#okay writing this together on discord i didn't think the word count would be so high!

[omegasmileyface]

The Forest, the Trees, the Fire I: CATALYST

Chapter 10

the final chapter of Book I. Also, chapter 9 just went up, so make sure you didn't miss that! To keep an eye on Book II, subscribe to the series on ao3 or (less reliable) follow the "the forest the trees the fire" tag on tumblr! We all had a lot of fun writing this and working with Chrunchy, and we very much hope you enjoy! <3 Authors: @attackradish, myself, @ectolemonades Artist: @/crunchysart

For the full characters list, word count, content warning, and a directory to all the currently available chapters and related content, see the Table of Contents!

full summary: The world outside of Amity Park has learned about the existence of ghosts, and the time for first impressions has arrived. The delicate public consciousness could be disrupted by the slightest ripple. Danny Fenton is being ripped apart from all sides, and when he finally breaks, the ripples will be very big indeed.

warnings: none

words: 1780

AO3 link

first chapter

previous chapter

===

When Valerie came through the portal, she couldn't decide whether to yell for help or try to go unnoticed. Instead of doing either, she just flew as fast as she could in one direction while still holding Dani intact. Time blended together, and Val had seen thousands of floating doors by the time she came across civilization. There was a small cluster of white stone buildings with lush roofs of blue plants, and a single humanoid ghost sitting on a wall.

When the ghost saw Valerie, she silently beckoned her closer, and Val took the chance. The ghost motioned for her to lay Dani down, and when she did, the ghost recoiled in shock. Val was worried she was about to be kicked out, or worse, but the ghost rushed to loosely wrap some ethereal fabric around Dani's wounds, and then immediately gestured for Valerie to pick her back up and follow.

Valerie had no better options. The ghost sped off at a right angle from her previous direction, and her board was just barely able to keep up. Right as Val started thinking she was going to pass out soon, they came close to a massive ghostly palace. It was mostly neo-Gothic structures made of black stone bricks with white veins, but discordant rooms stretched off it nonsensically. Some walls bore stained glass windows, some were in completely alien architectural styles, some were made of crumbling red brick. It was imposing and, in an odd way, elegant, but above all else it was ghostly.

They were heading straight for the main door.

When Valerie reached it, the ghost clasped her hands politely and sped off. Val made sure to yell thanks after her.

The teal doors opened with an ominous creak, and Valerie felt like she was in a fantasy movie. There was no one inside, so she just accepted that she might be dooming herself and her friend, and… walked. She made sure only to go straight forward and through doors that looked official and public-facing, and hopefully whoever owned this palace would be okay with having visitors.

And now, here she was. Her walking had taken her to a throne room, which had windows on both sides despite being seemingly in the center of the building. And sitting upside-down against the bottom of the dais and wearing a crown was Danny Phantom.

He looked utterly bewildered when he saw her. He shot upright. "Va— Red! Wh— I— Oh, my God, is that Dani?"

Phantom rushed over to Valerie and gestured for her to hand him Danielle. She hesitated, but he looked so anguished, and they were cousins… so she moved her over as gently as she could.

Slowly, he carried her through one of the doors in the wall behind the throne. "What happened?"

Valerie followed him through a branching hallway. "She was with the GIW. Look, can I ask where I am, first? I'd love to know what's going on."

"Right. Sorry." Phantom was frowning, which Val found a little odd. Yeah, he was holding the barely-kept-together body of his cousin, but he usually found a couple moments to crack jokes when he was upset. Now, after she hadn't seen him for months, he was sort of quiet.

One of the identical doors along the hallway opened as they got close. Inside was a fairly normal bedroom, if a bit more rococo than Valerie was used to seeing outside of movies. Phantom gently put Danielle on the bed, where her blood immediately stained the sheets. A bowl of water and a cloth appeared out of a haze in the air, and he started cleaning her wounds.

"So, this is my castle—"

"Yeah, I could figure that one out on my own. I was more curious why you have one of those."

He chuckled a little. Score.

"I'm, um, the Ghost King."

Valerie frowned. "Like that Pariah Dark guy? Did you get his title when you fought him?"

"Got it in one."

"Phew! My next guess was that he was your dad."

Phantom choked a little, then laughed. Good, it scared her a little seeing him so serious. "Yeah, no, it's just a… dominance thing. You beat the King, you get a chance at the crown. And it liked me, so… here I am."

Valerie chose not to think too hard about whether he meant that last part literally. She had more immediate issues on her plate. "So is that why I haven't seen you around? Paperwork?"

He sighed. "A little, I'll admit. But no, I've had some, uh… issues. The last few times I was in Amity. I've been trying to stay away."

That sounded almost personal. Ah, or not, considering the GIW presence. "I guess it's been pretty dangerous there. I'd be trying to stay away, too, if I were a ghost." Val remembered, then, all the things that had happened to bring her here. She… probably couldn't go back any time soon or they'd have a bounty on her head. "…Or if I were myself, I guess."

They sat with that for a moment. Val felt something like dread and loneliness at the same time, like she was being preemptively lonely for her future self. She thought of staying somewhere away from home for long enough for everything to blow over, and the idea almost made her feel like she was in a submarine or a spaceship. In a tiny, enclosed, unfamiliar world, with nothing to see for miles around, and if she took one step outside she'd die before it would make a difference.

She wondered if Phantom felt the same thing, even though he obviously didn't live in Amity all the time like she did.

The bowl disappeared, and in its place materialized some perfectly normal medical tape and bandages. "Well, you're perfectly welcome to stay here until you're comfortable with going home. Everything's human-safe, there's food and stuff… I've got a lot of empty rooms, I don't mind."

In another dimension, away from everybody she cared about? She wanted to talk to somebody, but she hadn't brought her phone to the GIW interrogation. She was worried it would connect her identities. Would she even get cell service here? Probably not, right?

And… who would she call? Her dad, obviously, but maybe he'd be better off if she didn't get him too wrapped up in this. Didn't give him a chance to try to come with her. She should just leave him a note or something. And nobody else she hung out with was exactly a comfort to talk to. Except Danny, but he hadn't been responding lately anyway.

In all honesty, the longer Valerie was here, the more she suspected she knew where Danny had been recently. He'd always been too close to the middle of this ghost stuff.

She shrugged. "Fine, but I want to leave my dad a note, and I get to leave whenever I want."

"Of course! I would never force you to stay somewhere. I don't think I could." The extra medical supplies dissolved, and a notebook popped into the air. There was a lot more appearing and disappearing going on than Valerie was used to. "Here, give me a sec, I need to call my doctor."

That was a delightfully normal thing to say in this fantasy dimension with a half-ghost unconscious on the bed. Valerie just watched as Phantom wrote something in his notebook and then tore the page out. He let it go, and it dissolved into motes of light, carried away on an unfelt air current. Neat.

"Okay, do you have any more right-now questions?"

Valerie shook her head.

"Cool. We can do the note and stuff later. For now, let's go sit down and you can tell me what the hell happened to my little cousin."

"Right."

They moved to another movie-set rococo room in the same color scheme as most of the place, this one filled with giant beanbag chairs.

They plopped down and Valerie tried to reconcile the chill furniture with the tragic story she was about to tell. It didn't work, and she just felt sort of silly as she talked about her interview and the way they put the vivisection on display.

Phantom kept getting madder. He never said anything and he never made eye contact with Valerie, but the unearthly air became still and cold. His expression was blank and he never moved from staring at the same section of white rug, but Valerie could swear she saw tears in his eyes. 

When she admitted that it was the Drs. Fenton who were up to their elbows in Danielle's chest, the rug ripped cleanly in two with a sound like a whip cracking. Valerie looked up, and Phantom's eyes were fixed on her like he had caught her with her hand around the handle of a knife in his stomach. Clear, attentive pain. Her suit shivered against her skin.

"You're sure it was them?" he whimpered.

Valerie nodded.

Phantom stood up and stomped toward the door, his whole body trembling. "I'll be back," he growled.

"Wait!"

He turned.

Valerie cleared her throat and double-checked the little theory that had wormed itself into her brain. She didn't find any obvious holes. "You're Danny, aren't you?"

Phantom pulled his lips back, not into a smile, but into some sad expression of acceptance. An expression that said "yeah, but what can you do?" He nodded once. Then he marched out the door.

Valerie fell back into her beanbag and thought.

===

The GIW's first remote rocket-powered device, named Michael after the Archangel and nicknamed Mike by its creators, floated through grey mists until it couldn't see the green of the void anymore. It dutifully observed and recorded its surroundings, from loose piles of bleached bones to flocks of perfectly normal-looking crows. It floated through living, leafless trees and blood-red grass, half-bound by gravity. Its path was fixed.

As it approached, a hole appeared in the ground, hidden by mounds of rock. Michael went down the hole. And it continued down the hole, even as the ectoplasmic air became too thick with darkness to use its visual sensors. It simply switched to sonar and kept going.

After several minutes of darkness, during which Michael's signal back to HQ became steadily less reliable, it reached its destination. The object wasn't visible, but its presence was obvious; a massive sarcophagus, fluorescent with the toxic colors of ectoplasmic paint.

A flexible arm unfolded from under Michael, and it reached above the engravings of crossed arms carved and gently inserted a key into the center. The key was turned, and the signal cut to nothing.

[soot-and-salt]

2,13,21,24,37

Oh wow, someone actually asked me things, okay this is EXCITING!

2. What's your shortest fic? What's your longest?

I tend to write about 1,500 to 3,000 words per fic, which isn't a bad spot for a one shot. I'd love to write longer things but my attention wavers. I usually will write everything in one sitting, usually in about two to three hours, and then post it. Sometimes I put down ideas or lines and dialogue into a Google doc or my notes app but I'm mostly, uh, doing it live, as it were. And usually right into the AO3 text box, much to the chagrin of my friends who think that is INSANE. And I can't say I blame them. I never said I was good at this, okay.

Anyway, shorter fics work better for stuff like comedy. My shortest fic is just under 1,000 words and was written as kind of a joke, based on someone's tweet. I love doing stuff like that, writing based off of weird prompts, in jokes, or artwork. My brain is a magpie and when it sees something shiny, about 2,000 words (give or take) falls out.

13. How many works have you published?

So I'm on my fourth or fifth AO3 user name by now. I usually get a new one when I write for a new fandom, my soot_and_salt name is the first time I've made a multi-fandom one. I simply couldn't wait the few days to get a new name email from AO3 to post a Hazbin fic, which truly is the entire vibe of my admittedly frenzied writing there. Over all my usernames, though, it's somewhere in the realm of 50-ish works.

21. What year did you join your chosen fanfic posting platform?

My first AO3 name was made back in 2018, which feels a little late, honestly. It's been my only place to post fic since then (unless private discord servers count too). Before that, I didn't write fic for a solid, god, ten years or so? I was big into fandom spaces when I was in school, mostly over on Livejournal. That is, regrettably, how old I am.

24. What are some of your favorite tropes?

Holy shit do I love a good, well done AU. I love examining characters through the lens of an entirely new experience for them. Like, yes I know you're USUALLY a war criminal drow wizard but what if, for about, oh, 30,000 words, you were now a violinist? Or a figure skater? Bookstore clerk? It's a fascinating way to really dig into a character. I also go nuts for a good evil turn for someone, just some nice indulgence in their worst habits. That can be a very good, usually bloody and violent, good time. Speaking of, enemies to lovers is also delicious when they're the right characters (cough-AlastorandVox-cough). One bed, getting together, and fake dating are all fun too, if done right. Oh, and I go nuts for vampires.

I'll usually read almost anything, honestly, as long as it sounds interesting. I have like nearly 100 AO3 tabs in like four fandoms open right now, it's a problem.

37. Do you have any older fics you would consider rewriting?

There are fics with really solid bones I wish I'd written when I was better at writing but I don't think I'd rewrite them. They exist as they are, a testament to where I was at the time, and there's something good and important in that too. So I take what I think worked or what idea I had and save them for another day or another fandom, but the fic itself remains.

I usually post a fic, re-read and edit it obsessively for a day or two, and then move on. Sometimes I'll spot a typo or a missing word weeks or months later and fix them up, but usually after a few days that fic is set in stone.

Okay this was really fun, send me more! :D

[loosesodamarble]

For That Special Day

Summary: After the union between herself and Fuegoleon, Solara assists Josele in preparing for her own happily ever after, as it were. A collaboration between myself and Laura (@thoughtfullyrainynightmare).

Genre: general

Word count: ~4300

..........

If there was one word Solara could've used to describe Josele it would've been "earnest." She was a woman once dead to the world in all but body now lived again, not with great energy but with a deep appreciation for all that was around her. Solara saw it in the way Josele would drink her tea at a slow, thoughtful pace. In the way she paused to watch a simple act such as a florist tending to bouquets in a window. How she smiled with tears in her eyes for the joys of another person.

Their initial introduction was poor, yes, but Solara could confidently say that she was glad to have become acquainted with and befriended Josele.

In that moment, Solara's hand moved up and touched the pendant that had been gifted to her from Josele. A gift given out of love to celebrate love. Truly something meaningful for both giver and receiver.

"Solara, the necklace looks positively lovely on you, no need to be self-conscious," Josele's teasing voice pulled Solara from her thoughts.

The two women walked together through a lively, though thankfully not crowded, marketplace. They were without their squad robes, as they walked not as knights on patrol but as friends on an outing.

A giggle made it past Solara's lips. "Oh, I wasn't worrying. But I probably don't need to tell you that."

"True. A moment of appreciation?" Josele guessed, to which Solara nodded. "You're welcome." The warm smile she gave Solara softened as she turned her head to look ahead. However, there was something else to Josele, in the way her eyes so quickly flicked away from Solara, from the wedding gift.

Perhaps it was Josele's affinity which made her easy to read or perhaps Solara had become all too familiar with tension, with the sense that there were words that wanted to be said but did not come out easily. Solara reached out a hand and touched Josele's shoulder.

"If there's something you wish to discuss, Joey, I'm all ears," Solara said with gentle reassurance. "Is there?"

Josele looked at Solara. She smiled, though there was a heaviness to the gesture.

"Nacht and I, we finally decided to marry." A sigh, one that was light and dreamy, left Josele though her smile remained somewhat sad.

"Well that's certainly something of note," Solara remarked with a nod. "But there's more?"

"Much more." Josele's hand reached for her own necklace, or rather the rings. "See, the trouble is that... Right now we've decided to make our union a small affair."

"Ah, I presume just yourselves and your squad. Don't worry. I'm not offended for not being invited. Being told is sufficient to me."

At that, Josele shook her head, perplexing Solara.

"We're not doing a ceremony at all. We don't want to make a big deal out of our union."

Solara couldn't help but laugh, though she kept it minimal. "Sounds difficult. It's marriage after all."

"I know, I know." Josele flushed and shook her head. "It doesn't make much sense but that's how we feel. But it's my idea to forgo a ceremony entirely. Even if it's just the Black Bulls, I don't want one. Because it reminds me of..." She gripped the rings more tightly. "With Morgen, there was going to be a ceremony, a big one because of how well-connected he was. You should've seen how nervous I was. Me, some common woman, marrying the most admired man in the noble realm. But..." Josele's expression brightened with such warmth that Solara felt it in her own heart. "Morgen had this way of making me forget when people were watching us. And so I felt it would be okay since he would be waiting for me at the end of the aisle."

Solara remained silent for a moment. She had an idea of how Josele must've felt back then. Solara marrying Fuegoleon, one of the kingdom's royals, meant having many eyes on her. And it did shake her a bit. But the joy of marrying her dear Fue outweighed the anxiety. So Morgen had that effect for Josele.

"But it's different with Lord Faust?" Solara asked softly.

"It's not a problem with him, it's just..."

"I understand. And I'm sure Lord Faust feels the same."

Josele nodded. But still there was something so.... well not quite... wrong in it. Which, however, didn't mean that it didn't feel right either.

"He does..." she tried to smile, still fumbling with the rings.

"But?" Solara asked, searching for Josele's gaze with faint glances, almost as if to ask if she wanted to tell.

"But," Josele begun, not averting the gaze per se, but rather letting it travel freely. "Marriage tends to be something that is celebrated with one's friends and loved ones. Both of the couples friends and loved ones."

There was a brief pause, during which they both thought about it. Though within Josele there was a tug of two emotions, rather than a flow of thoughts.

"Well," Solara begun, thinking out loud more than anything. "I think that... ultimately marriage is between the people in the marriage itself. And... it's... I think it's a union, that speaks about the emotions of those two people, as long as it's a marriage out of love, but that's another topic entirely."

Josele nodded. Because there was more to the subject of what marriage means to people, but this wasn't one of those conversations.

"I was... Well. I can't say that I wasn't a little bit upset when my sister decided to marry in secret. If one can call it as that, because she did tell us. But they didn't have a reception. A proper wedding. Similarly, they just signed the papers. Perhaps celebrated it amongst themselves, but that's...." She paused for a while, choosing her words, because she was happy for Selena. "Their marriage isn't about me."

Josele blinked. Her face reflected surprise for a moment before giving way to relief.

"Goodness." Josele brought her hand to her mouth as she laughed. "Why didn't I see it sooner?" Then, she smiled to Solara. "Thank you. I think I've got my thoughts in order at last."

Solara twirled her hand and bowed her head in a playful gesture. "Happy to be of service."

Josele laughed a little harder. "Well, I still need your service actually."

"Hm?" Solara raised a brow. "Reconsidering the private affair and need my expertise on wedding planning?"

"No no!" Josele, suddenly flushed pink, stepped back and waved her hands in the air. “Nothing like that!”

The people in the street with the women sent passing glances, making both flush. They giggled as they briskly walked away. Once they had turned a corner, Josele spoke up again.

"I was hoping that, as a recently married woman, you might have some advice on what to get my husband to be," Josele explained and rubbed the back of her neck. "Since there won't be a wedding party... we're getting gifts for each other."

"Ahhhh..." Solara touched a hand to her chin and looked up.

There was a lot to consider. Since it would just be Josele and Nacht exchanging gifts, it had to be something genuine. A gag gift is acceptable from a friend. Something racy, even from a spouse would send the wrong message. There was also the fact that Solara couldn't suggest something definitive, not knowing what Nacht would appreciate. But she could still help Josele determine that for herself.

Solara looked to Josele and found the woman with an apprehensive look.

"Too big of an ask?" Josele said. "Perhaps I should've asked—"

"No, not too big," answered Solara and nonchalantly waved a hand in the air. "Just a careful subject."

"Mm, true."

“So what have you considered giving him so far?”

To answer, Josele removed a dagger from her belt and unsheathed it about an inch. The handle and sheath were made of ivory and carved with an intricate pattern of twisting ivy. The blade was impossibly pure steel that reflected like a mirror.

“Nacht and I actually met when I caught him trying to steal this dagger from my father. I thought it might be nice to give him the very item that brought us together.”

Solara stared at Josele with wide eyes. Josele surely couldn’t be serious? But Solara saw the fondness in Josele’s eyes and was reminded that Josele was not only raised in another country but another station in society. Their worldviews, while overlapping more than Solara initially believed, were still different. Solara turned her head and coughed into her fist.

“Ah, Joey, not to shoot down the idea too harshly but, at least in Thean culture, gifting knives to others is considered rather poor etiquette.”

Josele raised her head and tilted it to the side. "Really? My dad said the dagger was a gift from my grandpa on his own wedding day."

Solara paused, blinking rapidly as she took in the information. They really did inhabit different corners of the same world.

"So it was already given at a wedding?" Solara yelped. She quickly covered her mouth at her outburst. She grinned despite the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks. "See, at least in Thea, gifting a dagger or knife to another person has the implied meaning of 'take this blade and use it on yourself.'" Solara noted the way Josele's eyes grew wide and her face visibly lost color. Josele averted her eyes and slowly put the dagger away. Attempting to ease the sudden tension, Solara forced herself to laugh. "Supposedly, it comes from ancient times when traitors were expected to stab their own hearts if they were caught in the act. I don't actually know if what I'm saying is relevant to Clover though."

Josele tucked her hair back then rubbed her neck.

"To be honest, I am reminded of how Morgen and Nacht caused a bit of a stir when they gifted me my sword." Josele's hand wandered down to the hilt of her primary weapon and ghosting her fingers along the grip and tracing the guard. It wasn't particularly ornate but the combined material and craftsmanship certainly looked like it would be out of the price range of a commoner. To think that the weapon would've lasted Josele all these years. "I think, even though many nobles as Magic Knights create weapons through spells, using physical weapons is seen as... beneath them."

Josele's voice carried a weight to it. Not sadness or anger but rather something that dulled her spirits.

"Even if they never used it, the twins gifting me a sword might've been seen as controversial in noble circles."

"I'd chalk it up to the dearth of teyus in Clover. It's shaped the culture here in a rather..." Saying "odd" or "strange" since Thea's culture would be considered as such to Clover. "Distinct" doesn't quite work because all culture are distinct in some way. "In a way, let's say."

"In a way." Josele repeated.

"But we're in agreement that the dagger is off the table."

"Yup." Josele made the "p" sound pop at the end. "The only other thing I considered was sewing something like a baby blanket or onesie. As a look to the future instead of the past. But that kind of gift wouldn't be for Nacht's use."

Solara nodded her head and sighed.

There was her sewing baby socks and Fuegoleon buying lion plushes for future children in their spare time. And then there was giving a baby item as a wedding gift to one's spouse. Very different contexts. And different implications.

From what Solara knew of Josele and Nacht...

"I think the frankness might be a bit much too."

However, Solara’s mind repeated what Josele had said. About “a look to the future.” The her knowledge on it was sparse, the past was a heavy topic for Nacht and Josele. So a gift that brought to mind the future might’ve been the better option. There was also the fact that Nacht was a man of subtlety. In most cases. So too would the gift have to be discreet. A discreet gift would also keep attention from being drawn to Nacht and arousing suspicion if the union was to be as lowkey as possible. Subtle and future-oriented. Not impossible criteria to fulfill.

So where to start?

Solara looked at Josele, whose eyes were closed in concentration. Taking the opportunity, she looked at the rings. She never had the chance to see them up close but with the small distance, Solara could make out just enough. The rings were so different, one wouldn’t think that they were to be a pair. But there was one similarity to them, not in looks but in sentiment. They were rather simple. Not the plainest of rings by a considerable margin but there could’ve been more to either; more jewels on Josele’s or a pattern in the metal of Morgen’s. But no. They were simple and straightforward. She looked at the rings for a moment longer, then to Josele herself.

“Are you and Nacht already exchanging rings?” Solara asked a bit abruptly given how she and Josele had lapsed into silence for a moment.

Josele’s eyes opened. And the sadness reflected within answered all too clearly for Solara. But when Josele opened her mouth to speak, Solara let the words flow out of her.

“I’m not opposed to getting a new one but…” Josele touched the ones that hung from her neck. “We decided against it. For now.”

That alone spoke volumes for Solara.

“Then perhaps… a trinket or token to stand in for a ring?”

That wasn't a bad suggestion. Even if Nacht wasn't, despite being rather fond of belts, prone to wearing accessories or jewelry, for that matter.

"Perhaps..." Josele uttered. "Though that leaves the question of what kind."

Solara thought for a while. She still couldn't argue knowing Nacht, or what he... liked and did not like. But surely he'd take whatever Josele would give him. And thus, though the sentiment of getting something that would suit him, would be preferable, but allowed for some wiggle room.

"Does he... have a fondness for hair accessories? Considering that he has long hair?" She asked, which brought an amused smile to Josele's lips.

"No, he's not one to style his own hair. Not more than necessary, at least," she replied, though she couldn't help but muse to the thought of making an elaborate braid crown for Nacht some day.

Solara nodded to her. It might not have been a solution, but it was narrowing down the options.

"Then, I suppose that the most common trinkets, to be worn, would be either a necklace or a bracelet," she thought out loud. "Unless you want to give him an ankle bracelet."

Josele hesitated for a moment. Because though the suggestion of a bracelet was logical enough, it bore more than unfortunate connotations to her, and Nacht.

"No bracelet..." she uttered with a rather melancholic tone, which she couldn't help, as it brought her hand back to the rings around her neck.

Solara said nothing but nodded. Whatever it was that made Josele turn down the idea of the bracelet, that could be left to her. It didn't matter, not to Solara. What mattered in that moment was the woman standing with her and her wish to celebrate a happy future to be made.

Solara reached out and set a hand on Josele's shoulder. When Josele's eyes met her own, Solara smiled faintly. Josele's own smile returned to her face, a warm gratitude coming across as clear as the sky above them.

"A necklace would actually be appropriate. Something to accompany the relics." Josele colored up and there was a shine in her eyes that Solara was certain was directed to the man whom Josele would soon pledge herself to.

With the type of token decided, Solara and Josele made their way to the nearest jeweler's store. After all, Solara pointed out, having examples set before Josele would give her ideas of what she would actually want to get Nacht.

“Perhaps,” Josele said while peering into one of the glass display cases, “something with a moon. He always calls me his ‘star’ and so what goes better with the stars than the moon.”

“Oh that’s a lovely idea,” Solara replied. “It complements his pet name for you and I’m sure there’s more you have in mind.”

“The moon changes constantly but is always present, just like how he and I will change with time but still share in love,” Josele whispered, swaying a bit with the romantic thought.

Solara hummed, thinking to the moon in her own life. No matter how Selena, or Solara herself, changed, they would forever be sisters and care for each other. Not only that, but even when things looked dark, like a new moon, there was a comfort in knowing they could be there for each other.

Solara surveyed the jewelry. “What of that one?”

The necklace Solara pointed to was a circular pendant with a crescent of white gems in it while black gems were embedded in the rest of the circle, giving the impression of a crescent moon.

Josele let out a snort.

“Too bedazzled for your dark shadow prince?”

“Maybe a couple jewels too many,” Josele answered between giggles. “But… something about it does look nice…”

Josele waved over a worker and asked to be shown a collection of lunar themed pendants. It didn’t take long for a tray of samples to be brought out. Drumming her fingers on a glass counter, Josele stared at the necklaces. There was a pout on her face.

“They’re lovely but… the crescent… It kind of feels like there’s something missing.”

“It’s unfortunate that it’s the most distinctive shape for a moon.” Solara set down the pendant she had been examining. “Is there any other, I suppose, sentiment you want to convey to Lord Faust with the gift?”

Josele leaned back and away from the counter.

“Well, I wanted the moon for how it changes but also… it’s a light in darkness. Nacht is similar, though he doesn’t realize it. He cared for me when…” She shook her head, not wanting to finish the thought. “Not only that but I want Nacht to think of the future with hope.”

“Caring and hopeful? Like a guardian angel?”

“Yeah actually!” Josele exclaimed. “And maybe there could be a gem centerpiece…”

Solara raised a fist and grinned. “Let’s get looking then.”

There was something so amusing in her gesture to Josele. It seemed more like something Fuegoleon might do, rather than Solara herself. But maybe that's what growing to be a couple was about, adopting little maneuvers from each other, and knowing what the other was going to say, before they said it.

And perhaps gestures like that were more visible to those who were observing from the sidelines.

They asked the clerk if there were any pendants with a more angelic theme, and after a while, there was an assortment of various wing, and halo, pedants presented before them.

But, just as before, all these beautiful pieces of jewelry seemed to have something missing.

Solara looked at the melancholic expression on Josele, guessing that this wasn't it either.

"Something not quite right with these either?" She asked.

"No... not, not quite," Josele shook her head, though only faintly. "They're all so... bright?" The question in her tone was more so a question on if that was the right word to use, rather than about the quality of the pendants themselves. "Because... he's... Well. He was a bit of a troublemaker in his past, and... though I want him to think of the bright future ahead of us, with the sentiment of hope, I… don't think that such a 'bright' piece of jewelry is... fits his image."

Solara hummed in thought. But it was fair and fitting. Because Nacht certainly didn't try to appear like a knight in a shining armor.

"He's..." Josele continued, as a wide smile rose to her lips. "My darling devil divine..."

"With the heart of a gem," Solara continued. And paused. "No, wait, it's 'a heart of gold,' isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Josele giggled.

“A man with dark powers and a shining heart, that’s my Nacht,” Josele stated with a sigh. As though the thought of the man alone took her breath away.

Not that Solara could judge. That was the nature of love at times. And Solara believed such wistful behavior was showing more because of what was in the near future for Josele.

Josele traced a finger around one of the angel wing pendants. There was a thoughtfulness, even admiration, in how carefully she looked at it. She nodded to herself then asked the clerk if they had any pendants of similar design—she had taken a liking to the wing motif—but made with a darker material.

The third selection had a mix of pendants that resembled bird or bat wings. Some were encrusted with jewels and others were embellished with finer details in the metal.

“I think we’re getting close,” Solara said, plucking up a pendant depicting bat wings curling around a gem to form a heart shape. “I don’t want to presume but these have an elegance like the night which feels apt.”

“No I agree.” Josele beamed, her eyes surveying the selection in excitement. “The darkness can be beautiful, kind even. Like the devils’ power…”

Josele, seeming to have caught what she just said, looked to the clerk with an apologetic look.

“It’s, uh, not what…”

Solara stepped between and quickly took over the situation. “If you’ll recall, it was reported that it was a Magic Knight wielding a devil’s power that struck down the King of Devils. I believe my friend is making reference to that.”

The clerk pursed her lips and nodded. “I… see…” They turned and stepped away, leaving the women to evaluate the jewelry left out.

Solara turned to Josele who hid her face behind her hands.

"You handle yourself with such poise, Solara."

"It comes with years of etiquette training," Solara replied, brushing aside the interaction. "And you were just speaking your mind. No real shame."

"I'm sure your husband would disagree," Josele tried to joke to alleviate the tension.

An amused smile passed over Solara's lips for a second, which was followed by a sigh, and a look towards Josele.

"Well. At least you didn't suckerpunch him like I did with William."

Josele pursed her lips. Solara's confession was a reminder that she was not merely warm sunlight but the sun itself, burning with passion. And that passion had been directed towards a, quite justified, show of force.

Josele shook her head, bringing her back to the present issue of the gift.

Blackened metal shined. Jewels of darker hues shimmered. Josele's attention was especially drawn to a necklace that had two wings made of rounded feathers curved to form a heart. No gemstones for embellishment, just beautifully polished dark silver. She set it side-by-side with the necklace Solara had picked out earlier.

Taking elements from both would look nice, Josele mused, imagining a gemstone being framed by the feathered wings. But... "These would suit his image better and I would like for Nacht to take it as a reminder to take pride in himself and his abilities. I don't think it's right though, having something with a darker aesthetic symbolize hope for the future, that is."

"Ah, yes. As much as we say 'it is darkest before the dawn,' we still fear the dark." Solara looked at Josele's choices. "Perhaps if you want a gem centerpiece, we can pick out one of a lighter hue. To brighten it just a little?"

"Or..." Josele didn't look at Solara but instead kept her eyes fixated on the necklaces. She tilted her head to the side. "Shadows... Wouldn't you say they're the meeting point of pure light and pure darkness?"

"That sounds like an accurate description to me." Solara leaned forward against the counter. "I take it you have an idea for what to do."

Josele answered with a smile and nod in Solara's direction. "Yes, and I think it'll be more than suitable."

It didn't take long for Josele to explain to a worker the idea she had in mind. Solara agreed to have news of progress on the custom piece sent to her lest Nacht find it amongst the rest of the Black Bulls' mail and ruin the surprise.

As the women left the shop, Solara noted how brightly Josele smiled.

"My, I don't believe I've ever seen a smile like that from you before. You really are enthusiastic, aren't you?"

Josele shyly turned her head away. "Well... I'm not sure how this might come across but... I feel..." She tucked some loose hair back. "I feel the same way I did the day I found Morgen's ring." When Josele reached for the silver band that hung from her neck, it was not with melancholy but overwhelming joy. "I remember seeing it and knowing in my heart that it was meant for him. Nacht's gift took a little more work but I still feel like it's meant to be."

Solara grinned. She couldn't think of something to say in reply, if there even was anything to say. She didn't have Josele's experience. Of having and losing love then finding it again. Sure, Solara and Fuegoleon had concerns with their own relationship but those were unique to them. And Josele's love for Morgen and Nacht were uniquely hers. That left Solara at a loss despite wanting to voice something on that happiness that Josele found again.

Josele suddenly stopped and turned to Solara.

"Thank you," she said plainly. "For helping me with this errand." Josele placed a hand on Solara's upper arm. "And for what your heart tells me."

Solara flushed then giggled. How could she have forgotten? There hadn't been a need for words in the first place. Josele simply knew.

"I'm happy to help."

More than happy really. Even if Solara would not be in attendance for the union, being able to help it come together was enough. And she could now look forward to a letter addressed from one Josele Faust.

[strawberrymilkgeorge]

Part Nine. Minecraft Dating 101

warnings: swearing, mostly super freaking fluffy but some oopsies at the end (which is the barely-there angst that i mentioned before!!), pet names?? if that bothers you??? (like...... one or both of them might use baby.........) word count: 5.3k (not including pictures)

behind the screen (irl dream x f!reader) series masterlist ultimate masterlist

A/N: HEHEH SORRY ITS SO LONG SORRY hope you guys like it!!!! hope it lives up to your standards of minecraft dates lol also thank you guys all for all your suggestions!!! i loved all of them so much!!!! i would have added every idea except this was already 5k words so its much less “flirting” and more so “oh gosh im so nervous what am i supposed to do” from both of them so hehe i think thats more endearing anyway

**********

The familiar sound of a FaceTime call connecting rang in Y/n's ears and she held her phone up to her face. "Hi, Karl," she sighed.

"Y/N!!" he said with a cackle. "ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR DATE?!"

"Shut up, I'm doing this for you."

"I already gave you the tour though so really you could back out. You're choosing to stay." His voice was teasing and giddy. "Why's that, hmm?"

Heat rose instantly to Y/n's face. "Because I'm a woman of my word?"

"OkaAaAyy," he sang. "Or because you liiiiikeee himmm."

"Shhhut up, Karl. No, I don't."

"Suuuure."

"Is this why you called me?"

He giggled. "Yeah, but—"

Y/n disconnected the call and set her phone down with a small laugh and a shake of her head.

With her stream started and her chat greeted, the donation limit raised to $100 (both because she didn't want to be flooded with questions on the date and because she didn't want people to donate their hard-earned money), Y/n logged onto Dream's SMP and found the voice call Dream was in, George's name right under his.

After she clicked it to join, a small gasp emitted from her headphones before she heard Dream mutter something. "Get out, get out, leave."

George's voice was normal. "But I wanna—"

"GEORGE!" Dream yelled, making Y/n giggle.

"Fine!" George yelled back. "Have fun you two," he sang like Karl did before a sound from Discord told them that he left.

It was silent for a second before, "Hi."

"Hi." She giggled. "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just some last minute, uh, setting up."

She hummed, amused at the sound of his frantic voice.

"So, um... are you ready for our date?"

"I don't even know where you are. I'm still in my house."

"Knock, knock," he said with a laugh. Y/n turned to see green peeking through the cutouts on her oak door and she laughed.

She ran to the door and opened it for him, revealing Dream in a slightly altered version of his Minecraft skin. He looked the same, except the white blob appeared to be wearing a necktie of some sort. "You look ridiculous," she admitted with a smile. "Wait, is this a fancy date? Should I change my skin?"

"It's not fancy, I just wanted to look my best for the prettiest girl in the world."

"Ohmygosh," she muttered to herself, hoping that writing off his charming words and actions as annoying would make her face not heat up as much. So far, it hadn't worked. Two minutes in and she was already blushing like a schoolgirl whose crush asked her to play tag at recess. "So, I'm not underdressed?"

"No, you're always perfect."

She didn't comment, opting for an eye-roll instead. Truthfully, she wanted to flirt back with him, try to make his heart beat fast like hers already was, but she was worried her words wouldn't come off joking and that the true intention would be obvious, that he'd be able to breeze right past the jovial tone and hear the sincerity in her words. Wait, true intention? What was her true intention? Her true intention should obviously be to just joke around and have some fun, but deep down she knew the motivation for teasing him came from somewhere different, somewhere more meaningful.

She wanted to tease him because she wanted to be the one to make him blush, to make him trip over his words and not know what to do with his hands.

Why? Well, she was still figuring that out.

"If you're ready, follow me, ma'am."

"Where are you taking me?" she asked as she followed his character down prime path.

"Hmmm..." he mused. "A secret, obviously."

"Obviously," she scoffed. She noticed that he was several blocks ahead of her and she smiled to herself. "Hey, Dream?"

"Hm?" he asked, spinning to face her as he ran backward.

"I don't know how many dates you've been on, but usually people walk together. You know, gives them an excuse to maybe hold hands or at least enjoy each other's company?" She made sure her voice had just the right balance of teasing and seriousness, curious as to how he would respond.

"I, uh... oh."

"Unless you want me to just meet you there. I mean, you're practically running away from me."

"I'm just excited!" he excused, stopping briefly so she could catch up with him.

"But look at how many beautiful things there around us to look at while we get to where we're going!" she told him. "Well, maybe not that," she said with a laugh as she punched her fist towards Tommy's dirt house. "But other things."

Dream laughed and continued to walk next to her like she requested, pausing if he ever got too far ahead. "How can I look at all those when the most beautiful thing is walking right next to me?"

She's never rolled her eyes so hard in her life. "Shut up," she mumbled as she punched him.

"OW! BUG!"

"That was supposed to be a pat on the arm but Minecraft only has one level of hitting and it's a punch. Sorry."

Dream wheezed briefly before containing his laughter. "This way," he instructed, getting off the path and starting into the woods.

"Oh, really you're trying to kill me. That's why you didn't want me to wear anything nice. Didn't want me to ruin any of my fancy stuff."

"Foiled my plans," he joked lightly. "Okay but really, um, I was thinking—well, so you already have a house but I was thinking we could build one together. Or build something, I don't know. But you're really good at building and I know you really enjoy it so I thought maybe you could show—like, teach me and then later I'll teach you something and then we can have a little picnic dinner."

Y/n smiled at her nervousness. "Hey, that actually sounds really fun!"

"What? What do you mean actually?" He laughed. "What, did you expect me to plan something boring?"

She laughed over his dramatic pouting. "No, but I mean, I didn't know what to expect," she said shyly. "I do have to say, though, I'm not sure what you plan on teaching me. I'm pretty much a master at all possible Minecraft skills, so..."

"Oh, really?" he taunted. "Everything?"

"Mhm," she hummed, her confidence wavering at his smooth voice.

"We'll see about that..."

"Unless you mean you're gonna teach me how to code Minecraft. That's a Minecraft skill I will admit I know nothing about."

"No, no, nothing like that," he said with a laugh.

"Good, save the programming talk for later."

"For laaater, hmmm?" he sang flirtatiously.

"Oh my gosh," she said through a laugh. "You would think that's what I meant."

"Hey, you're the one that said you think it's cute when I talk about coding. Maybe you're into that."

"I was saying it's sweet hearing you talk about stuff you like, you nerd. Why did you immediately think—what, is your idea of dirty talk talking about... like... computer viruses?"

"WhAT?"

"Hey girl, lemme clean out your motherboard," she mocked in a deep voice. "You overclock my processor. Lemme program your, uh—uh...hAHA, nevermind, ew, no."

"BUG?! WHAAAT? What is wrong with you?" His gasps for breath between wheezes made her laugh with him. "Don't ever talk like that again, pleASE."

"I won't, I won't, I'm sorry. Oh my gosh."

"Is that your idea of flirting? You are bad!"

"No, no, no!" She laughed. "I was making fun of you. No, I'm actually really good."

She couldn't stop giggling to herself for a few minutes, embarrassed but also proud of the reaction she got from Dream. She loved hearing him laugh as if he would never stop, it made her heart so happy to hear, especially when she was the one who caused it.

Though she feared her horrible pickup lines, if you could even call them that, were already clipped, ready to be used against her for the rest of her life. Worth it. Probably.

They approached a cleared-out area in the woods and Dream stopped and turned to Y/n. "So, we're here. What should we build?"

"Oh, so now I have to plan? Wow, you are so underprepared," she joked.

"What, no! I originally... I wanted to build a, like, a house together because I didn't— I forgot you made your—your house already and—but since you already have one—"

"We can still build a house," she interrupted with a soft voice. Him fumbling over his words was very endearing but also very confusing. How serious was he taking this bit? Or was he... actually nervous? She was actually nervous but she had reasons to be: a huge live audience to entertain and not ignore, and the weird staticky, itchy feeling in her tummy every time Dream spoke to her. Both valid reasons to be nervous. What was his excuse?

"Really? You wanna build a home together?"

Heat rose to her cheeks at his wording and she hummed. "Mhm. You can be my secret lover I hide in my vacation home. Like a second life kinda deal."

He scoffed. "Oh, now I'm just your side piece, Bug?"

"Nah, you're my main bitch, baby. I just wanna hide you away to keep you for myself because I'm selfish."

There was silence on his end for a few moments, making Y/n's face practically catch fire as she thought about her words. Why did she say that?? How can he flirt all the time but as soon as she says something: dead silence.

"Well.... shhhhhit," he finally mumbled definitively.

"You wanted me to flirt with you, Dream. You literally asked me too!" She laughed, trying to cover up her embarrassment. It had been less than 20 minutes and she already made a fool of herself.

"I did, I did, I just—wow. Come on, that was... I didn't expect you to go from never flirting to calling me baby!"

"Too much?" she bit her lip as she waited for him to explain if it was a good or bad thing.

He paused again. "....no."

She laughed loudly, pulling her hoodie collar up to her face in an attempt to rid herself of the giddiness and heat on her face. Like anyone could see anyway.

"So, a house?"

"A house."

"What kind of house do you think we should build together, Dream?"

"Maybe...." he thought as he ran around the area. "Maybe, like, a log cabin? Since we're in a forest. It's fitting..."

"Very true, very true..." she thought. "I was thinking a castle was more suited for you, king, but a cabin works too."

"Bug!" he yelled, laughter bubbling up in his voice. "What is wrong with you?"

"What?" she said defensively, giggling.

"You're a handful today," he groaned under his breath and she smiled. Though his words said one thing, Y/n could tell he was enjoying her energy.

"So, a dinky, old cabin, or what?"

"Whatever you want to build," he sighed.

"You always this agreeable?"

"Only to you."

"Well, I honestly don't have much practice with building cabins and since I want to show off my skills, I mean, that's the whole point of this, right? For me to impress you with my skills?"

Dream laughed so she continued.

"I think we should build a treehouse."

"A treehouse?"

"Mhm. What do you think? I make a pretty bomb treehouse."

"That sounds awesome!" he agreed. "Oh, and it could go from, like, one tree to another and, like, connect with a bridge! Like, the living room on one and the bedroom on another."

"Yeah, exactly! Okay, it's settled."

"What do we need? What do you want me to do?"

"I'm thinking.... we use cobblestone?"

Dead silent. Literally no noise until a few moments later, ".......Bug. This might be a deal-breaker."

"I'm joooking! You think I'd build something out of cobblestone? Who am I, Tommy? No, what's your favorite wood?"

"Dark oak."

"GOOD. Me too. So.... we need dark oak. Or, wait! Okay, hear me out."

"I'm hearing..." Dream prompted as he pressed A and D on his keyboard back and forth, earning a giggle from Y/n. He character was bouncing left and right is excitement.

"Dark oak planks..." she started.

"Mhm."

"Stone bricks..."

"Go on."

"And green wool for accents."

"Well, now you're just pandering."

"No!" she laughed. "Not, like, lime wool. Green wool. It's close to you but not as... obnoxiously blinding."

"I trust your vision. I'll go get materials."

"Perfect, you're the best, Dweam."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled before laughing. "You pick out a tree you think would be best for the main part."

40 minutes later, they were nowhere near being done. Y/n had shown him how to make a good house layout after he placed the floor in the shape of a square. She had yelled at him for it first, of course. They also had the frame of the walls and one bridge but nothing on the other side of said bridge. Not wanting the stream to last six hours since this was only the first part of the date, Y/n made a suggestion.

"What if...."

"What if what?" Dream asked, pausing to look at her character, who had stopped fixing his mistakes. "Did I mess something up?"

"No, I was just thinking. What if we make this the whole house and do a little garden on the other side of the bridge? Or like a little cute thing."

"A little cute thing?" Dream laughed.

"You know, like a thing," she said, knowing she hadn't clarified anything. "I forgot this is only date one, you can't read my mind yet."

"Oh, so there are gonna be future dates? I thought this was just to pay off your debt?"

She paused, playing with her hoodie strings between her left hand. "Well, I guess we'll see."

Dream laughed. "So, what little cute thing did you want to make?"

"We could put a bench facing the sunset and have some potted flowers and hang lanterns and stuff."

"Oh, like a romantic spot?"

"I guess if you wanna think of it like that."

"Sounds cute," he said. "So, we have to change the layout in here then?"

"Nah, I mean, we can just not add a kitchen, we obviously don't need one anyway."

"True. Then all we need is to put our bed down, right?"

"Beds," Y/n corrected.

"Well, when they're together it looks like one big bed."

"Who said we're putting out beds together?"

"Buuuuggg..." he whined. "Come on... lemme put my bed next to yours."

She giggled again. What was with all the giggling, sheesh. "No. There's plenty of space, put it somewhere else." She placed her white bed down in the corner and went across the bridge to bring her idea to life, or, to Minecraft.

It only took about ten minutes and she finished when Dream spoke again. "I think I'm done."

"I am too! Let's take one final look around." She went back inside and immediately noticed his bed right next to hers. She stared at his character and he laughed.

"Whaaat?" he asked shyly and she just sighed, letting it happen. They took a look around and agreed that it was basically the best treehouse in the entire universe, both in Minecraft and real life.

"Bug, you're so good at building," Dream complimented as he ran around the house. "What's your favorite part?"

"Ummm...." She looked around before deciding on the bridge. "I like how you made the bridge. And I like the little touches you added to it. It's nice."

"Thanks! I think the 'little cute thing' you did is the best part."

"Shut up, I can't stand you," she scoffed. "But thanks."

"Hey, Bug?" Dream asked, leading her back into the house. He faced the two beds placed together and she prepared herself for the worst joke of all time. "Is this where all the programming talk happens?"

"I knew it! I knew you were gonna say that! Shut up!" She punched Dream as he laughed loudly and she couldn't stop smiling. "You're such a nerd. You're so annoying."

"OH! I have an idea, wait here."

***

It had been a solid eight and a half minutes of Y/n waiting for Dream and he showed no signs of returning. He was silent too, so she resorted to saying random things to get him to crack.

"When will my husband return from war?" she joked, her voice laced with sadness and longing.

There was a small suppressed laugh from his mic, but still no words.

"Sometimes I think I can still hear him laughing at me."

He must have gotten reeeaaalll close to his mic, because his next words, the first ones he had spoken in almost ten minutes, were whispered but she felt like he was in her ear. "I'll be home soon, baby."

Once again, she was so glad her chat couldn't see her because she literally shivered and her face was so warm she felt like she was glowing.

For the first time all stream, her eyes betrayed her and she looked at her chat as she pulled her hoodie collar up to her face.

user18: BUGSY BEIN REEEAL QUIET

user4: i think i just passed out

user11: wHAT ON EARTH DREAM ADKXKH

user7: BUGSY ON GOD BE REAL WITH US WTF IS GOING ON RN

user2: hey bestie i cant do this rn

user9: they can't talk to each other like that and say they're just friends pleASE

Also for the first time all stream, someone dared to donate at her limit (which, again, was ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS).

karakatara donated $100 I had to donate bc I just HAD to tell you how cute you and dream are! honestly my favorite couple ever and I was just wondering how long you've been dating??? love you and your videos!!!!!

It was $100. She had to answer it. Meaning, she had to use words after Dream said that like that and she wasn't sure that was physically possible right now.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Dream taunted.

"Wha—what, are you—you stream watching, you weirdo?" she forced out. "Why?"

"I wanted to read your chat, they're really funny."

"I haven't been reading it."

"What, why? They've been so funny this whole time."

"I've been too scared to."

"Too scared? Of what?"

Of the jokes that she wanted to be real? Of seeing something so cute only to break her heart when she remembers it's all a joke? Of seeing someone hate her for being so close to Dream? Many things.

"Of seeing something... that boosts your ego."

"What? Oh, come on. Hey, answer the dono. Someone gave you their hard earned money for that."

"Yeah, wait, chat, I had the limit that high so you DON'T donate! Why on earth would you—"

"You're avoiding the question."

"We aren't actually dating! Not actually a couple!" she said with a laugh, though something in her heart was very much against laughing at that fact. "Obviously not."

"Well, it's only the first date, so, we'll see I guess, but..."

"I cannot stand you. Thank you so much for the dono, though, Karakatara. You're insane for... yeah. Thank you so much." She turned her attention back to Dream. "Actually though are you ever coming back?"

"Yeah, what, I'm almost there. I see the you staring out the window. ."

When he got inside, he dropped a blue cornflower for Y/n and stepped back. "Okay, now, give that to me."

She followed, not understanding. "For you, Dream." She dropped the flower.

"Aw, Bug! That's so kind! Aw! Thank you! Here's a flower for you, too!" He dropped her a red poppy and then put two item frames on the wall above their beds. He put the blue cornflower above his bed and she followed by putting the red one above hers. "Now that's my favorite part of the house."

"You didn't want to use the real ones? What, did you lose my flower or something?"

"Hell no!" he defended loudly. "No, I just don't want someone to steal that one. It's in my enderchest for safe-keeping."

He said it so casually like it was no big deal, but her heart soared. She too had his flower in her enderchest.

"This," she said dramatically with a sigh, "is now a treehome."

***

"I already told you I'm the best PVP player out there."

"Bug, honey, I've seen you play Bedwars. You're trash."

"Hey!" Hehe, honey. Shut up brain.

"But that's okay! I'm here to teach you."

Y/n's character stood across a makeshift battlefield from Dream's, an axe in hand and armor that was definitely donated by DreamXD on her body. "This is kinda sexist of you. Assuming I know how to name a cute house but not fight."

"Oh no, that's not—crap. Bug, I'm only basing this off of your streams, which I watch all the time—"

Once again, he said something so casual and yet it still made her heart skip three beats and once again, she grabbed the collar of her hoodie and pulled it up to hide her face. This thing had to be stretched by now from how often it was yanked on in this stream alone.

"—and don't get me wrong, you're great! But you're also good at a lot of stuff and—"

"Dream!" she giggled out. "I'm teasing. I admit you're much better than me."

"I wouldn't say much better but... it's the only thing I could possibly teach you anything about because you're just so good at Minecraft." His tone was sarcastic at this point but she knew he was meaning what he said.

"Whatever. Come on, Dream, show me how it's done."

He actually had a lot of very useful tips that Y/n otherwise would have never thought about. I guess when you tryhard Minecraft, she thought, you learn a thing or two about pvp. It was a complete joke, but she still kept it to herself.

"I could basically beat anyone now," she said confidently.

"Yeah, basically. Except maybe Technoblade."

"Nah, even him."

"Let's see how good you really are. To the death."

"What?" She laughed. "You're gonna try to kill me on our date?"

"Yeah, scared?" Seconds later, a creeper exploded near Dream and he screeched, jumping back. Y/n lost it. She laughed loudly, clutching her stomach.

"Dr-Dream!" She laughed. "What the hell was that?"

"It scared me!" he argued. "Here, I'll protect you," he offered, running past her and killing a skeleton that was shooting towards her.

"I don't need protecting, especially from you! Besides, if you're trying to kill me, you'd let the mobs get me."

"No," he decided. "No one's allowed to kill my Bug."

She was literally going to explode. "Wh—"

"Only I get to."

"Dream!" she scoffed, running to kill the skeleton first. She succeeded and he pouted.

"Hey—I did more damage than you, you just had the final hit."

"Really? Cause to me it looks like I'm your knight in shining armor."

"Nuh-uh," he spat.

"Dream. F5 right now, you're covered in arrows."

There was a pause. "Oh whatever." He hit her once and that's all it took for them to start fighting, throwing jokes and taunts at each other the whole time, eventually resulting in a satisfying win for her.

Dream was slain by Bugsy

"WHAT?! HOW?"

<Tubbo> i thogt you were on a date <Ranboo> well definitley not anymore <Ranboo> is that canon <JackManifoldTV> WOMEN

"What was that about you being better than me?" Y/n teased.

"Oh, come ON! I still had damage from the skeleton, and besides, I taught you everything you know!"

"That just makes you a very good teacher, Dream," she said sincerely and he paused, probably expecting her to insult him instead of compliment him.

"Yeah, suck up now that you've murdered me."

***

They were finally at their final stop, three hours into the stream. Not too bad on time, though this was probably the longest Minecraft date in the history of Minecraft dates. Also the best, but maybe Y/n was biased.

There was a huge tree, obviously built instead of naturally generated, with lanterns hanging down and lighting areas of the dark world around them. Under that was a checkered pattern of carpet, a single chest in the center with a potted plant sitting next to it.

"The carpet is supposed to look like a, uh, what's it called... picnic blanket?" Dream explained as they approached the scene, clearly not happy with how it turned out. "It looks weird. Nothing compared to the treehouse you built."

"We built," she corrected. "And this looks awesome, Dream," Y/n complimented. "It's is also my favorite colors."

"Yeah, I had some help from Karl on that one."

She leaned back in her chair in real life and pressed her hands to her face. Oh, it was so unfair how cute he was when he was shy like this. She glanced at chat, which only made her face go from the temperature of molten lava to basically the sun. She was going to explode.

She hummed, a little giggle coming out as well. "That's cute."

She sat (crouched) on the picnic blanket (piece of carpet) while Dream put a disc in the jukebox off to the side.

"Is that a Tommy disc?" she giggled and Dream laughed.

"No, no, no, don't worry. There shouldn't be any continuations of wars interrupting our date."

"Shouldn't be," she emphasized, noticing someone approaching them from the distance.

Dream was about to speak when Quackity reached them and quickly joined the voice channel.

"Oh no," Dream sighed. "We've come so far."

"AYYEEE WHAT'S GOING ON, MAN?!" Quackity yelled in his Mexican Dream voice, his voice bubbling with laughter. "IS THIS A DATE OR SOMETHING, MAN?"

"Quackity, go AWAY!" Dream ordered, punching the character who had stripped to his underwear. "YOU'RE INDECENT! THERE IS A LADY HERE!"

Y/n laughed, enjoying the scene of fancy Dream hitting naked Quackity away from their picnic dinner.

"I'm your waiter, I'm your waiter!" Quackity said in his normal voice, still laughing. "DREAM! WILL YOU STO— QUIT HITTING ME!"

This had turned chaotic very quickly.

"We don't need a waiter," Dream informed him.

"Then I'm the singing gram you ordered." He started singing a song and Dream groaned. "HEY THERE DELILAH WHAT'S IT LIKE IN NEW YORK CITY—"

"No! You're being a clout chaser, go away!"

"I'm honestly impressed we made it this far without anyone coming into the voice channel," Y/n admitted.

"I paid them," Dream joked.

"You did not!" Karl's voice suddenly came through and Y/n laughed. "We were all just being polite and staying away but we're getting bored! We've been so patient!"

"Yeah, hurry up! We wanna play!!!" Sapnap whined. "Dream, it's not fair for you to steal Bugsy from us for so long."

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed with a laugh as Dream laughed along.

"Just ten minutes! Ten more minutes!" Dream bargained but none of them would have it. "Just so I can say goodbye!"

"No!" George insisted. "Right now!"

"Look, wait, wait, hold on—"

<Sapnap joined the game> <GeorgeNotFound joined the game> <KarlJacobs joined the game>

"—hold ON!" Dream begged, watching as the three boys ran and joined Quackity by the picnic blanket.

Y/n could not stop laughing at all the avatars around them. The date had been so peaceful and cute but all good things must come to a chaotic end.

"Wait, come on, Karl, Karl, Karl," Dream said quickly. "Come here. Bug, just a sec, please. Stay right there."

"Okay," she agreed, curious to see his plan.

Karl followed him and of course Sapnap couldn't help but also join them.

"Okay," Dream whispered loudly, clearly wanting everyone to hear his offer. He crouched and the other two copied. "Just give me ten minutes—"

"Ten?" Sapnap asked loudly.

"Shhh!!! Yes, ten minutes, to say goodbye and, you know, end the date."

There was a long, thick pause. "What exactly are your intentions with Bugsy Games," Karl asked seriously, matching Dream's whisper.

"Well, I wanna make sure she gets home safe, you know, so I'm gonna drop her off and, I don't know, see if maybe.... maybe she'll give me a hug?"

Karl and Sapnap both gasped dramatically and Y/n giggled, sparing a glance at her chat who were all freaking out.

"What the hell?" Quackity said while laughing. He and George were still standing near Y/n so they were just watching the goons with her.

"Bugsy is not that kind of girl!" Sapnap protested. "You think she's just gonna give you a hug?"

"Sapnap! Do you not know how to whisper???"

George let a loud laugh slip before slapping his hand over his mouth, which his mic picked up.

"Okay, Dream, wait, so you're gonna try to... hug her?" Karl clarified. "She won't even let me hug her. Good luck."

"Well, I'm not going to force her into anything but, I don't know, she said something about holding my hand earlier so I just thought maybe there's a possibility—"

"WHAT?" Karl yelled before going back to the whisper. "Okay, okay, don't panic, but that's huge. Dadnap, a word?"

He and Sapnap broke off from Dream and formed their own huddle, except their whispers were incoherent mumblings that weren't even English.

"Oh my gosh," Y/n groaned loudly, an unmistakable laugh behind her words.

"Okay," Sapnap said, rejoining Dream. "We'll give you five minutes but if you take any longer, we're barging in and killing you."

"Yes, sir!" Dream said. "Thank you, sirs."

"Mhm. Okay, break!"

They all uncrouched in sync before Dream ran back to Y/n.

"How did it go?" she asked as if she didn't hear the entire conversation.

"Bad news," he started. "Your dad's want you home."

"Shame, I was quite enjoying my time."

Dream slowly turned towards the boys as if to glare at them for ending the date before turning back to her. "Then, maybe, I don't know, we could do this again sometime?"

"I.... think I'd like that," she said slowly, trying to tease him.

He giggled and told her he was going to drop her off at her house, even though when the date was over, they were all probably gonna mess around together anyway so there was no point in them leaving the group. But it was the thought that counted.

He ended up taking her back to the treehouse, which warmed her heart. She also noticed when they faced each other at front of the door, she could see the four other boys watching them.

"Goodnight, my sweet Bug," he said poshly.

"Goodnight, Dream." He turned away but she stopped him. "Wait!" She moved to his side and made a loud, MUAH, sound before stepping back in front of him. "A kiss on the cheek," she clarified, not wanting him to think she gave him a real kiss.

"Cute," he said under his breath, almost like he didn't mean to say it out loud. "Night night." He turned away and ran down to the others, screaming the whole way. "GUYS, DID YOU SEE THAT? BUG GAVE ME A KISS ON THE CHEEK!! OMG DID YOU SEE, DID YOU SEE?"

Chat was gonna have a field day with that. Actually, with a lot of things that had happened. Oh, she could see the clips and edits now.... oh boy.

**********

PREVIOUS | NEXT

**********

Taglist: OPEN (at the time) (bold = couldnt tag)

@theboywhocriedlupin​ @hydrate-tion​ @loraleiix​ @tinaswagbd​ @charsdummb​​ @smileyyuta​​ @1ghoste1​ @cerberus-hellhound @gaysludge​ @queestionmark​ @carnations-red​ @letsloveimagines​ @the-fictionwriters-hairdo​ @boiled-onionrings​ @a-cryptic​ @fee-btheweeb​ @erwinss​ @just-a-stan​ @axths​ @kayleigh2703 @furiouspockettoad​ @sometimeseverythingsucks​ @powerpuffyn​ @itshaileyn​ @millavalntyne​ @automaticcomputerpaper​ @nikkineeky​ @fivedicksinatrenchcoat​ @sprucekot​ @bellomi-clarke​ @possiblyanxioushuman​ @jabby16​ @mae-musicbitch​ @hungoverhellhound​ @dreamyteam​ @kuroo-icedtea​ @stuffforreferences @menacingaesthetic @sapphic-soot​ @fangeekkk​ @haseulreturns​ @queenwastaken​ @peteysgf​ @losingvienna​ @bi-narystars​ @zero-nightshade​ @erinitoburrito @sparklykeylime​ @youhyakuya​ @danny-devitowo​ @clubfairy​ @loser-keiji​ @oi-itsemily​ @alm334​ @the-katastrophe​ @wreny24​ @applecakeradio @unicornblood4ever @brendalopez99​ @spacecluster​ @justonemoreepisode​ @strawbrinkofdeath​ @aikochan4859​ @chaotic-tieflings​ @dreamsofficialwife​ @where-thesundoesntshine​ @jamiealenaa​ @unstableye​ @kageyamama-hinatatata​​ @officiallyunofficialperson​​ @secretly-a-weeb​​ @localsimp​​ @loxbbg​​ @rhymeorreason1​​

[rayofsunas]

s/o who dies.

A/n: listennnn, I wasn't going to write something dark, but then I unregretfully decided to listen to edgy/dark audios and I was suddenly in the mood to write this so yeah lmao. also, guess what? I'm planning on making a discord server right after posting this! so, be on the lookout for that when I get it all sorted out. also, note for Scaramouche's that the reader inserts tend to lean more femininely versed (I hope that's okay), the only reasons why I do that is because one I simp and I'm female AND two since I am doing a mini-series for Scara, I've kind of based his imagines/fics around that universe (baby daddy universe). I haven't started his yet, but consider these part of that series' universe. anyways as always thank you for requesting anon and enjoy! <333

Summary: you die + how the boys cope afterward.

Parings: Albedo/Gn! Reader, Xiao/Gn! Reader, Scaramouche/Fem! Reader

Warnings: swearing, angst, death, poison, illness/cancer, murder, arson, obsessive behavior

Word count: 2.1k

Albedo

"You need to keep this on your head." Your lover said for the one-hundredth time, placing the cold cloth on your forehead once again after taking it off only seconds earlier.

"This is pointless," You said, no longer wanting to ignore nor hide behind the invisible thick curtains of the obvious death sentence approaching. "My body rejected the medicine the first twice doses, what's a third time going to do?" You asked, knowing Albedo wouldn't answer; your hope was to knock some sense into his thick skull. but he was too worried trying to ignore the obvious as you had previously been doing, not anymore though.

This was saddening to watch, both Albedo's unfolding and the girl who accidentally poisoned you, whimpering into Sucrose's shoulder. She was only a young girl, barely seventeen when she was chosen to work under Sucrose and your boyfriend. She was very good at Alchemy and luckily had a desire to practice the craft. But unfortunately, she hadn't paid much attention when it came to Surcrose's educational poison lesson and had unknowingly mixed up poisonous liquids and materials.

After tipping over some clutter in Albedo's office and knocking over a test tube laying unsealed on the counter, you had realized the contents spilled on your skin, bleaching into your pores. You had been tasked with bringing the famed alchemist and his assistant some vials and materials for the collection of a rare butterfly they had found. It was both telling and obvious that something was wrong when you never showed up with the required materials requested and it was already too late hours later when the chief Alchemist, his assistant, and Alchemist in training came bounding down the stairs of Albedo's home laboratory.

It didn't take long for the trio to realize something was wrong. Sucrose had found the vile on the floor, most of its contents spilled and in a little puddle, plus your state on a nearby lounge chair was obvious; slumped awkwardly, forehead visibly sweating, eyes closed, breathing raspily.

You accepted the first doses of the supposed nullifying medicine without hesitation, just wanting the numbing feeling to go away. But when it never kicked in you decided it would be best to save the medicine, because it wasn't working. Your time was coming.

"Since the medicine is taking immediate effect, you should try to get the contents out of your system," He said, reaching out for you. Badly you wanted to argue that the medicine wasn't working at all, but he wasn't listening and already has his lean arms wrapped around your middle, helping gently lift and guide you over to the sink.

You hear materials being shoved to the side and soon enough you had your head dangling over the sink, shaking hands gripping the metalled edge tightly. Soon enough, Albedo's hand was on your back rubbing up and down, hoping to comfort you, it wasn't working though. You could only think about your death, what the other side would look like. Could there even be heaven or hell, maybe a place in between, maybe nowhere...?

As soon as you felt the urge to vomit, you did, and despite it being utterly disgusting Albedo seemed to welcome it happily. He took this as something good, but it only worried you when you saw the reddish hues in the bile.

"I think they should leave." You muttered acknowledging Sucrose and Elizabeth, the taste of gooey, metal only becoming more apparent. The blonde agreed, nodding and muttering "Okay."

As Sucrose lead Elizabeth towards the stairs, the pair heard you say. "Goodbye Sucrose, Elizabeth." Which only seemed to make the young girl wail louder.

You sighed sadly once the silence was back. Just your thoughts of death, and Albedo's slowly crushing heart.

"You should probably leave soon as well. I don't want you to be here when I go." Albedo frowned at your statement, head shaking.

"Don't say things like that."

Of course, he'd say that. Why did he feel the need to ignore this when it would only come back to hurt him even more later on when you were gone?

"You're the smartest man I know and we both know where this is heading," You said, head feeling much heavier than before. It was getting closer to your time. "I'm going to die, and you can't do anything about it."

"I'm not leaving your side. We promised to stick together through everything, you can't ask me to leave."

"I guess... But promise me this."

"When I go, stop blaming Elizabeth. It was an accident..." You said sincerely. Albedo wanted to make a fuss about it, tell you he'd never been able to forgive her. But for you, he would try. If it was your list desire, your last wish, he'd make it come true. Though it would be difficult. Accidental or not, she was the reason you were leaving him here, alone.

"Okay, I'll try..." He said honestly.

"Thank you," You said, letting out a shaking breath you had been holding for a very long time. Now you felt much more peaceful. "And since I know you stubbornly won't leave," You started, finally turning away from the sink to look into his cerulean eyes. "At least hold my hand."

"Of course, love."

even a year after your death, no matter how hard he tried, there was still this nagging feeling every time he looked at Elizabeth

he wanted too badly forgive her, but he couldn't

she had, although accidental, taken the one person that meant so much to him and he'd never forgive

Albedo is gonna be distant towards everyone he knows and it's completely purposeful

he doesn't like the pitiful gazes that people send his way and he hates that all the captains stared at him at your funeral

obviously, some questioned if he was able to stay in the field

he hadn't taken any time off, even when Jean advised he was welcome and that it would be best

tbh, albedo's going to have a hard time for a while

Xiao

Why did it have to be you? Why not him? He'd feel much better knowing you could live another day, after all, he'd been living a very long time.

But no, the fallen Archons, Gods, Yaksha had chosen you to join them. He wished that weren't the case

Humans and their pathetic vessels... So weak, he thought. Allowing something like cancer to beat them.

No matter how harsh it sounded, he didn't despise you, no. It wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this. He just knew that if you were a godly being this wouldn't have happened like this or at least not so soon; Xiao had known Gods that had terminal illnesses to live years. Why couldn't you be like them?

He hated watching you lie there in that bed, immobile, sickly, and tired, and all you could say was that everything was going to be alright, that he'd be alright.

But it wasn't. He wouldn't be okay without you. He would struggle daily, fall deeper into a hole. You were the light of his life, the only light in his life. And you were gone, just like that. Turning external scars into internal ones tattered all over his dying heart.

Xiao for the longest time has been by himself, so the people of Liyue know it'll be harder for him to overcome this, no matter what he says or does to prove otherwise

Zhongli in particular knows how hard this will be for his friend

his first and probably last love, dead, gone in the blink of an eye

he'll continue fighting all the monsters he crosses, becoming even more violent when he does so, trying his best to get rid of this stupid sickly feeling of heartbreak

but it won't go away, no matter what he does, no matter how absurd

he just wants the feeling to go away, he despises that feeling so much

if you have a secret place somewhere, like in the mountains, Zhongli often finds him there, wallowing in invisible self-pity

"You know they wouldn't want you to be like this." Zhongli would say, only trying to help

but it doesn't

it only enrages Xiao, even more, fuels him to push everyone out of his life again instead of letting them in like he'd done in your presence

Scaramouche

How dare you. How dare you leave him like this. Alone, nonetheless with a toddler to raise who kept crying for her mommy. He couldn't do this without you, he didn't know how to raise a child, speak to her with the gentle care that you did. That was your expertise but now he'd be doing it solo.

And never again would he entrust someone who he cares about, into ignorant, incompetent arms. Never again will he ever allow any member of the Fatui to watch after his daughter; no matter their rank or position. They had one job while he was away doing business in Liyue. Guard your home twenty-four seven, accompany you into Inazuma's port town should you need anything, watch after his daughter while she plays happily in the luscious Inazuma fields. And they couldn't do that. All he gave them was one simple task, watch and keep you and your daughter safe. Instead, they slacked off, probably drunk in some bar while you were being brutally attacked by murderous mercenaries, left to fend for you and your daughter, only to die protecting her and leave your home to be severely burned.

He knew those idiotic Fatui soldiers were incompetent the moment he stepped foot into the harbor and found that everyone seemed to quiet down. Especially the eerily silent soldiers flanked on each side to welcome him home; he was the highest-ranking soldier in the land of Inazuma after all. Not a single one bothered to step forward and tell him what was wrong, what they all criminally allowed happen. Scaramouche only realized what had happened when he was mere minutes away from arriving home, his daughter had come running from his widowed mother's arms, the sight of smoke rising in the air, from the direction of his home. You were nowhere to be seen.

It all happened so fast, in the blink of an eye. His daughter was clinging to his shirt and his mother only stared with tears of pity.

It didn't take long for the puzzle pieces to be put together and before he knew it, Scaramouche was standing in front of his home, part of it burnt to a crisp and black.

He didn't need to ask what happened, he didn't need to know where you were, because he already knew. What he didn't know was who exactly had done this. But he was going to find out, now.

Incompetent, selfish, bastards. They would all pay for this. The lazy piggish Fatui soldiers who he should've never trusted with such a simple task and the thieves who had murdered you. They all had it rightfully coming.

Scaramouche hates the world after he lost you

he hates it so much and can't understand how this had happened

he's not a good person, so he blames it on karma and those stupid idiots who couldn't protect you

ngl, he's not gonna be around much after your death... his mother would argue that he should be here to raise your daughter, because she's also in pain and doesn't understand that this isn't some game of hide and seek this time

instead, he's focused and driven by revenge

he doesn't listen to a word anybody says, he's much more dangerous than before, and he only trusts his judgment

anyone trying to get him to stop his mission, is someone who doesn't want to see him happy he thinks (though that's not true at all. they hate that he is obsessive over this) but he will personally put a stop to that

and he'll only return home to his daughter and mother when he finds who did this and they along with their bloodline is exterminated

while he's gone, the remainder of his family is relocated somewhere he knows they'll be safe, for example, even though he despises childe, he knows his mom and daughter will be safe with his family

sorry, but Scaramouche will hold this deep-rooted hatred and love for you after you die

yes, he still loves and misses you dearly, but he hates you for leaving him alone, hates that although it wasn't intentional and out of your control, that you were gone

no matter how hard you tried to fight, it was selfish of you to leave him like this

he's not going to stop until he believes whoever was behind this is dead

and in his case, he'll stop believing when he chooses, even if they are innocent/guilty, he'll keep going

3.19.21, rayofsunas

[crackinglamb]

Writer's Meme

Tagged by @bogunicorn, thank you!

Tagging @ir0n-angel, @fogsblue, @shretl, @pikapeppa, @maculategiraffe, @rosebud1773 and @thefinalpotoo. No pressure!

What is your total posted word count on AO3? As of this morning it stands at 1,498,149. This week's chapter of WG will push it over 1.5 million. ...How did I get here?

How often do you write? It used to be daily. Life has consistently interfered with that of late, one way or another. Not the least of which is some major burnout. I'm satisfied if I spend at least a portion of each week getting some words down now. Don't let my posting schedule fool you. I rely on a big backlog of completed chapters for that.

Do you have a routine for writing? Not really. When the Muse hits, I go with it until it stops. Sometimes that's three chapters in a single day. Sometimes it's 20 words. I do always write in the same place (at my desktop computer in the nook under the stairs), often do it alone and only have music on if I need to inspire a mood I'm not currently feeling. That's about as routine as I get.

What’s your favorite tropes/pairing? Established, happy, healthy, power couples. There is just something about the dynamic between two people who have chosen each other to be ride or die with. Bonus points if they had to really fight for it (against the world, not each other). And pretty much everything I write has a happy/hopeful ending.

Do you have a favorite fic of yours? Okay, see, the thing with favorites is that I don't play them. Now, if you want a rundown of fics I've written that I personally have gone back to read more than once? I can do that. I'll keep it short.

Unexpected - This was my first true AU. Written for Fallout 4, with F!SoSu/Kellogg as the pairing. I'm still immensely proud of turning 'redeeming the villain' on its ear. Rated E, ~ 30K words.

Unrepentant - Dragon Age: Inquisition. F!Lavellan/Solas. I wrote this in a fit of...some kind of Mood. It ticked all the boxes for me for things I wasn't finding already published. So I wrote it myself. Rated E, ~ 3100 words.

A Fallow Season - DA:I, F!Cadash/Solas. Sometimes you just need something melancholy and poignant. And sexy, let's not forget that. Written as a standalone for Lark Cadash because she fit the prompt that sparked this oneshot so perfectly. Rated E, ~ 4600 words.

Like a Slingshot Around the Sun - DA:I, The Iron Bull/OFC. Imogen McLean got to have a little AU of an AU, as a treat. I love my girl, and I love Bull and if WG hadn't gone the way it did, this would be the pairing of it. Rated E (no, I'm not ashamed of that trend), ~5400 words.

(I do also reread portions of WG fairly regularly, but that's mostly because it's still the main WIP and I need to remind myself of where I'm at and where I'm going with it. I do love it though. Wouldn't be writing it if I didn't.)

Your fic with the most kudos? Twist, with 1250. WG is not far behind now and will probably overtake it at some point in the near future.

Anything you don’t like about your writing? I can get myself bogged down in the meta sometimes. And then I have plotline ideas that don't fit. Or would fit, if I had the mental energy to really explore them. I'm also terrible about concluding things. I always end up feeling like I don't do the end justice and just slapdash something together so I can mark it finished after procrastinating for up to a year.

Now something you do like? I like the way I write smut, ngl. In fact, last year I wrote a tutorial essay on my process for it for an event in one of the Discord servers I'm in. I like to think I blend realism and not-too-obscenely-biological together quite well.

[writteninkat]

xii - overwhelmed

word count - 2,220

"if i love you was a promise, would you break it if you're honest?"

index

You walk towards the classroom with your palms sweating and your heart about to beat right out of your chest. You had just confessed to Katsuki thinking he also felt the same, but all he replied was a lousy 'you don't even know me'.

You furrow your brows, clenching your palms into fists in irritation. How am I so stupid? I came to Japan to prove myself and to that dumb father of mine that I can be a powerful hero! And yet here I am being swept off track by some lousy high school crush!

"Careful- if you stare any harder you're gonna melt holes through the walls." A tired and very familiar voice calls out feom behind you. You turn around, anger still clouding your head as your eyes fall on a violet-haired boy.

"Careful- if you don't do anything about your lack of sleep anytime soon you're gonna collapse." You spat back; suddenly everything around you vexes you. You send a mental message to everyone in school; today you're hot-headed, your patience is as thin as a hair strand and taking out your anger through physical violence seems like an amazing idea right about now.

"Jokes on you, I've been like this my whole life and I've never collapsed." He smirks, causing you to raise a brow. "Okay maybe I never collapsed from my lack of sleep."

"Look what the hell do you want?"

"Well- thought you looked pretty upset." He holds up two pastel yellow-colored papers. "And I just so happen to have two free ice cream passes for that new ice cream place right beside the campus." He takes a look at his watch, "We still have an hour and thirty minutes till the bell rings. What do you say?"

"And that idiot just says 'you barely even know me'" You wave your hands up, making a dumb face as well as a dumb voice to match, "like hello! I know I barely know you and that's why I feel so upset and conflicted right now! You get what I mean???" You huff back on your seat, shoving the small pink translucent teaspoon in your mouth.

Shinsou nods his head, eyes on his ice cream as he shoves a few scoops in his mouth. "Mmm- this banana flavor tastes amazing. You should try it." He offers his cup to you, making you frown.

"You're such a jerk! I thought you brought me here to let me vent out my anger." You frown, your eyebrows knitting together as you place your cup on the table, leaning back on your seat as you crossed your arms.

"I did. I listened as you vented out your anger to me and we're having ice cream but I never said we were going to talk about the situation." He points out, annoyingly unbothered expression resting on his face as he continues eating his own ice cream.

You look at him in irritation and silence for a few moments, trying to calm yourself before taking your little teaspoon and scooping a bit from his own cup. You shove the scoop inside your mouth, pouting. "The banana tastes amazing." You huff, expression still angry.

Shinsou chuckles lightly, the small smile actually lighting up his usually dark features. "It is, isn't it?" You've only ever met one person with a so-called 'contagious smile' and he was the funny boy you met at the park one day.

Ethan will have to share his spot in my list for 'contagious smiles'. You thought to yourself, letting a smile break your frown as you look down at your ice cream.

"Have you seen the new conjuring movie? It's pretty cool, a solid six out of ten." He shrugs. You shake your head, "I can't watch scary movies. I won't be able to sleep especially now that I live alone."

He raises a brow at you, "Oh come on. We can watch it together through video chat or something. I really wanna see you piss yourself while watching it." He chuckles, causing you to squint your eyes at him. "Is that a challenge?" You point your spoon accusingly at him.

"What if it is? You gonna back out? Loser?" He pushes jokingly, mirroring your squinted eyes. You bring your hand on the table in a fist, "Oh it's on."

Shinso walks you to your classroom just five minutes before the bell is about to ring. "How can I contact you?" He asks, doing the thing with his hand behind his nape as he looks away. "Here." You tug at his hand, writing down your discord account with a marker. "Call me after the sun sets. I'll be home by then."

He waves you good bye and you step in, almost completely forgetting about why you were annoyed so early in the morning. Your eyes fall on the blond boy, still looking angry as usual. His eyes meet yours for a fraction of a second before your looking towards your seat.

As you sit down, the bell rings and in comes Aizawa, tired as ever. "Today, you will all be choosing your hero names. This has a lot to do with the Pro-Hero draft picks and because you are only first years, any offers can be taken back before you graduate." He explains, pointing at a chart where Todoroki's, Katsuki's and your names are written at the top with thousands of heroes wanting to recruit you.

"You will all spend one week interning with the pro heroes you choose or those who chose you, depending on if you have multiple offers or just one." Aizawa continues to talk about the importance of hero names before Midnight walks in the classroom.

The class begins to cheer in excitement as they all are given boards and markers for their names. The cheering and yelling dies down in a few minutes but the excitement doesn't. You smile, feeling your heart throb at the innocent looks in your classmates' faces.

Each of you all are being called up to present your hero names and as your turn slowly comes closer, your palms begin to sweat and that feeling of not being able to stand properly hits you.

"L/n Y/n. It's your turn, come on up sweetie." Midnight calls for you, curling her fingers a few times. You stand from your seat, walking towards the front, keeping your eyes forward and looking anywhere but Katsuki's eyes.

You flip your board around. "I chose the name Tempest. It means a violent windy storm." Midnight claps her hands, "I love it! Basically telling the villains not to mess with the storm." She cheers, allowing you to walk back to your seat.

"So! Have you guys chosen an agency yet?" Mina asks, shoveling food in her mouth as Kirishima and Sero follow suit. You shrug your shoulders, "I'm having a difficult time choosing between Hawks' agency or Endeavor's agency. I want to work on my speed but then again, Endeavor's the number two. It'd be a waste to throw this chance away."

"And yet," Denki points his fork at you, "It's also a waste to throw away the chance of working with Hawks. I heard he's the youngest pro right now who has his own agency and is in the top ten."

As you were about to scold the blond for talking with his mouth full, Katsuki marches towards the table, setting his tray down before sitting down beside Kirishima. You look at the empty space beside you and your mood immediately turns sour.

Wow. Sure, he has the right to feel uncomfortable with my sudden confession but to not actually have some type of closure? You sigh, not bothering to finish your food before standing up. You slide your tray to Denki, earning a cheery mouthful 'thanks!' from him before you walk away.

You walk out the classroom upset, tired and hungry. Your mind races back to the tuna sandwhiches the cafe sold and your mouth immediately begins to water.

"Hey idiot."

All your food fantasies disappear the moment his gruff yet very warm and relaxing voice calls out to you. To make sure you weren't about to embarrass yourself, you look in front of you, searching for someone else only to be greeted by an empty hallway.

Slowly, you turn around, pressing your lips together as you look at Katsuki with the most nonchalant look you could pull, no matter how much you wanted to scowl at him.

"What's up?" You ask, mentally slapping yourself. What's up? What's up??? Who the fuck do you think you are to him, Kirishima??

He looks awaw, walking towards you. "They have new matcha cookies today. I checked before I got here."

You stand there, staring at him for a second, two seconds, five- ten- "Dumbass. Yo. Can you hear me?" Katsuki snaps his fingers in front of you, gaining your attention as he snaps you out of your daze- literally. "Well?"

As much as you want to say yes, accept his offer and just live a happy life, you didn't want to live a confusing one where you get hurt in the end. "I don't see why you have to do this, honestly." You look to your right, looking out the windows.

"We hang out, I feel like you're treating me differently than the others, I feel like I'm special to you, I recognize my feelings, and although I feel conflicted and upset I still confess my feelings to you." You grip onto your bag, "And you respond to me by what- telling me I barely know you?"

You look back at him, the corners of your lips pulled downwards sightly. "Katsuki I- I got the message, okay? Don't do whatever this is to me because from my point of view, you're leading me on cause you can't voice out or even figure out your own feelings." You motion your arms between the two of you. "If you liked hanging out with me, I'm sorry but I gotta keep some distance between the two of us before I go confessing to you again like an idiot."

You stand there, eyes dropped to the floor in silence.

Say something, you idiot! Fucking say something to me! Tell me how you feel- it doesn't matter if it'll hurt me, just say something!

"I'm sorry."

You look up at him, confused. His brows are knitted together in dejection as his shoulders sag momentarily.

You feel your eyes prickle with tears as you nod, pressing your lips together. "Okay." You click your tongue, turning away as you walked from the unnervingly quiet boy.

As you reach your apartment, the sun has already set, you're tired, your cheeks are stained and are still being stained with tears and your phone is blaring.

You answer it without another thought, Shinsou's tired and relaxed voice giving you a soft 'hey'. You can hold it in much longer as you break down into sobs.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Talk to me, Y/n." He sounds genuinely concerned. You sob for a few moments, letting out all the emotion you've pent up inside you as you walked back to your apartment.

"I-I just-"

Another call interrupts the two of you, making you furrow your brows. "Hold on-" You sob, your eyes scanning down your screen to see your mom calling you. You put your call with Shinsou on hold, answering your mom.

"Hey mom!" You cheer, trying to act as gleeful as possible. "Hey baby! So I heard you have a boyfriend, your aunt Miwa sent me a picture of the two of you in the paintball place? I just thought maybe you wanted to know about that boy's abrasive and violent past?"

He's not your boyfriend.

"What- you looked into him?" You yell.

"Well I had to! It's my first time my baby has a boyfriend. Anyway, I don't mean to be that mom but I don't think he's a good fit for you, honey. He's bullied countless students in middle school and after observing how he acted in the sports festival, I don't think that boy changed at all." Your mother does sound truly concerned for you but everything seemed to be too much for you today.

Before you can even think of the sentences you want to say, you hear a knock on your door. You sigh, pacing towards it as you pull it open, brows furrowing in anger at the sight of your father in front of you.

"Y/n I just want a second chance-"

You yell.

You yell out your frustrations, your sadness, your hesrtsches, everything. Every single emotion you felt today just came pouring out as you yelled from the top of your lungs.

Your body falls to the floor as your limbs begin feeling like jell-o and your head begins to spin. You hear your father ordering his guards around frantically, but his words are all muffled and unclear. You begin seeing double- seeing two of your father really isn't helping right now.

"Hey, Y/n, baby keep your eyes open for me. I'll bring you to the hospital just-"

"Can all of you just shut the fuck up for a moment?" You whisper weakly before darkness swallows you up once again.

It's cold. It's dark. You're alone.

You're always alone.

[willddheartt]

24 Days | Wilbur Soot

30 days to fall in love with someone? Sounds easy right? It would be if that person wasn’t so unbelievably annoying in almost every sense.

You’re not sure how you found yourself in this situation, but you were positive there was no backing out now…

Series Warnings: Mostly fluff and angst, and a very poorly constructed enemies to lovers plot.

Word Count: 1685

Masterlist Series Masterlist

24 Days

It was Friday, you were in the middle of doing your two-hour-long stream that you did every Friday. Since you took weekends off from your own streams you did a long one every week. It worked out, you seemed to get a lot more views on Friday anyways.  All the donos seemed to ask about you and Wilbur, you forced a smile to tell everyone you guys were well and that you’re very happy together. The viewers seemed to be happy with your responses and didn't catch you falter.  You were on the DreamSMP cleaning up things and repairing things from any creeper explosions, as having holes in the walkways annoyed you to no end because it didn't look pleasing to the eye. Many ties you were passed by Fundy, Tubbo, and even Tommy.  The in-game chat stated to be spammed by Tommy, VC 2 VC 2 VC 2 over and over again. 

“Well chat, let’s see what Tommy wants,” You giggled and switched to discord.  “Hello Tommy,” You smiled, wondering what type of shenanigans he was up to today, you noticed he was also streaming so you knew it was something that was going to be very entertaining to the stream.  “Y/N!” He yelled  “Tommy!” You yelled back, matching his energy.  “How do you do?” His sudden calm tone almost made you burst into a fit of laughter.  “I do well, Thomas. What are you up to tonight?” You asked, smiling to yourself when using his full name.  “Well, you see, Y/N. See here’s the thing. I am out of supplies, I don’t even have iron to my name Y/N-” “Do you want me to help you get some?” You offered, cutting him off  “Well, actually I was hoping you could just give me some.”  “Tommy,” You laughed, “That’s- unfortunately, that not how it works my friend.” You paused, taking a sip of your water, “I am more than willing to help you go mining, I know a pretty good spot actually, but I’m not going to just give you stuff for nothing.”  “C’mon Y/N you could write it off your taxes as a charity donation,”  You had to give it to him, although Tommy could be annoying at times he was so effortlessly funny, you were almost certain that he didn't even have to try. 

“Ah yes, hang on let me see what I have to give to Tommy’s charity fund,” You laughed, looking through your inventory, pondering for a few moments, making it look like you were going to give him half your stack of iron only our stream before clicking to the three seeds you’d picked up some time ago and throwing them at his feet. His character's head went from looking at you to the seeds, then back to you and back to the seeds again, you pulled up his stream on your other monitor so you could see his face, trying so hard to not burst out into laughter when you saw his unamused look. 

Feeling bad you pulled up a donation, giving Tommy Five bucks so the text-to-speech would work, “Tommy Charity Fund.” You sent and waited for it to go through.  He paused, hearing the dono tts voice, before looking back up at you in the game.  “Fuck you,” He said running away. You couldn't suppress your laughter any longer and it all fell out at once, chat exploded into laughter and emotes, everyone found it hilarious.

A few seconds after you were still in the voice chat with Tommy, he had ventured off to go mining, I guess stealing from people wasn't going well. Since the last war, nobody has really been gathering supplies, taking a break from the lore to just get things done around the server. Tommy still bringing up the ‘charity fund’ you found it hilarious. 

“You’re a bitch you know that,” He mumbled, you knew he was only joking, with Tommy you never took anything to heart, if he had a true problem with you, you know he would message you privately.  “Tommy,” Wilbur's voice came over discord, making you jump slightly.  “Hi Wilbur,” He said, sounding like a little kid when their mom gets them in trouble.  “Apologize to Y/N.'' Wilbur's voice was playful, yet stern, sounding exactly like the older brother who was put in charge of his younger siblings. 

After a second, you could see Tommy bow his head on his stream that was still pulled up on your other monitor.  “Sorry, Y/N. You’re not a bitch.” He said  “It’s okay Tommy,” You chuckled  “Thank you.” Spoke Wilbur before leaving the voice chat. 

You and Tommy stayed on call until his stream ended. You were left alone, talking to your chat. Without anyone else there to keep a consistent conversation you started to daze off, forgetting you were on stream, yawning and leaning forward onto your desk. Your back hurt from how long you’d been sat in front of the monitor. 

Your discord made a noise again, but this time you didn’t bother tabbing out to see who had joined.  “Hey, Y/N,” Wilburs soft voice came across your headphones  “Will,” You smiled, sitting up  “You look tired, how long have you been up?” He asked 

You looked at the clock, it was only 11 PM but you could have sworn it was later.  “Since one,”  “AM or PM?” Will asked  You looked down, “AM,” You mumbled. “You should go to bed,” He said You sighed, knowing he could break you eventually, as your eyelids were drooping shut and your eyes were burning. “Its not even that long, Wil, I’m fine.” You argued 

“How long have you been streaming?” Wilbur asked  “I’m almost at my five hour mark, I’m like forty-five minutes away,”  “End your stream early and get ready for bed than we can chat,” His voice was soft and warm speaking over your stream, your chat exploded, loving Wilbur and you together.  “But I’m so close, just a few more minutes,” You sighed, tabbing out of your game and switching the stream to a full face cam. “I’m sure they wont mind if you end a little early, you've been streaming for a while, love.” He continued, slowly wearing you down. “I can even entertain your chat for a bit while you go get ready for bed, or even make yourself a cup of tea, then when you come back, it will be close enough that you can end the stream, how does that sound?”  You sighed, knowing he had won. You looked at chat and back to the timer of how long you've been on stream, “Okay.” You nodded. 

“Alright Chat, I’m sorry for ending early but you heard the man. Next week will be extra long to make up for this, I promise.” You said, looking at the chat, everyone was spamming ‘goodnight’ and ‘goodbye’  “It was nice spending this fine evening with you all, but I must go now, I will see everyone Monday. Bye!” You ended stream 

“Hi, Wilbur,” You smiled to yourself after ending stream  “I’m going to call your number now, and you can go get ready for bed, okay?” He said  “Alright, Wil,” you nodded, closing all the windows you had open on your pc. 

After shutting everything off you grabbed what you needed and went to the bathroom. Wilbur called you halfway through taking your makeup off, you had eyeliner smudged all around your eyes when you answered his facetime.  When his face popped up on your screen, he was wearing his glasses and a big smile, his hair was a mess and he was already in bed. 

“Getting ready for bed?” He asked, as if he didn't already know.  “Of course,” You shook your head, leaning closer to the mirror making sure you had all the bits of makeup taken off before washing your face with warm water  Picking up your phone you held up a peace sign, making Wil laugh and attempt to take a sneaky screenshot.  “Hey, no, delete that, I look terrible.” You quickly argued after hearing the noise.  “You do not.” He was fast to respond. “You look refreshed, you're glowing.” you shook your head at him as you walked back to your room through the dark house. 

Your roommate had already gone to bed, close to an hour ago. You were always the last person up, being an internet person with many American friends who are in a different time zone and a night owl at heart. You flopped down into your soft pillows, pulling your duvet over yourself and propping your phone up on your laptop so you could still see Wilbur and he could see you. You pulled the corner of the blanket up to hide your face. 

“Don't do that, I want to see your face,” Wilbur frowned.  “No you don’t,” You shook your head  “Yes,” He spoke, “I do.” You moved the blanket so it wasn't all the way covering your face but it was still pulled up enough that your shoulders were covered.  “You realize next week you’ll be here for your stream?” Wilbur said.  “I do now,” You pinched the bridge of your nose, “I’m sorry, I didn't think of that,”  “Its okay, you can stream from my computer,” He smiled. “It will surprise chat,”  “Oh my god, can you imagine, they're going to go crazy,” You chuckled  “They will,”

Wilbur continued to tell you about how he was truly getting excited to have you meet him in person, but his soft voice had been lulling you to sleep, your eyelids struggling to stay open and your warm bed weighing you down. Eventually you were out. Wilbur didn't notice until he asked you a question and did not respond. Your laptop screen was still shining light on you, and he saw you were asleep against the black screen, smiling at you. He snuck another screenshot, making sure the sound was off this time. 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He said sweetly before getting comfortable in bed himself and slowly drifting off. 

[izupie]

4, 5, and 6.

thank you for sending these in aaaa <3

4 - What are your favorite types of fanworks to make?

oh, definitely fanfiction ! Something about writing is just so much fun to me. I think it's trying to capture the characters in words by trying to describe what I see in my head. Like, trying to hear their dialogue in their voices saying what I want them to say, and then writing that in way that I hope makes the same thing happen to someone else.

does that make sense???

To me, I can make anything happen in a story! Anything I can think of! I just have to make the words work by arranging them in the best way I can, and put the punctuation in the places I think works best (yeah, y'hear that microsoft word? you can underline my punctuation as incorrect as many times as you want but I do what I want this is my story now)

the fact that it means I get to spend more time with my favourite characters and ships is just the cherry on top !

5 - What are your favorite types of fanworks to see/read/listen to etc.?

oooh, interesting. I think it's gonna have to be fanfiction again. I have cried at a comic a handful of times, but I have lost count of the times I've cried over fanfiction. I have literally laughed out loud, smiled uncontrollably, gasped, held my breath and had to throw my phone onto the table so I can screech and flap my hands in the air before I can continue

I was a huuuge book nerd as a kid growing up, so I think I just developed a really strong ability to fully deep dive into books and writing and totally immerse myself in them - which is great fun honestly

I also get addicted to fanfiction in that very typical have-to-keep-reading-even-though-it's-already-3am-help-me kind of way

AND I LOVE IT

Big shout out to all the artists out there though. When I haven't got the headspace or time to read a fic (which is a drawback of the medium) then artwork really is my saviour. It's like being able to enjoy more content of whatever I'm into, at any time! Artists are so talented and they carry fandoms on their strong shoulders ;;

6 - What has been one of your favorite fandom experiences?

It was probably last year (?) (I think) when I was just starting to really get involved in the IT fandom properly and I was just starting to make fandom friends and there was this like, one week or something where me, @scrunchi and @paotulip did this crazy three-way collab of art, writing and cosplay for a coffee shop AU.

It just kept snowballing and other members of the fandom were noticing it and enjoying it and it really put a smile on my face !

The enthusiasm and joy surrounding the whole thing was so much fun.

Oh and there was the time I first joined Discord and honestly I was so lucky that I had the best discord experience straight off the bat with the first ever server I joined. I don't know if it's still going, because I left when I left the fandom, but @kacchako-server was one of the best fandom experiences I ever had and I will always treasure the memories.

There was just this planets-aligning good fortune of there being a really solid group of lovely people, a decent mod team, an active and supportive community and everyone was just there to have fun.

I remember staying up until 3am playing Uno online with everyone, or that time we played truth or dare and the dares were like, eat a handful of raw spaghetti but the person doinf the dare didn't have any, so just grabbed pasta spirals instead.

I cried laughing at the dumb pokemon fusions we all used to send to each other - because the more cursed it looked the better. and Oh! the HOURS I spent using the pokemon bot. We were all so competitive it was hilarious.

We would play group games of cards against humanity and whenever I won a round everyone lost it.

(everyone is always so surprised when I can play cah lmao)

so okay, not a lot of actual fandom content in these memories - but we were all there for the same ship and it brought us all together.

It was just this little pocket of what fandom is all about really.

and the most important thing, the most vital thing, that I wish people in fandom would remember more often is that we HAD FUN