest of the building went down shortly after that. That was the end of her life, right?

So you could imagine her confusion when she woke up in a cot, not in hell.

“Great, you’re alive,” A sarcastic voice said from beside her bed. She’d recognize that voice anywhere, it had plagued her dreams and nightmares for months in the last city, for reasons Teresa didn’t understand. But now the voice was more than just a nightmare. She’d assume she’d actually woken up in hell, but the person who spoke hadn’t died and sure as heck would not have ended up in hell. They were everything Teresa could not be, and for the longest time Teresa had hated them for it.

“Brenda,” Teresa gasped. She sat up, pushing the blankets off herself and swinging her legs over the bed. As soon as she lifted her head off the pillow she regretted it, her head pounding. Brenda sat on a stool next to the bed, her legs crossed, looking bored. Teresa must have flinched from the pain or something since Brenda threw her an ice pack.

“Concussion, you hit your head pretty badly back in the last city. When Minho and I got you out of there we thought you might be already dead. The medic’s say you’ll make a full recovery, you’ve just got to take it easy for a few weeks,” Brenda explained. Brenda looked different since the last time she’d seen her. She’d cut her hair again, not as short as she had it when the two first met, but shorter than it was when Brenda and all of Teresa’s former friends kidnapped her and forced her to tell them how to get into WICKED’s headquarters.

Brenda being alive was good. Brenda being alive meant that she made it out of WICKED headquarters, which meant at least a few others had to have. A wave of grief suddenly hit Teresa, not for Brenda but for Newt. Thomas never came before the building came down on her. Maybe they could have made another cure for their friend once they got out of the city and to wherever they were now, but Teresa remembers how Newt was the last time she saw him. He had an hour left in him, that’s if they were lucky. There’s no way he could have made it wherever they were without cranking out, and Newt would have never allowed himself to get that far, to get that close to hurting his friends.

One way or another, Newt was dead. Another person’s blood on Teresa’s hands, someone Teresa long ago considered to be one of her best friends. And he died hating her, and she'd given him every right too. 

“Can you explain to me what happened?” Teresa asked once she could make herself speak again.

“You came over the speaker and gave a whole thousand word speech on how Thomas could save Newt. When we got to Newt with the serum Thomas had knocked him out to keep him alive. We gave him the serum and Thomas told us to go get you and the cure, so we did, but the building kind of fell apart. We got out just in time, we found you clutching the cure,” Brenda explained. Teresa exhaled, Newt made it. She didn’t have to add his name to the long list of those she killed. “I suggested we kill you, we got what we needed from you and someone else could recreate the cure. You can thank Thomas for being alive, he insisted we didn’t do anything to you. He was even hesitant about letting me take my shift watching over you, I guess he thought I’d strangle you in your sleep or something.”

“Where is he? Thomas?” Teresa asked.

“With Newt, we haven’t been able to peel him away from him since we got back.” Teresa couldn’t hide her grin, she always knew there was something going on between Newt and Thomas, even before the maze. She and Minho used to bet on them as children, betting their pudding cups on if they’d walk into a room holding hands or something like that. 

But thanks to her none of her friends remembered that.

“I’m sorry Brenda, I really am. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I’ll do anything to prove it. I hurt you all, and you should hate me for the rest of eternity, but I really wanted to be your friend at one point. I still do.” Brenda stood up.

“Save it for someone who cares Teresa, ‘cause I sure don’t. I never liked you.” Brenda began to walk about of the shack they were in. Teresa didn’t know why the words hurt so much, she’d never liked Brenda either. They did though. Brenda turned around in the doorway. “I’ll let the others know you’re awake though, they’ve been worried, even if they won’t admit it.”

Part Two: Thomas’s POV

Thomas was half asleep when he heard Newt mutter something. He sat right up in his chair next to Newt, waiting. It had been over two weeks since they’d gotten back from the last city, and both Newt and Teresa hadn’t woke up. 

“Tommy,” Newt mumbled.

“I’m right here Newt, it’s me,” Thomas said, leaning in closer. He felt guilty about it, but he hadn’t even gone to visit Teresa, wanting to be there when Newt woke up. 

After a minute Newt’s eyes opened, and they were clear. The black veins had faded from his body shortly after they injected the cure into Thomas, but he hadn’t opened his eyes since then so Thomas saw the insane look in them every time he closed his eyes.

“Oh my god Newt, you’re alive,” Thomas threw is arms around his friend, pulling him into a tight hug, afraid to let go. Newt laughed in Thomas’s embrace. 

“Still a bit confused on that part, care to explain how?” Newt said. A wave of relief hit Thomas again. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if Newt died, he couldn’t make it in a world without his best friend.

“Teresa,” Thomas said. “Teresa made a cure. It was my blood the whole time, she just figured it out first.” Thomas sighed. “I feel like an idiot Newt, I could have spared you all that pain the whole time.”

“Oh shut up you twat,” Newt said. “I would’ve died long before the flare without you. You save me every day just by being there. You-”

“Thomas!” Minho called, interrupting Newt’s statement which Thomas really wanted to hear the end of. “Teresa’s awake and looking for you.” Minho came into the tent.

“Good to see you too,” Newt said, rolling his eyes sarcastically and grinning fondly. Minho gasped and hugged Newt tightly. 

“I was so worried,’ Minho said. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again you ugly shank.”

“Can’t breathe,” Newt gasped. Minho let go of Newt and laughed.

“Hold on, Gally and Frypan are with Teresa, but there’s one other person who’s been waiting for you to wake up,” Minho said before dashing out the tent. He came back a few minutes later with a familiar blonde girl by his side.

Sonya had explained to them all that when WICKED took her and Aris they’d given their memories back, but she’d never been able to tell Newt she remembered they were siblings before he ran off to follow Thomas.

“Do you remember me?” Sonya asked timidly from the doorway. Newt didn’t respond for a minute, and Sonya’s face fell. “That's a stupid question. You’ve met me after the swipe, you remember me as Sonya, but why would I think you’d remember me as-”

“How could I ever forget you Lizzy?” Newt said, his voice cracking. Tears streamed down Sonya’s face as it lit up and she attacked her brother with a strong embrace. “The flare must have damaged the swipe. I don't remember everything, but I remember some. Enough.” Thomas suddenly became conscious to the fact he was holding Newt’s hand. 

“We’ll leave you two to catch up if you’d like,” Thomas offered. Newt squeezed his hand tightly.

“Please don’t go,” Newt said. “I want you to stay.” Thomas knew the words were directed at all of them, but it felt like they were meant just for him. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.

Part Three: Minho’s POV

Minho had always been a guy who was relatively fond of people around him falling in love, but he sure as hell wasn’t fond of people around him being completely oblivious to the fact that they’re in love. 

Minho usually had his routine “Newt and Thomas were fools before all this and Thomas is an even bigger fool now because he still hasn’t realized his feelings for Newt” rant with Brenda and/or Gally, but Gally had gone to take his shift accompanying Teresa, who said she still wasn’t ready to face Thomas and Newt, and Brenda had stalked off after telling them Teresa had woken up.

So when Sonya plopped down next to Minho on the log he sat on in front of the bonfire and said, “Can Newt and Thomas just kiss already?” Minho figured she’d have to do.

Minho quickly stole a glance over to where the pair sat laughing on a log with Jorge and Vince. Thomas had his arm around Newt and Newt had his head rested on “Tommy’s” shoulder. When Minho made a comment on it they said “it’s just a bro thing”. Over the past few weeks Minho had sat like that with Gally multiple times, and it was most certainly not a bro thing. 

“It’s so annoying isn’t it?” Minho said. “I was trapped in a maze and the scorch with them, I’ve been dealing with it a lot longer than you have.” It would cause Minho to rip out his hair, but his hair was so beautiful he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

“Even Aris caught onto it, and it took him to see Harriet and I kiss in front of him five times before he realized we were together back in the maze,” Sonya rolled her eyes. 

A brilliant idea came to Minho. Of course, all of his ideas were brilliant, but this one was even more brilliant than the others.

“How about we put an end to this pining?” Minho asked Sonya, grinning wickedly.

“Got anything in mind?” She asked him. Sweet Sonya, sweet innocent Sonya. if only she knew he had not one thing in mind, but multiple things in mind that were all incredibly risky and might cause Vince to banish them all, but they all had the same result: Newt and Thomas getting together.

“I do, but we can’t do it alone. Get Harriet and Aris and I’ll get Gally, Frypan, Teresa, and Brenda and we can all meet at the beach tomorrow after curfew.” 

“Should I be scared?”

“Probably, but not that much. I’ve done crazier things, and look at me, I’m still here.”

“Okay then.” Sonya was also grinning like crazy, and Minho knew this was the birth of a beautiful friendship, one built on interfering in other people’s for the better.

[yandere-wishes]

Yandere Reaction 💖Darling Signing A Contract With Azul💖

How would Yandere Leona, Carter, Jamil and Riddle react to their darling escaping and trying to sign a contract with Azul to reclaim their freedom.

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Leona is annoyed, he woke up from his nap to see that you had disappeared. Your side of the bed was cold, your sent barely clinging to the sheets. He sighs when he realizes that you must have left quite some time ago.  What a hassle now he's going to have to actually look around for you it's too much work! But the lingering promise of punishment does make a rabid excitement build up inside him causing his muscles twitch and ears to perk up. 

The first thing he does is call Ruggie and have him start asking around the, trying to pry information from the other member of his dorm. He'll also enlist Jack, giving him a piece of your clothes or some piece of jewelry he may have bought you, anything that has preserved your sweet, intoxicating aroma. Being the all so good, always eager to please guard dog that he is, Jack will follow your scent all over Night Raven College. With Leona lethargically following behind. 

eventually, the invisible trail leads them straight to the Octavinelle dormitory. Of course, Leona is displeased with this, not only is the place under freaking water! But the worst most calculating, conniving person lives there. The school's very own loanshark, Azul Ashengrotto! To say that Leona is displeased is an understatement, he's downright furious! What the hell are you try to do? Sign a freaking contract with the devil! Are you so desperate to trade away your goddam soul! Really it's not so much that Leona cares exactly what Azul asks from you, rather it's the notion that you'll belong to someone other than himself that makes hin charge inside the  Mostro Lounge. Claws out, teeth bare, ready for a fight. 

The sight awaiting him is just infuriating. There you are seating all meek pen in hand, eyes wide, fear and panic dancing over your face, like a  little doomed rabbit. While Azul looms over you, that calculating avaricious smirk plastered on his pale face. 

"Ah, senior Leona how nice of you to join us. Would you like some refreshments? Tea, coffee maybe some milk?"

Leona doesn't respond he's too agitated, too vexed. He runs up to your shacking form, grabbing your wrist, pulling you forcefully to his side. In the midst of the moment, he's calm having you back in his arms makes the carnivorous fury die down. He gently kisses your head, lingering a second too long before he's throwing you over to Jack. 

He's in Azul's face, threatening to skin him alive and throw him to the hyenas to eat if he ever even think about scamming Leona's beloved into another contract. He rips the parchment in front of the sea witch then processes to march back to where you and your wolf bodyguard are standing. 

Leona's a lot rougher now, squishing you to his side as the three of you depart back to your "home". Leona just can't comprehend why you would sign that contract. 

He's never done anything to hurt you

He's never 

so why? Why are you so desperate to get away from him?! It downs on him when he's dragged you back into savanclaw territory. In the middle of his rage, he realizes just why you're all so eager to reclaim your precious freedom. You're lying on the cracked rough ground, holding your bleeding cheek where he just struck you. You're crying and trembling, it almost makes him want to stop, almost makes him want to hug you close to his chest promising everything will be all right. But he doesn't instead he kicks you with enough force to turn you over onto your back. He lifts his foot crushing down on your arm. Relishing in the cracking of bones and your screams of pain. 

Leona's reaction differs from moment to moment, one second he's simply annoyed and the next he's choking on his rage. He knows that he has to change a bit, to be sweeter, nicer to show a bit more empathy if he truly wants to keep you as his queen.  

Carter's in a sheer frenzy, he's stunned speechless when he sees you walk over to the Mostro Lounge manager. But instead of ordering drinks like you were supposed to do, you're chatting up Azul about something that he can't hear. 

It's nervewracking watching the two of you. Carter can't quite tell what expression you're wearing but he knows that the Azul is giddy about something, smiling and laughing. Oh god, what are you talking about! It's only when he sees Azul retrieve parchment and his signature golden fish pen that he realizes just what is happening. 

Carter is quick to react, he's sprung to his feet and by your side before your fingers can even graze the murky colored contract. His arms are wrapped protectively around you, squeezing with just an ounce more force then they need to be. His shimmering emerald eyes are glaring daggers at Azul, but his tone is as cheerful and preppy as always.

"Azul-chan you know it's rude to take advantage of naive first years right?~ innocent little (y/n) doesn't understand how your contracts operate yet~"

"Actually they do Carter, tell me what in the great sea witch's name have you done to poor unfortunate (Y/N), for them to be so desperate to get away from you? So much so, that they are willing to trade they're special ability for?"

That hurt...

It felt worst than a kick to the stomach...

Worst then when his pictures only got 100 likes...

worst then Riddle's loud screams...

You...You were trying to run away from him? Carter's heartbroken, he can't stand the thought of you not loving him. Heck, you hate him so much that you're willing to trade away your ability to be apart from him!

Once you get back to Heartslabyul, he's hectic. Shacking you with tears in his eyes, demanding to know why you don't love him! "What have I done wrong? Do you love someone else is that it!" He makes accusation after accusation trying to find out just why you're desperate to be rid of him. 

Never once does he consider that it could be because his presence suffocates you. That simply standing next to him, strips your lungs of air, drives your brain into a historical fit! And you don't tell in fear of further angering him. 

Carter's reaction is heartbroken mania, he's sad, angry, determined to fix things, everything at the same time. He'll try all so hard to mend things between the two of you. Shower you in gifts, take you outside more often, even give you some more freedom. ANYTHING as long as you will love him again!

Jamil actually finds it rather funny when you try to beg Azul for a contract. Oh, sure he knew what you would do the moment he saw you slip away from his side while he was preoccupied with Kalim. He knew you would run straight to the sea witch, ready to get on your knees and plead for a contract. You were willing to humiliate yourself in any way imaginable so long as you could escape Jamil's clutch.

Jamil's eyes follow you as you walk over the counter and whisper something in Jade's ear. He knows everything that's about to unfold. Knows how Azul will bring out some parchment and his golden pen and "nicely" state the terms of service. He knows all this yet chooses to sit idly by. He wants you to get as close to your freedom as possible, practically graze it before he snatches it away for good this time. Cause after the stunt you're pulling there is no way in hell that Jamil is ever letting you leave the Scarabia dormitory ever again.

And sure enough, it goes exactly as planned. Azul walks out ready to grant you "your one true wish" all posed and gentleman like...except he's leaning way to close. His lips are brushing against your ear. His thin pale fingers are reaching out to grab your own pulling them towards himself. 

It's that moment that Jamil reacts, that he realizes that you've played your little game long enough. He slams his hands on the table, causing Kalim to jump spilling his drink and the other customers to turn around all holding their breaths for a magic fight to break out. 

Just like everyone else Azul slowly pulls away from you, eyes trained on Jamil a smirk dangling on his charming face. Your vacant eyes stare back into the dark ones of the sand mage. You know your fate, know the penalty for the crim you commented. Despite what Jamil may think he knows, you were always one fragmented step ahead. You knew you would never be free, knew that you would always be confined in Jamil's cave of wonders.

Reluctantly you heave yourself to your feet, breaking the thick silence with the screeching of the chair legs along the marble floor. You gradually trudge back to the table where the man who owns you is awaiting impatiently. 

"Don't test me (y/n)" 

His lips brush over the shell of your ear sending a cold shiver up your spin. His breath cresses the soft flesh of your neck as he places a teasing kiss over one of the visible love bites he left not so long ago. Jamil's fingers dig into your sides, sizing you up as tightly as he could. You where sure there would be bruises by the time he let go, there always was. Slowly his fingers snaked around your waist pushing you flat against his chest, smoldering your face in the fabric of his shirt. 

"That goes for you too Azul" 

His voice was oddly modulated, kept barely above a hush, you wonder how he expects Azul to be able to hear from across the room. It's a  haughty laugh that answers your question. The voice is much closer then you anticipated. Silk covered fingers tangle themselves in your lock as you hear the manger of the  Mostro Lounge speak up. "You may consider keeping sweet little (y/n) on a shorter lease, that way she won't accidentally find her self trapped in my grasp."

Suffice it to say he does, Jamil grants the exact opposite of your wish. He steals the minuscule fragments of freedom you had left, keeping you constantly by his side, arms always wrapped around your waist tight enough to make walking an uncomfortable feat.

Jamil's reaction is one just amusement, sure he feels betrayed but that feeling has long become nostalgic for the young man. There really isn't much you could say or do to get under his skin. But there is all so much he can do to get under your skin and he'll be dame sure to leave some marks! 

Riddle is furious when he sees you talking to Azul before history class. His blood is boiling coursing through his body like molten lava, heartbeat had quickened sounding like the march of card soldiers faster! His fingers are wrapped in fists by his side, knuckles turning as white as the white rabbit's fur. His posture is stiff, spin too straight shoulders pulled back until they're about to pop from their sockets. 

The redhead could barely stand the thought of you talking to his closets friends let alone the most conniving man in all of Night Raven! He's prepared to shut the whole thing down in a moment, ready to stomp over to Azul and rescue you from his web of lies. But then he hears it, those soul-shattering words. They stop him in his tracks, steal the life from his loins. He couldn't even believe his ear at first. Surely he was going mad! 

" I want to be free, as far away from Riddle and his stupid rules as possible! Please Mr. Ashengrotto won't you help me! I'll sign any contract, give you anything you deem a suitable price just please save me from Riddle!"

Riddle's heart is broken tears prick at the side of his dark blue eyes. Ready to tumble and fall. His mouth has gone dry stripped of all he was going to say. He wasn't your knight in shining armor no he was the beast that had abducted you, stolen you from those you loved. 

"Not to worry you poor unfortunate soul lose of freedom as a situation can be corrected, I simply need you to sign--"

Maybe it was the was what Azul said, made it was the adrenaline that was surging through his veins. Either way, Riddle screamed his voice cracking, lungs burning, yet he still screamed after you to stop! 

"Don't you dare sign that contract (y/n) Or it'll be off with your head!"

Your freeze finger floating in midair just millimeters away from the golden pen.  A heavy sigh leaves your lips, you knew you would never reach your freedom again but still, you tried and ended up with a broken heart. 

Riddle is quick to jog over to the two of you, his fingers grab your shoulder and push you back against his chest. He's trying so hard to look strong, to be the knight that you deserve. He doesn't want to show any weakness in front of Azul but he just can't wipe the heartache away. 

Riddle really wants you to love him, he's delusional thinking that making you follow all these rules will benefit you in the long run. He wants you to be safe and perfect to be a fit ruler by his side! But he also wants you to be happy and fall for him on your own accord. 

Riddle's reaction is pure heartache and heartbreak. He doesn't punish you, just some empty threats and words of advice (in the tone off ear-splitting shouts) The whole affair may actually make him nicer he'll try to give you a bit more freedom. He lets you outside more, sometimes even takes you somewhere off-campus. Sure he's always around in some way but from time to time he may "wander off" in the opposite direction and give you the relaxing semblance of being alone.

[jungshookz]

the one with the scrunchie

➺ pairing; min yoongi x reader

➺ genre; universitystudent!yoongiverse!!!!! uni!yoongi is the broody skater boy that everyone has a crush on!! y/n will never see her scrunchies in the same way ever again and also in case it wasn’t already blatantly obvious by the gif above this drabble is 98% smut and the other 2% is also smut (dirty talk! thigh riding! yoongi has really nice thighs!!!) 

➺ wordcount: 4.4k i feel like this is shorter than usual i’m soRry 

➺ summary; yoongi believes that one scrunchie is just as capable as a pair of handcuffs - it’s time to put that theory to the test. 

➺ what to expect; “i wouldn’t mind being more intimate with you but i don’t know how and also i’m just not ready to take my clothes off yet.”

➺ optional reading: not necessary but feel free to read some other drabbles from the uni!yoongiverse! 

➺ note; we all knew this was going to happen as soon as yoongi formulated the scrunchie theory so buCKLE up and be prepared!! happy valentine’s day!!! mwah mwah!!! (i couldn’t locate the original creator of the gif but it was pulled off of this pinterest page!) if you can guess which specific part of the drabble was inspired by the gif then i’ll give u a gold star 

                                           »»————-　♡　————-««

min yoongi does not beat around the bush

sure, he’s been known to be overly blunt and a little too honest at times (aka a little bit of an asshole) but that’s just part of who he is and that’s not going to change

he attacks problems head-on and with the confidence of a bull charging towards a waving red flag

and yet

here he is, with a problem

except this is the first time he’s ever had a problem with his problem

here’s the problem: ...he doesn’t know if you’re physically attracted to him or not 

whICH he understands is kind of silly because he knows you’re certainly not with him for his brains because his grades are mediocre at best

he’s riding the 70s-80s range which he’s completely fiNE with by the way

keep your judgements to yourself! 

what was he talking about again

oh righT

he feels like you don’T want him to touch you for some reason??

which is a teensy little problem because call him old fashioned but he thinks that people who are together should probably be okay with touching each other

obviously if you aren’t ready for anything more than kissing on the sofa and some light petting that is totally okay and he completely understands 

it’s just weird because you always seem very eager to touch him but when he gets his hands on you you get all bashful and blushy (which is cute for the most part but that’s not the point) 

whenever he wants to return the favour you always shake him off and tell him that he can help you out next time

and then when next time rolls around you tell him that he can do something next time

and then when next time rolls around you tell him that he can do something nExt time until it turns into an endless cycle of ‘it’s okay, you can return the favour next time!’ in which he’ll nEVer ever return the favour! 

and so on and so forth

also it’s weird because he doesn’t really know if he can even classify this as a problem?? 

for the millionth time in a row he’s totally 100% fine if you aren’t ready to do anything just yet but he wouldn’t be so riled up about it if it weren’t for the fact that your butt looks fantastic in those jeans  

he can’t help but wonder if it’s his time of the month because his hormones are raging and everything you do turns him on 

like the other day when you were eating your sandwich you licked some mayo off your finger and yoongi nearly [censored] 

is he just thinking with his head and not with his head???

now that he’s really thinking about it he realises that he’s never actually gotten you off before

wha-

he’s nEVER given you an orgasm????????

so yeah

that’s pretty much it

he’s boiled it down to you being completely rePULsed by him

it’s just been on his mind ever since the two of you officially got together and he doesn’t really know how to phrase this without sounding like a complete dick

he feels a little bad because he’s supposed to be paying attention to what you’re teaching him but his mind just won’t let him focus and he feels like if he doesn’t ask you this rigHt now he’s going to explode from the inside out

his arm shoots up in the air (you asked him to start raising his hand instead of just blurting out the answer even though he’s literally your only student)

“do you not like me touching you?” yoongi blurts out before pausing

…okay yeah there were probably a million better ways to have worded that question

you look up at yoongi with wide eyes as you stare at him across the table

ok

well

you don’t know what this has to do with chemistry but you’ll bite

“maybe i wasn’t clear enough-” you click the cap back onto the marker before setting it down “but when i asked you if you had any questions, i meant questions that were related to intermolecular forces or nuclear fusion.”  

…has he even been paying attention to anything you’ve been saying this whole time???

hm

you’re going to have to test him later with a surprise pOP quiz >:-)

“oh yeah well i have a toN of questions about whatever you were talking about but we’ll get to that after you answer my question.” yoongi drops his pen before leaning back against his chair “so, please - answer my question.”

“well, i… i have to be honest, i don’t really understand your question.” your brows knit together and you purse your lips in thought “of course i like you touching me! i mean, sure, i’m a little germaphobic but i hold your hand all the ti-“

“not like that, y/n. i mean the other kind of touching.” yoongi sighs and leans forward a little bit

you’re about to tell him you’re not sure what he means when it suddenly registers in your brain what exactly he’s referring to

oh

that kind of touching

well

you and yoongi have.,,. definitely.,. fooled around before but a lot of those interactions have been limited to heated makeout sessions anD that one time u gave him a blowie before class

and also that hand job in the back of the library

…and then another blowie back at your apartment

but other than that you guys haven’t done anything else

and it’s not that you don’t want to be intimate with yoongi

in fact you’d have to be craZy to not want to jump his bones buT the one thing that’s holding you back is that you’re just not ready to expose yourself to him like just yet

even the thought of flashing your bra strap to him is making you queasy

and it’s not because of anything he’s done!!

he’s always very considerate with you and he never pushes you to do anything that you don’t want to do

like that one time his hand was slowly sliding down to your butt (this was very early on when you two weren’t a thing yet but you had makeout sessions like a pair of hormonal teenagers) but you stopped it before it could reach its destination

and since then his hands have not wandered at all!

actually that’s a lie he did glide over your bum the other day but he’s allowed to do that now because he’s ur boyfriend so

and it’s not like you aren’t handsy yourself, miss let-me-slide-my-hands-underneath-yoongi’s-shirt

so if you think about you’re just doing a lot of giving and basically none of the receiving which you thought yoongi would be ecstatic about but apparently not

anyways

this is literally just a you thing

it’s a mixture of insecurity and anxiousness and overwhelmingness all rolled up into one big ball that’s just sitting in the pit of your stomach

you’re sure you’ll get over it one day

but today is not that day

“-because i’d love to go down on you if you’d let me.” yoongi finishes his rant and you feel your cheeks immediately redden

wha-  

what the heCk was he talking about when you blanked out

“no, i d- i do want to… do things with you but i… i don’t know, i would rather just keep my clothes on, that’s all.” you mumble sheepishly and scratch the back of your neck

yoongi’s eyes widen a little and he perks up “so you… don’t mind me touching you?”

“of course i don’t mind you touching me.” you snort before rolling your eyes “anyway, as i was say-“

“as long as we keep our clothes on?”

you have a feeling yoongi is no longer focusing on chemistry

in fact you doubt he was even paying attention from the very beginning 

“i… yeah! pretty much.” you shrug “i just, um, i don’t know if i want any hands down my pants yet. hands on the butt is welcome.”

you probably sound like an idiot right now

you can’t do things with yoongi while fully cloTHED

“okay, i think i get it…?” yoongi narrows his eyes a little

uh oh

you recognise that look

that’s the ‘i’m just going to pretend like i know what you’re talking about but i actually have no idea what the hell you’re talking about’ look

you’ve seen it many times before

that’s fair though because you’re basically telling him you wanna do stuff with him but also you don’t wanna do stuff with him so how can you wrap up your main points in one single sentence??

“i wouldn’t mind being more intimate with you but i don’t know how and also i’m just not ready to take my clothes off yet.” you blurt out and keep your eyes glued to yoongi’s face to see if he gets it now

“oh!” yoongi lets out a ‘huh’ before nodding to himself “okay, i get it now. yeah, i totally understand. also, i hope it doesn’t seem like i’m pressuring you into anything, it’s just that this is my first time being with someone who doesn’t have a lot of experie- noT that that’s a bad thing, i just- you know, you’re you and i’m me- okay, uh, i’m not explaining this very well-“

now you’re the one who’s barely paying attention to the other because you are getting wAY too into your head about this

was your explanation super lame??

oh god

why are you so nervous all of a sudden

maybe you should come up with another excuse to make yourself sound less lame

“also, this might sound a little silly,” you snort and shake your head “but if you had your head in between my legs i honestly wouldn’t know what to do with my hands, and that’s just one more thing i’d have to worry about! so if you think about it maybe this is just a blessing in disguise!”  

yoongi pauses before the corner of his mouth twitches in a tiny smirk

“i could cuff you to the bed.”

oh dear lord

you feel your cheeks get even reDDer and you clear your throat before whipping back around to face the whiteboard “so! let’s get back into it…”

in your haste to change the subject you fail to notice the ‘i have a very sneaky plan up my sleeve’ look on yoongi’s face

so from what he understands:

a) you DO want to be more intimate with him (yay!!) (but a respectful, non-selfish yay)

b) you DO want to keep your clothes on

c) you DON’T know what to do with your hands

okay

he can work with that

he can definitely work with that

yoongi presses his lips together to hide his smile when it hits him

he knows exactly what to do

fun fact: yoongi has actually never celebrated valentine’s day before

well

okay

he haS celebrated valentine’s day before but this is the first time he’s actually cared about valentine’s day

and usually he forgets that valentine’s day exists (he really doesn’t understand why it’s so special) so when his previous significant others would ask him what he got for them his go-to was aLways something related to the bedroom because it was kind of an easy way out and made both parties happy

and he’s never stuck around to celebrate more than one valentine’s day with the same person which is pretty nice because that way he can’t be accused of recycling gift ideas

anyways

what was he talking about again?

oh riGHt

valentine’s day presents

not only did he surprise you but he also surprised himSelf when he bought a dozen red roses for you AND a box of bougie chocolate covered strawberries

because he’s literally never done this before so he decided that if he was going to go all out it was going to be for someone he genuinely really liked

and that person is u :-)

and then he made a comment about how valentine’s day is really just part of the whole ‘gross commercialisation of a day that really has no meaning to it’ scheme before presenting you with a brand new scrunchie

and it wasn’t the gorgeous roses or the rich chocolate that got you excited

it was your brand new heart-patterned scrunchie

the base is white but it has little red hearts dotted all over it and it’s the cuTEST and you immediately put it on as soon as yoongi gave it to you

he ordered it off etsy!! anD he paid for express shipping

and if that doesn’t show you how much he cares about you he doesn’t know what will

and you know what

yoongi would buy you a hundred more scrunchies because you are all over him right now and he is very into that

also it might be due to the fact that the chocolate-covered strawberries were actually champagne infused chocolate-covered strawberries (he was wondering why they were so exPENSIVE) because he can usually hold himself back pretty well (aka after a particularly heated makeout session he’ll politely excuse himself to the washroom for ten minutes even though you always insist on helping him out but most of the time he declines because he wants to return the favour but he can’T) but tonight.,.,. 

tonight he’s putting in extrA effort to keep it together because you slid his hands down to your bum and he nearly lost his shIT

here’s a sum-up of the night:

yoongi took you out to a nice dinner even though you insisted you’d be fine with ordering takeout or something (also he wore a crisp white button up but he rolled the sleeves up and you sweAR he knows exactly what he’s doing)

you guys went to a little donut shop afterwards and you got powdered sugar all over yourself but c’est la vie

and now you two are at your apartment where you decided to binge-watch netflix for the rest of the night and enjoy the chocolate-covered strawberries

and well

only half the box of strawberries have been consumed because now the two of you are kind of focused on enjoying each other

your hands instinctively slide down to pop the button on yoongi’s jeans but before they get a chance to reach it yoongi grabs your wrist and brings your arms back up around his neck  

“you know how you said you wanted to be more intimate with me but you didn’t know how?”

you clear your throat before pursing your lips

if this is him talking dirty it’s not working  

“…are you talking about the conversation we had at the beginning of last week?” you wonder out loud before shaking your head gently “yoongi, listen, it really isn’t a big deal, you don’t have to do anything for me-“

“and do you remember what you said about not knowing what to do with your hands?” yoongi interrupts you and his eyes flicker up to the scrunchie peeking out from the back of your head

“well, yeah, but- is there a point to all of this?” you sigh before leaning forward to smush your cheek against yoongi’s shoulder

“do you trust me?” yoongi hums and pokes the tip of your nose

“of course i trust you.”

also

unrelated but you need a pick me up

another one of those strawberries will do

you’re going to ask yoongi to get these evEry valentine’s day because they are obscenely delicious

you pull away from yoongi and turn to reach for another strawberry and at the same time yoongi reaches over and tugs the scrunchie off from your head 

“wha- hey!” you whip around as your hair falls around your face before noticing that yoongi’s giving your scrunchie a bit of a stretch “what do you think you’re doing?”

yoongi can’t help but laugh lightly at your pouty face before he pats his lap “i want you here.”

yoongi’s speaking to you a little more assertively than usual anD he has that familiar gleam in his eyes 

hm

okay

you’ll play along 

the strawberries can wait

you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as you settle on yoongi’s lap before resting your hands on his chest to keep yourself from toppling over

“good. now arms behind your back.”

your brows knit together slightly in confusion but you figure it’s best not to question yoongi because he seems pretty sure of himself

and you sure as hell have no idea what’s about to go down

this is weird

usually you’re the one in control

you feel like you want to fill the silence by talking about something and for some reason you can hear your heart drumming wildly in your chest even though you don’t have a reason to be nervous

...right? 

yoongi reaches behind you and pulls your hands through the scrunchie before moving them gently so that one wrist is crossed over the other and-

oh

oh

you can’t seem to wiggle out of the scrunchie

“not too tight?” yoongi murmurs

you shift your hands a little

yep 

definitely noT getting out of this any time soon 

“i can handle it.” you respond quietly and yoongi feels himself twitch in his pants

noPe

tonight is not about him

tonight is about you

you’ve never been restrained like this before but the idea of yoongi being completely in control is getting you far more riled up than you’d like to admit

“if at any point you feel uncomfortable,” yoongi murmurs against your skin as he moves his kisses up your chest, “the safe word is strawberry.”

“mhm, strawberry, got it.” you sigh impatiently, barely paying any attention to what yoongi’s saying because his mouth has travelled up onto your bare neck  

“good. on my thigh.” yoongi spreads his legs a little and you feel your heart hiccup in your chest

oh

you know exactly where this is going

you wobble slightly as your knees settle on the soft couch on either side of yoongi’s clothed thigh and yoongi smiles fondly

“comfy?”

“mhm.”

unsurprisingly, yoongi’s thigh is vEry firm  

it’s from all that skateboarding

you’re sure of it

you would be lying if you said you weren’t a little worked up from the ten minutes of copious kissing but now that you’re sitting on yoongi’s thigh you can definitely confirm that you are: worked up

yoongi places his hands on your waist and pulls you closer until your torso is pressed against his 

typically this would be the point where you drape your arms around yoongi’s shoulders but the fact that you can’t do that right now is torture and yoongi can see the frustration swimming in your eyes

you’re about to tell him to do something, anything, before he suddenly pushes your hips back and flexes his thigh at the same time

you let out a gasp when your body instinctively spasms a little bit out of surprise

that is definitely a new feeling

it’s a very good thing you decided to wear a skirt tonight

a pitiful whimper slips past your lips at the feeling of the rough fabric of yoongi’s jeans rubbing up against you through your panties

“like that?” yoongi pulls you towards him and then backwards again and he swallows thickly when he notices how blown out your pupils are

now that you know what yoongi’s plan is, your body seems to go into autopilot mode

you start moving on your own as your muscles begin to melt into him but yoongi’s hands stay glued on your hips as he guides you back and forth

the two of you share licking, burning kisses as you continue to ride yoongi’s leg and yoongi lets out a grunt when your knee digs into his crotch

“y/n, fuck-“ yoongi pulls away when you do it again

he can’t tell if you’re doing it on purpose or if it’s unintentional but he has to shift the focus bAck to you

yoongi takes his bottom lip in between his teeth as he watches you grind your hips back and forth with hooded lids

his hands slide down so that they rest on either side of your thighs

he lets out a low groan when he realises that this would be his exact view if you were actually riding him

“yoongi-“ you hiccup pathetically when you feel that particular spot within you flutter

your nails dig into the soft flesh of your palms when you suddenly feel the urge to get your hands on your boyfriend

yoongi’s mouth twitches in a smirk when he notices your shoulders straining

it looks like his makeshift handcuffs are working veRY well

he’s definitely going to use them again in the future

“something the matter?” yoongi mocks with a slight pout of his lips

“god, you- this was the worst idea ever and i hate you-“ you shudder as you continue grinding against his firm leg

you can’t even find the words to describe how incredible this feels and the only thing going through your mind is fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck because fuCK this feels good

“oh yeah? show me how much you hate me-“ yoongi’s hands find their way underneath your skirt and his fingers dig into your bum to bring you closer to him

he has to admit that he’s losing his grips on the reins a little bit because the more you grind against him the more turned on he gets

and he is currently very, very turned on

you’re riding his leg anD your boobs are like right at his eye-level so he’s kind of living the dream right now

but also in a way he’s torturing himself too because he usually loves it when you slide a hand down his chest or when you bury your fingers into his hair

“fuck, i can feel how wet you are-” yoongi groans just under your ear and you let out a choked moan in response 

you never thought something like this would be as hot as it is but also it’s the idea of you being bare on his leg that’s making the two of you go crazy

another wave of pleasure tremors through your body and your head dips back as yoongi kisses up your throat

“that’s it… you’re so pretty like this… so needy…” yoongi curses quietly when he notices the darkened patch on his jeans

he slips an arm around your waist to keep you balanced and he uses his other hand to take your chin in between his thumb and pointer finger so that you’ll look at him

“god, look at you… you’re doing so well…” yoongi knows that getting approval is something that’s verY important to you but he’s only seen you get excited over it when it comes to projects and assignments

and you obviously want to hear another remark of approval considering the way you start to roll your hips more smoothly

but it’s when you take his thumb into your mouth that yoongi ascends to a whole new level of turned on

he leans back against the couch and his hands start to forcefully guide your hips so that you’re rocking against him harder, faster

“yoongi, i think- nngh-“ you pant and your shoulders strain even more in a desperate attempt to wiggle out of the scrunchie “oh, god-“

he can tell by the way your breathing has become increasingly shallow and how your cheeks have gotten progressively pinker that you’re almost there and he’s definitely going to keep this image of you in his brain for a long time

“gonna cum for me?” yoongi growls as his hands grip at your ass to mould you to him

you head starts spinning from pleasure and you feel every nerve in your body begin to go into overdrive

all you can focus on is how good this feels and how hot it is that yoongi’s in complete control over you and how you are definitely going to want to do this again-

“you have no idea how badly i wanna fuck you right now.” yoongi groans and thAt pretty much does the the trick

“ah-!” you let out a sharp cry as your whole body tenses up as your orgasm rocks through you

your toes curl and your legs tighten around yoongi’s thigh and you sweAr you would’ve blacked out if it weren’t for yoongi keeping you anchored to him while pressing reassuring kisses along your shoulder

he has his arm wrapped around you while his other hand loosens its grip on the side of your thigh

you’re panting like you just ran a marathon and you lean forward to press your forehead against yoongi’s “hi.”

“hey.” yoongi’s out of breath too but he has no idea why lol

if anything, seeing you work through your orgasm has gotten him even harDer but he reminds himself for the millionth time that the purpose of this whole scrunchie thing was so that you’d be more comfortable being intimate with him

“how was that?”

“really nice.” you respond almost instantaneously and yoongi feels a sense of pride bloom within him

you’re not the only one who likes getting approval!!!

he reaches behind you and pulls the scrunchie off and placing it next to him

your wrists have gone a little pink considering how much tugging you did and yoongi brings them up to his mouth to sweep soft kisses over them

your cheeks flush for a different reason when yoongi leans up to give you an affectionate little kiss

when you finally drape your arms around his shoulder you can’t help but let out a happy sigh

now thIS feels a lot better

“you okay?” yoongi can’t help but notice that you’ve gone quiet

“…was the purpose of buying the scrunchie for me just so you could turn them into makeshift handcuffs?” your eyes narrow suspiciously and you glance down at the scrunchie

yoongi turns to look at it before looking back over at you

he clears his throat

“if i say yes does that make me a bad boyfriend?”

(later that night you tell yoongi you’d like to try grinding on him again - only this time, you’ve requested that he have his hands tied.) 

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a request)

requested drabbles masterlist

[mysticaltigersorceress]

(Cute) Harbingers of Chaos

A/n: So this is my piece for @some-piece‘s AU challenge!! My choice of characters was: Silvers Rayleigh, Shanks, Wire, Kuzan (Aokiji), and Shachi. I’m going to do a (college) library AU. All fluff and fun, no warnings!! this turned out long than i meant lol, but most is under the cut.  feel free to add to the masterlist basi uwu

Word Count: 1.8k (i know, i thought it was gonna be shorter, but then, well, whoops lol)

Notes: Shachi x Reader (vaguely lol), gender neutral reader, and 2nd person pov

Summary: Reader works in college library, chaos caused by adorableness, Bepo is a massive pupper lol, plans went askew

AO3: Find it here on archive uwu

When you began your shift at the New World University Library, things started off as per usual. Armed with mints in your pocket and a single earbud in your ear, you started on your to do list, first of which was shelving books. Making your rounds through the library, you gave a few smiles and half waves to some of the students you recognized, but soon enough, you were lost in the music and books. Things were going quite smoothly too, that is, until a tall ginger in a whale hat dragged you out of your world, literally. 

He yanked you around the corner of the shelf with a crazed look on his face and frantically looked around before crouching down and grabbing you by both shoulders.

“You work here, right? Have you seen a tall guy in a white hat? Super scrawny, possibly high and definitely needs to lay off the coffee?”

“Sorry, what? I- no. Could you–” A loud BOOOOF cut you off, and all the blood drained from Whale-hat’s face. He released you and rocketed away faster than a bar of soap in the bath, cursing about flightless wanna-be posh birds. Not quite knowing what else to do, you sprinted after him. 

Students were fleeing the plaza at the center of the library, while just as many flocked in with their phones to film whatever was happening. Whale-hat was shoving his way through the throng and you dived after him, apologizing to the disgruntled students as you went.

Whale-hat broke free of the crowd before you, and the people cut off your escape before you could follow. You could hear someone yelling about wasted food, a bunch of incoherent shouting, and a frick ton of barking for somewhere any animals besides service dogs were not supposed to be. You weren’t exactly sure what was happening, but it smelled of trouble, and you could get in a LOT of trouble if this didn’t get resolved quickly!

“COMING THROUGH!” You held your arms around your face and bulldozed through the last students in your way, breaking out into the open– 

Something big and heavy to slammed you to the ground, gave you a few licks and ran across you. 

“POLAR BEAR!” One shadow jumped over you, quick as a whip.

“THAT'S A DOG IDIOT!” Another shadow soared overhead. “STOP CHASING HIM, HE THINKS THIS IS A GAME!”

“Oh my god, are you okay? I’m so fucking sorry about this!” Whale-hat paused his pursuit just long enough to help you up and make sure you could see straight. “PENG YOU IDIOT, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HIM OUTSIDE!”

“LET’S SEE YOU TRY TO CONTROL AN EXCITED DOG WHO WEIGHS AS MUCH AS YOU!!!”

Whale-hat ran off after you assured him you were fine, and you took in the scene before you. (Properly this time, no giant dogs to obstruct the view). 

The dog in question (definitely able to be confused for a polar bear by size alone) was bounding joyously throughout the plaza, making new friends who would give him pets before he noticed the meat-kid and scamper excitedly away again. Behind Meat-kid were Whale-hat and his friend, trying desperately to call over the dog.

“IS THAT YOUR SHITTY DOG!?” A blonde guy yelled from across the plaza, remnants of a meal scattered around his feet. “IT JUST ATE ALL OF OUR DAMN FOOD!” Why had they decided to have a picnic in the library? And why was the dog close enough to raid their picnic?

“COME HERE POLAR BEAR!” The meat-kid got close enough he dived for the dog. You thought he would actually catch the dog, but the dog dodged at the last second, leaving a student available for meat-kid to tackle instead. You barely held back a snort at the sight of limbs flailing askew and they disappeared from view.

You scowled to compose yourself and took a deep breath; this had gone on long enough. Crossing the plaza, you snatched part of the lost meal and whistled and made some kissy noises. “Here boy! Come here! Want some food?” You patted your leg excitedly and crouched down, trying to lure the fluff monster over.

By some miracle, he heard you over all the noise and bounded over to you, graciously gobbling up the treat and basking while you showered him in rubs and praise (and took a hold of his collar). Whale-hat and his friend wheezed as they ran up to you, gasping out apologies and thanks as they reattached the leash and tied it to their belt. Was– was that a great idea?

“YOUR POLAR BEAR STOLE MY MEAT!” The meat-kid bounced back over to them, hunger and indignation emblazoned across his face. (Talk about the living embodiment of hangry.)

“That's a dog Strawhat-ya." From behind Strawhat came a tall lanky man with bags the size of hammocks under his eyes, freshly soaked in coffee and wearing a white fuzzy cap. 

White hat. Tall. Probably needs to lay off the coffee. "Is that–" 

"LAW! There you are!" Whale-hat laughed and interrupted you, "We were just taking Bepo out for a walk! And we brought you some–"

Law pulled something out of his pocket and chucked it in the opposite direction. Bepo bolted away faster than a squirrel in a nut factory, dragging poor Whale-hat’s friend behind him. You watched alarmed as the dog/human sled combo created a scene which reminded you of bowling pins in a bowling alley. Law then held out his hand expectantly; Whale-hat swallowed hard and reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and a pack of... salted licorice? He handed the candy and a few bills over, and the lanky zombie disappeared with Strawhat bouncing after him.

What on earth was happening? 

"Oi, shithead! What are you gonna do about my ruined food!? Poor Nami-san and Robin-chan are gonna starve because of you and your shitty mutt!" The blonde growled at Whale-hat, glaring him down in a way that might have been scary, had he not been several inches shorter than the one he was yelling at.

"A, that's not my dog, and B, if Bepo wanted to eat it, then it probably tastes like shit anyway!"

They both started arguing loudly over each other, and you buried your face in your hands. This certainly wasn’t how you wanted today to go. But now, it was time to get this mess straightened out.

"Alrighty boys, listen here,” you growled, “I will look over you," you pointed harshly at the blondie, "having food in the library and I will look over you," you poked Whale-hat in the chest, "having a dog in the library if you both get this mess cleaned up. NOW."

Both their eyes went wide and they lowered their heads and apologized before scampering away to clean up the spilled food. That’s odd, you never thought you were that intimidat– 

“Sorry for the trouble,” an arm wrapped around your shoulder and you found yourself looking at the face of a very cute girl with orange hair, “I’ll make sure those idiots make it up to you.” She winked then strutted away.

You blinked as she disappeared. What the hell just happened? Could this day get any weirder? You shook your head and went to monitor the boys as they cleaned up. Several minutes of cleaning (and attempted flirting on the blonde’s part) later, the floor was clean, and you left them to pick up where you left off in your regular librarian duties.

Days later, you hadn’t run into any of them again, (though you think you might’ve seen Law passed out in the medical section), and it was all starting to feel like a weird fever dream. 

That is, until you received a text from an unknown number while you were at work in the library. 

This you? (Accompanied by a gif of you, being tackled by a big white furry smudge.) 

It looked hilarious, but you were torn between laughing and wanting to cry. Was this all over the internet now? Were you a meme?

You could just say no, wrong number… But what were the chances some random stranger had a gif of the incident and then texted you?

Maybe. Who’s asking?

The typing symbol appeared and disappeared several times, but after a few minutes it didn’t appear. Well that was anticlimactic.

“Uh, hi. Sorry, I just wanted to check if the number Nami gave me was right, or if she was just trolling me.” A voice came from behind you and there he was: Whale-hat! Wait, who the heck was Nami, and how had she gotten your number to pass along?

“Who gave you my number?” 

“The girl with the orange hair from the other day?” He frowned. “You didn’t give her your number?” 

“Not that I recall…” 

“Oh.” His eyes kept meeting yours then darting away again and he shuffled on the spot. You decided to have a little mercy on him.

“I never caught your name,” you extended your hand and introduced yourself properly.

“Ah, shit! I’m Shachi. Sorry about what happened the other day. We didn’t expect Bepo to cause such a mess.” He scratched the back of his neck and gave you an apologetic bow.

“It’s not your fault those students thought having a picnic in the library was a good idea,” you chuckled. “By the way, is your friend okay? The one who got dragged away?”

“Oh, Penguin’s fine! A couple of bruises and stuff, but he’ll live.”

“So, where did you get that gif?”

“Oh, you haven’t seen?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, “Someone got a good video of the whole thing and it’s already got about half a million hits! I can send the link if you…” He trailed off remembering this might not be something you wanted to be famous for. 

“Right, um…” Shachi blushed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “I actually was here more than just to apologize and show you embarrassing gifs of yourself.” He tucked his hands behind his back and glanced around. “I mean, it can be part of the apology but I was going to ask if I could get you coffee or something sometime but if you don’t want to that’s fine. Nami was threatening me that I need to be a gentleman– BUT NOT TO ASK YOU OUT, I wanted to do that anyway before this whole fiasco happened, but then you know, this happened, and I–”

“You’re asking me on a date?” you felt the corner of your mouth twitch up.

“I– yes?” He smiled nervously at you. 

You couldn’t help a small giggle. This felt waaayyyy too much like a scene from a bad fanfic, but it still made your heart go uwu. 

“Okay. I have to get back to work, but text me later and we work out a time.” You waved and pushed your cart away. A wide grin split his face in two, and he waved back before running giddily away. 

~~~

“I told you the Bepo plan was a sure fire way to get a date!”

*THWACK*

“That wasn’t how the Bepo plan was supposed to go! You owe me big time!”

[judylicious]

“I’m glad we both have found back to you.”

Alan Rubin x fem!Reader (chapter two)

Word Count: 1.850

Fandom: Blues Brothers

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Blues Brothers characters or movies.

Warnings: mentions of violence, abuse, death, murder, angst, swearing, age gap, fluff and slight smut

Summary: You met a handsome musician and his band, including a surprise form your past.

chapter 1

chapter 3

chapter 4

A couple days later Alan was meeting Kelsey for lunch at a cozy bistro at Blue Island Avenue. “So you’re not gonna ask me?”, she remarked before taking a big sip of her coffee and gave him a curious look over the rim of her cup. “About what precisely?” “My parents.” “It seemed like I blindsided you with that question before, didn’t want to push you…” “Still just as taken back as before I see.” She took a deep breath. 

“Mum’s dead, she passed away when I was 17, around Christmas.” “I’m… so sorry. What happened?”, he replied in a soft tone. “She fell down the stairs… You remember we had those big stairs made out of marble in the hall? Yep. She.. fell… according to the Police.” Alan raised an eyebrow. “Well, I saw my dad pushing her. Cops said he was trying to get a hold of her arm as she lost her balance but.. I saw it, you know? He often was violent with us, if he was home at all.” “I had no idea, I never noticed how troubled you were”, he admitted rather guilty. Without thinking he grabbed her hand that lied between her plate and the empty bread basket made from raffia, starting to softly caress the back of her hand with his thumb. “Oh it’s okay, really. You were hired for teaching me how play the horn, no more, no less.”, she gave him a reassuring smile. “C’mon don’t act like it was just that. We did get along pretty well. I remember one time you begged me for weeks to take you with me to that Miles Davis concert and although you had promised me to keep me awake during the ride back, as soon as your head hit the passengers seat you were knocked flat out.”, he shook his head but grinned widely. “I’m sorry but I had to prepare myself for sneaking back into the house at - what was it? 4am?” They both laughed and exchanged a look of familiarity. “Believe me, I fought desperately to stay awake. Kicked myself for missing out on a 3 hour ride alone with you in the car at night.” Kelsey suddenly blushed. “You didn't have the slightest idea how much I was into you, didn’t you?” Hold on what am I doing? Shut your big bazoo “Well…” Alan felt caught off guard and tried to ease the tension. “You were a teenager, don’t teenager have a crush on everything and everyone?” Kelsey put on a smile “Yeah, I guess so.” She took heart “But not me… I-“ “Can I get you anything else?” She was interrupted by the waitress. “Think we’re fine, thanks!”, the trumpet player gave her a nod. Kelsey checked her watch. “Damn, I’m late for the backshift, I’m so sorry Alan I totally lost track of time.” “No harm done, girl.”, he explained as he put some money on the table.” “Thanks for taking over the bill.” He smiled “Next time is on you then.”

When they stood outside the small bistro Kelsey couldn’t help herself but gave Alan a big tight hug. He seemed utterly surprised about this gesture but quickly put his arms around her.  “Thanks.”, she murmured, squeezing her eyes. The slightly older man had his eyes closed as well, inhaling her scent, feeling more secure than he had in a long time. Starting to feel embarrassed she got off of him and looked around for the nearest bus station, realising the next bus was already in sight. “I gotta catch that one!” “Is practise still on for Thursday? Your place?”,  he called after her. “Sure! 5pm, bring your horn.”, she waved at him and got onto the bus.

In preparation for Thursday Kelsey practised extra hard - on the other hand though she knew she shouldn’t take a heavy toll on her lip, that would only make things worse. I have to play decent tomorrow, at all costs. And even as her tones got real crappy, even more crappy than usual, she kept on playing, wanted to go over everything and every scale she had learned so far. However after 3 hours she was physically exhausted from trying to catch those high notes and her mouth piece left a dark, red circle around her lips.

And then finally - it was Thursday, just before 5pm. She checked herself in the mirror one last time before she changed her outfit for the 4th time that day. Perhaps I should go with the dress I wore first. But before she could get undressed another time there was a knock at the door. So she had no choice but to stay in her pleated skirt and red blouse. Alright, keep your head, relax, you got this. “Hi Alan, please come in.” The tensed girl was greeted by a big smile. “Nice to see ya.” The trumpet player stepped in and went into the living room, where everything was already set up. “How about we get right to it, hm?”

They both took a seat and she flipped one of the exercise books open. “So last I’ve practised these eighth notes in 3/4 - time.” “Did you warm up before?”, Alan tried to test her. “Yes I have.”, she responded quickly. “Good, then give it a try, I’m curious!” Oooh boy, here we go. Kelsey started to play the étude but already messed up the first few notes. Nervously she put her instrument down and glanced at Alan who wasn’t showing any reaction. And so she tried again. She played the whole piece but some of the notes didn’t come out at first try, so she messed up with the beat as well. When she had finished, she sighed in annoyance and didn’t even give Alan a glance. “Alright, how about you listen to what it’s supposed to sound like, to give you an idea.” And with that the grabbed his own horn, cleared his throat and played the little practise piece. Needless to say he did a perfect job on it. Kelsey couldn’t help herself but watch the man at her side while he was playing and it made her smile. He makes it look so easy. I mean it is, it’s freakin easy and I’m nothing but a failure. “Now it’s your turn again. Perhaps using the metronome will help you.” He grabbed the little gadget and set the right beat and speed. Listening to the soft “tick tick tick” sound Kelsey tried started from the beginning. Again a few notes simply didn’t come out at first try but just an airy sound, so halfway through she stopped. “No, no, come on keep going!”, the professional bolstered her. And so she did. “Heck! This is a waste of time, I’m sorry.”, the girl snapped and got up, taking a few steps away from her chair. “C’mon it is not. It will take some time, that’s all. I know you probably don’t wanna hear this but you haven’t played for over 5 years, meaning you HAVE to consider yourself as beginner and that’s okay.” Alan tried to calm her. “Look that’s not it. I suck, okay? I. SUCK. S-U-C-K!”. She was fuming. Putting extra emphasis on every letter as she spelled it out when tears began to run down her cheek. Alan jumped to his feet. “Hey, hey, don’t cry hun! I know it’s tough but you will get there. Believe me, I didn’t sound any better when I started.” “I’m so fucking dumb…” Kelsey murmured under her breath and turned away from the man who placed his hand on her shoulder. “Why are you saying this?” She turned around but didn’t look at him. “Dumb. I mean for walking away from it in the first place. I could be playing so well by now if I hadn’t quit.” The musician gave her a sympathetic look. “You had just started college. It’s okay to think about other things than playing the horn at that age.” “You didn’t.”, she countered and felt the need to look at him. Alan chuckled “Yeah but I attended Juilliard School of Music at the age of just 17 to become a professional. You chose a different path and you keep telling me how much you love your job.” Kelsey turn her head away from the man, who softly grabbed her chin and lifted her head up forcing her to look at him. He carefully wiped away one of her tears on her cheek.  “Listen. The most important thing is that you have found your way back to it and the trumpet its way to you… To be honest I’m glad both of us have found back to you.” He cupped her face gently in his hands, staring into her green eyes. Her breath hitched as he leaned in to drop a soft kiss on her lips. As he slowly pulled away, she crushed her lips on his again. Eagerly and desiring for more, she forced him to stumble a few steps back until he hit the wall. The kiss deepened, his big hands wandered to the back of her thighs, exploring her skin while going all the way up to her ass. Realising she wore a thong he gave her bare butt cheeks a determinant squeeze. Thank God she skipped on her tights today. Uncontrolled she ran her hands through his dark, slightly wavy hair, which he thankfully hadn’t slicked back today, caressing the shorter hair at his neck with one hand. The kiss became sloppy when both started to explore the other one’s mouth with their tongue. He lifted her right leg, bringing her knee up to his hip, which allowed him to pull her in even closer. As she grabbed a big fistful of his gorgeous hair, a deep moan left his mouth which brought her back to reality, so all of the sudden she pulled away. “I’m - so sorry.”, she stammered, trying to catch her breath. Alan cleared his throat “No need to apologise.” He awkwardly looked around the room. And then there was this weird silence, neither of them knew what to say or do next, so they just stood there, avoiding the gaze of the other until Alan screw up his courage.” Soo.. tomorrow night we play at ‘The Hideout’. Perhaps you’d like to come by.” Tomorrow?! “Sounds good, I’ll try to make it.”, Kelsey smiled. “Nice” he said nervously while grabbing his jacket and horn. He looked at her once more, wondering if he should kiss her goodbye. He took half a step towards her but his alarm bells went off reminding him that the situation was already embarrassing enough. “Guess I’ll see you around then.” And with a few quick steps he reached the door of her flat and left, feeling like a fool. Not only like a fool but like a goofy teenager. Kelsey closed the door behind him. Tomorrow!? I agreed on meeting Elwood after the gig. We made plans to see the Sonny Boy Williamson act starting at midnight.

[star-and-the-motherverse]

Chapter 6 - Off She Goes

The Butterfly Who Lost Her Wings

Word Count: 3476 | AO3 Mirror | Previous | Next

Summary: Marco tries not to think about summer. A familiar face realizes he’s out of the loop.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* ☾ *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

It didn’t really feel as if summer had ever arrived, to Marco, but it wasn’t like that was a trait unique to this particular one. When he was little, summer was the most exciting time of the year, but as he’d grown up, summer started to feel like it was getting shorter each time it came around. It had sort of lost its magic, in a strange way.

Not to say it was unwelcome—far from that, really. Summer break still probably was one of the better parts of the year. He got to spend a lot more time with his friends when they weren’t in school, and it was nice to take a couple months of break, not having to worry so much about the future.

But as days went by, he was starting to realize that he was… bored. By almost all of it. And it was strange, so strange. Really, this summer was equally as mundane as those that preceded it, and yet, here he was, feeling overwhelmingly alone.

You know exactly why that is.

Marco tried his best not to think about it—about her—as he went about his day-to-day life. But over half a year had passed since his everyday life had been upheaved. He’d practically forgotten what the bathroom countertop actually looked like when it was completely clear, or how small the guest room really was before it belonged to Star. They were little details that he was sure never would have stood out to him, not in the past. His painfully normal life had never stuck out to him like this until now, after everything that’s happened.

He missed the unpredictable nature of having Star as a housemate. The excitement, the danger, and everything else. He missed it so much.

Everything is still about Star.

He rolled over in bed, groaning, not able to find the motivation to get up just yet.

Some of his old friends hadn’t spoken to him in what felt like ages. Did he miss them too? He couldn’t tell. He thought that he did, but couldn’t even begin to think of how he might reach out. Jackie and—to a lesser extent—Janna were really the only friends from school that he regularly talked with anymore. He wasn’t exactly doing a good job of keeping in touch with anyone else.

Before he could think on it any longer, his phone vibrated. It took a surprising amount of effort for him to sit up and grab it off of bedside table. Reading over his lock screen, he saw that Jackie had texted him twice, the first message being from about an hour ago, and the other happening just now.

Jackie: Hey! How are u doing?

Jackie: Just realized you might still be asleep, sorry! xoxo

12:30 in the afternoon wasn’t a completely unreasonable time for a teenager to sleep in to, but Marco rarely ever stayed in bed for that long. He’d been up since noon at least—on a normal day, he’d be annoyed after wasting time, laying there and feeling sorry for himself.

Marco: Nah, I wasn’t. Sorry, missed your first text

Marco: It’s been a long morning 😅

Jackie: No worries :) Just checking in on u!

Jackie: Have u had lunch? Theres a food truck fair in town at the park, I think it would be fun to go!

Jackie: I bet theres a nacho truck somewhere, probably not as good as urs tho :)

He wasn’t really hungry at all, but he could certainly use the distraction. And he loved spending time with Jackie, more than anything. She always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better.

Marco: That sounds great. Did you want to meet there?

Jackie: Sure! Is 1:00 too soon?

Jackie: Also, hope u don’t mind but I invited Janna to come too!

Janna was one of the few people he’d managed to keep up regular conversation with, mostly over text. She didn’t give off the impression of a very social person, but then again, their unusual friendship probably didn’t make a lot of sense to outsiders, either.

Her reaction to the news of Star’s disappearance had been about in line with he was expecting, which wasn’t really saying much. Janna was an absolute wildcard, and he had a hard time figuring out what was going through her head even when things were normal. So her complete non-reaction, which might have caught other people off-guard, was just another Janna thing, in his mind.

She never liked talking about her emotions, and this would be no different. All he could really do was let her know that he was available to talk if she never needed to.

Marco: 1:00 is fine. And that’s cool with me

Marco: She’d probably find a way to invite herself if you didn’t.

Jackie: Lol ur probably right :P

Jackie: I’ll see you then💖

He let out a sigh and set the phone down on his bed, finally convincing himself to stand up. It wouldn’t take him that long to get ready to go out, mercifully. Such was the benefit of wearing a hoodie every day—even if the summer weather wasn’t exactly kind to him for it. He’d have plenty of time to get to the park and meet up with his friends, provided nothing weird happened.

Of course, as luck would have it, a lone laser puppy came wandering into the room, his tail wagging in excitement.

“Oh, hey… Sajak?” Star was the only one who could ever tell them apart, but he liked to believe he was getting better at it. “Yeah… Sajak.”

The puppy gave short little barks as he hopped around the room, coming to a stop in front of Marco and rearing up on his hind legs to demand his attention.

“‘Scuse me, buddy,” he said, carefully stepping over Sajak so that he could better reach his closet. “Sorry, but I’ve got things I gotta do today. No more lounging around.”

Sajak kept running circles around him and the room, occasionally pausing to stare at him expectantly. Marco tried to head out to the hall and towards the bathroom, but nearly tripped over the puppy as he rushed out in front of him before flopping down in front of the closed bathroom door.

“What in the world has gotten into you?” Marco asked, laughing, mostly to himself. He scooped up the dog with the intention of moving him. “You don’t feel like shooting me with a laser today? No?”

It was sort of a joke. He couldn’t quite remember last when the puppies had used their laser eyes. He wondered if it was related to whatever was going on with magic. It was a bit nicer to pretend that Sajak was just being particularly nice today, though.

Before he got the chance to move, a horde of laser puppies charged up the stairs, yapping excitedly. Barko Diaz brought up the rear, dragging in a multi-leash with him and nearly tripping over its cable several times as the lugged it up to the second floor.

“Seriously?” It was pretty cute at first, but now this was getting kind of ridiculous. “Guys, come on! I’m trying to do things!”

But he knew better than to tempt fate. These puppies were absolutely ruthless when it came to getting what they wanted. Truly, how could anyone say no to those adorable little faces?

He let out another low sigh. “Okay, okay, fine!” He’d had stranger mornings. If anything, he was getting exactly what he’d asked for with a distraction. His bad mood from the early morning was a distant memory by this point, which was a rather impressive turnaround.

He made his way slowly through what felt like a minefield of dogs, back to the side of his bed and picked up his phone once more.

Marco: I’m gonna be a little late, I have to take the dogs out on a walk first. They won’t leave me alone, haha

Jackie: Aww, so cute! That’s cause they love u so much ^^

Marco: Just doing my civic duty o7

Marco: See you in a bit ❤️

Jackie: 💖💖

“Settle down, Barko!” He cried out, once he’d turned his attention back to the excitable puppies. “I can’t put a leash on you if you won’t sit still!!”

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* ♥︎ *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

“What the heck?”

The phrase wasn’t really intended to be a question. It was more like... some sort of out-loud expression of Star’s ever-growing confusion. She’d only been free falling for a few seconds or so, but as she blinked, she somehow found herself standing in front of Echo Creek Academy. She had no idea how or why. She didn’t even remember landing on the ground, which she was sure would have injured her under normal conditions.

“School? Again?!”

What even were the odds that she’d end up on the school’s doorsteps? Unless, for some reason, it was doing that thing where it was in every place she looked—

Oh no… it absolutely was. There was another school right in front of her. When she turned away, there was another school there, too. She turned again and again. Another one, each time.

“You’ve gotta be kidding..! Why?! Why here?!”

She was most definitely somewhere inside of the wand. She shouldn’t have been that surprised—it was one of the most likely options that she’d narrowed down, for cob’s sake—but there was still something deeply unsettling about how she’d found her way back to this place. Not long from now and she’d probably start bumping into past versions of herself, following in her current footsteps like some sort of video game. Only this time, she had no idea of how she was supposed to get out. Hopefully Glossaryck would know to come rescue her if things got bad.

At least those weird disembodied voices hadn’t managed to follow her here. Somewhere along the way she must have lost them.

“I’m not going in the stupid school,” she grumbled, having nothing but negative memories associated with its strange, magical realm counterpart. It’s supposed to be summer! I do what I want!

Instead, she took to the sidewalk, putting her hands in her dress pockets and wandering along, looking around for a glimpse of something, anything else.

There certainly wasn’t any shortage of weird things to look at in the wand. Everywhere she looked were pieces of Echo Creek and Mewni, awkwardly stitched together in ways that didn’t make much sense at all. Street lamps and sidewalks wove between wells and Mewnian carnival tents. Spanish-style houses were dotted between the fields of corn that stretched out into the horizon, from what she could see past the school. Cacti and coniferous trees were growing side by side, as if they were always supposed to be that way. But even with everything going on, the looming silhouette of Butterfly Castle towered over all other set pieces, only dwarfed in size by the mountainous terrain that made up the background of this strange place.

“Ack!” she cried out suddenly, stumbling a bit as the ground beneath her transitioned from sidewalk to an empty parking lot—save for a single chariot parked on the other side. Just ahead of her, a little puddle rested on the uneven pavement, made up of that same green sludge that Toffee had left her to drown in.

She was so overcome with anger and frustration at the sight of it that she kicked it out of impulse. Just before her boot made contact with the puddle, though, she swore she saw a glimmer of light hiding within it—but not nearly soon enough to stop. When her foot landed back on the ground, and the puddle stilled, nothing was there.

A bit shaken, her gaze wandered upwards. The star-shaped insignia in the dark purple sky looked the same as it had before, split in half and all. But as she watched it, she couldn’t help but think it looked a bit dimmer. It’s fine. You’re gonna be fine, she wanted to say, but she never spoke it aloud, not entirely sold on the idea herself.

Was it fine? Is that really why she wasn’t running into any timeline duplicates of herself? She was still alone, sure, and maybe that was a good thing. There wasn’t any immediate danger, or anything like that. So why am I worried?

She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to quell her doubts.

Surely nothing had changed, right?

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* ☀ *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

Tom rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand as he made his way out of his room and towards the dining hall, headed out in search of coffee. He never was much of a morning person, and that fact probably wouldn’t come as a surprise to many people. He was never thrilled about having to wake up early for meetings, or summons, or whatever else, but that was something that sort of came with the territory of being a prince.

He’d been trying to avoid Star ever since he’d failed his anger management final exam, following the suggestion from his life coach. It didn’t make sense to him at first—how was he supposed to know when she wanted to talk to him again?—but he’d ultimately come around to Brian’s advice, even if it was with reluctance. It was clear that she still wanted space. He needed to respect that.

It sure was frustrating, though. Patience wasn’t exactly his strong suit.

He was drawn out of his irritated thoughts when a messenger demon nearly crashed into him as he appeared around the corner. “Watch it!” Tom snapped, but the messenger didn’t acknowledge him as he continued in a hurry down the corridor. He couldn’t help but be a bit curious why this particular message was so important that it demanded such prompt attention.

Weirdly, the demon suddenly skidded to a halt, whirling around to come back down the hallway and stop in front of Tom, bowing. “Master Tom! Would you perhaps know where King Dave would be at this hour?”

“Uh… probably in his office?”

“Thank you, Master Tom!” Just as quickly as he’d returned, he was off again, headed back down the hall.

That was weird, Tom noted. He watched the messenger instinctively head towards the throne room, only to remember where he was supposed to be headed and travel down the adjacent hall instead. It wasn’t often that they received news worthy of any interest, so before Tom could convince himself otherwise, he was chasing after the messenger—too intrigued to stop himself from prying. It’s not like I have anything better to do, he remarked inwardly, somewhat dejected.

Light on his feet, he followed the smaller demon at a short distance so that he wouldn’t be noticed. They both quickly arrived at the king’s office, and the messenger disappeared through the towering doorway. Tom was able to catch the conversation before it had really started, listening through the door.

“—uncement from the Butterfly Kingdom, my lord! The Silver Bell Ball has been indefinitely postponed!”

What? If he was being completely honest, he’d sort of forgotten that it was almost time for the Silver Bell Ball again. He had some fond memories of the event from over the years, but he wasn’t really the dancing type. It was more boring than anything else, and it was quite funny how Star agreed with him wholeheartedly. But she always made the point of how it was nice to see everyone again, and he supposed that was one of its better aspects. It would feel weird to not go to it every year.

His father’s thought process mirrored his own. “What?” Dave exclaimed. “But the ball is a yearly tradition! Why would they do such a thing?”

Tom overheard the messenger clear his throat as he unraveled a scroll. “In the words of the Queen and King themselves: ‘it is with great reluctance that we inform you of our decision to cancel the Silver Bell Ball this year. We believe that this is the right thing to do, as the ongoing magical fritz is a pressing issue that requires our full attention. This is a difficult time for our kingdom, and we sincerely thank you for your patience and understanding.’”

“A magical fritz? What in the Underworld does that even mean?”

“The announcement does not clarify it, my lord.”

Tom heard the groan of table legs against the floor as Dave adjusted his chair. “I know that the Butterfly Kingdom is quite dependent on magic, but enough to cause this level of instability? This is preposterous!”

Admittedly, he didn’t have that much of an understanding of how magic worked, either. Most of the cities across Mewni had close ties to magic, but none of them were quite as clear cut as the Butterfly Kingdom. They had been an incredibly powerful force for centuries. If something weird was happening with magic, Star likely would have been one of the first to notice, since she was in possession of the magic wand.

“There could be something more serious at play here…” The messenger demon’s words trailed off.

“In what sense?” Dave asked.

“Well…” He lowered his voice, and it immediately became more difficult for Tom to pick up on their conversation, much to his frustration. He had to listen incredibly closely in order to make out what was being said, leaned up against the door. “There’s a rumor going around that something happened to the princess.”

Tom swore he could feel his blood run cold.

“What do you mean?” the king asked. “Is she sick?”

“Something like that. People can’t seem to agree on what’s happened to her.”

Dave paused for several moments, likely thinking over the implications of the messenger’s words. “You think that the Butterflies are lying?”

“Not necessarily. Perhaps it is an indirect lie, or a lie by omission. Whatever is going on, it appears the royal family are trying to hide it while they're so vulnerable.”

It had to be impossible. Star must’ve been fine. She was on Earth! Who did this messenger think he was, to present such a baseless claim as an actual reality? No, he’d prove him wrong. He could call her, right?

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

Before he could even stop to remind himself that, no, Star still needed space, he shouldn’t bother her, she’ll come back to him when she’s ready to talk again—he was clicking through his contact list and tapping on her displayed nickname. Starship. He’d never brought himself to change it from that.

“Calling Star,” read the text-to-speech voice, before it was cut off by a screen tear and replaced with loud, crackling static and white noise. Startled, he snapped his compact shut immediately to silence it.

“What was that?”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything…”

“Oh… hmm. Sorry. Perhaps it was nothing.”

He wasn’t listening to them anymore—no, he was panicking. Fear was getting to him, badly. He hated this, he hated feeling scared. This didn’t make any sense! Even if something had happened to her, the call should have gone through. It still should have let him leave a voicemail, or something! Not static and nothing else!

This was strange, this was wrong. Something was wrong, and he had no idea what it was.

“—h well,” he overheard Dave start to speak again. “I suppose it’s not—“

Unable to stand there any longer, Tom threw open the door and came storming in, glaring accusingly between them both. “That’s not good enough!”

“Thomas!” Dave scolded, standing up from his chair. “What have I told you about eavesdropping on my conversations?”

Ignoring him, Tom stared directly at the messenger, his eyes fiery with anger. “What did you say happened to Star?!”

The demon flinched, scrambling for words as he stepped backwards. “I-I’m sorry, Master Tom! I truly wish that I had more information, but I don’t. So long as the Butterfly kingdom keeps its borders closed, I’m not sure we’ll ever get an answer…”

“Then do your job!” He snarled, clenching his fists. “Go out there and find the answer, and don’t come back until you do!”

“Thomas, that’s enough!” Dave stepped between them both. “We don’t know what’s going on, and that’s how it’s going to be for right now. It’s ultimately not our business, to know what’s happening in the personal lives of other royals.”

“It is mine!” Tom hissed. “I care about her! I need to know that she’s okay!”

But no matter how much shouting he did during that confrontation—and it certainly was a lot—he never got an answer he was happy with. No amount of sulking around the castle was going to change that. He wasn’t going to find an answer here on Mewni, not anytime soon.

[bleachanimefan1]

Turtles Forever Part 65

The Lesson

"Donnie, What's the big surprise that you had to drag us all out of bed?" Raph growled, irritated. The three brothers, Splinter, and four girls were in Donnie's lab, wondering the same as well. Donnie was standing in front of them.

"Yeah, Don. Couldn't it wait in the morning? A turtle does need his beauty sleep, you know?" Mikey groaned tiredly, rubbing his eyes, yawning. Leatherhead walked into the room wheeling in a strange monitor. 

"Leatherhead? what are you doing here?" Leo asked.

"Leatherhead and I staid awake all night fixing this. But, we did it! We've finally got it to work!" Donnie shouted barely able to contain his excitement. 

 "Did what, my son?" Splinter questioned. Donnie walked over to Mona and took her hand gesturing her to the bed, with the monitor next to it, to lie down on it. Cautiously, Mona laid down as Raph walked over to her standing beside the bed next her.  Donnie started up the monitor and began to rub some gel on the mutant's stomach. Then he took a sensor that was connected to the monitor and began to rub it over Mona's belly. A picture came on the screen followed by an erratic heartbeat. Oh the screen, was a small baby with a tail as it moved. Raph and Mona's eyes widen in shock as did everybody else as well watching the screen.

"O-Our baby?!" Mona stammered. Raph watched the screen in silence, completely paralyzed in shock. Donnie scanned Mona over again then inspected the image on the screen. 

"By the looks of it, the baby's definitely gonna take after Mona. But, I can't tell what the gender is because of the tail in the way. However, they seem to be healthy." Donnie explained. "I'd say it'll probably be about three months before they are born."

"Donnie, this is the best gift ever! You and LH really out-did yourself!" Raph exclaimed. Donnie smiled sheepishly, rubbing his head. 

"It was nothing really. Just a few broken circuit boards and wires."

 The turtles and the four girls jump down in front of April's shop. They walked in as they entered.

"April?" Leo called out. "Anybody home?"

Suddenly, they hear a scream and the sounds of someone getting beaten up. "No!"

"April's in trouble!" Donnie exclaimed. He pulls out his staff and runs towards the back door. The others follow him with weapons drawn as they ran out into the alleyway. They see April holding a bat.

"I give, I give!" They hear someone shouted. Leo adjusted the light bulb and everyone was surprised to see that it was Casey. April panted as she looked down at him.

"Easy April, it's only me!" Casey protested. April gave him an angry look.

"Casey, what the heck are you doing?" She questioned. "That has to be the dumbest thing in the history of dumbest things anybody could do!" Raph and Donnie walked over and helped Casey up. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm glad that's just a whiffle bat," Casey commented, rubbing his head. "Sheesh!"

"No, I mean, why would you do such a thing?" said April as she threw the bat away and started walking towards the back door to her shop.

"You asked me to, remember?" Casey asked.

"I did not!" April protested.

"Sure you did!" Casey said as he steps to her. "You was bragging about your ninja fighting skills," He flaps his arms. "And I said I ought to sneak up on ya sometime and test out how good you was. And you said that sounded like an interesting idea."

April glared at him, placing her hands on her hips. Then she looked at the four brothers and girls. "So, how are you guys doing?" She asked. "I was about to make some hot chocolate. I can easily make enough for nine," She smiled. Everyone cheered as they followed April to her shop.

"Great, I love hot chocolate!" Casey exclaimed, happily.

April counted as the four brothers and girls walked into her shop. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight," She smirked and pointed to herself. "And nine." Slamming the door on Casey's face.

"Come on April, you weren't that scared," Casey protested outside. "You beat the crud out of me!" He groaned. He hears no response. "April? Guys? Geez, everybody's so sensitive around here," said Casey, as he kicked a can and started walking away.

In the living room, Mikey and Leo were sitting on the couch, along with Yuuki and Alopex, Raph was sitting on the chair while Mona sat on the arm rest of the chair, Donnie was sitting on the table while Venus sat in a chair next to him.

"Think Casey's okay out there?" Mikey questioned. Suddenly, Donnie's shell cell began to ring.

"That's probably him now," said Leo.

"He's such a bonehead," Raph commented.

"Uh, hello?" Donnie asked as he answered his phone. But, he winched as he heard static. "Huh, it's not Casey. Sounds like somebody's trying to send me a fax."

April growled in frustration. "Oh that Casey gets me so mad!" She carried a tray with nine cups filled with hot chocolate as she walked over to the table. The three brothers and girls walked over to her at the table, taking a seat.

"What are you talking about, April?" Raph asked. "You totally clobbered him!"

"Well," April hesitated. "It's just that I really thought I was getting somewhere in my training with Master Splinter," The turtles, and girls take their hot chocolates, listening to her. "But Casey totally caught me by surprise. I should have heard him coming. You guys would have."

"Well, if it makes you fell any better, April. I'm still learning myself." said Yuuki.

"It takes a lot of practice," Donnie tells her.

"Master Splinter spent a lot of time training us to be aware of our surroundings at all times," Leo explained. "After a while though, if you studied hard enough, you got a sixth sense for it."

"Maybe you guys could help with my ninja training?" April suggested.

The four turtles give her surprised looks.

"Yeah, that's actually not a bad idea, April." Yuuki commented. The four brothers looked at each other, before shaking their heads.

"No way!" Raph said, waving his hands. The four girls looked at them surprised.

"Why not? I'm a quick learner!" April protested.

"It's not you, April," Donnie explained. "It's us."

"Last time we tried to play sensei...well, let's just say it didn't work out too well," Leo said, hesitantly.

"Yeah, we though we could teach this kid," Raph chuckled. "And we were just kids ourselves."

"Raph, that's no way to tell a story," Mikey argued. "Here, let me do it. It was a dark and stormy night, in a galaxy far far away-"

"Mikey," Raph warned.

"Uh, I mean, many moons ago, on a night much like this one,"

Four younger turtles with shorter masks that covered their heads were running in the sewers.

"We were four young turtle tots facing the most horrible of all dangerous dangers. Dun, dun, dun, the wrath of Master Splinter!"

Splinter smacked his staff against the map of the sewers that was hanging on the wall.

"We'd been warned. We knew what we were not supposed to be doing." Leo added.

Splinter smacks his staff, making the four turtle tots gasp. "Do not go to the surface!" He told them as they were walking across a balance beam. "Never go up to the streets! It is far too dangerous," He warned them as they were having dinner and slammed his teapot down, making them gasp. "Under no circumstances should you ever go above ground," Leo lost his balance, falling off from the beam. "If you ever think of going topside, just do not!" Splinter exclaimed. "You had better hope I never catch you going out of the sewers!"

The four turtle tots gulped and looked at each other.

"So, what did you guys do?" April asked.

Leo opened the manhole cover. "We went topside." The four brothers struggled to slide the manhole cover as they tried to move it. 

"When we finally go the lid off." Donnie said.

"Hey, no cutting in line!" Raph warned as they tried to crawl out.

"Then move your big fat shell!" Mikey exclaimed. They climbed out and looked around the alley in wonder and amazement.

"It's amazing!" Leo said. "All this open space!"

They walked further down the alley, exploring. "Man, Master Splinter's been holding out on us," Raph said. "Up here, it's...it's..."

"Beautiful," Donnie finished.

"What we didn't know was that just around the corner, was destiny. Or actually this kid that needed help," Mikey said. 

A tall black haired boy was wearing a red shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. With him was another boy who was wearing glasses. They watched as the older boys were playing hockey in the streets.

"It's Danny McDonough and his wolf pack," The boy wearing glasses said.

"Man, these guys think they own the street," The taller boy whined. "How come they gotta play in front of my steps, Stevie?"

"I'll help you," Stevie explained, clenching his fist. "We'll stand up to them." He glanced over at the older boys nervously, gulping.

"I'd like to, but they'd just beat the crud out of us. You just go on around and go home," The taller boy told Stevie. "I'll be okay."

Stevie placed a hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "Be careful. I'll see you tomorrow." The taller boy waved as his friend left. As the taller boy turned to walk to his house, the older boys blocked him.

"Hey guys, here comes Arnie dork. You forgot to pay your toll yesterday. This here's our street!" Danny said, jerking his thumb to his gang.

"I...I don't want no trouble," the boy replied, nervously.

"Well, you got trouble." Danny said as he and his gang advance closer. The boy pushed past Danny and his gang and took off running. They chased as they skated after him.

In the alley, Raphael was standing on top of a dumpster.

"I am Raphael, king of the trash!" He exclaimed. The other three turtles climbed onto the dumpster, but Raph threw them off.

"Sorry, Raph," Leo said as he picked Raph up by his leg and knocked him down. "You're the trash and I'm the king!"

"All hail Leo! King of the trash can!" Mikey cheered. Suddenly, Donnie heard voices that were coming closer towards them.

"Guy's, somebody's coming," He told them. The boy ran into the alley while the four turtle tots hid underneath the dumpster. The boy saw that he was trapped as he was at an dead end. He leaned against the wall panting, trying to catch his breath. As he stood up to run away, his eyes widen. 

"Oh crud," The boy muttered. He backed up as Danny and his gang skated towards him.

"Poor little fella," Danny said, smirking. "He ran into a dead end." 

The four brothers cringed as they heard the boy getting beat up.

"Somebody ought to help that kid," Leo whispered.

"Yeah, finally some real action," Raph murmured, getting up, ready for a fight. But, Donnie stopped him.

"Remember, we can't be seen," He told them.

As the gang was beating the boy, a trash can suddenly came flying at them and hit one of them. "Ow! Hey man, what's your deal?" He shouted as he pushed one of his friends. Mikey threw a trash bag at one of them.

"Ow! Hey, cut it out!"

Then a rope was thrown at one of their feet, being pulled. One of the boys lost their balance and fell on top of Danny, placing his hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Hey, quit it!" Danny said. He turned towards the boy at their feet getting ready to beat him up some more.

"Danny! Lunch time!" Danny's mother called out. He turned to the boy.

"Next time, pay your toll if you want to use our street. Come on, we're outta here," Danny said as he and his gang left.

"That's when young "Master Leo" convinced us to help the kid out," Mikey said.

"To train him so he wouldn't need little green guardian angels all the time," Donnie added.

"We thought we already knew everything there was about ninjitsu, so how hard could teaching be?" Leo said.

"And it had to be better than being stuck in the sewers doing nothin'." Raph said.

"Okay," Leo explained as he turned to the other three turtles. He was wearing a red hat that covered his face, blue jeans, a yellow shirt and brown jacket. "You guys know the plan. We'll each take turns teaching the kid what we know. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The other three turtle tots saluted.

"But remember, guys," Donnie warned. "No matter what happens, we can't let Master Splinter know what we're up to."

Leo nodded and walked over to the boy as he was getting up. The boy groaned as he rubbed his arm. "Hey kid," He turned to Leo. "I saw what happened earlier. You know, you really shouldn't let those bullies push you around like that."

"Oh, it's no biggie," The boy rubbed his arm. "I'll heal."

"It IS a big deal," Leo argued. "It's a matter of honor! You can't surrender your honor so easily. The street belongs to everybody."

"Not for kids like you and me," The boy looked away crossing his arms. "I'm too small."

"No! Those guys are small because they have no heart and no honor. My sensei, my teacher, always taught me that true strength comes from within," Leo explained.

"Maybe, but how do you get it?" The boy asked.

"You train. You train in the art of self-defense," Leo said as he did some moves. The boy watched in awe. "I can help you, teach you." The boy smiled at him.

"Okay, then let's meet back here tomorrow, the same time." Leo said. 

The next day, Leo and the boy were on the rooftop, sitting with their legs crossed. The boy was struggling. 

"First of all, you have to be serious about wanting to change things. You have to feel the power, connect with the power. Find your inner core, your honor, your true heart. Have you found it yet?" Leo explained as the boy continued to struggle more.

"Uh, I don't think so. Uh, little dude, I can't feel my legs," The boy said.

"That's a good thing, stay focused and breathe and you'll find your true strength," Leo told him. As Leo watched the boy as he tried to meditate, his mind began to wonder back to yesterday with his encounter with the girl with pig tails. 

"Uh, little dude, I don't think this is working." The boy said. Leo snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him. How long was he spaced out. His eyes widen. He needed to get back home, fast! Leo stood up. "Just keep practicing. You'll get it! I-uh, need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back!" He said, running.

At the turtle's old Lair, Mikey and Donnie were sparring. Splinter was watching them. Donnie jumped to kick but Mikey dodged it. "Excellent, Michelangelo. Donatello, lift your leg higher for the kick," Splinter instructed. Mikey knocked Donnie and he landed in front of Splinter. Donnie sat up, rubbing his head.

"Sorry, Master Splinter," He said. Splinter held his hand out and Donnie took it as Splinter helped him up.

"That is enough for now. You may rest, my son. It is Leonardo's turn to train," Splinter said as he turned to the couch. Raph was watching the TV with a stuffed bear, sitting next to him that was wearing Leo's mask and a T-shirt.

"Uh-oh, oh boy..." Raph muttered as he looked back as Splinter then back at the bear.

"Come Leonardo," Splinter called out.

"Master Splinter, we wanna keep practicing!" Mikey called out as he and Donnie tried to distract him.

"But it is Leonardo's turn," Splinter explained.

"Leo won't mind, will ya Leonardo?" Mikey called out. Raph lifted the stuffed bear's arm, waving at Splinter.

"Uh, wave if it's okay, Leonardo," Donnie said, nervously. Raph lifted the stuffed bear's arm, waving at Splinter. 

"See? Leo doesn't mind." Mikey answered. Splinter frowned in suspicion.

"Uh, is this right, Master Splinter?" Mikey called out as he and Donnie began to spar.

"What about this leaping over the leg sweep?" Donnie asked. "I think I'm getting better!"

Splinter turned to them."I said enough practice. Leonardo, Leonardo?" He called as he began to walk over to the couch. Mikey and Donnie cringed as he got closer.

"This is it, it's all over! We are so cooked!" Mikey panicked as Splinter reached a hand out. Donnie and Mikey screamed. Raph immediately shut his eyes.

"Leonardo!" Splinter shouted as he placed his hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Yes, Master Splinter?" Leo answered. Splinter blinked in confusion.

"It is time for your practice," He explained.

"Oh, okay, coming sensei," Leo said, giving Raph a wink and a thumbs up. Raph returned it. Leo jumped over the couch and flipped, landing next to Splinter.

"Sorry I didn't answer earlier," Leo said as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I kind of dozed of there for a moment." He started his katas. Donnie and Mikey were watching Leo and Splinter. Donnie nodded to Mikey and he quietly slipped away without Splinter noticing.

On the rooftops, Mikey finished dressing up, wearing the same outfit that Leo was wearing. "Now the student has become the master," He chuckled as he walked over to the boy. "Ready for more learning?"

"Well, I've been trying to be serious and breathing stuff to find my inner strength like you said,...but kinda makes my head hurt," The boy said as he scratched his head. "And I still can't feel my legs."

"What, are you kidding me?" Mikey questioned. "Get up, get up!" He helped the boy up. "Forget all that baloney, the first and most important lesson is this: you need the right attitude!" The boy blinked, confused, looking at Mikey. "And part of having a winning attitude is having a cool battle cry! A heroic superhero battle cry, like in the comic books!"

"I got it! Goru guru sama!" Mikey exclaimed. The boy scratched his head, completely confused.

"Go ro ro bo...wha?" He questioned.

"Goru guru sama! It means Mister Thunder! Goru guru sama! It's perfect for you!" Mikey exclaimed. "If you yell out Goru guru sama while charging into battle, your foes will flee like cowards before you! Ooo I really wanna see that! Come on, let's try it!" 

"Oh, they're just gonna cream us again," The boy complained as Mikey lead him into the alley until the two spotted Danny and his gang.

"Not with your cool battle cries!" Mikey told him as he pushed the boy towards the gang. "Remember, Goru guru sama. Now, go get 'em!"

The boy gulped then narrowed his eyes and walked over to Danny and his gang. He clenched his fists.

 "Goru go bolo ama!" He shouted. The gang smirked and skated over towards the boy and began beating him up. Mikey cringed.

"Maybe I didn't give him the right name..." He murmured as he watched.

Donnie and Mikey met on the rooftops. Mikey took off his clothes and tosses them to Donnie.

"How's it going?" Donnie asked.

"Um, great," Mikey answered, hesitantly.

"Good, because I got something really special planned for them. They're gonna love it!" Donnie said as he put on the hat.

The boy sat across from Donnie looking down at a chessboard that was sitting in front of them. "It's really important to really think your actions through. It's all like a game of chess," Donnie explained. "You have to be thinking three to four moves ahead of your adversary. Planning, knowing what's coming."

The boy looked at the chessboard unsure of what to do and scratched his head. "Uh,..." Donnie tapped his finger on the table. He looked up at the boy, who still hadn't made a move. Hours seemed to passed, as Donnie had his head laid on the table and a pigeon landed on him. He looked up again to see that the boy still hadn't made a move.

"Well, it might take a little more time...for some people, I guess," Donnie said as he stood up. "I'll be right back." He left as the boy stared at the chessboard, thinking.

Donnie ran to Raph, handing him the clothes and tossed the hat on Raph's head. "Good luck," He told him. Raph quickly got dressed and ran over to the boy, sitting down.

"I've been studying the board like you said and I still don't get it. Like the horsey, though," The boy said as he held up the knight piece. "I'm trying to think it through, but I don't know."

"Listen guys, the first and most important lesson is to never think. Never! Just act and react and always attack!" Raph said.

"I sure wish you'd make up your mind. Be serious, use your battle cry, think it through, never think! I don't get it!" The boy shouted, confused.

"What you need are weapons. It's all about the weapons," Raph said. "We gotta find you some kind of weapon."

Raph looked at the chessboard before getting an idea. Across from Raph and the boy were three cans that were sitting on the ledge. Raph held the chess pieces in his hand and threw them, knocking down all three cans. "Ha!" He turned to the boy. "You try!"

"Uh...kay." The boy answered nervously, holding the chess pieces in his hand. He threw it but the pieces hit the wall and rebounded back towards him and Raph. Raph cringed.

"Hmm, maybe you just need a better target. Let's see how you do in combat," He said. Raph lead the boy into the alley.

"Now remember, focus on your weapon. It's all about the weapons!" He explained.

The boy threw the pieces at the gang but missed as the pieces landed near their feet. Raph cringed as he watched the boy get beat up by the gang.

"Maybe we need to work on the kid's aim a little...or find him a different weapon." He murmured.

Back in the Lair, Mikey, Donnie and Leo stood across from Splinter as he stood in front of them. "Now, I wish for you to take what you have learned and use it in pairs. Michelangelo and Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael," Splinter raised an eyebrow, seeing that Raph wasn't there. "Where is Raphael?"

"He's in the shower?" Donnie answered, nervously, jerking his thumb.

"Yeah, yeah, he's in the shower," All three turtle tots said together. Leo smiled sheepishly. Splinter gave them a suspicious look.

"You four have been acting very strangely of late," He pointed out.

"Uh, Raphael, it's time to get out of the shower!" Leo shouted, running off. Donnie and Mikey smiled sheepishly and followed after him. Splinter had a confused look on his face watching them leave. Raph walked in as the others ran over to him. "Raphael!"

"Raphie, hold still!" Mikey told him and Leo dumped a bucket of water on Raph.

"There."

"What was that for?!" Raph demanded.

"You just got out of the shower," Leo whispered. Raph turned to Leo and growled until he saw Splinter walking up to them with a stern look on his face.

"I just got out of the shower, sensei," Raph explained. All four smiled sheepishly as they looked up at Splinter.

"Hmm, I can see that," Splinter answered, hesitantly, crossing his arms."Do you always shower with your mask on?"

"Uhh, yeah, it's a great way to keep it clean!" Raph said. Splinter gives him a questionable look, shaking his head. 

"Come, let us resume your training,"

In the alley, Leo, who was wearing clothes again, stood with the boy. "Okay, now it's time to try out what you've learned, to face your enemies."

"But you already made us face 'em, twice!" The boy pointed out. "And they creamed me both times!"

"Em, I did?" Leo asked, confused. "Well, let's try it again, using everything you've learned." He pushes the boy towards the gang. Standing back, watching, Leo saw his brothers walking over towards him.

"So, you think he learned anything?" Mikey questioned.

"I hope so. I mean, you taught him self-defense, right, Mikey?" Leo asked in response. "How to punch and kick? And I covered inner strength."

"I didn't teach him any fighting skills," Mikey answered, confused. "I thought Raph was gonna."

"I didn't," Raph shook his head. "Donnie, did you?"

"Oh shell," Donnie muttered in realization.

"Go so bo gara!" The boy shouted. The four turtle tots cringed as they saw the gang beat the boy up again.

"Okay, we're gonna start over," Leo said. "But this time with the real basics."

"Right!' Mikey commented. "Or as Master Splinter would say, "the foundation of any house must start strong and-" A shadow towered over them and Mikey made a girlish scream as Splinter stood over them.

"Master Splinter!" The four turtles exclaimed.

They gasped, seeing Splinter was not happy. He was furious.

"Um, Master Splinter, we can explain," Donnie explained. "We've been teaching."

"Like you!" Mikey exclaimed. "But not as good as you."

"You know, trying to follow in your footsteps?" Leo asked, sheepishly.

"There's this kid and-" Raph started to add but Splinter hold his hand up.

"Enough! Home, now!" He snapped, angrily, crossing his arms.

"But...the kid," Raph protested.

"We can't just abandon him," Mikey defended.

"You are not ready to teach! You could do more damage than good. The child must find his own path, as you must find yours. Now come, we are going home," Splinter told them. All four turtle tots whined as the hang their heads down.

Everyone busted out laughing out loud. "Oh man, was Splinter angry!" Mikey exclaimed.

"He must have made us practice for 78 hours straight," Leo recalled.

"I think he wanted to make sure we were so tired, we wouldn't be able to go topside," Donnie said.

"So whatever happened to this kid, anyway?" April wondered, raising an eyebrow. The four turtles looked at each other.

"You know, I don't know," Leo answered, shaking his head.

The boy was walking down the street with a solemn look on his face. "I'll just have to tell that kid in the red hat the training isn't working. Guess I don't have what it takes."

"Hey geek boy, doing a little reading?" He heard and looked up to see Stevie being picked on by Danny and his gang. "Oh, you're gonna cry? Oh look, he's gonna cry!"

"Give it back!" Stevie shouted as he tried to grab for his book.

"Stevie?" The boy asked, before narrowing his eyes, growling. 

"What are you gonna do about it?" The gang asked before hearing a loud scream until Danny was punched to the ground. The others skated towards the boy. The boy ducked, causing one to wack the other with his hockey stick. He grabbed the stick and punched the older boy in the stomach and the face. Danny got up with a stick in hand seeing the boy knocking his gang down like they were nothing. He growled and skated over to him striking with his stick. The boy blocked it, striking back until he knocked Danny off of his feet making him fall to the ground. 

He looked up at the boy in fear before he and his gang skated away, leaving him and Stevie alone.

"That's right, you better run!" The boy exclaimed. "You bullies better watch it, because Arnold Casey Jones aren't letting you push nobody around anymore!"

"Gora...gora...Goongala! Goongala! Goongala!" He roared out loud as his voice echoed throughout the streets.

"Wow," Stevie said in awe with his mouth slightly dropped. Casey walked over to him and handed Stevie his book.

"Come on, Stevie, I'll walk you home."

[merryfortune]

Cuter with the Glasses On

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens

Ship: Nico/Romin

Word Count: 2.7k

Synopsis:  Romin is enlisted by Nico to help out with a photography competition as a model for her entry. The two bond from there.

  Flash after flash of the camera, Romin’s eyes were dazzled as she oscillated through various poses that she could strike. Some awkward, some sultry, some she hardly thought about, and others she thought way too much about. She simply wanted to do her best for Nico.

  “Yes, yes, yes!” she cried out at the top of her lungs, all but thrashing about where she stood, and she snapped one last photo for posterity in her frenzy. “I’ve definitely got some goods in here, thanks Kirishima.”

  “N-No problem.” Romin said, her hands behind her head, her elbows all stuck out, one leg popped. “C-Can I unfreeze now from this one?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah, totally.” Nico said and she flapped a hand about flippantly.

  “Thanks.” Romin replied and she sighed as she let her body slacken.

  Suddenly, her whole body ached and so did her eyes. She had definitely had enough screen time after this one, she thought and then she could swear that she could feel her phone burn a hole in her back pocket in spite for having such a thought.

  Nico, meanwhile, was completely oblivious to how Romin commiserated. She was too busy flicking through the photos that she had taken. It felt like she was going through them a dozen a second and she had easily taken hundreds of Romin. She made for such a good subject and then- yes!

  “Score!” Nico squealed to herself.

  “Huh?” Romin said and she wandered closer, her high heels feeling clunky underfoot as she peered around to look at the screen of Nico’s camera. “Did you take a good shot?”

  “Oh, absolutely, I did.” Nico enthusiastically replied. “This here? It’s the money shot. I’m definitely going to take home that prize.”

  Romin blushed. “Glad to be some help.”

  “Definitely, definitely.” Nico replied. “The lead guitarist of RoaRomin in my Junior Youth Photography Tournament entry? I’m a shoe-in.”

  Romin was suddenly less sure of if she was being complimented as a person or as an entity. But she tried not to let that get to her. Nico was an insensitive person, bit of a blunderer and a touch awkward, so she likely didn’t mean anything harmful by it, au contraie, she probably meant it as a compliment but still, Romin thinks to herself, it would be nice to be complimented as a person once a while.

  “Yeah, I only listened to you and your bandmates’ music recently. I’d heard it a couple times before, thought it was okay, maybe catchy, but I never sank my teeth into your discography ‘til now.” Nico explained. “See, when Chief handed me the flyer for the photography competition, I knew I had to go big or else I’d bust so I tried to look around. What’s big around here ‘cept for the man? No way I’m gonna support the censors and do something Goha Corp. themed so I looked for something else, and bingo-”

  Nico latched her camera back onto the lanyard around her neck, so she was free to use her hands. Both her hands. She held them up in rectangles to frame Romin between the slats of her fingers. She cocked a quirky smirk.

  “Who is bigger than the most famous girl in school?” Nico said.

  “Oh, uh. No one. I guess.” Romin said and Yuga did float briefly through her head but his prescence in the big scale of things did seem outweighed by her own thanks to RoaRomin. Nico cackled to herself and Romin perked up. Perhaps she was being complimented on her own merit and not anyone else’s. Nico shuffled in and unlatched her camera again, she seemed to love to fidget with it.

  Nico’s eyes flicked up towards Romin and she angled the camera towards Romin, too, she defensively put up half a hand over the screen to prevent the glare, “See, look at this one.” Nico said.  

  “Wow.” Romin gasped. “That looks better than most RoaRomin’s promotional material.”

  Nico was proud as punch to hear that. “Mama says to snap photographs of what you love the most, and I do love your guitar skills nowadays. Hey, have you considered modelling?”

  “Not yet. My agent wants to me to get a bit taller first since, you know. Only a few more inches, he said.” Romin replied.

  Nico nodded to herself. “Yeah, that makes sense.” she said. “You know, I might be really tall one day, I’ve got good genes. I’ll probably get a helluva growth spurt soon, you know?”

  “Really?” Romin blinked, a little intrigued by Nico’s declaration. “How tall are your parents?”

  “Papa’s six foot one and Mama’s about five foot three,” Nico replied, “I think,” she was chewing hard as she tried to imagine herself standing beside her parents in height order.

  Still, Romin gasped. “Wow, your Papa is really tall.” She exclaimed. “But your Mama sounds like she’s on the shorter side, are you sure you won’t be her height?”

  “I think I’ll be a little bit taller than her one day. Don’t people generally grow taller than their same gender parent?” Nico asked.

  “I suppose that’s true…” Romin murmured as she began to wonder about how tall she’ll ever get…

  “Not that it’ll matter much in family photos or anything, Papa makes everyone look tiny. Especially me.” Nico laughed.

  Romin laughed too. She could definitely imagine that. Some big, strong, tall father beside a nice-looking woman and of course their shaggy haired daughter. Still, she wondered who Nico’s parents were now and of course, she blurted out even her faintest wondering, “So how did your parents meet?”

  “I’m so glad you asked.” Nico all too quickly replied.

  Romin, however, was spooked by her zeal as she had been chastising herself for prying into Nico’s personal life.

  Nico excitedly clutched her camera and she grinned. “My Papa is a retired Duellist, he used to be really famous back in the day and now he’s not even yesterday’s news.” Nico laughed devilishly as she made that remark about her father but then she smiled an unexpectedly soft smile. “He was my Mama’s famous Duellist, see, my Mama is a photographer and a reporter, doing a really big story on my Papa was her first big break. It was this whole ordeal, like you wouldn’t believe. But they met through Mama’s work and have been inseparable since…”

  “That sounds like a movie.” Romin replied.

  “It should be.” Nico replied. “But they haven’t sold the rights yet. Only ‘cause I told ‘em to wait for me. I want to be the one to direct their love story.”

  Romin laughed but Nico looked really proud and sure of herself.

  “I want to be like Mama when I grow up.” she confessed.

  Romin’s heart fluttered and she smiled. “I’m sure you will be.” she said brightly. “And the first step will be winning that photography competition, yeah?”

  “Actually,” Nico began to snidely correct her, “the first step was getting my own camera to take photos with. The second step was joining the Newspaper Club, the third step was becoming the official photographer for the club, that one was easy since there’s only three of us… Now, the fourth step was publishing my first photo to the Seventh Elementary Newspaper, the fifth step was creating a good name for myself locally, and the sixth step was to cultivate my own personal gallery of photographs which I’m especially proud of.”

  Nico paused and she had a sudden gander at Romin’s face. She looked… just a little bit offended. Only a little bit. With how she seemed disappointed that Nico had gone and dashed her well wishes like that.

  “But you’re absolutely right,” Nico added without too much of a beat between, “winning that photography competition is the seventh step and the seventh step is just as important as the ones that came before it. And the ones that will come after it.”

  Romin smiled, confident that she could see Nico’s eighth step. “And the next step is winning the competition?” She offered a sympathetic, bemused smile, too.

  “You betcha!” Nico replied and she gave Romin a finger gun hand gesture.

  It was strange, but Romin couldn’t even see Nico’s eyes from behind those thick, trifocal glasses that she wore but she didn’t need to see her eyes to know that they would be unbelievably all lit up with enthusiasm and excitement.

  “Alright, I’m gonna go and head off to the clubroom so I can upload all these sweet pics of you and hit that submit button on my form but let me tell you, together, we’re gonna rock this comp.” Nico boasted.

  Romin grinned. “Heck yeah.”

  Nico held her hand out for a high five and Romin obliged her. Their hands met palm to palm and without thinking, they both locked onto each other, fingers intertwining and the like. Nico’s hand was just that bit bigger than hers, it was nice, even if her hands were a little rough because, unlike Romin, she didn’t moisturise religiously. And the moment lingered until it was fit to snap.  

  Nico gave a funny expression. “Okay, you can stop holding my hand now, Kirishima.”

  “O-Oh, yeah, totally, it’s just-” Romin panicked and she let go suddenly, “it’s just, er, we’re friends now, you can call me Romin, I don’t mind.”

  “I didn’t want to be too in your face.” Nico abruptly said back. “I’m the press and all.”

  “We’re friends, Nico,” Romin insisted, “I want you to see me as your equal. Not just your… journalistic inspiration.”

  Nico laughed at how earnest Romin was being, but it warmed her heart. She just didn’t know how to play off more serious feelings.

  “Well, it’s been great collaborating with you, Romin, my friend, but I gotta be goin’ now.” Nico said.

  “Yeah, well good luck, break a leg and all that.” Romin replied, friendly and totally casual.

  Nico smirked. “I don’t need luck.” she boasted.

  Romin could half envy that confidence. How nice it would be to go through life that sure of one’s self. It was certainly different.

  Nico made sure to secure her camera to her lanyard around her neck before throwing her head back to laugh. Confidence; assurance; somehow all these sorts of words paled before the might of whatever it was that Nico saw in herself and her talent. Romin barely felt that way about her guitar skills and she was in a popular, established band. If Nico could bottle that, she’d make millions…

  “Okay, well, see you later.” Romin said.

  “Yep, laters.” Nico nodded her head.

  Then, with all that fanfare, she finally strode off.

  Only to completely faceplant not even a second later.

  It felt as though it had happened in slow motion. Nico had twisted on her foot, took one step forward and her toe immediately made contact with some stray little pebble that neither girl had even noticed was there until this very moment. Nico screamed and Romin paled until she was paler than a page of the newspaper. Although, she was screeching too. Possibly even louder than Nico who was the one sailing through the air, primed for a really bad collision when she got there.

  Nico groaned when she went nose first to the ground. She was damn lucky when she pulled herself up and out of the grass that she hadn’t twisted, sprained, or broken anything. The worst she got was a minor bloody nose. She held her head and moaned as she came back up. Everything spun. Everything was so… blurry.

  Romin brought herself to her knees beside Nico, taking her hand to steady her, “I’m so sorry,” she said, “that is so not what I meant when I said break a leg.”

  “Ugh, I’m right. I’ve had worse falls…” she grumbled. “I won’t lie, I am a little bit clumsy. Too fast for my own feet.”

  Nico yanked her hand from Romin’s and she tried her best not to feel offended but then she got a proper look at Nico. Her glasses had been knocked off in the fall. Nico began to search for them, her hands snaking through the grass as she tried to find them. Romin, however, opted to be useless and just stare.

  All she could think was that… Nico looked a lot cuter with the glasses on. It kind of flustered, her to be honest. The difference in Nico’s face. She lost a lot of that bluster that Romin found endearing over all her quirks. Nico grumbled, eyes straining, barely open, as she searched the grass.

  “Oh, uh, do you want any help?” Romin asked.

  “It’d be nice.” Nico replied.

  Romin hummed to herself as she looked around. Her eyes skirted through the grass, only to catch something shiny. A glint of sunshine off glass and she reached forward, half crawling. Wow, she thought to herself, Nico’s glasses were quite heavy, she was surprised that they could be knocked off Nico’s face at all given their weight. She was careful with them as she came back down onto her calves where she knelt beside Nico who had, obviously, made very little progress in her hunt for her glasses.

  “Here you go.” Romin said, offering Nico’s glasses back to her.

  Nico’s hand flailed about but she eventually found her glasses. And also, Romin’s hand. She slid them back onto the haunches in which they ought to rest and flashed Romin a big smile.

  “Thanks again.” Nico said. “Ugh, we should probably get up.”

  “Y-Yeah.” Romin nervously laughed.

  With a huff and puff, the girls held onto each other’s hands and pulled one another to their feet. Romin dusted down her skirt and Nico barely gave herself a shake off.

  “So how do I look without my glasses?” Nico asked as she took a handkerchief out of her back pocket. “I’ve needed ‘em all my life. Papa says I have Mama’s eyes and Mama says the same thing, but they say it very differently.” She laughed at her private joke whilst cleaning up the mess of her bloody nose. It was good that it was only a very, very minor bleed.

  Romin gave a half-hearted snicker in regard to Nico’s private joke. She could suddenly imagine Nico being quite the chip off her mother’s block, all of a sudden, wearing the same or similar pairs of trifocal glasses. It was quite the vision.

  “I bet.” she said, half-heartedly, only to smile softly. “I think you look cuter with your glasses on.”

  “O-Oh,” Nico squeaked and she began to fuss with her fringe, “I don’t really care either way, I’m happy with how I look,” and then she started to pat down her capris as well and then straightened her jacket, “but its nice to hear that from someone as stylish and pretty as you, Romin.”

  “Thank you, Nico, that’s very kind of you to say.” Romin awkwardly replied, blushing. She averted her gaze and was very swift to change the topic of conversation because she thought Nico looked very trendy and low-key the way she was already, especially behind that fluffy fringe of hers, too. “But, um, is your camera alright? It’d suck if it got damaged.”

  Nico doubled checked her camera and smiled assuredly. “My baby is all good, don’t worry Romin. My – our? – win is still guaranteed. But, um, hey, we have drinks in the clubroom, wanna join me after all? Snacks, too.”

  “That sounds nice.” Romin said. Eyes alight, aflame, even, because she was a highly food motivated person.

  Nico chuckled. Together, she and Romin tottered off, perfectly safe and sound this time. Nico rambled about the specs of her camera and Romin happily listened, eager to learn something new but also definitely daydreaming of the types of snacks which might be hiding the Newspaper Club’s mini fridge that they had stashed in the back. Still, she was incredibly fond to think about again that Nico looked cuter with her glasses on but cutest when she was talking so animatedly about her one true passion. Yep, that was very cute.

[chemicalmagecraft]

Foresight is 20/20 Chapter 11

I smiled even before we reached the gates. "It looks like we have a welcome party," I noted, then licked my lips.

"How can you tell?" Gai asked.

"Chakra sensing."

As soon as we were inside the gates of the village, I was tackled by a very energetic blonde. "Kouki!" Naruto yelled as he did his level best to crush me like a tin can.

I awkwardly patted him on the back. "Heyyy, bud. Could I please breathe?" I choked out. I gasped for my breath after he released me from his adamantium grasp. "Stupid freakish Uzumaki strength," I grumbled in between breaths.

"What was that?" Tenten angrily asked me.

I rolled my eyes. "Not directed at you."

"Hey Kouki," Naruto said, "why are you all brown?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay first off I think technically it's more 'bronze' than 'brown,'" I said, "and b, it's called a tan."

"How did you get so tan in only a few days?" Dad asked me. "Didn't you have a parasol?"

I sheepishly put my hand behind my head. "Well..."

~~~~ku

I sighed as I lounged on the thankfully clean floor in front of the window.

"Are you sunbathing!?" Temari asked me.

"Soooo waaaarm~" I replied.

"I swear you're a cat or something."

I grinned a catlike grin. "Meow~" She sighed and stormed off.

~~~~ku

"...I guess I get tan really easily?" Okay to be fair I do. And it stays for a while, even if I stay inside most of the time. When my brother, whose complexion is almost exactly the same as mine, got a similarly dark tan from being a lifeguard, my mom noted that it was probably due to our "gypsy blood." I wouldn't put it that way myself, mostly due to the fact that the word "gypsy" is actually kinda offensive what the heck mom, but I guess it's a plausible reason... I was thankful, though, that the sun didn't give me any more freckles. No offense to people with a lot of freckles, but I'm fine with only having like ten freckles on my face that mostly just look like a bunch of beauty marks, thank you very much.

"Welcome back, niisan," Hinata said with a smile. I couldn't help but notice that Kurama didn't at all look like he was annoyed with Hinata carrying him.

"Sup, Hina-chan. Did Kurama-chan tell you guys I'd be here?"

He huffed and turned his head away from me, the tsundere.

"Love you too, bud!"

"So what are you going to do now that you're back?" Neji asked me.

I shrugged. "First I'm going to take a bath, then I'll probably take a nap or something. I'm pooped."

"Surprising to hear that from you," Ai commented.

"Even I have my limits, Ai. Working on the seal was fun, but I'm glad it's over and done with." I yawned. "Now if you guys don't mind, I'd like to go take a nice, long bath now." I waved goodbye. "Thanks for coming to greet me!"

kukukuku~

I yawned, sat up in my bed, licked my lips, and stretched my arms. Then I fell back to sleep.

kukukuku~

"Okay, time to work now," I said after I rolled out of bed. Before doing anything, though, I checked out my window. It was nighttime. I shrugged. "Not that much of a problem to someone with twenty four-plus hour days." I licked my lips. "Right, let's get crackin'." I assumed a meditative position on the floor and reached inward, to my chakra. Mostly the red stuff, but also some of the blue. Just as a human touched by the red (I.E. me or the jinchuriki) has to have over a certain amount of red chakra in them to not die, it seemed that beings made from the red needed at least some blue in them to function. To be honest, I should've figured that out sooner, what with how the Biju Dama uses blue chakra. 'Course, I did figure it out when I sensed not only another biju, but Karura, who was a non-biju red chakra spirit. And with that revelation came some important progress on an idea that I'd had. And over the ride home, I'd honed and perfected that jutsu, one that I was now ready to use. Sure, I'd been wary of potential danger, but I felt a lot better after a message from my future self, or at least a future self... Future vision can get pretty freaky.

And so, I grabbed hold of almost all of my red chakra, just leaving a comfortable yet small amount over the minimum amount I needed to live, as well as enough blue chakra to sustain a demon of that power level. I used yin-yang release and some of the mechanics behind clone jutsus in general to mold that chakra into the proper shape. When I was done, the chakra moved on its own.

I opened my eyes to see my shadow turn pitch-black, then split off into two, one normal and one still a me-shaped abyss. The ebon shadow moved and stretched so that it was across the room from me. The shadow... rose, changing in shape and color to form what felt like an alternate-universe mirror. First off, shadow me looked even more girly than I did. Sure, that wasn't saying much what with how I was still way prepubescent and had girly hair, but she had longer hair and a skirt with leggings, so there's that. Plus she looked a little shorter than me. Second off, she had what appeared to be fox ears and a tail, likely an artifact from Kurama even though they didn't look exactly like his. Third, she was both a pallette swap and mirror image of me. While her complexion was roughly the same as mine, her eye markings were white with black dots instead of black with white dots, her clothes were dark red instead of blue, her hair was a shade of blue so dark it was almost black, and her eyes were red with slit pupils. As for the mirror part, her bangs were parted to the right instead of the left and each of her freckles were situated to be on the opposite side of her face from mine. Though she had fox ears instead of human ears, I could see she still had a rendition of the nubby nub nub thing on her right ear as opposed to my left.

"I am thou, thou art I," she said in almost my voice. Man, that was weird. "Sup, me."

"Sup," I responded, then relaxed my posture. She did the same, though she was mindful of her skirt. I was already kind of sure of the answer, but... "Hey, just to be clear here, you're supposed to be a girl, ja?"

She nodded. "Ja." She blushed. "I have more control over my form than just using the transformation jutsu and I figured I should differentiate myself as much as I can from you, so..." I feel like something could be said about me that "I" felt the need to justify that even to myself...

"I take it you picked out your own name too, right?"

"Yup." She grinned. "To counter your light-light hope-and-fortune name, I picked Chikage."

"Thousand Views?" I asked jokingly.

She facepalmed and groaned. "Okay yes, I guess that that's the traditional reading, but I meant more along the lines of Thousand Shadows. Or even Blood Shadow. Heck, Shadow of the Earth is kinda cool too."

"So does that mean I have your permission to keep 'Kouki?'" I asked.

She gave me a deadpan stare. "Dude, I literally said that I picked a name to balance out yours."

"Yeah, but if you think about it, 'Kouki' is us, not me. The guy that is us combined is Kouki."

She shrugged. "Would be pretty weird if you randomly started to go by another name. You're Kouki Prime and I'm totally at peace with that. Let's stop talking about semantics and see what this jutsu of ours does, exactly."

I nodded and clenched my fist. "I think I got weaker..." I unclenched my fist and did a few small stretches.

"Makes sense," Chikage said. "Even if you aren't using it, your red chakra still enhances you. Still, that also means you should have more control now."

"Right," I said. I held my hand out and tried to make some wind chakra. It felt a little off without my red chakra, but I got the hang of it surprisingly fast. Much faster than I'd managed the last time I'd tried it, wire-thin threads of wind chakra burst from my fingers, curling around my new double/clone/sister maybe? "Sorry, but you understand what I'm doing, right?

She snorted. Curiously, a small puff of smoke came from her nose when she did. "Dude, I'm you. Of course I know. Just make sure to ask future you first to make sure it doesn't screw us both over."

"Right, was going to do that anyway." I activated my eyes for just long enough to get a message coded to a version of myself in the exact situation I was in.

"Yup. Go ahead."

I didn't want to completely spoil every single highly-dangerous-yet-incredibly-interesting experiment I did, but I knew it'd be stupid to actually do them without using the Shoraigan to make sure I didn't end up turning Konoha into a crater. And so in my time of need, I discovered another power of the Shoraigan that was just as good as the ability to tell the future. At least, I'm assuming that's what happened in about a thousand other timelines that I never went down. Or I guess I did go down them, but just not the me that is me? Man, anything involving time travel gives people headaches, doesn't it. I could only time-warp information and yet I still got headaches.

Where was I?

Oh right. Main Shoraigan power number three. Or maybe just another version of the first main power? In addition to being able to download future information directly into my brain, I found out I could send my past self and/or selves information when I randomly got thousands of very similar chronopathic messages saying something roughly along the lines of "Holy crud we can send messages to our past selves!" and some telling me to stop sending messages back to past me, which was very hypocritical of future me, but I complied. I wonder if there's a version of me who found out about the Shoraigan by having that future message sent back by an alternate version of-

"You're getting off track," Chikage said, her eyes now a slit variant of the Shoraigan. Guess that meant she could use it too despite not having my eyes(?). "Stop telling the fans about our cool new power and kill me already."

"Right, sorry." I closed my hand into a fist, causing the Wind Release: Razor Wire to chop her into pieces. Instead of blood going everywhere, though, the cuts became red chakra which reformed back into her body with some loss.

"That hurt," she muttered. "But it seems we won't find out what happens when I die if we use that. Maybe try fire?" She was made from an aggregation of the powers of Kurama (fire/wind) and Shukaku (earth/wind), so while there was some fire in her it wasn't out of the question that fire would hurt her a lot more than wind...

I nodded and we both stood up. I guess maybe it was customary to use fire chakra from the lungs, and yes that was apparently how you got the most power, but I liked the idea of channeling it through my hands better, plus that way I could try to add lightning to it despite not knowing how to do it too well. I knew fire from the hands was possible from the flashback to the time of Ninshu, so theoretically... "Do not try this at home, kids." I made a few hand seals, then held my hand like how Kakashi does with the Chidori. An unfortunately uncoordinated ball of fire and lightning chakra emerged from my palm, as well as the slightest whiff of burning flesh.

Ow.

Chikage waved her arm in front of her torso, creating either a bullseye target or the illusion of a bullseye target. I thrust the ball of plasma right into the center of the target. Her body destabilized almost as soon as the probably-poorly-thought-out concoction of chakra touched her. While some was... ruined, I guess, by the attack, the majority of the chakra Chikage was made from was sucked back into my body. With the chakra came her memories, which was... interesting. I feel like I should note, though, that getting pyrolectrocuted hurts like the dickens.

"Is everything okay?" Uncle asked as he barged in. "I heard crackling sounds."

I casually stuck my hands in my pockets. "Yeah. I tried to use lightning release. Do you think you could ask Dad if I could get official training? That kinda hurt."

He looked concerned. "Are you hurt?"

I gave him a thumbs-up with my unburned hand. "Yeah, just a little stinging. Nothing a little healing factor won't cure. You should see the other guy."

"O...kay..." He thankfully left without much question, allowing me to take the other hand out and assess the damage. The friction from just taking it out of my pocket stung.

"Eeee..." I winced. I mean, it didn't look like it was too bad of a second degree burn, but... it was blackened. I really hoped that was just soot. I applied some red chakra to it and it thankfully just flaked off and didn't scar or anything. "Not doing that again, at least without adult supervision. Hope my pocket isn't ruined..." I tilted my head a bit. "Now before I can forget, I should probably do this." I activated my Shoraigan and sent a message coded to two certain iterations of my past self. Sure, it'd have happened anyway because of diverging timelines, but insert dead Daves joke here. "Right," I said. "Now that that's over. Chikage, out." She didn't do anything. I blinked. I could definitely feel her somewhere in me, but...

Oh.

I was Chikage. Well that was interesting. I concentrated on what I'd done before and felt a small snap in the back of my head.

"I'm back," she said in my head. Red chakra flowed from my body, forming Chikage, arms crossed and leaning back onto thin air. "Is that what it feels like to fuse?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I guess maybe with Pink Steven it was, just with less nearly dying and womanchildish giants."

She chuckled and picked me up. "C'mon, we gotta do it now."

I smiled and hugged her, laughing. She hugged me back. We started laughing and spinning each other until we just melted back together. "Ah, good times," I said. "Now we should probably get a training ground so I can see what I... you... we... can do..." I sighed. "Man, this is going to be weird..."

[idontknowwhatsarcasmis]

The Lost Moments

HEllooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Like An Epilogue!.... Sort of...

These are the lost moments on “Away From Home” people! Enjoy =D

Ao3

Ff.net

Xxxxxx

Maria looked intensely at the screen in front of her. Sand as far as her eyes could see.

Sigh. Again.

“Will you stop that?” said an annoyed voice at her side, exasperated, and she had to stop herself from laughing.

“You made me leave my bed, the nice pleasant weather from my quarters, to this… you can take my sighs.” She looked at him, his one apparent eyebrow raised. “What?”

“What happened to ‘sir’?”

“You took me from my kids, you don’t deserve a ‘sir’… Nick.”

His eyebrow rose higher, her deadpan expression mirrored on his face.

“You’re also taking me away from my wife for longer than I care to be, be glad she let us both walk out of that room, Nick-y.��� She winked at the nickname, allowing the huge grin to spread on her face at both his outraged expression and the thought of her wife.

Her wife. Alive. Back waiting for her with their kids.

*Buzz Buzz*

Her phone beeping made her glance and check the new picture that the woman in question had just sent her. In the photo, the three most important people in her life were staring at her, pouts on all of their faces with a caption of “miss you already” and a sad emoji under it.

They had all become such saps after being reunited.

Not that she was complaining. Her smile grew bigger, and she was thankful no agents were around to see it – her reputation could not last that.

“Oh, for god’s sake, tell them to stop that. It’s not like we’re at any risk, and this won’t even take that long, okay?” He rolled his eye as she showed him the picture. It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

He looked back at her. At the picture. At her.

She waited.

“Fine, take a selfie and say we miss them too.” His voice was grumpy, and Maria laughed.

Giant saps, all of them.

“Shut up!”

“Yes, sir.” She said, snapping the picture at the exact time that allowed her to capture a very small smile at the corner of his lips, sending it to her family with a “we’ll see you soon”. As she turned it off and looked at the fast approaching city, she allowed herself to smile, closing her eyes.

Her family. Her wife and two kids were here.

Natasha…

xxxx-xxxx

As she walked into the ‘meeting room’ a few days later, she was already shaking her head, brow furrowed and back tense. With the click of the door she turned around, staring straight into Nick’s eye, all her years of experience and command into that single look.

“You will not call her. Natasha will take no part in this.”

He just looked at her, and Maria felt a tension in the room that she hadn’t felt between them since she’d joined SHIELD and had just led the first mission with Fury as her handler, but this was non-negotiable. Her wife would not take any part in this. She had retired, after everything that she’d been through - the red room, living 5 years without half her family, dying - no, Natasha would have no part of this.

“You’re gonna lie to her?” Was the only thing he asked, face just as blank as hers.

“No.” Was her immediate answer “But I refuse to leave the kids alone. She is not going in.”

He nodded.

“I wasn’t gonna send her in, Hill.” He said after a while, in a low voice. She remained tense. She loved Nick, she really did. He was more of a father to both him and Natasha than anyone ever was. And quite the grandfather to the kids (something of which he was very proud of thinking no one knew he was proud of), but she loved her family even more. She would not place her wife in the line of fire ever again. Heck, she was apprehensive from putting herself in such state for what it might do to Natasha.

“I wasn’t. I promise. Not unless it was a last resort.” He said, hands up in a placating gesture, looking pointedly at her hands.

She realized she’d turned them into tight fits and immediately opened them, forcing her shoulders to easy a bit.

“And just ‘cause she wouldn’t stay still if it came to that, and you know it.” He continued.

She forced herself to take a deep breath. Closing her eyes, willing those horrible images and the feeling of losing her to go away.

“I know… Sorry, Nick, I-“

“It’s fine Maria.” He walked closer, placing one hand on her shoulder. He’d been there. On the ship, the day she found out Natasha had died. He’d been there the following days until Cap had come back, giving her the greatest gift of all.

Xxxx Flashback xxxx

“Hey, Cap! All done with fixing the time-line?… oh… fuck…” Clint’s voice broke and it made Maria frown. What could have possibly made him curse in front of his kids and Cap?

“Careful, Clint. The Capt doesn’t like this kind of talk.” She said, teasing him weakly, without turning around.

No answer.

“Clint?”

She asked, finally moving to see what had made him so shocked. There he was, standing frozen, hunched over the table as if that was the only thing holding him standing. Her frown intensified as she followed his gaze, trying to determine what he was seeing that it made him react so violently.

And then her eyes found it.

Found her.

And her mind went numb.

She couldn’t breathe.

Tears were already gathering in her eyes before she could even fully comprehend what she was seeing.

Red hair.

Pale skin.

Green eyes.

The greenest eyes she had ever seen, alight with life, wet with unshed tears, just as hers were.

Maria couldn’t breathe; her legs felt like lead, but it didn’t matter. She had no idea what was that made her move, but she did. Faster than she ever had before, she was running. And so was her wife… so was

“Natasha.” She managed to breathe out once. Twice, three times, like a mantra, before she was close enough. It was going to hurt, but she didn’t care.

“Masha!” Her wife shouted as she finally, finally got within arms range and Maria, scared shitless it might be a hallucination, hugged her around the waist, tightly.

Solid.

Real.

And if nothing else had, the fast beating heart she could feel pounding close to hers, was the uncontestable proof of her being very much alive.

Alive.

She had no idea who started shaking and crying first; she just knew that Natasha’s hands were around her neck and shoulders, tightly gripping her hair, her legs wrapped around her waist as Maria’s own arms hugged the smaller woman’s waist, hands sprawled across her back, touching as much of her as she could.

“Nat. Natasha” She breathed out as sobs took over her. “You, what; how-” but her wife didn’t let her finish. Amidst tears, sobs, and more shaking than Maria ever remembered feeling, Natasha’s lips found hers. It was nothing like any kiss they had ever shared before. It was pure desperation. It was messier than she could ever remember it being. It was Natasha again in her arms.

It was perfect.

It was home.

xxxx-xxxx

She shook her head, looking at Nick again.

“Who then? Or is it just… you know… or are we…?” She asked as he moved around, opening a computer.

“Natasha would kill me if I let you anywhere too close to the fight.” He rolled his eye at that. “And I don’t think for a second that living at home has made her any less deadly or fit and I like being alive again too much to risk it.” He shook his head, and Maria allowed herself to smile.

“It really hasn’t.”

He stared at her for a moment. Her smile became a smirk.

“Oh, spare me.”

She laughed, finally fully relaxing.

“Who then?”

He turned the laptop towards her.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Xxxx

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Maria just shook her head as she looked at her wife’s face.

“Parker?”

She nodded.

“He’s like, 16!”

“Yep.”

“No other choice?”

Maria looked away at that.

“Masha…”

“No.” Maria looked back at the shorter woman: her green eyes were focused, shoulders straight - Agent Natasha Hill was looking at her. “Parker is not alone, Natasha.”

“He’s not experienced. The kid’s suffered enough.”

Her hands closed into a fist. She couldn’t even exactly disagree with Natasha; she had just made the exact same points to Nick.

“I know.”

“He’s almost Nicky’s age.”

“I know, Nat.”

Silence.

“He’s not gonna be alone. And it is his choice, in the end.”

“Maria, please tell me you’re not gonna-“

She was already shaking her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

“I’ll be accompanying the situation, mostly. He said he was quite sure that you hadn’t lost your edge, and he wasn’t willing to risk it.”

Natasha laughed at that, a smug smirk on her lips, and she got more comfortable in her seat.

“Good.”

They shared another moment in silence. Their kids were asleep on their beds, on the opposite side of the room, having exhausted themselves after a whole day of running around and playing about. Running… Playing… Nicky was almost Parker’s age.

“There’s this new guy. He’s gonna lead the mission on the field. Parker will be a backup sort of thing.”

Natasha nodded, frowning a bit.

“New guy? Is he trustworthy?”

Maria shrugged.

“Too soon to tell, I suppose, but he has been helping.”

“Good.” She looked at their kids for a moment, before facing her again. “Parker’s gotta come out of this alive, or Fury will find out exactly how I have not been sitting idly by.”

Maria smirked.

“Don’t worry, babe. He knows.”

Xxxx

“Nick…” Maria sighed as they watched Peter walk away, but he was already opening new tabs on his laptop, most likely booking a ridiculously expensive hotel that would change the whole vacation trip the poor kid was expecting.

“We need him, Maria.”

She shook her head, but didn’t speak up. She watched as he moved things around, twisting words and people to make sure everything would go down smoothly. Her heart warmed at the fact that not once did Nick asked her to help, knowing she did not agree with it. Once he was finished, they both gave out the orders needed to put it in motion, until all that was left was a closed laptop between them.

He got up and walked towards her, stopping right in front of Maria, looking her right into her eyes.

“I don’t want to ruin his life, Maria. But Tony saw something in him.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I see something in him.”

Maria nodded slightly. She did too. That kid had the heart in the right place and the drive and powers to do something with it.

“I do too, Nick.” Hell, she helped train and prepare some of the new agents quite a few times; she knew how to recognize talent. “He’s… Nicky’s almost his age, Nick. I-We can’t…”

“He won’t be alone Maria. I promise you that. But he has a gift, and he wants to use it.”

“He doesn’t, right now. It should be his decision to take.”

“We don’t have that kind of time. He needs a push.”

They stayed in silence for a while before Maria sighed. She was definitely no stranger to hard decisions.

“Tell me at least you got them a nice place?”

He smiled before starting to walk away.

“What do you take me for, Hill?”

“You don’t want me to answer that.” He barely reacted at that, though she knew he was rolling his eye.

She paused.

“Did… ‘we’ get a nice place?”

…

“Nick!”

His laughter echoed down the damn walls.

Xxxx

“He walked away.” She said, after a while.

Natasha sighed.

“Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t the one running around Italy fighting for my life…” Maria said, knowing she sounded quite bitter about the fact.

Natasha was silent for a while before asking in a quiet voice.

“Did you want to be?”

Maria looked away towards the window, not knowing if she wanted to answer. Not knowing if she knew how to answer.

“I… don’t know, Nat…” She whispered after a while. Shaking her head, she continued, “I really don’t know. Part of me wanted to. I always loved being in the action, having control. I hate the fact that Nick all but forbade me from taking part in it even though I knew I could help. I hated the thought of leaving it up to Parker alone. But…”

She stopped herself.

“But?” Natasha prompted.

“But… I hate the thought of risking losing all of you more.”

“Masha…”

Maria took a deep breath, looking away from Natasha as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“I can’t leave them, Nat. I can’t make them, I can’t make you go through this again.”

They were silent. For a long time.

A tear ran down her cheek.

“Masha…”

She closed her eyes.

“Masha, look at me.”

Taking a deep breath, Maria turned to look at her wife once more. Green eyes bright with unshed tears too.

“I don’t want you to take part in these things. I don’t. The thought that I might lose you again is… I can’t bear it. Can’t. Doesn’t even enter my mind.” She shuddered, one tear falling down her cheek. “But, and this is very important, Masha, if you feel it’s necessary. If you feel like you can, and have to, help Parker… then do it. It’s whom I fell in love with, Masha. The hardass, awesome, best agent there was, Commander Hill. You’re an amazing professional, Masha. You are good at what you do. And barring a mythical accident, I know, I know you’ll always come back to me. To us. To our family.”

Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now.

“I love you.”

Natasha smiled.

“I love you too.”

“Thank you…”

Natasha laughed a bit as she playfully shoved her wife away.

“Always, my love. Come back soon?”

“Is that an order?”

The words came out of her mouth without any thought, but as soon as she said them, she smiled, mirroring the expression that on Natasha’s face.

“It is, Commander Hill.”

“Aye, aye, Agent Hill.”

Xxxx

Maria had just finished the check-up around the ship that would take her to Earth and into the latest bat-shit crazy situation an Avenger had somehow managed to get himself into, when Fury’s voice sounded on the speakers.

“Commander Hill, stand down.”

She sighed.

“We’ve talked about this Nick, I’m going to help Parker.”

“There’s no need.”

Maria froze.

“What?” She hissed, and didn’t calm at all when Nick laughed.

“The boy came through, Maria. He did it.”

A breath Maria did not know she was holding came out in one go. Suddenly, she was almost gasping.

“God damn it, Nick!” She said, quickly climbing out of the ship and seeing the smug-ass face of her ‘boss’ down the ramp.

“Lead with that next time, you bastard. What do you mean, ‘did it’?” She asked, storming towards him.

“Do I command no respect around here anymore?” He asked, indignant.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Anyway, he did it. Discovered the real culprit was, uh, whatshisface, thought we had turned our backs on him, came through at the end, won the battle and the girl, yada, yada, very much like Stark.”

It had been a very long time since Maria had been this lost.

“I... He… Real…Girl?”

Yeah, okay, so she wasn’t being the most coherent ever, but that was no reason for Fury to outright laugh at her. For heaven’s sake, she’d just had had a very tough conversation with her wife about going to Earth to save Peter and he… he’d done it. He saved Earth.

Maria smiled.

“Okay, your smile is starting to creep me out now, so just go back to your wife. In the 30 minutes you took to pack your bags she already came to my office twice, threatening me to quite a few things I dare not repeat in polite company. You daughter also came by once… Let me tell you, I dunno whom I most fear retaliation from. Nicky is ridiculously like you.”

She laughed at his sarcastic tone (not that she doubted that Natasha had really been to see Nick those two times and she had been told that Nicky had taken quite a few of her commanding habits for some reason – something she was really proud of) but became slightly more serious as he looked back at her. His one eye soft and focused on her.

“Still… I’m proud of you, Hill. Despite what ended up happening, well… It’s just another proof I chose my deputy right.”

Maybe she was getting old. There was no other explanation for the chocked up feeling she was experiencing right then.

Just as Fury was about to leave the hangar, she found her voice again.

“You going soft on me, sir?”

He stopped.

“I probably just had too many martinis.” He quipped without turning back, and Maria smiled fondly at him.

“And lose the ‘sir’, Maria. We’re on vacation.” He said over his shoulder, the hint of a smile in what she could see of his lips.

“Sure, Nick.” She answered quietly, turning around to get her things back.

“And go pull your redhead off me! She really hasn’t taken it easy…”

Maria chuckled; she had no doubt of that.

She looked at the doors and then back at the plane, a smile coming up her lips. Maybe a bit of fun with her family would be good. As her wife and kids often told her: she was a hopeless nerd.

Xxxx

“Momma! Are you coming home?”

Maria laughed.

“Hello to you too, K!”

She knew their son had learn how to look sheepish by looking at Natasha. Sometimes it seemed impossible that those two were not related, just as she knew how much Nicky looked like her sometimes. Though she wouldn’t admit, Maria treasured that more than anything; that her daughter would feel so attached to her, feel so connected, that she’d still kept those habits even though they had a 5-year long gap in their relationship. Sometimes, she’d just look at her while Nicky was focusing on something or being a bit bossy with K, and she just saw herself in there. Natasha always came up to her on those moments, hugging her tight and thanking her for… everything. As if she was the one who needed to be thanked for anything.

“Hi, momma!” He said, finally.

“Hello, mum!” Nicky was right behind her brother, a smile big on her face.

“Hello, guys.”

“So… Are you coming home?” His son asked, smiling despite trying very hard to look like he wasn’t.

Maria chuckled.

“I just left, K. How can I already be coming home?”

“But I miss you already!” He son shouted, and even her daughter seemed like she was about to do the same. Maria had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

“We do indeed.” Natasha’s voice came up from somewhere in the room before her face showed up on screen. “A few days should be enough? A few hours?” She asked, and Maria could see the longing, but also pride shining in her eyes.

“Yep.”

“Precision, Masha…”

“Nat, I need to assess the situation.”

“Commander!”

Sigh.

What does a mother and a wife have to do to play a prank on her family, nowadays?

“Give me 3 days. Tops.”

“And you’ll be here?” K asked.

“Or on your way?” Nicky completed, and Maria stopped. Looking from one face to the other.

“What is this, am I reporting for duty?” She laughed.

“Yep!” The three said in unison.

“You need to be here in three days, soldier!” Nicky said in a mocking stern voice that really did sound like hers.

“No leeway” K quipped, and Maria was impressed he knew that word… probably Coulson.

She looked at Natasha.

“You heard the directors, Commander Hill. Three days tops.”

God, she loved her family.

Shaking her head, she said the only thing she could say.

“Aye, aye.”

Xxxx

As she closed the messaging system and made sure the whole ship was powered down, she started to make her way towards the section of the ship she was sharing with the kids during this impromptu vacation Nick had taken them on. When he’d first mentioned it to her, it had been crazy. As much as she had wanted to spend uninterrupted time with her family, she dared not to leave Earth unattended (especially now that they’d lost Tony, and that Thor had gone God knows where). But three sets of pouty lips, and three pairs of arms hugging her ridiculously tight made her resolve crumble faster than a house of cards.

She had barely paid any attention to Nick’s plan to take care of Earth – which had obviously been a mistake. Those two shape-shifter were laughable and ridiculous! How could they not see Mysterio for the farce he was! Granted, she and Nick hadn’t either, but they were thousands of miles away from the actual person! All they had to go on was some videos and reports!

She shook her head; those two buffoons were problems for another day. She could always drag up the old disciplinary training she imposed on badly behaving recruits. That should be fun.

She sighed.

Thank god for Peter Parker.

She sighed again, closing her eyes. They had two of the great heroes of the war against Thanos right here. Right here, doing… doing nothing. Maybe she was right; they were being selfish.

As she walked down the end of the corridor leading to their quarters, she paused by the door. She could hear, even through thick metal, raised, excited voices. They were likely playing with something.

Adjusting the strap of her duffle on her shoulder, she opened the door, and could now actually hear what they were saying.

“Momma’s favourite is chocolate, isn’t it?”

“Yep, little one! She’ll come back soon, so we need to get this done!”

“Yeah, K! Come on, let me help you.”

Maria smiled as she let those voices fill her whole. It was so heartwarming to hear how kind Nicky had been to her brother since they’d come back. And to herself as well. She was much more affectionate with all of them, with Natasha as well. Maria had theories about placating guilt and all, but it didn’t matter. They were all alive and together.

And maybe they were being selfish, yeah. But she would not risk this. She would not risk them unless absolutely necessary. They had done their part, both of them. It was time for them to enjoy it – to enjoy everything they fought for.

The grin came to her face easily as she took a few steps forward, bracing herself for the dramatic shouts of her fooling them and ‘what happened to earth’ and ‘that was fast’, and just because she couldn’t resist, nerd that she was, she said in a unnecessarily loud voice, watching all three of them jump:

“Honey, I’m home!”

XXXX

I AM ALIVE PEOPLE!!

I’m SO sorry for how long this took! I swear I wanted to have this posted last year, BUT just when I had finished writing it ALL a cousin pointed out that I had NOT seen both of the post credits scenes… So after being shocked for like three weeks I had to REWRITE a bunch of parts! …Almost all really… But I DID have some scenes I loved aaaand I did want to somehow follow the film’s plot SO! If it got confused:

Nick, Maria, Nat, K and Nicky are ALL in the ship having a loooong well deserved vacation together! Nick and Maria gather around a nice computer set up to check out what’s going on with their ‘copies’ on Earth and give some orders and advice, but not all the time (they are on vacation after all). So every single scene it’s them on the ship, watching the mess their counterparts are making, kay? =D So sorry if it was confusing, buuut I kinda liked writing this bit and hope you like reading it too!

Also, thank you SO very much for ALL the reviews and kind words… you have no idea how much it’s helped me… Work and life has been crazy, but I’m back to writing now, feel like I’m myself again and you guys definitely helped so thanks! =D

I’ll try to answer individually later, but until then:

Thank you veeeeeeeeeeeeeery much aaaand see you soon! ^^

[pitterpatterpot]

You’re Out

They float through Final Space, following Bolo.

They all still feel the effects of what happened.

Avocato comes closer to understanding just what his son's been through.

(A Final Space fanfic) 

(Strike one)

“Pass me the goddamn gun!” Avocato growls.

“It’s my arm!” Fox screeches, gesturing wildly.

“We are under attack!”

Fox edges away, voice growing uncertain at the gleam in Avocato’s eyes. “It’s probably just turbulence?”

“Do you not see the giant ass titans fighting each other outside?” Avocato cries incredulously, gesturing out the windows.

“Bolo’s taking care of it!” Sheryl snaps over her shoulder, piloting the ship through the debris. “There ain’t no way in hell we’re getting involved in that!”

Avocato winces, having to agree. Seeing Bolo wrestle with another Titan, one so obviously corrupted by Invictus, grapples with Bolo. Its name may be Jen or Jill or something. Avocato wasn’t really listening, though it does seem as though there’s some kind of personal vendetta involved. Gary told him not to worry about it.

“Could everyone stop talking about guns and focus please!” Tribore gestures wildly to the weapons. “Someone go work the weapons!”

“Got it!”

Both Avocato and Little Cato freeze, looking at each other. Everyone else seems to wince. HUE looks between them.

“Gary, this is an awkward moment, yes?”

“Oh my god HUE, yes.”

“Uh,” Little Cato’s eyes dart away. “I usually man the torrent-“

“Right, of course,” Avocato gives his son the thumbs up. “Go get ‘em, son.”

Little Cato hesitates, throwing a look over his shoulder and smiling at his father before running off. Avocato feels the back of his neck itch, lifting a paw to rub at it as he turns back around.

To find everyone staring at him, Gary grinning widely.

“What?” Avocato narrows his eyes.

They all look away, Gary still grinning.

The battle lasts for what feels like years, yet it’s only hours. The stress and ache of it nearly brings them all to their knees, even Little Cato no longer shouting for joy by the time he’s finished with shooting. Fox and Ash collapse against a wall together, Sheryl leaning back in the pilots seat with her eyes closed and Gary and Quinn leaning against the consoles. Avocato himself is also sitting in a chair, head in his hands and tired from navigating.

“Hey,” Little Cato croaks, stumbling into the room. “So… Bolo won?”

“We’re still alive, so I guess?” Gary swallows, voice rough. “Bolo said we just gotta… float around until we run into the next titan.”

Everyone groans and whines at that, the idea of another attack coming without warning setting their nerves on fire.

“So I guess we’re sleeping in shifts again,” Avocato groans, rubbing at his eyes. “I’ll take first watch.”

“Thanks, man,” Gary gives him a tired smile, standing and making his way for the door. “Just set off an alarm or scream if something happens.”

“Got it,” Avocato nods, taking over at the pilot seat, Sheryl giving him a nod as he does so.

Everyone troops out of the room, none of the usual chatter as they do so. The quiet is the most disheartening thing, their jokes and quips nothing but empty voids. Sighing, Avocato sinks back in the seat, his arms still trembling and back aching. That’s what happens when you grip things too tightly, when you hold a position for hours.

“Dad?”

Avocato’s ears twitch at the sound, his entire body immediately turning. “Hey, son. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

Little Cato stands in the doorway, clearly exhausted and dishevelled. Swallowing, Little Cato troops forward, sitting behind one of the consoles.

“Son-“

“You probably need a co-pilot,” Little Cato shrugs. “We don’t know what’s out there.”

Avocato can’t argue with that logic, no matter how much he wishes he could. “Alright, but as soon as someone comes to take over we’re both going to grab some shut eye.”

They settle into silence, Little Cato tapping away at the screen as Avocato directs them to follow Bolo. They bob along, pushing dead Gary’s aside as they do so.

“So…”

Avocato blinks at Little Cato’s voice, alarmed at how easy it was for his mind to drift. “Yes?”

“Are you feeling alright?” Little Cato looks down, biting his lip. “You know, after seeing Invictus.”

Puffing out a breath, Avocato shakes his head. “I’m fine. I honestly don’t remember anything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Right, so,” Little Cato edges towards Avocato, eyeing his stomach. “Do you - I mean - are you hurt? From when you were Invictus? Gary was covered in bruises and had, like, three broken bones-“

“Oh,” Avocato releases the controls, settling back. “I didn’t wake up with any, but I have some new scars under my fur on my stomach. I guess Invictus healed my body as fast as he could when he was using me.”

Little Cato sucks in a small breath, ears folding down as he hunches in on himself. Avocato sits straighter at the change, at the shorter breaths escaping his son.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Avocato pulls Little Cato into his arms, alarmed. “Son? Little Cato, I’m fine. I healed fast.”

“Gary didn’t,” Little Cato’s muffled voice shakes.

Avocato winces. Right. From when he shot Gary. God, from when he nearly shot his son. He could have done it. Maybe Invictus just decided Little Cato wasn’t a threat. “I’m so glad I didn’t shoot you,” Avocato mutters, burying his head against Little Cato. “I wouldn’t be able to handle it if I did, even if it wasn’t my choice.”

“Um, right,” Little Cato suddenly pushes back, not meeting Avocato’s eyes, mouth trembling. “I’m gonna - I think I need some sleep. I’ll go get Sheryl to take over or something.”

“Little Cato-“ Avocato reaches out, but his son is already running out of the room.

__________________

(Strike two)

Maintenance is important. Polishing, recharging, loading. All of these things are necessary if you want your gun to be functional. It’s a rhythm at this point, to tear apart the small or large machines and do what needs to be done before fluidly placing them back together. It’s muscle memory, ingrained in Avocato after years of practice.

“Hey, man! How’s it going?”

Then there are new habits. Like reaching an arm out to clasp hands with Gary. The human instantly grins, plopping down on the bench next to Avocato, kicking his legs out.

“You look happy,” Avocato observes, setting a finished gun to the side.

“Heck yeah!” Gary punches his arms out. “We got Quinn back! And it’s been, like, a solid week since my mom’s tried to kill me!”

Avocato chuckles, picking up another weapon and dipping the cloth in polish. “That’s great. But you do remember that we’re basically in a hell dimension, right?”

“Eh, we’ll get through it,” Gary grins, resting back. “How are you holding up?”

“Fine,” Avocato shrugs. “I just… is Little Cato alright?”

“Yeah?” Gary hesitates, brows bunching. “Maybe? Now that the adrenalines worn of I think the shock is kind of setting in.”

“Right,” Avocato eyes Gary. “You sure you’re not still riding on that adrenaline?”

That smile fades slightly. “Maybe? I don’t think so,” that smile springs back into place. “Little Cato’s probably just shocked to have both is dad’s together!”

“Right,” Avocato chuckles. “That whole ‘adoption’ thing.”

“Are you… cool with it?” Gary grimaces slightly. “I mean, I was sort of just supposed to be a rental dad and-“

“Gary, no, of course I’m fine with it,” Avocato lightly punches him in the shoulder. “I never wanted Little Cato to be an orphan and you’re the only one I trust with him. You’re a fantastic father to him.”

Gary releases a long breath. “Thanks, that means… a lot, actually. Sometimes I worry I’m not really doing the right thing.”

“Welcome to being a parent,” Avocato snorts. “It’s basically that mixes with general worry twenty-four seven. Want me to polish your gun?”

He’d be an idiot not to notice the way Gary’s back stiffens slightly, his finger freezing at his holster. That smile disappears completely, eyes darkening as Gary leans away slightly. “Gary?” Avocato frowns. “You alright?”

Something snaps at that, Gary’s eyes flicking to Avocato. Relief is there, pure relief, but the smile is still gone.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Gary stands, grimacing slightly. “I might just go see if Mom needs any help on the bridge.”

“I’m sorry I shot you,” Avocato’s voice is a quiet rumble.

Freezing, Gary whirls around, eyes wide. “Aw, jeez, Avocato no. You didn’t- I mean- I don’t even remember what I did when I was possessed. I don’t remember fighting you or Little Cato or anything. I get it, you weren’t you.”

Breathing out a shaky sigh, Avocato looks down at his hands. “Little Cato is afraid of me.”

Gary slowly sits back down. “I- look. I don’t think he’s afraid of you. A lot of messed up stuff happened while you were away. From all the fighting to getting the keys to the sixty years in that weird time zone-“

“What?” Avocato goes rigid. “Sixty years in what?”

All colour leaves Gary’s skin, the human swallowing. “The ship collided with a time shard. The rest of us were trapped on one side while Little Cato was on the other. It was- AVA said that time accelerated on his side. That he was trapped there for sixty years.”

Slowly, Avocato curls in on himself, placing his head in his heads.

“Avocato? Yeah, it’s bad. Like, really bad-“

“Sixty years,” Avocato chokes the words. “My son spent sixty years alone. How could he have handled that?”

Once again, Gary winces. “Uh, he kind of didn’t? From what he told me he went a little… insane?”

“How insane?” Avocato looks up.

“Like… major hallucinations for years and imagining his own death insane?” Gary swallows again, looking away. “The kid… he doesn’t talk about it, but when he does it’s pretty… I don’t know. I don’t think everything in his head came back right. Especially since he remembers it all.”

A thought occurs to Avocato. “Is he even still a child?”

“I think he wants to be,” Gary looks down. “I think he’s trying to be? I don’t know. I wished he talked about it more but if we push he just… it’s like he just turns off.”

“Right,” Avocato places the gun down. “Of course he does.”

“You alright?”

“No. I’m not.”

__________________

(Strike three)

Avocato rolls his shoulders, sighing through his nose. He pointedly looks away from the windows and all of the, christ, all of the dead Gary’s floating around in the infinite abyss of what he assumes is just another version of hell.

God, no wonder Quinn is still held up in the infirmary. Avocato would be too after spending months alone in… this.

Speaking of spending a horribly long amount of time in a horrific environment... He needs to speak to Little Cato. Gary’s explanations were brief at best, but Avocato has no doubt that his son must still be shaken from his time in that strange… time split. When he was on the other side.  

“Uh... mister Avocato, sir?”

Stiffening, the Ventrexian turns around, eyes narrowing and claws unsheathing. “Tryvuulian.”

Muttering, Fox steps forward, eyeing Avocato with slight distaste. “Really are his dad, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing,” Fox edges forward, wedging himself between Avocato and the bedroom door. “So, uh, whatcha doing?”

“I’m going to see my son,” Avocato crosses his arm, eyes narrowing. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Little Cato’s doing repairs by the airlock,” Fox shifts on his feet. “You’ll find him there.”

“Thank you,” Avocato pivots around, stomping off.

“You’re not gonna hurt him, right?”

Avocato freezes, turning around. “What?”

Fox hesitates. “I just-“

“He’s my son,” Avocato snaps, hands curling into fists. “I need to make sure he’s alright after whatever the hell happened while I was gone!”

“Right,” Fox looks away. “Sorry, yeah.”

Swallowing down a growl, Avocato marches towards the airlock. Once he arrives it’s easy to spot Little Cato fixing a panel, tools strewn around him.

Just seeing his son sitting there, humming to himself, steals all the breath from Avocato’s lungs. There. His son is there and safe. Well, as safe as he can be in such a dimension.

Smiling, Avocato walls forward and places a hand on Little Cato’s shoulder.

“Hey!” Little Cato beams, turning. “I was-“

It takes a moment for the orange Ventrexian’s mouth to go slack, eyes widening and hand grasping the screwdriver. Barking a curse, Avocato raises his arm to grab the fist hurtling towards him, the screwdriver aimed for his face.

“Little Cato! Avocato growls, pinning his son down by his shoulders. “What the hell are-“

“NO!”

Avocato pauses, flinching back and ears flattening. Little Cato squirms underneath him, sobbing and bucking to get free.

“No no no no no no-“

“Son?” Avocato stands and moves back a step, hands still reaching towards Little Cato.

“GO AWAY!” Little Cato growls, scrambling back against the wall and breathing rapidly. “Y-you’re not, you’re not going to, I’m not-“

Creeping forward, Avocato keeps his palm raised. “It’s just me. It’s me, Little Cato. Everything’s alright.”

Eventually he comes close enough to sit beside Little Cato, hands firmly grasped in his lap as Little Cato sobs in a ball. Avocato swallows thickly, trying to look at his son’s face. Once the sobbing begins to die down he reaches out, placing his hand in Little Cato’s shoulder. He keeps his grasp firm, relieved when his son tips to lean against his side. Little Cato hiccups, pressing against his father as Avocato begins to rub circles on his back.

“Are you alright?” Avocato wraps his arm tighter around his son.

“Yeah,” Little Cato breathes in deeply, rubbing at his eyes. “Yeah, Sorry.”

Avocato frowns as Little Cato leans away. “Son, what was that?”

“You just scared me,” Little Cato drags in a shaky breath. “I’ve been on edge, sorry.”

“No.”

Little Cato blinks. “What?”

“You were afraid of me,” Avocato frowns, settling back against the wall. “When I was- what did I do to you, while I wasn’t myself?”

While he was possessed. He still can’t fully believe it.

Back from the dead only to be controlled by a devil.

“I know that Invictus made me shoot Gary,” Avocato can barely keep his voice steady. “And that I shot at you while I was chasing you. I’m so sorry, so sorry that you had to go through that. Was there anything else I did? Any other way I hurt you?”

“You, uh,” Little Cato rubs at one eye, hiccuping as he looks down. “Dad? You- you love me, right?”

Avocato blinks. “What?”

“Love me,” Little Cato’s voice shakes dangerously. “Do you love me?”

“Of course I do,” Avocato frowns. “Why would you-“

“You never said it,” Little Cato gasps out the words, curling up tighter. “You never said and you said- and you-“

Nearly trembling himself, Avocato gathers Little Cato in his arms and pulls the boy into his lap.

“You tried to kill me,” Little Cato says, voice small and weak. “When Invictus was in control. And you shot Gary and said I wasn’t your son and that I was weak and you were going to find me and kill me and-“

“That was Invictus,” Avocato pushes down a growl, slamming it back into the pot of his stomach. “I never would have said or done those things, I swear.”

“Were you gonna to do it?” Little Cato whispers, ears bent and body shaking. “When you- when you took me there, to that- you knew the Lord Commander wanted you to shoot me. Were you actually gonna do it?”

A terrible father. He had been a terrible father.

Avocato squeezes Little Cato closer. His son sobs.

“Why did you take me there?” Little Cato pushes against his father, pounding at his chest. “I trusted you! You walked me there and were gonna- you were-“

“I know,” rasping, Avocato squeezes his eyes shut. “I know. I’m so sorry.”

“Why?” Little Cato shudders against his father. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” Avocato growls. “None of it was-“

“I couldn’t even fix a freaking ship after sixty years!” Little Cato hisses. “I can’t do anything! I’m always losing!”

That last word cracks at Avocato’s heart. He pulls his son tight against him, both of them shaking. It seems like forever before Little Cato quietens down, growing slack in Avocato’s arms. The older Ventrexian closes his eyes, resting his head against the wall as he thinks over his son’s words.

What the hell happened?

What did he do?

“I’m sorry,” Avocato croaks, eyes squeezed shut. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I messed up so bad.”

“I thought I killed you,” Little Cato whispers, covering his face.

“What?”

“I shot you,” Little Cato rasps, shaking and not meeting Avocato’s eye. “When you were going to kill Gary. I shot you. I thought I killed you.”

All sound empties Avocato’s head. It takes a moment, then another, for him to start breathing again. His shoulders unwind and he tips his head back once again. The scar on his torso. Little Cato’s questions. Everyone’s strange avoidance when it comes to guns around his and Little Cato. Him shooting Gary he can understand. Of course his son would be traumatised from that.

But Little Cato shooting him?

His own father?

The kid can barely even handle lying. How much guilt from shooting his own, possessed father is weighing his son down?

“I’m glad you did,” Avocato noses the top of Little Cato’s head. “I’d rather you shoot me than I shoot you.”

Little Cato hiccups, shaking his head. “I hate this. I hate all of this so much.”

“I know,” Avocato screws his eyes shut. “So do I.”

[thekytchensynk]

Friendly Neighborhood... (Fictober Prompt 21)

Prompt number: 21

Fanfiction Fandom: My Hero Academia

Rating: G

Warnings: No Warnings

Read this story on AO3

The chase and capture was just a purse snatcher, but it held a special place in Sero’s heart because it was his first action as an actual real pro hero.

The call had gone up when he was on patrol -- a passtime that he’d always assumed to be fraught with danger, or at least with events. But a lot of time, patrol was whole lot of nothing. Most of the time, you did your route two, three times and didn’t hear a peep. People going to work or home. People missing the bus. Kids looking for a place to play.

Boring.

But he attended to it as seriously as he could. At least he and Kirishima had ended up at the same agency, and on the same routes for their probation period. This was like the kids table of hero work, he supposed. Once they’d proven themselves to be dependable and professional, they’d probably be assigned to different sorts of jobs based on their strengths, but this was walking around the suburban streets where the agency was based, checking in on reports of suspicious people in front of buildings (usually lost travelers or deliverymen), suspicious activities at the local strip mall (mostly teenagers playing their music too loud) and the occasional missing animal.

The idea, he supposed, was to see if they could keep their cool through all of this boring blandness, and still be a good face for the company. Sero thought he was doing OK at it.

Kirishima though? He seemed like a natural. Sero could get along with anyone, but Kirishima always seemed genuinely interested in people he’d never seen before. He wanted to meet them. He went out of his way to introduce himself, and Sero’d have to tag along because “it’s always safer to have backup.” He didn't mind, not really, but it could definitely be exhausting, stopping for the fifth time in the same black to introduce themselves to another old man or young mother or whoever was out and about.

“Ahh! Stop him!”

The two young heroes stopped, turned. A woman sat on the ground, just picking herself up from what had probably been a prone position seconds ago. A few leaves caught in her hair and dust from the sidewalk marred one sleeve of her black sweater. Kirishima and Sero ran over, but as Kirishima tried to help her up, she waved him off and said, “Get back my purse! Please!”

“Where...?” Kirishima asked.

With a slight, impatient sound, she said, “Up there!”

As one, the two young men turned and looked up at the sky. Where a dark form arced away against the late afternoon sun.

“Well?” she said. She looked familiar, but Sero couldn’t pick her out of the several dozen suburban housewives in the neighborhood. So he just said, “We’re on it ma’am,” as they took off.

While telling the exact type was difficult, there was no missing that the purse snatcher had one heck of a jumping ability. Could be animal based, or a feature of his muscles, or something else entirely. There was no “out of bounds” when it came to the breadth of quirks and their effects.

“So what’s the plan?” Sero asked as the two of them adjusted course to keep on the thief’s trail.

“Stop him. Catch him. Bring back the purse,” Kirishima said with such relish that you’d think he’d already completed the whole thing.

“How fun,” Sero joked. “Nabbing a purse snatcher. Truly a test of our skills.”

“Come on, bro. It’s not about just stopping the bad guy.” and he grinned. Kirishima grinned, like this was the best thing he’d ever gotten to do in his life.

One of the issues Sero was having with this patrol route -- it was short. Not short as in quick to walk around, but short as in there wasn’t anything of any height for him to make use of. There were trees, but all fairly low and not terribly sturdy. The best they had for buildings were a few three-story office buildings. Otherwise, it was low one- and two-story houses and squat shopping plazas. He was a little at a loss. This was definitely more Kirishima’s area of expertise. So he repeated, “The plan though? Anything more than just stopping him?”

Kirishima grinned wider. “I think I have something.”

________

The great thing about springy-legs was that he wasn’t super fast. Didn’t make chasing him down less of a pain. But it seemed he didn’t have a way to direct the energy sideways as much as he probably liked. It was like a human bouncy ball, more or less -- Kirishima felt dizzy just watching the guy.

It also meant he was having trouble timing when the guy came down. He saw where Kirishima was and kept adjusting his next bounce to put things between them -- buildings, fences, whatever was around. But that was just fine. Rather than an endless chase, Kirishima was just trying to direct him … until…

The tape sailing into the sky caught the guy by surprise. However springy he might be, he didn’t have any ability to change direction in the middle of a bounce, as expected, and the tape wrapped around his waist. A second later, and a sharp tug cut the latest bounce short.

“Nice shot!” Kirishima said, jogging up.

“Thanks,” Sero said, turning away from reeling the tape in to return the grin. “I Just w-woah!”

He hadn’t reeled the guy all the way in yet, and their target had hit the ground and jumped off again. The force of it lifted Sero into the air with a surprised yelp. Kirishima grabbed on to his arm, anchoring him down. The guy didn’t get nearly as high this time, on his short leash, but his next jump yanked them both a foot or so off the ground.

“That is one… strong … jump,” Sero grumbled.

“Don’t worry. We got him.”

The next jump was shorter still. This time, he was close enough that the reeling brought him speeding directly at them.

Kirishima was more than happy to introduce the guy to his fist.

________

“Oh, I can’t believe it. You actually did it.”

Sero stood back, trying to hide his skepticism. This lady didn’t seem all that grateful to have been given the help she had asked for. And now she was acting surprised they even managed it. Talk about impolite.

But Kirishima either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He handed the purse back to the woman with an enthusiastic, “You’re welcome, Mrs. Ito. Are you all right?”

“Just fine now, thanks to you. Just fine.” And to Sero’s surprise, she broke out in an honest to goodness smile. “I wasn’t so sure when we were told a couple probation kids were going to be patrolling, but you two did all right. Thanks!”

After she’d headed on her way, recovered purse in hand, Kirishima turned to Sero and said, “See, I told you. Catching the bad guy is great, but this, this makes it all worth it.”

And Yeah. Sero thought he kinda got it now.

[sicprowl]

Death by Chocolate

Dimitri and Cute Byleth stuff - bc why not?

“What the heck are you wearing?!”

Dimitri frowned, glancing down at his pristine white outfit with black trim, gold buttons, and matching blue and white cape.  Even his long hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, something he’d been proud of.

The nine year old couldn’t help but panic and clutch his novelty bag close, “I-It’s my costume!”

Sylvain blinked, his fake fangs peeking out from his upper lip.  "Yeah, I can see that!  But what are you supposed to be?!“

The red headed vampire guffawed only for Ingrid to stomp on his foot.  She then smacked him out of the way with her Valkyrie shield, “I think you look great Dimitri.”

That seemed to ease the young boy, “T-Thank you.  El helped me pick it out.”

Now it was Sylvain’s turn to be unsure, “Edelgard?  Your step-sister?”

Ingrid punched him with her shield again and gave the blond an approving nod.  "It’s great that you two are getting along.  Getting a new family is…tough.“

Dimitri didn’t reply, not needing to be told how hard it’d been when his father married her mother.  The boy had been excited to get a sibling, but all his interactions with said girl made him think she didn’t want anything to do with him.

"Where is Ms. Imperial Princess?”

“She’s with Hubert,” Dimitri answered as Ingrid hissed at him to stop it.  "They left the house before I was done getting ready…“

"All, tall dark and Snape-y.”  Sylvain snickered, earning another hit in the gut - only this time from an arriving Felix.

“Would you stop acting like an idiot?”  The shorter boy snarled while crossing his arms, “You’re embarrassing!”

Sylvain gave his friend an extra toothy grin, “Says the boy dressed up like Leonardo.”

“I’m a NINJA!  Not a ninja turtle!!”

The boys sniped at each other while they left Dimitri’s house and joined the many costumed kids filing around outside.  The sun was still out, so a lot of the younger kids were walking with parents or in large groups - much like their own.  It was going to be crowded like this for a while considering they were one of the better neighborhoods.  

Three words.  King sized bars.

“Is Dedue going to trick or treat with us?”  

Dimtri smiled at Ingrid, “Y-Yes.  He’s got to do something first, but he said he’d meet up with us soon.”

“I’m surprised he’s coming at all,” Sylvain shrugged as they came to the second house.  "Trick or treating might be too childish for him.“

"Says the eldest of the group,” Felix sniffed disapprovingly while Sylvain looked affronted.

“Hey!  I’m just trying to enjoy my last Halloween!”  The vampire grinned and flipped his hair, “I’m getting older after all - and I can’t spend next year looking for candy.  Not unless there’s a girl involved.”

Felix and Ingrid looked disgusted and made fun of the red head as they continued down the line of houses, bags growing heavy with treats and the occasional peppermint.  Decorations both cute and scary greeted them at each house - along with the occasional dad who thought he was scary enough to frighten some kids.  They didn’t mind if it, not if it meant more candy if they played along.

It was an hour later when the sun was already halfway past the horizon, most of the younger kids already going home for the night or visiting their last few houses.  Now the streets were littered with kids thier age and preteens like Sylvain, clinging to their last night of childhood before they focused on things like sports and awkward dating.

Dimitri didnt’ look forward to that, not when his mind was already reeling with nervousness.

Not when they were nearing the house.

“Whoa, look at this place!”  Sylvain pointed, “I think it’s the creepy place behind your house, Dimitri!”

“S-Shush!”  The blond whispered urgently, wide eyes staring at the old manor with panic.  "You’re being rude!“

But Sylvain continued to talk loudly, noting that the place was probably the oldest manor in the neighborhood.  With run down shingles, shabby siding, dirty panels and creaky steps that could wake the dead.  The windows were dirty, or foggy, Dimitri wasn’t sure.  The front yard was slightly overrun with weeds, boxwood bushes that looked like lumpy meatballs and a driveway full of cracks that were need of serious repair.

Felix gave the shabby home the side eye.  "Does anyone even live there?”

“Y-Yes,” Dimitri replied with a soft voice, his gaze looking around for something or someone.

“Whoa, really!?”  Sylvain’s smile grew, “Do you think it’s haunted?  Is the guy living there creepy?  Does he stare at you from his windows?”

“N-No!”  His head whipped around on his friend, affronted.  "The family that lives here is very polite-“

But Sylvain ignored him, already walking towards the creepy home.  Even the sight of other kids avoiding it wasn’t enough to deter him - which only made Dimitri begin to panic.

"W-Wait!”  The Prince grabbed his friend’s arm, but he was looking around wildly.  "We can’t!“

"Huh?  Why not?”

Dimitri blushed, suddenly nervous as everyone began to stare, “B-Because…  Because-!”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” A new voice piped in and they all turned.

“Dedue!”

Oh thank the Goddess!

Dimitr couldn’t help but feel relief at seeing his loyal friend who was…dressed as a cowboy?  The group eyed his button up shirt, jeans with carpet sewn on the sides, leather boots and  spurs, and brown leather hat placed neatly on his head.  Sylvain would have laughed at how serious Dedue looked in his not-so-serious costume if he didn’t already know the boy could knock him into next week.  The fact that the dark skinned boy acted like nothing was wrong was enough to make Dimitri feel better about his own costume.

“Took you long enough,” Felix scowled with a point of his plastic sword.  "You missed half the houses already.“

"Apologies.  The bakery was busy and my family needed the extra help.”

Felix huffed, accepting the explanation while Sylvain gestured towards the run down house with his thumb.  "All right, let’s go, let’s go!  I wanna see what kind of candy this place has!“

"If they have any at all,” Felix muttered as he walked with the vampire, Ingrid following after them.

Dedue and Dimitri stood still, the blond’s body fidgeting with nervous energy while the tall cowboy looked down at him, silent.

“Did…Is it done?”

His face felt scorching hot when Dedue nodded, pulling a wrapped bundle from inside his pocket.  "Yes.  It set before I had to leave.“

Dimitri let out a breath of relief, wanting to open the foil and look at his personal creation, but was also too afraid to see it.

"T-Thank you,” he smiled while taking the item, cradling it in his hands like it were precious.  "I really appreciate your help with this…I wasn’t sure…“

Dedue placed his hand on the blond’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze and tiny smile.  No words were said, but the look that passed between them was enough.

Gathering up his courage, the Prince gave his friend a nod before they walked up to the house where Sylvain was repeatedly ringing the doorbell.

"Hmmm, maybe no one’s home?”  

Ingrid glared and smacked his hand away from the button, just in time as the front door to open and an adult greet them with a gruff hello.  All but Dedue paled at the sight of the messy haired man, eyes blearly from what could only be from a heavy sleep.  No one said anything as he ran a hand through his honey brown hair while looking down at them.

“Trick or treat?”  Sylvain smiled, bag out hesitantly.

The man blinked, clearly confused as he looked at the boy before he cursed under his breath, hand rubbing his chin.

“Shit.  Is it Halloween?”

Sylvain lowered his bag while the others showed varying degrees of disappointment on their faces.  The man mumbled out an apology, tired eyes watching as the kids talked about the next house as they turned to leave.  Then his gaze stopped on Dimitri and Dedue, waiting for them to also leave.

…

“Uh…”  The man rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry.  I don’t really have any candy.”

Dimitri swallowed, staring up at his very familiar neighbor.  Though he’d never seen the man up close, he recognized by his hair and the way he stood, that this was the same person who spent many hours of the day working outside.  Each day was either spent on the roof, windows, or yard; hammering away at loose nails, pulling weeds, or painting anything that wasn’t dry rotted.

It was no surprise that he was so tired and Dimitri almost felt bad for bothering him but…

“Oh, Byleth…”

The young boy stiffened, eyes wide as he saw a bit of movement behind the man’s legs.  A girl, his other neighbor, peeking out at them.  

Suddenly his throat felt dry and words escaped him when their eyes met.  Mint meeting blue, curious vs panicked.  The familiar girl stepped out in the door way, getting a better look at the two trick or treaters.  He blushed the longer she stared, suddenly wishing that pretty gaze wasn’t looking at him at this moment.  Oh goddess, his hands were so sweaty; so hot and sweaty that Dimitri feared he’d melt the treat between his palms.

“T-Trick or treat!”  He stuttered at her, holding out his gift to the girl he’d been watching from the small gap of flowers and fence that separated their yards.

Amusement flashed between the man’s eyes as he looked down at Dimitri.  "I’m pretty sure we’re the ones who have to give you a treat, kid.“

Dimitri blushed, shaky arms still held out towards the blank girl.  Hopeful.  Desperate.

Her father nudged her shoulder.  She looked up at him for silent confirmation and earned a nod before she took the gift.  The Prince swallowed when their fingers touched then quickly pulled away the moment she had the bundle.  Dedue gave him a look of encouragement as the girl unwrapped the chocolate in the shape of a flower.

Dimitri spent many hours with Dedue the day before in his family’s bakery, learning to make chocolate from his friend specifically for this reason.  It had been embarrassing to ask, but Dedue had been understanding and patient as he showed him the steps and how to decorate.

"It’s a Forget-Me-Not.”  Dimitri blabbed, eyes wide as if under a spotlight.  "I-I tried to make a rose, but they’re a little hard and…“

He shut up, feeling stupid for doing all this in the first place.  

This pretty girl was probably already in MIDDLE SCHOOL and what was he?  Some dumb little kid with a dumb little crush.

She turned the candy in her hands, staring blankly at the simple shapes before nodding at Dimitri.  He exhaled through his nose in response, only to snort.  The Prince covered the lower half of his face, mortified.

"Byleth?  You got something to say?”

The girl looked up at her father then back to Dimitri who still had his face covered.

“Thank you.”

Red began to spread up his neck, cheeks, and even to the tips of his ears as he let out a garbled you’re welcome.  After another awkward second of staring, Dedue came to his rescue by bidding the two farewell then dragged his friend away before he could make a bigger fool of himself.

“You did well.”  Dedue whispered, making Dimitri want to groan.

“Please don’t tell anyone…”

“Of course.”

The rest of their night was uneventful as they collected more candy then they could ever eat and went back home, bellies full and aching.  Dimitri didn’t touch any of his, too busy groaning into his pillow and wondering what had come over him.

Perhaps he could convince his father to move?  Surely it was doable.  

Luckily the boy didn’t feel the need to.  Not when he found a small bag of Hershey kisses on his side of the garden, right next to his flower gap where he’d sit and stare.

He wasn’t sure if he should look deeper into the meaning, but the gift made his heart soar all the same.

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 20

Last time Roy was a badass, Lust bit the dust, and Ed ran into a familiar face. Onwards!

Hey, they show Ed and Papa Elric in a graveyard during the intro! I’d just written that off as a symbolic thing or something. So does that mean we’re gonna have Ed going through the Gate again and the Xing contingent fighting Wrath? I will also take little May Chang zapping some werewolves, please and thank you. We open with Papa Elric and Ed staring at eachother (and a gravestone for a Michael Cusbert, random name or someone connected to the show?). [Papa Elric]: “Hello, Edward… You appear to have grown some.” 1-Will the short jokes never cease? 2-Really, dude? You haven’t seen your son since you ran off who knows how many years ago, and your first words are essentially “Huh, turns out kids grow up over time.” Ah, and he’s spoken with Granny Rockbell, knows that Ed tried Human Transmutation. Ed responds by asking why the heck he’s come back when there’s nothing left for him there. PE just asks why Ed burned down “his” home. So, am I supposed to have any sympathy for this guy? Like, at all? Disregarding my belief that Papa Elric and Father are the same person (seriously, beard), just in terms of being a dad I am finding him sorely lacking. Ed states that they burned it down as a symbol of their reso- [PE]: “No you didn’t. You were hiding the memory. You didn’t want to be reminded of what you’ve done… And thought you could erase the memory by destroying the evidence.” Step off, buddy. [PE]: “You ran away… And you know it.” WOW. Ok, you can just fuck right off, dude. You’re gonna stand on your dead wife’s grave and say that kind of shit to your son? I agree with Ed, you make me sick. [PE]: “He’s exactly like I was when I was his age.” Hahaha NO. You don’t get to compare yourself to the Protagonist, dude. Just… just go. Episode 20 - “Father Before the Grave” That night, Ed’s sleeping at the Rockbell’s when the door opens. So we’ll get Granny’s response to- YOU. Nope nope nope stop looking in on Ed just go away and Flashback to Kid!Ed clutching at PE’s leg with a smile and Baby!Al gazing up. Oh, so NOW you feel remorse for running out on your family. Whoop de friggin doo. PE reaches out to touch the son he ABANDONED before chickening out and leaving. And whadya know, Ed who has been through numerous deathly struggles over the past years was awake the entire time. Downstairs, good dog! The Rockbell’s automailed hound is sitting in a corner and growling at PE as he gives a wry grin, before turning back to Granny and numerous wine bottles. Seems she’s going over photo albums, remarking on how PE looks like he hasn’t aged a day (hmmmmm) and asking why he was gone for so long. PE… asks about the results of the HT the boys attempted. Dude. You know that Ed’s listening in, and you’re gonna make him think that the event that destroyed their lives was even more of a failure? The worst part is that we know he’s right, since Al’s flashback to the Gate ended with him looking at Ed from inside the TC. Still, dude. Dick move. Ok, let’s go away from this awfulness for a bit. Back in Central, Al’s holding up his end of the bargain and telling Ling about his Soul Armor status, who is very impressed. No need to eat or sleep or breathe, as long as his sigil’s kept intact he’s functionally immortal! Except for what Barry mentioned last time, about how a body can’t maintain a foreign soul, and Al thinks that he’s a ticking time bomb. Well ok, hold up. That’s based on an offhand comment by a homicidal maniac, regarding a corpse that had an animal’s soul stuffed in it. I don’t think that’s really comparable to you, Al. At the very least, why don’t we get a more scientific look into the subject than a murderer? And Ling does bring up a good point, if the body can only hold a soul for so long, why not transfer it to a new body periodically? Problem solved, right? Still, as much as I like the transhuman immortality robot idea, I don’t think the guy we’ve seen bumming for free food is really comprehending the isolation of the form, which Winry calls him out on before storming away. Winry’s moping on her bed when Al comes in, and tries lightening the mood by complaining that Ed and Winry are always the ones to lose their tempers, he never gets a chance. Then we get a flashback to Al's first night in his Soul Armor, realising that he can’t (not doesn’t have to, can’t) fall asleep and mentioning that to a younger Winry. Current!Winry cries into a pillow and demands a promise that Al will get his body back. On his own end, looks like Ed’s dreaming, running towards a distant light and demanding that they give Al his body back. Suddenly Truth! [Truth]: “Take it? Do you even know what you’re saying? You’re the one who tossed his body aside and put him in that armor… Aren’t you, alchemist?” And then That Bastard Tucker shows up saying that he and Ed are the saNOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. And then it gets WORSE when a hand reaches out and Ok good Ed’s awake now. Suddenly I’m seeing advantages to Al not having to dream. Meanwhile, Granny’s yelling that Ed needs to wake up, his father’s about to head out. Wait, head out? Where’s PE off to now? Oh hey, it’s the photo wall with PE’s face blocked off. Which PE asks for and takes as it’s the only picture of the entire family. Then he’s already heading to the door (not surprised he’s not even waiting for Ed), but pauses to tell Granny something. [PE]: “Something terrible is going to happen in this country soon… You should escape while you can.” [Granny]: “*shrug* This country’s lousy with terrible things. And I can’t leave. I’ve got other people who need me here in case they want to come home.” [Heartless!PE Who Completely Ignores The Wall Of Cute Kid Pictures]: “I’ve given you my warning.” And like that, Hohenheim is gone, with a comment that he won’t be able to enjoy her cooking anymore… ok, that is either implying that Granny is going to die (NOPE) or Hohenheim is (?). Ed just looks out the window as his father leaves yet again. Now weather’s rolling in as Ed and Granny are walking up a hill, Ed has a shovel… oh no. No no no please tell me you aren’t going to dig it up. This knowledge will not help you, Ed. The rain starts falling and Ed is vomiting from exertion and stress, refuses to go home (as opposed to this pile of burnt rubble) as he won’t be able to move forward until he knows for sure. And because he refuses to let Hohenheim be right about his running away. Please. Please, just stop Ed. You’re constantly heaving, and as tough as Granny is it can’t be good for her either to be out in this rain. Let it go, please. But they keep digging through the rain, and as it finally slows Ed stops digging. Grabs a tuft of hair. Rushes to the bucket to wash it off. And turns to Granny with a stricken face, saying that Mama Elric had chestnut hair. But this hair is blond- wait, black? ...wait, what? It’s not blonde? I mean, maybe it’s burnt black. But I thought it was… They dig up the rest of the remains, Granny declares a femur too long and the pelvis for a male… ok, hold up. You’re basing this off of bone lengths and hair color? Ed, did you not see how deformed and broken that Thing was? That was not an example of a functioning human body, so why would you base this off of damaged parts? Aaargh, but as Granny declares that all the parts from the HT aren’t his mother, Ed laughs brokenly before declaring that it really is impossible to bring the dead back to life. But as Granny tells him to get ahold of himself, Ed says that it’s alright? That this has been a symbol of despair for so long… ok, how is this a symbol of hope, then? [Ed]: “Al can be returned to normal.” …? Um, I am not seeing the logic connection here. The HT remains are reburied, and Ed gives a call to Teacher. Oh dear. That subject. I’m sorry Ed, but that is really something you should not talk about over the phone. Back to the graveyard, Ed and Granny are looking over the Rockbell gravestones as she thanks Ed for telling her about how they helped people. Then they head out, Ed asking if Hohenheim said where he was going and Granny saying she didn’t even bother asking. But then she says she forgot something? A message for Hohenheim from Mama Elric? [Mama Elric]: “I’ll be gone when he returns… Can you tell him something? I need him to know… I couldn’t keep my promise. I died before he did, and I’m so sorry.” A promise to not die before him? Whatever the details, Granny doesn’t know, and asks Ed to pass it on if he runs into Hohenheim again. Ed grumps at being a messenger boy, but agrees. Now, back to Central! Where Ed’s sure that Al is just waiting, annoyed at being cut out of the loop… [Ed]: *eyetwitch* “What the hell?!” Al, rather worse for wear, apologizes to Ed for being so damaged, who then starts freaking out over Xing and the Lady Ninja mooching off room service before he kicks them out. Now, story time! After Ed’s brought up to speed on the Goths and Barry and the speculation that Al’s armor is gonna reject his soul (again, solely based on something Barry said), Al’s patched up. Winry is of course worried and asks if Al can get his old body back, Ed insists he can. Now, Ed’s turn to tell a story. Al is of course shocked at Ed saying he dug up the Resembool body, and more so at the claim that it wasn’t their mother. But this convinces Ed that they can return Al to normal? Explanation, please! But Ed insists before that he needs to know… if Winry remembers them fighting as kids about who’d marry her. Pfft! Winry confirms that she turned them both down ([Ed]: “W-whatever.”), so Ed asks for the reasoning. [Al/Winry]: “I just don’t like men who are shorter than me.” Aw, chin up Ed! It’s the only way you can try to be taller than her! Oh! OH! Confirmation that it really is Al, not just a copy from Ed’s memories! Al remembered something that Ed didn’t know! Thank Leto, this show may be playing fast and loose with dental records and hair remains, but this is sound reasoning! And if we have proof positive that Ed could pull Al’s soul out, then Ed believes that Al’s body is still in the Gate and he can pull it out. Like Barry’s body, separate from… ok, now you’re losing me again. As I understand Armor!Barry was made when his body was killed for murder, not lost in the Gate of Truth. That body did exist separate from the soul, but it wasn’t lost in another dimension or whatever, just stuck in the ground here. Ed asks Al to think back to the Gate, what he saw, and Al says that he grabbed his own hand (that creepy grinning version of Al from the flashback). So Ed’s determined to confront Truth again, and pull Ed’s body out!... but then there’s that last part of the memory. Al looking at Ed from inside the Thing. But while that Thing was Al, his soul didn’t bind. Huh. So good news is that they didn’t harm anyone else’s soul that time. Bad news is that this supports the “foreign body rejects soul” idea. Ergh. Oh, Teacher’s calling back. She and Sig did some research, and confirmed that the Thing that they summoned didn’t share any traits with them. So that’s it, then. Death is permanent. But at least they have closure. And the Elric Brothers have closure too, knowing that their attempt wasn’t a second death for Mama Elric, both of them blaming themselves. But with that closure behind them, they still have their mission: Get Al his body back. We get Al demanding that he share the burden with Ed, saying that he’s gotten by through being treated like a normal person from his friends… and crying that he can’t take the lonely nights anymore. But that’s going to change. The Elric Brothers have a target, and they’re gonna tear right through the Gate and punch Truth until they get that body back! And the Brothers are back at it, that eagerness that they had when first searching for the Philosopher’s Stone. Even Winry is taken back at how broad Ed’s shoulders are in his confidence. Brace yourself, Truth. The Elric Brothers are gunning for you.